Well, I've definately confirmed banding issues on my 26hf85. I think I may have figured out why its banding to some extent too... When the image is overscanned passed the limit of the screen, I can still move my mouse all the way to the left of the image it's trying to display, but is overscanned. Once I move my mouse far enough off the left of the image, not the right, just left, There is a huge, noticable band that appears across the screen. I snapped a few pictures.

Edit: This was with the cpu set at native resolution, so the picture was being overscanned quite a bit, like 10-15%

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/1385/cam1320vt.th.jpg (http://img234.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cam1320vt.jpg)

It's not the huge black band, but if you look closer a little further up, you can see it.

It also occured when I played Band Of Brothers, whenever the camera was moving, you could def see noticable black bands moving up and down.
Well, that really sucks, now I'll have to make at least 2 or 3 trips to the city, because my local warranty repair shop is pretty crappy, and they'll say they fixed it, I'll bring it home, they won't have, bring it to FS, argue, ect. ect. Sigh...

Well, I've definately confirmed banding issues on my 26hf85. I think I may have figured out why its banding to some extent too... When the image is overscanned passed the limit of the screen, I can still move my mouse all the way to the left of the image it's trying to display, but is overscanned. Once I move my mouse far enough off the left of the image, not the right, just left, There is a huge, noticable band that appears across the screen. I snapped a few pictures.

Edit: This was with the cpu set at native resolution, so the picture was being overscanned quite a bit, like 10-15%

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/1385/cam1320vt.th.jpg (http://img234.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cam1320vt.jpg)

It's not the huge black band, but if you look closer a little further up, you can see it.

It also occured when I played Band Of Brothers, whenever the camera was moving, you could def see noticable black bands moving up and down.
Well, that really sucks, now I'll have to make at least 2 or 3 trips to the city, because my local warranty repair shop is pretty crappy, and they'll say they fixed it, I'll bring it home, they won't have, bring it to FS, argue, ect. ect. Sigh...
Looks like you got it. Your experience seems to line up with my hypothesis that it had something to do parts of the picture moving into or out of the edges of the frame.

Before I sent my set in for the current repair I tried adjusting the geometry such that it was massively underscanning on the sides (1-2 inches of black showing on the left and right). I was hoping that if it didn't occur then, I'd at least have better information on the source of the problem. Unfortunately, I still saw the issue even in that underscanned configuration. :(
So, however it has to do with the left edge of the image, it appears to be related in some fundamental way, regardless of the geometry of the picture on the tube. That's what lead me to guess it's an error in the digital part of the processing.

Before I sent my set in for the current repair I tried adjusting the geometry such that it was massively underscanning on the sides. I was hoping that if it didn't occur then, I'd at least have better information on the source of the problem. Unfortunately, I still saw the issue even in that underscanned configuration. :(
So, however it has to do with the left edge of the image, it appears to be related in some fundamental way, regardless of the geometry of the picture on the tube. That's what lead me to guess it's an error in the digital part of the processing.I wonder if you guys are aware of yet another problem of the 2005 Toshibas. They have an issue with cutting off some of the left portion of the input signal, on all inputs. In other words they fail to display the first 10 pixels or so starting from the left, of all sources. It gets cut off automatically. Something is wrong with their firmware/programming. Changing overscan settings or even Horizontal Positioning offset does not fix this problem. They will always fail to display a certain amount of info on the extreme left edge of a picture. Perhaps this problem is related to the HDMI banding phenomena.

Also, you guys can check to see that in Normal mode (with 4:3 sidebars) the left side is cut off the most, while in Theater Wide 1 mode there is no cut-off at all on the left. In the other modes (Full, Theater Wide 23) there is a little bit of left side cut-off.

turboregal: try going into the Service Menu (turn TV Volume to zero, then hold down the Volume Down button on the TV set and the "9" button on the remote control at the same time for one second) and adjusting your overscan settings and horizontal positioning settings. They are H.SIZE and H.POS, respectively. Reduce until there is absolutely no overscan and re-center the image far far to the right. Are you able to get rid of the HDMI banding that way? (Don't forget to write down your original settings and change back afterwards).

If all else fails, I propose the following solution for HDMI banding problem. Simply input a signal that has nothing but black on the extreme left side. If there would be some way to filter the output of your signal sources to "window" them slightly and put just enough black on the left side (you don't necessarily have to see this black, as it could be cut off as overscan perhaps) to save the Toshibas, that would be great. But how would we get or create such a device?

I don;t really wanna screw around in the serivce menu, as I'm scared the elec. repair shop will see somethign different and won't honour warranty... I'm sure now that I'm prob not gonna keep this TV, the problem now is trying to find a replacement...

I have 1 week left to decide if I want to return my final 30HF85 as well, so I'm interested in what you decide to do. Like you though, I have no idea what kind of TV I might get as an alternative. I don't require an HDTV. Any good CRT will do.

The Sony 27" HD/SD 4:3 models seem promising, they are one of the few options I have that would fit in the space I have allocated for a TV.

Curse my current unit, it was pretty okay until I used it for 2 weeks then it developed a problem where the bottom 1 inch of my screen is a dark band at all times. The problem moves around slowly from when I turn the set on to after it warms up, so I know it's not burn-in. It's annoying me now, curse Toshiba!! ;)

Ok.... So I ordered the Toshiba 34HF85 from Crutchfield and it arrived 3/31/06. I noticed that there was color bleeding all over the TV from the second day it was hooked up (could have been from the first day, but I did not notice it). Anyway, the only way I describe is this: When I switched to antenna so there was no signal (just "snow") there was a greenish/yellowish tint in each top corner and around the bottom corners were tinted bluish/purpleish. It looked like someone had put a magnet on the screen, but degauzing (spelling?) would not fix it. Even on HD TV you could see the color bleeding, but like I said, the "Snow" was the easiest way to see it. Anyway, I called Crutchfield and they told me to have a tech come out. After 2 minutes of looking at the TV the tech guy said it was a bad tube and to order a new one. He said that most likely it was dropped. Sooo, today my replacement arrived and guess what? SAME PROBLEM, except this time it was worse! Crutchfield has 2 left and is sending me my 3rd.

I called the tech back and he said it is most likely from being dropped during delivery....now call me crazy but could I have received the two most dropped TV's in the warehouse or is this TV just crap? It was delivered from Eagle Freight of Boston....anyone used them before and have problems???

Can anyone suggest a comparable TV for similar money if my 3rd one is broken? Sony makes a 34" but its $1200...too much $$$ for me!!!! I went with a CRT b/c I could not afford LCD/Plasma. Forget DLP, standard TV looks terrible on it. I am very upset and dont know if its bad luck or just a terrible TV.

Please advise!

John

I think what I'm gonna do is just go to costco and get a daytek or viewsonic 26". Their return policy is awesome, so you can return bascially whenever it breaks down, and get a full refund.

He said that most likely it was dropped.

It wasn't dropped, it's the pos tv. My 34hf85 from Crutchfield looked the same, yellowish/bluish tint in the corners. I degaussed it with a wand and it did nothing. Also had all the other problems that have been noted here.

You should have had a drop/tilt meter attached to the outside of the box. Crutchfield uses it on all their large shipments. It turns blue if the box was dropped or tilted out of the ordinary. In addition Eagle does a very good job, they handle all Crutchfield large shipments as well a logistics for a lot of other retailers.

Send that piece of garbage HF85 back to Crutchfield, and take a look at the Toshiba 37hl95 lcd. I must sound like a broken record, but this tv is fantastic. I'm a real happy camper with this puppy. Same dimensions as the 34hf85 except for the depth and weight.

Crutchfield is a great retailer. They will do whatever necessary to make you happy. Good luck!

Interesting info on the 34HF85. I know what you mean, sarmo, "snow" is often a good way to see magnetic discolorations on a set (or white screen). I use the snow method also to check.

Interestingly enough though the 30HF85s don't really have those problems. I've seen them on other brands of TV but not the Toshiba 30 inchers. But I guess the 34" ones get that problem a bit more severely than the 30" ones.

Hmm, a Viewsonic 26" LCD eh? I'd consider that option except...I already have one!!! (parents' set, there are about 10 TVs in this house but all are fairly cheap). The Viewsonic 26" here sucks crap ohwell.

I must say I am once again considering Nonnie's suggestion of an LCD (even though I said last week I don't want LCD, I waver a lot). It'd be nice if I could find a 26" or 32" one that did not cost a fortune and wasn't crap quality like the Viewsonic 26" I have here. I am probably going to go to the TV stores two more times this last week and see. I think I'll probably just end up stuck with my current POS 30HF85 though...it's a 600 dollar big widescreen crap-quality TV for me to watch cartoons on, I guess. :P

Either that or I will say #$#@ this crap with HD and maybe get a 4:3 SD or HD 27" Sony set. Depending on how good the Sony looks I guess, but I've never been that impressed with the Sony's in-store displays either.

It was delivered from Eagle Freight of Boston....anyone used them before and have problems???

Can anyone suggest a comparable TV for similar money if my 3rd one is broken? Sony makes a 34" but its $1200...too much $$$ for me!!!! I went with a CRT b/c I could not afford LCD/Plasma. Forget DLP, standard TV looks terrible on it. I am very upset and dont know if its bad luck or just a terrible TV.

Please advise!

John

Eagle Global, if that's who you're talking about, delivered my Philips refurb, and it was the best-packed, best-handled huge box I've ever seen. TV looked brand-new and has excellent PQ. Philips prices can't be beat.

And I'm hearing you can only get maximum resolution thru HDMI (per company basis that decide to restrict their HD-DVD resolution via component). My point is; if someone reports the infamous HDMI banding with this machine I'm going to go all OFFICE SPACE smack-down on my 34HF85! :)

Ok.... So I ordered the Toshiba 34HF85 from Crutchfield and it arrived 3/31/06. I noticed that there was color bleeding all over the TV from the second day it was hooked up (could have been from the first day, but I did not notice it). Anyway, the only way I describe is this: When I switched to antenna so there was no signal (just "snow") there was a greenish/yellowish tint in each top corner and around the bottom corners were tinted bluish/purpleish. It looked like someone had put a magnet on the screen, but degauzing (spelling?) would not fix it. Even on HD TV you could see the color bleeding, but like I said, the "Snow" was the easiest way to see it. Anyway, I called Crutchfield and they told me to have a tech come out. After 2 minutes of looking at the TV the tech guy said it was a bad tube and to order a new one. He said that most likely it was dropped. Sooo, today my replacement arrived and guess what? SAME PROBLEM, except this time it was worse! Crutchfield has 2 left and is sending me my 3rd.

I called the tech back and he said it is most likely from being dropped during delivery....now call me crazy but could I have received the two most dropped TV's in the warehouse or is this TV just crap? It was delivered from Eagle Freight of Boston....anyone used them before and have problems???

Can anyone suggest a comparable TV for similar money if my 3rd one is broken? Sony makes a 34" but its $1200...too much $$$ for me!!!! I went with a CRT b/c I could not afford LCD/Plasma. Forget DLP, standard TV looks terrible on it. I am very upset and dont know if its bad luck or just a terrible TV.

Please advise!

John
Hmmm, sounds like to me that Orion was rushed producing the Toshiba 34HF85 to end this model. Toshiba 34" is no longer offered at Crutchfield and is now discontinued.

Hmmm, sounds like to me that Orion was rushed producing the Toshiba 34HF85 to end this model.

Or perhaps it's just a damaged unit, Walter. :rolleyes:

It really seems like everyone here wants to call every set in the 85 line defective. Thats just not true.

I had a 30hf85 that worked fine, I returned it only because I wanted a bigger set.

My 34hf85 is being replaced by a fx(no more hf85's left at Crutchfield) because it does have the HDMI flicker and component glow on top and the tube is shifted to the side. I do beleive this could be fixed by a repair visit but I did not want a repair man out for a brand new television. With the STB on 720p the picture looks fantastic and I used Avia to get the geometry near perfect.

Every product has a failure rate and you never hear about the thousands of people who are happy with their sets. They are too busy watching them. Hopefully I will be one of these people when my replacement set gets here. I do think Consumer Reports either got bad sets or are totally off. This would not be the first time. They hate the Dyson vacuums and they are just wrong about them.

Anyone know if there is a lower failure rate with the FX line? I know there's not much difference but Crutchfield made me a deal.

However, If this next set is bad I will be getting the XBR970. I bet I get a bumb one of those too!

Theres a lot of good info here (minus the childish off topic stuff), but some people are too bias and others are catching on to it.

I've been looking into DLPs and LCDs the last couple of days with renewed interest. Right now I'm leaning toward a 32" LCD. If I do go for LCD, I'll probably get an off-brand like Viewsonic or Westinghouse, depending what kind of local prices I can find as I shop around more. At least according to specs, the Viewsonics these days are better than the crappy one I have here, though I'll have to make a judgement by eye before ever buying one. Even though LCDs are expensive and I can't stand the motion-blur, I figure if I eventually get a better TV I can always easily relegate the LCD HDTV to being a PC monitor, that's the best thing.

I'm not quite sure I can squish in a 32" LCD into the space I have for a TV though (height is the problem, with the stand, my room is weird don't ask) so I'll have to play around and see what I can come up with. I couldn't care less about weight/depth in a TV...but height and length restrict me in my bedroom. A 26" LCD is too small, piece of crap. :)

I'm also considering going with a 42" DLP but I'll have to make major bedroom adjustments to accomodate it...no idea how I'd do it, really. They should make 32" DLPs. :)

Porcupine2,
Why is this posted in this thread? It has nothing to do with Toshiba Direct View TV's.
It's not polite to hijack.

Porcupine2,
Why is this posted in this thread? It has nothing to do with Toshiba Direct View TV's.
It's not polite to hijack.

Right on, Ratman. Several of the posts in this thread in the past few days have offered little in the way of constructive fixes, solutions, and services as the title of this thread indicates and have veered into discussing other types of displays that have nothing to do with CRT (direct view) TV's. Kudo's to those of you who are trying to keep the discussion on track and have kept us up to date on your efforts to resolve the problems with your set.

Had this unit since January - no problems whatsoever, until this week. TV suddenly will not power on. Have tried every trick I know, but it won't come on. I've had it connected to a Monster Power - Home Theatre Reference PowerCenter surge protector (no lightning lately either). Tried turning it on by remote & by front panel Power button; tried a regular wall outlet; tried unplugging overnight to cycle - nothing. No menu settings have changed since purchased and we have no kids so have never used any "lock" or "v-chip" settings. The last time it worked, I set the Sleep Timer to one hour, then next morning, nothing. When the front panel power button is pushed, the unit makes the normal "click", the red light comes on, then goes off - no pic starts up or anything. I really hope that this three-month-old TV hasn't died, especially when we aren't even able to move it. When it was delivered by Eagle in January (whole other story), we had to tip the delivery guy to bring it into our house. BTW, we simply have a direct cable TV coaxial connection (no cable box or STB, as many have written about in this forum) that is filtered through the Monster PowerCenter.

Just some random questions, aglennon (I doubt I'll be able to help, still I'm curious).

About how long time in seconds passes between when the red light first comes on, before the set decides to automatically turn itself off again?

Is this time longer when you try to turn the set on cold (off for a while), and shorter when you try to turn it on warm (right after it turns off try to turn it on again)?

Look carefully at your screen when you try to turn your set on. I know you said no image appears, but is there a weird faint flash of light for a moment, or absolutely nothing?

P.S. - I've never tried using the Sleep settings on my 30HF85s. I'm scared of them, especially after reading what you've just posted. :~)

These sets have all sorts of firmware problems. TheaterWide 1 mode does not work on all/most 30HF85's, for starters (no progressive stretch is done).

The red light is only on one second then goes off. There is absolutely no sign of an image during any attempt. Theater 1 is used all the time when we watch NASCAR races :-) Never had a problem before. Otherwise, for normal viewing, we just use Full Screen.

Firmware, huh? lol Where's the input - I'll flash it like a BIOS! hehehe

Thank You,
Alicia

You can try the factory initialization sequence. The set might respond even though it appears to be off.

1. Set volume control to minimum. (front panel)
2. Press both Vol. Down button on the set and Channel button (1) on the remote control for more than 2 seconds.

If you try this and it works, the channel settings and Power On total hours meter will be reset.

I believe you are covered for in home service. According to my warranty page for the 26hf84 and 30hf84 all HD-Ready and HD Integrated tv's are covered for 1 year in-home service. Unless they changed it for the HF85's they should come to your home and fix it or take it back to the shop and return it. You don't have to lift a finger. Call TACP at 1-800-631-3811 to open a case number. They'll set you up with a service center in your area.

Good luck!

"I believe you are covered for in home service. According to my warranty page for the 26hf84 and 30hf84 all HD-Ready and HD Integrated tv's are covered for 1 year in-home service. "

Actually I was just in touch with my local Toshiba authorized service center, and they told me that the 84 series was the last model year that Toshiba will do in-home service on. They told the service center that they deemed the 85 series and up "light" enough to not do in-home, as strange as it seems.

They told the service center that they deemed the 85 series and up "light" enough to not do in-home, as strange as it seems.

What a joke! According to the Toshiba website the 26HF84 is 79 lbs. and the 26HF85 is 79.2 lbs. Try pointing that out to them and see what they say.

Just an update;

I did have a 34HFX85 coming from Crutchfield to replace my faulty 34HF85, but I cancelled that and am now waiting on a Sony XBR 970.

I dont want to roll the dice on another set and I have seen the 970 in action. The picture quality is obviously better.

Bad move Toshiba. Why would you risk a winning product?

Another piece of info on the dark horizontal band/line 1 inch from the bottom of my current set...I recently went back to the same BB I purchased from and noticed their display 30HF85 had the exact same problem. So I guess my set is not alone in this defect, and most likely this problem has affected a small batch of 30HF85. I've never seen it on the other size Toshibas though or on 30HF85s from other stores. Also my own set did not have the problem for the first 2 weeks, so it's possible that only some units from my particular batch would develop this problem.

In any case though, a return and exchange would be pointless as I have noticed that Toshibas from the same store tend to share similar positive and negative characteristics. I'd most likely end up with another unit with the same defect. So I've either gotta keep this set or get something else, and decide within 3 days. :)

BTW also, this particular BB only came into existence half a year ago. So their display model 30HF85 could be from the same November 2005 batch or similar.

I recently went through a hell of returning 4 Toshiba 30HF85s, and ended up with a 5th 30HF85s I got on sale that I'm fairly satisfied with.

Why not try a sixth one?
(.... or a different brand?)

I recently went through a hell of returning 4 Toshiba 30HF85s, and ended up with a 5th 30HF85s I got on sale that I'm fairly satisfied with.

That truly is one of the most idiotic, moronic things I've ever read on this forum.


You know the old saying: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

I guess number four would be sado-masochism and number five would be self-flagellation.

In other words, sheer insanity outright.




Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.



Ijustboughtcrapitis- The disease that makes a person delude themself into believing the crap they just bought is the best because they spent too much on it.



http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7454725#post7454725 post 53

That was one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever seen. I laugh at that. I'm actually laughing in real life.

This is a forum for open discussion, and open minds. Even if some incorrect things are said from time to time, there is no harm in it as long as all the available facts are considered, as we consumers try to eventually figure out the truth.

Please do not attempt to control the content of this forum, or impose what you believe to be true as facts upon others. Also note that in any post where I make a statement which is controversial, I *always* have a disclaimer of sorts, saying exactly where I got my questionable information or beliefs from. But you do not do the same in your posts. You boldly claim that all you believe to be true is undeniable fact, even when you don't have the slightest shred of proof to show for it.

Also, what we are currently discussing is not necessarily off-topic. It is a related topic. The topic creator, Dregan, finds our conversation to be interesting. As the topic creator, Dregan gets to decide what is relevant to his concerns, not you, SurfingMatt27.

You have no qualifications to control the content of this forum. Neither do I. We simply speak as equals in an open forum.

If that isn't some of the most absurd and rank hypocrisy, I don't know what is.

Another piece of info on the dark horizontal band/line 1 inch from the bottom of my current set...I recently went back to the same BB I purchased from and noticed their display 30HF85 had the exact same problem. So I guess my set is not alone in this defect, and most likely this problem has affected a small batch of 30HF85. I've never seen it on the other size Toshibas though or on 30HF85s from other stores. Also my own set did not have the problem for the first 2 weeks, so it's possible that only some units from my particular batch would develop this problem.

In any case though, a return and exchange would be pointless as I have noticed that Toshibas from the same store tend to share similar positive and negative characteristics. I'd most likely end up with another unit with the same defect. So I've either gotta keep this set or get something else, and decide within 3 days. :)

.

Fantastic insight into Toshiba distribution strategy. It looks like you have uncovered their dirty secret. They manufacture batches of TVs for individual stores. You should keep trying Toshiba sets from different stores until you uncover which stores get the good batches. Please post the identity and location of all stores which get the bad lots, and which ones get the good ones. Keep up the good research. WaltChan would be proud of you.

Please post the identity and location of all stores which get the bad lots, and which ones get the good ones. Keep up the good research. WaltChan would be proud of you.
I want to see spreadsheets!!!

Toshiba emailed back & suggested contacting one of their Authorized Service Centers, which I did. The "Key Service Center" first told me to bring it in. I said, "No, that's not what the warranty says." So after giving them the model & serial #'s, they agreed to come to our home. After one hour of various tests on the circuit boards, the tech said the power supply was out. (There was no pic when trying to power on - front panel red light would come on, we'd hear the "click", then the power light would go out.) So three months and it's dead. And the TV was plugged into a Monster Power Center Surge Protector, as was the Cable TV coaxial, so we can rule out any surges.

I emailed Amazon about this TV failure as well.

Thank You All for your help! Alicia

None of us really did anything to help I think. :) Thank *you* for telling us about your problem so the rest of us suffering through Toshiba troubles can gain more info on this set. :)

Toshiba emailed back & suggested contacting one of their Authorized Service Centers, which I did. The "Key Service Center" first told me to bring it in. I said, "No, that's not what the warranty says." So after giving them the model & serial #'s, they agreed to come to our home. After one hour of various tests on the circuit boards, the tech said the power supply was out. (There was no pic when trying to power on - front panel red light would come on, we'd hear the "click", then the power light would go out.) So three months and it's dead. And the TV was plugged into a Monster Power Center Surge Protector, as was the Cable TV coaxial, so we can rule out any surges.

I emailed Amazon about this TV failure as well.

Thank You All for your help! Alicia
The transformer probably blew. Very common problem found in Orion-made TVs.

Does anyone here have the 36hf71, the 4:3 set from about 5 years ago?
My family has this set and ran into overscan issues with the HD cable box and tried to adjust it using the service menu. Now there are bends in the screen that make straight vertical lines look wavy. I tried to fix it but couldn't find a way to fix this or the overscan. Can somebody post their settings to help me find ones close to the factory defaults? Thanks!

Toshiba emailed back & suggested contacting one of their Authorized Service Centers, which I did. The "Key Service Center" first told me to bring it in. I said, "No, that's not what the warranty says." So after giving them the model & serial #'s, they agreed to come to our home. After one hour of various tests on the circuit boards, the tech said the power supply was out. (There was no pic when trying to power on - front panel red light would come on, we'd hear the "click", then the power light would go out.) So three months and it's dead. And the TV was plugged into a Monster Power Center Surge Protector, as was the Cable TV coaxial, so we can rule out any surges.

Thanks for posting your troubles--the same thing started happening to me just tonight, and I have the exact same setup, a 26HF85 attached to Monster surge protector. I turned it off to go downstairs to eat dinner and it hasn't turned back on since. Now what I bought was a Best Buy floor model so I thought I was relatively safe (thinking if something was going to go wrong it already would have) but I guess not. What happens to me is the same thing you describe--red light goes on, there's a click, red light goes off, screen doesn't even flicker. I'm not sure what my warranty situation is since it's a floor model, but since it's the exact same set of symptoms as you've described it's probably the same problem.

Luckily I only bought it two weeks ago. I'm going to leave it unplugged overnight (I tried the factory initialization trick Nonnie suggested too, but to no avail) and if it's still dead I'll just return it.

Oh, and when it did work I had a whole mess of banding issues via the HDMI. Just figured I'd add to the chorus. ;)

Justin

Thanks for posting your troubles--the same thing started happening to me just tonight, and I have the exact same setup, a 26HF85 attached to Monster surge protector. I turned it off to go downstairs to eat dinner and it hasn't turned back on since. Now what I bought was a Best Buy floor model so I thought I was relatively safe (thinking if something was going to go wrong it already would have) but I guess not. What happens to me is the same thing you describe--red light goes on, there's a click, red light goes off, screen doesn't even flicker. I'm not sure what my warranty situation is since it's a floor model, but since it's the exact same set of symptoms as you've described it's probably the same problem.

Luckily I only bought it two weeks ago. I'm going to leave it unplugged overnight (I tried the factory initialization trick Nonnie suggested too, but to no avail) and if it's still dead I'll just return it.

Oh, and when it did work I had a whole mess of banding issues via the HDMI. Just figured I'd add to the chorus. ;)

Justin
Same thing here. The transformer probably blew. Very common problem found in Orion-made TVs.

Even if you bought it as a floor model, you can return it back to Best Buy for a full refund within 30 days.

Same thing here. The transformer probably blew. Very common problem found in Orion-made TVs.

Even if you bought it as a floor model, you can return it back to Best Buy for a full refund within 30 days.

And who would know better than you. Where would we be without your advice. Keep up the good work. WaltChan would be proud of you.

The transformer probably blew. Very common problem found in Orion-made TVs.

such great advice, that you just had to post it twice. Your great Toshiba insight must be shared over and over. Keep up the good work. WaltChan would be proud of you.

can anyone help me with this problem...? for the past few months ive been using an HDMI cable with my toshiba 26HF85 tv to my HD cablevision cable box... and the HD is amazing... but!... on all the 1080i broadcasted channels... the picture seems to have the subtle yet noticeable waves moving up and down the screen (horizontal waves) especially when there is movement... however, when i use the component cables... everything is fine... and i already exchanged my hdmi cable TWO times for TWO different brands... and STILL the same problem occurs... so can someone please tell me how or why this is occurring? could it be the HDMI input? is there any way to fix this problem on my own without first calling the tv company to repair it? and by the way... my cable company said that it is not their problem when they came over since the cable box is compatible with HDMI and my tv... could this b a scan line issue... and if so... is there ne way i can fix or repair it... ??? and also i have this white glow on the very top of the screen when the screen turns black... anyone know how to fix this as well? please respond thanks :)

You are experiencing the two CLASSIC problems with all of our Toshiba TVs; the white glow in 1080i, and the wavy contrasting lines via HDMI. For me, the solution for the former is to simply set your STBox to output 720p as opposed to 1080i. BOOM! No white glow. As for the HDMI issue, as far as I know there is no solution as of yet for that. :(

Hi all...

I bought my 30HF83 in December of 2003, and have been delighted with it since then. No problems out of the box---works like a charm.

I'm on Time-Warner NYC with an SA-8300HD DVR. I am using the "HD ColorStream 1" input as the set does not like the DVI/HDMI connector due to HDCP issues in the 8300HD.

Recently a strange artifact has appeared. I get a speckled, broken white line across almost the entire width of the screen; about a quarter of the way down. It is not on the HD channels, only on SD. It is somewhat intermittent, but lately it stays on all the time. It looks somewhat like VITC -- it changes horizontally...
This happens on material recorded on the DVR as well. No line on the HD shows; line on SD shows.

Here's some of my troubleshooting:

When the TVset is on, and the DVR is off, I still see the line when looking at the ColorStream1 input.
If I disconnect the RGB cables from the 8300, it goes away only when the green is disconnected.

At first I thought -- aha-- it's the cable box, but:

It also happens on the VCR analog input and the DVD input --which is "HDColorStream2."

In fact, it happens on the VCR [which I never use] even when nothing is connected to the set.

I guess the question is: What is wrong with it??
Is it worth fixing?
WHERE do I get it fixed???
The thought of trying to wrestle it to a service center or put it in a box and ship it out (I bought it from Abt Electronics), boggles the mind.

Any and all thoughts are greatly appreciated... post here or reply via email.
Many thanks,
Josiah

Greetings,

I have a Toshiba 27AFX55 TV. It has some severe geometry problems. Can anybody please tell me the service menu code?

The geometry problems I am having are pincushion (other then power supply related/contrast) and over scan.

Can these issues be fixed from the service menu or should I call a technician?

Thank you.

Greetings,

I have a Toshiba 27AFX55 TV. It has some severe geometry problems. Can anybody please tell me the service menu code?

The geometry problems I am having are pincushion (other then power supply related/contrast) and over scan.

Can these issues be fixed from the service menu or should I call a technician?

Thank you.
The service menu is almost similar to the one found in the HF85/HFX85/HF66 series and works for all Orion-made televisions. To enter the service menu, turn the volume down to 0. While holding the volume down button at the front of the TV, press 9 on the remote control for about 2 seconds. Use the channel buttons to change each category and use the volume buttons to change each value. Hope this helps.

Greetings,

Thank you Sir, now that I am in the service menu I have another question:

I need a reference image in order to calibrate my 4:3 CRT Toshiba 27AFX55. What is the best way to get one? I mean one that will affect the TV the least, meaning something not power supply intensive so the image is as normal as possible. I have seen some on the forum but most of them are for HD and 16:9. The ones I am looking for are for over scan and with a grid across the screen for pincushion and other linear adjustments.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Set is Toshiba 26HF84

Original setup.
Cable box Motorola 6412 on ColorStream 1 - Component
DVD Player on on ColorStream 2 - Component

Everything has been working fine for almost a year. Suddenly, video will not sync (scrolling, tearing, 4 overlapping 1/4 size images) when either input is a 480i source. Since it occurs with Cable or DVD, I'm pretty sure it is a TV problem.

When input sources are different formats (1080i, 720p, 480p) picture is good.

As a test, I have tried S-Video inputs - same problem with 480i.
On the composite video, 480i works fine.

It isn't a problem to use 480P on the DVD. And the cable box is usually on 1080i for HD programming. But for 4:3 programs, it is nice to have the 480i because the TV (used to) do a much better job of zoom/stretch than the cable box, and the cable box picture has an overlayed checkerboard pattern of fine blue lines in 480p.

Is this failure to sync at 480i a hardware issue, a setting that was change, a cabling problem? Any ideas?

I will answer my own dumb question: Search the forum before posting!!!

It seems that my issue has been reported before in several Toshiba threads, including

avs-vb/showthread.php?t=617281

that describes the problem in the thread title: "Toshiba 30HFX84 won't accept 480i input over component!!!"

Gizmo, interestingly enough, on the Toshiba 30HF85's I've had, I know the power supply-related geometric distortions are worst on DARK images, and go away on fairly bright images. Super bright, I dunno, it might distort again in the other direction. But anyway, fairly bright/normal bright images are the best thing. Chances are most test-patterns I've noticed (such as the THX Optimizer on the Star Wars DVDs) are too dark and will be affected by ballooning power-supply geometry problems. Like you said, when trying to adjust your TV's geometry it is best to try to use an image of the correct brightness to eliminate the power-supply geometry issues first.

I found that good test-patterns can be scrounged from normal sources if you do some hunting. For example, play a videogame that has some kind of menu that can be pulled up...maybe your cable provider's menu or menu channel, or CNN or ESPN to look at tickers, etc.

DentalGuy, it's interesting that you said your 480i sync problem also existed over S-Video. I had a 30HF85 that was returned earlier (my 1st unit), that had this same problem, however it was only on 480i through component and NOT through S-Video.

I hope my current unit (5th, argh) never develops that problem with age like some of you others have reported. Then again it has developed other problems after 2 weeks of usage (dark horizontal line at bottom of screen which will probably require a repair call) so I bet more problems are in store for me, argh. Curse Toshiba, why couldn't some other company have made a CRT with bottom speakers (besides the Samsung Slimfits, those suck too hehe).

Dentalguy

When my 30hf84 developed the "out of sync" issue on 480i I had it repaired under warranty. The shop never told me what they did, but the same problem started again about 2 months later. I popped the back off the set and it looked like the a/v input board was shorting out against the chassis. I repositioned it and everything worked well for a while. It started to give me a problem again and I completely removed the a/v input board from the set to check it out. Seems there is a daughter board that mounts to the back of the a/v board. Unless the two connectors from the daugther board are firmly seated in the a/v board, the connection is bad and will create a problem eventually. I had to apply considerable pressure to get the two connectors to "click" in place. Put it back together and haven't had a problem since.

Not sure if this will solve your problem. This might have been an assembly line issue where the parts were not properly mated because of a poor fit.

If you are good at DIY you might want to check it out yourself. Good luck!

I've noticed less of the white glow in 1080i modes on the 360 when compared to the PS2 and Xbox's 1080i modes. It's as if the white glow is not there until you really brighten up the TV. I was able to get a perfect black screen.


The white glow disappears on some games like Dead or Alive 4 when you set the brightness to 22 in 1080i mode.

However... The white glow comes out in full force with Call of Duty 2... Errr... I'll stick to 720p with that one...

Hey guys, am new to the forum and in definate need of some help.

I have a Toshiba, model No. 36AF42, I believe it is a 36" flat screen CRT television set. The set is roughly 3 years old and I have run into a bit of a problem and was wondering if you guys could help.

It seems as though my television is having a hard time processing light and bright colors. Whenever an ad or show comes on with a very crisp white background, the TV emits a high pitch whine and the entire picture turns into a jumble of narrow, horizontal bars. However, when the picture is of dark, or "normal" colors, the picture is fine.

What I want to know is... how bad is this? Is this a bite the bullet and let the TV repair guy fix it problem, or is this a scrap the whole Tv and get a new set problem?

Thanks for the help!!!

Hey guys, am new to the forum and in definate need of some help.

I have a Toshiba, model No. 36AF42, I believe it is a 36" flat screen CRT television set. The set is roughly 3 years old and I have run into a bit of a problem and was wondering if you guys could help.

It seems as though my television is having a hard time processing light and bright colors. Whenever an ad or show comes on with a very crisp white background, the TV emits a high pitch whine and the entire picture turns into a jumble of narrow, horizontal bars. However, when the picture is of dark, or "normal" colors, the picture is fine.

What I want to know is... how bad is this? Is this a bite the bullet and let the TV repair guy fix it problem, or is this a scrap the whole Tv and get a new set problem?

Thanks for the help!!!
It sounds like that the power supply is in trouble. It can be easily repaired by a repairman. Expect somewhere between $100 and $150 to fix this problem.

I need some help with my 34HF85. All has worked fine on it running from my Comcast 6412 via DVI to HDMI. Now in the last few weeks I get HDCP errors and the green screen. I went to comcast and got a new box so I could try a straight HDMI -> HDMI connection but no luck, same issue. So then I plugged in my Panny 97 via HDMI and that won't sync at all. So now I think it may be the video board. But I just received a Pixel Magic MEdia Box that has an HMDI connection so I plug that it and it works like a champ. I have Comcast comming tomorrow to take look, like they are going to be able to do anything...

Any thoughts?

I got my tv about a month ago, but haven't been able to try it out till i got home from college which was the other day. I have a 26HF85. I have the glow problem when playing 360 set to 1080i, but I just play in 720p. What I have noticed playing the game is that when I go into darker places then look towards a bright spot like a lamp. The whole screen will go a lot darker. If i move the screen to where the lamp is not in the center then it goes back to normal brightness. It seems like the brightness levels go up and down even when im walking through well lit area. It also has a flashing problem in 1080i realy bad. It also has the brightness problem in 1080i. This all while im playing 360. If someone could help that would be great.

"What I have noticed playing the game is that when I go into darker places then look towards a bright spot like a lamp, the whole screen will go a lot darker."

I've have this same problem with my 30HF84, and I am having a tech come to check it out sometime this month (when I can work out a day), however, I doubt he will be able to do much judging from the experiences of others with this problem.

There is a faint ray of light though. On my set, I noticed that this effect does not happen when I use the "Theater" setting. All other settings exhibit this effect, no matter how low or high you set the brightness and contrast or any combination of the two. You might think that the obvious solution would be to start with the "Theater" settings and adjust them to taste (my X-Box 360 is sometimes too dark in the Theater setting), however, as soon as you make any adjustment, even one not related to the brightness or contrast, like sharpness or color, the effect returns. So what is the problem? It seems that during my investigation of this problem on the web, I found a spread-sheet of Designer Mode settings for a Toshiba RPTV. Now I know that my set was made by Orion, and the 60" RPTV that the spread-sheet is for was made by Toshiba, but there were some interesting settings in there that might translate, however no one seems to know just what is in the HF84 and HF85 model designer menu.

The settings of interest were parameters for something called "automatic brightness control" and another brightness control setting that I can't remember right now. These settings are completely different for all the picture modes: "Theater", "Sports", "Standard" and "News".

I would like to know if anyone has gone into the Designer Mode on these sets and found out just what is in there. It seems that some sort of "automatic brightness" setting is too high for all the other picture modes and the TV is trying to compensate for the changes. This information would be extremely helpful for my service call.

The settings of interest were parameters for something called "automatic brightness control" and another brightness control setting that I can't remember right now. These settings are completely different for all the picture modes "Theater", "Sports", "Standard" and "News".

I would like to know if anyone has gone into the Designer Mode on these sets and found out just what is in there.Wow, that is very interesting. I have not yet experienced those problems under normal viewing (I use the custom mode so I should indeed have that problem) but it is interesting that the Designer Mode menu has more options that could be useful at times.

For this particular problem I suspect it can be dealt with using crafty tricks in the Service Menu. Namely, adjust all the Brightness, Contrast, Color Temp, Sharpness, etc settings in the Service Menu so that 25 the User Menu Default is actually what you want at all times. Then leave your set on in Theater (Movie) mode at all times. :) Still, it's a bit extreme to do all that...

I actually have played with the Designer Mode once long ago but it was very scary and I have never opened it since. Only my 1st Toshiba ever had the Designer Menu opened and played with a little on it. The rest of my Toshibas (many exchanges) I never opened it again.

I did find one weird setting in the Designer Mode menu but it's not really useful. I found an address that changed the brightness of the User Menu itself. Only the menu would change brightness the show itself stayed the same. Funny. :)

I got my unit. It was the second one, though. The first one was damaged in shipping right out of the box.

Anyways, I've got my second one. It rocks pretty hard. No banding, no white glow. A little flicker in 1080i through the DVI-HDMI, but changing my Comcast HD-DVR to 720p totally fixes it.

My issue with the set is........Artifacting.

It seems to artifact the hell out of backgrounds in movies at 1080i on HBOHD or anything else.

XBox looks fantastic, but I don't have a 360 yet. :mad:

Will going into the service menu help with the Artifacting? What can I do?

For the record, Waltchan....

My parents bought the definitely in house Toshiba made 34HF81
and as fantastic as the set is it still has some of the same geometry problems (though very slight) that you say has only started in the outsourced units.

In fact the only quality difference I am seeing between my parents 34HF81 and my set is the Artifacting.

If anyone has some suggestions, let me know.

My parents bought the definitely in house Toshiba made 34HF81 and as fantastic as the set is it still has some of the same geometry problems (though very slight) that you say has only started in the outsourced units.
All CRT tube TVs have some sorts of geometry issues. It doesn't matter what brand the TV is.

> A little flicker in 1080i through the DVI-HDMI, but changing my Comcast HD-DVR to 720p totally fixes it.

I could be wrong but I think this is what is referred to as the HDMI banding problem. Not sure, I haven't used my 30HF85 for HD at all yet, I only have SD.

> It seems to artifact the hell out of backgrounds in movies at 1080i on HBOHD or anything else.

This is the fault of the broadcast stations, not your TV. Blame them. Also, something I've said before, in my opinion digital cable is not what it is cracked up to be. In my opinion the quality can be worse than analog cable, for the SD channels, due to the overly high levels of digital compresion they sometimes use.

> For the record, Waltchan....

Who are you talking to? Supposedly Waltchan was banned from these boards a couple months ago. I guess you could be talking to some user you think is an alias for him, but in that case I think you should use the appropiate name at this point, since Waltchan is supposed to be gone. (By the way, I guarantee I'm not Waltchan, whom I've been accused of being in the past).

> In fact the only quality difference I am seeing between my parents 34HF81 and my set is the Artifacting.

You mean their set doesn't show these "artifacts" but yours does? Hmm, that's odd.

Well, after some menu calibration, this set is now giving me a picture I would put up there with Sony's 34" XBR model that many say is the best CRT reference picture around.

Porcupine - first I owe you a debt of gratitude. I don't remember where, but your hint about turning the contrast down really helped. Essentially I have the contrast down to zero on both my HDMI and component inputs.

I pretty much set everything else down the middle, and turned the contrast down to zero. The range is from Zero to fifty. So I set Color, Brightness, and Sharpness right at 25.

I was using the THX optimizer on the SW DVD's for my component, and I used the same settings on the HDMI, but something didn't look right. I kept tweaking with the Contrast , going by Porcupine's advice but the image while clearer, was a little dark and off compared to my XBox and DVD component picture.

Finally, I put the contrast back down at zero and kicked the Brightness up to 30 from 25 and Boom! Artifacting is down to nill. Colors are crisp. It's not too bright. Bottom line, I cannot get over how clear and sharp my HDMI picture is.

I recorded Batman Begins off of HBO-HD with the Comcast HD-DVR and was using that as my HDMI refrence and eyeballing it. (1080i movies on the premium HD channels just kills regular DVD imho) when I made the small tweaks.

When I got the picture right, my jaw hit the floor.

I have spent some time housesitting for a friend that had a few top of the line Pioneer Elite plasmas (He had them right before 1080p hit. He's pretty wealthy to say the least. Ahh...Good Times)

For the price I paid for this set (right around $600 with shipping) Picture Quality to price ratio, I would put this picture against that Plasma or that Sony XBR CRT and I would feel pretty damn good with myself.

I checked the back of the TV and it was made Oct. 2005 in Thailand. There is no mention of any assembly in the USA.

I did have bad luck with this TV in that the first one I got was damaged in shipping and did not work outm right of the box. But I don't think that was a fault of Orion.

Reading this thread, I was worried. As this was my replacement choice for a Samsung slimfit I bought

(the "79" model. Had EXACTLY the problems people were complaining about here with the 30HF85. Horrible banding and geometery issues. Incredible blooming. And a nice white ghosty line across the top 1/3 of the screen)

Porcupine, I am sorry you went through 5 of these and had a problem with each.

I got mine off of Newegg for $550 plus shipping and it works phenomenaly and flawlessly.

HDMI and Component are perfect. Black levels are fantastic. RGB convergence is pimping.

My XBox looks amazing on it, and to my eye as good as when playing it on the Pioneer Elite (save for the picture size difference of course)

There may be alot of lemon's of this model out there.
Maybe I got lucky?

Maybe some Thai worker put some love and care into my unit I guess?

Maybe they finally got the kinks out by Oct. 2005?

All I know is that if you get a well made unit this is an incredible 30" set for the price.

I am really psyched to get an XBox 360 and give this TV even more of a workout.

I have absolutely no banding whatsoever on my HDMI and no Ghosting or white blooming.

The only thing I noticed was the slightest flicker running my cable HDMI at 1080i

And this was only noticable in TEXT in the "HD-DVR menu settings". (I doubt anyone with an undescerning eye would notice)

Running my Comcast box at 720p instead of 1080i corrected this, fine. (my gut says it's the cablebox and not the Toshiba)

I am not the most discerning videophile out there, but I've spent some time with some way higer end HDTV's, and I went to one of the more recognized film schools and have a pretty solid backgound in production and post production, so I feel my eye is fairly qualified to judge picture quality.

For me, the Toshiba 30HF85 is giving me HD quality images that rival other HDTV's that are much much more expensive.

My only complaint is that it doesn't run a true 720p signal. But no CRT does, correct?
So I can't really bitch. I only want this because I've heard when playing XBox 360 games that are native 720p, when you're HDTV upconverts the signal to 1080i, it cuts your framerate down from 60fps to 30fps.

Anyone know if this is true?

> For the price I paid for this set (right around $600 with shipping) Picture Quality to price ratio, I would put this picture against that Plasma or that Sony XBR CRT and I would feel pretty damn good with myself.

That's how much I paid too, from BB on closeout. I agree that there are many good things about the Toshiba 30HF85 (though there are also many bad things) and in certain areas it is the best out of all the CRT HDTVs out there.

> I checked the back of the TV and it was made Oct. 2005 in Thailand.

Cool! Thanks for confirming that. My very first 30HF85 I think was also made in October 2005 but I never really wrote it down so I had forgotten and wasn't sure I remembered the month right. Back then, my Toshiba fiasco had not yet fully started so I wasn't so paranoid about such things. I only slowly began to realize the importance of the manufacturing date on these units afterwards...

Main problems that my first unit had was the known non-synch on 480i through component problem (so I couldn't use SD through component) and a super wacked-out RGB convergence on the entire right 1/3rd region of the screen. Maybe that TV had other problems too but back then I hadn't yet learned to see all possible TV problems. But that TV was really good in other aspects like image sharpness and it had no Y/C Delay problems through component, like my other TVs did.

My current November 2005 set was pretty good too until it developed this dark line running across the bottom of my set problem, which is really annoying to me now. :(

> Maybe they finally got the kinks out by Oct. 2005?

I think so, but maybe you should check your 480i through component from time to time to see if it still works (when it doesn't, the image bounces up and down crazily at times). :)

And maybe some new kinks came back in for the Nov 2005 sets (that dumb dark line ruining the bottom 1 inch of my set).

> All I know is that if you get a well made unit this is an incredible 30" set for the price.

I agree with that. I'm sad that in 5 whole tries I couldn't get even 1 well-made unit. I felt like it was possible because each set I got had different unrelated bad qualities and it seemed like a properly-made set would have none of those bad qualities and be an excellent HDTV. So I kept trying, but in the end I failed. :(

> I have absolutely no banding whatsoever on my HDMI and no Ghosting or white blooming.

That's great! Maybe my set doesn't have those problems either since it is built later than yours...I won't know until the PS3 comes out so I can get some HD running to this TV.

I am a huge gamer and own all three consoles (it's about the games and not the console brand)

But there is no way I am buying a PS3 at $600. They priced themselves too high (and I understand the cost of the machine is $1000+ because of Blu-Ray but still..)

They did not display any games whatsoever other than Assasins Creed and MGS4 that the XBox 360 games did not match visually.

The fact that Microsoft got Grand Theft Auto exclusivity away from Sony and that they have Halo 3 coming pretty much confirms that I will be buying a 360 and a Wii for the same price as the PS3. I will buy a PS3 later in it's life when they start cutting the price of the console.

Porcupine - Why don't you get a cabe/sat service and get an HD receiver. My Comcast service has HD-DVR's you can rent for $5/month! My box has HDMI output

Guys

I have decided to buy either Toshiba 30HF66 or LG superslim 30".

Based on your problems should I still consider buying the Toshiba?

Based on your problems should I still consider buying the Toshiba?
The last year 2005 Toshiba models were plagued with problems. This year, no one has reported any problems on the 2006 Toshiba HF66s. We'll wait and see.

Hi everyone, I am new to AVS and this forum. I have some questions about my 30hf84 Toshiba, and instead of reading through 28 pages of posts I thought I would post my own questions.

I don't know if I got lucky with my set or what, but I haven't experienced any of the bright white line or the 480i out of sync. The picture over all is quite good. I have noticed some slight geometry problems on the far sides of the picture at the top, but it is very slight.

Now to the questions. I bought this TV at H. H. Gregg Electronics as an open box clearance item. I paid $349 plus tax and picked it up myself. I bought this TV to upgrade to HDTV. I first used an LG OTA tuner w/ upconverting DVD(DVI-HDMI) to get the locals only in HD. It worked great and the Picture was very good. I decided to upgrade to DishNetwork HD and a few weeks before I had them install the Dish my HDMI input quit working. I am not sure what happened. It worked one day and the next day it just quit. What should I do to fix this. Unfortunately the TV was "as is" with no warranty since it was bought "Open Box". (I can't complain for the price I got anyway. )

Are there any DIY fixes for this? If my HDMI board or processor is bad is there a way I can get the parts to fix it myself? Since I didn't pay much for the TV I don't want to spend more than I paid for the TV just to get the HDMI working. The component inputs still work, so currently I am using them.

I am deffinately not a pro-videophile, I am just trying to get the best HDTV bang for my buck so any help you all can give me will be greatly appreciated. Also, I am new to the whole calibration thing. Can anyone suggest a good DVD to tweak the picture on the 30hf84? Thanks again and sorry for the long post.

It's a great set for what you paid. Had mine for a year and a half now, gave it to my son for Xbox 360, he loves it. 30hf84 does not suffer from the "white glow" or the banding. However, it did have problems with 480i going out of sync and the HDMI input quitting. I am sure there is a service bulletin from Toshiba on the HDMI problem.

I had the 480i issue with my set and I fixed it myself. In my case the snap lock connectors for the a/v board were not fully connected and making poor contact.

If you are comfortable repairing it yourself try contacting this guy: http://fixyourowntv.com/

He can get you the parts and he will give you explicit instructions on how to install. He should also be able to get the service bulletin and what needs to be done. It's a lot cheaper than bringing it to a shop, since the labor is provided by you.

You can also find the service manual on Ebay for $8-10. If you can't get it , pm me and I will send you a copy of mine.

Let us know how you make out.

P.S. Digital Video Essentials or Avia will work well for callibration. Can also find on Ebay if you are interested.

I had the 480i issue with my set and I fixed it myself. In my case the snap lock connectors for the a/v board were not fully connected and making poor contact.


He can get you the parts and he will give you explicit instructions on how to install. He should also be able to get the service bulletin and what needs to be done. It's a lot cheaper than bringing it to a shop, since the labor is provided by you.


Let us know how you make out.

P.S. Digital Video Essentials or Avia will work well for callibration. Can also find on Ebay if you are interested.


Nonnie, thanks for the good advice. I am going to take the Back off my TV to check the connections and see if that will help any of the problems. I also contacted the link you gave me to see if he has seen the same problem. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

My first 34HF85C was so far out of focus my 20 year old Mitsubishi had a better picture. The second was slightly better focused but had all the usual problems (white glow, HDMI ghosting etc. etc.) so I sent it off to the repair shop. After almost three weeks, the tech called today to say it is so bad it can not be repaired. Now I'm waiting for Toshiba to let me know what they plan to do about it. I'm curious if anyone has actually had one of these lumps repaired successfuly?

I got ahold of the tech again this afternoon to get an update on my repair.

He said that he's still waiting for the replacement hardware part from Toshiba. Initially they'd given him an ETA of a few weeks, but then extended it. Apparently they're feeling the pain from the many sets that are afflicted with these issues, and the supply of spare components was put under a lot of strain.

Hopefully that will teach them not to let the quality bar drop so low. Short term margin gains, yes, but then it'll come back and bite ya in the arse when the warranty service calls stack up. :rolleyes:

The tech said my 30HFX85 set and another currently in the shop would get priority as soon as he had the new boards. They've got another two Toshibas coming in as well (total of four needing this fix).

At least Toshiba is honoring their warranty. Still, it sucks to have been without my set for so long now.

Hmm, your guys' cases don't sound too optimistic. Toshiba really is like a criminal company. In my case, I called a tech out to take a look at my dark horizontal line issue, but in the end I was told by Toshiba that they had decided not to honor their warranty for my problem.

That forced me to attempt to take some very minor legal action against Toshiba for this unlawful treatment, so I don't want to say too much more. I'll be happy if I can get a refund for this set, in which case I'll have to go with an LCD next time. I still think CRTs are the best technology but all the non-Toshiba brands are just too wide and bulky for my tastes.

Maybe Toshiba deserves to have some kind of class-action lawsuit filed against them.

You might want to look into Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

but in the end I was told by Toshiba that they had decided not to honor their warranty for my problem.
What do you mean by that? Since when can a company refuse to honor it's warranty?

Did you tell them you messed with the service menu?

They probably figured it out after he fouled up the 4 others that he returned.

Thanks for the link, String216, it was pretty helpful for me to read.

Sorry for not providing more details on the matter, but I feel like once things start reaching a pseudo-legal or pseudo-formal state between me and the companies involved, it's better not to blab too much until things are resolved.

I got ahold of the tech again this afternoon to get an update on my repair.

He said that he's still waiting for the replacement hardware part from Toshiba. Initially they'd given him an ETA of a few weeks, but then extended it. Apparently they're feeling the pain from the many sets that are afflicted with these issues, and the supply of spare components was put under a lot of strain.

Hopefully that will teach them not to let the quality bar drop so low. Short term margin gains, yes, but then it'll come back and bite ya in the arse when the warranty service calls stack up. :rolleyes:

The tech said my 30HFX85 set and another currently in the shop would get priority as soon as he had the new boards. They've got another two Toshibas coming in as well (total of four needing this fix).

At least Toshiba is honoring their warranty. Still, it sucks to have been without my set for so long now.

Thanks for the continuing updates, spurdy and also cwrench. Really appreciate your efforts to keep us informed and, spurdy, hope your patience is rewarded.

Everybody needs to be very patient if you are having your Toshiba fixed right now. Toshiba orders all the replacement parts from Orion, and the parts take several weeks of shipment (long shipping distance from Thailand).

If the TV was made by Toshiba in the first place, normally, it only takes one or two days to get the part.

Everybody needs to be very patient if you are having your Toshiba fixed right now. Toshiba orders all the replacement parts from Orion, and the parts take several weeks of shipment (long shipping distance from Thailand).

If the TV was made by Toshiba in the first place, normally, it only takes one or two days to get the part.

I noticed your recent post on the HD-DVD forum that you have had problems with eleven Toshiba-Orion products in the past year. That would certainly qualify you to advise others on the patience required. I asked on the HD-DVD post for specifics on the case history of each of the eleven products which you had problems with, in order to allow others to avoid similar bad purchases. Thanks in advance for all the information I expect you will provide.

I traded in my Insignia 30" for the comprable Toshiba 30HF66 that is HDMI capable. I don't have an HD reciever yet, so I wasn't planning on seeing anything spectacular PQ wise. However, when it's set to 4:3 I get -massive- bowing on both sides. Is this something that can be corrected via the SM or should I just call a tech out to take a look at it?

I can tell you that this is correctable in the SM on the 30HF85 because I had the same problem when I got mine. Unfortunately I don't remember exactly what the function was labeled. Should not be hard to determine through trial and error or maybe someone with a better working knowledge of the menus can chime in. Look for H?? and adjust up or down, just make a note of the initial setting so you can restore it if it is the wrong one. This is very content dependent due to the marginal pwr sply in my set, the bright images will cause the sides to collapse. Yours may be better.

I bought a 30HF85 a couple weeks ago for around $500 from HH Gregg. I had an extra room to fill after moving and was looking for a decent SD set, but the price of the Toshiba seemed too good to pass up. It seems a little quirky so far. PQ is decent (HD is definitely not as good as the 57H84 I have elsewhere in the house) but it's passable for a secondary TV.

Any help or comments would be appreciated on any of the following little problems:

1. The reds are bleeding! Turning down the color intensity just makes the rest of the picture dull. Not sure if this is just a red problem, but red, green, and blue appear not to be aligned properly. I assume this can only be corrected in the service menu.

2. I get odd flicker from certain 1080i sources. And no, this is not simply the nature of 1080i. My DirecTV H20 can't output 1080i to this set without producing annoying flicker. Right now I have it set to 720p, which solves the problem but also costs me detail. I can't tell yet whether this is a problem with the TV itself or with the H20 box. Sometimes switching from the H20 straight to my Xbox 360 causes the 360 picture to flicker also, but strangely enough, turning the TV off and then back on eliminates the problem.

3. I see slight picture stretching even when aspect ratio is locked on a 1080i source. This is most obvious with screen crawlers like ESPN's. Moving from right to left, the text looks squished initially, then an inch into the screen it looks slightly bloated, and then after that it's the proper size until reaching the same locations on the opposite side of the screen. Very subtle, and for $500 I wouldn't be sad if this was just a by-product of a lower quality TV, but still annoying if you know it's there.

Got my HD receiver hooked up today, and I'm not as impressed as I was hoping for. It looks like the edges, top, and bottom of the screen have been cut off somehow. No idea what the term for that is. Also, I'm hooked up through HDMI and I've noticed a flickering blue band that appears along the top of the screen when it displays bright backgrounds. Any known fixes for these?

Got my HD receiver hooked up today, and I'm not as impressed as I was hoping for. It looks like the edges, top, and bottom of the screen have been cut off somehow. No idea what the term for that is. Also, I'm hooked up through HDMI and I've noticed a flickering blue band that appears along the top of the screen when it displays bright backgrounds. Any known fixes for these?
What? I thought that problem was already fixed. Don't tell me that Orion still hasn't fixed this problem for three years.

Would anyone happen to have the default service menu settings for the 26hf85/26hf15 model? A friend of mine claims to be a TV guru of sorts, and told me that changing the service menu settings would fix the overscan problems of my CRT. Low and behold, he tinkered around with it so much that he did more harm than good, and I just want my old settings back for now. I found this forum recently and I decided to register in hopes that one of you guys could give me a hand. My TV is actually the 26HF15 model, but I'm sure that the 85 version has the same settings. So if any of you guys with either of these TV's can go into your service menu and give me the settings, I would REALLY appreciate it.

Just thought I'd throw an update on my 34HF85 that I bought from amazon.com around the time when it first came out. I guess I've been lucky with this set so far because it produces an excellent picture on HD channels via HDMI. I'm running the resolution at 480p because the picture at 720p or 1080i is dark and blurey no matter what adjustments I make. Kind of frusterating, but the picture looks great at 480p. However, I've recently noticed faint dark shadow like bands running up and down the screen, sometimes even making a circular shape, usually in one bright color setting like a blue sky or a green football field. I usually just ignore it because it's not totally noticable, but still frusterating. Anyways, this set has preformed well, but I'd like to upgrade to something bigger and better one of these days or just have it calibrated..

Can someone tell me how to get to the service menu on my 26HF85?

For my 30HF66 you hold down the volume button on the set until it reaches zero for about ten seconds while holding 9 on the remote.

Just thought I'd throw an update on my 34HF85 that I bought from amazon.com around the time when it first came out. I guess I've been lucky with this set so far because it produces an excellent picture on HD channels via HDMI. I'm running the resolution at 480p because the picture at 720p or 1080i is dark and blurey no matter what adjustments I make. Kind of frusterating, but the picture looks great at 480p. However, I've recently noticed faint dark shadow like bands running up and down the screen, sometimes even making a circular shape, usually in one bright color setting like a blue sky or a green football field. I usually just ignore it because it's not totally noticable, but still frusterating. Anyways, this set has preformed well, but I'd like to upgrade to something bigger and better one of these days or just have it calibrated..

How can you say it has an excellent HD picture when it wont even show 720p or 1080i correctly? Stop lieing to yourself, you got one of the crappy ones. Sorry.

For my 30HF66 you hold down the volume button on the set until it reaches zero for about ten seconds while holding 9 on the remote.
Actually about two seconds.

Can someone tell me how to get to the service menu on my 26HF85?

Hey, once you get into the service menu, can you write down the default values and post them here? :eek:

After using the THX optimizer on one of my DVDs, I discovered a couple new issues with my 30HF66.

1) No matter what I do, I won't be able to get perfect geometry on it. I've spent literally hours in the SM tweaking every screen adjustment and I'm having to settle for good enough.
2) I've got a vertical white glow along the extreme right edge
3) There's a nearly transparent bar running across the top of the screen. The best way I could describe it would be as a zone of high contrast/low brightness.

I heard there weren't very many issues with this run of set, and while I think I can live with them, there's no reason other people should go in blind to them.

1. The reds are bleeding! Turning down the color intensity just makes the rest of the picture dull. Not sure if this is just a red problem, but red, green, and blue appear not to be aligned properly. I assume this can only be corrected in the service menu.

3. I see slight picture stretching even when aspect ratio is locked on a 1080i source. This is most obvious with screen crawlers like ESPN's. Moving from right to left, the text looks squished initially, then an inch into the screen it looks slightly bloated, and then after that it's the proper size until reaching the same locations on the opposite side of the screen. Very subtle, and for $500 I wouldn't be sad if this was just a by-product of a lower quality TV, but still annoying if you know it's there.For issue 1, you need to troubleshoot more to determine exactly what is the nature of this problem. It could be either of: 1) true red bleed, 2) RGB convergence problems 3) Y/C delay problems. For now, first display a black and white image, or turn the Color down to zero to make it black and white. Do you still see this "red bleed"? If you do, then the main culprit is either RGB convergence problems or true red bleed. Next, turn Contrast down to zero and maybe Brightness down a couple notches. If you still see the "red bleed" then the problem is with RGB convergence. If the "red bleed" went away then the problem really was true red bleed.

If the problems only appear noticecably on Colored images then it's Y/C Delay, not red bleed.

For issue 3), that's a common geometry problem. It varies from Toshiba unit to unit within the same model and is an issue of quality control. It's not a design flaw. Aspect ratio inconsistencies are one category of geometry problem, it's not only about straight vertical and horizontal lines. There's no way to fix it, your set is stuck that way when it was built with inferior quality control standards! :( Service Menu will not help in the slightest.

1) No matter what I do, I won't be able to get perfect geometry on it. I've spent literally hours in the SM tweaking every screen adjustment and I'm having to settle for good enough.
2) I've got a vertical white glow along the extreme right edge
3) There's a nearly transparent bar running across the top of the screen. The best way I could describe it would be as a zone of high contrast/low brightness.

I heard there weren't very many issues with this run of set, and while I think I can live with them, there's no reason other people should go in blind to them.Yeah, it's good that people post their problems so other people become aware. The Service Menu can't do much to fix most geometry problems, that's how all CRTs are. And most of the Toshiba geometry problems are quality control related, not design-related, so they vary wildly from set to set. On a positive note, the Toshibas still tend to on average have better geometry than most other HD CRT brands.

Can you cut off the white glow along the right edge by re-centering your screen image and/or increasing the amount of overscan in the Service Menu?

Similarly, for the bar the top of the screen...maybe if it is not too big you can get rid of it in the Service Menu? Also for that problem try experimenting with the V POSI option, it'll be one of the earlier options if it is the same as on the 30HF85. The V POSI option is not so good to experiment with though...you'll probably see what I mean. But you might wanna try it anyway, you can always change it back after you see what it does. :)

For issue 1, you need to troubleshoot more to determine exactly what is the nature of this problem. It could be either of: 1) true red bleed, 2) RGB convergence problems 3) Y/C delay problems. For now, first display a black and white image, or turn the Color down to zero to make it black and white. Do you still see this "red bleed"? If you do, then the main culprit is either RGB convergence problems or true red bleed. Next, turn Contrast down to zero and maybe Brightness down a couple notches. If you still see the "red bleed" then the problem is with RGB convergence. If the "red bleed" went away then the problem really was true red bleed.

If the problems only appear noticecably on Colored images then it's Y/C Delay, not red bleed.

For issue 3), that's a common geometry problem. It varies from Toshiba unit to unit within the same model and is an issue of quality control. It's not a design flaw. Aspect ratio inconsistencies are one category of geometry problem, it's not only about straight vertical and horizontal lines. There's no way to fix it, your set is stuck that way when it was built with inferior quality control standards! :( Service Menu will not help in the slightest.

Thanks, I'll check this out when I get a chance. I'm leading toward this being a convergence problem, but there are also times when it seems that just the red is shifted.

How can you say it has an excellent HD picture when it wont even show 720p or 1080i correctly? Stop lieing to yourself, you got one of the crappy ones. Sorry.

Because I've compared it to other other HD sets, such as a Sony 34", and the picture quality was just slightly better on a Sony. And I've had friends come over and say, "Oh I've seen HD on a DLP, but not this clear." So to the casual viewer it looks like some amazing HD. Like I said it's not perfect compared to other sets.. But when you just assume the picture quality sucks because your receivers' setting is on 480p, then you'd be lieing to yourself. And how can I have one of the crappy ones when apparently all of them are manufactered the same crappy way. Is your set one of the good ones?

When I first talked to Toshiba about the chances of repair they told me no problem, they'd replace the entire chassis if nesessary. After three weeks of diagnosis they concluded they probably could have fixed the glow and banding by replacing the digital processing board BUT the tube was so far out of focus they couldn't bring it to within spec and there are no replacement picture tubes available. Therefore even a chassis swap wasn't enough. They tell me they intend to refund my money but I'll have to wait another 6 to 8 weeks. In the meantime I purchased a Panasonic TC32LX600 and what a difference! Even before the Avia set-up, once I toned down the "vivid" picture etc. everyone in the family was impressed. When I finished with the Avia set-up all the adjustments ended up "0" and the picture is truly amazing. I'm talking LCD here! I never would have believed you could get a picture of that quality from an LCD. Now if only the cheque would arrive from Toshiba.

When I first talked to Toshiba about the chances of repair they told me no problem, they'd replace the entire chassis if nesessary. After three weeks of diagnosis they concluded they probably could have fixed the glow and banding by replacing the digital processing board BUT the tube was so far out of focus they couldn't bring it to within spec and there are no replacement picture tubes available. Therefore even a chassis swap wasn't enough. They tell me they intend to refund my money but I'll have to wait another 6 to 8 weeks. In the meantime I purchased a Panasonic TC32LX600 and what a difference! Even before the Avia set-up, once I toned down the "vivid" picture etc. everyone in the family was impressed. When I finished with the Avia set-up all the adjustments ended up "0" and the picture is truly amazing. I'm talking LCD here! I never would have believed you could get a picture of that quality from an LCD. Now if only the cheque would arrive from Toshiba.

cwrench - Good for you and hopefully your refund check will arrive soon. It's unfortunate that Toshiba put so many of these defective sets out there and is now unable to muster up the needed replacement parts to fix them. I am sure many others will be purchasing from Toshiba's competitors when they replace their sets. Glad that you are happy with the Panasonic replacement.

Brief Review:

I just bought a 34HF85 mostly because it was the right size and price and I'm not a fan of LCDs (my place is a loft with a lot of floor to ceiling windows which makes me view in high light).

A couple notes: The factory settings are just terrible! With some fiddling I have a very nice HD picture without the white blooming and strange colors. I ordered Digital Video Essentials so I can get the most from this picture.

My main problem now is that some regular TV looks pretty crappy with my settings. It is very annoying that I can't have two custom sets, given the factory defaults are so off. I especially want sharpness up way further when watching SD sports. The other two problems are a orange-push on some channels and odd blurring on others.

As far as my untrained eye goes the geometry seems good.

Overall, I'd give the TV a C+ which is a bit disappointing, given I thought I was buying a B+. At least my HD and dvd and games look pretty damn fine.

I have a toshiba 26hf85 tv, and I have been playing xbox 360 via component on it and it looks pretty good. The problem I have is that my ps2 is connected via s-video and when I play the ps2 the picture is off center and moved to the right leaving a large black area on the left side of the screen. The thing is my xbox 360 had a perfectly center picture. So, I went into the sm to move the picture over while playing ps2 and it messed up my xbox 360 picture. No matter what I do to change the picture one is messed up and the other is perfect. Any fix to this problem. My other component connection is being used for hdtv, so it's impracticle to buy component cables for ps2 and unplug them everytime I want to use something else. Plus would component ps2 cables solve my problem?

Because I've compared it to other other HD sets, such as a Sony 34", and the picture quality was just slightly better on a Sony. And I've had friends come over and say, "Oh I've seen HD on a DLP, but not this clear." So to the casual viewer it looks like some amazing HD. Like I said it's not perfect compared to other sets.. But when you just assume the picture quality sucks because your receivers' setting is on 480p, then you'd be lieing to yourself. And how can I have one of the crappy ones when apparently all of them are manufactered the same crappy way. Is your set one of the good ones?

480p is not HD. If it cannot show 720p or 1080i properly then it is crap.

The quality of the Sony picture is more than slightly better.

Yes mine was crappy, both of them. I got a Sony XBR970 instead. It is far superior in every catagory. There are none of the anomolies of the Toshibas. I do not have to turn off 720p or 1080i on my STB. That is why I am telling you that you are lieing to yourself if you are are watching 480p and calling it good HD viewing because your set will not display 1080i.

Take it back while you can and bite the bullet. You will be happy you did.

I have a toshiba 26hf85 tv, and I have been playing xbox 360 via component on it and it looks pretty good. The problem I have is that my ps2 is connected via s-video and when I play the ps2 the picture is off center and moved to the right leaving a large black area on the left side of the screen. The thing is my xbox 360 had a perfectly center picture. So, I went into the sm to move the picture over while playing ps2 and it messed up my xbox 360 picture. No matter what I do to change the picture one is messed up and the other is perfect. Any fix to this problem. My other component connection is being used for hdtv, so it's impracticle to buy component cables for ps2 and unplug them everytime I want to use something else. Plus would component ps2 cables solve my problem?

Unfortunately, you may have changed the screen settings in the FULL picture mode, which changes the screen settings across all of the picture size options on your TV.

By the way, you and I have the same kind of TV. Would you mind going into the service menu and writing down your default color values for your TV and post them here for me? I've been trying to find the defaults, but can't, so I need someone's help who has my TV.

Unfortunately, you may have changed the screen settings in the FULL picture mode, which changes the screen settings across all of the picture size options on your TV.


So how do I fix this then? I will write down my settings next time I use the tv.

Plus would component ps2 cables solve my problem?I believe it actually would. One problem with these sets (I have a 30HF85) that I noticed is that the component video inputs are horizontally centered significantly differently than the composite/S-Video inputs. Either one or the other will be off. I discovered this using my DVD player and comparing the image using S-Video and component.

It's also true that in the Service Menu you can adjust the horizontal centering for the different screen modes separately. So you can adjust the horizontal centering on FULL screen, NORMAL screen, TheaterWide1, 2, and 3 separately. Unfortunately you cannot adjust the component and composite video inputs separately, so in any one given screen mode one or the other will be off.

So you have two possible solutions: 1) buy component cable for your PS2, 2) perhaps you can always play your XBox 360 in Fullscreen mode (since it is HD anyway) while you play your PS2 in Normal mode with 4:3 sidebars, and adjust the horizontal centering for those two modes separately in the Service Menu. I'm not sure this will work though. Does the HD mode count as "Full" or "Normal"? I don't use HD on my own TV yet.

Unfortunately, you may have changed the screen settings in the FULL picture mode, which changes the screen settings across all of the picture size options on your TV.I believe these Toshibas always come with preset identical geometry (including this horizontal centering) settings for all screen modes. If you want to adjust them separately that's a nice bonus tweak you can do yourself.

That's not true for the SM settings that are affected by the video input mode though. Those do come with preset different settings and indeed it is possible to undesirably overwrite and lose settings if you adjust the wrong mode (adjusting the "lower" number video inputs always override the later ones...Video 1 overwrites ColorStream HD and HDMI, etc).

I guess maybe later on I will give you the Service Menu settings for my various Toshiba 30HF85 TVs. I have the default settings for two different sets. I never change these settings because I am not picky about color temp but I wrote them down anyway. The color settings are different though because it varies from set to set so they may not be perfect for your own set. Then again I don't know if the settings are calibrated that carefully by Toshiba to begin with anyway.

You are looking for the color temperature settings right? The "middle range" of options in the Service Menu? (R Gain, B Gain, R/B Drive, etc)

You are looking for the color temperature settings right? The "middle range" of options in the Service Menu? (R Gain, B Gain, R/B Drive, etc)


If possible, all of them, including the cool warm sets. I tried using the settings of someone with a 34hf15 I think, and those were off, and I'm wondering whether I can even use the settings for the 30hf15.

And to the person with the 26HF85, hold the vol button on your TV down when it's at zero, and hold 9 on your remote to get into the service menu. You can tweak your screen settings there, but if you do that, I'd like to know if you can post all of your settings here.

I have the Toshiba 26HF85C (I believe C means canadian since Im in BC). Upon entering the service menu, I noticed that when I changed the H-Size, V-Size and H-Pos settings they did absolutely nothing. It seems that any changes I make in regards to these settings don't actually get applied. Am I doing something wrong or are the changes SO subtle I won't notice them?
I hit volume down + 9 on remote, to save settings I hit remote and turn off / on the TV.
Also whatever settings is number 01 in the service menu, when I select it the screen almost turns off and a very bright light in the center with an extremely thin line of light appears. Option 02 returns the TV to normal state.

It seems that to make changes to the H-size, V-size, and H-pos, you have to set the picture size to "full" then enter the service menu and do your adjustments. It seems changes in the "full" mode affects all other picture modes, so you have to be careful in how much you tweak theses settings, because it may look fine in full, but not as much in say "theater 1".

You can adjust H Size, V Size, and H Pos in any of the screen modes, it doesn't have to be while the TV is in "Full" mode. If you adjust those settings while in the other modes, only those other modes are affected so that's a good thing.

leviathan, that sounds weird. I do not think that's how it should be. I don't know the reason though. Maybe the "C" canadian versions are different?

Has anyone gotten around to jotting down their color values for their 26hf85's or the other one from Porcupine?

Has anyone noticed bands that seem to form on screen sometimes?

For instance when I play Call of Duty 2 on my 26hf85, when you look in the scope a band forms across the screen when you move the scope up. The same thing happens when you switch weapons in Halo 2.

Just wondering if there are any fixes for this and if anyone else has the problem?

How do I fix black crush in the service menu of 26hf85. My blacks are to dark when playing xbox 360. Also what is the exact resolution for my set. It seems that not everything makes it onto the screen when watching dvds or playing video games what should I do about that or is it because the screen size is only 26in.

If you think your blacks are too dark increase the Brightness in the User Menu and/or Service Menu. Also, the SUB CONT setting that can only be found in the Service Menu is good too, try that one (increase SUB CONT, and also perhaps simultaneously decrease regular Contrast either in Service Menu or User Menu).

SUB CONT is like gamma correction, it's very useful for removing black crush. Brightness works best for black crush but if you set it too high then even pitch black won't look black anymore. SUB CONT addresses black crush without that same drawback.

Things getting cut off your screen are called overscan issues. They can be easily fixed with the parameters H SIZE and V SIZE in the Service Menu.

One last note, when adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and SUB CONT while in the Service Menu make sure your XBox 360 is currently on-screen. That way changing these settings in the Service Menu will only affect the XBox 360 and may not affect your DVDs and other things (if you want to affect those too then use the Service Menu while those are active).

Also though try to make sure it's really the TV's fault before doing all this. It may be the XBox 360's fault or the particular game's fault. If that's the case I don't recommend changing your TV's settings. If your DVDs and things look fine you may want to reconsider putting your blame on the TV.

DVD's look great there is no black crush that I can notice. But I tried changing the h position and nothing works to get it to fit on the screen. I even tried changing h size. The horizontal picture is the only one with "overscan ". Verticle is fine. For the 360 I turned up the brightness in the regular menu and it works but the screen doesn't look as sharp, it has the bright haze to it. It's only in dark parts of games and it happens on more then one game.

Does anyone have default values for a 30HF66? They would be greatly appreciated.

Hi how is this TV for under 600$?

Compare Now
Toshiba - TheaterWide 30" Widescreen Flat-Tube HDTV 30HF66
1080i resolution; HDMI input; 16:9 aspect ratio; progressive scanning
Free Shipping on Accessories Offer
10% Off Bose Speaker System Offer
Free Shipping
Our Price: $599.99

this is from best buy.

Question concerning the 34hf85 of Toshiba?

I have the horizontal black lines problems when my television set is connected in HDMI with my HD receiver (Pace551, scienific atlanta) hd chanel 1080i only like Discovery HD. I don't have horizontal black lines problem when i connect my upscaling Philips DVP 5960 in HDMI. My Philips is set to 1080i. You know if I will have the problems of horizontal black lines when I would connect with a true HD DVD, not a dvd upscaling, has my television set in hdmi ? If the PQ is perfect, no horizontal black lines - banding problems - shadowing effect or black bars running horizontally across the screen between my television set and hd-DVD in HDMI, that would like to say that the problem would come from my HD receiver ?

Another question:

can you say to me if this person has good equipment to make a good calibration. Because it is really not expensive like price.


Here what there is of writing on Internet site of the person who calible television,
I can't copy/paste the URL adress because I did not write enough message on this forum.


------
Videocal is ISF certified and has the knowledge and equipment to properly calibrate all types of direct view televisions, rear projection TVs or front projectors.

Videocal uses a state-of-the-art Colorfacts 6500 with both a GretagMacBeth Spectroradiometer and a Tristimulus Colorimeter. With both these items we are able to calibrate all types of devices: Direct view CRT, rear Projection CRT, Plasma, LCD, DLP and front projectors and provide a full before and after calibration report.

The cost for a complete calibration is only $150.00, so don’t wait, a fully calibrated set is a wonderful thing to watch!
-----------

TThhaannkkss
ROD

480p is not HD. If it cannot show 720p or 1080i properly then it is crap.

The quality of the Sony picture is more than slightly better.

Yes mine was crappy, both of them. I got a Sony XBR970 instead. It is far superior in every catagory. There are none of the anomolies of the Toshibas. I do not have to turn off 720p or 1080i on my STB. That is why I am telling you that you are lieing to yourself if you are are watching 480p and calling it good HD viewing because your set will not display 1080i.

Take it back while you can and bite the bullet. You will be happy you did.

Well, I've seen plenty of HD sets, and I'm honestly saying I'm seeing a picture that doesn't look a whole lot different other than picture size. I'd bet if you came over and looked at my set, you'd stand back and say Damn, this does look pretty good. And yes I'm very picky on picture quality or else I wouldn't be on this forum. Who cares if the display is on 480p, the menu says it's upconverting it to 1080i, so techinically I am seeing an HD picture. Like I said I've been looking at friend's HD sets, DLP, LCD, rear projection, CRT and having a hard time finding a significant difference in picture quality. So I'll bite the bullet and keep it until I get a set with at least a 50" screen.

hello there, i have a 40in toshiba crt tv which i have owned for a
couple of years now. Recently i have noticed that when a bright/white
object passes threw a dark/black back ground it seems to leave a trail
of light and say for instance a persons illuminated face is being
displayed on the screen and then the program cuts to a dark/black
image like the night, the persons face will be still visible like a
ghost for a couple of seconds, as thoe the pixels are delayed in
turning from white to black. It has not always been like this and i
belive is getting worse ? the contrast setting is about 60 out of a
100 and the brightness is 59 out of a 100 and has never been changed
in all the time i have owned it. It is starting to become highly
annoying as fast paced action like blade trinity which is mostly set in the dark, is
ruined with this white colour trail. Any help on this matter would be
highly grateful ! Cheers mike

I am considering the Toshiba 30HF66. I like that it has an internal ATSC tuner or whatever, which makes the $600 price point look a little better.

I saw it at Best Buy and frankly it looked phenomenal. Geometry issues are not that big of a deal, and could only really tell when I was at an angle from the side or looking directly down on it.

A few issues

a) All the problems you guys are having! Is there an issue with every single unit? Therefore, is it worth it to get a service plan so I can just return this or whatever if it goes bad?

b) Aspect ratios. There are certain channels I just won't have in HD, like ESPN, TNT, FX and whatnot. I fiddled with the menu and the two options it has are 540p and 1080i. WTF is 540p? Does this set force everything to be upscaled to 1080i? I'd probably rather just go with 720p, but it doesn't appear to exist from what I could tell (but I don't know much).

Are these channels just going to be stretched? I can't watch CFB or NFL with the stretch thing going on, I'd really like to have them boxed as 4:3 if possible.

I really wanted to go with a CRT because of ghosting issues with my next choice, a $599 Olevia 27" LCD...but all the problems have me thinking twice, I really would like to not have to buy a $150 service plan.

I just picked up this TV over the weekend, and it has been great thus far. I am still tweaking the picture, but it is very suitable. for what I need it to be...a second TV. I was able to pick it up from Best Buy for $540...then sprung for a 4 year at home service plan for an additional $100. I think for the price (not sure why Best Buy has lowered it this much), it is a good buy. The funny thing is when I went to pick it up in store, they had it on display selling for $809 ($10 over msrp)...and they had an open box model they were clearing out for $699.

I just picked up this TV over the weekend, and it has been great thus far. I am still tweaking the picture, but it is very suitable. for what I need it to be...a second TV. I was able to pick it up from Best Buy for $540...then sprung for a 4 year at home service plan for an additional $100. I think for the price (not sure why Best Buy has lowered it this much), it is a good buy. The funny thing is when I went to pick it up in store, they had it on display selling for $809 ($10 over msrp)...and they had an open box model they were clearing out for $699.

$540? Is this in Euros? It was $599 when I went there, which is a significant price drop, because the kid I talked to told me that not too long ago they were the same price as the Samsung SlimFits. Online searches confirm that.

Did they offer you maybe a 2 year service plan? $100 is a lot of dough after $599 and tax.

Thedka: How is it for SD viewing? The HD O-T-A tuner built in makes me feel better, because any really important sporting events I can get in HD 16:9, but just general TV surfing is probably going to be stretched out, unless it has some way to change viewing modes.

"(b) Aspect ratios. There are certain channels I just won't have in HD, like ESPN, TNT, FX and whatnot. I fiddled with the menu and the two options it has are 540p and 1080i. WTF is 540p? Does this set force everything to be upscaled to 1080i? I'd probably rather just go with 720p, but it doesn't appear to exist from what I could tell (but I don't know much)"

The two choices for 540p & 1080i apply for DVD's only. (and I leave mine on 540p because I have a Progressive Scan DVD player). There is no shift with cable. And you are correct, the set forces all to 1080i (that is why when you switch from a 720p signaled channel such as ESPN to a 1080i channel such as INHD there is a blackening of the screen and a white slash kinda like when you jerked an Atari cartridge out of the system when you were an impatient kid!) And to me, it's almost false advertising on these CRT HD sets; none of them can actually put out 720p; they all convert them to 1080i. And why no ESPN, TNT, all the major networks, etc. in HD? I have them all. It's the main reason to buy a HD TV!! :)

Going to be stuck on SD cable that I have no control over for about 9 months. :(

I'm really going to miss my non-HD digital channels like the extra MTVs, VH1s, and all the junk channels that are great for killing time. Also Fox Soccer Channel, and especially Discovery HD Theater. :(

But as long as I can get the important CFB and NFL games on over the air HD stuff, I'll be satisfied. Maybe I can finally get Notre dame games (I hate them, but at the same time fervently root against them) in HD over the air, since TW in my area does not seem to carry the NBC HD offering.

Is there any legitimacy to the guy who asked if upconverting from 720p (Xbox, and X360 games) to 1080i cuts your framerate in half? Jeez, it might be worth just hooking the stuff up through s-video and playing it in standard def to avoid that if it's true!

$540? Is this in Euros? It was $599 when I went there, which is a significant price drop, because the kid I talked to told me that not too long ago they were the same price as the Samsung SlimFits. Online searches confirm that.

Did they offer you maybe a 2 year service plan? $100 is a lot of dough after $599 and tax.

Thedka: How is it for SD viewing? The HD O-T-A tuner built in makes me feel better, because any really important sporting events I can get in HD 16:9, but just general TV surfing is probably going to be stretched out, unless it has some way to change viewing modes.

During 4th of July weekend, bestbuy.com was selling TVs at 10% off, $499 and up, hence why I got the TV for ~$540 + tax. I selected the 4-year at home service option for an additional $99 + tax...mostly for peace of mind (thanks to all the reviews on the hf85. There is no 2-year option. Manufacturer warranty is 1 yr I believe.

SD viewing is fine, I mainly got this set because of the QAM tuner, which has been great since comcast leaves a lot of channels in the clear out here. The set has 4 "stretch" options which are pretty good, you can't notice people being fat, etc (unlike my 50" vizio plasma).

During 4th of July weekend, bestbuy.com was selling TVs at 10% off, $499 and up, hence why I got the TV for ~$540 + tax. I selected the 4-year at home service option for an additional $99 + tax...mostly for peace of mind (thanks to all the reviews on the hf85. There is no 2-year option. Manufacturer warranty is 1 yr I believe.

SD viewing is fine, I mainly got this set because of the QAM tuner, which has been great since comcast leaves a lot of channels in the clear out here. The set has 4 "stretch" options which are pretty good, you can't notice people being fat, etc (unlike my 50" vizio plasma).

Awesome. I have a 10% off coupon from a buddy for CC but they don't sell this set and the Philips was more expensive and didn't look as good. Guess I'm just going to bite the bullet on this one.

Think there's any chance I can finagle them down to $700 even for the service + tax?

Any gamers here have a recommendation for component cables for PS2? My previous two roommates moved out and my Monstercable Component PS2 set is nowhere to be found (yes I know MC is the devil, I got them for FREE) and they claim they don't have it. Same goes for Xbox, I suppose.

sumone please help me... i keep getting this blue haze that distorts the picture on my tv and it makes everything have a shade of blue and really messes up the quality... i dont know how this happened... but even when i turn on my tv with nothing plugged into it... the blue still shows up on the black blank screen... and it will occur randomly when i play xbox 360 or simply watch tv... does anyone know wut this could be and/or how i can fix it??

Any gamers here have a recommendation for component cables for PS2? My previous two roommates moved out and my Monstercable Component PS2 set is nowhere to be found (yes I know MC is the devil, I got them for FREE) and they claim they don't have it. Same goes for Xbox, I suppose.

I just bought a cheap one off ebay for my PS2 that I've never had a problem with. For PS2, I don't think monster would make a difference since it's just 480i.

sumone please help me... i keep getting this blue haze that distorts the picture on my tv and it makes everything have a shade of blue and really messes up the quality... i dont know how this happened... but even when i turn on my tv with nothing plugged into it... the blue still shows up on the black blank screen... and it will occur randomly when i play xbox 360 or simply watch tv... does anyone know wut this could be and/or how i can fix it??

I had a similar problem with my 34HF85, I have an older set of Klipsch spekaers and on of them was too close to the TV, causing some kind of distortion. Moving the speaker a little further away solved the problem.

- R

Does anyone know the exact resolution (h x w) for the toshiba 26hf85.

I had a similar problem with my 34HF85, I have an older set of Klipsch spekaers and on of them was too close to the TV, causing some kind of distortion. Moving the speaker a little further away solved the problem.

- R

Yeah, older speakers aren't shielded, so the magnets in them can mess up TV pictures.

I have asked this question two times already and no one has replied. Does anyone know the exact resolution (h x w) for the toshiba 26hf85.

Ugh.

Well, after receiving a call from the tech last week, I was happy to learn that the new HDMI module was scheduled to arrive this week Tuesday or Wednesday, and that I'd be called when it was installed and ready. Being as it's now Thursday, I decided to give the shop a ring to see what was up.

It turns out that Toshiba sent the shop an incorrect package. The tech said that happens occasionally, where Toshiba is sloppy and mixes up shipping labels on replacement parts. Also, he said that while he used to just order a whole replacement board, now Toshiba makes him order just the HDMI module.

I chatted a bit about the whole situation and tried to get information about his experience with manufacturers and warranty service. He said it definitely seems like there may be a conscious effort to draw out completion of repairs so that the warranty is eventually exceeded, or the customer just gets so frustrated they go buy something else and eat the loss. He said that, sadly, it happens frequently.

I commented that, as I understood it, his shop gets paid whenever they perform warranty service under contract for Toshiba. I was hopeful that at some point the bean counters at Toshiba would realize they're taking a big hit, and possibly realize they need to tighten up requirements of their overseas manufacturers, or switch to a different one. But now I'm thinking the amount they fatten their margin by using cheap overseas manufacturing and labor may still outweigh any increase in warranty costs they incur. So, ultimately they can sell crap and still make more money than before. (And we reap the results of that glorious "free trade" in the absence of requiring any comparable labor, environmental, and business practices between the trading parties. But don't get me started on that.)

In any case, if this replacement part doesn't fix it, I'm not sure I can wait that much longer (I'm already over halfway through my 1 year warranty, and have been without the set for months).

Assuming the new HDMI module fix is unsuccessful (though I'm really hoping it works), if Toshiba is not forthcoming with a full refund after I explain my experiences I'm seriously considering looking up a consumer fraud lawyer to communicate my displeasure. Heck, with all of us here we might even be able to put together a decent class action around deceptive advertising (the sets can't correctly show HiDef on HDMI though it's advertised as a feature) and/or breach of the warranty agreement. That'd be a way to make them actually address the issue, rather than continue selling crap based on careful accounting calculations, warranty statistics, and guesses about consumer frustration tolerance.

Here's crossing my fingers that the new HDMI module solves it (when it finally arrives), otherwise I'll be going on the warpath.

I hear your pain, as I had written earlier I've been having a terrible experience trying to obtain Toshiba warranty service myself.

As an update to my own situation, not only was I denied warranty coverage, but the "TACP authorized" tech refused to service my TV even if I paid for it out of pocket. He said that Toshiba had denied any knowledge of my problem to him in private, and that without any information he could not perform a repair.

I actually called out an indepedent repairman to service my set and paid for the repair out of pocket. He did some significant repair work (but without using any replacement parts, which may have been necessary) but did not manage to remove the dark horizontal line at the bottom of my screen. He did however repair two other problems with my set. One is that my set had a strangely flickery image. That problem was unique to my particular 30HF85 and the one other display 30HF85 that also had the same dark horizontal line problem as mine. I've never seen any other 30HF85 (or any of my previously owned sets) have that problem. The repairman mostly got rid of the flicker. The other problem he repaired was actually a problem that I thought was a design flaw because every Toshiba CRT has it to a significant extent (the faint slightly tilted lines that crawl down the screen slowly through S-Video/composite). But apparently that may just be due to terrible quality standards on Toshiba's part, as it seems my set has been "fixed."

I'm too pissed at Toshiba though, and since my TV has not been fully repaired I did a chargeback with my credit card company. The process is slow but it looks like it is going to succeed at this juncture. I'll probably have to eat the repair cost I paid though but I guess it is worth it. I was informed that the attempted repair was necessary because it is the only way to prove in writing that my TV set has a defect.

Regardless of whether I get a refund for my TV or not, I'd be more than willing to do what I can to aid in a class-action lawsuit against Toshiba. You are totally right in that the CRT business these days is very uncompetitive, and the TV repair business is even more questionable, and this all results in "free market" dysfunctionality due to pseudo-monopolies existing.

Maybe we should all send in Toshiba complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. Someone earlier had kindly suggested that they could be of help.

I've also noticed that my local Best Buy has some open-box 30HF66 returns and last year's 30" TV/DVD combo right now. Probably a lot of people are having problems.

In any case, if this replacement part doesn't fix it, I'm not sure I can wait that much longer (I'm already over halfway through my 1 year warranty, and have been without the set for months).

Assuming the new HDMI module fix is unsuccessful (though I'm really hoping it works), if Toshiba is not forthcoming with a full refund after I explain my experiences I'm seriously considering looking up a consumer fraud lawyer to communicate my displeasure. Heck, with all of us here we might even be able to put together a decent class action around deceptive advertising (the sets can't correctly show HiDef on HDMI though it's advertised as a feature) and/or breach of the warranty agreement. That'd be a way to make them actually address the issue, rather than continue selling crap based on careful accounting calculations, warranty statistics, and guesses about consumer frustration tolerance.

Here's crossing my fingers that the new HDMI module solves it (when it finally arrives), otherwise I'll be going on the warpath.

I'm too pissed at Toshiba though, and since my TV has not been fully repaired I did a chargeback with my credit card company. The process is slow but it looks like it is going to succeed at this juncture. I'll probably have to eat the repair cost I paid though but I guess it is worth it. I was informed that the attempted repair was necessary because it is the only way to prove in writing that my TV set has a defect.

Regardless of whether I get a refund for my TV or not, I'd be more than willing to do what I can to aid in a class-action lawsuit against Toshiba. You are totally right in that the CRT business these days is very uncompetitive, and the TV repair business is even more questionable, and this all results in "free market" dysfunctionality due to pseudo-monopolies existing.

Maybe we should all send in Toshiba complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. Someone earlier had kindly suggested that they could be of help.

I've also noticed that my local Best Buy has some open-box 30HF66 returns and last year's 30" TV/DVD combo right now. Probably a lot of people are having problems.
You already know that you will have problems with this TV after reading this forum, so why did you buy it? Remember, you're buying Orion, you're buying pain, just like me after already returning 11 defective Orion-made Toshiba products in one year. :mad:

You already know that you will have problems with this TV after reading this forum, so why did you buy it?
Um, perhaps because I didn't know beforehand? I hadn't been to these forums before I purchased it.

Besides making me feel worse I don't see that this does much. Yes, I'm now well aware that these TVs aren't good quality. I didn't know before buying it. I accept that there was a lack of research on my part there. Regardless, now I'm trying to make the best of a bad sitaution. Berating me and others for having purchased it after the fact doesn't seem very productive or kind.

Um, perhaps because I didn't know beforehand? I hadn't been to these forums before I purchased it.

Besides making me feel worse I don't see that this does much. Yes, I'm now well aware that these TVs aren't good quality. I didn't know before buying it. I accept that there was a lack of research on my part there. Regardless, now I'm trying to make the best of a bad sitaution. Berating me and others for having purchased it after the fact doesn't seem very productive or kind.
Right. ;) The best you can do right now is to annoy Toshiba more to get your 30HFX85 fixed. Toshiba is doing its best it can to keep customers happy, but getting the parts can take a really long time because Toshiba has to order all parts from Orion, and it takes several weeks or, maybe, months of shipment from Thailand to United States. Plus, there is a large number of orders placed by Toshiba right now because the Orion-made electronics keep on breaking. If the set was made by Toshiba in the first place, normally it only takes 1 or 2 days to get the part. I have never heard from any Toshiba 34HF84 or 34HFX84 owners who waited more than a week for a part (maybe that's why we never hear them complaining).

Right. ;) The best you can do right now is to annoy Toshiba more to get your 30HFX85 fixed. Toshiba is doing its best it can to keep customers happy, but getting the parts can take a really long time as Toshiba has to order all parts from Orion, and it takes several weeks or, maybe, months of shipment from Thailand to United States. Plus, there is a large number of orders placed by Toshiba right now as the Orion-made electronics keep on breaking. If the set was made by Toshiba in the first place, normally it only takes 1 or 2 days to get the part. I have never heard from any Toshiba 34HF84 or 34HFX84 owners who waited more than a week for a part (maybe that's why we never hear them complaining).
Are you saying that my irritation with Toshiba, or my demanding that they make good on what they advertised is unfair? If so, I find your argument lacking. It was entirely up to them who they used for manufacturing, assembly, etc. Since they make those decisions and sell the product under their name, it is also their responsibility to take care of the results of those decisions. Simply because Orion sucks doesn't absolve Toshiba of responsibility. They still chose to contract with Orion, and sold the set under the Toshiba name. The TV is branded "Toshiba" and they, as a company, are the ones who promised a certain feature set, and with whom I have the warranty agreement. How they produced it is entirely irrelevant to their responsibility for making things right.

Toshiba is doing its best it can to keep customers happy...This is totally not true. If it were: 1) they would be making sure Orion makes a decent TV for them, and 2) they would not have claimed no knowledge of my particular set's problems and refused me warranty service.

Greedy Toshiba is trying to make the most money they can even though they no longer even produce their own CRTs, by outsourcing to an inferior company at low cost, and making unreasonable profits on each cheaply-produced set they sell, with a fake "Toshiba" advertising marketing label stamped on the front.

Their goal is to make the most money possible through the cheapest possible labor and abuse of the American consumer, without any honest intention of helping American consumers get a quality product to watch television on.

I agree with what spurdy is saying, Toshiba is still responsible for all issues related to their TVs. It does not matter that they are outsourcing to Orion, ultimate they still bear all the responsiblity because that is the name stamped on front of these TVs.

I agree with you though that I was dumb to buy this last set. ;) At $600 on closeout sale I figured the worst I could get was a TV with various problems my previous sets had. Instead I got a set which was terrific at first with almost no problems, but it broke down 2-3 weeks later with some new issues I had never seen before, and which Toshiba claims they have no knowledge of (despite the fact that I later saw another 30HF85 with the same problems as mine).

Plus, there was no other CRT with bottom speakers around. Thus arises the problem of the pseudo-monopoly (Toshiba being the only company producing a bottom-speaker CRT), which causes problems in the "free-market" system. Not enough competition in this case, although I guess Samsung had a bottom-speaker CRT too (but I liked theirs even less due to design issues).

If I get rid of my current 30HF85 I have no idea what TV to get to replace it, and I'd already bought a perfectly-sized TV stand to match this 30HF85, etc. There are a lot of complicated issues surrounding a TV purchase, so I think there need to be more laws regulating the standards to which TV makers must adhere to. What we have right now isn't terrible (a generous return policy, in many places) but it's not efficient either. It only leads to multiple stupid returns, exchanges, and calls for warranty service from people like us. :) Instead, I think TV makers need to be forced to make things right the first time, or suffer huge fines and penalties.

There are a lot of complicated issues surrounding a TV purchase, so I think there need to be more laws regulating the standards to which TV makers must adhere to. What we have right now isn't terrible (a generous return policy, in many places) but it's not efficient either. It only leads to multiple stupid returns, exchanges, and calls for warranty service from people like us. :) Instead, I think TV makers need to be forced to make things right the first time, or suffer huge fines and penalties.
At the risk of getting too off topic, I'm not sure more direct regulation of TVs is needed necessarily so much as reasonable trade practices between nations (so there isn't such incentive to outsource to places with slave wages and lax environmental laws) and making sure corporations can't skirt existing warranty liability and false advertising statues.

But enough about that I suppose. We've found that:

A) Toshiba decided to contract construction of their sets to Orion, presumably to reduce costs and thereby increase their profit margins.

B) Whether or not they knew of the likelihood of problems surrounding that choice, they took the chance and now bear the responsibility to correct any customer issues that are within warranty.

I actually did call Toshiba customer service shortly after my most recent call to the shop tech. The Toshiba rep I spoke to was quite polite and did seem genuinely concerned that I had been without my set for so long and that the repair had been dragging on.

He took down a full report of my issues and attempted fixes so far, and instructed me to fax a letter with my name and address, a brief description of my issues, and a copy of the receipt to a number he provided. He said that way if the HDMI module replacement doesn't finally fix it, there will be a record in place and we can see how things might proceed from there as far as a refund.

It was overall a positive experience, much more so than the first time when a rep told me he needed a "second opinion" when the home visits from the first shop were unsuccessful, and referred me to the other authorized repair shop that has my set now. This latest call did a lot to improve my opinion of Toshiba, at least in my case.

If an otherwise good company happens to misstep (i.e. if Toshiba wasn't aware of how shoddy the Orions would be, or if Orion promised a certain level of quality and didn't deliver), but then makes sure to take care of their customers afterward, then I don't fault them. However, if they knowingly cut corners and then try to dodge responsibility (as it sounds like many others have experienced), that's another thing entirely. We'll see how it plays out in the end.

A couple of years ago, I picked up a 30HF83 from Amazon. I generally like this TV quite a bit for its aspect ratio and size, but I've noticed for a while now that while displaying DVDs (and OTA HD, SD cable and DBS), there is often a sort of digital haze in the background. Also, any sort of diagonal line, especially in the 45* range, gets afflicted with jaggies. It can be quite annoying, but I have always chalked it up to one of two things: 480p content on a 1080i screen OR a bad film-to-DVD transfer.

I've also played switcheroo with cables to no avail.

FWIW, here is the setup: Toshiba 30HF83 being fed by Denon DVD 910 (SD, non-upscaling, was inexpensive a year or so back) and a Samsung SIR-T451 OTA HD receiver (cheap via eBay). Both use component, and I have tried different grades of cable (nothing really expensive, though). I used to have a PS2 and XBOX hooked up as well, with some similar probs.

Is there any sort of DIY fix for this, or am I stuck with it? I've messed with the output settings with no discernible gain. Will going up to the next level of cable type (DVI/HDCP) help? The Samsung has a DVI out I haven't tried and upscaling DVD players are pretty cheap these days.

Search did not reveal anything on this. Thanks for any replies.

As I watch my tv from day to day it seems to be getting blurrier on both side of the screen, but the middle seems to be perfectly clear. On both sides when text is shown it is not as clear and easy to read as when text is displayed in the center. How do i fix this.

As I watch my tv from day to day it seems to be getting blurrier on both side of the screen, but the middle seems to be perfectly clear. On both sides when text is shown it is not as clear and easy to read as when text is displayed in the center. How do i fix this.
It's a convergence problem. The only way to fix this is to open the back of the TV and adjust one of the rings in the center of the the tube, which is a risky thing to do.

Couldn't he hire an ISF calibrator to fix it?

There are no sm fixes for this?

I personally don't know, but if an ISF calibrator can fix it then I'd say go for it because I've been told that these Toshiba (or Orions, to not piss anyone off) look VASTLY better when done so!

I will be spending as much to calibrate the tv as I did for the tv. I heard it's like $300-500. Plus it's only a 26' so I would rather put up with this tv for another year and buy a nice plasma with the money I would be spending on calibration.

The problem with the screen getting blurrier at the sides is due to 3 issues: 1) all shadow-mask CRTs get slightly blurrier at the sides because the dot pitch is not as fine there, however usually it is not enough to cause complaint so in this case your issues are 2) there are RGB convergence problems at the sides of your set, and 3) your set is out-of-focus at the sides. Problems 2) and 3) are common on many "Toshiba" sets these days due to awful quality control. They simply result from a "bad picture tube" and nothing can be done to fix the problem other than trashing the TV or returning it.

Even if you were to adjust the RGB convergence via the controls inside the TV, you won't be able to fix the bad RGB convergence at the sides because the Toshiba only has global RGB convergence controls inside. I don't know how to adjust the convergence myself but since I recently had my TV partially repaired, the repairman was kind enough to do a quick in-home RGB convergence procedure for free (well, I paid him to try to fix the other problems of my set). It only took him a couple minutes, and he said it was very easy and very safe to do for him (it did appear easy, when I saw him do it).

But the sides of my TV still have fairly bad RGB convergence and the left side only has bad focus and bad geometry too (bad picture tube) but that's just how these Orion TVs are these days. I went through several 30HF85's and most were like this, but not all. All my sets had bad convergence and also maybe bad focus in certain areas but it was always in different spots, seemingly quality-control related, not design-related.

Had this unit since January - no problems whatsoever, until this week. TV suddenly will not power on. Have tried every trick I know, but it won't come on. I've had it connected to a Monster Power - Home Theatre Reference PowerCenter surge protector (no lightning lately either). Tried turning it on by remote & by front panel Power button; tried a regular wall outlet; tried unplugging overnight to cycle - nothing. No menu settings have changed since purchased and we have no kids so have never used any "lock" or "v-chip" settings. The last time it worked, I set the Sleep Timer to one hour, then next morning, nothing. When the front panel power button is pushed, the unit makes the normal "click", the red light comes on, then goes off - no pic starts up or anything. I really hope that this three-month-old TV hasn't died, especially when we aren't even able to move it. When it was delivered by Eagle in January (whole other story), we had to tip the delivery guy to bring it into our house. BTW, we simply have a direct cable TV coaxial connection (no cable box or STB, as many have written about in this forum) that is filtered through the Monster PowerCenter.
Here is my story:
Purchased the 30HF85 01/02/06
Two weeks ago during a great movie the TV shut off. I thought my leg hit the remote but it would not go back on. I tried to turn it on by pushing power button on set -- no luck. Unplugged it, let it sit, and tried another outlet -- still no luck. It did make a short high-pitched noise for a second or two. How bizarre!

This TV went bad after only 6 months. Found out today it has a bad Horizontal Output Transistor & needs a Fly Back. Have to order the part -- it takes week to 10 days & then they will call to reschedule coming out to install it. I learned quickly that Stores WILL NOT take back TV's that you have purchased over 30 days ago. Meanwhile…we are without a TV & you are at the mercy of the manufacturer who really does not care & only refers you to an authorized repair center – where then you are at their mercy. The stores do not really care. Oh, unless you purchased the additional warranty agreement. Unbelievable!

Here is my story:
Purchased the 30HF85 01/02/06
Two weeks ago during a great movie the TV shut off. I thought my leg hit the remote but it would not go back on. I tried to turn it on by pushing power button on set -- no luck. Unplugged it, let it sit, and tried another outlet -- still no luck. It did make a short high-pitched noise for a second or two. How bizarre!

This TV went bad after only 6 months. Found out today it has a bad Horizontal Output Transistor & needs a Fly Back.
Thanks for providing this info. There are couple of Toshiba HD CRT owners with this same problem you are describing. Looks like it's the horizontal output transister and flyback after all that causes some Orion CRT HDTVs to not power up after a few months from purchase.

The shop reports my 30HFX85 is now fixed. I've scheduled to go in and inspect the results myself tomorrow morning (I don't want to schedule them to deliver it, only to find it's still not right and have to schedule another time for them to come get it again).

I'll definitely be giving a full report here once I've looked at it. I plan to bring in my DVD player and several discs to test with (movies I've used before where I can easily reproduce the problem).

I certainly hope it's fixed. I seem to have gotten fairly lucky as far as the tube is concerned (pretty good convergence, focus, and general geometry) so if this does it, I'll be content.

Cross your fingers for me everyone! :)

The shop reports my 30HFX85 is now fixed. I've scheduled to go in and inspect the results myself tomorrow morning (I don't want to schedule them to deliver it, only to find it's still not right and have to schedule another time for them to come get it again).

I'll definitely be giving a full report here once I've looked at it. I plan to bring in my DVD player and several discs to test with (movies I've used before where I can easily reproduce the problem).

I certainly hope it's fixed. I seem to have gotten fairly lucky as far as the tube is concerned (pretty good convergence, focus, and general geometry) so if this does it, I'll be content.

Cross your fingers for me everyone! :)

Fingers crossed, hope it works out well for you spurdy and thanks for keeping us informed. If everything is good, a rundown on the specific parts that were replaced and any other service adjustments would be very informative for fellow HF85 set owners. Best of luck.

I don't think anybody has noticed this yet, but after a year since the thread was started, we are now at page 31 in this thread, and NOT a single person who owns a Toshiba 34HF84 or 34HFX84 has come up and describe a problem in the TV. This is incredible. Toshiba-made TVs must be very reliable and rugged. :)

Fingers crossed, hope it works out well for you spurdy and thanks for keeping us informed. If everything is good, a rundown on the specific parts that were replaced and any other service adjustments would be very informative for fellow HF85 set owners. Best of luck.
Did you manage to get your 34HF85 fixed? We haven't heard from you lately.

Did you manage to get your 34HF85 fixed? We haven't heard from you lately.

Walt - As I said in prior posts in this thread, I have used workarounds to get around the anomolies in my 34HF85. On component inputs, if my devices are set to 720p output (rather than 1080i), I do not see the "white glow"at the top of the screen. On the HDMI input, certain devices were not compatible with my set and these devices would trigger the banding problems on my set. But the STB and upconverting DVD player I currently have connected to the set work fine with no banding problems. My chief worry with these workarounds is that when I upgrade to new devices, these problems could again crop up without any viable workarounds.

Also, as I stated on this thread some months ago, I have generally been pleased with this set after having it calibrated. HD performance was markedly improved on my set with a calibration in terms of contrast and color balance. I continue to hold that view.

I might have missed it, but I have been waiting to read a SINGLE report of Toshiba successfully addressing either of these issues on HF85 sets through warranty service. I am not thrilled by the prospect of having my set sit on a service bench for months, only to have it returned in the same condition I sent it. I still have about two months on my warranty and hope to read on this forum that somebody has been successful in addressing either the "white glow" or banding problems after a parts replacement or set adjustment by a Toshiba service rep. If that happens within the warranty period, I will then have to decide whether or not I want to get the set serviced or live with its ideosyncracies.

I am thankful this forum has constructive folks like spurdy as contributors so that others can be the beneficiaries of their patient efforts and information sharing. From my perspective, this forum could use a lot more posts from constructive folks like spurdy, and fewer posts focused on bashing Toshiba because of their decision to outsource, as though any of us want to hear that refrain repeated over and over again.

fburch, you are a class act. Glad you are well! I still haven't had my 34HF85 calibrated, but when I do I will post the results as promised.

Well, unfortunately the repair didn't fix it. It only took seconds after hooking up my player via HDMI, verifying it was set to output 1080i, and popping in disc 2 of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (a disc where during the first few minutes I can consistently and obviously reproduce the banding).

It might have been because the front room of the shop was rather bright, but I thought that the banding seemed less severe. But still, it was there and easily evident, so I know I wouldn't be able to ignore it and be satisfied.

Unfortunately the tech wasn't there to consult with (he's out on Wednesdays and Fridays doing in-home calls), but the woman who I've spoken with so many times on the phone was there (in an actually kind of nice personal way, it was good to finally put a face to the voice; at least one positive aspect to the experience). We tried a disc they had on hand there too, and it also showed the problem. Not wanting to schedule a drop-off and have to take more time out of my work, I asked if it would be OK to leave the set there while I communicated with Toshiba. They were very accommodating and said it was also fine for me to refer Toshiba to them for details if need be.

So, I will now be faxing a full step-by-step report of "the show so far" to the number Toshiba gave me, along with dates of all pertinent actions taken. Hopefully they will do the right thing and grant a refund as their product hasn't lived up to its billing.

I couldn't get details on the specific work done (sorry fburch!) as the tech wasn't there. But, as it hasn't resolved the problem it seems sort of a moot point anyway.

I'll post back with my experiences when I next hear from Toshiba about the refund. Take care till then, everybody!

Well, unfortunately the repair didn't fix it. It only took seconds after hooking up my player via HDMI, verifying it was set to output 1080i, and popping in disc 2 of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (a disc where during the first few minutes I can consistently and obviously reproduce the banding).

It might have been because the front room of the shop was rather bright, but I thought that the banding seemed less severe. But still, it was there and easily evident, so I know I wouldn't be able to ignore it and be satisfied.

Unfortunately the tech wasn't there to consult with (he's out on Wednesdays and Fridays doing in-home calls), but the woman who I've spoken with so many times on the phone was there (in an actually kind of nice personal way, it was good to finally put a face to the voice; at least one positive aspect to the experience). We tried a disc they had on hand there too, and it also showed the problem. Not wanting to schedule a drop-off and have to take more time out of my work, I asked if it would be OK to leave the set there while I communicated with Toshiba. They were very accommodating and said it was also fine for me to refer Toshiba to them for details if need be.

So, I will now be faxing a full step-by-step report of "the show so far" to the number Toshiba gave me, along with dates of all pertinent actions taken. Hopefully they will do the right thing and grant a refund as their product hasn't lived up to its billing.

I couldn't get details on the specific work done (sorry fburch!) as the tech wasn't there. But, as it hasn't resolved the problem it seems sort of a moot point anyway.

I'll post back with my experiences when I next hear from Toshiba about the refund. Take care till then, everybody!
If it didn't fix, I'm guessing the problem is somewhere at the main board. If you do get a refund, what TV are you getting next?

If it didn't fix, I'm guessing the problem is somewhere at the main board. If you do get a refund, what TV are you getting next?Who knows where the problem ultimately lies. At this point I'm not terribly interested. :p

As far as what TV to get next (assuming Toshiba will refund me), I'm not sure. If this hadn't taken so long I would have tried to get one of the few remaining Sony XBR960n sets, but that's probably a lost cause at this point. Perhaps there are a few superfine pitch sets left (maybe I could still find a 30XS955 around somewhere?) I'd rather not have to "settle" for the XBR970.

I'd consider some sort of flat panel technology (either LCD or plasma) if the picture quality is good. Whatever I get, I really want to be able to display the full 1080 lines in the maximium HD resolution, and most flat panel sets currently in my price range top out at around 768. So maybe I'll just hobble along with my old 27" Sharp SD set with S-Video for a while longer until prices come down and technology improves.

In any case I'll definitely be doing much more research next time, armed with vastly improved knowledge of HDTV and my trusty Avia DVD. The 30HFX85 was much more of an impulse technology purchase than is characteristic of me (I spent weeks researching all the parts for the latest computer I put together, and it runs lightning quick and is rock solid stable).

Lesson learned. ;)

I still need to call Cascade Electronics to get the actual date when they picked up my TV (I've forgotten), but otherwise this is pretty much what I'll be faxing to them along with my purchase receipt, as the customer service rep instructed.

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

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to relate the issues surrounding attempted warranty repair of my new Toshiba 30HFX85 television, as instructed by one of your customer service representatives.

I purchased the television (Serial Number: *************) on 1/1/2006 from my local Video Only retailer and took possession of the unit on 1/3/2006. Though I at the time I did not have the ability to utilize the HDMI input on the set, the future compatibility was a key feature and reason for my choosing it.

Intrigued by the possibilities of HDTV (I had not owned one before) I decided to buy a new DVD player that could use this new interface, and also output a high definition signal. I returned to Video Only and purchased a Toshiba SD-6980SU DVD player on 1/16/2006. Being unfamiliar with the technology, I spent the next few weeks learning both the television and DVD player’s settings and capabilities.

Shortly afterwards I noticed a peculiar behavior when the DVD player was set to output 1080i over the HDMI interface to the television. During certain scenes (generally when high contrast elements were moving in or out of view from the left-hand side of the screen) shadowy bands would streak across the entire display. I found I could reproduce this behavior consistently once I identified a scene that caused it. Initially I thought that the behavior didn’t occur when the DVD player was set to output at 720p, however after some investigation I saw that it happened in that case too, albeit less severely. The issue did not occur using the component interface.

As I am somewhat demanding about video quality and the performance of my electronics and computers in general, and very much wanted to use the lossless HDMI digital interface, I was a bit disappointed. Realizing repair was needed I looked up an authorized customer service center on your website.

On 2/27/2006 a technician from Sharper Video came to my home to examine the set. I demonstrated the issue for him. He suggested we try a different DVD player and HDMI cable to ensure that the television was the source of the problem. He provided a DVD player and cable from his truck and we were able to reproduce the behavior. He called back to his shop, and then said he’d need to call Toshiba to see if there was a service bulletin on the issue. He mentioned possibly fixing it by adjusting some low-level settings in the television. I rescheduled for another appointment.

On 3/6/2006 the technician returned. I was not able to be home due to my work, but my wife was there to let him in. She reported that he was unable to correct the problem using whatever information he had obtained from Toshiba.
Within the next week (I don’t have the specific date recorded) I called Toshiba customer service to request a refund, as the television was not able to correctly display high definition signals over HDMI as advertised. I explained my experiences so far, and the representative said he needed a “second opinion” before a refund could be issued. I found this a bit off-putting but agreed to do it. He suggested I take the set to another local authorized service center, Cascade Electronics.

On 3/??/2006 Cascade Electronics sent out a technician. I demonstrated the issue for him and he agreed that my set may require hardware repair. I helped him load the television into his van. He said that their technicians would be in contact with me once they’d had a chance to examine the set. A few days later I spoke to the Cascade Electronics technician. He said he could see the issue I was talking about, and that the unit needed an HDMI module replacement. He reported he would place an order and let me know when the part arrived.

Several months went by. Every few weeks I called Cascade Electronics to inquire about the status of the repair. Each time the technician apologized, but said that the part was on back order and still had not arrived. Finally, on Thursday, 7/13/2006 I called again to get an update and the technician said the part had just arrived. He opened the box while I was on the phone, and then reported that Toshiba had sent the incorrect part. He apologized, and reported that this happens with some frequency (apparently a mixup with shipping labels when replacement parts are sent out). He put a rush order on correcting the shipping mistake and said he should have the correct component early the next week.

The same afternoon I called Toshiba Customer Service again. I reported my experiences up to that point, and asked about a refund if the fix turned out to be unsuccessful. The representative I spoke with this time was much more pleasant and understanding. He expressed genuine concern about how long I had been without my television (over three months at this point). He created a record in the customer service database (keyed to my home and cell phone numbers: ***-***-****, and ***-***-****, respectively) and took down my report of the issues and attempted fixes so far. He said this would serve as a record going forward if the fix did not work. He instructed me to fax this letter and a copy of my receipt to ***-***-****.

On Tuesday, 7/18/2006 I received a call that my television had been repaired. The next day I called Cascade Electronics to ask if I could come by and verify the repair (not wanting to schedule a time to take out of my work to receive the set at home in the case that it wasn’t fixed). On Friday, 7/21/2006 I went to Cascade Electronics. I brought my DVD player, HDMI cable, and a DVD movie that I knew could easily reproduce the issue. Upon testing the repaired unit I found the issue still to be present. Though the technician was not available to consult (he was out doing in-home repairs that day) the other staff suggested we try another DVD from those they had on hand. We did and the problem was still evident. I asked them if I could leave the television with them while I contacted you about the refund. They were very accommodating and also said it was fine for me to refer you to them regarding any questions on the repairs performed.

At this point it seems obvious that there is something fundamentally wrong with the 30HFX85 television. It is unable to perform as advertised (correct display of 1080i and 720p signals received over HDMI). I have been quite patient and have pursued all the avenues of repair suggested by your customer service representatives. I have tolerated being without my new television for the majority of time I’ve owned it. In light of all of the above, I request that Toshiba refund me the full purchase price ($690 US). I have retained the box and all packaging materials for the television, and will be happy to provide them along with the defective unit. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Seth Purdy

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

Below the signature I provide the addresses, phone numbers, and my relevant invoice or service order numbers for Video Only, Sharper Video, and Cascade Electronics.

One thing that I would probably find infuriating in that situation is that a repair was attempted that most likely had no chance of success to begin with. Whatever "replacement HDMI module" you got would most likely share the same faults as the original one, since it seems that all 2005 Toshiba CRTs have had this problem. Yet Toshiba, either from utter stupidity or intolerable business ethics, have allowed a "fake repair" to be attempted that has gone on for half a year, with you being without your TV.

I wonder, would it help if several of us filed complaints with Toshiba all at once, with the Federal Trade Commission or something?

One thing that I would probably find infuriating in that situation is that a repair was attempted that most likely had no chance of success to begin with. Whatever "replacement HDMI module" you got would most likely share the same faults as the original one, since it seems that all 2005 Toshiba CRTs have had this problem. Yet Toshiba, either from utter stupidity or intolerable business ethics, have allowed a "fake repair" to be attempted that has gone on for half a year, with you being without your TV.I didn't have a lot of faith that the repair would fix it either, but at least it takes care of one of Toshiba's potential excuses. Now that I've jumped through all the hoops, and documented it thoroughly, it seems pretty straightforward that they need to produce a refund.

Yeah, it has sucked to be without an HDTV for so long after having paid for it. I guess Toshiba will have gotten a $690 zero interest loan for about 8 months. :rolleyes:

My Toshiba 36" Cinema series TV powers ups at all white screen. It comes up like this and then the light on power switch starts blinking. Even the menu button doesn't change video.
It appears like video it totally locked out.
Does anybody have any idea what to do? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Raj

Spurdy,

You shouldn't have a problem getting the refund as long as you get all the documentation to the right cs supervisor. If you look back through the archived threads pertaining to the 30HF84 (I believe the title was "Toshiba 30HF84 I just received from Amazon" by Arthur King) you'll find mention of a few guys who received refunds and the names of the customer service supervisors at Toshiba that made it happen.

If they offer a credit by chance, you might want to consider the 32 or 37HL95. They are still available and substantially lower in price than six months ago. I have the 37 and I love it. Real Toshiba quality lcd, with spectacular pq.

My Toshiba 36" Cinema series TV powers ups at all white screen. It comes up like this and then the light on power switch starts blinking. Even the menu button doesn't change video.
It appears like video it totally locked out.
Does anybody have any idea what to do? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Raj
Does it occur in every input and in every channel station? If so, then your set probably went kapput. It's not a common problem found in this TV, so your set was probably a lemon in the first place. Good luck getting it serviced.

If they offer a credit by chance, you might want to consider the 32 or 37HL95. They are still available and substantially lower in price than six months ago. I have the 37 and I love it. Real Toshiba quality lcd, with spectacular pq.
I don't think he's interested in Toshiba anymore after the hell he has gone through. Plus, it's out of his price range. He said he wants Sony next, so he deserves a Sony. :)

I don't think he's interested in Toshiba anymore after the hell he has gone through. Plus, it's out of his price range. He said he wants Sony next, so he deserves a Sony. :)A few corrections, if I might speak for myself... ;)

I'm actually increasing my price range a bit. Normally I do abide by the "you get what you pay for" rationale, but the 30HFX85 purchase, as I mentioned, was uncharacteristically impulsive of me. I may consider going up to $1000 or thereabouts, if it means I get something in the 30-34" range that meets my standards. CRT, LCD, or plasma, whatever. I'm not set on a particular technology, I'm just set on getting something of high quality that will produce a great picture and last.

I'm also not dead set on a Sony (or any brand for that matter), I just heard great things about the superfine pitch CRTs, and so was interested in them.

Thanks for your thoughts on the HL95 series, Nonnie. I'll take a look at them.

Thanks for your thoughts on the HL95 series, Nonnie. I'll take a look at them.
HL95 is the last year LCD series by Toshiba. This year is the HL66 REGZAs. They are made by Toshiba (26" and larger sets only) and have the all-new 24-bit Toshiba video pixel-pure technology chip. Response time is more faster than the last year HL95. I personally own a Toshiba 32HL66 REGZA for myself (I'm probably the first one in the block), and the picture quality looks just as good as the HL95 that Nonnie has right now.

Well, the fax is sent. I plan to call their customer service tomorrow to see what can be done.

In anticipation of getting my money back, and with my increased budget, I've gone and gotten myself all interested in true 1080 LCDs. So, I'll be perusing these Westinghouse LVM-37w3 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=655280) and Scepter X37SV-Naga (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=573173) threads, but I'll keep updating on my refund story here until it reaches some sort of conclusion.

Those are exactly the two sets I am considering as well if I get a refund. We think alike and consider the same things important. :) The annoying thing is that I cannot find them in real life. They seem to be online-only options.

I thought you had a Best Buy in Hawaii?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?categoryid=cat03002&id=1140394400806&skuid=7749653&tl_mid=5760&type=product&DCMP=KNC-TLC&ref=25&loc=GOO

To all 30HF66 owners:
I have a question about a notice that was included in the package with the user manual and waranty card. The notice stated that when using this TV for cable without a c cable box the channel numbers on the TV would not match the Cable numbers etc. etc. but then the notice goes on to state that their is a firmware update to improve this situation. The question is did anyone else recieve this notice and did they contact Toshiba and try and get the firmware update? I contacted Toshiba and the CSR I spoke to denied any knowledge of a firmware update. My 30hf66 is a March 2006 build and I bought it at Best Buy for the 599.00 price. Out of the box the TV looked very good . I did some tweaking with DVE and using the geometry test pattern and convergence pattern I lucked out and recieved a tv with near perfect geometry and near perfect convergence. I am very happy with this set. I picked it up last Friday (7/21/06). This tv is a secondary set and not my prime viewing set. This model appears to have fixed many of the problems that HF85 series had. I am connected to through HDMI to a D" HR10-250 and there are no white glow issues, I can't remember what some of the other issues were but I have not noticed anything yet. The ESPN ticker across the bottom is perfect. My choice for a set was pretty limited to this set and the Samsung 3080 , the LG slimfit was to wide and the Samsung did not have a QAM tuner. I did not want to spend the money on the 32" LCD's I looked at (JVC, Sony). FYI, Best Buy is discontinuing carrying the 30HF66 so once stock runs out that is it.

Ok. So today I:

1) Called Toshiba to request the refund. After hearing the whole woeful tale of the failed repair, the rep said "Well, what does the shop say about it now?" I said I didn't know, since I hadn't actually talked to the technician since verifying the problem still occurred. So, I say I'll call them right away and see what they say.

2) I call Cascade Electronics. The tech is there and we chat for a good while. He confirms that he didn't see the problem on their player (I seriously wonder if this isn't just due to the mercurial nature of the defect; that it might not jump right out at you in a bright room if you're just spot checking, and with a movie that doesn't have a lot of light/dark panning motion). He also confirmed that, having replaced everything having to do with HDMI on the set, there weren't any further repairs that would make sense. I thanked him and hung up.

3) Call back to Toshiba. Get a new service rep. Explain the whole story (being extra nice and personable) and ask about the refund. They zero in on the DVD player at the repair shop. I repeat that the first technician who came to my home verified the problem was in the TV by using a different player and cable. They wouldn't be swayed. I was transfered to a "DVD specialist" (who was obviously reading canned troubleshooting questions for the first few minutes). After a few sessions on hold, they say that they strongly suspect that it's my DVD player.

So get this, they're having me send my "faulty" SD-6980 player in, and they'll be sending out...





(wait for it...)






... the exact same model! :rolleyes:

Since there seemed to be no way to convince them otherwise once they'd latched on to the "well the Cascade Electronics tech said it was fixed!" idea, I agreed to this final troubleshooting effort.

My gut tells me that they're just doing standard pocketbook math. Much cheaper to replace and ship a new player than cough up a refund for the television itself (not to mention having to pay to ship that behemoth somewhere). Never mind the fact that it's the TV's implementation of HDMI that's plainly suspect given all the data so far.

I may bring my equipment in to Cascade Electronics again, when the technician is there, and show him in person exactly what I'm talking about. Then we could try his "working" player and see if it really is actually working correctly or not.

That and jumping through this last "replace the player" hoop should pretty much leave no question that the TV is faulty.

Ugh.

"I've been workin' on the reeee-fund, aaaall the live long daaaay!"

EDIT: Just called Cascade Electronics again. So it turns out that the tech *didn't* actually hook it up and verify the defect prior to the repair. (!!) I guess they just took my word for it and ordered the HDMI module replacement. So, I'm now setting up a time to come in and demonstrate the defect to the tech using their equipment. This likely won't be until early next week due to scheduling. Then I'll have knocked this ridiculous argument out from under Toshiba.

spurdy, I don't see how Toshiba can be so stupid as to not know about their well-known HDMI problem that is documented all over the place.

This DVD player thing is idiotic, don't go along with their stupidity any longer.

Call them back and YELL at them on the phone. That is what I would do. Regardless of whether it works or not. Just keep calling them and tell them "#@#% YOU!!!" and even after they hang up call back again and again. Make sure you threaten them with a lawsuit. Tell them you will either take them to small claims court or start up a class action lawsuit with a bunch of other dissatisfied 30HF85 owners you are currently communicating with. Tell them you will report their product to the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau.

Heck, if you want, I'll call too and yell at them after you do. :) Like 20 of us should call them and yell at them and tie up their phone lines. I dunno, is this illegal?

Based on the response Toshiba has just given you, I doubt you have much chance of Toshiba agreeing to refund your TV. Their business practices are the worst possible, their Better Business Bureau record is intolerable, etc.

I think we should all file reports on Toshiba CRTs through the Federal Trade Commission. I could file one too, regardless of whether or not I manage to get a refund through my credit card company. Toshiba does not fear anything other than a lawsuit or a federal investigation, I think. So you have to be willing to instigate either or both, I think, if you want to have any chance at justice being done.

Wait a moment, now that I think about it swearing at Toshiba over the phone may not be a good idea. They may record their phone conversations (you get that auto-message informing you of it). You don't want to say or do anything that could get recorded and used against you in a court of law. I still think you should call them back and at least threaten politely to take them to small claims court or something, though. I did something similar in my only phone conversation with Toshiba myself. As soon as I realized they had no intention of offering me any replacement, repair, or refund, I simply told them they would be hearing from my credit card company and hung up on them.

I am not very old or very knowledgeable about these things though, so perhaps you should not listen to what I just said. -_-;

I am not very old or very knowledgeable about these things though, so perhaps you should not listen to what I just said. -_-;

Now that's advice well taken! :D

spurdy, I don't see how Toshiba can be so stupid as to not know about their well-known HDMI problem that is documented all over the place.

Maybe send them a link to this forum/thread and let them know you're wise to the many problems so cut out the B.S. At least it's worth a try though with companies like that they will deny it even with the irrefutable evidence in front of their face.

-- R

I've just filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Hopefully it will shake something loose at a point further up the customer service hierarchy.

Exactly what company did you file your BBB complaint against? The most relevant one seems to be this one: http://www.trenton.bbb.org/nis/newsearch2.asp?ID=1&ComID=0221000029001179

but as you can see Toshiba doesn't seem to be concerned with maintaining a satisfactory record with the BBB.

Do you want me to file a BBB complaint too, against the same "company" you did, just to cause Toshiba trouble?

FYI, Best Buy is discontinuing carrying the 30HF66 so once stock runs out that is it.I'm surprised BB would discontinue carrying a set that just came out, are you sure about this? This sounds interesting. Is the set itself discontinued, or is it just BB discontinuing their relationship with the Toshiba CRTs?

Ok. So today I:

1) Called Toshiba to request the refund. After hearing the whole woeful tale of the failed repair, the rep said "Well, what does the shop say about it now?" I said I didn't know, since I hadn't actually talked to the technician since verifying the problem still occurred. So, I say I'll call them right away and see what they say.

2) I call Cascade Electronics. The tech is there and we chat for a good while. He confirms that he didn't see the problem on their player (I seriously wonder if this isn't just due to the mercurial nature of the defect; that it might not jump right out at you in a bright room if you're just spot checking, and with a movie that doesn't have a lot of light/dark panning motion). He also confirmed that, having replaced everything having to do with HDMI on the set, there weren't any further repairs that would make sense. I thanked him and hung up.

3) Call back to Toshiba. Get a new service rep. Explain the whole story (being extra nice and personable) and ask about the refund. They zero in on the DVD player at the repair shop. I repeat that the first technician who came to my home verified the problem was in the TV by using a different player and cable. They wouldn't be swayed. I was transfered to a "DVD specialist" (who was obviously reading canned troubleshooting questions for the first few minutes). After a few sessions on hold, they say that they strongly suspect that it's my DVD player.

So get this, they're having me send my "faulty" SD-6980 player in, and they'll be sending out...





(wait for it...)






... the exact same model! :rolleyes:

Since there seemed to be no way to convince them otherwise once they'd latched on to the "well the Cascade Electronics tech said it was fixed!" idea, I agreed to this final troubleshooting effort.

My gut tells me that they're just doing standard pocketbook math. Much cheaper to replace and ship a new player than cough up a refund for the television itself (not to mention having to pay to ship that behemoth somewhere). Never mind the fact that it's the TV's implementation of HDMI that's plainly suspect given all the data so far.

