LCD/Plasma/CRT/DLP - questions

[Angry the Clown]

I don't mind just having one custom mode. I just want to be able to have separate calibrations for SD and HD sources as I'd be using the internal freeview tuner, one HDMI for DVD, and the second HDMI for an HD source. The vga/component would be for consoles via a Zektor switcher (DVD could also go via that and calibrated with the single custom setting if I wanted to free one of the HDMI ports).

I'm combing through the vast AV Forums thread on the Sharps and it does appear they do have a custom mode for each input, which is fine my me. Any modern HDTV over a grand should at least offer that. It'd be nice to see Sharp back on top in the LCD game again.

[Kotatsu Neko]

For me, the issue is that it needs to go into a small room, and I can put an LCD onto a wall. (although I'm actually looking to buy this: http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4...0826vf1yp4.jpg)

I have something like that for my TV, although it's the official Toshiba one made specially for my set. They're nice and certainly more stylish than the usual pedestal type stands most people end up with. Make sure you get someone to help you actually mount it though - I did mine myself and it was quite a struggle. (although that was with a 42" TV)

[Concept]

Okay, I need some help from Samsung LE26R74BDX owners.

The Reds were overly saturated on getting the set, and since the menu system doesn't feature RGB calibration, I entered service menu after reading it was accessible switching the unit off and pressing:

info, menu and mute before switching it back on.

Now, I presumed the service menu would have a reset option to whatever pre-sets it had been originally calibrated to, but it doesn't. The only reset offered is for the menu to be set back to factory defaults (not the service menu).

Anyway, to cut a long story short I had a tinker to get the red levels sorted and didn't write the original pre-sets down.

Whoever has the LE26R74BDX, you'd be doing me a huge favour if you could go to the service menu and check:

3. White Balance
4. SVP-PX (RGB calibration)

and post your (hopefully) unaltered settings for them here:

Anyone? Please.

[Lyris]

And yes, Lyris will come in here and tell you otherwise, but I know what I was seeing - the BRAVIAs have one of the softest HD pictures I've seen. (but that does help hide artefacts/scaling)

I think you should take a look at what HD DVDs look like with the sharpness at your 15 setting then compare it to a monitor </off topic>

[EvilBoris]

Anyone? Please.

Not sure how usefull this is but here are my settings for my Le26r41BDX

[Shozuki]

so is this sharp screen better then the Bravia X?

[andrewfee]

Now, I presumed the service menu would have a reset option to whatever pre-sets it had been originally calibrated to, but it doesn't. The only reset offered is for the menu to be set back to factory defaults (not the service menu).

Anyway, to cut a long story short I had a tinker to get the red levels sorted and didn't write the original pre-sets down.

Whoever has the LE26R74BDX, you'd be doing me a huge favour if you could go to the service menu and check:

3. White Balance
4. SVP-PX (RGB calibration)

and post your (hopefully) unaltered settings for them here:

Anyone? Please.

Service Menus never have a "reset to defaults" option, which is why they are not accessible to end users.

Any R/G/B settings found there are not for the colour decoder, they are for adjusting the colour temperature, which is something that should not be done without calibration hardware.

Each TV is individually calibrated at the factory, so while they should be similar, not all televisions have the same defaults there.

I hope you get it sorted to something that looks decent again though.

I'm combing through the vast AV Forums thread on the Sharps and it does appear they do have a custom mode for each input, which is fine my me. Any modern HDTV over a grand should at least offer that. It'd be nice to see Sharp back on top in the LCD game again.

Excellent, and I agree - I would love to see Sharp return to the top. Their previous LCDs were easily the best around, other than last year's models. (The GD7 was a mess thanks to cost-cutting)

so is this sharp screen better then the Bravia X?

It should be, and on paper, it definitely is.

The BRAVIAs are using S-PVA with 1300:1 contrast and 8ms using overdriving, whereas Sharp are using an ASV 2000:1 panel (and they have always produced superior black levels) with a 6ms response time, brought up to 4ms with their overdriving enabled.

The only question remaining is whether or not the processing is better on the Sharp or the Sony - Sony does many things right, but there's some areas where they could definitely improve too. Sharp are using Micronas' TruD processing, rather than something in-house, so it's very possible that it's better than what the BRAVIAs are using.

