I've read some of your posts, so I thought I would get your opinion. How critical is it for the internal mirror (the large one that projects the image onto the back of the screen) to be free from dust? Will dust degrade the picture quality? If so, is there a way for the do-it-yourselfer to clean it, or should it be left to a pro? Thanks.
Same question.
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I also have this question. A salesmen at Circuit City opened up a rp LCD yesterday for me and showed me the lens with dust on it. He never explained how to clean it.
chinese poet
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O.k. here you go guys ........
first answer to the picture quality ,yes dust will cause dark areas to be "smoked out" a grayish instead of black.
and light/ white ares will have a halo around them.
anything that impedes on the path of light in the optic system will cause a change in picture quality.
so to clean the lens,use a DAMP microcloth. the particles will scratch the surface of the lens and mirror coating if the cloth is dry.
you can use plain paper towels ,the brown type not the average kitchen ones.
make sure they are damp,not soaked or dripping if any liquid gets into the secondary lens it will evap and cause fogging.
you will have a sharp and deeper picture after cleaning,with no doubt .
if you have a tosh,pioneer,philips,or sony chances are you have a secondary mirror buried in the optic cavity so look real good.
you can buy a owners repair manual and it should have a optic diagram lay out in it.
remember to unplug the set and blow it out with air cans before cleaning it.
a steady hand and a shop vac will pull up all dust in the large areas ,do not put the hose on any surfaces inside because the plastic can cause static electric and zap chips.
having said this ,you will do it at your own risk if you don't have it done professionally.
watch out for charged capacitors they hurt more if they discharge in the hand holding the damp towel.
hope this helps....use warm water no cleaner
never clean a mylar mirror or it's going to smear without special cleanig agents.!!!
Mike Atkins
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How can you tell if the mirror is Mylar? I'm assuming that mylar is a polyester-type coating or film?? Also, where's a good place to buy an owner's repair manual?
chinese poet
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sorry I left this out... no swirling pattern when cleaning ....motion either away from you or towards you.
do not go back and forth ,or swirl. you will scrub the surface and could damage it.
motion like you are gathering the dust in 1 spot.
when the area of the cleaning towel is dirty you want to use a clean spot on the towel.
GOOD LUCK.
chinese poet
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MIKE,
the mylar that is typically used on mirror application in video equipment is a metal like sheeting,although I have seen some film coated mirrors ........very few.
you will know if the mirror has a coating on it or not when you see it.
sometimes you can put your fingernail on the edge of the suface and see if there is a small ridge where the film is ,if it is the metal sheeting you will know because it looks like very thin sheetmetal and is highly reflective.
try tri- tronics .com for your manual if you have the metal sheeting you can use a dry micro cloth .
if you have the poly film you need special cleaner ,you can find it at specialty plastic companies .
I read many of your posting here, I think you are quite knowlegable. Here is my question:
I just had my Hitachi 57s715 delivered today (after reading the postings on ecoustic). The picture is excellent. But there is a slight line moving from the bottom of the screen to the top, then start from the bottom moving up again. I see it when the screen is bright like when it's showing sky or lights, it's not detectable when the screen is dark or in dark color. It's on every digital TV channel. On analog channels, since I'm using antena, the picture is too fuzzy to tell. I was not sure if this is due to the broadcast or TV, then I turned on my DVD player. When at the still screen of DVD, it's more obvious that the line is moving from the bottom up to top.
Also there is a spec of dust or could be a scratch behing the anti-reflective screen, on the TV monitor. I can see it when the screen is bright, sitting 11 feet away from the TV. Is there a way to get rid off that?
I really like the TV otherwise, but I don't think I can stand a moving line on TV. Does anyone else see that on Hitachi 57s715? It doesn't seem to be part of the broadcast, since I see it on still screen also. Is it defective?
Thanks.
MC Reply
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Hey MC. I had the 51f715 (i know there is an f in the model number). Anyway, I had the exact same problem, a horizontal line that ran the width of the screen slowly moving up (one after the other). It is hard to notice. I knew it was there and could not stop looking for it or thinking about it. In the end I exchanged the tv for the same thing -- the new one's picture was shifted to the right about 2 inches -- so i exchanged that one for an LCD rp. No problems.
Sorry, i don't know why the problem is there or how to fix it. But I can say I know exactly what you are talking about.
chinese poet
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MC,
thanks for the kind words in regards to knowledge.!!
