Comsumer Reports. PQ on D better then PQ on E.

[inazsully]

New issue of CR shows that Directv has better PQ then Dish. No explanation of course.

 

[lparsons21]

This is a subject that comes up often. Technically D* does have better HD PQ than E*, but many (maybe even most) that have had both see the difference as minimal overall.

 

[klang]

No tests were done, it is based on their yearly survey.

 

[Tampa8]

Discussed at length already. (Though you wouldn't know it from the title of the thread)
http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/threads/might-come-back-to-satellite.351534/

 

[the mack]

The on demand on D* seems much better. The satellite signal is pretty close to the same in my experience.

 

[dishfan82]

I just came from directv and honestly I can't tell. I know the hopper with sling and super joey are far superior to the Genie.

 

[ClarkGable]

No tests were done, it is based on their yearly survey.

I have been a Consumer Reports reader for 20+ years. I always fill out their annual survey, and I don't remember ever seeing any questions about Dish or Direct picture quality.

 

[klang]

I have been a Consumer Reports reader for 20+ years. I always fill out their annual survey, and I don't remember ever seeing any questions about Dish or Direct picture quality.

I don't recall it being in the survey I filled out last year either. We might not all receive identical surveys. It does state at the bottom of the chart on page 52 that the 2014 Annual Questionnaire is the source of the data. The chart also shows that D* and E* were given an identical numerical score of 70.

 

[Scherrman]

I can't stand Consumer Reports ratings, especially on appliances. There are so many products that are almost identical and made by the same manufacturer but have a different name on them and magically they are all rated in very different positions. They value energy efficiency way too much and do not value the ability for a machine to do the one thing it's mostly suppose to do.

Their reviews on TVs were pretty good for the most part. I think it may be easier to test TVs than appliances though.

 

[lparsons21]

Over the years I've given CR less credence than in the past. With appliances as you noted the ratings are all over the place for models made by the same company with the same specs but a different brand name. And in cars when they went 'jap happy'. If someone gives me the 'but CR says' story, I give it all the credence it deserves, that being not much.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I have both services and it is REALLY hard to judge the PQ between the two, especially considering both use VBR (Variable Bit Rate) encoding. The encoders watch the entire mux that is being broadcast on that transponder and gives more bandwidth when needed to the stations that need them, such as an action scene in a movie, while taking away bandwidth from another station in the background that is a talk show where the picture isnt really moving much. And it does this on the fly.

I have seen movies on DIRECTV that have looked horrible then seen then played later on and they looked great... same movie same station. I can only imagine that this way of encoding was the cause of the issue.

And the same that can be said about DISH.

Now as far as VOD goes, it is my understanding that neither DISH or DIRECTV do the encoding of the VOD content, that comes in ready to go. However I do know DISH has technology to change the PQ based on your internet speeds, so it gives you the best picture it can without buffering. On DIRECTV I have noticed buffering at times when watching it back after clicking that I wanted to see it.

 

[klang]

I can't stand Consumer Reports ratings, especially on appliances.

For appliances I value the reliability ratings more than their recommendations. Same for cars. I think you have to read how they arrive at their decisions and adjust accordingly.

 

[david_jr]

So they're just making stuff up now. Not surprised. I gave them up years ago. Nothing there a Google search can't provide.

 

[EarDemon]

Over the years I've given CR less credence than in the past. With appliances as you noted the ratings are all over the place for models made by the same company with the same specs but a different brand name. And in cars when they went 'jap happy'. If someone gives me the 'but CR says' story, I give it all the credence it deserves, that being not much.

I 100% agree. I've never given Consumer Reports a second thought when buying anything. I know a few people who swear by them and never buy anything without consulting what Consumer Reports has to say. For one relative of mine and her husband in particular, they consider it the Holy Bible. They buy everything and I mean everything CR recommends. Not just cars and TVs and washing machines, but laundry detergent, PC security software, hell even sun tan lotion. They've also had more trouble with various appliances, motor vehicles and general consumer electronics then anyone else I know. Last year they asked me what I use for anti-virus protection on my PCs, I told them Malwarebytes Premium and Windows Defender. They were shocked that I didn't blurt out a big name like Norton, McAfee or Avast and then proceeded to go online and check out 'the good book'. Never did find out what CR recommends, probably because I just don't care.

