Newbie needs some help - C32V37

[The Beast]

I just bought a Zenith C32v37 32" hdtv and I have a couple of questions which I have not be able to find on these forums. First of all I have Time Warner digital Cable in North Carolina. I thought with the hd tuner being already inside the tv that I would be able to get the hd channels with only the digital box. Do I need to get the hd tuner box that TWC provides?
I just got the digital box today and when I try to do the tv scan to load all of the channels all I get are channel 3 and 14 (no catv/dtv). I am able to change the channel with the remote that TWC gave me but the remote that came with the tv will only turn to 3 and 14. When I type in a channel all I get is the black and white fuzz but if I use the TWC remote the channel comes in clear. It worked before the digital box was hooked up. Because of this I cannot use the PIP (only can see channel 3 and 14). Can any one help me figure this out? Thanks for the help.

[57U]

1. An internal ATSC tuner is useless for digital cable (and HD since HD is digital) TV since digital cable is usually:

a) QAM and not 8VSB which most internal ATSC tuner are (a type of modulation) (You can't pick up FM with an AM radio)

& b) even if it were QAM, most cable companies scramble their digital channels - that's why you need their STB.

2. The digital STB (set top box) is now your tuner. The only signal it's capable of sending out is channel 3, that is why you cannot tune anything else with your TV's internal tuner.

3. The digital STB should be connected via a different cable than the RF coax cable and it should not be connected to your "antenna" input. I suggest you read the manual for the digital STB on how to connect it to the TV. Most people connect it using an s-video cable. Also read the manual regarding your TV.

4. You will need an HD STB from the cable company to receive HD. See the FAQ on Cables & Connections - there's a diagram in there on how to hook up a sample STB and the various connections are explained.

5. With digital cable the TV's PIP functionality is pretty well useless. For PIP you need two "sources". This used to be the two analogue tuners in your TV, but as soon as you hook up a digital box, it becomes one of the sources.

You can still probably do PIP, but you'd need to split the cable sending one RF coax to the STB, and one RF coax to the TV's internal tuner, but the internal tuner can only pick up the analogue channels (those typically under 100). OR you can rent a second STB for the second input to get PIP. Most people simply don't bother.

HDTVs are a lot like computers, they are not "plug and play" like old TVs. I hope this helps

The above applies to Cable TV, but...

Since you have an internal ATSC tuner, you could connect it to an antenna and perhaps tune in some of the OTA (over the air) HD channels that way. See the FAQs on Antennae. You could then also make use of the PIP functions using the internal tuner.

You've also bought yourself a 4:3 TV. All True HD is 16:9. See the FAQ on 4:3 vs Widescreen.

[summerfun]

You still need the HD box from TWC. For cable or satellite HD channels you need an HD box.

You will only use the internal HD tuner if you put up an antenna for local OTA HD channels. With some satellite systems, you don’t get local channels, so you will use your tuner and antenna for the local OTA channels. For other systems, you can get the locals as well, so you will never use the internal HD tuner.

This is why so many people buy HD monitors rather than HDTV with HD tuners. They will not ever use the tuner.

There are designs to have plug and play HDTV that would accept HD cable directly into the TV, but those are just being designed and the first generations will not have any of the VOC commands or DVR capabilities.

For now, you need to contact TWC and switch out your Digital box and get the HD box.

[lgmayka]

Just for the record:

The C32V37 does indeed have an HDTV tuner that handles both 8VSB (over-the-air) and QAM (cable). If you plug the coax cable coming into your house directly into the C32V37--bypassing any set-top box--then set the C32V37 to look for CADTV as well as CATV, and run an EZ-Scan, you may pick up some or all of your locally broadcast digital channels.

I have heard the claim that cable companies are not allowed to scramble/encode the locally broadcast digital channels, but (a) some cable companies reportedly do this anyway, and (b) some cable companies slot them into channel numbers so high that a typical QAM tuner such as in the C32V37 does not find them. But still, it can't hurt to see what the EZ-Scan picks up.

This technique will almost certainly not be able to display premium (scrambled/encoded) channels, so you may end up subscribing to your cable company's digital service anyway. You might even want to split the coax signal and route it to both the C32V37 and your digital set-top box. The digital set-top box will presumably connect to your C32V37 via either component video inputs or a DVI cable.

