HD TV Questions (Component vs. S-video)

 

Silver Member
Username: Dmitchell

Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Post Number: 386
Registered: Feb-07
I have a relatively new Hitachi 50" plasma TV with HD cable. My STB has s-video and component out.

My question is this: In order to watch HD channels I have to have my input source on my TV set to component. So far so good... But if I switch to to a non-HD channel, I get two thick vertical bars on either side of the picture. If I switch the tv input to s-video, the picture "stretches" and takes over the entire screen. Of course, my HD channels don't work on s-video input.

Needless to say it's annoying switching sources back and forth on the TV depending on what type of channel I'm watching. Am I doing something wrong?
 

Gold Member
Username: Tapeman

New York City in-HD, NY

Post Number: 1776
Registered: Oct-06
Component RGB is the right connection to SD and HD
Are yo using Cable, Satellite or OTA antenna?

Depending on what yo got yo can set the receiver/tuner so yo don't have to adjust channels
Most receivers got both HD and SD on 2 different channels
For example when I watch NBC HD I tune to channel 704 on my receiver when it is not in HD I tune to channel 4. Same broadcast different defintion so I don't have to flip cables

Also there is a wizard settings that recognize signal this all depends on what yo got: Cable Satellite or OTA antenna
 

Gold Member
Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio US

Post Number: 1874
Registered: Feb-04
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David, I have a three-year-old Hitachi LCD-RP and I have been able to figure out that my HD STB upconverts all channels to 1080i. Unlike other cable systems around, I have no control over my box's output resolution.

Somewhere around page 30 or so your owners manual states "Depending on the input signal, the picture format ratio allow you to adjust the images through the following options." The manual then diagrams the options for a NTSC/480i/480p signal 4:3 Standard, 4:3 Expanded, 4:3 Zoom1, 4:3 Zoom2, 16:9 Standard, and 16:9 Zoom. All these can be viewed by using the "ASPECT" button on the remote.

However, when a 720p/1080i signal is encountered the only choice is 16:9 Standard and 16:9 Zoom. My guess is that your STB is upconverting like mine. You can confirm this by hitting the "INFO" button and see what the resolution figure is on any SD channel. When you play a DVD player through the component input, the "INFO" will reveal 480(i or p), and you will therefore have the same aspect choices listed above for that resolution.

Unlike my box, you may be able to change the output resolution on your STB. If not then I think you are stuck with switching between S-vid and component.
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Gold Member
Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio US

Post Number: 1875
Registered: Feb-04
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"However, when a 720p/1080i signal is encountered the only choice is 16:9 Standard and 16:9 Zoom. My guess is that your STB is upconverting like mine."

Let me clarify a little. What I'm saying is that if the TV sees any 730p/1080i signal on a component input -- including an upconverted 4:3 standard video -- your choices are to view 4:3 with bars (16:9 Standard), or an exaggerated and unacceptable zoom setting (16:9 Zoom). By switching to the S-video input, you have the preferred 4:3 full screen mode available (4:3 Expanded).

Not all displays work this way. This is Hitachi's setup.
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Silver Member
Username: Dmitchell

Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Post Number: 387
Registered: Feb-07
Thanks for the info guys.

Last night after I posted this I played around with the settings on my TV to see if there's any way around this.

There is an aspect feature on my TV, but it's not available when using the component input source on the TV, only when using s-video.

So then I tried messing with the settings on my cable STB. It does not allow me to change the resolution, so I'm guessing I'm stuck with having to switch inputs depending on whether I'm watching SD or HD. Bummer...

One last think I haven't tried is using my A/V receiver to handle the switching. I have a Pioneer VSX-1016 that has HDMI input/output. Currently I'm running the cables from my STB straight to the TV. I'm wondering if routing stuff through the receiver would magically solve this problem. I say "magically" because I don't fully understand how this works.
 

Gold Member
Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio US

Post Number: 1876
Registered: Feb-04
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Your Pioneer's video ins and outs are strictly "pass through", meaning that the receiver does not change or convert any incoming video signal. The only reason all those video inputs are there is for switching convenience. So passing video through the receiver will not solve your problem.
 

Silver Member
Username: Dmitchell

Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Post Number: 388
Registered: Feb-07
Alright, cool... thanks for the tip.
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