I'm really thinking this is something like mpeg artifacting or DLP rainbows, that some people can easily see once they begin spotting it, but other people just never quite can see unless it becomes very bad and obvious.

The trailing is relatively subtle when it happens, and if conditions aren't just quite right it doesn't even occur at all. It's wouldn't be surprising that it is happening on every single 960 (and possibly other sets using similar phosphors) but only a small percentage of people notice it.

For anyone interested, you can remove the anti-glare material from KD-34XBR960 models easily for increased light output from your tube. I accidentally scratched mine a while back, tried to buff it out, but was unable to get the edges nicely. So I took the back and front fascia off of the TV and just peeled off the plastic-with-adhesive-backing anti-glare coating off of the tube like it was scotch tape. I use my TV in a dark room so I have no need for the anti-glare and the increased light output is a nice change. It used to be like I was looking through sunglasses with it left on the TV.

Also, since my model was manufactured in Nov. 2004 and is a "KD-34XBR960" model, what is the difference between an adhesive-backed anti-glare "filter" and the "coating" on the tube of the "N" models (if that's true)? The old filter is applied directly to the tube and a "coating" is applied directly to the tube. I assume the representative from Sony was talking about dust getting underneath the plastic coating during manufacture...not after. So there's no need to worry about warranty issues with dust. It just can't happen after you purchase the TV.

I have the KD-34XBR960 model with manufactured date of Jan. 2005. I am very concious of my electronic equipment and take great measures to ensure the upkeep in both performance and appearance of all my equipment. A few weeks ago, while cleaning the screen with an optical cleaning solution specially designed for optics with an anti-glare coating and a microfiber cloth, i noticed that the coating on screen started to come off. Now, i have this huge spot on the screen where the the anti-glare coating has come off and causes an annoying hot spotting effect on the screen. I purchased this set from my local Circuit City in March with a 5 year extended warranty. Do you think they will cover this under their warranty? Any suggestions and feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
MrWolfe

I think all of us here would appreciate if all owners of the XBR960 on this forum check their set out for this defect, as mr2828 is alluding it maybe more common than previously thought. Btw. between Brad S. and myself it makes 4 sets with this defect. Bad coincidence, I hope so. :o

Well I watched Episode III looking for this and just couldn't see it. Plenty of ships against black backgrounds, opening and credit text (albeit yellow and blue), etc. I the wanted to check a movie with white credits. Lemme tell ya... do you know how hard it is to find a movie with white credit text? :p My method of grabbing 5 random dvds off the shelf didn't yield one. I guess I never really noticed what color credits were (assumed they were all white).

On a serious note the Sith DVD on this set is just stunning. The level of detail and richness of effects just blew me away. Even if you aren't a fan of the SW series, this is worth a rental just to appreciate the production value.

Liquid - have you had components replaced or the actual TV? If the latter, have you also seen the same issue with store sets after adjusting settings?

High all

Sorry about joining this thread late. I just bought a XS955 so I don't have the TV in question, but from what I'm told very close. I have noticed trailing or smearing only in vivid, so I'm in pro now and very happy. Looking forward to trying my hand at calibration soon for even more improvement. Just my .02 worth.

High all

Sorry about joining this thread late. I just bought a SX955 so I don't have the TV in question, but from what I'm told very close. I have noticed trailing or smearing only in vivid, so I'm in pro now and very happy. Looking forward to trying my hand at calibration soon for even more improvement. Just my .02 worth.

I'd like to think good calibration would virtually eliminate this problem for most of the people that have it...

speaking of good calibration, is there an advantage to using the DIGITAL video essentials over just the old Video essentials?

speaking of good calibration, is there an advantage to using the DIGITAL video essentials over just the old Video essentials?

I would suspect Digital would be better, for newer tests, HD related tests, and so forth.

With that in mind would waiting for Blu Ray and or HDDVD calibration disk be even more advantages?

With that in mind would waiting for Blu Ray and or HDDVD calibration disk be even more advantages?

You'll be waiting for a very long time.

High all thanks for the reply's

Is there a more current site for up to the minute info for HD DVD than this one:
http://www.hddvd.org/hddvd/

High all thanks for the reply's

Is there a more current site for up to the minute info for HD DVD than this one:
http://www.hddvd.org/hddvd/

If you go to the websites for leading magazines like Widescreen Review, Home Theater Magazine, etc. and hit their news areas, those will keep you up to date quite promptly.

Even if you don't subscribe to the print mags (which you should ;), get on their email lists for free and informative newsletters. Good stuff!

I'd like to think good calibration would virtually eliminate this problem for most of the people that have it...

I tend to agree. I'm at the point (6 weeks usage) where I planned to get my ISF calibartion. I'm hesitant to do it as I'm so satisfied with my picture, but based on countless posts I suppose it can only get better. :D

MrWolfe,
What you are "cleaning" is not the same anti-glare material as that used for optics. This anti-glare material is based on a thin, plastic sheet that is glued to the front of the glass CRT. Like most plastics, the plastic sheet doesn't behave the same way to solvents as glass does. The best method to clean this type of TV screen is to follow the manufacturer's directions: "Unplug the set from the wall outlet before cleaning or polishing it. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a cloth lightly dampened with water for cleaning the exterior of the set."

I'm pretty sure the warranty wouldn't apply since this isn't a manufacturing defect, but the dealer or manufacturer may see it differently.

If you're stuck with the TV as-is, before doing anything, does the hot-spot look more reflective than the rest of the screen with the TV off? If so, you have lost your anti-glare function from that spot. If you wouldn't mind losing the anti-glare over the entire screen, try applying the cleaning solution to the entire screen and see if you can even out the "hot-spot." I found when trying to buff the anti-glare sheet with a drill & buffer, only the surface of the sheet has the anti-glare properties. There is a lot of plastic beneath it that seems to be homogenous and clear.

You purchased the 5-yr. warranty and performing the following steps may void that entirely. So take what I say next lightly and contemplate it very carefully before you proceed...

If all else fails and if it were mine (I already did it...who am I kidding?), I'd remove the entire anti-glare plastic sheet. Then you'd be left with a nice, even, bright, glass surface to clean with whatever solution you'd like...as glass is almost completely imperviable and unaffected by anything chemical. Glass is also very hard to scratch.

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK) OF THE TELEVISION. NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS ARE INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

As always, never expose the components inside a TV unless you are knowledgeable of all the electrical dangers and procedures for handling exposed components. Even when a TV is unplugged, there can be deadly, high voltages present.

This procedure requires you to:
1. Remove the back of the TV
2. Remove the subwoofer assembly.
3. Remove the subwoofer mounting brackets.
4. Remove the screws attaching the front fascia (Dark Gray frame around front of CRT tube). I found the screws on the bottom edge of the fascia are too hard to remove without removing component level boards. It isn't necessary to remove these screws since the top of the fascia is flexible enough for the purpose of this procedure.
5. Release snaps of fascia bosses (some parts of fascia snap into TV frame) from main body of TV.
6. Remove sticky foil grounding tape attached to the bottom of the anti-glare plastic sheet. You'll have to pull the bottom of the fascia away from the frame to see the tape. Don't pull too hard or you may break the fascia.
7. Remove the anti-glare plastic sheet by SLOWLY pulling one corner of it off the CRT and keep pulling it parallel to the tube. If you remove it too quickly or pull at a 90 degree angle to the tube, a glue residue is left behind that requires additional cleaning afterwards (peanut butter worked for me - no kidding). I put all my weight (210 lbs.) into taking this sheet off. It comes off, but slowly. I don't think it's possible to rip this stuff if all you use are your hands.
8. Reattach the sticky foil grounding tape to the glass tube.
9. Follow steps 1 through 5 in reverse to put the TV back together.

You are left without any anti-glare, but as I found out, the picture was preferable to the picture before because the image is brighter and my viewing room is void of any bright surfaces or sources that could cause a reflection on the TV screen.

What would something like this cost? I might be in. I live in Cecil County, MD

DyeLooper

Since I missed out on buying the KD-30XS955 during the BB firesale, I am moving up (reluctantly) to *this* particular Sony. My reluctance is NOT due to the set's picture, or even due to the set's price (though it *is* at the northern end of my price range), but due to the set's *size* (specifically, the one hundred and eighty-five pounds in *weight* of this Komodo Dragon of 34" sets). It has (naturally) all the features of the pretty-much e-tail-only KD-34XS955, and for, amazingly, the same price (and it includes features that the XS lacks; however, none of these are deal-makers, since I like the XS model's picture also), but, as I pointed out, the XBR is actually purchasable retail within pickup-truck distance (while the local BB doesn't stock it, the local CC, which is, quite embarrassingly, right next door to BB, does, and for the same price), while the XS isn't.

Why the XBR (or XS) as opposed to the KV-34HS420? One term: CableCARD. I have NO interest in OnDemand whatever; and the on-screen guide and PPV are also non-starters (Comcast of Southern Prince George's County, MD). Aside from a larger version of the same fantastic picture that I admired in the KD-30XS955, I am not stuck with the HD or DVR box that the KV-34HS420 would stick me with (we actually have the HS in the living room; however, it is fed a steady diet of SD analog cable, as there are no fans of the big bulky digital cable box in our household). Worse, I am the *only* fan of HDTV in the house (I'm also the only person to do any due dilligence on it, which is likely why), so the big XBR will be going into my *bedroom* (fortunately, I have an entertainment center in said bedroom that could even hold the even-larger KD-36XS955, which, despite the $400 cheaper price, is not on the table because it is NOT widescreen!).

However, I am wondering when the changeover from the 960 to the 960N occurred? Both Circuit City and Best Buy list the model number as 960, NOT 960N. Is there a specific way of determining which model a set is while still in the packaging container?

These battery backups are made for computers aren't they? Are there any surge protectors out there that rate 1200 VA?

Actually, APC makes a 1.5 kVa suppressor/conditioner for A/V usage (as well as a 1 kVa model). Both are designed for entertainment centers (not PC racks), as you usually would NOT want a UPS for a larger TV, especially a CRT; however, a surge suppressor/power conditioner is a smart *investment* with A/V equipment. I'm looking at the 1.5 kVa model for my entertainment center (and will at some point buy a second for my Mom's EC in the living room). The living room has the KV-34HS420 as the centerpiece, but also has a stereo system and 5-disc CD changer in addition to the Toshiba progressive-scan DVD player, and Admiral VCR. My own EC has a Polaroid DVD player/VCR (the DVD player side supports progressive-scan and YPbPr-out with optical audio-out), but I am looking at a Sony 5.1 surround A/V system (the model with the integrated progressive-scan DVD player) to complete my own setup for now.

My reluctance is NOT due to the set's picture, or even due to the set's price ... but due to the set's *size* (specifically, the one hundred and eighty-five pounds in *weight* of this Komodo Dragon of 34" sets).
While it is possible that the XS955 weighs 185 pounds, let it be noted that the XBR960 tilts the scale at 196 pounds.

This is important to know so you can evaluate the carrying capacity of the stand or other furniture on which you will be placing the set (along with your other A/V equipment).

While I have only moved my XBR960 only once (taking it from the packing material to the stand, about ten feet in distance) I was quite surprised at how well balanced the set was when carrying via the handholds specified in the manual. I don't consider myself a strong person, but it was quite easy for two people to pick it up and move it that short distance.

I just bought my xbr960 last week, and a best buy employee told me an up-scan dvd player is best for the tv. I've been using the LG LDA-511, but it renders the cinemotion on the tv unavailable. I don't have experience in the HD dvd players and I think I could do better than the LG. Does anybody have a suggestion or maybe a comment on this. Anything would be appreciated.

I can buy this thing for $1436 with employee discount at Fry's... this is a good deal, isn't it?

I just bought my xbr960 last week, and a best buy employee told me an up-scan dvd player is best for the tv. I've been using the LG LDA-511, but it renders the cinemotion on the tv unavailable. I don't have experience in the HD dvd players and I think I could do better than the LG. Does anybody have a suggestion or maybe a comment on this. Anything would be appreciated.

I have been very happy with the Sony 70h DVD player for my 960. Excellent PQ and none of the shifting issues that the plasma and PJ owners are having. MSRP is $150, but CC has it on sale almost every week for less. FYI, you need to turn off the progressive scan on your LG and have it pass 480i to use the cinemotion and DRC features of your XBR960.

I can buy this thing for $1436 with employee discount at Fry's... this is a good deal, isn't it?

Excellent! I'd grab it assuming: it isn't a floor model, it is't an open box/return and the vendor is authorized to sell a Sony XBR.

I can buy this thing for $1436 with employee discount at Fry's... this is a good deal, isn't it?

A STEAL!

Since I missed out on buying the KD-30XS955 during the BB firesale, I am moving up (reluctantly) to *this* particular Sony. My reluctance is NOT due to the set's picture, or even due to the set's price (though it *is* at the northern end of my price range), but due to the set's *size* (specifically, the one hundred and eighty-five pounds in *weight* of this Komodo Dragon of 34" sets). It has (naturally) all the features of the pretty-much e-tail-only KD-34XS955, and for, amazingly, the same price (and it includes features that the XS lacks; however, none of these are deal-makers, since I like the XS model's picture also), but, as I pointed out, the XBR is actually purchasable retail within pickup-truck distance (while the local BB doesn't stock it, the local CC, which is, quite embarrassingly, right next door to BB, does, and for the same price), while the XS isn't.

Why the XBR (or XS) as opposed to the KV-34HS420? One term: CableCARD. I have NO interest in OnDemand whatever; and the on-screen guide and PPV are also non-starters (Comcast of Southern Prince George's County, MD). Aside from a larger version of the same fantastic picture that I admired in the KD-30XS955, I am not stuck with the HD or DVR box that the KV-34HS420 would stick me with (we actually have the HS in the living room; however, it is fed a steady diet of SD analog cable, as there are no fans of the big bulky digital cable box in our household). Worse, I am the *only* fan of HDTV in the house (I'm also the only person to do any due dilligence on it, which is likely why), so the big XBR will be going into my *bedroom* (fortunately, I have an entertainment center in said bedroom that could even hold the even-larger KD-36XS955, which, despite the $400 cheaper price, is not on the table because it is NOT widescreen!).

However, I am wondering when the changeover from the 960 to the 960N occurred? Both Circuit City and Best Buy list the model number as 960, NOT 960N. Is there a specific way of determining which model a set is while still in the packaging container?

The KD-34XBR960N's are in the Pa. warehouse. I know this since I received one as a replacement for my TV. On one of the sticky labels on the outside of the box from the TV I received it was clearly typed out with the model designation. Hope that helps ya!

Well I watched Episode III looking for this and just couldn't see it. Plenty of ships against black backgrounds, opening and credit text (albeit yellow and blue), etc. I the wanted to check a movie with white credits. Lemme tell ya... do you know how hard it is to find a movie with white credit text? :p My method of grabbing 5 random dvds off the shelf didn't yield one. I guess I never really noticed what color credits were (assumed they were all white).

On a serious note the Sith DVD on this set is just stunning. The level of detail and richness of effects just blew me away. Even if you aren't a fan of the SW series, this is worth a rental just to appreciate the production value.

Liquid - have you had components replaced or the actual TV? If the latter, have you also seen the same issue with store sets after adjusting settings?


My original TV, 3 video processing boards have been replaced to no effect.


Okay to help anyone interested in checking if their TV has this defect that mine and Brad's has, read on... If you want to live in ignorant bliss... skip!

As I've written before, this phenomenon happens on all inputs, I'm going to refer to my trustworthy DVD: STARS WARS EPISODE 5, The Empire Strikes Back

EXAMPLE 1:
Jump to chapter 27 and ff to (58:10 - 58:17). This is where Leia is in the cockpit of the millenium falcon getting scared by the Mynock. I've uploaded a file where I paintshopped green lines around the lights that cause a smear on my TV. The smearing occurs when the camera pans when she stands up to investigate the noise and when she recoils.

EXAMPLE 2:
Jump to chapter 30 and FF to (1:07:27 - 1:07:31) This is where the Millenium Falcon races across the screen to attack the Star Destroyer Avenger. I've uploaded a file where I outlined area where the smearing occurs, right after the falcon quits its "afterburner".

EXAMPLE 3:
Same chapter, FF to (1:08:06 - 1:08:09) This is where Captain Needa and another officer on the bridge of the Avenger are talking to each other, and Capt. Needa turns away at the end of the scene. The smearing occurs as Needa turns away. I've also uploaded a file showing where the smearing occurs in relation to his head as it moves out of the shot.

Since I can't upload a fourth picture, I'll finish my post in another post! :rolleyes:

EXAMPLE 4:
Jump to Chapter 32 and FF to (1:16:23 - 1:16:29). This is where Boba Fett's ship flies across the screen in pursuit of the Millenium Falcon. I see the smearing from the ship's engines as it flies by on the screen. I've uploaded a file showing when it occurs.

Btw. when I pause and go frame by frame, the smearing doesn't occur at all, only when I play at normal speed. So... please check this out and reply back when you get a chance. I hope some of you peeps have this DVD. I can do a similar post for another DVD if necessary.

Let us know how it goes!

Yeah, I've been following you on this for a while. I sure hope things work out for you soon! :)


Q,

Thanks for the vote of confidence, my SONY rep told me that a new TV will be shipping out next week... (Holding my breath!... Long Breath!) ;)

Although I haven't checked that particular dvd, the areas and situations you highlight are typical of situations where I notice the trailing. Typically in a dark scene, like a space scene, with a bright moving detail that leaves behind it a very quickly fading / trailing non-black spot momentarily. The trailing looks like a dark blueish or greenish color to me, but it's so quick it's hard for me to tell for sure.

Q,

Thanks for the vote of confidence, my SONY rep told me that a new TV will be shipping out next week... (Holding my breath!... Long Breath!) ;)

THAT's one way to end a problem: Get a new TV! :)

THAT's one way to end a problem: Get a new TV! :)

The bad thing Q, it takes a few weeks for the next TV to arrive. I rather have SONY cut me a check for the full amount and I'll go shopping at CC and BB. (Where I'll check out each TV they have in stock) So far I must have a magnetic attraction to defective sets! I have confidence that this next new TV is a good one.

The bad thing Q, it takes a few weeks for the next TV to arrive. I rather have SONY cut me a check for the full amount and I'll go shopping at CC and BB. (Where I'll check out each TV they have in stock) So far I must have a magnetic attraction to defective sets! I have confidence that this next new TV is a good one.

That's a good point but...ya see...if they cut you a check, then they don't have ANY guarantees that you're going to go out and buy another one of THEIR products. ;)

Although I haven't checked that particular dvd, the areas and situations you highlight are typical of situations where I notice the trailing. Typically in a dark scene, like a space scene, with a bright moving detail that leaves behind it a very quickly fading / trailing non-black spot momentarily. The trailing looks like a dark blueish or greenish color to me, but it's so quick it's hard for me to tell for sure.

That's exactly what it is. You can see this in many movies like the ones I mentioned in a past post. And its for a split second. What annoys me about this particular movie is that it happens a lot to Darth Vader, since he's so black and when he walks in front another character you can see that character's shape briefly outlined on Vader. (in a darker scene, like on the space ships). Btw. this is very imperceptible... I remember when I was showing to my local service tech.. I had to go over the scene like 5 times or so before he saw anything. But saw it, he did!

I see it in literally everything I watch these days, too. Heck, I even saw it with the lights in last nights Nebraska vs. Oklahoma volleyball match on the local PBS station (one of their HD broadcasts). Anyway, while I'm sure that a professional calibration would make my TV's PQ even better, I doubt that it would fix the trailing issue. I'm already pretty well-calibrated with the Avia disc.

That's a good point but...ya see...if they cut you a check, then they don't have ANY guarantees that you're going to go out and buy another one of THEIR products. ;)

Oh I want an XBR960... most definetely it's the best set on the market bar none! Actually if you recall I bought the set slightly used with the stand for $1400 in June. I have the original receipt which states over $2200 (including taxes). So they would cut the check in the orginal full amount and then I would look for a coupon or sale and pick up the TV again in the $1600-1700 range! Either way no big deal... I make enough money... though it would be sweet, and payment for the misery!!! ;)

I see it in literally everything I watch these days, too. Heck, I even saw it with the lights in last nights Nebraska vs. Oklahoma volleyball match on the local PBS station (one of their HD broadcasts). Anyway, while I'm sure that a professional calibration would make my TV's PQ even better, I doubt that it would fix the trailing issue. I'm already pretty well-calibrated with the Avia disc.


Brad I'll fax you some stuff tomorrow to help you with your brawl with SONY. I was super busy at work the last two days!

I noticed it on 3 of the 4 scenes you mentioned, but I would have never noticed it if I wasn't looking for it. I would imagine it is part of everyone's set. It has never bothered me. I hope you didn't ruin my perception of my set. ;)

Oooohhh. Excellent specifics liquid! Yes I see them. I don't think I would have caught them without scrutinizing those seconds and sittiung a few feet from the set but the Leia cockpit scene, in particular, is obvious. I'm assuming you used these test scenes on other types of sets and they aren't there to rule out source, right?

Oooohhh. Excellent specifics liquid! Yes I see them. I don't think I would have caught them without scrutinizing those seconds and sittiung a few feet from the set but the Leia cockpit scene, in particular, is obvious. I'm assuming you used these test scenes on other types of sets and they aren't there to rule out source, right?

I wish... I was watching the same scenes on my computer, they aren't there. Plus I watched it on a friends SONY LCD RPTV. Nada. Shucks! I'm sitting about 8 feet from my set, but I've seen for so many months my eyeballs are sensitive to this defect. So what does this all mean....

Hmmm. Well my initial reaction is to say that it's an inherrent "con" to the set and possibly the technology, that could be mitigated by an ISF calibration (though I would have to *not* see the effect on the same type of set with my own eyes to support that).

As to what it reallly means... you've laid the groundwork for that answer. Your detailed post will allow a number of people to check the scenes and respond. If it's not a defect there should be people in large numbers that don't see it.

Sadly it could also be something that certain people see (like the DLP example above).

Hmmm. Well my initial reaction is to say that it's an inherrent "con" to the set and possibly the technology, that could be mitigated by an ISF calibration (though I would have to *not* see the effect on the same type of set with my own eyes to support that).

As to what it reallly means... you've laid the groundwork for that answer. Your detailed post will allow a number of people to check the scenes and respond. If it's not a defect there should be people in large numbers that don't see it.

Sadly it could also be something that certain people see (like the DLP example above).

At this point... I'm still hoping that it's only a few sets. I did go into CC and check out another XBR960. I didn't see it on there... but the lighting in the store might wash the details out. I'll have to make another trip over there or to BB to verify.

I think I'm going to try do the Matrix, with a few examples as well, most people have it in their collections.

The reason I'm getting a new set, is that the technical representative for the Northeast agrees that it's a defect that can't be fixed on my set by replacing the processing boards. I don't think an ISF calibration will do much, I hope I'm wrong though. Anyone here with ISFed XBR960s if you have the Star Wars DVD please check, in a few days I'll do a Matrix post with examples. Also anyone seeing this should start contacting Sony Customer Service. The factory warranties start expiring July 2006. Any trouble with them, just PM me and I'll help you through it.


I know I'm not suspectible to the DLP effect, but anyone I point out this thing sees it quite clearly after a few times.

later,

The thing is with this trailing, I've had my set for a year now, and I didn't notice it until maybe 2 months ago. But once I started noticing it I can't stop... on the other hand it doesn't bug me much generally, and I could probably put up with it indefinitely if it turned out to occur on essentially all recent Sony CRT sets.

Actually, APC makes a 1.5 kVa suppressor/conditioner for A/V usage (as well as a 1 kVa model). Both are designed for entertainment centers (not PC racks), as you usually would NOT want a UPS for a larger TV, especially a CRT; however, a surge suppressor/power conditioner is a smart *investment* with A/V equipment. I'm looking at the 1.5 kVa model for my entertainment center (and will at some point buy a second for my Mom's EC in the living room).

Yeah, I ended up going this route based mainly on the fact that battery backups for computers could not protect your system from serges over coaxial cables and like you said these were designed for ECs.

My 34XBR960 is about two months old and other than playing around with the choices in the onscreen menu a bit, I am thrilled with the TV. But I keep reading about people spending hundreds of dollars to change some settings in a service menu or by purchasing a DAVID (AVIA I believe). Is there some trick to enter any other menus or features that only certain technicians know about? Okay, what is it, please? And what exactly is meant by convergence being out of whack? What should I be looking for regarding 'convergence'? Thank you

While it is possible that the XS955 weighs 185 pounds, let it be noted that the XBR960 tilts the scale at 196 pounds.

This is important to know so you can evaluate the carrying capacity of the stand or other furniture on which you will be placing the set (along with your other A/V equipment).

While I have only moved my XBR960 only once (taking it from the packing material to the stand, about ten feet in distance) I was quite surprised at how well balanced the set was when carrying via the handholds specified in the manual. I don't consider myself a strong person, but it was quite easy for two people to pick it up and move it that short distance.

The entertainment center it is going in can hold the even heavier Sony KD-36XS955 (which didn't make my shortlist because it is NOT a widescreen set), so it can hold it without any problems. I just never planned to have that much screen in a bedroom with less than eight feet of viewing distance to the TV at the farthest angle (typical viewing distance from the head of my bed is barely six and a half feet, and the head is against the bedroom's back wall). It has four times the viewing area of the 19" 4:3 set it will replace.

Sony TVs *are* well-balanced (remember, I mentioned our having the KV-34HS420 in our living room), and swiveling the set to one side to get at the rear panel and jacks was surprisingly easy for such a behemoth.

I'll be pulling the trigger within the next five days, so wish me luck.

My 34XBR960 is about two months old and other than playing around with the choices in the onscreen menu a bit, I am thrilled with the TV. But I keep reading about people spending hundreds of dollars to change some settings in a service menu or by purchasing a DAVID (AVIA I believe). Is there some trick to enter any other menus or features that only certain technicians know about? Okay, what is it, please? And what exactly is meant by convergence being out of whack? What should I be looking for regarding 'convergence'? Thank you

Do a search for Ken Tech's Sony Service code thread. Read it in it's entirety. Read the warnings several times then pick up the phone and call a professional.

See

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=599866

You include a hyperlink that takes me to three other posters in a similar situation rather than a link to Ken Tech's ..... That search doesn't work so well.

You include a hyperlink that takes me to three other posters in a similar situation rather than a link to Ken Tech's ..... That search doesn't work so well.


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=531494&highlight=Sony+Service

WOW! Now that's what I call a terrific hyperlink. Thank you so much.

can the xbr960 do 720p?

You include a hyperlink that takes me to three other posters in a similar situation rather than a link to Ken Tech's ..... That search doesn't work so well.

If you cannot locate KenTech's thread then you need not locate the service menu.

I included the other link to serve as a warning to you. The service menu is not a place to go cluelessly. If you do your research you can have an excellent picture with SM tweaks. If you don't, you'll join the thread I posted the link to.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=531494&highlight=Sony+Service

Q, I'm blaming you when it happens. :)

Quick Question, off topic.

I'm planning to pull the trigger on this model in a week to 10 days. I've seen it referred to as the KD34XBR960, the KD34XBR960"N", and the KD34XBR960"DAM."

Anyone know what the "N" and the "DAM" stand for, and does it make a difference which model designation I purchase?

I appreciate the assistance.

The DAM model just means it looks so good when you turn it on you'll say "Dammmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnn!" :p

Seriously though, the N model has to do with the type of anti-glare material applied to the tube. It was the source of great intrigue and is fully detailed about three pages up. As for the DAM model, it's the first I am hearing of it. I would google it and check Sonystyle.com for any info.

Q, I'm blaming you when it happens. :)

Blame KenTech! His name's all over it! :p :p

Looking at this tv and would love to get it if it will fit.
Was quoted $1440 delivered plus tax. Is that a good price currently? Thanks.

Would you mind sharing where you got this quote? I am planning to get one as well but I'm limited to stores on the west coast. I have to haul it up to Canada<g>.

I just got my 34xbr960 a couple weeks ago, but I'm having a problem. When I watch a DVD or HDTV I'm getting a red/purple looking flare on the left edge of the screen. It is around 2"-3" in diameter to start, but shrinks down to almost nothing if I just let it go. Is this normal or should I call a service center?

I just got my 34xbr960 a couple weeks ago, but I'm having a problem. When I watch a DVD or HDTV I'm getting a red/purple looking flare on the left edge of the screen. It is around 2"-3" in diameter to start, but shrinks down to almost nothing if I just let it go. Is this normal or should I call a service center?

Any speakers nearby? Anything with a magnetic or electromagnetic field nearby?

Probably just needs to be degaussed a few more times, which will happen whenever you turn the TV on and off.

Any speakers nearby? Anything with a magnetic or electromagnetic field nearby?

Probably just needs to be degaussed a few more times, which will happen whenever you turn the TV on and off.

I do have speakers nearby, but they are supposed to be magnetically shielded.

I do have speakers nearby, but they are supposed to be magnetically shielded.

Same here. I have the same little problem with my center speaker sitting on top of my XBR960. My speakers are also magnetically shielded.

It's so miniscule that I don't even motice it anymore. It certainly isn't worth me buying new furniture or building shelves or what not.

Same here. I have the same little problem with my center speaker sitting on top of my XBR960. My speakers are also magnetically shielded.

It's so miniscule that I don't even motice it anymore. It certainly isn't worth me buying new furniture or building shelves or what not.

So if I move the center speaker off of the top of the TV would that eliminate the problem?

Yes. That should eliminate the magnetic field.

So if I move the center speaker off of the top of the TV would that eliminate the problem?


Yup, almost certainly.

I just got my 34xbr960 a couple weeks ago, but I'm having a problem. When I watch a DVD or HDTV I'm getting a red/purple looking flare on the left edge of the screen. It is around 2"-3" in diameter to start, but shrinks down to almost nothing if I just let it go. Is this normal or should I call a service center?

I recently started having the same issue. Most likely culprit for you is what others mention (speakers close to the set). Mine however are 4' away from the set and the issue is occasional (leading me to belive it is the surge protector full degausing mentioned earlier in the thread).

I have found that unplugging/plugging the set always clears the issue up and am now trying to run the TV plug through the cable box.

I just got my 34xbr960 a couple weeks ago, but I'm having a problem. When I watch a DVD or HDTV I'm getting a red/purple looking flare on the left edge of the screen. It is around 2"-3" in diameter to start, but shrinks down to almost nothing if I just let it go. Is this normal or should I call a service center?

I have the same problem. When i first purchased the unit last year at this time it was all on the left side of the screen at the corners. Called a tech out from tweeter and they said it was a magnetic field from some where in my house. I looked at him and said he was crazy. Then later i had a second tech come out and tell me that the shadow mask was broken loose. I know now that the unit does not have a shadow mask but an aperture grille. Anyway, they took the TV from me and replaced the ENTIRE tube. Got the TV back > 6weeks later and it had small spots in the bottom corners now. Over time they have gotten worse.

If it was a magnetic issue the spots would not have changed locations, and I do not have any speakers around the TV to cause problems.

Am I just being a whiny bastard? I think if a pay $2000 for a TV that it should work correctly, no?

I already have a scheduled appt for an sony auth. serviceman to come out on the 16 of this month.

Anybody have any suggestions? Would this be a convergance issue?
What sould i ask the service tech.? What steps shoud I see him do to comfirm that he is a pro and not Forrest Gump working on my TV?

BTW i know the unit has curvature issues.I can see them when i watch in 4:3.

Thankx all
AHammer16

Are you saying that they are there and do not go away? Even after unplugging and replugging the set? A poster earlier in this thread felt that some surge protectors do no allow for a full degausing... perhaps that is the issue in your case.

You are not being whinny and are correct in your expectation for a functiong set. You are well within Sony's warranty and will likely get it. One piece of unsolicited advice though... don't call the techs crazy. I've found that when dealing with csrs and techs it's beneficial to be polite and document, document, document.

Are you saying that they are there and do not go away? Even after unplugging and replugging the set? A poster earlier in this thread felt that some surge protectors do no allow for a full degausing... perhaps that is the issue in your case.

You are not being whinny and are correct in your expectation for a functiong set. You are well within Sony's warranty and will likely get it. One piece of unsolicited advice though... don't call the techs crazy. I've found that when dealing with csrs and techs it's beneficial to be polite and document, document, document.

And if you haven't done so yet, in addition to all of this...get an ISF calibration.

does the xbr960 do 720p?

does the xbr960 do 720p?

Yes it supports 720p. It upconverts it to 1080i.

I've been doing some research for the past few months on TVs because I'm looking into buying a new one. Wanting the best in quality for my home entertainment I thought the XBR960 was exactly what I wanted. I came across the XBR960 on my own and then a few weeks later noticed it as being the "king" of televisions (or something similar) on a magazine cover. I also noticed all the good reviews that it got. I figured that because it was a CRT it could just change resolutions and display both 720p and 1080i because they are "supported formats" according to Sony. Now that I've found out that the 720p is upconverted to 1080i I'm reconcidering. Is there even such a thing as a HD CRT that will run both 1080i and 720p resolutions instead of converting between one or the other? Is it even going to be noticable? I was really looking forward to watching DVDs in progressive scan format.

Sorry if I missed something, I read through a good five or six pages of posts. I hope I didn't repost anything.

Sorry if I missed something, I read through a good five or six pages of posts. I hope I didn't repost anything. Well, with over 86+ pages as of now in this discussion thread alone, I suspect you might have missed a few things! :)

Anyways, welcome to the discussion. Everyone here is quite nice and very helpful.

Before any of us recap the 720p/1080i situation, is there anything besides thinking that watching DVDs in progressive scan look better that lead you to believe that 720p is necessary?

Is it even going to be noticable?

No. If it was the KD-34XBR960 would not have the reputation it does.

I was really looking forward to watching DVDs in progressive scan format.

480p is progressive scan (and is the highest resolution that DVD's can be displayed in as of now). I fail to see why having the KD-34XBR960 display native 720p is a factor at all for you. Especially since there is no perceivable diference between upconverting 720p to 1080i and having native 720p.

And if you haven't done so yet, in addition to all of this...get an ISF calibration.

ISF calibration?

ISF calibration?

http://www.imagingscience.com/isf-trained.cfm

Sorry, I'm still trying to make my way through all this technology as most of it was completely alien to me just a few months ago. I guess watching 720p programming was more important than the progressive scan DVDs. Which I failed to remember were not in 720p. The TV doesn't run any resolution other than 1080i (from what I've gathered so far) so I would be watching DVDs on an interlaced screen. I guess that if it isn't really noticable though it doesn't make any difference. It depends on who you talk to from what I've been able to figure out. Because I don't have much experience with HDTVs myself I couldn't tell if I would notice the difference or not.

Back to my other question, are there any TVs that switch between 1080i and 720p resolutions when their inputs are different? If not, why do we even have the 720p format in the first place?

I'm glad to be here, It's hard to find a place online with people knowledgable and willing to help someone; at least having to do with HDTVs. I guess I may have just been looking in the wrong place. I stumbled across this site in a Google search looking for pricing on the KD-34XBR960N.

So if I move the center speaker off of the top of the TV would that eliminate the problem?

I moved the center speaker and everything cleared up.

What should I do now about the center speaker? Is it possible to use the TV speakers as the center channel?

Sorry, I'm still trying to make my way through all this technology as most of it was completely alien to me just a few months ago. I guess watching 720p programming was more important than the progressive scan DVDs. Which I failed to remember were not in 720p. The TV doesn't run any resolution other than 1080i (from what I've gathered so far) so I would be watching DVDs on an interlaced screen. I guess that if it isn't really noticable though it doesn't make any difference. It depends on who you talk to from what I've been able to figure out. Because I don't have much experience with HDTVs myself I couldn't tell if I would notice the difference or not.

Back to my other question, are there any TVs that switch between 1080i and 720p resolutions when their inputs are different? If not, why do we even have the 720p format in the first place?

I'm glad to be here, It's hard to find a place online with people knowledgable and willing to help someone; at least having to do with HDTVs. I guess I may have just been looking in the wrong place. I stumbled across this site in a Google search looking for pricing on the KD-34XBR960N.

I belive you'll find some good info here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=489948&highlight=720p You can use the "Search this thread" and "Search this forum tools at the upper right to search for posts/threads relating to topics (e.g., 720p). Also, if you haven't alreay, check out the info at: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7608_7-1016109-4.html

I went with a 960 a couple of monhs back ad have been very impressed with DVD performance.

I moved the center speaker and everything cleared up.

What should I do now about the center speaker? Is it possible to use the TV speakers as the center channel?

