BBC vs ITV - Picture Quality?

Has ITV's picture quality on DSat always been as poor as it is now? I don't remember it being so bad when they first launched on Sky... although I did have a smaller TV at the time, so perhaps it was less noticeable to me.

I just wondered if they compromised picture quality to accommodate all the sub-regional variants.

Think they've always used the reduced resolution - though not sure if their bitrates have dropped.

A bit of searching on DS.. and found this:
http://digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=826579

So ITV's unprocessed bitrate for feeds are lower?

That thread contains very little real information... The quality of backhaul on a live show (the circuit that gets the live studio or OB to the South Bank and/or Leeds) will potentially vary on a show by show basis. DIfferent locations and different budgets will allow for different quality levels.