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This is an attempt to monitor the bit rate being broadcast by local DFW digital channels and DirecTV HD channels. I'll take random samples from time to time and update this chart, noting the last time a sample was taken for a given channel or any special conditions. I'll include notes as to the type of programming for each one also.
Bit rates were calculated based on file sizes recorded by an HD Tivo. I'm very confident these numbers are accurate as I compared them to analysis of a recording of an OTA sample on DVHS and using TSReader Lite to analyze the resulting transport stream. The bitrates for the video and audio streams add up to what I'm computing. If you are interested in the math behind computing the bitrates, I've detailed it in a blog entry.
The bit rate reported is an average over the entire program listed (unless noted as a "sample"). Due to statistical multiplexing instantaneous bitrates can be much higher (or lower).
Email comments and suggestions here
02-18-06 DirecTV is really playing games today to avoid bit starving. 96 is showing All Star bonus coverage (which is mirrored on 99 so no PPV). Also, CD USA is in SD during the day today (goes to HD later, presumably after the All Star coverage).
02-16-06 Many changes today. TNT-HD is up in test mode, now sharing with PPV. HDNet has moved to B-28, sharing with ESPN2 (which also tends to share with the NBA/NFL channels so we'll keep an eye on it in the evenings!
02-08-05 TNT-HD is coming on 2/17. Now, where will they put it...
09-09-05 ESPN2-HD is now live.
08-10-05 HDNet is back to 1280x1080i
Older revisions...Italics: Channel is only on part time and is listed on the transponder last used.
| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080i | <8 | 8-13 | 13-16 | 16+ |
| 720p | <7.1 | 7.1-11.6 | 11.6-14.2 | 14.2+ |
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Just for fun, here is the estimated file size for one hour of programming at various bitrates.
| Bitrate mp/s | File Size | Hours on 250Gb HD Tivo |
|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | 4.2 Gb | 55 |
| 14.1 | 5.9 Gb | 39 |
| 18.2 | 7.6 Gb | 30 |
08-08-05 HDNet is actually back to 1920x1080i these days. That explains why it isn't splitting the bandwidth evenly with the PPV channel which is still at 1280x1080i. So, does 1920x1080i at 16Mb/s look as good as 1280x1080i at 18Mb/s did?
08-04-05 NBCE and NBCW swapped transponders today, and a few more SD channels joined in with CBSW. No significant changes in bitrates should result from these changes.
07-28-05 The test channel sharing with CBSW appears to be a new "Mix" channel perhaps testing for the NFL mix channel they will be adding later, it is NOT a new HD channel.
07-24-05 Moved DirecTV information to the top.
07-21-05 More big changes today, add ESPN-HD to the casualty list. It is now sharing with UHD and will now have reduced bitrate. CBSW for some reason is on its own and should have the best quality of any DirecTV HD channels for now (although there may be a test channel sharing with it... something new???.
07-15-05 HDNet is now sharing with FOXE and has a reduced bitrate now (about 14Mb/s). ESPN, CBSW, ABCE, and FOXW should have full bitrate (18Mb/s) now (when not sharing with part time channels 94-98 or 599.
02-01-05 Discovery HD, CBSE and NBCE are now all 1280x1080i, I assume all 1080i programming is now being downrezzed to 1280x1080.
01-04-05 Added SD channels and HD special event channels to the transponder table. I also have a new page that shows a full DirecTV Transponder table
01-03-05 NBCW has moved to B-32 with DisoveryHD. DiscoveryHD's bitrate has therefore dropped.
12-29-04 ABC east and west HD feeds are up in engineering mode. These will take bandwidth away from the HD PPV channel and Universal HD. Expect all 4 of these channels to be in the 13-14mb/s range now.
11-16-04 Channel 97 uses B-28 (sharing with ESPNHD) during the HDNet covered Mavericks games.
10-19-04 -> 10-24 Updates will be spotty (no transponder updates or NFL ST updates) as I'm traveling this week.
10-09-04 New Feature Hold the mouse over a channel for historical data sorted by date.
10-05-04 Update Another transponder shuffle. CBSW and NBCW may be improved (I can't monitor them) as they are no longer sharing with another HD channel. CBSE and NBCE are now sharing a transponder and are back to 1920x1080i (from 1280x1080i).
09-30-04 Update I just noticed that the HD PPV channel is also at a high bitrate, over 17mb/s. Film quality at that bitrate should be excellent.
09-29-04 Update CBSE and BravoHD were moved today. As a result BravoHD and DiscoveryHD have much improved bitrates (~17.5mb/s, up from 14mb/s). BravoHD also had its resolution reduced from 1920x1080 to 1280x1080. Unfortunately, now that CBSE and NBCW are sharing a transponder, CBSE's bitrate has dropped from 17+ to down under 14mb/s.
09-27-04 (approximate) HBOHD had its resolution reduced to 1280x1080. That means that it now appears to equally share the transponder with ShowtimeHD and HDNet Movies. So, all 3 should have similar average bitrates now, around 9-10mb/s. Previously HBO got 14mb/s and Showtime & HDNet Movies were averaging around 7mb/s.
09-14-04 Update Here are some image comparisons that show the quality degradation that has occured on HDNet Movies and Showtime due to the move to 3 channels per transponder.
9-10-04 Update DirecTV has moved HBO HD, Showtime HD, and HDNet Movies to share one transponder. Bitrates appear to be much lower on Showtime HD and HDNet Movies, I'll keep some of the older measurements around for a while for comparison. I've also added a transponder table at the bottom of the page
