LG 30FS4D 30" slim CRT [Text View] - Page 2

sascol

05-31-06, 08:31 AM

I saw this Tv set at BB today and I could definitely see the edges don't have the same resolution as the rest of the picture. It seemed really lame to me that this is a 16:9 TV set, but it only offers clear definition in what would be the 4:3 area of the screen. What's the point of buying a widescreen then? I would not buy this TV set. I think these slim fit sets are not a good idea, it seems like a flawed technology to me. I would be much happier with a 30" that has more depth but offers a clear picture in all its screen.

I have this set. While the issues you speak of are there, they are MINOR at worst. 95% of the time you can't see the difference in PQ ibetween the center of the set vs. the sides. The only time it's noticable to me is when there is a very light color on the screen (like the white ice on a hockey game, for example). I had the set for several weeks before I even noticed the difference. Is the picture perfect? No.....but based on the price of the set, it's not a bad decision to get one if you're trying to conserve space and want a 16:9 widescreen option other than a flat panel.

mahidarkhak

05-31-06, 10:04 AM

I am consideriung to buy this TV (instead Toshoba 30HF66). I have few more questions:

I appreciate if you could help me out.:

1)I wanna use just component cable, is it possible or HDMI cable is a must!. I am gonna subscribe to cox cable and mostly watch SDTV though.

If i wanna use my vcr to record , should i use a connection directly from set top box to vcr and put it from vcr through composite tubes to LG Tv
and use component cables directly from set top box to TV (for viewing) right?

2) I went to BB yesterday again
I noticed 2 things:
BB staff was saying they use coax cable so some channels are not HD and even HD ones are not real HD.

I put the setup for viewing on as the program is aired (instead of 4:3 or 16:9), and still was getting black bars on all four borders.
Do you know why? BTW when they talk about picture bowing : horizontal etc..do u mean they dont see straight lines?
because i notice that in letter box or 4:3 views.

In addition in zoom views the ESPN botton score lines would have its sides cut off. is there anything that we can do to adjust it?

the other thing i read on the forum was that it has a BUZZ coming out of speakers. So i checked the speakers, on some channel yes it was an annoying BUZZ on some other channels no buzz at all.

The guy was saying it is because the feed of store but I did not buy it because the Toshiba next to it did not have the buzz.
I had a Sony H420 for short tiume i remmember the manual was saying HD TVs are little noisy. I am not sure though this was same noise or not.

The guy was saying me PAY additional 60$ for delivery
and another 100$ for calibration of the unit at home?
is that really necessary? I dont think the BB guys know more than a 4th level technicians do they?
Can i skip that 100$ and do it myself based on asking others like you about different setup adjustments? or do i need computer and calibration CD too?

thanks

BTW how long do u have it?

I really appreciate all help I need

Malcontent

06-02-06, 07:25 PM

Has anyone used a Calibration DVD to adjust the settings on this Tv? If so, could you please share your calibrated settings?

Thank you.

sethm

06-05-06, 03:36 PM

1. Best Buy told me Comp cable from the cable box to the TV and use HDMI for the DVD - which is how Cox cable hooked it up. Something about if HDMI used for the HD cable then all channels would be 16:9- not sure if that is how it was explained but BB did confirm Cox hooked up correctly.

2. The black bars I have noticed depends on the channel.

3. No bowing on this set (or any LG I have read about).

4. No buzzing on mine, nor did hear one in the stores- 3 BB's and Circuit City.

5. Calibration - not yet, though like the last entry I too am curious.
I read in another site if you press the 2 menu buttons (the remote and the TV) at the same time awhole new menu pops up - but this sounded way to technical for me to tackle.

Malcontent - what calibration DVD are you referring to. I too am curious.

gary2yuk

06-06-06, 04:19 AM

Hello

I just bought the LG and am quite happy with it except:

Every once and awhile, a high pitch squealing comes from the back of the TV.. anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes.. and then goes away...

anyone else having this problem?

Should I take it back and exchange ASAP?

Malcontent

06-06-06, 06:42 AM

5. Calibration - not yet, though like the last entry I too am curious.
I read in another site if you press the 2 menu buttons (the remote and the TV) at the same time awhole new menu pops up - but this sounded way to technical for me to tackle.

Malcontent - what calibration DVD are you referring to. I too am curious.

One called "Avia". It's a DVD that's supposed to help you calirated TV's. I've heard it mentioned on these message boards.

nszkpp

06-12-06, 08:18 PM

Alot of great info on this post. Thanks.
I went to BB to buy the LG 30FS4D, and the technicians (2 of them) told me it would not display OTA HD...the only way I would get HD is through a STB.
I double checked the specs in the manual but the specs are listed for the 32FS4D-UC. My question is: does the 30FS4D have the same specs as the 32FS4D-UC i.e. does the 30FS4D have the integrated NTSC, ATSC and QAM tuners? As long as it has the ATSC I should be able to plug an antenna into it and watch OTA HD, right? (depending on signal strength, etc, etc)

Thanks

biker19

06-12-06, 08:39 PM

The specs are probably right there on the tag for the TV - every TV sold over 25" must have an ATSC tuner for OTA use. Time for those BB "technicians" to learn some basics. :rolleyes:

nszkpp

06-15-06, 11:54 AM

sascol

06-15-06, 12:50 PM

I need some help here guys. I bought the LG, and so far I like it. I haven't had that much time to mess with it, and have only hooked up my dvd player to it. Whenever I watch a "widescreen" DVD, I still get the bars at the top and bottom of the screen, like I would on a 4:3 tv. I thought the whole point of a 16:9 tv is to get rid of the letterbox when you watch a "widescreen" or 16:9 source. The aspect ratio is selected as 16:9, so I don't know why I am still getting the letterbox. My apologies if this is a dumb question...

No dumb questions (well, ok, some are dumb, but this one is not). The bars at the top and bottom of your screen are dependant on a few things:

One is the ratio at which the DVD itself is formatted. While the TV is 16:9, the specification of the DVD may not be. You can use the "zoom" function on the TV to zoom the picture to fill the screen more but the picture quality may suffer.

There may also be some settings on your DVD player to check. Make sure you have the viewing ratio set to 16:9 as opposed to letterbox.

nszkpp

06-15-06, 02:44 PM

One is the ratio at which the DVD itself is formatted. While the TV is 16:9, the specification of the DVD may not be. You can use the "zoom" function on the TV to zoom the picture to fill the screen more but the picture quality may suffer.

There may also be some settings on your DVD player to check. Make sure you have the viewing ratio set to 16:9 as opposed to letterbox.

Yes, but if the DVD is labelled as "widescreen", then it HAS to be formatted for 16:9, right?

nszkpp

06-16-06, 09:51 AM

never mind...I figured it out. Two things: my player was not on 16:9, and the movie was 2.35:1 or something like that so it will still be letterboxed on a 16:9 tv anyway unless I zoom in.

lets_go_titans

06-22-06, 11:02 PM

We'll I just purchased this t.v. and so far im 50/50 on it. The looks and the style of the Super Slim are excellent. I ended up buying the glass stand and the surround sound as a set which make the style of the T.V. quite astonishing.

A few problems though! But before i go into them i will explain how i have mine set up. I have Sattalite Dish, with S-Video running into the t.v., and i have component cables (DVD) running into the Component Section (480 i, 480 p, 720 p, 1080i.) Once i hooked everything up i clearly double checked and all was perfect, i flipped it right to the NFL Network, and boom i started noticing the font in the "ticker" that goes left to right at the bottom (typicall if you watch CNN Headline News) start off huge on the bottom right corner and expanded inwards back to normal size then expand back out to the left bottom corner. Also while watching soccer this afternoon i noticed a dim black line running from the top to bottom of the screen, about 3 inches in from the sides. I don't know if this is a lemon or what. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated A.S.A.P.

Cheers

jpsikora

06-28-06, 01:53 AM

I just bought one of these LG TVs and was surprised to get one with normal glass instead of the anti-glare screen. When I went back to Best Buy, they said there's no such thing--it only comes with the anti-glare screen...but the glass on my TV is clearly different than what's in the stores. Glass on my screen is no different than on my old TVs, but at the store, it feels and looks a little bit more like that of an LCD (ever so slightly rough, rather than smooth and glossy).

Anyone heard anything about this?

bemter

06-29-06, 08:32 AM

sodaboy581

06-29-06, 11:33 AM

Using front composite input for DVD.
Except for being widescreen I don't see much difference in DVD broadcast.

Welp, there goes your problem right there.

Upgrade to component video for the win.

sodaboy581

06-29-06, 11:37 AM

and boom i started noticing the font in the "ticker" that goes left to right at the bottom (typicall if you watch CNN Headline News) start off huge on the bottom right corner and expanded inwards back to normal size then expand back out to the left bottom corner.

You probably have the wide zoom option on which a lot of HDTV sets have. (In order to show 4:3 content, they stretch out the left and right extremes of the screen while keeping the center untouched..) It's perfectly normal.

I don't know about the LG, but you should have an option to change the aspect ratio to either "Normal" or "Full" as well. Normal should put bars on the left and right instead and Full will just stretch it equally to 16:9 (but it might look slightly wide)

bemter

06-29-06, 12:15 PM

Bought LG 2 weeks ago. Also didn't get non glare screen.
Fuzzy edges really bother me.
When playing DVDs they intermittently have jitter. Would think that DVD player is causing the problem but never happened before. Using front composite input for DVD.
Except for being widescreen I don't see much difference in DVD broadcast.
Thinking of returning TV to Best Buy and buying standard 27" Sony.
bemter is offline Report Bad Post Report Post
Reply With Quote

Already using component input from cable box. Would using component from DVD fix picture jumping intermittently?

Tethyrr

06-29-06, 02:37 PM

Bought LG 2 weeks ago. Also didn't get non glare screen.

Already using component input from cable box. Would using component from DVD fix picture jumping intermittently?

I've used one of the composite inputs for VHS and had no problems. However, DVD's look much better with component cables. You have two sets of component inputs, so it shouldn't be a problem.

greenfrogthing77

07-02-06, 04:04 PM

I had purchased the LG slim fit television and was greatly disappointed. Television looked great along with Xbox (using component video), but movies looked terrible. I'd researched this model for quite a long time and was disappointed with it's performance. Many of the black shadows would distort and become pixelated, plus some reds would show huge blocks of pixel. On the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the dark shadows on the characters would become green and purple and walls on the movie Blade, would be pixelated.

I thought the problem was my DVD player Sony DVP-NS75H. I took the player to bestbuy where the sales person hooked it up to 2 other LG tv likes mine (LG30FS4D) and saw the same problems. He then hooked up a more expensive LG dvd player to the televisions and found the same bad pixelation. Both my DVD player and the LG were hooked up to a 34in SONY with HDMI and both looked great. Hooked the dvd player up to the Samsung TXS3082 and it looked great.

BTW the two LG televisions we tried out in store had major color problems. One had yellow on the bottom right of the screen, the other had a pink ball in the uppper right corner...it literally looked like a pink ball. I degaused both tvs with no luck. They are coming to pick up my LG tv on Tuesday, and I hope this is the last time I need to deal with such frustrations.

Camelback

07-05-06, 04:17 PM

Bought LG 2 weeks ago. Also didn't get non glare screen......

So where has the non-reflective / anti glare coating gone on the LG 30FS4D??

I just bought the LG slim fit from PC Richards. Having seen it in their store and BB I could clearly see the non-reflective coating. But it is quite clear that the screen I got doesn't have the coating on it....certainly not like in the shops.

I called PC Richards who didn't have a clue about the supposed non-reflective coating - so I had no leg to stand on with them as far as they were concerned. I called LG customer services and the rep was past moronic and hadn't a clue about what I was on about. Both said the same thing: where does it say non-reflective in the manual/specs? I looked in my manual and on the box, it doesn't.

So does anyone know whether it has been written in a previous manual/specs (i.e. proof anywhere outside a shop's display model or owning one with it), and/or whether LG have decided to stop using the coating anyway??

Or am I paranoid by thinking PC Richards / LG staff believe I'm delusional and it never really existed?! :o

greenfrogthing77

07-05-06, 08:58 PM

The LG that I bought had the anti glare on it, but the Samsung I traded it in for doesn't ;)

rolla

07-08-06, 03:52 AM

hi, newbie here,
can someone explain to me what cinema 3:2 mode does on the LG TV?? thanks!

Tethyrr

07-09-06, 12:02 PM

So where has the non-reflective / anti glare coating gone on the LG 30FS4D??

I just bought the LG slim fit from PC Richards. Having seen it in their store and BB I could clearly see the non-reflective coating. But it is quite clear that the screen I got doesn't have the coating on it....certainly not like in the shops.
...
Or am I paranoid by thinking PC Richards / LG staff believe I'm delusional and it never really existed?! :o

I just read through the manual, and I didn't see any reference to anti-glare coating. However, mine does have the coating, and every model I have seen does. This must be a new thing. I actually prefer the coating because my TV gets gets glare from two windows. With the coating, you would never know. Even so, you will see from earlier posts that some people would prefer no coating.

Camelback

07-10-06, 11:49 AM

Well, I've just heard back from LG on the non-reflective coating - seems they deny all knowledge of it ever existing:

"Thank you for inquiring of LG Electronics. The specifications for this unit no not list a non-reflective coating, or screen for this model television. This was not a standard installation practice from the factory on this model, nor do we have documentation that this was a factory installation on any of this line. For further information or troubleshooting, you may contact us at 800-243-0000 for LG Customer Service assistance. An agent will be glad to assist you. Thank you again for contacting LG Electronics. Neil E-mail Administrator Customer Interactive Center LGEAI"

So there you have it folks, according to LG all of us are delusional. There has never been a non-reflective coating on the 30FS4D television set. ;)

bookem dano

07-10-06, 07:38 PM

I just bought this tv a few weeks ago. Had to take the first one back as it had a weird dark spot in the picture. It started getting better, but I figured I'd take it back anyway.

I've had to turn the contrast and brightness way, way down, around 19/30 for standard tv to look good.

Also, I've hooked it up to 2 different cable providers and have been able to get some of the digital cable channels, some of which I don't think I'm supposed to be getting. When I get these, sometimes the show will play all the way through, other times I will be watching and the show changes to what appears to be on another channel. If I flip back and forth, the original show comes back on. Has anyone else seen this? It's happened on both TVs and I've seen it on a Mitsubishi too.

I am assuming it's because of the digital channels and how the cable company is broadcasting them. I just need to know if it's something that is a defect in the tuner.

bookem dano

07-10-06, 07:52 PM

hi, newbie here,
can someone explain to me what cinema 3:2 mode does on the LG TV?? thanks!

The manual made it sound like it increases the framerate, but I'm not sure.

IceWindius

07-12-06, 04:36 AM

I think I might take my Samsung 3082 back and get the LG, the geometry is just f'en pissing me off.

Tethyrr

07-13-06, 11:40 AM

I think I might take my Samsung 3082 back and get the LG, the geometry is just f'en pissing me off.

That may not be a bad idea, but don't expect perfection. The reality is that all of the slim models have some issues. In my observations, the Samsungs tend to have more serious issues than the LG's. Full size crt's like the Sony's with sfp consistently provide a better picture, but they won't fit in all spaces, cost more, and even they have issues (see Sony threads). That said, I far prefer my LG slimcrt to flat screen alternatives for pq, and it fits perfectly in my small living room.

IceWindius

07-15-06, 01:03 AM

I just swapped out my Samsung 3082 for a LG and I have to say, im very impressed so far. It does not have the antiglare screen which surprised me, but it already has better clarity and geometry then the samsung ever had.

I'll post more impressions and pics tomorroo

tryin2search

07-19-06, 11:19 PM

I'v had my LG Superslim for just under one month now, bought it in time for the quarterfinals of the World Cup. I must say I have nothing negative to say, except maybe about the weight. The pictures are fantastic when viewing HD programs. My tv does not have the anti-glare coating the others have mentioned, the store model did, but I like it better without it anyway.

ESPN's WC coverage looked fantastic in HD, the Yankees look awesome in HD. I love the ratio button especially the cinema zoom option for upconverted and SD material. SD looks great on this tv. One of the reasons I wanted a CRT is because I knew that CRT's would be more forgiving with non HD programs and haven't been dissapointed yet.

The built in OTA tuner works very well on this set. I'm 15 miles from the transmitters in midtown Manhattan but with an obstructed view and get all the networks in reliably. I also have digital cable with an HD box connected via component cables and it looks great. The only difference I've seen between the two is that Cablevision seems to compress its signal more than its OTA counterpart especially for non HD channels.

I have one question, when I set up the cable box to be able to select the resolution output, I was surprised that it displayed 720p. I thought this tv was 1080i. The scientific atlanta 4200 hd box said that if the resolution sent out by the box was not supported by the tv the screen would be blank.

Every resolution output by the cable box displayed properly, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i. Did I miss something? I didn't think that a 1080i tv could display 720p without converting it. I did see some difference between the 1080i & 720p on my tv, nothing signifigant but noticeable.

rolla

07-22-06, 03:11 AM

so far, i'm happy with this unit. had it for about a 1.5 weeks. I havent really seen any issues cited in this thread with mine, or maybe i'm just not lookin' that hard. But its not bad for the price. Definitely wont be the centerpiece of my HT system in the future, but by then hopefully 42-50 inch LCD's will be affordable. But for now, its perfect for my needs.

Meltdown611186

07-23-06, 05:19 PM

tryin2search

07-23-06, 09:05 PM

"Tryingtosearch"

What sort of differences did you notice between the 720p and the 1080i? I was just curious because I too see minor differences and was wondering if what you are seeing is the same thing I am seeing. So if you could please elaborate.

On the xbox 360, when running in 720p mode everything looks..I guess my best descriptive word would be "stale". Kinda looks blocky, and not as "colorful"

And with 1080i everything looks colorful and what not, but it looks slightly enlarged.

I havn't been able to decide which of the two is better.

What do you keep yours on? I am assuming since 1080i is supposed to be its native resolution that would be best. But its nearly impossible to tell if the 360 scaler or the television's scaler is doing a better job.

Meltdown

I always keep the cable box set to 1080i. I can only see the difference between the two formats when it is 1080i material displayed in 720p. The image seems to be a little less "crisp", sharp, than it does in its native 1080i. But you have to look closely to see it. From over 4 feet it isn't that noticeable. As far as color I haven't noticed any differences. I haven't noticed any difference between 720p native material displayed as 1080i or 720p so far. Either way this tv has been great.

Meltdown611186

07-23-06, 09:12 PM

That makes sense.

I agree, the television is definatly a great value. This coming from someone who traded the Samsung SlimFit in for this..the superior LG model.

rscheff

07-24-06, 09:12 PM

Hi, can someone who owns this TV tell me if the image on the sides has less quality than in the center of the screen, is it blurry? and if so, can you notice it when watching SD signal and DVD's or just when watching HD and xbox 360??

Zeke0990

07-25-06, 12:37 AM

i was thinking of buying this tv but after eading the problems w/ it on the first page of the thread, i can see now that it would b a mistake to buy this tv...

Tethyrr

07-25-06, 10:54 AM

i was thinking of buying this tv but after eading the problems w/ it on the first page of the thread, i can see now that it would b a mistake to buy this tv...

I seemed to remember that the first page of this thread dealt mainly with the release of the tv. I just reviewed the posts, and only a few of the posters had bought or even seen the tv. None of the posts had substantive critiques. That said, later posts do indicate that this slim tube has some of the inherent problems of other slim tubes. Comparing the anecdotal responses on this thread and the Samsung slim thread, it appears that the LG may be a better product in this category. I prefer the picture of the 200 pound, more expensive, superfine Sony's, but as a person with a smaller budget and less space, I am very satisfied with my LG (having owned the comparable Samsung for a brief period).

tryin2search

07-25-06, 10:25 PM

i was thinking of buying this tv but after eading the problems w/ it on the first page of the thread, i can see now that it would b a mistake to buy this tv...

If your in the market for an HDTV and on a budget, then you should keep this tv in mind. Regarding the blurring on the sides, I haven't seen it, and I've looked for it. I have an Xbox & Gamecube, and there has been no issue with blurring on the edges. I've used component & s-video cables to compare and have not had an issue.

There is a very slight bowing at the bottom of the screen when viewing horizontal boxes/ lines across the bottom of the screen. At least 7 out of 10 times it is unnoticeable. It really is only noticeable when viewing a box with a high contrast vs the rest of the screen, such as the program information box you see when you select that option on your cable remote.

BASSOFeeSH

07-26-06, 02:41 PM

Picked up one of these sets on Monday(so I could use my 12% coupon @ best Buy. Not sure how they figured out the price, but the total came out to $660!). :cool:

Initial impressions based ONLY on OTA reception:

The phosphors ARE larger as you approach the edges, for the price/other features I don't mind
I've noticied NO geometry issues, though I'll be hooking up more equipment to it in the next few days to take a better look
Didn't see ANY colored "blobs" as reported in this thread yet on white screens
NO buzzing sounds at all coming from the unit

Orbus

07-27-06, 03:27 AM

Where did you get a 12% off BB coupon? That could come in handy...

The blurry edges thing worries me a bit, but I'm seriously interested in this one. I haven't looked much at the slimfits before. Are they still deep enough to put a center channel speaker on top?

BASSOFeeSH

07-27-06, 05:17 PM

Every month or two I get 2-3 Coupons from Best Buy in the mail. They are usually for the following:
- 10% off any combination of up to 3 movies, cd's, games.
- 10% off Major appliances, PC's, TV's over $399, accessories, ...(tons of stuff)
- Same as the one above, but worth 12% if you are a reward zone member.(I am, and there's no longer a yearly fee. Of course this means less reward as well)

Back to the TV, has anyone tried using the optical audio input? I hooked mine up from my DVD player, but can't seem to get the TV to make a sound. I know it's on, because if I disconnect it, I can see the red light going. Perhaps I don't understand the technology, but it always worked when connected to my receiver.(which is currently at a different physical location) Analog, RCA input work fine however. This is all while connected to component input #1.

Regarding the depth, I'm think that I'd have a hard time getting a speaker to balance on top of the TV. It IS pretty narrow up there!

tryin2search

07-27-06, 08:35 PM

Back to the TV, has anyone tried using the optical audio input? I hooked mine up from my DVD player, but can't seem to get the TV to make a sound. I know it's on, because if I disconnect it, I can see the red light going. Perhaps I don't understand the technology, but it always worked when connected to my receiver.(which is currently at a different physical location) Analog, RCA input work fine however. This is all while connected to component input #1.

Regarding the depth, I'm think that I'd have a hard time getting a speaker to balance on top of the TV. It IS pretty narrow up there!

The audio optical input is for use with the HDMI port when the device connected to the tv HDMI port uses a DVI to HDMI converter cable.

Meltdown611186

07-27-06, 09:02 PM

tryin2search

07-27-06, 10:01 PM

I had another question that may seem kinda dumb but its out of sheer curosity. In the menu(the standard menu) you can choose the aspect ratio. I believe its something like "set by program, 16:9, 4:3, Horizon, Zoom..etc etc.

When playing the xbox 360 I have the dashboard set to widescreen. Should I select the "set by program" or the 16:9 widescreen. Will it even make a difference at all?

The reason I ask is because I have heard some people say when its in a certain ratio some of the edges cut off where there is supposed to be text(or even a display HUD for ammo or health or something) Just want to make sure I am not missing something entirely here...

I have my Xbox connected via s-video cable. To get the image on the screen to look "right" I set the Xbox to widescreen, then set the tv to Horizon. I've found that this keeps everything on screen with no noticeable distortion. If left on set by program, only the very center of the screen is filled with a 4:3 pillar box. You can also use 16:9 and it will look fine, but a small portion of the edges are cut off.

Meltdown611186

07-27-06, 10:53 PM

Hmm, when the xbox360 is turned on under the componet one selection it actually grays out the horizon..hence not letting me choose horizon as a setting I can use. The settings that it does allow me to use are: "set by program", 4:3, 16:9, zoom 1 and 2, and cinema zoom. The zoom 1 and 2 wont be of any help. Cinema zoom, zooms it in but it maybe too much of a zoom..although I am not sure if as you said that is what is to look "right"(aka intended by the manufacturor/producer)

The only other two options would be 16:9 and set by program.

It maybe not letting me choose horizon because I am using componets inputs? I am not really sure why that would be the case to be honest. With the xbox360 off however it does allow me to select horizon, so that is kinda odd.

Thanks for you input, and now I am ever more curious : ) Anyone else have anything?

BASSOFeeSH

07-28-06, 03:04 PM

The audio optical input is for use with the HDMI port when the device connected to the tv HDMI port uses a DVI to HDMI converter cable.

That would explain it, thanks!

Camelback

07-28-06, 05:02 PM

So there you have it folks, according to LG all of us are delusional. There has never been a non-reflective coating on the 30FS4D television set.

UPDATE:

Not happy with the knowledge a few of us may be a few sandwiches short of a picnic, I called LG Cust Srv again (you know the score; different operator, different answer...) The guy told me that only LG TVs from BB had a non-reflective coatin - why that was, he couldn't say.

So, at least I am not mad.

eth555

07-28-06, 08:46 PM

I have had this TV for about 2 weeks now. Purchased from Best Buy using Reward Zone 12% Off coupon mentioned earlier in posts, so purchased this tv for $660. I have to say I can not be happier with this TV for getting OTA broadcasts. I do not notice any bothersome geometry issues, color issues. This set is also quite silent no buzzing or humming issues. I used the tv adjustments from one of the first few pages of this thread. For the price I would easily recommend this tv.

Meltdown611186

07-29-06, 01:21 AM

Well as I learned through here over the course of my research when looking into HDTVs for their first time, apparently all settings on each television is different.

For example my settings are much higher than those listed on the first page. Everything is much higher.

Example being...my componet one input for xbox 360 is as follows.

Contrast: A high..but still reasonable 54
Brightness: 60 (and yet its not even as bright as one would think with these two settings)
Color:57
Sharpness:57
Tint:0
Temp: Going back and fourth between cool and medium
XD: Doesnt really make a big difference.

However my cable settings are different..color being higher..contrast and brightness being much lower. I wont get into that.

I basically compared my screen to other peoples screens that were HDTV through just mentally remebering what it kinda looked like. Also when searching on the web and viewing some pictures from the in game photos I tried to get it to closely match that. And although most game reviewers are playing on a much much higher end(and expensive) plasma television 3000$+ im sure...I have to say I dont think my image is that far off at all.

In the end I am very happy with the television...was not happy with my intial settings when I bought the thing awhile back though.

bookem dano

07-29-06, 03:29 AM

tvnoob

07-29-06, 03:45 AM

Im really thinking about getting this tv for the bedroom, im wondering why it has optical in though- says "for DVI"- optical is usually used for 5.1 sound, correct?

Obviously DVI is only video, but any benefit of using optical over stereo for just tv speakers?

eth555

07-29-06, 11:13 AM

I've had this tv for almost a month but havn't had a chance to really watch it : (

I do have a question on what is the best DVD player to connect to this guy? Do you really see a difference on an upconverting DVD player? Are they worth it?

I was toying with the idea of getting the Toshiba HD-A1 player, not because I am a HD-DVD fanboy or want to be in the middle of this whole HD format war; but because for the money it is suppose to be on of the best upconverting DVD player. I will probably wait until I get my Reward Zone certificates(from purchasing this TV) and coupons from Best Buy before taking the plunge though so it is a few weeks out.

I was also thinking about getting the Harmony 550 Remote, has anyone used this remote with this TV, or had any luck with it; or at least know the main differences between the 850 and 880 Harmony. I know this is the wrong forum to ask this but hopefully someone with this TV may know and had experience with this.

Meltdown611186

07-30-06, 02:54 AM

Another question...

I have been messing around with the XD engine setting through a High Definition source. Will this even do anything for a Hi-Def source such as improve the picture quality or is it more or less just for analog sources?

Meltdown611186

08-02-06, 10:10 PM

In addition to my question from before: (Does it make a difference if I leave the XD setting on when receiving a HD source..like a xbox360..or should I turn it off? What do you do?)

I also wonder if anyone knows any settings in the service menu to reduce the redish tint as you go to the right of the screen and the bluish when you go to the left.

For example: If I were to have plain white text running along the screen..say this sentence right here. The "for example" that i just stated and bit more would be in a bluish color. The "sentence right here" would be in a reddish color. The middle would be nice, clean, and white. I am sure it has something to do with adjusting the image on the outsides...I just dont know what that is...

I will make sure to write all my settings down if anyone has any suggestions.

Thanks

tsheley

08-03-06, 08:51 AM

So what is the final verdict on this TV? I am really close to getting on since it is on sale right now at BB. But the more I read this thread the less I want to buy this TV.

Thanks,

tvnoob

08-03-06, 10:53 AM

So what is the final verdict on this TV? I am really close to getting on since it is on sale right now at BB. But the more I read this thread the less I want to buy this TV.

Thanks,

Why? The only downside is 1 HDMI

Tethyrr

08-03-06, 11:02 AM

I looked for a new 1080i mainly for games, OTA and dvds, but I have fairly limited space. I bought a high end LCD, but returned it because the colors were weak, blacks were bad and it did not show well in the dark or low light. Better models are coming out, but they are still too expensive. I also tried a Samsung slimfit. It was in my price range, but I had serious picture problems, and tech support was not at all helpful. I bought the LG four months ago, and I am very happy with it. It is not as perfect as the high end Sony SFP's, but it costs and weighs far less. Mine has the antiglare coating (which I like), the colors look very good, definition is excellent, OTA is fantastic and my 360 looks outstanding. For my needs, it is a perfect match. Most of the problem posts on this forum have dealt with relatively minor picture issues that can be helped with a calibration disk. Some of the reported issues clearly have to do with inputs (cable quality/compression, cable format, etc.) rather than the TV. HDTV's are very sophisticated, so occasional defects are unavoidable even in the most expensive units. Most significant defects should be detectable within a short period of time, so I would always buy from a vendor who has a good return policy (e.g., most retail brick and mortar stores or someone like Crutchfield). I have seen some very good deals on the LG 30FS4D recently at a local BB and online. If you can find a 34" sony with SFP, have the space and money, I'd go with that; otherwise, the LG is a good candidate. Good luck with your decision.

So what is the final verdict on this TV? I am really close to getting on since it is on sale right now at BB. But the more I read this thread the less I want to buy this TV.

Thanks,

tsheley

08-03-06, 11:59 AM

Thanks for the info. I am just a bit worried about the screen being blurry in the corners or the warping that seems to be happening to some people.

Thanks again.

BASSOFeeSH

08-03-06, 01:51 PM

Honestly, I've never read through a thread where everyone was happy. At least not with products that have been out for more than a few days. Do I notice the "bluriness?" I noticed it once during a cubs game while they were showing a static image of the crowd, but other than that I have to actually LOOK for it.

my 360 looks outstanding
Any video-lag issues? I haven't hooked up any gaming consoles yet, nor do I have one that outputs HD yet anyhow.

Tethyrr

08-03-06, 08:58 PM

Any video-lag issues? I haven't hooked up any gaming consoles yet, nor do I have one that outputs HD yet anyhow.

I have played xbox and 360. Oblivion is a major graphics hog, and I haven't noticed any problems.

tvnoob

08-04-06, 02:01 PM

well I picked up the TV today- I must say, im not that impressed.
Picture on SD is grainy, Picture in HD is kinda iffy too.
I have a 36" sony trinitron tube(SD) that looks much better on SD/HD than this LG.
My 60" sxrd xbr even looks better on sd.

My digital chanels have a high weak to low/mid normal strength-- maybe thats it?
Will a cable booster work?

On my sony's I pick up OTA music channels- not on this tv.

I have the lg191 hd upscale dvd player connected via Monster 1000 HDMI, and even that looks OK, no "wow" factor. I watched my family guy dvds.

I even noticed a yellowish area in the right side corners- the degause helps a little, but they are still there. REALLY noticable if its a grey fuzzy screen.

When I have it on 4:3 mode I can notice geometry issues on the sides from ~7ft away

Any ideas?

bookem dano

08-05-06, 11:33 PM

tvnoob....i'd see if I could exchange it. I had a yellowish too on one side and exchanged it. It was really bad when I put in a DVD that had a calibration thing on it.

I like the TV. The SD is grainy, but I think that's because the TV is just a lot brighter than my old one.

The only issue i've seen is SD in widescreen. Every SD into widescreen will have the issue, but because of the technical aspects of this tv(tube being a widescreen) it makes it slightly worse. Since I've noticed it I've seen it on a few other HDs that are showing an SD stretched. That's when it happens. What is that? If you pay close attention, it's like wall eyed vision in a way.

tvnoob

08-07-06, 02:11 PM

The picture does look a little better now.

The only problem is in the top right corner there is a yellow spot- the degause(sp?) feature does not remove.
As of right now id keep it if I can get that spot off

Any other ideas? or should I just swap it out?

I dont want to swap it for another one if this is a problem with them all.

DolbyDigital

08-11-06, 01:44 PM

Hello All, I am a long time lurker that has finally gotten a HDTV. First off I would like to thank everyone for their reviews, opinions, and suggestions as they all helped me make my decision... I purchased the LG since it seemed like the most reliable of the slimfits that are left... I really only play 360 on it with an occasional DVD, no TV since it all sucks (heheh)

At first I was amazed since I am not used to HD but now I can see some of the issues others have mentioned. About an inch in on each side is slightly fuzzy which is only noticable when text is displayed there... The only other issue I noticed is kinda like ghosting i guess.... There will be a 'shadow of light' around bright objects with dark backgrounds only at the edges though... Its like putting a drop shadow on objects but instead of a dark shadow its light (if that makes any sense.. heheh) Its only really noticable when I play Geometry Wars for 360, which by the way is a perfect game to check alot of problems with TVs (geometry since there is a grid and ghosting etc. since there are tons of bright colors and dark blacks..) I will post some pics if I can get them to come out right...

These two issues are not that bad though and I am perfectly happy with the TV... Although my dad plays enough Call of Duty that im afraid of burn in even though its a CRT... I should also mention that I haven't fully calibrated this TV using the DVD yet so that may help some of these issues... Otherwise I'm happy especially since it seems like CRTs are a dying breed...

justsc

08-11-06, 02:33 PM

DolbyDigital,

Welcome to AVS!

...About an inch in on each side is slightly fuzzy which is only noticable when text is displayed there...
This is a focus issue inherent to flat screen crt tv.s, especially noticeable on these slim sets.
The only other issue I noticed is kinda like ghosting i guess.... There will be a 'shadow of light' around bright objects with dark backgrounds only at the edges though... Its like putting a drop shadow on objects but instead of a dark shadow its light (if that makes any sense.. heheh) Its only really noticable when I play Geometry Wars for 360, which by the way is a perfect game to check alot of problems with TVs (geometry since there is a grid and ghosting etc. since there are tons of bright colors and dark blacks..) I will post some pics if I can get them to come out right...
Your description sounds exactly like what's called blooming, or overscan bounce. This can usually be fixed, or made less obvious by lowering the white level (Contrast) or bringing down the color saturation (Color setting).

These two issues are not that bad though and I am perfectly happy with the TV... Although my dad plays enough Call of Duty that im afraid of burn in even though its a CRT... I should also mention that I haven't fully calibrated this TV using the DVD yet so that may help some of these issues... Otherwise I'm happy especially since it seems like CRTs are a dying breed...
I always recommend a break-in period of 100 hours before performing any serious calibrations. I also highly recommend keeping the set's Contrast no higher than 50-60% for this time period. Sets tend to settle-in over about 100 hours and calibrating too early can prove disappointing while the set is kind of getting up to speed. The only picture adjustment that can harm the tv is Contrast. Set it too high and you risk shortening the life of the tube (phosphors). Most sets come out-of-the-box in "torch mode," with Contrast and other settings way too high in order to look good on bright showroom floors. It's best to select a picture mode like Custom, Pro or something other than the torch mode, and keep Contrast as recommended above. If the picture looks too dark raise the Brightness (black level) to taste.

Congrats on the new set! ;)

DolbyDigital

08-11-06, 03:59 PM

Meltdown611186

08-11-06, 10:34 PM

bookem dano

08-12-06, 01:04 AM

footballforever

08-12-06, 01:58 PM

Hey DolbyDigital and anyone else for that matter...if you can post your service menu settings that would be great.

I have mine all written down and I am still toying around with some of the settings too. I have noticed one thing on the 360 dashboard screen is that there is some slight bowing towards the center of the screen. When looking at my gamercard(in the upper left corner) the lines are not straight and then the rest of the box bows towards the center.

With that said, I like my colors, I like my brightness levels I just wanna fix some bending/bowing or some lines. Almost seems like the screen angle needs some adjustment too.

So as I said, anyone with their own service menu settings and are willing to post them I would greatly appreciate it...especially if you have calibrated(but even if you havnt)...Ill take any suggestions and look at them.

Hopefully there isn't any danger in trial and error here.....Well, I have the 30FZ4D model, I bought it back in October, and I love this TV. I chose it over Sony and Samsung, I think LG's are really well made...Anyway even know they are different models, I think the screen and options are the same..I own an Xbox 360 and play it all the time, I will list my settings for when I watch my TV throught my HDTV cable box, and when I play my 360, feel free to try them out and tell me what you think, I have worked on my settings for a long time now, and I love what I got..So take a look.

Cable HD Box- I have mine set to 720p

Contrast- 35

Brightness- 80

Color- 50

Shaprness- 0

Tint- I leave this at default, I never touched this.

XD- ON

Color Temp- Cool

Xbox 360- I have it set to 720p

Contrast- 35

Brightness- 85

Color-50

Shaprness-30

Tint- I leave this at default, I never touched this.

XD- ON

Color Temp- Medium

justsc

08-12-06, 03:41 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome and for being super cool when it comes to helping others :p
I switched to Custom right out of the box and have contrast set to 53 I believe... I will definitely try messing with the contrast to see if the 'blooming' can decrease although its not that noticable in everyday usage... It may be the color setting since I do have that set rather high (70 I believe)
You're welcome. ;)

You may have found the source of your blooming in your Color saturation setting. Play with it a little and see what happens - that sounds like an awfully high value.

I will wait to calibrate as suggested but I do have one question about the calibrating DVDs...
If they do tweak the service menu, do they show what the current setting is before tweaking it... The reason I ask is because I have seen many people get screwed because they didn't write down the original service menu settings. I don't want to run the calibration and have it change things before I write down the original settings. Should I just go into the service menu beforehand and write down everything?
The basic calibration is only for adjustments in the user menu, and you are the one making the changes. No worries about your SM. These discs also provide test patterns for making adjustments in your SM, but you are the one making the adjustments and can easily record default values before making changes.

Finally this may just be personal choice but which do all of you prefer:
Video Essentials DVD
or
Avia DVD

Thanks again to all for making this one of the best forums for HDTV Q&A
I like them both. Avia is a bit easier to navigate and provides more guidance. DVE is a little more advanced and more oriented to widescreen displays (but you can still calibrate for widescreen displays with Avia). For newbies I recommend Sound & Vision's Home Theater Tuneup. It's got a great introduction and guides you through all the adjustments. And it's got advanced test patterns for work in the SM. I still use it regularly.

Cheers!

Meltdown611186

08-12-06, 11:30 PM

Thank you sir(football fever). I might have to try and turn my contrast down and my brightness up..that seems to be the most noteable of differences between your settings and mine.

Anyone have the service menu settings that they liked? You know when you press menu on the tv..and menu you on your controller at the same time and hold it. IF YOU TRY THIS..DO NOT CHANGE YOUR VALUES UNLESS YOU WRITE THEM DOWN FIRST!!

Okay with that said...I have noticed a slight bowing problem on the 360 dashboard..and I know its not just the 360 dashboard because it does it on my cable guide as well.

What it is..is well take 2 horizontal lines on the left and right side..they kinda gravitate towards the center...i wish i had a picture but its the best i can describe.

Also vertical lines..especially ones in the upper left and right hand corners are leaning as well. The upper right one learning towards the left outside the screen...the upper right learning towards the right as well...if i change the pinamp too much it gets not to fun to look at to say it the best.

So basically I am looking for any..and I mean ANYBODY who is willing to post their service menu values just to take a look see and see if it wont do anything nice on my television as well. I have my default written down(even though i dont like em that much) so i should be good...

DolbyDigital

08-14-06, 06:17 PM

Hmm.. I just may check out Sound & Visions's DVD since I could use a good intro of all this stuff, either that or Avia since I am still a beginner... I was under the assumption that the DVDs messed with the SM but now I see...

Speaking of which... Meltdown:
I still haven't adjusted or even gone into my service menu so when I do I will post my default values since my screen has no noticable bowing or geometry issues... I hope that helps you out, although it is probably specific to my set but I guess its worth shot right ;)

nemt

08-15-06, 05:19 PM

I picked up this model the other day, and so far I love it! I haven't hooked up anything yet besides my 360, which looks amazing in 720p. Should I set it to 1080i, though? I am unsure what the native resolution of this LG is, or if it matters.

Also, when trying to get OTA tv signal, should I plug the coax into the antenna input, or cable input?

Thanks in advance!

steve42

08-16-06, 11:14 AM

Greetings!

You have given me a wealth of information on the LG 30FS4D, but I'm having trouble summarizing the overall responses. It seems the reviews are mixed.

Here's my situation. I purchased a Sanyo HT28745 from Wal-Mart 6 months ago. We have only OTA, DVD, VHS, and my under (constant) construction multimedia PC to hook up to it. The Sanyo was nice enough for us. The room is small, so 28" was good. I never noticed any of the visual anomolies reported in the forums here. Of course, I'm not a gamer, and I don't have digital cable, so maybe that's why I never saw any flaws. Plus, the Sanyo is a full-depth CRT, so the reported issues with Slim sets wouldn't be present.

This past week, we took a lightning strike near our home. Did you know lightning can still affect electronic equipment when it's unplugged? Apparently it can, and did.

Now I'm researching TV replacements for the insurance claim. The LG 30FS4D seems to be the closest comparable set (the Sanyo had 2 composite, 2 s-video, and 2 component inputs), plus the LG has HDMI. The LG also has the Digital Optical Audio Output I need, while other CRTs seem to favor the Coaxial version.

After giving myself a headache doing internet research on the set, I went to the nearest Best Buy. If I had to buy a TV of any price based on the signal they were feeding theirs, I wouldn't buy one. The associate told me that their video distribution setup in the store is not digital, and you can tell, because none of the pictures were crystal clear. The source is also zoomed in a bit, as the logos in the corners of the image were clipped off on the sides.

So my trip to BB was a waste of time.

I'm an honest person, and I want to make sure I file an honest replacement claim. My insurance agent told me to not sell myself short. She said to make sure the new set has all the features of the old set. The LG does, and then some (like HDMI/DVI, monitor out, and a 3rd input).

As a non-gamer, OTA TV viewer who is likely to upgrade to progressive scan DVD and who will use the HDMI out on my multimedia PC to play on this set, do you folks honestly think I'll be happy with the LG?

I don't want to cheat the insurance company at all, but I also don't want to buy a $800 TV with my insurance money and then be unhappy with it. By then, it will be too late to change my mind, because the next logical step up would be over $1000.

I know I can't ask "will I like this TV?" because you're not me. But if you weren't a videophile, would the set be acceptable to you? (would you buy it for someone in my position?)

Thanks,

Steve

tryin2search

08-16-06, 10:19 PM

Hey Steve42

It is very difficult to make a decision on most tv's picture quality based on Best Buy's feed. The LG is prepared for the the future with its HDMI and optical inputs/outputs. You also said you are OTA reception only. The LG has the most recent generation 8 VSB tuner, which should help in holding onto weaker signals a little better. I can tell you that I've been very pleased with my set, had it for 1 1/2 months, and plan on keeping it many years.

The quality of HD source material blows me away, and the best part is that SD material does not suffer in quality like some other display types. The OTA tuner automatically adjusts the display to whatever the resolution the station is transmitting, 1080i, 480p,etc, when you change the channel.

The only issue that ALL these tv's have is the slight bowing at the bottom center of the screen. In my case I have not suffered from any other problems mentioned in some reviews.

Once you find the visual settings that are appropriate, you will likely be very pleased. Are there tv's that are technically superior, yes. You will however have a hard time finding a tv with the LG slimfits features, picture quality, styling & price.

nemt

08-17-06, 11:19 PM

Tethyrr

08-19-06, 12:36 PM

I'm still really enjoying this TV, but I am experiencing a few visual issues. As another user said, my TV seems to have a blue tint on the left, and yellow on the right. This is typically only very noticable when white text is on screen. Is this a known issue with the TV, or is mine defective? Also, when viewing an SD signal in 4:3 mode the bottom left part of the picture seems to cave into the center a little. It's pretty noticable even from a distance.

I've noticed a bit of this on every slim crt (samsung and LG) I've seen showing black and white or a plain white screen. The worst example I saw was a friend's sammy 3081. Calibration helped my set. It didn't go away entirely, but I can only see it if there is a white screen and I'm actually looking for it. If you watch a lot of black and white or skiing and can't correct it with calibration, I'd suggest a high-end sony with sfp if you can afford it and have the space.

nemt

08-20-06, 01:41 AM

What calibration tweaks would you recommend?

LAJim

08-21-06, 06:29 PM

Hi. I have been reading thru this forum for awhile now. I originally purchased a LG 30FZ4D. After six months I was able to get LG to replace it with the slim version 30FS4D. Here has been my issue: I don't use it for video games. I bought it because I want to watch HD TV and sports. In true HD programming I have no complaints. But on both models on SD or analog channels I get what I can best describe as pixelization. It is small squares or blothes of colors especially noticable on solid backgrounds (like a wall) or peoples faces in the picture. You can see how these discolored blotches are made up of very small squares that move with the image. I first thought it was a satellite issue, but DirecTV checked everything. I had LG send out independent TV service people and replace parts and ultimately said that is just the way it is with non-HD programming. But I don't see this issue on LCD or Plasma TV's in non-HD channels. And I can't believe that is how it should be.

I then thought it was the TV and even had LG convinced. They replaced it with the slim 30FS4D which I like better, but the same problem exists. The good news is the HD channels are great, esp with the glare-free screen on the FS4D. I see a lot of discussion here on similar issues, but I don't think it is what I am dealing with. I wouldn't complain if 80% of the broadcasts were in HD, but it's the opposite. If I watch a movie on HBO or Starz it is terrible. Luckily I paid for the local channels in HD but these movie channels are worthless as it is. DVD's are fine. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

felinne

08-22-06, 02:37 AM

Tethyrr

08-23-06, 12:07 PM

Anyone else tried Halo 2 with this TV? I'm using the original xbox and still getting lag, much to my disappointment. Also see the fuzziness on the left and right hand side. Is there any lag when you use the xbox 360?

I have played Halo 2 and a number of other games on the original xbox with no demonstrable lag. I have played a number of games on the 360, most without any lag. I do have slight lag in Oblivion and the Battle for Middle Earth II during mass fights, but it appears to be a graphics processor issue. Also, some of the old games adapted for 360 can be a bit glitchy. I don't have any fuzziness on the sides, although there are some settings that make text fuzzy.

nemt

08-23-06, 11:15 PM

I've noticed after owning this TV for two weeks it sometimes emits a ringing noise along with the standard "buzz" most CRT sets emit. This lasts until I turn the unit off, and doesn't always happen. Any idea what it could be?

Suhaib

08-27-06, 06:37 PM

Hey nemt, how does the PQ of this set on the 360 compare to LCDs? Is the text sharp?
Also, anyone know how many vertical lines of resolution this set has? Comparable to the Sony's SFP?
Thanks

PapaLuigi

08-27-06, 11:13 PM

js83

08-30-06, 01:57 AM

Does anyone know how ps2 games look on this tv? I heard about how bad ps2 games look on hdtv's...but im not sure if that applied to only LCD's or all of em...I'm thinking about purchasing this tv mainly for gaming(XBOX 360 & PS2)...

Meltdown611186

08-30-06, 09:16 PM

Can I like make a little poll or whatever.

I am a pretty hardcore gamer..I wont lie. I am using the 360 pretty much more than I am watching television, so I am not as worried about having HDTV cable right now.

But I do wonder for all of the gamers that may own this television set; do you play with the XD setting on or off?

It almost seems like it can overdo the contrast, but it does make things look better. The only downfall is like when lookin at a character or whatever it almost seems pixelated. Like if I look online at some of the website pictures of ingame footage I see that a character model is supposed to look smooth..with XD on it almost seems like there are a bunch of dots or fuzz or however you wanna describe it.

Wish I had a camera to take a picture of it and upload on it on here. My point being though, do you play with it on or off? I understood that it was for a NON HD source....?

Tethyrr

08-31-06, 02:48 AM

sleepaholic

08-31-06, 03:18 PM

When I'm trying to make changes to the settings in the service menu, the display mode always changes back to the coax input. How can I stop this?

I can't see what changes I'm making since the DVD with THX optimizer is playing through component 1.

Any help from people who have made changes through the service menu?

By the way, great TV, even with all the minor problems. I have ALL the problems mentioned in this thread, buzzing, minor geometry issues, color blobs etc.

I've owned the samsung 3079, sanyo ht30744 and now this, and honestly I still think that this TV is the best overall out of the three...not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing though!

gulickgurl

08-31-06, 05:20 PM

Hey, first time poster, this place is amazing.

I have one question: Right now I'm in a toss-up between the Samsung TXS3082WH Slimfit and the LG 30FS2D, and it seems, after reading both threads cover to cover, that the LG ekes about ahead of the Sammy by a bit, if only for geometry issues.

My concern is that I'll be using the set about 50% of the time for gaming, and am especially looking forward to the Wii, which will output in 480p. I'm pretty sure the Samsung 3082 supports both 1080i and 480p without any conversion (and hence, I pray, no lag), but I'm not so sure with the LG. Does the LG have support 480p as well as it's default 1080i without conversion?

To be honest, gaming lag has scared the bejeezus out of me after doing all of my research. This is my first forray into HDTV, and it seems to me that I should be ok with a TV that accepts 480p, especially if I buy a convertor box to convert all my 480i systems as well. If the LG 30FS2D truly does support 480p without conversion, it looks like the set for me. If not, I'll go with the Samsung which seems to.

Thanks so much for any replies.

PapaLuigi: not sure how much this will help (and it won't with the gaming) but the LG also has the built in QAM tuner which from what I've read the Samsung does not. I've found that this tuner takes the unfiltered channels and "tries" to convert them to HD or something (someone correct me if I'm wrong - not a pro...). So that was another determining factor for us.

The b/f and I have been contemplating this exact thing for the last week or two. We were interested in both of the same models and had looked at them months ago and were not ready to buy. I found this site in the last week and it's freaking awesome! You guys put so much useful information on here it's nuts. So thanks!

Just wanted to say, that the postings have lead us to decide on the LG 30FSND. We are going to go buy it tonight. Hoping we don't have the issues listed as MAJOR problems but after many visits to BB and staring at the screens continuously, we decided that the bending/fuzzy font weren't enough to bother us. We also turned the sets on/off and noticed the buzz but to us it sounded normal. So perhaps it does have to do with the number of hours the set has been 'used'.

Will post more later good or bad on this set. We may be back looking for answers on menus again. EVERYONE REMEMBER TO WRITE DOWN FACTORY SETTINGS FIRST! That is probably the MOST important thing I've leard in this forum. :)

So thanks guys! Will keep you updated...

Oh also, this set was a good choice for us because we only have about 12' to work with in our living room. So the 30" size is just about perfect. And the price isn't bad. It seemed that the LCD and Plasma TV's are so pricy, and the grainy look sometimes bothers me - when it can't pick up on different colors ie: black especially. Anyway, just my two cents...

nemt

09-02-06, 11:18 PM

Meltdown611186

09-03-06, 06:39 PM

Mine does not do that..so I havn't the slightest clue. I pray it doesn't start doing that...

