Mits WS-65903 connection to DirecTV HD – DVR Tivo

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In 1999 I purchased my Mits WS-65903 and became a member of the early-adopter group to get to the promise land of High Definition TV. Using on-line forums I was able to get OTA High Definition programming using a RCA-DCT100 along with a few setting changes on my Mits and a VGA-BNC break-out cable.

However, because I was an early adopter when the newer component output devices became standard I was stuck with my expensive TV with very few real options to upgrade to Progressive scan DVD and other newer satellite receiver boxes that no longer provided VGA output. There were some options and I could have moved earlier but I waited for something worth spending the time and money to upgrade my HD service.

Fast forward to 2006 and I was now on a mission to get more HD and more importantly HD-DVR. I studied the postings on the various forums and after all the reading I decided to give it a try and I can now report that is it possible. Now for those of you who want this information. Here’s one way to accomplish this:

Equipment

• Mits WS-65903 ($$$$$$$) (may work for other Mits model of the same era but I can only vouch for this TV)

• DirecTV HD-DVR HD HR10-250 (got instant rebate from DirecTV $399)

http://www.digitalconnection.com/pro...video/9a65.asp

• Other the air Antenna UHF (got at Radio Shack 6 years ago for $40)

• 3 LMB DirecTV Dish ($49 installation fee)

• Key Digital ClearVideo3 KD-CTCA3 ($300 new – don’t purchase old or used may not work; note price just went up to $325 in past two weeks)

http://www.digitalconnection.com/pro...video/9a65.asp


• VGA to 5 BNC Break-out cable

(I did consider the MP-5 and HD Connection boxes in place of the CTCA3 but I got no response to my inquiries at both sites so I went with the CTCA3. They may be better boxes but have nothing to compare with. There are some cheaper solutions such as the Audio Authority and some unbranded $39 devices on eBay but I went with a device that Mits is apparently recommending)

http://www.wisdom-technologies.com/buy.htm (MP-5 $700 and has to component inputs)

http://www.digitalconnection.com/pro...video/9a65.asp (HDC1 $298)

http://www.digitalconnection.com/pro...video/9a65.asp (Audio Authority $165)

Installation:

You can do it yourself but for the minimum cost let DirecTV install the dish and OTA antenna for you. You can even let them hook of the receiver using INPUT 1 on the Mits via an S-Video cable. Let them run through the setup and show you how to operate the receiver and then let them go on their way otherwise they will want to hook up your receiver to the DVD Component input.

Mits TV Setup (You can find this in many places on the forums but I’ll repeat it)

On any viewable screen perform the following steps (Taken from dknight posting Sep 1999):

1.) Press MENU-1-3-7-0 on you Mits. Remote
2.) Use the up and down arrow keys to select DTV INPUT. The default selection should be AUTO
3.) Press ENTER until the default select switches to HD.
4.) Press MENU twice to exit the service menu.
5.) Now you can use the INPUT button on your remote to cycle through the inputs; there will be a new input immediately following ANT-B; this is the HD input.
6.) TV is ready for HD

Connecting the CTCA3:

1.) Turn everything off TV, Receiver, Audio before starting
2.) There are two dip switches on the CTCA3 and both need to be set in the up position. Switch 1 ON (up) for H and V drive VGA out, Switch 2 ON (up): H and V drive VGA out
3.) Connect your component cable (set comes with the receiver) to the Component to VGA Adapter with Auto Switching Input.
4.) Connect the VGA cable with 5 BNC break-out cables to CTCA3 VGA out
5.) Connect the BNC cables to the HD BNC connection on the back of the Mits.

Power up all the devices. (Note: The HR10-250 goes through a complete reboot process when starting and you can only view this on a 480i input such as INPUT 1. If you view from the HD input, you will not see a recognizable picture)

After all the devices are powered on, set the format to 1080i on the HR10-250. The button is on the front of the box.

My preference is the have the entire screen fill out to the expand mode. You can set this mode on the HR10-250 in the Video Setup by setting the TV Aspect Ration to “Wide Screen (16:9)” and the TV Aspect Correction to “Full” and you will not see the bars. You can switch this on and off with the remote using the format button.

As for convergence and color adjustments, I’d spend the extra $100-$150 to have it calibrated. Yes, and you will have to pay $11 for the extra HD DirecTV channels and $6 for DVR but if you invest all of this time and money why wouldn’t you.

Sit back and have fun using your new setup. My next project may be 1080i DVD but don’t look for it soon as this installation was expensive.