PIP question on TH-42PD25U/P

[scottymomo]

Hi there,

I recently purchased the 42" Panny TH-42PD25U/P from Circuit City and really like it. I'm a little confused on the PIP operation and was wondering if someone could help me out.

PIP seems to work fine if the main picture is on a digital channel, then the PIP frame shows the Analog channels correctly. If I have the main frame on an Analog channel however, the PIP frame doesn't work regardless of the input source for the PIP frame. I see a disrupted picture like the channels are scrambled).

When not using PIP, all input sources (Component 1 (STB), Antenna A (cable in from wall), Component 2 (DVD), and Composite Video 1 (VCR) all work fine.

Here is my config:

Cable from the wall is split. One cable going to the Antenna A input on the TV (both analog and digital channels come in fine), the second cable going into my STB (Motoral DCT6200) then out to my TV using the Component 1 input.

Also have a cable out from the STB to my VCR, and the VCR using composite cables to the Composite Video 1 input into the TV.

In the manual, it's a little confusing as well, as it says on one page that the PIP frame displays analog channel signal of Antenna A only, but on the next page in the Input mode of the PIP frame, I can switch between the input types. Aren't those two contradictory?

Thanks in advance!

[Ratman]

Just my guess...
You can pip two analog sources.
You can pip one digital source and one analog source as long as the "primary" window is digital, "secondary" as analog.

You cannot pip any digital source as the "secondary" window.

Just my initial thought...

[57U]

Almost each TV model has different restrictions as to what can be displayed PiP. Some TVs can display "anything" in the PiPs. Others have severe restrictions, as you've encountered.

Most people who have digital cable find the PiP function next to useless, unfortunately. Some of the newer STBs have two tuners and can do PiP themselves, sending the PiP to the TV.

[scottymomo]

Could be. I guess I could re-setup the TV so that the Antenna A input is Analog only rather than Analog and Digital to see if that works. Of course, that would defeat the purpose of being able to access all the Analog and Digital channels directly from the TV, rather than going through the STB (our cable provider only provides local HD channels and the signal is unscrambled, so no real need for the STB) :)