Sky and Virgin Media Set Top Boxes - Storage capacity

[Airborne]

I have recently gone onto HD with Virgin Media Cable TV and almost had a heart attack.

 

My video storage of what I thought was 80 hours, plummeted through the floor. Although I knew I only had about 45 hours of stored programs, the indicator showed only 6 hours free and then went critical.

 

Well, after a look at the Internet, I discovered to my amazement that recording HD programs takes around 4 times the storage capacity than recording Standard programs.

 

So I suggest you WATCH HD programs but RECORD Standard programs in order to save storage capacity.

 

Here it is :-

Virgin Media - Standard storage = 80 hours. HD storage = 20 hours.

Sky TV - Standard storage = 185 hours. HD storage = 60 hours.

 

Why this 4 to 1 difference between Standard and HD storage is a technical mystery which I dare not investigate for fear of having an intelligence melt-down..

Edited July 15, 2013 by Airborne

[Plastic Nev]

HD or high definition to give it its full name, has a very high level of data per second, it has to in order to provide the high definition and quality of the finished video.

An example of this is in my own video's that I have recorded myself, having recently acquired a high definition camera.

 

A video I took which lasted only 38 seconds had a total file size of 142 MB.

I then converted it down to ordinary definition so as to shorten upload time to dropbox, the resulting file size was only 54 MB. The difference wasn't much in what you see when played, however in those figures you can see why high definition takes up so much room.

 

Nev.

[Airborne]

HD or high definition to give it its full name, has a very high level of data per second, it has to in order to provide the high definition and quality of the finished video.

An example of this is in my own video's that I have recorded myself, having recently acquired a high definition camera.

 

A video I took which lasted only 38 seconds had a total file size of 142 MB.

I then converted it down to ordinary definition so as to shorten upload time to dropbox, the resulting file size was only 54 MB. The difference wasn't much in what you see when played, however in those figures you can see why high definition takes up so much room.

 

Nev.

 

Nev,

 

Thanks for that explanation, my rusty technical cogs have absorbed it all perfectly and I fully understand. But for you I could have been consigned to mental stagnation for all eternity.

 

Actually our standard picture is so clear and sharp that I find it difficult to distinguish between HD and standard.

 

But again thanks for unlocking my mental blockage.

 

Airborne

[Plastic Nev]

Ordinary standard definition as usually used on television is actually slightly enhanced in the TV itself by introducing a slightly blurred effect between pixels, which masks the outline of each individual pixel, standard computer graphics and monitors do not do that though.

So if for example you took a standard definition video picture on your computer monitor, froze one frame out of it as a still picture and then enlarged it by twice, the pixel's would be very noticeable, and may even be a little enhanced on a TV screen. However if the same were to be done with a HD video, you would need to be enlarging by a factor of three to four before pixelation became apparent.

In other words in HD, there are many more and much smaller pixels per square inch. It is the digital data required to produce those extra pixels that makes up the high file size in comparison to ordinary or standard definition.

 

Hope that didn't get too boring, but video is getting to be a pet subject of mine, though I do try to stay away from the technical aspects of gaming graphics, now that does my head in when we go down that road.

 

Nev.

[Airborne]

Ordinary standard definition as usually used on television is actually slightly enhanced in the TV itself by introducing a slightly blurred effect between pixels, which masks the outline of each individual pixel, standard computer graphics and monitors do not do that though.

So if for example you took a standard definition video picture on your computer monitor, froze one frame out of it as a still picture and then enlarged it by twice, the pixel's would be very noticeable, and may even be a little enhanced on a TV screen. However if the same were to be done with a HD video, you would need to be enlarging by a factor of three to four before pixelation became apparent.

In other words in HD, there are many more and much smaller pixels per square inch. It is the digital data required to produce those extra pixels that makes up the high file size in comparison to ordinary or standard definition.

 

Hope that didn't get too boring, but video is getting to be a pet subject of mine, though I do try to stay away from the technical aspects of gaming graphics, now that does my head in when we go down that road.

 

Nev.

 

Nev,that was a brilliant technical explanation, thanks a lot.

 

I am now thoroughly pixilated and discomknockerated with ecstasy at knowing how my TV storage goes through the floor on HD.

