Ok, I would just like to say that I would appreciate any and all help if anybody has any ideas....

I have a 4 year old Mitsubishi 55" Widescreen HD-TV with only one Component HD input and no HDMI. I am a D* subscriber with HD receiver and I am planning to get a HR-20 HD-DVR soon.

But first I am looking for a DVD-R that can record the content off of the HR-20, (I understand that it will not be HD), be able to run component in/out, and maintain HD on the TV with component after it goes through the DVD-R even though it may not be recording. I have been looking far and wide across the web for a DVD-R with Component IN/OUT (No Luck), but if I can't find a decent one with Component IN, I am assuming that I could run HDMI from HR-20 to a DVD-R and then Component Out to the TV?

First, would either one of these connections ideas above work?

Second, would I still be able to watch HD on the TV running through the DVD-R without recording without problems?

Third, If I were to record programming in HD-format on DVR could I downconvert to the DVD-R without lopping off the sides of the screen, basically in widescreen but with HD??

Fourth, Does anyone know of a DVD-R (preferably with Hard Drive) that can meet these needs????

Again, everyone on here is awesome and I greatly thank you input in advance!!!




Bryant

I think you might want a Polaroid DRM-2001G. It has the Comp IN/OUT. You can look at the Polaroid thread for your HD answers or nextoo may be along shortly with all the HD passthrough stuff. I'm set on SD for a while.

Yea, I looked at the polaroid, but I don't think that it will do what I want. Does anyone know if I am right or mistaken? Or better yet, any advice on other units out there?

Very few DVD Recorders have Component Video inputs. And none except the Polaroid will pass HD signals, and even then the Polaroid only does it when turned off.

Usually what you're trying to do is done by sending some SD output of your STB to the recorder while sending an HD output to your display. The last connection is from the recorder's output to the display. This may or may not be straightforward depending on how many and what kind of outputs from the STB you have and of course your limited number of inputs on your display. But it sounds like you could run Component Video straight from the STB to the display, then S-Video from the STB to the recorder and likeswise from the recorder to the display. You might have to split or otherwise distribute the stereo analog audio from the STB to both the recorder and the display.

That sounds like it might work! But my next question is if I am watching an HD Broadcast and want to record it to the DVD-R, then I understand that it wont be HD, but will it be 16x9 or will it lop off sections of the picture??

Thanks Bob!

DVD Recorders don't change the picture (it's shape anyway) as it's recorded. Whatever signal comes into the recorder is what gets recorded, and also what gets played back UNLESS what's recorded gets marked as 16:9 and you tell the player you have a 4:3 display (then letterboxing gets added during playback, just as any DVD Player would do). So as long as you can send from the STB a 480i signal with no cropping or letterboxing, you won't have a problem, until you try to play that recording back on a 4:3 display, in which case the lack of 16:9 flag will keep the letterboxing from being added, resulting in a too-tall/too-narrow picture on the 4:3 display.

To get the 16:9 flag on your recordings, assuming the STB does not letterbox the signal, you will need:

- the STB sends the 16:9 flag to the recorder and the recorder recognizes it and can pass it on the resulting DVD, or
- the recorder allows manual specification that the incoming signal is 16:9 and can pass that on to the resulting DVD, or
- you have to edit the 16:9 flag in on a PC

I don't have the specific information about which STBs do/don't letterbox their 480i S-Video/Composite Video output, which STBs do/don't send the 16:9 flag, or which recorders either recognize or allow manual specification of the incoming 16:9 flag, or which recorders are able to pass that flag along to the resulting DVD.