Title says it all.

I think this would be helpful, like the c32v37 thread is, because a quick glance on the board here and you see at least 304 threads about this TV at any given time.

I would recommend owners hit this thread and make a FAQs thread to start it off and then let it take a life of it's own.

One master thread will be a lot easier for everyone to handle since there seems to be much discussion on this set.

:p

Here we go...

I got one question about my new C27V36. Everything seems great and works perfectly except the display options menu . when I pull up the menu and go to dislplay (i usually notice it here) there seems to be some kind of error or disfunction. the letters in brightness with change, appear and disappear, appear altered, and blink. All of the controls within the display menu work fine but the letters and numbers are distorted. should i be concerned? any ideas what is causing this? i got 30 days to get a new one...

Wow Velvetlampshade. That is a new one. Are you talking about in a 16:9 window the menu seems sort of "crunched"? If this is it, then this is normal.

But I've never heard of a menu dissappearing, or fading in and out. I hate to say it, this might be a "bad egg." A little more detail will help.

But, if it continues over the next week, I would exchange it for the sole reason that it could start to effect other functions. And out of curiosity, when was your TV manufactured? To find out, look on the back of the TV. The sticker will tell you.

Re: Suggested display settings C27V36...

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by velvetlampshade
I just bought my C27V36 and it looks great. No buzz as far as I can tell... I do not have a calibration dvd with me here. Does anybody have any recomended settings for the display? It looks ok but I get the feeling that it is not right.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I have both the Avia and DVE calibration discs and have used them both and came up with almost identical levels after calibration.

Let me preface this by telling you that I have ANALOG cable in the rf(antenna 1) input, Progressive Panasonic rp-62 DVD player in the component 1 input(FAROUDJA chip built in dor de-interlacing), and in VIDEO 2 composite a Panasonic Hi-fi VCR. No HD signal or digital signal, other than the DVD player, as of yet.

My settings are these:

VM: LOW. you could set to OFF. Didn't make much of a difference in my eyes.

ACC: WARM. You could set to NORMAL as well, but I felt that WARM gave a more ACURRATE color depiction. COOL was just too blue, and innaccurate.

CONTRAST: 41. As you can see, very similar to MAXPower2k4.

BRIGHTNESS: 74. This is what I have it set at for DVD's and regular cable viewing. You could turn it down to about 65, but I wouldn't go any lower. If it was turned down to the lower # on DVD's, the picture detail was greatly diminished, especially in the background.

COLOR: 74 for DVD's and 55 for cable. Some would say this is too much. Either number. Q of Banditz has his set to 39, but I tried that and the colors just looked so dull. Close to becoming black&white if I went down 15 more notches. The color resolution on DVD's wonderful, and ANALOG cable is very good. Very little red push. This, I'm sure, could be adjusted in the service menu, but I never felt comfortable going into it. Maybe someday.

SHARPNESS: 25. This is a good level. 15 seems a little low too me, but you know what, I probably couldn't really tell a difference even if I set it that low. DON'T go any higher than 25 though.

TINT: (R)2. Two spaces into the red section.

Hope this helps. Later on over the weekend I'll edit the post and put in what I have set for the USER SOUND EQ as well. The presets are USELESS. I have an HT Setup on alot, but for quiet viewing just from the speakers, it works wonderfully.

Later

Edit: Here are my settings for USER audio. The presets range from AWFUL(being kind) to USELESS. Please to follow me as try to explain what I did.

Reset the EQ so that USER settings are the same across the board going from left to right.

Now, going from left to right on the five EQ settings, and starting from the top counting down, my settings are these:

0.1khz: 3rd notch down from the top
0.4khz: 7th notch down from the top
1khz: 3rd notch down from the top
4khz: 6th notch down from the top
10khz: 9th notch down from the top

With these settings, BASS and TREBLE sound good to me. If you want a little more of each, fiddle with the settings. Music and movies come off pretty good as well. Plus, dialogue can be easily understood unlike the presets where the dialogue sounds muted.

Hope this helps.

Good idea to do this guys. Most of my experiences are using this set with a HTPC, but will give feedback as well.

~sean

Any experiences are welcome. Good, bad. settings, HTPC Powerstrip settings, service menu access and settings, etc.....

Hi
I'm having a problem with the greys on my set. On my regular cable channels my greys are showing a green tint. I'm also getting the green tint from my zenith 318 using the dvi port. The strange part is that Hd channels look fine no green tint mixed with my grey's.

When i go into the service menu and and lower the green cutoff in the w/b level menu it goes away but then my Hd channels that look okay get like a reddish/brown push on skin tones. I guess until i figure out what wrong or what settings i need to adjust in the service menu. I have to just keep playing with the green cutoff when i watch Hd or play Dvd's

If anybody has any suggestions I will appreciate it
Thank you

Maybe it's the connection with the DVI? Bad DVI cable? What brand of cable do you have? What DVD's show this the most?

VERY RARELY it is a POSSIBLE issue with DVD. Some are encoded POORLY. Some people never consider this. They always assume it is the monitor, connection, player, etc.....

I actually have a question that I hope can be explained to me.

According to Zenith, since the TV only has ONE tuner, you are required to have another tuner(VCR, STB, ETC.....) in order to get a PIP.

Now I noticed that on the PIP setting you can choose between: TV, Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, and Video 4.

I have my VCR connected composite input on Video 2. I thought this was NECESSARY in order to get PIP.

My question is this. I have not done this yet mind you. I'll wait to see what people say. I have analog cable coming from the wall. If I were to connect it DIRECTLY to the RF input, bypassing the VCR altogether, and set the PIP to TV, wouldn't I still have PIP capabilities?

And if this is the case, what the hell do I need TWO tuners for? Alot of TV's are described this way. I am a little confused.

I know if I had any sort of STB, this is a moot point because of the tuner(or tuners) in the box itself. But if this works, why do they state I NEED the VCR in order to get a PIP.

Am I missing something?

I wish I could explain it to you, SR, but I don't have the tech knowledge. I only know from my late dad, a bonafide TV repariman for over 25 years, that it is essentially correct: if your TV has PIP, you need either a dual-tuner TV, or a second tuner to use your PIP. Beyond that, I bet some other living techies here can better answer the question.

- walkman

Is the only place to get this tv online? Do you know of any big chain stores that have them in stock?

The main reason I am getting a HDTV is for video games. I think I know that this tv plays 480p and 1080i fine. If a Xbox games native resolution is 720p does it still display the game or does it just put it into widescreen format? An explanation of the different resolutions would be great. Thanks

Does anyone have their C27V36 hooked up to a HTPC via DVI? I just got a DVI cable, hooked it up from my PC to my C27V36, and i can only get it to display 480p correctly. Whenever i go to any of the 720p, 1080i, or 540p resolutions, the TV jitters up and down and can't hold the picture. No other resolutions i've tried will work, either. I've got a GeForce 4 and PowerStrip. One of the main reasons i got the set was so that i could play games and DVDs at HD resolutions through my PC... a bit of a downer if that doesn't work :\

Originally posted by STEELERSRULE
I actually have a question that I hope can be explained to me.

According to Zenith, since the TV only has ONE tuner, you are required to have another tuner(VCR, STB, ETC.....) in order to get a PIP.

Now I noticed that on the PIP setting you can choose between: TV, Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, and Video 4.

I have my VCR connected composite input on Video 2. I thought this was NECESSARY in order to get PIP.

My question is this. I have not done this yet mind you. I'll wait to see what people say. I have analog cable coming from the wall. If I were to connect it DIRECTLY to the RF input, bypassing the VCR altogether, and set the PIP to TV, wouldn't I still have PIP capabilities?

And if this is the case, what the hell do I need TWO tuners for? Alot of TV's are described this way. I am a little confused.

I know if I had any sort of STB, this is a moot point because of the tuner(or tuners) in the box itself. But if this works, why do they state I NEED the VCR in order to get a PIP.

Am I missing something?

I have had the C27V36 for about 3 weeks now. One night while watching a SD show using the built in tuner, my fiance sat down on the couch... right on the remote. Next thing I know, there is another channel playing in the PIP. I had never tried it before, because of what you mention... the 2 tuner requirement. The set does have two RF inputs, but I only have one connected.

Basically, a single analog RF CATV source connected will allow you to tune in separate channels for PIP. Of course, you could use an external tuner or other source for one of the PIPs but that is not required.

If other people's experiences vary, please let me know so I may rejoice having a set that is defective by being able to tune 2 channels from one CATV input.

nope, mine does that as well. if only i could get DVI to work :(

i got it to hold the picture steady, but it only shows a quarter of the picture (first 960 horizontally and first 540 vertically out of a 1920x1080 picture) but when i try to set it to real 960x540, it gets stretched to 1920x540 and again i can't see half of the picture.

Just to try the pip thing I split my cable and fed it into both rf inputs on the back and pip does work with a direct signal and no stb.

What the hell!!??? If this TV does not need another tuner source, why are they telling us it does???? Maybe we are all missing something? This does not make any sense. I wonder if this tv can do HDTV OTA/QAM via the service menu? ALA like the Samsung TXN2745 could do HD(1080i), but did not mention it? Through the service menu, of course.

In other words is the HD tuner in their and just "turned off?" I doubt it, but it is nice to dream.

the specifications PDF says "1 tuner PIP"


http://www.zenith.com/sub_prod/downloads_pdf/C27V36.pdf

and yeah, it works fine for me with only the one plugged in. sorry STEELERSRULE, but i kind of doubt they slipped a HD tuner in there too ;)

Then could someone explain to me why manufacturers advertise 2-tuner PIP. If you only need 1, what the hell is the second one for?

I must be missing something.

bmp

Semi-unrelated, but my TV (Panasonic PT-40LC12) also has 1-tuner PIP. Also discovered by accident. This was a new one on me, as my previous experience with PIP, years ago, required a second tuner (ie. VCR) or a separate source (STB via composite/s-video/component).

I recall the manual mentioning all manner of other PIP modes, encompassing the various component/line/VGA inputs, but not 1-tuner (although I may have just missed it). I wonder if documentation simply has not been updated over the years; it seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

Okay, I bothered to find the manual, and it includes these vague fortune-cookie-style gems:

- "You can view two pictures simultaneously using two tuners and picture in picture (PIP) display function."
- "Because Main and PIP screens are processed by individual circuits, image quality may vary slightly."

The first one would seem to indicate that you need tuners... but then again it might also mean that the TV includes two tuners? (But there's only one RF plug.)

The second one might refer to signal processing occurring within the set (ie. 1-tuner)... but it might also just be a disclaimer vs. your external source.

Anyway, bottom line, I can get two channels from a single RF input.

Back to the Zenith, for what it's worth, the spec sheet says:

"RF In - 1 (ATSC), 1 (NTSC)"

So, are there one of each? I dunno. Maybe the second RF is just there for those folks who want to pick up HD OTA, and run basic cable directly (are there many of those people)? I've never seen this set, so I can't really say.

Hi all,

I'm having a slight problem with my C27V36...

the right-side of the image seems to give the illusion of being "curved inwards", like the right edge is compressed. This is very obvious with some panning and stock tickers, it looks like it's being curved in from the back.

I'm guessing there could be an option in the service menu to fix this?

Originally posted by Rukes
Hi all,

I'm having a slight problem with my C27V36...

the right-side of the image seems to give the illusion of being "curved inwards", like the right edge is compressed. This is very obvious with some panning and stock tickers, it looks like it's being curved in from the back.

I'm guessing there could be an option in the service menu to fix this?

I've noticed the same problem with my C27V36. Messing around in the service menu, I've been unable to fix the problem.

Uh, dumb question: Is this "service menu" different than the regular menu (where you adjust brightness, contrast, tint, audio, etc.)? If so, how does one access it? Are there any explicit "don't do's" when accessing the service menu (i.e. risks of messing up the TV)?

thx, - walkman

Originally posted by walkman666
Uh, dumb question: Is this "service menu" different than the regular menu (where you adjust brightness, contrast, tint, audio, etc.)? If so, how does one access it? Are there any explicit "don't do's" when accessing the service menu (i.e. risks of messing up the TV)?

thx, - walkman
This thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=364493&perpage=20) discusses the C27V36 service menu. It is a separate menu that requires a special remote to access where you can change a lot of geometry settings and you CAN ALSO mess up your TV if you're not careful.

Thx QMAN 71.

- walkman

Can someone confirm one way or another if this unit does 720? If it does, is it legit 720 or upconverted to 1080? Thanks

Originally posted by Diehardfan
Can someone confirm one way or another if this unit does 720? If it does, is it legit 720 or upconverted to 1080? Thanks
It upconverts 720P to 1080i

Newbie question here...

The manual wasn't really clear on the issue so I wanted to ask what the purpose of the scan mode selection in the menu is? Should you only switch it to progressive mode when you are using a HD box or progressive scan dvd player? Thanks.

Originally posted by OrangeTopXTC
Newbie question here...

The manual wasn't really clear on the issue so I wanted to ask what the purpose of the scan mode selection in the menu is? Should you only switch it to progressive mode when you are using a HD box or progressive scan dvd player? Thanks.

The scan mode is used when the tv is either being fed an analog(cable for example) or a digital(dvd, cable, satellite) and the signal being sent is 480i. It will make the picture a progressive one at 480p. I use this on my analog cable input.

When using a HD box or a progressive dvd player and you have either of them set at 480p, the SCAN mode selector in the special section of the user's menu is blacked out and cannot be changed. The reason is the tv is already receiving a progressive signal. It will also be blacked out when receiving a hd 1080i signal. The picture automatically locks into letterbox(16:9) viewing area. Black bars on the top and bottom and this cannot be changed, either through the tv or the Set-top box. This is one of the drawbacks to this tv. This is one of the things I would like to changed about it.

The native resolutions on this tv actually are 480i/480p and 1080i. It can convert a 720p hd signal to 1080i hd. Although the manual states this tv shows pictures either at 480p or 1080i, I think this is incorrect. My thinking goes like this.

When the tv is fed a hd(1080i) signal it LOCKS into 16:9 mode. Therefore if you set the scan mode to interlaced, which I think people believe shows the picture at 1080i, on an analog/digital 480i signal, wouldn't the tv automatically LOCK into a 16:9 picture? I would think it would.

Remember this manual also states that this tv can't show Picture-in-picture unless you use another tuner(vcr, set-top box). It states it only has one tuner. But if you have just regular cable and simply plug it in to one of the RF inputs, and set the PIP input to TV you get PIP and all of it's sizes. Therefore this TV MUST have TWO tuners's or some sort of super-tuner that I don't know about.

Hello. I just bought this tv and I am having a problem. In the top left corner I have a slight blue tint. Is there any way to fix this without having a repair guy come out?

Try degaussing the TV from the menu (in the 'Special' section) and see if that fixes it. This can occur when there is a magnetic field near the TV (such as from unshielded speakers). Degaussing will fix it temporarily, but you should try to find and remove the source of the magnetic field to prevent this from happening again.

If this isn't the problem, it may be a defect in your TV and may require servicing.

Thanks for fast reply. That worked. I didn't think to try it out becuase I just degaused before the problem occured, but then I also moved my tv around a bit to connect some stuff up.

Thanks again.

Because of this forum, I just got one of these from circuit city ($520 on clearance... I think I got one of the last ones) and I really like it, but I have noticed one problem on mine that I haven't read about here. With no input to the tv, I first noticed that, when switching inputs, when the input was component 1, 2, or DVI, there was a little white horizontal line just to the right of the text saying was input was currently being shown. I noticed that this little while horizontal line was not there when the input was any of the other inputs (video 1, 2, 3, s-video). I thought nothing of it, but later I noticed this same white line while viewing an image. The odd thing is that it is only visible when the tv is in 16:9 mode (i.e. is it definitely not there when the tv is in 4:3 mode) and it is at the top right of the screen, just along the edge of the viewable image. It is about an inch long (horizontal, only a couple pixels in hight), and when I'm watching a 1.85:1 DVD with the tv in 16:9 mode, it can't be seen when the image is bright, but if it is a night scene where the top edge of the film is dark, I can see it. If I'm watching a 2.35:1 DVD then it is constantly visible, almost like a marker separating the black bar of the dvd from the black bar of the tv that lies above the viewable image in 16:9 mode. I hope I'm being clear, perhaps a picture would help, although if you have this on your set it would be easy to spot. Any advice?

Originally posted by xexex
Because of this forum, I just got one of these from circuit city ($520 on clearance... I think I got one of the last ones) and I really like it, but I have noticed one problem on mine that I haven't read about here. With no input to the tv, I first noticed that, when switching inputs, when the input was component 1, 2, or DVI, there was a little white horizontal line just to the right of the text saying was input was currently being shown. I noticed that this little while horizontal line was not there when the input was any of the other inputs (video 1, 2, 3, s-video). I thought nothing of it, but later I noticed this same white line while viewing an image. The odd thing is that it is only visible when the tv is in 16:9 mode (i.e. is it definitely not there when the tv is in 4:3 mode) and it is at the top right of the screen, just along the edge of the viewable image. It is about an inch long (horizontal, only a couple pixels in hight), and when I'm watching a 1.85:1 DVD with the tv in 16:9 mode, it can't be seen when the image is bright, but if it is a night scene where the top edge of the film is dark, I can see it. If I'm watching a 2.35:1 DVD then it is constantly visible, almost like a marker separating the black bar of the dvd from the black bar of the tv that lies above the viewable image in 16:9 mode. I hope I'm being clear, perhaps a picture would help, although if you have this on your set it would be easy to spot. Any advice?
I'm pretty sure this was mentioned in a thread here a while ago, it is a common problem with this set (mine has it too). I've managed to pretty much ignore it, as you said it is really only noticeable in dark scenes or when there is no picture being displayed. I'm not sure if anyone has tried to get this problem fixed.

Originally posted by Rukes
Hi all,

I'm having a slight problem with my C27V36...

the right-side of the image seems to give the illusion of being "curved inwards", like the right edge is compressed. This is very obvious with some panning and stock tickers, it looks like it's being curved in from the back.

I'm guessing there could be an option in the service menu to fix this?

Anyone have any idea how to fix this? Could be a problem across all C27V36's im guessing...

New issue I found when messing with my Momitsu V880...

It seems that my TV has problems with the DVI input, all 1080i inputs via DVI come in scrambled and shaking and whatnot. This was seen in both my Momitsu V800 and my cable box (Scientific Atlanta 4200HD)

Tried multiple cables, all do the same thing...

Anyone seen this before?

I'm not having any problems with DVI connected to my Pioneer high def cable box, Rukes. I also have not noticed the inward curing on the right side of my picture, either.

