[mythtv-users] Hauppauge HD PVR (A bit more info for those starved for it)

[Robert Kulagowski]

Chris Ribe wrote:
> 
> 
>      > I look forward to the day when more broadcasters actually use higher
>      > bitrates...  Here, only CW and NBC use such a high bitrate.
>      >
>      > Mike
> 
>     Doesn't CBS broadcast in 1080i too?  I thought only Fox and ABC used
>     720p?
> 
> 
> Bitrate, not resolution.  For example, here at WCJB-TV in sunny 
> Gainesville, Florida, we use our 19.2 Mbits to broadcast 2 program 
> streams.  One is ABC, which is broadcast at 720p , and one is the CW, 
> which is broadcast in a 480i format. 
> 
> Before these signals leave the building, they are joined together in a 
> muxer - a fancy computer that takes one HD-SDI video signal, one SDI 
> video signal, and puts out a single SMPTE 310 signal, which is a fancy 
> name for baseband ATSC,  I believe. 
> 
> Anyhow, the muxer tries to squeeze as much video quality into the 19.2 
> Mbits as it can, and it dynamically reapportions bandwidth between the 2 
> program streams.  When all is said and done, the CW usually ends up with 
> about 5 Mbits and ABC gets about 12.5 Mbits.   I honestly do not know 
> what happens to the other 1,700,000 bits per second. 
> 
> The end result is that the CW looks quite good, an ABC does not.  Our 
> neighbors at WUFT, the University of Florida PBS station, do things a 
> little differently.  They have 3 program streams, one which is usually 
> 1080i and two standard def.  The give their HD channel about 14 Mbit and 
> squeeze their SD channels into about 2 Mbit apiece. 

Since you're a TV/IT engineer, and apparently have something to do with 
ABC, can you please look at the "Funky 720p" thread in -dev?

ABC seems to be doing weird things with their ATSC programming, and at 
first all of the responders to the thread were in Chicago, but we just 
got a datapoint for someone who's down in Texas, so it may be more 
prevalent.