Okay people. Is it just MythTV, or perhaps the Hauppauge PVR-500 card, or do analog TV MPEG encoders all suck when it comes to picture quality?

On the strongest local channels (this is all over-the-air [OTA] stuff), the Myth box is just about as good quality as watching TV via the VCR's tuner.

On the medium strength channels, the VCR is definitely superior, but the Myth box does the job well enough to avoid headaches while viewing.

On the weakest "local" (70 ? miles away) channel, the Myth is incredibly blotchy and blinking, whereas the VCR image just looks somewhat fuzzy but good.

Unfortunately, this particular channel (WPBS) is the one we watch and tape from the most often by far. We have a dedicated high-gain UHF antenna and amplifier just for this one channel, as otherwise it doesn't even show up at all.

I *think* I've told Myth to use the highest bitrate possible, though it's not entirely clear that it is doing so.

For the two digital ATSC (HD TV) channels, those are both fantastic quality as one would expect. The funny thing is, WPBS also has a digital transmitter, which we just get the slightest hint of.. so close, yet so far..

What to do.. ? (we already have the best antenna we could buy, on as high a tower as I'm willing to climb). I wonder if anyone makes really good parabolic UHF antennas?

Cheers