Depending on the size of your center speaker you may want to try one of theses:

http://www.racksandstands.com/prods/Sanus/TVSb-and-TVSc/Center-Channel-Speaker-Stands/0C276/0PSY0054.htm

Shop around though, you can find them cheaper if you look.

The TV speakers don't work well as a center. The sound quality just doesn't hold up in my modest system. Also, I haven't tried to figure out how to output the center channel only through the TV.

Depending on the size of your center speaker you may want to try one of theses:

Shop around though, you can find them cheaper if you look.

The TV speakers don't work well as a center. The sound quality just doesn't hold up in my modest system. Also, I haven't tried to figure out how to output the center channel only through the TV.

Would the speaker be far enough away to eliminate the magnetic interference?

Would the speaker be far enough away to eliminate the magnetic interference?

It might. If it is a shielded speaker a half inch or two maybe all it takes. Do you have a cutting board you can sit up there to test out?

I had a question earlier about DVD players that are "up-scan". The LG DVD player I've been using for about three weeks can change the resolution to "480p-1080i" that would include all of the inbetween resolutions. The Cinemotion turns off when the DVD player is set to any resolution higher than 480p. I just put in Saving Private Ryan and the picture quality was great I did not seen any artifacts or blurring (this was set to 480p and cinemotion). When I change the resolution to 1080i peoples faces have this soft look to them and I can see some types of "blurring" in peoples faces. I believe that the attempt to upscan to 1080i was not as successful and leaving the DVD player's resolution to 480p and having the TV set to cinemotion is the best option. I also have Sharpness as low as it will go and Clear Edge VM to Low. The picture is great, but 480p is not HD. I'm sure the future will hold some affordable HD-DVD's, till then I may just stick with the lower resolution and space my critical eye from seeing all of the blurring affects.

Questions with my old rca direct tv receiver and it's bad images quality SD in 4:3 on my xbr960. If I upgrade to a newer one like the "DTV H10" and connect that to my tv instead of the old rca which only has s-video/composite/coax will i receive better SD in 4:3 on the newer direct tv receiver "DTV H10"?

I heard some people claiming that using hdmi/component in SD doesn't look that great. If I hook either s-video/composite/coax/component etc... would the SD images in 4:3 look better or it is just a flaw with SD on a widescreen HD tv ?

The reason I say this is because my OTA antenna picks up really good SD signals over the OTA HDTV in 16:9 but it looks pretty good and I’m try to get my direct tv images to look like that even though it is 100% digital.

Sorry for being a newbie again!

Rob

I had this problem out of the box on my XBR. The problem is mainly vivid mode is useless most of the time except in direct sunlight. Get the set professionally calibrated, DirecTV / Tivo is now watchable again on my XBR. Make sure the calibrator calibrates each input (DVD / DirecTV / antenna) seperately using the XBR mode memory, as well as fixing service menu / global options. If you are in the SF Bay Area, I recommmend Les Holt http://holtmods.com/isf.htm he has alot of experience with this type of television, otherwise find someone in your area that has done these TV's - its sooo worth it, even my wife says so!

I had this problem out of the box on my XBR. The problem is mainly vivid mode is useless most of the time except in direct sunlight. Get the set professionally calibrated, DirecTV / Tivo is now watchable again on my XBR. Make sure the calibrator calibrates each input (DVD / DirecTV / antenna) seperately using the XBR mode memory, as well as fixing service menu / global options. If you are in the SF Bay Area, I recommmend Les Holt he has alot of experience with this type of television, otherwise find someone in your area that has done these TV's - its sooo worth it, even my wife says so!


How much did that calibration cost you?

Hi folks,

Bear with me - I'm a systems engineer by trade, but I'm a big-time AV newbie.
I purchased the XBR960 set in late June of this year, and have been astounded with the picture quality from day one, it's fantastic. Recently, I read a review of the set that described a scenario that's giving me the willies. After reading this review, I realized that the set came out-of-the-box set to "vivid" mode, and I had left it that way for several months without modification. The review I read stated that leaving the set in this mode could damage it, or shorten its life. Most notably, the "vivid" mode has the picture setting cranked all the way up, which I've always heard is a terrible thing to do to a CRT. Several days ago, I borrowed a friend's AVIA disc and tuned the black and white levels. I had a very difficult time setting the picture correctly; I couldn't produce any "blooming" or distorion in the log patterns at all with this set. My questions are: is it truly a life-shortening/damaging thing to do to leave this set on "vivid" mode with the picture set all the way up? If it is indeed a bad thing to do, what settings do people recommend? I'm asking, because I found that after calibrating the set with a multitude of test patterns, I feel the picture is somewhat drab. What might a "higher than 31" but safe picture mode setting be for this set? Perhaps I've been spoiled by the "vivid" mode?

Thanks.

-E

There are some programs, mostly on PBS, that waste a lot of screen real estate. I know it's a network thing, but until they get their "act" together, I wondered if I could improve the situation.

Basically the show is broadcast (digital) with a 16:9 ratio inside of a 4:3 box. But of course on TV's like ours, we have black bars on ALL 4 SIDES!

http://personal.bellsouth.net/d/r/drseng/temp.jpg

So the logical thing to do would be to zoom it, but the "Wide Mode" button just keeps saying "FULL". The signal arrives on the DVI connector, and so there's no function in the wide mode button. More specifically, the signal comes from a software player that is playing one of my OTA transport stream captures. I have my desktop set to 1152x648 (a PowerStrip resolution within a resolution), the software player is playing full screen. That works great for most things, but not these kinds of broadcasts.

My question is what PowerStrip timings or other schemes have been employed to allow the "black bars on all sides" broadcasts to fill-up the screen? I figured that it might be possible to design a resolution with purposeful overscan to a very large extent. It's just that the TV tends to try an compensate, or just gives you nothing if you are outside of 'normal', so a lot of trial and error would be in order. If someone has already done it, that would be quite helpful.

--Dale--

Hi folks,

Bear with me - I'm a systems engineer by trade, but I'm a big-time AV newbie.
I purchased the XBR960 set in late June of this year, and have been astounded with the picture quality from day one, it's fantastic. Recently, I read a review of the set that described a scenario that's giving me the willies. After reading this review, I realized that the set came out-of-the-box set to "vivid" mode, and I had left it that way for several months without modification. The review I read stated that leaving the set in this mode could damage it, or shorten its life. Most notably, the "vivid" mode has the picture setting cranked all the way up, which I've always heard is a terrible thing to do to a CRT. Several days ago, I borrowed a friend's AVIA disc and tuned the black and white levels. I had a very difficult time setting the picture correctly; I couldn't produce any "blooming" or distorion in the log patterns at all with this set. My questions are: is it truly a life-shortening/damaging thing to do to leave this set on "vivid" mode with the picture set all the way up? If it is indeed a bad thing to do, what settings do people recommend? I'm asking, because I found that after calibrating the set with a multitude of test patterns, I feel the picture is somewhat drab. What might a "higher than 31" but safe picture mode setting be for this set? Perhaps I've been spoiled by the "vivid" mode?

Thanks.

-E

The general consensus for the best settings for the KD-34XBR960 are to set the the HDTV to PRO Mode and the Color Axis to Monitor. The rest of the settings are set at around:

Contrast: 45
Brightness: 31 middle setting
Tint: middle setting
Color: 31
Hue: dead center 0
SHARPNESS to "MIN"
"Clear Edge VM" to OFF
Color temp: Neutral
Clear edge : Off

Hi folks,

My questions are: is it truly a life-shortening/damaging thing to do to leave this set on "vivid" mode with the picture set all the way up? If it is indeed a bad thing to do, what settings do people recommend? I'm asking, because I found that after calibrating the set with a multitude of test patterns, I feel the picture is somewhat drab. What might a "higher than 31" but safe picture mode setting be for this set? Perhaps I've been spoiled by the "vivid" mode?
Thanks.
-E

GLX posted the recommended starting points. You can have your set calibrated to a "correct" setting but ultimately it's your set and you got for your viewing pleasure. If you like the vivid mode than use the vivid mode.

As far as damage to the set, I don't think any tests have been done but with the brightness the the vivid mode puts out you can guess it would lead to a shorter tube life.

The general consensus for the best settings for the KD-34XBR960 are to set the the HDTV to PRO Mode and the Color Axis to Monitor. The rest of the settings are set at around:

Contrast: 45
Brightness: 31 middle setting
Tint: middle setting
Color: 31
Hue: dead center 0
SHARPNESS to "MIN"
"Clear Edge VM" to OFF
Color temp: Neutral
Clear edge : Off

thanks, i just got the XBR960 today and when i hook it up im gonna use those settings

The general consensus for the best settings for the KD-34XBR960 are to set the the HDTV to PRO Mode and the Color Axis to Monitor. The rest of the settings are set at around:

Contrast: 45
Brightness: 31 middle setting
Tint: middle setting
Color: 31
Hue: dead center 0
SHARPNESS to "MIN"
"Clear Edge VM" to OFF
Color temp: Neutral
Clear edge : Off

Thanks for the response. That's almost exactly what I had it set to after reviewing "advanced AVIA".

The general consensus for the best settings for the KD-34XBR960 are to set the the HDTV to PRO Mode and the Color Axis to Monitor. The rest of the settings are set at around:

Contrast: 45
Brightness: 31 middle setting
Tint: middle setting
Color: 31
Hue: dead center 0
SHARPNESS to "MIN"
"Clear Edge VM" to OFF
Color temp: Neutral
Clear edge : Off


i got a couple questions, what setting should i have Picture at?
what screen mode should i have the TV at? Full, Zoom, Progressive?
what setting should i have DRC palette and DRC mode at?

and i can't find Tint, Contrast, Sharpness, or Clear Edge settings on the menu

everything else i did

i got a couple questions, what setting should i have Picture at?

what setting should i have DRC palette and DRC mode at?

and i can't find Tint, Contrast, Sharpness, or Clear Edge settings on the menu

everything else i did


Contrast is the same thing as Picture.

Tint is the same thing as HUE.

Clear Edge is the same thing as ClearEdge VM.

Sharpness is the same thing as Sharpness. ;)

All these are found and are tweakable under the "VIDEO" option when you press the "MENU" button.

Next time lets try and keep our eyes open when trying to go through the TV menus. :eek: :p

what screen mode should i have the TV at? Full, Zoom, Progressive?

Full and Zoom are completely different options than Progressive.

Full and Zoom are options for Screen Mode. Progressive is an option for DRC Mode.

Hi everyone,

I just picked up the 34xbr960 today at best buy. Unfortunately it has a manu date of 5/05 (checked back of tv). I hope this won't be a problem as i guess it has been sitting at bb for 7 months now. Dvds on my philips progressive scan player look awesome tho!! :) .

Anyways, i'm an OTA HD signal noob here...and hope some1 can help me. i tried doing a search and read several posts but couldn't find an answer. I was under the assumption that i could just buy a $10 radio shack antenna and i would be able to get the ota signals. However, when i try to tune for digital channels or just autoprogram it no digital channels get found. I'm wondering if its my antenna/position from broadcasting towers, or if its my qam tuner.

I saw several pages ago that some1 had a technician come in to find that the qam tuner was not working and needed to be replaced. Is there any way i can check to see if my tuner is functioning correctly? Or do u think its my antenna? i've found out that my distance from the broadcast towers is 16miles, but i live downtown in a highrise.

Please help...i have this awesome tv but can't view any ota hd channels!
Thanks!

Hi folks,

Bear with me - I'm a systems engineer by trade, but I'm a big-time AV newbie.
I purchased the XBR960 set in late June of this year, and have been astounded with the picture quality from day one, it's fantastic. Recently, I read a review of the set that described a scenario that's giving me the willies. After reading this review, I realized that the set came out-of-the-box set to "vivid" mode, and I had left it that way for several months without modification. The review I read stated that leaving the set in this mode could damage it, or shorten its life. Most notably, the "vivid" mode has the picture setting cranked all the way up, which I've always heard is a terrible thing to do to a CRT. Several days ago, I borrowed a friend's AVIA disc and tuned the black and white levels. I had a very difficult time setting the picture correctly; I couldn't produce any "blooming" or distorion in the log patterns at all with this set. My questions are: is it truly a life-shortening/damaging thing to do to leave this set on "vivid" mode with the picture set all the way up? If it is indeed a bad thing to do, what settings do people recommend? I'm asking, because I found that after calibrating the set with a multitude of test patterns, I feel the picture is somewhat drab. What might a "higher than 31" but safe picture mode setting be for this set? Perhaps I've been spoiled by the "vivid" mode?

Thanks.

-E

I also used "vivid" for a while, sharply decreasing the manufacturer's settings, but after reading so many posts I went into "Pro" and after making the proper adjustments had an even more beautiful picture.

Just know I've found that settings differ between HD, DVD, Digital Cable and VHS. All who have posted their settings are close, however, these are mine for each of those four inputs.

THE first number is for Digital Cable, the second for VHS, the third for DVD (used a THX optomizer) and the fourth for DVI.

Mode: Pro on all
Picture: 37, 33, 30, 33
Brightness: 22, 28, 31, 21
Color: 26, 27, 35, 34
Hue: All R-5
Sharpness: 28, 26, 33, 35
Color Temp: Neutral on all
Clear Edge: Medium, low, high, high
DRC Mode: Interlacd, Cinemotion, Cinemotion
Color Axix: Monitor on all
DRC Pallete: r55/c61, r73/c83, r87/c85

As everyone else has stated, the only settings you should settle into are the ones that you like best. As you have read, many find better picture quality with the clear edge off while I incorporate it for mine. It is all subjective.

Hope you can use the above as starting points. Please let us know what you came up with.

It would be great if we were able to compile stats on all the settings submitted to get a consensus of what the "average" setting is on this thread.

Take care,
Joe

Anyways, i'm an OTA HD signal noob here...and hope some1 can help me. i tried doing a search and read several posts but couldn't find an answer. I was under the assumption that i could just buy a $10 radio shack antenna and i would be able to get the ota signals. However, when i try to tune for digital channels or just autoprogram it no digital channels get found. I'm wondering if its my antenna/position from broadcasting towers, or if its my qam tuner.




A couple of things to check:
Is the antenna plugged into the RF jack labeled UHF/VHF?
Do you have anything plugged into the RF jack labeled Cable?
You may be scanning for cable qam channels, trying hitting the ANT button on your remote and retry the autoprogram.

Thanks for the reply LongRufus,

Yes the antenna is plugged into the rf jack and my comcast cable box is plugged into the cable jack.

I did push ANT on my remote (good tip :) ) but unfortunately got 29 analog channels and 0 digital channels :confused:

Does this mean that my qam tuner is functioning properly but i can't get the ota channels due to my antenna or location?

Thanks for the reply LongRufus,

Yes the antenna is plugged into the rf jack and my comcast cable box is plugged into the cable jack.

I did push ANT on my remote (good tip :) ) but unfortunately got 29 analog channels and 0 digital channels :confused:

Does this mean that my qam tuner is functioning properly but i can't get the ota channels due to my antenna or location?

I doubt it is the antenna itself since you get the analog channels. I have a cheap $10 GE antenna and get all my local OTA HD stations. Your best bet is to find your local area thread in the HDTV info and reception forum and ask for advice there. The reception forum is located here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=45

You can test you QAM tuner by eliminating the Cable box. Remove the cable coming out of your wall from the back of your box and plug it directly into your 960's Cable input and run the autoprogam. It takes almost an hour for the 960 to run through all the channels. Most Comcast systems send the local HD channels in the clear. If your system does, you will find them after the autoprogram has finished. I get all of my Philly locals in the clear and they are listed in the 109.1 to 119.2 channel range. Good luck.

You can test you QAM tuner by eliminating the Cable box. Remove the cable coming out of your wall from the back of your box and plug it directly into your 960's Cable input and run the autoprogam. It takes almost an hour for the 960 to run through all the channels. Most Comcast systems send the local HD channels in the clear. If your system does, you will find them after the autoprogram has finished. I get all of my Philly locals in the clear and they are listed in the 109.1 to 119.2 channel range. Good luck.

Nice! its still autoprogramming, but it currently reads 318digital channels and 20 shown...thanks again! it works :)

What is HI-SCAN?

I am trying to decide on a learning remote that would learn a function that hopefully the XBR960's remote does.

This function would enable a user to go directly to a particular video input without having to cycle through all the inputs. For example, I would like to go directly to video input #7 from say #3. Is this possible with the Sony remote?

TIA

No, it is not possible with the Sony remote, though the IR codes exist to do that if you have a third-party programmable remote such as a Harmony.

Will I be disappointed with my xbr960 playing fast paced xbox 360 games. you know the whole 720p 1080i thing

I am trying to decide on a learning remote that would learn a function that hopefully the XBR960's remote does.

This function would enable a user to go directly to a particular video input without having to cycle through all the inputs. For example, I would like to go directly to video input #7 from say #3. Is this possible with the Sony remote?

You might already know this, but if you go into the TV menu and set an input to "SKIP", then that input will be skipped. So if you didn't have anything on 4, 5 and 6, and you set them to be skipped, it would be one button to get from 3 to 7. Not much help if you have 7 things connected, but if you have two or three, it helps.

--Dale--

How do i get my channle lables back? cable card

No, it is not possible with the Sony remote, though the IR codes exist to do that if you have a third-party programmable remote such as a Harmony.
Okay I have programmed my XBR960 via it's remote to skip the video inputs with nothing connected to them. This is what I'm left with:

Video 3: Bell ExpressVU 6000 w/R5000HD mod for recording HD (for monitoring only)
Video 5: PC via my ATI Radeon 9800XT component video adapter
Video 6: LinkPlayer2 via component video
Video 7: Bell ExpressVU 6100 via DVI>HDMI (for watching HDTV)
Cable Input: using XBR960's internal cable tuner

I'm looking at purchasing a UCR-100 or Harmony 659 Learning Remote. How would I program a macro command into the remote to turn on the TV and at the same time go to the proper video input for the function I want? Say for example, I turned off the TV while watching satellite TV on video input 7, how would I program the UCR-100 to turn on my LinkPlayer2, turn the TV on, and cycle through to the correct video input (6).

TIA

What is HI-SCAN?

I think it's a name Sony came up with for its 1080i TVs. On the Sony web page its got the little TM (trade mark) next to it.

Anyone have handy a Pronto .ccf file for the XBR960?

F13DFX

Yes. I do this with an Harmony 680 (better key layout than 659 especially if you dave a DVR). Fantastic remote

this one should be easy.

when viewing 4:3 material on this set, are the bars on the left and right grey? or black?

also when looking at size. the sony 36" 4:3 tv has a widescreen mode about the size of this tv.

what would be the reason to get this model over the 36" 4:3 set?

since all the tech stats seem the same.

