921 picture too big for screen

spiderg8r

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Dec 13, 2004
64
0
Hi, after reading these posts for awhile, I bought a 921 plus dish's 34" monitor. I've had a problem with the picture being too big for the screen from the start and dish support is no help. I notice it especially on OTA HDTV broadcasts where the "FOX" insignia is half cut off the screen at the right and bottom. Also, the channel menus have the channel numbers cut off at the left of the screen. Any ideas - is it the monitor or the 921?
 
thanks for the welcome, its set to normal - not a zoom selection problem, not as sever an effect as a zoom but more persistent. Also, set at 1080i only. software version L212-HEED-N
 
spiderg8r said:
thanks for the welcome, its set to normal - not a zoom selection problem, not as sever an effect as a zoom but more persistent. Also, set at 1080i only. software version L212-HEED-N

I find there is some differences in how the 921 displays 16x9 depending on whether you are set to 16x9 or one of the 4x3 options. If I set it to 16x9 I get cut off station logos on some stuff, indicating the 921 is really stretching it, if I run in one of the 4x3 modes it fixes some HD channels and distorts the others. Damn 921!
 
I think he/she is referring to how the picture is simply zoomed in. I noticed this when i switched from my 6000 to my 921. I don't understand why no one talks about this. I even noticed a guy with a RCA DLP saying his picture (im assuming Dvi 720p) is 1 in too small. I am also experiencing the complete opposite where the picture seems zoomed in some. Not as much as zoom mode but some. I had to go into preferences on the menu, then MORE, then move my picture up so that it doesnt cut everything off the bottom. I wish it had a size adjustment (and really wish it had either native resolution for SD or partial zoom). The partial zoom was the best feature on the 6000. That would make SD look so much better then stretch for those of us concerned about burn-in.

Jon
 
yes - this is exactly what i'm seeing - I can use that selector under preferences>more but the more i move things up, down, and side to side, you can see that there is more picture in any direction not fitting on the screen. Seems to be somewhat lesser degree if I have 480p only selected rather than 1080i. Maybe i'm being picky, but seems that if the picture is made to be 1080 lines and its not all on the screen, something must be distorted and resolution can't be right. I also don't see much clarity difference when switching between 480p and 1080i on the 921 menu.

if you are having the same problem - check if you have the HEED-N running as your software version - tech support I talked to seemed to indicate a possible problem with that software, but didn't elaborate when I asked more questions.
 
also, could this be a problem of OTAs being broadcast in 480p or 720p and upconverted incorrectly by a 921 set to 1080i only? just a thought...

even if so - does everyone have this problem and just not talking about it??

With channel numbers and station logos cut off, seems like if the people on these forums (as enthused about the technicalities of these products as they are) were experiencing this there would be a lot of talk about it.

again, any input helps
 
Not just OTA, think about it, you can go in the menu and move the image around. its too big on everything we see, menus and all. you would think that if you moved it over a little you then you would move the picture off the screen and see black like a computer monitor, but you can move it alot and still have picture to spare! Before someone comes on and tells me that 3-5%overscan is normal. Were talking like 10% here. I wish they would give us size adjustment (a kind of manual zoom of you will maybe plus minus 10%). Are others experiencing this and havent mentioned it?

PS spider the reason that you don't see a whole lot of difference between 1080i and 480p is that its not that many more line of resolution :480p is about 960i or another view is that 1080i is only about 540p. So 60 lines on res. compared to 500 to start is not that much. Now 1080p thats a whole different story.....make sense?

PS i have HEED also
Jon
 
Fox broadcasts in 720p...

When typically have my 811 set to 1080i, and when I do so, I get the exact symptoms you describe on fox... the station bug is cut off both horizontally and vertically. This doesn't occur on other stations.

