Hi guys im looking for a little help. I research a bit(not much) about HD tvs. I felt like the last person on the planet who didn't have a LCD or plasma. I had a tube Tv...it worked good so never no need to get another. Till I started inviting friends over. It was 27 inch and my living room was to big for it. So i needed a larger tv. So i decided to go with a 37in or 42in. I ended up getting the 42 cause it was more screen for the money. The size of the tv seems to fit the room nicely (15x10ft room).
Now it's a samsung 42in lcd tv. 1080p and 120hz(since I heard that was best) Only problem is it just looks...blan. No color no vibrant colors. Not like it looked like in the store. They say tv's are set to showcase colors on high for retail so shouldn't mine look like that? lol
plus it don't look very clear. I have time warner and they have free hd so am I suppose to just change my box? Just your opinions and personal experiences in converting to HD tvs would be awesome,
Also should I take the tv back or this some kind of adjusting period?
If you still have the standard box you aren't watching in HD so there won't be any difference between it and your previous set. All you have to do is take your old box in and ask to switch it to an HD capable box. When you go in make sure you get an HDMI cable, they used to give you the option of either an HDMI or component cable, but you want an HDMI cable if they still include them.
^^^ What he said. Also play with the image presets a bit after you hook up the new HD cable box. Sometimes the settings are way off.
No question, but I think the bigger issue is that the sets at the store were running 1080P and she's running 480I.
It certainly wouldn't hurt though. Ideally you'd have one of those DVD calibration disks but I'm sure she can come up with something either way.
Most of these TV's have those Movie/Sports/Standard presets that at least will reset any bad contrast/brightness/hue/saturation settings.
check out avsforum.com
Search for the model number of your T.V. there and hopefully there will be calibration suggestions in the calibration section of that forum.
The 480i makes a HUGE difference though. When watching standard def programming, the colors always look muted and the clarity looks fuzzy. When switching to HD, the color looks way more vibrant and clarity is outstanding.
If you own an LED or especially a plasma, the colors just jump off the TV.
is urs a led screen?
the higher the mhz the better even though u wont be using that screen to play fps games, but u can really tell the difference...
should just went and get a 50inch...
Have you tried watching a DVD or Blu Ray movie on it?
Yeah and for whatever reason make sure you have the output set to a HD resolution. I've been to many friends house and notice the pic really isn't in HD. All these friends have uverse. When I told them they weren't getting a HD pic, they didn't believe me. I'd go to their settings and lo and behold they were on standard resolution. I'd change it and it was like I delivered their first born. Just an FYI.
But if you have a samsung I wouldn't worry about having a shabby tv. They make excellent tv's. Plus all they do is jack up the color on the floor display so it "stands out".
2 best suggestions:
Switch out your cable box
and
AVS Forum for callibration suggestions.
Also, if you go to the best buy website and check the reviews for your tv, it is likely that there are callibration suggestions that are embeded in the reviews.
I couldn't find a TV on AVS, that I just bought 4 days ago, so I did the above and found about 4 different suggestions.
BTW it was an Insignia 42" class 600mhz subfield motion refresh 720p (gonna put it in the bedroom) plasma TV. it was $429. It looks freakin great and at that price its a steal.
Insignia is Best Buy's store brand, and this particular model is a rebranded Samsung (though other insignias may be rebranded other brands).
It's like there's a ing echo in here.
You should probably get an HD box. And check out www.avsforums.com for calibration settings.
thought you were getting the vizo slacker.
frenzy
yes it is on 480i...ugh
on my to do list thanks
those settings didn't do much =/
well I take it I have to buy a blu player now ...ugh.
Cause I did pop in a dvd and it was the same. Still just blan. Look like I was watching a soap opera on kens channel 5 on a tub tv lol.
Is this gonna be the norm now? like my tube tv I was soooo use to. Bright colors maybe not the clearest but it was great. Now I see more detail but it looks plain and not bright (even messing with the bright button).
settings on tv or cable box? cause I don't have a option for that...at least I haven't found it.
I saw a tv like that but everyone was like no get 1080....get 1080. So I did.
720p with 600hz > 1080p with 120hz ???
What box do you have, what does it say on the front?
She's starting to sound confused. Throw out the technical jargon and speak in layman's terms.yes it is on 480i...ugh
on my to do list thanks
those settings didn't do much =/
well I take it I have to buy a blu player now ...ugh.
Cause I did pop in a dvd and it was the same. Still just blan. Look like I was watching a soap opera on kens channel 5 on a tub tv lol.
Is this gonna be the norm now? like my tube tv I was soooo use to. Bright colors maybe not the clearest but it was great. Now I see more detail but it looks plain and not bright (even messing with the bright button).
settings on tv or cable box? cause I don't have a option for that...at least I haven't found it.
I saw a tv like that but everyone was like no get 1080....get 1080. So I did.
720p with 600hz > 1080p with 120hz ???
As long as you're dealing with standard definition TV (480i) you're not going to see much improvement. First things, first, get an HD box and watch HD programming before you do anything.
Second, if you have a plain jane DVD player, you're encountering the same problem. There are Upconvert DVD players that will make a difference (and for cheap, less than $100), but in the end, you're better off just getting a Blu Ray player.
If you have no interest or funds to get Blu Ray right now, Phillips makes a DVD player that's an upconvert that does a pretty good job with the quality. Walmart has it for less than $40 I think, so that's a good way to go for now. I believe it upconverts to 1080i (720p) although I saw some reviews that say it does close to 1080p. I should try it on my Bravia to be sure as it's 1080p and the TV I have it hooked up to is 720p and my kids watch it most of the time.
When you get your cable box, it will have default settings that should get you what you need right out of the box. If you're still having the problem, then you'll need to adjust the settings. Of course, you won't know until you get the box.
As for the 720p with 600hz, that's a plasma. You have an LCD. Different story altogether.
The plasma's resolution won't be as high, but the color and contrast ratio are off the charts. Absolutely beautiful. They don't last as long, but I don't care. When I settle into my new place, I'm getting a plasma as my next TV. I have a 1080p LCD, so now I can afford to have a 720p plasma.
Hope this helps.
The HD channels aren't the same as you have been receiving on regular cable -- e.g., USA Network is 66 in standard def on my system but hi def is channel 1665.
And yes, you need either an HDMI cable or component video cables (three rca jacks) going from the cable box to your tv. My TW cable box says "HDTV" on the front and came with component cables, though HDMI is simpler since video and sound go through a single cable.
There's no need to simplify anything, I've already told her to get an HD box and an HDMI cable, what could be simpler?
She's getting confused because I already answered her question but a few people decided to answer it again and again.
lol thanks guys. Not confused,not anymore anway. I'll come back when I change the box with the hdmi cable.
If I still have problems i'll come back
One more thing.
DO NOT buy an HDMI cable from Best Buy/Circuit City/etc. They will gank you at the front door like a used car salesman and try to talk you into buying a $99 HDMI cable.
You can get HDMI cables online for ~$10 bucks. Probably cheaper. I just bought a category 2 HDMI 6ft cable off amazon for my new tv for around that price.
Last edited by BlairForceDejuan; 07-08-2010 at 06:38 PM.
Go to altex and get your hdmi cables they start out at about ten bucks there.
Like I said, if you get the same box from TW that I did, you'll get a component cable with five bundled wires (three video and two audio) which could work fine until you get a decently priced HDMI cable.lol thanks guys. Not confused,not anymore anway. I'll come back when I change the box with the hdmi cable.
If I still have problems i'll come back
on the cable box.
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