# How is DirecTV's HD picture quality on a 4K TV?



## TheVillagesGuy (Mar 3, 2017)

How is DirecTV's HD picture quality on a 4K TV? I currently have DISH and the faces seem to smooth.....like no detail.


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

Depending on your 4K tv. Very good. Some 4K tvs have crappy upscalers so it doesn't matter


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## TheVillagesGuy (Mar 3, 2017)

I have a Sony XBR-940D 75" HDR TV.


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

TheVillagesGuy said:


> I have a Sony XBR-940D 75" HDR TV.


Your good


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## TheVillagesGuy (Mar 3, 2017)

Better than with DISH? I am disappointed with DISH Networks face clarity. Too smooth, blurryish.


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

Kind of a well known fact that dish compresses there signal a lot more than dish. Directv is well known as having some of the best PQ available


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

TheVillagesGuy said:


> How is DirecTV's HD picture quality on a 4K TV? I currently have DISH and the faces seem to smooth.....like no detail.


I am very pleased with my picture on my Samsung KU7000 4k TV and I am not feeding it 4k data. I am using the standard 720p and 1080i signals for my pictures.


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## I WANT MORE (Oct 3, 2006)

Like any set, some channels are excellent while others are not so good.

Overall I am very satisfied with how D* looks on my LG b6.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

TheVillagesGuy said:


> Better than with DISH? I am disappointed with DISH Networks face clarity. Too smooth, blurryish.


on last page you could see pictures of recent 4K event on DTV
Directv II HD/4k - AVS Forum | Home Theater Discussions And Reviews


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## sangs (Apr 2, 2008)

Looks great on our 81" LG. Can't compare it to DISH, since I've never used DISH.


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## Rob37 (Jul 11, 2013)

I have a Vizio 55 inch 4K Television bought brand new at Walmart in December of 2015 and the picture quality in HD is Superb. I have it hooked up to just a regular H25 Receiver and I love watching on it. I am not jumping to the 4K receiver yet because I had nothing but problems with my old Genie receivers. Was losing audio on all tv’s in my home with them. Went back and did a complete swap of just going back to regular HD H25 Receivers and am VERY Happy. But the Sound issue on the Genies are a completely different matter. I love My Vizio 4K Television and so far over a year of use and I absolutely love it.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

I have a Sony XBR-55X900C 4K Ultra HDTV. While the garbage in/garbage out rule applies for the most part DIRECTV's HD picture quality is excellent.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

43" Samsung UHD... 4K is awe-inspiring and HD is better. Not by yards, but several feet better....


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## freerein100 (Dec 14, 2007)

I can tell you it's world's better than Suddenlink HD cable and as good as OTA on a 55 in Samsung 9000 series 4k tv

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


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## inazsully (Oct 3, 2006)

I'm running hdmi from my C61K to my Sony STR-DN1050 going into the 4K hdmi input and out of the AVR''s 4K output into the TV's 4K input but get the message that the TV doesn't support 4K, and I'm watching in 1080P. If I bypass the STR-DN1050 and go directly to the TV I get 4K perfectly with no message. Of course then I am forced to listen to the TV's pictures


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

inazsully said:


> I'm running hdmi from my C61K to my Sony STR-DN1050 going into the 4K hdmi input and out of the AVR''s 4K output into the TV's 4K input but get the message that the TV doesn't support 4K, and I'm watching in 1080P. If I bypass the STR-DN1050 and go directly to the TV I get 4K perfectly with no message. Of course then I am forced to listen to the TV's pictures


Have you tried an optical cable out of the TV to the AVR ?
I run mine this way and it is fine.

Or run an optical or digital cable to the AVR straight from the receiver.


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## inazsully (Oct 3, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> Have you tried an optical cable out of the TV to the AVR ?
> I run mine this way and it is fine.
> 
> Or run an optical or digital cable to the AVR straight from the receiver.


Thanks Jimmie. I'll give that a try tomorrow. It looks like the C61K only has a digital out. Naturally all I have laying around is a optical cable. l


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jimmie57 said:


> Have you tried an optical cable out of the TV to the AVR ?
> I run mine this way and it is fine.
> 
> *Or run an optical or digital cable to the AVR straight from the receiver.*


That's how I have to use my Sony 1010 AVR with the Sammy JS8500. The TV wanted no part of hooking up the AVR with HDMI cables.

