OH MY!!!! WOW even. I got my new HDTV cable box from Cox Cable yesterday. And I havent stopped watching HD content. Its incredible. Unbeleivable even! I have the 60" GWIII and I love it. HDTV looks amazing, DVDs look great after playing with video essentials.

My issues is with the digital cable quality. Its ok, and certainly watchable, I just wish it was better. I am considering having it proffesionally calibrated as the service menu scares me. I know we are not really supposed to discuss pricing on here, but is it possible to get a rough idea as to cost for something like this? I tried contacting a local dealer listed on the ISF site but he said they were booked for the next four months. I guess Im wondering the same as everyone else. Is it worth the calibration?

Does anyone have any recommended techs in the Rhode Island area?

Thanks..

Nick


As to the above question about black bars, theres a post at the top of this forum that answers your question.

Originally posted by bigtv:)
OH MY!!!! WOW even. I got my new HDTV cable box from Cox Cable yesterday. And I havent stopped watching HD content. Its incredible. Unbeleivable even! I have the 60" GWIII and I love it. HDTV looks amazing, DVDs look great after playing with video essentials.

My issues is with the digital cable quality. Its ok, and certainly watchable, I just wish it was better. I am considering having it proffesionally calibrated as the service menu scares me. I know we are not really supposed to discuss pricing on here, but is it possible to get a rough idea as to cost for something like this? I tried contacting a local dealer listed on the ISF site but he said they were booked for the next four months. I guess Im wondering the same as everyone else. Is it worth the calibration?

Does anyone have any recommended techs in the Rhode Island area?

Thanks..

Nick


As to the above question about black bars, theres a post at the top of this forum that answers your question.

Just a suggestion...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=331875&pagenumber=1

See the 1st page of the UMR Does GWIII XBR and WE thread. I know you may be hesitant to go into the SM yourself, but very easy and straight-forward step-by-step instructions are listed there. Any ISF Calibrator will probably do UMR's SM tweaks (or a variation of) on your GWIII for a few hundred dollars or more or you or someone you know can do it at no cost...and Yes, these SM calibrations do make a positive difference on your 60WE610. :D

Thanks, I have read that thread, and considered it closely. I have also read all the disclaimers listed around it. Now Im a very technical guy. I can program my vcr :) (well at least before Tivo came around) and have a fairly complex home theater rig. But screwing up a four thousand dollar TV scares the hec out of me. Just how dangerous is that menu on a scale of one to ten? Are there things you can do that can damage the set?

I've seen the above questions asked before here. And the answers are typically if your afraid dont do it, or if you have to ask, then dont try etc..etc...

So Im sort of stuck as to whether to pursue it or not....

Originally posted by bigtv:)
I know we are not really supposed to discuss pricing on here, but is it possible to get a rough idea as to cost for something like this?

See my post a few above. On the low end - $300, high end $400. For me, the amount of tweaking my TV needed out of the box was minimal and can probably easily be done using umr's tweaks. My ISF'd settings were identical to umr's (hmmmm....). My problem is that I did not have the time or patience. I could not make heads or tails out of what I was supposed to do with the filters that came with DVE. Bottom line, my black is great, my grays are perfect and my colors are natural and vibrant, my wallet is a little light though:)

Originally posted by bigtv:)
... Just how dangerous is that menu on a scale of one to ten? Are there things you can do that can damage the set?...

How dangerous is this? A one if you can follow directions and use the remote. A three if you struggle with remotes, VCR's or computers. As long as you don't save a change you are very unlikely to cause any damage. There are a few settings in the LCD projector section that adjust panel voltages. Those could possibly physically damage the panels. Many settings could cause you to have no picture or a very poor picture. As long as you don't save those you should be OK. That is why I recommend you look at test patterns while making the changes. Geometry changes are the biggest risk and I don't include those in the step-by-step procedure for that reason. Those also yield the smallest improvement.

Thanks UMR... for that reply, and for posting all these tweaks. Its much appreciated. I think I just might give it a go. I'll be sure and check back here and post my results!

Hi,

I finally decided to get the 60xbr950. Since I'd rather not pay full price, I'm looking for a way to get around 10% off. I'd prefer buying locally (Orange County, CA.) from a store that allows easy returns -- just in case.

So far I can't seem to find a Sony dealer around here that is willing to go less than $5200.

Anyone know of any specific dealers that might go lower? I'm looking for a price of UNDER $5K.

Thanks very much...

How about some advise!!!!!

I currently have a month old Hitachi RPTV 51S500 and have an opportunity to purchase a brand new in unopened box GWIII KF-50WE610 (build date FEB 2004) for $2000.00 (legitimate and Legal) with no shipping or sales tax, can pick up today. Can check it out for a day without paying.

Would have to sell the Hitachi if I did this.

What should I do???

Jim

How much are you going to lose if you sell your Hitachi?
If you can make over $500 in the deal, it might worth the trouble.
A 50" for 2k is an incredible deal. Good luck.

Originally posted by JIMHALM4
How about some advise!!!!!

I currently have a month old Hitachi RPTV 51S500 and have an opportunity to purchase a brand new in unopened box GWIII KF-50WE610 (build date FEB 2004) for $2000.00 (legitimate and Legal) with no shipping or sales tax, can pick up today. Can check it out for a day without paying.

Would have to sell the Hitachi if I did this.

What should I do???

Jim
I sold my Mitsubishi WS65807 to purchase a 60WE610, and I am very happy with the purchase. Just the increase in brightness and the anti-reflective screen was worth it for me. So for the price you can get the 50", I would definetly go for it.

Franco

Well, I did it. I purchased the 60XBR950 last night. Delivery is scheduled for Sunday. Yeah!!!

I got cold feet at the last minute and *almost* went for the WE610. For some reason, the WE610 looked better last night than I had ever seen before. Figures, right? :-) Anyway, I decided to stick to my guns and go for the gusto.

A big thanks to everyone on this board for the comments, tips, and well wishes. What a fantastic resource!

Anything I should know or do before the unit arrives?

You should probably post in the Sony XBR 950 Owners thread.

Actually, I posted there as well.

Sorry, I thought this thread was for both units.

What does GWIII stand for?

Grand Wega III. Although it may apply to both sets, I think most people view GWIII as the WE610's. I was pointing the other thread out to you in case you missed it. You will find helpful people in both places.

Grand Wega III. Although it may apply to both sets, I think most people view GWIII as the WE610's.
Oh, I see. Okay, thanks.

I was pointing the other thread out to you in case you missed it. You will find helpful people in both places.
Gotcha.

No doubt. Very helpful people on this board. Much appreciated.

Can't wait to join the "Owners" club. Regardless of which Sony unit it is! :D

What stand did you get?

None. I have a built-in wall unit.

I just traded in my Samsung HLN437W for a 42" GWIII, too many rainbows. Got a quick question. I currently have cable from comcast with a Moto 6200 cable box hooked up to the GW in video 5. The Moto is setup for 16:9 with output set to 720p and 4:3 override set to 480p. When I switch channels between a HD channel and a SD channel I notice there's a one second pause. During this pause the screen is either black, or sometimes it has color streaks across and down the screen. Then the image comes on. Is this normal? It doesn't happen when swithing between SD channels or between HD channels. It only happens when swithing between HD and SD channels. Does this have something to do with the GWIII not being native 720p? I didn't notice this delay or snowy image with the Samsung with the same settings. Any help you can provide would be most appreciated. Thank you.

John

Actually, from what I've been told, the GWIII is native 720p, even though the resolution is higher.

I have seen some delay when switching formats, so I just set everything to 720p and now I'm fine.

johnny5,

I also have the 42WE610 with Moto 6200 STB. I have it set to 1080i and the 4:3 override is 480i. I do not notice any significant delay switching from HD channel to SD channel.

I'll try setting the Moto to 1080i and 4:3 override to 480i when I get home from work today. Are these the common setting for GWIII owners?

AbMagFab - so are you saying that once you set your STB to 720p, you no longer had the delay? Mine is currently set to native 720p and I'm getting the delay. Here's an example of the colory steaks that I mentioned. Imagine the "---" being a streak of color.

________________________________________
| --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---|
| --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
|--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
| --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
.
.
.
| --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
| --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- |
|________________________________________|

It only lasts for a second, but is still noticable. Thanks again.

Originally posted by AbMagFab
Actually, from what I've been told, the GWIII is native 720p, even though the resolution is higher.

I have seen some delay when switching formats, so I just set everything to 720p and now I'm fine.

The GWIII is not native 720p.

Originally posted by umr
The GWIII is not native 720p.
Which of the true broadcast resolutions is considered "native" on the WE610? When I set my STB to "Native" is outputs programming that I know is 720P, such as ESPN-HD and ABC-HD, in 1080i. At least that's what the box shows.

UMR - should I be concerned about my GWIII behavior, or is what I'm describing normal? Should I have my Moto 6200 set to different values that I have now? Thanks!

Originally posted by s2silber
Which of the true broadcast resolutions is considered "native" on the WE610? When I set my STB to "Native" is outputs programming that I know is 720P, such as ESPN-HD and ABC-HD, in 1080i. At least that's what the box shows.

No broadcast matches the 788p native format of the GWIII. "Native" on the box has nothing to do with the TV. The box should output the resolution of the source if it is set to Native unless something is wrong. The best PQ will result from feeding the GWIII the resolution that matches the broadcast. The signal will be scaled twice if you do not do this resulting is a loss of detail.

Originally posted by johnny5
UMR - should I be concerned about my GWIII behavior, or is what I'm describing normal? Should I have my Moto 6200 set to different values that I have now? Thanks!

It sounds to me like your STB is taking time to switch output types. This is normal. I would not worry about any picture problems while this is happening.

You should not always use 720p. Read my previous post.

Is there a simplar way to change the native resolution for the Moto 6200? Currently I have to walk up to the box, push the power button, then push the reset button. Can this be done from the remote? Thanks.

johnny5

Yes, you can change the Moto 6200 output format from the remote. Power down the 6200 and then press the 'Menu' button. This will bring up the configuration screen. Personally, it is still a hassle for me and I cannot really say that I see noticeable difference between 720p and 1080i even on ABC or ESPN HD.

I was able to get through about 30 pages of this thread, but started to go crossed eyed. Are the setting on page 4 from DLiquid still valid, or did they change somehwere in the fourtys or fiftys? Thanks

I have tried Pro User Menu setting tweaks, my own and posted ones. The result in all cases is like looking through a frosted window, the PQ just ends up looking dull and lifeless. Perhaps it’s my eyes, but I cannot understand why so many prefer this setting or why Sony even included it. Maybe someone can enlighten me as to the purpose of this setting.

Originally posted by s2silber
Which of the true broadcast resolutions is considered "native" on the WE610? When I set my STB to "Native" is outputs programming that I know is 720P, such as ESPN-HD and ABC-HD, in 1080i. At least that's what the box shows. ESPN-HD and ABC-HD are 720P Over-the-Air (well, ESPN-HD is not over-the-air, but you know what I mean), but that may not be what your STB is seeing. Cox Cable/Hampton Roads, for example, converts everything to 1080i before sending it out so that all the HD signals I get are 1080i. Your cable company may be doing the same thing.

Robert

I tend to agree with you. To my eyes, the original pro mode (without service menu adjustments) seems a bit dull.

By the same token, I pretty much use "Vivid" for HD and "Standard" for SD. I've been in the service menues so many times to tweak these that they're anything but the original Sony default settings.

It was easier for me to adjust vivid and standard to my tastes than to start with pro and go the other way.

Originally posted by JimP
By the same token, I pretty much use "Vivid" for HD and "Standard" for SD.

Interesting, I use the same settings as yours and use Vivid for DVD’s and XBOX. I find that Vivid has the most colour vibrancy and detail. I have only adjusted the UM with THX and considering getting DVE but I’m not sure it’s worth the $$ for only UM adjustments. I have read UMR’s tweaks and I probably should not admit this, but it’s way over my head. I find tweaking and understanding PC’s easier than TV’s.

Robert:

Activate you PM so we can discuss this off line without loading up this thread.

Jim

Hi Jim and Robert,
I'm pretty much at the same boat as you guys, and I believe there should be some others as well, so don't go off line, please:)
After tweaked with umr's help, my pro still looks like watching through a "frosted" window. In finding nemo, it looks just like watching the movie in the water. Althought it's pretty realistic, but vivid looks more sharp and brilliant to me.
But I still want to thank umr provides us his professional knowledge and great assistance to the GW owners.

Originally posted by mightihd
Hi Jim and Robert,
I'm pretty much at the same boat as you guys, and I believe there should be some others as well, so don't go off line, please:)
After tweaked with umr's help, my pro still looks like watching through a "frosted" window. In finding nemo, it looks just like watching the movie in the water. Althought it's pretty realistic, but vivid looks more sharp and brilliant to me.
But I still want to thank umr provides us his professional knowledge and great assistance to the GW owners.

After reading this thread, the XBR thread, and UMR's tweaks thread many times, I think you may have hit upon something that has not been covered. I appologize if I'm wrong, but I wonder of UMR would enlighten us on this question:

If we go in and make all the adjustments to the SM that UMR recommends, should we mess with the PRO, VIVID, and STANDARD settings on the UM using Avia (or DVE)? Or should we leave them alone?

I think I liked the picture better after the SM tweaks, before I did the UM tweaks according to Avia. I'm thinking of going back to UM defaults.

Is the purpose of the UM adjustments to make the TV fit your particular room conditions whereas the SM adjustments are to make the TV show what the NTSC standards are under perfect lighting conditions?

I posted this an hour ago but I haven't had any responses. Perhaps this is a better place for it:

My new GWIII will be arriving at my new apartment on April 8 and I have been going nuts upgrading components of my HT to achieve the best possible experience. My question is whether or not I should keep my JVC XV-FA900BK DVD player or upgrade. I plan on performing all of the UMR mods (I am a longtime reader, first-time poster) and I don't want to lose picture quality because of something stupid like the DVD player. I like my current JVC because it plays DVD-Audio and it has a seven disk changer but is this player going to short-change the TV? If so what player is reccomended that can do DVD-A (I already have a SACD player but I could sell it if I got a SACD/DVD-A player) and still have excellent picture quality? I am trying to stay under $400 and I have no problem buying used gear.
Thanks!

I have the exact same JVC DVD player connected to my 42WE610 via component cables, and the picture is awesome.

At the very least, I'd recommend trying the JVC out before you replace it.

bmw328iproject,

I own a Denon DVD-3800 with all the fixes in it. It is a very nice DVD-A player, but it tends to run $500+ on the used market.

