How did you connect your HDD? (1 Viewer)

[David E Smith]

Currently, I have a S-Video connection (in addition to the High Speed Data Link) going from a TWC Digital STB to a Motorola HDD200. This is "converted" to a component signal and sent to the TV. The HDD has 4 settings; Native, 480p, 720p, 10801.

If the HDD setting is set to Native, will the signal from S-Video (analog channels below 99) be sent through the AVR to the TV as an analog 480i signal? Perhaps its converted to digital signal first? Should this be the same quality as if I routed the S-Video from the STB directly to the AVR, bypassing the HDD, then to the TV on a separate input? Can I do that and hook the S-Video to the same input as the component video?

I think the signal quality has been reduced on the analog signals being routed through the HDD, as the picture quality for these channels has been reduced since its addition. Do most people hook up the s-video or composite video separately from the HDD. The RPTV does handle all the signal formats, but will upconvert everything to 1080i using D.I.S.T. before displaying.

I would like to know more about these processes. The manuals have been less than helpful here.

Dave

 

[Keir H]

Dave, wondering if you have found answer to these questions. I think it's confusing to alot of us since you have no replies just yet in all this time...I am looking for some clues as well on the HDD-200 box and what all of the connections do. I am just going from component to tv directly and having to switch to that input on the RPTV. I wish I could find a manual to make use of the svideo and composite inputs. Good luck!

 

[Gregg Roszkowski]

David,
You can have as many of the video inputs you want hooked up. Most AVR's will look for the best signal (component) first and then go down until it finds the next best signal (s-video)depending on how you have it hooked up. So you could use s-video out of the HDD to the s-video in to your TV, but you will have to put it on a input other than component, like input 1 or 2. This is the way I have mine hooked up. That way I can watch satellite in full screen when I'm not watching Hi Def otherwise you will have to watch satellite through your component outs (480p) and it will have the bars on the right and left. It's your choice, but I would not do it that way.

"If the HDD setting is set to Native, will the signal from S-Video (analog channels below 99) be sent through the AVR to the TV as an analog 480i signal?"

Yes, and not only that, but if you have it set to any one of the other formats it will still send the signal out in 480i, but the HDD will convert the signal to 480p but only if you are watching the DTV input(bars on the left and right). Leave your HDD in Native mode and let it determine what format it is receiving. I don't think you can get a 480p signal through a s-video cable. I might be wrong, but I think the HDD is converting it and sending the 480p out through the components only.

I don't understand. Are you running your STB through your HDD? If so, Why? I'm still not sure exactly how you have it all hooked up.

Gregg

Hope that helps

 

[David E Smith]

Lets see if I can recall this from memory:
Video:
Coax from wall to TWC STB
Data HSDL from STB to HDD
Composite from STB to AVR
S-Video from STB to AVR
Component from HDD to AVR
Component from AVR to RPTV input 2
Composite from AVR to RPTV input 3
S-Video from AVR to RPTV input 1
Part of the reason for the question is because my audio is adversly affected by this setup. My audio is setup as follows:
Coax from wall to STB
Analog from STB to AVR
SPDIF from STB to HDD
SPDIF from HDD to AVR
Before I had the HDD, I was able to receive a digital signal to the AVR directly from the SPDIF connection (although it was a PCM signal, not DD). Now with the above setup, I can get DD audio for HD only, and analog for all else. :frowning:
Part of my goal is to get widescreen (HD and stretch for non-HD AND Digital audio for all except the 0-98 analog channels (including DD for HD).
Dave

 

[Gregg Roszkowski]

I don't understand why you have the STB hooked up to the HDD. I take that your TWC box is Hi Def? I would hook them up separately.

Why don't you try connecting the STB separately to the AVR and then to the TV on its own input (and do the same with the HDD) and see if that helps the audio quality.


Also, the HSDL should be hooked up from the 4DTV receiver (or sidecar) to the input on the HDD only.

"Before I had the HDD, I was able to receive a digital signal to the AVR directly from the SPDIF connection (although it was a PCM signal, not DD). Now with the above setup, I can get DD audio for HD only, and analog for all else."

The only way that you can receive a DD signal is through the Hi Def feed. I think that Motorola's new 4DTV receiver has DD capabilty. If you have the new receiver than you should get DD on standard feeds, but if you have the old one, it doesn't have the DD out so the only way to get DD is through Hi Def feeds. I think the side car has the DD outs too.

What is SPDIF?

Gregg

 

[David E Smith]

The only way that you can receive a DD signal is through the Hi Def feed. I think that Motorola's new 4DTV receiver has DD capability. If you have the new receiver than you should get DD on standard feeds, but if you have the old one, it doesn't have the DD out so the only way to get DD is through Hi Def feeds. I think the side car has the DD outs too.

Does this mean that I am screwed when it comes to digital audio for DTV AND HDTV?
Dave

 

[Jeff Rosz]

hi david
hmmm,
a lot going on here, maybe i can shed some light...
the first thing you should know about the hdd200 (and 201)is this: it was made for cable companies to decode high def satellite to be rebroadcasted over their cable system. motorola saw a market for it with BUD C-band digital consumers (aka 4DTV) and the canadian provider starchoice. so they boxed it up and sold to consumers. when i got mine it was in fact from canada meant to be used by starchoice cable subscribers. anyway...sorry for the length of whats to follow...

