Archive through June 08, 2004

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 73
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 08:40 am:

Harry:
The HBOHD feed of the Sopranos is in 1.78:1, which is the same as 16X9 (divide 16 by 9). There shouldn't be any bars in the picture.

Relevant Product Info

Dave in San Diego

Unregistered guest

Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 05:41 pm:

Got my Ghosting problem fixed today. Tech came out and was supposed to replace a card. Instead he took the remote and punched in a Hitachi supplied code and got into a special menu and fixed it there. Nice... two tech visits for something I'm sure the phone technician could have walked me through.

New member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 4
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 08:57 pm:

It has been 9 days since I "fired-up" my 60v500a. I finally received the Hitachi Stand from CC. What a rip-off for $499. The $300 Bush stand that CC temp gave me was of much better quality. The glass on the Hitachi stand seems to sag a bit in the middle, with just a small DVD player and center channel speaker.

* Watching the Soprano's last night I noticed an occasional flicker of the blacks in the backround scenes. Anyone ever notice this?

TAG

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 08:21 am:

Got my 60v500a from Sears a month ago and want to share some advice for those that are disappointed with the standard definition picture quality. I was disappointed with the SD picture quality watching local channels on my Directv, but then I upgraded my original S-Video cable to a Monster 3 S-Video cable and it really made an improvement. I was skeptical of the prices of the Monster 3 cables, but the results tell me that they are worth the premium price. The same goes for my Monster 3 component cables for my DVD player. I only wish my RCA Directv receiver had a component connection!

I do have a question for other 60v500a owners...I notice that when watching SD (does not happen when watching DVDs) my picture sometimes gets darker for a split second then returns to normal lighting. It looks like the whole screen just slightly darkens for a second. Does anyone experience this and do you have any idea why this happens? Other than this problem and the default grey sidebars, I love my 60v500a!

New member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 5
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - 09:00 pm:

TAG:
I am not happy with my RCA Sat box either. I plan on purchasing a replacement box with Comp Vid out. I hope this improves my SD. Directv HD is just not full of local channels yet in my rural area.

I also experienced a problem with slight flicker on backround black scenes. A flicker from light to dark and back within a second.

TAG

Unregistered guest

Posted on Thursday, April 22, 2004 - 04:54 pm:

Harry VanVliet,

I haven't considered purchasing a new RCA satellite receiver with component out, but that's not a bad idea if it helps improve the SD picture quality more than the Monster 3 S-Video cable. Let me know how that works out for you.

A "flicker" is a good description of what is happening. Do you notice it when watching DVDs, or do you only get it during Directv viewing? I'm trying to identify if the problem is with the TV or the RCA Sat receiver. I'm not sure if it only happens on background black scenes for me. For example, I was watching Fraser and it happened during a scene with him in his condo.

New member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 6
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Thursday, April 22, 2004 - 09:34 pm:

TAG:
I will keep you informed on the RCA component out when I purchase the new sat box this weekend.

I never checked to see if the flicker is evident on DVD. I will let you know about that also.

Bronze Member

Username: Bryan_b

New Bern , NC

Post Number: 17
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Friday, April 23, 2004 - 07:56 am:

Has anyone had problems with ESPN HD on DirectTV?
I get a better picture on OTA HD then on it.

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 78
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 07:55 am:

bryan:
You're not saying you receive ESPN OTA, are you? What about a direct comparison of, say, CBSHD OTA vs. Direct TV?

I assume you have your reception problem solved.

R-O-V

Unregistered guest

Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 09:25 am:

I just got my 50v500, and I've noticed that the picture flickers when the scene has dark backgrounds. Is this normal?
Also, I didn't get the stand that goes with it.
I found one at Target that has a large drawer, two glass doors, and a spot for a center speaker on sale for $89. There is a stereo cabinet that matches for the same price.