Originally posted by mightihd
Hi Jim and Robert,
I'm pretty much at the same boat as you guys, and I believe there should be some others as well, so don't go off line, please:)
After tweaked with umr's help, my pro still looks like watching through a "frosted" window. In finding nemo, it looks just like watching the movie in the water. Althought it's pretty realistic, but vivid looks more sharp and brilliant to me.
But I still want to thank umr provides us his professional knowledge and great assistance to the GW owners.

Finding Nemo should look like it is under water. That was the intent of the film makers. You can always modify UGAM if you want to change the gamma setting for Pro mode.

Originally posted by countz
...If we go in and make all the adjustments to the SM that UMR recommends, should we mess with the PRO, VIVID, and STANDARD settings on the UM using Avia (or DVE)? Or should we leave them alone?

I think I liked the picture better after the SM tweaks, before I did the UM tweaks according to Avia. I'm thinking of going back to UM defaults.

Is the purpose of the UM adjustments to make the TV fit your particular room conditions whereas the SM adjustments are to make the TV show what the NTSC standards are under perfect lighting conditions?

The SM settings are messing with the user menu settings in Pro if you follow the procedure. You can do whatever you like to Vivid and Standard.

There should not have been a difference between the SM tweaking and the UM with Avia. Pressing reset on the user menu for Pro should reset you to the calibrated settings.

The UM and SM should both set you to NTSC standards and correct for room lighting at the time you do the adjustments. This set will not compensate for lighting changes automatically once you do the adjustments.

Originally posted by umr
The SM settings are messing with the user menu settings in Pro if you follow the procedure. You can do whatever you like to Vivid and Standard.

There should not have been a difference between the SM tweaking and the UM with Avia. Pressing reset on the user menu for Pro should reset you to the calibrated settings.

The UM and SM should both set you to NTSC standards and correct for room lighting at the time you do the adjustments. This set will not compensate for lighting changes automatically once you do the adjustments.
So if I made all your tweaks, and then ran Avia and it looked like I needed to mess with the UM settings on PRO mode, you are telling me I must have screwed up the SM tweaks? PRO mode should not need any modifications according to Avia after your tweaks to the SM?

I musta messed something up...

The monitors at the T.V. stations don't compensate for lighting changes. I would use med to low light like they do to watch T.V. . Also make the settings on DVD player to normal.If you like other settings that adds more gamma you can set it after you do setups. Sometimes when I set up my set like I did with UMR'S settings, I watch it for two to three day's before i make a change to see if its better or not with a new setting. Remember It's your T. V. & every body has some tastes differences.
But i like to stay with a standard.....G.B.

Originally posted by countz
So if I made all your tweaks, and then ran Avia and it looked like I needed to mess with the UM settings on PRO mode, you are telling me I must have screwed up the SM tweaks? PRO mode should not need any modifications according to Avia after your tweaks to the SM?

I musta messed something up...

Yep. You should not need to revisit the UM after the SM tweaks are done unless something like the lighting changes.

Anyone order their 60" from Sears and get it yet? I bought mine on Jan 12th and I am still waiting. They are telling me now April 5th, after another month of delays, but they are not promissing it will actually come in. :mad:

Originally posted by umr
Finding Nemo should look like it is under water. That was the intent of the film makers. You can always modify UGAM if you want to change the gamma setting for Pro mode.

That's what I'm thinking, I will have to watch more DVDs to justify my preference. Thanks umr!

Originally posted by mightihd
That's what I'm thinking, I will have to watch more DVDs to justify my preference. Thanks umr!

The following are excellent DVD transfers (not complete) that make full use of your set. You should check them out:

The best of the best:

Death To Smoochy
Charlotte Gray
Toy Story I & II
Shrek
Erin Brockovich

The next best (do to less vertical resolution):

The Fifth Element (Super Bit)
The Rock (Criterion)
Lord Of The Rings EE
Twin Towers EE
Indiana Jones in the Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones in the Lost Crusade
GoldenEye
Notting Hill
Star Wars AOTC

Thanks for your great info, umr!
I happen to have Erin Brockovich and LOTR(I,II). Any suggestion on specific scenes that I can pay more attention to?

Originally posted by mightihd
Thanks for your great info, umr!
I happen to have Erin Brockovich and LOTR(I,II). Any suggestion on specific scenes that I can pay more attention to?

Not really, they are very good transfers though. They should look very good. Not HD, but about as good as DVD's get.

Hoping to get a little help with my 50" WE610 with a Feb 04 manufactured date. I have gone through the basic calibration in DVE and notice that my TV still has excessive noise or ghosting around any text and the test pattern for the sharpness. If I lower the sharpness down to nothing, then the picture gets blurry, and still has excessive noise. I reset all of the Standard, Vivid, adn Pro modes to factory defaults and still looks like bad. Is there something that I am doing wrong or do I need to venture into the SM using UMR's tweaks? (I plan on doing that eventually anyways). I see the noice on SD cable, D* sat, and DVD's. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Also, I noticed that all of UMR's tweaks in the SM are related to Pro mode, which I am not a big fan of so far. Will tweaking the SM make pro look like standard mode yet crisper? Thanks guys and keep up this great forum!!

davederb,

The tweaks will remove any ghosting that is caused by the TV.

The modes all use different gamma settings which effect the apparent contrast. They also employ different types of enhancement. Pro does the least of these. Sony excessively filters/enhances all of the modes.

UMR,

Thanks for the reply. You see to be the almighty authority around here and your word is well respected, so I feel pretty confident in going into the SM and trying to make this already great TV even better using your tweaks. I'll post with my results.

Davederb

Just purchased the 42" and have a few newbie questions/comments.

1) For SD connected to TW digital cable with a SA8000 dvr (HD-dvr coming in a month!) using a s-video cable.

a)During setup requires a coax connection to the UHF/VHF in order to "find" channels. Does leaving this dual connection affect PQ and is it even necessary?

b) Notice a "lag" (one second blurry picture distortion) when changing between analog SD channels BUT none when changing between digital (over CH 100 +) channels. Normal? and has anyone else noticed?

c) Is the NR merely a edge enhancer and doesn't the PQ generally look better without it? ANd what are the various DRC functions doing per-se? BN smoother, that Axis and DRC modes?

2) Any suggestions for a quality DVD player using component cables (saving DVI for HD)?

3) And lastly, what UM settings are solid for the sources I'm using now: SD TW digital cable; X-Box/GameCube; DVDs?

UMR's tweak instructions look great but still daunting as I'm only on day 3 and this is my first foray into quality television.
In a week or two though.....

Thanks in advance for any help.

Originally posted by sagecounsel
Just purchased the 42" and have a few newbie questions/comments.

1) For SD connected to TW digital cable with a SA8000 dvr (HD-dvr coming in a month!) using a s-video cable.

a)During setup requires a coax connection to the UHF/VHF in order to "find" channels. Does leaving this dual connection affect PQ and is it even necessary?

b) Notice a "lag" (one second blurry picture distortion) when changing between analog SD channels BUT none when changing between digital (over CH 100 +) channels. Normal? and has anyone else noticed?

c) Is the NR merely a edge enhancer and doesn't the PQ generally look better without it? ANd what are the various DRC functions doing per-se? BN smoother, that Axis and DRC modes?

2) Any suggestions for a quality DVD player using component cables (saving DVI for HD)?

3) And lastly, what UM settings are solid for the sources I'm using now: SD TW digital cable; X-Box/GameCube; DVDs?

UMR's tweak instructions look great but still daunting as I'm only on day 3 and this is my first foray into quality television.
In a week or two though.....

Thanks in advance for any help. sage--ive had the 42 inch lcd sony for 5 months now--oct build--no problems-as far as tweeks go=im more than satisfied with the tv the way it is(looks,picture quality)-i did get a monster hts2000 line and surge processor-(ebay new-105.00 -half the store cost)-hell of a diff on std chans-really cleaned up the std signal-none on hd-and the tv pic looks good enuff to me the way it is--to me if youre not satisfied with the picture,why did you buy the tv in the first place? why the tweeks?NOT to put UMR down or anything--hes most helpful here but makes me again ask =WHY?why would you even BUY a tv that didnt look good to you?he makes it sound like we have to buy an inferior product and TWEEK it to make it look watchable-there are too many on here that ANALYZE a tv and dont watch it-PS i have the sony 725pdvd player and it works for me!!PS umr lol this is NOT an attack on you--as i said you are most sincere--but i cant stop asking WHY?at the cost there should be NO probs-and NO tweeks-most here just looked at the pic and made a decision-to buy or not-only tweek i see is to get the monster to clean up the std signals--youd be amazed at the garbage in your elect system--i know--i was

Well lets see. I have this 42" and time warner cable. No dvr though. I have the Pioneer HD box connected to the TV with a DVI cable. Long pause when changing HD channels. Does the pvr box have component connections? That's what I would use, s-video is kind of dead except for vcr's. The consensus here is to leave th NR off. The TV has a really good scaler so even a progressive scan DVD player is overkill. I'm using a Sony 300 disk DVD changer with component connections. I have the cable split before the box brcause my SD is better that way (although the family wants their TW channel information). Having the cable into the TV's tuner also gives you picture in picture. I'm not a tweaker so other will have to chime in on that.

I went and bought my 50 GWIII this weekend and joined the ranks. I won't be taking delivery for a few weeks since my basement is still getting finished.

I got it at CC. Originally, I wanted to get it from BB, but they have a 15% restocking fee if you don't like the set, I thought that was rediculous for a $3000 TV. No way I'm going to pay you $450 to take back my tv, that's crazy. If anyone here works for BB, you should push to change that policy, I will definitely consider CC first before BB now just because of that.

Anyway, CC doesn't have a restocking fee, and even though they weren't having a sale on the GWIII, they happily matched BB's price.

Got the Extended Warranty for peace of mind.

Anyhoo, I can't wait to get the set. Right now I'm shopping for a DVD, Receiver, and speakers. Any suggestions are welcome. I'll be doing my own Due Dilligence. Right now, I've read some good things on the Klipsh Quintet II and the Onkyo receiver. Know nothing about the DVD player, other than I'm looking for the best budget progressive scan, I don't have the room left for a $500 DVD player right now.

Probably going to get Comcast Digital cable with the HD package when it gets set up, anyone else using Comcast?

Thanks to all those who helped out with questions the last few weeks, I appreciate your expertise.

noplay

Originally posted by noplay
I went and bought my 50 GWIII this weekend and joined the ranks. I won't be taking delivery for a few weeks since my basement is still getting finished.



Probably going to get Comcast Digital cable with the HD package when it gets set up, anyone else using Comcast?


noplay

Where at?

David

Originally posted by faceoff
Where at?

David

South Jersey (Philadelphia Metro)

Originally posted by mightihd
Hi Jim and Robert,
I'm pretty much at the same boat as you guys, and I believe there should be some others as well, so don't go off line, please:)
After tweaked with umr's help, my pro still looks like watching through a "frosted" window. In finding nemo, it looks just like watching the movie in the water. Althought it's pretty realistic, but vivid looks more sharp and brilliant to me.
But I still want to thank umr provides us his professional knowledge and great assistance to the GW owners.

I am not sure I understand this. It is possible for you to go into PRO mode and set some of the settings (in your case, specifically, PICTURE, BRIGHTNESS and COLOR) to match that of VIVID. In that case you will find that PRO does not look like "frosted" window any longer.

I have ended up using the PRO mode always for adjustments simply because it allows me to adjust every parameter unlike VIVID and STD. In fact, that is really how I think of these modes. I dont see them really as picture modes, but granularity-of-adjustments-allowed modes.

Originally posted by noplay
South Jersey (Philadelphia Metro)

Here's a good thread : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=182983

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

ENJOY!

David

I just got the 50WE610 and I love it. Many thanks to UMR for the easy-to-follow tweaks. Also, thanks to the other two guys (DLiquid and ???) who gave me their settings for Vivid and Standard. You've got the Sharpness up way too high on those (at least on my set), but otherwise they were great improvements.

What I haven't seen mentioned on this thread is this wonderful Tech Craft stand at Circuit City (http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&qp=0041233120407&bookmark=bookmark_1&oid=86038&catoid=-9798) that matches the TV exactly. The styling looks exactly like the set.

exactly what page is umr settings on ? does anybody know off hand ?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=331875

page 1 of the above. Have fun.

Has anyone heard news of this?

The KDF-55WF655 is designed to include a CableCARD-based interface, provide a comprehensive HD solution and will feature a variety of advanced picture technologies, including:

Integrated ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner for access to over-the-air digital high definition broadcasts, as well as digital cable programming; Sony KDF55WF655
HDMI™ technology with HDCP (High Definition Multimedia Interface with High Definition Copy Protection) technology, which is the latest interconnect between digital sources, supporting both uncompressed high definition video and multi-channel digital audio through a single cable. HDMI is an enhanced version of DVI-HDTV and is backward compatible;
Digital Reality Creation™ MultiFunction V1 circuitry, which provides control over the level of DRC™ circuitry depending on quality of input signal, thereby displaying clear, stable images, no matter the video source; Sony KDF-55WF655
MID™-X Multi Image Driver, which maintains the integrity of a converted signal by minimizing image loss in the scaling process and provides Flexible Twin View™ picture and picture features;
CineMotion™ reverse 3:2 pulldown circuitry for optimum film-based video source display; and
Memory Stick™ media slot for convenient JPEG and MPEG1 file playback. It can also display customized slide show with MP3 file background music. The new sets are compatible with Memory Stick Pro™ and Memory Stick Duo™ media formats. Sony KDF55WF655
A proprietary LCD Optical Engine with Sony's WEGA Engine™ system to deliver exceptional, detailed picture quality from any video source by minimizing the digital-to-analog conversion process.

Yes, the press release was a couple pages earlier. Looks like that line will be out later this year.

I'm a DirecTV guy, so that holds little interest to me, and HDMI is useless on a TV (since I want the digital audio going to my receiver). When a receiver comes out with a bank of HDMI inputs, then I'll be interested.

So, additional features that I could see:
- HDMI instead of DVI-HDCP - whoop-di-doo
- OpenCable - whoo-di-doo (for anyone really, is OpenCable being used in any widespread for yet?)
- HD DVR - whoop-di-doo (for the same reasons as above)

Not sure there's anything else there of interest. If the price is cheaper than the current line, then that's good of course. But the feature set seems mostly useless for now?

My TimeWarner tech said that they will support the built in tuners. As a cable user I wound't mind having one less box.

How about a multi card reader Sony? Everone else has one. What if your friend comes over with a Canon or a Olympus?

Memory Stick - whoop-di-doo

Well, yeah, all cable companies "will" support them, since they have to at some point, I just don't think they do now. Isn't it at least 12-24 months before OpenCable "kicks-in"?

The only thing that interests me about OpenCable is that it will allow Tivo to compete again in the cable arena. Once OpenCable is prevelant, Tivo can have an OpenCable box that can record HD, etc., just like their current HD DirecTV box.

Speaking of cable...

Question from new owner who just got the SA8000 HD-DVR box from TW

On what settings are people watching SD on HD boxes?
This unit allows for 1080i, 720p, 480P, 480i all in widescreen (after you select that you have a 16:9 screen during setup) and 480i standard output.

The party line from the TW guys was "leave it in 1080i all the time 'cause it has the best resolution" BUT isn't that upscaling a 480i signal to 1080i then downscaling it to my 42"GWIII's native resolution. I figure that setting it to 480i standard (basically outputing the native broadcast then letting the TV upscale) while viewing it in wide-zoom would produce the best picture?

AND/OR

Does anyone connect a seperate output from their box to view SD and how does that config work?


Thanks

I split the signal outta the wall on mine, one goes to the HD terminal, t'other goes direct to the tv. Any non-digital channels I watch on the direct signal. Resolution was improve rather than run it through the box. As for the rest, I use a pass-Through option on my terminal and let the tv handle it.

I don't stretch anything though, just never liked it. If it ain't HD and/or widescreen I let'er go normal.

Originally posted by sagecounsel
Speaking of cable...

Question from new owner who just got the SA8000 HD-DVR box from TW


Here's the deal with the 8000HD box... Scientific Atlanta and TWC are testing a firmware update now that will enable the DVI and SD outputs (SVideo, composite). Currently, these boxes only output to component cables. In other words, you can't hook up SD separately now.

My 8000 HD is hooked to my GWIII via component cables, and using the remote control, I flip back and forth between 1080i and 480i modes (press Settings button, then scroll up to the resolution option). Why do I do this? I like the GWIII's stretch modes, so in order to use them, the input needs to be 480i. If you don't care about stretch modes, then leave it on 1080i.

When the DVI firmware update is sent out to your box (which hopefully will be sometime this month), it should also enable the passthrough mode. When the passthrough mode is enabled, the 8000HD will pass the native mode to the TV via either DVI or component cables (480i, 720p, 1080i, etc) so no switching is necessary.

For more info on this stuff, check out the HDTV Recorders forum here, and specifically the SA8000HD thread.

Forgive me if this question has already been answered but this forum is huge and I have not found an answer...

We all know how well these GWIII's do with HD. Does anyone have positive or negative experiences with basic cable (no box) and/or digital cable with the box? The cable feed at CC and GG looked horrible but it's also split a million times. Since this is likely to be 70% of my viewing, I like it to look fairly decent (especially for that kind of $$$).

Any comments?

I think this is such a hard question to answer as so much depends on the signal to your house. As mentioned, I did find an improvement bypassing the digital terminal for regular stations. Now some of my digital stations are very good, a couple are not so good. I live in Canada and have a Scientific Atlanta 3250. There seems to be quite a bit of HD going though and you may find yourself watching PBS just for the sake of clarity. For instance I believe the Masters will be in HD this weekend and I'm awayyyyy :( So to make a long story short, for me, regular sd was improved bypassing the box and it's not bad, it really depends on the signal and that was the case when I had a 32 inch tv, some of the stations bit then too. I have a signal booster running now too. Now to say that it holds a candle to HD well, not really. But that's gotta be true for any big tv.

Hello, new to the forum, so I apologize if this has already been asked. I have the 50GWIII. I noticed one red pixel at the bottom of my screen. Sometimes it is there and sometimes it is gone. Is this considered a dead pixel or a stuck pixel? Also, I read the tweaks by UMR in the SM, but I was wondering how much of a difference the tweaks make, is it worth it for me to enter the SM? Lastly, I dont know if this question belongs in this thread or not so if it doesnt, please dont flame me, again I am new here. But I just recently had Comcast digital cable installed. I noticed that I can not do split screen anymore and that the right side is just snow when I press the split screen. To coincide with this, I noticed that when I hit the favorites button, I also get snow. Is there a way to fix this? Again, I apologize if these questions have been asked before, and thank you in advance for all input.

Originally posted by beatgaffler
We all know how well these GWIII's do with HD. Does anyone have positive or negative experiences with basic cable (no box) and/or digital cable with the box?
I have Cox's digital/HD box. I have found the picture at home to be MUCH better than the picture at any of the stores I went to.

Hope that helps...

Neo57,

The split screen works by showing 2 different inputs. One of them can be any of the 7 inputs available, but the other can only be inputs 1-4 or the antenna/cable input. So, if you are trying to watch a different channel on the split screen, you'll have to split the cable or have 2 set top boxes. One other way you could do it would be component connection to input 5 or 6, and composite to any of 1-4 from the same box, however unless your box has 2 tuners in it (most don't) then you will just get the same picture on both screens.

You can use the internal tuner of the TV if you want to split the cable (before the STB) and run one into the STB & the other into the TV. Then, you can tune them independently, but of course you won't be able to see any digital or scrambled channels on the coax connection: only on the one running through the STB.

This is a bit of a limitation, but that's how sony works it.

Originally posted by cpnkirk
Neo57,

The split screen works by showing 2 different inputs. One of them can be any of the 7 inputs available, but the other can only be inputs 1-4 or the antenna/cable input. So, if you are trying to watch a different channel on the split screen, you'll have to split the cable or have 2 set top boxes. One other way you could do it would be component connection to input 5 or 6, and composite to any of 1-4 from the same box, however unless your box has 2 tuners in it (most don't) then you will just get the same picture on both screens.

You can use the internal tuner of the TV if you want to split the cable (before the STB) and run one into the STB & the other into the TV. Then, you can tune them independently, but of course you won't be able to see any digital or scrambled channels on the coax connection: only on the one running through the STB.

This is a bit of a limitation, but that's how sony works it.

Thanks for that info cpnkirk. I do have the HD box from comcast, so if I split the cbale will that effect my PQ? And also do you have any input for me in regards to UMR's SM tweaks? Thanks.

beatgaffler,

A lot of it does depend on the signal to your house, but also the analog channels are simply going to show all the "noise" that analog cable provides. I also get better quality bypassing the box, although I don't do it because that makes so much more hassle to surf!

I have found that making some of the changes that UMR suggests can make a big difference. The noise reduction that the tv offers can help, if you're willing to take a small hit in PQ overall. personally, I couldn't tell much difference :)

With charter cable at my house, all the technicians that I've had look at my picture say the signal is PLENTY strong enough (+14, whatever that means), but I still have what looks to me like a lot of static, snow, or noise...whatever you want to call it. the higher the channel #, the better the picture. The lowest #s are analog, and the noise is very very obvious (especially on comedy central for some reason). Channels above 100 are digital, and they look "ok". By the time you get up into the 500's where all the premium channels (hbo, showtime, etc) are, the PQ is great.

Originally posted by beatgaffler
Does anyone have positive or negative experiences with basic cable (no box) and/or digital cable with the box?

Get a 2-way splitter rated for no more than -3.5dB loss with a freq. rating 5-1000MHz. Insert the splitter before the box and feed one lead to the box, the other directly to the ANT connection. You won't be able to view the digital tier (usually numbers over 100) but it'll work for the analogs. I bought a GWIII versus the Sammy because of analog performance. I've read that the digital cable box is sensitive to a specific signal strength which is why you want to pay the extra $5 or so for a better one. I had my GWII about 2 1/2 months before I signed up for digital/HD. It was pretty good then, much better now.

YMMV

Originally posted by MrMike6by9
Get a 2-way splitter rated for no more than -3.5dB loss with a freq. rating 5-1000MHz. Insert the splitter before the box and feed one lead to the box, the other directly to the ANT connection. You won't be able to view the digital tier (usually numbers over 100) but it'll work for the analogs. I bought a GWIII versus the Sammy because of analog performance. I've read that the digital cable box is sensitive to a specific signal strength which is why you want to pay the extra $5 or so for a better one. I had my GWII about 2 1/2 months before I signed up for digital/HD. It was pretty good then, much better now.

YMMV

Hello MrMike,

So basically what you are saying is that I can split the cable prior to the STB and be able to use split screen and favorites, without losing any PQ for digital channels and HD channels?

Also is there a way to connect my vcr to be able to record tv programs in either SD, Digital, or HD? Thanks for the info.

Exactly the info and re-affirmation (480i std using GWIII wide zoom) I was looking for.

thanks

You can use split screen as long as you have 2 sources with inputs to the tv so yes if you split the cable you'll be able to use split screen. I don't think you can use favorites in split screen but someone can confirm that with theirs but yeah, you can use favorites if you feed the tv the direct cabe connection. You terminal box probably has a favorites button or set up though?

You can hook up the vcr, but you won't get it digitally nor HD. And you'd be playing it back non-digitally of course. There are DVR's (ie. Tivo) for digital recording but I don't know much about them myself. I'm sure there's a thread here somewhere on Tivo's alone.

tivo site http://www.tivo.com/0.0.asp

Edit: Actually, I can use split screen with the analog source alone as it turns out. I cannot use favorites in split screen mode, says feature not available

Originally posted by opuscat
You can use split screen as long as you have 2 sources with inputs to the tv so yes if you split the cable you'll be able to use split screen. I don't think you can use favorites in split screen but someone can confirm that with theirs but yeah, you can use favorites if you feed the tv the direct cabe connection. You terminal box probably has a favorites button or set up though?

You can hook up the vcr, but you won't get it digitally nor HD. And you'd be playing it back non-digitally of course. There are DVR's (ie. Tivo) for digital recording but I don't know much about them myself. I'm sure there's a thread here somewhere on Tivo's alone.

tivo site http://www.tivo.com/0.0.asp

Edit: Actually, I can use split screen with the analog source alone as it turns out. I cannot use favorites in split screen mode, says feature not available

Thanks opuscat,
With your cable feed being split, do you notice any reduction in PQ? Also, I didnt mean if you could use the favorites button in split screen, but rather if you split the cable, is it possible to still use the favorites feature. I noticed that without my cable being split, when I press the favorites button, that I just get snow. Yeah the comcast system has a favorites set up but it doesnt do it like the GWIII where there is a seperate screen to see what is on the favorites channels saved. It is basically like a jump button that goes from channel to channel, so you can't continue to watch your current program while looking at your favorites. Thanks for the heads up on the vcr. I figured that it wouldnt be digital or HD quality if I recorded, just wanted to make sure it was possible to record. Would you happen to know the proper hook up for the vcr to the comcast box and tv in order to be able to record? Thanks for the help.

I had my cable company come in to check the signal. I showed them I was spliting it at the tv and they put their own spliter on it even which was nice of them. This was the second call I made since I'd always had trouble with some of my analog stations even before I got the GWIII. I guess the squeaky wheel gets the grease as they put in a booster which improved things all around. I already had 4 tv splits off the main signal and still do (well 5 now I guess with the split at the big tv).

The reason you get snow when you press the favorites I'm guessing is that when you press favorites on the remote of course you're going to the stations on the analog feed right. ie ... you can't use the remote to change channels unless you have a regular analog feed into the tv right. Well, unless you set up the remote to operate your digital converter box. Maybe I'm misunderstanding.

I assume Comcast is a big cable company in the U.S. Would you know what kind've digital terminal they've given you or you've purchased or rented? I'll guess they give out Scientific Atlanta equipment? Anyway, I found this on a time warner site for setting up a SA-3100 Explorer Digital Terminal for a multitude of uses including VCR's.

http://www.timewarneraustin.com/help/self_care/2100.pdf

I don't have a vcr set up with mine at all. I hardly ever if ever watch vcr tapes on my GWIII. It's just not that great for me. I have 3 vcr's left over and still run 3 other tv's around the house and my vcr's are less than stellar quality to begin with. I have one hooked up to the tv just in case the kids want to see something old we have on tape still but it's not set up to record anything, just output. Otherwise it's all DVD and digital or HD on the big tv.

So far all my digital equipment is using component cables for tv hookup, DVD and digital box both. I have a computer hooked up to it via S-Video as well. S-video was what I had already for my older computer video card so trying it out. It's not bad, kinda like vcr quality ;o)

Thanks opuscat,

when you split your cable from the wall to your GWIII do I put one cable into the hddigital receiver, and then one to the aux coax or the vhf coax? Not really good at this stuff so thats why I ask. Sorry if its a newbie question. Just want to make sure I have everything hooked up properly.

Maybe you can help me with this...I posted a thread in the dvd forum but no responses. I'm looking to upgrade my dvd player and saw the samsung hd931. do you know whether or not this is a good dvd player for the GWIII? I know it upconverts and so I figured the PQ should be great on the GWIII. Im sure this has been discussed somewhere on this forum, but theres so many different threads, I dont want to have to sit here and read for hours to get an answer. Thanks for all the help.

Also, Im only splitting the cable for the GWIII, no other tv in the house will be split. I saw a monster cable splitter that is supposed to be perfect for digital cable splitting. Do I need to get my signal boosted?

Once you're past the basic items I'm probably not the fella to ask anymore. I'm not much of an audio-videophile when you get into the higher end items of setup and equipment. So here's my notes on what I got or know about

Cable: I bought a more expensive splitter initally. I hooked it up and then the cable guys came and put their own on which looked like a cheap one from RadioShack (which I'm sure wasn't anywhere near what I paid for mine). I noticed no difference myself so I returned the more pricey one. We're talking about splitting it what 2-3 feet honestly? And yes, put one into the back on the receiver, the other into ... oh crap, I'm at work so I don't know which is labeled what but I'll say vhf coax (I'll report back if mine is somehow diff). Let's put it this way, if you can change the channels with the remote you're in business. Of course you won't get any digital channels without changing inputs to wherever you connect you're digital terminal. You know how to cycle through the different inputs for the tv? And set it up so that you skip the ones you don't use?

DVD: I have a cheap Pioneer 5DVD changer home theatre system. For me that works great. The differences in PQ that more expensive DVD players may afford I think could be beyond my critical eye.

Signal Boost: Well, only you can tell that. How snowy are stations today on any tv you got? Not sure how keen Comcast is to come out and check it for you. Mine we're faling all over themselves at the time. Must've been a slow work day or something. Eh, should just say it's good service since it was.

Thanks opuscat, you probably saved me a few bucks for the splitter. I figured that that would be the way to set up the coax's. The one part that I am confused is why I would set up the tv to skip the other inputs on the tv? If you could please clarify for me that would be great.

As far as the dvd thanks for the input on that too. After further research in different threads, looks like the samsung is a no go for the GWIII. I think I might just settle for a HT in a box for now until they start pushing out HD-DVD players instead of the upconvert dvd players or unless they come out with an upconvert without all the bugs.

