Just set up - very poor HD video quality (cableCARD)

Channels DVR Server
#1

Hey all:

I just set up Channels DVR Server on a Synology DS220+ with an xfinity cablecard and an HDHomeRun Prime. I'm using an Apple TV 4K on a Samsung 4K TV with the Channels app to view the content. The NAS and ATV4K are both wired via gigabit ethernet. I have the DVR quality settings set to 1080p @ 10mps (highest available and also the default) with the client buffer set to 30 seconds. Transcoder and Deinterlacer are both set to Hardware.

The live TV stream looks bad on every HD channel. It's fuzzy, not HD quality.

I typically view TV in this location using a TiVo Mini and it looks way better, way crisper.

What's going wrong here? I expected the video quality to be at parity with my TiVo experience.

#2

You should be using Original for quality settings in the client. Other settings can force transcode.

The settings you mention in the the DVR server GUI page is for the Web Player, ie, watching via a web browser on computer. Does not effect playback on any client devices like Apple Tv.

Are you actually tunning to a HD channel? Xfinity loves to have many duplicates of channels including non HD versions.

#3

Ah thanks. I haven't even started playing around with the web player yet. But the problem for sure still persists (see below). The HD content on my ATV4k looks bad - washed out, fuzzy, like it's been downsampled.

I'm 100% certain I'm on a HD channel (all of the HD channels I've tried, in fact). I have the guide filtered to HD Channels and used channels that say "HD" in their channel name. I've tried ESPN HD, NFL Network HD, the local network HD channels, Discovery HD, FX HD, etc.

ATV4K Channels client is set to Original. I didn't know about this, but it was the default and I verified that it was set that way.

#4

Is the ATV in SDR mode?

#5

Make sure you set the atv to 4k SDR 59.97hz then turn on match frame rate and match range. Turn off ALL post image processing on the TV. Motion, black enhancer, if it says it enhances, you don't want it.

Make sure the TV isn't set for crazy color saturation or something like that. Then do the iPhone/appletv color balance thing where it will fine tune itself.

I almost bought a new TV to replace my Samsung until I did all of this.

You set your quality to original so that's good that's exactly what you want. Transcoding is your enemy.

1 Like
#6

@lights heres a thread from a few weeks ago that might help. Key things to note are get on the latest testflight appletv client build and do the experimental video and deinterlacer.

#7

The ATV was set to HDR, but I set it as recommended (4K SDR, match frame rate and range) and it looks exactly the same. TV's settings are calibrated per RTINGS. Honestly, it just looks like I'm watching a lower bitrate stream - like when Netflix is on a bad connection. This is relative to a TiVo Mini streaming from a Tivo Bolt+ on the same TV with the same TV image settings.

#8

How does it look in the HDHR app on the Apple TV and on a computer.

Are you tuned into the SD channel perhaps?

What bitrate is showing under Tuner Status on the HDHR web UI

#9

I haven’t installed the HDHR app but will try.
I’m for sure not looking at SD channels. For example, I’m tuned to “ESPN HD” right now, and only looking at the HD channels list for my test.

The web UI shows the following. Is this what you’re looking for?

CableCARD Status

Card Manufacturer Arris/Motorola
Card Authentication success
Card Validation success
3DES encryption supported
OOB Frequency 75.250 MHz
OOB Lock 2.048 Mbps
Signal Strength 98% (-1.4 dBmV)
Signal Quality 100% (37.4 dB)
Channel List cablecard-oob
#10

That's the cablecard menu. Select Tuner Status > Tuner 0

#11

I don’t have a “tuner status” option in the HDHR web UI. I have these options:

The closest thing is CableCARD status. And that doesn’t have any bitrate data nor does it have the ability to drop into a specific tuner. Am I looking in the wrong place?

#12

From the main page of the web UI

#13

Are you running the latest testflight with expiramental drivers?

#14

Facepalm. Tuner 0 says streaming rate is 5.222 Mbps.

#15

No I’m using no experimental settings or app versions.

#16

Give that a try. Testflight version with experimental deinterlacer and video drivers
That's what I am using and it defintely makes a difference

#17

Yeah, actually the experimental driver was the first thing I thought of when I started reading this post. After a couple of weeks of using Channels I discovered that setting in the app and it made a world a difference.

The experimental video driver is not exclusive to the TestFlight Channels Beta. It is in the regular AppleTV Channels app too. Under settings. Playback. Advanced. Video driver. Do experimental deinterlacing too.

1 Like
#18

Ok I haven’t tried the TestFlight version yet but I did just switch to the experimental video driver and deinterlacing. Problem persists. Pixelated blurry content.

Just so I’m clear, when watching on an Apple TV on the same network with “Original” video streaming bitrate, the quality should be 100% analogous to what I would see directly from a Comcast HD set top box or my cablecard TiVo Bolt, right?

#19

Correct. Try the official HDHomeRun app to compare.

#20

If that channel is being broadcast in mpeg2, 3.9 mbps is wayyyy too low. That would explain the bad quality.

Use the stats feature while watching the channel to see more details on the steam. Swipe down, go to options, and choose Show Stats.

Take a screenshot of this and post it so we can see it.