Since most of you say sony wont make a new model,i hope they dont discontinue the 960.They wouldnt do that would they?I sure hope not.This set still has great value.
I think Sony wants to get out of the CRT market. They abandoned CRT monitors for PCs about 3 years ago, and it won't be long before they pull the plug on their CRT TVs. Sony is pretty much putting most of their effort into LCDs and microdisplays:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=570096

Hey Joe,



As I've mentioned before, when taking into account all factors, CRT is the best technology. Could it be better? Absolutely. Give me a technology that has CRT's picture quality, LCD's weight, and plasma's screen size, and I'd be the happiest man alive. Do I think there will ever be such a technology? Absolutely. Will it be within 5 years? Probably not. Some may say you can get this level with the latest Runco projector and a 100" screen, but honestly, how many of us can drop $100K or more on that piece and have the room to put it in?

Hi Tenn,

Was thinking more in terms of 30" to 37" inch screens. 40"+ would be too big for my eyeballs.

Plasma has to resolve the burn-in problem before it can actually eliminate need for CRT and due to it's phospher technology I've been told it's doubtful the burn-in issue can be resolved. LCD has improved tremendously but can the limited contrast/darkness be increased to match the rival plasma or CRT?

Going on past track records these improvements might not be close on the horizon. Burn-in has accompanied plasma since the format first hit the market more than a decade ago. Rear projection has improved leaps and bounds, however, the problem with viewing angle is the same as it was nearly a quarter-century ago.

You're right. A new technology will be developed that will eliminate Plasma, LCD, Rear Projection and CRT. Too bad we probably won't be around to see it LOL.

- Joe

[QUOTE=tennberg]Joe,

The largest 16:9 direct-view CRT I've seen is Sony's KV-HR36M91, which is only availble in the Middle East and Asia Pacific. It is a 36" 16:9 CRT set with Wega engine, though it is non-XBR. Interestingly enough, it weighs the same as the KD-34XBR960, which is 2" smaller - 194 lbs.

http://www.sony-mea.com/product_details.asp?InpProdId=5021

Check those dimensions on that web page. When converted to inches, they are less than 0.3% off from the North American 34" set dimensions. Essentially, it is the same size tube and chassis. They are just advertising it as a 36" set like manufacturers here in the U.S. used to do (or still do?) with computer monitors and TV sets.

How do you switch between 480i and 960i on this TV?

As I've mentioned before, when taking into account all factors, CRT is the best technology. Could it be better? Absolutely. Give me a technology that has CRT's picture quality, LCD's weight, and plasma's screen size, and I'd be the happiest man alive. Do I think there will ever be such a technology? Absolutely. Will it be within 5 years? Probably not. Some may say you can get this level with the latest Runco projector and a 100" screen, but honestly, how many of us can drop $100K or more on that piece and have the room to put it in?[/QUOTE]

HOW ABOUT SED or OLED ??? I have heard insane CR quotes...sharp...great geometry. Within a couple of years. As I understand it, Toshiba is moving "quickly" in the SED arena.

HOW ABOUT SED or OLED ??? I have heard insane CR quotes...sharp...great geometry. Within a couple of years. As I understand it, Toshiba is moving "quickly" in the SED arena.

WOLV:

True, SED and OLED are two technologies that have shown a lot of promise, though only in prototypes.

The current issue with OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) is that it is only rated to last for 10,000 hours. In practice, that would prove disastrous in a TV, but it would be perfect for devices such as cell phones, portable game devices, and the like where display longevity is not a major selling point. I foresee OLED taking this route and not in TVs.

I don't think any currently-selling technology (LCD, plasma, etc.) will be the technology to surpass CRT, no matter how much technologically better they get.

The one real promising technology that could suprass CRT is SED (surface-conduction electron-emitting display). Basically, it's a CRT that's an inch thick. Electrons on the back surface are attracted to the front panel by a 10,000V potential. There's no deflection yoke, hence the thinness and the improved geometry, along with all the picture benefits of CRT.

The one drawback of SED is expected to be its price, which will be much more when compared to an LCD or plasma of equivalent size.

It's sad to see how consumers are driving the push for more LCDs and more plasmas (and driving the price down in the process) when those two technologies aren't that great. They both still have major flaws in terms of picture quality when compared to CRT. Are they getting better? Yes, they're better now then they were several years ago. However, they still look poor when compared to a CRT.

Hopefully, manufacturers will find a way to drive down the price of SED and be able to market its advantages over LCD and plasma. *crosses fingers*

ok, I'm having a new issue with my set. For the most part everything is perfect...but if I'm really close to the set (like within 3 feet) I can see 3 straight horizontal grey lines going all the way across the set.

One is about 15% down, one is a little below the middle, and one is about 15% up. So it's kinda like at the 2 points where the black bars show up on a 2.35.1 film and then one slightly below the middle.

It's a little scary to have these permanent lines showing up when I just got the TV yesterday but you can't see them after you get about 6 feet back so at least I'm not getting too scared.

I've moved things around to see if they had to do with magnetic shielding problems of the local dvd player/game systems but that doesn't seem to be it.

What's wrong with my set and is it fixable or do I need to live with this forever if I don't return the set?

Thanks,

ok, I'm having a new issue with my set. For the most part everything is perfect...but if I'm really close to the set (like within 3 feet) I can see 3 straight horizontal grey lines going all the way across the set.

One is about 15% down, one is a little below the middle, and one is about 15% up. So it's kinda like at the 2 points where the black bars show up on a 2.35.1 film and then one slightly below the middle.

It's a little scary to have these permanent lines showing up when I just got the TV yesterday but you can't see them after you get about 6 feet back so at least I'm not getting too scared.

I've moved things around to see if they had to do with magnetic shielding problems of the local dvd player/game systems but that doesn't seem to be it.

What's wrong with my set and is it fixable or do I need to live with this forever if I don't return the set?

Thanks,

Bebpo:

These are the damper wires, which can be seen in practically any Sony Trinitron CRT set. I also have a Sony 19" computer monitor (in addition to the 960) and it has two damper wires going across horizontally.

Due to the 960's size, there need to be three damper wires for the aperture grill. These are normal, they should be there, and there is nothing you can do to make them disappear. Besides, you should not be sitting that close to the set. :-) Sit 6 to 8 feet away and all will be well.

Thanks. I guess I should just sit farther back and learn to ignore them. I can really only notice them on white backgrounds and even then it's faintly.

Is there a way to save different video settings for one input? I have PS2/Xbox/GC all running component into my reciever and then one component out from my reciever to my tv.

The problem is that each game system has a completely different black level/contrast/color balance! So after I painstakingly got all the settings perfect for the PS2 I switch to the xbox and it looks awful ^^;

I can do it the long lazy way by writing down all the numbers and redo-ing them each time I change systems but it'd be nice if there was a way for the tv to save various settings on one input.

Is there a way to save different video settings for one input? I have PS2/Xbox/GC all running component into my reciever and then one component out from my reciever to my tv.

The problem is that each game system has a completely different black level/contrast/color balance! So after I painstakingly got all the settings perfect for the PS2 I switch to the xbox and it looks awful ^^;

I can do it the long lazy way by writing down all the numbers and redo-ing them each time I change systems but it'd be nice if there was a way for the tv to save various settings on one input.

Bebpo:

Although the 960 can save a single video settings profile for each input, it cannot create multiple profiles for a single input.

The only way would either be to plug two of the game systems into each component input, and swap out one input for the third system when necessary, or to just keep changing the settings for the single component input every time.

This is just my opinion, but I hope the changes you make for each system are minor. I would think constantly making drastic changes in the brightness, contrast, and picture levels for a single component input would tend to put a lot of strain on the 960. It may not, but I tend to stick with a single profile and keep it that way.

Well the problem is that I'm gonna use one component for my HD Cable box in and the other for the receiver in (for game systems & pc->hdtv). Meanwhile I'm running my dvd player through the HDMI.

I guess you're just not supposed to own a lot of stuff as an HDTV owner ^^; I mean I'll never get why they have 5 inputs for regular video and only 2 for component despite it being an 'HD' TV.

Hmm, the PS2 and Xbox black levels are really different. About 10 digits apart :\ Haven't tried GC yet but I don't even know how I'd calibrate that. With the PS2/Xbox I just stuck in the Avia disc and adjusted to the test patterns. Since Gamecube can't play dvds I'll just have to do it by eye I guess.

Actually, you know what is even stranger? I have two xbox systems; Jpn & US but I'm only using one set of video cables. So I just switch between the two when I play.

But when I was doing the adjustments I noticed that the systems had completely different video settings o_O!? Even though the cable is the exact same, the US system had to have the brightness at around 31 whereas the Jpn system was around 42 for brightness.

Bizarre.

I did a search of this forum thread but couldn't find any info.

Given that a good number of AVRs being announced this year have HDMI switching and the announcment today of the availability of the HDMI 1.2 specification, I was wondering which version of HDMI is on the KD-XBR960?

I did a search of this forum thread but couldn't find any info.

Given that a good number of AVRs being announced this year have HDMI switching and the announcment today of the availability of the HDMI 1.2 specification, I was wondering which version of HDMI is on the KD-XBR960?

To my dismay, I'm sure it's NOT HDMI 1.2. And unless they can pull some trick via memory stick, I can't see anyway to upgrade it.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I did a search of this forum thread but couldn't find any info.

Given that a good number of AVRs being announced this year have HDMI switching and the announcment today of the availability of the HDMI 1.2 specification, I was wondering which version of HDMI is on the KD-XBR960?

Any links to this announcement?

Any links to this announcement?

Nevermind, I found it.

http://www.hdmi.org/press/pr/pr_20050823.asp

I think it might be possible to upgrade to the HDMI 1.2 revision. I have a Denon DVD-2910 DVD player, and one of the firmware upgrades upgraded the HDMI port to HDMI 1.1.

I guess it depends on whether the 1.2 revision requires new hardware (like USB 1.1 and USB 2.0) or whether it can simply be upgraded with sofware. Then the question is whether a Memory Stick upgrade could do it.

What is the current version of HDMI in the XBR960? 1.0 or 1.1?

I think it might be possible to upgrade to the HDMI 1.2 revision. I have a Denon DVD-2910 DVD player, and one of the firmware upgrades upgraded the HDMI port to HDMI 1.1.

I guess it depends on whether the 1.2 revision requires new hardware (like USB 1.1 and USB 2.0) or whether it can simply be upgraded with sofware. Then the question is whether a Memory Stick upgrade could do it.

Fascinating. Does anyone have the patience to attempt to contact Sony and see what they say about it? ;)

Fascinating. Does anyone have the patience to attempt to contact Sony and see what they say about it? ;)

I don't. I remember calling Sony about 6 months ago because someone mentioned a software update (with a part number and all). The three people I spoke to at Sony knew nothing about it and said there were never any software or firmware udpates for the 960.

It's hard to believe that for such a compliated piece of equipment, there are no known updates. I have a Rotel pre-amp/processor and a Denon DVD player, and both have had several software and/or firmware udpates since I bought them both not 8 months ago.

So can anyone tell me what the purpose of the GUIDE button is? On my set it just lists the next sequential channels but doesn't show any information.

What's the size in inches of the XBR960 factory carton?

The weight of the full box is easily found, the size is proving more elusive.

One of the many factors in my trying to figure out if I'm going to purchase an XBR960 on-line or locally are my ability (or lack thereof) to get it home myself. As the selection of vehicles available to me to transport it is limited, knowing the size of the box is critical.

What's the size in inches of the XBR960 factory carton?

The weight of the full box is easily found, the size is proving more elusive.

One of the many factors in my trying to figure out if I'm going to purchase an XBR960 on-line or locally are my ability (or lack thereof) to get it home myself. As the selection of vehicles available to me to transport it is limited, knowing the size of the box is critical.

You can have local places like Circuit City, Best Buy, or Sears, or whoever, have it shipped and/or installed in your house for a minimal fee. Often times, you can haggle and negotiate that out. Recommended, regardless of how you get this TV. Don't try to do it by yourself. There's really no need for that.

What's the size in inches of the XBR960 factory carton?

The weight of the full box is easily found, the size is proving more elusive.

One of the many factors in my trying to figure out if I'm going to purchase an XBR960 on-line or locally are my ability (or lack thereof) to get it home myself. As the selection of vehicles available to me to transport it is limited, knowing the size of the box is critical.

Don't have the exact measurements of the box but it is about 6" wider and deeper than the TV. The big stryophome (sp?) things that hold it in place are pretty thick. Mine was delivered via pick-up truck from my local AV store. Don't think about driving it home in a car. Minivan or SUV with rear seat removed is needed.

960 carton size: 31" x 30" x 44" (h x w x d)

I agree with Q. If you live alone, this is not the set to be picking up yourself and trying to unbox it and put it in place. I would recommend you get 2 strong friends to help you out.

When I bought this TV, delivery and set-up was included for about $20. It was brought to my apartment door in the box, it was unboxed in the hallway, and carried over to my stand. Highly recommended for this set.

So can anyone tell me what the purpose of the GUIDE button is? On my set it just lists the next sequential channels but doesn't show any information.

Use the guide button to preview channels. Your cable feed will determine how much program info you get. On mine I just call the letters: ESPN, CNN, TNT etc.

Hit the guide button and use the joystick to scroll up or down. The channel will change with each "click". After scrolling if you hit the guide button again it will take you back to the channel you were watching. If you push down on the joystick the tv will change to the channel you were previewing.

960 carton size: 31" x 30" x 44" (h x w x d)

I agree with Q. If you live alone, this is not the set to be picking up yourself and trying to unbox it and put it in place. I would recommend you get 2 strong friends to help you out.

When I bought this TV, delivery and set-up was included for about $20. It was brought to my apartment door in the box, it was unboxed in the hallway, and carried over to my stand. Highly recommended for this set.

Add my voice against taking the set home yourself. For your own protection have the store be responsible for delivery (even if you and a friend have the strength to lift the set). For example, if it accidently tips against a wall and the screen cracks it is doubtful this would be covered under the warranty since the record will show you picked it up.

We also got delivery for free and just seven days after we placed the order. This included placing the set on the stand and discarding the bulky carton.

I just recently got mine from a store 6 hrs away, so delivery wasn't an option. But the box fit pervectly in the back of my chevy tahoe with the 3rd row seats removed and the 2nd row laid down.

960 carton size: 31" x 30" x 44" (h x w x d)
Thanks for the info.

Here's the deal -- a small TV store about 40 miles away sells the set for $1886 with tax, but there is no delivery available. I might be able to convince my brother-in-law to drive his late-model Chrysler mini-van for a round trip, giving us three humans to actually attempt unloading and carrying it 20 feet and three steps up to the living room. It's conceivable we won't hurt ourselves or the set.

Crutchfield.com wants a miniscule $14 more ($1900 with shipping) for their "white glove" set-it-up-in-my-living-room delivery service, which seems like a good deal if I'm feeling lucky that I WON'T hit the "jackpot" and have to exchange the set for another one if I get a (one out of N) lemon that some folks report having received. I figure it would be $200-250 to send it back.

Can't say I can think of any other Internet company that has the reputation and prices of Crutchfield, but one is still left with that nagging "but what if I have to return it" feeling in any case.

Of course there is the local Best Buy that sells the 960 for MSRP ($1995 with tax) but will deliver for free, or Circuit City which graciously tacks on a $40 delivery fee to its MSRP+tax price. So I get to pay more AND experience first-hand if their less-than-stellar reputations are deserved.

So, local purchase addresses some potential issues but comes at a cost; Internet purchase offers good customer service and price, but has an possible expensive downside. I'm sure I'm not inventing the wheel here -- every single reader of this discussion thread has gone through this analysis. Any advice folks wish to offer appreciated.

Thanks for the info.
Of course there is the local Best Buy that sells the 960 for the $1995 MSRP but will deliver for free, or Circuit City which graciously tacks on a $40 delivery fee to its MSRP price. So I get to pay more AND experience first-hand if their less-than-stellar reputations are deserved..

MSRP on the xbr960 should be $1900. You can also order directly from Sonystyle.com for MSRP+tax, shipping is included. CC has sales occassionally, so you might be able to get it then. I got mine from CC last October for the same price it retails now, back then MSRP was $2200, plus Sony had some deal going so I got a free HTIB with it.

Does anyone know if sony will be manufacturing slim tube tv like samsung. I really love this set, but don't think the weight has a chance on my entertainment unit.

Does anyone know if sony will be manufacturing slim tube tv like samsung. I really love this set, but don't think the weight has a chance on my entertainment unit.

Doubt it. I think Sony's more or less done with the tube market, in terms of anything new.

MSRP on the xbr960 should be $1900 Unclear writing on my part, sorry. MSRP of $1900 + tax = $1995

Original post edited to improve clarity.

Unclear writing on my part, sorry. MSRP of $1900 + tax = $1995

Original post edited to improve clarity.

Haggling and bargaining skills notwithstanding, at least if you go through a place like a Crutchfield, you can avoid tax and often times, even avoid the very reasonable $20 shipping/handling, and install fee.

That tax adds up right quick. Just something to consider.

Unclear writing on my part, sorry. MSRP of $1900 + tax = $1995

Original post edited to improve clarity.

Only 5% sales tax, lucky you! Here in NY, I had to pay 8.625% when I got my set last year. As Q of Banditz and others have noted here, you can save on tax and shipping from places like Crutchfield.

Only 5% sales tax, lucky you! Here in NY, I had to pay 8.625% when I got my set last year. As Q of Banditz and others have noted here, you can save on tax and shipping from places like Crutchfield.

Or, if your state has a sales tax-free day, you could buy it then.

I bought my 960 in August 2004 when Massachusetts was having a sales tax-free day. That day also coincided with a "private sale" that the store I bought it from was having. I got an additional 10% off on the price of the set. So, basically, it was 15% off.

As Q of Banditz and others have noted here, you can save on tax and shipping from places like Crutchfield.Crutchfield does sound good: $1900 delivered and set up in my living room. My ONLY concern about purchasing from Crutchfield (or any other online business) is the x% chance that I might have to exchange it because of some sort of problem. Return shipping would be a killer.

Hi all,

I've got a bit of a problem I'm hoping someone can help me with. I own an XBR960. I love it -- gorgeous picture, incredible contrast, all of it. Unfortunately, I'm on my second one. My first one had to be replaced after I moved. I was *incredibly* careful in moving it. I had about 8 people to help carry it. It really never got shaken or jostled. But when I arrived at my new place and plugged it in, there were noticeable convergence problems and the colors were all washed out. Luckily, it was still under warranty, so Sony replaced it. Now it looks like I might have to move again much much sooner than I had originally planned (but not soon enough to still have the TV under warranty). Does anyone have any tips/advice re: how not to screw up my TV when I move it? Is there anything in particular that I should avoid? Or is there any equipment that I might be able to rent that would help? Any ideas/suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Crutchfield does sound good: $1900 delivered and set up in my living room. My ONLY concern about purchasing from Crutchfield (or any other online business) is the x% chance that I might have to exchange it because of some sort of problem. Return shipping would be a killer.

