Gregg Loewen's Job on my TV - Nov. trip

[AnthonyB]

Today Gregg Loewen of LionAV.com visited my home for about 4 hours and tuned/calibrated my WS-65613 RPTV (CRT) set and did the most spectacular job with it.

Most of the time I was completely speechless with what I was seeing, I couldn't even put myself together, in words, over how much I was drooling over the cool stuff he was doing for the new set performance.

First came the manual focus adjustments. That in it's own was very cool, I saw a difference immediately. From my viewing distance, what was once one blurry line turn into a very "fine" line that almost looked separated the way the DVD was displaying it.

Second was the "pots" and adjusting their focus as well. More improved PQ just based on a simple grid and lines I could see more difference.

Then came greyscale, which was a very educating experience. I knew that 6500K was the temperature but also knew that any "regular" set off the shelves would probably not fit that profile even on it's best day. Gregg was very eager to educate me on what I was seeing on the TV and on the colorimetry.

Then came color decoding process for the DVD, some filters and an Avia/VE disc and he was off to the races with a great calibration that I can speak more of later.

The HD came next and was a very vigorous process. Color decoder and Greyscale. He did a fantastic job with both.

After he finished the HD greyscale and T/C process using filters, he began to do the geometry,overscan and, convergence settings. While it took a long time, I knew it would be well worth it considering how much effort I saw him putting into the rest of the set's functions.

Finally!

I got to see what D* looked like on HDNet.

OH MY GOD..... All I can say is...

This is completely amazing. The hockey game happened to be on a replay and I got to see comparison from last night to compare it to tonight. A world of difference is an understatement.

Then... The DVD came after that. I thought that HD looked good the way I used to see it, he put in the best reference disk for color quality and sharpness quality ("The Fifth Element") and gave me a great tour of what things are supposed to look like with color tones made proper and I was again baffled and still left silly and speechless.

The long and short of it is that this man takes a great deal of enjoyment in what he does in his work, it exudes from him and he is "quite" (another understatement) knowledgeable about what he is doing. I for one know that I have the best set that any one that I know has ever seen, nobody else appeciates it like I do, but I know that there is one thing that rings true... It looks great!

Oh, and by the way, either I am so numbed by the spectacular job he did or it actually did help those shi!!y artifacts "LOTR:TTT" that D* introduces with their compression.

Gregg is the man!

If you want ISF Certified calibration get it done with him. In case you forgot the URL or never knew it, it's www.lionav.com .

AnthonyB

[FTBoomerIII]

So, you were impressed huh? That solidifies it for me for next February. What did he charge, if you don't mind me asking? Was it the $275 package or the $400 pkg.

[CANDY76MAN]

do you think he would laugh at my 1300 dollar RCA rptv and say I'm out of luck?...I just wonder if there is much that could be done to improve it...
it has some problems straight from the factory...like light streaks from left to right off anything bright it displays (distractingly noticable on a dark background) and vertical 2 inch wide bars that are visible on a dark background..except they are more pronounced on the left side of the screen and fade away almost completely as they go towards the right.

It was all I could afford anyway...it's better than the 15" LCD I used for the two months before I got it and after my first hdtv crapped out on me :evil:

[bdraw]

Did you see much differnce in overscan or geometry?

[AnthonyB]

Overscan, yes. Namely on HDNet I noticed it immediately, there was a problem that I was noticing before when the scoreboard came on prior to a commercial break that the bottom of the HDNet logo would disappear, that doesn't happen anymore.

I got the $400 package, I may have him add Duvetyne next year.

As far as an RCA TV goes, knowing just how much effort they put into their TV's before they ship them off, you might benefit from it more.

[GreggLoewen]

Im just getting back from Florida...home for 5 days then off to Houston - New Orleans and Pensacola.

I had a blast on the trip and it was nice to meet up with some of you. And hopefully there will now be a few more persons from the HT community frequenting your site.

Sorry but I dont do RCA RPTVs, they require a laptop connection to the service board, and are very tricky (so Ive been told).

