Jame pc

420, 780, 1080

I'm looking for a basic understanding of the resolution numbers. What do I need to know regarding these settings? What resolution is used where?
I have a Sony KV-32HS420 specs: http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...=feature&var2=
I have my Pace DC550P STB set to PASS (not 420, 780 or 1080) for the resolution (it passes the native resolution of the broadcast. When watching HD channels and I toggle with the pound button it switches from 1080 (small boxed picture in the middle of the screen) to 480 (fills entire screen). I'm not using only 480 lines to view my HD in full screen am I? It defiantly does not look like it, the picture is 100 times better then an analog channel.
Thanks,
James

John S

There are some oddities that occur when you use a 4:3 display with native 16:9 mode.....

Often time 480p will just sort of lock full. The small boxed picture in the middle of your screen means the source whil it is on an HD feed, is not HD. HD will fill from left to right, with top and bottom black bars so to speak.


If your using the native 16:9 mode, you not wasting resolution at all in say 1080i mode. The CRT guns are squished so you still get the full resolution.

CRT displays are very sketchy on how much resolution you actually are getting at the display CRT itself.

Your statement of 420, 780, 1080 is confusing...

480p is considered ED
720p and 1080i are considered HD
Just beware, most content on most HD feeds is upconverted 4:3 stuff and will display a 4:3 window in the middle of a 16:9 display or a 4:3 display that offers a 16:9 native mode.


Not sure if I helped or not here.

Vince Maskeeper

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Jame pc

This happens on all the HD channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, UPN, etc.) 1080 fills a square in the middle and 480 fills the entire screen. The 480 full screen defiantly looks HD when compared to the analog channel equivalent. This is a 4:3 display.


Oops...480, 720,1080...



This is a function of the Pace DC550P STB. Before a service tech came out, it use to say "normal" or "stretch" when I toggled, now it says 480 or 1080. For analog channels it says "normal" or "zoom"

Thanks again,
James

John S

James PC,, You 4:3 does offer a native 16:9 mode.

Sounds like he screw'd up and set your STB up for a 4:3 display which is NOT correct if you have a true native widescreen / 16:9 mode on your display.

John Garcia

If the material is not widescreen (anamorphic or letterbox), it will not display in 16:9 mode. The TV detects the presence of these formats and displays them accordingly; if neither is detected, you get full screen. My former and current Sony TVs, a KV-32FV26 and current KV-34HS510(16:9) both work this way. John is correct, your settings may now be incorrect on the STB.

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Allan Jayne

The source material may be any one of 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i (U.S.A). When you select one of those formats at your cable box, all source programs are converted to the selected format and then output to the TV.

The TV may accept video input in any or all of the formats. Most CRT direct view TV's accept 480i, 480p, and 1080i but not 720p. So for a 720p broadcast you probably have to set the cable box to 1080i or 480p instead of "pass".

Most TV's display just one of the formats, converting any incoming material as needed. A few CRT direct view TV's that display 1080i have yet another choice, 540p, for display of all input sources. (540p if input behaves the same as 1080i input. 540p as displayed is the same as 1080i except that the even and odd fields are juxtaposed rather than staggered.) You may find less flicker and slightly more graininess with 540p compared with 1080i.

I am guessing that your TV is displaying 1080i all of the time. Although any lesser resolution can be converted to 1080i, the picture detail of the subject matter is no greater than before, for DVD the resolution of picture detail remains 480 lines vertically.

1080i and 720p programs are supposed to be 16:9, which may consist of a 4:3 picture with usused side bars. 480i and 480p programs can be either 16:9 or 4:3. Video can be stretched into any shape desired subject to the capabilitis of the TV. For its 16:9 display mode your TV spreads out all of the picture containing scan lines, whether 480 or 720 or 1080, over a lesser height within the 4:3 screen. A 16:9 video frame with a 4:3 picture within now appears to have unused bars on all four sides. Your TV may have a zoom selection to expand this picture to fill the screen.

Jame pc

So if my 4:3 Sony has native 16:9 mode, it's normal for the picture to be displayed in a small window?


Sony calls it "16:9 Enhanced Mode" Is this the same thing? It's set to auto right now. If I set it to "ON" every channel is shown in 16:9 and squished, HD and analog. Happens with the STB set to 4:3 and 16:9. I set it back to Auto.

I now set the STB to 4:3 and PASS (not 480, 720 or 1080).

Jame pc

Tonight NBC's Law and Order was on. On the analog channel it was full screen, on the HD channel it was 16:9 (black bars on top and bottom) in 1080 mode.
CBS's 48 hours was full screen in analog but in HD 1080 it was a small window (black bars on top, gray bars on sides).
I could enlarge NBC and CBS to fill the entire screen on the HD channels but 480 would pop up. Does this sound right?
Thanks again,
James

John S