FantaXP7

09-03-06, 08:38 PM

Can someone possibly post some pics? I'd like to see some great HD pics and some SD aswell...thanks

nemt

09-04-06, 01:46 AM

Right now it seems to be doing it after I've had to TV on for a few minutes, then going away after another few minutes. It always happens.

Artwood

09-04-06, 04:59 PM

Forgive me for this dumb question but who makes a better superslim--Samsung or LG?

Why won't someone make a Samsung versus LG superslim thread?

gulickgurl

09-04-06, 11:12 PM

Forgive me for this dumb question but who makes a better superslim--Samsung or LG?

Why won't someone make a Samsung versus LG superslim thread?

Artwood: if you look for both models in the forum you will find people doing the comparisons of both models under each individual models' thread. To follow-up from my post earlier this week, we purchased the LG model and hooked it up about two days ago. I believe I mentioned before that one reason we chose the LG over the Samsung was the fact that it has a QAM tuner installed and the non-glare screen (if purchased at BB). Other users have noted in this forum about the number of video inputs etc, but the LG has everything we could need. Not to mention the LG is a tad bit cheaper, even more so if you find coupons online that can be used in-store.

So far, we are pleased with the purchase. The only issue we have had is when playing a 16:9 dvd it does not fill the screen completely. When we put it on 16:9 it still does not fill the screen and when you change the zoom features etc. the people look distorted. We are thinking this may have to do with our DVD player. Anyone have any ideas on that? Do we need to get a newer DVD player (it's about 5 years old)? Or did we buy a bigger television to only use part of it? This happens with both older and newer widescreen DVDs that we try.

We have noticed the bending everyone talks about and the fuzzy letters. However, with the set we have, 30FS4D, it isn't that noticeable to bother us. So far we have not had any problems with the buzzing, but we are prepared for that to happen...just in case. The HD channels we get come in great. And they look much better than regular SD channels. Don't expect the picture to look like it does in the stores if all you have is basic cable. It will look just like any other CRT TV you get, but if you have HD you can definitely tell the difference.

gulickgurl

09-04-06, 11:15 PM

Any ideas, guys?

I used to have a plain old CRT that didn't start to do this until after I had dropped it. It's possible that something happened to it in shipping and jumbled something loose thus causing it to buzz/whine at you. Just an idea...

Fred27

09-05-06, 10:17 AM

So far, we are pleased with the purchase. The only issue we have had is when playing a 16:9 dvd it does not fill the screen completely. When we put it on 16:9 it still does not fill the screen and when you change the zoom features etc. the people look distorted. We are thinking this may have to do with our DVD player. Anyone have any ideas on that? Do we need to get a newer DVD player (it's about 5 years old)? Or did we buy a bigger television to only use part of it? This happens with both older and newer widescreen DVDs that we try.

Widescreen DVDs arent mastered in perfect 16:9 (1.77:1) if you look on the back of the dvd case you will see a ratio, usually its 2.35:1 or 1.85:1. The exception would be anamorphic DVDs. Google it for more info.

bookem dano

09-06-06, 07:40 PM

I bought this tv 7/6/06 at BB. About a week ago when I turned it on, there was a weird noise, almost like a pop. The screen had a line in the center with a circle in the middle and then a full picture. Now when I turn on the tv and the picture is 4:3 the black background goes from black to black with a green hue to black with a red hue and then back to a decent black.

Should I worry about this?

One annoying thing about the audio outputs....digital output does not upconvert standard audio output.

nemt

09-07-06, 03:48 PM

I used to have a plain old CRT that didn't start to do this until after I had dropped it. It's possible that something happened to it in shipping and jumbled something loose thus causing it to buzz/whine at you. Just an idea...

I've never dropped it or even moved it.

Deathwish238

09-09-06, 03:59 AM

Oh also, this set was a good choice for us because we only have about 12' to work with in our living room. So the 30" size is just about perfect That's actually a bit small for your viewing distance...might as well have gotten an EDTV that can accept HD signals...

nemt

09-09-06, 10:55 PM

What color setting do people have on this set? The factory 75 seems way too intense, especially in black and white programs (there's usually greenish yellow around peoples' hair).

Meltdown611186

09-10-06, 06:17 PM

My color varies from input to input. Roughly 60 with the xbox 360 and around 56 for standard cable television.

The one problem I am having deals more with the brightness levels of the television set.

Everyone says turning contrast up too high is bad for the tv..so when I put my contrast settings around what others have it(20-50) it still seems too low. I turn up the brightness and there is too much of a white level on the picture.

I turn on XD that helps a little, but I dont think I should be using that for xbox 360 specifically.

So I guess I am wondering what is everyone contrast and brightness levels...and even more specifcially what is everyones sub-bright levels in the service menu? I am curious as if mine maybe too low?

Holocaust

09-10-06, 09:59 PM

How exactly do you get into the service menu on this television? I can't seem to find this information anywhere.

vealchop

09-11-06, 06:33 AM

This is my first post. Thanks to all of you for your input. Based on the info here I picked up the lG superslim tv this weekend. I have basic cable from Time-Warner and the picture on analog stations is very good. In fact a lot of the stations are on par with my Sony 27 inch analog flat screen tv. I have it on 4:3 because the 16:9 stretches out the picture too much. I can live with the black bars on the side and the high def stations the tuner picked up are great! I see no blurriness at all on the sides (and I've been looking) and no bowing at all. My only problem is with dvd's. I have a Sony Dream System and the picture quality is not very good. I would say it's vcr quality. LG said I had to switch out my composite cable for component. So I went to BB and got component cables which made no difference at all. I went with the cheapest ones they had (20 bucks). Which cables to you recommend and also, if I go to digital cable will that give me a better picture than I have now?

Deathwish238

09-11-06, 02:51 PM

vealchop, welcome to the avsforum :)

Using component cables over composite cables makes a night and day difference between crap and beautiful quality. From what it sounds like, you haven't setup the DVD player properly. Most DVD players do not automatically switch to outputting component video.

If that doesn't help, I recommend buying a new DVD player...the $150 OppoDigital would be perfect. I assume your Sony HTIB has optical or digital coaxial inputs so hookin it up shouldn't be a problem

Meltdown611186

09-11-06, 07:13 PM

To access the service menu you must hold both the menu button on your controller and on the television set itself for approx 5-10 seconds.

A WORD OF WARNING: DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES IN THE SERVICE MENU WITHOUT WRITING DOWN ALL OF YOUR DEFAULT VALUES FIRST. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET THE DEFAULT SETTINGS BACK UNLESS YOU MANUALLY ENTER THEM YOURSELF FROM WHAT YOU WROTE DOWN!

With that said it basically changes all sorts of stuff. Most of the stuff you can just press on your computer monitor and change. White balance, pin balance..bend, angle, pin amp...all sorts of goodies..just like I said if you change it there is no restore defaults..so please be careful of that.

vealchop

09-12-06, 06:29 AM

Deathwish238
thanks for the info. I'm kinda technically challenged but I will try what you said. My dvd player works great with my other tv so i will try better cables. I will check my dvd player for switching to output component. There is an option in the menu for progressive scan and I'm wondering if that is it.

Meltdown611186

09-17-06, 12:28 AM

Soo..this television set native resolution is 1080i correct? I have to wonder however why it is that when I set it to 1080i on my xbox 360 on a game such as NCAA 07 specifically why the crowds of each stadium suddenly turn a white color. Granted it seems like the resolution is okay, but I just cannot live with the crowd being a pure white and also kinda blurry in the distance.

Now when I set it to 720p the crowd turns back to their supposed color(hence Ohio St, lets say is red) and it is NOT blurry in the distance. Resolution details still seem the same. I mean so what I just said is about the only difference I can pick up between 720p and 1080i.

So how come if this television set is natively 1080i it wouldn't be reverse of what I just said? How come I wouldn't rather play on 1080i rather than the 720p. Other than what I just said I do not know if there are any differences. If you own a 360 and you own NCAA 07 I would highly suggest looking at this. It is very very noticeable. I am not sure if it is the game, the television, or the 360 scaler itself. Kinda weird though.

SurfingMatt27

09-17-06, 01:00 PM

Meltdown611186

09-17-06, 01:47 PM

Pardon my ignorance..but now I see, thank yah much then sir.

SurfingMatt27

09-17-06, 08:10 PM

Pardon my ignorance..but now I see, thank yah much then sir.

No problem :)

Basically just set it to 720p if your tv supports it, or 1080i if your tv does'nt support 720p..that's the general rule of thumb.

nemt

09-18-06, 02:06 AM

I'm still having this ringing issue, does anyone know how to fix it or what could've caused it?

Also, sometimes when I'm watching HD cable, like a sports broadcast, when a 4:3 commercial appears on screen it'll be way off to one side, not in the center - is that a problem with the TV or the cable signal?

jkdood

09-18-06, 06:25 PM

Hi. Does anyone know if the CPT in the 32FS4D(-UC) is the new SlimCRT from LG-P shown at vegas CES in Jan? Tube numbers W76ERS012X (32") and A51ERS357X (21") were both shown. No replacment parts centers have these parts listed, I would actually like to get my hands on just the tubes to do some research, but would buy the model if I knew it! Thanks in advance for any reply here or to jkorobow (((-at-))) comcast (((-dot-))) net

Meltdown611186

09-20-06, 01:27 AM

vealchop

09-20-06, 06:52 AM

I have the LG slimfit model and I was having a problem with dvd's not looking good. I purchased a component cable by Monster (on sale for 35 bucks) and hooked them up. The picture is better now except I went into my Sony Dream system menu and changed it to progressive scan. The picture is much better but it actually looks slightly better when I have it on interlace instead of progressive. Is there something else I should be doing?

Meltdown611186

09-20-06, 12:14 PM

How is the picture not looking good?

I have heard...but I am not entirely sure..hence why I asked my question above that CRT native resolution are interlaced and since that is a higher resolution it makes a better picture and you shouldn't notice any slow down or anything because of it only being a 30" CRT..as opposed to a 50" newer technology television.

Deathwish238

09-20-06, 02:19 PM

Perhaps getting a nice DVD player might help? $150 Oppo will make your DVD playback look really nice...opposed to the DVD player in a Sony HTIB

Pateast

09-24-06, 02:23 PM

Hi, I'm a new member here and finally saved enough for an HDTV set. I use it for both movies and gaming; primarily for gaming (XBOX360, soon-to-be PS3). I just purchased this set and noticed when i play 360 games there is a blurriness to the sides of the screen usually when playing games with HUD (energy bars, ammo, etc) I notice the blurriness more apparent. Everything else is perfect. Could this be a defect on my set or is it very common for slim fit designs. I have been roaming around HDTV forums and I have heard common reports on blurriness on LG slimfit edges. If this is the case I will consider returning the LG back and look for a non slimfit design around the 700-900 budget. Any suggestions and recommendations would be very helpful.

Prost264

09-24-06, 09:48 PM

this has been reported a lot in the LG

in my experience I have found when watching TV, it depends on the channel you're watching. some channels look like crap on the sides and others there's no blurriness

if its that much of an issue I would return it, but its not that much of an issue for me

Meltdown611186

09-25-06, 04:15 PM

lbrenes

09-26-06, 09:35 AM

I just got this set last week and I am loving it. I did find out that connecting my sat box, cable box, etc thru the various s-video inputs gives me a heck of a lot better image than using coaxial.

Anyways, on to my question: I noticed an input in the back that says "Calibration Port" but no where in the manual it is explained what is this for?

Any ideas? Thanks.

SurfingMatt27

09-26-06, 01:17 PM

I guess that would bring me to my next question. This LG can display both 720p and 1080i according to its specs and according to the fact that I can choose either 720p or 1080i in the xbox360 dashboard.

So what is this television designed to do the best I guess is my question...?

It's designed to do 1080i best, but for gaming purposes use 720p since theres a good chance your tv does a better job at scaling 720p>1080i than the 360.

Pateast

09-26-06, 02:20 PM

I know a lot of people will jump up and shout about what I am about to say...

But what is your VM setting on? I like to keep mine on low for the 360 so it increases the sharpness of that text on the sides. XD seems to work for that issue as well. If your eyes don't agree then yah you will probably wanna take it back..this is not a problem that will go away.

Technically all CRT televisions are going to loose a little bit of focus on the sides. If you look closely at the television when its off you will see the pitch lines on it. In the middle they are very close together..they get further and further apart as you go towards the outside.

I have heard some of the Sony sets have a very fine pitch consistent from the middle to the outside. The Slim design is more of a space server for people..where as an actual heavier tube would be the better of the choices in my opinion in terms of quality if you have the space and a good enough stand to hold the beast up.

Personally I bought this for a smaller room...fully knowing that I will be moving out sooner or later and going the full distance getting a huge television that will probably support 1080p and all that goodness...thats a a little bit from now so this worked perfectly for me.

I have played around with some of the settings on this television set for some time now and once you get it to where you like..its an enjoyable set. Of course I am always lookin to tweak and improve. So its more up to your own eyes. I have gotten used to the decrese in sharpness on the side mainly because you find yourself not looking at that as much as you think you would during a game.

At the same time if you could find one better for the moeny then go for it. Lemme ask you this though. Do you happen to have your xbox360 set to 720p or 1080i...720p does seem to increase the sharpness of text a little bit..but I am just asking what you perosnally prefer.
Thanks, for the advice. I run my 360 at 720p because 360 games are made for 720p, when i play them at 1080i i notice some graphical glitches like discoloring that would swap back and forth in the games. I can't really play with the settings on my tv right now because I have no HD connection lol; My 360 just got the 3 red lights and I should have a repaired one by next week.

Space is not too much of an issue with me but I can't seem to find a normal sized CRT with the specs this slimfit has and price. I was thinking of the sony 34' but, that goes slightly over my budget. This LG is great the sides do get to me only when playing my 360 which is kind of a let down because i play a lot of FPS like halo, call of duty, etc. The maps and ammo would have a slight blur to them.

A problem I just noticed as some people on this forum have gotten is a buzzing sound in the back of the tube. I might return it and get a new one or might go for a brand new TV.

vealchop

09-28-06, 07:14 AM

SCF

09-29-06, 03:13 AM

1st post. Interesting discussion. Purchased a new LG 30FS4D on 9/23 at BB. Love the set. Beautiful HD picture OTA. Bought the unit partially because of anti-reflective screen. After 2 days the unit developed a continuous buzzing sound coming from the back of the set. On mute, the buzzing can be heard from 10 feet away. LG customer service rep said the buzz was the interior cooling fan. Not convinced, called and spoke to another LG rep. He was familiar with the "buzz" complaint. He said the TV shouldn't make the buzzing noise. He didn't think it was the cooling fan, nor do I. At 100+ pounds and a bad back, it does not look like the "return/exchange" adventure is the way I want to go. Will BB pick up and deliver a new unit? Local BB salesman said I had to bring the unit back to the store. Everything else is fine. Should I just live with the buzzzzz? Or should I get my money back and go to an estate sale and buy old technology that works. Or, should I give LG one more try?

SCF

Deathwish238

09-29-06, 03:31 PM

I need an expert opinion. if you had a choice between the slimfit and the lg 32 inch lcd which would you prefer and why? I have my 30fs4d for about 3 weeks now and I like it alot but I'm on the fence about this one and the lcd because I can wall mount the lcd. Also do you recommend the extended warranty from Best buy and Circuit city on these products? Well if you want a better picture stick with a CRT. If you want a flat panel...go for an LCD. You don't buy an LCD for a better picture, you buy it because it's flat.

Should I just live with the buzzzzz? Or should I get my money back and go to an estate sale and buy old technology that works. Or, should I give LG one more try?

SCF I would give either the LG another shot or move up to the 34" Sony

btw, welcome to the forums :p

SurfingMatt27

09-29-06, 04:56 PM

Deathwish i joined xbox.com now.:)

my name is the same i use here and it's my gamer tag.

bookem dano

09-29-06, 06:56 PM

Has anyone had to get this tv serviced? I talked to a BB guy today and my TV is just outside of the 30 day exchange, but within the MF warranty. It is working fine after start up but is showing some odd signs during a brief 1-2 second start up where the green and red cycle a hue on the dark background. BB said to bring it in and I'd be without a TV for a few days or more.

Basically, should I run to get it fixed or wait a little bit longer?

Digiti

09-29-06, 07:55 PM

Meltdown611186

09-30-06, 03:17 AM

I fortunatly have not had the buzzing sound, but it seems to me it should be taken back if that sound is present. If you just do a swap out, I would most definatly say when they give you the box with the television in it again plug it in and power it on and see if that sound is still present..wouldn't want to have the same problem after getting it home.

As far as the 360 and anyone that plays on the 360. I guess its clear that we should be using 720p. Does anyone also use the XD engine while playing the 360? I have noticed it doesn't look as soft with the XD engine on, but I really like how it illuminates the picture. So what I do is turn the contrast down(into the upper 20s lower 30s and that makes it look a ton softer anyways.

I just don't know if I am kinda ruining what the intended picture is supposed to be by the game maker or whatever if I am leaving XD on since I know it is for non HD sources, like standard cable.

