What Resolution Do I Set?

[jamieh1]

I have a 1366x768(720p) LCD HDTV. What resoluiton should I set my HR20 to?
I currently have it on Native, but I thought somewhere I read that upconverting causes the picture not to look as good.
Im using HDMI
480p
720p
1080i
now for my viewing.

On my 1st LCD HDTV when I used HDMI the picture looked washed and dull.
480p looked fuzzy for SD channels. So I used component, looked more bright, colorful and crisp.

But on my new tv, HDMI is better, and 480p is not fuzzy.

My first tv was a Samsung 32" LN-R328W
My new one is a Samsung 40" LN-S4041D

[hdfan01]

Try turning native off, and setting res @ 720. You should see similar pq on all HD and good on SD. Channel changes will be much quicker too.

[terryfoster]

Using native shouldn't reduce picture quality. The simple answer is play around with your settings and find the right one for you. Everyone else will have their suggestions, but do what looks best to you and your equipment configuration.

[Steve Robertson]

My tv excepts all formats and I have gone back and forth with the settings as I have not found something that I really want to stick with. I also noticed that the format does not change all the time when it is on and even when i go to change myself it gets stuck on whatever resolution it is on and I have to hit the button on the box to move it. I will probably end up keeping it at 1080i however SD shows don't look all that great on that setting plus I like to switch to 720p when watching Fox, ESPN, ABC. The other question I have should it be set at pillar box? as opposed to crop and stretch? I notice no difference with HD programing but I do with the SD broadcasts.

The other question I have is I was under the impression that you could go back and forth with HDMI and component but that does not seem to be the case or is my box messed up?

Thanks

[Picketeer]

If your TV on supports one resolution, how can you set the box at another and expect to get that type resolution? Will that really work?

[michaelbarringer]

I have a 1366x768(720p) LCD HDTV. What resoluiton should I set my HR20 to?
I currently have it on Native, but I thought somewhere I read that upconverting causes the picture not to look as good.
Im using HDMI
480p
720p
1080i
now for my viewing.

On my 1st LCD HDTV when I used HDMI the picture looked washed and dull.
480p looked fuzzy for SD channels. So I used component, looked more bright, colorful and crisp.

But on my new tv, HDMI is better, and 480p is not fuzzy.

My first tv was a Samsung 32" LN-R328W
My new one is a Samsung 40" LN-S4041D

My Philips Plasma looked the same way, all washed out on native on, tried the suggestion of native off and setting res to 780p, WHAT A DIFFERENCE, the insects on Discovery HD almost fly off the tv into my living room, Thanks all:)

[cygnusloop]

Since your TV is 720p, there is no reason to have the HR20 send 1080i to the display. So, that leaves you with basically 2 choices.

1) Leave native=ON, and check the 480i, 480p, and 720p boxes in the HR20 setup. Here's what would happen: If the programming was 480i or 480p, the HR20 would send that to the TV. Your TV would then upconvert the signal to it's native display format, which is 720p. In this case, when you change the channel, and the resolution changes, there will be a few seconds that pass while your TV adjusts to the new resolution.

2) This is the one I would choose. Turn native=OFF, and check ONLY 720p in the HR20 setup. Now, in this case, if the programming is480 (i or p) it will be upconverted in the HR20 to 720p and sent to your TV. If the programming is already 720p, it will be passed through unchanged. In any case, the HR20 will ALWAYS be outputting a 720p stream to your TV. This will make channel changes faster, but this is not the main reason that I would go with this setup choice.

The main reason is: UPCONVERSION WILL ALWAYS BE BETTER IN THE SET TOP BOX. Why? The set top box has access to the motion vectors in the compressed MPEG2/MPEG4 stream. When upconverting, this information is very helpful when scaling the image. When you send an uncompressed signal via HDMI/DVI or component to the DTV display, this information is not included, and is essentially thrown away. The same argument applies for deinterlacing a 1080i signal to 720p. If your TV can handle a 1080i stream (which it probably can), the DTV would have to deinterlace the frames and create 720p for the display, and, again, would not have access to the motion vector information. Thus, I would recommend NOT checking the 1080i box in your situation.

For those with a native 1080 display, I would recommend setting native=OFF, and checking 1080i ONLY for all the same reasons.

All that said, PQ is a VERY subjective thing. In the end, do what looks best, and works best for YOU.

[Steve Robertson]

Great explanation and I think you are right as far as 1080i on my set goes. I just may leave it there and forget about it. However what little SD I watch does not look good doing it this way. I also have this feeling when watching 720p that I should set the box at that instaed of the 1080i and have it upscale.

In the end you are ruight whatever looks best go for it.

[veryoldschool]

I use native because SD seems to look better, but it could all be in my mind.
Question: Is there any 480p programing?
From an earlier posting...some TVs don't handle 480i over HDMI so.....that's why 480p.

[cygnusloop]

My tv excepts all formats and I have gone back and forth with the settings as I have not found something that I really want to stick with. I also noticed that the format does not change all the time when it is on and even when i go to change myself it gets stuck on whatever resolution it is on and I have to hit the button on the box to move it. I will probably end up keeping it at 1080i however SD shows don't look all that great on that setting plus I like to switch to 720p when watching Fox, ESPN, ABC. The other question I have should it be set at pillar box? as opposed to crop and stretch? I notice no difference with HD programing but I do with the SD broadcasts.

The other question I have is I was under the impression that you could go back and forth with HDMI and component but that does not seem to be the case or is my box messed up?

