Well I'm not real hopeful that anything will come of it but I'll probably at least get an official word out of Sony on Saturday re: the color uniformity in dark scenes as a tech will be out to look at it. With any luck he'll at least be properly trained for it (I can hope can't I? The sets are manufactured close enough he could go watch them get built if he wanted :p).

Originally posted by BTDT
The 60/70XBR950 user's manual does not explicitly say that i-Link cannot output, but all of the examples given are of input from a source device.

Note that earlier Sony displays with i-Link only accepted input, rather than supporting output from the built-in tuner. This would cause me to assume the same will be true for these sets.

Actually, the manual gives an example of "recording from LCD Projection TV to the selected i.LINK digital VCR." it shows that while in the i.LINK control panel, using remote control; if record button is available, press up, down, left, right, to highlight record button, and then press "playback" button

manual available here:

http://www.gwinnetttv.com/video/tvs/bigscreen_tvs/sony/60_70XBR950%20user%20manual.pdf

Originally posted by RedWyvern
Actually, the manual gives an example of "recording from LCD Projection TV to the selected i.LINK digital VCR." it shows that while in the i.LINK control panel, using remote control; if record button is available, press up, down, left, right, to highlight record button, and then press "playback" button

manual available here:

http://www.gwinnetttv.com/video/tvs/bigscreen_tvs/sony/60_70XBR950%20user%20manual.pdf

The record button was available when I had my D-VHS deck hooked up. I did not have a blank tape to try it with though.

Originally posted by Googer
Well I'm not real hopeful that anything will come of it but I'll probably at least get an official word out of Sony on Saturday re: the color uniformity in dark scenes as a tech will be out to look at it. With any luck he'll at least be properly trained for it (I can hope can't I? The sets are manufactured close enough he could go watch them get built if he wanted :p).

Sony includes something called 3D Gamma in their projectors to correct this problem. You might ask him if these sets have it. The only other way I know to fix this is to add a neutral density filter to the light path and lower the black level or increase the light level in your viewing area. These sets tend to have pretty high black levels that make the problem appear worse than it would at lower intensities. The black level on my GWII is 44% lower than the 60" GWIII XBR I measured.

Hmmm.... sounds promising, I'll be sure to make a mention of it. :) Surely if it exists it's something hidden deep in the service menus but so what? :p

Edit: This is even more promising after a quick look through the service menus. I see what appear to be settings for controlling 3D Gamma, at least at a high level. I did not try modifying any of them (since I have no clue what they do :p) but I see a couple parameters in D9671-1 such as 3DGOFFSET. Sounds like ordering a service manual is gonna be in order so I can play with this on my own even if the tech says he can't do anything about it. :D

Did you do autoscan all the way through. I did and the channel up and down works fine. Just do it again and it does take good 30 minutes....atleast it did on mine.

Originally posted by roblake
JUST got the 60XBR950. A couple of questions to save time going thru the 120 page manual:

1. How to tell if a station is HD? Easy for 5.1 OTA vs. 5 Cable here, just put up PIP and note the difference in image and size. But 75.1 Cable SEEMS HD, but how to confirm?

2. Switching channels on OTA. I get one HD channel, 5.1. If I press the Channel up/down toggle, it doesn't change, but I CAN enter a channel and get it (but due to lack of antenna, the set hasn't "seen" those channels on autoscan yet ... soon to be fixed with a proper antenna).

Thanks

It turns out that (apparently) the OTA won't switch channels because the set only found ONE channel! Nothing else to switch to. Now for a proper antenna and another try.

P.S. Added a powered antenna today. Now I get TWO digital channels OTA and can switch between them.

Originally posted by Googer
Hmmm.... sounds promising, I'll be sure to make a mention of it. :) Surely if it exists it's something hidden deep in the service menus but so what? :p

Edit: This is even more promising after a quick look through the service menus. I see what appear to be settings for controlling 3D Gamma, at least at a high level. I did not try modifying any of them (since I have no clue what they do :p) but I see a couple parameters in D9671-1 such as 3DGOFFSET. Sounds like ordering a service manual is gonna be in order so I can play with this on my own even if the tech says he can't do anything about it. :D
Googer,

Sounds like good news for all of us. There is a lot of tweakability in these sets.

BTW, I did an up close inspection of my set last night and didn't note (to the naked eye) any color uniformity issues. Good so far.

Does anyone know if there is a way to access the various video inputs directly insted of having to cycle through them sequentially by remote. I'd like to program my universal remote for direct input acces if possible. Thanks.

Originally posted by DocZZZ
Does anyone know if there is a way to access the various video inputs directly insted of having to cycle through them sequentially by remote. I'd like to program my universal remote for direct input acces if possible. Thanks.

I havent confirmed that this works but I bet it would because Sony seems to use the same IR codes for its TVs. Go to www.remotecentral.com and search for Sony advanced codes. These codes can be programmed into cheap Radio Shack remotes and then learned to your universal remote control. It is a very easy process.

Originally posted by frottage
So having near perfect convergence on thel left, bearly visible fringing inthe center, and visible (at a foot) misconvergence on the right is probably not design intent.

Doug

Here's some pics of the misconvergence I am seeing

pic 2 of upper right

This is what I would expect the convergence to look like, but it is only like this on the left hand side of the screen...the center is a mix between the two...not as bad as the right and not a good as the left...go figure

I just received my 60xbr950 and I am quite happy, no dead pixels I can see and the picture quality is much better than my Pioneer 50 inch plasma. The only thing that bugs me is the fact that behind the plexiglass there is what appears to be a bit of dust or debri. it is not a dead pixel, and I wish I could remove the plexiglass and clean it, should I contact sony regarding this? or am I being anal. The dust is only visible on some scenes but it bothers me, I am thinking of opening the set myself and see if I can clean it.

I just ordered a 60" XBR950 from Circuit City, should be here by 12/20. I have a Proceed PMDT DVD player that has both Svideo and Component Video. The player does not have progressive scan, but I understand from reading here that the internal scaler in the 950 is good enough I may not really need a progressive scan DVD player.

My question is should I switch to the component video, is it worth buying the new cables. Also, what cables? Are "Better Cables" the best deal? thanks...joe

Another question, are the component inputs on the back RCA connectors or BNC?

Is it worth the extra $100 for the Silver Serpent Better Cables or stay with the silver serpent?

Thanks again..joe

Originally posted by Joe Jensen
Another question, are the component inputs on the back RCA connectors or BNC?

Is it worth the extra $100 for the Silver Serpent Better Cables or stay with the silver serpent?

Thanks again..joe

Just watched the first DVD on our new 60XBR ... "Winged Migration". Simply fantastic! Cheap JVC DVD player. Component inputs use RCA. 3 component cables, 2 audio.

I wouldn't put any extra $$$ into cables. I pulled some out of the year-old parts-and-pieces box and they seemed to do just fine for starters. When I find the high-end research equipment box, I'll try substituting those ...

My review of the 60inch xbr...

First I want to state that I am very pleased with my set. It is sharp, bright and colorful. All who see my set are plenty impressed with the set and it's hefty price. (that's sarcasm on the last part).

Just a note on my viewing situation, my tv is up 29 inches and I view it from 12ft out. No problems with the viewing angle that I can make out.

I do notice the screen door effect that people are talking about, especially on the bright scenes where a large swab of single color has slow movement. It is really like a fine mesh that looks like the texture of the screen or something. Does not bother me in the least, but just wanted to point out that I noticed it at 12ft out.

There is a slight color shift from one side of the screen to the other, but not really noticeable except on the DVE test patterns (ask UMR for details).

On black levels. After UMR's tweaking, my black levels look fine. I do not notice any purpleish or blueishness to my blacks or greys. It always looks pretty much black. UMR's eyes are sharper than mine and noticed a tinge of red in the upper part of my whites, but we fixed that by lowering the contrast a bit. I can't imagine anyone being dissatisfied with this TV due to black level. I do find noticeable differences in contrast details between the differet pictures modes however. The PRO mode showed a lot more detail (due to UMR's tuning) than the vivid or standard. Especially noticeable on black coats (you can see all the detail folds in the pro mode, versus a black blob in the other modes). I can probably tune the other modes, but I always have it on pro, so why bother.

HDTV(1080i) really looks good, especially the Tonight show. It really looks like you are there looking out the window. Slight dithering in football during fast movement (cbs 1080i). Didn't see any on ABC MNF(720p).

DVD's on my interlaced player looks good, it looks very "film like" versus looking like my 36inch tv. I don't know if it's because of the size difference, but the image just doesn't look quite as crisp as a 36inch tv. Crisp might not be the right word, but it looks very comparable to a movie theater image versus a CRT tv image.
I like to view my dvd movies in pitch dark and find the black levels just fine (my wife also agrees).
No motion blur or anything like that on movies that I've seen.

I do notice the fan when the scenes in a movie are really quite, but it's not distracting.

I find DTV pretty watchable from all my OTA HD channels (I get around 6 in houston -nbc,abc, cbs, fox, etc...). Most shows are in 480p+. The HD tuner works very well with the indoor silverstar antenna.

Regular analog SD shows that I get from cable are pretty bad and there's not much you can do about that. I usually view it in widezoom mode and it's viewable, but nothing to brag about. If you want your sd shows to look great I would skip this tv and go for the 34inch sony xbr direct view.

I do have to gripe about the user picture settings and why it's not resolution specific. There are really only 3 modes available (viv, std, pro) when I watch TV. My SD and HD shows all have to use the same modes!(all go through the 2 coax cable slots) Do not know why they didn't make it resolution specific (how much could that extra bit of memory storage cost?). The other video inputs (my dvd is on input 5) also seem to use the same 3 pic mode setting. You can tweak the filter enhancements by resolution, but only in the Service Menu. It would have been nice to mess with the DRC palette for SD shows versus DTV shows(ones that are in 480i - can't tweak drc in 480p+).

Didn't get a chance yet to use the DVI port; that is in next years budget for a new PC/tivo combo.

If I was a rich millionaire and money was no object, I would still probably go for one of the 60 inch plasmas/lcd. It just has a vibrancy that rear projections can't match (imo). But since I am not, this tv makes a fine choice in it's price range.

4 out of 5 stars (for 3k I would give 4.5 out of 5).

Well, the Sony tech was out to look at my set's color uniformity and (unsurprisingly) had no training on the set at all. :p He got it into a diagnostic menu (not the same as the service menu, it was something I'd never seen on a Sony set before) and ran its self-tests, all of which passed. He agreed that the (lack of) color uniformity in dark scenes looked like something that shouldn't be considered normal but had no clue how to fix it. Not all is bad news though, as living close to the plant is looking to be a good thing. He said he's going to call up a tech he knows that works there to ask him about it and get his opinion.

BTW: In the time the tech was over, I stumbled into what is (obviously actually but I hadn't thought of it :p) the easiest way to make this show up: just get on a solid black scene (going to no input isn't bad but the input label on the top-left won't disappear so it's not perfect) and turn the brightness on the TV up too high (i.e., within a few clicks from the top). The color nonuniformity will pop right out if you have it. I repeated this test in CC afterwards on the 42WE610 (didn't get a chance to try it on the 70XBR950 as other people were demoing it) and still couldn't see any of it at all on it; on my set when doing this it's so obvious that I don't think bright lights around would matter. :p

curious if a current owner can tell me how affected the picture will be if I set this unit on a 36" tall stand. My viewing distance will be 15'6". Unfortunately due to 37.7" tall speakers and a 75" wide wall (fireplace on one side, door on the other) the only way to get this size screen is to lift it up.

Without taking out the slide rule, you'll add about 1.5 ft. of height (18" + 18" => 36") over a 15.5 ft. viewing distance. That is about 6 degrees, well within the +/- 15 degree vertical viewing range. Should be OK, if not optimal.

I get about 7 HD channels on my 60xbr950. Is there a way to record programs from these channels? What do I need to buy to do this?

Subject to testing: Run a long FireWire cable to my Mac G$ and use iMovie to store the program on the hard drive. Then use iDVD to burn a DVD of it. I've done this with VHS tapes via a "Dazzle" conversion box, so it's only a question of getting the XBR to cooperate.

sasingh,

ask the question over on the HDTV Recorders forum and they should be able to give you a real answer.

I *think* that you need a 1394 cable and a D-VHS deck and you can then record.

per roblake, I think you can do that with a Mac and OSX if you download the software mentioned in the Apple FireWire news: soon, more AV/C support! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=269141) thread. It makes the Mac act as a virtual DVHS deck.

Originally posted by sasingh
I get about 7 HD channels on my 60xbr950. Is there a way to record programs from these channels? What do I need to buy to do this?
iLink is your current solution. There are also HD PVRs to consider. Check out the HD Recorder forum on these. For example, DirecTV is supposed to release an HD-TiVo in late third quarter of next year. This will record any D* channel or OTA HD station, according to reports.

How many of you are experiencing the "buzzing" problem with your XBR950 that's discussed in another thread? Mine is making a short buzz sound whenever I turn the set on and it takes 11 blinks of the green light before I see a picture.

How many blinks does it take before you see a picture?

Well, it has been almost 30 days since I got my Samsung 61 DLP and to follow up from my first posts several weeks ago in the Samsung forum, I am in the final stages of having to decide whether to keep this set or not. Aside from some of the previous complaints I have had with the set, I have come to live with the Mosquito like graininess that appears when looking at the set up close but I do have 2 issues that are of major concern to me. The banding that occurs through the color transitions and the extreme lack of detail in dark scenes. The later one has become more and more of an issue as I just cannot seem to get any detail in dark scenes. While the blacks are black that is basically it, all dark scenes are black with no definition whatsoever. Now, I do not know if LCD's or plasma's have the same problem I just do not recall observing this with my previous CRT projection TV. Last week I went back to the store I purchased this set from to look at the Sony GW's to see if I might want to switch, and while all sets look great at the store, I am having a hard time deciding whether I would be switching from bad to worse. Again, I suspect my expectations where very high after spending $4K+ and maybe the LCD's and plasma's are not going to be any better. I did look at the Sony GW forum and did not find anywhere near the amount of complaints or tweackings from the Sony owners as I have seen in the Samsung forum with users going into setup menus, gama correction and so forth. When I purchase a TV for that kind of money I expect it to be up and running out of the box and should not expect to have to go through all that calibration or other tweakings that everyone else seems to do. So I guess my question is, for you Sony onwers, have you had any DLP experience? Do you also get banding of color transitions and dark scenes that have no definition on our GW sets? Has anyone swtiched from a Samsung DLP to a Sony GW and are you happiers with it? Obviously I would prefer not to go through all the hassles or returning my set, so any comparisons to help me decide would be appreciated. Another option I am also considering is just giving up on the sleek smallers DLP's/LCD's and just go for a strait CRT projection TV like the Hitachi 65'.

Originally posted by Mccormick1
... So I guess my question is, for you Sony onwers, have you had any DLP experience? Do you also get banding of color transitions and dark scenes that have no definition on our GW sets? Has anyone swtiched from a Samsung DLP to a Sony GW and are you happiers with it? Obviously I would prefer not to go through all the hassles or returning my set, so any comparisons to help me decide would be appreciated. Another option I am also considering is just giving up on the sleek smallers DLP's/LCD's and just go for a strait CRT projection TV like the Hitachi 65'.

I don't own the current GW, but I did a significant amount of tweaking on the Samsung DLP in the store before I finally jumped to the GWII. Several others have also made this switch. I also saw the banding problems. I thought the details in dark scenes were fixable in the service menu. The color accuracy was also a problem, but some of the more recent tweaks sound like they will fix it. Rainbows were the final straw for me.

Whether you would be happy is up to you.

You might be happier with the CRT RPTV if you want to watch the set in the dark. All of these sets seem to require some service menu tweaking to achieve the best PQ from them. The lamp based sets (LCD, DLP) tend to do better than CRT in brighter settings.

How many of you are experiencing the "buzzing" problem with your XBR950 that's discussed in another thread? Mine is making a short buzz sound whenever I turn the set on and it takes 11 blinks of the green light before I see a picture.

I'm also curious if there are XBR owners experiencing the buzz problem. I went through this Buzz problem with the 50" We610 to the point it wouldn't turn on and now that I have a second chance and I am fixing to buy the 60" xbr950.
I defiantly don't won't to go through this same buzz situation all over again. I'll feel a lot better if I know it's not in the epidemic proportions that the we610 are.

DVD Player question for my new 60XBR950.

My TV will be delivered Fri :)
I currently have a Proceed PMDT DVD player and I've ordered a Compenent Cable. I intend to use it in 480i mode and let the XBR950 scale it. Today I started reading about DVI interconnect DVD players and I was wondering if I should sell the PMDT and buy a new DVI based player.

Questions, can DVI players output 480i on DVI? Could the XBR950 accept 480i on DVI? How much better is DVI than on a top end Component video connection?

Anyone else using DVI for DVD?...joe

Originally posted by Joe Jensen
DVD Player question for my new 60XBR950.

My TV will be delivered Fri :)
I currently have a Proceed PMDT DVD player and I've ordered a Compenent Cable. I intend to use it in 480i mode and let the XBR950 scale it. Today I started reading about DVI interconnect DVD players and I was wondering if I should sell the PMDT and buy a new DVI based player.

Questions, can DVI players output 480i on DVI? Could the XBR950 accept 480i on DVI? How much better is DVI than on a top end Component video connection?

Anyone else using DVI for DVD?...joe

Good choice of set! (Mine was delivered last Thursday!).

Based on what I've read here, the DVI DVD player is worth the improved image. Now, I'm running a cheap JVC DVD player I bought to play CDs about 6 months ago. Moved it over to the XBR with "component cables" (RCA cables out of the box of old cables in the basement ... ) and was pleased with the image on "Winged Migration". Then my kids figured out how to switch the JVC DVD mode to "Widescreen" and they said the image was MUCH better.

Per my ex-salesman (they couldn't deliver as promised and I found another salesman via this Forum !!!), told me several weeks ago that there would be a new "wave" of DVD players coming ... which would be either just before Christmas or mid-January (figure that the Consumer Electronics Show figures into this somehow ...). So I'm waiting to see. Not suffering in the least without it, 'cause I don't know what I'm missing!

kdf-60xbr950 can show 2 channels in 2 windows and I can choose which channel's audio I want to hear from the main speakers. My question is whether it is possible to hear the audio of second window with (wireless) headphones at the same time the main speakers are playing the audio from the first window?

I have a question about corner placement of the 70" Sony XBR. It seems that you can tuck this TV into a corner until the left and right edges basically touch the corner walls. But if that is the case (which I'd like), how do you gain access to the back for changing cables? Does the matching Sony SU-GW3 stand come with casters?

that's a good one... and I used to physically add casters to every stand for every set... amazed that nobody ever brings this up!

In some new homes (especially in Las Vegas and California) houses often are built with a false door into a bedroom, which is for the purpose of then getting to the wiring behind entertainment centers in media rooms..smart.

anyway, no, the Sony SU-GW3 does not come with casters; none do that I've seen. But, I bought 4 Magic (whatever) sliders at Home Depot and that is an interesting alternative for the hopefully rare times you need access. I am getting the upscale Bello stand by the way, thought the SUG3 was just a bit flimsy, the way the removeable piece appeared in a store demo (the XBR set just fine; my 70 is coming; but the stand didn't do a thing for me).

good luck!

How do I get into the service menu?

I've tried:
[PWR OFF] - [DISP], [5], [VOL+], [PWR ON]
and
[PWR OFF] - [DISP], [5], [PWR ON]

It doesn't seem to work.

Originally posted by zylont
How do I get into the service menu?

I've tried:
[PWR OFF] - [DISP], [5], [VOL+], [PWR ON]
and
[PWR OFF] - [DISP], [5], [PWR ON]

It doesn't seem to work.


Make sure the tv remote is in tv mode. Many peple make this mistake.

Originally posted by Mazdaspeedguy
Make sure the tv remote is in tv mode. Many peple make this mistake.

I am using my pronto pro to send the sequence to the tv. Using .2 sec delay between each command. Should the tv be on or off to start with?

Originally posted by sasingh
kdf-60xbr950 can show 2 channels in 2 windows and I can choose which channel's audio I want to hear from the main speakers. My question is whether it is possible to hear the audio of second window with (wireless) headphones at the same time the main speakers are playing the audio from the first window?

I think you could accomplish this if one of the sources was running through your audio reciever. You could plug your headphones into the headphone jack of the receiver. If you are using your TV as the tuner though, I don't think you can hear the audio from more than 1 channel at a time. But if you have a DVD in one window and a DirecTV box or Cable box on the other, you could use your audio receiver for one of the sources.

Originally posted by zylont
I am using my pronto pro to send the sequence to the tv. Using .2 sec delay between each command. Should the tv be on or off to start with?
Your TV should be off, but I have entered the service mode by turning it off and then entering the sequence before the bulb actually shuts down. The top sequence -- [DISP], [5], [VOL+], [PWR ON] -- worked for me. If nothing else I would try it with the Sony remote vs. the pronto. Maybe there is something else being introduced into the sequence?

Help

My 60XBR950 will be delivered Fri morning. What do I need to watch for on delivery and what do I need to do to fully check it out. I have AVIA, but I've only used it to set up my Sony Direct View CRT.

Thanks....joe

Originally posted by Joe Jensen
Help

My 60XBR950 will be delivered Fri morning. What do I need to watch for on delivery and what do I need to do to fully check it out. I have AVIA, but I've only used it to set up my Sony Direct View CRT.

Thanks....joe

Watch for two men and a truck. :=}}}

They will likely uncarton the set in your driveway or at the curb. The two guys are adequate for carrying, in spite of the Users Manual showing four. Have a path cleared
for them to get it to the stand, with room for them to swing it around and in to place.

The 60XBR950 is very front-heavy. Take care in moving it and/or the stand to get to the connectors on the rear. I had a new 110 volt grounded outlet installed near where the set was to be. Of course, the room got re-arranged and yet-another-outlet will be needed.

Be sure your signal feeds are working and labelled. Saves a lot of the delivery guys' time.

It will take at least 20 minutes to hook up, autoscan for channels, and get a selection of channels to surf. Check each source by switching Ant and Cable/Sat and video sources from the remote. If you are doing OTA, have either your antenna feed or a small indoor antenna handy. Antenna position for the small indoor ones is critical.

The only minor glitch was that there were a couple of extra "warning" sheets taped to the plastic cushioning around the set. The delivery guys stuck these inside the carton, then as one of them was helping hook up the set, the other used a box cutter to reduce the carton to a small pile of cardboard ... and sliced up the "warning" sheets!

The set is fantastic! The only thing so far is Sony's design "failure" in providing only Vivid, Normal, and Pro settings that are not source-dependent. The Vivid I use for DVD should be adjustable to be different than the Vivid I use for OTA. Slight PITA.

IMHO, you'll want some decent auxiliary speakers, which require an amp or a receiver. Even with a vintage pair of Sony acoustic suspension speakers about 3 ft. high with 10" or 12" woofers, I didn't get the full audio effect from Star Wars, so I switched to a pair of vintage KLH Fives ... smooth and wonderful. You can select whether or not you want to use the built-in speakers along with the auxiliary from the Menu => Audio. I use them, as my hearing is down 15db above 6 KHz. My son turns them off.

Be prepared to spend more money to enhance your HT environment. I didn't plan on surround sound, but now it looks/sounds like the way to go. I had planned on a better DVD, but the cheap JVC with component feed and "Widescreen" DVD set up is quite fine so far. If I can figure out where to stash it, a better indoor OTA antenna will be needed.

Oh yes, reserve time to travel around looking at newer latest-greatest HDTV technologies as they come out. Got to be certain that what you have is THE BEST!! Seems to be for me, so far.

Enjoy!

I just don't understand how so many people can be so excited about such a weak product. I have had the 60" xbr950 in my living room for about three days and I just cannot get excited about this set. The pixelation is horrendous even on HDTV source that looked fairly spectacular on the Samsung DLP (Which I returned last week due to rainbow and audio sync and green push issues- but that's another story).
I guess I expect more from a product with an XBR designation. If this is the best Sony can do with LCD projection I suspect there are going to be some pretty disappointed customers. I know I am. Tweeter isn't going to be too happy taking back another set, but there is no way I would be happy with the quality of the picture on this set even if it was $2K. I have tweaked this thing to death and the black crush is just too noticable. Colors are natural, but the screen resolution is not nearly as good as a much cheaper DLP.
I guess it's not time yet for a big screen in my theater. If you're happy with your 950's then god bless you. Yikes...

I'm not sure if this has been touched on but I'm unsure as to how long the warranty is on the XBR GWIII models. The Sony website suggest that it's 1 year parts/labor and that's what I was told at CC. However yesterday a salesman at a high end HT store told me that it was two years for the XBR and 1 year for the regular line of TVs which is more in line with what I've always know.

Casn anyone confirm that it's actually 2 years? Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by walkindude
I just don't understand how so many people can be so excited about such a weak product. I have had the 60" xbr950 in my living room for about three days and I just cannot get excited about this set. The pixelation is horrendous even on HDTV source that looked fairly spectacular on the Samsung DLP (Which I returned last week due to rainbow and audio sync and green push issues- but that's another story).
I guess I expect more from a product with an XBR designation. If this is the best Sony can do with LCD projection I suspect there are going to be some pretty disappointed customers. I know I am. Tweeter isn't going to be too happy taking back another set, but there is no way I would be happy with the quality of the picture on this set even if it was $2K. I have tweaked this thing to death and the black crush is just too noticable. Colors are natural, but the screen resolution is not nearly as good as a much cheaper DLP.
I guess it's not time yet for a big screen in my theater. If you're happy with your 950's then god bless you. Yikes...
Okay. What are your settings and what tweaks have you performed? I see absolutely no pixelization in HD, other than what is in the source itself. Have you done any SM tweaks to increase effective resolution? Are you watching in Vivid or Standard and/or what enhancements/corrections do you have turned on? What is your HD signal source: OTA, D*/E*, cable?

There are quick frankly a lot of things you can do to this set (and DLP) to screw up the picture. For one thing, the green push problem on the DLPs is correctable through proper calibration, at least on sets with the newer firmware.

It is perhaps sad to say that NONE of these sets comes with the best picture OOTB, but that is true of every technology and maker. That is one reason all of us are here....

Originally posted by Aleki
I'm not sure if this has been touched on but I'm unsure as to how long the warranty is on the XBR GWIII models. The Sony website suggest that it's 1 year parts/labor and that's what I was told at CC. However yesterday a salesman at a high end HT store told me that it was two years for the XBR and 1 year for the regular line of TVs which is more in line with what I've always know.

Casn anyone confirm that it's actually 2 years? Thanks in advance.
I had heard 2 years before but everything solid I have seen says 1 year. I will check my paperwork later on and make sure.

Just received my XBR950 and I have no idea what walkindude is talking about. Yes, a CRT system is better when just calibrated, but CRT set wouldn't work in my situation as I refuse to watch 4:3 content stretched and 90% of my viewing is 4:3 original content. Of the choices I had, for a 60" set, the Sony had far and away the best picture quality.

I am soooooo happy.

Sure glad I don't own the Tweeter where walkindude lives...joe

WALKINGDUDE

YOUR XBR, must be sick. I just had a 70" installed ( XBR), and it is SPECTACULAR, with 0 pixelization. HI DEF has never looked so good, and easily beats my previous set (73" MITS CRT (9" GUNS) rear proj.) Even gives my front projection set up, ( latest MARANTZ DLP, S3 model, a run for its money,(13k worth of money).

I wouldn't bee too hard on walkindude. It just sounds like his set isn't set up correctly. It IS possible to see a lot of pixelization or blockiness on these sets due to over-enhancement.

Can someone help me understand how to set the screen modes? Am using Video Input 5 for my DVD input on the Component Connectors. My input is 480i. I want the screen size to be "Full" on this input at all times. How do I need to set the Wide Mode and the 4:3 Mode?

Cheers...joe

Originally posted by Cornell77
I have a question about corner placement of the 70" Sony XBR. It seems that you can tuck this TV into a corner until the left and right edges basically touch the corner walls. But if that is the case (which I'd like), how do you gain access to the back for changing cables? Does the matching Sony SU-GW3 stand come with casters?

I got the Sony stand and used 5 of the 5" magic sliders - circular plastic disks with soft rubber on the top. I just leave them under the stand - makes it 'relatively' easy to move the monster so you can wire and push it back into the corner. Also - if you're trying to hide your subwoofer try putting it in the corner behind the set. My config works great - just don't let the sub touch the baseboard and don't let the stand touch the sub. That way there isn't any vibration transfered by conduction..

good luck
jg

Does anyone know about Quadview devices. I would like to use one with my 950.

Here is a link of one I found:

http://www.rgb.com/en/Products/ViewProduct.asp?nav=HomeTheater&product=QuadViewPlusHT

Thanks.

Originally posted by mgoblue
Does anyone know about Quadview devices. I would like to use one with my 950.

Here is a link of one I found:

http://www.rgb.com/en/Products/ViewProduct.asp?nav=HomeTheater&product=QuadViewPlusHT

Thanks.

looks interesting and could be used to get around sony's lame/handicapped twin view. What does it cost?

k

Hi

I just recieved my 70 xbr 950 today. On the day they delivered it there are 3 bright pink pixals that are burnt out or something.

Question:

1- Dealer asked me to wactch it for a few days see if it goes away...if it doesn't he will have a sony rep come by and look at it and repair it. Should I accept this or ask them to replace it right away????

I mean it is obvious as far away as 7 feet away. And none of the displays at the stores seem to have this?!

I'm confused and need some advice.!!!

Thanks,
van k.

Originally posted by frottage
looks interesting and could be used to get around sony's lame/handicapped twin view. What does it cost?

Now for the bad news. Originally they said a retail of $7,995.00 (and that was in 03/2000) but the only price I found was 10k. One would think prices would come down and more should be available.

I can not believe there is not something more reasonably priced out there. If there isn't some one should make one.

Got my 60" XBR950 today. Everything seems fine. However the OTA digital tuner has me a bit puzzled. I grabbed some old rabbit ears and attached it temporarily just to see what I could pick up as far as digital stations. However when I'm tuned into one, a few minutes goes buy then the screen goes blank and says Ch 24 is now showing on 25. I press exit then it does it again...25 is on Ch 24. Exit 24 is on 25. Back and forth back and forth. I am assuming (I hope) it has something to do with the antenna but I don't understand what is going on. Can someone enlighten me. Cause you basically can't watch the digital OTA channel at all cause it has you switching back and forth, over, over and over.

Hey all. Glad to report I am a new owner of a 60xbr950, and I could not be more happy with it!!

I do have a question about viewing modes. When watching HD OTA, the TV recognizes the widescreen format, and the screen automatically adjusts. Shouldn't this happen when viewing dvds as well, or are we left to cycle through Normal, Full, Zoom, or Wide Zoom modes to see what looks best for dvd viewing. I currently use Wide Zoom, but is the best I am going to get? I set up my dvd player to recognize a 16:9 screen, but it doesn't seem to make any difference...

I just got bravo d1 dvd player and connected it to 60xbr950 using dvi cable. I did not see much improvement in video. I have set the d1 mode to 720p. Earlier I was using component connection with my earlier dvd player.

Are there other settings I need to change to realize the improvements that supposedly come with DVI? Or could someone recommend specific movies where improvements might be more apparent.

Thanks.

DVI players question.
1) I understand that the KDF-60XBR950 has a really good internal scaler.
2) The native panel resolution doesn't match 480i, 480p, 720P, or 1081i.
Seems that it you use a progressive output from a DVD player, you are counting on the scaler in the DVD player to do at least a better job than the internal one in the Sony XBR950, and you are doing to stages of scaling in two different machines rather than a single scaling stage by just relying on the XBR950. Thoughts?

I am however considering moving to a progressive player so I don't have to switch screen width modes every time I go from DVD to NTSC and back. What was Sony thinking?

Originally posted by Joe Jensen
DVI players question.
1) I understand that the KDF-60XBR950 has a really good internal scaler.
2) The native panel resolution doesn't match 480i, 480p, 720P, or 1081i.
Seems that it you use a progressive output from a DVD player, you are counting on the scaler in the DVD player to do at least a better job than the internal one in the Sony XBR950, and you are doing to stages of scaling in two different machines rather than a single scaling stage by just relying on the XBR950. Thoughts?


If you buy a regular progressive scan DVD player which uses Component outputs (i.e. not the Samsung or Bravo units with DVI output), it will not scale the image. It simply converts the video from 480I to 480P. This has the effect of bypassing the built in de-interlacer but not the built in scaler.

The built in de-interlacer is decent but some progressive scan DVD players do a better job (e.g. many Panasonic units).

Sending this set a 480i signal converted to 720p or 1080i is a mistake. You will be scaling it twice. Everything should be fed the resolution that is native from the format to this set. Converting from 480i to 480p external to the TV is fine.

Originally posted by Joe Jensen
DVI players question.

I am however considering moving to a progressive player so I don't have to switch screen width modes every time I go from DVD to NTSC and back. What was Sony thinking?


Joe, do you mean that one shouldn't have to change back and forth b/n screen width modes if using a progressive scan dvd player, or am I reading your post wrong? I use a progressive scan dvd player but the TV doesn't recognize the wide-screen format, leaving me to change the mode each time I switch to/from dvd. I am wondering if I am even getting the benefit of having wide-screen format dvd, since it seems like I am simply expanding a 4:3 picture when I switch to Wide Zoom.

Am I missing something here?

I don't have a progressive scan player today so I haven't tried this. I do have a very expensive Proceed PMDT player and I have it connected with Component cables. I am considering selling this player and buying a cheaper DVI based player and using the excess funds to buy a bigger subwoofer.

Are all Deinterlacers equal, I thought there was a lot of difference...joe

Originally posted by roger-alan
Joe, do you mean that one shouldn't have to change back and forth b/n screen width modes if using a progressive scan dvd player, or am I reading your post wrong? I use a progressive scan dvd player but the TV doesn't recognize the wide-screen format, leaving me to change the mode each time I switch to/from dvd. I am wondering if I am even getting the benefit of having wide-screen format dvd, since it seems like I am simply expanding a 4:3 picture when I switch to Wide Zoom.

Am I missing something here?

I found this link helpful to read; It is great info on viewing DVDs in your Home Theater.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/

The 950 manual explains the different views on page 59 "using wide mode."

However, it is interesting I can not scale, change screen format to wide modes, on OTA Digital TV Channels. It seems like the content is automatically viewed in "FULL"; I can not seem to change it either.

With my set any OTA Digital Signal is alwasy full. If it is broadcast in some other format you get bars. Ok with me. I wish I could set a different default screeen format for each input and the set would hold the setting. Not sure why they have the screen format set up the way they do.

If you feed 480i (plain old NTSC) into the progressive input, do you have to set the TV to "Full" to get full width widescreen content to display in widescreen?...joe

Originally posted by Villanman
Got my 60" XBR950 today. Everything seems fine. However the OTA digital tuner has me a bit puzzled. I grabbed some old rabbit ears and attached it temporarily just to see what I could pick up as far as digital stations. However when I'm tuned into one, a few minutes goes buy then the screen goes blank and says Ch 24 is now showing on 25. I press exit then it does it again...25 is on Ch 24. Exit 24 is on 25. Back and forth back and forth. I am assuming (I hope) it has something to do with the antenna but I don't understand what is going on. Can someone enlighten me. Cause you basically can't watch the digital OTA channel at all cause it has you switching back and forth, over, over and over.
Lots of questions and few answers on this thread!

I have seen what you describe in one case, and it likely has to do with the broadcast source rather than your antenna or TV. In my case my CBS-HD station jumped from its standard 11.1 location to 29.1 (or something like that). I got a similar message the next day that jumped it back to 11.1 and haven't seen it since. It may be that your station is messaging around with its settings.

If this persists then you may have a problem. One thing would be to call the stations and see if its engineers have a clue as to what may be happening, or just find another station and see if a similar problem occurs.

Anyone using a DVI output DVD player with their XBR950? If so, what one and how does it compare to the internal scaler?...joe

I'm using Bravo D1 dvd player with 60xbr950 using DVI cable. I tried the dvd player's 480p and 720p output settings and I did not notice any difference in video quality.

Did anyone get their XBR950 calibrated by an ISF? Is it worth the extra money to get it calibrated or just use the UMR's service menu tweaks to get it very close? DO you know a good ISF guy in the metro Detroit area who had worked on the sony LCD's?
Thanks

I have seen what you describe in one case, and it likely has to do with the broadcast source rather than your antenna or TV. In my case my CBS-HD station jumped from its standard 11.1 location to 29.1 (or something like that). I got a similar message the next day that jumped it back to 11.1 and haven't seen it since. It may be that your station is messaging around with its settings.

What I have found out is our Digital ABC station is 25.1, but the TV seems to pick up a stronger signal on 24.1. If I manually swtitch to 25.1,it doesn't want to switch and everything is fine, But I assume with the signal not being strong enough the TV will not recognize it in the auto setup. I Looked and looked, but there does not appear to be a way to manually add digital channels. Analog yes , But seems you can only add Digital channels in the auto set ups.

I've found that if I manually put in the channel and the signal is strong enough to receive, the channel is added without needing to go through the auto-detect. You might still need to go into the Guide to select it. One of my remapped stations 13.1 went back to its native UHF station number of 63.1. Checking the information for the channel on TitanTV.com, I put in the UHF channel number to see if it was not being mapped, and it was there, and the TV kept it in its available channel list.

Does the 60XBR950 support direct pixel (1:1) mapping on the DVI input? This would be 1386 x 788 from one of the new generation of DVI output DVD players...joe

Before we just purchased our 70XBR950, I had downloaded a PDF from Sony with all the dimension diagrams and back panel connector layout. On our PDF (e-mailable if anyone wants it) there is a sub-woofer RCA output jack.

Did or does anyone have a subwoofer out on their 60/70 XBR950?

I'm new to some of the terms also. What is OTA referring to?
Do we have to use cable or satellite or is there another form of broadcast reception from an antenna and if so what are the requirements ie: location, line of sight, internal (attic) mounted?

CircuitCity mentioned terk.com, but some of this is over my head.

Any help appreciated....Thanks

Originally posted by HouseSold
Before we just purchased our 70XBR950, I had downloaded a PDF from Sony with all the dimension diagrams and back panel connector layout. On our PDF (e-mailable if anyone wants it) there is a sub-woofer RCA output jack.

Did or does anyone have a subwoofer out on their 60/70 XBR950?

I'm new to some of the terms also. What is OTA referring to?
Do we have to use cable or satellite or is there another form of broadcast reception from an antenna and if so what are the requirements ie: location, line of sight, internal (attic) mounted?

CircuitCity mentioned terk.com, but some of this is over my head.

Any help appreciated....Thanks

Antenna web (http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.asp)

Enter your address in the above link and it will tell you what kind of antenna is required to pick up local digital stations in your area. It will even give a map of your street and tell ya where to point it.

OTA is "over the Air"
You will need Cable or Satellite only if you want more than just your local channels.

I use the Sub out on my AV receiver and not the TV's. I have the TV's Digital optical out and analog out running to my AV Receiver to get the OTA sound out of my Home theater.

Thanks for the reply Villanman.

Using your antenna guide link reply involves four color block rangess. Does this mean 4 antennas and what kind and where are they found?

Where is Disney channel and Nickelodeon broadcast.

Thanks again.

BTW Adelphia won't have HDTV cable signal in our vicinity for 2-3 more months; this is why we want to see another route, antenna if possible.

Using your antenna guide link reply involves four color block rangess. Does this mean 4 antennas and what kind and where are they found?

No
You just need one antenna that has the minimum range of those 4 color blocks. If you look on the box of the antenna it will have the same pie chart.
Get at least what this site recommends. You can get them virtually anywhere. It 's the same kind of UHF/VHF antenna you would use with a normal set.

Nick and Disney you would only be able to get via satellite or cable.

I have xbr 70 with OTA Zenith Silver Satin Antenna. It is very good and cheap provided you are in the correct range where you can get the channels. We get ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, FOX.....which is good and I dont have to pay the cable guy....Good luck


Originally posted by HouseSold
Before we just purchased our 70XBR950, I had downloaded a PDF from Sony with all the dimension diagrams and back panel connector layout. On our PDF (e-mailable if anyone wants it) there is a sub-woofer RCA output jack.

Did or does anyone have a subwoofer out on their 60/70 XBR950?

I'm new to some of the terms also. What is OTA referring to?
Do we have to use cable or satellite or is there another form of broadcast reception from an antenna and if so what are the requirements ie: location, line of sight, internal (attic) mounted?

CircuitCity mentioned terk.com, but some of this is over my head.

Any help appreciated....Thanks

Originally posted by madipac
I have xbr 70 with OTA Zenith Silver Satin Antenna. It is very good and cheap provided you are in the correct range where you can get the channels. We get ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, FOX.....which is good and I dont have to pay the cable guy....Good luck

Wow. That's like putting low-lead into a Ferrari.

Does anyone know if you can do a 1:1 mapping to a GWIII XBR 950 via the DVI input????????

I've been browsing the AVS forums for the last couple months, trying to decide what HDTV to get. Currently lusting over the XBR 950's. I've downloaded the user's manual and read it cover to cover, but have a few simple questions.

Where is the IR receiver window located? Is the built in HDTV tuner 8VSB or QAM or both? I assume if it's 8VSB then only OTA HDTV can be tuned, not cable channels without the cable box?

Originally posted by madipac
Did anyone get their XBR950 calibrated by an ISF? Is it worth the extra money to get it calibrated or just use the UMR's service menu tweaks to get it very close? DO you know a good ISF guy in the metro Detroit area who had worked on the sony LCD's?
Thanks

By all means spend the $300+ to get your baby ISF calibrated. But wait at least 200 hours to "break it in" before having it done. Some may say less or more but 200 should work.

The board may be able to find a technician in Detroit but you spent alot of hard earned money for your set so get the most out of it and calibration does that for you.

Dom

Originally posted by mgamon
I've been browsing the AVS forums for the last couple months, trying to decide what HDTV to get. Currently lusting over the XBR 950's. I've downloaded the user's manual and read it cover to cover, but have a few simple questions.

Where is the IR receiver window located? Is the built in HDTV tuner 8VSB or QAM or both? I assume if it's 8VSB then only OTA HDTV can be tuned, not cable channels without the cable box?
The IR receiver window is on the upper right hand corner of the set.

I don't have cable, but I believe from other posts that the tuner is able to receive any cable channels that are not scrambled, HDTV or not.

After months of research I've decided to go ahead and take the leap of faith and lay out the dough for the 70" XBR.

Does anyone have any tips for getting a good deal that they would'nt mind sharing??

Please don't hesitate to PM me...as a newbie...I don't want to violate any rules here.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Originally posted by Joe Jensen
If you feed 480i (plain old NTSC) into the progressive input, do you have to set the TV to "Full" to get full width widescreen content to display in widescreen?...joe
Yes, 480i and 480p both allow you to use any of the widescreen moes (Full, Normal, Zoom etc). Widescreen DVDs need to be displayed in Full mode. The DVD player should do this automatically if it has been set up correctly.

what are some of the differences between last year's xbr800 and the xbr950?

Anyone know the dimensions of box that the 60XBR950 comes in?
I have one arriving next week and I want to figure out the best way
to get it into my living room.


- Mike G.

Folks,

I recently purchased two XBR 60's that I'm currently awaiting delivery on. Since I coordinated the purchase and discount for myself and my friend (lucky recipient of the 2nd unit), I want to have pick of the unit with the least (if any at all) dead pixel issues.

Here's the question: can the shipping crate be opened in such a way that it is NOT destroyed? My friend is aware of my idea, but just doesn't want his new GW completely naked when shipping from my house to his.

Also, my thought was that I would quickly power up both sets with NO video input and look at the screen for non-black pixels... must I have some sort of video feed going through in order to look at the pixels or will the bulb illuminate the pixels even when no feed is present?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Here's the question: can the shipping crate be opened in such a way that it is NOT destroyed? My friend is aware of my idea, but just doesn't want his new GW completely naked when shipping from my house to his.

Yes, The box is in 2 pieces (a bottom base and top piece) held together with plastic banding. However once you break the straps there is nothing holding the box together.
You can turn the TV to one of the video inputs (video 1-7) without any feed to check for pixels

Another problem to look for is screen Geometry. Most are off a little. When you watch 4:3 aspect ratio, the black bars are not straight up and down, but bend. Mine bent on the right about an inch so that the picture was wider at the bottom then on the top. I have the 70" version and saw another one on display that had the same problem on the left. It is also obvious if you put up a test pattern of bars or lines. I did exchange it for one that had nearly perfect screen geometry. None of the sets had any bad pixels.

Originally posted by BTDT
The IR receiver window is on the upper right hand corner of the set.

I don't have cable, but I believe from other posts that the tuner is able to receive any cable channels that are not scrambled, HDTV or not.

Can anyone confirm this? Every salesperson I asked said OTA only. The only one they knew also receives clear QAM was the Mitsubishi brand.

On our Adelphia cable service, the XRB950 tuner, attached to the cable, picks up all the analog channels ( < 100) and an odd mix of digital channels. It does not pick up HDTV, but I can't confirm that HDTV is actualy being transmitted until Monday, when my HDTV STB is to be installed.

What I get are a number of the music-no-videos channels, a couple of Nickelodeon channels, about 4 or 5 music video channels and 0, 1 or 2 VOD channels, depening upon who on my cable leg is paying to watch what. Until Adelphia shut down VOD and PPV for 3 days to "readjust" their services, I could get clear access to HOTNET, 24/7. Can't get HOTNET now, but until they discover new orifices or positions, I think HOTNET has covered all possibilities in the week it was accessable.

Help us West Coast people.

What is Hotnet?

Sorry...

Very explicit porno = HOTNET

Adelphia also offers about 4 others, which I've not seen, including Playboy (benign) and SpiceNet (from ads on HOTNET seems to be explicit).

HOTNET once had what purported to be "live" call-in with one of the exhibitionists responding to explicit requests.

Please understand, this is NOT my "thing" .... I've been desensitized via the Medical School films/videos. It is just that this channel was the only digital channel available 24/7 for testing and adjusting the XBR. (Sure :=}}} )

On the XBR950 and Adelphia in our vicinity, HBO was the only premium channel registering. Recently Adelphia shuffled the channel lineup and put HBO elsewhere (unknown) and a family program on Channel 50. When the auto setup ran, there were a number of spaces that registered, but with no signal (ie. 52.1, 52.3 etc) What are these used for and what do we do with them?

I've seen reports of premium channels received unscrambled. Is this supposed to happen on the Sony tuner?

Received my 70XBR950 yesterday...right off the bat noticed that convergence is off in the upper right corner, however, this is only visible when I'm right up at the set, and even then the convergence is only one-pixel width - the upper left, and lower left corner convergence is also off but but not as bad as the upper right. Viewing the set from my seating (16 feet away), the convergence issue is not visible.

The big stickler is geometry - its off in several places. First of all the image seems to have a tilt - on avia's overscan test pattern, looking at the right and left side of the image, the top part of the image has less horizontal overscan than the bottom part of the image (I hope that made sense - the other way to think of this is that the image looks like its framed in a trapezoid).

Also the top part of the image bows - again looking at the top part of the image on avia's overscan pattern, if I set overscan at 5% at the corner, the top middle part bows down and has overscan of about 3%.

All of these flaws are not visible when watching normal DVDs, TV etc., and hence are not necessarily an issue except for the bowing flaw - any DVD with an AR of higher than 1.85:1 will have black bars on the top that bow in the middle...and this is obvious no matter where I sit - 16 feet away or 2 feet away...