So.......lets try a couple questions then a brief thought....
1.how do you have your digital reciever for cable connected to the set? hdmi/comp/coax etc...
2.does this line ever change colors on you?
3. is the line horz or vert?
4.is the set plugged into a dedicated outlet?
5.are there any other electrical or a/v componets sitting close or on top of the set?
6.is the outlet you are using close to a phone jack?
there are so many possibilites in this siduation if the line is not changing colors on you.
"mc reply" posted they changed for a lcd model and there were no more problems after that,you have to realize that you are dealing with a crt based tv here that incorporates an analog / digital circuitry mix and certain enviroments will effect it differently then a lcd based platform .
the base platform of a crt set is analog which is more sensitive to harmonic distortion then a digital based technology.
having said that the chances of getting 2 bad sets in a row are extremely low especially with a name like 'hitachi"
as an a/v electrical engineer and a former a/v technician I would not rule out the possibility of a bad capacitor or bad solder joint..but more then likely I would go with a harmonic distortion issue(electrical interference)or a bad ground somewhere.
there is NO WAY that I would keep a set that has a piece of dust stuck behind the screen even if the set was working fine.I would atleast send that one back to have it exchanged for another s715 to resolve that issue.
now I am not saying that the line is appearing due to no fault of the set..it could have a leaking capacitor on the vert/horz board,but it may just be outside interference or a really unstable electrical source.
remove all cable/sat connections and play a dvd see if the line goes away.
try to figure out if there is a outside source causing the problem before having the same set re-delivered.you may need a digital based platform in your enviroment..if you had a crt based tv prior to this but it was a direct veiw not rptv you cannot use that as a comparasion.
although I would encourge you to stick with crt based picture if you can locate the problem, it really does give the most detailed picture with a good dvd player..I have all types of sets in my home /dlp//lcd//and crt and I prefer crt for a good movie experience.
so homework tonight is unhook cable /sat and put on a dvd and get back to me when you have a chance and will try to sort this out..
Thanks for your reply. CP. Here are the answers to the questions.
>1.how do you have your digital reciever for cable connected to the set? hdmi/comp/coax etc...
The only things connected to the 57s715 are: power cord, an antena (TV has built-in tuner), DVD player through component cable. TV is not connected to sound system.
> 2.does this line ever change colors on you?
No, it's easier to be detected when the screen is bright.
> 3. is the line horz or vert?
horizontal.
> 4.is the set plugged into a dedicated outlet?
Yes, it's on a surge protected power strip. But at time the TV was on, none of the other electronic devices on that power strip was on.
5.are there any other electrical or a/v componets sitting close or on top of the set?
There is a cd player. But it was not on at the time when TV was on. Also, DVD player.
6.is the outlet you are using close to a phone jack?
No, very far from the phone jack.
On the 2nd night, I did not see the line on TV broadcast, but when I switched the input to DVD player, at the still screen with letter DVD, the lines appeared again -- constant horizontal lines going from bottom to top, one after another. When the DVD movie was playing, I did not notice the line either.
Thank you very much for your input.
chinese poet
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maybe I misunderstood the cable tv part ?!?!? sorry if that confused you..
O.K.
unhook your antenna and play a dvd..
if you still notice the line unhook the( dvd ,antenna) and go through every input on remote with just a blank screen..nothing connected to the back of the set,this will determine if you have a power supply issue.
if you notice that the line is still there only on that input or any others it's bad news..if you can't see it turn up the contrast and brightness gradually to be certain it's not hiding behind any grayscale factor.
if you come out with no line after the input check connect the dvd to another input and see if the line appears.......if no line appears .connect the antenna and play the dvd again with the antenna connected and the dvd plyr in another input.
make sure you have the ac cord in a dedicated circuit if you have it in a supressor block take out all the other plugs and ONLY run the tv in the block.. hitachi incorporates a built in filter and supression circuit in their set...and using a dedicated wall socket is highly advisable because depending on the surge proctector your using the siginals can conflict. it would take to much time and math to explain this in full.
I am still in question about a cable box is there one hooked up? if so take it off before running these checks.
Thanks for your reply. I will try it tonight, and let you know. No, I don't have cable service, so there is no cable box. Since last night the lines were there at times, then lines were not there. So if the lines are on and off on broadcast HDTV (everything else remains the same), does it provide some more clues as why this happens?