4:3 material in standard def has gray bars, 4:3 material in hi-def is black.

what would be the reason to get this model over the 36" 4:3 set?
You mean besides the extra one inch of width you get with the 16:9 format? What more do you need? :) The 4:3 is so last century, man, get with it.

But you have a good point.... the 4:3 has 25% more glass. It's just that it will be 'dead glass' in the future. How distant? I think we'll have 4:3 material on for quite a while, so from a strictly logical standpoint, and if the pricing was the same (I have no clue about prices) I think the 4:3 would be an ok choice, but your TV wouldn't be very stylish.

--Dale--

Hey guys. Got my XBR960 on Saturday and I love it, aside from one thing... there seems to be a vertical white line on the left side of any 4:3 content. It's not pure white, but it lightens up about a quarter inch of the left side of the picture. There was a more visible one before, but I got that to disappear by dropping the Sharpness below 10. Is this a defect or can it be fixed?

Hey guys. Got my XBR960 on Saturday and I love it, aside from one thing... there seems to be a vertical white line on the left side of any 4:3 content. It's not pure white, but it lightens up about a quarter inch of the left side of the picture. There was a more visible one before, but I got that to disappear by dropping the Sharpness below 10. Is this a defect or can it be fixed?
Never had that when I got my XBR960.

Hey guys. Got my XBR960 on Saturday and I love it, aside from one thing... there seems to be a vertical white line on the left side of any 4:3 content. It's not pure white, but it lightens up about a quarter inch of the left side of the picture. There was a more visible one before, but I got that to disappear by dropping the Sharpness below 10. Is this a defect or can it be fixed?

I'm on my second set now and there is a line that you are talking about. You can try adjusting the SBRT in the service menu to fix the problem.

On Monday Night Football (ABC) I notice that the images ie (the sports bar w/ the score on the bottom) moves up and down very lightly and in an up and down motion. The whole screen does this but it is more noticeable on the sports ticker sitting close to the TV and staring at it.

The problem is hard to explain and happens every week. I am on my second 960 and this one has the same problem as the first. Does anyone else have this problem? Or is this something on ABC's end? This happens with my terk hd receiver and either coming from my HD receiver or directly threw the UHF coax port.

I’m wondering if there is anything thing in the service menu that can correct this problem?

I had a question earlier about DVD players that are "up-scan". The LG DVD player I've been using for about three weeks can change the resolution to "480p-1080i" that would include all of the inbetween resolutions. The Cinemotion turns off when the DVD player is set to any resolution higher than 480p. I just put in Saving Private Ryan and the picture quality was great I did not seen any artifacts or blurring (this was set to 480p and cinemotion). When I change the resolution to 1080i peoples faces have this soft look to them and I can see some types of "blurring" in peoples faces. I believe that the attempt to upscan to 1080i was not as successful and leaving the DVD player's resolution to 480p and having the TV set to cinemotion is the best option. I also have Sharpness as low as it will go and Clear Edge VM to Low. The picture is great, but 480p is not HD. I'm sure the future will hold some affordable HD-DVD's, till then I may just stick with the lower resolution and space my critical eye from seeing all of the blurring affects.
It's me again! I had one day left to return my LG DVD player and I did. I went to Fry's and bought a Denon 756s for $360. Man I was lucky! The picture quality through HDMI was ten times better. I was a sucker when I bought the LG, but I was able to rectify my mistake. However, the Denon DVD player (756 and 1920) share the same problem with the power supply system.
(see next post for link.)
I'm not sure what I will do about it, but till then I'm enjoying beautiful video quality.

I have to make another post before I can set a link

my last post before I can give a link. Sorry if nobody really cares about the Denon problem, but I figure there's one person who may find this useful.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=557414&page=4&pp=30

On Monday Night Football (ABC) I notice that the images ie (the sports bar w/ the score on the bottom) moves up and down very lightly and in an up and down motion. The whole screen does this but it is more noticeable on the sports ticker sitting close to the TV and staring at it.

The problem is hard to explain and happens every week. I am on my second 960 and this one has the same problem as the first. Does anyone else have this problem? Or is this something on ABC's end? This happens with my terk hd receiver and either coming from my HD receiver or directly threw the UHF coax port.

I’m wondering if there is anything thing in the service menu that can correct this problem?

Is there instability on HD football broadcasts televised by FOX, CBS or ESPN? How about digital CNN, MSNBC, etc. and their stock tickers? If not, it doesn't seem (from a non-technical viewpoint) like a problem with either your set or HD equipment. We haven't noticed it on Monday Night Football but will check it out next week.

You mean besides the extra one inch of width you get with the 16:9 format? What more do you need? :) The 4:3 is so last century, man, get with it.

But you have a good point.... the 4:3 has 25% more glass. It's just that it will be 'dead glass' in the future. How distant? I think we'll have 4:3 material on for quite a while, so from a strictly logical standpoint, and if the pricing was the same (I have no clue about prices) I think the 4:3 would be an ok choice, but your TV wouldn't be very stylish.

--Dale--


easy dale,

I have a 96" DLP 16x9 projection system as my main theater. I am looking for something for the bedroom, where I tend to watch mostly old movies (criterion collection, disney, documentaries that I dont want to use the main theater for, etc)
I am just surprised that the sony widescreen is only an inch bigger and several hundred more. I wonderd if it had a much higher quality display or something. Apparently its pretty much the same.

this one should be easy.

when viewing 4:3 material on this set, are the bars on the left and right grey? or black?

also when looking at size. the sony 36" 4:3 tv has a widescreen mode about the size of this tv.

what would be the reason to get this model over the 36" 4:3 set?

since all the tech stats seem the same.

Actually, it was with it's 40 inch 4x3 set that SONY stated the 16x9 was actually larger than a 34" widescreen. Also consider it is suggested one sit at least nine feet away from a 36" inch set when viewing non-HD sources in the 4x3 format, so you will actually see a smaller HD and DVD picture compared to a 960 which can be placed much closer to the viewer.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

I've looked everywhere, but can't find any info on what version HDMI the XBR960 has. V 1.00 or 1.01?

Is there instability on HD football broadcasts televised by FOX, CBS or ESPN? How about digital CNN, MSNBC, etc. and their stock tickers? If not, it doesn't seem (from a non-technical viewpoint) like a problem with either your set or HD equipment. We haven't noticed it on Monday Night Football but will check it out next week.

Please look into it for me. It only happens on MNF on ABC. It does not happen on fox or cbs when they play their football games on Sunday. I dont have my direct tv suscription for HD, so I cant tell if it would happen on espn hd. As far as a non-hd signal on abc, it is perfect.

Have the XBR960 and love it but saw the Bravia in the store today and though it was great. Has anyone compared the PQ side by side?

I'm thinking of purchasing the 960 mainly to game on with the Xbox 360. The question I would like answered is :- If a signal is outputted at 720p (ie. from the Xbox 360) would the TV automatically upscale it to 1080i?...I'd kinda like the option to play in progressive at 60fps for some of the fast action games...but I was wondering if there is any choice in the matter when it comes to what the TV wants to output to it's screen...?...thanx....oh, I'm presuming as a CRT there are no lag issues with gaming?...Any insight...thanx again all... :D ...good forum and good info...

If a signal is outputted at 720p (ie. from the Xbox 360) would the TV automatically upscale it to 1080i?
Yes.

oh, I'm presuming as a CRT there are no lag issues with gaming?
I've seen none with Gamecube, Xbox, and PC. I imagine Xbox 360 should be no different.

Yes.


I've seen none with Gamecube, Xbox, and PC. I imagine Xbox 360 should be no different.
Thanx for your reply.....that's the way I understood it worked, just wanted to make sure.....thanx again...

How would I program a macro command into the remote to turn on the TV and at the same time go to the proper video input for the function I want? Say for example, I turned off the TV while watching satellite TV on video input 7, how would I program the UCR-100 to turn on my LinkPlayer2, turn the TV on, and cycle through to the correct video input (6).You could use a "trick". If your TV works like mine, if I enter a channel number, it always goes to the main antenna. So if you want to program a key to go to the PC screen, for example, send a random channel, then two hits on the tv/video button. The LinkPlayer would be a random channel, then three hits, etc.

--Dale--

I just got my 34xbr960 a couple weeks ago, but I'm having a problem. When I watch a DVD or HDTV I'm getting a red/purple looking flare on the left edge of the screen. It is around 2"-3" in diameter to start, but shrinks down to almost nothing if I just let it go. Is this normal or should I call a service center?

As it turns out, the magnetic interference was coming from the TV speakers and not the surround speakers. I exchanged the set for a new one and haven't had the same problem. I must have just got a bum set.

I just picked up my xbr last week from bb and am thinking about exchanging it...when its letterboxed theres curving on the sides and top...are these geometry problems inherent in this set, or did i just get a lemon? would i have to go into the service menu to fix it?

I just picked up my xbr last week from bb and am thinking about exchanging it...when its letterboxed theres curving on the sides and top...are these geometry problems inherent in this set, or did i just get a lemon? would i have to go into the service menu to fix it?Yes, this is quite a common out-of-the-box problem with this set. Bowing and convergence problems in the top and bottom corners, and left/right edge non-linearity are common complaints. Strangely, it seems that almost all new owners of this fabulous set get what almost seems to be a lemon when it first is delivered. I have no idea why the factory doesn't do a better job of initial setup.

And yes, service menu adjustments exist to address this with reasonable degree of success. However the service menu path should occur only after a trained technician has had a chance to correct some things which require hands-on physical solutions.

So before spending any time at all, call Sony and ask for an in-house visit from a factory tech to give it the required tune-up and adjustments. I suspect you may have other problems he can deal with better than you can (at least in this initial phase of your ownership), such as convergence and other visual artifacts. It will be free to you, and some problems require magnets to be placed on the back of the picture tube which you can't do through the service menu.

Keep your fingers crossed that one visit from the factory tech is sufficient to correct all of your complaints, and then you can begin your own personal tweaks project. Hopefully this one visit from professional help is all that your set needs.

But if the factory tech does not satisfy you (and says "it's within factory spec", or "it's close enough") call Sony after he leaves and insist on a second opinion. Demand that they give you the names of several local authorized service centers in your area, and insist that this second visit also be free because their own factory tech did such an awful job and did not resolve all of the problems to your satisfaction.

Then call one of them and keep your fingers crossed that the local tech guy will be much more motivated and interested, and will actually spend the necessary time to get your set up to snuff. I know that's what happened with me.

Only after exhausting these steps and still failing success should you contact BB or Sony to discuss an exchange. I submit that your feelings about the set will change once you've had an opportunity to get it tuned by a professional or two, and have then had an opportunity to tweak it yourself through the service menu. From your description I suspect you'll think you've been given a new set at the end of this, whereas in fact it was simply a rotten job of Sony preparation at the factory which is really the problem here... not the set itself.

So before spending any time at all, call Sony and ask for an in-house visit from a factory tech to give it the required tune-up and adjustments. I suspect you may have other problems he can deal with better than you can (at least in this initial phase of your ownership), such as convergence and other visual artifacts. It will be free to you, and some problems require magnets to be placed on the back of the picture tube which you can't do through the service menu.I did this and the technician they sent absolutely blew me off. He said, "Well that's just how CRTs are." and left as if I caused him some great inconvienence. I decided to email Sony again and insist that they send someone more knowledgable in this type of problem.

Yes, this is quite a common out-of-the-box problem with this set. Bowing and convergence problems in the top and bottom corners, and left/right edge non-linearity are common complaints. Strangely, it seems that almost all new owners of this fabulous set get what almost seems to be a lemon when it first is delivered. I have no idea why the factory doesn't do a better job of initial setup.

Thanks for your response...so it would be pointless for me exchange for another set in hopes of one w/ better geometry/convergance? that sux...i really don't want to deal w/ technicians like in spokker's case. it just seems absurd to me that all these sets have this problem.

I also picked up a 4 yr extended warranty from best buy (not too much more because of the 18mo no interest financing). do u think bb would do a better job as they also offer in home service? does any1 have experience on this?

i dunno, i may just go and exchange it tomorrow and hope i get a set w/ good geometry...

Thanks for your response...so it would be pointless for me exchange for another set in hopes of one w/ better geometry/convergance? Well based on comments from lots and lots of XBR960 owners on this forum, almost everybody has a less-than-satisfying experience out of the box. But eventually, through a combination of inhouse service tech visit(s) plus adventures in tweaking through the service menu, the very same set eventually scales magnificent heights of gorgeousness (although there still might be very minor and relatively unimportant issues that you simply accept and get used to).

I've not actually heard of anyone who truly had a "defective" set that required exchange or replacement by Sony or the retailer. So yes, it really does point the finger of scorn at Sony for letting these babies out of the factory in what really is a disappointing initial state. But the good news is that it really is just a matter of tuning and tweaking (with magnets and service menu adjustments) to elevate it to where it should have been in the first place.

i really don't want to deal w/ technicians like in spokker's case. it just seems absurd to me that all these sets have this problem.Agreed. Apparently the factory techs sent out by Sony are from the same fraternity and all have the same "that's the way it is" attitude. And that's why you should persist in getting Sony to authorize a "second opinion" from a local authorized retail service center, who will definitely want your business (even though Sony is paying him for a warranty visit this time) and have the right attitude.

I also picked up a 4 yr extended warranty from best buy (not too much more because of the 18mo no interest financing). do u think bb would do a better job as they also offer in home service? does any1 have experience on this? These extended warranties only kick in after the manufacturer's 1-year warranty expires, so it's not going to do anything for you right now.

Sony will not even consider replacing/exchanging your box unless their reps (factory or retail) tell them there is something physically defective that cannot be field serviced. Otherwise, only BB's policy is your final recourse.

But I think you should just bite the bullet and deal with this early headache, and exhaust the Sony free warranty visits (both first and second opinions) before talking to BB about your problem.

i dunno, i may just go and exchange it tomorrow and hope i get a set w/ good geometry...There's that chance, but it also may be no better. So unless it's really serious I'd still try to get a technician (or two) into your house to see if it can be adjusted.

Thanks for all your help DSperber....
I'm going to BB anyways to pricematch this week's special by just bringing in the receipt (12% coupon, 100$ gift card in mail)...my friend has a suburban :) so it's not too hard to bring back this beast...hehe...i was just wondering if u think manufacturing dates have anything to do w/ this common problem...mine says 5/05, and was sitting in their store for 6mos...

I'll give sony a call today after work and make my decision...(i found ur post where u promote ur sony certified technician w/ his magnet work :) , and i'm in downtown la so i'll get him to come out).

i wasn't aware that the bb warranty kicks in after the manufacturer's. i thought the manu warranty on this set was 2 yrs? i wonder if that means the 4 yr warranty kicks in after the manu. 2yrs (4yrs+2yrs manu) or if the 4 yr warranty is actually 2yrs because of the manufacturer's warranty. i'll have to look into that...2yrs for $200 doesn't seem worth it hehe. it's all good cuz i can just get a refund w/in my 30days.

I'll give sony a call today after work and make my decision...(i found ur post where u promote ur sony certified technician w/ his magnet work :) , and i'm in downtown la so i'll get him to come out).Andy is a very nice fellow. I dropped in to his shop a few weeks ago with a "critical emergency" (a D-VHS tape had gotten tangled inside my DT100U and I needed to have it removed), and he delayed his departure to an appointment until I could get there. Then he spent 20 minutes solving my problem and only charged me $20. Terrific guy... and competent.

i wasn't aware that the bb warranty kicks in after the manufacturer's.I'm quite sure that's what the extended warranty means. But check the paperwork.

i thought the manu warranty on this set was 2 yrs? i wonder if that means the 4 yr warranty kicks in after the manu. 2yrs (4yrs+2yrs manu) or if the 4 yr warranty is actually 2yrs because of the manufacturer's warranty.I didn't realize the Sony warranty was 2 years (full parts and labor? or just parts, or labor?). If that's true then I believe your extended warranty would take you out to the 6 year point. But check your paperwork.

2 years in home parts and labor from Sony on this set. My understanding is the BB extended warranty ran concurrently (which is why I passed on the 3 yr.), but that may be a mistake... check the details on the warranty trifold for confirmation.

Please look into it for me. It only happens on MNF on ABC. It does not happen on fox or cbs when they play their football games on Sunday. I dont have my direct tv suscription for HD, so I cant tell if it would happen on espn hd. As far as a non-hd signal on abc, it is perfect.

Hi Hy,

Checked out last night's Monday Night Football telecast on ABC-HD as asked and found no problems. Whenever the camera did shake, the ticker stayed in placed.

How was it for you? If it still happened, could the signal be weak from where you are receiving it?

- Joe

Hi Hy,

Checked out last night's Monday Night Football telecast on ABC-HD as asked and found no problems. Whenever the camera did shake, the ticker stayed in placed.

How was it for you? If it still happened, could the signal be weak from where you are receiving it?

- Joe

Thanks for the update. I was watching it last night and it was still having the same problem. I also noticed that it even happens on other HD shows on ABC. It's wierd, it only happens on ABC and not any other channel.

I am considering the 34xbr960 as my first HDTV and have some questions. Besides just watching football, are there any big sports fans here that use this HDTV to view the MLB Extra Innings and NBA League Pass packages on Comcast digital SD channels? If so, how is the PQ? Also, how does hockey look on this set? I will be able to watch most of the Philadelphia Flyers home games on the Comcast Sportsnet HD channel, and I have read that there is PQ issues with hockey on the larger screen RPLCD and cheaper LCD and Plasma sets due to the bright white ice background and fast movement. Since this is a direct view crt, the HD picture should be perfect?

I have read that there seems to be a problem with sets that were made in May 2005, and that these sets are still in the stores now. Two questions: Is there a way for me and the store to tell from the outside of the box what the build date is? And, if there are still May units being sold almost 6 months after they were built what does that tell me? Are these sets not selling? If not, will they go on sale (like the big screens) before Xmas for less then CC current sale price (& maybe free stand)? I am hoping these May built sets aren't returns that are being sold as new if the store finds nothing wrong with them.

I will be keeping my current 32" Philips SDTV to view/listen to basic SD analog channels during the day no matter what type of HDTV I get, but I am hoping that the 34xbr960 will allow me to watch the digital channels (>100) and Comcast On Demand programs with PQ as good as my current SDTV. Is this possible, or will I still get a much better picture on my SDTV. If so, I might have to get a second DVR/HD Box from Comcast for the SDTV.

