Poor quality picture on BBCi player

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 15:28

Hi guys wonder of you could advise me.I have a Fox sat Hdr which with normal tv works very well but i recently connected it to a Thomson modem/router i have and the picture is awful rather cloudy , not sharp at all.The Patch cable i used is about 15 mtrs long, very cheap and Cat 5e, so I am wondering if its that.Also the picture is quite slow to load as well.Any ideas?

qslikely · 04/03/11 - 15:38

I wouldn't describe the picture quality I get as cloudy or unsharp, even on the standard setting. When I use the higher quality, I often forget that I'm watching via iPlayer - it's quite close to my 'live' picture quality. Not on a giant screen, admittedly - 23". I have slowish response when I navigate aroung iPlayer, but no problems once a program is underway.

Possibly you have problems with the internet feed - what speed is it, and can you do a test with the modem and box closer together and a shorter lead . . .or even just swap the lead?

qslikely · 04/03/11 - 15:39

. . . using a Foxsat HDR, by the way.

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 16:03

qslikely wrote: »

I wouldn't describe the picture quality I get as cloudy or unsharp, even on the standard setting. When I use the higher quality, I often forget that I'm watching via iPlayer - it's quite close to my 'live' picture quality. Not on a giant screen, admittedly - 23". I have slowish response when I navigate aroung iPlayer, but no problems once a program is underway.

Possibly you have problems with the internet feed - what speed is it, and can you do a test with the modem and box closer together and a shorter lead . . .or even just swap the lead?

download speed is shy of 3mbps, about 2700kbps, upload about 0.40

router is a thomson TG585v7. I know sometimes connection can be poor when i try to access Second life, but for most computer operations its fine.I thought maybe it might be the lead as it only cost me about 2 quid :eek:but i kind of thought they were like HDMIs in that they all perforemd more or less as well as each other.
I do have a telephone output socket near the tv so i guess I could try the router there with a shorter cable I have

Jepson · 04/03/11 - 16:13

lagransiete wrote: »

I thought maybe it might be the lead as it only cost me about 2 quid :eek:but i kind of thought they were like HDMIs in that they all perforemd more or less as well as each other.

They do.

If the cable was inadequate you would either get nothing of something a lot more obvious that a 'cloudy' picture.

I do have a telephone output socket near the tv so i guess I could try the router there with a shorter cable I have

It's always worth eliminating as many factors as possible.

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 16:46

nope its not the cable. Do the digibox settings need to be different? Otherwise I can only think its the router.Speeds ok though i would have thought

Jepson · 04/03/11 - 17:08

lagransiete wrote: »

nope its not the cable. Do the digibox settings need to be different? Otherwise I can only think its the router.Speeds ok though i would have thought

This is a very odd one.

The performance of the router should not have the effects you describe.

Routers are not aware of the nature of the data that they are handling at the level that would be necessary to modify the data stream in a way that would cause such effects.

Does anyone know if the iplayer spec allows for different data rates depending on the speed of the line (where 'line' would be the speed perceived at the input to the Foxsat)? In which case it could be that some problem with the router is causing the iplayer functionality to negotiate a lower quality transmission. It was something that was built into the spec of another IPTV project I was involved in a while back but I'm not aware if it is used in iplayer.

REPASSAC · 04/03/11 - 17:26

Possible TV upscaling problem? - What happens if you change v-format to 1080i (using the HDR remote)?

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 17:39

the iplayer picture isnt as good as the SD broadcast, theres nothing you can do unless they up the bitrate.

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 18:19

REPASSAC wrote: »

Possible TV upscaling problem? - What happens if you change v-format to 1080i (using the HDR remote)?

i had it on 1080i already.720p makes no difference

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 18:20

Flyer 10 wrote: »

the iplayer picture isnt as good as the SD broadcast, theres nothing you can do unless they up the bitrate.

well then why is the picture acceptable on my pc?

grahamlthompson · 04/03/11 - 18:23

On my system the HQ quality is broadly similar to the low bitrate offerings from some of the lesser freesat channels (blurryvision). It's not as good as the SD VM service from my Virgin box (the only thing I use it for) and both are much worse than the 720p BBC-HD service using my laptop to send the pictures to my 40" TV.

stanandjan · 04/03/11 - 19:16

My HUMAX [Cat5E wired] refuses to download the HQ IPlayer when the line Speed drops below 1.5Megs..which it ofyen does..
The Low Quality is on a par with the 4 hour DVD rate,,

Stan

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 19:29

lagransiete wrote: »

well then why is the picture acceptable on my pc?

Calculate the area of you pc monitor and divide this into the area of your tv screen, you will then know!

