I just recently got a Winbook 46" 1080i LCD HDTV. Specs here: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=246021 I have Time Warner cable and they changed my regular Motorola digital cable box to: Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3250HD. The problem is that most channels will not display full screen. The show up in a box in the middle of the LCD so there is always empty space on the left/right and sometimes on top/bottom as well. The cable box is connected to the TV using the component inputs (Red, Green, Blue). I tried going through the wizard on the box and selected wide screen 16:9 but that did not change anything at all - next I selected 1080i as the video format (but I tried all others too). The few HD channels that TW carries display great all others display good only when they are at their native resolution and therefore dont take up the entire screen. The cable remote has the HD/Zoom button which can stretch the picture but then it doesnt look good anymore...looks kind of weird. The TV also has an Aspect button which can modify the picture using Fill, Zoom, or Panorama. When using component cables those options dont do anything. When using S-Video or standard AV the Fill options make the picture take up the full screen but once again it looks weird. Before this TV I had a 54" projection TV (not HD) and it displayed all video fine. What is going on here? I am pretty sure I am not the only one who ran into this issue. How does the cable work for others? Has anyone experience this issue before and is there a way to resolve it?
There is a settings button on the Cable boxes remote, change it to stretched and you will be fine. However, it will look stretched ! I changed my borders to dark (Black) and it looks fine. DD
Yeah, I messed with the stretch/zoom option. I dont know if you have to get used to it or what but it looks weird...some people look like midgets with oversized heads..some text looks out of focus... Is this just how all big screen LCD/Plasma tv's will work until broadcasting companies start to switch to a wide screen and HD formats? I probably need to buy a new DVD that will work better with this TV because my current DVD (some cheap brand) doesnt display full screen (I think it had blank space on top and bottom) even when set to 16:9 ... are there any DVD players that work better with HDTV's? Question for Time Warner users who have an HD box --- What kind of box do you have? Is it also a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3250HD? I dont like this box - first the way it displays the channel info sucks (the format is ugly) - on the Motorola digital box when you press up/down button you can view schedule info for 3 channels I think ... cant do it with this one. Do different boxes stretch the picture differently (as in stretch it but display better quality)?
if its scientific atlanta, press the # button whenever u want to change aspect ratio, dont use the tv settings leave them at 16:9 there's nothing wrong with your DVD player. most movies are made in the 2:35:1 ratio, not the 16:9 HDTV ratio. http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5140690-3.html?tag=lnav its not a big deal, just watch it that way causes that's what was its original aspect ratio in the theater. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/home/wsfaq.html Whereas those examples were presented theatrically at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (or 2.35ftwide if it were 1ft tall), Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed at 1.85:1. The filmmakers decide the aspect ratio of a film and preferences differ from director to director. Often larger epic films, such as Gladiator, Titanic, and Star Wars are filmed with the wider scope of 2.35:1 to create a sense of being larger-than-life. Smaller, more personal films tend to favor the less gigantic 1.85:1 ratio. (However, I must say that this is a gross over-simplification as there are many exceptions to this rule.) however, if you do want a new dvd player (HDMI) you should consider this: http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd.html
Thanks for the info. That does explain it better. Someone told me about the "Up-Convert" feature on a DVD player and then I noticed that the cable box also has those settings...on Sci Atlanta there are video settings you can choose from and the options are: Fixed, Passthrough, Upconvert 1, Upconvert 2. I am not sure exactly what they do as I didnt notice any difference when trying all 4 of them..
