Too bad you didn't live in NY...I'd sell you mine.
I really don't think this set is the next best thing since sliced bread.
I'm not that impressed with this set at all. The picture is good, but nothing spectacular.

Agreed.

Agreed.I think you're not wow'ed because of its small size.

However visually, sitting in the dark and 4-7' from the set, to me when I watch a movie it's like watching a real film in a real movie theater with a small screen. And when I watch a live show (e.g. Leno or SNL) it's like looking through a window.

Size matters, and this set is definitely small by HDTV standards. But picture-wise (assuming the set is properly adjusted and tweaked and not simply plugged in out of the box with expectations that it will be perfect or that it is supposed to be perfect direct from the factory) my feeling is that there is nothing like it. Absolutely perfect color, human flesh tones, edges, textures... just perfect. It looks real, not like TV.

For example... setting SHARPNESS=MIN makes an enormous difference when watching HD content. If you're not set that way, I'm not surprised you would say "nothing special" about the picture.

I think you're not wow'ed because of its small size.

However visually, sitting in the dark and 4-7' from the set, to me when I watch a movie it's like watching a real film in a real movie theater with a small screen. And when I watch a live show (e.g. Leno or SNL) it's like looking through a window.

Size matters, and this set is definitely small by HDTV standards. But picture-wise (assuming the set is properly adjusted and tweaked and not simply plugged in out of the box with expectations that it will be perfect or that it is supposed to be perfect direct from the factory) my feeling is that there is nothing like it. Absolutely perfect color, human flesh tones, edges, textures... just perfect. It looks real, not like TV.

For example... setting SHARPNESS=MIN makes an enormous difference when watching HD content. If you're not set that way, I'm not surprised you would say "nothing special" about the picture.
Agreed - the 960 is the best set out, even with the advances made by LCD, plasma and DLP the past few years. Even Crutchfield says Plasma are as close as one can get to CRT quality which, translated, means CRT still offers the best of all picture formats. And of all the CRTS, the 960 is by far the best.

Last year my wife and I took in a night game at Shea Stadium on a beautiful evening and recorded it on our DVR-HD. We sat behind home plate in the Mezzanine section so our vantage point was the same as the home plate television camera. When we watched the replay the 960's picture was just as crisp and natural looking as it was at the stadium. Except for the obvious three-dimensional depth that television has yet to accomplish the similarity was just unbelievable!

In our current room configuation, the 960 gives the illusion of watching a 37 inch flat screen mounted on the wall. Remember, we need to sit closer to the 960 due to it's depth - and the further the distance, the smaller the picture appears. Our's is less than six feet away from the sofa. A flat panel mounted on the appropriate wall would be 8-1/2 feet away (because the 960 is 26 inches deep and about six inches off the wall). The same principle that determines how large the screen appears in a movie theater applies to our home theaters as well. Sit in the middle rows and the picture is bigger than it appears for those sitting toward the back. If one had a 40 inch flat panel on the wall it might only look like a 37 inch unit closer up - that's less than 10% bigger than the 960.

I used to have the HD sharpness down to near zero, however, after better learning how to tweak the DRC palette I was able to raise the sharpness to about 17 without any grain or harshness and it's still way below the medium setting of about 32.

So the picture is the best and the size appears close to that of a 37 inch flat screen and a little smaller than a 40 unit. Not a bad trade off for such bulky a unit.

Agreed - the 960 is the best set out, even with the advances made by LCD, plasma and DLP the past few years. Even Crutchfield says Plasma are as close as one can get to CRT quality which, translated, means CRT still offers the best of all picture formats. And of all the CRTS, the 960 is by far the best.As long as you don't want to go beyond 34". Hard to watch at 1.5 times screen width.I used to have the HD sharpness down to near zero, however, after better learning how to tweak the DRC palette I was able to raise the sharpness to about 17 without any grain or harshness and it's still way below the medium setting of about 32.The 14-17 sharpness seems appropriate. Sony sharpness settings definitely can go beyond "no-edge enhancement" and become too soft.

Okay FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!! I FOUND ONE ON SALE CLOSE TO ME!!!! Check this out, this is his ad...

So why am I selling it? Two reasons: First it’s a big, heavy tube TV and doesn’t fit very well in the space I have. Second, the anti-glare coating is damaged, probably by something like Windex. Through the web I found that this is a pretty common problem with newer models and Sony won’t fix it. I removed at least half the coating but decided that there was too much glare from all the windows in my family room, and I wanted a smaller TV anyway. There’s lots of info about this anti-glare coating problem and how to deral with it on the net, like at http://www.ehow.com/tips_940.html. So that’s why the price is so low, but I figure there must be a few people out there who would consider this a big time score for the low price. Please let me know if you’re interested. Thanks. Steve

It's 2 years old and he's asking for $200. What do you guys think? Is it possible to completly remove the anti-glare coating without leaving a mark??? One thing I cant stand is scratches on the tube.

Okay FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!! I FOUND ONE ON SALE CLOSE TO ME!!!! Check this out, this is his ad...

So why am I selling it? Two reasons: First it’s a big, heavy tube TV and doesn’t fit very well in the space I have. Second, the anti-glare coating is damaged, probably by something like Windex. Through the web I found that this is a pretty common problem with newer models and Sony won’t fix it. I removed at least half the coating but decided that there was too much glare from all the windows in my family room, and I wanted a smaller TV anyway. There’s lots of info about this anti-glare coating problem and how to deral with it on the net, like at http://www.ehow.com/tips_940.html. So that’s why the price is so low, but I figure there must be a few people out there who would consider this a big time score for the low price. Please let me know if you’re interested. Thanks. Steve

It's 2 years old and he's asking for $200. What do you guys think? Is it possible to completly remove the anti-glare coating without leaving a mark??? One thing I cant stand is scratches on the tube.

In my opinion, for $200 you cannot go wrong. Snap that sucker up before someone else does!!

Makes me jealous - I paid $2300 (incl tax and delivery) for mine and another $300 for ISF calibration. I would buy this one in a minute just for the parts!!

Okay FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!! I FOUND ONE ON SALE CLOSE TO ME!!!! Check this out, this is his ad...

So why am I selling it? Two reasons: First it’s a big, heavy tube TV and doesn’t fit very well in the space I have. Second, the anti-glare coating is damaged, probably by something like Windex. Through the web I found that this is a pretty common problem with newer models and Sony won’t fix it. I removed at least half the coating but decided that there was too much glare from all the windows in my family room, and I wanted a smaller TV anyway. There’s lots of info about this anti-glare coating problem and how to deral with it on the net, like at http://www.ehow.com/tips_940.html. So that’s why the price is so low, but I figure there must be a few people out there who would consider this a big time score for the low price. Please let me know if you’re interested. Thanks. Steve

It's 2 years old and he's asking for $200. What do you guys think? Is it possible to completly remove the anti-glare coating without leaving a mark??? One thing I cant stand is scratches on the tube.

The antiglare coating can be removed. There is thread about it on this board. As long as the glass underneath the coating isn't scratched you should be fine.

I removed my coating, and it improved the PQ quite a bit.

I think you're not wow'ed because of its small size.

However visually, sitting in the dark and 4-7' from the set, to me when I watch a movie it's like watching a real film in a real movie theater with a small screen. And when I watch a live show (e.g. Leno or SNL) it's like looking through a window.

Size matters, and this set is definitely small by HDTV standards. But picture-wise (assuming the set is properly adjusted and tweaked and not simply plugged in out of the box with expectations that it will be perfect or that it is supposed to be perfect direct from the factory) my feeling is that there is nothing like it. Absolutely perfect color, human flesh tones, edges, textures... just perfect. It looks real, not like TV.

For example... setting SHARPNESS=MIN makes an enormous difference when watching HD content. If you're not set that way, I'm not surprised you would say "nothing special" about the picture.

My problem with this set and direct view CRTs in general are primarily two things:

1. The native interlaced scanning, which causes judder and interlaced flicker.
2. The brighter I make the set, the more judder and less well it is focused.

I don't watch with any edge-enhancement. I keep sharpness at min and turn off velocity scan modulation in Pro mode. The shading and color are unsurpassed, but I look forward to the advantages of the coming fixed pixel displays like SED and OLED that will eliminate focus and judder/flicker problems.

I don't recall ever having sharpness set to minimum on the Sony 910/960/970. Sony's sharpness control works both ways adds edge enhancement and overly reduces (softens). It is important to find the mid point where EE is zero.

I don't recall ever having sharpness set to minimum on the Sony 910/960/970. Sony's sharpness control works both ways adds edge enhancement and overly reduces (softens). It is important to find the mid point where EE is zero.I may be wrong (since you're the real engineer here), but in my experience SHARPNESS=MIN on the HD inputs is where EE=zero. It seems to be different on SD inputs, if only based on visual observations, where some non-zero sharpness actually seems to produce EE of seemingly zero.

I am talking about SHARPNESS=MIN on the HD INPUT5/6 component and HDMI INPUT7, along with and firewire/ATSC. In my opinion and experimentation, having sharpness set to anything other than MIN when watching HD source content results in visual artifacts around edges which are completely absent with MIN. Sharpness is something added to the actual content, that is not there in the actual content. The XBR960 can reproduce the actual HD content perfectly, to my eye, with SHARPNESS=MIN.

Now on the other hand, on SD INPUT1/3 (also the only place where DRC, as was mentioned above justifying non-MIN sharpness, is functional) I agree that the softening of SHARPNESS=MIN can actually produce what I'll even call blurring! So I agree, non-zero sharpness is appropriate here. I pass my D*-provided SD and OTA-provided SD content through two S-VHS VCRs on their way to my XBR960 (although I generally do not watch SD on this set) and have SHARPNESS=19 on one input and SHARPNESS=21 on the other. This, coupled with DRC=PROGRESSIVE, gives me excellent SD picture results.

But ever since my Sampo 34WHD5 and my "tweaking training" using DVE, I've always had SHARPNESS=MIN on HD inputs. Initially, it looks wrong, or at least "different" from what you're used to.

However once you've gotten used to the absence of edge-enhancement, and when watching something like the individual diamond-shaped scales on a snake as it slithers along on the desert floot, on 1080i on DiscHD, from a camera 2 feet away from the snake in bright sunlight, and thinking my XBR960 was an open window into a real scene I was watching inside... I know I've got sharpness set the way nature intended it to be for HD content.

Now on the other hand, on SD INPUT1/3 (also the only place where DRC, as was mentioned above justifying non-MIN sharpness, is functional) I agree that the softening of SHARPNESS=MIN can actually produce what I'll even call blurring! So I agree, non-zero sharpness is appropriate here. I pass my D*-provided SD and OTA-provided SD content through two S-VHS VCRs on their way to my XBR960 (although I generally do not watch SD on this set) and have SHARPNESS=19 on one input and SHARPNESS=21 on the other. This, coupled with DRC=PROGRESSIVE, gives me excellent SD picture results.

Thanks for this. I'll be experimenting tonight. What do you have the DRC settings on?

Thanks for this. I'll be experimenting tonight. What do you have the DRC settings on?As noted above, I have DRC=PROGRESSIVE set on both inputs.

I did not experiment with or change any of the default factory DRC Palette settings, so they are still at Custom 1: reality=25, clarity=1.

I'm satisfied with the results, with SHARPNESS=19 and SHARPNESS=21 on both of these inputs.

Also, these settings for sharpness are directly related to the sources I have connected to INPUT1/3 (S-video). In the case of D* on one of them (S-video), I consider that to be a very high-quality SD input. The other one gets SD from my TWC DVR (also S-video) I'd rate that not quite as good as the D* version, but still very high quality. If you have lesser or better quality SD sources, your settings may change from mine.

Remember... this is SD, not HD, so "satisfied" is the best I can say. Whatever looks best is the right setting.

Thanks again.

I may be wrong (since you're the real engineer here), but in my experience SHARPNESS=MIN on the HD inputs is where EE=zero. It seems to be different on SD inputs, if only based on visual observations, where some non-zero sharpness actually seems to produce EE of seemingly zero.

I am talking about SHARPNESS=MIN on the HD INPUT5/6 component and HDMI INPUT7, along with and firewire/ATSC. In my opinion and experimentation, having sharpness set to anything other than MIN when watching HD source content results in visual artifacts around edges which are completely absent with MIN. Sharpness is something added to the actual content, that is not there in the actual content. The XBR960 can reproduce the actual HD content perfectly, to my eye, with SHARPNESS=MIN.

This is what I have found also.

This is my final question before I make my decision on a used 960 or a new 970. I will be about 10 feet away from the screen. Would I be able to see the extra detail of a 960 over a 970???

I may be wrong (since you're the real engineer here), but in my experience SHARPNESS=MIN on the HD inputs is where EE=zero. It seems to be different on SD inputs, if only based on visual observations, where some non-zero sharpness actually seems to produce EE of seemingly zero.

I am talking about SHARPNESS=MIN on the HD INPUT5/6 component and HDMI INPUT7, along with and firewire/ATSC. In my opinion and experimentation, having sharpness set to anything other than MIN when watching HD source content results in visual artifacts around edges which are completely absent with MIN. Sharpness is something added to the actual content, that is not there in the actual content. The XBR960 can reproduce the actual HD content perfectly, to my eye, with SHARPNESS=MIN.

Now on the other hand, on SD INPUT1/3 (also the only place where DRC, as was mentioned above justifying non-MIN sharpness, is functional) I agree that the softening of SHARPNESS=MIN can actually produce what I'll even call blurring! So I agree, non-zero sharpness is appropriate here. I pass my D*-provided SD and OTA-provided SD content through two S-VHS VCRs on their way to my XBR960 (although I generally do not watch SD on this set) and have SHARPNESS=19 on one input and SHARPNESS=21 on the other. This, coupled with DRC=PROGRESSIVE, gives me excellent SD picture results.

But ever since my Sampo 34WHD5 and my "tweaking training" using DVE, I've always had SHARPNESS=MIN on HD inputs. Initially, it looks wrong, or at least "different" from what you're used to.

However once you've gotten used to the absence of edge-enhancement, and when watching something like the individual diamond-shaped scales on a snake as it slithers along on the desert floot, on 1080i on DiscHD, from a camera 2 feet away from the snake in bright sunlight, and thinking my XBR960 was an open window into a real scene I was watching inside... I know I've got sharpness set the way nature intended it to be for HD content.
Zero edge enhancement is the goal. Sony adds different levels of EE depending on viewing mode (Vivid, Natural, Pro, etc.). In the Pro/Movie modes, EE is at a minimum and setting the user control to minimum can result in over softening the picture. Having the ability to input a HD test pattern designed for setting sharpness is the easiest way to set the proper level of sharpness resulting in near zero EE effect. In the past, many TVs were properly set with sharpness set to "0", this is not always true today and with Sonys.

This is my final question before I make my decision on a used 960 or a new 970. I will be about 10 feet away from the screen. Would I be able to see the extra detail of a 960 over a 970???


Depends on your eyesight - but you won't see much extra at that distance

see this chart:

http://www.carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem.

What's happening is that at times the unit will shut off.

I've had two of the boards replaced and now they have ordered a third to try.

Also when this happens the standby light blinks 6-7 times.

Has anyone else experienced this ?

Thanks,

Greg

Depends on your eyesight - but you won't see much extra at that distance

see this chart:

http://www.carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

Great article Ralph, Thanks :)

Since I'm sitting about 10 feet away from the tv, I'm thinking on purchasing a brand new 970 over a used 960. I'm still going to wait on an email reply from this guy with the 2 year old 960 with coating scraches. I asked to see pics of his tube. We'll see what happends. But I'm slowly turning to the 970. The 960 is just to much trouble to find and to much risk. Besides, I'm currently using a Sony 32 STANDARD tv and I always thought it had great PQ. So either case, it will be an upgrade. Thanks for all the help everybody. :D

Consider the audio also - my KD36xs955 has a built in subwoofer also - as I believe the 960 does as well

Consider the audio also - my KD36xs955 has a built in subwoofer also - as I believe the 960 does as wellMy own opinion of the audio in the 960 is that it is sub-par, including its sub-woofer. I had a Sampo 34WHD5 previously and the built-in subwoofer was really something, as were the side speakers. All in all the audio out of that set was terrific and while I could also listen through my external receiver and speakers I had no complaints about listening directly to the TV if I didn't want to be bothered.

When I got the 960 I was very disappointed with its audio, if only by comparison with the Sampo which was so much superior. Very much so.

My solution (aside from listening to anything of consequence through my Stax Omega-I headphones (via optical digital audio-out from DVR/DVD/D-VHS -> optical digital audio-in of Pioneer DIR-SE1000C Dolby Headphone -> analog L/R of DBX 14/10 EQ -> Stax SRM-T1S headphone amp -> Stax Omega-I) is that I turned off the set's speakers via settings and when I'm not listening through headphones I listen through external speakers fed from audio-out of the 960. Not a real DD5.1 external receiver and speakers, just a modestly sized but excellent sounding 2.1 powered speaker system.

Specifically I use an Altec-Lansing 621 speaker system (2 satellites plus large sub-woofer) that I used to have connected to one of my computers before replacing it with an even better Altec-Lansing 641 system. These 621 speakers are terrific (genuine audio quality, surprising really... naturally they're not made or sold anymore, having been replaced by small and cheap crap from "the NEW Altec-Lansing" company).

Thanks to the basically flat and deep enough top edge of the 960, I sit the two satellites on the left and right ends of the top edge. I've positioned the sub-woofer standing up on the floor directly behind the table that the 960 is sitting on. Sounds great.

I've actually got the 960's line-level analog audio-out going to the analog audio-in of the DIR-SE1000C, which then goes on to the DBX and Stax gear just like digital audio decoded through Dolby Headphone does. So I can listen to the analog audio from my SD INPUT1/3 sources through the same headphone arrangement if I want to.

Normal configuration for listening to digital audio sources is for the line-out of my SRM-T1S headphone amp to go to the main line-in of the 621 (with the DIR-SE1000C set to 2-channel PCM stereo mode), so I can listen to digital audio sources in 2-channel stereo through the external 621 speaker system instead of requiring that I use my headphones.

But back to the point... I felt the built-in speakers of the 960 were unsatisfactory for my tastes and needed replacing. Using my spare Altec-Lansing 621 computer speaker system as the solution turns out to have been a great idea.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have found an xbr960 open box at a circuit city near by which I have already put on hold and will be purchasing tomorrow. The salesman said he didn't see any major marks or scratches. But if all goes well, I'll be setting up my xbr960 tomorrow night. I DID IT!!!!!!!! Searching and searching and searching. I actually took over the offices at Circuit city and called every single circuit city in California to find one. After calling every single one.......guess which one had it???? The last listing. The very last number on the 100+ list had it. Wow, funny how things workout sometimes.

