Sony STR-DH820 - Composite up conversion changes aspect ratio

hornsfan

Novice Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I've only had this receiver for a short time, and am stumped on this problem.

I have my laserdisc player connected via a composite video input, which is being converted by the receiver to digital and sent along to the TV via HDMI as 1080p. So far, so good. However, it appears that the native 4:3 signal from the laserdisc is being stretched to fit the 1080p aspect ratio, distorting the picture (everything is too short/wide).

In most cases, pillar-boxing would be the way to display the video (although a zoom option might be nice for letterboxed content). I can't at the moment think of a scenario where stretching would be appropriate. (Some kind of anamorphic content, maybe?)

Any suggestions on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated!
 
I had a quick look through the manual and there doesn't seem to be a way of doing this. I'd suggest a direct composite connection to the TV and use the TV's aspect button to set the correct picture size and shape. I take it you have tried using the TV aspect controls on the upconverted feed from the amp and you've found that it doesn't work?
 
Hi Steve, thanks for the response.

Yes, the TV doesn't seem to want to reformat the 1080p signal (the "Format" button does nothing in this case). And directly connecting the laserdisc player to the TV is of course an option, but would be annoying in my case, since my equipment is not near my TV. (A single HDMI cable plus the front speaker cables runs through the walls/ceiling to the wall behind the TV.)

Perhaps I'm missing something, but this behavior seems very, very wrong to me. If I'm converting composite video, it's by definition a 4:3 aspect ratio, right? This feature was one I required when I researched and bought this model, since I knew I wanted to connect my LD player, but as implemented is guaranteed to distort the picture! :mad: To my mind, that doesn't count as a successful analog-to-digital conversion.
 
After spending nearly two hours on the phone with Sony support and eventually speaking with a product specialist, it turns out this is the way this receiver, and all receivers in this product line, are designed. The average consumer would rather their video fill their HDTV's screen, even if the source was 4:3, and there's no way to override it.

I had bought the Sony at Best Buy, and they worked with me on exchanging and upgrading to a Pioneer Elite VSX-60, which provides many nice options for analog-to-digital video conversion. (There was a less expensive Pioneer which also would have worked, but for the price difference I couldn't resist the nicer unit.)

I tried it out and watched a laserdisc movie yesterday, and it worked perfectly. :thumbsup:
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom