Wrong 4x3 on 2000T

J

JamesE

New Member
It's too late now as I've bought it but I am very dischuffed at the use of the 4x3 setting. Although it purports to offer centre, 14x9 or 16x9 (letterbox) all it does is letterbox. This does mean that when, and only when, a true 4x3 is being transmitted that I can set it to 4x3 and then "zoom" the TV to view in wide screen with a bit missing off top and bottom. However when a film is being shown in 2.2:1, in what I prefer to call "slotvision" then I am unable to view in 14x9 and then zoom to make the picture more acceptable - i.e nearly full height with just a bit missing off the sides.

Having seen reference to this via DS and that some people took there machines back to the retailer as "not fit for purpose" I was rather hoping that someone may have developed an alternative firmware. I am assuming that there's b*gger all chance of Humax doing it.
 
Am I the only one who's confused here? Are you watching on a 16:9 tv or a 4:3 tv?
The operation of the centre, 14:9 , 16:9 and auto setings for a 4:3 tv set are well known. Like you, I am not happy with the way the Humax operates in this respect. However, over a year ago I did the research, looked at this and the myHumax.org sites and knew what I was buying.
Despite various people flagging this up on both sites, nothing has been done about it so far.

Black Hole said:
Try this: Things Every... (click) section 16.
Click to expand...
Er, the HDR Fox T2 might work properly. But there is a problem with the 2000T (and probably the 1800T). The auto/centre/14:9/16:9(letterbox) settings for 4:3 sets don't work if the broadcaster has set the AFD code. What happens on the 16:9 setting, I don't know. Typically BBC, ITV, C4 & C5 are a problem. [EDIT (wrong! see below*) : UKTV channels, CBS* and even] Sky News works as desired. True Entertainment breaks all the rules, but that is a different problem.
*It's even worse than I thought. The letterbox settings don't work for MOST channels. The BBC,ITV etc channels use a 16:9 with shoot and protect at 14:9. The others seem to use 16:9 and 4:3 when required.
 
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JamesE said:
... when, a true 4x3 is being transmitted that I can set it to 4x3 and then "zoom" the TV to view in wide screen with a bit missing off top and bottom. ..
Click to expand...
It sounds as if you have a 16:9 TV. Are you talking about a 16:9 TV?
On the HDR-200T you set up whether you have a 4:3 TV or a 16:9 TV

The options are:
For a 16:9 TV: Auto, Pillerbox, Zoom
For a 4:3 TV: Auto; Letterbox 16:9; Letterbox 14:9; Centre

JamesE said:
It's too late now as I've bought it but I am very dischuffed at the use of the 4x3 setting. Although it purports to offer centre, 14x9 or 16x9 (letterbox) all it does is letterbox.
....
Having seen reference to this via DS and that some people took there machines back to the retailer as "not fit for purpose" I was rather hoping that someone may have developed an alternative firmware. I am assuming that there's b*gger all chance of Humax doing it.
Click to expand...
I am one of those people who took it back as for any of the 4:3 selected it always behaves as though 'Auto' is selected. This is for the aspect ratio for 4:3 TVs. It is bug not about options for 4:3 broadcasts, or about aspect ratios for 16:9 TVs.
When setup for a 16:9 TV you will not get the same options as you would if setup for a 4:3 TV.

JamesE said:
However when a film is being shown in 2.2:1, in what I prefer to call "slotvision" then I am unable to view in 14x9 and then zoom to make the picture more acceptable - i.e nearly full height with just a bit missing off the sides.
Click to expand...
Black Hole said:
Try this: Things Every... (click) section 16.
Click to expand...
Nice thought but that concerns some imported videos and does not work on the HDR-FOX T2 with its own recordings (without the TV also adjusting) let alone the HDR-2000T with the HDR-2000T's 4:3 TV aspect control bug.
 
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EEPhil: Yes I'm using a 16x9 TV. I just never thought that Humax would have been so daft as not to implement the options on 4x3. I've had a 9200 for years and that of course behaves perfectly (well, as far as the 4x3 options go). My Sky box likewise, except that I don't have a 14x9 option. So I just went out and bought a 2000, all other comments on DS were favourable. However, had I known, I'm not sure what the alternatives are. I MUST have the Humax ability to skip forward 1m and back 15s - it makes advert zapping so much easier. I MUST have the ability do upload films to the PC (which I can do via a USB stick). Any good alternative suggestions would be well received and I might have a nearly new 2000 going for half price!
 
