The OFFICIAL 2006 Toshiba REGZA LCD HDTV Thread... - Page 59

Hastypete, what model do you have? Was it purchased new? Can you tell me what the production date is that's printed on the back of the TV?

Yes, the cost of ownership goes up if you have to rent a box, and then you have the box and where do you put it. Cable Cards are just so sweet. If guess if you're into VOD that's another story, but I'm not. I still haven't decided. This thing is under warranty until Jan 09' so maybe by then, they will have new sets with cable cards again.

I've got the 42HL196. I got a floor demo with ??? hours on it. The price was very good.
I did purchase the 5 year extended warranty due to the unknown hours.
I believe if my memory serves it was manufactured in Oct 2006, purchased around Feb 2007.
I've since seen a 52" LCD tv at Costco that was not much more. Oh the remorse.
But I have been happy so far.
My regret is that the next year model, although lacking cable card slots, is SO much better in terms of picture quality and features. The #$% HL series does not do pillar boxing so I can't use my DVD player's upscaling for 4:3 content.
I wouldn't count on the new sets having card slots. It isn't a requirement and it hasn't looked like Toshiba is doing it anymore. Anyone?

Well, just got off the phone with Toshiba and here's what I've decided to do. I know many here are thinking I'm crazy, but we'll have to wait and see. Toshiba offered me a new 42xv540, or a refurbed 42lx196(set i have) or a refurbed 42lz196. Both of the refurbs still have the cable card slots that I so much want to maintain. So, I've decided to try the refurb 42lz196. I'm hoping, that the lz since it was a model released later in the year than the lx, will not have the same problems that I have had in both lx models. It will still be under warranty until Jan 09' so if it sucks just like these last two lx's did, then I still have some recourse. Here's where I'm coming from on this decision. If I go to a new set and need to rent a cable box, the difference is $10.00 a month in rental fees. Over the years, it adds up. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I don't think you're crazy. CableCard was an important feature for you, so you're sticking with it. Makes sense to me.

I hope everything works out for you. I'm kicking myself for not making more of a stink about things back when my TV was still under warranty. (On the flip side, I hardly ever notice the ghost bars any more. That 120Hz refresh rate sure would nice, though.)

By the looks of the long thread, maybe this question has already been asked. Toshiba is probably the only brand I know of that does not reveal the contrast ratio on their tvs. I e-mailed Toshiba's customer service and asked why they don't list contrast ratios. A representative replied within 2 days and simply said that contrast ratio does NOT necessarily mean you get the best picture. He said it only tells a small percentage of the picture quality that you will be getting from a tv. Does anyone own theToshiba 46XF550 or the older 46RF350U?

Audio5oh, I understand and agree. But the more serious problem with contrast ratio spec's is that their are too many ways to measure the contrast ratio. So when you see published spec's of super high numbers they are likely puffed-up.

I have Toshiba's new 40FX550U next to Sharp's 94SE, Mits LN-40234 and Sony's XBR4. The Toshiba looks the best.

-Robert

I admit it...I am hi def TV clueless. But I can tell something's wrong and I'm hoping one of you can point me in the right direction. I imagine I have something set up wrong...but am just about ready to call for service.

My TV is 4 mos. old. It has developed a kind of horizontal line "flicker" occasionally and when the flicker happens a couple of times the TV loses color. I want to say specifically RED color because I definitely have green, white, blue, grey in the picture. Eventually it will flicker itself back to having color.

Is this a setting issue or a technical/warranty issue?

Thanks, I appreciate your guidance!
Robin (a newbie obviously)

Hi there I just joined the forum and have been reading all the interesting posts.

I have a 42lx196 using a PS3 to watch blu ray movies and play games. I thought I would respond to anyone thinking of using a similar setup.

I have my PS3 connected to my Regza with an HDMI cable with the PS3 set to send 1080i. The tv de-interlaces and displays 1080p. The tv doesn't accept 1080p from the PS3 but it doesn't matter because it displays it at 1080p. I have ten PS3 games and only two are actually 1080p. Most PS3 games are only 720p. All of my game titles look good and are fun to play. I can't speak for the gameplaying qualities of all titles but they sure look good. So good in fact that my PS3 gameplay using non-HD non-LCD's really suffers. My eyes got used to such great picture quality on my Regza (and any other HD tv for that matter) that I almost can't see important details on non-LCD's. I guess it's like trying to go from high-speed internet back to dial-up...

Thankfully on the backs of PS3 game boxes lists important info and you can browse the games and see which current titles are 1080 or 720. The flagship games that come packaged with PS3's all seem to be 720p and they all look great. Of course that doesn't mean all the games are equally good or fun to play. Gameplaying fun is important to me.

