[Doublej]

I recently switched cable providers. While my customer experience has gone in the crapper BIGTIME, why would there be a significant difference in audio and video quality between the two providers?  This stuff is digital right? Does each provider manipulate the signals to their liking?

The sound is warmer and fuller, video is more saturated. My setup is from the cable box through an HDMI cable to a 5 year old Samgun LCD 46" TV. Audio is fed to a Teac Reference Receiver via the RCA outs on the TV.

[gregcss]

Probably compression to save money.

[kenreau]

I'm about to experience the same change (this weekend).  I've been a 15 year Dish sat. subscriber and just making arrangements to go all Comcast as part of their triple play package.  Comcast has a monopoly on Internet service to our neighborhood.  The Comcast package savings per month is ~$30+/- over splitting out TV with Dish, so I will try them out for 12 months.

I originally went to Dish because the Comcast cable TV reception picture quality in our prior neighborhood was really poor - overly compressed, with ghosting, etc.  I was just getting in to HD at the time and the Dish signal p.q. was significantly better. 

I'll check back in to report out on how Comcast compares after a couple of weeks.

Kenreau

[aldcoll]

If possible get the local channels off a antenna.  The Quality due to compression is better (at least where I am).
After I put the antenna in My Comcast looked like 720p almost.


Might think about getting the audio out of the cable box.  Sound might be better or is the TV doing anything to it?

[avahifi]

I am picking off the SPDIF digital audio from my Comcast cable box ahead of any D to A or analog processing, using a HDMI digital audio stripper.  I then feed the unprocessed digital into my own DAC, preamp, power amp, and a set of Salk HT2TL speakers.  Very very nice AV sound, way better then taking analog audio after the cable box or from the big Sony tv.

Frank Van Alstine

[kenreau]

I am picking off the SPDIF digital audio from my Comcast cable box ahead of any D to A or analog processing, using a HDMI digital audio stripper.  I then feed the unprocessed digital into my own DAC, preamp, power amp, and a set of Salk HT2TL speakers.  Very very nice AV sound, way better then taking analog audio after the cable box or from the big Sony tv.

Frank Van Alstine

Great idea.  Any particular digital audio stripper you would recommend?

Thx
Kenreau

[Doublej]

The back of my cable box has both analog and digital out. I'll have to try analog straight from the cable box and see how it sounds.

I'll report back. But it may be a while before I get to this test.

[SoCalWJS]

I'm about to try out a different delivery method and worried about the quality. I figure it varies by region (what the quality of the local infrastructure is) and how much compression they choose to use.

I currently live in the sticks and my only choice is Satellite. I've been with DirecTV for quite awhile and am generally happy (compression rate seems to vary. Used to be pretty good, but as they added more PPV, the compression went up to allow the bandwidth for the additional channels). I'm moving to an area where Charter Cable is the non satellite provider. I'm thinking about giving them a shot because of the possibility of relatively inexpensive high speed unlimited Internet - something I've never had access to at home (3G/4G curently, but very pricey).

Gotta find out if I can try it for a limited time and see what the picture is like before I make a long term commitment. May just stick with DirecTV. I've grown very comfortable with them even if they are a bit expensive.

[vortrex]

The cable box also makes a huge difference in video quality.  I went from the standard Comcast Motorola HD DVR box to the new X1 box and the upgrade in video quality is impressive.  It's like I switched TV's.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

We switched from comcast to Direct TV.  The sound is much better with Direct TV, especially on HBO and on Demand movies.  We are using HDMI for audio that goes to the TV and then digitally to an AVR.

[kenreau]

The cable box also makes a huge difference in video quality.  I went from the standard Comcast Motorola HD DVR box to the new X1 box and the upgrade in video quality is impressive.  It's like I switched TV's.

Good to know.  There must be a monthly cost premium for the X1 box?

[vortrex]

Good to know.  There must be a monthly cost premium for the X1 box?