Rich


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## inazsully (Oct 3, 2006)

Thank you guys, It worked perfectly. One observation though. On the back of the HR54 it shows one outlet which is labeled "digital" but not optical. However, the optical cable fitted right in. Confusing. One other tiny question. On my Sony 75X850C I notice a slight judder when the credits are scrolling. I'm certain that it's a setting on the TV but I thought I'd ask here since you all seem to know what your talking about. Thanks again for all of your hope.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

inazsully said:


> Thank you guys, It worked perfectly. One observation though. On the back of the HR54 it shows one outlet which is labeled "digital" but not optical. However, the optical cable fitted right in. Confusing. One other tiny question. On my Sony 75X850C I notice a slight judder when the credits are scrolling. I'm certain that it's a setting on the TV but I thought I'd ask here since you all seem to know what your talking about. Thanks again for all of your hope.


Most sets have a setting that reads similar to "Motion Control". I usually turn that to OFF and it fixes that. I watch the Stock programs and they all have scrolling tickers on the bottom and turning that setting to OFF in my Samsung KU7000 stops this problem.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

inazsully said:


> Thank you guys, It worked perfectly. One observation though. On the back of the HR54 it shows one outlet which is labeled "digital" but not optical. However, the optical cable fitted right in. Confusing. One other tiny question. On my Sony 75X850C I notice a slight judder when the credits are scrolling. I'm certain that it's a setting on the TV but I thought I'd ask here since you all seem to know what your talking about. Thanks again for all of your hope.


The optical wire actually works in that port? Why has nobody reported this?

Rich


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

My HR54 has a optical port and it is labeled as such.. It is directly below the digital coax port


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Rich said:


> The optical wire actually works in that port? Why has nobody reported this?
> 
> Rich


Maybe because it is not Analog and is a Digital output ?


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

No issues with D* picture quality on my ISF-calibrated LG OLED 65" TV.

That said, the picture from Verizon FiOS is definitely better. I'd give D* a B+ and FiOS an A+. ESPN is 100 times better on FiOS.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> No issues with D* picture quality on my ISF-calibrated LG OLED 65" TV.
> 
> That said, the picture from Verizon FiOS is definitely better. I'd give D* a B+ and FiOS an A+. ESPN is 100 times better on FiOS.


Only thing I can compare D* content to is Amazon,NF,Hulu, etc. All better than D*, I think.

Rich


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## chuckf1 (Aug 27, 2006)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> No issues with D* picture quality on my ISF-calibrated LG OLED 65" TV.
> 
> That said, the picture from Verizon FiOS is definitely better. I'd give D* a B+ and FiOS an A+. ESPN is 100 times better on FiOS.


ISF Calibrated -- Nice! :handok:


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> No issues with D* picture quality on my ISF-calibrated ...


who did that ? how much you paid ?


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

LionAV (Gregg Lowen). He lives in Maine, but regularly does calibration tours. Cost was $400 and $50 non-refundable fee for travel expenses. He also has a relationship with Oppo, so I bought the Oppo 203 through him - paid full retail (as is the case everywhere), but shipping was free.

It's the 2nd set I've had him calibrate - the first was a Panny VT25 plasma about 7 years ago.

Gregg is fantastic!


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## hancox (Jun 23, 2004)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> LionAV (Gregg Lowen). He lives in Maine, but regularly does calibration tours. Cost was $400 and $50 non-refundable fee for travel expenses. He also has a relationship with Oppo, so I bought the Oppo 203 through him - paid full retail (as is the case everywhere), but shipping was free.
> 
> It's the 2nd set I've had him calibrate - the first was a Panny VT25 plasma about 7 years ago.
> 
> Gregg is fantastic!


Gregg is indeed fantastic, and a really nice guy to boot. Worth every penny if PQ is your goal.


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## chuckf1 (Aug 27, 2006)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> LionAV (Gregg Lowen). He lives in Maine, but regularly does calibration tours. Cost was $400 and $50 non-refundable fee for travel expenses. He also has a relationship with Oppo, so I bought the Oppo 203 through him - paid full retail (as is the case everywhere), but shipping was free.
> 
> It's the 2nd set I've had him calibrate - the first was a Panny VT25 plasma about 7 years ago.
> 
> Gregg is fantastic!


I had Gregg calibrate my first HDTV, a Panny on wheels, about 10 years ago or so. Did a very good job. Once you've had a HDTV calibrated, you can never go back to having an uncalibrated one.


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## cypherx (Aug 27, 2010)

Is there still a lot of tolerances in electronic components these days where one couldn't just tell you all of the settings on an ISF calibrated tv and copy it to another TV of the same make/model/year?


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## btedford (Mar 10, 2010)

TheVillagesGuy said:


> How is DirecTV's HD picture quality on a 4K TV? I currently have DISH and the faces seem to smooth.....like no detail.


