Here is a link to the A/D converter used in these sets. It is an 8 bit TI chip.

http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tlv5734.pdf

Originally posted by umr
Here is a link to the A/D converter used in these sets. It is an 8 bit TI chip.

http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tlv5734.pdf

is that a good thing? Sorry if its a dumb question, I don't know much about chips.

Originally posted by umr
Here is the Sony Block diagram for the new WE, WS and XS series. I can find no difference in these sets in how signals are processed. Coincidentally, they are now calling this the '04 GW.

UMR,

So does that mean all the talk of the LCD panel driver LSI is just a big, steaming crock of Sony BS? How disappointing.

-steve

Originally posted by barnabas
UMR,

So does that mean all the talk of the LCD panel driver LSI is just a big, steaming crock of Sony BS? How disappointing.

-steve

I am not saying it is BS. It does appear that all of these sets use the same electronic circuits. They man turn the feature off in the other sets. However, It might be possible to turn it on in the service mode if they did.

Originally posted by papaduxx
is that a good thing? Sorry if its a dumb question, I don't know much about chips.

8 bit is the bare minimum, but it is pretty common. It would be nice if it was 10 bit, but I don't see any problem with the 8 bit that they chose.

This same circuit is in all the new sony lcd RP?

Originally posted by papaduxx
This same circuit is in all the new sony lcd RP?

The new WE, WF and XS series look the same from a circuit standpoint. I see no reason to expect different processing in any of these sets.

pic of some of the advance menus

So... looks like everything is OFF. I guess picture is good w/o these enhancements.???

When I played with a 55WF in the store, I noticed the biggest improvement to my eyes was setting it to power saving mode. Then reducing the brightness, set to standard picture mode, and neutral color temp. Also set over-scan to -1.

I thought it looked almost identical to the 60XBR that was right next to it. But, this was only casual observation in a period of about 15 min. while watching a DVD feed.

Jeff

The XBR950's require service menu adjustments to reach their full potential.

Originally posted by Kid Red
umr- offtopic- but you mention you use all those disks to help calibrate. My question maybe you can answer, is that Avia settings are picture 21/brightness 38 and ATOC disk I get picture 39/brightness 22. Which is better, how would you handle that? Somewhere in the middle? (This is for a crt tube)

THX Optimizer is less useful for CRT's than DLP or LCD. I would use Avia and DVE to help set contrast and brightness correctly.

Originally posted by JeffZX9R
...When I played with a 55WF in the store, I noticed the biggest improvement to my eyes was setting it to power saving mode. ...


The power saving mode is something everyone should consider using. It is a great feature that was brought over from the XBR950 series.

Originally posted by JeffZX9R
So... looks like everything is OFF. I guess picture is good w/o these enhancements.???

When I played with a 55WF in the store, I noticed the biggest improvement to my eyes was setting it to power saving mode. Then reducing the brightness, set to standard picture mode, and neutral color temp. Also set over-scan to -1.

I thought it looked almost identical to the 60XBR that was right next to it. But, this was only casual observation in a period of about 15 min. while watching a DVD feed.

Jeff

Actually i have tweaked another setting and just popped anyone up to take a picture of. I did make adjustments with the advanced features and have seen a difference.

I am using an HDMI to DVI cable and it acts alittle funny. WHen i flip to an HD channel the audio comes on but the pic blacks out, and scrambles the channels slightly then a sec later the pic comes. Does anyone have this problem or know how to fix it???

My 50WE655 was delivered this morning. I've been playing around with the settings, trying to lessen the black crush. Anyone have any ideas on the best settings to do this?

Originally posted by papaduxx
...I am using an HDMI to DVI cable and it acts alittle funny. WHen i flip to an HD channel the audio comes on but the pic blacks out, and scrambles the channels slightly then a sec later the pic comes. Does anyone have this problem or know how to fix it???

Pretty common problem when your STB is changing output resolutions.

What's black crush?

