Older 4:3 HDTV with Fios
face2345
Newbie

I am trying to figure out the correct settings on my 7216 for my older (2002) 4:3 1080i Sony rear projection HDTV. I just switched over from D*** HDTV  using the 622 DVR.  With that D*** box I was able to watch any HD station on my 4:3 HDTV regardless of it actually being brodcast in 1080 or not. If it wasn't in 1080i it would display with bars on all sides and all I had to do was zoom (change aspect ratio)in the picture from the remote to a full 4:3 display without losing much PQ. (it looked better this way than changing to the equivalent SD channel). And the shows that were in 1080 were displayed as a, I'll call it a taller 16:9 widescreen, wich was acceptable to me because it didn't cutoff any of the picture.

With my new 7216...on a HD cannel brodcasting in 480p the bars are displayed on all 4 sides and I can't change the aspect ratio (using # key) to anything other than a streached out version with the picture cut off or if I change a couple settings thru -power-select-menu it will let me change it to almost a 3:3 ratio with the top and bottom filing the screen but bars on the left and right.

And then if it is brodcast in 1080i it displays as a "shorter" more compressed  version of 16:9 or the"taller" version of 16:9 based on the different setting I choose.

I know I can just tune to the SD version of the channel... but thats annoying, especially if I already recorded something on the HD channel that wasn't brodcast in 1080i.

I have tried all the settings I can think of...My HDTV does not have its own aspect ration function so I am limited to what the 7216 can handle.

I am confused why this is so much different than my D*** box. If anyone has any input...other than telling me to buy a 16:9 HDTV...I would greatly appreciate it.

All I really want, is to watch only the HD channels and not have to switch to the SD to display a full 4:3 picture. And I want the 1080 stuff to display as the "taller" 16:9 format. Sorry for the long post, but I thought I knew my s**t and this is getting frustrating.

Thanks

Forgot to add: I am currently using IMG 1.6.0 and I live in Pittsburgh,PA-not sure when I'll be updated or if this would even help my situation.

Message Edited by face2345 on 03-16-2009 10:39 AM
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Re: Older 4:3 HDTV with Fios
jakthebomb
Newbie

I have the same issue.  With Cablevision, we were able to stretch the 16:9 picture in the same fashion as VHS tapes "this film has been Formatted to fit your screen".  The left and right sides of the picture was cut off but not a big deal.  With Fios, they gave me the Oh just buy a new TV Speech.  Well I am not in a situation to buy a new one, as my "Old" 4:3 HDTV was manufactured August 2006.  That is not old enough to justify the cost of a "slightly newer" TV.  How about Verizon Accommodate us Owners of such TV's or Buy us all New TV's to use your Service, Because there isn't anything wrong with Our TV's.  It is on Verizon's Shoulders.

This is a big enough Deal to Me, that we may just cancel our service.  And the worst part is, all of the countless hours spent on the phone and being told to do this and that.  It is a simple Fix,{please keep your posts courteous}release a update that utilizes the Scaler Chip built into Every single HD Set-Top Box you rent.  Ad a option called Stretch and make the HD Channels fill up the screen as if it was viewed on a Wide Screened TV.

I will Cancel My service within 2 weeks if no such option is offered.  It is not asking much, it won't take New equipment to do.  It is a simple fix, I can even do it.

Jakthebomb

Message Edited by Jonathan_K on 03-16-2009 08:21 PM
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Re: Older 4:3 HDTV with Fios
DzWR
Contributor - Level 1

Have you two tried pressing on the front of the box (while the box is on) Power, Select then menu?  Pretty quickly after one another?  It should allow you to enter the User Settings on the box so you can play around with some picture settings and see if that works for your tv.

After you are done adjusting the settings, press power again to turn the box off then power it back up to check it -- if it works great and if not try another setting.  Had to do this on one of my tvs at home, the other one worked fine without adjusting.

Message Edited by DzWR on 03-17-2009 10:55 AM
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Re: Older 4:3 HDTV with Fios
face2345
Newbie

I've tried it several times with all the different combinations of settings. But nothing seems to get the picture the way i'd like.

I wonder if this is a VZ thing or motorola not enabling the function. From all the posts I've read here regarding the ESTA port not being enabled i wouldn't be surprised to hear that this is just another thing they can't seem to get right, and with most HD fios users having 16:9 HDTV's they probaply don't get too many complaints about it, therefore they don't see it as an issue and may never fix it.

I really feel like I went back in technology with the so-called multi room DVR.  I would call it a multi room player-as it doesnt let me rewind, pause, ff or record live tv from my second stb.

Definatly not happy with my fios TV experience so far...

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Re: Older 4:3 HDTV with Fios
KenAF
Specialist - Level 2
Please ignore the previous post.

 

With Motorola STBs, the following settings determine how SD and HD are output via component and HDMI:

 

TV Type: 16:9, 4:3 Letterbox (for 4:3 HD displays), and 4:3 Pan & Scan (for 4:3 HD displays when you want to crop HD channels).

HDMI/YPbPr Output: 1080i, 720p, 480, 480i <-- for HDTVs, you should have 1080i or 720p selected

4:3 Override: Off, 480i, 480p, Stretch

 

If you've selected 4:3 Letterbox and see HD channels letterboxed twice on your 4:3 HDTV, then you'll want to select 16:9 instead. That's because some 4:3 HDTVs add top and bottom bars for 16:9 HD, eliminating the need for the Verizon box to do it.

 

The 4:3 override setting determines how SD channels are output on your TV.

 

If you have 16:9 selected and set 4:3 override to Off, you'll be able to use the aspect (#) button on the Verizon remote to toggle between bars, zoom, and stretch.

 

With 4:3 override set to 480i or 480p, the aspect button (#) on the Verizon remote will no longer work on SD channels.  In this mode, your TV will be responsible for how SD channels are displayed; most HDTVs have an aspect button on their remote, but some older models force you to change the display format through a menu.

 

Be aware that if you set 4:3 override to 480i or 480p, to use the aspect controls on your TV's remote, you will experience an added delay when switching between SD and HD channels, as your TV syncs to the new resolution. Some TVs are faster than others when it comes to switching resolutions.

 

To display these settings, perform the following steps quickly (pauses may prevent the menu from appearing):

  1. Press the POWER button to turn the DVR off. Be prepared to quickly press the next 2 buttons.
  2. Immediately press and release the OK button on the remote (or the Select button on the front of the DVR)
  3. Immediately press and release the Menu button on the remote or the front of the DVR.
  4. If your current aspect ratio does not display (16:9, 4:3L, or 4:3P) you may have waited too long between button presses. Turn the DVR on and try again.

Alternately, FiOS TV subscribers can access these settings during the DVR's boot sequence (i.e. unplugging the box and then pressing menu). With this approach, the menu may go away when the DVR finishes booting in 1-2 minutes.

Message Edited by KenAF on 03-17-2009 11:29 PM
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