Info and forum posts by 'Tom T.'

This user hasn't used our main site yet, so has no main account at present.

Joined on: Tuesday, 19th December 2000, 19:44, Last used: Tuesday, 19th December 2000, 19:44

Access Level: Mostly Harmless

About this user: I am 26, and recently initiated home cinema enthusiast. Purchased 118 DVDs in the past year, so very little in the bank at present. Wharfedale 750s and pro-logic surround, but no TV after several bad experiences with low end widescreen sets. Presently shopping for a cheap video projector, but its not easy down here in Cornwall!

This user has posted a total of 12 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0 messages a day, or 0.01 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 0 messages, which is on average 0 messages a day.

Recent Messages Posted:

NTSC Projector + UK DVD player = Can`t see a thing!

Anyone got any idea why, when I output a pure NTSC from my DVD via S-Video/composite connection to an NTSC projector, the brightness levels plummet? Is this a characteristic of NTSC? I`ve had the same problem with a Wharfedale 750 and (thought it was a problem with the player, but...) now with a Panasonic RV40, but have had no problems in the past with a Samsung 809 and 511. The projector doesn`t like PAL60, but for some reason perfectly accepted the Samsung output when set to AUTO (apart from cropping some 40 pixels off the edges - the reason I am so keen to work with pure NTSC). It`s all a bit too much for me to grasp. Any ideas?

Sub-£100 player - PLEASE kill my friend!

Having flirted briefly with the Wharfedale debacle, I am now made up with my Samsung 511. But my friend is short on spondoolicks, and has got me back here searching in vain for a sub-£100 player that doesn`t suck ass. Since their`s only one in existence that I can find (Himage 2290 - please, take it away!), and nobody can get hold of one anyway, I`ll give him the extra money myself if anyone can recommend a sub-£150 player that is semi-decent in performance, region hackable (not too worried about RCE) and gives an RGB signal via SCART. I know you don`t want to have to help me, so please, do it for my friend!

RE: Wharfedale 750s - Crackly sound

Sounds to me like you`re overloading your stereo system. That, or you need a better phono lead. I wouldn`t panic - I`d be pretty sure it`s not the player. My systems the same, but I know it`s crap. My speakers are wired up with bell wire - the lousiest, cheapest way to do it. Perhaps you should invest in pro-logic. It`s dirt cheap, beats stereo into a cocked hat, and what it lacks in quality it makes up for in sheer balls! My system crackles, but I don`t care!

RE: Wharedale 750s Keep or Return?

May I recommend the Samsung 511? So far, it`s blowing my old 750s away (not sure yet what it`s like with CDs though). Can I also refer you to my latest posting regarding 750 brightness problems? Make sure this doesn`t apply to yours, but if it does, at least you have a very valid reason for a refund. Incidentally, 511s are £20 cheaper from ETS than from Currys - AND they`re not a bunch of c**ts in there. At least not in my branch anyways!

Wharfedale brightness problem - IT`s OFFICIAL!

I don`t know if it`s a firmware problem, or a compatibility issue, or if its common to all Wharfedale 750(s) players, but I know what I`ve seen, and it`s been confirmed. It`s official. There are Wharfedale 750s being sold that are outputting shoddy pictures, lacking in brightness, that are disturbingly dark on a TV, and almost completely indefinable via video projector. I know from my extensive research online that (very) few people are experiencing this, but if "pmoran" who posted on HCCs forum with a similar problem is reading this, thank-you for confirming that I am not in fact going mad or blind. All I can say to you is "Take it back now!". When I returned mine today, the (very candid) shop assistant not only told me that the Wharfedale widescreen TVs that I was looking at are crap and are coming back every day, but also that mine was the third 750 to be returned with a brightness problem. For anyone experiencing this, the problem does NOT go away if you connect via scart/RGB. It`s just not quite as bad. If you`re panicking about where to go next, can I recommend the Samsung 511. Fully hackable, and on first viewing, fully capable. If you`re interested, let me know, and I`ll keep you posted, but so far, it`s blowing the 750 out of the water!

