View Full Version : Sci-Atlanta 3100HD & Sony XBR400 question
Horst_G
08-01-2002, 07:35 PM
Time Warner just gave me a Scientific Atlanta 3100HD box, and wow is it great to finally be taking full advantage of my TV! I've had it for a year and all I'd done so far was watch DVDs in progressive mode.
Unfortunately, there is one moderate problem. When I switch to the HD input on the TV, any non-high-def feed gets displayed in a small 4:3 box in the middle of my screen. It looks, IOW, like a picture that's simultaneously letterboxed _and_ windowboxed.
Shouldn't I be able to watch all my cable channels, high-def or not, on the one HD input with the cable box and my TV working such that they switche to normal (non-HDTV) display mode when handling a non-high-def feed? As it stands, I have to switch TV inputs depending on what channel and program I'm watching, which is an inconvenience and an irritation.
TIA!
Originally posted by Horst_G
When I switch to the HD input on the TV, any non-high-def feed gets displayed in a small 4:3 box in the middle of my screen. It looks, like a picture that's simultaneously letterboxed _and_ windowboxed.This does not happen with my Hitachi.
1. Perhaps someone with a Sony can suggest some settings that you can change to prevent this, but most HD inputs do not allow this type of change.
2. When watching non-HD programming, I do switch to S-Video or composite video inputs as the picture is actually "better" than when using component video. This is a known issue with the SA3100HD. Sorry, that's life.
3. When using S-video or composite video, you should be able to scale or "stretch" the image as well, to prevent burn in.
4. The input switching may be something that you'll need to live with. Most of us do.
5. I have read on this, and other forums, that Sonys do not "do well" with the S-video input of standard definition images, but you'll have to test that for yourself. It sounds as though you haven't encountered that problem.
Horst_G
08-01-2002, 10:06 PM
This does not happen with my Hitachi.
Perhaps widescreen sets stretch the image to fit in more situations? My TV lets me change some display options (480i/480p/960i, for example) with some inputs, but not with HD.
5. I have read on this, and other forums, that Sonys do not "do well" with the S-video input of standard definition images, but you'll have to test that for yourself. It sounds as though you haven't encountered that problem.
Hmm, I don't really have any basis for comparison, actually, though I certainly haven't been impressed with the quality of my standard-definition channels on this cable system. (When I lived in the suburbs I had Dish Network, which was generally outstanding compared to Time Warner's digital cable.)
Perhaps I'd get a better picture using coax for the standard definition programming?
RickNeff
08-02-2002, 02:35 AM
Actually, I had heard that the S-video out on the SA boxes left something to be desired. I know it's true in my case, and the standard definition stuff I run through the regular ol' coax.
Originally posted by RickNeff
Actually, I had heard that the S-video out on the SA boxes left something to be desired. I know it's true in my case, and the standard definition stuff I run through the regular ol' coax. That was not the case with my SA2000HD and it certainly isn't the case with my SA3100HD. We have a lot of these STBs in Toronto, as Rogers Cable is a leader in DTV/HDTV. There must be 10's of thousands and the Canadian forum on HDTV has not raised this as an issue.
We have confirmed that running the standard def signal through the component video cables of the HD boxes provides a poorer picture quality than through composite or S-video. The 3100HD is better at this than the 2000HD, but standard def is still better through the alternate connections. Rogers is currently proactively replacing all existing 2000HD boxes with the newer 3100HD since the 2000HDs were a stopgap measure to get HD to the "bleeding edge" folks.
we had a sa3100hd installed and the high def was great but everything else was very poor, we ended up taking it back and quiting the cable, and keeping our DIR**V satalite was much much clearer. After the fact someone mentioned that it may be the line conditions from the pole to our house. THe tech that hooked it up failed and when they finally sent out the second tech he got it working using the second line (duel line cable from before digital) to get it to work. he sadi there was watter and rust in the first line. Last night on a whim i hooked up straight to the wall and the picture was not as bad as through the digital box (3100hd) now i am confused, should i try and get the cable co to change the line and try again? or is this business about the line conditon and fixing the picture quality just someone's idea of a cruel joke?
Thanks
former HD watcher pidd
PIDD, welcome to the forum:
The 3100HD can check your signal strength. Call technical support, ask them how to do it and see if the strength is acceptable. If not, have them back to do whatever is required.
There is a known issue with the component video output from the SA3100HD not giving good picture quality on standard def programming. You'll need to watch SD programmes through composite or S-Video. It should be perfectly clear. HD programmes have to be watched through the component video connection, of course.
