The Official High-Definition TV thread

[Mike Olbinski]

BTW

Cox now has TNT-HD!!! Ch. 725

Whoo-hoo.

This means more HD basketball!

Yeah, DTV doesn't yet, and it sucks

Mike

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Yeah, the amp. It has Video 1, Video 2, etc...

So I should use the S-connection to get 5.1 surround, and run it directly from the tv to the amp?

S-connection?

5.1 can only come through OPTICAL cables....your optical connection from the Cox Receiver to your AMP/Sound system.

Mike

 

[Chaz]

Yeah, the amp. It has Video 1, Video 2, etc...

So I should use the S-connection to get 5.1 surround, and run it directly from the tv to the amp?

OK check this out.
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/howto-av.html

Thise are the connection types with photos so we are speaking the same language.

The are going to be two connections from each source, one for audio and one for video. S-connections are for video only.
First you have to figure out what connector to use. For HD-TV video you have to use component, DVI, or HDMI.
For digital surround sound you have to use an optical or coaxial audio connector.

If your amp has inputs for component and digital audio you can connect your sources (STB, DVD) directly to the amp, have one video output to the TV and use the amp for your source selection.

Otherwise you have to connect your sources video directly to the TV, connect the audio directly to the amp, and then to switch sources you have to select the input on both the TV and the Amp.


I hope this all makes sense. It can be very confusing.

Remember, we are here to help.

 

[Kolo]

S-connection?

5.1 can only come through OPTICAL cables....your optical connection from the Cox Receiver to your AMP/Sound system.

Mike

I'm going to get the Cox HD receiver today--so I suppose I connect it separately to the tv and amp--do I do the same with the dvd player (separate connections to tv and amp)?

Maybe I should just give one of the neighborhood stoners a 12 pack of Natural Light to hook it up for me.

 

[Kolo]

I hope this all makes sense. It can be very confusing.

Remember, we are here to help.

I'll check out that guide, and if I can't figure it out from that I'll be back.

Thanks, Chaz and Mike. If you ever need a threatening letter with law firm letterhead sent to somebody, let me know.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

I'm going to get the Cox HD receiver today--so I suppose I connect it separately to the tv and amp--do I do the same with the dvd player (separate connections to tv and amp)?

Maybe I should just give one of the neighborhood stoners a 12 pack of Natural Light to hook it up for me.

OMG, you don't even have a HD tuner yet....

Dude, you have NO IDEA how good the Yotes will look until you see them in real HD man...

Basically this is your setup:

FROM WALL - Coax to your Cable Box.
FROM CABLE BOX - Optical Out to your AMP, Component Out to your TV.
FROM DVD - COMPONENT OUT to your TV, OPTICAL out to your AMP

Not sure if you have two optical inputs or not on your amp, but you can get a switch for it.

Mike

 

[Kolo]

Ok, everything's set up, HD looks great, I actually managed to connect my receiver and etc... Only problem is, when I'm in the Cox HD channels (700's), there's about a 4 inch greyish bar both above and below the picture. Anything non-HD is fine--I just get the black bars on the side so the picture isn't stretched when it's not a movie. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with Cox, and the dude tried to help me but nothing worked to get rid of those bars. I can't imagine it's a defect in the t.v. because the grey bars are limited to HD channels.

Any ideas?

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Ok, everything's set up, HD looks great, I actually managed to connect my receiver and etc... Only problem is, when I'm in the Cox HD channels (700's), there's about a 4 inch greyish bar both above and below the picture. Anything non-HD is fine--I just get the black bars on the side so the picture isn't stretched when it's not a movie. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with Cox, and the dude tried to help me but nothing worked to get rid of those bars. I can't imagine it's a defect in the t.v. because the grey bars are limited to HD channels.

Any ideas?

Hmm...that's odd. Sounds like....I have no idea, lol.

Usually you would get them on the sides.

Probably in your TV Video settings...mess around with them for a bit.

