Toshiba 34HFX84

[SebCanadaCEO]

Got my 34HFX84 last Saturday (September 18th)...

At first glance, the set looks somewhat smaller than my previous set (Toshiba 34HDX82)... But the screen is the same size (34"), however the frame around the screen is somewhat smaller/thinner. I see this as a good thing as it will take less place for those who require it. The frame around the screen is also black which I personaly find better for watching movies/DVD's.

This set also has two HDMI inputs! My previous set only had one DVI input.

Now out of the box, the set is of course not properly calibrated and way to bright! The first thing to do is to take it off the "Sport" setting and place it to "standard" setting until you are ready to calibrate the set manually which will place the setting to "preference".

Next thing to do is to turn off the damn "SVM", which you can do in the menu. You can also switch the "DNR" off if you which or leave it on "Auto".

Another thing that I switched off is the "automatic aspect ratio", I prefer to set this myself manually.

Now, as I was looking at the set... I could see that the image was somewhat "crooked"... The image seemed to tilt slightly to the left. Fortunately, this can also be corrected in the menu.

After arranging all of these things and calibrating the set (using the Avia DVD), I can safely recomend this TV to anyone! In fact... As I was calibrating it, I noticed that "red push" is practicaly non-existent on this set!!! Most TV's will push the color "red" to a certain degree, but the "red" level on this set is "almost" perfect...

Standard non-HDTV programming looks very decent. The TV does have "minor" geometry issues (really just a few) but it actually has less than my previous set (34HDX82) and that set had pratically none! I doubt that many people will notice unless they look really hard for it or are extremely experience in video HDTV quality. Even then, this can easily be lived with or at the most, corrected easily by a professionnal ISF calibrator.

DVD's look simply stunning on this set!!! I breifly tested out the following DVD's to see how they looked (I use a Panasonic DVD-RP 82):

Superman - The Movie
Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within
Finding Nemo
Matrix Revolutions
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: The Empire Strike's Back
Lord of the Rings: FOTR
Aliens

They ALL looked better on this set than I have ever seen them! Simple amazing!!! I tested many other movies but you get the idea...

Personally, I can safely recommend Toshiba's 34HFX84 to anyone looking for a 34" direct view HDTV.

P.S.

Just one thing I feel the need to mention... People who have a home theater system and place their "center channel" speaker on top of their TV might want to find another place to set it. All my speakers are shielded and I used to have the center channel on the top of my two previous TV's, I never had any problems... However, as soon as I placed my center channel on top of this TV, a purple discoloration started forming at the top of the screen right under the right part of my speaker. I removed it immediately and the purple effect dissapeared. Later I tried again and as soon as I placed it on the set, the purple effect returned.

I don't know why this is? Perhaps this set is more sensitive than others or perhaps it's because the TV's frame around the screen is smaller??? Fortunately, I have shelves on the wall right above my TV so I place my center channel in the bottom shelf (right above the set) and everything is fine. If this is the biggest problem this set has, I can definitely live with it!

[Shivan]

I assume those DVDs are over component since it's an old (but top-tier) DVD player.

I would really love to know how they look over HDMI, since it would eliminate the whole analog thing. Do you have any Superbit movies to test?

I have the 34HF81, which has the same small frame as well. I never noticed the purple effect with the shielded center speaker on top. Heh, maybe you can just put a big lead plate between them.

I'm glad you're happy with it. Hopefully it won't be plagued with the same problems as the 30HF84.

How is the 1080i upconversion?

[jeffwdc]

Thanks Seb for the review. I've been thinking about this tv set for a while because the Sony models won't fit in my entertainment furniture. Look forward to hearing more from you on this set. jeff

[Joxer]

Sounds like the speaker used had poor magnetic shielding.

[jedi29]

Thanks for the review , Seb :D
But I do have a couple of questions ,
You mentioned that it was a little off , I have downloaded the manual and it has that tilt adjustment , how much was it off ?
How do you find the "On" timer ? ( I`m used to the way Sony`s are )
Build quality , do you feel that this TV can go the distance ( 5 + yr`s ) and still hold it`s "white balance" ?
And one last thing please , does it have a visable "notch" on the sides of the picture tube in the middle ? You know that "invar shadow mask" thing that you can only see if your an inch away :) just curio if they fixed that , like I said I have a Sony so no notchs with an apiture grill.
Many thanks for your help , I have been thinking about this set since I heard about it , the review you gave just bumped it up a couple of steps :)
Gary :cool:

[SebCanadaCEO]

Yes, my DVD player is connected through "component" input (colourstream). I do not have a DVD player with HDMI output... Yet. But I will soon be changing my satellite receiver to one with a DVI output which I can then just buy a monster DVI to HDMI wire.

I'm not sure about the "on timer", I would have to look in the menu.

I do not see any "notches" on this set myself.

The tilted image I set at -6. I am told that depending on where you live or where you place it in the house, there will be a difference. But I do not see this as a problem as you can fix it in the menu... Mine looks fine now.

Yes I believe and hope that this set will last me five years and up... Eight years would be ideal!

[KeithD]

I hve noticed a slight purpleness against the plain grey background you get when using the PIP - or picture by picture facility - at the top of the screen on my 34HF83. Moving the speaker (Mirage 3 I think) it stays there. may be due to sensitivity to less than perfect shielding. Moving the speaker makes no odds but it has been there a year so may be permanant. I guess if it gets bad a degauss will fix it. For the moment it is very slught and only noticeable against plain grey.

[jedi29]

Thanks Seb,
I`m glad your happy with your new Toshiba :D
Any thoughts of getting someone from ISF to calibrate it ? ( after a few months )
Sound like you may have found my TV :) , O-- BTW did you chose this over the 34XBR Sony? Just couiro , because I have heard that that set is plauged with all kind of problems and that the dealers in Canada won`t even be selling them.
Best of luck , enjoy !!
Gary

[SebCanadaCEO]

I heard that too, but that's not exactly what happened to me...

Two years ago, I purchased the Toshiba 34HDX82 over the Sony 34XBR800 and the Panasonic CT-34WX52.

Everything was great and I love the set! About a month ago, for some strange reason, the picture tube sparked and left the set full of horizontal lines. Thankfully, I had purchased a five year warrenty. After Toshiba sent someone in my region to look at it, they decided to simply replace my set with this year's model.

Eventually, I might decide to have it calibrated by an ISF professional. But not right now. The problems are very minimal.

[Shivan]

See, when I invoked the warranty on my 34HF81, Toshiba offered to change out the whole tube. As in, pay some service guys to haul this 170-pound crated monster about an hour to install a $2000 part. I gotta think that Toshiba and Best Buy are making very little margin on these.

Maybe if my TV goes bad again, they will just give me a 34HF84. :P

[kdb209]

I'm thinking of getting the 34HFX84 (as a replacement for the Sammy 46" DLP the
wife thinks is too big). The other option is the Sony 34XBR960.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Onecall lists the specs of the 34HFX84 as having:

Center Channel: Rear Input (1)

Does this set have an input that allows you to use the sets built in speakers as
a center channel? If so, does it take a low line level input (pre-amp out) or does
it take a high level speaker input? Is it configurable to enable it per input? Or is
Onecall hopelessly confused?