Although true HDTV is 16:9, only a small portion of current broadcasting is genuine HDTV; most digital broadcasting is still actually 4:3. In deciding between a 4:3 vs. a 16:9 set, one must compare sets of equal cost. Typically, a 30" 16:9 HDTV set costs as much as a 32" 4:3 HDTV set; but the 32" 4:3 set can display 16:9 images exactly as if it were a 29.4" 16:9 set, whereas a 30" 16:9 set displays 4:3 images as if it were a puny 24.6" 4:3 set. So the bottom line is that 32" 4:3 set is about as good for 16:9 images as a 30" 16:9 set, whereas that 30" 16:9 set displays ridiculously small 4:3 images in comparison to the 32" 4:3 set.

Obviously, this assumes that the 32" 4:3 set has a Zoom mode, which the C32V37 certainly does.

Similarly, if one compares a 36" 4:3 set with a 34" 16:9 set at roughly the same price: A 36" 4:3 set can act as an equivalent 33" 16:9 set, whereas a 34" 16:9 set shows 4:3 images as if it were a 28" 4:3 set.

[lgmayka]

Also keep in mind that some or all ABC affiliates broadcast most of their programs in vertically scrunched 720p. This means that unless you are able to vertically stretch the picture (as the C32V37 can do), you are effectively watching programs through a funhouse mirror.

[57U]

Also keep in mind that some or all ABC affiliates broadcast most of their programs in vertically scrunched 720p. This means that unless you are able to vertically stretch the picture (as the C32V37 can do), you are effectively watching programs through a funhouse mirror.Whether the channel is broadcasting 720P or 1080i has no effect on the "size" of the image. I think you're confusing the number of scan lines with the size of the image and that is simply not the case.

I find it interesting that so many Cable companies in the US leave many of their digital channels unencrypted. In Canada, I believe almost everything on digital is encrypted, excepting during "free preview" times.

[lgmayka]

Whether the channel is broadcasting 720P or 1080i has no effect on the "size" of the image. I think you're confusing the number of scan lines with the size of the image and that is simply not the case.
My statement is effectively correct as it stands. The ABC affiliate in Chicago is sending out legacy 4:3 material at 720p, without pillarboxing. Since all HDTV tuners and monitors assume that 720p programming is 16:9 as per the ATSC standard, the ABC affiliate's programming appears vertically scrunched on any properly behaving HDTV monitor. The C32V37, whose full size is 4:3 anyway, has a mode to vertically stretch this scrunched programming back to its correct 4:3 aspect ratio. I can only hope that a widescreen HDTV has at least a horizontal squeezing mode to squeeze this programming into a pillarboxed 4:3 aspect ratio.

[57U]

Ahh, thank you for the clarification - much like stretched SD programming on ESPN-HD. WS TVs do not have a "scrunch" mode to get the image back to 4:3. We have to put up with the stretched image, which at least prevents burn in on CRT-based TVs. These stretched images can sometimes be "nice" if done properly by the affiliate. If not done properly, then you can choose to watch the SD channel instead.

This has nothing to do with 720P though, it also happens on 1080i, as I found out on TSN-HD (Canadian sports channel) which stretched the coverage of a car race on the weekend - first time I've seen that on a Canadian Station.

[filmokid]

I have this TV and have been able to connect the cable coax directly to it to get video/audio for several things on Time Warner Houston's digital tier: I can get all of the music channels, two of the local NBC subchannels (KPRC), and, what appears to be the "icontrol" video-on-demand feeds (though I obviously can't control the video on these).

My question is this: since the TV pulls in over 400 channels/signals when I ask EZ Scan to look for CADTV, are the rest of the channels (that I don't see a picture on) encrypted?? Does anybody know if TWC Houston encrypts its non-premium digital tier channels, or is there some other reason I can get just the channels I get --- and not all 400+ channels.

BTW ... I am extremely happy with this set for its HD capability. While it is not a wide screen, I have a relatively cozy viewing room -- so the picture is large enough for that room --- and the HD is crisp where I am. I'm able to pull in about 19 OTA digital channels using an indoor RCA amplified antenna. I researched TV's before getting this and for the price, and features (integrated HD tuner, connections, picture-in-picture, etc.) I found that it was the best choice to make the jump into HD.

Thanks, in advance for answers to my above query. :sherlok: