Hi,only just got the Foxsat HDR stb and have just noticed while watching the racing on BBC1 that when pressing the "i" info button I have on the info bar a red oblong with 5761 in it.Does this mean my stb is set on 576i cos it shouldn't be it should be 1080i.I have tried "original" and 1080i with the v-format button but this does not alter the 576i in the info bar.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.

SD is 576i.

If you have a reasonably recent HDTV, you should leave it on Original, as the scaler in the TV will likely do a better job than the scaler in the HDR.

It will then output 576i when showing SD, and let your TV do the upscaling to 1080 if you have a full HD, not HD Ready, TV.

It will output 1080i when showing BBD HD, or ITV HD stream, and your TV will pass through the signal.

Rgds.


Les.

Thanks savvy,yes see what you mean now.And yes I have it on original.

Also, I see you have the 9300T, like me, so you will maybe have tried the SD picture on that through Scart & HDMI?

You might, if you haven't already, want to try the comparison of the HDR SD picture through Scart vs HDMI.

If your TV allows you to have different picture calibrations on each input (my AV1 Scart and my HDMI1 have very different calibration settings after lots of work), you may prefer to watch HD through the HDMI, and SD through the Scart.

But, have a try, and let your own eyes be the judge in your own environment.

Rgds.


Les.

The 576i or 1080i in the 'iPlate' (when you press 'i') is indicating if the broadcast is SD or HD, it is irrespective of the V-format which you set the box to output. The box scales the broadcast to whatever format you so desire (within the possibilities).

Ok......Tried the av with the HDR and the pic is slightly brighter so will prob watch sd with AV and HD with HDMI.The settings with my Panny are the same with both HDMI and SD......Trouble is I'm comparing the Foxsat with Virgins V+ stb which prob has the best pq output I've seen with any of my sources.

They probably shouldn't be, unless you are saying you can't change the settings on individual inputs.

To illustrate this, and how good the SD picture on the Foxsat HDR can be :-

We had some family round the other night, and couldn't miss their fix of Coronation Street They were absolutely blown away with the picture, they thought Corry was now being shown in HD !! Admittedly they don't have HD at home, but they have seen it here before via the HDR & also Blu-Ray movies, and they were just stunned by the PQ of what was an SD broadcast. This is not just down to the fine output from the HDR, it relies on the TV being properly calibrated for SD, it makes a big difference, it's not just about being brighter. I should also say that I use ITV1 West Country, which is broadcast at a higher resolution & bitrate than other regional variations, but the SD picture was still good before this.

Rgds.


Les.

Can only think it's more your tv....The settings on my Panny are the same for HDMI and AV:
Picture Menu
Viewing mode:Normal,Dynamic,Auto,Cinema.
Contrast
Brightness
Colour
Sharpness (on the Foxsat I use full sharpness)
Colour Balance Normal,Cool,Warm.
Colour Management (I use off)
P-NR (I wiuse Off)
I deleted ITV west but will definately retune and give ITV west a go.
Saying all that the V+ stb has the same settings on the same tv and has a superb pq.
Thanks.

Yes, I think you are partially right, others with Sony Bravia have also said that the combination of Humax/Sony Bravia work well together.

Just a couple more comments, then I'll leave it

Generally, you should have Colour Management & Noise Reduction (I presume that's what P-NR is?) Off, and Colour Balance & Viewing Mode as Normal, so that looks OK.

However Sharpness in all probability should not be at Full (unless Full means 0 Sharpness on the Panny range - stranger things have happened); you are introducing far too much artificial sharpness that is not there in the original picture. You should be setting sharpness as low as you can go so there are no light edges around dark objects when you look closely. Mine is at "Min".

I can't really help you with the Contrast, Brightness, & Colour values, as I don't know the Panasonic range. I could tell you what you are trying to achieve with each control but I don't want this to turn into a TV Calibration thread, this is the Freesat+ forum. However these will have a significant impact on your PQ, and there are plenty of Calibration threads on various forums, as well as Tutorials on the net.

But, as you say, you are happy with your PQ on the V+ stb.

Anyway, HTH.

Rgds.


Les.

Thanks for that,one other thing I can't seem to pick up ITV west.
Thanks.

I think you can pick it up in non-freesat mode, but if you want to be able to schedule recordings from it, you have to do a factory reset and go through the installation routine again. If you put EX2 2JN in as your postcode it will pick up ITV1 West Country as your ITV region (You will also get BBC1 South West as your BBC Region). You will have to reset all your scheduled timers, and any optional settings you may have made.

But, apparently the increased resolution & bitrate is only going to last until September, after DSO in the West Country. This satellite feed is currently being used into Freeview for the West Country signal, but it won't be after DSO.

Rgds.


Les.

Ok thanks Les.

This may seem like a basic question, but here goes.
What is the difference between "full HD" and "HD ready" and how can I tell which my TV is? (panasonic TH-42PZ85B)

Full HD is 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, HD ready can be 1024 x 768, or 1366 x 768.

The specs for your model indicate that it supports 1920 x 1080. This info should be in the Manual/User Guide.

Rgds.


Les.

Thanks Les