Any way to fix this? I already went through quite a battle with Sony to get this set after I asked them to replace my 65XBR2...it seems that I'm stuck with another poor quality product that cost alot...

Ok, I'm getting a little annoyed with my 5k toy. My 60xbr had a problem displaying an image when I turned it on this morning. The green lights just kept flashing, but no image ever appeard. After about a minute, I turned the set off, unpluged the tv and then the image came on again when I turned it on. I've owned the tv for 6 weeks now (I think I was one of the first with the 60).

During my first week, I had 2 occurences of the red lamp issue, that just turned out to be the lamp cover not being tightly covered. After removing the front cover and tightening the screws, I haven't had that issue since.

I don't really want to return the tv or even exchange it, cause the image is pretty good (no dim/stuck pixels that I could see) and the geometry seems pretty good. I'll call the sony service on Monday to report the incident though.

Having heard about all the other gw3 issues, at this point I'm thinking that the build quality of this current gen of Sony tv kinda suks.

Guess that's the trade off for the hd picture for now. Good luck to the rest of you guys, just needed to vent a bit.

I greayly sympathize with your situation. I have the same set and some significant overscan. Wathcing CNN the rolling script is half cut off and my geomotry not great either. Adjustments are insufficient.

Overall, however, the picture quality is fine.

As soon as I get a few more hours on it I a going to get it calibrated and see how things turn out.

For what it's worth, my 50"GWII had similar geometry problems and it was fixed (well almost) under warranty; however, it took about 6 weeks of my techs and retailer liaising with Sony on this condition, because no one really understood it (and I doubt if they still do).

Since there are no real adjustments provided for these geometry conditions (I assume the GWIII is the same) either in the SM or mechanically, the Chief Sony Tech in Toronto authorized my techs out here in British Columbia to try shimming the optical block (sort of an experiment I think). Once it was completed, because the mounting screws did not exactly line up after the shimming, a large bracket was left out. The procedure took my 2 techs a couple of hours with me assisting by fabricating a wooden wedge-shaped shim in my workshop. The pic is level now but there is still a slight trapezoidal condition that is easier to live with than a tilt - now, if we could adjust the optical block vertically.......

I agreed to have this done because my set was perfect in every other way and I didn't want to risk getting one that was perhaps worse. The fix worked for me but it is not really the answer & I don't know if Sony will officially sanction this particular procedure.

What is really needed are mechanical adjusters on the optical block and/or better assembly procedures in the factory.

I'm very satisfied with my 60XBR950. No stuck or dead pixels, geometry is good, and convergence is only off 1/3 of a pixel in the very upper left and lower left of the screen, only visible with a test pattern.

I do have more overscan on the left than the right, about 2% according the DVE test pattern. I'm not too worried about it and I assume there is no adjustment for this. Given how good the rest is, I'll live with it if not adjustable as I doubt another set would be as good in the other respects...joe

I have a 60XBR950 with a DVI input on the back. I just had my cable provider, Adelphia, install a HD cable box. There is a DVI output on the cable box. I also have DVI cables from my Mac computer.

So, I went to cable up the 60 XBR to the cable box via DVI. The Mac cable fit the cable box just fine, but the DVI connector on the back of the 60 XBR has the space on the left-hand side where the flat horizontal tab and the 4 pins are, covered with plastic.

What's up here? Is this part of the copy-protection thing? Are there adapters or will I need a whole new cable?

Also, there are now more Settings (cable box) and Menus (XBR) that I could possibly diddle in my aged lifetime. If I select 480i on the cable box, which feeds the XBR via component cables, I get a Standard picture with grey/black bars at sides and top/bottom.
If I got to 1080i, I get a Full picture that looks like it has been stretched somewhat.
Any suggestions for the proper combination(s), please?

Just got back from the huge Sony store here in Calgary. saw the 70"XBR950. At first sight, horrible black levels, low brightness and geometry problems. Black levels are what I've always seen on LCD. Almost acceptable but not quite there yet for me even after tweaking. Sitting right next to it was a 65"CRT and It was pretty sad how bad it made the LCD look. The salesman cut $1,000 off the 70"XBR before he even shook my hand and offered to throw in the stand and a 3 year in house warrantee ($500) for free. Seems as stated these sets are way over priced at list.
The guy tried to tell me the pannels had a res of 1400 by whatever, I had to correct him on that, and that it wasn't a true hi def set as it scales down hi def, yeesh, anyway...
The set also didn't seem to want to hold video settings for cable, sat, dvd.
I can see how allot of people would fall in love with the set however, it's beautiful and huge. But the picture leaves allot to be desired. I would bite on this set if it was priced a smidge lower than a 65"CRT but allas it's almost twice the price even with the discounts.
The plasmas were beautiful. Bright, amazing blacks and look as good as the panny's I've seen. But Sony needs to come down on the prices. Their 50"plasmas are almost twice what I can get a 50"panny for. Burn in issues are the only thing keeping me from purchasing one, and the crazy prices. Hope they drop allot more this year. Here's hoping.

Can someone tell me exactly which DVI connector I need on the back of the Sony XBR950? I am ordering a Bravo D1 and need a cable too...joe

Gee, did Calgary get the worst of the XBR crop? My new 70" is nearly at the flawless level; and replaces an XBR800 60", which pales relatively.

As to black levels; the best ever seen on an RP LCD, and nothing really to desire. Only flaw; one blue pixel; but not visible more than a couple feet away. Even that would bother me, other than the geometry is perfect and I mean perfect (based on 4x3 programming and ticker tape crawls that are far from just being good compared to other RPTV's, they are simply correct in every way). The HD experience is terrfic, whether via cable, OTA or DTV (and yes, all 3 are enabled here). The picture leaves nothing to be desired based on the state of the art as known in TV at this point price high, but not for what it is.

As to the question about a DVI connector; nothing unuusal DVI-D... that's what all DVI HDCP connectors use... in my case the cable included with the HD200, and that's that. Good combination, as intended to be operated.

enjoy!

Gene, glad to hear your set is great too. I'm really lucky, no bad pixels and great convergence. I stayed with a 32" XBR2 until this set because I am very particular about blacks. The new 60XBR950 doesn't disappoint me at all. Maybe the reports of bad blacks are sets that aren't configured properly?...joe

They had almost all the GW's there. The have them in a big room and can control lighting. The only thing distinguishing all the models was brightness level. The smaller you got in inches the brighter the picture, and to a smaller degree the blacklevels got worse as the brightness went higher in models. The 42 was blindingly bright, stunning, like looking out a window at noon. Seriously though, the blacklevels in the LCD GW and XBR950's come close to the CRT's and plasma but no cigar. no matter how much tweaking, the blacks just crushed all detail, and calling them blacks is a huge overstatement. There's no way all of their models are faulty.
I was however very, very impressed with the HS20 frnt pj the had set up in a dedicated environment there. It's less than half the price of the "70XBR950 and throws an image twice as big with way better black levels. It blew me away.
In no way am I bashing Sony, their products are very enticing but LCD just isn't up to the job of producing deep blacks yet. Mabey their new sets with SXRD chips will finally lessen the gap to CRT.

I just got my 70" XBR last night after nearly 3 weeks without a "real" TV. My first impression was that the set was certainly big, but fit a lot better than the previous CRT RPTV that was in its place. The remote is pretty snazzy looking too, not that I plan on using it. It's the nicest Sony remote I have seen yet, not that this is saying much...

I still have a fair bit of tweaking to do, but my first impression after modest adjustment is that the set is plenty bright, even with the large-ish screen area. Black levels are certainly not the state of the art, but they are acceptable after some adjustment. The TV shipped with some of the worst settings I have ever seen - the damn thing nearly had a neon glow to it - Blech!

For my DVD source, I have an HD Leeza doing the upscaling - my first experimentation with "Gladiator" and "Finding Nemo" last night was breathtaking. It was easily the best DVD PQ I have seen on a RP set, even at 70" size screen. The first word that came to mind was "HD-like" when I first saw the image. This is mostly the work of the Leeza, but it really showed what this TV is capable of given the correct signal. As far as other sources are concerned, overall PQ is quite good, though the TV shows signal flaws a bit more than my previous set. However, overall image quality is slightly better on SD Cable even with the larger screen size.

I will probably have some more comments once I get the set up fully tweaked, which will probably be a week or so from now...

Originally posted by ebrigham
I just got my 70" XBR last night after nearly 3 weeks without a "real" TV. My first impression was that the set was certainly big, but fit a lot better than the previous CRT RPTV that was in its place. The remote is pretty snazzy looking too, not that I plan on using it. It's the nicest Sony remote I have seen yet, not that this is saying much...

I still have a fair bit of tweaking to do, but my first impression after modest adjustment is that the set is plenty bright, even with the large-ish screen area. Black levels are certainly not the state of the art, but they are acceptable after some adjustment. The TV shipped with some of the worst settings I have ever seen - the damn thing nearly had a neon glow to it - Blech!

For my DVD source, I have an HD Leeza doing the upscaling - my first experimentation with "Gladiator" and "Finding Nemo" last night was breathtaking. It was easily the best DVD PQ I have seen on a RP set, even at 70" size screen. The first word that came to mind was "HD-like" when I first saw the image. This is mostly the work of the Leeza, but it really showed what this TV is capable of given the correct signal. As far as other sources are concerned, overall PQ is quite good, though the TV shows signal flaws a bit more than my previous set. However, overall image quality is slightly better on SD Cable even with the larger screen size.

I will probably have some more comments once I get the set up fully tweaked, which will probably be a week or so from now...


Hi. Can you tell me how to get into the XBR's service menu to make picture adjustments?

nope; at least I can't (and won't do it myself). Shouldn't need to as most of the 'service menu' adjustments you'd need (hopefully nothing wrong) will be found in the XBR this year, though not in basic GWIII models. Explore a bit and you should find all kinds of adjustments if you are so inclined.

cheers

I did. I couldn't find the adjustments that UMR mentions in his tweaks for the XBR.

Originally posted by Ineedanewtv
Hi. Can you tell me how to get into the XBR's service menu to make picture adjustments?

The only adjustments I have made thus far have been through the normal user menu. Service menu will have to wait until after XMAS. However, if you go to the HTPC area, there is a GWIII and DVI something or other thread with directions on how to get to the service menu. I am not sure if this includes the XBR, but it's worth a shot:

Make sure TV is OFF completely - red light is solid

Thru the remote:
Press Display
Then press 5
Then press Vol+
Then press Power

Press each button one after the other, within 5 seconds

Needless to say, make sure you write down ALL the default settings BEFORE you begin - otherwise if you get lost, Kansas will be hard to find. Again, I have not used this button combination myself, so if you are having problems getting into the menu, I may be translating it incorrectly. My apologies in advance in case my info is not correct.

Anyone else besides me really digging the remote??

Group Opinion needed here:

Extended Warranties offered by the point of sale stores; are they worth it?

Case in point is the 4 year Circuit City extended warranty at $599. Is it really worth it on a Sony 70XBR950 at what works out to be $150 a year? They state the plan covers anything, in home service and replacing bulbs.

Have any of you purchased an XBR with an extended Warranty and what are your thoughts and experiences, Circuit City or otherwise.

Thanks...

Did anyone else have a problem with turning on the 70xbr950? The green light flashes and it doesn't turn on. After few attempts and turning the power off completely it works fine. It had happened 4-5 times over the last month. Called in for service and will let you know what I find....

Just curious if anyone else had similar problem.
Thanks

Be careful with the remote...

The aluminum is very soft and is more damage prone than a Shelby Cobra or D-type Jaguar with their aluminum skinned bodies.

Ours arrived with a sharp edge where the top half meets the front sensor. It only took a gentle press on a tile counter to smooth the jagged edge.

I would save that 600 and take a chance.....I talked to a friend who sells these TV's and he told me he had very few problems with XBR's over the years.......my .02cents

Originally posted by HouseSold
Group Opinion needed here:

Extended Warranties offered by the point of sale stores; are they worth it?

Case in point is the 4 year Circuit City extended warranty at $599. Is it really worth it on a Sony 70XBR950 at what works out to be $150 a year? They state the plan covers anything, in home service and replacing bulbs.

Have any of you purchased an XBR with an extended Warranty and what are your thoughts and experiences, Circuit City or otherwise.

Thanks...

> Did anyone else have a problem with turning on the 70xbr950? The green light flashes and it doesn't turn on.

Yes, I've had my 60xbr950 for about three days and had trouble turning it on last night. I powered it down, was off for about five minutes, then tried turning it back on and the green light flashed about 50 times or so, then the lamp light flashes.

I tried waiting and turning it on several times over about two hours, then tried removing and replacing the bulb, did that twice, and then it turned on again. Not sure if I wiggled something correctly, or if it just decided to start working again... ?

Since, I've turned it on and off about 7 times (trying to "break it"), but it's worked fine. It does, however, flash the green light anywhere between 30 and 50 times before it actually turns on, which seems like a long time.

How long does it take to turn on your Sony XBR LCD? Do I have a problem?

-Steve

Similar occurrence here; one of the kids turned off the set and turned it on immediately.

The circuit may be confused by this and need to reset, perhaps something to do with LCD stability. We just waited one time and it worked on its' own; the other time we left it off for about a half minute before turning it back on and now functions as designed.

Originally posted by siverson
[B
I tried waiting and turning it on several times over about two hours, then tried removing and replacing the bulb, did that twice, and then it turned on again. Not sure if I wiggled something correctly, or if it just decided to start working again... ?

Since, I've turned it on and off about 7 times (trying to "break it"), but it's worked fine. It does, however, flash the green light anywhere between 30 and 50 times before it actually turns on, which seems like a long time.

How long does it take to turn on your Sony XBR LCD? Do I have a problem?

-Steve [/B]

Steve, quit turning it off and on so much. :D

There is a thread here somewhere about forming the bulb such that it operates well. As best as I can recall, it recommended turning it on and leaving it on for a couple of hours when you first get it. Turning it off and on a lot actually causes a defect in the bulb. My GWIII non XBR blinks green 3 or 4 times before lighting.

Jim

How long does it take to turn on your Sony XBR LCD?

my 60" XBR blinks 10 times then on solid, everytime. no more no less. After having buzz/power up problems with a 50"GWIII, I count them every time I turn it on.

Madipac, I've experienced a similar situation to yours where my set just kept flashing green and never came on. After switching the power off, it came on again.

My set usually flashes green about 10 times before turning on. It's gotten to the point where I leave the tv on now when I know we'll be back in a few hours. - Just rediculous...

Housesold, the CC warranty does not cover the bulb. If they tell you this, make sure it is in writing from the CC manager.

Originally posted by Villanman
my 60" XBR blinks 10 times then on solid, everytime. no more no less. After having buzz/power up problems with a 50"GWIII, I count them every time I turn it on.

Mine blinks 6 times, then stays green. A few seconds later, the screen starts fading in.

Maybe 15 seconds all together...

Jack

Originally posted by bigscreentv
Housesold, the CC warranty does not cover the bulb. If they tell you this, make sure it is in writing from the CC manager.

They told me at Sound Advice that the extended warranty DOES cover the bulb. Has anyone heard otherwise?

I got my TV from a Family owned business and the Ext W I got through them pro-rates the bulb based on 4 hours of use a day.

On the warranty, the CC in Chandler AZ claims the bulb is covered. Prominent in their warranty sales pitch. It's not in the documentation, but the documentation looks old. I had the store call the warranty company to verify, the store manager showed me an email from CC headquarters clarifying that the bulbs are covered, and the store manager wrote on my receipt that the bulb was covered for 4 years and he signed it...joe

As long as you have it in writing Joe, it should be no problem. When I called the CC service line, they explicitly stated that they do not replace bulbs on LCD RPTV's because that is considered normal wear and tear.

So hope your experience works out better than mine.

Waiting for my 60" XBR from CC, they're saying it will be 6-8 weeks because Sony has had a problem with the lamp and lamp power supply and has frozen shipment until they fix the problem. This seems strange to me since online retailers have the set in stock. Anyone out there heard anything about this?

