Discussion
_dobbo_ said:
For anyone interested - based on an email I got from Sky yesterday it appears they are now broadcasting movies in 1080p:
They won't be broadcasting in 1080p - the Sky+HD can't handle it. sky_website said:
New improved HD with sound closer to cinema
We’ve improved our systems to make sure that you never lose a pixel of quality. Sky has moved to a new format for our movie master files, giving us a third more pixels (2m vs 1.5m) and 4 times the number of colour shades (1024 vs 256 for each primary colour). This means sharper and more vibrant pictures for a better viewing experience.
Our new improved HD gives you a crisper picture than ever before. This isn’t Ultra HD or 4k so you don’t need to buy a new TV – just sit back and enjoy.
Our movies sound is closer to cinema – we’ve increased the audio dynamic range to give you louder explosions and quieter whispers, so that it is more like when you’re in the cinema. Again there is no need to make any adjustments to your TV.
We’ve improved our systems to make sure that you never lose a pixel of quality. Sky has moved to a new format for our movie master files, giving us a third more pixels (2m vs 1.5m) and 4 times the number of colour shades (1024 vs 256 for each primary colour). This means sharper and more vibrant pictures for a better viewing experience.
Our new improved HD gives you a crisper picture than ever before. This isn’t Ultra HD or 4k so you don’t need to buy a new TV – just sit back and enjoy.
Our movies sound is closer to cinema – we’ve increased the audio dynamic range to give you louder explosions and quieter whispers, so that it is more like when you’re in the cinema. Again there is no need to make any adjustments to your TV.
- 4k is set to start soon 
I wouldn't get too excited about the announcement.
It won't be anywhere near 'proper' 1080p... a 1080p Blueray is c.30-40gb, and Sky HD films are typically c.3-5gb... so you can see how much quality they have to cut.
The announcement might see a slight improvement on the current quality, but not breakthrough.
It will be no different with 4k... 4k is c.4.5 times the amount of data compared to 1080p. So a 4k film would be c.160gb. There's absolutely zero chance of Sky being able to broadcast anything at that level of data, and downloading films of that size would take many hours at current broadband speeds.
It won't be anywhere near 'proper' 1080p... a 1080p Blueray is c.30-40gb, and Sky HD films are typically c.3-5gb... so you can see how much quality they have to cut.
The announcement might see a slight improvement on the current quality, but not breakthrough.
It will be no different with 4k... 4k is c.4.5 times the amount of data compared to 1080p. So a 4k film would be c.160gb. There's absolutely zero chance of Sky being able to broadcast anything at that level of data, and downloading films of that size would take many hours at current broadband speeds.
From what I've read, they are taking the PQ back to the quality they had when they launched HD - I didn't have Sky back in 2006, so all I've known is the current PQ.
I'll be interested to see if the improvement in PQ is significant enough to be noticable - hopefully it will be similar to Netfix 1080p, which is OK.
When Sky start broadcasting 4k content (or making it available to download), I'd expect it to be similar to the current Netfix 4k quality... which just about matches a 1080p Blueray disc.
I'll be interested to see if the improvement in PQ is significant enough to be noticable - hopefully it will be similar to Netfix 1080p, which is OK.
When Sky start broadcasting 4k content (or making it available to download), I'd expect it to be similar to the current Netfix 4k quality... which just about matches a 1080p Blueray disc.
_dobbo_ said:
I care a bit... I don't have a 4k telly!
And given as my Panasonic plasma was quite expensive when I bought it, and is a fantastic THX certified screen, I won't be upgrading any time soon...
I care too and have a 1080P Panny plasma which I wasn't going to change after having a look at the latest and greatest 4K led/LCD efforts.And given as my Panasonic plasma was quite expensive when I bought it, and is a fantastic THX certified screen, I won't be upgrading any time soon...
Then I spent a little time having a look at the latest LG oled's and they're stunning - easily a match for 'my reference' plasma (a calibrated Pioneer 600M) for motion and contrast and easily beating it for resolution when fed with 4K HDR.
