Yes the 8300 shows the various 480i/720P/1080i, and I did try direct connections to the TV. 720P was just recently enabled as it never worked well on my old Toshiba RPTV. However, whether it switches aspect ratios correctly between the SD and HD is really secondary to the whole HDMI connection now, as I ended up going direct via component. It does see the difference between the two for sure though in either HDMI or component - putting it into 'Set by Program' mode automatically adds bars on the sides (4x3 mode) when switching to a SD channel, going back to 16x9 for HD. But it won't retain my preference for Zoom 2 for SD channels. The TV is odd in that it has Expert modes for all kinds of video settings including 10 point IRE and a THX certified mode, but yet doesn't have an info/display button that shows you the details of the incoming signal (my friend's Sharp Aquos LCD does everytime he changes inputs).

The AVR does have a section to show the input audio/video and in the case of video also what its putting out. I think it was only upscaling analog inputs and leaving HDMI alone, and I also tried with the scaling off. But it was also showing the various types of input stream and they were changing accordingly. Except it shows 1080i->1080i for the HDMI stream and plays the sound correctly when I use that for the 8300, but the tv shows invalid input. And I still have no idea why it worked fine from the start but now just refuses to work.

Also note that although the TV is new, I'm not - I've had HD for 6 years and the 8300 since it came out replacing the 8000, have the external SATA drive, etc. This is just my first HDMI experience, and so far I'm not too impressed with some problem or other with every single connection: 1) Xbox won't get upconverted via AVR properly, forcing component direct to TV. 2) Can't set 1080P on the PS3, either direct or via AVR. 3) 8300 stopped working via direct or AVR HDMI connection, also forcing component direct to TV.

Very odd that the TV won't retain the Zoom2 preference for SD channels. Perhaps there is another setting somewhere that is overriding this preference that needs to be turned off - somewhere in the user setup settings? It's especially odd since most TVs are shipped with one of the stretch modes as the default for a 480i signal.

Perhaps you can try sending 480i from one of your other devices to see how the TV reacts? Perhaps try another input?

Good luck with this and the HDMI issues...

Not sure if this is the correct place or not but here goes.

Just signed up with rogers and though all was good but last nite i noticed when watching both SD and HD channels that during some fast camera movements or action that the picture seemed to skip or jitter(sorry not sure what to call it) Almost like a frame was skipped but it was noticeable.

MY SETUP:
-Vizio 42" 1080p
-8300HD set for 1080i out only on all channels as far as i can tell
-HDMI from 8300hd to the HDTV(HDMI2)
-Audio out from HDTV to stereo receiver

My BEV box which i still have plays normally(component 1), my PS3 great as well(HDMI1)

Any ideas?

Does this happen on all programmes, all channels, all the time? First step is to perform a reboot of the STB by unplugging/replugging. You may wish to try component video, as there are a lot of HDMI issues.

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

Here are the tips for SA STBs.

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

DOH!... Keep it simple..... Reboot fixed it.

To clarify it was on all channels, and to really see it badly if i paused any channel it would see the entire picture shake or jitter or shimmy :) After the reboot the pause test is crisp clear and motion free.

Thanks FIVE-SEVEN

Well one mystery solved - elsewhere, a guy told me the enter key when not in the menus brings up the input information. Sure enough that works, I had just not randomly hit the enter key when not in a menu, plus when using the Harmony that isn't mapped to a key in any mode but direct device (currently). Got some helpful suggestions for troubleshooting 1080p input there as well, including trying a known good 1080p player, using the side hdmi jack rather than the back panel etc.

Also, although I don't have 1080p enabled on the PS3 display menu, I did pick 'BD 1080p 24Hz output (HDMI)' - and when watching a movie and hitting the enter key I do see 1080/24p on the info screen, which confirms what the Yamaha display showed when a movie was on. This seems to work flawlessly.

Well, now you should be able to tell if you're getting 480i for the SD channels from the SA8300HD and you may be able to resolve the stretching issue.

Yes, and it verifies what I saw before. The only thing provided on this TV is the 'Set by Input', but in this mode it puts the side bars on 4x3 material when detected, which I don't want.

I did manage to get the component through the AVR to work, upconverting to HDMI. Not sure if the PQ suffers a bit in the transformation, but the AVR has SMART stretch going, stretching on the sides more and zooming a bit when it detects 480i and upconverting. Still working on getting the HDMI out back on its feet - seems to have the occasional dropout for a second or two in the component->HDMI path that wasn't there before.

Anyway, decided to get the box replaced after a trial at a friends place confirmed that the HDMI was kaput. At the Rogers store I just said "I'm having a problem with my PVR", and the guy said ok lets swap it for another one like it. He scanned the back serial number, hit a few keys, dug out another one from the storage room and I was out in less than 2 minutes. Re-authorized myself from the Rogers website. HDMI now works like a charm, and the box seems to boot quicker. Of course all my old recording were gone, but they were mostly movies from TMN that I hadn't got around to watching and I'm not to oupset about losing. The eSATA drive got re-formatted and cleaned as well, although I'd reformatted before the swap to ensure all the disk space was available.

