Hello,

I recently purchased a Sceptre 37" widescreen LCD/TV. I finally am able to hook the xbox up using component wires and see decent 480p or better graphics (tears of joy).

However joyful I have noticed on certain games at 480p that also supports widescreen have a overscan issue on the left side of my TV. I thought this is something that's wrong with the green component cable which is responsible for the syncing between HDTV to xbox but it is tightly connected. I have also checked to see if there's any options I can adjust in the MS dashboard, but there's nothing to set there besides the widescreen option. I have also checked to see if the 2 games I saw the problem with have any in game adjustment options so I can move the screen but it is not available.

I am kind of out of ideas on how to resolves this issue. In GTA: San Andreas the entire picture seems to be moved to the right by 1-2 inches. In Splinter Cell : Chaos Theory the same happens, sometimes in movie mode it even moves downward and rightward each by 1-2 inches.

Does anyone have any idea how to solve this problem or have also had similar experiences? Please share them with me. Your replies are greatly appreciated.

Much Thanks,
Tiberium

This happens on all LCD displays apparently, I noticed the same thing. It does not happen for true 480p (and up) widescreen games. The picture isn't actually shifted it just doesn't used up the left inch if the screen, so you're not missing any picture. Try a game that runs in 720p, like X-Men Legends, and you'll really see this display shine.

Actually that same thing happens with my xbox on my Monovision CRT, I asked Microsoft about it and they said that they couldn't control how game developers set up their games. I have seen a couple games that allow you to adjust the screen, but most don't.

Just wanted to report the mishaps with my Sceptre. I purchased it from Costco and received it on August 28. I was on a business trip in Taiwan 3 weeks ago when my wife called to say that the remote stopped working. When I got back, I checked it and it the remote is not sending a signal, it's not the sensor in the TV.

I continued to use the TV using the buttons on the bottom of the set. After 2 days, every time I would press the Vol+ button, it would stay down and the volume would go all the way to max. After 5 seconds at max, a "debug" menu would pop up and none of the other buttons would respond (including the power button). I had to pull the power plug to shut it off, and when I plugged it back in, it immediately went to max volume. It turns out the button was sticking, and a bit of fiddling with it would "unstick" it. It wasn't the button getting caught under the TV housing, it was the switch under the button. I've decided I'm not going to deal with Scepter or Costco to fix this set, I'm just going order another and take the broken one back to Costco when the new one arrives.

I'm disappointed with the quality, but I'm going to give them another chance since I really love how it functions as an HTPC monitor, and it's still the best value for the features unless someone can point me to another LCD with native 1920x1080 (besides the Westinghouse). I really like the features of the new JVC LT-40FH96, but it looks like it'll be double the price when it becomes available.

VanNuysBear,

Another quick question... Is there any way you can hooked your Sceptre up to a computer and see if it will go into a "power-save" mode when your computer tells it to turn off? Or does the TV still just show a blue screen? I'm wondering if sceptre fixed this issue with the new revision.

Nice to see the new version has VGA-YPbPr. My Infocus X1 has this feature and it really nice. Wonder if the VGA-YPbPr was simply a firmware change or is the hardware really different inside the new unit?

Picture of new unit please.

Regards
Ron

This happens on all LCD displays apparently, I noticed the same thing. It does not happen for true 480p (and up) widescreen games. The picture isn't actually shifted it just doesn't used up the left inch if the screen, so you're not missing any picture. Try a game that runs in 720p, like X-Men Legends, and you'll really see this display shine.

Really? I thought there was something wrong with the syncing on the green plug. Cuz I know component is sync on green. Are you sure of this? Because I've been searching the net for similar reports, but so far nobody has complained. If this is the case they should put that in the game menu or something. This is quite disturbing and annoying. I have tried to see if that missing region on the "right" that was overscanned would be seen if I choose 4:3 mode but it seems that the black bar was drawn there so I'm really not missing anything.

Another thing I have noticed in movie modes 480p games with 16:9 support tends to have missing 1 inch horizontal and 1 inch vertical via the top and left hand side of the LCD/TV. Do you have similar experience bigsid05???

Yep, I've noticed the same thing as well, really depends on the game. Certain Xbox games look fine, other have that problem. If I use sofware like Xbox Media Center, it will take up the full screen... so it doesn't appear to be a hardware issue.

VanNuysBear,

Another quick question... Is there any way you can hooked your Sceptre up to a computer and see if it will go into a "power-save" mode when your computer tells it to turn off? Or does the TV still just show a blue screen? I'm wondering if sceptre fixed this issue with the new revision.

Earlier in this thread, somebody posted that the revised version displays a black black screen with some text that says "No signal" or something similar, but it still doesn't actually go into any real power-save mode. That seems better than the blue screen, but I don't like the idea of the text there.

Just FYI,

There is a review of the Sceptre X37SV-Naga listed at Secrets of Home Theater and Hi-Fidelity. Here's the link:

<not allowed>

Ok, I'm a newbie poster. Can't attach url's yet. If you Google 'hometheaterhifi' it'll bring up the Secrets main page and the review is listed right there on the front. Sorry for the roundabout on this...




Enjoy!

The Home Theater and Hi-Fidelity link is http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_4/sceptre-37-inch-lcd-hdtv-11-2005-part-1.html

Recommended read.

Since my unit shipped from Costco.com on 10-14, I was hoping I might get the upgraded unit; however, it appears only the units that became available on the Costco.com web site around Nov 7th are the new units with fixed audio etc.. Oh well sometimes you get lucky other times you don't. If the units were available in the store, I would consider returning and rebuying. Since I have an RGB cable already ran between my living room and computer rooom, the componet via the RGB connection would come in real handy. All I can hope for is this feature was enabled via a firmware change only and that firmware changes will become available in the future.

I just noticed something while playing with the DTV settings on sunday. The new TV version's tv tuner is set to 1080i no matter what channel you're on. If you're on a 480i channel it still forces it to be displayed in 1080i. It doesn't make them look better...........but still everything is displayed in 1080i.

I have one of the original sets from August which has an OSD that shows 720p no matter what the broadcast signal is. I am ordering a second set, so I called Sceptre and asked a technician about this. He said to ignore the OSD. You are supposed to rely on the channel guide to tell you what the broadcast resolution is and whatever it says is what you are actually seeing. He said the tv does not scale signals up or down. A 480p signal is seen as 480p, a 720p as 720p, a 1080i as 1080i and 1080p as 1080p. He also said that they were so frustrated at all of the questions about the OSD that they will now be disabling it. The OSD will no longer indicate any signal resolution.

Quote:
He also said that they were so frustrated at all of the questions about the OSD that they will now be disabling it. The OSD will no longer indicate any signal resolution.
End of Quote

I love this solution, lately very common everywhere. Disable the freaking thing and shut everybody up. The less consumers know the better. How about fixing the stupid thing so it shows what it is or explain in the manual what it actually supposed to mean?

Ugh, I'd still like to know sometimes to make sure other devices are displaying the correct res. Doesn't seem like the best solution to the problem IMO, how about fixing the OSD?

http://dis2005.tripod.com/
here are some pics of my Sceptre 37" new balck version(released in novemeber) and also my grey version (released in august)

Thanks for the pictures...so what is that new connector just to the side of the hdmi connector?

Is that some sort of debug connector...maybe for debug or upgrading firmware? That would be REAL nice.

I wonder if this new model still has the optical connection active inside? Anyone daring enough to try it out with the new model?

I have one of the original sets from August which has an OSD that shows 720p no matter what the broadcast signal is. I am ordering a second set, so I called Sceptre and asked a technician about this. He said to ignore the OSD. You are supposed to rely on the channel guide to tell you what the broadcast resolution is and whatever it says is what you are actually seeing. He said the tv does not scale signals up or down. A 480p signal is seen as 480p, a 720p as 720p, a 1080i as 1080i and 1080p as 1080p. He also said that they were so frustrated at all of the questions about the OSD that they will now be disabling it. The OSD will no longer indicate any signal resolution.
I have the original version of the set. I've compared the picture quality of a 1080i broadcast using the Sceptre's built-in tuner to the same broadcast piped in from my PC using a Fusion 5 HDTV card and the picture quality from my Fusion is noticeably more detailed. Either the original Sceptre is scaling down the image and then back up to 1080i or it just has a lousy tuner in it.

I ordered the updated version of the same set yesterday so once I receive that one, I'll find out if they made any improvements in the picture quality, regardless of what the OSD says. I'll also be returning my older set to Costco for a refund. It's not the built-in tuner that bothers me, it's the backlight always defaulting to the brightest setting every time I turn the set back on.

Thanks for everyone's input in this thread and the other. I just purchased one from New Egg after reading both threads. It'll be hooked up to an HTPC running a Hauppauge PVR500 and a DVICO Fusion5.

Thanks,

P

Since my unit shipped from Costco.com on 10-14, I was hoping I might get the upgraded unit; however, it appears only the units that became available on the Costco.com web site around Nov 7th are the new units with fixed audio etc.. Oh well sometimes you get lucky other times you don't. If the units were available in the store, I would consider returning and rebuying. Since I have an RGB cable already ran between my living room and computer rooom, the componet via the RGB connection would come in real handy. All I can hope for is this feature was enabled via a firmware change only and that firmware changes will become available in the future.

I ordered mine on 11/15. I assume I got one of the new ones.

I'm also interested in buying this Sceptre 37" HDTV as a PC monitor (i.e. HTPC). However, when I looked at the specs for the DVI interface, it seems that most implementations only go up to 1080i. I assume a PC would drive 1080p, as interlaced monitors on PCs went aways in the mid 90s.

Does anyone know if there are issues running 1080p from a PC over DVI? Do you need special cables or graphics cards? Can the monitor even support 1920x1080 @ 60Hz progressive over DVI, or is this just via the analog VGA connection?

I'm not an expert on all this, so I may be missing something...

Also, does anyone have info on wall mounting this display? I can't seem to find anything about this onthe Sceptre website.

people have been doing 1080p over the dvi/hdmi input since the lcd came out that is probably the best part about it, i am not sure if where you saw this is a typo or for a specific input setting. i know that the dvi has mulitple setting that you can change between and some work better than others, but short answer is sceptre 37 inch can do 1080p over dvi/hdmi from htpc.
-rob

Does anyone know where I might find an electronic version of the users manual for this unit? I can't seem to find this on the Sceptre website. With this big of a purchase, I'm accustomed to going over the users manual before I buy.

Does anyone know where I might find an electronic version of the users manual for this unit? I can't seem to find this on the Sceptre website. With this big of a purchase, I'm accustomed to going over the users manual before I buy.

dogman,

PM me with your email addy and I'll send you a copy or you can request one from Sceptre tech support as did I.

I returned a Sony 42A10 RPLCD about two months ago. I liked it but only from the front and center (if you know what I mean). I was also concerned about the bulb repalcement issue.

I really liked the 42" size relative to my seating / furniture arrangements.

Question: All things considered with this 37" LCD, should I antiipate being less than satisfied with the reduced 5" of screen real estate or will the brightness and good picture make up for it. It's a subjective question I realize, but I would value the insight of others along with the experience.

All comments regarding this set appear quite upbeat and positive and I think I can live with the smaller screen. Too bad Sceptre doesn't make a 40 or 42 incher.

Thanks,

Eric

Something to consider, I prefer 42" plasma wallmounted but the 37" is small enough to put on a stand several feet closer. That makes up for some size difference.

Something to consider, I prefer 42" plasma wallmounted but the 37" is small enough to put on a stand several feet closer. That makes up for some size difference.

Hadn't considered that. Good point. My set will be in an entertainment center.

The LCD flat panels seem a bit brighter to me than the rear projection LCD's, even straight on. Does anyone suspect this may at the very least, lessen the perception that I have a smaller screen (may sound like a dumb question, since I can't find a better way at the moment to rephrase).

Hey guys..
First time poster here!

I was very interested in a 32" or 37" LCD TV / Monitor to replce my Dell 2405FPW 24" that was an awesome monitor but just couldnt cut it as a TV with lack of inputs and display issues. Plus I wanted bigger.

Anyways, I went to Costco today and I picked up the Philips 32" My dad got the Vizio 37" for his bedroom for and it is a great set for the money. I still wanted something with higher resolution though, so I was just checking out Costco online again so I pulled the trigger!

Just an FYI out there for those interested!

{mod note: no pricing, discount talk, please. Thanks!}

EDIT

Can anyone who uses the X37SV-Naga as a PC monitor describe the booting behavior? Does this monitor show the normal text at boot-up? Is it possible to modify the BIOS using this monitor alone?

I noticed in dkelly's original post that he uses an additional 15" monitor.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=41574
Is this necessary for booting and graphics configuration or can I get by with just the X37SV-Naga alone?

I have another LCD that doesn't show bootup screen over DVI. My solution was to get VGA connector and switch TV to VGA mode for those rare moments when I need to go to BIOS. Much better solution than having 2 monitors unless you need them both at the same time.

Yeah, I have this same problem. It's beyond me why Sceptre choose to disable the ability to change some features on certain inputs, but allow them to be changed on others. I wish I could disable this auto-constrast (auto-level) feature on the component input. I also wish I could try out their denoise feature, that is also only available on the DTV input.

I just sent them an email about changing the auto-contrast on the component input, and implored them for any information on getting into the service menu (which I can only imagine would allow one to change this feature). I also inquired them about the possibility of firmware updates. I encourage you guys to do the same.

Disable the DCI? Denoise feature on the DTV input? I have no DCI and no denoise menu items for DTV or for any other input. Is there some special technique required to gain access to these controls?

Do all of the 37" Sceptre units currently being shipped from Costco.com have the additional connector next to the VGA connector? IE.. The one with the audio fixed etc... Can someone with the newer unit confirm the existence of the optical Toslink connector located inside the unit. If the connector is still there, has anyone confirmed it actually works? I am considering placing an order but would like to confirm everyone is getting the newer unit. Anyone who has recently ordered, please feel free to PM me regarding which unit you received etc.

Thanks Very Much In Advance For Any Help
Regards
Ron

I'm using an HTPC MCE 2005 connected, using DVI signal, to a Sceptre X37SV-Naga. I'm using the latest Nvidia certified drivers 77.xx and Nvidia Pure decoder version 1.02-185.
With GeForce 6600 GT, any static image on DVI output is both full screen and very clean.

Unfortunately, any continuous moving image (SD signal or DVD playback - for test I have a recording with a stock ticker band scrolling horizontally) is not continuous; the movement is breaking, looking almost like some frames are lost, regardless of the resolution (in this case it was 1920x1080x60hz). BTW, I tried an ATI Radeon 9550 and I see no big diference.
Interestingly enough, when the TV input is getting DVI but is received as HDMI/HDCP, the movement is fluent but the image is larger than the screen and I have all size conversion artifacts.

I also tested with my laptop, on the same set, using VGA signal and I've seen the same problem on the screen.

I conected the output from the same video card on analog monitor (CRT) and the movement was continuous. I'm puzzled and I don't know what to do next. I need to understand if this is a problem only with my set so I can replace it.

Does it work for you, when using the same test image ? There is any special timing required to make this work ?

Thanks,

I had no problems with video motion on my screen through VGA (1920x1080@60hz). Your set must be defective.

Have anyone try a PC on the new rev Sceptre yet and what happen when you turn off the PC or when the PC goes into powersave mode and turn off the bvideo output?

This review is the clincher...any more non-believers?

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_4/sceptre-37-inch-lcd-hdtv-11-2005-part-1.html

Has anyone compared one side x side with a Sharp 37". I have no doubt that the Sceptre is good with a PC input but how well is it's scaler/deinterlacer with 480p or 720p signals?

This review is the clincher...any more non-believers?

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_4/sceptre-37-inch-lcd-hdtv-11-2005-part-1.html


Ya know, I'm pretty much an HDTV neophyte, but I was very unimpressed with that review. Yea, there is some interesting discussion of color calibration. But where is the discussion of the deinterlacer and the scaler? Where is the evaluation of the picture from the different source inputs? Where is the discussion of the response time? Where is the comparison to other comparable sets? That review read more like a post that you would see here in the forum than a professional review. That said, I'm still interested in the Sceptre...and I'm glad he likes it. I would just like to see one really robust, thorough review!

regards - J

Has anyone compared one side x side with a Sharp 37". I have no doubt that the Sceptre is good with a PC input but how well is it's scaler/deinterlacer with 480p or 720p signals?

The Sharp is better with SD material, especially low quality SD material like cable tv and satellite. It's also got better sound (if you need it) and better connectivity.

But on a 1080i signal, well-scaled to 1080p by an EXTERNAL source (like an HTPC) those extra pixels make a difference and the Sceptre looks better.