It'll do 2:2 and 3:2 pulldown, and I believe it does motion compensation too, something that the BRAVIAs don't.

I think you should take a look at what HD DVDs look like with the sharpness at your 15 setting then compare it to a monitor </off topic>

Oh, I agree that 15 is not how it should look, but that's due to the forced edge enhancement. Turning it down just blurs the image, which makes it less noticeable, it doesn't remove the edge enhancement. (although you do get to a point where it's blurred out and you can't really see it, but the image is very soft)

[Concept]

Evil Boris & Andrew - Cheers.

It's in some weird number/alphabet format so I think the calibration software/setup is different. The actual service menu had a reset option on it that I saw before calibrating anything so I presumed I'd be safe (the rest option wasn't for the service menu - nice of them to make that clear with no mention on the screen or in the manual).

While there's nothing wrong with the set, now the colours are messed up in terms of finery - which means they obviously need professional calibration.

[Shozuki]

It should be, and on paper, it definitely is.

The BRAVIAs are using S-PVA with 1300:1 contrast and 8ms using overdriving, whereas Sharp are using an ASV 2000:1 panel (and they have always produced superior black levels) with a 6ms response time, brought up to 4ms with their overdriving enabled.

The only question remaining is whether or not the processing is better on the Sharp or the Sony - Sony does many things right, but there's some areas where they could definitely improve too. Sharp are using Micronas' TruD processing, rather than something in-house, so it's very possible that it's better than what the BRAVIAs are using.

It'll do 2:2 and 3:2 pulldown, and I believe it does motion compensation too, something that the BRAVIAs don't.

Hmm, ok - tbh some of that goes over my head.

when are these due out? cos I was going to get the X sorta now-ish...

[Lyris]

Oh, I agree that 15 is not how it should look, but that's due to the forced edge enhancement. Turning it down just blurs the image, which makes it less noticeable, it doesn't remove the edge enhancement. (although you do get to a point where it's blurred out and you can't really see it, but the image is very soft)

It's not really worth arguing about, but I think you should take another look at them. If I remember rightly you owned the TV for about a week whereas I do still have it and have had since May.

As I said - I've compared it to a monitor. 15 isn't the neutral setting for sharpness.

I'm really curious to see the Sharp TVs with TruD, am I right in saying that before they've always relied on in-house stuff and this is the first time they've "outsourced' the video processing?

[Concept]

Not sure how usefull this is but here are my settings for my Le26r41BDX

Yeah, the first screen helps.

The RGB colour configuration is setup differently (in terms of classification) on the R74 though. Never mind - TV and PC use isn't too bad with the colour setup as it is, but games look gash.

[andrewfee]

The actual service menu had a reset option on it that I saw before calibrating anything so I presumed I'd be safe (the rest option wasn't for the service menu - nice of them to make that clear with no mention on the screen or in the manual).

This is because the end-user is not supposed to be going near these menus. I'm sure it'll all be detailed in the service manual.

I don't know about Samsung, but many manufacturers void the warranty if anyone other than an authorised engineer enters it and changes settings.



The XD1 LCDs are due at the end of the month over here. If you need a new TV now, I'm sure you'll like the X-Series anyway, it's just that these use a next-generation panel (46" / 52" anyway) and have the potential to be quite a bit better. I believe that even the newly announced BRAVIA updates are using 7th gen. panels.

[andrewfee]

I'm really curious to see the Sharp TVs with TruD, am I right in saying that before they've always relied on in-house stuff and this is the first time they've "outsourced' the video processing?

They had TruD on the GD9s too, although I would imagine this is beefed up to cope with 1080p.

It's been happening a fair bit recently though - there's been a few sets from other companies with Faroudja and (iirc) Gennum chips released.

(sorry if I end up double-posting, writing these on my DS)

[Shozuki]

when is this sharp range out?

[VR46]

Back to the reality of my wallet, thinking of picking up one of these cheap 19" monitors for my daughter, screens aren't exactly my area of expertise, does it sound fine just for general PC use/DVD viewing etc ?

http://www.comet.co.uk/comet/html/cache/571_335347.html

If it's not too shabby, could I also use one for the 360 ? is there a 1440x900 resolution option via VGA on the 360 ? can't remember.

Many thanks.

Or would this one be worth the extra bit of cash ?

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&searchTerms=6701592

Ta