Is this in fact the HT32744? So far, the Black Friday ads I've seen online mention a "Sanyo 32-inch HDTV-ready" set. Did Sanyo ever make one without the tuner?

Wish there was a Value City closer to me than 75 miles. . . .

To those who are interested, I tested my Xbox 360 (briefly) with the Sanyo 30744. I've spoken with a few gamers here who complained about the interference you get when viewing 1080i, 720p, and even 480p using the component video inputs on the set. I'm happy to report, that based on playing two games (Perfect Dark Zero and Project Gotham racing 3), the issue isn't major when using the Xbox 360 on the set. I first set the dashboard to its native 720p mode, and then I tested the games. Upon bootup, there was some slight interference in the form of some faint squiggly lines, but they disappeared when playing PGR3 and Perfect Dark after a while. The graphics in both games are fantastic. Especially in PGR3, where it is photo realistic. Like I've stated before, I only played the games for a half-hour on the set, but the problem ranged from very minor to non-existent based on these two games. Your mileage may vary, but most of us can take comfort in knowing that we can still use the component video jacks on this set with a Xbox 360, while waiting for MS to release an HDMI cable. The set is still a great value, topping sets that cost twice as much in terms of PQ. I'll try to do my best to keep everyone updated.

Oh, and please keep clear of the 1080i mode on the Xbox 360 when using it with this set, as the Sanyo's picture is unstable at that resolution when used in conjunction with the Xbox 360. The picture flickers pretty badly. On the bright side, the sanyo did an admirable job of upconverting the Xbox 360's 720p games to 1080i.

I would set the 360 to 1080i on the Sanyo, since its the native resolution. When I compared the system in 720p and 1080i, the upconverting and sampling of 720p just made the image soft, while 1080i looks a lot better.

JDKav,

Normally I would agree, but as you know, the aforementioned Sanyo acts up when receiving any 1080i images through its component video jacks. They suffer from horrid interference depending on the source. When I tried the 1080i mode on the Xbox 360 with the Sanyo, the picture had far too much interference and flicker. When I set it to 720p, it was a lot more stable. Surprisingly enough, I don't recall any difference in sharpness when I compared 720p to 1080i on the 360. I would say that if your Sanyo reacts fine to the 1080i output from the Xbox 360, use that. Otherwise, stick with 720p. Let the Sanyo do the conversion.

Is this in fact the HT32744? So far, the Black Friday ads I've seen online mention a "Sanyo 32-inch HDTV-ready" set. Did Sanyo ever make one without the tuner?

Wish there was a Value City closer to me than 75 miles. . . .


This is the HT32744. I picked one up this morning. They had quite a few at my store, kept bringing them out of the back. Even if you can't get there in the next 90 minutes, the regular price is only a C-Note more than the black friday price.

Did Sanyo ever make one without the tuner?

yes, they did. It was a while back, though. I think we carried it from april of 03-04. The model number is DS32830H and the owners manual can be found here:
http://sanyoservice.com/pdf/images/DS32830H(OM).pdf

This set did seem be very clear and have good color comparied to the other HD sets we had at the time. Unless you can get it for real cheap, there are probably better deals out there now.

Hey all. I'm really thinking about getting either the 28" or the 32". Now that the 32" is at Value City for only $300, I'm leaning more towards it. What I want to know is how is this thing when it comes to DVD's and over the air broadcasts? I don't think we'll be getting HD cable anytime soon, nor are we getting an X Box 360. Just DVD's and regular TV. As much as I like reading through threads, 46 pages is just too much to look through. Thanks...

Hey all. I'm really thinking about getting either the 28" or the 32". Now that the 32" is at Value City for only $300, I'm leaning more towards it. What I want to know is how is this thing when it comes to DVD's and over the air broadcasts? I don't think we'll be getting HD cable anytime soon, nor are we getting an X Box 360. Just DVD's and regular TV. As much as I like reading through threads, 46 pages is just too much to look through. Thanks...

The Value City deal expired at 11 am Nov 25. It now runs about $100 more. Keep an eye out for another sale though.

Just be sure to turn down the contrast (at 100% OOTB) and soften the picture and SD broadcasts will look fine from about 8-10 feet. Up around 4-5 feet it may appear grainy.

Awaiting new cables for DVD player and HDMI cable box to do any hi def so no experience there yet.

I called Sanyo a few days ago to ask about warranty repairs for my HT30744. There are a lot of minor little "quirks", nothing major: the barrel roll, picture occasionally goes out and I have to either stomp the floor or give the TV a gentle whack to get the picture back, HDMI audio sometimes goes out and inputs have to be rotated again to get the sound back, echoing of sound when stereo and TV volume are on at the same time, slightly tilted picture, and waviness on DVDs played on my home theater system (Philips) through the compnent inputs (Toshiba Tivo DVD recorder/player works fine though. ) They said they would send out someone to the house to fix the set. (Yippee!) The thing bothering me the most is the waviness when playing DVDs. Has anyone had warranty repair for similar items? Did the problems get fixed? Thanks for any information!

That is to funny Teamme... Be it so, we noiticed the next day, the green blob had disspeared (but we were not watching Kelly and Regis) so, I guess its just one of those un documented features that shows up from time to time.. I'll just have to keep an eye on it.. I was pleased with Sanyo's comment that Wally Mart will exchange the TV up to a year as it is a documented problem, so, if it gets worse I have options..

As for being from Toronto.. well, I was born in Chatham and my brother still lives in the Toronto area, he is the one that brought my attention to the Sanyo deal, he has purchased 2 of the 30" widescreen versions (which is not sold here in teh USA).

I now also looking at a 50" either DLP or PLasma HDTV for our new home we willl be moving to in January, we have a size limit, and 50" is max. I like the DLP option to change the bulb, but the Plasma sure is starting to get to a price that is attractive..

Dave

davidki,

Much respect for being able to come into a forum for tech-junkies and openly admit you were watching Regis and Kelly......at least it wasn't "The View".....

You might want to go back and look through the thread if you haven't already. "Weird green blobs" seem to be an ongoing problem with these sets. Sometimes it's only one part of the screen....other people say it's all over it...

My TV is fine so I can't help specifically, but again...take a day or two off work and go back through the 75 pages on this thread....you may find your answer.

Hi Guys:
This is my first post so please bear with me as I get up to speed on this...

I'm looking for a 30-inch, or 32-inch CRT HDTV with both HDMI and integrated digital tuner for under $800.00. My research showed that two TV's fit this bill: the SANYO HT30744 (WalMart) and the Phillips 32PT9100D (again WalMart). Now, WalMart has discontinued the HT30744 and now only has a 28-inch HDTV- way unacceptable for HDTV!

Do you know of anyone who still sells this model, or are my choices limited to the Phillips 32-inch model? I don't mind the 4:3 format, as the the with of the tube is the same as that of a 30-inch widescreen; I just end up with wider black bars top and bottom. Any other alternatives are most welcome.

Thanks,

Manny

Hi Guys:
This is my first post so please bear with me as I get up to speed on this...

I'm looking for a 30-inch, or 32-inch CRT HDTV with both HDMI and integrated digital tuner for under $800.00. My research showed that two TV's fit this bill: the SANYO HT30744 (WalMart) and the Phillips 32PT9100D (again WalMart). Now, WalMart has discontinued the HT30744 and now only has a 28-inch HDTV- way unacceptable for HDTV!

Do you know of anyone who still sells this model, or are my choices limited to the Phillips 32-inch model? I don't mind the 4:3 format, as the the with of the tube is the same as that of a 30-inch widescreen; I just end up with wider black bars top and bottom. Any other alternatives are most welcome.

Thanks,

Manny

Walmart still should have the 32" model HT32744 (they did as of last Sunday in my area). If not, see if you have a Value City or Schottenstein's store in your area. They are carrying them, albeit refurbs. They also, apparently, sometimes carry the 30" model as well.

Walmart also has the Philips 30PW9110D, which is comparable to the Sanyo HT30744. It doesn't have the interference problems that most of the 30" Sanyos do. It also has a black cabinet instead of a silver one. You might have to check around for it.. I've only seen it at the Super Walmarts. It costs around $650 if I remember correctly.

JDKav,

Normally I would agree, but as you know, the aforementioned Sanyo acts up when receiving any 1080i images through its component video jacks. They suffer from horrid interference depending on the source. When I tried the 1080i mode on the Xbox 360 with the Sanyo, the picture had far too much interference and flicker. When I set it to 720p, it was a lot more stable. Surprisingly enough, I don't recall any difference in sharpness when I compared 720p to 1080i on the 360. I would say that if your Sanyo reacts fine to the 1080i output from the Xbox 360, use that. Otherwise, stick with 720p. Let the Sanyo do the conversion.

Well, I know that the Sanyo's upconversion of 720p makes the image soft, while 1080i is fine (on broadcasts). I would say I get some very minor interference when in 1080i, it's almost impossible to notice during actual gameplay. I'm willing to accept that over the very visible softness I get when I switch my 360 to 720p. In fact, 480p looks sharper and better than 720p (at least in the Guide).

I've been reading this thred from back to front and I've made if back through page 41 (Post #1201).

Anyway, I've got a HT32744 on layaway, and I'm wondering if recent pruducts still have QAM disabled. Anybody have any experience with recently-purchased HT32744s still have QAM disabled?

Thanks,
Greg

Any ever experienced picking up an HD channel over QAM and not get sound? I get all the major networks in HD with my basic Comcast cable, but just yesterday I lost sound on ABC (right before I wanted to watch Lost). I had switched out receivers the same day and it took me hours to figure out it was the TV... (I'm in CT, FWIW)

Yes sensibull it's happened to me before (Comcast Basic in Atlanta). But I turned the channel and returned and the audio came back. It happens every once in a while but if I change to another channel and get sound and turn back usually the sound comes on. But as long as I stay on that channel, no sound.


To anybody who's tried the XBox360 on the HT30744 does the 1080i interference happen? I have the old XBox and I put it on 1080i with no problems at all. Hardly any games support 1080i but I set the console to that and have had no problems with games running 720p and 480p.

I've lost sound once with an OTA broadcast. I thought it was a problem at the station but when I flipped to a different channel and then back, the audio returned. Either it was a major coincidence or the tv had lost its sound. I'm fairly certain it was the tv.

FWIW, my situation apparently had nothing to do with the TV, as someone in the HDTV forum in my area posted about not getting sound on ABC last night either.

Sometimes a slight problem in reception, like the picture pixelating, can cause an interruption in the digital stream. You receive then can loose the sync on the audio stream, but regain the video stream. Therefore, you have picture but no audio. When you change channels and back again, your receiver will resync to the audio stream. This obviously wont work if the station is having audio problems, but if you've had audio all along and then suddenly loose it, try changing the channel then back again to see if you get audio. I've got an lg 4200a and every once in a while this will happen to me, changing the channel clears it right up.

So I've been enjoying the set, and finally got component, HDMI and upgraded to a SA8300HD cable box.

Picture looked horriffic at first, until I discovered that the cable signal was weak and removed the splitter and plugged directly into the cable box. Picture improvement was dramatic on analog cable. 100% improvement, and the picture is now better than my old JVC analog.

The HDMI works great, providing a better picture than component, however, there is a slight problem.

When the output format changes through HDMI, it drops the sound. So if I go from an analog channel like TLC running 480i, to a Music Choice channel running 480p or a HD channel running 1080i, the sound drops out. The only way to get the sound back is to turn the TV off and on again or flip through all of the inputs.

Only thing I can think of is to drive the sound through the cabling instead of HDMI. But I am struggling with understanding what might be causing the problem. I'm not sure if it's the cable box itself, or the TV that has the issue.

Any thoughts?

^ Just set the 8300HD to output only 1080i. The scalar in the cable box works a lot better than the one in the TV, and you shouldn't have the sound problem anymore.

---

I just started noticing interference on the HDMI input.. and it seems to have gotten worse in the past week or so.. anyone else see this at all? I'm ready to just take this back to Walmart and get the Philips CRT they have... hopefully Sanyo doesn't tell me to get it repaired.. I don't want to wait for that.

Well I am sorry to sasy I have dumped my 32 inch set. I have only had it since march and the picture tube went on it already. Turned it on the other day and the picture had a blue cast and any static red images were smeared across the screen. This lasted about an hour and then went back to normal. It has been doinng this on and off and the yellow and blue spots everyone has commented on were getting worse so i tried to return it to walmart

Unfortunately walmart would not refund my money. They said I could exchange it for another TV and get the difference back in cash. As long as the set was at least 500 plus dollars. Unfortunately they have a very poor selection of TVs. They are either in the 100 to 300 range or 1000 and up. Not of their sets at any price impressed me. I was able to work a deal and was able to get a protable DVD 10.5 inch player and 450 cash back. I probably could have pushed it a little further but I was happy with the deal as i wanted that particular DVD player any way.

In any case I just got a bonus at work and was able to move up to a Sony 50a10 RP lcd set so I am a very happy camper.

John

Just a quick note to all......We have had our 32" for about three months now, and are very happy with the TV.....We live about 55 miles away from the closest station, and receive five OTA stations......HD picture is perfect......I also have Direct TV running into #1 AV input, and with the 32" set , the picture is "real" good.......(No need for the HD receiver)......I have a DVD player running into #2 AV input, and it is also "excellent"..........BTW the antenna that I am using is the Channel Master CM3671 crossfire........By the luck of the draw, the set that we have , is a "good" one.........Cost was $577.00.......Dplugs39.......

Well I am sorry to sasy I have dumped my 32 inch set. I have only had it since march and the picture tube went on it already. Turned it on the other day and the picture had a blue cast and any static red images were smeared across the screen. This lasted about an hour and then went back to normal. It has been doinng this on and off and the yellow and blue spots everyone has commented on were getting worse so i tried to return it to walmart



Well, sorry about your TV. I too, was having, what appears to be the same problem, but I think I fixed it.

I have the 32 inch 4:3.

First, the problem. The picture seems to "loose focus". Maybe the RGB guns get out of focus. It is as if the picture was somehow "smeared" from right to left (looking at the TV).

It is not a cable or source problem, because it happens to all pictures, including internal (HD and SD directly from the Sanyo OTA Tuner). However, I did try moving my Component cables from Component 2 to Component 3, and that, (of course) did not help)

Turning it off and on, sometimes several times, seemed to fix the problem, but the "smearing, out of focus problem" would always come back.

I remember reading something about the AC power maybe causing some kind of problem, so I moved the power supply from a UPS, to a HT power strip from Radio Shack, and I STILL had the "smearing, out of focus problem".

So then, I tried plugging the TV power plug DIRECTLY into my wall socket, and for the last 4 days, or so, the problem had not re-appeared.

So, I am hoping, at least, that the problem has been solved..

As everything that I watch is on SD (except DVD's) I want to use this TV until:
-Dish Network switches to MPEG4
-Dish Network makes an affordable MPEG4 DVR for existing customers.

Then I will upgrade to a 50 (or greater) Plasma or LCD flat panel.

Has anyone else ever heard of a power supply causing distorting on the TV?

That is interesting Budd. I did have my unit plugged into a power strip. But I have a hard time believing that would cause the problem. Besides I would want protection for the set incase of line surges etc. My problem was intermitant and it gave me a good excuse to move up to the RPLCD:) I think the set is an excellent buy and I hope yours continues to work well for you.

John

Yes, I find it hard to believe that this issue would be an AC power supply issue, but again, I watched tv for hours last night, and it was picture perfect!

I spent several hours here reading about power conditioners etc. It seems that there IS a difference.

Now what I DID NOT try, is pluging in the TV into the HT Radio Shack Surge Protector, but plug the protector DIRECTLY into the wall, as opposed to the UPS.

I was hit by lightening once, it destroyed all my components, and a laptop.

WOW, there is a lot of info here on AVS forums on UPS's , Line conditioners, Power Conditioners, AC Filtering, surge protectors, etc.

Some things I read (Please do research yourself, as I might have mis-understood some of what I read)

You should not use BOTH a UPS and a Surge protector

If you use a UPS make sure it is a true SINE WAVE UPS and not a digital Sine Wave.

SOME UPSs and Surge Protectors MAY limit or reduce total AC power that is available to the device.

Other people have noticed Audio or Video problems when using some UPSs or Surge Protectors.

Just got the 32" for 577 at WM, are the Qam tuners still disabled? My set was made in nov 05.
I only have analog cable
going to get a antenna now....

Those of you who dealt with Walmart after the 90 days.. how did you go about getting something other than this TV (or any other TV for that matter)? I've been in a phone loop with Sanyo and Walmart the past two days getting nowhere. Sanyo's telling me to go to a couple repair shops around here, whom have no clue about this TV... and have rarely dealt with Sanyo TVs in the past few years, which means I'm out a TV for a month or so not even knowing if that's going to fix the problem (knowing how cheap/low quality most of the parts are in this TV). Walmart will only give me the choice of a equal or greater value TV... not even a store credit (even though they still have the money). I told them I don't like any of their TVs, so they went ahead and told me to go back and deal with Sanyo. My only thought is to bring it in so they're pressured to do something there.

I spoke with Sanyo over a concern I have with the tv (32" ) and they stated the same, up to 90 days, return via Walmart for your money back after 90 days, only exchange and that is what has allways been on their warranty policy s I guess you have some options... I"d just make sure that if you pick a new one, the unit has a full warranty..

I did not return mine, I'm taking a chance that it will be ok.. Good Luck.

If you pick an exchange, you won't get a "full warranty" - just what was left of the original unit's one year. Actually, Sanyo can be a little generous on the 1 year. Mine started showing a blurred problem (could be what BuddTx called focus/smeared, not sure) that was intermittent. (Unit had always been on a UPS.) Power off/on would usually clear it up to display a normal image but one day it it wouldn't any longer. By then, it was 13-14 months after purchase. The Sanyo rep entered my serial number into their database as "replaceable" and I was able to take it back to WalMart. The replacement has some geometry issues I hadn't experienced before but since it is past my initial year warranty, it is better than where I was. My credit card adds a year warranty, but I'd have no HD while it is repaired so I stand pat.

Hey guys, brand new to the forum and brand new to this tv. I saw this thing in the BF flyer and for the price I thought it HAD to be a misprint. Later that week went to value city to pick one up for my dad, helped him set it up and realized I wanted one. Well now I have one and pretty much everything about it is great except for two issues..

When I'm using my xbox with xbmc, the text on the left is not as clear as the text on the right. Also when I put dead or alive into my xbox when they show white text on a black background the text on the left side is the correct white color while the text on the right side is a well, not as white.

Now I only notice this problem when I'm hooked up with componenet cables and to be honest I haven't tried the xbox with svideo (didn't want to, wanted the progressive scan). But when I have xbmc running the screen is screwed to the left. I've attached a picture I made in mspaint that illustrates the problem.

I've read about the service menu but I'm a little apprehensive about going into it. It seems really confusing and I don't want to make my situation worse. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Mine started showing a blurred problem (could be what BuddTx called focus/smeared, not sure) that was intermittent. (Unit had always been on a UPS.) Power off/on would usually clear it up to display a normal image but one day it it wouldn't any longer. By then, it was 13-14 months after purchase.

This was EXACTLY EXACTLY my problem, down to the number of months that I owned it! (Glad you solved your problem also!)

I had always powered the TV from a:

Wall AC Power---->UPS----->Surge Protector

The first 12 months or so, the TV worked fine, About 2-3 months ago or so, I had the intermittent problem of the tv "Smearing" (see above post by me for more details).

Bypassing the UPS and Surge Protector and plugging the TV directly into the Wall AC power FIXED the problem!

It has been over a week now, and the "smear" problem has not re-occured one time.

I am very happy that I do not have to lug a 200+ pound TV back to walmart, and then buy another one, and hook it up again, (all by myself, I might add!).

While not a 16x9 or a 50 incher, the PQ blows any other tv away, and it makes waiting to get a 50 inch plasma (most probably a commercial Panasonic) much easier.

AND, as I do not have a HD DVR (in MPG4) from Dish yet, almost all of my source video looks better in a 4x3 format (except DVD's or course).

It is kind of nice waiting, actually, as the PC computer rule seems to work for HT as well. If you wait, things get cheaper and better!

Also, my Pioneer VSX-1015 and my NEW Axiom Speakers seem to sound much better, when I power the Receiver directly from the AC outlet.

Yes, I know the danger, very well actually, as about a 1.5 years ago a lightening spike damaged all my HT equipment.

So now I have to find a Line conditioner or Surge Protector designed for HT/High amperage or whatever.

About UPSs - There are some threads here that say if you use a UPS, it needs to be a UPS that puts out a TRUE SINE WAVE, as opposed to a digital SINE wave.

I am not an expert here, search the forum for threads about this subject.

Hey guys, brand new to the forum and brand new to this tv. I saw this thing in the BF flyer and for the price I thought it HAD to be a misprint. Later that week went to value city to pick one up for my dad, helped him set it up and realized I wanted one. Well now I have one and pretty much everything about it is great except for two issues..

When I'm using my xbox with xbmc, the text on the left is not as clear as the text on the right. Also when I put dead or alive into my xbox when they show white text on a black background the text on the left side is the correct white color while the text on the right side is a well, not as white.

Now I only notice this problem when I'm hooked up with componenet cables and to be honest I haven't tried the xbox with svideo (didn't want to, wanted the progressive scan). But when I have xbmc running the screen is screwed to the left. I've attached a picture I made in mspaint that illustrates the problem.

I've read about the service menu but I'm a little apprehensive about going into it. It seems really confusing and I don't want to make my situation worse. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

The service menu isn't so bad once you get used to it.

I will however warn you of a few steps to take once you make the plunge into it. I am using DVE to make my changes. And thus far have only made geometry.

First, make all of your inital adjustments using the RF input (the analog tuner). This appears to be the "master" area for adjustments.

The changes I had to make involved changing the amount of black shown on the right and left sides of the screen. On the right, the amount of black pushed out about 7%. Once I was able to increase that (I believe it was code 122 on the 32") I was able to properly align the overscan to about 3% using the instructions in the service manual.

I had a few pincushion adjustmenents, and the manual has a good description of how to fix it.

Then once that was complete, I went to my component inputs and began to make the same adjustments to overscan that I made to the RF input. I started with 480i using the codes from 1DC to 1E5 and then did 480p using codes from 1EF to 1F8.

I may next try to make similar changes to the Zoom and letterbox features for 480i and 480p. Once I am able to get a test pattern recorded on my DVR I will be able to push out 720p and 1080i to make similar adjustments there since I do not have an upconverting DVD player.

Just email Sanyo to get the manual. It looks intimidating at first, but just write down any setting you have before you tweak it, and read page 14-17. Page 17 will describe to you how to fix your angle issue.

My next step is to work on the color. It seems that the RF input is "torched" with the brightness, while the other inputs are much softer. So any adjustment I make to the RF input first with the brightness and contrast set to 50%. Then I'll need to make similar adjustments to the other inputs to compensate.

The service menu isn't so bad once you get used to it.
First, make all of your inital adjustments using the RF input (the analog tuner). This appears to be the "master" area for adjustments.

The changes I had to make involved changing the amount of black shown on the right and left sides of the screen. On the right, the amount of black pushed out about 7%. Once I was able to increase that (I believe it was code 122 on the 32") I was able to properly align the overscan to about 3% using the instructions in the service manual.
...
Just email Sanyo to get the manual. It looks intimidating at first, but just write down any setting you have before you tweak it, and read page 14-17. Page 17 will describe to you how to fix your angle issue.

My next step is to work on the color. It seems that the RF input is "torched" with the brightness, while the other inputs are much softer. So any adjustment I make to the RF input first with the brightness and contrast set to 50%. Then I'll need to make similar adjustments to the other inputs to compensate.

When you say the analog tuner appeared to be the "master", do you mean you found the analog tuner to be different from a NTSC signal on Video 1/2? I used H_Size (119) and H_Position (11E) to get a basic overscan pattern (on Video 1) centered and reaching the sides. Vert size & position were 116 & 117. I did have to change 122 for right side black on this unit where no changed had been needed on my previous one.

If you get HDNet, there is a 10 minute test pattern show you can record. It moves around in time but Tuesday at 3AM PST shows up tomorrow when I search the guide for "HDNET Test". It has an overscan pattern that I DVR'd and send at 480i, 720p, 1080i to tweak the digital blocks of adjustments (HDMI) or those settings on component inputs.

When you say the analog tuner appeared to be the "master", do you mean you found the analog tuner to be different from a NTSC signal on Video 1/2? I used H_Size (119) and H_Position (11E) to get a basic overscan pattern (on Video 1) centered and reaching the sides. Vert size & position were 116 & 117. I did have to change 122 for right side black on this unit where no changed had been needed on my previous one.

If you get HDNet, there is a 10 minute test pattern show you can record. It moves around in time but Tuesday at 3AM PST shows up tomorrow when I search the guide for "HDNET Test". It has an overscan pattern that I DVR'd and send at 480i, 720p, 1080i to tweak the digital blocks of adjustments (HDMI) or those settings on component inputs.

Not sure because I don't have anything hooked up to video 1.

How I discovered the RF being the "master" was when I did all of my tuning to component 2 and 3 and then turned over the the analog tuner, the screen was misaligned and bowed.

So I retuned with the analog tuner and then went back to make adjustments to component inputs.

I suspect that the RF tuner may be the same as Video 1/2, but I've not hooked up anything to try it out just yet.

Hey guys i just picked up my sanyo 32" hdtv from value city for 299! Its refurbished but i scuffed it more getting it out of my car than what was originally on it so it works out! I love it.

First, the problem. The picture seems to "loose focus". Maybe the RGB guns get out of focus. It is as if the picture was somehow "smeared" from right to left (looking at the TV).

It is not a cable or source problem, because it happens to all pictures, including internal (HD and SD directly from the Sanyo OTA Tuner). However, I did try moving my Component cables from Component 2 to Component 3, and that, (of course) did not help)

Turning it off and on, sometimes several times, seemed to fix the problem, but the "smearing, out of focus problem" would always come back.

I remember reading something about the AC power maybe causing some kind of problem, so I moved the power supply from a UPS, to a HT power strip from Radio Shack, and I STILL had the "smearing, out of focus problem".

So then, I tried plugging the TV power plug DIRECTLY into my wall socket, and for the last 4 days, or so, the problem had not re-appeared.

So, I am hoping, at least, that the problem has been solved..


Well, After over a week of NO SMEARING, the problem came back, so maybe it was not a Power Supply issue. Maybe I did something else that caused the tv to "get fixed".

It happened, for the first time, last night, and I could NOT fix it by turning the tv on and off.

I tried unplugging it, making sure the power cables were not tangled, made sure that the component cables were not tangled, (I did run new speaker cable this weekend).

I finally fixed the problem (for who knows how long) by gently rocking the TV back and forth.

It seems that a minor jolt seems to "put it back IN WACK" (as opposed to out of wack!)

Well, we will see what happens!

FWIW, my "focus/smear" never got better from a direct connection to power. I actually had to connect to a different wall jack w/ extension cord to avoid a UPS connection. Initially, I'd only see it happen once/week or so and Off/On would fix it. Slowly, it became more frequent until it didn't recover after many hours. But I didn't know about rocking and jolting at the time<G>. It might be worth noting on paper to see if yours is starting to get more frequent.

It might be worth noting on paper to see if yours is starting to get more frequent.

For what it is worth, my Sanyo 32 inch tv has not had the "smear" problem anymore, after the last "wack" about a week or so ago.

I am not touching the TV, and hope it will stay "IN WACK" until I get my Plasma sometime in the Spring 2006!

i have the 30in model and have a tivo hooked up to it with my ps2. i recently bought a terk tv5 antenna and was wandering how my new antenna should be connected to see if i can receive any hd channels in my area. do i need a splitter or how should my connections look in the back of my tv. thanx 4 any help

Run a coax cable (preferably RG6, but RG59 works as well) from the Terk antenna to the Digital Antenna input on your TV. That's it.

what about the to tv/vcr thats attacted to the terk antenna?

ok i dont think i can get any channels with the antenna...i live prolly 30 miles from the towers & live around moutains but i ran my cable tv cable to the digital input and got 38 digital music channels but no channels with video. is their anything else i can do to get them? thanx 4 all tha help

ok i dont think i can get any channels with the antenna...i live prolly 30 miles from the towers & live around moutains but i ran my cable tv cable to the digital input and got 38 digital music channels but no channels with video. is their anything else i can do to get them? thanx 4 all tha help

Ksoutheard.....You can get a passive 75 ohm splitter, then take the coax from your antenna then connect it to the splitter.....from the splitter take one lead to your tv analog input and the other tv digital input.......Do a channel dearch on the analog side then do a channel search on the digital tuner......I live about 55 miles away fron one city, and 75 miles away from a second city and I get both analog and digital from both cities......Dplugs39

Dplugs39 what kinda antenna do you use?

thanx again

Ksoutheard.....You can get a passive 75 ohm splitter, then take the coax from your antenna then connect it to the splitter.....from the splitter take one lead to your tv analog input and the other tv digital input.......Do a channel dearch on the analog side then do a channel search on the digital tuner......I live about 55 miles away fron one city, and 75 miles away from a second city and I get both analog and digital from both cities......Dplugs39


okay i just tried this and am still only recieving the digital audio channels. i not sure what else i can do

okay i just tried this and am still only recieving the digital audio channels. i not sure what else i can doYou have to go into the menu and switch your TV from the digital cable search to digital OTA if you're trying to get local HD/digital OTA signals. These Sanyos don't have separate memories for OTA/cable, unfortunately.

You have to go into the menu and switch your TV from the digital cable search to digital OTA if you're trying to get local HD/digital OTA signals. These Sanyos don't have separate memories for OTA/cable, unfortunately.


ive never noticed in the menu where you can switch from digital cable search to digital OTA. i looked in the service mannual and didnt see anything about it either...im stumped :(

On My Sanyo I can add to the list but they must be the same as what is in memory ( either OTA or Quam )

On My Sanyo I can add to the list but they must be the same as what is in memory ( either OTA or Quam )

what model sanyo do u have?

Dplugs39 what kinda antenna do you use?

thanx again

Ksouthereard...........I installed a Channel Master CM3671 (deep fringe) antenna late this past summer....I had not planned on getting the Sanyo HT32744, but the "old" TV crapped out on me........But with the new antenna running into a passive splitter and then to both inputs, things worked out REAL well........You can Google Channel Master and check out the antenna......dplugs39 :) :)

what model sanyo do u have?
HT27745

waitting!

ok my cable company just went digital and i was wandering if i bought a cable box that they use and hooked it up to my tv would it recieve any hd ota channels?

They might sent out local channels through the cable system, but you can't get OTA signals from a cable box.

My set is 1 year old and I am having an issue with loosing the red out of my picture. It is more so on the right side of the screen and improves towards the left side. Heck, even the tint bar in the settings is not red. So I called the warranty line and they said to just rap on the back of it right above the inputs. Low and behold, it worked. It has happened 2 or 3 more times since. Apparently this is a known issue, so I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I am thinking of returning it under warranty, but if the problem will not get worse maybe I'll keep it since it's so heavy.

Has anyone else run into this? Thanks.

My set is 1 year old and I am having an issue with loosing the red out of my picture. It is more so on the right side of the screen and improves towards the left side. Heck, even the tint bar in the settings is not red. So I called the warranty line and they said to just rap on the back of it right above the inputs. Low and behold, it worked. It has happened 2 or 3 more times since. Apparently this is a known issue, so I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I am thinking of returning it under warranty, but if the problem will not get worse maybe I'll keep it since it's so heavy.

Has anyone else run into this? Thanks.


I've had my set for over a year now also and havent had any troubles out of it :)

I'd take it back if I were you. Sounds like something's going on with the red gun. Hitting the TV may work for awhile... but someday it might not anymore. I haven't had that specific problem, but I've had several others.. that apparently were also known issues (with no specific fix). I've had it for about 9 months.

I Bought the Sanyo HT-32744 Service Manual And Now im Posting it

Follow the url in the Text File i Would post i link directly but i cant until i make 5 posts

I might eventually take the link off because I dont want my ISP yelling at me

Hey neitzb,
I am having the exact same problem. Mine is 9 months old. Its been loosing the red about 2.5 months. I tried moving it away from the wall, plugging in a different outlet, using and not using a power strip. Waving a magnet around it, even wrapped it in foil to protect it from my electric ceiling heat. About a month ago, I read whacking mite help. It worked, I usually hit it in the front top. First week I had to hit it a couple of times, but the last couple of weeks it has not needed to be hit. But I occasionally whack it as I walk by just to make me feel better. I will decide late February to return for a new one. Don't really want another one, hope I can work a deal for something else.
I really like the TV, but will probably return it.

I have had my HT30744 just 2 months, bought from Value City for $299. Great buy but today the red gun stopped firing.
I called the Sanyo warranty help line and they said take it back to Wal-Mart and exchange it. The guy said they would not support re-furbished units bought from Value City.
Now guys where do I go for help ?

Thanks Roy

Sounds like you are going to be out of luck. What is Value City's return policy? You might be able to take it back there.

GIVING BACK: First in a series.

You folks have been unbelievably helpful with all your useful posts, so I'm going to "give back" with some contributions I hope you find helpful.

Bought my HT32744 in late Nov. 05. A kind person in Customer Service at Value City was nice enough to let me buy one for $299 in advance of the Thanksgiving sale, minus 15% for signing up for their credit card.

About a week ago, the picture went completely blank. High voltage is clearing working, because when I shut off the set, the familiar white retrace lines appear on the screen. If I leave the TV on, the picture returns after many hours, and keeps working unless the set is shut off. Just when I was facing having to lug this 140 lb. monster out of the basement and out to the local Sanyo repair shop, I remembered a post about curing picture problems by striking the TV cabinet directly above the input jacks.

Bingo! After two whacks, the picture came back on. I'd rather do a whack-on-the-back once in awhile, than lug this beast to the shop. On another occasion, I had to unplug and re-plug the HDMI connector to restore picture. This set clearly has issues at the input connector board area.

Again thanks for the informative posts.

Giving back: 2nd in a series.

If you have a choice of aspect ratios, I recommend the 32" 4:3 Sanyo over the 30" 16:9 Sanyo. But this reasoning applies to all brands, of course. And for some of you, this is way obvious, but for me, it took some thinking, so here goes anyway.

There is no denying, for me a least, that a 16:9 TV set has, at least for now, a sexier, more modern look than a 4:3 set. But you actually get a lot less value with the Sanyo 30" set, because you enjoy the same size 16:9 picture, but view a much smaller 4:3 picture. Here's a detailed discussion.

First off, as everyone knows, for some historical reason, when we talk about CRT set diagonal size, the actual picture size is smaller, by about an inch or less. The industry decided to drop that silliness when flat panels came out. The stated size of a flat panel display (LCD, plasma, etc.) is close to the actual image size. I'm going to ignore this difference in the discussion below, because I'm comparing apples-to-apples, namely, two TV sets which are both CRT.

Here's why I recommend 4:3: If you buy the 32" 4:3 set, you get a 32" picture when you watch standard broadcast. When you watch 16:9 HDTV, you get a 29.4" picture with black bars above and below.

When you buy the 30" 16:9 set, you get a 30" picture when you watch normal HDTV, but only a 24.5" picture when you watch a normal 4:3 broadcast, with black bars at the left and right sizes.

So, bottom line, with either set, you get about a 30" picture for 16:9 HDTV, but there is a dramatic difference in the displayed 4:3 images betweent the two sets, namely 32" vs. 24.5". Considering that most of us watch a great deal of 4:3 program material, that's a huge diffence. And it's going to be a long time before 4:3 programs become a relatively small part of the total.

Put another way, to display a 32" 4:3 image, a 16:9 set would have to measure 39"!

Also note that a some channels broadcast HDTV-quality renditions of 4:3 format shows. That results in a picture with black bars on all four sides. The HT32744 includes a "zoom" feature that causes such a 4:3 broadcast to fill the entire screen. Very nice!

If you wish to make comparisons with other screen sizes, here is the math:

If D is the diagnonal of a 4:3 screen, and d is the diagonal of the largest (letterboxed) 16:9 screen that fits inside it, d = .918D. E.g., 40" has a 36.72" widescreen inside. 36" has a 33" widescreen inside. Conversely, a 34" d widescreen would need a 37" 4:3 screen to enclose it. 40" 4:3 has 768 sq. in. area. 34" widescreen has 494 sq. in. area.

If d is the diagonal of a 16:9 screen, and D is the diagonal of the largest (letterboxed) 4:3 screen that fits inside it, D = .8172d . E.g. 34" widescreen holds a 28" 4:3 screen inside it.

4 : 3 : 5 W:H:D 4/3=1.33
D = diagonal
Width .80 * D; Height = .60 * D .
Area = D**2 * .48

16 : 9 : 18.36 W:H:D 16/9=1.77
d = diagonal
Width = .8715d; Height = .4903d
Area = d**2 * .42736

Identical diagonal:
4:3 Area is 112.3% of 16:9 .
16:9 Area is 89.04% of 4:3 .

Identical aspect ratio:
Area goes up by square of diagonal. So, for D>d:
Area ratio (A/a) = D**2 / d**2
=(D/d)**2 and A = (D/d)**2 * a.
Area increase = .48 (or .42736) * (D**2 - d**2) .
Per unit gain in D, absolute area gain rises, but relative % area gain declines.

E.g.:
36" 4:3 = W28.8" A622"
34" 16:9 = W29.63 (+.83") A494"
36" 16:9 = A553.8"
40" 4:3 = W32" (+3.2",+2.4") A768"

i have a ??? bout the 28inch widescreen sanyo i am getting it very soon and i already have my htpc built it has a ati 9600 card with th dongle my ??? is how is text reading (web surfing) on these tvs with htpcs please respond on this issue

mggtiger, nice summary - all of your information is alread available in the thread, but not a lot of people take the effort to look through it.

I doubt anyone is debating between these two televsions anymore - the 30" set is nearly impossible to find, and the 32" set is getting harder. I personally have the 30" set as it was $100 cheaper and it looks nicer. Based on the posts in this thread, it appears the 30" has less problems as well. The most common problem on the 30" set is barrell roll and it's a design flaw - but one that most can overlook. The 32" set seems to have many more problems with picture quality (especially colors). Small sample size caveats apply though as this thread is probably less than .1% of the owners of the set.

i have a ??? bout the 28inch widescreen sanyo i am getting it very soon and i already have my htpc built it has a ati 9600 card with th dongle my ??? is how is text reading (web surfing) on these tvs with htpcs please respond on this issue
i have the 32", and it is hooked up to a ati 9550 from dvi out of the card to hdmi on the TV. It is very clear and a decent size if I use 1280x720. I wouldn't use it as a primary computer/monitor combo, but it can get by in a pinch if you increase the font & text size.

You might be loosing a bit on the 28" though.

Giving back: third in a series.

For those of you who bought your Sanyo HDTV from Wal-mart, I recommend the extended warranty if you are going to keep the set. The many previous posts document pretty well that this is probably not going to be an ultra-reliable set.

I bought mine from Value City, as a refurb. The stated warranty is 90-days. For VC, you can either return the set within 90 days, or take it to a Sanyo service repair shop within 90 days. My local VC does not keep these in stock.

The Sanyo web site lists repair shops. However, half of the six I called do NOT do repair work on Sanyo HDTVs, for various reasons. Call ahead before taking your TV in. Also make sure they'll have someone there to help lug the monster in. One of the shops wouldn't help carry the TV in. One shop would help carry-in, but only by advance arrangement (I think it was to have a beefy son-in-law present).

Some posters have noted the wide availability of extended warranties in the secondary market. However, there seems to be a gotcha. Some, but not all of the web sites that resell Warrantech warranties, for example, state that if the original warranty is 90 days or less, then the extended warranty must be purchased in the first 30 days of ownership!

Of course, my TV started showing problems about 37 days into ownership. I want an in-home warranty, because of the sheer poundage of the set.

I think I am stuck. I have been unable to locate an extended warranty that I can buy for this TV, since it is now more than 30 days since I bought the set, but the set only comes with a 90 day warranty. Anyone have any ideas?

Giving back: 4th in a series.

My 32" Sanyo HDTV produces a generally terrific picture on both HDTV and regular channels from my Comcast cable feed, but calibration was required. I have not tackled the service menu (but thanks to the previous poster for the URL of the service manual PDF!).

The 3 preset picture modes are super bright, and not my cuppa. Two of the three turn on surround sound; also not to my taste.

Using an AVIA disc, and the user-level adjustments only, I was able to get a far better picture in the MANUAL mode. Here are the results. I am reproducing them here for comparison with others, and for those folks without a calibration disc to try on their sets.

Unfortunately, there is a design boner (among several on this set): The adjustment graphics obscure much of the picture! Ick -- you Sanyo engineers, what were you thinking? Anyway, since Sanyo also does not provide an onscreen numeric calibration metric in user mode, I am supplying the settings as a percentage of how far the bar is set in each mode. (E.g., very little bar, just barely in from the left side, would be expressed as 10%.)

Color 20%
Tint 50%
Contrast (really, brightness) 40%
Brightness (really, black level) 50%
Sharpness 25%

Contrast, at least my my set, has relatively little effect. Most bright whites seem crushed, and there was little I could do about it. Optimal black level settings vary widely between channels and programs. 50% was a good compromise without fiddling constantly, but this set can produce nice blacks. I don't think the set will do "below black", but one can calibrate around that. The biggest surprise was Sharpness. Normally, you want as little "edge enhancement" (sharpness control) as possible. This Sanyo is one of those unusual sets which actually "smear" detail if Sharpness is set too low. In other words, on this set, "zero edge enhancement" seems to be at 25%, not 0%.

My set suffers from a greenish blotch vaguely just above the right center of the screen. Automatic degaussing doesn't help. But this is very rarely noticeable, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Convergence is good. Screen geometry suffers from a slight bend on the left side, with the left center pushed slightly toward the middle of the screen. Again, not noticeable with normal program material.

Oddly, with component inputs, I was able to see closed captions. With HDMI, no captions available, but better picture! (Anyone know why this is?)

When fed from component inputs, the Sanyo seemed to auto-adjust screen shape to match program material on some HD channels. Using the HDMI input, all HD channels have to have picture shape adjusted manually if the previous channel viewed was non-HD, and vice versa.

HD channels look sharp, but not quite as sharp in ultimate detail as some sets I've seen. I'm amazed at how good non-HD channels look on this set. The internal upconversion to 1080i seems flawless to my untrained eye. The set plays beautifully using the component outputs from our GameCube. (Available only on older GameCubes; order the required cable directly from Nintendo's web site). Also terrific pictures from our PS2 using regular composite video output.

A very nice feature is the INFO button, which shows the actual digital resolution of the input signal. On its DVI-D output, the Comcast HD box puts out 1080i on HD channels, and 480i on non-HD channels.

If this image quality were displayed on the $1800 34" Sony XBR widescreen I'd rather have, I'd demand it be fixed. But overall, I am quite satisfied with the PQ of this set, given what I paid at Value City.

I'd buy an HD set even if I got no HD channels, because there are no interlace lines to look at with the internal line-doubling from DVDs and non-HD channels. The improvement from this artifact alone is greater than that of HD in my opinion. Now that I've seen just how good old-fashioned NTSC signals can look, HD seems like only icing on the cake. I wonder what fraction of the population actually has eyesight good enough to see the HD difference!?

I think broadcasters are going to realize that NTSC-quality is "good enough", and for that reason, take advantage of a little known loophole. By transmitting lower resolution digital TV, broadcasters can put out three channels in the same bandwidth required for one HD channel, and the FCC will let them do it. I predict that we won't see very many true HD broadcast channels going forward, just many more digital channels of the same resolution we already had.

My thanks again to the many posters before me, and for repeating material that may appear in previous posts somewhere. Keep on sending those great posts!

mggtiger, nice summary - all of your information is alread available in the thread, but not a lot of people take the effort to look through it.

I doubt anyone is debating between these two televsions anymore - the 30" set is nearly impossible to find, and the 32" set is getting harder. I personally have the 30" set as it was $100 cheaper and it looks nicer. Based on the posts in this thread, it appears the 30" has less problems as well. The most common problem on the 30" set is barrell roll and it's a design flaw - but one that most can overlook. The 32" set seems to have many more problems with picture quality (especially colors). Small sample size caveats apply though as this thread is probably less than .1% of the owners of the set.

Sterno3, thanks for your comments. I wonder why the 32" set appears to have more problems (from this sample of owners). The service manuals make it clear that nearly all the electronics are identical between the sets.

I am interested in getting another set. If any of you see refurbs for sale at Value City or elsewhere, post immediately, please! -- most of the time, VC doesn't even put their circular on the web.

Giving back -- 5th in a series:

Some of you Sanyo HDTV owners may also be Comcast customers. Here's some info you may find useful. The Sanyo TVs (HT32744/30744/27744) have an HDMI input. If you rent the Comcast HD box (Motorola DCT6200/2005), among the many supplied outputs is dual link DVI-D.

Part of the trick is finding an HDMI - DVI-D cable that is also "dual link". Many of the available cables are single link or don't specify either way. DVI-D is capable of much more picture detail, if transmitted in dual link format.

I did not ask Comcast why their DVI-D output connector is dual link, when single-link in theory will supply sufficient bandwidth for 1080i, but I figured as long as I'm locating a cable, might as well buy a dual-link.

You can get a nice HDMI - DVI-D dual link cable from

www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2380

Cheap, too, at only $15, and they shipped immediately. This outfit offers other cable variations as well.

Of course, you can spend arbitrarily large amounts of money for cables. I saw HDMI - DVI cables for hundreds of $.

For a very useful discussion and pictures of the various DVI types and connector pin configurations, see

www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html ,

especially the picture towards the bottom of the page.

The picture result was noticably better with HDMI than with component inputs from my Comcast HD box, even, to my surprise, on non-digital channels. I recommend this upgrade for Comcast customers or people with DVD players with DVI-D outputs.

Giving back: 2nd in a series.

If you wish to make comparisons with other screen sizes, here is the math:

Or you could use a handy online calculator:

http://www.cavecreations.com/tv2

Giving back: 4th in a series.

...

My set suffers from a greenish blotch vaguely just above the right center of the screen. Automatic degaussing doesn't help. But this is very rarely noticeable, so I'm not going to worry about it.

...

My thanks again to the many posters before me, and for repeating material that may appear in previous posts somewhere. Keep on sending those great posts!

I have the same problem only the upper right corner turns Yellow on my set. It is like the brightness is blown. I can repeat the problem. If you have any content that contains a light, or bright area in the upper right corner. Nascar races worked really well for this all summer. Very annoying.

The only reason I haven't returned it is I have 1 year according to Wal-mart and I bought the thing boxed on closeout for $460. Kinda hard to replace at that price. I'm thinking about the Phillips 32" and hoping Wal-mart gets some new sets in soon.

My set (bought in mid June) lost its red little by little, turning it off would sometimes fix it for weeks at a time, lately that pretty much stopped working, however occasionally it would work for a long while.

Finally I called Sanyo and told them due to the time of year I had no way to transport it (actually I won't drive the two cars that I could take it in with during the winter), so they gave me a shop to call for warranty service. Low and behold they had no gripes about working on it under warranty. The repair guy shows up and does some testing.

First up the red gun is really still working. Turn the color off entirely and you'll get a perfect black and white picture. After playing around with it and hooking up a color bar generator he seemed to think this problem is either bad solder joints somewhere in the red drive or the color seperator sections. He tested various inputs including component and concluded that since it can't display the component in properly which is not processed through nearly as many stages as the other signals, this problem is in the latter stages and shouldn't be much problem to actually fix. He again seemed to think its bad solder joints, kind of like the problems that plagued the RCA tuners a few years back.

We decided to let him take it in Thursday and he said Sanyo told him it would be about 7-10 days to get whatever the required parts (if any) were for the repairs if needed so at best I'll have it back early next week. I'll keep everyone posted as to what the origin of the problem turns out to be.

For some reason I have lost my ability to display 1080i with my 32incher. I know its completely my fault because I was messing with the service menu, but I restored all of the default values and I still get nothing when I try to display 1080i with my xbox 360. It still, however displays 720p just fine. It also displays 1080i pbs hd channel just fine.

Anybody have any ideas on what the problem might be?

*EDIT*

Just found out what my problem was. Somehow I changed #55 in the service menu(1080i horizontal frequency) to 3, but it should have been 2. Everything works fine now.

this helped thanks

Sterno3, thanks for your comments. I wonder why the 32" set appears to have more problems (from this sample of owners). The service manuals make it clear that nearly all the electronics are identical between the sets.

I am interested in getting another set. If any of you see refurbs for sale at Value City or elsewhere, post immediately, please! -- most of the time, VC doesn't even put their circular on the web.

I agree please post finds. I am looking for a refurb from VC or anywhere for my bedroom tv.

thx,

I can't believe it, I READ THE WHOLE THING!!!!War n Peace, man conquers tv age, ha...Seriously, thanks to all for contributing to my decision to buy the 34" model Sanyo HDTV...I kind of backed into this set, first becoming interested in LCD's and becoming leery with the high price tags...But had started to learn some of the new glossary required...

Happened into a Walmart one night to price an mp3 player for a friend, when I was distracted by this Sanyo model's picture, and then features and then PRICE, $577, humm...Wrote the name and model down to google when I got home, only then to discover this was a Walmart exclusive...While doing this search, found this forum and the saga began...Even Jet was a pleasant diversion, well one or two posts that is...

I will be moving into a new apartment in two days, so will have the movers swing by Walmart to pick for delivery, with cox scheduled to install their service by Friday, so will post my results shortly...Assuming they get my broadband up and running, ha...

Thanks Again for all the participants input,

MrE Books

Humm, well didn't read the whole thing...Somehow stopped at page 39 and then posted to page 70 something...Oh well Value City???Too far away...Still pleased, just hope I stay pleased when installed...

I only hope the Sanyo proves reliable for you. IMHO the 30 incher was a great set while it worked properly. Had a very good picture was very nice to watch DVDs on. Then it turned green. Should have it back shortly and we'll see just how repairable they are.

To me it is a little bit of a worry, 6 months into it and it was off to the repair shop.

I've had a handful of TVs go, and usually it took a few years. Had a 13 inch MTC, power supply went, fixed under extended warranty (I think it came with a 5 year free extended warranty and was about 4 years old when it happened) still works though. RCA 13 incher, bit the dust twice with power supply problems, easy enough to fix but it went to Goodwill, maybe someone who has time for that can mess with it, TV was hardly ever used and not even very old, heck I'd have been as good off with another MTC. Both of those served as bedroom TVs. Had a 19 inch RCA with the infamous tuner solder joint problem, which I got them to reimburse me the cost of the repair, TV still works and is now a bedroom set.

The only other TV I've ever had go under the factory warranty was the most recent one prior to the Sanyo. I had a fancy 35 inch Zenith Inteq TV, got it around 1996 at some unheard of price (Think the list was around $2000, got it for about $600 new in box), trackball remote, all sorts of fancy features, could freeze frame the dual tuner picture in picture and even rewind it to a degree, excellent picture. Worked great then one day, retrace lines appeared and the picture went red. Repair man comes out, looks at it. Red gun drive went out of wack. The entire set was insanely complex on the inside, and almost entirely computerized (I've worked on TVs before and that was one complex set, looked like a computer motherboard with plug in cards for all the various functions). Dialed the red voltage back and viola, worked fine. Crapped out a year later, but was the power supply. Took forever to get parts from Zenith, but it fixed it. Still works. Gave it to my grandparents this year after getting this Sanyo.

I'm confident the repair shop will be able to fix this TV, locally they are probably one of the biggest and most adept places. The question is, will it last after they fix it? Sure I may get it fixed under warranty, but will it perform properly thereafter? That is my biggest concern. I got this TV at Wal-Mart for less than what Value City was charging, and am worried that if I try and argue it out with them or Sanyo should it go again that they are going to try and force me to take the 28 inch version because I paid so little for it to begin with.

Anyone here run into a similar scenario? Was Sanyo/Wal-Mart willing to be comparable with the specs of the TV? I bought a widescreen 30 inch TV and fully intend to keep things that way. On the phone Sanyo's intent clearly seemed that they wanted to try and fix it when I told them it would be a pain to transport, but perhaps it was because the service center is close as it is. They did not seem to have any real objections to doing it that way, and seemed to imply that whatever the problem was, that it was repairable (which would make sense considering working refurbs of them showed up, and who knows what the problem with those sets was).

Ah well, I'm getting curious now, gonna find out in the next day or two what the deal was.

I have a HT30744 and using a SA 3250HD STB, via component cables.

Does anyone know if this TV will automatically switch the pic mode from 'normal' to 'full' when watching SD then HD material? Its a pain to manually switch pic modes everytime I change channels that have different signals coming in.

Thanks for any help you guys can provide.

Picture mode on the TV should always be on full for that box. The box itself will display a 4:3 picture with sidebars. You might have to tell it to display "Normal 4:3" on the box.

Recently, I've noticed that the screen gets a green hue over it, from time to time. I believe many people have spoke on this, but no one has ever been able pinpoint why this occurs. Is it a technical issue with the set? Is the set that sensitive to surrounding magnetic fields? Or is it a simple degausing issue? I've had my HT30744 since May, and while it wasn't a perfect set by any means (see component video interference issue) it is/was a great set for the price, and produces a very pleasing picture. Other than the interference problem, I've never had a problem with this set at all. It worked as close to flawless as it could. Then, last Saturday, my significant other told me that the screen was green. Truning the set on and off didn't help much, so I unplugged the TV for a few minutes, and just like that the picture returned back to normal. I forgot about the problem, and didn't worry about it since I assumed that if it could be corrected that easily, it wasn't a big deal. Then the green discoloration became more frequent, but unplugging the set for a couple of minutes still works. So I'm really confused as to what could be causing this problem.



For what it's worth, I also noticed that if I wiggle the TV around, the discoloration sometimes goes away. I'm really confused, to say the least. I guess it's a great that I bought the $40 extended warranty huh? The only problem is that I bought the set and warranty from Walmart.com, since I live in NYC and there are no brick and mortar Walmarts here for a good 30 miles, so returning this set is really not an option. I'm going to see how long I can suck up this problem. If anyone has any idea what may be causing this problem, please feel free to share your advice. Thank you in advance.

Thanks for the tip, but I tried that, and it didn't make a difference.

Does anyone else have any ideas? Maybe I have a defective box? TV?

So does everyone's TV autoswitch their pic mode with different signals or do you have to do it manually?

Need to know before I start exchanging stuff out.

Picture mode on the TV should always be on full for that box. The box itself will display a 4:3 picture with sidebars. You might have to tell it to display "Normal 4:3" on the box.

That works for using the ATSC tuner, but if you're coming in via Component the TV doesn't swap Aspect Ratio depending upon the source.

So what happens is you get a funky stretched picture unless you hit the shape button to change it to Letterbox.

The alternative is to tell the cable box only to output 480i which will produce a digital picture with grey bars at top and bottom that will prevent you from having to hit the shape button...but kinda defeats the purpose doesn't it?

I searched through the Service manual, and perhaps it's due to not understanding all of the codes (would love to find a dictionary for them) but I didn't see anything that said like Default shape for 1080i or 720p or anything like that. :(

i bought the 30744 just before christmas, barely used the thing.... then all of a sudden a day ago, the damn tv wouldnt turn on.

the problem sounded nearly identicle to my dad's phillips flatscreen 27" non hd, and it was a 3 second fix job.

not a single walmart in the toronto area had another tv so i could swap them, phoned sanyo's customer service and got the run around, called local authorized sanyo repair shops and none of the ones i got through to even wanted to touch the unit. One of them flat out refused to even take it in to look at it.

nice huh?

oh well, i returned the unit to walmart, and picked up the samsung txp3064w instead.

I was told by a walmart CSR that they're deleting the HT32744 from their inventory, probably replacing it with a newer model... Anyone hear anything about this?

Thanks!

Its possible. That model is 2 years old now. New models usually show up in May or June

That works for using the ATSC tuner, but if you're coming in via Component the TV doesn't swap Aspect Ratio depending upon the source.

So what happens is you get a funky stretched picture unless you hit the shape button to change it to Letterbox.

The alternative is to tell the cable box only to output 480i which will produce a digital picture with grey bars at top and bottom that will prevent you from having to hit the shape button...but kinda defeats the purpose doesn't it?

I searched through the Service manual, and perhaps it's due to not understanding all of the codes (would love to find a dictionary for them) but I didn't see anything that said like Default shape for 1080i or 720p or anything like that. :(

Leave the TV shape at full, and the box will shape everything the way it's supposed to be. Press the bypass button on the remote for the box and you'll be able to change the shape of the picture (stretch 4:3, zoom 4:3 or normal 4:3). I had the same box.. left the TV at full and never touched the TV's shape again. Of course your box might have the other operating system (I had Pioneer Passport... the other is Scientific Atlanta's version), which I'm assuming would be the same for picture modes, but I could be wrong.

I got this tv today and have got the picture looking pretty good. I am having one geometry issue I haven't been able to correct via the service menu. The bottom half of the screen is fine (after some pinamp tweaks), but the top half of the picture seems to bow down (upper left and right corners are higher than the middle.

Anyone know which service menu entry will adjust this?

I've got that same geometry problem, but it's not too bad. I haven't delved into the service menu yet, just went through an AVIA DVD to set the major picture controls. When I've got some more time I plan on going through the servic menu to try and tweak a few little geometry quirks.

My main problem was that there was severe discoloration on the left side and lower right corner as soon as I turned on the set in my room. Like you'd get from unshielded speakers too close. But my speakers are all shielded and more than far enough away, except my center speaker which doesn't seem to affect it at all. No amount of turning the TV off/on seemed to make any difference. Even waited over an hour with it unplugged between turning it off and on to make sure any degaussing timer had expired. I couldn't find anything I could use to degauss the set, until I realized I could use the degausser in my computer monitor (19" CRT). Just put the monitor right up to the TV screen and activate my monitor's degauss function. A little less frightening than taping two high power magnets to an electric drill!!! Did that a few times focusing on the problem areas, and now the discoloration is almost all gone. Still a little bit in the lower right corner. I'll give it some time and try to do some more degaussing later. But other than that, DAMN it looks georgeous! Just a simple unamplified pair of rabbit ears is picking up all the OTA HD stations in my city, with a strong signal. Very nice. A b***h to carry up stairs though!

This is my first post, I really enjoy reading the insights on this forum.

now my question.

My HT30744 died last night. The picture went really dim and then wavy blurry mess. I went to walmart and they said they would exchange it but they don't have any thing to exchange it with. They have the 28" but i lose hdmi and 2" so that is not an option. Anyone have to exchange it and there was no similar model available? I see a few people are getting theirs repaired, how did you get sanyo to agree to this. I'm getting the run around. Ideas?


-Jerry

Hm, I just noticed that the service manual previously posted in this thread was for the HT32744-00 chassis while my chassis is HT32744-01... My set was produced December 2005. Anyone know if there's a real difference? Anyone have the service manual for the -01 model? I've already emailed sanyo support asking for the corresponding service manual, I'll let you know if I get it from them.

Hm, I just noticed that the service manual previously posted in this thread was for the HT32744-00 chassis while my chassis is HT32744-01... My set was produced December 2005. Anyone know if there's a real difference? Anyone have the service manual for the -01 model? I've already emailed sanyo support asking for the corresponding service manual, I'll let you know if I get it from them.


Mine was produced in December 2005 also (though I didn't confirm the chassis # - let us know what you find out about the difference). The service menu seems to be as described in the service manual (though I only corrected the pincushion parameters). I couldn't determine from the service manual if there were parameters to correct the horizontal curvature at the top of the screen. I emailed Sanyo, but doubt they will provide specific service menu parameters that control this (if there are any).

I am also trying to get OTA HD working and wanted to know if anyone has experience with this. I have tried two antennas and with one, I got several local channels, but the signal strength was in the middle. Does it make much difference in the PQ if you can get the signal strength up to the last bar? I didn't notice any marked improvement in PQ in OTA HD from the HDMI input from my DVD player.

Mine was produced in December 2005 also. The service menu seems to be as described in the service manual (though I only corrected the pincushion parameters). I couldn't determine from the service manual if there were parameters to correct the horizontal curvature at the top of the screen. I emailed Sanyo, but doubt they will provide specific service menu parameters that control this (if there are any).

I am also trying to get OTA HD working and wanted to know if anyone has experience with this. I have tried two antennas and with one, I got several local channels, but the signal strength was in the middle. Does it make much difference in the PQ if you can get the signal strength up to the last bar? I didn't notice any marked improvement in PQ in OTA HD from the HDMI input from my DVD player.
To answer your question, no, if you are getting a locked in channel (no skipping or blocking of the picture), you are getting as good of PQ as possible. Digital is 'all or nothing', in the regards that there is no static or ghosting like there would be on a weak analog signal. Now, if you aren't getting a good lock, you might experience macroblocking or pause and then catchup or audio drops.

You can watch your signal strength. If it is consistantly low, you might be able to add a amplifier (powered antenna) that should increase your signal strength. On the other hand if you signal strength jumps high to low constantly, you are expeiencing multi path (your antenna is picking up multiple signals of the same signal usually reflecting off other buildings or walls). That you can fix via different methods (just search for multipath & antenna).

Good luck

I'm just using a simple unamplified set of Jensen rabbit ears with a UHF loop. Picks up all my local HD stations. Of course I'm pretty close to the towers. I think the farthest one is only 7 miles or so.

Regarding the chassis number my guess is that the -01 chassis can not decode QAM (non-encrypted digital cable) while the -00 can. I'll post again after I hear from Sanyo support.

FYI, I called support on the horizontal bowing I am having and was immediately told it "must have been dropped" and to return the unit for exchange at Wal-mart.

I will try to see how far I can get in trying to get in-home warranty service, but don't have much faith in the chances. I just hate to have to lug this thing back to the store.

If I can't get it fixed, I will have to debate if I can live with it...

Leave the TV shape at full, and the box will shape everything the way it's supposed to be. Press the bypass button on the remote for the box and you'll be able to change the shape of the picture (stretch 4:3, zoom 4:3 or normal 4:3). I had the same box.. left the TV at full and never touched the TV's shape again. Of course your box might have the other operating system (I had Pioneer Passport... the other is Scientific Atlanta's version), which I'm assuming would be the same for picture modes, but I could be wrong.

mmm....not working for my TV. Must have the scientific atlanta version. I've been relagated to leave the box on 'fixed' sending everything in 1080i to the TV. Good for HD broadcasts, not so good for SD stuff. I guess the box won't 'force' the TV to automatically switch pic modes, as suggested by some other posters.

Thanks for everyone's posts.

We have Charter HDTV with the Motarola digital box, we come out of the box via componet to the TV, everything transmitting in HD is 1080I as upconverted by Charter, but now come to think of it, I have to change the picture more to best suite what is being transmitted. we tend to watch of it in the Normal or Zoom, but when we change back to the regular channels even out of the STB we need to choose a picture mode, your right, the TV does not shift automatically!
Dave

anyone have the 1080i timings for the 30" over hdmi?

Grrrr... Called Sanyo support to see if they can send someone out to properly degauss my system (it's still got discoloration in the lower right corner) and they informed me that there's no service center close enough to me to ever get any service done. The only thing I can do, no matter what the problem, is exchange for another set. :( Lame. Especially since I need to have a friend with a larger car help me transport the set.

For others who had magnetic discoloration that went away after a while, how long did it take to go away?

Dunno bout your set but mine autodegauses every time I turn it on.

I occasionally have discoloration in the lower left hand corner of mine - de-gaussing fixes it 95% of the time. Occasionally I have to degauss twice. The pain is that the television doesn't degauss automatically every time you turn it on.

it needs to sit for like 15 mins or so

I occasionally have discoloration in the lower left hand corner of mine - de-gaussing fixes it 95% of the time. Occasionally I have to degauss twice. The pain is that the television doesn't degauss automatically every time you turn it on.

If your TV isn't doing the degaussing, what are you using to degauss? Or you mean it degausses automatically sometimes but not all the time?

I tried putting my 19" computer monitor up to the TV and using it's degausser to degauss the TV. It seemed to help a bit the first day, and it got quite a bit better, but now it seems to have hit a wall and isn't improving any more. Sometimes I'm afraid it's getting worse, but it might just be my imagination. What's really weird is that even if I don't have my computer monitor powered on, just putting it into the proximity of the discoloration makes it disappear. :confused:

Leto2......A second way to degasse your tv is if you have a "weller" type soldering gun.....If you do, first plug the solder gun in.....Then from at least 6 feet away from your tv set turn the solder gun on.....now move to the set at a slow speed, until you are right up to the screen.....At all times keep the gun moving in a prox. 8' to10' circles.....Work over the complete area of the tube, and then (keeping) the gun moving slowly back away from the tv set.......Do not turn the gun off until you are at least 6-8 feet away from the set.......If you shut the gun off while you are close to the set , you will really see a stray magnetic mess.....Radio Shack at one time sold a small (6") degaussing coil, not sure if they still have it.......I hand wound a 12-14" diameter coil, using about 5000 feet of wire....And it works real well.......dplugs39

Leave the TV shape at full, and the box will shape everything the way it's supposed to be. Press the bypass button on the remote for the box and you'll be able to change the shape of the picture (stretch 4:3, zoom 4:3 or normal 4:3). I had the same box.. left the TV at full and never touched the TV's shape again. Of course your box might have the other operating system (I had Pioneer Passport... the other is Scientific Atlanta's version), which I'm assuming would be the same for picture modes, but I could be wrong.