Thanks

I understand your TV accepts all formats, but what is its native display? 720p, or 1080p. You have to realize that no matter what the source, your screen will always be displaying its native resolution. With my 1080p display I have had the best results when set to 1080i and the DTV only has to deinterlace to 1080p. As for sending 720p to a 1080p set: Some have stated that they prefer the PQ of 720p programming sent as 720p to their native 1080p set. The issue here is the artifacts caused by interlacing the 720p stream to 1080i and then having the TV deinterlace the 1080i to 1080p. There are some advantages to sending a progressive stream to the display, and in this case, the only job of the DTV is to scale the 720p stream to a 1080p image. However, this will also create some artifacts. Which one is "better" is likely a matter of personal taste (personally, on my 56" 1080p display, I can't see any difference.)

Pillarbox: This only comes into play when the HR20 is receiving a 4:3 aspect ratio SD signal. So, you are correct when you say that you see no difference on HD (16:9) programming. Don't confuse this with the HR20 receiving a 720p or 1080i signal of programming that was originally 4:3. In that case, the pillar bars are part of the 16:9 broadcast that you are receiving from the source. I personally have it set to pillar box, as I hate the stretching and cropping. Some people, however, insist on their whole 16:9 display being "full" no matter what. I just prefer having everything in it's OAR. So, no wrong answer, just depends what you like.

HDMI/Component: I have had both HDMI and Component hooked up to my TV at the same time, and been able to change the input of the TV to compare PQ. I am not sure what you mean by "go back and forth". I can say that unplugging and reconnecting an HDMI cable can be problematic, as there is a handshaking protocol that happens between the HR20 and the DTV. Please elaborate on what you are trying to do.

[cygnusloop]

Question: Is there any 480p programing?


The programming that comes from your DVD player is!;)

But really, that's a good question. I seem to remember ED programming at sometime in the past. (ED=Enhanced Definition=480p) there were a lot of ED TV's available as well. I don't know if anyone ever broadcast in ED or not. Maybe someone will chime in.

[machavez00]

For my setup: HDMI with native on, 720p/1080i selected. I let the HR20 upconvert SD to 720p (one less convert, 480i-480p-720p), 720p HD is sent through and send 1080i sent through and lets my set do the de-interlace. As stated above test and do what works best for you.

[Steve Robertson]

My native display is 1080p. As far as HDMI and conponent do you have to unplug the HDMI to get to the component out puts or are you able to switch without disconnecting?

Thanks for the info great post

[machavez00]

My native display is 1080p. As far as HDMI and component do you have to unplug the HDMI to get to the component out puts or are you able to switch without disconnecting?

Thanks for the info great post

Yes, you can have all of them hooked up if you want. I have both HDMI and component hooked up and both are active. according to D* training videos the installer is supposed to hook up an HD and a SD output with the SD as a back up. You used to be able to watch the D* training videos until they realized anyone could watch them.

[Steve Robertson]

Yes, you can have all of them hooked up if you want. I have both HDMI and component hooked up and both are active. according to D* training videos the installer is supposed to hook up an HD and a SD output with the SD as a back up. You used to be able to watch the D* training videos until they realized anyone could watch them.

Thanks for the info but the last time I tried My component would not come on. I know with the tivo box you had to unpplug it so maybe I have a bad box?

[finaldiet]

I don't think they hooked up SD on mine , Only HDMI. Will have to check.

[Steve Robertson]

I don't think they hooked up SD on mine , Only HDMI. Will have to check.


I do not have SD hooked up on mine just HDMI and component.

[machavez00]

Thanks for the info but the last time I tried My component would not come on. I know with the tivo box you had to unpplug it so maybe I have a bad box?

If you have a second component input try that. I had one with a bad solder joint that I had repaired. The installer hooked up HDMI and component but did not hook up the SD like he should have. (Ironwood)

[Steve Robertson]

If you have a second component input try that. I had one with a bad solder joint that I had repaired. The installer hooked up HDMI and component but did not hook up the SD like he should have. (Ironwood)


Ok I will give that a shot I guess. Boy this TV watching is a lot of work LOL

[Gmaxx]

I bumped an older post with some good results and theories as to what resolution to set your HR20 to output. As with all theories, there are many opinions as to which way is "correct." I took all the theories I had read about and put them to the test with my own setup.

I found that my TV looked better when the HR20 upconverted 480i to 720p. But I also found that my picture looked better when I left 720p and 1080i channels in their native format. 1080i looked sharper and more detailed when I let my TV down convert the signal.

[Steve Robertson]

I bumped an older post with some good results and theories as to what resolution to set your HR20 to output. As with all theories, there are many opinions as to which way is "correct." I took all the theories I had read about and put them to the test with my own setup.

I found that my TV looked better when the HR20 upconverted 480i to 720p. But I also found that my picture looked better when I left 720p and 1080i channels in their native format. 1080i looked sharper and more detailed when I let my TV down convert the signal.


This was agreat idea got the info I needed thanks

[machavez00]

I bumped an older post with some good results and theories as to what resolution to set your HR20 to output. As with all theories, there are many opinions as to which way is "correct." I took all the theories I had read about and put them to the test with my own setup.

I found that my TV looked better when the HR20 upconverted 480i to 720p. But I also found that my picture looked better when I left 720p and 1080i channels in their native format. 1080i looked sharper and more detailed when I let my TV down convert the signal.

One less conversion (480i to 480p at HR20, 480p to 720p at set) since my set (or is it the HR20?) does not support 480i over HDMI. I have decide to let my set de-interlace 1080i.