Also, Im guessing that you too have digital cable from some company. I set the code on the GWIII remote so that I can change the channels on the digital receiver. I noticed though that when I press the guide button, the guide for the receiver does not pop up, and instead the tv changes to the aux inputs with nothing but snow. Have you run into this problem?

Neo57,

you would only want to skip the inputs you aren't using. For example, on my GWIII (I assume they are all the same) I have 7 inputs plus the coax. But, I only use 3 of them, so I have the other 4 to skip ... that way if I want to change from the computer to the cable, I don't have to go through inputs 1-4: it jumps straight from 7 back to 5. Does this make sense?

As far as the DVD player, I don't know how much difference it makes. I know that the PQ on my 2-3 year old JVC is much better on my new tv, but it's even better when I play it on from my computer (of course, there are other problems with that, though....). This is because the best a stand alone dvd player can do right now is 480p, whereas the computer is running at 720p, so I have more lines to work with.

When you say you have set up the remote to change channels on the receiver, do you mean that only the channel up & down buttons are set to work on the STB (cable box), and everything else works on the TV? If so, you'll also have to set up the guide button to work for the STB. Right now it sounds like your guide button is doing some TV function, which isn't what you want.

The more you dig into this stuff, the harder it seems to get! The result is great video & audio at home, but in between is a lot of frustration :)

cpnkirk,

Thanks for the info. You hit the nail on the head about the guide button. When I press it, it goes from aux 3 then to 4. Rather than showing the program listing for each channel on my stb. Do you know how this can be fixed. Id rather just use one remote, and prefer to use the GWIII remote since Im splitting the cable, which will allow me to use split screen and also the favorites function.

Thanks for the info people. I've been hanging around CC BB and GG (never noticed before that they all have double letters - must be a marketing thing), a LOT lately and it seems to me that a regular cable feed looks better on the standard rear proj screens than the GWIII. My GW hasn't been delivered yet so I COULD change my purchase.

Anyone know why cable feeds seem to look better on rear projection TVs?

Neo57,

If I get a chance I'll look at the remote that came with my GWIII, but really I don't use that remote much. I have, however, messed around a lot with remotes, and discovered that getting one remote to work with everything is almost as hard as getting an HTPC to work just right :)

Normally you can get about 85-90% of what you want out of them, but just have one other remote you have to grab occaisionally. Search for info on JP1 remotes if you want complete control, or maybe the harmony? That is supposed to be a lot easier to program, although when I worked on my dad's they didn't have a very complete database of models - most of what he had didn't work quite right. I need to check his again, maybe it will work better now. Of course, those are pretty expensive ... isn't that the way it always works?

I hear that, I just accept the fact of multiple remotes. My digital terminal remote controls most of the general tv functions and I tend to use it. Now I screw around with the picture control from time to time so the Sony remote is of course the only way I can do that. Now my daugher, who's 6, she just uses the Sony remote but she's not watching any digital channels. She wants only 3 stations and they're all analog which saves me having to train her on more than one til she's older. When you use the Sony remote and enter the tv station number on the keypad it automatically switches inputs to the coax input. This also allows for parently control in way since she can't turn on the digital stations eh :) For my home theatre I again use the remote that came with it. There's just too many functions for a general remote. Now Sony have a giant programmable one that's abot $250 here in Canada. I'll pass for now thanks. Guy in th store told me it's take me a day at least to get it working with everything.

beatgaffler: The GW is a RPT but I know whatcha mean. Now regular RPT's are certainly cheaper and I'd say buy what you like and view sources on different tv's where possible to see what you do like. One thing about the old RPT's that I dislike is burn-in unless you stretch all signals to wide screen which I personally dislike but I know lotsa people that do that. You may want to grab a remote next you're in the store and toggle through the 3 picture settings, Vivid, STandard, and Pro to see if it's any clearer. Again, just my experience but I find all regular RPT's a bit fuzzy and glarey so to speak. As for the GW, I was in a store that had 5 different makes of approx the same size tv with DLP and LCD sitting side by side. I had them change the channels to what I'd be normally watching. You can even take a dvd in to most places. Watch'em and see which you like best. The GW was the fav for me and I haddem switch it off the HD feed they had going and put it on regular SD cable. This was too big an investment for me to do anything less since the retail in Canada is about 2k more than the U.S. (well, at least the asking price anyway ;) )

Originally posted by Neo57
Hello MrMike,

So basically what you are saying is that I can split the cable prior to the STB and be able to use split screen and favorites, without losing any PQ for digital channels and HD channels?

Also is there a way to connect my vcr to be able to record tv programs in either SD, Digital, or HD? Thanks for the info. I didn't go into all the details before. My split to the TV actually goes to a powered amplifier splitter from which I feed a switcher, the analog side of the GWIII, a VCR, a SA Tivo. The Tivo outputs to the VCR, the VCR outputs to the GWIII and the switcher. With switcher I feed a bedroom TV from the VCR/Tivo, the analog, and the coax output of the HD box that is otherwise connected via component to the GWIII. The bedroom TV (a 10 yo 27" XBR with a broken tuner) actually uses a 2nd VCR as its tuner that takes the feed from the switcher. I can record from analog cable or digital from the switcher. The GWIII also connects to OTA from a roof top antenna and a DBS box that's now only a minimal package while I decide whether I want to get a DirecTivo or drop it entirely since I now get all my premiums from Comcast.

YMMV

Tv: Sony KF-50WE610. Out of the box, pic looks great, haven't had time to adjust, but can't think of any reason to screw it up yet. Build date is March 2004.

Cable: Adelphia delivered high def box DCT 6200, as I requested with the DVI output (connector not provided by Adelphia, got it myself). Adelphia missed their first appointment, stating that "it had been cancelled." When I called to yell at them, they came the next day. When cable guy came the next day, he wouldn't wait for the signal to come through on the new box, and it never came. He came back later that day, still no signal. The next day, he came back, made another call and signal arrived. He said when he called it in the first two times, the operator must have put in the wrong code. Yeah sure; whatever. The new box works great and is MUCH faster at changing channels than the old digital cable box. Guy said "signal is pretty good." I said, "pretty good isn't good enough," so he's coming tomorrow to bring a new cable signal amplifier.

DVD: Sony progressive scan connected with component connections. Looks great.

Picture quality: Very good all around as long as I keep the screen at 4:3; I hate the figure distortion (squatting) when I convert regular channels to wide screen or zoom, etc. HD channels (902, 904, 907, 911 - though not sure if 11 is really HD), 928 and 9HBO) automatically convert to widescreen, and look fantastic, especially 928 (though they seem to re-run the same content).

Sound: via Sony STR-DA4ES (7.1 with Polk RM6700 speakers), connected via optical connection. Sounds great, especially programs in 5.1.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the equipment, less than pleased with the installation hassle, pleased with the number of HD channels (and with the news that ESPN HD is coming soon), and glad I waited for cable instead of switching to Direct TV which would have been a much bigger hassle for me and would have required a giant antenna on the roof to get the local channels. Thank you all for the very useful information.

Originally posted by Tweakophyte
Hi Sorven-

How is the quality of the Target stand? Do you think it would withstand the wrath of a couple of little kids? Is it sturdy? I saw it could hold 240 lbs... not bad. Did you use the feet that came with it? How many inches do they add?

Thanks,

PS Here's the stand in maple (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=auto_bxgy_cc_img_b/601-8750460-3848162?asin=B00008PC3Y)

Hi Tweakophyte,

I see that you and Sorven got the Target stand with the frosted glass doors. I got the same stand and my 50" GWIII looks nice on it. I'm thinking of getting the towers that match this stand for my equipment but I'm concerned that IR remote signals will not make it through the frosted glass or will at least reduce the range of the remote. Do you or anyone out there know if an IR remote signal makes it through the frosted glass OK?

Thanks !!
Freezo

Purchasing the 60" inch GWIII. Quick question. Should I go with V880 DVD player or the Sony 725? It's about a $100-$150 price difference and my budget is very thin at this point. Also, I would be getting from a SONY employee, so I'm hoping for a good discount.

Any recommendations on cables I'll need. I have a DVD player, TIVO, DirectTV and plan on getting HD box from DirectTV.

Thanks in advance!

Can anyone comment on the difference between the V880 and the Denon 5900 on the GWIII??

After ordering the 60" from Sears on Dec. 27th, I finally took delivery earlier this week. However, I cancelled my order at Sears and purchased it at Best Buy. Feb. 04 build date.

I am very happy with my decision, even though at times, from reading this 93 page thread, I had changed my mind on going through with the purchase of this TV. So far it looks great, the only issue I have seen, and I saw it for the first time last night, is a slight flickering of the darks or shadows when they are in the background. It's almost as if the optics or bulb is not able to maintain a constant dark background when focusing on the forefronted image.

Has anyone else seen this and if so, do you know of any remedy to correct it? Right now I am not sure if this is a condition of my incoming electricity or something within the TV itself. By the way it's only happening with my HD signal. I have Adelphia and am using their supplied component cables.

My Digital and Standard Definition siganl does not replicate the problem.

Thanks to this board for many great suggestions over the last four months. It kept me going while I patiently waited for this TV.

Originally posted by JRut13
After ordering the 60" from Sears on Dec. 27th, I finally took delivery earlier this week. However, I cancelled my order at Sears and purchased it at Best Buy. Feb. 04 build date.

So you never got your TV from Sears?? I ordered mine from them on Jan 12th and I still haven't got it :mad:

It is SUPPOSED to come in on the 14th. This will be the 5th date they have told me it would be in.

Yea, mine was supposed to be in on the 12th. I live in Maryland. I felt like I was in a bad episode of the boy who cried wolf. I only put off buying it elsewhere because of the deal I got from Sears. $500 off of what the other stores were selling it for and one year 0 financing 0 payment.

Best Buy now has 10% off which brought the price down to within $100, and they extended 18 months 0 financing, although I do have to pay a minimum of $80 a month. No big deal as I am going to pay this thing off in quarterly installments anyway.

NetViper

That seems to be the standard operating procedure for Sears.

Several of us went through the same thing back last October. Most got additional discounts. If this hasn't been offered to you, you may want to talk to them about it.

This I like our antique car clubs. We can know if we have a good person selling our parts by quality & being truth full in producing the product after you send money etc. If they do not do right , it's not long before everybody has this person not doing to well. I think some of you should try going to the top & find out what's happen to the product you are waiting on. I would start with local managers , then jump to the top if no results.....Good sales people in any store should be calling you & updating you on your sale. Remember your time is valuable.

Hey all!

Hopefully someone (maybe UMR) can reply to this as I have a question regarding the SM tweaks for the WE and XBR models. Now, ran through the service menu, did the tweaks using pro mode that was reset and I still think the picture looks better in standard mode. Pro looks too washed out for me. My question is... are there any SM tweaks that I can do on the Standard mode that would make a clarity difference. Not exactly sure what each of the tweaks were on UMR's list, but i did them anyway to see if they would give me a better picture in Pro mode over my un-tweaked Standard mode. I am running the 50" we610 with a Sony 425P Progressive scan dvd player with PS mode turned off (due to some of the recommendations in here), SD D* sat, and SD cable. DVD's look good, Sat and Cable look ok, but I take that for what its worth with the quality of the signal coming in. Eventually I will be upgrading to a better DVD player, and HDTV Sat, but for now I am more focused on my Home Theater audio. Any suggestions would be appreciate to try to get the best picture from Standard mode. Everyone feel free to chime in!!

Thanks,
Davederb

Hey group,

Quick Update:

Got my third (3rd!!!) 50WE610 from Sears on Wednesday.
I'm not sure where you other Sears customers are not getting your sets from, but I ordered this replacement the first week of March and received shipment from the Denver Sears warehouse this week.

March 05/2004 build date. No I didn't check the bulb yet, but I will.

UMR - you probably don't remember, but I asked in December about the light ghosting, shimmering halo I got around solid lines, especially animation, and pan shots of skylines, with my second set. Couldn't tweak it out.

Not there on this set. In fact the PQ is noticeably better all around.

And by the way - umr - thank you for all the time and effort you have dedicated to this. Made all the difference in the world.

On set #2, Comcast HD through Scientific Atlanta Box was very good, but not stunning. On this set HD is stunning. So bad picture screen possibly damaged in shipping overnight 18 degrees below zero from Colorado.

I also now run three separate outputs from the S.A. box - one analog cable, one S-Video (yes I tried composite but S-V looks better) for the Digital channels on Video 1, and one component (DVI not activated on box) into the HD-in on Video input 6. DVD 480i Denon 3700 component in on Video input 7, and S-VHS S-Video on input 3. I can compare the same channel on all inputs except the DVD and tweak accordingly.

I tried something completely @$$ backward on the Vivid setting, and it seems to make the picture work well for DVD and HD - I pulled the picture setting way back to @ 30%, boosted the brightness to @ 55% and pulled the color back to @ 40%. I set sharpness as low as possible and didn't touch the hue. I don't have any lighting issues in my room, and the picture is still quite bright. So umr - what did I do? This actually worked about the same on all three sets. I now just use PRO and VIVID settings. Standard seems too artificial for the signals I'm using.

davedrb - suggestion:

In PRO mode, using the Monster's Inc THX section, I paused the DVD on the street scene that comes on after the THX test, where the camera pans down the street, and a row of attached brick homes is on the right side. At this point I focused on the detail of the bricks. With Mild Mode off, I adjusted the Custom Pallette in the Advanced Video by leaving Clarity at 1, and moving the Reality setting up and down until I got the level of detail I thought was right. Note that you can set the reality WAY too sharp if you go much above 65. So there should not be a reason for PRO to look washed out or soft after playing with this setting.

DanS

Since the most recent Bravo firmware allows one to customize output resolutions, I'm wondering whether anyone has experimented trying to match the D1 output to the native resolution of the GWIII? Worth the trouble? The D1 doesn't seem to be able to output 480i, so in theory this would seem to avoid twice rescaling the output.

Thanks.

Jeff M

davederb,

I would not adjust the other modes if you like them as they are. You could end up with nothing like you like it if you change it. The washed out look you describe is either a miss calibrated brightness level or your preference for a different gamma. I would go into the service menu and change UGAM (gamma) for Pro mode to equal the setting for Standard. Then recalibrate picture and brightness for Pro.

Originally posted by dans03
Hey group,

....davedrb - suggestion:

In PRO mode, using the Monster's Inc THX section, I paused the DVD on the street scene that comes on after the THX test, where the camera pans down the street, and a row of attached brick homes is on the right side. At this point I focused on the detail of the bricks. With Mild Mode off, I adjusted the Custom Pallette in the Advanced Video by leaving Clarity at 1, and moving the Reality setting up and down until I got the level of detail I thought was right. Note that you can set the reality WAY too sharp if you go much above 65. So there should not be a reason for PRO to look washed out or soft after playing with this setting.

