Crispy Picture? (1 Viewer)

[Andy Polo]

I just got a brand new sony 51 inch RPTV and a progressive scan dvd player. I also have some expensive monster cables to try and get the best possible picture. but i was wondering, is there anything i need to do on my tv to put it in "progressive mode" or something (sorry if im an idiot but me=newbie) to try and get the best picture? thanks

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Read the manual to see if the TV has some connections just for Progressive/HD signals. Many televisions have a 'auto-detect' feature so read the manual.

The DVD player is a bit different. It usually has 1 set of component outputs. There is sometimes a switch on the back of the unit to flip it from interlace to progressive. Some brands of DVD players use a menu item to change the feed or a button on the remote.

Getting The Best Picture: usually with a new TV, the brightness/contrast settings are turned way up to help the unit stand out on a showroom floor. Turn these settings down a good bit. You can use Avia/Video Essentials to help set them properly. While it will seem darker/less quality at first, this will allow more detail to become exposed.

But a new TV needs some burn-in time before it stabilizes to produce the video it will have over most of it's lifetime. After several weeks of use, try adjusting the settings again with Avia/Video Essential. Better yet, think about investing the $300-$500 for a ISF trained tech to come out and calibrate the TV.

Hope this helps.

 

[Allan Jayne]

Don't spend the first several weeks of use with the contrast up high, try your best to have the contrast no more than a third of the way up.
The significance of the "first several weeks" is that you don't want to spend money to hire a professional trained tech until after the electronics have had a chance to settle down. Otherwise the chances are great of things going out of adjustment and you have to call back the tech. Before that time you can tinker with it yourself all you want.
Note: Going into service mode may void your warranty.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm