Pic Width - my 1 year-old is outsmarting me!

[kjaslow]

I've got a little one at home, who LOVES the Voom remote. Every now and again, she manages to put either the tv or the Voom box in a setting that I can't seem to find that makes the picture narrow. In other words, a program that is being transmitted in HD does not fill the width of my set like it normally does. This applies to OTA as well as satellite programming. This cannot be something deep in the menu tree, as she's pretty much pressing buttons randomly, and sticking the whole darn thing in her mouth (well, the end of it, anyway).

I know it seems like the obvious answer would be to not let her get her hands on the remote, but if you think that's the answer, then you probably don't have kids!

What could this setting possibly be? When I look at the settings menu, I still see the box reporting that it's sending a signal as 1080. And don't blame the TV, unless somehow the Voom remote is capable of getting into my TV's menu system (if so, please tell me how that works).

I've tried the little red button on the receiver box, and that doesn't work either. The only way I've been able to fix this has been to reset the box! Please tell me how to undo this! It's making me crazy! Thanks.

 

[Ilya]

Hmm... very strange! What version are you on?

 

[kjaslow]

...version 6.2...

 

[Ilya]

...unless somehow the Voom remote is capable of getting into my TV's menu system (if so, please tell me how that works).

The only button (beyond Volume and Power On/Off) that can control your TV set is the INPUT button. Try that one! May be it's doing something that it's not supposed to...

 

[kjaslow]

I believe I've isolated the problem to the Voom box. Before I mentioned that the only way to fix the problem is to reset the box. I should mention that it is only a hard reset that fixes it!! Yup - unplugging the box.

As for trying to change the inputs - that doesn't seem to do the trick...

Seems like my little girl has found an undocumented "feature"...

 

[Ilya]

Seems like my little girl has found an undocumented "feature"...

If you find out which button combination does it - let us know!
I would love to be able to squeeze some stretched OTA programs!

 

[dlm10541]

Go into the menus for set-up. I believe you will find settings for shrinking 16x9 and stetching 4x3 pictures

 

[dankgus]

I modded my Voom box because of my 1 year old

I have the constant problem of my 1 year old removing the door from the front of the Voom box and pressing the red button. I can't stand it when I come home and my wife is watching a HD channel, in SD! The horror!

So, I used clear packing tape to cover the door over the red button and prevent it from being opened. You might think "what if you want to press the red button?". I decided that Voom wouldn't care, and I drilled a tiny hole in the flip down door-right over the red button. So if I need to push the red button I just find something small like a paperclip and poke it through the hole to click the button.

Problem solved!

--Dan

 

[kjaslow]

Go into the menus for set-up. I believe you will find settings for shrinking 16x9 and stetching 4x3 pictures

Which settings do you mean? Would that mean that I'm still using 1080i between the box and my tv, but compressing the area used to display the picture? Sounds promising, but not sure where in the menu system I'd find this.

 

[Ilya]

No, that menu doesn't have any effect on HD signal. Unfortunately.

 

[jhogue@hrtc.net]

Push the voom button on remote then push the green button.
Go to system settings.
Then pick number 1 (picture format)
Be sure to save changes.

 

[kjaslow]

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, that was not it. Any other ideas?