Gray bars gone?

[Ti-maniac]

Is it me, or the new download (6.1)?

I thought before I had gray bars on the left and right of SD channels. Since not to many times SD channels are watched around here, I cannot remember. But now I have black bars and not gray ones. I rather watch black bars, but gray bars are better for my plasma I am told.

So, how can you get the gray bars back without switching resolution from 1080i back to 480p/i and using the display menu itself to select the bar color?

Is this a bug?

 

[Sean Mota]

All of the SD satellite channels have black bars (left/right). ESPN has sort of gray and the OTA channels like CBS has gray.

 

[Ti-maniac]

ah-der-hey?!?!#(&@

All the SD channels used to have gray bars befor the 6.1 update.

Black bars are BAD for plasmas. Is it possible to get the gray bars back with the 8-3-3 trick which I have forgotten how to do?

 

[Sean Mota]

All the SD channels used to have gray bars befor the 6.1 update.

Black bars are BAD for plasmas. Is it possible to get the gray bars back with the 8-3-3 trick which I have forgotten how to do?

Are you sure? I never got them gray always black...

 

[Ti-maniac]

Are you sure they have always been black?

I am pretty sure they used to be gray because I recall remarking to myself how all the SD channels looked washed out before by the gray bars. They actually look better with black bars, but that is bad for plasma displays. (Actually if they were previously black, I would have posted something before about damage to plasma.)

(It would be nice to have the option to pick black or gray, or perhaps a shade of gray. (wish list item))

 

[wasch_24]

Are you sure? I never got them gray always black...

When setting the STB up to use pillars, mine were grey too.

 

[cmslick3]

Perhaps you had your STB set to native resolution?? I know that is the only way I can see gray bars on my RPTV. The only modes that pass them for OTA are 480 i/p I believe.

I know for a fact I have never seen gray bars on OTA channels before.

 

[wasch_24]

I was under the impression that he was reffering to the SD Voom channels.

 

[Sean Mota]

When setting the STB up to use pillars, mine were grey too.

Really? Wow! I never saw this. But I hardly tune to the SD channels unless someone notes a problem with one. I guess I was wrong.

 

[Ti-maniac]

I was under the impression that he was reffering to the SD Voom channels.

Yes I was referring to SD only as I do not get any OTA at all where I am.

Anyone know how to change it back to gray bars?

 

[cmslick3]

oops.. sorry

well either way I never saw any gray bars..

 

[bitwise]

Never saw it...

I never saw gray bars while watching SD. Only black...

I have my resolution set to 720p. (fortunately for me, my Sony LCD has no problems with burn in - so gray bars aren't even an option on my TV).

If you saw gray bars, might it have been on a specific channel? I know my TV is not doing anything to remove them, so I can't believe I've missed them somehow.

I do know that most CRT and Plasma screens automatically put the gray bars on SD signals. Perhaps you need to check your TV setup? Otherwise, switch your Voom box's output resolution to native - that will have 480i/p sent as SD, and your TV should take over from there.

 

[FunkyBoss]

I have always seen black bars on the SD channels. Maybe you have the STB set to native resolution and your TV inserts the gray bars?

 

[wasch_24]

It seems that not all STB's are the same. My pillars have always been grey at 1080i fixed resolution, and DVE calibrated.

 

[wbuffetta]

VOOMs stb Has Black Bars Not Gray Bars.

 

[Ilya]

Anyone know how to change it back to gray bars?

As cmslick3 suggested, switch the STB to Native mode (by pressing the red button, make sure the STB is configured not to stretch SD channels. I think it is your TV set who adds gray bars for unstretched SD channels (coming as 480i in Native mode). I don't think the STB can do gray bars, at least I've never seen that.

 

[CDH]

Hello,

I'm a VOOM Newbie, having scheduled an August install after getting frustrated with the lack of HD channels on my Charter cable service.

I love this forum!

I have a question that relates to the issue of black/gray bars.

My HDTV is a 4:3 format Panasonic which I bought because with only five HDTV channels on cable a lot of what I was going to be watching would still be SDTV.

With my current Cable provider my TV displays HDTV 1080i signals in a letterboxed format (16:9) but SDTV channels full screen (4:3).

When there is SDTV programming broadcast on an HDTV channel I get letter-boxing bars above and below the image (created by the cable box) AND pillar-boxing bars on the sides of the image (created by the broadcaster), giving me a small but very clear 4:3 image in the middle of the screen. I anticipate that this would remain the same on VOOM.

Questions:

On VOOM will I be able to view those signals originally broadcast in 4:3 format SDTV on the full-screen (such as CNN)?

Or will the image from SDTV channels be *Both* letter-boxed (bars above and below) and pillar-boxed (bars to the sides)? I don't like the image distortion of 4:3 images stretched to 16:9.

From everything I've read on the forum my guess is that I could get full-screen 4:3 images if I switch the TV to receive images from a composite video connection from the STB instead of from the component inputs, but that would mean any up-conversion by VOOM or the STB would be eliminated.

The reason I ask is that I'm coming up on 30 days since I bought the TV so could still return it for credit towards a real wide-screen TV.

Thanks,
CDH.

 

[CDH]

Hello,

I'm a VOOM Newbie, having scheduled an August install after getting frustrated with the lack of HD channels on my Charter cable service.

I love this forum!

I have a question that relates to the issue of black/gray bars.

My HDTV is a 4:3 format Panasonic which I bought because with only five HDTV channels on cable a lot of what I was going to be watching would still be SDTV.

With my current Cable provider my TV displays HDTV 1080i signals in a letterboxed format (16:9) but SDTV channels full screen (4:3).

When there is SDTV programming broadcast on an HDTV channel I get letter-boxing bars above and below the image (presumably created by the TV when it recognizes a wide-screen signal) AND pillar-boxing bars on the sides of the image (created by the broadcaster or the cable box?), giving me a small but very clear 4:3 image in the middle of the screen. I anticipate that this would remain the same on VOOM.

Questions:

On VOOM will I be able to view those signals originally broadcast in 4:3 format SDTV on the full-screen (such as CNN)?

Or will the image from SDTV channels be *Both* letter-boxed (bars above and below) and pillar-boxed (bars to the sides)? I don't like the image distortion of 4:3 images stretched to 16:9.

From everything I've read on the forum my guess is that I could get full-screen 4:3 images if I switch the TV to receive images from a composite video connection from the STB instead of from the component inputs, but that would mean any up-conversion by VOOM or the STB would be eliminated.

The reason I ask is that I'm coming up on 30 days since I bought the TV so could still return it for credit towards a real wide-screen TV.

Thanks,
CDH.

 

[wbuffetta]

A Lot of People Have Had Problems With 4:3 HD TVs & Voom stb. The stb Might Only Give You A 16:9 Picture When You Use Your HD Inputs On Your TV. It Will Stretch You 16:9 Picture & You May Not Be Able To View The Right & Left Sides of The Picture.
If You Are Going VOOM I Would Take It Back & Get A 16:9 HD TV.

 

[Ilya]

CDH, Welcome to the forum.
Upconversion of the SD channels is done in the STB, and your TV set can do an equally good job in that, or better, so you should either use Native mode over component/DVI, or a separate set of cables for SD channels (s-video/composite) if Native mode doesn't work for you for some reason.

The reason I ask is that I'm coming up on 30 days since I bought the TV so could still return it for credit towards a real wide-screen TV.

If that's the case, I would return it immediately! You will regret if you don't. HD is all about wide-screen. You need a 16:9 HDTV-ready set. No need to pay extra for a built-in HDTV tuner if you are going VOOM.