Is it possible that the line will appear after the TV is on for a longer period of time (for it to heat up)?
I will try your suggestions and keep you updated.
chinese poet
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I hope your not keeping the one with a dust particle lodged in it.
I removed every connection to TV except the power cord, which was connected to a wall outlet (there are two outlets, I unplugged the other one), both ant 1 and photo show had the line moving up on their grey screen. The other inputs were just black screen. When playing TV, the line is also there. This same set also has a particle (about the size of a grain of rice) on its inner monitor. Such a pity, this is otherwise an excellent TV.
chinese poet
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exchange it ,it is a nice set but it sounds like a power supply issue.
no company has 100% reliability ,but I have got to tell you it is rare for hitachi to have this problem right out of their factory.
I woulden't let this discourge me from sticking with hitachi you found a needle in a haystack.
I would send it back anyway because of the dust particle....without looking at it I would almost bet you have a power supply issue .
could be a horz board eeprom or ground,but I would hedge my bet on power supply.
I don't know how you feel about buying on the net but atleast try this sight out www.uecweb.com this retailer is owned and operated by hitachi.
I would definitely return this one back where it came from and don't fall for the merchant repair scam get you money back or a NEW tv.don't let them repair it,if it doesn't get repaired by hitachi then it will never work right.
anyway..........
just as I thought the line was on the gray screen ,it's on the black one also you just can't see it with out a scope hooked up to the tv transmission.
thanks CP. I called the salesman for exchange, he referred me to 1-800-Hitachi. It seems for exchange, it's between me and the retailer. Hitachi is not involved in exchange. So I called the salesman back, he said he had to check with his manager and get back to me by 4 pm on Friday. There might be a charge for the deliver (the first deliver was free), and the earliest delivery date that will work for both of us will be in 10 days. I just wish Hitachi makes clean products so it saves everyone some hassel.
chinese poet
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MC,
I understand the frustration your feeling but atleast it happened under warranty,I will say once you have a hitachi product,anything from tv....to camcorder if it's good when you first get it ...it will last a very long time giving you the best quality through out those years.
so many other companies I really refrain from naming because I don't want to offend people on this post.
put out products that go south within a year or two and the consumer eats the cost...now granted if a company gets a shipment of bad resisitors or capacitors or some other electrical part and they use the same lot to build the power supply or various other circuit boards for that product that whole series of products for that manufactuering date is likely bad.
so they only have control over the engineering of their product not the individual integrity of all the small parts used...very often I see products fail because of engineering not bad parts being used and I have to tell you as a electrical engineer I admire the brillance of hitachi..pioneer..jvc..runco...fujitsu..epson.. and a couple other companies.
you might want to consider a different production date when getting another s715 don't be shy about it tell the saleman you want to check it before you accept a new one..check the back of your set and write down the production date and compare them.
I assure you this problem did not come about because of engineering,may the quality control people where asleep at the wheel they should have caught this before it went out the door. I will not make excuses for hitachi in that department and you should voice your opinion to them about that.
someone else should eat the delivery charge not the consumer,the store can back charge hitachi I know that from owning a repair shop before becoming an engineer.
make sure the new set sits in the new surroundings for atleast 4 to 5 hours before powering it up,so all the electronics become acclamated with the ambient temp.this kills alot of good tv's .they should of told you that when you bought it.
I don't understand why they referred you to hitachi that's alittle fishy!?!?!?!?they probably dropped it off a forklift and cracked the power supply control board.
I did an exchange on paper in the store last Saturday, with extra payment for delivery. I was told there is no such model right now, and I will have to wait for a couple of weeks. They will call when there is new shipment in store. So I am waiting. I made my payment on March 16th, took the delivery on March 20th, found the problems on the 20th, contacted the store on the 21st, did exchange on paper on the 26th. I just wish everything will be sorted out before the 30th day since the payment.
chinese poet
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I am not sure what they mean by no such model!?!??
man..this sounds like a major snafu,if you don't mind ,,tell my the name of the store your dealing with Im going to contact the people I know at hitachi,I have done some independent research for them and met some people along the way.
the delivery fee is ridiculous any good reputable store would have waived that fee and apologized for the tv problems you have had.
hope things turnout soon for ya,again keep in touch!!
