Down Under TVs

[dr.ido]

The NTSC playback on PAL TV function offered on most recent VCR does look awful. Some do have an option to output NTSC when playing back an NTSC tape rather than converting it to PAL. This does look better on a multistandard TV, but I'm not sure that even this is a true NTSC signal as it on one of my Sony PVM monitors it just gets confused and gives a flickering green/purple image.

I do have a 13" Hitachi NTSC only set, but it doesn't have AV inputs so I'm yet to see if it does look better than my multistandard sets.

I've never seen SECAM and I doubt I want to. I thought pretty much everyone that once used SECAM had converted over to PAL by now.

As for 50Hz flicker, I've only ever found it objectionable on some cheap nasty 80cm sets. I just don't notice it on smaller sets and some better large screen sets, but I guess I am used to it. Most sets will handle PAL at 60Hz and you can get this out of many DVD players and most game consoles. I recently picked up several Loewe sets. I'm pretty sure at least the Calida 5672 (currently awaiting a flyback) is 100Hz, so eventually I'll get to see if it's an improvement. I do have a scan doubler that ups PAL/NTSC video to VGA, but I rarely use it due to the artifacts it introduces.

[larschr]

I am familiar with the 100Hz-problems. In 1996 my grandparents bought a pretty expensive 28" Nokia 100Hz TV. At the time, it was a great set, but to my great supprise it lasted for only 4 years. It had sound, but showed only a horizontal white line on the screen. My guess would be a bad v-(op)amp, i think both Nokia, Finlux and Luxor had too small heatsinks on the v-amps, which by the way was usually placed on the circuit board on the CRT base. Last summer my father bought a used Philips 100Hz widescreen (from about 2002-2003) in the same price range, and it got a much better picture, so clearly something has gotten better over the years. My mother has a Finlux widescreen (50Hz) from 2003, and that is absolutely not a good set. Actually, all my old sets outruns the picture on the Finlux, and most of the old ones has better sound too. Hope the v-amp in the Finlux dies soon...