I just got the dreaded call from Sears today, informing me that my 60we610 will not be delivered on 11/17/03. I ordered my set on 10/25/03. The new date is now 11/25. Anybody else having trouble getting their 60" set delivered on time?

Hi all. I'ts looking like I'm going to be joining the GWIII club FAST. I mis-calculated measurement on my new bedroom entertainment center depthwise. I am not going to be hacking up this particular unit like the other HACK JOBS i've done. What WILL fit, most awesomely is a KF-42WE610. Who has the most smokingist deals going on these? I have a Sears & Best Buy account, CC is local, and I'm not afraid of buying online from a decent vendor. Any ideas?
Thanks!

Originally posted by BigT
I just got the dreaded call from Sears today, informing me that my 60we610 will not be delivered on 11/17/03. I ordered my set on 10/25/03. The new date is now 11/25. Anybody else having trouble getting their 60" set delivered on time?

I ordered my 60" Oct 14 (backordered) direct from Sony and it was shipped few days later. Free delivery and in-home setup. The representative at Sony said that they would shipped booked orders at the same time they shipped to dealers. Appears to be the case

This isn't directed at anyone or any other post, just general talk. It does seem like there is alot more "best price" post going around lately. 10-20% is often available for the asking and there isn't any kind of real secret to getting. I do understand the desire to save money so let me remind people that forums like ************** are the best place for deal discussions.


I personally would like to see less deals threads and more content about after purchase. If nothing else it would be nice if we could keep the deal posts in a deal thread.

Now on the GWIII topic, my new 60" got delivered today but I have to wait until tonight to get it hooked up for testing. I have a bad back and can't move things around without my hubby who is going to be late tonight. ARG!! If this GW is bad it will be the 3rd and I'm not going to be a happy camper!

The delivery guys said they've had alot of bad 60s lately so I wonder if it's a production problem. I've not seen that many complaint posts so here's hoping I just had bad luck.

Originally posted by branx1a
The representative at Sony said that they would shipped booked orders at the same time they shipped to dealers. Appears to be the case


Have you ever heard of anyone being backordered with multiple delays from Sonystyle??:D :D :D

Originally posted by Beth
This isn't directed at anyone or any other post, just general talk. It does seem like there is alot more "best price" post going around lately. 10-20% is often available for the asking and there any kind of real secret to getting. I do understand the desire to save money so let me remind people that forums like ************** are the best place for deal discussions.


I personally would like to see less deals threads and more content about after purchase. If nothing else it would be nice if we could keep the deal posts in a deal thread.

Now on the GWIII topic, my new 60" got delivered today but I have to wait until tonight to get it hooked up for testing. I have a bad back and can't move things around without my hubby who is going to be late tonight. ARG!! If this GW is bad it will be the 3rd and I'm not going to be a happy camper!

The delivery guys said they've had alot of bad 60s lately so I wonder if it's a production problem. I've not seen that many complaint posts so here's hoping I just had bad luck.

Here and I thought the reason for this thread was to brag about our deals and to ask about the base size and what stand I should be using. :D

All kidding aside as soon as I have my GWIII and something meaningful to say about it believe me I will. To be honest I was a little disappointed in this thread myself after reading every post. The Hitachi V500 owners thread has a LOT more info on that set than this one does on the GWIII. Time will tell, we can still save this one.:)

Well the base size is more relevant than who saved a few hundred dollars. I'm not saying people shouldn't talk about those kind of things it's getting to be the main talk instead of the occasion.

I'm disappointed that there isn't more GWIII technical talk but I know UMR had alot to do with the talk for the GWII and he doesn't have a tweak guide for the III.

What's the problem with discussing price on these? There is no money being taken away from any forum advertisers (like DLP). As a matter of fact, these mass marketers could give 2 cents for this place. If anything, they probably wish places like this DIDN'T exist. There would be far fewer deals, uneducated consumers as far as defects & shortcomings, and people would be less stricken by buyers remorse (less returns). I may be out of line (especially if I was a 1 post newbie non contributor), but what's the harm?

It would seem to be a benefit to me as well, but those are the rules. It seems as if they will cut some slack if you do not post hard numbers, relative numbers instead.

Wow. I'm feeling better and better about my deal all the time. I picked my 60" GWIII through a regional retailer that's been around for a long while (and is one of the few places left where sales people work on commission and can still cut deals). I walked in on 10/26, ordered a 60", got what appears to be a terrific price and had it delivered to my house (no charge) 3 days later. Since that time, I've noticed a lot of local retailers (Sears, Best Buy) are pretty backlogged on the units. I guess the bottom line is be patient and shop around.

All things considered, it's been 3 weeks and I'm still very pleased with the price paid, and more importantly, the product. So far my only gripes are the problems I'm having finding a stand I like and the fact that Sony hasn't figured out (a) how to allow direct access to inputs on the remote or (b) how to allow viewers to specify inactive inputs so you don't have to cycle through 8 inputs to find the two that you actually use. Hell, for that matter, why haven't they implemented some kind of "active" signal sensing ... like on their terrific automatic S-video switch ?

Pretty small beef, huh ?

Wow. I'm feeling better and better about my deal all the time. I picked my 60" GWIII through a regional retailer that's been around for a long while (and is one of the few places left where sales people work on commission and can still cut deals). I walked in on 10/26, ordered a 60", got what appears to be a terrific price and had it delivered to my house (no charge) 3 days later. Since that time, I've noticed a lot of local retailers (Sears, Best Buy) are pretty backlogged on the units. I guess the bottom line is be patient and shop around.

All things considered, it's been 3 weeks and I'm still very pleased with the price paid, and more importantly, the product. So far my only gripes are the problems I'm having finding a stand I like and the fact that Sony hasn't figured out (a) how to allow direct access to inputs on the remote or (b) how to allow viewers to specify inactive inputs so you don't have to cycle through 8 inputs to find the two that you actually use. Hell, for that matter, why haven't they implemented some kind of "active" signal sensing ... like on their terrific automatic S-video switch ?

Pretty small beef, huh ?

>>(b) how to allow viewers to specify inactive inputs so you don't have to cycle through 8 inputs to find the two that you actually use

You can specify inactive inputs under the input label menu by selecting SKIP and it will skip that input

You can skip inactive inputs. Press Menu, select 'Setup', scroll down to 'Video Label' and select. Select the inputs one by one. Each has a choice including "Skip". When done, you don't see the one's marked 'Skip'.

Have no idea why this feature is not under 'Channel', but it works. Hope this helps.

I just went to sears and they don't have any 60" available for sale.
I tried to place an order but the computer refused it and kept displaying a message saying that there was none in the inventory. The sales guy checked with his manager then came back telling me there was nothing he could do and that I should check back next week.

Just a couple notes. I understand the concern about the thread going against forum policy. But I think as we are all just getting this equipment, the major concerns are price, delivery and initial quality. I saved money thanks to contributors to this thread and it didn't take specific $ post that violated forum policy.

I suspect now that we are beginning to enjoy our GWIII's discussion will move on other helpful topics.

And BTW thanks for the SKIP info.:)

You can skip inactive inputs. Press Menu, select 'Setup', scroll down to 'Video Label' and select. Select the inputs one by one. Each has a choice including "Skip". When done, you don't see the one's marked 'Skip'.

Now that's helpful info. I hadn't seen it in the manual (not even opened that yet)but it was very annoying to use input 1 and 5 yet have to cycle though them all.

Don't get me wrong with my post, I don't care to much about $$ posts but it is against the forum rules and it can be annoying to try to find good posts in a thread full of price comparisons and stand reports if you already have both. I did point out a good site for hot deals which I use regularly which I hope wasn't against the rules. :)

I personally think a subforum for price deals might be handy but maybe that hurts power buys or the forum over all. It's up to the powers that be to allow or disallow as they please. I'm just thankful the AVS forum is here. Even without posting price information I think most will agree they save money by being informed which this forum is great for! It's also addictive. :D

Originally posted by elvindeath
(b) how to allow viewers to specify inactive inputs so you don't have to cycle through 8 inputs to find the two that you actually use. Hell, for that matter, why haven't they implemented some kind of "active" signal sensing ... like on their terrific automatic S-video switch ?

Pretty small beef, huh ?

To not have to switch through inputs that are not connected, enter "menu", then "setup", then "video label" then "program" then change the video (up or down arrow)label to read "skip".

There seems to be a way to skip the NTSC tuners also, but at the moment, I don't recall how to do that.:(

Hey all,

I've been a lurker on the forum for quite some time. Just doing the regular research before taking the plunge to the GWIII. Anyway, I've had my 60WE610 for a week now and I'm loving it.

I picked mine up at my local CC after AmericanTV failed to deliver several times. It's odd that CC would have three in stock and AmericanTV can't seem to orders filled that were placed over four weeks ago. I guess CC has more "pull" as a dealer than AmericanTV.

I also picked up the a relatively low cost stand that fits the TV almost to a tee. I have about 1.5" overhang on the back, but it's rock solid. I have attached a pic of my setup. Sorry for the bad picture, but I'm not much of a photographer. I'll work on better ones if anyone wants more pics.

If you have one of these puppies on order, be patient. You will not regret the purchase.

Regards,
Symbiant

I also picked up a relatively low cost stand that fits the TV almost to a tee.

Nice looking setup. What model stand is that? -- it looks just about right for the 60" models.

I'm still waiting for my set -- glad to hear you're happy with yours.

George

I also picked up a relatively low cost stand that fits the TV almost to a tee.

Nice looking setup. What model stand is that? -- it looks just about right for the 60" models.

I'm still waiting for my set -- glad to hear you're happy with yours.

George

Wow Thanks all re: the channel skip. Guess I should have RTFM ... Thanks for saving my thumb all that hassle.

As for the stand referenced a few posts above, please let me know what kind that is and where you got it. Me likey.

On the subjects of discrete input codes: has anyone found discrete video input codes that <definitely> work with the GWIII's? I'm a custom installer in the SF Bay Area, with a client who is very excited about the GWIII, but the lack of discrete codes is a huge problem for me in getting the operation of his theater to be a 'one-touch' process. Disabling inactive video inputs will not solve the problem.

Also, this same client wants to output the video from his Mac G4 (which has a DVI output, I believe). I've seen posts here indicating that a PC DVI connection seems to work, anyone tried a Mac with the GWIII's??

Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by dcci

Also, this same client wants to output the video from his Mac G4 (which has a DVI output, I believe). I've seen posts here indicating that a PC DVI connection seems to work, anyone tried a Mac with the GWIII's??

Thanks in advance.

I get my GW III on Monday, and plan on hooking up my G4 through DVI. I believe you can get a dvi cable and hook it right up. Get it from pacificcable.com and it will only be about 20 bucks. You might have to mess with the resolutions to get the right setting. There is no Powerstrip software for Mac, but he can try SwitchRez which allows custom settings.

I am also going to try hooking up my Powerbook G4 that doesnt have DVI, with a DVI-VGA cable. I think you are limited to resolutions going this route.

BTW-here is a site dedicated to Mac HTPC:
htmug.com

Originally posted by dcci
On the subjects of discrete input codes: has anyone found discrete video input codes that <definitely> work with the GWIII's?

Sony has always had excellent support for discrete codes. The codes are pretty standard across all their sets. The GWIII codes are exactly the same as the GWII.

You can find a reference for all bit codes here:
http://www.anycities.com/rhm5757/Sony_tv.htm


Will you be using a ProntoNG? Daniel Tonk's pcf has every code in it. You can find it on his site http://remotecentral.com

Kev

Originally posted by Soprano
I get my GW III on Monday, and plan on hooking up my G4 through DVI.

Soprano - this is the exact setup my client wants - could I ask you to post when you hook your G4 up via DVI, and let us know the results?

Thanks in advance

Had my 50 for two weeks now. My new complaint? Well, my daughter is heel-bend on wearing out the Finding Nemo DVD, and it is freaking out my cat: the cat thinks the fish are real! She keeps jumping up at the TV to get the fish! :D

Hello, I have just a couple questions:

1) I am planning on getting the 60" GWIII and I have seen many people ask about picture quality from the 42" to the 50". Is there any noticeable difference from the 50" to the 60"?

2) Is there any room on the top of these GW's to place a center channel speaker, or does it just slope off right away?

3) Is there any difference in the size of the base from the 50" to the 60" (I ask for the question below)

4) I refuse to pay the absurd price for the sony stand. I saw this one (http://www.ikea-usa.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=11149&langId=-1&parentCats=10104*10174) at Ikea and it looked nice and a great price. Someone has a picture of it with a 50" here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?postid=2909463&fullpage=1)

(Thank Radioflyer for that great pic)

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and with any luck, I can join this club in the near future!

-SteveO

Originally posted by GamerStevo
Hello, I have just a couple questions:

1) I am planning on getting the 60" GWIII and I have seen many people ask about picture quality from the 42" to the 50". Is there any noticeable difference from the 50" to the 60"?
-SteveO
I haven't seen the 60" WE GWIII but I just came back from looking at the 70" XBR GWIII and I'm puzzled by what i saw.

I watched the opening scenes of "A Bug's Life" played on the $699 400 disk Sony DVD via component. The salesman wanted me to watch the "full" version but I wanted to see the 'wide" version. I've never seen this DVD look bad but it did with this setup. Closeups looked good but when the perspective moved back a bit the PQ was not very good.

I think I was sitting at least 10' away.

I'm going back with my own disks to see what they look like.

First time poster here. I've been lurking for months, and the information found here helped me decide on my purchase.

I finally received my KDF-70XBR950 today!

Five months ago I pre-ordered the 950 when the dealer offered me an 60XBR800 loaner if I would order the newer one. I owned a 70" Mitsubishi at the time and was ready to take the plunge with HD, but really didn't want a smaller set.

The 950 is great. The contrast was advertised as considerably improved, but I was worried that the larger size would offset that. I really think the 950 has a better picture than the 800, even with larger screen size.

I counted about 8 or 9 green or red switched-on pixels and 3 dead ones. Nothing visible at about 4 to 5 feet away. Convergence is excellent.
We sit 14 feet from the screen and the picture is fantastic on the HD football games on ESPN tonight.

I did the home adjustments with the Avia DVD.

Just wanted to let you know the set looks great, and address a couple of the concerns some of the people have been discusing here.

On the reccomendation of this forum, I purchesed and used the Avia calibration disk. From the disk, I can tell that my picture is a little off to the left and a little low. I also have about 5% overscan.

When I first started to read here, UMR had some service menu tweaks to fix such issues. He has sense left the forums and taken his tweaks with him it appears.

Anyone know how to access the service menu and what tweaks are needed for screen position and overscan? Anyone know where I can get the tweak file?

Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by htwaits
I haven't seen the 60" WE GWIII but I just came back from looking at the 70" XBR GWIII and I'm puzzled by what i saw.