Al

Welcome aphillips14, since you're new here, and you have the 42lx196, what has been your experience with that set? I have had two, both with the banding lines issue (http://picasaweb.google.com/glennstr...65921316875202). I'm actually waiting while I write this for another refurbed replacement from Toshiba. This time they are willing to give me a 42lz196 to try. If this doesn't work out, then I'll have no choice but to get a new 42xv540 as a replacement. I'm just wondering how long you've had your lx and if you've had any problems. For the exception of these damn banding lines that show up under certain background and/or camera sweeping conditions, the picture is great. Anyway, welcome to the forum.

I got the Regza a couple of months ago but unsure how long it was there. I can see bands only under certain settings I read on here somewhere. However during normal viewing I have never noticed and I never have the tv set at settings like what are described when seeing bands. Everything looks great and I don't consider the bands a problem. If I didn't read about it here I probably would never have seen them. I have enjoyed the tv very much. Thanks for the welcome

Al

I know this is out of date, but has anyone been able to get 1:1 pixel mapping at 1080P with PC-> HDMI input on the 42HL196? I am using a Radeon HD2400 Pro. When I use the resolution 1920x1080 @ 30Hz or 60Hz, I cannot get the image to be full screen. The picture size option on the TV for "native" is greyed out. Is there a limitation to the video card, or the tv?

I'm not familiar with Radeons but what sort of cabling are you connecting from the pc to the tv ?

component video & HDMI will give you 1080. I am not certain about other cables.

Al

Might be your card. I get 1:1 mapping at 1080i with no overscan using the native mode via HDMI, but that is using a Mac with integrated graphics chip (Intel GMA950?). The computer autodetected the correct settings. Since it is a mac, I'm not sure if that info is very helpful, but the TV should be able to handle it.

I am connecting my PC to the tv with a DVI to HDMI adapter. No idea why there is a 2" border around the screen.

Also, when I am watching tv, the picture size will adjust to Normal, and then stay there for some reason. Is there a way I can lock it on to Native?

Again, this is my experience with a Mac, but the info might be useful: I can select an "Overscan" option in my display preferences, which shrinks the output so the full desktop can be seen on overscanning TVs. The problem is, it assumes the TV has like 10% overscan, so enabling it results in about 2" borders all around the screen. Most digital TVs (including the REGZAs) don't have anywhere near this amount of overscan, thus the large black borders. It also kills 1:1 mapping and I think disables the Native view mode. So even though in the primary display settings, I've told it to output a true 1080i signal, it is doing something under the hood to shrink the image and the result is crap. If I uncheck that overscan option, everything is perfect.

On my XP computer (which is just hooked up to a regular monitor), the Display Properties->Settings->Advanced dialog has video card-specific options. You might find something about overscan buried in there.

Forgot to address this question in my first response: Disable the "Auto Aspect Ratio" option in the TV's Picture or Advanced Picture menu.

i originally started with a 42HL196 back in 2006 that had the banding issue about 6 months into ownership. (2 faint bars, one on either side of the screen. in the same place as a 4:3 image, even though the image filled the whole screen. the image was a different shade of color in these "ghost bars"). toshiba agreed to replace it with the 42LX196 model instead. so far, so good.

i've had the LX for about 14 months, and it recently developed a very faint, vertical black line in the direct center of the screen. it almost appears as if one half of the screen is now faintly darker than the other.

unfortunately for me, i didn't buy the ext. warranty on this. i called toshiba and they said if i paid for the $100 service call, they'd see what they could do to help out with the problem.

service guy said "bad LCD panel, you need a new one." the repair is gonna be a whopping $2180.00, of which toshiba said they'd pay half. so i'm stuck with a repair bill of $1090 on my second toshiba set to have issues with the LCD panel.

unacceptable, i told them. if you're going to spend $1090 on the repair, why not just give me a $1090 credit toward a new set. "we can't do that" they said.

this set is 2 months out of warranty; not 2 years. they simply won't stand behind this and admit that they've produced a crappy product. it's my second set that had an LCD problem and they still won't do anything for me.

i think toshiba has 3 options to keep a customer happy:

1. pay for the entire repair
2. give me a credit toward a new set; or
3. send me a refurbished model of the same size

i don't think i'm asking them to do anything extraordinary considering that this my second experience with their crappy products.

i've written a letter to the consumer affairs division of the state attorney general's office and i'll see if i get anywhere with that.

i've purchased a samsung because the toshiba is basically un-watchable. i'll NEVER buy another toshiba product of any kind.

bluemax, don't accept a refurb. I'm on my third 196 set. I started with a new lx196. Then accepted a refurb, which one month later had the lines. I now have a lz196 that had the lines days after delivery. I have a warranty from Toshiba till Jan '09. I think I'll wait till later this year and then finally accept a new tv. (I had turned down two newer models due to them not having cablecard). I'm now ready to conceed that these sets had a design flaw and that most of the refurbs were due to the same issue that they can't fix anyway, and they are just putting them back into the market and taking a chance that people won't notice.

is this possible? I bought my unit 18 months ago and have never updated it. Also, is there a proper calibration tool I can use? I want to maximise my PS3 on it. Many thanks to those whom reply

quattroG:

thanks. at this point i'm just so p.o.'ed i don't know what to do. basically they took $2000 from me and i'm stuck with a 14 month old set that i can't watch.

i don't know, where i'm from, that's called stealing.

the absolute worst part of this whole mess is that toshiba simply won't admit there's an issue. this, despite the number of posts here and elsewhere on the internet addressing this exact same problem...they insist that mine is an extremely rare and isolated case.

B.S.!!! BOYCOTT TOSHIBA!!!!

what do you mean by update it? i don't think there is a firmware update (i've searched for quite some time)

I have the 46RF350U. the contrast is stunning with proper calibration. the blacks are as black as an lcd with wide gamut CCFL can get. works best with DynaLight turned off. i have the dynamic contrast turned on but only with the HDMI pc input and it works wonders.

FYI, contrast ratios have no standariztion in terms of capturing the measurement and thus, have no real bearing on what the set can actually attain.

We purchased this model Regza 42HL196, in September of 2006. In June of 2008, 20 months after purchase, the set failed totally, with a diagnosis of a bad lcd controller board. Toshiba does not sell this part separately (estimate cost $200-$400), but requires a full replacement of the panel which was quoted at $2789.70. This is $600 more than the original price of the television. After waiting for customer service and a supervisor for 30 minutes, I was told that due to the age of the set, nothing could be done. Diagnosis cost $160 dollars as well.
Given Toshiba's unreliability, and exorbitant part replacement strategies, I would run, not walk, to their competitors. They seem not to want repeat business. Avoid these guys if you want your set maintained!!!

Any suggestions. It hurts to throw the set out....

HEY!! nice to meet you! welcome to the toshiba hater's club...this is the exact run-around i got from toshiba. see my post above.

they really make poor quality products, don't they? fortunately, as consumers, we have a choice. unfortunately for you and me, we made the WRONG choice when we bought from this manufacturer.

as i said, i will NEVER buy another toshiba product of ANY kind, EVER again.

i just bought a samsung LN46A550, and couldn't be happier. what a difference in picture quality between the 2...it's amazing.

I have a 42hl196 bought from bestbuy in sept 06. The picture has been great up until last week when I started to see verticle lines on either side about 3 or 4 inches from bezel, and one in the middle. I had purchased the psp from best buy and called for a service appointment. Has anyone got a refund from bestbuy for the purchase price? I've never used an extended warranty before. Has anyone had any experience with them? Any tips on how to successfully deal with them would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Puglsy

Well the service tech was just here and insisted it was burn-in. He even pointed out in the owners maunal a paragraph about static image retention. Thats about all he did wasn't here more than 10 min. He said that he would see if they would allow him to order a panel but wasn't that confident about them saying ok. I rarely watch 4x3 images most of my viewing is hd material. When I do watch 4x3 shows I use theater mode 3. He said he would let me know in 7 to 10 days if everythig goes ok. I must say that I am a little disappointed in what just transpired. Almost 3k for tv and extended warranty and now to be told I have a burn-in issue. I just hope that they let him get the panel. Thanks for letting me vent alittle.

Pugsly

I have zero experience with extended warranties, but in my mind anything short of a replacement or refund would be unacceptable. You paid a big premium for that add-on warranty, for the sole purpose of protecting yourself in this situation. It is a total disgrace if BB doesn't stand behind the warranty. Burn in is BS, do the lines even match up with 4:3 ratio? Make sure they know this.

They are probably hoping to brush you off and you'll give up. You might need to make some noise, but stay on top of them...the web is full of horror stories regarding poor extended warranty service, but it seems like eventually many of them get resolved in a somewhat satisfactory manner. It might take time, though. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to give him the 7 to 10 days and then call bestbuy again and ask for a second opnion. I put the tv in 4x3 mode and the lines did line up but I also see one down the middle its faint but there. The service tech would hear none of it. I understand that he is probably not making much money on a warranty service call but I expected more. Who knows maybe it will all work out. No use worring until I hear back. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Pugsly

Hi Guys,
I just joined the forums after purchasing the Toshiba 42RV530 and I'm not real happy with the clarity. I'm not sure if it is comcast or the set. It seems the people if not close to the camera are kind of fuzzy. I read a thread here where all raved about this panel and never complained about blurring as many were gaming with no problems. My comcast cable box doesn't have an HDMI slot, could that be the culprit? Can anyone recommend any other possible causes to the poor picture? Also there are many here with older Toshiba's and are having problems. I had one of there crts for 12 yrs. Rock solid so I thought they a good name? What is reliable out there?
TIA steve

Welcome, Steve. Just one thought for a comparison to your Comcast feed. Can you get an OTA HD signal from one of your local stations? Hook up an external antennna and bypass the Comcast box. OTA is the purest form of HD.

Not having an HDMI out from the cable box shouldn't be a PQ issue, as long as you are using component cables. Fuzzy background images may not be a panel problem but a matter of focus from the source.