DanS

A better method would be to use the sharpness pattern on Avia or the crossing line pattern (Jim's Test Images) on "DVD Demystified" by Jim Taylor. You could be adding garbage to the image that is not obvious in that scene.

Originally posted by umr
You could be adding garbage to the image that is not obvious in that scene.

That's absolutely true - too much REALITY creates haloes, etc.

Walked into BB tonight and almost tripped over a pair of 42WE610s by the door. Turned to look and again almost tripped over another pair of 50we610s next to them.

Guess they're having a 'sale'...

Thanks for the replies to my Pro mode issues. I'll try a few of the suggestions. I guess alot of what it comes down to is that I'm not using top notch quality input signals such as SD sat and cable, yet I am expecting the "almighty picture" I am pleased with the picture though, just looking to get it better.

Two more questions.. I have read (and I believe it was UMR) not to run my DVD player in Progressive Sacn mode as it takes away from the picture quality. Is this true??

Second, I am looking to purchase a nice HT receiver and want to make sure that I am correct in stating that all video switching will run through the TV not the RX. This includes ALL video correct?

Also, I added a pitcure of my HT if anyone is interested. I know it seems to be a popular thing for people to want to see other peoples setup, so I added mine.

Thanks again and people really do appreciate your inputs.

Davederb

Originally posted by dans03
....I tried something completely @$$ backward on the Vivid setting, and it seems to make the picture work well for DVD and HD - I pulled the picture setting way back to @ 30%, boosted the brightness to @ 55% and pulled the color back to @ 40%. I set sharpness as low as possible and didn't touch the hue. I don't have any lighting issues in my room, and the picture is still quite bright. So umr - what did I do? ...

You must either like really messed up PQ or your sources or TV are way off normal.

Originally posted by davederb
...Two more questions.. I have read (and I believe it was UMR) not to run my DVD player in Progressive Sacn mode as it takes away from the picture quality. Is this true??...

It depends on the player. The TV is better than some and worse than others. You would need to look at some high resolution test patterns to know for sure.

Recently received the DISH 811, an HD sattelite receiver; it has so many flaws it makes me want to switch back to the 501, which at least was a dvr, but that's another story. Anyhow, immediately noticed that the picture in all modes is much darker. Can hardly see any detail in dark movie scenes, just a black screen which some shadows, whether HD or SD and this is much worse with the HD box. Have to crank brightness up, which helps some. My husband insists on setting the high white level high as well, although I think that may be contributing to the problem. Has anyone experienced this problem? Will service menu tweaks solve it? Spent goo gobs for a DVI cable but haven't hooked it up yet. Anyone know if that really improves PQ?

Originally posted by kysbraaf
Recently received the DISH 811, an HD sattelite receiver; it has so many flaws it makes me want to switch back to the 501, which at least was a dvr, but that's another story. Anyhow, immediately noticed that the picture in all modes is much darker. Can hardly see any detail in dark movie scenes, just a black screen which some shadows, whether HD or SD and this is much worse with the HD box. Have to crank brightness up, which helps some. My husband insists on setting the high white level high as well, although I think that may be contributing to the problem. Has anyone experienced this problem? Will service menu tweaks solve it? Spent goo gobs for a DVI cable but haven't hooked it up yet. Anyone know if that really improves PQ?

Service menu adjustment is frequently necessary for DVI inputs. UPOF and UBOF are the settings you should try.

I'm posting this in case it helps anyone else that runs into the same problem:

For the last week or so I've had a intermittent rainbow-like color band running across the top of the screen. The colors came on for 15-20 minutes, then off for 15-20 minutes. I went nuts trying to find the problem, by removing components, trying different hookup configurations, swapping cables, etc. After trying everything I could think of, I finally called the cable company (Cox). The Tech Support guy had no idea what the problem might be, so he sent out a field tech.

When the field tech arrived, he knew *instantly* what the problem was. A bad cable box.

He said that he's been seeing it a lot lately. The box, a Motorola DCT6200, apparently has this problem on 1 out of "x" boxes that go out. He wasn't sure what "x" was, but it was enough to know that there IS a problem.

Anyway, he swapped boxes, and so far things look good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


Thanks to those of you that tried to help me solve this problem.

I recently received TechCraft SWE50 TV stand for my Sony KF-50WE610. The stand is beautiful and is designed to perfectly match the TV. Cheaper and better than any stand available from Sony. Their site is techcraft.net and look for the Companion series.

Sorry to here about all the people ordering their GWIIIs from Sears and waiting forever. I went to CC last Saturday and ordered the KF-60WE610 and the Sony SU-GW1 stand (the only stand they sell that's big enough) and the stand was delivered on Monday (so that I could assemble it) and the TV was delivered on Tuesday. Both deliveries were free, and they even hauled away our broken 60" Pioneer, which weighs ~275 lbs, for just fifteen bucks. We also got the 4 year extended warranty, which includes free unlimited lamp replacement for the duration of the warranty :D

Our set has a Mar '04 build date, and there have been no problems, so far. Four blinks and the power comes on. I also bought a Brick Wall surge protector/power line conditioner to help keep the TV and other components working well.

Now, of course, with a new HD monitor the temptation is to go out and spend even more money on an HD STB. And, I succumbed to that temptation. Fortunately, I had some store credit at a local HT shop so I ordered an LG LST-3100A (the only current model they carry which has DVI output.) I have also ordered a Silver Sensor (or Gemini's version thereof) off the Net, and will do the same for a DVI cable (there shouldn't be any advantage with a megabuck Monster DVI cable.) All together, less than a hundred bucks out of wallet for STB, antenna, and cable. Not bad :)

First off, thanks to all who helped with my first HDTV purchase. I ordered a 60" SONY Grand Wega III, Sony SU-GW1 stand and the SONY NS725 Progressive Scan DVD player. I have DirectTV, a DirectTIVO, dual-LNB dish and some type of "multi-switch". In preparation for my new gear, I have a few questions:
1. I've heard about cables (ie.Monster) being very important? If so, what cables, which brand, estimated cost and where do you recommend purchasing?
2. I've heard about the compression, etc. of DirectTV, but I will not go back to cable. That being said, what do I need from DirectTV in order to get local channels and their HD programming.
3. DirectTV subscribers: With DirectTV HD, will I get ANY MLB games in HD (other than locals/ESPN)?
4. When buying DVD's, I never thought I would be confused by the various offerings. It used to be as easy as selecting "widescreen". I'm seeing anomorphic, and various wide screen sizes. Any suggestions on what looks best and what to look for when purchasing DVD's that will rock on the new WEGA?

Basically, I've got a stand and new TV --- and need ANY advice to get me up and running and getting the most out of my new TV.

Thanks in advance. This board is invaluable.
Chris

Hey Gang --

I just purchased a GWIII from Best Buy. Two things:

1) The manager told me that I'd get a March 2004 build, as I was concerned about the quality issues I've been reading about on the internet. I wanted to get as late a model as possible. The unit I received is a February build, and has no dead pixels. Have there still been lots of problems with the Feb build (bulb blowing out, not turning on, etc.) or do you think I'll be ok?

2) I have a dual-lnb direct tv satellite and this tv really shows off the mediocre picture quality. Would it be worth upgrading to DTV's HDTV dish and content or would digital cable have a better picture quality?

Thanks all - these forums are awesome.

Originally posted by cpnkirk
With charter cable at my house, all the technicians that I've had look at my picture say the signal is PLENTY strong enough (+14, whatever that means), but I still have what looks to me like a lot of static, snow, or noise...whatever you want to call it. the higher the channel #, the better the picture. The lowest #s are analog, and the noise is very very obvious (especially on comedy central for some reason). Channels above 100 are digital, and they look "ok". By the time you get up into the 500's where all the premium channels (hbo, showtime, etc) are, the PQ is great.
When I grounded the splitter to the water pipes at the point the cable enters the house (the basement) and use splitters from Comcast, the analogs cleaned up remarkably well.

The splitter must be grounded! I would think the cable tech could help you if this is not the source of your problem. Bronze grounding clamps which attach to copper pipes and some 14 gauge wire can be found at the Home Depot, electrical section.

Originally posted by Nod
Hey Gang --

I just purchased a GWIII from Best Buy. Two things:

1) The manager told me that I'd get a March 2004 build, as I was concerned about the quality issues I've been reading about on the internet. I wanted to get as late a model as possible. The unit I received is a February build, and has no dead pixels. Have there still been lots of problems with the Feb build (bulb blowing out, not turning on, etc.) or do you think I'll be ok?

2) I have a dual-lnb direct tv satellite and this tv really shows off the mediocre picture quality. Would it be worth upgrading to DTV's HDTV dish and content or would digital cable have a better picture quality?

Thanks all - these forums are awesome.

Who would your cable provider be? With SD on satellite or cable, you are pretty much going to see all the flaws in the picture. PQ will vary by provider and even station by station so there is not a clear cut answer. As far as HD content, you really need to compare the specifics of what your cable company is offering and what Dish is offering. Find out who is offering the most HD channels as well as information about any other features you are interested in and what may be upcoming in the next couple of months. For example, if you are interested in having PVR capability and want to record HD and SD, then you need to see what is available from both providers. I know Dish has a unit out now which I believe is about $900, but some cable companies are also beginning to offer HD PVR's with just a monthly box fee. Either way, you should have some decent options. You might even want to check out the satellite company www.voom.com as they currently have the most HD content - I don't think they have a HD PVR yet though. Happy hunting.

I'm seriously considering this set (KF50WE610) and have a few questions for you GW3 veterans.

1) My TV viewing is about 20% DVDs, 50% HDTV (once I get the set), and 30% regular DirecTV. Obviously DVDs and HDTV should be fine but what about DirecTV via S-Video input (I assume that's the best way to go on the set?) Will it be really grainy/blurry/not sharp? I've seen this on some other sets so it's definitely a concern of mine.

2) I've heard LCD has trouble with "fast motion". That's very vague. I subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket every year. I know half of the games will be in HD this year but what about the ones in standard DirecTV viewing? Will it be really bad with fast camera movements on this set?

3) On a similar line to #1, I'll probably watch a lot via my DirecTivo. Should it be pretty much the same as regular DirecTV viewing and how good/bad is that?

4) What about the bulb I've seen so much about as well as the bad Febuary builds. How hard is the bulb to change? What's the lifespan of the bulb you can expect?

That's about it. I almost pulled the trigger on this set today at Sears when they first said I could have it delivered by MONDAY, just 2 days from now, but then said oops, we mean 2 weeks. Now I read that some ppl's experiences are bad with their delays. Circuit City locally said they'd have many in on Tuesday. We'll see.

Basically I'm shuffling between the KF50WE610 LCD and the KDP-65WS550 CRT. PQ is really important to me and I'm just scared of the LCDs PQ on DirecTV. Help me make a decision, expert GW3 owners!!! :)

#1 depends on what you had before. In my case, I had a direct view 36" Wega. Most SD material looked really good on this set but blowing poor source material up to 50" looked really grainy at first. But once I popped in a DVD, all was forgiven. After a couple of days, I actually got somewhat used to the grainier picture and then of course, the HD box was delivered and that was heaven. Use component video if it is available on your dish stb otherwise, s-video.

#2 I have had my GWIII since Nov. and have never experience motion artifacts.

#3 About the same as SD - can't wait for my cable company to provide an HD capable PVR this summer. TiVo will then move to the bedroom.

#4 The bulb is VERY easy to change - you can do it without even moving your set. At this point, I think lamp life is impossible to predict. If there are no problems, they are supposed to last for 8,000 hours.

I know this will draw a few boos and as much as I love my GWIII, I still have trouble recommending it as a new purchase. I am still dealing with repairs on mine and it sounds like even Feb. builds are not immune from the lamp issues. I noticed that the 50" Samsung DLP's have had a significant price drop at CC. If I were shopping right now, I would give them a very close look. With the new prices, they are more comparable in price to value with the LCD's and despite what same say, they do seem to have "slightly" better blacks to me. Take your time and be comfortable with your decision.

Originally posted by saberry
[B
#4 The bulb is VERY easy to change - you can do it without even moving your set. At this point, I think lamp life is impossible to predict. If there are no problems, they are supposed to last for 8,000 hours.

[/B]


I'm sceptical about this too. Even though Sears claims that they'll continue replacing the bulb during the 4 year extended warranty, I believe that at some point they're going to realize that they're getting fried on these bulbs and may stop covering them.

Something that I've been wondering about. If these bulbs last about 3 months, then wouldn't that mean that you would have 3 service calls within a year? If so, would they not have to replace the set under the leamon policy/law?? Instead of a negative, this could be considered an opportunity to enjoy an excellant picture and to upgrade to the latest in a year.

How can I find out what type of bulb came with my TV? Mine has a Feb. build date, and I would like to know if I have the old Phillips bulb or the new Osram bulb.

As I said in an earlier post, I seem to get a slight flickering in the background shadows, almost like the bulb can't hold a constant image. Only in the HD broadcast though. I have the 60" and other than that, I am loving this TV.

I am using Adelphia supplied component cables from my Cable Box and the less expensive (than monster) acoustic research cables from my DVD player.

Well, I was wrong about having no dead pixels... I guess I didn't know what to look for, but I finally saw one last night, and then two, and then I started counting and I have about 30. Does anybody know what the acceptable number of dead/stuck pixels is as far as Sony goes? Many of them I don't notice from where I sit, but there is one green one beaming just left of dead-center that screams out sometimes quite a bit, depending on what is on the screen.... grrrrr.

Originally posted by JRut13
How can I find out what type of bulb came with my TV? Mine has a Feb. build date, and I would like to know if I have the old Phillips bulb or the new Osram bulb.

As I said in an earlier post, I seem to get a slight flickering in the background shadows, almost like the bulb can't hold a constant image. Only in the HD broadcast though. I have the 60" and other than that, I am loving this TV.

I am using Adelphia supplied component cables from my Cable Box and the less expensive (than monster) acoustic research cables from my DVD player.

You have to actually take the bulb out and see if it says OSRAM or Phillips on it.

1) The manager told me that I'd get a March 2004 build, as I was concerned about the quality issues I've been reading about on the internet. I wanted to get as late a model as possible. The unit I received is a February build, and has no dead pixels. Have there still been lots of problems with the Feb build (bulb blowing out, not turning on, etc.) or do you think I'll be ok?

I wouldn't worry too much about the build date. People have reported Phillips bulbs in February builds and those build dates were supposed to be fixed. At first it was Jan build dates, then Feb and now March. It will probably April builds next month.:p
Not all of the Phillips bulbs are failing, just some. It makes more sense from a Sony stand point to use all the Phillips bulbs up first and then start using the OSRAM bulbs and send OSRAM bulbs out upon failure.

