using 8300 with samsung 940BW monitor.

[montreal]

Hello,

My wife surprised me today with an Xmass present in the form of a Samsung monitor, model SyncMaster 940BW.

The native resolution of this monitor is 1440 x 900 x 60.

Other resolutions supported by this monitor are:

1024 X 768
1152 x 864
1152 x 870
1280 x 1024
640 x 350
640 x 480
720 x 400
800 x 600
832 x 624.

This monitor is advertised as being "HDTV ready with DVI input with HDCP support."

When I patch this monitor to my SA 8300HD using a HDMI to DVI cable, I get a black screen and a little message box that says "NOT OPTIMUM MODE - OPTIMUM MODE IS 1440 x 900 x 60".

I have the cable box set on "UPCONVERT 1" which is 1920 x 1080i.

I have not yet tried UPCONVERT-2.

If this monitor is really HDTV ready, should at least one of the many supported resolutions be 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720?

Perhaps the monitor supported resolution 1280 x 1024 is compatible with HD resolution 1280 x 720?

Anyone successfully using a computer monitor with an 8300HD HDMI port?

Thanks

[lonetreejim]

Originally Posted by montreal

I have the cable box set on "UPCONVERT 1" which is 1920 x 1080i.

Your monitor does not support 1920 pixels across. Try 720p. It should work in 1280x1024 mode (black bars at the top and bottom).

ltj

[montreal]

Originally Posted by Originally Posted by longtreejim

Your monitor does not support 1920 pixels across. Try 720p. It should work in 1280x1024 mode (black bars at the top and bottom).

Thanks for your suggestion.

Using the front panel buttons of the 8300HD and following the instructions in the user manual, I was able to set the cable box to 720p.

My Samsung monitor immediately began to display the HD program, and with no black bars anywhere. The monitor has a 16:10 aspect ratio, so with a 16:9 source, very little image was chopped from the sides. The Samsung is smart enough to map 1280 x 720 to its native 1440 x 900.

I found that changing the channel to ABCHD, which is a 720p source, caused the 8300HD to revert to 1080i and the screen went black. If I reset the 8300HD to again be at 720p, then ABCHD appeared but again disappeared as soon as I changed the channel to another station which is 1080i at source, like CBSHD.

Later I discovered if I go into the General Settings menu and set the Picture Format to FIXED, and re-confirm on the Quick Settings menu that Picture Format is 720P, then I no longer have this problem of the screen going black when I land on or exit from ABCHD.

So the Samsung 940BW with its LCD screen resolution of 1440 by 900, offers me a clarity and linearity that exceeds my 34" Sony XBR800 with its analog scanning, aperature grill, and 850 by 1080 resolution. For close up viewing, the 19" diagonal Samsung is very satisfactory.

Where the Sony beats the Samsung is on overall luminosity and black levels, which permit a room full of 4 adults to watch from an average distance of 7 feet. It is hard for me to imagine how a 1080p LCD screen would appear in the same environment.

At this point, my dream display would be a 1080p Plasma screen if I had the money.

By the time my XBR800 has given its full lifetime of service, perhaps a 1080p plasma or equivalent technology will have dropped to the price that I paid for the XBR800 back in 2002.

The Samsung now returns to its intended place as my computer's monitor. It's nice to know that the Samsung can be temporarily pressed into service as an HDTV anytime in the future should the Sony breakdown.

Thanks again for your advice.

[57]

See the Digital Home FAQ (under help) "Tips for SA STBs".

[montreal]

Originally Posted by 57

See the Digital Home FAQ (under help) "Tips for SA STBs".

I tend to forget that there is a wealth of knowledge buried in the FAQ section.

Thanks for the reminder.