Official Toshiba 65HM167 and 57HM167 Owner's thread - Page 7

Thanks, let me know how it went. Just alittle disappointing that I had to find it after I found nothing else wrong with the TV. I noticed it after I hooked up my media box.

The 65hm167 I had from Circuit City had dark spots right near the middle of the screen, very distracting. Seemed to be the common problem of plastic shavings I hear about.

I just got my new one from one call. I thought it was perfectly fine but it again does seem to have something, but luckily right at the bottom edge of the screen and it's not dark, but that angle you see it at makes the spot slightly lighter. I can only tell somethings with a all dark screen or sitting under the tv to get to my components.

It's oddly shaped like the Superbowl trophy, too bad it didn't look like Jesus, I could have sold it on ebay I can live with it since it's practically unnoticeable in 98% of viewing. But I guess this is going to be a common thing with this tv.

Please let us know how long it takes to have a service person come.

Did you call the store where you purchased it or call Toshiba direct for service?

Shelly

I think it really depends on your location. Both mits and Toshiba refer me to exact same "authorized service center". I called Toshiba directly and they told me of them and phone number to call them. So I had to call them and setup an appt for next week.

Hi everyone. This is my first post! I'm a noob here, just ordered a 65HM167 today, and am really excited! I have had a TP50H60 for the last 9 years, and it's just started going wrong.

I don't know what's wrong with it, but on the plus side, it gave me an excuse to source a 65HM167. Once the new TV gets here, I'll pull the old one apart and see if it's fixable. If so, it's good enough for the bedroom still.

I got a cracking price on the new TV, too good to pass up; it cost the same as the old 50" cost me back in 1998!

Paul.

Anyone have their set ISF calibrated yet? I'm hoping to get mine done in a month or so but I would be very interested to hear the results before then.

I am looking for a 65 inch dlp. I just spent most of the day looking at sets. The 65hm167 and the Mits WD65731 are contenders.

The Mits had no SSE that I could see. The picture was smooth and no graininess. However, it lost a lot of detail in the dark areas compared to the Toshiba.

The Toshiba has noticable SSE but displayed much more detail in the dark parts of the scene. Unfortunately there was a dark speck in the middle on the screen on the Toshiba.

This leads to my questions.

1) Is the lack of detial on the Mits the result of poor adjustment in the store or is it a function of the set?

2) How much do people owning the Toshiba notice the SSE?

3) How easy is it to fix the black speck problem on the Toshiba?

I might be able to tolerate some SSE but I could not live with the black speck. I also would hate to miss the detail the Mits leaves out. You can see the detail of the bricks in doorways on the Toshiba but in the Lits it just looks dark.

Also the blacks on the Mits tended to look gray while on the toshiba they were black. Anyn opinions appreciated.

If you get a unit with black specs, you can have a tech come out and see if it can be easily cleaned, have the screen or screens replaced under warranty if it cannot be cleaned, or do as I did and bring the TV back to the store and swap it for a unit that was fine. Mine was either a defective screen or something between the two screens. I did not want to wait for new parts so I swapped the TV.

Most of the SSE can be tweeked out of the set once you get it home and use DVE to do a simple calibration on the set.

When I looked at the set in CC I was also concerned about this but the set had so much detail in the image I couldn't resist buying it and hoping it could be minimized. I don't notice SSE anymore except on bright white scenes and even than it tolerable.

All rp sets have SSE to some degree and how it's setup at home is what makes the difference. At least it did for me.

The price and quality of this set is to hard to pass up. I returned a Samsung HL-S5687 for this set and I believe the images are a step above the Samsung.

My 65HM167 will arive home on Thursday. I can't wait to tear into this thing and see what she can do. I am placing a Panasonic 50" 720p 3LCD (PT-50LC13) in my bedroom. I write this because the Panasonic has a focus adjustment on the projection lens. Once adjusted the level sharpness, when compared to the factory setting, *SIGNIFICANTLY* increased. The set always looked sharp, but now it is crisp. I assume this DLP being an RPTV must have a similar feature. When I get it and tear into it over next weekend, I will let yall know!

Thanks for the reply. I have the HL=S5687 as a second set at home. I had a hockey game on and the SSE seen on the ice was distracting. Right now it is a toss up. I cannot seen SSE on the mits but the lack of detail in the shadows is annoying. For me SAE is annoying as well. I am a junkie for perfect picture. I actively look for these things (probably obsessive compulsive disorder).

Right now I need to replace a HP MD5880n. Honestly it was the best picture I have seen on a DLP. It self destructed and HP has to do a buy back because there are no replacements (HP only made DLP's for one year). I am looking for a set with the same PQ but will last more that 16 months.

Does anyone know the height of the stand for the 57? I'm going to pick one up today and am wondering if the Tosh stand will work for my installation.

Nevermind, I found the dimensions.

34" tall...

Possibly the reason you see lack of detail on the Mits is the same reason you don't see SSE. Adjust the brightness and contrast to acceptable levels and you may see the SSE. If you want a perfect picture, you will get closer if you shell out the money for a 1080p plasma -- maybe the new Pioneers due out soon.