I may bring my equipment in to Cascade Electronics again, when the technician is there, and show him in person exactly what I'm talking about. Then we could try his "working" player and see if it really is actually working correctly or not.

That and jumping through this last "replace the player" hoop should pretty much leave no question that the TV is faulty.

Ugh.

"I've been workin' on the reeee-fund, aaaall the live long daaaay!"

EDIT: Just called Cascade Electronics again. So it turns out that the tech *didn't* actually hook it up and verify the defect prior to the repair. (!!) I guess they just took my word for it and ordered the HDMI module replacement. So, I'm now setting up a time to come in and demonstrate the defect to the tech using their equipment. This likely won't be until early next week due to scheduling. Then I'll have knocked this ridiculous argument out from under Toshiba.
Exchanging to another SD-6980 will also show the same problem. Toshiba is wasting your time.

Make sure someone send this link to Orion as well:

http://www.orionsalesinc.com

since they are the manufacturer.

(their website is laughable as well) :DOk, once again, Orion doesn't matter at all in this.

This is an issue of a product not living up to its advertising. Toshiba is the legal party with whom I have the warranty, and the party that promised the feature set of the TV. Yes, that the TV isn't good quality may indeed be due to Toshiba having contracted Orion to manufacture it for them, but it is NOT RELEVANT to the fact that Toshiba is the entity repsonsible for making good on their promised features.

By advertising the TVs features, and legally selling it as their product, Toshiba is the one responsible for honoring the warranty and/or providing refunds. WHY the set is bad is an entirely different and unrelated thing.

Let's use an example to illustrate: Say I offered to sell you a great device that I promised could teleport you anywhere in the world. You pay me $5 million for the thing, only to find it doesn't work. When you come to get your money back, I say, "Well, actually I just had my nephew build it with Legos for $1.50, so it's his fault if it doesn't work. It's not my problem." Would you agree that you legitimately had to go to my nephew, or somehow involve him in the dispute?

Of course not! I was the one who made the claims and engaged in the transaction with you, therefore I'd be the one responsible for refunding your money. How the device was built or who built it doesn't matter in that.

See? The FACT that it doesn't work and why, versus whose RESPONSIBILITY it is for making the situation right are entirely separate.

I find it increasingly difficult to see what is so hard to understand about this.

I find it increasingly difficult to see what is so hard to understand about this.

LOL... read previous posts by WaltChan! One and the same. :rolleyes:

He and Porcupine2 continually have this 'conspiracy theory' going, yet they still own and buy products manufactured by Orion after problems, returns and exchanges.

I have a problem. When I have my xbox 360 connected via component sometimes I get like static lines. But when I move around the xbox 360 av cable the statice goes away. What could be the problem for this. I have a wireless rouer about 4 feet from the tv set. Or is it because it is close to other cables such as power or other av cables.

I find it increasingly difficult to see what is so hard to understand about this.

spurdy - I regret that Toshiba is making your life difficult. At this point, I think your best hope is to locate a senior executive in the Toshiba food chain who is concerned about the company's reputation and will work down the chain and direct his people to work with you to resolve this. Toshiba seems to have built a pretty good firewall making it impossible to get through to these senior officers, but if you can find a way through this firewall and get to say a V.P. in charge of North American sales of home entertainment products, you might be able to get where you want to go. I agree with others who advise that the customer "service" reps. you have been speaking with are just sending you in a do-loop that will only further frustrate you in your efforts to get a refund.

Regarding your difficulty understanding the InYourEyes refrain (perhaps InYourFace would be a more apt moniker), please know that this individual is obsessed with this subject and cannot let it go. He has repeated this refrain for most of the past couple of years under a variety of aliases and with a propensity to self-delete his posts when ridiculed by others. It may be inbreeding, or perhaps just a freaky recombination of genetic material that helps explain the why of it. But, don't be puzzled about it and don't squander a minute of your valuable time trying to either understand this behavior or help him become a more constructive contributor to this forum.

Best of luck in getting the refund you are due.

He and Porcupine2 continually have this 'conspiracy theory' going, yet they still own and buy products manufactured by Orion after problems, returns and exchanges.
I own a Toshiba 32HL66 LCD, and it's made by Toshiba. No problems so far.

I have a problem. When I have my xbox 360 connected via component sometimes I get like static lines. But when I move around the xbox 360 av cable the statice goes away. What could be the problem for this. I have a wireless rouer about 4 feet from the tv set. Or is it because it is close to other cables such as power or other av cables.
It may be a lose wire connection connecting from your XBox 360 to your TV. Check to make sure all the video cables are inserted tightly and securely.

When I have my xbox 360 connected via component sometimes I get like static lines. But when I move around the xbox 360 av cable the statice goes away. What could be the problem for this. Or is it because it is close to other cables such as power or other av cables.I had a lot of problems with "static" lines on my 30HF85 sets too. But my problems never showed up through component, they only showed up through composite/S-Video/co-ax. Usually they would take the form of very faint nearly-horizontal lines that crawl slowly down the screen, which I could make worse or better by working with and repositioning my cable "jungle". In severe cases though (terrible positioning) I had white static and other wacky things pop up too, in addition to the faint horizontal lines.

It's partially due to quality-control related issues, as some of the sets I had were way worse than others in this respect, and my current 30HF85 actually had a repair done to it that seems to have totally removed this problem (it was a side-effect of the repair, it was not the main issue being worked on). I believe that some shortcomings of the TV itself magnify the effects of the electromagnetic cross-talk of your cables with each other.

It could be that your connections are loose as was previously suggested but I suspect that's not the case. You'll just have to experiment with moving around your cables as much as possible. Try to keep all your cables as straight as possible and don't coil them up or form loops. Try to keep all the power cords on one side, separate from all the video cables, if possible. And also try not to have one video cable "encircle" another. Also, the thing I had the most success with in the past was simply disconnecting all unecessary cables from the TV. For example I found that only by disconnecting my component cables completely from the TV would the interference through S-Video/composite go away, no matter how clean my wire jungle was (although now that's no longer true of my TV after the repair).

I have no idea if your wireless router could contribute to your interference problems, sorry. Maybe you should just temporarily take it away and find out.

On a separate note, Ratman seems to be talking a lot in this thread. I still have him on my Ignore List from way back, so hopefully he's not talking to me...

On a separate note, Ratman seems to be talking a lot in this thread. I still have him on my Ignore List from way back, so hopefully he's not talking to me...

If I am on your ignore list, why are even responding? :rolleyes:

I am not talking to you, trust me! All I am try to do is inform the uninformed that you and another individual here, have a self-professed knowledge about Toshiba products.

Knowledge and experience is good. When it becomes an obsession... it's very bad. MYOB

spurdy - I regret that Toshiba is making your life difficult. At this point, I think your best hope is to locate a senior executive in the Toshiba food chain who is concerned about the company's reputation and will work down the chain and direct his people to work with you to resolve this. Toshiba seems to have built a pretty good firewall making it impossible to get through to these senior officers, but if you can find a way through this firewall and get to say a V.P. in charge of North American sales of home entertainment products, you might be able to get where you want to go. I agree with others who advise that the customer "service" reps. you have been speaking with are just sending you in a do-loop that will only further frustrate you in your efforts to get a refund.I'm hoping my Better Business Bureau filing might help achieve a breakthrough. After I talk to the local tech and get him to confirm he still sees the problem using his shop's DVD player, I'm going to call Toshiba again and be very persistent about getting past the first few layers of that firewall.

Regarding your difficulty understanding the InYourEyes refrain (perhaps InYourFace would be a more apt moniker), please know that this individual is obsessed with this subject and cannot let it go. He has repeated this refrain for most of the past couple of years under a variety of aliases and with a propensity to self-delete his posts when ridiculed by others. It may be inbreeding, or perhaps just a freaky recombination of genetic material that helps explain the why of it. But, don't be puzzled about it and don't squander a minute of your valuable time trying to either understand this behavior or help him become a more constructive contributor to this forum.Understood. I was beginning to draw the same conlcusion. The only explanation I could think of (besides it being simply a very odd pathological obsession) was that the individual is part of some strange reputation damage control effort by Toshiba (due to their singing the praises of the HF84 series and other "Toshiba built" products, while simultaneously bashing Orion and trying to direct all attention, fault, and responsibility to them for any applicable subcontracted products). Going forward I'll refrain from "feeding the trolls" as it were on this particular topic.

Looks like the BBB complaint was more effective than I'd hoped! :D

I was called by Toshiba this morning (!!) saying they were ready to issue a refund. The woman had some questions about the receipt I had faxed (it was a bit confusing, as it was crediting back the delivery and setup charges, which I ended up cancelling when I picked the set up myself). After I clarified that with her, she said she'd be in contact with the shop that has my TV. Apparently the plan is for me to receive the set from them, and then for Toshiba to schedule for pickup from my residence.

Excited, I immediately called the shop back. I got the tech, who said he'd been called by four different people :eek: already from Toshiba about my situtation! Sounds like the BBB complaint punched through to somewhere high up that somebody finally cared about. ;)

I'm going in tomorrow morning to demo the issue to the tech, just to wrap that up, but it looks like I'll be getting my refund and dumping this defective monstrosity in the next few weeks.

Persistence and patience (though frustrating) really did finally pay off!

WOW that sounds excellent!! I'm really happy for you, spurdy!! I'm surprised that Toshiba actually cared about their BBB reputation enough to offer a refund. Maybe I should have complained to the BBB too except I guess it is too late for me now.

Anyways, I've also gotten my credit card chargeback completed so I now technically have all my money back again too. Although I think Best Buy/Toshiba can still appeal the chargeback, I doubt they will try or be successful as I have already sunk a significant amount of money into repair costs on this TV and obtained a reliable neutral 3rd party opinion in writing that I can use to defend my claims that my set has some major defects.

I'll probably have to suck up the repair cost in the end but it's roughly about the same amount a 15% restocking fee would have been. The way I figure it, it's what I deserve after being stupid enough to stick with Toshiba even after going through so many defective sets.

I'll never buy Toshiba ANYTHING ever again. And I hope that it really is true that Best Buy is discontinuing their entire relationship with Toshiba CRTs. Toshiba sucks they deserve to be isolated from all the resellers for their poor quality products as of late, and criminally bad customer service. If no one is willing to sell Toshiba CRTs anymore then Toshiba can't make CRTs anymore.

Sorry to see so much anger against Toshiba. I have a older pre-orion 36hf73 and
have no problems with the set. I thought the PQ was great until I got my 34" Panasonic and I will say compared to my Panasonic I think it stinks. My Panasonic is much sharper, more vibrant colors and less noise. Have both calibrated and both have Directv connected to them and the same dvd player and the differences
are huge. No matter how much I tweak the set it doesn't seem to help. Especially with the noise reduction. Now analog channels look better on the Toshiba but HD and DVD movies are no contest.

My father just bought a 26" Toshiba HDTV w/built in DVD and VCR players. Model MW26G71.

The first problem we ran into was that it doesn't have Stereo RCA audio output, which meant his venerable old non-Surround Sound/non-digital input receiver couldn't be plugged into it. He has a couple of nice bookshelf speakers coupled to a passive sub that he likes to use to watch movies, so this was a serious drawback. So as an anniversary present to him and my Mom, I got them a nice Onkyo SSR (model TX-SR573). Before I gave it to them, I tested it with my DVD player using their exact same speakers, and the Onkyo works like a charm, so they took it home (they live in another state).

The second problem that this post is about is this. I had him plug the Optical cable from the HDTV directly to the Onkyo optical input I used to test it and plug a movie into the built-in DVD player. He can NOT get any audio out of the TV set via the digital outputs, neither optical nor coax. I made sure he had the input sourcing correct on the Onkyo, so that's completely ruled out at this point (btw, Onkyo tech support has been WONDERFUL, as opposed to Toshiba's, whose sole reply to our anguished queries has been "try unplugging the set for awhile and then plugging it back in").

I'm convinced the TV set isn't outputting anything from those digital outputs. I made sure he set the DVD movies he tried to "Dolby 5.1" in the movie setup, and I made sure the audio source he selected on the Onkyo was the correct one for the input port he was using, so that's ruled out. So the way I figure it, either the TV is broken, or else there's some setting we can't find in the manual to "turn on" digital audio output.

HELP! Anyone have any ideas, specifically anyone with this model TV that has gotten digital audio output to work? I realize this is going to cause sarcastic comments, but the fact is if I give up and just have them buy a cheap external DVD player, my mother is never going to let either of us hear the end of it...

No idea on your problem sorry. Can you still return the TV? I wouldn't want to have a DVD/VCR/TV combo with an extra DVD player around wasting space, it'd drive me crazy.

I just got comcast hd with my toshiba 26hf85 and what I noticed is that it seem like there is a lot color snow. Idk how to explain it but the picture has some sort of snow thing. I don't know if that is the compression and video quality from the cable. It just doesn't look as crip as i expected.

WOW that sounds excellent!! I'm really happy for you, spurdy!! I'm surprised that Toshiba actually cared about their BBB reputation enough to offer a refund. Maybe I should have complained to the BBB too except I guess it is too late for me now.

Anyways, I've also gotten my credit card chargeback completed so I now technically have all my money back again too. Although I think Best Buy/Toshiba can still appeal the chargeback, I doubt they will try or be successful as I have already sunk a significant amount of money into repair costs on this TV and obtained a reliable neutral 3rd party opinion in writing that I can use to defend my claims that my set has some major defects.

I'll probably have to suck up the repair cost in the end but it's roughly about the same amount a 15% restocking fee would have been. The way I figure it, it's what I deserve after being stupid enough to stick with Toshiba even after going through so many defective sets.
That's good to hear. What TV are you getting next? Will it be a CRT or LCD? What are you going to do with your defective 30HF85?

then Toshiba can't make CRTs anymore.
...then Toshiba can't "market" CRTs anymore. ;)

I think I have to return my 30HF85 to Best Buy, it is not fair to keep it since I charged it back. That is why I said I have to eat the repair cost I paid out-of-pocket. However I am not going to move a muscle to get it back to them. They are going to have to arrange all the complicated paperwork through my credit card company, then come to my house and get it themselves.

I tried to return my set to Best Buy in good faith twice before and they were mean and did not accept my return, so this is what the bad store manager deserves (the other employees and BB phone reps were usually very nice but they did not have authority in the matter). I tried to return it only 5 weeks after I had purchased it (since my set did not break down until several weeks after I purchased it, I thought it was reasonable to still ask for a return). And I tried again after I had the fiasco with the Toshiba repairman. I told them I was gonna do a credit card chargeback at that point but BB still did not budge, so now I've done it and they got what they deserve.

I still dislike LCD and love CRT, but I'm pretty sure I'm forced to jump ship and get a LCD now. I'm still not sure what model I will get though. The Westinghouse 37" 1080p is one of the sets I'm interested in but it is hard to find, a little over my preferred budget, a little over my preferred size, and I hear it has a few problems too. I wish someone would make a 32" 1080p LCD.

After five previous returns and after the 30 day return/exchange policy, I guess the "bad store manager" may not be a the bad guy here. You may want to consider another B&M store though since Hawaii has only one store (Best Buy) and they are "on" to you.

Good luck. :)

My 30HFX85 was picked up yesterday morning. Now all that remains is to receive the actual refund money. If I don't hear from Toshiba in the next day or two I'll call them to see about it.

I think I've settled on the Westinghouse LVM-37w3 37" LCD (true 1920x1080) as the replacement. I saw the 37w2 (1366x768) in person recently and was impressed.

I think I've settled on the Westinghouse LVM-37w3 37" LCD (true 1920x1080) as the replacement. I saw the 37w2 (1366x768) in person recently and was impressed.
Enjoy the new Westinghouse. I guess it's time for us to say goodbye to you in the direct-view CRT forum, right?

Enjoy the new Westinghouse. I guess it's time for us to say goodbye to you in the direct-view CRT forum, right?Once I get my refund money and the issue is definitively closed then yes, I'll be unsubscribing from this thread.

It's ironic that things are in the reverse order for me. I've got my money but I still haven't returned the TV. Best Buy probably won't get the paperwork done for a month so until then I'm stuck with this TV in my room. I'm hoping they come get it fast because I want to go and actually get a decent TV in here, but I suspect this Toshiba is gonna be squatting here awhile.

spurdy, if you do get the LVM-37w3 can you let me know where you get it from? I haven't been able to find one. The Best Buy here does not have it in stock, it seems to be that way everywhere? I think people have generally had to order them online.

I've not settled on the LVM-37w3 though. I've heard a few problems exist with them so I'm a bit cautious. If I go with a 37" set that's definitely the one for me, but I might want a 32" set instead, in which case I'd have to settle for 720p (768p?) and would be more interested in something on the cheaper end (but not bottom quality).

Problems with the beloved Westy? I only heard of slight ghosting with OTA 1080i but even that was refuted by others. My buddy really wants to buy my 34HF85 from me so I'm this close to clicking over to BBuy to order the Westy. But to be honest, my 34HF85 isn't really so bad. I guess I lucked out.....

Hey all,
I think I posted in the old thread last fall when I bought my TV, but it's been a while. Anyway, mine has a build date of June 2005 and for my non-videophile eyes, it's been a good set. I'm getting OTA HD thru a Samsung SIR-T451 over HDMI and have a Sony DVD player hooked up with component cables. I worked around the white glow in 1080i over component by using the HDMI cables. (For what it's worth, I think I could tell a difference between the 1080i and 720p setting on on my OTA tuner and I also think the HD picture looked slightly better with component cables than the HDMI).

Geometry is pretty good, I only occaisonally notice the gray/black sidebars have a little slant to them on a non-HD picture. My dad has a Sony XBR, so I know what the best HD picture can look like on a more expensive set, but mine shows a nice picture for the price. And satellite SD looks good too.

My only real issue with the set is has been the black levels, or black crush. Some scenes are really bad and I have the "floating head" effect. I just got the Avia DVD and am working with it, and have tinkered only slightly in the service menu, trying to heed all the aforementioned warnings. I have lowered my "CONT CENT/MAX/MIN" levels to the 30 - 50 range and lowered the "SUB CONT" setting down to 12 from 20, but I haven't found the right combination yet.

Question: In reading all 32 pages on this tediuos thread, I haven't seen any suggestions for correcting the black levels, only several people complaining of it. fburch, it sounds like your calibration must have helped this, do you have any insight into it? Or lennsx?

Thanks for any advice, I've just started really tweaking, so I'll keep at it and post anything constructive I find.

Mike

Question: In reading all 32 pages on this tediuos thread, I haven't seen any suggestions for correcting the black levels, only several people complaining of it. fburch, it sounds like your calibration must have helped this, do you have any insight into it? Or lennsx?

Thanks for any advice, I've just started really tweaking, so I'll keep at it and post anything constructive I find.

Mike

Mike - The ISF calibration certainly helped alleviate the black crush on my 34HF85, but it did not eliminate it altogether. The plain fact is that this model really accentuates black levels, or at least that has been my experience with 1080i source material viewed using the HDMI inputs. I do not notice the black crush is as acute when viewing 1080i source material through the component inputs. Also, I am not perceiving black levels crushed on resolutions other than 1080i on either HDMI or component inputs on my set, but I cannot explain why this is the case.

You are on the right track I think using Avia or the like to make adjustments in the set-up menu. The next step would be to fork out the $ for a ISF calibration, but I am not certain that in your case that would be the best course since you may not feel the expense is justified by the marginal improvement.

For me, black crush affects my viewing experinece only for certain, but not all, HD HBO broadcasts on DTV and certain OTA HD broadcasts from my local NBC affiliate. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law dictates that these certain broadcasts happen to be my absolute favorites. Other HD DTV (HDNet, Showtime, ESPN) and OTA (PBS, ABC, Fox, CBS) source material I receive contain rich black levels, but not to the point that I find these levels masking the detail I should be seeing on the screen.

I believe that prior to the ISF calibration, this issue was affecting nearly everything I watched including both HD and SD source material. That has been nearly a year ago now, so I hesitate to make a definitive statement in that regard. I do recall being really pleased with the marked improvement in contrast levels immediately following ISF calibration and was viewing one of those favorite HBO broadcasts and noticing the improvement in visible detail in dark scenes at the time. Not certain I have been all that helpful, but there you go FWIW...

Hi Frank! Hope all is well. You mentioned viewing 1080i sources via HDMI; did you resolve the banding issues, then? Mine still bands and that is the main reason why I want to sell it.

Hey all... Was hoping to get a little help with my 4 year old Toshiba HD 32 HF72 Television. I have never had any problems with it until this week. I was watching a Padres game on monday after work and the picture just went completely out all of the suddden, then about five seconds later the sound went out. The red power LED that show the TV has power is now blinking(i'm assuming that means there is something internally wrong the the set). I unplugged the TV hoping to maybe reset it and plugged it back in after about half an hour... still the same result... a blinking power LED. I called Toshiba and all they could say is that something is wrong with it and they directed me to a service center in the local area. I called the service center and the are one of those ones that only comes to you, and they charge $140 just to stop by and tell you whats wrong with it!!! So i figured i would post here and see if anyone has had the same issue or heard of it before. Thanks guys!!!

Hi Frank! Hope all is well. You mentioned viewing 1080i sources via HDMI; did you resolve the banding issues, then? Mine still bands and that is the main reason why I want to sell it.

lennsx - Thanks for the well wishes...same to you. The banding issues I experience on my set are device specific (another curious aspect of this set's performance). I do not see the banding manifest itself on 1080i source material through the HDMI input using my Samsung T-160 STB unless I try to re-center the display using the Samsung's monitor centering feature in the set-up menu. If I attempt to shift the display to either side using this set-up feature, the set will exhibit acute banding problems. By resetting the Samsung with a power cycle these banding problems disappear and I have learned to live with a minor off-centering issue when using this STB.