I checked last night and I have a Phillips bulb with a Feb, 2004 build date.

Why would it make sense to but a potential defective bulb in a brand new build?

Originally posted by umr
You must either like really messed up PQ or your sources or TV are way off normal.

Your point?:D

It was the only way I could make VIVID usable.
And it really looks pretty good
Now you're going to ask why would I do that. . .

Just messing around with the "unusable" settings. . .
And because the set is so bright that I had to pull the picture setting down

BTW when I applied your tweaks to the new set - I now watch everything in PRO - I still backed off the brightness a bit more, but only 2-3 clicks.

Everyone in the house noticed the improvement after I finished the tweaks on Sat. pm. Thanks again.

My 60" GWiii arrived on Friday. Today (Monday) the Phillips bulb fried and an osram unit is being shipped as we speak.

I bought a 50 GWIII, and plan on using it a ton for watching Hockey and Football, hopefully all in HD using Comcast Cable. I haven't gotten it yet, so I am concerned about fast moving motion in these two sports.

Couple of questions:
1) Anyone have any problems watching Football or hockey on the GWIII and have motion problems?

2) Anyone have any recommendations on the best connections / setup for sports?

I appreciate your help,
noplay

To the folks whom have the following equipment combo: KF50WE610, with Samsung TS-360 D* HD receiver and Denon DVD player. My question is I would like to use ONLY the remote that came with the Sony. But the Sony instructional manual doesn't list the remote codes for the Samsung DTV or Denon DVD units. I'm hoping someone have the same combo and can provide the remote code for the other devices.

I have already read the entire thread on remote hardware, but they're mainly talking about home automation stuff, and no mention of Sony KF50WE610's different codes to use against Samsung DTV and Denon DVD.

Any help would really be appreciated?
Thanks to all.
newbie

On my GWII, I also watch a lot of sports. For setup, I do like to watch most sports in 720p when there is a lot of fast motion. The other big thing that I noticed is beware of the sharpness control. I found that if you have sharpness to high, sports and fast moving objects tend to look really bad. I found that having sharpness on the Pro Setting at about 1/4 the length, is the perfect setting.

I hope you enjoy your tv. Once you watch sports in HD, you will never go back.

There is no code for the Denon on the TV remote. I called.

Help! Just got KF-50WE610 this weekend and wife hates SD PQ. Must say, it is not very good compare to 32" Toshiba it is replacing. We are locked in to SD for now (until HD DirecTivo is avail.). Setup is DirecTivo, S-Video. DVD's (component, progressive are not bad.

Also noticed a small (1-2") dim green patch when screen is all dark. Not noticeable at all when there is something playing. Bought as ? box" - big savings - but would return if this is indicative of problem.

Thanks in advance for the help. Great forum.

Originally posted by Van Ripper
Help! Just got KF-50WE610 this weekend and wife hates SD PQ. Must say, it is not very good compare to 32" Toshiba it is replacing. We are locked in to SD for now (until HD DirecTivo is avail.). Setup is DirecTivo, S-Video. DVD's (component, progressive are not bad.

Also noticed a small (1-2") dim green patch when screen is all dark. Not noticeable at all when there is something playing. Bought as ? box" - big savings - but would return if this is indicative of problem.

Thanks in advance for the help. Great forum.

Making that kind of size change, you are going to notice many picture flaws that would never have been noticed before. Once you get to enjoy some HD, putting up with the SD will be more tollerable. After a week or so, you actually get used to the increased graininess - somewhat.

Originally posted by mpalmer7
On my GWII, I also watch a lot of sports. For setup, I do like to watch most sports in 720p when there is a lot of fast motion. The other big thing that I noticed is beware of the sharpness control. I found that if you have sharpness to high, sports and fast moving objects tend to look really bad. I found that having sharpness on the Pro Setting at about 1/4 the length, is the perfect setting.

I hope you enjoy your tv. Once you watch sports in HD, you will never go back.

Thanks a lot for the info, I'll be sure to remember when I set it up. If I couldn't watch hockey or football, it would be going back.

Originally posted by Van Ripper
Help! Just got KF-50WE610 this weekend and wife hates SD PQ. Must say, it is not very good compare to 32" Toshiba it is replacing. We are locked in to SD for now (until HD DirecTivo is avail.). Setup is DirecTivo, S-Video. DVD's (component, progressive are not bad.

Also noticed a small (1-2") dim green patch when screen is all dark. Not noticeable at all when there is something playing. Bought as ? box" - big savings - but would return if this is indicative of problem.

Thanks in advance for the help. Great forum.
I just went throught he same exact thing and to make my wife happy I just slid the sharpness meter all the way to the top and that helped a lot. Then again I am using comcast cable and I have component video as my connection so that might be the reason. I have yet to perform UMR's tweaks so that might help even further.

Guys I want to buy a LCD or DLP that I can just plug in and watch SD cable.
Are all the adjustments really necessary for the average Joe? I am looking Sony and Samsung's 60'' tvs. Am I going to be terribley disappointed? I have a 4year old and impatient wife who will be operating the tv the most. Ifeel like I am getting in over my head. Please give a little newbie input. I have read almost every post but I need a little direction.

Thanks

No adjustments necessary. These sets look great out of the box.

Remember where you are! This is the den of rabid videophiles who have to tweak or die!

Originally posted by DMF
No adjustments necessary. These sets look great out of the box.

Remember where you are! This is the den of rabid videophiles who have to tweak or die!

I would rather not tweak, but if you want the best PQ it is, unfortunately, necessary.

No, you don't need to tweak it. More importantly, you can always tweak it later, if you have the time and inclination.

The color accuracy and overall picture out of the box is great on this set. I'm very picky about my video, and I am very happy with it. I *did* use the brightness/color/contrast/etc settings posted by dliquid in a different thread, but even that really wasn't imperative.

Just my opinion -- don't shoot, folks!

Sean

splogue,

BANG!!!:D

I haven't tweaked mine either and I'm happy with the PQ. I may take a chance and try it out sometime when I actually have time and/or just pay someone to have a go. I think alot depends on your cable signal today. Go to stores where they have a cable signal and have them switch it over and check it out if you're overly worried. Mine was better at home than in the store since they were running it through a terminal before the tv. I found quite a diff splitting the cable and running one directly to my tv and the other to the digital terminal for regular ole cable signals. That said, the HD cable is wonderful when the president isn't pre-empting Fraiser in HD, ARGH!!!!!!!!

brogich, there's two different levels of tweaking, too. Each will improve the PQ; each involves different levels of pain. I've done the "safe" level that uses a calibration DVD and involves changing only the front panel settings. IMO this improved the PQ considerably.

I can see where diving into the Service Menu would produce further gains in PQ, but I'm currently well below my threshhold of dissatisfaction.

Are you below your threshhold of dissatisfaction? Only you can know. But I know that I had to live with the picture as it was out of the box, I would have done just fine.

Well I’ve owned a GWIII for a couple of months now and recently subscribed to HD cable and it has only amplified how dull and lifeless SD is on this type of TV. The GWIII was designed for HD and DVD’s and I firmly believe that no matter what level of tweaking you do, SD will always look passable at best.

I think it helps if the TV you are replacing is on it's last legs. Around here we watch SD all day. In wide zoom even. Everyone's happy. The teenagers don't even switch over to the HD version of HBO. I care more because I paid for it. :)

Originally posted by Robert_B
Well I’ve owned a GWIII for a couple of months now and recently subscribed to HD cable and it has only amplified how dull and lifeless SD is on this type of TV. The GWIII was designed for HD and DVD’s and I firmly believe that no matter what level of tweaking you do, SD will always look passable at best.

SD will always be inferior to a better signal. I still watch a great deal of SD on my GWIII and find that the GWIII gives me the best looking bad picture I have seen.


I have the 42" and will admit that the more you blow up a poor quality signal the worse it will look. I decided not to go with the 50" or 60" because of this.

I looked at SD on the 42 GWIII, Mitsu CRT and a LCoS, and the GWIII looked to be the best of the bunch. My guess is that the store's feeds are split 1000 times makes it look terrible.

My 50 GWIII is coming soon, as is my HD package from Comcast (same day). I'll have 30 days to figure out if I can live with the SD or not.

I'll have to pick up some DVDs that are recommended around here somewhere to test out the GWIII when it comes, also check out some ESPNHD hockey.

Late

Thanks for the input guys. I will go ahead and order this weekend!!

While I am picking up the Tv, I will be replaceing my entire system with a new reciever/dvd/speaker system. Keep in mind that my 5 year old and wife will be using it the most, but every guy still has to have some bragging rights. Any equipment suggestions that wont blow a budget?
I looked at Sonys "dream" set up; is this junk?

Thanks for your input.

Sure, the TVs good out of the box, but after I did umr's tweaks, the set went from very good to unbelievable. He's right. If you want the picture to look outstanding instead of very good, do the simple tweaks. He went step by step. It's easy. Anyone can do it.

Originally posted by brogich
While I am picking up the Tv, I will be replaceing my entire system with a new reciever/dvd/speaker system. Keep in mind that my 5 year old and wife will be using it the most, but every guy still has to have some bragging rights. Any equipment suggestions that wont blow a budget?
I looked at Sonys "dream" set up; is this junk?

Thanks for your input.

Everyone is going to have a different opinion.

I got a Onkyo TXSR501, it is very highly rated, and I don't have a reason to spend more. I got it $100 off (after rebate), super cheap at CC. Outstanding receiver.

For the speakers, I went with the Infinity TSS, 750PLT, comes with 4 sats, a center, and a nice woofer. Also, very highly rated, noone really had problems with them. Hooked it up with my onkyo and it sounds really nice. CC had an incredible deal on this two weeks ago online. Usually around 7 hundred, got it like 30% off, as well as a $50 gift card, after all that it came to around 4 bills.

I am no audiophile, but I did a lot of research into both of these and both were very highly rated, and I have no reason to differ, sounds awesome.

I didn't get a DVD player until I try out the Sony I got last year. If it works, good, if not, I'll get the Pioneer DV563AS, heard it was one of the best budget players, I ain't got the cash to spend 300 - 500 on a DVD player. Did a lot of research too on this, no consensus, everyone has something bad to say about every DVD player except for the Denon and other expensive ones.

I am no audiophile, but my system sounds really good on both music and surround. It will wind up running me about $650 with the great deal that I got online, my wife liked that. I did a ton of research, and would tell you to just buy it and take my word for it, but I know none of us would do that.

GOOD LUCK,
noplay

Good luck.

Originally posted by splogue
No, you don't need to tweak it. More importantly, you can always tweak it later, if you have the time and inclination.

The color accuracy and overall picture out of the box is great on this set. I'm very picky about my video, and I am very happy with it. I *did* use the brightness/color/contrast/etc settings posted by dliquid in a different thread, but even that really wasn't imperative.

Just my opinion -- don't shoot, folks!

Sean


Sean,
Can you link to the dliquid settings thread?
Thanks
David

To what level of "tweaking" can I do before I void the warranty on the Sony?

Originally posted by noplay
To what level of "tweaking" can I do before I void the warranty on the Sony?

User menu only. Manufacturers don't want Joe average going into the service menu.

However, how much fun would life be if you followed all the rules. ;)

If you choose to go into the service menu, may I suggest that you perform maybe a dozen changes without saving anything. This shouldl get you familiar with the interaction of resolutions, modes, catagory changes item changes, value changes. Also, if you're not technically inclined(VCR still flashes 12), hire someone else to do it.

Originally posted by JimP
User menu only. Manufacturers don't want Joe average going into the service menu.

However, how much fun would life be if you followed all the rules. ;)

If you choose to go into the service menu, may I suggest that you perform maybe a dozen changes without saving anything. This shouldl get you familiar with the interaction of resolutions, modes, catagory changes item changes, value changes. Also, if you're not technically inclined(VCR still flashes 12), hire someone else to do it.

Can I still do AVIA or DVE?

Since I'm new here and only read a few pages of the 96, can someone please decode the term GWIII. Is it a generic term for all the current Grand Wegas? I just can't break down the "III". Third generation???

Thanks.

Jack

Originally posted by jforkner
Since I'm new here and only read a few pages of the 96, can someone please decode the term GWIII. Is it a generic term for all the current Grand Wegas? I just can't break down the "III". Third generation???

Thanks.

Jack

I am pretty sure it is the 3rd generation of the Sony Grand Wega, hence GWIII.

The next version will be, you guessed it, GWIV

Anyone experiencing "flashing" of bright white light and then flashing of different colors when playing a DVD?

It only lasts for a couple of seconds, but the picture will go bright white on the entire screen and then show different colors. Also, has anyone had a "black block" take up 4/5ths of the screen (just a slight bar of picture showing with the rest being totally black)?

I don't have the issue with HD NET or any of the regular cable broadcasts.

I'm using component connections.

In case anyone was wondering my set was fixed last night by a Sony rep. 10 minute repair of the light engine (I think. He was pretty vague). Runs perfectly now.

Before I purchased my new "GWIII", I snooped around on the internet quite a bit. This was when the GWII was still the hot one. I know that UMR has commented on this before, but here is a little more info. The first set was not a Grand Wega. It was the KL-W9000, intro'd in late 97 or early 98. Here is an early review and picture.
www.thebigpicturedvd.com/bigequipment1.shtml[/URL]. The set was sold primarily as a data monitor. As interest grew, Sony tweaked it and dubbed it the "Grand Wega". I haven't seen Sony using the I, II, or III themselves, it's probably just us, but it is a lot easier than the real model numbers. So, todays GWIII is the fourth version based on the design, but the third GW.

Dave W

... so when they say "Third time's a charm", they would refer to the GWII in this case. ;)

I've just started poking around this forum...maybe someone can save me some time. I'm looking for a thread regarding the so called "GWIII Buzz" defect you hear so much about on customer review sites. More specifically, does anyone know of any evidence that Sony has fixed this problem yet? I apologize if this was covered somewhere else in this 96 page thread...I just don't have the time to read it all right now. Everyone loves this TV...when it works. Thanks!

Honus318

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=316921&highlight=GWIII+and+Buzz

You might want to start at the end and work forward.

The search function is located at the top of the screen.

OK, since no one seems to have had any brief "flashing" occur with their sets, does anyone know how to reach Sony? If so, how responsive were they?

gg ... I assume you've ruled out the DVD player itself? Have you tried it elsewhere and also tried swaping the cables and also using different inputs? ie .. swap component cables with a digital terminal etc. Seems odd it's just the DVD player and not anything else.

I have had a 60" GWIII for about 2 months now and 99% of it is great.. Just seems to have a green tint on some pictures.. Most are great, but sometimes looks green.. Perhaps it is just the picture it is showing at the time because it is not always there.. Anybody else notice this.. Source is directv for the most part, but seems to be there on dvds also..

I hope I'm in the right place for help! I have a new GW42WE610 that was received last week. My video on either DTV or regular off-air TV has what I suppose is called a "Black Crush?" That is that anyone wearing a dark suit etc. appears just as a black blob with no apparent detail (I.E. pinstriping on a dark suit etc) showing at all. I have tried the vivid "torch" mode and really hate that setup and I have set up the Standard mode as best I can with the local menu settings. I have vivid colors etc. but the blacks are lacking any shadowing or detail. Can anyone here help me with this?

Yes. Do UMR's tweaks. They are very easy and solve the black crush problem to a reasonable extent. I won't lie to you. With this technology, you will never have pitch black or zero black crush. But you will certainly have less black crush using Pro mode after UMR's tweaks than on Vivid out of the box.

Now that I'm over the initial honeymoon with this (50") GWIII, it's time to start tweakin'...

I have a question about Pro mode. I have gone through the video menus and adjusted the settings (incl. adv.) to match Standard mode exactly. However, Pro Mode, although vastly improved, is still blurry and washed-out compared to Standard.

Is there any method of getting rid of the "vaseline and gauze" of Pro Mode without <gulp> diving into the service menu? I'm beginning to think not.

My goal, by the way, is to use Pro Mode for DVD's. I wanted to use Standard Mode as my template, but this is harder than I thought it would be.

Originally posted by PRMan
Yes. Do UMR's tweaks. They are very easy and solve the black crush problem to a reasonable extent. I won't lie to you. With this technology, you will never have pitch black or zero black crush. But you will certainly have less black crush using Pro mode after UMR's tweaks than on Vivid out of the box.

Thanks PRMan...I just printed out the 9 pages of Umr's GWIII Best Practices. Now to build up the nerve.

Originally posted by Nod
Is there any method of getting rid of the "vaseline and gauze" of Pro Mode without <gulp> diving into the service menu? I'm beginning to think not.
[/B]
Unfortunately, I think not. I tried for the longest time, but never succeeded.
But so you know, the service menu isn't nearly as daunting as it sounds. UMR has some great instructions.

Originally posted by k1uo
Thanks PRMan...I just printed out the 9 pages of Umr's GWIII Best Practices. Now to build up the nerve.

Someone put together an Excel spreadsheet and attached to a post about halfway through the "UMR does xbr and GWIII" thread. It makes the tweaks alot easier to follow.

I can get in the service menu but does anyone know where to look to see the error messages on the lamp or lamp engine?

Originally posted by rudyr
I can get in the service menu but does anyone know where to look to see the error messages on the lamp or lamp engine?

Try [Display] [5] [Vol -] [Power]

I just got my 50 GWIII with Comcast HDTV. Movies and DVDs look awesome, most HD looks incredible, but I was watching hockey the last few days, as well as soccer, and when the camera is kinda far away, as it is most of the time to watch play, all the players, and most things, get kinda blurry. This was evident on both HD and SD for hockey and soccer. When they zoom in on the players and show replays, again, it looks awesome, it is only when the camera is panning the ice (field).

Baseball and Basketball look real good most of the time, unfortunately, I don't watch much of those sports.

Is this a problem just with the GWIII? Is this evident on other types of HDTVs, DLP? LcOS? CRT?

Is there anyway I can tweek the GWIII? Would going to a 42 help (the 50 is kinda big for my room)?

I watch more sports, especially hockey and football, than anything else. This might just have me returning the tv. Looking for some advice.

Thanks alot,
noplay

I just got my 50 GWIII with Comcast HDTV. Movies and DVDs look awesome, most HD looks incredible, but I was watching hockey the last few days, as well as soccer, and when the camera is kinda far away, as it is most of the time to watch play, all the players, and most things, get kinda blurry.

With the 60" GWIII (user calibrated with AVIA), I notice only slight blurriness during moments of very fast action. I'm assuming this is related to the refresh rate of the LCD. It's not very noticeable, and I think the only reason I do notice it is because I'm used to watching hockey on my 57" Hitatchi SWX (CRT) which shows no blurriness whatsoever.

Honestly, the very slight blurring is not enough to bother me. If yours is extremely noticeable, then you could have very sensitive eyes or you could have an issue with your set. Regardless, with LCD, there is always a chance that you will see a little blurriness at times, depending upon what you are watching. For me, fortunately, it has not been a real significant issue.

You may want to give it a few more days to let your eyes / mind adjust to watching an LCD. If it bothers you too much, then return it and go with a different technology (such as CRT).

Good luck! :)

Originally posted by umr
Try [Display] [5] [Vol -] [Power]
Thanks UMR. Do you know how to reset the error code to 0. Currently it is showing a 1 next to the lamp and I'm about to replace the old Phillips with an Osram.

By the way, I did all your tweaks to my set about a month ago and it has made a tremendous difference. I used to never use the pro setting. Now I use it for everything.

[8] [Enter] in the regular service mode should reset the counter. I am not sure if this is a good idea though. It might reset other parameters as well.

Yesterday I purchased a Denon 910 dvd player that I found on "open box" sale. The player gives you an option on either progressive or interlaced display. I know from reviewing this thraed that there is no "need" for a progressive player with the GWIII, but the question is now that I have a machine that gives the option anyway, should I input progressive or interlaced, and depending on which of those use, should I have the GWIII advanced user menu set to progressive or cinemotion? Currently I have it on cinemotion.

I was wondering if there is a way to connect a pc to a grand wega 3?? Any hints or ideas will help. Thanks

I have hooked a Mac PowerBook laptop to a 60XBR950 using a DVI-D cable to the DVI input (Input 6 as I recall).

Originally posted by sfsteve
Yesterday I purchased a Denon 910 dvd player that I found on "open box" sale. The player gives you an option on either progressive or interlaced display. I know from reviewing this thraed that there is no "need" for a progressive player with the GWIII, but the question is now that I have a machine that gives the option anyway, should I input progressive or interlaced, and depending on which of those use, should I have the GWIII advanced user menu set to progressive or cinemotion? Currently I have it on cinemotion.
If you are inputting interlaced, then use Cinemotion. If progressive, I believe those options are disabled as the DVD player will be doing the 3:2 pulldown.

As for which to use, I've heard that it's best to try both and decide for yourself which looks better. It really depends on the quality of the DVD player's de-interlacer.

Originally posted by Supermanram
I was wondering if there is a way to connect a pc to a grand wega 3?? Any hints or ideas will help. Thanks

Supermanram,

See the following thread (located in the "Home Theater Computers" Forum):
"GWIII Tweakers - ATI/NVIDIA - Powerstrip/Service Mode Thread"

I can't post links yet, otherwise I would.

Edit:
"Home Theater Computers" Forum
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26

"GWIII Tweakers..."
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=362324&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

Does anyone know if there are remote codes for each individual picture mode (vivid, standard, pro)? I've come across many different codes for the sony (xbr950 in my case with a MX-700), but have found none for the picture modes other than the one that cycles through them.

Thanks,
Doug

Originally posted by frottage
Does anyone know if there are remote codes for each individual picture mode (vivid, standard, pro)? I've come across many different codes for the sony (xbr950 in my case with a MX-700), but have found none for the picture modes other than the one that cycles through them.

Thanks,
Doug

I have never seen them.

I just purchased the GW III and it is getting delivered on April 30th. My questions are...what type of cables should I buy for connecting my digital tuner to the TV as well as the dvd player? How much should I plan to spend on the 2 cables? Also, what dvd player under $200 would you recommend? Thanks! :)

Hello, I'm pretty sure this question has been asked somewhere in this thread, but the thread is so large, my eyes are worn out trying to find the subject. Here's my question, and any input would be greatly appreciated.

I have had my 50GWIII for about two months now. I've been planning on investing in a new dvd player. Some may think that this question belongs in the dvd forum, but I am asking specifically in regards to the GWIII. Does anyone have any input as to which dvi dvd player(the ones that upconvert to 720 or 1080) would work best on the GWIII. If there are any of you out there that actual has one of these players and have any input for me it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Neo57

What price range are you wanting to stay within?

Well, I don't want to spend too much, but I guess price range isn't too important as long as I am getting the best PQ possible, and that there aren't too many problems with the unit itself.

At a 1K price point, I'd recommend a Denon 2900. At a 2K price point Denon's 5900.

These are at full retail. You can get them cheaper, but be careful about unauthorized dealers as they may not be able to qualify you for firmware updates.

I'm yet to be convinced that a DVI connection with an upscale of resolution will benefit you on the GWIII. Maybe someone else with more experience with this can contribute some insite.

Thanks Jimp.

The 1000 price range isn't too bad. Is there anything cheaper than that. I have heard of the Samsung HD931 and the one by Toshiba. I believe those two are on the cheaper side.

Why is it that you do not think that a DVI connected upscaling dvd player would not benefit the GWIII?

Read my reply in the DVD player section.

Thanks UMR.

I put the question upin the dvd forum, but someone told me to put it in here instead, so I didn't think anyone qould respond to the thread in the dvd forum, also I replied to you in the dvd forum with a question. Thanks.

I have a kf60we610 and after seeing the suggestion to try composite input for the sd signal instead of component, i tried it . On my set it did make a significant on most channels. The cables are cheap and the and sd improved so that it is mostly a non issue for me. Mine was on a par with the other descripitions of sd on this channel. The set is a dec build with no problems. I am in love with it. Thx to all the hd fans who contribute to this forum. I have read everyone of them, and especially umr.

I am still confused about the output format from My sony sathhd300

There are options to output the signal to the GWIII. I have the STB connected via DVI

Apparently I can force everything to 1080i ,720p,480p or 480i.

There are also choices called native, variable1,variable2,variable3 and AutoDVI.

What is the preferred choice for me here?

My KF50WE610 is approaching 30 days old, I,ve had a lamp go out (Sony overnighted me a new osram bulb, works fine now). I've noticed the green tint on about 60% of a dark screen. I also have noticed that the convergence is off for about 8" on each side, top and bottom aren't bad, center is perfect. Is it going to do me any good to have CC replace it or is this considered "normal" for this model. I talked to the manager at CC today and he is more then willing to replace it if i Want

If it were me I'd replace it if they're willing. I had mine replaced for an annoying screen defect that I wasn't sure was a defect but it was bothering me. It's a fair bit of money if it's gonna bother you I figure. Green tint? Mine looked like the sun was shining in one area all the time in a weird reflection. A plus on the side was the replacement set has never not failed to turn on after 3-4 blinks and it's never buzzed at all in 2 months now. *whew*

Originally posted by Infliktor
I am still confused about the output format from My sony sathhd300

There are options to output the signal to the GWIII. I have the STB connected via DVI

Apparently I can force everything to 1080i ,720p,480p or 480i.

There are also choices called native, variable1,variable2,variable3 and AutoDVI.

What is the preferred choice for me here?

From page 11 of your manual...

Native will cause your DVI port to switch to the format that the box is receiving. This will work fine as long as your TV will take all of the formats.

Variable 1 passes 1080i,720p and 480p and converts 480i to 480p.

Variable 2 passes 1080i and 720p as 1080i, and 480p and 480i as 480p.

Variable 3 passes 1080i and 720p as 720p, and 480p and 480i as 480p.

So since the GW takes all of the formats set it to native and you'll get the best picture on all channels.

Is it possible to upconvert 480i/p to 1080i or 720p inside the GWIII. I know what some RP LCDs can do this, but can the GWIII? I'd like to be watching 480i/p in 1080i or 720p. Anyway to do this?

Your set top box might do that, but the tv doesn't. Why do you want to do that?

I assumed native too but,,, what is the "Auto DVI", what does it do?

Page 11 of your manual explains all of this.

Well I did it, (I'll do it tomorrow) Went to CC today to look at a KF50WE610
to replace my 30 day old unit with a few issues, see earlier post, I forgot to metion in the earlier post that the geometry on my current set is also off with the picture being wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. Anyway the manager at CC ordered one from the warehouse as he didn't have another in stock and it arrived today. April 04 build date. Took DVE with me, he set it up in a room with a DVD player attached and I ran DVE.
I have to tell you, I was surprised after reading past threads. The convergence was absolutely perfect all over the screen. Gray Scale appeared to be right on, no green tint, Geometry looked perfect. I asked him what I have to do and he said bring me your old one I'll mark this one as sold. I'll do it tomorrow as it is 50 miles to the store. Circuit City sure treated me right on this purchase. I'd recommend them to anyone.
Jim

Where do you guys put your center channel on the 60" LCD? On top of it? There seems to be enough room.

thanks

Mine is on the top, only place I got so far but I've thought about sticking a shelf just above it sometime.

What are the native formats on these sets? I feel like an idiot, but I can't find it in the manual or on this thread.

I have a GWIII 50” and purchased XBOX Links 2004 and the graphic textures shimmer badly throughout the game. I also get spectator crowd shimmering in the game Top Spin.

What causes this? Is it a limitation of LCD TV’s?

Got mine today. I have to say the black levels are going to take a bit to get used to. I've been staring at a 36" Wega CRT for four years. Picture looks great though. HD comes on Friday. I can't wait!

One quick question. I've been through the manual twice and am I missing something about how to configure the TV to accept a 16:9 input from a DVD player? Am I missing a menu or do I just set that input's Wide Mode to Full?

Check the DVD player output. It should be set for 16x9. The TV will switch depending on what is being input from the DVD.

Dave

Cool. Thanks. It seems to be working, but can be a bit flaky. It isn't always switching to wide, but I know how to handle it and once I get the HD TiVo I'll leave all the analog inputs on wide anyway.

Thanks again.

Ordered my 60" last week through a SONY employee and found out it's shipping today. My current set up is D* with Hughes Tivo. I have a triple-LNB dish. Sony is also sending a NS-725 progressive scan DVD player. I have a few questions and appreciate all your help.

1. What cables to buy for the connection between the NS-725 and the GWIII? Component? If so, any suggestions on brand, price?
2. I'm thinking about the $99 D* HDTV-STB deal, but I've heard they ship either a Hughes or Samsung and the Samsung isn't compatible w/ my TIVO. Can someone confirm this. Can't afford the HDTIVO, so I need to confirm this. This would be a deal-breaker.
3. I plan on getting Digital Video Essentials. Anything else I'll need?
4. How should I connect the TIVO? Thinking S-Video?
5. Suggestions on best disc to "showcase" the GWIII.
6. Anything else for initial set-up that I should be aware of?