For whatever reason, on mine, it always stretches. It passes the feed directly in as 1080i, but the TV thinks that should be stretched to the full screen when in FULL mode. None of the settings on the box change things.

The only think I can think of, and haven't tried, is to use the V_ASPECT setting on 720p and 1080i FULL to basically change the Aspect Ratio to 16:9 manually. It might work, but I haven't been motivated enough to try. Since 1080i and 720p are 16:9, in full it probably shouldn't fill the entire screen. So I'm thinking they're just set incorrectly.

As it is, where I am, I watch my HD over the air. I don't watch a lot of Discovery or TNT, and over the air I get Fox and ABC, while Time Warner fights its battle with Sinclair.

mmm....not working for my TV. Must have the scientific atlanta version. I've been relagated to leave the box on 'fixed' sending everything in 1080i to the TV. Good for HD broadcasts, not so good for SD stuff. I guess the box won't 'force' the TV to automatically switch pic modes, as suggested by some other posters.

Thanks for everyone's posts.

As I mentioned, I noticed the V_ASPECT settings for 1080i and 720p may work for those of us using Component cabling. HDMI may do the switch over appropriately, since I believe it uses the "Digital" settings.

I'll post here if I get a chance to try it out.

If your TV isn't doing the degaussing, what are you using to degauss? Or you mean it degausses automatically sometimes but not all the time?


It degausses automatically sometimes but not all the time.

Woohoo, finally got my set degaussed properly. :D

I was able to borrow a proper degaussing coil from my University's computer hardware repair center. I figured they must have some coils to degauss monitors with bad built-in degaussing coils. They had a nice (powerful!) 12" coil which they just let me take home and after a few wipes it looks great. :cool:

The only annoying problem left is that there is a slight bow as others have reported. The top of the screen is slightly bowed, the entire bottom half of the screen is perfectly straight. The upper corners are about half a centimeter higher than the top center. I'm not sure how much I can complain about half a centimeter though, with everything else working nice.

The only annoying problem left is that there is a slight bow as others have reported. The top of the screen is slightly bowed, the entire bottom half of the screen is perfectly straight. The upper corners are about half a centimeter higher than the top center. I'm not sure how much I can complain about half a centimeter though, with everything else working nice.

I called sanyo again and got through to a tech who knew a little more and he indicated the horizontal bowing at the top of the screen is a known issue with these sets that cannot be fixed. I love the picture so much that for the price, I can live with it. I figure if I messed with hauling it back for an exchange, I would end up with one with the same issue. It is kind of annoying when watching letterbox material though...

Check page 17 in the service manual, it describes AFC bow, AFC angle, and pincushioning adjustment. I did the adjustment when I first got the TV. The whole process took about 10 minutes.

Also, may be my eyes play trick in me, I found that TV screen has less bowing and instability if the TV is plugged into its own outlet.



I called sanyo again and got through to a tech who knew a little more and he indicated the horizontal bowing at the top of the screen is a known issue with these sets that cannot be fixed. I love the picture so much that for the price, I can live with it. I figure if I messed with hauling it back for an exchange, I would end up with one with the same issue. It is kind of annoying when watching letterbox material though...

Check page 17 in the service manual, it describes AFC bow, AFC angle, and pincushioning adjustment. I did the adjustment when I first got the TV. The whole process took about 10 minutes.

Also, may be my eyes play trick in me, I found that TV screen has less bowing and instability if the TV is plugged into its own outlet.

The AFC bow is for horizontal bowing, not vertical bowing. I tweaked all the AFC/Pin adjustments listed there and they don't affect the vertical bowing.

I don't see how the outlet would affect the bowing/instability unless you're using a really bad power strip. Though I guess it can't hurt to try. :)

I tried the same pincushion tweaks from p17 of the service manual with no effect on the horizontal bowing. I forgot about trying the direct power plug in - I will try switching the tv to its own power source and see if it makes any improvement.

I finally got to watch NFL in HD yesterday, which was amazing. I had a question though - I haven't found a location for my indoor antenna which will bring in all locals (ie: I can get CBS and NBC with the antenna in one location, but not Fox, PBS - though they come in when I move the antenna to another location)

When you re-scan for the local channels, it loses the memory of the previous stations you had locked in. Is there any way to scan for new stations without losing the old ones?

When you re-scan for the local channels, it loses the memory of the previous stations you had locked in. Is there any way to scan for new stations without losing the old ones?

"Digital Add-On Search"

"Digital Add-On Search"


Duh. Thanks

I have a 32" Sanyo and use COX service in Las Vegas, with their supplied Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD STB...Anyone on this forum also from Vegas, who could help me with their settings used to capture the best performance?

Thanks,
Jim

just as I decided to pick up a 32" sanyo i cannot find any in any walmart for 25 miles around. anyone know of any walmarts in mass. that have any in stock or even the 30" ? :(

The 30" has been out of production for about a year now, and the 32" has recently been discontinued. The 30" will be very hard, if not impossible to find, and the 32" will be increasingly harder to find.

I picked one of the 32" refurbs up tonight from Value City for <$300. The preset picture settings are not good and I'm less than crazy about the plasticy silver / gray exterior, but the picture looks ok after calibrating it manually. The biggest problems are with noise on the component inputs and some geometry. I've got an HD DVR from time warner so I haven't tried the over the air inputs. If I can't fix the problem on the component inputs it's going back. I'm not used to watching HDTV on such a small screen (have only had it on projectors at home) so despite the nice picture it's a bit underwhelming compared the the 92" screen in the basement.

The 30" has been out of production for about a year now, and the 32" has recently been discontinued. The 30" will be very hard, if not impossible to find, and the 32" will be increasingly harder to find.

I just bought the 32" 2 weeks ago at the $577 price. Has the price been dropped (or will it soon)?

Well after spending more time with the unit tonight I'm planning to take it back to Value City. The main problem is that the set has wavy lines (kind of a random moire look) It is most apparent on gray test patterns, but also can be seen in regular programing such as the vertical side of the backboard are wavy when looking closely (as well as throughout the screen. Tried everything including plugging in on a different circuit, no dice. I think I'll put up with my old Panny for a bit longer. Too bad, for the price I was hoping this would have worked out.

I've been informed by a few WallyWorld employees (at several stores) that the HT32744 has been deleted from their inventories in NE Illinois.

I guess I'm the last customer in this region that's going to be allowed to put one on layaway.

;)

But the supercenter in Antioch, IL *IS* selling their display model for 10% off!!!!! (no layaway there)

I have had some more time to evaluate my HT32744 and was wondering if anyone has specific knowledge of which service menu items can be used to correct the "barrel roll" issue. In general, my screen looks something like:

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1. At the extreme left and right sides, scrolling text behaves strange for 2-3 inches due to the compression.
2. If I look at the Grid in the THX optimizer, the boxes are narrower in the middle of the screen. I also notice this in some viewing - faces are more narrow in the center of the screen.

3. I also have a horizontal bowing on the top 1/3 of the picture - it bows about 1/8 inch in the middle.

I don't know if these can be corrected via the service menu or not. I am probably being pretty picky, but are these kind of geometry issues typical of 32" tv's in general or just Sanyo? I can probably live with a few of these issues, but would like to fix what I can.

The barrel roll can't really be fixed. I think you can adjust the overscan so that you see less of it, but then you're cutting more and more of the picture off. I think it's a problem with the electron gun (correct me if I'm wrong), and I've only seen it on the Sanyo. Bowing might be able to be fixed by adjusting the pincussion in the service menu. I don't remember the specific options (somewhere in the 100s.. maybe 120s).. search the thread or service manual and you'll find them.

Thanks for the suggestions. I tweaked the pincushion, but there is no correction for the horizontal bowing (only afc bow). I will try the overscan adjustments for the barrel roll issue - I think reducing vertical overscan will help...

Finally got my set (30744) delivered back from the service center for the intermittent green problem. Would have been sooner but had to arrange a day when there was someone here who could actually help unload the TV. Well the good news? Picture is as good, if not better than when it was new. Rolling interference is completely gone, occasionally I'd get a side to side rolling interference through the component inputs, but thankfully it seems to be gone entirely.

The mystery green? Well for now that is gone as well. Hopefully for good. After a few days I called the tech who was working on the TV and chatted with him, about how the TV was. He said it had been fine as long as it had been there, so I went through the symptoms again. Described how I tapped the top of the TV one day and the green went away and the picture went back to normal, so he told me he was going to comb it over for a bad solder joint.

What ended up being resoldered was IC711 on the picture tube driver board. Red is back, on all inputs, and the rolling pattern seems to be gone in it's entirety. Might be worth investigating.

Value City's online circular today features a Sanyo 24" TV, no mention of "High Definition". However, don't be mislead by the picture in the circular (which says "Vizon", "HDMI", and "HDTV") -- they substituted a .jpg of the HT32744. The paper circular displays a correct (non-HDTV) photo.

Anybody out there still seeing the Sanyo HDTVs on sale at Value City in Illinois?

I have a question about the HT32744 and its HD

Is it HD when its in the letterbox mode?

I only ask becuase teh 1080i setting on the Xbox 360 is only for Widescreen and i want to get the most out of it.

Yes, I had the unit for about 5 days before returning to Value City. (Problems were many with this refurb set). I tested it on HDTV through my HD DVR and the tv stretched out the image vertically, so you had to put HDTV signals into letterbox to get the right aspect ratio (over the air, which I only briefly tested made the change automatically if I recall)

Yes, I had the unit for about 5 days before returning to Value City. (Problems were many with this refurb set). I tested it on HDTV through my HD DVR and the tv stretched out the image vertically, so you had to put HDTV signals into letterbox to get the right aspect ratio (over the air, which I only briefly tested made the change automatically if I recall)


Correct, for whatever reason there are "FULL" settings for 1080i and 720p which really don't make sense since they are "LETTERBOX" formats. The TV stretches the picture to fill the screen.

But is it HD? It says in the Manual that the scaning format is 1080i, is that horizontal or vertical? I mean it looks better in Full mode but everythings streched alot and if it is just 1080i format then why is a 4:3 ratio tv? can it natively display 480p? also can someone recommend a componet hub so i can plug more that 2 componets at a time.

sorry for all the questions but it dosent make sense to me.

It is HD, but I don't know the technological detail of how analog CRTs display HD. This set converts everything to 1080 interlaced. As for a component hub, I've seen some cheap ones on ebay but haven't bought. I've had good luck with monoprice.com for cheap cables, and I think they may carry one. Best of luck.

But is it HD? It says in the Manual that the scaning format is 1080i, is that horizontal or vertical? I mean it looks better in Full mode but everythings streched alot and if it is just 1080i format then why is a 4:3 ratio tv? can it natively display 480p? also can someone recommend a componet hub so i can plug more that 2 componets at a time.

sorry for all the questions but it dosent make sense to me.

It is able to display an HD feed. It has, I believe 800 scan lines?, which means it obviously is going to lose some data in there, just as a 720p native set would on an 1080i feed. When the mode is swiched to letterbox, the tv pushes the vertical lines closer togther. I learned this when playing the Vertical Up and low black levels in the service menu. Essentially, there are a about 5 lines over the top 2 inches or so of the set which should be blacked out, and then the lines are displayed. So it appears to me that you lose about 10 or so lines at the top and bottom and the remaining are compressed together in the letterbox format. So it seems like you're getting a good quality picture in terms of definition.

When I switch the mode to Letterbox, the HD feed looks Very clear and very nice to me. When I watch 720p or 1080i feeds over the air they look very very clear to me. When I view PBS secondary digital channels they look very clear and they are 480i feeds

Where the set really shines is on Digital cable. I've watched episodes of the A-Team and Knight Rider on Sleuth on Digital Cable, and you're able to see the scratches in the film the shows were produced on. These are 480i feeds.

So i've no issue with how it displays anything except perhaps analog. Because of the upcoversion, you amplify that noise in the signal. It does a good job of fixing it, but on some channels it really looks bad. I really hope that the cable company starts to offer all of its analog channels on the digital tier because the clarity is just so much better. It may not happen for a few years, but this TV will be ready for it when it does.

It is able to display an HD feed. It has, I believe 800 scan lines?, which means it obviously is going to lose some data in there, just as a 720p native set would on an 1080i feed.

1080i only needs 540 scan lines so this is more than necessary.

OK, I think think I understand now. I am losing Some of the signal but not enough to care about.

Thank You.

I just started getting the green intermittent problem after we had a power outage last weekend. I purchased this TV around October 2005. Does anyone know what steps I need to take? Should I get this looked into?

Newbie with a very basic question:

I am using this HT32744 for watching DVDs -- I probably won't add cable until next year.
My old DVD player is a $34.95 junker and I wil replace it this weekend - even so the picture looked great when I used it last night.

My question is: Is there any advantage to buying a DVD player that "UPCONVERTS" the DVD signal, since apparently the SANYO set does that ?

I heard some comments in the office that the best picture comes from devices that use "FAROUDJA SCALER" (not really sure of spelling or terminology).

Does anyone have any input on this subject (I'd hate to spend the money for a more expensive DVD and then find out the TV already did the same thing).


I just bought the Sanyo last night at WalMart - $577 --- and everyone is right, it does weigh a ton, but it seems to be a terrific value.
I figure it will work for me for three or four years until the HD-DVD format is settled and 1080Progessive becomes standard.
I just could not justify spending two or three thousand for a CRT or Plasma set while display technology is still changing so much.

If you ask me, the $577 isn't really a terrific value anymore, but that's beside the point.

I would not waste money on an upscaling DVD player. The difference in quality isn't signficant on a low end player and doesn't justify the cost of a high end player. Save your money for a Playstation 3 when it comes out so you can watch BluRay movies.

If I were you, I'd stick with the cheapo $35 DVD player.

What were the steps you had to take to get your green tint fixed? Did you have to take the tv in yourself to a service center or did they come pick it up? Do I call Sanyo or do I just take this TV back to Walmart? They don't have these anymore at the Walmart stores don't know what they may have that would be comparible?

Finally got my set (30744) delivered back from the service center for the intermittent green problem. Would have been sooner but had to arrange a day when there was someone here who could actually help unload the TV. Well the good news? Picture is as good, if not better than when it was new. Rolling interference is completely gone, occasionally I'd get a side to side rolling interference through the component inputs, but thankfully it seems to be gone entirely.

The mystery green? Well for now that is gone as well. Hopefully for good. After a few days I called the tech who was working on the TV and chatted with him, about how the TV was. He said it had been fine as long as it had been there, so I went through the symptoms again. Described how I tapped the top of the TV one day and the green went away and the picture went back to normal, so he told me he was going to comb it over for a bad solder joint.

What ended up being resoldered was IC711 on the picture tube driver board. Red is back, on all inputs, and the rolling pattern seems to be gone in it's entirety. Might be worth investigating.

I have run in to a green area on right side of the screen just about center line.. it really shows up my wifes says when kathy from kahy and regis wears a very wihite blouse. I called Sanyo customer service who is very aware of the problem, if you purchased it at Wal-mart they will exchange the tv for up to 1 year.. mine isn't that bad yet. so I live with the occational blob. Hope that helps.


I just started getting the green intermittent problem after we had a power outage last weekend. I purchased this TV around October 2005. Does anyone know what steps I need to take? Should I get this looked into?

Well first a little more into my TV's history. Was purchased in June (think it was actually built in late 2004) I'd say back in September or so while watching a DVD (through SVHS, not component), the TV got a green blurry look it it. I called Sanyo up and was going to arrange service when the problem went away after unplugging the set. Was fine for a few months. Then every so often it went green, then more frequently. One day I actually got to see it go green while I was watching it as it happened (you'd be surprised at how easy it was to miss when it did it). I went up to the set and gave it a tap with my palm in the front center of the TV, magically the reds came back. This seemed eerily similar to the solder joint problems I had with an RCA 19 inch TV which would sometimes work after turning it off, and other times would not work no matter what you did. The problem always was through all the inputs and was the entire screen, not just a portion of it, though the left side always had a tad more red (barely noticable) when it happened.

