[B]The only place I have seen 8000 hours is here on the forum, I cant seem to find anything that points to hours in the manual and my research has shown actual claimed hours of 4000 to 5000 hours. I would be surprised if in low bright mode and on a filtered power supply it didnt last at least the 4000 hours. And enmoco is correct very few of the overall owners actually post here. anything less the 2000 hours and you should definitly have your tv looked at under the warranty, Lamp life is very reliant on power filtering of the ballast along with quality of overall power. Alot of surging or browning will cause a lamp to die extremly quick.

Out of the millions of tv's produced I would be willing to bet that had a expected failure rate of about 10 to 15 percent failure rate, And that is WELL within reason, From your complaints I would be willing to bet yours is amongst that 10 to 15 percent. Please refer to my above post as to what you should do about that.

Now little calculation here, Say bad tv with lots of use avrages 2000 hours, At 10 hours a day or around 300 ~ 310 hours a month thats around 6 months. Bulb can be had for roughly $370 (Less if you look), You are looking at $62 a month or $744 a year. My truck which I use on daily basis runs me roughly $400 a month in gas, My insurance runs me $80 a month, My DSL and Phone is $110, My cable runs me $90 a month. You see even if I did have to pay for the bulb (Which I dont and wont have to.) $62 a month is really nothing to alot of people. And all of that is on the conservative side with lots of tv watching.

This goes to everyone now --- If you cannot afford such, Please, Please, Please save yourselves hassle and take a little less risk and by a CRT that is really your only answer.
In my manual(56HM195) on page 103: "The light source for this TV is a mercury lamp with internal atmospheric pressure that increases during use. The lamp has a limited service life that varies depending on product use and user settings. (Paragraph)As is generally the case with all projection TVs that use projection lamps as a light source,the brightness of the lamp in this TV may vary somewhat over the expected service life and will generally decrease over time. The average useful service life for the lamp is approximately 8,000 hours in Low Mode or 6,000 hours in High Bright Mode.See "selecting the Lamp mode: on page 75 for information on switching the lamp mode.Because these are averages,some lamps will require earlier replacement.NOTE: the lamp is warranted only for the periods and to the extent set forth in the Limited Warranty applicable to this set,which is a substantially shorter period of time than the average useful service period." Attention Arrowspace,this is an actual unedited explanation. Lots of "limited","Varies"."Generally",Somewhat","Useful Service",and most importantly "Approximately"Also,in my earlier post I forgot to mention that altitude has a great effect on these bulbs as well.

[B]
In my manual(56HM195) on page 103: "The light source for this TV is a mercury lamp with internal atmospheric pressure that increases during use. The lamp has a limited service life that varies depending on product use and user settings. (Paragraph)As is generally the case with all projection TVs that use projection lamps as a light source,the brightness of the lamp in this TV may vary somewhat over the expected service life and will generally decrease over time. The average useful service life for the lamp is approximately 8,000 hours in Low Mode or 6,000 hours in High Bright Mode.See "selecting the Lamp mode: on page 75 for information on switching the lamp mode.Because these are averages,some lamps will require earlier replacement.NOTE: the lamp is warranted only for the periods and to the extent set forth in the Limited Warranty applicable to this set,which is a substantially shorter period of time than the average useful service period." Attention Arrowspace,this is an actual unedited explanation. Lots of "limited","Varies"."Generally",Somewhat","Useful Service",and most importantly "Approximately"Also,in my earlier post I forgot to mention that altitude has a great effect on these bulbs as well.


My DLP is at 600 feet MSL. Altitude no factor. Well, point taken, if you are satisfied that lots of "limited, varies, & generally's" are sufficient disclaimer for "average service life for the lamp is approx 8,000 hours", than you are fine.

I think that 8000 hours is not even in the ballpark, and those modifiers should have been affixed to about a 4000 hour number. Of course, I personally did not approch 4000 hours. On two tries. If my complaints here were based on one lamp only, I would be more prone to think my case was a fluke. Perhaps it is. I will call out the service man sometime in mid January when my 3rd lamp arrives and have him evaluate my TV. If he finds some factor that would disturb the well being of my lamp, I will duly report it. After all, I picked Toshiba over the competitors. I have been wowed by the HD picture. Heck, it made me feel good about myself, lol. But I took a pay cut this year as an airline pilot, and I don't appreciate service manuals that over-reach reality by a factor of 100%,

Well Paul is going to try and replace my TV but its been handed off to someone else. He Toshiba doesn't have any available and they are going to arrange and RMA with the store I purchased it from. Seeing all these Bulb problems I am wondering if I should just get a different brand. Man, it sucks to spend so much money and then have all these issues. Unacceptable in my opinion.

Getting a different brand is not likely to resolve your problems. The lamp issue is common to all DLP & LCD rear projection TV's to one degreee or another. And every brand seems to have issues with the cable cards.

From what I've seen, Toshiba is as good if not better than any of the other brands from a reliability standpoint. But this is high tech stuff & sometimes problems happen........

Enmoco, That is exactly what I am trying to convey. And Allbe, You are right, I completely missed that statement in the manual until you pointed out the page. I think that is a mistake on toshibas part putting anything in relation to lamp time in the manual.

the hm95 series lamps were $400+ about 6 months ago and now they are around $350ish, I wonder (A): Does this mean production is finally fully in place? and (B): Will they be going down in price further in the future? And (C): is this in relation to higher production of the 195 series lamps?

Who knows.

My DLP is at 600 feet MSL. Altitude no factor. Well, point taken, if you are satisfied that lots of "limited, varies, & generally's" are sufficient disclaimer for "average service life for the lamp is approx 8,000 hours", than you are fine.

I think that 8000 hours is not even in the ballpark, and those modifiers should have been affixed to about a 4000 hour number. Of course, I personally did not approch 4000 hours. On two tries. If my complaints here were based on one lamp only, I would be more prone to think my case was a fluke. Perhaps it is. I will call out the service man sometime in mid January when my 3rd lamp arrives and have him evaluate my TV. If he finds some factor that would disturb the well being of my lamp, I will duly report it. After all, I picked Toshiba over the competitors. I have been wowed by the HD picture. Heck, it made me feel good about myself, lol. But I took a pay cut this year as an airline pilot, and I don't appreciate service manuals that over-reach reality by a factor of 100%,

Toshiba is probaby like the car industry in figuring MPG. They do this under optimal conditions which most people do not operate under.

Ken

I'd like to take advantage of the great price on the 62HM195 from OneCall but I've read a lot of conflicting information about their NSI extended warranty. At $349 for 5 years it's a no-brainer if it includes bulbs (lamps). Has anyone here actually received a couple of replacement bulbs?

Also, since the difference in price between the 62HM195 and 62HM95 is the $200 freight cost, I assume everyone here advocates the 195.

Anyone have DirecTV and their SD channels even worth Watching. I have a 62MX195 and D*. When watching SD its terrible..

Is it too late to get an extended warrenty 4 months after purchase?

I called Toshiba on the 21st and the new lamp was sitting on the porch tonight - the 23rd. It beat the one I ordered from Express Repair Center - only because it came Fed Ex and ERC used UPS. I'm very happy that Toshiba got them in stock so quickly. Hope somebody got some good overtime money for Christmas. :)

Did you buy it on a credit card like VISA or AMEX? Most credit cards offer free warranty extension of up to 1yr over the manufacturer. Also you can extend it up to 3 more years anytime before the second year ends.

VISA will cover 100% of what the manufacturer will cover.

Anyone have DirecTV and their SD channels even worth Watching. I have a 62MX195 and D*. When watching SD its terrible..


I have DirecTV. I didn't upgrade to the HD yet as I have a TIVO and didn't want to purchase the new HD TIVO and there isn't enough content to make it worthwhile yet.

As for quality, I agree that it looks pretty bad but if you sit back from the television say 12ft (which is recommended anyways), it doesn't look so bad.

I actually find myself watching the HD OTA channels since they look excellent!!!

Ok Folks,
my 62HM95 lamp failed after 3321 hours, I ordered the replacement last friday 12/16 under warranty, They said 7 to 10 bussiness days. today is friday12/23 and I just received the replacement.

I just wanted to make this note to let people know not everyone is having these lamp problems, My lamp lasted 3000+ hours and I had no issues with backorders.

Also I am still looking to purchase a broken 95 series lamp from someone, for experimental purposes.

Didn't you keep your broken lamp from your televison? I assume you want to investigate the possibility of using a different lamp in the enclosure (say a Phillips?).

Didn't you keep your broken lamp from your televison? I assume you want to investigate the possibility of using a different lamp in the enclosure (say a Phillips?).

Warranty replacement requires you to send the broken lamp back. Actually I was wanting to disect the lamp and see a few things up close, The interface to the TV for one, Also wondering how hard these thing would be to ReManufacture ones self, amongst other things.

Its statements like this one from Tracker that clearly shows the difference of opinions on the "Tosh Lamp" situation.

"My point to be made was not everyone is unhappy with there purchase..."

I'm assuming "everyone" includes those that have had down time due to repairs. I agree. But there are those that are disappointed and they (and I) believe they have just as much legitimacy in their complaints as others have in their compliments.

"...And quite franky if you cant afford to fix problems not covered under the warranty with this tv even though you know theres a good possibilty of failure, You should purchase something that is alot less likely to fail like a CRT..."

I dont know if its a question of being able to afford repairs out of warranty. How many and how costly are those things you have to repair in order for it to be a satisfying purchase? Is it worth it to buy a $25k dollar car and then spend $3000 dollars a year to repair the car. Dont most of us expect even from a "new tech" car to be able to feel like we are getting our money's worth.

I bought my TV a year ago and did not have any knowledge of any parts that had a "good possibilty of failure". I expected my lamp to last close to the 5-8k hours as stated in the manual not 2000. Is that so unreasonable. I didnt expect the light engine to fail... the next day. Is that unreasonable? I expected the replacement light engine I got after 30 days backorder to be as good as the first one. Is that unreasonable? Now that I know that the lamps and light engines go on Back Order this often. If I had known about the bulbs and light engine volitility I guess your correct I would have bought something else.


"Otherwise Its like purchasing a Hummer and complaining that you cant afford the gas."

Your comparison is more like buying the TV and complaining about the cost of High def or cable.... or electricity. Lamp complaints are more like purchasing a Hummer and having to replace a vital component like a $3k CPU in (every) 8 months. Not only that but a specific CPU that you were told will last two to three times that.. Oh and also for some reason the CPUwill be on back order indefinately..oh and you receive statements from others that you shouldnt complain, just buy a whole new CPU spare and keep it in your garage for down times.

My point is a lot of us would have bought something "alot less likely to fail" if we would have know how likely these Tosh's fail. That is why its import folks express their complaints and problems with these TV's.

It appears to be Trackers point that lamp and other repair costs should be considered in purchasing the DLP's. I agree but that is not the information all of us got when researching these 6 months to a year ago. Also If you agree with this point then you'd have to disagree with enmoco's and others statements that only a small fraction of people have these problems. Tracker compares insurance, and other maintenance costs associated with a vehicle part of the upfront ongoing costs. Thats fine if you believe the lamp is a maintenance item but is it exceptable to believe you will have to change your oil every500 miles rather than every 3k miles?

Anyone have DirecTV and their SD channels even worth Watching. I have a 62MX195 and D*. When watching SD its terrible..

I have a 62hm195 and TW cable. My SD channels were not that great out of the box. After switching to an HDMI cable and especially after calibrating the set with Avia they look much, much better now. Some SD channels come in excellent and some ok to very good. They all are acceptable now.

Point taken BAMA. Although, There is someone in every crowd who is not happy with the product. And if your bulb has lasted less than say 2000 hours probably less than even 3000 hours consistently, tell me that you have had a tech out to take a good long hard look at the tv before the warranty gave up, And tell me you did this before placing any complaints to anyone. Otherwise you really havent given anything a fair chance.

I understand what your saying Traker. What encmoco and what Kdog is saying. But ya'll are putting paramaters on when its fair or sensible to criticize a product you've bought. And that's cool with me, however your paramaters may not be someone elses. I think its ligitimate to be annoyed with any TV that the lamp has gone out that premature, and therefore pointing that out is what these forums are about. Take that a little further and two lamps within a year or as in my case a light engine day two replaced with a substandard light engine. Maybe a rare situation but still is considered fair for that person to proclaim their dissappointment and yes even their opinion of the product.

As a matter of fact Tosh customer service has been tremendous. That still does'nt change - In MY Opion - that their TV has problems that will keep me from buying another Tosh product. Its not only Tosh that contributes to our opinions. It could be the lack of good service tech experience. It could be the lack of Tosh product experience. This is my first Tosh product so I cant give Tosh a break by saying "all my other tosh stuff worked great." It could be the fact that maybe a new gen of TV's that are higher cost then CRT but also higher maintenance could be the future ... or maybe not.

I think if someone is being unreasonable then it will show to those that are researching the product. It did to me when I was researching. I would love to rave about the Tosh DLP and I did at first. I would love to be able to not bother telling anybody through forums that I've had a bad experience but when I research I apprecitate those comments as well as the positive ones.

Kdog responded to my complaint by saying in essence - He had lamp problems but the TV is still worth it to him. That's cool with me because he did'nt try to illigitimize my opion.

I'm another proud owner of the 46HM95.
I fell in love with the PQ the first time I liad my eyes on it.

Bought on 9/10/05 from BB.

And just an hour ago my lamp blew...
the day before Christmas... a day Toshiba reps are off.
So needless to say I can't get a replacment bulb till after the holidays.

Real bummer.

No clue on the hours, I had planned on checking this weekend until "it" happened.

I do hope Toshiba at least makes an effort to look into the life expectancy of these bulbs.
I understand that I'll have to buy a bulb here and there..... but come on..... is it going to be every 3 months?!?
/rant

L8r folks, have a great x-mas.

Didn't you keep your broken lamp from your televison? I assume you want to investigate the possibility of using a different lamp in the enclosure (say a Phillips?).


I was told by the CSR that the Tosh lamp had a phillips bulb...is that incorrect?

I saw a refurbished lamp on ebay, I assume they just replaced the bulb. Does'nt look to difficult. I wonder if you can just get the bulb?

Why do so many bulb problems happen to posters with only a few posts on this forum?

BAMA, I have looked everywhere to find just bulbs, I contacted friends, I have call phillips electronics, I have contact tohiba directly and noluck. But I also yet to really attempt to pull oneof these lamps apart.

Why do so many bulb problems happen to posters with only a few posts on this forum?

Everyone with a toshiba DLP..... Post, Post, Post like the life of your lamp depends on it!!! :D

Almost all lamp based sets are having similar issues with bulbs failing quicker than the manual states. I see similar posts for Samsung, JVC and Sony as well.

I am still very happy with my set and since I have close to 5 years left on the warranty I'm not too worried about purchasing bulbs. They might be technically correct by stating the average life span since if some are getting over 10,000 hours and others are getting less than 1000, the numbers must be working out for them.

The stores however are playing down the problem as if most people really knew what could and will happen, they probably would not buy a lamp based projection set.

I'm looking at a LCD flat panel to replace my older CRT TV since we watch it alot, I didn't want to worry about a damn bulb going like my 52". I think my other bulb went early because my wife let my son play with the remote and I think he kept turning it on/off (she finally spoke up).

I remember in the late 80's my work had a SHARP (I believe) front project that used a similar lamp with same stats. It even looked the same except for the metal box. It had the bulb with a cord and plug just like the ones in the 94 model. So I bet the bulbs are used in several application just fit in different lamps.

Off subject. I still think that these tv's would benefit from having an air filter in the back vent to catch all the dust . Maybe a slightly higher capacity fan to make up for the air flow resistance. But it kills me to think of all that dust that gets sucked in there..onto the mirrors.... lamp.....and even the DMD. Not to mention the sound deadening of the fan...that some folks dislike.

I have a 62hm195 and TW cable. My SD channels were not that great out of the box. After switching to an HDMI cable and especially after calibrating the set with Avia they look much, much better now. Some SD channels come in excellent and some ok to very good. They all are acceptable now.

I'm using HDMI, and played with the Avia DVD a bit, but it still just isn't very good looking. I believe its just D*. Some channels are decent but most are nearly unwatchable. On colors like yellow and red I have jagged edges to them on the screen, but white is usually fine with no jags. Been driving me nuts. But thanks for the comments!!

I was having issues with my guide not updating much like most of the people in this forum so I called Toshiba and they sent me out a 128 mb SD card to update my 62HMX94. I put the card into the system and it had this error message, "no media found". I put the card into a reader and sure enough the card was empty. I promptly called Toshiba and now they are going to have to send me another card. Guess I'll have 2 free 128mb cards now.

Has anyone else on this forum received a card that was empty?

Keep in mind LCD's have a few issues to, Besides just being expensive.

A lot of you are missing my point. I'm not defending anybody,Tosh or anybody else. I got on a rant because of newbies coming to this forum and talking out of their hat. Anybody who has a DLP knows about viewing angles being bad. Has not stopped anyone here or they would not have bought one.Lamp issues with ALL brands of microdisplays have not been sheltered.Yet we buy anyway. Why? We all know here. Toshiba Forum. Try asking questions without predetermined opinions as to anyones reply.They are just trying to help you.If not,they will just ignore you.It happen all the time.This forum should be a place for those seeking,or sharing tips and advice about everyones particular issue they want to discuss. Just don't preach to the choir. A lot of us who do own and have been consulting other members who do,don't want to be berated for trying to be of some kind of service.This is the Tosh owners site,right? Try to bring more to the table.When someone asks " Does anyone know anybody who has got 8000 hrs. on one of these bulbs?",do they really think anyone who has is even monitoring this forum? I'm not suggesting only those with glowing reports should post. Just that I think this forum should try to help alleviate problems and not perpetuate them. Reading what I thought were a number of argumentative posts just sent me off in a direction which I now wish I had just ignored.I plan to watch my sets and leave for another year or two.Peace

Why do so many bulb problems happen to posters with only a few posts on this forum?
That is EXACTLY the point I have been trying to convey.They post when it fails. Get it?Thats what this forum has realy become.A place to complain. As to posters not having a tech. come out. A lot of posters come here to find ways NOT to have a tech.come out.How do we circumvent this or whats the best way to adjust that. Technical advise and tips. If you don' get what works here,GET A PROFESSIONALCome back here and relate to others.Or,not.

Almost all lamp based sets are having similar issues with bulbs failing quicker than the manual states. I see similar posts for Samsung, JVC and Sony as well.

I am still very happy with my set and since I have close to 5 years left on the warranty I'm not too worried about purchasing bulbs. They might be technically correct by stating the average life span since if some are getting over 10,000 hours and others are getting less than 1000, the numbers must be working out for them.

The stores however are playing down the problem as if most people really knew what could and will happen, they probably would not buy a lamp based projection set.

I'm looking at a LCD flat panel to replace my older CRT TV since we watch it alot, I didn't want to worry about a damn bulb going like my 52". I think my other bulb went early because my wife let my son play with the remote and I think he kept turning it on/off (she finally spoke up).

You realize LCD flat panels also have backlights.

Ken

Did you buy it on a credit card like VISA or AMEX? Most credit cards offer free warranty extension of up to 1yr over the manufacturer. Also you can extend it up to 3 more years anytime before the second year ends.

VISA will cover 100% of what the manufacturer will cover.

AMEX - thanks : )

That is EXACTLY the point I have been trying to convey.They post when it fails. Get it?Thats what this forum has realy become.A place to complain. As to posters not having a tech. come out. A lot of posters come here to find ways NOT to have a tech.come out.How do we circumvent this or whats the best way to adjust that. Technical advise and tips. If you don' get what works here,GET A PROFESSIONALCome back here and relate to others.Or,not.

There are three types of posters to a forum like this:

1) Lonely geeks--thank God for them, they keep the continuity going.

2) People with problems. Why post that everything is wonderful (well, see #1 above)?

3) People that want info before a problem. Anyone who purchases a DLP set without any research either has more money than sense; i.e., doesn't care, or is an idiot. As such, owner's should know that the bulb is an expensive consumable. What we need now is a place to buy them cheaply. As one poster said, even in the warranty period, do you want to wait while Toshiba takes it's time sending a bulb? Keeping a spare makes good sense.

I was having issues with my guide not updating much like most of the people in this forum so I called Toshiba and they sent me out a 128 mb SD card to update my 62HMX94. I put the card into the system and it had this error message, "no media found". I put the card into a reader and sure enough the card was empty. I promptly called Toshiba and now they are going to have to send me another card. Guess I'll have 2 free 128mb cards now.

Has anyone else on this forum received a card that was empty?

No, but I wish I had. Those cards work great in my PDA.

There are three types of posters to a forum like this:

1) Lonely geeks--thank God for them, they keep the continuity going.

2) People with problems. Why post that everything is wonderful (well, see #1 above)?

3) People that want info before a problem. Anyone who purchases a DLP set without any research either has more money than sense; i.e., doesn't care, or is an idiot. As such, owner's should know that the bulb is an expensive consumable. What we need now is a place to buy them cheaply. As one poster said, even in the warranty period, do you want to wait while Toshiba takes it's time sending a bulb? Keeping a spare makes good sense.

You give people too much credit. The vast majority of people will buy with little or no research into a product and hence, a vast majority of people will never know to go to a place like this to do research or seek advice.

Ken

You realize LCD flat panels also have backlights.

Ken

Yes but they last much much longer and are actually pretty easy to replace. None of my LCD monitors have failed but I've replaced the backlights on friends laptops.

2) People with problems. Why post that everything is wonderful (well, see #1 above)?

Ill tell you why post everything is wonderful, Becuase When people do research on a product most of them would like to see atleast 1 postive post about the product and when everything is peachy most people dont take the time to say so.

I recently purchased a 52HM95 and I am some what disapointed with it. The PQ is horrible. I play an XBOX 360 set to 720p and it looks real good. But I watch SD CAble and most channels look jagged. Plus anytime there is a large solid color on the screen, the fuzzyness of the screen shows through. I am getting my HD Cable Box in a couple of days and will see how that goes.

I am thinking about returning this set for a Sammy HL-R5067W. My main reasons are:

1. The Sammy accepts 1080i, the Tosh doesnt.

2. The Sammy has a 5th gen dlp processor and the Tosh has a HD2+.


I would appreciate any of your input here.

There are three types of posters to a forum like this:

1) Lonely geeks--thank God for them, they keep the continuity going.

2) People with problems. Why post that everything is wonderful (well, see #1 above)?

3) People that want info before a problem. Anyone who purchases a DLP set without any research either has more money than sense; i.e., doesn't care, or is an idiot. As such, owner's should know that the bulb is an expensive consumable. What we need now is a place to buy them cheaply. As one poster said, even in the warranty period, do you want to wait while Toshiba takes it's time sending a bulb? Keeping a spare makes good sense.


I'm type 3. If I had not stumbled on this forum I would have never known about the bulb issue. The Tweeter salesman said nothing about bulbs. Nor did the BB or CC salesmen. My 4 year old Mits RP CRT has been perfect. Why wouldn't a normal consumer buy a TV with the expectation that it will last 5 years or longer? I can't imagine my parents trying to buy a TV since you can't rely on the salesmen.

Now that I know a bulb is required it makes sense that they will have to be replaced periodically. Too bad it's not as easy to find and cheap as a GE soft white. Eventually it will be and then this whole topic will be moot. Maybe by then though you won't be able to find a GE soft white, only flourescent. :D

The only thing holding me back on the 62" Toshiba is that I don't want to deal with the bulb issue every year. That puts the plasma and RP CRT in play.

Thanks to the guys who helped me with the DVD player advice!

I have a couple of other questions.

I just got digital cable/hd broadcast, and while some HD stations look good, others don't. Standard broadcast stations look pretty bad. I'm assuming this is normal and people learend to live with it. Am I right?

Also, what's really bothering me is my screen looks like it's dirty/oily but it isn't. I'm seeing tiny dots/specs all over the screen. It's not in the picture because it's there all the time. It's very hard to explain, but they seem to be green/pink, as if the screen was dusty or oily. I'm sitting about 7 feet away from the screen.

This is with the 46hM95. Anyone else seeing what i'm seeing? Also, I forgot to ask. Could anyone be kind enough to post/PM their settings? I have Avia but I am new to calibration, so I was only able to calibrate the sharpness (ended up at 40) and brightness (forget results).

Are you supposed to see the moving bars in the black area when adjusting brigthness? I adjusted it to the setting where I was no longer able to see them. Wasn't sure what to do with the contrast though, are you supposed to see the bars moving in the white area?

Sorry about another long post. To be honest I was a little disappointed with the set, but i'm getting used to it. I'm thinking about having it professionall calibrated, but i'm not sure how much that would cost.

Yes but they last much much longer and are actually pretty easy to replace. None of my LCD monitors have failed but I've replaced the backlights on friends laptops.

I've had the back light fail twice on diffenent computer monitors. They are not user replaceable. I had to bring them into CompUSA for repair. I have a LCD tv (view sonic) in my bedroom, I haven't looked at how to change the lamp, but I'm betting if I did it myself it would void the warrenty.


Ken

I've had the back light fail twice on diffenent computer monitors. They are not user replaceable. I had to bring them into CompUSA for repair. I have a LCD tv (view sonic) in my bedroom, I haven't looked at how to change the lamp, but I'm betting if I did it myself it would void the warrenty.


Ken

Yes it would void the warranty. However they are not that difficult to replace after the warranty, The hard part is finding the correct part. On a good note though they are Fluorescent tubes with the lasting time of such.

I've had the back light fail twice on diffenent computer monitors. They are not user replaceable. I had to bring them into CompUSA for repair. I have a LCD tv (view sonic) in my bedroom, I haven't looked at how to change the lamp, but I'm betting if I did it myself it would void the warrenty.


Ken

Yes it would void the warranty. However they are not that difficult to replace after the warranty, The hard part is finding the correct part. On a good note though they are Fluorescent tubes with the lasting time of such.

Note: allot of the times its not so much the backlight itself that fails as it is the power inverter board connected to the light, These can usually be had for between $10~$20 if you know where to look. This is probably the case in about 60% of backlight failures.

I recently purchased a 52HM95 and I am some what disapointed with it. The PQ is horrible. I play an XBOX 360 set to 720p and it looks real good. But I watch SD CAble and most channels look jagged. Plus anytime there is a large solid color on the screen, the fuzzyness of the screen shows through. I am getting my HD Cable Box in a couple of days and will see how that goes.

I am thinking about returning this set for a Sammy HL-R5067W. My main reasons are:

1. The Sammy accepts 1080i, the Tosh doesnt.

2. The Sammy has a 5th gen dlp processor and the Tosh has a HD2+.


I would appreciate any of your input here.

I also have a 52HM95 and was disappointed in the PQ on SD channels until switching to an HDMI cable between the SDB and TV. SD cable channels will always look worse on a big screen HDTV than a smaller CRT.

1. The 52HM95 does accept 1080i. In fact, you're not going to find an HDTV that doesn't as 80% of HD channels are broadcast on 1080i. The Tosh's nativ resolution is 720p, though, so it downgrades a 180 signal to 720. The Samsung HL-R5067W is also 720p native.

2. The 52HM95 is an HD4 chip. The previous model, 52HM84 is HD2+.

Needless to say, switching to the Sammy you mentioned will give you the same generation DLP chip and same native resolutions. Additionally, even on an XBOX 360 set to 720p output there are display lag problems being reported by many users of the Sammy HLR TVs.

If you want a true 1080i/p display, go with the 195 series instead. My 72hm195 is excellent. SD over hdmi is very good (not great) and watchable.


Ken

2. The 52HM95 is an HD4 chip. The previous model, 52HM84 is HD2+.



Toshiba's site says this on the 52HM95 Specs:


TALEN™

Toshiba Advanced Light Engine is proprietary light engine technology, designed and built by Toshiba, for Toshiba. TALEN™ utilizes advanced optics, and step-up TI HD2+ DLP™ Chip, to create Toshiba’s outstanding picture quality.


So, where do you see that it has a HD4 chip and not a HD2+?


btw - I am very pleased with the Tosh's display with my 360. It is very good. I just recently purchased an Oppo for DVD playback. Should get it in a couple of days. And Charter is coming out tomorrow to set up HD Box. So we will see how that goes. I talked to a buddy of mine who works at a BB and he said they have alot of the Tosh's returned. Kinda makes me leery.

One a side note, I will be having my cable feed going into a Humax TIVO box before it goes into my HD Cable Box. Is there any problem with signal degredation that any of you know of?

Another thing bothering me is the Tosh's lamp problems AND the recent plant closure in Tennessee - where Tosh makes it's TVs. Just makes me wonder what Tosh is planning on doing next.

Toshiba's site says this on the 52HM95 Specs:


TALEN™

Toshiba Advanced Light Engine is proprietary light engine technology, designed and built by Toshiba, for Toshiba. TALEN™ utilizes advanced optics, and step-up TI HD2+ DLP™ Chip, to create Toshiba’s outstanding picture quality.


So, where do you see that it has a HD4 chip and not a HD2+?


btw - I am very pleased with the Tosh's display with my 360. It is very good. I just recently purchased an Oppo for DVD playback. Should get it in a couple of days. And Charter is coming out tomorrow to set up HD Box. So we will see how that goes. I talked to a buddy of mine who works at a BB and he said they have alot of the Tosh's returned. Kinda makes me leery.
One a side note, I will be having my cable feed going into a Humax TIVO box before it goes into my HD Cable Box. Is there any problem with signal degredation that any of you know of?

Another thing bothering me is the Tosh's lamp problems AND the recent plant closure in Tennessee - where Tosh makes it's TVs. Just makes me wonder what Tosh is planning on doing next.
Nov 4, 2005

Toshiba America Inc. plans to cut 300 employees at its Lebanon, Tennessee, U.S. manufacturing plant following the company's decision to stop producing some types of televisions. Toshiba told the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development of its plans earlier this week in a letter.

The company said it intends to lay off 60 employees at the facility around Dec. 31, 2005. About a month later, the company will cut an additional 219 employees.

The layoff is the result of Toshiba's decision to discontinue production of rear projection televisions and plasma televisions at the plant, which opened in the late 1970s. The company expects the layoffs to be permanent, the letter states.

Toshiba America is a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based parent company Toshiba Corp. (Tennessean.com).





Plant CLOSURE??? The CRT rear projection and plasma divisions laying off 300 is hardly a plant CLOSURE.

I have a 62HM195 on order which should be arriving by Thurs Dec 29th. After reading the troubles many have been having with Toshiba bulbs I am quite nervous and wondering if I made the right choice??? A lot of the posts here are people with problems and questions on how to resolve them, I understand that, but can I hear from some people with the HM195 series Toshibas that are happy with their sets and have been relatively trouble free?? Please? Are you out there? I am coming from a Sony CRT HD set that I have had for almost 5 years and its been trouble free except for a power supply that needed to be replaced 2 years ago. I talked the wife into letting me get a new set but if the bulb blows out like it has so quickly for some, Im in for HELL...

Please advise...

I have a 62HM195 on order which should be arriving by Thurs Dec 29th. After reading the troubles many have been having with Toshiba bulbs I am quite nervous and wondering if I made the right choice??? A lot of the posts here are people with problems and questions on how to resolve them, I understand that, but can I hear from some people with the HM195 series Toshibas that are happy with their sets and have been relatively trouble free?? Please? Are you out there? I am coming from a Sony CRT HD set that I have had for almost 5 years and its been trouble free except for a power supply that needed to be replaced 2 years ago. I talked the wife into letting me get a new set but if the bulb blows out like it has so quickly for some, Im in for HELL...

Please advise...
[B]Fantastic set, is not for the faint of heart

[B]Fantastic set, is not for the faint of heart

enmoco, have you had to replace your bulb at all? If so, after how much viewing?? If not, how long has your bulb been in service?? I've always been on the cutting edge and am not faint of heart...its the other half that will give me grief....perhaps I should order an extra bulb to have on hand at all times???

enmoco, have you had to replace your bulb at all? If so, after how much viewing?? If not, how long has your bulb been in service?? I've always been on the cutting edge and am not faint of heart...its the other half that will give me grief....perhaps I should order an extra bulb to have on hand at all times???
[B]I bought my first DLP,56HM195,Dec. 10 '05,was delivered from Conn's locally with what was diagnosed by a Conn's tech. as a bad light engine.Determined it was probably jarred loose in shipment. Was very watchable(light escaping onto a pure black screen)but,I wanted it replaced .Watched it while LE was ordered.Replaced week later. I have several high end sets(plasma). I would rather watch this 195 than any. Maybe I'm nuts.The PQ is like none I have seen.I'm not easily impressed.Also,I'm not easily discouraged. The benifits FAR outweigh the liabilities,in my opinion.These sets may not be for evetybody.I relate it to when color was introduced. Its that dramatic for what I believe to be an exceptional buy.Plasma is great,but has a great many drawbacks. So be it. DLP is the best bang for the buck in many years.With the advent of other technologies(SED for one)these sets will continue to fall in price.Bulbs as well. Buy a bulb friendly warranty,
if need Save your money on a replacement bulb at the onset.

So, where do you see that it has a HD4 chip and not a HD2+?


That's an old, outdated description of TALEN that was never updated from the 84 series. Tosh is becoming famous quickly for not updating their site with correct spec sheets and "cutting and pasting" old incorrect data in to their user manuals. Even stranger is that some of the feature descriptions for the 84 series are incorrect as they have been updated to the 95/195 line. Look around online at retailer spec sheets and you'll see it's an HD4 chip. I also found this thread here at AVS about this...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5783409

I also did quite a bit of research on HD2+ vs. HD4 before buying my TV and found that many people actually prefer the HD2+.

Casino,

I'm not so certain your comment on gaming lag is valid. Do you own any other DLP set and game on it? Have you gamed on any other DLP sets? My son is an avid gamer and uses our HMX95 to play Xbox online. Our set does not have a game mode nor have either of us experienced any gaming lag.
That's just my $0.02 worth.
odd... i've even heard of lagging issues with the 360... and I surely get it with old ps1 games and non-progressive ps2 games...

Also, what's really bothering me is my screen looks like it's dirty/oily but it isn't. I'm seeing tiny dots/specs all over the screen. It's not in the picture because it's there all the time. It's very hard to explain, but they seem to be green/pink, as if the screen was dusty or oily. I'm sitting about 7 feet away from the screen.

This is with the 46hM95. Anyone else seeing what i'm seeing?This sounds like one of my complaints with the 62HM84 set (see review in post #1666). It is most noticable when there is a bright white area in the center of the screen. It is probably an interaction between the magnified pixels, the prismatic lenses on the rear of the screen and the anti-reflective texture on the front. This is only a guess, and I have not looked at a xxHM95 series set. Someone (kdog044?) said that it was called SSE (Silk Screen Effect). Does anyone else have another hypothesis?

When I am watching HD channels with good source material this is the main problem that keeps the picture from looking like a window onto the scene.

Does anyone know where I can get a Replacement Bulb for the Toshiba 62HM84? Everywhere I call says they are on backorder. My Bulb blew out Last night after 9 months now I can't find one.

Also, is their possibly an alternative Part # I can look for? I am using Part # 23311083 when I call around.

Thanks
Ruben

Update:

I been calling around and prices range from $139.93 to $289.00 for this bulb using Part # 23311083. I found 1 company with them in stock and they are $218.00 plus shipping. So I just ordered for overnight delivery.

I am looking at the two Sony upconverting DVD players. DVP70 and the DVP90. It seems that the DVP70 does not have 2:3 pulldown and the DVP90 does. Does the 62hm195 have internal 2:3 pulldown and if so do I need it in my DVD player or can I just go with the DVP70?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. :)

odd... i've even heard of lagging issues with the 360... and I surely get it with old ps1 games and non-progressive ps2 games...

I play a lot of XBOX, 360, and PS2 games so I did a bit of research on this. The Tosh 85 and 94 lines both have a "Game Mode" to cut down on the DLP lag, while the 95 and 195 series do not. I've ran PS2 and the 360 on my 52HM195 without any problems. ALL Samsung models are still plagued by game lag, though, and from what I hear their game mode doesn't do much to fix it.

I play a lot of XBOX, 360, and PS2 games so I did a bit of research on this. The Tosh 85 and 94 lines both have a "Game Mode" to cut down on the DLP lag, while the 95 and 195 series do not. I've ran PS2 and the 360 on my 52HM195 without any problems. ALL Samsung models are still plagued by game lag, though, and from what I hear their game mode doesn't do much to fix it.
yeah... I have a 52hm94 and the game mode clears things right up...

I have a 62HM195 on order which should be arriving by Thurs Dec 29th. After reading the troubles many have been having with Toshiba bulbs I am quite nervous and wondering if I made the right choice??? A lot of the posts here are people with problems and questions on how to resolve them, I understand that, but can I hear from some people with the HM195 series Toshibas that are happy with their sets and have been relatively trouble free?? Please? Are you out there? I am coming from a Sony CRT HD set that I have had for almost 5 years and its been trouble free except for a power supply that needed to be replaced 2 years ago. I talked the wife into letting me get a new set but if the bulb blows out like it has so quickly for some, Im in for HELL...

Please advise...

Well, be aware that the lamps appear to be failing significantly sooner than then Tosh's manual estimates. It could be shipping, dust build up, manuf. defect ...who knows? Like enmoco says though it is the best bang for the buck, and I dont think switching brands is going to help. You'd have to switch technology...thus effecting the "best bang for the buck" scenario. It may have some other problems at first but Tosh's customer service is excellent. They've been 2 day Fedex shipping the bulbs without a tech having to see the set (when their not on backorder.) I also had a light engine replaced without any hassling about it. I also believe the bulb's price and availability will get a lot better.

If the picture (and sound) of the set is worth it to you and you dont mind having a spare bulb on hand (or waiting for one while using another tv) then you should be happy. Otherwise you'll probably have to spend a whole lot more for a higher end product and who knows what your problems will cost. Then again you may not have a single problem.

I bought mine last February and probably would'nt buy it again....but that said I dont think there is anything else out there for that price and that good a picture that is not going to be somewhat risky. I dont even have the 195 series I have the 94 and I think it's a great pic.

My strongest recommendation would be to get a reputable extended warranty that also covers the lamp.

I bought mine last February and probably would'nt buy it again....but that said I dont think there is anything else out there for that price and that good a picture that is not going to be somewhat risky. I dont even have the 195 series I have the 94 and I think it's a great pic.
My strongest recommendation would be to get a reputable extended warranty that also covers the lamp.

Have you had to replace your bulb?

I play a lot of XBOX, 360, and PS2 games so I did a bit of research on this. The Tosh 85 and 94 lines both have a "Game Mode" to cut down on the DLP lag, while the 95 and 195 series do not. I've ran PS2 and the 360 on my 52HM195 without any problems. ALL Samsung models are still plagued by game lag, though, and from what I hear their game mode doesn't do much to fix it.Your set is a 52HM195??? I was not aware of that model.Where did you purchase that set and when? Possibly a new model I'm not aware of.I thought 56" was the smaller 195 series set.I did notice that there is a model number 52HM195 listed at http://www.ercservice.com/lamps/toshibalamps/23311153.html for bulb replacement and I wondered the same thing then.Huh. Just did a Google,and there is one ad other than aforementioned bulb site.This is it:http://www.tvauthority.com/Coming-Soon/Toshiba-52HM195.asp

I have a 62HM195 on order which should be arriving by Thurs Dec 29th. After reading the troubles many have been having with Toshiba bulbs I am quite nervous and wondering if I made the right choice??? A lot of the posts here are people with problems and questions on how to resolve them, I understand that, but can I hear from some people with the HM195 series Toshibas that are happy with their sets and have been relatively trouble free?? Please? Are you out there? I am coming from a Sony CRT HD set that I have had for almost 5 years and its been trouble free except for a power supply that needed to be replaced 2 years ago. I talked the wife into letting me get a new set but if the bulb blows out like it has so quickly for some, Im in for HELL...

Please advise...

I have the same set and it is excellent. The picture is beautiful. I have had the set for a little over a month with not a single problem.

I don't think the bulb problems affect Toshiba more than any company. Also Consumer Reports says "Toshiba DLP sets have needed fewer repairs than other microdisplays,according to one year of survey data."

The bulbs are warranteed for a year and if you paid with a Platinum Visa/Mastercard or Amex the warranty is probably doubled to 2 years.

If you are going to buy any microdisplay you are taking a chance the bulb could fail.

P.S. I also would suggest that you buy the Avia or some other DVD that allows you to calibrate the picture correctly, it greatly improved my picture especially on SD stations.

I have the same set and it is excellent. The picture is beautiful. I have had the set for a little over a month with not a single problem.

I don't think the bulb problems affect Toshiba more than any company. Also Consumer Reports says "Toshiba DLP sets have needed fewer repairs than other microdisplays,according to one year of survey data."

The bulbs are warranteed for a year and if you paid with a Platinum Visa/Mastercard or Amex the warranty is probably doubled to 2 years.

If you are going to buy any microdisplay you are taking a chance the bulb could fail.

P.S. I also would suggest that you buy the Avia or some other DVD that allows you to calibrate the picture correctly, it greatly improved my picture especially on SD stations.

I recommend getting the spydertv colorimeter. It is excellent.


Ken

I just got the Jan/Feb issue of Perfect Vision (PV).
It gave the 62HM195 a great review.

Interestingly, I was about to purchase a Samsung 67" 1080P as it was the perfect size, but after reading in the same issue of PV a review of the Samsung 1080P DLP, I think getting a Samsung is a bad choice. Even more interesting, I thought the Toshiba had a better picture in the showroom but I wanted something sized between 62 and 72 which they only offer (see footnote for why)

What are you opinions on:
a) I thought the 72" might be a tad large for my room, which is a viewing distance of 14 feet. Do you think thats good distance for this size screen?

b). How does normal analog TV look when viewed 4:3. I have cable (Cox) and most of our TV watching would still be that. Any experience there?

Anyway, Thanks for any thoughts you are willing to offer!

Footnote:
I have a 4;3 RPTV SONY 52' now. To enjoy the same size 4:3 screen on a 16:9 TV, I would need a 65" diagonal TV.

I scrutized the Toshiba data sheets for both models.

Best I can tell is that the MX has a:
1) PC Input,
2) TheaterLink IR input and
3) THINC Ethernet Port.

Are those the only difference that you know of?

Im not even sure what I would use them for. I think that TV is about $500 more. Are those features worth having?

Thanks again for any advise

I scrutized the Toshiba data sheets for both models.

Best I can tell is that the MX has a:
1) PC Input,
2) TheaterLink IR input and
3) THINC Ethernet Port.

Are those the only difference that you know of?

Im not even sure what I would use them for. I think that TV is about $500 more. Are those features worth having?