As far as the distortion out to the sides, like I said you are going to get that with most(if not all) Slim CRTS. If it isn't that then you got the geometry issues where lines arn't straight and what not. As said above LCD's are good..for being as flat as they are but they still dont have the black/white levels of a CRT. When that day comes, if it comes hopefully then I would purchase that. I keep my VM at a low setting dispite the general philosophy is that its bad. The only thing I notice with it at the low setting is increased resolution in text..which is nice especially for tiny xbox 360 print(which is also why I use the XD setting, it illuminates the text on games..very useful)

It seems to me that as of right now the Sony televisions are ranked among some of the best, all be it it also seems to me that no television is perfect. But I guess perfect is the eye of the beholder. I say if you don't wanna live with the blurriness on the sides then don't. Find another television within your cost range and see how that one looks for you. Look around these forums, they are extremely useful in terms of determing what televisions have what issues.

Deathwish238

09-30-06, 03:28 AM

Deathwish i joined xbox.com now.:)

my name is the same i use here and it's my gamer tag. I'll keep an eye out for ya :p

Venkman

10-02-06, 12:02 PM

I looked on their website, but it only has an option for "print" on the page. I couldn't get the store locator to work, either. I guess that means it is no longer available online?

Any of you BB employees have some insider advice for an eager HDTV adoptee? :)

Thanks for the thread, everyone, it's been an awesome education!

woody6

10-02-06, 07:49 PM

Prost264

10-02-06, 11:08 PM

I recently bought this TV and so far have been unable to make the picture work properly. I don't know a lot about TVs, but I read up on it a little and it sounded like this was a really good TV for the money.

My problem is that the picture is very gritty. I get a better picture on some 10 yr old SDTV I have. Also I have vertical black bars on both sides of the screen even with my aspect ratio set to 16:9. I have Comcast Digital cable and have not been able to find any settings regarding picture size on my cable box.

Again, I don't have much experience with this kind of thing, so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Really? I'm using Comcast Digital also.. my 1st problem was that I could get no picture/audio.. I had to take my cable line off an amp and run it direct.. I would say check your cable connections 1st or your box.. have you tried running the cable straight to the tv and seeing how the picture looks?

vealchop

10-03-06, 07:07 AM

I have just notice a buzzing sound too. I'm not sure if it is normal or what. I have to turn the volume up to about 15 or 16 before I cannot hear it anymore. It is coming from the back of the set. Is this normal for this model?

woody6

10-03-06, 05:59 PM

Really? I'm using Comcast Digital also.. my 1st problem was that I could get no picture/audio.. I had to take my cable line off an amp and run it direct.. I would say check your cable connections 1st or your box.. have you tried running the cable straight to the tv and seeing how the picture looks?

No, my cables are all tight and I'm not using an amplifier. Maybe it is my settings. What levels are your video settings set at? (eg. Contrast, Sharpness, Brightness, Colot, Tint).

Thanks for your input.

Prost264

10-03-06, 07:55 PM

contrast=52
bright=68
color=70
sharp =57
tint= dead center

If nothing else I would try a different box, but have you tried to directly connect the cable wire to the tv to see the picture?

RadRes

10-12-06, 03:56 AM

So we've had a 27" Sony WEGA flat screen 4:3 CRT for about 5 years. Recently a fuse or something blew--it now takes nearly 10 seconds for the picture to show up after turning the set on and there is a terrible pin-cushion effect--I'm talking nearly 4 " on both sides. After lots of phone calls and an estimate, it is going to cost a couple hundred to repair, so I figure it is time to get a new tv.

Now for the dilemma. We have the Dish Network, essentially DTV--no HD programming. We do have a progressive scan DVD player, but not one with an HDMI connector. I am in my residency training and figure that I'll be buying a completely new home theater setup in 3 years, so whatever TV I get now is just temporary and will end up as a 2nd TV in a guest bedroom. Since most of our viewing, if not all, is standard and not HDTV, should we just replace the Sony with a SDTV (probably the same or the 32" Sony model) or go with an HDTV (sounds like the 30" LG Slimfit is a contender)? I'm not ready to shell out $1500 for a great LCD tv when, based upon what I've seen at BB and CC, the PQ on non-HD broadcasts are not great.

I'm thinking the LG is a good choice: it is a CRT so hopefully SD transmissions look as good as our old Sony; but it is also HD so hopefully DVDs and OTA HDTV look great. But then again, maybe we should just wait out the next 3 years and save some $ by replacing our old tv with another 4:3 SDTV. Of course I want to hear that I should go with the LG, but I don't want to deal with some of the hit-or-miss problems associated with this model.

Thanks,
RadRes

Deathwish238

10-12-06, 04:14 AM

If you want a good temp TV...I've seen a 30" Philips for $337 refurb.

pahhhoul

10-12-06, 02:54 PM

OK.... after reading the positive reviews on this forum regarding this tv. I went out and purchased it last week. I can't justify spending over $2k to watch a $15 DVD just yet.

I use it for watching DVDs & playing XBOX only as I cannot afford or do not want Comcast cable.

After doing minor adjustments using a THX video tests I was able to adjust the settings enough to watch a movie. Using the 5th Element superbit I felt the blacks were a bit pixelated and not too smooth. Edges were a bit blurry, not as sharp as I am used to. I've been watching dvds with my trusty 6 year old JVC 32" tube.

I have experienced the following problems:
buzzing when the tv is turned on. after 20 minutes or so it goes away.
shaking of the picture during gameplay on my XBOX.
pincushioning on the left side of the set.

I can say though that the picture is a bit satisfying. I believe after I am able to do more adjusting hopefully I'll be happy with it.

Has anyone tried adjusting the values for the pincushioning in the service menu..?

thanx,
paul

RadRes

10-12-06, 10:33 PM

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the LG set at BB today. Rather than some kid, there was an older guy who actually seemed to know what he was talking about. He seemed to be aware of the set's shortcomings and was a harsh critic of the Samsung slimfit--he said that he was looking for a second tv, bought the Samsung and ended up going through 3 sets before giving up. He then bought the LG and has been very satisfied. I thought it was a sales pitch, but when I was checking out, the cashier said that he recently bought the LG set as well, after returning the Samsung.

Initial impressions... As a radiology resident, I have a fine eye for detail and admit that there are subtle geometric distortions, most noteable for me when using my DVD player menu setup--this menu is at the far edge of the screen whereas the LG TV menu is further away from the edge. Nevertheless, it is fairly minor for my set compared to what others have reported. I have not seen any horizontal bowing on either tickers or movies displayed with blackbars at the top or bottom of the screen.

I have yet to notice decreased sharpness at the screen sides, but don't doubt that it exists based simply upon the physics of these slim CRTs. I don't use the set for gaming, so it isn't as much of an issue for me.

No loud buzzing from the set.

My set has the anti-glare screen, which I personally like.

I know that there have been recent complaints on this forum about PQ, but on my set the PQ is overall very impressive and I have yet to optimize the settings. DVDs on the progressive scan player are crystal clear and that's only at 480p. I can't imagine what an upcoverted signal looks like! Reception from the Dish network is excellent! We don't have an HD antennae, but are apparently receiving several OTA HD channels--not sure if they are displayed as true 1080i, but they look incredible!

The overall style is minimalistic and clean--it looks nice enough to display on a stand, but we keep it in an armoire so the kids leave it alone.

It's only been a day, but for my intended use, I am very pleased with this TV.

lbrenes

10-13-06, 08:50 AM

For all of you guys that have this amazing TV and an Xbox 360: can you please post your TV settings including all of the usual (color, brightness, contrast, etc.) but also your XD, VM, Temperature settings?

In this way we can compare our settings and maybe learn from what other owners are doing. Please also mention your room light conditions: dark room, medium light or lots of light?

Thanks for the feedback guys.

ps. also include what resolution you have your Xbox set at: 720 or 1080?

Meltdown611186

10-24-06, 02:50 PM

I keep my 360 at 720p and I have to get back to work so I will post my settings later tonight...

But the question I came here to ask...call me crazy but I think my portable heater causes a color blotch in the corner of my television. Like anytime I turn on my heater and television there is a color blotch and rather bad in the top right corner. The heater is all the way across the room from the television so were talking at least..at least 10 feet. Is this even possible?

rarefc3s

10-24-06, 03:51 PM

I am considering exchanging my Samsung Slim Fit for this LG. I chose the Samsung because of the 2 HDMI imputs and the Samsung name. I hope I have better luck with the LG. I just watch tv and movies, no gamming.

lbrenes

10-25-06, 10:06 AM

Please do so, I am very curious about this. I was playing with the TV settings last night, it seems the 360 tends to look a little too dark.

Thanks.

I keep my 360 at 720p and I have to get back to work so I will post my settings later tonight...

But the question I came here to ask...call me crazy but I think my portable heater causes a color blotch in the corner of my television. Like anytime I turn on my heater and television there is a color blotch and rather bad in the top right corner. The heater is all the way across the room from the television so were talking at least..at least 10 feet. Is this even possible?

Mathesar

10-25-06, 10:41 AM

I dont own the Slimfit or LG but I was looking at the latest Consumer reports CRT ratings online and this is what they had to say about both:

LG 30FS4D:

"Good overall, with good HD picture quality. Slim tube design is not as deep as other tube TVs. Optical digital audio input. DVD and standard-definition images were fair. Film-based image motion compensation feature worked very well. But the remote is difficult to use in low light. Black portions of the image didn't stay black as the program changed from a dark scene to a bright scene. The overall image had a slight yellow cast. It lost details in the bright areas of the scene. Remote is extra long at 9.5" and has an excessive 50 buttons."

Samsung SlimFit TX-S3082WH:

"Fair overall with fair picture quality for HD and standard-definition images, good for DVD. Slim tube design is not as deep as other tube TVs. Has two HDMI inputs, a plus for HD cable boxes or DVD players. Film-based image motion compensation feature worked so-so to very well. But the remote is difficult to use in low light. DVD and high definition images had a boost in image-enhancement. In plain English, the images looked hyper-realistic, with hard edges and some exaggerated detail. Remote is extra long at 9.5" and has an excessive 54 buttons."

And heres the ratings chart: Click (http://ded.zenblue.net/CR_LATEST_CRT.gif)

Meltdown611186

10-25-06, 02:52 PM

Okay, sorry for the delay in the post I promised..I also wasn't expecting to get out of work so very late. But here goes:

With the xbox 360 running here are my main menu settings.

As I said the xbox 360 is running on 720p. I tend to think 1080i actually looks better, but I have noticed some color issues, especially in distant objects in game. For example, while playing NCAA 07..on 1080i the crowds color always seems white, and you can see the colors kinda fading in and out..like one second its red(im a buckeye fan) the other time its pure white. Normally its just pure white however...on all crowds not just Buckeyes. 720p that does not happen. The reason being probably is the fact that the xbox 360 is rendering all games at 720p instead of 1080i and rightfully so. The 360 will upscale to 1080i if you choose 1080i in the dashboard, but its scaler isn't as good as the LG's since its a nice big expesensive tv and all. WIth that said, all CRT televisions are natively 1080i..so natuarlly you would wanna set it at 1080i..but once more the scaler on the 360 is not as good as the televisions.

Using obviously either one of the Componet videos for the 360 on High Definition of course(figured I better state that) My settings are

Contrast: 55 Some would claim thats high(i keep it considerbly lower on cable tv..but like you said it just didn't seem very bright at all on the 360 games)

Brightness: 60 (you may go up one notch still if you want to..I am going off condemend however for both brightness and contrast to make sure my white and dark levels are fairly decent)

Color: 62

Sharpness: 30 (I will explain why so low in a minute..)

Tint: 0..perfectly balanced

Temp: Medium

XD: ON...By leaving it on this also helps improve the darkness issue that you are experiancing because I experianced the same thing. When playing Halo 2..some of the levels were considerbly darker than on my old EDTV. With XD on however, you don't want your sharpness too high because from what I have been informed you want your HD picture to be a nice soft picture...so when leaving XD on and having sharpness high it seems like the picture because pixalated or jaggy. Its hard to explain, its just not a soft clean smooth texture like you would see on IGN reviews of games and what not.

I am still messing with the sound settings..sometimes it seems like I cannot hear voices very well over all the other nosies. However for the moment if I were you, I would leave them at default

Finnaly, in the MAIN MENU setttings I turn "VM" to the LOW settings. A lot of people on here may jump at that idea...most people hate VM..I am not quite sure why..but for me what it does is that if you havn't noticed a lot of people are complaining about the quality of their pictures especially with text as it goes towards the extreme right and left of the screen. What VM has done for me, it has sharpened the sides of the screen to make it much more bearable than leaving it not on.

It should be noted that these are just my componet video settings. My standard cable television settings differ greatly.

It should also be noted that I messed with the Service Menu. I will tell you what I did. AS A WORD OF WARNING HOWEVER, NOT ALL SETTINGS ON MY SERVICE MENU WILL BE THE SAME AS ON OTHER PEOPLES TELEVISION..EVEN IF THE EXACT SAME TELEVISION. THESE SETTINGS HAVE NO RETURN TO DEFAULT VALUE SETTINGS SO YOU SHOULD BE WARNED TO WRITE THEM ALL DOWN BEFORE CONSIDERING MAKING ANY CHANGES AND DOUBLE CHECKING TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WRITTEN DOWN THE CORRECT VALUES FOR EACH THING. THIS ISN'T A RECOMMENDATION..ITS A MUST IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS.

Anyways, now that is out of the way..I did write all my default values down and saved them to Microsoft Word as well.

Still not happy with my own brightness settings I ventured off into the service menu by pressing and holding menu on both the television remote and the telvision..it can sometimes take up to 10 seconds or so before the menu will pop up. NOTE THE WARNING ABOVE ABOUT CHANGING SETTINGS HERE

What I messed with was the White Balance..basically some more color settings

R Drive 36
G Drive 31
B Drive 39
R Cut 31
G Cut 31
B Cut 38

I also messed with Sub Bright

Sub Bright: 31 (anywhere between 27-and 31 seems suitable for my eyes anyways)

The service menu applies for all video sources of the television unlike the television main menu that only applies to the source you are on respectively.

I think that about covers it...Good Luck.

Psychotoddler

10-26-06, 09:16 AM

Hi, I'm new to the forum.

I am considering buying this TV, but after looking through 7 months of posts on this thread, I'd like to get a consensus from those of you who bought the set.

This is my first (and for a while likely to be my only) HDTV. The size of the screen is good for my basement, where I plan to stick it in front of my exercise bike (justifcation to wife).

I'm interested primarily in:

XBOX and 360 (possibly PS2,3 but you get the gist)

DVDs while I excercise (I currently have a Toshiba SD-2900 which produces a great picture on my analog TV, although a small one, and I'm open to an upconverting player if it will significantly improve my image quality)

My initial plan was to buy the Samsung slimfit, but after reading negative reviews concerning reliability, customer support, and the dreaded geometry issues, I had second thoughts.

In Best Buy last night, I saw the LG and frankly, there are very few choices for CRT sets these days, and I don't want a 200 lb monster like the sony xbr.

So for my purposes, is it yea or nay?

Let me know ASAP, it's on sale for 799 with 100 instant rebate which ends this week! I hope to pick it up tonight.

lbrenes

10-26-06, 10:52 AM

Gor for it!! I've hat this TV in my basement also for about a month and I could not be happier. I also bought it primarily for Xbox 360 gaming and movies and they both look fantastic!! no comparision with an SD TV.

I also have a regular satellite and cable connected and it looks pretty good, it does a good job with SD signals thanks to its XD engine.

I think you won't be dissapointed with this TV. Good luck.

Hi, I'm new to the forum.

I am considering buying this TV, but after looking through 7 months of posts on this thread, I'd like to get a consensus from those of you who bought the set.

This is my first (and for a while likely to be my only) HDTV. The size of the screen is good for my basement, where I plan to stick it in front of my exercise bike (justifcation to wife).

I'm interested primarily in:

XBOX and 360 (possibly PS2,3 but you get the gist)

DVDs while I excercise (I currently have a Toshiba SD-2900 which produces a great picture on my analog TV, although a small one, and I'm open to an upconverting player if it will significantly improve my image quality)

My initial plan was to buy the Samsung slimfit, but after reading negative reviews concerning reliability, customer support, and the dreaded geometry issues, I had second thoughts.

In Best Buy last night, I saw the LG and frankly, there are very few choices for CRT sets these days, and I don't want a 200 lb monster like the sony xbr.

So for my purposes, is it yea or nay?

Let me know ASAP, it's on sale for 799 with 100 instant rebate which ends this week! I hope to pick it up tonight.

lbrenes

10-26-06, 10:55 AM

Great post!! thanks for all the info.

I am actually torn with the XD feature: it does make the screen look sharper, more vivid, but at the same time it makes it quite a bit darker to the point where is hard to see any details on darker games like Splinter Cell.

Maybe playing around in the maintenance menu with the white balance and then enable XD will give me the results I am looking for.

Thanks for your post.

Okay, sorry for the delay in the post I promised..I also wasn't expecting to get out of work so very late. But here goes:

With the xbox 360 running here are my main menu settings.

As I said the xbox 360 is running on 720p. I tend to think 1080i actually looks better, but I have noticed some color issues, especially in distant objects in game. For example, while playing NCAA 07..on 1080i the crowds color always seems white, and you can see the colors kinda fading in and out..like one second its red(im a buckeye fan) the other time its pure white. Normally its just pure white however...on all crowds not just Buckeyes. 720p that does not happen. The reason being probably is the fact that the xbox 360 is rendering all games at 720p instead of 1080i and rightfully so. The 360 will upscale to 1080i if you choose 1080i in the dashboard, but its scaler isn't as good as the LG's since its a nice big expesensive tv and all. WIth that said, all CRT televisions are natively 1080i..so natuarlly you would wanna set it at 1080i..but once more the scaler on the 360 is not as good as the televisions.