30 days no questions asked with Crutchfield, No penalties. You will get a red carpet treatment that will truly shock you.

30 days no questions asked with Crutchfield, No penalties. You will get a red carpet treatment that will truly shock you.
I understand that there are no penalties. But their normal "we pay return shipping" policy doesn't apply to large items such as the 34-XBR960. So if there was something wrong with the set that required an exchange, I would have to pay return shipping and that would run $200-250.

Unless there is something in the fine print that says they don't pay return shipping on large items that you simply don't want, but they DO pay return shipping on large items that are to be exchanged.

Luckily, it was still under warranty, so Sony replaced it.
I'm curious as to how the Sony warranty repair/replace process works. Would you please describe it?

Crutchfield does sound good: $1900 delivered and set up in my living room. My ONLY concern about purchasing from Crutchfield (or any other online business) is the x% chance that I might have to exchange it because of some sort of problem. Return shipping would be a killer.

We all share your concern about having a heavy piece of equipment delivered only to find it is defective but even if the site you purchased it covered the return shipping cost, could it be repacked in a manner acceptable by the parcel service (the carton might be in too poor condition to reuse).

We purchased our KD34br960 through Crutchfield. Since the Sony is under a two-year in-home warranty if there was something wrong it would have been repaired or replaced (see post by KIDAtoZ as an example). If that was the case, it would have been upsetting but not unresolvable.

We all share your concern about having a heavy piece of equipment delivered only to find it is defective but even if the site you purchased it covered the return shipping cost, could it be repacked in a manner acceptable by the parcel service (the carton might be in too poor condition to reuse).

We purchased our KD34br960 through Crutchfield. Since the Sony is under a two-year in-home warranty if there was something wrong it would have been repaired or replaced (see post by KIDAtoZ as an example). If that was the case, it would have been upsetting but not unresolvable.

And none of it would require any muscle effort on your part whatsoever.

If you have a problem with your TV within 30 days, Crutchfield themselves sets up the return and exchange with the shipping company. You needn't lift a finger.

After that 30 days, inside of your warranties, more or less the same thing can happen, depending on what Sony decides first, and working your way out from there.

There's no way you can have a more worry free, easier situation.

There's no way you can have a more worry free, easier situation.
Thanks for the clarification!

While "you can't believe everything you read on the Internet", 7400+ postings here carries a lot of weight! :)

Especially when re-reading the Crutchfield guarantee page and it says: " Items delivered via Large Item Special Shipping are excluded from this [free return] offer, but there is no charge for returning damaged or defective products regardless of size. (emphasis added by me)

I agree that everything seems to be covered; the odds of me discovering something wrong that the Crutchfield and/or Sony folks would disagree with seem to be quite low.

Although the 960 can save a single video settings profile for each input, it cannot create multiple profiles for a single input.


On a related note, does the 960 have direct input selection? I'm seriously considering upgrading from my Toshinba 34" to the Sony 960. (Just can't seem to get the Toshiba dialed in, even with the Digital Video Essentials DVD...)

Anyway, I'm currently running everything through the receiver, then component out to the TV. But, I plan to get a PS3, and will either run that to the second component in on the TV, or use HDMI. With the Toshiba (and easy macros on my remote), switching inputs is a snap thanks to direct input selection. My 11 year old Sony, though, requires my to cycle through the remotes, so I had to trick it by programming a channel up command to force it to the ANT input, then multiple presses of the input button to get where I want to go. It was a pain.

I'd love it if the 960 had direct input selection, but can't find it talked about anywhere in the product specs...

Anyway, I'm currently running everything through the receiver, then component out to the TV. But, I plan to get a PS3, and will either run that to the second component in on the TV, or use HDMI. With the Toshiba (and easy macros on my remote), switching inputs is a snap thanks to direct input selection. My 11 year old Sony, though, requires my to cycle through the remotes, so I had to trick it by programming a channel up command to force it to the ANT input, then multiple presses of the input button to get where I want to go. It was a pain.

I'd love it if the 960 had direct input selection, but can't find it talked about anywhere in the product specs...

Doesn't have a direct select button but you can "program" it to skip unused inputs. HDMI is video 7 you can have it skip 1-6 to take you right to 7 but if you have more stuff hooked up you may not want to skip over those inputs.

Doesn't have a direct select button but you can "program" it to skip unused inputs. HDMI is video 7 you can have it skip 1-6 to take you right to 7 but if you have more stuff hooked up you may not want to skip over those inputs.

That helps a little, but still doesn't solve the problem. When programming a macro, I have no way of knowing what the LAST input used was. With direct selection, the macro's are easy: when switching to the PS3, switch to input 7. When switching to the DVD player, HD D*, etc...switch to input x (whatever component input I'm using.) The idea of cycling through makes programming macros very difficult, if not impossible. (Don't know if the CH+ trick still works...)

I'm curious as to how the Sony warranty repair/replace process works. Would you please describe it?

It was pretty straightforward. They sent a TV repair tech to my house to look at the TV. He said he coudln't do anything to fix it. Sony brought me a new one and took away the busted one =). I think that's about as in-depth as I could go. Really, it was pretty painless.

That helps a little, but still doesn't solve the problem. When programming a macro, I have no way of knowing what the LAST input used was. With direct selection, the macro's are easy: when switching to the PS3, switch to input 7. When switching to the DVD player, HD D*, etc...switch to input x (whatever component input I'm using.) The idea of cycling through makes programming macros very difficult, if not impossible. (Don't know if the CH+ trick still works...)

Am not familiar with macro settings on the Toshiba but the KD34XBR960 retains the settings (which are numerous) for each of the seven inputs, so you do not have to worry about adjustments when switching between HDTV, DVD, Video Game or VHS.

Am not familiar with macro settings on the Toshiba but the KD34XBR960 retains the settings (which are numerous) for each of the seven inputs, so you do not have to worry about adjustments when switching between HDTV, DVD, Video Game or VHS.

I'm referring to macros on my remote. For example:

macro 1: turn on TV, set input on TV to HDMI, turn on receiver, set input on receiver to the optical input from the D* box, make SAT the active devide (This would be, for example, to watch the HD D* box using HDMI connection)

macro 2: switch input on TV to component, switch receiver to optical input from the DVD player, turn on DVD player

etc...

The issue is with directly selecting the input on the TV. I just wich other manufacturers would allow direct selection. On the Toshiba (which I don't like as much as the Sony as far as PQ goes), I can send a discreet code in my remote macro to specifically select whatever input I want. With the Sony, I have to know what input I was ON, so I can CYCLE the proper number of times. Since this is impossible, I have to trick it by sending a channel up command (which puts it in antenna mode), then I know where I am from a starting point, and can send the proper number of input presses. This is a problem, because you get a flash of "snow" for a second as the TV goes into antenna mode, then several flashes depending on how many inputs you need to get through (for example, if HDMI is the second input, you go ANT, then Component, then HDMI...which a "flash" of the screen each time...)

The feature you are looking for is referred to as Discrete Input on most websites. There is no universal Sony XBR input code that you punch into your remote. The code is remote specific, so you search the forum for the brand of remote you are using. I generally use the forums at remotecentral.com, but there are others out there.

I don't use macros, so I don't know if the 960 supports them or not. A quick search here shows that the 40xbr800 does, so the 960 probably does too.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=492041

Here's another link that may be helpful:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/sony/

Hey everyone,

So nearly a month has gone by since my last update on the trailing issue, and I am in need of assistance/advice and any thoughts you may have.

For those familiar with the issue, skip this paragraph. For those who have not heard of it, I'll get you up to speed quickly on what the problem is. On any video input with any signal, there appears to be trails behind moving objects on the screen. The easiest spots to see this issue in is dark background, light foreground, fast motion, high-contrast scenes. Examples would be a hand/arm moving quickly across the screen, a panning shot with lights in it, etc. Another example is pretty much any moderately paced scrolling credits. While these scenes are the easiest to identify the issue in, they can be seen in less extreme circumstances and the effect is a blurring of the image in motion. When there are extremely slow or static images on the screen, the set is phenomenal. The only problem the TV is exhibiting is this trailing/ghosting issue.

Now for a bit of history...

This television initially had a CableCard problem, so the q-box was replaced (basically the box that has all the inputs and outputs plus the cablecard slot). That repair was not related to the trailing/ghosting issue.

I then began the process of dealing with the trailing issue in May. The service center ordered and installed a B/Y board (not sure if that's the right name, but basically it is a line doubler). The problem did not go away.

Approximately a month ago I contacted the servicer again to come out and look at the television again. He saw the problem, commented "wow, it's worse than I thought" and left to consult with Sony. More than a week later (after several back and forths), they called me and said that "Sony has determined your television is defective and this is not a repairable issue. You need to call Sony service to get your television replaced." They gave me the phone number and I did as I was told...

I called Sony, and they claimed I needed an event ID. The servicer didn't give me one. We tried looking it up via serial number. No luck. Then phone number. No luck. Then servicer. No luck. After 30 minutes, they found my television, but only had documentation on the q-box replacement. I outlined the whole situation to them, they created a new event ID, and I was told I would receive a call-back within 24-48 hours.

The next day I got an e-mail that said 24-48 hours again, pushing it back a day. When the 48 hours elapsed, still no call back. To save you the blow-by-blow of the next three weeks, let me summarize:
- I was promised at least 12 different callbacks throughout this process, most of which with the 24-48 hour stipulation. Not even once did I actually receive a callback. Not even a late callback. I never received a promised call back.
- They claimed the servicer would not answer their phones for over two weeks.
- They then claimed the servicer would not talk to them about my television.
- They then claimed there was no record of the findings of the servicer. Rinse and repeat above steps.
- All of this time I was calling to talk to the servicer, who claimed they can see all of their notes attached to my television and event id in Sony's system. In addition, they *never received a call from Sony*.
- Finally, last week, the CS agent (level 2) finally agreed to try calling the servicer herself. She then claimed that the servicer said there was no problem with my television, and that they hadn't even seen the problem. Of course, a quick call to the servicer reveals another side of the story... Sony was the one who flip-floped. They just told them what they saw on the television.
- I spoke to a CS supervisor, and was stonewalled.

So at that point, over the course of three weeks, over 8 hours on hold, no callbacks, etc. etc., Sony flip-flopped from "This TV is defective" to "This TV is operating normally." My only recourse now was through the retailer who sold it to me...

I went into the retailer, explained the situation, explained to them that I did not see it in their floor model and they agreed to replace the television with their warranty company (thank goodness for extended warranty plans).

The television was delivered yesterday, but they refused to give me the manual. I don't know the serial number and manufactured date until I pull the unit back out from the wall. I turned it on, set all the normal setting you change (Pro and Monitor) and let it sit on Discovery HD for a couple hours to get the set warmed up. Then came the moment of truth: toss in a reference DVD I was using to test the issue and....

Same problem! GRRRRR!

So now my questions are as follows:
1) This is a popular television among calibrators. If this is "normal" for this set, I'd think it would not be popular among them. They are likely more visually picky than I am. Can anyone speak to this?
2) I've only seen *one* note other than my own of this issue in the nearly 70 pages of posts here in this thread. Has anyone else seen it? (refer to the scene examples earlier in this post for reference material ideas -- I have used Star Wars, Battlestar Gallactica, 24, The West Wing, and more...)
3) What are my options now?

This has been my worst customer experience ever, and while I love this television, I am having major second thoughts.

I appreciate any and all advice or thoughts all of you could provide.

Thanks and best regards,
Brad

Hey everyone,

So nearly a month has gone by since my last update on the trailing issue, and I am in need of assistance/advice and any thoughts you may have.

For those familiar with the issue, skip this paragraph. For those who have not heard of it, I'll get you up to speed quickly on what the problem is. On any video input with any signal, there appears to be trails behind moving objects on the screen. The easiest spots to see this issue in is dark background, light foreground, fast motion, high-contrast scenes. Examples would be a hand/arm moving quickly across the screen, a panning shot with lights in it, etc. Another example is pretty much any moderately paced scrolling credits. While these scenes are the easiest to identify the issue in, they can be seen in less extreme circumstances and the effect is a blurring of the image in motion. When there are extremely slow or static images on the screen, the set is phenomenal. The only problem the TV is exhibiting is this trailing/ghosting issue.

Now for a bit of history...

This television initially had a CableCard problem, so the q-box was replaced (basically the box that has all the inputs and outputs plus the cablecard slot). That repair was not related to the trailing/ghosting issue.

I then began the process of dealing with the trailing issue in May. The service center ordered and installed a B/Y board (not sure if that's the right name, but basically it is a line doubler). The problem did not go away.

Approximately a month ago I contacted the servicer again to come out and look at the television again. He saw the problem, commented "wow, it's worse than I thought" and left to consult with Sony. More than a week later (after several back and forths), they called me and said that "Sony has determined your television is defective and this is not a repairable issue. You need to call Sony service to get your television replaced." They gave me the phone number and I did as I was told...

I called Sony, and they claimed I needed an event ID. The servicer didn't give me one. We tried looking it up via serial number. No luck. Then phone number. No luck. Then servicer. No luck. After 30 minutes, they found my television, but only had documentation on the q-box replacement. I outlined the whole situation to them, they created a new event ID, and I was told I would receive a call-back within 24-48 hours.

The next day I got an e-mail that said 24-48 hours again, pushing it back a day. When the 48 hours elapsed, still no call back. To save you the blow-by-blow of the next three weeks, let me summarize:
- I was promised at least 12 different callbacks throughout this process, most of which with the 24-48 hour stipulation. Not even once did I actually receive a callback. Not even a late callback. I never received a promised call back.
- They claimed the servicer would not answer their phones for over two weeks.
- They then claimed the servicer would not talk to them about my television.
- They then claimed there was no record of the findings of the servicer. Rinse and repeat above steps.
- All of this time I was calling to talk to the servicer, who claimed they can see all of their notes attached to my television and event id in Sony's system. In addition, they *never received a call from Sony*.
- Finally, last week, the CS agent (level 2) finally agreed to try calling the servicer herself. She then claimed that the servicer said there was no problem with my television, and that they hadn't even seen the problem. Of course, a quick call to the servicer reveals another side of the story... Sony was the one who flip-floped. They just told them what they saw on the television.
- I spoke to a CS supervisor, and was stonewalled.

So at that point, over the course of three weeks, over 8 hours on hold, no callbacks, etc. etc., Sony flip-flopped from "This TV is defective" to "This TV is operating normally." My only recourse now was through the retailer who sold it to me...

I went into the retailer, explained the situation, explained to them that I did not see it in their floor model and they agreed to replace the television with their warranty company (thank goodness for extended warranty plans).

The television was delivered yesterday, but they refused to give me the manual. I don't know the serial number and manufactured date until I pull the unit back out from the wall. I turned it on, set all the normal setting you change (Pro and Monitor) and let it sit on Discovery HD for a couple hours to get the set warmed up. Then came the moment of truth: toss in a reference DVD I was using to test the issue and....

Same problem! GRRRRR!

So now my questions are as follows:
1) This is a popular television among calibrators. If this is "normal" for this set, I'd think it would not be popular among them. They are likely more visually picky than I am. Can anyone speak to this?
2) I've only seen *one* note other than my own of this issue in the nearly 70 pages of posts here in this thread. Has anyone else seen it? (refer to the scene examples earlier in this post for reference material ideas -- I have used Star Wars, Battlestar Gallactica, 24, The West Wing, and more...)
3) What are my options now?

This has been my worst customer experience ever, and while I love this television, I am having major second thoughts.

I appreciate any and all advice or thoughts all of you could provide.

Thanks and best regards,
Brad

Brad:

Few questions:

1. Is this ghosting only evident on DVDs, or do you also see it through your cable box or CableCard?

2. If it's only on DVDs, have you made sure the cable connections between your DVD player and TV are secure? If it's component cables, have you made sure they're lined up with the right connectors?

3. Are you using a progressive scan DVD player? Is it set on or off?

It seems a bit odd that 2 960s would have the same exact problem. Is there a chance you could get a test DVD player and a different set of cables?

Also, are there any strong magnetic sources near your TV? If you use external speakers, are they at least 6-8" away from any side of the set.

Let me know.

I've now officially exchanged the Toshiba 34HS85 and upgraded to the Sony 960. Now, I'm trying to decide if I should spring for an upconverting DVD player. All I can tell from the DVD Player forum is that improved PQ will "depend on if the upconverting DVD player does a better job of upconverting than your TV does." This doesn't really help me, though, so I thought I'd ask those with the same TV:

Do any of you have experience using upconverting DVD players with the Sony 960?
Can you notice an imporoved PQ, or does the Sony seem to do just as good a job of converting?

I'm currently using a Panasonic DVD Recorder with component cables. I'm considering a Toshiba upconverting DVD player with HDMI.

Opinions welcomed...

Tennberg,

Brad:
1. Is this ghosting only evident on DVDs, or do you also see it through your cable box or CableCard?
The ghosting is available on any input (1-7) or tuner with any source (cablecard, DVR, DVD, Receiver, Computer, etc.).

2. If it's only on DVDs, have you made sure the cable connections between your DVD player and TV are secure? If it's component cables, have you made sure they're lined up with the right connectors?
The connections have been triple checked, unplugged and replugged, etc.

3. Are you using a progressive scan DVD player? Is it set on or off?
Yes, I am using an upscaling DVD player that is progressive as well. Unfortunately that should be the issue considering it happens on all inputs.

Is there a chance you could get a test DVD player and a different set of cables?
It has been tested with two different DVD players.

Also, are there any strong magnetic sources near your TV? If you use external speakers, are they at least 6-8" away from any side of the set.
I do have an external speaker sitting on top of the television, but I tested before putting it back on. At the time of the test all speakers were at least 5 feet away from the television.

I'd love it if the 960 had direct input selection, but can't find it talked about anywhere in the product specs...

I have a Harmony remote and with it you can program activities which will switch the input on the 960 directly. It's called a discrete code and although the factory remote doesn't support it, the television accepts a code for direct selection of input.

I've now officially exchanged the Toshiba 34HS85 and upgraded to the Sony 960. Now, I'm trying to decide if I should spring for an upconverting DVD player. All I can tell from the DVD Player forum is that improved PQ will "depend on if the upconverting DVD player does a better job of upconverting than your TV does." This doesn't really help me, though, so I thought I'd ask those with the same TV:

Do any of you have experience using upconverting DVD players with the Sony 960?
Can you notice an imporoved PQ, or does the Sony seem to do just as good a job of converting?

I'm currently using a Panasonic DVD Recorder with component cables. I'm considering a Toshiba upconverting DVD player with HDMI.

Opinions welcomed...


Hi Gecko,

From what I understand, a progressive scan DVD player is not necessary since the KD34xbr960 does the same. For us it did eliminate the distortion viewed on our old analog set when the picture moved with certain horizontal or vertical objects (venitian blinds, bricks, etc.) in the background (similar to the early problems of pinstripe shirts seen on television).

