Mazdax605
Mazdax605 Dork
5/5/12 11:38 p.m.

Hey guys,

We finally got around to getting a new TV after our 2 year old TV died just before the Super Bowl. The new one is a fancy Smart TV,and I am not sure what that all means, but it seems cool. I just started playing with it some,and so far have got a Pandora account that allows me to listen to it through the TV. For the record it is a Samsung Smartv plasma from 2011 that was a brand new left over in the box still so we got a great deal on it. What cool things can be done with these new smart TV's? Any got to have apps or such that I should be using to enjoy this more?

Thanks,

Chris

Technology challenged.

tr8todd
tr8todd Reader
5/6/12 6:13 a.m.

Put it in the garage!!!

DrBoost
DrBoost UberDork
5/6/12 6:21 a.m.

I'll start by saying, if I had a TV that died after only 2 years I'd be livid!
Second, have a pro come out and calibrate your TV. It'll be about $100 and you won't regret it. TV's are shipped VERY hot to pop in the stores. That's not what you want in your house. You could make adjustments on you own, but a pro will be able to get into menus you didn't even know existed, and he'll have tools you don't.

Toyman01
Toyman01 GRM+ Memberand UberDork
5/6/12 6:49 a.m.

Plug it into the internet and ditch cable. It should have all the software to run Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, or your choice of internet TV. We have a Samsung smart Blueray player we use for the same thing. I haven't watched OTA or cable in over a year and really don't miss it.

mthomson22
mthomson22 Reader
5/6/12 6:55 a.m.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=167

Best AV forum evar!!!! Prepare to read until your eyes bleed.

I calibrated my lcd myself with this: http://www.amazon.com/Spears-High-Definition-Benchmark-Blu-ray-Edition/dp/B001UM29OC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336305235&sr=8-1

DrBoost
DrBoost UberDork
5/6/12 7:24 a.m.
mthomson22 wrote: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=167 Best AV forum evar!!!! Prepare to read until your eyes bleed. I calibrated my lcd myself with this: http://www.amazon.com/Spears-High-Definition-Benchmark-Blu-ray-Edition/dp/B001UM29OC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336305235&sr=8-1

I haven't read that link yet. Did it get you into any of the service menus? I calibrated by old rear-projection by getting into a few service menus. Man did that make a difference.

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 Dork
5/6/12 3:20 p.m.
DrBoost wrote: I'll start by saying, if I had a TV that died after only 2 years I'd be livid! Second, have a pro come out and calibrate your TV. It'll be about $100 and you won't regret it. TV's are shipped VERY hot to pop in the stores. That's not what you want in your house. You could make adjustments on you own, but a pro will be able to get into menus you didn't even know existed, and he'll have tools you don't.

I was pissed, but then my wife remembered that we had bought an extended warranty so it wasn't all bad. I have no idea why it quit, but it did so at the worst time as the Super Bowl was the next weekend and my Patriots were in the game. Well technically they played, but they weren't really in the game like I would have hoped. I am not so wanting to get the picture dialed in as it looks great already, but I am more wanting to figure out all of the extra bells and whistles it has. Pandora is awesome so far. Why did I not use this before on the computer?

Chris

failboat
failboat Dork
5/6/12 5:18 p.m.

We recently got a new plasma as well. I found some settings for it that had a lot of positive reviews from those that tried them so I input them into the tv. I spent a week or two convincing myself they looked so "real". My xbox looked better on one of the tv' s presets though......then while watching tv I started playing with the presets......I never went back to that fancy custom setting.

mmosbey
mmosbey GRM+ Memberand Reader
5/6/12 7:14 p.m.

One of the tips I've always used is to turn the color all the way down, then adjust the picture to look as good as possible. Once you have the black and white right, bring the colors back up, but stop once they look natural. Part of the idea here is to get your eyes detoxed from the super-strong colors of most default televisions. Fiddle with the tint, and forget it.

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