New member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 7
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 12:48 pm:

R-O-V

I have the same flicker event on my 60V500a during Sat broadcast. It is only occasional. I am not sure if it is the signal. I will check my DVD player this weekend to see it it occurs with DVDs.

Zero Gravity

New member

Username: Zerro_grav

Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 01:52 pm:

Every wonder what the differences are between the V500, VX500 and V500a?

I called Hitachi and was told the following.

V500 and V500a
-Exactly the same.
-The 'a' simple identifies a different service or distribution center.

VX500 is different from the V500 and V500a.
-VX500 is titanium color instead of silver.
-It has a better shield on the screen to improve contrast levels, producing a better black.
-According to PDF spec file online it also includes an additional small/simpler remote. Beyond this it has the same components. I did not ask but stands to reason that this is TV costs more.

Cheers,

R-O-V

Unregistered guest

Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 04:16 pm:

New member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 8
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 09:49 pm:

Just hooked up a new replacement Sat box (RCA DRD486RH) which sports Optic out and Component out. I can say there is a noticable difference from my previous RCA Box, which used standard RCA audio jacks and S-Video.

I still notice a slight occasional flicker with the background blacks. I'm beginning to think it is the Directv Sat reception.

Can anybody tell me which is the better audio setting: PCM or Bitstream, or Auto? I want to select the best setting.

Rex Wheeler

New member

Username: Yakko

Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 03:02 am:

I have had a 60V500A since the end of December and overall I am happy with it. My complaints are the fan noise and the poor imaging of black and very dark areas of the picture. While I have complaints, they are not severe enough for me to return the TV.

I have been wondering what to do about the fan noise. Reading all the posts here seems to indicate that it is a common problem. During normal viewing where there is dialog or music I don't hear the fan, but if there is silence in the movie, then the fan sound comes through and is quite noticeable. If my forced air heating system is running, it masks out the fan noise. Of course when the AC or heater is running then I can hear it during the silent portions of the movie and it is distracting as well. I am trying to build a home theater and I would like it to be silent in my room when the movie director had intended it to be.

My particular fan noise is a mechanical "hum" and is not the sound of air rushing through a grill (not a "woosh" or a "rush".)

Has anyone had any experience with changing out their fan for a different, quieter model?

Has anyone tried using any sound dampening materials to try and absorb the fan noise? (Such as DynaMat, or acoustic baffled foam.)

One thing I have considered is removing the fan from the TV, adding some ducting to where the hot air comes out, and at the end of the ducting (in another room) attach a fan to pull the heat away. (The theory being that the noise generated by the fan could be moved to another room.) Has anyone attempted anything like this? (Yes, I realize that the TV has some sort of fan failure detection and that removing the fan would trigger it -- I would have to deal with this.)

And finally, does anyone have or have a source for service manuals for this TV?

TIA

Rex

New member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 10
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 10:46 am:

Rex:
I just purchased the Service Manual (CD) from "ManualDepot", an eBay store. I just checked and it there are 2 days left for the CD Manual. I received the CD in new condition and took only 2 days to receive. It covers both the 50 and 60v500. The direct link is: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3092765712&category=61408

I notice the same fan noise with the volume low. Trying to get used to it. I will wait to see what the responses to your post are.

Ironically, I noticed today that Circuit City (On-line) is presenting the SP6W stand for $299 ($200 off!). I am considering bringing back the store purchase stand for a refund and reording on line. I must say the stand is not worth the $499 I paid.

Rex Wheeler

New member

Username: Yakko

Post Number: 2
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 02:57 pm:

Harry -

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately that item has sold (probably someone else on this list.) I sent a note to the seller to see if he has any more, if not, would you consider making me a copy of yours? I would be happy to cover duplication and shipping costs or I would provide a place to ftp it to.

I did not buy the stand myself. $400 seemed way too expensive, plus I feel that the stand places the TV too low to the ground. I have mine currently sitting on a Costco banquet table, which I paid $50 for. My original plan was to build my own stand for the TV, but the banquet table is actually working out pretty well. There is just enough space under the table for my subwoofer. If I leave it on the table I will get some cloth skirting (like hotels use at conventions) to mask the fact it�s on a table and make it look nicer.

Has anyone else mounted the TV higher then the supplied stand, and if so how high? I find that I like it up a bit; it gives me more of a movie screen kind of feeling instead of a watching TV feeling. My table is 29 inches off the ground, which puts my eye level when sitting on the couch about 6 inches below center of the screen. I sit about 12 feet back from the TV and I find this to be pretty comfortable viewing.

Rex

Bronze Member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 16
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 03:14 pm:

Rex:
There is another eBay link for the Service manual (claims there are 8 available)' Try this one? Let me know.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3078551987&category=32863

Rex Wheeler

New member

Username: Yakko

Post Number: 3
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 03:15 pm:

Update: The seller placed more for sale and I ordered one. The new link is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3078551987&category=32863
&refid=store

Rex

Bronze Member

Username: Bryan_b

New Bern , NC

Post Number: 18
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 07:15 am:

John S,

I have ESPN HD from Directv. It is not nearly as clear as Discovery HD, or even CBS HD (OTA). My ABC HD is ok...about the same as ESPN HD. I noticed the ESPN problem while watching hockey...yes again. Straight lines looked pixeled (blocky) and failed to be straight. They looked good the week before. I called Sears and they are sending a tech out. I noticed the "pixel" look on a DVD this weekend also ("We were soldiers"). I think I have a covergence problem...I get little ghost around objects, the "ABC", "ESPN" markings on the screen, peoples bodies. Hope they can fix it.

rickster

Unregistered guest

Posted on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 04:34 pm:

Stevieboy-
I'm sorry, but there is no way on this earth the Hitachi's speaker can replace a real center channel. There's just no comparison. My Paradigm center has 2 4" and 2 titanium tweeters and can handle 120watts. There's now ay a TV's tiny little paper cone 20w speaker will even come close. ESPECIALLY considering 80% of a movies' soundtrack comes thru the center channel..

This of course, is only important if you want a true home theater setup/experience.

TAG

Unregistered guest

Posted on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 11:49 am:

Harry,
Thanks for posting the results of your new Sat box with component out. I'll look into upgrading my Sat box now.

I watched 2 more DVDs this past weekend and did not encounter the flicker problem. I'm starting to get convinced that the problem is with my RCA Sat box.

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 83
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 01:07 pm:

bryan:

1) There is no "convergence" on this, a fixed pixel TV. Convergence applies to the traditional 3 picture tube RPs where the three separate pictures have to be in regester with each other.

2) Are you using a progressive scan DVD player with component cables into the TV?

3) In the April 2004 edition of Sound & Vision magazine, a reader writes "....ESPN claims to be the first 24-hour high-def sports channel, and its Sunday-night football games look beautiful.....but most of its other programming is a terrible upconversion of some sort. If ESPN wants to be a leader in HDTV, it should look at HDNet."

Their response: While we share [your] frustration over the lack of high-definition sports programming, ESPN's claim is technically true. Since most of HDNet's programming has nothing to do with sports, ESPN HD is the only network completely devoted to sports that broadcasts in high-def. It is incredibly expensive to have HDTV broadcast crews at every live sporting event, which is why coverage is currently limited primarily to Sunday-night football and baseball games. But ESPN plans to develop that capability over the next few years."

I'm betting tonight's Wings game is in HD, and if so, you should not be seeing any video artifacts at all.

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 84
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 09:52 pm:

bryan:

Someday, we'll look back on these early days of hi-def TV with fond warmness, much like we old-timers remember the black and white to color transition many years ago.

The Det/Cgy game is not in HD tonight, at least through my HD cable box. :-(

Bronze Member

Username: Bryan_b

New Bern , NC

Post Number: 19
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 08:52 am:

John S,

There is a covergence control in the service menu (ghost-r). The tech was here yesterday and I watched him mess with it. But as luck would have it, that only made my "ghost" problem worse so now I am waiting on a card (and a new fan).

I have a progressive scan DVD with component cables(gold plated).

As for the DET/Cgy game...it sucked...both in pict and final score. :-(

I look forward to laughing about these early days...I still have my Atari 2600 at home. Those were the days :-)

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 88
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 09:55 pm:

bryan:
As Gomer says, well "goool-leee" you learn something everyday. A convergence control called "ghost-r." (There's a joke in there somewhere.) Anyway, it sounds like you have a problem TV, because I can show a very impressive picture with my cheap progressive scan DVD player.

Bronze Member

Username: Bryan_b

New Bern , NC

Post Number: 20
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 11:19 am:

John S,

To get in the service menu you do the following:
YOU HAVE TO BE ON ANT A. WITH THE TV COLD:
PUSH AND HOLD THE INPUT BUTTON, THEN PRESS THE POWER BUTTON FOR 2 SECS AND RELEASE.

The "ghost-R" is under the LCD option. You will get a red screen with a black box.

Now if only my new card arrived so the ghosting would stop...

Jim Beam

New member

Username: Ragdoll

Post Number: 4
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 05:27 pm:

HEY GUYS,
I have an older Panasonic DVD player (not progressive) and the picture is fine. The Hitachi factory rep told me it would AUTOMATICALLY upgrade the picture and it does...I get 480I showing on the screen when it comes on and I think you get the same with your progressive scan units... IF I'm missing something, please let me know.

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 92
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 08:12 pm:

Jim:
If the TV is in fact upconverting, I would think you should be seeing 480p, as I do with my progressive scan player.

bryan:
Oh-oh, now you've let the cat out of the bag. Now I can see all these people screwing up their TVs via the service menu.

Bronze Member

Username: Bryan_b

New Bern , NC

Post Number: 21
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 07:52 am:

John S,

OOOPS, forgot to put a disclaimer on that entry.

Jim,
John's correct w/a progressive scan DVD player you get 480P.

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 94
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 09:17 am:

bryan:
I didn't fire up the beast last night to check on the Wings broadcast, but I assume it, like the broadcast two nights before, wasn't in HD. Having checked the score this morning, I assume you are in a better mood. Maybe there's a problem doing a High-Def remote from the boonies of Canada...

Jim Beam:
I have no doubt you are getting good PQ with your old DVD player. (I assume you're using an S-Video cable.) I haven't tried my old (non-prog) Sony player on this TV, but I'll bet it would be OK, too.

This TV is supposed to automatically upconvert standard 480i inputs to 1080p. This would include all standard definition TV channels. But I've never been impressed with the regular channel's PQ. And the on-screen readout always says "1080i." A mfr's rep friend of mine, who's up on all this stuff, told me that not all upscalers are created equal, and the ones built in to this type of TV are not top quality. I believe him.

That said, just because your read-out says 480i when playing a DVD, doesn't necessarily mean the TV isn't doing some processing. I've wondered just how much you gain by using a progressive player. If I were a real video geek, I would've compaired the pictures with the old and new players by now.

Bronze Member

Username: Bryan_b

New Bern , NC

Post Number: 22
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 10:41 am:

John S,

Happy about the WIngs but a little t'd off at the service company Sears sent to fix my TV. Still have no idea when the parts are going to arrive...
they "ordered" them last thursday. I would love to get the convergency issue resolved BEFORE the Stanley Cup Finals...I only went HD for the hockey converage. (Hey I love hockey).

The TV is suppose to convert 480i to 1080i. My Hughes HD box lets me pick my output so I have it set to 720P (740P..what ever it is) for all signals. Looks nice except for the ghost issue. Once that is fixed I will plant myself in front and not move for a week as I go throught the DVD collection. :-)

Anonymous

Posted on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 02:23 pm:

Does anyone knows when the next generation of Hitachi 50v500 or 60v500 will be out?
I heard this summer....anyone knows?

