FEATURE REQUEST: More Output Functions

[phaseshift]

A suggestion based on the screen shots in Mark's excellent review. More flexibility in output formats. I would love to have an option to send both 720p and 1080i, as my display has a Faroujda chipset that seems to do conversions between these two formats better than any set-top boxes I've seen. However, I would want it to still upconvert 480i material.

[DaveP]

I'll second that....

Basically an option to do a direct pass-through of any 720p or 1080i signal so there's no conversion happening within the sat receiver. My projector can also handle both types of signals and it'd be nice to just have it get fed the same signal that's coming from the network.

So, rather than having radio buttons (only one selection) to choose the resolution, have it be checkboxes (multiple selections) to select any resolutions your display can handle. Or just add an additional option to the existing menu for "720p & 1080i"

[Danny R]

Based on the review, I think I'll give this a third.

Perhaps a simple menu for each video input is in order: Have a list of all input modes, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i and then an accompanying toggle for each on how you want these inputs processed.

In my case for my Sony 4x3 Hidef capable tv, I'd set:

1080i - same
720p - convert to 1080i
480p - same
480i - convert to 480p

With such a setting, I could just use my component outputs and be perfectly happy and never have to worry about toggling anything

[WadeSc]

What Danny R is saying seems like the perfect solution to me also. We shouldn't have to return to the set-up menu every time we change from a HD channel to an SD channel.

[Danny R]

You don't have to go to the set-up menu now if you run both S-video and component to your TV set, but you do have to toggle the inputs on both the 921 and your tv set (pressing the SD/HD button on the remote, and the TV/Input button as well).

At least thats what I'd have to do with the current setup. It would be nice not to have to do this.

[krt]

I agree with Danny R's suggestion as well. In addition, it would be nice to be able to override the menu selections for each input processed using the remote.

i.e. One could set the following in the setup menu:
1080i -> 1080i
720p -> 720p
480p -> 480p
480i -> 480p

Then when watching a 1080i source per say, the user could press "sd/hd" on the remote, which could bring up a popup menu.

1. Output 1080i
2. Ouput 720p
3. Output 480p
4. Switch to 480i

Thus, "SD/HD" followed by "3" on the remote would switch the current 1080i output to 480p, etc. This remote selection could automatically be updated in the setup menu as well. This would be ideal in the case where one wants to override the menu setttings temporarily, without going into the setup menu.

[OKCrew]

I too agree with Danny R's suggestion as a setup for default output. Although, I would suggest toggling through the ouput resolutions via the # key (consistent with the * key on the other side of 0). Of course the receiver would have to have some trigger to abandon the override e.g. changing channels or sensing a different input resolution.

[JStanton]

+1 on the Danny R suggestion. The others are 'nice to have'.

[Bradtothebone]

Thumbs-up on the Danny R scheme.

[Chetk]

Just to add...if a menu were to pop up and give us options to change our output type, it would need to tell us our current output type AND current source type for the channel we are currently on.

It doesn't do us any good to change to something else if we don't know what we're already on and what the network broadcasts in. :grin:

[phaseshift]

It doesn't do us any good to change to something else if we don't know what we're already on and what the network broadcasts in. :grin:

For those who don't know this, as a general rule of thumb, I think all current HD broadcasts in 1080i EXCEPT ABC and ESPN, which do 720p.

[wcswett]

I agree with Danny R's suggestion as well. In addition, it would be nice to be able to override the menu selections for each input processed using the remote.

i.e. One could set the following in the setup menu:
1080i -> 1080i
720p -> 720p
480p -> 480p
480i -> 480p

I also would very much like to see this feature as I would set up my preferences exactly as above.

--- WCS

[Danny R]

Glad everybody likes my suggestion! ;)

I would think this would really be easy to implement. Presumably when the 921 decodes a signal, it has to start up an algorithm of some sort that does a lookup of what the Display Settings are, and then runs the appropriate conversion program for the output. Thus to get this working, one probably only has to change the lookup algorithm so that it returns an appropriate Display Setting depending on what the input is.

The rest is just setting up the user interfaces.

Anyway, I'd make this a high priority upgrade as it will cut down on the aggrevation of a LOT of users who don't want to keep toggling inputs just when browsing channels.

[gwalborn]

I agree with Danny's suggestion (as a matter of fact, I suggested something very similar in another thread). I have a Sony 61" 4x3 TV. Right now with the 6000, I have to constantly change inputs because all 1080i content is displayed in 16x9. I have to select the S-video input for 4x3 content and the DTV input for 16x9 content. This is a constant annoyance. If the 921 would allow me to select output format for each of the input formats, I could make all 4x3 content 480p and all 720p and 1080i content 1080i. The Sony would then automatically switch from 4x3 to 16x9. What's our chance of making this happen?


Gary Walborn

[CompuDude]

Yet another vote for Danny R's suggestion.

My Mitsu 16x9 RPTV does 480i, 480p and 1080i. It would rock if I never could leave everything on the on Component input at all times at 480p or 1080i only, depending on the source.

Anyone know if 720p looks best upconverted to 1080i or downconverted to 480p? Easiest enough to figure out trial and error, and it will be some time before I get my hands on one anyway, but it would be nice to know. :-)

-CD

[Mark Lamutt]

720p upconverted to 1080i looks much better than downconverted to 480p. But this isn't the place for that discussion.

[CompuDude]

Apologies if it seemed OT. Perhaps this will bring it back around to the topic. IF Dish impliments the requested feature, they may want to put a blurb in their manual indicating which modes work best for which sources, as in, 480i>480p, 720p>1080i, etc., so people don't end up asking the same sort of questions I did. :-)

[Doody]

i'd like to bump this topic again to see if we think there's any chance DISH might be paying attention to it.

as currently operating, this issue is basically a deal-breaker for me, which TOTALLY bums me out :(

DannyR's suggestion is a rational one. i like it, and that'd work well for me. i can't imagine it's rocket science to put into the system (it's work, for sure, but it's just work).

and if i could plea once again, please, no cycling controls. or if you must have cycling controls and menu choices, still please have RS232 (probably not possible in the 921 at this late date) or IR discrete commands to do the same functions.

for those of us with external scalers and automation systems, we need these features. and outside the bleeding-edge early-adopters, many of the customers for $1,000 satellite DVR boxes may have external scalers and/or automation systems - so it's probably good business.

thanks,
doody.

[Doody]

could anyone comment on whether L1.45 added any new functionality in this regard?

thanks,
doody.

[Mark Lamutt]

No - L145 didn't add really anything new, just fixed some of the more major bugs.

[Slordak]

Once Dish is done bug fixing (or fixing all the severity 1, 2 and 3 issues), this is probably the most requested feature (other than "add a second digital OTA tuner", which is a hardware feature).

I too want to always output 720p as 720p and 480i as 480p (since I understand that 480i may not be able to be output as 480i), without having to switch between SD/HD modes, change to a different input on my TV, or otherwise adjust anything in the 921 menus.