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Feenix
Mar 14, 2003
Sorry, guy.
I have a weird issue. Not sure if it's my TV or my PS3, or my HDMI cables or some junk. Figured I'd post here to see if I could get any assistance or whatever...


I recently got a Panasonic GT50 55 inch Plasma. When using my PS3, I noticed varying sides of my tv would have an inactive "border" of gray or black pixels. As if the image the PS3 was providing wasn't going to the edge of the screen. This only occurred on one or two sides at a time, and if you switched things on and off, it would vary where. Basically it was like the PS3's image was a touch too small for the screen and it just randomly aligned it with some side, leaving a small (1/4 inch?) border of inactive (but powered-on) pixels. It's a little annoying.

It only happens with my PS3. Not with Broadcast TV or my AppleTV.

I am using "FULL" for my TV aspect ratio in Picture Settings > Aspect:
And this was noted with the zoomed out Size 2 I believe. When I switch to Size 1, the image zooms in a little (if I had to guess, I'd say about 5-10%?) and this immediately eliminates the borders I was seeing and everything is better...

EXCEPT it's zoomed in enough that I am definitely losing what I would qualify as "relevant" image. (because when I zoom back out to Size 2, I can see how much image I lost. (Feels like about an inch on every side.)


So, in summary:

Picture Settings > Aspect: Full & Size 2 = Not missing any image, but an annoying border of unused pixels on one or 2 sides. (Most often the left and top side)

Picture Settings > Aspect: Full & Size 1 = Picture fills screen, no annoying borders, but I'm now losing about an inch of image on all sides.


I feel like I'm missing something obvious as gently caress.

Also, I don't think it's the TV being defective because:

A) I had a previous plasma and while I didn't get borders, I would see it sometimes auto-correct/shift the image 1 or 2 pixels from time to time.

& B) It ONLY happens on my PS3 here. Everything else fills the screen nicely.

Thanks for any advice you might have! :)

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bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


Double check your PS3 settings and make sure it's outputting 1080p. It's possible it's stick on 720p which might introduce scaling issues including lines around the edge.

I use FULL > Size 2 on my ST50 with the PS3 and have noticed no sidebars.

BonoMan
Feb 20, 2002

Jade Ear Joe

Feenix posted:



A) I had a previous plasma and while I didn't get borders, I would see it sometimes auto-correct/shift the image 1 or 2 pixels from time to time.



This was a sort of "burn in" protection mechanism. Most plasmas have them. It just shifts the pixels from time to time to protect them. Doesn't do poo poo I don't think, but that's why it was there.

Feenix
Mar 14, 2003
Sorry, guy.

bull3964 posted:

Double check your PS3 settings and make sure it's outputting 1080p. It's possible it's stick on 720p which might introduce scaling issues including lines around the edge.

I use FULL > Size 2 on my ST50 with the PS3 and have noticed no sidebars.

Info box on my TV says 1080p and the PS3 also claims 1080p. Good suggestion. Not it, though. :(

And Bonoman: Thanks for that tidbit. Makes sense about the burn-in protection on my old set.

The Gunslinger
Jul 24, 2004

Do not forget the face of your father.
Fun Shoe
Panasonic plasmas ship with a feature called Pixel Orbiter enabled by default, that's what it sounds like to me. Can you take a picture so we can see for ourselves? It could be a variety of things.

Feenix
Mar 14, 2003
Sorry, guy.
While I don't really understand what Pixel Orbiter looks like exactly, I would gather that the issue is not that, for how extreme the offset can get.

Here is a video I just made of the upper left corner of my screen. All I'm doing is switching between HD Size 1 and HD Size 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVPesN_WTRs

saberwulf
Mar 3, 2009

Pipe rifles and snack cakes.
So I just bought the Vizio 42" LCD Full HD and I was wondering some things about calibration:

The TV's picture seems grainy in bright scenes, and has low blacks in all scenes, being gray or that mottled green hue.

The sound does that really annoying thing where loud noises are suddenly set to the same level as all other noises, which are then all quiet, murdering the bass and making the audio sound like rear end. I don't have it set up to my surround sound, but that goes through my DVD player, which was bought all the way back in 2001 and doesn't support any of the formats the TV's in.

Finally, is there a way to hook up my PS3 to said DVD player that has surround sound? The PS3 is connected to the TV through an HDMI, but as I said, the Xbox was the new hot electronic when that off-gold lich bastard was bought.