I am also waiting on my 70XBR950 from CC. The guy at CC said that Sony was having a problem with the lamps or they ray, he was not forth coming on the information. But I should have it around the 15th of the New Year! a little bit more then two weeks, but this gives me time to get the stand for the TV. I also went and bought the warranty for it covers bulb replacement.
He called someone from CC and said that at this time they are covering the bulb, but after the new year they may drop it from being covered. I asked about this for I read on the forum that people are not getting there bulb replaced, he then went on to tell me that the warranty is the same in all 50 states that there is a CC. He told me if they don't replace the bulb under warranty to call CC 1-800 number and talk with CC adviser on this.

Micro.....aka Kris

Mine blinks 6 times, then stays green. A few seconds later, the screen starts fading in.


wow, So far I haven't seen a 60 that blinked less than 10 times, but it's not like i've seen that many turn on,(maybe 3)
anyway
I've had mine over 2 weeks now with every day use and it is still 10 blinks then solid, no more, no less, and thank goodness no buzz. And even at 10 blinks, 15 seconds is also about what mine takes to crank up

they're saying it will be 6-8 weeks because Sony has had a problem with the lamp and lamp power supply and has frozen shipment until they fix the problem

I wasn't aware of the XBR's being plagued with the problem like the WE610 buzz/powerup. None of the retailers out here have mentioned anything like that. I bought mine 2 weeks ago and CC was currently out of stock, but luckily our local High end TV store here in Memphis just got one in at the time and they are actually cheaper than CC. They said they are selling them as soon as they hit the door and can't keep any in stock. CC was saying pretty much the same thing.

I just got finished reading this whole thread as I'm considering upgrading my 36" XBR CRT to a LCD RPTV.

here's a coincidence, and a note for you folks having the "flashing green light" problem.

My first XBR tube was a 32" back in 1999. Silly me, didn't get an extended warranty. Of course, first month out of warranty, I start having the exact same problem you guys are now describing. Very intermittent, no repeatable way to test. After no less than FIVE trips to a 3rd party service store (lugging the TV myself), I FINALLY talked Sony into replacing it for a small upgrade fee under the Lemon Law. The Service guys tried no less than 5 things, replacing chips, switches, etc. Nothing fixed it, and half the time, they couldn't reproduce the problem. At that point, I was swearing off Sony TV's for life, but I've been so happy with my replacement I think I'll just ensure I have an extended warranty from now on.

Net/net, Sony knows about issues LIKE this. I'm not suggesting that my issue was the same as yours (as I had a much older tube vs. your LCD), but Sony should know about issues like this, and maybe they have learned more about how to fix it by now.

Just my .02, from a potential GWIII owner.

My XBR 70" is being delivered tommorow, so excited. I was wondering if there are any dvds or what not to "test" the tv to see if it's performing well, test dead/stuck pixels and what not. Just want to make sure I get the best possible picture for my tv.


Also I only have a choice of comcast and directtv in my area, would going with comcast digital cable or direct tv be better, picture quality wise. Thanks for the help.

I was playing Bad Boyz II DVD and for the quality didn't look exactly as great as I thought it would, possibly I'm not far enough from the TV or maybe I have some incorrect settings? I'm using a progressive scan dvd player and component cables. Also does digital make a big difference? because I'm currently watching analog cable and it's very blurry, does digital cable resolve this issue even when it's not broadcasting hdtv signals? Thanks a lot.

Errr one more question. I tried tweaking some more settings with X2 DVD and it's a little better, but I don't think I'm getting the same quality as other users in this forum. Does watching a dvd in zoom mode cause the quality to go down? If someone could post their exact configs and settings, it'd be greatly appreciated as its getting frustrating that dvds aren't showing the quality I would expect them to be. (ie seems blurry and a tad unclear, not the breath taking experience people seem to be getting from dvds in this forum). thanks again!

I just got a 60' XBR950 TV and immediately noticed greenish tint discoloration in the upper right corner of the screen. It takes about 1/4 of the screen and clearly visible on black/gray backgrounds, but invisible while covered by bright picture. It almost looks like it needs degauss, except there is no such thing for LCD screens.
Any recommendations?
Thanks.

if you go with Comcast, make sure your order HD, not digital, cable as far as service (you may find that at least a couple locals come in and can be detected by your new TV, which has an open-cable QAM tuner onboard). You should also be able to receive over-air HDTV without an outboard box.

Keep in mind that digital cable is NOT hdtv; but HD cable is. Also, while DirecTV is digital, that too is not HDTV, unless you get an HD box... I use the HD200 (the new model is the HD300 Sony), which would work very well with your XBR70, as the new (and cool) remote will easily control the sat box too... (preprogrammed for Sony).

enjoy!

Anyone have any more information on this shipping delay from Sony? I can't find this unit anywhere, nor can I find any further information about any problems with the unit?

Originally posted by xbr950owner
I just got a 60' XBR950 TV and immediately noticed greenish tint discoloration in the upper right corner of the screen. It takes about 1/4 of the screen and clearly visible on black/gray backgrounds, but invisible while covered by bright picture. It almost looks like it needs degauss, except there is no such thing for LCD screens.
Any recommendations?
Thanks.

I had the exact same problem when I received my 60xbr950 last week - greenish
tint in the upper right corner. It was most visible when I was programming
digital channels (black background).
It was really upsetting. Fortunately, the problem was gone the next day.
I convinced myself that it was just fog behind the screen. Give the
set a day to reach room temperature and hopefully it will just go away.

- Mike G.

Originally posted by dailowai
Errr one more question. I tried tweaking some more settings with X2 DVD and it's a little better, but I don't think I'm getting the same quality as other users in this forum. Does watching a dvd in zoom mode cause the quality to go down? If someone could post their exact configs and settings, it'd be greatly appreciated as its getting frustrating that dvds aren't showing the quality I would expect them to be. (ie seems blurry and a tad unclear, not the breath taking experience people seem to be getting from dvds in this forum). thanks again!

New to this posting thing, sorry if I get it wrong.

Yes, watching in ZOOM mode will definitely reduce PQ. It sounds to me like your DVD player is not set up properly. I don't know what you have, but you need to go into DVD Player's menu and set it to understand that you have a 16x9 television now.

I don't know of ANY DVDs that would need to have the XBR set to ZOOM for proper viewing. Anamorphic (16x9 Enhanced) will always need to have the XBR set to FULL mode. "Pan'n'Scan" or "Full Screen" DVDs will most likely need to have the XBR set to NORMAL.

The only thing I use ZOOM mode for is SVCDs, and the occasional televeision show that has black bars at the top and bottom ("Enterprise" on UPN).

BTW - I currently own a KP65XBRW10 (CRT RP), but am considering the 60- or 70-XBR950, so I have been "lurking" on this thread for a couple of months.

Originally posted by waynemb
Anyone have any more information on this shipping delay from Sony? I can't find this unit anywhere, nor can I find any further information about any problems with the unit?

I found one at another dealer in town (Hi-Fi Buys), plus Crutchfield.com has them in stock.

I am surprised at the information I am seeing about the 60xbr950. Is it REALLY 67 inches wide? The 610 is only just under 64 inches wide. What makes the XBR so frigging wide?

My current setup allows for only 62 inches. I could easily squeeze out 2 more to fit the 610, but I'm not sure I can squeeze out 5 more to fit the XBR if it really is 67 inches wide.

Can some current owner clarify for me?

I just measured mine at 63".

The Box it comes in is 67 inches wide, Don't know why some places have that as the actual specs.

Originally posted by gene inger
if you go with Comcast, make sure your order HD, not digital, cable as far as service (you may find that at least a couple locals come in and can be detected by your new TV, which has an open-cable QAM tuner onboard). You should also be able to receive over-air HDTV without an outboard box.

Keep in mind that digital cable is NOT hdtv; but HD cable is. Also, while DirecTV is digital, that too is not HDTV, unless you get an HD box... I use the HD200 (the new model is the HD300 Sony), which would work very well with your XBR70, as the new (and cool) remote will easily control the sat box too... (preprogrammed for Sony).

enjoy!

So I am supposed to be able to play the local channels now in HDTV even though I'm just using analog cable? Because it doesn't seem like it, and can I check some how through the TV? Really new to all this HDTV stuff, thanks a lot! Also called comcast and double checked i got the HDTV, and in fact I did, thanks a lot.

Originally posted by countz
...I don't know of ANY DVDs that would need to have the XBR set to ZOOM for proper viewing. Anamorphic (16x9 Enhanced) will always need to have the XBR set to FULL mode. "Pan'n'Scan" or "Full Screen" DVDs will most likely need to have the XBR set to NORMAL...

Movies like "Brazil" or "Europa Europa" should be watched in ZOOM mode. They are widescreen, but are not Enhanced for 16:9 TV's.

Originally posted by Villanman
The Box it comes in is 67 inches wide, Don't know why some places have that as the actual specs.
Sonystyle lists it at 67 inches. I suppose that's where OneCall, CC, and GG get their info.
Crutchfield has it listed at 63.5, which sounds much more reasonable to me, given that the 70XBR is only 71.5.

I have not seen any results posted from hooking one of these up to a HTPC via DVI. Has anyone doen that yet? This is the main reason I am considering replacing my CRT RP because the computer picture is terrible.

I have an ATI AIW Radeon 8500DV.

Originally posted by waynemb
Anyone have any more information on this shipping delay from Sony? I can't find this unit anywhere, nor can I find any further information about any problems with the unit?

I ordered my 60XBR a week before christmas but have been told by CC that I may not get it unil mid January. One CC manager told me that there is a problem with the light engine that Sony is in the process of working out before they start shipping these sets again.

I also spoke to a salesperson at another high end HT store and he explained that sony has lots of XBR chassis and screens assembled and ready to receive the optical engines but that the engine are not available for some unknown reason which sort of supports what the CC manager old me.

I'm extremely excited about this TV and can't wait to get my set. I'm envious of you guys that already have your sets.

Originally posted by umr
Movies like "Brazil" or "Europa Europa" should be watched in ZOOM mode. They are widescreen, but are not Enhanced for 16:9 TV's.

Yeah, some of the more obscure titles produced by lazy companies have not done anamorphic properly (what a waste!), and therefore not done their movies justice. I don't own "Brazil" or "Europa Europa", but I probably do have one or two DVDs that need to be viewed in ZOOM.

Unless you just gotta have a movie and it's not offered in Anamorphic, I recommend buying only that kind of format. It's just not going to look as good as you expect on your 16x9 equipment unless it's Anamorphic, "Enhanced for 16x9 TVs", or "Formatted to fit widescreen TVs".

But the two titles mentioned in the post I was replying to were BBII and X2, which should definitely be "16x9 Enhanced", and they should give outstanding PQ in FULL mode. People should look too tall and skinny in ZOOM, or else your DVD player is misconfigured, as I think it is in this case.

I have had only two friends that upgraded to 16x9, and both of them forgot to change the DVD player. One of them ran that way for a year before I came over to fix his computer, and we sat down to watch a movie. I noticed immediately that he had it set wrong.

It's a very common mistake.

Hi everyone,
I'm waiting for my 60XBR (which I may not get until mid January) and was wondering if you guys that already have your sets could post pics of your setups.

In preparation for my 60XBR I recently bought two Ikea Kaxas TV stands and set them side by side as shown below. When set side by side in this manner they feature a 76.5" width and 23.75" depth. The 16.75 height made them my first choice since it's pretty close to the Sony stand's 15" height. My trusty 32" XBR which has served me well for over 6 years will be relegated to the bedroom. It's still a great TV.

Interested in seeing your pics since I'm still open to new ideas especially when it comes to TV stands.

http://www.geocities.com/aleowuor/Theater_002.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/aleowuor/Theater_004.jpg

I have a pioneer dv-434, any experiences with this player? It's a progressive scan player and I set it to 16:9, but the PQ still isn't as great as I would like it. Should I invest in a new dvd player? and if so any recomendations? Thanks a lot.

Does anyone have the code to use in Sony kdf-60xbr950 remote for Bravo D1 DVD player?

Sasingh,
Do you use the Bravo D1 with the 60XBR950? I just received a D1 and the picture isn't any better than the 480i out ouf my old Proceed PMDT. How is the picture from your D1, and what were you using before?...joe

Anyone heard about a possible 50" XBR?

Originally posted by Joe Jensen
Sasingh,
Do you use the Bravo D1 with the 60XBR950? I just received a D1 and the picture isn't any better than the 480i out ouf my old Proceed PMDT...

I found 480i to be the best input on this TV once it is tweaked. 480p does not have as much vertical resolution due to some enhancement. Your results do not surprise me at all. Read my post in this thread for more info.

UMR Does GWIII XBR & WE (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=331875)

dailowai--

please read your owner's manual... it's all spelled out quite clearly. Glad you 'discovered' that you can receive some HDTV cable without a box; (has nothing to do with your analog vs. digital cable if you have a system that's sending in-the-clear network affiliates in HD, which Comcast often does).

Also; hook up a plain TV antenna pointed towards the nearby mountain with your local TV stations; and do a digital channel scan (from set-up). It will take some time.. per the manual ... then push the simple 'antenna' button (rather than video inputs), and you may be surprised what you find.
(over the air HD channels, separate and distinct from the HD cable channels you already found you could receive).

good luck!

joe,

Yes, I also did not notice any improvements with D1 (DVI) on any setting.

I have not tried UMR's tweaks. If you try them, please post the results here.

Thanks.

Hi all,

Been catching up on this thread because I think I'm going to buy a 60XBR950. I've had to rule out single-chip implementations of DLP (the Sammy) and LCoS (the Philips Cineos) because of the rainbows I see, and the 3-chip Toshiba set is no more. :(

Don't get me wrong, I've always like the Sony XBR sets, and last year's 800 model was my second choice after the Toshiba. I wanted to wait for the new 950's to come out though. I've seen both the 60" and 70" models. Very nice. I also want to thank you folks for posting such good information.

Anyhoo... here's my question.

My XBox is going to be a major input source for this TV, and I'm wondering if the PQ is good enough? I can't see why there'd be a problem, but there we're a couple of posts back in November that said the PQ looked bad for games at 480i/p. This would definitely be a deal killer, since most games are in that format. I know, some newer games are available at 720p (which I assume look great since this matches the display's resolution), but I don't own any of those. I have a lot of games that I've been waiting to see on an HD set.

What (if any) kind of problems are there for game consoles on the 60xbr950? Is the response time for the LCD light engine fast enough that there wouldn't be ghosting on fast moving images (I know a lot of computer LCD monitors can't keep up with fast moving games).

Thanks a bunch!
//Robert

Originally posted by barretto
Hi all,

Been catching up on this thread because I think I'm going to buy a 60XBR950. I've had to rule out single-chip implementations of DLP (the Sammy) and LCoS (the Philips Cineos) because of the rainbows I see, and the 3-chip Toshiba set is no more. :(

Don't get me wrong, I've always like the Sony XBR sets, and last year's 800 model was my second choice after the Toshiba. I wanted to wait for the new 950's to come out though. I've seen both the 60" and 70" models. Very nice. I also want to thank you folks for posting such good information.

Anyhoo... here's my question.

My XBox is going to be a major input source for this TV, and I'm wondering if the PQ is good enough? I can't see why there'd be a problem, but there we're a couple of posts back in November that said the PQ looked bad for games at 480i/p. This would definitely be a deal killer, since most games are in that format. I know, some newer games are available at 720p (which I assume look great since this matches the display's resolution), but I don't own any of those. I have a lot of games that I've been waiting to see on an HD set.

What (if any) kind of problems are there for game consoles on the 60xbr950? Is the response time for the LCD light engine fast enough that there wouldn't be ghosting on fast moving images (I know a lot of computer LCD monitors can't keep up with fast moving games).

Thanks a bunch!
//Robert

Games are just fine with the XBR. As a matter of fact they are a lot better than my previous display ( A Pioneer 50 inch Plasma ) so you shouldnt worry too much. Response time is just fine for fast moving games and ghosting is not an issue. I think you will be very happy with the set.

Robert

I'd be inclined to take the xbox over to Circuit City (or whoever you think you'll be buying it from)and see if they'll let you hook it up. You might want to go on a Monday morning, not a Saturday afternoon.

I have the 60" non XBR GWIII and really like it. If I had it to do over, I think I'd go with the 70" XBR, primarily because of the extra size. Bigger is better in this case.

Good luck

Hehe... right in the middle of the Saturday rush, make 'em switch out the inputs on the TV... sounds like a plan! ;)

Good news. Thanks for the quick replies!

//robert

I just got my 70" XBR last week. I briefly experimented with a few minutes of Halo and had a few marathon sessions of KotOR. I had no issues with response times, motion-blurring etc. Overall 480p PQ is good, but at this size, jaggies are visible. It's really no bid deal.

Originally posted by dailowai
I have a pioneer dv-434, any experiences with this player? It's a progressive scan player and I set it to 16:9, but the PQ still isn't as great as I would like it. Should I invest in a new dvd player? and if so any recomendations? Thanks a lot.

According to customer reviews on dvdrhelp.com, this player does not have very good progressive scan capability.

I would follow the advice posted earlier in this thread to turn off progressive scan on the DVD player, and let the XBR do it for you. You should at least give it a try.

Originally posted by dailowai
I have a pioneer dv-434, any experiences with this player? It's a progressive scan player and I set it to 16:9, but the PQ still isn't as great as I would like it. Should I invest in a new dvd player? and if so any recomendations? Thanks a lot.

Now that you set it to 16x9, do X2 and BBII work in FULL mode instead of ZOOM?

Okay, I know I saw it in this thread at one time or at least I thought I did, but I can't figure out how to do it again.

When I turn the tv, it always reverts to the built in tuner video mode instead of staying in in the last video input mode used prior to turning the set off. I've been over the manual 3 times and could swear I had to working at one time. What am I overlooking?

Thanks,
Doug

Originally posted by countz
Now that you set it to 16x9, do X2 and BBII work in FULL mode instead of ZOOM?

Yes they do! Thanks a lot! But still the PQ is still a tad blurry, I thinking about getting the Momitsu V880, seems that a lot of people from this forum have had good experiences with it. I've been able to get NBC in HDTV, I was simply amazed. I was watching Jay Leno, and the quality was amazing, and then I went back to my analog channels and it was horrible. Getting my HD BOX setup tommorow, also I was wondering will all the channels, even the non hdtv channels look better when they are "digital"? Or can I only expect good quality for the HDTV channels? Thanks again for all the help.

Using an iBook laptop, I plugged the iBook directly to the KDF-60XBR950 DVI connector on the back of the HDTV. Used a DVI-D cable, as the Sony DVI connector won't accept a DVI-I cable.

Tuned to Input #7. Laptop screen showed up immediately and worked perfectly. The XBR showed up as a second display. Awesome!

It being my daughter's laptop, I could not diddle with the various resolutions. The test was just to see if it would be worth setting up a spare Mac on the home network to provide Virtual Terminal capabilities to my Mac G4 Tower. Seems to be worth it for my interactive graphics work!

Anyone here with this TV use comcast HDTV? I just got it today thinking it would change the quality of some of my other channels, but it didn't do anything. All the channels look horrible, except the FEW with HDTV signals. I was really excited when I got this TV, but it seems like it's only watchable for DVDS and HDTV, everything else like local news I end up watching on my old CRT, because it looks better.

Has anyone had any problems or concerns with the XBR 950 lamps. Do they really have to be replaced every 6000-8000 hours like dlp?

So... how far back from the 60" and 70" set do you folks sit? I'm thinking about these and my head is 13 feet from where the front of the tube would be. Is anyone sitting closer than that, and do you see scan lines or any screen-door effect?

Also, has anyone heard if Sony is working on a 1080p version of this technology?

One more question: what kinds of $$ are you folks paying for an extended warranty, and are you buying it from the dealer or aftermarket? I currently have a 8 or 9yo KP46XBR35 (46" CRT RP) and I definitely got use out of the 5 year Phillips extended warranty that I bought with the set -- had two major service calls that were each in the $300 range -- both involved circuit board repairs. I paid $295 for this warranty and the set was something like $2600.

I mailed Sony a few questions about these sets and here are my questions and Sony's responses. FWTW...

Q:If the LCD panels in the Grand Wega XBR 70 model are 788 pixels high, how is the set capable of displaying a 1080 High resolution?
A:The Sony KDF-70XBR950 has a display resolution of 1386 x 788, all input signals will be displayed at 1386 x 788. This television features three 0.87" wide XGA LCD panels, one for each RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) signal, that each resolves 1.09 million pixels for crisp, precise picture detail. The 1080i lines are not down converted to 720 progressive scanning lines. These televisions accept the full 1080 interlaced scanning lines (1080i) and 720 active scanning lines and progressive ("p") scanning that are used in digital television broadcasting.

Q:So then how does the set handle 1080i? If you only have 788 lines
to play with? Scan each field over the same set of pixels, or do you shift the scan up or down one row to emulate the interlaced scanning? (Since one field of 1080 is only 540 lines...)
Q:Since I've waited this long, is Sony planning on releasing a "native" 1920X1080 pixel set any time soon? Thanks for the replies.
Q:P.S. What do the acronyms WEGA and XBR stand for?
A:The KDF-XBR950 can accept 1080i/720p/480p/480i signals. However, all these signals are displayed at 788p.

WEGA pronounced as 'Vay-Gah' is named as the brightest star in the constellation Lyra.

FD Trinitron WEGA Flat Screen Technology is the basis of Sony's award winning line of visually flat televisions- an industry first. The FD Trinitron sets deliver incredible image accuracy, wide viewing angles, outstanding contrast and corner to corner detail.

The XBR (Extended Bit Rate) is a superior technology that delivers bright, gorgeous colors and pixel-perfect clarity.

Sony does not disclose upcoming product releases or related information upon request. As soon as announcements regarding new product introductions are made available to the public, they can be found at sony's news site...
Lee

Originally posted by slk230

WEGA pronounced as 'Vay-Gah' is named as the brightest star in the constellation Lyra.


Hmmmm... I thought that was Vega (Alpha Lyrae). I wonder why the big W.

Well.....the shine is off a bit with my new set. This morning it wouldn't turn on. The green LED flashed continuosly. If I pressed power again, the red LED would light and stay lit. After a few tries I unplugged and replugged the set. Then it worked fine. Anyone else have this problem? Seems like there may be a CPU that hangs and needs to be rebooted?...joe

Joe,

Last night, I had the first problem with my set.....

It would not turn on. I heard a short "clicking" (almost grinding) sound. After a bit, the red light started flashing on the set.

After turning it on and off a few times, it started up.

It started up again this morning, but I heard that "clicking" sound once as it started up.

The manual says to check if the lamp cover is on securely.

I hope that's all it is. I'm going to call Sony tomorrow.

Jack

You might want to count the number of red flashes and check for their interpretation in the owners manual.

These sets appear to be very sensitive to and easily confused by any power line fluctuations or surges. You might see if any other equipment in your home might react similarly and may need some form of line protection.
In our home, a hardwired intercom will always display EEE on the master display if we have a power surge or outage for a split second.

Perhaps an UPS (uninteruptable power source) might help, since they are now very affordable compared to even a year ago.

Anyone know of a UPS that puts out really clean power? I know the cheap ones supposedly put out a pretty ugly sine wave....joe

Originally posted by InvaderZim
I wonder why the big W.

It's not a big W, it's actually two letter V's.

//robert

The mystery of how to spell "WEGA" is explained on the sonystyle canada website. On the mainpage click television. There you will find three videos by Dave Chalk that promo the line and one explains the "stylistic" double V.
cheers
Dave Walton... thats a w..not a v.

A UPS will help you when the power goes out, but will not produce clean power.

I have noticed decent improvements in both sound and picture using line conditioners. Those from PS Audio are excellent, as are those from BPT. None of these are exactly cheap, but will improve performance of 8 or so components, including your display.

Be careful of some of the cheaper alternatives, as they can actually clip power and have adverse effects. Surge protectors will also do this, although I hear those from Brickwall are good.

I had my green light flash 10-15 times and it didn't turn on. It happened 5-7 times in the last month. The SOny service guy said they are having some problems with few parts inside the TV and he said he is going to replace 3 parts based on the serial #. They have received some service bulletins on thease already and you may want to call in for service and get it checked.....




Originally posted by JackVette
Joe,

Last night, I had the first problem with my set.....

It would not turn on. I heard a short "clicking" (almost grinding) sound. After a bit, the red light started flashing on the set.

After turning it on and off a few times, it started up.

It started up again this morning, but I heard that "clicking" sound once as it started up.

The manual says to check if the lamp cover is on securely.

I hope that's all it is. I'm going to call Sony tomorrow.

Jack

The 3 parts that need to be replaced are as follows:

1K Ohm chip resistor (part# 121604911)
1nF, 500V +/-5% Fixed Ceramic Cap (part # 116437211)
Resistor metal film 100-ohm 1/10W +/-5% (part # 121680911)

Sony has a list of serial numbers that are affected - they are listed in a tech bulletin.

Blazeby, do you have a tech bulletin number?...joe

Joe,

Sony Event ID (tech bulletin #) is: E22969464

Originally posted by blazeby
Joe,

Sony Event ID (tech bulletin #) is: E22969464

Are the tech bulletins online? How will I know if these parts need replacing? Will Sony contact me based on my S/N, or is it up to me to check with Sony to see if my XBR needs this service? Thanks!

Nobody will contact you, and you should not worry unless your set develops problems. The vast majority of sets sold were fine. If a set gets the buzz problem and fails to start, the event id I listed can be told to the tech for reference purposes. It seems some of the techs have trouble finding it.

My set has been perfect from day one (touch wood), and so I do not worry about which parts should be replaced because if your set is fine, the answer is no parts need to be replaced!

Originally posted by blazeby
Nobody will contact you, and you should not worry unless your set develops problems. The vast majority of sets sold were fine. If a set gets the buzz problem and fails to start, the event id I listed can be told to the tech for reference purposes. It seems some of the techs have trouble finding it.

My set has been perfect from day one (touch wood), and so I do not worry about which parts should be replaced because if your set is fine, the answer is no parts need to be replaced!

Thanks blazeby. I didn't mean to sound paranoid, but if the parts are known to have a design flaw, then I would prefer to have them replaced before they fail, so I won't be without a TV for weeks, which would really make me crazy!

Firewire, has anyone messed with this yet?

In the manual on page 85 it talks about using i-link and recording to a digital VCR.

Does this do HDTV?

I have a SAT-HD300 hooked using DVI and when viewing that source on my TV will the Firewire out record this in HDTV?

Thanks for any comments.

Yep....

I called for service. First place said they'd see me in a month. I got a second place that is coming on Weds.

He seems okay. He found the bulletin, and asked for my serial number.

Does anyone know if this has really fixed the problem or if it just delays it.

Glad I bought an extended warranty.

Jack

Originally posted by madipac
I had my green light flash 10-15 times and it didn't turn on. It happened 5-7 times in the last month. The SOny service guy said they are having some problems with few parts inside the TV and he said he is going to replace 3 parts based on the serial #. They have received some service bulletins on thease already and you may want to call in for service and get it checked.....

After posting about the 70" set several times, I bought one on Saturday. Had no trouble getting a substantial discount at a local TV dealer who instantly agreed to match the Fry's price, added free delivery so they could "beat" Fry's. True to their word, the set was delivered and set up Sunday. Unfortunately, the cable company's offices were already closed so I couldn't get a HDTV box in time for the Sugar Bowl. So instead, I dug out an old 300 ohm UHF loop antenna that came with a long-deceased portable TV, put it on a 300 to 75ohm converter and hooked that to the set. Lo and behold, when it went looking for digital channels, it found all five local digital broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS and FOX) and by hanging the antenna so the loop was perpendicular to the location of the antenna farm, I was able to watch the Sugar Bowl in glorious high definition. Very impressive.

There have been discussions in this thread about stands. I didn't want to pay $1k for what is, frankly, a pretty ugly stand so my wife and I hit the local furniture stores during the heighth of their sales on Saturday. We found a beautiful coffee table with drawers and a ledge just above the floor in the "scratch and dent" section of a furniture store, marked down from $500 to $149. The only thing wrong with it was a small scratch on the surface (where the TV will sit), and some minor bashmarks on one edge that can be hidden with a furniture marker. The table is about 18" high, and 30" deep, so a 24" TV sitting on it works out very well. I don't think anyone has previously mentioned putting this set on a coffee table instead of a TV stand, but it's possible and it works. Before we bought the table, I hopped on it and pretty much jumped up and down. I'm 6'4" and 200lbs and I figured if I couldn't make it creak, it would be safe to put the TV on it.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who posted their experiences in this thread -- it really helped make my decision.

Originally posted by InvaderZim
...

There have been discussions in this thread about stands. I didn't want to pay $1k for what is, frankly, a pretty ugly stand so my wife and I hit the local furniture stores during the heighth of their sales on Saturday. We found a beautiful coffee table with drawers and a ledge just above the floor in the "scratch and dent" section of a furniture store, marked down from $500 to $149. The only thing wrong with it was a small scratch on the surface (where the TV will sit), and some minor bashmarks on one edge that can be hidden with a furniture marker. The table is about 18" high, and 30" deep, so a 24" TV sitting on it works out very well. I don't think anyone has previously mentioned putting this set on a coffee table instead of a TV stand, but it's possible and it works. Before we bought the table, I hopped on it and pretty much jumped up and down. I'm 6'4" and 200lbs and I figured if I couldn't make it creak, it would be safe to put the TV on it.

...

I had the same feelings about the stand issue. Looked at the IKEA catalog and didn't find anything that really looked any better than the 20-year-old coffee table down our basement ... salvaged from my parents' move from FL to a nursing home. My wife agreed to use it "temporarily", but given that the clear and everpresent focus of attention is the set itself, not what it is sitting on --- I'm certain that free table will last a long time.

Yes, the Sugar Bowl was fantastic, particularly since Adelphia here hasn't worked out HDTV for FOX or CBS!

A quick question: I didn't buy the 5-year extended warranty from the dealer because I thought it was way too expensive and didn't cover the bulb. To their credit, they didn't push it very hard and I have 30 days to decide to purchase it. Are there after-market extended warranties that I could buy directly? I had an extended warranty on the set this one replaces (a 9 year old Sony KP46XBR35 46" projection set). The 5 year warranty on that $3000 set was only $249 through Phillips and I had two covered $300 service calls on that set that involved circuit board repairs that I was quite satisfied with.

Any tips about extended warranties would be appreciated.

So what kind of stands are you folks using for your 60XBR950's?

I can't believe Sony wants a $1000 for their stand. That's seems way too high to me. Especially for something that doesn't even include cool flashing lights on it. ;)

Seriously though, I would think nothing higher than 22" would be sufficient for when sitting on a couch for a person of average height (5'10"-ish).

Also, where are you placing your center speaker, or would you recommend using the TV's built in speakers as the center channel? I suppose you could place it on the shelf below the TV, but that seems really low, considering the front speakers won't be mounted that low. Perhaps that doesn't matter much, within a few feet anyway.

Thanks,
//robert

So what kind of stands are you folks using for your 60XBR950's?

This is what I'm using.

I'm posting from work, so measurements and model numbers aren't exactly possible.

The Sony stand we ended up using for the 70XBR950 (will work for the 60" also) was from Circuit City listed at $199 (discounted $75 since we bought the TV there) was for the Sony 46" rear projection model. Easy to assemble, stylish, not too tall and all Sony specs. Usually under the actual display TV at a Circuit City.

Here's the primary link of all stands in their inventory online: http://www.circuitcity.com/searchresults.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-9798&department=Audio+and+Video+Furniture&qp=00411&dupDept=Televisions

Here's the stand that we bought link: http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?c=1&b=g&catoid=-9798&qp=00411&bookmark=bookmark_8&oid=63613

It does not weigh 143lbs as specs indicate; probably is shipping weight and is more like 40-50lbs actually.

