ElectroFreak

First off, I just stumbled across this forum and there's a lot of great info here....Hello all

Here's my deal...

I'm interested in buying the above mentioned TV but am a little leary of projection screens. I was at circuit city yesterday and I fell in love with the picture on the tv...not sure if I want the bigger one yet but either way, the picture on both was great!

I have a few questions so hopefully I can get some answers


1) I am moving and my new service will be comcast (in Massachusetts) which according to their website they have an add-on HDTV box for an additional price per month. Will the HDTV box allow me to view all channels regardless if they are in HD or will I only be able to view HD broadcasted channels? If that is the case, what are my options?

2) I read on a post that the model I mentioned (actually an older model) had a problem with "burn-in" while watching tv in 4:3 format. Is this still the case or did they fix that? The saleman mentioned NOTHING about that problem to me. Thankfully, I never trust salesman and decided to do my own research! Would I have to watch tv in WIDE mode just to prevent the burn in?

3) Would using PIP cause a burn-in similar to the above question?

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Assuming they haven't fixed that problem...
Why on earth would they make the option for 4:3 KNOWING it will cause damage??? That is just plain WRONG
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4) I realize the regular channels that don't have HD broadcast won't be as clear as it could be, BUT if I were running just digital cable would the picture be satisfactory? Basically, would the picture be close to what a regular Tv would be like running digital..or would it look terrible because of the size of the tv?

Any other useful buying tips or any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance
It's the ElectoFreaks dream to watch a kick butt DVD on a HUGE TV

57U

1. The Cable STB (set-top-box) will allow you to tune all channels (that you subscribe to).

2. Burn in is an issue with almost all types of TV. Type "burn" into the sites search engine - lots of posts on the subject.

Also, look at the FAQ section - especially the post "what you need to do to your new HDTV".

3. Yes, but using POP is probably a small portion of the time, so burn in should not be an issue unless you use POP more than 15% of the time. 4:3 is one of the aspect ratios used for programming. The manufacturers left it as an option, so you can watch some programming this way, but if you watch too much, you'll get burn in. They warn about this in the operating manuals.

4. As TVs get bigger, they show more of the imperfections in the source material. If your signal is good, it looks good. If it's lousy it looks lousy and "big", so you notice it more.

5. Tips - look in the FAQs.

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

spaceman_spiff

I have last years model of your TV. I have had good picture quality with both HD and regular SD signals. DVDs look great. I have had it for almost 10 months. Love it.
Good Luck

ElectroFreak

Does anyone know the resolution on this tv? the dpi? 790 or 1080? or less?

57U

This TV has 1080i lines of vertical resolution or 480P lines of vertical resolution. (These are not DPI - these are lines.)

Interestingly, the spec says the unit has "only" 850 lines of horizontal resolution. This is a relatively low number but some manufacturers quote low numbers for some reason (Pioneer for example), while others quote higher numbers - 1280 lines for Hitachi for example.

When most RPTVs are actually tested for horizontal resolution, they usually achieve about 1000-1100 lines. Direct View TVs rarely have more than 900-1000 lines horizontally. Please don't confuse vertical and horizontal resolution.

In order to be called an HDTV, a TV must be capable (as a minimum) of 1080i lines vertically or 720P lines vertically - the latter being more difficult to achieve and therefore typically in more costly sets.

http://www.onecall.com/PID_18837.htm#FID_1457

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

ElectroFreak

So is that good?
lol I'm such a projection screen NEWBIE

57U

I know it's a cliché, but basically you get what you pay for. The more you spend, the better TV you'll get and the better the picture will likely be.

If you compare TVs in the same price range, the picture quality doesn't tend to vary much.

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

ElectroFreak

ok thanks...

Well, basically that tv was the one I thought had the nicest picture and it's in my budget...I would love to go higher but I will never justify spending anything more than that I think for my wants and needs...that tv is suffiecient for me!

I want the 53 but I just feel that is too big (if that's possible )

57U

Make sure you check out the FAQs - lots of hints in there. Especially the post "what you need to do to your new HDTV".

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

ElectroFreak

awwww yeah..I bought the TV yesterday! It was marked down $300 so how could I resist

Getting it delivered next saturday when I move into my new place...wooo hooooo!!! Also bought the sound & vision DVD so I can get the best quality out of it...hopefully :o

I'll let ya know what I think of it when I get it....

I'm so excited, I feel like a little kid waiting for X-mas morning!!!!!!

spaceman_spiff

Congratulations on your purchase !
Enjoy your new toy

hawks066

Good buy.. That's great. I hope to have the same emotion in a couple weeks when i get my 53wx53. Can't wait!

ElectroFreak

I'm in love...this tv is the bombdiggity!!!
I watched the Sound & Vision video and he helped a great deal...thank god cuz my settings were waaaay off from what I thought was correct! I def. recommend getting this video!!!

ElectroFreak

Ok heres a little more excitement from me...

So yesterday I finally sat down, relaxed after my long weekend of moving and unpacking and watched my first DVD with this TV and my surround sound.....
all I can say is WOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW

I watched Lord of the Rings - Two Towers and it was AMAZING
honestly, it was better than being at the theatre! The picture was just intensifying...I can't even explain it! I couldn't even believe my eyes! I am in love with a TV...forget my girlfriend..I'm getting a ring for the TV!! HAHA

Sound I'm used to cuz I've been using it for a while but the TV just completed everything!!

Seriously, anyone lookin to buy a projection screen tv I would def. consider this one as an option!!! Great Great quality...

Only thing I don't like about the tv is you have to skip through all the component channels (video 1, video 2, etc...) that are not in use....but oh well, I just memorized how many button presses it takes to get back to where I want so it's no big deal....kinda like "how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop....1....2......3.....)
LOL



Also, I want to thank 57U for all his advice and time he puts into this board..I read and have learned alot from this place which made my buying experience pleasurable!!! Thanks buddy!!

I'll be stickin around for a while

57U

I'm happy to have been of assistance.

Regarding your input issue mentioned above, some TVs allow you to hit "input" followed by the input number to get direct access to that input. (Input - 5).

Some TVs also allow you to "delete" unused inputs from the "scan", eliminating some button presses.

If the Panny doesn't do that either, it may have some "hidden codes" that the TV receives but are not available from the remote supplied with the TV. These hidden codes can sometimes be accessed by universal remotes. You may wish to do some digging (over at remote central.com for example if this bothers you a lot.)

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

fleegs79

I just bought this tv yesterday. To delete the component channels you're not using, go to the menu.

-Channels
-down to Other Adj.
-Input Label
Then you can change to name to skip, to skip the input.

Hope that helps. I'm really loving this tv so far.

57U

fleegs79. Thanks for the input and welcome to the forum

__________________
57U - Toronto, Rogers Cable, SA8300HD, 500GB HDD & Hitachi 61UWX10B HDTV, Yamaha RX-V1 A/V Receiver, Martin Logan Speakers. Photos --> 57U's HT

SA8300HD, 250GB HDD & KDL40W3000 (Upstairs)

Please don't PM me with questions that can (and should) be asked in the forum, thanks. Personal Question? Fire away.

ElectroFreak

fleegs thanks alot!!! I will try that when I get home from work today

spaceman_spiff

Thank you fleegs79, I didnt know you could do that. I will check that on my TV tonight.