[Bertster]

I have a Philips 3576 which I've had a little over 1 year. Previously I had it hooked up to an older Hitachi HD monitor in 4:3 format with component cables because that was the best input the set had. Recently it gave out and I bought a Sharp Aquos 52" LCD which I initially setup the same way as I didn't the HDMI cables and it would display 4:3 content with side bars unless I selected a stretch or zoom mode on the set as I would expect. I have since hooked it up through HDMI to a Sony STRDH800 receiver and a HDMI cable to the set.


What I've noticed is that only Widescreen video from the QAM tuner in the 3576 tuned to HD channels display correctly. If it's 4:3 format, whether digital or analog, or comes in from my STB on S-Video, it stretches to fill the full width of the screen, even though the TV is in a "Dot by Dot" non-stretch or zoom setting. Even worse, if the STB is tuned to a HD channel, and you view the channel through the 3576, the picture is put in a 4:3 format so bars appear at the top and bottom, but then it is stretched to fill the width of the screen. I don't think it's the receiver or TV because I also have a Samsung Blue-Ray player connected through the receiver using HDMI and it displays both 4:3 and 16:9 correctly. My STB also has HDMI output, and I've had it connected both through the receiver and directly to the TV and both display correctly.


I also tried cycling through 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p on the 3576 with no changes.


Are there any settings on the 3576 so things aren't stretched on the HDMI output? or is my only option to revert back to a component video connection?

 

[7558037]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertster /forum/post/18105860


What I've noticed is that only Widescreen video from the QAM tuner in the 3576 tuned to HD channels display correctly. If it's 4:3 format, whether digital or analog, or comes in from my STB on S-Video, it stretches to fill the full width of the screen, even though the TV is in a "Dot by Dot" non-stretch or zoom setting.

If your STB is Motorola (or some others), you can't get a full WS 16:9 pic from it via Composite or S-Video connection to the 3576. The STB forces the pic to be letterboxed (LB).


I don't have an STB but my system acts in a similar way in other respects. My 3575's and 2160 are all set for Video > TV Aspect > 16:9 Wide, and 16:9 programs on digital channels show and record as true WS. Analog channels and 4:3 programs on digital channels that don't display with pillar bars (PB) (few if any) get stretched on my 16:9 WS TV cuz I'm too lazy to change the TV's aspect from my std "Wide" to a "Normal" setting just for those programs.


4:3 programs on digital channels that come prepackaged with PB show normally as 4:3 in those PB on my TV set for Wide.


99% of my recording is from digital HD WS channels, so I don't see a lot of stretched 4:3 stuff anymore.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertster /forum/post/18105860


Even worse, if the STB is tuned to a HD channel, and you view the channel through the 3576, the picture is put in a 4:3 format so bars appear at the top and bottom, but then it is stretched to fill the width of the screen.

This is function of the STB, as stated above. There are filters for maintaining WS aspect from the Component outputs of Moto STBs and others, as listed here under the STB table.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertster /forum/post/18105860


I don't think it's the receiver or TV because I also have a Samsung Blue-Ray player connected through the receiver using HDMI and it displays both 4:3 and 16:9 correctly. My STB also has HDMI output, and I've had it connected both through the receiver and directly to the TV and both display correctly.

The player doesn't get its signal from the STB so no STB-created PB or LB to contend with. The STB, obviously, outputs true WS thru its HDMI connection and prob. also the Component connection... but our DVDRs don't have either of those input types that will preserve 16:9 to the DVDR.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertster /forum/post/18105860


I also tried cycling through 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p on the 3576 with no changes.

These won't have *any* effect on aspect.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bertster /forum/post/18105860


Are there any settings on the 3576 so things aren't stretched on the HDMI output? or is my only option to revert back to a component video connection?

The only setting on the 3576 you can "play" with is in the Video > TV Aspect setting, as described in that link I gave above.


The other setting that might make a difference is your TV's "dot-by-dot" setting, which could be "influencing" the aspect signals... just a WAG here?

 

[Bertster]

Wajo, Thanks for the response. Based on your response and some tests I've done, I think I'm coming to the conclusion I want to revert back to Component connectivity.


As you confirmed analog and digital 4:3 gets stretched, the same as on mine. Unfortunately comcast in my area the only widescreen format that can be tuned in directly by the 3576 is local HD channels. The other analog and digital channels I can receive are in 4:3 format. Everything else is scrambled and requires recording from the Motorola STB, WS programming is output in 4:3 Letterbox.


I did a test with a couple of DVD-Rs created by the 3576 - one which is a recording of a 4:3 format program and another of a WS program recorded from the STB. I played each of these in both my Blueray player and the 3576 with the TV set on the "Dot by Dot" view (which displays per what is received on the HDMI - no stretching or zooming). The HDMI output for both components is switched by my receiver, and thus both use the same input on the TV.


In the BDP the 4:3 disc the screen displayed sidebars, and the WS displayed bars on all 4 sides (correct aspect just smaller). I can select "Zoom" on my set and have the WS fill the entire screen, so I wasn't thinking I need to use filters as you mention.


In the 3576 playing the 4:3 disc the picture is stretched to fill the width of the screen. The WS video is stretched to fill the screen width, but bars remain at the top and bottom. Both cases distort the aspect and make people and things look wider than they should.


I tried the TV aspect on the 3576, and the only thing selecting 4:3 instead of 16:9 does is make true WS get put in 4:3 letterbox and then be stretched with the HDMI output so it's the same as my STB WS case.


I reviewed my TV manual, and with the HDMI, besides Dot to Dot, there is only Stretch, Smart Stretch, and Zoom. There are no other settings for aspect.


I guess I'll be testing with component output again once I get a longer cable which I have on order.


Thanks a lot for the help