Forget the reviews, I wish I could see that set anywhere in person. I could hook up my HDV cam and see right away if the picture is right or not. The reviews usually help to point one in the right direction but I would never rely on one 100%. There are different tastes, different expectations and use. I would assume the computer display is very good but other half of my usage is component HD and for example SD PQ is the last thing I worry about. There was some intense noise in solid colors on Westy and I had to return and I would hate to order Sceptre just to be disapointed again.

ok, I'll bite. I just ordered the Sceptre even though I just got the Sharp 37D7U. I'll compare both using PC, DVD and regular Cable TV input and see how it goes... I suspect my findings will concur with nathan_h. I may just keep the Sceptre for my study as a large gaming display or digital picture frame :) or just return it if it's not up to snuff.

I also just realized that PCs make pretty good scalers even with regular cable TV content... maybe that's a solution on its own...

I have not received my shipping confirmation yet. I hope I get the second generation version. We'll see how it looks on the DVI, HDMI and VGA connections. I'm pretty excited as this the largest TV that would still fit inside my armoire with a 34" opening (although it's a corner unit so at it widest it's 39" wide. It looks like I'll have to take off the speakers to get it to fit. It seems this is a better choice for me than the westinghouse, plus I like the black color better. I will keep everyone posted, as I check this thread daily. Hopefully, I won't have any buyers remorse. I returned a 30" vizio LCD for this 37" Sceptre. The vizio was having problems with colors matching on the left and right outer 1/5 of the screen. I hopefully will like it, as no other TV will fit!

The high pixel count and the ability to adjust color and gamma make this monitor ideal for me. My video sources are 20% D-VHS, 40% Cable HD w/pvr, 20% Local HD w/pvr, 5% Mac HD, and 10% DVD. I only watch about 5% 480i upconvert tv and that's basically CNN and the news.

I will write up a full review on all the inputs and tweakability (component, VGA, and HDMI (DVI). I will also report on the way 480p, 720p, and 1080i look. I currently have a Samsung 720p DLP and do not really like downconverted 1080i (90% of the HD content is 1080i). I also have a Toshiba RPTV and Samsung Direct View that support 1080i and 480p. All of my displays are calibrated so I can really give a full review on how tweakable this dispaly is.

Resolution is important, but color is aa close second. The Sharps are cool LCD's but the non 1080 sets really lack thee sharpnesss I expect from a high end display.

I'm using an HTPC MCE 2005 connected, using DVI signal, to a Sceptre X37SV-Naga. I'm using the latest Nvidia certified drivers 77.xx and Nvidia Pure decoder version 1.02-185.
With GeForce 6600 GT, any static image on DVI output is both full screen and very clean.

Unfortunately, any continuous moving image (SD signal or DVD playback - for test I have a recording with a stock ticker band scrolling horizontally) is not continuous; the movement is breaking, looking almost like some frames are lost, regardless of the resolution (in this case it was 1920x1080x60hz). BTW, I tried an ATI Radeon 9550 and I see no big diference.
Interestingly enough, when the TV input is getting DVI but is received as HDMI/HDCP, the movement is fluent but the image is larger than the screen and I have all size conversion artifacts.

I also tested with my laptop, on the same set, using VGA signal and I've seen the same problem on the screen.

I conected the output from the same video card on analog monitor (CRT) and the movement was continuous. I'm puzzled and I don't know what to do next. I need to understand if this is a problem only with my set so I can replace it.

Does it work for you, when using the same test image ? There is any special timing required to make this work ?

Thanks,


I am experiencing exactly the same issue on my set. I'm driving it with a 6600 and Sage TV. If I switch the input from DVI to HDMI the problem goes away but the sides are cropped and the picture quality stinks. If you find a resolution please post it as I am very interested in getting it fixed.

Thanks,

Austin

Mine will be delivered on Wednesday, unless The trucking company will let me pick it up. Re: Stock tickers on an HTPC. Don't be to quick to blame the Sceptre. Smooth scrolling is an HTPCers nirvana :) I run SageTV also and have used both an ATI X800 Pro and now a 6600 with my Viewsonic N2750W...no smooth tickers. You running a Hauppauge capture card?

P

SD PQ is the last thing I worry about.

For me, half of what I watch is SD (as in DVD) so this was a big deal for my usage.

I do run 2 Hauppauge cards but they are not the issue as the tearing/stuttering is only really pronounced in HD content, it happens across the board but is FAR worse with HD from my Avermedia A180. Also it is not just tickers but any fast pan or any time the screen refreshes fast. I am 90 percent sure that the problem lies with the TV and not with the computer as
1) It looks fine on other monitors
2) It goes away as soon as you switch (not the physical input but the setting) from DVI to HDMI

I'm cursing myself for buying the set from TigerDirect and not Costco as they refer all support to Scepter and I’m not looking forward to dealing with them,

Hi, and thanks to all for the comments and review. I’m thinking of getting one of these because it just so happens to be the perfect size for where I want it, it can connect to the computer, and CostCo’s got a great return policy.

Anyway, a coupla questions. Most comments I’ve seen have regarded home theater use. I also intend to use it with some regular old computer work. How do you all deal with a set this big as a computer monitor for regular old computer work? Sit on the couch with a wireless keyboard and mouse? reposition the set at desktop level and distance? or is it just undoable?

Also, I plan to use it with a Powermac G4 867 with a Geforce MX card; anyone have experience with that?

(Can you tell one of the ways I’m justifying the expense is via it’s use as a “work” monitor? ;)

Rob

Hi, and thanks to all for the comments and review. I’m thinking of getting one of these because it just so happens to be the perfect size for where I want it, it can connect to the computer, and CostCo’s got a great return policy.

Anyway, a coupla questions. Most comments I’ve seen have regarded home theater use. I also intend to use it with some regular old computer work. How do you all deal with a set this big as a computer monitor for regular old computer work? Sit on the couch with a wireless keyboard and mouse? reposition the set at desktop level and distance? or is it just undoable?

Also, I plan to use it with a Powermac G4 867 with a Geforce MX card; anyone have experience with that?

(Can you tell one of the ways I’m justifying the expense is via it’s use as a “work” monitor? ;)

Rob


I have a PowerMac Dual G4 1.25 (MDD-FW800) connected to the Sceptre, it has the ATI 9000 video card. It syched up at 1920x1080 perfectly without any problems. No need to tweak anything, perfect 1:1 straight out of the box. I use a wireless keyboard/trackpad to control the mac from my couch, it works great. The monitor could also be used on a large desk, I imagine you would want to have your eyes at least 3 feet from the screen. It is a VERY bright display.

Mine will be delivered on Wednesday, unless The trucking company will let me pick it up.

Just wondering, when did you place the order and where is it shipping from? I'm trying to get a gauge of when I'll receive mine. Thanks!

Alright, I just read over 20 pages of this thread and didn't really find out what I want to know (though I did read a lot about other stuff).

I am looking for an HD set. I will be watching Dish network satellite SD and HD, xbox360, DVD's (480p), and whatever OTA HD I can get with a cheap ass indoor antenna. I am staying away from ED for the sake of longevity and the xbox 360.

So, how are the stretch modes on SD? Anybody hook a 360 up to this thing? How are DVD's?

Basically, will I be happy with this set. My price range is sub $2k, so my HD Plasma options are limited. Plus with the 360, I would prefer not to worry about burn in even if it is rare.

Thanks guys.

Hi, this is my first post.

I tried to read most of this post, but I only have gotten about half way through it so far. I'll finish it later. Sorry if my questions have already been covered.

I just bought this monitor/TV from Costco and I'm awaiting delivery. This is my first HDTV. I currently have a Sony 23" 1920x1200 LCD. I want to use the Sceptre as my monitor and as an HDTV. I also have Comcast Digital Cable with the HD reciever.

My computer has DVI out. My cable box has DVI out, Component out, and VGA out. The Sceptre has HDMI in, Component in, and VGA in. I have not purchased cables and adapters yet. How should I connect everything? I also have an ATi TV Wonder card but it's not installed in my computer right now. It doesn't support HDTV I don't think.

Thanks for everyone's input in this thread and the other. I just purchased one from New Egg after reading both threads. It'll be hooked up to an HTPC running a Hauppauge PVR500 and a DVICO Fusion5.

Thanks,

P

I was thinking about buying from newegg too. Has anyone that has ordered from newegg gotten the newer version? I am thinking of replacing my 37" Syntax with this after the disasterous time I have had with it, but I don't want to get the older version. I really want the newer version that hopefully has some of the bugs worked out etc, but I doubt if I email newegg I will be able to get any information out of them anyway.

My computer has DVI out. My cable box has DVI out, Component out, and VGA out. The Sceptre has HDMI in, Component in, and VGA in. I have not purchased cables and adapters yet. How should I connect everything? I also have an ATi TV Wonder card but it's not installed in my computer right now. It doesn't support HDTV I don't think.
Since your comcast box only supports HD, I would use component for that and HDMI from your computer, but you will have to get a relatively expensive HDMI to DVI cable. Hopefully your computer and video card has enough horsepower for the high resolution.

How does one identify the new from the old versions? If I purchased mine from Costco on 11/28 would it be the new or old version?

...but you will have to get a relatively expensive HDMI to DVI cable...

You can get a DVI to HDMI cable from monoprice.com for about 8-9 dollars. I have personally used 3 of their cables and they all worked perfectly. In fact, two of the three cables were 15 foot cables (the longest cable "officially" supported by the DVI/HDMI spec) and they both worked perfectly with 1600x1200/60hz and 1920x1080/60hz resolutions.

So...you can get a HDMI to DVI cable for relatively cheap in my opinion... Especially since we are talking about digital cables here...no sense in buying real expensive cables when cheap ones can do the EXACT same thing. That's the beauty of digital signals....if you get the signal...you get it 100%

You can get a DVI to HDMI cable from monoprice for about 8-9 dollars. I have personally used 3 of their cables and they all worked perfectly. In fact, two of the three cables were 15 foot cables (the longest cable "officially" supported by the DVI/HDMI spec) and they both worked perfectly with 1600x1200/60hz and 1920x1080/60hz resolutions.

So...you can get a HDMI to DVI cable for relatively cheap in my opinion... Especially since we are talking about digital cables here...no sense in buying real expensive cables when cheap ones can do the EXACT same thing. That's the beauty of digital signals....if you get the signal...you get it 100%


Great to hear, thanks man.

Alright, I just read over 20 pages of this thread and didn't really find out what I want to know (though I did read a lot about other stuff).

I am looking for an HD set. I will be watching Dish network satellite SD and HD, xbox360, DVD's (480p), and whatever OTA HD I can get with a cheap ass indoor antenna. I am staying away from ED for the sake of longevity and the xbox 360.

So, how are the stretch modes on SD? Anybody hook a 360 up to this thing? How are DVD's?

Basically, will I be happy with this set. My price range is sub $2k, so my HD Plasma options are limited. Plus with the 360, I would prefer not to worry about burn in even if it is rare.

Thanks guys.

My xbox 360 looks great at 1080i over component. I beleive component cable connection is the ideal input for the xbox 360/sceptre combination as the xbox 360 does NOT support 1920x1080 with the VGA cable.

Since your comcast box only supports HD, I would use component for that and HDMI from your computer, but you will have to get a relatively expensive HDMI to DVI cable. Hopefully your computer and video card has enough horsepower for the high resolution.

I do not know about the currently shipping sceptres, but mine (I ordered back in September and have a first revision set) came with a DVI -> HDMI cable free in the box along with a VGA cable and component cables. YMMV, as I do not know accessories are included in the currently shipping models.

I do not know about the currently shipping sceptres, but mine (I ordered back in September and have a first revision set) came with a DVI -> HDMI cable free in the box along with a VGA cable and component cables. YMMV, as I do not know accessories are included in the currently shipping models.

I got mine about two weeks ago and it came with an HDMI>DVI cable plus the others.

I'm mainly using it with an LG3410A.

The stretch modes could use an expand mode. I use the LG3410A modes for stretch.

My xbox 360 looks great at 1080i over component. I beleive component cable connection is the ideal input for the xbox 360/sceptre combination as the xbox 360 does NOT support 1920x1080 with the VGA cable.

Does it upscale the 1080i games to 1080p?

Also, how does it look on games that aren't 1080i native? Are a lot of artifacts introduced when the 360 scales the 720p output to 1080i, then the tv scales it again? Or is it just better to set the 360 output at 720p and let the tv do all the scaling?

re: cables.
if you want to connct your video card's dvi to a hdtv with hdmi which cable do you need? do you need dvi-i or dvi-d. male?

and you need a hdmi Male on the other end right?

or should i just get a dvi to hdmi adapter since i have a dvi cable from my desktop lcd monitor? is there a difference between getting an adapter or a dvi-hdmi cable from monoprice?

Just wondering, when did you place the order and where is it shipping from? I'm trying to get a gauge of when I'll receive mine. Thanks!

I placed my order on the 25th (day after Thanksgiving) and it shipped the next day (a Saturday), but didnt really hit the road with UPS until Monday. It ships from Ontario, CA via UPS Ground, so figure it from there. I am supposed to have it on Friday (Im in the Seattle area).

So they are IN STOCK an available an at $$$ at costco.com. Presumably they are all the new versions by now.

Lee

Mod note: no price talk, please. MSRP only. Thanks.

Is there anyone out there with the new version who can verify a couple things please...?

Does the new version have the fiber optic connection inside?
What is the new connection next to the hdmi port?

Does it upscale the 1080i games to 1080p?

Also, how does it look on games that aren't 1080i native? Are a lot of artifacts introduced when the 360 scales the 720p output to 1080i, then the tv scales it again? Or is it just better to set the 360 output at 720p and let the tv do all the scaling?


To be honest I am not sure how the Sceptre handles the 1080i -> 1080p conversion. I am not sure if it bobs and weaves correctly or if it just does 540. All that I know is that 1080i looked slightly sharper than than 720p with the xbox 360, but they are VERY similar. I have not noticed any artifacts with the xbox 360 set at 1080i. Bottom line is that the xbox 360 looks GREAT on the Sceptre with both 720p and 1080i, use which ever you prefer.

Is there anyone out there with the new version who can verify a couple things please...?

Does the new version have the fiber optic connection inside?
What is the new connection next to the hdmi port?
According to comments made by the guy who created this site (http://dis2005.tripod.com/), the new set does not have the fiber optic connection. He also said the new port is for additional HD inputs but requires the purchase of a new cable.

I am using mine with Dish 811 receiver and I use the scale modes in the receiver not from the Sceptre.
I find that the HD partial zoom works best for me.
The SD looks fine from more than 6 feet.


Alright, I just read over 20 pages of this thread and didn't really find out what I want to know (though I did read a lot about other stuff).

I am looking for an HD set. I will be watching Dish network satellite SD and HD, xbox360, DVD's (480p), and whatever OTA HD I can get with a cheap ass indoor antenna. I am staying away from ED for the sake of longevity and the xbox 360.

So, how are the stretch modes on SD? Anybody hook a 360 up to this thing? How are DVD's?

Basically, will I be happy with this set. My price range is sub $2k, so my HD Plasma options are limited. Plus with the 360, I would prefer not to worry about burn in even if it is rare.

Thanks guys.

Based on comments made in this thread, I ordered a new set to replace my original-version of the same set. The primary reason for replacing my first set was the backlight would always default to the brightest setting after powering the set off and on. Unfortunately, the new set has the same problem.

Thankfully I ordered both sets from Costco because they didn't hesitate to give me a full refund (including shipping) when I returned my old set well beyond 30 days of purchasing it.

I haven't had much time to try out the new set yet. If I run into any major problems or improvements, I'll post them here.

I am using mine with Dish 811 receiver and I use the scale modes in the receiver not from the Sceptre.
I find that the HD partial zoom works best for me.
The SD looks fine from more than 6 feet.

I will be getting an 811, so that is good to know.

What was the shipping cost from costco? I am on the East Coast if that matters.

Thanks for all of the info. I am a day or two away from buying this set (and maybe one for my brother!) My new recliners arrive today, so I have to see exactly what my viewing distance will be.

About $80 I believe. Go price it on their web site.
I will be getting an 811, so that is good to know.

What was the shipping cost from costco? I am on the East Coast if that matters.

Thanks for all of the info. I am a day or two away from buying this set (and maybe one for my brother!) My new recliners arrive today, so I have to see exactly what my viewing distance will be.

Based on comments made in this thread, I ordered a new set to replace my original-version of the same set. The primary reason for replacing my first set was the backlight would always default to the brightest setting after powering the set off and on. Unfortunately, the new set has the same problem.

Thankfully I ordered both sets from Costco because they didn't hesitate to give me a full refund (including shipping) when I returned my old set well beyond 30 days of purchasing it.

I haven't had much time to try out the new set yet. If I run into any major problems or improvements, I'll post them here.

I'm just wondering if the new set is a second generation set with the black bezel or not?

Based on comments made in this thread, I ordered a new set to replace my original-version of the same set. The primary reason for replacing my first set was the backlight would always default to the brightest setting after powering the set off and on. Unfortunately, the new set has the same problem.


YNOS,

Are the steps that VanNuysBear posted in message #998 in testing his "new" version not the same steps that replicate the backlight problem you have seen (in both the "old" and "new" version)?


Also, it is not clear who posted what comments at the http://dis2005.tripod.com/ website (in particular those concerning the optical output).

Are the steps that VanNuysBear posted in message #998 in testing his "new" version not the same steps that replicate the backlight problem you have seen (in both the "old" and "new" version)?

Also, it is not clear who posted what comments at the http://dis2005.tripod.com/ website (in particular those concerning the optical output).
Yes, VanNuysBear listed the steps in the correct order and confirmed the problem I described (and others have complained about) no longer exists, although I can assure you the problem still exists. I cannot explain why VanNuysBear didn't see the problem.

Regarding who posted what comments to that site, it doesn't really matter. I have now owned both sets. I used the "hidden" optical port on the old set. When I use a flashlight and look through the ventilation holes in the back of this new set, I can see that the optical port is no longer there. What's odd is there is now a USB port in approximately the same location.

USB port? Interesting... I'll take it you haven't tried connecting a PC to it yet?

I'm using an HTPC MCE 2005 connected, using DVI signal, to a Sceptre X37SV-Naga. I'm using the latest Nvidia certified drivers 77.xx and Nvidia Pure decoder version 1.02-185.
With GeForce 6600 GT, any static image on DVI output is both full screen and very clean.

Unfortunately, any continuous moving image (SD signal or DVD playback - for test I have a recording with a stock ticker band scrolling horizontally) is not continuous; the movement is breaking, looking almost like some frames are lost, regardless of the resolution (in this case it was 1920x1080x60hz). BTW, I tried an ATI Radeon 9550 and I see no big diference.
Interestingly enough, when the TV input is getting DVI but is received as HDMI/HDCP, the movement is fluent but the image is larger than the screen and I have all size conversion artifacts.

I also tested with my laptop, on the same set, using VGA signal and I've seen the same problem on the screen.

I conected the output from the same video card on analog monitor (CRT) and the movement was continuous. I'm puzzled and I don't know what to do next. I need to understand if this is a problem only with my set so I can replace it.

Does it work for you, when using the same test image ? There is any special timing required to make this work ?
I've only had my set for about 24 hours otherwise I would have responded sooner.

I see the same problem that you described and I never noticed it on my original Sceptre. (I replaced my old set with the updated version.)

I'm running on Windows XP; Pentium 3.4GHz; 1Gb RAM; ATI X800GTO @ 1920x1080 through the DVI-HDMI cable and use a Fusion5 HDTV PCI card.

I first noticed the problem while watching SD and HD digital TV on the Sceptre through the Fusion5 tuner. The problem was only noticeable during scenes showing steady movement. I have experimented with it for a while now using a short HD clip where the camera is steadily panning. About every 1/3 of a second, the video very briefly pauses and then jumps forward. VERY ANNOYING.

I tried playing it using two different software HD players and saw the same problem. When I play the clip using the HDMI or HDCP "Source PC" inputs, the video is fluid. It is also fluid when I play it on my other LCD display (1280x1024).

This is a major problem. I'll fire off an email to Sceptre's tech support, although I can't imagine them coming up with a solution that doesn't involve waiting for the next version to become available. Who knows, maybe it's something simple.

USB port? Interesting... I'll take it you haven't tried connecting a PC to it yet?
I'll let someone else be the first to mess with that USB port. It's a pain to remove all the screws to access it and I can't think of any potential benefit that it provides. Not for me anyway.

I'll let someone else be the first to mess with that USB port. It's a pain to remove all the screws to access it and I can't think of any potential benefit that it provides. Not for me anyway.


It's most likely a diagnosis jack or firmware updating jack for the manufacturer.

I'm just wondering if the new set is a second generation set with the black bezel or not?
I definitely have the new set. It has the black bezel, the black front portion of the stand, different remote IR codes and weird additional unlabeled plug in the back.

I was about to pull the trigger on this set, but with recent posts now I'm nervous. This problem with moving images using the computer inputs (HDMI in DVI mode specifically) would be a dealbreaker for me.

I plan to use this set as a HTPC monitor, running MCE 2005 and an nVidia 6600GT with their PureVideo decoder.

Does ANYONE have a 2nd generation Sceptre working with this combo yet? It seems as though Sceptre may have introduced a regression here...

I was thinking about buying from newegg too. Has anyone that has ordered from newegg gotten the newer version?.

Yes, new version from Newegg...I picked mine up Tuesday. Sceptre has an .inf for the X37...would this help with the DVI stutter? (I'm on the road at the moment). What are the disadvantages to running an HTPC through HDMI .vs DVI? (Other than having to tweak the aspect ratio to see the full desktop).

P

My xbox 360 looks great at 1080i over component. I beleive component cable connection is the ideal input for the xbox 360/sceptre combination as the xbox 360 does NOT support 1920x1080 with the VGA cable.That alone says something I'm afraid. Since it is not supporting an interlaced signal over VGA, that most likely tells us they are using a cheap PC monitor scaler/input chip to handle the VGA connection. The image quality difference between component and VGA is not worth mentioning, but this could pose a problem for people that have HT equipment that uses VGA connections for HD content. I guess I or someone else will try some powerstrip configurations tomorrow and see how it handles interlaced signals over VGA.

That alone says something I'm afraid. Since it is not supporting an interlaced signal over VGA, that most likely tells us they are using a cheap PC monitor scaler/input chip to handle the VGA connection. The image quality difference between component and VGA is not worth mentioning, but this could pose a problem for people that have HT equipment that uses VGA connections for HD content. I guess I or someone else will try some powerstrip configurations tomorrow and see how it handles interlaced signals over VGA.


Relax your battie. The problem is with the xbox NOT the sceptre. In fact the sceptre accepts 1080p (1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz) PERFECTLY via the VGA and HDMI/DVI input. I have my Mac and HTPC connected with perfect 1:1 pixel mapping no overscan etc. The xbox 360 DOES NOT support 1920 x 1080 via VGA, the max supported resolution BY THE XBOX is 1366 x 768. AGAIN the xbox does not support 1080i over VGA.

Ahh, the life of being beta testers. The observed internal differences with regard to the "now you see it" USB connection and the "now you don't" S/PDIF optical port, along with the "new/unknown" port on the connector panel, make it possible (likely?) that there is at least a new tuner board, and perhaps other, completely different circuit boards inside this revision. Which means that, just like moving on to version 2.0 of a software upgrade, we may have to disregard all previous testing and begin anew.

What new bugs have been introduced? The DVI jitter(bug) - sorry, had to do it - has stopped me cold from placing my order. I hope that it is simply a timing issue, easily resolved with the .INF file.

Can anyone with the version 1.0 set run a similar test (stock ticker or panning HD loop using HDMI-DVI)and confirm that it didn't exist on the older set and had simply gone unnoticed all this time?

Also, if the visitor to the Tripod site with the pics of the new set who posted the comment below is posting here, could you elaborate on how you learned of this and who the "they" is?
i think its that new option to add additional HD components, they said you have to buy some extra cable.


[Edit - Just checked the Sceptre web site and I see that they have not yet updated the pics of the back or of the Input ports to reflect the additional port, although I had to chuckle when I saw that they added a pic showing the mounting screws and their dimensions - probably a direct result of this forum and our barrage of questions regarding VESA mount compatibility ;) ]

Mine arrives today from Costco. I will try and hook it up today and post my thoughts. I will be hooking up a SA 8300HD Cable box to it and XBOX 1 via Component (I have a Pelican Component Switch) and I will also hook up my Samsung DVD-VR325 Up-Converting DVD player to the HDMI for now. When I get my HDMI switch and cable tomorrow, I will hook up my Sony S460 Laptop that has DVI-D out on the Port Replicator! I can then always switch my Cable Box to HDMI when I get the switch too.

I can't wait for this thing!


Until next post...

Ahh, the life of being beta testers. The observed internal differences with regard to the "now you see it" USB connection and the "now you don't" S/PDIF optical port, along with the "new/unknown" port on the connector panel, make it possible (likely?) that there is at least a new tuner board, and perhaps other, completely different circuit boards inside this revision. Which means that, just like moving on to version 2.0 of a software upgrade, we may have to disregard all previous testing and begin anew.

What new bugs have been introduced? The DVI jitter(bug) - sorry, had to do it - has stopped me cold from placing my order. I hope that it is simply a timing issue, easily resolved with the .INF file.

Can anyone with the version 1.0 set run a similar test (stock ticker or panning HD loop using HDMI-DVI)and confirm that it didn't exist on the older set and had simply gone unnoticed all this time?

Also, if the visitor to the Tripod site with the pics of the new set who posted the comment below is posting here, could you elaborate on how you learned of this and who the "they" is?

"i think its that new option to add additional HD components, they said you have to buy some extra cable."

I noticed the Sceptre site had an .INF file for their monitors when I was digging around in there this morning, but was getting an error when I tried to access it. I'll try again when I get home from work. I also emailed their support regarding the "jitter-bug" (Heehee). I really hope they have a solution since there are really no good comparable alternatives if I have to replace this monitor.

The person that commented on the extra cable for the new port is likely the creator of that site who is boostin300zx (see Post #1017). Perhaps you could PM him.

It's most likely a diagnosis jack or firmware updating jack for the manufacturer.

Right. So instead of allowing you to update the firmware with the USB port in a location for easy consumer access, you spend the bucks to send it in and let them unscrew that back to expose the hidden USB jack and let them do it. That's why it's hidden, no doubt.

I'm following this thread because I'm interested in purchasing it. Yes, it is lower cost then some of the others out there, but it does have a few obstacles it could easily overcome.

It would be nice to see that optical jack on the outside again where it belongs. :rolleyes:

Can anyone with the version 1.0 set run a similar test (stock ticker or panning HD loop using HDMI-DVI)and confirm that it didn't exist on the older set and had simply gone unnoticed all this time?


I have a rev 1 sceptre connected to my cable stb via HDMI (SA8300HD) exactly what do you want me to test? I can check a stock ticker (it will be SD), what do you want me to look for exactly?

I was seriously considering ordering the newer unit because of some of the "improvements?" being discussed in this thread; however, since it appears the internal optical Tos Link connector is no longer present, I will be keeping my first generation unit. I can live with the first generation shortcomings if the alternative would leave me without any option for audio digital output.

Thanks for all the great posts and feel free to convince me my decision is wrong.

Regards
Ron

Tearing and stutter with VGA also...HDMI is smooth, but looks terrible with an HTPC. I can't underscan it to fit the desktop and there is red, green and blue shimmer in the images. Anyone try component?

P

I'm seeing the same thing. I tried a VGA connection and I also see the tearing and stutter problem just like with the DVI connection. It's perfectly smooth using HDMI, but looks bad, which is expected since that's how it looked using HDMI on the older version too. I tried to use the component adaptor that came with my card, but couldn't figure out how to get it to display anything.

I downloaded the Sceptre.inf file from the Sceptre site and tried to update my monitor's driver with it, but Windows XP said the current drivers should be used.

I have been in contact with the Sceptre tech support. They have been quick to respond to my emails, which is a relief since most companies don't even bother responding these days. They don't seem to believe there's any problem yet, but I provided them with a video clip that makes the problem easy to see. Hopefully they try it out and can see what we're talking about.

Tearing and stutter with VGA also...HDMI is smooth, but looks terrible with an HTPC. I can't underscan it to fit the desktop and there is red, green and blue shimmer in the images. Anyone try component?

P

While I can't comment on the smoothness problem because I have the original version from August and haven't noticed this problem...

To get it to look good with a HTPC you need to select the "DVI" mode. If you use the HDMI or HDCP mode then the image won't fit on the screen perfectly and you'll get the red/green/blue dots all over the place.

So try the DVI setting...

Hey everyone... Just got home and hooked up my Sceptre 37" to my SA 8300HD box via Component, and the picture is PHENOMENAL out of the box!

Black level is really impressive and I have yet to play with even one setting... and the picture is very bright!

Overall Im happy!

I need to wait until all my switches and cables come in though before testing my HDMI connection...

I love this set!

Like a movie theater in my room now ;)

YNOS,

I'm going to send them an email also...I suggest we all do. I got the .inf to load, but it doesn't fix a thing. I replicated the Lamp Bug using DVI also. Here's another one: Try increasing the Black Level and then check it again...it drops back to zero.

bobn4,

Understood. I was just trying to get around some of the DVI problems.

I just sent them an email.

P

Ahh, the life of being beta testers. The observed internal differences with regard to the "now you see it" USB connection and the "now you don't" S/PDIF optical port, along with the "new/unknown" port on the connector panel, make it possible (likely?) that there is at least a new tuner board, and perhaps other, completely different circuit boards inside this revision. Which means that, just like moving on to version 2.0 of a software upgrade, we may have to disregard all previous testing and begin anew.


my $0.02 (with inflation now worth $0.00)
We aren't beta testers. We are consumers trying to get the most for our money by sharing information. Sceptre, and all other manufacturers, for that matter, should be testing the specified features of what they are selling. The optical port was never "now you see it". It was never a feature of this TV. Sceptre didn't sell anyone a tv with an optical audio out. IT was a lucky bonus for early adopters that don't mind taking the screws off the back of expensive electronics.

If the possibility of bugs scares you, then wait. Sceptre appears to be trying to improve this product, and keep the price low relative to other TV's. In 6 months it will probably be nearly perfect (like it should be from the start), and just about ready to go on clearance for 2/3 the price.

In short buy products for the advertised features, if the advertised features don't work, return it. I say this because I have been burned many times by buying things that I think can do more than they are advertised to. I take the screws out of things. I can't help it. I get excited when I find unexpected things, and try not to be disappointed when I don't. Reading beauty magazines will make you feel ugly, and reading these forums will make you think all tv's are crap. The only path to happiness it to enjoy the process or make liberal use of return policies.

thank you for reading my self righteous essay, back to the regularly scheduled program...

I saw the 20.1" Sceptre widescreen computer monitor from Costco, On the box, it states 1080i/ 1080p ready, I was so happy to see that so bought it the other day.

Picture is crisp and sharp, the color is vibrant, it is bright (much brighter than my panasonic 50" LCD projection),

however, the motion jitter, lag and ocasional tearing bothers me (when connected to computer source- playing captured hi-def movies).


I tried it with my sony 2.66 G (ATI 9800 pro video card) and my powerful sony 3.4 G (Nvidia 6600 plain)... both have problems with the monitor but smooth with other monitors.


anyone might have a fix for this?

thanks.

YNOS,

I'm going to send them an email also...I suggest we all do. I got the .inf to load, but it doesn't fix a thing. I replicated the Lamp Bug using DVI also. Here's another one: Try increasing the Black Level and then check it again...it drops back to zero.

bobn4,

Understood. I was just trying to get around some of the DVI problems.

I just sent them an email.

P
Regarding the black level adjustment (while using DVI), I'm fairly certain it doesn't do anything anyway so if it resets to zero, it won't change anything. That was another bug I was hoping would be fixed on this new version of the set.

my $0.02 (with inflation now worth $0.00)
We aren't beta testers. We are consumers trying to get the most for our money by sharing information. Sceptre, and all other manufacturers, for that matter, should be testing the specified features of what they are selling. The optical port was never "now you see it". It was never a feature of this TV. Sceptre didn't sell anyone a tv with an optical audio out. ..


Well, you obviously either haven't read this entire thread and/or completely misunderstood my post. The fact is that we ARE Beta testers. There have been numerous bugs reported concerning the 1.0 Version of this set which was only available in late August. That batch was sold through early September. The bug reports started soon after the product was made available and continued heavily through October. The 2.0 Version was made available in late November. It appears that at least the tuner board, the input panel, and perhaps other circuit boards are different than the 1.0 version (that was my point about the optical port NOT being on the Ver. 2.0 while it WAS on the Ver. 1.0 :rolleyes: ). If the design changes were made to correct the bugs as reported by the user community, then given that freighter shipment times from Tiawan/China to the US are at least one month, Sceptre could not have had much time to do even Alpha testing on the Ver. 2.0 pre-production units - hence, we become the Beta testers.

If the Ver. 2.0 changes are a result of wholesale component changes, (not directly related to user bug reports) then Ver. 2.0 in effect becomes a completely different unit from Ver. 1.0 - it might as well be a different model. Meaning that much of the pior testing conducted by the user community, and reported here, become potentially useless and we become Beta testers again.



Sceptre appears to be trying to improve this product, and keep the price low relative to other TV's. In 6 months it will probably be nearly perfect (like it should be from the start), and just about ready to go on clearance for 2/3 the price.



