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Question - Dynex 1080p LCD Viewing Area

35K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  Logan Meller 
#1 ·
Hi. I apologize ahead of time if I am not posting this in the right place.


I have a TV issue that I just can't resolve and was hoping I could find some suggestions. I will try to explain as best I can.


The TV in question is a 42" Dynex 1080p LCD (Model: DX-LCD42HD-09). The problem I began having a week or so ago is related to the viewing area that is taken up by the picture. It is reduced from what is originally was. A guest was watching the TV when I was gone and when I got back something had changed.


The way it should be/used to be:

When the zoom mode was in "normal", programs that were shot for widescreen took up the entire area of the screen and looked great. Programs that were not shot in widescreen did not use up the entire width of the screen as expected and simply showed in the width that was intended and looked great. If changed the zoom mode to "Wide" it would take up the entire width of the screen - although I generally preferred just to leave it on "normal" and let things display they were meant to be displayed.


The way it is now that is ticking me off:

When the zoom mode is in "normal", programs that are shot for widescreen no longer take up the entire width of the screen. Instead, they use the center portion of the screen and display at the same width that non-widescreen programs USED to be displayed at. Shows that are not shot in widescreen show up even smaller (width-wise) and are actually distorted and squished. If I change the mode to "Wide", these non-widescreen programs show up the way the USED to show up in "normal" (instead of taking up the whole screen) - and the widescreen programs take up the entire screen - but I'm assuming the resolution is poorer since its actually just zooming in on a smaller picture.


I realize this is probably a complicated way of describing a simpler problem but I've tried everything and am having no luck so I thought it would be best just to describe exactly whats happening. I've restored the default settings on the TV as well as the cable box. I've tried every combination of settings I can think of but cannot fix this problem.


If anyone has any suggestions as to what I could try out I would greatly appreciate it. If you read that entire thing but cannot help I thank you anyway for sitting through that
)
 
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#2 ·
If you have a cable box, check that the setting for HD is 16:9 and SD whatever you had it before. When I first got my HD tv years ago and got an HD box, the HD line was not set at 16:9 and it looked like what you are describing. Also, check that the tv is set to 16:9 in it's display set up.


If that doesn't work, ask your house guest what they did because they obviously touched some setting.
 
#3 ·
Thank you for your response. My HD cable box is most definitely set to 16:9 however I cannot find any way set the aspect ration on the TV itself but I imagine it should be set that way by default. There is an "Advanced" menu option under "Setup" but it is greyed out. It's not alluded to in the manual either.
 
#5 ·
Most people recommend the time honored reboot when all else fails. So following that line of thinking, unplug the tv overnite and see what happen's when you start it up. Something is preventing the 16:9 setting to properly set when you select it is what seems to be the problem.


So either rebooting or if your tv has a reset to default settings, either may set it back to working correctly.


I still think you need to ask the guest what they did.


Good luck.
 
#6 ·
Thank you, I will definately try unplugging it tonight and see if that does anything. I have tried the options to restore it to its default settings but that did not work.


My guest says that she only watched a movie On Demand and doesn't claim to have messed with anything.
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtemisGregory /forum/post/16489236


Thank you, I will definately try unplugging it tonight and see if that does anything. I have tried the options to restore it to its default settings but that did not work.


My guest says that she only watched a movie On Demand and doesn't claim to have messed with anything.

so dear did it worked like unplugging the cable?
 
#8 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtemisGregory /forum/post/16489236


Thank you, I will definately try unplugging it tonight and see if that does anything. I have tried the options to restore it to its default settings but that did not work.


My guest says that she only watched a movie On Demand and doesn't claim to have messed with anything.

One more suggestion with the latest info and I will be out of suggestions. If she got to On Demand, that means she pushed multiple buttons on your cable remote to get there. So in my professional opinion, as a totally non professional detective, you need to also try pressing various buttons on your cable remote to "unset" whatever she hit during her button pressing journey to On Demand Land.
 
#9 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mes444 /forum/post/16489473


One more suggestion with the latest info and I will be out of suggestions. If she got to On Demand, that means she pushed multiple buttons on your cable remote to get there. So in my professional opinion, as a totally non professional detective, you need to also try pressing various buttons on your cable remote to "unset" whatever she hit during her button pressing journey to On Demand Land.

cmon man what kinda suggestion is this.............on demand menu is not the problem..........she is just having a ratio problem.......and i dont think that opinion will work
 
#10 ·
Lol I appreciate any suggestions at all but I assure you I have explored every button on the remote and every setting I can find on the TV including the cable settings and the available options in the on demand menu. I will try to unplug it but I'm not at home now so I won't have any results until tomorrow.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtemisGregory /forum/post/16490012


Lol I appreciate any suggestions at all but I assure you I have explored every button on the remote and every setting I can find on the TV including the cable settings and the available options in the on demand menu. I will try to unplug it but I'm not at home now so I won't have any results until tomorrow.

as i said the remote thing wont work out........so do on demand thing........but i m quite sure that the unplugging thing will work out.
 