- walkman

Originally posted by xexex
Because of this forum, I just got one of these from circuit city ($520 on clearance... I think I got one of the last ones) and I really like it, but I have noticed one problem on mine that I haven't read about here. With no input to the tv, I first noticed that, when switching inputs, when the input was component 1, 2, or DVI, there was a little white horizontal line just to the right of the text saying was input was currently being shown. I noticed that this little while horizontal line was not there when the input was any of the other inputs (video 1, 2, 3, s-video). I thought nothing of it, but later I noticed this same white line while viewing an image. The odd thing is that it is only visible when the tv is in 16:9 mode (i.e. is it definitely not there when the tv is in 4:3 mode) and it is at the top right of the screen, just along the edge of the viewable image. It is about an inch long (horizontal, only a couple pixels in hight), and when I'm watching a 1.85:1 DVD with the tv in 16:9 mode, it can't be seen when the image is bright, but if it is a night scene where the top edge of the film is dark, I can see it. If I'm watching a 2.35:1 DVD then it is constantly visible, almost like a marker separating the black bar of the dvd from the black bar of the tv that lies above the viewable image in 16:9 mode. I hope I'm being clear, perhaps a picture would help, although if you have this on your set it would be easy to spot. Any advice?

I've noticed it as well, but ONLY when using the ARC control button and setting the picture to 16:9 instead of 4:3. Like you said xexex, very small 3/4 to 1 inch sort of faded white line in the upper right corner. If you go to the Service menu thread I believe people have said this could be corrected in the service menu. Do so at your OWN RISK. I'll post the thread at the bottom. I NEVER noticed it when playing DVD's(Widescreen or not). I usually have my DVD player set to 16:9(depending on type of widescreen movie) and the TV set to 4:3. Even if I set the tv to 16:9 while leaving the DVD player at 16:9 it is not there. The best way to see it is enter a video feed that is not being used and set the ARC control to 16:9.

Rukes,

Never experienced any of the problems you mentioned. I went and looked at the ticker on CNBC and ESPN's bottom line and there was no curving inward or outward on either side. I can't even begin to guess what it is you are seeing. This might be another problem that could be fixed in the service menu.

Here is a link to the C27V36 Service menu and another useful thread. The second thread is important in that it discusses on how to use an ALL-For-One(OFA) remote to enter the service menu. You need to enter a discrete code on the OFA remote and then use the TV's remote to navigate:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=364493&perpage=20

The OFA info is listed in the C32V37 thread. I believe this is the right one and the info you need begins at the bottom of page 1 and continues on page 2:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=319485&highlight=Zenith+C32V37

This thread might help also:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=372604&highlight=C32V37

Hope this helps.

Later

Anyone know how to get rid of the scrolling lines you get when connecting the the s-video out from a computer card? Looks like a slow version of what you see when you video tape a monitor.

Odd, I'm connecting my HTPC using the S-Video, and I don't have that problem at all. My guess is the video card and not the TV as I've seen this exact problem before with other video cards.

Hmmm. I'm getting the ATI thing that converts to hdtv, see if that fixes it. The card I am using is the Radeon 9800XT.

After reading all the positive reviews for this HDTV, I'm seriously
considering purchasing it in the next few weeks. However, I
went to view it at my local Circuit City and other B&Ms and no
one in my area carries it any more. In fact, the CC sales person
stated that his store can't even order or transfer a set from
another store.

Anyone know if production has ceased on this HDTV and when
the national roll out of the new model will begin? I've read in
other threads, the successor to this set is already out in some
regions of the US.



Thanks,


Jim

Originally posted by MythTrip
After reading all the positive reviews for this HDTV, I'm seriously
considering purchasing it in the next few weeks. However, I
went to view it at my local Circuit City and other B&Ms and no
one in my area carries it any more. In fact, the CC sales person
stated that his store can't even order or transfer a set from
another store.

Anyone know if production has ceased on this HDTV and when
the national roll out of the new model will begin? I've read in
other threads, the successor to this set is already out in some
regions of the US.



Thanks,


Jim

Here is a theory Jim that I just came up with.

Yesterday when I was answering a thread, I had to go to the Best Buy website to get some info on their 27" TV's they had available. To my surprise, in their 27" tv section, they had the Zenith C27V36 listed on their website. The reason this is so strange is that BB NEVER CARRIED the C27V36 ever before. Only CC carried the tv before. They only carried the C32V37 HDTV and the 27" brother, the C32V36 which could only be had through their website. The C32V37 could be picked up and looked at in their stores.

This led me to a possible conclusion

1. When BB saw how well the C27V36 was selling at CC, they decided to offer it at their stores as well. BB is a MUCH LARGER chain than CC and has more turnover in product, so maybe LG thought they would go with BB exclusively. I saw the new LG DLP at my local BB just the other day. This in turn would explain why CC CLEARED OUT THEIR SUPPLY, and now have the MAGNAVOX in their stores right now. CC may no longer distribute LG products(tv's mainly) anymore. This is possible, although not probable.

There is a new C27V46 on the way. It's just that nobody knows when or where. It should be this month. There most likely be no changes other than possible cosmetic ones to the tv. The difference between the 36 and the 46 in the model number probably will just mean that one was released in 2003(C27V36) and one was released in 2004(C27V46).

ok, new problems :) I got the ATI DVI to Component and it works great. Only problem is there is still the slight refresh issue no matter what the setting. It is ALOT less noticeable now, enough to not be an issue.

The Next problem I am having is with my Comcast HD Box. It is a scintific atlanta Explorer 3250HD. The componnent works great on it, but when I hook up the DVI with a DVI-D single link cable I get no picture. Any suggestions?

Originally posted by maddbomber83
The Next problem I am having is with my Comcast HD Box. It is a scintific atlanta Explorer 3250HD. The componnent works great on it, but when I hook up the DVI with a DVI-D single link cable I get no picture. Any suggestions?

With regards to the DVI problem, I believe someone had a similiar problem with their C32V37 and it turned out that their cable company did not activate the HDCP flag on their STB's yet, or something of that nature.

They too at first felt it was the fault of the tv(at first they thought the tv's HDCP feature didn't exist. People on that thread, myself including, were EXPLODING thinking CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT AGAINST LG!!), but it turned out to be the fault of the cable company, not the tv.

Call Comcast and find out what is up. Make sure you get someone who knows what you are talking about, and speak to them directly. When you get NO PICTURE I believe this is the problem.

And it may just be your STB, or it could be all of them in your COMCAST community. They may have not ACTIVATED the HDCP yet on the DVI out.

Good LucK!!

I have found calling comcast about HDTV is not an option. Thier email tech support though is proving better than I thought. It turns out the problem is just what you stated, Comcast in my area is still developing the softwere for the DVI out on the TV and it will be activiated at a later date and we'll get the info about it.

Thank you much.

It is Aug of 2004. Is everyone still happy with their C27V36? Is the C27V46 ever going to be available?

Any improvements through the Service Menu or other means people would like to share?

Your thoughts.

i love mine :D


And, now that the ATI catalyst 4.9 beta drivers are out, I can run virtually any resolution based on 720p or 1080i! :D

And, may i say, Doom 3 at 1152x648 on this TV looks fantastic.


If only Comcast would give me the new firmware for my DCT 6200 so i can use DVI without unplugging/replugging the DVI cable every time i turn it on.

your comcast lets you use dvi? snif snif, mine still says I have to wait for them to upgrade something.

I have not plugged my Doom3 in yet to see how it looks, but on comp, wow. . .

Well it has been a full year with my Zenith C27V36 and I have to say I am super pleased with it's performance. After calibrating after the 1st month of use:

1. analog cable(good to very good) on all channels

2. Panasonic RP-62 Progressive DVD player(EXCELLENT) picture. Colors, Blacks, Shadows, all EXCELLENT

3. HD/Digital currently through an LG LST-4200A(before that a Sylvania SRZ3000 which I still have and other's which are gone) OH MY FUC*#$* G*D, I NEVER KNEW TV COULD LOOK THIS GOOD!!!!!!!! HOLY CR#P!!!

And considering the new specs of the C27V46(unless of course they are wrong which is possible) all you V36 owners got a hell of a deal!! I hope the specs are wrong on the C27V46, or LG realized they were really screwing up a good product by CHEAPA##*NG IT!! I hope the current delay is to change it to at least the same as V36, if not more, but I doubt it. This is a stupid move, LG, if true.

In the end, this has been a great purchase(currently knocking on wood as I type) and very pleased. Those of you who got this tv on closeout this past spring/summer got A STEAL!!

Hope you are as happy as I am.

ONTO SPLIT/SCREEN NFL TOMMOROW!!! ALSO AN HD STEELER GAME!!

WOOHOO!!!!!!

i agree with everything you said. I could not have been happier with this TV, it's amazing. video games, PC games, and movies (played on the PC with Zoomplayer) look absolutely incredible, as well as analog and HDTV, of course. Worth virtually any price you pay for it, and i was one of the lucky ones who got it on closeout from Circuit City for cheap (and it still hasn't been obsoleted, even after almost 4 months)

If it can still be bought, anyone who wants incredible picture quality and connections in a bedroom-sized TV needs this set

Just thought I'd add that the new "46" is a stripped down version of the "36" No P-I-P, No DVI or HDMI Inputs & No Faroudja Processing. The specs. for the "46" is up on Zenith's website & at Amazon who is taking pre-orders for it at $599.99. So if you can find a "36" Grab It! The owners manual for the "46" & the other new Zenith models are not posted yet.

After reading all of the review and seeing that Good Guys has the TV on sale for $449 this week (Oct 10, 2004), I decided to get one.

I was really looking forward to this TV, but upon measurement, it is half inch too wide for my entertainment cabinet. Bummer.

"Limited supply" at $449 according to the Good Guys ad in the 12/5/04 LA Times. I just picked mine up. Thanks, guys.

