I have a 42HL196 and I can't seem to get the video/audio outputs to work.
I've tried several input sources, but no matter what, the output just seems to be garbage.

Any ideas?

I've had my 42lx196 for a few days now. Overall, I am happy with the TV. The internal scaler does a very nice job with SD. The limited VGA isn't much of an issue since DVI->HDMI seems to be working well for me. The only negative I really have about this TV is, of course, the "ghost bars". I noticed them right away on the SD DTivo channels. There are three bars. On the right, left, and a thinner bar down the center. They are harder to see on HD channels, but are definitely there. I can't see them(but they may be there) on screens generated by the TV(such as the TV Guide).

When the service tech came out, he said Toshiba had narrowed the problem down to two possible parts. They are going to replace both parts to be certain they correct the problem. He said the parts are back-ordered (imagine that) and it will be about two weeks before they can get them in. Hopefully I'll be able to provide more specific information about the parts then.

How did you configure the TV to display the ghostbars so well?

Hey all -

Have a 37LX96 here. Just posting my impressions, if some of this is re-iterative I apologize, didn't have time to skim the previous posts. I did NOT go to the store to get this TV, but somehow walked out with this one. Glad I did.

I also have a Sony KDL-46XBR2 and the image on that panel still continues to astound me. However - the only reason I give it the nod over the Toshi is the black levels, and only because I can have the same source on each and walk 50' to see the difference. 10 mins after watching the Toshi and it appears the same to me. Having to do it all over again I would probably NOT lay the larger coin down for the Sony (for a comparable screen size) - I am very pleased with the 37LX96.

I just HAD to HAVE a Hi-Def TV in the bedroom, and for those considering a bedroom TV, this more than fills the bill. The features that sold me on this model are the size (37's are harder to find and a 40 just seemed too large for the bedroom - women no comments please ;) ), and the built in DvD. So far it has exceeded all of my expectations. A great overall value. I threw a "Columbo" dvd in the other night to fall asleep by, and the DvD does a great job of making SD discs look "remastered" (even though it is a 720p/1080i panel). Not having to deal with a separate player for the bedroom is pretty sweet. If I were limited to a 37" screen and this were my main set - I would not opt for the LX96, I would get the non-Dvd model (don't remember the model #) and feed it with a higher quality Dvd player.

For those considering the Sony vs. the Toshiba in the 40 - 47" sizes, here is my break down:

Sony:
Better blacks and contrast
More adjustability and custom configs possible
Much better menuing system
Sexier (the XBR2/3 are anyway - that clear surround is just "art")

Toshiba:
Better value
Only slightly less PQ than the Sony, and only because I can constantly compare
Blacks and Contrast could improve
Cumbersome menuing and adjustments
Looks good, but not as hot as it could

As I stated - it was perfect for the bedroom application and it hasn't disappointed to date. A great TV and the deal I got made it a "no-brainer". Still very happy that I have it.

New question: does anyone have the Toshiba 37lx96? Comments, please (can't find in "search).

Hahaha -

Started backpedaling through the thread - not sure if it is the first but I posted my impressions. I don't think you will be disapointed with it.

Toshiba lcd are crap,.

Excellent that I could ignore this post after reading four words!
Everything that followed would be a waste of time.

Very pleased 37LX96 owner here - no issues to date.

Just thought I pass a little info on that I asked my salesman for. I've dealt with this guy for years now so I felt comfortable asking him. In the PC Richards he works for they sold 147 42hl196's and 54 42lx 196's they don't carry the LZ model. According to system records there have been 7 service related calls on the sets sold. Don't know what the complaints were for but compared to other models it was the lowest only beat by sony on a percentage basis. I don't think the " ghost bars issue is widespread or it's not an issue to the average consumer.

I had to find out atleast locally. Does anyone know where we could find numbers for the company? Like I said in an earlier post, It hard to tell how good a product is from forums, most that post do so to complain not praise.

Just thought I pass a little info on that I asked my salesman for. I've dealt with this guy for years now so I felt comfortable asking him. In the PC Richards he works for they sold 147 42hl196's and 54 42lx 196's they don't carry the LZ model. According to system records there have been 7 service related calls on the sets sold. Don't know what the complaints were for but compared to other models it was the lowest only beat by sony on a percentage basis. I don't think the " ghost bars issue is widespread or it's not an issue to the average consumer.

I had to find out atleast locally. Does anyone know where we could find numbers for the company? Like I said in an earlier post, It hard to tell how good a product is from forums, most that post do so to complain not praise.


You sound like you work at Toshiba. I came here to the forum seeking advice on which to buy.. went with a Toshiba. Got the ghostbars. I think most people have them, they just haven't noticed them yet. For such a large number of us to have problems without having sought this forum out first, for the problem, rather, we bought them and *then* observed the ghost bars is abnormal. I'd suggest everyone check their set.

Again, is there a recommend signal those with the ghostbars would suggest playing to see them. There was a picture posted earlier that displayed the bars quite vividly. It wasn't a picture signal.

Again, is there a recommend signal those with the ghostbars would suggest playing to see them. There was a picture posted earlier that displayed the bars quite vividly. It wasn't a picture signal.

They were quite noticeable while watching "March of the Penguins" (it's when I first noticed them) - and I was like .. "what the hell are those!?!"

Thanks JustPete

Does anyone know what upscaler Toshiba uses?

We recieved our Tohiba 42HL196 on 12-4, have had it almost 3 weeks now. Rented 4 DVDs, which upscaled 480 to 1080i through an HDMI output cable. We also recieve TWC and use the SA 600 CableCard.

No issues whatsoever with Ghostbars, our TV had a october 2006 build and was bought from BuyDig. This is our 4th Toshi, and the 42 is better, with less graininess than the 37HL95 we took up to the second home.

I absolutely love the way Toshiba has revised the remote with the molded index bar on the bottom, as well as the Braille bumps on the + side of the volume key. The only thing missing is the ability to light up the remote at night to see the keys if you need to adjust something you dont usually use on the remote.

While it's true you can only input 1080i, not 1080p, the blue and yellow Brick and Mortar had a Toshiba HD-DVD player with a HD DVD playing and there was nothing else in the store, save all the deluxe hd tv's at 2 to 4 times the price in the Magnolia section that compared to what they had on display. By the time Sony had BluRay players out for $1,000, all the Toshiba HD DVD players at $500 were sold out and gone, even the display model got sold.... so I never really got to compare the Sony /Sony product to the Toshiba / Toshiba product for 1080P.

So far we've been very happy with the quality of picture and value per dollar spent on Toshiba LCD HDTV product. We've grown with Toshiba on this the past year and it's been a beautiful sight every single day. If we had a legitimate beef , it's with our HDTV CableCard provider. They are crooked as hell, and they dont want to support cable card... It's all about the money and the revenue streams from a set top box that they try to push on you. When will they ever learn that when you buy a wall mountable, self contained lcd HDTV, that you DON'T WANT THEIR STUPID SETTOP BOX AND THE STUPID REMOTE, AND ALL THE STUPID WIRING AND CABLES that go with it? The whole idea of flat panel lcd is to keep the installation and wiring looking clean, professional, and concealed behind the drywall.

Thanks JustPete

Does anyone know what upscaler Toshiba uses?

No idea :(

However I just went in to the store to look at a replacement TV for my 42HL196.. I looked at another one. Same problem on their display model.

If you don't think you have them, you just haven't noticed them.

No idea :(


If you don't think you have them, you just haven't noticed them.

I don't have them, and a lot of other people don't have them. Why don't you buy something else and bitch in that forum.

I make my living by working in television.

Believe me, if I "had them," I would "notice them!"

I don't!!!!!!

I just bought a 47LZ196 tonight after much research. I was really hoping the ghosting/banding issue was just affecting a small percentage of the population, but after watching about 30 minutes into a DVD (on my old 480p player), during a slow sequence, I noticed the damn vertical banding. It is a lot worse on the left side than the right, but it definitely is there. I plugged in my laptop and put notepad on full screen, and yup, it is there.

So aside from taking it back to the store and getting an exchange, has anyone come up with any solutions for this issue? Looks like many LCD TVs have it... I saw horizontal bands on the Sharp I was looking at in the store, but I was standing so close to the Toshiba, I couldn't tell. See that's the thing, you don't really see the bands unless you step like 10 ft back.

Does anyone know if the Samsung LN-S4696 has any problems like this?

Yea i'll wait for a 1080p or 1440p HDR display, forget about SED, and the new sharps, it's going to be a waste of money. When 2008 comes around you're going to hear that they will be making these displays at a cheap price of around 3k-10k

It seems like every LCD has issues. Sharp has banding, Sony has cloudiness and Toshiba has ghost bars yet they sell millions of them. I think some of us are just more critical than others.

You are assuming that all sets made by each manufacturer you mentioned has an issue.

That is not the case!

It's not a matter of some us being more or less critical.

I don't have them, and a lot of other people don't have them. Why don't you buy something else and bitch in that forum.

Hey, why don't you try contributing something useful for once.

I make my living by working in television.

Believe me, if I "had them," I would "notice them!"

I don't!!!!!!

Consider yourself lucky!

I wish I could keep this TV.. I didn't want to spend more money!

No banding, ghosting or anything else. Just a great picture. Try a decent surge protector. I have been watching a 38310 38" CRT for 5 years and thought nothing would compete. I was wrong!

Following up on the 47LZ196 vertical banding/ghosting issue, I stumbled onto a sort-of workaround: turn up the brightness. I realized this is how I wasn't able to see the problem at the store, because they have all the TVs up to maximum brightness at the stores. So, it doesn't solve the problem, rather, it hides it better. More importantly, if you want to avoid it all together, turn the brightness down to "movie" or some similar mode and see if you can see the banding.

I am still not sure if I can tolerate it, or if will try for an exchange.

Following up on the 47LZ196 vertical banding/ghosting issue, I stumbled onto a sort-of workaround: turn up the brightness. I realized this is how I wasn't able to see the problem at the store, because they have all the TVs up to maximum brightness at the stores. So, it doesn't solve the problem, rather, it hides it better. More importantly, if you want to avoid it all together, turn the brightness down to "movie" or some similar mode and see if you can see the banding.

I am still not sure if I can tolerate it, or if will try for an exchange.

So if you don't see them at the factory settings why would you adjust the settings so you do see them? I left my set on the settings it came with and everything looks super with no ghost bars. I would have to be crazy to mess with the settings so they show up,lol.

Lets see the factory sets the set for the best picture and you go adjust it and then complain, Hmm what's wrong with this picture. I only say this because I own a 42lx196 and it blows away my brothers 42 inch aquos and my friends sony xbr2. They agree especially on sd.

fyi, Most LCD's are always factory set at 100% brightness. Both the Aquos and Sony were also set at 100% brightness.

So if you don't see them at the factory settings why would you adjust the settings so you do see them? I left my set on the settings it came with and everything looks super with no ghost bars. I would have to be crazy to mess with the settings so they show up,lol.

Lets see the factory sets the set for the best picture and you go adjust it and then complain, Hmm what's wrong with this picture. I only say this because I own a 42lx196 and it blows away my brothers 42 inch aquos and my friends sony xbr2. They agree especially on sd.

Most LCD's are always factory set at 100% brightness.

I think it's relatively well known that the factory settings aren't optimal... hence why you need to tweak the set once you buy it. In my case, I didn't do anything to *make* them appear, I simply noticed them while watching my first movie. I went in to the store with my DVD player and checked on the display model they had, same problem (although, to a lesser extent). I'm going to try and post a picture of what it looks like.. and although the resolution might not be great, you can imagine what it looks like in person. (because it's noticeable in the picture).

So if you don't see them at the factory settings why would you adjust the settings so you do see them? I left my set on the settings it came with and everything looks super with no ghost bars. I would have to be crazy to mess with the settings so they show up,lol.

Lets see the factory sets the set for the best picture and you go adjust it and then complain, Hmm what's wrong with this picture. I only say this because I own a 42lx196 and it blows away my brothers 42 inch aquos and my friends sony xbr2. They agree especially on sd.

fyi, Most LCD's are always factory set at 100% brightness. Both the Aquos and Sony were also set at 100% brightness.

1. I didn't go and adjust the TV so I can see the bands. I had it set on one of the movie profiles and went to watch my first movie on the TV. Then, half way through the movie, I started noticing the bands during a sun-rise scene.

2. FYI: there are many color profiles on a TV, most of them do not use 100% brightness.

3. I don't know about you, but I'd get a headache if I was to watch the TV at 100% brightness, I mean, that is REALLY REALLY bright, suitable only if you have a very brightly lit room. And I personally, like to watch movies with the lights dimmed down or turned off (sort of like a movie theatre).

So no, I didn't go searching for the bands. They were there, and I was merely trying to share my experience.

Sorry to hear about the vertical banding/ghosting issue some of you are experiencing. The obvious banding issue on the new Sharp Aquos is what steered me to the Tosh 47LZ196. I'm happy to report I have no banding or ghosting on mine, although I didn't tweek the set to look for them either. I just dialed the settings to what looked to be the best to my eye and left it at that. I agree, 100% brightness is way too much for me too. I have the holiday week off so I plan to use the DE calibration disc. So far I have been extremely happy with the set :D .

Happy Holidays!

I have a brand new Toshiba 42hl196 with cablecard that loses all the channels after its turned off a few hours. Toshiba say it has the latest firmware and cant help. Cablevision has done all they can. I must return it to Best Buy unless someone can help. Do any of you have success with this or any similar model using a cable card?

I am having the same problem with my 42HL196, Time Warner, and the SA CableCard they installed. It goes to channel 3 and gives a message that it's "acquiring channel information" when I try to change channels. I go to the SA CableCard CP screen and it has an PowerKey Status of "Waiting for Time". I can unplug the power to the TV, wait a minute, and plug it back in and get it to work again (it takes a few minutes to get the cable card to synch up and acquire the channel info.

What is the latest firmware?

I need a comparison on the picture quality between the 42LX196 and 42LZ196? Are they the same or not? Thanks.

Toshiba lcd are crap, dont buy their lcd if you like black and grey details. Black is green all the time.

Toshiba regza lcd is the first year toshiba manifactured its own lcd, so all lcd are crap exept their true hd 1080 panel. Last year models, panels were made by Sharp or LG and were better. Ex: Toshiba 37HLX and 37HL respectively.

wait until they update their quality.

Picture pure bit processor is good, colors are ok but contrast, black and grey gradation are a nightmare.

Dont even think HL86 models beeing a bargain..they are not and no processor inside mean very bad DVD picture quality.
All Toshiba REGZA LCD TVs this year are using LCD panel screens made by Chi Mei in Taiwan with the TVs assembled by Toshiba in Mexico. The last year screens were also made by Chi Mei, and two years ago, they were made by Samsung. As far as a I know, Toshiba has never made a single LCD panel screen yet.

<snip>

I absolutely love the way Toshiba has revised the remote with the molded index bar on the bottom, as well as the Braille bumps on the + side of the volume key. The only thing missing is the ability to light up the remote at night to see the keys if you need to adjust something you dont usually use on the remote.

<snip>


Some folks have mentioned the remote a couple of times. My remote lights up. There is a button at the top left called "Light", next to the "Sleep" button.

But it seems to be missing the "Index Bar" you refer to. What does the index bar do?

There must be a couple versions of remotes. Canada vs. US vs ??

Not that I'm suggesting remotes cause ghost bars, but is there a correlation? Different manufacturing plant, different remote, bars - no bars.

Probably not...think I'll go back to the egg nog.


Buk

I have a 32HLC56. I have vignetting (dark corners) on all 4 sides. I guess its noticable on white or light backgrounds (use a a computer monitor sometimes). Is this normal for this type of LCD?

Hey,

My parents just bought a 37HL86 (apparently quite similar to the HL66, but the canadian version with a few changes)

I want to calibrate it for them before I leave (home on vacation) but I don't have a calibration disc. Any quick tips for a starting point - what do you guys use for settings? Then I will try to find a dvd that has some calibration on it.

On a side note, I bought them the toshiba sd-4990 upconverting dvd player, and it doesnt seem to look all that great. I might exchange it for the cheaper (non-1080p) samsung, but I'm not sure. Maybe the colour calibration will help.

Thanks for any/all help!

I own the 26HL66 and love it!

Same here.

hey, regarding the VGA limitations has anyone tried the trick that worked for the LG? The LG 32/37" models only allow 1024x768 (or w/e) through the vga port also, but through accessing the service menu you can change it to allow 1280x720 (i believe). anyone tried this?

Does anyone know how to access the service menu on the Toshiba? I've got a 32hlc56 and I'd like to know how...

hey, regarding the VGA limitations has anyone tried the trick that worked for the LG? The LG 32/37" models only allow 1024x768 (or w/e) through the vga port also, but through accessing the service menu you can change it to allow 1280x720 (i believe). anyone tried this?

Got the 42HL196 yesterday, and I'm having problems receiving my clear QAM network stations. I know they are there, because I have an OnAir USB HDTV tuner and it receives them just fine, anyone have any problems with QAM?

I found ESPN and tonight I found our local Fox(I think it actually was just put on today)

OnA - Tosh
22-1 - 22-2 ESPN HD
80-1 - 80-1 Fox HD
62-3 - ----- NBC
62-5 - ----- NBC Weather
62-12 - ----- CBS
71-1 - ------- PBS (Sub 1)
71-2 - ------- PBS(Sub 2)
71-3 - ------- PBS (Sub 3)
71-4 - ------- PBS(Sub4)
71-9 - ------- ABC

The set doesn't seem to even recognize 62 or 71 as anything, there are a lot of encrypted QAM and some of the On Demand stuff on the other channels, the Toshiba seems ok with them, the sub channels vary around, but from the best I can tell it doesn't seem to have any problems with them.

Anyone have any idea why the TV would ignore these stations?

I thought I'd give everyone an update on my 47LZ196 with ghost bars. First of all, I just took some pictures which look very similar to other ghost bar pictures I've seen posted. These are from an AVIA test screen that's just simply a single-shade grey screen. It's coming from my old 480p DVD player over component cables, but I assure you that I also see the bars at 1080i from my digital cable box over HDMI.

GhostBars1 (http://home.houston.rr.com/wilddagger/GhostBars/GhostBars1.jpg)
GhostBars2 (http://home.houston.rr.com/wilddagger/GhostBars/GhostBars2.jpg)

The Tweeter service guy came out this afternoon, and basically said the entire set needs to be replaced. He said he's only seen something like this once on a Sony, and the LCD panel had to be replaced. Actually, I'd rather have a new set than a repaired one anyway. The new one is due to be delivered on Saturday, so I'll let everyone know if it turns out to be ghost bar free (fingers crossed).

Now for a stupid question: Where can I see the firmware version and manufacturing date on this set? I could have sworn that I saw it in a menu somewhere, but now I can't find it. I was curious to see if there was just a bad batch (date range) or something like that. If enough people post info on their defective sets, then maybe we can narrow down the cause.

Also, since I know my set is getting replaced, I decided to check out the service menu. Man, that's one intimidating menu! It appears to all be in hex, and I don't know what any of the settings are. I'm curious to see if anyone's had any luck changing anything in the service menu. For those of you looking for the keystrokes to get into the service menu, just do a search of this thread for "service menu" and you'll find it.

What are the differences between the 42HL196, the 42LX196, and the 42LZ196 besides price?

Are there any actual variations in the screens and BLUs?

Thanks!

I thought I'd give everyone an update on my 47LZ196 with ghost bars. First of all, I just took some pictures which look very similar to other ghost bar pictures I've seen posted. These are from an AVIA test screen that's just simply a single-shade grey screen. It's coming from my old 480p DVD player over component cables, but I assure you that I also see the bars at 1080i from my digital cable box over HDMI.

GhostBars1 (http://home.houston.rr.com/wilddagger/GhostBars/GhostBars1.jpg)
GhostBars2 (http://home.houston.rr.com/wilddagger/GhostBars/GhostBars2.jpg)

The Tweeter service guy came out this afternoon, and basically said the entire set needs to be replaced. He said he's only seen something like this once on a Sony, and the LCD panel had to be replaced. Actually, I'd rather have a new set than a repaired one anyway. The new one is due to be delivered on Saturday, so I'll let everyone know if it turns out to be ghost bar free (fingers crossed).

Now for a stupid question: Where can I see the firmware version and manufacturing date on this set? I could have sworn that I saw it in a menu somewhere, but now I can't find it. I was curious to see if there was just a bad batch (date range) or something like that. If enough people post info on their defective sets, then maybe we can narrow down the cause.

Also, since I know my set is getting replaced, I decided to check out the service menu. Man, that's one intimidating menu! It appears to all be in hex, and I don't know what any of the settings are. I'm curious to see if anyone's had any luck changing anything in the service menu. For those of you looking for the keystrokes to get into the service menu, just do a search of this thread for "service menu" and you'll find it.

On the 42HL196 to find the software and firmware
Menu->Setup->Installation->System Status -> System Information

What are the differences between the 42HL196, the 42LX196, and the 42LZ196 besides price?

Are there any actual variations in the screens and BLUs?

Thanks!


Feraturewise going from the HL to the LX you get:

Colormaster color management system
Virtual Dolby (SRS TruSurround 5.1)
Soundstrip Speaker System
2-way speaker system
6-item illuminated universal remote

and from the LX to the LZ you get:

Colormaster pro
1080p input
THINCMail
IR input
gloss black cabinet

I have a 42HL196

1st. Will it work if I chain these 2 adapters together vga to dvi then dvi to hdmi. Or I also seen vga to component, which do you guys think is the better route?


2nd. My laptop is capable of outputting 1280x720, will that fill the screen if I use the hdmi or component input?

thanks in advance

Yesterday I got 42HL196 from BB. I have a cable connection from SHAW (full cable channels in Calgary, Alberta). These are niether digital nor HD! Only regular signal cable channels !

When I connected with cable/ant Input then I got ONLY from Channels 2 to 12! But no other channels are there ! I contacted SHAW but they told me to contact TOSHIBA Customer Service.

Can any body let me know how to tune it or what could be the reason? I appreciate your advice/help in advance.

Ensure you have the cablebox from Shaw connected to ANT1 and set it to Cable, then do an auto scan again for it to tune in all stations from 2 to 125

try that...

I love my 42HL196... gonna get my pvr922 and samsung hd960 going on it then compare it later to the oppo 981hd if the samsung is not all that...

Cheers

Feraturewise going from the HL to the LX you get:

Colormaster color management system
Virtual Dolby (SRS TruSurround 5.1)
Soundstrip Speaker System
2-way speaker system
6-item illuminated universal remote

and from the LX to the LZ you get:

Colormaster pro
1080p input
THINCMail
IR input
gloss black cabinet

thanks for the info! One question though: LZ takes 1080p input.. the other two models do not? So what happens if a hd-dvd or blu-ray player is connected to a HL or LX then?

thanks for the info! One question though: LZ takes 1080p input.. the other two models do not? So what happens if a hd-dvd or blu-ray player is connected to a HL or LX then?


the players will output 1080i, and the set will deinterlace the signal to 1080p, resulting in the same picture as the 1080p source ( all @ 60Hz)

the players will output 1080i, and the set will deinterlace the signal to 1080p, resulting in the same picture as the 1080p source ( all @ 60Hz)

In theory... but not all LCD/Plasma really deinterlace as advertised.

I am very happy with my 32HL66 purchased this week AFTER returning a 32XBR that had the dreaded clouding issue.

[QUOTE=dildano]I thought I'd give everyone an update on my 47LZ196 with ghost bars. First of all, I just took some pictures which look very similar to other ghost bar pictures I've seen posted. These are from an AVIA test screen that's just simply a single-shade grey screen. It's coming from my old 480p DVD player over component cables, but I assure you that I also see the bars at 1080i from my digital cable box over HDMI.

GhostBars1 (http://home.houston.rr.com/wilddagger/GhostBars/GhostBars1.jpg)
GhostBars2 (http://home.houston.rr.com/wilddagger/GhostBars/GhostBars2.jpg)
The Tweeter service guy came out this afternoon, and basically said the entire set needs to be replaced. He said he's only seen something like this once on a Sony, and the LCD panel had to be replaced. Actually, I'd rather have a new set than a repaired one anyway. The new one is due to be delivered on Saturday, so I'll let everyone know if it turns out to be ghost bar free (fingers crossed).

Hi. I'm considering the purchase of a 47LX196. However, today I just contacted Toshiba America via email and asked about the ghost bar anomaly and whether they recognize it as a problem and are doing anything about it. I also asked if there is are hardware (LCD panel) or firmware fixes in process. I stated that since Toshiba is a company of integrity :rolleyes: , I know they will give me an honest answer to my questions. I also asked if there is a serial number break point that does not manifest this problem.
By the way, where did you purchase your 47LZ196? I can not find a brick and mortar retailer here in the Rockford , Illinois area that has any.
I will post any response I get from Toshiba here. Else my $$$$ may go to Sony, Sharp or... argh, perhaps even Samsung. Then I will have to ask them what they are doing about their own "anomalies". :rolleyes:

I just got a 32hlc56 in anticipation of hooking it to my mythtv box, but was distressed to see dire warnings in the manual about connecting to a PC via the HDMI input. I have an NVIDIA card with DVI out, and a DVI->HDMI cable, and I thought this part was going to be easy. I contacted Toshiba about this, and just got vague replies about "HDMI is not prepared to handle PC input" and "It will mess stuff up" :/

Has anyone used a PC to drive the HDMI input via DVI->HDMI on a 32hlc56 (or 26hcl56, or 37hlc56, or 32hl66... etc...) ? Any caveats?

Thanks,
-Eric

I just got a 32hlc56 in anticipation of hooking it to my mythtv box, but was distressed to see dire warnings in the manual about connecting to a PC via the HDMI input. I have an NVIDIA card with DVI out, and a DVI->HDMI cable, and I thought this part was going to be easy. I contacted Toshiba about this, and just got vague replies about "HDMI is not prepared to handle PC input" and "It will mess stuff up" :/

Has anyone used a PC to drive the HDMI input via DVI->HDMI on a 32hlc56 (or 26hcl56, or 37hlc56, or 32hl66... etc...) ? Any caveats?

Thanks,
-Eric


I have same tv. You can hook it up thru HDMI, at it will do high resolutions. However, I just didnt think the HDMI looks very good as PC input source. Since this TV (and many others) dont have a DVI port, VGA is the only way to go. I use a DVI to VGA adapter with a VGA cable. you can do 1280 x 1024 at it looks very good......I suggest u hook it up with HDMI....to see if u like it. Its not going to blow up the tv...lol.

By the way, where did you purchase your 47LZ196? I can not find a brick and mortar retailer here in the Rockford , Illinois area that has any.


As far as finding a set, there were no b&m chain stores that had a 47LZ196 in SE Wisconsin. CC and American TV only carry the 47LX196, local BB didn't carry either one. I went to a higher end AV store called Flanners in Brookfield WI to get mine. They were very open to $ negotiations and I think I did real good. I've had mine for about 6 weeks and coming from a 36" Tosh CRT I have been extremely happy with it. BTW, I don't see any ghost bars on mine :D. Good luck finding one, I think you'll be very happy with it. Happy New Year!!

www.flanners.com (http://www.flanners.com)

I have same tv. You can hook it up thru HDMI, at it will do high resolutions. However, I just didnt the HDMI looks very good as PC input source. Since this TV (and many others) dont have a DVI port, VGA is the only way to go. I use a DVI to VGA adapter with a VGA cable. you can do 1280 x 1024 at it looks very good......I suggest u hook it up with HDMI....to see if u like it. Its not going to blow up the tv...lol.

Mr. Scarface, thanks. Any idea which resolutions were listed as available via the HDMI input?

I wonder why Toshiba is so adamant that you cannot do this....

Rebkel, thanks for the info. I don't know how I missed the System Information menu. Anyway, here's what my 47LZ196 says:

Software Version
2.3.63.0
Aug 31, 2006
11:28:04
FW:38

I'm not sure any of that is useful, although I'm curious to see what other people get on their sets.

Rebkel, thanks for the info. I don't know how I missed the System Information menu. Anyway, here's what my 47LZ196 says:

Software Version
2.3.63.0
Aug 31, 2006
11:28:04
FW:38

I'm not sure any of that is useful, although I'm curious to see what other people get on their sets.

Model# 42HL196 received it Tuesday.
----------------------------------------------
2.2.62.0
Aug 17 2006 - 11:16:12
FW: 37

Nice photos. This is exactly the same ghost bar I am having. I will be visiting the shop I bought it from and getting it exchanged, but I'm going to test the new unit in the store this time.

I know the Sharp line also has banding issues, horizontal ones. Does anyone know if the Samsung line has any of these problems?

Nice photos. This is exactly the same ghost bar I am having. I will be visiting the shop I bought it from and getting it exchanged, but I'm going to test the new unit in the store this time.

I know the Sharp line also has banding issues, horizontal ones. Does anyone know if the Samsung line has any of these problems?


First off I don't have any banding issues. I don't know if I am lucky or what but one thing came to mind is that I bought a decent power filter when I bought the system. Maybe it's noise caused by bad power??? Anyone out there that's having this issue using a good power filter?

I've had the set for 3 months now and I can't really say anything bad that I have noticed

ive heard the "cable box theory" before concerning the ghostbars and i can assure you that its not the box connected to my set. i also get the ghostbars when playing dvds...

I haven't gotten my 42HL196 working yet, so I don't know if I have any issues or not. However, from my electronics background, I would suggest trying two different things.

First since it's the easiest and cheapest, is to completely unplug all nearby electronic devices (clocks, dvd players, cable boxes, home theatre, etc everything within about 20-30 feet) from the wall except the one you are trying as a source, and the TV. Then try a couple of different signal sources still plugging in only one at a time. A lot of older devices (even 2 years is old nowadays) emit quite a lot of RF interference even if they are powered off due to unshielded power components wires, etc.

Second thing to try is a good source of well filtered power. Either buy a good power line filter, or if you have a UPS on your PC, move it to the TV, and leave the UPS unplugged so that it produces power from the battery. See if that makes a difference.

A third thing that just occurred to me is if you have any flourescent lights in your house, turn them all off. Bars on a TV are usually related to the frame rate (60fps). Most electrical noise in a home is 60 cycle hum either in the lines, or radiated through space. Makes sense as the power is 60 cycle the same as the frame rate.

Hope maybe this helps...

At the very least, hope I don't have a problem when I get mine up and running later today!! :D

Regards,
Joe

I think all the Regzas 42 or larger have some degree of ghost bars. I own the 42lx196 and do see a faint bar on pure white scenes. The point is how often are they really noticible and to what degree? If you read the boards all sets seem to have some issue whether it be Ghost bars, Banding , cloudiness etc etc. In my opinion replacing the set with another of the same model will be a waste of time. If everything looks great other than the occasional pure white scene I can live with that.

It seems like the whole LCD tv industry has alot of bugs to work out yet.


For the record here's my software version.

2.2.62.0
Aug 17 2006 11:16:12
fw 37

Joe, I'll try your suggestions regarding the power supply. I do have my set hooked up to a UPS, but I haven't tried running it off the battery as a test. I also haven't tried unplugging everything else to see if that makes a difference. It's worth a try. I find it interesting that the repair tech didn't do anything except look at the screen. Either he trusted me when I told him about all the testing I had done (what tech ever believes the customer?), or he just knew that nothing was going to fix this problem.

JohnRocker60, I tend to agree that all the larger sets will have banding to some degree - some worse than others. Mine's pretty bad and quite noticeable when watching pretty much any content, so I think it's worth replacing the set. I am encouraged by all the comments from people who are happy with their sets, and I love the picture on mine with the exception of the ghost bars. I'll post new pictures on Saturday after I get the new set.

On a completely unrelated note, I'd just like to say that there's a complete lack of hockey programming in Houston. I'm just venting here. Houston Rockets games always trump Dallas Stars games on Fox Sports Network Southwest in Houston, and the two teams must have matched their schedules exactly! Grrr... What's a hockey fan gotta do to get some ice time in Houston?

Submitted from TACP Web Site on 12/28/2006 at 1:20:07 PM

Hello! We are considering the purchase of a Toshiba 47LX196 HDTV. There are so many vendors and products out there it is a difficult choice to make. We have considered Sony, Sharp, and Samsung also. After much research it seems the 47LX196 is what we would like to purchase. However in doing the research, it seems that many people have reported a problem with "ghost bars". I have seen the anomaly and it is as though there are areas about 2-2.5" wide on each side of the screen plus another bar in the center of the screen that appear lighter in brightness, especially in well lit backgrounds. Since many people such as those posting on AVS Forums have shared their experience with Toshiba on this problem; our question is: Do you recognize this phenomenom as a problem that needs resolving and is there a solution? If this is something that you have a firmware or hardware fix for we would like to know before purchasing. We would also like to know a starting serial number of this model that will not have this problem. We really like the features, performance, and price point of your product; but we are also considering an Olevia 747i as soon as it's available. If Toshiba has the integrity we believe it to have, we feel confident that an honest reply is in order. Thank you!


Thanks for writing!



There are no known issues with that model. If you were experiencing the "ghost bars" you described then rest assured we would repair that for you but at this time I, personally, have never even heard of such an issue. If you do experience the "ghost bars" we would repair that for you whether it was a wide spread issue or if it was only happening to your set.



For further assistance, please write back or call our Customer Solutions Department at 1-800-631-3811. They are available Mon-Fri, 8AM to 7PM Central time.



Nicholas

Toshiba Customer Service

Here's a copy of my email to Toshiba about the "Ghost Bars" issue and our potential purchase consideration of a 47LX196. Following is the response from Nicholas at Toshiba. :)

Submitted from TACP Web Site on 12/28/2006 at 1:20:07 PM

Hello! We are considering the purchase of a Toshiba 47LX196 HDTV. There are so many vendors and products out there it is a difficult choice to make. We have considered Sony, Sharp, and Samsung also. After much research it seems the 47LX196 is what we would like to purchase. However in doing the research, it seems that many people have reported a problem with "ghost bars". I have seen the anomaly and it is as though there are areas about 2-2.5" wide on each side of the screen plus another bar in the center of the screen that appear lighter in brightness, especially in well lit backgrounds. Since many people such as those posting on AVS Forums have shared their experience with Toshiba on this problem; our question is: Do you recognize this phenomenom as a problem that needs resolving and is there a solution? If this is something that you have a firmware or hardware fix for we would like to know before purchasing. We would also like to know a starting serial number of this model that will not have this problem. We really like the features, performance, and price point of your product; but we are also considering an Olevia 747i as soon as it's available. If Toshiba has the integrity we believe it to have, we feel confident that an honest reply is in order. Thank you!


Thanks for writing!



There are no known issues with that model. If you were experiencing the "ghost bars" you described then rest assured we would repair that for you but at this time I, personally, have never even heard of such an issue. If you do experience the "ghost bars" we would repair that for you whether it was a wide spread issue or if it was only happening to your set.



For further assistance, please write back or call our Customer Solutions Department at 1-800-631-3811. They are available Mon-Fri, 8AM to 7PM Central time.



Nicholas

Toshiba Customer Service

Here's a copy of my email to Toshiba about the "Ghost Bars" issue and our potential purchase consideration of a 47LX196. Following is the response from Nicholas at Toshiba. :)


Dear TACP,
I think a lot of us, 'about to purchase' researchers are in the same boat. The posts are confusing, there seems to be issues with every known brand and model. It only makes sense when people have a venue to post where posts don't expire or have a means of updating.

Since I've started my research (about 2 weeks now) I've flipped between the toshiba 42HL196 to the samsung 46" to the aquos 46" to the bravia 40" then finally to the toshiba 47LX196. Each time I would hear something about that particular model that would turn me away from it.

At the end of the day, I wanted max size (up to 46-47") for obviously the best price. I wanted the most options in jacks, highest resolution, 1080p was optional.

At the end of the day I chose the 47LX196 because of the above.

I liked that it has the PC input (freeing up an hdmi for pc connect), the cable housing in back is pointed downward to minimize cable sticking out and bending for wall mount application, one set of composite inputs on side of panel, there's THINC RJ45 network connection to connect your home network (real sweet actually, the LX can be assigned as a node on your network, check email, display photos, play mp3's etc. - name another brand with these features?). The fact that it has 1920 pixels I like even though it doesn't have 1080p input (future 1080p input firm ware flash upgrade??).

IMHO, this box offers the most bang for the buck (other than the HL196 price point for $1999 CDN during boxing week... wow!). I've always been a supporter for so called 'underdogs'. I'm not sure if Toshiba is an underdog here, but it certainly doesn't have the hype of a bravia or even talk of samsung.

My buddy and I talked a BB guy down to $2600 plus component and HDMI cables! We both were going to get one so he gave us a deal. A third person over heard us and gave her the discount as well. What a deal.

In the end we chose to buy from BB because this guy gave us superior service second to none. Even compared to a independent AV place. The BB guy (in all fairness the first BB store by queensay, was only so so) put on a ps3 movie on three separate tvs for us to compare a 1080p signal on i and p boxes. We saw a sony (p), samsung (p) and toshiba LX ('p'), we couldn't see any difference. That sealed the deal.

We brought it to his home and plugged it in. Popped in a movie (DVD regular) and was really impressive. We saw no ghosting, nothing. Pure sweet picture. The image of the movie even looked better than the 1080i signal at BB, which had lots of pixelation and those 'aritifacts'. Unlike the aquos 'tiny animals video loop' that looks utterly stunning. Too bad the posts of supposed 'banding' are just killing it's brand image.

gotta run.

When mine ships sometime next week, I'll post some screen caps. Get the 47LX196! you wont' be dissapointed. Don't believe the sony hype!

Cheers,
Lee

TACP,
I think a lot of us, 'about to purchase' researchers are in the same boat. The posts are confusing, there seems to be issues with every known brand and model. It only makes sense when people have a venue to post where posts don't expire or have a means of updating.

Since I've started my research (about 2 weeks now) I've flipped between the toshiba 42HL196 to the samsung 46" to the aquos 46" to the bravia 40" then finally to the toshiba 47LX196. Each time I would hear something about that particular model that would turn me away from it.

At the end of the day, I wanted max size (up to 46-47") for obviously the best price. I wanted the most options in jacks, highest resolution, 1080p was optional.

At the end of the day I chose the 47LX196 because of the above.

I liked that it has the PC input (freeing up an hdmi for pc connect), the cable housing in back is pointed downward to minimize cable sticking out and bending for wall mount application, one set of composite inputs on side of panel, there's THINC RJ45 network connection to connect your home network (real sweet actually, the LX can be assigned as a node on your network, check email, display photos, play mp3's etc.). The fact that it has 1920 pixels I like even though it doesn't have 1080p input (future 1080p input firm ware flash upgrade??).

My buddy and I talked a BB guy down to $2600 plus component and HDMI cables! We both were going to get one so he gave us a deal. A third person over heard us and gave her the discount as well. What a deal.

We brought it to his home and plugged it in. Popped in a movie (DVD regular) and was really impressive. No ghosting, nothing. Huge!

gotta run.

My set had ghosting. The set in the store had ghosting, too. I thought to odd a coincidence, so I went with a Samsung LNS4095D. I love it. There are some features I miss about the Toshiba, but I like the PQ better on the Samsung.

If you are going to buy a Toshiba anyway, I'd suggest that you get them to display a movie on it from a DVD player, not using HD from a hard drive in the shop. Get them to show a movie with lots of skies in it.. I think that's the easiest way to see them.

And, btw, I'd suggest that everyone try connecting their comps to their Sets! I'm currently typing on my 40 toshiba in 1920x1068 goodness! (or whatever it is) Full Res!! : )

it's simply awesome!

Mr. Scarface, thanks. Any idea which resolutions were listed as available via the HDMI input?

I wonder why Toshiba is so adamant that you cannot do this....

The reason Toshiba says this (as do other manufacturers) is because HDMI doesnt support PC timings. Resolutions is trial and error. I was able to do 1920x1024 (with overscan), 1366x768, 1216x764. 1280x768....just try various ones.

My set had ghosting. The set in the store had ghosting, too. I thought to odd a coincidence, so I went with a Samsung LNS4095D. I love it. There are some features I miss about the Toshiba, but I like the PQ better on the Samsung.

If you are going to buy a Toshiba anyway, I'd suggest that you get them to display a movie on it from a DVD player, not using HD from a hard drive in the shop. Get them to show a movie with lots of skies in it.. I think that's the easiest way to see them.

And, btw, I'd suggest that everyone try connecting their comps to their Sets! I'm currently typing on my 40 toshiba in 1920x1068 goodness! (or whatever it is) Full Res!! : )

it's simply awesome!

Well I went into the store today. Unfortunately they sold out of the Toshiba 47LZ196, so I couldn't see if their demo set had the same ghost bars problem. I did get a good look at the Samsung LN-S4696D though. It is 1" smaller, but as much as I fiddled with the brightness and colour controls, I couldn't see any ghost bar problems, either vertical (like the Toshiba) or horizontal (like the Sharp). The guy was willing to exchange my Toshiba for the Samsung, and I thought it was all good, sure I loose 1", but I gain a ghost bar free image. But then, he comes back saying the Samsung costs more, so it'd be an extra $340 thank you very much. Ouch, that's a lot, that's like, 10% of the entire purchase price. Anyway, so I decided to wait for their Toshiba stock to come in, and see if I can get a 47LZ196 without the ghost bars problem, cause an extra $100 might have been acceptable... but an extra $300 isn't.

So hopefully they'll get more Toshibas in soon, and maybe if I am very lucky, like some people on this forum, I'll get one without the ghost bars, then I wouldn't have to pay any more...

But I do wonder how many Toshibas I'll have to open before the guy at the store either kicks me out, or gives me the Samsung at the same price... humm...

I thought I'd give everyone an update on my 47LZ196 with ghost bars. First of all, I just took some pictures which look very similar to other ghost bar pictures I've seen posted. These are from an AVIA test screen that's just simply a single-shade grey screen. It's coming from my old 480p DVD player over component cables, but I assure you that I also see the bars at 1080i from my digital cable box over HDMI.



...CUT ...

A new member to the forum (which I've found quite helpful - thanks everyone). After much consideration I went out a purchased a 47LZ196. Despite my hope, it has come with the dreaded ghostbars - one on each side about 6 inches in and one right in the middle. This is present from all input sources - DVD by HDMI, HD Cable box with HDMI, Xbox with S-Video, etc. etc.,

I will be returning it.

Has anyone had any success with Toshiba customer service (I know the LZ comes with a one year on site service and was hoping it would be less of a hassle for them to come, pick it up and give me a new one)? I am really not looking forward to dismounting this sucker from the wall, packing it up and unpacking/mounting the new one.

Has anyone purchased a 47LX or 47LZ without ghost bars?

Thanks!



In any event, I am not looking forward

A new member to the forum (which I've found quite helpful - thanks everyone). After much consideration I went out a purchased a 47LZ196. Despite my hope, it has come with the dreaded ghostbars - one on each side about 6 inches in and one right in the middle. This is present from all input sources - DVD by HDMI, HD Cable box with HDMI, Xbox with S-Video, etc. etc.,

I will be returning it.

Has anyone had any success with Toshiba customer service (I know the LZ comes with a one year on site service and was hoping it would be less of a hassle for them to come, pick it up and give me a new one)? I am really not looking forward to dismounting this sucker from the wall, packing it up and unpacking/mounting the new one.

Has anyone purchased a 47LX or 47LZ without ghost bars?

Thanks!



In any event, I am not looking forward


I don't know why, but I'm drawn back to this forum to hear what people are saying and what experiences they are having with the LX196.

As I say, I helped my buddy setup his brand new toshiba lx196 last night, we first played 'finding neo' (ok he has a poor dvd collection), after 10 minutes of this, I remember that this movie is entirely emulating an underwater effect. So I tell him, it is foggy because of the movie, change it up. We put in some obscure movie shot almost entirely at night (sorry no day time sky shots re: previous post). We saw no ghosting, not even with no signal and just a plain screen (as one other fellow had posted a little way back).

I'm telling you, no ghosting, no pixelation, no blurries, no artifacts... all while running a standard dvd movie! go figure. it looked better than that loop they got going at BB which looks like hell AND is piped in at 1080i.

for those not getting a PVR (ie. tivo, mce..) this unit has a nice built in 'TVG guide' which looked pretty nice and clean (we couldn't get it working because buddies subdivision is still being built and has no cable). Not sure what the tvg guide grid feed will be like.

I receive my unit in a week. I'm crossing my fingers. My drywall is not even up yet, so I'm going to have to set it up to test before my 30 day return policy expires.

Either case, I'm triple studding my wall to make sure this thing stays put. It's over 100 lbs.

Cheers,
tb

I don't know why, but I'm drawn back to this forum to hear what people are saying and what experiences they are having with the LX196.

As I say, I helped my buddy setup his brand new toshiba lx196 last night, we first played 'finding neo' (ok he has a poor dvd collection), after 10 minutes of this, I remember that this movie is entirely emulating an underwater effect. So I tell him, it is foggy because of the movie, change it up. We put in some obscure movie shot almost entirely at night (sorry no day time sky shots re: previous post). We saw no ghosting, not even with no signal and just a plain screen (as one other fellow had posted a little way back).

I'm telling you, no ghosting, no pixelation, no blurries, no artifacts... all while running a standard dvd movie! go figure. it looked better than that loop they got going at BB which looks like hell AND is piped in at 1080i.

for those not getting a PVR (ie. tivo, mce..) this unit has a nice built in 'TVG guide' which looked pretty nice and clean (we couldn't get it working because buddies subdivision is still being built and has no cable). Not sure what the tvg guide grid feed will be like.

I receive my unit in a week. I'm crossing my fingers. My drywall is not even up yet, so I'm going to have to set it up to test before my 30 day return policy expires.

Either case, I'm triple studding my wall to make sure this thing stays put. It's over 100 lbs.

Cheers,
tb


That's good to hear. I really really do hope there are in fact LZ or LX 196 units out there without ghosting. I mean, they really _couldn't_ have released an entire line of giant LCD TVs all with ghosting, could they??!

BTW, what size was your friend's LX196? I wonder if size is an issue some how, maybe the smaller 42" units don't have the ghosting as bad?

Hey folks, I'm looking into buying a 32HL66 from Costco (actually an 32HLV16, which is just the 32HL66 + built-in DVD player/Costco model), but I look on Toshiba's site and pretty much everywhere else, and I find that it has an 800:1 contrast ratio. Is this Dynamic or Static? Hopefully Static, since I'm going to use this for mostly gaming and I would like a high contrast ratio.

Ensure you have the cablebox from Shaw connected to ANT1 and set it to Cable, then do an auto scan again for it to tune in all stations from 2 to 125

try that...

I love my 42HL196... gonna get my pvr922 and samsung hd960 going on it then compare it later to the oppo 981hd if the samsung is not all that...

Cheers

Many thanks for the info. I tuned the channels from the start and got all the channels !

Regular channels doesn't have look as HD channels look at the showroom! Getting oppo DVD player via Internet was also a bit lengthy process so I got Samsung HD860. It seems okay. Does oppo player has really better result comparing Samsung?

lchiang888: thanks for the report. The guide system can work from an over-the-air antenna if that's an option for your buddy. I love the Guide.

Hey folks, maybe someone could help me out. I bought a 42LX196 yesterday after much agonizing over the various brands and styles, (LCD vs. Plasma).

This thing is great. I did nothing more than plug it in and sat there slack jawed watching HD DVD’s. Here’s the deal. The setup menu has six slider bars whereby you can adjust the various settings. Is this no more complicated than just making adjustments to suit your room conditions / personal preferences?

I don't know why, but I'm drawn back to this forum to hear what people are saying and what experiences they are having with the LX196.
tb

FYI, my personal experience is entirely positive. My LX196 is only a few days old but I can recommend this set to anyone. I bought the HD DVD add-on for the xbox 360 which included the HD DVD version of King Kong. Truly a silly movie but the colors/detail/clarity is nothing short of stunning.

Hey first time poster, I just picked up the 42HL196 yesterday.

Had one question, I am using my Xbox360 on this TV mainly, however when I play movies on it, they are displayed in 480p.

Is this normal? For my games it is displayed in 1080i, I was just wondering if there is anyway I could change my movies to display in 1080i as well.

Dont know much about this stuff so I could be completely off but any help is appreciated.

My Xbox 360 is connected through the component cables that came with the system.

Thanks.

Hey first time poster, I just picked up the 42HL196 yesterday.

Had one question, I am using my Xbox360 on this TV mainly, however when I play movies on it, they are displayed in 480p.

Is this normal? For my games it is displayed in 1080i, I was just wondering if there is anyway I could change my movies to display in 1080i as well.

Dont know much about this stuff so I could be completely off but any help is appreciated.

My Xbox 360 is connected through the component cables that came with the system.

Thanks.
I'm using the component cables also.

The only way you will get the HD viewing experience is with HD input. I've been a Directv customer for almost ten years. I'm trying to schedule the installation of the new antenna and HD receiver for HD viewing. They cannot keep up with demand so the installation is still weeks out. In the meantime, HD DVD's are all that's available for true HD viewing. That's not to exclude over the air HD when you can get. I just haven't tried a conventional antenna arrangement to see if that works.

So through the component cables my only option is a 480p output eh, cant even change the setting to make it 1080i?

No other option except for getting the HD-DVD add on?

Edit:

Sorry just found out that through the component cables DVD's can only be displayed at 480p while games can be displayed 480p, 720p, or 1080i.

The only way of displaying both DVD's and 360 games in 1080i or 1080p without buying an HD-DVD addon is by using Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable.

Thanks for the quick reply though!

Please, there must be someone that has tried to use the Video/Audio outputs of the TV.

I've tried it on another set and I get the same thing. Are these not your standard A/V outputs?

Thanks!

I have the 42HL196 and its A/V outs work like any old-fashioned VCR or DVD player. I feed it into a DVD recorder and record hdtv (at clean sd quality).

Great news! There is hope! The Tweeter guys brought my replacement 47LZ196 this afternoon, and there are no ghost bars. What a relief! I had already mentally prepared myself to see ghost bars on the new set, but it looks beautiful. I loaded up the same test screen I used before for my ghost bar pictures, and everything looks wonderful. I won't say that it's perfect, but there were definitely no distinct bars that were brighter than the rest of the screen.

The software version and firmware are the same as before:

2.3.63.0
Aug 31, 2006 11:28:04
FW: 38

By the way, I didn't have a chance to play with the power before they swapped it out today, so that definitely didn't have any impact in my case. The new set is set up exactly like the last one, and it's working fine.

So for all of you out there with ghost bars, all I can say is that you should try to get your set swapped out if you still can. Otherwise, see what Toshiba will do for you.

The Best Buy/Future Shop cost price for the 26HL86 is $587. Best Buy will sell this TV for $599 if you buy a 4 year service plan (but you need to negociate that deal). I am still looking for a 26HL66 ot 26HLV66, if anyone knows were to get one in Toronto please let me know.

I bought a Toshiba 42hl96 and found it no good using a cablecard, as it wouldnt tune in
channels 702(CBSHD) and 713 (PBSHD). These two channels were pixielated and distorted. Cablevision did all they could, but to no avail. Toshiba didn't know how to resolve it. I returned the first set and bought a second one, and it did the very same thing. So, be wary of buying this series of models if you are planning to use a cablecard. Buy from a dealer who gives you a 30 return refund!!! I am now returning the second one to buy another brand.

Thought I'd post that Sears online actually has a pretty good deal on the 32hlc56 (monitor only, no tuners) - they list it at $800 (compared to $1000 at Best Buy), and it's on sale for $760 now. There is also a rebate out there somewhere (you'll have to search) for 10% off online sears orders, and there have been a couple of "put it on your sears card and save 10%" offers recently too. Dunno if they can be combined. :)

Only better prices I found were from tigerdirect & overstock, both have -terrible- reviews on resellerratings etc... so was glad to find a good price at a B&M store.

32" is the biggest TV I've owned but I guess it's just the right size for a bathroom these days. :)

Thought I'd post that Sears online actually has a pretty good deal on the 32hlc56 (monitor only, no tuners) - they list it at $800 (compared to $1000 at Best Buy), and it's on sale for $760 now. There is also a rebate out there somewhere (you'll have to search) for 10% off online sears orders, and there have been a couple of "put it on your sears card and save 10%" offers recently too. Dunno if they can be combined. :)

Only better prices I found were from tigerdirect & overstock, both have -terrible- reviews on resellerratings etc... so was glad to find a good price at a B&M store.

32" is the biggest TV I've owned but I guess it's just the right size for a bathroom these days. :)

Closet. :)

Dear TACP,
I think a lot of us, 'about to purchase' researchers are in the same boat. The posts are confusing, there seems to be issues with every known brand and model. It only makes sense when people have a venue to post where posts don't expire or have a means of updating.

Since I've started my research (about 2 weeks now) I've flipped between the toshiba 42HL196 to the samsung 46" to the aquos 46" to the bravia 40" then finally to the toshiba 47LX196. Each time I would hear something about that particular model that would turn me away from it.

We brought it to his home and plugged it in. Popped in a movie (DVD regular) and was really impressive. We saw no ghosting, nothing. Pure sweet picture. The image of the movie even looked better than the 1080i signal at BB, which had lots of pixelation and those 'aritifacts'. Unlike the aquos 'tiny animals video loop' that looks utterly stunning. Too bad the posts of supposed 'banding' are just killing it's brand image.

gotta run.

When mine ships sometime next week, I'll post some screen caps. Get the 47LX196! you wont' be dissapointed. Don't believe the sony hype!

Cheers,
Lee

So, to make things short we took home the Toshiba 47LZ196. It seemed to have a bit better PQ than the Mits plus I believe Toshiba to be better quality.
It was an enjoyable afternoon. Especially knowing that we had the new Toshiba tucked safely away in the back of our little Chevy crew cab Colorado with the enclosed cap on the back. Another purchase that gets more use that the compact SUV we previously had. Still room for 5 and more cargo space. Sorry for the commercial! :rolleyes:
Then it was home and unpack the Toshiba!
I got it unpacked and set up on a credenza next to our 3 year old Hitachi 57XWX20B RPTV. What a difference! I have a multiroom/multi tap local OTA antenna distribution and connected the LZ to it. The TV picked up all (15!) local digital TV channels in our area. In a few minutes we were watching the Packers/Bears on NBC HDTV! It was still the first quarter and 4 or 5 minutes to go.
A little later, I connected up a spare Philips DVP642 DVD player to the 47LZ196. I entered the menu and started turning down brightness, color, and turned off most other video tweaks to see how it looked. Seem to like the warm color temperature. Also turned backlight down to about 80%. The PQ is awesome! My wife was sold when she saw how soft the picture is on the old RPTV compared to the Toshiba LCD. The colors are so much more natural. The Hitachi can not do yellows well. She said, " The Packers pants "glow" on the old TV, they actually look real on the Toshiba." :D
I already found out for DVD you want "Film Mode" on. It apparently turns on 2:3 pulldown and gives a smoother, "no edge stepping" display to DVD movies even with a non progressive scan cheap Phillips DVP642 I quickly connected using only the S-video input! It actually looked quite good. I previewed "Sea Biscuit" a DVD that has B&W as well as excellent colors to check out a new TV.
So far no apparent "ghost bars". Build date it September 2006. I displayed an all white screen of various intensities, through component and S-video inputs. No HDMI yet or composite video or PC hookup. I tweaked brightness, backlight and contrast to various level combinations, but see no objectionable aberations. All I saw was like many LCD displays, the backlight is a little brighter ( not much! ) on both sides of the screen and that of course changes if you move off axis side to side. Nothing like the pictures posted earlier in this thread.
Got to run, but when I get our old Hitachi 57" RPTV boat anchor moved I'll post more tweaks and settings!
Thanks to everyone in this thread! By the way, I can't seem to find the code to enter the service menu. I know someone posted it. Can someone point me the way! Thanks!

I bought a Toshiba 42hl96 and found it no good using a cablecard, as it wouldnt tune in
channels 702(CBSHD) and 713 (PBSHD). These two channels were pixielated and distorted. Cablevision did all they could, but to no avail. Toshiba didn't know how to resolve it. I returned the first set and bought a second one, and it did the very same thing. So, be wary of buying this series of models if you are planning to use a cablecard. Buy from a dealer who gives you a 30 return refund!!! I am now returning the second one to buy another brand.

I have had the same unit for over two months with a cable card setup, although through Charter. I have no problems that you speak of.

From what you are describing it sounds like an issue with the cable signal, just my educated guess. I have found most cable companies do not like the cable cards. They feel like they will have less revenue without the PPV, etc.

How do you get a " TEST SCREEN "? I see a ghost bar in the center of my screen only on a very light background, the one in the store on display had it also but you really have to look for it. I can live with it but would like a test screen to really see if it's there. Thanks.

How do you get a " TEST SCREEN "? I see a ghost bar in the center of my screen only on a very light background, the one in the store on display had it also but you really have to look for it. I can live with it but would like a test screen to really see if it's there. Thanks.
Hi. I used the Avia DVD and used the 100IRE gray field test screen. Otherwise, if you have a copy of "Sea Biscuit" there is a part in the movie where the jockey just looses a race about the center of the movie and the whole screen goes bright white. I saw no bars at all, just a nice white screen . As noted before, using both Sea Bisquit or the Avia DVD the the center of the screen is somewhat brighter than either side. It's a gradual and slight rise in brighness like you see on most LCD displays. No "hot spots, bars , or bands. Nothing I saw was unusul. No defined bars as some users seem to have reported. Before I bought my set I asked my sales person if I had any "bars" could I bring it back. The dealer I bought from gives a 30 Day $$$ back gaurantee for any reason.

Great news! There is hope! The Tweeter guys brought my replacement 47LZ196 this afternoon, and there are no ghost bars. What a relief! I had already mentally prepared myself to see ghost bars on the new set, but it looks beautiful. I loaded up the same test screen I used before for my ghost bar pictures, and everything looks wonderful. I won't say that it's perfect, but there were definitely no distinct bars that were brighter than the rest of the screen.

The software version and firmware are the same as before:

2.3.63.0
Aug 31, 2006 11:28:04
FW: 38

By the way, I didn't have a chance to play with the power before they swapped it out today, so that definitely didn't have any impact in my case. The new set is set up exactly like the last one, and it's working fine.

So for all of you out there with ghost bars, all I can say is that you should try to get your set swapped out if you still can. Otherwise, see what Toshiba will do for you.
Thanks for the update!

I have a question that pertains to this tv and others that are similar. Since the native resolution is 1080p, i've been told to set the output for my devices (xbox 360, ps3) to the native resolution of the screen. Since this tv does not accept a 1080p input, would it be smarter to feed this set a 720p signal or a 1080i signal. I hope this is question is clear and thanks to anyone who can shed some light on this!

I read these boards just to see what people might complain about. I'm a salesman for a small electronics chain in N.Y. First let me say that every Regza 42 and 47 inch tv I've seen has Ghost bars If you look for them, Unless your looking for them you won't even know when you see them. Some only have a ghost bar center screen others have 3 ghost bars center and each side but there always there. Most consumers will never see them or even give them a second thought if they do because there only visible on very bright backgrounds. On most screens you'll never know there around. There is not an LCD out that doesn't display some problem. I never here complaints about ghost bars or banding the most common complaint I hear is why does my sd stations look so lousy. People just don't understand that flat screen tv's will never look as good as a tube on SD viewing.

I have a question that pertains to this tv and others that are similar. Since the native resolution is 1080p, i've been told to set the output for my devices (xbox 360, ps3) to the native resolution of the screen. Since this tv does not accept a 1080p input, would it be smarter to feed this set a 720p signal or a 1080i signal. I hope this is question is clear and thanks to anyone who can shed some light on this!

Try both.. see which you like more. The 1080i signal looked great on my 42", I never bothered trying the 720p.

I have a 42HL196 and I can't seem to get the video/audio outputs to work.
I've tried several input sources, but no matter what, the output just seems to be garbage.

Any ideas?


Dongtoucher

I what do you mean "the output just seems to be garbage".

I assume that when you have your input sources going to the tv (not your receiver) that you can hear the audio without a problem.

I also assume that you are trying to output to your stereo amp. Do you have any sound coming out of your amp, or is it muffled, garbled, or otherwise. Are you outputting through the optical connection or the RCA?

If you are attempting to use the optical connection and getting no sound through your receiver you may have to check what your receiver has defined for that optical input jack. You may have to define the source on your receiver as TV, and then make that selection on your receiver.

I'm just kind of guessing hear as you didn't provided much detail. Provide more specifics and I will see if I can help further.

My connection is digital cable box connected via RCA to TV. Then Optical output to Denon amp. I had to define the optical input on my amp as TV. I then flip my source as "TV" on my amp and everything works great.

I read these boards just to see what people might complain about. I'm a salesman for a small electronics chain in N.Y. First let me say that every Regza 42 and 47 inch tv I've seen has Ghost bars If you look for them, Unless your looking for them you won't even know when you see them. Some only have a ghost bar center screen others have 3 ghost bars center and each side but there always there. Most consumers will never see them or even give them a second thought if they do because there only visible on very bright backgrounds. On most screens you'll never know there around. There is not an LCD out that doesn't display some problem. I never here complaints about ghost bars or banding the most common complaint I hear is why does my sd stations look so lousy. People just don't understand that flat screen tv's will never look as good as a tube on SD viewing.


I have to agree. After reearching and reading info/reviews/AVS Forum, I just purchased a Toshiba 47LZ196 on Sunday. Got it home in time to see the first quarter of the Packers/Bears game. I wasn't looking for a problem, then I noticed a filmy-like bar about 2.5" wide and 11" off the left side of the screen. Especially when the camera panned across the field during a play on the grassy background.
At least I have only 1 bar. :rolleyes: It's not noticable 95% of the time. Just a filmy, bar shaped distortion, slightly different it brightness/contrast than the rest of the screen.
I'm thinking of trading to the Mitsubishi LT-46231, but they seems to have:
A. Slow channel/input swiching.
B. The thin "white line" at the top of the screen.
My excellent sales consultant at the high end A/V boutique will refund or exchange for whatever I want. They also carry Samsung LN-S4696, Sony XBR2/3, and Sharp. The Samsung is quite a bit cheaper, but has many features.
I have to agree. These "annomalies" are mostly an annoyance and may be the price we and the industry pays for such detailed, finely resolved pictures on a screen we now have. These same qualites allow us to see every detail, but also even minor or sometimes unacceptable flaws in the technology.
I guess the question is: What can a person live with? :o

I read these boards just to see what people might complain about. I'm a salesman for a small electronics chain in N.Y. First let me say that every Regza 42 and 47 inch tv I've seen has Ghost bars If you look for them, Unless your looking for them you won't even know when you see them. Some only have a ghost bar center screen others have 3 ghost bars center and each side but there always there. Most consumers will never see them or even give them a second thought if they do because there only visible on very bright backgrounds. On most screens you'll never know there around. There is not an LCD out that doesn't display some problem. I never here complaints about ghost bars or banding the most common complaint I hear is why does my sd stations look so lousy. People just don't understand that flat screen tv's will never look as good as a tube on SD viewing.



You know I never even saw the ghost bar on my 42LX196 till I started looking for it. I went to 2 local stores that sell the 42 and 47 HL models and had the guy place in My Ice Age dvd to see and both sets displayed the same bar in the center screen when a totally white screen was displayed. I can live with it but I know now changing the set would not make any scense I could wind up with one that has 3 bars. Funny while it was on I noticed 2 horizontal ghost bars on the sharp 42 and the jvc had one on the left side as well. Is this common on LCD's?

I agree with the other poster I can live with the ghost bar since I rarely have a picture on that displays it and if so It's just for a second or so. I didn't tell my family about it and asked if they saw anything wrong with the tv not one ever saw it.

I read these boards just to see what people might complain about. I'm a salesman for a small electronics chain in N.Y. First let me say that every Regza 42 and 47 inch tv I've seen has Ghost bars If you look for them, Unless your looking for them you won't even know when you see them. Some only have a ghost bar center screen others have 3 ghost bars center and each side but there always there. Most consumers will never see them or even give them a second thought if they do because there only visible on very bright backgrounds. On most screens you'll never know there around. There is not an LCD out that doesn't display some problem. I never here complaints about ghost bars or banding the most common complaint I hear is why does my sd stations look so lousy. People just don't understand that flat screen tv's will never look as good as a tube on SD viewing.

Thank you for sharing your experience, but it is sad to hear how widespread you think the problem is. I don't think I am extra picky, as the photos posted on this forum show, the problem is quite obvious. I think it is possible some consumers don't realize the problem since they aren't even watching HD programming because either because they don't have a HD box, or because there isn't enough HD programming. So watching SD, they'll never even notice the ghost bars. Now, how they don't notice it while watching DVDs is beyond me, unless they always have the TV set at max brightness. As for SD quality, I am actually quite impressed with what the Regza does with SD programming, it looks quite good, as long as you turn down the brightness from crazy high to a normal level (pro1 or pro2 setting).

I absolutely understand that every device has some flaws, but for a top of the line HDTV where the main selling point is picture quality, these flaws are just unacceptable. I think if the problem is as widespread as you say, then Toshiba should recall all the units. Don't blame the consumer being over picky if they aren't able to produce quality devices. I mean, I'd gladly give up the home networking feature if I could just get rid of those ghost bars. I wish companies would stop adding as many features as they can and at the end not even meeting the primary goal of the device.

My $0.02 of rant :-p

...snip...
My excellent sales consultant at the high end A/V boutique will refund or exchange for whatever I want. They also carry Samsung LN-S4696, Sony XBR2/3, and Sharp. The Samsung is quite a bit cheaper, but has many features.
...snip...


sorry, your dealer says the Samsung LN-S4696 is cheaper than the 47LZ196?? humm... interesting... because I went into the store I bought my LZ from, and after thoroughly checking out the Samsung for picture defects and finding none, my dealer told me the Samsung is at least $300 (Cdn) more expensive...

how much cheaper was the Samsung by your dealer? cause if my dealer was willing do a straight exchange, I'd have a Samsung by now.

Thank you for sharing your experience, but it is sad to hear how widespread you think the problem is. I don't think I am extra picky, as the photos posted on this forum show, the problem is quite obvious. I think it is possible some consumers don't realize the problem since they aren't even watching HD programming because either because they don't have a HD box, or because there isn't enough HD programming. So watching SD, they'll never even notice the ghost bars. Now, how they don't notice it while watching DVDs is beyond me, unless they always have the TV set at max brightness. As for SD quality, I am actually quite impressed with what the Regza does with SD programming, it looks quite good, as long as you turn down the brightness from crazy high to a normal level (pro1 or pro2 setting).

I absolutely understand that every device has some flaws, but for a top of the line HDTV where the main selling point is picture quality, these flaws are just unacceptable. I think if the problem is as widespread as you say, then Toshiba should recall all the units. Don't blame the consumer being over picky if they aren't able to produce quality devices. I mean, I'd gladly give up the home networking feature if I could just get rid of those ghost bars. I wish companies would stop adding as many features as they can and at the end not even meeting the primary goal of the device.

My $0.02 of rant :-p

They'll never recall the sets because the majority of people accept it. When you buy the set the settings are always on max backlight, brightness etc etc. How many people do you think start adjusting the sets? Even myself I was always under the impression that the factory setting were always the best, and like you say at max brightness the bars are very hard to see if at all. Then there's that old saying you know what you have you don't know what your going to get,lol. I'm afraid to change the set even if I wanted with my luck i'll go from 1 ghost bar to 3.

I have had the 42HL196 now for 2 weeks and tested it thoroughly with my SD off air, HD off air (detroit locals), PVR 922 HD expressvu sat (HD channels) via HDMI, JVC DVD player via Svideo, Samsung HD960 via hdmi, upconverting dvd player and Laptop input via vga...

During hockey games you do get picture gradients but this is from 480i camera sources and overlit ice rinks. Watch the same game on TSN HD and its night day folks with no gradients whatsoever.

No bars... I would defintely recommend folks trying adjusting the backlight, contrast, mode and other settings using either an HD source or your fav dvd disc.

I do recommend highly filtered powerbars and good quality cables.

I do prefer 720p from the samsung for dvds and 1080i for HD TV. Theaterwide1 seems best to me also in film mode.

If you notice the bars then return the set or exchange it for another make?

FW 2.2.62.0
Aug 17 2006 11:12:12
FW 37

Cheers!

Decided to chime in while reading the thread. I am checking out the 42HL as a possible replacement for my current plasma. Mixed feelings so far, and BB feed does not make it look better than my current TV.

HDTV broadcast is either 1080i or 720p. HD-DVD is 1080i and I challenge anyone to distinguish the difference between 1080p output to the TV and 1080i upscaled to 1080p by the TV.

Face it, most people just watch broadcast TV, either in SD or HD. The true test is how well the TV handles 95% of what you're going to be watching, not that theoretical 5% that you could just as easily switch to 1080i output and not notice the difference.
Whether or not new Regza's properly deinterlace and process movie frames is one thing. Dishonest marketing is another. Nowhere in the ads or in the booklets or on the stickers Toshiba mentions that this TV does not accept 1080p. On contrary, Toshiba emphasizes that these TVs are "True HD" 1080p-capable TVs. Shame on Toshiba.

Theoretically #1 achieves the utmost, highest, sharpest and most flicker-free image possible with current HDTV standards. #2 is close behind but the interlaced (as opposed to progressive) 1080 signal is slightly less sharp than progressive 1080 signal. To the naked eye the differences are minute and non-existent, to the AVS Forum hardcore the 1080p is an orgasm while 1080i is just pleasant stress-relieving sex. Got that? ;)
Comb effect caused by non-perfect deinterlacing is perfectly seen from normal viewing distance. This was the main reason why I did not get 46-inch JVC LCD TV on BB sale, its Genessa processor sucks big time. Another reason was stupid double RF inputs, one for analog, another for digital. Does Toshiba allow to feed all programming - analog, SDTV, HDTV - through one RF input?

Now, choosing between 47-in Westinghouse and 42-in Toshiba for the same price - which one is better? Westingouse accepts 1080p, by the way. And please don't tell me about Toshiba brand name versus unknown Westingouse, I've heard already the same preach about Sony products being more expensive only because of shiny label :)

And please don't tell me about Toshiba brand name versus unknown Westingouse, I've heard already the same preach about Sony products being more expensive only because of shiny label :)

But it's a pretty label.

Wow Thank you GNelson. I agree with everything you have posted. We have been struggling with these ghost bars and trying to resolve it and after many months and talking to many "TV experts" we came to the same conclusion.
Now we have viewed many other brands and have not seen the ghost bars on the Samsung, Sony or Mits. The problem we have is, the Toshiba had what we wanted size, syle and functions. The other brands just don't appeal to us. I really hate the piano black finish on the other brands. The best thing about LCD tvs is how they don't have a glare and then you put a super glairy (not sure if thats a real word but it works) finish on it and it ruins it for us. Anyway back to Toshibas every Toshiba we have looked at has ghost bars. Toshiba needs to fix this. Toshiba has a great product now they just need to tweak it and it will be the best LCD TV!

Whether or not new Regza's properly deinterlace and process movie frames is one thing. Dishonest marketing is another. Nowhere in the ads or in the booklets or on the stickers Toshiba mentions that this TV does not accept 1080p. On contrary, Toshiba emphasizes that these TVs are "True HD" 1080p-capable TVs. Shame on Toshiba.

They also don't advertise that it won't make coffee, but damn it, when I put coffee beans and water in the set...nothing comes out!!

Shame on them!!

If the display is a 1920 x 1080 progressive display, then it's 1080p. If you want to know the incoming signal, presss the recall button...

the set takes an incoming signal anddisplays it as 1920 x 1080, progressive. Just like fixed pixel 1080p displays have been doing since the beginning. Toshiba does indicate on their Cinema pro models that they accept 1080p via HDMI, in fact it's the #3 bullet in their literature and on the web site...

Does anyone have the correct calibration numbers for the 42LX196? mY SD picture is looking grainy and would like to know what others have there numbers set to. Thanks.

Interesting review of the Toshiba 47LZ196 by Rob Sabin in the January issue of
Sound & Vision.

"...I noticed that the sky on either side of the screen seemed a little lighter than the center. Earlier, I had observed that on dark gray test patterns, the Toshiba's image was slightly brighter in in its far left and right zones than in the middle, and now here it was in program material. This kind of imperfection is not unknown in LCDs (JVC's 46-inch
LT-46FN97, reviewed in December, suffered the same fault)."

Kind off topic a bit, but does anyone know where I can actually see an LZ196?? I have been everywhere I can think of. I even stopped at a Tweeter in PA and he told me that they were getting rid of all of their LCDs and going strictly plasm....I really want a 196 but I want to SEE it before I buy it.....

Thanks in advance!

They'll never recall the sets because the majority of people accept it. When you buy the set the settings are always on max backlight, brightness etc etc. How many people do you think start adjusting the sets? Even myself I was always under the impression that the factory setting were always the best, and like you say at max brightness the bars are very hard to see if at all. Then there's that old saying you know what you have you don't know what your going to get,lol. I'm afraid to change the set even if I wanted with my luck i'll go from 1 ghost bar to 3.


Well said. I made a post a few posts back about my "ghost bar". Yes, only one and so faint and vague. Guess what. I was so spooked about all the "flaws" with this hi resolution HDTV technology, I went on a "witch hunt"! After I moved my TV to it's final postion; and dressed all the cables and actually changed some of them to better lengths, no "ghost bar"! So mine was apparently induced by line voltage leakage or some other equipment interference with cabling.
Yes, there are what I prefer to call annomalies with every 1080p, 720P, etc HDTV. In my humble opinion (IMHO) , the high resloution of these new LCD panels has caused us all to put them under a microscope. Do Sonys and Samsungs have "cloudy" areas in dark backgrounds? Yes, some do. Do Sharps have "horizontal" banding? Yes some do. Well, maybe all. :o Do Mitsubishis have slow channel/input swithching? Yes... they ALL do. :p Do Toshibas have ghost bars? I beleive some do. Under our collective "microsope" here on AVS Forum, we're likely to find other stuff. :rolleyes: Are some of these "annomalies" chronic and unacceptable? Yes.
Should a manufacturer resolve these percieved and actual annomalies? Depends.
If our expectations of a product we spent $2500 to $3000 on are not fullfilled, then we certainly have a right to an exchange, refund, or some sort of customer satisfaction. On the other hand, we are purchasing new technology. And technology always improves over time. So we can either have an overall, superb and pleasant viewing experience now. Or wait a year or two when prices are lower and technology has settled down. But then, is it ever settled down? There will always be a new technology and it's growing pains. I'm not trying to give manufacturers excuses. But the picture quality and features of TV now is so good; I think we are starting to notice every little quirk, burp, and wart.
Do any of us have an old RCA, GE, or Brand X TV in a spare room? Check out the picture on those sets! Argh! :eek: Has anyone here ever seen what the first "tube" color TV's with the round screens in 1955 looked like? People bought those things and thought they were great. The truth be known they were VERY blurry, smeary, and crude. But alll people cared about was that they could see Walt Disney, Bonanza, and Ed Sullivan in ( omg!) COLOR! Man did I just date myself?? :D
Anyway, sorry if I used up so much space.
" Remember, we're all in this togther! "

Kind off topic a bit, but does anyone know where I can actually see an LZ196?? I have been everywhere I can think of. I even stopped at a Tweeter in PA and he told me that they were getting rid of all of their LCDs and going strictly plasm....I really want a 196 but I want to SEE it before I buy it.....

Thanks in advance!


You can see a 47 LX 196 at CC . It is the same LCD and video quality as an LZ. To find a 47LZ196, look for a high end A/V boutique type store in your yellow pages. Or check the Toshiba web site. http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/televisions/

"Remember, we're all in this together! "

I checked Tos' web site and they listed Magnolia (ie Best Buy) near me, but they don't have it any more (or yet.)

Thanks for the info though...I shall check into it.

They also don't advertise that it won't make coffee, but damn it, when I put coffee beans and water in the set...nothing comes out!!
Cannot find reasoning good enough, eh? ;)

If the display is a 1920 x 1080 progressive display, then it's 1080p. If you want to know the incoming signal, presss the recall button...
This is good brainwashing. All LCDs and plasmas (besides ALiS) are progressive, emphasizing it is similar to saying that all [normal] cars have four wheels. Would not you rather be interested in what gasoline it takes, or maybe it drives on diesel?

Toshiba does indicate on their Cinema pro models that they accept 1080p via HDMI, in fact it's the #3 bullet in their literature and on the web site...
I suppose that Toshiba sees this feature as a good thing and a selling point, otherwise what is the reason to advertise it? Because HL does not have this feature, Toshiba relies on obscurity, not very nice of them.

This is good brainwashing. All LCDs and plasmas (besides ALiS) are progressive, emphasizing it is similar to saying that all [normal] cars have four wheels. Would not you rather be interested in what gasoline it takes, or maybe it drives on diesel?

Why is an acknowledgement of the functions of the display brainwashing? It's a 1080p display, Toshiba says it is, end of story. Do they say it accepts 1080p? No. Should a car manufacturer state that their 5 passenger cars will not carry 7 people?

PS the first part was a joke, I really didn't put coffee in my TV

I checked Tos' web site and they listed Magnolia (ie Best Buy) near me, but they don't have it any more (or yet.)

Thanks for the info though...I shall check into it.


You are quite welcome. I am liking my 47LZ196 more nd more! If you look at the number of posts here, it's about the same as the Samsung thread. Over there they have clicking noises, clouds like the Sony and more. The Mitsubishi threads have fewer posts, but it sounds like Mits support is all overseas. I think all the makers of LCD panels and companies who use them are going through a growing stage. One possibility about bands, bars, or clouds I read is that with such a large (46 -52" ) panel, physical stresses, temperature exposure, etc are greater than on small panels. Perhaps during shipping, storage, or at times on the manufacturing line the panels are getting stressed. :eek: If a person happens to buy one that didn't get too "stressed", it looks fine. Sounds reasonable. Just a thought. :)

" Remember, we're all in this together! "

I checked Tos' web site and they listed Magnolia (ie Best Buy) near me, but they don't have it any more (or yet.)

Thanks for the info though...I shall check into it.


You are quite welcome. I am liking my 47LZ196 more nd more! If you look at the number of posts here, it's about the same as the Samsung thread. Over there they have clicking noises, clouds like the Sony and more. The Mitsubishi threads have fewer posts, but it sounds like Mits support is all overseas. I think all the makers of LCD panels and companies who use them are going through a growing stage. One possibility about bands, bars, or clouds I read is that with such a large (46 -52" ) panel, physical stresses, temperature exposure, etc are greater than on small panels. Perhaps during shipping, storage, or at times on the manufacturing line the panels are getting stressed. :eek: If a person happens to buy one that didn't get too "stressed", it looks fine. Sounds reasonable. Just a thought. :)

" Remember, we're all in this together! "

Toshiba is not really misleading us, It's us not doing our homework. The HL and LX do recieve 1080p but the catch word is over the air (outside antenna). There's plenty of sites explaining this all over the web. Maybe Toshiba will upgrade the software in these sets so they can recieve 1080p over hdmi. Remember all HDMI ports are the same it's just the firmware that needs the upgrading, seeing these sets can connect to the internet if they released it it would be an easy upgrade.

Just curious,

Do any of you with the vertical bar issues use a quality power filter. I am just curious as I don't think I have seen a post where that has been tried and failed.

After I moved my TV to it's final postion; and dressed all the cables and actually changed some of them to better lengths, no "ghost bar"! So mine was apparently induced by line voltage leakage or some other equipment interference with cabling.


Phase, can you go into more detail on exactly what steps you did and what products you used? I am fairly certain my bars are at least partially caused by some kind of interference at my house, but I don't really know how to approach fixing it. All I've tried so far is a cheap $30 line conditioner, which unsurprisingly, didn't help at all. I'm wondering if I should try one of the $250 panamax models. Any tips are appreciated, thanks.


Regarding the 1080p issue: ALL manufacturers are advertising 1080i max input sets as 1080p. If you were duped by this, you didn't really do your homework. I agree that the advertising is confusing and borderline misleading, but that's marketing for you.

Please don't explain it away as "that's marketing for you."

Manufacturers must be held accountable for false and or misleading advertising.

I've been in the advertising-marketing business for many years and I'm astounded what is not only being done these days but how the public blithely just accepts being deceived.

There is no difference at all. It's just a different model number sold exclusively at Costco only to avoid competition.

The 32HLV16 is grey whereas the 32HLV66 seems to be black.
I have been using the 32HLV16 for a few weeks (after I returned a 32 in Sony Bravia) and have the following observations:
PRO:
1.The HD tuner picks up all unencoded HD programs (with weird subchannel numbers, such as 83-5) my cable company provides, without having to use the cable box. This is an advantage when I want to watch somenthing while the cable box is recording two other channels.
2. The built-in DVD-player (obvious).
3. Picture quality seems nicer than the Sony Bravia.
4. Lower power consumption.
5. About $ 400 less at Costco than the previous Bravia.
CON:
1. There is no way of switching off the panel while listening to music channels.
2. The VGA input does not syng above 1024x768 (with a Mac Powerbook G4), whereas the Sony went higher.
3. The stand is rigidly attached to the panel (no swivel/slant which the Bravia had).
4. The ethernet "THINC" connection is easy to set up, but works neither with
Mac OS 10.4.8, nor with Linux -- hence useless for non-windows users
5. The distorion in some of the "Theaterwide" modes is more noticeable (e.g., on the scrolling newstickers).


If anyone at Toshiba reads this -- please update your firmware!.

Just curious,

Do any of you with the vertical bar issues use a quality power filter. I am just curious as I don't think I have seen a post where that has been tried and failed.

When I heard that first time, I was very excited to try it, so I pulled out my computer's UPS (a 1200VA Belkin) and connected my TV to it. Nothing, no difference. So for me, it did not solve the problem.

Neither did switching cables from component to HDMI.

Or disconnecting all the cables except for the HDMI.

I do wish there was a simple fix for the ghosting problem.

Please don't explain it away as "that's marketing for you."

Manufacturers must be held accountable for false and or misleading advertising.

I've been in the advertising-marketing business for many years and I'm astounded what is not only being done these days but how the public blithely just accepts being deceived.


So it's a 1920 x 1080 progressive display. How is that not 1080p? If someone could explain that to me, it would be awesome. To me a 1080p display is a display that is 1920 x 1080, and progressive.

How would you advertise it if it were your TV?

[/QUOTE]
Regarding the 1080p issue: ALL manufacturers are advertising 1080i max input sets as 1080p. If you were duped by this, you didn't really do your homework. I agree that the advertising is confusing and borderline misleading, but that's marketing for you.[/QUOTE]

Well, when I set my Xbox360 to 1080p, my 42HL196 wouldn't accept it. However, my LNS4095 does...

so that says something, anyway! Althought I'm not entirely sure of all of the subtle differences between 1080i and 1080p. I replaced my TV due to Ghostbars on my Toshiba.

That's good to hear. I really really do hope there are in fact LZ or LX 196 units out there without ghosting. I mean, they really _couldn't_ have released an entire line of giant LCD TVs all with ghosting, could they??!

BTW, what size was your friend's LX196? I wonder if size is an issue some how, maybe the smaller 42" units don't have the ghosting as bad?

Trinity,
Today's date is Jan 3. Buddy whom I purchased the 47LX196 with called me yesterday to break the bad news... his new box started to show ghosting. It appeared during a dvd movie.

I don't know what cables he used, likely component. He gets his HD STB tomorrow so let's see what happens with that signal and hopefully test with hdmi.

I think we're both pretty disappointed. He's relooking at the xbr2, me, likely to relook at plasma's again. I'm not sure if LCD's are prime time yet. All local 'hi end' AV shops swear by plasma and how they've improved, darkness, speed, depth, etc... minus light reflections. What's with the apparent LCD market strength anyway (over Plasma)?

So it looks like I'm back to the drawing board.

I may just pick up my 47LX196 burn it in to see what happens before my 30 day refund date.... or just scrap it and get a plasma. I can pick up a Panasonic TH50PX60 for $2800 CDN. But it's only 720p. I'm not sure if not having 1080i will make a difference?

Once last thing I gotta say, this 'banding', 'I see dead people ghosting', 'little fluffy cloud' issues is just a joke for the LCD TV market. Why are we all here reading through reams of posts anyway? What the hell ever happened to just 'open, plugin and enjoy'? I can't believe that we apparent desparate consumers just sit here, read this crap and then close our eyes, say a prayer, add a couple of hale mary's for good measure than drop $3k and hope for the best?! What the hell is with that!

I'm this close to sticking with my 19", circa 1996 pana-black CRT tv that still works today, has amazing colour, dark blacks, no aritifacts, no pixelation, great response, no dead people, no fluffy clouds, no rock bands! Damn, my kid pushed it off it's stand when he was 2 years old and crashed the damn thing and it STILL works!

TB

So it's a 1920 x 1080 progressive display. How is that not 1080p? If someone could explain that to me, it would be awesome. To me a 1080p display is a display that is 1920 x 1080, and progressive.

How would you advertise it if it were your TV?
I would advertise it as having 1920 x 1080 native resolution, as simple as that. Current HD resolution naming system is either a mistake or a deliberate attempt to complicate things. There are better examples, like EGA (640x350) or VGA (640x480). Why the most common resolutions like 1920x1080, 720x1280 and 704x480 were not given distinct names is beyond me.

By the way, how would you advertise 1024x768 progressive display? You cannot call it 720p because it is actually 768 pixels high and because it is not 1280 pixels wide. Are you suggesting calling it 1080i? Why? Just because these TVs accept 1080i signal? Many plasmas accept 1080p too. What are you going to do now?

The naming is convoluted and there is no system at all. If a spec sheet lists all supported formats that one can make an informed decision, but Toshiba hides supported resolutions from all its brochures. I hope these specs are at least published in the user's manual.

To make this post more sensible: today I took another look at 42HL. I clearly saw a strip of different shade along the right side of the screen, about 7-8cm wide. Not THAT bad, but after I noticed it I could not help but looking for it.

When I heard that first time, I was very excited to try it, so I pulled out my computer's UPS (a 1200VA Belkin) and connected my TV to it. Nothing, no difference. So for me, it did not solve the problem.

Neither did switching cables from component to HDMI.

Or disconnecting all the cables except for the HDMI.

I do wish there was a simple fix for the ghosting problem.


Trinity, you may want to try an actual power filter that will provide noise-free power to the TV (and your other components). I did a quick check on your 1200VA and I did not see where it may have listed cleaning the power as a feature.

They're not really cheap but pick one up on your next outing to BB ... and if it doesn't help you can always take it back.

Monster puts a few out HT800, HTS800, HTS3600

I use one put out by Dynex DX-PC101. The guys at BB said they tested it against the Monster ones and the Dynex came out on top (to their surprise), plus it's cheaper.

We may be grasping at straws here but it's the only thing that I can really suggest as my setup seems to be the same as everyone elses (aside from the power filter) and I don't seem to be having any issue.

Once last thing I gotta say, this 'banding', 'I see dead people ghosting', 'little fluffy cloud' issues is just a joke for the LCD TV market. Why are we all here reading through reams of posts anyway? What the hell ever happened to just 'open, plugin and enjoy'? I can't believe that we apparent desparate consumers just sit here, read this crap and then close our eyes, say a prayer, add a couple of hale mary's for good measure than drop $3k and hope for the best?! What the hell is with that!


I can't speak for everyone here, but I bought my 42HL196 through an internet retailer that doesn't accept returns on big screen TVs. Their policy is that any problem would be covered under warranty and should be taken up with the manufacturer. I've seriously regretted the decision to purchase from them now, and in the future I will absolutely spend the extra cash to buy from a local retailer. (I bought it shortly after it was released, when the limited reviews available were overwhelmingly positive and nobody had reported ghost bars yet.)

If I HAD bought locally, I'd have exchanged it immediately when I saw those bars. And if the next one had the same problem, I'd have switched models. But now I'm stuck with this set, and the TV doesn't seem to exhibit the problem at my local repair shop. Because of that, Toshiba customer support assumes the problem must be localized to my house. Hell, I'd probably think that too if I was them, aside from the fact that I am clearly NOT the only person with this problem.

You are absolutely right that most of us (myself included) are being way too passive about this. I should call Toshiba on a more regular basis and make a bigger stink. Instead, I'm just keeping tabs on this forum hoping that somebody figures out a solution for me.

Hi all,

Just thought I'de pass on alittle info. To my amazement I sold a 42LX196 last night that didn't display any ghost bars when I tested it for the customer. This is a first as I mentioned I've seen atleast the center bar on every 42 and 47 inch set I tested some display 3 bars. We test every set before the customer takes delivery. It had a December manufacture date on it. Time will tell if this was a good one or they got the problem under control. Like I said in a previous post I've sold dozens of the Regza tv's and have not had one complaint about ghost bars and I've seen them. I believe since they only become visible on a few backgrounds most people don't see them and toshiba doesn't get alot of complaints. As for the 1080p issue, There not being misleading the set can display 1080p from over the air signals, I tell customers this and most don't care, price is the most important to customers not features.