#13 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtemisGregory /forum/post/16528352


Unfortunately unplugging it for an extended period did not work. I contacted Dynex via email and they actually suggested the very same thing. I'm completely stuck.

You need to check the resolution that is being output from your cable box. Select an HD channel on the cable box. On the TV remote, press the Info key. You will get a momentary display across the top of the screen. The resolution data will look like "HD 1080i HDMI", or something else. If 1080i is not shown, then you need to set the cable box to fix that problem.


When using the digital output from a cable box, the box can sometimes lower its resolution to what the box has determined the TV can support. If this happens, the change is permanent until the box is reprogrammed. Fortunately, you can do the reprogramming.


Contrary to an earlier post here, use of "On Demand" from the cable box can cause unexpected behavior of the box. On Demand uses a completetly different means of communication and control than does normal channel viewing. Hiccups are fairly common.


Since you already reset the cable box to default settings, I assume you know how to change the settings. The "defaults" may not be what you were using originally. The box may have been set to 720p originally, or the 4:3 (standard definition) could have been on 480i, 480p, stretch, or "none" (which will output SD channels in the selected HD resolution). On some boxes, "Pass Through" may be available as an option for HD and/or SD. This will output the original broadcast resolution for each channel.


My own preference for SD setting is "none". This will usually produce the best looking SD display, and the SD display will also be wider (with the proper aspect ratio). And the TV never has to change resolution when changing channels, so you do not get the associated delay or picture jitter.


You can play with the SD option to see which one you like best.


Use the Info display on the TV to make sure you are actually getting what you thought you selected in the cable box menu.


The chances that anything happened to your TV to cause your problem are low. The chances that something changed in your cable box are much higher.
 
#14 ·
I have played around with it a little more and still have not been able to fix it. The cable box is definitely outputting at 1080i on the HD channels. Whenever the TV resolution changes it is displayed in the corner of the TV and when I switch it to an HD channel it displays 1960x1080. Hitting the "display" button on the remote also confirms this. That would lead me to believe it is the TV and not the cable box but I have tried everything with the TV - there really aren't all that many settings - and I cannot fix it.
 
#15 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtemisGregory /forum/post/16563544


I have played around with it a little more and still have not been able to fix it. The cable box is definitely outputting at 1080i on the HD channels. Whenever the TV resolution changes it is displayed in the corner of the TV and when I switch it to an HD channel it displays 1960x1080. Hitting the "display" button on the remote also confirms this. That would lead me to believe it is the TV and not the cable box but I have tried everything with the TV - there really aren't all that many settings - and I cannot fix it.

OK. I have a more specific solution. My 32" Dynex behaves the same way your 42" does. There are only two settings for Zoom: Wide and Normal. Wide works fine for any input. Normal is compressed horizontally as you described. However, I am currently using my TV as a computer monitor, and my Overscan setting in the TV Menu is set to Off. This is necessary for a computer monitor to avoid losing the edges of the picture.


When my Overscan is set to On, there are these Zoom settings: Normal, Wide, Zoom, and Cinema. Normal gives a full-screen picture (although all the picture edges are off-screen), and all the other settings produce varying kinds of an expanded view.


It appears that your TV initially had the Overscan set to On, which is typical (and best) for ordinary TV watching. Then someone changed the Overscan setting to Off, where it has remained.


Check your Overscan setting on the TV. Go to Menu | Picture | Advanced Video | Overscan | On/Off.


I still recommend that you set your cable box to output the SD channels in 1080i. If your SD channels are all digital, as mine are, this will make them sharper and wider. And the TV will never have to change resolutions again. If your SD channels are analog, they may or may not appear sharper, but they will be wider. By wider, I mean that the sides of the picture that get cropped (and lost) by the siderbars will become visible.
 
#16 ·
I really appreciate your help and suggestions. I have linked my PC to the TV a couple of times via s-video so its possible that the overscan setting was overwritten. I don't recall ever seeing a setting on the TV for Overscan but I will definitely look for it when I get home. Somewhere in the display setup menu there is an Advanced option but it is greyed out and I can't select it. It's not even mentioned in the TV manual (it is shown in a screen shot but never discussed). Is there something i need to do to be able to access that menu? I will have to look more closely when I get home. It does sound like the problem you had is exactly like the one I'm having though so I am hopeful.


I am 95% certain at this point that it's related to the TV and not the output of my cable box. I own a PS3 which outputs at 1080p and it has the same problem - it looks beautiful in Wide mode but is horizontally compressed in Normal mode. I would think that's a pretty good indication that the TV is the issue, otherwise its one heck of a coincidence that I'm having output problems with BOTH my cable box and my PS3.


Thanks again for everyone's suggestions.
 