Originally posted by MaxPower2k4
i agree with everything you said. I could not have been happier with this TV, it's amazing. video games, PC games, and movies (played on the PC with Zoomplayer) look absolutely incredible, as well as analog and HDTV, of course. Worth virtually any price you pay for it, and i was one of the lucky ones who got it on closeout from Circuit City for cheap (and it still hasn't been obsoleted, even after almost 4 months)

If it can still be bought, anyone who wants incredible picture quality and connections in a bedroom-sized TV needs this set

MaxPower2k4,

I just bought this set, and have a few questions regaring video game performance. Do you use the S-video inputs, or component video inputs? If S-video, do you manually set it to "progressive" in the menus? Would you mind sharing the picture settings you are using for video games, so I can compare?

Thanks!

component video for PS2, composite for GameCube (don't play it enough to warrant new cables). S-Video only supports 480i, not 480p, so for progressive scan you have to use component video.

my video settings for general use (may vary from TV to TV; i set it up when i got it with Avia, but not since then, so someone else around here probably has more precisely-tuned settings, but these look fine for me):

VM -> Off
ACC -> Normal
Contrast -> 36
Brightness -> 60
Color -> 69
Sharpness -> 25
Tint -> 1 (Red)

Thanks for posting your settings!! I'm getting a strange red tint to everything (red push, I'd imagine). Can this be fixed in the service menu? If so, I'll have to grab one of those remotes from Radio Shack.

Originally posted by MaxPower2k4
Does anyone have their C27V36 hooked up to a HTPC via DVI? I just got a DVI cable, hooked it up from my PC to my C27V36, and i can only get it to display 480p correctly. Whenever i go to any of the 720p, 1080i, or 540p resolutions, the TV jitters up and down and can't hold the picture. No other resolutions i've tried will work, either. I've got a GeForce 4 and PowerStrip. One of the main reasons i got the set was so that i could play games and DVDs at HD resolutions through my PC... a bit of a downer if that doesn't work :\

i am looking into hooking my pc up to my zenith c27v36 tv as well, but am only interested in getting a 480p display. it is good to hear that at least this worked for you. any other words of wisdom?

I came across a way on another forum on how to access this service menu using the tv and the rmote for the TV.

Now I am GUESSING this is the service menu, but I am not sure as I delved no deeper than the front menu and went no further for risk of damaging or destroying my tv. I am hoping someone who has more knowledge(a calibrating background would be nice) and the same tv(Zenith C27V36 HDTV Monitor) would be more daring than I.

This was NEW to me(just learned tonight). IT WORKS!! If people already knew about this, I apologize for the retread. My guess is that it will work on the C32V37 as well(no guarantee though).

At the end of this post I will add a link to the OFFICIAL C27V36 THREAD here on the forum so that we may carry on th disscussion there.

Here we go, Step by Step:

1. Open up the front panel.
2. PRESS AND HOLD DOWN the MENU KEY on the front panel of the tv.
3. WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE MENU KEY ON THE FRONT OF THE TV UNDER THE FLIP DOWN PANEL, PRESS and HOLD DOWN THE MENU KEY on your SUPPLIED ZENITH remote.
4. This will ACCESS what I think is the first menu of the Zenith Service Menu. Mine looked like this exactly letter for letter, symbol for symbol:

RC-032A VER.[M] 3.10

CXA 2150 DEF
OSD-POSITION: 14
CXA21501080i
RGB W/B ADJ
2150 EX0 ADJ
2150 EX1 ADJ
2150 EX2 ADJ
YPbPr ADJ


Now, the first line; CXA 2150 ADJ was "HIGHLIGHTED" with an Orange highlight.

I am assuming this means that by accessing that line brings you into a sub menu in that line of the service menu. This is only a guess, as I did not access any of the lines.

Nor did I attempt to move the highlighted line at all.

A guess would be that the channel up/down(on the remote? or front panel? Again, I don't know) would change the highlight up or down to whatever corresponding line you want.

Then either ENTER on the remote? or the volume up/down?(again I don't know) would actually enter the sub-menu of each line.

To change the value of the specifically desired thread if you will, might be the volume up/down button(remote or front panel?).

Anyone who may know this, chime in please.

Now to save the values one may have changed, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.

THIS IS ALL GUESS WORK ON MY PART. I NEED MORE INFO TO VENTURE FURTHER.

Now to exit service menu:

From the menu I showed at the top, I SIMPLY HIT THE EXIT BUTTON ON THE REMOTE AND IT VANISHED.

I hit the menu key again(remote or front panel, doesn't matter) and the tv's regular menu appeared(Color Temp, Contrast, SVM, Color, Brightness, Etc...)

Any one with further info please speak up.

IT COULD GREATLY BENEFIT PEOPLE WHO HAVE OWNED THESE TV'S TO WORK OUT THE LITTLE KINKS IN THEM.

Nope, can't get it to work. All I get is the basic menu for adjusting brightness, etc. For the service menu I have to resort to my radioshack remote. This is indeed one of the service menus, though. I know because I've seen it before when I was calibrating my C27V36 using the RS remote. I don't remember how the heck I got it (one of the discrete codes, I think, taken from the official C32V37 thread), but I remember exiting real fast and then finding the service menu I did want.

Looks like individual settings for component input and 3 video inputs.

As for saving values, it probably works the same way as other menus - once you change the value, it instantly saves it.

I'll fiddle with it again tomorrow, since the lphins (no D, no O) aren't playing until monday night. Alas, the lphins most certainly do not rule...

finlandia,

Hey buddy.

I am surprised it does not work on your C27V36. That is strange.

I got mine in Sept 2003 and was manufactured in Aug 2003 so it was one of the early ones off the manufacturers line. Maybe mine has a different BOARD? in order to acces it unlike the later manufactured models.

Remember, PRESS AND HOLD DOWN the MENU KEY button underneath the flip down front panel of the tv. (the regular menu should appear on the screen obviously)

While you CONTINUE TO HOLD DOWN THE MENU KEY ON THE FRONT OF THE TV, PRESS THE MENU BUTTON ON THE REMOTE control and that SUB-MENU should appear immediately.

GREAT LINE about the 'Phins!! I was laughing my A** off when I read that :)

I have had mine since May and I was wondering if any of you have it hooked up to Xbox using componrnt cables. Can you guys notice the pixels on the set? Maybe that is how it should be? Thanks.

OKAY SOMEONE PLEASE...

I was checking out the service menu, and went to YPbPr adjust where it has the RGB values that I was trying to fix, and the top one says 'Y Adjust' so I pushed it and all the values for R G and B Offset went nuts and now the colors are WAAAAAAAY off. Can someone tell me the approximate values for these, even if they are not defaults, so I can work from there? Because I'm not able to do much right now...

One more thing, I picked up the RadioShack remote today, got home, and found out I don't need it... or do I? I can get in through the MENU-MENU thing, can the other remote do it 'better' somehow, like do I get more options? Because else, I dont need/want a universal remote.

THANKS PLEASE RESPOND

also, where can i get like a chart that tells me the decryption of what this all means? i know what i want done (especially fix the location of the corners), but it's all in abbreviations.

got the problem fixed, but im still trying to confirm this: the OFA remote really has nothing on the zenith remote as far as service menu, right?

and can someone get me like a translation of all the stuff in the service menu, ESPECIALLY THESE TWO THINGS (if anyone knows them):
- the corner adjust / lower curvature... like the tv now is shaped kind of like the eiffel tower, straight at the top and edges, but the bottom sort of fans out, and i want to bring those corners in horizontally.
- what i have heard before called 'vertical compression'... imagine this, like a checkerboard on the screen, the squares at the top are more like squares, the ones in the middle more like wide rectanges because the 'line density' of the scanning is not uniform over the whole tv... can someone help??

AH YES, one MORE thing... I adjusted the tv last night to make the overscan pretty much perfect (I made my OWN black/white patterns, adjusted under different conditions, etc), but now when i push the 'arc' button (16:9 mode) and send it a 16:9 signal, the image is a BIT crunched. i COMPLETELY understand the concept of using all 480 lines etc etc, but before, a circle was egg-shaped on both modes, as the top and bottom were cut off, and now that that is fixed in 4:3, in 16:9, it looks like i went too far in the correction... anyone?????????

Ok I've had this Tv for over a year and I've seen some people here say it doesn't display 720p but up converts it to 1080i. How sure are we this is the case and where is the information to support this? My manual mentions 720p when talking about componet inputs and so I'm just wondering where the information is coming from that people are sure it doesn't display at 720p res. I've looked cover to cover in the manual and read the specs at the website and I haven't found anything that says 720p is upconverted to 1080i.

No, 720p is converted to 1080i. Guarateed.

When this tv is receiving, and showing, a 480i/p signal you can ADJUST the spect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 and vice versa.

When this tv is receiving a HD signal, 1080i or 720p converted, the tv shows it in 1080i. The picture is either a 1080i 16:9 HD program or a pillarboxed HD picture. This HD picture CANNOT be adjusted(on the Zenith remote mind you) with aspect ratio. Nothing changes. Period.

A 720p signal(an ABC HD signal is 720p) is converted to 1080i. THERE IS NO MAJOR MANUFACTURED DIRACT-VIEW CRT THAT SHOWS 720p natively, unless you are talking about a tunerless specialty tv, like Monivision or Princeton Graphics.

1080i is the standard.

Originally posted by STEELERSRULE
No, 720p is converted to 1080i. Guarateed.

When this tv is receiving, and showing, a 480i/p signal you can ADJUST the spect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 and vice versa.

