There are a few things you can do to help eliminate the grain in the picture. You didn't mention if you had calibrated the display using a disc such as Avia or Video Essentials - that would be your first priority. Chances are, simply by bringing the contrast (picture) setting down to 30-40%, sharpness down even lower than that, and tweaking the brightness a bit you will get a much better picture (if it seems a lot darker than you're used to, give it some time - you'll adjust and start realizing colors and details you never knew existed).
Second, be sure to turn of the Velocity Scan Modulation feature. JohnnyG's suggestion of switching to "movie" mode before tweaking the picture settings is a good one, since movie mode usually has VSM minimized if not completely off. Either way, make sure it's disabled before calibrating using Avia.
I also noticed from your earlier post of features, that this set has a digital noise correction ability. Try fiddling with that setting and see what effect is has on reducing the grain. I would think that if the rest of the display is calibrated correctly, such a feature probably isn't needed. Now that I think of it, I would probably disable this feature, too PRIOR to using Avia to acalibrate the rest of the picture.
Thirdly, always keep in mind that the source material can vary drastically from film to film. For a good check, test your display with a DVD such as Monsters Inc, Toy Story 2, or even Star Wars Episode II - all have excellent video transfers that are very clean and should indicate whether your set is set up well (I always use a copy of Lost In Space, but I know I'm in the minority when it comes to liking that movie, so I'm guessing you don't have a copy yourself).
Other than that, sorry to hear you weren't able to fully judge the set before plunking down the cash. It sounds like the store you shopped at was pretty accomodating letting you bring your gaming console and personal DVDs (most high-end stores let people do this, and I highly recommend shopping at places that allow you to really sit down and play with sets before buying them). Doing a full-out calibration at the store is perhaps going a bit too far, but it's not too unreasonable to "ballpark" the display settings while testing your material. Once you've done an Avia setup a couple of times, you should be able to do this reasonably well.
I think with a little bit of tweaking and nudging, you'll get the picture set up pretty well. I'd be really surprised if a brand new Tosh tube was REALLY as bad as you describe.
Good luck.
-Jason
Second, be sure to turn of the Velocity Scan Modulation feature. JohnnyG's suggestion of switching to "movie" mode before tweaking the picture settings is a good one, since movie mode usually has VSM minimized if not completely off. Either way, make sure it's disabled before calibrating using Avia.
I also noticed from your earlier post of features, that this set has a digital noise correction ability. Try fiddling with that setting and see what effect is has on reducing the grain. I would think that if the rest of the display is calibrated correctly, such a feature probably isn't needed. Now that I think of it, I would probably disable this feature, too PRIOR to using Avia to acalibrate the rest of the picture.
Thirdly, always keep in mind that the source material can vary drastically from film to film. For a good check, test your display with a DVD such as Monsters Inc, Toy Story 2, or even Star Wars Episode II - all have excellent video transfers that are very clean and should indicate whether your set is set up well (I always use a copy of Lost In Space, but I know I'm in the minority when it comes to liking that movie, so I'm guessing you don't have a copy yourself).
Other than that, sorry to hear you weren't able to fully judge the set before plunking down the cash. It sounds like the store you shopped at was pretty accomodating letting you bring your gaming console and personal DVDs (most high-end stores let people do this, and I highly recommend shopping at places that allow you to really sit down and play with sets before buying them). Doing a full-out calibration at the store is perhaps going a bit too far, but it's not too unreasonable to "ballpark" the display settings while testing your material. Once you've done an Avia setup a couple of times, you should be able to do this reasonably well.
I think with a little bit of tweaking and nudging, you'll get the picture set up pretty well. I'd be really surprised if a brand new Tosh tube was REALLY as bad as you describe.
Good luck.
-Jason