2. Can anyone recommend a decent online vendor who carries the HFX or
prefereably a B&M store in the SF Bay Area (I'm in Palo Alto, CA)? I have yet
to find a place that carries this set to take a look and evaluate it.

Thanks,

-kdb

[CrocHunter]

Crutchfield has the 34hfx84 in stock and also the sony 34xbr960 too.

[Ranger]

I am also interested in the 34HFX84. This is the only 34" TV that will fit in
my 35" wide cabinet. I can't believe there's not one dealer that carries
this cinema series TV in the Atlanta area.

[Hammie]

There is no longer a center channel input capability like there was on the previous model (34HFX83). This was no a deciding factor for me since I have a Sony 5.1 speaker set.

I purchased mine from Electronics Express. The only downside I had with them was that it was curbside delivery (for $7.00 what do you expect). I then had to "bribe" a friend with pizza and beer to help me carry the 200 lb monster down to my basement.

I also chose this tv for the small size since I only have 36.75 inches in my Entertainment Center Armoire.

Other then that, I LOVE my 34HFX84 tv. Even the wife is admitting that it is a good choice. :-)

[rts]

Hello Hammie,

Where are the Electronics Express guys located. Can't seem to find their web-site on google.

Also, did anybody else find a good price for this set?

I'm also one of those guys who is bound by the entertainment center width!

[Pirates]

Originally posted by rts
Hello Hammie,

Where are the Electronics Express guys located. Can't seem to find their web-site on google.

Also, did anybody else find a good price for this set?

I'm also one of those guys who is bound by the entertainment center width!


www electronicexpress com

can't link the url's yet since under 5 posts...

I bought the 34HFX84 there a couple of days ago...an excellent TV so far

[BobDobalina]

I'm curious if/how this TV handles 720p signals. According to the specs you can downconvert 720p to 540p. How does this look?

[rts]

Thanks for getting back on the electonics express guys ... but three questions:

1. They seem to have the wroong picture and discription on their web-site for Toshiba 34HFX84 (http://www.electronicexpress.com/product?prod_id=7062)

2. I anyway added the TV to my cart and though the price shows $1,387.88, in the end they add a shipping of around 140 bucks! .. That's almost the same cost as Crutchfield ... infact much more since crutchfield is giving free $250 stand and free shipping! How did you get that 7 bucks shipping?

3. Are these guys authorized .. I mean no refurbs .. and full Toshiba guarantee?

Thanks!!

[Shivan]

Is there a picture of the stand somewhere?

[Hammie]

Since I ordered it back in September, they may have changed their shipping charges.

They have B&M stores, so I would assume they are authorized. I honestly did not do too much checking on that. Toshiba accepted my registration.

Since this a new model, I am not sure about the refurbs.

I also do not have anything that does 720P so I cannot answer the downconvert question.

Sorry I could not help more.

[rts]

Thanks!!

[Singalong]

Can any one give me the actual width of the Toshiba 34hfx84 to the nearest 1/16th of an inch. I have found three different width dimensions listed for this tv on various websites ranging from 31 15/16" to 33 5/8". I need to know if this will fit into my cabinet which is exactly 33 1/2" wide. Also, has any one compared this picture to the new KLV-32M1 lcd tv by Sony? I was amazed at the picture quality of the Sony but have not seen the Toshiba yet. Thanks in advance.

[pnwskier]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad new, but it's 33 5/8 x 21 3/8 x 23 3/4, according to the spec sheet on the Toshiba website. I also measured it at a local store, and that appeared to be about right. I looked at it very carefully myself because I also had a width constraint, but ultimately decided it was actually too deep for my cabinet.

[PerryU]

The user manual shows '33-5/8" (854mm)'. 854mm equates to 33.622", or 33-4.976/8". Sorry, but I can't find a way to get it under 33 1/2.

Got a wood plane?

[rts]

Exactly same situation here pnwskier!! I double checked the width .... 33 5/8. .. which is still okay for my entertainment system ... but max depth that my cabinet can take is 21.5 .. so no go here. However, one idea is to make a cut-out in the back of the entertainment system by cutting it as required ... but dunno if I want to go through this pain .. maybe a better thing to do would be buy a HD projector for movies ...

Can anybody direct me to a website which shows the back view of this TV? (Just for curiosity I want to see how to make a cut-out just in case)

Also, pnwskier .. which local store did you see it? I don't know of any stores which carry it in Chicago!

[pnwskier]

RTS -- Sorry, I'm in Portland, Oregon, and I saw it at a store called Video Only. Don't know for sure, but I think the set has the same form factor as the 34HF84, which you ought to be able to see at Best Buy. Cutting a hole in the back of my cabinet was not an option for me, so with great regret I ruled out that set and settled on the 32" Panasonic 34HL44, a high def 4:3 set that's only about 22.5" deep. Even that set is sticking out a little bit. Due to the unfortunate location of the holes in the back of the cabinet, I quite can't push the set all the way back, so make sure you have that issue scoped out, too.

[PaulGo]

"Where are the Electronics Express guys located. "

Electronic Express is a Brick and Mortar store. They also have a limited service Internet site under the name of wholesaleconnection.com. The prices are cheaper and I bought my Samsung DLP from them. If you order from them do it by phone to make sure it is in stock. They were nice to deal with.

[HDCowboy]

Just purchased the Toshiba 34HFX84 last week in Calgary, AB, Canada. Recently returned a Sanyo 30744 HDTV to Walmart. Happy with the PQ (allthough the barrel roll phenomenon was present) but was not happy with the inability to adjust tilt.

Thought that the Toshiba was the perfect TV for me. Now I'm waiting.

5 positives before a neg.

- Best Stretch Mode (theatre wide one) to my like. Even prefered it to the Sony 34".

- Adjustments to the picture settings are saved for each input. Great for disabling SVM for high quality images (DVD, HD etc) and for leaving it on for SD Cable. All other settings for each input are saved also.

- Size and esthetics (cabinet appeal) I love the black border arround the tube.... (too many silver electronics IMO.... ) speakers unobtrusive at the bottom of the set. I use 7.1 Hometheater JBL and PIONEER 7.1 DTS/dolby EX setup for sound during movie time. The Set's internal sound is GREAT for regular TV watching (much better than the HF series.--- Cyclone BASS hooah!!!)

- Front AV inputs for the kid's PS/1 or Digital camera or Camcorder.... etc... really missed that on the Sanyo tv I had.

- Dual HDMI inputs, Dual Component, Dual A/V - Svideo and the Front inputs again..... I have to go buy more stuff to hook up now because I can!

Bonus positive.... Lovely, wonderful, excelent, (no barrel roll evident) no distortion issues, great, terrific Picture Quality! Colors were much more preferable to me than the Sony. In the words of a professional guy (Audio/ Video/ Home Theater) who I trust very much (as he wasn't making a dime out of the sale- he does projectors and plasma and LCD and that's it) the Sony TV's have very vivid colors when viewed beside the competition. That color renditioning can, however, be overpowering when watched for long periods. The colors are almost "CARTOONY" they are so bright and Vivid. - I am forced to agree with the man as I spent a lot of time in various big box stores watching this tv, the Sony, the Panasonic and a couple of others.


NOW THE DIRT.... I had read the negatives on this set, it's sister HF and siblings 30HF and 30HFX84 and still felt that I had done enough independant thinking and shopping on the issue.
I was still very happy with the set on SD theatre wide 1 watching Boston put away the Yankees. TROUBLE with GEOMETRY became evident while watching a DVD on Component inputs. MOST of my movies are WideScreen enhanced/anamorphic, with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (or 2.40:1) where you get the horizontal bars top and bottom.

The top of the screen has a horizontal geometry problem where the middle of the top horizontal line bows downward from the left and right corners about one half an inch lower than the height of the top corners. It's not very apparent untill you have the extreme contrast of the bars against the picture. Then I went back to SD cable and noticed that this geometry problem affects ALL inputs on the TV. :( My TV service guy was great in his coming over last Saturday, but couldn't fix the issue. HE sees it too and feels that he needs to try to correct the problem..... I'VE been obsessing about the issue and finally got a hold of Toshiba Service in Vancouver... They returned my call within three days and are sending the TV store service man back to me with some kind of resolution to the issue. As the Toshiba rep. put it: IF the geometry problem described is a half an inch out, that would be too much..... he was surprised that I said it was as much as a 1/2 inch out and he will contact the service man to discuss the problem before the service guy comes back...

This is my experience to date with the Toshiba 34HFX84. I will be updating the service as it happens. (Toshiba called me last night at 1900 hrs BC time. 2000 hrs in Alberta) I will trust in the process with Toshiba as their rep was very courteous and attentive. He has encouraged me to get back to him if the next service is not satisfactory.....

To anyone considering Toshiba.... Hang in there and find out what happens with me and this set....

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to be thorough.

HDCowboy.

PS I am noticing alot of different spots in this forum for finding information about this set... I am going to try to start an "official thread on the 34HFX84" and hopefully it will take off. Please look for it and post there if it works!!

[Joxer]

All large CRTs have such geometry issues. The best you can do is learn the service menu and spend hours adjusting items with good test patterns from an AVIA DVD.

[HDCowboy]

I realize that there is no such thing as the perfect tv..... but geometry issues on a horizontal line on thiry or so inches out as much as a half an inch?

[Joxer]

Yes that much is very tiypical, the factory settings seem to allow a lot of geometry error. I had to adjust it myself to get it acceptable.

[HDCowboy]

Do you have a list of what the service menu codes all mean or perhaps more specifically the how to adjust for the problem I'm experiencing...?

[Joxer]

You need to buy a service manual CDROM for the model you have to get the information.

[HDCowboy]

Where does one find such an animal?

Do you have a link?

[Joxer]

I only found one for the previous Toshiba model 34HF81, should have the same or similar service menu items. PM me if you want it - its a PDF file.

[saintb]

on a slightly different note....

I have been scouring the internet and this forum here for months. I really like the appearance and pq of the 34hfx84 (during my few sittings), but am wondering about the conversion ability of multiple sources. I will be using the toshiba for dvd, and x-box gaming mostly (w/ hdtv and dtv slightly less often).

IE, what signal are converted to 1080i, and which are converted to 540P (besides dvd)?
Can each input conversion be selected manually?
Are the images viewed in 540P really that much different than something converted to 720P by other tvs (sony xbr, etc.)

thanx in advance...

st.b

[allskill]

I've been lurking on the Sony 34XBR800 thread for a while and saw the 34HFX84 as a potential alternative.

These don't seem to be widely distributed in retail channels yet. The only store I currently recognize from a froogle search is Crutchfield.

Anyone know when these will start showing up at Best Buys? Online, they only list last year's model as available.

[bradnwa]

Just picked up the 34HFX84 and so far so good.

One setup question: can I change the sidebar color on the left and right of the screen when in 4:3 mode from gray to black? The gray is kinda distracting.

Thanks for any replies...
Brad

bradnwa@yahoo.com

[Joxer]

No you can't change the sidebar color on Toshiba sets - its fixed grey only. I use TW1 display mode for 4:3 programs because of that or use an external HD cable box that can format 4:3 with black side bars.

[arich]

The grey is used by Toshiba to delay burn in, as it uses the pixels underneath the grey, rather than leaving them not activated or activated with black.

One thing you Toshiba users might want to try if you are not satisfied with your standard def. picture is use a regular rf cable connection rather than S video or component. I am running basic cable right into the back of my 30hf83 and get an excellant standard def. picture on most of my cable channels. My understanding is that if you use S video or component you bypass the comb filter and maybe some other circuitry that is designed to help process ordinary standard def signals.

Just because a connection is "better" for dvds does not mean it is better for all standard def signals.

[hldr]

I just picked up this model (34hfx84) from a B&M in Dallas. It is very nice. Geometry seems great to me. SD pictures are much better than i had anticipated. DVD (NEMO) through a 5+ year old PANNY nonprogressive player (model A120) was stunning. Now some questions for SEBcanada and others. Im not a expert as will be obvious.

I need a second dvd player. So i thought i would move the old panny to a 27" set and get something good for the new toshiba. What do i need? Progressive? Scaling? I would like to use the HDMI input on the Tosh. Right now im running component and displaying at 1080i. Would i be better with 540P? Does the tv scale better than a progressive player with foridjsu (sp?) chips? Needs to be under $500us.

SEB - can you give me an idea of the settings you are using - color,contast,sharpness,etc for regular tv/cable sd. Im getting some color clipping and very bright whites on football jerseys, etc. I already dialed down the contrast to 50 brightness, color, sharpness are @40. Temp = medium. SVM=low. DNR=auto. What are your settings?

TIA

[SebCanadaCEO]

I'm far from being an expert myself, but if I can help...

First I reccomend you get a calibration DVD like "Avia" (or one of the others) as it makes a world of difference! I use Avia myself and have actually learned much from it.

I have a Panasonic DVD RP-82 hooked up via "component" input. This is an "excellent" but somewhat older model player (about 2 years) with no DVI or HDMI output... It looks fabulous! Eventually, I may replace it and if/when I do... I'll will get one with an HDMI output. But there is no rush for now as my current player looks great!

As far as "what player should you get"??? I personally find that both "Panasonic" and "Toshiba" make good players. But seriously, I think others here would be better to advise you on this.

I have both my "component" inputs (for my DVD player and PS2) set at 540p. This is a question of preferance but I find that I see more details (especially with DVD's) at 540p... 1080i looks softer to my eyes.

My satellite dish HD receiver is hooked up via HDMI input and also set to 540p. However, my receiver does and is set at 720p. This HDTV "can" upconvert to 720p and does it quite well!

Only my VCR is set at 1080i via A/V input.

In your settings, turn "OFF" both "SVM" and "DNR" for every input that you use... Trust me, they don't help.

As for "my" settings... I can give them to you but please keep in mind that this is not only based on personal preferance but also on the level of lighting I have in the room when watching TV, DVD or playing PS2. Many people will have different settings for the same set. Also, if I were to move this set to a different room... I would recalibrate every input and the settings would likely change slightly at the very least.

Anyway, here they are:


VCR and Satellite HDTV programming

VCR via A/V input set to 1080i
Satellite HD receiver via HDMI input set to 540p but upconverting to 720p

Contrast: 65
Brightness: 36
Sharpness: 22
Colour: 37
Tint: R1

DVD
via component input set to 540p

Contrast: 65
Brightness: 34
Sharpness: 22
Colour: 37
Tint: R1

Playstation 2
via component input set to 540p

Contrast: 65
Brightness: 32
Sharpness: 22
Colour: 37
Tint: R1

Universal Settings (for all inputs)

SVM: Off
DNR: Off
Mode: Preference
Colour Temperature: Medium
Auto Aspect: Off
Cinema Mode: Film
Tilt Correction: -6 (my image titled somewhat to the left)
Picture Scroll (Zoom): -1

[arich]

I do not understand your post about the component input that is set to 540p but upconverting to 720p. The Toshibas do not display 720p. Unless I am missing something, if you set the input for 540p then 540p is what you will get. Do you mean that the stb is set for 720p? Do you find that downconverting from 720p gives you a better 540p picture then upconverting 480p?
You are the first person I have seen post that they actually use the 540p feature. I have always thought it was cool in theory but have not fooled around with it enough to see if it does a better picture than 1080i (I have a three year old and a seven month old, and just cant find the time!)
Does anybody else like the 540p display over the 1080i?

[SebCanadaCEO]

Toshiba's 34HFX84 can upconvert from 540p to 720p if it is fed a 720p signal through it's HDMI inputs (not sure about the component inputs?) but the input "must" be set to 540p.

Yes, I prefer 540p to 1080i hands down! The only thing I have set to 1080i is my VCR which is conected through a standard A/V input.

[nark]

I think it upconverts from component also-Im running a dish network 811 into component and I have the 811 set on 420p and left my component input at 1080-now prior to monday night football-I got the 4x3 with the black bars on the side. ONce the game started the screen went 16x9 and the picuture became incredible...now I dont know if that is just because of the OTA broadcast or the upconversion-but the PQ was amazing-better than DVD and if Im correct, DVD is 540-this was far superior...so how could it be 420?
Now I bumped up the 811 hd setting to 720 and did notice a difference on the box HD channels but not on the local HD OTA broadcasts...and to my chagrin I also found a thin white flicker on the right border of the screen when in 720-its tiny but bugs me-I go back to 420 and its gone-maybe a connect of mine?
Still trying to figure out this upconvert-maybe I will set it to 540 stead of 1080

[arich]

"Toshiba's 34HFX84 can upconvert from 540p to 720p if it is fed a 720p signal through it's HDMI inputs (not sure about the component inputs?) but the input "must" be set to 540p."

Are you sure this is true? I have an older model, the 30hf83, so maybe I am wrong here. And I was under the impression that there are currently no direct view crt sets from any manufacturer that are capable of displaying 720p. With my Toshiba, you can feed it 720p, but what you will see is either 540p or 1080i.

[SebCanadaCEO]

If I am wrong and what it's really doing is downconverting the 720p single to 540p (could be possible, I'm not an expert), it's still way better than downconverting it to 1080i or 480p, or upconverting a 480p signal to 540p (that's what I did first and I could see the difference, it looked much better once I set my satellite receiver to 720p instead of 480p)! But one things for sure, it does accept a 720p signal!

Most sets that accept a 720p signal downconvert to 480p while this one (if your right and you probably are) downconverts it to 540p instead which is still superior to most sets and delivers a stuning picture!

[nark]

toshiba has the wrong specs on the upconversion-crystalscan HDSC takes any hd signal and converts it to 720p not the 1080i that it lists on the site...I talked to my vendor and looked up on yahoo the crystal scan and found that it is 720p which is the end result of all the conversions and it works from component

another thing; when I set the 811 box to 720p and then go to the tv input screen of either 540 or 1080 and switch between them, nothing happens there is no change in the screen. When I set the box to 480p and then goto the tv input screen and switch between 1080 and 540 the sceen goes blank for a second and then readjusts itself-it changes-the tv makes no adjustment when the box is set at 720 and does when its set to 480-so I think when the box is at 720 the set is at 720 no matter what setting you use at the input.

[BobDobalina]

Sorry but arich is right, there are no direct-view CRT sets that display 720p natively, exception the Monovision/Princeton Graphics set. There are many that can accept it, but all convert it to 480p, 540p, or 1080i.

[nark]

I wonder why when I set my sat box to output 720 I dont get any screen changes when I swith the tv input between 540 and 1080, and when I set the sat box to 480 I get the screen change when I alter the tv input btwn 540 and 1080.

[subysouth]

Seb's post in another thread has me very interested in this tv and interested specifically in the fact that it allows a 540p output. Thats gold my friends.

Seb is exactly on the right track setting this tv to 540p instead of 1080i and on any sources you can. While 540p is a reasonable resolution for this set, 1080i is almost 100% line redraw(drawing lines over each other because the set doesnt have enough inherent resolution) and thats the reason for the softness of the picture.

Also this set does not upconvert anything to 720p its 1080i and uses a resolution enhancing software similar to Sony's DRC. It may help a little but its no substitute for real resolution. It will accpet 720p input and res it either to 1080i or 540p.

If you have this set drive it at 540p - always and in any content possible.

ss

[nark]

the thing that screws me is that my dish network box has three outputs 480p 720p and 1080i...if my tv input is set to 1080 the box output of 720 looks like crap and when I set the dish box to 1080 it looks sweet...

are you guys saying that I should put my tv input to 540 and then try 720 on the dish box or should I put the tv to 540 and shoot the dish network box to 1080-my eyes are not good and picking out these differences...btw on dvi-hdmi

BTW I do have my dvd input to 540

[mstevens]

Has anyone used the Toshiba 34HFX84 in a HTPC application?

What resolutions have been achieved?

I plan on connecting this to my ATI 9800 PRO via an ATI HDTV dongle, and thought I would solicit feedback before hand.

Any advice?

[subysouth]

Originally posted by nark
the thing that screws me is that my dish network box has three outputs 480p 720p and 1080i...if my tv input is set to 1080 the box output of 720 looks like crap and when I set the dish box to 1080 it looks sweet...

are you guys saying that I should put my tv input to 540 and then try 720 on the dish box or should I put the tv to 540 and shoot the dish network box to 1080-my eyes are not good and picking out these differences...btw on dvi-hdmi

BTW I do have my dvd input to 540

I am not quite following what you said there. I am not familiar with that Dish stb so I cant help there, but as I understand it the Toshiba will accept either 720p or 1080i or 480p and display them either at 1080i or 540p. Choose 540p display for any input and you should be good.

ss

[arich]

I have just checked the manual on my 30hf83 and it appears that the set will only display 540p when you have a 480p input. So it does not appear that the Toshibas downconvert 720p to 540p. Rather, one has to set the STB to downconvert 720p to 480p and upconvert it on the tv. Sounds like a lot of signal manipulation to me, although I will play around with it when I get a chance. Of course, for progressive scan dvds you presumably have less manipulation going to 540p than to 1080i as you do not need to deinterlace it.