The reason is you haven't set up your cable box properly (nobody does, since these boxes are set to a default, and nobody knows the instructions... here they are). First of all, there's a risk of SCREEN BURN if you use the two side-bars too much. Granted, that risk is less on LCD tv's, but why take a chance? So, to avoid having to manually press the # key each time to stretch, or unstretch a picture, do the following: 1.) With the cable box OFF, but the tv on, press the info and guide buttons on the front of the system simultaneously and hold them. This should bring up a set-up screen. 2.) Follow the instructions pertaining to your tv (widescreen). It will automatically set up the 1080i, 720p, and 480p/i output for your tv (the cable box is defaulted to 1080i fixed, which is why you see the side-bars on the standard digital stuff). 3.) after you finish setting this stuff up, go back to the advanced settings where you saw the "fixed, passthrough, etc," and set it to "pass-through." This way, when you're watching anything on standard tv, it will automatically display it as 480i or 480p (whichever you prefer), and then when you switch to a HD channel, it automatically displays as HD format (so you don't have to mess with the # button. You'll now see the difference between the four settings. Fixed keeps everything at 1080i (like it was as default). Theres the risk of screen burn, as well as the constant need to stretch things with # if you want the full display. Pass-through does as previously mentioned. Upconvert1 converts all 480i signals to 480p, and all HD signals as 1080i. I haven't noticed much of a difference with this. Upconvert2 converts all 480i signals to 480p, and all HD signals to 720p. You shouldn't have to use this. Finally, just a disclaimer... 1080i is not neccessarily better than 720p... so don't feel like you have to upconvert everything. Also, for those that are confused, i = interlaced, p = progressive. Hope this helps.
That actually is really helpful...I'll try that out. I just purchased the 55 inch Sony SXRD A2000 series (not the XBR2 - I think that only comes as small as 60 inches). Man oh man oh man....I've never seen sharper high definition in my life. And I was using an old (2001) Sony XBR that was high definition...but the picture difference is quite simply mind-blowing. Monday Night Football last night was awesome.
i set mine to fixed. the oppo digital is considered the best 'upconvert' dvd player. it comes with a hdmi cable also. however, u can get cheap upconverts by panasonic or sony for about $100 (no cable).
nice, surely anyone who's nick is JAY-Z is not one who cheaps out on quality high definition. lets hope all these vanilla cheapskate ices out there will step up in the game and buy themselves hdtv. show me what you got!
uhh... that just totally depends on what type of HDTV technology you have. DLPs for example can *never* suffer burn-in. it's mostly plasmas that have that problem
never say never... most people who have DLP use enough of the HD signals so that their screen is filled up. But, there are also a host of people who buy these tv's and NEVER have the HD service, and thus every single bit of programming they watch have the two bars on either side. I know, techincally, there are sets that should never suffer burn-in... but people should also set up their systems properly and definitely subscribe to HD service, if they're going to drop that much money on a tv.
what's the difference in viewing habits between DLP HDTV owners, and plasma/LCD/LCoS HDTV owners? in my opinion, I don't think it's necessarily 'proper' to always use stretch/panorama modes for 4:3 signals. a lot of people hate the look of the modified aspect ratio, and therefore having the side bars for them is the proper choice
There is no difference, and there's likely no need for most people to properly set it up since they do get HD-signal exposure, and make use of the full aspect ratio parts of the screen often. I'm talking about people who never even subscribed to HD... and have never seen content that actually fills up the whole screen.
so 480i, 480p, 780p, and 1080i my tv allows for all of these...i have a 60inch lcd projection, bought about 5 years ago...is 1080i best for my hdtv channels and xbox 360? or 780p thanks for your help....also would an upconvert dvd player help..right now i have a progressive scan with components cables
I finally stepped into the HD world. 50 inch Samsung DLP. Question: I currently have Time Warner Digital. What is the process to make the most of the HD signal? I have to take my current box in and trade it out, correct? Anything else I need to do?
I went through this process several times...I must not be good at this because I am confused by step 2. My TV is 1080i - the wizard says to choose the screens that you are able to see...well I can see all but some look weird (stretched out or not clear) but anyways..I selected 480i,p, 720i,p, and 1080i -- I then set the video setting to Pass Through instead of Upconvert 1 -- What kind of difference should I be seeing? All the channels still have empty side bars and now some channels also have empty bars on top/bottom. What settings did I miss or what did I set wrong? BTW .. the HD cable box is connected to the TV using component cables. Someone recommended that I should use a coax antenna from the box to the TV for the standard channels and switch between comp and coax on the remote -- can someone confirm that this would make a difference in the quality.. Also, does anyone know if the Motorola HD box that Time Warner has is any better than Scientific Atlanta?
sweet, where did u get it? i just order a toshiba 50inch dlp cinema series from onecall. going to get it monday.
