If the DCX3400 is using 480p for SD, try changing it to 480i. Some TVs have trouble with 480p.
DCX3400 / LG HD compatibility problems
I just upgraded my DVR from a DCT-6412 to a DCX-3400 (I wanted the large recording capacity). The former connected to my LG 47" Scarlet using a DVI to HDMI cable, while the new one uses a regular HDMI-to-HDMI cable. Using the new DVR, the TV now powers off then back on whenever I switch from an HD format signal to a SD format signal. There seems to be some sort of incompatibility between the TV and DVR. If I manually cycle between video formats using the FORMAT button on the front of the DVR, the TV turns off/on when I go from 720p to 480p or from 480p to 1080i, so it definitely appears to be something to do with format switching.
I spoke briefly with the video store where I bought the TV and he said it was something to do with the SIMPLINK feature of the LG TV and incompatible protocols between the TV and the DVR. I checked and SIMPLINK is turned off and I have no other SIMPLINK compliant components so it appears unlikely to be the cause.
I also called Eastlink tech support but the person I ended up with didn't even know what HDMI and DVI were, or the format modes like 1080i and 720p. Needless to say she no idea what was wrong and scheduled a technician to drop by on Saturday.
Has anyone encountered this issue before?
I spoke briefly with the video store where I bought the TV and he said it was something to do with the SIMPLINK feature of the LG TV and incompatible protocols between the TV and the DVR. I checked and SIMPLINK is turned off and I have no other SIMPLINK compliant components so it appears unlikely to be the cause.
I also called Eastlink tech support but the person I ended up with didn't even know what HDMI and DVI were, or the format modes like 1080i and 720p. Needless to say she no idea what was wrong and scheduled a technician to drop by on Saturday.
Has anyone encountered this issue before?
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It does appear to be using 480p, but I see no obvious way to force it to use 480i instead of 480p. I've looked through the various cable box set up menus but there's no mention of setting the video format. It may be a question Eastlink can answer.
This works for the other Motorola boxes, I think it still works for the DCX3400. To change the user settings/menu, power the STB "off", then press "menu" on the STB.
If changing 480p to 480i doesn't work, try changing 4:3 override.
If changing 480p to 480i doesn't work, try changing 4:3 override.
Thanks for the info. I found the menu you're referring to. There's two options that controls the video format the DVR sends, one for setting the output mode for HD and another one that selects the SD mode (referred to as 4:3 override). As I thought, the 4:3 Override was set to 480p. I tried changing it to 480i but the TV still powered off/on when switching between HD and SD channels. Another option was "Stretch" which causes SD video to be transmitted as stretched HD video using 1080i. In that mode the power off/on does not occur since there's no change in the signal mode and the TV always sees 1080i. I hate watching stretched SD video but I guess it's a bearable solution.
It's puzzling that the old DVR did not have this problem. I'm not sure what video formats it used for SD and HD output since the front panel didn't display the formats. It did use a DVI-to-HDMI cable instead of the HDMI-to-HDMI cable the DCX3400 uses. I wonder if there's some additional signals being passed over the HDMI cable that isn't present on the DVI-HDMI cable? What I need is a HDMI-to-DVI-to-HDMI cable!
It's puzzling that the old DVR did not have this problem. I'm not sure what video formats it used for SD and HD output since the front panel didn't display the formats. It did use a DVI-to-HDMI cable instead of the HDMI-to-HDMI cable the DCX3400 uses. I wonder if there's some additional signals being passed over the HDMI cable that isn't present on the DVI-HDMI cable? What I need is a HDMI-to-DVI-to-HDMI cable!
There should be a setting to turn 4:3 override to off, then only 1080i gets sent to the TV. See the following FAQs:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112 HDMI Issues
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21274 Motorola Tips.
The older STB may simply not have invoked HDCP protocols, or may have had the 4:3 override set to off. Also, are you sure the TV is actually turning off, or simply displaying a black screen for a short time while it changes format - this is normal for TVs to do. Some TVs take longer to change format than others - faster ones taking 2 seconds, slow ones taking 10 seconds or more.
See the following post, useful for those new to this sort of thing - FAQs, Search tips, Optimization, etc:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112 HDMI Issues
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21274 Motorola Tips.
The older STB may simply not have invoked HDCP protocols, or may have had the 4:3 override set to off. Also, are you sure the TV is actually turning off, or simply displaying a black screen for a short time while it changes format - this is normal for TVs to do. Some TVs take longer to change format than others - faster ones taking 2 seconds, slow ones taking 10 seconds or more.
See the following post, useful for those new to this sort of thing - FAQs, Search tips, Optimization, etc:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741
Thanks! Setting 4:3 Override to off did the trick. Now SD signals are upconverted to 1080i with bars on the side instead of stretched, which is how I like it. Not sure why I didn't try that yesterday! In answer to your question, my TV is definitely turning off/on. With the old DVR the screen would go black for about 5 seconds but the power did not cycle. The TV was definitely turning off/on with 4:3 override set to 480i or 480p.
I'll have to let Eastlink know about this setting...
I'll have to let Eastlink know about this setting...
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
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