Similarly, I do not experience banding problems if I select a 1080i resolution on my Samsung 931 DVD player through the HDMI input. If however, I swap DVD players and substitute my Oppo upconverting player using the same HDMI input, the banding crops up furiously when I set the Oppo to a 1080i resolution. Again, why one device does this and one does not is beyond my comprehension.

My chief worry is that these workarounds will no longer be a viable means of preventing this problem with future equipment upgrades. I guess I should be happy that I have the ability to enjoy the set for the time being. But, in reading what others have gone through in trying to resolve these issues with Toshiba and how difficult a time they have had in resolving these issues has convinced me that I have purchased my very last display (CRT, LCD, or otherwise) from this company and will do business with their competitors in the future.

Hey all... Was hoping to get a little help with my 4 year old Toshiba HD 32 HF72 Television. I have never had any problems with it until this week. I was watching a Padres game on monday after work and the picture just went completely out all of the suddden, then about five seconds later the sound went out. The red power LED that show the TV has power is now blinking(i'm assuming that means there is something internally wrong the the set). I unplugged the TV hoping to maybe reset it and plugged it back in after about half an hour... still the same result... a blinking power LED. I called Toshiba and all they could say is that something is wrong with it and they directed me to a service center in the local area. I called the service center and the are one of those ones that only comes to you, and they charge $140 just to stop by and tell you whats wrong with it!!! So i figured i would post here and see if anyone has had the same issue or heard of it before. Thanks guys!!!
There could be something wrong in the power supply. It's not a common problem found in this model (you're the first 32HF72 owner with a problem here), but it's worth taking it in and have the technician inspect it. Good luck getting it repaired.

I recently got comcast hd and I had it set to 1080i through component for my 26hf85. The thing i Noticed was there are problems when I watch hd or anything in 1080i on this set. The picture is ok in bright areas and then when the screen movies like watvhing a baseball game, the picture has dark areas that are very easy to spot and then lighter areas. it's like the brightness and contrast are jumping around in 1080i. But when i swith to 720p the problem goes away and i have a very nice and stable picture. The problem also happens when i tried to play 360 in 1080i. Any solutions. Also the more I watch my tv it seem like there is ghostin and the when there are boxes or text on a bright screen you can see the lettesr and boxes ghost/extend a littel bit on the screen.(it only does this to the right of the text or box but not on the left) It does this on 720p but i haven't checked on 1080i cause of the problem stated above. The screen is centered as much as i could get and everything i watch fits on the screen. so please any help would be great. thanks in advance

hi, i just got an MD30H82, and have noticed that the picture oftem wobbles on the screen, especially around the left and right edges. it looks like there is some sort of interference nearby, but the tv is in the same place where my old one was and i never had any interference problems with it before. this happens on all channels and inputs except for hdmi, which i currently cannot test. anybody here have a similar problem and know a fix for it? thanks.

I purchased a 26HF15 from Costco late 2005. Last month I dozed off with the TV running and when I woke there was a problem. Here is what I found;

The screen was black
The audio was still on
When I turned the TV off, the red power indicator remained on

I unplugged the TV and the indicator light disappeared. When I plugged it back in and turned the TV on; the same thing happened again. No picture, but the audio was on.

I realize that I might have a dead screen (after one year?) but I wanted to know if there was something else that I missed.

Thanks for letting me know before I take it in to the repair shop..

hi, i just got an MD30H82, and have noticed that the picture oftem wobbles on the screen, especially around the left and right edges. it looks like there is some sort of interference nearby, but the tv is in the same place where my old one was and i never had any interference problems with it before. this happens on all channels and inputs except for hdmi, which i currently cannot test. anybody here have a similar problem and know a fix for it? thanks.
This is normal for these Toshiba HDTV CRT combos. Every single one I've seen in stores, including the Toshiba MW26G71 I used to own before, have that annoying invisible lines running across the screen and some wobbling in the picture. The wires inside the TV are not shielded enough.

I purchased a 26HF15 from Costco late 2005. Last month I dozed off with the TV running and when I woke there was a problem. Here is what I found;

The screen was black
The audio was still on
When I turned the TV off, the red power indicator remained on

I unplugged the TV and the indicator light disappeared. When I plugged it back in and turned the TV on; the same thing happened again. No picture, but the audio was on.

I realize that I might have a dead screen (after one year?) but I wanted to know if there was something else that I missed.

Thanks for letting me know before I take it in to the repair shop..
If the TV can turn on but there is audio only and no picture, the problem is either coming from the flyback or the power supply. Looks like a major problem. Do you still have the receipt for it? If so, you can take it back to Costco for a full refund. It's not worth to repair an Orion-made set, IMO. But, if you do want to get it repaired, you can contact Toshiba and have them locate a nearest authorized repair center around you. Your TV is still in warranty and they will fix it for you for free. Power supply repair usually takes about a week. Good luck.

My only gripe with my Toshiba 30HF66, and it is an increasingly annoying one, is what happens during low-light scenes: for instance, I was watching "Sea of Love" tonight and there is a bedroom scene with Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin, the room is dimly lit, everything is just shadows and moonlight. Well I've seen this movie several times (it's like 15 years old) on various old SDTVs and never had any problems during this scene but on the Toshiba, the contrast and detail get shot all to hell: it's just completely washed out, I can barely make out many details and the skin tones are completely screwed up---kind of smudgy orange, way too dark and just completely distorted.

I've tried adjusting the black level (brightness) as well as the white level (contrast) and not had much luck. Also fiddled with the color and tint settings, again not much luck.

Was wondering if I somehow didn't understand the Avia calibration settings or if this is just one of the reasons why this Orion-made Toshiba was so cheap! :eek:

It's really strange because during normal, well-lit scenes (about 90% of the time), I couldn't be happier with the PQ so I don't think I could've screwed up Avia's instructions *that* badly!

Or is there some hidden obscure settings I can change in the service menu that might take care of this problem?

Damn, I think I've just passed the 30 day mark so don't know if Best Buy would still let me take this thing back.

btw, not sure if this makes much difference but my DVD player is a Panasonic s27 with a component connection, running on 480p but of course the TV converts it to 540p (?) and 1080i...haven't noticed much difference switching between those 2. I tend not to think it's the fault of the DVD player because I've noticed this happening during TV watching too (free local digital channels through a non-subscribed Direct TV dish).

This is normal for these Toshiba HDTV CRT combos. Every single one I've seen in stores, including the Toshiba MW26G71 I used to own before, have that annoying invisible lines running across the screen and some wobbling in the picture. The wires inside the TV are not shielded enough.

thanks for the reply. i really can't belive that a company like toshiba could release such poor quality sets to the public. the shakey picture is way too annoying for me. time to lug this monster back to the store...

After reading page after page of posts concerning the banding issue when viewing 1080i programming I have decided to try two things before considering pushing Sears for a replacement or better yet, taking it back and buying something else... I have read where setting either the Direct TV Box or TV to display the next lower display format (720 I think) might help.. Is this done on the TV or on the DTV H-20 settings menu? Secondly, I am going to try the component (I think) three video cable + audio connection and disconnect the HDMI. I love the TV, but the banding, especially on HD Sports events is horrible when compared to my other HD TV (LG37LCD)..

You are correct on both. I'm running my Cable box via component & there is no banding AND there is no white glow thru 720p which you switch via your cable co's remote. (Although I do notice it makes the overall picture very slightly darker)

After reading page after page of posts concerning the banding issue when viewing 1080i programming I have decided to try two things before considering pushing Sears for a replacement or better yet, taking it back and buying something else... I have read where setting either the Direct TV Box or TV to display the next lower display format (720 I think) might help.. Is this done on the TV or on the DTV H-20 settings menu? Secondly, I am going to try the component (I think) three video cable + audio connection and disconnect the HDMI. I love the TV, but the banding, especially on HD Sports events is horrible when compared to my other HD TV (LG37LCD)..You'd select 1080i/720p on the cable box. The banding issue is due to how the TV interprets an incoming 1080i signal over HDMI. You may see the banding occasionally when the set receives 720p over HDMI as well (I did on my set), though in my case it was much less severe and less frequent (but still enough to put me off, as I'm picky).

1080i over component should be banding-free. The only problem there is possibly the white glow (and a teeny bit of signal degradation since it's an analogue connection versus the digital HDMI). My set didn't have the glow issue.

My advice: try these things very soon and decide if they work for you. Make sure you're able to be completely happy and if not, get something else or a refund.

I can't find HF85 or HFX85 TVs anywhere which confirms that they are lousy. Toshiba even announced that this is the last year of CRT. No more CRTs from Toshiba in 2007.

I remember a big problem with HF83 (HFX83) regarding upconverting all 480i and 480p to 540p. That really ruined the picture. Have no idea if Toshiba fixed that problem with HF84 (HFX84) but having Orion to make their TVs is truly pathetic.

I was lucky to get 36HFX72 awarded with best buy title for 2002 by Perfect Vision.

Toshiba even announced that this is the last year of CRT. No more CRTs from Toshiba in 2007.
Where did you hear this? From what I heard, next year, Toshiba will be marketing only SDTVs, no HDTVs.

I appreciate all of the inputs... I switched from HDMI to component cables and everything is working GREAT...Yes I do have a trace of the white glow across the top on 1080i HD programming, but it is hardly noticable unless you are looking for it. Even the color adjustments using the AVIA seemed to be better... To bad that one of the selling points was the HDMI input which I can no longer use.. but... I'm now satisfied with the picture.. I'm sure that when it come time for replacement, I will go with LCD or Plasma...

I remember a big problem with HF83 (HFX83) regarding upconverting all 480i and 480p to 540p. That really ruined the picture.

Why would going from 480p to 540p ruin the picture? I have a 30HF66 and can't really seem much difference between 540p and 1080i with most DVDs.

My only serious complaint is that dark scenes are way too dark, that's why mine's going back to BB.

I've read some of your solutions to this problem, but it doesn't really cover the whole thing. I have a 26HF85C and have my PS2 and Xbox 360 hooked up, both over component. A few months ago I checked how to fix the over scan that I saw while playing most games on the 360, and pretty much solved it, but when I play the PS2 it has large empty spaces surrounding the viewing area. I used the service menu to fix the problem with the 360, and I use 720p output (I can't stand the way shadows and dark areas appear in 1080i).

Is there anyway to make have the screen filled when I play the PS2, and have the 360 look fine aswell? I want to solve this soon, because I'm hoping to get the PS3 and Wii, and I don't want to have the same problems with those.

Well, my refund check from Toshiba arrived on Friday, and I deposited it today via ATM. It took 8 months, but darn it, I got my money back! :D

I'll be ordering my Westinghouse 37w3 LCD early this week.

Take care, everyone, and I wish you all luck with your Toshibas.

EXCELLENT CHOICE, Spurdy! Tell us how it goes!

Well, my refund check from Toshiba arrived on Friday, and I deposited it today via ATM. It took 8 months, but darn it, I got my money back! :D

I'll be ordering my Westinghouse 37w3 LCD early this week.

Take care, everyone, and I wish you all luck with your Toshibas.

Lucky you. I've called Best Buy Online 5 times in the past 2 weeks and have yet to get the promised phone call from their "Research Department" to arrange to have my Toshiba picked up for a refund. :mad:

EXCELLENT CHOICE, Spurdy! Tell us how it goes!Oh I plan to! :) But it will be over on the Westy 37w3 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=655280) thread (so as not to clutter this thread with lots of OT material).

Lucky you. I've called Best Buy Online 5 times in the past 2 weeks and have yet to get the promised phone call from their "Research Department" to arrange to have my Toshiba picked up for a refund. :mad:I highly recommend making use of the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/) if you're being stonewalled (or just repeatedly encountering incompetence). In my case, pursuing the refund was like slogging through knee-deep oatmeal until I filed the BBB complaint. Then suddenly things started happening.

Just document everything thoroughly in your complaint. The more detail you have the better, I'd imagine. Also, try to keep it matter-of-fact, and not emotional (I know it may be a challenge). If you make your case clearly, highlighting what is unreasonable about the company's behavior or responses and what you have done to try to work with them, it will probably be more effective.

I highly recommend making use of the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/) if you're being stonewalled (or just repeatedly encountering incompetence). In my case, pursuing the refund was like slogging through knee-deep oatmeal until I filed the BBB complaint. Then suddenly things started happening.

Just document everything thoroughly in your complaint. The more detail you have the better, I'd imagine. Also, try to keep it matter-of-fact, and not emotional (I know it may be a challenge). If you make your case clearly, highlighting what is unreasonable about the company's behavior or responses and what you have done to try to work with them, it will probably be more effective.


good idea, thanks.

Do you think a mega-corp like BB would really care about their BBB record though? I thought the BBB was more effective with smaller guys...

BB are a member of the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota. Their record looks pretty good. If you have a good case, then you should be OK.

Steve.

BB are a member of the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota. Their record looks pretty good. If you have a good case, then you should be OK.

Steve.

Are their corporate HQ based in MN and ND?

Thanks, I'll give that a shot.

good idea, thanks.

Do you think a mega-corp like BB would really care about their BBB record though? I thought the BBB was more effective with smaller guys...I had suspected the same about Toshiba, thinking they wouldn't really care. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong!

I have been having a few overscan issues myself with my Toshiba 30HF85.

I had suspected the same about Toshiba, thinking they wouldn't really care. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong!

That's good to hear that they helped.

I was wondering if anyone could help me with my Toshiba 30HF85. I'm getting overscan when I'm playing the 360 on this TV and the left side of the image always gets cut off. I have the 360 set at 720p, if I put it at 1080i I get flickering on the screen and it helps fix some of this problem.

Do I buy a calibration DVD or is there another way to fix this?

http://home.comcast.net/~candyman56/IMG_0013.JPG

I had suspected the same about Toshiba, thinking they wouldn't really care. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong!

Did you deal directly with Toshiba from the start, or did you have to go through the BBB?

Did you deal directly with Toshiba from the start, or did you have to go through the BBB?Well, after trying to deal with Toshiba for a good while (going through their troubleshooting and repair attempts), I eventually engaged the BBB. What I did was go to their website:

http://www.bbb.org

And went through the "File a complaint" process. They then contacted Toshiba and followed up with me via email.

To see the full text I included, which is essentially a history of my experience, see this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8056167#post8056167). It's actually a letter I faxed to Toshiba after asking them about a refund, but the factual info and chronology is essentially the same for what I entered for my BBB complaint.

EDIT: There was actually a bit more history that I gave the BBB, as it happened after the fax to Toshiba and before my filing of the complaint. You can find that in this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8074672#post8074672).

I wouldn't recommend hitting up the BBB for any old problem immediately. But if you've made a good faith effort to work within the agreed upon repair/return practices of the vendor and they're still being unreasonable and not solving your issue, document it all and file it as a BBB complaint.

Anyone have/seen a Toshiba HD-DVD player thru this set? Must look nice!

Are their corporate HQ based in MN and ND?

Thanks, I'll give that a shot.

Yup, MN.

Steve.

Anybody know why my Toshiba 30HF85 seems to only accept a maximum of 1280x720 with overscan, and a perect fit of 1152x648?

I'm using a 36' DVI cable plugged into an HDMI adapter into the tv. It's coming from my pc which is XP 2.0ghz athlon 1 gig RAM and my video card is an ATI Radeon 9250.

Anytime I go higher, like oh say 1920x1080 30hz it refuses to display anything. This is supposed to be a 1080i set, so I'm wondering why that could be. Also the monitor driver I'm using is the Sony GDM W-900.

The only thing I can think is it's something to do with my video adapter software....or else I've been cheated and this is really all my TV can actually do.

Anybody know why my Toshiba 30HF85 seems to only accept a maximum of 1280x720 with overscan, and a perect fit of 1152x648?

I'm using a 36' DVI cable plugged into an HDMI adapter into the tv. It's coming from my pc which is XP 2.0ghz athlon 1 gig RAM and my video card is an ATI Radeon 9250.

Anytime I go higher, like oh say 1920x1080 30hz it refuses to display anything. This is supposed to be a 1080i set, so I'm wondering why that could be. Also the monitor driver I'm using is the Sony GDM W-900.

The only thing I can think is it's something to do with my video adapter software....or else I've been cheated and this is really all my TV can actually do.

My 34HF85 will accept either a 1152x648 (720p) 60hz timing or a 1776x1000 (1080i) 30hz timing. I am using an ATI 9600 graphics card with the ATI adapter. The 1080i timing is prone to banding issues, so I prefer the 720p timing on my set. Also, overscan is an issue with the 1080i timing, as you say the 1152x648 (720p) timing is pretty much a perfect fit. Can't answer why the 1920x1080 timing won't work, but the closest I can get to it on either of my Toshiba HDTV sets is 1776x1000.

After waiting about 6 weeks for the parts to come in,the BB Tech came by and did the repair.The TV never left the house,but we did use a loaner set (a 27" Panny). When he first came to look at the set, I told him that there was a service bulliten about this problem(I found out about it here-Thanks all!) No more bend in pix -but I think the focus needs a slight tweek. I went through the service settings and it's not there.Is the focus adjusted the traditional way (trimpot on flyback) or am I missing something? If it is,does the back cover have to be removed? The holes on back cover are not labled and are too small for a screwdriver so forget that... Don't really want to call him back for another appt becouse of conflicting work schedules and all that . (the Wife works nights and I work days)
The tech bulletin is No:TV200405 Ref: WU111204

I unfortunately am an owner of the toshiba 34HF85. I have my image tilt all the way to the left (-10) and it still looks like my screen goes up from right to left, especially noticable when watching ESPN and the banner is running on the bottom of the screen. Can this be fixed???

I unfortunately am an owner of the toshiba 34HF85. I have my image tilt all the way to the left (-10) and it still looks like my screen goes up from right to left, especially noticable when watching ESPN and the banner is running on the bottom of the screen. Can this be fixed???
You could try the service menu settings-check the rest of this thread for more info-the tilt setting range may be adjustable. That may help...

I guess I lucked out cause other than slightly crushed blacks, my OTA HD PQ looks pretty damned good!

Is the focus adjusted the traditional way (trimpot on flyback) or am I missing something? If it is,does the back cover have to be removed?I believe the answer is yes to both your questions. At least, it would be for the 30HFX85 I had, and I believe all the HF(X)84/85 models are very similar. I purchased a service manual during my many attempts to iron out all the issues and it indicated trimpot adjustment for the focus. I never ended up removing the cover to try it though.

I just got a brand new Toshiba 26HF85C yesterday. When I watch a movie such as Star Wars, I get weird bars across the screen during some bright flashes (like when lightsabres hit, or something similiar). I've only noticed it on my DVD player, and it happens using s-video or component or composite cables using Interlaced or Progressive output. I'm curious as to whether anyone else has this problem, or knows what it could be? I'm thinking it could be my DVD player, as I sent it across the country and it could have been damaged in transit. However, if it's the TV, I should return it ASAP for another one.

I have a darkness problem with my tv. For example, in Test Drive Unlimited for XBox 360, in the display settings under brightness, they give you a white -> black color gradient of about 12 squares. On my tv right now, unless I shoot the TV brightness up to around 40-45, the last 3 squares on the black side of the color gradient are all pitch black. Needless to say, shading and shadows look much darker on my games and dvd's. What can I do to change the darkness levels, so just the darker colors become brighter and/or more distinguishable from each other? I would just turn up the brightness, but the whites are already very bright, and it can no longer do the job.

I'm very up to doing more service menu tweaking, since I've done it before. Which values relate to how dark blacks are?

If it helps I have a Toshiba 26HF85

Are you sure those last 3 squares are not supposed to be all pitch black when looked at relative to the brighter squares next to them? That is usually how calibrating menus are supposed to be. You aren't supposed to make them so that you can see a difference between each square/bar down to black, usually.

If you do insist on changing that though, I think the best service menu setting is SUB CONT. Max it out, and also lower the ordinary Contrast (CONT MAX, CONT MIN, CONT CENT) values a lot to compensate (so that White stays the same intensity in the end).

Are you sure those last 3 squares are not supposed to be all pitch black when looked at relative to the brighter squares next to them? That is usually how calibrating menus are supposed to be. You aren't supposed to make them so that you can see a difference between each square/bar down to black, usually.

If you do insist on changing that though, I think the best service menu setting is SUB CONT. Max it out, and also lower the ordinary Contrast (CONT MAX, CONT MIN, CONT CENT) values a lot to compensate (so that White stays the same intensity in the end).
I'm definitely sure. Because otherwise it goes from pitch back for 3 squares to bright grey. Im definitely sure thats not right. These are large squares, too. This isnt a miniscule color gradient, this is pretty broad. Its carried over into my HD DVDs, as well. Whenever someone wears a black coat, they appear as just a black body. You see no detail on their jacket, no folds, no creases, nothing. It definitely doesnt look right.

Thanks for the help, by the way.

I have a darkness problem with my tv. For example, in Test Drive Unlimited for XBox 360, in the display settings under brightness, they give you a white -> black color gradient of about 12 squares. On my tv right now, unless I shoot the TV brightness up to around 40-45, the last 3 squares on the black side of the color gradient are all pitch black. Needless to say, shading and shadows look much darker on my games and dvd's. What can I do to change the darkness levels, so just the darker colors become brighter and/or more distinguishable from each other? I would just turn up the brightness, but the whites are already very bright, and it can no longer do the job.

I'm very up to doing more service menu tweaking, since I've done it before. Which values relate to how dark blacks are?

If it helps I have a Toshiba 26HF85

I have the same TV and use it with my X360, I have that darkness issue when playing 360 if I set it to 720p or 1080i, the blacks become far too dark and turning up the brightness does not help because it just makes everything look washed out. Setting the resolution to 480p helps a lot so you may wanna try that.
The problem that really annoys me though is that whenever there is something bright on the screen, everything else onscreen gets really dark. For example in Ghost Recon if the sky is in view during the daytime missions then everything other than the sky gets darker. The more the bright sky is in view the darker everything else gets. This can get really annoying in some games, there was one room in Perfect Dark Zero where if I looked at the two lights on the ceiling, the rest of the room became almost pitch black.