Using obviously either one of the Componet videos for the 360 on High Definition of course(figured I better state that) My settings are

Contrast: 55 Some would claim thats high(i keep it considerbly lower on cable tv..but like you said it just didn't seem very bright at all on the 360 games)

Brightness: 60 (you may go up one notch still if you want to..I am going off condemend however for both brightness and contrast to make sure my white and dark levels are fairly decent)

Color: 62

Sharpness: 30 (I will explain why so low in a minute..)

Tint: 0..perfectly balanced

Temp: Medium

XD: ON...By leaving it on this also helps improve the darkness issue that you are experiancing because I experianced the same thing. When playing Halo 2..some of the levels were considerbly darker than on my old EDTV. With XD on however, you don't want your sharpness too high because from what I have been informed you want your HD picture to be a nice soft picture...so when leaving XD on and having sharpness high it seems like the picture because pixalated or jaggy. Its hard to explain, its just not a soft clean smooth texture like you would see on IGN reviews of games and what not.

I am still messing with the sound settings..sometimes it seems like I cannot hear voices very well over all the other nosies. However for the moment if I were you, I would leave them at default

Finnaly, in the MAIN MENU setttings I turn "VM" to the LOW settings. A lot of people on here may jump at that idea...most people hate VM..I am not quite sure why..but for me what it does is that if you havn't noticed a lot of people are complaining about the quality of their pictures especially with text as it goes towards the extreme right and left of the screen. What VM has done for me, it has sharpened the sides of the screen to make it much more bearable than leaving it not on.

It should be noted that these are just my componet video settings. My standard cable television settings differ greatly.

It should also be noted that I messed with the Service Menu. I will tell you what I did. AS A WORD OF WARNING HOWEVER, NOT ALL SETTINGS ON MY SERVICE MENU WILL BE THE SAME AS ON OTHER PEOPLES TELEVISION..EVEN IF THE EXACT SAME TELEVISION. THESE SETTINGS HAVE NO RETURN TO DEFAULT VALUE SETTINGS SO YOU SHOULD BE WARNED TO WRITE THEM ALL DOWN BEFORE CONSIDERING MAKING ANY CHANGES AND DOUBLE CHECKING TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WRITTEN DOWN THE CORRECT VALUES FOR EACH THING. THIS ISN'T A RECOMMENDATION..ITS A MUST IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS.

Anyways, now that is out of the way..I did write all my default values down and saved them to Microsoft Word as well.

Still not happy with my own brightness settings I ventured off into the service menu by pressing and holding menu on both the television remote and the telvision..it can sometimes take up to 10 seconds or so before the menu will pop up. NOTE THE WARNING ABOVE ABOUT CHANGING SETTINGS HERE

What I messed with was the White Balance..basically some more color settings

R Drive 36
G Drive 31
B Drive 39
R Cut 31
G Cut 31
B Cut 38

I also messed with Sub Bright

Sub Bright: 31 (anywhere between 27-and 31 seems suitable for my eyes anyways)

The service menu applies for all video sources of the television unlike the television main menu that only applies to the source you are on respectively.

I think that about covers it...Good Luck.

Psychotoddler

10-26-06, 05:19 PM

Oh, one more quick thing before I rush off to Best Buy:

Should I buy the service contract?

Meltdown611186

10-26-06, 07:27 PM

If you have the money than a Best Buy service plan would really just give you a piece of mind.

For example, I was within the 2nd or 3rd wave of those who got xbox 360s when they were released and I was hearing about certain issues arising. Well the 2 year plan on a 360 was only 50 bucks to cover all of everything.

On a television on this expense it will probably be much greater than the 50 bucks so by no means expect anywhere near that. I would expect maybe 150 for that..but definatly take a look at the warranty/service plan packet that the Best Buy associates have and read through what it covers and what it doesnt. I know that can be a lot of reading but you wanna make sure you truely are buying a piece of mind.

Thats really all a warrenty is, a piece of mind for your investment. I am sure they do not make commission so one way or another it should not matter to them whether you read through it or not.

Treat your sales person with respect...yah never know what they could try to sell you if you dont... : )

Personally if you have the money and dont want to use that money for the Sony or whatever....but if your made of the money then why not.

lbrenes

10-27-06, 09:16 AM

Dude! I love your settings! I tried them last night and wow what a difference!! I think what really made a difference for me were the changes on the maintenance menu, I didn't change the Sub Bright stuff but I did change the cut off numbers.

Thanks a lot!

Okay, sorry for the delay in the post I promised..I also wasn't expecting to get out of work so very late. But here goes:

With the xbox 360 running here are my main menu settings.

As I said the xbox 360 is running on 720p. I tend to think 1080i actually looks better, but I have noticed some color issues, especially in distant objects in game. For example, while playing NCAA 07..on 1080i the crowds color always seems white, and you can see the colors kinda fading in and out..like one second its red(im a buckeye fan) the other time its pure white. Normally its just pure white however...on all crowds not just Buckeyes. 720p that does not happen. The reason being probably is the fact that the xbox 360 is rendering all games at 720p instead of 1080i and rightfully so. The 360 will upscale to 1080i if you choose 1080i in the dashboard, but its scaler isn't as good as the LG's since its a nice big expesensive tv and all. WIth that said, all CRT televisions are natively 1080i..so natuarlly you would wanna set it at 1080i..but once more the scaler on the 360 is not as good as the televisions.

Using obviously either one of the Componet videos for the 360 on High Definition of course(figured I better state that) My settings are

Contrast: 55 Some would claim thats high(i keep it considerbly lower on cable tv..but like you said it just didn't seem very bright at all on the 360 games)

Brightness: 60 (you may go up one notch still if you want to..I am going off condemend however for both brightness and contrast to make sure my white and dark levels are fairly decent)

Color: 62

Sharpness: 30 (I will explain why so low in a minute..)

Tint: 0..perfectly balanced

Temp: Medium

XD: ON...By leaving it on this also helps improve the darkness issue that you are experiancing because I experianced the same thing. When playing Halo 2..some of the levels were considerbly darker than on my old EDTV. With XD on however, you don't want your sharpness too high because from what I have been informed you want your HD picture to be a nice soft picture...so when leaving XD on and having sharpness high it seems like the picture because pixalated or jaggy. Its hard to explain, its just not a soft clean smooth texture like you would see on IGN reviews of games and what not.

I am still messing with the sound settings..sometimes it seems like I cannot hear voices very well over all the other nosies. However for the moment if I were you, I would leave them at default

Finnaly, in the MAIN MENU setttings I turn "VM" to the LOW settings. A lot of people on here may jump at that idea...most people hate VM..I am not quite sure why..but for me what it does is that if you havn't noticed a lot of people are complaining about the quality of their pictures especially with text as it goes towards the extreme right and left of the screen. What VM has done for me, it has sharpened the sides of the screen to make it much more bearable than leaving it not on.

It should be noted that these are just my componet video settings. My standard cable television settings differ greatly.

It should also be noted that I messed with the Service Menu. I will tell you what I did. AS A WORD OF WARNING HOWEVER, NOT ALL SETTINGS ON MY SERVICE MENU WILL BE THE SAME AS ON OTHER PEOPLES TELEVISION..EVEN IF THE EXACT SAME TELEVISION. THESE SETTINGS HAVE NO RETURN TO DEFAULT VALUE SETTINGS SO YOU SHOULD BE WARNED TO WRITE THEM ALL DOWN BEFORE CONSIDERING MAKING ANY CHANGES AND DOUBLE CHECKING TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WRITTEN DOWN THE CORRECT VALUES FOR EACH THING. THIS ISN'T A RECOMMENDATION..ITS A MUST IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS.

Anyways, now that is out of the way..I did write all my default values down and saved them to Microsoft Word as well.

Still not happy with my own brightness settings I ventured off into the service menu by pressing and holding menu on both the television remote and the telvision..it can sometimes take up to 10 seconds or so before the menu will pop up. NOTE THE WARNING ABOVE ABOUT CHANGING SETTINGS HERE

What I messed with was the White Balance..basically some more color settings

R Drive 36
G Drive 31
B Drive 39
R Cut 31
G Cut 31
B Cut 38

I also messed with Sub Bright

Sub Bright: 31 (anywhere between 27-and 31 seems suitable for my eyes anyways)

The service menu applies for all video sources of the television unlike the television main menu that only applies to the source you are on respectively.

I think that about covers it...Good Luck.

vealchop

10-27-06, 04:50 PM

Per my last post, I had to call LG about the buzzing. I had a guy come out today and he said it is the "Yoke" and it was about 2x's as loud as it should be. He said he had to contact LG as to how to proceed. Either they o.k. the repair or I swap it out. He said that this "yoke" was a fairly expensive item to replace. I should know in a week.

Meltdown611186

10-27-06, 05:45 PM

Good to see that those settings helped you enhance your viewing experiance. Every now and then I will tinker with some things...as I stated before I was kinda messing around with the audio settings...plus I have a samsung surround sound receiver so I am messing with that too.

Not saying the audio for the television is bad or anything..just trying to see if it can be enhanced.

I will let everyone know if I stumble upon some changes that I find visually promising.

It took a long while just to stumble upon the settings I posted above..I can't even remember how many papers and Microsoft Word documents I went through with previous default settings, and of settings I liked so I wouldn't mess anything up.

Lets just say I got the television like the day after it launched literally, and I stumbled upon these settings maybe only a month ago.

So hopefully you shall stay visually pleased..especially with the nice looking 360 games coming out.

As for you vealchop...all I can say is ouch...but at least LG is doing something about it though right..? : )

Iceman24

10-27-06, 07:35 PM

Hi. I was interested in purchasing this TV, after hours of endless researching comparing this model to similar TV's, such as the Slammy Slim. Most importantly, it would probably fit better than any other one like it.

I have a cabinet with an area that is 34.5 inches wide, inside-left to inside-right. This TV is just less than an inch wider, but the sidewalls on the cabinet are cut short of the front of it by 8 inches, giving this TV to slim in just 1/4 inch on each side, and it needs to do it in 8 inches. Sounds like it would fit just fine, but I have yet to find a proper angle view, so can someone tell me it would fit just fine?

The heighth to the next shelf in 24.5 inches as well. I believe it would still fit. Depth is 23 inches, so that should be fine.

I appreciate it. :)

Meltdown611186

10-28-06, 07:41 PM

The dimensions on the LG as posted by LG on their website is Dimensions (WxHxD) 35.4 x 22.6 x 15.9"

So according to the measurements your giving me...it would fit. Wouldn't be a ton of room to do a lot of wiggling with it so if your going to adjust the angle in which to view the television your probably going to have to adjust the cabinet entirely.I mean you would have a little room on the width by like you said about an inch. You dont really have to worry about the height..thatll fit..and the depth is fine by a long shot.

It'll look nice because you wont have a huge open empty space in the cabinet. It will look nice and tight like it was designed to fit in there snug.

J. L.

10-29-06, 10:59 AM

These pictures of the LG 30FS4D might help... (please excuse the quality, taken with cell-phone-camera)

I did a rough measurement 8 inches back from the front of the TV it is nearly 6 inches narrower on each side (or nearly a foot narrower overall)

For visual reference, the silver colored bezel surrounding the front of the TV is just under 1 3/4 inches deep.

My bookshelf is 36 inches wide, and the TV itself is on a sliding shelf rated for 200 Lbs. (The bookshelf is very firmly attached to the wall so it won't tip over when the TV is pulled out and angled so we can see it from our kitchen.) The first picture is with it partially angled.

The second picture is with sliding shelf pulled out so the front bezel is 8 inches from the bookshelf side, and will be the clearance you should get in your cabinet.

From what you described, the LG 30FS4D "Slim Fit" TV will fit just fine on your shelf. You will have WAY more than the 1/4 inch clearance you need.

Joe L.

Top View
http://i14.tinypic.com/2q1rpet.jpg

Side view
http://i14.tinypic.com/2rzx7og.jpg

Psychotoddler

10-29-06, 05:18 PM

Well, after reading through this thread I went out and bought it on Thursday at Best Buy for $799-100 instant rebate and I had a gift card for 100 so it was a sweet deal.

I LUV IT!!!

It looked small and dull next to all the LCDs and DLP's in the show room, but bringing it home and setting it up in the basement in place of the 20" square tube that was there makes it look ENORMOUS! And the picture is great.

I do see the geometry issues (not sure I would have noticed were it not for all the online research I've been doing). In 4:3 mode there is definitely irregularity to the side borders, but I think it's just the border, and not the picture itself. I don't notice any wavering of the picture horizontally. And with 2:35:1 movies, where there is still some letterbox, I can see some inward bowing of the top and bottom, but it almost looks more like one of those optical illusions where you stare at a bunch of straight lines and eventually they seem to converge. But I haven't taken out a ruler to measure because frankly, it doesn't mess with my enjoyment of the picture.

I was really shocked to see what a great picture I got with OTA DTV signals by just hooking up a pair of rabbit ears that I had lying around. Crystal clear and much sharper than the SD picture coming off of my sattellite box--and in the basement, no less!

I'd like to post a picture but I still don't have priveledges here to do that, so I'll put one up on my blog in a few days.

Thanks for all the advice, and unless some of you have defective sets, I'd say a lot of the criticism is nit picking.

This is the cheapest way to get a great quality HD set, and perfect for XBOX and DVD viewing.

vealchop

10-30-06, 04:01 PM

Meltdown, I'm still happy with the PQ but of course it will be a pain if they have to take it and work on it in the shop. If I am told it wll be longer than a week, I may have to go to Best Buy and pick up an alternate set ( lcd) until I get mine back. Does anyone think it is tacky to do so? Let me reiterate, I have no plans on keeping the set, I just feel I should get a "loaner" from the ones I bought my set from being that i have had this tv only 6 weeks. (by the way when i went to BB with the problem when it was still under the 30 day warranty, the salesman said if I do not bring it back boxed up like I bought it, there would be a 15% restocking fee meaning I had to have all the plastic bags and packing foam. I demanded to see a Manager and was told that was incorrect but the guys nasty attitude still ticked me off)

avsmoss

10-30-06, 04:32 PM

Purchased this set from BB this weekend and I love it. If you are a BB reward member then be sure to use the additional 12% off coupon that is good thru Nov. 15th. Using dish network and 622 dvr, both the HD and the SD look excellent. Have not noticed any buzzing noise or geometry problems. Has anyone run calibration software over the set?

vealchop

10-31-06, 04:15 PM

avsmoss, How does one get that coupon? I am a reward member and i have not received one nor do i see it on the website.

FORMULA11

11-01-06, 05:49 PM

How many people think the 4 year Service Plan at BB is need or worth the money on this set? Im getting the set this weekend.

Psychotoddler

11-02-06, 12:21 PM

I got the service plan. They say they'll come out to the house. Hope I don't need it.

Psychotoddler

11-02-06, 12:25 PM

Can anyone tell me if an upconvert DVD player is worthwhile for this type of TV? I understand with LCDs you're doing a lot of interpolation and standard DVD's don't look too good, but is it the same with a CRT? Will I notice any difference playing my non-HD disks on an upconvert player with this specific TV? If so, what, and which player would you recommend (I'm partial to Toshibas, but my current is about 3 years old and isn't even progressive scan; still the picture looks good to me, aside from the occasional graininess, possibly a property of the DVD itself).

FORMULA11

11-05-06, 09:04 AM

I got a great deal on this set at a small local store $695 out the door.Now I just need to turn in my digital cable box for a HD one.One thing I notice is DVD's look good even on a cheap $30 player (oppo 970 comming soon) but cable tv looks not as crisp but could be from the regular cable box.

pahhhoul

11-07-06, 01:00 PM

when considereing which upconverting dvd player that you'll purchase next remember that the LG goes up to 1080i, not 1080p.

is there a difference? yes. I compared my 6 year old Samsung DVD player connected via S-Video to my new Sammy HD960 via HDMI using Desperado(Superbit) DVD and noticed some pretty good quality differences. I had the 960 set @ 720p while the older Sammy dvd was @ SD 480p. The picture was a bit more crisp. I assume to the Faroudja chip. The blacks were dark & rich. So spending $150 on a new DVD wasn't too bad.

I say go grab a new dvd player. why not. $150 isn't too much on the pocket. Then get a $15 hdmi cable from monoprice & yer set.

just my $0.02,
paul

Psychotoddler

11-07-06, 01:13 PM

I guess I want to make sure we're comparing apples to apples here. One reason I went with a CRT over an LCD is because I've seen what happens when you try to rescale on an LCD and it's not pretty, so I'm thinking there may not be any advantage to using the rescaler in an upconvert DVD player over just letting the CRT TV rescale on it's own?

michiyoyoshiku

11-12-06, 10:06 PM

Ok is it just me or is one side of the screen tinted more green when a solid yellow is on the screen?

Mr Roy

11-20-06, 11:46 AM

I have had this TV since April and am extremely disappointed with it. I have had the BB tech's come out 2 x's and again this Sat.
I have had extensive conversations about CRT HDTV sets with these guys and they are never going to be perfect. Every tube is going to have it's own flaws. Mine has it's issues:
When there is a white image, it fades from blue on the left, white in the middle, and red on the right. This will never be right.
There are geometery issues all over.

