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Author Topic: HDTV programs Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 02-19-2004 02:52 PM                        I am setting up our Barco Digital Cinema projectors for the live broadcast of the Academy Awards next weekend. As testing material, I obviously need HD formatted content. Apparently ABC broadcasts in HD every night between 8.00-9.00, sometimes until 10.00 on antenna channel 25 (10.1). But even on the ABC website I couldn`t find conclusive info about exactly when and what, original HD or uploaded etc. Also, is there an antenna channel which broadcasts in HD all the time?  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 02-19-2004 03:40 PM                        Most stations doing digital broadcast are simulcasting 2 versions: SDTV and HDTV (standard and high-definition). The HD channel is not HD all the time though -- if the source broadcast is not HD, then the HD channel resolution is really the same as the SD channel but it's artificially up-rez'd. I think. ABC, CBS, and NBC broadcast much of their primetime shows in true HD. There a nifty online programming guide called Titan TV where you can find what's broadcast in HD in your area. You have to sign up but it's free and well worth it. http://www.titantv.com CBS and NBC broadcast in 1080i. ABC uses 720p. Fox, as far as I know, is still using "EDTV" in 480p, not true high-definition, at least in some markets. Not sure what the deal is with Fox.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 02-19-2004 04:09 PM                        Thanks for this info. It is a very good website, but it still doesn`t tell me exactly when programs are aired in HD (or does it, but I haven`t seen where to click?). There is a button which says HDTV update, but it it does not list ABC even though there definitely is some true HD content in the enening hours. I understand the x.1 channel (for instance channel 25 - ABC 10.1) is always the digital channel and is basically broadcast in HD all the time, even though most of the content is not true HD, but uploaded. Correct? So if I use channel 10.1 (since ABC broadcasts in 720p, and others in 1080i, I need to use ABC all the time, because setting up the Barco also involves tailoring the input settings precisely), and there is no true HD content at the specific time, it will still be the same vertical resolution (=image height) but the image will be just matted at the sides for 4:3 instead of 16:9?  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-19-2004 06:14 PM                        NBC broadcasts "The Tonight Show" in HD every night. Of course, then you've gotta put up with Leno. Maybe you could turn the sound off.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 02-19-2004 06:17 PM                        When you sign up for Titan TV, it asks you for your ZIP Code. If you have cable TV, it also wants to know who your cable provider is. Once you give it all that, you should get programming guides for your city, for digital, analog, and cable. Here's what the digital guide looks like for Eugene (sorry this is kind of small and hard to read - blame it on MS Paint): Digital shows that originate in HD are marked (HD) in red. Yes, standard programming will be "pillarboxed" at 4:3 but will use the full height. As far as configuring the projector for 720p vs. 1080i, I don't know. External HD tuners generally output everything in 1 resolution. So if you set the ext. tuner to output 1080i, a 720p broadcast will be converted to 1080i (or vice-versa). I don't know anything about the Barco - Does it use an external tuner of some kind?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-19-2004 07:44 PM                     Michael, Can't you stick a screwdriver in the wrong place in those projectors for us 15 min before the show....... ? Here in SLC PBS broadcasts the majority of the HD programming. Some of it is really excellent stuff! My Mitsubishi HDTV actually adjusts the scan rate of the TV set according to whats comming out of the tuner. Since the set has a scan doubler built in it makes it hard to detect. BTW, On my set 1080i by far looks the best and has far fewer artifacts that 720p does. Mark  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 02-19-2004 11:21 PM                        Why should I stick a screwdriver in the projector? We have a lot of fun with it. It wouldn`t do much to stop it anyway, there are very few moving parts. I simply overlooked the HD marks in the program guide because apparently ABC broadcasts few programs in HD. But now I have spotted them. Most receivers allow you to select the output format between 480i/p, 720p and 1080i. Since only ABC broadcasts in 720p, using content from other channels for setup is not an ideal solution, but it will help me configure the projector to have the right picture size on the screen. The setup options are very different depending on the input signal, but I can set the receiver to generally output 720p and then do the setup with whatever channel is HD-active at the time. Looks like PBS has the most frequent HD programs.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-22-2004 10:08 PM                     Michael, First off, which Barco do you have? The DP-50? Are you using an ACSAR? How are you getting your broadcast signal over to the Barco and what type of signal is it (HD-SDI, Component, RGBHV). For the Barco DP-50 (and I would presume the DP-30 as well)...you only really need to set up one Macro for the HD stuff. You would want to set up the Macro using a PCF file that is set to 1.78 (HDTV). Use your 1.5X anamorphic. On your SCR file...you will want to make sure that "Letterboxing Enabled" is checked. You can use even a DVD to finish off the SCR file parameters (resize, if necessary and masking). Make sure your DVD player is set to have its output for a 16:9 and choose a 16:9 video that states it is "enhanced for widescreen TVs". This will get the projector side of things tweeked and ready regardless of HD source. The ACSAR is a different story. It needs to "see" the new signal to remember it in the future. Once you can supply a test source material from your broacast system, set the ACSAR to 5:4 output (native resolution of the DP-50 and DP-30)...remember your PCF file in the projector is going to take that and make it into 16:9...you want the ACASAR to send over a image that fills the resolution of the projector for now. Also, you will want to set the horizontal and vertical offsets, inititally to zero. You may need to tweek the blanking settings on the ACSAR to get rid of time code dashes and stray blue lines and such. Steve  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 02-22-2004 11:24 PM                        Thanks for these tips. Yes - we have 6 DP-50. I connect the HD receivers via the DVI interface, except for one which has no DVI out, and that I connect using the component outs and a little converter box which accepts components and sends out a serial digital stream to the BNC inputs. We don`t use the ACSAR. I started setting up the projectors yesterday and arrived at basically the same solution you described plus just a little optical zooming. Is it just me or can you generally only edit macros when you are connected to the projector?  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-25-2004 10:39 AM                     What BNC inputs? The DVI and HD inputs are all there are. Also, I believe that the DP-50 only wants to see 24P material (hence, normally the need for the ACSAR). And yes, you need a puter to change any of the MACROs though all of the information is stored locally in the projector. Steve  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 02-25-2004 03:49 PM                        Inputs A and B have BNC connectors. What I meant is that apparently you can not edit the macros when you are not connected to the projector. That sux a little as there is a lot of file work to be done - and we are doing it on 4 different machines - which involves a lot of copying and renaming since you can only associate a macro to one of the touchscreen or the 4 macro buttons when it is named "macro001" or "macro005". Of course, you can rename the macros when they are on your notebook and not connected, but you cannot edit details like the input. Which in our case I have to do as we use 292 A on some setups, DVI on others. I set the machine up to an active area of 1280 by 720 (letterboxed), so that the chip uses its full width and just blanks out 152 lines at the top and the bottom without cropping the image. However, I do not understand why most recommend the use of the 1:5 anamorphic - then you compress the image only to unsqueeze it again and you use less horizontal resolution on the chip. I found the image looks clearer if you just use the prime lens and zoom it to resize the image appropriately. edit - now I understand why: because the DP-50 will format the image to a squeezed 1.18 when an anamorphic factor of 1.5 is selected, and resize the image to use almost the whole chip area (1.25) rather than a letterboxed 1.77. The reason this eluded me is that I worked with some 720p images which came in from the DVI input. The DP-50 does not apply all formatting options to sources from that input. But if the 292 inputs are used, then all these options are available to play with. [ 02-26-2004, 04:32 AM: Message edited by: Michael Schaffer ]  |  IP: Logged

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