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Trouble Shooting Information
I have connected
my HD digital set-top box and my HDTV set, and after double-checking the
connections, I still cannot get any picture on HD channels. What could
be wrong?
I am tuning
to a listed HD channel on my TV, why don't I see the picture?
I am tuned to
a high-definition channel, however the picture is not displayed in full
screen. What is wrong?
When I tune
to a high-definition channel, the picture seems to take a long time to
display. Is this normal?
I have connected
my HD set-top box to my HDTV set, and although I am getting a clear picture,
the colors are not right.
Why is the aspect
ratio of different programs inconsistent?
Why are there
black or gray bars surrounding the picture displayed on my HDTV set?
What is burn-in?
How do I avoid
burn-in?
Why does the high-definition video disappear when I bring up the
Cox Interactive Programming Guide?
Why does picture
quality vary across different channels of high-definition programming
(some programming even appears to be "stretched")?
I have connected
my HD digital set-top box and my HDTV set, and after double-checking the
connections, I still cannot get any picture on HD channels. What could
be wrong?
- Make sure you have tuned to a HD channel available in your area
- Ensure connections are correct
- Have a Cox Customer Support Representative confirm that your account
is properly balanced and service is authorized on the account.
- If you have a Scientific-Atlanta set-top box, make sure that your
HDTV set has YPbPr (as opposed to RGB) inputs - if your set has RGB inputs,
you will need to obtain a YPbPr-to-RGB adapter module and adapter cables
from Cox.
I am tuning
to a listed HD channel on my TV, why don't I see the picture?
Make sure you are tuning to the channel through your HD-enabled set-top
box. Without the HD set-top box, you will not be able to tune to a HD
channel. Also, remember that the IPG cannot be displayed over an HD channel,
so if you have hit the GUIDE or INFO button to pull up IPG information,
your HD picture will temporarily go blank until you hit EXIT.
I am tuned to
a high-definition channel, however the picture is not displayed in full
screen. What is wrong?
Not all programs are in high-definition format and therefore programs
will not always be full-screen. Not every show currently broadcast by
a HD station is in HD format. You can assume that if you are getting a
picture on the HD channel, then your equipment is functioning properly.
You may want to check your HD monitor (TV set) settings (consult the HD
monitor's user manual).
When I tune
to a high-definition channel, the picture seems to take a long time to
display. Is this normal?
Yes, it may take up to 5 seconds for a high-definition picture to first
display. This occurs because there are many more pixels to be created,
thus, more time is required.
I have connected
my HD set-top box to my HDTV set, and although I am getting a clear picture,
the colors are not right.
- Check that your component video cables are connected correctly (i.e.
Y is connected to Y, Pb is connected to Pb, and Pr is connected to Pr).
Crossing these cables will mix up the picture colors.
- Check that your connections are good. RCA-style cables and jacks have
a tendency to become loose, especially if not pushed in properly.
- If all the above are true, adjust the convergence and luminance on
your television set until the picture looks normal.
- Adjust the color, contrast, brightness, and tint, if desired.
Why is the aspect
ratio of different programs inconsistent?
The aspect ratio of the content is controlled by the service providers
(HBO, Showtime etc.). You can go to the HBO website at www.hbo.com or
the ShowTime website at http://www.sho.com and see which programming is
in 16:9 HDTV. On the HBO website, you need to look for the little HDTV
symbol, and on the Showtime website, it will say "WIDESCREEN" for the
16:9. As time goes on, there will be more and more HD in 16:9 aspect ratio.
Whether the HD signal is in 4:3 or 16:9 formats, the picture quality will
be better (crisper, clearer, etc.) than an analog or a standard digital
signal. The reason for this is that there is up to 5 times the information,
or data, for each HD service than there is for standard digital, no matter
what the aspect ratio.
Why are there
black or gray bars surrounding the picture displayed on my HDTV set?
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 wide-screen (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.
What is burn-in?
If you consistently watch standard-definition (4:3 aspect ratio) programming
on a wide-screen (16:9 aspect ratio) HD programming 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.
How do I avoid
burn-in?
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.
Why does the high-definition video disappear when I bring up the
Cox Interactive Programming Guide?
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).
Why does picture
quality vary across different channels of high-definition programming
(some programming even appears to be "stretched")?
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 HD service is functioning properly.
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