[yorkshirepuddin]

hi guys n gals

i bought a Samsung R74 series 26in tv yesterday and after having it for about 24hours i worried about the quality of the picture, i hate to be a paranoid android but i think the picture quality on my old 21in Philips CRT is better! maybe its cause it'll take some getting used to im not sure

the built in digital tuner is good, its a bit fuzzy but ok, my TUTV box when connected to it looks very grainy though, my DVD player seems good however i played the opening space battle of Revenge of the sith to test it and it was fab, coped with the action very well. my playstation 2 however is quiet blurry as well. curiously as well my Laptop connected perfectly very crisp lovely picture

im concerned maybe the screen is defective, or LCDs are just naff and no one told me, or maybe im using duff connectors? or quiet possibly im mad

current setup

TUTV box --> SCART 1
DVD --> SCART 2
PS2 --> Component in (yello video phono cable and two audio cables L & R)

please note i am using the original connectors provided with the equipment and they worked ok on my old TV and im basing the viewing on sitting 8ft away

and please no bashing from plasma owners thanks

[Scorpio]

You dont say if both AV1 and AV2 on the Samsung support RGB - AV1 almost certainly will but you need to ensure that the TUTV box is set for RGB output.

The DVD should also be using RGB if possible.

The PS2 sounds like it's using a Composite connection not Component (which has 3 cables for the picture and 2 for the sound) hence the disappionting picture. Try to see if there is a genuine Component connction on the Samsung.

The symptoms you describe are (apparently) not untypical of normal SD signals being input into a plasma or LCD TV.

Rgds,
Scorp.

[yorkshirepuddin]

The TUTV box is setup for RGB and is connected to the first AV1 socket which actually says on the Back RGB, the DVD player is also set for RGB and is connected by scart to the second scart socket. tried swapping them both around but couldnt see much difference

the Ps2 is using the connector that has a single video cable (yellow) and a Red and white audio (left and right channels) i must apologise as i do get mixed up between the two! the ps2 also came with a Scart connector adapter for the 3 phono cables which i hung on to, i tried that in AV1 and it also made no difference.

However my eyes are starting to get used to it now and acutally its not too bad.

im just looking at what SD Signals are now on the net but whats the best way around if you can advise? ill probably buy a monster cable from currys or comet just to try it out and see if it works, if not i can always take it back

**Edit** i am quite thick! SD means standard definition, sorry!

[nadiasantos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkshirepuddin

The TUTV box is setup for RGB and is connected to the first AV1 socket which actually says on the Back RGB, the DVD player is also set for RGB and is connected by scart to the second scart socket. tried swapping them both around but couldnt see much difference

the Ps2 is using the connector that has a single video cable (yellow) and a Red and white audio (left and right channels) i must apologise as i do get mixed up between the two! the ps2 also came with a Scart connector adapter for the 3 phono cables which i hung on to, i tried that in AV1 and it also made no difference.

However my eyes are starting to get used to it now and acutally its not too bad.

im just looking at what SD Signals are now on the net but whats the best way around if you can advise? ill probably buy a monster cable from currys or comet just to try it out and see if it works, if not i can always take it back

**Edit** i am quite thick! SD means standard definition, sorry!

I'm afraid you are just another in a long line of unsuspecting punters who have fallen for the LCD hype.

SD on LCD = crap.

You're stuck with it until you can feed HD into the set.

If you dont have Sky HD or Blu-Ray/HDDVD plans in the forseeable future exchange it for a CRT and get your quality back

---

Last edited by nadiasantos : 25-03-2007 at 20:56.

[yorkshirepuddin]

CRAP CRAP CRAP! but so many others have said theirs is ok

im rather annoyed now

would a non-hd lcd have given a good picture then?

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkshirepuddin

CRAP CRAP CRAP! but so many others have said theirs is ok

im rather annoyed now

would a non-hd lcd have given a good picture then?

Yes, because it wouldn't have to upscale, but any HD LCD or Plasma has to upscale the SD picture to make it fit the screen, it's this upscaling that produces artifacts that makes them look poorer than a good CRT set.

To make matters worse people generally get a bigger LCD or Plasma, so you're effectively viewing from closer, this means you can see the artifacts more easily.

[Jarrak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkshirepuddin

CRAP CRAP CRAP! but so many others have said theirs is ok

im rather annoyed now

would a non-hd lcd have given a good picture then?

It's way over the top to claim that all LCD's are poor when viewing SD sources, yes they are less tolerant of poor SD sources but even CRT's don't handle highly compressed low res digital channels!
A HD display is higher technology and is capable of showing so much more detail than a SD CRT but that also means you see the bad bits as well as the good and well the UK's digital SD pictures are generally poor and it's DVD and HD which really shines on larger HD flat panels (always exceptions since there are some cheap and nasty panels out there but hell that describes most of the CRT market these days).

