How About the Toshiba 42H82? (1 Viewer)

[Modena]

Mike, that wasn't my tv. I haven't bought one yet, but if it was, shit would be fixed for free. As for the calibration disk, I am going to either get Avia or the Sound and Vision disk and it's gonna be the first thing I run, then again after break in.

Also, I don't want people to think I am busting on people who do a lot of research. I try to make the best possible buying decision with pretty much everything I buy, I want the best for the amount I can spend. That involves research which is normal, I understand. But not everyone is like that, in fact I think the majority are not. But in the end you can't do anything about the way manufacture their equiptment.

 

[Jan Strnad]

Modena,
You're absolutely right! Well, with one exception:

If you buy a Ford and it's tuned so that it runs terrible and breaks, it's not the consumer's fault, it's Ford. And they replace it, they don't tell you you're screwed.

I bought a Ford that, as it turns out, came with a plastic gear in the transmission. It wore out in 20,000 miles. Naturally I complained to the "hot line" that Ford was ballyhooing (during the "Have you driven a Ford lately?" campaign). Ford's answer: [silence] Got a recording promising me they'd call back, and they didn't even after numerous calls. I was stuck with a car that needed a several-hundred-dollar transmission overhaul every 20,000 miles.
(Will I ever, ever, ever buy another Ford? Guess.}
My gripe with what the message poster said is that he implies that this is a Toshiba/Best Buy issue. It isn't. It's across the board, with all manufacturers and all retailers. Nobody takes responsibility for burn-in. Nobody.
You'll find a little warning in the manual about burn-in. On my Tosh 42H81, it's on the inside front cover of the manual under the heading "Using your TV." Here's the page from my manual.
Is this adequate? No! There should be a sticker on the set telling you about this, at the very least. They should also instruct buyers to turn down the contrast. If any manufacturer does more than this, I don't know who it is.
Does any TV come set up with a safe contrast level? None that I know of! They all want to compete on the showroom floor, and they don't want to admit it, so they don't tell you that the very first thing you should do is turn down the contrast (and not bury the information in a paragraph of tiny type).
And yeah...the stores should warn you about it, they should make sure that the delivery guys turn down the contrast, and they should give you a set-up disc.
Still...
Once you have done some homework, you can buy a RPTV and make the adjustments and get many good years of use from it.
I'm going to go set JavaJoe straight now.
Jan

 

[Jan Strnad]

Adding a note to the above:
The manual for the Toshiba **H82 models now features the usual warning about burn-in, plus the same warning highlighted by a bold, black box on six more pages in the manual.
And JavaJoe (the Tosh basher Modena refers to) has said that Toshiba offered to pay half the cost of new electron guns in his set, not including installation. I haven't heard of any other manufacturer going this far to warn against and help fix burn-in.
I'd be interested to hear of others' experience, especially good, with other manufacturers.
Jan

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

There was a recent gripe thread in the Panny-dedicated site forum from someone who got the grey side bars burned into his Panny RPTV. I won't comment on the reactions of the forum members, but I personally feel for the guy a little because he did NOT do the homework even though he had apparently registered to the forum long ago.
Anyway, I totally agree that the TV makers, the stores AND the broadcasters should ALL take more responsiblity for burn-in. The TV makers should design the TVs so that they're less susceptible than they are AND provide sufficient warning for the average consumer. The stores should also provide strong recommendation on how to use the TV properly to prevent burn-in. And between the two, they should throw in a standard calibration DVD like the S&V HT setup disc for free w/ any TV that is susceptible to burn-in. Then the broadcasters should stop showing their logo bugs (or at least make them transparent) and also keep all their intense graphics to a minimum and maybe cycle them around, etc.
But is any of this going to happen? Most likely not. I'm just hoping my new RPTV will survive at least long enough until my next upgrade 5-7 years from now. And if not, I hope it dies from anything other than burn-in before my EW runs out!
BTW, I'm actually more worried about what to do w/ my in-laws than my own TV. They are extremely thrifty and practical people even though they have $$$ and are just about as low tech as they come w/out being religiously so. And to our surprise, our new RPTV won them over so much that now they want to buy one also(!) and want me to do the shopping for them. Needless to say, this could get quite ugly due to all the issues w/ RPTVs, especially the burn-in issue... :frowning:
_Man_

 

[Joe Meissner]

I just got a Toshiba 50hdx82 and on every page in the instruction book it has a warning about logo's and burn in. It is considered abuse!!!!!!!! so the at least they are trying to give a warning!!!