Am I the only one having aspect ratio problems?

[oddwunn]

I had Voom installed on Monday, and I have been having problems with the aspect ration with my InFocus X1. I figured that I might need a software update, and my IRD finally took the upgrade to version 5.68 last night.

The aspect ratio is still wrong on my 4:3 screen. Here's the deal:

If I set my X1's AR to 4:3, then the HD material is vertically stretched to fill the entire screen, but the 4:3 SD material is properly displayed.
If I set my X1's AR to 16:9, then the HD displays correctly, but the 4:3 SD material is vertically squished (that's a technical term we use in the business... ).

No matter what I do to change the AR in the "picture format" setting, either in the wide to narrow or narrow to wide boxes, NO CHANGES take place whatsoever, and before someone asks, yes, I am saving the changes first.

I am displaying at 1080i using the component outs with a component to RGB transcoder used to feed the X1's RGB input.

Am I the only one having this problem, or have others noticed the same? Should I report this as a bug?

 

[oddwunn]

Ok, here's an update:

The AR controls work just fine from the s-video output (though my X1 just can't sync properly to the signal), but they have no effect on the component outputs. The only other possibility is that the component to RGB transcoder is somehow blocking AR changes, but that really doesn't make much sense.

Can anyone confirm that the AR changes work for them using component output?

 

[wasch_24]

AR changes are effective for me through components into a Mitsu RPTV.

 

[DarrellP]

oddwun, I used an InFocus PJ from work before I got Voom and I had to switch back and forth for 16:9 and 4:3 whenever I changed resolution from HD to SD. If your remote is like the one I had, you can go into the Menu on your X1 and set a button on your remote to do a certain function (I forget the name of it), I set mine to change Aspect Ratio. Try that and see if it helps. There is no single solution with InFocus that I am aware of.

 

[oddwunn]

oddwun, I used an InFocus PJ from work before I got Voom and I had to switch back and forth for 16:9 and 4:3 whenever I changed resolution from HD to SD. If your remote is like the one I had, you can go into the Menu on your X1 and set a button on your remote to do a certain function (I forget the name of it), I set mine to change Aspect Ratio. Try that and see if it helps. There is no single solution with InFocus that I am aware of.

Yeah, that's what I am doing now, but it's a royal pain in the butt. The programmable key you are referring to is the "effect" key, and I can assign the function to a button on my Pronto, but it would be really nice if I could figure a way for the InFocus to accept the AR changes. What baffles me is the fact that the X1 works fine through the s-video input, but not the component. Also, the AR changes from my DTC 100 work just fine through the same RGB input. I wonder what is different about the Voom box. Definitely weird.

 

[wbuffetta]

(component to RGB transcoder) Thats Your Problem. The X1 Uses Just A Component To RGB Cable ($10.00 From www.Infocus.com). I Have The X1 With The Proper Cable And It Works Great. I Also Have A component to RGB transcoder For My RCA 36" HDTV That Uses RGB For HDTV (It Needs The Transcoder). On My 36" With The Transcoder My HD Is
Not Letterboxed Because The VOOM Can't Detect My TV As A 4:3 HDTV So The Display is Wrong. But Using S-Video It Displays Correctly.

 

[oddwunn]

Thanks, wbuffetta...That explains it then. I ordered the adapter from InFocus on Monday, but it was backordered and I problably won't see it for a few weeks. I just called InFocus tech support and got the pinouts, so I'll just wire up a hack job adapter for the time being. Thanks for all of your help!

 

[oddwunn]

On My 36" With The Transcoder My HD Is
Not Letterboxed Because The VOOM Can't Detect My TV As A 4:3 HDTV So The Display is Wrong.

Hmmm...then that seems like a bug or bad engineering to me. Why does the Voom box need to detect anything at all? We should just be able to command it to change the AR regardless of what kind of display is detected, don't ya think?