If I switch the 811 to 720p, the picture is sized appropriately for my set.. so usually I switch to 720p when watching hi-def material on fox.
 
spiderg8r said:
yes - this is exactly what i'm seeing - I can use that selector under preferences>more but the more i move things up, down, and side to side, you can see that there is more picture in any direction not fitting on the screen. Seems to be somewhat lesser degree if I have 480p only selected rather than 1080i. Maybe i'm being picky, but seems that if the picture is made to be 1080 lines and its not all on the screen, something must be distorted and resolution can't be right. I also don't see much clarity difference when switching between 480p and 1080i on the 921 menu.

if you are having the same problem - check if you have the HEED-N running as your software version - tech support I talked to seemed to indicate a possible problem with that software, but didn't elaborate when I asked more questions.

Maybe try looking in your tv sets manual for a screen size and positioning option, this is what I use on my Panny plasma.
 
spiderg8r- apparently you and i are the only ones who have noticed that the whole pictures is just somewhat too big for the tv. Not nearly as much as the zoom mode of the 921, but much bigger than the output of a 6000 or 510, or etc.....

I guess were crazy or something, everyone keeps acting like we can change some setting in the 921 or on our tv, but the real issue is that the output of the 921 is simply zoomed in some manner all the time!!!!

jon
 
playing with it - i've noticed thats its not as apparrent if in 480p only mode. Then i can see the words and channell numbers in the menus and even noticed that the grey channel bar at the top of the screen actually has borders on the left and right - appeared as a bar complete across the screen in 1080i mode. Anyway dish people called and said its a problem with the 921 software, that some have more of a problem than others, and that it is even more apparent on the Dish tvs. Said that it should be fixed in the next software update and if not, they'll replace the unit.
 
Another possibility is something called OVERSCAN. IT is something that most HDTV manufacturers build into every set.

It is an adjustment that can only be performed by a qualified service technician.

See the thread here on a recent ISF Calibration Q/A:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=5542

I am about to spend a few hundred dollars to get my 57" rear projection fine tuned and to get rid of the "picture bigger than the screen syndrome"

SOme of it may be my 921 and some of it may be the TV. We will see.
 
Maybe not the 921's fault

I have a 921 that is connected to both a Infocus projector and a Sony HDTV. If I play (or watch) a FOX broadcast on the projector the FOX logo isn't cut off however if I watch that same 921 on the Sony HDTV the logo is partially cut off. Therefore it makes me think that this may actually be a problem with the way different monitors/projectors scale the image. It is strange though that the problem seems to only on FOX broadcasts since their closed captioning on OTA bradcasts is gibberish. Perhaps the 720p transmission is causing several problems.
 
811 gets 720p closed captions and CBS CC.

Since the 811 gets 720p closed captions (CC) and the 921 messes up, we must blame the 921 software. I still cannot explain the 4 or more sec delay in CC on many CBS (1080) shows when the 811 gets it right. Will these ever get these corrected?

Each TV set should be adjusted for overscan, which seems to be your problem. I found my Toshiba setup controls at http://www.bus.ucf.edu/cwhite/theater/ToshibaTips.htm I think.

Save the old setttings first and then play with the width and height to just barely overscan; CRT HD assumed. Check both HD and SD. For better differential and integral linearity you will need to adjust the grid spacing--1/8 inch is quite noticable on a credit scroll. Get several clear grids and plan to spend a few hours in shorter segments -- it tires you and the CRT.

To check out your overscan on a 921, record the HDNet Tuesday early 10 minutes of test patterns. You have to search for TEST PAT because it takes only a sliver of a 1/2 hour segment.

-Ken
 
It sounds like overscan I noticed the same with my 921 and 34 inch monitor. If your using the component outputs from the DVR921 try using the DVI output instead. That has helped my overscan problem.
 
I have an 811 on that same TV, won it last month, no problems on HD, but the picture curves on SD stuff, like an out of tune monitor. You can't adjust it out.

I put it in my kids room. The picture is not real great on it, but the price was right.

I have 3 HD sets, the JVC 26in has the best picture, it's even better than the 37in sharp.
 
It overscan the same thing happens with alot of tube based Tv's.

Also FOX places the logo at 3% overscan, while TV manufacturers are allow 5% overscan on their sets.

If I use my satelite box to the TV it will ovescan. If I go through my MCE2005 HTPC it will correct the overscan with the built in feature.
 

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