If you plan to get a DVD player with HDMI output does that mean you will use component cables for the HDTV signal? From my comparision the HDMI gave a slightly better PQ than component (using the same settings). However, this might have been my eyes playing tricks on me. Since DVDs have less resolution than HD signals using the HDMI input for DVD might be overkill.

Tennberg,


The ghosting is available on any input (1-7) or tuner with any source (cablecard, DVR, DVD, Receiver, Computer, etc.).


The connections have been triple checked, unplugged and replugged, etc.


Yes, I am using an upscaling DVD player that is progressive as well. Unfortunately that should be the issue considering it happens on all inputs.


It has been tested with two different DVD players.


I do have an external speaker sitting on top of the television, but I tested before putting it back on. At the time of the test all speakers were at least 5 feet away from the television.

Brad:

Can you think of anything else within your setup that has remained constant with the two 960s you've tried? As I said before, I find it odd that two 960s would both have the same issue.

I am on my second 960, as the first 960 developed a dead spot in the center of the screen, about 1 millimeter square, that had no color or anything. It was completely black. Since it was within 30 days, Tweeter came by and gave me a brand new 960. I also purchased a 5 year warranty through Tweeter.

If you don't get anywhere with Sony or your retailer, you could contact the Better Business Bureau in your area and discuss the problem with them. I have used the BBB for an unrelated issue (incorrect item on my credit report) and they were hugely successful in helping me to resolve my issue. Maybe there are lemon laws in your area that would help. I just don't hope you get a third set and it has the same issue. At that point, it would seem like it's something in your environment causing the issue.

P.S. - Any chance both 960s were dropped before delivery? Were the boxes intact with no marks or dents?

Can you think of anything else within your setup that has remained constant with the two 960s you've tried? As I said before, I find it odd that two 960s would both have the same issue.
Hmm. Not that immediately comes to mind. The power in my apartment is really the only thing. I can't imagine there'd be something wrong with *every* device I hook up to the TV for signal.

P.S. - Any chance both 960s were dropped before delivery? Were the boxes intact with no marks or dents?
The only thing I can think of right now is the store where i bought it from is in a metal warehouse, and I get no cell phone reception in there. I can't imagine simply storing the TV there would cause problems, but I guess it could.

I'm going to try to go back tonight or tomorrow with a DVD player and DVD and try to check the problem.

Brad

Hmmm hard to imagine two seperate units display the same defect. Even if they were from the same warehouse, the time lag between deliveries would likely mean they were from different shipments. The serial number is different, right? :p

I wonder if this is just one of the factors that is normal with the set and you are just more tuned into it. I appreciate your (and everyone else's) commets, though as I am geting close to decision time (5-10 days). I'll be following this issue closely as I imagine it would impact a lot of my viewing (particularly a white baseball tracking across a night sky or motion against stadium night lights.

Well, I bought an XBR960 from Best Buy on 8/12 before I read this discussion thread. Had I read this first, it might have given me pause. Here’s what I found after connecting a DVD player via component video and an SD satellite receiver via s-video:

1) The SD DirecTV images look terrible, much less detail and clarity than my 10 year old 32” Sony. This was even after changing the picture mode from Vivid to Pro, turning down the picture control and playing with the DRC. The colors are bright and vibrant and the picture does have more depth than my 32”, but this is all overshadowed by the digital artifacts and outlines.

2) DVD performance was somewhat better, but still not what I had expected from a $2000 direct-view television.

3) Screen geometry is very poor in both the upper left-hand corner with sagging horizontal lines and the on the vertical boundaries of the 4:3 image where there is a noticable pin cushion effect. Maybe this could be corrected via the Service Menu and maybe not.

4) All of the above appeared to be par for the course, judging by previous entries. That was until I after about 30 minutes of operation, I noticed yellow horizontal bands moving up and down the screen. This would come and go and occurred regardless of the input source. I tried everything I could think of to isolate a cause of interference, but found nothing. I contacted Sony’s product support and was told there was no adjustment that could be made that would eliminate the yellow banding.

I’ve already called Best Buy to schedule a return pickup. As a result of my experience and after reading all of the previous posts, I will not be exchanging this for another XBR. Even if I get lucky and get a good one out of the box next time, I would still worry about future problems and the prospect of having to haul this monster up a flight of stairs myself to get it out of my house. This is probably the last Sony TV I’ll buy. Even my 32”, which although has a great picture, had the tuner go out after only three years.

Hmmm hard to imagine two seperate units display the same defect. Even if they were from the same warehouse, the time lag between deliveries would likely mean they were from different shipments. The serial number is different, right? :p

I wonder if this is just one of the factors that is normal with the set and you are just more tuned into it. I appreciate your (and everyone else's) commets, though as I am geting close to decision time (5-10 days). I'll be following this issue closely as I imagine it would impact a lot of my viewing (particularly a white baseball tracking across a night sky or motion against stadium night lights.

I've never seen any picture flaws on my XBR960, especially after getting it calibrated.

Thanks Q. Your comments on the 960 and ISF calibration are really appreciated. Whichever set I go with, I can be sure of one thing... this will be the most informed purchase I've ever made. :)

Well, I bought an XBR960 from Best Buy on 8/12 before I read this discussion thread. Had I read this first, it might have given me pause. Here’s what I found after connecting a DVD player via component video and an SD satellite receiver via s-video:

1) The SD DirecTV images look terrible, much less detail and clarity than my 10 year old 32” Sony. This was even after changing the picture mode from Vivid to Pro, turning down the picture control and playing with the DRC. The colors are bright and vibrant and the picture does have more depth than my 32”, but this is all overshadowed by the digital artifacts and outlines.

2) DVD performance was somewhat better, but still not what I had expected from a $2000 direct-view television.

3) Screen geometry is very poor in both the upper left-hand corner with sagging horizontal lines and the on the vertical boundaries of the 4:3 image where there is a noticable pin cushion effect. Maybe this could be corrected via the Service Menu and maybe not.

4) All of the above appeared to be par for the course, judging by previous entries. That was until I after about 30 minutes of operation, I noticed yellow horizontal bands moving up and down the screen. This would come and go and occurred regardless of the input source. I tried everything I could think of to isolate a cause of interference, but found nothing. I contacted Sony’s product support and was told there was no adjustment that could be made that would eliminate the yellow banding.

I’ve already called Best Buy to schedule a return pickup. As a result of my experience and after reading all of the previous posts, I will not be exchanging this for another XBR. Even if I get lucky and get a good one out of the box next time, I would still worry about future problems and the prospect of having to haul this monster up a flight of stairs myself to get it out of my house. This is probably the last Sony TV I’ll buy. Even my 32”, which although has a great picture, had the tuner go out after only three years.

halster16:

I'm sad to hear you had such a bad experience with the 960. When I got my first 960, it was fine up until I noticed a tiny dead spot near the center of the screen, about 1 millimeter square. It had no color, brightness, etc.

Since it was within so many days, I was able to exchange it for another 960. Granted, this 960 has not yet been calibrated nor had a magnetic adjustment. However, I am sure once both are done, I will have an amazing set.

A couple of notes regarding your experience:

1. In my experience, this set was designed to show HD material (1080i/720p) or DVD material (480p/720p/1080i) through the component or HDMI inputs. It was not desgined to make analog or digital TV look great, nor anything through composite or S-video. If you wanted those to look good, I would've gone with a 4:3 CRT.

2. I'm curious if you had gotten a professional calibration of the set if your experience would've been different. I think the picture on this set is the best out there on any set, whether it's CRT, LCD, plasma, DLP, rear projection, or whatever else there is.

Thanks Q. Your comments on the 960 and ISF calibration are really appreciated. Whichever set I go with, I can be sure of one thing... this will be the most informed purchase I've ever made. :)

Gven the state of the overall market and everything, this is the closet thing to a "sure bet" I've seen, in terms of a display and performance/value for your dollar, unless you really just need a huge screen.

Good luck! :)

Tennberg:

I appreciate your comments and I too am disappointed that this TV didn't work out. While not an expert on video displays, I did a fair amount of research before buying the 960 and did not find any information (until reading this thread) that stated how poor non-HDTV performance would be. It seems to me that this needs to be better communicated to the consumer since most of us will not be viewing the majority of our programming in HDTV for at least a while. I ordered an HDTV antenna and am waiting for it to arrive, so I never got a chance to see what this set can do with HDTV. I'm sure it's impressive.

With regard to professional calibration; maybe this would have solved some of my problems, but again, people need to be made aware that if they buy this TV, they may have to shell out another couple of hundred dollars to get it to perform properly. This should only be necessary to maximize the performance, not to get an acceptable picture on a new set.

Tennberg:

I appreciate your comments and I too am disappointed that this TV didn't work out. While not an expert on video displays, I did a fair amount of research before buying the 960 and did not find any information (until reading this thread) that stated how poor non-HDTV performance would be. It seems to me that this needs to be better communicated to the consumer since most of us will not be viewing the majority of our programming in HDTV for at least a while. I ordered an HDTV antenna and am waiting for it to arrive, so I never got a chance to see what this set can do with HDTV. I'm sure it's impressive.

With regard to professional calibration; maybe this would have solved some of my problems, but again, people need to be made aware that if they buy this TV, they may have to shell out another couple of hundred dollars to get it to perform properly. This should only be necessary to maximize the performance, not to get an acceptable picture on a new set.

You're right, and what you say applies to all sorts of displays, not just this one. I've been following your case here and you truly have had some of THE damndest of bad luck I think I've ever seen. I'm real sorry.

You're right, and what you say applies to all sorts of displays, not just this one. I've been following your case here and you truly have had some of THE damndest of bad luck I think I've ever seen. I'm real sorry.

I agree...the problems with SD picture quality relates to ANY 16x9 tv, whether it be CRT, LCD, Plasma, etc. It's not a Sony issue, or even a XBR960 issue...it's a 16x9 HD tv trying to show 4x3 content issue.

For what it's worth, even though I had done tons of my own research, when I went to purchase my first 16x9 set, the salesperson at Best Buy asked me if I watch a lot of TV, and how much of it would be HD content. He warned me that non-HD content wouldn't look as good as my current set (27" Sony 4x3), all of which I already knew, but at least he did his part by explaining it again.

I agree...the problems with SD picture quality relates to ANY 16x9 tv, whether it be CRT, LCD, Plasma, etc. It's not a Sony issue, or even a XBR960 issue...it's a 16x9 HD tv trying to show 4x3 content issue.

For what it's worth, even though I had done tons of my own research, when I went to purchase my first 16x9 set, the salesperson at Best Buy asked me if I watch a lot of TV, and how much of it would be HD content. He warned me that non-HD content wouldn't look as good as my current set (27" Sony 4x3), all of which I already knew, but at least he did his part by explaining it again.

That's a very fair point. If I take a 4:3 signal and stretch it out over the 16X9 screen, I'm definitely taking a little bit of a PQ hit vs. if I keep the 4:3 picture in default mode, with the pillar box bars.

This phenomoneon is unavoidable if you stretch 4:3 material on any 16X9 TV.

That's a very fair point. If I take a 4:3 signal and stretch it out over the 16X9 screen, I'm definitely taking a little bit of a PQ hit vs. if I keep the 4:3 picture in default mode, with the pillar box bars.

This phenomoneon is unavoidable if you stretch 4:3 material on any 16X9 TV.

What is the consensus around here on using the stretch modes for 4X3 SD material? I personally can't stand the distortion and always use the default mode with the pillar boxes. Am I really risking burn-in? I've had my 960 about a month now and was pleasantly surprised by the PQ of analog SD content. I find it more than acceptable and have no problems using the pillarboxes as long as I'm not doing any long term damage to my screen. Are there any warning signs for the beginnings of burn-in that I should be looking out for? Any thoughts from more experienced 960 users would be greatly appreciated.

What is the consensus around here on using the stretch modes for 4X3 SD material? I personally can't stand the distortion and always use the default mode with the pillar boxes. Am I really risking burn-in? I've had my 960 about a month now and was pleasantly surprised by the PQ of analog SD content. I find it more than acceptable and have no problems using the pillarboxes as long as I'm not doing any long term damage to my screen. Are there any warning signs for the beginnings of burn-in that I should be looking out for? Any thoughts from more experienced 960 users would be greatly appreciated.


If you don't have the TV in torch mode, I think your risk of burn-in is low to none on a CRT tube, especially a nice one like this.

Personally, I use the 960's Full and especially Wide Zoom mode and I'm VERY pleased with it. It's about as well implemented a stretch mode as you're going to see anywhere, really. I use full for videogames and Wide Zoom for SD TV.

If you want to stay in pillar box, you can and probably not worry about it, as long as your contrast and brightness aren't set at insane heights.

What is the consensus around here on using the stretch modes for 4X3 SD material? I personally can't stand the distortion and always use the default mode with the pillar boxes. Am I really risking burn-in? I've had my 960 about a month now and was pleasantly surprised by the PQ of analog SD content. I find it more than acceptable and have no problems using the pillarboxes as long as I'm not doing any long term damage to my screen. Are there any warning signs for the beginnings of burn-in that I should be looking out for? Any thoughts from more experienced 960 users would be greatly appreciated.

I became used to the "stretched" content rather quickly. It really doesn't bother me...but I know some people that hate it. Just a matter of preference. Since my old TV was only 27", I'm actually still getting a bigger picture if I went 4:3 with pillarboxes on the 34" set...but for me, it's psychological: I want as much of my screen used as possible.

I became used to the "stretched" content rather quickly. It really doesn't bother me...but I know some people that hate it. Just a matter of preference. Since my old TV was only 27", I'm actually still getting a bigger picture if I went 4:3 with pillarboxes on the 34" set...but for me, it's psychological: I want as much of my screen used as possible.

Exactly how I feel about it. I came from a 27, and then a 32 inch 4:3 set myself.

What is the consensus around here on using the stretch modes for 4X3 SD material? I personally can't stand the distortion and always use the default mode with the pillar boxes. Am I really risking burn-in? I've had my 960 about a month now and was pleasantly surprised by the PQ of analog SD content. I find it more than acceptable and have no problems using the pillarboxes as long as I'm not doing any long term damage to my screen. Are there any warning signs for the beginnings of burn-in that I should be looking out for? Any thoughts from more experienced 960 users would be greatly appreciated.

Personally, I can't stand stretch mode. If the content was originally shown as 4:3, it should be viewed as 4:3. Also my take on movies: Pass over the full screen/pan & scan version. The director intended the movie to be widescreen, so view it that way, even if you only have a 4:3 set and it will be letterboxed. Some people say you don't notice the distortion or that you get used to it. Honestly, how can you not notice that the picture is 33% wider with no vertical adjustment? People's heads look wider, text is distorted and so on.

Couple things about this:

1. Whenever I've had Comcast over for any technical issues with my cable, they would see that I had 4:3 content set to not stretch and they'd wonder why the heck I left it that way. Some would even try to change the setting without me noticing, as if having a 16:9 set meant you had to watch everything at that aspect ratio.

2. When my parents got their HD set and they started watching SD channels on it, they wondered why it wasn't filling the whole screen. They thought if they were getting a 16:9 set, everything would fill up the screen. I showed them the stretch mode and they hated it. Guess it runs in the family :-)

If you don't have the TV in torch mode, I think your risk of burn-in is low to none on a CRT tube, especially a nice one like this.

Personally, I use the 960's Full and especially Wide Zoom mode and I'm VERY pleased with it. It's about as well implemented a stretch mode as you're going to see anywhere, really. I use full for videogames and Wide Zoom for SD TV.

If you want to stay in pillar box, you can and probably not worry about it, as long as your contrast and brightness aren't set at insane heights.

I'm very satisfied with the picture quality of non HD transmissions especially if viewed through the HDMI (video 7) input. It is an improvement over a very good Toshiba 32" 4x3 that now sits in the bedroom. While the picture is smaller than the 32" set it was well worth the trade-off.

I have two thoughts why some might feel the 960 doesn't display non-HD signals so well.

1) It might be wishful thinking but is it because we are so floored by the purity of HD and DVD we now notice more the limitations of standard video signals?

2) It is still being viewed through the cable box. We have a hybrid-splitter (which doesn't degrade the quality of the signal when split) to view non-scrambled signals in twin-view. We noticed an improved picture through Sony's built-in tuner (using a coaxil feed) compared to the same signal through the box's S-video output. It might be best to use the cable-card option and Sony's own cable tuner in lieu of a box (if interactive programming is not a necessity).

We also prefer the wide-stretch mode despite the downgrade in picture quality. Of course, stretch-mode is only available through a non-HD input so we have to view programs through the cable box's S-video ouput (not as good as component or HDMI).

Being able to store settings individually the adjustments for our standard (S) video, coaxial feed, VCR and DVD vary from than those for HD. We made these while in stretch mode.

Our only regret is that cable cards are currently only one-directional because we know digital and analog signals would be improved even more if fed directly into the set's superior tuner. We do not know if there is a difference in HD quality with a card and coaxil feed versus a box and HDMI wire.

One note regarding the above: we didn't make our settings for DVD in the wide-stretch mode.

Of course, stretch-mode is only available through a non-HD input so we have to view programs through the cable box's S-video ouput (not as good as component or HDMI).

Not to be a snob, but...

Of course, that's 100% hogwash :)

The stretch modes aren't available to HD SIGNALS, has nothing to do with input. My HD-Tivo can pass 480i over HDMI, and the 960 can do it's normal SD stretching to it without a problem...

Not to be a snob, but...

Of course, that's 100% hogwash :)

The stretch modes aren't available to HD SIGNALS, has nothing to do with input. My HD-Tivo can pass 480i over HDMI, and the 960 can do it's normal SD stretching to it without a problem...

Wide Stretch Mode is not an option using Video 7 - only provided are zoom, horizontal and vertical stretches. :)

An update on my television issues...

I will be taking a DVD player and DVD into the local retailer tomorrow to run some more extensive tests on the display model and to lobby for YANU (yet-another-new-unit). Tonight while watching the football game on ESPN, I discovered another problem. The CableCard drops out all digital channels randomly and must be reset. This happens about once every two hours. This is another problem with the TV, and I know that because I had my qbox in my last set repaired for this very same issue back in March. So it would seem I really have pretty much the exact same set... exact same problems.

Will update you all with my findings tomorrow.

An update on my television issues...

I will be taking a DVD player and DVD into the local retailer tomorrow to run some more extensive tests on the display model and to lobby for YANU (yet-another-new-unit). Tonight while watching the football game on ESPN, I discovered another problem. The CableCard drops out all digital channels randomly and must be reset. This happens about once every two hours. This is another problem with the TV, and I know that because I had my qbox in my last set repaired for this very same issue back in March. So it would seem I really have pretty much the exact same set... exact same problems.

Will update you all with my findings tomorrow.

I tell ya. I've read enough around this forum by now to be almost spooked away from cable cards.