Finally, did most of you get a EW with this set? I believe the FW is 2 years for parts and labor. I have never got EW on any of my SDTVs, and they usually last until you choose to replace them. One of the reasons I am thinking about this HDTV vs. a RPLCD is to save money on bulb replacements and EW. Hopefully in a couple of years I will make this set my secondary set and get a Plasma as my primary HDTV.

Any thoughts and opinions would be appreciated and helpful in my decision process.

Hello again people. I got my 34xbr960 in nov of last year. I have had the tube replaced once so far because of "broken apeture grid" and is due to be repaired again for the same problem. All that aside it is a great unit, but i have a couple of questions for you people.
What should I look for in a dvd plaver to go with this unit? Any specific suggestions for a person who has low cash flow?

I am confused as to how the y pb pr input on the TV works and what info it recieves. I thought the screen size was encoded in to the format. For example when i play a dvd on my current dvd player it outputs in 4:3, so i have to expand the picture via the tv to get it to fill the screen.

Lastly I am looking for the info on how to access the service menu along with the listing of what codes do what to the television. I was refferred to these link before but the links no longer work.

Thank again for your assistance
Alex Hammer

For example when i play a dvd on my current dvd player it outputs in 4:3, so i have to expand the picture via the tv to get it to fill the screen.Sounds like you need to get into the SETUP menu on your DVD player and tell it you have a 16:9 TV. If it's putting out 4:3 over component video output it has to still be configured the way it was last November when you still had your old 4:3 TV (I'm guessing), before you bought your XBR960.

DVD players should put out 16:9 over component. Definitely a setup option you need to change. You will NOT have to (or want to) stretch/zoom the output of the DVD player on a 16:9 set.

What should I look for in a dvd plaver to go with this unit? Any specific suggestions for a person who has low cash flow?



The Sony DVP-NS70H has worked out great for me. MSRP is $150 but CC has it on sale most weeks. I have none of the image shift issues that the plasma and PJ owners seem to be having.

I will be getting the DVP-NS70H for xmas. I hope it works good on my xbr960!

My 34XBR960 is about two months old and other than playing around with the choices in the onscreen menu a bit, I am thrilled with the TV. But I keep reading about people spending hundreds of dollars to change some settings in a service menu or by purchasing a DAVID (AVIA I believe). Is there some trick to enter any other menus or features that only certain technicians know about? Okay, what is it, please? And what exactly is meant by convergence being out of whack? What should I be looking for regarding 'convergence'? Thank you

Were you able to get into the service menu? How did your tweaking of the set go?

I returned my 34XBR960 to BB this week due to some geometry issues.

They only had a floor model remaining.

When I looked at it it was worse than the unit I was returning. :(

I used to be a quality control inspector at a TV plant in the mid 80s.

I tend to spot problems with TV's with ease.

Sadly I am out of the (34XBR960) club for now.

I have a simple question before purchasing an BXR960. I have gotten a great deal of conflicting advice about line protectors, surge protectors, certified adjustments, and the like. I'm a complete layman when it comes to audio-visual equipment; I just want to optimize the picture quality and life span of the BXR960 I plan to purchase. BB says that a line protector will greatly lengthen the life of the set, Sony says it will shorten the set's life, others say it will do neither. Some people have said that a Monster cable is virtually a necessity; others seem to think they're overpriced. Sony seems to discourage the use of a surge protector, but I've been told otherwise by other people. Many people recommend that I have a certified technician adjust the set for optimum performance, but since I move almost every year for work, I'm wondering whether it's worth it to shell out a few hundred dollars for an adjustment every time I move.

I won't have any other equipment hooked up to my XBR960 - I haven't even bought a DVD player yet. I just have Adelphia Cable - that's it. I would be very grateful if someone could suggest in the simplest possible terms (for this simple guy) what supplementary equipment, if any, I should purchase to optimize the life and performance of this set. THANK YOU!

I have a simple question before purchasing an BXR960. I have gotten a great deal of conflicting advice about line protectors, surge protectors, certified adjustments, and the like. I'm a complete layman when it comes to audio-visual equipment; I just want to optimize the picture quality and life span of the BXR960 I plan to purchase. BB says that a line protector will greatly lengthen the life of the set, Sony says it will shorten the set's life, others say it will do neither. Some people have said that a Monster cable is virtually a necessity; others seem to think they're overpriced. Sony seems to discourage the use of a surge protector, but I've been told otherwise by other people. Many people recommend that I have a certified technician adjust the set for optimum performance, but since I move almost every year for work, I'm wondering whether it's worth it to shell out a few hundred dollars for an adjustment every time I move.

I won't have any other equipment hooked up to my XBR960 - I haven't even bought a DVD player yet. I just have Adelphia Cable - that's it. I would be very grateful if someone could suggest in the simplest possible terms (for this simple guy) what supplementary equipment, if any, I should purchase to optimize the life and performance of this set. THANK YOU!

I would recommend purchasing a surge protector that states on the packaging that it will guarantee the equipment against a lightning strike. (most do not)

If money is no object get a $1000 line conditioner. And get the ISF calibration.

If on the other hand you want to save some $ you can get a decent surge protector for less than $100 and skip the ISF cal.

I doubt you'll be disappointed in the picture quality when you watch a HDTV signal on the 34XBR960. (Unless you are a TV inspector)

Thanks for the advice, dlhunt0410. A Sony representative told me that the XBR960 has a surge protector built in to the set, and it should therefore be plugged directly into the wall. Was that just a load of crap?

If I want to spend around $100 on a line conditioner, do you have any advice about what I should look for? Is the Monster 850 the best choice in that price range?

Thanks.

Thanks for the advice, dlhunt0410. A Sony representative told me that the XBR960 has a surge protector built in to the set, and it should therefore be plugged directly into the wall. Was that just a load of crap?

If I want to spend around $100 on a line conditioner, do you have any advice about what I should look for? Is the Monster 850 the best choice in that price range?

Thanks.

Watch out for faulty advice on this board about surge protectors. This subject has been handled before on this board. One more time....

The 960 has a huge initial appetite for current when this set is first turned on because of the degaussing circuitry. Many surge protectors limit the amount of current during this initial turn on period. The result is a faulty degaussing process which can lead to a very un-pure picture in the worst case. So believe Sony when they say plug it directly into the wall!!--- I know because I learned the hard way. The only other alternative is to get a line conditioner or a UPC device that is rated at least at 1500 VA. so it can handle the 960's huge initial appetite for current. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the update. I was watching it last night and it was still having the same problem. I also noticed that it even happens on other HD shows on ABC. It's wierd, it only happens on ABC and not any other channel.

Hy,

Glad I could help out. It must be something with the ABC transmission for your area so don't get worried about the set. Gobble Gobble.

I am considering the 34xbr960 as my first HDTV and have some questions. Besides just watching football, are there any big sports fans here that use this HDTV to view the MLB Extra Innings and NBA League Pass packages on Comcast digital SD channels? If so, how is the PQ? Also, how does hockey look on this set? I will be able to watch most of the Philadelphia Flyers home games on the Comcast Sportsnet HD channel, and I have read that there is PQ issues with hockey on the larger screen RPLCD and cheaper LCD and Plasma sets due to the bright white ice background and fast movement. Since this is a direct view crt, the HD picture should be perfect?

I have read that there seems to be a problem with sets that were made in May 2005, and that these sets are still in the stores now. Two questions: Is there a way for me and the store to tell from the outside of the box what the build date is? And, if there are still May units being sold almost 6 months after they were built what does that tell me? Are these sets not selling? If not, will they go on sale (like the big screens) before Xmas for less then CC current sale price (& maybe free stand)? I am hoping these May built sets aren't returns that are being sold as new if the store finds nothing wrong with them.

I will be keeping my current 32" Philips SDTV to view/listen to basic SD analog channels during the day no matter what type of HDTV I get, but I am hoping that the 34xbr960 will allow me to watch the digital channels (>100) and Comcast On Demand programs with PQ as good as my current SDTV. Is this possible, or will I still get a much better picture on my SDTV. If so, I might have to get a second DVR/HD Box from Comcast for the SDTV.

Finally, did most of you get a EW with this set? I believe the FW is 2 years for parts and labor. I have never got EW on any of my SDTVs, and they usually last until you choose to replace them. One of the reasons I am thinking about this HDTV vs. a RPLCD is to save money on bulb replacements and EW. Hopefully in a couple of years I will make this set my secondary set and get a Plasma as my primary HDTV.

Any thoughts and opinions would be appreciated and helpful in my decision process.

For us, SD pictures look as good as on a non-HD set, however, one gets so used to HD that it's sometimes hard to re-adapt to watching digital. We use the wide stretch mode fill the picuture screen. It's surprising how well VHS recordings look with upconversion. DVDs are great.

We didn't bother with an extended warranty since surveys show most major electronic items that break down do so early on (companies make windfall profits selling extended warranties since on the most part they are never in need of use).

Rear projection sets have come a long way but still have their drawbacks with viewing angles and black levels. The 960 still offers the best picture quality of any tube, plasma or LCD set. If 34" widescreen is what you're looking for, you can't go wrong with this model.

We do not know when our set was manufactured but we've had it for over three months with no problem at all.
While many have experienced curvature on letterbox material we haven't notice it all. The only curvature we find is very slight in the extreme corners when using the wide stretch mode for 4x3 material - it's really only noticable on news tickers, etc and we believe it probably is inherent with stretch modes in general.

The sport packages you mentioned are not available in HD in the NYC area, only digital. Ice Hockey really looks great in HD and a HD golf tournament makes one feel you are in the front of the gallery.

Please know that many national sporting events are still not broadcast in HD (i.e., ABC Saturday College Football, some NBA games on ESPN, Golf, etc.). With us, all home games for local teams (Yanks, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, Islanders and Devils) are broadcast in HD as well as most NFL games. HBO, Starz, Cinamax and Showtime have one channel of HD quality.

Hope this feedback helps.

Would you mind sharing where you got this quote? I am planning to get one as well but I'm limited to stores on the west coast. I have to haul it up to Canada<g>.

Sure. It was $1440.

Abt Electronics in Glenview, IL. They are the largest independent appliance/electronic retailer in the country. They also say they are Sony's largest independent customer.
I also believe they ship the TV free and there is no sales tax outside of the Chicago area.
Go to the live chat area and ask for their best price.

**************.com

Sure. It was $1440.

Abt Electronics in Glenview, IL. They are the largest independent appliance/electronic retailer in the country. They also say they are Sony's largest independent customer.
I also believe they ship the TV free and there is no sales tax outside of the Chicago area.
Go to the live chat area and ask for their best price.

**************.com

dmk66,

Your price quote was for a new 34xbr960 from Abt? If so, can you send me a PM or Email on who to talk to at Abt to get that price. I was quoted a price including white glove delivery for two hundred eighteen more than your price from them today via email.

Thanks,

Snatta

Thanks Joseph for your feedback! :)

Were you able to get into the service menu? How did your tweaking of the set go?

34XBR960

I think I'll cover all the bases here that I can think of. To get into the service menu, Turn Power off-press Display-press 5-press VOL+ then Power on.
To get out, Power off.
I didn't do anything there as I was overwhelmed. I bought the AVIA DVD and I'm having a difficult time seeing what I'm supposed to be seeing with that. I'm going to keep on plugging away with the AVIA but I just found a very impressive credentialed calibrator whose office is less than 1 mile from my house in Smyrna, Ga. He charges $250 for a CRT and will drop the trip charge of $25 since I'm so close. He's got quite a resume`.
But I'm not ready to go that route yet. I've had my TV now for two months. I bought the Extended Warranty but liquidated it three weeks later for a refund. My feeling is that if I'm going to have a problem, it will occur within the first 30 days or not. After all, everyone knows that they wouldn't be selling insurance plans if they weren't profitable for the insurer. I have had none of the issues mentioned here on this board. I ran the Black and White lettered credits at 2X and saw no smearing. Just some jittering. I have no excess lines of any sort. No convergence. No problems with the screen coating or film. Actually, I can't really tell that there is a film on there.
I use a surge protector. That whole line conditioner subject is too far out there for me. I'll wait until I get that Tech in here to inquire about that. I'm using a Cable Card from Charter for one RF in and I have a Motorola digital STB in my living room whose signals are sent to my other RF in antenna by using a Rabbit. This gives me the Guide and Video on Demand just by switching antennas. My SD picture on the Sony is identical in quality to the one I'm getting from the STB.
I think that covers it.

lsfrankel - you live near me. I live in acworth. Do you notice a problem on ABC HD with the images bouncing up / down ?

I returned my 34XBR960 to BB this week due to some geometry issues.

They only had a floor model remaining.

When I looked at it it was worse than the unit I was returning. :(

I used to be a quality control inspector at a TV plant in the mid 80s.

I tend to spot problems with TV's with ease.

Sadly I am out of the (34XBR960) club for now.

If the 960's picture quality doesn't satisfy you. No TV will.

The 960 has a huge initial appetite for current when this set is first turned on because of the degaussing circuitry. Many surge protectors limit the amount of current during this initial turn on period. The result is a faulty degaussing process which can lead to a very un-pure picture in the worst case. So believe Sony when they say plug it directly into the wall!!--- I know because I learned the hard way. The only other alternative is to get a line conditioner or a UPC device that is rated at least at 1500 VA. so it can handle the 960's huge initial appetite for current. Hope this helps.

That makes perfect sense - thanks for the warning! I think a 1500 VA line conditioner costs a bit more than I'm looking to spend, so would you recommend just forgetting about a line conditioner, or should I buy an inexpensive line conditioner and start using it after the initial degaussing?

Do most of you guys have the Sony SU-34XBR3 stand? Can that stand accommodate a Comcast DVR/HD box on the hanging shelf that comes with it? Is there room for a stereo receiver or DVD player on the bottom part of the stand that is shaped like a V?. Does anyone have any suggestions for another stand that can handle the XBR960 weight and have at least 2 full shelf slots?

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

The 960 has a huge initial appetite for current when this set is first turned on because of the degaussing circuitry. Many surge protectors limit the amount of current during this initial turn on period. The result is a faulty degaussing process which can lead to a very un-pure picture in the worst case. So believe Sony when they say plug it directly into the wall!!--- I know because I learned the hard way. The only other alternative is to get a line conditioner or a UPC device that is rated at least at 1500 VA. so it can handle the 960's huge initial appetite for current. Hope this helps.

That makes perfect sense - thanks for the warning! I think a 1500 VA line conditioner costs a bit more than I'm looking to spend, so would you recommend just forgetting about a line conditioner, or should I buy an inexpensive line conditioner and start using it after the initial degaussing?

If you can't get the right one , just plug it into the wall. The 960 already has protection built in.

Do most of you guys have the Sony SU-34XBR3 stand? Can that stand accommodate a Comcast DVR/HD box on the hanging shelf that comes with it? Is there room for a stereo receiver or DVD player on the bottom part of the stand that is shaped like a V?. Does anyone have any suggestions for another stand that can handle the XBR960 weight and have at least 2 full shelf slots?

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Hi, we have the stand and took some measurements for you.

The shelf is 19 inches wide with two height options. We have it set on the first level which provides 9 inches in height. Assume positioning the shelf on the second level would give somewhere between 15 and 18 inches. We have our Scientific Atlantic HD box on this shelf.

You can also store equipment underneath it - with the shelf on the higher position there wass more than enough space for us to stack our VHS on top of our DVD player.

Hope this helps and gobble gobble!

Joe

Do most of you guys have the Sony SU-34XBR3 stand? Can that stand accommodate a Comcast DVR/HD box on the hanging shelf that comes with it? Is there room for a stereo receiver or DVD player on the bottom part of the stand that is shaped like a V?. Does anyone have any suggestions for another stand that can handle the XBR960 weight and have at least 2 full shelf slots?

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

I love the stand I got from CC. I have the Comcast HD DVR and Sony 70H DVD player on the top shelf and my bottom shelf is empty. Plenty of room for 4 full sized components. I thought it was a bargain at $180, it's currently on sale for $45 less.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Z-Line-Designs-TV-Stand-23541S-/sem/rpsm/oid/69535/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Possibly stupid question: is this TV HDCP-compliant? I just found out my 27" Sony HDTV (4:3) will not play my DTheater tapes over HDMI (JVC 5U), so now I need something else.

lsfrankel - you live near me. I live in acworth. Do you notice a problem on ABC HD with the images bouncing up / down ?

I haven't noticed anything wrong yet but I'm not quite sure what is meant by 'jumping up and down'. Are you on Charter? Have you hooked up rabbit ears to the other RF in to see if it happens OTA?

My original TV, 3 video processing boards have been replaced to no effect.


Okay to help anyone interested in checking if their TV has this defect that mine and Brad's has, read on... If you want to live in ignorant bliss... skip!

As I've written before, this phenomenon happens on all inputs, I'm going to refer to my trustworthy DVD: STARS WARS EPISODE 5, The Empire Strikes Back

EXAMPLE 1:
Jump to chapter 27 and ff to (58:10 - 58:17). This is where Leia is in the cockpit of the millenium falcon getting scared by the Mynock. I've uploaded a file where I paintshopped green lines around the lights that cause a smear on my TV. The smearing occurs when the camera pans when she stands up to investigate the noise and when she recoils.

EXAMPLE 2:
Jump to chapter 30 and FF to (1:07:27 - 1:07:31) This is where the Millenium Falcon races across the screen to attack the Star Destroyer Avenger. I've uploaded a file where I outlined area where the smearing occurs, right after the falcon quits its "afterburner".

EXAMPLE 3:
Same chapter, FF to (1:08:06 - 1:08:09) This is where Captain Needa and another officer on the bridge of the Avenger are talking to each other, and Capt. Needa turns away at the end of the scene. The smearing occurs as Needa turns away. I've also uploaded a file showing where the smearing occurs in relation to his head as it moves out of the shot.

Since I can't upload a fourth picture, I'll finish my post in another post! :rolleyes:

I have the same problem too !

I haven't noticed anything wrong yet but I'm not quite sure what is meant by 'jumping up and down'. Are you on Charter? Have you hooked up rabbit ears to the other RF in to see if it happens OTA?

Im with Direct tv. I dont have any HD packages with direct tv, but only a terk indoor HDTV antenna hooked threw a direct tv hd box or also I have it hooked up straight to the UHF port on the tv. When you watch something in HD on ABC look at the ABC logo on the bottom right of the screen. I notice it bounces up and down. The whole screen does this but it is easier to tell on an image that is suppose to stay put, (logo, monday night football ticker, etc...)

