[mythtv-users] HDHomeRun - Comcast shut off clear QAM

[Gary Buhrmaster]

On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 4:45 PM, Jay Ashworth <jra at baylink.com> wrote:
....
> It is clear that there must *in fact* be an implementable baseline for MPEG
> decoding which *could* be baked into VDPAU *or the television sets wouldn't
> be able to do it either*, no?

The baseline decoding is well documented.  It is in the specs.

Does not anyone remember "high bit-rate" DVDs?  Remastered
to run at the (almost) highest allowed bit-rates that were in
the spec.  Mostly sold to videophiles (since others did not
see the difference).

However, because it was cheaper to designed/manufacture
decoder chips that meet the 90% bit-rate target, some early
generation DVD players were not capable of playing (reliably)
those high bit rate DVDs.  The result was artifacts.

The earliest digital TVs tended to be high end sets, so
the manufactures threw (or rather, bought) chips that
could do high bit rate decoding.  Fewer artifacts.

Of course, it is almost certainly possible to find chips
that are $1 cheaper per unit with slightly less capabilities.
If you are manufacturing a million sets, that is real money.
As TVs become "cost optimized", some manufactures
may choose poorly.

It is also true that over time, the chips get cheaper and
more capable.  That mitigates the race to the (unacceptable
quality) bottom, but it is a market adjustment.

> I note that we don't have lots of people bitching about "my TV can't receive
> this particular broadcast show; it says 'undecodable stream'"... and I am
> therefore forced to conclude that it is *practically* possible to create a
> *commercial licensed* hardware decoder which is as close to 100.0% capable
> as makes no difference.

I refer to my previous statement regarding the people who
do not see artifacts.  And those that purchased TV's for
$99 after a rebate were not those that tended to complain
about an occasional artifact.  If you purchased a Pioneer
Kuro Elite, you care.  A lot.

> That being the case, why hasn't NVidia done so?

My guess is the words "cheaper to manufacture" above
for earlier generations.