I also found a KD36xs955 in Daly City if anybody is interested. Looked like it was in great condition but way to big for me. Anyway thanks for everybodys help. If anybody is interested in the info of my previous posts on the other xbr960s I found, just let me know and I'll pass the email to you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have found an xbr960 open box at a circuit city near by which I have already put on hold and will be purchasing tomorrow. The salesman said he didn't see any major marks or scratches. But if all goes well, I'll be setting up my xbr960 tomorrow night. I DID IT!!!!!!!! Searching and searching and searching. I actually took over the offices at Circuit city and called every single circuit city in California to find one. After calling every single one.......guess which one had it???? The last listing. The very last number on the 100+ list had it. Wow, funny how things workout sometimes.

I also found a KD36xs955 in Daly City if anybody is interested. Looked like it was in great condition but way to big for me. Anyway thanks for everybodys help. If anybody is interested in the info of my previous posts on the other xbr960s I found, just let me know and I'll pass the email to you.

May I ask how much? I've done some searching myself, and couldn't find any within 50 miles..

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have found an xbr960 open box at a circuit city near by which I have already put on hold and will be purchasing tomorrow. The salesman said he didn't see any major marks or scratches. But if all goes well, I'll be setting up my xbr960 tomorrow night. I DID IT!!!!!!!! Searching and searching and searching. I actually took over the offices at Circuit city and called every single circuit city in California to find one. After calling every single one.......guess which one had it???? The last listing. The very last number on the 100+ list had it. Wow, funny how things workout sometimes.

I also found a KD36xs955 in Daly City if anybody is interested. Looked like it was in great condition but way to big for me. Anyway thanks for everybodys help. If anybody is interested in the info of my previous posts on the other xbr960s I found, just let me know and I'll pass the email to you.

I hope the xbr 960 is in good condition. You surely deserve one after all this effort.:)

To me xbr 960 sound was quite a big step up from my xbr 970. Sure it is not as good as surround system, but I do not have space for surround system since xbr 960 is my bedroom set, so built in subwoofer is big big plus in my case. In the end, it all worked out nicely. Xbr 970 went into my living room where I hooked it up to surround system. Xbr 960 makes a perfect bedroom set for me since I have to sit much closer due to space constrains. Where are HDTVs with better bult in sound sure, but xbr 960 sound still probably better than majority of HDTVs with this screen size and under.

I don't recall ever having sharpness set to minimum on the Sony 910/960/970. Sony's sharpness control works both ways adds edge enhancement and overly reduces (softens). It is important to find the mid point where EE is zero.
Yesterday 07:53 AM





I agree with GlenC. I found that with sharpness =0 in pro mode the picture and especially text became too blurry to my liking when I was calibrating the xbr 960 with DVE. Sharpness at 15 seemed more correct to me. That is being said. I am just getting into whole calibration thing so take it with grain of salt.

Thank you Swift, I'm hoping it's in good condition also. Just one final question. Now I know the 960 plays better HD programming but what about standard dvds? Does standard dvds look better on the 960 compared to the 970? I owned about 300 dvds and since my dvds are not HD, I was worried that it will look the same as the 970.

Thank you Swift, I'm hoping it's in good condition also. Just one final question. Now I know the 960 plays better HD programming but what about standard dvds? Does standard dvds look better on the 960 compared to the 970? I owned about 300 dvds and since my dvds are not HD, I was worried that it will look the same as the 970.

My main problem with xbr 970 that from around 6-5 feet, I start to notice vertical slits that make up the set horizontal resolution running through the screen from one side to the other. On xbr 960, I need to be around 2 feet to notice the slits. Even though, DVDs have 852 x 480, which is essentially the same horizontal resolution that xbr 970 has, the image that xbr 960 produces from DVDs is smoother at 5-6 feet and under. I think, it is due to the fact that horizontal resolution is fixed or for the lack of the better word hardwired on Sony's sets. That is being said, the DVDs resolution is still not that high, so chances are that many people will end up watching the DVDs from 6 feet and farther, which does not give any advantage to xbr 960 when it come to displaying DVDs. I hope that it makes sense.

Great article Ralph, Thanks :)

Since I'm sitting about 10 feet away from the tv, I'm thinking on purchasing a brand new 970 over a used 960. I'm still going to wait on an email reply from this guy with the 2 year old 960 with coating scraches. I asked to see pics of his tube. We'll see what happends. But I'm slowly turning to the 970. The 960 is just to much trouble to find and to much risk. Besides, I'm currently using a Sony 32 STANDARD tv and I always thought it had great PQ. So either case, it will be an upgrade. Thanks for all the help everybody. :D

Since you'll be about ten feet away, have you considered a larger non-CRT set in lieu of a used 960 or 970? A friend of mine sits about the same distance from his 34 inch screen and in my opinion it is too small for a real home theater feel. I have seen Sony's 42 inch LCD and the picture quality was superb, considering the fact that no LCD provides the illusion of depth that the 960 has. The negative is that it does cost a lot more than the 970.

Since you'll be about ten feet away, have you considered a larger non-CRT set in lieu of a used 960 or 970? A friend of mine sits about the same distance from his 34 inch screen and in my opinion it is too small for a real home theater feel. I have seen Sony's 42 inch LCD and the picture quality was superb, considering the fact that no LCD provides the illusion of depth that the 960 has. The negative is that it does cost a lot more than the 970.


That's why for $600, I couldn't pass it up. :)

I was considering a 1080p Sharp Aquos LCD..

Originally Posted by Firstknight_sf
"Thank you Swift, I'm hoping it's in good condition also. Just one final question. Now I know the 960 plays better HD programming but what about standard dvds? Does standard dvds look better on the 960 compared to the 970? I owned about 300 dvds and since my dvds are not HD, I was worried that it will look the same as the 970."

Check to see if the 970 has the same line doubling system as the 960. The 960 upconverts 480i material to 960i, which (according to the manual) makes the material appear four times sharper. Can vouch that DVDs look great on the 960 and don't know how Star Wars two and three could look any better, even on HD or Blue Ray.

That's why for $600, I couldn't pass it up. :)

I was considering a 1080p Sharp Aquos LCD..

My brother is considering the same set but is waiting till prices fall even further than they already have. Is ten feet the actual distance from the screen to your sitting area or from the wall to your viewing area? The 960 is 26 inches deep and if you're talking wall to sofa, keeping it another eight inches off the wall would knock down the distance to almost seven feet.

My brother is considering the same set but is waiting till prices fall even further than they already have. Is ten feet the actual distance from the screen to your sitting area or from the wall to your viewing area? The 960 is 26 inches deep and if you're talking wall to sofa, keeping it another eight inches off the wall would knock down the distance to almost seven feet.

I'm about 4 feet away, and my 970 is absolutely stunning.. I considered 1080p because I sit so close to my TV..

I'm about 4 feet away, and my 970 is absolutely stunning.. I considered 1080p because I sit so close to my TV..

Stick to the 970 - CRT still provides more punch than any LCD or Plasma.

Stick to the 970 - CRT still provides more punch than any LCD or Plasma.

I will second THAT! :D

I wouldn't trade my CRT for any LCD or cheaper plasma. The picture WOW's me EVERY time I turn it on...

I'm about 4 feet away, and my 970 is absolutely stunning.. I considered 1080p because I sit so close to my TV..
4ft.? Good Lord man that's close. As a kid, I was routinely scolded for sitting to close to the tv, "your going to ruin your eyes" as my Mother would say. I sit about 6-7 feet from my 960 which I find to be a comfortable viewing distance. Anything more than that, as much as I dearly love my 960, I would have to start looking at a plasma. LCD's are out of the question. I can't put my finger on it but there is something about them that "don't look right", like something is missing, there is "no there, there". As for as SD DVD viewing, the 960 seriously questioned my need/desire to bare the extra expense for BD or HD DVD disks and players so remarkable is it's performance. I find myself pulling out old disks that I haven't viewed in years just to see what this beauty can do with it.

4ft.? Good Lord man that's close. As a kid, I was routinely scolded for sitting to close to the tv, "your going to ruin your eyes" as my Mother would say. I sit about 6-7 feet from my 960 which I find to be a comfortable viewing distance. Anything more than that, as much as I dearly love my 960, I would have to start looking at a plasma. LCD's are out of the question. I can't put my finger on it but there is something about them that "don't look right", like something is missing, there is "no there, there". As for as SD DVD viewing, the 960 seriously questioned my need/desire to bare the extra expense for BD or HD DVD disks and players so remarkable is it's performance. I find myself pulling out old disks that I haven't viewed in years just to see what this beauty can do with it.

I have no choice.. it's in my bedroom. I just turned 20, and I'm still at home. I would love to sit 5-6 feet away from the TV.

I have no choice.. it's in my bedroom. I just turned 20, and I'm still at home. I would love to sit 5-6 feet away from the TV.
Good gravy, when I was 20 I thought I was high speed with a 25" Sanyo with dbx/stereo sound and a JVC s-vhs deck. Best times of my life.

LCD's are out of the question. I can't put my finger on it but there is something about them that "don't look right", like something is missing, there is "no there, there". As for as SD DVD viewing, the 960 seriously questioned my need/desire to bare the extra expense for BD or HD DVD disks and players so remarkable is it's performance. I find myself pulling out old disks that I haven't viewed in years just to see what this beauty can do with it.

I agree with you about LCD - despite beautiful color and recent improvments in black levels, the picture gives an un-natural totally "flat" looking appearance with no depth perception (making objects appear top of each other, like when looking through binoculars).

And I don't think there is any need for a DVD player with upconversion since the 960's line doubler outputs 88% the resolution of these new players. It's so much better than using a player's progressive scan output because 480p sources cannot be upconverted. No need to rush out for a HD quality player, either. I'll get a high definition DVD after the format wars have ended and only when I need a new one and HD players become the norm.

Good gravy, when I was 20 I thought I was high speed with a 25" Sanyo with dbx/stereo sound and a JVC s-vhs deck. Best times of my life.

:) Hey, when I was 20 we were thrilled to have 8-track tapes!

I agree with you about LCD - despite beautiful color and recent improvments in black levels, the picture gives an un-natural totally "flat" looking appearance with no depth perception (making objects appear top of each other, like when looking through binoculars).

And I don't think there is any need for a DVD player with upconversion since the 960's line doubler outputs 88% the resolution of these new players. It's so much better than using a player's progressive scan output because 480p sources cannot be upconverted. No need to rush out for a HD quality player, either. I'll get a high definition DVD after the format wars have ended and only when I need a new one and HD players become the norm.

Does this apply to the 970 as well? I know I probably should post it here, but its worth a shot. I am not close to visually seeing "near" HD from regular DVD's on a Sony up-converter. I'll probably yield better results with the DVD player set in 480p, I suppose.

I'm going to try a few other settings as well, but just curious...

Does this apply to the 970 as well? I know I probably should post it here, but its worth a shot. I am not close to visually seeing "near" HD from regular DVD's on a Sony up-converter. I'll probably yield better results with the DVD player set in 480p, I suppose.

I'm going to try a few other settings as well, but just curious...


Not sure - don't know if the 970 has the line-doubling upconversion like the 960. If an operating manual is available on-line, if included it will be mentioned.

--- i've had this tv for quite some time and have loved it ----------- but i really need to adjust it since i have moved --------- circles are now horizontal ellipses, anyone have any input for the best adjustments in the service menue for this?

i was able to eleminate almost all of the overscan, but my geomatry is now off again.

I don't recall ever having sharpness set to minimum on the Sony 910/960/970. Sony's sharpness control works both ways adds edge enhancement and overly reduces (softens). It is important to find the mid point where EE is zero.


I see what glen C is talking about. Just got a 970(not 960 i knowb) a few hours ago and after letting it warm up i wanted to throw avia in and see what was up. I got it on pro, color axis on monitor. At 50 the sharpness was too high and i noticed artificial lines in the sharpness pattern. lowering it to 0 tho the text became wayyyy too blurry and soft especially noticeable when having the xbox 360 dvd options on the bottom of the screen. I raised it to the point below of where the artificial lines started appearaing, thne lowered it to where there was no artificial lines and not overly soft, which was at a point of 15 for me.

I see what glen C is talking about. Just got a 970(not 960 i knowb) a few hours ago and after letting it warm up i wanted to throw avia in and see what was up. I got it on pro, color axis on monitor. At 50 the sharpness was too high and i noticed artificial lines in the sharpness pattern. lowering it to 0 tho the text became wayyyy too blurry and soft especially noticeable when having the xbox 360 dvd options on the bottom of the screen. I raised it to the point below of where the artificial lines started appearaing, thne lowered it to where there was no artificial lines and not overly soft, which was at a point of 15 for me.

I don't think the point where EE is zero is necessarily when the picture no longer appears blurry or the presence of artificial lines is not overtly visible. I think the 970 likely needs more EE than the 960 due to its lower resolution. The "correct" setting according to "test patterns" isn't likely to be where EE is zero, especially the lower resolution the set.

There is also the issue of beam focus. If the set is brighter and thus less well focused, a higher sharpness setting may be needed compared to the same set with a dimmer, better focused picture.

The bottom line is any EE, regardless of resolution or focus, is artificial detail that adds unnatural noise to the picture that isn't part of the source material.

I don't think the point where EE is zero is necessarily when the picture no longer appears blurry or the presence of artificial lines is not overtly visible. I think the 970 likely needs more EE than the 960 due to its lower resolution. The "correct" setting according to "test patterns" isn't likely to be where EE is zero, especially the lower resolution the set.

There is also the issue of beam focus. If the set is brighter and thus less well focused, a higher sharpness setting may be needed compared to the same set with a dimmer, better focused picture.

The bottom line is any EE, regardless of resolution or focus, is artificial detail that adds unnatural noise to the picture that isn't part of the source material.Not necessarily. This is simple, you have/use a pattern with black vertical lines on a gray background. If you see anylightening of the gray, next to the black, you have too much EE. If you go below the point where the light edge disappears, you have gone to far. That is all there is to it, "ANY" EE adds artifacts to the picture that are not supposed to be there.

Not necessarily. This is simple, you have/use a pattern with black vertical lines on a gray background. If you see anylightening of the gray, next to the black, you have too much EE. If you go below the point where the light edge disappears, you have gone to far. That is all there is to it, "ANY" EE adds artifacts to the picture that are not supposed to be there.
Hi Glen,

I'm not a technician but am of the thought that proper EE is dependent upon correct settings for brightness and contrast as well as sharpness. More than just ensuring the picture isn't washed out, too dark or too vivid, with these settings off just a slight bit one would still encounter improper EE as well as too grainy or too soft a picture. So, am I right that these inbalances cannot be resolved by just re-adjusting the sharpness by itself? Is this also why the TV controls and available test patterns for sharpness appear after those for contrast, brightness, color and tint and, in the case of the 960, the DRC palette is the last setting to be made?

Thanks as always,
Joe

In general, EE, edge "enhancement" is a stand alone function. The EE circuit looks at anything with a significant change in signal level, as it draws the line, and enhances that edge by increasing the contrast of that change. to do this with a black edge, they have to lighten the the area next to it, thus the white fringe next to vertical black lines. The higher the native contrast ratio of the display, the more you can see edge enhancement.

The EE is not in the film or source material, it doesn't belong in the display. This is similar to using the sharpen function on digital images on the computer.

So I found an open box xbr960 but it is in pretty bad shape. Alot of cosmetic damage including the anti-glare coating but my main concern is that the top right corner has a purple image and the whole left side of the screen has a yellow image. Is this fixable???
The guy was gonna sell it for me for $500 but I think I can go as low as $400.

So I found an open box xbr960 but it is in pretty bad shape. Alot of cosmetic damage including the anti-glare coating but my main concern is that the top right corner has a purple image and the whole left side of the screen has a yellow image. Is this fixable???
The guy was gonna sell it for me for $500 but I think I can go as low as $400.


If it has full warranty, I would buy it, and call Sony, and have them send someone over to fix it. Although it may not be fixable, I will let others chime in with a more definite answer.

So I found an open box xbr960 but it is in pretty bad shape. Alot of cosmetic damage including the anti-glare coating but my main concern is that the top right corner has a purple image and the whole left side of the screen has a yellow image. Is this fixable???
The guy was gonna sell it for me for $500 but I think I can go as low as $400.

That discoloration could be due to magnetism. Unplug the set and wait a few minutes before turning it on again. If it is magnetism, it willl disappear. If it doesn't, check the brightness, picture and color settings - these adjustments set too high and constantly on could also cause discoloration. If this still exists, there's either a problem with the degausser or the tube itself.

Even if the discoloration disappears and anti-glare coating properly removed, one still does not know of other problems that could exist. The cosmetic damage indicates it wasn't handled well. If it was me, I would skip it - $400 is still a lot of money.

That discoloration could be due to magnetism. Unplug the set and wait a few minutes before turning it on again. If it is magnetism, it willl disappear. If it doesn't, check the brightness, picture and color settings - these adjustments set too high and constantly on could also cause discoloration. If this still exists, there's either a problem with the degausser or the tube itself.

Even if the discoloration disappears and anti-glare coating properly removed, one still does not know of other problems that could exist. The cosmetic damage indicates it wasn't handled well. If it was me, I would skip it - $400 is still a lot of money.

Yeah I just didn't want to take the chance. But I could buy the extended warranty and get it fixed like that but it just sounds like to much trouble. I think the 970 would be a perfect fit for me since the majority of my viewing would be standard dvds and a viewing distance of 10 feet.

Yeah I just didn't want to take the chance. But I could buy the extended warranty and get it fixed like that but it just sounds like to much trouble. I think the 970 would be a perfect fit for me since the majority of my viewing would be standard dvds and a viewing distance of 10 feet.

As great as the 960 and 970 CRTs are, please know the viewing distance of ten feet would be way past the recommended distance for a 34 inch screen (which is between 5 and 8 feet).

As great as the 960 and 970 CRTs are, please know the viewing distance of ten feet would be way past the recommended distance for a 34 inch screen (which is between 5 and 8 feet).

I agree. ^ I'm about 3-4 feet away. I have no choice, because it's in my bedroom...

I agree. ^ I'm about 3-4 feet away. I have no choice, because it's in my bedroom...

Except for eye strain, don't see any problem being so close. :)

I'm at about 5 1/2 feet from my 970. I always read different charts tho about where the optimal viewing distances are!

In your honest opinion how does the 960 really stand up against LCD/Plasma/DLP? Is it just a cheaper alternative or is it a true rival? Also, where the heck can I find one of the 960's.

In your honest opinion how does the 960 really stand up against LCD/Plasma/DLP? Is it just a cheaper alternative or is it a true rival?They are very different. Most significantly, the 960 is a flat-screen rectangular shaped CRT and the others are fixed-pixel devices. So the 960 is inherently subject to analog electron-beam convergence irregularities (horizontal and vertical curvature, focus, convergence, etc.) stemming largely from the flat screen rectangular picture tube shape sprayed by an electron gun in the center-rear. The other technologies are not subject to these problems. They are "pixel perfect", by definition, and perfectly linear.

Also, it is significantly smaller than most LCD/Plasma/DLP sets. This is probably the biggest factor in determining whether or not the 960 is for you. Where will you be sitting when watching?

Also, the 960 being a CRT, it of course [properly adjusted] has better blacks, whites, contrast, brightness, colors, purity, 3D-appearance, no scan lines or dots, etc., with no motion artifacts (e.g. "trails" from motion or pixel response time artifacts, as LCD sets typically do).

In fact, it is not a "cheaper alternative". Quite the opposite. In my opinion it is actually the holy grail to which the other displays try to match but so far cannot, the absolute epitome reference source to which performance of all other sets is compared against.

I hate to gush, but in my opinion it (i.e. my own XBR960) provides the best picture I have ever seen on a TV. Bar none. It looks absolutely real and lifelike. Given proper HD content (e.g. some fabulous stuff on DiscHD) it's like looking through an OPEN window at the outside world, be it a film or a live show (e.g. SNL or Leno).


Also, where the heck can I find one of the 960's.Good luck.

But if you don't plan to sit 4'-7' from this set, but further back, forget it. Go with a much larger Sony SXRD or XBR2 and get wow'ed that way.

However for 4'-7' viewing, there is simply and absolutely nothing better than the 960 (in my opinion). It is worth the search for one.

In your honest opinion how does the 960 really stand up against LCD/Plasma/DLP? Is it just a cheaper alternative or is it a true rival? Also, where the heck can I find one of the 960's.
This is based on my own opinion, having seen all three. I find the drawbacks to the 960 have nothing to do with picture quality. Some find a problem with it not being thin and lightweight, while others want a bigger screen. There could be geometric problems with curved edges (fortunately on mine all test patterns in HD or amaphoric 16x9 are straight both vertical and horizontal, yet I can understand this upsetting others). CRTs are also prone to magnetic distoration but this eliminated on the 960 b unplugging it and allowing the automatic degausser to kick in once it's turned back on.

None of this, however, bothers me at all because it still comes down to picture quality and the 960 is still regarded as the reference set to judge others by. Plasma and LCD are flat screens and this is the also the type of picture one gets - flat with no depth perception and the un-natural look of everything on top of one other (similar to a computer monitor). While the colors and clarity are impressive they are even moreso on the 960 because, as others have mentioned, plasma and LCD lack the rich blacks and deep contrast which is found on CRT. Also, when a respected website like Crutchfeld says plasma offers the closest picture quality to a CRT, that still means that CRT is the best.

I'm a little cautious about DLP because of those thousands of tiny mirrors that constantly move. I'm not a technician, of course, but a friend owned a standard rear projection set and told me the mirrors gather dust and it was recommended they be cleaned by a professional once a year (he knew someone who removed the mirrors himself and dropped one of them!). I cannot say if cleaning also applies to DLP technology, however, any device with so many moving parts would worry me.

We're all fortunate to have purchased the 960 when it was still available and factory fresh. Had we been in the market for a HD set today, I'm sure we would be happy with the flat screen but this would partly be because we would not have known what we were missing not having the 960.

Is the any rumors about Sony making a newer model than the 970 (which is not an improvement over the 960 I know) that would rival or beat the 960. It would make finding one much easier.

I'm a little cautious about DLP because of those thousands of tiny mirrors that constantly move. I'm not a technician, of course, but a friend owned a standard rear projection set and told me the mirrors gather dust and it was recommended they be cleaned by a professional once a year (he knew someone who removed the mirrors himself and dropped one of them!). I cannot say if cleaning also applies to DLP technology, however, any device with so many moving parts would worry me.

DLP element is like a computer chip. You'd never touch it.

Color wheel spins mechanically and can fail. Also, as with most projectors, the lamp will burn out eventually as well. However, LED driven DLP units now available or becoming available should ameliorate the above two failure points...

Is the any rumors about Sony making a newer model than the 970 (which is not an improvement over the 960 I know) that would rival or beat the 960. It would make finding one much easier.

Last I heard, Sony has discontinued CRT TV sales in North America.

Their excellent line of CRT computer monitors was discontinued in 2004.

For enthusiasts, it's been a terrible shame...

Last I heard, Sony has discontinued CRT TV sales in North America.... For enthusiasts, it's been a terrible shame...

Yes, but that also makes us elite (and for me, the one and only time LOL)

I guess that re-directs me to flat panels once again. Too bad I really wanted to test on of these out.

I guess that re-directs me to flat panels once again. Too bad I really wanted to test on of these out.

You should check out LCOS (e.g, SXRD) and DLP LED rear projection as well...

I guess that re-directs me to flat panels once again. Too bad I really wanted to test on of these out.

The 970's are on sale now at CC. Not quite the same, but the best CRT available for purchase now.

You should check out LCOS (e.g, SXRD) and DLP LED rear projection as well...
How is the PQ with those compared top plasma and LCD. I know they get better bang for the buck but I don't think the picture is as good. Is this true? Also as to the 970 I don't think its good enough to justify buying it over a flat panel. The price is good but it's not what I'm looking for. One more think how do you multi-qoute on these boards.

How is the PQ with those compared top plasma and LCD. I know they get better bang for the buck but I don't think the picture is as good. Is this true? Also as to the 970 I don't think its good enough to justify buying it over a flat panel. The price is good but it's not what I'm looking for. One more think how do you multi-qoute on these boards.

Plasmas are the only thing that comes close to PQ on a CRT. Aside from being large and bulky, there's very few that can compete with the PQ.

Advantages of LCOS

* Smoother image. The LCOS pixel edges are not as sharp as DLP pixel edges.
* Little "screen door" effect. Mostly due to the higher resolutions and smaller dot pitch.
* No rainbow effect because there is no colour wheel.

Disadvantages of LCOS

* Limited lamp life
* Not so good contrast ratios.
* Expensive

Last I heard, Sony has discontinued CRT TV sales in North America.

Their excellent line of CRT computer monitors was discontinued in 2004.

For enthusiasts, it's been a terrible shame...

Yeah, the tubes are completely off the Sonystyle.com website now. Only the professional grade broadcast CRT monitors are being made. I think the 32" model costs around 30-40 thousand dollars.

Plasmas are the only thing that comes close to PQ on a CRT. Aside from being large and bulky, there's very few that can compete with the PQ.I think the Sony SXRD family (LCD-based) is superb.

Viewed from the proper distance it does not look like an LCD to me. It looks like a CRT. I'm talking the A2000/A2020 family and the XBR2 family. Even the first-generation XBR1 was stunning (XBR2 accepts 1080p input via HDMI).

Don't stand 5 feet from in it a store when you evaluate, under fluorescent lighting or broad daylight, and expect that this is what it will look like in your darkened home viewing environment. Viewed in the dark and back far enough that is appropriate for its larger screen sizes (50-70"), and tweaked in the user menu to turn off VIVID, etc., the picture will astound you.

If I ever look for something larger to replace or supplement my XBR960, I suspect it will be one of these SXRD devices (at least that's how it seems today). Closest thing to a CRT I've seen in a non-CRT.


EDIT: upper limit on XBR2 size is 70", not 65" as originally posted.

Wait till this summer when the new Pioneer Plasmas are released. I have heard that they will finally give us CRT guys what we are wanting in a bigger set.

Wait till this summer when the new Pioneer Plasmas are released. I have heard that they will finally give us CRT guys what we are wanting in a bigger set.

And an even bigger price!! :eek:

The Pioneers have a superb picture but you have to take out a mortgage just to own one. /Sigh I'm waiting to get a glimpse of one of the new Panasonics they are supposed to have a "CRT-like" PQ. I'm still saddened that they are discontinuing the Sony CRT lineup. I was looking forward to an "new 960" to address what was lacking in the 970.

The Pioneers have a superb picture but you have to take out a mortgage just to own one.

They're coming down fast. The current Elite 42" plasma can now be had for less than I paid for my XBR960 in '04.

I'm keeping the Sony until its extended warranty expires in '09...after two more generations of LCOS/plasma/LCD development, something out there might get reasonably close.

There is a new XBR960 sitting on the sales floor at a Sears near me in Massachusetts, selling price $499.

The set appears to be in good shape: there's no visible scratching or any other cosmetic damage to the screen or case. It was not turned on and looks to be new, not a floor model.

I think the Sony SXRD family (LCD-based) is superb.

Viewed from the proper distance it does not look like an LCD to me. It looks like a CRT. I'm talking the A2000/A2020 family and the XBR2 family. Even the first-generation XBR1 was stunning (XBR2 accepts 1080p input via HDMI).

Don't stand 5 feet from in it a store when you evaluate, under fluorescent lighting or broad daylight, and expect that this is what it will look like in your darkened home viewing environment. Viewed in the dark and back far enough that is appropriate for its larger screen sizes (50-70"), and tweaked in the user menu to turn off VIVID, etc., the picture will astound you.

If I ever look for something larger to replace or supplement my XBR960, I suspect it will be one of these SXRD devices (at least that's how it seems today). Closest thing to a CRT I've seen in a non-CRT.


EDIT: upper limit on XBR2 size is 70", not 65" as originally posted.

Agreed, I saw the 42 inch model and was very impressed with PQ and it's high price tag.

There is a new XBR960 sitting on the sales floor at a Sears near me in Massachusetts, selling price $499.

The set appears to be in good shape: there's no visible scratching or any other cosmetic damage to the screen or case. It was not turned on and looks to be new, not a floor model.

WOW!

If it's not in its box, wouldn't it be a floor model?

If it's not in its box, wouldn't it be a floor model?

I guess technically that's true, but it's in awfully nice shape. I think it's more likely that it was taken out of the box to try to get it sold.

I'm keeping the Sony until its extended warranty expires in '09...

My two-year warranty expires on August 3rd and I just received an offer from Sony for an additional three years for about $360+.

I know companies make lots of money off the sale of extended warranties since most of the time when something goes wrong it occurs during the initial warranty period. My 960 has been fine up to now and if something goes, I figure the cost for repair would be in the neighborhood of the cost of the warranty anyway.

Has anybody not taken out the extended warranty and regreted it?

$360 seems a little steep to me.

$360 seems a little steep to me.

That was my thought as well.

$360 seems a little steep to me.

Agreed, and in the past I've never bought into these protection rackets. But, if the tube goes bad and there are none left with which to replace it, Sony will pony up your original purchase price towards a new (Sony) TV. Given this thread, I thought that was a gamble worth taking.

Agreed, and in the past I've never bought into these protection rackets. But, if the tube goes bad and there are none left with which to replace it, Sony will pony up your original purchase price towards a new (Sony) TV. Given this thread, I thought that was a gamble worth taking.

At this point, I'm thinking of not going for it. Hopefully, the tube will have a long life and when it does begin to deteriate, the cost of a new LCD or Plasma should be less than the premiums paid for the service extensions.

I have had my kd 34xbr960 for over 2 years now and it has been wonderful. However, recently i have ran into a few small problems. My HDMI port has stopped working. I think I may have bumped the HDMI cable too hard when i was plugging some other cables in and messed up the connector in the tv. Is there any solution to this? Is it possible to replace the input board in the tv? The other problem i have noticed is that ghosting has gotten worse on dark scenes. If its a night scene with some lights and they move the camera the lights create streaks all over the screen and i dont believe it used to do that however it may be degradation of the tv over time. I have heard this can happen with CRT's.

Thanks,
Kody

I have had my kd 34xbr960 for over 2 years now and it has been wonderful. However, recently i have ran into a few small problems. My HDMI port has stopped working. I think I may have bumped the HDMI cable too hard when i was plugging some other cables in and messed up the connector in the tv. Is there any solution to this? Is it possible to replace the input board in the tv? The other problem i have noticed is that ghosting has gotten worse on dark scenes. If its a night scene with some lights and they move the camera the lights create streaks all over the screen and i dont believe it used to do that however it may be degradation of the tv over time. I have heard this can happen with CRT's.

Thanks,
Kody

Kody, it's impossible to diagnose this problem without seeing the TV itself. And I'm sure you could get a new input board if that turns out to be necessary.

However, you should try other troubleshooting techniques first. For example, can you see any physical damage to the cable or the socket? Try disconnecting the cable inspect it. Then connect it again, being sure eveything's tight. If you can, try substituting a "known good" HDMI cable.

And consider, do you really need the HDMI port? (Could you substitute with a component input?)

As a last resort you could call for service.


Mark

Lately I've been kind of hating my xbr960 purchase, yes the screen is huge, it's crt but here's whats wrong. It crops every single input which makes it hard to play games because you can't see any information on the far right or left corners of the screen. my HDMI port looks the exact same as the component, offers little to no image quality improvement, which I heard is correct but I also have a lcd pc monitor and it does infact have an improvement which makes me upset at my purchase. Also it's very blurry in every input component mostly, I can't get it looking right at all. Lets just say in the past 6 months my tv has been turned on 3 times but I am constantly using my lcd monitor, which is smaller, to play my games or watch hd movies.

Lately I've been kind of hating my xbr960 purchase, yes the screen is huge, it's crt but here's whats wrong. It crops every single input which makes it hard to play games because you can't see any information on the far right or left corners of the screen. my HDMI port looks the exact same as the component, offers little to no image quality improvement, which I heard is correct but I also have a lcd pc monitor and it does infact have an improvement which makes me upset at my purchase. Also it's very blurry in every input component mostly, I can't get it looking right at all. Lets just say in the past 6 months my tv has been turned on 3 times but I am constantly using my lcd monitor, which is smaller, to play my games or watch hd movies.

You may want to consider having it professionally calibrated. No point in letting it sit around collecting dust.

Lately I've been kind of hating my xbr960 purchase, yes the screen is huge, it's crt but here's whats wrong. It crops every single input which makes it hard to play games because you can't see any information on the far right or left corners of the screen. my HDMI port looks the exact same as the component, offers little to no image quality improvement, which I heard is correct but I also have a lcd pc monitor and it does infact have an improvement which makes me upset at my purchase. Also it's very blurry in every input component mostly, I can't get it looking right at all. Lets just say in the past 6 months my tv has been turned on 3 times but I am constantly using my lcd monitor, which is smaller, to play my games or watch hd movies.

I'm sure someone would be happy to take it off your hands, and relieve you of your suffering ;).

You may want to consider having it professionally calibrated. No point in letting it sit around collecting dust.


I really don't think I want it anymore, I'm going to have to move soon and don't wanna lug the beast with me. Would rather grab myself a little larger LCD to replace it with.

I'm sure someone would be happy to take it off your hands, and relieve you of your suffering ;).

Yea quite possibly but not locally I really doubt I will find anyone.

I have an unusual issue with my XBR960. When I received the set refurbished from Sony, the casing was pretty badly beat up. I have since had the whole tube replaced under warranty due to some discoloration/purity problems. I know this is a long shot, but I was wondering if there is any way to replace the plastic casing that frames the tube.

If it's possible to replace, I would be looking for someone with a broken set that might be willing to part with the front casing. Or is there anywhere else that one can get a part like this? Can Sony be contacted directly? I will probably just put up with it since the picture is still good. I'd appreciate any help though. Thanks, CK

I was fooling around with the settings on my screen today, looks a lot better. Only problem is the amount of over scan on these things is ridiculous, my other sony crts were never this off. Is it worth adjusting them in the service menu, I have the avia disc so I should be able to line it up correctly.

Looking to sell my KD-34XBR960, Purchaced it from Crutchfield in March 2006, so it's still under warranty.Needless to say the picture is great. I made a few tweaks involving the warm and cool color temps and default and monitor color axis settings. Vast improvement in MHO, but of course tweaks can be easily set back to factory if desired.Reason for selling is moving issue. Not to jazzed about lugging it to my new digs and will probably go with a 42 inch Panny plasma.Not sure which model yet. Might just wait for the TH-42PZ700U 1080p when it ships which should be soon. It has been treated with kid gloves . Anti glare screen cleaned using only a dry cloth for cleaning monitors and extremely kind to delicate surfaces. Looking to get $800. I live in Pa so consider my location since the buyer will be arranging pick up.

I was fooling around with the settings on my screen today, looks a lot better. Only problem is the amount of over scan on these things is ridiculous, my other sony crts were never this off. Is it worth adjusting them in the service menu, I have the avia disc so I should be able to line it up correctly.

Yes, it is worth adjusting. Look for Ken's tech thread for plenty of guidance.

Hi guys, I am finally done with my university/college exams.:) GMAT exam was intense lol.

Anyway, back on topic.

I finally got proper remote from Sony, so I had opportunity to mess around with dual picture modes (scrolling index, favorite channels, twin view, freeze) on my xbr 960.

Twin view mode is particularly impressive, I love the ability to adjust pictures' sizes and to switch the sound from one picture to another in this mode. Scrolling index, favorite channels, and freeze are also quite nice. I also love that the TV displays two pictures side by side instead of laying the pictures on top of each other. Overall, dual picture modes are much more advanced and user friendly than PIP mode on my Scientific Atlanta cable box. Good job Sony!

However, I am having trouble utilizing dual picture modes to their fullest because unlike the left window, which can display HD, digital SD, and analog SD in addition to composite, s-video, component, and HDMI inputs, the right window only displays analog SD and composite/s-video inputs, which essentially limits all these nice Dual picture features that Sony has packed into the TV.

I am looking for some suggestions on how to get around this right window limitation.

Currently, I have following hook up configuration. The coax cable from Time Warner goes into a two way splitter. From the splitter, one coax cable goes into the HDTV cable jack. Another coax goes into cable box. The cable box hooked up to the HDTV thorough component. In addition to component, I also have the same cable box hooked up to the HDTV through composite. I have Xbox 360 hooked up through the other component.

With this set up I can use twin view features in the following ways.

I can have Xbox 360 in the left window and have cable box displaying in the right window though composite, which is nice because I have access to all cable channels in the right window regardless of them being digital/HD/analog/scrambled. Granted they all display in SD analog, but it is still works for preview.

I can also bypass the cable box and use twin view with unscrambled channels coming directly into the HDTV cable jack. In this mode, the left window displays analog SD and unscrambled digital channels both SD and HD. The right window unfortunately only displays SD analog channels. In this mode, I am missing a lot of channels in both windows since most digital SD channels and some HD channels (Discovery HD, TNT HD, INHD) are scrambled and therefore, they are unavailable even in the left window.

I can also have cable box outputting through component in the left window, which will give me proper access to all cable channels, and have the right window output analog SD channels from coax cable that hooked up into the HDTV directly. The problem, I am still missing all digital SD and HD channels from warner cable in the right window. Plus, I have to switch my remote between cable box and TV modes every time I flip channels in the different window, which is inconvenient.

I can also do the reverse of the above. I can have in the left window, all analog SD channels and unscrambled digital SD/ HD channels directly from the coax cable plugged into the HDTV . In the right window, I can have cable box through composite outputting all its channels. I will have all cable box channels in the right window in SD analog form regardless if they originally were digital, scrambled, or HD. Still, I will miss a lot of scrambled channels in the left window, and this set up is not user friendly also because I will still have to switch the remote to either cable or TV mode to flip channels in the different window.

In the nutshell, I am trying to find the best way to get all my cable channels (scrambled and unscrambled) working in both Twin View windows. I am hoping that someone can suggest better solution than the ones that I have mentioned above. To be honest, it seems to me that there is no way to get around the problem except, may be, buying some expensive equipment. Any suggestions will be helpful.

...... I am having trouble utilizing dual picture modes to their fullest because unlike the left window, which can display HD, digital SD, and analog SD in addition to composite, s-video, component, and HDMI inputs, the right window only displays analog SD and composite/s-video inputs, which essentially limits all these nice Dual picture features that Sony has packed into the TV.

I am looking for some suggestions on how to get around this right window limitation..........
........In the nutshell, I am trying to find the best way to get all my cable channels (scrambled and unscrambled) working in both Twin View windows. I am hoping that someone can suggest better solution than the ones that I have mentioned above. To be honest, it seems to me that there is no way to get around the problem except, may be, buying some expensive equipment. Any suggestions will be helpful.The no-HD limitation on the right window cannot be gotten around, if that's what your asking.

The right window video is created with the CXA2103AQ Sub color decoder chip. The service manual block diagram indicates that none of the component inputs on the chip are wired for use, therefore it cannot support inputs from the component or HDMI inputs, which are the only HD capable inputs. I believe the only inputs that are selectable for the sub decoder chip are the ntsc tuner and SD video inputs, 1, 2, 3 and 4.

The no-HD limitation on the right window cannot be gotten around, if that's what your asking.

The right window video is created with the CXA2103AQ Sub color decoder chip. The service manual block diagram indicates that none of the component inputs on the chip are wired for use, therefore it cannot support inputs from the component or HDMI inputs, which are the only HD capable inputs. I believe the only inputs that are selectable for the sub decoder chip are the ntsc tuner and SD video inputs, 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Thank you for response. I understand that right window can only display SD analog signal.

I am trying to find the best way to use the cable box with twin view.

These are three ways that I come up with

I can also bypass the cable box and use twin view with unscrambled channels coming directly into the HDTV cable jack. In this mode, the left window displays analog SD and unscrambled digital channels both SD and HD. The right window unfortunately only displays SD analog channels. In this mode, I am missing a lot of channels in both windows since most digital SD channels and some HD channels (Discovery HD, TNT HD, INHD) are scrambled and therefore, they are unavailable even in the left window.

I can also have cable box outputting through component in the left window, which will give me proper access to all cable channels, and have the right window output analog SD channels from coax cable that hooked up into the HDTV directly. The problem, I am still missing all digital SD and HD channels from warner cable in the right window. Plus, I have to switch my remote between cable box and TV modes every time I flip channels in the different window, which is inconvenient.

I can also do the reverse of the above. I can have in the left window, all analog SD channels and unscrambled digital SD/ HD channels directly from the coax cable plugged into the HDTV . In the right window, I can have cable box through composite outputting all its channels. I will have all cable box channels in the right window in SD analog form regardless if they originally were digital, scrambled, or HD. Still, I will miss a lot of scrambled channels in the left window, and this set up is not user friendly also because I will still have to switch the remote to either cable or TV mode to flip channels in the different window.

I am hoping that someone has better idea about using twin view feature of xbr 960 for cable viewing than the ones that I posted above.

I am hoping that someone has better idea about using twin view feature of xbr 960 for cable viewing than the ones that I posted above.

Hi Swift,

If you really want the ability to watch all stations in both twin views this is an ackward way to do it, however, you will need a DVR.

My HD DVR has a separate function for recording to a VCR/DVD recorder via the "out to VCR" function. The "out to VCR" can be used either with RF, composite and S-Video cable. Have the cable go from one of these jacks on the box into video 1 or 2 on the 960. When you want to watch a second digital or HD channel have it recorded and upon completion play it back through the second screen (as if it was being dubbed onto a VCR). You won't be able to watch it live but you can watch it while viewing any other channel in the left screen. Also, the HD picture will be "window boxed" because it's being played back through standard definitition.

As I said, it's ackward but possible if you're willing to pay an extra $10 or so a month for the DVR system.

Hi Swift,

If you really want the ability to watch all stations in both twin views this is an ackward way to do it, however, you will need a DVR.

My HD DVR has a separate function for recording to a VCR/DVD recorder via the "out to VCR" function. The "out to VCR" can be used either with RF, composite and S-Video cable. Have the cable go from one of these jacks on the box into video 1 or 2 on the 960. When you want to watch a second digital or HD channel have it recorded and upon completion play it back through the second screen (as if it was being dubbed onto a VCR). You won't be able to watch it live but you can watch it while viewing any other channel in the left screen. Also, the HD picture will be "window boxed" because it's being played back through standard definitition.

As I said, it's ackward but possible if you're willing to pay an extra $10 or so a month for the DVR system.

Hi Joe :)

Thanks for a tip.

I actually have DVR, and I have INHD test patterns saved on it for tune up. I tested your suggestion, and it does work exactly as you described. It is a great way to watch some recorded SD channels in right window and still have ability to surf all cable channels in the left window. It works somewhat similar to my Xbox360/cable box set up.

I gave this Twin View issue more thought, and it seems to me that there is no way to make Twin View to properly work for all cable channels.

I have another question for you guys.

The Favorites channels option does not work for video 1-7 inputs on my xbr960. It only works for coax antenna/cable inputs. This seems strange to me because Scrolling Index function works fine for all video 1-7 inputs in addition to coax antenna/cable inputs. Additionally, I have no problem accessing Favorite channels option on my xbr 970 even if the xbr 970 set to video 1-7.

Can someone verify that Favorite channels feature is only available for coax inputs on xbr960?

Hi Joe :)

Thanks for a tip.

I actually have DVR, and I have INHD test patterns saved on it for tune up. I tested your suggestion, and it does work exactly as you described. It is a great way to watch some recorded SD channels in right window and still have ability to surf all cable channels in the left window. It works somewhat similar to my Xbox360/cable box set up.

I gave this Twin View issue more thought, and it seems to me that there is no way to make Twin View to properly work for all cable channels.

I have another question for you guys.

The Favorites channels option does not work for video 1-7 inputs on my xbr960. It only works for coax antenna/cable inputs. This seems strange to me because Scrolling Index function works fine for all video 1-7 inputs in addition to coax antenna/cable inputs. Additionally, I have no problem accessing Favorite channels option on my xbr 970 even if the xbr 970 set to video 1-7.

Can someone verify that Favorite channels feature is only available for coax inputs on xbr960?

:)
Hi Swift,

Glad I was able to help..., sometimes I come up with a good idea once in a while, right? LOL.

I've also saved the INHD test patterns and always advise people to use them because one can be easily fooled by a picture that appears vivid but in actuality is not properly adjusted.

Even though my DVR's "out to vcr" jack is composite, I found that anything other than the HDMI/Component output could be used. So I have the S-Video hooked into my DVD recorder so if you wish, you can still use one of the non-HD outputs into your recorder and the other for twin view. I also have an RF cable hooked into an old "VCR rabbit" to watch cable on my other sets (however, when dubbing from the hard drive, I can only see the program being recorded).

I believe the index is showing those stations going directly into your 970/960 independent of the input you are watching at the time.

Ciao,
Joe

:)
Hi Swift,

Glad I was able to help..., sometimes I come up with a good idea once in a while, right? LOL.



heh indeed, I felt similar way when I figured out that I can have Xbox360 running in HD in one window, and still have my cable box running in the other window.

I believe the index is showing those stations going directly into your 970/960 independent of the input you are watching at the time.

Yep, index feature seems to be input independent on xbr960. xbr970 does not have index feature though.

However, both sets seem to handle Favorite channels feature differently. On my xbr970, I can access this feature when the xbr970 is set to video1-6 in addition to cable/antenna modes. On the other hand, my xbr 960 Favorite channels function is unavailable when the xbr960 is set into video1-7. I am not quite sure if this is behavior normal for xbr960.

Can someone verify if Favorite channels feature is available on xbr960 when the TV is set into video1-7 modes?

Can anyone suggest a good firm to do this? I live in Palo Alto

I've been been very happy with my set but it needs a couple of small alignment tweaks.

I also plan to use this set as an inexpensive broadcast monitor for my independent HDV 1080/60i film projects, so I'd like to find someone who is very knowledgeable about these large CRT sets.

I'm not planning on doing 'big-league' color critical work with this, but I'd like to get it 'tuned' as much as possible, preferably by a technician who knows color well, not just someone who understands the services codes and knows how to adjust the yoke.

Thanks,

Paul.

My calibrator says that grayscale is universal on these tvs so once it's set it's set for all inputs. Curious if that's true or not as I see differences with the same source with different connections (component vs hdmi). He did do geometry and convergence adjustments on all inputs though.

My calibrator says that grayscale is universal on these tvs so once it's set it's set for all inputs. Curious if that's true or not as I see differences with the same source with different connections (component vs hdmi). He did do geometry and convergence adjustments on all inputs though.Yes, the grayscale adjustments are global on the Sony crt sets. The differences you see are likely the input dependent parameters that are either not set to equivalent values or are not implemented consistently. BTW, the color temperature selections of cool and warm are offsets applied to the grayscale parameters, therefore grayscale should have been calibrated in neutral.

I was an early adopter of this set and purchased one in August 2004. I've posted several impressions somewhere in this extremely long thread.

With all of the hype concerning CableCARDs and how they'll be implemented much more heavily in the next few years, I decided to try it out.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work on this set. I've had Cablevision come by and swap the card on three separate occasions. None can escape the dreaded 161-6 error message. And when the card is working, it's only for about 5 minutes before the picture freezes up and all channels are lost.

I call up Sony and much to my chagrin, it's going to cost $500 to replace my Q-box and a bloody $250 an hour for labor. Had I tried to experiment with the CableCARD when it was still under warranty, I wouldn't have the need to shell out this money on a set that was already defective from the factory.

Has anyone else had the QAM tuner box replaced?

Can someone verify if Favorite channels feature is available on xbr960 when the TV is set into video1-7 modes?

Anyone? :confused:

I would greatly appreciate it.

......However, both sets seem to handle Favorite channels feature differently. On my xbr970, I can access this feature when the xbr970 is set to video1-6 in addition to cable/antenna modes. On the other hand, my xbr 960 Favorite channels function is unavailable when the xbr960 is set into video1-7. I am not quite sure if this is behavior normal for xbr960.

Can someone verify if Favorite channels feature is available on xbr960 when the TV is set into video1-7 modes?
Anyone? :confused:

I would greatly appreciate it.I would assume that the favorite "channel" feature would only be tied to channels associated with the integrated tuners.

How does it function on the 970? A favorite channel can be established associated with a specific channel on a stb attached to a video input?

I would assume that the favorite "channel" feature would only be tied to channels associated with the integrated tuners.

How does it function on the 970? A favorite channel can be established associated with a specific channel on a stb attached to a video input?

On my xbr 970, favorite channels feature is available only for channels that the TV receives directly through either of the two TV tuners(unscrambled cable or over the air channels only). It is available when the TV is set to antenna or cable mode. However, it is also accessible when xbr970 is set into any of video1-6 inputs. There is no dual picture view on xbr970 though.

My xbr960 behaves differently from xbr970. Favorite channel feature is available with dual picture when xbr960 is set into either antenna or cable mode. When the xbr960 is in video1-7 modes, the feature is not accessible at all.

I am wondering whether it is normal behavior for xbr960. It would be neat if favorite channel function on xbr960 worked (with dual view) when the xbr960 is set into video1-7 inputs also.

In the nutshell, I am asking for someone to test his xbr960 and verify whether favorite channel feature is available when xbr960 is set into one of its video inputs.

Is anyone using a PS3 through the HDMI port on this television? I can't seem to get it working. When the PS3 starts up the screen blinks a couple times, and when I hit display the resolution is at 480p, but no sound or picture. I have tried the reset method by holding down the power button but again, it just blinks twice and sits there. Anyone have any ideas?

Is anyone using a PS3 through the HDMI port on this television? I can't seem to get it working. When the PS3 starts up the screen blinks a couple times, and when I hit display the resolution is at 480p, but no sound or picture. I have tried the reset method by holding down the power button but again, it just blinks twice and sits there. Anyone have any ideas?

I have my PS3 hooked up via HDMI (XBR960) , Works great except the first cable I tried had random problems (screen would randomly black out), I bought a better cable off monoprice.com and havent had any problems since then.

With all the discussion going on over at the plasma forum about the 8g Pioneers and their supposed crt like black levels, I thought it might me good idea to remind ourselves why they aspire to reach that which has been the provenance held by our antiquated but beloved vacuum tube picture boxes with some caps from Serenity and Van Helsing HD DVDs. Of course, picture taking skills have to be taken into account and I profess that I'm really just a hack when it comes to photography but it does give an "impression" of what I see. ;)

My calibrator says that grayscale is universal on these tvs so once it's set it's set for all inputs. Curious if that's true or not as I see differences with the same source with different connections (component vs hdmi). He did do geometry and convergence adjustments on all inputs though.

Yes, the grayscale adjustments are global on the Sony crt sets. The differences you see are likely the input dependent parameters that are either not set to equivalent values or are not implemented consistently. BTW, the color temperature selections of cool and warm are offsets applied to the grayscale parameters, therefore grayscale should have been calibrated in neutral.

Thanks for the reply. The individual input settings are the same so it must be the device that is outputting the signal. I'm not sure which color temp was used during calibration.

I have my PS3 hooked up via HDMI (XBR960) , Works great except the first cable I tried had random problems (screen would randomly black out), I bought a better cable off monoprice and havent had any problems since then.

Thanks for the reply man, I will give it a try.

I've had this set for a little more than 6-months now. I'm very happy with it. I did have to have a service technician come out to adjust some odd red lines that were appearing on the screen, but aside from that it has been pretty good. I picked it up as a Sony refurb, so I expected to have some "issues" with it.

There are two things that do bother me, though.

1) The tube seems unusually sensitive to the magnetic fields from my home theater speakers. I used to have the center speaker mounted on top of my old Sony SD set, and probably 8-10 inches to the side for the left and right channels. If I attempt that with the XBR960, I get horrible magnetic distortion. I've had to move the center speaker to the far rear of the top of the set, and the left and right channel speakers are 2-feet on either side of the set--and there is still some minor distortion from them. As I said, these speakers produced ZERO distortion on my old Sony SD set--even when pressed against the sides of the set.

2) The center of the tube image is very sharp, but anything that is not in the center is out of focus. This looks especially bad with text, which is a big disappointment since I just picked up a Nintendo Wii, and a lot of game text appears on the edges of the screen.

Does anyone know if the two symptoms I noted above would be addressable under Sony's 5-year warranty? I can sort of understand if the image focusing thing isn't necessarily covered, but I have a hard time believing the magnetic sensitivty of this set is so bad that I can't have my CambridgeSound Works speakers within 3-feet of the set without producing green and purple visual effects.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks!

1) The tube seems unusually sensitive to the magnetic fields from my home theater speakers. I used to have the center speaker mounted on top of my old Sony SD set, and probably 8-10 inches to the side for the left and right channels. If I attempt that with the XBR960, I get horrible magnetic distortion. I've had to move the center speaker to the far rear of the top of the set, and the left and right channel speakers are 2-feet on either side of the set--and there is still some minor distortion from them. As I said, these speakers produced ZERO distortion on my old Sony SD set--even when pressed against the sides of the set.


What speakers do you have (make/model?)** Are you sure they aren't shielded? Have you noticed that the problem is definitively worse when the speakers are closer to the set or is it pretty much the same amount of distortion regardless of where you put the speakers?

This set is extremely sensitive to the Earth's magnetic field and as it waxes and wanes it sometimes causes discolored blotches to appear on the sides and/or corners of the set. This may be the culprit rather than your speakers. This can be fixed easily by adjusting the landing setting in the service menu, try moving the LAND setting down until the problem goes away

For the second part of your post there are also a focus adjustment in the service menu that might take care of your second problem.

Although I can't confirm it first hand I would imagine that these PQ issues are in fact covered by the Warranty... and if you're uneasy about poking around in the service menu it would be your best bet, but keep in mind sometimes though the techs really don't know what they're doing and instead of solving simple issues in the Service Menu they start tinkering with the hardware and doing other needless things that cause more harm than good.

**EDIT:

I just read your post again. I also have Cambridge Soundworks speakers (Newton M80's and an MC 500 for the L/R/C.) Is that your setup as well?

These speakers are all shielded. Unless something has gone wrong with the internal shielding in your speakers (or you have a model that isn't shielded... and I wasn't aware that Cambridge Soundworks made any unshielded HT speakers) this shouldn't be causing the magnetic distortion.

2) The center of the tube image is very sharp, but anything that is not in the center is out of focus. This looks especially bad with text, which is a big disappointment since I just picked up a Nintendo Wii, and a lot of game text appears on the edges of the screen.

This is one of the flaws of a flat screen TV. Because the beam travels a farther distance at the edges of the screen, it will not be as well focused as the center. Sometimes it can be improved a little with service menu tweaking, but it takes a real fine eye and some good test patterns to do it - beyond what I think any tech would do. You best bet is to try to adjust it yourself.

I've had this set for a little more than 6-months now. I'm very happy with it. I did have to have a service technician come out to adjust some odd red lines that were appearing on the screen, but aside from that it has been pretty good. I picked it up as a Sony refurb, so I expected to have some "issues" with it.

There are two things that do bother me, though.

1) The tube seems unusually sensitive to the magnetic fields from my home theater speakers. I used to have the center speaker mounted on top of my old Sony SD set, and probably 8-10 inches to the side for the left and right channels. If I attempt that with the XBR960, I get horrible magnetic distortion. I've had to move the center speaker to the far rear of the top of the set, and the left and right channel speakers are 2-feet on either side of the set--and there is still some minor distortion from them. As I said, these speakers produced ZERO distortion on my old Sony SD set--even when pressed against the sides of the set.

2) The center of the tube image is very sharp, but anything that is not in the center is out of focus. This looks especially bad with text, which is a big disappointment since I just picked up a Nintendo Wii, and a lot of game text appears on the edges of the screen.


Hrm maybe your speakers aren't magnetically shielded very well although its odd that it didn't effect your SD tv , I have my front speakers sitting right next to my XBR960 and the center channel sitting on top of the set with no issues.

I also notice text loses some focus at the edges of the screen with Xbox360/PS3 and other 1080i sources, however its not super pronounced and with a 480P source such as Wii you really shouldn't see that much of a loss in focus considering how large text is ,it sounds like you need to have the TV's focus adjusted, I have a Wii / PS3 / 360 hooked up and PS3 is the worst for this symptom, at 1080i the text is really small when using the built in web browser & the dashboard so the focus shift is more noticeable ( I usually switch it to 720p if I web browse which makes the text a lot nicer / bigger), but with Wii I havent noticed any issues.

1) Thanks for the replies. I have a pair of CambridgeSound Works MC200 speakers for my left and right channels, and a MC300 sitting on top for a center channel.

