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I am a picture tube man by history. Now recently, I brought home the Toshiba 42HDX82 which was professionally isf'd simply because I enjoy a bigger screen that caters to the more cinema like experience. Now, I also realize, that other than a very expensive plasma, nothing can top a properly tweaked FST flat screen tube model for overall quality.I have an entry level DVD player by Toshiba ( not progressive scan ) and watched a couple films last night. Other than a few massive pan scenes where the picture got a little watery in the detail dept. and the black levels a litlle less detailed than I am used to, I gotta admit, it was pretty good overall. On standard cable viewing however, the picture on all but a very few channels is very undefined and loose and I doubt I could live eith this long term.
I have a couple of questions for those who really know RPJ TV's
Firstly, will a progressive scan output DVD player really help matters much or is this another overused buzzword feature which will only yield a few percentage points increase to the overall look?
Secondly, I have considered digital cable and HDTV sattelite as a lot of sat. companies are offering them for an attractive price, but this still comes through via the same RG-6 coax cable as the regular cable does. The box that will obviously be supplied by the digital network provider of my choice, will it actuall boost the signal to produce more resolution?
Thirdly, are there any outboard devices that can be purchased commercially that will improve the signal on any and all inputs?
I am a little green with this video stuff, your comments are very welcomed....
Follow Ups:
I bought my Hitachi 51SWX20B (51" 16x9 RPTV) in December, and with my service (Cox digital/HDTV San Diego) the quality varies widely. Live feeds like the various shopping channels look excellent, others are barely watcheable (our local Fox affiliate, for example). The Hitachi does an excellent job of upconverting standard definition cable, so these channels look about as good as it's going to get. The "digital" channels offered in my package (3 or 4 different versions of Discovery, Flix, Encore, etc. do seem to have better PQ than the "standard" channels do, but I don't notice any improvement in PQ with the standard channels since acquiring the digital service.
HDTV is incredible-watching CBS' hi-def feed of the NFL games was a blast, and it was downright painful to go back to crappy NTSC Fox after that.Regarding progressive DVD, I did notice an improvement over my older Pioneer player when I brought home a Panasonic RP-82 for a tryout. It was especially noticeable with Toy Story 2-the infamous chroma bug was clearly visible with the Pioneer, absent with the Panasonic-nice and sharp, with no visible distortion. Given that prog-scan players are so cheap now, it's worth it, IMO. I've got the Philips 963SA on order.
including your Toshiba aren't very good. A good progessive scan dvd player will enable you to buypass your set's doubler and will deliver the best picture your set is capable of, short of high definition content.
Re: progressive scan, in general, yes, it does produce a superior picture. While watching your DVDs, did you notice any digital artifacts, such as jagged edges on diagnol lines? This is one place where you can see a difference (there are others). OTOH, if it isn't bugging you, why spend the money? The higher quality progressive scan DVD players (with the Faroudja chips) will only get cheaper over time.Re: digital cable / sat, if you are watching analog cable now, it will range in quality from intolerable to average. Some of this depends on how good the line doubler is in your RPTV, but even a great line doubler can't perform miracles on a low quality analog signal. Without question, digital cable or satellite will be an improvement over analog cable.
Lastly, there are outboard devices that can improve the quality of all inputs. They can be broadly divided into two groups: those that produce a great picture, and those that are reasonably priced. Caveat emptor, to be sure.
In my case, I started with analog cable and went to Dish Network satellite. I also use an HD tuner to pull in local HD broadcasts. I don't have a progressive scan DVD player yet, but it's on my list of future acquisitions.
Thanks for this very honest and pointed advice. I tried a little experiment tonight that really helped. I plugged all the video devices and TV into my BPT 2.0 power line conditioner. This really helped all aspects of picture etc.My only reservations at this point with keeping the set ( I do have the opportunity to exchange it within 10 days ) are just a few points.
1.) Off axis viewing is not the greatest
2.) The black levels really loose out in terms of detail and resolution, and of course, the intolerable-to-average cable signal which you also mentioned.I have the opprtunity to pick up a used Panasonic RP-56 DVD player which I am told by the seller has the Faroujda chip which produces good interlacing specs and " should " improve the movie watching by a small margin.
I really do like the cinematic size of the RPJ sets, but I am going to put it side-by-side with a comparably priced FST flat 36" just to see how much picture quality I am really giving up before I sign the invoice.
I forgot all about that. Your results are what I'd expect. I also ran my analog cable through a noise filter (HTS-1000) and it improved the picture by a surprising amount. Still was a medoicre picture, but a lot of the snow was eliminated. Go figure.Your TV decision is a tough call. Do you think you'll like it better over time, or is it more likely to bug you every time you use the set? The challenge is to buy a good enough set to meet your needs now and perhaps for a few years without it turning into a boat payment for the vendor. I can say that for my money, even if the price was a steal, if it's going to annoy me each time I use it, it doesn't stay in my home. There are plenty of other ways to drive myself nuts (this hobby, for example).
The RP-56 seems to have a good reputation. A search of the board here and at www.audioreview.com should help you find opinions of others that have direct experience with the unit. I have only read about it.
Putting the TVs side-by-side is a good idea. Do you know about the brightness trick? With two identical sets, the brighter one will "look" better -- and sets on the showroom floor are usually overcranked. Sometimes the brightest set has the better dealer profit margin. Coincidence?
The other thing to consider is that picture tubes will be brighter than an RPTV. Depending on the light level in your room, either can be a good solution once the brightness is correctly adjusted.
Have fun with the testing. Now get out there and stimulate the economy! :-)
and like a true video patriot, stimulating that " old man economy " is exactly what I did again today!.... It was like I was in Terminator trance, only this time, a full armour of credit cards adorned the hair trigger position !Yes, the picture, bars, fuziness, adjustments all bug me a little, as doers the black levels, but I found out that the Toshiba 42HDX82 RPJ was professionally isf'd before delivery. This is likely what lowered the brightness and created the faux pas ( although a welcomed one over time )...Yes, BQ, common sense tells me to get the 36HFX72 FST flat right away, and I normally always concur with your sentiments regarding " fitting the needs now " clause or else she goes, but I have decided to ride this widescreen bull a little longer as I fell relatively convinced that more and more channels will follow suit to hi-def which will inevitably put pressure on the broadcasting depts. to come up to par.
Giggling like an English schoolgirl, I morphed my way over to the local hi-fi shop and plunked down 600 quid for the Pioneer DV-47AI, which I have been told, are soooooooo many internal settings for chroma, black levels, white levels, etc, etc. that any dvd disc should look great. Also, will do SACD and DVD-A.
Buyers remorse?..........Well, not yet anyway, perhaps when the VISA bill gets here, but until then, IT'S MOVIE TIME!!!!!
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