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Tivo HD with projector and sd tube

Discussion in 'TiVo Series3 HDTV DVRs' started by Chip Chanko, Apr 13, 2008.

  1. Apr 13, 2008 #1 of 8
    Chip Chanko

    Chip Chanko New Member

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    I am about to switch from using a Sony DHG-HDD250/TiVo series 2 combo to a TiVo HD and have a question about how it will work with my particular setup.

    I currently have the Sony going to a Panasonic projector via HDMI and to my SD CRT via S-video. My series 2 goes s-video to both. We use the projector and tube for different situations (projector when we're watching a nice hd show or sports when it's dark enough in the room, tube when it's an SD show like the daily show, etc). Using the Sony, there is a button on the remote that changes your output resolution (I usually do 720p on the projector, and "SD", their 480i, on the tube tv). This is an easy switch since it's just a couple presses of the button on the remote.

    Is the TiVo HD going to make this setup more complicated? Looking through the forum and FAQ it looks like the only problem may be that the output to my tube will be 16:9 so will look squashed. Does anyone else have a setup like this?
     
  2. Apr 13, 2008 #2 of 8
    ThAbtO

    ThAbtO TiVoholic by the bay TCF Club

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    It will be squished on a SD screen but not to a HD screen, and when you put its video to another device, like a SD dvd recorder, then to a HD screen, a HD video will be double squished. Well, thats what the THD does on my HD tv when its going through the s-video of the dvd recorder and have to set to full screen, but going straight to the tv looks normal.
     
  3. Apr 14, 2008 #3 of 8
    goldfndr

    goldfndr New Member

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    If you have the projector set to 16:9 aspect (widening whatever picture is shown) and the tv is at its usual 4:3 then you'll see the exact same differences you'd see now.

    What I do is set with my Infocus 7205 (native 1280x720) is set the TiVo to always send out 720P. It'll automatically send a lower resolution out the S-Video port to my 16 year old CRT (Sony GVM-2020).

    That said, I make liberal use of the Aspect button on the remote depending on content. HDTV is always full (squished on CRT, normal on projector). SDTV I do either Panel or Zoom for projector, Full for CRT.

    There is an enormous amount of flexibility in TiVo to customize what you want, but it doesn't have a chip that will enable two aspect ratios output simultaneously. If you keep that limitation (which most, if not all, other devices have) in mind, you won't have many surprises.

    If you still have questions after this, then naming the model of your Panasonic projector (or at least its native resolution, e.g. 800x600 or 1920x1080) will narrow the possible answers considerably.
     
  4. Apr 14, 2008 #4 of 8
    Chip Chanko

    Chip Chanko New Member

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    So it will display the guide through both outputs without changing our settings to 480i? On my sony it's either/or on the SD/HD source (never both).
     
  5. Apr 14, 2008 #5 of 8
    xtivoox

    xtivoox New Member

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    both no worries been doing this with my tivo hd, panasonic projector (HDMI), and video distribution amp (composite) for months... relax and enjoy.
     
  6. Apr 22, 2008 #6 of 8
    Chip Chanko

    Chip Chanko New Member

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    Have it all set up now and the only way it does what I want is if I set the format to 480i while watching on my tube, then change it to 720 for my projector. Is there a "format" command shortcut for harmony remotes so I don't have to go into the tivo submenus or push the button on the Tivo HD face? I know this button isn't on the tivo remote.
     
  7. Apr 22, 2008 #7 of 8
    xtivoox

    xtivoox New Member

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    Mar 4, 2004
    do you have a tivo hd?

    mine simultaneously outputs the guide to hdmi at 720p fixed, and composite (single rca type connector) video 480i?
     
  8. Apr 22, 2008 #8 of 8
    Chip Chanko

    Chip Chanko New Member

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    Nov 6, 2005
    It's more a problem of how my tv is displaying the video. When in 480i the aspect button works correctly but when in 720p it doesn't give me any control (on the SD output). So even though the guide works in both, I have to change to 480i if I want to watch HD on my tube letterboxed or side cropped.

    I know this isn't a common setup and people may even ask why I'm watching HD on a tube (answer, actually looks much better than SD on an SD monitor). Also, since my viewing is split between the projector and the tube, I wouldn't want to record shows in both resolutions. Since a format button exists on the front of the tivo, it shouldn't be too hard to get a button for this on the remote.

    Of course, walking over and hitting the format button once in a while isn't THAT difficult. The Sony let you do it from the remote, though.
     

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