Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - Off Center Image

My TV which is a magnavox Smart series, not much more I could tell you, had an off center image right out of the box. It was a gift and I would have felt bad if I told my father the gift he got me didn't work, so I just thought I'd ride out the storm. However, I'm getting an Xbox 360 in a few days, and I would prefer to have a perfect screen to play it on.

The TV goes off center to the left, so that when a game system is hooked up, there is a bar about 1" thick of nothing on the right. If I'm just watching TV on it, everything is just pushed to the left, so that some things get cut off.

You have a horizontal centering problem. Call an authorized repairman and he can get into the service menu and correct the condition.

Here's what to do:

Follow melwats' instructions, which will make some service tech very happy. $cha-CHING$

Or, you can go here, http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/how2adj.html , follow the directions very carefully, and adjust the issue yourself. If the set is less than 5 years old, this should work. Scroll down about 9/10th of the way, you will find instructions to crack the "hidden" service menus for Magnavox sets.

CAUTION: KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ADJUSTING AND WRITE DOWN THE ORIGINAL SETTING OR VALUE FOR THE ITEM YOU ARE ADJUSTING!! Some sets use numerical codes for each setting, or abbreviations such as "HPOS"(Horizontal Position) or "VPOS" or "VERT" for vertical position. Write down the setting that solves that issue, particularly on a back page of the TV's owners manual. . . You still have the owner's manual, right? :)

America is the land of the free, my friend. Learn to fix what you can learn to fix, and you will also learn financial prowess, instead of just paying everyone else to fix what are minor issues. Stop stuffing other people's pockets.

Tips for bringing the movies home to your TV:
1. Go into the user Video menu("Menu" on you remote not the service menu.) Adjust the Contrast/Picture control to just over half-way up. It's probably set to max at the factory to compete with other sets in a fluorescent lit retail environment - not to look great in your home environment.

2. Next, disable the following CRAP if your set has it: Scan Velocity - OFF. Vivid/Dynamic/Sports Picture - set to custom or Movie. Color temperature? Warm or Medium/Neutral.

3. Adjust the brightness(Black Level), particularly at night with the lights low and the shades pulled. Brightness is the worst name for this control since it actually controls background levels. Watch a DVD of a night scene or outerspace. Night should appear as black as you can set it without losing shadow detail on, say, a Clint Eastwood western. That bandit in the back alley should be visible by outline. The alley should not appear so black that you cannot see him.

4. Cut the sharpness to half of wherever it is set. If it is set to the middle by the factory, that would mean 1/4 of the way up, or, 25 on a scale of 1 to 100. Sharpness is simply a "treble" control that if set too high will exaggerate and add artifacts to the edges of subjects.

5. Tint/Hue: Leave at the middle initially, and evaluate the set for a day or two. If you see too much of a reddish or orange tint to human skin, adjust it a couple clicks toward the green side - not TOO far over now!

5. For more advanced adjustments, including the geometry issues you bring up, buy or rent "Video Essentials"(or Digital Video Essentials if you own a widescreen) or AVIA Home theater Companion.

Happy viewing,

Jack

ok, that site's way of getting into my TV did not work, does anyone know another way to get to the service menu of a Smart Series magnavox TV? I'd appreciate it

ok I found out that my TV is a Philips Magnavox 20MT133S 20" TV if that will help any

Chek on the back of the TV. Depending on how old it is, there may be a horizontal adjustment knob.

there are 2 adjustments in the back of my TV, one is brightness, and the other effects how blurry or clear the image is.