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metrographics

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Everything posted by metrographics

  1. People choose SD or HD to suit their own viewing habits and available programs, but I think the lesson here is that most everyone is happy with their choice! As prices tumble, quality improves, resolution increases and technology advances, I will look forward to putting the 42" SD into the spare bedroom and getting a 96" uHD (uber High Defintion) screen using Unobtanium pixel-cells for lifelike 3D images.
  2. I don't believe you will "always get a better picture" - garbage in = garbage out. If the program material (broadcast TV, DVD, VCR etc) is SD, then having a HD display may not make much difference... Also, to IJD, you missed my point. I KNOW that HD is better, and yes, I CAN see the difference (even without conducting your scientific tests!) but I was saying, that there are no broadcasts of HD worth watching (for now). It may be years until most programs are HD, so you may as well get a SD NOW rather than saving your sheckels for HD...
  3. Hi Guys can someone please explain why this obsession with 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution???? Although this is the spec on paper, who is broadcasting any decent programming? Yes, I know Kerry Anne is on in HD, but seriously, it will be years before the stations upgrade their gear, so why not grab a $5K plasma now, and just sit back and enjoy near DVD quality, widescreen, surround sound and forget about the measurements...
  4. Gee great, you've waited 60 years for CRT to "just about get there" (but you had better hurry now, as all the factories that manufacture CRT's are closing down, so get in quick!) You must have the patience of a Saint if you can wait at least 5 years to get a plasma...
  5. That looks like a good price. Have prices also dropped on the eastern seaboard of Australia??? RRP is $895, what is the current street price???
  6. what city are you in? I have had mine on since 5.30pm, hasn't missed a beat (although there were a few snap crackle pops in the sound) the last few nights have also got a few freeze frames for a 3-4 seconds at a time...
  7. like anything, the choices are between... ---> PRICE ---> PERFORMANCE ---> RELIABILITY Pick any 2 (you can never have all 3)
  8. ... so then you walk in and say that although you can pay $630 elsewhwere, you would rather buy from them for $670, because...???
  9. I must agree with JB in that people need to be aware beforehand, so there expectations are realistic. When I got my plasma home I was a little disapointed in the resolution. I quickly realised that I was nearly doubling the size of the image to 106cm from my old 63cm CRT without increasing the resolution. Of course I was doing all this comparing with my nose up against the glass. When viewed from my normal distance, I cannot see any pixels and am extremely happy with the sharpness and clarity. Things like colour balance and contrast are way more important. I still love my plasma and would not go back to a CRT...
  10. Andrew raises a good point, although no-one mentioned warranty the manfacturers "dead-pixel policy" could make a huge difference in the coming years. Some manufacturers have very clear and specific guidelines on how many pixels and their location on the screen warrant a defect. Others just say they will assess on a case-by-case basis!!!
  11. although JB is "technically" correct about resolution, I think you should give it the ultimate test, commonly know as the EYEBALL test. From a normal viewing distance, assess the PQ. The bulk of digital transmissions are SD, so 99% of the time you will get no benefit from the extra money spent on a HD display. Same goes for DVD's, the PQ will not appear different unless you stick your nose up against the glass. Spend the extra $2-3K on some dirty great big speakers, or go on a huge DVD shopping spree and buy every movie you ever wanted, or get a second smaller LCD for the bedroom. You will get much more enjoyment and benefit from these than watching Kerry-Anne for an hour each morning in high-definition!
  12. on the reliabililty of PVR's in general... the hard disk is a standard IDE drive as used in a PC. The street price for a good quality (Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor et al) is approx $140 for a 120Gb drive. By the time your drives fall over (and yes, they will ALL eventually die, they are a mechanical device, with moving parts) prices will be a third of that and capacities will have trebled... so use the time shift feature and everything else you can, get the maximum benefit from the box NOW, that's why you bought it...
  13. You must be joking. Yes, plasma's will be heaps better in 5 years, but so will digital cameras, computers, DVD recorders, kitchen blenders and any other consumer electronic item. That's no reason to not buy one now. Using your logic, in 5 years you'll still be telling people not to buy, something better is coming in another 5 years. If I get 5 years of use and enjoyment from my plasma now, then I'm 5 years ahead of you.
  14. I'd be so bold to suggest that if anyone sends in for the "fix" that they don't worry too much about the receipt. I can't see TEAC telling anyone that 12 months have elapsed... I'm more angered that we have to send in and collect at our own expense...
