Post by Skaggs on Jan 22, 2007 12:46:01 GMT -5
Dave Hancock posted the following on 1/17/07 over at the RochesterHDTV website:
Trick to do Wide Screen DVDs from SA8300HD
I mentioned a method ("trick" actually) to make Wide Screen Anamorphic DVDs from HD recordings on the SA8300HD in a thread asking about enclosures for external drives for the 8300HD. Rather than continuing "off-topic" I thought that I would provide that "trick" in a new thread.
First some background. Basically Anamorphic DVDs are SD DVDs that have the wide screen image "Squeezed", rather than recorded in a letterbox format (where the upper and lower black bars are wasted). This results in a DVD with more resolution. While some DVD recorders and formats support the inclusion of a anamorphic (16:9) flag, you do not really need that flag if you can view DVDs in a "stretch" mode. If your DVD recorder does have the ability to set this flag, then the "stretch" will automatically occur in the DVD player.
To make this work you need to get the SA8300HD to "squeeze" the images. Believe it or not, the 8300HD will do this on the composite and S-Video outputs when it is in the SD mode. Once in the SD mode, the Zoom button (usually the # button) on the supplied remote will go to the "Stretch 480i" mode. This results in the 16:9 image being squeezed into the 4:3 space so you can record it. It is recommended that you use the S-Video connection on the 8300 for these recordings. Note: when the 8300HD is in the SD mode, the component outputs will be magenta in color - so you need to be watching what you are doing through the DVD recorder output.
OK: Here is the step by step procedure for this.
1) With TV tuned to 8300 output, turn 8300 off.
2) Press both Guide and Info buttons on the front panel of the 8300.
3) Set Up Wizard will come up - Simply press the A button to go to the SD mode.
4) [NOTE: I've found that the following step was needed for the current (1.88.17.100) version of software]. Do a Hard Reboot by unplugging the power cord on the back of the 8300, wait 30 seconds and then while holding the front panel Power button in, plug the power back in. Release Power when the 8300 front panel indicator says "boot". Wait till time reappears in the window (about 5 min) before turning 8300 power back on. At that point you are good to go.
5) Select program to be recorded & get DVD recorder ready to record.
6) Start recorder, play program and press "#" key once to get in Stretch (actually squeeze) mode.
7) When you are done and ready to return the 8300 to regular HD operation: go through set up wizzard again, this time setting up the HD mode with the resolutions you want (it usually retains the previous ones) and then go through the Hard Reboot process again.
Have fun:
NOTE: I found that the Hard Reboot steps were needed as after we got 1.88.17.100 that the box would randomly drop out of the SD mode - and go back to the normal letterboxed mode. Then I found that the day after I had gone through this procedure that the 8300 would come on in the SD mode. I concluded that doing the hard reboot with the desired mode (SD or HD) was necessary to force the box to remember that mode. Who knows, maybe the next version (due any day now) won't need this extra step.
Trick to do Wide Screen DVDs from SA8300HD
I mentioned a method ("trick" actually) to make Wide Screen Anamorphic DVDs from HD recordings on the SA8300HD in a thread asking about enclosures for external drives for the 8300HD. Rather than continuing "off-topic" I thought that I would provide that "trick" in a new thread.
First some background. Basically Anamorphic DVDs are SD DVDs that have the wide screen image "Squeezed", rather than recorded in a letterbox format (where the upper and lower black bars are wasted). This results in a DVD with more resolution. While some DVD recorders and formats support the inclusion of a anamorphic (16:9) flag, you do not really need that flag if you can view DVDs in a "stretch" mode. If your DVD recorder does have the ability to set this flag, then the "stretch" will automatically occur in the DVD player.
To make this work you need to get the SA8300HD to "squeeze" the images. Believe it or not, the 8300HD will do this on the composite and S-Video outputs when it is in the SD mode. Once in the SD mode, the Zoom button (usually the # button) on the supplied remote will go to the "Stretch 480i" mode. This results in the 16:9 image being squeezed into the 4:3 space so you can record it. It is recommended that you use the S-Video connection on the 8300 for these recordings. Note: when the 8300HD is in the SD mode, the component outputs will be magenta in color - so you need to be watching what you are doing through the DVD recorder output.
OK: Here is the step by step procedure for this.
1) With TV tuned to 8300 output, turn 8300 off.
2) Press both Guide and Info buttons on the front panel of the 8300.
3) Set Up Wizard will come up - Simply press the A button to go to the SD mode.
4) [NOTE: I've found that the following step was needed for the current (1.88.17.100) version of software]. Do a Hard Reboot by unplugging the power cord on the back of the 8300, wait 30 seconds and then while holding the front panel Power button in, plug the power back in. Release Power when the 8300 front panel indicator says "boot". Wait till time reappears in the window (about 5 min) before turning 8300 power back on. At that point you are good to go.
5) Select program to be recorded & get DVD recorder ready to record.
6) Start recorder, play program and press "#" key once to get in Stretch (actually squeeze) mode.
7) When you are done and ready to return the 8300 to regular HD operation: go through set up wizzard again, this time setting up the HD mode with the resolutions you want (it usually retains the previous ones) and then go through the Hard Reboot process again.
Have fun:
NOTE: I found that the Hard Reboot steps were needed as after we got 1.88.17.100 that the box would randomly drop out of the SD mode - and go back to the normal letterboxed mode. Then I found that the day after I had gone through this procedure that the 8300 would come on in the SD mode. I concluded that doing the hard reboot with the desired mode (SD or HD) was necessary to force the box to remember that mode. Who knows, maybe the next version (due any day now) won't need this extra step.