Crop is too large

[jaywdetroit]

I noticed something last night. When I use my TV to crop (zoom) an SD letter box show through the RCA connections to the TV, the TV crops the picture perfectly. Right along the lines all around the image.

When I use the HR20 to crop over HDMI, the resulting zoomed image is "over-zoomed" all around the picture slightly. So for instance, when watching the SCI-FI channel, the logo is almost completely cut off using the HR20, while it is almost entirely visible using the TV.

PLEASE NOTE: I am not talking about the Super Stretch bug here. That is a separate issue that I am all too familiar with.

So is there a way to adjust this on the HR20? If not is the ability to do this on the Wish List? If not, shouldn't it be?

[Stuart Sweet]

I've seen this as well. The DVR's not trying to find the black areas, it's trying to fill the screen left to right and let the top and bottom go as it will. I agree that there are more effective ways of dealing with this -- most TVs have a "fit" option that distorts just enough to eliminate the black -- but when the Super Crop bug is not present, the feature is working as specified (as far as I can see).

[tonyd79]

My crop is almost exactly the same size as my zoom on my Sony TV. Same as my cable box zoom.

[jaywdetroit]

My crop is almost exactly the same size as my zoom on my Sony TV. Same as my cable box zoom.

I wonder what the difference is. Are you using HDMI?

Can someone enlighten me/us?

[miksmi21]

I wonder what the difference is. Are you using HDMI?

Can someone enlighten me/us?

Got the same problem on mine...using HDMI. It stretches the image beyond the parameters of the TV. So in closeups, it cuts off peoples heads.

I just changed format to stay away from it...but the problem is definitely there.

[jaywdetroit]

Got the same problem on mine...using HDMI. It stretches the image beyond the parameters of the TV. So in closeups, it cuts off peoples heads.

I just changed format to stay away from it...but the problem is definitely there.

That almost sounds like the Super Crop Bug where the image is super stretched vertically.

This issue I am describing is when the crop appears to be in its intended "normal" state. It is still an inch or two over magnified around the edges. (Inches on my 32" LCD)

[cygnusloop]

I wonder what the difference is. Are you using HDMI?

Can someone enlighten me/us?

No claims here for potential enlightenment :grin: , but one thing to keep in mind is that not all letterboxing is equal. Some is true 16:9 = 1.78:1, some is 1.85:1 (most common movie theater aspect ratio), some European stuff is 1.66:1, there is also 1.33:1, and there are certainly others.

In my own personal experience, the HR20 crops a bit more than my Sammy 5687. Sometimes this is good, sometimes not. I don't think that there is any "smarts" in my Sammy's crop mode, it's just different than the HR20. For 16:9 letterboxing (like Deadliest Catch, or Man vs. Wild on Discovery), I prefer my Sammy's crop. The HR20 crops a little to much for me. I am using component, so with HDMI, it is possible that YMMV.

[jaywdetroit]

No claims here for potential enlightenment :grin: , but one thing to keep in mind is that not all letterboxing is equal. Some is true 16:9 = 1.78:1, some is 1.85:1 (most common movie theater aspect ratio), some European stuff is 1.66:1, there is also 1.33:1, and there are certainly others.

In my own personal experience, the HR20 crops a bit more than my Sammy 5687. Sometimes this is good, sometimes not. I don't think that there is any "smarts" in my Sammy's crop mode, it's just different than the HR20. For 16:9 letterboxing (like Deadliest Catch, or Man vs. Wild on Discovery), I prefer my Sammy's crop. The HR20 crops a little to much for me. I am using component, so with HDMI, it is possible that YMMV.

This observation leads me back to my original question: Shouldn't there be an option to tweak the crop? How difficult would it be to implement something like that?

[cygnusloop]

This observation leads me back to my original question: Shouldn't there be an option to tweak the crop? How difficult would it be to implement something like that?

It would certainly be a nice feature. Here's how I would design it (although I'm not sure how I would implement it, as in what buttons to use to do what):

When in crop mode, some sort of +/- control to zoom in/out on the frame.

Additionaly, I would want some sort of up/down control as well. This is because letterboxing is not always centered top to bottom in the 16:9 frame. Usually it is, but not always.

The ability to zoom in beyond the 16:9 frame would be nice for some of the really wide anamorphic widescreen formats if you were willing to trade a little bit of the left/right edges for the ability to fill more of the screen.

[bonscott87]

Yea, I agree, it crops a bit too much for my taste, perhaps a half inch to inch too much. My TV crops about the same and I don't like it either.

[man_rob]

That is one of the things I noticed right away with the HR20.

[jaywdetroit]

Has this "issue" or feature been identified in the past? Maybe we add this to the wishlist?

[AlexCF]

This observation leads me back to my original question: Shouldn't there be an option to tweak the crop? How difficult would it be to implement something like that?

They haven't been able to fix the crop bug since these units came out, I really doubt they're capable of making enhancements to it.

I wonder if the cropping is done in hardware, and that's why they haven't been able to correct the bug.

[tonyd79]

I wonder what the difference is. Are you using HDMI?

Can someone enlighten me/us?


Component.

And now that I answered this, super crop came back. I blame you! ;)

[MrKlaatu]

Yeah, my TV will zoom these images correctly, which adds very narrow black bars on the sides. The HR20 has no bars on the side, but then crops off the top and bottom to maintain the aspect ratio.

What I want is a combination -- to zoom until the top and bottom of the image reaches the top and bottom of my screen, then to stretch horizontally ever so slightly to fill in those black bars on the side.

As far as I'm concerned there only needs to be four modes:

16:9 HD shows -- full screen
4:3 shows -- pillar boxed
16:9 SD windowboxed shows -- zoom/slight stretch to fill 16:9 screen
2.35:1 movies -- wide screen letterboxed

Anything else would be too distorted.

Of course, even better, just broadcast all 16:9 shows in HD.

[yesongs]

I have two HR20-700 and two H20-100

One HR20 and one H20 seem to get switched into "crop" mode by themselves, (I normally keep everything in "Stretch mode)."

This has happen twice with each of them over the past week or two

The other H20 and HR20 seem to stay in "stretch"

Both HR20's are connected via HDMI, both H20 via component

Crop looks WAY too large on the HR20

E