My recommendations: If you don't have an "anal-retentive" eye like I do, this is good. If you do, HP has a 32" LCD w/ built in HD tuner for $899. Check that one out.

FORMULA11

11-22-06, 06:31 AM

Anybody try the oppo 970 on this tv yet?What dvd player are you guys using is PQ good?

AVnoobie

11-23-06, 08:33 PM

J. L.

11-23-06, 08:49 PM

Is it worth it to get an upconvert player for this tv? I'm currently using a Sony DVPNS55 Progressive Scan player and the picture is decent. I'm thinking about upgrading to the Sony DVPNS75 HDMI player or the Panasonic S52S HDMI. Can anyone provide some feedback?I am feeding my set with 720p into the component-2 input from a network media player (AlTech MG-35) and into the component-1 input from a TWC cable box. Both provide great pictures... I would guess an upconverting DVD player would also work very well.

I've equally been impressed with the upscalling of SD video from a DVR.
Hard to say which scaler is better, the one in the TV, or the one in the Media player.

Also... I only have very very minor geometry issues... so little I've not even been tempted to do anything other than take the set out of "torch mode" so I could get a decent greyscale. Guess I got lucky compared to Mr Roy. (My other HDTV is a Barco 1208 CRT projector, so I'm very familiar with convergence and geometry settings)

Joe L.

Meltdown611186

11-25-06, 01:26 AM

The only questions I still havnt been able to answer for myself about this television. Is whether or not to leave XD on while playing 360 or have it off. The other would then be the sharpness I should have this television set to.

Meltdown611186

11-25-06, 03:32 AM

Maybe I should also ask the question that is...

Is the XD engine only really supposed to be with analog signals anyways? Everywhere I read to try and learn what exactly this engine does(without getting biased advertisement bullcrap from LG) I see that it says it can take a standard signal and make it appear almost as if it were high def. Which is an exxageration in my opinion..does make it clearer though on standard cable television. But would you want that on for a high definition source?

This seems like it would be the last little tweak I feel I need to do. With it on..I feel as if it makes the image look grainy...unless I tone down the sharpness...a lot. I like the brightness levels that it offers..

With it off...everything seems to be more "soft" aka not so grainy. So either my debate is really between the XD engine being on or off for a hi def source...OR the debate that is whether my eyes like the brightness better or not.

AVnoobie

11-27-06, 01:31 AM

What is the native resolution of this TV?

vaxick

11-27-06, 10:40 AM

What is the native resolution of this TV?

CRT's do not have a native resolution ;)

lbrenes

11-28-06, 08:11 AM

The native resolution is 1080i but this TV will also do 420i, 420p and 720p.

saahmed

11-29-06, 01:21 AM

saahmed

11-29-06, 02:44 AM

What other TV's have QAM tuners?

AVnoobie

11-29-06, 11:51 AM

I took the plunge and got the Sony DVP-NS75H Upconvert Dvd Player to go with this TV. The picture looks great for the most part but I've noticed that sometimes backgrounds, particularly when it's a darker solid color, can get very pixelated. Has anyone else had this problem when using the HDMI?

snowmoon

11-29-06, 12:42 PM

Will this set make me happy?

I tried LCD and could not stand the blurring...

I have a plasma but feel like I'm going to break the damn thing by playing games....

I looked in the stores and the LG produces a nice picture, bright, clean, clear, with minimal distortions. It's cleaper than either the LCD or the plasma that I bought even with a 4 year extended warantee and I don't feel like it's a fragile beast. I wish it had more inputs, but 1xhdmi and 2xcomponient will serve me for quite a while.

Does this unit do native scanrates for all input ? -- obviously not for 480i with 3:2 turned on, but for 480p, 720p, and 1080i they are all native scanning without scaling?

Reliability of the unit and the brand?

snowmoon

11-30-06, 10:08 AM

Hmmm... everyone at home enjoying your set? Nobody knows if this does native scanning for all inputs?

Dark615xx

11-30-06, 12:03 PM

Hey quick question does anyone here have the Comcast DVR HDTV cable box because I'm having one hell of a problem toying with my Video setting on the TV while running it like my problem is Green is comming out a blueish Green and when I mess with the tint to get the grass green the people turn red and what not. When I have the settings for the people to look normal the sky is green......Can anyone help me please.....Also I have my 360 set right and it looks great just having the problem with the cable

snowmoon

11-30-06, 01:09 PM

Dark, if you are using componient try repluggin everything in. Try another short cable to confirm.

Dark615xx

11-30-06, 02:32 PM

Oops my bad the blue component wasn't plugged in all the way....IT LOOKS AMAZING NOW ^_^.

EDIT*****That's the thing I rember plugging in everything.*****EDIT

georgemoe

11-30-06, 04:43 PM

I just picked up this TV on Black Friday. It was an open item at BB. After the gift cards I got on it, it came out to $420. I am having some issues with the pic. quality. I have digital cable and it looks pretty grainy. I am using the QAM tuner to get HD channels, they are much better than the regular channels of the cable box, but they are not amazing. My parents 5 yr old Mitsu 65" RP looks better. I am splitting the cable 3 ways digital box/internet/tv. Anyway, my question is, are others having problems with very grainy picture on regular channels? Is there something I can do with tweaking settings?

Also for people looking into getting this tv: the only geometry issue I have is in the bottem right corner. There is some slight distortion with like tickers and stuff. Also its kind of blurry in the corners.

This is an open item, so I should be able to return it w/o a problem. I am not very satisfied with the PQ on this TV. The sound on it is amazing though.

My dad has had this set since late Spring. Originally he had a Samsung Slimfit 30" and that went back after two weeks. The LG is much better.

I've got him hooked up with both an OTA antenna and basic cable. SD via cable is in my eyes lousy. Via OTA SD is pretty good. He gets a great HD picture via both OTA and the unencrypted cable feed. It looks HD to me but I really think you might be expecting to much from a 30" display. Amazing doesn't start to surface until you hit 40" and greater displays.

I was able to play around in his sets service menu to correct some geometry issues that impacted tickers. I've got a folder somewhere and will post when I find it. Everything I did to the set is available via the search function here. I agree both the left/right sides have a slight blurr to them because the lines get wider. Seems gamers notice it more than others and it hasn't bothered either of us.

saahmed

11-30-06, 10:05 PM

My dad has had this set since late Spring. Originally he had a Samsung Slimfit 30" and that went back after two weeks. The LG is much better.

I've got him hooked up with both an OTA antenna and basic cable. SD via cable is in my eyes lousy. Via OTA SD is pretty good. He gets a great HD picture via both OTA and the unencrypted cable feed. It looks HD to me but I really think you might be expecting to much from a 30" display. Amazing doesn't start to surface until you hit 40" and greater displays.

I was able to play around in his sets service menu to correct some geometry issues that impacted tickers. I've got a folder somewhere and will post when I find it. Everything I did to the set is available via the search function here. I agree both the left/right sides have a slight blurr to them because the lines get wider. Seems gamers notice it more than others and it hasn't bothered either of us.

I dont know, out of a tube TV I kind of expected a better picture. Its just so grainy. I know an HDTV usually looks worse on SD than an SDTV does. I always thought a smaller TV would look better vs. a bigger one. Also, I dont get any OTA reception in my area, so I cant try that out. What can I do in terms of a better splitter or some sort of amplification? I think I might try that.

Edit: Is the service menu different from the regular menu? If so, how do I get into it?

Meltdown611186

12-01-06, 01:28 AM

Anyone with an xbox 360..do you keep xd setting on or off while playing xbox 360. I know the XD engine is designed for low definition or analog signals..but should it be used for a high def signal too?

Can you post your brightness, sharpness settings if you do leave it on..or heck even if you leave it off.

I like how it illuminates everything..it makes things looks brighter..but if you look closely at something while playing the 360 it almost seems like it unsmoothes the picture too.

This has been something I have been torn on for quite sometime..So maybe if I learn more about it..I can finnaly make a good decision. My eyes can see bad things both ways...

Dark615xx

12-01-06, 10:39 AM

Meltdown611186

12-01-06, 03:00 PM

Mr Roy

12-01-06, 05:13 PM

I have a 360 and i don't know about the XD. I have it set to 720P, though.
When getting HD over the air, there are some channels that send a 16:9 image but still have bars on the sides. That are not as big as the 4:3 p[illar boxes but are still there. Anyone know why? Also, the BB tech came out and ordered a digital sound board as it isn't working right. One more call and that is 4 and my tv gets replaced. :mad:

Dark615xx

12-02-06, 11:36 AM

If you dont mind me asking what are your contrast, brightness and sharpness levels. I know the XD engine enhances all of those so I am wondering what you keep it on to keep a nice clean smooth picture.

Also are you runnin 1080i or 720p?

Xbox 360 settings

Resolution: 1080i

Contrast: 55

Brightness: 50

Color: 60

Sharpness: 30

Tint: Red-0-Green

Color temperature: Cool

XD: On

VM: High (In Options part of the menu)

Meltdown611186

12-02-06, 02:12 PM

Nice thank you Dark. The reason I ask is that everybody has been stating that VM is bad and the XD function shouldnt be on for a high definition source. Well turning VM completly off makes text to the sides just way to blurry...just an eyesore. Without the XD function being on the picture looks way too soft..blurry soft. With it on and sharpness being high..it looks like a sandpaper picture..very grainy.

So thank you..you solved my issue with the sharpness and contrast levels. I am thinkin I had those too high and since XD enhanced both sharpness and contrast among other things I think thats what made the picture look bad.

Thanks bud!

Arapino

12-02-06, 04:34 PM

Do you guys think this would be a good set to purchase if used mainly for gaming (and maybe cable TV later on down the road)? I was planning on getting the SONY XBR34 at BB but that thing is way too heavy and big to be used in my room. I'm planning on hooking up a PS2, Xbox 360, and eventually a PS3 to it when I have the money to get one. Has anyone hooked up a PS2 to this using component video? Would the picture be grainy or bad since it isn't true HD? Sorry, I'm a relative newbie to HDTV -> SDTV problems but don't really want to have problems with it.

Meltdown611186

12-03-06, 02:03 AM

Its a true HDTV. It can handle both 720p and 1080i...the only more HD you can get is 1080p. Granted, it is a CRT HDTV...for me personally I bought it to last me over until other types of technologies come down in price and eventually come down enough to get me a nice 1080p television.

Advantages of it being a CRT however...It's still favored by many to have one of the best picture qualities out there..especially with contrast(blacks and whites) Dont have to worry a ton about viewing angle(some larger rear projection screens you do...) Cheaper than other technologies.

Disadvantages..CRTs are big and bulky. Many consider it "old technology". A lot of the times you have to mess with the settings a lot to get the picture you really want,

If you havn't had HDTV in action with your gaming consoles I think this will be a huge upgrade for you.

On the other hand the major major complaint people have with this television set is on gaming as you go towards the outside of the screen the it becomes less sharp and basically kinda blurry. You are going to have that with most slim CRT designs..if not all. Geometry issues are also another concern(the straightness of a line for example) They arnt as bad on this television as say the Samsung Slimfit...if you dont have a keen eye for anything like that..you wont notice it at all. None of my friends or family have really noticed any of the disadvantages I am even stating. Naturally, though to fix the blurryness as you go to the edges I hike up the VM(velocity module) setting. Most users on these forums say dont do that..its basically outlined objects in a more bold way...which they say distorts what the true picture is intended to be.

Personally, you arnt going to get a "true picture" unless your using the game makers television with the game makers settings(most are viewed on computer monitors anyways) Personally I like to have it on because it takes care of the problem of the blurryness as you go towards the outside of the screen.

Im not trying to scare you away from this set at all. I am just focusing on the negatives or the major gripes about it anyways. I think however if you go to any television set on these forums or any other forum your going to get some type of belly aching about the television set.

If your looking for an HDTV thats in this price range..this is your best bet in my opinion. Unless you can get a heck of a deal on something else...If your looking for an HDTV to hold you off until you can get one of those top of the line televisoins..this is your best bet. Personally, I would hold off on getting getting a top of the line set for a couple more years cause they just keep coming down in price and more and more kinks are being worked out of em.

When I compare the gaming on my buddies televisions set(which is a standard 480i, with your composite cables) to my HDTV..there is a HUGE difference.

lbrenes

12-04-06, 08:46 AM

This is a great TV for gaming. I have a 360 hooked up to it and it looks great. There is no geometry issues that I can see. The text can get a little blurry at the coners but the VM feature basically takes care of it.

On the other hand, your PS2 is going to look better on a regular SD TV. I have one hooked up to this TV thru S-Video is it looks pretty bad. I am not sure a PS2 is going to look any decent on any HDTV.

This tv is also great with regular cable TV, the XD engine does wonders. And if you get any digital signals, it looks almost HD.

Good luck with your choise, you won't be dissapointed with this TV.

Do you guys think this would be a good set to purchase if used mainly for gaming (and maybe cable TV later on down the road)? I was planning on getting the SONY XBR34 at BB but that thing is way too heavy and big to be used in my room. I'm planning on hooking up a PS2, Xbox 360, and eventually a PS3 to it when I have the money to get one. Has anyone hooked up a PS2 to this using component video? Would the picture be grainy or bad since it isn't true HD? Sorry, I'm a relative newbie to HDTV -> SDTV problems but don't really want to have problems with it.

novasbc

12-04-06, 07:29 PM

I have this model of television. I have a Scientific Atlanta HD DVR and XBOX360 running through an Onkyo TXSR604 to switch the component outputs.

On both the xbox and the scientific atlanta, when I am viewing a dark screen, especially in most movies, I see a slightly brighter vertical line about an inch wide or so, scanning across the screen from left to right, taking perhaps 10 seconds to make it all the way across.

Is there something I can do to reduce or eliminate this effect? Is it the television, or likely one of my cables (I assume the common cables coming from the onkyo to the television itself).

It gets less noticeable when I drop the screen brightness lower, but if I drop it enough to make the line go away completely, I can't easily see whats being displayed on the TV.

Thanks!

Mark

mbaxter

12-05-06, 12:06 AM

snowmoon

12-05-06, 10:23 AM

Meltdown611186

12-05-06, 07:15 PM

Hey Ibrenes(sorry if I mispelled that..too lazy to double check) Do you keep your XD engine on while playing xbox 360? If so what sharpness do you keep your television at in that case and in what resolution are you playing?

jesselw

12-05-06, 10:17 PM

Thank you all for such a great thread and forum.

Before I go any further, I will first have you all know that I have read every single post on this thread. Congratulations to me for enduring the 16 pages of burning yellow font. I will try not to waste time with every detail of this TV as it has all already been mentioned in other posts. Instead, I will focus on my experience and opinion.

I purchased the LG 30FS4D on Sunday December 3rd, 2006 from BB in El Cajon, California. The contents of the box were the TV, Remote Control, and User Manual.

I powered it up and did hear the buzz I have heard some of you mention, but it was very very low and inconsequential. I was very anxious to try off air HDTV channel detection as I have read on the web that San Diego, CA broadcasts 5 major networks. The initial detection found nothing as I did not have any kind of antenna hooked up to it. I then hooked up a 25FT Coax cable and through the remaining cable out the nearest window. I re-ran the HDTV scan and found 10 channels! KPBS HD was at 1080i and looked like HD should look, GREAT! Sides of screen were blurry as many of you have widely discussed on this thread.

Next was XBOX 360, which was hooked up using Component cables, set to 1080i and Widescreen. I then immediately noticed the improvement from my old Sony WEGA 27" SDTV, but the sides were blurry. I then hooked up both Samsung DirecTV Tivo receiver through S-Video and Sony DVD Player, set to Progressive Scan through Component cables. The picture was nothing close to that of my old Sony and of course, the sides were blurry on both of those as well.

Since I had read every post on this thread (bragging again) I went ahead and started adjusting the picture settings. You can do some justice and bring the blurry sides to a less noticable state, but under no circumstances do they cease to exist. I have read some brilliant posts on here that mention the larger phosphors toward the side causing the blur effect. I believe this to be the case 100%. After reading the thread on the Sony KD-34XBR970 and many reviews on other HDTV's including LCD's, I have come to a depressing conclusion. You can't have the best of both (SDTV and HDTV) worlds. Even the top (reviewed or expensive) LCD's have so-so SDTV quality.

Furthermore, I believe the blur problem is a direct result of a C.R.T. trying to light a Widescreen. The Manufacturer's are smart in making these sets pass enough for the inexperienced consumer to purchase. Fact is that no matter how you adjust the picture or alter the service menu, this TV will just not produce a consistent HD quality picture all the way to the edge of the screen.

I am sure there are many that can live with imperfection and will get used to it, but as a replacement for a great SDTV C.R.T. it is not worth spending the money to settle.

Psychotoddler

12-06-06, 09:56 AM

I'm now several weeks into my LG and I still love it. Some mild geometery issues with the top border on extreme letterboxed films, but otherwise beautiful. No hum issues. I was noticing graininess on my non-PS DVD player so I went over to the other thread on upconvert players and got some advice.

I got the Panasonic DVD-S52S from CC last night for a little over $100. I had some sticker shock when I went to get a HDMI cable, though. $146?? Seems excessive. I bought a non-Monster 4 footer for $79. Still think I overpaid.

Anywhoo.

Brought it home, plugged it in, it works fine. No hardware issues. Picture looks good. I had a little trouble telling if it was better looking on my LG CRT than the old Toshiba SD 2990 which is non-progressive scan connected through component. Fortunately, I had both DVD players connected so I could switch between the two.

I tried out Final Fantasy Spirits Within because I had noticed that it looke particularly grainy in the darker scenes on the Toshiba. I popped it into the Panasonic. It was still grainy. But the grains were finer. Picture quality maybe a little better. I can't say $200 better.

Next I tried changing the output from 480p to 720p and 1080i. I'm still not sure how much of a difference this makes with a CRT set that supposedly can display all 3 natively. There was no artifact, but I found that fine lines and text looked better at 720p so that's what I left it on.

For kicks I through in Star Wars Ep IV and played with the different settings while staring at R2D2's dome in a medium shot. There was a noticable difference in clarity between 480p and 720p. Less so between 720p and 1080i. But more artifact on the 1080i so for now I'm sticking with 720p.

Does this match other people's experience?

Big issue now is how to break it to my wife...

Digiti

12-06-06, 12:37 PM

I am glad you have 720p as an option because most CRTs do 480i,480p and 1080i only. If 720p looks the best to you by all means use it. However, you still paid too much for that HDMI cable. Try www.monoprice.com to get a good quality but much less expensive cable.

Psychotoddler

12-06-06, 12:44 PM

I am glad you have 720p as an option because most CRTs do 480i,480p and 1080i only.

That's what I've been trying to figure out! I can't find anywhere what resolutions this TV does natively! But as far as I can tell, 720 looks best. I just wonder if the TV isn't secretly reconverting THAT up to 1080i!

The Maestro Z

12-06-06, 08:33 PM

Like jesselw, I have read every post in this forum and I have to say when I get my paycheck on Thursday I'm going right out to Best Buy and buying this TV. Thanks guys.

Mr Roy

12-08-06, 10:04 AM

I have read on LG's and BB and CC's website and 1080i is the native resolution for this TV.

mbaxter

12-08-06, 10:22 AM

I bought a non-Monster 4 footer for $79. Still think I overpaid.

You didn't just overpay; you got raped.

Check pccables.com or monoprice.com next time. Same cables for 5-6x less money.

Psychotoddler

12-08-06, 10:29 AM

You didn't just overpay; you got raped.

Ouch. How do the big box places get away with that? How can these mail in places be so much cheaper? Something doesn't add up.

FireWalker34

12-08-06, 10:30 AM

Newbie on here. I have a question on this TV. Got and HD Box through Comcast. The Tech set it up with component wires looks great. I bought an DVI to HDMI cable hooked it up and the picture flashes and the colors are purple and green and goes to snow. I know i hooked it up right. Any help??

G-Bull

12-08-06, 10:49 AM

Ouch. How do the big box places get away with that? How can these mail in places be so much cheaper? Something doesn't add up.

Because that's where the big box stores make their money. They can't mark up the prices too much on the TVs, because most people shop around for TVs and will find the lowest price. So they have to stay competetive on the price of the TV. But once the customer is in the store to buy the TV, they'll also buy the accessories - the cables, connectors, service plans, etc. - and that's where the big box stores make their largest profit margins.

jayhui339

12-11-06, 11:44 PM

Hi

Does anyone know how it looks on SD digital cable, as I am not a subscriber to hdcable.

thanks

J. L.

12-12-06, 11:10 AM

Hi

Does anyone know how it looks on SD digital cable, as I am not a subscriber to hdcable.

thanksSD Digital cable quality is all over the map... it all depends on how much compression the cable company uses. This however has nothing to do with the LG 30FS40D HDTV. It was easy to see compression artifacts on my old SD TV when viewing some SD digital channels on TWC in the Greensboro, NC area.

In this area there is no additional cost to switch to an HD cable box. That gets you several free HD channels. I do subscribe to the HD tier, so I get even more, but as I said, I think you might be able to swap your SD cable box for an HD one just by calling and asking.

jayhui339

12-13-06, 01:01 AM

Hi

Unfortunely Direct tv charges me 100 dollars for each new HD reciever and 10 extra dollar a month on HD in NYC.

I am hoping to find a CRT that can display SD much better then my current Sharp 37 LCD gb5u (old model)

thanks

zrdb

12-14-06, 06:41 PM

Good grief, my friend. You're killing Best Buy margins - don't return the TV! You need to hook your stuff up properly for the best end result. Run back to Best Buy, apologize for returning a great tv, and then buy yourself a set of component cables and a progressive-scan DVD player (not the Cyberhome!) or an HDMI up-converting DVD player w/an HDMI cable. Please, you spent a lot of money on the tv, make sure you know what you need to connect it the right away and get the good stuff. You'll be much happier in the end.
You want to hear a little story? I to work for worst buy and got the Sams**t 27" hdtv 4:3 tv-horrible geometry and distortion problems-took it back and got the Insignia 27" 4:3 hdtv-in short I love it!! Funny thing is it has a Sams**t tube but it is not of the short neck "slimfit" variety-no distortion problems and it cost me half of what I paid for the Sams**t unit. I looked at the LG but wanted a 4:3 screen instead of a 16:9 one cause I watch a lot of anime and 4:3 is what most of it is.

Jack Howarth

12-14-06, 11:05 PM

How well does the LG 30FS4D display true black? I noticed that the more expensive 30FZ4D was marked on the LGE site as having an Invar mask but they didn't indicate this for the 30FS4D. The Samsung 3082WH has an Invar mask and I am wondering if its absence is noticable in proper recreation of black on the 30FS4D.

Pomester

12-15-06, 08:08 PM

I picked up this LG today, replacing my (reasonably) faithful Technica after 22 years of service - - I've been hooking up peripherials and have uncovered a disturbing situation -

I have the 'Monitor Out' jacks run to my 'vintage' stereo (Sansui rack into corner horns) -

works fine except when recieving digital over the air signals when there is apparently no signal out of those jacks - the DVD player outputs thru the monitor jacks just fine - analog broadcast outputs thru those jacks just fine -

any help here? - any way to get around this? - I like my stereo, and will not be replacing it - and I think I was really liking this TV before I ran into this -

thanks for any feedback/suggestions/resources - and thanks to the AV forums which helped much with my shopping -

Pomester

12-16-06, 04:03 AM

a follow-up

on page 14 in (very literally) fine print is "DTV, component 1-2, and HDMI/DVI input sources cannot be used for Monitor Out."

WTF?

components plugged in thru the side connections panel work for 'Monitor Out' - but 'component 1-2' will not?

what design genius made that choice? what is the rational?

I am sorely disappointed and upset -

stefanoc

12-16-06, 11:37 AM

All,

Don't think I've seen this posted yet, so here we go: I just found the 30FS4D Service Manual!
136.166.4.200/contents/Files/Displays/CRT/30FS4D.htm

As usual, use with caution! :)

ThreePutt

12-17-06, 09:27 AM

I purchased this set at best buy for my parents and set it up yesterday. In general it went smoothly and seems to work well. There were a couple of annoyances which I think might have been mentioned in this thread before but I wanted to bring them up in case someone had found a solution.

The first issue I had was not being able to add a favorite for a digital cable subchannel other than the first one. I wanted to add favorites for 116-2 and 116-3, but was only able to add 116-2. The second issue was with the remote. I was able to configure it to operate their DVD player but when the remote is in DVD mode it will no longer control the TV's volume. Because of the way you have to cycle thru the RC's modes, it painful to have change the volume while watching a DVD.

I also thought the manual could have been more clear about the fact the the digital audio input can only be used with the DVI input. I was expecting that there would be a way to map the audio input to a particular video input. I guess I should have realized that this is a fairly low end HD set in that respect.

GODSxHAN

12-18-06, 10:00 AM

Alright, This is my first post so I was hoping you people could help me out.

I have a couple days left to decide which TV I want to purchase as my Christmas gift. My current television is like a 13' vcr combo that I have had for 5 years since college. The audio is beginning to go when watching television on it so I am looking for another one as a christmas gift.

I was wondering if this would be a good buy with this LG 20' widescreen HDTV. I keep reading excellent things on this board and problems with it, so im 50/50.
It's currently going for about 530 at Best Buy. I can get a percentage off and pay probably around 490 or so for it though. So for the price it seems fairy decent. Also it would be a big upgrade from the tv I have now that has gone down the crapper.

But I am reading these things about its native resolution display and etc. etc. I'm confused about that. Then again I will most likely be watching SD television for the remainder of this year. then when I move I might look into HD Cable. So is this a good set to go for and is it reliable and will i be pleased with it.

I was going to go with the 27" Insignia HD TV at best buy because it's fairly cheawp to. I'd be paying 350 for it. which isn't bad but I read some terrible things about it.

Anyways. Please...... Reply and give me some insight.

Thanks

Jack Howarth

12-21-06, 10:00 AM

I setup our new LG 30FS4D last night and used our DVD player and the Avia A/V calibration dvd to set the contrast, brightness, color, tint and sharpness. Unfortunately, I am seeing the same light yellow blob of tint on the full white test screen. Oddly it only appears in the upper right hand quadrant for that test screen. All of the other test screens with white in that area show no evidence of it. I have yet to see any evidence of the issue in any normal viewing. Is there an explanation of why this would happen and only for the full screen white test? I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't see some trace of it in the other test that have white on right half of the screen. Thanks in advance for any clarifications.

G-Bull

12-21-06, 10:38 AM

I could be mistaken, but I'd guess it's because on that 100% white screen, there's so much energy generated by all those electrons hitting every part of the screen (and, therefore, every part of the shadow mask), which causes the shadow mask to heat up and expand slightly, which throws color purity out the window, and on your TV you see a yellowish tint in that part of the screen. You don't see it on other test patterns because only that 100% white screen heats up the shadow mask enough to actually cause it to expand slightly. That's my guess, anyway...

Jack Howarth

12-21-06, 12:06 PM

Actually I think that answer might be reasonable since LG makes no claim on the 30FS4D having an Invar shadow mask. My understanding of the Invar shadow mask was it was resistant to such expansion and contraction during use. So I assume some minor flaws in the white screen purity test are expected (and a very light yellow is better than the other possiblities). I might be able to test the hypothesis by lowering the brightness/contrast and seeing if the light yellow patch fades out. Also it the energy applied to the mask is the problem, I wonder if the VM or XD settings might have an impact. I have left VM on low (although I have disabled that feature on my other TVs). My understanding was that both VM and XD would overdrive the contrast beyond the typical settings in certain conditions) although I don't see why VM should be doing anything on a pure white screen.

G-Bull

12-21-06, 12:18 PM

I don't know much about your TV specifically, so I don't know about the Invar shadow mask vs. other shadow masks, or what yours has or what.

I would think that if it is due to heat expansion in the shadow mask, if you were to reduce contrast as you suggested, that would make the yellow disappear.

I don't, however, have a good theory as to why the yellow only appears in that part of the screen. Perhaps the shadow mask is anchored more securely to the other three corners of the tube, so the only place it has room to expand is in the upper-right? That wouldn't make much sense, would it? I don't know.

Luckily it only happens on a 100% white screen, and that's fairly uncommon during normal viewing. I hope it doesn't mean something is wearing out prematurely or anything...

Jack Howarth

12-22-06, 10:12 AM

It appears that the issue was heating of the shadow mask at a contrast of 35. I tried a few more attempts at calibrating brightness and contrast last night. The set appears to be unable to maintain black level in both APL pluge patterns beyond a contrast of 20 but that left the set a tad dim. I finally settled on a contrast of 25 and a brightness of 53 which produced a reasonably bright display which exhibited no color artifacts in the white screen test. I always did find the contrast adjustment in the AVIV A/V dvd rather subjective. None of the sets I have ever tested have shown the bending lines at any contrast and the exact point where bloom occurs seems to be very subjective.

cocoasprinkles

12-22-06, 05:09 PM

after reading this post and most of the slim fit discussion i'm gonna give this unit a try. My use is going to be for SD cable, DVD's, OTA HD, and non-HD gaming (Socom and Madden on PS2).

I have a question about the "digital cable" that i hear when people mention Comcast. In my home we have one of the Digital Cable packages but in my room we do not have a STB. Will the QAM get some of the channels? Will the quality be better since it's a digital signal being sent to my home?

ctshiner

12-23-06, 09:04 PM

I just bought this tv from BestBuy and I'm happy so far, but I have 2 questions:

First, is it possible to set 720p, 1080i, etc. modes manually on the tv, or does it do this on its own? Some HD channels didn't look quite so HD right out of the box, but I can't find any menu for this

Second, anyone know what that little * button is for on the remote? The manual just ignores it......

cocoasprinkles

12-23-06, 10:08 PM

went to BB earlier today and the blurriness on the far left and right was killing me, i'm gonna go and try my luck with the geometry on the Samsung HDTV non widescreen.

JHawk

12-26-06, 12:13 AM

I really like this TV. I originally purchased a 32" Insignia LCD--piece of junk--from BB. I returned the Insignia and started looking around for something else. Saw the LG for just a little under $600. BB guy said they had none in stock but would order me one. I asked about the display (which appeared to be new). He said he would give me a $60 gift card if I took the display. I also had a 10% off coupon for open box, closeouts and discontinued models which he gladly took. So I'm in for way less than $500. My set has none of the issues other posters have mentioned.

It certainly is a lot heavier than the LCD but the picture quality is way better. This set is a keeper.......

rblews

12-26-06, 09:06 AM

I only use a TV for playback of my downloaded Divx/Xvid movies (DVDrip/700-800MB), so until now have prefered a SD CRT display; but, would sure like a ws display for this purpose. I use an Oppo DVD player for the Dvix support, but could use the HDMI cable for the upconversion feature with an HDTV like this LG CRT. MY question is: Would I get any better picture quality for these Divx format movies with this LG hdCRT than any old SD CRT?

lezmaka

12-26-06, 01:09 PM

Has anyone tried connecting this to a computer? Either through DVI->HDMI cable or through component? I'm thinking of the possibility of using it for watching videos/movies/games sometime in the future.

GODSxHAN

12-27-06, 10:13 PM

Alright, I got this TV today finally. It was a christmas present and i had to wait until they delivered it. I love it. So far everything is so good. I don't have the blurring effect on the sides, No yellow or blue color on the tv like people were saying. And no buzz or anything coming from the tv. Seems like I got a perfect tv with no problems.

My only question.
I'm watching DVD's with my PS2 hooked in through RCA on the back. The dvd's are widescreen dvd's yet im still getting the black bar on top and bottom. I can cycle through the settings to stretch it out but you can tell it's stretched. So is this happening because i'm watching through my play station 2 and using RCA cables? or is the dvd not true 16:9 widescreen?

Please help me out i'm totally in the dark.

Thanks

Topweasel

12-27-06, 10:41 PM

GODSxHAN

12-27-06, 11:06 PM

That's the thing, I been trying out different dvd's

I tried both, 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 and im still coming up with the bars.... which is what confuses me. could it be the PS2 that is causing it. Because I have no clue what else could be...

lbrenes

12-28-06, 12:24 PM

You need to use component cables to get the 16:9 ratio out of the DVD. The composite (RCA) are not able to carry this signal out.

GODSxHAN

12-28-06, 04:17 PM

ok. thank you very much. I thought it would be something that simple. I'm still learning about this tv. I am enjoying it a lot. I was very limited to channels when I plugged in the coaxil cable but then i did the EZ channel guide thing and it found my 70+ basic cable channels.

Guilty Spark

12-28-06, 07:41 PM

I recently got this tv, and I think everything looks great. I do have one complaint though, maybe someone can help me out. I bought a DVD player that has HDMI out, and I noticed that the picture looks great, except sometimes I see what can only be explained as "green pixels" in a dark, or black area during a movie. Anyone have any clues on this? I am using the HDMI cable if its of any importance

GODSxHAN

12-29-06, 12:59 AM

Well, I'm at a loss for words. I bought Component cables for my PS2 and the movies are still showing up with the black bars. I tried both, the 1:83 and the 2: yadda ya.
So i am just confused why widescreen dvd's arent showing up widescreen. please HELP!!!

FORMULA11

12-29-06, 05:45 PM

with no disk in the playstation you have to go into the screen setup menu or with a disk playing hit select then go to the icon under the #7 and change the tv type to 16:9

GODSxHAN

12-30-06, 12:33 PM

with no disk in the playstation you have to go into the screen setup menu or with a disk playing hit select then go to the icon under the #7 and change the tv type to 16:9

Ok, I took out the disk in the PS2 and went into the settings/configuration. I found the display for the screen. You can either select 4:3 , Full , 16:9. I selected 16:9 and exited the menu. Popped in 2 different versions of widescreen. the 2:35:1 & 1:85:1 and I am still getting the black bars when watching a movie. I also selected Full and it does the same thing. I actually think the 16:9 option makes the black bars bigger when watching a movie.

Then while watching a movie, I hit select on my PS2 remote and went under setting that way. Went to the screen display and it showed 3:4 letterbox. but wont let me change it.

So i am totally confused on what the hell to do. Could it be just because I'm watching the dvd's through a PS2?

someone who is familiar with playing a ps2 watching movies on this tv please help, because i sure need it.

Other than that, the tv is amazing. 2 nights ago when i first set it up I did the EZ channel search and it found all my channels on basic cable. I only have basic cable but somehow I have all the CBDTV (cable direct tv) channles. Somehow I got all the premium cable channels. I don't know how. But I been enjoying watching Jack ass 2, etc. on my tv.

I also got a couple HD channels which is nice, but still, I don't understand how I am getting them with only having basic cable and no cable box. But i'm not complaining.