What is wrong with my TV? (1 Viewer)

[Keith_R]

Hello all, I currently own a 10 month old Toshiba 30 inch HDTV CRT (30HF85). Unfortunately I've had to send this TV in once for repair (slight geometry and convergence problems) and am on the verge of sending it back in because of even more geometry screwiness.

The situation now is that after the first repair the television came back with extreme horizontal bowness that is particulary noticeable in letter boxed movies, videogames, and menus (ie. TiVo). Basically straight horizontal lines are bowing down and look much like a slight U shape. The television was not this bad before and had little to no horizontal bowiness, all of it's geometry problems were on straight vertical lines and much less noticeable than this.

My question for you video experts, in my quest for knowledge before talking to the TV repairers tommorow, is what would cause this and how is it fixed? obviously something was done during the first repair because this television did not look like this before. What causes this and how is it fixed?

Thanks!

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Well, it sounds like a geometry problem that's fixed with geometry adjustments. If it came back from the shop like this, it seems they were lazy/incompetent/didn't care that they would give the set back to you like this.

 

[Keith_R]

I called the shop and it is going back in for a second warranty repair.

The shop manager and person who presumably had worked on my television the first time was kind of harsh with me and tried to act as though this whole situation is my fault and that I'm abusing the warranty in search of perfection. I explained to them that I realized nothing was perfect but that this set still has some serious problems which need fixing. Either way, it goes in for it's second time hopefully next week and stays for god knows how long.

I've been doing a little research online and compiling some notes and pics of my problem to give them when they come to take the TV. One thing I saw is that this problem may have been caused by someone incorrectly doing the convergence the first time by using the wrong grid. Is this a possibility?

 

[Steve Berger]

I don't know if this is the case with your Toshiba but some HD sets require convergence or alignment in more than one mode (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, etc). Adjusting in one does not necessarily carry over to anothe mode.

On some, even the different Zoom modes require seperate alignment. They might have tested it in 480i (conventional analog) and not checked it in any other modes.

While these situations apply more to RPTV than direct view, you might want to let the shop know what modes you are seeing the problem in, source settings, etc.

Direct view sets generally would not use a grid, just a standard pattern generator. CRT based RPTVs need the grid if the green tube (or all 3) must be replaced. (sometimes)

 

[Keith_R]

Unfortunately, I am seeing the bowing in every picture mode, on every input, and every HD format so it doesn't appear as though it is limited to only zoom modes or HD format's.

To me it seems as though they fixed one thing (convergence) and an entirely new problem surfaced as a result of that fix.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Actually, that may be fortunate, in this case. The shop can fix the geometry once and fix the whole problem. You don't have to worry about what Steve suggested, which is that they'll only adjust one mode and leave the rest screwed up, or that they'll do some and miss others. Given the attention to detail they've exhibited so far, I'd say the fewer adjustments they need to fix your problem, the better.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Keith_R]

Hopefully you're right and they'll be able to fix it. Unfortunately the geometry is not my only complaint with the set (though it is at the top of the list). I'm a little leary to send it back to these people since they may screw up my Tv worse, but it is a better option than keeping it this way.