New HD-RPTV owner with a couple questions. (1 Viewer)

[Lance_H]

Well I made the leap into HDTV last night. The biggest leap I made in this process was converting from a “tube only guy” to a RPTV. When I was a kid, my parents had a 54” Zenith RPTV for many years. As a kid I was in awe with how big the picture was and gave not a worry to PQ. As I got older I came to the conclusion RPTV’s did not hold a candle to the TUBE. Well now, with this wonder called HDTV, I am slowly changing my mind.

So I set off in search of a ~50” HD-RPTV for around 2k. After reading this forum I decided I would check out the Panny PT-53WX53. So, I call my local BB and the kid on the phone says they do not carry that model in store. I knew CC had them on display, so off I went. I cannot understand how they expect to sell these things with such a horrible signal in store. Anyway, after hours of playing with the remote and a couple DVD’s I decide to sleep on it and leave. As I am pulling out of the parking lot I decide to hit BB just to see if the kid on the phone had no clue.

Well I get back to the RPTV section and guess what. It’s on display! Not only on display, it was $500 cheaper! Thinking to myself this cannot be the same model, I check…PT-53WX53. WOW! $1198.98 I cannot pass this up. The worst thing that can happen is I bring it back. So with the money I saved, I picked up the Sammy DVD-HD931 and Monster DVI cable.

Sorry about the long intro, but I am excited with my new toy and the series of events left an impression on me. Is this price as good as I think it is? Ok, on to the questions.

1.Is it normal for the picture on a RPTV to appear grainy sometimes? What I mean is, take LOTR for example, the close up of Bilbo’s hand when he is dropping the ring I can see every finger print on his hand clear as day. But a few scenes later with distant wide view the picture is grainy looking. Is this just the way DVD’s are or can I adjust the TV to fix this?
2.As a layman and new to the HT scene, am I wasting money on buying the AVIA DVD? Can someone with no experience in calibrating a RPTV, or TV of any kind, do this?
3.Will ISF calibration really make a difference on this model (PT-53WX53)? And what should I expect to pay if I do this?
4.How can a convince my wife to gut our living room, cover all the windows, and build the HT I have floating around in my head? (HEHEHE)

***BTW this is with DVI connected and only in 480p because I did not read the manual until I got to work today. WOW if ya push the button the color of the button changes.


Thanks for your time and patience.

 

[Lance_H]

One more question. On the PT-53WX53 I get no video, black screen, when my Sammy HD931 is in 720p mode. I thought the WX53 would take a 720p input. Anyone have the same setup and get it to work?

 

[Jack Briggs]

1) You're seeing graininess as that is in the original source and has been faithfully reproduced on the DVD. Normal. You'll see all these things more clearly now.

2) AVIA is anything but a "waste of money." Purchase this or another worthy calibration disc immediately and use it. Meanwhile, reduce the contrast ("Picture" in Panasonic parlance) and brightness as soon as you fire the RPTV up. Adjust the other controls by eye until you get the calibration disc.

3) Yes, an ISF calibration will make a dramatic difference with an RPTV of this calibre. Expect to pay several hundred dollars for it; worth it, though.

4) Persuasion.

5) The Panasonic can accept 720p signals but not display them; it will either show them in 1080i or 480p. Select 1080i as your output on the Samsung player.