Unfortunately, it is my Dad that is getting this set today, not me. Since neither of us have owned a widescreen set, I have a few questions. 1. Could someone recommend some initial settings (contrast, etc) to use until I have a chance to use the Avia disc. 2. When viewing an anamorphic DVD, is there a certain setting/mode to use on the set for optimum performance? 3. Most of the viewing for now will be digital cable, so it will obviously be 4:3 material windowboxed. But, when there is a movie shown in widescreen, what mode would he use to zoom the picture so he won't be watching a letterboxed image inside a windowboxed image! 4. Should he look into getting a progressive scan DVD player? What advantages does this offer? If anyone has any other newbie advice for this model or widescreen sets in general, please share. Thank you in advance for your help. Brian
1. Levels vary by set, but mine are: Contrast 30 Brightness 52 Color 48 Tint -10 Sharpness 38 2. Full 3. He should probably use TheaterWide 1 for all 4:3 viewing, it seems to have a nice stretch mode for this material. Also prevents any burn in of the bars. Non-anamorphic DVD's I use TheaterWide 2 or 3. See which you like better. I haven't done any critical viewing in these modes, so I can't be more specific. Each does its own different zoom or stretch. 4. I bought a progressive scan player, and it is difficult for me to tell a difference, but I bought it almost immediately after I got the set, without making any critical comparisons. It certainly won't be worse... HOWEVER, since money was a factor, in hindsight I feel I should have bought an HDTV set top box instead of the progressive scan player, as it would DEFINITELY make a difference in viewing quality. The WOW factor is definitely there. Good luck. I have the 57HX81, and am happy with it so far, and an ISF calibration is happening on May 25th. Should make it even nicer. I'll post on that right away.
For me: 1.Contrast 34 Brightness 57 Color ? (don't recall) Tint -7 2. Full 3. Theaterwide 1 4. Don't see a need for progressive yet.. really enjoying everything about the set so far.
Turn the sharpness down to 30 (or lower) otherwise the picture can take on a grainy quality. Experiment with the contrast & brightness settings, my Tosh 56x81 loses detail with contrast under 38, but that's just my set, my lighting conditions. My Tosh came with contrast, brightness & sharpness set to 100 out of the box and the picture looked awful. However it only took a few minutes of adjustments and I had a very nice looking picture. I'd suggest going into the menu, switch to the movie/theater mode (under preferences in my menu) and then making adjustments from there.
Hi brian, In addition to above tips, calibrate your set via Avia or Video Essentials home theater calibration/tune up disc (under $50). For more "what now info", please try this. Thanks, Errol
Follow-Up post. two more questions now that the TV has arrived. 1. When I try to change the contrast, it is locked and I cannot even highlight it to change! How can I disable this? 2. When switching from antenna (cable) to video 1 (dvd), I also need to switch from Theaterwide 1 to Full. Is there a way to have the set do this automatically when the input is changed? Thank you in advance. Brian
The HX series of TV's require a contrast setting of around 50 (instead of the usual 30 or 35), so if you find that your picture is a little too dark, you may try raising the contast a bit.
Andy, What I'm saying is that I can't do anything to the contrast as it is locked. I can't even access it with the remote. When I select "movie" mode (or any - i tried), it skips right to brightness. Brian
Brian, you have to turn ALS (Automatic Light Sensor) OFF. This option is on the 2nd page of the Picture Settings.
