Useful TV for laserdisc fans....

Hi,

Just thought I would let people know about a cheap (£204) TV I bought- it's a Hannspree 28in SJ28DMBB.

Its main benefit is that it is as 16:10 ratio widescreen, so it comes about the closest you will get nowadays to a proper 4:3 ratio. This is good for all those old Star Trek and x files laserdiscs!! You get full height (with nothing chopped off) and two inch black bars down each side....this is better than a 16:9 TV where the top gets chopped and you get huge great big black bars down the side with a tiny pic. I don't much like 4:3 zoom on a 16:9 TV, because so much gets chopped off.

The TV produces good results with even a basic player (I have a CLD 315 attached), but you do need to calibrate it, obviously. Another benefit is that although the screen is a decent size, it is small enough to minimise some of the more obvious flaws of the laserdisc picture (noise, aliasing, ghosting of bright stuff etc).

Quite a good hobby TV- can be purchased off ebuyer direct on eBay.

I don't see many other 16:10 TVs around. The only slight issue is that you need to be careful to adjust the input and aspect ration for modern kit.

Hope this is useful.

Daniel

PS...got out my old Panasonic 32in CRT to test with an LD player....actually found that even after tinkering, I preferred the laserdisc pic I get on a CRT. I presume this means what I suspected- the 3d comb filter in your bog standard TV of today is just as good as high end kit from 16yrs ago!!!!

PS...have also discovered that the Logitech harmony series of remotes still work with common Panasonic LD players- you program them through a web interface that configures the remote automatically via a web database. I have the dirt cheap Harmony 300 (as cheap as £16 if you look) which controls 4x devices including my LD player.

That's probably not news to everyone, but it could be hopeful for those wondering about grabbing a remoteless LD bargain on eBay!!

Daniel

Here are pics- the first is in correct 4:3, with black bars down the side, the second is "zoom 1", with a slight horizontal stretch out of ratio. The third is "zoom 2" which is in correct ratio, but with the top and bottom cut off. One or three are ideal.

The reason I was looking at this was because of the poor aspect presentation and colour of the CBS Action Next Gen going out at the mo.

Daniel