Feature Request: Emergency resolution button

[skysurfer]

Feature request: An emergency resolution button (unless I've overlooked it). I loaded 8/29 firmware into my receiver, rebooted and I thought I was at the reboot hang issue that someone had reported. I hooked up my composite cable and saw good OSD video (proving it wasn't hung). I traced things down to the 480i resolution (default in the new 8/29 firmware). 480i doesn't work with my HD set thru HDMI apparently - my HD set displays MicroHD video/OSDs thru HDMI in 480p, 720p and 1080i formats per my quick testing. once I set the resolution to 1080i, all was fine through the HDMI/my HD set combo. It got me to thinking there should be an "emergency" resolution button mapped on the remote - i.e. if you don't see video on your set, there should be a button on the remote that can be pressed to cycle through the various resolutions until hopefully you get OSD display or tuned video from the microhd. Composite video cable is a great backup option but takes a little longer to set up and use than a remote button would.

 

[KE4EST]

Moved to a new thread

 

[SatelliteAV]

Resolution buttons on remotes cause more issues than solve. So what is the common resolution setting for all TVs?

I find it incredible to learn that there is a HDMI TV that can not display 480i.... Are you kidding me? Maybe contact the TV manufacturer and ask them what they are thinking? LOL!!!

The microHD emergency button is in the form of an av cable.

We originally set the default to 1080p but TVs couldn't lock to that. So then set to 1080i.... Complaints.... Then 720p .... Complaints..... and now 480i....

Maybe SatelliteGuys could hammer it out it this thread, discuss and provide a solution that will make 99.9% happy.

How do people connect other HDMI devices?

 

[skysurfer]

Resolution buttons on remotes cause more issues than solve. So what is the common resolution setting for all TVs? I find it incredible to learn that there is a HDMI TV that can not display 480i.... Are you kidding me? Maybe contact the TV manufacturer and ask them what they are thinking? LOL!!!

The resolution button would work this way (using the example of the 8/29 firmware as an assumption): Resolution defaults to 480i. If someone has a HDMI cable hooked up and sees no video, they would press a particular button on the remote control and the MicroHD would change to 480p. If nothing is seen, push that same button again to try 720p, if nothing push that button again to try 1080i/30, if nothing push the button to try 1080i/60, if nothing push the button to try 1080p/60, etc. If you don't see any video after 6 button presses (or however many resolutions are supported), then there is some issue other than finding a resolution mode that works with a tv/hd set.

It would be one remote button that cycles through all the resolution modes one mode at a time until the user hopefully gets video displayed. It wouldn't matter what the firmware default resolution is because the user would be able to cycle through all resolution modes looking for something that works.

I can't explain why 480i doesn't work thru HDMI on my 5 year old LG CRT 1080i HD set but that's the case. 480p, 720p, 1080i are the only resolutions that get me OSD video on that set when hooked up with HDMI.

p.s. is firmware able to be rolled back? I should try the previous firmware or two and see if I still have the same no-display issues with 480i and HDMI.

 

[KE4EST]

Yes you can go back and load any earlier firmware you want with a USB flash drive. Just save your user file and have at it.

 

[KE4EST]

They all start on this page here: http://www.satelliteguys.us/downloads.php?do=cat&id=3&page=2

 

[SatelliteAV]

Isn't this the same button that everyone swore at on the Openbox and many disassembled the remote to disable?

 

[KE4EST]

Yes it was a mixed emotions thing. If you accidentally hit it, or worse your wife, all hell breaks loose, for a few minutes.

 

[primestar31]

Personally, I'd think the default resolution for HDMI should be set no lower than 480p. That's the first "HD" resolution, and there shouldn't be any component or HDMI sets that can't handle that. I'd say it's fair that Brian makes a stand and says that's how it'll be here.


Leave the composite cable resolution locked at 480i as normal. If the receiver doesn't come back and resolution changes are suspected, anybody can use the composite cable to check and/or fix it. That's the way almost every other device handles this. Putting this as a button on a controller would be a terrible idea for an 'average' person (we are hopefully all ABOVE average here in our technical and trouble-shooting skills)! It would be too easy for that button to get pressed and cause 100's of service calls for support, and that's too costly. Then you'd have to raise the price of the receiver, and it just spirals out of control...

 

[Mr Tony]

Isn't this the same button that everyone swore at on the Openbox and many disassembled the remote to disable?

yup

 

[Corrado]

Years ago, one of my first DVB receivers (Viacast) had a button on the remote that would switch it to PAL video mode. I hated it. It took some research the first time to figure out.

 

[Mr Tony]

I dont get the issue....my 5 year old Panny plasma does 480i no issues. So all I did was go in and change it to 720p

but if you're using HDMI why would you want any resolution less than 720p?

 

[Anole]

I'm shocked that ANYone has trouble with 720p as default.
After all, it's HDMI for goodness sakes!

But let's remember: we're talking about setup, not a daily operation function.
Some other receiver has (here on the forum) a list of button-pushes a user can enter blind.
That or using composite should suffice for setup.

 

[KE4EST]

Same with the microHD, if it resets to wrong resolution for your tv do this: it will already be in menu by default but you can hit menu again if you want to.
anyway
Press down 2 times
Press OK
Press down 1 time
Then press left or right very slowly until you see the menu.

Same thing I have to do every time I upgrade the X3, so I know it by heart.

 

[KE4EST]

but if you're using HDMI why would you want any resolution less than 720p?

I'm shocked that ANYone has trouble with 720p as default.
After all, it's HDMI for goodness sakes!

I fully agree I hate to have to change it back to 720p, but not complaining, it not like I have to do every time I change channels.

 

[skysurfer]

I dont get the issue....my 5 year old Panny plasma does 480i no issues. So all I did was go in and change it to 720p but if you're using HDMI why would you want any resolution less than 720p?

I don't know why the LG HD set has an issue, but it does with 480i thru HDMI right after the 8/29 firmware upgrade. Once I hook up composite cable and go thru the menus to get to a resolution that my LG can handle thru HDMI, I set it to 1080i to match the max resolution of the LG HD set. I have no problems when locking and watching a signal that says it's 480i (info button hit twice - that screen) but I don't know if that is because the MicroHD upscales to 1080i to give me no issues with the LG or if 480i magically works awhile after the 8/29 firmware upgrade if it's a true 480i signal being sent to my LG thru HDMI after I lock onto a SD DVB/DVB-S2 signal.

 

[SatelliteAV]

The microHD UP/Down converts to the user selected HDMI output resolution.

In you system, be sure not to select Source on the microHD output, as standard 480i programming would not be visible via HDMI connection on your TV.

 

[Zorak]

Kinda nice to have the 480i lowest common denominator....

 

[concord]

I'm shocked that ANYone has trouble with 720p as default.
After all, it's HDMI for goodness sakes!...

About 2 years ago, a friend bought a TV (don't recall brand) and couldn't get his first gen Roku to work with the TV; he had it set to 720p. I checked it out and his new TV wouldn't do 720p, which I thought it was strange. He took it back and got a different brand. I'd think most major brands can do 480i/p -->1080i/p these days.

 

[digiblur]

My 7 plus year old Hitachi 57 inch HDTV in the bedroom worked fine with the 480i. The wife didn't like me hogging the front TV for blind scanning. Plus it has PIP so I can watch the Directv receiver and blind scan at the same time. I have another line in the front room on the 60inch to hook it up on there if I want to for a game though.

Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge