Streaming Quality /Vs 360 Recordings

[charlestsa]

Streaming is the modern way to view TV but is it the best? In my opinion definitely no!

I have a Samsung 77" OLED TV and a Virgin 360 box. Set up identical recordings vs stream on BBC1,2 ITV CH 4,CH5. On A/B switching ALL the streamed programmes looked somewhat flat and lacking in fine detail with visible noise often noticeable especially on bright outdoor scenes.

Obviously if you have a small screen or a non premium TV then these issues will not be as noticeable.

For the ultimate picture quality when you cannot view when transmitted the "old fashioned" way of recording on a V360 to a hard disc is by far the superior way.

Hopefully Virgin will continue with this method and not go down the Sky route of streaming only!

[nodrogd]

Unfortunately, broadcast methods of distributing TV are in sharp decline. They are also expensive to maintain. Virgin are currently building a new Full Fibre network alongside their existing traditional fibre hybrid CATV/DOCSIS networks. The intention is to switch these older networks off in the coming years & migrate customers to XGS-PON, which cannot carry the broadcast TV that 360 boxes use. All the current new network build areas only offer the Flex TV products (streaming non recording boxes), & those leaving the traditional networks in future will also move to this.

Bear in mind that both V360 & Flex was designed for cloud recording, & Liberty Global's other European operations (apart from Ireland) has had no hard disks in their boxes for several years now. The only reason we still use hard disks is due to UK/Irish broadcast agreements not allowing cloud recording. This in itself has caused many issues with the modified firmware that has to manage the hard disks remotely from a central server, like for instance not being able to play recordings on your own hard drive if you lose your Broadband connection to the server.

[Mr_K]

Hard drive recordings are always better quality , and they don't buffer or are reliant on the interweb. A streaming future is a backward step. 

[charlestsa]

Convenience  takes priority, not quality!

[Roger_Gooner]

If the same programme was both broadcast and streamed by VM, I'd expect quality to be better for streaming. As VM's STBs get streams from the BBC’s CDN network via VM's direct peering agreements, then I'd expect top video and audio quality. Furthermore the use of adaptive bitrate streaming enables a better user experience during adverse network conditions as ABR can switch to a lower bitrate or resolution whereas broadcasting is done at a fixed bitrate and resolution and is more prone to problems such as buffering or freezing.

[Mr_K]

Try ITVX live streaming. The quality is appalling. Live terrestial broadcasts or hard drive recording are superior.

Whether its the 360 'upgrade' or  streaming, these changes aren't always for your benefit.  They are saving money and increasing profits for the provider. 

[1701-e]

FYI you CAN watch individual recordings if your internet is down but not if they are part of a series link.  

[roy247]

Did you compare using the streaming apps on your TV and the 360 to see if there was a difference.

[japitts]

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@Roger_Gooner wrote:

Furthermore the use of adaptive bitrate streaming enables a better user experience during adverse network conditions as ABR can switch to a lower bitrate or resolution whereas broadcasting is done at a fixed bitrate and resolution and is more prone to problems such as buffering or freezing.

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I'm not entirely sure that's true. I'm certain VM's headends alter the bitrate on broadcast TX to cope with varying requirements in real-time.

And insufficient bitrate would tend to exhibit in poor detail during fast-moving sequences, rather than buffering.

[Tavis75]

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@charlestsa wrote:

Convenience  takes priority, not quality!

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Streaming isn't even more convenient, you have to navigate multiple apps, sit through unskippable ads and usually have a far more limited time frame in which to watch stuff. Profit takes priority over convenience!