Thanks for all your help.
-Chris

Originally posted by mitchrc
Cool. Thanks. It seems to be working, but can be a bit flaky. It isn't always switching to wide, but I know how to handle it and once I get the HD TiVo I'll leave all the analog inputs on wide anyway.

Thanks again. mitch,if you have cable-IO to be specific youll set it at 1080i and the modes wont work-wide, zoom etc-except on dvd and vcr--on tv it wont work-at any other setting i find you have to use the modes on HD to fill the screen-distorting the picture-totally unaccrptable to me anyway-check with your provider as to the proper setting for hdtv=1080i,720,etc--good luck

No posts in over 10 days, I guess it's time to close this one!!!!!!
you think???

Originally posted by studranger
mitch,if you have cable-IO to be specific youll set it at 1080i and the modes wont work-wide, zoom etc-except on dvd and vcr--on tv it wont work-at any other setting i find you have to use the modes on HD to fill the screen-distorting the picture-totally unaccrptable to me anyway-check with your provider as to the proper setting for hdtv=1080i,720,etc--good luck

DirecTV and an antenna are my provider and some sources are 720p and some are 1080i. My choice is to let the box convert it to the TV's native format or let the TV do it.

The HD-TiVo, which is on order, doesn't do native switching so I have to pick a format and I would think it would be best to set the HD-TiVo to the TV's native format. That's why I'm curious what the native format of the TV is.

Originally posted by mitchrc
DirecTV and an antenna are my provider and some sources are 720p and some are 1080i. My choice is to let the box convert it to the TV's native format or let the TV do it.

The HD-TiVo, which is on order, doesn't do native switching so I have to pick a format and I would think it would be best to set the HD-TiVo to the TV's native format. That's why I'm curious what the native format of the TV is.

This is exactly the reason I won't be purchasing a TIVO until it allows for a native resolution option.

The native format of the III is around 788 which means 720 would probably work best. However, I wouldn't want the box converting anything.

What difference does it make if the conversion is being done by the TV or the box?

double scaling??

Other than the supplied soft cloth, has anyone used any type of liquid or spray on the acrylic XBR screens to get them clean? I realize Windex is out of the question.

I had my unit calibrated and there are lots of smudges and dust on the screen that the simple cloth will not remove.

Thanks

Hi guys,
AVS female member here. Oct 03 build 50 incher. help. I pushed the reset sequence for the Sony only to read later from UMR that I shouldnt have done this because they may not necessarily be the last values after it left the factory. I found this out after looking at a post for original out of the box settings and not the one from the manual and sure enough it was different. could anyone of you gentleman link me to the original out of the box values, not the ones from the manual, I once remember seeing the thread but you guys have built up this one so high now that I am lost...pretty please with sugar or whatever you'd like on top?

Wow!! People are still having bulb issues?? I've had mine (from Good Guys) about 20 days and so far so good BUT I see the Samy DLP has dropped in retail price to about the same as the GWIII.

So, does anyone see a good reason why I shouldn't swap my GWIII for the Samsung 50" DLP? I know it has it's issues (what is Clay Faces??) but I think a may be a slight bit sharper with standard cable broadcasts.

One thing I noticed with the Sony is that with my son's Playstion, small objects and text are impossible to see clearly. Does anyone Know if there's an adjustment for this or if the Samsung shows better?

Originally posted by beatgaffler
...One thing I noticed with the Sony is that with my son's Playstion, small objects and text are impossible to see clearly. Does anyone Know if there's an adjustment for this or if the Samsung shows better?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=331875

Hello all,
I just hooked up my HDTivo to my 42 in GWIII two days ago. I was wondering if anyone has some perls of wisdom on getting the best picture with these two over DVI?

thanks

Congrats! I hooked mine up last week. After messing around with it a few days, I just set the HDTiVo on 720p and forgot about it. That seems to work best since that's the native format of the TV. Be sure to record HDNet's test signals and you can tweak the TV using those.

I'm so happy with the combination of the two. Enjoy your new setup!

Originally posted by Dominus
Other than the supplied soft cloth, has anyone used any type of liquid or spray on the acrylic XBR screens to get them clean? I realize Windex is out of the question.

I use the same thing that works on my LCD computer screens (and eye glasses), a mixture of 40% alcohol and 60% distilled water.

Hello all,

I have a question which might appear to make me appear quite daft. But I am new to this... 3 days ago I bought a KF-42WE610. I felt I had made a well informed decision, after doing a lgreat deal of research on this. I must say, this is a stunning TV. Vastly better then anything I have ever seen.

However, after reading the manual, page 74, and verifying with a 720p Xbox game, I realized that a 720p (or 1080i) picture could not be displayed in a widescreen (16:9) format, only in 4:3.

Yes, the Xbox is connected with HD cables in the component jacks, and yes, the xbox is set to display all resolutions (480p, 720p, and 1080i) in widescreen format.

I bought this TV with the intention of watching HDTV with it. I assumed that HDTV, either 720p or 1080i was broadcast in widescreen format. Am I wrong? Are they only available in 4:3? Is this a quirk of this model? Is there anything I have to do to watch 720p images in widescreen?

My TV was manufactured in November of 2003.

This is obviously quite erplexing to me, and it is making me wonder if I made the right choice with my new TV. Does anyone have any input?

which game and did you set the xbox to 16:9?

Originally posted by SHM
Hello all,

I bought this TV with the intention of watching HDTV with it. I assumed that HDTV, either 720p or 1080i was broadcast in widescreen format. Am I wrong? Are they only available in 4:3? Is this a quirk of this model? Is there anything I have to do to watch 720p images in widescreen?




I'm not sure why your having trouble. If you are indeed really watching an HD signal, it should fill your screen in the 16 x 9 format. What are you using to receive an HD signal? Is your screen mode set to full?

SHM

What's your signal source(s)

You might want to verify that your DVDs are widescreen and not fullscreen and that your Xbox is appropriately set to display widescreen in 16:9.

SHM, sounds like you didn't set your Xbox video setting to 'widescreen'

Sorry if this was addressed earlier in the thread. I read 40 pages and have not found it. I am going to pull the trigger on the 42"'er between now and memorial day. I have a rewards zone card at BB which will net me an additional $140 in reward cerificates that is not figured into the equation with other places to buy this set. The debate I have is wether to buy at BB with a $249 4yr extended warranty that does not cover the bulb or get it at Sears with a 3 yr warranty for $399 that does cover the bulb? The price of the actual set is the same. I am leaning toward the BB offer. I am thinking I could replace the bulb once and still be ahead?

Another newbie question. The sales people at BB say the Monster Powerbar is an absolute nessecity to be happy with the picture. Right now have digital cable as my source with HD cable due next month in my area. Should I get the Powerbar too? How much difference does it make it picture noise and dirty power? Thanks in advance.

Hey newbie!

I'll give it a shot at helping you...

Got mine at Best Buy with the service plan. At $250, I think its a pretty good deal but some may beg to differ on that. The Sears alternative may be financially better if you watch a lot of tv. I forget the bulb life but for me (I watch 20 hours a week at most) I figure it should last three years or so before I need a new bulb.

Don't fall for the BB attempt to sell you unnecessary cables. If you want to use a component hook-up, I would get a decent set of monster cables ($60 or so). Some would even say that the AR cables are fine. Also, some people prefer using a dvi connection for cable although I haven't noticed any improvement in quality. If you go that route, DO NOT pay $100 had BB for DVI cables. Try dvigear.com or a comparable website.

Hope that helps!

Antonio

The powerbar being an absolute necessity is a shameless effort to pump up a sale on a high profit item. Just ask them to show you the difference.

I don't know that anyone really knows how long these bulbs are lasting on the GWIII. Once the originals die, the replacement Osrams(and in some cases Phillips) haven't been in the sets long enought to establish a pattern. Provided Sears doesn't drop bulb coverage, I'd think that only 2 bulb replacements at 18 months and then 36 months would be finanacially to your advantage. Then you're also have to consider that this is relatively new technology (new panels also)and uncovered repairs could cost you out the kazoo.

Thanks for the repies. BB is only place that has attempted to pump the Powerbar. I spoke to a very nice lady at Sears who has been selling TV's for 20+ years. She said nothing about the Powerbar. I guess if I was not happy with my PQ I could always add it later. Is "dirty power" a real issue? On the bulb issue, I hear people refer to being happy they had went 3 months and their bulb was still working. I would not be happy and I know the wife would not be happy if I am buying a bulb for this set every YEAR let alone 3 months. If a bulb went out in the first year would I be on my own with a store extended warranty that did not cover the bulb? Will Sony cover the bulb in the first year? Wouldn't they consider that a defective bulb? This forum is great. Thanks to everyone.

I have read a lot of negative posts over the last 8-10 months about BB's "customer care" after purchase. I have seen nothing negative regarding a TV buy from Sears other than the fact the some people did not like the fact that the one (1) year manufacture's warranty is handled by Sears rather than the manufacturer.

I would suggest purchasing at Circuit City as their return policy is excellent (if not completely satisfied w/ purchase, return with no strings in thirty days). When I had a bulb/buzzing problem on my Nov. build GWIII, they offered to return the set if I desired and it was already three months old! I used to love Best Buy until I was hassled for a simple return. I also remember reading some negative comments on Sears service in this forum. You still can't beat Best Buy for DVD's and software though.

The Sony warranty does cover the bulb in the first year.

Originally posted by SHM
Hello all,

I have a question which might appear to make me appear quite daft. But I am new to this... 3 days ago I bought a KF-42WE610. I felt I had made a well informed decision, after doing a lgreat deal of research on this. I must say, this is a stunning TV. Vastly better then anything I have ever seen.

However, after reading the manual, page 74, and verifying with a 720p Xbox game, I realized that a 720p (or 1080i) picture could not be displayed in a widescreen (16:9) format, only in 4:3.

It depends on the game. If you go to HDTVARCADE.com it will list the games that are in 720p and tell you if they are in widescreen format. Unfortunately XBOX provides games in 480p,720p, and 1080i, but are not all in widescreen.

Yes, the Xbox is connected with HD cables in the component jacks, and yes, the xbox is set to display all resolutions (480p, 720p, and 1080i) in widescreen format.

I bought this TV with the intention of watching HDTV with it. I assumed that HDTV, either 720p or 1080i was broadcast in widescreen format. Am I wrong? Are they only available in 4:3? Is this a quirk of this model? Is there anything I have to do to watch 720p images in widescreen?

You are correct that HDTV will be broadcast in widescreen. But...if you are watching material that was produced in the past e.g. an old movie recorded in a 4:3 aspect, most HD channels will reproduce them in HD quality but will be kept in its original format of 4:3. Other things like ESPNHD will be widescreen because they are producing it in widescreen format.

This is obviously quite erplexing to me, and it is making me wonder if I made the right choice with my new TV. Does anyone have any input?


I hope this answers your questions, and if I have made any errors in my response, someone please feel free to correct me. Thanks.

I finally have an HDTV! After years of waiting my wife gave me permission, so I went out and got it.Now that it is in my house I have several questions.

1. When selecting zoom (wide zoom, zoom, full and normal) while watching a channel in HD and selecting normal the picture is in 4x3. I would think that the picture would come in 16x9.
1a. since the picture is in 4x3 I have to strech it. This cuts off parts of the picture.


Is there a setting somewhere that would change the normal picture(4x3) to 16x3 without having to use the zoom feature?

I hope that I made sence, please help me.

I was able to find out the answer my self (very gratifing). My Motorola HD6200 box was not set to 16x9. I am glad that I pressed this issue and was not satisified with the picture. I am now going to see if there is a thread on this particular cable box.

I am still intrested in which is the most common zoom feature used.
Please let me know.

Thanks Peter

It's funny, with the new tv my music sounds better. Eventhough I have not changed the Audio.

I was able to find out the answer my self (very gratifing). My Motorola HD6200 box was not set to 16x9. I am glad that I pressed this issue and was not satisified with the picture. I am now going to see if there is a thread on this particular cable box.

I am still intrested in which is the most common zoom feature used.
Please let me know.

Thanks Peter

It's funny, with the new tv my music sounds better. Eventhough I have not changed the Audio.

Don't forget that while the HD stations are broadcasting at 1080i or 720p if you have them, not all programming is in HD and widescreen. The hockey game on ABC was in HD last night if that helps. For me, PBS is mostly HD widescreen and my cable company also has an HD loop playing 24 hours a day on a test channel.

Originally posted by opuscat
Don't forget that while the HD stations are broadcasting at 1080i or 720p if you have them, not all programming is in HD and widescreen. The hockey game on ABC was in HD last night if that helps.



Is that what is happening with NBC's broadcasting of the French Open?

Congrats on your purchase hickory. I have the exact same set and am very happy with it. The black levels take a little getting used to, but once you get past that the picture, esp. the HD one, is just stunning. Great set.

Originally posted by hickory
Is that what is happening with NBC's broadcasting of the French Open?

If the show itself is not being produced in HD or widescreen you will see an upconverted 1080i or 720p 4:3 picture on your local NBC station.

BTW...does your set top box output 720p or 1080i? Your TV's native resolution is 720p so whenever you're watching a 720p source (ABC, ESPN, Fox) you want to pass 720p all the way to your set. I've just decided to leave my set top box set at 720p and I let it handle all the conversion.

The cable box has a setting all the way up to 1080i. What are your thoughts? Should I change the cable box (motorola 6200) to 720p or leave it set to 1080i?

Hi everyone! Longtime lurker... First-time poster...

After months and months... ...and months... of window shopping and learning from all of your experiences, we finally decided to get the 60" GWIII. I know there have been problems. However, we compared the PQ and GWIII just out-did the DLPs (personal subjective opinion) YMMV.

We received the set yesterday and I've been doing a little testing. Here are my impressions / questions...

1) Picture seemed too dark out of the box. I did some adjusting of the picture and needed to put the brightness up to to just 2-3 ticks below max to get an acceptable brightness. Is this common - or an indicator that my bulb is no good? The set starts right up (3 green blinks then on). However it does take a bit before it achieves full brightness.

2) I put VE in to test my geometry and noticed that there is a definite bow in the center of the screen. The bottom center is just a bit lower than the edges. This is especially noticeable to me on scrolling text. Most noteable when I put 4:3 material in full mode. It also appears that the upper left corner is bowed up and out a bit. My wife probably wouldn't even notice this - but I'm anal about it. Are there any SM adjustments for this? For this $$$, I'm not sure I want to live with bad geometry.

Other than these issues, I've not noticed any bad pixels or other problems with the picture. We've got D* TiVo and the picture is not stunning, but acceptable. We're awaiting HDTiVo. Our Zenith OTA HD looks great.

Thanks for any advice. :confused: