Panasonic Viera TV-P46C2 help

[new2HD]

Sorry for asking the basics, but I am new to really everything here....just got the P46-C2 Plasma and going to set up...have FIOS service but still on basic (due to holiday, can't upgrade to HD set/service today)...but if I am setting up the TV, do I run the white cable directly from outlet to TV....OR.....run it from outlet to standard/basic Verizon box and new white cable OUT from Verizon box to TV?  Just not sure if it matters for setup....
Thanks!

[lasagna]

For now,,, cable from the wall to the STB and another cable from the STB to the TV unless this new TV doesn't have a NTSC tuner.   There are other options (such as running video/audio cables from your STB to the TV, but since you say you're going to switch to HD ASAP, I'd just stick with this for now).

When you can exchange for an HD box, you will want to run a cable from the wall to the STB (same one as presently) and then an HDMI cable from the HDMI output on the HD to the HDMI input on your TV (the STB box you get from Verizon will likely have the HDMI cable you need in the box).

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[new2HD]

Thanks.

TV hooked up through standard box and HD box ordered.  Need to figure out colors/tint to this TV as it seems a bit dull/dark.  THere are some standard settings (normal, vivid, cinema etc) but I want to manually adjust. Have a mostly darkened room (basement) with sconce lights that can be dimmed/turned off etc.  Any suggestions as to best color? Maybe I just think it's not as crisp a picture now because I can't see the HD channels yet (getting HD box via Verizon FIOS service later this week).  I hope it's not an issue that 720 is just that poor in terms of crispness/color etc. I'm sure the HD will help but if anyone has color/tint/brightness level suggestions, let me know. Thanks.

[lasagna]

On a 46" TV, sitting any farther away from the screen than about 8ft and you can't really tell the difference between 720p and 1080p.

[new2HD]

Thanks. One couch is about 9-10 feet, but the side couch is btwn 5-7 ft, although more likely to sit closer to 7 ft on that one...so no problem with closer to 8 ft or more distance. Just trying to adjust the colors/brightness/tint etc and I can't get what I feel is the most compelling combo of them all.....any suggestions?

[new2HD]

Hooked up the Wii and love the big screen...just trying to get optimal settings as far as brightness, color, etc. I know they give some standard/cinema/vivid choices but I don't think I like any of them for general viewing...so I want to manually adjust to get the optimal settings.  Any recommendations for the P46C2 Viera plasma, mostly watched from 9 foot distance?

[Keyboards]

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@new2HD wrote:

Hooked up the Wii and love the big screen...just trying to get optimal settings as far as brightness, color, etc. I know they give some standard/cinema/vivid choices but I don't think I like any of them for general viewing...so I want to manually adjust to get the optimal settings.  Any recommendations for the P46C2 Viera plasma, mostly watched from 9 foot distance?

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Try going to AVS forum and looking for your TV.  There are many threads with recommended settings for different makes and models.

The other thing you could try is recording from HDNET their calibration program (usually listed as "OFF AIR").  Not sure if they are still running it but it has color bars, a gray scale (for adjusting contrast / brightness), and a resolution test.  It's about 10 minutes in lenght.

[lasagna]

Some DVD and Blu-Ray's also come with a rudimentary sound and video tuning guide on them ... they aren't perfect, but they help you get the basic levels set properly.