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Best system/box for IPTV picture quality?

M

MrIan

Member
Prior to buying a 4K Fire Stick I thought picture quality would be pretty similar across all boxes. I am not talking about drop outs, stuttering etc but the quality of the picture itself.

My old Zgemma H5.2TC is set up to run freeview, freesat and IPTV. Whilst the picture quality over IPTV has the worst picture quality of the 3; via my external scaler it is only marginally worse, especially on 1080 feeds.

The Stick is for me a big step down in picture quality.

Its far more responsive, faster and easier to use but the picture quality has taken a noticeable step downwards.
The picture is grainier and has less detail.
The difference it is in a similar in nature to the change you see going from 1080 to 576, but not as dramatic.

Native Resolution
The Stick only outputs at fixed resolutions and given its low cost it is probable that the internal scaling/de-interlacing is not as good as my external scaler and probably most TVs

Player
Moving from an Enigma 2 box to Android means different processing software and players, this might have some bearing

I would appreciate some input on possible ways forward

  • Are there any apps, players, etc I can load onto the Stick that might improve quality, It is currently running a smarters app with everything default?

  • Which current favourite Android boxes are able to output at native resolution, or simple resolution, along the lines of the E2 boxes.

  • Is there an E2 box that handles both freeview, freesat and has lots of RAM for IPTV
 
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firestick 4k does have native resolution on smarters app. I think the quality on Firestick 4k is very good in my opinion.

COG settings symbol top right, player settings, change to native then save.
 
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MrIan said:
I have already tried this, and again after your post. it doesnt seem to make any difference - BBC1 SD shows as 1080/59.94
Click to expand...
SD won't play in 4k. Probably 98% of channels are actually done in 1080p but 4k devices upscale it to a better picture quality. The fact your getting 1080p from SD (480p) is pretty impressive tbh!
 
are there any andriod boxes that output a signal that automatically adjusts to match both the source resolution and the refresh rate,
 
I'm pretty sure they all do? you can set them both to auto in video settings.

sometimes your actual tv video settings can cause interference problems with your device if they are set up opposite from each other.
 
The firestick certainly doesn't and I have seen a post suggesting the Formuler use a fixed refresh rate, so I am not so sure. I dont want to invest in a new box if it wont do what i want
 
Zgemma you can do it and i'm also sure mag is ok also but I wouldn't get a mag with the firmware blocks atm.

hope that helps.
 
Zgemma still one of the best out there, I have tried mag, 4 k FIRESTICK,smart tv apps,i.e. Smarters,smart iptv app,and zgemma.Undoubtably zgemma was streets ahead for color,brightness,sharpness,and sound.Ihave to stipulate that this is my own findings and others could be very differant,but I'd go for zgemma all the way and I'm sure many others would concur on this too. Please if you find this helpful please hit the like button as it helps out forum statistics for me. Thankyou.
 
I use Apple TV -
I understand you either love or hate them - but for all round performance and quality It’s the best - I have been an Apple fan boy for over 20 years as I used to work on the computers long before iPhones iPads etc - solid reliable kit -
 
MrIan said:
  • Is there an E2 box that handles both freeview, freesat and has lots of RAM for IPTV
Click to expand...
I recently replaced a Zgemma H5 Combo with a Zgemma H9 Combo and its power and speed makes a huge difference.
My Zgemma H9 Combo runs OpenATV 6.4 with WooshBuild Infinity and SkyQ (V3.500) Skin.
 
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Pic quality is based on a number of factors.

1. Quality of tv and device box used
2. The streams supplied by your provider

If you have a 4k tv it will upscale the the picture to improve quality. However, for the best results the sheild is the far superior box on the market.

4k upscailing is better than any tv and now supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision
 
Concur with the shield.

Moved from a mut@nt hd51 and 4k android box and the difference is huge in both picture quality and smoothness of the streams

I don't mind paying a little extra when the difference in quality is noticable
 
4K fire stick have made an update too there stick for all the boys out there that have one,there update was on 2 days ago,dependant on your country,the home page is completely different and all apps are now located under a fixed page,which is very helpful indeed,now some fire sticks do the update automatically BUT some don’t,you can also disable the update if you wish,but they recommend you do,do it. I didn’t,but just go to your settings and my fire tv and have a wee look. Hope this helps someone,sure if your stuck you give me a bell and I’ll give you a walkthrough guide to do it....stay safe......C
 
I use edison 4k firestick z8 Amiko android TV buzz Vidstick and buzz XRS4500 and can tell difference on pic quality on each device
 
mike123 said:
Pic quality is based on a number of factors.

1. Quality of tv and device box used
2. The streams supplied by your provider

If you have a 4k tv it will upscale the the picture to improve quality. However, for the best results the sheild is the far superior box on the market.

4k upscailing is better than any tv and now supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision
Click to expand...
IPTV will always be a sub standard service.....streams are daisy chained through innumerable servers, many of which are overloaded & of varying capability. Native 4k broadcasts by the original provider, hijacked by IPTV providers, are few & far between in the first place. Even IPTV streams that state they are FHD are rarely higher than 720i & with very low frame rates, high digital compression & offer little scope for upscaling by our devices.
 
Louis Cypher said:
IPTV will always be a sub standard service.....streams are daisy chained through innumerable servers, many of which are overloaded & of varying capability. Native 4k broadcasts by the original provider, hijacked by IPTV providers, are few & far between in the first place. Even IPTV streams that state they are FHD are rarely higher than 720i & with very low frame rates, high digital compression & offer little scope for upscaling by our devices.
Click to expand...
Yes, but the PRICE IS RIGHT!
 
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