Please help me solve my progressive scan problem - I'm desperate! :-(

[McKinley]

I have a Panasonic TX32LXD52 LCD TV and Pioneer DV585A DVD Player connected via a belden component cable.
The Pioneer is set to Progressive Scan output and I have calibrated the TV using DVE.

The problem I have is that when watching DVD's I sometimes observe a 'flickering' or 'shimmering' effect during pans and sometimes during the end credits. It seems to affect bright areas of the screen like highlights and light-coloured skies.

I've tried setting the DVD Player to interlaced, but this does not improve things. I've also tried a Panasonic DVD Player and an Arcam DV89 DVD Player, neither of which made any difference. I've also tried the RGB Scart connection and a different component cable, but the problem persists.

Notable scenes have recently been:
Jarhead (R1), frequently during pans across sand and the skies, as well as the end credits.
Lord Of War (R2) during the pans over the bullet-covered ground at the beginning and end.
Memoirs Of A Geisha (R1) during a scene when the young narrator runs downstairs, the bamboo wall flickers badly.
X-Men 2 (R2) At the start of the first scene in the Whitehouse, as the camera pans to the left, the white lettering on the Whitehouse logo flickers.

This issue is really annoying - I find it very intrusive. Can anyone please suggest what I can do to eliminate this problem. I assume that the deinterlacing of the DVD/TV or the scaler in the TV is to blame (unless these are problem discs or standard prog-scan problems everyone gets).

I can't afford to spend very much money at all, so any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Phil

[Jase]

If it's happening with multiple DVD players and with different signals (RGB, Component etc) then it has to be the actual display itself. Only thing I can suggest is to switch off picture enhancement modes if the TV has them, such as Noise Reduction etc and see if that improves things. If it doesn't and the problem still persists then it would seem to point to some processing in the display that can't be adjusted or turned off. If that's the case you may need to look at a new display. A video processor might help if you feed the TV it's native resolution and bypass as much processing as possible. You won't know that until you can test one out though.

[McKinley]

Thanks for the reply. I've already turned off the mpeg noise reduction and colour management on the TV. The sharpness is set to default (and checked with DVE). The DVD player also has all enhancements set to 'off'.
If it's the display scaling (assuming this is what you're suggesting), could it be faulty? It's a brand new LCD (since Christmas, and not a cheap one). I can't afford another one, and surely this kind of picture issue, if common in this display would have been reported by some of the many other users over in the LCD forum?

If the TV is not faulty would a better de-interlacer like an Iscan Pro help? I notice that the Mediatek and Vaddis deinterlacers used in the Pioneer and Arcam players aren't faultless (according to the HiFi Secrets Benchmark).

[Jase]

It could well be the deinterlacing/scaling having trouble with certain scenes etc. It may well be the same for other owners but not everyone finds those problems objective or they might not be looking for them. I would imagine a scaler is likely your best bet so you can bypass both the TV's deinterlacing and scaling. I would try and get one on loan or demo, or at the very least with a return policy so you can send it back if it doesn't help.

[McKinley]

How much do decent scalers cost though? The TV was only £999. I can't afford to spend much at all to make it 'right'.
Also, don't you need to pay people to set scalers up for you? I've read they're not really a DIY thing.

[Jase]

A decent scaler can be picked up 2nd hand depending on the model. Trouble is you'll be looking at 200 quid for an old Lumagen Vision or 400 quid or so for a Vision Pro or nearer to 700-900 for a Crystalio. They can be setup by yourself but to get the most performance out of them then you'd need someone to do it for, especially the Lumagens.

Just another thought. It might worth trying a DVD player with a Faroudja chip to see if that helps with the problem. Something like an Oppo can be got for around 170 quid.

[McKinley]

Do you think that it's more likely the deinterlacing of the player/display causing the problem?
If so, I was considering something like an Iscan Ultra (which uses a Silicon Image 504 chip?) rather than a Faroudja-based DVD Player because of issues like Macro-Blocking with some Faroudja/display combinations.
I'm not fussed about HD compatibility as I'm not looking to buy a HD DVD player for a long time yet.
Is the Silicon Image chip in the Iscan Ultra any good?

[Jase]

The Silicon Image chip is very good with film based material. Not too hot with video stuff though. Bear in mind the Iscan Ultra is a deinterlacer only, it doesn't scale. A Lumagen Vision might be a better option if you want scaling as well.