FLV to MP4

[J K.Eason]

> *From:* Rick Spurway <rick at spurway.com>
> *To:* get_iplayer <get_iplayer at lists.infradead.org>
> *Date:* Wed, 3 Jul 2013 07:09:02 +0200
> 
> > To be honest, I can't actually see any difference between SD and 
> > HD even on my 32" TV....
> 
> John, I find that incredible and very strange. For me, the 
> difference is very noticeable and greatly enhances the viewing
> experience. The HD offered by the BBC is 1280x720 = 921,600 pixels,
> and high SD is 832x468.= 389,376 pixels. The HD resolution is more
> than double high SD, so I feel the extra disk space consumed is worth
> every byte. I choose HD every time, without exception, using
> --modes=best. But sadly not everything is available in HD. How are you
> getting the data to your 32" television? The best options for HD would
> be a USB port or an HDMI socket. Perhaps you are reducing everything
> to a common (low) denominator in your choice of television input?
> 
> Best wishes,
> Rick

It isn't just downloaded programs where I can't see the difference. I
find the same with 'live' Freeview programs on my 32" Samsung Smart TV.
I simply can't see any obvious difference between (for instance) BBC1 on
channel 1 and BBC HD on channel 101 and it's not because my eyesight is
poor. The Samsung is connected to my network by wifi, but it's the same
with my directly-connected 22" monitor. 
My Humax PVR shows a signal strength of 80% and quality of 100% here and
I never see artifacts from a poor signal on any program, so it's simply
that I don't notice the difference in quality, and therefore don't bother
to download in the highest quality with get_iplayer.  

Regards
       John