 

Airborne

[Plastic Nev]

Well thank you Airborn for that, however I wrote it for the benefit of other members also, who may read this thread and may not be as wise or computer proficient as ourselves.

 

Nev.

[Jelly Bean]

So Sky beats Virgin box but for broadband speeds Virgin beats Sky,you cannot have it all.

 

Sky has brought out a 1TB HD box.

 

If you have been with Sky for 3 years or more like me that includes the time they screwed me over.

 

You can save £5-00 off your bill.If you have Entertainment extra you can upgrade to entertainment extra PLUS.This contains all the HD channels.Then cancel the HD package and have £5-00 shaved off your Sky TV bill.

 

Very nice young man helped me the other day.

[Airborne]

So Sky beats Virgin box but for broadband speeds Virgin beats Sky,you cannot have it all.

 

Howdy JB,

 

Well it mat be all very interesting talking about the payout costs for these media people, but I have another problem related to our ransoms.

 

With an advert of 4 minutes 5 times each hour, that is 20 minutes of program gone which WE paid for. We do not pay for adverts, the ad people pay the media people fortunes to show their rubbish off and completely destroy out programs. With a 5 minute advert, I often forget what I am watching and certainly lose track.

 

THEN with 100 so-called channels on my menu, it seems fabulous eh ? Well half of them are crap radio channels that are simply dead wood. Another 20% are kids channels, leaving a pittance for me to chose from. THEN out of this residue, almost every program going on for days, weeks and months is a repeat which I have seen.

 

Some programs on view now are over 2-3 years old, even longer for films. AND many films are over 50 years old, the stars are all now dead. We even get Charlie Chaplin films of the 20`s and 30`s.

 

You may think that the News at least is current. No way, most of that is yesterdays news and the Weather Forecast is mostly wrong. Granny`s Arthritis pains are a better indication of the weather.

 

So what are we left with JB ? Not a lot, but the dog loves it all, especially the Chum adverts. Cat adverts are a threat to our TV set being sent flying by a Rottie in full flight.

[Jelly Bean]

OMG OMG OMG I am soooooo sorry I am so laughing.

 

How old are you because you sound like "Me Da".

 

These companies have to cater for everyone of all ages.You must remember we in this country have a rising number of penioners,people are living longer.So can you imagine what they say about TV,whats this called? The what? The Telly Tubbies. They can not even speak what rubbish there is on TV these days for children,I remember "Watch with Mother" now that was proper TV for children.

 

2-3 year-olds love Sky channel 606 above and below.Do you think they rally want to watch Corination Street and Britains Got Talent?

 

Although when my child was 2-5 years old it was Ballamory and BooBahs.I so enjoyed them with her,now she is older neither of us enjoy them.

 

We do enjoy a good Saw movie and a good comedy like Ted and Paul.

 

So as whole these providers cater for many ages BUT I do agree there is a lot of junk channels.

 

You would possibly be amazed how many people will sit there all day buying off the shopping channels.

 

JB.

[Plastic Nev]

Considering the junk put out on TV, including the programs covered by the TV license which I still have to pay, an indication of what I feel about it is that the plug was pulled out of the socket and hasn't been put back for months.

 

I get much more fun and enjoyment out of reading threads like this.

 

Nev.

[Jelly Bean]

Me to Nev,Ive never been a TV junkie.

[Airborne]

How old are you because you sound like "Me Da".

JB.

I am so old that I don`t have birthdays anymore, can`t count above 100, there ain't enough beads on the frame.

[Jelly Bean]

Oh bless you Airborne.

 

OMG you ARE "Me Da"................

 

[Airborne]

Oh bless you Airborne.

 

OMG you ARE "Me Da"................

 

 

TURN THE TELLY UP A BIT MORE LUV, I CAN`T FIND ME HEARING TRUMPET.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab327/johnbull17/BIGEARS.jpg

[Jelly Bean]

Eeeeeeeee "Me Da" ask "Me Ma" you lazy old bugger.....................

[Airborne]

Eeeeeeeee "Me Da" ask "Me Ma" you lazy old bugger.....................

OH COME ON LUV, TURN THE TELLY UP, YER MA`s TOO BUSY WATCHING CORRIE.

 

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab327/johnbull17/OldLadyinchair_zps3916e9a0.gif

[Jelly Bean]

OMG HAHAHAHAHAHA.. WELL DONE...........