# R22 and grey bars



## gmetz (Jun 5, 2009)

Last spring I had a DTV tech come out to install the larger dish (to combine my local dish and standard dish into one). He told me that with the R22 that I had, my locals channels would be on a clipped or reduced screen. He said he would do the larger dish, but the majoriity of the people were very dissappointed with their local channels being displayed this way, so I told him not to do it.
I was wondering now with the R22's upgrade, will this problem be fixed and should I schedule an appointment to have the larger dish installed?
Thanks,
Glenn


----------



## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

He should have still installed the slimline dish but he probably left the old 18" round as well to get them off of the 72.5. The software update will still have the same issue unless you have hd access on your account.


----------



## jdspencer (Nov 8, 2003)

SD content, regardless of receiver, will always have the side bars when displayed on an HD TV (unless the TV format is set to stretch).


----------



## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

jdspencer said:


> SD content, regardless of receiver, will always have the side bars when displayed on an HD TV (unless the TV format is set to stretch).


This is the kicker. Technically the locals are HD but without HD Access on the account it crops the widescreen and gives the bars. Because the R22 has locked menu's without HD Access you cannot change the resolution to fill the screen. This happens on 4:3 and 16:9 screens regardless.

So unless you have HD Access you will still have grey bars. Also you want to ensure that your dish was changed because those signals are going to start to be turned off soon.


----------



## HRJustin (Mar 5, 2009)

I am in a local 72 market also and had my equipment swapped out last march. I also do not like the gray bars on the top and bottom but the picture is clearer. It would be nice if at least the option to change the bar color was available.

Just to clear up and confusion about how this works on the R22. On an account without HD access the R22 is locked to 480p resolution and Letterbox screen format. The receiver is also locked to the "hide HD channels" setting in the menu. This cannot be changed if the R22 DVR is on an account WITHOUT HD access. An R22 on an account with HD access active the R22 acts as an HD DVR. First the Guide HD channels option needs to be changed under the "Display" tab in the menu. All of the resolutions and screen formats are accessible only when the display setting is set to "show SD duplicates" or "Hide SD channels". As far as I know when the R22 is set to "Hide HD channels" the TV Resolutions and Video tabs are hidden.

I have an R22 with only SD service so my R22 is locked to "hide HD channels" with 480p resolution and letterbox screen format. Because these options are hidden when locked to SD the bar color is also locked to gray. I have a friend with two R22s and HD access on his account. His R22s are listed as "R22(W/HD)-100" and all HD options are accessible.

Just as a side note to the OP if you haven't had your equipment swapped out. The R22 has been discontinued and isn't even installed anymore even in these local swap areas. So if you still need your equipment swapped out and have an SD DVR it will be replaced with an HR2X HD DVR. All of the HD options are available even on SD only accounts. If your still using the 72 dish for locals your going to lose them soon if you haven't already. In order to continue seeing your local channels you will need the new MPEG4 equipment and the slimline dish.

www.directv.com/localswap should help any other questions you might have. The cut off date for the locals on the 72 bird for our areas is December 9th. So you should have your stuff swapped out ASAP to continue watching your locals. The bright side is even if you stick with SD service you will have all HD equipment.


----------



## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

jdspencer said:


> SD content, regardless of receiver, will always have the side bars when displayed on an HD TV (unless the TV format is set to stretch).


No, that's not true. An MPEG4 HD signal being downconverted by the receiver to SD will have the bars. That is what the poor folks in MPEG4 local markets are stuck with. That's why DirecTV has been giving these folks HR-series DVR's which do NOT have the screen formatting options hidden like on the R22 if HD access is not enabled on the account. (they can get rid of the bars)

I have both an R22 and R15's and my locals are in MPEG2 on the 101. Neither receiver has any "bars" generated by the receiver and if I view the R22 using the HDMI interface on my HD TV in "native" or "full" mode, there are no bars.


----------



## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

I added and hr22 and got HD just to get rid of the problems on my locals..... and I love the HD


----------



## texasbrit (Aug 9, 2006)

ThomasM said:


> No, that's not true. An MPEG4 HD signal being downconverted by the receiver to SD will have the bars. That is what the poor folks in MPEG4 local markets are stuck with. That's why DirecTV has been giving these folks HR-series DVR's which do NOT have the screen formatting options hidden like on the R22 if HD access is not enabled on the account. (they can get rid of the bars)
> 
> I have both an R22 and R15's and my locals are in MPEG2 on the 101. Neither receiver has any "bars" generated by the receiver and if I view the R22 using the HDMI interface on my HD TV in "native" or "full" mode, there are no bars.


Just to be clear. It isn't "sidebars" that are the issue with the R22. It's the top and bottom bars that create the letterbox, in those areas where locals only come from 99/103 in MPEG4. DirecTV only transmits one version of the local, in HD/16:9, and the R22 downconverts it to give an SD picture, but it is letterboxed and the top/bottom bars are gray and this color can't be changed.


----------



## HRJustin (Mar 5, 2009)

texasbrit said:


> Just to be clear. It isn't "sidebars" that are the issue with the R22. It's the top and bottom bars that create the letterbox, in those areas where locals only come from 99/103 in MPEG4. DirecTV only transmits one version of the local, in HD/16:9, and the R22 downconverts it to give an SD picture, but it is letterboxed and the top/bottom bars are gray and this color can't be changed.


