[mythtv-users] PVR-350 only records TV at MPEG-1 ??

[Matt SF]

Thanks, Niklas, Steve and Nick for responding.  Nice to actually get some 
feedback on the mythtv-users list :)


On Sat, Oct 15, 2005 at 08:13:18PM +0100, Nick wrote:
> On 15/10/05, Matt SF <spore at psibercom.org> wrote:
> 
> No you are not. When trying to improve video capture quality, you
> first have to make sure you have turned off likely culprits like noise
> removal and have as clean a feed as possible. I would also suggest
> employing a test card to see exactly how much resolution the card can
> handle (you should expect S-Video to be better than composite for
> example). The 350 can _natively_ record in MPEG2 over a range of
> resolutions, from 480x480 up to 720x480.
> 
> Nick


ah ok fair enough :)  I just wish these companies would print a spec sheet 
that's a bit more clear on the details.  lines like these...

MPEG record specifications:
    * NTSC format at 29.97fps: Full D1: 720x480, MPEG1: 352x240
    * PAL format at 25fps: Full D1: 720x576, MPEG1: 352x288

MPEG hardware player specifications:

    * NTSC output: Full D1: 720x480, MPEG1: 352x240
    * PAL output: Full D1: 720x576, MPEG1: 352x288

...are misleading with all the previous usage of the term "MPEG2" in the 
same document.  A quick primer in their specs on "D1" would have been 
helpful.  e.g.: this entry from DigitalFaq.com...

D-Values. Various resolutions are often referred to as D-values. Full D1 
video is 720x480. Cropped D1 is 704x480. Half D1 video is 352x480. Quarter 
D1 (actually SIF) video is 352x240. Two-Thirds D1 video is 480x480. DVB 
and DVD-VR use unusual MPEG resolutions, sometimes called Three-Fourths D1 
at 544x480.

re: quality issues, I found that tweaking the brightness, color, and 
contrast via ivtvctl did help improve the look of the 350's tv-out quite a 
bit.  A quick run through some MySQL commands and I had my channel 
appearance preferences installed across the entire range.  I did my best 
to match them up visually to my Avia-tuned Sony, just eyeballing it and 
switching back endlessly between TV and Video1  :)

Thanks again!
-Matt

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