Closed captioning The Cox high-definition set-top initially will not support closed captioning on high-definition channels; however, you will still be able to view closed captioning over the duplicative standard-definition versions of HDTV channels (whether in the analog lineup or on Cox Digital Cable). The closed captioning limitation on HD channels is a technical limitation. Cox is diligently working with its set-top supplier on the development of new software for providing closed captioning on all channels. This software will be downloaded to your set-top once it becomes available. Black bars (sidebars and letterboxing) When an over-air broadcast program transmitted in standard-definition (4:3 aspect ratio) is viewed on a wide-screen (16:9 aspect ratio) HDTV, the HDTV can center the image on the screen with black or gray bars on either side (known as sidebars). In like fashion, the Cox set-top adds sidebars to allow 4:3 content to be viewed via the high definition input of a 16:9 wide-screen HDTV. Also, note that widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) content on a 4:3 aspect ratio HDTV will typically have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen - this is known as letterboxing. Burn-in If you consistently watch standard-definition (4:3 aspect ratio) programming on a wide-screen (16:9 aspect ratio) HDTV with sidebars activated over very long periods of time, you may ruin your HDTV's ability to display colors evenly across the screen. Similarly, constant viewing of 16:9 wide-screen content on a 4:3 aspect ratio HDTV with letter boxing can cause the same problem. Why? The inside of your HDTV's screen is lined with thousands of tiny phosphors, which glow red, green, or blue when struck by an electron beam (that is what creates the color in color TVs). The more a phosphor is heated by electrons, the faster it ages and diminishes in intensity (that is why the picture on an old TV eventually fades to black). If all of the phosphors in a screen age evenly, the set's picture will gradually fade over time without distortions. However, if part of the screen is left blank for long periods of time, the phosphors in the black areas will not age at all, so they will appear brighter than the areas around them when the screen is filled again. This is a risk that you incur when watching content on your HDTV with sidebars or letter boxing. Both the television manufacturers and Cox recommend that you do not activate or display sidebars or letterboxes for prolonged periods of time as this may degrade the quality of the HDTV. Consult your HDTV owner's manual for details. Switching video inputs Your wide-screen HDTV may have picture size adjustment features (zoom, stretch, etc.) that can be used to remove the black bars (thereby preventing burn-in) otherwise seen when watching standard-definition programming. If you wish to take advantage of these picture size adjustment features, you must switch the video input mode on your HDTV to the Standard Video input (most likely labeled VIDEO SOURCE on the remote control that came with your TV) when watching standard-definition programming. Note that future versions of the Cox high-definition set-top box will have picture size adjustment functions built into the set-top. In either case, Cox recommends that you avoid prolonged use of sidebars or letterboxing as this may result in damage to your HDTV. Consult your HDTV owner's manual for details. Graphics overlay on high-definition video Due to a technology limitation of the Cox high-definition set-top, most graphics cannot be displayed over high-definition video. This means that the video will disappear when you launch the Cox programming guide or press the INFO button on your remote control while viewing high-definition programming. Similarly, emergency alert messages may cause the video to disappear when the emergency alert message is displayed. Also due to the graphics limitation, the volume indicator banner will not appear on your TV screen when adjusting the volume of high-definition programming (in order to minimize disruptions to the video programming). Picture quality You may notice that picture quality varies across the different high-definition channels you receive as part of the Cox HDTV service. Some programming may even appear to be "stretched" (making objects and people appear shorter and fatter). The picture quality of the high-definition programming you receive is determined by the content provider. If you are receiving video on a high-definition channel, you should assume that your HDTV service is functioning properly. |