Mike

 

[O]

Ok, everything's set up, HD looks great, I actually managed to connect my receiver and etc... Only problem is, when I'm in the Cox HD channels (700's), there's about a 4 inch greyish bar both above and below the picture. Anything non-HD is fine--I just get the black bars on the side so the picture isn't stretched when it's not a movie. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with Cox, and the dude tried to help me but nothing worked to get rid of those bars. I can't imagine it's a defect in the t.v. because the grey bars are limited to HD channels.

Any ideas?

It does sound like settings in your TV,
I would make sure your TV is set to 1080i.
I assume Cox walked you through all your settings on your remote?

 

[Mike Olbinski]

So weird though, never seen bars on the top, unless it's like a letterbox show.

You know, that sounds about right now that I think about it. Maybe...maybe you're zoomed out or something...if you have bars on top, you probably have them on the sides too?

Mike

 

[Chaz]

Are you connected through component?

When I view HD channels via S-video I get bars on top and bottom.


It may also be a stretch or zoom mode on your TV.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Are you connected through component?

When I view HD channels via S-video I get bars on top and bottom.


It may also be a stretch or zoom mode on your TV.

Ahhh, good thought.

Even not S-video, but regular RCA video cables probably will do that too...need component.

Mike

 

[O]

Both are good calls.

 

[Kolo]

I've messed with the zoom and picture for an hour with no luck. I've tried 1080 and 760, etc... No change. I'm using component cables from the cable box to the tv. I'm clueless.

And just to make sure my description is clear, when I'm on non-HD regular tv and "normal" mode, I get about 4 inch black bars on the side (like I'm supposed to, I think). When I go on an HD channel, I still get the black bars, but the picture is compressed from top and bottom, and the compression leaves greyish bars about as wide as the black side-bars. The grey bars don't cover the picture, but push it down and up (based on my switching back from non-HD TNT and HD TNT). The grey bars extend only as wide as the picture, so the horizontal black bars on the sides extend all the way from top to bottom, and the grey bars are only as wide as the picture.

 

[Chaz]

I've messed with the zoom and picture for an hour with no luck. I've tried 1080 and 760, etc... No change. I'm using component cables from the cable box to the tv. I'm clueless.

And just to make sure my description is clear, when I'm on non-HD regular tv and "normal" mode, I get about 4 inch black bars on the side (like I'm supposed to, I think). When I go on an HD channel, I still get the black bars, but the picture is compressed from top and bottom, and the compression leaves greyish bars about as wide as the black side-bars. The grey bars don't cover the picture, but push it down and up (based on my switching back from non-HD TNT and HD TNT). The grey bars extend only as wide as the picture, so the horizontal black bars on the sides extend all the way from top to bottom, and the grey bars are only as wide as the picture.

If there are different component inputs on your TV try the other one.

I think sometimes only one or another will accept an HD signal.

 

[Chaplin]

I've messed with the zoom and picture for an hour with no luck. I've tried 1080 and 760, etc... No change. I'm using component cables from the cable box to the tv. I'm clueless.

And just to make sure my description is clear, when I'm on non-HD regular tv and "normal" mode, I get about 4 inch black bars on the side (like I'm supposed to, I think). When I go on an HD channel, I still get the black bars, but the picture is compressed from top and bottom, and the compression leaves greyish bars about as wide as the black side-bars. The grey bars don't cover the picture, but push it down and up (based on my switching back from non-HD TNT and HD TNT). The grey bars extend only as wide as the picture, so the horizontal black bars on the sides extend all the way from top to bottom, and the grey bars are only as wide as the picture.

I might not get the whole situation, but that description sounds like you need to switch your TV to Anamorphic widescreen. The black bars on the sides appear when you set your television to Pan and Scan or Full Frame. Switching to widescreen on the tv itself will get rid of those black bars, the trade off is that if you went to a non-HD station, the picture will look stretched and you'd have to return it to the Pan and Scan mode.