Hi guiys. I am new here, so I apologize if this has already been discussed.

But, I just bought the Sony 34" XBR960 a few weeks ago, and today I noticed there are 3 faint horizontal lines that run across my screen.

You have to look kinda hard to notice them, but they are there. You can notice them more when there a white background.

Somebody on another board told me to come here...that you guys would know.

The lines are very thin, so you have to look close to see them. They show up more (more noticable) on a white background.

Someone on another board said something about aperature grille or lines. Hmmm.

I googled it, and it said there are 2 lines or something, but I see 3 on my TV.

One line is about 5 inches from the top of the screen. And one is about 5 inches from the bottom of the screen. And theres one in between...but slightly closer to the bottom line than the top.

Can you guys shed some light on this for me please?

Thanks!

Those lines are normal on Sony trinitron tubes

Has anybody ever actually had anyone come out to their home and fix convergence issues on their XBR960? The only thing I read in this thread is people complaining about convergence issues and getting blown off by Sony tech support.

Can anyone recommend a tech, Sony authorized or ISF, that will fix convergence issues in Southern California? I'm sick of getting the run around.

Those lines are normal on Sony trinitron tubes
3 lines though? Everything I've read online says there are 2 dampening wired to support the aperture grille.

For those who have the XBR960, do you see 3 horizontal lines too? Thanks...

Hi guiys. I am new here, so I apologize if this has already been discussed.

But, I just bought the Sony 34" XBR960 a few weeks ago, and today I noticed there are 3 faint horizontal lines that run across my screen.These are thin wires behind the glass screen that hold the aperture grill up against it.

These wires are part of every Sony Trinitron tube... HDTV, computer monitors, etc.

If you sit back at normal viewing distance you should not be able to see them, especially with normal programming content displayed on the screen and moving around constantly. With darker content (e.g. the grass on a football field) you will simply not be able to see these wires.

The only way they are visible is on white or very light stationary content or background, which is essentially impossible for regular programming content.

But are there supposed to be 3 lines? Places I've read say there are 2 wired to hold the aperture grille.

Thanks

But are there supposed to be 3 lines? Places I've read say there are 2 wired to hold the aperture grille.

Thanks

Perhaps with the large size of the screen, 3 are needed instead of the two. I have had countless trinitron monitors and televisions in the past, and all sony's have this. You can usually only see it on a white background like you said.

Hello to all! My wife and I are finally going to get a new TV and have been looking at everything from rear-projection to plasmas. While I was at CC today, I caught a glimpse of the xbr960 and was blown away! I couldn't believe how beautiful the picture was!

Of course, like all guys, I have been wanting a BIG screen TV, but if we get the 960, we can rearrange our TV room so that the TV would be about 8 ft or so away from the viewers on average. That seems about right for a 34" screen, don't you think?

Ok, on to my question. After doing some research and hearing some great things about this tv, I'm really considering picking one up. I was wondering though, since this tv has been out for over 1 year, is it due to be replaced soon? Is there any reason I would want to wait to see what comes out next? Is there any info on what/when the replacement is coming? I'd LOVE to go buy one tomorrow, but I'm afraid I'll get it and then after the New Year, it will be replaced!

What do you all think? Please give me any advice you can!

Thanks,
Jeremy

I was wondering though, since this tv has been out for over 1 year, is it due to be replaced soon? Is there any reason I would want to wait to see what comes out next? Is there any info on what/when the replacement is coming? I'd LOVE to go buy one tomorrow, but I'm afraid I'll get it and then after the New Year, it will be replaced! There's been no mention or rumor about a replacement for this set, aside from the "N" version (which is already available) that purportedly is the same set with a slightly different anti-reflective coating on the glass. Whatever the actual difference, it appears to be relatively insignificant and has no real effect on the internals or general performance of the set.

Since CRT's are in lesser demand as time goes on (because of screen size limitations, weight, general large flat analog tube factors such as convergence and magnetic field influences, etc.) it's unclear whether the XBR960 is the last model we'll see or whether Sony will someday have something new and even more improved in this same screen size, or possibly larger. Simply no information here.

As far as getting one for yourself and your living room viewing distance estimate of 8', I will say that this is perhaps getting into the "not quite close enough" range. Most of us current owners who glow about the magic of this set's picture (once adjusted and tweaked properly, by a Sony factory tech and/or private local authorized tech and/or yourself and/or ISF tech) seem to agree on a 5'-7' viewing distance as ideal. While this certainly is a somewhat more preferable viewing distance, remember that this is actually a fairly small screen... especially when SD 4:3 images are displayed inside of its 34" diagonal presentation.

Not that it's impossible or unpleasant to watch from 8'. It's just that the "WOW!" effect (you are there, watching the real world through an open window frame with no glass in it) reduces as you move back further. Your eye's field of view continues to gather in more and more distractions around the picture as you move back, and the actual picture image seems to get smaller and smaller, and 8' may be just at the critical limit. Or maybe you'll be fine with it. Or maybe you can pull your chairs/sofa just a bit closer.

I would suggest you go back to the store and put a chair down in front of the set at a distance where you think you'd be sitting. Then try to get a feel for whether you are happy or not. If you can also sample 4:3 SD that would be helpful. You may have to ignore somewhat imperfect setup issues with less-than-glorious picture, just to get a feel for the size of the image and how you react.

If you're looking for a wonderful can't-be-better-picture HDTV viewing experience, with truly astonishing picture quality, you've found it. But it's really a small set by today's flat-screen and home theater standards, intended for a closer and more intimate viewing environment. As such, some compromises may be required in order to enjoy it.

I, for one, prefer CRT picture characteristics over any fixed-pixel display device... be it in my HDTV or in my computer monitors (17", 19", 21"). I'm a happy Sony Trinitron owner, exclusively, all around my house. And I usually watch my XBR960 (it's in a corner of my bedroom) from around 5' away (listening to DD5.1 -> Dolby Headphone through Stax headphones) without complaint. It's my own small theater, when I've actually sat down to "watch TV" seriously. However I also commonly "watch TV" (just not that seriously) while in bed, or when working on my computer, both of which are at a distance of around 13' from the XBR960, and given those situations it is also perfectly acceptable. Just not the same as from 5'.

I was under the impression that Sony, like everybody else, is done with CRT. The market wants skinny TVs and so it shall have skinny TVs. This is probably the largest and last of the HD direct-view CRTs. Next stop, the dustbin of CE history.

What do you all think? Please give me any advice you can!I've had my XBR960 for a couple of months now and you can mark my vote as saying that the reply to your question by "DSperber" is the probably the most concise, clear and accurate answer you are ever going to read on the subject.

There's been no mention or rumor about a replacement for this set, aside from the "N" version (which is already available) that purportedly is the same set with a slightly different anti-reflective coating on the glass. Whatever the actual difference, it appears to be relatively insignificant and has no real effect on the internals or general performance of the set.

Since CRT's are in lesser demand as time goes on (because of screen size limitations, weight, general large flat analog tube factors such as convergence and magnetic field influences, etc.) it's unclear whether the XBR960 is the last model we'll see or whether Sony will someday have something new and even more improved in this same screen size, or possibly larger. Simply no information here.

As far as getting one for yourself and your living room viewing distance estimate of 8', I will say that this is perhaps getting into the "not quite close enough" range. Most of us current owners who glow about the magic of this set's picture (once adjusted and tweaked properly, by a Sony factory tech and/or private local authorized tech and/or yourself and/or ISF tech) seem to agree on a 5'-7' viewing distance as ideal. While this certainly is a somewhat more preferable viewing distance, remember that this is actually a fairly small screen... especially when SD 4:3 images are displayed inside of its 34" diagonal presentation.

Not that it's impossible or unpleasant to watch from 8'. It's just that the "WOW!" effect (you are there, watching the real world through an open window frame with no glass in it) reduces as you move back further. Your eye's field of view continues to gather in more and more distractions around the picture as you move back, and the actual picture image seems to get smaller and smaller, and 8' may be just at the critical limit. Or maybe you'll be fine with it. Or maybe you can pull your chairs/sofa just a bit closer.

I would suggest you go back to the store and put a chair down in front of the set at a distance where you think you'd be sitting. Then try to get a feel for whether you are happy or not. If you can also sample 4:3 SD that would be helpful. You may have to ignore somewhat imperfect setup issues with less-than-glorious picture, just to get a feel for the size of the image and how you react.

If you're looking for a wonderful can't-be-better-picture HDTV viewing experience, with truly astonishing picture quality, you've found it. But it's really a small set by today's flat-screen and home theater standards, intended for a closer and more intimate viewing environment. As such, some compromises may be required in order to enjoy it.

I, for one, prefer CRT picture characteristics over any fixed-pixel display device... be it in my HDTV or in my computer monitors (17", 19", 21"). I'm a happy Sony Trinitron owner, exclusively, all around my house. And I usually watch my XBR960 (it's in a corner of my bedroom) from around 5' away (listening to DD5.1 -> Dolby Headphone through Stax headphones) without complaint. It's my own small theater, when I've actually sat down to "watch TV" seriously. However I also commonly "watch TV" (just not that seriously) while in bed, or when working on my computer, both of which are at a distance of around 13' from the XBR960, and given those situations it is also perfectly acceptable. Just not the same as from 5'.

http://www3.estart.com/stores/media/oscar%20copy_2.jpg

I have a dumb question about people measuring distance. Are you taking the measurement of the set screen to your eyes???

Can anyone recommend a tech, Sony authorized or ISF, that will fix convergence issues in Southern California? I'm sick of getting the run around.

Can't recommend one in the area, but you can run a search here:
http://www.imagingscience.com/isf-trained.cfm

I have a dumb question about people measuring distance. Are you taking the measurement of the set screen to your eyes???Well, it's sort of approximate, but yes the "viewing distance" would be measured from the screen to your eyes.

Here's a good tool for calculating either (a) recommended optimal viewing distance from a screen based on screen size, or (b) recommended screen size based on viewing distance: Viewing distance / screen size calculation tool (http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html) Note that this suggests an even closer viewing position of 4'-5' for a 34" 16:9 set.

Here's another reference: Crutchfield size/distance chart (http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/learningcenter/home/tv_faq.html#2)


Gary Merson (of "Perfect Vision") suggests the following rule of thumb:

"You must measure the actual screen height of the HDTV in inches (active screen area within the bezel, top to bottom). If you don't have a ruler handy, simply divide the diagonal measurement in half to get an approximate screen height for 16:9 aspect ratio HDTVs. Next, multiply the height by 3.2 to determine optimal viewing distance for 1080i content, or multiply by 4.8 to get the optimal distance for 720p content.

"With my 720p Samsung 43" diagonal HLN4365W, the screen height is roughly 21 inches, which when multiplied by 4.8 yields 100.8 inches, or 8.4 feet. I typically view the set from 8-12 ft in the family room, depending on the seat. Assuming my average viewing distance is 10ft, Merson says my screen is a bit too small for my eyes to discern the maximum resolution from the TV screen. Using quick math, 10ft is 120 inches, and dividing by 4.8, that would require a 25 inch vertical height, or approximately a 50 inch diagonal HDTV for optimal perception of the 720p screen resolution from 10ft. I still find the experience quite satisfying overall, and recall I have the constraint of having the TV fit inside a wife-specified corner entertainment unit, and the 43" diagonal DLP is about as large as I can fit at the moment."


Ergo: Video resolution is established by the total available pixels inside a display. That number is calculated by multiplying the vertical lines times the horizontals. Hence there are just over 350,000 pixels on your 4:3 screen, and there will be almost 2,000,000 on a 16:9 HDTV screen displaying 1080i content. Proper viewing distance for 4:3 (and SD resolution of 525 horizontal lines) would be around 7 screen heights, but this would occupy only around 10o of our horizontal field-of-view at that distance.

At HDTV resolution (1080i) in 16:9 aspect ratio how far back should we sit? The answer is 3 screen heights (3.2 according to Gary). And at a viewing distance of 3 screen heights the screen fills fully 30o of our horizontal field-of-view. For 720p viewing, Gary multiplies screen height by 4.8.


One more interesting reference source on angles of view: Angles of view, viewing distance, resolution, etc. (http://www.da-lite.com/education/angles_of_view.php?action=details&issueid=33)

The reason I asked for clarification was the low end of your (and others agreed upon) optimal range. 5' seemed awfully close (considering 3 of them are from the tip of my toes to my eyes . . . even in an upright seated position). Throw a bit of recline into the equation and I can get between 50-52" of distance to the tip of the footrest.

For fun, I decided to move my chair up, to yield 5' viewing distance (from screen to eyeball) for the first half of the Knicks game. While the picture was still enjoyable it felt a little cramped to be sitting with roughly only 2' of clearance between the front of my knees and the face of the set.

Viewing distance has been on my mind as of late, bc I am considering "spinning" the living room layout which would shorten the TV to Recliner distance. I had always calculated viewining distance as eyeball to glass, and wanted to confirm that's correct. :)

Has anybody ever actually had anyone come out to their home and fix convergence issues on their XBR960? The only thing I read in this thread is people complaining about convergence issues and getting blown off by Sony tech support.

Can anyone recommend a tech, Sony authorized or ISF, that will fix convergence issues in Southern California? I'm sick of getting the run around.Well "Southern California" is a pretty big place, but if you're in the West LA area I would recommend asking for Andy at AVS Audio Video Shoppe in Culver City. Phone number 310-306-4600.

He was the "local authorized Sony service" guy I called in after the Sony factory tech had come out first to adjust my brand new XBR960 and arbitrarily decided to leave when it was "close enough", or "within factory spec"... according to him. I was quite dissatisfied, called Sony to insist on a second opinion, and that's when I stumbled into AVS from the short list of nearby authorized service places Sony gave me to choose from.

Andy came out, and was quite enthused and exhilarated by my "quest for perfection" (or at least some significant improvement over the way the Sony factory tech had left things when he departed in a huff). He spent quite a bit of time working on my convergence problems before running out of magnets. He then promised to come back the following week with another magnet supply, which he did. And after spending yet another hour on his second visit (completing the magnet work and then fine-tuning and adjusting things even more using the service menu) we finally achieved what I've been watching ever since. Of course I have done some additional tuning and tweaking since his second visit, but that's to be expected and does not reflect on his abilities... only on my obsession.

I gave him a substantial tip (i.e. $$$) for his dedication and performance.

And I recommend him highly. You should try to get Sony to pay for his service call, but he's certainly well qualified and highly capable of dealing with convergence and other geometry problems on the XBR960.

However he is NOT an ISF guy, so don't expect that.

Are you guys crazy? 5 feet away from a 34 inch television??

I see poor eyesight and radiation poisoning in your future.

Are you guys crazy? 5 feet away from a 34 inch television??

I see poor eyesight and radiation poisoning in your future.


6-8 feet.

Are you guys crazy? 5 feet away from a 34 inch television?? I'm currently sitting about 16" away from my 19" Sony Trinitron (aka IBM P96) computer monitor set at 1152x864 resolution. Seems perfectly ok to me. It's screen has a height of about 10.5".

If I had a strong enough table nearby and the room arrangement allowed it, I might place my 34XBR960 nearby as a permanent second monitor for my PC. But its screen size would demand that I place it 4'-5' away from where I'm sitting in order to get the balance between proper 30o field-of-view (so as not to have to turn my head left or right if it were too close) and having it so far away that it looks too small to be really satisfying (i.e. so that I can appreciate its 1920x1080 resolution capability).

As it is, with the XBR960 in the corner of my bedroom, I normally sit about 5' away and do not feel in any way like this is too close. It's just right for the size of the screen, which remember probably has a height that is essentially that of a 27" 4:3 set, namely a bit less than 17". In contrast, the screen of a 35" 4:3 set has a height of around 22". But to appreciate the HDTV 16:9 resolutions you need to sit much closer than you would for a SD 27" or 35" set.

I stopped at the 3 stores in my area that have the 34xbr960 on display. At Circuit City not 1 salesperson came over to help me during the 15 minutes I was there. They were all in the big screen area. This was actually a good thing though, because I turned off the sound on all the other TVs and was able to hear how loud the 34xbr960 can be. With the volume at 24 it sounded pretty good to me during a song from Live 8 featuring U2. But, both the 4:3 and 16:9 sets showed the exact screen area footage, no extra on the sides for the 16:9.

At Best Buy someone came over to me after a few minutes, but he quickly recommended to me LCD and Plasma units that would be in the same range as the 34xbr960. I asked him about what the 34xbr960 was currently showing, and he said it was a promo loop for HDTV, but it wasn't even connected with the right cables so don't judge the picture as being HD quality. This was the same loop that CC had running too. How can you judge PQ at these stores when they don't even have an HD source connected to these units? Both of these stores had no sale price on this model, and no discounts other than $100 from Comcast when I subscribe to their HD service (I already have their HD DVR box).

I went to Boscov's to compare the 34xbr960 to the 34xs955. They were the only store that had both models. I couldn't understand why CC & BB don't have the 34xs955 in the store, or even online. Boscov's had DVD movies running on both sets, as they were connected to HTIB, but didn't have them next to each other. I couldn't notice a difference in PQ. Neither of these 2 sets were on sale either, but they did offer a 5% to 50% off coupon & no payment/interest for 12 months. You don't find out how much the coupon is for until the salesperson enters the price of the item you are buying at the register and you are ready to pay.

My questions after visiting these stores are how come these sets aren't being displayed properly so people can see the great HD PQ they are buying? And, if these direct view crt HD sets aren't in demand, how come they aren't on sale? I am a cheap dogg, so I am trying to get the best deal I can. Crutchfield has a 18 month no payments/no interest deal with free in house delivery, but they told me they don't price match and their online price is what they sell the set for. They do have a sale price on the 34xs955 though, and I am thinking about that set or waiting them out to see if they will put the 34xbr960 on sale before Xmas. I have got 2 different quotes from ABT below their listed price, but they don't offer any no payment/no interest plan. Does anyone remember if this set went on sale last year before Xmas? I am looking for about $300 off the current list price. :D

Cruthfield should price match any authorized dealer
if ABT is not offering no interest no payments I doubt they are an authorized dealer which furthermore means no Sony warranty
the warranty would be from ABT

and most other CRTs are discounted, you are just looking at the best

I turned off the sound on all the other TVs and was able to hear how loud the 34xbr960 can be. With the volume at 24 it sounded pretty good to me during a song from Live 8 featuring U2. My own personal feeling about the amp/speakers on the XBR960 is that they're really only "adequate". Not bad, but not great either.

