Comcast vs Verizon?

digitalvideo
digitalvideo Posts: 983
edited March 2010 in Electronics
Do any of you have Comcast HD or Verizon FIOS? I have Comcast HD hooked up to my Pio Pro-151fd plasma and Comcast HD's highest output is 1080i. I had to get a seperate outboard video processor to upconvert it to 1080p by buying the dvdo edge. Does the Verizon Fios offer 1080p HD?

I unplugged my dvdo edge box and plugged my comcast cable directly into the tv for a week and noticed a difference. Comcast's quality is very inconsistent in my area, somedays HBO HD looks very good with inky blacks and crystal clear image and other days it looks like a slight wash of static mist over the screen that bumps up the grey. Sometimes I get artifact/pixilation on my screen during fast moving scenes. It sometimes looks like watching a YouTube video on a LCD monitor. I'm just frustrated I had to pay over $700 bucks for an outboard video processor when I'm paying so much a month for Comcast "High Definition" cable.
Post edited by digitalvideo on
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Comments

  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,233
    edited March 2010
    Fios is a better higher quality picture less compressed looking. I had both here and preferred the higher quality of Fios not to mention it's cheaper.

    They are not 1080p yet but it's coming to Fios down the road. If you can get it , go for it.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited March 2010
    Yeah, 1080i is the broadcast standard, so that's not the problem. 1080i and 1080p are both 1920x1080 resolution, so the only issue you should see with 1080i might be combing from the interlaced signal on fast left or right pans. Even if you got Verizon, those programs are broadcast in 1080i from the source... so if they offer 1080p, it just means they're doing the deinterlacing on their end instead of you doing it with your dvdo edge.

    The real problem is that Comcast's compression is kinda' hit-and-miss. That's why DirecTV and Verizon have better looking HD - because they have more bandwidth and don't have to compress the signal as much. That's why it gets all Youtubey on you... it's blocking from the MPEG compression, which makes the picture start to degrade into squares.
    Equipment list:
    Onkyo TX-NR3010 9.2 AVR
    Emotiva XPA-3 amp
    Polk RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi38 surrounds, RTi28 rears and heights
    SVS 20-39CS+ subwoofer powered by Crown XLS1500
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player
    DarbeeVision DVP5000 video processor
    Epson 8500UB 1080p projector
    Elite Screens Sable 120" CineWhite screen
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  • gelinas
    gelinas Posts: 226
    edited March 2010
    Also, FIOS has a FAR superior menu. IT looks much nicer and the DVR is smarter. It knows the difference between new shows and re-runs. Plus verizon's modem has the wireless router built in.

    Just keep in mind that it takes them 5 hours or so to wire your home up for fios and you will need a cable box for every tv.
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  • digitalvideo
    digitalvideo Posts: 983
    edited March 2010
    I think it's also Comcast. There are settings in the Comcast box that allow you to adjust it.

    Some of the setting options are:

    AC Outlet: Switched or Unswitched ?

    RF Bypass: On or Off ?

    Do any of you know where I should have those set too, and if there are any other options I need to see if it has?
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