I watched the opening scenes of "A Bug's Life" played on the $699 400 disk Sony DVD via component. The salesman wanted me to watch the "full" version but I wanted to see the 'wide" version. I've never seen this DVD look bad but it did with this setup. Closeups looked good but when the perspective moved back a bit the PQ was not very good.

I think I was sitting at least 10' away.

I'm going back with my own disks to see what they look like.

I visited the same GG store and had a salesperson put on Episode II -- AOTC/Pod Race chapter (I think it was played through a Denon DVD player). Viewing distance approximately 12-14'.

Having recently seen an fellow AVSer's HS10 project this scene onto a plain 100" Parkland screen with a HUGE WOW FACTOR, I can honestly say that I was unimpressed with this XBR's picture.

Colors were bland (could obviously be tuned) but the most distressing thing was the blotchy, ill-defined nature of the image.

I have played with the 42" GWIII quite a bit (SD, HD & DVDs) and have always been impressed (it's on my shortlist).

:rolleyes: Is 70" just too big for this optical engine/mirror combo? Or is this a defective unit at this particular store?

gbm + elvindeath -

Believe the stand in Symbiant7"s picture is the Bush universal #vs74377

The dimnensions are 58"x24"x21"...it comes with smoked glass or clear shelves and there is a 9-10" distance between shelves. It is sold at Best Buy...that's where I saw it...but is not on the Bush home site or in the Best Buy online site. This is part of a new line Bush is putting out for the new larger tabletop sets. Price, $299. I'm planning on getting one for my 60" as soon as it passes the break in...break down...period.

I have the 42" GWIII. When shopping I was able to compare the 42", the 50" and a 60"GWII at the same place with the same shared signal. The new 60" GWIII was not out at that point.

I came into the store trying to decide between the 50" set now, or wait for the 60" GWIIIs when they were released.

I came away with the 42" GWIII based on the difference I saw in PQ.

Outside the XBR sets, all the GWIII models are the same internal set, the difference being the image size produced. Makes sense that the smaller the image produced by the same electronics, the better the PQ.

The difference wasn't dramatic and it was most evident as the signal quality went down. SD showed a noticable difference, less with DVD, even less - but still some - with HD content.

I'm sure there is a "sweet spot" you can obtain where the viewing distance masks the decline in PQ and offsets everything by an giant picture, but for normal viewing I couldn't pass up the 42.

My wife was expecting the "bigger is better" argument from me, and was really surprised when I opted for the 42". Our viewing distance compliments this set very well, and we've never regretted not going bigger - knowing that there would be a PQ tradeoff.

Ironically, friends that have seen the set think it is enormous. Some have believed that I upgraded to HD based on the SD PQ from plain vanilla cable. These type comments really validate my decision.

If you have a bunch of HD content (I don't) or are a DVD junkie (I'll watch 1-2 a week) your decision may be different and right for you. I couldn't be happier with the "baby" GWIII.

I'm with you! I took the Wife GWIII shopping yesterday. One store had the 42, 50, & 70 XBR all side by side. It was no contest to our eyes. The 42 had a smoother, more colorful picture to the both of us. It also seemed to have a little better blacks. They were displaying some kind of Sony HD golf feed. We ended up going to CC & getting a NICE deal on the 42. Very pleased.

Originally posted by CougerofEQ
On the reccomendation of this forum, I purchased and used the Avia calibration disk. From the disk, I can tell that my picture is a little off to the left and a little low. I also have about 5% overscan.

When I first started to read here, UMR had some service menu tweaks to fix such issues. He has sense left the forums and taken his tweaks with him it appears.

Anyone know how to access the service menu and what tweaks are needed for screen position and overscan? Anyone know where I can get the tweak file?

Thanks in advance.

I too have noticed the same thing with my new 50". I was just using the THX Optimizer contained on my SW DVD and noticed that my picture is off to the left and since the screen is still filled there must be a little overscan. (I am assuming that what overscan is, as I am not up on all the lingo)

If anyone can help with with the service menu, it would be a BIG help.

Thanks,
Rob.

Originally posted by rclams
Colors were bland (could obviously be tuned) but the most distressing thing was the blotchy, ill-defined nature of the image.

That sounds like what I saw with the Sony Changer DVD player.

Hey I wonder if these people have been in stores lately.

Size and cost
Large plasmas arrived on the flat-panel TV scene before LCDs. The technology for the really big ones (60" diagonal) hasn't evolved as far for LCDs, explaining why you'll see LCD TVs max out at about 40" while plasma TVs at 63" appear in electronics showrooms. It also explains why LCDs cost more than plasma TVs of the same size. Hopefully, prices will come down in a year or so as more LCD TVs are sold and the maximum panel size increases.

Wow my 60" LCD TV must be my imagination since they max out at about 40". And can any one tell me where I can get a 60" Plasma for under 4K!?!?

Full article is at http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/answerstips/story/0,24330,3570909,00.html

I think the article is talking about LCD flat panel tvs, not LCD rear projection tvs like the GWIII

Originally posted by Beth
Hey I wonder if these people have been in stores lately.

Wow my 60" LCD TV must be my imagination since they max out at about 40". And can any one tell me where I can get a 60" Plasma for under 4K!?!?

You have a RPTV. He is referring to a flat panel LCD TV -- no projection. Think plasma/LCD flat panels. Maybe you haven't noticed all those small flat panels in the stores are LCD and not plasma. :D

Originally posted by ThorsHammer
gbm + elvindeath -

Believe the stand in Symbiant7"s picture is the Bush universal #vs74377

The dimnensions are 58"x24"x21"...it comes with smoked glass or clear shelves and there is a 9-10" distance between shelves. It is sold at Best Buy...that's where I saw it...but is not on the Bush home site or in the Best Buy online site. This is part of a new line Bush is putting out for the new larger tabletop sets. Price, $299. I'm planning on getting one for my 60" as soon as it passes the break in...break down...period.

Thanks ThorsHammer ... just went to Best Buy and picked one up. I'm in the process of assembling. Seems like it will fit the 60" perfectly, and the silver/smoked glass version really compliments the Sony GWIII styling. Much better unit, IMHO, than the $600 Sony stand (and I even had a 10% BB coupon) - as this one actually accomodates my center channel under the TV.

Anyone in the market for a stand should really consider this one, though you may have to hunt around a little - my Best Buy rep told me they are VERY new, and not in stock at every store (I had to drive to another store about 15 minutes away to get one).

Here's some more information on the Bush stand:

http://www.bush-furniture-online.com/index.php?p_id=11439

Interestingly, I couldn't find it at the Bush site itself. Must be very new indeed.

It is about 23" high, according to this, which is quite a bit higher than the Sony stand (isn't that one 16"?). Looks good, though.

Sean

on the back right side i have a speaker(sounds like sub), yet on the same panel on the back left, no speaker just a plastic panel. is thios correct?
tv kicks ass by the way, now for digital cable and a sweet dvd player

Originally posted by htwaits
You have a RPTV. He is referring to a flat panel LCD TV -- no projection. Think plasma/LCD flat panels. Maybe you haven't notice all those small flat panels in the stores are LCD and not plasma. :D

Well heck, guess I should take my foot out of my mouth and learn more about LCD then. Sigh, a little knowledge is dangerous. :o

A few folks have reported here that you need to turn-off progressive scan for a good DVD picture on the new XBRs.

Originally posted by rclams
I visited the same GG store and had a salesperson put on Episode II -- AOTC/Pod Race chapter (I think it was played through a Denon DVD player). Viewing distance approximately 12-14'.

Having recently seen an fellow AVSer's HS10 project this scene onto a plain 100" Parkland screen with a HUGE WOW FACTOR, I can honestly say that I was unimpressed with this XBR's picture.

Colors were bland (could obviously be tuned) but the most distressing thing was the blotchy, ill-defined nature of the image.

I have played with the 42" GWIII quite a bit (SD, HD & DVDs) and have always been impressed (it's on my shortlist).

:rolleyes: Is 70" just too big for this optical engine/mirror combo? Or is this a defective unit at this particular store?

Originally posted by Beth
Well heck, guess I should take my foot out of my mouth and learn more about LCD then. Sigh, a little knowledge is dangerous. :o
Don't feel bad. When I bought my first VCR I set it up and then called the store to ask how I could watch a movie and record a TV show at the same time. After a long pause, the salesman said, "Well sir, you could come in and buy a second VCR." :rolleyes:

LOL

I just wasn't thinking..umm blame my 2yr old, after so many hours of candyland anyone's brain would be fried.

Just received our 42" Grand Wega yesterday.
Unbelievable.
We have been doing intense shopping for the last month. Have compared to the 50" GWIII and the 50" Hitachi LCD.
Even SD looks sharp. DVDs (with Monster2 component cable) look stunning.
No complaints whatsoever, OK, maybe the remote can be a bit better.

I thought my 50 looked great, the 60 doesn't have as much PQ wow but I think I prefer the larger screen. I'm now trying to find an ISF tech in my area to tweak it and hopefully it will improve greatly with that.

How's that filter working out on your GWIII?



Originally posted by bberns22
In addition to the filter install on my GWII, have taken my GWIII apart and have installed the 20cc red filter. I will be posting instructions, photo's, and service menu settings shortly. The results are better than what I was able to achieve with my GWII and the loss in brightness is not as severe. This will be one you will want try if you feel comfortable removing the front of the set. With the red filter installed and the color temp and decoder properly set, this is, by far the finest monitor I have ever seen

What is the native resolution (i.e. the resolution that the TV doesn't need to up or downconvert if it comes in that way) for the 42we610? Is it 720p?

I believe that the native is actually 788p (correct me if I'm wrong)

Taken from sonystyle.com

"Three Wide XGA LCD Panels: 3.28 Million Dots Resolution (1386 x 788 x 3) "

I believe that it up-converts 720 and down-converts 1080

-SteveO

So which DVD player would display the best picture? One that displays 480p or one that displays 720p? Does the picture degrade the same anyway since the downconverting needs to take place at all?

Originally posted by rclams
but the most distressing thing was the blotchy, ill-defined nature of the image.


Funny, but I was just commenting on this to my wife yesterday. We have the 60 GWIII. Just got it last Thursday. Was watching SD football games yesterday. Overall, not bad, especially given the screen size. However, it looked good on close-ups. When they would move back and show the field, it would get quite "fuzzy" many times. My wife thought maybe it was the camera work, but I never really noticed this image degradation before when they would film from a distance like that. Now that I hear other people are seeing the same thing on DVDs, I'm even more concerned. :(

Originally posted by Bongo100
However, it looked good on close-ups. When they would move back and show the field, it would get quite "fuzzy" many times. My wife thought maybe it was the camera work, but I never really noticed this image degradation before when they would film from a distance like that.
I've always thought the long shots were poor quality on the channels that I watch. I'm talking about Fox, ABC and CBS SD games both OTA and cable on a 27" Sony XBR.

SD football is horrible! Last night after the Sunday night HD game, they were showing highlights from Sunday's games. This is ESPN HD, so it was 480i stretched to 16:9 and converted to 720p. It looked ridiculously bad. My point is that the source here is garbage, and will only look "good" on a small screen. I can't even imagine watching SD football on the 70" XBR. That said, IMO the GWIIIs do a decent job with SD, better than some of the competing TVs.

Just brought home a 42" GWIII this past weekend. It was pretty awesome out of the box. Watch LOTR and TTT with Liteon LDV-2001 in 1080i mode; boy it was brilliant. Wife was very impressed. Like many other have said, SD is great, especially after some Avia tweaking. Neverthought I'd enjoy SD this much on this set.

I'm going to get the Sanus PFPL Stand for my GWIII; I saw this combination at GoodGuys and it was almost a perfect match size wise. Plus it has 3 usable shelves so I can put my Energy C-C1 in the top shelf and solve the center channel problem. Anyone else doing the same?

URL for the Sanus stand due to posting rules: http : // w w w .onecall. com/ PID_19449.htm

The problem with SD is that their scaling chips try and do the same job for all the different type of NTSC ..

football and racing requires a very different work to look good than a talk show requires..my guess is that sony had to make compromises in scaling hardware/software, so we must live with this if not using and htpc/external scaler in the path :p

Originally posted by DLiquid
SD football is horrible! Last night after the Sunday night HD game, they were showing highlights from Sunday's games. This is ESPN HD, so it was 480i stretched to 16:9 and converted to 720p. It looked ridiculously bad. My point is that the source here is garbage, and will only look "good" on a small screen. I can't even imagine watching SD football on the 70" XBR. That said, IMO the GWIIIs do a decent job with SD, better than some of the competing TVs.

I have to agree... When ESPN HD uses SD material it looks truly awful!

My problem with HD on this set is that I've become used to it. I remember the wow factor when Comcast installed my HD box. In a word: stunning. This feeling has decayed into an expectation with a corresponding decline in my opinion of all SD material. Vive la HD!

On an unrelated note, today I received my replacement 50WE610. My first set was beautiful and had no dead pixels I could see, but it had a subtle geometry problem. The replacement set is perfect - and once again no dead pixels.

Victor

Comcast came to hook up HDTV today. They provided component cables which I thought was nice. The picture is incredible. :D :D :D I've been watching some of the game and I find that I'm just looking at the picture and ignoring the game.

The box supports DVI and the installer said it was active so I'm going to get a cable tomorrow and an optical cable for sound.

These GWIII's are great.:D

Originally posted by Joe Figueiredo
So which DVD player would display the best picture? One that displays 480p or one that displays 720p? Does the picture degrade the same anyway since the downconverting needs to take place at all?


Anyone have any answers to this question?

this may have been asked at a different thread, but what do you GWIII owners use to clean your screen with?:cool:

Okay - I've got an Xbox, DVD and Comcast HD box fighting for my component inputs (2 on the AV Receiver, 1 free on the rear of the TV). I'd like to use the DVI for the Comcast receiver if possible ... can someone tell me if I can have both 2 components AND a DVI connection running to the rear of the TV ? I'm sure I saw discussion of that somewhere else, but I'll be darned if I can turn anything up on search....

Originally posted by bigthys
this may have been asked at a different thread, but what do you GWIII owners use to clean your screen with?:cool:
You can use Micro Fiber cloth. It's the same cloth that you get to clean glasses but is available in Auto Parts stores in bigger sizes.

http://www.neatitems.com/micro.htm
http://www.microfiber.org/

Originally posted by bigthys
this may have been asked at a different thread, but what do you GWIII owners use to clean your screen with?:cool:

The GWIIIs come with a micro-fiber cloth for screen cleaning. Les is right, you can get larger ones at auto-parts stores. Clean it dry if possible or use clear water only - no cleaners.

Don

Originally posted by htwaits
You can use Micro Fiber cloth. It's the same cloth that you get to clean glasses but is available in Auto Parts stores in bigger sizes.

http://www.neatitems.com/micro.htm
http://www.microfiber.org/
I found the 3M Scotch Brite brand cloths at CompUSA where they are sold for cleaning LCD laptop screens, etc. The large ones are about 12" X 12". There's also a smaller 6" X 7" version I carry with me for cleaning my glasses.
YMMV

Originally posted by Joe Figueiredo
Anyone have any answers to this question?

All I can say is that Liteon 2001 on 1080i beats the heck out of the its own 480P mode and my older 480P only player via component.

I'm pretty sure DVI 1080i/720P players are sharper than my Liteon, but I'm very, very satified with PQ of the Liteon on the GWIII.

Originally posted by Abubo
All I can say is that Liteon 2001 on 1080i beats the heck out of the its own 480P mode and my older 480P only player via component.

I'm pretty sure DVI 1080i/720P players are sharper than my Liteon, but I'm very, very satified with PQ of the Liteon on the GWIII.

What brightness and contrast settings are you using on the LiteOn? I just ordered one (should arrive by end of week) and am curious how the levels should be altered from their defaults. I've also read it varies depending on which firmware you're using; are you on 0229?

I can't wait to see how it looks!

Originally posted by Joe Figueiredo
So which DVD player would display the best picture? One that displays 480p or one that displays 720p? Does the picture degrade the same anyway since the downconverting needs to take place at all?

I guess it would depend upon if the TV or the DVD player does a better job of converting the image to the 720p being displayed by the GWIII. If the TV does a great job, then you may get just as good a picture out of a non progressive player. There are some complicated discussions in here somewhere about the GWII (I think) not having a direct digital path. If you search for GWII or GWIII and digital path you may find more information. Your best bet is to get a look for yourself, or ask or search for the specific players you are considering with the GWIII.

Hopefully you hear from someone who actually does know what they are talking about. (as opposed to me)

Originally posted by jspeton
What brightness and contrast settings are you using on the LiteOn? I just ordered one (should arrive by end of week) and am curious how the levels should be altered from their defaults. I've also read it varies depending on which firmware you're using; are you on 0229?

I can't wait to see how it looks!

I haven't even tweaked those settings yet... I'll find the time this weekend. I'm using default now. I did tweak the GWIII pro mode quite a bit to get a smooth, detailed and film-like feel. I'll play around with it and I'll let u know. I've read some folk decreased brightness and contrast by 1 (-1) and that helped. I'll find out if that works better for me.

I am on the 0301 Beta. I was on the 0224. It IS brighter than the older firmware and I would recommend you upgrade. 0331 still has the annoying jiggy subtitle in 1080i though, but it's seemed to be not as bad as the older firmware. I watched "Pirates of the Caribbean" last night (hey my buddy brought it.. no idea where he got it ;)) with subtitles on to see what the heck they were saying, and it wasn't as distracting as before. I re-watched TTT and was again impressed with this combination (Liteon + GWIII). Cant' wait for the Extended Edition!

vdcone are you serious that all GWIII's come with a cloth? Because my 42we610 sure didn't come with one.

Originally posted by DLiquid
SD football is horrible! Last night after the Sunday night HD game, they were showing highlights from Sunday's games. This is ESPN HD, so it was 480i stretched to 16:9 and converted to 720p. It looked ridiculously bad. My point is that the source here is garbage, and will only look "good" on a small screen. I can't even imagine watching SD football on the 70" XBR. That said, IMO the GWIIIs do a decent job with SD, better than some of the competing TVs.

This is one of the main reasons I opted for the 42" GWIII. Every 50" and above set I looked at could not do motion well, especially on SD material. I found the 42" GWIII made things like auto racing and football very watchable in SD.

I noticed that even on golf the larger sets had trouble showing the ball as a golf ball. On some of the sets, a moving golf ball looked more like a big cotton ball blowing in the wind.

Originally posted by mdbarke1030
vdcone are you serious that all GWIII's come with a cloth? Because my 42we610 sure didn't come with one. All GWIIIs should come with the cloth. There is even a section of the manual titled "Use of the Cleaning Cloth."

Originally posted by mdbarke1030
vdcone are you serious that all GWIII's come with a cloth? Because my 42we610 sure didn't come with one.

Hmm, well mine did. I'm trying to recall where it was in the package and can't. Had to be in one of the plastic envelopes though. I know we sometimes ignore the stuff in the envelopes and maybe you just missed it. It's not big just a 4"X4" clear plastic envelope with the instructions. The cloth is 8"X8" and they suggest using it with a "water deluted mild detergent solution".

Don

Yes, the 50" came with a cloth.

My 50" is outstanding with a clean SD signal from cable, analog and digital channels alike. Its the best SD I have ever seen, but the blacks ...

Maybe it's a joke but since I only read the last few posts I'll reply that there wasn't a cloth in either of my 50s or my 60.

Well I just got my 50WE610 and there was a cloth bundled with the manuals. It is lite blue :D and is in a bag in the manual bag.

Oh and this TV rocks. I am not even going to bother sticking my nose on the screen to see if there are any stuck pixels or not as from 3' and greater that I have looked at my TV nothing has stuck out at me. Wife thought it was going to be huge but commented that it looks just right in the room. I got about no where running video essentials tonight so I will have to go through that tomorrow but the PQ out of the box is pretty darn good. I am working a deal on a Panny XP30 so soon my crappy old interlaced Panny will go from this setup. I can't wait.:cool:

I tried to join the ranks of the KF50WE610 owners tonight. In fact I had ordered it, paid for shipping, signed the credit card bill.

But it was not to be. The store manager came to me and told me that the $300 rebate could not be honored (as was promised as part of the transaction) and I reluctantly had to "return" the TV. The real pisser is that the price and the rebate were a "price match" from another Circuit City store located about 15 miles away. After waiting for nearly 2 hours to complete the paperwork and get the CC credit card, I was left with no TV, and a new credit card which I must spend time trying to cancel tomorrow.

I truly envy all of you. Hopefully I'll join you sometime soon but tonight's experience has me thinking that maybe if I wait for a year or so I can get a better TV at a lower price.

Sorry - just wanted to rant.

The manual in my 50 had been opened already (makes me wonder) and with the 60 they just exchanged the tvs not the manualsl but with the first it should have been in there. Just double checked and nada. Wonder if anything else is missing.

Bill,

I work at CC. AFAIK ALL CC's have a $300 rebate on all 50" GWIII.

I don't see why you wouldn't get it. Tell me what happened.

bob

Billd,
go to sears. I went to my local sears, had them go on the web. They matched the best price on the web, and then they gave me a discount of 10% of the price diff plus 10% off the total, they usually have 10% off sales every week.

Anyway, I got it for a sick price and I signed up for the sears cc, so no payments until Nov 2004

Can someone tell me what the lines on bright images (mostly whites) is on the WE610. I know there is the screen door effect, veiled look, and the sparklies. There is definitely a sparkle to it, but there are also lines. Is the $50 light behind the TV for constrast only, or does that help this problem? I have not had time to do the research and use DVE yet, so I used the settings posted early in this thread. Any help is appreciated.

Circuit City about 15 miles away was advertising a low price, much lower than my local CC. So I went into the local store, asking for a price match. Figured it would be a piece of cake. They complied, and I paid.

Anyway, the $300 rebate - which was the key to obtaining the price in either store - apparently only qualifies on TVs which are priced over a certain amount. And the price which I paid was less than that amount. Bottom line is that htey told me I could not qualify for the rebate because the base price was too low.

The thing which gets me is that the CC which was 15 miles away was displaying this price, with the rebate, right under the TV in big block letters.

Anyway it was well after closing because it took a pretty long time to get everythign all squared away in the store due to some problems with the computers.

It's disappointing because I just bought a home and spending that kind of money right now on a TV was a HUGE step out on a limb for me. I'm not sure if I can do it again.

BillD

If the set was priced so low as to kick it to the next-lower bracket for the rebate, you were getting it WWAAAYYY lower than retail, right? Plus you were still getting a smaller rebate with it ($150?), right?

Originally posted by Feddie
Can someone tell me what the lines on bright images (mostly whites) is on the WE610. I know there is the screen door effect, veiled look, and the sparklies. There is definitely a sparkle to it, but there are also lines. Is the $50 light behind the TV for constrast only, or does that help this problem? I have not had time to do the research and use DVE yet, so I used the settings posted early in this thread. Any help is appreciated.
What kind of lines?

BillD

If the deal had gone through as you had wanted, what percentage discount from list price would it have been?

Originally posted by billd
Circuit City about 15 miles away was advertising a low price, much lower than my local CC. So I went into the local store, asking for a price match. Figured it would be a piece of cake. They complied, and I paid.

Anyway, the $300 rebate - which was the key to obtaining the price in either store - apparently only qualifies on TVs which are priced over a certain amount. And the price which I paid was less than that amount. Bottom line is that htey told me I could not qualify for the rebate because the base price was too low.

The thing which gets me is that the CC which was 15 miles away was displaying this price, with the rebate, right under the TV in big block letters.

Anyway it was well after closing because it took a pretty long time to get everythign all squared away in the store due to some problems with the computers.

It's disappointing because I just bought a home and spending that kind of money right now on a TV was a HUGE step out on a limb for me. I'm not sure if I can do it again.

billd,

My CC tried to price match the price I got at Sears. They were using the $300 as part of the deal and even though the price was well below the line for the $300 gift card they were still offering it. Don't know what to tell you other than try again as they really are great TVs. At this point I couldn't be happier.

Now if I hadn't nearly set fire to my HT last night maybe I could have watched the darn thing. I hate baseboard electric heat and the dust that collects on it when not in use.:mad: All is well this AM and it only stinks a little :rolleyes: so tonight will be the first full viewing (watched a lot of clips of things before the heater incident).

Originally posted by mdbarke1030
vdcone are you serious that all GWIII's come with a cloth? Because my 42we610 sure didn't come with one. I had a cloth supplied with my 42. I have a suspicion ... :eek:

The $300 rebate was apparently only available on TVs priced above $2999. The price advertised was about 100 less than that. And they were advertising that the $300 rebate would apply to the TV which I purchased.

We called the store which was advertising the deal, and they confirmed that they posted that price in order to match BB. The store is CC in Nashua, NH.

The 50" and the 42" look great on display.

Originally posted by Grasschopper
Well I just got my 50WE610 and there was a cloth bundled with the manuals. It is lite blue :D and is in a bag in the manual bag.

Sony sent me the same cloth 2 years after I bought my first RPTV. Works great in wiping those nasty fingerprints out!

I'm looking at putting a new TV in my basement, but I've got an issue with the depth of the space I have. The place where I want to put the TV ( built in book-shelves) is 67"Wx43"Hx12.75"D.

Based on viewing distance, etc. I would like to get a 42" set, and had resigned myself to having to buck-up for an EDTV plasma (I've got about $2,500 - $3,000 to spend). However, I was in the local BB yesterday and saw the 42" GWIII. The specs that were listed on the card next to the set said it was 12.375" deep which would fit perfectly in the space I've got. However, when I got home and looked at the specs online, I notice that it is listed as being 14.5" deep.

Can anybody confirm the depth of this model? Is anybody aware of any non-plasma 42" model that would be less than 12.75" deep?

Thanks for the help.

Originally posted by mdbarke1030
vdcone are you serious that all GWIII's come with a cloth? Because my 42we610 sure didn't come with one.

The small cloth is in the plastic bag containing the manual and warranty. The bag was taped to the bottom piece of packing cardboard under the TV and only visible when the TV was lifted from the bottom part of the box. There was a Sony notice taped on the back of the TV to be sure and remove the manual package taped to the cardboard "under the TV"

The cloth is about 8" square and the instructions say to use it damp with a small amount of detergent solution.

This was with the GWIII 50"

Originally posted by aydu
On some of the sets, a moving golf ball looked more like a big cotton ball blowing in the wind.

Sounds like you've been filming my golf game :D

Originally posted by GlendaleHDTV
Can anybody confirm the depth of this model? Is anybody aware of any non-plasma 42" model that would be less than 12.75" deep?

Don't forget that you need 3" - 4" for cooling and cables.

Originally posted by GlendaleHDTV
Can anybody confirm the depth of this model? Is anybody aware of any non-plasma 42" model that would be less than 12.75" deep?

14.5" is the correct depth. There is a curved section that extends about 2" in front of the screen and would be required for balance. Maybe you could just add a wider shelf attached to the existing to support the TV.

Don

Woo Hoo it is installed and fully functional. Just for poops and grins over lunch I looked for some dead or stuck pixels from like 6" and was unable to find any. Good for me I guess. Feel free to check my pics (http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=4695) :)

Is that the 42" model or the 50"?

Originally posted by Feddie
Can someone tell me what the lines on bright images (mostly whites) is on the WE610. I know there is the screen door effect, veiled look, and the sparklies. There is definitely a sparkle to it, but there are also lines. Is the $50 light behind the TV for constrast only, or does that help this problem? I have not had time to do the research and use DVE yet, so I used the settings posted early in this thread. Any help is appreciated.

I don't see any strange lines in whites on my 50WE610. Is it only on SD sources or HD also? If you see it on HD I'd say its a problem with your set.

AFAIK the light behind the set only helps perceived blacks by keeping the room lighter than the blacks on the screen.

You should check out a display model at your local store and see if it has the same lines. If not it's time for a return.

Originally posted by Joe Figueiredo
Anyone have any answers to this question?

Joe,

I have a Pioneer DV-563 DVD player that only cost about $170 and looks great. I have it set to output 720P. It also plays DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD's (SACD) which was a big plus for me. Here's a review of the player from Sound & Vision Magazine:
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=509

There are lengthy discussions on the DVD player threads on this forum about which player is best. For instance there is at least one player (a Samsung) that has a DVI output that theoreticly should have a better piture since our sets have a DVI input, making it an all digital path. However, there are reports of problems with that player - I don't remember the details.

Remember that all current DVD's (OK, except for Terminator 3) have a resolution of 480i. Progressive Scan DVD players scale this up to 720P. With a non-progressive player the TV will do the scaling. The results depend on which scaler is better (the TV's or the player's).

I'm happy with my picture now - especially for the price, and will wait until the industry works out a HD DVD standard and there are a good selection of movies available before I will worry about upgrading.
Rock

Rockscaler,

Progressive scan dvd players scale to 480p not 720p. The HD931, Bravo D1 and the Denon 5900 will scale to 720p or 1080i but the material still only contains 480 lines of resolution. The true benefit of these players is not the scaling but rather the all digital path to the television which reduces and/or eliminates artifacts normally introduced D/A or A/D conversion.

