HR10-250 vs. RCA DTC210

[AliceNChains]

Hey guys,
I just had the HR10-250 put in, the HD DVR from Direct TV. Got it on the "NFL TICKET renewal" deal.

Well, I'm not happy with the picture. Not sure if it's just all in my mind, but on my HD channels, I don't seem to have the option, or can't find it, of making everything letter box. Channels like Discovery HD, or HD Net, where I know everything is pretty much broadcast in 1080i, the screen is full, and the picture not as crisp as I remember. I know not everyone likes the letterbox, but I do. To me, it makes it more vivid and crisp, condenses the picture. I have the HR10-250 set to letterbox, but all that does is show the stuff that is broadcast that way. (like an HBO movie in LB)

Am I missing something? I like the Tivo, but my picture is more important. Is this just a crappy receiver?

 

[ebonovic]

No... you are not missing anything (with regards to the Letterbox), the HR10-250 just sends the ratio that is sent in the signal....

Is your TV a 4:3 ratio?

 

[AliceNChains]

Sorry, should have posted what my TV was... no, it's widescreen format.
I have the Sony Wega KFEW610? Forget what the model is anymore, it's been a couple years. The 50" Wega.

Really diggin' the Tivo, not diggin the picture quality.

 

[hhh222]

Howdy...I'm not really sure what you're saying. Are you getting a proper 16x9 image on hi-def 16x9 broadcasts?

Are you trying to get things broadcast in 4x3 stretched? There's a Ratio button on the remote top left to do this.

Are you outputting component to your TV?
Do you have the HR10-250"s output set to 1080i, 720p, 480p or 480i . You can toggle the output to change between these.

 

[frankyboy4]

I just had a HR10-250 installed SUnday and noticed teh same thing. I'll watch some SD channels and they'll be stretched and look fine on my 42" LCD. I had also set the Tivo to do 16X9 because that is the native ratio for my LCD and also told it to do 1080i as well.

Switch the channel to 70 for HBO HD and the picture is showing as a 4:3 ratio so I have black bars on each side of the pic. Switched over to channel 501 for HBO SD and it fills the screen after about 20 minutes switched it back to channel 70 HBO HD and it filled the screen properly and looked good.

I am using the HDMI to DVI cable. I was going to try my other DVI input to see if it does the same thing.

I had an H20 hooked up to this LCD through the compnents and it worked without a hitch. I have the H20 connected to a 20" DELL LCD that I share with my computer using an HDMI to DVI cable and everything is still looking good with that.

I'm wondering if it's

1. the cable, I am going to swap cables tonight
2. the DVI port on the TV, I'll try the other one
3. the HDMI port on the Tivo, or something with the Tivo Software / Hardaware that is causing this.

Anyone else seeing similiar things ? or have any suggestions

My 42" lcd is a Westinghouse LVM-42w2

the 20" lcd is a dell 2005FPW

Thanks

Frank C.

 

[AliceNChains]

Howdy...I'm not really sure what you're saying. Are you getting a proper 16x9 image on hi-def 16x9 broadcasts?

Are you trying to get things broadcast in 4x3 stretched? There's a Ratio button on the remote top left to do this.

Are you outputting component to your TV?
Do you have the HR10-250"s output set to 1080i, 720p, 480p or 480i . You can toggle the output to change between these.

I'm assuming I'm getting the 16x9 image properly on the hi-def broadcasts. I have the output set to all of the above, and it's sitting on 1080i. I know I can toggle, I've done that as well.

What I'm saying is the picture is not as sharp as it was on my standard HD receiver, (the RCA)

The simplest way I can explain it is.... HD Discovery. Everything is pretty much done in 1080i, right? Well, with my RCA receiver, (the banner would tell me what it was being broadcast in... 1080i or 720p) I had it set to "letterbox." This would CONDENSE the picture a bit, at least that's my understanding, instead of filling the entire screen. The picture was crisper, more clear this way, the best way to watch HD IMO.
On the HR10-250, I don't have this option. It fills my screen. May be 1080i, and yes, a good picture, but not as crisp and clear as my old picture was. I posted this on another forum and was told the HR10-250 has this "common complaint" that the picture is not as clear. Just trying to understand it all. As it stands, unless the new update or a new receiver fixes it, I'll be calling direct TV, having them put my TIVO upstairs for recording purposes, and putting my old receiver back in. Tivo is great, but when you're used to a certain crisp picture, and it's taken, that's more important to me. I'm not one to nitpick either... I could tell the difference right away.

 

[Newshawk]

Actually, you DON'T have a "crisper, more clear" picture, you only have the ILLUSION of a "crisper, more clear" picture. I'll bet that if you set the RCA to give the normal aspect ratio for 16:9 it would look the same as the HR10-250. Why don't you try setting your HDTV to display the HR10-250's picture in the same way that your old receiver did? Perhaps then the HD DVR will have a "crisper, more clear" picture, too.

 

[AliceNChains]

I don't think my TV will do that. But, if you're telling me it's no different, I'm telling you it is. If the picture is condensed into a smaller box, isn't it clearer? I'm sure that if I set the RCA to the normal aspect ratio, it would look the same. That's why I always had it set to letterbox. In fact, I showed a couple people that very thing when they asked me why I had it set to letterbox, and they all thought the picture was more vivid. If it's an illusion, so be it, but I could tell the difference.

 

[Newshawk]

It's like looking at a 4"x6" snapshot vice looking at the same picture blown up to 24"x36"-you'll notice any imperfection more the larger the image is. In fact, I think that's the main problem with so many people and their HD PQ gripes... they are using a TV with a screen too big for the distance they are viewing it from.

 

[AliceNChains]

I have a 50" screen, I sit about 9 feet away. Don't get me wrong, the picture doesn't suck, I just wish I had the option to condense it to letterbox like I did on my RCA.

 

[cheer]

I can't even imagine why such a function would exist...I mean, I guess I'm just used to insisting I see things in the proper aspect ration without distortion...

 

[billbillw]

I had an RCA-DTC210 and I have no idea what this guy is talking about. I used the RCA for about a year and had it set always output 1080i, which matches my TV. I don't remember any way to squashing/condensing the picture on HD channels. On the SD channels, you had the option to use one of the stretch modes or to put side columns on the image (to maintain 4:3). Maybe he had the RCA set to 480i or something. Makes no sense.

I didn't notice any picture degredation when I switched to the HD-Tivo.

EDIT: I just checked the DTC-210 manual at D*'s website. With a 16:9 TV, output set to 1080i or 720p, with 16:9 signal (HD), it says there is no other format available. Its right on Page 7! I suspect he either had his output set to 480i, or he mistakenly had the monitor type set to 4:3. Either way, he was looking at a funked up image!

 

[hhh222]

I think I see what you're saying. With your RCA, you're, apparently, making the picture smaller which would give the illusion of a sharper picture. The Tivo itself, will not shrink the picture size to give this illusion.

 

[PoitNarf]

The DTC-210 is by far the worst D* box I've ever owned. Problems up the wazoo with that thing.