  15. appears that boxes purchased recently have the later firmware, but TEAC is still fiddling with it before making it available...
  16. Hi Chris glad to see you are happy with your set-up... which Pana did you get? Standard or High definition???
  17. The quoted hours are the "half-life", ie. in simple terms when the screen is half as bright as when it was new. I have had countless arguments with friends who tell me I am an idiot because I bought plasma, not LCD! The screen will not just stop working at 60,000 hours, it will just be less bright (though you can turn up the brightness adjustment to try and compensate) Have a look at a 15 year old CRT before saying not worth buying a plasma. If you turn down the (typically) bright factory settings, it will extend the life somewhat...
  18. 2 separate visits... Visit 1: I notice a plasma on display with incredibly bad picture quality. I asked the sales-nong what is the source, and he tells me a DVD! I look again, no way this is a DVD. He insists it is. Eventually, after a lot of prodding he shows me, yes it's a DVD - but a DVD RECORDING of some bad SD free-to-air! He doesn't understand... I explain to him that if I stuck a feather up his bum, it doesn't make him a chicken! Visit 2: I am helping a friend buy a new 42" Plasma. They only have it connected to HD, so I ask to see it on SD broadcast. No-can-do sir! Why not I ask? Answer: HD box CANNOT receive or display SD signal! I argue for 15min. He won't budge. Eventually, I say, "so if I buy a HD box for double the price of a SD box, I can ONLY watch 20 hours of broadcast per station a week plus the test loop? He realises his own stupidity and walks away. I have been there on 2 other occasions and listened-in to tha same sales-nong while he was doing his sales-spiel to some unfortunate novices, he was telling them that if they stuck a Ferrari badge on their Hyundai, it would turn into a Ferrari! (not really, but you get my point) I had to walk away before I smacked him...
  19. Can anyone give feedback on results of the "fix". Does it improve things? (ie. regarding the blown out whites) I am couriering my DVB400 to TEAC in the morning. Will let you know how long and results of fix.
  20. So. is the "digital clifftop" a myth? It sounds more like a "digital slope"!!!
  21. When I bought my Panasonic TH-42PHD6AY plasma last month, I placed it alongside my 5 year old Panasonic 68cm CRT. Both had the same source signal (DVD of Finding Nemo), with the plasma via component and the CRT via composite. The blacks from the plasma absolutley and positively shamed the CRT. The plasma blacks were lush and velvet smooth, but not at the expense of detail (Gill, the Angel fish in the dentists tank - aka Willem Dafoe) is a perfect example. He was black as black can be, but with detail and texture to his skin... A friend bought an LG plasma at the same time, we did a back to back comparison, and the LG is most definately grey, but only when viewed alongside the Pana. If you looked at it without anything alongside, most people would be satisfied. Although I am comparing plasma to an old CRT, I believe the latest generation of plasmas can easily compete with the latest CRT's.
  22. Sent my email to TEAC 4.50pm Friday 30 April Received email response from TEAC 5.13pm Friday 30 April Approx. 15 minutes!
  23. Hi Jeremy good thinking, who needs wide-screen, DVD quality, Dolby sound... all a waste of time really. Tell you what, I have a fantastic old Pye B&W TV I can sell you! It doesn't have colour (too distracting, what with someone wearing a RED shirt with BLUE pants). It has a 2-inch mono speaker (this definately will NOT be too loud on your delicate ears). Screen is nice and curved (not flat, with sharp corners so you don't cut yourself). Good old 4:3 ratio (wide-screen is bad for the eyes). VHF only (who wants UHF to try and read sub-titles on SBS anyway) Why not just throw out your TV and stick with the wireless, less confusing than TV for you (what with picture AND sound).
  24. It appears the "fix" is not something a user can do. I emailed TEAC as instructed and the reply was to call their customer service 1800 number, and they will advise the nearest TEAC repair centre. Then you must ship unit to them at your expense for them to effect "repairs". I was quoted approx 3-4 days.... PS. You must include copies of your receipt of purchase
  25. Mr TEAC wanted some examples of shows with washed out whites. A great example is anything to do with Ch 10 The Hothouse, especially the promos for it. I have gone back to using component, which has corrected the problem about 90% (but at the expense of picture quality). Even so, anything to do with The Hothouse is still totally blown out in the whites. Still waiting for TEAC to even acknowledge that it is a problem. There are just too many posts on this BB for it to be palmed off as an individual quirk or a particular STB/monitor issue.
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