Does this mean that I am screwed when it comes to digital audio for DTV AND HDTV?

well you arent really getting screwed because if they arent broadcasting it you cant decode it. except for starz on occasion and the stones recently on hbo. but like i said, i havent checked out digital cable in some time. i get tons more programming for way less off my BUD than the cable company here could provide.
so...when i want to watch HD my tv input goes on DTV. the HSDL provides the DD to the HDD. my HDD stays in native mode. my AVR automatically detects the DD.
when i watch SD my tv input goes on input1. my AVR detects the lack of DD and switches to prologic or stereo.
hope that helps and i didnt make any mistakes, been up all night.

 

[David E Smith]

Do I have to run Composite video to bypass this? Perhaps this is where I am missing something?

yes, on a separate video input on the tv. then you can stretch it.

In a perfect world, my HDD would have non-component pass throughs. Instead, it has composite and s-video inputs, but ONLY component outputs. :frowning: So its converting all video signals to component. This is bad news for me. It means that if everything is passed through the HDD, I have to deal with the black bars for all non-HD material.
I tried just bypassing the HDD with S-Video. The video passed to the AVR just fine, and I can see it on the RPTV S-Video input, but for some reason the digital and analog audio through the HDD quits working when I do this. I do not quite know why this is happening. The AVR detects the SPDIF connection from the HDD, but there does not appear to be any audio information in the signal or the AVR does not like the source. When I then plug the SPDIF from the STB to the AVR, it immediatly starts working. I added a SPDIF cable from the STB to the HDD in hopes it would simply 'pass' the signal to the AVR regardless of where the video is comming from, but this did not work.
I am starting to think that my problem is simply not enough SPDIF inputs on the AVR...or not enough (none) fiber outputs on Motorola stuff...either way...same result....
Really it boils down to one question:
I want to receive a PCM digital audio signal from the STB. (for cable channels 99 on up.)
I want to receive a DD audio signal for HD material from the HDD.
I want to be able to stretch non-HD video on the RPTV.
Can I achieve all of these without requiring an additional SPDIF connection on the AVR?
Dave

 

[Jeff Rosz]

um, ok, lemme try again.
1st, refer to pages 28-32 of the link i posted above.

I am starting to think that my problem is simply not enough SPDIF inputs on the AVR

my AVR has 2 inputs, i use only 1 with no problems
here is my setup, you might give it a try...however i have a motorola 4dtv receiver instead of a STB. it serves the same function as your STB, i am just bypassing the cable co i will use STB in my setup instead of 4dtv....
video...

• coax from wall to STB
• HSDL from STB to HDD
• STB composite-out(with a Y splitter), one side goes to HDD composite(or svid)-in, other side to AVR composite(or svid)-in. we'll call this AVR input, TV1
• HDD component-out to RPTV component-in
• AVR composite(or svid) video monitor-out to RPTV(input1)-in
• HDD set to native

audio...

• STB analog audio-out to HDD analog audio-in
• HDD analog audio-out to AVR analog audio-in(matches AVR TV1 composite-in above)
• HDD digital coax audio-out to AVR digital coax-in
• AVR is always set to TV1

so this is my setup. when i watch HDTV i switch to the component input on my RPTV. AVR detects which audio signal to use.
when i watch SDTV i switch to RPTV(input1). again, the AVR detects which audio signal to use.
i am sorry but there is no way to stretch any video output from the HDD. but you can output 480i as 480p, 720p, or 1080i by using the switch on the back of the HDD. if you want to stretch it, then you must use a composite or svid input on your RPTV. if you set up the audio cables as i listed, you should have no problems with audio on whatever you watch. again, this setup only uses a single digital coax input on my AVR.

 

[David E Smith]

STB composite-out(with a Y splitter), one side goes to HDD composite(or svid)-in, other side to AVR composite(or svid)-in. we'll call this AVR input, TV1

This looks like the key. Apparantly without the split signal going into the HDD, the audio wont work. This is something I just tested. (pulling the split to the AVR knocks out video and pulling the split for the HDD cuts audio) I cannot tell you why, but it now works like a charm.
Now, there IS a reason for the SPDIF from the STB to the HDD: WITH the composite splitter in place, the PCM audio signal for the digital cable stations above ch.99 ARE passed to the HDD, then on to the AVR. this is VERY cool! TWC locally delivers digital audio with their digital cable service.
So my final setup is similar to yours, but with some differences:
coax from wall to STB
STB Composite with splitter to HDD and AVR TV1 input - the splitter must fool the HDD into passing the audio...
STB HSDL to HDD - Delivers all HD content and DD audio for HD.
STB analog audio to HDD - will be passed through to the AVR
STB SPDIF to HDD - Delivers PCM digital audio through HDD to AVR - activated by split composite connection to HDD from STB
HDD Component to AVR TV1 input - used for HD material or can be used for higher quality NTSC video with black bars.
HDD analog audio to AVR TV1 input - for analog cable channels below 99.
HDD SPDIF to AVR TV1 input - passes the DD (HD) or PCM (dig. cbl) audio signals to the AVR.
AVR monitor Component to RPTV2 - for HD and DVD
AVR monitor Composite to RPTV3 - for use with RPTV stretch modes (NTSC)
Jeff and Gregg - I GREATLY appreciate the effort you have put into this thread. My setup is now working perfect, and I hope going through this exercise will help others get the best setup for their systems. Again, thank you...
Dave

 

[Jeff Rosz]

dave,
glad i could help out and that you got your system running perfect. especially since its been 5 months since you asked. i dont usually hang out in the tweaks section. gregg brought it to my attention and asked me to take a look see. the main thing is, you are good to go, another happy camper.
enjoy, and crank it up.
p.s. one other thing about the HDD200 or 201... it has this bug every now and then where you will get HD video but no audio. just unplug it for a few seconds then back in so it will reboot.

 

[David E Smith]

Jeff,

Great, thanks for all the help!

Dave