Thanks again for any advise :D Don't forget the glossy black bezel.

I scrutized the Toshiba data sheets for both models.

Best I can tell is that the MX has a:
1) PC Input,
2) TheaterLink IR input and
3) THINC Ethernet Port.

Are those the only difference that you know of?

Im not even sure what I would use them for. I think that TV is about $500 more. Are those features worth having?

Thanks again for any advise

I think the MX has a black glossy frame and the HM is silver- if it matters to you.

Have you had to replace your bulb?

Yes it worked for 10 months then popped. However, the lamp for my 52hm94 is different than yours.

I actually purchased the 56HM195 *before* finding this forum. A friend of mine has a Samsung from a few years ago and he had lip synch problems so that was definitely my biggest concern.

I was upgrading from a Mits 55' RPTV...

A couple of questions/comments/observations:

1. HDTV is great! I've got Cox Cable in Southern CA and the HDTV channels (which are all 1080i) upconvert so 1080p and look beautiful. I cannot believe how good football looks (even compared to my old 1080i Mits RPTV)!

2. Regular TV (i.e. through my TiVo) is pretty bad. It was horrible at first but after some tweaking it's not too bad.

3. I haven't seen any rainbows or anything like that, maybe I'm just not too sensitive.

4. Fan is definitely loud and runs 24/7 regardless of whether the TV is on or not. Not terribly distracting but definitely noticable.

5. I'm still not 100% on the lip-synch. My wife says it is fine but I'm not sure. She thinks that I'm focusing on it so close that it's all in my head.

6. Had some strange problems when watching "The Polar Express" on DVD, first couple of scenes looked pretty grainy. I switched my Denon-1910 DVD player to use DVI instead of the component video cables and now DVD's look better (although I haven't tested Polar Express again, it was a rental!). DVD definitely doesn't look as good as HDTV (not that I should expect it would).

7. The biggest weakness I've found so far is with the PIP/POP. We actually use this feature a lot and the Toshiba implements this very weakly. First off, there is only 1 PIP/POP mode (full screen side by side). On the Mits I could choose from umpteen different settings. More importantly, when using POP, one of the sources MUST be one of the antennas. For example, I can't have DVD on one side and TiVo on the other. One of the POPs MUST be ANT-A or ANT-B. This just doesn't make sense to me. Why can't I use PIP/POP with two video sources rather than a video and an antenna?

Overall I'm definitely happy with the purchase. I think it looks better than my friend's Samsung (which was only 720p) and aside from the PIP/POP limitations (which we use so that my daughter can watch something with wireless headphones while the wife and I watch real TV) it's great. We don't have XBOX360 yet but the old XBOX (HDTV), Cox HDTV, Denon DVD-1910 (755), and old fashioned TiVo work well with it.

After reading through these forums I'm even happier. I can live with the bulb issues (bought the extended warranty) and it sounds like the Toshibas are at least on par with the other DLP's out there so I feel like we made a good purchase. Thought about getting the MX but it didn't really offer anything for the extra money that was worth it to me.

Good luck!

-david

Hey guys, couple quick questions here. I have been enjoying my 46hm95 for the past couple of weeks and couldn't pry myself away from it to even type this post.

One: The cable installer told me not to "waste" my money on an hdmi cable to run from their stb to the tv. Is he on dope or is component just as good?? I am not running great lengths of wire (3-4 ft.) I just want the best PQ possible, and trust your opinions.

Two: I have noticed that the upper 20% portion of the screen will "wobble" once or twice while watching a DVD. It doesn't really distort the picture but makes it appear that the picture is in "motion." I have not seen this while watching tv, only DVD's. Have you guys experienced this?? If not, do you think it is a DVD player issue or TV issue?? It is a cheap Samsung progressive scan DVD player, hooked using components.

Thanks for your time guys.

I actually purchased the 56HM195 *before* finding this forum. A friend of mine has a Samsung from a few years ago and he had lip synch problems so that was definitely my biggest concern.

I was upgrading from a Mits 55' RPTV...

A couple of questions/comments/observations:

1. HDTV is great! I've got Cox Cable in Southern CA and the HDTV channels (which are all 1080i) upconvert so 1080p and look beautiful. I cannot believe how good football looks (even compared to my old 1080i Mits RPTV)!

2. Regular TV (i.e. through my TiVo) is pretty bad. It was horrible at first but after some tweaking it's not too bad.

3. I haven't seen any rainbows or anything like that, maybe I'm just not too sensitive.

4. Fan is definitely loud and runs 24/7 regardless of whether the TV is on or not. Not terribly distracting but definitely noticable.

5. I'm still not 100% on the lip-synch. My wife says it is fine but I'm not sure. She thinks that I'm focusing on it so close that it's all in my head.

6. Had some strange problems when watching "The Polar Express" on DVD, first couple of scenes looked pretty grainy. I switched my Denon-1910 DVD player to use DVI instead of the component video cables and now DVD's look better (although I haven't tested Polar Express again, it was a rental!). DVD definitely doesn't look as good as HDTV (not that I should expect it would).

7. The biggest weakness I've found so far is with the PIP/POP. We actually use this feature a lot and the Toshiba implements this very weakly. First off, there is only 1 PIP/POP mode (full screen side by side). On the Mits I could choose from umpteen different settings. More importantly, when using POP, one of the sources MUST be one of the antennas. For example, I can't have DVD on one side and TiVo on the other. One of the POPs MUST be ANT-A or ANT-B. This just doesn't make sense to me. Why can't I use PIP/POP with two video sources rather than a video and an antenna?

Overall I'm definitely happy with the purchase. I think it looks better than my friend's Samsung (which was only 720p) and aside from the PIP/POP limitations (which we use so that my daughter can watch something with wireless headphones while the wife and I watch real TV) it's great. We don't have XBOX360 yet but the old XBOX (HDTV), Cox HDTV, Denon DVD-1910 (755), and old fashioned TiVo work well with it.

After reading through these forums I'm even happier. I can live with the bulb issues (bought the extended warranty) and it sounds like the Toshibas are at least on par with the other DLP's out there so I feel like we made a good purchase. Thought about getting the MX but it didn't really offer anything for the extra money that was worth it to me.

Good luck!

-david
When you say regular tv is bad,are you talking about channels 1-99? when you change channels,do you see in the lower right hand side of the info bar,DD or DD5.1? Go from a channel you know is definitely digital(1080i hi def will work too) If the lower tier channels don't show you to be getting DD,your not ADS (all didital simulcast) active and still receiving lower tier in analog. PQ will definitely suffer in analog. Call cable company if this is the case. ADS is not available in some areas,but So.Cal. should be up.Also how are you connecting your equip.?

Hey guys, couple quick questions here. I have been enjoying my 46hm95 for the past couple of weeks and couldn't pry myself away from it to even type this post.

One: The cable installer told me not to "waste" my money on an hdmi cable to run from their stb to the tv. Is he on dope or is component just as good?? I am not running great lengths of wire (3-4 ft.) I just want the best PQ possible, and trust your opinions.

Two: I have noticed that the upper 20% portion of the screen will "wobble" once or twice while watching a DVD. It doesn't really distort the picture but makes it appear that the picture is in "motion." I have not seen this while watching tv, only DVD's. Have you guys experienced this?? If not, do you think it is a DVD player issue or TV issue?? It is a cheap Samsung progressive scan DVD player, hooked using components.

Thanks for your time guys.
I found on my Comcast cable-Motorola 6412 III stb pq was identical through HDMI and Component.However I stayed with HDMI.http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&style= All their cables are great.

When you say regular tv is bad,are you talking about channels 1-99? when you change channels,do you see in the lower right hand side of the info bar,DD or DD5.1? Go from a channel you know is definitely digital(1080i hi def will work too) If the lower tier channels don't show you to be getting DD,your not ADS (all didital simulcast) active and still receiving lower tier in analog. PQ will definitely suffer in analog. Call cable company if this is the case. ADS is not available in some areas,but So.Cal. should be up.Also how are you connecting your equip.?

I'm actually not using the internal Ant-A and HDTV tuner, I've got a COX HDTV DVR connected through component. Channels 100-699 are "digital" and are okay, channels 700+ are HDTV and those are obviously great.

I also have a TiVo attached via S-Video. This is the main tuner I'll use if I'm watching channels under 100.

I rarely use the internal tuner on Ant-A because I'm so used to time shifting with the TiVo and Cox HD DVR. I read about the Symbio HD but it doesn't sound near as powerful as the TiVo.

I'm actually not using the internal Ant-A and HDTV tuner, I've got a COX HDTV DVR connected through component. Channels 100-699 are "digital" and are okay, channels 700+ are HDTV and those are obviously great.

I also have a TiVo attached via S-Video. This is the main tuner I'll use if I'm watching channels under 100.

I rarely use the internal tuner on Ant-A because I'm so used to time shifting with the TiVo and Cox HD DVR. I read about the Symbio HD but it doesn't sound near as powerful as the TiVo. Its pretty obvious your not using the tvs tuner if your on cable stb..A CC would be using your tvs tuner.Whatever tuner applies,my statenent stands as your feed is cable.I guess I really don't understand what your situation is.Cox stb-dvr and Tivo via S-video,ok.What exactly do you mean by regular tv. OTA?

Your set is a 52HM195??? I was not aware of that model.Where did you purchase that set and when? Possibly a new model I'm not aware of.I thought 56" was the smaller 195 series set.I did notice that there is a model number 52HM195 listed at http://www.ercservice.com/lamps/toshibalamps/23311153.html for bulb replacement and I wondered the same thing then.Huh. Just did a Google,and there is one ad other than aforementioned bulb site.This is it:http://www.tvauthority.com/Coming-Soon/Toshiba-52HM195.asp

Sorry... my fault. I had 195 and 95 on the brain. My set is a 52HM95, not 195.

One: The cable installer told me not to "waste" my money on an hdmi cable to run from their stb to the tv. Is he on dope or is component just as good?? I am not running great lengths of wire (3-4 ft.) I just want the best PQ possible, and trust your opinions.

I had a set of $80 Monster component cables running from my set top box to the TV and SD channels were so bad I was VERY close to bringing the whole thing back to Best Buy. I swapped them out for a $7.00 HDMI cable from monoprice.com and the difference in picture quality and sound was amazing. I am now extremely happy with the set and am very glad I thought I'd give HDMI a try before returning it. My guess would be that he's on dope. :)

Also, don't run out and spend a fortune on an HDMI cable. All the shielding in the would doesn't make much of a difference to a digital signal on a 4' cable.

A couple of questions/comments/observations:

2. Regular TV (i.e. through my TiVo) is pretty bad. It was horrible at first but after some tweaking it's not too bad.

7. The biggest weakness I've found so far is with the PIP/POP. We actually use this feature a lot and the Toshiba implements this very weakly. First off, there is only 1 PIP/POP mode (full screen side by side). On the Mits I could choose from umpteen different settings. More importantly, when using POP, one of the sources MUST be one of the antennas. For example, I can't have DVD on one side and TiVo on the other. One of the POPs MUST be ANT-A or ANT-B. This just doesn't make sense to me. Why can't I use PIP/POP with two video sources rather than a video and an antenna?


I have cox too. So you think we will see normal cable video as worse then on our 52" CRT RPTV now (sony XBR)? That would be a pain since thats what mostly we watch.

The PIP issue is disturbing. Other then channel changing thats the most used feature for me. I would like to see the PIP in the corner as Im used to rather then side by side only. That alone could steer me away from the Toshiba.

I have cox too. So you think we will see normal cable video as worse then on our 52" CRT RPTV now (sony XBR)? That would be a pain since thats what mostly we watch.

The PIP issue is disturbing. Other then channel changing thats the most used feature for me. I would like to see the PIP in the corner as Im used to rather then side by side only. That alone could steer me away from the Toshiba.
What exactly is normal video,digital or analog??You say thats what you normally watch.Think about some better feed. Why have an HDTV and watch inferior programming?Just my.02 worth

What exactly is normal video,digital or analog??You say thats what you normally watch.Think about some better feed. Why have an HDTV and watch inferior programming?Just my.02 worth

I wasnt very clear.

Most of the channels I get on cable are standard broadcast analog channels.
There is a digital tier which gets you some more and repeated channels in 480I.
and there is an HDTV tier which gets you about 10 HDTV channels.

Many of the channels we watch would not be offered in the digital or HDTV tier.
here is the complete list. As you can see, many of the lower or analog channels are not offered as digital or HDTV.
http://www.cox.com/OC/ChannelLink/LineupResults_full.asp

So thats why I ask about how normal or standard analog broadcast would look on this TV.

thanks for the input

I actually purchased the 56HM195 *before* finding this forum. A friend of mine has a Samsung from a few years ago and he had lip synch problems so that was definitely my biggest concern.

I was upgrading from a Mits 55' RPTV...

A couple of questions/comments/observations:

1. HDTV is great! I've got Cox Cable in Southern CA and the HDTV channels (which are all 1080i) upconvert so 1080p and look beautiful. I cannot believe how good football looks (even compared to my old 1080i Mits RPTV)!

2. Regular TV (i.e. through my TiVo) is pretty bad. It was horrible at first but after some tweaking it's not too bad.

3. I haven't seen any rainbows or anything like that, maybe I'm just not too sensitive.

4. Fan is definitely loud and runs 24/7 regardless of whether the TV is on or not. Not terribly distracting but definitely noticable.

5. I'm still not 100% on the lip-synch. My wife says it is fine but I'm not sure. She thinks that I'm focusing on it so close that it's all in my head.

6. Had some strange problems when watching "The Polar Express" on DVD, first couple of scenes looked pretty grainy. I switched my Denon-1910 DVD player to use DVI instead of the component video cables and now DVD's look better (although I haven't tested Polar Express again, it was a rental!). DVD definitely doesn't look as good as HDTV (not that I should expect it would).

7. The biggest weakness I've found so far is with the PIP/POP. We actually use this feature a lot and the Toshiba implements this very weakly. First off, there is only 1 PIP/POP mode (full screen side by side). On the Mits I could choose from umpteen different settings. More importantly, when using POP, one of the sources MUST be one of the antennas. For example, I can't have DVD on one side and TiVo on the other. One of the POPs MUST be ANT-A or ANT-B. This just doesn't make sense to me. Why can't I use PIP/POP with two video sources rather than a video and an antenna?

Overall I'm definitely happy with the purchase. I think it looks better than my friend's Samsung (which was only 720p) and aside from the PIP/POP limitations (which we use so that my daughter can watch something with wireless headphones while the wife and I watch real TV) it's great. We don't have XBOX360 yet but the old XBOX (HDTV), Cox HDTV, Denon DVD-1910 (755), and old fashioned TiVo work well with it.

After reading through these forums I'm even happier. I can live with the bulb issues (bought the extended warranty) and it sounds like the Toshibas are at least on par with the other DLP's out there so I feel like we made a good purchase. Thought about getting the MX but it didn't really offer anything for the extra money that was worth it to me.

Good luck!

-david


David,

As far as your POP is concerned. Can you run a coaxile cable from your TIVO to ANT1 or ANT2? I wonder if that will allow you to have TIVO on the second screen.

I just got the Jan/Feb issue of Perfect Vision (PV).
It gave the 62HM195 a great review.

Interestingly, I was about to purchase a Samsung 67" 1080P as it was the perfect size, but after reading in the same issue of PV a review of the Samsung 1080P DLP, I think getting a Samsung is a bad choice. Even more interesting, I thought the Toshiba had a better picture in the showroom but I wanted something sized between 62 and 72 which they only offer (see footnote for why)

What are you opinions on:
a) I thought the 72" might be a tad large for my room, which is a viewing distance of 14 feet. Do you think thats good distance for this size screen?

b). How does normal analog TV look when viewed 4:3. I have cable (Cox) and most of our TV watching would still be that. Any experience there?

Anyway, Thanks for any thoughts you are willing to offer!

Footnote:
I have a 4;3 RPTV SONY 52' now. To enjoy the same size 4:3 screen on a 16:9 TV, I would need a 65" diagonal TV.

I have the 72hm195 and have a viewing distance of about 13 feet. The TV is definitely not too large for the viewing distance. A 72" diagonal has an optimal viewing distance of 12'. I have satellite (Dish), which is digital. The 4:3 viewing of the digital signal is pretty good. Not HD good, but definitely viewable. For the person who said the fan noise is very noticable. I have to put my ear to my set to hear the fan while it is off. I can't hear it at all when the tv is on over the normal noise of the tv (some people call the noise the audio track, I find it differs from show to show :-)

Ken

I have a 52HM84 for which at high resolutions the zoom feature becomes limited and I suppose this feature applies to other HDTV units. At 720P the unit stays at FULL which is perfect for 1.78 and 1.85 ratio material, but for bigger ratios you’ll get a small letterbox and for 4:3 material the image becomes distorted. For 1080i FULL is not available, and although Theaterwide 1 to 3 work, the image remains letterboxed or is cut at the sides.

This leaves an undesirable effect for 4:3 material or images bigger than 16:9. So, what happens when we finally get to use a high definition system or channel station? Depending on the show, we’ll get a small or distorted image, a compelling reason to switch the box to 480P resolution, which means lossing money on the TV, because much of the price goes into high definition image presentation.

Everyone likes the way Toshiba scales the input material, images look sharp and no loss in resolution when zooming; so I think there could be more useful ways to apply the Theaterwide feature. I suggest that for all resolutions all zooms should be available but starting at a fix width; except for Theaterwide 1 which is the best solution I’ve seen for 4:3 material on a widescreen.

For widescreen material, we want to see a big and complete image, this is what was lost on 4:3 screens and that’s why we buy a 16:9 TV; so no matter the zoom, the width should be fixed. Or at least, the ratio of expansion should be very little, like when using Theaterwide 3 on a 480P, 2.35:1 movie. Then the only thing to adjust would be height and let the user decide how much distortion to handle. There should be a special option which takes the image to a 1:1 ratio with the screen, that way the image would occupy the whole viewable area, like when using FULL on 4:3 material. Then we can start “zooming down” until satisfied.

For the new options, I suggest a “Step Zoom” feature which let’s the user change the height at smaller, continuous steps, than the pre-sized Theaterwide zooms. With these, the user can then set default TV values that would match the expected image for high definition material at 720P or 1080i; with no loss of image and resolution…just a change in height.

What do you think? Could this be applied as a software change, a chip replacement…what would be needed and can we expect this to happen?

This is an interesting link on Lamps.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/projector-lamps-faq.cfm

Key indicators for longevity is stated as 3-5 hours of operation, relatively dust free environment, and not letting is heat up to much.

This site states that regular metal halide (high pressure mercury) lamps only last 1000-2000 hrs but the new HPM types are suppose to last 4k hrs. I wonder why TOSH is projecting aprox 6k?

In any case this site also sells filters. I'm going to be researching bulb replacement for existing lamp case and possible lamp cooling fan upgrade.

Granted this site appears to primary front projector but I'm thinking same principle.

I dont know about you guys but I got kids and dogs and so my environment is probably not "relatively dust free" and probably would have to hire a maid to clean it every other day... and the better half aint gonna go for that.

David,

As far as your POP is concerned. Can you run a coaxile cable from your TIVO to ANT1 or ANT2? I wonder if that will allow you to have TIVO on the second screen.



I believe one of the pop sources has to be 480i (mabey 480p). Thats why you think you have to use an ant source. If you upconvert yor dvd player and your STB you cant have both of them side by side. Only one is allowed to be HD.

"Hey guys, couple quick questions here. I have been enjoying my 46hm95 for the past couple of weeks and couldn't pry myself away from it to even type this post.

One: The cable installer told me not to "waste" my money on an hdmi cable to run from their stb to the tv. Is he on dope or is component just as good?? I am not running great lengths of wire (3-4 ft.) I just want the best PQ possible, and trust your opinions.

Two: I have noticed that the upper 20% portion of the screen will "wobble" once or twice while watching a DVD. It doesn't really distort the picture but makes it appear that the picture is in "motion." I have not seen this while watching tv, only DVD's. Have you guys experienced this?? If not, do you think it is a DVD player issue or TV issue?? It is a cheap Samsung progressive scan DVD player, hooked using components."

I tried the hdmi hookup and saw no difference so I use it to connect my upconverting dvd player (46HM84 only has one hdmi connection). You should buy one first from a local retailer and try it and if no difference then return it. If better, than buy online as suggested previously. FYI, Comcast gave me my hdmi cable for free. I have not experienced the problem you mention w/ your dvd player.

thanks for the replies guys. I will give an inexpensive HDMI cable a try just for comparison sake. The picture "wobble" during DVD playback is a little more disturbing however. I hate to spend $120 on a better dvd player and find out that it is my tv.

thanks for the replies guys. I will give an inexpensive HDMI cable a try just for comparison sake. The picture "wobble" during DVD playback is a little more disturbing however. I hate to spend $120 on a better dvd player and find out that it is my tv.

You might try turning off the "progressive scan" on your DVD and see if it stops the pic wabble.

David,

As far as your POP is concerned. Can you run a coaxile cable from your TIVO to ANT1 or ANT2? I wonder if that will allow you to have TIVO on the second screen.


That's funny - that's exactly what I did. I have my TiVo running via both S-Video and RH to Ant-B. When my daughter wants to watch Tivo through POP we use the RF input on Ant-B tuned to channel 3.

I believe one of the pop sources has to be 480i (mabey 480p). Thats why you think you have to use an ant source. If you upconvert yor dvd player and your STB you cant have both of them side by side. Only one is allowed to be HD.