Thanks, CP. No more news on my end except that this 57s715 started making a noticeable humming sound this past weekend. No calls from the store. I will call them again later this week to see if they have any new shipment, if I don't hear from them.
chinese poet
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your power supply is getting ready to fry don't leave you tv set turned to "on" when your not home!
my news .. they got a shipment of bad capacitors and used them on the supply boards, so they have began to start from scratch.
Im sure that someone lost their supply contract with hitachi!! there may be a voluntary recall at some point...it's better you getting rid of the hunk of dust anyway
you really should tell the store to credit the delivery fee or your calling the consumer protection division of your state.
The TV has an assemble date of November 2004, assmebled in mexico, on the back. Is the shipment of bad capacitor specific to certain manufacturing dates? is it still a problem?
I bought this TV mostly from reading the wonderful online reviews hitachi TV owners left on the web. I have a Sony for 5 years, it is not a big screen, but still has really good picture when watching DVD movies. I have never had any problem with my Sony.
Thanks for the information, CP. I really appreciate your help on this.
chinese poet
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anytime on the help, I feel that I have been extremely blessed in life so helping people is just my way of doing my part!
having said that..here's the deal with a bad cap (capacitor)
they will not always go bad right away !!! sometimes they pop immediately,sometimes 6,12,18 months later.
a good cap should last 8,12,15,18 years..
capacitors are tricky ,they go bad then mend theirself back together after cooling down presenting no sign of failure and sometimes a cap will "fix itself" if you will.
so when the company runs the tv for the time it is required before shipping it out,it does not always catch a bad cap.
usally a "lot" of tv's will be bad on a specific day...not year ,and I am sure that any new tv you get will be gone over with a fine tooth comb hitachi takes quaility control very serious..
I have seen a hitachi last for 17 years with not 1 problem,and it still looked beautiful.
I have seen sony's quaility and engineering go down gradually over the last 7 years and it's getting ugly.
I have great faith in hitachi,pioneer and fujitsu they are the last of the great japanese electronic companies..panasonics not to bad either and I am sure with hitachi now owning half of panasonic it will get better.
you have read very accurate and true info on the web in regards to hitachi,I am a a/v engineer and could have really any brand I wanted because of the perks offererd to me in this field and I go with hitachi.
you'll get a good one and love it...just wait!
make sure it is room temp before turning it on even if there is only a 2 ..3 degree temperture difference.
you only have to do this on the initial startup once it's in your house for about 2 hours crank it up..after that turn it on when you want.
update: still no words on when the replacement TV will be here. I went to the store over the weekend, they agreed to remove delivery charge for the replacement TV (reluctuntly), said will call me on Monday on when the TV will be here, but again did not call. They did change the exchange date to April 9th, 2005. I will update this board when I get the replacement TV.
chinese poet
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Good deal!,
Im sure that hitachi's going to make sure this batch is right!
no. They've been told me to check back every few days, every time I call they told me they are out of stock.
chinese poet
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B.S.
you already paid so the next one should have your name on it instead of giving it to someone who has not given them money yet.
it's time for you to shake the tree and call your local attoney general at your local consumer protection division.
my contacts tell me the sets have been revamped and flowing out of hitachi like mad,so they have no excuse whan it comes to supply.
tell them to hold you one or your calling your local consumer protection division and filing a complaint with the attorney general..I bet you have one soon!!
I was hoping they would honor their promise of exchanging the TV for me, without the threat of filing a complaint with state consumer protection agency or Better Business Bureau. Yesterday I called another Video Only in the area, the sales person said they DID have the model. An hour later, I called the store where I made the purchase, again, I was told it was out of stock, he would get back either Thursday or Friday. I did not confront him and tell him why the other store had it. All the previous times, the sales person said he would call, he never did. I ended up calling back to check whether they had a TV for me.
I should have gone to a bigger chain store like circuitcity or sears. I truly regret dealing with this store.
Whatever happens, I will post it here.
chinese poet
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"go get em" usally all it takes is a threat to a upper class personel manager that your calling the d.a. ..it's truely a shame your fighting for something you paid for.
update: to keep a long story short, I was promised a new TV set (57s715) this coming Friday. I will update this board when i get the replacement TV. Thanks, CP, -- I think your suggestions helped.