Mister Facetious
Apr 21, 2007

I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

:canada:
I've been playing BBC/Discovery documentaries lately (Attenborough, Walking with Dinosaurs, etc.).

My cat is just riveted by them. He'll walk right up, watching all the wiggly, squiggly things. :3:

The Gunslinger
Jul 24, 2004

Do not forget the face of your father.
Fun Shoe

Feenix posted:

While I don't really understand what Pixel Orbiter looks like exactly, I would gather that the issue is not that, for how extreme the offset can get.

Here is a video I just made of the upper left corner of my screen. All I'm doing is switching between HD Size 1 and HD Size 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVPesN_WTRs

Yeah that's not Pixel Orbiter, it usually just bumps a single row around. That looks like an overscan issue to me, have you ruled it out already? For starters I would set everything back to default for that input and do not touch the size with zoom/etc, go back to the PS3 and make sure its set to 1080p. There are some test patterns you can run with the PS3 to verify output but I'm at work for another 4 hours so I can't post them now.

The Gunslinger fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Dec 5, 2012

Feenix
Mar 14, 2003
Sorry, guy.
Ruled out what exactly. What is an Overscan issue? Do you mean like, a setting I need to change somewhere? Or that there is an issue "with" the TV. (ie: a Problem)

I haven't been able to locate in the manual or in the TV Menu anything that deals with Overscan other than the Aspect menu which I addressed already. Not sure what else there is...

[edit] Just saw your edit. I'll go back to Default everything for that input and see what happens.

I tried a test pattern thingy before that I downloaded but I'm not sure it really revealed anything further to me.

Feenix fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Dec 5, 2012

Ragehaver
Jul 27, 2001

"Though I often smell of excrement, I deserve your respect because I provide a valuable service."

Feenix posted:

Ruled out what exactly. What is an Overscan issue? Do you mean like, a setting I need to change somewhere? Or that there is an issue "with" the TV. (ie: a Problem)

I haven't been able to locate in the manual or in the TV Menu anything that deals with Overscan other than the Aspect menu which I addressed already. Not sure what else there is...

[edit] Just saw your edit. I'll go back to Default everything for that input and see what happens.

I tried a test pattern thingy before that I downloaded but I'm not sure it really revealed anything further to me.

I had a very similar issue with my TV and HDMI output from my computer. HD size 1 was too small and left a black boarder, HD size 2 was missing the start bar and about an inch all the way around. It turned out turning overscan off and using HD size 2 resolved the problem, giving me a perfect 1080p fit.

edit: for ST50, It's Picture -> Advanced -> 16:9 Overscan -> Disable

VVV: I just googled the TV you said you had above for directions, sorry. The TV I had that issue on was an old LG 42". I currently have a Panasonic ST30 and vaguely remember having to turn off overscan, but I'm not positive. I'll check when I get home.

Ragehaver fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Dec 5, 2012

Feenix
Mar 14, 2003
Sorry, guy.
The Gunslinger: I defaulted everything and it goes to Size 1 (by default) which is cutting poo poo off... if I go to Size 2, same weird border issue.


Ragehaver: Thanks for the input. I got all excited I may have missed something, but in Picture > Advanced I do not have 16:9 Overscan in ANY of my options, and only have like 3 or 4 that aren't grayed out. (but even in the grayed out ones, I do not see 16:9 Overscan anywhere

Here are my options there: (asterisks by the ones I can actually interact with):

3D Y/C filter
Color Matrix
Block NR
**Mosquito NR - Off
**Motion Smoother - Off
**1080P Pure Direct - Off (What is this?)
**Black Level - Light
3:2 Pulldown
24p Direct In

[edit] I have the GT50. Wonder if the menus are different. Or if it's because you're inputting from a PC.

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


ST50 does not have the overscan menu that Ragehaver described. That seems to be something that the 30 series models had.

On my ST50, I literally didn't have to do anything other than do "Full Size 2" to get the correct image.

The Gunslinger
Jul 24, 2004

Do not forget the face of your father.
Fun Shoe
I have no idea what HD Size 1 and etc are, I have an ST30 with different menus. Normally with Panasonic plasmas there is a setting under Picture setting to adjust overscan. According to your manual HD Size 2 is just 100% of the signal so it should be fine. Did you verify the PS3 has 1080p selected for output as well? I suggest reading your user manual for awhile. In there it mentions changing the aspect ratio with Format and some other stuff too.

Feenix
Mar 14, 2003
Sorry, guy.
Thanks. Yeah I mentioned above that my PS3 is stating it's in 1080p and the "info" pane on my Tv also states it's in 1080p when the PS3 is on.