Actually that's not correct. It even states in the manual that one of the POP sources has to be the ANT input. It says you must have a Video and ANT input (you cannot have two ANT or two Video).

Regardless my TiVo isn't upconverted (it is 480i) on the S-Video port.

Is it true that the HM195 1080P sets only provide picture in picture as a split screen.......side by side?

If not, can it provide a small screen in lower corner and with a swap button on the remote?

thanks again!

That's funny - that's exactly what I did. I have my TiVo running via both S-Video and RH to Ant-B. When my daughter wants to watch Tivo through POP we use the RF input on Ant-B tuned to channel 3.

I hear ya. Anything to make the baby girl (or girls in my case) happy.

You said earlier that it gives you two full screens when it splits? Thats better than my hm94 because I get two screens but they are about half the size they could be. I was also wondering if the wireless headphones for the other screen is receiving audio from the TIVO reciever directly? Because I can only hear the one screen that I highlight.

Regarding HM vs MX 195s. Is the lack of individual color settings a big limitation? Does it affect the ability to be calibrated? Is there a service menu available to tweak these?

I just bought a Samsung HLR5678W but due to various lag (and a "softer" picture) issues I'm looking to return it and leaning towards a Toshiba.

Help with my 46HM95. Its only a month old with lamp hours of 140. The first 2 weeks PQ was great, clear and crisp when watching DVD's at 480p. These last few weeks something has gone wrong. When watching DVD's the picture is all grainy/fuzzy. All the dark scenes just look bad. It seems as if some kind of noise is messing up my tv. I just bought a new DVD-S77S and using HDMI getting the same result. Its definitally a tv problem. Any one have any ideas.
This noise is seen on all inputs, but is less visible in SD. I have adjusted all settings for tv and dvd player. I cant even use DVE becase the black is so bad when setting up brightness/contrast. The main thing to keep in mind is that it wasn't there in the beginning. I even tried using an extension cord and plugging the tv into a different outlet.

bucktim, sounds like it could be interference. Check to see if you have any new devices around, power supplies, cordless items, etc. Try clearing out the area near the TV and see if it fixes the problem.

P.S. I also would suggest that you buy the Avia or some other DVD that allows you to calibrate the picture correctly, it greatly improved my picture especially on SD stations.

I bought DVE the other day and tried it out. Since it's a DVD how do I use it properly to calibrate my picture for cable? I changed all the settings and then I used those DVD settings on the regular cable input and certain shows seemed a bit too dark.

Also a couple times while watching a DVD I have noticed that the voice coming out of the speakers doesn't match the lip movements. It only happens every now and then and not very often. What causes this and what are some fixes?

Thanks.

Is it true that the HM195 1080P sets only provide picture in picture as a split screen.......side by side?

If not, can it provide a small screen in lower corner and with a swap button on the remote?

thanks again!


Yes, that's true. More specifically it isn't split screen (i.e. each picture doesn't take up 50% of the screen). It displays two full screens side by side (i.e. where each screen is equivalent to a 20" TV or something - it doesn't use the full side of the screen). A little disappointing...

There is no swap button or "small screen in the corner" mode either (as far as I can tell).

I hear ya. Anything to make the baby girl (or girls in my case) happy.

You said earlier that it gives you two full screens when it splits? Thats better than my hm94 because I get two screens but they are about half the size they could be. I was also wondering if the wireless headphones for the other screen is receiving audio from the TIVO reciever directly? Because I can only hear the one screen that I highlight.

You're actually right, it's not two FULL screens, they are two "little" screens (hard to describe but I'm sure mine and yours are the same). Although it's not documented in the manual, at least on mine, the "variable" audio out is the PIP output. The fixed audio out (i.e. the one with a fixed volume) appears to output the screen that does NOT have the green border. The one with the green border appears to output through the variable audio out (although I'm still trying to figure this out).

Yes, that's true. More specifically it isn't split screen (i.e. each picture doesn't take up 50% of the screen). It displays two full screens side by side (i.e. where each screen is equivalent to a 20" TV or something - it doesn't use the full side of the screen). A little disappointing...

There is no swap button or "small screen in the corner" mode either (as far as I can tell).

OK. very good. thanks so much. We are so used to having a full screen for the program of interest and a small corner monitor view of the primary channel so to know when to switch back or swap back to the the primary channel when the commercial or whatever is over.

I use that a lot and it would be a difficult readjustment for us the way Toshiba goes about it.

Thanks again for the tip.

I am getting my 52HMX95 on Sat. My first HDTV and I can't wait. I was wondering a couple of things
1. How long should I wait before I turn the set on since it will be cold here in Cleveland once I get it in the house?
2. Is there a burn in time for these sets before optimum viewing and picture will be achieved?
3. Should I use the TVGOS or use the COX guide instead? Which is better and is it a matter of which remote I want to use? Thanks

To answer your 3rd question:

If you have a DVR from Cox, you would have to use that to utilize the recording function and all that. This is what I do.

If you just have a standard set top box (non DVR), then I would just get a cable card and use the TVGOS (assuming it works properly), this will save you the rental fee of the box. I think the cable cards are around 3 bucks a month to lease.

In summary, I would recommend the Cox DVR for normal viewing and then to utilize the POP or split screen, plug a 2nd coaxial cable (using a splitterl) into one of the ANT inputs for all the analog channels, this will allow you to have 2 different channels on the TV at once.

"tbdtitl
I am getting my 52HMX95 on Sat. My first HDTV and I can't wait. I was wondering a couple of things
1. How long should I wait before I turn the set on since it will be cold here in Cleveland once I get it in the house?
2. Is there a burn in time for these sets before optimum viewing and picture will be achieved?
3. Should I use the TVGOS or use the COX guide instead? Which is better and is it a matter of which remote I want to use? Thanks"

I have heard that you should wait several hours before turning them on if you live in a cold climate. More specific amount of time I do not know. Protects the bulb and some of the other components.

"tbdtitl
I am getting my 52HMX95 on Sat. My first HDTV and I can't wait. I was wondering a couple of things
1. How long should I wait before I turn the set on since it will be cold here in Cleveland once I get it in the house?
2. Is there a burn in time for these sets before optimum viewing and picture will be achieved?
3. Should I use the TVGOS or use the COX guide instead? Which is better and is it a matter of which remote I want to use? Thanks"

I have heard that you should wait several hours before turning them on if you live in a cold climate. More specific amount of time I do not know. Protects the bulb and some of the other components.


Hoops2U:

This is what the manual says about temperature changes such as coming in from a cold environment to a warm interior:

If the air temperature rises suddenly (for example, when the TV is first delivered), condensation may form on the lenses. This can make the picture appear distorted or the color appear faded. If this happens, turn off the TV for 6 to 7 hours to allow the condensation to evaporate.

There is no burn-in period since this is a reflective technology and colors are generated from the wheel, not a phosphor screen like CRT.

As for TVGOS vs. Cox Guide, I went from the cable box to TVGOS and have gotten it to work flawlessly now after a few weeks of issues. If you keep the set top box, use it's guide since it is there and more powerful. The benefits of using a cable card (and hence TVGOS) is by letting the TV handle the tuning and digital processing which generally results in a better PQ then the STB.

Is there some kind of problem with the replacement bulbs on the Toshiba website for $199.00? http://ceaccessories.toshiba.com/searchresults.asp?search_id=5

With all this talk of paying $350 and up for replacment bulbs I have to wonder what is wrong with the bulbs direct form the manufacturer..I must be missing something here?

Is there some kind of problem with the replacement bulbs on the Toshiba website for $199.00? http://ceaccessories.toshiba.com/searchresults.asp?search_id=5

With all this talk of paying $350 and up for replacment bulbs I have to wonder what is wrong with the bulbs direct form the manufacturer..I must be missing something here?

The $350 price is for the D95-LMP 'high brite' lamp used by the newer 95 and 195 series.

magredc5,
Thanks for the info. I will start with the cablebox and try not to burden myself with the TVGOS learning curve. I only have two days to get the set ready for the ND-OSU game and with a crowd coming over to watch I would like to get the best picture I can with the cable box.

Is there some kind of problem with the replacement bulbs on the Toshiba website for $199.00? http://ceaccessories.toshiba.com/searchresults.asp?search_id=5

With all this talk of paying $350 and up for replacment bulbs I have to wonder what is wrong with the bulbs direct form the manufacturer..I must be missing something here?

As vfr mentioned the 84and 94 models take the 199 lamp. The 95 models take the 350-375 lamp.

Looks like that site doesnt even carry the D95-LMP and I assume the "pre-order" for the other lamp means its on back order....that would be the other complaint about the Lamp situation.

For owners of the 62HM195, I would appreciate any feedback on your satisfaction with your set. Esp. picture quality on DVD, over the air HD, and SD. What you like the most and what could stand improvement, in your honest opinion.
And your overall satisfaction. After a few months of following several threads, I am in a quandary, considering the Samsung 6168 and possibly the new JVC, and the Toshiba. (I plan on getting ISF calibration on the set if needed, that is not a problem if the set was not too good out of the box.) Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

As vfr mentioned the 84and 94 models take the 199 lamp. The 95 models take the 350-375 lamp.

Looks like that site doesnt even carry the D95-LMP and I assume the "pre-order" for the other lamp means its on back order....that would be the other complaint about the Lamp situation.

Tx for the explanation guys, appreciate that :)

Just so all the 84/94 owners know, I ordered one of the 84 lamps yesterday for $199, and when I called to check on an ETA I was promised it would be shipped no later than the 3rd of January..

They said they had a big shipment of them coming in today, and another shipment coming in on the 2nd of January. So it sounds as if these lamps will be readily available in the future..

I will update the status of my order sometime next week.

Tx for the explanation guys, appreciate that :)

Just so all the 84/94 owners know, I ordered one of the 84 lamps yesterday for $199, and when I called to check on an ETA I was promised it would be shipped no later than the 3rd of January..

They said they had a big shipment of them coming in today, and another shipment coming in on the 2nd of January. So it sounds as if these lamps will be readily available in the future..

I will update the status of my order sometime next week.
Addressing the lamp replacement issues. These sets are the best selling technology right now.There has been a short supply of these lamps because of this.This time of year(holidays,bowl games, people off,etc.) is the peak season for sales of new sets.From a mfg. standpoint,that makes for a short supply of them.Cost and availability will only get better,imho.

Hey guys, I’ve started the following thread:

“>>> The Official Toshiba 56/62/72 MX195/HM195 HTPC FAQ Thread <<<”
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=624229

This thread is used for discussing HTPC (Home Theatre Personal Computer) connectivity related questions for the following Toshiba 1080P DLP models:
72MX195
72HM195
62MX195
62HM195
56MX195
56HM195

Figured we could streamline the HTPC questions for these similar models into one appropriate thread, and leave this existing thread for non-HTPC related questions.

The purpose of this new HTPC thread is to share your experiences/successes/problems with connecting any of the above TV’s to a Home Theatre PC. Therefore, the threads objective is to provide information so that all the above DLP owners will be able to successfully achieve the maximum picture quality by connecting their HTPC to their DLP television, whether one is using the HDMI, VGA, or component video connector.

Thanks

JC

============================================================ ===
Below is a list of notable threads concerning Toshiba 1080P DLP owners (MX195/HM195):

“>>> The Official Toshiba 56/62/72 MX195/HM195 HTPC FAQ Thread <<<”
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=624229

“The OFFICIAL Toshiba 56MX195/62MX195/72MX195 OWNER'S THREAD”
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=597364

“Toshiba 1080p DLPs”
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=541611

“The Toshiba DLP (HM/HMX) Owners Thread”
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=438276

============================================================ ===

I searched found nothing. How do you disable TVGOS. I no longer have the patience with TVGOS causing cable card to loose channels. Figured I'd just disable TVOS all together; However I have not seen any posts on how to disable it all together. Just references to it, but no details on how it's done.

I searched found nothing. How do you disable TVGOS. I no longer have the patience with TVGOS causing cable card to loose channels. Figured I'd just disable TVOS all together; However I have not seen any posts on how to disable it all together. Just references to it, but no details on how it's done.


I believe the only way to disable TVGOS is to perform a factory reset on the TV from the Setup Menu/Installation/System Info. This will reset the TV with the TVGOS disabled so you can leave it like that.

Just make sure to write down all your audio and video settings as well as any other customizations like favorite channels.

I think I may have found the CC gremlin. When I go into Signal Meter it looks like the channels I am having problems with have the same channel mapped. I'll need to contact adelphia to find the correct channel #'s and fix it. Maybe this will work??

I believe the only way to disable TVGOS is to perform a factory reset on the TV from the Setup Menu/Installation/System Info. This will reset the TV with the TVGOS disabled so you can leave it like that.

Just make sure to write down all your audio and video settings as well as any other customizations like favorite channels.

If you are wanting to just disable it when the set is powered on, you can do that by going to the guide, go up to Setup at the top of the screen, Change System Defaults, press Menu, and select 'auto-guide' to off. Once done, you can go to the guide when you like, but it does not automatixally come up every time you power on the TV.

This may be of interest http://www.twice.com/article/CA6277310.html Note:No mention of DLPs

This sounds like one of my complaints with the 62HM84 set (see review in post #1666). It is most noticable when there is a bright white area in the center of the screen. It is probably an interaction between the magnified pixels, the prismatic lenses on the rear of the screen and the anti-reflective texture on the front. This is only a guess, and I have not looked at a xxHM95 series set. Someone (kdog044?) said that it was called SSE (Silk Screen Effect). Does anyone else have another hypothesis?

When I am watching HD channels with good source material this is the main problem that keeps the picture from looking like a window onto the scene.

You're right. It is more noticeable on a white screen, but I can see it pretty much all the time. It's driving me insane. It doesn't seem to bother anyone but me for some resaon. Could there be something wrong with my set, or are they all like that? I can't imagine why Toshiba would release a product like this. It really is the only thing killing the image. I have no desire to use that TV anymore, my ViewSonic N2750W looks much better, in all honesty.

The viewsonic should look better. You effectively have the same resolution in a much small space. Pictures should look sharper. I also own the n2750w.


Ken

The viewsonic should look better. You effectively have the same resolution in a much small space. Pictures should look sharper. I also own the n2750w.


Ken

Have you calibrated it? I've been curious to hear what kind of settings people are using.

I believe the Toshiba has potential to look good but that "silk screen" effect is killing it for me. Is this common with these models?

Have you calibrated it? I've been curious to hear what kind of settings people are using.

I believe the Toshiba has potential to look good but that "silk screen" effect is killing it for me. Is this common with these models?

Man, I'm not sure if it's "silk screen" or "red shift" or whatever, but the picture on my 52HM95 looks like complete crap. Watching SD cable and DVD's, Peoples' faces have pink areas all over them and the Black areas look like they have green blocks scattered throughout them. I tried playing Halo2 on the xbox, using component cables (set to 480p) on this set and most of the greys all had a green
tint to them; it made some blues look like aqua. I messed w/ the settings like crazy, but nothing helped. Anybody had this green/pink problem or know how to fix it?

Have you calibrated it? I've been curious to hear what kind of settings people are using.

I believe the Toshiba has potential to look good but that "silk screen" effect is killing it for me. Is this common with these models?Whay exactly is "silk screen" effect?

Man, I'm not sure if it's "silk screen" or "red shift" or whatever, but the picture on my 52HM95 looks like complete crap. Watching SD cable and DVD's, Peoples' faces have pink areas all over them and the Black areas look like they have green blocks scattered throughout them. I tried playing Halo2 on the xbox, using component cables (set to 480p) on this set and most of the greys all had a green
tint to them; it made some blues look like aqua. I messed w/ the settings like crazy, but nothing helped. Anybody had this green/pink problem or know how to fix it?

I'm no expert, but that could be a problem with your set. I'm not experiencing that. Standard broadcast TV doesn't look good, but HDTV and videogames (360 in HD) do.

Whay exactly is "silk screen" effect?

I'm not sure exactly, but that's what someone referred to what i'm experiencing as.

What i'm experiencing is very small different colored dots all over the screen, best seen when the screen is white. It looks like the screen is dirty or oily. Or it looks like there is protective plastic on the screen (there isn't of course). It's hard to explain. Maybe I can snap a photo of it.

Man, I'm not sure if it's "silk screen" or "red shift" or whatever, but the picture on my 52HM95 looks like complete crap. Watching SD cable and DVD's, Peoples' faces have pink areas all over them and the Black areas look like they have green blocks scattered throughout them. I tried playing Halo2 on the xbox, using component cables (set to 480p) on this set and most of the greys all had a green
tint to them; it made some blues look like aqua. I messed w/ the settings like crazy, but nothing helped. Anybody had this green/pink problem or know how to fix it?

If the colors are off, you haven't tuned the TV. Get an AVIA or DVE optimization disk and tune it.


Ken

I'm no expert, but that could be a problem with your set. I'm not experiencing that. Standard broadcast TV doesn't look good, but HDTV and videogames (360 in HD) do.



I'm not sure exactly, but that's what someone referred to what i'm experiencing as.

What i'm experiencing is very small different colored dots all over the screen, best seen when the screen is white. It looks like the screen is dirty or oily. Or it looks like there is protective plastic on the screen (there isn't of course). It's hard to explain. Maybe I can snap a photo of it.

You may have a color wheel speed or DMD chip speed problem. You really should call Tosh and have a Tech come out and look at it. The speeds are adjusted through the menu using the bar code info on the light engine. If that wont fix it Tosh will probably switch out the light engine. Light engines are everything to these TV's. In any case Tosh CS is really good you just have to relate to them how important it is that you dont like this color pixilation problem. I think they get a lot of folks nit picking about things that eventually go away or are part of the broadcast/feed. I dont think your's is so you should call them.

I received delivery of my 56MX195 yesterday - I love it! It replaced a five year old 55" Mitsubishi that was really worn out. I never realized how worn out until I cranked up the new unit.

I want to set up a computer but I know that I'll have to increase the quality of my video card. Any suggestions re: a card manufactor and model # would be greatly appreciated. I'll be surfing the net and running programs but no gaming now or ever.

Thanks in advance.

It’s funny how when people get their DLP tvs they complain about the standard channels looking like crap. I knew that going in that some dvds and SD channels were not going to look good. I got this tv for HD plain and simple and actually my old 480P dvd player looks great to me. It’s just an observation but the last few pages there are several posts from new members “shocked” that their DLP unit does not produce a good picture when viewing SD material. I read this entire thread back in OCT05 and I figured out real quick if I only want to watch non-digital, and even digital channels (non HD) that I would be disappointed.

Greetings;

I probably should have searched this first but I'm at work with little time. My boss has this tv and after what we figure was only 2,970 or so hours, the bulb went. He has an extended warranty and they are shipping him a new bulb.

Are there any peculiararities he should know about when replacing the bulb?

Thanks in advance,

Stu

Come on guys - any ideas? Bump.

Greetings;

I probably should have searched this first but I'm at work with little time. My boss has this tv and after what we figure was only 2,970 or so hours, the bulb went. He has an extended warranty and they are shipping him a new bulb.

Are there any peculiararities he should know about when replacing the bulb?

Thanks in advance,

StuStu,

It's pretty straight forward. There is one thumb screw to loosen to access the panel for removing the lamp and then two philips screws to remove the assembly. The whole assembly slides out and you pop in the new one. The only thing to keep in mind is not to touch the lens area as you don't want the oils from your skin to contact the surface. Other than that it is a very simple procedure which is documented in the user manual and instructions are packed in the replacement lamp box as well.

FYI, the replacement lamps are warranted for 180 days. ;)

thanks much kdog44. Appreciate it.

:eek: Just happened to notice that since I replaced my lamp a few weeks ago that the green light no longer comes on when I turn the TV off I also noticed the fan runs while the TV is on but stops as soon as the power is turned off. (62HM95) Did I have a problem before that caused to lamp to go out early or do I have a problem with the new lamp?
Could it be the new lamp is not running as hot as the original lamp did?

:eek: Just happened to notice that since I replaced my lamp a few weeks ago that the green light no longer comes on when I turn the TV off I also noticed the fan runs while the TV is on but stops as soon as the power is turned off. (62HM95) Did I have a problem before that caused to lamp to go out early or do I have a problem with the new lamp?
Could it be the new lamp is not running as hot as the original lamp did?It sounds to me that the quick start feature (keeps bulb on for few minutes after turning set off to avoid a lamp restart in case you change your mind after turning off) is now disabled. Check the TV menu and see if you can find it.

1. Press MENU, and then press left or right until the CUSTOM menu appears.
2. Press up or down to highlight QUICK RESTART, and then press ENTER.
3. Press up or down to select ON or OFF, and then press ENTER.

I noticed with quick restart feature keeps the fan running and low power to bulb and when the quick restart feature is disabled fan shuts off when tv goes off.

Wouldnt it be better to have it under the quick restart feature so atleast the temperature of the bulb is lowered (even tho it is under low power mode) by the fan blowing on it than to do an instant lamp off / fan off? For bulb life purposes that is.

My thoughts being, an instant off might do more damage than a slow cool down.

My thoughts being, an instant off might do more damage than a slow cool down.That is an accurate assessment

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11246_7-6388574.html?tag=txt This may be of interest to those seeking info on current 1080p sets.

I'm not sure exactly, but that's what someone referred to what i'm experiencing as.

What i'm experiencing is very small different colored dots all over the screen, best seen when the screen is white. It looks like the screen is dirty or oily. Or it looks like there is protective plastic on the screen (there isn't of course). It's hard to explain. Maybe I can snap a photo of it.

I'm experiencing something similar. I don't know if it's different color dots but it is pretty noticeable when an all white screen appears and like you to me it looks like the screen is oily or dirty. I assumed that this is just the nature of the set. Can someone shed some light on this. Is this normal operating or is it something that can/needs to be fixed?

Thanks.

I was having issues with my guide not updating much like most of the people in this forum so I called Toshiba and they sent me out a 128 mb SD card to update my 62HMX94. I put the card into the system and it had this error message, "no media found". I put the card into a reader and sure enough the card was empty. I promptly called Toshiba and now they are going to have to send me another card. Guess I'll have 2 free 128mb cards now.

Has anyone else on this forum received a card that was empty?Finally got my update today.Same "no media" result.Have you received another,how did it work out?

Sounds like a good way to milk Toshiba out of free SD cards to me.. Maybe I should call them back and complain about my latest update not helping a bit! Seriously, I wipe the original SD card and gave it away to a co-worker. As for my update, it didn't help much as far as I'm concerned. TVGOS still doesn't work properly and I'm one phone call away from turning the CC in for a STB w/DVR.

Sounds like a good way to milk Toshiba out of free SD cards to me.. Maybe I should call them back and complain about my latest update not helping a bit! Seriously, I wipe the original SD card and gave it away to a co-worker. As for my update, it didn't help much as far as I'm concerned. TVGOS still doesn't work properly and I'm one phone call away from turning the CC in for a STB w/DVR.I've got a Moto 6412 III/DVR now and no real complaints.I want to try CC(uncompressed video) and see how it is.Different aresa get different results.Tosh CS rep.did'nt know diddley,gonna have "Phill" call me back.

hi guys! wud u recommend if i still get the 46HM94 model? tnx

hi guys! wud u recommend if i still get the 46HM94 model? tnx

Kt,
I own a 52hm94 model. These sets have a great picture and are the best bang for the buc and Tosh customer service tries very hard. However, keep in mind you'll have to replace your bulb (once its out of warranty) probably at least once a year. If thats okay then its still a good choice.

Based on my experience, I recommend you consider the following:

Not considering the size of the set.

If the current cost of the 46hm94 is all that you are willing to spend then it is the best bang for the buc. However if you can step up I would recommend that you consider the Tosh 195 (1080i) series. If you can step up a little more than I would further recommend the new Sony SXRD set. I would also recommend that you buy an extended warranty as all are fairly new technologies.

Also, if I was to do it again I would have bought the 84 instead of the 94 series and saved $350. My Directv DVR has a built in tuner for the local digital broadcasts and as far as I can tell the quality is about the same.

Good luck

Sounds like a good way to milk Toshiba out of free SD cards to me.. Maybe I should call them back and complain about my latest update not helping a bit! Seriously, I wipe the original SD card and gave it away to a co-worker. As for my update, it didn't help much as far as I'm concerned. TVGOS still doesn't work properly and I'm one phone call away from turning the CC in for a STB w/DVR.


What exactly are the problems with TVGOS that people are having?

I want a matching stand for my 46HM84 tv. The Toshiba website lists the ST4684 stand as being the correct stand for the 46HM84 and 46HM94 models. The problem is that this stand is somewhat hard to find.

I'm having much better luck finding the ST4665 stand, including a local store that has a bunch of them. The Toshiba website says this stand is only for the 46HM95 tv. However, many other websites selling the ST4665 stand say that it can be used with either the 46HM84, 46HM94, or 46HM95 televisions.

Looking at the pictures, I can't tell the difference between the ST4684 and ST4665 stands. Does anyone know if the ST4665 stand can be used for the 46HM84 television? Also, does anyone know what the difference is between the ST4665 and ST4684 stands?

I'm experiencing something similar. I don't know if it's different color dots but it is pretty noticeable when an all white screen appears and like you to me it looks like the screen is oily or dirty. I assumed that this is just the nature of the set. Can someone shed some light on this. Is this normal operating or is it something that can/needs to be fixed?

Thanks.

That's exactly what it is. Different colored dots or dirty/oily screen effect. I think I may call Toshiba, but i'm not sure what they can do.

Can anyone confirm if this in fact is an issue or if that's just the way these sets are? I have a 46HM95.

That's exactly what it is. Different colored dots or dirty/oily screen effect. I think I may call Toshiba, but i'm not sure what they can do.

Can anyone confirm if this in fact is an issue or if that's just the way these sets are? I have a 46HM95.

The Screen Sparkle Effect (SSE) is common with rear projection units, although possibly more pronounced on some. The cause is the opaque screen used where the bright projected picture hits contains some texture to it, likely to minimize reflections back into the light engine. You really see it when you have the brightness cranked way up on a white scene, but under normal viewing and brightness/contract settings you won't notice it.

If you look at a front projection setup, most movie screens have a bit of this effect as well.

I want a matching stand for my 46HM84 tv. The Toshiba website lists the ST4684 stand as being the correct stand for the 46HM84 and 46HM94 models. The problem is that this stand is somewhat hard to find.

I'm having much better luck finding the ST4665 stand, including a local store that has a bunch of them. The Toshiba website says this stand is only for the 46HM95 tv. However, many other websites selling the ST4665 stand say that it can be used with either the 46HM84, 46HM94, or 46HM95 televisions.

Looking at the pictures, I can't tell the difference between the ST4684 and ST4665 stands. Does anyone know if the ST4665 stand can be used for the 46HM84 television? Also, does anyone know what the difference is between the ST4665 and ST4684 stands?

Sorry, I wasn't going to pay for the privilege to have a toshiba branded stand. I went out to lowes and built one myself for less than 60 bucks. It doesn't have the component shelf (which I could have built for around 30 bucks more) since I already have a stereo rack.

Ken

Sorry, I wasn't going to pay for the privilege to have a toshiba branded stand. I went out to lowes and built one myself for less than 60 bucks. It doesn't have the component shelf (which I could have built for around 30 bucks more) since I already have a stereo rack.

Ken


thanks for your input, but that doesn't really answer my question.

I want a matching stand for my 46HM84 tv. The Toshiba website lists the ST4684 stand as being the correct stand for the 46HM84 and 46HM94 models. The problem is that this stand is somewhat hard to find.

I'm having much better luck finding the ST4665 stand, including a local store that has a bunch of them. The Toshiba website says this stand is only for the 46HM95 tv. However, many other websites selling the ST4665 stand say that it can be used with either the 46HM84, 46HM94, or 46HM95 televisions.

Looking at the pictures, I can't tell the difference between the ST4684 and ST4665 stands. Does anyone know if the ST4665 stand can be used for the 46HM84 television? Also, does anyone know what the difference is between the ST4665 and ST4684 stands?
4684 52-3/4" (W) x 21-1/2" (H) x 14-1/2" (D)

4665 52-3/4" (W) x 21-1/2" (H) x 14-1/2" (D)
I found both of these at many online stores and they all say the 4665 is compatable with 46HM84
here is 1 link
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4061810

Well, I took delivery of my 62HM195 on Dec 29th. Fantastic set, great picture real happy with it...until....(drum roll please)....I hooked up my Cablevision SA HD8300 via HDMI. At first it had a picture, everything was fine...then I turned everything off. Went a few hours later to turn everything back on and all I had was snow....thought I had the wrong input chosen or something...nope right one. I rebooted the STB (by unplugging it) and then I had a picture so I thought it was a problem with the STB so I left it on and turned only the TV off....when I turned the TV back on...snow again...ugh!...tried the 2nd HDMI input, same thing. Component works perfectly, just an HDMI issue. I called Toshiba and they said it sounds like I have a bad HDMI input....they were VERY helpful but JEEZE.. its brand new!!!! Right out of the box and its not working right...I am P@&%d OFF!!! A local guy they had me call should be out here on Friday to take a look at it. Anyone else have a similar problem/situation? :(

Well, I took delivery of my 62HM195 on Dec 29th. Fantastic set, great picture real happy with it...until....(drum roll please)....I hooked up my Cablevision SA HD8300 via HDMI. At first it had a picture, everything was fine...then I turned everything off. Went a few hours later to turn everything back on and all I had was snow....thought I had the wrong input chosen or something...nope right one. I rebooted the STB (by unplugging it) and then I had a picture so I thought it was a problem with the STB so I left it on and turned only the TV off....when I turned the TV back on...snow again...ugh!...tried the 2nd HDMI input, same thing. Component works perfectly, just an HDMI issue. I called Toshiba and they said it sounds like I have a bad HDMI input....they were VERY helpful but JEEZE.. its brand new!!!! Right out of the box and its not working right...I am P@&%d OFF!!! A local guy they had me call should be out here on Friday to take a look at it. Anyone else have a similar problem/situation? :(Really, there are a number of things it could be.I have not had this problem.Good luck

Great thread - I've read most of it and have decided to return my new 62" DLP set becuase of this and other recently acquired info. Bama Man - Thank you for your candid, clear and unbiased description of your views and to all the other "new" posters that have posted thier concerns in light of some criticism.

I will post that I feel my research was more than what the average person would do. I was not looking for problems but went to great lengths to understand the technologies available, the state of the HD market and what manufactureres had to offer. I was (and am still impressed) with my DLP set but after reading the manual, forums and speaking to Toshiba directly, I'm quite surprised at some of the views regarding the cost of ownership with this technology (rear projection - & not just DLPor Toshiba).

When I decided to buy, it was based mostly on size requirements and picture quality... and I feel the Toshiba DLP is among the best IMHO. Having said that, I was also led to believe that this technology was superior to most in many regards including - long term reliabilty. I specifically inquired about lamps and was told and shown in writing where the lamps "average life" is 6000-8000 hours (usually at least 2-3 years), and then, they are "user replaceable for around $200". I spent what many (including my wife) feel was an outrageous amount for a TV with the expectation that I was getting a good quality reliable television that would better in every way than my current set.

I do feel I was mislead and feel the "problem posts" were very beneficial to balance out the marketting hype. I'm involved in a few forums and there are always naysayers that are clear to pick out and discount. But in this case, I've seen very little to rebut the problems, however small the percentage may be. Instead I get the sense that some feel that the problems are not only acceptable, but to be expected and worth it despite the high cost of admission and questionable marketting hype. Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I don"t get it? I guess folks just have to have the latest thing even if they are beta testing for the manufacturers?

From everything I've read both in forums and from various lamp manufactureres, (mercury and others) I am inclined to beleive that lamp life has been grossly overstated by Toshiba and its sales affiliates. I my case, I now know that replacement lamp costs were also understated. I struggle to understand how folks can justify this practice let alone defend it to further the technology. $400 for a perishable lamp that will likley not live half of its published "avegare life" is a bad thing where I come from. This is on top of a hefty capital expense for the set, not to mention recurring monthly power, cable/sat expenses. I for one am sending Toshiba the message that I won't support that practice and will return my set. I wish I had found this earlier and hope others send the same message.

sir bama man tnx for the reply! im actually choosing between this 46HM94 and the samsung HL-R4266W...wat wud u recommend n opinions among these? tnx agn!

Go read the horror stories on reliability in the Samsung forum. Also I recall one of the 42" Samsungs as being labeled as real junk, just don't recall which model.

The Screen Sparkle Effect (SSE) is common with rear projection units, although possibly more pronounced on some. The cause is the opaque screen used where the bright projected picture hits contains some texture to it, likely to minimize reflections back into the light engine. You really see it when you have the brightness cranked way up on a white scene, but under normal viewing and brightness/contract settings you won't notice it.

If you look at a front projection setup, most movie screens have a bit of this effect as well.

Thanks for clearing that up! I guess it's normal and I shouldn't contact Toshiba. It's a real shame though, that's the only thing getting in the way of a great picture and I notice it 90% of the time :(

Can anyone share some 46HM95 (or similar) settings? I know that conditions vary, but i'd like to try some out. Mine has been pretty much left at factory settings. I have Avia but not too sure on how to use it, even after watching it. Sharpness was the only thing I could really adjust.

Can anyone share some 46HM95 (or similar) settings? I know that conditions vary, but i'd like to try some out. Mine has been pretty much left at factory settings. I have Avia but not too sure on how to use it, even after watching it. Sharpness was the only thing I could really adjust.

U R in Luck... I just wrote down all of my AVIA cal'ed settings for in case. I have the 52HMX95.

Contrast = 75
Brightness = 45 may be a tad too dark but AVIA like it
Color = 45
Tint = +2
Sharpness = 60

If you have advance settings with individual color controls:
RED hue = 0 Saturation = -2
Green hue = -1 Saturation = 4
Blue hue = 0 Saturation = 7
all others at default 0

Lamp mode in low power

The set is much darker than I expected or more so than I was used to with my old tube type CRT. But it looks fantabulous particularly on HD channels and DVD via HDMI. It may be darker on SD channels than HD channels.. I contribute this to cable vs AVIA settings.

I made one last effort to get my cable card working prior to ordering up a HD/DVR STB. I finally got someone who seemed to care. They called me at work saying that they had programmed the host ID and the Cable Card ID to the same settings at the head end... A big no no. She asked me to get the correct ID numbers to her tomorrow. Maybe this will clear me all up. Cross your fingers for me.

Can anyone share some 46HM95 (or similar) settings? I know that conditions vary, but i'd like to try some out. Mine has been pretty much left at factory settings. I have Avia but not too sure on how to use it, even after watching it. Sharpness was the only thing I could really adjust.

I've just re-calibrated my 46HM94 with DVE as I've just installed a Ideal-Lume light behind the TV. My settings are:

Constrast - 48
Brightness - 47
Colour - 43
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 10
Lamp mode - Low power
DNR - Off
Colour Temp - Cool

I've found the it is almost impossible to set brightness using AVIA but DVE has couple of test patterns that make it easier.

Im thinking about buying the 52hm85 or the 52hmx85 but there are some things i would like answered about it before i go through with it. First is its native display 720p or 1080i? Is there any lag while playing video games espcialy on a xbox 360. Has any one played a 360 on one of these tvs and if you have what does it look like? and can some one recomend an good RPTV betweem 42 and 52 inches that has a native display of 720p if this one does not. Reason for this is becasue xbox 360's native signal is 720p thnax.

U R in Luck... I just wrote down all of my AVIA cal'ed settings for in case. I have the 52HMX95.

Contrast = 75
Brightness = 45 may be a tad too dark but AVIA like it
Color = 45
Tint = +2
Sharpness = 60

If you have advance settings with individual color controls:
RED hue = 0 Saturation = -2
Green hue = -1 Saturation = 4
Blue hue = 0 Saturation = 7
all others at default 0

Lamp mode in low power

The set is much darker than I expected or more so than I was used to with my old tube type CRT. But it looks fantabulous particularly on HD channels and DVD via HDMI. It may be darker on SD channels than HD channels.. I contribute this to cable vs AVIA settings.


I've just re-calibrated my 46HM94 with DVE as I've just installed a Ideal-Lume light behind the TV. My settings are:

Constrast - 48
Brightness - 47
Colour - 43
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 10
Lamp mode - Low power
DNR - Off
Colour Temp - Cool

I've found the it is almost impossible to set brightness using AVIA but DVE has couple of test patterns that make it easier.

Thanks guys! I really appreciate it. Can't wait to try both. I'll report back with results!

rbbnet tnx for the heads up!

I'm experiencing something similar. I don't know if it's different color dots but it is pretty noticeable when an all white screen appears and like you to me it looks like the screen is oily or dirty. I assumed that this is just the nature of the set. Can someone shed some light on this. Is this normal operating or is it something that can/needs to be fixed?

Thanks.

Screen Sparkle, Silk Screen etc. Call it what you will but all RP micro displays have it to varying degrees. Looks like symetrical moisture droplets reflecting light oddly from the backside of the screen. Always more apparent in white areas. Higher contrast=more obvious. Crushed whites show it the worst. Believe it or not you won't notice it after a while.

Great thread - I've read most of it and have decided to return my new 62" DLP set becuase of this and other recently acquired info. Bama Man - Thank you for your candid, clear and unbiased description of your views and to all the other "new" posters that have posted thier concerns in light of some criticism.

I will post that I feel my research was more than what the average person would do. I was not looking for problems but went to great lengths to understand the technologies available, the state of the HD market and what manufactureres had to offer. I was (and am still impressed) with my DLP set but after reading the manual, forums and speaking to Toshiba directly, I'm quite surprised at some of the views regarding the cost of ownership with this technology (rear projection - & not just DLPor Toshiba).

When I decided to buy, it was based mostly on size requirements and picture quality... and I feel the Toshiba DLP is among the best IMHO. Having said that, I was also led to believe that this technology was superior to most in many regards including - long term reliabilty. I specifically inquired about lamps and was told and shown in writing where the lamps "average life" is 6000-8000 hours (usually at least 2-3 years), and then, they are "user replaceable for around $200". I spent what many (including my wife) feel was an outrageous amount for a TV with the expectation that I was getting a good quality reliable television that would better in every way than my current set.

I do feel I was mislead and feel the "problem posts" were very beneficial to balance out the marketting hype. I'm involved in a few forums and there are always naysayers that are clear to pick out and discount. But in this case, I've seen very little to rebut the problems, however small the percentage may be. Instead I get the sense that some feel that the problems are not only acceptable, but to be expected and worth it despite the high cost of admission and questionable marketting hype. Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I don"t get it? I guess folks just have to have the latest thing even if they are beta testing for the manufacturers?

From everything I've read both in forums and from various lamp manufactureres, (mercury and others) I am inclined to beleive that lamp life has been grossly overstated by Toshiba and its sales affiliates. I my case, I now know that replacement lamp costs were also understated. I struggle to understand how folks can justify this practice let alone defend it to further the technology. $400 for a perishable lamp that will likley not live half of its published "avegare life" is a bad thing where I come from. This is on top of a hefty capital expense for the set, not to mention recurring monthly power, cable/sat expenses. I for one am sending Toshiba the message that I won't support that practice and will return my set. I wish I had found this earlier and hope others send the same message.

1JAV- I must tell you, I feel that your post is right on the mark!! I ordered my 62HM195 and then checked this forum for pros/cons etc.. Despite the negative things I heard there were many positive things...so I did not cancel my order. I also believed the marketing hype put out by Toshiba and all those fancy inserts put in all the A/V mags by Texas Instruments to lure us into DLP land. Granted, DLP may be in over 1 Million sets and is out for a number of years BUT....it seems that either quality control is lacking (based on an HDMI input issue I am having out of the box) or the tweaks being done to the sets (by the manufacturers) to get the best pic possible are too new or pushing the envelope too much..I dont know :confused:

As I took delivery of my set on 12/29, I have only had it a few days...Toshiba is having a local guy here in NY look at my HDMI problem tomorrow...in comparision..I had my First generation Sony HDTV (and still do, now in my basement) for almost 5 years basically trouble free except for a power supply issue about 2 years ago...this is an acceptable failure rate.

All this to say..these sets are a LOT of money, and when compared the the technology they are supposed to be superior to and replacing..perhaps they dont stand up to the reliability that these CRT sets have shown over the years...

I will have them fix my HDMI problem and see how it goes but boy am I having severe second thoughts....

I play a 360 on an 46hm84....and it looks....AMAZING. No lag or anything. If you have any other questions let me know. Also I'm up to about a year on my Toshiba DLP and no bulb replacement yet.

Im thinking about buying the 52hm85 or the 52hmx85 but there are some things i would like answered about it before i go through with it. First is its native display 720p or 1080i? Is there any lag while playing video games espcialy on a xbox 360. Has any one played a 360 on one of these tvs and if you have what does it look like? and can some one recomend an good RPTV betweem 42 and 52 inches that has a native display of 720p if this one does not. Reason for this is becasue xbox 360's native signal is 720p thnax.


The 84/94-95 series is native 720p the newer 195 series is 1080i.

[QUOTE=1JAV]Great thread - I've read most of it and have decided to return my new 62" DLP set becuase of this and other recently acquired info. Bama Man - Thank you for your candid, clear and unbiased description of your views and to all the other "new" posters that have posted thier concerns in light of some criticism.
QUOTE]

Your welcome.

U R in Luck... I just wrote down all of my AVIA cal'ed settings for in case. I have the 52HMX95.

Contrast = 75
Brightness = 45 may be a tad too dark but AVIA like it
Color = 45
Tint = +2
Sharpness = 60

....

The set is much darker than I expected or more so than I was used to with my old tube type CRT. But it looks fantabulous particularly on HD channels and DVD via HDMI. It may be darker on SD channels than HD channels.. I contribute this to cable vs AVIA settings.

Those settings are pretty similar to mine except for Sharpness and Contrast. I have Sharpness=0 and Contrast=50. Big reason contrast is at 50 is that I thought I read somewhere that the contrast should be set to 50 or lower to prolong lamp life. Is this true?

1JAV- I must tell you, I feel that your post is right on the mark!! I ordered my 62HM195 and then checked this forum for pros/cons etc.. Despite the negative things I heard there were many positive things...so I did not cancel my order. I also believed the marketing hype put out by Toshiba and all those fancy inserts put in all the A/V mags by Texas Instruments to lure us into DLP land. Granted, DLP may be in over 1 Million sets and is out for a number of years BUT....it seems that either quality control is lacking (based on an HDMI input issue I am having out of the box) or the tweaks being done to the sets (by the manufacturers) to get the best pic possible are too new or pushing the envelope too much..I dont know :confused:

As I took delivery of my set on 12/29, I have only had it a few days...Toshiba is having a local guy here in NY look at my HDMI problem tomorrow...in comparision..I had my First generation Sony HDTV (and still do, now in my basement) for almost 5 years basically trouble free except for a power supply issue about 2 years ago...this is an acceptable failure rate.

All this to say..these sets are a LOT of money, and when compared the the technology they are supposed to be superior to and replacing..perhaps they dont stand up to the reliability that these CRT sets have shown over the years...

I will have them fix my HDMI problem and see how it goes but boy am I having severe second thoughts....

Well, looks like the Chicken Little brigade is out in full force today. 1JAV - relying on forums to get an accurate view of the reliability of a given product is like reading Playboy magazine to get an accurate impression of how to deal with women. Seriously, you are getting a perspective that is heavily tilted in one direction. You come to a home theater forum, you will see a LOT of "problem posts". Were you misled? hardly... All microdisplays (not just DLP) are quite reliable, for leading edge technology. Just because 100 people on AVS forums report bulb problems and 15 report no bulb problems, that does not represent a valid statistical sampling. If you're not comfortable with the possibility of replacing a lamp, you're probably not comfortable with the issues facing direct view LCD, plasma or RP CRT. Seriously, have you actually had a problem with your lamp yet? Also, I'm willing to bet that you can find lamp issues with pretty much any manufacturer. I just don't see what option you leave for yourself, other than good old direct-view CRT.


Also, bkazepis - This isn't a Toshiba thing, this isn't a DLP thing, nor is it a Texas Instruments thing. It is a new technology thing. Having spent the last 15 years in the computer industry, I know where the trends go. In order to get new technology into the hands of consumers, there is far less testing than 10 years ago to reduce manufacturing costs. Also, support people are far less trained than even a few years ago. Electronic manufacturers rigorously test component designs and prototypes, then cast their faith in having a reliable production run. Without this, we wouldn't see sub$1000 PCs, and HDTV would be significantly more expensive. And, bear in mind, most electronic failures happen within the first few days.
Now, regarding your HDMI input, I'd be willing to bet there is NOTHING WRONG with the HDMI input on your TV. Given all the possible points of failure, the odds are with me on this. Have you checked the cable, the HDMI output on the cable box, what order do you turn your eqipment on and off?

This is what I mean by the chicken little mentality. People read about other (often unrelated) problems, then automatically assume that the problem they're having is the TV, and totatly skip any type of troubleshooting.

Sorry for the rant, but I sometimes get frustrated when people jump on a bandwagon without putting enough due dilligence into their problem.

Those settings are pretty similar to mine except for Sharpness and Contrast. I have Sharpness=0 and Contrast=50. Big reason contrast is at 50 is that I thought I read somewhere that the contrast should be set to 50 or lower to prolong lamp life. Is this true?


Contrast, Brightness, etc. do not affect or alter the operation of the bulb. Those settings alter the way the light is processed through the light engine. The bulb is either on or off (either Hi or Low Mode), not variable. That's the way I understand RP.

I read 1JAV’s post last night and to me it sounded like a case of buyer’s remorse. It sounded like you were enjoying you dlp then started reading the posts regarding bulb issues. Like many have said this is a relative new technology and everything isn’t perfect. The hype the Manufacturer’s bring is business. And now that I’m writing this I have never seen a commercial or ad about Toshiba Dlp sets, only Samsung and TI. You have your opinion but if you returned your set based on the chance your bulb will fail before the marketed “average life” is your loss. I got a great deal on my 52HMX84 and I also had a twinge of buyer’s remorse but I got over it as soon as I plugged it in. There have been numerous inquiries in this thread asking if now is a good time to buy or should I wait for something better? I normally fall into this group but several posters pointed out that technology will constantly improve and do you want to keep playing the waiting game or get a quality set and enjoy it NOW. I went with now and even bought last year’s model based on the HD2+ chip. Best decision I’ve made.

Also regarding bulbs cover your investment and buy a replacement. When your first one fails, you have one on hand and then send the other to Toshiba and you have another replacement on hand, so on. Also these bulbs have a 120 day warranty as well.

Regarding the HDMI poster, I would shut everything off and set it up like new and read the directions again concerning HDMI hook up.

Well, looks like the Chicken Little brigade is out in full force today. 1JAV - relying on forums to get an accurate view of the reliability of a given product is like reading Playboy magazine to get an accurate impression of how to deal with women. Seriously, you are getting a perspective that is heavily tilted in one direction. You come to a home theater forum, you will see a LOT of "problem posts". Were you misled? hardly... All microdisplays (not just DLP) are quite reliable, for leading edge technology. Just because 100 people on AVS forums report bulb problems and 15 report no bulb problems, that does not represent a valid statistical sampling. If you're not comfortable with the possibility of replacing a lamp, you're probably not comfortable with the issues facing direct view LCD, plasma or RP CRT. Seriously, have you actually had a problem with your lamp yet? Also, I'm willing to bet that you can find lamp issues with pretty much any manufacturer. I just don't see what option you leave for yourself, other than good old direct-view CRT.


Also, bkazepis - This isn't a Toshiba thing, this isn't a DLP thing, nor is it a Texas Instruments thing. It is a new technology thing. Having spent the last 15 years in the computer industry, I know where the trends go. In order to get new technology into the hands of consumers, there is far less testing than 10 years ago to reduce manufacturing costs. Also, support people are far less trained than even a few years ago. Electronic manufacturers rigorously test component designs and prototypes, then cast their faith in having a reliable production run. Without this, we wouldn't see sub$1000 PCs, and HDTV would be significantly more expensive. And, bear in mind, most electronic failures happen within the first few days.
Now, regarding your HDMI input, I'd be willing to bet there is NOTHING WRONG with the HDMI input on your TV. Given all the possible points of failure, the odds are with me on this. Have you checked the cable, the HDMI output on the cable box, what order do you turn your eqipment on and off?

This is what I mean by the chicken little mentality. People read about other (often unrelated) problems, then automatically assume that the problem they're having is the TV, and totatly skip any type of troubleshooting.

Sorry for the rant, but I sometimes get frustrated when people jump on a bandwagon without putting enough due dilligence into their problem.


Griz-fan,

sorry if my post frustrated you, perhaps you didn't read my entire post? I respectfully disagree with your assement however. I too believe forums are skewed to the left but then so is marketing skewed to the right. It's never a perfect balance so it's up to the reader to decide how to weight each side. Which I have done for myself and not based on the forums alone (as I posted).

I feel the "Chicken little mentality" reference is off base but like the rest of us, your entitled to your views. As far as your due diligence being superior to anyone else's... well I can't comment on that as I have no basis for comparison nor do I know you.

I will say that I am an engineer in the electronics test industry. Doesn't make me any better or worst than anyone else but I feel I'm fairly logical and thorough in my approach to research and decision making. It also gives my a slightly different prospective in that I do know how some manufactures test and rate components. To be fair and up front, I have no affiliation, direct knowledge or experience in this sector... I am just a consumer like most others.

To answer your question, I have had problems with the set related to the bulb (amongst other things), but not a failure. I have spoken to Toshiba, and they were courteous, but unsuccessful in thier phone efforts. They did provide for local warranty support and thats yet another factor that weighs into my decision. In the final analysis for me, while most of my issues have been resolved and I feel the set performs quite well, I don't feel my set will perform in the long run as I expected it would, and therefore, I am excersizing my timely right to return it while I can.

What I didn't understand (and still don't) is how folks can defend certain practices. In my own case, it is a fact that I was told the lamp could be replaced for around $200. I have not been able to find one for my set for less than $350 plus shipping... And I did try more than 1 or 2 outlets. Perhaps you feel thats not a significant issue? I do, and I feel most reasonable consumers would also. Am I guilty of not confirming the salesmans statements before buying? Absolutely. But that doesn't indemnify the statement or change the reality that consumers will make purchase decisions based upon statements that show a product in better light (sorry for the pun). I don't see that as "hardley" misleading?

Also, it is my personal "opinion" that the average lamp life specification is overstated. I agree with you that forums are not a suitable statistical sample with which to prove that , but I have been unable to find any valid statistical study to show that the 8000 hour "average" specification is valid even in a lab setting, let alone in a consumers home. Perhaps you could guide me toward that end? Much of what I have found seems to point towards a significantly lower life expectancy and it is thus that I have formed my "opinion". I have not experienced a failure and thus and I can't say that I was mislead on that point, but I "feel" sales practices and printed specs are tailored to guide consumers into unrealistic expectations. I understand that neither my opinion nor the statistically insignificant actual failures will convice you of that, but you offered nothing more concrete with which to supprt your opinion either. BTW - if you read my intital post, you would have seen that I never insinuated that this was a Toshiba problem. Quite the opposite- I expressed concern about the rear projection lamps as a whole.

If you consider this a rant, I opologize. I'm simply addressing your post and harbor no ill will towards you even though our views differ.

I read 1JAV’s post last night and to me it sounded like a case of buyer’s remorse. It sounded like you were enjoying you dlp then started reading the posts regarding bulb issues. Like many have said this is a relative new technology and everything isn’t perfect. The hype the Manufacturer’s bring is business. And now that I’m writing this I have never seen a commercial or ad about Toshiba Dlp sets, only Samsung and TI. You have your opinion but if you returned your set based on the chance your bulb will fail before the marketed “average life” is your loss. I got a great deal on my 52HMX84 and I also had a twinge of buyer’s remorse but I got over it as soon as I plugged it in. There have been numerous inquiries in this thread asking if now is a good time to buy or should I wait for something better? I normally fall into this group but several posters pointed out that technology will constantly improve and do you want to keep playing the waiting game or get a quality set and enjoy it NOW. I went with now and even bought last year’s model based on the HD2+ chip. Best decision I’ve made.

Also regarding bulbs cover your investment and buy a replacement. When your first one fails, you have one on hand and then send the other to Toshiba and you have another replacement on hand, so on. Also these bulbs have a 120 day warranty as well.

Regarding the HDMI poster, I would shut everything off and set it up like new and read the directions again concerning HDMI hook up.



WmarkW,

Buyers remorse is a fair description if not taken as a "cliche", in that I feel I made the wrong decision for me.

Everyones entilted to live thier life as they see fit. I for one am greatful for all the posters good and bad. Their are some in each camp that are intolerant of any view that does not match thiers. I'd like to think I'm not like that. I made my decision based on my priorities in life. I'm the first to admit that others are entitled to thier own priorities even if I don't understand or agree with them (but I still like to hear them).

To clarify something for you though, my new purchase hasn't been all enjoyment. If it had I would never have found this post as I would have been watching TV. I came here and visited other sites looking for help, which I did recieve- faster and better than I did through the folks that I paid. Telling, isn't it? And believe it or not, the motivation for my post was to defend forums and the invaluable diversity of views posted. Why do folks feel compelled to minimize others when they disagree? I'm sure there are "axes to grind " but I saw an awful lot of grinding. If you like your set - great! tell us why. Do the same if you don't like it.

I think I was factual. I love the set now - after working through numerous problems that weren't resolved by the manufacturer or sales outlet. In the course of resolving those problems, I learned, experienced and came to believe that this set is not right for me long term.

I guess I'm just amazed at the "dont say anything if you cant say something good" requirements that some people seem to push on this forum. Most everyone that has pointed out an issue seems to be doing so - with a compliment included- and or with the attitude of "I'd like to know what I can do about it". In this case he is just expressing that it its not worth the trouble or risk to him. It appears that if you express your opinion about the product that "you" purchased, then your are to be discredited by being called names, and or being classified as a person who just didnt do their research correctly.

Grizfan,
Maybe you should consider re-reading 1JAV's response. I personally felt that 1JAV did do research beyond this and other forums. Also, that he was aware that forums are a small majority of all the people that may own the TV. He also stated he was aware some folks may be just nitpicking and that those are to be ignored.

I think forums play a big part in finding out what are "possible inherent problems with a product". And if someone decides to use this information to purchase or not to purchase a product than that is perfectly acceptable....because its their money.

I for one dont want to give up my widescreen TV because the next step up is too more than I'm willing to spend. Therefore, I'm excepting the "problems associated with this set". Others may not feel that way.

You appear to believe that since they dont agree with you that they should'nt be allowed to state their opinion or that their opinion makes them have a "chicken little mentality". Instead of just coming on and explaining why you might disagree with their opinion you have to criticize their ability to research and think "big picture" compared to you. That would be like me saying that you have an "elitist" mentality simply because you think you are more aware of the techno market.

So after his research he decides that his standards for spending 2-3k on a TV is a little higher than what Tosh...or any other DLP (see TI) is offering. There's no chicken little mentality to that.

You yourself said "I know where the trends go. In order to get new technology into the hands of consumers, there is far less testing than 10 years ago to reduce manufacturing costs. Also, support people are far less trained than even a few years ago. Electronic manufacturers rigorously test component designs and prototypes, then cast their faith in having a reliable production run."

So basically, a rushed product with substandard support and reliability is acceptable in order cut costs low enough for more people to afford the technology.

So to you its acceptable to have more people able to buy crap just so they can enjoy the technology...sooner? That may be acceptable to Audiophiles and Videophiles but maybe not for everyone. To that I say that there is even a varieing degree to which Techno enthusiast will jump into that realm.

WMARKW,

I agree with most everything you said and I'm doing that very thing. I dont like it but I decided to jump in a year ago and have no choice (if I want the technology that DLP brings) but to deal with it. Granted a year ago the bulb problems werent showing up yet. But I dont have another HDTV to go back to like 1JAV does and even if I did couldnt return mine because I took a chance and bought it online and not from Cosco or BB. I made that decision and I'm living with it.

As far as the market goes, thank goodness that people are pointing out problems and thank goodness that their standards are higher then those of us that pay a little more for early technology. Because without them the Industry and market would not strive for a better product. Without their feedback Tosh would not try as hard to better their product or even know exactly what would make it more appealing.

I purchased 62HM84 in October 2004 over Internet after reading users comments in this forum. Currently 6240 hours on original lamp. I do have a conditioner on ac supply and set runs all day without turning off-on. In March 2005 replaced light engine as it developed vertical lines, I've only read where one other set had this problem. The screen temperature as delivered was about 12000K (blue cast), I reajusted gray scale with Spyder Pro 2 and while still not satisfied, am waiting for Spyder TV Pro release to do more. For the user adjustments there is a new calibration disk by GETGRAY in the calibration forum which is easier to use than other commercial products and a lot cheaper. You do need a blue optical filter that is not supplied to use it.

In 2004 posts here complained about interface problems with home computers and there were no lamp problems, now there very few HTPC complaints so things do eventually get resolved. Having had 45 years experience with Motorola and General Electric communications equipment manufactures do not admit problems with their equipment but do work some what secretly to resolve the problems. The current lamp complaints may or may not be serious and wide spread also might be resolved by a simple change in supplier.

In any event I hate to see anyone miss out on what I consider a good television because of the limited negative reports seen here. One of my sons just bought a 62HMX195. I had seen comments where the new Texas Instrument chip's video wasn't as good as the HD2+, but I can't see much difference and it has 1080p scan.

Im thinking about buying the 52hm85 or the 52hmx85 but there are some things i would like answered about it before i go through with it. First is its native display 720p or 1080i? Is there any lag while playing video games espcialy on a xbox 360. Has any one played a 360 on one of these tvs and if you have what does it look like? and can some one recomend an good RPTV betweem 42 and 52 inches that has a native display of 720p if this one does not. Reason for this is becasue xbox 360's native signal is 720p thnax.

- 720P native.
- Lag only occurs on games that are 480i. Most xbox games are 480p or better and as you said 360 games are 720P, so you will be fine . The model with "Game Mode" bumps up the frame rate so you might want that for 480i games, but probably not a necessity anymore.

RAHULL,
"I do have a conditioner on ac supply and set runs all day without turning off-on."

Thats interesting. What kind of "conditioner on ac supply" do you have?

I had also read on "lamp specific" sites that a relatively dust free environment and no more than 5 hours on at a time also attributed to the longevity of the lamps.

What do you think?



Also, concerning adjusting the set. You seem to be indicating that there is a "user adjuster" and ...... other type of adjustment. Are you expecting Spider TV pro to give you adjustment capabilities beyond the typical menu adjustment controlls set up for the typical user?

Hey Rahull that’s good to hear you have that many hours on your lamp. Does everything still look ok?

I hate to provide 3rd hand information as I myself take opinion comments with a grain of salt. I feel this may offer some help or at least a different perspective- so here goes.

Previously, I was able to speak with a Master Tech at a local warranty facilty and "talked shop" for a while. He services and sells many major brands including Tosh. It was his "opinion" that bulb life is more adversly effected by strike voltage (off to on cycles) than constant prolonged use. I wonder if that does play a part in achieving high hours? That was his opinion and I just don't know enough to consider it valid or otherwise.

I did find his direct knowledge credable though - It has been his experience (3-4 years worth) that lamps are lasting between 2000 and 4000 hours based upon hour meter logs. He was very confident that 3000 hours would be a realistic average for consumer use. he also stated that degradation likely occurs well before this but it is too gradual to notice - but there. He believes all the brands to be about the same, save one really bad one, and he wouldn't tell me which - just that is was NOT Toshiba. His experience with Toshiba was very positve and he has had no problem getting replacement lamps in "days" versus "weeks" for some others... though he had none in stock. For the money, he thinks they are tough to beat.

On the 94 series:

With TV turned on:

1. Press "mute" on the remote - 1/2 mute appears on the screen
2. Press "mute" on the remote again - mute appears on the screen
3. Press "mute" on the remote and hold the mute button -
4. Press the "Menu" button on the TV's front panel. "S" will appear in the upper right corner of the screen.
5. Press the "Menu" button a second time and the "S" will disappear. On the left side of the screen you will see "RCUT" followed by two numbers.
You are now in the service mode.
6. Press "9" on the remote and you will access the diagnostics page. In the right hand corner is the lamp time in hours.
7. Press "power" button on remote to exit the menu and power off the TV.

CAUTION: Do not use the up and down volume keys on the remote in this menu as it can alter the data and can be dangerous.

Is it the same procedure for the 84 series?

I hate to provide 3rd hand information as I myself take opinion comments with a grain of salt. I feel this may offer some help or at least a different perspective- so here goes.

Previously, I was able to speak with a Master Tech at a local warranty facilty and "talked shop" for a while. He services and sells many major brands including Tosh. It was his "opinion" that bulb life is more adversly effected by strike voltage (off to on cycles) than constant prolonged use. I wonder if that does play a part in achieving high hours? That was his opinion and I just don't know enough to consider it valid or otherwise.

I did find his direct knowledge credable though - It has been his experience (3-4 years worth) that lamps are lasting between 2000 and 4000 hours based upon hour meter logs. He was very confident that 3000 hours would be a realistic average for consumer use. he also stated that degradation likely occurs well before this but it is too gradual to notice - but there. He believes all the brands to be about the same, save one really bad one, and he wouldn't tell me which - just that is was NOT Toshiba. His experience with Toshiba was very positve and he has had no problem getting replacement lamps in "days" versus "weeks" for some others... though he had none in stock. For the money, he thinks they are tough to beat.

A Positive Note Again... Finally.

It seems lately the only people to post have been those who have nuttin' good to say.

Is it the same procedure for the 84 series?


Yes

I hate to provide 3rd hand information as I myself take opinion comments with a grain of salt. I feel this may offer some help or at least a different perspective- so here goes.

Previously, I was able to speak with a Master Tech at a local warranty facilty and "talked shop" for a while. He services and sells many major brands including Tosh. It was his "opinion" that bulb life is more adversly effected by strike voltage (off to on cycles) than constant prolonged use. I wonder if that does play a part in achieving high hours? That was his opinion and I just don't know enough to consider it valid or otherwise.

I did find his direct knowledge credable though - It has been his experience (3-4 years worth) that lamps are lasting between 2000 and 4000 hours based upon hour meter logs. He was very confident that 3000 hours would be a realistic average for consumer use. he also stated that degradation likely occurs well before this but it is too gradual to notice - but there. He believes all the brands to be about the same, save one really bad one, and he wouldn't tell me which - just that is was NOT Toshiba. His experience with Toshiba was very positve and he has had no problem getting replacement lamps in "days" versus "weeks" for some others... though he had none in stock. For the money, he thinks they are tough to beat. Very informative post,thanks.

I can add to that bit. I have a very good friend that owns his own home audio/video business, and his sentiments are about the same. He speaks to his distributor weekly, and Toshiba carries this kind of reputation of being the better/best bang for the buck out there. Compared to the other brands, warrany issues are a LOT less as well. Now when does their first LED bulbed DLP come to market? :D

I can add to that bit. I have a very good friend that owns his own home audio/video business, and his sentiments are about the same. He speaks to his distributor weekly, and Toshiba carries this kind of reputation of being the better/best bang for the buck out there. Compared to the other brands, warrany issues are a LOT less as well. Now when does their first LED bulbed DLP come to market? :D


Boy did you hit on a great question. I've got a friend who's an electrical engineer working for a company that develops LEDs for all kinds of applications. I was just talking to him over the holidays. He was telling me how their latest application is to replace the incandescent beacons atop high tension and radio towers with LEDs. Apparently LEDs have come quite a ways in terms of strength and longevity.

The next time I see him, I'll have to ask him about this type of application.