FYI, The set we sell with the most returns is the new sharp Aquos line 42, 46 and 52 inch sets. We return more of them than any other set.

Manufacturers must be held accountable for false and or misleading advertising.

I've been in the advertising-marketing business for many years and I'm astounded what is not only being done these days but how the public blithely just accepts being deceived.
I agree. Toshiba is not the only company who does tricks like this. Take Pioneer. Here is a quote from a PDP-xx16HD plasma television booklet: "High-Definition Television (HDTV) refers to a complete product/system with the following minimum performance attributes ... Receiver: Receives ATSC terrestrial digital transmissions and decodes all ATSC Table 3 video formats."

Now you are thinking: (1) This is the booklet for an HDTV, (2) According to definition above, HDTV must accept all ATSC Table 3 video formats, therefore (3) this TV accepts all ATSC Table 3 video formats including fashionable 1080p, simply because 1080p/24, 1080p/30 and 1080p/60 are all defined in ATSC Table 3.

NOPE. None of 1080p flavors is supported by this Pioneer TV. As a matter of fact, it supports only three or four formats out of 18. These supported formats are specified for every input type separately in the middle of the manual, but for some strange reason they did not make it into the main spec sheet. This is HDTV Pioneer style. Obviously, they could not pull "True HD bla-bla XHD bla-bla 1080p" card.

As for the 1080p issue, There not being misleading the set can display 1080p from over the air signals, I tell customers this and most don't care
This is a good one! It is like saying that one's car will drive, um, a little bit better once filled up with 178-octane gasoline. The only problem with 178-octane gasoline is that it does not exist and most likely never will. Man, you are a true salesman.

Trinity, you may want to try an actual power filter that will provide noise-free power to the TV (and your other components). I did a quick check on your 1200VA and I did not see where it may have listed cleaning the power as a feature.

They're not really cheap but pick one up on your next outing to BB ... and if it doesn't help you can always take it back.

Monster puts a few out HT800, HTS800, HTS3600

I use one put out by Dynex DX-PC101. The guys at BB said they tested it against the Monster ones and the Dynex came out on top (to their surprise), plus it's cheaper.

We may be grasping at straws here but it's the only thing that I can really suggest as my setup seems to be the same as everyone elses (aside from the power filter) and I don't seem to be having any issue.

I suppose I thought one of the functions of a UPS is to clean the power and output clean and regular power. I could be wrong of course.

So are you saying that if you take your filter out, and plug your TV directly into the wall, then you have ghosting issues?

Because if you can verify that, I am sure me and a LOT of other people would be glad to run out and buy a power filter to have our $3000 TV work properly.

So please let us know what happens if you plug your TV directly into the wall, if that results in ghost bars.

Thank you.

I suppose I thought one of the functions of a UPS is to clean the power and output clean and regular power. I could be wrong of course.

So are you saying that if you take your filter out, and plug your TV directly into the wall, then you have ghosting issues?

Because if you can verify that, I am sure me and a LOT of other people would be glad to run out and buy a power filter to have our $3000 TV work properly.

So please let us know what happens if you plug your TV directly into the wall, if that results in ghost bars.

Thank you.


I have a UPS that also filters power... I still had Ghost bars.

Has anyone ordered this set from Crutchfield? I just ordered the 47LZ196 from them and it is on its way. Just wondering if anyone who bought from them has reported the ghost bars issues and if so, how have they handled it? Thanks.

I just bought and set up the 42hl-absolutely, positvely no ghost bars.

I suppose I thought one of the functions of a UPS is to clean the power and output clean and regular power. I could be wrong of course.

So are you saying that if you take your filter out, and plug your TV directly into the wall, then you have ghosting issues?

Because if you can verify that, I am sure me and a LOT of other people would be glad to run out and buy a power filter to have our $3000 TV work properly.

So please let us know what happens if you plug your TV directly into the wall, if that results in ghost bars.

Thank you.


You had a good point so I plugged it directly into the wall and I still don't have the ghost bars ... although it did seem to get a bit grainy on SD (for whatever reason). It may or may not mean anything, I have that outlet dedicated to the box and my entertainment room is right above the box (short line). I didn't try any other things as I don't want to get the bars only to find out I can't get rid of them.

Sounds like someone else tried a UPS with a power filter and it didn't help.

I have to agree with GNelson there is nothing here in the stats below that are on every web site that says the 42lx196 is 1080p. On another note I was offered another set even though mine is a couple months old but there is a 4 week back order . I havn't decided whether I'll stick with my 1 minor bar or go for the newer manufactured tv. GNelson said he had a december manufacture date that had no bars, Maybe they corrected the problem.




Details:

» high-definition TV — receives and decodes digital standard-definition and HDTV signals from over-the-air broadcasts (antenna required) and cable TV service (CableCARD™ required)
» widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio
» 1920 x 1080 pixels
» ultra-fast pixel response time (8 milliseconds)
» 800:1 contrast ratio
» 176°(H) x 176°(V) viewing angle
» PixelPure Hi-Bit™ 12-bit digital video processing (upconverts lower-quality signals)
» adjustable backlight for contrast/brightness control
» ColorMaster™ color management system
» TV Guide On Screen® program guide
» 1-tuner Picture-in-Picture (split-screen)
» built-in stereo speakers (10 watts x 2)
» illuminated multibrand remote control
» picture settings memory for each video input
» 6 A/V inputs, including:
• 2 composite video (1 rear, 1 side)
• 1 S-video
• 2 component video (accepts 1080i/720p/480p/480i signals)
• 2 HDMI digital audio/video inputs (accepts signals up to 1080i)
» PC input: analog RGB (D-Sub 15-pin)
» 2 RF inputs for antenna/cable signals
» optical digital audio output for Dolby® Digital
» THINC™ (Toshiba Home Interactive Network Connection) Ethernet port for accessing music files and digital photos stored on a compatible PC
» Energy Star® compliant
» detachable swivel stand (stand "footprint" is 16-1/4"W x 13-7/8"D)
» wall-mountable (bracket not included)
» 41-1/8"W x 27-7/8"H x 4-1/8"D (29-7/8"H x 13-7/8"D on stand)
» weight: 63.7 lbs. (without stand)

You had a good point so I plugged it directly into the wall and I still don't have the ghost bars ... although it did seem to get a bit grainy on SD (for whatever reason). It may or may not mean anything, I have that outlet dedicated to the box and my entertainment room is right above the box (short line). I didn't try any other things as I don't want to get the bars only to find out I can't get rid of them.

Sounds like someone else tried a UPS with a power filter and it didn't help.

Haha, no I appreciate you testing that out for me. I totally understand you not wanting to mess with things. Btw, what month was your LZ made in? Mine is Sept 06, someone recently posted that their LX made in December didn't have any ghost bars, so I am anxious to see the next batch of units coming to my dealer, hopefully I can get one without ghost bars from that.

I have a 42hl96 and when I play many dvd movies through it, they fit the screen width properly, but not the height . It is not high enough to fill the screen during the movie, but in the menu prior to the movie it does fill the height of the screen. If I change the tv settings to expand the movie, it will get too high and cut off part of the action on screen. Anyone have the same problem and know how to fix it? It does it both using my new Sony Blu-ray dvd player and my old Sony dvd player.

[QUOTE=mdr25]Phase, can you go into more detail on exactly what steps you did and what products you used? I am fairly certain my bars are at least partially caused by some kind of interference at my house, but I don't really know how to approach fixing it. All I've tried so far is a cheap $30 line conditioner, which unsurprisingly, didn't help at all. I'm wondering if I should try one of the $250 panamax models. Any tips are appreciated, thanks.

MDR25
When I first unpacked my set, I set it on a credenza next to my Hitachi 57" RPTV.
I put and extra coax extension on my OTA multitap line amp and hooked up my gargae attic antens for the ATSC tuner. Then I pathced in a DVD player with the cheap, S-video cable and some audio cables. Power and signal cables were a hodgepodge behing the Toshiba. :D After turning down the contrast , brightness, color etc, in the Pref. mode, I thought I could see a slight column or distortion orwaviness across the screen. Finally I moved the Hitachi out and connected up the Toshiba LZ with the proper calbes. No more weirdness in the picture!
It wasn't anything like the pictures posted here in the thread. I have very good uniformity illumination across the screen. This is with broadcast, DVD, or even using AVIA full field gray scale from 10 to 100IRE. I am only using a $40 Belkin surge and noise suppressor. I should upgarade it.
I certainly can understand if someone had those darker , wide shaded areas on each side of the screen, plus a wide bar in the center, that they would want to get a different TV. Toshiba should remedy a serious defect for the price of these TVs. If your set is less than 30 days old, make your retailer exchange it for another and try it out in the store with a DVD you know has light background or the AVIA full field gray scale tests. IF you have to. Call Toshiba service for a service call. Any tech thats has any sense woud see the bars if they are there.
Hope you get it resolved. The LZ has a superb picture and better speakers than most other flat panel TVs!

" Remember, we're all in this together! "

Phase, thanks for answering my question!

Moving on...
I have a 42hl96 and when I play many dvd movies through it, they fit the screen width properly, but not the height...

Widescreen HDTVs are 16x9 resolution, which equals a ratio of 1.78:1. Most movies are 1.85:1 or 2.35:1. This means that the shape of the image is a wider rectangle than the screen, therefore you'll have letterboxing on the top and bottom of most movies. It is much smaller than if you were watching on a conventional 4:3 TV, but it is still there.

There's no way to fill the screen without either losing part of the image or distorting it. Widescreen television programming IS 16x9, so if you had a 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 TV (which I don't think anyone makes), you'd end up with vertical bars when watching television. You just can't win! :)

Hi all,

Just thought I'de pass on alittle info. To my amazement I sold a 42LX196 last night that didn't display any ghost bars when I tested it for the customer. This is a first as I mentioned I've seen atleast the center bar on every 42 and 47 inch set I tested some display 3 bars. We test every set before the customer takes delivery. It had a December manufacture date on it. Time will tell if this was a good one or they got the problem under control. Like I said in a previous post I've sold dozens of the Regza tv's and have not had one complaint about ghost bars and I've seen them. I believe since they only become visible on a few backgrounds most people don't see them and toshiba doesn't get alot of complaints. As for the 1080p issue, There not being misleading the set can display 1080p from over the air signals, I tell customers this and most don't care, price is the most important to customers not features.

FYI, The set we sell with the most returns is the new sharp Aquos line 42, 46 and 52 inch sets. We return more of them than any other set.

Glad to hear that the "ghosty" issue may have been with earlier production. If anyone is reading all these posts, it's not not a major thing (in some cases). Like Gnelson says, most people don't even notice because the picture is really so darn good! Not that we should accept any annoying defects in a high end HDTV. But, again, the nature of high resolution video display panels probably makes us look very hard and notice every little brightness issue. If you read any LCD or Plasma review in Sound and Vision magazine, you will see (maybe between the lines) that they reviewer will point out slight issues with all of them.
Even old tube type TVs had issues. I had a 51" and 57" Hitachi rear projection TV. One common annomaly with them was color shift. Because of the way the 3 CRTs were positioned and projected on the screen, every RPTV leaned toward the red on the left side of the screen and greenish or bluish on the right. It could be minimized with lens striping and fine tweaking. But it was always there. If you bought a CRT RPTV you accepted its limitations.
Well, I love my Toshiba 47LZ196! Here's hoping that December and beyond sets have no issues. Toshiba still does offer the features, picture quality, and styling that a lot of us want. If you are a person considering a set. Ask your dealer for one that has a December date. :)

" Remember, we're all in this together! "

"[/COLOR]I have a 42hl96 and when I play many dvd movies through it, they fit the screen width properly, but not the height . It is not high enough to fill the screen during the movie, but in the menu prior to the movie it does fill the height of the screen. If I change the tv settings to expand the movie, it will get too high and cut off part of the action on screen. Anyone have the same problem and know how to fix it? It does it both using my new Sony Blu-ray dvd player and my old Sony dvd player.

You may not have your DVD player set up corectly. Play with the settings, make sure it is in 16:9 mode. Also, some movies with NOT fill the screen. If it is a 235:1 movie such as Seabisquit, there will still be a narrow bar on the top and bottom. 16 : 9 is approximatley 185:1 I beleive so a 235 : 1 DVD will still leave a mnarrow bar. You will fill the screen to it's max 1ith a 185:1 picture. Anything more than that with have ars. Anything less [ 166 : 1, 133:1, etc) will have bars on each side unless you use one of the Theater Wide ( stretch ) modes. :)"Remember, we're all in this together! "

[QUOTE=mdr25]Phase, thanks for answering my question!

Moving on...


Widescreen HDTVs are 16x9 resolution, which equals a ratio of 1.78:1. Most movies are 1.85:1 or 2.35:1. This means that the shape of the image is a wider rectangle than the screen, therefore you'll have letterboxing on the top and bottom of most movies. It is much smaller than if you were watching on a conventional 4:3 TV, but it is still there.
Great minds think alike. :D

BTW here's my intial settings after running Avia:

Preference Mode / Pro 1 Mode

Contrast: 84 80
Back Light: 60 70
Bright: 60 50
Color: 36 29
Tint: 0 0
Sharpness: 44 40


Advance:

Dynamic Contrast: High Medium
Static Gamma 0 0
Color Tempersture: Medium Medium
Vertical Edge: Middle Low


Color Management: (For Both)

Blue: Hue: 0 Saturation: -4 Brightness: -5

This is to correct a slight blue (cool) to the overall picture.

Theater Mode: Ntural and Video or Film if watching a DVD movie. Actually, I sually just leave it in Film for everything so far. I use Preference if I want a bit sharper , snappy picture like for sports, and Pro1 for DVD movies.

"Remember, we're all in this together!"

Glad to hear that the "ghosty" issue may have been with earlier production.... Here's hoping that December and beyond sets have no issues. Toshiba still does offer the features, picture quality, and styling that a lot of us want. If you are a person considering a set. Ask your dealer for one that has a December date. :)


There's no guarantee that they have fixed the sets for December. Just because one person didn't have them, doesn't mean they all won't.

Hi Everyone been reading alot about the banding bars(ghost bars) on the 42HL196 and I am now seeing them on my set. Driving me crazy when I watch hockey and football!

Does he 42LX196 have the same issue?

I can exchange mine for this set and would love to hear some feedback :)

Thanks!!!

I have to tell you we put a 42hl196 on the floor for display and No Ghost bars that's 2 sets. This we just got in on wednesday December manufacturing date. I froze the screen on a white background and No ghost bars were present, and belive me I'm surprised because I've seen them since these sets were released. I'll see over the weekend as we're running sales on them. 1,699 HL 1,799 LX we don't carry the LZ. Prices are dropping on all the sets by the week.

Good day, first post here.

Bought the REGZA 42HL196 about two months ago and for sure noticed the ghost bars on the set. Mine as one on each side about 3 inches wide and another one in the middle slitghly smaller.

Can't live with them anymore as I find it completely ruins the experience for me. I do still like the TV as I find it is one of the best looking LCD so far and fits our decor beautifully compared to other models.

Went to the local store where I bought the set and thoroughly tested there display unit and could not find any bars on their set. As the 30 day return policy is expired, I was kindly redirected to a local service depot for Toshiba and within 2 days two techs were in to look at the tv. They did several tests an concluded that the set had to be investigate in more details at the shop with help from Toshiba. They told me that I should expect a call from them in a couple of days.

So far, the service has been great. Just waiting from update as to what they are going to do in my case.

The good thing is that they all saw the bars with different test color patterns as well as with no signal at all with brightness, backlight and contrast set to 100 which to me points to the LCD panel being defective and a problem not being software related.

Anyway, I soon as I get info from them, will post results here.

Thanks and have a great day.
Mathieu F.

Has anyone ordered this set from Crutchfield? I just ordered the 47LZ196 from them and it is on its way. Just wondering if anyone who bought from them has reported the ghost bars issues and if so, how have they handled it? Thanks.

I ordered from Crutchfield a couple of weeks ago and my tv (42LZ196) doesn't show any ghost bars at all. I'm very happy with Crutchfields' service, and off course with my new set! Beautiful TV.

Good day, first post here.

Bought the REGZA 42HL196 about two months ago and for sure noticed the ghost bars on the set. Mine as one on each side about 3 inches wide and another one in the middle slitghly smaller.

Can't live with them anymore as I find it completely ruins the experience for me. I do still like the TV as I find it is one of the best looking LCD so far and fits our decor beautifully compared to other models.

Went to the local store where I bought the set and thoroughly tested there display unit and could not find any bars on their set. As the 30 day return policy is expired, I was kindly redirected to a local service depot for Toshiba and within 2 days two techs were in to look at the tv. They did several tests an concluded that the set had to be investigate in more details at the shop with help from Toshiba. They told me that I should expect a call from them in a couple of days.

So far, the service has been great. Just waiting from update as to what they are going to do in my case.

The good thing is that they all saw the bars with different test color patterns as well as with no signal at all with brightness, backlight and contrast set to 100 which to me points to the LCD panel being defective and a problem not being software related.

Anyway, I soon as I get info from them, will post results here.

Thanks and have a great day.
Mathieu F.


Good stuff... please keep us posted. Very interested in hearing what they say.

It's funny because I never noticed mine until maybe a week ago but had the TV for 3 weeks. I wonder if at first it was ok... but once you do notice it, you keep noticing it. Developes into a huge mental problem haha.

Mine is really bad on hockey, football and the discovery channel on Bell HD.

I also have a 32inch JVC 887 model LCD and that guy is perfect... no banding at all on the same channels.

I also have a 32inch JVC 887 model LCD and that guy is perfect... no banding at all on the same channels.

I think it may only be evident on the 42"+ screens. I don't recall any reports of ghost bars on 32" or lesser sets. I have the 26HL66 and see no bars.

I have to tell you we put a 42hl196 on the floor for display and No Ghost bars that's 2 sets. This we just got in on wednesday December manufacturing date. I froze the screen on a white background and No ghost bars were present, and belive me I'm surprised because I've seen them since these sets were released. I'll see over the weekend as we're running sales on them. 1,699 HL 1,799 LX we don't carry the LZ. Prices are dropping on all the sets by the week.

I agree I had the set for weeks and never saw a ghost bar till I came across these boards and started looking for it. I decided to contact my store today and tell them I wanted my set replaced which they gave me no problem with. The only problem is a 4 week backorder which is fine with me maybe I'll get a january manufactured set. Funny I asked family and friends when at the house if they saw anything wrong with the picture and not one noticed anything, I guess that's how toshiba gets away with it. Only fussy owners find it. Anyway I have only 1 narrow bar center screen I hope I don't wind up with 3 now,lol.

GNelson keep us updated on your findings, because of your comment I am changing my set.

I agree I had the set for weeks and never saw a ghost bar till I came across these boards and started looking for it. I decided to contact my store today and tell them I wanted my set replaced which they gave me no problem with. The only problem is a 4 week backorder which is fine with me maybe I'll get a january manufactured set. Funny I asked family and friends when at the house if they saw anything wrong with the picture and not one noticed anything, I guess that's how toshiba gets away with it. Only fussy owners find it. Anyway I have only 1 narrow bar center screen I hope I don't wind up with 3 now,lol.

GNelson keep us updated on your findings, because of your comment I am changing my set.


nice... i went to the place where I got mine tonight to show him the issue on a 42HL196 they had on display... had November 2006 on the back and sure enough had the ghost banding bars when we cranked the backlight and brightness up on an input with nothing on it... seems to be pretty happy to help me out starting next week.

For fun i put my preference settings back to the way I had them when I first got the TV, very low backlight and brightness of 50... now the only time i can see the ghost bars is if I really look for it on the side. I don't think it started bugging me until I cranked my backlight a week ago or so to 70 and had my brightness up as well.

Using 75 contrast
25 backlight
50 brightness
62 color
0 tint and 50 sharpness and i can say i am much happier with the problem right now. Watched some of the rerun of the world juniors and could barely notice the issue even when i looked hard.

I think the fact i know its there is the only reason I want to swap mine, without fully feeling comfy that I will end up with a better set. I think I need therapy before deciding lol

I am oooooooh so close....Looking at the LZ196 (42") I just have to check out the pic quality...I hope its soon before the deals run out!!!

And I certainly hope that I get a December or later Manuf. date.....

Anyone who owns one already like to make me decide to do it faster??? Please, any info you can give....

But the new Hot water heater has to come first.. :(

I notice an electrical smell from my new Toshiba 42HL196. It reminds me of a lcd monitor I have that does the same thing. It permeates the bedroom where its placed. Have other noticed it and will it ever go away?

I haven't noticed that in mine. That stinks.

:p

But seriously, I hope it goes away.

[QUOTE=Zoologico]Last one...

It seems that the only place that a difference will be seen on the REGZA sets between 1080i and 1080p is when using a source that sends 1080p at 60 fps as opposed to the 24 fps most sources (TV and movies).

This can be achieved when using a gaming console or computer as a source for video. I will not be hooking up an XBOX360 or PS3 anytime in the sets foreseeable future, so there will be no difference as far as my usage is concerned.

However, to those that will use this set in that capacity, this is a real consideration they should make.

QUOTE]

My kids will be playing xbox360 and wii on the 42HL196. Xbox360 will have a firmware upgrade for 1080p output I suspect that since not many games (if any) are developed in native 1080p anyway, the xbox can just be left at 1080i output and there really isn't much to worry about using the 42HL196 for gaming? Only that if you did use 1080p/60 output and had a tv that accepted 1080p/60 it would be slightly better?

As mentioned, the result image will have the same amount of pixels/resolution. The difference is that instead of the XBOX360 deinterlacing, the TV will be doing it.

The quality of the image will depend on how good the TV's deinterlacing is. According to most account the one on the 42hl196 does a decent job (meaning no complaints have been lodged).

I think there are 4 kinds of people that will face this.

1) The purist: this person will always see a difference between 1080i and 1080p. If they don't see it at first, they will adjust and play with the TV/signal/settings until they can prove to themselves there is a visible difference.

2) The image avenger: this person knows that 1080p exists and will not rest until they own a set that accepts and displays it at 60 Hz. They don't have the eye of the purist so they will never be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 1080i when displayed by a set like the 42hl196. Despite that, the 42HL196 will hardly be acceptable to them.

3) Everyone else: these people researched the TV and realized it did not accept 1080p input. They also realized that either they don't have any 1080p sources or that they would not see the difference between 1080p and 1080i so they went and bought the TV anyways.