Guess it's just going to be a mystery. I'll look more through the manual. I wonder more and more if it's the TV or just the PS3 or something...

themachine
Jun 6, 2003

Welcome to the machine
I'm looking at picking up a new TV for bedroom use, and have kinda narrowed it down to two models.

The first choice is this Toshiba I saw at Best Buy. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+40%26%2334%3B+Class+-+LED+-+1080p+-+120Hz+-+HDTV/4818511.p?id=1218534719341&skuId=4818511

In the store (for whatever that is worth) it looks pretty good and the price is right. It is the biggest size I would want to go though. Also, I am not really familiar at all with Toshiba. I assume being a well known brand name that their quality and everything is alright, but that's it.

Second choice that I randomly found while shopping around is this LG.

http://www.amazon.com/LG-32LM6200-3...=panasonic+ut50

It would fit slightly better in the room, and I am more familiar with LG being that several friends of mine have them, I would feel confident buying from them. Also of course, it has a ton more features. I like the smart apps and built in wifi, I have no use for the 3D it is a moot point.

I suppose in short my questions are: Is the Toshiba a good TV? Is the LG a better TV and are its expanded features worth the extra cost, as small as it may be? I plan on using the TV for regular cable watching, NetFlix, and playing an Xbox 360 if that matters.

EDIT: I suppose I should add that I want to keep the price 500 or lower, want either an LED or plasma, 1080, and the higher the refresh rate the better. In regards to the technical stuff, I am not really up to date on a lot of specifics, I'm going off what more knowledgeable friends have told me for the most part.

themachine fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Dec 6, 2012

Puddin
Apr 9, 2004
Leave it to Brak
I just bought one of that LGs big brothers, the 55lm7600 and its a great TV.

First thing I did was turn all the motion plus crap off, it just gives me motion sickness.

I wasn't bothered about 3d but it has a really great picture.

If it's anywhere near the same quality it should be a good buy.

89
Feb 24, 2006

#worldchamps
So, my dad just got broken into and got his TV & DVD player, and soundbar stolen. So, he's had me on the patrol to replace it. He wanted huge for $1000, so I just ordered this:

60" Vizio E601i - $999.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009H8JOZS/ref=ox_ya_os_product

Thing is, he's going up from a 720p Panasonic 50" plasma, so I'm wanting to help him super charge his theater a little. One catch:

There's no internet service where he lives (yeah, stupid).

So, stuff like Netflix stream, Roku boxes, and etc are kind of out of the question. Also, he hardly knows how to even operate his DVD player, so I'm trying to make this as painless as possible. So, I'm thinking a Harmony remote? What's the most "parent-proof" Harmony remote? He's used to the pain of using 4 remotes since he had a remote for his DirecTV, HDTV, DVD player, AND soundbar.

Also, any recommendations on a soundbar that's under $300? I would grab a sound system, but he isn't keen on ripping the walls up or having wires running everywhere.

89 fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Dec 8, 2012

Don Lapre
Mar 28, 2001

If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.
Get him a 650 or 700. Real buttons, no touch screens.

herr brau
Dec 20, 2005

relax, a photo's not gonna make any difference


I'm thinking of getting a TV for our bedroom that would sit at the foot of the bed (plus a few feet - about 10' away). I'm planning on 32" so it comfortably sits on my girlfriend's dresser - optimal viewing distance be damned!

Anyway, I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations for a 32" 720p LCD. Price is not terribly important but I'd like to keep it in the $300 range. What I do care about is a decent picture and good colors and blacks - but not those hyper-saturated colors that you see in show rooms and stuff. Preferably available on Amazon because free Prime shipping! :)

That said, I may just buy this Samsung because our living room TV is a 40" 1080p Samsung LCD that I paid $1500 for 6 years ago and I've been extremely happy with ever since.

Coffee Wolf
Oct 12, 2007

Mmmmm Banana

89 posted:

Also, any recommendations on a soundbar that's under $300?