[subysouth]

From Toshibas website on the 34HF84:


Crystal Scan HDSC upconverts all video signals to (including 480i/p) to 1080iHD resulting in a significant reduction in jagged line artifacts creating the sharpest, most realistic picture from every source. For users who want to display a progressive image from a progressive scan source, selectable 540p is available via the on-screen menu.

CrystalScan HDSC™ (All time 1080i) with User Selectable 540p




I can see some confusion in there but it seems to imply pretty wide usage of 540p. I hope someone can clear this up. Its a big deal IMO.

ss

[SebCanadaCEO]

Originally posted by nark
the thing that screws me is that my dish network box has three outputs 480p 720p and 1080i...if my tv input is set to 1080 the box output of 720 looks like crap and when I set the dish box to 1080 it looks sweet...

are you guys saying that I should put my tv input to 540 and then try 720 on the dish box or should I put the tv to 540 and shoot the dish network box to 1080-my eyes are not good and picking out these differences...btw on dvi-hdmi

BTW I do have my dvd input to 540



Put your TV settings to 540p and your dish settings to 720p, the image will be sweet!

[SebCanadaCEO]

Originally posted by subysouth
From Toshibas website on the 34HF84:




I can see some confusion in there but it seems to imply pretty wide usage of 540p. I hope someone can clear this up. Its a big deal IMO.

ss

(for the "34HFX84")

It converts everything to either 540p or 1080i (your choice), except for the two HDMI inputs which are automaticaly converted to 540p.

[nark]

thank you-thats why IM getting no screen change when I swtich my toshiba input from 1080 to 540 with my stb-i have it hooked to my hdmi input-so it is going to 540 anyways-

[PaulGo]

That does not seem to be the case on my 30HF83. I use the DVI port on the Motorola 6200 and in using the 540p/1080i switch works on 480p output from the Motorola. But it does not work if you set it to 480i or 1080i.

The manual for this set is very clear it only work on 480p sources.

Sometimes the people who write the advertising copy get carried away and do not understand the engineering specifications.

From the advertising specs from my set:

"CrystalScan HDSC™ upconverts all video signals (including 480i/p) to 1080i HD. This results in a significant reduction in jagged-line artifacts which produces a smoother, more natural image. Selectable 540p, for users who want to display a progressive scan image from a progressive scan source, is available via the on-screen menu"

From the 30HF83 manual:

"The DISPLAY FORMAT feature is available only for 480p input. 1080i is always output when a signal other than 480p is input. If you notice flickering in a 480p image, try setting the DISPLAY FORMAT to 540p."

[subysouth]

Fricketty frack.

I wonder if theres a way to force it to scale everything out to 540p in the service menu. Whose gonna make the call to Toshiba tech?

You could insert a NR scaler in between but unless it stays digital thats a lot of conversion to get lucky with.

ss

[arich]

I am not sure it makes that much practial difference that only 480p is displayed at 540p. As long as you have a progressive dvd player, you can see all your dvds that way. You can also see all your HD material that way by setting your stb to output 480p. If doing conversions in the "digital realm" is such a cinch, as we are continually told, HD material may look better this way than in 1080i. So the only source material you cannot display in 540p is standard 480i signals. IMO, the 1080i upconversion works pretty good if your signal is good.

[nark]

i have found that with my stb set either to 720 for the abc/espn/fox feeds and set to 1080 for all the other HD stations, my picture looks awesome-so there is no way I will set my stb to 480p

[subysouth]

Toshiba seems to say any progressive source, so on theory setting the stb to output 720p and have the set downres everything to 540p.

Staying in the "digital domain" avoids the degradation of going to analog and back. Analog is where the signal can get really degraded.

ss

[HDCowboy]

Toshiba Canada Vancouver Service rep TAD, suggested to Atlas TV Calgary, to try to install "chevron magnets" on the tube of the tv to straighten out the black bar at the top of my widescreen DVD images (2.35 or 2.40:1 ratio movies). They say (Atlas) that they tried it on the tv at the shop (demo) and no improvement.

Called Toshiba back and the response was that if it was less than a half an inch, that there would be nothing that they could do...measured the amount of pincushion droop and it's about 1/4 of an inch... too little to do anything with: unless it's plasma or lcd flat panel I've been told that geometry will not be perfect and that's all there is to that....

NOW I notice geometry problems on EVERY tv I see.... sh*t.
time to save $$$$ for that LCD front projector....

:(

[hms]

I'm in the market for a new TV, and have settled on a 34" widescreen format direct-view CRT due to my viewing distance and the picture quality. I'll be buying a new DVD player as well since my current player is non-progressive.

After reading this thread, my question is this:

If I purchase the 34HFX84, would it be worth my money to buy one of the new up-conversion DVD players (Sony, Panasonic, Denon) if I'm going to be viewing at 520p for optimal picture? Or would it be a waste of money?

i.e. will it be worth paying the extra money to send the signal from the DVD player to the TV at 720p for it to downconvert to 540p? Or should I save my money, purchase a good 480p component DVD player and let it conver to 540p from 480p?

:confused:

[carlchen]

I have the HDMI toshiba sd 5970 dvd player and from toggling between 480,720 1080i, 1080p(no picture displayd) I have found that running 480p on the player is my best option. It appears to give the greatest resolution and I can also switch the viewing mode through the 34hfx84(i use TM3 for the best picture). the 720p is non-adjustable but looks pretty sharp, I don't care to look at letterbox in a 16:9 format. 1080i you can select pic sizez but it just looks bad if you do, I have not used a superbit dvd on this.

Hope this helps. I too have some questions about how the ati dongle looks for the pc -moniter. I'd like to know if this looks better than connecting dvi-hdmi and using powerstrip before I purchase it.

[carlchen]

what I am not understanding is that, If no CRT television (untill next year?) can output 720p, then why does it say in the appendix that 1080i,480p,480i,720p are suggested scan rates? Am I going to lose considerable quality when game consoles start outputing in 720p-widescreen?

[VWVancouver]

Hey guys, were looking to upgrade from our 27" ten year old Sony tv. Was thinking about this particular Toshiba TV. If were watching regular tv (Shaw digital cable) what size is the picture? I mean if the size is about the same as our current 27" TV then why bother? (IE need a good reason to convince wife we need a bigger set :D) Besides watching dvd's, which most are widescreen.

I guess the next step up would be the 46H84C.

THanks for any help.

[HDCowboy]

It's here... despite all my trouble (percieved and otherwise) with my Toshiba TV, My HDTV is finally HD!