Here's a pic of my set that I just took. Unfortunately it didn't come out that well.

Haven't had time to really change anything, played with the pic and brightness settings a little.

KDF-55WF655 (http://gallery.avsforum.com/uploads/7464070/sony55_4.jpg)

Originally posted by TwinTurboZX
What's black crush?

It's videophiles that really like black scenes.

The other night when I turned on my tv the screen was red (all inputs). I tried powering off for 2 or 3 minutes but the problem remained. It was like the red "gun" was stuck on (or whatever the equivalent is on an LCD RPTV). I decided to try again about 20 minutes later and everything was back to normal. So far today everything is normal.

What's up? I this an early sign of lamp failure or lamp circuit board problems?

I really like the unit but given the poor black levels and SSE on bright scenes I sure don't want to have reliability problems too.

p.s. On Monday I'll be calling the service department of the story I bought from (45 days ago).

Originally posted by nomorefords
...What's up? I this an early sign of lamp failure or lamp circuit board problems?...

I would not put any money on your guesses, but a C board problem might be a possibility. I doubt Sony will be able to solve this unless it repeats itself or they have seen it before. If it is a C board problem that requires replacing the light engine.

Originally posted by umr
The new WE, WF and XS series look the same from a circuit standpoint. I see no reason to expect different processing in any of these sets.

With that information, the XS is starting to sound like less of a good thing then I was hoping for. For $400 over the cost of WF you get one more HDMI port and six user-menu controls that are more than likely available in the service menu of the WF. I guess for me it will come down to how valuable those six controls really are, whether or not the extra cost would justify the time and effort required to find them in the service menu of the WF, and how much I really need the extra HDMI. If the XS ever hits the Midwest area, it will be interesting to see the comparison between the two.

xllent send me pm too, pls

UMR

Do the new models maintain the digital signal on HDMI or do they convert it to analog similar to 2003 models did with DVI?

Originally posted by JimP
UMR

Do the new models maintain the digital signal on HDMI or do they convert it to analog similar to 2003 models did with DVI?

They convert to analog.

Originally posted by barnabas
With that information, the XS is starting to sound like less of a good thing then I was hoping for. For $400 over the cost of WF you get one more HDMI port and six user-menu controls that are more than likely available in the service menu of the WF.

The XS has better audio, too. And don't scoff at the extra HDMI connection. A switch will cost you $250 plus cable costs.

The downside is the form factor.

Has anyone who said they were going to try to apply the UMR tweaks from the GWIII, now that UMR pointed out that w/the jump button you can get the the correct settings, actually tried this? I'm curious if anyones had any success.

Can someone with the 42" tell me the actual screen dimensions? I'm trying to figure out the screen size comparison to my 36" 4:3 CRT. Height and width basically.

Originally posted by Kid Red
Can someone with the 42" tell me the actual screen dimensions? I'm trying to figure out the screen size comparison to my 36" 4:3 CRT. Height and width basically.

Based on the what a 42" 16X9 should be, it would be 20.6X30.6. Therefore, it would have the same Height as a 34.3" diagonal set.

I just got the 55WF655-
While watching the Yankees/Sox in HD last night, the picture looked great except for when they would do a closeup of the pitcher.His face looked fine but around him,the colors looked blurry.When they would show members of the Sox in thier dugout,the red on thier jackets was blurry and moving.
Also,when they would show the picture of the batter at the plate,the back green wall was also blurry & moving colors.
I'm a newbie so I'm curious as to what I'm seeing.I originally had the 50" Sony WE655 and didn't notice this.I haven't adjusted any of the settings yet so this is just OTB settings.Can I do something to get these colors in certain scenes to not be blurry & moving??

Originally posted by TwinTurboZX
What's black crush?

Trust me, you DON 'T want to know if you do not know now. Ignorance is bliss. Otherwise check out other threads about black and/or white crush.

