re: Cox Launches ESPNU in HD

The difference is mainly bandwidth issues with cable/satellite providers where they broadcast with less picture quality than the original source. These types of broadcast are commonly referred to as "HD-lite".

This wiki article explains HD-lite: LINK




eta: Older cameras can also contribute to less picture quality


from the wiki article above:

quote:

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Some material shown on 1080i high-definition channels in the US originates from material shot on older cameras that was only capable of 1440 samples per scanline, yet this material is generally quite acceptable to most viewers and is considered high-definition. Focusing on resolution alone can be misleading. For example, a signal transmitted in its original 1920 x 1080 format, even if only having 1440 unique samples per scanline, will likely appear superior to a highly recompressed signal shown at 1440 x 1080 with a lower bitrate than the standard 19.2 Mbit/s.

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