[joeyrm]

I just hooked up the Hughes HD receiver to a Sony XBR using the Component outlets. Now all of the stations are being received in 16x9 aspect and I cannot receive anything on the VCR. Anyone have any idea as to how to get the 4x3 format on non HD shows and also to allow receiving on the VCR (S video connection)?


Thanks

 

[mbrow1]

I've got a DST3000 (Hughes manufactured) hooked up to an XBR61. You need to use two inputs on the XBR. For digital programing, use the 1080i component input. For all other DSS & OTA programming use an s-video input. If you don't have an s-video VCR, you'll run into the problem of not enough audio outputs. I send the fiber optic audio out to an audio receiver & the two RCA audio pairs to the two TV inputs. That uses all the audio outputs on the Hughes. For the VCR you could loop through an RCA video cable & R/L audio out to the TV & send the s-video signal direct from the HD receiver to the TV. Downside is you'll have to keep the VCR turned on to get sound on the TV.

 

[pgatour]

I can't really help you on setting it up, but how do you like the Hughes receiver so far? I have one coming in tomorrow but I won't be able to get it up and running for about another week? What are your first impressions? How well does it upconvert standard signals? Are you getting OTA channels? How well does it do with those? How is the menu?

Basically anything you can tell me would be great.

Thanks,

Neal

 

[joeyrm]

Thnks for the data on the dual hookup. Only problem is that you need to switch the output setting each time you switch between HDTV & stv. Please let me know if you found away around that yet. As to the Hughes receiver, it appears to be fine. The menus are the same as the other Hughes models. I haven't hooked up the OTA yet but will shortly.


Joe

 

[mbrow1]

I haven't come up with a better solution. It's a two remote process, the receiver switch to 16x9, then the TV input switch. Then back to the receiver to set the correct letterbox settings. I find that 98% of my viewing is on 4x3 480i, so the switching isn't too much of a burden. If more HD programming shows up in the future it will probably start get irritating.

 

[cmcjo]

I have the Mits box. Same as the Hughes.

Same thing here with all 4:3 material upconverted to 1080i through the component video out, thus the 16:9 aspect ratio.

This is rediculous, we have to switch the TV video input when we change channels??!!


Is it true that the Sony HD box does not do this? I am under the impression that the Sony box will give you 4:3 if the original material is 4:3, even through the component video.

Anyone care to confirm this?

 

[mbrow1]

I think it's the Sony XBR TV's that are requiring the input switching. The 1080i input on the Sony is fixed at 16x9 on a 4x3 screen. So you already lose quite a bit of screen. Then most TV channels (including OTA digital)broadcast in 4x3, so now the picture has black bars top & bottom and gray bars right & left. The only way to reclaim all that screen is to switch to one of the 4x3 480i (s-video) inputs on the TV. From what I understand, the DST3000, the Hughes & the Sony are all basically the same box from Hughes.

 

[davebach]

Just some minor tweaks to that text (I have an XBR 400 and HD100):


> I think it's the Sony XBR TV's that are requiring the input switching. The 1080i input on the Sony is fixed at 16x9 on a 4x3 screen. So you already lose quite a bit of screen. Then most TV channels (including OTA digital)broadcast in 4x3, so now the picture has black bars top & bottom and gray bars right & left. The only way to reclaim all that screen is to switch to one of the 4x3 480i (s-video) inputs on the TV. From what I understand, the DST3000, the Hughes & the Sony are all basically the same box from Hughes.


The component input on the XBR 400 can detect 1080i and 480i and switch the display between 16:9 and 4:3, so you don't need to switch over to the s-video (unless you want to record). This work great when surfing and deciding to watch HBO HD, CBS DT or any of the hybrid 14:9 broadcasts. But if it is a 16:9 broadcast of a 4:3 picture, then you can either watch it in in 1080i with black bars all around, or (if you have a box that will downconvert, like the HD100) you can force the 16:9 digital broadcast to be displayed as 4:3 480i on the <i>same</i> component output. No switching the sets inputs, just the output <i>mode</i> on the HD100 with the remote. Piece of cake.


Dave

 

[cmcjo]

Quote:

Originally posted by davebach: [The component input on the XBR 400 can detect 1080i and 480i and switch the display between 16:9 and 4:3, so you don't need to switch over to the s-video (unless you want to record). Dave [/b]

DAVE, I have the XBR400 / Mits STB, and I tried all possible settings to display the 4:3 image while connected to the component video. Every channel from Directv is 16:9. Please tell me exactly what I have to do to display a 4:3 image to my XBR through the component video. Of course if the original material is 16:9 than I dont expect 4:3, But I know that every single Directv Channel is NOT 16:9. BTW, my dealer can't even answer this question, This is the reason I wanted to try the Sony HD box.


JOE

 

[davebach]

Well, it may be some setting on your STB that I am unfamiliar with. This auto-sensing of the XBR 400 works for me when the Sony STB is in "Video 3 Variable" mode.


When everything is in auto, I believe the Sony STB decides "this is 1080i" or "this is 480i" and then the XBR 400 decides "this is 16:9 <i>because</i> the signal is 1080i" or "this is 4:3 <i>because</i> the signal is 480i." They seem to work together in this case to insure that I'm looking at the right image.


And when it's a 1080i signal that is masked at 4:3, the TV and STB doesn't know that, so I hit the output button to force a downconvert to 480i.


I would imagine that for this to work nicely with an XBR 400 and a STB, the STB has to be able to downconvert to 480i, otherwise the TV will stay in 1080i aspect ratio. I don't know which boxes do this.


The XBR 400 has one setting for letterbox or pan&scan (or auto on/off) but I can't remember what I'm set at. I'll take a look when I get home, but I remember thinking that I would have to downconvert any 1080i image that was watching masked at 4:3 if I wanted to see it full screen because there is no such thing as 1080i 4:3. I imagine this TV would need some other special mode where it can show 1080 lines of resolution in the 4:3 ratio and crop off the left an right. Perhaps this wasn't economically feasable or possible.


I hope this somewhat helps.


Dave