When this tv is receiving a HD signal, 1080i or 720p converted, the tv shows it in 1080i. The picture is either a 1080i 16:9 HD program or a pillarboxed HD picture. This HD picture CANNOT be adjusted(on the Zenith remote mind you) with aspect ratio. Nothing changes. Period.

A 720p signal(an ABC HD signal is 720p) is converted to 1080i. THERE IS NO MAJOR MANUFACTURED DIRACT-VIEW CRT THAT SHOWS 720p natively, unless you are talking about a tunerless specialty tv, like Monivision or Princeton Graphics.

1080i is the standard.

I'm watching SNL right now on the TV in pill boxed format from NBC at 1080i and I can change it to 4:3, 16:9, or zoom the image. I can also do this with any shows in actual HD non pill box format. So your incorrect on your middle paragraph if I understood it correctly. By the way I have the 37 model and am refering to the intergated tuner on nbc.

Originally posted by generalpatton78
I'm watching SNL right now on the TV in pill boxed format from NBC at 1080i and I can change it to 4:3, 16:9, or zoom the image. I can also do this with any shows in actual HD non pill box format. So your incorrect on your middle paragraph if I understood it correctly. By the way I have the 37 model and am refering to the intergated tuner on nbc.

That must be a feature exclusive to the v37, then, because I can confirm that the v36 has no way to zoom/stretch HD content.

generalpatton78,

MaxPower2k4 and I are correct.

The v36 does not have this option, but your v37 does.

I am kind of envious of that.

I wonder if there is a way to disable that in the Service menu.

To allow a zoom or streched HD image either from the tv directly or an STB?

prob not

Hello

Well, I just happened to walk into Circuit City about a week ago to replace an aging 27" Sony, and happened to run across a "returned & serviced" Zenith c27v36 for $299. It has some shipping damage - just a few marks on the cabinet, and the lower swing door falls off easily - but nothing major so I figured what the heck. The CC guy told me it was returned due to some interference in the picture from the speakers, but it was serviced so should be ok. Same warranty as a new set & I got the extended 3 year plan.

Ok, so now I got it home and hooked it up to an HD-DVR from my local cable company via component cables, and hooked up my daughters Playstation to the other component inputs. I don't (yet) have it hooked up to an external sound source but probably will shortly if everything on it checks out. I should start off by saying that it looks really nice in HD mode, and in general the picture's "geometry" ? is pretty good.

I've searched through the threads and have found answers to many of my questions (like how to program the remote!) - but there are some things I couldn't find that I'm hoping to get feedback on before my initial 30 days are up... please note that I'm no AV genius, so if my terminology & general understanding seems weak - well, that's pretty much where I'm at.

1) When I set the cable box to send 480p, 720p & 1080i signals, it seems to do a pretty good job of switching from "full screen" mode to the letterbox mode depending on whether the channel offers HD. Unfortunately, the 480p mode doesn't look good - it has vertical "hazing" that cycles through the picture - BUT, 480i mode looks just fine - so I set the cablebox for 480i, 720p and 1080i outputs - but now it NEVER uses the 480 mode! So, everything comes in a letterbox, HD or not. I can't figure out why this is, although I realize that maybe it's the cable box never sending out the 480i mode (?). For now, I'm manually changing the output depending on whether or not I'm watching HD, but I'm hoping someone here has a similar setup that might be able to shed light on this?

2) There is noticeable "fuzziness" on the left and right edges of the display. The left looks slightly brown-tinted, and the right slightly blue. It's about 2-3 inches in on each side, and (as you might suspect) only "really" noticeable with text and white backgrounds (like in the cable menu, and on tickers) - the fuzziness seems less noticeable in HD, and really not noticeable during non-text viewing like movies, etc. with the exception of slight mis-coloring - but probably only because I know it's there. I've tried using the DEGAUSS option a couple of times - but hasn't helped & I don't think it wise to overdo it. Should I be concerned about this - does something like this get worse as time goes on? Can it be improved?

3) I've been noticing a random 'popping' from the speakers - sometimes 30-45 seconds apart, sometimes 5 minutes. At first I thought it was just during the first 10 minutes of turning it on - but last night I watched a full show on it for the first time, and it popped intermittently all through the show (which was the HD version of "ER"). My daughter hasn't noticed anything when using the Playstation, but I am planning to spend some time with it this weekend trying different inputs/settings to see if I can contain the issue... but in the meantime, I'm wondering if this is a common occurance of this set that might have a simple solution?

4) Finally, I've been reading about the "service menu" a bit, and I'm wondering if I might be able to resolved any of these issues (screen-wise) through this? I see a detailed thread for the C32V37, but not the C27.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. At $299, I'm willing to put up with some inconveniences - but like most of you (I'm guessing), there is a fine line between getting a good deal and being irritated every time you sit down to watch TV! ;)

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to any thoughts...

dceonline,

From #2 and #3, it sounds like you need to hurry and return that set.

Well I have had my C27V36 for about a year and a few months and it has been gret up until now. I was watching TV like every other day and without me doing anything it randomly shutoff on me. I have let it sit for a little while now even have had it unplugged, but it still will not turn back on. It is in well ventilated area so it shouldn't be over heated at all. Was wondering if anyone else has had this issue and if they were able to fix it without having to deal with getting parts replaced and such since the warranty is only so long. Any feedback would be great.

I also had the same problem as descibed by thelastrace. I was watching TV and suddenly the picture as well as the sound were gone. My TV is still under the one year parts warranty. So, I gave it to the service dealer this week. I will let you know what they did to fix this problem. I called him today and he said that they have ordered for a new picture tube and it is going to take a week or more for them to receive. But, I don't think that is a problem with the picture tube since I am not even able to hear any sound too. If anybody else had the same problem, do give us your feedback.

Very interesting...I have had the C27v36 for just over a year and tonight it died. At first, the bottom part of the picture was fuzzy and shaking and then a small pop followed by a black screen. I could hear some garbled audio but couldn't even get the tv to shut off using either the remote or the button on the front. I finally had to pull the plug out of the wall to shut off the tv. I have an extended warranty from Circuit City and they are sending a repair guy next week. I will also report back on what he has to say.

WOW.

What the hell is going on.

I still have my C27V36 and it is going strong. I bought it brand new in Sept. 2003(It was manufactured in Aug. 2003) so I am going on 1 year and 6 months with mine. It gets a lot of work too. I use it quite a bit. It is not on 24/7, but if I had to guess, it would probably average 9 hrs day/7 days a week. So if I had to guess as to how man hours are on it, it would be:

9 hrs day X 546 days(year and a half)= 4914 hours in total. Lets just say 5000 total hours over the last year and a half.

Lisa M. I remember recommending this tv too you. Make sure you fill us in on your experience with the Circuit City extended warranty service(I got one for mine when I got it in 2003. It doesn't run out until 2006). There is a huge thread by someone in this forum who is having a nightmare with them and I like to see how it get's resolved. Hopefully your experience will be more pleasent. HOPEFULLY.

This is really disturbing that this is happening to all of you. I will keep an eye on my tv. If ANYTHING happens, I will let you know.

I wonder if any one in the C32V37 thread has had(or is having this happen to them). I think I will paste all your posts, including mine in there and see what people say there.

Screw it, I am going to start a new thread as this is really disturbing.

I got my TV repaired and brought it home today. The tech guy said that all he had to do is replace the power supply board. He mentioned that it is not a common thing that this board is faulty it is just that I am the unlucky one. He didn't tell me which component in the board is faulty. He said he replaced the whole board since I am still covered under warranty. Hopefully this might give you guys some idea about what needed to be done.

The Circuit City tech said that Zenith's policy is to replace the entire power supply board for any problem at all. Apparently, all of the parts are integrated into that board. He is ordering one, which should be here in 5-7 days.

Hi,

I just bought a new Zenith c27v36 today. Spent hours moving a new entertainment center and stuff into place.

Got the tv out and up onto the stand with someone else's help.

Spent more time getting stuff plugged in etc.

So, I had dvd hooked up to component, rf to ant 1 I think,

Powered it up and I have horizontal bars scrolling up the screen, they are in pairs, about an inch apart. It looks like inch-wide translucent bars scrolling up the screen, a few inches between each pair.

This happens on all inputs(input titles and the menu are affected, even with no input) and on cable.

HELP!!!
Is there something I'm missing, or am I hosed?

I will be posting in c32v36 forum as well, to widen the audience.

That definitely does not sound good. I would try to return the tv to the vendor and get another one. Since this is happening on all inputs, I don't think you are missing anything. The tv sounds defective.

Hi,

Powered it up and I have horizontal bars scrolling up the screen, they are in pairs, about an inch apart. It looks like inch-wide translucent bars scrolling up the screen, a few inches between each pair.


Turns out there is some sort of magnetic field coming from the wall where I had the tv. Moved it across the room and it's fine now. Of course, I traded my original one in before I discovered this.

My first one had some blemishes anyways, and some gunk around the seam between front and the shroud.

Anyone gotten the speaker noise fixed through warranty service? THis is obviously "defective in material or workmanship" as stated in the warranty.

I figure the tech can come in, open it up, and put some shielding around the power lines, or around the speaker wires.

Also, is there a known fix for the 16:9 pixel bar(upper right corner)?

Thanks

I got my C27V36 for $325 + tax + $8 California recycling fee at the Goodguys.

THey are clearing these out, so check your local goodguys if you are looking for a cheap entry level HDTV.

This should hold me over till QUALITY plasma TVs are cheap/affordable.

My c27v36 was able to get to service menu using the menu/menu trick.