Originally posted by Feddie
Can someone tell me what the lines on bright images (mostly whites) is on the WE610. I know there is the screen door effect, veiled look, and the sparklies. There is definitely a sparkle to it, but there are also lines. Is the $50 light behind the TV for constrast only, or does that help this problem? I have not had time to do the research and use DVE yet, so I used the settings posted early in this thread. Any help is appreciated.

Feddie,

Check out this thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=321813&highlight=SDE

Are people ever worried about their GW's tipping? It seems that it could wobble forwards-backwards if there was an earthquake. Has anyone managed to secure a larger GW to a tv stand so it won't wobble as much? If so, what methods did you use?

Looking to purchase a stand for the 60" GWIII. Living in an earthquake zone, so really would rather it not topple over or break through glass tabletops (hence no glasstopped stands). Suggestions on stands would be welcome, too.

freecia

Doesn't the Sony stand have some kind of strap connection arrangement to prevent tipping?

freecia - check out this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=325868) for stand ideas.

Originally posted by DooDoo
Rockscaler,

Progressive scan dvd players scale to 480p not 720p. The HD931, Bravo D1 and the Denon 5900 will scale to 720p or 1080i but the material still only contains 480 lines of resolution. The true benefit of these players is not the scaling but rather the all digital path to the television which reduces and/or eliminates artifacts normally introduced D/A or A/D conversion.

OOps. So then the TV further scales the 420P to the resolution of the set.

I agree with you about the befifits of an all digital path but how noticable is that in the real world on the GW3's?

Originally posted by 77bandit
Feddie,

Check out this thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=321813&highlight=SDE

Thanks bandit, I think this best describes my issue. It is mainly vertical lines that I see, but it appears to be the texture of the screen. I think I saw it on a 42" at the store, but I was hoping that there would be a setting to make it less obvious. I will have to try look at another TV, and make sure it isn't my set. Thanks for all of the responses.

Originally posted by RockScaler
OOps. So then the TV further scales the 420P to the resolution of the set.

I agree with you about the benefits of an all digital path but how noticeable is that in the real world on the GW3's?
The GWIII is not native 1280x720 so it isn't a perfect example.

On the Samsung HLN sets there is supposed to be a big difference, but I don't know how much that relates to Samsung's component processing of the Digital > Analog > Digital signal. Avoiding that process seems to make Samsung owners very happy.

Originally posted by freecia
Are people ever worried about their GW's tipping? It seems that it could wobble forwards-backwards if there was an earthquake. Has anyone managed to secure a larger GW to a tv stand so it won't wobble as much? If so, what methods did you use?

Looking to purchase a stand for the 60" GWIII. Living in an earthquake zone, so really would rather it not topple over or break through glass tabletops (hence no glasstopped stands). Suggestions on stands would be welcome, too.

I don't know where I'm gonna go when the Volcano blows!:D

Originally posted by s2silber
Is that the 42" model or the 50"?

It is the 50".

Watched The Lion King tonight with my 2 year old. He loved it! I loved it and best of all the wife loved it.:D Only problem is my old DVD player, I can't wait for my XP30 to get here.:rolleyes:

My wife and I have had a Sony KF60WE610 for one week now, and are extremely
happy with it. Yes, I have noticed a few of the anomalies mentioned here, but
none of them are really a problem with us...the picture still is incredible.
One thing I haven't seen anyone mention is the Twin View (PinP)feature on this set. Basically what you are getting are TWO 32" sets in one set with absolutely
perfect pictures. Either one may then be enlarged up to 42", with still perfect
resolution. I have found myself viewing nearly all 4:3 programming in this
mode due to the incredible picture quality. (My wife still prefers everything
in full widescreen when she's watching). Obviously, any widescreen media such
as DVD's I watch in full, widescreen mode, but regular OTA or Directv programming really looks sensational this way. Also, my Denon AV receiver has
onscreen calibration, which I never was able to use until now. I have the receiver in it's own video input, and if I want to make a quick adjustment, I
just switch one of the views to the receiver, and I can adjust it while I'm
viewing the program on the other twin view screen.
If you're considering this set, next time you're at a dealer ask to have this
feature shown to you...I didn't discover it until it was in my home!

The twin view was fun today as I had the Voom installers here and as we were watching the satellite software load on one side of the screen I had the cable TV source on the other half of the screen playing one of the digital channels.

Rockscaler -

I too read the review on the pioneer dvd player and was thinking about picking one up until the technology shakes out over the next 6 months. Does it have zoom and brightness adjust features on the remote? And how would you rate the picture quality? tia

A little off topic for a moment. I picked one of these Harman Kardon DPR 1001 receivers up at CC last week for under $500. It matches the GWIII like it was made for it! It looks awesome, and sounds damn good. I replaced a Sony DA4ES, as it was too BIG (7" tall vs 4"), heavy (44lbs vs 17) & hot (traditional amps vs digital amps). The remote is excellent, has an auto-calibration system, & also has Logic7 & PL II. My only complaint is it won't auto switch between analog & digital bitstreams.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008EDC9/103-3398889-3465444?v=glance&s=electronics&me=A1IM4EOPHS76S7&vi=pictures&img=14#more-pictures

Originally posted by napa_newbie
Billd,
go to sears. I went to my local sears, had them go on the web. They matched the best price on the web, and then they gave me a discount of 10% of the price diff plus 10% off the total, they usually have 10% off sales every week.

Anyway, I got it for a sick price and I signed up for the sears cc, so no payments until Nov 2004

Hey Napa,

Did Sears price match the actual lowest price on the web? Did they just charge you the tv price or include shipping before they discounted? My Sears said that they would only match a "retailer" web price, such as CC or BB (granted, this was just a salesperson, not the manager).

I live in a relatively small town and the only place I can go get one of these is at Sears.

Thanks.

I'm new to researching the latest and greatest televisions so please understand I know nothing. To me it seems like the latest Sony Wega's are the way to go for what I'm looking for in price and quality. I have a question about viewing angles on the projection LCD vs. DLP. I was at Sound Advice over the weekend checking out the GWIII's and I saw a Samsung DLP television that looked outstanding. When I approached the 42 Sony GWIII I noticed that the brightness varied(became darker) when I moved above or to the side of the television, and when directly in front it was very bright. When I looked at the Samsung DLP there were no bad viewing angles, the brightness was uniform from every angle. Can someone please explain if this is something I would get w/ the LCD projection vs. the DLP? Do I step up to better technology by spending more money on a DLP?
Thanks!:D

The LCD RPTVs seem quite sensitive to vertical angle, but side angle is pretty good.

I don' t know why a DLP might be any different, though. Probably has more to do with the length of the optics path.

JB,
they matched the price on the web, w/o shipping. I did call another small sears homecenter, and he was unwilling to deal. But the big sears store, matched the best price on the web, as long as the web had a bricks and mortar storefront. Obviously, they still made money off me, so I think it just depends on how greedy the sales person is (I'm sure they get some sort of commission). Since I've bought, the best web price has gone up a bit. I think the longer you wait, the higher the prices will creep up with xmas around the corner.

I had already placed an order with onecall, on backorder. So i told the saleperson, I will cancel my order and buy right now, if you can give me a good price. He replied, "Let's make a deal". Needless to say, there was no way I would ever buy a samsung dlp, regardless of the minor differences, at the sears price......never. I will take the money I saved and invest in another HDTV in a few years, when the best of breed has been determined.

Thanks Napa.

That's the problem. I can find really low prices on the web (I'm looking at the 50" Grand Wega), but they're all internet-based companies. Looks like the best deal right now is price-matching CC's $300 rebate and combine it with a 10% discount.

JB,
why don't you try going when it's not so busy. Before going, go to one of those comparison shopping online sites, see if you can find a cheap price online. Check to see whether they have a real store location, most do, usually NY city. Then take that info on a printout and see what the sears guy says........Tell him, that the Sears in Ny will have to match that price, so why not you. If he doesn't match, tell him you will order it from the sears store in NY. Bottom line, do everything you can to show these guys that you are ready to buy a tv to the lowest price. If he feels like he is going to miss out on a sale, he is going to not get that commission.

Originally posted by mjm4088
Do I step up to better technology by spending more money on a DLP?
Thanks!:D
Maybe. :)

But I'm a big Samsung DLP fan and I don't see much of a difference between their sets and the Sony, Panasonic, and Hitachi LCD sets as far as viewing angles are concerned.

Both technologies with their anti glare screens have narrow vertical viewing angles. Some stores place then at eye level so the only way you can check is to kneel down. On the other hand, the real dumb stores place them low so the only way you can see them correctly is to kneel down. :D

Horizontal viewing angles are wide for all these sets.

I'm not sure why you came away with the idea that viewing angle was one of the major issues for making a choice. There are other issues that are more important from my point of view.

Originally posted by johnbre
Hey Napa,

Did Sears price match the actual lowest price on the web? Did they just charge you the tv price or include shipping before they discounted? My Sears said that they would only match a "retailer" web price, such as CC or BB (granted, this was just a salesperson, not the manager).

I live in a relatively small town and the only place I can go get one of these is at Sears.

Thanks.

I took a printout of the lowest bottom line price I could get from the web to Sears and told them that if they could meet it, I would buy right then. (The price included curbside shipping, but no tax, since the dealer was out of state.) After a few minutes the salesman came back and came up with a deal. The method he used to do price matching was too involved to get into here, but the bottom line price was only $20 more than that from the web. This price included tax and weekend delivery. Sears also gave me a coupon for an $80 rebate on a DVD player. This combined with a sale they were having got me a $100 DVD player for $10 plus tax. I also got two $5 coupons towards future Sears purchases.

Before going to Sears I had tried the same thing at CC. They said that the price was "just from some electronics company", so they could not match it. They then gave me what was their "lowest possible price", which was 10% off list. After claiming that this was the lowest possible price, the salesman added, "If you find someone else locally who will give you a better price, come back and we will beat it." Is there a contrdiction here? :)

Now all we have to do is wait until Sunday for delivery of our 50 inch GWIII.

I finally decided to go with the 60" GWIII and found a decent deal at the Bellevue CC. They had the standard price marked down to $3599 and with the $300 rebate, brought it to $3299. That worked for me. The sales guy was trying to sell the 4 year extended warranty coverage and I wasn't too interested so they offered to take either $300 off of a TV stand or another $150 off the price of the set. I have consistently passed on the extended warranties on all the stuff I've bought over the years so I just stick to that and if I get bit with a big bill, I'll still be miles ahead. Of course, I'm still covered for a year on any defects or breakdowns. If someone went into a gray area, they could probably get the $300 discount on the stand and then cancel the extended warranty later but I didn't feel good about that. They also said they would deliver the 50" and take back the 60" without additional cost if the 60" turns out to be too big for my space. Well, now I just have to wait until tomorrow for delivery. I'm just sitting here staring at the spot where it'll sit...

-J-

I am now on my second KF50WE610 as the first has some issues (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=325900&highlight=Tim+Hess).

So far on the second set no dead pixels (there is a dimish one very close to the edge in the far right upper corner tha tyou can't really see even at 6").

Nothing like what I listed in the thread linked above, BUT, I noticed something last night that I am not sure about.

On films that do no fill up the screen, there is a 'ghosted' type of line that runs horizontally across the entire screen at the top and bottom of the image, right as the picture 'meets' up with the black bars. This 'ghosted line' is maybe, 1/4" thick/in height.

I noticed this effect on T3 and LoTR:TTT, but only if you really look for it; as in watch that area of the screen and not the film.

I will attpemt to show you :) due to forum formatting, the lines depicted in the bottom portion would be the same distance apart as the top ones.

_____________________________<-- Black bars
----------------------------------------------<-- odd ghosting line





-----------------------------------------------<--odd ghosting line
_____________________________<-- Black bars

Now, I don't see this on full screen, only when displayed as 'letterbox' and I don't remember seeing this on the previous set or the Hitachi 50V500 before that, as they had other issues that would attract the eye.

I can't recall if SD is displayed this way or not (some commercials use a letterboxed look). I'm going to try numerous sources tonight, Xbox/PS2/GC, as well as another DVD player as my intital thought is that it is my Panny RP56 DVD player; as well as adjust Brightness/Picture level without DVE.

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

Originally posted by Tim Hess
Has anyone seen anything like this before? I can't be certain I am seeing the same thing you are, but it seems possible by your description. I think we are seeing the same thing, though my bar seems a bit narrower (I have not messured it). My theory is that this is caused by the "odd" scan lines from an interlaced signal. While converting interlaced to progressive, there is still the first and last line of the image which are by themselves, so to speak. Like I said, this is just a theory. If anyone else has an explanation or if I am describing something different than you are seeing, please correct me.

Originally posted by Tim Hess
I am now on my second KF50WE610 as the first has some issues (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=325900&highlight=Tim+Hess).

So far on the second set no dead pixels (there is a dimish one very close to the edge in the far right upper corner tha tyou can't really see even at 6").

Nothing like what I listed in the thread linked above, BUT, I noticed something last night that I am not sure about.

On films that do no fill up the screen, there is a 'ghosted' type of line that runs horizontally across the entire screen at the top and bottom of the image, right as the picture 'meets' up with the black bars. This 'ghosted line' is maybe, 1/4" thick/in height.

I noticed this effect on T3 and LoTR:TTT, but only if you really look for it; as in watch that area of the screen and not the film.

I will attpemt to show you :) due to forum formatting, the lines depicted in the bottom portion would be the same distance apart as the top ones.

_____________________________<-- Black bars
----------------------------------------------<-- odd ghosting line





-----------------------------------------------<--odd ghosting line
_____________________________<-- Black bars

Now, I don't see this on full screen, only when displayed as 'letterbox' and I don't remember seeing this on the previous set or the Hitachi 50V500 before that, as they had other issues that would attract the eye.

I can't recall if SD is displayed this way or not (some commercials use a letterboxed look). I'm going to try numerous sources tonight, Xbox/PS2/GC, as well as another DVD player as my intital thought is that it is my Panny RP56 DVD player; as well as adjust Brightness/Picture level without DVE.

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

More reason to upgrade to a DLP :D

Originally posted by moeronn
I can't be certain I am seeing the same thing you are, but it seems possible by your description. I think we are seeing the same thing, though my bar seems a bit narrower (I have not messured it). My theory is that this is caused by the "odd" scan lines from an interlaced signal. While converting interlaced to progressive, there is still the first and last line of the image which are by themselves, so to speak. Like I said, this is just a theory. If anyone else has an explanation or if I am describing something different than you are seeing, please correct me.

This seems to be the same thing, as fourizonly point out:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Has anyone experienced the first and last line of a letter box picture being overly bright? It looks like the picture data does not go to the very edge of the letter box. It is not a problem when viewing anamorphic movies that fill the whole screen or regular HD broadcast.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Poolshark.


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shark,

I think what you are describing is happening on my set as well only just at the bottom of the image as I recall. It's like a shiney line that runs horizontal to the image. It appears to be limited to one line of pixels as I recall. I don't remember seeing it at the top tho. This was not evident in full screen either.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Manpig pg. 10

Hello,

This is my first post...apologies if I mess this up..

Basic newbie question: What does the III in GWIII stand for?

At CC, they have 2 50" models for sale... the KF50WE610 and the KF50XBR800. CC has a $300 rebate going on and a 10% gift card back if purchased online. a pretty good deal I believe...

A sales guy at BB told me that the XBR is the older model... and that the WE610 is better than the XBR800... is that true?? The XBR is still priced about $300 more than the WE610

I've always liked the Samsung DLP models...but at CC, the Sony just looks better... the guy at BB also said the Sony is better.

such a tough decision! any suggestions/info would be appreciated... rebate offers end Saturday... gotta decide soon...

III means third generation of Grand Wega.
XBR is top of the line in sony. what he was refering to might be the previous generation of XBR.
GWIII XBR is already in the market and a lot more $$ than WE610.
As for good or bad, purely subjective.

last year's models only comes in 2 sizes 50XBR800 and 60XBR800 (GWII)

this years (GWIII) comes in 42, 50, and 60 WE610 and the XBRs only comes in 60" and 70"

Having just entered the HD market with my new 50" GWIII I have a quick question for ya. How do I know what the native resolution of the program I viewing on my TV actually is ? I have a SA 3250HD cable box, which allows me to switch to all formats from 480i - 1080i.
For instance I can be watching ABC and swicth between 480p, 720p or 1080i, apart from experience is there any special button that I can press to determine what is being sent to my cable box ?
Reason I ask is, I have a friend with a Sony projector and in his menu there is a feature to show this.

Many thanks.

Seems that the Cannucks have a bit more information on the GWIII internal technologies ...

http://www.sony.ca/sonyca/view/english/corporate/newsreleases/dealer_releases/press_public.html

This gets you a list of Press Releases. One of the April ones details the GWIII technologies.

Originally posted by ThorsHammer
Rockscaler -

I too read the review on the pioneer dvd player and was thinking about picking one up until the technology shakes out over the next 6 months. Does it have zoom and brightness adjust features on the remote? And how would you rate the picture quality? tia

TH,

The Pioneer DV-563A has a zoom button on the remote but I don't think it has a brightness button. I love the picture quality but I don't have anything to compare it to since this is my first DVD player. My old TV was so old it didn't even have video inputs so I never bothered to get a DVD player 'till I got the GW3 (I celebrated and danced when the old TV finally died).
The review in S&V mag said it has good Video. I'm sure you can spend twice the price and get some improvement but I'm more than happy with it.
Rock

Originally posted by Tim Hess
This seems to be the same thing, as fourizonly point out:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Has anyone experienced the first and last line of a letter box picture being overly bright? It looks like the picture data does not go to the very edge of the letter box. It is not a problem when viewing anamorphic movies that fill the whole screen or regular HD broadcast.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Poolshark.


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shark,

I think what you are describing is happening on my set as well only just at the bottom of the image as I recall. It's like a shiney line that runs horizontal to the image. It appears to be limited to one line of pixels as I recall. I don't remember seeing it at the top tho. This was not evident in full screen either.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Manpig pg. 10

I watched Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (I know, I know, what a terrible movie) and did not notice the effect. Perhaps it's movie specific?

This GWIII seems not having a "just" or "panaroma" mode which keep the central part of SD signal unstretched, but only stretch on the left and the right side when watching the full screen. Does that correct? Thanks.

mightihd:

yes unfortunately it doesn't have a "just" mode and I miss that feature sorely from my old Hitachi crt rptv. Zoom mode cuts off two much at the top and bottom and Wide Zoom is too distorted.

Thanks vrome. That's why I can't find it when play with it in the store. Which mode do you guys use when watch SD? I'd say this is the major draw back for me other that the defected tilt picture. Thanks.

mightihd:

I've resorted to watching SD in normal mode now on the GWIII. Zoom would be ok except for cutting off too much and frankly the replaytv picture does not look too great zoomed up at that size. I do miss watching all tv in full widescreen mode though...that and the fact I can't name my inputs to whatever I want to call them and the crushed blacks are my only gripes with the tv. Otherwise, mine has no tilted picture, no buzzing and no stuck pixels that I can see anyway. LOVE IT with the Comcast HD box though. Now if my box only had DVI output...

I really don't care for anyones stretch modes.

I use normal for 4:3 programming. The lack of burn in and the Sony's relatively better SD performance were definate reasons why I went with the GWIII

Mine smells funny.

Originally posted by mightihd
Which mode do you guys use when watch SD?I just watch SD in Normal mode. I'm not a fan of stretching or zooming 4:3 material. Since I still dont have an HD tuner, I use zoom for SD versions of some HD shows - like The West Wing - which are shown in letterbox. Since there is no risk of burn in, there seems no reason not to watch SD in it's OAR. That's just my personal preference.

Originally posted by DMF
Mine smells funny. Are you sure it's the TV? ;)

Just a minute.

....


....


Yes.

:D

I use the 'full' mode for SD with the Sat box set to 16x9.

The zoom modes pretty much suck.

Free from burn-in is one of the reasons I want to return my plasma to other big screen TV. But if view in normal mode, the 42" will become 34" and 50" will become 40", umm... I guess 50" is the way to go..

Buy a 60" and watch DVDs and HD in widescreen and the rest in normal. There is no reason to stretch and distort the picture with this TV.

I have the 42" GWIII and use the wide zoom mode exclusively for sd. Looks excellent - no short fat faces.

The wide zoom is the only mode that I use, except when watching anamorphic DVDs, which default to normal mode.

Stretch modes are a real problem with my wife on most sets. She is happy with the 42" but did think the stretch modes overdid things with the larger screen sizes.

I would rather use the screen size than have a technically perfect display of SD. With no available HD sources, DVDs and SD are my viewing content. Love the DVDs, but still have to catch those network shows. I would have either skipped buying a set or gone 4:3 if I couldn't find a set that made SD look good stretched. I think the Sony does a pretty good job on this.

When using my system with the DVI input the mode is fixed to FULL and cannot be changed. I have not needed to change it as the Samsung T160 seems to handle all the formatting and everything looks good to me.

I am starting to think my 42" is to small. Noticed a price drop on the 50's at BB. Damn.

:D

50" looked huge when I put it in, but when watching it seems kinda small. Nothing like the drive-in effect (which combined with B-movies and beer yields intense smooching).

Could be I'm watching movies of too high quality.


BTW, it either stopped smelling funny or I've gotten used to it.

If any one can help, I'd sure appreciate it....

No, neither of the timers are set....

I've come home from work two times in the last week and the tv was on (and I don't watch tv in the morning).

I've woken up once in the morning, and the tv was on....

I was woken up last night at 2 am by the tv turning on....


No other components have timers which would be turning this on, so I very confused. Could it really be something in the GW or should I call Discovery Channel and have them document these supernatural occurances? :- )

Seperate note: I have the tv buzzing noise at start up. Has anyone on the forum determined the source of the buzz? Thx.

knudsonwe -

The buzzing at startup has been discussed in a couple of dedicated threads and in my Sony repair story threads. The related affects range from just hearing the buzz at startup...trouble starting the set but it finally kicks in...to no startup. The source of the sound is visible through the grill on the back of the set to the left of the fan..it is directly in front of the circuit board - upper right hand corner. It will evanesce in conjunction with the buzz for a second or so then turn off.

It appears that it may be related to a malfunctioning or poorly seated lamp as this problem disappeared when I replaced my lamp and the owners manual mentions a problems with lamp seating as a cause for sets not turning on. Really no definitve answer at this point. The source of the buzz may be causing the problems with the lamp or vice versa...or it may be another problem that simply ends up degrading the lamp. But it is not your imagination and I'm sure eventually someone on this forum will find the source of the problem.

I am one of those who does not understand why anyone would want to use stretch mode on a GW or any set without burn in issues. I do use zoom for letter box material of course but my Pronto isn't programmed to allow the set to go into stretch mode.

Yes, it is kind of funny that people who care enough about seeing the entire picture in its intended aspect ratio to buy a 16:9 set will then stretch and distort the 4:3 content to fill it.

I do understand it though, as not all viewing is "critical" and depending on the viewing distance and set size, the 4:3 image might just be too small to comfortably see.

I'm a huge letterboxing bigot, to the point where it really bugs me to watch any movie that's been panned and scanned. But, occasionally when I'm watching my relatively little 27" television in the bedroom I wish I could zoom in a bit on the letterboxed television shows, just to make the image a little bigger and easier to watch.

Sean

Originally posted by ADGrant
I am one of those who does not understand why anyone would want to use stretch mode on a GW or any set without burn in issues. I do use zoom for letter box material of course but my Pronto isn't programmed to allow the set to go into stretch mode.

To fill the screen!

I use the stretch modes and also maximize any windows I am using on my PC. Someday they will probably discover an "edge to edge" gene. I'm sure I have it.

In all seriousness, visual perception is a very individual thing. As you read these threads, you'll see very contrary opinions on PQ. None of them are definitive, nor are any of them incorrect - from the perspective of the person making the observation.

Same with viewing aspect ratios. Some can instantly view the side effects of a stretch mode, others don't see it at all. Most people will see the effects in a side by side comparison, but will adjust to a decent wide mode after a bit of viewing.

Nice that the manufacturers offer a choice.

Just picked up my 50" from CC and have been really enjoying the set. Amazing on color and bright scenes, blacks look dark when mixed in but of course not much to brag about on predominantly dark scenes. I haven't tweaked it yet however.

Once question, DVD doesn't seem to clear to me. Shouldn't the GWIII be in normal mode for this? My Prog. Scan Tos DVD is set to 16x9 but still shows vertical bars (like 4:3) when the TV is in normal mode. Needs to be in full mode to fill the screen. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

Originally posted by Wiseman
Once question, DVD doesn't seem to good clear to me. Shouldn't the GWIII be in normal mode for this? My Prog. Scan Tos DVD is set to 16x9 but still shows horz. bars when the TV is in normal mode. Needs to be in full mode to fill the screen. Am I missing something?

Thanks!
Try turning off the "progressive mode" on your DVD player. That way the GWIII is doing all the conversion needed to display the DVD image.

As for horizontal black bars (and vertical as well :) ) check out the Where Did Those "Black Bars Come From? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=328207) thread.

Thanks htwaits,

Both progressive and interlaced do the same. If the player is set to 16:9 and the TV on 'normal' I get a picture with vertical bars at the sides. I have to use full or zoom, etc. to fill the screen. I tried another DVD player with similar results. If I set the player to 4:3 and play in normal mode I get black bars on both top and bottom. I understand letter box on higher ratios. The picture on Nemo just looks scaled to me and it is in 1.78. Not sure what I am doing wrong, not making sense to me. Thanks for any input.

I've owned the 60" GWIII for two weeks now. Everyone loves this TV, the colors clear picture etc. I want to keep the set, but concerned about the black levels/depth. If you watch a lot of dark DVD's i.e., Lara Croft, Matrix there's too much black, gray/black depths are not very apparent. Not enough variance between them. Cartoon DVD's, Ice Age, Monster's Inc. etc look fantastic.

Questions:
1) Can this be adjusted somehow? Has anyone had a Tech look at this to adjust? Not looking for service codes, just wondering if this can be changed to have a greater depth of blacks.

FYI: I don't have a setup DVD, but did setup the TV using the Star Wars THX Optimizer tests. Black levels seem okay in this test.

2) The XBR version uses a 120 watt bulb. The GWIII uses a 100 watt bulb. Could the higher wattage bulb be used in the GWIII? Of course Sony says no... but could be interesting to see if possible. Might be a fire hazard, or damage the optics? Wondering if this would add better levels of black and grey.

Thxs!

Originally posted by Wiseman
Both progressive and interlaced do the same.

The same black bars or the same PQ?

If the player is set to 16:9 and the TV on 'normal' I get a picture with vertical bars at the sides. I have to use full or zoom, etc. to fill the screen.
On a Samsung there is also a "wide" setting which is the correct setting for "Widescreen Anamorphic" DVDs.

I don't know what the GWIII does in "full" mode. I do know that "full" DVD's are "Pan and Scan". My "Finding Nemo" comes with two disks. Disk 2 is "re-framed for Standard TVs(4x3). Disk 1 is "enhanced for wide screen TVs" and is 1.78.1. I assume that's the disk you are watching.

Maybe a GWIII owner can tell us which TV aspect mode is intended for "enhanced" wide screen DVDs.

"Wide" is the correct setting for Anamorphic DVDs. I'm going from a Yamaha DVD player using the DVI connector (Video 7 on the Sony).

For non-anomorphic DVDs, I'm using progressive scan via component connectors at Video 6. Using "Zoom" does a nice job filling the screen.

Peter M

Originally posted by videonut
"Wide" is the correct setting for Anamorphic DVDs. I'm going from a Yamaha DVD player using the DVI connector (Video 7 on the Sony).

For non-anomorphic DVDs, I'm using progressive scan via component connectors at Video 6. Using "Zoom" does a nice job filling the screen.

Peter M
That's what I would use on a Samsung with DVI and Component input.

It sounds like "wide" is the same on the GWIII.

Originally posted by SinRed
...
2) The XBR version uses a 120 watt bulb. The GWIII uses a 100 watt bulb. Could the higher wattage bulb be used in the GWIII? Of course Sony says no... but could be interesting to see if possible. Might be a fire hazard, or damage the optics? Wondering if this would add better levels of black and grey.

Thxs!

From the specs, it is the same bulb, operated at a higer current/wattage.

There is not a "Wide"Setting on the Sony. I have been using "full" for dvds, which does not seem to be strecthing the picture but presenting it as intended in the widescreen format.

Pat

As a newbie to any type of forum, I happened across AV in trying to review TV's to make a new purchase. I began a thread in this forum with limited feedback. So, I'm hoping that someone who regularly responds to this thread can help. When I began I sought advice in comparing a 42" Sony LCD, a 42" Sammy CLP and a Sony 34" direct view CRT ('cause my cabinet maxes out with the 42"). Also, please keep in mind that the room where this TV will live is a well-lit sunroom, although 70% of viewing is at night. Here's what I last posted to the other thread.

I've now begun to broaden my candidates to include the Samsung DLP - HLN4365W for a little more $$ than the Sony LCD (42WE610).

In one store, I saw the Sony and Sammy side-by-side. The Sammy had a sharper picture (edges not subject to as much blending on one Sony setting and, yet, on the other hand or maybe it was another Sony setting, the Sammy didn't suffer from as much noticable pixelization which, in my terms, means the Sammy had solid edges on lettering, rather than jagged edges), and the DLP didn't seem to suffer from what I can only describe as a lack of accurate picture resolution where there was motion or panning. Actually, my wife first noticed this as a problem on the Sony LCD and said it would bother her (I think that means, "ouch", no Sony LCD).