4) The 1080p hound: This person read 1080p HDTV and bought it. They expected 1080p input capability (rightfully), but were dismayed to find out there wasn't any.

I do agree that labeling this 1080p isn't telling the whole story. If you bought this based on that, you should promptly return it and let Toshiba feel it were it count, in the bank.

I am oooooooh so close....Looking at the LZ196 (42") I just have to check out the pic quality...I hope its soon before the deals run out!!!

And I certainly hope that I get a December or later Manuf. date.....

Anyone who owns one already like to make me decide to do it faster??? Please, any info you can give....

But the new Hot water heater has to come first.. :(


This HDTV has excellent video quality and we are happy with ours! I especially like the color pallette adjustments and the stylish appearance. The remote is also much , much easier to use than many other flat panel TVs. The most often used buttons are well positioned and easy to reach. Lastly, not many have mentioned this; but the speakers are the best I've heard in a flat panel TV. As long as you have your audio setting adjusted in the audio menu properly for best sound. The sound has more than adequate output and quality for when you just want to watch a program and not use a home theater powere amp. And, regular SD (broadcast NTSC video) from an antenna mounted in out garage attic, looks good.
The video from out standard definition Dish network PVR501 looks good as well.

"Remember, we're all in this together! "

Just a quick review on my life with a 32 HLV66 that I have owned for approximately a little over 2 months now.

I purchased the Toshiba because the PQ seemed on par with some of the other brand name units in the store, was less expensive and had the ATSC, NTSC and Qam tuner built in.

The TV is used in my bedroom and I find I now spend more time there watching movies. I have calibrated using AVIA and will probably do it again, well ... just because.

I'll start off with some of the things I would consider to be the PRO's of the LCD.

Picture quality on SD is only marginally worse than the 15 yr old 20' Sharp it replaced. Also keeping in mind I don't own a cable box so the signal is fed directly into the TV.
DVD pq is great. I wouldn't go so far as to say stunning but on par with the pq of the Hitachi 53' 4:3 aspect HD compatible TV I have in my living room. There is a caveat to this but I will list that in my Cons. I look foward to owning a HD DVD player when the prices come down to what I would consider to be a more reasonable level.

No reflections. I know this is standard for all Lcd's but I have a window that is directly opposite the TV and it is wonderful to be able to watch without squinting and doing all the other things I needed to do before just to be able to watch TV.

It's nice to have the built in DVD player and so save on space.

Menu navigation is fairly intuitive once you have gone through it a few times.

Stretch modes work very well although I primarily use the full mode and I find it does the job well without the unnatrual funhouse look I have seen on other TV's.

Cons

Off angle viewing - if you are not in that sweet spot the colours are really washed out.

Speakers - all I can say they are weak. Yes they provide adequate sound but they lack depth and punch.

DVD viewing - I find if I don't watch with the dynamic contrast on there is that Matrix effect. You know, that greenish tinge.

Hum if the backlight isn't turned up to 100. It is usually not audible under normal viewing conditions as the volume is turned up sufficiently to hide it.


Overall I am happy with the unit, enough so in fact to pick up another one for my mother when Toshiba had their annual factory sale. Although I still agonize whether I should have bought the 37lx96 and given this one to my mom.

I would definately recommend Toshiba to friends and family if they were in the market to purchase a 32' LCD.

C

Would a LZ series owner tell me if the StableSound feature works.
Thanks

I ordered from Crutchfield a couple of weeks ago and my tv (42LZ196) doesn't show any ghost bars at all. I'm very happy with Crutchfields' service, and off course with my new set! Beautiful TV.

rajimene,

What is the manufactured date on your 42lz196?

Thanks Phase!!! That is much appreciated, considering I currently own a 508 from Dish and I think when the TV does arrive I may not yet have HI DEF...That is exactly what I was looking for....

Have you tried the Ethernet port yet?

Thanks Phase!!! That is much appreciated, considering I currently own a 508 from Dish and I think when the TV does arrive I may not yet have HI DEF...That is exactly what I was looking for....

Have you tried the Ethernet port yet?

I have not yet connected anything up to the RJ45 ethernet port. My wife says I do enough flipping around and tweaking now without having email and whatever on the TV! :D But, some day while she is shopping, Ill conect my home network up to it and see what happens! ;)
Has anyone else tried the email thing yet?

Remember, we're all in this together! "

Picked up my 42HL196 last week, I'm conflicted as what to do


After talking to the Toshiba rep at my local BBY BEFORE I made the purchase, he noted that Toshiba knew about the ghost bars, but was sure that they would be fixed by now. That dosnt seem to be the case. I have a set that was made in Oct 2006 FW 2.2.62.0 Aug 17 2006

In regards to your post about 1080P and image quality, I think I'm in the 2nd category. I was quite upset that my 42HL196 does not support 1080P input from either the VGA or the component in. :(

I also have the ghost bars, which either getting worse with time, or just able to notice more as I watch the set

Now to be fair, when the set is displaying a good HD source (discovery HD or Leafs game in HD) it looks good, ( except for the bars ) and I would be more than happy, if not for the issues noted in this thread.

I think I am going to return it and either upgrade to the LZ for the 1080P or look for a set without the bars

One thing of note, and was wondering if anyone else has notice this, when playing Gears of War, I notice that sharp edges of buildings or walls are not being displayed properly, infact they look like they are sources of light, even more disturbing, are the main characters eyes are also very bright.. similar to sunlight reflected off sunglasses. Has anyone else seen this?

-Spot

Picked up my 42HL196 last week, I'm conflicted as what to do


After talking to the Toshiba rep at my local BBY BEFORE I made the purchase, he noted that Toshiba knew about the ghost bars, but was sure that they would be fixed by now. That dosnt seem to be the case. I have a set that was made in Oct 2006 FW 2.2.62.0 Aug 17 2006

In regards to your post about 1080P and image quality, I think I'm in the 2nd category. I was quite upset that my 42HL196 does not support 1080P input from either the VGA or the component in. :(

I also have the ghost bars, which either getting worse with time, or just able to notice more as I watch the set

Now to be fair, when the set is displaying a good HD source (discovery HD or Leafs game in HD) it looks good, ( except for the bars ) and I would be more than happy, if not for the issues noted in this thread.

I think I am going to return it and either upgrade to the LZ for the 1080P or look for a set without the bars

One thing of note, and was wondering if anyone else has notice this, when playing Gears of War, I notice that sharp edges of buildings or walls are not being displayed properly, infact they look like they are sources of light, even more disturbing, are the main characters eyes are also very bright.. similar to sunlight reflected off sunglasses. Has anyone else seen this?

-Spot

thanks for the info Spot...

I will be hearing from the place I bought mine tomorrow... 42hl196 as well... gonna ask for the LX or another HL that was made in December as some ppl are claiming the bars are fixed on these models released late in the year. The one I have now is November 2006 and has the ghost bars.

I'm not too worried about it not accpeting the 1080p... I have a HD-A2 HD DVD player and there is no way the picture can get any better to my eyes with the HL196 upconverting to 1080P. I don't think personally that the difference is worth the money right now. Esp when all channels are 1080i or less anyway.

I think its hard for many of us to be happy with any LCD TV we buy... we come here... we read... we notice things that aren't perfect... and then new models come ouyt...etc etc. TVs are turning into PCs where you buy one and a month later you think yours sucks because another one came out lol

I love my 42HL196 :) But do want a december model to try and then put my mind to rest and just enjoy the damn tv lol

Just finished reading the January 2007 Home Theater mag which contained a review of the 42LX196. The measured resolution with a 1080i input was only about 50% (970pph) of the panels 1920x1080 capability which is disappointing. I wonder if this indicates that the set is not properly deinterlacing 1080i which according to Gary Merson (hdguru.com) can result in a loss of 1/2 the resolution when converting 1080i to 1080p. In the same issue a Sony KDL-46XBR2 was measured at 1080pph. Is it possible that the poor test result with the Tosh could have been caused by some of the settings on the tested set not being disabled (e.g. NR not turned off, etc...)? Any one have any thoughts on this?

Specs of Toshiba's latest REZGA LCD's: http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/01/07/toshiba-updates-regza-lcd-lineup-120hz-deep-color-and-xvycc/ :)

I have heard that alot of sets with cheap(er) electronics usually discard one of the fields of a 1080i signal. Which leads me to think thats why I'm seeing the mussed up display on 360 when playing GOW. :(

They didnt mention any tests with a 1080P source did they?

I don't believe the LX accepts 1080p over hdmi (or any other inputs) so there was no resolution measurement reported for 1080p sources. Even the Sony test results were reported for 1080i max - could be a limitation of the test equipment they use.

thanks for the info Spot...

I will be hearing from the place I bought mine tomorrow... 42hl196 as well... gonna ask for the LX or another HL that was made in December as some ppl are claiming the bars are fixed on these models released late in the year. The one I have now is November 2006 and has the ghost bars.

I'm not too worried about it not accpeting the 1080p... I have a HD-A2 HD DVD player and there is no way the picture can get any better to my eyes with the HL196 upconverting to 1080P. I don't think personally that the difference is worth the money right now. Esp when all channels are 1080i or less anyway.

I think its hard for many of us to be happy with any LCD TV we buy... we come here... we read... we notice things that aren't perfect... and then new models come ouyt...etc etc. TVs are turning into PCs where you buy one and a month later you think yours sucks because another one came out lol

I love my 42HL196 :) But do want a december model to try and then put my mind to rest and just enjoy the damn tv lol

I couldn't agree more. I have seen 1080p in a hi tech shop and my 49 year old eyes couldn't see any difference. I'm doing what your doing having them give me a new set, Mine has a November manufacture date on it. I was told there's a 4 week wait on the LX model do to being backordered, so I'm sure to get a december or maybe january made set. I have only 1 faint bar center screen on pure white scenes which I never noticed till I looked for it, I'm just hoping I don't wind up with more bars than I have now,lol. I only paid 1,729 for my 42LX196 when I bought it late november so even if it's only 1080i at that price it's in line with other 1080i sets. The sony's and even the sharp are still 2,000 plus.
GNelson quoted the price his store sells this sets for my store took 400 off the advertised price when I bought mine now they sell for 1,999 so that would mean the set could be bought for around 1,600 not bad for 1080i or p.

Would a LZ series owner tell me if the StableSound feature works.
Thanks

txs,

I have an LX and right now I'm having a horrible time with audio, but I'm relating the problem to my cable box, a Motorola 6416 III. The audio is low during the show and loud during the commercials. I have a receiver hooked up using an optical connection and the 42LX196 hooked up with HDMI. Running audio through the TV I've tried turning the StableSound on and off and I can't tell any difference, but I think the cable box is just over powering.

Sorry, no help I know.

Buk

Question to all 42 196 owners.

Can anyone list the exact numbers they get after either professional or through a dvd on calibration. I've seen a few partial listings but not the full list. I would just like to know how close we all are on with these.
Thanks.

Has anyone ordered this set from Crutchfield? I just ordered the 47LZ196 from them and it is on its way. Just wondering if anyone who bought from them has reported the ghost bars issues and if so, how have they handled it? Thanks.


I had purchased a 42LZ196 from Crutchfield. I called them just last night and reported the problem of ghost bars (my set displays 3 - 1 in the center and the other two a few inches from each border. They appear mainly on scenes with light, bright colors and are most apparent when the camera angle pans left or right). They informed me that no one has reported a problem like this, however they quickly offered to replace it. I took them up on that and I should have it in 5-7 business days by freight. They are also packing up my old one and returning it, free of charge. I was very happy with their service. Crutchfield is by far the best online retailer that I have dealt with concerning electronics. I just hope my new set is a Dec build date.

I just hope my new set is a Dec build date.

1 person has reported a good 42HL set without ghost bars. That's it. Dec. build date doesn't guarantee anything. Other sets manufactured before that date do not have ghost bars. Apparently it's hit and miss. You should ask them to test your set before they send it to you, or ask them what would happen if that one has a problem too. If they think you're being fussy their patience will probably wear thin. So, you should try and get them to confirm it, or at least ask them to keep track of your old set when you send it back so that they can look at the problem too, and know that you're not making it up.

I am planning on ordering mine from Crutchfield within the next week or so..Let us know how it works out with the new one...

When did you purchsed the one that has the bars??? I am assuming a few weeks ago considering they did not have in stock for a while.

Update:

Ok over the weekend we sold 5 - 42HL196, 2 - 47HL196 and 3 - 42LX196 sets. I either tested or spoke to the other saleman testing them we found NO GHOST BARS, we did have 1 DOA, but no ghost bars were visible. I'm using the word visible because maybe under different lighting or after adjusting the set someone might find 1 but we didn't, and I always saw them on these sets in different degrees. Every set had a December manufacture date. Keep in kind that the November dated sets had bars. Is the problem fixed? Time will tell. I'll keep updating as i get information.

I ordered mine on Dec. 3rd. The build date is September 2006.

I ordered mine on Dec. 3rd. The build date is September 2006.

Large sellers usually have old stock as they buy in bulk and store at a central warehouse. Small sellers as us buy direct from the maufacturer as we see demand.

That's probably why someone is waiting 4 weeks for a replacement set. You know there's no warehouse and it's coming directly from toshiba with a 4 week wait. If you get a set in a few days it's being stored at a warehouse.

Large sellers usually have old stock as they buy in bulk and store at a central warehouse. Small sellers as us buy direct from the maufacturer as we see demand.

That's probably why someone is waiting 4 weeks for a replacement set. You know there's no warehouse and it's coming directly from toshiba with a 4 week wait. If you get a set in a few days it's being stored at a warehouse.


I have to wait 3-4 weeks for my LX set to come in from Toshiba. The stores excuse to me was that they mainly sell the HL model and that they don't keep any LX's in stock and only special order them. Why is because most people don't see enough difference between to HL and the LX to justify spending more. It's all about dollars with the average consumer not extras.

Here's a new issue. I hooked up a playstation 3 to the set tonight, My wife wanted to hear music and plugged a memory stick in the paystation and played music through the tv at level 48. The bass was making the screen turn white with every beat. What's that about. Especially since the LX is suppose to tout a super sound bar. It wasn't that loud.... Is this set really turning out to be garbage?

Just an update, I got my 47LZ196 (Nov 06 build date) and I have only tried it out with an upconverting DVD player so far. I did not notice any ghost bars at all and I was really trying to see them. Is there any particular content that people have noticed them on. I must say that I am thrilled with my set and can't wait to wall mount it this weekend and check it out with some HD programming. Love what I have seen so far... AWESOME SET :)

Just an update, I got my 47LZ196 (Nov 06 build date) and I have only tried it out with an upconverting DVD player so far. I did not notice any ghost bars at all and I was really trying to see them. Is there any particular content that people have noticed them on. I must say that I am thrilled with my set and can't wait to wall mount it this weekend and check it out with some HD programming. Love what I have seen so far... AWESOME SET :)


go to an input not being used... black screen... crank up the contrast, back light and brightness to 100... if you don't see any side bars you're good... let us now :)

Hello everyone I just buyed the 47LX196 tonight. From my eyes it looks as good as the Sony XBR2. But now from what I am reading here is starting to worry me a little. Are you saying that the 47LX196 does not do true 1080P? I don't under stand because the guy in the store said he put on a 1080P feed and it sure as hell looked good to me. Did he lie to me? I am having it shipped friday. I was also planning to one day hook up a PS3 for games and 1080P playback. If this TV does not do 1080P what happens when I hook up a PS3 or a HD player or Bluray player? Should I cancel? Just when I thought I found my tv I read this stuff about no 1080P. The 3 people in my family are all set for this tv and would hate to tell them the bad news. I need info please :(

Trinity,
Today's date is Jan 3. Buddy whom I purchased the 47LX196 with called me yesterday to break the bad news... his new box started to show ghosting. It appeared during a dvd movie.

I don't know what cables he used, likely component. He gets his HD STB tomorrow so let's see what happens with that signal and hopefully test with hdmi.

I think we're both pretty disappointed. He's relooking at the xbr2, me, likely to relook at plasma's again. I'm not sure if LCD's are prime time yet. All local 'hi end' AV shops swear by plasma and how they've improved, darkness, speed, depth, etc... minus light reflections. What's with the apparent LCD market strength anyway (over Plasma)?

So it looks like I'm back to the drawing board.

I may just pick up my 47LX196 burn it in to see what happens before my 30 day refund date.... or just scrap it and get a plasma. I can pick up a Panasonic TH50PX60 for $2800 CDN. But it's only 720p. I'm not sure if not having 1080i will make a difference?

Once last thing I gotta say, this 'banding', 'I see dead people ghosting', 'little fluffy cloud' issues is just a joke for the LCD TV market. Why are we all here reading through reams of posts anyway? What the hell ever happened to just 'open, plugin and enjoy'? I can't believe that we apparent desparate consumers just sit here, read this crap and then close our eyes, say a prayer, add a couple of hale mary's for good measure than drop $3k and hope for the best?! What the hell is with that!

I'm this close to sticking with my 19", circa 1996 pana-black CRT tv that still works today, has amazing colour, dark blacks, no aritifacts, no pixelation, great response, no dead people, no fluffy clouds, no rock bands! Damn, my kid pushed it off it's stand when he was 2 years old and crashed the damn thing and it STILL works!

TB


update: Jan 8, 07.

Went back to BB and exchanged my 47LX196 Toshiba 47" LCD for the TH50PX60 50" plasma. Let's see what happens. I'm not even bothering to wait for the toshi to arrive for me to 'try it' out. Why waste another day, transporting and hauling to living room. Read too many good things about the PX60.

go to an input not being used... black screen... crank up the contrast, back light and brightness to 100... if you don't see any side bars you're good... let us now :)

I have a 42HL196 that I bought from BestBuy during their boxing week sale. I bought it because I thought it would support 1080p inputs as I wanted to hook it up to my XBox 360.

I tried what you suggested above: on an unused channel with everything cranked to 100, I can see ever so slight banding... especially the band on the far left. This banding is only noticable at a brightness of 85 and above, and can't be detected when viewing a normal signal (it's not an issue for me). Is this what you mean by the "side-bars", or is this normal for LCD TVs? (I've heard that it is).

I'm debating whether or not to return the set (I have 30 days). I wanted 1080p inputs, but from what I've read so far, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p.

The one thing I'm concerned about is the upconversion that the XBox 360 does with regular DVDs (via the VGA cable). Does anyone know if the upconverting that the set does natively is comparable to the upconvering done by the XBox 360 (e.g. if I could connect the set via VGA, would I see a noticable difference? Or does the set effectively "mimic" what the XBox 360 does with respect to "regular" DVDs?

go to an input not being used... black screen... crank up the contrast, back light and brightness to 100... if you don't see any side bars you're good... let us now :)

Well, I did that and honestly did not see any bars at all. I am assuming it would be quite obvious if I had them (is that correct). Gotta say I either lucked out or they fixed the problem in November. Again, this set looks amazing from what I have seen so far.

I have to stop reading this forum...you guys are making me so jealous!!!

I cannot wait to get my LZ....wife is gonna croak when she sees the size of the thing and I am only getting the 42"

this is me drooling....

I have to stop reading this forum...you guys are making me so jealous!!!

I cannot wait to get my LZ....wife is gonna croak when she sees the size of the thing and I am only getting the 42"

this is me drooling....

Good luck, post pics!

BTW this reminds me of my coworker who went out and bought his wife a 26" LCD TV to replace his wife's 15" CRT. He thought he was being so nice.

When she saw it, she said, "It's too big."

I asked if she even said thank you and he said no. I had have a mind to tell him to return his wife instead of the TV.

I have a 42HL196 that I bought from BestBuy during their boxing week sale. I bought it because I thought it would support 1080p inputs as I wanted to hook it up to my XBox 360.

I tried what you suggested above: on an unused channel with everything cranked to 100, I can see ever so slight banding... especially the band on the far left. This banding is only noticable at a brightness of 85 and above, and can't be detected when viewing a normal signal (it's not an issue for me). Is this what you mean by the "side-bars", or is this normal for LCD TVs? (I've heard that it is).

I'm debating whether or not to return the set (I have 30 days). I wanted 1080p inputs, but from what I've read so far, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p.

The one thing I'm concerned about is the upconversion that the XBox 360 does with regular DVDs (via the VGA cable). Does anyone know if the upconverting that the set does natively is comparable to the upconvering done by the XBox 360 (e.g. if I could connect the set via VGA, would I see a noticable difference? Or does the set effectively "mimic" what the XBox 360 does with respect to "regular" DVDs?

I'm not sure there are ANY games for ANY console that are made to run at 1080i let alone 1080p. Games on the Wii run at 480p (with rumors about supporting 720p). Game on PS3 and XBOX30 are all running at 720p. You can have the PS3 and XBOX360 upconvert so they output games at 1080i and 1080p, but the games themselves are not being rendered that way.

Same goes for DVDs. Upconverting DVD players will take your DVD running at 720x480 (480p) and upconvert to 720p and even up to 1080p, but the original source is NOT 1080p.

HDDVD and BluRay are different. They are capable of those resolutions form the source (the actual content). The 42HL196 series will accept everything you throw at it EXCEPT 1080p even though it can take that 1080i signal and make it 1080p by use of its internal deinterlacing engine.

I'd really love to see a side by side or analytical comparison between the 42HL196 (max input 1080i) and the set that has max input 1080p.

Hello everyone I just buyed the 47LX196 tonight. From my eyes it looks as good as the Sony XBR2. But now from what I am reading here is starting to worry me a little. Are you saying that the 47LX196 does not do true 1080P? I don't under stand because the guy in the store said he put on a 1080P feed and it sure as hell looked good to me. Did he lie to me? I am having it shipped friday. I was also planning to one day hook up a PS3 for games and 1080P playback. If this TV does not do 1080P what happens when I hook up a PS3 or a HD player or Bluray player? Should I cancel? Just when I thought I found my tv I read this stuff about no 1080P. The 3 people in my family are all set for this tv and would hate to tell them the bad news. I need info please :(

The highest input the 47LX196 will accept is 1080i. It will then de-interlace that signal and display it as 1080p, this TV's native resolution. The 47LZ196 will accept a 1080p signal. These are the facts, but whether it will make any difference to you I can't really say. Personally I wanted the capability for 1080p input, and I didn't like the glossy bezel on the 47LZ196 or the "floating glass border" design of the XBR2, so I have a Sony 46V2500 on order.

