If your Live / Live + / Hub is picking the wrong resolution when set to AUTO, try the below.
Note, I’m not talking about the issues where you pick one resolution, and some time later the Live changes itself (but the reason is still the same.)
For example, my brand new LG 55LX6500 3DTV is always set to 720p by the Live, Live+, and Live Hub. I was certain this was a flaw in WDTV’s firmware.
But it’s not.
If you have a WDTV Live HUB, go to the end of the message for a way to do this WITHOUT a computer hooked up to an HDMI port.
If you have access to a Windows PC that has an HDMI or DVI connection, connect it to your TV.
Go download and install this program:
http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/moninfo.shtm
It will tell you what the TV is telling the WDTV to do.
Here’s what that program reports from my LG TV:
CE video identifiers (VICs) - timing/formats supported
1920 x 1080p at 60Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
1920 x 1080p at 30Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
1920 x 1080p at 24Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
1920 x 1080i at 60Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1)
1280 x 720p at 60Hz - HDTV (16:9, 1:1) [Native]
720 x 480p at 60Hz - EDTV (16:9, 32:27)
720 x 480p at 60Hz - EDTV (4:3, 8:9)
NB: NTSC refresh rate = (Hz*1000)/1001
Note the line that says NATIVE next to it. The LG is telling the WDTV that its “Native” panel resolution is only 1280x720. That’s wrong. It’s 1920x1080.
The “Native Resolution” of a panel is the physical resolution of the LCD in terms of pixels. It has nothing to do with the actual VIDEO FORMAT. So, a 720p TV can still receive a 1080p signal, but the TV would have to Down-scale the video to display it on a 720 panel.
Similarly, if the panel Native Resolution is 1080p, and the device is only sending 720p, then the TV has to UPSCALE it.
If the WDTV is sending at the NATIVE resolution; the TV has no need to upscale or downscale; that’s all handled by the WDTV which is doing it anyway.
So, if everything matches, you’re going to have less picture distortion.
But in this example case, the Native resolution is WRONG. It SHOULD be reported as 1920x1080.
So, give it a try. It’d be helpful to post results if you’re bitten by this issue so that people searching might find your model # and see what’s going on.
***** For WDTV Live HUB users, there’s an undocumented procedure to produce this data. *****
I learned this from a WD engineer trying to fix why MY LG was not working correctly. I just cleared it with WD to post it here.
Insert a supported USB Thumb Drive in the front USB slot. It’s better if you do NOT have one in the back; that way there will not be any guesswork where the file is going to go.
Navigate to the ABOUT MOCHI screen in the Setup menu.
When on the screen, press the following key sequence on your remote.
DOWN - DOWN - DOWN - DOWN - RIGHT - DOWN - DOWN
Count to 5, then leave the menu, and eject the USB drive.
Take it to your computer. You should find a new file on the root directory called
save-edid.bin
You can open that file in the program mentioned above to get the data.