For example, the built-in speakers (including sub-woofer) on my previous Sampo 34WHD5 were really very good. I could accept listening through the TV speakers without complaining. In contrast, I personally find that the limited range of the XBR960 sound system (it does not contain a sub-woofer) to be unacceptable.

Consequently I've "replaced" the built-in sound with a spare Altec-Lansing 621 speaker system (from one of my computers) that I had sitting around after replacing it earlier this year with an Altec-Lansing 641 system that I bought on eBay (note that neither of these fabulous sounding computer speaker systems are made or sold by Altec-Lansing any longer, but then that's just me... the KING of "they don't make it any more").

So I've turned the XBR960 speakers "off" and use the external Altec-Lansing 621 system instead (if I don't want to put on my Dolby Digital headphones for serious listening in my bedroom where a true 5.1 speaker system is unacceptable). Really a gigantic difference, especially with the external speakers fed from a digital source mixed down to 2-channel analog and passed through a 14-band DBX 14/10 EQ for tone control before being fed to the wonderful sounding Altec-Lansing 621 speaker system. Really.

Anyway, I wouldn't cite the built-in sound system on the XBR960 as one of its strong selling points. If you're planning on using the OTA NTSC/ATSC tuner in the set for OTA watching, remember that there's both full Dolby Digital as well as L/R-analog AUDIO OUTPUT capability available on the back, so you aren't obligated to use the set's built-in speakers if you don't want to. You can feed the audio from the tuner to whatever analog or digital external sound system you care to.

The speakers on the xbr960 imo rock. When I'm watching movies / dvds i some times can hear bullets coming from my rear. Obviously im no hard core sound expert and my previous tv had POS speakers. So this is a big improvment for me. I was originally planning to get a Htib, but I realise the stock speakers on the tv are already good enough for me. Plus I use this tv in my bed room so htib may be over kill. The xbr 955 would probably be my purchase if I were to do it over again. The twin view, and the drc function are pretty much pointless with direct tv outputting my SD at 1080i.

All in all if you want the BEST picture quality (compared to plasma) for a cheaper price go with the xbr 955/960. The only down side of this is there is ghosting / trailing with light images (lights) on a dark background. Also at 200lbs it is a really bitch to move and hooking it up to a computer source looks like ****.

I think we're going to go ahead and get the xbr960. I guess it is being discontinued and has been replaced by the xbr960n, but the only difference is some kind of dust protector on the screen. Do I need to buy that one instead?

Thanks for all your help!

Jeremy

For example, the built-in speakers (including sub-woofer) on my previous Sampo 34WHD5 were really very good. I could accept listening through the TV speakers without complaining. In contrast, I personally find that the limited range of the XBR960 sound system (it does not contain a sub-woofer) to be unacceptable.

according to Sony it does have a subwoofer
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=tv_34%22to36%22TVs&ProductSKU=KD34XBR960N&TabName=specs&var2=
same the XS955 models


• Audio:
• Trusurround™ by SRS
• 7.5W x 2 + 15W Subwoofer
• Steady Sound® Automatic Volume Control With BBE® Audio Effect
• Auto SAP
• Audio Output (Variable/Fixed)
• MTS Stereo
• Speaker On/Off
• PCM
• AC-3


Also at 200lbs it is a really bitch to move and hooking it up to a computer source looks like ****.

I will have to disagree with your PC comment
have you tried any video at 1080i?
DVDs, and any video content look incredible IMO on my XS955

furthermore the Sony only displays progressively 480
which PC monitors are meant to be progressive
so if you want readable text you will need to use a progressive resolution
(720p gets converted to 1080i so thats not acceptable either)


I think we're going to go ahead and get the xbr960. I guess it is being discontinued and has been replaced by the xbr960n, but the only difference is some kind of dust protector on the screen. Do I need to buy that one instead?

only if there is no price difference
would I opt for the N model
and it is widely available now as well

Hi, I tried to search this thread to see if this question had been asked.

I am noticing white vertical lines on the extreme left and right sides of my month old 34xbr960. Do you guys know what this is from and how to fix it? Thanks so much!

according to Sony it does have a subwoofer

• 7.5W x 2 + 15W SubwooferWell I stand corrected.

But have you actually seen that so-called "subwoofer"? I noticed it when the back was removed so that my technician could do his magnet thing on the back of my picture tube. He had to disconnect and remove it temporarily it in order to do his magnet work. I didn't realize until now that this speaker was obviously the subwoofer.

In the XBR960 this is about a 3 1/2" speaker, essentially free-floating in the middle of the interior, pointing up and attached to the metal cagework that supports the rear of the picture tube. It might be assigned low frequencies by the audio circuitry and it might be getting 15W, but it does not use the cabinet in any way for resonance or improved bass response. It's just there and shooting up into the air inside the cavity. This is very different from the subwoofer built into my previous Sampo, where the high-performance subwoofer was down on the bottom of the cabinet and produced a very big bass sound.

So I guess technically the XBR960 does appear to have what is called a subwoofer, but from a sound point of view it's just weak and disappointing to me... as are the two 7.5W satellite speaker clusters on the left and right sides. The Sampo had 12W satellites.

In contrast, the Altec-Lansing 621 2.1 computer speaker system which I use as my external speakers for the XBR960 is rated at 35W-45W for each of the two satellites (3" midrange + 1" tweeter, 80-22000hz), and 42W-53W (25-200hz) for the 6 1/2" subwoofer. 113W at 1% THD, 143W at 10% THD, total max of 200W peak power.

[NOTE: my earlier reference to 221 was a typo. I intended to type 621, not 221. The 221 is actually a currently existing but much inferior speaker system from Altec-Lansing. The 2.1 621, and its 4.1 big brother 641 (400W, 4 satellites, two 6 1/2" speakers in the subwoofer), both of which I own, were the top of the Altec-Lansing computer speaker line at one time a few years back.]

Anyway, all I'm really saying is that the audio system and built-in speakers in the XBR960 is not the reason you do or do not buy it. It's acceptable if you have no other choice for audio delivery, but that's really about as far as it goes.

Anyway, all I'm really saying is that the audio system and built-in speakers in the XBR960 is not the reason you do or do not buy it. It's acceptable if you have no other choice for audio delivery, but that's really about as far as it goes.

oh yeah of course not, but I was just trying to be informative

Well I stand corrected.

But have you actually seen that so-called "subwoofer"? I noticed it when the back was removed so that my technician could do his magnet thing on the back of my picture tube. He had to disconnect and remove it temporarily it in order to do his magnet work. I didn't realize until now that this speaker was obviously the subwoofer.

In the XBR960 this is about a 3 1/2" speaker, essentially free-floating in the middle of the interior, pointing up and attached to the metal cagework that supports the rear of the picture tube. It might be assigned low frequencies by the audio circuitry and it might be getting 15W, but it does not use the cabinet in any way for resonance or improved bass response. It's just there and shooting up into the air inside the cavity. This is very different from the subwoofer built into my previous Sampo, where the high-performance subwoofer was down on the bottom of the cabinet and produced a very big bass sound.

So I guess technically the XBR960 does appear to have what is called a subwoofer, but from a sound point of view it's just weak and disappointing to me... as are the two 7.5W satellite speaker clusters on the left and right sides. The Sampo had 12W satellites.

In contrast, the Altec-Lansing 621 2.1 computer speaker system which I use as my external speakers for the XBR960 is rated at 35W-45W for each of the two satellites (3" midrange + 1" tweeter, 80-22000hz), and 42W-53W (25-200hz) for the 6 1/2" subwoofer. 113W at 1% THD, 143W at 10% THD, total max of 200W peak power.

[NOTE: my earlier reference to 221 was a typo. I intended to type 621, not 221. The 221 is actually a currently existing but much inferior speaker system from Altec-Lansing. The 2.1 621, and its 4.1 big brother 641 (400W, 4 satellites, two 6 1/2" speakers in the subwoofer), both of which I own, were the top of the Altec-Lansing computer speaker line at one time a few years back.]

Anyway, all I'm really saying is that the audio system and built-in speakers in the XBR960 is not the reason you do or do not buy it. It's acceptable if you have no other choice for audio delivery, but that's really about as far as it goes.


I don't want to sound like an elitist in any way, But I would never let my 960 do the audio work. Don't most of us have a decent receiver and a 5.1 setup? I have a meager sony reciever with a definitive technologies speaker setup. I know it's not the best, but it gets the job done.

So what are the difference between the XBR960 and XBR960n? Just a dust potector or something? :confused:

So what are the difference between the XBR960 and XBR960n? Just a dust potector or something? :confused:

More or less, yeah. Anti-glare coating.

Same TV otherwise.

I don't want to sound like an elitist in any way, But I would never let my 960 do the audio work. Don't most of us have a decent receiver and a 5.1 setup? I have a meager sony reciever with a definitive technologies speaker setup. I know it's not the best, but it gets the job done.Agreed.

When I first got my XBR960 I was very disappointed in the audio out of it compared to the built-in sound from the Sampo which it replaced. I have the set in the bedroom of my 3rd-floor condo where I can't have a full-blown (or even modest) 5.1 setup because of the people downstairs, but the Sampo sound had been quite "acceptable" and I could live with it. The XBR960 sound was not.

My solution has been a Pioneer DIR-SE1000C Dolby Headphone unit (DD5.1 -> L/R-analog "virtual surround") connected optically to the digital audio output of my Zektor 4-to-1 component video switch. The L/R-analog output of the Pioneer is then connected to my DBX 14/10 14-band EQ for tone control, which is then connected to the L/R-analog input of my Stax SRM-T1S headphone amp which feeds my Stax Omega headphones.

I also have the 2-channel output (from the PCM content in the original digital audio stream) from the Pioneer routed through my Altec-Lansing 621 2.1 system, for the occasional situations when I just want to listen to excellent quality L/R-analog 2.1 sound (from the digital PCM source) without wearing headphones.

So 95% of my TV watching/listening is done through this DD5.1 -> Dolby Headphone arrangement. The remaining 5% is done using the PCM digital audio -> L/R analog feeding the 2.1 Altec-Lansing 621 speaker system. 0% uses the built-in XBR960 speakers.

Okay....Great info on this forum..... I just finished reading nearly all 90 pages....a bit of advice please.

I am looking to buy a Kd-34xbr960 that would replace a 32" mitsubishi 4:3 TV. I sit about 8 feet from the TV..maybe a inch or two more....

Am I going to be under whelmed by the Sony with this configuration? Appreciate your thoughts.....

Thanks.

I am looking to buy a Kd-34xbr960 that would replace a 32" mitsubishi 4:3 TV. I sit about 8 feet from the TV..maybe a inch or two more....

Am I going to be under whelmed by the Sony with this configuration? Appreciate your thoughts.....Looking at a 4:3 32" (diagonal) screen is quite different from looking at a 16:9 34" (diagonal) screen. In fact, the height of the 34" 16:9 screen is really only that of a 27" 4:3! So while it certainly is wider, it actually may appear much smaller than the 32" which you've gotten used to, especially when watching 4:3 SD content.

I just measured off 8' from my screen (which is in my bedroom), and that would put me sitting in the middle of my bed. This is about 3' further back than I normally sit (which is at around the foot of the bed). Doesn't seem that significant, but the angular field of view difference in those 3' seems substantial as I experiment.

Sure, the picture still looks great from back further... but it definitely looks tinier, and that detracts from the sense of realism that this set can provide. And I can't help but strongly see the outline of the cabinet from 8', whereas at 5' I seem to get only the screen (although the cabinet is obviously in the periphery).

There really is a difference, and the fact of the matter is that this is a relatively small screen. Sitting 8' from a 4:3 32" SD set is just not the same as sitting 8' from 16:9 34" HD set.

I strongly recommend that you go to a store where it's on display, and try it for yourself at your planned 8' distance. It'll still be a terrific picture, but perhaps not a glassless window-frame opening out into the glorious real world as it would be if you were a bit closer. I know this seems a bit harsh, but the small size of this screen doesn't allow for much leeway.

Okay....Great info on this forum..... I just finished reading nearly all 90 pages....a bit of advice please.

I am looking to buy a Kd-34xbr960 that would replace a 32" mitsubishi 4:3 TV. I sit about 8 feet from the TV..maybe a inch or two more....

Am I going to be under whelmed by the Sony with this configuration? Appreciate your thoughts.....

Thanks.

While you're waiting for the 960, go to WalMart and get the cheapest 13" TV you can find. Put it where the 960 will sit and watch it until the 960 arrives.

When it gets there it will appear huge and you will have no worries. If the 960 starts to feel small again, pull out the 13" and watch it for a few days.

It's all about perspective. :)

Coming from somebody who just upgraded from a Phillips 32" SD to 34" Sony XBR, you will NOT be underwhelmed especially watching HD and DVD content. I don't notice any difference in size except the PQ was ten times better. The Pillarbox SD programming is not as bad as I thought. Sure its smaller but its well worth the trade off having Widescreen movies fill the screen whereas the 32"s has a much smaller picture . Its all depends on what you watch the most.

Originally Posted by david4455
I am looking to buy a Kd-34xbr960 that would replace a 32" mitsubishi 4:3 TV. I sit about 8 feet from the TV..maybe a inch or two more....

Am I going to be under whelmed by the Sony with this configuration? Appreciate your thoughts.....


Our set also replaced a 32" Toshiba 4x3 and we asked the same question of this forum before making the purchase. Since our Toshiba was also eight feet away we can attest you will not be underwhelmed by the size of the picture.

Realize the Sony can be closer to you than your current 32 inch set without having to move your sofa. The 960 is about six inches deeper and we placed it an additional six to eight inches off the wall (less noticable than a 4x3 set moved further in). This reduced our viewing range to slightly less than seven feet (recently we moved it in another six inches but found the extra half foot not making so critical a difference to compensate for the ackward appearance and the center speaker too much out of line with the main ones).

After a short time we forgot the 4x3 size was reduced approximately 20% (we use the wide stretch mode to fill out the screen so this is really irrelevant to us). And the 16x9 size (with the set a foot closer than the old one) is a lot larger. We also realized a LCD or Plasma would be at least two more feet away from us so the Sony's viewing size would be more than that of a 37 inch model and slightly less than one at 42 inches. And there is no comparision to the picture quality.

Hope our experience helps you with making your decision.

Im with Direct tv. I dont have any HD packages with direct tv, but only a terk indoor HDTV antenna hooked threw a direct tv hd box or also I have it hooked up straight to the UHF port on the tv. When you watch something in HD on ABC look at the ABC logo on the bottom right of the screen. I notice it bounces up and down. The whole screen does this but it is easier to tell on an image that is suppose to stay put, (logo, monday night football ticker, etc...)

I'll be watching the MNF game tonight with one eye on the ABC logo in the lower right hand corner. I'll use my Twin View with HD and SD and I hope you will be monitoring it too. In fact, I'll even have a VCR running to double check.

Sorry for the cross post

I just finished reading this all the posts in this thread. I came across a number of posts that had the same problem I am having. with my 34XS955. The problem is that the digital tuner doesn't come on when I power the TV on from a cold start. The TV turns on, but the screen is blank on all OTA channels, and says "no signal". The analog tuner still works, but the picture on it is degraded. If I power the TV on and off, most times the digital tuner will turn on and I will get all the OTA channels.

Has anybody who has had this problem had their 34XBR960 repaired? Any idea what the repaired? Or have they just replaced it?
I have a 2 month old 34XBR960 that has had 2 tuners replaced; I still have the same problem as rustycruiser;after reading this and several other posts, I'm thinking it is not the tuner but the "q-box" I saw somewhere(sorry, I've been reading for hours); what is this and does replacing it solve the "no signal" problem; like rustycruiser, powering the set off/on solves the problem, but that is no way to go ...

lsfrankel - you live near me. I live in acworth. Do you notice a problem on ABC HD with the images bouncing up / down ?

After careful review, the play on the screen is overruled. There is a definite jitter going on with the bottom scroll on ABCHD. And not on ABCSD. That is the only thing I see tonight bouncing.

After careful review, the play on the screen is overruled. There is a definite jitter going on with the bottom scroll on ABCHD. And not on ABCSD. That is the only thing I see tonight bouncing.

That is what i noticed at first... If you look closer you can see the actually whole screen moving and its not just the scroll bar. The scroll bar is easiest to look at because it suppose to sit still :p I notice this on anything in HD on ABC :(

Do most of you guys have the Sony SU-34XBR3 stand? Can that stand accommodate a Comcast DVR/HD box on the hanging shelf that comes with it? Is there room for a stereo receiver or DVD player on the bottom part of the stand that is shaped like a V? Does anyone have any suggestions for another stand that can handle the XBR960 weight and have at least 2 full shelf slots?

Assembling the stand, I was pleasantly surprised to discover you can order a second glass shelf, so that you can have shelves in both positions. It costs about $40. Currently I am only using the one shelf in the "lower" position; stacked on this one shelf are a "standard-sized" Yamaha A/V receiver, a slim Sony DVP-NS90V CD/DVD player and a PlayStation 2. (I have CableCard, blessfully, so no converter box.) The DVD player would also fit in the space below the bottom shelf, resting on the base of the stand.

Richardbk who do you use for Cablecard? And is it stable?

My TV arrives Friday. I went out and bought the C.C. stand and it just doesn't look right in my living room.

I found at Macy's on sale a nice armoire that is made to hold TV's 40 wide but the depth is about 3 or 4 inches short of the xbr's 24" depth.....

My question.... I have heard that the TV is front heavy but can I just put the TV on the 20" deep "floor" of the armoire and let 4" stick out the back( the armoire has an open back) or should I make something to support that extra 4".... perhaps a false floor that sticks out the back a bit?

Thanks.

My TV arrives Friday. I went out and bought the C.C. stand and it just doesn't look right in my living room.

I found at Macy's on sale a nice armoire that is made to hold TV's 40 wide but the depth is about 3 or 4 inches short of the xbr's 24" depth.....

My question.... I have heard that the TV is front heavy but can I just put the TV on the 20" deep "floor" of the armoire and let 4" stick out the back( the armoire has an open back) or should I make something to support that extra 4".... perhaps a false floor that sticks out the back a bit?

Thanks.

I won't worry about it. I've lifted my XBR960 a few times (with help on the other side). The center of gravity on this bad boy is totally up front. I've had the top opened, the parts on at the back of case weigh no more than 10 lbs.