I've read a lot of comments on the DLP (taken most of the day to read other threads on the Sammy). As for PQ, they mostly describe green tone problems and dithering (whatever that is) but I don't think I witnessed them in the set on display. I also saw comments that the DLP had better blacks and shading but I'm not sure I saw those differences either. There are also comments on noise from the spinning mirrors or color wheel, but I didn't hear that in the superstore.

Are my comments accurate on differences between the Sony and the Sammy? 'Cause, I'm wondering if the extra 20% screen size in the DLP is worth the gain over what I sense is, almost always better PQ, in the 34" direct-view (ie. Sony 510).

Hope you all can help. This buying decision is almost driving me off the wall, particularly because I'm looking at this purchase lasting 7-10 years before I hit the market again (as another old TV will hit the storage room, I'll soon qualify to open a used TV shop).

BTW, I do have "big screen" in my basement with a 5 yr. old Sharp overhead projector giving me the equivalent of a 102" screen, although not the quality of today's LCD or DLP.

Originally posted by Wiseman
Just picked up my 50" from CC and have been really enjoying the set. Amazing on color and bright scenes, blacks look dark when mixed in but of course not much to brag about on predominantly dark scenes. I haven't tweaked it yet however.

Once question, DVD doesn't seem to clear to me. Shouldn't the GWIII be in normal mode for this? My Prog. Scan Tos DVD is set to 16x9 but still shows vertical bars (like 4:3) when the TV is in normal mode. Needs to be in full mode to fill the screen. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

Full is what you want for widescreen DVD, and HD. Use Normal for 4:3 (if you don't want to see it stretched, that is).
Mike

I just received my new 50 " GWIII. All I can say is wow......get the right dvd player (Denon 1600) and the PQ is awesome, not one complaint. All I need now is some HD-signals..........Yagi here I come.

Sinred:

I viewed Laura Croft (and several other films) at the movie theater recently. The blacks in the dark scenes in this DVD on my 50" GWII XBR look very much like the projected image at the cinema.

Sony RP LCDs simulate the movie theater experience very well. The blacks can be tweaked somewhat but it is the nature of the beast. A normal tech cannot adjust it out.

The next time you go to the movies, observe the dark scenes. You'll see what I mean.

I just went on the french sony site and noticed that PC support is listed as a feature


It says "PC support. Surf the nternet. Enjoy your favorite games..."

Funny that it is supported over there but not in the US


Can't post url yet. Look for KF-60SX300 at sony.fr if interrested

Originally posted by mightihd
Free from burn-in is one of the reasons I want to return my plasma to other big screen TV. But if view in normal mode, the 42" will become 34" and 50" will become 40", umm... I guess 50" is the way to go..
I measured my 50" in standard 4:3 mode and came up with a 42" diagonal.

That's much larger that my old 25" set so I'm happy watching SD in normal mode. I don't like the stretched modes.

Just received my 60" GWIII on Saturday and I have to say the PQ is just stunning. The amazingly razor sharp, vivid colors, and super bright PQ (especially in HD) of the GWIII far outweigh a couple of downsides to this LCD technology.

The SSE (silk screen effect or veil effect) is quite obvious whether from 7' away or 12' away (we actually sit about 10' away), and is apparent only on white or very light images. This "veil effect" from the double anti-reflective screen coating is obviously the trade off -- you get very little or no screen reflections (which used to be a big problem on most rptv's) but you sometimes see this SSE...oh well. IMHO, the blacks have been very good unless displaying a very dark scene (and even then, it's certainly acceptable unless you're a complete perfectionist); otherwise, blacks look black to me (at least as good as in the theaters). So far, so good on the pixles...everything looks good there (but don't want to jinx myself). Although the SSE can be a bit distracting, I think it's livable.

Although I have the Sound & Vision HT Setup dvd (similar to Avia and DVE), I used the THX Optimizer program (which came on the Lion King dvd (as well as Finding Nemo dvd)) and tweaked it a bit...looks better than OOTB. I watched the Dolphin/Redskins game last night on ESPN-HD and the PQ was far superior to that of my previous 57" CRT RPTV. No comparison, plus the WAF is very high on the 60" GWIII...gotta love that :D

Does anyone have info on where to find more codes for the 42we610's remote control?

The remote codes are over at www.remotecentral.com. Sony uses a standard code set for their televisions, so most of the codes there for Sony televisions will work.

I found codes for all seven direct video inputs, power on, power off, internal speaker on/off toggle, sound modes, DRC modes, and a few others. Only trick is how to get the codes into a remote. I have an HTM MX-700 remote, which can take files downloaded off the internet. You'll need something like that to make use of the codes you'll find there.

There is a whole set of forums over there to ask questions.

Sean

About the black levels --

Yes, I went to a couple of movies at the theater over the holidays, and I can say that the black levels that we are all so concerned with looked very similar to the levels I'm seeing on my GWIII. I guess I just never noticed before. Perhaps if I were to hang out in a forum devoted to movie projection quality for a couple of months first it would have bothered me. ;-)

I took the plunge and bought my 60" GWIII a week ago. It is great, and I am extremely picky about picture quality.

Sean

Originally posted by splogue
About the black levels --

Yes, I went to a couple of movies at the theater over the holidays, and I can say that the black levels that we are all so concerned with looked very similar to the levels I'm seeing on my GWIII. I guess I just never noticed before. Perhaps if I were to hang out in a forum devoted to movie projection quality for a couple of months first it would have bothered me. ;-)

I took the plunge and bought my 60" GWIII a week ago. It is great, and I am extremely picky about picture quality.

Sean

No Sh!t...I noticed that same thing; the theater black levels where not what I expected. I thought it would make me want to tweak my 60xbr950 til I could see a speck of gray lint in a black tuxedo, but it made me appreciate the fine job it is already doing ("pro" picture mode anyway)

Doug

I have been lurking on this forum since August, trying to learn enough to make an informed decision on which big screen TV to buy. I want to thank everyone who posted for their advice and expertise.

I started out all hot to buy a plasma, but the high cost and the potential burn in issues soon sent me to the “rear projection” threads.

After initially lusting after the DLP, I began to read about the Sony LCD. The Sony began to sound pretty good, and so I started to prowl through the local video shops.

After some careful deliberations, I decided on the Sony 60” Grand Wega (60WE610). It was delivered on Saturday, November 22, and here are a few observations from a brand-new owner after my first week.

First, our Comcast cable out here east of Seattle really and truly sucks. Some channels are better than others, of course, but the worst of them are really bad. It looks like a worn-out VHS tape on most channels. I plan to have the Cable Guy come to the house to check the signal and see if they can clean it up a bit, but I can make do. After all, I didn’t buy it to watch normal cable TV.

The Directv satellite is measurably better, however there is evidence of over-compression on some channels (I understand that they move the bits around to support some channels more than others, like their evening prime time shows and especially for their pay-for-view movies).

This points out one of the problems of the big projection screens, in that they magnify any problems with the incoming signals - garbage in, garbage out. The Sony is supposed to handle the standard broadcasts better than
some of their competition, but still, one cannot expect too much with standard signals on a large projection TV designed for HDTV. I would expect that the picture would be better on both the 42 and the 50 inch models, since all three share the same light engine, with the bigger screens just blowing the image up larger.

By the way, both the standard cable and the satellite look best in the native 4x3 format - using any of the stretch modes on the 4x3 picture only seems to make it worse. My wife seems to prefer “Wide Zoom” and on some channels it was acceptable, but I think we will be watching most standard programs in the 4x3 format (not to worry, there is no screen burn-in with the LCD).

I have two DVD players – a top-of-the-line Toshiba that is 5 years old, and an el-Cheapo JVC combo unit (VHS and DVD) which we bought just to have a player upstairs (very inexpensive). The JVC has component output, as well as progressive video (480P), and while the fairly-expensive Toshiba has component outputs, it is limited to interlaced output (480i) only – after all, it is 5 years old.... Naturally, I wanted to have a shoot-out between the two players. So, I hooked them both up (the TV has no less than 7 video inputs, plus the VHF cable input), both with component cables, and with the JVC set to progressive output (and with both players set to a 16 x 9 display). I happen to have two copies of the same movie (Red Dawn, with Patrick Swaze), so I carefully cued them both to run simultaneously, and sat back to do a true A-B comparison.

But there was no comparison. It was immediately clear that the el-Cheapo, with its progressive signal, was much superior to the more-expensive but older Toshiba. The image was "smoother," and more film-like. My wife said that the Toshiba looked "sandy," which I took to mean grainy, and she was right. The light and dark scenes from either player both seemed to be fine, but the better picture quality was obvious. So, the Toshiba will be going upstairs to the old 27-inch Panasonic. I guess the lesson from this little test is that progressive output (through component cables) is much better than interlaced. Of course, I have not yet seen a really good progressive player (let alone a DVI-equipped player), but I find it hard to believe that the picture can become noticeably better than what I have now. After watching about 7 or 8 movies ( including older transfers like JAWS and Red Dawn, and newer transfers like The Fifth Element, Peacemaker, and Hollow Man), I continue to be amazed at the quality of the image – it truly looks like I am looking through a window.

One more note - I have a copy of the Digital Video Essentials (DVE) calibration DVD, which I will use later to check the brightness and contrast, sharpness, etc. Anyway, this test disk will produce pure color test screens in black, white, red, blue, green, cyan, yellow, and magenta. After checking all 8 colored screens very carefully and closely (about a foot away), I can report that there are NO dead or stuck pixels. None. Zip, zero, nada! What are the odds of that? My set was manufactured in October, so perhaps Sony has worked out their manufacturing bugs.

Finally, a question. I noticed that the screen settings (brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc) are GLOBAL settings, where if I change them on one input, they change for all inputs. There was some discussion on this forum about being able to change the settings individually for each input, but it appears that we can’t do that. Has anybody figured out how to do that? Can we expect a software or firmware upgrade from Sony to allow us to set each input separately?? I would pay cash money for the ability to do this.

Here is a photo of my setup, from about 13 feet away (you can see my feet resting on the recliner in the foreground). The stand is the $99 Ikea stand discussed at length here on the Forum, and it is just temporary until I can have a custom built stand made which will have room for my rather large center channel speaker.

Life is good.

Melmoth in Seattle

Glad you are enjoying the set. As for input depedent settings, there is a thread on this:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=317563&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

I've had decent success with some of the SM (service menu) manipulations mentioned therein with the 60xbr950.

Doug

I too have zero dead pixels and no stuck ones (although I've only scanned it in two colors). I do see two small flaws in what appears to be a pixel mask, but they are not noticable beyond 3-4'.

Melmoth, call Comcast and ask to upgrade to a HDTV box. Looking at their ads and web site here in Atlantis I was convinced that they didn't offer it in my area, but they do. "You have to ask for it." They currently send Fox, CBS, NBC, an ESPN, two HBOs, and a Showtime. And two 'INHD' channels that are about half demo and about half programming. The demos on the INHD channels (mostly produced by Sony, interestingly enough) are amazing!

I'm also in seattle area, but am having a different experience than Melmoth. Regular SDTV is acceptable (to me) and the HDTV feeds are amazing. Some of the HD channels show some overcompression, but the INHD and INHD2 channels are amazing.

I'm not a documentary type of guy, but I managed to watch a 1 hr documentary on the "rolling hills of Ireland" the other night on INHD2!

Hoping somebody can help me with a problem I am having with my new GWIII.

It was deliveed yesterday and looked great out of the box. After several hours though the picture suddenly had major problems.

The best way I can describe it is a shimmer that runs from top of the screen to the bottom, creating a blocky pixelization that reminds of when I lose satellite to a heavy rain storm.

Anybody seen this or know what it is and how to fix it? I am getting it on all sources. (Directv, DVD, and Xbox)

Hoping somebody can help me with a problem I am having with my new GWIII.

It was deliveed yesterday and looked great out of the box. After several hours though the picture suddenly had major problems.

The best way I can describe it is a shimmer that runs from top of the screen to the bottom, creating a blocky pixelization that reminds of when I lose satellite to a heavy rain storm.

Anybody seen this or know what it is and how to fix it? I am getting it on all sources. (Directv, DVD, and Xbox)

Can you take a picture of what you see?

Does it occur after the unit gets cold? Is the fan running?

Can someone comment on how a low contrast, dark video game such as Medal of Honor looks on a GWIII? I find that game to be especially hard to play on my 32" XBR.

Originally posted by mnc
Can someone comment on how a low contrast, dark video game such as Medal of Honor looks on a GWIII? I find that game to be especially hard to play on my 32" XBR.

mnc - here are some of my experiences playing "dark" games on my 42"GWIII. (Xbox and PS2 connected via component cables, Cube connected with S-Video)

Resident Evil was probably the most difficult game to play, initially. however, after returning my set due to a bulb seating/buzzing issue, i find that my newer set (with a properly seated bulb) handles the black levels better. blacks are not "crushed" per se, it is a good scaling effect from bright to dark, it's just that "total black" isn't as black as my old samsung 27" SD tube TV.

MGS2 on PS2 looked fine - a little low-res, alas, but color and contrast wise, excellent.

Recently got Splinter Cell for the xbox - looks amazing! no problems whatsoever with black levels and dark scenes. (although i suppose i can always turn on 'night vision...', which is kind of cheating :) ) i guess it was too much to hope for 720p, though... if only every game looked as unbelievable as world series baseball 2k3...

I have not played MOH games yet (I just hate FPS on consoles!), but I imagine that RE, MGS and Splinter Cell closely approximate the lighting conditions of those games.

in summary, i'm quite pleased with the gaming performance of my GWIII, especially with xbox games (which seem to be better tailored to widescreen and HD-style gaming). as long as you tweak your settings (this thread has some good ones suggested by DLiquid) and play in the right mode, you should be good.

I've had my '50WE610 for about a month. It's on for maybe 4 hours a day. I've had the previously mentioned buzz at startup since day one and assumed it had something to do with lighting the lamp. Anyway after being out of town for 3 days over Thanksgiving it won't turn on and the buzz happens briefly then the LAMP light blinks. I reseated the lamp a couple times then finally put an ohm meter across the lamp terminals. It does not show continuity, but not knowing what type of bulb it is, I can't say that's anything definitive. Unfortunately in my area ther are no lamps so my dealer is turning over every stone to get me one.

More to come as it happens.

Sorry, I re-posted this in the "GWIII buzz" thread. I didn't realize there was a thread where I could get a buzz.....

There should be no continuity across the lamp. It takes a spark/arc to activate the metal /halide material that will conduct electricity and thus produce the light.

OT - Do you know of anyone who can pick up WFMJ HD in Cleveland?

Thanks, I kind of figured it was an arc type lamp, hence the buzzing sound. Yes, I do have viewers in Cleveland. The ones that I know of are south and south east. I also got email from someone in Massilon that watches me.

Hi...new to the AVS forum and my first post. Want to thank the many members on here who have given me invaluable information while I was researching for an HDTV. I decided on the GWIII, KF42WE610. Overall, I love the TV, as does my wife and kids. I have read a lot about the stuck and dead pixels and I have a couple questions. I have about 18 stuck/dead pixels. The majority of them are blue or green, and I can hardly see them from my sitting position. I do have two red ones though, and as most of you know, they can be the most annoying. One of them is much briter than the other, though I can't see them from my viewing area. The question I have is this:

Has Sony laid out a spec on what they will considered faulty as far as the dead pixels go...like a percentage or something that have to go bad...before the will replace the set under their warranty?

Also, I understand that dead pixels are supposedly a result of the LCD panel manufacturing process. If you are lucky and can get a set that has one or two or better yet 0 dead pixels, will pixels eventually die out in this technology(from use, not from hitting the screen with something)?

My 30 day return period ends on Dec. 9 from CC, and I am wondering if it is worth taking it back, or am I just going to get another one with possible more stuck/dead pixels in a more bothersome spot. Understand, I am extremely pleased with the TV from all the input source...especially HD, but this little voice in the back of my mind is telling me that when you drop more than 2grand on a TV, everything should be as close to perfect as it can. Any responses on this matter would be appreciated, as I am having a hard time determining whether I should buy the CC extended warranty, since I can't get a definite answer from anyone there as to whether or not they cover a certain amount of dead/stuck pixels.

mikeg,

my experience with CC is that they will exchange the set with very few questions asked. i did have a more clearcut problem than you do, but i think the end result should be the same.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=329410
I think if you just tell the manager that you can't enjoy your set because of one or more bright red pixels, he or she will exchange it, no further questions asked.

the set which i received as an exchange has no stuck pixels and no startup/buzzing issues like my first set did.

exchange it! you deserve a problem-free TV which satisfies you for your $2kplus.

mikeg13- The way I see the situation is this. You paid for the TV you should be completely happy. I know that many say a few dead pixels is acceptable but only if they are in an area that doesn't cause the most distraction or that affects the direct view. If you have any that do I'd complain. Never feel you can't. It's your right. Now CC might decide to do nothing but what is the worst they can say, sorry? In the best case you get a new set. But you won't know till you bring it up. And if you are content as is, then you really have nothing to lose and all to gain. :cool:

Thanks for the replies. I agree with both of you. Does anyone know if Circuit City has any kind of extended return policy for the Christmas season? I know some stores will say that if you buy something after Nov. 1, you can return it until Jan. 31. If thats the case, I would have some extra time to see if any other problems pop up in the meantime.

Why wait? you already have a problem, why suffer it looking for more. Also, this is a hot set. There may not be any if you wait.

Originally posted by mikeg13
Thanks for the replies. I agree with both of you. Does anyone know if Circuit City has any kind of extended return policy for the Christmas season? I know some stores will say that if you buy something after Nov. 1, you can return it until Jan. 31. If thats the case, I would have some extra time to see if any other problems pop up in the meantime.
Check with the manager at the CC where you bought your set. I'm not sure why you would want to wait though. You shouldn't need any other problems. :)

Right...that is true...I just worry that they wont have any when I go in to replace it. I have to imagine that if they don't have any before my Dec. 9th 30 day cutoff, they will still honor their return policy, they seem to be pretty good about that. That was one of the reasons I was wondering about the extended return...I will go find out today after work.

mikeg - from what i've heard, the 42"sets are pretty much always in stock - it's the 50" and 60" that are hard to find. this could be a regional thing here in chicago, though. when i returned mine, they had two in stock - i just called that day to make sure.

Originally posted by mikeg13
Right...that is true...I just worry that they wont have any when I go in to replace it. I have to imagine that if they don't have any before my Dec. 9th 30 day cutoff, they will still honor their return policy, they seem to be pretty good about that. That was one of the reasons I was wondering about the extended return...I will go find out today after work.
The return is dated when you ask for a return (in writing if necessary) and not when CC is able to complete it. Make sure you have time to return the replacement too. If there is a problem with that just get a refund and buy again. I think CC will want to avoid that option. :D

just to give you guys an update...went to CC last night. They had the 42" on back order, so they special ordered one for me. They guy told me that when it comes in(about two weeks) they would come to the house and take the one I have and replace it with my new one, with no delivery charge. WOW!!! I am totally impressed by the customer service at that place. I have always been a Best Buy person, but after my dealing here with CC, I have to think that I may be doing a lot more of my high tech shopping there.

This is my first post.
After following this thread for a while I decicded to make my purchase. It was between the 60XBR and the 60WE. I compared the 60XBR next to a 50WE at CC. I could not see any "significant" difference in the PQ and not needing the built in tuner I couldn't justify the extra cash... decided on the 60WE.
I went to Sears in Columbia, SC with CC's $300 Sony rebate and 10% gift card offer. Equivalent to $700 off list. The Sears salesman wrote me an offer for LIST- $800.
I took this offer to CC and the salesman said" that price is less than list price I'll have to call an verify"(even though I had it in writing!). Well the Sears guy had gone to lunch and I was going to have to wait. The CC "match" would be LIST- $880.
Rather than wait I went to Sears to see if they would match CC. Talked to a different salesman and he said that "he would lose his job if he sold the set at that price at their agreed to price"! I didn't have to force the issue because he agreed to call CC back and confirm that the LIST- $800 had been offered (technically correct!).
Since Sears didn't have the set in stock CC agreed to only match Sears offer. The end result I took the 60WE home from CC at LIST- $800 - $300 Sony rebate!
Now here's my question. When I select the 4x3 Mode I have two vertical stripes 3 pixels wide at the right and left hand edges of the screen. These "stripes" are actually just lighter in color. You can still see the pictue and color it's just shades lighter than the rest of the picture (almost looks white from normal viewing distance). This doesn't happen in any of the stretch modes. Is this "NORMAL"???
Thanks for any input

rstibbins

I think that's edge enhancement. Flip through vivid, standard and pro and see if the effect you describe changes.

This is my first post. I purchased the 50WE610, after a long going back forth between Sony and Samsung DLP. Two factors made my decision for me,

1) at premium viewing - eye level with center of screen and about 10' for the 50", the Samsung was sharper, but Sony had better colors. However, once out of this premium viewing a few degrees either side or up or down the Sony continued to be the much better and brighter picture.

2) the difference in price between the the two was also a huge factor. Doing a lot of comparison pricing and asking each dealer to beat the lowest price...I figured I saved $700-$1000. That is enough to have a nice 35" CRT on the side.

Originally posted by rstebbins
The end result I took the 60WE home from CC at LIST- $800 - $300 Sony rebate!

You won't get $300 from Sony. That's for a sale price of $3000+. At $ [Price Removed] you'll qualify for a $150 (I think) rebate.

Originally posted by mikeg13
just to give you guys an update...went to CC last night. They had the 42" on back order, so they special ordered one for me. They guy told me that when it comes in(about two weeks) they would come to the house and take the one I have and replace it with my new one, with no delivery charge. WOW!!! I am totally impressed by the customer service at that place. I have always been a Best Buy person, but after my dealing here with CC, I have to think that I may be doing a lot more of my high tech shopping there.

have to agree, mikeg - my customer service experience at CC was awesome, too. i'm never going to buy anything bigger than a dvd at BB again.

Originally posted by mgoblue
"V" 2 side by side

VV VisionValue or something like that.

check out this link:

http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=169409&navigationPath=32050n45260

on the right side there are some links to Multimedia video where they talk about the VVega.

Just a some informations about the name WEGA. WEGA was a brand name by an electronics company BRAUN in Germany. There TVs and other stereo equipment at that time, 70s, was of "futuristic" design (perhaps somebody knows the "concept51" stereo system; FROG design started at thattime as well for Braun). One of Braun's TV line was called WEGA. Braun later was bought by Sony and they took the WEGA name, which was well know to be technically and in design top notch, as Sony's brand name for advanced TVs etc.

So, now to the pronounciation which would be right according to history:

W should be pronounced like in Walter,

but as a lot of things, americanization has probably kicked in :(

Hope I have not bored you with this little bit of info

German W is a V sound. Per my husband who is german (well just got his US citizenship). So it should be pronounced Vega even if you spell it with a W.

Originally posted by Beth
German W is a V sound. Per my husband who is german (well just got his US citizenship). So it should be pronounced Vega even if you spell it with a W.


I am german, and the german W is pronounced softer than the V, in Germany the V tends to be pronunced a little bit like F and as per your explanation the name Walter should be pronounced like a V??????

No I'm saying it should be a V sound per my hubby not a W sound as in Walter. I've always heard it as Vega not Wega. Double V not W.

I said V sound, not quite american V. I have a german last name and I can't even pronounce it correctly so I certainly am NOT an expert on how german words should be said. :D I was just stating what he said since I thought your post said it should be pronounced W not V.

Beth,
is your hubby from Ost Friesland??? Then I understand j/K:D

But my point was more the history of the name WEGA which might be interesting for a few folks out there.

BTW a bit of additional info, BRAUN was located in the same area as Loewe, which is seen as the Mercedes of all TV makers in Germany. Both wer fierce competitors at the time

any guide on settings yet, ive seen the post on here as far as settings anyone else wanna post what they hqave. mainly mild mode on or off and color warm or neutral, also does pro look like its better colors but blurrier to everyone else????? thanks guys

Crutchfield service sold me. FYI, got a good deal through one of the reps there...PM me if you want her contact info for future buys.

Real happy to finally get this TV. I've been going back and forth about whether to get it or not. I think I read in one of the threads that you just have to do it. Stop looking for an excuse to not get it when you really want it. First moment I saw it, I knew it would be mine! :)

Thanks to all the people contributing to this thread. It's VERY helpful to newbies and experts alike.

John

Actually, Wega has to do with the star in the constilation Lyra. In Babylonian astronomy, Wega (Vega), alpha Lyra, is identified with Dilgan, the "Messenger of Light." I think think the name was chosen to project a certain image just as automobile manufacturers do when naming vehicles.

Well after battling with a 42inch Akai 4294 plasma from cost which I returned two of them, I went for the Sony 42we instead. I really am liking it so far. I have it hooked up to my Dish Network receiver via Svideo and my samsung dvi DVD player via dvd.. Looks great. And I also got the matching stand. What the hell.. Any adjustments I should be making to improve on picture quality coming from my sat or DVD player?
Thanks

Originally posted by prefontainenike
any guide on settings yet, ive seen the post on here as far as settings anyone else wanna post what they hqave. mainly mild mode on or off and color warm or neutral, also does pro look like its better colors but blurrier to everyone else????? thanks guys

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=309559&perpage=20&pagenumber=18

Originally posted by buc-ger
Beth,
is your hubby from Ost Friesland??? Then I understand j/K:D

But my point was more the history of the name WEGA which might be interesting for a few folks out there.

BTW a bit of additional info, BRAUN was located in the same area as Loewe, which is seen as the Mercedes of all TV makers in Germany. Both wer fierce competitors at the time

He's from hamburg. I've never been to germany but since it's a small country I tease him that it doesn't matter much where you are from, you are only a few hours from anywhere. Especially with the speeds they drive. :D

And for what it's worth I have no clue where Ost Friesland is but I assume Southern part of germany as that's where most people seem to hail from that I talk to.

He's forever telling me about some bit of triva about germany. What is it with germans and trivia? :)

Need some HELP!
I just puchased the 60WE and while watching the Dish Network Hi Def channels there's a 2 inch black bar on the left side of the screen from top to bottom?
On standard channels this doesn't happen in any of the fill modes.

Also my initial attempt to watch a DVD (AC/DC Live at Donnington) resulted in a "terrible" picture - very noisy. I haven't made any adjustments yet with exception of lowering the sharpness. Using a Pioneer interlaced player to video 6 via Monster 3 component cables.

Thanks, Rick

On films that do no fill up the screen, there is a 'ghosted' type of line that runs horizontally across the entire screen at the top and bottom of the image, right as the picture 'meets' up with the black bars. This 'ghosted line' is maybe, 1/4" thick/in height.


I have noticed a similar "problem" on my 60WE when viewing SD in the 4x3 mode. In this case the ghosting (3 pxels wide) is on the left and right edges of the picture running vertically top to bottom.
The commonality is that the the set is displaying black bars.
I was able to minimze but not eliminate the ghosting by adjusting the sharpness.

Originally posted by Beth
He's from hamburg. I've never been to germany but since it's a small country I tease him that it doesn't matter much where you are from, you are only a few hours from anywhere. Especially with the speeds they drive. :D

And for what it's worth I have no clue where Ost Friesland is but I assume Southern part of germany as that's where most people seem to hail from that I talk to.

He's forever telling me about some bit of triva about germany. What is it with germans and trivia? :)


People from Ost Friesland are supposed to be a little stupid, and believe it or not, Hamburg is actually not far from Ost Friesland (coast and islands in North Sea near the Netherlands. Everybody knows a lot of jokes about the peolple of Ost Friesland. I am by all means not implying anything about your hubby. Ask him about a famous German comedian called OTTO, he is from there.

I am sorry but I can not tell you anything about trivia in Germany

The DVD problem is likely the source material. Rockumentaries have notoriously horrible PQ. Rent a DVD that you *know* is high quality, like one of the Lord of the Rings packages.

SD OTA channels are also notoriously bad PQ. Does DishNet offer the INHD channels? Those will show you what the TV is capable of.

BTW, I never use Vivid mode. Even Standard is harsh out of the box. Try Pro mode for a while (I don't like the color adjustments, but PQ is pretty good).

I also tried watching Blue Crush the surfing movie. Close ups were ok but still alot of noise in the background

Finally got around to uploading some

pics (http://*******.com/xkbu)!

Ordered a 50" GWIII appx. 3 weeks ago from a local dealer. I just received a call saying that delivery would be delayed yet another week!! It seems no dealer in southern California can keep the GWIII in stock. I've noticed in the recent weeks, even display models are often gone.

--
M@

Have you tried the major retail chains? I ordered my 50" GWIII from sears and they had it available for pick up in about a week. I had some bad pixels (more than just a handful) so I am exchanging it. They said they would have one available for in-store exchange in about a week and ready for delivery in 2 weeks. You shouldn't have to wait that long for the set. The 60" seems to be an entirely different story, though.

Sears is where I purchased it from. According to their reps, the warehouse won't be receiving a shipment from the manufacturer until next week. I've called GG, CC and Tweeter to no avail. Am I missing anyone?

To quote/paraphrase Office Space: I wouldn't exactly say you are missing it... but there is BB, if they are in your area. Not what most people would consider a first choice, but it might be worth looking into. What area are you in?

