HD or not?

[4x4TX]

I am using time warner Houston with the Motorola STB, and we have four channels that are "HD" channels...309 for Fox, 311 for CBS, 312 for NBC, and 313 for ABC...I can tell that CBS is almost always in HD as it looks great, is formatted for the 16:9 etc....but what about the others...

Fox is always in 4:3, and although it looks better than my regular fox channel, it doesnt look HD....

ABC is the same way...Watching college football this weekend, the games were alot better on these HD channels, but the formatting was alittle off..meaning I had some black bars on both sides and the screeen was to tall, meaning I didnt get to view the score ticker as it was off the screen...what is the deal? Is my TV set up wrong? the pic wasnt in 4:3 but it wasnt in 16:9 either, it was like 15:10 or something, not quite wide enough and too tall???

[kevinw]

Call a tech and have your geometry done. Unless someone else knows how to get into the service modes and you are willling.
Check here for any info that may help:
http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/brandspecific/hitachi/hitachi_tips.html

[4x4TX]

Thanks for the link...So its possible that the geometry could be off even though the CBS channel is perfectly aligned?

Where can I find a list of calibrators in the Houston Area?

[kevinw]

I just had the same problem. Fox ticker was half covered by the top of the screen and anything in 4:3 was off center. All the other channels appeared correct.
Since I have the knowledge to work in the service mode, I fixed the geoemetry and did a new convergence. Now everything is aligned and the stations that appeared ok before are even better.

If your TV is still under warranty, I would try that route first.

[4x4TX]

This is what a guy at TW told me...seems my tv is ok, its abc being cheap as he is right, my MNF games looks much better...



"I work for TW in houston, and ABC college games are not true HD, if you look at the difference in Monday night football and college games it is night and day. MNF is in true 1080i, the truest form of HD, the college games are done in 480i, which is basically, a cheaper broadcast.You will notice that the college games are not done in full widescreen, and it looks blown up, so it cuts off the top and bottom of the picture. It is just a matter of how much it costs to use the best cameras , film, production etc.., However, CBS, does most of their SEC games in 1080i, , it pisses me off, but there is not much we can do about it, until ABC decides to change.
"

[xmmusicman]

Originally posted by 4x4TX
This is what a guy at TW told me...seems my tv is ok, its abc being cheap as he is right, my MNF games looks much better...



"I work for TW in houston, and ABC college games are not true HD, if you look at the difference in Monday night football and college games it is night and day. MNF is in true 1080i, the truest form of HD, the college games are done in 480i, which is basically, a cheaper broadcast.You will notice that the college games are not done in full widescreen, and it looks blown up, so it cuts off the top and bottom of the picture. It is just a matter of how much it costs to use the best cameras , film, production etc.., However, CBS, does most of their SEC games in 1080i, , it pisses me off, but there is not much we can do about it, until ABC decides to change.
"

Well, this is not quite correct. ABC broadcasts HD programs (like MNF) in 720P, not 1080I, as does ESPN HD. ABC does not generally broadcast ANY college games in HD. Now, if you are watching an ABC college game on a station that broadcasts in digital, you should see better resolution than the corresponding analog broadcast, but the output is generally 4:3 except for some local stations that choose a different format, like 14:9 for example, but it is not going to be HD. CBS does some specific SEC games in HD and you can check the schedule for which games are in HD at the following location:

http://www.sportsline.com/u/cbs/schedule/coll_football.htm