Brand-new Toshiba 42H83 arrives on Friday! Two questions. (1 Viewer)

[Brian Harnish]

Well, I finally did it! Yesterday, I pulled the trigger on a brand-new Toshiba 42H83 and it is set for delivery on Friday! Finally, I can watch all of my DVDs again on a big screen TV and in their full anamorphic glory. Oh, man, I can't WAIT!! Finally the video portion of my HT is complete. I can live without the upgraded audio portion for a couple more years.

First of all, a couple questions:

1. I know I need to work on the convergence after it's been broken in and I was wondering: are there any guides online that say how to make your own grids?

2. I plan on testing the TV before the delivery guys leave to be sure everything is working properly. What mode do I use to play anamorphic DVDs and letterboxed but non-anamorphic DVDs?

It's going to be hard to wait until I get home from work on Friday to play with my new set. However, I keep telling myself that I'll have all weekend to play with it and that makes me feel better. Damnit, I want the 4th of July off!

Oh, well. This is going to rock.

 

[Irv Gleaner]

For only a few dollars more, you should have ordered the 42HDX82. It has far superior optics and is part of Toshiba's Cinema Series. Check their web site for specs. Unfortunately, ALL Toshiba RP TVs have been lately suffering from the dreaded color gun burst and flicker issue, with no real resolution in sight. There have been numerous threads written about this problem for quite some time now. Although I own the 42HDX82, I wouldn't buy it again just for this problem. It may still not be too late to change your order. Hitachi Ultravision is a preferred product, also the Mitsubishi Diamond series.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

For all things Toshiba service menu related (this is a specific link but the site has a wealth of info):

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/brand...manualtip.html

For anamorphic - use "Full"
For non-anamorphic - use "Theater Wide 2"

Make sure you switch your DVD player to "16:9" before testing.

 

[Brian Harnish]

Thanks, Irv. I may end up switching to the HDX. I'm not quite sure yet. Thank goodness for Best Buy's great return policy on TVs! BTW, from what I saw on their web site they do not carry the HDX series, so I may be out of luck there.

Jeff Gatie- Thanks! Unfortunately, the Keohi site appears to be down for the time being. Figures. I get a new TV and can't even perform the tweaks I desire to. Oh, well. I'll just live with the VE basic calibrations for now.

Man, I'm so excited. I got the call last night and it's scheduled for delivery today between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.!!! Luckily I get enough time to be able to come home for lunch and spend about 15-20 minutes with my new toy. On second thought, I'm seriously considering taking an "extended" lunch break...hehehe.

I'll post a full review this weekend!

 

[Jan Strnad]

Irv, c'mon! The guy's gotten married and he's ready to kiss the bride and you're saying, "You know, that other girl over there looks cute...it's not too late for an annulment!"

Anyway, Brian, anamorphic DVDs should be viewed in the FULL mode.

Grids for adjusting geometry are nice but not essential. You can eyeball straight lines pretty well or hold a piece of string at each end of each line and pull it taut. Plenty of time to mess with grids when the novelty of the new set has worn off.

While the set is settling in, you can easily do the nine-point convergence. After 100 hours or so you'll want to dive into the service menu and do a 56- or 64-point convergence (I don't know the exact number), but again, that's for later.

Right off the bat, though, TURN DOWN THAT CONTRAST and use an Avia or Sound and Vision test DVD to get the settings right.

Enjoy!

Jan

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Well, Keohi is up again.

I'd stay with the 83 unit .., since it does not have the 540P upconversion problems that the previous generations have had. No amount of superior optics can fix that issue.

Regards

 

[Brian Harnish]

I am still reeling from shock at my current stroke of luck. Since we were overstaffed today and business was slow I ended up being able to leave EARLY!!! Waa-hooo!!! I've been home enjoying my brand new set for the past 45 minutes and I am even MORE excited than ever. I can't wait to hook my audio system back up.

This is the BEST video display device purchase I've made yet!!

 

[david*mt]

I too picked up this TV earlier in the week and have been very happy with it. I do have one question though, would a progressive scan dvd player make a big difference? If so, could someone recommend one for under $125. I am currently using a cheap Samsung interlaced player and have noticed lots of shimmering and roughness in the picture on my dvds. And what exactly does the 540p upconversion do? I guess the tv cannot display 480p. Colors look great though and the HD is outstanding.

 

[Brian Harnish]

david- I am using Progressive Scan and there isn't a single hint of shimmering or imperfections in the image that would be introduced due to the processing of an interlaced signal. I highly HIGHLY recommend getting a progressive scan player. I got the Toshiba SD-4700 DVD player with progressive scan about a year ago in anticipation of this TV upgrade. I'm glad I did!

For a good explanation of the 540p upconversion issue, check out the link below:

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/brand...v_jun03_1.html

 

[Jan Strnad]

Michael TLV,

Very good news that the upconversion problem is fixed! As you know, I've never considered it that big a deal, but it's nice to know that Toshiba has answered the call and taken care of it.

Thanks for posting the screenshots at Keohi!

Jan