I first thought it could be the speakers, but after testing with different sets and speaking with CambridgeSound Works, it appears to be something with the TV. I thought that perhaps because it is a refurb, that maybe the set itself was missing some sort of shielding. I really have no idea. I've been able to live with the speakers set up the way they are, but for audio-quality I really prefer to have the L/R speakers a little closer to the picture.

2) The focus issue is very pronounced. I could take some pics, but it shows up on sources from 480i to 1080i. Normally, it isn't a big deal. I've learned to live with blurry sports scores and unreadable fine print in commercials, but now that I'm playing the Wii I'm beginning to think I shouldn;t have to live with it.

I am an IT technician and would greatly prefer to do the adjustments myself--I'd hate to leave my PQ concerns to someone else's set of eyes. I'm not exactly a stranger to performing adjustments of this type for computer CRTs, but I haven't been able to find a very clear-cut set of instructions for adjustments on this set. Even just a listing of the what the values in the service menu refer to would be helpful.

Any ideas?

Check out the thread on tweaking the service menu on Sony sets. There is a monstrous thread dealing with this specifically. -CK

Sorry if I'm confirming what you already know, but I have the Cambridge MC300s as my left, center, and front speakers. The Center sits atop my 960 and there has never been a problem at all.

Looking for a professional to calibrate my 960 in Peoria, IL.

I'll just throw this out there. I was in BestBuy in Portland, Maine the other day. As I always do, I wander through the dwindling CRT section. Much to my amazement, they had a KD34XBR960. I checked the tag, and the set itself, and sure enough, it was the 960, SFP and all. The picture quality from BB's HD feed was STUNNING!!!

I don't understand why they have this set. This store stopped carrying the 960 well over a year ago, and just recently dropped the 970 as well. Maybe they found one on the street corner or something?

This was probably a one-store-only thing, but if you happen to be in a BB, just stroll through the CRT aisle and see what they have.

BTW, the price was $1800, marked down to $1200, which is certainly in the 960 price range (as opposed to the 970's going for under $1k).

Remember, YMMV!!!(and probably will!!!)

I'll just throw this out there. I was in BestBuy in Portland, Maine the other day. As I always do, I wander through the dwindling CRT section. Much to my amazement, they had a KD34XBR960. I checked the tag, and the set itself, and sure enough, it was the 960, SFP and all. The picture quality from BB's HD feed was STUNNING!!!

I don't understand why they have this set. This store stopped carrying the 960 well over a year ago, and just recently dropped the 970 as well. Maybe they sound one on the street corner or something?

This was probably a one-store-only thing, but if you happen to be in a BB, just stroll through the CRT aisle and see what they have.

BTW, the price was $1800, marked down to $1200, which is certainly in the 960 price range (as opposed to the 970's going for under $1k).

Remember, YMMV!!!(and probably will!!!)If I had to guess... which I don't... but I will anyway... I'd guess that somebody bought that set a couple years ago along with BB's in-home service plan. The customer had problems with the set, so BB's technicians were dispatched to the customer's home to fix it. The customer had another problem, and BB sent technicians out a second time. And a third time. Then the fourth time the customer had a problem, BB was required (under the terms of their service plan's "no lemon" policy) to take the TV back and give the customer a replacement. The TV went back to the BB service center, where technicians were able to fix the TV and get it up and running, and they then returned the set to the store shelves for sale as an "open box" item.

If I had to guess... which I don't... but I will anyway... I'd guess that somebody bought that set a couple years ago along with BB's in-home service plan. The customer had problems with the set, so BB's technicians were dispatched to the customer's home to fix it. The customer had another problem, and BB sent technicians out a second time. And a third time. Then the fourth time the customer had a problem, BB was required (under the terms of their service plan's "no lemon" policy) to take the TV back and give the customer a replacement. The TV went back to the BB service center, where technicians were able to fix the TV and get it up and running, and they then returned the set to the store shelves for sale as an "open box" item.

Not too sure about it being under a BB home service plan since the 960 came with Sony's own two year warranty with offers to extend it (and BB is an authorized Sony dealer). If it was unable to be repaired, any exchange or credit would have been between Sony and the former owner, not BB.

Would also love to know how it suddenly popped up.

I'll just throw this out there. I was in BestBuy in Portland, Maine the other day. As I always do, I wander through the dwindling CRT section. Much to my amazement, they had a KD34XBR960. I checked the tag, and the set itself, and sure enough, it was the 960, SFP and all. The picture quality from BB's HD feed was STUNNING!!!

I don't understand why they have this set. This store stopped carrying the 960 well over a year ago, and just recently dropped the 970 as well. Maybe they sound one on the street corner or something?

This was probably a one-store-only thing, but if you happen to be in a BB, just stroll through the CRT aisle and see what they have.

BTW, the price was $1800, marked down to $1200, which is certainly in the 960 price range (as opposed to the 970's going for under $1k).

Remember, YMMV!!!(and probably will!!!)


Some BB still have display XBR960s. I bought mine form BB few months back and I am very happy with its performance. Another BB here(Houston, TX) still has xbr960 on display side by side with xbr970. I went there just last week to check their display xbr960 to verify whether favorite function on my xbr960 works properly.

Anther BB in TX probably still has two xbr960s both open box pick up only though.

No Open Box sign on it.

No Open Box sign on it.Wait - it's brand new in a box!?!? Even if you don't want it, buy it purely as an investment - because you know someone will buy it on an online auction for twice what you bought it for.

EDIT - Now that I think about it, that doesn't make sense. Your earlier post implied that the TV is on display and powered up. So the box must be open if the TV isn't in the box...

I'm in Houston with Comcast Cable (as of a week ago or so) and I was wondering if anyone has this problem with their 960? Only on HDTNT is the picture in zoom mode or stretch mode...all the other channels are fine. If there is a basketball game on the picture is fine but with commercials and other programming it's different. Is it just this channel or the tv? A friend of mine has a 55 inch Samsung and I checked their picture and it was normal. BTW, the picture was like this before Comcast took over Time Warner. Just fyi.

I'm in Houston with Comcast Cable (as of a week ago or so) and I was wondering if anyone has this problem with their 960? Only on HDTNT is the picture in zoom mode or stretch mode...all the other channels are fine. If there is a basketball game on the picture is fine but with commercials and other programming it's different. Is it just this channel or the tv? A friend of mine has a 55 inch Samsung and I checked their picture and it was normal. BTW, the picture was like this before Comcast took over Time Warner. Just fyi.

Don't think all the content on TNT is broadcast in HD, thus the stretch.

I'm in Houston with Comcast Cable (as of a week ago or so) and I was wondering if anyone has this problem with their 960? Only on HDTNT is the picture in zoom mode or stretch mode...all the other channels are fine. If there is a basketball game on the picture is fine but with commercials and other programming it's different. Is it just this channel or the tv? A friend of mine has a 55 inch Samsung and I checked their picture and it was normal. BTW, the picture was like this before Comcast took over Time Warner. Just fyi.Welcome to TNTH, basically a last resort channel. Most of their broadcasts have some sort of distortion.

Does anyone know where I could fine a gently used one?

Does anyone know where I could fine a gently used one?

Where are you? As I'm considering moving up to a 40" Bravia XBR. I'm in the San Jose, CA area.

Where are you? As I'm considering moving up to a 40" Bravia XBR. I'm in the San Jose, CA area.
All the way across the country in Washington DC...

Where are you? As I'm considering moving up to a 40" Bravia XBR. I'm in the San Jose, CA area.
I'm looking for a XBR960 in the San Jose area. Please get in touch when you're ready to sell.

if anyone is in the North VA/DC area im selling my xbr960, just PM me, thanks.

Has anyone seen or know of this:

http://www.gandhiappliances.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_53&products_id=236&zenid=91768deda9ea880b20bf676c034c8d56

It has the SFP. I found this by searching for a multisystem TV with Scart RGB connections that was mentioned in another thread about TVs for gaming.

Has anyone seen or know of this:

http://www.gandhiappliances.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_53&products_id=236&zenid=91768deda9ea880b20bf676c034c8d56

It has the SFP. I found this by searching for a multisystem TV with Scart RGB connections that was mentioned in another thread about TVs for gaming.

450lb shipping weight :eek: .

I think that is a 'typo'. I was scanning the other TVs there and even the 14" model lists a 450lb shipping weight!

I have one for sale. Treated with kit gloves for the 15 months I've had it.Excellent condition.
Stunning picture. I'm selling it because I'm moving to a small apartment and it's just to heavy to lug up the stairs. I live in Pennsylvania. Will sell for $800.

Hi,

Proper color adjustment is probably the most difficult setting to get precisely since color is so subjective (it can look great but in actuality be either a little too strong or a little too weak). Today I got the THX blue tint glasses for use with the THX Optimizer appearing on certain DVDs.

On my DVR, I retained the test patterns broadcast on the old INHD network. They also suggest using blue filter glasses for color but gave no instructions on how to use them with their color test pattern. My guess is that the three viewable color circles should also be the same shade of blue (like with the THX optomizer). I was able to get them to appear the same.

Within each circle is a small square box and it is impossible to match as with the circles. Are these for use with something other than the blue filter?

Both my color settings for DVD and HD were slightly lower prior to using the blue tint glasses. I had it lower only because I was unsure if I was being fooled by a vivid picture with over-saturated color. Feel better knowing it is now precisely set according to actual test patterns rather than visual assesment.

If anyone is interested in obtaining the blue filter glasses, they are being sold for $1.00 at the THX website (cost of two with shipping was $5.00).

Service Center Stolen HDTV sets insides
Help, Service Center has switched, changed my KD-34XBR960N. I went to see how the set was performing before they return it and, wow, the power button has the paint on it almost completely worn off. Only the "PO" of the word Power is left. The button looks like it has been pushed thousands of times. I have had the set for 15 months. Always used in the "Pro" mode and have used it just lightly. I have not pushed that button 6 times. I use the remote control. My wife has never turned on the set with out me. There are NO kids in the house. I have shot, edit, among other thing, video since 1970(Sony 900 HD camera included). I have owned some of Sonys best cameras and gear and know how to treat equipment. I know my tools. The set at the Service Center has a Power button, and wear around it, that is not what left my home! The Serial Number on the back IS mine. How do I tell that the insides and the main case (w/Power Button) are from a set that had a different Serial Number? The back plastic shell, w/ser. # may just have been switched. My set was manufactured in Jan or Feb (it says on the back near the ser #) of 2006.

Any thoughts regarding this, PLEASE. John

Service Center Stolen HDTV sets insides
Help, Service Center has switched, changed my KD-34XBR960N. I went to see how the set was performing before they return it and, wow, the power button has the paint on it almost completely worn off. Only the "PO" of the word Power is left. The button looks like it has been pushed thousands of times. I have had the set for 15 months. Always used in the "Pro" mode and have used it just lightly. I have not pushed that button 6 times. I use the remote control. My wife has never turned on the set with out me. There are NO kids in the house. I have shot, edit, among other thing, video since 1970(Sony 900 HD camera included). I have owned some of Sonys best cameras and gear and know how to treat equipment. I know my tools. The set at the Service Center has a Power button, and wear around it, that is not what left my home! The Serial Number on the back IS mine. How do I tell that the insides and the main case (w/Power Button) are from a set that had a different Serial Number? The back plastic shell, w/ser. # may just have been switched. My set was manufactured in Jan or Feb (it says on the back near the ser #) of 2006.

Any thoughts regarding this, PLEASE. John

Why was the set at the service center? Has that problem been taken care of?

If so, ask your wife for some black fingernail polish, paint the word POWER back on and enjoy the set. :D

MY set is being stolen and you tell me to - what, enjoy it?

The other set in the shop has a manufacturing date of 3 years ago. Mine was made in 2006. I of course do not want a 3 year old set in exchange for my one year old set. I have used my set very little. The set they are now saying is mine shows great use.

I am am adding a jpg attachment to this post. It shows what I am talking about.

Please. I am asking for help. Can someone reply to my first post.

Please, and thank you.

John

Have you asked them what happened and did you let them know that this was not the body you brought in?
What was wrong with the television in the first place for you to bring in in for sevice?
I'd be furious, but unless you can prove that isn't your set, there's probably not much you can do.
I would contact the BBB and consumer affairs of your state if you can't get this rectified to your satisfaction.

The Main reason I had it serviced was a BLUE area on the right side of the picture (like it had had a magnet next to it, and poor resistration. The blue is gone. The registration is worst in the lower right.

But after seeing the condition of the box, the button and around it, I stopped thinking about the registration. That is NOT mine.

I know I can complain to BBB and others later. But NOW is when the set is in their location.

Can anyone hepl me with my questions in my first post?

Please

Thank You

John

Service Center is stealing my HD set
Help!
If you know the insides of the KD-34XBR960N, please read post Number #5393 and look at the jpg file in post number 5393.
I understand that different years the set was assembled in different locations.

Please help

Thank you,

John

Service Center Stolen HDTV sets insides
Help, Service Center has switched, changed my KD-34XBR960N. I went to see how the set was performing before they return it and, wow, the power button has the paint on it almost completely worn off. Only the "PO" of the word Power is left. The button looks like it has been pushed thousands of times. I have had the set for 15 months. Always used in the "Pro" mode and have used it just lightly. I have not pushed that button 6 times. I use the remote control. My wife has never turned on the set with out me. There are NO kids in the house. I have shot, edit, among other thing, video since 1970(Sony 900 HD camera included). I have owned some of Sonys best cameras and gear and know how to treat equipment. I know my tools. The set at the Service Center has a Power button, and wear around it, that is not what left my home! The Serial Number on the back IS mine. How do I tell that the insides and the main case (w/Power Button) are from a set that had a different Serial Number? The back plastic shell, w/ser. # may just have been switched. My set was manufactured in Jan or Feb (it says on the back near the ser #) of 2006.

Any thoughts regarding this, PLEASE. John

John,

So sorry to hear about your problem with the service center. My only suggestion is to have it stay there and contact Sony customer service and explain the problem, since you did take it to an authorized Sony service center. There might be a registration inside the set which can be checked. Also, there might be some internal parts that were used toward the end of production and not available three years prior. If these are inside your set, this would also be enough proof. Again, these are only guesses on my part.

When dealing with Sony Customer Service, don't accuse the service center of trying to swindle you (they will ask you what would be the advantage to them in making such a switch). Instead, let them know you are concerned because of the drastic difference with the power button and surrounding area and because they were repairing two 960's at the same time they could have accidentally replaced the back cabinet of your set on the other unit and therefore are giving you somebody else's set.

It is also possible that the power button and surrounding area was damaged by their own negligence and that too gives you every right to be furious. If it is determined this is your set and the cabinet has been damaged by them Sony Customer Service should make sure they restore it for you at no cost.

I do hope these suggestions help and that you do find that the set returned to you is the one you purchased.

- Joe

I have one for sale. Treated with kit gloves for the 15 months I've had it.Excellent condition.
Stunning picture. I'm selling it because I'm moving to a small apartment and it's just to heavy to lug up the stairs. I live in Pennsylvania. Will sell for $800.


Gary,
I'm interested in buying your 960 if it is still available. Where in Penn are you?
Thanks,
-Clark

I found a 30XS955 for sale, and the owner claims the set was only used for 5 minutes before his wife unplugged it and exiled it to the garage. Is there some sort of timer/clock in the service menu, or elsewhere, where you can see the total elapsed time the set has been used?

I found a 30XS955 for sale, and the owner claims the set was only used for 5 minutes before his wife unplugged it and exiled it to the garage. Is there some sort of timer/clock in the service menu, or elsewhere, where you can see the total elapsed time the set has been used?
Have no idea, but my instincts tell me that anyone who would have unplugged it after just five minutes would have returned the set to the store for a refund or credit rather than throwing away his or her money by storing it in a garage.

On the back of the set by the serial number you can at least find the month and year it was manufactured.

Does anyone know the last month/year Sony manufactured the 960/955?

Selling Price for 960?
Bought a 960 new in Feb '06 and am thinking of selling it. Don't have HD at this time and tired of moving the thing around and viewing the stretched out SD signal. It does have a scratch on the frame surrounding the screen but the screen is still 100%. I'm in central Wisconsin and would want it picked up. Any idea what kind of $$ I should ask?

Hey bfife, check this out:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=874224

It is so good to see so many CRT fans. I thought I was a alone. Taking nothing away from the new technologies, the fact that the issues of burn - in, blacks, motion artifacts, and lighting are not an issue with these Sonys, and Sony continues to make them, should tell us all something.

It is so good to see so many CRT fans. I thought I was a alone. Taking nothing away from the new technologies, the fact that the issues of burn - in, blacks, motion artifacts, and lighting are not an issue with these Sonys, and Sony continues to make them, should tell us all something.

I was with you up to the "Sony continues to make them" part.

Well, they do still make those $20.000 professional studio monitors. And who knows, maybe they might start letting Orion or Samsung build CRT's for them, just to fool people for a short time and make a few quick bucks just prior to going bankrupt (if it ever came to that).

Well believe it or not I cleaned my the screen on my 960 for the very first time yesterday. I bought it in Oct 2005. I just don't like messing with stuff like that if it's not bothering me.

Everything went fine but I came across one spot that was apparently a dot of oil or heavy grime. It smeared on the screen and elbow grease is only making it worse. I used water with a light amount of dish soap and that didn't work. I've read that goof-off will definitely remove the anti-glare coating, but that's heavy stuff. What about a little rubbing alcohol quickly applied? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Goof-off won't remove the anti glare coating, it'll just make your TV act more serious.

Goo off will definitely remove it, though.

Well believe it or not I cleaned my the screen on my 960 for the very first time yesterday. I bought it in Oct 2005. I just don't like messing with stuff like that if it's not bothering me.

Everything went fine but I came across one spot that was apparently a dot of oil or heavy grime. It smeared on the screen and elbow grease is only making it worse. I used water with a light amount of dish soap and that didn't work. I've read that goof-off will definitely remove the anti-glare coating, but that's heavy stuff. What about a little rubbing alcohol quickly applied? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Clear Windex and soft, clean rag.

Hi I have had my 960 for about a year and a half now and I have noticed some overscan problems. Some things appear to be cut off on the right side of the screen and I want to try and fix this of course. I saw some links to overscan threads but when I clicked them it said that the archive was to old and to try looking here and here but I had no luck.
I was under the impression that this could be fixed in teh Service Menu and I thought I could use an Avia calibration disk to do so. Well I rented Avia but now I am not sure what to do as it appears the grid patterns ect are in 4:3 and not 16:9. Any help in explaining why this is and exactly what to do and where to find it would be great. I would just look around in the menu myself but I have heard you can realy mess stuff up there so obviously I want to be safe.
PS I know this must have been asked a lot before but this thread is so long now and everything is so crammed together it is hard for me to find straight answers so I hope I am not pissing anyone off to much asking for help here. Thanks again in advance.

