HDTV problems ahoy

I just bought this tv, a Samsung 27" LCD HDTV.

Specifications:

My problem is that everything looks mirky/misty/milky with tv shows. It's like there's a film of milk across the screen. The one I saw in store was fucking beautiful and I'm having a hard time believing that the tv I received was the exact same one. I just checked the serial number and apparently they're the same.

I've tried Okami, Disgaea and Shadow of the Colossus. All three of them looked pixellated around certain edges, and no amount of adjusting different picture options seemed to change anything. Disgaea looked awful to no end. Everything was pixellated to hell around the edges.

I thought "oh okay, component doesn't do 2D well" but after trying with my S-Video PS2 cable as well, I've noticed it really isn't that much different. It's the tv. Using component on a normal CRT with, say, Okami, text looks fine. But with this tv it looks all pixellated. And there's rough edges everywhere. So what the fuck is up? Is this normal?

Also, this tv apparently supports 720p/1080i but the only mention of it under the instructional manual is in the HDMI input. So I assume the tv only supports those modes through a HDMI cable (for 360)?

The tv I saw in the store was exactly the same tv, but god damn it was beautiful. Everything was crystal clear and looked perfect. But somehow, the exact same tv I've purchased, looks different. Now, I know I'm not that knowledgable when it comes to HDTV's and their resolutions and specifications, but I don't think this is even touching the 720p/1080i things. PS2 games just look awful on it. I'm hoping there's a way I can get it looking like the tv in store.

Tomorrow I'll visit the store and ask them what they're doing to get the picture looking so good. I'll also ask them what their settings are and so forth.

If I can't find a solution I'll have to return the tv, most likely for a refund and I'll stick with my current CRT tv since it's still fairly new (bought in september) in itself.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Ehm, PS2 doesnt support HDTV, well, it kinda supports it but it doesnt have the horsepower for such hires games. Only a dozen titles at max will run at anything more then 480p. Disgaea in fact runs at something around 320x224, so it will look crap on a HDTV. Disgaea 2 runs at 480i, so it looks marginally better.

So the pixelation may happen because the lowres PS2 image, not noticable on a smaller CRT, is stretched out to insaaaaaane proportions.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yeah, I know PS2 doesn't support HDTV. What I'm wondering is why the picture is so damn bad. I mean, the point I'm trying to make is that PS2 games running off a component cable on a standard CRT television looked fine (minus 2D games, for the most part) but doing the exact same thing on a LCD HDTV doesn't work? What the hell?

After tinkering with the settings I've managed to settle on playing PS2 games with an S-video PS2 cable. It's a real oxymoron to think that component is giving the worst quality here, but it is. Hell, even composite looks better. But I don't really want to use that.

I'll try running 2D games in 4:3 and seeing if I get a better picture. Some games are fine in 16:3 like Tales of the Abyss, but Disgaea certainly isn't. I just wish there was a huge online resource for information about HDTV's and their abilities. I've already checked through a few sites and they aren't telling me anything I didn't already know.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I would guess that the TV is fine. I assume you've messed extensively with the display settings (brightness, contrast, saturation, etc). You will need to work these settings to the input.

For example, PS2 is a pixelated son-of-a-gun. So on your PS2 input (component or Svideo) turn down sharpness and highten your contrast. This should help the picture. Also, make sure your PS2 system settings are correct (progressive/480p output) as well as the in-game settings for each game.

If you could get a screenshot of what is bothering you, a camera photo of the display, that might help me isolate your problem.

Think of it this way, HDTV provide a much truer picture which is what makes HDTV better. However, if your source material (analog SD broadcast TV, or PS2) is very low-rez and not good quality, the HDTV won't hide the crap. That's the downside of HD. It shows stuff for what it really is.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Dayvon

Also, make sure your PS2 system settings are correct (progressive/480p output) as well as the in-game settings for each game.

You realize that not all PS2 games support 480p, right? There isn't an option in the PS2 to enable this before or after the game's loaded. Games with Progressive Scan on the PS2 are few and far between.

Quote:

If you could get a screenshot of what is bothering you, a camera photo of the display, that might help me isolate your problem.

I'll post some a little later today. But to get an idea, it's basically the jagged edges and pixellation (it's absurd in Disgaea) which are mostly annoying.

Perhaps using composite on a PS2 is worthwhile after all.

Double Post:
Ok, let me try to explain just exactly how my experience at the store with this television was.

We get there, and the person who we originally dealt with us was unavailable. We had this chinese guy address us and take it out of the car, and he proceeded to take it down the back of the store next to the display model of the exact same unit.

My mother didn't like how different colors looked washed out. For example, if someone was holding up a black watch, it looked like the contrast was on 100% and the black was actually a greyish black. It's hard to describe, but it didn't look all that natural.

I didn't mind that much since I don't usually watch tv, but the demonstration unit they had was awesome. The clarity was really high.

"The demo unit is running through a HD DVD player which costs $3000."

Oh okay, thanks for fucking telling me. That's false advertising. There's nowhere to say it's running through a HD DVD player at all.

But I didn't care for that all that much, I wanted it for high definition with the 360/PS3/Wii. There was an xbox 360 kiosk at the corner of the shop, so I asked him if I can see the 720p and 1080i qualities from it, as I don't yet have one myself.

"We can't open the display unit because we don't have the key." he says.

He then takes the tv to the counter and FUCKS OFF. He doesn't even tell us what he was doing. Eventually he comes back and tells us he's going to get us to deal with the manager to take matters forward.

My mother and I explained the situation about the demonstration unit giving an excellent picture and the one we bought was highly disappointing. We further explained that PS2 games on component cables look [i]worse[i] with this tv. S-video looked better out of composite, component and s-video PS2 cables.

I said to him it'd be nice if I could've seen a 360 running on it. He runs off, grabs a bunch of keys, takes the television over to the 360 kiosk, and fucks around trying to open it. He can't.

He brings the tv over to the one on display and spews the most hilarious bullshit I've ever heard. He said "[b]consoles and games are not meant to be used on LCD tvs, it isn't recommended at all."

What the fuck? That's bullshit, I swear. The xbox 360 kiosk was running on a 21" Samsung HDTV, and he said that they're not the ones that support it. So apparently he says the store doesn't recommend running consoles and games through a HDTV, yet they have one doing the EXACT SAME FUCKING THING in store.

Oh, and the said that the previous person I spoke with doesn't know what he's talking about, and HD DVD units are only $300.

I asked him for a refund.

My mother got the box out of the car and all of the pieces which were included. He starts saying that because I picked this unit up cheap via another store's arrangement over the phone, the only way to refund would be by cheque. That's bull.

Then he stands there for about 3 minutes just thinking. Eventually he takes us to another part of the store to refund. They did the refund, but it won't go in until overnight.

While we were waiting for him to process the refund, my mother commented about the false advertising. He claimed that it wasn't false advertising because all people who buy HDTV's generally know whether a television is being displayed through a HD DVD or not. Whether it was false advertising or not, it sure was misleading.

The thing which really ticks me off was the fact that PS2 games (via component) look perfectly fine on my other tv, which is only 2 months old. Games via component on this tv looked terrible. If I want a tv for the next generation of consoles, I want one which is also capable of playing old games as well.

I'll just stick with the tv I have, which is fucking amazing in comparison. In fact, I'd be willing to say that next generation consoles would look good on it, too. This experience has taught me that you do not need a HDTV to enjoy the next generation consoles available, you just need a good tv. Looks like I'll be holding off until HDTV's are actually mainstream.

I was speaking idiomatically.