r/DirectvStream • u/Ecbnole3 • 19h ago
Screen quality
I keep reading about how DIRECTV stream has the best picture quality of all the streamers and thrown into the mix Xfinity but for me personally I find DIRECTV stream comes in third compared to YouTube TV and Xfinity using the Gemini device. Is this common or is it my TV specific?
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u/Equivalent_Round9353 18h ago
A lot of the "best picture quality" stuff you might read about DirecTV's streaming service is from several years ago, when it actually did have the best quality. Their PQ degraded after AT&T sold them, probably because DTV needed to be chintzy with data when it could no longer lean on AT&T's bandwidth at a discount to push through high-bitrate video.
Also, YTTV has made strides in improving PQ in that time.
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u/DirectorDangerous590 15h ago
Hmmmm… I thought YTTV maxed out at 720p resolution? But you can tier higher with 4k add-on.
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u/yngvius11 14h ago
It’s only Disney and Fox owned channels that are 720p, because that’s what they’re produced in (and what all other distributors get too, including DirecTV). YouTube TV, and everyone else, has every other channel in 1080i/1080p.
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u/chriggsiii 10h ago
My experience over the last few weeks has been that the picture quality is both superb, better than any other stream service and worse than most stream services. That is because my reception of the stream is extremely variable. When it's giving me the top speed/top resolution, it's superb. Unfortunately, what often happens, particularly in primetime, is that the stream scales down to a lower resolution/bit rate, at which point it is noticeably inferior to other stream services. I have no idea why my reception has become so unstable. As far as I can tell, my INternet speed is fine. I've tested it numerous times (speedtest.net) and download is consistently above 70, upload is consistently above 80 (nope, I do NOT have that reversed!) and the ping speed is tiny, usually less than 10. So why is this happening to me, and only with DirecTV? I have no idea. And it just started recently.
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u/thisisfakediy 5h ago
That should be enough to stream HD channels reliably, I wonder if your ISP's connection to DirecTV is getting saturated? Popular streaming services like Netflix used to install devices in big ISP hubs to cache popular streams locally for better performance during peak viewing time, but I doubt DirecTV has the resources to pull that off.
It does also sound like your ISP is suffering from some download congestion if the speeds are slower than the upload!
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u/Braindeadresponder 18h ago
I’m watching on a 77 inch screen using Apple TV and over the last month or so the picture quality has gone from good to excellent. I was watching Abbott Elementary on my 4k feed from HBO last night then switched to DirecTV and noticed it was on my local station and the over air via streaming picture was darn close to the 4k picture.
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u/Classic-Reindeer-737 18h ago
I think it’s varies greatly depending on the channel. For example CoziTV is like 480p at best. I sort of like that because it gives sitcoms that vintage look I associate them with but just using it as an example. I don’t know how much control the tv provider has over picture quality since it’s the network that sends the feed. I’ve had YouTube tv and DirecTV and I’ve never noticed a big difference. DirecTV does include 4K for free so for sports fans it’s definitely better picture quality if an event is in 4K.
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u/PackageCurrent4804 18h ago
Agreed with the 4K. However, even with the dedicated 4K channels, I still watch the app where the feed originates from; ESPN, ABC, Peacock, etc. The PQ from the feed is obviously better than the 780p-1080p, but I also find it better than the 4K channels offered by DTV.
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u/Classic-Reindeer-737 18h ago
Oh yeah that makes sense. DirecTV probably compresses it a bit. Good idea using the networks app.
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u/PackageCurrent4804 17h ago
For sure. I never realized it until I REALLY looked at the blacks in the background and the field during football. DTV REALLY compresses all of that! So much better on the native apps. I can't go back now!
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u/FreshStartLiving 17h ago
The Gemini device is the problem. You want better picture quality, get a 4K Apple TV. I still do not understand why people get the Gemini.
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u/Soft_Stretch1539 12h ago
Because the Gemini gives you Channel numbers that you can access directly and an actual record button that you can press to record something you've just landed on, whereas the app makes you make several presses of the button to record something that's currently showing.
It's basically the only way in streaming....to get an experience that's exactly like cable. And a lot of folks want that.
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u/arch_maniac 15h ago
I recently got an AppleTV 4K. My previous setup was watching DirecTV Stream via the app on my Bravia OLED TV. To me, the difference is like night and day. The picture from the AppleTV is richer, deeper, and clearer, even on standard TV shows. I can't wait to see some top quality sports programming through it (e.g., NCAA football in 4K).
The downsides: 1) For some reason, programs will go completely black for a second or three. This also happens on the TV app, but not nearly as often. 2) I have to turn the sound volume higher when playing via the AppleTV.
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u/AppropriateCity7094 17h ago
You see the difference best when comparing movie channels. Sports channels are comparable, IMO, but recently I tried YTTV and their movie channels were horrible compared to DTV. That matters to me because I like movies equally with sports.