I just connected my STB to Plasma using HDMI cord.

In the settings menu on the 8300HD do I set this to: Auto DVI/HDMI

Probably, see the following thread discussing the optimum setup:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17719

You also need to run the advanced setup wizard since most STBs come with only 1080i enabled as the default.

Probably, see the following thread discussing the optimum setup:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17719

You also need to run the advanced setup wizard since most STBs come with only 1080i enabled as the default.
I phoned Rogers when I was first connecting everything and they told me to leave it on 1080i, is this correct.

I couldn't help but snicker with this week's FS flyer - they are advertising HDMI PVRs. (aka 8300HD).

I've recently hooked up HDMI to my 8300HD and it is frustrating in a couple of ways. The cable doesn't make a snug fit so it is loose and is hard to get it just right. I'm reorging right now so the equipment is being moved and the loose connection is problematic.

The other frustration is with the tv and switching to HDMI input when the cable is loose - the tv refuses to switch to that input. I was changing batteries in the remote thinking that was the problem.

This is from the Tips Thread:
Summary, for most HDTVs, enable 480i Standard, 720P and 1080i and "passthrough/auto-DVI/HDMI"

I only have 1080i set on my STB, so is the Plasma doing the converting for SD channels?

Is it better to set it up to enable 480i in the Wizard, will I see a better SD picture? My picture so far on the Panasonic 50PZ85U for SD is not great, its soft and looks like its not focused. I do have it calibrated so I don't think this is the issue. :confused:

Is it better to set it up to enable 480i in the Wizard, will I see a better SD picture? My picture so far on the Panasonic 50PZ85U for SD is not great, its soft and looks like its not focused.As stated in the FAQ, the picture quality is usually better if you send 480i for the SD channels. See the following on SD PQ.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=18580

I phoned Rogers when I was first connecting everything and they told me to leave it on 1080i, is this correct.Usually NO.

I only have 1080i set on my STB, so is the Plasma doing the converting for SD channels?No, the STB is (rather obviously since it's sending only a 1080i signal to the TV)

You can confirm this by looking at the front of the STB, or by pressing the "recall" button on the Panny remote, which shows the incoming signal. I believe recall is correct, if not then there may be an "info" or "status" button.

One other thing, since you have a plasma, it'd be a good idea to activate 480i, so that the SD picture gets stretched automatically to fill the screen to avoid burn in. The HD signal is remembered separately for the stretch mode, so the stretch mode works properly for SD (say Just) and then for HD. No need to stretch the 4:3 upconverts on the HD channels, as most people just forget to unstretch when they get to a true HD programme and the 4:3 programming probably represents only a small percentage of your viewing.

Some HDTVs will NOT allow 480i when using DVI/HDMI inputs, use the formats that the TV will accept when using DVI/HDMI, or consider the component video connection.

I've been trying to find out this info for my 50PZ85 but if I do switch back to CV I can use some excellent quality RCA cables I have stored away.

The Panasonic will accept 480i via HDMI.

Well last night I enabled 480i Standard, 720P and 1080i and "passthrough/auto-DVI/HDMI on my 8300HD PVR but I'm still having a problem.

It works great once I use the Advanced Wizard setup putting in the above settings, but after I shut the HT down and then turn it back on again, the 8300 defaults to 480i for every channel. :confused: I can't understand why its not saving these settings.

I really like the automatic stretch when switching from HD to SD, I wish I could get this to work 57.

Thanks for all you're help so far 57.

1. Go into the Set picture format and choose "fixed" once, then go back to "auto DVI" - sometimes this doesn't take on the first try so switching between different options will work, or if you do this before running the setup wizard it won't often work. The auto-DVI should then be working properly.

If that doesn't work...

2. Then do a cold reboot of the STB (unplug/replug).

If it doesn't hold your settings properly after that, you'll need to use component cables.

Got it to work finally, thanks to all the great information provided here.

Not crazy about how the stretched (Just) image looks for SD, but it will be better for my break-in period on the Plasma and the fact it does it automatic, makes it easier for other family members.

I read this and have a question:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=508269&postcount=31

With this setup, I noticed that you have to remember to turn the TV volume down if you switch from STB + TV to STB + AVR + TV.

Here's one I haven't come across before:

Equipment involved:

SA8300HD
Samsung Digital Surround AV Receiver System HT-AS720S (handles HDMI audio)
Samsung Duo HD Player (Blue ray and HD DVD) BD-UP5000
Samsung Plasma TV
Trying to use HDMI for everything to the AVR and from the AVR to the TV.

Well, the BD player to the AVR to TV, no issues.
With the SA8300HD connected to the AVR via HDMI, we could only get audio on the AVR if the SA8300HD was set to an HD channel, or if we used the "fixed" (1080i or 720P) setting for SD channels. Whenever we used 480i on the STB, there was no audio on the AVR.

Strange Huh? Since the TV was a plasma and we wanted to automatically stretch SD, we ended up with the HDMI connection directly to the TV and a coaxial connection to the AVR. Had the TV been an LCD, we would have considered the fixed 1080i option.