BTW, when I say it "went green" it basically lost the reds. Well the reds did not go entirely, they were weak. Enough so that the set was able to come up with a respectable B&W picture when you turned the color off.

Finally I got fed up and called Sanyo again. They never really suggested returning the set and thought the problem was fixable. I told them I had no way to transport the set (due to winter weather) to the service center. I'm not sure how they would handle it if there is no local service center, but there is a place locally that handles virtually anything. They came out to look at the set first. The guy who looked at it initially seemed a bit surprised. He offered to delve into it there but thought it would be easier to take it back to the shop.

Well this service center is large, and of course it ends up with another person. I had the opportunity to talk to him on the phone, explaining the nature of the problem. He decides to comb it over for bad solder joints. Get a call the Monday after I spoke to him and they said it was done. Took a few days to arrange a time to deliver it.

The verdict was as stated resoldering IC711, which is part of the red drive of the picture tube (right on the circuit board on the neck). The result works fine, however the set seems to have something of a red push now (more so than it did before). I'm pretty convinced this problem was there from the day it was manufactured, as it seems as though it was calibrated to equal out the color. I'm not talking a major difference here, just enough so that I could notice (though I'm kind of good at adjusting TVs by eye). Picture is as good or better than when it was new.

So far it has been running fine, I've got until June to work out it's issues (if any more arise), but I'd rather not take it back to Wal-mart and try and argue with them, I won't settle for a 28 inch and the price I paid was less than what Value City was charging for refurbs. If Sanyo is willing to pay to repair it, then thats all fine by me. As I said, they seemed willing to and thought it was fixable, they should know if they they are refurbing them for other retailers to sell.

Though there seems to be a thought that this green issue relates to the power supply, I speculate that it is actually a solder joint problem. As I mentioned above I had an RCA 19 inch, one of those ones with the bad solder joints in the tuner. The TV would randomly work whenever it wanted, sometimes turning it off and on, or unplugging it and plugging it back in would restore it to functionality sometimes it wouldn't (with problems like shrinking picture you would being to wonder if it was the power supply if things like that fixed the problem temporarily). I eventually pressured RCA on the issue and they reimbursed me the repair cost out of warranty, the TV still works fine to this day and it has been several years.

Hi guys. I just hooked my 32" set up today after getting it 2 months ago from Value City. I have great hopes for my TV but you guys sure can make this stuff sound complicated. The picture looks pretty good so far but I have a couple of questions. My picture does look like it has a slight folding aim towards inside the set. I know that adjustment has a name but not sure what it is called. Is this normal and basically adjustable? I see there are some adjustments than can not be fixed it seems and I would like to know if mine if one of them. Also my main reason for getting this tv is to turn it into a HTPC monitor. Does the set have a great enough resolution to be text readable at say 720p or 1024x768?

I have learned alot from you guys over the last couple of months and I know now that HDTV contains alot of variables. Who here has had perfection or near perfection from their set from the day they bought it? I want mine to be the best purchase I have made in quite a few years.

Also my main reason for getting this tv is to turn it into a HTPC monitor. Does the set have a great enough resolution to be text readable at say 720p or 1024x768?

I've been using the 30" version as my HTPC monitor for nearly a year. Works really well for movies, and when used with a "frontend" (Xlobby, MediaPortal, Meedio, etc.), particularly if you can use DVI>HDMI. However, surfing the net or reading anything that does not have a blown-up font will give you a headache right quick. Check out this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=414867&page=1&pp=30) for more info.

I have learned alot from you guys over the last couple of months and I know now that HDTV contains alot of variables. Who here has had perfection or near perfection from their set from the day they bought it? I want mine to be the best purchase I have made in quite a few years.

I seriously doubt you are going to achieve "perfection" or even "near perfection" with this set. You have to keep things in perspective. This is among the cheapest HDTVs on the market, and almost certainly the cheapest with an internal tuner and HDMI. Set you hopes too high and you are destined for disappointment...

The result works fine, however the set seems to have something of a red push now (more so than it did before). I'm pretty convinced this problem was there from the day it was manufactured, as it seems as though it was calibrated to equal out the color.

This set definitely has a bit of red push. If you're intrepid enough to muck with the service menu, check out this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5534001&&#post5534001) and the ones after it, then search this thread for the service manual link and instructions on tweaking. It's been months since I did it, so I can't give a step-by-step unfortunately, but I was able to tame the reds to my liking... FWIW...

I've been using the 30" version as my HTPC monitor for nearly a year. Works really well for movies, and when used with a "frontend" (Xlobby, MediaPortal, Meedio, etc.), particularly if you can use DVI>HDMI. However, surfing the net or reading anything that does not have a blown-up font will give you a headache right quick.



I think that I am more dissapointed in the HD specs than I am in my tv. Seems to me that HD resolutions are "virtual" and not actual. If a tv claims to be 720p then it should be able to show 1280x720 pixels on the screen...which should be very readable. What I am getting is that a tv can be considered HD if it can accept that signal and just compress it to fit that actual resolution it is capable of. As far as a computer goes I can already do that with a standard tv with s-video. I can display vga, svga, and xvga on a standard tv even though I can't read text on it. What did I gain by going HD? The Sanyo's are really just flat screen standard tvs that can decode HD signals and compress them???

As far as perfection goes I didn't mean that I wanted it to be the best tv ever but I did expect it to be the best it can be...99% of the time. Oh well I'll figure something out. :cool:

As far as a computer goes I can already do that with a standard tv with s-video. I can display vga, svga, and xvga on a standard tv even though I can't read text on it. What did I gain by going HD? The Sanyo's are really just flat screen standard tvs that can decode HD signals and compress them???

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the highest resolution s-video can carry is 720 x 480. These Sanyos can in fact display hi-def resolutions -- compare a hi-def feed on your Sanyo to a standard feed on your old tv and you will know the hi-def is not "virtual." Likewise, if you feed this tv an upscaled DVD signal over DVI>HDMI, you will see a marked improvement over standard def. The problem with text, I believe, lies in the difficulty of determining and reproducing this tv's optimal resolution and refresh rate. For whatever reason, it just doesn't play well with graphics cards when it comes to displaying unfuzzy, unflickering text.

My Wal-Mart still has these Sanyos in stock. The 32" is very impressive, for features, price, AND picture quality.

FWIW, this month's "Consumer Reports" rates the Sanyo HT32744 at the bottom of the six 32-inch 4:3 HD sets reviewed. It has an overall rating of 39/100 (the highest is Sony KV-32HS420 at 72/100). The Sanyo is rated at good for all categories except on "HD Programming" and "Regular TV via basic input," where it rates as "fair." The Sanyo HT28745 scores even worse with an overall score of 32.

I picked up another Sanyo last night. I had to drive 45 miles to a super walmart to buy one.

I purchased the 27". All of they had left of the sanyo's (27" 28" and 32") were the display models (for 10% off). I purchased the TV for my mother in law for her birthday (to replace her current 25 year old 25").

Great tv for a great price!

FWIW, this month's "Consumer Reports" rates the Sanyo HT32744 at the bottom of the six 32-inch 4:3 HD sets reviewed. It has an overall rating of 39/100 (the highest is Sony KV-32HS420 at 72/100). The Sanyo is rated at good for all categories except on "HD Programming" and "Regular TV via basic input," where it rates as "fair." The Sanyo HT28745 scores even worse with an overall score of 32.

I think I can see why it is rating is at the bottom. I am also getting this intermittent green tint problem. I called SANYO today and they told me to take this HEAVY 32" television back to Walmart for a replacement instead of having it worked on. If they don't have a TV to replace it with I am to choose another model/brand or ask for my monies back. WHAT A MESS!!!!

I have called Walmart and speaking with them about this and they told me to bring the set in and get a refund.

Anyone got any suggestions for a decent HDTV that is reasonably priced? I think I'm going to get me an LCD/HDTV, they are a heck of a lot lighter to be hauling around to be repaired or returned. LOL

Netqueen :mad:

I wrote earlier in this thread that I don't really find this set to be that great a value anymore (though they were when I bought mine a year ago). I'd recommend getting a Sam's Club or Costco membership and getting a smaller LCD or plasma from them - they have a no questions asked return policy, so you can feel confident in buying an "no name" brand. If it breaks or you just don't like it, return it and get your money back. Can't beat that.

Netqueen, I'm surprised they didn't offer you the option of having it fixed. Two questions, are you close to a service center that would work on it as I was? If not they probably felt it best to return it. The service center I used picked up and dropped it off, they really didn't want to work on it in house.

I told Sanyo I had no way of transporting it back and forth, but they never really gave much headache anyway, they thought it would be easier to try and fix it, perhaps because of my close proximity to the service center.

That said if it goes before my warranty is up I'm going to either make them fix it again or make them give me a comparable replacement, I paid too little for it and I wouldn't be happy just to get my money back.

I was wondering since this tv has a Digital tuner if you could help me hook it up.

now I hooked up my regular antanna to it but it didnt give me anything. i was wondering if you could give a few pointers since I cant afford any HD Derectv. my Zip code is 54982.

I was wondering since this tv has a Digital tuner if you could help me hook it up.

now I hooked up my regular antanna to it but it didnt give me anything. i was wondering if you could give a few pointers since I cant afford any HD Derectv. my Zip code is 54982.

Wautoma? So you pick up the Green Bay stations? What kind of antenna do you have?

ya Wautoma and with regular tv I get Madison more then Green Bay. the Antenna is like 20 years old and was at my house when I moved in. I put in a booster if that matters.

Oh crap! Mine starting "going green" the other night as well. I messed with the tint, and the picture modes, and it fixed itself, but today it happened again. I bought it sometime in the fall of 2004, so I'm out of warranty, right? Anybody want a take a guess at what this type of repair (fixing a loose solder joint) would cost out of pocket?

Take a look at my above post about the green issue, been back a month or so and it still works OK, if I recall it was IC 711 on the CRT driver board that had bad solder joints.

Looks like the 30" is back as the HT30746 as well as some new digital SDTVs.

http://www.sanyo.com/entertainment/televisions/digital/

^ Has anyone seen the new 30" available at Walmart yet? I've been to a couple and haven't seen it yet. I'm hoping they'll let me trade it for my 30744 before the warranty's up mid March.

Yep, list price will be $526. Should be in stores the first few weeks of march, to meet the FCC mandate on CRT televisions. I've known about this unit for some time, but I just couldn't tell too much since I'm now a managment trainee. There are other units comming out as well (Sanyo SDTV units and many other SDTVs), that should be in stores around the same time, but are aimed at a different market than avsers.

...type one out, read it aloud, 22 more avs forum posts to go...

It doesn't look much different compared to the 30744 feature wise. Less inputs... and no sharing of audio jacks anymore... auto audio levels? other than that everything pretty much seems the same. I just hope the problems are worked out of the new one (component jacks, tilt, etc.).

oryan_dunn, Any idea when they will be in the stores?

When you say list do you mean WAL-MART's List Price or Sanyo's list price or are they the same seeing WAL-MART owns the controling intrest in Sanyo USA.

I think I saw this set at Walmart for $417.

oryan_dunn, Any idea when they will be in the stores?

When you say list do you mean WAL-MART's List Price or Sanyo's list price or are they the same seeing WAL-MART owns the controling intrest in Sanyo USA.


Both I guess. I think it will be in around the second week or so of March. It will coincide with the FCC mandate.

...type one out, read it aloud, 21 more avs forum posts to go...

Just a quick heads up.

In a couple weeks WM will be redoing their D5 modulars. By Dec. 2006 WM will stop selling analog TV's ENTIRELY! There are some REALLY nice models on the new set at some good prices.

WM also finally made a deal to start carrying Hitachi's and Samsung TV's.

I got this info from the Year Beginning Meetings in Kansas City about a month ago.

Just a quick heads up.

In a couple weeks WM will be redoing their D5 modulars. By Dec. 2006 WM will stop selling analog TV's ENTIRELY! There are some REALLY nice models on the new set at some good prices.

WM also finally made a deal to start carrying Hitachi's and Samsung TV's.

I got this info from the Year Beginning Meetings in Kansas City about a month ago.
What's a D5 modular?

Will these Hitachi and Samsung sets be Walmart specials or the same models carried by other chains like BB and CC?

The phase out of analog models makes sense - the FCC mandate is 3/1/07.

So there should be some great Blow Out Sales on analog tvs come Black Friday & Christmas time :) or will they be redoing their displays & cleaning them out before that like this summer?

What's a D5 modular?

Will these Hitachi and Samsung sets be Walmart specials or the same models carried by other chains like BB and CC?

The phase out of analog models makes sense - the FCC mandate is 3/1/07.


D5=Department #5:Electronics in WM lingo. :o
Modular is the floorplan for the dept.

I grab the disc with the pics from work on MOnday and post them for you guys.

I recently almost bought an HT28745 at my local Walmart. Sorry, if discussing the 'little brother' is off topic here. It was a return item at a discounted price which made it quite attractive to my retiree budget. I hooked my Hi-8 Sony Handicam via S-Video and was appauled at the degradation of the picture!

There are years upon years of SDTV media that folks want to be able to watch.
My question is why don't HDTV set makers build in a 'compatibility mode' or something?

Are there HDTV or EDTV sets that are known for excellent viewing of SDTV media?

I don't doubt that Wal-mart would like to jump ahead into the future with new products ahead of its competitors, but I wouldn't think they would eliminate Analog television sets completely at the end of this year. Wal-mart is always trying to reduce its costs more and more each years through new negotiations with its manufacturers to reduce its costs and to make more profit as well as pass some savings along to the customer in the form of rollbacks. It is true that HD CRTs, LCDs, and Plasmas are more expensive to produce than analog CRTs. I think what they're trying to say is that the regular analog televisions will end at the end of this year and that the "analog" televisions will carry a digital tuner built-in to the set. This alone does not make the television digital. It still is analog any way you look at it. It's the same thing as taking a set-top digital OTA receiver and connecting it to one of the analog television sets that Wal-mart carries now. I too work at Wal-mart and I work in the Electronics also. I noticed that some of the new televisions we're getting in the department are SDTVs (Standard Definition Televisions). Basically, a SDTV is just an analog CRT with a digital tuner built-in to the set.

It depends on the definition of digital TV but makers and sellers will tout the fact that the new ATSC tuner equiped TVs are "digital". I saw the new 30" Sanyo today in Walmart and the price on the box says $478 and the word "digital" is on there many times. Granted this is an HD set, but even the SDTVs w/ digital tuners have the same amount of "digital" this and that on the box.

All CRTs are analog, even CRT HDTVs.. the only digital part is the tuner/hdmi port which eventually is converted back to an analog signal anyways so a viewable picture can be displayed on the TV.

I am a new poster to this forum but have been viewing for some time. I purchased the Sanyo HT 30746 from Wal-Mart for $478. There are some good and some bad things about this set. The good is the price and the built-in digital cable tuner. The bad is the out-of-box PQ and some strange firmware issues. There is really only one shared digital tuner. You have a choice of OTA digital or QAM. Databases for both cannot reside in memory at the same time. There is also no direct access to digital channels that are not in the scanned database. If you want to view OTA digital you have to do a complete channel rescan and you lose your QAM database. This can be very annoying if you don’t have all of the locals on cable. The QAM tuner works very well as I have very good cable strength. Audio on standard broadcasts sometimes appear out of sync but the pictures look fair. Digital audio is clean thru the optical out. Standard audio from NTSC does not come out the digital output and the optical does not shut off when you are viewing standard broadcast. This means you have to use a separate input on your receiver if you cannot override the optical. As far as general PQ. Out-of-the-box setup is horrible. There are few adjustments in the menus other than the basics. Had to back off the contrast to around 20% and raise the brightness to about 60. Color was oversaturated and had a red/green push. Red cutoff slightly high in black screen. Whites tend to clip slightly but are white. Heavy contrast scenes tend to push blacks. Linearity issues include a horizontally stretched area about 80% to the right of center. Pincushion is off slightly. Focus is left of center and the right edge is slightly out of focus. This could be related to the stretch issue. Picture is off center to the left and overscanned. As no service manual is out yet for this box I can probably only tinker with some of the basic setups in the service menu. The price of the 30 inch Sonys are dropping so that might be a better way to go. Nothing lost though and the Wal-Mart return policy will work in my favor. The set only weighs in at 115 pounds so it’s not a killer.

I am a new poster to this forum but have been viewing for some time. I purchased the Sanyo HT 30746 from Wal-Mart for $478. There are some good and some bad things about this set. The good is the price and the built-in digital cable tuner. The bad is the out-of-box PQ and some strange firmware issues. There is really only one shared digital tuner. You have a choice of OTA digital or QAM. Databases for both cannot reside in memory at the same time. There is also no direct access to digital channels that are not in the scanned database. If you want to view OTA digital you have to do a complete channel rescan and you lose your QAM database. This can be very annoying if you don’t have all of the locals on cable. The QAM tuner works very well as I have very good cable strength. Audio on standard broadcasts sometimes appear out of sync but the pictures look fair. Digital audio is clean thru the optical out. Standard audio from NTSC does not come out the digital output and the optical does not shut off when you are viewing standard broadcast. This means you have to use a separate input on your receiver if you cannot override the optical. As far as general PQ. Out-of-the-box setup is horrible. There are few adjustments in the menus other than the basics. Had to back off the contrast to around 20% and raise the brightness to about 60. Color was oversaturated and had a red/green push. Red cutoff slightly high in black screen. Whites tend to clip slightly but are white. Heavy contrast scenes tend to push blacks. Linearity issues include a horizontally stretched area about 80% to the right of center. Pincushion is off slightly. Focus is left of center and the right edge is slightly out of focus. This could be related to the stretch issue. Picture is off center to the left and overscanned. As no service manual is out yet for this box I can probably only tinker with some of the basic setups in the service menu. The price of the 30 inch Sonys are dropping so that might be a better way to go. Nothing lost though and the Wal-Mart return policy will work in my favor. The set only weighs in at 115 pounds so it’s not a killer.

The shared memory has been on all Sanyo TVs.. it's not a firmware issue. You can't access channels direct becacuse you need to know the frequency they are.. the numbers you see are just mappings to various frequencies, so you can only get them when scanning. The reason you don't get audio on the analog channels is because these TVs don't have any sort of encoder to convert the analog audio into digital. Most TVs don't have this (including my Sony).

I just exchanged my 30744 for the 30746 and i'm disappointed. The menus are half as detailed as the last one. Picture and picture is lost. The remote is very basic. I also have these wavy lines that look like FM interferance on all inputs. If anyone has any ideas about that it would be appreciated. I will probably take this back as the wavy line noise really runs the picture. Its a shame. I feel cheated.

My original reason for buying this tv was to replace my 1983 RCA Lyceum (Professional Monitor) that has been a champ. Still looked like it did out of the box except for some recent occasional problems with a cold solder joint somewhere. Did not want to repair it and was waiting for the price of plasmas to come down. Still think the pannys are the best but not worth 2 grand plus. I had planned to stick this in the bedroom when the big screens became available at a reasonable price. The Sony 30 inchers are falling in price as Sony discontinues all hdtv tube sets but the weight is rediculous. The Sanyo weighs in at 115 lbs vs. 154 for the Sony. My stand supports around 125... that would be pushing it. If I can correct the geometry issues, focus and the red/green push I could probably live with the Sanyo for now. As far as direct access to digital channels, there is no way to enter frequency numbers in these sets. Only the scanned virtuals. I guess I could go with digital cable for an extra 14 bucks and use the HDMI input. Then I could use the internal tuner for the OTAs. Kind of defeats the reason for buying a set with built in QAM.

Well, the Sony WEGA 30 inchers have plummeted in price... No brainer... the Sanyo is going back... Sony KD30XS955 on the way... Was begining to get used to the Sanyo's strange geometry and red push. At least the Sony has a service manual issued. Nothing for the Sanyo yet. Haven't heard back from customer relations as to its status. My wife liked the Sanyo though with its vivid colors and high contrast. Maybe there's a market for it... bye for now....

im trying to fix the overscan.... i fixed it on the vertical but on the horizontal i cant.... if i shrink the horizontal to make the screen fit the whole picture then i guess massive amounts of barrell roll on the sides..... is there anythin else i can do to fix the overscan on the sides? (from service menu)

EDIT: i have the sanyo 30"

Turning down the contrast very low will help. Whether or not the contrast is then too low for your taste though is another matter. My contrast is generally around 10-15%.

i like high contrast tho... mine is around 75%

The best settings I found for the HT 30746 are as follows in clicks from centered:

Color: -7
Tint: 0
Contrast: -12
Brightness: +13
Sharpness: +14

As the sets don't track too well through high contrast scenes it is better to have a slight grey raster instead of black. You can vary the brightness slightly to your own taste but the contrast looks good if left at -12. There are settings in the service menu that could improve things but this should be a good start for those who don't want to go that route.

Geometry problems are another issue. Remember this is a $478 set with built in HDTV tuners. Not too bad for the price. If you can't live with it you've got ninety days to return it. The JVCs and the Samsungs don't look any better.

I just bought this dvd player and the picture difference while watching dvd's has been spectacular in my opinion. My question is for anyone who is also using this dvd player with the 30744 televsion. In the set up menu do you use the RGB normal setting, or the RGB expanded setting. Will this tv support the RGB expanded setting, and if so will that greatly increase the picture being displayed. Thank-you.

For the interpid DIYers out there, how difficult and dangerous would it be for me to attempt the solder repair quoted below by myself? The service center near me is quoting me $100 bucks just to come out and diagnose what I already know to be the problem. I've heard getting shocked by CRTs is a real risk, but I can't stand paying premium for things I could do myself...

The verdict was as stated resoldering IC711, which is part of the red drive of the picture tube

Hey,

I am hoping someone can help with me with my new Sanyo HT28745. This is the second one I have received from Walmart, as the first one was too grainy to see anything.
I bought the TV for my xbox360, and it plays the games well, however, dvd playback is awful. Is this just part of the upconversion process? I also hooked up my regular xbox, and the basic green menu was awful, however gameplay was fine. My question is, is this normal for these sets? I was hoping for really clear picture, but truthfully, the picture is clearer on on my old 27" panasonic.
Any help would be apprceciated, thanks..

ya i have the HT32744 and DVD playback looks like crap.


Are you use ing the 360 for the DVD play? what do you think of it? I played a DVD in the 360 and it looked worse then Is I played the DVD thu the S-Video on a Seperate DVD player.

DVD players are never good on game consoles.. though I'm hoping that's different with PS3 since that will probably be my Blu-ray HD player.

DVD playback on my Samsung DVD/VCR combo through component is alright on my HT30744.. though I do get some interference because my inputs are crap.

Thanks for the replies,

Yeah, I use the 360 for DVD playback since it worked very well on my panasonic SD, but it is just so grainy on the Sanyo. Why does it do this? Are the component inputs faulty on the television?
Thanks again.

Many people have noticed interference on the component inputs, some have had no problems. I haven't tried my XBOX 360's DVD player on my Sanyo because I'm using the console on my Sony 30" so I don't know how bad it compares to a normal player on the Sanyo. If you have access to a normal DVD player, try that. Otherwise you can buy an upcoverting player and use the HDMI port which is one of the good inputs on the TV. The other option is to just wait for the HD-DVD/Blu-ray players.

I'd wait until HD DVD players and HD DVD format comes out at the end of this month. The new players are supposed to upconvert SD DVDs to 1080i resolution and not to mention that the picture you get with an HD DVD will be absolutely superb 1080i. Also, HD DVD players do feature the HDMI plugin so it will be easy to hook up and in true digital quality. HD DVDs are supposed to be only $5.00 more than a brand new SD DVD disc. SD DVD disc for newly released titles are $19.99 typically and HD DVD will be $24.99. As for PS3's, you can expect to wait quite awhile for these as they are now saying Fall of 2006. Originally, they predicted a Spring release, but it's kind of hard whenever you still have kinks to work out in new format implementations. I had heard somewhere that the Xbox 360 was supposed to have an add-on kit for HD-DVD format. I can't confirm this, but this would be a great addition.

Value City, starting today, 28" HDTV 16:9 Sanyo $350.

I have the 30" Sanyo. I have it hooked up to my receiver via the optical connection. All audio content through this connection is played in Dolby Pro-logic rather than Dolby Digital. I know that my receiver works fine because it plays Dolby Digital received through the optical connection to the Xbox and the DVD player. I understand that some OTA audio is in Pro-Logic, but the shows that are broadcast in Dolby Digital are being played in pro-logic as well. I have double checked that the Digital Output setting on the TV is set to "Dolby Digital".

Anyone else have the same problem or any advice?

Thanks,
Mark

Even though the network broadcasts the show in DD. The local station may not have the equipment to send the DD signal to you so instead you get stereo pro logic. The local CBS in Tulsa can not process and pass along the DD from CBS so we get stereo even though the show openings may say DD5.1.

Sorry to bother you guys again,

What are the faint lines that go across the screen. In 1080i mode, one thick bar goes across, but in 720p mode there are thin lines that don't move. These lines are very faint, and I can only detect them when the game I am playing is very dark or grey. Is this intereference, or something else?
I was hoping to pick up some monster cables with shielding to see if that works. This isn't a mjor problem, just an annoyance. I hope someone has some experience with this and can help.

Even though the network broadcasts the show in DD. The local station may not have the equipment to send the DD signal to you so instead you get stereo pro logic. The local CBS in Tulsa can not process and pass along the DD from CBS so we get stereo even though the show openings may say DD5.1.

I did some digging around and found out only one station (FOX) out of 4 in the area is actually broadcasting DD. The signal from that station IS processed as DD through my receiver. Too bad I'm not in to any shows on FOX!

Thanks for the tip,
Mark

Help!

My HT32744 is factory refurbished (90 day warranty that was over before I bought it) Today everything on the screen (digital cable and antenna)was incredibly blurred. I looks like everything is smeared 4 inches the right. When I moved the TV it stopped, but I know its probably a problem that will get worse or not go away. My question is what was wrong so maybe I can get the parts from sanyo and save a couple dollars possibly. Thanks.

I picked this TV today and have to say that I am highly impressed with the picture. I was hesitant because of the off brand name. I had originally purchased the 27 inch sony sdtv (27fs170) and this TV blows that one away. I have some minor geometry problems but nothing I can't live with given the great picture. Another plus of this TV and the two antenna inputs which allow my to hook up an offair antenna for HD and a cable one for cable channels.

Whenever I use anything on the component jacks on my HT30744, the whole picture moves to the left maybe an inch. It happens with both of my DVD players and my XBOX 360. As soon as I turn the power on to any of those devices, the picture moves over to the left. Anyone else have this problem? The picture from the cable box on the HDMI port stays where it should.

kevbeck,

Mine does hte same thing in "Zoom 1" picture mode. All other modes appear to be centered properly for me.

Yesterday I called Sanyo Service about the green tint problems I was having with my HT30744. I informed them that I had purchased the set from Walmart in September, 2004 (which was now over 6-months past the warranty period). The Sanyo service rep told me that they have had problems with the set and the HT30746 was a replacement. I was instructed to call my nearest Walmart and explain to them what the Sanyo rep had told me and that Walmart should give me the HT30746 set in exchange for my defective set. After several minutes talking with a very "confused" store manager, he agreed to exchange my defective set with a HT30746 set. I brought back the old set last night and they gave me a new set without a receipt. The lady at the service desk said she was instructed not to give me a receipt since I did not have my old receipt. Strange policy, I'm not sure what course I will take if the 746 set becomes defective, but, I have a new TV that has a great looking picture.

I brought back the old set last night and they gave me a new set without a receipt.

That's fantastic news. Hope I can convince Sanyo & Walmart to do the same for me. Are there any differences between the new model and the old one? I thought I had read the new models would lack the integrated tuners and/or HDMI but the Sanyo site (http://www.sanyo.com/entertainment/televisions/digital/index.cfm?productID=1240) indicates it has both.

Any tips for dealing with Sanyo or Wallmart from your experience? I bought my set a couple months before yours, and I'm not sure whether I can find the receipt or not.

[EDIT: I just spoke to Sanyo as well and was told to do the same thing. They went so far as to tell me to make sure I didn't bring my receipt. So I called Wallmart to see if they had one in stock. They had one coming in in a couple days, but the employee was nervous about conducting the exchange and suggested I talk to his manager. Well, his manager basically said he needed a date of purchase (to regenerate a receipt) or else no exchange. I tried to get him to reveal whether an older date (beyond warranty) would cancel the exchange and he stonewalled me. By that time I had idiotically admitted to buying it with a bank card, so now I might be out of luck :( ]

Yes, it has the HDMI input which I use to hook up my H20 Directv HD receiver. Also has the ATSC integrated tuner. It has the extra antenna /cable hookup for OTA antenna and digital cable. After turning down the contrast I am receiving as good if not better picture than I had with the 744.
It sounds like you talked to the same person I talked with at Sanyo (Jim). He went even further to tell me that there is a document outlining the agreement Sanyo/Fischer has with Walmart and something about option #2 on the document about replacing out a defective set. He also told me not to take my receipt. Be persistant with the electronics salesperson and the store manager. I told the Walmart folks what Jim from Sanyo told me. And I explained to the store manager that when I purchased my set I paid $650 and I wasn't about to swallow that much of an investment. They have to make good on the replacement. BTW the new set sales for $478.
Hope to hear that you had the same success.

Be persistant with the electronics salesperson and the store manager. I told the Walmart folks what Jim from Sanyo told me. And I explained to the store manager that when I purchased my set I paid $650 and I wasn't about to swallow that much of an investment. They have to make good on the replacement. BTW the new set sales for $478.
Hope to hear that you had the same success.

Thanks for the advice. At any point did you reveal when you had bought the set? (or with what? i.e. credit/cash?)

No, I was very vague about when I purchased the set, telling the manager on the phone that it had been about a year since I bought the set. He asked me if I had a receipt and I told him I didn't, but that Sanyo would still warrant it. When he started to balk I mentioned to him what Jim at Sanyo told me about Sanyo's stance. I also stated to the manager that I wasn't going to spend money for a new set after my old one had only 1-year of use. He told me he would call me back within the hour. He did and that's when he said for me to bring back the old set for an exchange for the HT73046. The manager wasn't in the store last evening but he left word at the service desk to exchange the tv for me. Albeit without a receipt.
I used a credit card to purchase my original set along with a stand.

If by chance Wal-Mart won't let you exchange the set I would ask Sanyo (Jim?) to send you a letter telling you exactly how to exchange the set at Wal-Mart & make sure Sanyo gives you a persons name & phone number to call because that way you can just show the letter to the store manager & have him call Sanyo & if he still refuses call Wal-Mart's home office & explain the problem to them & I'm sure they will take care of it for you.

After you have the set for a while I'd like to see a test report on it compared to your old model. Thanks.

Success! Like oldavman, I was able to exchange my defective (intermittant green tint)HT30744 for a new HT30746. The manager at the first store I tried insisted I give him an exact purchase date (I slipped up and said I had bought it with a "bank card"). Luckily, I had another Walmart about the same distance in the other direction, with a 30746 in stock. This time I said I had paid cash, bought it about 10-11 months ago (in reality, it was Aug. '04) but didn't have a receipt, and convinced the manager to actually call Sanyo support himself when he balked at the exchange. The only real hitch was that they insisted for some odd reason on keeping the manual and remote for the new model (I had forgotten the old ones). No biggie, as the new remote looked much cheaper and without as many features as the old one (which seems to work the new tv fine) and I don't use the old remote anyway. I even got an exchange receipt with the new tv!

Still calibrating the new tv and scanning for channels but I will report back with any differences I find. Thanks oldavman for paving the way :)

sensibull, Congrats & I hope the new set works out for you & I'm hoping Sanyo fixed all the problems.

I'm thinking of buying this set for my daughter as a present so please report back on it as soon as you have the time. Thanks.

I wonder if they'll let me do the same with the problems I'm having. I don't have the green tint issue though (yet). I'm out of the warranty by about two weeks. Wouldn't hurt to try I guess...

Just figured I'd give you all an update. Have run into no green issues since the IC711 resolder on the 30744. I use this set in the kitchen and it receives lots of use, so this might be a good sign. Thus far its been about 2 1/2 months and I haven't had a problem.

I'm kinda hoping that this was indeed the fix, as I looked at the new one at Wal-Mart the other day and didn't think the picture was quite as crisp as the old one. Whether or not it was their signal I can't say, but I seem to recall the old one having had a better picture in the store.

After a little time with the 30746, I would have to concur with yrly and say the picture on this new model is not as sharp as it was on the 30744, particularly with HD material. On the plus side, the colors seem a wee bit more accurate and bright, but HDTV has less of a wow factor. Hard to be more specific than that. If my 30744 had still been under warranty, or I could have gotten a better repair quote, I would have definitely opted for the repair, rather than the exchange for the 30746.

