Bought an LG 17" LCD TV/Monitor and Not Happy

[alexander]

Hello, I recently purchased this TV from PC World on one of their special offers:

http://www.savastore.com/productinf...204&rstrat=7421


The picture quality is not great in my view but the worst thing about it is the colour and difference between the dark and light. For instance, on a yellow background you cannot pick out anything white atall.

I have tried fidgeting around with all the settings and I still can't get anything near what it should be.

If there is anyone here with one could you post your settings?


It is connected to a TF-100GB Pioneer Freeview box. I know that it is an old aerial connecting the wall with the freeview box but I am not getting the squarey interference that halts the picture, it is just poor picture and colour.

So my questions:


1) Is it the LCD TV Itself which is the problem, or is it the cable, or the Freeview box?

2) It has no scart socket, but it has the 3 cable which goes into the TV which is a scart at the other end and plugs into the freeview box, would I be able to get a scart splitter and plug a DVD in at the same time as a freeview box?

3) If it is the TV, can anyone suggest a GOOD LCD TV in the 17"-20" Range for around the £250 limit?

I connected the TV/Monitor to my Computer and played a few DVD's, played Battlefield 2 on Full settings at 1280 x 1024. It ran flawlessly and I couldn't tell the difference between that and my DVI LCD monitor. All the colours were perfect and the picture was very, very crisp.


But when I connect it to the aerial on digital TV, the picture isn't really very clear, it is kind of grainy/squarey. But the worst thing is the colours, contrast and brightness.

Is this the same throughout the LCD Range or is it just my TV?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[5lab]

turn the brightness and contrast both down to ~1/2 way - its always a good start..

[alexander]

Hi, I've tried that but I still can't get the right balance.


Your new LCD TV, how is the picture on that? As good as A CRT?

[5lab]

my tv is a crt i'm afraid. i believe xtr has a niceish lcd set.

it sounds like over saturation - can you turn the colour down>

[Bob Crabtree]

You are right, I reckon, to want to see how DVD looks and use that for checking and setting up.

Does the set really only have one video input option (which I'm presuming is composite video, plus L/R audio)?

There are very few decent sets that don't have S-video, too - and even fewer DVD players that don't have S-video out; and, given a choice between composite and S-video, you should always go for S-video.

That link you gave doesn't work, so can you tell us the exact model number of the LG set?

Oh, and the way I was shown years back by service engineers to set up a TV set - and this always works for me, with CRT models anyway - is first to turn the colour right off, and adjust the contrast and brightness controls to get a good black-and-white picture.

When you are happy with that, you turn the colour back up, adjusting, if necessary/available, the saturation controls.


Bob C

[Stoo]

tbh, I've not yet seen a standard lcd tv with a nice picture yet, they've all looked like they've been showing a badly compressed low-res mpeg video

Having said that, some of the new HDTV's have a *very* nice picture, but only when showing a suitable high-def stream, a standard PAL tv picture still looks pretty naff compared to a crt..

[Funkstar]

yeah, what Stoo said.

A friends 15" LG looks fine as a monitor, but not great at a TV. Actually, i've seen LCDs displaying TV through a PC look better than by using their internal tuner. Could be something to do with the internal upscaling of video. i don't know.

[Stoo]

I don't think it's so much the upscaling, but upscaling to a non-native resolution that knackers the quality..

Pal is at about 720*576, most of those lcd tv's are either 800*600, or 1024*768, so to upscale, it's never a *clean* scale, like say 800*600 to 1600*1200.

I suspect it wouldn't be quite so bad if they had quality scaler hardware in the sets, but most of the previous generation lcd tv's clearly don't..

[Bob Crabtree]

Originally Posted by Stoo

tbh, I've not yet seen a standard lcd tv with a nice picture yet, they've all looked like they've been showing a badly compressed low-res mpeg video
- SNIP -

I've not seen that many of these sets but those I've seen rather impressed me.

The only one that comes to mind, though, is the Videoseven LTV17D LCD that a mate of my has.

I think I'm going to have to look at that one again, though, and see if my eyes were fooling me or if my memory is.

