Picture squished on SD output (TV2) on VIP722

[samalex]

Hi,

We've bought a 32" Insignia HDTV and I've connected it in a second living area to the TV2 of our VIP 722. I'm not too worried about it being SD instead of HD, but what I can't figure out is the picture is squished with bars on the top and bottom on the HD channels. SD channels are stretched full screen which is fine (no bars), but I'd like to have HD channels be full screen and not squished.

Attached is a picture I took a bit ago on HGTV on the new TV, and with the guide being full screen and even on screen info overlaying on the black bars it's gotta be a setting on the VIP722. I've played with the Format button on the remote, but no setting removes the bars and makes the picture full screen (not stretched).

Thanks for any advice.

Sam

 

[TNGTony]

On the TV2 remote, press the "format" button (the * key) Also check the aspect ratio setting on the TV. It should have a button that says aspect or format or size. Remember that Dish receivers remember the settings for HD and SD channels separately.

 

[DishSubLA]

I usually use the TV's aspect ratio setting for corrections because this does not affect what is displayed at the TV where the box is located.

 

[samalex]

Hey Guys --

The problem isn't with the TV's aspect ratio because the guide is full screen and looks perfect plus the on-screen info looks good as well -- both just as they do on our HDTV (TV1), just in SD. See the pic I posted in my OP, the on-screen info is actually over the black bar on the top. If it were on the TV and not the VIP722 I'd assume the guide and on-screen info would be skewed as well but they're not.

When hitting the * button for format on the DVR remote, it changes between Letterbox (which is what the screenshot I posted is using) or Normal... but Normal seems to take the 4x3 section from the center of the 16x9 picture and stretches it to 16x9. Yeah it's full screen, but it's distorted and the left and right sections of the screen are chopped off. I don't mind this so much on the SD channels since they are 4x3 anyway (it defaults to Normal on SD), but on the native 16x9 HD channels having it in Normal mode looses about 30% of the picture and stretches the rest.

As for the TV, I have played with the formatting, but though I can make the picture size somewhat okay (still chops off some of the picture and stretches it alittle at best), the guild and info are then skewed and hard to read. Plus the TV settings are set for all Dish channels, so as I move between the 16x9 HD and 4x3 SD channels I'd have to change the format back and forth.

Anyway, I just thought there might be a simple fix within the menus on the DVR, but I've not been able to find anything. I can see the Letterbox feature being good for a TV that's 4x3, but having a 16x9 TV connected as TV2 it doesn't seem to have an appropriate setting to handle it -- or if there is I haven't found it.

Thanks --

Sam

 

[TheKrell]

What you want is an anamorphic widescreen setting for the TV2 outputs. I don't think this is available on TV2, though IMHO it should be. I haven't moved my Hava over to TV2 on my 722 because of this limitation. The TV1 SD outputs do have an anamorphic setting, and this is the new "normal" when you've told the receiver it's attached to a widescreen TV.

 

[samalex]

What you want is an anamorphic widescreen setting for the TV2 outputs. I don't think this is available on TV2, though IMHO it should be. I haven't moved my Hava over to TV2 on my 722 because of this limitation. The TV1 SD outputs do have an anamorphic setting, and this is the new "normal" when you've told the receiver it's attached to a widescreen TV.

Maybe they'll add it as an update at some point because I'd assume more people have started using 16x9 TV's on TV2 now that you can't buy a 4x3 TV anymore. I don't mind the picture being in SD, but I really don't care for it being stretched.

Do you guys know if the 722K does the same thing? When the tech came out to install our system at the new house at first he couldn't get our 722 working because it was so behind on updates (we had Dish Pause for 6 months) and he almost replaced it with a 722K. The 722 finally started working so he left it, but if the 722K can do anamorphic widescreen on TV2 it may be worth seeing if they'd switch it out for us.

Sam

 

[rdinkel]

If the 722 is in the "single mode," use the "shared view" for proper fit.

 

[mchias1]

pretty sure your problem is you are viewing an HD program on a SD output. When doing that the receiver sends out the signal in letterbox format. Have you tried setting the "HD" channels to zoom on your receiver and the SD channels to stretch (i think that's the setting).

