 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
71.105.94.158
Hi, I've never posted on this part of audio asylum. Is this the right place to ask this Question?I have standard definition TimeWarner Cable that goes to six TVs throughout the house. The office/family room needed a new TV. I have a 32" wide space in the bookshelving, so I could get either 27" TV with speakers on the side, or 32" TV with speakers under the screen. I would rather have larger picture. Long story short, the Toshiba 32DF46 FST Flat Screen standard definition TV seemed the best out there. I got it from Amazon.com and for $460 inclusive of tax and shipping, and received it yesterday.
What a disappointment. The contrast seems like my Sony Wega 36" set in between MOVIE and STANDARD modes, vs. Vivid or Sports, each with more contrast that the prior mode. And the Contrast came set from the factory at 100% [50 on a 1-50 scale]. This seems like watching a 12-15 year old TV with dying contrast, but excellent sharpness. My other TVs all have much better contrast: Sony Wega 36" ($1300, six years old), the Toshiba FST 20" ($170, 1 yr. old), and the Panasonic 27" ($250 1 year old).
I've heard from here or somewhere else that you can change the factory presets for contrast, color, and a few more technical parameters... I think it was called Video Essentials if memory serves.
What would you guys do in my place [and don't tell me to buy a Plasma!] to fix the contrast on this thing.... 1. call Toshiba? 2. try to change the factory preset? 3. something else?
Thanks.
Larry Dunn
Follow Ups:
First, in answer to two questions--1. No, I don't have digital cable.. it is analog.
2. I don't use this TV to watch DVDs, so I don't know if the DVD picture looks better than the cable tv picture.Now, to better state my original question, how do I get more contrast than I am now with the contrast set all the way to the top. Is there an internal setting for contrast that is in the firmware or somewhere that I can turn up?
Larry Dunn
Try AVSforum.com. Lots more info on specific TV models.
Do you have a digital cable box connected to the new TV? Try connecting the coax cable directly to the tv's antenna input. If its a better image for the non-digital channels (and your tv has multiple inputs) use a splitter and connect the box on a different input for digital channels.How's the Toshiba's image with a DVD? The Digital Video Essentials (DVE) disk helps you calibrate your set for DVDs but it may not fully correct a bad image on the cable input. If you have a movie DVD with "THX Optimizer" on its set-up menu, it has a tool for setting brightness and contrast, and its free. You might try it before you spend $$ on DVE disk.
The disc you refer to is "Digital Video Essentials" and it's worth buying a copy and playing with your CRT's picture settings. The settings that most TVs allow users to adjust are brightness, contrast, sharpness and colour, and sometimes hue as well. I don't know your screen so I can't say whether or not you'll get an improvement but it's probable that you will. It still may not be enough of an improvement to satisfy you—I'm told some TVs simply don't let you get all that good a picture. I used Digital Video Essentials with my old NEC CRT and the end result was much improved but I couldn't get the colour setting quite perfect, though that apparently is common.Even if using the disc doesn't fix your problem, it won't be money wasted. You can take the disc with you when you next go shopping for a TV and use it to help ensure that you buy a screen that can give a good picture, plus it can help you keep that picture quality over time if there's any drift in the TV's settings.
David Aiken
thanks David.Does this Digital Video Essentials allow me to change the internally programmed Contrast setting... that is... differently from the contrast adjustment accessed from the remote control?
Larry Dunn
The disc has test patterns and instructions for how you use your normal adjustment controls, whether they be on the TV itself, the remote, or DVD player settings, to adjust the picture to get the best results with the pattern. The disc does not reset anything itself—you have to do that.The disc does include test patterns that a service person could use if they have access to your set's internal programming but once again it's the service person who has to make the changes. There are a lot more patterns on the disc than a normal user like you and I can use.
As DWPC said, the THX Optimiser which is an extra on many THX mastered movie DVDs also contains a set of test patterns that a normal user can use but once again, the user makes the adjustments manually using the appropriate controls. The one missing item with the THX Optimiser is the necessary blue filter for viewing the colour test patterns but it gives instructions on obtaining one. Digital Video Essentials comes with a filter.
I know of no disc which will automatically make the adjustments for you, and I doubt such a disc exists or could even exist. All 4 of the discs that I know of contain test patterns only, and all require the user to make the adjustments. They aren't difficult adjustments to make.
David Aiken
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