Shaw Motorola 6208 up and running this morning, and WOW Can't believe that I waited this long... Can't notice geometry problems when you are captivated by all of that detail in the picture.

Recorded my first show tonight, can't wait to see how it turned out. Watched some of ICE AGE and the detail is definitely there over the DVD. Don't get me wrong though... DVD is still where it's at for no commercial viewing....

Just cant get over the images... Disappointing the black bar thing while watching the football games today though. The bars are smaller than 4:3 natural mode on my TV, and the detail is great, I just wish that the networks would get with the times man, I mean 16:9 is here, why don't they try to keep up?

God, thankyou for my HDTV (and the deer I shot last week- they're both mmm mmm good) :D

[Joxer]

Originally posted by VWVancouver
Hey guys, were looking to upgrade from our 27" ten year old Sony tv. Was thinking about this particular Toshiba TV. If were watching regular tv (Shaw digital cable) what size is the picture? I mean if the size is about the same as our current 27" TV then why bother? (IE need a good reason to convince wife we need a bigger set :D) Besides watching dvd's, which most are widescreen.

THanks for any help.

The image size depends on the display mode.
With pillarboxed mode the 4:3 image area is about like a 28" diagonal.
But the better mode for 4:3 titles is Toshiba's excellent non-linear stretch mode Theatre Wide 1 - you will get the horizontal equivalent of a 36" 4:3 set with that mode in addition to a widescreen image area for DVD and HDTV larger than that of a 36" 4:3 set.

[Grenedy]

I have the Toshiba 30HFX84 as well. I find that both the SD and the HD pictures are excellent. I have both an off air UHF HD antenna and sat HD signal inputs. I use a DVI/HDMI digital connector and an S-video cable to connect the HD receiver to the Toshiba. The local stations ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and PBS all are available over the air and frequently in HD. The football games carried by the locals are in 16:9 widescreen with Dolby Digital sound (accordng to the Onkyo HTS-760 reciever). I have found that if I switch to the S-Video cable for 4:3 SD programs, I can use the Theaterwide 1 feature to expand the picture. It seems to work very well. I had a profesional ISF calibration done about a month after getting the set. The calibrator did not notice any "unusual " geometry issues (did comment that virtually all CRT's have some geometry anomoly including Sony's). Said that the set calibrated very well. I must say that after reading all the discussion about the HF series I looked more critically at the HFX picture. I can see a slight maybe 1/4" or so "bend" in a straight vertical towards the upper left hand corner of the screen and I have noticed the "jerk" to the left on a 1080i siganl but only on occasion and seemingly only when the set has been on briefly (perhaps not yet fully warm). I have to admit that I never noticed anything about geometry or paid much attention to the "jerk" (thought it was a glitch in the signal) until reading the posts on this site. On the whole, being a HD and home theater neophyte, I am a bit overwhelmed with all the options, inputs and display modes but am amazed in the pictures and sounds produced by this TV and sound system.

[dwfletcher]

Can someone tell me how to get into the service menu on my 34HFX84.

Thanks

[Dark Rain]

Just got my 30HFX84 a few days ago. The build date was August 2004. The only real issue I've had are with the component inputs. There is horizontal glitching on both of them. I tested both a progressive and standard DVD player on them and the problem persists. The glitching happens every few seconds making it unusable. I called Crutchfield and they are sending me a replacement since it appears to be a defect. They are letting me keep the one I have now until the new one arrives. I thought that was really cool of them. Their service rocks! :)

Overall I think it's an excellent HDTV for the money. The geometry on this set is really good, with only a slight bow bending upwards near the bottom right corner of the screen. It's barely noticeable. I only see it with news tickers, but even then it doesn't distract me from viewing. I tend to use the Theaterwide 1 setting for 4:3 content, which looks miles better than the Panasonic 'Just' mode. There's no 'barrel roll' effect to speak of compared to the Panasonic. SD cable channels look pretty good. Some are better than others. I'm upgrading to HD digital cable soon, so I hope to see some improvement there. Testing DVDs on both component and s-video inputs show no problems--minus the horizontal glitching over component. I saw a bit more grain on some movies over others, so it must be the movies themselves. But movies look like actual film on this TV, compared to others I've tried. I'm very impressed. I also tested VCR image quality over composite and it looked really good.

BTW, placing my center speaker on top of the TV shows no signs of magnetic interference. It did on others I've tried (Panasonic and Philips).

I just hope the next one Crutchfield sends me works without any issues. I'm getting real tired of having "out of the box" problems with CRT HDTVs. After dealing with a 30" Panasonic (the Walmart one), and then a 30" Philips (total garbage), I just want to get back to enjoying my movies. The 30HFX84 is a winner if I can just get one that works without any problems.

[zambelli]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the 34HFX84 with the 34HX84 side-by-side? Is the PQ of the wideband model worth the $200 difference?

[Milt99]

Just picked up and hooked up a 30HXF84 tonight.
Connected via component cable to a Denon 5900.
Voom is scheduled for installation next week.
No calibration but I did turn off SVM & set Cinema mode to film.
Plugged in Two Towers extended.
First impression is.... really nice PQ and really good "blacks".
Well worth the money.
If I may address the "geometry" thing.
I'm not disputing that some sets can & will have issues
but you cannot ignore the Earth's magnetic field(s). Any crt will be affected by it.
No brand is immune. Ever move your PC from one part of the house to another?
The crt display's characteristics will change, that's why any decent monitor will
have tilt, pin cushion and trapezoid compensation controls.
In any event, so far I'm happy with this set.
I give it a best buy.

[Grenedy]

Darkrain - I too have noticed the horizontal "twitch". It seems to stop after the set has been operating (warms?) for a few minutes. I have e-mailed Toshiba service about this and would be interested to know if your replacement set does not have the same issue. Thanks.

[Dark Rain]

Originally posted by Grenedy
Darkrain - I too have noticed the horizontal "twitch". It seems to stop after the set has been operating (warms?) for a few minutes. I have e-mailed Toshiba service about this and would be interested to know if your replacement set does not have the same issue. Thanks.
Mine does it even after hours of being on. The glitching happens every few seconds. DVDs kind of look like a VHS video tape that has been played a lot. The replacement is coming next Tuesday. I'll report back on it.

[rickypicky]

Originally posted by Grenedy
Darkrain - I too have noticed the horizontal "twitch". It seems to stop after the set has been operating (warms?) for a few minutes.

I too have noticed it on my 30HF83. IMHO, its just a little annoying, hardly a big deal.

[Dark Rain]

Okay, I got the replacement 30HFX84 yesterday from Crutchfield and I'm very happy to report that there are no problems with it. :) I see no horizontal glitching on any input (have not tested the HDMI inputs yet). It has a build date of August, 2004. Geometry is acceptable with only some slight bending near the upper far right side of the screen--barely noticeable. It's a keeper.