Lance

Unregistered guest

Posted on Friday, April 30, 2004 - 09:00 pm:

Just picked up the 50v500, looks great. I tried hooking up a mac pc via DVI, and I see the boot up screen and when the desktop is suppose to show the tv goes black. I've called hitachi all they can tell me the tv wasn't designed for pc's. I brought my pc to the store and it work on both sony and samsung. Has anyone else tried this or have any ideas. I really don't want to return my tv for this reason.

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 95
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 08:43 am:

bryan:
This a direct quote from Hitachi's promo brochure on the 50/60V500s:

"Each component in Hitachi's LCD projection televisions has been engineered to deliver the highest performance from HDTV signals. However not everything you watch is in high definition. That's where Hitachi's proprietary VirtualHD
1080p processor comes in. It converts non-native signals all the way up to 1,080 progressive lines--twice the display speed of 1080i HDTV. This additional picture information enables the processor to make extremely accurate determinations when optimizing the signal for display. The result is significantly smoother diagonal lines and curves, so even the finest details are visible.

"VirtualHD 1080p not only analizes every pixel of every frame to improve color performance and contrast, it also improves performance when displaying film-originated sources (such as a TV movie, DVD release or 1080i HDTV program). Sophisticated calculations ensure that each film frame (at 24 frames per second) is properly assembled into the 60-frame-per-second configuration of progressive video. It involves some highly-complicated mathematics, but VirtualHD handles it with ease. And in real time."

There's also an interesting footnote in this piece (now I have to put on my old-man glasses to read this print!):

More than 94% of the 720 HDTV signal is displayed. Due to variances in program productions and transmissions not all of the 720 signal is suitable for display.

I'm no TV engineer, but that leads me to ask you if you have tried another setting besides 720 on your box.

Unregistered guest

Posted on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 11:42 am:

Does anyone have any recommendations for a home theater receiver and speakers that would complement the 50v500?

Vernon

Unregistered guest

Posted on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 12:56 pm:

Has anyone had success at getting a digital camera Smartmedia card to read and display photos on the 50v500? I bought the adaptor, but it does not seem to read when plugged into the slot on the TV.

Thanks....

Bronze Member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 17
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Saturday, May 01, 2004 - 02:17 pm:

John S.
Can you (anyone) tell me why my OSD displays 480i during SD programming, if in fact the set upconverts the signal of SD to 1080? I am running an RCA Directv with component out to my 60v500a.

Also, does anyone notice a quick flicker of the darker background colors during scene changes.

Also, for the poster concerning audio, I am running the Onkyo HTS760 HTiB and have been very happy with it. CC reuns a sale on it for around $469. Features 6.1 channel and actual wooden speakers, with a massive sub.

Harry VV

Chris S

Unregistered guest

Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 09:07 am:

I have flicker problems with dark scenes, even with DVDs.

I have a red spot that shows up on dark backgrounds.

It takes almost 2 minutes for the set to cool down after its turned off. Normal?

Think I should get a new one?
I've had it a little over a month.
I got it from Sears and their repair man doesn't know squat about this TV.

Edward Gross

New member

Username: Don482

Post Number: 1
Registered: May-04

Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 11:46 am:

I want to buy the Hitachi 60V500 but am concerned about using the standard digital cable box. I have heard that the picture will be significantly worse than that of an analog tv using the same cable box. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Bronze Member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 18
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 04:30 pm:

Ed G:
I replaced my RCA 36" CRT with the 60v500 since April 10th. I do believe the picture was better on the CRT, HOWEVER, the benefits of a 60" LCD widescreen outwegh any concerns I had with the CRT. PS: Switching may Directv box with one that provided component out and digital audio out made a big improvement.

Harry VV

Bronze Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 97
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Sunday, May 02, 2004 - 06:27 pm:

Harry VV:
I am using an HD cable box, with VHF, composite, S-video, component and DVI outputs. (The DVI is inactive.) I have the VHF, S-video and component outputs going into the TV. The DVD player is going in via component.

The only time I see a notice of lines in the on-screen info box is when I'm on a component input. The TV always says 1080i regardless of channel (HD or SD), and the DVD input always says 480p. On the other inputs from the cable box, Ant 1 and S-video, the lines format notification is not there.

My theory is that the TV is noting the scan rate it sees at the input (and then only on the component inputs). It then does its thing with the signal after that. Or at least they say it does. It's curious to me that the owners manual does not mention anything about this "VirtualHD" upconverting business. Maybe I missed it....

Furthermore, I think the reason I get "1080i" display on all channels is that my HD cable box is upconverting the signal.

Chris S:
I have seen other complaints about dark scene flickering, but haven't noticed it myself. I can't think what the problem might be.

I have also heard of various kinds of screen spots. Had a few phantom spots (they came one day, went the next) myself early on, but none lately. I hope I haven't jinxed myself bragging about that. Don't know the cause or the cure.

The cool down period is entirely normal. They have to keep the fan running for a time after the lamp goes off, otherwise it would overheat in its housing.

Ed. G.:
Ditto what Harry said. You know, you've got this big-buck beast in your house, and it's natural to be super critical about it. If you do get it, just remember to feed a true High Definition signal into it as soon as possible. Then you'll see what this thoroughbred was really built for. In the mean time, do what Harry said and also get yourself a good progressive scan DVD player and use component lines in.

Bronze Member

Username: Bryan_b

New Bern , NC

Post Number: 23
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 07:16 am:

John S,

I have tried the 1080 setting...the 720P looks better. I also get the 480i on my SD channels (including digital sat). The number of pixels the screen has is suppose to equal a 720p pict (according to CNET's webb site) that is why I sttay with the 720p. I know the TV is suppose to convert up but I am questioning that. I notice a hugh difference between things in 480I and 720P (making the changes at the HD box while still using the DVI output). I would love to go to Sears and start messing with theres to see the PQ on a HD OTA signal. As for the 1080p making the lines smooth...BS... the yellow line that marks where the wall and the ice meets is blocky and jagged on SD...and fuzzy in HD. This card (when I get it) better fix it.

I am having mixed feeling on the TV (or at least service support).

Bronze Member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 19
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 09:34 pm:

I finally discovered that the "flickering" of the dark background only occurs while I am running my Directv RCA Sat Box (Component out). DVDs and RF cable are without the flicker. My OSD indicates 480i when I am running SD from my Sat box. The flicker is definitely annoying.

I again have to say, what a cheap-a** stand. Anybody notice it is on sale at CC (on-line) for $299. The CC store granted me the price match, +10%. http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&u=c&department=Audio+and+Video+Fur niture&category=TV+Stands&AccPop=false&oid=78418

Bronze Member

Username: Captaintrocar

Ulster Park , New York
USA

Post Number: 20
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 09:51 pm:

Interesting post I just found about 50 & 60v500a:
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/2/15963.html#POST75585

Silver Member

Username: John_s

Columbus, Ohio
US

Post Number: 102
Registered: Feb-04

Posted on Tuesday, May 04, 2004 - 09:58 pm:

Harry:
Check my post 2 months ago:
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/2/11227.html#POST64000

The problem with black levels is not the light, but rather in the liquid crystals themselves. When black level is called for, the crystal is supposed to "twist," thereby blocking the light. But they can't block all the light, therefore creating less than true black. It's the nature of the beast. This will always the case, no matter how many miracle "chips" or enhancement circuitry they invent.

But, for the time being, all fixed-pixel non-CRT based TV systems have this problem, to one extent or another. (LCDs could be worst.) This is the one thing--and the only thing--that cathode ray tubes do better. I don't mean to minimize the importance of true black levels. True blacks are the secret of an outstanding picture.

I bought the Hitachi anyway, for reasons outlined in my previous post.