Only got around to watching this last night; did anyone else think that the PQ was abysmal?

It was so awful, being very soft and lacking detail, that I was convinced I was watching Freeview SD on a +1 channel. But the ITV HD DoG said otherwise.

If that's the best they can do, they might as well give up.

Geoff

I only watched on SD (couldn't be bothered to set my PC up) but they were using some kind of silly arty-farty 'soft with highlighting' effect. The kind of thing you sometimes see when a character is protrayed as dreaming.

I hate all of that crap. I didn't get an HD TV so that idiot directors could fanny around with colour schemes. I'd far rather they stick with reality - or as close to it as my aging eyes can manage.

Yes I watched it and have commented already in a couple threads that I felt the HD feed was very poor. The picture was VERY grainy, and soft focus with a total lack of detail. It would have been poor quality for an SD broadcast, so for HD I think abysmal is about the only way of describing it.

It has been hinted that the grainy aspect may have been deliberately added to create a feel of age in what we were watching, but I think that would be a rather bizarre idea, and if that was the true, then whoever in the production company came up with that idea neads to get a good kicking in a very soft part of his/her anatomy.

I watched a recording of it on SD via Sky HD (it was not possible for me to watch it live), and thought the PQ was far, far better than normal ITV1 SD.

So perhaps the PQ was optimised for SD viewers, who would after all have been 95% + of those watching?

Thank god I have read these comments about it.
I thought my eyes had gone wonky.

Those 95% may have been watching the SD broadcast, but those of us watching the HD broadcast expected an HD quality picture, not one that was barely passable for SD.

Sure, of course - but I still find it interesting that a PQ which HD viewers like you describe in very negative terms (and I'm not quarreling with you since I didn't see it in HD myself) should still have looked so very, very good in SD - way better IMO than most ITV1 SD PQ.

Surely you would expect innately poor PQ to show up in both HD and SD transmissions? Unless, as I say, for some reason and in some way it was optimised for SD transmission.

This might sound a daft question but............

Does the ITV region being viewed have any bearing????

I have read somewhere that the quality of satellite broadcast varies with some of the ITV regions. I know it won't affect HD broadcast as that is only from 1 transponder,

....... but could it affect the SD broadcast???

Mikembe

Yes, ITV West Country is broadcasting at an increased resolution (and maybe bitrate?), as it is, or has been, providing the feed for West Country terrestial TV until DSO.

Now that DSO is complete in this region, the likelihood is that even this feed will go back to ITV crappovision res/rates.

Rgds.

Les.

Picture quality was nothing to do with the transmission system - it had all the hallmarks of having been shot through low contrast/fog/soft focus filters, or something of that ilk.

People appear to confuse transmission defects with optical artefacts.

My guess is that it was an attempt to create a film effect (eg halation around highlights etc) Perhaps they overcooked it!

Regards to all,

Overcooked? It was positively stewed!

I can understand the director wanting to give the production a particular 'look', but if that 'look' is detrimental to HD then there is no point in it being shown in HD.

Geoff

Totally agree. My current pet hate is House on <whispers> Sky HD. Several recent episodes have been filmed with a horrible green tint. I don't know if it's some stupid joke (green=sick?) but good colour depth is one of HD's advantages and it seems stupid to abuse it that way.

Don't worry about last week's PQ. Anything is better than nothing. I put in series link, but after a BBQ came in to find nothing had recorded. Is this the red button or a Humax problem?

Just realised that there has been a rescan. Not a red button problem, not a Humax problem but not really my problem either!!! When will this be fixed???

I just watch without any add ons like amps and special speakers. I found last night's sound a bit iffy and was not very impressed with the pic. BU then in my 70sit could well be me.

Well after many a whinge about the picture quality on ITV, im delighted to be able to say BRAVO to ITV after last night's Miss Marple. The picture was crisp and sharp, with vibrant colours and good sound. Lets hope the rest of the series is at that standard.

[For the record I watched on a Foxsat-HD with Samsung 42" LCD tv]

Not seen last night's episode yet, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

BTW, aren't there only the two episodes? There isn't one on 20/9 or 27/9.

Geoff

The PQ last night was excellent, as was the cat programme before.

Unfortunately, the phone rang with half hour to go, and not being able to record (watched via Sky HD) I recorded the last half hour on ITV West Country.

Even with a 19" Samsung, the difference was like night and day.