Quick Question about Turbo HD

[tsheley]

I am going to get my parents setup on Dish Network soon and have a question. They currently only have 2 SD TVs but plan on buying an HD set in the next few months. Do I have them just sign up for a Turbo HD package now so when they get the HDTV everything is good to go?

The only problem with doing that is until they get an HD set everything will be Letterbox on the SD sets correct? Am I missing something?

Thanks!

 

[UNOmar]

Included with any TurboHD package you also get all the SD versions of the HD channels (if available) so until they upgrade their set they could just watch the SD channels. Also, if you get a 722 (which came standard w/ my install) there is a setting for the output format on TV1. It defaults to 16x9 since it's an HD DVR, but it can be set to 4x3 until they upgrade and that should eliminate the letterbox problem.

-UNOmar

 

[Jim5506]

SD TV sets work fine with HD receivers.

You can zoom the image to fill the screen, cutting off the sides just like the SD image does anyway, or you can leave it with the black bars on top and bottom.

It's all done with one button on the DIsh remote.

 

[tsheley]

Thanks for the info!

 

[jdmacor]

Tell them to get that HD set soon! They are missing out!

 

[bretc]

You can zoom the image to fill the screen, cutting off the sides just like the SD image does anyway, or you can leave it with the black bars on top and bottom.

I don't think black bars on top or bottom is actually an option, except when an SD channel is broadcast that way. By default, the HD feed is squashed into an SD screen, but you have the option to cut off the extra width so the picture isn't squished or zoom in further (which cuts off the black bars on top or bottom if the feed has them). But you don't have the option to add top and bottom black bars to an HD feed so that you see the whole width of the video on an SD screen without it being stretched long. It would be nice to have that option, though, especially for the 2nd TV.

Maybe I'm wrong -- is there a way to do that?

 

[tsheley]

Tell them to get that HD set soon! They are missing out!

I am working on it !

 

[Jim5506]

I don't think black bars on top or bottom is actually an option, except when an SD channel is broadcast that way. By default, the HD feed is squashed into an SD screen, but you have the option to cut off the extra width so the picture isn't squished or zoom in further (which cuts off the black bars on top or bottom if the feed has them). But you don't have the option to add top and bottom black bars to an HD feed so that you see the whole width of the video on an SD screen without it being stretched long. It would be nice to have that option, though, especially for the 2nd TV.

Maybe I'm wrong -- is there a way to do that?

You are using the wrong HDTV setting then.

622/722 has three TV aspect ratio settings: 16X9; 4X3#1 and 4X3#2.

Try switching among these settings with the format set to normal and you can get a normally proportioned picture on any SD TV.

I do I all the time.

 

[bretc]

You are using the wrong HDTV setting then.

622/722 has three TV aspect ratio settings: 16X9; 4X3#1 and 4X3#2.

Try switching among these settings with the format set to normal and you can get a normally proportioned picture on any SD TV.

I do I all the time.

That sounds great -- how do I get to that setting?

 

[MikeD-C05]

Menu

#6 System setup
#8 hdtv setup