I was under the impression that this could be fixed in teh Service Menu and I thought I could use an Avia calibration disk to do so. Well I rented Avia but now I am not sure what to do as it appears the grid patterns ect are in 4:3 and not 16:9. Any help in explaining why this is and exactly what to do and where to find it would be great.

The archived posts that you couldn't find explain it best. Click the link again(it's post 3333 of this thread) and it will take you to a page asking if you want archives from pre-2005 or archives from 01/05 - 06/06. Click on the link for the 01/05-06/06 archives. It will take you to a post from DSperber from 12-14-05, 11:34 PM. In that post, there is an attachment with the 16x9 test pattern you are looking for as well as instructions for how to use them. Also in the body of that post is another link to one of his posts dated 11-28-05, 07:28 PM that explains how to correct the problems you find using the service menu. I have all 3 posts bookmarked and I just checked them, so they are all still there. Good luck.

Selling Price for 960?
Bought a 960 new in Feb '06 and am thinking of selling it. Don't have HD at this time and tired of moving the thing around and viewing the stretched out SD signal. It does have a scratch on the frame surrounding the screen but the screen is still 100%. I'm in central Wisconsin and would want it picked up. Any idea what kind of $$ I should ask?

Why not get a HD and/or Blue Ray player and hold on to that thing longer? That's about all I use my 960 for.

Hi I have had my 960 for about a year and a half now and I have noticed some overscan problems.....I was under the impression that this could be fixed in teh Service Menu and I thought I could use an Avia calibration disk to do so. Well I rented Avia but now I am not sure what to do as it appears the grid patterns ect are in 4:3 and not 16:9.......The 16:9 patterns on Avia are in the Chap 7, Widescreen Enhanced section. Most of these are geometry/convergence patterns. The resolution pattern has overscan indications on it. I believe the outer white lines represent 1% to 5%(thick line) overscan.

There's a lot of information at Ovation Avia (http://www.ovationmultimedia.com/avia.html).

hi everybody, 1st post. long time reader. well, I hate to do it, but I am selling my baby. yup, the 960 has gotta go. Moved to Charlotte area and this TV is just too big for the room. still have original remote, picture looks great. really gonna miss her. asking for $800. once again, I live in the charlotte, NC area. send me a message. I decided to post here because I want her to go to a good home where she will be loved. My first HDTV, I owe her that much.....

The archived posts that you couldn't find explain it best. Click the link again(it's post 3333 of this thread) and it will take you to a page asking if you want archives from pre-2005 or archives from 01/05 - 06/06. Click on the link for the 01/05-06/06 archives. It will take you to a post from DSperber from 12-14-05, 11:34 PM. In that post, there is an attachment with the 16x9 test pattern you are looking for as well as instructions for how to use them. Also in the body of that post is another link to one of his posts dated 11-28-05, 07:28 PM that explains how to correct the problems you find using the service menu. I have all 3 posts bookmarked and I just checked them, so they are all still there. Good luck.


Thanks I was able to fix the overscan. Now I was wondering if I should try to fix some minor bowing and other geometry problems or if that is just to big of a pain since I am not real familiar with this stuff. Any suggestions? Also is there anything that you suggest I do within the service menu and or with avia while I rent it? Is there any one thing that you think improves picture significantly? Is there a bunch of things? This goes to anyone not just you Rufus. Thanks again.
Also thank you Raoulii I found the 16:9 stuff.

..... Also is there anything that you suggest I do within the service menu and or with avia while I rent it? Is there any one thing that you think improves picture significantly? Is there a bunch of things? ...... IMHO order:
Color Decoder
Black level (Brightness)
White level (Picture)
Geometry
Convergence
Focus

Gray Scale but very difficult without test equipment

What settings control the color decoder? RDRV, BDRV, GDRV? Do you need filters to do this?

What settings control the color decoder? RDRV, BDRV, GDRV? Do you need filters to do this?No, DRVs and CUTs are for Gray Scale adjustment, which should not, IMHO, be attempted without test equipment or advanced knowledge. If you venture into it, PLEASE write down your original settings.

The color decoder is adjusted using 2170P-4, SCLO, SHUO, RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB. The decoder should be adjusted in Pro picture mode with the color and hue sliders set to the mid point and color temperature at neutral. I adjust my decoder by turning off color guns with 2170P-2, RGBS instead of using filters. Caution: Steer clear of RGBS=0, which turns off all guns. If this happens, don't panic, just step the value back up.

I like the blinking color patterns on AVIA for this. If I recall correctly, set blue with SCLO and SHUO and the blue pattern, red with RYR and RYB and the red pattern, and green with GYR and GYB and the green pattern.

It appears that the later sets have settings for both Normal and Special Axis, while my set does not. I'm not really sure which one equates with the Default (emphasizes red tones) and Monitor (de-emphasizes red tones) selection in the Picture Settings menu, under Advanced Settings, Color Axis. It appears that the Normal RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB service manual defaults are 8, 9, 9, 6 while the Special Axis RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB defaults are 15, 15, 9, 3. Some investigation may be in order.

I will look into these settings because my set is new (it's a 970) and while most of the factory settings are pretty good, some need work (convergence, overscan, geometry, and reducing the excessive bass in the audio settings).

So what is the goal here, once you are in the SM and have the blinking color patterns displayed? Sorry to keep asking questions, but I am wondering how far my settings might be off because the colors seem on my set seem a little washed out or something, maybe some sort of color cast problem.

The 16:9 patterns on Avia are in the Chap 7, Widescreen Enhanced section. Most of these are geometry/convergence patterns. The resolution pattern has overscan indications on it. I believe the outer white lines represent 1% to 5%(thick line) overscan.

There's a lot of information at Ovation Avia (http://www.ovationmultimedia.com/avia.html).
With the overscan test, my 960 goes to the 5% line on both the top and bottom. Is this considered acceptable?

With the overscan test, my 960 goes to the 5% line on both the top and bottom. Is this considered acceptable?I believe 5% has historically been acceptable. However, it appears many gamers are requiring less than that for their uses.

.....So what is the goal here, once you are in the SM and have the blinking color patterns displayed? Sorry to keep asking questions, but I am wondering how far my settings might be off because the colors seem on my set seem a little washed out or something, maybe some sort of color cast problem.I believe AVIA has good tutorial/help information that explains the process. Basically, the pattern has color squares of the primary and additive secondary colors along with white. The adjustments are for gain and hue of each primary color. RGB Model (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RGB_color_model)

If memory serves:

With the blue gun only, SCLO is used to set blue gain (match the intensity of the blue square to the white area/square). SHUO is used to set blue hue (match the intensity of the secondary color squares containing blue, magenta and cyan)

With the red gun only, RYR is used to set red gain (match the intensity of the red square to the white area/square). RYB is used to set red hue (match the intensity of the secondary color squares containing red, magenta and yellow)

With the green gun only, GYR is used to set green gain (match the intensity of the green square to the white area/square). GYB is used to set green hue (match the intensity of the secondary color squares containing green, yellow and cyan)

Note: There are three test patterns on AVIA that work well for this adjustment. Each pattern is for a different primary color. The patterns consist of the primary color in a square against a white background and white in a square against the primary color background for gain/saturation adjustment. There are additive secondary colors in squares against each other for hue adjustment. What is very helpful is that the squares blink, which makes it much easier to judge when the intensity matches the background because the blinking stops. :)

Hope this helps

I believe 5% has historically been acceptable. However, it appears many gamers are requiring less than that for their uses.

Can understand why, with the information sometimes being so close to the top.

I believe AVIA has good tutorial/help information that explains the process. Basically, the pattern has color squares of the primary and additive secondary colors along with white. The adjustments are for gain and hue of each primary color. RGB Model (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RGB_color_model)

If memory serves:

With the blue gun only, SCLO is used to set blue gain (match the intensity of the blue square to the white area/square). SHUO is used to set blue hue (match the intensity of the secondary color squares containing blue, magenta and cyan)

With the red gun only, RYR is used to set red gain (match the intensity of the red square to the white area/square). RYB is used to set red hue (match the intensity of the secondary color squares containing red, magenta and yellow)

With the green gun only, GYR is used to set green gain (match the intensity of the green square to the white area/square). GYB is used to set green hue (match the intensity of the secondary color squares containing green, yellow and cyan)

Hope this helps

Wow, thanks for the tutorial!

That sounds like it may well be beyond anything I could be trusted to figure out at this point. Maybe I might just experiment with other people's SCLO, SHUO, RYR, RYB, GYR, GYB, settings which they have posted on the Sony Service Codes thread, and see if I notice any positive improvement. If the difference looks dramatic enough, maybe I will attempt it.

The process sounds a little bit like when I used some Viewsonic software they provided for calibrating their CRT monitors, where you had to squint your eyes and decide which colored square most closely matched a color swatch displayed on the screen. Every time I would go through the process my settings would come out slightly different. But I think it helped make the monitor look better.

Maybe I might just experiment with other people's SCLO, SHUO, RYR, RYB, GYR, GYB, settings which they have posted on the Sony Service Codes thread, and see if I notice any positive improvement. If the difference looks dramatic enough, maybe I will attempt it.

The interaction between service menu tweaks and user menu settings must be emphasized. When you see someone's service menu settings presented for you to try, don't forget that they have balancing user menu settings which are needed to complete the story.

In my case, I found that SCLO and SHUO were perfect at the default of 7 which came with my XBR960. However I had the common "red push" symptom, where human skin tone was reddish. I found that setting RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB to a set of values I had seen recommended in the "tweaks" thread resulted in the single most gigantically significant visible result in my own personal adjustment effort. Skin tone is now absolutely perfect... using "Leno" show as the true reference material.

Here are my settings (for my INPUT6, which is where I watch 720p/1080i through from TWC cable 6412-II DVR as well as JVC D-VHS and OTA).

Mode PRO
Picture 35
Brightness 32
Color 31
Hue 0
Sharpness MIN
Color Temp COOL
Clear Edge OFF
Color Axis DEFAULT

SCLO 7 (7 is default)
SHUO 7 (7 is default)
RYR 13 (8 is default)
RYB 15 (9 is default)
GYR 5 (9 is default)
GYB 4 (6 is default)


NOTE 1: I watch TV in a dark room, typically at night. No light. That's when the magnificence of the XBR960 can truly be seen and appreciated. If your viewing conditions are different (e.g. trying to watch or adjust in broad daylight) your preferred settings will obviously be affected (and be incorrect, if you ask me). For example, my cousin has an XBR800 and watches lots of TV during the day in a family room filled with daylight. He uses "STANDARD" (rather than PRO) to get the boosted brightness and contrast he needs during the day, but this is not appropriate for night viewing of high quality HDTV content where less brightness and less contrast produces a "better" picture.

NOTE 2: others have slightly different values for RYR, RYB, GYR, GYB but they also might have slightly different user settings than I do. I prefer "cool" color temperature and "default" (rather than "monitor") for color axis. My RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB service settings are obviously tied to those user settings.

Your own settings should reflect what you personally think looks best.

Again... YMMV. But RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB in their Sony factory default states are 100% agreed to be incorrect (resulting in red push), and you should absolutely adjust them.

With the overscan test, my 960 goes to the 5% line on both the top and bottom. Is this considered acceptable?As has been pointed out, this is sort of subjective... depending on what you watch and how much you need to see.

Personally, I'm a 0% "gamer" and have zero needs in that regard. However my HDTV viewing taste prefers to see as much as I can of of "crawls" and "scorebars" at top and bottom, and don't like to see station "bugs" cut off. I also enjoy seeing everything (or as much as I can) in the image frame on left and right... as long as there's no video "noise" (or digital data) shown.

So my own personal overscan adjustments is probably 1-2% (I found 0% revealed unwanted video stuff on HBOHD at the top when they were showing non-HD 4:3 content and I didn't want to change my vertical centering to try and compensate, rather than increase overscan percentage, which was perfect to my eyes for HD 16:9 content).

I like seeing whatever is being broadcast. Hence my near-0 overscan percentage.

NOTE: the lower the overscan percentage, the more image data must be presented in the same 16:9 34" diagonal screen area. Hence the entire image will appear to be "shrunk" slightly (as if you were "zooming out" with a telephoto lens on a camera) in order to display everything. You may find people and objects to appear smaller than you like, but I'm sure you will adjust to it easily.

If you increase the overscan percentage (cropping out more of the perimiter of the image), what remains will appear larger, since it's really been "zoomed in" on to fill the same 16:9 34" diagonal screen area. You may prefer this slightly magnified image and not care at all about what you've lost in perimiter image.

Whatever you prefer is right for you. But I'd say 5% is the absolute highest value you should tolerate.

I've noticed a few people on here saying they're looking to sell their XBR960s and I happen to be looking to purchase one. If there's anyone here who wants to sell their 960 and is willing to ship it to Maine please PM me with an asking price.

The interaction between service menu tweaks and user menu settings must be emphasized. When you see someone's service menu settings presented for you to try, don't forget that they have balancing user menu settings which are needed to complete the story.

In my case, I found that SCLO and SHUO were perfect at the default of 7 which came with my XBR960. However I had the common "red push" symptom, where human skin tone was reddish. I found that setting RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB to a set of values I had seen recommended in the "tweaks" thread resulted in the single most gigantically significant visible result in my own personal adjustment effort. Skin tone is now absolutely perfect... using "Leno" show as the true reference material.

Here are my settings (for my INPUT6, which is where I watch 720p/1080i through from TWC cable 6412-II DVR as well as JVC D-VHS and OTA).

Mode PRO
Picture 35
Brightness 32
Color 31
Hue 0
Sharpness MIN
Color Temp COOL
Clear Edge OFF
Color Axis DEFAULT

SCLO 7 (7 is default)
SHUO 7 (7 is default)
RYR 13 (8 is default)
RYB 15 (9 is default)
GYR 5 (9 is default)
GYB 4 (6 is default)


NOTE 1: I watch TV in a dark room, typically at night. No light. That's when the magnificence of the XBR960 can truly be seen and appreciated. If your viewing conditions are different (e.g. trying to watch or adjust in broad daylight) your preferred settings will obviously be affected (and be incorrect, if you ask me). For example, my cousin has an XBR800 and watches lots of TV during the day in a family room filled with daylight. He uses "STANDARD" (rather than PRO) to get the boosted brightness and contrast he needs during the day, but this is not appropriate for night viewing of high quality HDTV content where less brightness and less contrast produces a "better" picture.

NOTE 2: others have slightly different values for RYR, RYB, GYR, GYB but they also might have slightly different user settings than I do. I prefer "cool" color temperature and "default" (rather than "monitor") for color axis. My RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB service settings are obviously tied to those user settings.

Your own settings should reflect what you personally think looks best.

Again... YMMV. But RYR, RYB, GYR and GYB in their Sony factory default states are 100% agreed to be incorrect (resulting in red push), and you should absolutely adjust them.

Thanks for the settings and the info!

I plugged these settings into my 970 (after writing down the original ones) and was impressed with the somewhat dramatic changes. Seems to have had the effect reducing my "color" setting by about 4 clicks and making colors look more "neutral" and maybe even slightly bluish. Black levels seem higher for certain material.

Very interesting. FYI, my original settings were:

SCLO 12
SHUO 7
RYR 7
RYB 8
GYR 9
GYB 3

As has been pointed out, this is sort of subjective... depending on what you watch and how much you need to see.

Personally, I'm a 0% "gamer" and have zero needs in that regard. However my HDTV viewing taste prefers to see as much as I can of of "crawls" and "scorebars" at top and bottom, and don't like to see station "bugs" cut off. I also enjoy seeing everything (or as much as I can) in the image frame on left and right... as long as there's no video "noise" (or digital data) shown.

So my own personal overscan adjustments is probably 1-2% (I found 0% revealed unwanted video stuff on HBOHD at the top when they were showing non-HD 4:3 content and I didn't want to change my vertical centering to try and compensate, rather than increase overscan percentage, which was perfect to my eyes for HD 16:9 content).

I like seeing whatever is being broadcast. Hence my near-0 overscan percentage.

NOTE: the lower the overscan percentage, the more image data must be presented in the same 16:9 34" diagonal screen area. Hence the entire image will appear to be "shrunk" slightly (as if you were "zooming out" with a telephoto lens on a camera) in order to display everything. You may find people and objects to appear smaller than you like, but I'm sure you will adjust to it easily.

If you increase the overscan percentage (cropping out more of the perimiter of the image), what remains will appear larger, since it's really been "zoomed in" on to fill the same 16:9 34" diagonal screen area. You may prefer this slightly magnified image and not care at all about what you've lost in perimiter image.

Whatever you prefer is right for you. But I'd say 5% is the absolute highest value you should tolerate.

Is there a way to adjust the overscan in the diagnostics menu? All I'm able to do is use the vertical center to get both the top and bottom lines even.

Raouliiii (and others), how exactly do you know how to tweak the color settings to where they are accurate? I keep hearing about how the set is red biased, is this true even in the monitor setting? If so how do I fix these settings and know where the "perfect" color settings are? It just seems to me like it is all a matter of preference and eyeballing it, but I am guessing there is a technique you can use with Avia or DVE ect. Thanks.

Raouliiii (and others), how exactly do you know how to tweak the color settings to where they are accurate? I keep hearing about how the set is red biased, is this true even in the monitor setting? If so how do I fix these settings and know where the "perfect" color settings are? It just seems to me like it is all a matter of preference and eyeballing it, but I am guessing there is a technique you can use with Avia or DVE ect. Thanks.

No need to spend extra money on Avia or DVE. Use the THX optomizer that is on Star Wars 2 and other THX mastered DVDs.

The THX optomizer has test patterns and instructions for brightness, contrast (picture), sharpness, color and tint. Instead of just the standard color bar for eyeballing, it also includes a special test for use with a pair of "blue filter" glasses (available for $1.00 plus shipping through the THX optomizer website) to insure precise color and tint settings. Unlike subjective color bars, this test is composed of the words "color" and "tint". The letters are in different colors but when seen through the glasses each appears blue, with some lighter and the others darker. Ajust the color level until all five letters of the word "color" are the same shade. Adjust the tint in the same manner. That's it. There is no guess work because the test is based on all letters appearing the same uniform level of brightness.

I use the Pro mode with the color axis set to default mode and the color temperature neutral. With the blue filter glasses I discovered I had the color just a slight bit too weak (from 36 to 37 - yes, with the 960 there is a noticable difference in brightness/darkness even with one notch). The tint went from -1 to 0.

Please note this is for DVD only. The settings for HDMI most likely will be a little different. INHD (now MoJo) used to broadcast HD test patterns which I fortunately retained on DVR. FYI - based on these tests my HD settings are: Pro Mode, Picture 37, Brightness 25, Color 39, Tint R1, Sharpness 29 with neutral color temperature, low clear edge, default for the color axis and interlaced DCR mode.

Hope this helps. I certainly feel better knowing that my adjustments are set to specific standards rather than guesswork.