Manufactured in 2004

NOw we just need to know what they do. Is there a different menu for adjusting geometry, or is it in this one?

Anyone have this problem?

I'm using component and DVI inputs from various sources in 480p and 1080i On occasion (quite random), the picture will go briefly, re-display the component input or DVI indication, and return to normal picture. No channel or input source changes are being done. Ive tried both component inputs and DVI with different cables and the results are the same. Is anyone else having such troubles? Any information would be helpful, thanks you.

Anyone have this problem?

I'm using component and DVI inputs from various sources in 480p and 1080i On occasion (quite random), the picture will go briefly, re-display the component input or DVI indication, and return to normal picture. No channel or input source changes are being done. Ive tried both component inputs and DVI with different cables and the results are the same. Is anyone else having such troubles? Any information would be helpful, thanks you.

What "sources" are you speaking of?

HDTV Tuner?

DVD Player?

Comcast HDTV PVR and I have tried a Panasonic and a Sony Progressive Scan DVD Player, all cause the intermittent problem

Well with the HDTV PVR, maybe the signal is coming and going, causing it to reset itself.

The DVD player I can not explain, and since i can't, I would gather to guess there is something wrong with the set itself.

I would have it checked by a tech as that seems odd.

Mine only does that during channel changes(on a HDTV Tuner going from a channel being transmitted in 720p(needs conversion) to a channel being transmitted at 1080i or vice versa)

Also if I switch my DVD player from 480p to 480i, it will do this.

Has anyone else seen this?

On component inputs, sometimes when the set is coming on, with component video selected, there is a glitch across the middle of the screen, sort of skewed and shifting. Looks darker in that area than the rest of the screen.

This has been witnessed on both component inputs(with dvd player, and my xbox)

thanks for your help

sometimes
i just turn it off/on and it fixes it
id like to know the real solution as well

sometimes
i just turn it off/on and it fixes it
id like to know the real solution as well

It goes away after a few seconds, it is not very encouraging though. I'm probably going to make a list of things and have someone come out to work on it(in home manufacturer warranty right?)

Thought it would be nice to have an official c26v36 warranty repair thread, where people could post there experiences/what they have gotten repaired under warranty.

Here are some things I will be trying to get fixed/corrected:

- Component glitch(couple posts back)
- Speaker hum(try to get them to put some shielding on the lines inside)
- The 16:9 mode pixel bar at the top right corner

I will certainly post my results in such a thread.

The speaker hum comes from the power supply, replacing it should fix the problem (see if you can get the store to do that though).
I doubt they will be able to remove the 16:9 pixel. I don't see why this bothers so many people... it is supposed to be there, and I think it's good.

I called Circuit City out on the component thing as well as the blue bar in the middle (some don't have it, but you can only see it on like an all-white screen), and some geometry problems I couldn't fix with the service remote. What did the bastard say? "You're too picky!" as he laughed. Apparently my warranty didn't cover such 'minor' things. Should have never bought it if they were going to be such *******s.

The speaker hum comes from the power supply, replacing it should fix the problem (see if you can get the store to do that though).


WHat do you mean by getting the store to "do that" You mean replace the power supply? Do they do that normally? I could see exchanging TVs maybe, but they don't have anymore.

Did they tell you the component "glitch" I was describing is one of the minor things?

I want to get the in home manufacturer warranty service while I can.

I bought the 5 year carry in warranty from goodguys, so when it does go down, they'll probably just give me a new, better tv(a few years down the road hopefully).

I doubt they will be able to remove the 16:9 pixel. I don't see why this bothers so many people... it is supposed to be there, and I think it's good.

Please explain why the 16:9 pixel marker is good/normal. It doesn't really bother me all that much, but it's a little weird. My friends samsung with vertical compression(16:9 scanning mode) doesn't show anything like that.

By the way, his samsung has some bad geometry probs in 16:9 most notably, the picture looks like it is bowed inward(curved towards the center, on the horizontal axis).

Anyone have this problem?

I'm using component and DVI inputs from various sources in 480p and 1080i On occasion (quite random), the picture will go briefly, re-display the component input or DVI indication, and return to normal picture. No channel or input source changes are being done. Ive tried both component inputs and DVI with different cables and the results are the same. Is anyone else having such troubles? Any information would be helpful, thanks you.

I wish I could tell you I knew what the problem was but for the first time I hooked up something to the component video (an XBOX we just bought for our son) and ours (a c32v36 by the way) does EXACTLY the same thing. I checked both component inputs and I also tried a GoVideo DVD player in both and again, same problem.

I have no clue and was hoping someone here would know what was going on. It's really annoying. All the other inputs work fine.

WHat do you mean by getting the store to "do that" You mean replace the power supply? Do they do that normally? I could see exchanging TVs maybe, but they don't have anymore.

Did they tell you the component "glitch" I was describing is one of the minor things?

I want to get the in home manufacturer warranty service while I can.

I bought the 5 year carry in warranty from goodguys, so when it does go down, they'll probably just give me a new, better tv(a few years down the road hopefully).
If you have a warranty, they probably will replace it.
If you can reproduce the glitch (I could not) they might fix it. I was talking about geometry problems and the blue line which were apparently not important enough for big-mister-repair-man.

Please explain why the 16:9 pixel marker is good/normal. It doesn't really bother me all that much, but it's a little weird. My friends samsung with vertical compression(16:9 scanning mode) doesn't show anything like that.

By the way, his samsung has some bad geometry probs in 16:9 most notably, the picture looks like it is bowed inward(curved towards the center, on the horizontal axis).
I just like it because it's like an LED for 16:9 mode, I just don't understand how it drives some people crazy when every other LED on their stuff does not... it just bothers me absoluetely none. The only thing that does bother me is it shows me how much divergence there is on my TV, which would be helpful for fixing it, except only the right side of my TV is divergent. If you see a red dot, a green dot, and a blue dot instead of a white dot that means that the color is not converging, at least in this area.
If it bothers you a lot you can use the service menu to expand the image until the dot is overscanned... I believe that this pixel should be overscanned, I just don't like that much overscan. I think that is why it's there, becuase they probably try to overscan it on most sets but a few slip through where it is visible.
Samsung I used to know the service menu code for, but if he could find it, he could definately fix it, but be sure to know what you are doing and record all initial variables.

I wish I could tell you I knew what the problem was but for the first time I hooked up something to the component video (an XBOX we just bought for our son) and ours (a c32v36 by the way) does EXACTLY the same thing. I checked both component inputs and I also tried a GoVideo DVD player in both and again, same problem.

I have no clue and was hoping someone here would know what was going on. It's really annoying. All the other inputs work fine.
I got more success getting around this issue when I changed to component source FIRST then turned on the device... it happened much less, maybe even not at all. The issue may be related to the TV switching from no signal to signal, which would make sense since that black screen is not the actual signal, but a lower cut-off signal, so this could cause issues. Everyone that is having this problem, try switching to component THEN turn on the device...

The only thing that does bother me is it shows me how much divergence there is on my TV, which would be helpful for fixing it, except only the right side of my TV is divergent. If you see a red dot, a green dot, and a blue dot instead of a white dot that means that the color is not converging, at least in this area.


Up close I can see the seperate color triads for the 16:9 pixel bar, divergence I guess.

Yup... if you have a THX DVD like Finding Nemo, you can see divergence on the squares and dots pattern. I have pretty good convergence except on the right side, which is pretty bad... I can't even make myself see a white dot, it is 3 completely seperate dots.

Hey

I happen to own this TV like the rest of you and have struggled to get the a good image via DVI from a PC. So far, I've only gotten about 2 resolutions that work without chopping off image and all... but it still doesn't seem good enough. Many people in other topics have struggled with this problem as well.

However, I looked through powerstrip and looked into the monitor information. The Image Size listed is 710 x 400 mm (34"). Whenever I switched to 1280x720p or anything, I'd see bits of the image cut off. Even a visit to the service menu couldn't solve it. The only choice was to settle with strange custom resolutions, but it just doesn't seem good enough. I'll be upgrading soon and getting a Geforce 6600gt with component output, so hopefully things will be slightly better.

What I wonder is why the image size is listed as such. Perhaps the unit itself, including cabinet, is 34", but the monitor is 27". Could this be the reason for all the cutoff and stuff? Is there a workaround for this? Possibly a way to specify the scaling? There's centered output... display adapter scaling... monitor scaling... and aspect ratio scaling. Is there a way to manually define some of this stuff? These are just some thoughts.

Hopefully my unit won't experience some of the problems you guys have had... got it about a year ago. I also hope that somebody more knowledgable than me will come on and explain this for me. Is this image size normal? Or is it the cause and something that could be worked around?

Well of course there is cutoff, it's overscan. This is normal and good, you'll appreciate it over time. I tried and successfully made an image that did not overscan once, and it is no good... you see ugly edges of the picture, the end of the scan zone, and darker scenes make the image smaller due to blooming. Adjustments can be made in the service menu, hold MENU on the set for a second then push MENU on the remote. It was HSIZE and VSIZE that change this, but again, I'd say overscan it about 1" on the sides and a little less on the top and bottom.

Well of course there is cutoff, it's overscan. This is normal and good, you'll appreciate it over time. I tried and successfully made an image that did not overscan once, and it is no good... you see ugly edges of the picture, the end of the scan zone, and darker scenes make the image smaller due to blooming. Adjustments can be made in the service menu, hold MENU on the set for a second then push MENU on the remote. It was HSIZE and VSIZE that change this, but again, I'd say overscan it about 1" on the sides and a little less on the top and bottom.

