VITS Line on HD Broadcast

SteveFXP

Afternoon all,

I was watching some HD programming on my new HDTV, and noticed that a fuzzy white line would show up on some HD channels. I spoke with tech support of my TV and they indicated this is a VITS line, which transmits information like SAP. Normally I shouldnt be seeing it but I am with the HD DVR (6416). How do I adjust the DVR's tuner so I do not see this line?

Thanks,
Steve

KenAF

You need to adjust the settings on your TV / display.

That line is an intended part of the picture signal -- it provides closed captioning and other information-- but you're not supposed to see it. Content providers expect TVs to have some small percentage of overscan that hides the edges around the picture. Most newer displays have an option to enable/disable overscan.

Modes without overscan are commonly known as: just scan, dot by dot mode, or 1:1 pixel mapping. When you've selected one of these in the display options on your TV, 100% of the picture is visible, including the part you are not supposed to see.

Modes with overscan -- which hide the edges around the picture -- are commonly referred to as 16:9, default, or wide; these will hide the artifacts at the very top and/or bottom of the picture. Generally, you'll want to use the "16:9" or "default" modes with overscan when watching TV signals, and "1:1 pixel mapping" or "just scan" mode when watching Blu-ray.

If you have an older LCD display without the ability to enable overscan (like some Westinghouse models), then using component should eliminate the artifacts at the top of the image. Most displays apply overscan by default when component input is used.

Message Edited by KenAF on 04-13-2009 04:25 PM