HD enthusiasts crying foul over cable TV's compressed signals

As cable TV companies pack ever more digital, high-definition (HD) channels into limited bandwidth, some owners of pricey plasma, projector and LCD TVs are complaining that they're not getting the high-def quality they paid for. They blame the increased signal compression being used to squeeze three digital HD signals into the bandwidth of one analog channel. The problem is viewers want more HD channels at a time when many cable and satellite providers are at the limits of their capacity, said Jim Willcox, a technology editor for Consumer Reports magazine. Compressing the signal is cheaper than costly infrastructure upgrades to increase capacity. Satellite TV providers - including DirecTV Group Inc. and Dish Network Corp. - also have the option of launching satellites to boost the number of HD channels on their systems.
While information is nearly always lost when signals are compressed and then uncompressed, the process can theoretically be made unnoticeable to eyes and ears - and Comcast says it should be. But some viewers say they can see it.
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