Explorer 4250HD & LG LCD - Stretching

[JC99]

Hello everyone,

I purchased a new LG HDTV and the Rogers Explorer 4250HD box. I am having a problem setting it up. Right now I can press the Aspect button (Number 0 button) on the controller and it only says 1080i stretch, zoom and normal but my TV is 1080p.

Right now I have it on stretch but it looks, well.. stretched. How do I set it up so the channels look normal at 16:9.

Thanks

[Paolo]

its not the 0 button you are pressing, its the # button. you have to be on an HD channel (500 and up) and it should be on Normal for a widescreen broadcast to fill the entire screen. if your watching an SD channel, 01 to 499 then you MAY use STRETCH to stretch the frame to fill a 16:9 but people will look fatter. or ZOOM if a broadcast is in SD letter boxed, it will stretch horisontally andvertically and Zoom in the frame to fill a 16:9 window fully. but dont forget to put it back to normal, as the Scientific Atlantic boxes do not do this for you auto matically.

[JC99]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't know that 500 and up where HD channels (Damn Rogers guy should have told me this ). I was on channel 3 and the people looked stretched and "fatter". I tried channel 500 and up and everything looks great!

I have one other question regarding audio. My audio seems really quiet. The volume goes up to 100, I have it on 50 and its fairly quiet. Does this have anything to do with the Rogers HD box or does it have to do with my TV?

[57]

JC99, please read the following FAQs:

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

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=73528 Native Display

And the following post, useful for those new to the forum - FAQs, Search Tips, Optimization, etc:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741

Regarding the volume, go into the general settings of the STB (press settings button twice) and set the audio to Fixed and Narrow. Turn the volume down on the TV first.

What's the model number of your LG, because if you want, you can have the TV automatically stretch SD channels if you send 480i Standard from the STB for SD and 720P/1080i for the HD channels because most TVs remember the stretch modes for these separately. (covered in the SA FAQ). Don't stretch 4:3 programming on the HD channels since most people forget to unstretch and end up missing information on true HD programming.

[Paolo]

out of the box, the rogers boxes are on variable meaning they control the volume to your tv, this is not recommended, so you need to go in them and change it to fixed, which sends the max volume to your tv, and uses your tvs volume instead, but you also need to change your rogers remote tocontrl ur tvs volume once u do this which is eazy.

[JC99]

What's the model number of your LG

Automatically setting the channels would be great. The TV I have is the LG 32LF11.

[JamesK]

you have to be on an HD channel (500 and up)

There are some HD channels below 500. For example, I have Showcase HD on 323 and Discovery HD on 245

[JamesK]

Damn Rogers guy should have told me this

Whenever I make an account change, Rogers sends me a PDF of the channels that I can receive. It would be nice if there was a button on their web site, where a subscriber could request it.

[Paolo]

Originally Posted by JamesK

There are some HD channels below 500. For example, I have Showcase HD on 323 and Discovery HD on 245

if you check the channel lineup list, you will see that those are duplicate channels that are in the 500 + list also. They are most likely in the lower channel numbers also because they are grouped with other channels for different tier levels.

[JC99]

What's the model number of your LG, because if you want, you can have the TV automatically stretch SD channels if you send 480i Standard from the STB for SD and 720P/1080i for the HD channels because most TVs remember the stretch modes for these separately. (covered in the SA FAQ). Don't stretch 4:3 programming on the HD channels since most people forget to unstretch and end up missing information on true HD programming.

57, I read the FAQ but am a little confused. If I want the tv to automatically stretch the channels that are not HD and not stretch the channels that are HD then I need to run the Advanced Setup Wizard?

The TV I have is the LG 32LF11.

[JC99]

ok, I ran the advanced setup wizard then changed a TV option to upconvert-1 and now the channels auto resize to stretch or HD which is good.

My last problem is audio. Its' at level 50 of 100 and seems quiet, even 100 isn't that loud. Can someone post step by step what I do to fix that?

Thanks

[Paolo]

dont use the cable box'es volume, set it to fixed.. then use your TV to control the volume. that way, the audio broadcast is untouched and its at its full potential/volume to your tv.

[JC99]

Done, my HDTV is finally all setup. Thanks to everyone that helped me out!

[57]

JC99. Your TV is an LCD. There is no need to stretch anything. For the best picture quality and in order to not distort the image, watch 4:3 as 4:3 and 16:9 as 16:9. I know that lots of people want to fill their screen, but with an LCD this only causes distortion and lower PQ.

You may wish to set the STB for 1080i/Fixed with Dark Borders.