Other gripes:

1. Something about the way the analog out signal works on this set is preventing my Harman Kardon 635 receiver from auto switching between analog and digital when I switch tuners. This is hugely frustrating and means I either have to watch everything in analog sound (with DSP processing) or run the analog outs into another input on the receiver and switch that way. Possible this would not be a problem if you use a cable box -- I am simply splitting my basic cable into the analog and digital tuners and picking up QAM channels that way.

2. The picture modes are more primitive and less intuitive. I still need to experiment a little bit to test, but the 30744 had "Normal" and "Full" modes. When set to "Full", the set knew to adjust from standard to widescreen when going from analog to HDTV. On the new set, the modes are fixed: "Pix1" is 4:3, "Pix2" is 16:9. For my money, the zoom modes (Pix3 and Pix4) are completely useless.

3. There is a Picture/Sound segment of the menu, and yet none of the options relate to the sound and the onboard speakers cannot be switched off like with 30744. Why "sound" is even included in the menu is a mystery.

4. I am getting a wee bit more interference (wavy lines) on both the component inputs and the tuners than I got with the 30744. Now, to be fair, I have a huge rat's nest of wires behind my set, so it's possible this might not show up in anyone else's house. People complained of this problem with the 30744 as well -- I must have just gotten lucky before.


All that being said, I still think the 30746 is a great deal for an entry-level HDTV. I paid $747 for the 30744 (before it went on sale) and the 30746 is going for $478. I have no geometry problems to speak of, the styling of the set is sleeker and less bulky (though just as ridiculously heavy), and hopefully I can now watch from the comfrot of my couch knowing I won't have to get up and bang on the set to get the "greenies" to go away anymore.

Quick amendment to #2 in my post above. It does look like the new set (30746) will remember different Pix Shape settings for different inputs, so it's easy enough to set your analog tuner to Pix1 and your digital tuner to Pix2. Moreover, when set to Pix2 on the Digital tuner, it does pillarbox 4:3 appropriately.

No question there's a bit more grain on this set than than the 30744, but that can be amelerioted somewhat by backing off on the sharpness.

The picture modes are more primitive but work in the same order as the HT30744. After turning the contrast way down, my picture quality is the same as what I had before. My HD signal from off air and HD Directv looked very good.

Hi dudes,
I've been reading these forums for a while and have been using this particular thread for about a few months now to fix what needed to be done on my tv. I had the ht28745 and it sucked. I hate to say that about it, but it did. I got it for my xbox360. I have another HD but it's a 4:3 and it does have vertical compression, but I just wanted a widescreen set. The tv was a bargain, atleast it seemed at first. The first one had to go back because of a bad, very bad tilt and I lost my business card sized receipt from walmart a few days after I got the original in December. So I take that one back and they give me a new tv, a replacement, the 28745. When I opened this one, it had magnet spots and the tilt issue and the 1080i had a moving bar that went across the screen and the 720p had the jailbars. I calibrated the tv and had to turn the contrast to "blast" sun spot levels so that the moving bar wouldn't look so bad. 720p was unusable. I hesitated on taking the set back to Walmart because I felt that with two bad sets, I didn't want to take a chance on hauling this set back just to get a new problem tv. With no receipt, what could I do. Now the good news. I got the idea of calling sanyo from you guys and did so. They hooked me up with some other guy who wasn't handling stuff right. So I called back and asked for the ever famous Jim. He told me the same thing he told you all. I take the set back and they only have the 30inch and they don't carry the 28 anymore. I was counting on this as I wanted hdmi. After I get to the store, the manager gives me the hardest time ever. The manager refused to give me the 30746 and I had to call Jim on my cell so he could talk to them. They refused to talk to Sanyo. Even with telling them about option 2. Since i had the 28, they didn't want to exchange it. They eventually got me the store manager, and I was able to exchange it after Jim told them he would call the home office and let them know how they handle their customers. Once Jim said that, they rung me up and gave me a real receipt so that if anything goes wrong, they will replace it. This tv has none of the problems that the forementioned ones had. The only thing I have to do is calibrate it now. I have heard about the interference that some get. I'm not getting it now. Is anyone else getting it? Well I got my tv and I'm happy now. Thanks to you guys and your tips and very special thanks to Jim. Peace.

Well after working in the retail business I can tell you that if you don't get what your looking for from a department manager or store manager get right on the phone to the stores home office but before you do that let the manager know that your are going to call them & make sure you do.

And at the home office level if you don't get what you want from the first person you talk to just keep asking for people higher & higher up until your problem is taken care of.

Most companies today will bend over backwards to keep their customers happy as long as your not trying to screw them & that also goes for companies that are selling to the stores they also want to keep the stores happy (Especially Wal-Mart) & if a store puts pressure on them they inturn will usually take an item back that they sold to the stores so they don't loose any future sales to them.

And I hate to say this, but most guys hate to get on the phone & they usually pass the job onto their wives or girlfriends to make the call & I can tell you now that when a guys makes the call they will get more attention then if a woman makes it only because 99% of the calls & complaints wiil be from women so their not used to listening to a male on the phone.

Guys believe me, Make The Calls Yourself.

Man this new 30746 that I got from walmart a few days ago, 3 days ago to be exact, the darn thing goes out. First the tv shut off by itself, so I turn it back on, it goes back off immediately. So I wait a few minutes and turn it back on and the thing starts to sizzle inside and i hear a pop. Needless to say, I unplugged the thing immediately. I even had it plugged in to the monster power hts1000 so it's not a voltage or current issue with my house as everything else is cool and this is the first time ever this has happened. I haven't even used it that much. Now I gotta lug this big thing back to the walmart tommorow. Shat. This really sucks as the picture was the best that I've seen in a while. My friend has the sony xbr 960 and my pic quality looked just as good as his. Oh well, I may just get a refund. I don't know how much of this hauling I can take. I mentioned earlier that I wasn't getting interference, but I did start getting it the day after I wrote the earlier post. I think its interference from the inside of the set affecting the picture. I think it's safe to say, I won't be getting another sanyo product as long as I shall live after this. If I can get a refund, I will.

I have done a bit of skimming of this thread, but 83 pages is a lot to tackle. I have had my HT30744 for over a year now and I love it! I have decided to venture out into the world of HTPC. I purchased a eVGA 7600GS video card so that I can use my TV as my computer monitor. It's coming in the mail tomorrow. I need to know what I need to do to get it up and running. I already bought a DVI --> HDMI adapter. Do I need powerstrip? I'm more than willing to do some reading if there is a thread that would help me. Thanks for any help!

I have little experience with nVidia drivers, but basically (unless you want to go mucking about in the service menu) you want your card to output 1136 x 668 or 1152 x 668, both at 60hz. The consensus seems to be that these resoultions work best in most situations, and produce little to no overscan. See this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6520048) for others attempting to use that set as a monitor, but unless you discover some super secret special trick, I think you'll find surfing the web or really doing anything other than viewing video content or using a htpc frontend really hard on the eyes. Something about the scaler in this set (and the seeming impossibility of feeding it a 1:1 pixel map) just makes reading text impossible.

Also, for me, after a while the connection from the PC to the HDMI just stopped working. I tested the PC on a DVI monitor and the TV with a OTA tuner with HDMI output, and both worked fine. But they stopped working together - even a new video card didn't fix it.

I was wholly unimpressed anyway, so gave up after a couple weeks.

not too encouraging, but I'll give it a shot when I get the vid card. I'll post up my experiences.

I have the 28" (or is it 26"?) version of this set and last night I tried hooking my HTPC up to it via VGA-Component cable. I wasn't able to get any picture on the screen despite trying several different resolutions. What am I doing wrong? Does the component input not accept an RGB signal?

My set does not have the DVI or HDMI input, only component.

Thanks

Component video is not a raw RGB format - you'll need a video card that is capable of outputting component video. See the following for a good overview of how component video works.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/component.htm

Thanks for the link. I have an Nvidia 6800GT, how do i get it to output component video colorspace?

If it supports it, it should have come with a "dongle" that connects to the S-Video port on the card (note that it is not converting S-Video to Component, it just connects to the S-Video port). I think the support is varied by manufacturer, so not all 6800GT would have this capability.

I have a ATI 9800 Pro AIW attached to this TV. I used the control center from the ATI drivers. It was a pain to initially connect to. I first used a monitor and connected it to component 3. Then when this was working, I connected DVI to HDMI, so I have it working with HDMI and Component 3.
The difference between them is that DVD's will not play on component 3 since my resolution is higher than 480p, but they play fine on HDMI.
I am using 1152x696 (or close to them), and it looks great with fonts at 120%.
I use Opera as web browser (free) since you can zoom the screen with the + button on your keyboard (wireless).
I use Beyond TV as the front end, and that is totally worth is with firefly as the RF remote.

I have the greenies like a few of you with no receipt (on credit card). Sanyo asked serial # and model #, then said to take it back to Wal-Mart for exchange, and they can check that its still in warranty there. I think I'll call them to make sure they have a replacement first.

Ok, I just got the ht30746 today, my first hdtv, and I have to say I think something is wrong. The picture is clear, until something moves, at which point the quality seriously degrades.

For instance, I have a gamecube plugged into the video1 on the back (non-component).. and on all my games everything looks great when nothing is moving, but when things move on screen they get outlined by artifacts. Its very annoying because as you are moving everything in front of you is blurred and it really puts a strain on your eyes. I got the tv from walmart, which didn't have the unit on display so I didn't get to see what it looks like until I got it home and plugged it in.

Is this normal? Even when I watch normal tv (no cable or anything, just signal picked up using rabbit ears) the picture becomes distorted when stuff is moving on screen. Is this because of a weak signal? If I get component cables for my gamecube or xbox will that stop the distortion? Its really aggravating, I paid 480 bucks for a "hdtv" that looks worse than a standard tv. I hope I can take this back for a refund.

It sounds like somethings technically wrong with your tube. The Refreshing rate of your tube seems to be off and is probably not exactly flashing up the lines at the right rate of speed.

Sanyo HT32744 with Sound Distortion. It has a very definate sound distortion at different times and on different channels. The sound is very loud and goes right through you. We were advised to take it off surround sound which we have done. This is the second tv we have had with this problem. Anyone else have this problem with this model. Sanyo will no longer let repair people work on this model. Will have to return the second tv to WalMart. Has anyone ever gotten a credit or money back from WalMart for a Sanyo tv? Their are no stores around with a compatible models. Would appreciate any help.

Quick question.. I have a Sanyo HT30746 and was wondering what the Default Service Menu settings were? Thanks.
Will using the Reset button reset these service menu options??
-James

There is no such thing as default service menu settings - the settings are tweaked at the factory for individual sets.

OK, I'm going bananas trying to diagnose and cure the faint but undeniably present rolling diagonal lines of interference I've been getting on my 30" 30746 ever since it replaced my 30744. Is anyone else struggling with this? I get it on all inputs (tuners, component, s-video, and HDMI), but it is not constant -- some channels and some inputs are worse than others (the component signal from my HTPC being the worst). I've tried different outlets, using a Tripp Lite UPS/line conditioner, ferrite cores on the power plugs, RF/EMI filters on the coax in. The problem is present regardless of what component or cable line is connected, so it must be either the TV itself, or interference coming from nearby. My question is, if it's the TV, can anything be done about it?

I have the same problem. I did switch out my DVR box and that fixed a flickering problem I had through the component inputs, but then I had the faint line problem you have on every input including HDMI. If you find a fix please let me know.

Yesterday I called Sanyo Service about the green tint problems I was having with my HT30744. I informed them that I had purchased the set from Walmart in September, 2004 (which was now over 6-months past the warranty period). The Sanyo service rep told me that they have had problems with the set and the HT30746 was a replacement. I was instructed to call my nearest Walmart and explain to them what the Sanyo rep had told me and that Walmart should give me the HT30746 set in exchange for my defective set. After several minutes talking with a very "confused" store manager, he agreed to exchange my defective set with a HT30746 set. I brought back the old set last night and they gave me a new set without a receipt. The lady at the service desk said she was instructed not to give me a receipt since I did not have my old receipt. Strange policy, I'm not sure what course I will take if the 746 set becomes defective, but, I have a new TV that has a great looking picture.

you wonderful man. my tv is about 2 yrs old and started acting up a month ago out of the blue. i called sanyo when it started to happen but they gave me a tough sh*t attitude. i called walmart today and talked with a manager on the phone. of course there was apprehension from the manager about it. after i explained there was an understanding between sanyo and walmart she put me on hold to check it out, then came back to tell me to bring it in. when i got up there it took them awhile to make a receipt.

my tips would be to play dumb. i didn't even tell them the store i got it from. it was a good thing too because i think they were trying to search for my exact receipt. make sure you make it clear to them that you want an even trade. there's a $200 price difference and they were worried i was trying to get the money.

the tv itself isn't as good as the old one. i'm gonna have to adjust the settings some, right now the text isn't as crisp in the 360 dashboard as it was before. is there a pdf for the service manual like the old one?

I was wondering if someone could tell me if the following is normal. When I increases the contrast more then 1/4 on the HT30746 I can begin to see squiggly vertical bars but only when the picture is very dark or black (Ie when credits come up in a movie I can see the sqiggly vertical bars which are a lighter black then the credit black background if i increase the contrast). The higher the contrast (Ie greater then 40%) the more apparant these vertical squiggly bars are. Is this normal for all HDTV's or is this a defect? other then that if I keep the brightness a little more then a half and contrast 1/4 the picture is perfect using all inputs including component. ANy info would be greatly appreciated!

No, random squiggly vertical bars are not normal.

It probably bows out on the lines with text and bows in on lines without text. It is a result of a power supply that is not quite adequte enough. CRTs with weak power supplies are common on lower end models. Just keep your contrast in check is the best way to prevent those squiggly lines. You don't notice them as much on normal material; the black and white nature of credits just amplifies the situation.

yea i've read about the power supply thing. is it possible for a tv repair shop to install a better one? if this is an absurd question then it's because i really don't know how it works.

I doubt there are any aftermarket "tuner" parts for a cheap crt tv. I dunno if other supplies would work or not.

Okay firstly thanks for the replies. Also I think I may have figured out what was giving me those bars. I have my tv hooked up to a surge protector and the light on it was telling me that the electrical was not properly grounded. Iam in an apartment building so the electrical is probely old. I switched outlets and the vertical bars broke up and dispersed on the screen.. (kinda looks grainy now-the screen is not totally pitch balck) in other words it less noticeable and only visible if I have contrast 100% on a totally black screen. Interesting I didnt realize how necessary it is that HDTV's are sensitve to a proper outlet.

Okay firstly thanks for the replies. Also I think I may have figured out what was giving me those bars. I have my tv hooked up to a surge protector and the light on it was telling me that the electrical was not properly grounded. Iam in an apartment building so the electrical is probely old. I switched outlets and the vertical bars broke up and dispersed on the screen.. (kinda looks grainy now-the screen is not totally pitch balck) in other words it less noticeable and only visible if I have contrast 100% on a totally black screen. Interesting I didnt realize how necessary it is that HDTV's are sensitve to a proper outlet.
what type of surge protector are you using?

its a apc 2525 joules.

Hello
after reading this thread many months ago i decided it was a good buy well after 7 months the tv just died last night. The screen goes black and loses picture but not audio and then comes back happens frequently.
Should I phone sanyo or just goto Walmart. I dont have the box anymore.

Hello
after reading this thread many months ago i decided it was a good buy well after 7 months the tv just died last night. The screen goes black and loses picture but not audio and then comes back happens frequently.
Should I phone sanyo or just goto Walmart. I dont have the box anymore.
Call Sanyo, then go to Wal-Mart...

I have the 30" sanyo, and my htpc uses a GeForce 6600.

The 6600 both have a DVI and Component tv-out. Which one should I use? Will I see any difference in the picture quality?

Thanks a lot.
Chasseur

I have the 30" sanyo, and my htpc uses a GeForce 6600.

The 6600 both have a DVI and Component tv-out. Which one should I use? Will I see any difference in the picture quality?


In my experience, DVI>HDMI produces a crisper, more vibrant image with this set than component, particularly with regards to text. I use a Radeon though, so YMMV.

DVI should produce a better picture.

I find the tv to be "hard for the eyes" by default. I reduced the contrast and brightness a lot to make it more comfortable. All the white when watchding a hockey game was giving me a headache. Is this normal?

Chasseur

Of course it's not normal for people to get headaches while watching TV.