How do you know that Sceptre is "trying to improve this product"? For all we know, the changes that we see in Ver. 2.0 are simply because they were able to source another tuner/circuit board from a lower cost supplier that is more cheaply made.

From the first round of "Beta testers" for Ver. 2.0, it appears that few, if any, of the bugs reported from the "Beta testers" for Ver 1.0 are corrected. Quite the contrary, it appears that a serious flaw (the DVI jitter-bug) has now been introduced. (And unless there is an obvious and simply answer, this flaw should not have made it past even Alpha testing.)

I have a rev 1 sceptre connected to my cable stb via HDMI (SA8300HD) exactly what do you want me to test? I can check a stock ticker (it will be SD), what do you want me to look for exactly?


Please see post #1076 and the other more recent posts re: jitter/tearing.

I saw the 20.1" Sceptre widescreen computer monitor from Costco, On the box, it states 1080i/ 1080p ready, I was so happy to see that so bought it the other day.

Picture is crisp and sharp, the color is vibrant, it is bright (much brighter than my panasonic 50" LCD projection),

however, the motion jitter, lag and ocasional tearing bothers me (when connected to computer source- playing captured hi-def movies).


I tried it with my sony 2.66 G (ATI 9800 pro video card) and my powerful sony 3.4 G (Nvidia 6600 plain)... both have problems with the monitor but smooth with other monitors.


anyone might have a fix for this?

thanks.

I have no fix but was wondering if other monitors, the ones you had no problem with were running at 1080p also or you used some lower resolution they could accept? Because tearing usually has more to do with video card and it's sync than monitor itself.

Thanks Pete4.

Video card (ATI 9800 pro)- output at 1680x 1050, 1280 x 768 (Sony computer 2.66 G)
through DVI or VGA

to Sceptre X20G-NagaIII... shows tearing sometimes DVD movies (Theatertek 2.2), almost always on Transport Stream movies (HD- Theatertek 2.2).

Video card (Nvidia 6600 plain)- output at 720 p only (Computer Sony 3.4 G), again to Seceptre X 20G- tearings seem less severe, but still present.

Picture quality is excellent, but...

My other monitor (Princeton 17" and Panasonic 50" LC14) are fine with 720 material.

thanks.

I order to keep the confusion down as to what version of the X37XV-Naga a particular post is refering to, simply note version 1 or 2 in your posts. NOTE: Version 1 does NOT have the usb looking connector next to the VGA connector, while version 2 does.

Thanks Much!
Regards
Ron

The motion jitter sounds more like a PC issue, than the TV.

I have gen. 1 since August and had that issue until I got the X700 video card with 256MB ram. The built in Express 200 video could not provide smooth HD @ 1920 x 1080.
You must use the DVI mode, the HDCP or HDMI modes will not work with PC.

To test the TV try the ATSC input directly. If it is smooth then I would blame the PC not the TV.

The motion jitter sounds more like a PC issue, than the TV.

To test the TV try the ATSC input directly. If it is smooth then I would blame the PC not the TV.

I agree that it *sounds* like a PC video card issue, BUT, IIRC, no user of Ver.1 (many of who were running at the max native resolution 1920x1080 over DVI or VGA) has reported similiar jitter/tearing. In fact I believe YNOS is running his Ver. 2 on the same system as he ran his Ver. 1.

I also don't believe that testing via ATSC will help. First, it would be dificult to consistently replicate the exact conditions, second, it is believed that the ATSC resolution is capped at 720p and then scaled, third, consensus seems to be that the ATSC tuner circuit board is separate from the rest of this units components.

Does anyone happen to have both Ver.1 and Ver.2 handy that can do an A/B comparison?

thanks for all of your input, but now you all have me very confused. After reading the beginning of the post (version 1) i was ready to order this today, but now hearing about (version 2) i am dropping off the wagon.

My plan for this tv was XBOX 1 games, XBox 1 dvd through 480p component, standard cable, an OTA HD anteanna, and my laptop through the vga 15pin (NVidia GeForce FX Go5200 1024x768). I already have the Vizio P4HDe 42" plasma (slight upgrade) that i am using for my main television and home theatre experience.

Will this LCD work for me given these uses? Is there a different LCD/Plasma that I should be looking at for the same price.

Thanks for all your help.

The motion jitter sounds more like a PC issue, than the TV.

I have gen. 1 since August and had that issue until I got the X700 video card with 256MB ram. The built in Express 200 video could not provide smooth HD @ 1920 x 1080.
You must use the DVI mode, the HDCP or HDMI modes will not work with PC.

To test the TV try the ATSC input directly. If it is smooth then I would blame the PC not the TV.
It does sound like a PC issue, but it isn't.

I have a 3.4GHz Pentium, an X800 video card and two Western Digital WD4000YR hard drives in RAID 0. Using this hardware with my "Gen 1" provided smooth video, which I used for over two months. I only encountered the problem after switching to "Gen 2."

This really sucks since I bought this thing primarily for watching HD material and now it looks like I'll have to return it and there's nothing comparable out there to replace it with. Not for around $1,700 anyway. (The Westinghouse isn't an alternative for me.)

Hey everyone... Just got home and hooked up my Sceptre 37" to my SA 8300HD box via Component, and the picture is PHENOMENAL out of the box!

Black level is really impressive and I have yet to play with even one setting... and the picture is very bright!

Overall Im happy!

I need to wait until all my switches and cables come in though before testing my HDMI connection...

I love this set!

Like a movie theater in my room now ;)

Wow, someone who is actually appreciative of their nice, new HDTV. Congrats man, for focusing on the positives. Mine is coming in today, after reading all the negatives posts on here, I was starting to get some buyer's remorse. I'll be using mine with my Cox Digital Cable through HDMI and my progressive scan DVD-Player through the component inputs, so hopefully (besides, perhaps, a black level issue) it will be acceptable. I won't be drilling any holes into the television to access USB ports which the function I am not certain of, nor will I be trying to find any optical outs for my audio this way. Hopefully, I'll be getting what I paid for, and not be disappointed. nor will I feel cheated if I get what is as advertised a 1080p LCD TV with HDMI and component inputs with a built-in ATSC tuner. I'll edit this post later as it should be at my house by the time I'm done at work.

EDIT: I just installed the TV. I love the picture, I will be tweaking it with my AVIA disc. However, right now, I'm just enjoying a couple of movies on it. Waiting for my HDMI --> HDMI cable to show up. Otherwise I'm really enjoying the television. It's pretty nice how it will automatically scale or keep the OAR. Watching the DVD's in 16x9 looks pretty great from about 5 feet back or more. I'm happy, especially for the price.

2nd EDIT: Just got the HDMI hooked up and I'm watching some IMAX movie It's starring the musician PINK. She's driving some crazily modified AUDI off-road vehicle. It looks amazing. I could not be happier with this TV for the price. The broadcast is in 1080i. Okay she just drove her wagon into the water. This is the weirdest thing I have ever seen, but it looks spectacular. It's much more inolving that my old 30" VIZIO LCD HDTV. I will tune the colors later, but there is not any buzzing, picture quality is great. It's a bit blurry on FAST motion scenes, but it is an LCD. I really want to see 1080p, but I guess I have to hook up the VGA to the computer and download a WMV movie in 1080p.

Maybe my standards are equivalent to a Joe Six Pack, but I'm happy with this.

Thanks for the nice words Vnitto! I really do love my set... it's got a BEAUTIFUL HD picture (And the SD quality is better than I expected too!) and a HUGE step up from my little 24" Dell 2405FPW I had in my room. Now I can change all my inputs and power on/off via remote instead of getting up for it, AND the Dell has a known issue with Horizontal lines that go through it when using some of the video inputs, especially the component. I went through 2 Dell units with the same problem using different HD boxes and DVD playes... just wasnt a good overall HDTV and monitor (Different story for a different board, I know)... But it looks like I got a winner in the Sceptre thus far. And of course should this take a crap on me or not work out, I return it to Costco, no questions asked!

I'm definitely in your boat though, I wont be using any of the extra optical in/usb connectors ont he TV so thats beyond what I need. I will be hooking up a Z-5500 system in my room this evening with HDMI OPPO DVD player, and all my HDMI and optical inputs will go through my DTS Dolby 5.1 Receiver/Surround plus 2 switches which are all controlled via remote :) From what I can tell, and I could be wrong, it seems like the "jitter" issue people are having is when they are trying to watch TV or DVDs through their PCs via a video card. Whatever the case is, I havent noticed any issues with my set yet... Knock on wood! ;)

As a side note, can anyone refer me to the best DVD to use for color Calibration for my new TV? All help is truly appreciated!

Thanks,
Hayden

For those that have received the new sets. Can you check and see if the auto brightness adjustment is still present. The old set will sometime automatically change the brightness level during a really dark scene. It was mention earlier that the new set is not suppose to do it anymore so can anyone confirm? TIA.

Okay, I've been focusing on the negatives. Here's something positive to say about the set...

The HDTV picture quality from the built-in tuner has improved on the latest version (Generation 2). It appears they are now displaying full resolution whereas the Generation 1 appeared to lack detail, possibly due to downscaling and then scaling back up. Also, the jitter problem is non-existant when the DTV (ATSC tuner) input is selected.

If you use this primarily as a stand-alone TV, the Generation 2 would be a better choice.

I got this 2nd gen set recently and love all aspect of it, BUT this jitter problem concerns me, i have not yet hooked up my DVI connection, but i am concerned about this problem and wish there would be a quick fix for it as this is a huge minus for me.

Despite my concerns about this possible 2nd gen "jitter" issue in 1:1 mapping mode, I placed an order with Costco and it shipped with an ETA of 12/6. So I will report back as soon as I have a chance to hook it up next week.

I figure I don't have anything to lose except my time, since I can just return to my local Costco store, only 5 minutes away.

I'll be testing the Sceptre with a PC running Media Center 2005 and a Geforce 6600GT, which is an approved video card for HD playback in MCE. I'll also try a few games while I'm at it if I have time. World of Warcraft, at least. :)

What has Sceptre said about the PC connection jitter issue?

Some of you sound as if you are blasting those of us who wish to connect PC via HDMI and use Media Center, as if that was not the intended use for this unit.

I would be pissed as well if this gen. 2 can't do what my Gen. 1 has been doing since August - MCE 2005 via DVI-HDMi in DVI mode @ 1920x1080@ 60 Hz.

I've been running the Z-5500 audio since then as well with no issues on TV, PC, or audio.

But I did take the Vizio for a spin but found it did not support PC to HDMI in the full 1366x768. In fact it was very flaky running the PC on the HDMI port. I believe most units are including the Olevia but don't know for sure.

My guess is only the Sceptre and Westinghouse work with a PC digital connection correctly. Not sure why others don't since digital connection is required for the next generation HD-DVD.

Wa anyone tried the Olevia compared to the Sceptre for picture quality and connection ability to PC on digital connection.

I am looking that it supports in all resolutions during boot-up, etc. not just in a fixed 720p or 1080i mode.

the maximum resolution on my laptop is 1024x768. i have the NVidia GeForce FX Go5200 video card. my only available connection is the 15pin VGA. does anyone know how this might look on this tv having 1920x1080?

Damn, was all locked and loaded on the Costco order as well, but as my main use for the unit would be PC-related (websurfing, game playing, etc), the jitter issue at 1920 has me spooked.

Guess I'll bite the bullet and just deal with the hassle of returning it if it's a permanent problem.

Some of you sound as if you are blasting those of us who wish to connect PC via HDMI and use Media Center, as if that was not the intended use for this unit.

I would be pissed as well if this gen. 2 can't do what my Gen. 1 has been doing since August - MCE 2005 via DVI-HDMi in DVI mode @ 1920x1080@ 60 Hz.



Exactly.

For those users who don't happen to be using DVI or VGA @ 1080p then this unit (Ver. 1 or Ver. 2) will likely be sufficent for your needs (assuming acceptance of the other issues reported), and we applaud your enthusiasm. But, IF there is indeed a problem with Ver. 2 using DVI or VGA @ 1080p, then neither you, nor anyone else, is getting what they paid for. And as it stands now, those of us who are looking to use those connections at their full advertised resolution, this unit appears to be unacceptable.

I am glad to hear that the ATSC tuner may have been improved. And this reinforces what I had posted earlier concerning the significance of the "disappearance" of the optical out port. Not because we were looking to get something-for-nothing, but because it implies that the circuit board has been changed. This is a dual edged sword; there may be specific improvements obtained (ATSC at broadcast resolution), but other problems may have been intoduced (DVI jitter/tearing).

The end result is that if you have been following this lengthy thread looking for specific answers to; "does this unit work well for this", "how does it look when showing that", you will have to disregard some (much?) of the information prior to post #1000 or so (when the feedback on Ver.2 started coming in). And this is why it is important that we follow the suggestion posted earlier and qualify whether your feedback/question is about Ver.1 or Ver. 2.

Exactly.

For those users who don't happen to be using DVI or VGA @ 1080p then this unit (Ver. 1 or Ver. 2) will likely be sufficent for your needs (assuming acceptance of the other issues reported), and we applaud your enthusiasm. But, IF there is indeed a problem with Ver. 2 using DVI or VGA @ 1080p, then neither you, nor anyone else, is getting what they paid for. And as it stands now, those of us who are looking to use those connections at their full advertised resolution, this unit appears to be unacceptable.

I am glad to hear that the ATSC tuner may have been improved. And this reinforces what I had posted earlier concerning the significance of the "disappearance" of the optical out port. Not because we were looking to get something-for-nothing, but because it implies that the circuit board has been changed. This is a dual edged sword; there may be specific improvements obtained (ATSC at broadcast resolution), but other problems may have been intoduced (DVI jitter/tearing).

The end result is that if you have been following this lengthy thread looking for specific answers to; "does this unit work well for this", "how does it look when showing that", you will have to disregard some (much?) of the information prior to post #1000 or so (when the feedback on Ver.2 started coming in). And this is why it is important that we follow the suggestion posted earlier and qualify whether your feedback/question is about Ver.1 or Ver. 2.

QFT

I just received by 2nd Gen unit as well and experiencing the same jitter issue.:mad: I bought it to used primary on the pc, so this issue is causing major disappointment for me. I too hope it is not a permanent problem and can be fixed without sending the unit back. I love this unit I got. It is flawless, not a dead or stuck pixel in site! It sync'd up perfectly via DVI.
To put some of the curiousity to rest, whether this jitter is caused by the pc, can we list what our system specs are and version of the video driver we are using? I think it would help.

My system specs:
Dual Core Opteron 170 (3.0ghz @ 1.54v / 2.0ghz @ 1.01v)
DFI UT LanParty Ultra-D (623/3)
2x 1Gb Crucial Value (M16FD) @ 3-3-3-8 4:3
eVGA 7800GTX @ 500/1400 (Forceware v81.95)
3 x 74Gb WD Raptors - Raid 0
3 x 250Gb DiamondMax 10 - Raid 0
Dell CERC SATA 1.5/6ch RAID Controller with 64mb Cache
X-Fi ExtremeMusic
Sceptre X37SV-Naga @ 1920x1080p

I doubt there will be a quick fix for the jitter-bug anytime soon. I got the response below from Sceptre technical support. I'm surprised they couldn't replicate the problem.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe Costco still has the perfectly good Ver. 1 set that I returned so maybe I could buy it back from them.
From : Sceptre Technical Support Group
Dear Customer,

I have contacted the engineers in R&D with this problem. But they said that
they could not recreate this problem in the test lab, but will investigate
the problem further. As of currently I do not have a remedy with this
problem.

Best Regards,
Sceptre Technical Support Group

Just curious, is there anyone using DVI or VGA that is _not_ experiencing this problem on a rev 2 set?

I will hopefull know more this afternnon when I get my new cables if I have any issues with "Jitter" from the DVI-D port of my PC to the HDMI port of the Sceptre.

Thanks,
Hayden

I doubt there will be a quick fix for the jitter-bug anytime soon. I got the response below from Sceptre technical support. I'm surprised they couldn't replicate the problem.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe Costco still has the perfectly good Ver. 1 set that I returned so maybe I could buy it back from them.

I pretty much got the same response from Sceptre Tech Support Team. They are saying that they can't reproduce the problem and that there is currently no solution for this issue. I've asked them to use the 2nd gen units and use an HD clips with some pannings to reproduce the issue, cause they might be using the 1st gen unit. I've also give them the link to this thread as well. Awaiting their reply.

Ok guys, i got a 2nd rev, and in the spirit of helping all the 2nd revision people out, i will attempt to recreate this dvi jitter myself, except im sort of a newbie to all this, what exactly will i need to do to recreate this jitter-bug

I have the 2nd generation set and have the jitter on a Mac and PC. I think we should pund their support for a solution. I talked to aa tech the otther day and he had the "i can care less' attitude. If this set cannot do 1080p over DVI then it goes back.

So my Gen2 Sceptre arrived last night, I immediately hooked it up to my htpc, configured it for 1080p and right away noticed the jitters when viewing HD content. At first, I thought my video card (6600gt) was the culprit so I downrezed the resolution to 720p only to see the same jitters that were present at 1080p. So I searched the avsforums to see if anyone else was having similar issues. Low and behold it turns out anyone trying to use the gen2 unit with an htpc is getting the jitter issue. Anyways, I just wanted to add my unit to the list of "defected" gen2 units.

PS: I have an xbox360 connected to the component inputs of the sceptre and the games look amazing!

My HTPC Specs:
P4 3.2 GHz
XFX 6600gt
2x500gb Hitachi Sata Drives
AverMedia A180 HD Tuner Card
Fusion5 Lite HD Tuner Card
Happauge 150 SD Tuner Card
Windows Media Center 2005
Sceptre 37" LCD Gen2

:(
Bummer about the jitter problem. Does this occur with the westinghouse 37" LCD too? I think that the Westinghouse is probably a better solution for a HTPC, if you can put up with the silver color. I think it's even got two DVI ports also. I doubt you will ever be able to get tech support to resolve the issue of jitter on the Sceptre. Although i'm not in a position to give out advice on the board as a newbie, I would just save myself time and effort and emotional energy and just return the Sceptre and get a Westinghouse 37". I don't think it has any of these issues and even goes into screensaver mode. Although you don't have the excellent COSTCO return policy, it's probably worth it if the Sceptre is causing that much aggravation. I foresee a lot of disappointment in the future of those waiting for sceptre to resolve the issue.

PS: I have an xbox360 connected to the component inputs of the sceptre and the games look amazing!

You should get & try the VGA for the 360 and let us know the results.

Btw, did you use DVI for your PC?

You should get & try the VGA for the 360 and let us know the results.

In all likelyhood, the 360 should work without any issues when using the VGA input of the Sceptre since it can only output 1080i signals. I have tried a Samsung HD Tuner STB that has DVI outputs with the Sceptre and it works without the jitter issues because it only outputs 1080i.

Btw, did you use DVI for your PC?
Yes, I am using DVI to connect the htpc to the Sceptre.

In all likelyhood, the 360 should work without any issues when using the VGA input of the Sceptre since it can only output 1080i signals. I have tried a Samsung HD Tuner STB that has DVI outputs with the Sceptre and it works without the jitter issues because it only outputs 1080i.


Actually the xbox 360 does NOT support 1080i (or 1080p for that matter) over the VGA cable. The maximun supported resolution over VGA is 1366 x 768.

1. Does the unit's tuner process standard - unscrambled - analog cable channels?
2. Will the box fit in into a sedan?

1. Does the unit's tuner process standard - unscrambled - analog cable channels?
2. Will the box fit in into a sedan?
The outer box is 14.75" x 42.5" x 31". If you have a large sedan, it might barely fit in the back seat.

It has ATSC and NTSC tuners in it. I think you need a QAM tuner for watching cable unless you use an external tuner and send the signal to one of the TV's various inputs.

:(
Bummer about the jitter problem. Does this occur with the westinghouse 37" LCD too? I think that the Westinghouse is probably a better solution for a HTPC, if you can put up with the silver color. I think it's even got two DVI ports also. I doubt you will ever be able to get tech support to resolve the issue of jitter on the Sceptre. Although i'm not in a position to give out advice on the board as a newbie, I would just save myself time and effort and emotional energy and just return the Sceptre and get a Westinghouse 37". I don't think it has any of these issues and even goes into screensaver mode. Although you don't have the excellent COSTCO return policy, it's probably worth it if the Sceptre is causing that much aggravation. I foresee a lot of disappointment in the future of those waiting for sceptre to resolve the issue.
The disadvantages of the Westinghouse are:

Non-removable speakers
"Banding" problem where the screen has 3 equal columns of slightly varying brightness
No built-in tuner
No *easy* Costco return policy if the thing's a lemon

I have the 2nd generation set and have the jitter on a Mac and PC. I think we should pund their support for a solution. I talked to aa tech the otther day and he had the "i can care less' attitude. If this set cannot do 1080p over DVI then it goes back.
It CAN do 1080p over DVI.

In all fairness, we should give Sceptre tech support some credit since they at least respond to their emails. I did tech support for two years and when you take calls from people who are all basically pissed off at you, you can easily develop resentment toward the customer.

I'm afraid all we can do is hope Sceptre gets enough feedback on this problem to where they find a solution and come out with a third version of the set. We can then promptly order it and return our Version 2's to Costco for a full refund.

Actually the xbox 360 does NOT support 1080i (or 1080p for that matter) over the VGA cable. The maximun supported resolution over VGA is 1366 x 768.

Not so by the pic from the link below.

http://www.dreisechzig.net/wp/wp-content/1280x1024dash.jpg

It CAN do 1080p over DVI.

In all fairness, we should give Sceptre tech support some credit since they at least respond to their emails. I did tech support for two years and when you take calls from people who are all basically pissed off at you, you can easily develop resentment toward the customer.

I'm afraid all we can do is hope Sceptre gets enough feedback on this problem to where they find a solution and come out with a third version of the set. We can then promptly order it and return our Version 2's to Costco for a full refund.

What is the return procedure? Do I just take the unit to a local Costco and asked for my full refund including shipping charges? Can they send me the new unit (If it requires a gen3 to fix this mess) and I send my broken unit in an exchange?

What is the return procedure? Do I just take the unit to a local Costco and asked for my full refund including shipping charges? Can they send me the new unit (If it requires a gen3 to fix this mess) and I send my broken unit in an exchange?

It's pretty straightforward--just return the unit to any (brick & mortar) Costco & you should get back the purchase price, taxes & shipping costs. Several cautions:

Make certain you have the receipts, your Costco card and all accessories,cables, etc.

Also, to save waiting time, go at an "off-hour" (eg. early or late) to avoid crowds at the return desk.

And since a "Gen 3" unit doesn't seem to exist yet, there is no replacement.(Note also that Costco doesn't seem to actually take possession or warehouse these units--they seem to be "drop-shipped" directly from the Sceptre facility in SoCal.)

And you might do us a favor and also email the Costco buyer at Costco corporate hdqtrs [URL=http://www.costco.com/CustomerService/EmailUs.aspx?secure=1]
and describe the specifics of your situation. If enuf of us contact them, they'll be motivated to pressure Sceptre to make things right.

My 2¢ anyways...

Well, I found something interesting. I've been messing with Powerstrip and have found that if I set the refresh rate to 75hz, the screen starts to flickers but if I switch over to HDMI or HDCP mode, the screen is fine, except for the overscan. There are no flashing pixels and the HD materials playback smoothly. It is in 1080i. You can definitely tell the PQ between 1080p and 1080i.

I've also found that if you change your resolution to 1280x720p, leaving the refresh rate at 60, will not result in flicking pixels and the video playback is smooth as well in HDMI or HDCP mode.

Not sure if this is a workaround or not, but I can live with it until we get the word from Sceptre.

Not so by the pic from the link below.

http://www.dreisechzig.net/wp/wp-content/1280x1024dash.jpg

1080i/p is 1920x1080.

What is the return procedure? Do I just take the unit to a local Costco and asked for my full refund including shipping charges? Can they send me the new unit (If it requires a gen3 to fix this mess) and I send my broken unit in an exchange?Costco will refund your total purchase price plus shipping automatically. As for the receipt, logon to your Costco.com account, print the online receipt for the Sceptre order and bring it with you.

maybe, with Ver.1, it was actually converting the image to 1080i and hence appear to be working...

Well i hooked up my HDMI switch, and after some frustrating time trying to get resolutions and display setting correct with my Sony S460 Laptop & Port Replicator with DVI-D out, I FINALLY got this thing setup to output to 1080p on my 37" Sceptre in my room and man does it look sweet. Can someone fill me in on what the Jitter thing is Im looking for.. I have a Gen 2 Im pretty sure since I just got the TV this past week. I have my SA 8300SD hooked up via my HDMI and will hook up my Oppo to the switch as soon as I get it on Monday. My Xbox is going through component input. Sweet set thus far... nothing noticeable to complain about ... yet!

DVD image size question...
have a philips dvp642 dvd player hooked up with component cables. wide screen dvd's show up in center of screen, with black border on top, bottom & sides -- res might be 1377x768 -- what do i need to get dvd to fill screen? aspect switch to zoom is full screen, but bottom of image gets cropped. futzing w/dvd settings don't help.
do i need new dvd player? new tv? some other hardware? or am i sol?

Not so by the pic from the link below.

http://www.dreisechzig.net/wp/wp-content/1280x1024dash.jpg


So shoot me, I should have said 1360 x 768 (16:9) or 1280 x 1024 (4:3). It doesn't change the fact that the xbox 360 DOES NOT support 1080i or 1080p via the VGA cable. I would be interested in hearing from people if 1080i over component looks better or worse than 1360 x 768 over VGA. I would imagine that using a non-native resolution over VGA will look pretty crummy.

DVD image size question...
have a philips dvp642 dvd player hooked up with component cables. wide screen dvd's show up in center of screen, with black border on top, bottom & sides -- res might be 1377x768 -- what do i need to get dvd to fill screen? aspect switch to zoom is full screen, but bottom of image gets cropped. futzing w/dvd settings don't help.
do i need new dvd player? new tv? some other hardware? or am i sol?

Okay, if you have a second generation display, you hit the "ASPECT" Button on the upper right corner of your remote control. I cycle through to 16:9. it will indicate this on the upper left hand corner of your display. If you leave it on zoom, you will get the top/bottom cut off as the original aspect ratio (OAR) isn't exactly in 16:9 for a DVD, I don't think. I only think the anamorphic widescreen movies are set-up this way. The movie you are watching probably has an OAR of 2.35:1 and you need it to be 1.85:1 to watch the movie with the screen filled AND watch in the movie's OAR with a widescreen television


Also, on your DVD player set-up, make sure it's set to 16:9.

There was an earlier rumor that Sceptre was switching from the very unusual Hugoson IR remote codes to Sony remote codes. Can anyone confirm Sony remote codes are in fact what is used on the second generation 37" Scpetre? If yes, does this mean that direct access of the inputs is now possible using a custom remote control?

The disadvantages of the Westinghouse are:

Non-removable speakers
"Banding" problem where the screen has 3 equal columns of slightly varying brightness
No built-in tuner
No *easy* Costco return policy if the thing's a lemon



The LVM-37w1 does have detachable speakers, they are simply on the bottom instead of the sides like the Sceptre (a better solution for our needs than the side mounted speakers but until the Ver.2 problems, the Sceptre was overall a better answer).

There was an earlier rumor that Sceptre was switching from the very unusual Hugoson IR remote codes to Sony remote codes. Can anyone confirm Sony remote codes are in fact what is used on the second generation 37" Scpetre? If yes, does this mean that direct access of the inputs is now possible using a custom remote control?I have confirmed the remote codes on the Generation 2 Sceptres have changed to the Sony codes, although they aren't all mapped like you would find them on an actual Sony remote. For example, on a Sony remote, the [Channel +] / [Channel -] buttons are equivalent to the [Source PC] / [Source AV] buttons on the Sceptre remote. I've also tried a discrete code that will only turn a Sony TV on (unlike the on/off toggle code) and it doesn't work on the Sceptre. I haven't experimented with all the available discrete codes since it takes a lot of time and I will eventually be returning my set.

I am very new in the electronics area - currently I have a 25" zenith CRT that I've had for 10 years. I'm looking to upgrade and have been looking at these posts for days - Is anyone using the Sceptre 37 LCD as a TV? I looked at most of the posts on the second generation Sceptres and it seems everyone that has purchased one is doing HTPC. I'm wondering how the PQ is comparing the westy LCD that I have seen at BB. I'm going to pull the trigger on buying a HDTV LCD or Plasma in the next few days based on the rebate from Costco expiring. Right now if it was up to the sets that I can see (Westy and panny plasma) I would buy the Panny Plasma 37PX50U over the westy LCD based on sharper images on both SD and HDTV. Is PQ of the Sceptre better than that of the westy? (Specs say that it should) If it is slightly better then I will probably buy the sceptre because of the $300 price difference and the costco return policy, if it does appear slightly blurry. Can anyone help me decide?

I hope sceptre techs are busy at the moment working on the problem..........
and not lounging the weekend away....... haha

I am currently trying to deside between the westy/sceptre or maybe going with a 30-34inch crt directview for closer to 1000 and waiting a year or two for more 1080p signals to be ready before buying a large lcd

98silverbullet, i agree with what jkresh posted above, as last week i was ready to go over to Costco, apply for a Costco card and order the 37" Sceptre online; However, after reading for the 10th time the review of the unit at www.hometheaterhifi.com i decided that as tempting as a 37" LCD unit sporting a 1920x1080p resolution and an ATCS tuner built-in for a list price of only $$$$ was, i just couldn't get over its rather poor black-level performance of 0.91 cd/m2, which "translates" to a black-level of 0.27 f-Lamberts; By way of comparison, here are some other figures for assorted current "champions" insofar as black-level full-field 0-IRE black is concerned as tested by Home Theater magazine :
Hitachi 32HDL51 LCD TV >>>>>>> 0.037
Panasonic plasma EDTV >>>>>>> 0.023
Sony KDL-V40XBR1 LCD TV >>>>>0.047
Sony KDS-R60XBR SXRD RPTV >>> 0.007
In other words, the Hitachi, as an example, has a black-level of over 7 times "darker black" than the Spectre, and considering a similar full-field 100-IRE white measurement for both units, the Spectre's contrast-ratio would be considerably poorer than the Hitachi's.
Like you, i am a long time user of CRTs, in my case a front projector, and i am not yet ready to accept such poor black-level performance; If LCD tvs from Hitachi, Sony, Sharp and Toshiba (not to mention inexpensive LCDs by Syntax, which side by side to a Sharp unit displayed about the same contrast and black-level ) are currently offering such better performance, than why can't Spectre offer the same ?
And, while we're on the subject, does anyone here know for sure what scaler/deinterlacer chip is used by Sceptre ? At least the people at Westinghouse are proudly advertising their use of a Faroudja chip in their 37" LCD tv....

First, i wanna say that this is an amazing forum, i have learned so much since discovering it a week ago. I was going to buy this panel to use o my pc and hopefully start making it into an htpc, but now i read that 1920x1080 over dvi has problems. is the westinghouse 6bit (16.2m colors?) i dont like dithering and if it is im gonna wait until sceptre gets their act together or something else comes out.

Just want to put up my HTPC specs per the request.

AMD Athlon64 3000+ Venice
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
1 Gig Corsair PC3200
Gigabyte GV-N66256DP AGP (Passive Vanilla 6600)
Forceware 81.95 Drivers.

P

[QUOTE=MCaugusto]=
Like you, i am a long time user of CRTs, in my case a front projector, and i am not yet ready to accept such poor black-level performance; =QUOTE]

I just received my Sceptre and I dont think it is too bad, having been watching a rear projection for the last 3 years. I looked at the Westinghouse at Best Buy and the black level there DID bother me. But if you are comparing to projection then why are you even considering LCD over plasma? If you want more similar black and motion to projection you better get plasma. I think the motion blur will bug you MUCH more than the black level. The Sceptre has 8ms response but in my first day of use the motion blur does bug me.

Lee

HTPC'ers

What video cards are you using, or better yet, is anyone seeing the stutter with a 6600GT or 7800GT/X series card?

P

First let me say that any new HDTV like the Sceptre 37" is a big purchase so mind you I know everyone wants to get the most they can for their money!

However with that said, this forum is really critcial... which can be good and bad! The good is, issues and problems can be found and sent to the company to be fixed, especially large scale ones.

However, for whatever reasons I have not had the issues or annoyances others have had and yes I do have 20 / 20 vision! I have an excellent picture from my SA 8300HD via HDMI, via my Oppo DVD on HDMI, my Xbox via Component, and especially through my Sony S460 Laptop with DVI.. Im getting 1920x1080 resolution in 1080P with no issues... its amazing quality and picture. And I think black levels are more than adequate, maybe not Plasma, but this was really affordable.

Anyway, Im not saying others arent having true issues, but I haven't had any problems with my set at all yet and think its amazing! I'll be keeping it until it craps out or Costco starts carrying a better alternative for which I dont even see any on the market yet in this price range, let alone at Costco.

Ok, just my 2 cents.. you may continue your critical analysis!

HKINGS - do you have a rev2 set?

I don't think people are being too critical. Most people are buying this set to use it from a HTPC via DVI. If there is a bug that prevents smooth video playback over DVI (after all smooth video playback is kind of the point, right?), then I would say its a critical bug.

I'm hoping its not a generalized problem. My TV is showing up today and I am still hopeful...

Yes, much agreed, my primary point was HTPC via DVI, so we are not being critical of the machine, i think everyone who is whining about the bug (including myself) really love our spectre 37's, but we will all be at ease once this bug is fixed and we can do what we really want to do with this tv

Aarrghh! I was ready to pull the trigger on this TV today with the Costco rebate, but the jitter issue is going to force me to wait. I will be driving this monitor (for HD) with an HTPC (2.8 GHz P4, 1GB RAM, Nvidia 5200+PureVideo, Fusion1-ATSC) and it took my some time and effort to "tweak out" the HTPC to get rid of the jitter initially on 1080i programming (on my 19" Sceptre LCD computer monitor). My initial issue was resolved by adding the Nvidia card and decoder, but I don't really care to relive that. I will also be driving with a Dish Network DVR-501 for SD. I'm a bit concerned about this PQ, but sounds like some reports are pretty good PQ for this setup. (my point of reference - for WAF - is my non-flat screen 32" JVC CRT).

Thanks to all for the great info on this post, I'll keep my eyes open and hope to be able to purchase this (or an equivalent 1080p set) soon. I'm limited to 38" width due to my entertainment center, so this set just fits the bill. I'd love to get a 37" LCD set instead of a 32" LCD or 34" CRT, and would like 1080p for the computer apps.

The TV does display computer signals at 1080p in DVI or VGA mode, but the problem occurs with motion video such as DVD or HD playback. As far as I have heard this issue has occured with everyone so far.

I saw the 20.1" Sceptre widescreen computer monitor from Costco, On the box, it states 1080i/ 1080p ready, I was so happy to see that so bought it the other day.

Picture is crisp and sharp, the color is vibrant, it is bright (much brighter than my panasonic 50" LCD projection),

however, the motion jitter, lag and ocasional tearing bothers me (when connected to computer source- playing captured hi-def movies).


I tried it with my sony 2.66 G (ATI 9800 pro video card) and my powerful sony 3.4 G (Nvidia 6600 plain)... both have problems with the monitor but smooth with other monitors.


anyone might have a fix for this?

thanks.

I returned my 20.1 Sceptre monitor and replaced with Gateway 21" widescreen. No more jitter and tearing (ATI 9800 pro video card is sufficient enough to output at 1680 x 1060).

Here is what Sceptre sent me when I told them about the problem:


Dear Customer,

I'm sorry but we are currently still researching upon this problem and do
not have a solution available yet. If you feel unsatisfied by this answer,
we apologize for the inconvenience. Please do return the set and get your
money back. Thanks.

Best Regards,
Sceptre Technical Support Group

When I asked if they would fix the TV I own when they fix the problems here's what I got:


Support,

I can wait for a fix as long as I am able to get a working unit or
repair once the fix has been implemented. Will this be the case?

Also I am having a problem with blue streaking on all 480p component/
VGA, and DVI to HDCP conversion. Is this a known problem, or will a
new unit address this issue?


Reply:
Dear Customer,

I'm not sure with regards to a fix for the DVI problem. I know they are
still workin' on it. If you have blue streaking on your panel. You'll need
to exchange for a unit. Thanks.

Best Regards,
Sceptre Technical Support Group

Here is what Sceptre sent me when I told them about the problem:

...I'm sorry but we are currently still researching upon this problem and do
not have a solution available yet....

Best Regards,
Sceptre Technical Support Group


I'm not sure with regards to a fix for the DVI problem. I know they are
still workin' on it.

Best Regards,
Sceptre Technical Support Group

If I am not mistaken, this is the first time that I have seen a quasi-acknowledgment of the DVI problem from Tech Support. (Probably shouldn't even point this out. I know they monitor this thread and that tech will probably get in trouble from their Legal dept. for giving out any information).

HTPC'ers

What video cards are you using, or better yet, is anyone seeing the stutter with a 6600GT or 7800GT/X series card?

P

I bought a 7800gt to replace my 6600 based on the insistence of the Sceptre tech support that the problem was on my end. Anyway, I just got done installing it and I can confirm that the problem is defiantly with the set and not with the GFX card (not that I really had any doubt before).

And to add to the list of hardware specs:
Intel Pentium 4 630 Prescott
JetWay 915PCP Mobo
1.5 Gigs of ram
1 Hauppauge PVR 350
1 Hauppauge PVR 150
1 Avermedia A180
2 Seagate 400gig SATA Drives 64k Partition Size
eVga 7800GT 256mb (old card Leadtech 6600 256mb)

I am currently trying to deside between the westy/sceptre or maybe going with a 30-34inch crt directview for closer to 1000 and waiting a year or two for more 1080p signals to be ready before buying a large lcd

If you're waiting a year or two, wait for the SED TV's to come out. There is an entire discussion regarding this technology on this website. Here is another link
http://hometheater.about.com/b/a/204113.htm


Better black levels, no motion blur, I couldn't wait.

Okay, my Sceptre arrived today. I believe it is Rev 2. I have my computer connected via the DVI-HDMI and the Comcast HD cable box attached via the Component YPbPr.

The DVI-HDMI computer connection works flawlessly at the native resolution of 1920x1080. Even HL2/CS:Source/DoD:Source looks wonderful at full screen 1920x1080 resolution. No issues what so ever. Even with high frame rates on video games and videos.

The Comcast HD cable is another story. I don't know if it's the TV or the cable, but here's what I've got: On regular non-HD channels things are normal, but on 1080i HD channels I get these blue streak flickers. I don't know how to describe them as this is my first HDTV and I don't know the lingo yet. I also tried connecting the TV to the cable box via the HDMI but I get the same thing.

Is this a Comcast problem or the Sceptre? Is this the same issue others are having? Can I fix it?

its is now $$$ AR @ Costso

EDIT>>

Mod note no price talk, please. MSRP, only thanks.

anyone know why if during DVI input mode, i switch to other modes, and when i return to DVI mode, there is no INPUT detected and basically i cant get video unless i reset the computer...
after i scroll through once, both hdmi/hdcp both crap out and also dvi until i reset...what should i do?

its is now $$$ AR @ Costso

EDIT>>

Mod note no price talk, please. MSRP, only thanks.

What do I need to do to get the price difference?

What do I need to do to get the price difference?

I just emailed CS we'll see how they respond.

sorry about posting price, im new and i dint read all the rules, wont happen again.

sorry about posting price, im new and i dint read all the rules, wont happen again.That's all that matters:)

Welcome to AVS

anybody with any ideas on why my PC input detection is not detected after i switch to other sources unless i reset?

Pretty sure that's a video card issue. Update your drivers.

What do I need to do to get the price difference?

I'd like to know what the cutoff is for owning the set before Costco will refuse to refund the difference of the rebate?

Anyone know?

Is there supposed to be a DVI port on both the Rev 1 and Rev 2? I just got mine today and it only has VGA and HDMI. I could not get a DVI signal through the HDMI connector even though I'm connected to a video card on a PC with a DVI connector.

as far as I know neither has a dvi port, you need to use a hdmi->dvi adapter. Are you using recent drivers for your card as older drivers tended to have issues with dvi over certain resolutions or in widescreen modes?

I am running the latest drivers but it's not recognizing DVI over HDMI but recognizes HDMI (with the overscan problem that powerstrip can't seem to get rid of).

Woodrow, i thought AVS allowed posters to post m.s.r.p. (list prices), but not discounted prices available through dealers and/or any links to such pricing.....Am i wrong on this assumption, and, if not, why was the m.s.r.p. of the Sceptre i posted on this thread deleted and changed to "$$$$" ?

anybody with any ideas on why my PC input detection is not detected after i switch to other sources unless i reset?

Scanning the previous posts, I see the following;

I just bought the 32" Naga from Costco, and am having a problem with it that I wanted to see if you 37" guys are having.

I am connecting to the DVI port with my PC, and when I scroll through the other inputs and come back to DVI, it no longer works. I have to disconnect the DVI cable from the back of the unit and reconnect it in order to get a picture. Turning the Naga off and on doesn't fix it either.

I emailed their tech support, and they said that this is how it is supposed to function, and that it's not meant to be used as a PC monitor, but it sounds like a bunch of crap to me. My friend has the BenQ, and his doesn't do this.

Any information is appreciated. Thanks!


Just to let you know, I do experience this problem too. After some research here and other forums, I found that you might want to try to upgrade your driver and/or look for another video card. Supposedly, it's a card thing. My current card that repros it is an ATI 9200 series. I unfortunately haven't found a way to make it work besides keeping it on the DVI input (and using the PIP to swap between my inputs instead of shuffling on the digital inputs, which seems to be where the problems lie).

Hope this helps.

-eric

I have the same problem after I upgrade my ATI 9600 Pro to the latest ATI Catalyst 5.8 driver. It seems I cannot get my HTPC input after I switch from ATSC. I rolled back to the older driver (I forgot to check the Driver version, but I think the driver is some time around 8/2004) then everything works fine again, I can now switch between any sources and still can go back to my DVI-HTPC signal. Maybe just try the older ATI Catalyst driver and see whether it fixed the problem.

Art

I am running the latest drivers but it's not recognizing DVI over HDMI but recognizes HDMI (with the overscan problem that powerstrip can't seem to get rid of).

s2ktaxi, is this possibly the solution?

* When selecting DVI/HDMI, there are 3 modes, the first one crops , says HDMI, the second one crops, says HDMI/HDCP, the third one says DVI and doesn't crop. Don't panic when you get a cropped image like I did, just keep cycling


[edited for clarity]

Okay, my Sceptre arrived today...The DVI-HDMI computer connection works flawlessly at the native resolution of 1920x1080. Even HL2/CS:Source/DoD:Source looks wonderful at full screen 1920x1080 resolution. No issues what so ever. Even with high frame rates on video games and videos.



mnm222876, were you specifically running 1080p material with panning as mentioned to test for the DVI jitter/tearing?

Actually, it would be helpful if we could all test using the same reference WMVHD clip. YNOS, would it be possible for you to host the clip that you created and sent to Sceptre Tech Support so we could all confirm we are looking at, and for, the same thing?


(Also, I see that you are running 2x7800SLi - quite the powerful videocard setup - I wonder if that is the difference?)

The Comcast HD cable is another story. I don't know if it's the TV or the cable, but here's what I've got: On regular non-HD channels things are normal, but on 1080i HD channels I get these blue streak flickers. I don't know how to describe them as this is my first HDTV and I don't know the lingo yet. I also tried connecting the TV to the cable box via the HDMI but I get the same thing.

Is this a Comcast problem or the Sceptre? Is this the same issue others are having? Can I fix it?

I couldn't find anything similiar to this in the prior posts. Although, I actually have a problem with the Sceptre 30 where using the DVI connection at its max resolution (1280x768) I get occasional, random horizontal streaks, perhaps several pixels tall, and several inches long, always on the right side of the screen. They are light colored so they are most noticeable against a darker background. It somewhat like the EMF interference you would see if you plugged a vacuum cleaner into the same socket - but more random in occurrence and more focused to a specific area of the screen.

[Edited for typo]

This may be more of a PC issue, but I received my TV Wed. I have MCE with ATI X300 PCIx, Nvidia decoder.

Everything is fine, I can play back WMVHD 1080p and 720p just fine, display SD through MCE, and HD through MCE, but the 1080i channels skip a lot. CPU usage is not high.

Do I need a better video card or does it sound like a de-interlacing issue (software)? I noticed the ATI catalyst driver (5.8) has a de-interlacing setting, but I thought the NVidia decoder handled all de-interlacing?

I have tried both the 1280x720 and 1920x1080, both are the same for the problem.

Anybody else using this with Media Center? I took my x300 back to Compusa (hadn't been 20 days) and upgraded to x700.

It is better, but I still get something strange, skipping when pans on CBS and NBC (1080i channels). I have tried both 1920x1080 and 1280x720. ABC and FOX look great (720p).

Using ATI 5.8 and Nividia Purevideo decoder. I tried a MPEG-2 decoder from elecard. It was better for this problem but not as much adjustment and not as good of a picture.

What resolution is preferred for 1080i and 720p? 1280x720 is fine for both, are others running at 1920x1080 for TV? Is there an advantage one way or the other?

I know for 1080p (WMV-HD) 1920x1080 would be preferred.

I also noticed that the Catalyst control center has settings for de-interlace, but the catalyst control panel does not. Is the ATI drivers attempting de-interlacing, maybe conflicting with Nvidia decoder which also does de-interlacing?

I found these posts from September 3rd and wanted to quote for two reasons; one it mentions issues with deinterlacing which *may* help mnm222876, but also because jpconard states that he had tested WMVHD 1080p (on what had to have been a Ver 1. set) and hadn't had any problems with playback, but had seen skipping on pans with 1080i material.

jpconard, if you still have your set, could you give us an update of your playback status?

I received my 37 inch sceptre yesterday and was able to get it work over DVI driven by a Lumagen HDP. I did see some jitter in the beginning and I think still see jitter if i am in HDMI or HDMI/HDCP mode but the DVI mode does not seem to have jitter and is stable.

The picture (HD on DirecTV thru DVI into Lumagen and DVD's through SDI into Lumagen) - DVI out from Lumagen into Sceptre looks very very good and much brighter than my 3 year old 30 inch Aquos.

I will be playing around with it some more before I decide if I want to keep it but my first impression is very positive.

I just did the final (for me) "keep it or dump it" tests last night. I run an HTPC, the specs of which are beyond capable of ATSC/NTSC play back, and posted a page or two back. On my Rev 2 set, the VGA and DVI inputs are DEFECTIVE FROM SCEPTRE. Any material, doesn't matter if it's 720x480 NTSC or 1920x1080 ATSC, will stutter when using DVI or VGA. HDMI and HDCP are fine, but 1.) Overscan, and 2.) introduce R,G, and B artifacts into the picture. Heck, you can test this without playing any media at all: I use a BTC9019 RF keyboard that has a joystick for mouse movement....push it full left or right while on HDMI/HDCP and it pans smoothly accross the screen. Switch to DVI and you can watch the cursor do the Sceptre "start/stop-stutter". I was walking into walls after trying to watch Hockey. This Rev 2 set has defective VGA/DVI inputs. If y'all got a good one, I'm happy for you...but mine is useless for an HTPC. How can a company *not* notice this?! "Can't replicate the problem"?...Are they hiring? I can use some work. Sorry, just a bit miffed. My fault, should have waited...I know that.

P

Isn't your Lumagen outputting 1080i?
The suttering in Rev.2 seems to happen on 1080p sources.

I received my 37 inch sceptre yesterday and was able to get it work over DVI driven by a Lumagen HDP. I did see some jitter in the beginning and I think still see jitter if i am in HDMI or HDMI/HDCP mode but the DVI mode does not seem to have jitter and is stable.

The picture (HD on DirecTV thru DVI into Lumagen and DVD's through SDI into Lumagen) - DVI out from Lumagen into Sceptre looks very very good and much brighter than my 3 year old 30 inch Aquos.

I will be playing around with it some more before I decide if I want to keep it but my first impression is very positive.

I was finally able to get rid of the jitter with DVI and VGA last night. To do this I had to change the monitor output to 1080i and tweak the refresh rates to remove the interlaced jitter. Now all 1080i, 720p, and 480p playback is smooth. I am going to experiment with 1080p to see if I can tweak the monitor output and get it to act right. I will post all my settings once I have completed this.

I have done tests on a Mac G5 Dual 2Ghz using SwitchResX - 3.6.2 and a Dell P4 3.2Ghz using Powerstrip.

I do wonder if anyone has been able to get 1080p from a computer to work on any video monitor device.

I was also experiencing blue streaks on all 480p over component or VGA from my DVD player. Changing the DVD player to interlaced mode and letting the TV do the 3:2 pulldown worked for this problem. The internal deinterlacer works great and the picture was smooth with no artifacts. I use the Panasonic RP91 which still has arguably the best picture for a component player.

zefres,

You're giving me hope :) Are you talking about setting the display drivers (NVIDIA 81.95 in my case) settings to 1080i? What refresh rate did you start out with? NVIDIA also has a ton of settings for things like Front Porch, etc...but that's beyond my knowledge. Thanks for your work.

P

Isn't your Lumagen outputting 1080i?
The suttering in Rev.2 seems to happen on 1080p sources.



No - Lumagen outputs 1080p at 59.94Hz

I am at work now, but I will post them once I get home. Since I have fixed that problem I am now very satified with the set for now. Even though I cannot get 1080p to work, it is the best LCD for the price on themareket. I have sampled the Proton and Westinghouse....they are both sub par.

Just to add to zefres' post, I have been able to eliminate the tearing @ 1080p by setting my refresh rate to 50hz. The jittering is still there though, so were half way there! :)

I noticed the 50hz thing too, but it makes the stuttering MUTCH worse, it seems as if every time it would tear it just drops the frame. I tried living with it for a football game and it was far more annoying than the tear.

