One more thing....When I watch a DVD in Widescreen, on each of the top corners, where the black hits the picture, i notice a red twinge and it seems to be a bit curved? I know, I know, fix thew convergence, BUT Ive done that! Suggestions?

Jonny#5 -

The "red twinge" (miscovergence), and the "a bit curved" (poor geometry) problems can be fixed, either through the consumer menu or the service menu. Be patient, buy Video Essentials and watch it (maybe even twice before doing anything). On average, the change will be dramatic, and you should be VERY happy after you are done (I would say it will take about 2 hours to make the adjustments the first time). Video Essentials also assists in your audio calibration. And, you can repeat this process on every set in the house (even if you have to move your DVD player temporarily), or your family's, friends and neighbors sets (you'll become the neighborhood TV hero). Since electronics and CRT's age slowly, you will also be able to re-calibrate the set(s) once a year for good measure; some people even do it once every six months. Speaking of "time", if you plan on calibrating a BRAND NEW display, wait about 90 days on average, as the CRT's need to "burn in" and settle. You could calibrate it on day one, but the output will likely change within 90 days.

Video Essentials fixes nothing, per se. You do the fixing yourself after watching the DVD. The information you gain from the DVD, along with various calibration screens and a deep blue filter, will allow you to adjust your set to roughly 95+% of perfect (if you can and do access the service menu), being just short of what a professional with some very expensive instruments and a high wage (upto $400 per calibration, depending on the set and where you live) could do for the set. Everything from overscan to geometry will be covered on the disc. By-the-way, A-L-L TV's (cheap or expensive) are overdriven out of the factory to compete with other brands on the brightly lit showroom floor. When you are done, it will display images the way it should. Simply by calibrating a set properly, you will also extend it's life as it will no longer be overdriven (something manufactuerers would not want you to realize).

Your warrenty is probably expired (check it in your owners manual), and unless you wreck the TV by totally screwing up the service menu adjustments, I wouldn't worry about it. The prior sentence is just my OPINION, and should not be taken as fact.

You will have to decide to what degree you wish to go (stopping at the consumer menu, or continuing onto the service menu). Even though I have technical experience, even I was nervous the first time I adjusted my first 64" $10,000 ATSC set. Just go very slow. In time you will be jig sawing new speaker holes in the cabinet and tossing those inferior "center channel" speakers (rated at 20 watts!) for magnetically sheilded ones that support 220 watts or greater (it only took me 3 days on the second digital WS set to hack the speakers out... my wife was saying: "Honey, we J-U-S-T got that set, should you be doing that?!!" [hahahaha!] Meanwhile, that HTS alone can now support upto 2,060 watts of audio power... sesmic sensors trip, and the neighborhood goes on earthquake alert if I throw a party!)

So many tips, so little time. Let me know if you need more info on anything.

Anyway, get the calibration disc and take it a step at a time.

Rich2741

Rich! You are the man! I appreciate it so much! I will buy Video Essentials ASAP!

A few more questions I still have:

*How can I fix the "red twinge" (miscovergence), and the "a bit curved" (poor geometry) problems using the service menu?

*Through this site, I have found out how to access the service menu, I am not completely tech retarded so I do not think I can "ruin" the TV by altering the service menu, but do you have any tips as to what I should be fixing?

*Do I need Video Essentials to alter the service menu?

Any and all help is appreciated.

Thanks!

Also Rich, I found the following "tweaks" on another site. They are for a Toshiba WS TV. I have the Toshiba 55X81, obv not WS. Do these "tweaks" sound good for my TV? You the man! Next time im in Florida, Sonny's BBQ or La Spada's Subs on me!


Other quick tips:
Keep your seetings in the following range:
Contrast: < 50 - mine is at 25
Brightness: near 50 - mine is at 64
Color: near 60
Tint: Near 0
Sharpness: near 50 - mine is at 35
ALS: OFF
DNR: ON
Flesh Tone: OFF
Color Temp: Warm - this is closest to 6500K

Jonny#5 -

"General" misconvergence should be correctable in the consumer setup menu. If the RGB lines still do not come back in perfect overlap, then the maximum adjustments are being reached at that level. The next step would be to enter the service menu to adjust the whole scale one way or another and reset the convergence.

Geometry would likely be set in the service menu, if you can not make the proper adjustments in the consumer menu or if the sets "auto geometry" is not doing the job properly. "Blooming" can also cause the geometry to be skewed under certain conditions, and doing a basic calibration on the set might take care of the problem.

Both of these adjustments interact with each other to a small degree, and you will find (once you get VE) that reaching the end goal on clarity will be a repetitive process on adjustments as you get closer and closer to the end point in tweeking.

No, you do not need VE to enter the service modes on a set, that is done through knowing the code to get inside. Each manufacturer has it's own secret codes or button push sequence to get "in", and each manufacturer uses its own cryptic symbols, abreveation or acronym to inform the tech what they are adjusting (which I will point you to after you get VE and do a basic calibration). Often, many of the service settings should NOT be altered. The whole backbone to VE is having 'known' values and patterns for reference display, a constant, if you will, something to judge a condition by. One of the craziest statements a TV owners manual can print is: "Adjust the picture until it looks right." What if the person is color blind? What if the person is half blind? How does one know what shade of purple that dress is supposed to be? Should I adjust the TV set with a 4 million watt spotlight blaring in the room? Is it OK if my TV room is painted neon pink and glows in the dark?

As far as the tweeks you found on another site go, even if they were reported for your exact model, they would be more ballpark settings, as each set is going to have it's own exact conditions (like age, for one). The really good part is that you are searching around, and that can only lead to increased knowledge (but be cautious what you accept as fact). By-the-way, in general, the "sharpness control" is your enemy (it is a very bad thing as its use is to compensate for other mis-settings), and the white balance temperature you select (rated in Kelvin; ie 6500K) will be very important in the end, because white is not just white... there is hot white (orangeish shaded), warm white (yellowish shaded), neutral white (polar bear whitish) and cold white (blueish shaded). And black is not just black. All these things and much more will be covered in VE.

Be patient Jonny, I don't think your tech-tarded, and I want to help you, but take the first step first please. Get VE, get familiar with it and do a basic calibration first, before even thinking of making changes in the service menu.

Rich2741

P.S.: You might want to check www.800.com for VE. Look in the DVD movie section. At one point several months ago they were selling it for $25, which is (or was) an a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e steal.

Thanks Rich!

So, Im going to buy VE today...(800.com is now circuit city, best price i can find for VE is $40 or so)

Once I buy VE and watch it and make the general fixes, Ill email ya...Sound ok?

You are a tremendous help, its much appreciated.

Is there a particular reason VE was recommended over Avia? Are you talking about the new one which I haven't seen?

I have both and find Avia easier to use and overall more useful. I believe most people agree.

Rich told me VE, so VE it is...No other reason...If Rich said Avia, then Avia it would be....Rich has helped be so far, so I listen to what he says....Thanks again Rich!

If Rich told you to jump off a roof would you? Huh, would you?

(Oh, sorry. Flashback from my mother...)

If it would help calibrate my TV!

Jonny#5 -

You are welcome.

I recommend VE over all the others because:

#1 It is produced by Joe Kane, and you can not get more professional than that. Joe Kane is an industry icon and is the founder of ISF (Imaging Science Foundation). Professional calibration technicians aquire their certification from ISF.

#2 VE includes the much required "blue negative strip" right in the package to complete the calibration. Some other copy-cats do not, you have to send in for it (which off course is nothing but a ploy to get your name and address for sale).

#3 No bridge jumping required.


X -

#1 Yes, it has been said that VE is a little more difficult to navigate then the copy-cats. Such is life.

#2 No, the new HD mastered version is not available yet (to the best of my knowledge). It was due out some time ago, but Joe didn't like the way it was turning out so he stopped, and will start again from scratch. He wasn't thinking about the lost revenue spent, nor the profit to be made, but rather the end product that will bear his name. Like I said, the man is a proven professional.

#3 I believe you are mistaken that most INFORMED people agree Avia is better. I believe you meant to relay that Avia is cheaper to buy.

Well I disagree on the VE choice. Just as a bit of info, Avia includes blue, green, and red negative strips so you can adjust each color using screens they provide for that purpose. I would think you would have mentioned this if you had used the product.

I believe VE is the INFORMED choice for audio adjustment, but most people I hear and read discussing the subject (however uninformed they may be) prefer Avia for video adjustment. I sure know I do, particularly for contrast and black level adjustments that I never seemed to be able to get right with VE. And don't get me started on the lousy VE navigation! Let's just say it is the primary reason I bought Avia after I already owned VE. Then I found the other features of Avia that I really liked and now my VE sits unused.

But of course, either will do way better than nothing. I have no agenda, I've just used both and offer my opinion.

X -

Yes, I have examined Avia in the past. I would not have relayed that VE was the only one with a blue negative strip right in the box if I knew otherwise. If Avia is now including color negative filters in their product (without mailing away for it), then it indeed has been a great while since I examined it (which I admit), or this is a new development, and that would of course improve its standing as a complete tool.