Steve Jones

Originally posted by Rob975
I just got the 55WF655-
While watching the Yankees/Sox in HD last night, the picture looked great except for when they would do a closeup of the pitcher.His face looked fine but around him,the colors looked blurry.When they would show members of the Sox in thier dugout,the red on thier jackets was blurry and moving.
Also,when they would show the picture of the batter at the plate,the back green wall was also blurry & moving colors.
I'm a newbie so I'm curious as to what I'm seeing.I originally had the 50" Sony WE655 and didn't notice this.I haven't adjusted any of the settings yet so this is just OTB settings.Can I do something to get these colors in certain scenes to not be blurry & moving??

You are seeing compression artifacts. The severity depends on many things, but it has been pretty bad on FOX. The quality of their broadcasts here in Houston have been inconsistent. Some content is very good. Some is mediocre and the rest is poor. It is unlikely that you can improve it much unless you change sources. The best PQ I have seen is provided by LG STB's.

Originally posted by mklaessy
Has anyone who said they were going to try to apply the UMR tweaks from the GWIII, now that UMR pointed out that w/the jump button you can get the the correct settings, actually tried this? I'm curious if anyones had any success.

I'm interested in this as well. My 50WE655 will be delivered this week.

I have the service manual in hand now but am still waiting for Sony to send me the complete service data set. I'm hoping that it will be possible to build off of umr's GWIII tweaks but given the size of the data set I can see myself starting from scratch.

Originally posted by jojoxl
My 50WE655 was delivered this morning. I've been playing around with the settings, trying to lessen the black crush. Anyone have any ideas on the best settings to do this?

Maybe I used the wrong terminology. Objects that are dark in color end up looking like a black blob. Ex: If an actor has black hair, and the scene is not well lit, the hair looks like one big black blob. It's like colors go from medium / neutral to black, with nothing in between. I've seen this on SD, HD & DVD. Are there any specific adjustments that can help? I've tried messing with the brightness, color, etc., but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Thanks,
Joe

Originally posted by jojoxl
Maybe I used the wrong terminology. Objects that are dark in color end up looking like a black blob. Ex: If an actor has black hair, and the scene is not well lit, the hair looks like one big black blob. It's like colors go from medium / neutral to black, with nothing in between. I've seen this on SD, HD & DVD. Are there any specific adjustments that can help? I've tried messing with the brightness, color, etc., but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Thanks,
Joe

I would focus on things that effect gamma and contrast ratio. These include the picture mode, power saving, gamma corrector, clear white, black corrector and white balance. Also, properly calibrating picture and brightness are critical for each source.

those feature are available in the XS advance menus

Originally posted by papaduxx
those feature are available in the XS advance menus

Yes some are, but they would likely apply to the service mode in the others as well. I did not see a specific model mentioned so I picked the one with the most features. The sources are also not mentioned and they could be equally responsible.

Originally posted by umr
Yes some are, but they would likely apply to the service mode in the others as well. I did not see a specific model mentioned so I picked the one with the most features. The sources are also not mentioned and they could be equally responsible.

I have a 50WE655

I applied the tweaks that I could from "UMR does GWIII", but there's a problem. My 55WF655 won't let you change any of the values in the DCP-USER category. When you try to change the value, of UPIC for example, it returns imediately to the factory value. Even if you hold down the value change button, it'll get three or four increments away from the original, then return to the original value.

Is that the Sony engineers laughing??

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
I applied the tweaks that I could from "UMR does GWIII", but there's a problem. My 55WF655 won't let you change any of the values in the DCP-USER category. When you try to change the value, of UPIC for example, it returns imediately to the factory value. Even if you hold down the value change button, it'll get three or four increments away from the original, then return to the original value.

Did the changes that you were able to make give you better performance?

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
I applied the tweaks that I could from "UMR does GWIII", but there's a problem. My 55WF655 won't let you change any of the values in the DCP-USER category. When you try to change the value, of UPIC for example, it returns imediately to the factory value. Even if you hold down the value change button, it'll get three or four increments away from the original, then return to the original value.

