Unable To tweak Display Aspect Ratio

[PeteCress]

HD200, fresh out of the box.

DL'd/Installed latest beta (6.5.8) of SageTV per note that came with the HD200, although I always though of Beta as test releases.

Got the aspect set at 4:3, but it's still a little compressed horizontally.

Tried to adjust via setup menu, but when I click the "Left" button the remote to try to make the circle round it seems to do a reboot instead of adjusting the circle. "Seems to" bc it happens too fast to actually be a boot.

After the faux reboot, the 4:3 option that I had selected is cleared and no option is selected.

viz:
http://tinyurl.com/dacyq6
http://tinyurl.com/blyjks
http://tinyurl.com/bo2ppd

I know I'm doing something dumb bc I have an absolute genious for breaking things.

But what?

[Opus4]

I'm not sure why it is blinking like that.

None of the presets will be chosen if you adjust the circle with the left & right arrows.

Have you adjusted the Overscan yet, where you choose the top left corner position, then adjust the bottom right corner? If not, you should do that first. (The config wizard will go through the overscan screens first.)

- Andy

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I'm not sure why it is blinking like that.

None of the presets will be chosen if you adjust the circle with the left & right arrows.

Have you adjusted the Overscan yet, where you choose the top left corner position, then adjust the bottom right corner? If not, you should do that first. (The config wizard will go through the overscan screens first.)

I just adjusted overscan.

Also noted that in spite of the circle screen's saying to use left/right arrows (which I take to be the keys to left and right of ENTER) to adjust, the arrows that really do the adjusting are the "SKIP BK" and "SKIP FW" arrows.

Using those arrows, I can get the circle to a value of .983 or a value of 1.083 - but never 1.00.

And when I make those adjustments "4:3" becomes de-selected.

If I select 4:3, the circle reverts to a value of 1.333.

I guess I should just pick 1.083 or 1.00 and call it a wrap.

[Narflex]

If you start with 16x10 and then use SkipBkwd you can get to 1.0 exactly. But do you really have a square TV? That's the only reason you'd want it at 1.0.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

Also noted that in spite of the circle screen's saying to use left/right arrows (which I take to be the keys to left and right of ENTER) to adjust, the arrows that really do the adjusting are the "SKIP BK" and "SKIP FW" arrows.

Left and Right arrows should work fine too; I just tried it.

This screen & all the possible keys to use for adjustments are in the PDF manual, on p. 137 of the v6.5 manual.

Using those arrows, I can get the circle to a value of .983 or a value of 1.083 - but never 1.00.

You should start with the selection closest to being round & adjust from there.

- Andy

[PeteCress]

H200 is now filling my TV screen and the aspect ratio looks ok.

This is after at least six cycles of pressing the remote's "Power" button and having it hang on a startup splash screen.

Finally I just said "The hell with it" and pulled the power cord.

Went through a few more like that but after pulling the power cord the second or third time it came up up normal: full screen, reasonable aspect.

Then I spent about ten minutes trying to figure out how to fire up the client.

Finally dawned on me that maybe it was behind the "Sage TV Servers" icon on the box's "Main Menu". This is undoubtedly patently obvious to the developers and it's easy for anybody to grasp once they figure it out.... but to the new user, it is non-intuitive to the max.

This thing's functional image is extremely confusing to the first time user. There's the HD200's little world and there's the PlaceShifter's world which, IMHO, 90% of the purchasers would think of as "The HD200". They bought it to watch live TV and recordings that the server made, right?

But both worlds each have their own "Main Menu".

This thing is a black box. The user bought it and has no idea that it's really a computer with it's own OS that calls an application.

To the user it's one thing: an HD200.

There just can't be two (count 'em: 2) Main Menus. That's got to be illegal or immoral or fattening or something.... but it really shouldn't be.

Adding to the confusion, the instructions read like they were written by developers - who know way too much about the inner workings to write stuff for clueless noobs like me.

Once as I stumbled into getting the client running, somebody (I suspect it was the client) popped this: http://tinyurl.com/dy8sjv

"...see the Troubleshooting Guide..."

OK, let's open up the Troubleshooting Guide.... Hmmmm page 7, "Installing a firmware update".... yup, that's gotta be it...

It says "From the Main Menu, go to the Settings menu, then choose System Update where theres an option....".

Ok, let's back out to "Main Menu"....

That was easy.... Here it is: http://tinyurl.com/cpbbho

Even says "Main Menu" at the top.... (yeah, now I'm messing with you... but keep reading)

Now we select "Settings" menu, just like the book says:
viz: http://tinyurl.com/c9fvt4

Oops.... It doesn't say "Settings" at the top. It says "Setup"

And there's no "System Update" option.

Yeah, still messing.... I know perfectly well that the "real" setup menu is somewhere back on the HD200's "Main Menu". But this is cruel and unusual treatment for some poor guy that just unpacked the thing and is trying to get it working.

But if you're still with me, I've gotta tell you for real: I'm now stuck in the PlaceShifter (which is where I want to be anyhow 99.99% of the time...that's why I bought the device)...

But I don't have a clue how to get back to that (very confusing....) "Main Menu" on the HD200 so I can update the firmware.

Probably a button on the remote, right?

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Left and Right arrows should work fine too; I just tried it.

I'm guessing that's an issue of semantics.