Are we saying that the 16:9 tv settings - Auto, pillarbox,zoom don't work properly as well - or is it just the 4:3 tv ones?
If you use 4:3 tv settings for a 16:9 tv you can't expect to get good results - can you? (Although 16:9 settings on a 4:3 tv sometimes gets you out of some broadcasters dodgy aspect ratios!)
I don't know if this idea would work for a 16:9 tv - I haven't looked into it. For a 4:3 tv, the habit the BBC has of broadcasting 16:9 with 14:9 shoot and protect (giving a 14:9 picture) can be circumvented. But it's a right pain. You can download the decrypted video and, at least in StdDef, find the AFD codes in the Transport Stream and reset them to something else (16:9). Upload the video back to the Humax and play. The programme will be 16:9 not 14:9 on a 4:3 tv. I've only experimented with this once and not in HiDef. It does work, but too much effort for little return.
 
EEPhil said:
Are we saying that the 16:9 tv settings - Auto, pillarbox,zoom don't work properly as well - or is it just the 4:3 tv ones?
If you use 4:3 tv settings for a 16:9 tv you can't expect to get good results - can you? (Although 16:9 settings on a 4:3 tv sometimes gets you out of some broadcasters dodgy aspect ratios!)
I don't know if this idea would work for a 16:9 tv - I haven't looked into it. For a 4:3 tv, the habit the BBC has of broadcasting 16:9 with 14:9 shoot and protect (giving a 14:9 picture) can be circumvented. But it's a right pain. You can download the decrypted video and, at least in StdDef, find the AFD codes in the Transport Stream and reset them to something else (16:9). Upload the video back to the Humax and play. The programme will be 16:9 not 14:9 on a 4:3 tv. I've only experimented with this once and not in HiDef. It does work, but too much effort for little return.
Click to expand...

I haven't really bothered with the 16x9 settings as they seem normal. I am referring to the 4x3 settings. If you get a 2.2:1 aspect ratio film I rather don't take to this narrow letter box thing and have found that with the old 9200 that I can set it for a 4x3 output and 14x9 and IF I THEN set the (widescreen) TV to "zoom" which has the effect of keeping the proportion but expanding the picture to fit the width it is more acceptable. I loose a little from the sides - not important - and only have a thin black band top and bottom. I suppose those who watch on 60" plasmas with their noses 4' away won't agree but I find it a much more acceptable picture. I've done this for years with 9200 and like the facility. It's also useful for a 4x3 which is being transmitted in 16x9 with unmoveable black side bars. I can again select as above and get a 16 or 14x9 picture, correctly proportioned with only a bit of the top and bottom missing. Most of the time it does not matter unless it is a very old 4x3 when they did rather seem to fill the old cinema screen!

I really need this as an instant solution - it takes only seconds to temporarily put the 9200 onto 4x3 and seconds after the film to put it back. Likewise the Sky box. If I want to mess about making a DVD of a film which I feel is worth keeping for posterity then I use VideoReDo TV Suite and I can mess about with final aspect ratio and the amount of cropping to my heart's content.

I'm having to record films on the old 9200 at the moment, just in case. Which means that I can't use Film4+1. C'est la vie!
 
So you're trying to subvert what the broadcasters have decreed the TX format is (because of your odd personal preferences) by misusing the settings on the box and then complaining that it doesn't work? Somehow I don't think you're going to get very far.
And no, you don't need an "instant" solution. There isn't one. Nor will there be.
 
JamesE said:
I haven't really bothered with the 16x9 settings as they seem normal.
Click to expand...
The 16:9 TV options on the HDR-2000T behave slightly differently to the HDR-FOX T2's 16:9 TV settings. So if you act on Black Holes suggestion in post #6 be prepared for the 4:3 TV setting to function OK but if you are attempting anything fancy with the 16:9 TV settings for when 4:3 programmes are broadcast there may be some differences with those.
 
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