Good luck! Keep us posted. :)

And, btw, for all of you out there who are considering this television, don't let my problems spook you away from purchasing this set. I truly believe I have just got two lemons in a row. This model is one amazing television, and without-a-doubt the best choice for the money.

And Q: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm definitely not giving up until I get a good set delivered.

And, btw, for all of you out there who are considering this television, don't let my problems spook you away from purchasing this set. I truly believe I have just got two lemons in a row. This model is one amazing television, and without-a-doubt the best choice for the money.

And Q: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm definitely not giving up until I get a good set delivered.

You definitely got lemons. This isn't normal. ;)

An update on my television issues...

I will be taking a DVD player and DVD into the local retailer tomorrow to run some more extensive tests on the display model and to lobby for YANU (yet-another-new-unit). Tonight while watching the football game on ESPN, I discovered another problem. The CableCard drops out all digital channels randomly and must be reset. This happens about once every two hours. This is another problem with the TV, and I know that because I had my qbox in my last set repaired for this very same issue back in March. So it would seem I really have pretty much the exact same set... exact same problems.

Will update you all with my findings tomorrow.

Brad:

Do you just use a CableCard or do you also have a cable box? I just use an HD DVR cable box and I couldn't live without out. I too have avoided CableCard as there is no way to use OnDemand, PPV, and it would be too weird to have a DVR set up in addition to the card.

One thing you might want to confirm with your cable company is if the card is compatible with the 960 and if the CableCard has the latest firmware on it. I know in reading other threads that CableCard issues were resolved with a simple firmware update.

Brad:

Do you just use a CableCard or do you also have a cable box? I just use an HD DVR cable box and I couldn't live without out. I too have avoided CableCard as there is no way to use OnDemand, PPV, and it would be too weird to have a DVR set up in addition to the card.

One thing you might want to confirm with your cable company is if the card is compatible with the 960 and if the CableCard has the latest firmware on it. I know in reading other threads that CableCard issues were resolved with a simple firmware update.

Yes!

And I'd easily give the evil eye to the Cable Card first before I would the TV.

tennberg,

I use both a CableCard and a HD DVR. The CableCard provides for better quality compared to the HD DVR's tuner, so I only use the DVR for recording or quick guide look-ups.

I do know for sure that I have the latest firmware on the CableCard, and that it is compatible with my model. In fact, the local Time Warner offices bought the exact same set to do all of their CableCard testing.

Since I had this same problem before, and replacing the qbox fixed it, I assume that the same problem is plaguing this set as well.

And, btw, for all of you out there who are considering this television, don't let my problems spook you away from purchasing this set. I truly believe I have just got two lemons in a row. This model is one amazing television, and without-a-doubt the best choice for the money.

And Q: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm definitely not giving up until I get a good set delivered.

Hi Brad,

We're also very sorry to read of the problems you've encountered with both sets but for somebody unable to enjoy 960 and still praise it shows a lot of class!

Am sure this bad experience will end when you receive number three. Let us know.

What is the best method to clean he 960's TV screen?

On other sets we had used a liquid cleaner (i.e., Glass Plus) with paper towels to dry them (done with the power off). With the Sony we're only using a dry dust rag until learning the safest way to keep the flat screen pristine clean.

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.

My 34XBR960 was delivered today! I've noticed a couple things, though, and couldn't find anything in the settings...

When I turn on the TV, I get an on-screen display in the upper and lower left. Upper left is the video mode (Video 5/DVD), lower left is the screen mode (Screen Mode: Full.) This stays on the screen for 15 seconds (which feels like about 15 MINUTES...) The only thing I could find in the Menu was a setting for "Info Banner", which I have set to Off. How do I keep this on-screen info from displaying every time I turn on the TV? Or, at the very least, make it go away after a second or two? I've never seen any TV keep info on the screen that long...15 seconds is an eternity.

Also, is it normal for it to take a long time to show a picture when first turned on? The Toshiba 34HF85 I just returned would come on almost instantly, and show a picture about a second (2 at the most) after pressing Power. The Sony stays dark for a good 5-8 seconds before showing a picture. My HD Sat/DVR is always on, so I know that's not it...Is this normal for this set?

Thanks...

BTW, I immediately noticed a difference in PQ from the Toshiba. I've only made minor adjustments (will calibrate after 50 hours of use), but the difference is striking. Much more clarity, more realistic colors (even after I calibrated the Toshiba with the DVE DVD), and an overall sharper image. I think I'm going to be very happy with this set once I figure it out... :)

What is the best method to clean he 960's TV screen?

On other sets we had used a liquid cleaner (i.e., Glass Plus) with paper towels to dry them (done with the power off). With the Sony we're only using a dry dust rag until learning the safest way to keep the flat screen pristine clean.

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.

Joseph:

I've had the set for almost 11 months now and have simply been taking the softest cloth possible and dragging it across the screen lightly to remove any bit of dust. SInce it's a vertical surface, it really doesn't need cleaning.

I've only noticed some dust build-up at the bottom of the screen where it meets the plastic housing. I simply use the same cloth to wipe off this dust or I use a can of compressed air to blow the dust away.

The screen does have a coating on it so any excessive rubbing will wear it off and make it that much worse. I'm sure that isn't covered under warranty.

Sorry but what's the main difference beetween this TV and Sony 36XS955 ?

Is the XBR able to correctly handle 576i from a PAL/SECAM ignal ?

Regards

Zar

Sorry but what's the main difference beetween this TV and Sony 36XS955 ?

Is the XBR able to correctly handle 576i from a PAL/SECAM ignal ?

Regards

Zar


I can't answer your PAL/SECAM question, but the differences between the 960 and 955 are listed here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=481457

Joseph:

I've had the set for almost 11 months now and have simply been taking the softest cloth possible and dragging it across the screen lightly to remove any bit of dust. SInce it's a vertical surface, it really doesn't need cleaning.

I've only noticed some dust build-up at the bottom of the screen where it meets the plastic housing. I simply use the same cloth to wipe off this dust or I use a can of compressed air to blow the dust away.

The screen does have a coating on it so any excessive rubbing will wear it off and make it that much worse. I'm sure that isn't covered under warranty.

Hi Tenn,

Thanks for the feedback and info about the set's protective coating. I'll continue with soft dust cloth.

Joe

There are screen cleaning products out there that say they won't damage protective coatings. Monster cable actually has a product called Monster Screen Clean. I got it about 5 years ago for my 36"SD Wega. It did a decent job for me, although I haven't used it on my 960 yet.

When I turn on the TV, I get an on-screen display in the upper and lower left. Upper left is the video mode (Video 5/DVD), lower left is the screen mode (Screen Mode: Full.) This stays on the screen for 15 seconds (which feels like about 15 MINUTES...) The only thing I could find in the Menu was a setting for "Info Banner", which I have set to Off. How do I keep this on-screen info from displaying every time I turn on the TV? Or, at the very least, make it go away after a second or two? I've never seen any TV keep info on the screen that long...15 seconds is an eternity.




This bugs me too. The only solution I have found is to quickly press the Display button on the remote twice. The OSD also stays up a bit too long for my taste when you switch inputs. The display button trick works there too.

When I turn on the TV, I get an on-screen display in the upper and lower left. Upper left is the video mode (Video 5/DVD), lower left is the screen mode (Screen Mode: Full.) This stays on the screen for 15 seconds (which feels like about 15 MINUTES...) The only thing I could find in the Menu was a setting for "Info Banner", which I have set to Off. How do I keep this on-screen info from displaying every time I turn on the TV? Or, at the very least, make it go away after a second or two? I've never seen any TV keep info on the screen that long...15 seconds is an eternity


This bugs me too. The only solution I have found is to quickly press the Display button on the remote twice. The OSD also stays up a bit too long for my taste when you switch inputs. The display button trick works there too.

If a 15 second "banner" is all you can find to nitpick about on a TV...you're doing pretty good. ;) Have a little patience... :p

This Sony is a NTSC only set, it cannot handle PAL signals....

Well, I just broke down and bought a 960. Still trying to get rid of my 55xs955, but I couldn't wait any longer.

I purchased the 960 at a local home furnishings store and talked them down to $1649. Considering their floor model was going for $1799, I assume a new one for $1649 is a great deal :)

My good friend is going to do an ISF calibration in the near future. I can't wait to see the picture after that.

Well, I just broke down and bought a 960. Still trying to get rid of my 55xs955, but I couldn't wait any longer.

I purchased the 960 at a local home furnishings store and talked them down to $1649. Considering their floor model was going for $1799, I assume a new one for $1649 is a great deal :)

You assume VERY correctly! :eek: :)



My good friend is going to do an ISF calibration in the near future. I can't wait to see the picture after that.

This will be you: :D

I'm intrigued by this Twin View thing...How would this work with an HD D* DVR? I've got 2 satellite lines plus the off-air antenna line going in to the back of the HD DVR. I believe the receiver is required in order to change channels, etc...Is Twin View even possible with satellite?

Very confused...

Guys - posting this here because I know a bunch of us use the magiker stand from IKEA...

Anyone else have bowing at all of the top board (Where the tv sits)?

Mine seems to have a slight dip, nothing that I'm overly concerned about, but let's just say I get squeamish when my son plays within the shadow of the tv...

Anyone else see this? I could post a photo, if need be...

You guys will love this question; so foolish, yet so necessary.

How far apart, left to right and front to back, are the feet on the XBR960?

I'm trying to determine if the set will physically fit on top of my current TV stand; I don't mind if the set hangs over the edges, but obviously the feet have to fit on the top of the stand. I can find on the net the exterior dimensions of the set itself, but not the distances between the feet ...

There are basically 3 pads the tv rests on, 2 front, 1 back. The front of the tv is exactly 39" wide. The depth is 21.5". The back of my TV hangs off by 1.5". If the top of your stand is 40" X 20" you will be fine.

There are basically 3 pads the tv rests on, 2 front, 1 back. The front of the tv is exactly 39" wide.I read from online specs that the TV cabinet is 39 1/8 wide. Are you saying that the front foot pads are at the extreme left/right/front of the set? I was hoping that they might be inset a few inches, perhaps with the speakers overhanging outside the front feet.


The depth is 21.5". This is the distance from the front pads to the rear pad?

Well, as luck would have it, I live within 3 miles of the fabled tinkerer Ken Tech. I invited him over to fiddle with the Service Mode settings of my 960. WOW!

The key was getting gray scale right. There actually were only a handful of service mode adjustments after that, but what a difference. I thought it was good before, although not great. This set is riveting to watch now, especially with DVD material.

Keep your eye out for his posts on this set and Sony Service mode. He knows of what he writes.

Thanks Ken!!

I read from online specs that the TV cabinet is 39 1/8 wide. Are you saying that the front foot pads are at the extreme left/right/front of the set? I was hoping that they might be inset a few inches, perhaps with the speakers overhanging outside the front feet.


This is the distance from the front pads to the rear pad?

It's really hard to explain the shape of this TV. You would get a much better idea by going to sonystyle.com and taking the 360 tour. You will need to install the Viewpoint media player though, and it only supports IE. It won't work on Mozilla/Firefox.

The bottom line is that the front of the TV is 39" wide, and the full 39'' needs to be supported. The back rests on a single 4"X4" pad, centered on the TV. My stand is only 20" deep, and about 1.5" hang off the back unsupported. IMO, the absolute minimum requirements for a stand to hold this TV would be 39'' wide x 19" deep.

What are the dimensions of your current stand?

IMO, the absolute minimum requirements for a stand to hold this TV would be 39'' wide x 19" deep. What are the dimensions of your current stand?
Less than that, unfortunately. While my current stand is rated for 250 pounds, it is only 35.5" wide by 18.5" deep.

As noted previously, I had been hoping that the 960's feet were inset a bit, as are the feet on my older Sony XBR2. I'm not overly concerned about any parts of the set hanging out over the edge of the stand, but having the feet actually on the stand would be nice!

An unanticipated setback -- I've pretty much used up all my credibility convincing my lovely bride to grudgingly agree to the expense of purchasing the set itself; having to casually mention that we'll need another couple of hundred for a stand is going to be awkward. I was saving whatever karma I had left for the ISF calibration a couple of months down the road.

I suppose I could get an appropriately sized piece of 1.25" plywood, paint it black and bolt it onto the top of the current stand. :)

Sorry to hear it won't work with your current stand. If it helps any, I absolutely love the stand I got at CC. It's on sale now for $149 on their website:

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

I bought it only as a temporary solution, but it turns out that it looks great with the 960 on it and is extremely sturdy. I couldn't be happier with it. Good luck.

Is this TV really capable of displaying video in progressive scan mode?

If so, should I invest in a progressive scan DVD player? Is it worth it? And what's a good entry level progressive scan player?

Sorry to hear it won't work with your current stand. If it helps any, I absolutely love the stand I got at CC. It's on sale now for $149 on their website:

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

I bought it only as a temporary solution, but it turns out that it looks great with the 960 on it and is extremely sturdy. I couldn't be happier with it. Good luck.
I got that same stand as an open box item for $129. It was flawless, so I couldn't pass it up. :)

I got that same stand as an open box item for $129. It was flawless, so I couldn't pass it up. :)

That stand looks like it was designed after the Bell'O AVS-2102 stand. I have the AVS-2103 which adds an extra shelf and it works fine.

There are basically 3 pads the tv rests on, 2 front, 1 back. The front of the tv is exactly 39" wide. The depth is 21.5". The back of my TV hangs off by 1.5". If the top of your stand is 40" X 20" you will be fine.

The very front is 39", but the widest part (the furthest point on the front bezel) is 39 1/8", so for anyone trying to fit this set in an entertainment center as opposed to a stand, keep that in mind.

I looked high and low for a relatively small entertainment center with a wide enough hole for the TV, and actually found 2 different ones at Best Buy. Here's the one I got:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6255125&type=product&id=1077627709022

(Don't listen to the description...it fits the 34XBR960 great. the center section is 41" wide, so there's about an inch on either side of the TV. Works great! The shelves on either side of the TV are glass, and ajustbable.

Is this TV really capable of displaying video in progressive scan mode?

If so, should I invest in a progressive scan DVD player? Is it worth it? And what's a good entry level progressive scan player?

The 960 does accept progressive scan signals(480p). Whether you should upgrade or not depends on your personal preference. For me, even though I have PS players, I configure them to pass 480i to the 960. I find I can tweak the picture better using the upconverter on the 960 than the dvd players. If you pass 480p to the 960, the DRC functions and a few of the stretch modes are disabled. One reason you may want to upgrade is if your players connection options aren't up to date. You will get the best results from your DVD's if you use component or HDMI connections over S-video or RCA connectors. If you current player has component, you can probably wait for the new Blu-ray/HD-DVD players next year.

If you do decide you need to upgrade now, I have been keeping an eye on the new HDMI player Sony is coming out with shortly. It's the NS70H and it will cost around $150, which is on the low end for HDMI. There are a couple of threads about it on the DVD Forum if you want to do some reading. Good luck.

The very front is 39", but the widest part (the furthest point on the front bezel) is 39 1/8", so for anyone trying to fit this set in an entertainment center as opposed to a stand, keep that in mind.

I looked high and low for a relatively small entertainment center with a wide enough hole for the TV, and actually found 2 different ones at Best Buy. Here's the one I got:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6255125&type=product&id=1077627709022

(Don't listen to the description...it fits the 34XBR960 great. the center section is 41" wide, so there's about an inch on either side of the TV. Works great! The shelves on either side of the TV are glass, and ajustbable.

That Viewpoint 360 Tour on the sonystyle.com site will let you flip the image upside down and let you see the exact footprint the set requires. Pretty damn cool, IMO.

If you current player has component, you can probably wait for the new Blu-ray/HD-DVD players next year.

If you do decide you need to upgrade now, I have been keeping an eye on the new HDMI player Sony is coming out with shortly. It's the NS70H and it will cost around $150, which is on the low end for HDMI. There are a couple of threads about it on the DVD Forum if you want to do some reading. Good luck.
My current DVD player is an Apex unit. Does that say anything about picture quality? It has component out, and this is how I connected it to the 960.

Sad thing about the HDMI is that my only port is going to be used up by the Comcast cable box. Is HDMI any better than component? Should I use the component out on the HD cable box instead of the DVI->HDMI and use the HDMI on the TV for the DVD?

My current DVD player is an Apex unit. Does that say anything about picture quality?

Yes. Apex is a brand I see for <$100 at WalMart or Target. Not very mind blowing, no offense.


It has component out, and this is how I connected it to the 960.

At least the Apex becomes the beneficiary of all of the 960's bells and whistles.



Sad thing about the HDMI is that my only port is going to be used up by the Comcast cable box. Is HDMI any better than component?

Yes.

Should I use the component out on the HD cable box instead of the DVI->HDMI and use the HDMI on the TV for the DVD?

9/10 times, yes.

You may be one of the exceptions, and I'll explain how and why:

Which Apex do you own? No offense, but Apex is not exactly a high end brand. I was unaware that they even OFFERED DVD players that had an HDMI out and upconverting capabilities on them.

In this specific case, this would be worth you doing an A/B test. Connect the Apex via HDMI, crank the settings as high as you can, and put in a DVD that you know intimately. See how it looks to you. Then switch back over to component and compare.

If your Apex player is what I'm expecting, the upscaling circuitry and such in it will probably be VASTLY inferior to what the 960 has, so you may very well see a better PQ by leaving the Apex via component at 480 and letting the 960 have full duties on the PQ.

Let us know what you find out.

Guys - posting this here because I know a bunch of us use the magiker stand from IKEA...

Anyone else have bowing at all of the top board (Where the tv sits)?

Mine seems to have a slight dip, nothing that I'm overly concerned about, but let's just say I get squeamish when my son plays within the shadow of the tv...

Anyone else see this? I could post a photo, if need be...


Bumping, as I know people have this, damnit! :)

My current DVD player is an Apex unit. Does that say anything about picture quality? It has component out, and this is how I connected it to the 960.

Apex is a budget player. I have similar players(cyberhome, phillips) and I think they do a damn fine job on the 960. If you are happy with the picture on your current player, I'd stick with it until BR/HD-DVD players come out next year.




Sad thing about the HDMI is that my only port is going to be used up by the Comcast cable box. Is HDMI any better than component? Should I use the component out on the HD cable box instead of the DVI->HDMI and use the HDMI on the TV for the DVD?

HDMI is an all digital connection. Component is a high bandwith connection, but it is still analog. So yes, HDMI is better than component. The question you need to ask yourself is will you notice the difference, and if you do, is it worth the $100-$300 cost of upgrading your player to HDMI.

Yes. Apex is a brand I see for <$100 at WalMart or Target. Not very mind blowing, no offense.

You must have misunderstood me. The Apex has composite and component - NO HDMI.. And it's OK if you don't like the Apex... neither do I. Hehe. I got it a long time ago because it was cheap and it had mp3 capabilities (but it sucks for playing mp3s, so I never used it for that), and it plays any disc I throw at it (burned media). I want to replace it, but I'm not sure if I really need another SD DVD player or if I am better off saving $$$ for the HD DVD players.

