The BBC has defended its HD TV service against accusations of falling picture quality from some viewers. Complainants have attested to pictures which were less than sharp, even fuzzy, after the Beeb changed its original HD encoders in August this year.
BBC HD head, Danielle Nagler, responded by saying the BBC had tested the service, but had found no technical faults. “HD from the BBC delivers in a range of styles – and that is not always the bright, crisp look which for some is synonymous with HD”, she wrote on the BBC’s internet blog, pointing out that camera and production techniques all affect the overall quality.
She added that “the majority of viewers watching in normal situations in their living rooms are happy with the picture quality on the channel”. Nagler does admit however, that there have been some issues following the switch to HD encoders operating at a bitrate of 9.7Mbps, from the original ones which worked at a higher 16Mbps.
“As we have indicated, there are some concerns that we have about picture handling in very specific circumstances by the new encoders. These are being addressed and will be fixed through software releases over the coming weeks”, she states.