6000 Receiver Service Menu?

[jeburnett]

Does anyone know if the 6000 has a special service menu for making adjustments to the it?  I'm hoping that like my projection TV, there is a "secret" menu that service people can get into for changing or displaying certain values like IRE level.

If it does exist, I would appreciate someone giving me the "secret handshake" for getting into it.

Thanks,

Jonathan

[Marcus S]

No, because most DVD players & Satellite receivers typically output a 0 IRE level allowing you to compensate your IRE level on your TV or projector via brightness, contrast. My TV allows me to change the IRE in service mode (also refered to as sub bright, sub contrast - aka IRE dark level). I think I have my sub contrast at 7.5+, sub bright at 3.5+.... Keep in mind when you lower your contrast you typically have to raise your brighness, this reduces the life of projector tubes.

If you have the 6000 connected to your 6000 via RGB, don't. The actual issue is that the TTL levels are to low via RGB on the 6000, so in fact it is not an IRE issue. You can use Video Essentials to confirm this... Use component video if you can and at 1080i for best picture and connect S-Video to the projector for watching SDTV channels.

[jeburnett]

Marcus,

Thanks for the tip. I only mentioned IRE level as an example but I'm interested in knowing what else can be changed that can affect picture quality. I've had my new RPTV calibrated by an ISF tech and we're fighting some image problems that only show up when watching HD off the 6000. He suspects the output levels are too high, but we wanted to see what settings may exist within the unit itself. He has already setup the modes on the TV itself but that was not enough to fix the problem.

Since you're writing from Colorado is it possible that you work for Echostar or have real knowledge of this device's capabilities? If so are you saying that there is NO other service modes other than what the user can find via the user menu?

Again, thanks for your suggestions.
Jonathan

[Marcus S]

It would help to have more information of your image problems. No I do not work for E*, but have many direct contacts. I also have RPTV which consists of 3 tubes. Though your projection is rated for HDTV is it rated for native 16:9 WideScreen? There is a difference. What happens with 4:3 RPTV projectors.Requires the tech to reduce the image size on the projector within the 4:3 envelope, in wide screen, is an overscan with slight letter box effect and some distortion, viewing 4:3, doesn't quite fill up the entire screen vertically.

Though some RPTV projectors advertise 16:9 in stretch mode, it is actually letterbox within the 4:3 aspect window, then you try to mix a native 16:9 format into a 4:3 envelope and nothing scales correctly. The last issue is that some projectors support component auto-sync while others do not. A real pain for the tech to calibrate. Also have you fooled with the "*" button on the remote, for normal, stretch, full & partial zoom modes.You should calibrate in normal mode.

ISF tech, the guy that showed up here was 27. I asked him to default the projector back to convergence defaults and perform manual convergence on the tubes. The guy looked at me like I was from another planet and ran out the door. Far to complicated? No, it's just that they really don't know how to do it have of the time, so I have no confidence in his ability to do anything else. I have ordered the service manual to do it myself, but then I did have 4 years of vocational TV repair and I did replace the picture tube in my 10 year old 27" Emerson recently for the heck of it.

If you really need help, go to a TV repair store where the guys are 50+. They know what they are doing and know more than the morons from UltimateTV.