Toshiba 51HX83 (1 Viewer)

[StanMannus]

Well I'm back with an update.

The replacement unit is also a dud. The first unit had a list of problems that were not present in the second. I plugged my dvd player into the SVID-1 slot & used the Sound & Vision HT Tuneup disk to correct the output. It looked veeery nice! But, when I plug the same cable (from DVD) into the SVID-2 slot there were green vertical lines all across the screen. Move cable to SVID-1 = perfect, move again to SVID-2 = green lines. This whole RPTV experience has been a real let down for me.

The store is offering a Cash-back return, a reasonable fee to upgrade to the Hitachi 51" S-series or assitance getting a Toshiba Service Techy out quickly.

Would Michael TLV or anyone else with experience with other set want to share their thoughts on this?

I know Michael TLV said the Hitachi has a more in depth service menu, which I would not mess with.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Maybe it is time to walk away from this brand. Bad Luck ... happens to all of us.

Consider the Hitachi as it has better build quality ... but is not perfect either. The service menu is not as scary as you might think. If you can change the oil on the car, you can go in there and do some minor stuff too.

REgards

 

[HoiT]

Michael

Would you mind explaining the differences between a full tune up and a "run of the mill" ISF calibration. I went to the ISF website and obtained a number of names from the list. Talk to a few of them on the phone and they told me that an ISF calibration is essentially a gray scale calibration.

I managed to find a dealer that get me one of the last 51HX93 from Toshiba. Acording to one of the "ISF trained" technician, the set has a "global gray scale" - meaning no need to calibrate HD input. Is this right?

Thank you for answering my queries, Michael.

BTW, I hope that the set that I am going to get is not as troublesome as the one that Stan encountered.

HoiT

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

There is the ISF calibration ... which is grayscale and the user controls like contrast, brightness, sharpness, colour, tint ... and some times colour decoding items.

And then there is the more elaborate calibration service which many of the internet dwelling / travelling calibrators offer. This can include overscan adjustment; image centering, geometry correction, convergence work, electronic/mechanical focus, SVM disconnection, duvetyne lining, lens striping, screen restacking ...

The typical ISF service is completed in 60 to 90 minutes tops. The more elaborate service can take from 3 to 6 hours or even more depending exactly on what the customer is looking for.

Think of it this way ... while a proper grayscale is important, if the TV is out of focus, it stays out of focus when the typical ISF person is finished.

The difference between an oil change and a full tune up service. Nothing wrong with just an oil change ... but you won't get optimal performance just from that. Now of course, one does not get tune up service for the cost of an oil change either ... nor should one expect to. And don't get mad at the local ISF guy if he doesn't offer these additional services. He is not required to and the ISF course does not teach this stuff anyway.

The full calibrations are priced accordingly higher.

$250-350 for basic ISF calibration ... and $450-$800 for the full tune ups depending on services selected and the individual calibrator. (CDN Funds)

Now as for the current Toshiba sets ... you can set up at least 2 separate grayscales for the TV ... and possibly more if desired. You can only do this if you have access to the extended service menu items which most regular ISF people do not have access to or even know about. If the calibrators are internet friendly ... they'd know about this additional information.

Hope this helps.

Regards

 

[HoiT]

Michael,

Thank you very much for the info - exetremely helpful. Much appreciated.

HoiT

 

[HoiT]

Michael,

Looking at the list of things that you described - holly cow!!! If there are that many things that needed to be adjusted, is the set still functional? One thing that really puzzles is that what on earth is the QC dept of the manufacturer doing? Isn't there a set of specification that a TV has to meet when it came off the assembly line??

HoiT

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

It does meet much of it ... but what happens when you throw the TV onto a fork lift and a truck? Do these units get magically transported to your living room without any additional vibration?

Stuff happens.

The end product that most people receive is considered to be "good enough" and within acceptable tolerances. 99% of the people find this end product to be good enough as well.

If you never tasted a $50 steak, you might think that a salisbury steak was as good as it gets.

Such is the way of things ... if you want that extra bit of performance, you have to be prepared to pay for it.

The only way for the factory to account for the vibration is to send a tech to your home after the TV settles in. Now what happens if they build this cost into the price of the TV? It boosts the cost of all the TV's by $300-$400 given what you have to pay for techs these days.

How many people are willing to pay this additional premium on their TV sets? Do we make 100% of the people pay for it when only 1% of the people really care about such things?

I should also mention that TV's are set up to attract people's attention and to SELL ... accuracy of image has nothing to do with it. An incorrectly set up image on a showroom floor will almost always outsell one that is accurate. The accurate image just isn't VIVID ...

Regards

 

[Cary_H]

If all you're concerned with is the picture quality and everything else appears OK, I side with the previous suggestion to wait it out for awhile.
My set's PQ kept improving the more hours I had on it... well beyond the 1000 hour mark.
I can't say it still continues to improve 'cause I'm not looking for it now, but I was forever playing with it's settings prior to the 500 hour point. Now I rarely go in to tweak the picture settings.
For now, get the sharpness down, set the brightness and contrast the best you can for now, and live with it for the time being. It will improve immensely soon enough.
It took me quite some time to get accustomed to the 'softer' image from a RPTY versus a CRT as well.
I find now that I think CRTs deliver almost too sharp a picture if that makes any sense. The colours are superior IMO, but the display seems somewhat beyond lifelike, like overcrisp.