In case you still need to know, it's a 2 year old model that has component video out, optical/spdif audio out but NO progressive scan. I was under the impression that it had progressive, but it turns out it doesn't.

BTW, I read your thread about the ISF calibration. Good stuff! :) I have to find someone around the Bay Area to come fix my TV. I think there's a problem with most (if not all) of the 960's. Last week a friend of mine bought one and in 4:3 mode the left side of the picture is somewhat slanted. Mine has a similar defect, but it's on both sides and to a lesser degree. I assume an ISF guy would be able to correct that?


HDMI is an all digital connection. Component is a high bandwith connection, but it is still analog. So yes, HDMI is better than component. The question you need to ask yourself is will you notice the difference, and if you do, is it worth the $100-$300 cost of upgrading your player to HDMI.
Well, at this point I don't think it's worth spending $100-$300 just for the HDMI, but there's the Sony NS50 for $79 (without upconvert features). Would that have a better picture quality than the Apex? In any case, I doubt that I will be able to afford a $1000 BR/HD DVD player when they come out next year, so I'll probably have to keep my SD player for a while longer.

You must have misunderstood me. The Apex has composite and component - NO HDMI.. And it's OK if you don't like the Apex... neither do I. Hehe. I got it a long time ago because it was cheap and it had mp3 capabilities (but it sucks for playing mp3s, so I never used it for that), and it plays any disc I throw at it (burned media). I want to replace it, but I'm not sure if I really need another SD DVD player or if I am better off saving $$$ for the HD DVD players.

In case you still need to know, it's a 2 year old model that has component video out, optical/spdif audio out but NO progressive scan. I was under the impression that it had progressive, but it turns out it doesn't.

BTW, I read your thread about the ISF calibration. Good stuff! :) I have to find someone around the Bay Area to come fix my TV. I think there's a problem with most (if not all) of the 960's. Last week a friend of mine bought one and in 4:3 mode the left side of the picture is somewhat slanted. Mine has a similar defect, but it's on both sides and to a lesser degree. I assume an ISF guy would be able to correct that?


Well, at this point I don't think it's worth spending $100-$300 just for the HDMI, but there's the Sony NS50 for $79 (without upconvert features). Would that have a better picture quality than the Apex? In any case, I doubt that I will be able to afford a $1000 BR/HD DVD player when they come out next year, so I'll probably have to keep my SD player for a while longer.


DEFINITELY let the XBR960 carry the load. Thanks for the clarification. :)

I will tempt you with this: DVD isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. The new formats have yet to settle out and HD-DVD has been delayed, etc. etc.

Personally, my attitude is: I want to enjoy the best NOW as well. I own an Onkyo DV-sp1000. Connected via HDMI to the 960, and I kid you not, most of my DVD's look HD-like.

Now, certainly that's not cheap and I'm not saying you SHOULD spend that much, but if you wanted to treat yourself right, and wanted an APPRECIABLE upgrade that you'd enjoy for years to come, for both video AND audio concerns...consider a nice universal player well past $200.

There's no reason you should stay with el-cheapo and deprive yourself, as funds allow, of course. :)

You mean to do the upconverting?

You mean to do the upconverting?

See lengthy edit. Yes.

LOL, okay... I'll consider it. Thanks.

DEFINITELY let the XBR960 carry the load. Thanks for the clarification. :)

I will tempt you with this: DVD isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. The new formats have yet to settle out and HD-DVD has been delayed, etc. etc.

Personally, my attitude is: I want to enjoy the best NOW as well. I own an Onkyo DV-sp1000. Connected via HDMI to the 960, and I kid you not, most of my DVD's look HD-like.

Now, certainly that's not cheap and I'm not saying you SHOULD spend that much, but if you wanted to treat yourself right, and wanted an APPRECIABLE upgrade that you'd enjoy for years to come, for both video AND audio concerns...consider a nice universal player well past $200.

There's no reason you should stay with el-cheapo and deprive yourself, as funds allow, of course. :)

Q:

I wouldn't say any DVD player under $200 is "el cheapo" and depriving one's self. If you've ever read the Progressive Scan Shootout on HomeTheaterHiFi.com, there are two DVD players at about $200 each, the Oppo Digital OPDV971H and the Panasonic DVD-S77, that rate higher than the Onkyo DV-SP1000 (~$2000).

Granted, neither are full universal players. However, it shows that you can get a very high quality player for not a lot of money.

As for the future of DVD, both the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD specs have been finalized, and players are expected in the first half of 2006. A couple manufacturers have already made plans for universal HD-DVD/Blu-Ray, and there is still hope that a single format will be made before these players hit the market.

Oh, though there's still the hitch about whether or not to allow full 720p/1080i resolution over component or not. Right now, full HD quality will only be realized over DVR or HDMI, so those of you who bought first-generation HD sets are currently out of luck.

Luckily, the 960 does have an HDMI input, though I wish it had 2.

Well, at this point I don't think it's worth spending $100-$300 just for the HDMI, but there's the Sony NS50 for $79 (without upconvert features). Would that have a better picture quality than the Apex? In any case, I doubt that I will be able to afford a $1000 BR/HD DVD player when they come out next year, so I'll probably have to keep my SD player for a while longer.

I am basically in the same boat as you are and have been looking at DVD players for a couple of weeks now. I have to say that the DVD forum wasn't very helpful. You do see a few players recommended over the rest(oppo, pan. s77, s97), but you see just as many posts reporting problems with them(macroblocking, BTB's). Some people have had good luck with the hdmi samsungs, but again, you see just as many people bitching about what crap they are. I have no problem spending $200 for a good HDMI player, but the impression I got over there was that whatever brand you pick, it's going to be a crapshoot whether you get a "good one" or not. I personally didn't want to go through the hassle of returning 2 or 3 players until I found that "good one". I had all but made up my mind to just go out and get the ns50 for $80, when I saw the threads about the new 70 & 90 hdmi models. They are just now being released, although no one is shipping them yet. The 70 fits right in my price range at $150. So I am going to wait a few weeks and see how the reviews are on the 70 before I make my final decision.

My issue with the cable card (Aside from the tough the cable company had configuring it to actually work) is that it forces the TV to use the digital simulcasts which means I can no longer view these digital programs on the right side of the twin view. That's important because you may be watching an HD or digital device on the left side and may only be limited to a few analogs. Comcast only let's 5 or 6 analogs get though the cable card. If I eject the cable card, I can watch any channel's analog version on the right and every channel has one with the exception of the digital tier stuff.

Why is it people are apprehensive about going with 480p over 480i dvd players? Isn't it unanimous that progressive scan offers a better image?

You do see a few players recommended over the rest(oppo, pan. s77, s97), but you see just as many posts reporting problems with them(macroblocking, BTB's).

Keep in mind, the number of people coming to these forums is a VERY small sample size, and the majority of the people posting are doing so because they have an issue/problem. If someone buys a great DVD player, and has no problems with it, they probably won't ever FIND this forum.

Keep in mind, the number of people coming to these forums is a VERY small sample size, and the majority of the people posting are doing so because they have an issue/problem. If someone buys a great DVD player, and has no problems with it, they probably won't ever FIND this forum.

Thats so true and is something many dont think about

Keep in mind, the number of people coming to these forums is a VERY small sample size, and the majority of the people posting are doing so because they have an issue/problem. If someone buys a great DVD player, and has no problems with it, they probably won't ever FIND this forum.

Wow, someone who has been here a whole month is giving me advice on how to use these forums. Must be my lucky day:)

Seriously though, I wasn't talking about all the forums here, in most forums you do need to take peoples' gripes/complaints with a grain of salt. I was specifically talking about the DVD player forum where the majority of the posts these days are shootouts/brain dumps/debates over the relative pluses and minuses of upconverting HDMI players. These threads are very detailed and in depth and give exact specs on what each player can and cannot do. Paul Bigelow's brain dumps are an amazing source of info into each players' strengths and weaknesses. The only problem is, after an hour or so of sifting through these posts, they leave you more confused than when you started. It was a great learning experience, but it was also a bit of information overload. Seeing all of a players' potential pitfalls all lined up in one neat list makes you wonder if upgrading is even worth it. Who wants to spend $200 on a new player, only to have a new set of potential problems crop up. That was the point I was trying to get across in my earlier post, sorry if I was unclear.

... The only problem is, after an hour or so of sifting through these posts, they leave you more confused than when you started.Reminds me of the last time I tried to analyze cell phone plans, coverages and phone performance. :)

Q:

I wouldn't say any DVD player under $200 is "el cheapo" and depriving one's self. If you've ever read the Progressive Scan Shootout on HomeTheaterHiFi.com, there are two DVD players at about $200 each, the Oppo Digital OPDV971H and the Panasonic DVD-S77, that rate higher than the Onkyo DV-SP1000 (~$2000).
This is what someone wrote on Amazon.com in a review of the Oppo Digital player: "Produced great picture quality, but the remote is awful and the user interface is really, really bad. It upscales well and shows very little macroblocking for a Farouja chip machine, but I returned it in favor of the Sony offering."

What is the Sony equivalent (supporting DivX/XviD)?

This is what someone wrote on Amazon.com in a review of the Oppo Digital player: "Produced great picture quality, but the remote is awful and the user interface is really, really bad. It upscales well and shows very little macroblocking for a Farouja chip machine, but I returned it in favor of the Sony offering."

What is the Sony equivalent (supporting DivX/XviD)?

The sony 975 is generally compared to the oppo. Don't know if it does divx or xvid. The new 70h and 90v have just been released and are also HDMI players.

Q:

I wouldn't say any DVD player under $200 is "el cheapo" and depriving one's self. If you've ever read the Progressive Scan Shootout on HomeTheaterHiFi.com, there are two DVD players at about $200 each, the Oppo Digital OPDV971H and the Panasonic DVD-S77, that rate higher than the Onkyo DV-SP1000 (~$2000).

Ridiculous.



Granted, neither are full universal players. However, it shows that you can get a very high quality player for not a lot of money.

The Oppo and the Panasonic units, are not a peers, let alone superior, to an Onkyo 1000, a Pioneer 59, a Denon 3910, or a Denon 5910. Not even close.

At the very least, it's examples like those that continue to confound me with how Secrets scores and rates certain things. I think they need to abandon final scores and simply list players in alphabetical order, with the raw tests and data, and let the chips fall where they may.


Does anyone here really believe that those players are anywhere close to an Onkyo 1000 or a Denon 5910? Especially upconverting over HDMI?

Common sense and direct experience should tell you the truth on that.

Taking any one source's information blindly as Gospel is never well advised.

For their price point however, the Oppo and Panny units are quite solid for what they are.

FWIW, my answer to the title of this thread is a resounding "YES."" http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=563168

FWIW, my answer to the title of this thread is a resounding "YES."" http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=563168

Come on Q I enjoy that thread and am anxiously awaiting Kris's review. Just imagine how much more improved our 960's would be if we sat The Mat on top of them.

You got to love the double blind blow hards in the thread though.

A lady falls 33,000 feet in the wreckage of a plane and lives. You can do all the double blind falls at 32 feet per second per second you want to prove why she should be dead. At the end of the day she's just going to smack you in the back of the head and say I'm alive. :D

Come on Q I enjoy that thread and am anxiously awaiting Kris's review. Just imagine how much more improved our 960's would be if we sat The Mat on top of them.

You got to love the double blind blow hards in the thread though.

A lady falls 33,000 feet in the wreckage of a plane and lives. You can do all the double blind falls at 32 feet per second per second you want to prove why she should be dead. At the end of the day she's just going to smack you in the back of the head and say I'm alive. :D

LOL! :D

That thread has become a comedic classic for me on this forum.

I have to agree with Q 100%.

I currently own the Onkyo sp 1000 and have owned the Denon 3910 and 5900.
I also own a Pany S97....and the Onkyo is at least 15% better with detail, color accuracy.....the 97 seems to push red....and overall smoothness of picture.

The 3910 and 5900 would also be considered much better players than the 97.

I don't think Secrets is saying there rankings are an absolute bible.....but more as a good place to start your player search.

I don't believe you find anyone who owns one of the players mentioned above or the Pioneer 59avi....that will say that the Oppo or S97 are as good of a player after comparing for themselves..

There probably are expensive players that offer inferior picture quality to the Oppo and S97....just not these particular models.

I have to agree with Q 100%.

I currently own the Onkyo sp 1000 and have owned the Denon 3910 and 5900.
I also own a Pany S97....and the Onkyo is at least 15% better with detail, color accuracy.....the 97 seems to push red....and overall smoothness of picture.

AT least 15 percent. You're being VERY conservative, but that's definitely a safe basement figure, at least.



The 3910 and 5900 would also be considered much better players than the 97.

I don't think Secrets is saying there rankings are an absolute bible.....but more as a good place to start your player search.

Exactly right.

Unfortunately, we have plenty of people around here that DO take Secrets and pass them off as "Absolute bible" sight unseen, without even demoing any of the hardware in question. How many threads in the DVD player forum have we seen locked down due to Secrets' acolytes "arguing" using nothing more than their misrepresentation of Secrets' test results?

Beyond count. To their credit, even Kris Deering and Sspears themselves have come into many a thread to try and clear up the misconceptions of how their work is "interpreted."



I don't believe you find anyone who owns one of the players mentioned above or the Pioneer 59avi....that will say that the Oppo or S97 are as good of a player after comparing for themselves.

Of course not. Experience and common sense will easily tell you the tale.


There probably are expensive players that offer inferior picture quality to the Oppo and S97....just not these particular models.

Certainly.

This is a perfect example of why Secrets really needs to consider abandoning their present scoring system, especially "final scores", because it's just too easy for some people to misread and misrepresent that information. Some of them do it on purpose.

Anyways...back to the XBR960!

I had my ISF calibration done tonight, and I'm very pleased with the results. The guy who did it said I had one of the best sets he's seen in a while. When calibrating the grays, the set started out way strong in the blues, but he dialed it in close to 6500 kelvin. As he cycled through the different gray levels/intensities/whatever they were, the box hardly moved from the target on his laptop...it was within 1-2% across the board. Geometry was pretty close, and he dialed it in nicely. Centering was off to the right quite a bit on the HDMI input, but he fixed that as well.

I've noticed the colors are much more natural, and skin tones are great (on DVD...although HD/SD satellite are also much better, but more inconsistent.) What I found interesting, though, was he dialed in the final color settings manually. He had several specific parts of scenes on two different DVDs (Fifth Element superbit, and Shakespeare in Love, which he uses for skin tones), and he used those to dial in the color. He said he's used those same parts too many times to count, and knows exactly when they look "right." He said that most of calibrators, including the main guy at ISF, do final colors manually. I have to admit, the colors and skin tones look damn good!

All in all, it was worth $250.

Wow, someone who has been here a whole month is giving me advice on how to use these forums. Must be my lucky day:)

Sorry if I misinterpreted what you were saying, but it sure sounded different the first time I read it. As for only being on *these* forums a whole month, I've been on forums in general since long before there was a world wide web. I think the first forum I ever entered was in 1980, or possibly early 81, with my 300 baud accoustic coupler modem. In any event, it's a very common mistake, even for those who've been reading a particular forum for a long time, to lose perspective when they see a bunch of negative posts on a particular product. That's all I was saying... ;)

Gecko, are you in NorCal? If so, how did you find the guy?

I had my ISF calibration done tonight, and I'm very pleased with the results. The guy who did it said I had one of the best sets he's seen in a while.

He's right. Most of these guys "in the know", know that this is a professional grade monitor, especially after a good calibration. You'd be hard pressed to find a better PQ than what this thing does post ISF.


When calibrating the grays, the set started out way strong in the blues, but he dialed it in close to 6500 kelvin.

That's fairly typical. I had ungodly ratings well into 10,000 before my ISF job took it down to 6500 where it belongs.


As he cycled through the different gray levels/intensities/whatever they were, the box hardly moved from the target on his laptop...it was within 1-2% across the board. Geometry was pretty close, and he dialed it in nicely.

You lucked on that! :)


Centering was off to the right quite a bit on the HDMI input, but he fixed that as well.

I've noticed the colors are much more natural, and skin tones are great (on DVD...although HD/SD satellite are also much better, but more inconsistent.)

Any inconsistency is, of course, the fault of the source material itself, not the TV.


What I found interesting, though, was he dialed in the final color settings manually. He had several specific parts of scenes on two different DVDs (Fifth Element superbit, and Shakespeare in Love, which he uses for skin tones), and he used those to dial in the color.

Yup, that's usually how they "finish things off"- a practical viewing situation with ideal source material that they know intimately.


He said he's used those same parts too many times to count, and knows exactly when they look "right." He said that most of calibrators, including the main guy at ISF, do final colors manually.

Yup.

I have to admit, the colors and skin tones look damn good!


All in all, it was worth $250.

Absolutely. Again: I'll NEVER buy a display ever again and not get it ISF calibrated.

I hope he saved a file for you like mine did, or gave you some print outs, with all the pretty graphs and what not, so you could really SEE on paper just how drastic the before and after was. Mine certainly was!

Why is it people are apprehensive about going with 480p over 480i dvd players? Isn't it unanimous that progressive scan offers a better image?

Doesn't the progressive scanning of the 960 eliminatethe need for a progressive scan DVD player?

Gecko, are you in NorCal? If so, how did you find the guy?

I'm in Sacramento. I used the ISF website to search for certified technitians, and limited the search to only those with all the necessary equipment. I ended up going with Steve (I think that was his name...I have his info at home) from Audio FX, who actually does the calibrations on a freelance basis.

Did a search of this thread to see what some people are using as stands. Anyone out there using a wood or press board stand that is stong enough to carry the load? Have googled and googled, but am concerned that only the sony stand can hold the 200 lbs.

If I have to go with a moden stand, the vector mentioned above looks nice (http://www.homeaudiosuperstore.com/product78.html). Even rated at 350 lbs, I'd still be nervous about putting this set on a glass shelf.

If I have to go with a moden stand, the vector mentioned above looks nice (http://www.homeaudiosuperstore.com/product78.html). Even rated at 350 lbs, I'd still be nervous about putting this set on a glass shelf.

That's what mine is sitting on and it's rock solid. I was able to squeeze my center channel on the middle shelf and my DVD and receiver on the bottom. No worries.

Did a search of this thread to see what some people are using as stands. Anyone out there using a wood or press board stand that is stong enough to carry the load?

I have a pressboard entertainment center that fits nicely. The hole for the TV is 41" wide, and it's rated at 202lbs. It's actually quite solid with the TV and other components loaded up. Feels very sturdy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6255125&type=product&id=1077627709022

(The website says up to 32", but that's a typo. In-store, and on the product itself, it's listed as up to 34" tv's.)

Re: TV stands -- when reading specs or otherwise getting info about the maximum weight the stand will hold, please note that some manufacturers state the max weight the top shelf will hold (where you will put the TV), but most will simply state the maximum weight for the stand.

