Answered Overscan on Tivo

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PerfectBlue97

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I've just received my new Tivo box from Virgin media, but the picture is going off if the edge of the screen at the bottom and on the right hand side.

Is there any way to correct this on the set top box? My TV has no overscan options for the HDMI connection, so I can only correct overscan at the source.
 
The only settings in relation to this onboard the TiVo can be found in the SETTINGS / VIDEO OUTPUT settings.

I'd suggest the following if wanting the video to be as intended and without any adverse adjustment:

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It isn't anything caused by the TiVo and is purely down to your TV. If your TV has no settings to adjust the picture size then no, you can't adjust it via the TiVo STB.

I'd have to disagree there, there was no Overscan with my V+ box, or with any of the standalone DVD player's that I've owned. When it comes to the HDMI socket, my TV is basically a dumb device that takes whatever signal is given, so if there is overscan then the overscan can only come from the source. Either the source sending out an incorrectly formatted signal, or the settings on the source not being the right ones for the TV.

I doubt that the Tivo box is sending out a problem signal otherwise this would be a common problem. So it's most likely simply that the default setting for the Tivo aren't suitable for my TV as it's an older model, and need tweaking a little.

I know that there are settings to change the resolution and the letter boxing, but I haven't been able to find the correct combination to correctly format the output for my display. There may be some other setting that I haven't found, or a combination of settings that I haven't tried.

The old V+ box had similar settings, but they were much easier to tune as there were fewer options.
 
The correct combination of settings for a 16:9 widescreen TV are depicted in my post above. Using the PANEL ASPECT CORRECTION MODE will result in the image being displayed in its native format not being stretched or zoomed.
 
The way that they draw the screen looks weird, it looks like it's off set to one side.

It really sets my OCD off.

I'm not on my box right now, but I will see i the Panel mode will help. I'm losing the bottom off some of the menus and subtitles right now.
 
The way that they draw the screen looks weird, it looks like it's off set to one side.

It really sets my OCD off.

I'm not on my box right now, but I will see i the Panel mode will help. I'm losing the bottom off some of the menus and subtitles right now.

If you still loss some of the image when configuring the TiVo as I've suggested then the issue is with your TV and not the TiVo's video output. The settings I've given result in the entirety of the image being broadcast being output by the box without any resizing or cropping.
 
Here are the 3 ASPECT CORRECTION MODE options and their associated descriptions:

Panel
Panel adds letterbox bars or sidebars to the picture to fill the screen, preserving the program's original aspect ratio. This mode is useful if you are watching a program that broadcast in 4:3 on a 16:9 TV, or the reverse. If the program already includes letterbox bars or sidebars these will still appear in Panel mode. The default color of the TiVo bars is gray, to make it easier for you to distinguish between these and the bars that are included in the program; but you can change them to black.

Zoom
Zoom stretches the picture without distortion. The DVR crops the edges of the picture to fit the TV screen. This mode is useful if you are watching a program in widescreen format on a 4:3 TV screen and you do not want to see letterbox bars or sidebars. However, some broadcasts include a letterbox in the video stream that the DVR might not be able to crop in Zoom mode.

Full
Full stretches the picture to fill the entire TV screen without adding letterbox bars or sidebars. This may make the image look somewhat distorted. If the program itself includes letterbox bars or sidebars, these will still appear in Full mode.
 
When I change the settings, are they reflected instantly on the screen, or do I need to go to the TV and then back again?
 
You'd need to return to the TV broadcast in order to see the difference if any exists because none of the options would actually effect the settings screen. The settings screen would look the same irrespective of whether you were using the PANEL, ZOOM or FULL setting.
 
You'd need to return to the TV broadcast in order to see the difference if any exists because none of the options would actually effect the settings screen. The settings screen would look the same irrespective of whether you were using the PANEL, ZOOM or FULL setting.

Overscan is actually most noticeable on the setting screen. I lose the bottom half of the last line of text on some menu screen.
 
Then as I already indicated. the issue is with your TV and not the TiVo STB. The TV is forcing overscan and mapping the available pixels incorrectly to its panel. There's nothing you can do about this via the TiVo using its settings.
 
I'm sorry, but it's a dumb device. It only displays what is given to it, and it uses the same display technology for everything that it's connected to.

If the problem was the TV, I'd have it with other devices as well.
 
It is the TV.

No one else is having the issues you are having. The TiVo does not introduce zooming unless you engage zooming via the ASPECT CORRECTION MODE. The only way for the output of the TiVo to be cropped wouls be if zoomed prior to being output or if the TV iyself was zomming the image and applying overscan to it. The TiVo isn't doing it so the only device remaining is your TV. You said it yourself, it has no picture size settings.

If you fail to accept this and insist that the TiVo is at fault then there's nothing more to say about it, but the TiVo is not at fault! I find it very strange that your TV has no picture options? I'd go double check if I were you and look for settings that relate to picture size and or Aspect ratio. Such settings are usually not universal and can be different for each input on the TV.
 
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I think that you've misunderstood.

This isn't an "error", and I'm not saying that the Tivo is broken. It's simply that the settings need tweaking on the Tivo as they can't be tweaked on the TV.

I have an older model TV, and it's a totally dumb device. It treats all HDMI inputs agnostically. It simply displays what it's given, and it does this irrespective of what the device is, or what the devices settings are. It has no vertical or horizontal adjustment at all for a digital signal. Only for analog. So it can't adjust for overscan.

A newer device with smarter features would simply detect the specifics of an inbound signal and would perform the necessary optimization. Which could be why this problem isn't being reported by a lot of other people. Their TVs are newer and smarter.

It's not a matter of me not accepting things, it's simply a fact that it's a dumb device and it will accept whatever signal is sent to it in the form that it is sent.

We're talking about old technology.
 
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What make and model TV is it?
 
It's a Bush, I don't know the model. I'm going to need to get round the back to find it.
 
I appreciate your effort, and I'm not trying being rude, but it really is a dumb device that accepts any signal that's sent to it, and processes all signals the same way.

The only things that you can do are to adjust the colour balance and to force the aspect ratio which effect the TV as a whole rather than being for a specific input. I have it set to auto right now, so it simply accepts whatever aspect ratio the source sends to it.

I checked the link that you sent, it doesn't bare any resemblance to my menu system. I only have 10 options for picture, and most of them are brightness and contrast type controls.
 
Set the aspect ratio of the TV to 16:9.
 
I didn't see any difference between 16:9 and Auto.
 
Have you tried hitting it ith a hammer or threatening it?


Now you know why moses set his on fire :nono:
 
Is there a zoom button on the TVs remote that could have inadvertently been pressed? They're quite common, particularly on older TVs. Doesn't sound like a standard overscan issue as that wouldn't result in part of the menu being off screen. The menus and any text are purposely positioned a certain distance from the edges of a screen to avoid overscan issues.
 
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Have you tried hitting it ith a hammer or threatening it?

I picked the TV because it was big, having all kinds of settings and features wasn't important as it was going to go with a set top box and a DVD player. It just needed to accept inputs.
 
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Is there a zoom button on the TVs remote that could have inadvertently been pressed? They're quite common, particularly on older TVs. Doesn't sound like a standard overscan issue as that wouldn't result in part of the menu being off screen. The menus and any text are purposely positioned a certain distance from the edges of a screen to avoid overscan issues.

There is a zoom, but its part of the aspect ratio settings (currently set to auto) and only accessible from inside the menu rater than from the remote, and it would effect everything. Rather than just Tivo.
 
Is this the setting you've been insisting your TV didn't have, the one I've repeatedly suggested you need to alter?
 
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