For games, it can be a definite pain/disadvantage. I suppose the best way to go in that case would be to clip a certain amount on the sides and simply negate the extra FOV. However, it is still a significant disadvantage. Plus, the up down overscan is not good. I assume you speak of movies/tv?

An overscan free image would be much appreciated. Is there any way to do this on a direct tube or am I going to have to go over to LCD for that?

If you're talking about PC games, there are sometimes options to pull the HUD in.
If you're talking about console games, none really push the HUD out past the overscan area... console games account for overscan.

You can adjust this in the service menu as I said before. It's just if you cut it really close, you'll see the edge of the image sometimes. On top of that, it looks really bad because it accentuates any problems in geometry since you won't see a perfectly edged rectangle, but it will probably look wavy on the sides.

Just overscan it a little. Enough so you never see the edges of the image. This is best done on a PC, find an overscan pattern or something (I'd email you all my tools, but again, no computer right now), and set it to like 50 pixels on the sides, then instead of overscanning the top and bottom, just adjust the height until circles are circular and the top/bottom overscan will then be set.

Yes, a fixed pixel display would be the only way to get a zero overscan image. It's hardly worth it, especially just to eliminate overscan. Even plasma TVs and the such ship with an overscanned image... you'd have to enter the service menu on those to fix that. Overscan is just a necessary evil in the world of TVs.

The HD mode is not working. Quite simply, when set is in HD mode the image flashes in and out. When I press enter on the remote, the set does not "accept" HD mode and the image continues to flash in and out. I can actually hear the electrical current in the back of the set change as the image flashes in and out.

Has anyone experienced a problem like this?

Hi, I have some questions about adjusting the overscan on this tv. First, should I do it and is it safe? Second, which settings out of these do I need to mess with in order to manipulate overscan? Is it like a computer monitor that I need to reposition the screen using the v/h posi, size? I ask because I have heard overscan described more as a zoom type of thing. See the screen already takes up my whole tv so I can't really stretch it anymore. So then what setting is for overscan?

Also does changing overscan for when I am using high definition content will it mess with my low definition content?For example I want to fix my overscan in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter for xbox 360 but don't want to mess up my dvds which run in 480p or my standard cable television signal.


I would post a picture show you an example but don't have 5 posts yet. On my screen I would say maybe 1 inch on all sides is cut off based on this screen shot of the game compared to mine. It annoys me cause parts of the hud are sticking out over the screen-- it just looks very unrealistic. Did the developers not account for overscan correctly or is my tv overscanning too much? Edit: Also if this developer didn't account for overscan and I play a game where the developers did then that game would look weird? If this is the case then it is best to jus leave it alone or is there a perfect setting that will work in both cases?


Here is the menu as posted earlier in this thread. I have yet to look at the menu my self. Do these numbers actually show up so that I can record my settings before messing with this stuff? If not that is a little scary to me. Thank you for your help guys.

CXA2150 DEF
V-POSI 21 vertical positioning
V-SIZE 28 vertical size
H-POSI 26 horizontal positioning
H-SIZE 51 horizontal size
PIN-PH 18
AFC-AN 30
AFC-BO 33
PIN-AM 29
UP-COR 31
LO-COR 29
UP-VLI 2
LO-VLI 2
V-LINE 5 vertical linearity? trying to get this to do what i want.
S-CORR 5
V-SCRO 26

OSD POSITION : 4 on-screen-display position (from left)

CXA21501080i ALL OF THESE ARE THE SAME AS CXA2150 DEF AND IF YOU CHANGE THEM IN EITHER PLACE THEY BOTH CHANGE... WHAT???
V-POSI 21
V-SIZE 28
H-POSI 26
H-SIZE 51
PIN-PH 18
AFC-AN 30
AFC-BO 33
PIN-AM 29
UP-COR 31
LO-COR 29
UP-VLI 2
LO-VLI 2
V-LINE 5
S-CORR 5
V-SCRO 26

RGB W/B ADJ
R-DRIV 36
G-DRIV 31
B-DRIV 36
R-CUTO 35
G-CUTO 31
B-CUTO 36

2150 EX0 ADJ
D-COL 0
GAMM-L 0
COL-AX 1
CTI-LE 2
LTI-LE 0
GAMMA 1
ABL-MO 1
ABL-TH 8
VM-LEV 3
PRE/OV 0
DPI-LE 3
DC-TRA 3
SUB-CO 14
P-ABL 10

2150 EX1 ADJ
SHP-FO 1
CB-OFF 31
CR-OFF 31
Y-OFFS 7
UP-BLK 0
LO-BLK 3
LRGB-L 7
V-COMP 4
H-COMP 5
PLI-LE 1
BLK-BO 1
SUB-BR 0
AGI-B 0
AGI-W 0
V-ON 1

2150 EX2 ADJ
AKBTIM 10
EW-DC 0
VBL-SW 1
LEF-BL 40
RIG-BL 0
ZOM-SW 0
V-ASPE 41 same as vertical size???
SubTIN 24
SubCOL 2
WB-SW 0
S-ABL 1
CTI-MO 0
LTI-MO 2
SYSTEM 2
ASP-SW 0

YPbPr ADJ
Y Adj
PbPr Adj
G Gain 117
R Offset 51
G Offset 45
B Offset 58

I don't get it... heard an occasional popping sound and then the set went dark. Occasionally the sound tries to come on for a fraction of a second but it is dead. So any ideas...

Mauibob, this happened to my set exactly one year after I bought it. The repairman ended up replacing the main board and it has been fine since. Apparently Zenith is familiar with this problem. I think it is the power supply board but am not positive.

I have had this same problem.... Reply back to me if you can follow up....I don't get it... heard an occasional popping sound and then the set went dark. Occasionally the sound tries to come on for a fraction of a second but it is dead. Help me out please if you can

I have a question. Why do I get a white glow with the dvi hookup. I have the hda1 hd dvd player hooked up to it with a dvi adapter.

Well, I have had this TV for over 3 years, 4 months and the Zenith C27V36 is still fantastic.

EXCELLENT OVERALL PERFORMER!!

I have YET(KNOCK ON WOOD) to experience the problems others have had.

This TV was definitely worth the $590 I spent over 3 years ago for it.

Great performer, and overall great picture from ANY source(after calibration of course).

Awesome during football season with the PIP Split Screen. :)

Yup, great for me, too. Just a bit of buzzing, but it's inaudible next to even a low normal level of audio.

Good stuff. One day I'll move it to another room, but for now...great!

My Dolphins still stink this year. Has your team figured out how to get a refund from your QB for the games he played in earlier this year with a scrambled brain?

Well last night my Zenith C27v36 screen went black, Ive had the buzzing noise for awhile, it smelled like burning wires so ive unplugged it, any suggestions on what I should go about fixing or doing. Thanks

Had this TV for about 3 years now. Love it!!! Paid $510 for it from CC which included the 3 year agreement. About 3 weeks ago it just dropped dead. No picture, no sound and it wouldn't turn on. Scrambled to find the service agreement and holt sh*t, I couldn't believe it... I had 2 days left on it. I just got the TV back from repair and I was told that it would have cost well over $500 to have it fixed. One of the boards had blown. I really couldn't be happier with this set. Football season is awesome on this thing.

Sorry to hear what happened to your Zenith C27V36 Virgil69.

I still have mine and after 3 years and 9 months it is still working perfectly.

Wait a minute?

I smell smoke.

I see fire.

OH SH*T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

I have a Zenith c32v36 HD tv that just crapped out on my this afternoon. I bought the tv new a few years ago. After about a year I started seeing a very distinct image destortion that is hard for me to explain.

______ ______
______ --> ______
______ ______

It's like every horizontal line is shifting for left to right really fast for just a few seconds, then it stops and does it again for alittle bit. It only seemed to happen just a few moments after the tv was first turned on, after it sat for awhile turned off. The destortion stopped happening the day before I was going to have it serviced and that was almost a year ago. Just last night I saw the destortion again twice and this time the tv had been on for awhile. Then the next day it did it again soon after I turned it on. Less than an hour after that the screen went black and there was no audio. I knew the set was still on because the LED light on the front gets brighter when the set is off. So I shut the tv off and turned it back on only to find there was no picture and the audio was cutting in and out. Turned it off and on again and there was nothing, just the smell of something getting hot.

I will be able to get the tv looked at in a week. I came on here to maybe get some insight on the problem so that the repair shop doesn't work me over to hard.

Just discovered this thread. Since there are some fairly recent postings, I'll go ahead and address some of the old issues that I see. I got my C27V36 during the 2004 Goodguys blowout mentioned in some of the early postings. It has probably been on for an average of 30 hours per week, plus it has been through one rough move and a few gentle ones, and it still works great. Thanks to moves and equipment upgrades I have used almost every feature without a glitch. Currently using a HDMI-->DVI adaptor to run it off of my HD cable box with no problems.

At one point, when I had it on the same circuit as a computer and printer I started getting 60 cycle hum in the speakers. I moved it to a different circuit and the problem went away.

My unit is most definitely a two tuner pip. The date on mine is April 2004. Could it be that they upgraded the units and never fixed the sales literature to reflect the second tuner?

The closest thing to a defect with mine is that the levels on the line level sound outputs are very low. I have a pair of wireless headphones which work fine with everything else that I own. When I used to run them off the Zenith, they would drop out from no signal unless I turned the TV volume all the way to the top.

My unit is most definitely a two tuner pip. The date on mine is April 2004. Could it be that they upgraded the units and never fixed the sales literature to reflect the second tuner?