I'm perfectly happy with my 30month old 9986 which is by no means state of the art (was at the time) and wouldn't swap it for any CRT in the world.

Sharp had a 960*540 res LCD which required little or no scaling (de-interlacing yes) and got very good reviews at the time, no sure if the P50 range is still in production.

When every you are buying a new TV just ask yourself what you really need in terms of functions and performance, flat panels do look fantastic over the bulky CRT but they are certainly not the ideal solution for every viewer.
For specific performance and setup issues the AVForums is a good place to start.

[feindzz.m.c.c]

I have had a toshiba 37 wlt 68 for a few weeks now, my xbox 360 and dvds are brilliant on it, some of the channels through my humax are not so good at times and some are good, equally as good as my 33" toshiba crt, I veiw mine between 9 and 15 ft, I certainly would not say LCDs are crap, they just take a bit of setting up.

steve

[yorkshirepuddin]

oh im not at all saying theyre all crap im just not impressed with mine so far, i bought a monster SCART cable today from comet to see if it would make a difference, i wasnt really expecting it to and the sales person was very confident saying 'you wont be back'

i beg to differ sadly it made no difference, i guess im stuck with it i suppose, john lewis's take 10% off if you want a refund

ill head over to AV forums see if they can help

[yorkshirepuddin]

monster cable made sod all difference im getting so many different suggestions on how to connect up things its giving me a head och!

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkshirepuddin

monster cable made sod all difference im getting so many different suggestions on how to connect up things its giving me a head och!

If you had read the MANY posts about them on here, you would know that 'monster cables' are just a ripoff!.

[banbury_oddball]

... and same thing with the HDMI cables. "Buy a £80 HDMI cable and note the difference". Bullcr@p. It's a digital signal end of story 0. 1's that's it.

With your Samsung, it's worth playing about with the picture settings. I've got the Tosh 32WL66 and is fantastic. The contrast was set on 100 and now lowered, lowered the backlight and all is fine.

Not all Sky channels look good on my tv. It's simply down to Sky and their compression rates. The LCD's and Plasma just seem to make it more noticable. DVD via the scart (RGB) gives fantastic results and more than impressed with the quality. HD content from the Sky HD box is fantastic and shows the tv off to it's full potential.

I don't have an aerial at the new house so Freeview isn't an option. I do have a VCR connected and most films seem terrible, so VCR doesn't get used that much anymore. Still it's a digital world these days ...

Yorkshirepuddin - look around AVForum and do a search for your make / model of tv. Members will offer their prefrerred settings and may even experience the problems you do.

Good Luck !

[yorkshirepuddin]

cheers guys already doing that, planning to take the lead back either tomorrow or friday and ask for my money back as it made sod all difference, i knew in my heart of hearts it wouldnt but thought it was worth a go!

[call100]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nadiasantos

I'm afraid you are just another in a long line of unsuspecting punters who have fallen for the LCD hype.

SD on LCD = crap.

You're stuck with it until you can feed HD into the set.

If you dont have Sky HD or Blu-Ray/HDDVD plans in the forseeable future exchange it for a CRT and get your quality back

:yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:
I pity you missing out. A very ill informed statement. Many of us have great pics on our LCD's Thank you. And, before you spout the usual CRT rubbish....No I am not easily pleased.
This argument has been done to death. A bit like CRT sets.

[Andy3105]

I am not an LCD owner, I have a Pioneer PDP-436xde and by and large am very happy with the picture it produces in regards to SKY, I agree with the post that puts varying results down to the compression they apply as some channels look rather poor but others are extremely good.

I have one question, why in god's name connect a DVD player via scart (unless it doesn't have HDMI or Component that is)

I have probably just answered my own question

[broadz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy3105

I have one question, why in god's name connect a DVD player via scart (unless it doesn't have HDMI or Component that is)

Scart applies widescreen switching. Component doesn't. Component cables cost a lot, and don't transfer audio. Scart carries sound and vision in one cable. A lot of DVD players and recorders don't have component out. A lot of TVs don't have component in.

Having said all that, I bought component cables (and audio cables) last week to connect my DVDR to my TV, and I think the picture looks ace.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy3105

I have one question, why in god's name connect a DVD player via scart (unless it doesn't have HDMI or Component that is)

Because RGB SCART is one of the best ways of connecting it, HDMI and Component are needed for BluRay or HD-DVD, but for SD don't really offer any advantage (particularly Component).

