16x9 on MVP

[zehd]

I can't get rid of the black side bars in the Hauppauge menus or the GBPVR menus. My choices on my tv are Aspect, Panoramic, Full Screen, 1:1, Zoom 1, Zoom 2.

Aspect should be the one I use. It then adjusts to to 4:3 or 16:9 automatically. I can make GBPVR fit the whole screen by stretching it with the Full Screen selection but it is not actually getting a signal in 16:9 format. I can also use zoom but it is also not really right. It is just zooming in to get rid of the bars.

When using the MVP, you don't want the TV to adjust aspect automatically. You want GB-PVR to do the deciding

[mvallevand]

When using the MVP, you don't want the TV to adjust aspect automatically. You want GB-PVR to do the deciding

We no doubt will disagree on this one. I typically want the MVP to adjust the size and aspect ratio since it is done in hardware and match the actual video hardware. It greatly reduces the cpu requirements for ffmpeg and maintains the aspect ratios best. There will be a problem with odd aspect ratios because is that it isn't letterboxed it only shows part screen, but it isn't set to a phony aspect ratio either.

Martin

[Mr. Camaro]

Here...

Use Hauppauge software. Confirm MediaMVP in 16x9 apsect.
Set GB-PVR to use 16x9 in config
Set TV to 'Full Screen'.

GB-PVR's menus should display wide screen.

I've set it up with the Hauppauge and GB-PVR software to 16x9.

However I don't see any difference if I use 4:3 or 16x9, they look the same to me. I need to send you guys some screen shots of the tv.

I can put the TV on 'Full Screen' and it will stretch it to fill the whole TV but I can do that with it in 4:3 too. I would think if I put the MVP in 16x9 I would see some change in the shape. I'll try to snap a few shots with the digital camera so you can see if I'm doing things right.

If I put the Hauppauge software in 16x9 shouldn't I see a change in the look of the Hauppauge menus? I would think it would be wider after the switch. Or if not wider maybe the same 4:3 size but squished looking.

Thanks

[Mr. Camaro]

Oh I get the MO and MI mixed up! I was there 2005 in Branson, MO, stayed in a town called Fayetteville, MO near that bridge which the old town was sunk under it. Also went bass fishing in that river. Drove a pondtune boat down the river and back got heavy UV but the experience was different...

There is a lot of fishing down here. The guy that owns Bass Pro Shops lives down here. Their world headquarters in in Springfield, MO just about 40 minutes away.

[mvallevand]

I am guessing here but based on your choices "on my tv are Aspect, Panoramic, Full Screen, 1:1, Zoom 1, Zoom 2" maybe "Aspect" is attempting to maintain the proper aspect ratio which for the 720x480 signal wouldn't fill a 1080i/p screen.

Martin

[sub]

Yeah, to me it sounds like the TV creating this effect based on current svideo/composite aspect ratio settings. You'd probably have to have it set to 'Fullscreen', and hope either the Hauppauge dongle or mvpmc dongle will pillar box any 4:3 video for you.

[Mr. Camaro]

Ok here are some pictures of GBPVR on my 37" Ölevia LCD using the MVP. If you look close you can see the MVP on the top of the TV.


Hauppauge in 16x9 with TV in Aspect - GBPVR
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]


Hauppauge in 4x3 with TV in Aspect - GBPVR - Note looks the same as 16x9
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]


16x9 Full Screen-TV is just stretching it out, looks identical in 4x3-Full Screen
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]


4x3 Hauppauge Software - TV in Aspect
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]


16x9 Hauppauge Software - TV in Aspect. Looks the same as 4x3 in Aspect
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

So I can get it to be somewhat be right by going to Full Screen, but that is just the TV stretching out the menus. Kind of simulated 16x9, not the real thing. It doesn't matter if I'm in 16x9 or 4x3 I get the same picture.

Looks like I may just have to live with it. Unless someone has some more ideas. The skin is the Blue skin just slightly tweaked to get bigger text.

Thanks again for all the help on this topic.

[sub]

The Hauppauge 16:9/4:3 settings are going to have no effect on the Width of the menu and other screens. All this setting will effect is video. For example, if you have the Hauppauge MVP software set for a 4:3 tv, and try to play a 16:9 video then it'll cut the sides off the picture.

From what I could tell you should be setting you TV aspect ratio to Fullscreen, which will give you menus that fill the screen, and with the Hauppauge MVP software also set to a 16:9 tv, then you should also get the correct aspect ratio video.

The should mention that the mvpmc dongle does a slight better job at managing the aspect ratio than the Hauppauge dongle.

[Mr. Camaro]

Alright I went down and played around with it a bit in 16x9 mode, watching videos this time.

I think I have it figured out now. Sorry, I was just not understanding what I should be getting.

Does the following sound right? This is what I saw. (MVP is setup for 16x9)

It appears to me that signal that exits the MVP is always formated 4:3, the difference is that when the software is set to 16x9 it scrunches the wide screen picture down so that it fits into a 4:3 window. That way when I'm watching a 16x9 movie and switch to Full Screen on the TV, the image is stretched out to fill the whole screen.

So I have found that for the menus to be stretched out I need to be in "Full Screen". To watch a 16x9 movie I need to be in "Full Screen" and the entire picture will fill the screen and be properly formatted (Not Stretched).

If I want to watch something that is recorded in 4:3 I need to switch the TV back to "Aspect" to get the black bars on the sides back and the picture formated correctly (Not Stretched). If I leave it in "Full Screen" the picture will looked stretched.

I don't think I have anything on the TV that will auto detect and switch these for me, I have to do it manually. Since most of my recordings are in 4:3 I will probably just leave it in "Aspect" unless I'm watching a 16x9 movie. The only bad thing about this is that the menus will not fill the screen in 4:3 which is really more of a minor inconvenience. I can always switch the tv to "Full Screen" and then back to "Aspect" if I want to see the menus on the entire screen.

Thanks for the assistance from everyone in helping me figure out how this all works.

[Mr. Camaro]

I believe your set has some sort of auto sizing feature. Which one do you have silver or black model. Black has auto screen size.

Might have to turn off that feature to get this right with GBPVR. Are you using S-Video 480i SD setting on your HDTV for MVP?

I have the black model that has two tuners. If it detects a HD signal it displays in HD. If it detects a SD signal it displays in SD. Since the MVP is a SD device it is displaying in SD. Which is why I'm always getting the black bars on the sides. I have to use "Full Screen" to stretch the SD signal out to fill the whole screen.

Dang, I think I actually learned quite a lot today.