# PIP SD or HD?



## prospective user (Oct 25, 2004)

Hello, 

I am thinking about taking the 921 plunge, but the key reason I am thinking the 921 vs DirecTv/TIVO/DVR is that the 921 has PIP built into it. However the manual says that PIP is for SD only. Is this really true? 

It seems like the main screen could be HD, and the PIP window converted SD or HD.

(I considered a pip 1920x1080 LCDTV, but the bottom line is that buying a HDTV with PIP built in is almost worthless since you rely on the cable/sat box for most HDTV inputs, some I am going with a single input)

Also I would like to route a laptop (DVI connection) into the PIP/main window any ideas how to do that with the 921?
Any clarification on this would be appreciated.


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## BFG (Jan 23, 2004)

You bascially got it. The pip window is only SD and can only be tuned to an SD channel. The main screen is still HD.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Not quite - NEITHER picture SOURCE can be HD.

The 921's OUTPUT can be whatever you like PiP or no PiP.

As for your laptop, your choices for 921 input are RCA jack (AUX - Channel 0) or OTA tuner. NEITHER can be PiP'd.


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## 4HiMarks (Jan 21, 2004)

I find the PiP on the 921 to be worthless. I use the one on my TV more, although during a bad snowtorm last winter I had all three local news channels going at once, and flipped to the one that looked most interesting.

-Chris


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## BFG (Jan 23, 2004)

Ohh, wow, neither source can be HD. That does stink then. Well it can record two HD shows at once but can't display them, nice...


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## dishbacker (Jun 15, 2004)

Even though the PIP on the 921 is SD only, it is beneficial to note that when it is on and open, both windows are available for trick-play. So, if you are watching 2 games, and you see something on the PIP window that you wanna go back and see, just swap the 2 windows, rewind, and watch away....

That being said, it is a pain to not be able to have HD in the main window with SD in the PIP window. Then again, the small window on most of the menu pages (i.e. guide, DVR screen, etc) 'sometimes' will handle the HD display of a channel, so you would think that the software would be able to handle it.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Has nothing to do with software - it's a Broadcom chip limitation.


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

Mark Lamutt said:


> Has nothing to do with software - it's a Broadcom chip limitation.


An expensive piece of equipment with a (inferior?) chip limitation. Can't the 921's be taken to a service center so the chip can be changed to something that will work? PIP should work for HD. Isn't that what we bought the 921 for? SD is secondary.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

boylehome said:


> An expensive piece of equipment with a (inferior?) chip limitation. ...


Just like the slow CPU and minimal amount of RAM. E* saved maybe $20 per box and crippled it.

Don't believe me? Just play with the non-video functions while HD is on vs. when SD is on.

Maybe someday I'll get up the gumption to try to give my 921 some gonads and see what happens.


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

I have a "work around" on my 60" RPLCD Sony. It has an 811/508 on 2 different inputs. The Sony remote PIP will pull in two sources of your choice or an RF (Cable) connection. When you set it up properly and hit the PIP you get the 811 signal in HD and the 508 signal at the same time, side by side. You can then adjust the size of both (up or down) and flip back and forth between signals by toggling the small joystick. I have used it for football and to compare the PQ of both receivers at the same time. Works great! See attachment.


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## BFG (Jan 23, 2004)

on my samsung, I can have HD on the main window and an SD source in a box, it will only do side by side if both sources are SD.


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## 4HiMarks (Jan 21, 2004)

Same with my Sammy DLP. But that is the TV's PiP functionality, not the 921's. As I said before, the PiP on the 921 is practically worthless. It will only work if both sources are SD, and what the heck did we buy a $1000 receiver for if we're only going to watch SD? 

-Chris


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

4HiMarks said:


> As I said before, the PiP on the 921 is practically worthless. It will only work if both sources are SD, and what the heck did we buy a $1000 receiver for if we're only going to watch SD?
> 
> -Chris


AMEN


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## prospective user (Oct 25, 2004)

Thanks for all the replies, it was informative, but disapppointing

Why can't the the dual HD tuner dish and directTV boxes get their act together and give us HD PIP :nono2: - one of the key advantages of having a dual tuner box? 

Oh well, I think I am going to wait until the next generation when this key feature is available (any idea Mark when this might be?)

One other thing that caught my eye in these forums (besides all the 921 bugs!), is that HD channel switching is a few seconds - My latest digital cable box is 1.5 seconds and it drives me crazy - it prevents channel surfing when so inclined. I think these HD boxes need to get it down to .5 second to be comfortably usable


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

HD PIP is going to require Broadcom (or whoever) to develop a new chip...I have no idea consumer grade technology is there yet.


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