I can't wait to test out the interlaced thing though, I tried messing around and couldn’t get the jitter to go away. I really don't want to send it back, it has way too much potental.

Donsev -

My version 1.0 set playback is good. I run 1920x1080 all the time with a standard fare e-machine AMD 64 3200+ 512M ram, X700 video card with 256M ram, 160GB 7200rpm hard drive (ATA100).

MCE2005 with roll-up1 (have not tried roll-up 2). The skipping I described in earlier post after upgrading to ATi x700 video card was software related. I had some trouble with the Nvidia MPEG-2 decoder for a while (not sure why). I think I am using version 1.50 of that video decoder for Media Center and windows media player (anything that requires MPEG-2 decoding), right now.

I use the Aver 1500MCE card for low definition capture/display (from DirectTV box) and Aver A180 HD tuner card with Antennasdirect DB-2 antenna (currently indoors) for HD display. HD is awesome, especially ability to pause, replay, record on MCE (no additional costs). My son fills the hard drive on a weekly basis just with HD football games.

I tried the Vizio unit from Costco, but wife and I both thought the Sceptre display was noticeably better, basically within 10 minutes of connecting both at the same time. I think the 1920x1080 resolution does make a better picture even with source only 720p or 1080i.

I have Terminator 2 WMV-HD as well as Dust to Glory trailer in WMV-HD (I think 1080p for terminator) and no problems with these being displayed as well.

I feel for version 2 owners and would like to see the current problem go away myself, although I intend to keep my set. But you never know if it would break, then where would I be. Like one poster said I don't see any real alternatives at this time.

Cool...we are making progress.....I've found something similar and posted back on post #1136. It's not perfect, but it works great.
1080p is still a no go.

If it matters I am also using older Catalyst 5.8, using default de-interlace setting. I have not updated my software in some time as it is working good (knock on wood).

Most of my time lately has been trying to find easy, fairly quick ways to compress these huge HD file captures to a WMV-HD or MPEG-4 format that can fit on a DVD, but that is another problem all in itself.

Am I correct in thinking (going back to my mouse cursor example) that when the NVIDIA driver is set to 1080p, that everything displaying on the screen is in 1080p...even the desktop?

P

Am I correct in thinking (going back to my mouse cursor example) that when the NVIDIA driver is set to 1080p, that everything displaying on the screen is in 1080p...even the desktop?

P

I believe so.

If you are set to 1920x1080 at 60Hz on your desktop that is 1080p from what I understand. What Media Center does when you start it, I do not know for sure.

Thanks...thought so, which explains the mouse stutter. I'm running SageTV.

P

mnm222876, were you specifically running 1080p material with panning as mentioned to test for the DVI jitter/tearing?

Actually, it would be helpful if we could all test using the same reference WMVHD clip. YNOS, would it be possible for you to host the clip that you created and sent to Sceptre Tech Support so we could all confirm we are looking at, and for, the same thing?


(Also, I see that you are running 2x7800SLi - quite the powerful videocard setup - I wonder if that is the difference?)


Well, I also ran the monitor on my other system, which is an AMD 3500, nForce3, and ATi x800xt and still ran perfect at native resolution via the DVI.

The problem I'm having with the TV/Cable is vertical blue pixelated lines that streak across areas of the screen that are black. I don't know if there's a word for that... The lines show up for a split second and then disapear. They are always in the same places on the screen.

mnm222876, were you specifically running 1080p material with panning as mentioned to test for the DVI jitter/tearing?

Actually, it would be helpful if we could all test using the same reference WMVHD clip. YNOS, would it be possible for you to host the clip that you created and sent to Sceptre Tech Support so we could all confirm we are looking at, and for, the same thing?

(Also, I see that you are running 2x7800SLi - quite the powerful videocard setup - I wonder if that is the difference?)I'm fairly certain that anyone that owns Version 2 of this set has the jitter problem. I think most of the people that claim they don't have the problem haven't had enough time to see it, but once you know what it looks like, you'll likely see it while watching any video through the "DVI" [Source PC] input. I provided my test file to HKINGS after reading Post #1155 and he replied confirming that he too had the problem.

Below is a link to the file that I have been using for troubleshooting. It's simply a slow and smooth pan across a Volkswagen Beetle. It's only 7 seconds long, but it's 1920x1080 so the file size is about 17 megs. I'll host it for a while, but Comcast may do bad things to me if I exceed whatever limits they put on me.

If you already know your Sceptre has the jitter-bug, don't bother downloading the file in that it is incredibly boring material.

Go to this page (http://home.comcast.net/~traig/), right-click on the link and select "Save Target As..."

The file is actually a *.ts file, but I gave it an mpg extension so it could be played with MediaPlayer. What you SHOULD see in this clip is a smooth pan. What you'll see with the jitter bug is a pan that pauses and restarts at a rate of about 3 times per second. Because the screen is filled primarily with one color, it does not show off the tearing problem.

Just to add one more jitter/chopy Rev.2 1080p over VGA.
I have not tried DVI/HDMI yet.

Placed order on 11/23, received today.
I still have Rev 1. and the exact same source looks just fine on it.


I'm fairly certain that anyone that owns Version 2 of this set has the jitter problem. I think most of the people that claim they don't have the problem haven't had enough time to see it, but once you know what it looks like, you'll likely see it while watching any video through the "DVI" [Source PC] input. I provided my test file to HKINGS after reading Post #1155 and he replied confirming that he too had the problem.

Below is a link to the file that I have been using for troubleshooting. It's simply a slow and smooth pan across a Volkswagen Beetle. It's only 7 seconds long, but it's 1920x1080 so the file size is about 17 megs. I'll host it for a while, but Comcast may do bad things to me if I exceed whatever limits they put on me.

If you already know your Sceptre has the jitter-bug, don't bother downloading the file in that it is incredibly boring material.

Go to this page (http://home.comcast.net/~traig/), right-click on the link and select "Save Target As..."

The file is actually a *.ts file, but I gave it an mpg extension so it could be played with MediaPlayer. What you SHOULD see in this clip is a smooth pan. What you'll see with the jitter bug is a pan that pauses and restarts at a rate of about 3 times per second. Because the screen is filled primarily with one color, it does not show off the tearing problem.

Just to add one more jitter/chopy 1080p over VGA.
Placed order on 11/23, received today.
I still have Rev 1. and the exact same source looks just fine on it.
I actually went to Costco 4 days after returning my Rev 1 set in hopes I could buy it back, but they unfortunately ship that stuff out the day after they get it.

O.k. I'm a newb at this to the nth degree and will wait for zefres to post his findings, but taking what he posted I did some tweaking. I just watched some of the "Butterfly Effect" and some SD ESPN Soccer, as well as Speed on TNT (SD) and *so far* my picture *seems* smoother. Hopefully it's not Placebo Effect. (I get one HD channel that doesn't go to full power 'til 8PM...so that's out). Anyway, using NVIDIA 81.95 drivers and the DVI input I:

nView Display Settings>Device Settings - Unchecked "Treat as an HDTV Display".

Screen Resolutions/Refresh Rates>Add Custom Resolutions - Typed in 50 for Hertz in the drop down box and selected it.

Advanced Timing>Mode & Timing - Selected 1920x1080@50Hz - P

Flat Panel Scaling - Selected "Fixed Pixel" output.

P

The problem I'm having with the TV/Cable is vertical blue pixelated lines that streak across areas of the screen that are black. I don't know if there's a word for that... The lines show up for a split second and then disapear. They are always in the same places on the screen.

That does sound similiar to the problem I have on my Sceptre 30" but the streaks are horizontal, not vertical. I have eliminated the DVI cable as the source. The only other culprit for my situation could be be videocard itself (or, more likely, the monitor).


Well, I also ran the monitor on my other system, which is an AMD 3500, nForce3, and ATi x800xt and still ran perfect at native resolution via the DVI.

Would it be possible for you to download YNOS's WMVHD Beetle clip and see if there is any jitter/stutter (Beetle... jitter-bug... now I get it ;) )

Would it be possible for you to download YNOS's WMVHD Beetle clip and see if there is any jitter/stutter (Beetle... jitter-bug... now I get it ;) )The Jitterbug was a popular dance from the 1930's. I never made the jitter bug/beetle connection till now. Hmmm...

i can't get the file to play on Windows Media Player. I played the 1080p version of T2 and noticed some minor tearing but no stuttering/jitter so far. Does anyone who has seen the jitter on their setup have an ATI card?

Received my Sceptre today. Don't have DVI out on a computer to check that, but DVI out from the cable box looked ok. Only one dead pixel which bothers me on principle, but which the wife prefers to live with than to drive to Costco and wait in line given the likelihood of any replacement having at least so much if not more.

Question: My "NTSC" input jack doesn't have the threaded male coupling the ATSC jack has (ie, the coax coupling). Instead, there's just a hole in the chassis and, peering through that hole, it looks like some kind of slip-on connector below the level of the case. Is that the way it's supposed to be, or is the threaded male coax connector simply missing from the NTSC input?

Thanks

eBear

ordered mine saturday, got it today! UPS delivered it upside down??? thanks UPS...

Hooked up my HD Cable box over component cable... looked just as good as my Vizio HDe plasma...

Question.. what does a dead pixel look like? there was a spot on my screen that appeared to be a blurry light area...about the size of a pea. wouldn't wipe off so it was definitely something internal.

s2ktaxi, are you running an ATI card?

anyone hear back from Costco on what to do to get the extra rebate?

anyone hear back from Costco on what to do to get the extra rebate?

Not yet. I'll post an update when I hear back.

Received my Sceptre today. Don't have DVI out on a computer to check that, but DVI out from the cable box looked ok. Only one dead pixel which bothers me on principle, but which the wife prefers to live with than to drive to Costco and wait in line given the likelihood of any replacement having at least so much if not more.

Question: My "NTSC" input jack doesn't have the threaded male coupling the ATSC jack has (ie, the coax coupling). Instead, there's just a hole in the chassis and, peering through that hole, it looks like some kind of slip-on connector below the level of the case. Is that the way it's supposed to be, or is the threaded male coax connector simply missing from the NTSC input?

Thanks

eBear

yeah, the connector is missing. u can pull out the atsc one to see what should be at the NTSC one,

Here are the setting I'm using:

PowerMac G5 2.0 dual Ghz
Mac OS 10.4.3
ATI 9650

Interlaced
Pixel clock 71.625 Mhz
V. Active 1920 pixels
V. Front porch 48 pixels
V. Sync width 32 pixels
V. Back porch 80 pixels
V. Scan rate 34.435 kHz
H. Active 1080 lines
H. Front porch 6 lines
H. Sync width 10 lines
H. Back porch 48 lines
H. Scan rate 60.209 Hz

All positive sync

Will post Win2k PC settings later this week.

>>>yeah, the connector is missing. u can pull out the atsc one to see what should >>>>be at the NTSC one,

Thank you! Do I understand that I can just pull the connector off--ie., that it pressure fits?

One other question: The manual states that there is a power switch on the back of the unit (in addition to the power/standby switch underneath that's marked on the front). My unit has an indication in the plasict as to where the power switch should be, but there's no switch. Normal?

>>>yeah, the connector is missing. u can pull out the atsc one to see what should >>>>be at the NTSC one,

Thank you! Do I understand that I can just pull the connector off--ie., that it pressure fits?

One other question: The manual states that there is a power switch on the back of the unit (in addition to the power/standby switch underneath that's marked on the front). My unit has an indication in the plasict as to where the power switch should be, but there's no switch. Normal?
There's no power switch on mine other than the far right button on the bottom.
The antenna inputs do have a pressure fit adaptor on the end. You should be able to easily pull them off and slide them back on.

i can't get the file to play on Windows Media Player. I played the 1080p version of T2 and noticed some minor tearing but no stuttering/jitter so far. Does anyone who has seen the jitter on their setup have an ATI card?Maybe I installed something that allows MediaPlayer to play *.ts files at some point since mine will play it. Either way, if you can play it using other software, you should still see the stutter. I can see it using two other players besides MediaPlayer. I use an ATI x800GTO video card.

This is my first post here, but I've been checking out the site for awhile now. A lot of expertise and experience around here and it's nice to have someplace to get the lowdown on electronics before a big purchase.

I've been going through this thread for the past few days in the hopes of finally deciding on an LCD to buy. I was getting pumped during the first group of pages and then skipped to ones near the end to see what recent posters had to say-- I must say I was a disappointed to hear that a new flaw had be introduced and could feel a definite change in the way this LCD is viewed.

Since I don't have the funds to get multiple HD TVs, I plan to just buy one that does well with what I use the tv for the most (console gaming) following by home theatre. I've also begun to get excited about using a big lcd with my PC, something I had originally dismissed, but am now really hoping to do.

Anyhow, I should get to the subject of this message: In regards to the jitter/tearing issue with this LCD, has anyone been able to try 1080p over DVI from a source other than a computer? Is the consensus that this LCD can't do 1080P smoothly over DVI at all? I'm not a real expert, but from what I've read 1080P output is rare (nonexistant?) for home electronics right now, but will be more available next year... but if they use DVI, will this LCD not be able to handle it well? Also, how does the HDMI connection fare in the rev. 2 compared to the rev. 1, which had problems?

Thank you for your time.

HDTVPump filters allow you to play .TS in media player and most others. In addition in some cases you can rename the .TS to .MPG and Media Center plays it. Sometimes it also allows the slider to work in Media Player where it may not have on the .TS.

The renaming has not worked for everybody that I talked to, but it does on mine.

Has anybody experimented with different MPEG-2 decoders and de-interlacing settings in the drivers? Different drivers as well?

As to the rebate issue, my guess is if you did not purchase between the dates on the Costco website dec. 6 to Jan. 6 you will not get the rebate.

For example during the thanksgiving weekend, we had to buy a different mixer and then proceed directly to return line with same mixer and old receipt to get the additional money off. They said the purchase on the receipt must be shown for those dates so they could get that discount from the manufacturer. Dumb but that is the way they do it.

I've had my set for a couple of days now. I only got it hooked up to my PC last night. I don't have native 1920x1080 working yet (I'm running Linux. The struggle is half the fun, right? Sigh.) But 1024x768 really looks amazingly good considering its a non-native resolution. I'm not going to investigate video jitter from the PC until I get 1920x1080 up and running.

Most of my time on the set thus far has been using the ATSC tuner. Brightly lit content looks pretty good, but I am not very happy with the black levels. I was watching CSI:NY last night (lots of murky scenes) and it was really only barely tolerable. I haven't seen too many other complaints in this thread about black levels. Is the Sceptre pretty typical among LCDs? Are there any settings I can tweak to improve the dark scene viewing experience? All I've done thus far is turn the lamp down which didn't make much difference.

Thanks - J

...Anyhow, I should get to the subject of this message: In regards to the jitter/tearing issue with this LCD, has anyone been able to try 1080p over DVI from a source other than a computer? Is the consensus that this LCD can't do 1080P smoothly over DVI at all? I'm not a real expert, but from what I've read 1080P output is rare (nonexistant?) for home electronics right now, but will be more available next year... but if they use DVI, will this LCD not be able to handle it well?


Sceptre-lcd is using a Lumagen HDP that appears to be able to drive 1080p and sceptre-lcd reports that he does not see jitter on DVI. But, without being able to compare to a reference file (YNOS - Beetle WMVHD clip) it is impossible to say that we are looking for/seeing or not seeing, the same thing.

I received my 37 inch sceptre yesterday and was able to get it work over DVI driven by a Lumagen HDP. I did see some jitter in the beginning and I think still see jitter if i am in HDMI or HDMI/HDCP mode but the DVI mode does not seem to have jitter and is stable.


To my knowledge, mnm222876 is the only user to report NOT seeing jitter/tearing at 1080p via DVI using Ver.2 of the set, but I do not know that he has played the reference clip yet.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but no one who has tested the reference clip on a Ver. 1 set sees the jitter/tearing.

Also, how does the HDMI connection fare in the rev. 2 compared to the rev. 1, which had problems?
To what HDMI problem with Ver. 1 are you referring?

Most of my time on the set thus far has been using the ATSC tuner. Brightly lit content looks pretty good, but I am not very happy with the black levels. I was watching CSI:NY last night (lots of murky scenes) and it was really only barely tolerable. I haven't seen too many other complaints in this thread about black levels. Is the Sceptre pretty typical among LCDs? Are there any settings I can tweak to improve the dark scene viewing experience? All I've done thus far is turn the lamp down which didn't make much difference.

Thanks - J

The short answer is yes. LCDs will have comparatively weak black levels (to CRT and plasma). But, I believe part of our perception is affected by that we are so blown away at how great the display looks with bright HiDef images that we become accustomed to that level of light output.

However, most users report that they are able to dial-in fairly good end results with some time spent calibrating (that and you become used to it ;) ). Search the thread for settings. There are several posts on seeking the perfect brightness/contrast/color levels etc.

