NEC plasma TV: what's the cause of image "solarizing"?

J

John E.

Guest
This 8 year old NEC PX-42MP3A plasma has some -- what I'd call solarizing
effects. See this photo of the screen:

<http://i41.tinypic.com/21c9ul1.jpg>

Note the fine blue and red outlines on the cheeks of both faces. These
surround the highlights on the faces (cheekbones). (Disregard all the horrid
horiz. and vert. lines -- those are due to moire effect with the camera.
They're absent on the TV screen).

I've adjusted all the controls (bright, contr, sharp). At extreme low light +
low contrast the effects are minimized but still visible.

The specs in the manual say that the color reproduction is "RGB 256 color
steps 1677millions colors".

Is this something caused by poor design? Failing electronics? Or...?

This display is new to me, so I have no history to report.

Thanks,
--
John English
 
Hi!

I don't see anything on that screen to suggest a failure in the set. I'm
inclined to say that the set is eight years old, and in that time, the
technology has improved a lot and become cheaper.

It almost looks to me like the TV is being asked to resolve colors that it
can't quite manage to resolve. This could be due to a limitation of the
plasma panel--displays like this typically need to resolve eight bits of
color data for each color, but not all do. Some only resolve six bits or
fewer, leaving some colors that can't be precisely represented on the
screen.

William
 
"John E." <incognito@xbjcd.com> wrote in message news:0001HW.C602A0DD00178554B04379AF@news.sf.sbcglobal.net...
This 8 year old NEC PX-42MP3A plasma has some -- what I'd call solarizing
effects. See this photo of the screen:

http://i41.tinypic.com/21c9ul1.jpg

Note the fine blue and red outlines on the cheeks of both faces. These
surround the highlights on the faces (cheekbones). (Disregard all the horrid
horiz. and vert. lines -- those are due to moire effect with the camera.
They're absent on the TV screen).

I've adjusted all the controls (bright, contr, sharp). At extreme low light +
low contrast the effects are minimized but still visible.

The specs in the manual say that the color reproduction is "RGB 256 color
steps 1677millions colors".

Is this something caused by poor design? Failing electronics? Or...?

This display is new to me, so I have no history to report.

Thanks,
--
John English
Click to expand...
Is this same problem present on all input signals? Is the photo you
posted taken from a DVD, a live cable or satellite signal etc?
 
"John E." <incognito@xbjcd.com> wrote in message
news:0001HW.C602A0DD00178554B04379AF@news.sf.sbcglobal.net...
This 8 year old NEC PX-42MP3A plasma has some -- what I'd call solarizing
effects. See this photo of the screen:

http://i41.tinypic.com/21c9ul1.jpg

Note the fine blue and red outlines on the cheeks of both faces. These
surround the highlights on the faces (cheekbones). (Disregard all the
horrid
horiz. and vert. lines -- those are due to moire effect with the camera.
They're absent on the TV screen).

I've adjusted all the controls (bright, contr, sharp). At extreme low
light +
low contrast the effects are minimized but still visible.

The specs in the manual say that the color reproduction is "RGB 256 color
steps 1677millions colors".

Is this something caused by poor design? Failing electronics? Or...?

This display is new to me, so I have no history to report.

Thanks,
--
John English
Click to expand...

The panel is getting old. Possibly a Vs adjustment would fix it, at least
temporarily.

Mark Z.
 
That isn't solarization. It's more like posterization.

It looks, in part, as if the display cannot create sufficiently small
brightness steps to render fine shadings. By modern standards, 8-bits per
color would be considered rather skimpy.

My gut feeling, though, is that the set is defective, most likely whatever
chip or board does the D-to-A conversion.
 
The panel is getting old.

When you say "panel" do you mean the plasma tubes themselves? Not an
electronic component?
Click to expand...

Possibly a Vs adjustment would fix it, at least temporarily.
Click to expand...
This is a power supply voltage adjustment?
--
John English
 
New developments:

<http://i41.tinypic.com/2wei4af.jpg>

Close-up:

<http://i43.tinypic.com/280k4uo.jpg>

Same effect seen on all inputs.

Could this be a power supply problem?
--
John English
 
"John E." <incognito@xbjcd.com> wrote in message
news:0001HW.C6038695004D5C36B01AD9AF@news.sf.sbcglobal.net...
New developments:

http://i41.tinypic.com/2wei4af.jpg

Close-up:

http://i43.tinypic.com/280k4uo.jpg

Same effect seen on all inputs.

Could this be a power supply problem?
--
John English
Click to expand...

Not sure if it's the PS, but if that's how it looks with different sources,
it definitely needs repair.
 
On Thu, 9 Apr 2009 11:03:49 -0700, John E. <incognito@xbjcd.com>wrote:

New developments:

http://i41.tinypic.com/2wei4af.jpg

Close-up:

http://i43.tinypic.com/280k4uo.jpg

Same effect seen on all inputs.

Could this be a power supply problem?
Click to expand...
I didn't read the original post. What is the history, be brief.
 
On Wed, 8 Apr 2009 18:43:41 -0700, John E. <incognito@xbjcd.com>
wrote:

It's 8 years old. Splurge for a new TV already.

A_C
 
It's 8 years old. Splurge for a new TV already.
Click to expand...
I have a 50-inch Pioneer. It is beautiful.

Ignoramuses making statements like "spend the money, already" just show their
immaturity.

There are many reasons for resurrecting an old display: as a hobby; to keep
it out of the landfill; to give to an older friend who can't afford one; just
to mention a few.

Although it's first on your lips, 'cheapskate" is not always the reason...
--
John English
 
I didn't read the original post. What is the history, be brief.
Click to expand...
To summarize:
I just received this monitor, so I don't know its distant history, but...

The image will "solarize", it seems to be compressed in a small range of
contrast. See this image:

<http://i41.tinypic.com/21c9ul1.jpg>

Note the blue and red outlines of the highlights (cheekbones & noses). These
highlights seem to "sparkle". (The horiz & vert lines are just moire effect
with the camera; ignore these.)

Then this morning when I turned it on, I got these images:

<http://i41.tinypic.com/2wei4af.jpg>

Close-up:

<http://i43.tinypic.com/280k4uo.jpg>

Same effect seen on all inputs.
--
John English
 
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