Auto switch 1080i-480p?

If you do that, it will simply sit on wherever it was last set, and you would have to actually get off the couch and walk over to the unit to change resolutions. This, of course, would be in direct violation of HD couch potato directives, and might cause you to stutter, freeze, restart, drool and other terrible things

 

Why would you want to do that? Just set the output of the HDTiVo to whatever is the native resolution for the TV. The HDTiVo will upconvert.

 

Because most TVs don't allow panorama, just, widezoom, etc. modes for 720p or 1080i. These modes make viewing 4:3 SD channels much better looking than a full screen stretch or pillar boxing. I am constantly using the up key to switch between 480i and 1080i and an automatic native mode output resolution feature would be nice. Other Directv recievers do this as well as my Comcast STB.

 

that's only true when using HDMI

 

And also true when using component output. S-Video and composite output requires the HR10 to be in 480i mode.

 

i was referringto the tv beeing "looked in" at full mode. to my knowledge you can change the ratios and zoom functions on your tv when you use the component input on your tv (and watch HD)

 

Not on many TVs including my Panny plasma. I can only use the TV stretch/zoom controls when the TV is receiving a 480i/p signal. Since the HD TiVo only allows stretching, not zooming, when I get a letterboxed signal from my local PBS station (which is relatively frequent these days), to stretch it i have to change the output resolution to 480p.

SMK

 

I can't.

You don't even know what TV is in use and you decide you know how it works?

 

i have four tv's. all different brands and technolgy. and i can do it on all four.

 

You still don't know what TV is in use. You can't extrapolate from a sample of 4 and make difinitve unqualified statements about every example in existance.

Your statement is not true, I have a counter example.

 

On my TV(Panny 34" directview widescreen), the input method(ie. component vs DVI vs HDMI) has nothing to do with it(just about all the TV's I looked at were all like this). It's all based on the format(ie. 1080i, 480i, 480p) the TV is in. I cannot change any ratios or modes in 1080i format. In 480i, I can Zoom, Stretch or use their "Just" mode which only stretches the outter sides of the picture and leaves the middle, where you are usually focused, unstretched, so it looks much more natural.

 

Same thing with my Mits 65" RP.

 

back to the original OP

he is wrong

dude, who cares ? the OP certainly does not, he left this thread a long time ago. and i will follow his lead and not get involved in some useless discussion.

i never said ALL TV's, i said to my knowledge, which is based on the four tv's i have. i never said i am some tv guru, just pitching in my opinion and hopefully sometimes help too. if guys like you want to turn around every word. go knock yourself out.

 

How well does the HDTivo upconvert though? My plasma has a Faroudja chip for upconverting/deinterlacing so I'm constantly switching between resolutions (SD in 480i, HD in 720p/1080i) as I want my tv to do the work...I wish the HDTivo could automatically switch to the source format...

 

I'm about to take the HDTV plunge and the convenience of switching signals/stretching modes is a big deal to me.

I can't stand pillar-boxing, so I'm looking into TVs that have good stretching/scaling capabilities. However, I don't want it to be a big hassle when I come across something in 4:3 that I want to watch.

Here's my ideal scenario:
Have my HD-Tivo (which I don't own yet) set to output a 1080i signal. The HDTivo will also have the "pillar-boxing" option turned on (assuming it has that option like my father's old RCA HD Receiver). While flipping channels, I find something in 4:3 that I want to watch...it's showing up pillar-boxed. I'd like to hit one button to make it switch to the "stretched" mode of my choice.

From what I've read, the HD-Tivo doesn't have any worthwhile stretching modes built-in. You'll either end up with a distorted or cut-off picture. So I'm looking into TVs that can do this for me. Specifically, a HItachi which has something called "Expanded" mode, and a Toshiba which has something similar (just named differently). As most of you probably know, this type of mode only stretches things to the far left and right of the picture to fill out the screen, leaving the center of the picture relatively un-distorted. From reading here, I've determined that most TVs will only apply stretching to 480i signals, and as I stated in my "ideal scenario" above, I'm outputting at 1080i. If I can set the HD-Tivo to toggle between 480i and 1080i with the touch of a button, I want my TV to recognize that change in signal and automatically go in and out of the stretching mode of my choice.

Is this possible? And if so, what TVs have you all had success with this kind of set up.

Thanks in Advance!

 

jmarks2001,
There is nothing completely automatic that I know of. What I do is use the TiVo up key to toggle between 480i and 1080i (actually takes 2 up key presses). All the TVs I've tried this technique with will automatically switch to the "panorama" mode (assuming that is the aspect mode it was last set). Even if you have a TV that will allow "panorama" aspect on 720p or 1080i (my JVC LCD allows this), you would still need to use the TV's remote to make the aspect switch when changing between SD and HD channels.

 

Yeah, I didn't mean entirely "automatic". But you're saying that one or two presses of a button on your Tivo remote can force it into 480i output, at which point the TV will switch to "panorama" mode. I'm assuming if you switch back to 720p or 1080i, that the TV will abandon that mode, right?

 

Yes, going back to HD resolution will force the TV back to full aspect mode. At least that's the way it works for various models of Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Sharp, Samsung and Mitsubishi TVs I've tried.

 

With my H10-250 set at 1080i and connected via HDMI to my Toshiba 57h84, all of the TV's stretch modes except full are available (it has natural; theater wide 1, 2, or 3; or full). However, if I set the H10-250's output to 720p, I cannot use the stretch modes (go figure; the TV's native resolution is 1080i, so I guess that has something to do with it). The interaction between source output and TV varies by brand and model. The only way to find out is to ask owners or test drive the TVs. Happy hunting!