 

[wbuffetta]

I Don't Think It Does Detect Anything. It Assumes All HD Signals Are Going To A 16:9 AR & All S-video or Composite Inputs are 4:3

 

[DarrellP]

The STB cannot detect what AR your TV is, you have to tell it the AR. In the Menu on the Voom STB have you tried the different 4:3 settings? With the Dish 6000 there are 3 different TV settings: 16:9, 4:3 that can do a vertical squeeze and 4:3 that can't do vertical squeeze. I think this is what Voom is attempting in the Video Settings Menu.

 

[wbuffetta]

The STB Sends The 4:3 Signal To The S-Video & Composite (Yellow) Outputs & 16:9
Signal To The Red,Grn,Blue Outputs As Well As DVI Output. The Settings In The Menu Only Work Within That Restriction Ie: Letterbox Etc. On 4:3 Through S-Video or Composite It Dosen't Work On The Component (HDTV) or DVI (HDTV) & Vice Versa

 

[oddwunn]

The STB cannot detect what AR your TV is, you have to tell it the AR. In the Menu on the Voom STB have you tried the different 4:3 settings?

Yup...no effect, but so far that is with the transcoder being used. Wbuffetta has said that the AR using a transcoder is always wrong for him too (or at least that is what I assume that he means). Since the transcoder theoretically does no scaling at all, then I don't understand why the Voom box has problems with it.

It Assumes All HD Signals Are Going To A 16:9 AR & All S-video or Composite Inputs are 4:3

Then the 4:3 Voom AR controls should work, but they don't.

The STB Sends The 4:3 Signal To The S-Video & Composite (Yellow) Outputs & 16:9 Signal To The Red,Grn,Blue Outputs As Well As DVI Output. The Settings In The Menu Only Work Within That Restriction Ie: Letterbox Etc. On 4:3 Through S-Video or Composite It Dosen't Work On The Component (HDTV) or DVI (HDTV) & Vice Versa

Then why is it that NONE of the controls, either 4:3 or 16:9, work on the component outputs when going through a transcoder? Is the transcoder altering the AR or just passing the AR unaltered (like it should) to the X1's RGB input? I'm confused...

 

[oddwunn]

(component to RGB transcoder) Thats Your Problem. The X1 Uses Just A Component To RGB Cable ($10.00 From www.Infocus.com). I Have The X1 With The Proper Cable And It Works Great.

Hmmm...It's not working for me...

Since I have to wait a week for my adapter to arrive, I decided to make up a quick and dirty adapter myself using the pinouts I got from InFocus. The adapter has EXACTLY the same problem as the component to RGB transcoder in that the aspect ratio must be controlled from the display device, as the controls in the Voom box do nothing through the component outputs, though the same set of controls work fine for s-video. I just don't get it...

 

[oddwunn]

It Assumes All HD Signals Are Going To A 16:9 AR & All S-video or Composite Inputs are 4:3

Ah, finally I understand, but do not agree with Voom's policy. HD display devices come in both 16:9 and 4:3 format, and for Voom to assume that the display is 16:9 is just plain wrong. Voom should have a system setting that defines the display device AR and then allows the user to play with the AR from there.

I still don't understand why this is working for wbuffetta.

Anyone else with an X1?

 

[edsmith100]

oddwunn,i have a 4x3 sony kp53hs10.in the digital input #5 it is hd,and performs a 3/2 pulldown on all 480p and 1080i signals.in other words the box thinks tv is widescreen and tv thinks it is widescreen.you have to set the tv and box acordingly. ed

 

[Videofx]

oddwunn,i have a 4x3 sony kp53hs10.in the digital input #5 it is hd,and performs a 3/2 pulldown on all 480p and 1080i signals.in other words the box thinks tv is widescreen and tv thinks it is widescreen.you have to set the tv and box acordingly. ed

Ed,

I think you mean 480i not 480p as a progressive signal already has the 3:2 pulldown already applied where as the 480i interlaced signal does not and requires 3:2 pulldown to make it progressive.

Bill

 

[edsmith100]

bill,my tv changes 480i to 720i automaticly.i have a progresive scan dvd,if i put in a non anomorpic dvd on progressive,it shows letterbox 480i.i show a anomorphic dvd on progressive it upconverts to 480p-widescreen. i could be wrong,but thats the way i read the manual. ed