Picture in Picture????

[Nutty]

Hello everybody. I wanted to see if I can get some feedback on an issue I'm having with my new Sony 46" Z model HD T.V. Because I have Directv and my new HR-21 DVR does not have a cable output. I'm unable to set up my Sony TV to view TV through the normal Sony TV input section. I realize it plays perfectly via the HDMI connection, but I really want to be able to watch TV and play my PS3 or view my computer at the same time. If anyone can help me I would be so appreciative.
Thanks you in advance.

[mmunro2003]

Originally Posted by Nutty

Hello everybody. I wanted to see if I can get some feedback on an issue I'm having with my new Sony 46" Z model HD T.V. Because I have Directv and my new HR-21 DVR does not have a cable output. I'm unable to set up my Sony TV to view TV through the normal Sony TV input section. I realize it plays perfectly via the HDMI connection, but I really want to be able to watch TV and play my PS3 or view my computer at the same time. If anyone can help me I would be so appreciative.
Thanks you in advance.

If you hit options on the TV remote you can select PIP, but from what I remember that only lets you do component and hdmi PIP, nothing else.

[Nutty]

Basically what it comes down to is that the back of the DVR does not have a section for coaxial connection and in order to put a signal into my TV's TV section, it needs to be fed through coaxial cable as if it were coming from a cable box or one of the older HD DVR's. Maybe you know if it's possible that you an somehow turn one of those outputs with some kind of adapter into red blue green on one side and coaxial on the other.

Thanks.

[brettallica]

I have the DirecTV HR-21, and the only way you can get PIP using your television is to have two different boxes feeding signal to your set. It's not like cable where you can split the coax feed and then put one feed to the converter box and one to the TV. The way DirecTV works is you need to have one box for each signal.

If you have a look at my signature, you'll see that I have an HD DVR for my main feed, and I use an SD box for my PIP. It's the only way it'll work if you have DirecTV (or Dish Network, for that matter).

Even if your box DID have a coaxial output, it would still be outputting the same signal that is coming from the HDMI; i.e. one box only outputs one signal. Also, even if you were able to feed a signal over coax from your HR-21 to your TV, you would then be losing some of the benefits of the HDMI connection. You wouldn't want to have to do that.

Really, the best thing to do in this scenario is to get another box. For $4.99 per month, it might be worth it.

[Nutty]

Originally Posted by brettallica

I have the DirecTV HR-21, and the only way you can get PIP using your television is to have two different boxes feeding signal to your set. It's not like cable where you can split the coax feed and then put one feed to the converter box and one to the TV. The way DirecTV works is you need to have one box for each signal.

If you have a look at my signature, you'll see that I have an HD DVR for my main feed, and I use an SD box for my PIP. It's the only way it'll work if you have DirecTV (or Dish Network, for that matter).

Even if your box DID have a coaxial output, it would still be outputting the same signal that is coming from the HDMI; i.e. one box only outputs one signal. Also, even if you were able to feed a signal over coax from your HR-21 to your TV, you would then be losing some of the benefits of the HDMI connection. You wouldn't want to have to do that.

Really, the best thing to do in this scenario is to get another box. For $4.99 per month, it might be worth it.

Well damn that is what I was completely afraid of. Thank you very much for your help. I do have an old SD Directv box in the garage, but I don't have another available output on my Satelite.
Well you're still on with me, may I ask another question. You'd mentioned losing some of the benefits if you're using the back of DVR to output a signal. I currently have the HDMI to my TV and the RCA outputs are being connected right to my video card for my CPU. Do you think I'm losing some benefit there too? Thanks again for all your help.

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by Nutty

Well damn that is what I was completely afraid of. Thank you very much for your help. I do have an old SD Directv box in the garage, but I don't have another available output on my Satelite.
Well you're still on with me, may I ask another question. You'd mentioned losing some of the benefits if you're using the back of DVR to output a signal. I currently have the HDMI to my TV and the RCA outputs are being connected right to my video card for my CPU. Do you think I'm losing some benefit there too? Thanks again for all your help.

I'm not sure I am following what you mean when you say "losing some benefit" when referring to your composite connection to your computer. That should be fine. In fact, if you have a look at my gallery, you will see that I am using that connection to go into my DVD recorder. I am still using the HD DVR's HDMI connection to go to my receiver, and the signal is perfect. It is also a good signal going to my DVD recorder. So, you should be fine!

Oh and something just donned on me that you might want to try. It's called an RF modulator. With this device, you can take your composite signal and convert it to RF (coax). They're really cheap nowadays, since they're not really used too often anymore.

You would still have the issue of being limited to watching the same video, but in the situation where you're playing video games over your HDMI connection but want the PIP, this would work.

If you want *true* PIP capability — where you can watch two programs simultaneously — you need to set it up the way I explained in my other post.

[Nutty]

Holy crap man. That is an outrageous diagram. Did you produce that on your own? By the way. I just saw you are from Santa Cruz. Both of my sisters graduated from UCSC last year. I've been up there many times and it is super nice there.

Take care

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by Nutty

Holy crap man. That is an outrageous diagram. Did you produce that on your own? By the way. I just saw you are from Santa Cruz. Both of my sisters graduated from UCSC last year. I've been up there many times and it is super nice there.

Take care

Thanks. Yes, that diagram is all me. I've made a few for other members, and some have "borrowed" my drawings and made their own; I'm also working on one for another member as we speak.

Santa Cruz is great. I love it here. I was born and raised here and could probably never leave unless I was forced to by way deportation or something!

Anyway, good luck with your setup...and let me know if you need any help getting it all dialed in.

[Nutty]

Originally Posted by brettallica

Thanks. Yes, that diagram is all me. I've made a few for other members, and some have "borrowed" my drawings and made their own; I'm also working on one for another member as we speak.
What program do you use to create your diagrams? I have the option to get many programs and would like to attempt to create my own diagram.

Santa Cruz is great. I love it here. I was born and raised here and could probably never leave unless I was forced to by way deportation or something!
Yeah one of my sister who graduated from UCSC still lives up there. She enjoys it pretty well. Also my younger brother lives up there too. It was one of those thing where they went up for school their mom followed and towed the brother up. They finished school. Mom and one sister left, but brother and other sister stayed. I might be going up to visit in a few weeks because we're going to drop my nephew off, so he can spend the summer with my sister and see his old grade school friends.

Anyway, good luck with your setup...and let me know if you need any help getting it all dialed in.

Yes I'll let you know and again thank you, this forum is so helpful.

[brettallica]

I used a combination of a couple Adobe products: Photoshop and Illustrator. I used Photoshop to edit the components individually (making them the proper resolution, size, clear backgrounds, etc.), and I used Illustrator for creating the diagram itself. I drew all the cable fittings in Illustrator, too. Illustrator is nice for schematics, because you can use colors quite easily and freely, and of course it's a vector-based program, which makes it easy to make straight cable runs and lining everything up correctly.

I have a lot of fun making them.