To me, "Left and Right arrows" are to the left and right of ENTER.

I suspect others may not concur.

What works for me are the double-arrow-| keys that are labeled "SKIP BK" and "SKIP FW" - and I'm guessing that's what the screen's instructions mean when they say "Left and Right arrow keys".... but they're clearly labeled otherwise.

[Opus4]

The instructions w/menu references in the HD200 manual refer to using the HD200 in standalone mode. To return to standalone mode, simply use the power button on the remote twice: once to power down & once to power back up. If you have it configured to auto-connect to a server, you'll have to cancel that. Since you are here on the forum, please check the extender FAQs for this one with more detailed instructions.

The large SageTV PDF manual refers to using the HD200 as a client connected to a SageTV server.

Originally Posted by PeteCress

I'm guessing that's an issue of semantics.

To me, "Left and Right arrows" are to the left and right of ENTER.

Those are exactly the left & right arrows I'm referring to. If they aren't working for you, then I do not know why at this point.

What works for me are the double-arrow-| keys that are labeled "SKIP BK" and "SKIP FW" - and I'm guessing that's what the screen's instructions mean when they say "Left and Right arrow keys".... but they're clearly labeled otherwise.

I posted above where the info about those other keys is in the full SageTV v6.5 manual so you can see what those keys do differently. Please look it up.

The on-screen instructions for left & right arrows are exactly what I meant it to say and it is correct.

- Andy

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

But if you're still with me, I've gotta tell you for real: I'm now stuck in the PlaceShifter (which is where I want to be anyhow 99.99% of the time...that's why I bought the device)...

But I don't have a clue how to get back to that (very confusing....) "Main Menu" on the HD200 so I can update the firmware.

Probably a button on the remote, right?

Wound up doing the ultimate 3-finger salute: pulled the power plug again

That got me back to the HD200's "Main Menu" and I managed to invoke the firmware update and not foul it up.

Now everything looks totally normal and seems to work the way it should have right out of the box.

But I still can't figure out how to get back to the HD200's menu. It's dawned on me that pressing "Power" on the remote kills PlaceShifter and takes the H200 down... and pressing "Power" again boots it back up.

Is that and yanking the power cord the only way to get back to the HD200 from PlaceShifter?

Not that I want to - my intended use is tb in PlaceShifter all the time - maybe even 24-7 if the little watt meter I'm going to put on it reads low enough.

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Those are exactly the left & right arrows I'm referring to. If they aren't working for you, then I do not know why at this point.

Flashing the firmware seems to have fixed it. Now those keys work for me too. The SKIP keys still work too - but they increment/decrement more than the Left/Right keys - as one would expect.

Only thing missing now is to have this thing just fire up the PlaceShifter every time I turn it on.

SageTV Servers | AutoConnect to server looked like it had possibilities, but all I can do is highlight it. Nothing seems to happen.

Is there a way to have the HD200 just fire up PlaceShifter whenever it starts?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

Flashing the firmware seems to have fixed it. Now those keys work for me too.

Great.

Only thing missing now is to have this thing just fire up the PlaceShifter every time I turn it on.

SageTV Servers | AutoConnect to server looked like it had possibilities, but all I can do is highlight it. Nothing seems to happen.

The Auto Connect option is a toggle setting: if you select it, the check-box is checked; select it again & it gets unchecked. Once it is checked, the HD200 will auto connect to the SageTV server the HD200 was last connected to.

So.... does it not get a checkmark when you select it? If so, that's all it does & it only has an effect during the next startup.


BTW: I could use (less-wordy) suggestions for the manual(s) if you find something confusing as a new user (though I can't write limitless text for every option that gets covered). I don't always notice what parts may not be clear to others since I know the UI quite well & am obviously not seeing it for the first time myself.

- Andy

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by Opus4

BTW: I could use (less-wordy) suggestions for the manual(s) if you find something...

Point taken.

Being succinct is not one of my gifts. I get slagged repeatedly/deservedly for going on-and-on.....

How about a glossary of terms?

Go through the manual and identify each Sage-specific and/or technical term and define it in a "Glossary" appendix. There's probably already something like that on the Sage Web site which could be cloned into a generic appendix for each and every manual.

http://sage.tv/glossary.html looks like it could be a starting point - but it needs to grow by at least 500%.

e.g.
- "HD Theater"
- Media Extender"

[PeteCress]

Probable Reasons:

1) Went with the defaults, didn't try to diddle any of the settings.

2) Remembered to go right to the box's Setup and flash the firmware.


If the box could could somehow know that it's early in it's life and automagically pop the "Do you want to flash the firmware" screen that might be a good thing in the context of outdated firmware causing mysterious problems.

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by Opus4

The Auto Connect option is a toggle setting: if you select it, the check-box is checked...

On box#1, there's still something goofy which the screen rez/size when in HD200 Setup mode - so the checkbox is off-screen.

I realized this post-box #2 setup, where the checkbox shows.

I suspect my major sin in setting up #1 was fooling with various screen setup parms during the process - whereas I should have gone with the defaults, tried it out, and then gone back and changed as desired.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

On box#1, there's still something goofy which the screen rez/size when in HD200 Setup mode - so the checkbox is off-screen.

Under Configuring the HD Theater in the printed HD200 manual, see the Overscan Settings item on p. 4. That adjusts the UI position & size.

- Andy