My television is a 65-inch Philips HD-Ready, and there are several options: 4:3 (Pan and Scan), Expand 4:3 (Zooming in to eliminate the bars, cuts off a lot of the top and bottom), Panoramic (which is basically a zoomed in pan and scan with minor compression to eliminate the bars and you cut off some of the top and bottom), Widescreen, and Auto, which basically is Expand 4:3. On my inputs, the one that has my DVD player is ALWAYS set to Widescreen, so if I watch a DVD that is Full Screen, it will stretch. My digital cable is always set to Panaramic.

 

[O]

If there are different component inputs on your TV try the other one.

I think sometimes only one or another will accept an HD signal.

That could be it.
What kind of TV do you have?

 

[Kolo]

If there are different component inputs on your TV try the other one.

I think sometimes only one or another will accept an HD signal.

I tried switching the inputs, and nothing. And I think I have it set up right--regular cable into the cable box, regular cable going from CB to TV, and then the component (red, green and blue) connecting TV to CB. When I remove the component plug from the TV or CB, the HD picture stays the same, with the grey bars. There is an HDMI input on my tv and a DVI output on the cable box, but not sure what those are for. Also, I don't have the optical cables until tomorrow, but I understand those are for audio only.

 

[Kolo]

That could be it.
What kind of TV do you have?

Sony 55" Wega LCD

 

[O]

I tried switching the inputs, and nothing. And I think I have it set up right--regular cable into the cable box, regular cable going from CB to TV, and then the component (red, green and blue) connecting TV to CB. When I remove the component plug from the TV or CB, the HD picture stays the same, with the grey bars. There is an HDMI input on my tv and a DVI output on the cable box, but not sure what those are for. Also, I don't have the optical cables until tomorrow, but I understand those are for audio only.

What happens when you remove the coaxial cable going from the cable box to your TV?
If you are running component you should not need that.
Your TV could be on the wrong input, antenna as opposed to component.

 

[Chaz]

I tried switching the inputs, and nothing. And I think I have it set up right--regular cable into the cable box, regular cable going from CB to TV, and then the component (red, green and blue) connecting TV to CB. When I remove the component plug from the TV or CB, the HD picture stays the same, with the grey bars. There is an HDMI input on my tv and a DVI output on the cable box, but not sure what those are for. Also, I don't have the optical cables until tomorrow, but I understand those are for audio only.

Check the settings on the cable box.

There is one for view output. Mine is set to "Upconvert2".

I am not 100% sure what all the differences are but you can try changing that setting.


BTW if you unplug the component cables the picture goes away right?

 

[Kolo]

What happens when you remove the coaxial cable going from the cable box to your TV?
If you are running component you should not need that.
Your TV could be on the wrong input, antenna as opposed to component.

When I remove the coaxial cable from CB to TV, the picture goes away. When I remove the component cable, nothing changes. That tells me something, although what, I have no idea. It's as if the TV doesn't know I'm in HD.

 

[O]

When I remove the cable from CB to TV, the picture goes away. When I remove the component cable, nothing changes. That tells me something, although what, I have no idea. It's as if the TV doesn't know I'm in HD.

Ok, I think we may be on to something here.
Leave the coax between the box and TV unplugged.
Somewhere on your remote you should have an input button.
When you push your way through inputs you should see on your screen, ANT, S-Video, Component, etc.
Scroll through your inputs until you find the component setting with a picture.

 

[Kolo]

Ok, I think we may be on to something here.
Leave the coax between the box and TV unplugged.
Somewhere on your remote you should have an input button.
When you push your way through inputs you should see on your screen, ANT, S-Video, Component, etc.
Scroll through your inputs until you find the component setting with a picture.

Ok, before I didn't get HD and now I do, and all bars are gone, and it looks pretty damned amazing. Now I see what the fuss is all about.

Only problem is, now all the non-HD channels have a grey bar vertically, where the black bars used to be. Seriously. I've just got to mess around with the settings, and I think I've got a decent handle on it now.

Thanks for the help, everybody. Multiple cold ones on me.

 

[O]