There's not, but existing customers cannot get them now (at least here).  So, the only way for me to get it was to sign up for Triple Play at a 12 month discount (I don't use the phone portion).  Once this year ends I'll remove the phone service and keep the X1 box.  Part of the triple play was also getting the new modem that has Wifi built in, which is pretty nice too.  I hate Comcast more than anyone (I worked there for 5 years), but the new X1 platform and its onscreen guide is amazing.  I never imagined Comcast could put something together that worked so well, looked so good, and was this intuitive.

[Davey]

The Tivo boxes are still a viable alternative for cable subscribers.  Boxes that are lifetime authorized are available for decent prices.  A cablecard installation is easy, and this option allows to alleviate your monthly HD and cable-company box lease charges.  I like the interface of the Tivo program guide and other features better than Comcast boxes.

As mentioned above, an HDMI stripper allows to pipe out the S/PDIF audio to an external DAC.......although I find the normal analog audio output of the current Roamio boxes perfectly adequate.

Dave.

[vortrex]

The Tivo boxes are still a viable alternative for cable subscribers.  Boxes that are lifetime authorized are available for decent prices.  A cablecard installation is easy, and this option allows to alleviate your monthly HD and cable-company box lease charges.  I like the interface of the Tivo program guide and other features better than Comcast boxes.

As mentioned above, an HDMI stripper allows to pipe out the S/PDIF audio to an external DAC.......although I find the normal analog audio output of the current Roamio boxes perfectly adequate.

Dave.

I also used a HD Tivo box and the Comcast X1 interface is better for sure (video quality also).

[Doublej]

I mostly prefer the Tivo interface. The X1 remote has no slow motion feature, no fast forward 30 seconds and no ability to control volume for an AVR. They charge you $20 extra for purchase of a fancy X1 remote that can control the AVR volume.

But the Tivo interface seems to require more steps to perform the same function and graphically looks like its 20 years old.

I read that the X1 remote is supposed to be radio frequency but I still need a clean line of sight for it to work so I am not sure what it is.

Picture and sound quality is no contest. X1 is much better than Tivo for audio and video quality.

Comcast gets me twice monthly. Once for a monthly DVR fee although I don't think it would have been cheaper if I got a non X1 box and then a second time for a monthly HD fee.

I also rent a wifi router. The first one, an Arris router, had horrible range. Speed dropped by 75% at 30 feet. The second one which looks identical, is made by Technicolor and works fine. 

I had them remove the Xfinity hotspot that they have turned on by default.

[jarcher]

My guess would also lie w/ the cable / satellite box re: improving picture / sound quality and overall performance regardless of digital or analog. Though I don't subscribe to cable or satellite, I'd say to anyone that does that occasionally you should check to see if a better / upgraded box is available & get it, particularly if your renting the damn thing from them, you should have the latest / greatest.  Early HD tuners and DVR's from all the providers were really bad in most respects. 

[Davey]

It doesn't seem like you've answered your original query yet.  Obviously the quality difference is resulting from a different cable box and/or different quality of the cable signal from your new provider.  I suspect it's primarily the latter....but probably a combination of both.

vortrex,

Assuming identical signal coming in, where specifically does the superior video quality of the X1 Comcast box come from?  Is this a multiple-tuner/DVR allocation issue, or some newfangled video processing capability, or something else?

Dave.

[vortrex]

I really don't know.  Nothing else changed on my end.  Direct box swap and that was it.  I'm guessing higher quality hardware inside the box.  The difference in video quality between X1 and my Tivo box is even greater.

[Doublej]

I really don't know.  Nothing else changed on my end.  Direct box swap and that was it.  I'm guessing higher quality hardware inside the box.  The difference in video quality between X1 and my Tivo box is even greater.

That's what I am thinking. Different chips just like different chips in Blu-ray players. The Tivo appears to have this Broadcom chip in it.

 http://www.broadcom.com/products/Cable/Cable-Set-Top-Box-Solutions/BCM7038

I couldn't find the chip in the X1.

[avahifi]

Here is a link to a Monoprice HDMi switcher with SPDiF output.  It is similar to the one I use but not the exact model.

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=7974&seq=1&format=2

Frank Van Alstine