Raouliiii (and others), how exactly do you know how to tweak the color settings to where they are accurate? I keep hearing about how the set is red biased, is this true even in the monitor setting? If so how do I fix these settings and know where the "perfect" color settings are? It just seems to me like it is all a matter of preference and eyeballing it, but I am guessing there is a technique you can use with Avia or DVE ect. Thanks.I explained the color decoder calibration technique in posts 5418 and 5422 on the previous page. Good luck

...... Unlike subjective color bars, this test is composed of the words "color" and "tint". The letters are in different colors but when seen through the glasses each appears blue, with some lighter and the others darker. Ajust the color level until all five letters of the word "color" are the same shade. Adjust the tint in the same manner. That's it. There is no guess work because the test is based on all letters appearing the same uniform level of brightness.......I certainly feel better knowing that my adjustments are set to specific standards rather than guesswork.This will only adjust for user menu color(gain) and tint(hue) and is dependent on already having a calibrated color decoder. Adjusting for blue only will not calibrate the color decoder.

I explained the color decoder calibration technique in posts 5418 and 5422 on the previous page. Good luck


Yes I see that you did but when you said that you used the blinking colors in Avia, I was wondering what exactly you do to make the colors correct. Sorry if I am naive but I am new to color tweaking and the service menu in general. Do you just look at the color bar and make sure there is no blooming? I assumed that there was more to it and that it was more advanced than this with all of the color patterns on the DVD and the service menu being involved.

I used to have one of these TV's. They are pretty good.

Yes I see that you did but when you said that you used the blinking colors in Avia, I was wondering what exactly you do to make the colors correct. Sorry if I am naive but I am new to color tweaking and the service menu in general. Do you just look at the color bar and make sure there is no blooming? I assumed that there was more to it and that it was more advanced than this with all of the color patterns on the DVD and the service menu being involved.Color decoder alignment is fairly straight forward. For example Red calibration: With the red gun on only or looking through a red filter, red and white will not look equivalent in intensity until the red saturation/gain RYR is adjusted correctly. Magenta and yellow will not look equivalent in intensity until the red hue RYB is adjusted correctly. There may be some need to go back and forth between the two a couple of times. The blinking squares make these adjustments very easy. The blinking stops/almost stops and the colors match when you are as close as you can be. BTW, the other colors will be black because they have no red component. In many cases, absolute perfection can not be achieved because of the coarseness of the available values or a max/min has been reached.

I see, well that helps alot but you see I don't even know how to make it so that only the "red gun" is on. When you say gun are you talking about the thing in the back that actually fires the particles at the screen? Sorry, I obviously have a lack of knowledge of all of this but I am trying to learn a little.

I see, well that helps alot but you see I don't even know how to make it so that only the "red gun" is on. When you say gun are you talking about the thing in the back that actually fires the particles at the screen? Sorry, I obviously have a lack of knowledge of all of this but I am trying to learn a little.

If you haven't done so already take a look at this thread started by Ken Tech

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

There is a ton of great info in it on working in the service menu.

I see, well that helps alot but you see I don't even know how to make it so that only the "red gun" is on. When you say gun are you talking about the thing in the back that actually fires the particles at the screen? Sorry, I obviously have a lack of knowledge of all of this but I am trying to learn a little.I discussed that in post 5418 of this thread. Write down all of your service menu values before changing anything.

raouliii, thanks for the great instructions on adjusting the color decoder! I messed up the first time because I adjusted SCOL instead of SLCO, but after I went through the process a couple of times, it took maybe 5 minutes from start to finish.

I was able to adjust my XBR970's color decoder by just displaying a standard color bar pattern, since those have white and all the primary and secondary colors. I was surprised that the factory settings were so far off. HD programs look really stunning now, and skin tones are perfect.

After seeing the difference this made, I really want to get my grayscale properly adjusted, since the factory probably did an equally poor job on that. But at least I don't have any color cast when watching B & W programs or old movies, so grayscale is probably reasonably accurate.

Thanks again!

UPDATE: I used this same procedure to adjust a Sony KV420-HS 32" set. The HD and DVD inputs looked good, but there was a weird red/green color balance problem over the S-video and NTSC inputs, which are what the set is mostly used for.

All of the various channels I tuned in either looked too red or too green, and hardly anything had a correct hue. Changing the "tint" setting did not correct it.

I ended up going back to the original factory settings, which look 100% better.

So use caution, and definitely save your original settings.

Today I was cleaning my KD34XBR960 with just a cloth...no cleaner...not even water...just a soft cloth used for window cleaning. I noticed that there was a short line that I thought was just some sort of grease mark, but when I rubbed a little harder to get the spot out, I noticed that some sort of coatig was begiining to come off in what now is about an inch or so area! :eek:

When you turn the TV on you can't really tell, but it looks bad just sitting there like that.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Is it covered under warranty?

If not, can I do anything (not too expensive) to have it reapplied?

Should I just remove the rest of it?

ARGHH!!!

Wow! Same thing happened to me last week when I was cleaning my set. If you check, there seems to be numerous people who also had this happen. The anti-glare coating begins to come off. Some have attempted to remove it with mixed results. Likewise, some have contacted Sony with mixed results. From what I read, I do not believe this falls under warranty.

Wow! Same thing happened to me last week when I was cleaning my set. If you check, there seems to be numerous people who also had this happen. The anti-glare coating begins to come off. Some have attempted to remove it with mixed results. Likewise, some have contacted Sony with mixed results. From what I read, I do not believe this falls under warranty.
:eek:
Makes me a little worried, since screens, at the minimum, need to be dusted. I do rub the screen lightly but will make sure I'm extra-extra gentle from now on. Every other week I also wash down the screen with a slightly water-damped cloth and then dry it down to avoid streaks. Is letting it dry on it's own better?

I am looking to purchase a new dvd player for my 34"xbr960. I want something that will play my existing library of dvds and provide excellent video quality on my tv. I am confused with all the models and features. I am thinking of either a Playstation 3, a Toshiba A2 HDDVD player or an OPPO dvd player with upconversion.

I tried a friend's PS3 on my tv via HDMI. The picture quality for games was awesome! The blu-ray movies look great also. However, standard dvds had poorer quality than my older progressive scan dvd player even with the upscaling set to 1080i on the PS3.

I still have a library of standard dvds I would like to play. Has anyone tried the Toshiba A2 or one of the OPPO players for standard dvds via HDMI and how was the picture quality? Also, has anyone run into the same problem I did with the PS3 playing standard dvds?

I'm looking for something to get me through the next couple years until one of the formats wins. Any experiences or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks !

Try posting your question here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=18

I got the $99 Sony DVP-NS77H at Target and am satisfied with it's performance over HDMI with my XBR 970. Target also carries a Phillips upscaling DVD player for $75 that has a USB port for attaching a hard drive or flash drive.

I would say that those two are the most popular choices, but many people who are willing to spend another $50-100 report that the Oppo players do a good job.

Keep in mind that none of these players comes with an HDMI cable, so this will be an additional expense of between $10 (online) to $50 and up (retail).

I am looking to purchase a new dvd player for my 34"xbr960. I want something that will play my existing library of dvds and provide excellent video quality on my tv. I am confused with all the models and features. I am thinking of either a Playstation 3, a Toshiba A2 HDDVD player or an OPPO dvd player with upconversion.

I tried a friend's PS3 on my tv via HDMI. The picture quality for games was awesome! The blu-ray movies look great also. However, standard dvds had poorer quality than my older progressive scan dvd player even with the upscaling set to 1080i on the PS3.

I still have a library of standard dvds I would like to play. Has anyone tried the Toshiba A2 or one of the OPPO players for standard dvds via HDMI and how was the picture quality? Also, has anyone run into the same problem I did with the PS3 playing standard dvds?

I'm looking for something to get me through the next couple years until one of the formats wins. Any experiences or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks !

PS3 - They released a new firmware for upconverting SD DVD's. I still think its too expensive.
A2 - This is what I have. I was blown away by the improved upconverting compared to my sony upconverting player. Only issue is the slower response compared to sd players.
OPPO - Suppose to have the best upconverting for the price. Some people say the A2 is just as good but some people say the oppo is better.

For the price of the OPPO, I would rather get the A2 and enjoy some HD from netflix.

I am thinking of either a Playstation 3, a Toshiba A2 HDDVD player or an OPPO dvd player with upconversion.

I would go for Blu ray player since Blue ray seems to be winning the format war. PS3 is solid Blu ray player according to reviews.

I still have a library of standard dvds I would like to play. Has anyone tried the Toshiba A2 or one of the OPPO players for standard dvds via HDMI and how was the picture quality? Also, has anyone run into the same problem I did with the PS3 playing standard dvds?


I do not have ps3 myself, but you can probably set DVDs to 480i on ps3 and let the TV to do the upscaling. A lot of people seem to be happy with the TV scaler for DVDs.

:eek:
Makes me a little worried, since screens, at the minimum, need to be dusted. I do rub the screen lightly but will make sure I'm extra-extra gentle from now on. Every other week I also wash down the screen with a slightly water-damped cloth and then dry it down to avoid streaks. Is letting it dry on it's own better?

I've calmed down with the number of times I dust the screen since my spot arrived. I do nothing but wipe with a soft cloth now. I'm too scared to use water now. I was trying to make myself believe this happened telling me it's time to upgrade to a plasma. :D

I've calmed down with the number of times I dust the screen since my spot arrived. I do nothing but wipe with a soft cloth now. I'm too scared to use water now. I was trying to make myself believe this happened telling me it's time to upgrade to a plasma. :D

The Lord works in strange ways. :)

[QUOTE=the_zakman]I am looking to purchase a new dvd player for my 34"xbr960. I want something that will play my existing library of dvds and provide excellent video quality on my tv. I am confused with all the models and features. I am thinking of either a Playstation 3, a Toshiba A2 HDDVD player or an OPPO dvd player with upconversion.

I tried a friend's PS3 on my tv via HDMI. The picture quality for games was awesome! The blu-ray movies look great also. However, standard dvds had poorer quality than my older progressive scan dvd player even with the upscaling set to 1080i on the PS3.
QUOTE]

I find the 960's upconversion of a 480i signal much better than the progressive scan (480p) output from my DVD recorder or HD box (for non-HD stations). The 960's line-doubler upconversion is claimed to be close to that of HD; my DVD pictures are so sharp and crisp that I doubt the investment in a HD or Blue-Ray player at this time would justify the cost. I also notice that standard definition stations are better without any upconversion from the cable box.

While I've been told that Playstation, X-box, etc. look great, many in the forum have agreed that these devices were primarily designed for video games and lack when it comes to playing DVDs.

Improvements have been made in standard DVD players so if you have a model that is about five years old getting a new one won't hurt. But don't go and get a second HDMI cable and switch box until checking the upconversion of these new players against that of the 960 - I posted such an inquiry months ago and many replied they either found no difference or that the 960's upconversion was even better. Only one or two thought the upconverting DVD player improved picture quality. Also keep in mind that progressive scan signals cannot be upconverted by the 960 or any other HD device.

I downloaded the opening minute of The Matrix in HD off of Xbox Live for free. The picture was really stunning I thought. I have a Sony upconvert player and I think that does a really good job but there is room for improvement it seems. I'm still happy enough though....for now.

Well, after almost 7 months of having my 960, I finally got my HDMI problem fixed. Got tried to my family watching DVD via a PlayStation 2. Went to Fry's, showed 'em my extended warranty paperwork and the rest is history.

An outside tech came to my house today (Tuesday), replaced the HDMI card/board and all appears to be fine.

The only bitch was putting everything back together... :D

Been watching Star Trek: Nemesis and Amy Grant's Greatest Videos in 1080i with no problems. Previously, the screen would go black after approximately 5-10 minutes while watching a DVD or DIRECTV via HDMI.

So, if you think you might be having a HDMI handshake issue, and if you're still under warranty, consider getting that HDMI board replaced.

Now to get a new HDMI switch, as the Monoprice 5-port (v2.1) switch I got still doesn't play nice with my Oppo 981.

Anyone using this combination (960 & 981) with either Monoprice's new 4-port HDMI or XtremeMac's XtremeHD switch?

Well, I ended up retuning the 5x1 (2.1) switch for the Monoprice 4x1 (2.5) switch. Everything (981, D* HD H20, D* HR20, and Apple TV) is now working together like it's supposed to.

Today I was cleaning my KD34XBR960 with just a cloth...no cleaner...not even water...just a soft cloth used for window cleaning. I noticed that there was a short line that I thought was just some sort of grease mark, but when I rubbed a little harder to get the spot out, I noticed that some sort of coatig was begiining to come off in what now is about an inch or so area! :eek:

When you turn the TV on you can't really tell, but it looks bad just sitting there like that.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Is it covered under warranty?

If not, can I do anything (not too expensive) to have it reapplied?

Should I just remove the rest of it?

ARGHH!!!

uh oh...i had this same thing about a year+ ago. i thought it was on the outside of the glass...but upon closer inspection it was on the inside of the glass. i call sony to see about a repair...they say ok, call their service dealers. first guy thinks i threw something at my tv and so he refuses to even come look at it. the 2nd company comes out, picks it up...tells me they have to replace the picture tube and bring it back about 3 weeks later.

i think great...done. until i notice some discoloration in the upper left corner (original issue was in lower left area). it looks like a magnet was put on there or something - you know red spot on green screen, or green spot on a blue screen. so i call them back. they come out, take the tv, i get it 2 weeks later. spot is now a vertical line. the repair guy says - don't worry the degausser will fix it. everytime i turn on the tv its supposed to degauss itself. two weeks later still there - i call them back. wait a month they say...ok. its still there. they come out and degauss it with the handheld degausser (really cool effects!) but it doesn't go away! they said it should in about a week or they will come back.

it doesn't go away...i call Sony just to let them know what's happening. they say call the service people again. so they come back again for the tv...i get it back another 3 weeks later. spot is gone! i think great...until i notice my screen is shifted horizontally about 2 to 3 inches. i call them back and get in an argument with the owner of the place who thinks i'm doing something wrong, and wasting his time having his guys come out and them work on it! so that conversation ends badly.

i call sony...they tell me to call the first service dealer again!! i do...the guy tells me to fax him my info, receipt, warranty proof etc. i never hear from him.

i said forget it i'll just leave it and get used to it. which i do for awhile...until now the left 4 or 5 inches of the screen is no longer sharp. it's sorta fuzzy over there! my warranty is up in a month and a half...and my tv was great for about 5 months, until an innocent looking little "smudge" appeared on the screen.

so watchout! i'm going to call sony and see what they say...i need a new friggin' tv after all this hassle...which i'm not really counting on, but i saw someone's post earlier who said sony offered them a couple of tv's based on the problems they were having (although he had to pay some money or something)

Bobdo, it might be time to call your local Better Business Bureau. Tell them you've been having many, many problems with your set. Ask them for help and advice on what to do next.

Mark

yeah probably a good idea. although i did just fix the geometry issue myself from the awesome post/instruction manual by kentech. you know i did ask sony if they could just walk me through doing that over the phone...they said no, only their service techs could do it. pff.

i will mess around and see if maybe i can sharpen up the left edge of the screen...not sure but worth a shot anyway.

There is a claimed "new" 960 on Ebay now with 3 days left but no shipping. It is in Bridgewater, MA.

Has anyone done/seen a side-by-side comparison between the 960 and 970?

Phil

I realize this has probably been covered before, but I have no desire to sift through like a million posts and the search function has not helped me on this.

Basically, I'm trying to see what I can get OTA with the receiver in the 960... And while using "Auto Setup" and "Add Digital Channels" it finds 11 digital channels and tunes them just fine, for some reason the TV refuses to acknowledge the very existence of analog channels, even really strong broadcasts I know I should be receiving loud and clear. Simply put, none show up in the channel list when I run Auto Setup, and there doesn't appear to be any way of adding them manually. I tried to use the Show/Hide list to change that, but I was getting "no signal" for analog stations that I KNOW are plenty powerful in this area. My neighbor with an XBR 970 does not have this problem. Is there something I'm not doing that would allow me to receive the analog OTA channels?

I've used both a UHF (Silver Sensor) and HDTV-certified UHF-VHF antenna trying to tune these channels. Each was hooked up to the "UHF/VHF" Coax "Antenna" input on the back of the set. Nothing is hooked up to the "Cable" Coax input.

The manual has been of no use for this, too... Help! :confused:

....Basically, I'm trying to see what I can get OTA with the receiver in the 960... And while using "Auto Setup" and "Add Digital Channels" it finds 11 digital channels and tunes them just fine, for some reason the TV refuses to acknowledge the very existence of analog channels, even really strong broadcasts I know I should be receiving loud and clear.....I believe you should be using the "Auto Program" function in the Channel Menu.

I believe you should be using the "Auto Program" function in the Channel Menu.


That's what I used. I misidentified it as "Auto Setup" in my original post. Still no analog channels.

That's what I used. I misidentified it as "Auto Setup" in my original post. Still no analog channels.According to page 45 of the owner's manual there is an "initial setup" that takes place on the first power up. I'm wondering if after the initial setup finds no analogs, then any subsequent auto programming skips analogs. Page 45 indicates a reset process that may get you back to an "initial setup" status. It may be worth a try.

That's what I used. I misidentified it as "Auto Setup" in my original post. Still no analog channels.

This may sound like a silly question but you are set to antenna and not cable?

yeah, i'm definitely on "antenna" and not "cable."

unfortunately, i'm reluctant to go through that reset process, as the tv has been ISF calibrated and i don't want to risk losing any service menu tweaks the guy put into the set.

this is becoming quite the quandry...

It is a digital TV. It receives no analog other than drift when the frequencies overlap.

It is a digital TV. It receives no analog other than drift when the frequencies overlap.

huh? dude, i've tinkered with many 8vsb tuners in my time, and i've never met one that refused to tune an analog channel.

huh? dude, i've tinkered with many 8vsb tuners in my time, and i've never met one that refused to tune an analog channel.

My 960 memorized both analog and digital signals that were unscrambled through cable.

yeah, i'm definitely on "antenna" and not "cable."

unfortunately, i'm reluctant to go through that reset process, as the tv has been ISF calibrated and i don't want to risk losing any service menu tweaks the guy put into the set.

this is becoming quite the quandry...Page 96 of the owner's manual states"To restore the factory default settings for video settings, press reset on the remote control when in the Video Menu." Page 98 states"To restore the factory default settings for treble, bass and balance, press reset on the remote control when in the Audio Menu."

This leads one to believe that pressing reset when in the Channel Menu may only reset the channels.

I understand your concern about the reset to factory defaults mentioned on page 45.

raouliii.... now we're getting somewhere. thanks for the tip. i'll try that when i get home from work.

I think I may need to have my 960 serviced. There are several things I've noticed that are beginning to drive me crazy.

First off, my 960 was an open box model since new ones were more than $500 dollars more expensive when I bought the TV. I now regret not getting a new 970.

However, here are the issues I'm experiencing. Any advice on how to fix them would be great, but I plan on having the set serviced soon anyway as my warranty runs out in March of 08.