#17 ·
No luck - I simply can't find an Overscan setting on my TV. Maybe I should try reconnecting the computer to the TV and see if it somehow toggles that setting back... assuming that is what changed it in the first place... which I don't think it did. Sigh.


Here is the manual for my TV (pdf) - no mention of Overscan.
http://www.dynexproducts.com/skins/s...8-1049_WEB.pdf
 
#18 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtemisGregory /forum/post/16576647


No luck - I simply can't find an Overscan setting on my TV. Maybe I should try reconnecting the computer to the TV and see if it somehow toggles that setting back... assuming that is what changed it in the first place... which I don't think it did. Sigh.


Here is the manual for my TV (pdf) - no mention of Overscan.
http://www.dynexproducts.com/skins/s...8-1049_WEB.pdf

I had presumed that you have the currently selling model from Best Buy. Your manual, however, indicates that you have the "09" series. I have the "10" series. The Dynex TVs have been extensively redesigned between 09 and 10.


Your Advanced settings in Setup are for computer hookups through the VGA port. There is no Overscan adjustment. So my previous suggestion does not apply to your TV.


But, the instructions in your manual for your Zoom control are to use "Wide" for setting the video image to full screen. This is the way your TV is working now. It is also the way my 10 series TV operates. Is this a problem?
 
#19 ·
According to the manual, "Normal" mode "selects the aspect ratio to match the video source's image." So when I'm viewing an HD channel in normal mode the image should take up the whole screen. And when I'm viewing an SD channel it will not take up the whole screen but it shouldn't be distorted in any way. But instead I'm seeing HD channels not in full screen and SD channels are compressed even smaller horizontally, distorting them.


It just seems like "Zoom" mode is doing what "Normal" mode should do. And "Normal" mode is actually sub-normal in that the image is smaller than the video source's image. I used to watch the TV in Normal mode and now I'm watching it on Zoom mode which produces basically the same results but it doesn't seem right to do it that way. I used to at least be able to switch to Zoom if I wanted to view an SD program in full screen. It just irks me.
 
#20 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtemisGregory /forum/post/16483170


Hi. I apologize ahead of time if I am not posting this in the right place.


I have a TV issue that I just can't resolve and was hoping I could find some suggestions. I will try to explain as best I can.


The TV in question is a 42" Dynex 1080p LCD (Model: DX-LCD42HD-09). The problem I began having a week or so ago is related to the viewing area that is taken up by the picture. It is reduced from what is originally was. A guest was watching the TV when I was gone and when I got back something had changed.


The way it should be/used to be:

When the zoom mode was in "normal", programs that were shot for widescreen took up the entire area of the screen and looked great. Programs that were not shot in widescreen did not use up the entire width of the screen as expected and simply showed in the width that was intended and looked great. If changed the zoom mode to "Wide" it would take up the entire width of the screen - although I generally preferred just to leave it on "normal" and let things display they were meant to be displayed.


The way it is now that is ticking me off:

When the zoom mode is in "normal", programs that are shot for widescreen no longer take up the entire width of the screen. Instead, they use the center portion of the screen and display at the same width that non-widescreen programs USED to be displayed at. Shows that are not shot in widescreen show up even smaller (width-wise) and are actually distorted and squished. If I change the mode to "Wide", these non-widescreen programs show up the way the USED to show up in "normal" (instead of taking up the whole screen) - and the widescreen programs take up the entire screen - but I'm assuming the resolution is poorer since its actually just zooming in on a smaller picture.


I realize this is probably a complicated way of describing a simpler problem but I've tried everything and am having no luck so I thought it would be best just to describe exactly whats happening. I've restored the default settings on the TV as well as the cable box. I've tried every combination of settings I can think of but cannot fix this problem.


If anyone has any suggestions as to what I could try out I would greatly appreciate it. If you read that entire thing but cannot help I thank you anyway for sitting through that
)



I have this exact same problem. I purchased a DYNEX DX-55L150A11 and hooked it up to a Comcast HD DVR (Motorola). This cable box was previously used on another wide lcd television (Panasonic) with no issues. 2 phone calls to Comcast, and 2 calls to DYNEX without resolution. About 4 hours of troubleshooting so far, which only resulted in making sure the cable box was set to 16:9, 1080i, and 4:3 override - and testing the screen modes (normal, auto, stretch, zoom, etc...) on the television. Currently I am watching HD channels using a zoom mode, and the picture quality is less than desirable.


Help!
 
#21 ·
I am no expert by a long shot but I had the same problem that you all were talking about. At some point in time the dsiplay for my HD channels changed and I went through everything that I could think of to counter-act what had happened. I am the only one who watches the TV in my room, because the others are not allowed to mess with it. So it changing had to be something that I had done, but could not figure out how it got back to the point that the whole screen was not on the tv....bottom seemed to cut across all the TV splash logos. There is a button on the comcast remote called hd zoom, if all other settings are correct, try pushing it. it fixed mty problem and I am now back in business.


Hope this helps.
 
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