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Official Panasonic 2011 TC-PxxST30 Thread [No Price Talk] - Page 157

post #4681 of 8347
10/5/11 at 7:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tfoltz View Post

Cinema is one of the best settings to use right out of the box. I am not sure why you think it's more damaging than any other setting.

Ah, the only reason I wonder about it is that I believe it showed contrast to be set at 100 as the default under cinema. I'm not losing sleep or anything and like I said, I haven't noticed any ill effects as of yet. All I have noticed so far is the awesome PQ. Really happy with this TV and hope it stays that way.
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post #4682 of 8347
10/6/11 at 1:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal1981 View Post

It seems to work as described. You do have to play around with brightness/contrast/color settings since it appears that photo flattens the image a bit but flesh tones look more accurate once you make the adjustmrnts. The guy over on HDJF who is working with Panasonic on the patch that will even out color saturation at the mid panel brightness setting has said that it's getting closer to being released as a user applied update.

Unfortunately, D-Nice confirmed in that thread that the mid-panel fix is only for the VT.

No one could ever get them to say specifically if it would be for all sets, and D-Nice finally responded to me in post #4351 specifically stating it was going to be for VT only.
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post #4683 of 8347
10/6/11 at 8:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ttnuagmada View Post

Unfortunately, D-Nice confirmed in that thread that the mid-panel fix is only for the VT.

No one could ever get them to say specifically if it would be for all sets, and D-Nice finally responded to me in post #4351 specifically stating it was going to be for VT only.

That is not a confirmation. That's D's opinion based upon his experience with the 2011 Vieras. Gotchaa, who is actually working with Panasonic's engineers on the fix had previously stated several times that it would be applied to all three series. Maybe's that's changed but he hasn't indicated that.
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post #4684 of 8347
10/6/11 at 8:34am
The VT30 owner on HDJF who had tried Photo, found that the Graphics HDMI Content setting worked better on his set. He said that in Custom mode, it maintained the color accuracy of his THX mode but allowed him more ability to tweak his settings using Customs extended controls.

I had to check to see whether the ST30 has the Graphics mode (it does) and while I was cycling through the Content options while in Custom mode I saw something that might explain the impact of Photo and/or Graphics. Against a black screen, when you go to Off or Auto, the menu itself gets brighter and bit more contrasty. Go to Photo or Graphics and the menu looks a bit flatter. You can then use your video settings to offset this but your color is now more balanced and accurate. Perhaps when HDMI Content is set to Off/Auto it throws the Gamma out of whack and that is skewing the color and the overall brightness/Contrast balance.
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post #4685 of 8347
10/6/11 at 9:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal1981 View Post

That is not a confirmation. That's D's opinion based upon his experience with the 2011 Vieras. Gotchaa, who is actually working with Panasonic's engineers on the fix had previously stated several times that it would be applied to all three series. Maybe's that's changed but he hasn't indicated that.

He said the gamma is awful in mid to high, and will continue to be even with the color luminance update. Sounds reasonable since the picture still seems off to me with mid, even with the "photo" setting. The update should work well for those who watch in bright environments and mainly watch cable/satellite. This is assuming it is released for all 3D models, which I personally have not seen confirmed even though you mention it was.
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post #4686 of 8347
10/6/11 at 10:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by farmerbyron View Post

Ah, the only reason I wonder about it is that I believe it showed contrast to be set at 100 as the default under cinema. I'm not losing sleep or anything and like I said, I haven't noticed any ill effects as of yet. All I have noticed so far is the awesome PQ. Really happy with this TV and hope it stays that way.

I was wondering the same thing too about contrast at 100 in "Cinema." However, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think the settings necessarily function the same across the board; for instance, contrast at 100 in "cinema" is not the same as contrast at 100 in "vivid."
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post #4687 of 8347
10/6/11 at 10:55am
BTW, the HDJ forum seems to be on fire with reports of green discoloration splotches/blobs affecting the uniformity but I don't seem to see as much of an issue here. My main concern about it is that reports indicate it's mostly noticeable on a shade or grey screen; I'm mostly a black and white movie fan and I imagine this sort of green discoloration would be pretty noticeable during a b&w film (my older CRT had a little bit of a dirty discoloration band that was noticeable during certain panning shots in b&w films).

Anyone here notice these green splotches?
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post #4688 of 8347
10/6/11 at 11:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Stieg View Post

Anyone here notice these green splotches?

Absolutely. I'm on my second 50" GT30 from Amazon. My first one (March 2011 build) had a very light green, irregular pastel blotch the size of a soccer ball just south of dead-center. My replacement was delivered 2 days ago. This panel, also manufactured in March 2011, doesn't have the "green blob" problem, but the background color of the panel is still not uniform. It's visible mostly on monochromatic material (grays in particular) and manifests as very light pastel green and magenta areas of irregular discoloration. I'm definitely picky, particularly when I'm spending over a thousand bucks on a display, but I can't imagine that this is normal. I need to head over to the "other forum" and see what people are saying about this.

The other problem with this Panasonic, besides the documented fluctuating brightness defect, is dithering. The banding on monochromatic areas of color is quite noticeable. More so on Netflix streaming content than Blu-ray, but pervasive. While certainly not perfect, my 3 year old Mits DLP has none of these issues. Color me disappointed, no pun intended. I'm kind of amazed that after years of refinement in materials, design, and manufacturing processes, consumers are still dealing with things like this in what should be mature display technologies. Makes me wish that the rumored flat panel DLP tech of several years ago had actually come to fruition.
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post #4689 of 8347
10/6/11 at 11:17am
My 65ST30 has no green blotches, dithering, or banding problems. The fact that you don't notice banding on blu-rays, but do notice it on streaming, suggests that the problem is related to the source.

My primary issue with this set is line bleed. This set has the worst line bleed I've ever seen.
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post #4690 of 8347
10/6/11 at 11:21am
I didn't say that I wasn't seeing it on Blu-rays, only that it's not as noticeable. It's still there.
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post #4691 of 8347
10/6/11 at 11:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tfoltz View Post

He said the gamma is awful in mid to high, and will continue to be even with the color luminance update. Sounds reasonable since the picture still seems off to me with mid, even with the "photo" setting. The update should work well for those who watch in bright environments and mainly watch cable/satellite. This is assuming it is released for all 3D models, which I personally have not seen confirmed even though you mention it was.

Gotchaa just posted that the fix will be available for the VT and possibly the GT series. I asked him if the fix for the ST was now not in the cards. We'll see what he says. If its not, I'm OK using the Photo mode or maybe Graphics if that works out. There is no way that I'm going back to Auto or Off.
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post #4692 of 8347
10/6/11 at 12:33pm
Seems to me that it definitely will not be on the ST, and I don't remember them ever saying it would be. But we'll see what he says.
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post #4693 of 8347
10/6/11 at 1:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tfoltz View Post

Seems to me that it definitely will not be on the ST, and I don't remember them ever saying it would be. But we'll see what he says.

Earlier in the process he did say:

"The software I am testing is for 55/65 VT30, I am sure when it gets released it will be available for all displays if it goes well."

Maybe that's changed. If so that's too bad because the ST30's have issues with the medium panel setting as well.
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post #4694 of 8347
10/6/11 at 1:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dpippel View Post

Absolutely. I'm on my second 50" GT30 from Amazon. My first one (March 2011 build) had a very light green, irregular pastel blotch the size of a soccer ball just south of dead-center. My replacement was delivered 2 days ago. This panel, also manufactured in March 2011, doesn't have the "green blob" problem, but the background color of the panel is still not uniform. It's visible mostly on monochromatic material (grays in particular) and manifests as very light pastel green and magenta areas of irregular discoloration. I'm definitely picky, particularly when I'm spending over a thousand bucks on a display, but I can't imagine that this is normal. I need to head over to the "other forum" and see what people are saying about this.

Damn, after months of debating between LED vs plasma I had finally convinced myself not to worry about burn in (I watch a lot of older 1.33:1/4:3 black and white movies)...then something ELSE comes along. Oh well.
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post #4695 of 8347
10/6/11 at 2:12pm
I recently purchased a TC-P55ST30 and have been experimenting with various picture settings while chunking my way through this thread (currently on page 33 of 157). Hoping for a shortcut to a little advice before my 30 day return window expires.

I watch mostly sports and network shows via a Motorola DCX3400 DVR (sending 1080i) and digital movies (via download or Netflix streaming) via an AppleTV (sending 720p).

The TV is in the main living room, so it's light during the day (say, for daytime football games) and dimmer, but not completely black, at night (maybe a light or two on).

Are there any good sources or recommendations for setting the best picture settings for these types of sources/room lighting? 1080p/24 and pitch black is great, but I don't see it in my future.

From what I've tried so far, Cinema is solid and CNET's Custom settings are good too, but I could use a bit more brightness and "pop" than these are providing.
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post #4696 of 8347
10/7/11 at 12:04am
Instead of doing Photo mode, I tried doing Graphics mode, and setting the gamma to 2.4

What's anyone else think of this?

I had a reference photo pulled up of a girls face. It might just be my head playing with me, but it seems that this brings out slightly better skin detail. It's hard knowing for sure since there's no quick way to switch back and forth.
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post #4697 of 8347
10/7/11 at 8:03am
I'm thinking about getting a 55" ST30, but have never owned a plasma tv before. I'm worried about image retention - let's say my wife pauses the Tivo, and leaves that still image on for a long time, is the tv screwed? I will be gaming a lot on this, like 4+ hours at a time. Do I need to worry about a heads up display image eventually burning in?
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post #4698 of 8347
10/7/11 at 8:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ttnuagmada View Post

Instead of doing Photo mode, I tried doing Graphics mode, and setting the gamma to 2.4

What's anyone else think of this?

I had a reference photo pulled up of a girls face. It might just be my head playing with me, but it seems that this brings out slightly better skin detail. It's hard knowing for sure since there's no quick way to switch back and forth.

I tried it last night. Went from Auto/Off to Photo to Graphics. With Custom's mid panel brightness setting, the default Auto or Off has significant Gamma problems and skin tones clearly over saturate with a burnt or ruddy look. Photo takes a lot of the buzz off that and skin tones are flatter and more pleasing. Graphics takes even more off but, to me, looks a bit too flat contrast-wise although that results in more shadow detail. Photo seems to walk a very nice line between the other settings although I'm guessing that by playing with your contrast and brightness settings, Graphics may work out nicely in dimly light or dark rooms, especially on movies. The bottom line is the Off/Auto settings are deficient and either of the other two settings results in a more pleasing viewing experience.

Gotchaa, in his reply about the fix for the ST30 not being dead implied that this series has some unique Gamma problems that the soon to be released patch may not be able to address. I can see why the focus is on the flagship VT30 series (a lot of complaints from ISF calibrators about the difficulty in accurately nailing the set's colors) but let's hope that the ST30's problems won't be forgotten.
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post #4699 of 8347
10/7/11 at 8:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dpippel View Post

Absolutely. I'm on my second 50" GT30 from Amazon. My first one (March 2011 build) had a very light green, irregular pastel blotch the size of a soccer ball just south of dead-center. My replacement was delivered 2 days ago. This panel, also manufactured in March 2011, doesn't have the "green blob" problem, but the background color of the panel is still not uniform. It's visible mostly on monochromatic material (grays in particular) and manifests as very light pastel green and magenta areas of irregular discoloration. I'm definitely picky, particularly when I'm spending over a thousand bucks on a display, but I can't imagine that this is normal. I need to head over to the "other forum" and see what people are saying about this.

The other problem with this Panasonic, besides the documented fluctuating brightness defect, is dithering. The banding on monochromatic areas of color is quite noticeable. More so on Netflix streaming content than Blu-ray, but pervasive. While certainly not perfect, my 3 year old Mits DLP has none of these issues. Color me disappointed, no pun intended. I'm kind of amazed that after years of refinement in materials, design, and manufacturing processes, consumers are still dealing with things like this in what should be mature display technologies. Makes me wish that the rumored flat panel DLP tech of several years ago had actually come to fruition.

All I can tell you, based on my experience with Panasonic and what it conveniently defines as "normal", is that if you have any doubts, return the set. I wouldn't bet my mortgage on this company's willingness to fix what you consider a problem and it doesn't.
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post #4700 of 8347
10/7/11 at 10:11am
Hello friends,

I currently have a 2009 Panasonic TC-P54G10 which is perfectly fine and I love. However, I want a bump in size and was looking at the TC-P60ST30.

I was just wondering if, in your opinion, this would be a good upgrade? The ST30 seems to be a good bang for the buck.

Thanks

Justin
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post #4701 of 8347
10/7/11 at 11:47am
When I am running 'native' out of my box it is creating hand shake issues. Should I set it to 1080i or 720p for this set? I do kind of notice a difference in 1080i channels with it set to 720p, they are little less clear.

EDIT Also, my white fonts and white area's kind of have a slight 'yellow' twinge, just a slight, nothing major but a tad. My tint is already -8 and it is correct in the disney wow settings that way, so wondering what setting in the 'pro settings' would possibly correct this. I havent the slightest idea which one to move or what way to go. Using the photo setting in HDMI content.
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post #4702 of 8347
10/7/11 at 2:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal1981 View Post

All I can tell you, based on my experience with Panasonic and what it conveniently defines as "normal", is that if you have any doubts, return the set. I wouldn't bet my mortgage on this company's willingness to fix what you consider a problem and it doesn't.

Oh believe me, I've been around the block a few times and am way ahead of you. I'm not getting stuck with a product that has problems which may or may not be taken care of by the manufacturer.

Since I *really* want this set to work, I'm trying unit #3 next week. I'm not optimistic though. Chances are very high that it too will have the uniformity problem. I could almost live with the FBr, but patches of discoloration? Not a chance. If #3 is a dud this will be the last Panasonic product I ever (attempt to) buy.
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post #4703 of 8347
10/7/11 at 3:28pm
After days of research, and the impending demise of my 10yr old RPCRT, I am going to pull the trigger on a 55ST30. I am also getting a DMP-BDT210 BD player. A couple questions:

1) The ST30 has no built in WiFi, but the BDT210 does. If I get an HDMI w/ethernet cable, will the ST30 be able to use the WiFi connection from the BDT210? Why doesn't Monoproce sell a highspeed w ether shorter than 30'? My BD will be within a few feet of the AVR!

2) I am a bit concerned about the FBr issues Ive been reading about. I can either buy this from Amazon or direct for the same price; I would assume i am dealing with Panny Customer service in either case right?

3) Ext warranties. I have never been a big fan of these for electronics. My Chase card gives me another year over the factory. What are others thoughts. Haven't most issues with this set been uncovered in the first 180 days?
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post #4704 of 8347
10/7/11 at 7:26pm
While I can't answer your question regarding the ST30 using the WiFi connection from your player, I can tell you that Monoprice does sell highspeed hdmi cables w/ ethernet that are shorter that 30'. I can't post the link as I have less than 3 posts currently..but if you look under "cables" and then "HDMI with ethernet" there are 2 "Premium 24AWG HDMI Male to Male Cables with Ethernet"..one is 1' and the other is 3'.

The electronics store I purchase from has it setup so that if you don't use the warranty in the specified period, you get that money back in the form of a credit to be used in store. It's better than losing your money completely in my opinion.
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post #4705 of 8347
10/7/11 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by itc_sburnett View Post

After days of research, and the impending demise of my 10yr old RPCRT, I am going to pull the trigger on a 55ST30. I am also getting a DMP-BDT210 BD player. A couple questions:

1) The ST30 has no built in WiFi, but the BDT210 does. If I get an HDMI w/ethernet cable, will the ST30 be able to use the WiFi connection from the BDT210? Why doesn't Monoproce sell a highspeed w ether shorter than 30'? My BD will be within a few feet of the AVR!

2) I am a bit concerned about the FBr issues Ive been reading about. I can either buy this from Amazon or direct for the same price; I would assume i am dealing with Panny Customer service in either case right?

3) Ext warranties. I have never been a big fan of these for electronics. My Chase card gives me another year over the factory. What are others thoughts. Haven't most issues with this set been uncovered in the first 180 days?

1) the 55ST30 probably comes with a wifi dongle since in the description it says the tv is VIERA Connect WiFi ready. my 60st30 came with it.

2) i think most people dont have the fbr issue. i also think half of those people with the fbr issue probably have the C.A.T.S option turned on. it should be off.
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post #4706 of 8347
10/8/11 at 12:41am
Two quick questions:

- with older DVDs, the picture is always horizontally stretched, with all the available aspect ratios. Anything that can be done about that?

- what are the reasons not to use pixel orbiter?

Thanks!
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post #4707 of 8347
10/8/11 at 1:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by niccolo View Post

Two quick questions:

- with older DVDs, the picture is always horizontally stretched, with all the available aspect ratios. Anything that can be done about that?

- what are the reasons not to use pixel orbiter?

Thanks!

Im not sure what dvd/bluray player you have but Set your player to "normal" or "full" for DVD's... On my ps3 i have it set to "normal" with older discs that are Are made for 4:3 tv's I find it better to watch them With the black bars on the left and right...and use the TVs aspect ratio control to adjust..the tv usually does a better job at stretching my image without too much distortion..I usually select "just" on my X1 for those older titles in my collection, sometimes I'll even watch it the way it's output'ed and just say the he'll with it....with "anamorphic" DVDs well those should play fine with the standard black bars on top and bottom and my X1 is set to default "full" for those. This link should be helpful check it out:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...c/welcome.html

The pixel orbiter is just another feature for avoiding the dreaded "image retention"..you should be cautious in avoiding image retention but don't get manic about it...if you properly break in your set from the moment you take it out the box this so called image retention can be avoided completely..be especially cautious during your sets 1st 100 hrs or so, the manual will explain how the pixel orbiter feature works so read the manual.. I have my pixel orbiter feature set to "auto" and have never had a bad experience. I have read others complain about it affecting the sharpness of their pic when watching...but my eyes are not that sensitive I guess..maybe someone that's sits really close can see something.. but again at the proper viewing distance this should not be an issue....just set it to auto and be done with it.[/quote]
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post #4708 of 8347
10/8/11 at 5:20am
Had the panasonic tech out a couple weeks ago. Basically he said the buzzing was at normal levels and there was no issue. I told him I could hear it above panasonic's "spec"of 20 volume on the tv. Didn't matter. I asked him to remove the back of the tv to ensure no loose screws, etc and no cracker transformer - he did neither, saying it was normal level and there was no issue.

Great customer service (not) as it would take 5 minutes to do that job. I guess he didn't want to because he wouldn't be paid for it.

I can also reduce the buzz somewhat on the right side by pressing firmly on the tv just above the screw on the back panel. It doesn't really reduce the overall noise, but I can hear a difference by doing it right at the panel.

Just afraid exchanging it will lead to the same noise from the replacement, etc. And I'd rather not do the 100 hr break in again.

Since when did buying TV's become such a cluster****?
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post #4709 of 8347
10/8/11 at 8:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by QN52 View Post

Had the panasonic tech out a couple weeks ago. Basically he said the buzzing was at normal levels and there was no issue. I told him I could hear it above panasonic's "spec"of 20 volume on the tv. Didn't matter. I asked him to remove the back of the tv to ensure no loose screws, etc and no cracker transformer - he did neither, saying it was normal level and there was no issue.

Great customer service (not) as it would take 5 minutes to do that job. I guess he didn't want to because he wouldn't be paid for it.

I can also reduce the buzz somewhat on the right side by pressing firmly on the tv just above the screw on the back panel. It doesn't really reduce the overall noise, but I can hear a difference by doing it right at the panel.

Just afraid exchanging it will lead to the same noise from the replacement, etc. And I'd rather not do the 100 hr break in again.

Since when did buying TV's become such a cluster****?

If you are within your return period, exchange it. Don't even mention the service call. Trust me, once Panasonic declares your set to be "normal" it will not agree to service it under any circumstances. That's the way this company rolls. Better to be inconvenienced than to have to live with what you consider to be an unacceptable (and very audible) fault. My ST30 has it's own serious problem that the company has refused to deal with BUT, I have never had an audible buzzing problem and most people don't so your chances of getting another one that's OK are pretty good.
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post #4710 of 8347
10/8/11 at 10:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by _thx1138_ View Post

Im not sure what dvd/bluray player you have but Set your player to "normal" or "full" for DVD's... On my ps3 i have it set to "normal" with older discs that are Are made for 4:3 tv's I find it better to watch them With the black bars on the left and right...and use the TVs aspect ratio control to adjust..the tv usually does a better job at stretching my image without too much distortion..I usually select "just" on my X1 for those older titles in my collection, sometimes I'll even watch it the way it's output'ed and just say the he'll with it....with "anamorphic" DVDs well those should play fine with the standard black bars on top and bottom and my X1 is set to default "full" for those. This link should be helpful check it out:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...c/welcome.html

The pixel orbiter is just another feature for avoiding the dreaded "image retention"..you should be cautious in avoiding image retention but don't get manic about it...if you properly break in your set from the moment you take it out the box this so called image retention can be avoided completely..be especially cautious during your sets 1st 100 hrs or so, the manual will explain how the pixel orbiter feature works so read the manual.. I have my pixel orbiter feature set to "auto" and have never had a bad experience. I have read others complain about it affecting the sharpness of their pic when watching...but my eyes are not that sensitive I guess..maybe someone that's sits really close can see something.. but again at the proper viewing distance this should not be an issue....just set it to auto and be done with it.

[/quote]
I have a BDT-210. On normal, with ST-30 set to 4:3, image is still horizontally stretched on old DVDs. Zoom on the BDT helps, though it chops a bit off the top and bottom, but at least the image appears correctly proportioned. That's the only effective correction I've found so far.
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