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General discussion

The Psychology of TV Perception and All That That Encompasse

Jul 16, 2005 10:42PM PDT

This thread is for anyone who wishes to comment on the psychology of TV perception.

Discussion is locked

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Set and Setting: It Does Make A Difference
Jul 16, 2005 10:50PM PDT

Recently I had the opportunity to view side by side two identical models of the Samsung 50 inch DLP rear projection TVs, save for the case they was in. One was the hl-r5087w pedestal model and the other was the hl-r5067w table top model. The inner workings of the sets are identical. The salesman said that no adjustments had been made; the settings were as they came out of the box.

To me the picture looked better on the pedestal model, perhaps because the pedestal model looks like something out of Star Wars. My wife thought the table top picture looked better. Why is it that two people can look at identical pictures and think one or the other looks better?

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I Want The One With All The Snazzy Lights, Bells And Whistle
Jul 16, 2005 11:22PM PDT

...And I want it to make me rich beyond belief, a sex symbol to put Brad Pitt to shame and I want it to provide a holographic picture that will convince me I'm actually in "The Matrix."

And it should sell for <$150.

Is that too much to expect?

Sheesh.

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Its all marketing
Jul 17, 2005 12:36AM PDT

I sold tvs for 6 years (straight commission at rex tv) and people would come in and say "show me your best tv". Despite the fact that some tvs paid more than others I always was honest and showed the "best" tv I had in at the moment (because I'm an av nut myself). Needless to say, when I showed a Toshiba or a Hitachi the response was always "what about the Sony?" My point is that people have been influenced by marketing and then the advice of a friend before they think for themselves.

The best thing is to educate yourself as to what a "Good" picture is and judge for yourself. How many of you out there have put a calibration disk in a dvd player and fine tuned your own tv ? How many know what the viewing conditions in your room should be according to the NTSC or ATSC guidlines ? The factory settings you see on a tv in a showroom is nowhere close to the "Right" picture. Sonys are too saturated and run to an orange picture...Toshiba and Panasonic runs to the pastel...Hitachi and Samsung fall somewhere in the middle. Look at the black levels and how bright the whites are before looking at the color anyway. Turn off the sharpness filter. What is the picture source and how is it hooked up ? Quite honestly I have shook my head in amusement (and kept my mouth shut) as I listened in to people choosing a tv.

By the way...if this was a philisophical question then my answer is " I think Family Guy rules...Therefor it does".

grim