Picture Quality on on films updated to HD

[shep1968]

I have recently watched a couple of old films, Home alone and Indiana Jones, in HD and the picture quality was good. However, on a regular basis the picture would freeze and pixcillate and the sound would skip. The films were recorded and i have an original HD box. Has this happened to anybody else and is it likely to be my box or aerial or just the fact the film is old?

 

[The_Lhc]

Watched on where? Sky? Virgin?

If the picture and sound are freezing and skipping it's transmission problems, you don't honestly think a studio would release a film that did that do you?

Was it raining when they were recorded?

 

[Clare Newsome]

That's a Sky issue - nothing to do with the films (the Indiana Jones HD transfers shown on Sky are superb). It could either have been because the weather or another factor messed with your signal, or because you were watching an HD recording at the same time as recording two other shows - the earlier Sky HD boxes did have problems with that, causing playback problems as you describe.

And a final point - older films have every ability to look (and in many cases sound) as good if not better than modern movies, as film stock is higher resolution than current HD standard. The quality of what you see depends on how much work was done mastering the HD version you see on TV/Blu-ray from that original, high-resolution film print, rather than from an earlier copy or digital downmix.

 

[shep1968]

Sorry it was with sky and i didnt think that the films were produced that way. I could have been recording other things whilst watching, would you recommend those of us with first generation sky hd boxes updating to the current ones, is there much of a difference picture wise? On your final point, i have just purchaed the blu ray of An American Werewolf in London and was surprised how poor the picture quality was compared to other blu rays that i own.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Well. my old Thomson Sky HD box struggled with HD playback while recording other HD shows, whereas my newer, Samsung Sky+ HD box handles the task with ease....

And yes, American Werewolf in London isn't the best-looking BD around - but then the film always had a rather lo-fi look to it, so i think it's a case of being true to the source material. Definitely one of those where the BD looks better than the DVD, but doesn't reach the eye-popping clarity of some HD discs.

 

[shep1968]

Looks like i will have to consider getting a new box but as i am an existing sky customer i cant see them just handing me one and as i have no warranty on it any more that isnt an option. Does anybody know how to get a new one off them for free or do i simply have to cancel my subscription and take one out in my wife's name?

 

[Anonymous]

It goes on the home not the name, so looks like you are stuck.

Threaten to cancel and go with virgin, as you pay a lot for services.

Or buy a second hand one on fleabay?

 

[shep1968]

I am a bit behind on technology hence the daft question but do you need to be in a cable area to get Virgin? I am not and ipresume that sky would know that? Is there any other way of getting sky services without going through sky?