I don't do much in the way of reviews either. Everyone's experience with a product is different and everyone has different expectations. Last year I laid over $40K down on a new [to me] ride, and I didn't read a single review. I know what I want and I'll buy it. I'm not relying on other people's opinions or meaningless tests done is some controlled lab environment to make decisions on what to speed my money on.

While I hate Apple with a passion, hate everything that they stand for, and have an ear to ear smile when they get bad press, CR not recommending the iPhone a few years ago because of Antennagate was just stupid. Consumer Reports having a hissy fit over MyFord Touch was also stupid. I like the original Sync UI much better than the new one, but to not recommend vehicles based on their infotainment system is just idiotic.

 

[Tampa8]

I'm actually not attacking or even have much issue with actual Consumer Reports reviews and ratings. The key is to use it as a guide not the final authority. My responses are to the people hanging this out as Consumer Reports making a rating based on testing. They are not, it isn't a comment or test by Consumer Reports, it is a survey outcome. To my knowledge no such testing has ever been done by them.
There is one true comparison. (As some others have pointed out) A blind test with identical TV's. Then have one calibrated to Direct TV and one to DISH obviously with no indication as to which each is connected to. Then however you pick a random sample of people have them tell you which looks better.
People constantly underestimate how much better a picture looks when calibrated to it's source.

 

[Hall]

There are so many products that are almost identical and made by the same manufacturer but have a different name on them...

CR frequently will indicate that a different model (or 2 or 3) are identical to another one and just have different names. I don't know how they determine that unless it's just by visual though. I've looked at appliances at major stores (where they have lots of selection) and have found identical units just in the same store !

 

[Scherrman]

CR frequently will indicate that a different model (or 2 or 3) are identical to another one and just have different names. I don't know how they determine that unless it's just by visual though. I've looked at appliances at major stores (where they have lots of selection) and have found identical units just in the same store !

Whirpool is the worst since they make the same machine with numerous names on it. Not to mention most of Kemore's laundry. They rate the HE top load washers highly even though they do not wash heavily soiled clothes well. They have tons of features and are energy efficient though so they get great ratings. Then they review the Speed Queens which are a good old fashion machine that washes better than them all but they use a lot of water, are not fancy and are a little louder. They give them a very low grade. I thought you bought a washer to washer your clothes, not text your phone when it needs service or play a song when it's finished with a load.

 

[edisonprime]

I seem to remember the day I switched from Dish to DirecTV that the picture quality was much superior on DirecTV. From my knowledge, Dish uses 1440 x 1080i (HD-lite) and DirecTV uses the full 1920 x 1080i (full HD).

 

[Tampa8]

Funny guy.

 

[harshness]

I don't know how they determine that unless it's just by visual though. I've looked at appliances at major stores (where they have lots of selection) and have found identical units just in the same store !

Since Sears sells both LG and Kenmore, it isn't difficult to identify many striking similarities. There are only a handful of companies out there that make appliances outside of the stupid money brands (Viking, Miele, Thermador, Sub-Zero and Liebherr).

Whirlpool is the company behind Amana, Jenn-Aire, Kitchen Aid and Maytag as well as four or five other brands.

Electrolux is behind Eureka, GE (appliances), Gibson, Kelvinator, Philco, Tappan, White-Westinghouse and a couple dozen other brands.

Bosch, Haier, LG and Samsung are the big brands that aren't in bed with Whirlpool or Electrolux.

Magic Chef is a mystery.

Just because the same parent company is behind them, it doesn't follow that they are all clones of each other. It is more like Chevrolet vs. Buick where one company will take the high road and the other not so much. I think it a safe bet that Sears demands more than LG does in terms of quality yet most all of the Kenmore branded equipment is built by LG.

It is important to note that while the DIRECTV picture quality was rated higher, both companies were given the same overall score (probably weighted heavily on ease of use) and both were rated as poor values. Whatever advantage DIRECTV has in picture quality, Consumer Reports believes they piss away somewhere else.

Perhaps the most damning fact behind the survey is that it is conducted using a sampling of Consumer Reports subscribers. This is contrary to what I said earlier. My bad.