-- your Sony X5's specifications: 3840 x 2160 resolution:...

[mdk]

@dalehuhtala -- your Sony X5's specifications:

3840 x 2160 resolution:

HDMI™ signal:
4096 x 2160p (24, 60 Hz),
3840 x 2160p (24, 30, 60, 120 Hz),
1080p (30, 60, 120 Hz),
1080/24p,

1080i (60 Hz),
720p (30, 60 Hz),
720/24p,
480p

Note that the "native" (3840) resolution offers many refresh-rates -- possibly because there is no need for "upscaling/downscaling".  It's possible that the 120 rate will show "smoother" video when watching sports.

[dalehuhtala]

That's what I'm thinking. That means I can't use one of the 3 boxes I got because there is no coax in this room, but if it improves the picture quality back to what my old coax connected box showed, it would be worth it. Apparently, you can't have a mixture of wifi and coax. Don't know why.

Casting is slightly better from my Android phone. Streaming to my Windows computer connectected to the TV in my office is worse. I think I read Windows streaming is a bit of a problem. Even from an Android phone, it isn't as good as Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Prime, etc...not even close. I guess that can have something to do with the source material, but if these shows were moved to Netflix, they would look dramatically better. The whole Ignite system seems poor quality to me.

On your coax-connected boxes, can you still record to the cloud, watch recordings on different TVs, watch on mobile, etc?

Thanks.

[dalehuhtala]

Yes, I have it set to 120 but motion and refresh rate is not the problem - it's clarity/resolution that is the issue.

[rstra]

@dalehuhtala  Yes, on the coax boxes you can record to the cloud, it does everything your current boxes do.

[dalehuhtala]

Tried getting the coax boxes but they told me they do NOT record to the cloud - you need a "portal" box and a TV box and then the TVs connect to the portal and record locally on that box, they're more expensive, limited to 500 GB, etc, etc...so it doesn't sound like that will be an option for me.

I have since also tweaked my routers and replaced cables, tried everything I can think of and the quality is still poor.

I tried streaming some shows from Ignite TV - and guess what? Those all have the same low quality too! So it is now clear to me that it is not my configuration or the boxes...the whole Ignite TV service appears to be low quality. Streaming to ANY device on ANY network looks bad - all videos have a slightly grainy/fuzzy edge to them. Granted, your average person probably wouldn't notice but I've spent a portion of my IT career looking at higher end computer monitors and TV displays to select the best value displays for corporate purchases, so I might be a bit more discerning than the average person - my wife doesn't see it. But it is definitely worse than the old Shaw coax cable digital TV I used to get. 

I'm resigning myself to the fact that this is just how Telecom services are going to be, especially now that there's even one less provider now that Rogers and Shaw have merged. It's clear from support services that they are complacent and don't really care about improving the quality.

I will start shaving down my TV services since streaming services (real ones) are so much superior to the quality of Ignite TV.

[rstra]

@dalehuhtala  The are wrong, or lied, the XG1 boxes will record to the cloud, I am watching a recording on Ignite TV as we speak. The storage capacity and rental charges are identical. I am hoping that, with the Rogers takeover, the quality of support will improve, as it stands now, we will get more help talking to a wall.

On the Rogers equipment info page for the XG1:

https://support.shaw.ca/t5/tv-articles/equipment-info-bluecurve-tv-player-4k-xg1v4/ta-p/6089

“Record content to the cloud and watch it anywhere, anytime with Ignite TV. Up to six simultaneous recordings are supported.”

[rickatk]

You are doing something wrong.

I have the wireless TV players hooked up to an older Samsung Smart TV(2010), a late mode Samsung 4K TV(2019), a Toshiba 1080P TV 2012 and a couple small HD TV’s. They all work fine with wireless TV players over wifi. Good picture, crisp and clear. Might be my imagination but my picture has gotten better on these TVs over time. BTW I live in a five year old house in a much older neighborhood. 

If you use the Blue Curve Modem as a hard line hub, you are committed to cable connections to your TVs around the house. You can’t mix wired and wireless. If you have the bandwidth consider wireless TV. Take your router out of bridge and use the Shaw provided gear, you won’t be disappointed.

[mdk]

@dalehuhtala -- UHD is simply Ultra High Definition, another name for 4K. 

I disagree. 

If you are correct, I will give you one $10 bill, if you will give me one $20 bill, since they are the "same" size.  🙂

From: https://www.lifewire.com/fhd-vs-uhd-4688527

UHD stands for Ultra HD or Ultra High Definition.

It is sometimes referred to as 4K, although UHD resolution is not necessarily 4K resolution.

QED

[dalehuhtala]

Wow, ain't nobody got no time for this conversation!

[rickatk]

This is from Hewlett-Packard 

By Stephen Mash

|

May 18, 2022

• High Definition (HD) refers to displays capable of displaying images with at least 1280 by 720 pixels resolution.
• Full High Definition (FHD) refers to displays capable of displaying images with at least 1920 by 1080 pixels resolution.
• Quad High Definition (QHD) refers to displays capable of displaying images with at least 2560 by 1440 pixels resolution. Its name comes from the fact it offers 4 times as many pixels as standard HD.
• Ultra-High Definition (UHD) refers to displays capable of displaying images with at least 3840 by 2160 pixels resolution. This is 4 times the total number of pixels available in FHD.
• 4K is the term used for UHD displays that can display images with a resolution between 3840 by 2160 pixels up to 4096 by 3112 pixels.
• The term 8K display is used for resolutions over 4096 by 3112 pixels and up to 7680 by 4320 pixels.