 

[sevendust2412]

Have you tried changing the zoom settings on the tv and not the receiver? It might be a pain to change back and forth depending on if you're watching an sd or hd channel but between the zoom settings on the receiver and the tv you should find the proper combination.

 

[Bonneville44]

My TV 2 is zoomed in to "remove" these black bars, but also cuts off some of the guide obviously. Its only a 20" TV so no big deal

 

[tubkatt]

tv2 shows a downconverted 480i letterbox picture on hd channels so the bars on top and bottom have to stay there or you chop a lot of picture off just turn to sd channels and screen will be full

 

[samalex]

tv2 shows a downconverted 480i letterbox picture on hd channels so the bars on top and bottom have to stay there or you chop a lot of picture off just turn to sd channels and screen will be full

Simple solution I didn't think to try the SD version of these stations, though i don't guess there's a solution for HD programs recorded to the DVR.

Thanks -- I'll try this when i get home.

Sam

 

[digiblur]

What you want is an anamorphic widescreen setting for the TV2 outputs. I don't think this is available on TV2, though IMHO it should be. I haven't moved my Hava over to TV2 on my 722 because of this limitation. The TV1 SD outputs do have an anamorphic setting, and this is the new "normal" when you've told the receiver it's attached to a widescreen TV.

That's it right there. I have a 32 inch LCD in the bedroom also. Of course it isn't HD but when I have my 722 on single mode the HD channels look correct on the TV in the bedroom. Wish they had the correct modes for TV2 when running in dual mode.

 

[n0qcu]

Wish they had the correct modes for TV2 when running in dual mode

The real question is: Is it just a software problem or is it a hardware limitation?

 

[samalex]

The real question is: Is it just a software problem or is it a hardware limitation?

Not sure, but it is frustrating...

Sam

 

[Jim S.]

The real question is: Is it just a software problem or is it a hardware limitation?

Once upon a time, they changed the format on my 622. The next software revision, they changed it back. (This may have been in single mode though, I don't think I've ever run in dual mode.)

Why the hell they didn't do the obvious thing and make it user-selectable is one of those great unexplained Dish mysteries.

 

[samalex]

Last night I did some testing on TV2, and the SD channels are not stretched but they only show the 4x3 center of the picture cropping the left and right sides. So using the SD version of HD channels isn't a good option.

With the Dish in Letterbox format I can zoom in using the TV remote and make the picture full screen and not stretched, but the guide and on-screen info rolls off the screen. I guess it's a good enough solution for now, but I wish Dish would offer a better option. Viewing TV1 content on the second TV (I have both TV1 and TV2 broadcasting on coax as Cable 73 and 75) it looks perfect, so I know the technology is there. If they would only carry it over.

Something else to ask, I know the Remote 2 works through RF, but does Remote 1? When I have the second TV set to view TV1 I can't use Remote 1 as I can Remote 2 because I'm in a different room from the DVR. I hoped both remotes could work via IR or RF, but seems Remote 1 only works via IR. Since TV1 looks great on the second TV this is an option to watch if no one is watching the HDTV in the other room, but it'd suck having to go into the living room just to change channels.

THanks again for all the great info!

Sam

 

[digiblur]

Not sure about getting a second UHF remote... but if I want to watch the correct aspect ratio in the bedroom, I switch the receiver to single mode and the #2 remote works everything just fine. I should really just fish an HDMI cable across the house, but watching HD on a little 32 inch LCD just isn't worth it for all that trouble and work.

 

[Barry Erick]

Use the * button. You have to do this for each channel but on TV2 EVERYTHING is 4:3 although some default to letterbox. Us the * key for you preference. My bedroom 16:9 tv is on TV2 and it fills the screen on everything I've set it for. There are channels that transmit both 16:9 and 16:9 that looks like 4:3 and those you either have to live with or us the *. you can't have both as everyone has not adopted the proposal that transmits, as part of the data, screen format info. Once that is done, all of this would be automatic. Until them, you have to use the "*" key.

 

[TheKrell]

Yes, you can buy another UHF Pro 6.something remote and control TV1 with it. I do this on my 722.