The closest thing to a defect with mine is that the levels on the line level sound outputs are very low. I have a pair of wireless headphones which work fine with everything else that I own. When I used to run them off the Zenith, they would drop out from no signal unless I turned the TV volume all the way to the top.

It is possible that they just never fixed the literature in the manual to reflect that it does indeed have 2 tuners in the unit.

Mine was made in September 2003, and has 2 tuners.

Anyway, about the wireless headphones. I think with the front input for headphones(if this the one you are using. The 3.5mm plug under the front door flap), has VARIABLE AUDIO OUTPUT. This means that audio output is adjustable through the volume level of the tv.

Unlike FIXED AUDIO OUT which is set at a comfortable level at all times, and is adjusted by the source receiving the audio. Like a receiver. Or in this case a set of wireless headphones which may have there own volume control.

This may be true of the AUDIO OUT in the back as well.

In the menu, there appears(I never use the audio out, so I am not 100% certain on this) to be a SEPARATE VOLUME for the headphone out.

It is symbolized by a headphone looking logo, followed by a volume control.

I think if you adjust that, you audio problems may be fixed. It appears to be a separate volume control for headphones, and not the speakers of the tv, which is controled by the main volume control.

This is just a guess since I don't use wireless headphones with mine.

I will try to dig up the manual, and see if it explains it there.

If I find it, and you still have yours, I will point you to the page in the manual where this info is discussed.

I am referring to the line outputs in the back (the ones you would use to feed sound to a separate amp.) The main volume control controls the level on these, even when one has turned off the speakers in the menu.

You are correct that the levels at the headphone output on the front can also be adjusted. I never used this much, since it is not active when the unit is getting its sound via the component connections.

Quick question...

Is there a way to disable the power button on the front of the TV? I browsed through the menus and didn't see anything, and unfortunately got rid of my manuals a while back.

(My 16 month old keeps turning off the tv while we are watching it :D )

Correction: The "special" menu (the one with a star symbol) contains an item called "Key lock" that is what you want. This is the menu which also contains the parental control item.

hopefully everyones still out there. my wife and i recieved this tv free a couple years ago because ther previous owner found a slight light scratch on the screen and decided not to charge us. ive been using this tv as a second tv for the bedroom. im getting a new desktop thats going in the room thats bluray/hd dvd compatable and since the hd screen is only 19" i would like to hook the pc up to the tv via dvi. but theres a problem.

i recently hooked up my ps3 AND a progressive scan dvd player via dvi AND component. the picture kept flashing and wouldnt stay. the ps3 would only show via dvi when set at 480i. is this a settings issue with the tv or does it need to be serviced? as far as i know there hasnt been a problem with it from the previous owner.

any info greatly appreciated.

I use an upscaling progressive dvd player with the dvi port via an hdmi to dvi cable and I have no problem displaying 480i or 480p or 720p. I can't remember if I used 1080i or p. I think 1080i and it worked. so your ps3 should be working..

here's the problem I encountered.. I tried to plug my new scientific atlanta 8300hd set top box into my tv via an hdmi to dvi cable but it wouldn't give me any picture at all. the sound didn't output either.. I wonder if this is because of HDCP. the c27v36 is supposed to have an hdcp compliant dvi port so it should work.

please let me know your guys experiences with this tv and cable box hdmi.

I use an upscaling progressive dvd player with the dvi port via an hdmi to dvi cable and I have no problem displaying 480i or 480p or 720p. I can't remember if I used 1080i or p. I think 1080i and it worked. so your ps3 should be working..

here's the problem I encountered.. I tried to plug my new scientific atlanta 8300hd set top box into my tv via an hdmi to dvi cable but it wouldn't give me any picture at all. the sound didn't output either.. I wonder if this is because of HDCP. the c27v36 is supposed to have an hdcp compliant dvi port so it should work.

please let me know your guys experiences with this tv and cable box hdmi.

The prblem most experienced in the past, is that on some of the cable boxes rented from the cable company, the HDMI/DVI output was never ACTIVATED by the cable company.

Look into that.

Or, and this could be the most likely cause, within the menu of the cable the box, the HDMI/DVI has to SET TO OUTPUT a signal to the tv.

On most set-top boxes, the Component/S-video/composite ouputs are activated already in this menu.

The HDMI/DVI OUTPUT has to be MANUALLY ACTIVATED BY YOU to ouput a signal via the menu.

This might mean connecting the unit via the S-video/composite/ or component output initially just to see what you are doing(the menu would be visible only through these outputs).

then switching it to HDMI/DVI ouput would make that active, and may make the analog connections(composite/S-Video/Component) inactive, but I don't know this.

I do know the HDCP DVI input on the Zenith's is fine. It usually has something to do with the cable box.

That unit(the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD) is highly discussed in the AVS Forum here.

Do a thread/forum search(type 8300HD or Scientific Atlanta 8300HD in the forum search) for that unit and I am sure you will get to it's homepage here somewhere in the forum, and people will directly be able to help you.

I have to admit I still have this huge clunker of a tv. had it at least 4 years.. it hums a little.. I'm actually planning on using the dvi port with a popcorn hour a110 with an hdmi to dvi cable. and using rca for the audio. haha I'll let you know how it looks.. I guess I can set the popcorn hour to 1080i.

I have to admit I still have this huge clunker of a tv. had it at least 4 years.. it hums a little.. I'm actually planning on using the dvi port with a popcorn hour a110 with an hdmi to dvi cable. and using rca for the audio. haha I'll let you know how it looks.. I guess I can set the popcorn hour to 1080i.

wow, got a surprise email! nice to see im not the only one. i still have this in my bedroom but for the life of me cant get the dvi port to work. i even called a repair man and even though i told him i couldnt get any pic to stay, even with component, thats above 480i rez, he still insist it was user error. i highly doubt it.
please let me know how it goes. :D

After picking up a convertor box, I want to be able to use BOTH antenna inputs: one for over-the-air digital broadcasting and the other for my cable TV service. Unfortunately, I find no way to switch between antenna 1 and antenna 2; in fact, I currently have to manually switch the coaxial cables on antenna 1 (don't know a way to use antenna 2 b/c nothing happens with it). There's nothing on my remote (the original) that makes the switch and I would really like to find out how to take advantage of that feature.

Thanks and any help is appreciated to the fullest!

I finally ditched this huge Moby Dick of a tv! Got a sharp aquos 40" lcd from costco.
This model: http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-LC40E67U-40-Inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B001TK3EN0/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1243208491&sr=1-3

heymister have you possibly tried using the picture in picture swap buttons? I don't have the tv to test anymore but i think that switches between antenna inputs

I just figured out how to switch between antenna/cable inputs through the TV menu...wow, did I overlook that one! Thanks anyway though uncola.

I have to admit I still have this huge clunker of a tv. had it at least 4 years.. it hums a little.. I'm actually planning on using the dvi port with a popcorn hour a110 with an hdmi to dvi cable. and using rca for the audio. haha I'll let you know how it looks.. I guess I can set the popcorn hour to 1080i.

Mine sadly dropped dead in June 2008 after 5 years. It was the motherboard, and so I decided just to get a new TV.

Was a helluva TV for the cheap price when I got it. Couldn't beat all the bells and whistles on it when I first got it, but unfortunately Zenith/LG quality is/was just not that good.

I knew that going in, but for the price I got it for at the time, and it lasting 5 years, I got my money's worth.

Replaced it with a Samsung 32A450, which has been wonderful.

Well of course there is cutoff, it's overscan... Adjustments can be made in the service menu, hold MENU on the set for a second then push MENU on the remote. It was HSIZE and VSIZE that change this, but again, I'd say overscan it about 1" on the sides and a little less on the top and bottom.

Zorn, Steelers, or anyone else who still owns or is familiar with this set:

My Zenith is still running pretty strong. However, I had it serviced by Circuit City a couple of times back in '03 or '04 and it came back from the shop with the picture size a little too large (either that or the whole picture is shifted upward), which is most noticeable in sports, video games, etc, where the top few lines (like scores or other important parts of the picture) are cut off. I just ignored the issue for 5+ years, thinking it would take some tweaking inside the chassis to fix it, but now I see you guys have pretty much dissected all the possible things you can service from the front end.

That procedure from Andrew, above, should fix my issue (at least make it small enough a picture to stop cutting off the top) I would think... I didn't until today realize there were hidden menus within this set.

Are there additional options within that menu to move the center of the picture, if that were the entire problem to begin with?

Thanks for the help! I tend not to use the internet at home much, so I'm reading all of this from work.

Zorn, Steelers, or anyone else who still owns or is familiar with this set:

My Zenith is still running pretty strong. However, I had it serviced by Circuit City a couple of times back in '03 or '04 and it came back from the shop with the picture size a little too large (either that or the whole picture is shifted upward), which is most noticeable in sports, video games, etc, where the top few lines (like scores or other important parts of the picture) are cut off. I just ignored the issue for 5+ years, thinking it would take some tweaking inside the chassis to fix it, but now I see you guys have pretty much dissected all the possible things you can service from the front end.

That procedure from Andrew, above, should fix my issue (at least make it small enough a picture to stop cutting off the top) I would think... I didn't until today realize there were hidden menus within this set.

Are there additional options within that menu to move the center of the picture, if that were the entire problem to begin with?

Thanks for the help! I tend not to use the internet at home much, so I'm reading all of this from work.

No. The service menu that Andrew mentions is the one you want, and will really help with the overscan.

I can't, for the life of me, remember which options actually change the picture size/position within the service menu.

SO BE CAREFUL.

Try reading this thread from beginning to end, and the info may be in here, or at least linked to it.