We like this stand, since our Sony receiver and DVD player fit perfectly on the lower base shelf and the single adjustable tempered glass shelf. The width accomodates the XBR950 allowing lower side space for Subwoofer and tower speakers on both sides in our setup which is on a tract house recess that is 22" above the floor. The rear three raised hard vinyl or rubber grommets on the stand are perfect for giving us about a 5 degree tilt from the rear of the stand for perfect seated viewing angle at our seating distance of about 14 feet. All in all almost like a custom setup. For the worry wards, the rear corners of the stand could always accept a vertical length of 2 X 4 inserted and blackened with shoe polish or painted. Unless your floor area is back-lit, you won't see anything including the cables. BTW Sony has the rear stand support tower (high density particle board material) hollowed out for cabling so they're not visible-nice touch)


We may ceiling mount our center channel speaker array and eventually side wall mount the front speakers (five per side)
The rear channel setup is yet to be determined after hearing some of your ideas for wireless speakers, since our Sony receiver has an output for wireless and we have no access to routing rear speaker wiring internally in the ceiling.

Your mileage may vary.

Originally posted by barretto
So what kind of stands are you folks using for your 60XBR950's?

I got a BDI 8024 for my 60" XBR. The stand is black and very elegant and matches my "Pioneer Elite" decor. The stand is 22.5" high which is fine. It is only 48" wide, but the "floating" look of the XBR kind of compliments the overlap.


Also, where are you placing your center speaker, or would you recommend using the TV's built in speakers as the center channel? I suppose you could place it on the shelf below the TV, but that seems really low, considering the front speakers won't be mounted that low. Perhaps that doesn't matter much, within a few feet anyway.

I have my center on the top shelf of the BDI stand, which centers it at about 18" above the floor. Seems good to me, and you can also tilt the speaker slightly up or down to aim it directly at the sweet spot if you want.

Using the TVs speakers for center, if you have a decent set of front speakers, will generally not give you what you want. I have tried this before and to even get close to the sound level of the sides the TV had to be turned all of the way up, and lacked a lot of depth that you will get out of a good center. The center is key to dialog and any non-5.1 content you will watch, so don't skimp. JMHO.

Anyone see the Indy/Denver game in HD yesterday on CBS?

My wife initially thought I was playing a video game on my 70XBR950 the picture quality was so good. The 1080i broadcast was kind of spooky with artificial turf and dome lighting.

Any way to tone this effect/quality down a little by Super Bowl time when guests will be watching and may get spooked?

Thanks for the quick responses. You folks rock!

//robert

I've got a BDI Icon 9427 on order. Tried a Bush (from CC) that looked great but was a little too high (22"). The BDI is 18" high, which is about perfect for viewing from my sofa.

i ordered the 60 inch verison of this tv about 2 weeks ago from a Sony Family store since my uncle is a programmer for them and found out today that its backordered 6 weeks. :'(. i wanted it for the super bowl but i guess its a SD super bowl for me.

A question: is there any way to get this set to tell me what kind of input signal it is receiving, either via the tuner or the component inputs?

Also, I finally got the Scientific Atlanta 3250 HDTV cable box from Time Warner, which has a DVI output but it's disabled so I'm using the component outputs. I can tell this box what to put out (i.e. 1080i, 720p, 480i, 480p) and I'm assuming that it's doing what I tell it to. But I'm a bit confused -- there doesn't appear to be any way to get it to simply pass through the HDTV signal and it appears to even digitize analog channels --they look bad, just a bit better than TIVO in basic mode. So if one hidef channel is 720p, while another is 1080i, I guess I need to manually adjust the setting of the box to 720p or 1080i to avoid having the box resample. I'd rather let the TV handle that.

For example, with DiscoveryHD, there is a subtle difference when I tell the cable box to output 720p vs. 1080i. I think the 1080i looks a little better -- I wonder if that's because the transmission is 1080i and the TV is doing the reduction to 720p rather than the cable box. But the reverse is true for other programs, like "CSI Miami". Anyway, like I said, I'm confused.

I'm not complaining about the set -- the image is absolutely spectactular either way, and using the built-in tuner (or TIVO) for the analog cable channels avoids the awful artifacts the cable box introduces. I can live with that. I'm just wondering if I'm doing something in a non-optimal way.

There is another cable box, a PACE something or other, that has a working DVI output. I assume that by using the component TV inputs for hidef, the cable box is doing a digital to analog conversion (maybe with a scan rate conversion), and the TV is then doing an analog to digital conversion and another scan rate conversion if the input is not 720P. Do I have that right? Would the DVI input completely circumvent this issue and let the TV do all the work?

Sorry for all the questions. Like I said, I'm confused...

What I would do is call and complain to your cable company. It's hit or miss throughout the country, and some people just don't understand the technology properly, but Time Warner, Cox and other cableco's have the ability to pass the HD network feeds right along with the rest of the analog channels down the same line, making the PACE or Sci Atlantic box useless except for those Premium HD channels. The 950's have a QAM tuner and if your lucky, in your area, you can just subscribe to basic cable, tell your tv to scan the channels and it'll find some of the newtork feeds. No need for an antenna, no need to worry that your over the hill, or behind that building and can't see the tower for OTA, Also no additional remote control to line up on the coffeee table, not another $10 or so to add to your cable bill just because you want to get Fox, ABC etc.. in HD. And lastly, one more free HD input on the back of the TV for the PlayStation or HDTivo (which will also have this issue with needing a STB to get the HD feeds if your cableco sdoesn't start playing ball.

I guess the biggest issue is that too many people have HD capable 'monitors' and not a true HDTV with its built in tuner. Think of this as buying a "cable ready" tv and then being told that the only way to get ABC is you must RENT their Tuner Box. Well, in some areas of the country we are being told this if we want to get the ABC HD channel because they just don't want to flip the switch in the right place, even though we already pay to receive that channel.

off the soap box now....

Originally posted by Driver
What I would do is call and complain to your cable company. It's hit or miss throughout the country, and some people just don't understand the technology properly, but Time Warner, Cox and other cableco's have the ability to pass the HD network feeds right along with the rest of the analog channels down the same line, making the PACE or Sci Atlantic box useless except for those Premium HD channels. The 950's have a QAM tuner and if your lucky, in your area, you can just subscribe to basic cable, tell your tv to scan the channels and it'll find some of the newtork feeds. No need for an antenna, no need to worry that your over the hill, or behind that building and can't see the tower for OTA, Also no additional remote control to line up on the coffeee table, not another $10 or so to add to your cable bill just because you want to get Fox, ABC etc.. in HD. And lastly, one more free HD input on the back of the TV for the PlayStation or HDTivo (which will also have this issue with needing a STB to get the HD feeds if your cableco sdoesn't start playing ball.

....

I've got the cable feed to the settop box split with one leg feeding the box and the other feeding the XBR 950. The reason I do this is that, on occasion, via the un-boxed cable feed and XBR QAM tuner, I can view a Video-on-Demand movie that someone else has paid for (and controls). I can NOT get any of the 3 HD channels (NBC, ABC, HBO) unless I go through the settop box.

Originally posted by roblake
I've got the cable feed to the settop box split with one leg feeding the box and the other feeding the XBR 950. The reason I do this is that, on occasion, via the un-boxed cable feed and XBR QAM tuner, I can view a Video-on-Demand movie that someone else has paid for (and controls). I can NOT get any of the 3 HD channels (NBC, ABC, HBO) unless I go through the settop box.

In Austin, we're stuck until there is enough pressure brought to bear on them to send the regular network feeds in the clear. The engineer I talked to said it could be done, they just 'don't' here in Austin. Time Warner does in San Antonio, no additional charges. This is my entire point. I pay for Basic so I have a decent feed to watch CSI and such, I don't beleive I should have to rent an additional box (and double my cable bill) just so I can get the HD version of the same channel I've already paid for. The cable is a backup for heavy rain days when DirecTV is cutting out (maybe 3 times a year, if that) and for rooms I don't have a DirecTivo set up in.

C'mon folks, it may no affect you now but in a year or so when you start buying a full feature HDTV with a built in tuner it will. This may take longer than that just to get TWC to change their practices.

Hi Driver:

I'm in Austin too and you've just answered my next question. I have one of the two f-connectors on the back connected directly to the cable and noticed starting at about channel #70, when I hit "next channel", it goes 70.1, 70.2... 70.11, 80.1... but they all eventually say "no signal". Channels 98 and 99 are analog, and then this resumes at channel 100. I got bored at that point and it sounds like it's good I didn't waste any more time.

I do have the digital cable tier and get the high-def channels. So far, it's been worth it, but I'm a big-time TIVO user as well and it's hard to get used to watching TV again the old way. But "CSI Miami" was spectacular in high-def on Monday with all the primary colors they use (normally, I don't even notice stuff like that). Even "Raymond" was great and I could see the pancake makeup that they use to cover the stars' pores.

I am also able to pull in the over-the-air channels with a little UHF loop antenna pointed the right way (towards Westlake). But the TW digital version of the hidef channels is different than the over-the-air version. For example, no 16x9 "Raymond" or "CSI Miami" over the air.

Do you participate in the cable@yahoogroups.com list? It was set up for TW cable modems in Austin, but there's a lot of set-top talk as well. TW participates in this list and I'd like to ping them about what you brought up.

Hi guys,

Where is the best place to get a large stand for this set? I have a lot of equipment that I'd like to place in the stand (3 VCRs, 3 Receivers, Tape, DVD, CD etc)

Thanks!
Howie

For stands, try racksandstands.com.

Originally posted by InvaderZim
Hi Driver:

I'm in Austin too and you've just answered my next question. I have one of the two f-connectors on the back connected directly to the cable and noticed starting at about channel #70, when I hit "next channel", it goes 70.1, 70.2... 70.11, 80.1... but they all eventually say "no signal". Channels 98 and 99 are analog, and then this resumes at channel 100. I got bored at that point and it sounds like it's good I didn't waste any more time.

I do have the digital cable tier and get the high-def channels. So far, it's been worth it, but I'm a big-time TIVO user as well and it's hard to get used to watching TV again the old way. But "CSI Miami" was spectacular in high-def on Monday with all the primary colors they use (normally, I don't even notice stuff like that). Even "Raymond" was great and I could see the pancake makeup that they use to cover the stars' pores.

I am also able to pull in the over-the-air channels with a little UHF loop antenna pointed the right way (towards Westlake). But the TW digital version of the hidef channels is different than the over-the-air version. For example, no 16x9 "Raymond" or "CSI Miami" over the air.

Do you participate in the cable@yahoogroups.com list? It was set up for TW cable modems in Austin, but there's a lot of set-top talk as well. TW participates in this list and I'd like to ping them about what you brought up.


I get CSI over my Silver Sensor antenna, its' 16x9 for me right this minute as I watch it, Raymond should be as well. Sure your tuning to the .1 channel and not the Analog signal itself?

I don't do anything in Yahoo Groups, too much spam associated with being on one of their lists. Plus I could care less about reading about this or that set top box. All I want is the 'complete' channel I pay for, not a watered down version of the signal. Especially when they choose to limit the quality of the signal they send to me. Have you called them to ask for them to change?

I didn't check CSI tonight. Wish we had NBC HD for E.R. -- TW is supposedly finalizing the contracts this month. Also, TW Austin will be offering the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000HD in a few weeks. They ordered 1,000 of the 180GB models that can hold 20 hours of high-def and it has two tuners. Not sure about the pricing--they charge an extra $10/month for the non-hidef DVR and I suspect this will be the same. I'll be waiting when they open that day. :-)

I asked about the unencrypted local HDTV channels and the question is being passed up the chain of command. I'll post here if I get a reply.

They also downloaded a firmware update today for the 3250HD that enables passthrough without the conversions the box was previously performing, and turns on the DVI port. I came home, pulled the power plug on the box for 30 seconds and it had the firmware update when it came on again. Now I can see the TV changing modes when I move between high-def channels, so the passthrough is working. I can't seem to find a DVI cable that I know I have so I can't check to see if that connector is now working.

I do have to say that the high-def signals they do provide are beautiful. I'll have to do more comparison of the off-the-air signals.

New question: since this set uses some kind of monster light bulb, if I'm leaving the room for, say 15 or 30 minutes, is it better to turn it off or leave it on?

I wonder because the TV takes about 10-15 seconds to come up to speed and reach full brightness. I assume this is the TV "warming up" the bulb to avoid shocking it. When turning off, it also seems to think about it for a couple of seconds before the screen goes black.

So I'm thinking, since there's no burn-in risk, it might be better just to leave the set on instead of turning it off for a short interval and then on again. This is ignoring all the previous discussions about sets that don't power up properly, of course. I haven't yet had that problem and am hopeful Sony fixed it.

I confess that I still haven't read the manual. Boy, will I feel dumb if it covers this topic.

Also, what do the replacement bulbs cost? Does anyone have an extended warranty that covers it?

I connected my kdf-60xbr950 to a laptop with firewire cable. The PC recognized that kdf-60xbr950 was connected to it and the TV recognized that an iLink device was connected to it but the communication between the two did not happen. The device for the TV showed some error in the device manager in the laptop.

Has anyone succeeded in setting this up correctly? I was hoping to record HD channels this way. I know the manual says that ilink does not work with computers but I was hoping someone would find a way to make it work :)

Try checking out the "Home Theater Computer" forum.

You can jump to it with the dropdown box at the bottom of this page.

HouseSold - The maximum load capacity for the stand you are using is only 140 lbs. the 70XBRs wight is 222 ilbs. I don't think it's a safe thing to do, might hold the weight for now but overtime that might collapse.

I am thinking of getting the 70XBR950 model. I want to run with the Bravo D1 DVD player with DVI output. I am split between this LCD and the Sammy 61" DLP.

Does anyone know if the DVI will look as good as it does on the Sammy DLPs?

Also, what is the native resolution of the 70XBR950? Trying to see if you can do a pixel-to-pixel mapping with the XBR LCD.

Thanks!!

I've been using a flaky D1 with my GWIII. I've generally watched at 480p and 720p. The PQ is really nice but a bit soft. I decided to try and replace my D1 for a third time and received one that was DOA. So I put back in my budget Panasonic S35 and was very impressed. I've tried both 480i and 480p and prefer 48op. The PQ in my opinion was as good if not better, certainly sharper. I tried to do 1:1 with the D1 but could not.

cool, thanks.

I just got a brand new D1, I hope it aint flaky! I was hoping they have worked out all the bugs by now.

Can the D1 put out the native resolution of the 70"? I dont know what it is, but I heard it is a non-standard pic res. Can anyone confirm this??

I would love to have the 70", but I want to make sure the DVI will look as good as a DLP 61" set (wish they had a 70" DLP to compare).

I had heard rumors of a 70" XBR with 1080p resolution for this year. Can anyone here confirm or deny? It sounds too good to be true... Thanks.

I just ordered a 70XBR950, and recently found all the great info on this forum.

I got a great deal on the unit at Nebraska Furniture Mart. What really convinced me that this was seeing the 60XBR950 at Circuit City. Most HDTV displays I've seen at stores have what I describe as a grainy looking picture, which also seems to have alot of motion artifacts on sports or similar programming. I've long suspected that this is due to the component video outputs from a single satellite receiver being split to drive 30 or more TVs. Circuit City's display was the first where I saw really clean HDTV displayed on all the sets.

They had HDNet showing, and the combination of a hockey game, movie clips, an interview and test patterns gave me the opportunity to compare with various other units. What impressed me the most was the clean detailed image from a 1080i source. It really was better than the CRT rear projection 1080 native sets showing the same signal as far as convergence, and apparent resolution. There was a slight bow to the geometry at the top of the screen, but very minor (edges higher than the center). Based on HDNets grayscale the black and peak white levels were dead on. The only units that I thought had an equal or better picture quality were the Sony plasma units. The Samsung DLP was close. And I know I can make it look better when I get it home.

Anyway, Im expecting delivery the 27th of January (my choice... NFM was offering delivery within a week.) This is my first digital/HD receiver, so I'm looking forward to seeing what all its capable of. I hope I can also contribute useful information to this forum.

