57S500 Diary (previously 51S700 Diaria)

[Eduardo]

I recently purchased a Hitachi 51S700. The TV will be delivered on Sunday, 1/11/04. This is my first RPTV and never had experience calibrating any television. Eventually the TV will be ISF calibrated. But till then I want to calibrate myself for the best PQ.

The video sources are a Sony 550 DVD player (non-progressive); Xbox with HD Pack; cable box and OTA HD. The Hitachi only has 2 component inputs. The DVD player and XBox will be connected to the component inputs; the cable box via S-Video and external antenna will connect to built in HD Tuner.

Initial configurations:
The TV will be delivered and unboxed by Sears. Depending on weather the TV will will not be turned on to prevent damage from condisation. I purchased Avia and will be following it for the calibration. Note - for the calibration I will be using our Apex progressive scan DVD player.

Questions?
What are the proper steps for calibrating a TV?
Will my dvd 480i be upconverted?
Any advice?

Future:
New DVD Player (progressive) DVI optional.
Due to limited Component input and Digital audio inputs on my A/V reciever, I will be getting this HDTV Switch.
As stated before, set will be ISF Calibrated.

Thanks in advance.




http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Eduardo]

I can't believe I left out my first upgrade. I'm going to need good cable and of course they'll be CAT cables. :T




http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Lex]

Eduardo, congrats on your new TV!

Smart move on the condensation.

If your DVD player is pre-progressive scan, meaning interlaced 480i, then you will either need a DVDO-ISCAN and the necessary VGA breakout cable to component, or you will need to purchase an inexpensive component progressive scan player to achieve 480P with your new TV.

You will want to do one of them to get 480p and enjoy your HD set capability as close to HD as possible until you get a converter and pay for HD service. (if you do)

Thanks on the cable comments. I'll be waiting.

Lex

[Bent]

Eduardo, the AA unit switches on video inputs going hot, I believe.
Some equipment doesn't actually shut down out it's outputs when pwered down, it just applies a "black" to the tv input. These may not work with the AA as it may not sense a signal dropping out to switch (or sense a signal coming on, for that matter)
I'd confirm before paying...

[Chris D]

Eduardo, do you have any calibration discs such as Video Essentials, Avia, or Sound & Vision? These are what you're going to want to use. Heck, for your display I would recommend that you buy the new Digital Video Essentials. Even if you don't need it for true calibration if it's just going to be professionally done to ISF standards, it's a good disc to have in your collection for a few reference audio/video clips, learning information, etc. It can help with audio calibration as well, not just video.




CHRIS
Luke: "Hey, I'm not such a bad pilot myself, you know"

[Eduardo]

Thanks everyone.

Bent - I didn't think about that. I will definitely send an e-mail to AA. <-sounds like a drinking problem. :boozer:

Chris - I heard DVE had some issues so I bought Avia from Amazon. I recieved it yesterday.

Lex - I'll be using the BR DVD to do the calibration. Its an Apex but it does have progressive scan. I will be using the Hitachi to up convert the image to 540P.




http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Eduardo]

I took Bent's advice and contacted AA. They were very quick with thier response. To me thats important. Here is thier reply

Hello Eduardo

Good question.
These types of devices can confuse the auto select feature of the 1154. In
most cases if there is only one of these devices connected to the 1154 the
problem can be overcome. Just give that device a low priority by connecting
it in position #4. If there are more than one of these devices connected to
the 1154 then you will have to use manual select only.

Tech Support Mgr.
Charlie Patrick

http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Chris D]

Eduardo, Avia is good too. I personally use Avia, VE, and DVE all in conjunction to do a thorough calibration. Each has its own benefits. DVE is going to be the most current, and best one for cailbrating new high-definition models like your Hi-touchy, but Avia will work well for you too.




CHRIS
Luke: "Hey, I'm not such a bad pilot myself, you know"

[Eduardo]

:cry: - darn made the wrong decision. Is it worth getting DVE too?

Question

Should I calibrate from ISF menu or User menu?




http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Eduardo]

:cry: - HELP

Well due to the snow on Friday, my TV was not delivered till today (Monday). Delivery guys unboxed the TV outside and brought it in the house. But the TV will not make it up the back stairs and it could make it up the front stairs but not through the last door. The only solution possible is to seperate the box or put the TV on its side. I am so bummed right now. :cry:

Is it ok to put a RPTV on its side for a few minutes?




http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Eduardo]

Ok the problem has been resolved, Lex Style . After doing some more research, only the 57" and 65" TVs seperat into 2 seperate boxes. I went back to Sears and we worked out a deal on the 57S500. The upside is a bigger TV and the downside is no HD Tuner and no firewire. This does not really concern me cause my local cable company, Time Warner, carries most of the OTA HD plus HD movie channels. The other good news is that I will be getting the tv by Friday of this week.

It was funny to see my wifes face when I told her that we need a bigger tv cause the 51" was to big. :rofl: I guess I need to change the thread title too.




http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Sonnie Parker]

What a solution EJ! Cool! That would have been a super bummer to me.

Time Warner furnishes an HD tuner in their digital box, right? That will probably have component outputs or possibly DVI so you should be all set now.

Congrats!






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[Trevor Schell]

Great stuff in a way.
I am sure you will enjoy the 57" TV over the 51" .
It is substantially larger.


I think your wife must of thought you were out of your mind when you
told her the TV won't fit , so we need a bigger set..
:rofl:




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Chris D]

(Why the diarry with two "r" s?

That is just too funny. I personally think that you orchestrated it like that all along.

That's the way to upgrade, my man.




CHRIS
Luke: "Hey, I'm not such a bad pilot myself, you know"

[Eduardo]

Well I finally have the 57S500 in my bonus room but not with out incident. The box wouldn't come apart. :roll: One of the alignment pegs is bent and wedged between the housing. I was getting upset but the 7' tall delivery man said he can get the TV upstairs. And sure enough he did but slightly scratched the TV and walls in the process. To make me a happy customer, they are sending a gift card worth 10% of the TV. :T

First I will be contacting Sears to get a tech out to fix the peg. Just incase I move or sell the TV. And with that thought, I think I will also be getting the extended warrenty.

I haven't started doing any calibration or tweaks yet. Unfortunately life is demanding most of my time so the TV has really been on top of my important list. This weekend the tv will be calibrated. So stay tuned.




http://home.nc.rr.com/ejimenez

[Pat]

Hey EJ, glad you finally got your set

Funny how those 7' tall guys can make a point

Take care...your set will be ready and waiting when you are.




Pat's Page

[Lex]

Ok the problem has been resolved, Lex Style

LOL or Trevor. He's the one that tends to upgrade things before he gets them home.

So, did I hear you correct that this set upconverts to 540P? That's pretty nice if so! Congrats again on the set, to bad about the boo boos. But at least it sounds like they are trying to make it right.

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Trevor Schell]

That's great news!!
Unfortunate on the damage though.
Let us know how you like it.
Now your going to have to go Hi-Def!!

LEX!! ,I learned from you!! :P

So how does this 540 p work. I seen that spec on some sets?




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[aud19]

540p or 1080i (user selectable) is what Hitachi has chosen to up/down-sample everything to. My guess is, because the two work easily together. [1080(i) / 2 = 540(p)] As most CRT's only support up to about a 1200-1300 line horizontal resolution, 960 x 540 fits within that spec where as 1920 x 1080 does not. Plus 540p eliminates interlacing artifacts at the expense of a bit of 1080i's horizontal resolution. As I said, it's user selectable so you can chose which option you prefer.

Myself, I'm still boggled as to why, with about 1280 horizontal lines of resolution (Hitachi's specs) CRT based sets don't use 720p (1280x 720), which would fit perfectly, but what do I know?

Jason




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