Don't dump your CRT RPTV! - Page 10

Originally Posted by Mighty_Ferguson

Hi,
I'm currently on the fence about upgrading from my CRT RPTV, but leaning towards keeping it and having it ISF calibrated. I'm hoping that if I were to keep it and buy a DVD player that will upconvert to 1080i over component video (either out of the box or with a hack), that it would help curb my urge to upgrade. I'm unsure of how much of a difference I would see though. My TV is a Pioneer Elite Pro620HD, and I'm using a Panasonic XP-30 DVD player that has great 480p output. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Would the difference be that noticeable on this TV?

Assuming I would see a significant difference, does anyone have a recommendation on a DVD player that will upconvert over component? I know there are a lot of threads about that in the DVD forum, and I've been reading through most of them. I can't seem to find what apparently would be the magic combination: Faroudja DCDI chip, component output, and pillar boxes 4:3 material (since most older TVs including mine lock to full 16x9 mode when it gets a 1080i signal). I could live without the Faroudja chip, but the consensus seems to be that video quality is poor in most of the players without it.

Thanks for any info/opinions.
-Mighty

Originally Posted by DavidHir

The Oppo 970 will upconvert non-copyrighted DVDs over component.

Originally Posted by Mighty_Ferguson

Yeah, I suppose I should have been more specific in my original post. I'm obviously looking for one that will upconvert ALL DVDs, not just non-copyrighted. Thanks for that clarification DavidHir.

I have a feeling there's no player out there that will cover all the features. I hope I'm wrong though.

-Mighty

Originally Posted by Mighty_Ferguson

Yeah, I suppose I should have been more specific in my original post. I'm obviously looking for one that will upconvert ALL DVDs, not just non-copyrighted. Thanks for that clarification DavidHir.

I have a feeling there's no player out there that will cover all the features. I hope I'm wrong though.

-Mighty

Originally Posted by Mr Bob

710's are DEFINITELY worth calibrating, it's not even at its halflife yet. There is an entire thread here in this section dedicated to repairs the x10 series commonly need. .....................................................
Technicians? Never expect a repair tech to know anything about calibrations. Often they just make things worse. I and a just a small, select handful of other guys are the only ones I know who do both field repair and fullscale/fullservice calibrations on CRT based bigscreens. We are a rare breed indeed.

Same for ISF techs. Don't expect 99% of the ISF graduates listed on the ISF website to know anything about the image structure ops critical to CRT based bigscreens, either RPTV or FPTV. ...............................
Qualified? I'm sure you can find info somewhere, but if you want to stay with the tried and true, fly me in. I fly out of OAK.


Mr Bob

Originally Posted by Wytchone

I use the LG 511 to upconvert via Componet. Just need to hack it.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...4&page=7&pp=30

You may still be able to find it got it at BB and its seens heavy use since its purchase. I must say I lucked out.

Originally Posted by mbaxter

Coach Gibbs: That's not something you'd normally see on a set fresh from the factory, and you shouldn't have to put up with it. I'd recommed you get the set exchanged while you're still within your 30 day period. The consensus is that these F59 models are generally well-built; chances are your replacement will have no geometry problems.

And yes, with proper video settings, a few easy service menu tweaks, and the 117pt convergence, you will get a picture quality that truly does surpass the other rear projection technologies, and without having to put up with the dreaded "Silk Screen Effect".

There is no better bang for your dollar out there. I was also dubious about CRT rear projection; my local Circuit City had a noisy feed going to their 51F59 display unit, with visible static and horizontal line noise all over the place. Meanwhile their other sets, miraculously, were all getting clean signals via component or HDMI. I had to bring my laptop and a DVI-to-HDMI cable to the store in order to get some idea of what the set was actually capable of. Man, if they had their store unit looking as nice as the one sitting in my living room, they'd have a hard time selling anything else!

Originally Posted by John Mason

Since it seems to lack a HD tuner from the specs, can't see how it's being fed an HD signal. One cable (RCA plugs) would be composite video (analog NTSC), or the same if it's an F-connector RF coax to a NTSC tuner from a signal-distribution system.

Originally Posted by mbaxter

RTFM

Just kidding but seriously it's in the manul and is real easy to do. It's basically just a big grid that fills your screen and you use the cursor keys on the remote to ensure the blue and red lines are hidden behind the white lines. The goal being to end up with a grid of pure white lines with no red peeking out and as little blue halo as possible. Note that you can't completely hide the blue lines because they're always a little more diffused than the red and green. There will be a faint blue halo around the white grid lines no matter what, but you want to ensure it's uniform, not uneven.

IMO the automatic & 9-point convergence modes are worthless; the only one worth doing is the 117pt manual convergence. Or if you're feeling adventurous you can go into service menu and do the DCAM convergence. But that's for another discussion; I wouldn't worry about that just now.

Originally Posted by mbaxter

.

There is no better bang for your dollar out there. I was also dubious about CRT rear projection; my local Circuit City had a noisy feed going to their 51F59 display unit, with visible static and horizontal line noise all over the place. Meanwhile their other sets, miraculously, were all getting clean signals via component or HDMI.

Originally Posted by Lee Bailey

The F59 series tuners do receive HDTV signals just fine OTA. There is just no QAM support. I receive 1080i, 480i and 720p signals just fine.

Originally Posted by htpartyshack

Questions for you all if you don't mind . . .

I had no intention of dumping my faithful Mitsubishi 65" TW65X81 that I have owned since 2000. However, I just suffered a lightning strike, and afterwards all the guns were way out of whack. I was able to get the picture back to a decent level using the convergence feature in the menu, but it doesn't look like it is quite right, especially on dvd (it never was much to look at on directv SD anyway). The strike also knocked out the set of component inputs that I was using, but I can use the second set.

So . . . is this tv worth the money for a professional calibration? And can I even find someone to do it, given that I live in a very rural area in the mountains of Western Virginia?

If I have to dump it, what to replace it with? A front DLP projector? LCD rear projector? I would like to go front projector if I can get away with it to increase screen size, as my seating is 18 feet from the screen. The room is pretty much a dedicated theater room used mainly for movies and not "background" tv, but I do have three windows with curtains and there would be some day time viewing.

Thanks in advance for the advice . . .

Originally Posted by htpartyshack

So . . . is this tv worth the money for a professional calibration? And can I even find someone to do it, given that I live in a very rural area in the mountains of Western Virginia?