Just bought a 26-inch Insignia and it's got some backlight bleeding..

LOSTLunatic

This is my first HDTV and I went with the Inisignia because they are cheap and I can't really afford any other brand right now. Sure, I would like a Sony, but being a college student it doesn't really make much sense to invest in a nice TV right now. Maybe when I settle down somewhere. So I bought this 26-inch Insignia at Best Buy a little while ago for $380 and I thought that was a great deal and you probably do as well. The screen size is perfect and the images are clear and full of color. White scenes are nice but it struggles with black scenes. For the most part blacks look good but not around all of the edges. There is significant bleeding on all of the edges, mostly on the top and bottom. It's something I can live with for the price of the TV but it's really starting to annoy me because I watch a lot of TV and shows that are dark and full of blacks. I would like to add that every other scene and color looks great. It's just hard to watch TV with this little strip of bleeding at the bottom and all of the edges so I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same problem with Inisignia TV's and I'm also wondering if there is a solution to this problem. Can I fix this myself or do I have to return the TV and get a completely new one? Do I have to send it in to Insignia? Please help. Being a first time HDTV owner, I literally have no clue what to do. I've owned many PC's and laptops though so I know backlight bleeding when I see it and it's clearly a problem with this TV.

Codes20

Have you turned the brightness down? Do you still see it?

And yes, the Insignia's have some backlight bleed. When you buy an inexpensive TV, they cut corners somewhere.

LOSTLunatic

Yes, I turned the brightness down and it's still there.

XDRoX

In a very very dark room, I have never seen an LCD that didn't have this problem, even the Sony's. Can you see it when there is light in the room? Is it noticeable when watching a widescreen movie and there are black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. If that's the case then maybe I would consider returning it. But if you are only noticing it on fully black screens when the lights in the room are off, I wouldn't worry about it.

pappylap

I went with the Inisignia because they are cheap

__________________

You can checkout anytime you like but you can never leave.."

50"Pioneer KURO 111FD Pro Elite
Pioneer BD320 Blu-ray player
Pioneer VSX-919AH A/V Receiver
32" & 37" Olevia LCDs
Sony DHG HDD 500 gig DVR
Samsung DTBH260 Digital Tuner
One Roll of Charmin Quilted Plus in each Bathroom...

Scottnot

That is just such an absurd statement, so why make it.

It has been demonstrated way too often that HIGH price no more assures Better than LOW price assures WORSE.
It is certainly one of the greatest misconceptions that many consumers have.

Scottnot

Excellent points XD. And yes, all LCD sets exhibit some backlight bleed (worse, of course with off-angle viewing) which results in a "screen black" that is less than "black".

However, in spite this (or rather, because I this) I was led to do some "viewer tests" on my own. Indeed, with the set on and no signal present, the screen is noticebly "brighter than black"; likewise, the backligt bleed is noticeable in the black bars on the side when watching SD programs if I focus my attention on them.
However, and here's a lesson on visual acuity and the human brain (while, my brain anyway): when watching a program that contains "black" content, it seems "really black" . . . I mean BLACK! Now, if I try to shift my eyes from the program content to the black bars and back again, my eyes tell me that the black in the content material is much, much blacker than the black bars.
Now, if the set is properly calibrated, they both ought to be "screen black", so what gives? Simple - the eye/brain are pretty good, but not perfect, so corrections are made both in the eye and in the brain. One arguement goes that the eye cannot perceive contrast ratios in television content much beyond about 250:1 for these reasons. Basically, the eye/brain ignores any light content in the darkest areas of the programming and processes them as "black" while devoting most of its processing capability to color perception and brighter content areas.

Codes20

The menus are sub-par, the remote is poor, the picture does not have the depth or contrast that others do (yes, I've tried to adjust it close, it wasn't going to happen). It's an honest statement. The quality of some TVs is not equal to others.

I agree with your second statement, but I have been with these TVs firsthand for a while. Is it a decent TV for the money? Yes. Does it compare with name brands like Sharp, Toshiba, Samsung, Sony? Mostly no.

LOSTLunatic

Thanks for your help.

How can I "calibrate" or how should I adjust the settings so it doesn't bother me. I sure can live with how it is now but I'd prefer that the bleeding isn't as noticeable.

Scottnot

Well, first read these:
Monster / I.s.f. Calibration Disc
Basic Television Setup Tips

I personally prefer the Avia disc.
Also, the HD Net test pattern is quite good for calibrating brightness and contrast, and it's free.

LOSTLunatic

Pictures:

Sorry about the quality. My friend's using my camera right now so I quickly took these off of the iSight on my MacBook Pro.

I outlined the bleeding spots. You can't see the spots in the top right but trust me, they are there, just like the spots clearly shown in the bottom left.

So.. What do you guys think?

Attached Images

	TV.jpg (116.9 KB, 52 views)
	TV2.jpg (85.5 KB, 49 views)

tipstir

Aren't you a consumer also?

tipstir

Take that back (that's white wash effect or the hue is off badly) and go to Circuit City and get the Element...26" - 19.10" version for my kitchen is wonderful...

LOSTLunatic

Still need some advice and input on the pics...

z28rod

Take it back and get a olivia.