I will be returning in February and already have about 6 bookings. I will take up to 14-16 max, so if you are considering a calibration please contact me sooner, or you might have to wait until August.

Regards

Gregg
Gregg@lionav.com

[CANDY76MAN]

Sorry but I dont do RCA RPTVs, they require a laptop connection to the service board, and are very tricky (so Ive been told).

Regards

Gregg
Gregg@lionav.com



DOH!

[GreggLoewen]

Sorry to be the bearer of the news...

Out of the 700 plus calibrations I have performed, you are the first (pseudo) that has asked me to calibrate a RCA RPTV. If there would be a demand for it I would have been happy to learn how to perform RCA tweeks (actually it is the convergence that needs to be done via the PC interface...so Ive been told).

regards

Gregg

PS: If you own a Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Pioneer, Sony, Panasonic, or a variety of FP brands , including plasma panels, LCOS, LCD, DLP etc I would be very happy to assist you in your quest for video Nirvana.

[DavidHead]

Gregg also visited me during his recent trip and I have to say that the results are outstanding! He worked on my Mitsubishi 42" widescreen for 6 hours and performed all of the same calibration items that he did for Anthony while also lining the inside of the set. Removing the protective glare screen and lining the set made an incredible difference all by themselves, but the greyscale work was the icing on the cake. I highly recommend Gregg's services to everyone. If you've bought an HDTV and haven't had it ISF'd, you're not getting the most out of your investment.

David

[CANDY76MAN]

So how does a RCA owner get a isf calibration then?

[GreggLoewen]

you could try www.imagingscience.com

Also a good resource is www.hometheaterspot.com

Best wishes

Gregg

[MTAS]

Sorry to be the bearer of the news...

Out of the 700 plus calibrations I have performed, you are the first (pseudo) that has asked me to calibrate a RCA RPTV. If there would be a demand for it I would have been happy to learn how to perform RCA tweeks (actually it is the convergence that needs to be done via the PC interface...so Ive been told).

regards

Gregg

PS: If you own a Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Pioneer, Sony, Panasonic, or a variety of FP brands , including plasma panels, LCOS, LCD, DLP etc I would be very happy to assist you in your quest for video Nirvana.

Any chance for Philips?

[GreggLoewen]

no problem doing a philips.

Regards

Gregg
gregg@lionav.com

[Jerry_Pease]

So how does a RCA owner get a isf calibration then?you cant.

[OccamMD]

I have an RCA 36120, oh well. By the way candy man, the streaks are not supposed to be there. Mine was fine for 2 years and then one day they popped up. I am still working with BB to get it corrected, fortunately I bought the warranty (which I almost never do).

[baja]

Hi Gregg
I have recently purchased a Samsung HLM 567w DLP. I have been interested in getting it ISF'd. Have you done any Sammy DLP's? I also have a Pioneer 503 CMX plasma. I might be interested in getting both display's done at the same time.

[GreggLoewen]

Hi!

Yes I have done both sets.

Despite multiple sets at one home I only charge one travel fee per location ($50).

To book a calibration simply complete the booking form at www.lionav.com and use the paypal interface to send the travel fee. I will respond when received to confirm the booking. You will then hear from me around Jan 30th for appointment times.

If anybody at any time has any questions feel free to call me on my cell phone 201 232 3380 or email me at gregg@lionav.com

Here is a cut and paste of my pricing:

225 for a direct view tube. Grayscale for one input.
$275 for a direct view HD capable tube, inputs as required (DVD and High Definition).
$400 for LCD and plasma sets, inputs as required.
$400 package price for rear projection crt displays. Grayscale for one input, see services for listings.
Add $150 for additional input (scan rate) calibrated at the same time.
$225 for second and subsequent annual calibrations including HD if done at time of initial calibration.
$450 package price for front projection displays. Grayscale for one input, Convergence for 1 scan rate.
$75 hourly rate for all additional services including advanced geometry work, convergence work for multiple aspect ratios and advanced troubleshooting.
$35 hourly rate travel time based on round trip travel, usually no travel fee for travel within New England. $50 travel fee for "tours" with no additional travel fees.
$150 for Duvetyne lining (materials & labor)

Regards

Gregg Loewen
www.lionav.com
gregg@lionav.com

[baja]

Greg I filled out the form and sent you a PayPal deposit. I used one form for the both displays, is that ok or do I need to do a seperate one for my 503cmx?

[GreggLoewen]

your all set

see you in february

Gregg

[CANDY76MAN]

Hey Greg...I assume you must know a lot more than the average person about the internal workings of rptvs since you are ISF certified, so maybe you can tell me what you think of these two problems, as far as rather they are common or what might cause it and if it is something that should deffinantly be covered under a manufacturers warrenty or if thats questionable...maybe if I shouldn't even be concerned about it?...I mean under most viewing conditions I never notice these problems but in certain circumstances they stick out like a sore thumb, at least to me...mainly in some dark scenes.

This is the first one and the one that bugs me the most...it's most noticable on my computer desktop but I see it in movies with a dark background and any small point of white...white or light spots streak from left to right mainly but it also goes the other way, just more faint as you can see in the pic...sorry about the glare :?

http://68.202.79.31/images/RCAproblem_streaks.jpg


and here is the other problem...less noticeable but its there and I see it in dark scenes in movies sometimes...its hard to see in a pic with the glare but you can see the vertical 1 to 2 inch wide bands that are fairly noticable on the left side of the screen and fade to smooth by the 2/3's of the way across the screen.

http://68.202.79.31/images/RCAproblem_banding.jpg

I'm hoping maybe you can at least tell me if it's a major problem with the set thats worth the warrenty hassle or if i'm making a mountain out of a molehill...lol :lol:

thanks.

[dvdao]

I'm thinking of getting my Hitachi 57SWX ISF'd. I'm wondering though, if the picture looks pretty good right now, is getting my set ISF'd going to make it look...pretty much as good as its going to get? I need to justify the cost to my wife :roll: Also, if I get my set calibrated, how soon after the calibration will it need to be calibrated again?

[jaymer]

http://www.tampahdtv.com/images/candyman.jpg

Gregg, here's a 3rd question.
Sometimes I see faint images on my tv... kinda like dead people inside there looking back at me.
Who is he and how did he get there?
Sometimes he wears these goofy white socks all the way to his knee.
Some days he wears no pants.
Do you do TV exorcisms?

[JCHDTV]

Well Gregg you talked me into it! I just ordered your services for my RPTV. I hope it really makes all the difference these other guys are saying. I assume you will be contacting those that have ordered an ISF calibration when you get back? I guess I am somewhat new with your service. Either way I will post how my experience goes, I'm sure it will be good!

[CANDY76MAN]

http://www.tampahdtv.com/images/candyman.jpg

Gregg, here's a 3rd question.
Sometimes I see faint images on my tv... kinda like dead people inside there looking back at me.
Who is he and how did he get there?
Sometimes he wears these goofy white socks all the way to his knee.
Some days he wears no pants.
Do you do TV exorcisms?

thats another problem with my tv...that image is burned into the screen...really distracting :lol:

[Marc_FL]

Greg-

I'm really interested in having my set ISF'd, but I have some initial questions.

1) Does it have any bearing on an extended warranty? Or - is there a way they would even KNOW I had it ISF'd if I had to have it serviced down the road??

Mainly because I have 3+ yrs left on my extended warranty - and I've already gotten PLENTY of use out of it already.. I have a Sony KP57HW40 - one of the first of these sets to have the 'flickering' problem (at least at home theater spot).. Anyway... I've had a series of trial and errors in replacing the CRTs.. and still am not 100% convinced that it won't go out again at some point..

2) Which brings the next question - if they ever do service it - and definitely if they replace a crt - then it needs to be ISF'd all over again - right??

3) Does an ISF do *anything* for a burn-in? Make it less noticible - make it MORE noticible?? I've got a faint outline of the Fox News logo on the bottom left.. really only shows up one white screens / scenes (noticed it the first time I watched Ice Age lol)

4) Still learning here - so I'm not sure when reading your posted price list above, but, I have DVD and HD cable box running into one component in.. and then the xbox is on my other component in... my assumption is that I'd want to get BOTH of those component in's 'greyscaled' and calibrated - so is that what you mean when you say $150 for additl input (scan rate)? (I'm looking at the $400 pkg btw)

Hope that's not too many questions! :)

Thanks!

[GreggLoewen]

candyman, it looks like you have a service issue, some pioneer sets had a similar issue this year and was correctable.

Hitachi rptvs, can be made to look HUGELY better by a proper setup and calibration.

Ive done many sony sets where the has needed to had service work (mainly the flicker thing), and have never had a problem. basically, the company would have to prove that what I did caused the problem. It is sometimes just easier to avoid a potential problem by denying all knowledge.

If a crt is replaced you would need a touch up service. I recommend annual service on all sets (touch up) for which I charge 50 travel and 225 to perform,

regards

gregg loewen

[OccamMD]

candyman,

go to the RPTV forum at avs. They have a number of discussions about your set.

[CANDY76MAN]

candyman,

go to the RPTV forum at avs. They have a number of discussions about your set.


Yeah...I've been through there and it just makes me more pesimistic that I won't be able to get this problem fixed...I've found a lot of mentions of the problem on various forums and people trying to get it fixed but I have yet to see a single person say that it actually got fixed :(

thanks Greg...it's looking mike I may just have to live with it though untill I can afford my new DLP rptv in a few years :P

[GreggLoewen]

I have just returned from 4000 plus miles of driving, where I went all the way to Minneapolis and back! Just in time for Christmas :-)

Anyways, my email account was over its limit for a day or so, so if you contacted me and I didnt reply, please resend it.

As another option, you can also call me at 201 232 3380.

Best holiday wishes!!!

Gregg Loewen

[GreggLoewen]

hi guys,

A couple of updates, as of right now I have expanded my calibration services to include RCA HD tubes and RCA RPTV (crt based sets). These include the Dish Network rebadged RCA sets.

I will be finalizing my Florida schedule within the next few days. So if your on the fence about getting a calibration, please call or email me ASAP.

Thanks!!

Gregg
H 207 778 5417
C 201 232 3380

[CANDY76MAN]

So is there anything you do during calibration of a RCA set that may fix the problems I posted about earlier in this thread or are those something I would have to get a repair shop to look at?

[GreggLoewen]

it has some problems straight from the factory...like light streaks from left to right off anything bright it displays (distractingly noticable on a dark background) and vertical 2 inch wide bars that are visible on a dark background..except they are more pronounced on the left side of the screen and fade away almost completely as they go towards the right.


I dont think so, you will have to have your set serviced prior to a calibration.

Best of luck!!

Gregg

[GreggLoewen]

Dates confirmed:

Arriving Feb 19th and departing March 2nd.

Ill have a schedule finalized by Saturday. Please let me know ASAP if you are wanting in on this trip. Ill be back in the May ish time frame.

Regards

Gregg

[mclaught]

I am also interested in how this work affects the warranty. My guess is the average repair man probably won't even notice, but that's a pretty expensive risk to reward ratio if the ISF calibration voids the warranty. Anyone have any experiences with this issue, or Gregg, do you know of any of your customers that successfully sbumitted their set for a warranty after the work was done? Thanks in advance. Tom

[CANDY76MAN]

I'm pretty positive that it does not void the warrenty so long as the ISF calibration was down by a ISF certified individual.

[GreggLoewen]

Hi
It depends on the manufacturer.
Good rule of thumb: dont ask dont tell.
regards
Gregg

[OccamMD]

I would love to have you cal my RCA 4:3 36" MM set, but I will have to see if repair can get the smearing fixed by then. BB has not exactly been great at this service.

[GreggLoewen]

Hi

I currently have 1 opening left in the Tampa area. It is the afternoon of Sunday Feb 22nd. Please email ASAP if interested. (or call)

Regards

gregg Loewen

207 778 5417
cell 201 232 3380

[OccamMD]

I guess I'll miss out, my set needs this repair

[GreggLoewen]

Ill be back in May :-)

Best of luck with the service guys!!