If you are looking at stands that will hold A/V components in addition to the TV, please take the cumulative weight of those A/V units into consideration.

On a strictly personal note, I find that a lot of the modern design stands with open backs and sides look great in the photos, but given the amount of cables, wires, power strips, UPSs, etc. I have behind my current setup (TV plus four A/V components), I'm betting that the open-design stands are more difficult in real life to not look junked-out in back.

Why don't you guys go ahead and make an outright "TV stand" thread? Obviously there's a demand for it and, if people see that title, you'll probably get more hits. ;)

In the meantime, keep an eye out for KenTech's upcoming post with the service code adjustments he made to my 960's grayscale. I would post them now, but it could be a recipe for disaster for those who would adjust without religiously keeping track of their original settings.
The resulting image is absolutely captivating.

On a strictly personal note, I find that a lot of the modern design stands with open backs and sides look great in the photos, but given the amount of cables, wires, power strips, UPSs, etc. I have behind my current setup (TV plus four A/V components), I'm betting that the open-design stands are more difficult in real life to not look junked-out in back.

Rats nest would describe it. But all the action is on the front side anyway. No need to look behind the TV once it's set up. :)

For what it's worth, the Sony stand has a wire management assembly down the back. It was the easiest answer for me.

Why don't you guys go ahead and make an outright "TV stand" thread? Obviously there's a demand for it and, if people see that title, you'll probably get more hits. ;)Certainly a good way to get some opinions that might be different from the focused wisdom available here, but the world of "general large TVs" is a strange and scary place. I feel nice and safe right here in our little discussion thread that specifically address the XBR960. :) :)

Certainly a good way to get some opinions that might be different from the focused wisdom available here, but the world of "general large TVs" is a strange and scary place. I feel nice and safe right here in our little discussion thread that specifically address the XBR960. :) :)

;)

For what it's worth, the Sony stand has a wire management assembly down the back. It was the easiest answer for me.

Agreed, the Sony stand is able to hide most of the wires, however, I have to keep the back cover off because the large amount of video and audio cables (cable box, dvd player and VCR) were so tightly pressed together they came off the input whenever a component was moved.

The new BB weekly ad this week features this set and going for under 1900. Just thought I'd mention it. My local BB techs will go home with you and deliver any large set you buy from them with their BB van, so therefore there is no delivery wait.

The new BB weekly ad this week features this set and going for under 1900. Just thought I'd mention it. My local BB techs will go home with you and deliver any large set you buy from them with their BB van, so therefore there is no delivery wait.

The new MSRP of the 34XBR960 is $1899, so hopefully BB is offering an even better sale price than that. Same goes for CC or any other retailer.

Well, after reading this thread over the span of three days, two things happened: I got a massive headache (I read every single post :D) and decided to buy one (gets delivered next Friday).

I have an old 36" XBR (non HD) in the bedroom that I wanted to upgrade. I just got a 46 Toshiba DLP for the living room and got spoiled by HDTV, so I want to get one for the bedroom now.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the informative (yet sometimes confusing) read. I knew nothing about ISF calibration, being the AV newbie that I am, but will definitely get both sets done now. I just hope that the problems that people have encountered with these sets are the exception and not the rule, but I'm now prepared for the worse and hoping for the best :D.

Thanks again!

Well, after reading this thread over the span of three days, two things happened: I got a massive headache (I read every single post :D) and decided to buy one (gets delivered next Friday).

I have an old 36" XBR (non HD) in the bedroom that I wanted to upgrade. I just got a 46 Toshiba DLP for the living room and got spoiled by HDTV, so I want to get one for the bedroom now.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the informative (yet sometimes confusing) read. I knew nothing about ISF calibration, being the AV newbie that I am, but will definitely get both sets done now. I just hope that the problems that people have encountered with these sets are the exception and not the rule, but I'm now prepared for the worse and hoping for the best :D.

Thanks again!

Enjoy your new tv, you'll love it!! :D

Well, after reading this thread over the span of three days, two things happened: I got a massive headache (I read every single post :D) and decided to buy one (gets delivered next Friday).

I have an old 36" XBR (non HD) in the bedroom that I wanted to upgrade. I just got a 46 Toshiba DLP for the living room and got spoiled by HDTV, so I want to get one for the bedroom now.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the informative (yet sometimes confusing) read. I knew nothing about ISF calibration, being the AV newbie that I am, but will definitely get both sets done now. I just hope that the problems that people have encountered with these sets are the exception and not the rule, but I'm now prepared for the worse and hoping for the best :D.

Thanks again!

Which problems in particular?

Well after months of hand-wringing, researching, fretting about and issue in this (and other forums), I finally pulled the trigger. I have been on the fence between the 42" A10 and this set and after one final comparison... went for the 960 XBR. To me, it just had the best picture (even compared to higher priced plasmas). Got a decent (not as good as others) price from a local Best Buy, and sprung for the delivery and setup (at least minimizing the weight size issue for delivery... but god help me if I have to move :p )

The paperwork took longer than expected so I had a chance to pull up a chair and watch about a quarter of the Jets game in HD... all I can say is wow! :D

Big thanks out to all that have posted. I'll be sure and report on any exeriences (positive and negative) in the hope that it provides help for other newbies.

Well after months of hand-wringing, researching, fretting about and issue in this (and other forums), I finally pulled the trigger. I have been on the fence between the 42" A10 and this set and after one final comparison... went for the 960 XBR. To me, it just had the best picture (even compared to higher priced plasmas). Got a decent (not as good as others) price from a local Best Buy, and sprung for the delivery and setup (at least minimizing the weight size issue for delivery... but god help me if I have to move :p )

The paperwork took longer than expected so I had a chance to pull up a chair and watch about a quarter of the Jets game in HD... all I can say is wow! :D

Big thanks out to all that have posted. I'll be sure and report on any exeriences (positive and negative) in the hope that it provides help for other newbies.

I think you made the best choice, quite honestly. Welcome aboard! :)

If you had gone LCD with the A10...you certainly could have done a LOT worse!

Well after months of hand-wringing, researching, fretting about and issue in this (and other forums), I finally pulled the trigger. I have been on the fence between the 42" A10 and this set and after one final comparison... went for the 960 XBR. To me, it just had the best picture (even compared to higher priced plasmas). Got a decent (not as good as others) price from a local Best Buy, and sprung for the delivery and setup (at least minimizing the weight size issue for delivery... but god help me if I have to move :p )

The paperwork took longer than expected so I had a chance to pull up a chair and watch about a quarter of the Jets game in HD... all I can say is wow! :D

Big thanks out to all that have posted. I'll be sure and report on any exeriences (positive and negative) in the hope that it provides help for other newbies.

Congratulations on your new XBR960. I've had mine for a month now and am still floored by the picture. My brother saw it for the first time yesterday (watching the U.S. Open) and admitted it was the best picture he ever saw (and he is not a big fan of Sony. He can't purchase it due to an elaborate system of shelving for his home theater which has the room for it but cannot support the weight. He hopes someday that LCD might come close to the Sony picture.

The first live event we saw was a Yankee game and we could not believe the life-like clarity. It took us some time to get used to the set and make the proper adjustments and now the HD looks even better; even got digital cable and VHS to look good!

Enjoy the set, let us know how it works out. Sorry we missed the Jet game!

Congratulations on your new XBR960. I've had mine for a month now and am still floored by the picture. My brother saw it for the first time yesterday (watching the U.S. Open) and admitted it was the best picture he ever saw (and he is not a big fan of Sony. He can't purchase it due to an elaborate system of shelving for his home theater which has the room for it but cannot support the weight. He hopes someday that LCD might come close to the Sony picture.

The first live event we saw was a Yankee game and we could not believe the life-like clarity. It took us some time to get used to the set and make the proper adjustments and now the HD looks even better; even got digital cable and VHS to look good!

Enjoy the set, let us know how it works out. Sorry we missed the Jet game!

I think you meant to use the "thumbs up" not "thumbs down" emoticon to headline your post...I hope. :)

This PQ is so dang good, that even the US Open on CBS HD FLOORED me today. I couldn't care less about tennis, mind you. I've been watching football all day (which also looks amazing in HD) but when the US Open came on, I kept watching it for about 20 minutes because the PQ was that extraordinary.

Just this afternoon, I literally got the go-ahead from the lovely bride of 18 years to purchase an XBR960 (and paybacks will be enacted, but that's another story!). And now I check in and find out that Best Buy is having a sale.

So, with Best Buy having the sale and Circuity City possibly going for a price match, that means their prices, delivered to my "any accessbile room" is a whompin' $5.11 cheaper than Crutchfield.

Advice requested as to pros and cons for which of the three companies from whomI should make the purchase in the next day or two.

Advice requested as to pros and cons from whom I should make the purchase in the next day or two.

Get it from whom ever can deliver it before 9 pm Monday night.

Get it from whom ever can deliver it befor 9 pm Monday night.

LOL!

Ladd, you really can't go wrong either way in this case. :)

you really can't go wrong either way in this case.I guess I've just heard so many horror stories about clueless salespeople, legalized-robbery extended warranties and terrible customer service with BB and CC that I don't get warm fuzzies about doing business with them. And there are hardly any bad stories about Crutchfield, which as an aside, isn't that far away delivery-wise with them being based in central VA (I live in MD).

Of course, I don't need sales help nor do I plan on purchasing an extended warranty so those factors don't really come into play. Customer service would only be important if there was something wrong with the set and I had to convince them to give me a new one (if that is even possible with their policies). BB and CC are about 11 miles from my house, so they are quite close by if I had to go there a dozen times to argue. I guess neither chain would still be in business if all their transactions were as bad as the bad ones you actually hear about, so most sales must actually go well.

I've been reading this discussion thread for over a year and asking questions for about six months -- I guess I'm just needing some final hand-holding and warm fuzzies. :)

If most folks feel that odds are good to have a satisfactory experience with either store and are not insistant to go with Crutchfield, then I guess it would boil down to if CC would pricematch BB and then which one would deliver soonest. The BB website, as of today (Sunday) says next Saturday would be the earliest day they could deliver to my home. Perhaps that could be moved up if they realized it might be the deciding factor between them or CC.

Assuming CC price-matches, then total cost delivered would be the same. Other than delivery date, anything else other folks have negotiated into a deal that I might bring up to see if one store of the other wants the sale more?

I guess I've just heard so many horror stories about clueless salespeople, legalized-robbery extended warranties and terrible customer service with BB and CC that I don't get warm fuzzies about doing business with them. And there are hardly any bad stories about Crutchfield, which as an aside, isn't that far away delivery-wise with them being based in central VA (I live in MD).

I live in Laurel MD and got my 960 from Audio Video Solutions. Hit me with a PM if you want more info.

I went to best buy on a slow monday afternoon and the sales manager was begging me to buy it. Got a pretty sweet price because of their slow sales day.

I guess I've just heard so many horror stories about clueless salespeople, legalized-robbery extended warranties and terrible customer service with BB and CC that I don't get warm fuzzies about doing business with them. And there are hardly any bad stories about Crutchfield, which as an aside, isn't that far away delivery-wise with them being based in central VA (I live in MD).

Of course, I don't need sales help nor do I plan on purchasing an extended warranty so those factors don't really come into play. Customer service would only be important if there was something wrong with the set and I had to convince them to give me a new one (if that is even possible with their policies). BB and CC are about 11 miles from my house, so they are quite close by if I had to go there a dozen times to argue. I guess neither chain would still be in business if all their transactions were as bad as the bad ones you actually hear about, so most sales must actually go well.

I've been reading this discussion thread for over a year and asking questions for about six months -- I guess I'm just needing some final hand-holding and warm fuzzies. :)

If most folks feel that odds are good to have a satisfactory experience with either store and are not insistant to go with Crutchfield, then I guess it would boil down to if CC would pricematch BB and then which one would deliver soonest. The BB website, as of today (Sunday) says next Saturday would be the earliest day they could deliver to my home. Perhaps that could be moved up if they realized it might be the deciding factor between them or CC.

Assuming CC price-matches, then total cost delivered would be the same. Other than delivery date, anything else other folks have negotiated into a deal that I might bring up to see if one store of the other wants the sale more?


If you've been around for a while, then you probably read my posts about the supremely amazing, red carpet treatment I received from Crutchfield from beginning to end. I KNOW their overall customer support and service blows away BB and CC, in spades. Cost is negligible, based on what you're telling me.

If you can do well with BB and CC, by all means: More power to you. I'm just letting you know that if you go with Crutchfield it's about the peachiest setup you can go for.

I think you meant to use the "thumbs up" not "thumbs down" emoticon to headline your post...I hope. :)

This PQ is so dang good, that even the US Open on CBS HD FLOORED me today. I couldn't care less about tennis, mind you. I've been watching football all day (which also looks amazing in HD) but when the US Open came on, I kept watching it for about 20 minutes because the PQ was that extraordinary.

Yes, I screwed up using the "thumbs down" icon. Don't ANYBODY listen to my praise of the 960 since my vision is obviously shot LOL!

Yes, the US Open was fantastic, and I switched back and forth between the analog and HD transmissions for my brother to see the vast difference. I also pointed out that the FOX broadcast of the Yankee game was not as sharp as those on the YES network (however, the FOX Sunday NFL game was superb as was the Sunday night football on ESPN HD). Didn't see the afternoon game by Gang Green..., a blessing in disguise!

Just this afternoon, I literally got the go-ahead from the lovely bride of 18 years to purchase an XBR960 (and paybacks will be enacted, but that's another story!). And now I check in and find out that Best Buy is having a sale.

So, with Best Buy having the sale and Circuity City possibly going for a price match, that means their prices, delivered to my "any accessbile room" is a whompin' $5.11 cheaper than Crutchfield.

Advice requested as to pros and cons for which of the three companies from whomI should make the purchase in the next day or two.

I needed my wife's approval too, and you are right... the payback has already begun!

Do you include sales tax in your total cost from either store? There is no tax from Crutchfield. FYI - we ordered our set from Crutchfield on a Thursday and it was delivered the following Thursday. They also were able to answer the many questions I had about the set right on the phone so they knew what they were talking about.

Advice requested as to pros and cons for which of the three companies from whomI should make the purchase in the next day or two.

I bought mine from Best Buy, and had a great experience. They even price matched Crutchfield (taking into account the no sales tax and free shipping.) Ended up getting it for $1799+tax (this was when it wasn't on sale of any kind...) The XBR960 was an exchange/upgrade from the Toshiba 34", which I had for 3 weeks. The Toshiba had a horrible tilt problem out of the box, and Best Buy had a technician there the next day to fix the problem. Very fast service.

Do you include sales tax in your total cost from either store? Yes, I did -- but thanks for pointing that out in case I had forgotten. I have totalled up the asking price, tax (if purchased locally), delivery into my living room (if purchased locally and not included) and shipping/delivery to my living room (if purchased online).

Best Buy is $5.80 less than Crutchfield with delivery available in three days.
Circuit City is $15.88 less than Crutchfield with delivery available in one day.
Crutchfield has offered 3-5 business days for delivery (I live about 150 miles from their store).

I'm still tempted to go with Crutchfield, even with the small additional cost and extra days for delivery...

I just bought a 34XBR960. I was going to get a 34WS955 on sale at Sears. But a sales guy at Video Only matched the price and through in an XBR as well. There's no way I could say no to that.

serial number: 9015........
manufacturer date: Jan 05

Here's some info on my tv, before any calibration:

geometry: good, although in normal mode, there is a very minor bowing out in the very top left and right corner -- barely noticeable.
hi def: excellent
std def: better than on other technologies IMHO

Currently, I'm using the following video setup:
Standard:
pict 32
bright 42
color 28
hue 0
sharp 29
temp neutral
VM off
DRC interlaced
color axis: default (strangely this tv looks better in default than monitor mode)

The three-tone colors of the actual tv and over all shape makes the XBR nice looking. It's depth is only 8 inches deeper than my 50 LCD rear projection I just sold, although the XBR is almost 80 pounds heavier. Since I don't move my tv every couple weeks, the weight doesn't really matter.

I sit within 7 feet of the screen which is a good blend between hi def and std def stations. And I really enjoy the non hi def stations a lot more now since selling my 50 LCD rear projection. The LCD TV looked excellent in Hi Def but could not really hold a candle to the crt's rich colors and excellent contrast, etc.

Currently, I'm using the following video setup:
Standard:
pict 32
bright 42
color 28
hue 0
sharp 29
temp neutral
VM off
DRC interlaced
color axis: default (strangely this tv looks better in default than monitor mode)

The three-tone colors of the actual tv and over all shape makes the XBR nice looking. It's depth is only 8 inches deeper than my 50 LCD rear projection I just sold, although the XBR is almost 80 pounds heavier.

Since I don't move my tv every couple weeks, the weight doesn't really matter.

I love this. I can't tell you how often I see this lame excuse used by people and it just doesn't make sense.

Barring something outrageous, or having new carpet or furniture put in, or moving outright...why the hell would anyone need to move their TV's once it's been installed where they want it?



I sit within 7 feet of the screen which is a good blend between hi def and std def stations. And I really enjoy the non hi def stations a lot more now since selling my 50 LCD rear projection.

Size nothwithstanding, I'm sure it's a night and day difference.

The LCD TV looked excellent in Hi Def but could not really hold a candle to the crt's rich colors and excellent contrast, etc.

All true!

Those settings are pretty good. Are you trying them out of Pro and Monitor settings? I think you'll find that far more to your liking.

I got my 960 in July, manuf date was June05. bought it new on ebay from a reseller in Florida, (COD!) and was hundreds less than retail. Fit perfectly in my cabinet I already had.

Took me a month to get the settings right, SD out of the box was poor, now it's almost as good as my previous Sony 34XBR100 (orig retail was $3000) which was a standout 4:3 tube.

My sofa was about 7-8 feet from the set and I moved it a foot closer when I got the set. Now I'm going to try to move another foot closer!!
Great picture but not much good to watch in HD IMO yet. I do have HBO-HD and watch movies on there. DVDs look great, the sound is very good for a TV.

Took me a month to get the settings right, SD out of the box was poor, now it's almost as good as my previous SonyWhat settings are you using now? My 960 should be here in a few days and it would be nice to hit the ground running ...

Basically turn most all settings down, down. Brightness, picture, and esp sharpness...to near zero really cleared up the graininess on SD material.
I also kept the light levels low on purpose to break-in the tube safely and I kept 4:3 stretched a lot to avoid burn-in of black sidebars. Many say this is not needed but I did it to be safe. I've read that the first 100 hours is a good break-in period.
I still keep most settings low, avoid the torch mode you see in the stores!
Don't have most details and forget the names of optional settings but most processing options I turned off.
Just keep it low and tweak for a month, that's what I did.

Thanks for the info -- I'll do that.

Of course, NOT having to tweak for a month was part of my asking what your settings were. :)

What settings are you using now? My 960 should be here in a few days and it would be nice to hit the ground running ...