I just contacted the cable company and they confirmed what you just posted, they will send someone out to run a brand new drop from the pole. I am hopeing for the best as our only other HDTV option was dropping alot of money on a new D*R*tv receiver or nothing at all. I will repost next thursday after the work is done for an update on weather this worked or not.
thanks again,
PIDD
Not only did Warner not drop a new line they sent the same tech who messed up our first attempt at the install two weeks prior.
He said dropping anew line would make NO difference. That HB* and all the other pay channels looked ok so the signal was good. Otherwise they would not come in. He then proceeded to go to the no pay stations (tbs, scifi, etc) and said how good the looked. I told them they were horrible, then switched over to the same channels on Dir*tv and it was like night and day. He then told me that all the non pay channels are not digital and that is as good as they will get. Why would direct connect be better than through the 3100? He had no answer. He said my RR works so the cable must be fine.
So at the end of it all I unhooked all the equipment, wrote no equipment received and customer does not want service on the work order. Told him thanks anyways.
I am now a Dir*tv customer for life as nothing they can do could compare to losing 2 1/2 days of work, being promised it would be fixed and it not, and the overall feeling that the no one there has even the slightest clue.
So thanks to these boards I was able to make an informed choice and know when to cut my losses.
Thanks
PIDD
from http://www.timewarnerwi.com/custserve.html
How is Digital Cable better than a satellite dish?
Digital Cable provides customers with:
Sharper, brighter digital pictures and clearer, CD-quality sound.
"ok, whatever"
PIDD. Thank you for your personal comments. They are appreciated.
One should not generalize from your experience that satellite is superior to cable, because it is not. A properly set up cable system has the superior bandwidth and should provide a superior signal. I do not know why it did not in your case.
I only hope that you tested the SA3100HD using composite or S-Video cables as I mentioned earlier in this thread for SD channels. There is a known issue with watching SD channels through the component cables and the picture does look horrible when viewed this way...
The tech should not have said they looked good if they didn't, of course...
Sorry to lose you from the "Cable fold". You should write a short letter to TWC telling them why they lost you as a customer...
waikikiTed
10-24-2002, 09:25 PM
Originally posted by Horst_G
Unfortunately, there is one moderate problem. When I switch to the HD input on the TV, any non-high-def feed gets displayed in a small 4:3 box in the middle of my screen. It looks, IOW, like a picture that's simultaneously letterboxed _and_ windowboxed.
I have a new 3100HC box on a 40XBR700 and its the same box within a box of non HD channels. Its annoying.
Originally posted by waikikiTed
I have a new 3100HC box on a 40XBR700 and its the same box within a box of non HD channels. Its annoying. Aloha and welcome to the forum. The issue you mention is common with 4:3 HDTVs. 4:3 HDTVs are not "true" HDTVs because all HDTV is 16:9.
You may wish to check out our FAQ Forum (about the 6th one down on the home page). The post on 4:3 vs Widescreen discusses this issue. I hope that the other FAQ posts are informative too.
Just by way of clarification this "window" effect is the "fault" of the TV, not of the STB - the STB is simply "passing through" the upconverted 4:3 image. In future there will be cable STBs that have scalers, that may help, though.
waikikiTed
10-24-2002, 09:44 PM
Thanks 57U.
I did read the wonderful FAQs and learned alot. The 4:3 issue and picture difference is tolderable for me. I only recently bought the Sony as my 65HX81 Toshiba was too $$$$ to ship to Hawaii and the Sony fits in the room better...... I do like it tho.
I ALSO notice the Svideo out form this 3100HD directly into the TV looks worse than SVideo did from the previous NON-HD SA box they took out from me..... thats a bummer.
The WEIRD thing about that 3100HD box tho is that theres only 1 set of audio outs???? The instructions recommend a Y splitter but theres signal loss thru that! I guess it wont matter when I get my Pioneer Elite receiver from the move to control it all.
Once you get your receiver, you can hook up the digital cable and you won't have any losses there. The analogue sound doesn't really suffer that much from a "Y" connector because the analogue sound isn't that great to begin with.
Experiment with the video connections from the 3100HD to the TV. Some people have the best picture with the coax (RF) cable. Some with the composite video, some with S-video. The component video connection should only be used for the HD channels, as you've no doubt read, the component video cables are no good from the SA3100HD for SD signals. Use the composite, S-video or coax for those.