I believe the third foot of the TV is in the center of the back
you might consider putting something under the TV so it does not point up in the air or wobble when bumped

Hi there! I am new to this board and see that everyone here is very knowledgeable! I hope this is the correct thread...

I am currently thinking of buying a HDTV and would really appreciate your honest opinion/advice. I live in a NYC apartment and have a bedroom and living room. Both are rather small. In my bedroom right now I have a Sony 27" 4:3 CRT and in the living room I have a Sony 32" 4:3 CRT. Love them both.

I want to get a HDTV since I will be buying an Xbox 360 in January of 2006. I am really looking to spend about $1,900 max. I have done some research and have heard that the absolute best picture you can get is actually from a CRT HDTV (better than any $10K plasma for example). So I've been looking at Sony's latest and greatest (KV-34XBR960N). Apparently that is supossed to be the reference standard? Looks like a really nice TV! From what I can tell the only drawback of that TV is its limitation to 34" and it weighing 200 lbs. Someone once said you need to worry of the resolution and lagging? Will this TV suffer from that or anything else?

Is there something else I should be looking at? I don't need a huge projection TV or anything... Next year I'll probably be moving into a one bedroom apartment and doing my MBA so this isn't going in my master entertainment room in my mansion or anything. :)

What about these new Sony LCoS TVs? I *think* I'm still best off with their 34" XBR CRT, no? If so, is that the best price I can get ($1,900)? Also, what is the new version with the N in the name mean?

Thanks!!!! Really appreciate you taking the time.

Sincerely,
Keith

I have the 960 and really like it for HD and DVD, I don't play games.
If LCos is LCD it's gonna cost a lot more than the 960.
The 960N changed the coating on the screen that some had objected to, and had rubbed off with some cleaners if I read the posts right.
I think the new one has a lighter picture ddue to the different non-reflective coating, the 960 runs darker. There's a post here about it somewhere.
The 960 is a great TV, esp for the price considering what flat panel HD costs.
the 960 has been on sale below it's $1899 price at major stores.

...just had my 960 delivered and I'm going through many of the set-up recommendations that I've found within this forum. Howewver, when I try to hook my HR10-250 to the 960 via a HDMI cable, I get nothing on video 7. No vid, no aud. I realize I may be doing something wrong, but I don't know what it is. Anyone out there with a helpful hint?

I appreciate the help.

Richardbk who do you use for Cablecard? And is it stable?

I have CableCard with RCN here in Manhattan. No problems whatsover. It's hard to describe how good it feels to not have a converter box! Perfect for me because I never use pay-per-view or "on demand".

After what I thought was lots of careful research I bought my xbr960 from Circuit City for $1699 plus a modest delivery charge. I was told it would be on the next truck coming in Thursday. Now I am told it wasn't on the truck.... perhaps Sunday.

Is this a common problem with these companies? Very frustrating..as I have a nice hole in my entertainment center waiting for this TV....

...just had my 960 delivered and I'm going through many of the set-up recommendations that I've found within this forum. Howewver, when I try to hook my HR10-250 to the 960 via a HDMI cable, I get nothing on video 7. No vid, no aud. I realize I may be doing something wrong, but I don't know what it is. Anyone out there with a helpful hint?

I appreciate the help.
I have my HR10-250 connected to my 960 with HDMI, no problems. Did you make sure the DVR is set on 1080i? You won't get anything through the HDMI (I don't think) if it is not on 1080i. I also have the component cables connected to the TV.

Greetings everyone. First I want to say thanks for all the information on here, been very helpful.

I took the plunge and got the XBR960, and it's a total beauty. Adjusted some minor geometry issues, and am trying to fix every little thing that I can.

I notice (moreso on a white screen or blue) that there's like a smudge on the lower left hand side of the screen. Almost like speaker interference but not as severe. My VM1s are magnetically-shielded, so that's not it. (I even moved it away to make sure) Now maybe it's my imagination, but it's not as noticeable when the tv is first turned on. Anyhow, I recall on my CRT monitor there was an option to fix that called 'landing' I believe. Is there something similar to that in the service menu?

Thanks,

- D.

Pink Faces.

I seem to be getting a lot of pink in facial areas, despite using the recommended settings I found a few pages back. Also, skin areas seem to be blotchy in some scenes. I've tried playing around with the various vid settings, but can't seem to conquer the pinkness of the picture. Any thoughts on this? I appreciate any advice.

Pink Faces.

I seem to be getting a lot of pink in facial areas, despite using the recommended settings I found a few pages back. Also, skin areas seem to be blotchy in some scenes. I've tried playing around with the various vid settings, but can't seem to conquer the pinkness of the picture. Any thoughts on this? I appreciate any advice.


Go to Pro, and Monitor, and make sure your hue is at dead center and color is down to around 31.

Make sure your brightness is no higher than low to mid 40's, absolute tops, and picture/contrast no higher than somewhere in the mid 30's.

(I'm assuming you have not ISF calibrated your set.)

Anyhow, I recall on my CRT monitor there was an option to fix that called 'landing' I believe. Is there something similar to that in the service menu?There is a VERY extensive thread in this forum on tweaking the XBR960: The Sony Service codes - Articles, Comments, Discoveries (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=531494)

Buried within this 580+ post thread are various attachments, one of which is a super-useful Excel spreadsheet (infinite thanks to its author) listing all of the service menu items along with default/factory values and "suggested" revisions. Remember, each set is different and yours may require different settings to satisfy your viewing pleasure. But this spreadsheet is unbelievably helpful, and I'm attaching it here so that you won't have to find it in that other thread (although you would likely still benefit from reading the super-worthwhile "how-to tutorials" written by KenTech and all the other comments.

And yes... there IS a "Landing" set of controls (group 15), although I confess I really don't know what it's for.

Don't forget to write down your existing values before any tweaking.

Good luck.


P.S. - it's the combination of "user menu" and "service menu" settings which determine what you see. Whichever you do first or second, remember that it is the combination of both which reflects what gets displayed. Furthermore, the XBR960 has memories for each input (plus iLink), so that makes your job that much more complex. I'd suggest starting by setting reasonably appropriate user menu values before entering the service menu to fine-tune.

But for sure, you should have your user menu mode set to PRO. Most users here also set "color axis" to MONITOR, but I personally am satisfied with DEFAULT. For all HD inputs I strongly urge you to set sharpness to MIN. You may need non-zero sharpness, e.g. 19, for poor-quality off-air SD but high-quality SD (e.g. satellite) should also have sharpness set to MIN. I have clear edge VM set to OFF and color temp set to COOL for all inputs. I have DRC mode set to "progressive" for my high-quality (satellite) SD input.

For my 720p/1080i HD input (INPUT6 and INPUT7), my remaining user mode values are picture=35, brightness=32, color=31, hue=0. You might try these to start, or adjust as you prefer. Just remember that you will no doubt have different user mode settings for each input (that's why you select PRO) depending on the video characteristics of your source devices.

can't seem to conquer the pinkness of the picture. Any thoughts on this?Don't know what you've tried so far, and I'm not sure your "pinkness" description isn't actually the infamous "red push".

But you can definitely remove a reddish coloration (making skin look like real skin) by four crucial settings in the 2170P-4 group. There are several other threads in this forum concerned with "tweaking the XBR960", and "Sony Service Codes", that you should browse through (although both are quite extensive) which is where discussion on this subject is more on-topic.

But I suggest you try playing with the four crucial settings in 2170P4:

RYR - default 8, change to 13
RYB - default 9, change to 15
GYR - default 9, change to 5
GYB - default 6, change to 4

If you haven't yet tried adjusting these four items, I predict you will agree that the effect of the suggested alternate values is gigantic in eliminating reddishness of skin tone.

Greetings everyone. First I want to say thanks for all the information on here, been very helpful.

I took the plunge and got the XBR960, and it's a total beauty. Adjusted some minor geometry issues, and am trying to fix every little thing that I can.

I notice (moreso on a white screen or blue) that there's like a smudge on the lower left hand side of the screen. Almost like speaker interference but not as severe. My VM1s are magnetically-shielded, so that's not it. (I even moved it away to make sure) Now maybe it's my imagination, but it's not as noticeable when the tv is first turned on. Anyhow, I recall on my CRT monitor there was an option to fix that called 'landing' I believe. Is there something similar to that in the service menu?

Thanks,

- D.

mine has that same "interference" smudge on the top right corner, what could that be?

DSperber,

Thanks for the reply, I'll definitely take a look @ the service codes. Thank you for providing that.

As for the other tweaks, I've pretty much done them already. Was using the AVIA disc to double-check. I'll see if the 'landing' is the same as it was on my crt, and I'll report back once I fiddle with it.

- D.

mine has that same "interference" smudge on the top right corner, what could that be?

I forgot the technical reasons behind it, but I remember on my CRT monitor I had the same problem and I was able to fix it with the 'landing' setting. For the life of me I can't remember what 'landing' is actually doing, but I think it's regarding the purity of the color across the screen.

- D.

Well I'm offically part of the club, XBR 960 getting delivered on Saturday...

Starting today Circuit City is advertising the 34xbr960 for $1639 (you have to "see sale price in cart" to get this price)(in store only). Cheapest I've seen it retail.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-34-HDTV-KD-34XBR960-/sem/rpsm/oid/96194/catOid/-12868/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

How do you all feel about buying from Circuit City? Is it better to spend the extra couple hundred dollars and go with a local authorized dealer who will be able to service the TV if something should happen to it? The dealer will come out to service the TV for free within the Sony 2 year warranty. It would seem you would have to purchase an extended warranty from Circuit City to get them to help you if something goes wrong. Any thoughts?

Jeremy

Post 5 so I can fix the url in Post 4 !!

mine has that same "interference" smudge on the top right corner, what could that be?

The "smudge" is probably a magnetized screen. Moving the speaker away won't fix the problem, because the screen is already magnetized.

The set "degausses" (de-magnetizes) itself on turn-on. So if you move the speaker and then turn on the set, it will probably fix itself, assuming the speaker is the culprit. (Of course, as soon as you moved speaker back, the problem will reappear.) But at least this is one way to identify the problem.

Also, I believe the set gives itself a more complete degaussing if you unplug it for 5 minutes beforehand, but Iamb not sure about this--worth trying, however!

Mark

How do you all feel about buying from Circuit City? Is it better to spend the extra couple hundred dollars and go with a local authorized dealer who will be able to service the TV if something should happen to it? The dealer will come out to service the TV for free within the Sony 2 year warranty. It would seem you would have to purchase an extended warranty from Circuit City to get them to help you if something goes wrong. Any thoughts?

Jeremy


I don't see any value in doing that. Ram rod ~$1550.00 or so down the throat of the nearest CC or BB salesperson. Have the TV delivered and setup for a modest charge. Anything happens call Sony Customer Service, if they can't help you over the phone they'll give you a work ID and have the local Sony Authorized Service Center setup an appointment to take a look at/fix your TV. The 2 year warranty is parts and labor, you pay nill. Why pay more money from some local dealer to look at the TV for free, when you can already do that by sticking to CC or BB?

My two cents. I'm currently working through issues with my TV with Sony Customer Service(new XBR960N is already in Rochester, need to schedule an appointment for delivery), so I know what I'm talking about... :rolleyes:

What about buying through an online place like Crutchfield? Would I get just as good of service (if something were to go wrong) from them as I would on authorized dealer? I guess I don't completely understand how the 2 yr. warranty works when you need to use it.

J

Crutchfield is an authorized Sony dealer so you would get the complete Sony warranty, in which Sony would take care of you after Crutchfield's 30 or 90 day return policy, not sure which it is

Crutchfield is not located in the bronx or bronklyn and there ratings are top notch unlike the rip off artist out of NYC

I've come to realize that Sony has two CRT manufacturing plants in the good 'ole USA. :cool:

The first is the Sony Technology Center - Pittsburgh, Pa. The actual plant is at 1001 Technology Drive, Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Pa 15666. It's about 40 miles outside of Pittsburgh. This is also where my original and first replacement TV were made in, which have the same problem of ghosting and trailing. (The label info on the back has the manufacturing site on it.) The aperture grilles are also made here. Across the street from the main facility there's a division of Sony called American Video Glass, (the last US producer) that makes the funnels and glass front panels for the directview CRTs.

The second plant is (drum-roll) the Sony Technology Center - San Diego, Ca. The actual plant is at 16450 W Bernardo Dr, San Diego, CA 92127. My second replacement TV is coming from California, so I'm pretty sure it was made at this plant. I'm not sure who makes the glass components for CRTs made here.

I wonder if there's a different level of quality control... I'll just have to wait and see the new TV when it's delivered.

For the constant regulars on this thread. I've found more information about my ghosting/trailing issues on my XBR960.

According to CNET http://reviews.cnet.com/Labs/4520-6603_7-5021089-1.html this phenomenon is called Mid-range Streaking.

"As the title suggests, this screen allows us to check the display's propensity for /streaking/ and /ghosting/, light or dark shadows that trail an image in areas where large changes in intensity are present. You may detect this on your own monitor when it renders large, chunky graphics elements such as bar graphs or tiled arrangements of open windows."

This test is used for CRT computer monitors, it would work for CRT TVs too.

On another site, http://www.pctechguide.com/glossary/ByCat.php?catSelected=8 the term "streaking" is defined.

"A visual effect which is related to ‘white level shift’ and ‘black level shift’, where the difference in intensity between neighbouring white and black areas results in a discoloration. Occurs when a CRT's electron gun does not switch on and off quickly enough."

So to me its either slow phosphor response on the screen or an electron gun with a lower refresh rate. (Maybe a combination of the two.)



Comments?

Comments?

I can only offer a very selfish one. :o

Glad my 960 is fine.

I have the same problem. Im interested too :)

I can only offer a very selfish one. :o

Glad my 960 is fine.

I assume you have tried looking this: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6470733&&#post6470733

If you can't see it let me know. (It gives me hope!) :)

I assume you have tried looking this: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6470733&&#post6470733

If you can't see it let me know. (It gives me hope!) :)

Watched III a couple of times with no problem. No ghost, no trails, no etc. Just a great picture through a Denon 3910 connected via HDMI.

Watched III a couple of times with no problem. No ghost, no trails, no etc. Just a great picture through a Denon 3910 connected via HDMI.


Send me a pm with your address and let me know when you aren't home... ;)

Send me a pm with your address and let me know when you aren't home... ;)

Good luck with your replacement set. :)

Crutchfield is an authorized Sony dealer so you would get the complete Sony warranty, in which Sony would take care of you after Crutchfield's 30 or 90 day return policy, not sure which it is

Crutchfield is not located in the bronx or bronklyn and there ratings are top notch unlike the rip off artist out of NYC

We also purchased our set through Crutchfield because of its reputation and customer service.

Kny, please be kind to the Big Apple. True, there are many rip-off artists here but you'll find there are just as many throughout the rest of the country and all over the internet.

sorry for singling them out
I am sure there are plenty of good places to shop in NY as well as sites based out of NYC

and of course they are all over the country
it just seems that there is a large proportion in the bronx and brooklyn so becareful

here's the list
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

and New York is the big apple of my eye :)

sorry for singling them out
I am sure there are plenty of good places to shop in NY as well as sites based out of NYC

and of course they are all over the country
it just seems that there is a large proportion in the bronx and brooklyn so becareful

here's the list
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

and New York is the big apple of my eye :)

Nice link.

Not much overhead to run some of those places, I guess that's why prices are so low. :D

I just got the XBR960 and it's amazing. What can I say it's the most accurate picture I have ever seen in my life. With that being said, as above posters have mentioned, I have experienced the ghosting/smearing issue.

I started noticing it yesterday (1st day with the set) when I watched Mulholland Dr. (DVD) with my GF. The first ten minutes were so bad ghosting wise I had to turn it off. Low and behold I starting noticing on SD Cable too.

The Fix? I was using the settings that were posted on this thread, which had brightness really really low. All I did was raise the brightness to around 43 and voila no more ghosting. And believe me the picture hasn't suffered on my set because of this, IMO it got even better. Give it a shot if your having these issues.

sorry for singling them out
I am sure there are plenty of good places to shop in NY as well as sites based out of NYC

and of course they are all over the country
it just seems that there is a large proportion in the bronx and brooklyn so becareful

here's the list
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

and New York is the big apple of my eye :)

Hi Kny3,

Glad NYC is the big apple for both our eyes!

Hello everyone! I'm still trying to decide where to buy from, but in the meantime, I have a question.

I know the 3LCD rp tv's have a connection for your computer. I thought that would be pretty cool, but I know the XBR960 doesn't have it. Is there any other way to hook it up?

Jeremy

In case it matters, I have an Apple iMac G5 with a 20" widescreen.

yes you can connect a PC to the XBR960 using a DVI to HDMI cable or using a component ready video card

the only issue is the fact that Sony XBR960, only displays 480p progressively
all HD inputs will be displayed at 1080i which is not suitable for text
but looks great for video

I just looked on the Apple site and there are 2 adapters available to use for "mirroring" your screen.

One is to connect to a VGA port and the other is to connect using S-video or composite. I'm assuming I'd want the one that uses the S-video or composite connections? How do you think it will look?

In case you are interested, here are the links:

VGA adapter (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wo/StoreReentry.wo?productLearnMore=M8639G%2FA)

Video adapter (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wo/StoreReentry.wo?productLearnMore=M9109G%2FA)

Thanks for your help everyone!

Jeremy

kny, what do you mean "not suitable for text?" It looks bad?

Here is a link to some info on hooking my computer up to a tv. At the bottom of the page it mentions being able to change resolutions. Would that help?

Linky-poo (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86811) :)

One is to connect to a VGA port and the other is to connect using S-video or composite. I'm assuming I'd want the one that uses the S-video or composite connections? How do you think it will look?

svideo and composite will look like crap on a HDTV use monitor use

you will want to use component or DVI to HDMI only

kny, what do you mean "not suitable for text?" It looks bad?

not suitable for text cause it is interlaced
meaning only half of the lines of the display are active at once
this tends to a nasty flicker which will give you a headache quickly


from the options you have, the best thing to do is get the VGA output adapter
but then you would also need a transcoder to convert VGA to component
using simply an adapter to go from VGA to component will not work

a transcoder runs about 100-200 dollars, or you can maybe buy a new video card with DVI or component output for less

but then for desktop use, you will want to use 480p resolution
which is 720x480 at 59.940 Hz

can your mac mini not output DVI?