Here are the basic settings *I* used out of the box, before having the set calibrated, and they worked nicely. In fact, all of the settings listed here still stand after calibration:

*Video Mode: Pro

*Sharpness: All the way down to zero

*Color temperature: Warm

*ClearEdge VM: Off

*Color Axis (in the Advanced Video sub-menu): Monitor

I don't recall the settings for brightness, color, hue, etc, as I'm not at home right now. But, pick up either Digital Video Essentials or AVIA, and you can dial in those settings nicely. None of the settings were cranked all the way up...I think brightness is in the mid 30's...Seriously, though, either of those DVDs will help a lot.

You may want to try that color temperature at neutral just to compare. Pro and Monitor are absolute must settings, in any event. ;)

Here are the basic settings *I* used out of the box, before having the set calibrated Thanks for the details. I purchased an Avia DVD about two years ago, so with that disc and the wisdom of this group, I should be good to go.

You may want to try that color temperature at neutral just to compare. Pro and Monitor are absolute must settings, in any event. ;)

Yeah...your mileage may vary. ;)

I used Warm because it was supposed to be closest to 6500 Kelvin. Once I had my set calibrated (and dialed in to 6500K), it all became moot anyway. Looks damn fine now :D

Yeah...your mileage may vary. ;)

I used Warm because it was supposed to be closest to 6500 Kelvin. Once I had my set calibrated (and dialed in to 6500K), it all became moot anyway. Looks damn fine now :D

That's true. Before ISF calibration, my TV was at something ungodly like 10,000K, so in hindsight, I probably should have been using warm as well up until the ISF job. Now, as you say, it just doesn't matter anymore. :)

That's true. Before ISF calibration, my TV was at something ungodly like 10,000K, so in hindsight, I probably should have been using warm as well up until the ISF job. Now, as you say, it just doesn't matter anymore. :)But us pre-ISF calibration folks very much appreciate the discourse anyway!

I probably haven't mentioned that the concept/requirement of an ISF calibration hasn't come up in any conversation with my lovely bride yet. :)

But us pre-ISF calibration folks very much appreciate the discourse anyway!

I probably haven't mentioned that the concept/requirement of an ISF calibration hasn't come up in any conversation with my lovely bride yet. :)

Even she'll appreciate the differences afterwards. She'll appreciate you not fiddling with the remote in the middle of trying to watch something all the time. :p

Worth every penny. :)

[QUOTE=Q of BanditZ]She'll appreciate you not fiddling with the remote in the middle of trying to watch something all the time.

My wife has already accepted that as part as her fate.

[QUOTE=Q of BanditZ]She'll appreciate you not fiddling with the remote in the middle of trying to watch something all the time.

My wife has already accepted that as part of her fate.

Bit of an update after having had the set for a couple of days. Very pleased with BB from price to purchase to in home delivery/setup. Not the most knowledgeable (e.g., channel setup was cancelled before scanning 50 min. for all channels), but good nothetheless.

For all with concerns about the weight/size of the set... they are well founded! One of the delivery guys could have been a linebacker on a college team and was winded delivering to a second story walk-up. Another note is that you should check the size of the box (search this thread) and confirm it can make it through the door (mine could not and had to be unboxed in the hall).

After a proper channel scan (not getting the HD STB/DVR install 'till Tuesday) I was able to get all local analog channels, a number of digital and some local HD stations.

Standard Def: Perfectly fine for me. I'm just average TV watcher that didn't fiddle with the settings much (until now, that is). I ws suprised to see that Wide Zoom was tolerable and have used that a bit.

DVD: Watched an hour of LOTR Two Towers and was just amazed. I used the fist 5 min. of this DVD to test quite a few sets in the showrooms, and it looks better than ever on a home set... with the ability to change settings (e.g., the default out of the box is Vivid mode). Just incredile on the deatil, black levels, shadow detail, etc.

HDTV: Absolutely amazing. Was able to watch a few shows (Letterman and a couple public access nature/history shows) and am blown away.

Sports: Sadly YES HD isn't comming in, so I'll have to wait for the stb. I think ony home games are HD anyway, so it's moot.

Geometry: Very good. If I really look for it... the is a slight curvature in standard def on the upper right window bar. If anything, it's hairline and I'm not sure if it is really there or I am just looking for it. :p . I think this is just luck of the draw, as with buying any massed produced thing. I'm pleasantly suprised to say near perfection, at a glance.

Overall I couldn't be happier with the set. Looking forward to breaking it in over the next few months. :D

DVD: Watched an hour of LOTR Two Towers and was just amazed. I used the fist 5 min. of this DVD to test quite a few sets in the showrooms, and it looks better than ever on a home set... with the ability to change settings (e.g., the default out of the box is Vivid mode). Just incredile on the deatil, black levels, shadow detail, etc.

Sports: Sadly YES HD isn't comming in, so I'll have to wait for the stb. I think ony home games are HD anyway, so it's moot.

Overall I couldn't be happier with the set. Looking forward to breaking it in over the next few months. :D

Congratulations NJ on your new set. Plan to experience even better viewing as you get more comfortable with the video settings.

I suggest using the THX optomizer found on some DVD's. Most have individual tests for brightness, contrast, color and sharpness which helped us "fine tune" the picture quality.

YES, FSN and MSG only broadcast Met and Yankee home games. Even college football games on ABC are 4x3 along with some baseball on ESPNHD. Hopefully, more to come down the road.

I posted this in another thread discussing the new upscaling DVD player from Sony (DVP-NS70H), but it doesn't have anything to do with the DVD player. I'm hoping to get more help here.

Here's an excerpt from my other post:

-------------------------------------------------

Next you see evidence that the horizontal shift is due to my TV. This is a comparison between my cable box's component output (Video 5) versus the HDMI output (Video 7). Disregard the colors and brightness difference. I later realized that the color axis for the HDMI input was set to Monitor, while the same for the component was set to Default (emphasis on red colors). The difference in brightness is due to the fact that I tried to "optimize" the HDMI input using the THX optimizer on the Episode II DVD. Here's a gif showing the shift though:

http://www.pixelmaths.com/martin/960_hdmi_shift.gif

-------------------------------------------------

Well, as all of you can see there's an obvious shift to the left on the HDMI input. This uncovers video not seen with the centered image of the component input, but hides more video on the left.

So.... even if I get the HDMI centered, what happens to the thin strips on both sides of the screen? Why can't we see the WHOLE picture?

So.... even if I get the HDMI centered, what happens to the thin strips on both sides of the screen? Why can't we see the WHOLE picture?

overscan and its normal for TVs
digital video essentials includes a brief history of overscan and I am sure you can find out this info by using google as well

I kept seeing mention of overscan but I didn't really know what it was until now. Thanks for the pointers! I read quite a bit on what it is. Now is there a way to "underscan" on the 960?

Does anyone know for sure or wish to offer an educated guess as to where is the center of weight distribution (balance point) for the XBR960?

I'll be placing the set on a heavy-duty "lazy susan" platform I built (12" bearing ring rated at 1,000 pounds) and these rings really prefer to have the load centered.

With little specific knowledge to go by, I'm guessing about 5" back from the front.

Another question about the physical charecteristics of the xbr960

I am going to have to cut a hole in the back of my armoire to house the huge/heavy xbr960 that I will be getting - it is about 4 inches too deep so I will be curring the plywood back to allow the rear to stick out a little. I have the max dimesnions from the web but the set is obviosuly not a perfect rectangle. Can someone measure how large the opening would need to beo allow about 4 inches of the rear to protrude. Also, where would this hole need to be located in conparison to the front of the TV - obviously centered horizontally (width) but what about vertically (ie is the bulge at the back centered or above vertical center (which is what I assume) - want to keep the size of the hole I cut to a minimum



Thanks

It's actually a very bizzare shape, so you might want to make a run down to the local electronics store and measure. I can check when I get home and PM you any details you need though. The rotating image on SonyStyle.com > XBR > CRT is quite helpful for getting a feel of shape.

Regarding the weight center, I wouldn't know, but can say it's severely to the front. I bet Crutchfield support would know if you called them.

Next you see evidence that the horizontal shift is due to my TV. This is a comparison between my cable box's component output (Video 5) versus the HDMI output (Video 7).

It's possible to calibrate each input independently, so you can dial in both Video 5 and Video 7. Seems one of them is off a bit. I believe this is a service menu tweak, so either REALLY know what you're doing (read through KenTechs guide), or just get the set ISF calibrated (worth every penny of the $250, IMO.) My set was calibrated for each input...

The rotating image on SonyStyle.com > XBR > CRT is quite helpful for getting a feel of shape. That's what I used to figure out the shape and size of the platform the TV will rest on. I screen-captured the full-screen image of the bottom and top for reference, then dumped the images into Freehand and expanded them until they were 39 1/8" wide in the front. That gave me the shape and measurements of the angles to trim the 2'x4'x1" plywood to shape. A couple of coats of black paint and a lazy susan bearing and I'm done.

The TV will be delivered in about an hour, so we'll see how it all works out.

Click here for photo of TV platform (http://windinthetrees.com/IMG_3810.jpg)

Regarding the weight center, I wouldn't know, but can say it's severely to the front. I bet Crutchfield support would know if you called them.I like that idea. :)

Congrats on a great thread everybody! I just returned my PAN-CT32WX54 after the CRT died. Thankfull the CC warranty department said that I could do and exchange, so I paid a little more and got this set. I can't wait, it'll be here Sunday just in time to catch the race on TNT HD.

Here's something else worth mentioning.

In the computer world Sony CRT's are infamous for their thin horizontal lines (2 of them - cutting the screen in 3 parts). Not a big deal for me, I've had two monitors with them, never really cared....

Anyway, yesterday I saw those lines on the 960 too, and I decided to tell everyone. They're really thin and you'll have to look really hard and up-close, but they are there. I guess it's not as bad as with PC monitors because of the huge difference in viewing distances, but the lines are still there.

Thought I'd share. Here's a pic:

http://www.pixelmaths.com/martin/960_ht_03.jpg

Here's something else worth mentioning.

In the computer world Sony CRT's are infamous for their thin horizontal lines (2 of them - cutting the screen in 3 parts). Not a big deal for me, I've had two monitors with them, never really cared....

Anyway, yesterday I saw those lines on the 960 too, and I decided to tell everyone. They're really thin and you'll have to look really hard and up-close, but they are there. I guess it's not as bad as with PC monitors because of the huge difference in viewing distances, but the lines are still there.


Yes. Those are wires holding the aperture grill in place. Been discussed many times (but thanks for the pic!) 9 times out of 10 if you don't tell someone they're there, nobody notices them. I wouldn't worry about it...

In the computer world Sony CRT's are infamous for their thin horizontal lines (2 of them - cutting the screen in 3 parts). Not a big deal for me, I've had two monitors with them, never really cared....

Anyway, yesterday I saw those lines on the 960 too, and I decided to tell everyone. They're really thin and you'll have to look really hard and up-close, but they are there. I guess it's not as bad as with PC monitors because of the huge difference in viewing distances, but the lines are still there.Those are the fine wires that hold the aperture grill up against the back of the glass, and are part of the "design" of the Trinitron tube... wherever it is used, PC or TV monitor.

Except in those rare circumstances (such as stationary white background) where the darker wires can be seen, they are essentially invisible under normal viewing conditions of "normal" subject matter. They are particularly invisible on TV's displaying actual moving content, with a constantly moving subject on the screen and with constant variations in color and brightness. It's simply impossible to see the wires except if you freeze the picture with something like a white cloud-covered sky onscreen.


Interestingly, I once had an IBM P70 (Trinitron-based) that demonsrated the presence of two VERTICAL wires as well... a similar distance in from the left side and right side of the screen edges. So there are four wires in total, with four points of intersection on the interior of the screen at the obvious locations.

Well on my TV, at the points of intersection there seemed to be developing an overheating condition, which began to burn away the phosphors on the inside of the glass. And this made the points of intersection quite visible and apparent, over and above the four wires themselves! And on a computer screen where the image is essentially always stationary and a light background extending horizontally or vertically over the whole screen is quite common, I was going batty with my eyes constantly drawn to these four points of screen-burn and the obvious intersecting wires at these points.

I finally exchanged that particular monitor for another P70 and have never again seen that particular problem on any IBM Trinitron-based monitor I've ever owned (and I've owned multiple P70, P72, P92, P96, P275 variants).


But yes, even the XBR960 Trinitron tube exhibits those aperture-grill wire lines, if conditions are absolutely right for seeing them (which are virtually impossible under normal viewing conditions).

Well, it arrived and, considering I'm coming from a 36xbr250 (which myself and friend moved out this morning, ugh), this thing is light :P.

Anyways, the picture is amazing and lives up to all of its billing. Directv, in wide zoom works for me and STD looks very, very nice. I was prepared for poor STD quality, but I'm pleasantly surprised how nice it is. Very happy with this aspect!

Progressive scan DVD is awe inspiring! Nothing more to say here.

OTA HDTV is inconclusive at the moment. I bought an indoor ant. and having marginal results. I'm able to tune into the OTA HDTV channels just fine, but they don't look any different than STD. Maybe I'm just not viewing HDTV programming? Anyways, this is all new to me (OTA HDTV), so if anyone can explain to me digital channel, OTA basics, I would be very grateful.

I haven't fiddled with the video adjustments much, such as brightness, sharpness, advanced video options, etc., but even in default PRO mode, I'm impressed!

Problems: I have some bowing in the top left corner (minor, but noticeable) and, to see the bottom part of a ticker (from ESPN, for example), I had to vertical shrink the screen all the way to 7 and vertical shift the screen up to 3. Would ISF calibration fix this? I have a feeling I'm losing some of the top screen because of this adjustment. Is this typical??

Well, in conclusion, I'm very happy with my purchase and wanted to thank everyone again for this post, for without it, I probably would have never purchased it!

OTA HDTV is inconclusive at the moment. I bought an indoor ant. and having marginal results. I'm able to tune into the OTA HDTV channels just fine, but they don't look any different than STD. Maybe I'm just not viewing HDTV programming? Anyways, this is all new to me (OTA HDTV), so if anyone can explain to me digital channel, OTA basics, I would be very grateful.

OTA local stations broadcast a LOT of non-HD content on those HD channels. Since I have mine running through my HD DirecTivo, I see a little "HD" icon next to broadcasts that are actually HD. Most of the locals have tons of non-HD stuff. Usually prime time shows are HD, though. I wathced Supernatural last night, and it was stunning. David Letterman is usually in HD also.

Progressive scan DVD is awe inspiring! Nothing more to say here. OTA HDTV is inconclusive at the moment.My 960 also arrived today and my first impressions are just the reverse -- I thought OTA HD (PBS) was FAR crisper and cleaner than the DVD "Chocolat" played on a progressive scan player set to 480P. I just figured this to be normal as an OTA HD signal has more info in it that does a DVD.

Thinking about the situation as I typed this, I guess I need to somehow figure out whethor the player or the TV is doing the upscaling and try the reverse.

Still trying to figure out how to connect various devices, so lots of work to do yet.

My 960 also arrived today and my first impressions are just the reverse -- I thought OTA HD (PBS) was FAR crisper and cleaner than the DVD "Chocolat" played on a progressive scan player set to 480P. I just figured this to be normal as an OTA HD signal has more info in it that does a DVD.

Thinking about the situation as I typed this, I guess I need to somehow figure out whethor the player or the TV is doing the upscaling and try the reverse.

Still trying to figure out how to connect various devices, so lots of work to do yet.

Try a different DVD.

OTA local stations broadcast a LOT of non-HD content on those HD channels. Since I have mine running through my HD DirecTivo, I see a little "HD" icon next to broadcasts that are actually HD. Most of the locals have tons of non-HD stuff. Usually prime time shows are HD, though. I wathced Supernatural last night, and it was stunning. David Letterman is usually in HD also.


Ahh thanks. Just got a glimpse of my first OTA HD programming!

I kept seeing mention of overscan but I didn't really know what it was until now. Thanks for the pointers! I read quite a bit on what it is. Now is there a way to "underscan" on the 960?

you can adjust your overscan in the service menu
but I would not as you will start to see the garbage normally hidden by overscan on SD sources

but a PC you can underscan as well, but it is really not underscanning
basically you would still be sending the full 1920x1080i to the TV
but the video card driver adds a black border around the desktop/viewable area
sothe whole viewable desktop can be seen

and there is definitely scaling going on, so not underscanning that way is a good thing

the image is first scaled to 1080i then to the underscanned resolution

also considering CRTs are by no means huge, underscanning will make everything smaller
and make wider than widescreen content have black bars or larger black bars

Hey guys, just got my xbr about 2 weeks ago. LOVING IT!!! Although I do have a couple questions. 1 I know basic things about the tv's tech and have very basic calibration knowledge. I don't have the money to get it calibrated but want some advise on basic calibration(I'm sure it's been posted but I don't know where, if someone could guide me to it that would be great) Also on some programs there seems to be a slight flicker or shaking that occurs. I haven't noticed it till recently and I don't know if it's a program thing, a calibration thing, or the actual tv. Also I just got an HD cable box (mainly for discovery HD) and althuogh I was told by the cable guy that hdmi is SIGNIFICANTLY better than component I've heard otherwise also. I know it has a greater bandwith but I've heard there is no noticable difference. Anyways any help would be greatly appreciated.

Another thing, in certain HD programs for instance, when the camera zooms into a stream of water or you see heavy foilage on trees in the background I often get some sort of aliasing or pixelation of some sort, I don't know what it is, what is causing it, and how to fix it, explanations would help

Do you see the flicker on Discovery HD?! I assume you're a Comcast subscriber. I have the same problem, and I believe it is Comcast's fault.

The pixelation/aliasing you see in the foliage or the tiny ripples on the water surface is due to the limited bitrate of the compressed content. The encoder didn't have enough resources allocated to accurately represent the complex image. The more detail you have in the picture, the harder it is to encode without showing artifacts. It is not a problem with your TV. It has to do with the content.

Hey guys, just got my xbr about 2 weeks ago. LOVING IT!!! Although I do have a couple questions. 1 I know basic things about the tv's tech and have very basic calibration knowledge. I don't have the money to get it calibrated but want some advise on basic calibration(I'm sure it's been posted but I don't know where, if someone could guide me to it that would be great) Also on some programs there seems to be a slight flicker or shaking that occurs. I haven't noticed it till recently and I don't know if it's a program thing, a calibration thing, or the actual tv. Also I just got an HD cable box (mainly for discovery HD) and althuogh I was told by the cable guy that hdmi is SIGNIFICANTLY better than component I've heard otherwise also. I know it has a greater bandwith but I've heard there is no noticable difference. Anyways any help would be greatly appreciated.

Calibration-get yourself a calibration dvd from amazon or half.com. Avia Guide to Home Theatre and Digital Video Essentials are the most popular. If you are on a budget, Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-up is a good beginners disk and covers all basics you can tweak without going into the service menu.

Flicker-No idea. If you can find programs that always do it or never do it, you'll have a better chance of getting an answer.

