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heavensgatekeeper7 · 2008-02-18, 15:20

didnt know if i could post this in the tech support forum so i post it here for now and if it does belong in tech support then will a mod be nice enough to put it there.

ok heres the question have a zenith hdtv but for some reason the picture is really dark no matter what type of channel your watching was wondering if anyone knows how to fix this problem or if its just the tv its self anyone help is greatly appreciated.

Dxon · 2008-02-18, 15:25

You CAN post this in tech support and you should have done that.. ^_^

Ontopic:

Raising the contrast?? (You never know.. :P )

King Lycan · 2008-02-18, 15:26

lol yea but did u check the setting's raise the brightness level

heavensgatekeeper7 · 2008-02-18, 16:14

ya ive tried adjusting all of the settings on the tv but its still pretty dark. heres some more about the tv its a zenith 42 inch hdtc lcd tv. its hooked up to a cable box so i dont know if that would cause the picture to be dark itself. i was wondering if it could be the cable that hook the cable box to the tv or not.

kujoe · 2008-02-18, 17:09

I have no idea, but you should give more details so others can help you out more.

How are you connecting the tv to your cable box for example? Via component, or DVI/HDMI? Besides brightness, there are also other settings to consider when calibrating your set, such as backlight and gamma levels, etc.

heavensgatekeeper7 · 2008-02-18, 18:00

its hooked up to a comcast digital cable box and im using component cables. i was wondering if hdmi cables would make that much of a difference though.also i dont know if there is a hdmi hookup on the cable box i will have to look. i called bestbuy and they said that the tv may need to be recallibrated to make the picture brighter.

reflection · 2008-02-18, 22:27

That's definitely strange. Most LCDs have incredibly bright and oversaturated factory default settings. Giving you the benefit of the doubt that you have gone through all the possible adjustments to your TV, I'd say that any calibration at the user accessible level isn't going to fix this. Did you just get the set? If so, at this point I'd try and get an exchange if at all possible, because I don't believe the usual warrantee covers professional calibration. =/

heavensgatekeeper7 · 2008-02-18, 23:54

no the tv is like 3 years old so theres no warrenty left on it. when i talked to the guy at best buy he said that some lcd hdtv will lose the brightness after 2-3 years since they didnt have all kinks worked out on some of them. i wish i was covered by warranty i called a few places and its like 275-350 dollars to have the tv recallibrated if that is even the main problem.

Ledgem · 2008-02-19, 00:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by heavensgatekeeper7

when i talked to the guy at best buy he said that some lcd hdtv will lose the brightness after 2-3 years since they didnt have all kinks worked out on some of them.

I generally don't trust the advice of sales people much. That could be useful information, but you've had the TV for three years - was it always this dark, or did it used to be brighter? If it used to be brighter and it became darker, then what the sales guy said is probably true. Otherwise, it's either just the way your TV model is, you got a faulty one, or there's something with the settings. Since you've gone through the options a fair bit it seems like that's not really it, though.

SeijiSensei · 2008-02-19, 00:02

Before you give up, I'd recommend a visit to AVSforum.com and see if other people there have the same problem you do. You probably want to start your search in the flat-panel display thread. There's a lot of very knowledgeable people in those forums, so you might find an answer there.

hobbes_fan · 2008-02-19, 08:49

LCD tech has been around for years. 20years at least. So it's not a case of kinks not being worked out. Plasma is the newer tech.

Ok just to clarify this is the chain to your HDTV

Set top Box -> Component cable -> HDTV

Firstly I'm going to ask, have you checked that the cables are not faulty. Use another set of component cables.
Secondly are you sure you've wired it up correctly.
http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibrary/...ng_diagram.pdf

Finally, is your HD TV displaying proper colours from any other source eg a DVD.

If your dvd playback is dark, problem = tv, sorry you're SOL and need to get it repaired.
if your dvd playback is fine but your tv channels are stuffed, problem = comcast box or cables.

Sinestra · 2008-02-19, 12:09

If you have checked you cables and your certain they are not faulty and your dont have confidence about calibrating the TV yourself. You can pick up a calibration dvd it takes a while to run but once its done if its not a manufactring defect you should have a great picture quality. Iv used mine to calibrate my TV and my Xbox 360 and im also using a HD Comcast Box but im also running an HDMI cable. Can you provide the model number of your Zenith?

heavensgatekeeper7 · 2008-02-19, 14:35

hobbes_fan: it is dark when u run a dvd so like u said its probably the tv and not the cables or the box so i guess its either going to have to be repaired or try something else.

Sinestra: do they really make dvds that can really recallibrate the tv thats alot better then taking it somewhere to get repaired if it works. the model number of the zenith is e44w48lcd.