I have a 65'' Sony X850D and DirecTV HD looks good, I leave Native turned on so my TV can do the upscaling. I wasn't happy with the PQ from the Hopper 3 on Dish, it's much better on DirecTV.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

cypherx said:


> Is there still a lot of tolerances in electronic components these days where one couldn't just tell you all of the settings on an ISF calibrated tv and copy it to another TV of the same make/model/year?


Correct - I wouldn't share my LG's settings because they wouldn't work perfectly for other sets. Primarily gray scal settings.


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## inazsully (Oct 3, 2006)

The true advantage of 4K is not simply a better picture from the distance you usually watch from. It is a slightly better picture but the big advantage of 4K is the ability to sit closer to the screen without picture degradation. As far as watching 2K on a 4K set, better yes but the quality of the incoming signal is the key. A really good signal can be made to look better. A poor signal is doomed from the start. Can't make silk out of a pigs ear.


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## FarNorth (Nov 27, 2003)

I have a Sony 940C 75" with an HR 44 feeding through a Denon 920 rcvr. I did not want to make the jump to DTV 4K without doing some serious testing. In addition to DTV, I also have a Roku Ultra and Amazon Fire streamers. I ran both those units through the Denon in 1080i and 4K output and then hooked them straight to the back of the TV in other inputs and A/B and C/D tested them. I used the Netflix apps on both and the Amazon apps and tried programming that was filmed in 4K as well as content that was upscaled. I also checked a recorded episode of 'Shark Tank' on my HR 44 vs the same one streamed through Hulu on the Roku.

I cannot tell the difference. I watched 'Bosch' last night and about halfway through I checked and, sure enough, it was in 1080i. I closed out, switched to 4K and there was no change. There is, however, an immediate impact on my data plan; 4K streaming eats up data like crazy. 1080i from DTV also looks fabulous and based on my experience, 4K on DTV would not be an improvement. As they say on 'Shark Tank; "For that reason, I'm out."

Note: The Sony is a very good TV and has an excellent upscaling engine. Others may not do as well.

Second note: For some reason, there is an audio sync issue when playing Amazon content on a Roku through the app and I have 3 of them. Conversely, the issue disappears when I use my Amazon Fire streamer and it is also very good with Netflix and Hulu apps.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

FarNorth said:


> I cannot tell the difference.


Don't stress it, you are not alone. As a matter of fact you are among many millions of folks who are holding out for the very same reason.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

yeah, like billions who can't tell difference between petrol 95 and 98 LOL


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

FarNorth said:


> I have a Sony 940C 75" with an HR 44 feeding through a Denon 920 rcvr. I did not want to make the jump to DTV 4K without doing some serious testing. In addition to DTV, I also have a Roku Ultra and Amazon Fire streamers. I ran both those units through the Denon in 1080i and 4K output and then hooked them straight to the back of the TV in other inputs and A/B and C/D tested them. I used the Netflix apps on both and the Amazon apps and tried programming that was filmed in 4K as well as content that was upscaled. I also checked a recorded episode of 'Shark Tank' on my HR 44 vs the same one streamed through Hulu on the Roku.
> 
> I cannot tell the difference. I watched 'Bosch' last night and about halfway through I checked and, sure enough, it was in 1080i. I closed out, switched to 4K and there was no change. There is, however, an immediate impact on my data plan; 4K streaming eats up data like crazy. 1080i from DTV also looks fabulous and based on my experience, 4K on DTV would not be an improvement. As they say on 'Shark Tank; "For that reason, I'm out."
> 
> ...


An understatement. That's a top of the line set, isn't it?

I don't see much, if any, difference in 4K and upscaled 1080p on either of my 4K sets when using the TVs' apps for Amazon or NF. I do see a difference in D*'s 1080i upscaled to 2160p and the same shows I can get on NF or AP or Hulu when their 1080p is upscaled to 2160p. The 1080p upscaled picture is just better, I think (and so does everyone else that has seen both in my home). Would D* content look much better than 1080i (or the dreary 720p) when in 2160p? I have to think it would. D* would have to come up with a better hardware solution (not the HS17) for 4K than what they have now and a lot more 4K programming for me to make that leap.

Rich


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Rich said:


> D* would have to come up with a better hardware solution (not the HS17) for 4K than what they have now


actually HS17 is irrelevant to 4K as HR54 - both of them sending/streaming (without touching 4K video) to C61K, it has the 4K engine to make a 4K picture on your UHD TV


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## FarNorth (Nov 27, 2003)

One other factor that is perhaps unique to me - IF I were to make the switch, it would likely have to happen in the next 90 days. I live in Alaska and tramping around in three feet of snow in the forest that is my back yard in the winter is not all that much fun. Much easier to work outside when it is 70, sunny and grass than -20 and pitch black.


