[mythtv-users] UK Only OT - IS the BT Showcase channel truly representative of BT Sports channel quality

Mike Perkins mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk
Fri Oct 2 11:49:37 UTC 2015


On 02/10/15 11:50, Another Sillyname wrote:
> On 1 October 2015 at 22:26, Mike Perkins <mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk> wrote:
>> On 01/10/15 20:20, Another Sillyname wrote:
>>>
>>> I recorded the ManC game on the BT Showcase channel yesterday and
>>> having just watched it it's the worst fuzzyvision I've seen for a
>>> while....artifacting and dithering was rampant.......is this truly
>>> representative of how good (bad) picture quality is on the BT sports
>>> channels?
>>>
>>> I ask as I'm son to review my Broadband provider and I can only say BT
>>> are now likley out of the running and I hate all things Murderoch and
>>> his Witch Bitch.
>>>
>> I don't know about BT Showcase, but I suspect that it is low bitrate as it
>> is only to demonstrate the available channels. I could be wrong - who knows
>> what goes on inside a marketer's brain!
>>
>> We have the basic BT Vision package, which includes BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2
>> and BT Europe for free (conditions apply!). The quality of these is
>> extremely good. So much so, in fact, that I am considering dropping the HD
>> option which started out as a free taster for a year but is now £5/month.
>> None of us can tell the difference.
>>
>> Of course, those channels get to you via your broadband connection, which
>> means that it depends on how good your length of copper is. Mine seems to be
>> adequate for our needs. I haven't even bothered to test the speed on it yet,
>> it just hasn't been an issue.
>>
>> Incidentally, the quality of anything we record with myth and then play back
>> later is always better than that supplied if we just watch it through the TV
>> direct. I don't know if that is a reformatting issue or something else our
>> end. We don't however, record any of the BT broadband channels, since the
>> box only outputs SCART and HDMI, we only record OTA.
>>
> Thanks Mike
>
> You're comments re the quality put my mind at rest, BT can give me
> 70mb+ on Fibre as I'm only 200 yds from the street cabinet
> (Wheeeeeeeee!!).
>
> I've would seem to me exceptionally stupid to be showing 'promo' games
> on the showcase in such dire quality as it's more likely to put people
> off then get them to sign up.
>
> There again, for it's many skills BT are still learning how to do a
> lot of things correctly.
>
(Fixed Top-posting)

Yeah. We moved over to BT after the Virgin bill racked up /again/. Part was the Sky tax but the rest 
was just unnecessary. Going to BT immediately chopped our bill from £120 to £42 although even that 
is now creeping up again.

Having the BT lines installed was a long, involved saga stretching over five months and included me 
getting whisked off to hospital at a critical point - no connection, fortunately, but it did delay 
things.

If you already have a line in, great. If you don't, be prepared for pain.

-- 

Mike Perkins



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