After several months of round and rounds with my cable folks over issues with a cable card in my 52HMX95, they may have finally got it right. Seems they had programmed my host ID and cable card ID to the same thing at the head end. These two are definitely different and unique numbers and have to be programmed as such. I gave them the correct numbers today and came home to something I hadn't seen yet. Pratically all of the channels I've been paying for finally work. The only exceptions I found was audio was not working on SPEED and all of the digital music channels. I probably can live without the music channels, but will have to push my luck on SPEED.
Everybody keep your fingers crossed yet again that it all still works tomorrow as we know this stuff sometimes works great today, but gone tomorrow.

Had my 62 Tosh DLP for a while now and let me tell you my only regret is that I didnt get the 72" version.

After chronic problems with my cable card losing its channels and trying various fixes, Toshiba is replacing my TV through the retailer I purchased it from.

The retailer is open to me getting a different model and paying the difference. I have the 52HMX95. I was thinking of getting the next bigger Cinema series model. Any suggestions on what model or size I might consider? My viewing distance is anywhere from 8 - 20 feet.

p.s. The Rose Bowl looked awesome last night!!

sufan - What problems where you having with you CC?

Yet another first from Samsung (it claims) is its LED light-sourced DLP rear projection HDTV. The HL-S5679W replaces the current UHP bulb with a high-powered LED light source, which simply means that it doesn’t require a color wheel like normal DLP TVs, and the red, green and blue laser LEDs sequentially fire to produce smoother colors. Also, the “LumiLit” light engine will give you up to 20,000 hours of lamp life and just a seven-second turn-on time. Includes integrated ATSC and NTSC tuner, two 1080p HDMI inputs and Cable Card—all for just $4200.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST LED LIGHT SOURCED DLP REAR PROJECTION HDTV

After several months of round and rounds with my cable folks over issues with a cable card in my 52HMX95, they may have finally got it right. Seems they had programmed my host ID and cable card ID to the same thing at the head end. These two are definitely different and unique numbers and have to be programmed as such. I gave them the correct numbers today and came home to something I hadn't seen yet. Pratically all of the channels I've been paying for finally work. The only exceptions I found was audio was not working on SPEED and all of the digital music channels. I probably can live without the music channels, but will have to push my luck on SPEED.
Everybody keep your fingers crossed yet again that it all still works tomorrow as we know this stuff sometimes works great today, but gone tomorrow.


rbbnet:

Great News! Hopefully it's resolved now.

When I had some initial channel problems when I got my CC (2 HD channels would not decode) I was told to unplug the TV, hit the Power button on the TV twice, then replug the TV. According to the technician, that procedure was provided by the manufacturer to ensure the CC slot was completely clear of any memory and would reinitialize clean, which it did in my case. That may fix your Speed channel problem.

After chronic problems with my cable card losing its channels and trying various fixes, Toshiba is replacing my TV through the retailer I purchased it from.

The retailer is open to me getting a different model and paying the difference. I have the 52HMX95. I was thinking of getting the next bigger Cinema series model. Any suggestions on what model or size I might consider? My viewing distance is anywhere from 8 - 20 feet.

p.s. The Rose Bowl looked awesome last night!!


Tosh just replaced my TV but because I bought through Amazon.com I was not able to upgrade. If I was you I'd look into the 195 (1080i) series or for a little more look at the Sony SXRD. I've heard good things about both pictures. I've only seen the sony though.

sufan - What problems where you having with you CC?


The cable card would lose the channels randomly and would have to re-aquire (download) them. Very frustrating when watching a game etc....TV Guide is out of whack and when you change channels the information displayed shows the wrong network/channel etc..

1. Replaced card twice
2. Applied Firmware
3. Had Time Warner run cable from the pole to the outside of my house

TV is pretty unresponsive to the remote - there is a lag. I don't know if this is common but it almost seems like the TV has some type of memory issue.

Tosh just replaced my TV but because I bought through Amazon.com I was not able to upgrade. If I was you I'd look into the 195 (1080i) series or for a little more look at the Sony SXRD. I've heard good things about both pictures. I've only seen the sony though.

Bama - do you know what the differences are with that model and the Cinema series? Its my understanding the Cinema series has the 40 watt amp with the six speakers and some technology that helps with view movies. There is a 1080p Cinema series that I was thinking about.

rbbnet:

Great News! Hopefully it's resolved now.

When I had some initial channel problems when I got my CC (2 HD channels would not decode) I was told to unplug the TV, hit the Power button on the TV twice, then replug the TV. According to the technician, that procedure was provided by the manufacturer to ensure the CC slot was completely clear of any memory and would reinitialize clean, which it did in my case. That may fix your Speed channel problem.

Thanks for the tech tip. What about this one? Everytime I turn my set on it starts straight into TVGOS. I'm not sure if this has always been the case. Seriously I watch so very little TV it's hard for me to recall these lil things. Typically when I do watch TV it's a DVD. Given all the issues I've had with the cable card not working it's a wonder I watch any TV at all.
As of this morning everything still seems to be the same as lastnight... no audio on SPEED or music channels. I did reconfig TVGOS lastnight and it has replenished it's listings. Boy is this a good world.?

I bought my 46HM84 DLP from a local video store in September 2005 and have had no problems at all so far. My previous tv was a Sony 27" Trinitron, and all I can say is that watching the Toshiba is a TOTALLY different experience. It might be cliche to say the Toshiba has changed my life, but it really has.

I'm no videophile like a lot of folks on this forum, but I am somewhat fussy. My setup includes SD DirecTV Tivo and a Toshiba progressive scan dvd, both using Monster Cable component cables. I was not happy with the quality of the DirecTV local network channels, so I kept my old cable hookup ($10/month for local channels), hooked that up to Input #7 on the 46HM84, and switch inputs between cable and satelite.

I would love to get HD, but so far DirecTV doesn't deliver local network channels in HD to my area, so I will wait until that happens.

However, the real reason I am posting is that after buying the Toshiba, I started reading this forum and all the problem/negative posts. I realize full well that this is the norm in forums - I also read the Mustang forum for info on my '05 Mustang GT, and it's the same there, with the problem posts far outnumbering posts from folks pleased with their purchase. So I just wanted to balance things a bit here by saying that I had no problems.

And also, just last night I talked to the owner of the video store I bought the Toshiba from, and asked if he had replacement lamps in stock and if he could replace mine rather than wait for Toshiba to mail one, if mine happened to go bad before the warranty is over. He said that he didn't have the lamps in stock right now, and in fact has not had a single customer tell him that their lamp has gone bad! I don't know how many Toshibas he has sold, but he's been in business for over 20 years selling televisions, so he must sell enough to keep his business going, and I was well pleased to hear that none of his customers has experienced a lamp problem yet with their Toshiba DLP.

Wjones14,

thanks for posting. I'm wondering if the gentleman you spoke to is listed as an authorized warranty provider by Toshiba? I know that sounds stupid since he sells them but I found some strange arrangements when I researched.

One of the highest end home theater full service facilites in my area sells lots of Toshiba DLP products. They are not real price competitive but then they sell the "relationship" more so than the product (if that makes sense). Very busy place, lots of folks go in for research, some buy there some do not. I did not buy from them for a host of reasons - one being that they are not listed as a Toshiba authorized warranty repair facilty. I found that odd and asked the owner why. He told me that they don't want that type of business and prefer to "sell" and then support and service there customers only. When I inquired how they do that, he reluctanlty confessed that they act as middle men between their customers and Toshiba or a regional Toshiba service center.

I spoke to Toshiba CS aboout this and they confirmed this happens quite often espeically on large sets since warranty service is normally provided in the home, not in a "shop". In my case, I asked that local store rep. about lamps and he emphatically proclaimed he'd never heard of any issues in all his years... readily available.. owner serveiceable... around $200 and I've only sold 1 or 2 in the last 3 years. Of course when I spoke to the "right" local authorized warranty repair facilty, I heard quite a different story.

I still think these sets are incredible and if folks know and can accept the realistic limitations of this technology, I beleive its a great fit for some. In my case, I struggle to justify $350 for a lamp that will likely need to be replaced annually given how much our set is used. I'm sure its still a bargain for some, especially given the other options available in this size... I just wish realistic information were more readily available when makeing such a large purchase.

The information coming out about LED lamps seems promising though... I think the next 1-2 years are going to be very exciting and very confusing for videophiles... imagine how confused consumers will be.

Any calibration on HM195 sets? Please share results.

Bama - do you know what the differences are with that model and the Cinema series? Its my understanding the Cinema series has the 40 watt amp with the six speakers and some technology that helps with view movies. There is a 1080p Cinema series that I was thinking about.


No, I dont know the difference between the cinema and regular . But if its is as you say a better speaker system then you may want to not get the Cinema series. The money saved could possibly by you a seperate sound system. I was more interested in the 1080p resolution. As far as speakers I would want to go and compare side by side. I'm sure there is some other minor differences between the two.

rbb- go into TVGOS and set it up so that it does not come on when you turn the TV on. I am at work so I don't know the procedure but if you can't figure it out let me know and I'll help you out tonight.

Adelphia is coming over this afternoon. They called me this morning to say they had misconfigured things on their end and wanted to cancel the appointment. Only problem is the problem still exists :( so they are still coming out today with a new cable card.

If this one does not work then I am going to get a bit more aggressive with Adelphia and Toshiba and will demand they find a fix or replace the set with one which works everytime I turn the power on.

Good luck.

/Joe

BAMA Man,

Line conditioner is a Tripp Light LC 1200.
Pretty well accepted any lamp will last longer with constant voltage and a cool environment (clean room will reduce dust in cooling path). I don't know why 5 hours on would be a factor except for cooling.

As you probably know there is a user menu as well as a service menu. With the Spyder colorimeter tool I made the following adjustments to the factory service menu settings.

red cut 60H to 51H
green cut 60H to 64H
blue cut 60H to 6DH
red drive 55H to 6AH
green drive 47H to 2EH
blue drive 4DH to 2BH

I have no way to confirm these are correct as it is my understanding the Spyder software isn't able to read DLP light spectrum correctly and the SpyderTV Pro will. Skin tone is however much improved. I would not recomend using there settings on a different tv.

wmarkw,

Video as stated above is better than when I got the set. I used to listen to talk radio now Fox News is on all day, that is where all the lamp hours came from.

I have a Tosh 52hm94, witch is great. the trouble is the onboard tvguide is unpopulated with informatiom. mabe in a few days it will come back and every thing will be fine for a while. I don't know what the problem is. Who sends this information out? More then one station? mabe my signal is spotty from this source.
Any one out there know how this works?
Thanks for any info.
John

rbb- go into TVGOS and set it up so that it does not come on when you turn the TV on. I am at work so I don't know the procedure but if you can't figure it out let me know and I'll help you out tonight.

Adelphia is coming over this afternoon. They called me this morning to say they had misconfigured things on their end and wanted to cancel the appointment. Only problem is the problem still exists :( so they are still coming out today with a new cable card.

If this one does not work then I am going to get a bit more aggressive with Adelphia and Toshiba and will demand they find a fix or replace the set with one which works everytime I turn the power on.

Good luck.

/Joe

I haven't really studied the TVGOS on start-up issue... but now that you mention it seems like I may remember something to that effect when I 1st set the TV up. I mentioned earlier that audio was missing on SPEED channel. I called my cable lady to give her an update on how much progress she had made for me. When mentioning no audio on SPEED she said check your audio settings for your CC. You said SPEED channel would not work with it set to AC3. I checked and yes indeed it was set to AC3. But it was a tad different than the others I checked. Others were listed as "English AC3" where as SPEED was listed as "unknown AC3". The other option on SPEED was "unknown MPEG2". Of course neither option produces audio. But apparently my cable comapny has ran into this as she had an immediate answer as soon as I mentioned it. For what it's worth as I toyed with these audio settings my cable card hiccupped and began re-aqquiring my channels again. Hope this doesn't continue to happen.

After chronic problems with my cable card losing its channels and trying various fixes, Toshiba is replacing my TV through the retailer I purchased it from.

The retailer is open to me getting a different model and paying the difference. I have the 52HMX95. I was thinking of getting the next bigger Cinema series model. Any suggestions on what model or size I might consider? My viewing distance is anywhere from 8 - 20 feet.

p.s. The Rose Bowl looked awesome last night!!


Well today I purchased the 56MX195 56" 1080p. The store let me pay the difference in price between my 52HMX95. Hope I a made a good decision. They are delivering it on Monday and picking up the old tv.

I haven't really studied the TVGOS on start-up issue... but now that you mention it seems like I may remember something to that effect when I 1st set the TV up. I mentioned earlier that audio was missing on SPEED channel. I called my cable lady to give her an update on how much progress she had made for me. When mentioning no audio on SPEED she said check your audio settings for your CC. You said SPEED channel would not work with it set to AC3. I checked and yes indeed it was set to AC3. But it was a tad different than the others I checked. Others were listed as "English AC3" where as SPEED was listed as "unknown AC3". The other option on SPEED was "unknown MPEG2". Of course neither option produces audio. But apparently my cable comapny has ran into this as she had an immediate answer as soon as I mentioned it. For what it's worth as I toyed with these audio settings my cable card hiccupped and began re-aqquiring my channels again. Hope this doesn't continue to happen.

To disable the TVGOS from coming up every time you turn on the TV, go into TVGOS, go to the SETUP screen, and select the bottom option: CHANGE DEFAULT OPTIONS. Select GENERAL DEFAULT OPTIONS, and set AUTOGUIDE to OFF. That will prevent if from opening every time you turn on the TV.

My bother just bought a 62 Toshiba DLP and he just told me thet the manual says that he should not hook up a pc to the TV. Any reason why? He called Toshiba help and they ahd no idea. Can someone please help.


Thank You

To disable the TVGOS from coming up every time you turn on the TV, go into TVGOS, go to the SETUP screen, and select the bottom option: CHANGE DEFAULT OPTIONS. Select GENERAL DEFAULT OPTIONS, and set AUTOGUIDE to OFF. That will prevent if from opening every time you turn on the TV.

Thanks for the tip. Despite I had done this when I first set the TV up I forgot it was an option. Seems like "JumpinJoe" reminded me it could be done. I went into the TVGOS set-up and did just what you explained.
Is it just me or does everybody 35+ tend to forget?

My bother just bought a 62 Toshiba DLP and he just told me thet the manual says that he should not hook up a pc to the TV. Any reason why? He called Toshiba help and they ahd no idea. Can someone please help.


Thank You

A few of the Toshiba models come with a VGA port just like the one on the back of your PC where you hook up your monitor. If his TV does not have that VGA port then Toshiba does not won't to be held liable for him frying his TV. Yes it is possible to hook up a PC to any of the newer Toshiba DLP sets. Although the manner in which you do so is not supported by Toshiba. If you set your PC's video card to output a format/resolution the TV does not support then you could possibly do damage to your TV. Toshiba simply does not want to be bothered with calls asking how to hook it up this way, hence the disclaimer in the manual.

However, the real reason I am posting is that after buying the Toshiba, I started reading this forum and all the problem/negative posts. I realize full well that this is the norm in forums - I also read the Mustang forum for info on my '05 Mustang GT, and it's the same there, with the problem posts far outnumbering posts from folks pleased with their purchase. So I just wanted to balance things a bit here by saying that I had no problems.



My sentiments exactly.

"tbdtitl
I am getting my 52HMX95 on Sat. My first HDTV and I can't wait. I was wondering a couple of things
1. How long should I wait before I turn the set on since it will be cold here in Cleveland once I get it in the house?
2. Is there a burn in time for these sets before optimum viewing and picture will be achieved?
3. Should I use the TVGOS or use the COX guide instead? Which is better and is it a matter of which remote I want to use? Thanks"

I have heard that you should wait several hours before turning them on if you live in a cold climate. More specific amount of time I do not know. Protects the bulb and some of the other components.

I live on the west side of Cleveland. I have Adelphia. Nothing but problems with the CC. I finally gave up, because I couldn't stand not knowing which channel was what because my guide refused to work properly. Good luck with yours.

I do miss the CC though, only because the picture quality is much better. It's a big enough difference that you will notice it right away when you switch.

Well I have had my 52hm95 since Oct 10th 2005 and last night I heard a POP and the screen went blank. Right at the last qtr of the Patriots game with a house full of people.
How embarrasing! Everyone loved the TV until then. We had to crowd around the 15" LCD in the kitchen.

I assume its the lamp but will call Toshiba today if possible.

This sux after only 4 mos. Any suggestions?

MItch

mcoughlin,

Just out of curiousity do you have an estimate of how many hours the bulb had on it? Was your set callibrated with DVE, AVIA or any other cal disc? Lastly, was the bulb on high or low power most of the time?

Ya I calibrated it with dve and set the lamp to low right out of the box. Hard to say how many hours. I wish I could check but the lamps busted. Its only four months old so my guess would be 2,000 hrs or less. It seemed dim ysterday so I set it to high for the 6 hours or so that people were coming over for the game. It just stinks that it happenend with everyone there....

I understand your frustration as what happened to you is also one of my worst nightmares. All the negative feedback on these forums surely doesn't make things sound so good. However our society feeds on the negative and never mentions the good. Pick up your local newpaper, I challenge you to find the good in it. When's the last time your boss chewed you out? Now the opposite... how often if ever has a boss patted you on the back for a job well done? I hope these bulb issues found here fit into the same scenario... everybody posting the bad but never praising the good.

Hey RB,

You are absolutely right! I researched TV's to the point of obsession. I still believe I bought the right one. I knew someday the lamp would go...just not so soon and with a house full of guests. Beyond this issue the TV is great! I would buy it again.

As for reading the news...Its always bad so I hardly ever read the paper.

Ya I calibrated it with dve and set the lamp to low right out of the box. Hard to say how many hours. I wish I could check but the lamps busted. Its only four months old so my guess would be 2,000 hrs or less. It seemed dim ysterday so I set it to high for the 6 hours or so that people were coming over for the game. It just stinks that it happenend with everyone there....

I feel your pain :eek:

Exact same timing and scenario happened to me thanks giving day.
Life was good for first 4 months, notice the picture was getting a bit dark
Turned the lamp to bright mode next morning pop!
Of course the so called experts on here will tell you that setting your lamp to bright after 4 months of low mode shouldn’t make any difference cause the TV always starts up in bright mode and then sets the lamp to low after it checks the settings. Hope it don’t take you 3 plus weeks to get your new lamp. After I installed the new lamp first thing I did was check my hours I had just over 1800 hours in 4 months. Some people on here will also tell you to get a life if you have that many hours in 4 months.

I love my 52hm84. It is a great picture. However when watching D* through the HDMI cable, the left side of the picture sits a little higher than the right side. Most of the time this is not a problem but when watching a sporting event, if the score is shown across the top of the screen, the top part of the score gets cut off. Is there any way to adjust the picture in HDMI mode? Is this something that can be set in through the service menu?

Also I notice when the screen is showing something black that there is a nearly circular greyish outline in the middle of the left side of the screen. It isn't there if the tv is off. I am thinking that it might be dust but am apprhensive to open the tv and check. Anybody else with something similar?

I have read quite a few posts that state that dust is a major concern for these tv's. I have a dusty house. How do "clean" the dust out without damaging my tv? Is it as simple as unscrewing the front screen and vaccuuming the dust out?

Thanks for the help.

Hey RB,

You are absolutely right! I researched TV's to the point of obsession. I still believe I bought the right one. I knew someday the lamp would go...just not so soon and with a house full of guests. Beyond this issue the TV is great! I would buy it again.

As for reading the news...Its always bad so I hardly ever read the paper.


How did you calibrate it with dve? I had problems with the contrast. I couldn't get the pattern to bloom so couldn't tell where to set it properly.


Thanks,

Ken

[I]I love my 52hm84. It is a great picture. However when watching D* through the HDMI cable, the left side of the picture sits a little higher than the right side. Most of the time this is not a problem but when watching a sporting event, if the score is shown across the top of the screen, the top part of the score gets cut off. Is there any way to adjust the picture in HDMI mode? Is this something that can be set in through the service menu?

Also I notice when the screen is showing something black that there is a nearly circular greyish outline in the middle of the left side of the screen. It isn't there if the tv is off. I am thinking that it might be dust but am apprhensive to open the tv and check. Anybody else with something similar?I have read quite a few posts that state that dust is a major concern for these tv's. I have a dusty house. How do "clean" the dust out without damaging my tv? Is it as simple as unscrewing the front screen and vaccuuming the dust out?

Thanks for the help.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by enmoco 12/14/05 Good news-Bad news-Good news

---------------------------------------------------------------------------


[QUOTE]Got my 56HM195 delivered in time for MNF.Prefect HD picture. Games over,wife puts on a movie she just got to check out how it looks to her. SCREAMS for me to come and see. Two mushroom shaped grey "blobs" in mid-right side of screen as credits begin to roll.Can only see them in total black. Called for tech.advise,and later in-home service call.Showed up today and explains its the light engine "leaking". After explaining the option of a replacement set or order new engine,I take the new engine option,hopefully at this later date(build 08/24/05),they may have a "later" model engine.Slim chance of a rebuilt as this model just came out and is 1080P. Also,he can come back next week when they recieve the new engine and put it in and I still watch it in the meantime.Bummed about it,but,I knew this was the "latest and greatest" tech from Toshiba. PQ really is stunning.I do'nt throw around "wows",but,it is way better than I had imagined.Oh,called Toshiba and they are sending the new firmware,no problem.
With instant on feature selected,do you see this image your speaking of,after you turn your set off,but before it goes all the way off? Not necessarily an entire engine,(as my tech. ordered) but,this was one of the options given.It is definitely light "escaping" to where it should not. Lint,dust,dirt in the set is also a factor,just my opinion from your post. Particles blocking light usually produce dark artifacts on an otherwise bright picture.

