16X9 burn (1 Viewer)

[EmaxJS]

Before I get my 16x9 RPTV I had a question, I felt this might be the better forum than the audio/video forum.

I currently have a Mitsubishi SR-SD100 dolby digital DirecTV tuner which I plan on being the RPTVs receiver. It seems to have a 16x9 output mode, but it is not a HDTV receiver. If I put it in 16x9 mode is it going to convert all the channels to a 16x9 format (by cropping, correct?) like the HD models do or am I going to worry about burn, since I figure I will watch TV more than DVD and LDs. I'm hoping that I don't have to buy a $500-$600 HDTV receiver just to prevent burn. With DirecTV only offering a few channels of HD programming it's not where I want to put money right now.

Also I have read that console video systems, I have Gamecube, are not a good idea to play on RPTV televisions in general, can anyone relay more information on this subject?

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Consider that at its heart, the typical RPTV is just three little directview TV's about 5" diagonal in image size. Now consider how hard you have to drive these little TV's to produce enough light for a 50 to 65" image. Yup, these puppies are burning bright indeed and working hard.

Now consider a 32" TV ... that is just one big tube. You don't have to push that hard at all to produce the same light output as the RPTV ...

Regards

 

[EmaxJS]

Michael, I'm not sure exactly how your post answers my questions or how it even relates to my post.

 

[Allan Jayne]

The purpose of the 16:9 mode on your tuner box is, in case a 16:9 enhanced show (does not have to be HDTV) is broadcast, those folks with 4:3 TV sets can see it letterboxed and correctly proportioned as opposed to everything tall and skinny*. If you select 16:9 mode on your tuner box, it will (generally) affect all the channels so for each show you watch, you select the mode that looks best.
If you turn down the contrast to under a third (RPTV, FPTV) or under a half (direct view) your TV should last a reasonably long time before obtrusive uneven screen wear (burn) happens, even with a lot of 4:3 viewing on a 16:9 TV or a lot of letterbox viewing on a 4:3 TV. But lower the contrast even more for video games, and avoid channels with bright station logos.
An HDTV receiver will not prevent uneven screen wear any more than an ordinary cable or satellite TV tuner box. If the picture is not the same shape as the screen, the same choices (if available) apply, stretch it disproportionately to fit, watch it with black bars, or enlarge it and crop the sides (or top and bottom)
Almost all 16:9 TV's have both 16:9 and 4:3 modes while most 4:3 TV's have just 4:3 mode. When the TV has 16:9 mode and you use it, you get a better picture compared with letting the tuner box or DVD player reformat the picture as letterboxed.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm
*On DVD players, this mode is called 4:3 mode. There is yet another mode sometimes offered for the benefit of 16:9 TV sets locked in 16:9 under a few circumstances, the player or tuner box makes side black bars so you don't have to watch a 4:3 program with everything stretched out squatty.

 

[EmaxJS]

Thanks Allan, a lot to digest, but I think I understand.

If the picture is not the same shape as the screen, the same choices (if available) apply, stretch it disproportionately to fit, watch it with black bars, or enlarge it and crop the sides (or top and bottom)

This is a the root of the matter. On my father's Hughes HDTV DirecTV tuner the options you manetion are provided, and it doesn't have to be set on his TV (Mitsubishi Dimaond 4x3 RPTV with optional HDTV converter box). Are these options also provided by my SR-SD100 box, or would I be setting them within the TV?

 

[Joel Mack]

AFAIK, 16x9 mode on those DirecTV recievers does nothing but reformat the onscreen menus to 16x9. Doesn't effect the picture at all. YMMV.