Exactly if only they could have defaulted it to "original format" or even "crop" :nono2::nono:


----------



## texasbrit (Aug 9, 2006)

HRJustin said:


> Exactly if only they could have defaulted it to "original format" or even "crop" :nono2::nono:


If the R22 defaulted to crop then people would complain they did not get the complete picture, which is what is happening on the MPEG-2 SD locals on regular receivers. Despite all the negative comments, the R22 is displaying the picture correctly. It is an SD DVR and is designed for people with SD 4:3 TVs. However, making the top/bottom bars the same color as the sidebars would have helped people's perception of what was going on.


----------



## bsandy (Dec 17, 2008)

texasbrit said:


> If the R22 defaulted to crop then people would complain they did not get the complete picture.


I disagree . . . This is the picture we agreed to when we first had the equipment installed.

. . . Bud


----------



## xmguy (Mar 27, 2008)

ThomasM said:


> No, that's not true. An MPEG4 HD signal being downconverted by the receiver to SD will have the bars. That is what the poor folks in MPEG4 local markets are stuck with. That's why DirecTV has been giving these folks HR-series DVR's which do NOT have the screen formatting options hidden like on the R22 if HD access is not enabled on the account. (they can get rid of the bars)
> 
> I have both an R22 and R15's and my locals are in MPEG2 on the 101. Neither receiver has any "bars" generated by the receiver and if I view the R22 using the HDMI interface on my HD TV in "native" or "full" mode, there are no bars.


I currently do not have HD (upgrading soon). I also have an HDTV and connect to my R22-200 with HDMI. I do NOT have access to the "native" options on the R22 it's self. I can only change settings such as cropping on the TV it's self.


----------



## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

bsandy said:


> I disagree . . . This is the picture we agreed to when we first had the equipment installed.
> 
> . . . Bud


First, welcome to DBSTALK, Bud!! :welcome_s

I agree with you 100%. I'd have an absolute FIT if I had to put up with gray bars and a postage-stamp size picture on my SD TV sets.

In case nobody has noticed, the local stations AND the broadcast networks KNOW that the majority of their viewers are watching on 4:3 SD TV sets. Sorry to disappoint all the HD fanatics but there are going to be a LOT more SD viewers for years to come. These folks with over-the-air digital converter boxes overwhelmingly set them to "cropped" instead of putting up with annoying lines on the top and bottom of the picture. While a small amount of picture information is then not viewable, most of the time nothing important is missed because the STUDIOS are also aware that they need to keep anything pertinent to the story in the "4:3 window".

A local station went HD on their newscasts. Some of the graphics for the morning traffic and weather (7 day forecast) were cut off when viewing on an SD TV in cropped mode. That lasted less than a week after viewers complained. Now ALL the graphics (and the station logo, etc.) is in the "4:3 window".

It's going to be a 4:3 TV world for years folks!!! 

Here's another example.

Check out the "how is this possible" thread in this forum. DirecTV was sending out local TV station WITI-TV FOX 6 in Milwaukee in 16:9 MPEG2 format on the 101. That's right, they can actually include ALL the 16:9 picture info in a SD image (read the thread for all the details). I thought it was great! I could adjust my R22 to get rid of the bars and watch the full 16:9 SD picture on my HDTV. My SD TV's connected to R15's viewed the picture cropped (as usual) with no bars.

It lasted less than a month. I'm sure lots of R22 owners with no HD from DirecTV and SD sets connected to the R22 blasted the CSR's with complaints about the obnoxious gray bars they couldn't get rid of. So now the MPEG2 transmission of this station is back to cropped on both the R15 and R22.


----------



## gomezma1 (Mar 28, 2006)

Is the 72.5 satellite the one that carrries most of the HD programming? Could I just aim an 18" dish at it and use it with an HD receiver? Also do the Phase III dishes receive any HD programming?


----------



## g.metz (Dec 23, 2004)

Thanks for all the replies.
FYI, I had my dish upgraded today and the technician told me that they have extended (by a year) the switch date for the Wausau, WI locals. This is due to the unavailability of equipment earlier in the year that created a backlog of customers waiting to get a dish upgrade. I would imagine that this may be true in other areas also.
Glenn


----------



## dishrich (Apr 23, 2002)

gomezma1 said:


> Is the 72.5 satellite the one that carrries most of the HD programming? Could I just aim an 18" dish at it and use it with an HD receiver? Also do the Phase III dishes receive any HD programming?


72.5 was ONLY for some local channels, which are ALL now duplicated on the Ka birds. (either in SD or HD) The 72.5 bird WILL be going bye-bye within a year. P3 dishes can ONLY receiver a couple of MPEG2 HD's, which are already duplicated in MPEG4 Ka; the MPEG2's WILL be shut down in a few months.


----------



## Draconis (Mar 16, 2007)

If I remember correctly, there was a old issue with that. It's destructive (you loose all your recordings) but a "reset everything" usually gets rid of the gray bars the R22 puts on the screen. 

Oh course, if you also have a HD IRD and HD Access the screen controls on the R22 unlock and this is no longer a issue. 

So there are 2 possible solutions.


----------



## Tech_1438 (Jun 1, 2008)

Draconis said:


> If I remember correctly, there was a old issue with that. It's destructive (you loose all your recordings) but a "reset everything" usually gets rid of the gray bars the R22 puts on the screen.


This is not correct. The only thing this will accomplish is losing all of your recordings/favorites/series links.

There are only 2 ways to remove the grey "letterbox" bars on the MPEG4 locals in the 72.5 transition markets.

1) Add HD access. This requires at least 1 HD receiver to be active on the account. DirecTV is incapable of adding HD access if the only receiver(s) on the account are R22s.

2) Select "Widescreen 16x9" in the HDTV: TV Ratio menu. This will place grey "pillar box" bars on the right/left side of every other channel.


----------