You said you were looking at the 65731, I don't think it would be such a great choice when it comes to black levels. A review face-off showed the Mitsu to be the worst for blacks. Though, the 65732 seems to be more popular since it features an iris named black detailer. There should be sales on that one soon since the 65734 is replacing it and Best Buy should already have the 65733 that would replace the 65731, and it's much thinner.

Speaking of the 65733 and the Mitsu being dark. BB had it and the 65hm167 in view 8 feet away from each other. If I recall right, the Mitsu there did seem to have darker darks, making it hard to see detail. When some footage of a factory came up with huge vats of mixing white liquid that took up the screen, you did have to look to notice the SSE on the Mitsu 10 feet away, while just walking to the Toshiba to get centered I was already noticing it. But for some reason at home, the SSE seems to be a lot less that what it appeared in the store. The worst part in SSE is the sparkle to me. While noticing it as grain with a long slow pan I don't mind as much.

Overall though, SSE is SSE, it's on all sets, if you're picky about it you'll notice it on any tv no matter the degree. Yes, one might pop out sooner to you, but there's no stopping it. I had the Sony 60a2020 for a short time, which seemed to have the least, yet over time I was seeing it easily where I thought I wouldn't. Example, I had watched Happy Feet twice on my older Sony LCD RP 55xs955 that I knew had bad SSE and I never recalled seeing it then, yet for the first time I saw it on the Sony with this movie. Maybe because the SSE was so small and fine on the Sony I just wasn't use to it, or I just trained my eyes to notice it after all the new tv reviewing and looking for it in stores. Like if a solid patch of color, or a slow pan, I'd instantly think that would show SSE and I then change my viewing to see it when I don't want to. Once it's out of your mind it won't be too much of a problem most the time.

Here's that shootout I mentioned it, it features the 65731 and an older Toshiba. But these reviews never cover SSE or Rainbows.: http://hometheatermag.com/rearprojec...s/207rptvface/

Am I correct in that there is no pip in the 65hm167?

Shelly

Yes, no PIP (or POP).

Everyone is talking about the SSEs I had to chime. I looked at the Tosh 65HM1187 in different stores and I have to say I was on the fence until I was able to se it with a good feed Direct TV and adjusted correctly. In those instances I was able to see it side by side with a Mitu 65731/65831 and the Sonys (XBRD2 and A2020). In the later case the only TV that was comparable was the XBRD2 and you know why....brecause they run it with a brighter setting ( That why they give you an extra lamp!!!!). Even when I set the Tosh to the lower lamp setting it had better picture and detail than the the others and was just a step below the XRBD2. So if you want to believe all the hype and pay $800- 1000 more but the 60 inch Sony or 65 inch Mitus go ahead this is a free country but do your self a favor calibrate the Tosh and you will see what I am talking about. Besides in 3 years something beter will come along and you will have that $1000 to plunk down on it.

I picked up a 57HM167 today. I've still got some tweaking to do, but it's coming around. The factory settings were horrible and I thought I was going to have to return it right away. After some adjustments, the HD material is starting to look pretty good, but the SD (broadcasts) still have a ways to go. I've got to spend some time with my HD DVE disc to dial it in. So far it looks best with the HD-A2. HD discs look good, and I'm pretty happy with the SD discs upconverted by the A2. However, I haven't gotten that "wow" factor from it yet. I sure hope I didn't make a mistake on this purchase. I was initially waiting for the 52LX177, but decided to jump into 1080p with this one. So the jury is still out. We'll see how it goes.

We have the same tv, Dllhope, how does the tosh compare to your 51S500? I've been on the fence on upgrading, i'm seriously considering the 57hm167.

jodeci4l,

Actually, when you factor in the SSE (more about this later) and other artifacts, the 51S500 probably has a nicer picture. Especially with SD broadcasts. Although the glare is much, much less noticable on the new Tosh. The glare was one of the main reasons I decided to upgrade. I have a rec room in the basement with one small window up high, so the 51S500 will be perfect down there. My family room has lots of windows and we always had to close the shutters to watch anything during the day. Table lamps were also distracting during evening viewing. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about since you have one too.

The SSE is very pronounced with "out of the box" settings. Once I toned things down a bit, it's definately minimized it, but it's still very noticable. I think it's going to be something to get used to. Although I have to admit, I'm nowhere near done tweaking yet, so I hope to get more improvements. This is my first DLP, so I'm sure there's also an "acclimation period" to get used to the differences. It's quite a dramatic difference in the "look" of it after watching the Hitachi for 4 years.

Another "artifact", for lack of a better term, is this weird grainy look to the picture. Kind of like compression artifacts, but it seems to be stationary on the screen. I mainly see it during panning or camera movement. Almost like the back side of the screen has a rough texture to it, like crystals or something. This is a different problem than the SSE. After the super-smooth look of the Hitachi CRT RP, this seems very noticable.

So far, the only time the new Tosh compares favorably to the Hitachi is when using the HD-A2 as the source. At full HD resolution (and SD upconversion), they're pretty close. The Tosh is a little more vibrant and sharp (and very little glare), but the artifacts I mentioned are somewhat of a step back. I'm still on the fence as to whether I made a mistake on this one. I'll spend a little more effort dialing it in with DVE and then see how it looks. I have a feeling though that the new LX177 LCD models are going to look a lot nicer, albeit with a higher price tag. That's what I was waiting for until I couldn't contain myself any longer.

I don't know what others with these new Tosh sets are upgrading from, but these sets have rather large shoes to fill for owners of the Hitachi sets like ours. I wouldn't say I'm "wowed" at all. So far there's none of that "3D pop" that some people speak of. Other people were always impressed with my Hitachi, so maybe my problem is that it's just not much of a step up from what I'm used to.

Hope that helps. No offense to the other posters here, but remember to take all of these opinions with a "grain of salt". Including mine. You have to make your own judgement as to whether you like the DLP experience or not. It's quite different from the nice set you have. Especially if yours is well calibrated.

jodeci4l,

A few things I didn't mention was the connectivity, usability and tuner. Here the Tosh is a big step up. 3 HDMI ports, PC input, component inputs, no convergence issues, etc. If you decide to upgrade, you'll be very pleased with these aspects of the set. The tuner is very good with it's sensitivity and picks up weak stuff really well. I have a big antenna on a tower and this puppy can get a couple channels from the secondary markets without having to rotate the antenna. I have a number of STB's and a DVR all with ATSC tuners, and this new Tosh's tuner is probably the best of them all. There's also a cool feature that treats inputs like channels when you hit the "last channel" button. You can also scroll through a short list of the last viewed sources. This includes channels and inputs mixed. Kind of cool. It also stored separate video settings for each input same as the Hitachi.

I haven't even listened to the audio on this set. First thing I did was turn the volumn all the way down. Although it does have a toslink output to feed your AVR with sound from the tuner. I watched and listened to some classical stuff on PBS HD and was very happy with the quality of that audio feed.

Hope that helps. I didn't want my review to seem overly negative. There's no question this is a quality set. It's just the picture qualities of DLP are so different it's hard to appreciate that just yet.

I'm watching some of the NBA playoffs in HD broadcast over DIRECTV, and the PQ varies depending on the closeness of the shot.

A zoomed out panning shot that shows the whole halfcourt action is razor sharp with no pixelation or zaggies on the edges of any part of the picture. BUT, as soon as the camera zooms in on an individual player who is moving, every moving element of the picture gets serious zags and fuzz. A close-up shot of the coach, who is not moving much, is clear. A moving player is fuzzy. When he stops moving and the camera is still zoomed in, the zags and fuzz immediately goes away.

What's happening here?

FEU

I was over my parents yesterday and WOW this is one fine picture!

Are you talking about TNT HD?? I don't have this so I won't be able to compare directly, but i do know that directTV does some compression of the image so that may be where you're noticing loss in PQ.

I wil be watching the finals on ABC starting thur - so I will report back on if i have similar experiences on my tosh 65hm167. This will be ABC HD via my STB, so more compression than an OTA HD Signal, but less than DirectTV.

Not trying to turn this into an hitachi love thread, but i havent seen many sets that impress me. And your opnion validated my thoughts. Our 51s500 is a hell of a tv.

Thanks for the honest review, Dlhope! I have been in the same boat as u....current owner of the 57s500 Hitachi that I have no issue with at the moment but its the reflections and the bulkiness that made me start considering DLP's.

I was looking at the 65" Toshiba but from your review, non-HD picture quality seems less than par compared to the Hitachi and most of my programming is SD though I also own a HD-A2 player for HD movies.

I know the Hitachi's have a fantastic scaler that up-scales lower resolutions to 1080i native and hence why even my regular DVD's always looked good but it appears the Toshiba may be somewhat lacking in such a scaler.

Hmmm.......so my search goes on :-(
Frag

I don't know what what kind of feed you have how you have your TV set up butI have the 65HM167 and have another older Toshiba 56HM195 and don't have any of the problems you "hitachi" guys have. if you never owned a DLP before, I can tell you it is a diffrent viewing experince. When I first got this TV I was not please because I felt something just wasn't right and I was consitently adjusting. I went from a Tosh CRT RTP and it took me a while to adjust but once I did I loved it. One thing I would do with this TV is to tone down the brightness this is one of the brightest TVs our there and it cones from the factory set to run in torch mode and which is how they run it in the stores.


In fact the SD broadcasts are fantastic unless of course there is bad feed coming from the station I don't care what yuo are watching it on. I running on direct TV HD, using HDMI, sitting about 13 feet away and I played with the adjustments. One thing I did find is if you sit to close with a DLP you will experience grainess, also if happen to be looking down at the picture the same will happen.

Well my replacement lamp arrived Friday and I'm back in business. The retailer still sucks, so i dealt with Toshiba and they came through quickly. Love the TV.