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 19:31

Hi

I had a very similar problem. The I-player just would not function properly. I contacted my ISP (o2) who told me that the service I was paying for was not sufficient for streaming TV. I had what was called the "Basics", and on their advice I upgraded to the "all-rounder". Ever since, all has worked well.

My download speed doesn't seem to have changed since upgrading so I can only think it is the way they send it down the line that makes the difference.

Check with your ISP that the service you are paying for is suitable for streaming.

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 19:49

theShadowman wrote: »

Hi

I had a very similar problem. The I-player just would not function properly. I contacted my ISP (o2) who told me that the service I was paying for was not sufficient for streaming TV. I had what was called the "Basics", and on their advice I upgraded to the "all-rounder". Ever since, all has worked well.

My download speed doesn't seem to have changed since upgrading so I can only think it is the way they send it down the line that makes the difference.

Check with your ISP that the service you are paying for is suitable for streaming.

ok although mine isnt the basics either. I had on the highest tariff till last week and went on to mid tariff.Will have to wait a month till I can change back to see if it works better.

I did a speed test and got these results
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/diagnostics#results
although the figures dont mean much to me

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 20:20

My LG 47" TV has the BBC iPlayer option built in offering SD and some HD versions of programs.

Both look better than the picture the HDR gives me.

BBC Test Results...
Your connection 6260 kbps
Your available bandwidth is 6260 kbps. n/a
TV - HD 3500
Uses 55% of your available bandwidth. passed
TV 1500
Uses 23% of your available bandwidth. passed
TV 800
Uses 12% of your available bandwidth. passed
TV 500
Uses 7% of your available bandwidth. passed
Radio 128
Uses 2% of your available bandwidth. passed

Automan.

[Deleted User] · 04/03/11 - 21:44

lagransiete wrote: »

well then why is the picture acceptable on my pc?

Because its not as noticeable on a smaller screen.

2Bdecided · 04/03/11 - 23:39

lagransiete wrote: »

the picture is awful rather cloudy

That's exactly what the standard (low!) quality option gives you.

The HQ option is much better (also 50fps instead if 25fps, so smoother motion on sports etc).

Cheers,
David.

[Deleted User] · 05/03/11 - 00:06

2Bdecided wrote: »

That's exactly what the standard (low!) quality option gives you.

The HQ option is much better (also 50fps instead if 25fps, so smoother motion on sports etc).

Cheers,
David.

embarrasingly I took the wrong option or rather never noticed the HQ one .Its fine now:o Thanks all the same

2Bdecided · 05/03/11 - 00:23

Glad you fixed it. It's annoying that the box doesn't learn to use the HQ by default if your connection is fast enough. You have to select it manually. every. single. time. !

Cheers,
David.

[Deleted User] · 05/03/11 - 11:05

2Bdecided wrote: »

Glad you fixed it. It's annoying that the box doesn't learn to use the HQ by default if your connection is fast enough. You have to select it manually. every. single. time. !

Cheers,
David.

seems that way . It never crossed my mind to begin with and it was only my wife noticing it

REPASSAC · 05/03/11 - 11:43

2Bdecided wrote: »

Glad you fixed it. It's annoying that the box doesn't learn to use the HQ by default if your connection is fast enough. You have to select it manually. every. single. time. !

Cheers,
David.

This would not be an easy thing to specify as speeds vary according to time of day and also what other equipment is using the connection. The only way to test would be to start to to do regular download tests and many users doing PC work while their wife is watching TV would wonder where their bandwidth has gone.

A setup option would be the simple way to achieve this but I guess that is up to the BBC to specify it..

qslikely · 06/03/11 - 12:00

This is all very odd - I stand by my original comments here - the picture quality I'm getting on the standard setting could not in any way be described as cloudy or not sharp. Maybe this implies that my set-up is so bad that I can't see the difference, but I do see large screen HD quite often, and I'm happy that the difference is not massive. Family & friends have all been impressed by the quality of iPlayer on the tv too. Guess it's down to the fact that everyone's end experience is the product of a large number of technical variables.

[Deleted User] · 06/03/11 - 23:37

O2 are throttling iPlayer traffic at peak hours (that's 4pm to 12am) on some of their broadband packages - bound to have an effect on quality. Note that this applies to the "new" packages O2 offer (basic, all-rounder etc.) - their older premium/pro packages are not throttled.....yet!

[Deleted User] · 07/03/11 - 11:26

z80dan wrote: »

O2 are throttling iPlayer traffic at peak hours (that's 4pm to 12am) on some of their broadband packages - bound to have an effect on quality. Note that this applies to the "new" packages O2 offer (basic, all-rounder etc.) - their older premium/pro packages are not throttled.....yet!

I had the same problem with Orange.
Changed to TalkTalk on their LLU exchange in Lincoln.
I now never get less than 18Meg connection (usually around 20Meg.)
What a difference!

Hey there!

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