I can second what KC-Technerd said above. In our case, the store display was great when showing hidef, but not very good when showing local channels/cable. It was much improved when we got it home.

Tonight, the HDTV cable feed of the local Fox station (which is broadcast in 480P) had a really annoying flickering at the top of the 4x3 picture, and they were letterboxing it for some reason so it didn't even fill the frame from top to bottom (it looked like it was using 480 of the 720 scan lines--just bizarre)--or my cable box wasn't decoding it properly. Zooming it filled the frame but cut off a bit of the top and bottom.

So we switched to the analog cable channel, which filled the screen from top to bottom and I was amazed at the lack of video noise in the bright, solid-colored fields (I do have noise reduction turned on but set to low). Anyway, my point is that analog TV is really watchable on this set as well as long as there's a good signal. But it doesn't compare to real hidef--and the CBS 1080i feed is fantastic.

I had the samsung dlp 61" and it was great at HD but so very sorry at normal broadcast. When flipping through the channels I just couldn't get over the idea I just spent 4.5K on a tv that looks this hossed.

CC switched it out for the Sony XBR 60"....Incredible difference. All the analogue channels look passable (not blocky like the dlp) and of course HD looked incredible (as they all do).

I believe this tv is the best out there (even plasma's). Plasma's have significant issues w/ burnin and repair problems and do not handle analogue signals well (although true plasma hdtv is the best). The DLPs are very blocky (even in some HD feeds). The Sony XBR (the new model) does it all well. It is the best Sony has to offer.

Originally posted by david mcdaniel
I had heard rumors of a 70" XBR with 1080p resolution for this year. Can anyone here confirm or deny? It sounds too good to be true... Thanks.


That sounds entirely possible. Here are the specs for Samsung's 1080p LCD TV shown at CEC. I'm sure Sony isn't far behind. 1080p Plasmas were also shown.

Samsung LTP578W Specs (http://www.sonnet.com/arsea/ces/ces2004/day1/IMG_1641.JPG)

I payed for my 60XBR just before christmas but CC has no idea when they'll get their next shipment of this TV. I would have been happy if I had this TV in my house right now but knowing that it could be a month or more before I get it, I'm tempted to get my money back and wait for the 1080p offerings to show up on the market. This waiting is just killing me

I'm almost ready to spring for the 60" XBR 950, but I am a bit leary about availability of the bulb when the time comes to replace it. I've checked Sony's parts order Web site, but they continually list the bulb (model XL-2100U) as "out of stock". Does anyone know whether the replacement bulbs are stocked by local Sony repair shops and how much they cost?

Many of you have e-mailed me about the prices on the 70XBR950.
Although we purchased at Circuit City in SoCalif., not all circuit City stores are as gracious on pricing below $6000 for this set. I suggest you find a price that is acceptable to you (online or BandM), visit a store of your choice more than once trying to establish a research kind of dialogue with a manager or even store director as I did and then speak of pricing.

There have been various reports on extended warranties NOT covering the bulb. The Circuit City policy does cover the bulb and it was written so by our store director on our policy and signed, which had been clarified by their -- quote "internal meetings on the subject". Never the less, if you opt for this worth while extra, get it in writing from someone higher up that you perceive will probably be there in a year or two, or when you need them. There is always more clout as a consumer with a problem, if we have a store or national chain on our side. The bulbs are rumored to cost about $250 retail; but none of us pay retail, do we?

This link below is one of many, if you purchase from a local store (as we did; there's something about walking in and talking to your saleperson in person after a phone call socially or with a problem, that gets better results) that you can print and show to management.

http://www.taxfreeelectronics.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=11&Product_ID=1433&CATID=2

regards

Warrenty for 70XBR950?

I already bought my TV and would like to buy extended warrenty. Does anyone know of a good place where I can extended warrenty. The place where I bought my TV is a small place and they dont sell warrenties.
Thanks

Anyone heard anything new or different about the availability of the 60XBR.

I ordered a 60XBR950 from a local SONY Dealer in the Philadelphia area on December 12th. Yesterday my Dealer said according to the latest from SONY it's unlikely the unit will arrive before the end of January.

i ordered mine through the sony family store and recieved word a couple of days ago that they were backordered about 6 weeks. :(

On my 60XBR950 on the front panel there is a black square push button (latch/un-latch) at the top of the front panel area, just above the iLink connector. What is it supposed to do? I've looked at the User's Guide and may have missed it, but it seems to be cut out from the iLink front panel illustrations.

Need to find if we can tilt 70XBR950 clockwise at 90 deg. To fit into the door to my basement I have to rotate this TV clockwise at 90deg. Wanted to know if this would cause any damage to the TV.

Thanks

As long as it's done gently, this will tilting the 70 should be no problem - this was what we had to do with mine, and it works perfectly.

How wide does the door opening need to be? With or without it in its box? (I notice the manual shows a depth of 25.5".)

Not sure how wide it is with the box (the guys unboxed it outside), but unboxed it would have to be at least 26-28" or so.

That will work. Thanks.

I was wondering about peoples opinions with this tv about using dvi with directv vs dvi with a dvd player? should i get a dvd player like the samsung 931 and use dvi and upscale it to 720p or 1080i? or should i use the dvi with the HD directv receiver. i know i could use component with the dtv and get HD so i was leaning towards getting a dvd player that upscales like the samsung but was wondering if people had problems upscaling it to HD. any suggestions would be great.

Do a search on 931 and GWIII. Some compatibility problems when using DVI interface in terms of extreme loss of black detail.

My personal opinion: My DVI input is reserved for the upcoming HD-DirecTiVo. Using it for upconverted 480p pictures seems like a waste when you could use it for true 720p/1080i content.

Ok,

I have a 60" LCD XBR and I need to know one thing!!!!!!!!!!!

Do I need a progressive scan DVD player or not??? Some were saying no because the set has some kind of internal thing that does a good job??

Thanks!
van

Hi,

This is my first post on this forum. I just purchased Sony 70XBR950 from a local Sony dealer Austin DES . Driver on this forum recommended him and the price is really good, actually way better than rest of chain stores. The TV and Sony stand was delivered and set up same day. This tv can be watch comfortablely around 10 feet, but I have it set up 13 feet out. TWC HD programming, local OTA HD programming, and Samsung HD931 dvd player all looks great.

Now I am trying to hook up my wireless headset to the tv so I can watch TV while kids are sleep upstairs. Where should I hook it into? So far I can't get any audio from my headset.

thanks,

Derek
Austin, TX

When i hook up my Samsung HD931 dvd player , I use 1080i output. I toggle progressive output button on and off, and I get the best image quality when I turn off progressive scan. I assume you don't need a progressive scan player since the tv will do it for you.



Derek

Originally posted by vankay
Ok,

I have a 60" LCD XBR and I need to know one thing!!!!!!!!!!!

Do I need a progressive scan DVD player or not??? Some were saying no because the set has some kind of internal thing that does a good job??

Thanks!
van

What you'll find is there is very little difference between playing a DVD player on interlace vs progressive on this set.

As a practical matter, to get a decent enough player, it will usually be progressive.

im guessing i could also get the samsung 931 use dvi with it and component with my sat hd300, then when HD tivo comes out just switch the two and use dvi with tivo. is there a big difference in watching dvd's at 480p compared to 720p and 1080i cause dvds arent made for HD im just wondering.

just returned from CES (and then LA), and really saw nothing I liked better or could really compete (that is available NOW) as far as a 70" HD set with relatively shallow depth and most modern features (but not a dedicated PC input; but with iLink/Firewire, but no HDMI, which isn't too important).

I have had the 70 XBR for about a month now; and of course (my nature) looked at everything to justify my purchase (and enjoyed meeting several of you at the AVS party... thanks Sam, Dave and eveyrone)...

At this point, back home, am totally satisfied with my decision on the Sony (it's paired with an HD200, HD cable without an STB, and OTA HD ..all fine).

cheers!

_______________________
www.ingerletter.com

Originally posted by JimP
What you'll find is there is very little difference between playing a DVD player on interlace vs progressive on this set.

I would strongly object to that statement. I have the 70" and my older (top of the line in its Day) Sony S7700 is no match at all for the Sony 999ES and the Progressive output there. I did A-B comparisions of the 2 using the same set of Component inputs and cables and it was much clearer with the progressive output on the 999ES. SG-1 on DVD (true 16x9) was the test source. On the S7700 the darker scenes were absolutley lousy with dot crawl or macro-blocking, just looked like a badly done MPEG. With the 999ES It smoothed right out.

Of course some of this could be related to the 14 Bit Video DAC in the 999es versus the 10 Bit one in the S7700. Regardless I don't feel the built in conversion of a signal to the TV up to 788P is going to be better on a 480I signal than a 480P as it'll convert either as well. Feed it the highest quality signal you can and let the tv handle the rest. Letting the TV upconvert an already clean clear Progressive signal should always result in higher picture quality than upconverting a poorer 480I one. At least thats been my experience.

Originally posted by BTDT
. Using it for upconverted 480p pictures seems like a waste when you could use it for true 720p/1080i content.



Not when you use zoomplayer and ffdshow. I have never seen such a good DVD picture even when using high end DVD players.

Hello all,

Just purchased a 70" XBR 950 and am anxious to get my locals in HD after seeing how spectacular HD looks with my DishTV based HD package.

I'm told the only way I will be able to get HD signals for my locals is if I purchase an HD antenna that will go on my roof to receive the necessary OTA. Here's an excerpt of the type of service that was recommended:

"For high definition systems in suburban regions we recommend the
Winegard HD-9065 or the Channel Master 42221. These antennas are
UHF only. The design of the Winegard is a yagi and the Channel Master
is a 4 bay bow tie. These antennas are installed for $297.50 to one
location."

Does this price range / type of installation seem about right? Or can I look to try HD locals with an alternative (possibly less expensive) antenna? Does the Sony internal tuner allow me to receive any HD locals at all?

As an fyi.. I live in Chantilly, VA..approx 20 miles outside of Washington, DC, so I'm suburban, but not extreme suburban.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

- Big Booty

I jumped ship to cable (comcast) because the locals are available in HD without the expense and hassle of installing an antenna. I've gone the HD box route, but I've heard some can get HD locals through the cable connection on the XBR.
Local news and lots of the programming on the locals is still SD, but the HD shows (prime time, etc.) are incredible.

Originally posted by bigbooty
Hello all,

Just purchased a 70" XBR 950 and am anxious to get my locals in HD after seeing how spectacular HD looks with my DishTV based HD package.

I'm told the only way I will be able to get HD signals for my locals is if I purchase an HD antenna that will go on my roof to receive the necessary OTA. Here's an excerpt of the type of service that was recommended:

===

Your mileage may vary! Some stations broadcast their HD signals at very low power compared with their classic SD signals.

I'm about 15 miles from the Cleveland antenna farm and have tried a cheap indoor antenna and a small outdoor antenna used indoors. Neither worked well and neither would work at all on 2 of the 4 local channels.

If you want the locals at today's power levels, a large antenna will be required. I am currently settling for 2 of the 4 locals via my cable provider.

===
"For high definition systems in suburban regions we recommend the
Winegard HD-9065 or the Channel Master 42221. These antennas are
UHF only. The design of the Winegard is a yagi and the Channel Master
is a 4 bay bow tie. These antennas are installed for $297.50 to one
location."

Does this price range / type of installation seem about right? Or can I look to try HD locals with an alternative (possibly less expensive) antenna? Does the Sony internal tuner allow me to receive any HD locals at all?
===
A yagi is directional. If all the stations' transmitters are clustered in the same direction, a yagi is a good choice. If they are scattered, you may need a rotator or the stacked bow ties should provide a wider angle, but a less antenna gain. UHF is tricky and moving the antenna a few feet can make a huge difference in signal strength.
===
As an fyi.. I live in Chantilly, VA..approx 20 miles outside of Washington, DC, so I'm suburban, but not extreme suburban.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

- Big Booty

We have the same TV and we bought Zenith Silver Satin antenna $30 and it works great. I get all HDTV channels without any problems. We live in suburbs of detroit and we are roughly 30 miles from the city. If it doesn't work just retun the antenna and than you can go for the expensive option.....my.02cents

Originally posted by bigbooty
Hello all,

Just purchased a 70" XBR 950 and am anxious to get my locals in HD after seeing how spectacular HD looks with my DishTV based HD package.

I'm told the only way I will be able to get HD signals for my locals is if I purchase an HD antenna that will go on my roof to receive the necessary OTA. Here's an excerpt of the type of service that was recommended:

"For high definition systems in suburban regions we recommend the
Winegard HD-9065 or the Channel Master 42221. These antennas are
UHF only. The design of the Winegard is a yagi and the Channel Master
is a 4 bay bow tie. These antennas are installed for $297.50 to one
location."

Does this price range / type of installation seem about right? Or can I look to try HD locals with an alternative (possibly less expensive) antenna? Does the Sony internal tuner allow me to receive any HD locals at all?

As an fyi.. I live in Chantilly, VA..approx 20 miles outside of Washington, DC, so I'm suburban, but not extreme suburban.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!

- Big Booty

Anyone had any luck tracking down the custom resolution settings needed for the Bravo D1 to get 1x1 pixel mapping? Video width and height are pretty straightforward, but I can't seem to track down the other (12), settings anywhere (Horizontal & Vertical Frequency, HSyncTotal, HSyncActive, etc.) Are these values displayed in the service menu?

If anyone has been able to make this work, I'd love to hear if it helped PQ. Some, UMR included, are saying DVI is no big deal w/ DVD, that good component connections are just as good or better. I'm wondering what anyone else thinks.

Thanks,

tsnider

Hi guys this is my first post here. I've read through all of the posts and have learned a lot - great forum.

I ordered the 70" XBR 950 from CC two weeks ago, at which time they said it would take about 2 weeks for the unit to be shipped from Sony and delivered. I followed up today and after the salesguy did some checking, he came back with that I'm now looking at perhaps another month out. The reason for this he says is that there is a problem with both the 60 and 70 inch sets, and Sony decided to suspend new shipments while this problem is addressed. He was told somthing to the effect that these sets can overheat and maybe cause a small fire? I don't recall reading that here and I suspect he got his story wrong. In any case, this is disappointing as I was getting pretty pumped up, hoping to get it in time for the Super Bowl and have some friends over! And I don't like the fact that my credit card was charged, and delivery is now postponed until who knows how long?

I'm wondering if I should just cancel the order and go look elsewhere. Or would I be better off keeping my spot in the queue - he said that in this region they have 50 orders and I am some where in the middle as it stand right now. If I cancel I will "lose my spot" and it would take even longer. And if I did buy an existing set at another store, I may not be getting the latest "fix" that Sony is supposedly making to them, whatever the problem really is.

Something doesn't smell right here - what do you guys think?

Thanks, Joel.

I think there would be a definite recall if the problem was overheating and possibility of fire. The problem more likely has to do with the powerup/buzz. However I haven't had any problems so far out of my 60".

I had the same problem a few weeks ago (w/ CC). I found the set at another dealer in town, bought it, then cancelled the CC order. I was a little worried about any problems the set might have (I have the 60"), but so far everything has worked perfectly. I figured if I did have any problems, Sony would come to the house and fix it under warranty anyway, so I rolled the dice--so far, so good.

Considering the huge exposure to liability, you better believe that if there was a chance of fire there would be a recall.

The manual for the XBR950s shows on page 10 under "Features":

"Auto Wide: Allows you to select the wide screen mode automatically."

Does anyone know exactly what this does? I suspect it refers to the ability of a DVD player to control the TV's aspect ratio based on how the DVD is authored - 4x3 or 16x9 thus activating "normal" or "full" respectively.

A good example of this is the THX Optimizer 4x3 and 16x9 geometry patterns. The 4x3 image should kick the TV into normal mode (black bars on each side), and the 16x9 image should kick the TV into full mode without any action other than progressing from one image to the other in the THX Optimizer menu.

Does anyone know how to set the "Wide Screen Mode" and the "4:3 default" to make this work? The manual lists "Auto Wide" as a feature, but gives no explanation of how it works.