[smed1065]

I have been looking for a new HDTV and started with the 34XBR960, but decided to go with the Toshiba 34HFX84 instead due to me using Comcast HDTV and was $600 less than Sony. I set-it up today (ordered Tuesday, shipped Wednesday and was delivered today!) Purchased from Crutchfield with inside delivery and stand included for MSRP. Have done some tweaking and have DVE disk to use. I notice very little, if any! geometry problems so far! Have digital cable now, just waiting for Comcast next week for HDTV upgrade. I am very impressed with PQ with digital cable, this was one of my concerns. I was also concerned with the size, but am glad I got direct-view. My maximum sitting distance is 9 feet. I was also surprised with delivery to Atlanta in 4 days from order this time of year! I also have Toshiba SD5970 DVD with HDMI with up convert on the way. I will post after I have time to set up all and calibrate with DVE. So far SO GOOD! :)

[awhitney]

So there is no option for a DVI input? SO I can't hook up my computer or the Samsung HD931 through DVI?

Thats a bummer.

[subysouth]

Originally posted by awhitney
So there is no option for a DVI input? SO I can't hook up my computer or the Samsung HD931 through DVI?

Thats a bummer.

You can with a DVI to HDMI adapter. HDMI has everything that DVI has plus audio.

ss

[awhitney]

Originally posted by subysouth
You can with a DVI to HDMI adapter. HDMI has everything that DVI has plus audio.

ss

Thats a good point, but i rather have the audio go through my home theater recieve than through some tv speakers.

[subysouth]

Originally posted by awhitney
Thats a good point, but i rather have the audio go through my home theater recieve than through some tv speakers.

Well why cant you? Going from DVI to HDMI nets HDMI only carrying the video info. Whatever source is outputting the DVI is also outputting audio somewhere.....which you can go right ahead and connect to your audio system. And all will be good.

ss:)

[fubie]

Hi everyone,

Altho I'm new to the Direct View topic I've been an AVS member in the ReplayTV topic for a few years now.

I have had the same 27" Toshiba for 11 years now as my most advanced set.

Well, I just did my taxes and it looks like a great time to get something new.

To be honest I have only purchased Toshiba TV's and DVD players. I am very brand loyal as long as the brand serves me. Toshiba for me has been rock steady. So I've been reading this thread and several others and I'm going to get the 34hfx84 in the next 2 weeks.

I looked at one at my local Colders appliance store and they are running for $1598.00 plus $169.00 for a 5 year onsight parts and labor warrenty.

I'm also going to get a new HT system as well but I have no idea as to what yet.

I also have 2 ReplayTV's that I will be connecting to it that are not HD but are connected to DTV. Hopefully HD Replay's will be out this year!

The guy at Colders told me the TV is HD ready. What will I need to get the TV to pull in local HD channels.

[subysouth]

Originally posted by fubie
Hi everyone,

Altho I'm new to the Direct View topic I've been an AVS member in the ReplayTV topic for a few years now.

I have had the same 27" Toshiba for 11 years now as my most advanced set.

Well, I just did my taxes and it looks like a great time to get something new.

To be honest I have only purchased Toshiba TV's and DVD players. I am very brand loyal as long as the brand serves me. Toshiba for me has been rock steady. So I've been reading this thread and several others and I'm going to get the 34hfx84 in the next 2 weeks.

I looked at one at my local Colders appliance store and they are running for $1598.00 plus $169.00 for a 5 year onsight parts and labor warrenty.

I'm also going to get a new HT system as well but I have no idea as to what yet.

I also have 2 ReplayTV's that I will be connecting to it that are not HD but are connected to DTV. Hopefully HD Replay's will be out this year!

The guy at Colders told me the TV is HD ready. What will I need to get the TV to pull in local HD channels.

I think youve got a good deal there, particularly the 5year warranty.

There are basically three sources of HD signal - Satellite, Cable, and local OTA stations.

Do you have any local stations broadcasting HD?

Do you use cable or sat for programming?

In any event, you will need to source appropriate HD tuner(s) for where and how you will be getting HD signal(s). Often the cable and sat provider's HD tuners will also include and OTA tuner function too.

ss

[fubie]

Ok, so my best bet is to bypass one of my ReplayTV's and use my DTV receiver for the HD signal.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I want to pull OTA HD I'd have to buy an HD receiver?

[goman]

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I want to pull OTA HD I'd have to buy an HD receiver?

Well maybe, if your local cable company has HD, they might have OTA channels with their HD service.

Voom also has a service where their box could grab the local OTA digital channels.

I think those are your only other options.

[subysouth]

Originally posted by fubie
Ok, so my best bet is to bypass one of my ReplayTV's and use my DTV receiver for the HD signal.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I want to pull OTA HD I'd have to buy an HD receiver?

Depends on the DTV receiver you have. Samsung and I am sure others make DTV and OTA HD combo receivers.

Similar setups can be found from cable companies too, that do cable HD and OTA HD.

ss

[fubie]

I have a question about my new 34HFX84.

I take it to change the screen resolution you just change the Theater Wide.

Like

Theater Wide 1 = 480i
Theater Wide 2 = 480p
Theater Wide 3 = 1080i

What's strange is, no matter what Theater Wide I am on, when I goto the OSD it shows Display Format as 1080i and it's greyed out so it can't be changed.

Why is Display Format there if it can't be changed?

[Hammie]

Actually, you can only change it to 540p or 1080i. You can have a STB or DVD player that can push 480p and it will upconvert it to 540p or 1080i. Otherwise, it defaults the upconversion to 1080i and you will not be able to change it.

[alalk]

also aspect ratio and theater wide are 2 different things. As Hammie mentioned, you can change aspect ratio back and forth from 540P to 1080 depending on source. Theater wide is a strech device to get rid of black or gray bars

[subysouth]

Originally posted by alalk
also aspect ratio and theater wide are 2 different things. As Hammie mentioned, you can change aspect ratio back and forth from 540P to 1080 depending on source. Theater wide is a strech device to get rid of black or gray bars

540p and 1080i share the same aspect ratio. These are resolution choices.

The stretch modes would be more appropriately described as aspect ratio adjustments/compromises.

ss

[alalk]

True. I was speaking more in terms of function

[scream429]

Hey everyone,

I am a new owner of a Toshiba 34HFX84 set, and I have a few questions regarding it.

First of all, when I watch a program in HD, I can tell that the picture is not perfectly centered. In addition, I can also tell that the right side of the picture is being cut off slightly (i.e. the FOX61 logo only says FO___).

The picture also has a slight curve to it, and definitely lips up on the right. I believe that this is a geometry issue.

Does anyone know if calibrating this set will help center my picture, show the full picture, and fix my geometry issues?

I know that isn't what calibration is all about, but I am just curious at this point.

Oh yeah, this TV is still under warranty, so I could return it if it sounds like a dud.

Thanks a lot.

Scream429

[alalk]

Didn't you just post this in another forum? Go back and look. Someone answered your question quite accuratly

[scream429]

I did post this as its own subject, but I did so by accident. I thought I deleted it there, but I guess it still posted.

Anyway, I saw the response.

Thanks!

[alalk]

didn't mean it as a critisicm. Just wanted u to see Georgrmoe's response. Enjoy your new set!

[Joxer]

The set needs to be adjusted to reduce overscan and proper centering in the service menu.