As for you, all of the devices you mention can be connected to the LX, and all will be either upscaled and/or de-interlaced to 1080p. And all will probably look great. But pure 1080p input to 1080p display is something the LX doesn't do.

I hope this helps you - there are lots more technical explanations here on the board if you dig around.

john a

Hello everyone I just buyed the 47LX196 tonight. From my eyes it looks as good as the Sony XBR2. But now from what I am reading here is starting to worry me a little. Are you saying that the 47LX196 does not do true 1080P? I don't under stand because the guy in the store said he put on a 1080P feed and it sure as hell looked good to me. Did he lie to me? I am having it shipped friday. I was also planning to one day hook up a PS3 for games and 1080P playback. If this TV does not do 1080P what happens when I hook up a PS3 or a HD player or Bluray player? Should I cancel? Just when I thought I found my tv I read this stuff about no 1080P. The 3 people in my family are all set for this tv and would hate to tell them the bad news. I need info please :(

I just hooked up a PS3 to my 42LX196 tonight and it displays at 1080I through the hdmi input. That's the best you can receive on the HL or LX line. I can't tell the difference myself between the 2 so for me it's fine. I guess it's all about what the set cost you. If you paid under 2,000 then it's inline with other 1080i LCD's. The funny thing is all HDMI's are the same all Toshiba would have to do is update the firmware and you would have 1080p.

I got my 42HL196 during boxing week from BB. So far no ghost bars. I have tried almost 6-8 movies and normal cable channels by Shaw ! Manucatured in Oct 2006.
I think if you do the settings as per your own in depth then one can observe some ghost bars?

I have not yet connected anything up to the RJ45 ethernet port. My wife says I do enough flipping around and tweaking now without having email and whatever on the TV! :D But, some day while she is shopping, Ill conect my home network up to it and see what happens! ;)
Has anyone else tried the email thing yet?

Remember, we're all in this together! "


I've had my tv set up to the network and frankly it's the only thing that bugs me about this tv.

I will say Toshiba made it very easy to set up and the interface is more than I expected out of a TV. So whats my problem you may ask ... well the mp3 will only display a certain number of songs in a folder (inc. subfolders). The picture viewer will only display files 6 meg and under in native res. While the 6 meg limitation shouldn't be a problem considering most of my files are 2 - 3 meg, for some reason when I try to go native res it tells me the file exceeds the 6 meg limitation.

Toshiba was sooooooooo close to making this a great little feature. I just wish they would have put the extra effort into it to make it usable. Perhalps if they ever do a firmware upgrade it might fix it up.

Other than that I still love the set. :p

Thanks for the info guys :)

I payed $3,099 for the 47LX196. I can get the 47LZ196 for an extra $400. Do you think its worth it?

Also besides 1080P inputs what else does the 47LZ196 do that the 47LX196 does not?

Thanks

After reading this thread and other articles, i finally decided to order a 47lz196 from Crutchfields. It should be here within a week and I can't wait to set it up. It is replaeing my old 42H71 which is starting to have hyper module issues. I will report if there are any ghost bar issues - hope not.

Gate1975mlm - I copied this from a post earlier in this thread - hope it helps:

Feraturewise going from the HL to the LX you get:

Colormaster color management system
Virtual Dolby (SRS TruSurround 5.1)
Soundstrip Speaker System
2-way speaker system
6-item illuminated universal remote

and from the LX to the LZ you get:

Colormaster pro
1080p input
THINCMail
IR input
gloss black cabinet

I got my 42HL196 during boxing week from BB. So far no ghost bars. I have tried almost 6-8 movies and normal cable channels by Shaw ! Manucatured in Oct 2006.
I think if you do the settings as per your own in depth then one can observe some ghost bars?

YES!! VERY well said. if you change your settings (backlight, contrast, black level) you too can make the "ghost bars" appear and disappear.

I haven't had any issues with these bars on the 42HL196 with my current settings (see previous post), but last evening I was playing with the settings and by changing the BL and contrast, I was able to reproduce the bars!!! Of course, those changes made for a terrible picture, but the bars were definitely visible.

So, it seems to me that if you're seeing ghost bars, your settings aren't correct and you're not watching the best picture possible.

See my previous post for the settings I have (done by an ISF tech).

I'm back to my original preference settings, and: NO ghost bars and an awesome picture!

YES!! VERY well said. if you change your settings (backlight, contrast, black level) you too can make the "ghost bars" appear and disappear.


I have to disagree with you here. I can't make my bars disappear under any combination of settings that I'd actually use, and, from what I've read here, it sounds like others are in the same boat. You've had yours for a while, right Crosby? So it isn't necessarily all about the manufacturing date.

Did anyone read the on-line review of the 47LZ196 from Ultimate AV? It seemed pretty critical of this model. I can't post the link yet - need a few more posts....

I tried what you suggested above: on an unused channel with everything cranked to 100, I can see ever so slight banding... especially the band on the far left. This banding is only noticable at a brightness of 85 and above, and can't be detected when viewing a normal signal (it's not an issue for me). Is this what you mean by the "side-bars", or is this normal for LCD TVs? (I've heard that it is).

I'm debating whether or not to return the set (I have 30 days). I wanted 1080p inputs, but from what I've read so far, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p.


The "ghost bars" might not be noticeable with everything you watch, but one day you'll watch a movie and notice them (if they're there), and it will drive you crazy. Especially noticeable with Sky shots. If you're seeing anything now, I'd be worried.

The 42HL196 doesnt' accept 1080p inputs. So, if you set your Xbox to 1080p, your TV won't show anything. It "upconverts" 1080i signals to 1080p. You're right though, I don't think the difference between 1080i and 1080p is much noticeable. But, you may want to future-proof your set since you're buying it now.

It's a bit deceiving that this set is sold as a FULL HD Set. To accept 1080p signals in the Toshiba line you have to go with the LZ.

Here is the link:

Ultimate AV 47LZ196 Review (http://www.ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldisplays/1206tosh47lz196/index.html)

I'm not sure there are ANY games for ANY console that are made to run at 1080i let alone 1080p. Games on the Wii run at 480p (with rumors about supporting 720p). Game on PS3 and XBOX30 are all running at 720p. You can have the PS3 and XBOX360 upconvert so they output games at 1080i and 1080p, but the games themselves are not being rendered that way.

Same goes for DVDs. Upconverting DVD players will take your DVD running at 720x480 (480p) and upconvert to 720p and even up to 1080p, but the original source is NOT 1080p.

HDDVD and BluRay are different. They are capable of those resolutions form the source (the actual content). The 42HL196 series will accept everything you throw at it EXCEPT 1080p even though it can take that 1080i signal and make it 1080p by use of its internal deinterlacing engine.

I'd really love to see a side by side or analytical comparison between the 42HL196 (max input 1080i) and the set that has max input 1080p.

Thank you for your reply. I understand about the upconverting being done with respect to games & DVDs.

You said that "Upconverting DVD players will take your DVD running at 720x480 (480p) and upconvert to 720p and even up to 1080p". It is my understanding that the 42HL196 set itself will also upconvert a 480p signal and upconvert it to 1080p.

My question is: given the fact that the 42HL196 does it's own upconverting, will using an additional upconverting DVD player make any difference? (ignoring differences between the way that the DVD player upconverts and the way that 42HL196 upconvertors). (i.e. since the TV upconverts anyway, is the use of an upconverting DVD player a redundant step).

Just picked up the 37HL66 - love it.

How does one get the set to upconvert a DVD to a resolution of 720p or 1080i? Perhaps this isn't possible. It appears to me that this set does not attempt to upconvert my current DVD player. My DVD player which is a progressive scan Panny, appears to be displayed at 480i (even though I have it set to output 480p) - at least that's what the TV is telling me when I switch to the component video input. (I have it connected through component video).

There are a set of standard RCA A/V outputs on the back of the TV - one composite video & two stereo left/right audio outputs. Those are the ports I'm trying to use.

It doesn't matter what device I try to output to using these ports - I've tried going to the inputs of a portable DVD player (not HD), a Toshiba DVD recorder (D-R5) and a Toshiba VCR/DVD combo (SD-V394). No luck with any of them.

I would assume that the audio would work fine, but that's not the case... On one set, it makes a lot of screeching and whistling noises and I get nothing on the other set. I thought that the outputs might be incorrectly labeled, so I tried swapping them around & still no go. As for video, on one set I tried I just get a black screen, on the other, it shows 2-3 rolling horizontal bands about 4" tall each.

Before I call service I was just wondering if anyone out there has got these outputs to work and if so, what is the secret?

-Thanks!

One more thing I would like to know. Is anyone here using a PS3 with the LX line? And if so how does your games look? Reason I ask from all the info I have read for movie and tv shows you will see no diffrence between 1080i and 1080P. So going with the 47LZ196 would not really make any sence. "But" :) I do plan on getting a PS3 someday and would love to know if games from a PS3 would really look "alot" better on the 47LZ196 then the 47LX196? If its just a tad better then I might as well stick with the 47LX196. But if game on PS3 will be "alot" better buy having 1080P inputs then I may have to go with the 47LZ196.

So can anyone chime in on this? :)

And thanks for all your help you guys rock!!!

How many have ever seen 1080p and 1080i side by side? I have and In my opinion your not going to see any difference unless you want to. I believe the whole 1080i 1080p debate is just to garbage to sell new technology. You can't see the difference. In my opinion with the limited 1080p movies out No 1080p tv till 2009 and games mainly being displayed in 720 I 'de wait another few years when these sets have advanced enough and dropped down below a 1,000 to take the plunge if you even wanted to have the bragging rights of saying I have 1080p.

I think the only important issue on this set is quality ( ghost bars). Still havn't seen any bars on december manufactered sets yet.

Dong...is there a menu option which allows you to switch from digital to analog for that input? That "screeching" really sounds to me like a digital signal trying to be interpreted incorrectly.

Here is the link:

Ultimate AV 47LZ196 Review (http://www.ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldisplays/1206tosh47lz196/index.html)

I didn't think it was all that critical. The reviewer clearly has some anti-LCD tendencies. Justifiable, perhaps, but most of his complaints are common to every LCD ever produced, and he remarked that the set did a good job in comparison to other LCDs that he's seen. Yes, the black levels are better on plasma (what else is new?), but if you've decided LCD is the way you want to go, I don't see anything in this review that would turn someone off of the LZ.

I agree MDR...anyone who owns an LCD computer monitor already knows the inherant issues of the technology...Granted, now a days it is much better...but still.....It all boils down to preference....Honestly, the only things that are stopping me from doing it today are...

1. New Water Heater (grrrrr) :mad:
2. The ghost bars (Luck of the draw) :confused:
3. the possibility that I will not be able to get a Dish 622 (apparently backordered) :mad:

You'll notice, none of those have to do with LCD picture quality...I used to install Plasmas for a living, and I can tell you that I will probably never buy one....I just don't care for them.

i disagree... my settings are brilliant... but when watching hockey, football and the occassional show with light solid blues or grey the bars appear...

i only mentioned cranking up the BL and brightness to 100% just to see them... they are very solid at 100% and no matter how low you go with your settings... they will always be there if you are watching the right thing

regarding the 42HL196 and ghost bars from a few by crosby1...

I'm not sure there are ANY games for ANY console that are made to run at 1080i let alone 1080p. Games on the Wii run at 480p (with rumors about supporting 720p). Game on PS3 and XBOX30 are all running at 720p. You can have the PS3 and XBOX360 upconvert so they output games at 1080i and 1080p, but the games themselves are not being rendered that way.

Same goes for DVDs. Upconverting DVD players will take your DVD running at 720x480 (480p) and upconvert to 720p and even up to 1080p, but the original source is NOT 1080p.

HDDVD and BluRay are different. They are capable of those resolutions form the source (the actual content). The 42HL196 series will accept everything you throw at it EXCEPT 1080p even though it can take that 1080i signal and make it 1080p by use of its internal deinterlacing engine.

I'd really love to see a side by side or analytical comparison between the 42HL196 (max input 1080i) and the set that has max input 1080p.

i would bet no noticible difference...

JohnA1 mentioned some good info in post #934. Hope this clarifies some confusion to the posts in this thread.

Just some basic information - LCD screens are inherently progessive. There is no such animal as a 1080i LCD - it cannot output a 1080i signal. If you are watching a cable broadcast at 720p or 1080i, the tv will upscale/deinterlace the signal to 1080p. If you have a BD or HD DVD passing signal at 1080i to the LCD, it will deinterlace to 1080p. As long as it properly deinterlaces there is no difference from a 1080p input source.

To further add to confusion there are 720P sets that are being advertised by retailers as "1080i capable" or even "1080i". This means that the set can receive a 1080i signal but will display in 720p. This is misleading in my book.

Hi I just bought the 42hl196, am very happy with it. Thought about the westinghouse one, but went with toshiba cause my dad was happy with it. (hope toshiba products makes this the right choice) but anyway, I'm just wondering how to setup the homenetwork. The automatic network setup works but then the home file server setup does not bring a home server name. I have a 2wired homeportal residential gateway. Could someone please help me and tell me what settings i have to change to set it up.

I have a 42HL196 that I bought from BestBuy during their boxing week sale. I bought it because I thought it would support 1080p inputs as I wanted to hook it up to my XBox 360.

I tried what you suggested above: on an unused channel with everything cranked to 100, I can see ever so slight banding... especially the band on the far left. This banding is only noticable at a brightness of 85 and above, and can't be detected when viewing a normal signal (it's not an issue for me). Is this what you mean by the "side-bars", or is this normal for LCD TVs? (I've heard that it is).

I'm debating whether or not to return the set (I have 30 days). I wanted 1080p inputs, but from what I've read so far, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p.

The one thing I'm concerned about is the upconversion that the XBox 360 does with regular DVDs (via the VGA cable). Does anyone know if the upconverting that the set does natively is comparable to the upconvering done by the XBox 360 (e.g. if I could connect the set via VGA, would I see a noticable difference? Or does the set effectively "mimic" what the XBox 360 does with respect to "regular" DVDs?

I tried XBOX 360 at both 1080i and 1080p into my Westy LVM-42W2 over component and the 1080i actually looked a bit sharper. Turns out that the Westy has a good de-interlacing chip so having the TV doing the de-interlacing in this case was better than the XBOX. You probably shouldn't be too concerned that you can't feed XBOX 1080p into the Tosh. However if you're planning to get either Blue Ray or HD-DVD in the near future then the lack of 1080p input capability could be a consideration.

What is the difference between Toshiba's HL66 and HL86 (in Canada) line of LCDs, apart from the lack of a QAM & ATSC tuner on the HL86's.

I've also read that the HL86 series do not upconvert 480i DVD material to a higher resolution, such as 720p using component (or presumably HDMI). I intend to use a progressive DVD output (480p) via component cables.

While I suspect this claim is incorrect, can someone who owns an HL86 model confirm or deny it?

Thanks

Thank you for your reply. I understand about the upconverting being done with respect to games & DVDs.

You said that "Upconverting DVD players will take your DVD running at 720x480 (480p) and upconvert to 720p and even up to 1080p". It is my understanding that the 42HL196 set itself will also upconvert a 480p signal and upconvert it to 1080p.

My question is: given the fact that the 42HL196 does it's own upconverting, will using an additional upconverting DVD player make any difference? (ignoring differences between the way that the DVD player upconverts and the way that 42HL196 upconvertors). (i.e. since the TV upconverts anyway, is the use of an upconverting DVD player a redundant step).

As far as I know the 42HL196 does upconvert. See the more detailed response below. If it didn't then you would display a 480i/p and 720i/p signal as a smaller subset of the full screen which is using a resolution of 1920x1080.

It also deinterlaces. This means that it can take 480i, 720i, and 1080i and display them at 480p, 720p, and 1080p respectively.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you send the remote command to display the channel you will also see something like 480i listed (for regular cable). This is the property of the incoming signal, not what you are displaying. LCDs ALWAYS display a progressive image no matter what image signal you are feeding it. So my cable signal comes in at 480i, but it gets displayed at 1080p due to the upconverting and deinterlacing.

Back to your other question...

I think upconverting DVD players are just optimized to do a better job with a DVD source and can do it better than most sets can.

If you have an upconverting DVD player, use that to upconvert and let the TV display what the DVD player is putting out.

If you don't, use your standard DVD player and let the TV do the upconverting.

Hope this helps.

I just hooked up a PS3 to my 42LX196 tonight and it displays at 1080I through the hdmi input. That's the best you can receive on the HL or LX line. I can't tell the difference myself between the 2 so for me it's fine. I guess it's all about what the set cost you. If you paid under 2,000 then it's inline with other 1080i LCD's. The funny thing is all HDMI's are the same all Toshiba would have to do is update the firmware and you would have 1080p.

I'm not sure that is all it would take.

Right now the TV has to take 540 lines in every frame (1080/2). If it were to accept a 1080p signal, it would have to process 1080 lines per frame.

So while a firmware upgrade would be needed. I'm not convinced that is all it would take.

i think a firmware upgrade may be enough to change the picture and mp3 limits on the THINC function, but even that may require additional memory on the set.

As far as I know the 42HL196 does NOT upconvert. If I am wrong, someone please correct me. If you send a 480i signal (regular cable), the TV will use the whole display area to display this image, but it will not be upconverting.

It does however deinterlace. This means that it can take 480i, 720i, and 1080i and display them at 480p, 720p, and 1080p respectively.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you send the remote command to display the channel you will also see something like 480i listed (for regular cable). This is the property of the incoming signal, not what you are displaying. LCDs ALWAYS display a progressive image no matter what image signal you are feeding it. So my cable signal comes in at 480i, but it gets displayed at 480p.

Back to your other question...

There is no HDTV that I know of that upconverts. If there was, there would be virtually no need to sell upconverting DVD players because all you would do is connect your regular DVD player and let the TV do the upconversion.

If there were HDTVs that upconverted there would be virtually no need to reupconvert. Upconverting takes the picture running at 720x480 and makes it run at 720i/p or higher at 1080i/p. You'd only want to do this once to the image. Once you got it to 1080i/p there would be no need to do anything more.

Hope this helps.

I believe that 1080p native resolution LCD's convert every input to 1080 progressive scan, so for example if you are feeding the TV a 480i signal, the TV converts the signal to 1080p to match the native resolution of the display (and of course also scales the picture if there is overscan, zooming, etc...).

As far as why you might want an upconverting DVD player someone else who knows this stuff better than me needs to address that - it probably depends on whether the DVD player or the TV is better at the upconversion. I do know that my Oppo 981HD upconverting DVD player feeding a 1080p signal to my (former) Mits LT-37131 produced a spectacular picture - much better than a Sony DVD feeding 480p which was then upconverted by the Mits to 1080p.

I may be wrong on this - just trying to help.

As far as I know the 42HL196 does NOT upconvert. If I am wrong, someone please correct me. If you send a 480i signal (regular cable), the TV will use the whole display area to display this image, but it will not be upconverting.

It does however deinterlace. This means that it can take 480i, 720i, and 1080i and display them at 480p, 720p, and 1080p respectively.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you send the remote command to display the channel you will also see something like 480i listed (for regular cable). This is the property of the incoming signal, not what you are displaying. LCDs ALWAYS display a progressive image no matter what image signal you are feeding it. So my cable signal comes in at 480i, but it gets displayed at 480p.

Back to your other question...

There is no HDTV that I know of that upconverts. If there was, there would be virtually no need to sell upconverting DVD players because all you would do is connect your regular DVD player and let the TV do the upconversion.

If there were HDTVs that upconverted there would be virtually no need to reupconvert. Upconverting takes the picture running at 720x480 and makes it run at 720i/p or higher at 1080i/p. You'd only want to do this once to the image. Once you got it to 1080i/p there would be no need to do anything more.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much for your reply... unfortunately, I still have a few questions:

1. Upconverting: My confusion coomes from the description for the 42HL196 on the Toshiba Canada web-site which states that the set "Up converts 480i/480p/720p/1080i to display 1080p". Based on the particular wording they used, I took this to mean an actual upconversion, rather than stretching to fit the display. (Although, it seems that Toshiba is very liberal with respect to the meanings of the terms they use!)

2. Deinterlacing: Is there any signal degradation when deinterlacing from 1080i to 1080p? It seems to me that in order to perfectly deinterlace a 1080i signal, the signal would have to be sent at twice the frequency of a 1080p signal [once for each field]. Is this the case, or is some sort of interpolation done to simulate the 1080p signal.

Sorry for all the stupid questions... it seems that the more I look, the more conflicting information I find...

2. Deinterlacing: Is there any signal degradation when deinterlacing from 1080i to 1080p? It seems to me that in order to perfectly deinterlace a 1080i signal, the signal would have to be sent at twice the frequency of a 1080p signal [once for each field]. Is this the case, or is some sort of interpolation done to simulate the 1080p signal.


you make a valid point about deinterlacing. there is no way around the fact that a 1080i signal includes half the information that 1080p contains.

1. Upconverting: My confusion coomes from the description for the 42HL196 on the Toshiba Canada web-site which states that the set "Up converts 480i/480p/720p/1080i to display 1080p". Based on the particular wording they used, I took this to mean an actual upconversion, rather than stretching to fit the display. (Although, it seems that Toshiba is very liberal with respect to the meanings of the terms they use!)


Toshiba's and Maser are right, I think Zoologico had it wrong this time. (Edit: Zoo has kindly edited his post so it now has accurate info.)

The display has 1920x1080 pixels. If it wasn't doing any upconverting of a 480i signal, it would only take up 1/4 of the screen.

There are different techniques that can be used to upconvert. The easiest thing to do is to map each pixel in the source to a block of pixels in the output. (Which is probably what you mean by "stretching", which is a primitive form of upconverting.) Suppose we had a 2x2 image:

1 2
3 4

Scaled up to 4x4 using a simple stretching algorithm, it would become

1122
1122
3344
3344

Most upconverters use some form of interpolation which tries to fill in the missing pixel values by averaging the neighbors in the source image, something like:

1.0 1.2 1.5 2.0
1.7 2.0 2.5 3.0
2.4 2.5 3.5 3.5
3.0 3.5 3.5 4.0

(Just doing that off the top of my head, you get the idea.) The result is the blockiness gets softened, diagonal lines don't look as aliased, and a 480i picture looks better than just the sum of its parts.

Different upconverters can use different interpolation techniques, which is why some people spring for upconverting DVD players. It is all a matter of preference. The upconverting player won't do anything your TV doesn't do already, but it might do it better. Does that make sense?