I picked this Samsung up on a Black Friday deal for ~$180, and as of the time I'm posting it shows as $249. In the reviews one guy suggested to put the settings to Drama/Low 3D and it sounds great in my opinion.

one of the few non-idiot reviews you can find posted:

Posted by: Person2140
from NC.on 11/29/2012
I read a bunch of reviews on this product and you can easily tell who knows what they are talking about and who does not.This is a sound bar.They should really be called television sound enhancers. I have read reviews on the Samsung and other bars. I love the people who claim to have spent 5, 6 ,7 hundred dollars on other bars claiming they are so much better, they are not it, a sound bar is what it is. I feel a lot of the people reviewing this thing are new to any type of audio equipment or are expecting an inexpensive miracle. So here is a list of what it will do and what it will not do.
Will do.
1. Greatly enhance the volume of your TV.
2. Add some bass.
3. Give a sense of surround.
Will not do.
1. There is no house shaking with this subwoofer.
2. There are no sounds coming from front to back or vice versa.
3. Will not annoy anyone else in the house.
To sum it up. If you want 5.1, buy it. I have a 4 thousand dollar system in my living room, and a 10 thousand dollar theater room. I use this in the bedroom, makes enough noise to make a movie sound good and does not bother the rest of the household. I have seen some sound bars that have a 12 inch subwoofer, what is the point? If you are looking for a great bar at a reasonable price, buy this. Oh and for those who do not know how to set this up. Use low 3D, put it on Drama, increases vocals, makes the deep voices more crisp by taking the subwoofer out of play when it comes to dialogue yet keeps the sub at its maximum potential, and put the sub in the back of the room in a corner. If in an open room keep it up front. This will provide an ample sound stage. Also do not use 3D if you are in a living room. The 3D mode is only useful while sitting in the center of the bar, it projects sounds to the left and the right from center. Hope this helps those who own one or those who are having trouble with the one they have.
I would recommend this to a friend!

Ragehaver
Jul 27, 2001

"Though I often smell of excrement, I deserve your respect because I provide a valuable service."

89 posted:

Also, any recommendations on a soundbar that's under $300? I would grab a sound system, but he isn't keen on ripping the walls up or having wires running everywhere.

I have a Polk Audio IHT 6000 and it seems pretty nice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290219

Set a price alert. Newegg constantly drops it to $279 or $299. It isn't worth what they regularly charge, but for $299 I was happy. Sounds pretty good and the sub is wireless. Took me about 5 minutes to setup.

Price history.

Ragehaver fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Dec 11, 2012

Elysium
Aug 21, 2003
It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
Any opinions on this LG 60" Plasma for $799?

http://tinyurl.com/a728jwf

BonoMan
Feb 20, 2002

Jade Ear Joe

Elysium posted:

Any opinions on this LG 60" Plasma for $799?

http://tinyurl.com/a728jwf

I have no personal experience with it, but it has almost 5 stars and nearly 100 ratings on Amazon. So... it won't be a bust!

http://www.amazon.com/LG-60PA6500-60-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B006VFS4J2

Check the reviews. A couple of folks give their preferred advanced settings if you wanna try them out.

Maneki Neko
Oct 27, 2000

Elysium posted:

Any opinions on this LG 60" Plasma for $799?

http://tinyurl.com/a728jwf

My brother in law bought this a few weeks ago, it looked great as long as you're just looking for a big not-smart tv.

foodfight
Feb 10, 2009
My 42" Panasonic Plasma was stolen and apparently they only make one 42" plasma now and it isn't too hot. I think it is the X5. Anyone have any experience with it? I'm thinking I might just bite the bullet and get the U50 but I'm not sure I need a 50" tv.

kuddles
Jul 16, 2006

Like a fist wrapped in blood...

Elysium posted:

Any opinions on this LG 60" Plasma for $799?

http://tinyurl.com/a728jwf
I've heard some complaints about a greenish tint in the black levels, but this was on the AVSForum and was only a few people so I'm not sure how noticeable it is. Plenty of other people on that forum don't notice it at all.

It also is super-reflective - even for a plasma - so it might not be ideal depending on lighting conditions.

Otherwise, I've heard nothing but glowing things about it considering the price. Bright colours, no lag, very resistant to burn-in, etc.

kuddles fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Dec 12, 2012

Mister Facetious
Apr 21, 2007

I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

:canada:

foodfight posted:

My 42" Panasonic Plasma was stolen and apparently they only make one 42" plasma now and it isn't too hot. I think it is the X5. Anyone have any experience with it? I'm thinking I might just bite the bullet and get the U50 but I'm not sure I need a 50" tv.

The UT50 comes in 42" and is 1080p.

Elysium
Aug 21, 2003
It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

Maneki Neko posted:

My brother in law bought this a few weeks ago, it looked great as long as you're just looking for a big not-smart tv.

Yeah, I don't really think I'll need any smart or 3D features. My dad bought a top of the line 3D Smart Samsung a while ago, and while it is an awesome tv, they never ever use the smart features and we only use 3D to show people "hey guys, this TV does 3D!"