[yorkshirepuddin]

so ya know peeps, im getting used to the picture now, and im actually quite happy, played casino royal over the weekend and scruntinized the opening sequence to death and its grand!

also connected my playstation2 by component cable. absolute quality picture way better than scart or composite

[yorkshirepuddin]

also going to get a s-video connector from maplin for my TUTV boz

hey its worth a punt

[Jarrak]

Excellent

LCD's generally have a bedding in time and since the picture is generated totally differently to what most people are used to it does have a different feel. Once you've set it up right and then gotten used to it and finally play some decent quality source material (DVD at the very least) then it should shine, if people are getting poor DVD pictures even via RGB let alone component or HDMI then there is something seriously wrong

[Osamede]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nadiasantos

I'm afraid you are just another in a long line of unsuspecting punters who have fallen for the LCD hype. SD on LCD = crap. You're stuck with it until you can feed HD into the set.

I think its more accurate to say SD on HDTV set = crap. taht goes for Plasmas too.

I was in a store yesterday and truth was that below 40", very fet sets had a decent picture from inside 8 ft, and if you were watching from about 10-12 feet there were two LCD's that were very good with SD signals input to them:
- Panasonic TX-32LXD70 (32" LCD)
- LG LG 37LB1D (37" LCD)

[prophetfive]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkshirepuddin

oh im not at all saying theyre all crap im just not impressed with mine so far, i bought a monster SCART cable today from comet to see if it would make a difference, i wasnt really expecting it to and the sales person was very confident saying 'you wont be back'

i beg to differ sadly it made no difference, i guess im stuck with it i suppose, john lewis's take 10% off if you want a refund

ill head over to AV forums see if they can help

The GOLD plated scart lead hype is almost as bad as the LCD hype.

You aint gonna get a decent SD picture on an LCD with any leads.

Some can put up with it,others cant ,and I cant either.

[prophetfive]

Quote:

Originally Posted by call100

:yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:
I pity you missing out. A very ill informed statement. Many of us have great pics on our LCD's Thank you. And, before you spout the usual CRT rubbish....No I am not easily pleased.
This argument has been done to death. A bit like CRT sets.

Everytime someone posts about their new LCD set being shit,you pipe up about how great yours is.

As you can see from the many forums about there are plenty of people with LCD sets from across all price ranges that are unhappy with the quaity of SD.

There's no getting away from it.
SD on LCD is shit unless you are 20 foot away.
If you are happy with it then lucky you.

But the usual excuses of "poor setup" dont wash with anyone.
Take a look in any showroom and if an LCD is displaying an SD source ,the picture is shite.

Its pretty pointless listening to those like you who rave on about how great they are.
There are enough people around who have seen the quality.
Best bet is to listen to both sides then get a demo BEFORE YOU BUY.
If you can put up with it then fair play,but many of those who cant seem to buy the set first --bit daft really.

As for missing out

The only thing I'm missing out on is the need to sit 20 feet away from my screen in order to get CRT quality from my SD sources.

---

Last edited by prophetfive : 02-04-2007 at 22:22.

[prophetfive]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkshirepuddin

so ya know peeps, im getting used to the picture now, and im actually quite happy, played casino royal over the weekend and scruntinized the opening sequence to death and its grand!

also connected my playstation2 by component cable. absolute quality picture way better than scart or composite

Thats the point.
Many people "get used to it".

Thats why they rave on about an HD source,because they spend so much time watching SD in poor quality.

But you should not have to put up with it.
The PS2 looks good from component,but if you scart it up to your old CRT which do you think will be better

[call100]

Quote:

Originally Posted by prophetfive

Everytime someone posts about their new LCD set being shit,you pipe up about how great yours is.

As you can see from the many forums about there are plenty of people with LCD sets from across all price ranges that are unhappy with the quaity of SD.

There's no getting away from it.
SD on LCD is shit unless you are 20 foot away.
If you are happy with it then lucky you.

But the usual excuses of "poor setup" dont wash with anyone.
Take a look in any showroom and if an LCD is displaying an SD source ,the picture is shite.

Its pretty pointless listening to those like you who rave on about how great they are.
There are enough people around who have seen the quality.
Best bet is to listen to both sides then get a demo BEFORE YOU BUY.
If you can put up with it then fair play,but many of those who cant seem to buy the set first --bit daft really.

As for missing out

The only thing I'm missing out on is the need to sit 20 feet away from my screen in order to get CRT quality from my SD sources.

An intelligent post would have been better. The problem with idiots like you is that you generalise and say every LCD or Plasma is crap with SD. SD at what bitrate? Or is it just all SD. Another generalisation.There are also plenty of threads and posts that say people are happy with the change and that the pics on their LCD's are not crap.
Your own admission is that your only source of comparison is 'any store'. Even happy LCD owners will tell you that most stores do not display the best pictures. Although a few are now cottoning onto this.
Yes it is best to listen to both sides of the argument. However if it was up to morons like you there would only be one side.
As for sitting 20 feet away from a screen then that would be to accommodate your head would it?
My advice to the OP would be to go to a decent AV forum to get advice as well.