Sides · 2008-02-19, 16:03

So the was it always this dark, when you bought it 3 years back, or did it changed recently?
My initial thought, it is a backlight problem, the curse of the LCDs. 3-5 years is the normal life span of these backlight, depending how you treat your screen of course. You should be able to replace the blub yourself, if it is the cause.

heavensgatekeeper7 · 2008-02-19, 16:19

no it didnt start out dark it was pretty bright when we got it. its gotten dark so slowly that we really didnt notice till a few months ago. what would be a good way of checking to see if the backlight is starting to go bad and are they hard to find and replace yourself.

Sides · 2008-02-20, 05:33

Just check the manual of your screen. I just had a look at it, it seems that your screen has a lamp indicator (the middle one with the blub) in the front, orange= almost over, red flashing=something is wrong with the blub, green flashing=lamp cover not closed. Maybe try emailing Zenith/lg support is a good idea.
Some LCD TV do have a option to setup the backlight, that would be a way to check it, but not every manufacture does include it in the normal option settings.
www.zenith.com or www.lge.com

Sinestra · 2008-02-20, 14:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by heavensgatekeeper7

Sinestra: do they really make dvds that can really recallibrate the tv thats alot better then taking it somewhere to get repaired if it works. the model number of the zenith is e44w48lcd.

Yes they do make DVD's to calibrate your HDTV i suggested it if there was nothing wrong with your TV but this sounds more like a hardware problem and not a simple recalibration to get your contrast and colors right i mean LCD HD Tvs dont do blacks very well anyway. As you stated everything was dark which might have meant you need to calibrate it manually. A lot of people dont have confidence doing it themselves so they make these dvds they will guide you.

But after researching your model and finding a lot of people complaining about this I think Sides is right. Its your tv and the bulbs inside are dying or a bad light control circuit . Most likely you are going to have to call Zenith and get it repaired or at least have them troubleshoot it for you. I dont think there is a way for you to check yourself as it would involve you opening the T.v up. Which i dont suggest doing unless you know what you doing.

Do you still have a warranty on it? There might be a place in your area that is authorized to repair it.

hobbes_fan · 2008-02-21, 06:51

Calibration is only for balancing colors/gamma correction. A calibration tool (You can lease one from some places) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation
and dvd's are only for color correction ie Red, green, blue. It's not going to help with this issue

heavensgatekeeper7 · 2008-02-26, 21:03

well finally figured out what was wrong. the warning light for the bulb came on last night glad we didn't do anything yet. now the problem is that the bulb is around 250 dollars. thought they would be a little cheaper but i guess not.

Sinestra · 2008-03-04, 13:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by heavensgatekeeper7

well finally figured out what was wrong. the warning light for the bulb came on last night glad we didn't do anything yet. now the problem is that the bulb is around 250 dollars. thought they would be a little cheaper but i guess not.

I totally forgot to check back to see if you had found your solution and it looks like you did. If you want i will look around to see if I find a bulb for you cheaper but honestly the reviews on that particular model are not great. But let me know if i can help in some way.

Hobbes_Fan you are correct I only suggested to him before we figured out that it was a hardware problem with how he described the problem at first. I wish it was not a hardware problem its going to cost him a lot more now to get fix.

2008-02-18, 15:20	Link #1
heavensgatekeeper7 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: washington state	hdtv problems didnt know if i could post this in the tech support forum so i post it here for now and if it does belong in tech support then will a mod be nice enough to put it there. ok heres the question have a zenith hdtv but for some reason the picture is really dark no matter what type of channel your watching was wondering if anyone knows how to fix this problem or if its just the tv its self anyone help is greatly appreciated.

2008-02-18, 15:26	Link #3
King Lycan User Title eaten by ravenous bunnies IT Support Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Zeon Age: 33	lol yea but did u check the setting's raise the brightness level __________________ Tumblr

2008-02-18, 22:27	Link #7
reflection gyabo!~ Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Canada	That's definitely strange. Most LCDs have incredibly bright and oversaturated factory default settings. Giving you the benefit of the doubt that you have gone through all the possible adjustments to your TV, I'd say that any calibration at the user accessible level isn't going to fix this. Did you just get the set? If so, at this point I'd try and get an exchange if at all possible, because I don't believe the usual warrantee covers professional calibration. =/ __________________

2008-02-19, 00:02	Link #10
SeijiSensei AS Oji-kun Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 74	Before you give up, I'd recommend a visit to AVSforum.com and see if other people there have the same problem you do. You probably want to start your search in the flat-panel display thread. There's a lot of very knowledgeable people in those forums, so you might find an answer there. __________________ Taking Anime Seriously - Politics by the Numbers - Sports by the Numbers - MAL List - Avatars - Images

