I own a Sony KP-57" RP-CRT that's about 5 years old. It still looks amazing. I am a bit disappointed with Blu-ray however. Either my Panasonic BD-55 does such a great job with upconversion or I might have an incorrect setting for 1080i Bluray over HDMI, as Blu-ray image only looks slightly better than an upconverted 480p image.

To get into service-code settings. Over HDMI I use SYSM-2 with MIDE/POP-25. Sharpness is set correctly elswhere, but the 2 settings I mention above are the most important and have the greatest effect on the image in my experience. I was told by my calibrator (a very reputable one) that the VDML etc. settings add nothing to true sharpess and just add fake layers to the picture. This looks to be the case. My display was calibarated (and very well at that) about 5 years ago and still has not lost a shred of luster, however sharpness settings for HDMI 1080i were not set. I've been told that component 1080i looks best on this display - I have compared it with HDMI and I prefer the better resolution over HDMI than the better black levels over component.

I digress a little. Anyway, I think Blu-ray looks solid, but I think it still could look better. If anyone still has this set (or something similar) and can share the "correct" codes for HDMI 1080i sharpness I would appreciate it. Specifically I'm looking for "SYSM" and "MIDE/POP" combinations. I know this is a long shot but i figure it's worth a try. Sharpness settings are very objective with this display, as only certain MIDE/POP settings look best on the DVE patterns, but with my eyes it is hard to pick up unless I was an ISF calibrator.

Thanks!