RE: Where do you go from a Wharfedale?

Like this machine, but what`s the hack?

Where do you go from a Wharfedale?

Peed off with my Wharfedale - picture is awful. Not sure if it`s a fault with the player or my tele, but it`s the second unit I`ve tried, and I`m not happy. Question is where do I go from here? What is the best sub-£200 player on the shelf, with RGB and true NTSC output, region hackable and RCE capable? I`m drowning here! Must have movies!

RE: Hitachi DV-P305E Hacking - latest info?

Cool, but is this only a temporary hack, or will it go on working? DVD Reviewer say it can only be switched 20 times before it locks, although their hack is different. Plus, can you tell me, is the player any good?

RE: Wharfedale 750s brightness problem?

I`ve tested it on a Sony set, through a SCART connection, with both composite and RGB output, and noticed the same problem with both. I`ve also run the deck through an NTSC video projector, and when I set the wharfedale going on NTSC output, it was a nightmare - I could barely see a thing! And yet if I set the player to PAL output, the brightness levels were fine, although the edge of the picture was cropped (by 40 pixels, as it would be) and it began dropping frames in an unwatchable fashion. The Samsung I had was fine on all settings. I know it had this `pseudo-PAL` function that smoothed out the effect of droppped frames from an NTSC signal - and it worked pretty well, meaning that brightness would not have been an issue had I been able to put up with a cropped picture. Does the Wharfedale have any such option that you are aware of, or do you have to have an NTSC ready set? Cheers for the advice!

RE: Projector on the cheap...

Ta for the advice! Yeah, I did find that a lot of the places I contacted fobbed me off when they found out how much/little I had to spend. I too started off looking at the Sharp models, but as per usual, I keep raising the bar on myself. I have used a projector at work (I`m a media technician in the local college, and I often take my DVDs in to play for the students), but it`s in pretty bad shape - InFocus LitePro 570 about six years old. It suffers really badly from what I believe is known as `combing` - I`m guessing because it`s primarily a data projector. Also, when I run my Wharfedale 750 through it playing region 1, the brightness levels drop so badly that I can barely see a thing. I think this one`s probably on its way to the skip, but I`m not sure if it`s worth me fishing it out!
Incidentally, at the risk of sounding naive, when they refer to lamp life, do they mean the lamp, or the bulbs? I know that the latter can be very expensive, but I can`t believe you can pay a matter of hundreds for a bulb. Can you?

Projector on the cheap...

Can anyone suggest where I might pick up a decent second-hand projector, if that is not a contradiction in terms? I have scoured the net, called every AV retailer in the area, and bought every magazine on the shelf, and so far bupkis! I only have about £1500-2000 to spend, but would like to get something with a 16:9 feature, and I know these begin at about £3000 off the shelf. Also I live in Cornwall, which makes anything other than mail-order a bit tricky. Please tell me - is this gonna happen? Coz I really need a decent night`s sleep!
Tom T.

Wharfedale 750s brightness problem?

I recently traded up my Samsung 809 for the excellently reviewed Wharfedale 750s - via a very cushdy deal with Woolworths on the former (they couldn`t provide a firmware upgrade, but they did refund the full £250 after 18 months, even though I originally paid just £200, plus a voucher from HCC!).
Despite the 750s rather crude appearance, I am very happy, although I have encountered what I think is a problem. When I hack the machine for R1, I notice a distinct drop in brightness levels. I can counter this by adjusting the brightness of my set, which does reveal most of the detail lost in the blacks, but renders them rather grey. Has anyone else noted a similar problem? Is this normal for an NTSC signal, because it wasn`t the case with the 809? I have already taken the machine back once (which wasn`t a complete waste of time, because they replaced the 750 with the 750s - bargain!), and am reluctant to get a refund coz I know of no other lo-end deck with so much to offer. Please help!
Tom T.