Help please!

I think I'm having the same problem that Disco Boy had in post #110.

My 8300HD keeps defaulting to 480i and will not recognize a 1080i/720p signal even though it's set on Auto-DVI/passthrough.

Cold reboot hasn't fixed it.
Setting to only 480i/720p/1080i hasn't fixed it.

It seems like the only thing that works is to go through the startup screen (GUIDE+INFO) every single time. This restores it temporarily.

Once the HDMI signal is "interrupted" (e.g. switching to another source like a PS3 or dvd player, or if my AV receiver is switched off), the 8300HD switches to 480i immediately. At this point, Auto-DVI doesn't even work and all 1080i/720p channels are 480i. Only GUIDE+INFO restores it.

Someone help please!

As per post 111, try de-selecting Auto-DVI, then reselecting it under set picture format - sometimes it doesn't "take" with one try and requires a second, after doing a cold reboot and doing the setup wizard with 480i Standard, 720P, 1080i.

Does it work properly when connected directly to the TV, not going through the AVR?

Also make sure that you're exiting the "guide-info" setup wizard properly - at the end you need to turn the box off or press a button or something - this "saves" the setup wizard and you may not be doing that step properly?

Thanks for replying so soon, 57.

I tried what you said, but it still didn't work. 1080i or 720p just didn't "stick."

But then this:

I unplugged all output cables except for a composite video cable. This gave me a screen that said something like: Do you want to set this up for a standard def tv.

While that screen was on, I plugged in the HDMI cable, and then the screen said: Do you want to set this up for a high def tv.

Once I selected "yes," then I got to the basic setup screen that I was getting before with GUIDE+INFO. i.e. A: easy setup, and B: advanced setup.

From there, I confirmed that the only outputs were 480i standard, 720p, and 1080i.

Now it works! :D :D :D

During the troubleshooting, I also unplugged and replugged the HDMI cable going into my front projector.

So, whatever I did, it now works! Now I can sleep. ;)

Thanks again, 57.

I've found 2 issues with my new 8300HD

1 - sound (sync?) issues. Sometimes on an HD channel the sound will not lock in, and it keeps going back and forth between modes as shown on the Yamaha. Usually changing over to a regular station and then back will fix this.

2 - break ups every few seconds. I got this in playback of an SD movie the other day - only rebooting the sucker seemed to fix this.

I have a problem that happens very rarely so i'm at lost to find out the cause of it.

I have a SA8300HD with Videotron connected directly to a Panasonic LiFi via HDMI. I watch most of my shows from the PVR to avoid all the commercials.

The problem was that last sunday's recording of The Unit was stuttering near the end. I was losing picture and sound for a few seconds and it kept happening repeatedly, like if the recording was corrupted. My 3:00 AM recording of Dexter had a few hiccups but nowhere near as bad. I had the same problem a few months ago with a recording of Life on a friday night. All my monday and tuesday recordings are fine without any hiccups.

Am i dealing with:
A. A HDMI handshake problem that fixed itself.
B. A bad sector on the SA 8300HD hard drive.
C. A corrupted signal from the provider.

It's likely a problem with the signal. CBS, the network that carries The Unit, often has issues with noise, pixellation, stuttering and even freezing. Once I was watching a CBS show and the picture froze entirely for about an hour.

There's a thread in the Rogers forum regarding HD problems on Sunday. It was a problem with either the source or the transmission, due likely to poor weather.

Thanks. It's oddly reassuring since my PVR is not under warranty anymore.

About a week ago the HDMI output stopped working on my SA8300HD. This box has been working fine for several years and about a year with the current TV/receiver configuration. When I switch over to Component cables it is fine but I can't get anything - neither sound nor video from the HDMI port. I did not change anything in my setup - it just stopped working for no apparent reason.

My 7 year old daughter occasionally pushes buttons for fun. Is it possible that she somehow disabled the HDMI output by pushing buttons on the front of the box? Is it possible to disable this output and re-enable it? I looked but didn't see anything in the settings screen.

I have tried power cycle rebooting the box several times and the box was off for over 2 hours today due to a power outage.

Here's a list of HDMI issues and a list of things to check at the bottom. I'd suspect a problem with the HDMI cable, or a poor connection at either end - unplug/replug the HDMI cable a few times, try wiggling it up/down at both ends.

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

Of course the audio setting needs to be "HDMI" not DD or other, but video should always be there.

I tried using a different HDMI cable. I tried plugging straight from STB to TV (normally I go via receiver). I tried both HDMI inputs on my TV. I tried plugging and replugging the cable several times. Everything works fine with other source(s) but no HDMI signal ever seems to come from my SA8300HD. But there appears to be no issue with the component outputs.

My experience as an (former) electrical engineer responsible for lining up and testing fibre optic transmission systems for Nortel has taught me to trust nothing, not even simple items like cables. Wasn't it Inspector Clouseau who said something like "Trust no one, suspect everyone!"