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## slice1900 (Feb 14, 2013)

FarNorth said:


> One other factor that is perhaps unique to me - IF I were to make the switch, it would likely have to happen in the next 90 days. I live in Alaska and tramping around in three feet of snow in the forest that is my back yard in the winter is not all that much fun. Much easier to work outside when it is 70, sunny and grass than -20 and pitch black.


Since you use the big dish it isn't quite so simple and may not be worth bothering with this year, especially since there is so little 4K to watch anyway. I'd wait until this time next year to figure it out when all the pieces you'll need are available.

While it doesn't yet, 4K will eventually (probably fall of next year) be carried only on so-called 'reverse band'. There are LNBs that receive that for the normal dishes used in the lower 48, but not yet for the big dish you use. The new LNB requires six coaxes from the dish to the switch, so unless you have your switch mounted at your dish, you'll need to trench two additional coaxes from your dish to your house. Since you will need to replace the switch as well, if you don't have it installed at the dish maybe you'll want to do that with the new one to avoid having to run two new coaxes.


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## FarNorth (Nov 27, 2003)

slice1900 said:


> Since you use the big dish it isn't quite so simple and may not be worth bothering with this year, especially since there is so little 4K to watch anyway. I'd wait until this time next year to figure it out when all the pieces you'll need are available.
> 
> While it doesn't yet, 4K will eventually (probably fall of next year) be carried only on so-called 'reverse band'. There are LNBs that receive that for the normal dishes used in the lower 48, but not yet for the big dish you use. The new LNB requires six coaxes from the dish to the switch, so unless you have your switch mounted at your dish, you'll need to trench two additional coaxes from your dish to your house. Since you will need to replace the switch as well, if you don't have it installed at the dish maybe you'll want to do that with the new one to avoid having to run two new coaxes.


Ah, that makes sense. I do have the switch on the dish now, LNB went bad about a year ago. But - if this is more than just swapping out the LNB and the DVR, maybe I'll wait a bit.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 28, 2005)

peds48 said:


> Don't stress it, you are not alone. As a matter of fact you are among many millions of folks who are holding out for the very same reason.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


All my reading says that true HDR (HDR10/DolbyVision) is the factor that makes the big difference rather than HD to 4K. You *can* tell the difference between non/fake-HDR and true HDR. I have to stress the "true" part since many manufacturers are coming up with weasel words that claim HDR but they don't meet the standards. Unfortunately, you have to pay a pretty big premium currently to get true HDR.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

How you would estimate a size of the "pretty big premium" ? $$$$ or $$$ ?


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 28, 2005)

I would say the currently most popular true HDR set is the Samsung KS8000. It's a 2016 model. For 65" it goes for around $1700. The 2017 model, the MU8000 is around $2200 for 65".

This is the best explanation of HDR that I've found on the net: Everything you need to know about 4K TV color: HDR, WCG and 10-bit color -

To add even more confusion there's a standards war going on, much like VHS vs Beta. This time it's HDR10 (and soon HDR10+) vs Dolby Vision. HDR10 vs Dolby Vision: Here's what you need to know about the HDR format war | TechRadar and Samsung and Amazon counter Dolby Vision HDR with HDR10+

If you want to know what HDR quality is in any particular tv then the best online source is TV Reviews: Best of 2017


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

I have a new LG OLED and the PQ blows away my old Plasma.

But for 4K material, I use streaming services, not D*. D* wanted about $400 for the upgrade to the HR54 (no thanks).


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

wait for free update in two years ... take HS17/100+C61K then !


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## mjwagner (Oct 8, 2005)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> I have a new LG OLED and the PQ blows away my old Plasma.
> 
> But for 4K material, I use streaming services, not D*. D* wanted about $400 for the upgrade to the HR54 (no thanks).


Streaming is definitely where the action is for 4K right now. Not only is the overall cost and hassle much less than with DTV but there is lots more content then DTV currently has.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Amen! The key is to disable the Soap Opera Effect on your UHD TV. Every vendor has a different method, but if you don't do it, it'll look like cheap 2000-era digital tape - like a soap opera back then!


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## btedford (Mar 10, 2010)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Amen! The key is to disable the Soap Opera Effect on your UHD TV. Every vendor has a different method, but if you don't do it, it'll look like cheap 2000-era digital tape - like a soap opera back then!


Agreed. I disable the Soap Opera Effect for TV shows.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Amen! The key is to disable the Soap Opera Effect on your UHD TV. Every vendor has a different method, but if you don't do it, it'll look like cheap 2000-era digital tape - like a soap opera back then!


It's actually not a problem on most tvs for sports. But yeah, for anything else it's awful isn't it? I don't get why they think it should be a default setting!


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