Thanks moeronn, I'll give them a shot (although BB's I've checked don't even have display units anymore).

I'm in the LA/Orange county area.

Thats the same area I am in. I purchased from the Sears in Long Beach (Los Altos Center). It took some negotiating, but they ended up being pretty good to deal with.

I just got a GWIII a few weeks back, and it's been connected to my old interlaced Panasonic RV31 DVD player. Should I be upgrading to a progressive scan player? I'd think it would do better than what I currently have, but at the same time, I keep hearing about how good the Sony line doubler is compared to the ones in DVD players.
So should I upgrade? And if so, to what?
Thanks!

I just began working for Sony Imageworks and am planning on taking advantage of the super-sweet employee discount. I can pick up a refurbished 50-inch for less than half the retail cost!

Has anyone hooked their GWIII's up to an ATI Radeon? Are their DVI ports compatible?

I got my 60" KF60WE610 Sunday, and I am mostly thrilled with it. But then I started noticing some issues.

ISSUE 1:
The most obvious issue appears to be "convergence." When the built-in text appears on screen (menus, labels, channel numbers, etc.) there are red, blue-ish, or green pixels fringing the letters.

The attached photo shows this effect on the clock text, which appears on the lower right side of the screen. My camera did not accurately capture the colors (the top fringe is reddish, the right is greenish), but the size and location of the fringing is fairly true to what I see with my naked eye.

[SORRY - photo is in followup post.]

ISSUE 2:
I have a Toshiba SD-1600 DVD player, connected via component video outputs. I watched the first two Lord of the Rings DVD's, and noticed a recurring artifact: dark edges on light backgrounds seemed to have a ghost edge. Example: In a shot of dark ground below a light sky, the horizon line would have a light "ghost" line above it, noticeably separate from the actual horizon (maybe 1/2-1" in actual distance on the TV). I noticed this in various scenes throughout both DVDs.

I think the SD1600 is NOT a progressive scan player - could that cause artifacts like this? Is there a definitive way to tell if it is progressive scanning? (The manual has no mention of it...and I couldn't find anything online.)

~~~~~~~~~~~
Is ISSUE 1 reason to try an exchange? Or is that just the nature of this beast? Are there service menus that would fix it?

Does ISSUE 2 sound like a TV issue, or DVD source issue (e.g. lack of progressive scanning)?

I purchased it from HHGregg here in Atlanta - I spoke with my salesperson, and he said if I'm not happy, I can get an exchange (I think the official policy is within 10 days).

Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

- Nick

Convergence issue photo on WE610 attached. Photo is closeup of clock number, from lower-right part of screen.

FYI, Crutchfield got a shipment in...40 in stock as of last night. Uh, make that 39...:)

Originally posted by Phantastica
I just began working for Sony Imageworks and am planning on taking advantage of the super-sweet employee discount. I can pick up a refurbished 50-inch for less than half the retail cost!

Has anyone hooked their GWIII's up to an ATI Radeon? Are their DVI ports compatible?

According to Sony they're not compatible, and most people have found it to be so. But one or two have managed with certain software wizardry to get a stable picture. If you're willing to invest that kind of effort, check the HTPC forum.

Originally posted by Emissary
I just got a GWIII a few weeks back, and it's been connected to my old interlaced Panasonic RV31 DVD player. Should I be upgrading to a progressive scan player

I've got one of these (nice units). A quality progressive scan player will produce a better picture, but not all that much better. DVD resolution is still somewhat lower than HDTV. (Compare your best DVD to an INHD channel.)

Further, digital video disk is about to change again. The players are just adding DVI connections (and maybe firewire), and there's the whole thing about HDVD and SACD, etc...

I know I can improve the DVD, but I will want the new formats in my next upgrade, and I'm willing to wait for a while as these things get implemented.

Originally posted by nicksab
I got my 60" KF60WE610 Sunday, and I am mostly thrilled with it. But then I started noticing some issues.

ISSUE 1:
The most obvious issue appears to be "convergence." When the built-in text appears on screen (menus, labels, channel numbers, etc.) there are red, blue-ish, or green pixels fringing the letters.

The attached photo shows this effect on the clock text, which appears on the lower right side of the screen. My camera did not accurately capture the colors (the top fringe is reddish, the right is greenish), but the size and location of the fringing is fairly true to what I see with my naked eye.

I also see fringe effects on the internal text generator but not on text from a hi-res external source. Check it out. I think you would probably see the same thing on an exchange.

Don

I am a brand new member here and a first time poster (mercy please if I am doing something wrong.) I have decided to buy the 50" Sony LCD projector, but before I do, I want to set my mind at ease about an issue. I will be using this with my home theater setup and switching everything through my home theater receiver (an Onkyo Integra). I have been using the Harmony remote control as my wife is able to turn everything on by pressing one button. I want to know if this will be a problem with the Sony. The reason for my concern is that I read somewhere in this thread that the Sony doesn't have discrete input codes for the video inputs (or something like that, not sure if I understood correctly). Anyway, is there anyone out there who is using the Harmony with this TV and could give me some guidance? Thanks.

If you choose to do it this way, you would have the Harmony NOT send any input codes to the Sony. It would always stay on the input connected to your receiver, and your receiver would switch the video sources.




Originally posted by dan57
I am a brand new member here and a first time poster (mercy please if I am doing something wrong.) I have decided to buy the 50" Sony LCD projector, but before I do, I want to set my mind at ease about an issue. I will be using this with my home theater setup and switching everything through my home theater receiver (an Onkyo Integra). I have been using the Harmony remote control as my wife is able to turn everything on by pressing one button. I want to know if this will be a problem with the Sony. The reason for my concern is that I read somewhere in this thread that the Sony doesn't have discrete input codes for the video inputs (or something like that, not sure if I understood correctly). Anyway, is there anyone out there who is using the Harmony with this TV and could give me some guidance? Thanks.

Originally posted by DMF
According to Sony they're not compatible, and most people have found it to be so. But one or two have managed with certain software wizardry to get a stable picture. If you're willing to invest that kind of effort, check the HTPC forum.

As DMF states, there is a good GWIII to PC thread in the HTPC forum. They (especially a guy named raymod2) have had pretty good success getting this working if you are willing to venture into the service menu. However, don't attempt to post there as there are some (one in particular) unbelievably arrogant people in that thread. You will have to read some of the posts using your best Thurston Howell the Third voice in your head.

Here's the link to the thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=321968

Originally posted by RichP
If you choose to do it this way, you would have the Harmony NOT send any input codes to the Sony. It would always stay on the input connected to your receiver, and your receiver would switch the video sources.

Thanks, this kinda confirms what I thought. In other words, the Harmony can not switch the video inputs on the Sony TV, right? This concerns me a little because I was thinking of outputting DVI from the HDTV receiver directly into the TV (the receiver doesn't input DVI) and using the HT receiver to switch everything else. Is there a way around this?

Maybe get a remote that's capable of switching both?

I have a hard time with macro programming, however, when I get them right, its kind of fun seeing it switch on 4 different things.

Originally posted by dan57
Thanks, this kinda confirms what I thought. In other words, the Harmony can not switch the video inputs on the Sony TV, right? This concerns me a little because I was thinking of outputting DVI from the HDTV receiver directly into the TV (the receiver doesn't input DVI) and using the HT receiver to switch everything else. Is there a way around this?

Dan:

That's not what RichP is saying. The GWIII does have discrete codes for each of the inputs (AFAIK). You said in your post above:

will be using this with my home theater setup and switching everything through my home theater receiver (an Onkyo Integra).

RichP was simply saying you don't need to switch inputs on the TV since you are putting everything through the receiver.

Originally posted by dan57
Thanks, this kinda confirms what I thought. In other words, the Harmony can not switch the video inputs on the Sony TV, right? This concerns me a little because I was thinking of outputting DVI from the HDTV receiver directly into the TV (the receiver doesn't input DVI) and using the HT receiver to switch everything else. Is there a way around this?

I would think you could just memorize the "TV/Video" button on the Sony remote and then set up the TV to ignore all the other inputs, forget about programming and switch manually between input 1 and input 7. Should work.

Don

I am planning a whole wall unit using kitchen cabinetry to house my soon to be purchased GWIII 50 and all my AV equipment as well as books, etc
question - the height of the base cabinets is 34.5" - my viewing distance is 9-12 ft - is this too high for proper vertical viewing angle? my current tv is a Wega 27" direct view that is in a cabinet at approx 50" high, so I am used to watching TV at a height, but its direct view and I am concerned about rp viewing angles. Also, does anyone know the measurement from the bottom of the base to the bottom of the screen on the GWIII 50?

Originally posted by subroc174
the height of the base cabinets is 34.5" - my viewing distance is 9-12 ft - is this too high for proper vertical viewing angle?
Not if you sit on a step ladder. :)

I believe the vertical viewing angle is + or - 15 degrees. I would want some part of the screen on the same level as my eyes. Once the bottom of the screen gets to eye level I think the screen will get dark very fast.

The spec's vertical viewing angle is +/- 30 degrees, but I agree that if your eyes are below the bottom third of the screen then it will likely be too high. I wouldn't put it on a stand more than 25" up, IMHO.

I'm planning to do a build-in after the holidays. In my case I'll be tearing out a firebox and hearth and setting the TV and center speaker into the "chimney" soffit. I want the TV to be relatively high up to accomodate first and third tier seating (before and behind the sweet spot). So I will tilt it forward so that the screen axis passes through the sweet spot eye level. You could do similar, but then mounting becomes a major concern.

In the user manual pdf I downloaded before I bought, there are two diagrams showing how the set could be anchored to avoid tip-over. Only the diagram showing the Sony stand strap appears in the manual I got with the set. The missing diagram showed how to set two screws into the top rear edge of the case to hold retention brackets for cables or chain. No screws or brackets were in the packaging, but I looked at the set and the two holes are there. They appear to have threaded brass insets so they should be secure.

You could measure the required angle, cut a mounting surface so that it would be supported at the right tilt from below, and then anchor the top to the wall with just such a mechanism.

CAVEAT. The upper case is not rigidly connected to the lower chassis. It will deflect with pressure, causing the mirror mounted within to change alignment with the light engine which is rigidly mounted in the lower chassis. Be sure that the lower chassis is firmly retained on the mounting surface. You do not want pressure on the upper case. The screws and brackets are only there for safety!


BTW, IMO the vertical viewing angle is a lot closer to +/-15' than +/-30'.

Originally posted by DMF

BTW, IMO the vertical viewing angle is a lot closer to +/-15' than +/-30'.
Maybe "good" viewing is +/-15' and "Sony/Samsund/etc" viewing is +/-30'. :)

Hola everyone. I've only recently discovered this forum due to my interest in the GWIII 42 incher. Let me say that you guys have provided me with a most infomative read in the past couple of days. Let me ALSO say that you guys have scared the CRAP out of me!
I'm reading about convergence....dead pixels, blown BULBS and whatnot.
Scary to say the least, especially since I just ordered my tv today. SO, here are my questions...comments.

The DEAD pixel issue

Say you recieve the set, what tests can one perform to see if you have any dead pixels, OR are they very readily apparent? Also...if you purchase a set that doesnt have any dead pixels...are dead pixels an inevitability that all owners of GWIII's will face years or months down the line?

Buzzing

How loud is the buzz coming from the tv? If the buzz changes duration and volume is that a signal of impending tv death?

Black Levels
I've reading this one to death....but. When I saw the TV on display in Circuit City, they were running a feed and from what my eyes could see...the blacks were pretty black. What was cool was that they had a Samsung DLP right NEXT to the GWIII 42. The picture quality on the GWIII was waaaaaay better, even though the Samsung model was more expensive.

Screen door effect

When ever something really fast moved across the screen, like a foot ball game. A small area of the screen where the action was pixelated. The saleperson assured me that it was the feed. Anyone have this problem.

Thats it I think, I'll primarily be using the tv for videogames (XBOX yeahhh!) and dvds.
Any comments or answers will be greatly appreciated.

Originally posted by Disciple
Hola everyone. I've only recently discovered this forum due to my interest in the GWIII 42 incher. Let me say that you guys have provided me with a most infomative read in the past couple of days. Let me ALSO say that you guys have scared the CRAP out of me!

snip...That's what we are here for. If you don't soil yourself, then we didn't do our job ;)

As for dead pixels, the only test is to look closely at the monitor with either a black or white image on the screen. You should be able to spot pixels from a couple feet away. However, most people will say that if you can't see them from normal viewing distance, DON'T GO LOOKING FOR THEM!@!

I have not heard of any reports of pixels 'sticking' or 'dieing' down the road, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

I don't know too much about the buzzing issue, but it seems to be related to how well the bulb was seated in the housing. You should be able to hear it without effort.

The pixelation you are describing does sound feed related. The screen door effect (SDE) is usually source independant and more noticable at closer distances. It is when you actually see the (very small) space between pixels. It's more noticeable on a plasma screen.

Hope this helps and welcome to AVS.

Yes indeed. It does help to soothe my fears a bit. Hotdamnit though I feel like an expectant father!
Hoping that when my baby gets delivered that it'll be perfect. Unlike kids though, if it aint I'm gonna send it right back!

Read the GWIII thread. It's more than reseating the lamp. If you don't want to read the whole thing just read the last handfull of posts. there's light at the end of the tunnel.

And it's my recommendation to NOT put black or white screens up and find bad pixels. Put a normal picture on it and watch it from your chair/couch and forget about pixels. If it's bad enough for you to see them that way then they're REALLY bad.

Almost all digital tv is going to blur on motion. We're doing a much better job with compression these days, but it's still not perfect.

Ok, ok TV21CHIEF...I'll try it that way.
For all the xbox people...how disgustingly beautiful is the picture hooked up to the TV? I saw somone posted up pictures from soul calibur...somehow though I dont think that those pics can come close to capturin what it really looks like.

I bought my 42we610 in mid-november and just exchanged it for a new one yesterday- this past Sunday had a pixel short out so had a bright blue spot on the screen just left of center. I had a number of dead pixels but they didn't bother me - but the 'stuck on' was too annoying, especially when watching dark content like Pirates of the Carribean. Anyway retruned to CC - no hassle/fuss. New set works great.

And though the old set would sometimes buzz when starting since the day i got it, the new one hasn't...so far!

Bottomline - buy it and a service plan and enjoy the ride

I've owned my GWIII for about a month now. Perfect picture, no start up problems, no bad pixels.

Enjoy the set.

Originally posted by aydu
I've owned my GWIII for about a month now. Perfect picture, no start up problems, no bad pixels.

Enjoy the set.

Similar experience so far with my 60" GWIII. I'm very happy and the WAF is through the roof! She may actually like it as much as me...surprise, surprise. :D