Well, looks like the Chicken Little brigade is out in full force today. 1JAV - relying on forums to get an accurate view of the reliability of a given product is like reading Playboy magazine to get an accurate impression of how to deal with women. Seriously, you are getting a perspective that is heavily tilted in one direction. You come to a home theater forum, you will see a LOT of "problem posts". Were you misled? hardly... All microdisplays (not just DLP) are quite reliable, for leading edge technology. Just because 100 people on AVS forums report bulb problems and 15 report no bulb problems, that does not represent a valid statistical sampling. If you're not comfortable with the possibility of replacing a lamp, you're probably not comfortable with the issues facing direct view LCD, plasma or RP CRT. Seriously, have you actually had a problem with your lamp yet? Also, I'm willing to bet that you can find lamp issues with pretty much any manufacturer. I just don't see what option you leave for yourself, other than good old direct-view CRT.


Also, bkazepis - This isn't a Toshiba thing, this isn't a DLP thing, nor is it a Texas Instruments thing. It is a new technology thing. Having spent the last 15 years in the computer industry, I know where the trends go. In order to get new technology into the hands of consumers, there is far less testing than 10 years ago to reduce manufacturing costs. Also, support people are far less trained than even a few years ago. Electronic manufacturers rigorously test component designs and prototypes, then cast their faith in having a reliable production run. Without this, we wouldn't see sub$1000 PCs, and HDTV would be significantly more expensive. And, bear in mind, most electronic failures happen within the first few days.
Now, regarding your HDMI input, I'd be willing to bet there is NOTHING WRONG with the HDMI input on your TV. Given all the possible points of failure, the odds are with me on this. Have you checked the cable, the HDMI output on the cable box, what order do you turn your eqipment on and off?

This is what I mean by the chicken little mentality. People read about other (often unrelated) problems, then automatically assume that the problem they're having is the TV, and totatly skip any type of troubleshooting.

Sorry for the rant, but I sometimes get frustrated when people jump on a bandwagon without putting enough due dilligence into their problem.

I must tell you griz_fan, it was my understanding that this forum and ones like it are for the free and open exchange of ideas. Name calling is not necessary just because someone has an opinion that differs from yours. I have always been on the cutting edge, investing in laserdiscs way back when, buying my first generation DVD player for almost $800.00 if memory serves me right, I could go on and on. One thing about being on the cutting edge or an early adopter is at times you have to put up with some bugs, granted. But NEVER have I had to face the possibility of a major component (ie. the bulb) failing way before advertised. When DVD was new, the only problems back then were maybe youd have a DVD that was incompatible with your player, so what? It still worked, the laser didnt burn out and render the item useless untill it was repaired.

That being said, you were correct about my HDMI input, it is not bad, its Cablevision and the SA8300HD STB that is having issues. Also a bit of good news, the local guy who came to ck out my set has been fixing TV's for 40 years or so. He said the Toshibas are VERY reliable in his opinion, and he hasnt seen the bulbs fail any sooner on Tosh's when compared to other HDTV's so that made me feel better.

In closing, perhaps you are happy being the outside R&D dept for multi billion $$ corporations, I for one am not. You also state its a "new technology thing" According to the DLP website, DLP has been around since 1997 with over 7 million units shipped. How have they not gotten the bulb issue addressed in 8 years??? I will put up with some minor bugs here or there but there has to be a point where consumers dont put up with sub par testing before a product is released.

Dont get me wrong, the pic is great and if I had to do it all over again I'd probably buy the same set. That doesnt mean I'm 100% satisfied. Time will tell.

I recently got my second Toshiba 42HM95 RP DLP HDTV from Best Buy. Like my first one, I find that a fan runs constantly in this TV (lamp Quick Restart feature is turned off) even when the set is turned off. When I say constantly, it runs overnight, all the next day, etc., once the set is turned off. So, if is clearly not cooling anything down for that long a time.

Do other owners of this set or others in the HM95 series find that a fan runs constantly, when the set is turned off?

Thanks

Ron

Can you clearify what you are saying for me? I have a 46HM95 and when I disable the quick restart feature and turn the set off, a low speed fan continues to run forever. Am I overlooking something here? I don't understand your comment about the bulb. I can set the bulb to "low" or "high" completely separate from the quick restart feature.

Thanks

Ron

I have 46hm95 as well and my fan runs indefinately as well. I thought it was normal. There are two fans however. When the tv is on, a second fan runs. When it is off, regardless of quick start feature, one fan continues to run. Let us know if this is not normal.

Hoping for a quick answer if anyone would be so kind.

If using DVI from (Scientific Atlanta 3250HD) box to a 46HM94 via DVI to HDMI conversion cable, what do you do about digital audio into the Toshiba? Unless I'm totally looking right past it, I don't see either Optical or Coax input on the set, only digital out. And the L/R analogue inputs for audio. Same question on upconverting by DVI DVD player like the Oppo many seem so high on.

Am I overlooking a digital audio input connection option somehow? Or, are an upconverting player or set top box with only DVI out not be able to be used with this Tosh if digital sound is wanted?

I recently got my second Toshiba 42HM95 RP DLP HDTV from Best Buy. Like my first one, I find that a fan runs constantly in this TV (lamp Quick Restart feature is turned off) even when the set is turned off. When I say constantly, it runs overnight, all the next day, etc., once the set is turned off. So, if is clearly not cooling anything down for that long a time.

Do other owners of this set or others in the HM95 series find that a fan runs constantly, when the set is turned off?

Thanks

Ron

Ron, I checked with Toshiba customer service as I noticed the same thing on my 62HM195. They said this is normal.

Hoping for a quick answer if anyone would be so kind.

If using DVI from (Scientific Atlanta 3250HD) box to a 46HM94 via DVI to HDMI conversion cable, what do you do about digital audio into the Toshiba? Unless I'm totally looking right past it, I don't see either Optical or Coax input on the set, only digital out. And the L/R analogue inputs for audio. Same question on upconverting by DVI DVD player like the Oppo many seem so high on.

Am I overlooking a digital audio input connection option somehow? Or, are an upconverting player or set top box with only DVI out not be able to be used with this Tosh if digital sound is wanted?

if the component has only the dvi connector and not the hdmi connector, it doesn't support audio over the cable even if you use a hdmi converter. You have to find some other means to play the audio. I use a thx receiver for my audio.

Ken

Why would they not have added at least one format of digital audio into the set in addition to the HDMI connection? I can live with HD from the box going through one of the component imputs and the synthesized 3D sound in this particular not too large room sounds surprisingly good.

But for an upconverting DVD player to feed it 720P, I guess that rules out the Oppo then with only DVI out. Are there any HDMI output, upconverting players that give similar quality bang for the buck (in that price range) that any of you are loving with these Toshibas?

I'm pretty sure I've read that it is normal for a fan to run all the time. I know my 52HMX95 has one fan running continuously. Seems like I've read it helps cool the cable card. If you don't have a cable card to cool... duh.. I don't know.

bkazepis [QUOTE]Also a bit of good news, the local guy who came to ck out my set has been fixing TV's for 40 years or so. He said the Toshibas are VERY reliable in his opinion, and he hasnt seen the bulbs fail any sooner on Tosh's when compared to other HDTV's so that made me feel better.If a Tosh tech tells you this,many people on this forum have said the same thing,why do you not believe it? In closing, perhaps you are happy being the outside R&D dept for multi billion $$ corporations, I for one am not. You also state its a "new technology thing" According to the DLP website, DLP has been around since 1997 with over 7 million units shipped. How have they not gotten the bulb issue addressed in 8 years??? I will put up with some minor bugs here or there but there has to be a point where consumers dont put up with sub par testing before a product is released.
Your only bug was a STB/cable problem, not the display. , Dont get me wrong, the pic is great and if I had to do it all over again I'd probably buy the same set. That doesnt mean I'm 100% satisfied[/U]. Time will tell. Once again,I am not defending anyone. I certainly am not trying to put anyone down in any way. The facts are: 1- Those 7 million units you speak of have been sold in less than 4 years.(Front projection excluded)TI just developed the chip 8 years ago. 2-DLP (not Tosh only) is the largest selling segment of the "new technology sets" and getting bigger each passing day.There are any number of reasons for this. 3-IN numbers of failure versus "average" life span, in DLP and Tosh in particular,there is no Major bug.At what point,and more importantly,in what manner did you hear of or see the "sub-par" testing of this product?Forums? Or by talking to informed people.A lot of people come here to complain of this perceived great failure in all of DLP. Anybody has the right to come hear and complain all they want.They should not be put down,harassed,or derided in any way. That same right is also extended to anyone who just wants real hard facts as to product service,reliability, tweaks,hints,or just pleasure in viewing in this,The Toshiba DLP owner's thread.Please understand these sets are a BULB based technology. Many,many things effect the life span of any kind of bulb.It is indeed terrible to have any kind of trouble with an expensive piece of electronic hardware.This should be a place for help with those problems via a constructive conveyance of reliable information.IMHO :)P.s. Why, with the outcome of your STB problem resolved,and CS telling tou your fan was supposed to run all the time,is your opinion so slanted?Anyone reading ALL of your posts will see that you may never be satisfyed,but,you will be watching a great set in the meantime.

FWIW, I'm happy with my Toshiba DLP TV thus far (only had it about 3 months).

On to a more specific topic:

I bought my Toshiba 62HM15 (rebadged 62HM94) and stand from Costco because of their return policy.

FYI, I just got a coupon booklet in the mail. Looks like they're selling a 62" Toshiba and stand (which is now a rebadged 62HM95 I believe) for $300 off with coupon from Jan. 3- Feb. 5. It's normally $3000, so for that week you can get it at $2700. I would highly recommend considering that deal if you're in the market for a Toshiba DLP (I have NO connection to Costco whatsoever).

I paid $3000 for mine 3 months ago. Anyone have any experience getting Costco to refund money when they drop prices or run sales like this? I would love to go in during that week, show my receipt from my previous purchase and get $300 credited to my credit card. Is there a (ethical) way to go about that that gives me any real chance of making it happen?

$300 difference between the xx94 and the xx95. I personally think you've done alright and asking them to to drop the price on yours now is a bit too much. But you could possibly use that angle. "Look.. I bought last yrs model just 2 months ago from you guys for the same price you're offering this years model." Albeit I doubt they'll be too sympathetic. Suppose your set starts to develop issues. ;) Bet they'd swap even then.

$300 difference between the xx94 and the xx95. I personally think you've done alright and asking them to to drop the price on yours now is a bit too much. But you could possibly use that angle. "Look.. I bought last yrs model just 2 months ago from you guys for the same price you're offering this years model." Albeit I doubt they'll be too sympathetic. Suppose your set starts to develop issues. ;) Bet they'd swap even then.

Yea, with the way their return policy works, I could return my TV and exchange it for the new one. Or possibly get my money back and then buy the new one at a $300 savings. I don't really want to take that route for two reasons: first, I'm not a fan of it morally as it implies there is something wrong with my TV and there isn't, and second, it would be a major hassle to box everything up and then bring home a new TV and hook it up. With most stores, the price match policy lasts the same length as the return policy to avoid the hassle of people returning and rebuying an item when the price is dropped. Costco's return policy is basically endless in duration. The thing is, you're paying for that indirectly. I could have gotten my TV cheaper elsewhere but was willing to pay more for it at Costco because of the return policy. So at what point do you say, okay the price dropped but I'm not willing to fight for the difference? In this case, the price dropped and the model is even the newer version (w/ 2 HDMI inputs vs. 1 HDMI input). What do others think?

I have never heard my hm95 fan run, I wonder sometimes if its working, But its cold where I am and the room tempature stays at about 68.

i dont know if i can do this , but ive got a lamp on ebay for the 84 and 94 models

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:11&item=5850534324

guess not.
well search for "tb25 lamp"

Yea, with the way their return policy works, I could return my TV and exchange it for the new one. Or possibly get my money back and then buy the new one at a $300 savings. I don't really want to take that route for two reasons: first, I'm not a fan of it morally as it implies there is something wrong with my TV and there isn't, and second, it would be a major hassle to box everything up and then bring home a new TV and hook it up. With most stores, the price match policy lasts the same length as the return policy to avoid the hassle of people returning and rebuying an item when the price is dropped. Costco's return policy is basically endless in duration. The thing is, you're paying for that indirectly. I could have gotten my TV cheaper elsewhere but was willing to pay more for it at Costco because of the return policy. So at what point do you say, okay the price dropped but I'm not willing to fight for the difference? In this case, the price dropped and the model is even the newer version (w/ 2 HDMI inputs vs. 1 HDMI input). What do others think?

Having the extra HDMI would be nice w/ HD-DVD coming out and giving you more options in the future, but you also have the HD2+ chip. Some could see it as a step back by going with the newer version. You can always get a switcher too.

I have the Toshiba 62HM195 and Comcast Cable. I am having problems with the TV Guide On Screen Guide. I have been able to download the programing.

The cable box is hooked it up with composite cables from the component out to the ColorStream HD High-resolution Component Video Input 2 on the TV. Works fine, picture is great, no problems. I have another connection from the cable box to the TV on the RF input as ANT1, since that was needed for the On Screen Guide.

TVGOSG works, but all of the stations are assigned to ANT 1, not Colorstream HD 2. This causes a couple of problems. If I am watching TV on Input 5 (Colorstream HD2) sometimes when I change stations, using the TV Guide, the input switches to ANT 1 all by itself.

Is this a TV Guide Problem? Should I have split the cable line when it came in from outside rather than after the cable box? Something else?

Why would they not have added at least one format of digital audio into the set in addition to the HDMI connection? I can live with HD from the box going through one of the component imputs and the synthesized 3D sound in this particular not too large room sounds surprisingly good.

But for an upconverting DVD player to feed it 720P, I guess that rules out the Oppo then with only DVI out. Are there any HDMI output, upconverting players that give similar quality bang for the buck (in that price range) that any of you are loving with these Toshibas?

I'm not certain why you would want hdmi audio on a dvd player. It only supports 2 audio channels. I prefer to play it through my receiver with the digital connector so I can get the full thx audio tracks (either 5.1 or 7.1 for movies that support it).

Ken

[QUOTE]At what point,and more importantly,in what manner did you hear of or see the "sub-par" testing of this product?Forums? Or by talking to informed people.

Please understand these sets are a BULB based technology. Many,many things effect the life span of any kind of bulb.It is indeed terrible to have any kind of trouble with an expensive piece of electronic hardware.This should be a place for help with those problems via a constructive conveyance of reliable information.IMHO :)P.s. Why, with the outcome of your STB problem resolved,and CS telling tou your fan was supposed to run all the time,is your opinion so slanted?Anyone reading ALL of your posts will see that you may never be satisfyed,but,you will be watching a great set in the meantime.

Enmoco-

I am not one of those people who is never satisfied. I ususally have realistic expectations regarding the electronics I purchase and how things should be in general.

My comment regarding sub par testing was based upon griz-fan's comment "In order to get new technology into the hands of consumers, there is far less testing than 10 years ago to reduce manufacturing costs. Also, support people are far less trained than even a few years ago. Electronic manufacturers rigorously test component designs and prototypes, then cast their faith in having a reliable production run. Without this, we wouldn't see sub$1000 PCs, and HDTV would be significantly more expensive. And, bear in mind, most electronic failures happen within the first few days."

I felt that the above statement and its premise (if true) should be totally unacceptable to the buying public...dont you??

I'm pretty sure I've read that it is normal for a fan to run all the time. I know my 52HMX95 has one fan running continuously. Seems like I've read it helps cool the cable card. If you don't have a cable card to cool... duh.. I don't know.
Yes, it cools the CC slot even if it is empty. I got over it for it is going to run no matter who you call for information/service.
56HM195

You know it seems like they would have put some type of mini switch inside the cable card slot that would be control the fan. Slide a cable card in, the switch is depressed... the fan runs. But I'm pretty sure they found the life of the fan to exceed warranty.

[QUOTE]Please understand these sets are a BULB based technology. Many,many things effect the life span of any kind of bulb.It is indeed terrible to have any kind of trouble with an expensive piece of electronic hardware.

enmoco- One other thing regarding bulbs and reliability. Just look at any major arena or stadium. HUGE, very bright bulbs, located at precarious positions, very high up....are they changing these bulbs with tremendous frequency? I dont know. Or how about HID bulbs in most high end new cars? I have them, nothing is a more harsh environment than a vehicle, extremes of hot and cold...vibration you name it...havent changed a headlight bulb in 5 years.. :)

I just received my replacement 52hm95 set from Tosh. I have a Directv HD DVR and use a HDMI cable (supplied by Direct) to connect to my TV. However the new set wont receive the audio through the HDMI even after I made sure I put the audio setting to Digital or Auto. I have to set the audio to analog and use composite cables for the sound. I understand Tosh warns that some are compatible but the set up did work for my52hm94. Any body have this set up and have different results?

[QUOTE=enmoco]

enmoco- One other thing regarding bulbs and reliability. Just look at any major arena or stadium. HUGE, very bright bulbs, located at precarious positions, very high up....are they changing these bulbs with tremendous frequency? I dont know. Or how about HID bulbs in most high end new cars? I have them, nothing is a more harsh environment than a vehicle, extremes of hot and cold...vibration you name it...havent changed a headlight bulb in 5 years.. :)Ok.

Why would they not have added at least one format of digital audio into the set in addition to the HDMI connection? I can live with HD from the box going through one of the component imputs and the synthesized 3D sound in this particular not too large room sounds surprisingly good.

But for an upconverting DVD player to feed it 720P, I guess that rules out the Oppo then with only DVI out. Are there any HDMI output, upconverting players that give similar quality bang for the buck (in that price range) that any of you are loving with these Toshibas?
2 things...

1st, why do you need a digital audio connection if you are using synthesized sound? the normal RCA should do okay...

2nd, check out sony's upconversion DVD players, I've had mine for like 2 months now and have loved it... works great on the toshiba... ;)

I just received my replacement 52hm95 set from Tosh. I have a Directv HD DVR and use a HDMI cable (supplied by Direct) to connect to my TV. However the new set wont receive the audio through the HDMI even after I made sure I put the audio setting to Digital or Auto. I have to set the audio to analog and use composite cables for the sound. I understand Tosh warns that some are compatible but the set up did work for my52hm94. Any body have this set up and have different results?

The hm95 series will only accept PCM 2 channel audio through the HDMI port. Check the audio output setting on the DVR. I have the same problem with my dvd player.

2nd, check out sony's upconversion DVD players, I've had mine for like 2 months now and have loved it... works great on the toshiba... ;)

Vert.

Do you think the Sony DVD upconvertering processor does a better job than the Toshiba's TV upconverting processor? Where you able to compare the difference?

Vert.

Do you think the Sony DVD upconvertering processor does a better job than the Toshiba's TV upconverting processor? Where you able to compare the difference?
if you mean in comparrison to a non-upconverting DVD player, then yes, it looks much better...

obviously it's not as good as HD, but if the source material is good, then it's pretty close... :D

Thanks for the input. I decided on the Panny S97. I'm guessing the digital 5.1 into the surround synthesis is better even than analogue left and right, as it seems to do a good job of only putting surround synthesized what is supposed to be surround information.

Also I'm not sure, but would imagine that if I chose HDMI for the input on the Tosh that it would not pick up analogue L/R from one of the other inputs.

Thanks for the input. I decided on the Panny S97. I'm guessing the digital 5.1 into the surround synthesis is better even than analogue left and right, as it seems to do a good job of only putting surround synthesized what is supposed to be surround information.

Also I'm not sure, but would imagine that if I chose HDMI for the input on the Tosh that it would not pick up analogue L/R from one of the other inputs.
Just remember that the panny uses the faroudja chip... you might notice some macroblocking...

What is the price range on the Sony on the net? Does the Sony do as well everywhere else as the Panny but not have the macroblocking problem?

What is the price range on the Sony on the net? Does the Sony do as well everywhere else as the Panny but not have the macroblocking problem?
sony runs a bit under $150... (well for the 70, the 90 will run more)... as far as features, as far as playing dvds go, I think is about the same... the panny does play dvd-audio, which obviously the sony won't do... the 90 does SACD, but the 70 does not... if problems arise with lipsynching problems, you can fix it with the sony, but I've had no problems at all... I thought I did for a sec when watching dazed and confused, but it was only in one scene... must have been an editing error that I hadn't noticed before... I do have my audio going out to the receiver though... I guess it is going to the TV as well, since I'm using HDMI, but not sure if it outputs to both when running HDMI and coax digital outs...

Thanks so much for the information! I was just about to call the Toshiba 800 number. Too bad the guys at Best Buy didn't know that. I would never have gotten the second set.

Ron

HI Again,

In my last reply I forgot to make sure that the case that you asked Toshiba about was for when the lamp Quick Restart feature was turned OFF? I know that a fan is supposed to continue to run, when that feature is turned on.

Thanks again.

Ron

HI Again,

In my last reply I forgot to make sure that the case that you asked Toshiba about was for when the lamp Quick Restart feature was turned OFF? I know that a fan is supposed to continue to run, when that feature is turned on.

Thanks again.

Ron

From what I understand, the fan running with the quick start feature is the fan running at full speed for a few mins because the bulb doesnt really fully turn off to allow a quick restart.

As far as running all the time, thats a seperate function of the fan and is normal whether you chose quick restart or not.

B.