I believe the issue lies perhaps with the firmware of this new AVR since I've connected plenty of SA8300HDs to AVRs via HDMI without such an issue. Of course we tried reboots on all the equipment to no avail.

Several times we also had handshake issues (TV losing signal) which required that we power down the AVR and power it back up.

Damn HDMI! ;)

Arg, I thought I could get away from so many cables, even considered buying a new 360 arcade to get HDMI on it. Recently upgraded the tv, AVR, and PS3 as in my sig. The 8300HD was working fine except I wasn't loving managing the stretch modes for lo-def channels. Then I started mucking about with cables as I couldn't get the PS3 to send a 1080p to the tv without sparklies and flashing on screen, either direct or through the AVR. I thought I had always powered down between cable swaps (testing some Monsters to prove it wasn't my cables), but at some point the HDMI stopped working from the 8300 to the set, either direct or via the AVR - the tv reports 'invalid input' or 'no signal'. Powered things up and down all around the town, turned off the power altogether for 30 seconds and back on, nothing doing.

So now I'm back to component. And the AVR is supposed to upgrade it to HDMI for me - but that only works for about 10 seconds for 1080/720 channels before going to no signal. AVR reports everything as ok on the input front but confirms the HDMI is not successful (flashing HDMI on front). I had also attempted this route with the Xbox360 and the picture would drop out from time to time, eventually forcing me back to going direct to the tv for that source as well.

Any other ideas why the HDMI connection that worked fine for 4 days stopped completely or how other than box replacement I might fix it? Numerous cold boots as mentioned above had no effect.

Could be a lot of things - poor cable connections the most likely. See the following post on HDMI issues, along with a list of things to check at the bottom.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112

Properly configured STB, AVR and TV and you wouldn't have to manage stretch modes, they would manage themselves.

For example, set the PVR to 480i for SD, with Auto DVI, the AVR to "passthrough" instead of upconvert and the TV should then remember the stretch modes for SD (480i) and HD individually. Press the info/display button on the TV to confirm the format you're getting for SD and HD channels.

Note that with all this transcoding and upconversion done by the AVRs, this can get both confusing and in some cases downright limiting. I had an application recently where the only way to get things working the way we wanted was with a direct video connection to the TV from the PVR - this was due to the way that the AVR functioned and there was simply nothing to be done about it. With many people having Harmony remotes, this doesn't really have a downside, simply reprogramme the remote, the upside is that each input can be individually optimized for the device, unlike going through the AVR.

Well, I tried switching to Monster 850 in the first place - no amount of plugging/unplugging would fix the issue once it started.

As for the zoom/aspect ratio on the tv it has:
Set by program
4:3 (side bars)
16:9
Zoom 1 (zoom)
Zoom 2 (zoom/stretch)
Just Scan.

Set by program uses 16:9 for HD programming, but 4:3 for non-HD (I'd like Zoom 2). My old Toshiba handled aspect by type (ie. 480 vs 1080) but not by input, so a DVD would like full vs. the stretch mode for 4:3 480 input. But at least while watching TV it would stretch SD and leeave HD alone. The closest I get here is if I check Just Scan for HD, it becomes 16:9 on SD as it doesn't support Just Scan in this mode. BTW I do use a Harmony so the remote thing is not too much of an issue, but this is an annoyance. I had actually considered using the component through the AVR in the first place as it has an optional 'Smart' mode to do a zoom/stretch for non-hd and let HD pass through. But that didn't work as I couldn't get the pass through to work anyway for anything but 480.

Also this is a plasma tv so I really like to not have any side bars on sd programming due to image retention, especially during break in.

If the TV receives 480i for the SD programmes and 1080i for the HD ones, then you should be able to use Zoom2 for 480i and 16:9 (or whatever is appropriate) for the HD programmes. The only ones it won't handle automatically are the upconverts on HD channels, since they're going to be 720P or 1080i. This should represent a small percentage of your viewing, so if you cover the SD and the true HD, that should be enough to prevent burn in. Does the TV accept 480i via HDMI? Some don't.

HDMI isn't working at all anymore, but although it claimed it didn't handle it, it worked fine originally. But the tv still locks on to one aspect ratio regardless of the SD/HD of its content. Might remember aspect ratio across inputs, but of course this is the same input. I did set a key to cycle through aspect ratios - required setting up a sequence of ratio/ratio/return and mapping that to a key (first brings up the aspect menu, second cycles to the next aspect mode, then return closes the OSD).

Joxer: please reread the post on how to properly set up SA STBs. Have you looked at the front of the SA8300 HD when tuned to an SD channel? Does it read 480i for SD and 720P/1080i for HD? Have you checked the input format on the TV? Does the TV display indicate 480i for SD channels and 720P/1080i for HD channels? The reason I ask the latter is you mentioned that you're going through an AVR and the AVR may be upconverting the input format - if it is, then you'll be seeing the same format on the TV and it won't "know" that you're on an SD or HD channel because it'll only see one incomming format.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17719 Tips for SA STBs

As I mentioned in the other thread where you indicated the problems, some AVRs do weird things to signals, so if the above doesn't solve the problem try a direct connection from the STB to the TV as a test.