# ESPN2HD sidebar strangeness



## mikep554 (Feb 14, 2007)

I've got a bizarre problem for you all. I'v been watching ESPN2HD on my VIP-622, connected via HDMI to a Sony KDF-E2000. I've noticed an odd thing with the "HD" graphic side bars that ESPN uses when showing 4:3 content.

The "HD" lettering on the side bars are normally overlaid with a series of vertical lines, sort of like pinstripes. This part is fine. However, the problem I am having is that small sections of individual lines are suddenly shifting to a darker gray, then back to normal. The sections are anywhere from a quarter inch to 3 or 4 inches in length. The shifting seems to be on random lines, in random sections of lines. I see this consistently on both ESPNHD and ESPN2HD. This is not the very slow movement that the bars do over time to prevent burn-in on plasma and CRT sets. This is a rapid color change, occuring for only a few seconds at a time. It has a very digital look to it.

I have all of the advanced picture features on the Sony turned off, so I don't think the TV is introducing this. Is anyone else seeing this? I've swapped out the HDMI cable, and my signal strength is in the 70-90 range on everything.

I just switched to Dish last week. Is it possible this is a hardware problem with either the 622 box or with the LNB or combiner unit? I have two separate dishes (one for Dish and one for the Voom channels?), and the installer put a small box under the edge of the roof to combine the signals onto a single coax. I've also had a few signal dropouts while watching some of the Voom channels, but I'm not sure if it would be related since my understanding is that ESPNHD and ESPN2HD come over the main Dish 500 dish, while the Voom channels are on the bigger, generic looking dish.

Anyone have any idea on whether this sounds more like a 622 issue or a LNB/signal combiner issue? Any ideas on how to troublshoot this, or should I just call Dish and complain? I was thinking of purchasing a second (non-HD) receiver since my step-daughter keeps recording the second half of every show she watches, so I don't think the 2-TV mode is going to work for me. If they have to come out to set this up anyway, it shouldn't be a big deal to also check the equipment, right?

Anybody willing to throw some advice at this one?


----------



## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Late :welcome_s

You have checked to make sure that the output of the 622 isn't set to 480 (the factory default)?


----------



## robertkoor (Jan 22, 2007)

mikep554 said:


> I've got a bizarre problem for you all. I'v been watching ESPN2HD on my VIP-622, connected via HDMI to a Sony KDF-E2000. I've noticed an odd thing with the "HD" graphic side bars that ESPN uses when showing 4:3 content.
> 
> The "HD" lettering on the side bars are normally overlaid with a series of vertical lines, sort of like pinstripes. This part is fine. However, the problem I am having is that small sections of individual lines are suddenly shifting to a darker gray, then back to normal. The sections are anywhere from a quarter inch to 3 or 4 inches in length. The shifting seems to be on random lines, in random sections of lines. I see this consistently on both ESPNHD and ESPN2HD. This is not the very slow movement that the bars do over time to prevent burn-in on plasma and CRT sets. This is a rapid color change, occuring for only a few seconds at a time. It has a very digital look to it.
> 
> ...


I actually have the exact same thing happen to me with a Mitsubishi 46" LCD. I just switched to Dish about a month ago, but it happened to me before on my Comcast feed as well. I just think it is part of ESPN's bars as when a game is broadcast in HD, there is never any problem.


----------



## mikep554 (Feb 14, 2007)

Thanks for the input. First, to James, yes I am running in 720p, which is my tv's native resolution. I tried 1080i as well (which my tv will scale down), but I saw the same problem. It sounds like RobertKoor has seen it as well from both Comcast and Dish, which makes me feel a little better. As RobertKoor said, the actual show looks fine, it's just that the side bars have the slight problem. My best guess now is that the "HD" image changes very slightly over time to avoid burn-in on plasma screens, and the mpeg codec just doesn't handle the slightly changing stripes very well.


----------

