SD TV and S3

[adventurelarry]

While I am waiting for my HDTV (Delayed by Sony, again) Is there any reason I cannot have Charter come out and install the cable cards, and use the S3 with my SD tv? Then when my new TV arrives I can call Charter and have them add the HD tier.

--Larry

[vstone]

No reason at all, assuming your TV has an component, s-video input, or composite output (no rf out). I got my first HD receiver before my TV came in (had to wait around a month).

[jautor]

Nope, no issues... Depending on how long of a delay you're expecting, you might want them to go ahead and activate the HD tier now - ensuring you've got a nice full drive of HD content when your set arrives! :)

The only caveat would be that recording SD shows from local HD networks (NBC, CBS, etc.) will have pillarboxes that aren't easily dealt with, and may end up squished on your 4:3 set. But you can avoid this by recording SD shows from the SD channels... The TiVo will handle HD shows by letterboxing for you, so that's not a problem.

Jeff

[adventurelarry]

Thanks. The appt. is set up.

I will record Lost in HD, and wait until the TV arrives to watch. Sweet!

--Larry

As a side note, I did not get one mention of no PPV or On-Demand. Just a cost of $1.50 a card, and $35 install fee.

[vstone]

T...
As a side note, I did not get one mention of no PPV or On-Demand. Just a cost of $1.50 a card, and $35 install fee. For the most part, CSR's don't understand cablecards. I was discussing a TV with clear QAM tuner, but no cablecard slot, with a CSR and she says:" I'm not trained on tuners."

[gastrof]

No reason at all, assuming your TV has an component, s-video input, or composite output (no rf out)...

:confused:

Ummm...

Actually, the TV would need those as INputs.

[gastrof]

...The only caveat would be that recording SD shows from local HD networks (NBC, CBS, etc.) will have pillarboxes that aren't easily dealt with, and may end up squished on your 4:3 set...

As I understand it, if you tell an HD receiver that it's working with a 4x3 TV, it'll still give you different display options.

My old rinky dink one allows me three. I can either

1)have it display as letterbox,

2)I can have the whole widescreen picture displayed with no letterbox effect (thus "squished"), or

3)it can take the widescreen image and just chop off the sides to display on the 4x3 screen.

Seems to me if my old clunker will do this, newer ones should be able to.


The third setting would be ideal for a 4x3 picture carried on a widescreen channel, then displayed on a 4x3 TV.

By chopping off the sides, you're getting rid of the pillarbox bars, and you're back to the original 4x3 picture.

[jautor]

The issue is with 4:3 shows broadcast in 16:9 on digital (HD) channels. The pillarbars are added by the station, not the set top box or TV. When I watch these shows on a 4:3 SD set (fed from the HR10-250 HD-DirecTiVo), the TV fits the whole 16:9 signal into the set, and therefore, the original 4:3 is now, well, narrower than 4:3, with the pillarbars...

The S3 has a zoom mode to handle "widescreen" shows broadcast in 4:3 (on SD channels), which will get you back to 16:9 on a 16:9 set. But this is a different issue.

The answer for the OP, is to keep the SD versions of the OTA/HD networks, and record any SD shows from those, at least until he gets a 16:9 set...

Jeff