Bob

[alexander]

Thanks for the responses.

The model number is the LG M1710A:

http://prices.cnet.co.uk/televisions...126586p,00.htm

The inputs it has is:

VGA Computer (Not DVI)
S-Video
3-Coloured one which turns into a scart at the other end
Sound

I tried the S-VIdeo with my computer and it says that it only goes up to 1024 x another number and it looked really, really bad.


Another thing, surely if the TV can display PC Images and games it is High definition compatible?

[5lab]

no hd no, it doesnt have the right inputs.

you want to use s-video and sound - the quality from yer digibox/whatever will be best.

[Bob Crabtree]

I think you're moving the goal-posts here - I don't believe that the quality seen from S-video-out from a PC is relevant (and you've certainly not mentioned it before), since so much will depend on the capabilities of the PC's graphics card.

So, let's get back to basic:

To try to establish whether or not the LG is duff, you need to input a known good signal and, as I've already suggested, I think that your best option - assuming you have a DVD player (a standalone set-top DVD player, not a DVD-ROM drive in your PC), is to connect that, via S-video to the TV set.

If the picture from DVD via S-video is not good, then, in my view, you've every right to ask for your money back and to buy something different from where ever you choose.

The same would be true if the set fails to give a good picture when used as a PC monitor - that's assuming you have correctly set up your PC's graphics card to output at 1280 x 1024 at 32-bit colour (and the right refresh rate), and have also adjusted the LG properly.

If the picture from DVD via S-video is good, then you need to see whether any other AV products you want to connect to the TV set also have S-video-out capabilities.

If they do, but can only output S-video via Scart, then you need to buy a dedictated Scart-to-S-video lead for each one - a lead that has an S-video output at the TV end. My first port of call would be at a computer fair.

As for your assertion that, "Another thing, surely if the TV can display PC Images and games it is High definition compatible?" - I'm left floundering.

Why would you conclude that a TV set able to display PC images (in effect, a PC monitor) and display games (from a PC) is High Definition?

I simply don't understand why you might draw that conclusion.

Check out the info available from the EICTA - the European trade body that thought up the HD ready idea (as a way of ensuring consumers know whether a set they're going to buy is genuinely HD capable) - to understand the definition of HD ready.

Here is an extract from one of the key licensing documents :
========================
A display device has to cover the following requirements to be awarded the logo “HD ready”:

1. Display, display engine
• The minimum native resolution of the display or display engine is 720
physical lines in wide aspect ratio.
2. Video Interfaces
• The display device accepts HD input via:
o Analogue YPbPr1, and
o DVI or HDMI
• HD capable inputs accept the following HD video formats:
o 1280x720 @ 50 and 60Hz progressive (“720p”), and
o 1920x1080 @ 50 and 60Hz interlaced (“1080i”)
• The DVI or HDMI input supports content protection (HDCP)
========================
So, your idea that having some particular PC-related capabilities clearly isn't in any way relevant to whether or not a TV set is HD ready, and nor is there, as best as I can see, anything in the LG's spec that suggests it might be HD-capable, HD ready, or anything else HD.

Oh, and for the record, here is LG UK's page about the product, and here are the specs, as listed by CNet (and rather more detailed than LG's!).

Bob

Originally Posted by alexander

Thanks for the responses.

The model number is the LG M1710A:

http://prices.cnet.co.uk/televisions...126586p,00.htm

The inputs it has is:

VGA Computer (Not DVI)
S-Video
3-Coloured one which turns into a scart at the other end
Sound

I tried the S-VIdeo with my computer and it says that it only goes up to 1024 x another number and it looked really, really bad.


Another thing, surely if the TV can display PC Images and games it is High definition compatible?

[Zak33]

could I suggest getting a copy of Monsters Inc on DVD, and running the calibration tests that are built into the menu?

They are very usefull for getting Brightness and Contrast right.

Could I also suggest that you might have a SHARPNESS control, and it might be too high.

If you have one, knock it right down and then move it up a bit every hour until you get it right

[alexander]

Ok, thanks for the replies.