[alalk]

No need to caution you, I will say this. I had Greg Loewen calibrate my 34HF84. He checks for all that, By time he left my house I had a breathtaking PQ and perfect geometry as far as the naked eye goes. I am a big advocate of calibration! I used Avia myself before that. Came out pretty good, but nothing like a real calibration

[subysouth]

Originally posted by alalk
No need to caution you, I will say this. I had Greg Loewen calibrate my 34HF84. He checks for all that, By time he left my house I had a breathtaking PQ and perfect geometry as far as the naked eye goes. I am a big advocate of calibration! I used Avia myself before that. Came out pretty good, but nothing like a real calibration

Couldnt agree more, You can get lucky with an out-of-the-box picture but it rarely happens and there are significant limits to all the calibration discs. If the set needs it(and most do) there is nothing like a real calibration for correcting the PQ.

ss

[georgemoe]

Gregg is scheduled to calibrate my 34HFX84 on Friday April 1st. Needless to say I am overly excited. :)

[alalk]

Georgemoe,
I predict much hapiness!

[georgemoe]

Thanks Al. I just can't get the April Fools thoughts out of my head. ;)

[Rolando A]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to post a bit of a follow up to my story.

Some might remember me as the unhappy guy who ordered his 34HFX84 end of December and was still waiting...

Well as I mentioned in another thread I finally got it first week of March. WOW. The more I see it the more I love it. Having trouble setting contrast but overall out of the box in movie mode it's already awesome.

Even the wife though it was a little dark it first (she thought Standard would be a compromise between Sport and Movie modes) But I stood my ground and she loves it now. Of course I find Movie still needs some tweeking, still too bright (blacks are still a little grey) but even using DVE I get darker scenes but I seem to be losing the detail. not sure what I am doing wrong. When I set brightness right as per DVE, THX optimers and others it all gets too dark. do I need to boost contrast?

Anyway the point of this post was to say how happy I am with it and thanks to all of you who cheered me up while I waited for delivery. I just got digital cable cause OTA TV was to much of a pain to get.

I wanted to pay to add the HD channels but the wife thought it was useless. Well when we hooked up we got all 7 HD channels free for 24 hours and we did a comparison of American Idol SD VS HD (I know where to go get her :) ) and she was wowed!

Now we got HD :)

No joke, the difference is night and day.

[alalk]

Your problem is due to inaccurate grayscale. A good ISF calibration will make that srt sing. They calinrate very well.

[Rolando A]

Yes but where can I find a good ISF calibrater in Montreal?

[alalk]

no idea, but maybe if u use ISF for a searchword, u can find it at their website

[lorenzow]

Originally posted by Rolando A
Yes but where can I find a good ISF calibrater in Montreal?

You can try this site. (http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/isf/isf_calibrators.html) Michael TLV does tours of Eastern Canada.

[alalk]

This is from Toshiba's web site. Tosh, along w/Samsung and Phillips will be going to a slimmer hybrid tube this year

CES, LAS VEGAS - JANUARY 5, 2005
TOSHIBA'S FULL LINE OF FST PURE® HD MONITORS ON DISPLAY AT CES 2005, WITH MORE TO COME
Toshiba adds excitement to its line of FST PURE HD color TVs with new "Super-Thin" CTV technology
Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C., (Toshiba) today displayed at CES its line of FST PURE® HD flat color televisions in sizes ranging from 26" to 34". Toshiba's HD monitors offer consumers affordable digital quality combined with innovative space saving designs. The full line of FST PURE televisions totaling fourteen models, five of which are high-definition, is now available at retailers nationwide.
Toshiba has been a leader in introducing CTV technology, and in industry sales. Today Toshiba announced that it will introduce new "Super-Thin" CTV technology in 2005, creating widescreen CTV models with one third less depth. This exciting advancement in direct view technology will be available in both the TheaterWide® Series and Cinema Series®.
"Month after month, our 16:9 HD direct view models are performing beyond our expectations," said Scott Ramirez, Toshiba America Consumer Products VP, Marketing. "It has become clear that these 26", 30", and 34" widescreen CTV models provide the perfect mix of digital performance, and affordable pricing. This fast growing category is the perfect solution for matching the average consumer's budget, with a high quality HD experience. In 2005, our new "Super-Thin" technology will bring added excitement to this important category, and bridge the gap between standard direct view CTV and flat panel technologies."
Toshiba's FST PURE flat tube design delivers increased viewing angle, enhanced picture linearity and reduced light reflections to produce accurate lifelike images. To further improve the viewing experience, most Toshiba FST PURE TVs utilize an Invar Shadow Mask, which ensures that image quality is maintained at all times. Available in a variety of sizes from 14" through 36", within Toshiba's Cinema Series and TheaterWide lines, FST PURE technology provides consumers options for a viewing experience for any room in the house.
16:9 HD Monitors
Toshiba's line of 16:9 HD monitors includes two Cinema Series models, the 34HFX84 (34") and the 30HFX84 (30"). The TheaterWide line-up includes three models, the 34HF84 (34"), 30HF84 (30") and the 26HF84 (26"). All Toshiba HD Monitors feature 16:9 FST PURE CRTs, Dynamic Quadruple Focus, Wide Band Video Amplifier, and DFine™ High-Speed Velocity Scan modulation. Additional features include CrystalScan HDSC™ for all time 1080i resolution, CableClear™ DNR+ that optimizes video connections by eliminating noise and automatically adjusting sharpness, and HDMI™ Digital Video Inputs. The sets also boast SRS® WOW™ audio technology.
Cinema Series sets include features like Virtual Dolby® Surround Sound and a six item A/V Illuminated Universal Remote control.
Toshiba 16:9 HD monitors also feature a new space saving design where speakers are placed at the bottom of the set. The new design allows for bigger screens to be placed in existing furniture. TheaterWide HD monitor cosmetics are highlighted by a two-tone silver and gray design while Cinema Series sets feature a two-tone silver and black design.
Suggested retail pricing information for FST PURE models:
TheaterWide:
14AF44 ($149.99); 20AF44 ($199.99); 24AF44 ($299.99); 27AF44 ($349.99); 32AF44 ($549.99); 35AF44 ($799.99); 26HF84 ($599.99); 30HF84 ($899.99); 34HF84 ($1,399.99)
Cinema Series:
27AFX54 ($399.99); 32AFX54 ($599.99); 35AFX54 ($849.99); 30HFX84 ($999.99); 34HFX84 ($1,599.99)



About Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.
Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is a limited liability company, owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is a pioneer in DVD and DVD Recorder



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[Shivan]

That is awesome, but I definitely don't want to be the first to get one. But it sounds very promising for the CRT fans.

[alalk]

Aye, There's the rub! All that re-tooling and re-learning, Ihe potential exists for an QC nightmare!

[zambelli]

Reviving an old thread as I find that one issue hasn't been resolved yet:

If fed 720p and set to display 540p, does the HFX84 actually display 540p or 1080i? In other words: does the 540p mode work for all progressive inputs or just 480p?