2008-02-19, 08:49	Link #11
hobbes_fan You could say..... Join Date: Apr 2007	LCD tech has been around for years. 20years at least. So it's not a case of kinks not being worked out. Plasma is the newer tech. Ok just to clarify this is the chain to your HDTV Set top Box -> Component cable -> HDTV Firstly I'm going to ask, have you checked that the cables are not faulty. Use another set of component cables. Secondly are you sure you've wired it up correctly. http://www.comcast.com/MediaLibrary/...ng_diagram.pdf Finally, is your HD TV displaying proper colours from any other source eg a DVD. If your dvd playback is dark, problem = tv, sorry you're SOL and need to get it repaired. if your dvd playback is fine but your tv channels are stuffed, problem = comcast box or cables. __________________ *Before you ask "How do I convert fansubs to...." see the following* MP4 - http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=47693 Convert AVI/MKV/MP4 to DVD http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=26308

2008-02-18, 15:25	Link #2
Dxon Inactive Member Join Date: Dec 2007	You CAN post this in tech support and you should have done that.. ^_^ Ontopic: Raising the contrast?? (You never know.. :P )

2008-02-18, 16:14	Link #4
heavensgatekeeper7 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: washington state	ya ive tried adjusting all of the settings on the tv but its still pretty dark. heres some more about the tv its a zenith 42 inch hdtc lcd tv. its hooked up to a cable box so i dont know if that would cause the picture to be dark itself. i was wondering if it could be the cable that hook the cable box to the tv or not.

2008-02-18, 17:09	Link #5
kujoe from head to heel Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada Age: 42	I have no idea, but you should give more details so others can help you out more. How are you connecting the tv to your cable box for example? Via component, or DVI/HDMI? Besides brightness, there are also other settings to consider when calibrating your set, such as backlight and gamma levels, etc.

2008-02-18, 18:00	Link #6
heavensgatekeeper7 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: washington state	its hooked up to a comcast digital cable box and im using component cables. i was wondering if hdmi cables would make that much of a difference though.also i dont know if there is a hdmi hookup on the cable box i will have to look. i called bestbuy and they said that the tv may need to be recallibrated to make the picture brighter.

2008-02-18, 23:54	Link #8
heavensgatekeeper7 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: washington state	no the tv is like 3 years old so theres no warrenty left on it. when i talked to the guy at best buy he said that some lcd hdtv will lose the brightness after 2-3 years since they didnt have all kinks worked out on some of them. i wish i was covered by warranty i called a few places and its like 275-350 dollars to have the tv recallibrated if that is even the main problem.

2008-02-19, 12:09	Link #12
Sinestra ション (^^) IT Support Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Freedom Guard Ship Amaterasu	If you have checked you cables and your certain they are not faulty and your dont have confidence about calibrating the TV yourself. You can pick up a calibration dvd it takes a while to run but once its done if its not a manufactring defect you should have a great picture quality. Iv used mine to calibrate my TV and my Xbox 360 and im also using a HD Comcast Box but im also running an HDMI cable. Can you provide the model number of your Zenith? __________________

2008-02-19, 14:35	Link #13
heavensgatekeeper7 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: washington state	hobbes_fan: it is dark when u run a dvd so like u said its probably the tv and not the cables or the box so i guess its either going to have to be repaired or try something else. Sinestra: do they really make dvds that can really recallibrate the tv thats alot better then taking it somewhere to get repaired if it works. the model number of the zenith is e44w48lcd.

2008-02-19, 16:03	Link #14
Sides Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Edinburgh Age: 42	So the was it always this dark, when you bought it 3 years back, or did it changed recently? My initial thought, it is a backlight problem, the curse of the LCDs. 3-5 years is the normal life span of these backlight, depending how you treat your screen of course. You should be able to replace the blub yourself, if it is the cause.

2008-02-19, 16:19	Link #15
heavensgatekeeper7 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: washington state	no it didnt start out dark it was pretty bright when we got it. its gotten dark so slowly that we really didnt notice till a few months ago. what would be a good way of checking to see if the backlight is starting to go bad and are they hard to find and replace yourself.

2008-02-20, 05:33	Link #16
Sides Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Edinburgh Age: 42	Just check the manual of your screen. I just had a look at it, it seems that your screen has a lamp indicator (the middle one with the blub) in the front, orange= almost over, red flashing=something is wrong with the blub, green flashing=lamp cover not closed. Maybe try emailing Zenith/lg support is a good idea. Some LCD TV do have a option to setup the backlight, that would be a way to check it, but not every manufacture does include it in the normal option settings. www.zenith.com or www.lge.com

2008-02-21, 06:51	Link #18
hobbes_fan You could say..... Join Date: Apr 2007	Calibration is only for balancing colors/gamma correction. A calibration tool (You can lease one from some places) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation and dvd's are only for color correction ie Red, green, blue. It's not going to help with this issue __________________ *Before you ask "How do I convert fansubs to...." see the following* MP4 - http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=47693 Convert AVI/MKV/MP4 to DVD http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=26308

2008-02-26, 21:03	Link #19
heavensgatekeeper7 Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: washington state	well finally figured out what was wrong. the warning light for the bulb came on last night glad we didn't do anything yet. now the problem is that the bulb is around 250 dollars. thought they would be a little cheaper but i guess not.