All upconverting techniques are still essentially guesses at what the correct values pixel values should be, so it isn't going to be perfect. Higher res formats such as HDDVD and BluRay don't require any upconversion, so there is no guessing, resulting in a better-quality image.

As for the reason why games on the PS3 and XBOX wouldn't look any better when the system outputs in 1080p vs 1080i, my guess is that the game itself isn't really 1080p content. It is either 1080i or 720p, and the console is doing the upconverting/deinterlacing instead of the TV. There isn't actually any more signal there that can be used, and the TV does just as good a job as the console at filling in the blanks. Thus, no noticeable difference on any current games.

In response your question regarding setup of the network interface, it is a very easy process. The only setup required on your server is the share that stores your pictures and music. I myself setup 2 separate shares but one can be used if you like.

I dynamically assign my address so it was as easy as telling the tv to obtain an IP automatically. Once assigned, simply arrow to the server field and hit the right arrow. It should find your server instantly. From there jump to the MP3 location field and hit the right arrow again. It should find the share you setup previously.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know if Toshiba plans to increase the number of files, both pics and mp3's that the tv can process? They were so close to a really great feature. I've tried calling but hold times are well over 2 hours.

Toshiba's and Maser are right, I think Zoologico had it wrong this time.
...
Different upconverters can use different interpolation techniques, which is why some people spring for upconverting DVD players. It is all a matter of preference. The upconverting player won't do anything your TV doesn't do already, but it might do it better. Does that make sense?
...


Yes, this makes perfect sense. Thank you very much for your detailed reply.

In response your question regarding setup of the network interface, it is a very easy process. The only setup required on your server is the share that stores your pictures and music. I myself setup 2 separate shares but one can be used if you like.

I dynamically assign my address so it was as easy as telling the tv to obtain an IP automatically. Once assigned, simply arrow to the server field and hit the right arrow. It should find your server instantly. From there jump to the MP3 location field and hit the right arrow again. It should find the share you setup previously.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know if Toshiba plans to increase the number of files, both pics and mp3's that the tv can process? They were so close to a really great feature. I've tried calling but hold times are well over 2 hours.

Have you tried separating your pictures/mp3s into different folders, and then sharing each individual folder? I was fooling around with the picture/mp3 player and it occured to me that this would get around the fixed limits, although I haven't confirmed this.

I have a separate share/folder for pics and music. It pulls the folders in alphabetically until the maximum is reached. I'm not sure what that max is but my list of folders it processes doesn't reach the letter C.

For those with back ordered 42Xl sets. These sets will be replaced with a new line in may. I heard this from the sales person we order from. There basically just filling orders so not to build any inventory. Could this be that they realize the current line has issues? The new will have many changes he quoted. I also was told that there is a 3-5 week wait on any new orders taken on the HL - XL line.

I have a separate share/folder for pics and music. It pulls the folders in alphabetically until the maximum is reached. I'm not sure what that max is but my list of folders it processes doesn't reach the letter C.

Try sharing each folder individually

e.g. instead of sharing:

'\documents\music'

instead share:

'\documents\music\album1'
'\documents\music\album2'
etc.

It's messy, but it might work...

The Toshiba manual states that there can be a maximum of 1000 jpgs or 200 mp3s in each shared folder. As long as each individual share contain lesss than that, you should be OK (not sure if there is a limit on the number of shared folders you can have, however). There's also a nesting limit of 10 with respect to folders (e.g. files in folders more than 10 levels down from the top level will not play)

got some news on my 42HL196 TV with the ghost bars. I showed the guy who sold me the set the lines last Friday and they have submitted their display model to a local TV reair place that does warranty work for Toshiba.

Hopes to hear back by next week what they discover.

Will keep everyone posted.

Try sharing each folder individually

e.g. instead of sharing:

'\documents\music'

instead share:

'\documents\music\album1'
'\documents\music\album2'
etc.

It's messy, but it might work...

The Toshiba manual states that there can be a maximum of 1000 jpgs or 200 mp3s in each shared folder. As long as each individual share contain lesss than that, you should be OK (not sure if there is a limit on the number of shared folders you can have, however). There's also a nesting limit of 10 with respect to folders (e.g. files in folders more than 10 levels down from the top level will not play)


How many folders can you share ( at 1000 jpegs ) ?
If you have less than 1000 jpegs, can you share more folders ?
Is yours a LZ series ?

Thanks

How many folders can you share ( at 1000 jpegs ) ?
If you have less than 1000 jpegs, can you share more folders ?
Is yours a LZ series ?

Thanks

1. I don't know how many folders can be shared. So far I've got 9 shared with no problems.

2. I imagine you can share as many folders as you like, but again, I have not confirmed this.

3. Mine is the HL series. 42HL196

The folder sharing trick seems to work, but not as elegantly as I had hoped. Although you can share multiple folders, you can only choose one shared folder at a time for your "picture" or "music" folder. What this means is that every time you want to switch folders, you have to go into the Setup... Installation... Network... Home File Server Setup and change the folder.

The setup I'm using is the following:
- all of my pictures are stored in "My Documents\My Pictures" folder
- the pictures are organized into year subfolders, so I have "My Documents\My Pictures\2005", "My Documents\My Pictures\2006", etc. (I have less than 1000 photos in each year)
- I have shared all of the individual year folders (2005, 2006, etc.),
- when I go to the "Setup... Installation... Network... Home File Server Setup... JPEG Picture Directory" settings, I have the option to select "2005", "2006", etc.
- after selecting one of the year folders, I can view all of the pictures from that year from the picture viewer
- using this method, I am able to view all of my photos (there are almost 5000 of them). It's a bit cumbersome, but it does work

Your Toshiba guy's response is typical. No matter the issue, they'll tell you they've never seen that particular problem before and they'll contact Toshiba about it. Then he'll tell you Toshiba has never heard of this problem either. Then you go through at least two more service calls before Tohisba will even consider providing you with a new unit or offer a refund, if they even will make that offer, after your service guy tells you that the panel needs to be replaced but it's on backorder. I know all about this because before I got the 42HL196 I had the 42HP95 plasma with a major pixilation problem and the above was my experience. Funny thing is, that pixilation problem is all over the Toshiba plasma thread. I've come to the conclusion that Toshiba has some major QC issues with their flat panel products, regardless of the technology. If it's not too late, take the unit back to where you purchased it.

First off I've worked in the electronics sales business for 18 years. Every company has there share of lemons, but when it comes to new technology your going to have many more problems. In my opinion the large screen LCD market is a mess. I've seen every model returned for one reason or another. Sharp has banding issues, sony has clouding and dead pixel issues, Samsung has pixel issues and many power issues with not restarting when hot. They have many bugs to work out yet and I would give it a few more years for these panels to be perfected. If you want to be the first one on the block with a new toy your going to be the ginny pig for these companies. Toshiba has ghost bar problems and like I've said on every set. Those that say they don't have them just havn't seen them. It's very easy to not see them as they only show a very light background screens. I have not seen them on december manufactured sets . That doesn't mean the problem is fixed or maybe it is time will tell. But any set made prior to december has ghost bars, thing is most will live with them.

Dong...is there a menu option which allows you to switch from digital to analog for that input? That "screeching" really sounds to me like a digital signal trying to be interpreted incorrectly.
Where is this menu item?
I only see settings for HDMI1 and PC Audio - nothing for the 'outputs'

Have you actually tried using the outputs and got them to work... has ANYONE????

can someone tell me if there is any difference between the 37HL66 and the 37HLC56 other than the lack of a tuner in the HLC? does the HLC still have the same menu system, display engine, etc?

and is there any difference between the HL and the HLV other than the DVD player and the network capability?

thanks!

Hello,

I have 42inch Regza and have not yet found way to connect PC through VGA port in higher resolution. All I get Regza to display is squarish 1024 x 768 with two black bars on sides. (two different computers)

The graphic cards can manage higher resolution, one of the notebooks actuually higher than the Regza native resolution. I have not found approrpiate resulution listed, though...

I would like to use the computer as PVR and inability to display HDTV resolution through VGA port seems to be major problem I have.

Anyone has any solution, please?

Thanks

I have 42inch Regza and have not yet found way to connect PC through VGA port in higher resolution. All I get Regza to display is squarish 1024 x 768 with two black bars on sides. (two different computers)


Unfortunately, the VGA input on all Regzas max out at 1024 x 768. You will not be able to get a higher resolution. For a bit more info on this, take a look at post 266 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8513560&&#post8513560) of this thread.

My Mac has DVI output, so I was able to hook it up to the 42HL196 using a DVI to HDMI cable and it works great at 1920x1080. The manual says not to hook up a PC via HDMI, but I haven't heard of anyone having any problems with it. If your graphics card has HDMI or DVI out, I recommend giving that a try.

hi all. i bought a 42HL196 online last week and finally got it set up. using the avia dvd and some of the settings from some posts here, i got the picture where i want it.

but.......i've got the dreaded "ghost" bars!!!!! i put in a call to the online store this morning, they said i have to go through toshiba for warranty service; which i kinda expected since i purchased it online.

anyway, i called toshiba and described the problem to the rep. he said "oh, yeah, we've had a number of complaints with this particular model". so, they're welll aware of this. also, he said it's a fairly easy fix (whatever that means).

my set has a manufacture date of december 2006, so i don't think it's related to date of manufacture as has been previously mentioned on this board.

toshiba put me in touch with a local repair center; they're coming out to the house next friday to take a look.

i'll post back and let everyone know what happens.

thanks for the info... i hope to have mine fixed soon too... let us know what happens!

Hello,

I have 42inch Regza and have not yet found way to connect PC through VGA port in higher resolution. All I get Regza to display is squarish 1024 x 768 with two black bars on sides. (two different computers)

The graphic cards can manage higher resolution, one of the notebooks actuually higher than the Regza native resolution. I have not found approrpiate resulution listed, though...

I would like to use the computer as PVR and inability to display HDTV resolution through VGA port seems to be major problem I have.

Anyone has any solution, please?

Thanks

Try 1360x768. It will look squashed in natural mode but will be the correct aspect in full mode. I've been using this for about a week on my 42lx. The downside, however, is I believe the TV is only displaying 1024 of the 1360 resolution.

my replacement 42LZ196 will be delivered on Tuesday. Crutchfield told me that if i have the same issue (banding), I could put that price of that TV towards another brand. If indeed the next TV does indeed have the same issue, i was thinking of trying out a Sony XBR3, but i know many people have clouding issues. I am not too pleased with any of their other brands (samsung, hitachi, panasonic, sharp, and westinghouse). I wish they dealt w/ mitsubishi or pioneer . . . i'd love to see what their 50" 1080p plasma looks like . . .

I'll post when the replacement comes.

Hi I just bought the 42hl196, am very happy with it. Thought about the westinghouse one, but went with toshiba cause my dad was happy with it. (hope toshiba products makes this the right choice) but anyway, I'm just wondering how to setup the homenetwork. The automatic network setup works but then the home file server setup does not bring a home server name. I have a 2wired homeportal residential gateway. Could someone please help me and tell me what settings i have to change to set it up.

1. I don't know how many folders can be shared. So far I've got 9 shared with no problems.

2. I imagine you can share as many folders as you like, but again, I have not confirmed this.

3. Mine is the HL series. 42HL196

The folder sharing trick seems to work, but not as elegantly as I had hoped. Although you can share multiple folders, you can only choose one shared folder at a time for your "picture" or "music" folder. What this means is that every time you want to switch folders, you have to go into the Setup... Installation... Network... Home File Server Setup and change the folder.

The setup I'm using is the following:
- all of my pictures are stored in "My Documents\My Pictures" folder
- the pictures are organized into year subfolders, so I have "My Documents\My Pictures\2005", "My Documents\My Pictures\2006", etc. (I have less than 1000 photos in each year)
- I have shared all of the individual year folders (2005, 2006, etc.),
- when I go to the "Setup... Installation... Network... Home File Server Setup... JPEG Picture Directory" settings, I have the option to select "2005", "2006", etc.
- after selecting one of the year folders, I can view all of the pictures from that year from the picture viewer
- using this method, I am able to view all of my photos (there are almost 5000 of them). It's a bit cumbersome, but it does work


cerberus9, thanks a lot for the great information you provided.
My understanding from your information is that you can not have subfolders
under your shared folder, you could only have files.
Is that correct ?
Thanks

Good day all.

My 42HL196 just came back from the authorized service depot and the did not fix anything on the set.

According to Toshiba Canada, the issue with the bars is by design and is not considered a defect.

Voilà.

Not sure what to do next, live with the bars or start complaining like hell?

According to Toshiba Canada, the issue with the bars is by design and is not considered a defect.


BY DESIGN!?! That would be funny if it wasn't so insulting. If it is by design, why isn't it on all their sets? If it is by design, how come I have two bars while other people have 1 or 3? If it is by design, WHAT IS THE POSSIBLE BENEFIT TO THE CONSUMER?

Either the person you spoke to at Toshiba is terribly mistaken (and a complete moron to boot), or they have a real f'd up policy to customer service issues. I've owned several Toshiba products that have never given me any trouble, which I've used to justify some patience towards Toshiba with the ghost bar issues. But that is a completely unacceptable response. It is weird that everyone's getting different answers from customer support.

I would go with the "complain like hell" angle. Complain to them directly, and complain to your retailer as well. Even if your retailer won't take back your set, let them know what the situation is and maybe they'll make a fuss to Toshiba on your behalf. It is easy for a megacorp like Toshiba to ignore a small smattering of individuals that bother to complain, but when their retailers start threatening to drop their products, they'll shape up quickly. (Is this why Tweeter doesn't carry Toshiba?)

I'll call them today as well. I guess waiting for them to sort out the problem isn't going to be an effective strategy.

First off I've worked in the electronics sales business for 18 years. Every company has there share of lemons, but when it comes to new technology your going to have many more problems. In my opinion the large screen LCD market is a mess. I've seen every model returned for one reason or another. Sharp has banding issues, sony has clouding and dead pixel issues, Samsung has pixel issues and many power issues with not restarting when hot. They have many bugs to work out yet and I would give it a few more years for these panels to be perfected. If you want to be the first one on the block with a new toy your going to be the ginny pig for these companies. Toshiba has ghost bar problems and like I've said on every set. Those that say they don't have them just havn't seen them. It's very easy to not see them as they only show a very light background screens. I have not seen them on december manufactured sets . That doesn't mean the problem is fixed or maybe it is time will tell. But any set made prior to december has ghost bars, thing is most will live with them.


I agree with much of what you wrote. However, my rather dated post you responded to was not specifically related to the shortcommings of this "new" technology. It was related to Toshiba customer service and their VERY predictable way of handling major problems they have absolutely no answer to. The experience with my plasma and dealings with their customer service were typical of many owners of Toshiba's previous line of plasmas....the same story was repeated over and over and over....go read the thread yourself. Now, the same thing is happening with their new LCD line with regard to customer service. Again, you are correct that the large screen LCD market is a technological mess but the technology itself is far from new just the applications are. I must say, however, that if I buy a new model car I expect it to perform as expected, within reason. If there is a problem covered under warrenty, the manufacturer is responsible for correcting the problem. Now, whose fault is all of this. Is it ours for falling for an inferior technology when they plaster 1080P on it? Is it the manufacturers who push inferior technology on us consumers?

Toshiba's and Maser are right, I think Zoologico had it wrong this time.


Thanks for the correction, makes since now that I think about it.
I corrected my post above.

cerberus9, thanks a lot for the great information you provided.
My understanding from your information is that you can not have subfolders
under your shared folder, you could only have files.
Is that correct ?
Thanks

You can have subfolders under your shared folder (for example, my pictures are further organized in month subfolders under the respective year shared folders). However, from the point of view of the TV, it will appear as if those subfolders did not exist; the TV will start at the shared folder, and "work its way down" through all the subfoldes, looking for files until it hits the 1000 limit.

For example, suppose your pictures are organized as follows:

C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2006\Jan\pic1.jpg
C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2006\Jan\pic2.jpg
C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2006\Feb\pic3.jpg
C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2006\Feb\pic4.jpg
...
C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2007\Jan\pic5.jpg
C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2007\Jan\pic6.jpg
...

If you share the "C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2006" folder (and set this as the JPEG picture folder in the TV options), then you should see "pic1.jpg", "pic2.jpg", "pic3.jpg", and "pic4.jpg" in the picture viewer. (You will not see "pic5.jpg" or "pic6.jpg", unless you go back to the TV options and change the JPEG picture folder to "C:\My Documents\My Pictures\2007" (assuming this folder is also shared)

One other thing about the limits. I think files other than picture files count towards the 1000 limit (even though they cannot be displayed). Therefore, if you're shared folder has over 1000 non-picture files (as well as your picture files), you may not be able to view *any* pictures, as these non-picture files will have exhausted the limit...

Try 1360x768. It will look squashed in natural mode but will be the correct aspect in full mode. I've been using this for about a week on my 42lx. The downside, however, is I believe the TV is only displaying 1024 of the 1360 resolution.


After lot of testing and driver issues (not related to the TV), and after 5 hours of work yesterday, I have found out, that the 42inch Regza will accept VGA resolution of 1360 x 768 at 60Hz. In full mode that fills the screen fine. Computer screen looks really crappy, but HDTV recording looks GREAT. this opens opportunity to build PVR by using: my older PC + HDTV receiver (+ Regza HDTV (1360 x 768) ). Now I am testing software to use.
With large Hard drive this has a good chance to replace our VCR.

I just wanted to provide an update on my replacement 47LZ196. I've had the set for a few weeks now, and there's still no sign of ghost bars. I even caught a hockey game last night in 720p and 1080i on two different channels, and it looked beautiful. I still don't know the cause of the ghost bars, but I can definitely say that Toshiba is capable of producing sets that don't have them.

I also got my poor excuse for a media PC hooked up via a DVI-to-HDMI cable, and I'm running my nVidia 7600GS at 1920x1080. It's perfect! I just set the PicSize to Native, and I get full resolution without any overscan. And the picture is just amazing. Granted, it's not as sharp as a computer monitor from 18 inches away, but who's going to sit that close to a 47 inch TV? It's looks extremely sharp from 8 feet away, and recorded content looks beautiful. I'm extremely happy with the set in this respect. One flaw, however, is that I have to manually set the PicSize to Native every time I switch the input over to my PC. That just gets a bit annoying.

I'm not sure why some people are using custom resolutions on their PCs unless it has something to do with analog inputs or limitations of their video cards. If you can run 1920x1080 and you have a DVI output, then you should be good to go.

Dildano...where did you purchase yours from?

One flaw, however, is that I have to manually set the PicSize to Native every time I switch the input over to my PC. That just gets a bit annoying.


Turn off the "Auto Aspect Ratio" feature in the picture settings. It'll stick with whatever size you've selected for that input.

Great news on your ghost bars! What a roller coaster week its been for us ghost bar watchers.

I just wanted to provide an update on my replacement 47LZ196. I've had the set for a few weeks now, and there's still no sign of ghost bars. I even caught a hockey game last night in 720p and 1080i on two different channels, and it looked beautiful. I still don't know the cause of the ghost bars, but I can definitely say that Toshiba is capable of producing sets that don't have them.

I also got my poor excuse for a media PC hooked up via a DVI-to-HDMI cable, and I'm running my nVidia 7600GS at 1920x1080. It's perfect! I just set the PicSize to Native, and I get full resolution without any overscan. And the picture is just amazing. Granted, it's not as sharp as a computer monitor from 18 inches away, but who's going to sit that close to a 47 inch TV? It's looks extremely sharp from 8 feet away, and recorded content looks beautiful. I'm extremely happy with the set in this respect. One flaw, however, is that I have to manually set the PicSize to Native every time I switch the input over to my PC. That just gets a bit annoying.

I'm not sure why some people are using custom resolutions on their PCs unless it has something to do with analog inputs or limitations of their video cards. If you can run 1920x1080 and you have a DVI output, then you should be good to go.


dildano :
Have you had time to test the stablesound function ?
Just thru the TV speakers, not external audio.
Thanks

dildano :
Have you had time to test the stablesound function ?
Just thru the TV speakers, not external audio.
Thanks

I guess everyone's consumed with ghost bars. I added an input about my 26hl66 that said I didn't notice any better sound control with stablesound than I had with my 46 in Sony RPTV. I have been waiting anxiously to see if the owners of the higher performance sets in the 42/47 range had different results, as a result of your initial inquiry. But no one seems to be listening. :) To you or their TVs. Good luck!

Since I do not own one YET....I am curious as to what the Stablesound feature is 'supposed' to do?

My long-term plan is to build a PC-based HD PVR too. I'm glad to hear others are trying it out already.

I haven't been able to understand "auto aspect ratio" even after reading the manual. Can someone take a stab at describing how this works? I don't think it's going to help me any when switching from HD to SD channels, which is really a bit of a pain. But I suppose all TVs have that problem.

Since I do not own one YET....I am curious as to what the Stablesound feature is 'supposed' to do?

Toshiba Operating Guide: "The StableSound feature limits the highest volume level to prevent extreme changes in volume when the signal source changes (for example, to prevent the sudden increase in volume that often happens when a TV program switches to a commercial)."

The user is given an "on"/"off" choice.

Perhaps the key is in the definition of "extreme" as to whether we notice it working.

does someone have the discrete codes from the lcd ?

i need the codes for programming the pronto remote control.

aspect ratio externel source and all codes that are not on the original remote.

Toshiba Operating Guide: "The StableSound feature limits the highest volume level to prevent extreme changes in volume when the signal source changes (for example, to prevent the sudden increase in volume that often happens when a TV program switches to a commercial)."

The user is given an "on"/"off" choice.

Perhaps the key is in the definition of "extreme" as to whether we notice it working.

Thats kind of what I thought it was...If it is anything like my old set which has something similar, all it does is slightly lower the sound level when changing a channel and when a noise gets 'extreme' it will do the same....I think you would have to hear that 'extreme' to notice a difference in sound. I think the whole idea is so that it is transparent.

I have just installed my Regza 42HL196 and I cannot hear sound from my Samsung Theater in a Box when I watch TV. I am using two HDMI inputs, one for the cable box and one for the Samsung receiver. I can hear DVDs just fine when I set the TV input to HDMI2, but no sound from the TV on HDMI1. I believe I have to turn off the TV's internal speakers, but neither the Installation nor the Operating manuals tell you how to do this (although they do suggest I read about it in the Operating manual! It's just not there). Any suggestions?