I will probably end up getting an Apple TV or something similar anyway.

However, now I'm seeing that this TV was $699 at Frys just a while back, so maybe I'll wait on some more price drops.

foodfight
Feb 10, 2009

Mister Macys posted:

The UT50 comes in 42" and is 1080p.

Did they discontinue it?

Mister Facetious
Apr 21, 2007

I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

:canada:
There's stock in Canada (2001 Audio Video), so I would assume no.
Maybe Amazon is just sold out.

Best Buy/Future Shop doesn't carry the model.

Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Dec 12, 2012

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


The 42UT50 was discontinued shortly after release due to low demand and low yields.

Mister Facetious
Apr 21, 2007

I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

:canada:
ROAD TRIP! :q:

Actually, I don't recommend it. Between the exchange rate and the Canada tax, you're gonna be bent over and hosed in the butt.
50" isn't all that big after a while. It's 6" narrower than my Ikea Lack bench.

Mister Facetious fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Dec 13, 2012

EbolaIvory
Jul 6, 2007

NOM NOM NOM

foodfight posted:

Did they discontinue it?

Googling shows sears still has some too.

foodfight
Feb 10, 2009
I'm also looking at the Panasonic TC-L42E50 LED LCD. Will that stack up comparably against a plasma? I mostly care about the picture quality on the tv, not the "smart" features.

Pureone
Nov 6, 2008
I watch most everything on my laptop so I don't keep up with the latest TV trends, but after reading through a lot of this thread combined with Amazon customer reviews, I've narrowed down my options to three.

This is for my parents. They watch TV most nights (a lot of sports), but have never upgraded from their seven year old tube TV. I just want the largest size possible for under $300 without taking a hit on picture quality.

My real debate is between these two:

Toshiba - http://tinyurl.com/b9zsf48
Samsung - http://tinyurl.com/cwnmaz8

I'm also looking at this one, but the fact that I've never heard of this brand somewhat scares me. I do like its price as well as the two year warranty that comes with it.

TCL - http://tinyurl.com/d83e2to

Does anyone have any experience getting TCL TV's?

TITTIEKISSER69
Mar 19, 2005

SAVE THE BEES
PLANT MORE TREES
CLEAN THE SEAS
KISS TITTIESS




Several people in this thread and the Black Friday HDTV thread, this year and last year, have positive things to say about TCL. Their TVs sound like pretty good budget-level units, short on fancy features but perfectly good for people with a short list of needs.

EbolaIvory
Jul 6, 2007

NOM NOM NOM

Pureone posted:

I watch most everything on my laptop so I don't keep up with the latest TV trends, but after reading through a lot of this thread combined with Amazon customer reviews, I've narrowed down my options to three.

This is for my parents. They watch TV most nights (a lot of sports), but have never upgraded from their seven year old tube TV. I just want the largest size possible for under $300 without taking a hit on picture quality.

My real debate is between these two:

Toshiba - http://tinyurl.com/b9zsf48
Samsung - http://tinyurl.com/cwnmaz8

I'm also looking at this one, but the fact that I've never heard of this brand somewhat scares me. I do like its price as well as the two year warranty that comes with it.

TCL - http://tinyurl.com/d83e2to

Does anyone have any experience getting TCL TV's?

I may get poo poo for this. But stay away from toshiba. At least in my families experience, we've had nothing but lovely build quality and RMA after RMA with their TVs and Laptops (always something with the loving screens on the laptops).

Id buy the TCL over the Toshiba, Believe it or not. Because at least im expecting garbage and might be surprised opposed to buying name brand and getting garbage.

Samsung would be my option though out of those 3. TCL being second. TCL has been popping up a lot lately and I keep seeing pretty decent reviews. Dont expect top of the line but expect better than you'd think seems to be the general reviews on them.

Note, I am NOT a AV snob. I watch netflix on a PS3 3D display most nights and am totally happy with it. (Also had a 55" Smart samsung 3d as well, never used it but holy gently caress that picture.)

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!

Lovie Unsmith posted:

Several people in this thread and the Black Friday HDTV thread, this year and last year, have positive things to say about TCL. Their TVs sound like pretty good budget-level units, short on fancy features but perfectly good for people with a short list of needs.

The one we bought was DOA and now Amazon is kind of being a bitch about replacing it.

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bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


Toshiba is also exiting the TV business completely. So, it's hard to say how well they are going to support their current products moving forward.

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