Issue 1 - Geometry. I've had pretty bad geometry issues with my 960 since I bought it. These are issues that I doubt can be fixed in the service menu.

Issue 2 - Blurriness. I have my ClearEdgeVM set to high simply because text is insanely blurry if it's turned off. When it's set to High everything looks super sharp, but I know that something must be wrong because things are just too blurry when it's turned off. My sharpness is set to 0 but turning it up and turning ClearEdge off still results in blurriness.

Issue 3 - Black levels. In a lot of HD content when people are wearing black clothes in dark rooms it's hard to make out details in their clothing. I still haven't been able to determine if this is the source material's fault or if it's the settings on my TV.

Issue 4 - White "crush/push" . I've recently turned my "picture" setting way down to try and eliminate this. What happens is when there's kind of shimmering/blurryness around white stuff such as text. Sometimes it's really noticeable and sometimes it's not.

Issue 5 - "shimmering" around edges. When I get somewhat close to the screen I notice that there is a sort of shimmering effect around any sharply defined object such as text or boxes. I really don't know how to explain this one effectively.

Issue 6 - "Ghosting." I only really notice this in HD material, but there seems to be a lot of ghosting when there is fast movement. I especially notice it in HD-DVDs with a lot of action such as Batman Begins or the Italian Job. It can also be pretty noticeable in 360 games. I honestly don't know if this one is a fault of the TV or if it's just how the material is supposed to be. I need to hook my 360 and HD-DVD drive up to someone else's HD set to tell for sure.

Issue 7 - the "cold boot" issue. This is obviously a known problem. Unplugging the TV and plugging it back in always fixes it, but I live in fear that one day my TV will just not turn on at all.


Has anyone else experienced any of the above issues? I realize that I probably didn't do the best job of explaining them. My TV is currently set to "PRO" with the cool temperature setting. All of the various sliders are right around the middle with the exception of sharpness which is at 0.

Also, if a service tech works on my TV and decides that it can't be completely fixed would Sony offer any kind of compensation towards a new TV? I doubt they would but that would be nice.

One thing I've learned with both my XBR970 and years of computer gaming at different resolutions is that higher resolutions tend to produce a darker picture. I've noticed the same effect of black clothing in dark lighting on my 970.

The blurriness/ghosting/shimmering problems sounds like cheap cables. Are you using good quality component or HDMI?

I think I may need to have my 960 serviced. There are several things I've noticed that are beginning to drive me crazy.

First off, my 960 was an open box model since new ones were more than $500 dollars more expensive when I bought the TV. I now regret not getting a new 970.

However, here are the issues I'm experiencing. Any advice on how to fix them would be great, but I plan on having the set serviced soon anyway as my warranty runs out in March of 08.


Issue 1 - Geometry. I've had pretty bad geometry issues with my 960 since I bought it. These are issues that I doubt can be fixed in the service menu.

Issue 2 - Blurriness. I have my ClearEdgeVM set to high simply because text is insanely blurry if it's turned off. When it's set to High everything looks super sharp, but I know that something must be wrong because things are just too blurry when it's turned off. My sharpness is set to 0 but turning it up and turning ClearEdge off still results in blurriness.

Issue 3 - Black levels. In a lot of HD content when people are wearing black clothes in dark rooms it's hard to make out details in their clothing. I still haven't been able to determine if this is the source material's fault or if it's the settings on my TV.

Issue 4 - White "crush/push" . I've recently turned my "picture" setting way down to try and eliminate this. What happens is when there's kind of shimmering/blurryness around white stuff such as text. Sometimes it's really noticeable and sometimes it's not.

Issue 5 - "shimmering" around edges. When I get somewhat close to the screen I notice that there is a sort of shimmering effect around any sharply defined object such as text or boxes. I really don't know how to explain this one effectively.

Issue 6 - "Ghosting." I only really notice this in HD material, but there seems to be a lot of ghosting when there is fast movement. I especially notice it in HD-DVDs with a lot of action such as Batman Begins or the Italian Job. It can also be pretty noticeable in 360 games. I honestly don't know if this one is a fault of the TV or if it's just how the material is supposed to be. I need to hook my 360 and HD-DVD drive up to someone else's HD set to tell for sure.

Issue 7 - the "cold boot" issue. This is obviously a known problem. Unplugging the TV and plugging it back in always fixes it, but I live in fear that one day my TV will just not turn on at all.


Has anyone else experienced any of the above issues? I realize that I probably didn't do the best job of explaining them. My TV is currently set to "PRO" with the cool temperature setting. All of the various sliders are right around the middle with the exception of sharpness which is at 0.

Also, if a service tech works on my TV and decides that it can't be completely fixed would Sony offer any kind of compensation towards a new TV? I doubt they would but that would be nice.

i'd think all of these issues can be fixed thru service menu changes....except maybe 6 and 7.

search for the sony service codes post/topic here by kentech (i'm not able to post links until i have a few more posts myself - oops, lol)

that's the best thread for sony tv's i've ever seen. and you probably want to get something like dvd essentials for all your patterns, etc.

One thing I've learned with both my XBR970 and years of computer gaming at different resolutions is that higher resolutions tend to produce a darker picture. I've noticed the same effect of black clothing in dark lighting on my 970.

The blurriness/ghosting/shimmering problems sounds like cheap cables. Are you using good quality component or HDMI?

I'm using high quality component cables. If I ever get a PS3 then I'll hook it up via HDMI.

Sometime in the near future I'm going to dedicate a day to reading through Ken-Tech's thread and going through my service menu to try and fix everything.

If the cables are OK, then I suspect you have a board going bad. I was tempted to say "convergence" at first, but the way you describe the shimmering and ghosting during motion sounds like signal overlap more than convergence.

I just had two "pc" cards replaced on my 960 to address an off-center problem. At 480i the picture was shifted slightly to the right while at 720p and 1080i the picture was shifted to the left. Other than that, the TV has been flowless since I got it January '06.

Anyone alse have this issue?

Whoa, can't belive this thread is still going strong.

Well after a 2 year run of using the Sony stand for my 960, I finally caved and bought a nice solid wood stand for it. Just felt the need to consolidate all AV equipment into one unit after purchasing an HD DVD player.

So... if anyone in the Boulder/Denver CO area wants a mint condition Sony stand (complete with frosted glass shelf and extender bars), lmk.

I just had two "pc" cards replaced on my 960 to address an off-center problem. At 480i the picture was shifted slightly to the right while at 720p and 1080i the picture was shifted to the left. Other than that, the TV has been flowless since I got it January '06.

Anyone alse have this issue?
Fortunately, not with mine. Using overscan tests for both HD and DVD, each is centered properly and equally distant from one side to another.

My overscan is at the 5% line, which one member told me was the maximim tolerable limit, although I only see the very edge of the top and bottom lines and nothing for those on the sides. Since I don't play video games I assume this is not a problem.

After monitoring this 960 forum thread since its beginning, I finally got myself a 960. Case is banged up but unit plays well. Next steps are to devour the manual and get HD cable service. (Monitoring the free HD locals on cable and OTA now.)

Moved my 32XBR100 upstairs (it is 170 lbs). Someone some time in the past on this forum commented on the deteriorating plastic of the case on theirs. Wow, I had no idea it was so bad. For a 10 year old $3,200 TV, that is disappointing. But I have never seen better NTSC pictures.

Thanks for all the input on this forum.

Does anyone have any idea how much I could get for my 960? I bought a display unit in Oct of 2005 and it has been fantastic, but I'd like to upgrade to a bigger display. I bought a service plan on it from Circuit City that is good until Oct of 2008. Anyone have a guess on this unit's value? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Does anyone have any idea how much I could get for my 960? I bought a display unit in Oct of 2005 and it has been fantastic, but I'd like to upgrade to a bigger display. I bought a service plan on it from Circuit City that is good until Oct of 2008. Anyone have a guess on this unit's value? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Well, something is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it, of course. But if it were mine and the set is in truly excellent condition (good picture quality, all inputs work, etc), I wouldnt take less than $400-$500. Mostly dependant upon how badly you need to sell it.

Keep in mind the set will not be worth a great deal because it was purchased as a "display" unit.

I bought mine on Ebay for $530. He was asking for $699 in buy-it-now. As I said before, the case is beat up and cracked in one place but the set is working great. Serial number is 9008xxx so must be a more recent build. Moving this thing is a challenge.

I had to change the horizontal size to bring the twin view box frames into view and adjusted the tilt of course. Also there was some "tilt" in the 4:3 box "bars" so adjusted that in the service menu. Using digital output into my sound system and have Cox HD cable and antenna inputs. Took two visits and two cable cards to finally work OK. All working good now. Very pleased.

I spoke too soon...after more than two days of error free cable card, I got another error like I saw on the first card: 161-6. It is a Scientific Atlanta card. Does anyone know what this error means?

On the first card, it re-occurred every 20-30 minutes. Requires resetting on the cablecard menu.

i am thinking about selling my set since it is just too big for my apartment. if anyone is in the New York City area and is looking for one of these shoot me a pm. great tv but its just so freaking huge! :(

I spoke too soon...after more than two days of error free cable card, I got another error like I saw on the first card: 161-6. It is a Scientific Atlanta card. Does anyone know what this error means?

On the first card, it re-occurred every 20-30 minutes. Requires resetting on the cablecard menu.

Welcome to the wonderful world of cable cards. Maybe if cable companies got behind them more they would actually work. Then again they lose money renting them out. HD boxes are a few dollars more, plus they are "one way" and you can't order pay per view/video on demand with them ( until they make two way cards) so they lose evne more money. For these reasons i think this is why cable companies are not 100% behind cable cards, they hate them and as soon as you have trouble with them they try to blame the TV, and get you to swicth to a box.

Scientific atlanta eh? Thats who makes my HD box. I never even heard of the brand until getting that box. Sony used to make them but my cable company stoppedusing them cause they said the boxes costed a fortune and they broke easily and They wouldn't repair them. So you know what they do? They still try to push the Sony boxes on their costomers, The cable guy told me this! cause they want to "get rid of them" when i was having problems with mine i asked him about the new small boxes, he said they were made by 'scientific craplanta" and that they are "SO MUCH" better. I asked if i could have one of those instead and he said they can't give them out, you have to go to the cable company place to pick one up, and that they only swicth the sony ones with sony ( keep in mind he tells me this AFTER how bad the Sony boxes are LOL) Well turns out the only sony box he ahd in the truck didn't work, so he ah dno choice but to give me the SA box. What a POS they are though Ugliest menus i have ever seen, and mush slower than the Sony boxes.

Scientific atlanta eh? Thats who makes my HD box. I never even heard of the brand until getting that box. Sony used to make them but my cable company stoppedusing them cause they said the boxes costed a fortune and they broke easily and They wouldn't repair them. So you know what they do? They still try to push the Sony boxes on their costomers, The cable guy told me this! cause they want to "get rid of them" when i was having problems with mine i asked him about the new small boxes, he said they were made by 'scientific craplanta" and that they are "SO MUCH" better. I asked if i could have one of those instead and he said they can't give them out, you have to go to the cable company place to pick one up, and that they only swicth the sony ones with sony ( keep in mind he tells me this AFTER how bad the Sony boxes are LOL) Well turns out the only sony box he ahd in the truck didn't work, so he ah dno choice but to give me the SA box. What a POS they are though Ugliest menus i have ever seen, and mush slower than the Sony boxes.That's too bad that you have such bad HD cable boxes. Here in Seattle we have Motorola boxes that are excellent quality. They have a TV Guide GUI that is fairly nice and easy to use (very responsive).

I had to change the horizontal size to bring the twin view box frames into view and adjusted the tilt of course.


Hi,

Do you mean simply adjusting the size of the twin-view pictures or an actual adjustment of the horizontal size?

Good luck with the new set.

I adjusted the horizontal size in the SM as the outer sides of the boxes was not visible. Obviously overscan but I used the boxes as an indicator.

No more 161-6 errors in the last two days. Fingers crossed but all OK now.

FYI, Cisco bought Scientific Atlanta a couple of years ago. Scientific Atlanta was started in the 1950's and grew to almost $2 Billion in annual sales before they were bought.

Thanks,

FYI, Cisco bought Scientific Atlanta a couple of years ago. Scientific Atlanta was started in the 1950's and grew to almost $2 Billion in annual sales before they were bought.Thanks,

Yea but i doubt they were making any HD cable boxes back then :P Thats like saying Westinghouse has been around since the early 1900's, They made rocket engines and furnaces back then, doesn't mean i'd buy a TV from them. So even if they were a successful company they still make crappy Boxes IMO. If you had a choice of what box/cable card you wanted would you take something made by "scientific Atlanta" over any other name brands?

I adjusted the horizontal size in the SM as the outer sides of the boxes was not visible. Obviously overscan but I used the boxes as an indicator.

HI Ennui,

Can you tell me how you were able to get into the SM and make the adjustment? I'd like to adjust my picture so to get below the 5% overscan line.

Thanks,
Joe

Sorry to jump in and ask what has already been asked; is there a trick to getting QAM signals to tune on this set? Just got one, rtm, and still no joy. Have run Digital Channel auto find, and the set now picks up all of the Digital Music channels my cable co offers, but still isn't tuning any of the actual digital hd broadcasts.

Auto tune has picked up all of my nstc cable no problem; also found the 182 digital channels I don't subscribe to; but I can't view any of the local, clear QAM channels.

I know that my LG stbs have choices for different digital cable bands; is there a setting for this I need to setup in the Service Menu?

(btw, now that I have the set, I promise to read all 5491 posts. :D - but I'd sure like it if you could help me get the HD working now. The wife is currently pretty pi$$ed that I have a 197 pound behemoth in our living room that doesn't pickup HD. ;))

thanks

Joe:

It really helps if you have the service manual. I got mine on-line, downloaded it and printed it. $23.99 at servicemanuals.net.

Anyway the entry to the service menu is:

set off
display, 5, voume+ and set on (all within a few seconds)

There are many settings so you have to find the page first using 2 up and 5 down.
The selection of the item is 1 up and 4 down.
The value change is 3 up and 6 down.

WRITE DOWN THE VALUE BEFORE CHANGING IT.

To save the changed value, press muting and enter.

Turn set off to escape the service menu. If you do not save any new values, nothing should be changed when you turn the set back on.

HSIZ is in 2170D-2 and is item 2. Value default is 50 except for "wide zoom" when it goes to 56. When you get to the value, WRITE IT DOWN, and then change it until you get the scan you want.

If you have never been in the service menu, you should go in and look around a little before you change any values.

Hope to be helpful.

flyingvee:

The FCC has dictated that any HDTV signal transmitted free over the air is to be made available on the local cable system unencrypted.

It is up to your cable system to comply.

Thanks, ennui - and it does. That is, I can get qam signals just fine with my two LG external boxes. Likewise, friend's Hitachi rptv does beautifully. I just haven't been able to make the Sony respond. Yet, I hope. As I said, I know I'm on the right track, since I'm getting the digital cable audio channels - something my LG3510a doesn't do. But while it shows the qam broadcast stations, I haven't been able to make it tune them in - when I highlight SHOWN, all I get is Tuning -> No Signal.

Do you have the cable plugged directly into the TV?

Have you tried entering the channel number manually; 704.1 or whatever?

One of the five channels I got before the cablecard would not come in either, but the others all did.

I suppose it is difficult to put up an antenna? How far away are you from the transmitters?

Sorry, I do not have any other answers.

I'll try the antenna tonite - was just hoping I could go qam, free up my antenna for a non-qam equipped panel in the next room. - I'm far enough from towers that I'd hate to have to split the antenna signal..Guess I'll hook up antenna for wife, then mess with the qam when she isn't looking...:D

Joe:

It really helps if you have the service manual. I got mine on-line, downloaded it and printed it. $23.99 at servicemanuals.net.

Anyway the entry to the service menu is:

set off
display, 5, voume+ and set on (all within a few seconds)

There are many settings so you have to find the page first using 2 up and 5 down.
The selection of the item is 1 up and 4 down.
The value change is 3 up and 6 down.

WRITE DOWN THE VALUE BEFORE CHANGING IT.

To save the changed value, press muting and enter.

Turn set off to escape the service menu. If you do not save any new values, nothing should be changed when you turn the set back on.

HSIZ is in 2170D-2 and is item 2. Value default is 50 except for "wide zoom" when it goes to 56. When you get to the value, WRITE IT DOWN, and then change it until you get the scan you want.

If you have never been in the service menu, you should go in and look around a little before you change any values.

Hope to be helpful.

Thanks so much. Will try it out and will let you know.

Joe

flyingvee: try antennaweb.org to see what stations you should be able to get. All you have to enter is your zip code. Zero in on your location on the map, then continue.

No signal could also result from a weak signal on your cable system. The diagnostics menu is available if you can tune a digital signal. Should be over 30 db S/N minimum.

Joe:

It really helps if you have the service manual. I got mine on-line, downloaded it and printed it. $23.99 at servicemanuals.net.

Anyway the entry to the service menu is:

set off
display, 5, voume+ and set on (all within a few seconds)

There are many settings so you have to find the page first using 2 up and 5 down.
The selection of the item is 1 up and 4 down.
The value change is 3 up and 6 down.

WRITE DOWN THE VALUE BEFORE CHANGING IT.

To save the changed value, press muting and enter.

Turn set off to escape the service menu. If you do not save any new values, nothing should be changed when you turn the set back on.

HSIZ is in 2170D-2 and is item 2. Value default is 50 except for "wide zoom" when it goes to 56. When you get to the value, WRITE IT DOWN, and then change it until you get the scan you want.

If you have never been in the service menu, you should go in and look around a little before you change any values.

Hope to be helpful.

Just to let you all know Ennui's suggestions worked! Once I got the hang of navigating through the service menu it was quite easy to change the settings.

I had no idea there was an overscan problem until Cablevision of New York added the 15 HD Voom Network stations. I saw a small portion of some of the corner station logos cut-off (whereas they fully appeared on other sets connected to my HD DVR). Using the test-pattern saved from the old INHD, I was able to reduce the horizonatal overscan stretch and correctly center the picture. Now I see all four lines and they are set equally distant from the sides (I kept the overscan set to where the 5% lines on the side were just off the edge of the screen)and I'm viewing a full picture.

In fact, I got two unexpected bonuses on problems I didn't realize existed:

1) Incorrect overscan caused the horizontal to be stretched a little too much making people appear slightly wider than they should have (now everything is naturally proportioned), and

2) With the overscan setting more compact the picture is a bit more sharper.

These changes make it seem like Sony manufactured a KD34SBR961 with slight improvements over the previous 960. Of course, it's really the 960 set properly.

The Lord works in strange ways. :)

Yes, He does indeed...but in my case it's the opposite. I just sold my Panasonic 50ph9uk plasma and pulled the 960 outta the closet. Wow, what a huge difference! I had the plasma for 6 months and can't believe how much I was missing ;) I'm so glad I kept the 960. May the Lord continue to give life to my 960 :D