Do I need a new TV or not?

Makes me think it is a grounding problem, but it would affect the HD dish channels also not just the STD channels unless your getting HD from an antenna.

Yah do like there others say start with the basic set up and keep adding stuff.

Hey WildClay!

Thanks for the advice. All of our components run to our receiver (the Denon) and then out of the receiver to the TV. I unhooked all the components, removed the receiver from the mix and then tested each component directly on the TV in various inputs. The TV was still experiencing the issue. I'm fairly confident that it is an issue with the TV itself and not the receiver. Even just the Wii running solo on the TV causes the problem. I think we have a TV dying a slow, but sure, death. Agree?

Thanks again for the input.

Based on your test results and approach it would seem the TV can be the only issue, that it showed similar issues regardless of the input source, the inputs used, and different cables makes it a pretty sure thing. It would be hard to believe that all of yout external devices and cables failed at the same time and in the same way.

One last think you might try is to reset the TV to factory settings after recording the current settings, I don't know if you have kids or not or someone else who may have accidently changed some global setting, but it might be worth a shot to see. Other than that I think you are looking at a new TV.

Personally I have been very happy with the Panasonic Plasma sets, I have 2, a small one in my computer room and a 58" in my home theater room, mine are of the prior generation and I understand from reviews the new generation is even better. Just make sure on a Plasma that you get an anti-glare screen model. I watch in all kinds of lighting conditions and have no issue with glare, they did a really nice job.

As usual it pays to read both the professional reviews and consummer reviews. I look for trends in them and sometimes find subtle and often common themes if there are issues. I like to check cNet for both expert and personal reviews and comments, the vendor site for consumer ratings and commetns, and stores such as Best Buy and Amazon that provide consumer feedback and rating systems.

I also usually download the manual from the vendor site, the quality, depth and details can save you from rude surprises, like does it have the number and type of inputs and outputs you need, etc.

Good Luck and let us know how it comes out in the end.

What happen if the TV is set for progressive and you are feeding interlace signals to it. I wonder what the effect would be.

I have my HDDVR set to 1080i and tv autos everything to 1080p (native).

I still think it is a grounding problem or maybe noise in the power line.

It would be odd for a grounding problem to just show up, however power line noise could be a source as it hit everything, but it still seems like a reach.

it takes is someone to take short cuts and not tighten down the grounding nut 100% and corrosion happens or something else, new or old, in the house has bad grounding and it is putting noise in the line.

He says he has DirectTv so that should be grounded outside; for me Dishnetwork had to move the ground because to was not grounded right, the 1st person took short cuts and just picked something he thought was ground but was not grounded, they also used too small of a guage copper wire for ground.

But I did not hear anything about any changes happening except the TV starting to act up. You could be right it could be a ground issue or he may have put in a new dryer, or some X-10, stuff, I guess the possiblities are endless, but just having the TV take the main hit would still lean me to look to the TV first since he isolated out all of the other things, receiver, cables, etc.

the tv is the only way for one to see they may have problems, unless you have an oscilloscope to look for noise there is not very many ways to tests or know if one has a power noise problem. Everything else is useless as an indecater with out being pluged into the tv.. Wii will just sit there, the reciever, unless it is real bad so that messes with the audio, it can not help as an indecater.

The tv is the most sensitive of all electronics of 'bad' power and the only one that one can see the effects.

You would need a LOT of noise to see it on a scope over the 120VAC however there are any number of AD noise line meters that will do the job just fine.

A simple solution would be to get a looooong extension cord and try plugging the TV in at different spots, perhaps even the neighbors house.

I just somehow doubt it is a line noise problem or a ground issue to that degree and it would not explain how they can get at least one function and device on the TV to work properly.

But who knows, stranger things have happened, my money is still on the TV.

I am not aware of the the ability to force between p and i on the TV but never gave it any thought, my TV detects the type and sets itself to the source. I would guess, and it would be a pure guess, that if you could force progressive on an interlaced signal that you would get only every other line of the picture per frame, how that might manifest itself in the image I have no idea.

I have little doubt it would screw up the picture but I would think more than desribed here but it a good question, I guess he could see if he has a p and i setting that is "forced" and try one of his sources and change between them and see if that fixes the issue.

On the other hand, I can for a mode out of my HT receiver, when I "flip" though 480i, then 480p, and so on at other resolutions from my receiver I never have to change the TV, it may go blank for a second but I never have to change the TV settings.

I know because as odd as it sounds, on some 480i sources, the picture actually comes out better to set the receiver to output 480i and not let it convert it.

So if is receiver supports conversion in resolutions and between i/p he might want to try flipping through the various resolutiuons and between i and p and see if any combination clears up the problem.

That said, it would still likely meant the issue was with the TV and one mode was working and the other broken. Interesting question though.

Hi all,

My wife was able to manipulate the signal coming from the HD DVR so the non-HD channels are no longer distorted.

However, we unfortunately still get the distortion from the DVD player and the Wii. We also hooked another DVD player directly into the TV and still got the same problem.

It looks like the TV simply can't handle the picture anymore. If we manipulate the signal before it gets to the TV as we can with the HD DVR we're okay, but anything else it's a no go.

That being said it looks like we are going to get a Panasonic Plasma - can anyone recommend a good quality receiver to go along with that to enhance the home theater?

Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughts and replies!

Dan

As I have mention in many posts I have been very happy with the Sony ES series, lots of audio codecs, great flxibility on assignment of inputs, and really clean / crisp sound, however I suspect my JBL speakers help on that.

You might look at the Sony STR-DA2400ES, just about ever codec there is and is mid-ranged in the ES line up.

Thanks WildClay - I'll take a look.

Best,

Dan