HDMI cable-I did a bunch of reading before I got my Comcast 6412 box, and it was pretty much split 50/50 between people who had used both cables in their setup. You can get HDMI cables online for less than $30, pick up a set and decide for yourself.

Discovery HD always flickers. None of the other HD channels do.

I found no difference in picture quality between the component and HDMI on the cable box (Motorola 6412 - dual tuner DVR). I have tried a $99 PURE AV HDMI cable and a $10 equivalent from monoprice.com. Both perform the same. Don't waste your money on expen$$$sive HDMI cables. Buy a calibration DVD instead. ;)

Discovery HD always flickers. None of the other HD channels do.

I found no difference in picture quality between the component and HDMI on the cable box (Motorola 6412 - dual tuner DVR). I have tried a $99 PURE AV HDMI cable and a $10 equivalent from monoprice.com. Both perform the same. Don't waste your money on expen$$$sive HDMI cables. Buy a calibration DVD instead. ;)

STANGER:

The issue is actually with Discovery. On another thread, a Discovery employee acknowleged the problem. It has to do with Discovery setting up a new operations center for Discovery HD and using new equipment to transmit the signal. It has nothing to do with Comcast.

The Discovery employee said that the problem should hopefully be fixed within a week or two.

In that case I extend my apologies to Comcast.

In that case I extend my apologies to Comcast.

They don't deserve it.

I think I'll probly go with the avia one since I'm seeing a lot of negatiive comments on the other dvd. In the meantime, what do you all have as your basic settings???

I think I'll probly go with the avia one since I'm seeing a lot of negatiive comments on the other dvd. In the meantime, what do you all have as your basic settings???

DVE is very good, just more complicated. For CRT's, Avia is all you will ever need.

Try your settings somewhere in this ballpark:

Pro, Monitor, VM off, Color=31, hue dead center o, Sharpness down into the teens, Brightness around high 30's low 40's, contrast about the same, give or take.

50 is a ceiling you really shouldn't cross.

Picture to Warm.

I wanted to link some pictures of the TV in all its HDTV glory, but I guess I'm too new (two more posts to go)!

Sorry for the spam.

Get my XBR960 delivered tomorrow! I can't wait! After reading a little more of this thread, it looks like I should go ahead and order the Avia setup disc too. Thanks for the input guys.

DVE is very good, just more complicated. For CRT's, Avia is all you will ever need.

Try your settings somewhere in this ballpark:

Pro, Monitor, VM off, Color=31, hue dead center o, Sharpness down into the teens, Brightness around high 30's low 40's, contrast about the same, give or take.

50 is a ceiling you really shouldn't cross.

Picture to Warm.

blech, kinda looks really dull. I'll keep it on and see if I end up prefering it.

blech, kinda looks really dull. I'll keep it on and see if I end up prefering it.

belch????

Must be a new word for, thank you for your help, I appreciate you taking the time to make a suggestion to improve my viewing experience. Since I'm new to the high def thing it may take a while for me to enjoy a really great picture.

On my recently-exiled-to-the-bedroom 27" XBR, the speakers were two side-mounted units that could remain hung on the sides of the TV cabinet or removed and mounted to the walls. As such, there were electrically connected to the TV via wires.

This was very useful when the TV was used with an A/V receiver, as these speakers could then be connected to the "Center" speaker output on the back of the receiver. The speakers then usefully employed and the volume could be controlled by the A/V receiver.

With the new XBR960, I have figured out a way to connect the "Center" output on the A/V receiver to the TV so that sound does come from the internal speakers, but unfortunately the volume is controlled by the TV, not the receiver.

Is there any way to connect the "Center" output to either the TV or the speakers themselves so that the volume can be controlled solely by the A/V receiver?

blech, kinda looks really dull. I'll keep it on and see if I end up prefering it.

Those were just ballpark figures for you to play in. By all means, fine tune it as you see fit. I recommend you purchase AVIA to help you.

Watching a few movies with this setting prove to be a very natural color tone, but watching certain nature programs and watching something like House of Flying Daggers, while nice, I feel like im loosing the effects of some of the beautiful color assortments. On one hand I have a cleaner, realistic picture on the other hand I have very bright vivid colors. Finding a middle ground would be extremely hard, I don't know if I should just switch bettween the two settings depending on the program or what. Hmmm, it makes it really difficult to decide.

However, I do really appreciate the help, and it's kind of opened my eyes to another way of viewing tv. Kind of frustrating to find that perfect picture though huh? Any more suggestions are always welcome.

Just a quick post to say thanks for all of the recommendations in this thread. Having had a week to enjoy the set I have been able to run through most of the user menu settings for cable and dvd. The set is a top performer and I have been thrilled with old favorite DVDs and the few HD shows I have been able to catch (Figures the Yanks would go on a 7 day road trip the day I get my set :p ). If the few mins of the Notre Dame game that I saw last night were any indication of sports performance, I'm in for a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.

If anyone else is new to this set I found the tweaks in this thread and http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=509714&page=8&pp=30 were helpful to get a ballpark set of settings (though I tend to keep brightness 5-10 clicks lower than most).

Cablevision stb/dvr install this week, I'll do the DVE or Avia calibration next weekend and keep mulling the prospect of an ISF calibration after a month or two of use.

Watching a few movies with this setting prove to be a very natural color tone, but watching certain nature programs and watching something like House of Flying Daggers, while nice, I feel like im loosing the effects of some of the beautiful color assortments. On one hand I have a cleaner, realistic picture on the other hand I have very bright vivid colors. Finding a middle ground would be extremely hard, I don't know if I should just switch bettween the two settings depending on the program or what. Hmmm, it makes it really difficult to decide.

However, I do really appreciate the help, and it's kind of opened my eyes to another way of viewing tv. Kind of frustrating to find that perfect picture though huh? Any more suggestions are always welcome.

With a professional grade monitor like this, I can't implore you enough to seriously consider an ISF calibration for it so you CAN have that "perfect" balance of color, contrast, blacks, grays, etc. (Not to mention any nagging geometry and convergeance issues.)

I was kind of skeptical myself until I saw the CLEAR before/after for myself. Before the ISF job, I always had the remote in my hand and couldn't quite fiddle things to my satisfaction. Now I never even touch the remote unless it's for volume, as it should be. :)

Well the more I watch it now the more I like it, it still isn't that perfect balance but perhaps I should get it calibrated. Any professional, cheap calibrators in the washington DC/Va area?

The picture is much better this way, I just feel like the colors may be lacking just a tiny tiny bit too much. Thanks for the info though!

Well the more I watch it now the more I like it, it still isn't that perfect balance but perhaps I should get it calibrated. Any professional, cheap calibrators in the washington DC/Va area?

Check here:

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


The picture is much better this way, I just feel like the colors may be lacking just a tiny tiny bit too much. Thanks for the info though!

Sure, you'll fine tune it they way you like it. I just tried to give you a nice starting place. :)

Well the more I watch it now the more I like it, it still isn't that perfect balance but perhaps I should get it calibrated. Any professional, cheap calibrators in the washington DC/Va area?

The picture is much better this way, I just feel like the colors may be lacking just a tiny tiny bit too much. Thanks for the info though!

Cheap and professional usually do not go together.

Unfortunately the guy who did my TV has moved to the west coast. If you search this thread or another thread, ISF Calibration A truly great experience, you can get the webstie to a guy named Chad who did Q's 960. He's based in Ohio but will make a trip to the DC metro area if there is enough interest.

Let me know if you want to set something up with him. I have a friend interested in a calibration and I may have my 30xs955 done as well.

Just a quick post to say thanks for all of the recommendations in this thread. Having had a week to enjoy the set I have been able to run through most of the user menu settings for cable and dvd. The set is a top performer and I have been thrilled with old favorite DVDs and the few HD shows I have been able to catch (Figures the Yanks would go on a 7 day road trip the day I get my set :p ). If the few mins of the Notre Dame game that I saw last night were any indication of sports performance, I'm in for a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.

If anyone else is new to this set I found the tweaks in this thread and http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=509714&page=8&pp=30 were helpful to get a ballpark set of settings (though I tend to keep brightness 5-10 clicks lower than most).

Cablevision stb/dvr install this week, I'll do the DVE or Avia calibration next weekend and keep mulling the prospect of an ISF calibration after a month or two of use.

Hi NJ,

These are the settings it took me a month to settle on:

DVD - Movie, Picture 29, Brightness 27, Color 30, R2, Sharpness 29, Color Temp warm, Clear Edge high, DRC Mode cinamotion, DRC Palette r53, c53, Color Axis default.

HDMI - Movie, Picture 34, Brightness 23, Color 33, R2, Sharpness 37, Color Temp warm, Clear Edge high, default on.

Any feedback from fellow 960 users would be greatly appreciate.

I also have settings for digital cable and VHS but haven't written them down on paper.

While he Avia is well recommended, assume it cannot be used for HD since it can only be used through a DVD player and my callibrations for HD do differ from DVD.

.... and why wasn't the Jet game in HD?

.... and why wasn't the Jet game in HD?
It wasn't scheduled to be by CBS that's why and I'm mad as hell for it, but on the bright side they won. Apparently CBS only does certain games in HD and this week's Jet game wasn't one of them.

Any professional, cheap calibrators in the washington DC/Va area?

A full service calibration by an ISF certified technician, using ISF certified equipment, should cost $250 for a CRT such as the XBR960. That's what many on this forum have paid. I got two quotes in my area: one for $250, and one for $500. I asked the guy who did mine (who I got off the ISF website) why the price difference, and he said the other guy is price gouging. He said that ISF recommends the pricing structure, and a CRT should be $250...here, or anywhere. Other types of sets may be more, depending on how difficult they are to calibrate.

Go here to find ISF technicians in your area:

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

.... and why wasn't the Jet game in HD?

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try a bit more of fiddling tonight (not that I'm disapointed with what I have now... just enjoying obsessing w/ my new toy :p ). Don't think I have changed anything outside of the primary video menus.

Jets game was definitely a disapointment. The only thing I have been unhappy with so far has been the lack of HD *AND* 16:9 material out there. This will improve once I get my cable box, but I was very suprised to se shows like survivor not taking advantage of 16:9. Looks like a lot of prime time teledramas do, but I usually don't watch those. PBS has been great though, and I'm hoping ESPN HD has the NBA games in 16:9.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try a bit more of fiddling tonight (not that I'm disapointed with what I have now... just enjoying obsessing w/ my new toy :p ). Don't think I have changed anything outside of the primary video menus.

Jets game was definitely a disapointment. The only thing I have been unhappy with so far has been the lack of HD *AND* 16:9 material out there. This will improve once I get my cable box, but I was very suprised to se shows like survivor not taking advantage of 16:9. Looks like a lot of prime time teledramas do, but I usually don't watch those. PBS has been great though, and I'm hoping ESPN HD has the NBA games in 16:9.

Do yourself a favor and write down the settings as you're trying them out..., as soon as I changed one or two I wasn't so sure of the precise numbers I previously had LOL.

The Yanks are home and on HD tonight - you'll be in for a real treat. Somtimes the pregame show is on HD, other times the transmission begins with the actual game broadcast. Last night's NFL game on ESPN-HD was gorgeous, however, my wife wanted to watch QVC so at times I had to settle for twin view - this is what you appropriately call payback!

Cheap and professional usually do not go together.

Unfortunately the guy who did my TV has moved to the west coast. If you search this thread or another thread, ISF Calibration A truly great experience, you can get the webstie to a guy named Chad who did Q's 960. He's based in Ohio but will make a trip to the DC metro area if there is enough interest.

Let me know if you want to set something up with him. I have a friend interested in a calibration and I may have my 30xs955 done as well.

Sure, I'll leave it to you if you want to find out the details. Let me know about price availability, and what exactly would be done, and maybe we can work something out. You can e-mail me at spinninhye@aol.com

Also what would actually be done as far as calibration goes. What do they do besides the basic video adjustments you can do yourself on your tv. I understand that they do geometry and convergence fixes, which really isn't a problem for me, but what else do they/can they do?

Also what would actually be done as far as calibration goes. What do they do besides the basic video adjustments you can do yourself on your tv. I understand that they do geometry and convergence fixes, which really isn't a problem for me, but what else do they/can they do?

The single most important thing they do is set the color temperature. They calibrate the grayscale to 6500 Kelvin, which is the NTSC standard. Most sets are pretty far off out of the box. Calibrating the color temp will improve your color accuracy across the board. It's something you can't do yourself without the right equipment.

I have been really considering buying this set for quite some time down, but I can't get over the size issue. My viewing distance is about 9-10ft. At this distance I am not benefiting from the $2000 quality of this TV.

Everyone says that the Tube Tv's have the best picture, but I am starting to believe that is somewhat subjective....especially with the new flat panels (Plasma).

Yes a tube TV such as the XBR960 will give you more color contrast and deeper blacks for movie watching, but that's it.

There are Geometry issues on every tube TV that are not present with a good Plasma. Plasma's geomtry are perfect out of the box.

The picture quality, while soft and natural, is not as sharp or vivid as with a good quality plasma.

This is a big one...size. While 34inches is better than my current 27inch STD, it is still not enough given my viewing distance.

Weight is also a consideration. I know, we don't move our TV very often, but it is nice to have that option without having the entire neighborhood come over to help you move your 200 pound beast.

I believe this TV, XBR960, is a good bang for the buck in terms of quality, but $2000 for a 34inch widescreen seems a bit much now that plasma's are begining to rival these historic, and heavy, Movie Masters......

Just wanted to chime in.....not trying to downplay anyones XBR960.

Please write in and convince me to not buy a 42 inch Plasma and buy the XBR960???

Please keep this on topic to the Sony TV only. If you want to buy a plasma keep it out of this thread. Only talk about the Sony.

Thank you.

My 960 is 'sharper' and more 'vivid' than any flat panel I've seen. I prefer the look of CRT but the 34" size can be a negative depending on your viewing distance.

Sony msrp is now $1899 (down from $2199) and discounts are not hard to find, the Sony 34XS955 (same tube) is $1499 I think now. I got my 960 online for about what the XS955 costs.
For a Plasma, add in wall mounting and hardware to the cost. I figure a decent HD Plasma will be twice the 960 cost.

My 960 is 'sharper' and more 'vivid' than any flat panel I've seen. I prefer the look of CRT but the 34" size can be a negative depending on your viewing distance.

Sony msrp is now $1899 (down from $2199) and discounts are not hard to find, the Sony 34XS955 (same tube) is $1499 I think now. I got my 960 online for about what the XS955 costs.
For a Plasma, add in wall mounting and hardware to the cost. I figure a decent HD Plasma will be twice the 960 cost.

One thing to add:

The best native resolution you will find on a plasma anywhere near this price range, if you're lucky, is 1024 X 768. This is NOT a true HD resolution. You need at least 1280X720 to have "true HD."

960 wins.

Got a real scare this morning when the set turned on but no picture or audio - a dead set. Turned the power on and off several times to no avail. Was afraid it needed repair after five weeks.

But got help from SONY customer service, which had me unplug set for 5 minutes. Power came back on. Sony told me the 960 is a complex piece of equipment, like a PC, and it is not uncommon for it to need "rebooting" like a computer. This is normal for the set. It was also suggested plugging the 960 directly into the wall socket, and not a surge protector.

Has anyone else experienced this? If it does occur, don't forget to wait the full five minutes

Got a real scare this morning when the set turned on but no picture or audio - a dead set. Turned the power on and off several times to no avail. Was afraid it needed repair after five weeks.

But got help from SONY customer service, which had me unplug set for 5 minutes. Power came back on. Sony told me the 960 is a complex piece of equipment, like a PC, and it is not uncommon for it to need "rebooting" like a computer. This is normal for the set. It was also suggested plugging the 960 directly into the wall socket, and not a surge protector.

Has anyone else experienced this? If it does occur, don't forget to wait the full five minutes

Yes. It's happened to many of us...It is, actually, a computer. It runs Linux.

Got a real scare this morning when the set turned on but no picture or audio - a dead set. Turned the power on and off several times to no avail. Was afraid it needed repair after five weeks.

But got help from SONY customer service, which had me unplug set for 5 minutes. Power came back on. Sony told me the 960 is a complex piece of equipment, like a PC, and it is not uncommon for it to need "rebooting" like a computer. This is normal for the set. It was also suggested plugging the 960 directly into the wall socket, and not a surge protector.

Has anyone else experienced this? If it does occur, don't forget to wait the full five minutes

Yup. This is a well known quirk. I had it happen one time a couple of months ago, about a week into owning the set. It was the blinking red light and the set never "rolled over" and turn on all the way.

I unplugged it for maybe 60 seconds...and I've never seen it again. *knocks on wood* I've put in a heck of a lot of hours into the set since this time, btw. ;)

The Sony folks told you the truth on that count. Nothing to be alarmed about.

Just wanted to chime in.....not trying to downplay anyones XBR960.

Please write in and convince me to not buy a 42 inch Plasma and buy the XBR960???

My 960 has never, and will never, have digital artifacting...unlike the other technology.

It's nearly impossible to have burn in on my 960. A "cheap" other technology is much more prone to burn in.

My 960 will not suffer from dead pixels.

My 960 actually consumes less power, and generates less heat, than the other technology you mentioned.

My 960 has never, and will never, have digital artifacting...unlike the other technology.

It's nearly impossible to have burn in on my 960. A "cheap" other technology is much more prone to burn in.

My 960 will not suffer from dead pixels.

My 960 actually consumes less power, and generates less heat, than the other technology you mentioned.


Fact after fact after fact... ;)

Please write in and convince me to not buy a 42 inch Plasma and buy the XBR960???


Last night I went to my local 'High End' A/V salon and spent some considerable time with the XBR960. Let me just say, that while i've seen this TV many times at the local 'super stores' , if you've never had the opportunity to see what this set can do under the proper lighting with a correct calibration (even if it's just a good user menu tweek) you are really missing something special! The reference quality DVDs that I'd brought along for audition were so good on this set that they looked 95% as good as the sat. HD feed also running to the TV. I personally would not have givin this set a second look if all I'd ever seen was the PQ that the local super store environment can muster. Especially sitting along side the overly bright and vivid flat panel displays that initially catch your attention. But an interesting thing happens when you get the 960 in a realistic HT room environment. Under low light you will be taking the Sony OFF 'vivid' mode because it will seem to bright and eye fatiguing. While, at the BB stores you will think it looks to dull even with the 'vivid' on. Now just think for a moment .... how much you are going to have to back down those 'bright & vivid' flat displays in the store .... just to make them watchable in your HT room without getting a headache! The Sony 'excels' in the low light situations and can create a magic that I feel can only still be achieved thru CRT. This set may not 'wow' you as much as other displays at first .... but the more you watch it, the more you realize it is just doing everything right and not drawing overly attention to any one aspect of the picture.

Like you .... I was sitting on the fence between the same exact two display choices, and don't get me wrong , they are both good choices .... but after last nights session, it's going to be the XBR for me!!