Just ordered mine today, had to go with a 1920 x 1020, Westy was not doing it for me (DVI). CostCo rules!! Extended warranty, yeah right!! Let ya now when I get it.

DyeLooper

I'm looking into buying this set and I was all ready to order then I got further along on this thread and may change my mind now.

I will be using the DTV HD and possible OTA as well as an older prog scan dvd player and XBMC. I will be using no sound as I have a DD system. Is this going to be a good fit?

At some point in the future I may look into a HTPC.

I would also like to know what the costco warranty is, I didn't find anything about it online.

dp

Trying to calibrate black level this evening with the DVI output from my nvidia 6600 card connected at 1920x1080p to the HDMI input (selected the DVI option for the HDMI input, since there are three HDMI options: HDMI, HDMI HDCP, and DVI but only the DVI one gives me pixel perfect rendering) I found: Even with the backlight at its lowest AND with the black level at 0, I was seeing black-than-black from the DVE test patterns when played back in TT and in MCE. Solution? Using the nVidia control panel I lowered the desktop brightness from 100% to 96%. This strikes me as a hack, but maybe my only option?


Wait a sec! I figured it...thanks to you guys mentioning that there are 3 HDMI input selections. The DVI selection is breathtaking!!! Unbelievably gorgeous is all I can say. It is so sharp and clear...what was I thinking using the HDMI selection. Thanks guys. I'm in heaven.

That chroma bleeding I noticed before is also gone after I selected the correct input. I've revised my review. This thing is now a certain keeper. Goodbye 200 lb. CRT!


Haha, yeah I did the exact same thing when I got mine... I put it in HDMI mode, and my heart sunk when I saw the picture quality, mainly the cropping around the edges. I think HDMI mode upscales the image by about 50 pixels each direction, then crops back to native size, the scaling being particularly nasty. My panasonic ae700 projector just plain crops all hdmi input by 30 or so pixels on each edge, no option to uncrop... no "dvi" mode like the Sceptre. I'm glad that at least it doesnt scale the image like the sceptre's HDMI mode does.

I'm glad you see the same breathtaking DVI view I do... It's really astounding.

These are posted on page 7 of this thread. Honestly, I haven't been through every single page of this thread. I thought I had the gist of it through about 10 pages, then skipped to the 30s to pick up on the recent info. But here, these guys are talking about the DVI being the best connection and HDMI having "issues", so I wondered if the same remains in rev. 2.


-Harper

Ok, heres my experience, im running amd athlon64 3400 on a dfi lanparty 250 gb motherboard, 1 gb ram, ati radeon 9700 128mb video card - at first i didnt think i had this jitter problem, as my mouse movement seems pretty smooth. i downloaded down 1080p wmv hd clips, and especially in the ones with panning, i notice a slight jitter on dvi, especially more pronounced during panning scenese, when i switch to hdmi/hdcp it seems more fluid. i am wondering if this is the problem we are all documenting. as things are somewhat tough for me to discern as i wonder if its my system which is bogged down and simply that dvi output requires more cpu power?

Harper, those issues occur because PC's (outside of the new radions) dont properly support hdmi yet, so they are outputing dvi and then the monitor is expecting hdmi (which is theoretically the same but there tends to be some support issues), they should not occur with an actual hdmi source (cable box, dvr, blueray/hdvd), though anything is possible.

are you all referencing pixel jitter, especially whites? If so, I had a similar problem, resolved by reinstalling video card drivers.

hdmi and dvi are compatible with each other, the only difference is in color mapping as hdmi has a wider range. i have not had ANY issues running my computer (athlon x2 4200, 7800gtx, asus sli prem, 1.5 terabyte raid) to the sceptre beyond the problems mentioned above.

harper, just to add to jkresh's feedback - The quotes you reference aren't really "issues" with HDMI. They are "issues" because Sceptre uses the same physical input connector for HDMI and for DVI. This is neither good nor bad (assuming the number of connections is sufficent for your needs. BUT, it means that you have to toggle the Sceptre menu settings to reflect how you actually have the unit connected. HDMI-DVI when using a DVI connection (as in a PC) and HDMI or HDMI/HDCP when connecting an HDMI device (cable box, DVD player etc.). When set on the "wrong" option, you get strange results (as the users reported).

The question is what does the menu setting really control and why does it seem to impact the jitter-bug @ 1080p???

YNOS's file played fine in WMP for me, however....I also transferred it to my desktop (P4 3.2, 1 Gig, NVIDIA 5200, VGA to a Sony LCD) and saw the same stutter as I did on my Sceptre. Setting mine to 1920x1080/50Hz (PAL?) is definitely more watchable than 60Hz for me. The panning stutter is there, but you really have to look for it and If I'm not thinking about it, I don't notice it...Tearing is gone. I've decided to keep it. Anyone try zefres' settings? I don't know enough to know if Mac settings would vary that much from Windows settings.



P

Thanks for the responses. That does make it clear for me and it's good to hear the issue was only an incorrect setting. I guess I should have read ALL of the messages in this thread =)


-Harper

Watching DVDs on my Xbox 360 in 480p, I am getting blue streaks all over the screen. Might I need to use a different cable instead of the stock component one, or is the problem with the TV itself?

Edit: I'm pretty sure the problem is with the TV. 720p and 1080i are fine, only 480p has problems. Any idea how to fix it? Did I just get a bad unit, or are all of them like this?

I need some help with the terminology with regards to what the Sceptre can give me for HDTV.

I have Cox cable but no cable box. If I plug in the cable to the ATSC tuner port will the Sceptre search for the digital channels that are provided by Cox? Do I have to split the cable connection and plug the other end into the NTSC port or will one connection into the ATSC give me the non-HD channels as well?

I had a Sony 42A10 RPTV that I returned and I only had to connect it to one port and it gave me the HD channels as well as the analog ones as well.

Just curious because I ain't renting the cable box. The cable TV ripoff artists want you to pay for every little thing and frankly I'm sick of it.

Thanks :)

HD channels over cable need a QAM tuner, the Sceptre is Over The Air only.

P

anyone hear back from Costco on what to do to get the extra rebate?

We ordered ours last week, the wife called and they said they would credit us the extra rebate since it was less than 30 days.

We ordered ours last week, the wife called and they said they would credit us the extra rebate since it was less than 30 days.


Can you please provide the phone number that you've used? I sent an email to CS, but I have not heard back from them.

To my knowledge, mnm222876 is the only user to report NOT seeing jitter/tearing at 1080p via DVI using Ver.2 of the set, but I do not know that he has played the reference clip yet.



I downloaded your clip. Windows Media Player 10 says it doesn't recognize the format but VLC media player played it perfectly smooth.

I'm returning mine anyway. I'll wait for a higher quality manufacturer to come out with a 1920x1080 37" TV. I'll go back to using my Sony 23" 1920x1200.

Can you please provide the phone number that you've used? I sent an email to CS, but I have not heard back from them.

I would also like the phone number, I'm in the exact same situation. Just got the TV yesterday.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. If it didn't have the tearing on 1080p and the blue streaks on 480p, it would be perfect. The one I got has no dead pixels and perfectly even backlighting. For the time being, I plan to overlook the flaws and keep the TV. I won't be using 1080p for a while and although the streaks are VERY noticeable up close, they don't bother me at a normal viewing distance.

The picture quality on this set is superb IMO. The black level is good for an LCD. The only time it becomes bothersome is when watching a movie with dark scenes in a dark room. The colors are outstanding, and ghosting isn't too bad. It's nice to be able to have my 360 set to 1080i without having to deal with the flickering from an interlaced picture. The native 1080i games like COD2, NBA2K6, and Madden look fantastic. PGR3 and Perfect Dark suffer a bit since their resolution isn't that great, however Kameo looks amazing.

I downloaded your clip. Windows Media Player 10 says it doesn't recognize the format but VLC media player played it perfectly smooth.

I'm returning mine anyway. I'll wait for a higher quality manufacturer to come out with a 1920x1080 37" TV. I'll go back to using my Sony 23" 1920x1200.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Not only because you were able to play the clip without jitter/tearing, but because you are the only one who can, yet your returning your set ;)

I am just as confused as before as to whether there might happen to be some units that are inherently able to display full motion 1080p without artifacts, while the rest seem to be unable to. Maybe this explains why Sceptre Tech support was not able to replicate the problem (initially?). Maybe it has nothing to do with the Ver. 2 changes, but rather that certain batches of chips (HDMI 1.1 chipsets?) are not meeting their performance spec.

I occasionally check in on the Westinghouse 37" thread but I do not recall seeing any discussion of a problem similiar to this. But then again, like dead pixels, unless you know what you are looking for, and how to look for it, you may never realize you have the problem. (And then you wish you had never checked!)

mnm222876, is there a specific attribute of this set that you feel is subpar compared to the more mainstream manufacturers, or is it more a general feeling of unease concerning quality (perhaps initiated by this thread)? I know that I bounce back and forth between this set and others (like the Sharps) but then read their threads about bugs/issues, lack of PC support, etc. and wonder; why pay the premium if I have to put up with hassles of one sort or another anyway.

[Edit. For example, check out this thread on the Sharp Aquos 45" LCD and attempts to get the unit to work with it's DVI connection @ 1920x1080. Not only do they have to jump through more hoops than are necessary for the Sceptre 37", but it looks like they have to deal with fine tuning the "judder" issue out as well. Which brings up something mentioned in that thread. Perhaps the HDMI and HDMI-HDCP settings on the Sceptre 37" use 1080i with overscan - this seems to be how the Sharp works and sounds consistent with the Sceptre results. It would theoretically cut in half the bandwidth required, thus some scenes might look better (Beatle pan) but would introduce de-interlacing artifacts and loss of fine detail - similiar to what others have posted. On the Sharp thread, some have suggested running at 50 and 48Hz with 1080p]

[Edit again. Forgot to post thread;
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=609897 ]

I pulled the trigger on this TV on Dec. 4th hoping to take advantage of the $100 coupon, only to have the price drop again on the 6th.

Anyways, yesterdayi called Costco.com Member Service at 800-955-2292, and they refused to credit me because they wouldn't honor a sceptre rebate.

Today, came to the forum and read that someone else got the credit, and decided to call them again. They gave me the rebate no problem, didn't even have to get mad or mention that someone else got it. I guess the trick is to hope that the service rep doesn't realize its a sceptre rebate, and not a costco price drop.

Actually, i didn't even have to get or deal with the rebate, they just recredited my card $100


Little bit worried about this 1080p jitter-bug. Does this happen over VGA as well?

Yes, VGA and DVI exhibit this problem, but I didn't play around too much with VGA. After reading the manual last night, I noticed a couple frequency sync features are available in the VGA options...I didn't try them or know if they help. For me, running at 50Hz makes this a keepable set. Unless you look hard, the stutter is unnoticeble to me. Basketball players were smooth and only the background had some start/stop. There is *no* tearing. I tried to use zefres' settings in NVIDIA's advanced timing section, but couldn't get it right. Admitedly, I'm on XP with a 6600 and not Mac with ATI, so I'll wait for his Win2K post. It's almost there.


P

Argghh. This is becoming even more confusing for me. Even though I do not yet have the Sceptre 37" set, I thought I would download YNOS's reference file (Beetle pan) to have it if/when I get the set so that I could quickly determine if I had the problem. Thinking that I better make sure that is plays OK, I tested it with WMP 9, which wouldn't work. So I downloaded the VLC media player mentioned by mnm222876 and sure enough I get visible jitter/stutter on my Sceptre 30" display. I even backed the screen resolution down several levels and still got the same results. Also got the same results on the VGA connection.

I then downloaded several WMVHD movies (Amazon@1080p and Dolphins@720p - which both contain some panning) and I they looked great - no jitter during the panning shots.

I realize this is not a strictly valid test since my set doesn't support 1080p, but again, the Beetle pan clip showed obvious stutter at even 1024x768, while the WMVHD clips played fine at 1280x786.

I do not know what this means, but has anyone used the JudderTest software mentioned in this thread;
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=318096&page=1&pp=60

"It is useful for fine-tuning your PowerStrip settings to minimize judder and tearing artifacts."

to see if it has some impact. This approach sounds similiar to the posts mentioned earlier where the users lowered the refresh rate to 50Hz or so and saw improvement. Polypro, it looks like it might automate your efforts.

Thanks donsev, I'll give it a shot and report.

P

My set just arrived yesterday. My plan was to connect the Xbox 360 through the VGA port and my HD DVI out cable box to the HDMI port. After some intial confusion over HDCP issues, I got the full 1080p with the out of the box DVI to HDMI cable (whether this is actually true or not I don't know, but that's what the display says) and the HD quality is brillant. SD is ok.

Where I run into problems is the Xbox 360 over the VGA port. When playing DVDs that run 640x480, there is a obvious distortion during action and extreme lighting change scenes (the opening to "The Rundown" for example). I wouldn't call it jittery. Its more like tearing or single line band of distorting going horizontally across the screen. Its very distracting.

When playing games with the Xbox 360 resolution set to 1360 x 768 (highest allowed), the same tearing problem occurs. Interestingly enough, dropping the resolution down to 1280 x 720 seemed to help significantly. Some tearing still occurs, but its barely noticable. I was hoping to save the component inputs for all my other systems, but looks like the VGA port is useless because I don't plan on getting a dedicated DVD player.

Are the X360 default refresh rates a problem for the VGA port? If the X360 could change its refresh rates, do you think it would help?

I haven't tested the X360 over the component yet. Will get to that tonight.

If only the VGA port would behave, this set would be so amazing. The build and image quality for games and HDTV is just amazing.

Chi

Just a quick question. After reading the last dozen or so pages, I think I have it figured out. It seems as though the problem is with the video games and if you use a computer hooked up to the tv. I'm buying this for my parents & all they will have is Comcast HDTV & a DVD player hooked up to this. For these purposes this should be a fine choice, correct?

Drew

Just a quick question. After reading the last dozen or so pages, I think I have it figured out. It seems as though the problem is with the video games and if you use a computer hooked up to the tv. I'm buying this for my parents & all they will have is Comcast HDTV & a DVD player hooked up to this. For these purposes this should be a fine choice, correct?

Drew

werd.

(I just realized that was his name backwards)

Seriously though, no problems here with either STB Digital Cable nor progressive scan DVD player

I have one of the new models and now have it hooked up to my htpc via dvi-hdmi. I was able to see the jitter on various material, including the beetle clip. I also have a MyHD-130 tuner with dvi daughter card. I had it on PBS for a time last night on a program about Troy. I was watching with the MyHD card and noticed jitter while they were panning some ancient scrolls. I switched back to the internal tuner on the set and did not see any jitter. This is even worse than the 1080P problem since the MyHD card outputs directly via dvi when in HD mode, and also outputs at 1080i not 1080P. This would mean that any device using the HDMI connector would suffer the jitter problem, not just computers. I have also noticed streaks of blue dots when trying to use my dvd player at 480P. It would appear that the set has some serious input issues that need to be fixed.

[QUOTE=jtanwanteng]I pulled the trigger on this TV on Dec. 4th hoping to take advantage of the $100 coupon, only to have the price drop again on the 6th.

Today, came to the forum and read that someone else got the credit, and decided to call them again. They gave me the rebate no problem, didn't even have to get mad or mention that someone else got it. I guess the trick is to hope that the service rep doesn't realize its a sceptre rebate, and not a costco price drop.

Actually, i didn't even have to get or deal with the rebate, they just recredited my card $100


I just purchased the set last week because of the $100 off through the 5th - what did you say to them when you got the credit? Did you explain the situation, or just say that you noticed there was now a lower price on the unit?

Definately keep trying Costco at 800-955-2292. The first time I tried, they told me to bring the set back to the store and re-order it. The second time I called they credited my account, no problem.

[QUOTE=jtanwanteng]I pulled the trigger on this TV on Dec. 4th hoping to take advantage of the $100 coupon, only to have the price drop again on the 6th.

Anyways, yesterdayi called Costco.com Member Service at 800-955-2292, and they refused to credit me because they wouldn't honor a sceptre rebate.

Today, came to the forum and read that someone else got the credit, and decided to call them again. They gave me the rebate no problem, didn't even have to get mad or mention that someone else got it. I guess the trick is to hope that the service rep doesn't realize its a sceptre rebate, and not a costco price drop.

Actually, i didn't even have to get or deal with the rebate, they just recredited my card $100
[QUOTE]

Anyone who got this manufacturer rebate credited to them is very lucky. They wont do that for a manufacturer rebate, they have gotten wise to it, I just called them. In fact they said "we just got info this week from the manufacturer that we cannot honor these rebates outside of the dates....sorry". So they probably figured out their errors... darn.

Of course you can always pack it up, return it, and reorder it... what a hassle!

Lee