Firstly, I was using the blue VGA thing coming out of the graphics card on my computer to get the picture with Battlefield 2 and the DVDs. The picture was perfect and it was from a 6800GT 256mb. I tried it with the S-Video which also came out of my graphics card but the highest resolution I could try was 1024 by ****, not the 1280 x 1024 I could with the blue chunky connection.

Sadly, I don't have a standalone DVD player, I only have the one in my computer but I am thinking of buying one of those DivX DVD Player things, are they any good?

My freeview box only has, 2 Scart sockets (One that I plug into the TV and I'm not sure about the other) an optical out and an aerial modulator. It is this one:

http://www.pioneer-eur.com/eur/produ...onomy_id=43-72

Would buying a Scart (Freeview Box End) S-Video (For TV End) make the quality any better? Surely, the scart would be the limiting factor and so the S-Video would make it no better?

About the High Definition thing. I was under the impression it had something to do with resolution, if the monitor can display DVD fine (and that is the same quality as HD) then surely it would be able to display high definition. I don't really know what I'm talking about so just ignore me......


I will try that black white test now aswell as the sharpness control.

I can't do the Monsters Inc as I don't have a DVD player.

Thanks for all the help.

[Bob Crabtree]

Alexander,

You are a one for jumping to conclusions with no basis in logic.

Yes, using a properly wired Scart-to-S-video lead will improve the quality of what you see from your Pioneer freeview box if - as would appear to be the case from the specs you've pointed us to - the Pioneer can output S-video via Scart.

That's because S-video gives better image quality than composite video (which you are currently using; the yellow lead you are using is composite video, the red and white leads are L/R audio).

S-video give better quality than composite because it separates out the brightness and colour elements of the signal - reducing moire-patterning, colour bleeding and bunch of other nasties.

But, whether you should buy a Scart-to-S-video adaptor is a quite different matter.

You have realise that the garbage-in/garbage-out rule applies - so if your reception for Freeview is poor, the pictures you see will be poor, irrespective of whether you are watching them via S-video, composite video or RF (standard aerial cable), even though, logically, the best of the bad bunch would be a signal transmitted to the TV as S-video.

As for the second Scart connector on the Freeview box - that allows you to connect that box to, say, a VCR, or some other device, without having to disconnect the Freeview box from your TV.

Oh, and if you'd like to improve the power of your logic, you might care to check out this wonderful thread on DVdoctor's forums.

It's the place I'll sometimes point people to if they argue with me (or anyone else) and are being illogical - so my suggesting you check it out has a slightly less snide motivation than you might think when you read the first couple of paras..


Bob

Originally Posted by alexander

Ok, thanks for the replies.

Firstly, I was using the blue VGA thing coming out of the graphics card on my computer to get the picture with Battlefield 2 and the DVDs. The picture was perfect and it was from a 6800GT 256mb. I tried it with the S-Video which also came out of my graphics card but the highest resolution I could try was 1024 by ****, not the 1280 x 1024 I could with the blue chunky connection.

Sadly, I don't have a standalone DVD player, I only have the one in my computer but I am thinking of buying one of those DivX DVD Player things, are they any good?

My freeview box only has, 2 Scart sockets (One that I plug into the TV and I'm not sure about the other) an optical out and an aerial modulator. It is this one:

http://www.pioneer-eur.com/eur/produ...onomy_id=43-72

Would buying a Scart (Freeview Box End) S-Video (For TV End) make the quality any better? Surely, the scart would be the limiting factor and so the S-Video would make it no better?

About the High Definition thing. I was under the impression it had something to do with resolution, if the monitor can display DVD fine (and that is the same quality as HD) then surely it would be able to display high definition. I don't really know what I'm talking about so just ignore me......


I will try that black white test now aswell as the sharpness control.

I can't do the Monsters Inc as I don't have a DVD player.

Thanks for all the help.

[alexander]

Hello, thanks for the help. I'm definately not arguing with you, I'm just in my own little world...

For Scart to S-Video leads, would these be good?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-S-Video-PC...QQcmdZViewItem

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PC-TV-Scart-In...QQcmdZViewItem

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1-5m-SCART-lea...QQcmdZViewItem


Thanks again.