Got mine to successfully record the Widescreen Flags from Skybox to the Sony HDD today. I basically swapped the Scarts around (as mentioned above), by connecting from the TV OUT from the sky box, to the Line 3 on the Sony. When I played back the recording, my TV did automatically switch to the correct aspect ratio

You can almost get away with not bothering to use the Video OUT from the sky box at all, as you rightly said, you can watch SKY looped through the Sony, even in Standby.
Even if you're recording something from the built-in Freeview, putting the recorder into Standby will allow you to watch Sky through it.

Advantages
picture quality recorded was better. I found when I was using VIDEO OUT to the Sony L3, the picture had some ghosting/flickering, which was not that noticable until I swapped to a SKY channel that had a blank screen (e.g BBC1 radio). Connecting using TV OUT instead got rid of this.

DISADVANTAGES
Cannot use Synchro Record. Just means you'll have to user the timer instead, which isn't really that much of a hassle.

I will still however use the VIDEO OUT signal connected to the TV. although this will now not have the Widescreen flag.


I wonder if there is a way of just using the TV OUT
signal from the SKY box, so that if you're recording, you simply switch it to the DVD recorder, or if you're just watching switch is to the TV, all without uplugging the leads. Would a SCART switch box be able to do this I wonder ?

Please tell me Shredder did you have the HDD Recording picture setting on Auto or 16:9.
If you had it set to Auto then you have succeeded to record the Sky Digital box's Widescreen Flag where my HXD860 appears to have ignored it altogether.
Also with your Scart connections you were able to record the higher quality RGB picture output as well.

Looks like we have both had a successful weekend of sorts.
On Friday night I recorded a Widescreen film from my Sky Digi box direct to the DVD recorder in the HXD860.
The L3 input on the HXD860 was connected to the Sky box via the VCR Output not the TV Output, so I knew there would be no Windscreen Flag output.
The DVD record setting was set to 16:9 and while viewing the picture via L3 on the 860 the TV picture did not automatically change to Widescreen.
After the recording was complete, replaying this DVD the TV's picture changed to Windscreen automatically so the 860 had added its own Windscreen Flag to this recording.

So Today I tried the first part of what I stated in my previous posting.
I changed the recording setting for the HDD from Auto the 16:9, I recorded a section of the Monaco GP from ITV's Sky channel 103 from the Sky box, still connected to the VCR Output scart.
On replay the TV picture switched to Widescreen automatically so again the 860 has added its own Widesreen flag.
Of course the picture is only correct if you are recording a Widescreen input to start with.
In this case it was a Widescreen picture but with no flag.

With reference to your Scart connections, it depends if you watch more programmes from your Sky Digi box than you record as to what is best in the long term.
Last edited by Schizoid Mike : 27-05-2007 at 22:15

I have the HDD recording set to auto.
It's weird that when I tried it a couple of weeks ago I was getting no joy, but now it works. Maybe a firmware upgrade sorted it out ?

When I tested mine out, I recorded Sky news which is in 16:9, then back a forth between an old black & white 4:3 film on Film 4. My TV automatically switched to both when playing back.
Some of the results may vary depending on your TV settings also. Sometimes my TV will take a few seconds to respond, before it changes to the correct aspect ratio.
Also my TV is set to Auto for aspect ratio, but if I force it 16:9, when the picture changes to 4:3, my TV doesn't, so I have to remember to alway keep it on the Auto setting.

I have not tried having the HXD860’s L3 Scart socket connected to the Sky Box’s TV Output Scart since the software update a couple of weeks ago.
After your results I will give it another go.
If my HXD860 still does not respond to the Widescreen flag, then I will set the HDD record setting from Auto to 16:9 that way I am covered until I record something in 4:3.
My Philips Widescreen TV also takes its time responding to the Widescreen flag from the Sky Digi Box but appears to be almost instant when from the HXD860.

Giving some thought to the Scart connection problems i.e. wanting the Sky Box’s TV Output connected to both the HXD860 and the Television, I am sure I have seen a Y Scart cable somewhere, i.e. one lead with three Scart plugs.
It might be made by QED, then again it might not. The truth is out there.

In about 98% of cases, my Sony will record the Widescreen flag, although it's not 100% successfull.
For example, as a test, I recorded on ITV's The Mint Gameshow, and it didn't give me the widescreen flag. Yet when I recorded it again the next day it was fine again

Also on Sunday I recorded the finale episode of Lost from Sky One. Although it successfully recorded the widescreen flag, during a couple of points during the show, my TV quickly switched back & forth between 4:3 & 16:19. Just to make sure, I rewinded the same bit a played it again, with the same results.

At the moment it's difficult to tell what it causing the recording of the widescreen flags to be a 'hit & miss' affair.

It could be down to varying signal strength from Sky ?

or could it be the Sony Tuner is weak ?

Would be interesting to hear how successfull other Sony owners are with this as well....

I reported on this widescreen switching problem just after the machine's release last August (?) - the perils of being an early adopter!

I emailed Sony and rather than fobbing me off they asked for additional details eg recording modes, source etc. (Not heard anything since though )

Anyway I did some experimenting at the time and found the following:

Other sources had their widescreen switching recognised, (2 Sony DVD players - one quite old, the other very new) by the 860. My older Sony GXD500 recorder recognises the digibox's aspect switching with no problems as well. The problem affected my old Pace V2 Sky+ and my current Sky HD box.

My speculation at the time was since aspect switching is via pin 8 in the scart lead was that for some reason the 860 wasn't "seeing" the voltage change - possibly the digibox, the 860 or both weren't quite within spec resulting in the combination not working. But I'm no expert.

To quote one of my earlier postings;
If you go to “Options”, > “Record Settings or Rec. Settings”, for the HDD there is a “HDD Rec. Picture Size” option that gives you the choice of Auto, 16:9 and 4:3.
It’s likely to be on the default setting of Auto.

Change Auto to 16:9, then it does not matter whether the HXD860 detects the Sky digital Box’s Widescreen Flag or not.
When the recorded programme is played back from the 860’s HDD, the picture will automatically display on your TV in Widescreen.
(Not the horizontally squashed to 4:3 picture that you have to manually select Widescreen on your TV to correct.)
That’s assuming you were recording a Widescreen programme in the first place.
If you know that you are going to record a 4:3 picture, then you will have to reset the Record Settings to either Auto or 4:3.

This is how I have overcome the Sky Widescreen switching problem using the HXD860.
I can now get widescreen recordings every time even without having the L3 input scart connected to the Sky Digital box’s TV output scart.

Anyone else had the problem where the 860 refuses to record a programme from Sky? I've been recording Lost on Sky 1 via my HD box, playing the eps out to the Sony's hard disk and dubbing to DVD for a friend to watch. This has worked all series. Until the finale. I can watch the (non-HD) picture via the Sony, but it refuses to record. A message appears as soon as you start recording "This video cannot be recorded". I think it might be copy protection on recording on the Sky HD box that the 860 is recognising. Can anyone confirm? I think I might have copied this episode to the planner from Sky Anytime.

Graeme

Perhaps Sky knew what you were up to and applied the same copy protection to the HD final of Lost as they do to the films on Sky Box Office.

Had no trouble with this when I recoded it off of Sky Two.
By recording the repeat on Sky Two I avoided all the annoying Available in HD and the Multi Start banners that screw up the picture and the enjoyment.

Would be better to get your friend to invest in the Lost Season Three DVD box set not just for the episode but for all the extras.

I read that there are to be quite a few more flash forwards in season four.