Red and Green filters are not really needed as those colors can be properly adjusted through the SMPTE color bars on screen when the display is adjusted through procedures. The blue/purple (near the ultraviolet end of the visable light spectrum) can not be properly adjusted without filter assitance.

On the opposite side of the coin, I guess you could say VE is incomplete because it does not include a SPL meter in the box for audio calibration, or a screen cleaning agent to make sure the display is clean before starting.

Silver, Gold, Ultimate, or whatever version now being made by copy-cat producers just rubs me the wrong way I guess.

If you truly do not like VE, and it sits unused on your shelf, why not sell it? (Or maybe give it to Jonny#5? ) [Jonny#5: "Yeah, that's the ticket!"]

I also have no agenda (I do not own stock in VE). I just offer my in-depth knowledge to assist others occasionally (I'm too busy watching DVD movies and buying big WS sets! (No joke! I own 14 TV's!))

Just curious- Why, as an administrator on the board, do you use the name/handle "X"?

Lastly, I genuinely meant to include a smiley emoticon in the line with the word "INFORMED", which would have given the sentence a air of joviality. No insult was intended, towards anyone.

This topic reminds me of DD 5.1 versus DTS, or direct trace TV versus rear projection TV.

'Cause "Z" was already taken.

I've owned Avia for almost three years and it came with the set of color filters.

I've also used VE and much prefer Avia, for what it's worth.

Ok Rich....I ordered VE (still waiting for it), make some tweaks to the color, tint, etc as suggested on another board....I adjusted my convergence and after a day or so, i notice the covergence is off again. Is that possible? What do I do now?

Jonny#5 -

What you are doing right now is "random" tweeking. It will do you no good, as you have nothing in hand (on screen) to compare it to. It's like messing with stuff "until it looks good". It might (or might not) look "good" at the moment, but is it correct?

The vast majority of adjustments you can make on a TV set interact with each other to one degree or another. You need a procedure to follow and a standard to compare adjustment results if you want to calibrate it to look as it was meant to.

Rule #1: In general, the display must be on for at least 30 minutes to allow it to warm up and settle in. Anything done prior to that will "drift" in end result after the set is on a while.

J5: "I adjusted my convergence and after a day or so, i notice the covergence is off again. Is that possible?"

Yes; answered above.

J5: "What do I do now?"

Wait for VE to arrive and follow the directions.

P.S.: While you are waiting- make preparations needed to control the room lighting to the greatest degree possible. Negating any reflections on the screen should be a top priority. If you don't like dark rooms consider backlighting and how you will accomplish it.


Mr. Salty -

Like I said, It has been a great while (I've been into DVD/HTS for roughly 6 years). Avia did not always have the filter included. You had to send away for it. Sometimes things change, sometimes they don't.

What else can I say? Glad you like Avia. I like VE.

Got an email from Deep Discount DVD yesterday, seems that the distributor of VE has stopped producing them so they cancelled my order. Its cool though because I re-ordered it from Direct Video today for $7.00 cheaper....

Rich-Something is definitely off with the convergence. I set the convergence to the "correct" level using the normal menu and later when I watch TV, the convergence is back off again. I will be patient and we can discuss then when I finally get VE.

Thanks!

Jonny#5 -

Sounds like a plan.

After ordering Video Essentials from Deep Discount Dvd and them then coming back and saying it is discontinued, I ordered VE from directvideo.com. They came back to me today and said that they no longer carry it....Rich-What do you suggest now?

Thanks again!!!!

Jonny#5 -

The way I see it is you could implore "Administrator X" (be cautious of sending checks to postal addresses with off-world PO boxes!) on this board to sell you his little appreciated VE copy for $25, select another brand of calibration disc (Avia, et all), or pay a tech to come out and tweek your set.

As far as VE not being available anymore from those sources, I guess those distributors ran out of copies, and the "new" (read: high definition mastered digital version with perhaps improved navigation) VE will be out shortly. This is just a educated guess.

In any event, a mans got to do what a mans got to do to get his photons firing straight and true. No?

What to do, what to do...

[Have you hugged your DVD's today?]

P.S.: Send both web sellers a nasty E-mail telling them they should not advertise products they cannot deliver.

Im gonna try half.com later.....What do you mean pay a tech to calibrate? Arent I doing that? with your help of course!

Rich...I should have VE any day now.....Are you still willing to help me? I hope so!

Adam

Still hang'en Adam.

Rich

Have you been using the anamorphic squeeze? I have a Toshiba 43H71, and everytime I put it in 16:9 mode, I have to reconverge it. I have seen other complaints on other boards about this.