Personally I think Sky would be far better concentrating on true 1080P output rather than jumping on the 4K bandwagon.
legzr1 said:
_dobbo_ said:
I care a bit... I don't have a 4k telly!
And given as my Panasonic plasma was quite expensive when I bought it, and is a fantastic THX certified screen, I won't be upgrading any time soon...
I care too and have a 1080P Panny plasma which I wasn't going to change after having a look at the latest and greatest 4K led/LCD efforts.And given as my Panasonic plasma was quite expensive when I bought it, and is a fantastic THX certified screen, I won't be upgrading any time soon...
Then I spent a little time having a look at the latest LG oled's and they're stunning - easily a match for 'my reference' plasma (a calibrated Pioneer 600M) for motion and contrast and easily beating it for resolution when fed with 4K HDR.
Personally I think Sky would be far better concentrating on true 1080P output rather than jumping on the 4K bandwagon.
rscott said:
legzr1 said:
_dobbo_ said:
I care a bit... I don't have a 4k telly!
And given as my Panasonic plasma was quite expensive when I bought it, and is a fantastic THX certified screen, I won't be upgrading any time soon...
I care too and have a 1080P Panny plasma which I wasn't going to change after having a look at the latest and greatest 4K led/LCD efforts.And given as my Panasonic plasma was quite expensive when I bought it, and is a fantastic THX certified screen, I won't be upgrading any time soon...
Then I spent a little time having a look at the latest LG oled's and they're stunning - easily a match for 'my reference' plasma (a calibrated Pioneer 600M) for motion and contrast and easily beating it for resolution when fed with 4K HDR.
Personally I think Sky would be far better concentrating on true 1080P output rather than jumping on the 4K bandwagon.
They could offer it with SkyQ and those stuck with 720P could either stick to 720 or upgrade to Q.
Sky output in two formats already for those unable or unwilling to go to SkyHD.
_dobbo_ said:
Interesting point - but this is the SkyQ thread! I kind of assumed Sky Q might get 1080p, but realise that may have been an incorrect assumption.
That would mean Sky would need to broadcast a 1080i stream and 1080p stream, more than doubling the load on the broadcasting system. That's a big cost for Sky!As the email states, it's the masters that are improving, which will lead to the better PQ when the content hits your TV. So essentially, better crap in, better crap out.
It looks as though they're going to 10 bit per channel colour depth too which is interesting as the vast majority of TV's don't support it. HD demands 8 bit per channel colour depth as part of it's standard, so it's not been a requirement up until now with the advent of UHD. For which 10 bit colour depth is required as part of the standard. This could also mean another processing step for the Sky+HD boxes, depending on how Sky have set up the video pipeline.
Exciting times never the less.
Paul
KryptonKid09 said:
hat would mean Sky would need to broadcast a 1080i stream and 1080p stream, more than doubling the load on the broadcasting system. That's a big cost for Sky!
As the email states, it's the masters that are improving, which will lead to the better PQ when the content hits your TV. So essentially, better crap in, better crap out.
It looks as though they're going to 10 bit per channel colour depth too which is interesting as the vast majority of TV's don't support it. HD demands 8 bit per channel colour depth as part of it's standard, so it's not been a requirement up until now with the advent of UHD. For which 10 bit colour depth is required as part of the standard. This could also mean another processing step for the Sky+HD boxes, depending on how Sky have set up the video pipeline.
Exciting times never the less.
Paul
I've seen this mentioned elsewhere: 'To improve the HD, Sky Cinema has moved onto a master format that provides a third more pixels and four times the number of colour shades than the current HD offering. This will mean sharper and more vibrant pictures.'As the email states, it's the masters that are improving, which will lead to the better PQ when the content hits your TV. So essentially, better crap in, better crap out.
It looks as though they're going to 10 bit per channel colour depth too which is interesting as the vast majority of TV's don't support it. HD demands 8 bit per channel colour depth as part of it's standard, so it's not been a requirement up until now with the advent of UHD. For which 10 bit colour depth is required as part of the standard. This could also mean another processing step for the Sky+HD boxes, depending on how Sky have set up the video pipeline.
Exciting times never the less.
Paul
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