Hi,

I have already posted a similar post on the HDTV forum re this pile of c**p so please excuse if this sounds familiar to you - I just thought I'd try again for advice on the picture quality on this set. (I've completely given up on the whole HDMI/DVI issue and just bought a good quality scart!!)

The picture quality on this set is laughable. The 20 year old crappy set in the bedroom looks better picture wise than this set! Certain programmes are perfect (usually bright (ie set in daylight) programmes with not much detail) then some like Eastenders are really terrible - very grainy and poor quality. Faces are sometimes green tinged, dark programmes (ie set at night) tend to be the worse. The only way I can try and explain it is it's like you can see the gas moving around. It's hard to explain but it's really poor quality. Also when people move around their faces blur!!

When we first had it we got Currys out and they said there's nothing wrong with it. We watch the tv through Sky+, I've bought a £30 scart and its in Ext 1, I've tried to fiddle with the settings to make it sharper/better, I made sure the picture settings in Sky are set to RGB and 16:9,I've moved the furniture further away from the tv for a better viewing distance. I just don't know what else to do but it's really bugging me now after 20 months!!

Any help would be apprecisted as I can't afford another one for a long while yet. I've only this set 20 months and it was £1299!

Thanks.x

I've done a search on the 42PF7520 over at AVF, the results are here so it'll be worth reading what other owners think and what they have done.

The fundemental issue remains that SD broadcasts tend to look better on smaller CRT's because they hide the faults inherent with the SD broadcasts where as a larger HD display brings them clearly to life.

Sorry - SD???? CRT????

Thanks for your advice.x

CRT is the old fashioned big box type TV (with a tube in).

SD is standard definition which is what you almost certainly have (if you were getting HD you should know about it given the cost). On a small TV (most CRTs were smaller than LCDS/plasma) the faults inherent in Sky/Freeview are not so visible because they are smaller. Also scaling to an HD TV can make the picture worse though I feel that it's mostly size showing up the SD defects.

I'm not familiar with this TV so can't make specific comments but usually plasmas are better with sharpness contrast etc turned down (from when delivered) an image "enhancifiers" turned off.

As Jarrak said you would be better going to AV forums and doing a search on there - they tend to have more posts and dedicated threads for particular TVs whereas here it's more general.

Hi Caroline,

I have an older / lower model than you do and i also agree that the picture quality is pretty cr*p. However i know that £150 is a lot of money to spend for a sky HD box, but the hdmi cable & 1080i transmissions will probably make the picture quality better than on the sky + box. You now get BBC HD & Channel 4 for free and the other channels should upscale making them better.

I have a non standard HD box and when i watch BBC HD or Channel 4 or other HD channels, it tends to bring this cr*p tv to life.

The picture quality is perfect.

You mentioned that you have given up on hdmi cables, what was your HD source as you only mention sky+ and that will not work with a hdmi cable

Good luck
18days
Last edited by 18days : 08-01-2008 at 16:05

Hi 18 Days,

I bought a HDMI dvd player at the weekend thinking at least I could watch dvds in a good quality picture but (so I've been informed since) the tv only has a DVI coneection. So I bought a DVI adaptor but that didnt fit into the DVI connecion in the tv either!

I'm just at my wits end with this tv, I'll probably just end up replacing it in the 12 months because my bloood boils everytimie I watch the damn thing!

So you say if I upgrade to Sky hd that will improve all the channels not just the HD ones? Will it connect ok to my tv with it only having this DVI port?x

Morning Caroline,

Sorry i was not fully aware that your tv did not have a HDMI interface, my tv does.

It was a joke that they were allowed to sell these tv's without the hdmi connection. It really does make a difference.

However it does have a Composite connection which are the red, blue & green rgb sockets.

Someone with more knowledge than me wil most probably be able to confirm this but i think that the red, blue & green connection is classed as HD.

If your new dvd player has a red, blue & green connection, the cheapest way to see if the picture gets any better is to buy one of those cables, this will transmit sound & picture.

Yes a sky hd box will make the picture better using the hdmi connection, however as you do not have one, i do not know what to suggest. The DVI connection should fit, but unfortunately a DVI connection is for picture but no sound.

Sorry, the RGB component cable will also only transmit the picture. You will need another cable for the sound.

Do you have a picture of the cable you bought or website if bought online, if not how about the package description?
This is a picture of a HDMI to DVI adaptor which would fine with the DVI on the Philips TV. A HDMI-DVI cable would have the same DVI connection at one end.

SKY+HD may indeed be able to scale the SD channels better than the Philips however the setup will still play a part. Have you followed the link to AVF and read other users experiences in terms of settings and tweaks?
I have an earlier Philips but a LCD which uses the same DVI connection, no problem using a HDMI-DVI cable or adaptor since the DVI is HDCP compliant.
You will have to get a cable to connect the audio from the SKY+HD or DVD to the TV, there is an audio in socket next tot he DVI which you will have to buy a cable for unless you use a seperate amplifier.

Hi All,

Went on the AV site and I've tried all the things mentioned there, with minimum improvement I'd say but still laughable. After reading up on this tv I realise I'll never have the picture I want (deserve) so I'm just going to have to put up with what I've got I think.

I checked out the picture of the HDMI-DVI adaptor and it does look exactly the same as the one I purchased (and have since returned). Does male/female make a difference as I'm the sure one I bought was a male adaptor? Anyway I tried for about 20 minutes to the damn thing into (the most awkwardly placed) hole ever with no avail!

Thanks,

Well the HDMI cable is connected to the DVD player and the other end is connected to the HDMI side of the adaptor and the DVI side goes straight into the DVI socket on the TV.

The physical location of the DVI socket on the TV (facing down?) may make it difficult to use an adaptor (which is why for some the HDMI-DVI cable is easier to use) so was that the actual problem?
Pretty daft question coming up (sorry ) but you did twist it around since the edges of the plug and socket only mate in one direction?

This is spooky. This is the exact topic I came on here to research. I have a Philips TV with a stupid DVI-I socket. I am desperate to find an HDMI adapter for it but am not convinced that any out there are exactly what I need. Many say simply DVI or DVI-D NOT DVI-I. Can someone clear up what I need and where I can get one from? Cheers