Well , at this point id tend to agree with you. I had a toshba I bought about a year ago and I started noticing the image was slightly askew.

So I just bought another toshiba Today! Maybe I should take it back and try a different brand.

any recomendations?

anyone else experience this?

Wow

I jsut threw a safe area graphic up and this monitor is not alighned either..

What monitors are you guys using that will display the image right??????

Mandy,

It is difficult to define what is "right" when it comes to televisions. There is typically about 10% of overscan all the way around (top/bottom/left/right) and the centering can vary from set to set as well. These will all vary from set to set because of manufacturing tolerances. If you see a problem on your monitor, then someone else probably will too.

What do you have your safe zone set to? Perhaps it needs to be modified rather than looking for the "perfect" monitor.

Steve

Its your monitor. Look for a control that adjusts horzontial size/positon. On cheap monitors such controls may only be accessible from the back or could even be missing totally. The so-called overscan area while it varies in size should be uniform at the top/bottom, left/right and you should be able to center both vertically and horozontially.

At work we use Samsung 13 inch monitors/tv's (bnc/rca inputs/outputs and f-connectior). Those monitors have been in use since the tv station was built (97/98) and after after being on 15 hours a day since then they are finaly wearning down (well, ONE of them is!).

At home I just got an old 25 inch NEC monitor (BNC/RCA input/output+VTR, no F-Connector) from the local high school that they were throwing out (can't sell it cuz it was bought with state money in the late 70's!). It's used as the family TV/Computer preview monitor. Quite nice.

This is something that is likely to drive you nuts if you think about it too much....

Don't be too upset that your TV is perfectly centered, niether is my Sony KD-34XBR HDTV that I paid four grand for! (That reminds me - I need to put in a service call....)

I use a 20-inch Sony TV to monitor my editing but it's got even bigger issues (insufficient brightness, geometry problems etc). I consider it simply as an interlaced display that gives me a closer approximation of how things will look after I'm done editing.

The problem you're experiencing stems from the fact that although there are supposed to be standards for overscan, centering and all those other NTSC parameters, the manufacturers seem not to worry about 'em. So, even if you managed to acquire a monitor with textbook perfect setup (dedicated professional-level monitors are available), it's probably not representative of most TV's out there, which (for me anyway) kinda defeats the object.

It's rather like, in the audio world, mixing and producing on super-quality gear, but having to listen to the end result on a really cheap system because that's how most people are going to hear it.

Andy

I'm just looking at video I captured from VHS that was recorded on a cheap VHS VCR. It doesn't even record image in the middle of the line, but thats the way the system works!

There is window from the start of a line to the start of image to allow for all kinds of errors. Thats probably why a lot of TVs are setup sligghtly off centre. Precision monitors are supposed to show the signal warts and all. If your TV did that you'd complain as well.

Oh, by the way, search the web with the model number of the TV in question. I bet you can find how to get in service mode and change the horizontal position (and width) on the Toshiba. It is quite easy, but I'm not allowed to tell end users how to do this since I work for them (liability if you were to mess it up).

"It is quite easy, but I'm not allowed to tell end users how to do this since I work for them (liability if you were to mess it up)."

Hmm. I think I'm a bit sceptical about that explanation. Why is it that I can buy a service manual for my car? Seems like there are all kinds of potential dangers from improper use of car service information.

-Rex

Thanks for the replies

to answer one question: I am making a photoshop graphic that exactly matchs the safe area overlay in VVs movie preview window. I also have the 2 graphics I mentioned earlier that are the exact image filpped horizontal in photoshop and place on both sides of the screen.

Im sure you guys are right about specs on consumer tvs. Im thinking about just taking a dvd of the safe area graphic to the strore and finding one thats closer to center.

to the tosiba employee. thats not much info to go on. Trust me. If I could figure out how to do it I would. I suppose I will type it in but it sounds like a long shot.

to the tosiba employee. thats not much info to go on.....

I typed in several things and didnt see anything about service mode

Mandy, I found this link, it may or may not help

http://www.e-repair.co.uk/toshiba_service_modes.htm

Try this link: http://www.mindspring.com/~jzyber/toshibatv.htm

WID is width and HPOS is horizontal position. Power off to exit service mode.

Don't let the model number bother you, they're all basically the same. And write down any settings before changing them in case you need to go back.

PS: I found that by search for "toshiba horizontal position adjustment", without the quotes, on Google.

Thanks...too late though

I brought back the tv and got a Sony. I burned a title safe area graphic to DVD and went and tested 5 toshibas. All were aligned the same- off to the left.

I then tried 5 Sonys. All were dead on except 1.

Lesson learned