The service manual for the xxWE655 makes mention of both "fixed" and "adjustable" registers. It says that "Only the Adjustable registers are shown in this data list" (what is included with the sm - not the complete data set). I hope this doesn't mean that everything else is fixed and cannot be changed.

Originally posted by fretbored03
The service manual for the xxWE655 makes mention of both "fixed" and "adjustable" registers. It says that "Only the Adjustable registers are shown in this data list" (what is included with the sm - not the complete data set). I hope this doesn't mean that everything else is fixed and cannot be changed.

It looks like the service data manual is correct. All of the DCP-USER values are listed as fixed. So long to calibrating the color decoder and gamma. The other values are not really necessary if you can adjust the inputs on an individual basis. It would be nice to save the values as default so the reset button would return to calibrated values.

There would have to be a way to change those values, right? Why would they put it in as a fixed value...it could have just been listed in the SM or OM with those values, I don't get it....

Steve Jones

Originally posted by jonesi
There would have to be a way to change those values, right? Why would they put it in as a fixed value...it could have just been listed in the SM or OM with those values, I don't get it....

Steve Jones

Actually, it is not uncommon for values in the service mode to not "stick". They are sometimes over written by other functions in the TV.

One of the challenges to tweaking the service mode is finding ways to work around these limitations. With over 400 pages of parameters the possibilities are nearly limitless, but it is a daunting task. It takes a little knowledge, curiosity and allot of patience.

The keyword FIX for example appears 17865 times in the service data manual.

Originally posted by umr
It looks like the service data manual is correct. All of the DCP-USER values are listed as fixed. So long to calibrating the color decoder and gamma. The other values are not really necessary if you can adjust the inputs on an individual basis. It would be nice to save the values as default so the reset button would return to calibrated values.

I was able to run a quick analysis of my buddies new KDF-55WF655 yesterday with my Milori Colorfacts and as with my 70" XBR, the color decoder was off in green by about 20% (under saturated and slightly blue). I was able to correct this easily with my XBR, but without access to the decoder in the KDF-55WF655 greens looked desaturated.

This afternoon I took a drive over to Circuit City where they had the KDF-55WF655 on display. The green desaturation is quite evident when compared to other rptv's & plasma's on the floor.

The color temp on the new 55 was better, from the factory, than my 70" xbr.

Originally posted by bberns22
I was able to run a quick analysis of my buddies new KDF-55WF655 yesterday with my Milori Colorfacts and as with my 70" XBR, the color decoder was off in green by about 20% (under saturated and slightly blue). I was able to correct this easily with my XBR, but without access to the decoder in the KDF-55WF655 greens looked desaturated.

This afternoon I took a drive over to Circuit City where they had the KDF-55WF655 on display. The green desaturation is quite evident when compared to other rptv's & plasma's on the floor. ...

This will be a huge problem with PQ if it can't be tweaked out in the service mode. I noticed the default AXIS values listed were not optimal if the settings matched the old models.

Do you think the Live Color control in the XS model would help with the desaturated greens?

I'm watching the Yanks/Sox game now and again,the reds in particular have the moving artifacts or whatever that is.The skin tones look fine but alot of the background color has that "fuzziness".Reds & greens seem to be the worst.Also,when they re show a play in slow motion it looks horrible.
During slo-mo replays it looks like a million little snowballs which produce an overall fuzziness to the background.Can I do anything to fix these motion artifacts or fuzziness??

bberns22

I'm a little confused. Isn't colorfacts intended for grayscale, not color decoder. If you have a grayscale issue, its adjustable in DCP-ADJ1.

Was the green undersaturation in the grayscale or color decoder??

Originally posted by barnabas
Do you think the Live Color control in the XS model would help with the desaturated greens?

I tend to doubt it, but it does not hurt to try.

Hmmm, let me see if I understand this right...There is likely another way to change these values but we need to figure out what it is.

Steve Jones

Originally posted by jonesi
Hmmm, let me see if I understand this right...There is likely another way to change these values but we need to figure out what it is.

Steve Jones

I am not giving any probabilities. It is just a possibitility. The probability of that existing is either 0 or 1.

Ok, well, there has got to be a way to get some of this black crush out....then again it could be that my signal is compressed via cable. Thoughts??

SJ

jonesi

Vivid picture mode tends to crush blacks. Pro mode doesn't and standard mode is somewhere inbetween.

Which mode are you in?

Also be sure that your brightness is set correctly.

Originally posted by Rob975
I'm watching the Yanks/Sox game now and again,the reds in particular have the moving artifacts or whatever that is.The skin tones look fine but alot of the background color has that "fuzziness".Reds & greens seem to be the worst.Also,when they re show a play in slow motion it looks horrible.
During slo-mo replays it looks like a million little snowballs which produce an overall fuzziness to the background.Can I do anything to fix these motion artifacts or fuzziness??

I am seeing that also, but it is the source not the TV. Most shots look great but there are a few, like the ones you described, that look bad.

Originally posted by JimP
jonesi

Vivid picture mode tends to crush blacks. Pro mode doesn't and standard mode is somewhere inbetween.

Which mode are you in?

Also be sure that your brightness is set correctly.

I changed from Standard to Pro mode and thats better. IK can actually see the uniforms of the Saints better now :)

S. Jones

Originally posted by umr
This will be a huge problem with PQ if it can't be tweaked out in the service mode. I noticed the default AXIS values listed were not optimal if the settings matched the old models.

While I realize every viewer's tastes are different, why can't manufacturers just have their tvs optimized OOTB?

Is it that each individual set is different?

Ok, it appears that I'm a goon. The values in the DCP-USER category that you can't change are the ones that are controlled from within the user menu. So, UPIC (as in User picture) is controlled not from within the service menu, but from in the normal menu. Other than that, I was able to adjust all the other values so they match the values that UMR used for the GWIII. The default AXIS values are 0 BTW, which matches the tweaked GWIII.

As for PQ, the colours were definitely better, and DVD quality seemed imporved. I think I'd need HD before I could really see the benefits though.

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
Ok, it appears that I'm a goon. The values in the DCP-USER category that you can't change are the ones that are controlled from within the user menu. So, UPIC (as in User picture) is controlled not from within the service menu, but from in the normal menu. Other than that, I was able to adjust all the other values so they match the values that UMR used for the GWIII. The default AXIS values are 0 BTW, which matches the tweaked GWIII.

As for PQ, the colours were definitely better, and DVD quality seemed imporved. I think I'd need HD before I could really see the benefits though.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. It would be nice if you could post the values you changed and the original and final states.

Here is a file that describes how to use the test pattern function in the Grand Wegas. It looks like this should work in these sets. It would be nice to know if you can use the TPNRGB function to turn off the various panels when displaying color bars and gray scale ramps. This would be useful in calibrating the gray scale tracking and color decoder. USE THIS INFORMATION AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

Originally posted by weold
While I realize every viewer's tastes are different, why can't manufacturers just have their tvs optimized OOTB?

Is it that each individual set is different?

They optimize them for maximum sales not accurate PQ in most cases. Each set and device can and usually does have variability. My SA 8000HD is good example. The first one had very non standard outputs the second is very close to the rest of my HD devices.

Originally posted by umr
[B]Don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. It would be nice if you could post the values you changed and the original and final states.


Sure thing. I copied them all at home, so I'll post them tonight. :)

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
Ok, it appears that I'm a goon. The values in the DCP-USER category that you can't change are the ones that are controlled from within the user menu. So, UPIC (as in User picture) is controlled not from within the service menu, but from in the normal menu. Other than that, I was able to adjust all the other values so they match the values that UMR used for the GWIII. The default AXIS values are 0 BTW, which matches the tweaked GWIII.

As for PQ, the colours were definitely better, and DVD quality seemed imporved. I think I'd need HD before I could really see the benefits though.

So did you use the DVE or Avia (or both) for the calibrations?

Thanks for going back in and checking for us. Looks like we should be well on our way. We should start a document or thread that just has the tweaks relevant to the GWIV.

Steve Jones

I agree about starting a new thread for tweaking the GWIV. maybe you can link it from here as well. I'm glad someone was finally brave enough to try and tweak this TV :)

Originally posted by hdiesel1977
So did you use the DVE or Avia (or both) for the calibrations?

I used Avia to callibrate it. Colour wise to seems quite accurate. Again, I don't have an HD cable box yet, and my DVD player isn't exactly the best for PQ (Sony RDR-GX7 recorder), so I'm sure with higher quality equipment the changes would be more apparent.

Also, I'm sure with more tweaking and gray scale changes this TV could be even better. Alas, I don't have the equipment or the experience to do this.

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
Ok, it appears that I'm a goon. The values in the DCP-USER category that you can't change are the ones that are controlled from within the user menu. So, UPIC (as in User picture) is controlled not from within the service menu, but from in the normal menu. Other than that, I was able to adjust all the other values so they match the values that UMR used for the GWIII. The default AXIS values are 0 BTW, which matches the tweaked GWIII.

As for PQ, the colours were definitely better, and DVD quality seemed imporved. I think I'd need HD before I could really see the benefits though.

i was at a sony sales training last week that featured the 60XS (looked great BTW!) and the national sony trainer talked about the improved optical block on all 05' models that resulted in a "10% increase in brightness". how do you think this will impact the umr tweaks for the older generation?

Fidelity

Does this mean that black levels were also increased by 10%?

I don't know that any of the newer LCDs need to be brighter. I think they need to concentrate on black level, not brightness. Unless of course, you're watching your set facing east with the sun setting behind you thru glass doors and all lights on in the room or something.

Originally posted by JimP
Fidelity

Does this mean that black levels were also increased by 10%?

i asked about this, but he did not have a hard number... only that it was also improved. i doubt it was anywhere close to a 10% improvement, or he would have stated it prominently. from what i remember the improvement concerned shortening the light path and improving light leakage from the optical block. this new optical block is on all new models, but it is not something they are heavily promoting (probably due to the lack of hard figures to back up improvements... still it is nice to know that there ARE some impovements).

Originally posted by Kid Red
I don't know that any of the newer LCDs need to be brighter. I think they need to concentrate on black level, not brightness. Unless of course, you're watching your set facing east with the sun setting behind you thru glass doors and all lights on in the room or something.

i totally agree, but most customers don't see it that way. they see "brighter=better".

Well brightness = black level does it not.

That is, the control labeled "Brightness" actually affects the black level of the picture (that's what Avia taught me). "Picture" controls the white level of the picture.

Of course maybe they are refering to the actualy light output of the set...?

Originally posted by marcelval
Well brightness = black level does it not.

That is, the control labeled "Brightness" actually affects the black level of the picture (that's what Avia taught me). "Picture" controls the white level of the picture.

Of course maybe they are refering to the actualy light output of the set...?

yes, they were refering to the light output

I applied some of the tweaks this weekend. Actually, you can change some items under DCP-USER...just not the 3 availbel from the user menu. I was able to change UBOF, UPOF, and gamma settings. Those are the only ones I tried though. Overall The tweaks made Pro mode better but I still much prefer my Standard mode adjusted with the THX Optimizer. It is sharper and the colors are more vibrant and saturated.

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
I applied the tweaks that I could from "UMR does GWIII", but there's a problem. My 55WF655 won't let you change any of the values in the DCP-USER category. When you try to change the value, of UPIC for example, it returns imediately to the factory value. Even if you hold down the value change button, it'll get three or four increments away from the original, then return to the original value.

"Overall The tweaks made Pro mode better but I still much prefer my Standard mode adjusted with the THX Optimizer."

Just curious as to what the THX Optimizer is and where can I get one.

Tim

Anybody notice that the price of all the GWIV's has dropped by about $300 on Crutchfield? That didn't take long. Good thing I have a 60 day price guarantee.

I preordered a KDF-60XS955 from Sears last week when it was on "sale". Now, Best Buy has an "up to 10% off" sale on all of the HDTVs. I've called the three locations around me, and all agree on a price *well* below what I paid at Sears and have it in stock. However, they aren't yet advertising the 60XS in their circulars or on the web. I'm not even sure the TV on on display at the Best Buys. So, how can I prove the price to Sears? Telling them to call a Best Buy doesn't seem to be a good solution to them. I really don't want to buy from Best Buy instead of Sears, but this is a non-trivial amount of money. I also called a Circuit City and asked about price matching. But, they responded the same way...

Originally posted by spastic
I preordered a KDF-60XS955 from Sears last week when it was on "sale". Now, Best Buy has an "up to 10% off" sale on all of the HDTVs. I've called the three locations around me, and all agree on a price *well* below what I paid at Sears and have it in stock. However, they aren't yet advertising the 60XS in their circulars or on the web. I'm not even sure the TV on on display at the Best Buys. So, how can I prove the price to Sears? Telling them to call a Best Buy doesn't seem to be a good solution to them. I really don't want to buy from Best Buy instead of Sears, but this is a non-trivial amount of money. I also called a Circuit City and asked about price matching. But, they responded the same way...

if sears wants to keep your business they will call and confirm.

Please share your menu settings after you calibrated the TV using various disks.

I recieved my 55WF on friday, and spent most of the weekend playing with it. Unfortunately my plan to use an indoor Silver Sensor antanna did not work out as the signal I received through it was weak, and no digital channels were found :(

I ran Avia on Pro mode and the DVD picture is really nice. A bit of red push, and a bit of black crush (and some orange juice). No rainbows though and that makes all the difference. SD definately shows some SSE/SDE but it's preferable to the rainbows as well. The noise reduction and block noise correction doesn't seem to do much to help SD though.

Next up is to get my Momitsu DVD player to output native res and see if that helps any, honestly the DVD through DVI->HDMI looks really good (to me) already.

marcelval,

I had similiar results with my antenna. I only got about 3 channels, but still couldn't get abc, which is what I was hoping for(no MNF). Tonight I will run the DVE and then do the addition GWIII tweeks this weekend.

Question though, is Avia better than DVE?

Sorry to sound like such a "noob", but I am...

What's the best way to calibrate/adjust the cable/satellite picture on your TV? I just picked up the Avia DVD, but I was under the impression that that was for tweaking the DVD PQ. Can I use/apply those settings to my standard TV viewing settings? If not, then what do I need to do to adjust things properly.

Thanks.

Assuming your DVD player is a good one, yes, those settings are for all sources. You may to tweak each slightly from there tho. My SD is slightly darker after calibrating, so SD settings are a tad different then my DVD settings. Once you get it calibrated, you can tweak from there to what looks best to you.

By running AVIA/DVE are we changing internal settings or it will only suggest you the Menu setting for Picture / Brightness etc.

If anybody noticed decent difference in the PQ after running these disk please share you settings. I tried THX disk but not much improvement.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by umr
It looks like Sony may have dropped the 3D Comb filter in these sets. Note the 2D Comb filter category the schematics and block diagrams also show a 2D Comb filter. I also find no mention of 3D comb filter in the user manual. The specs mention it on Sony Style, but that could be a mistake.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Originally posted by DirtRider

Can you explain to us the difference and why this would be important (or point us to a post that does)?

The comb filter will be used either when viewing analog cable channels using the built in tuner or when viewing material from a source component connected to the TV via a composite jack. The only components that would require this kind of hookup would be a standard VHS VCR or old laser disk player.

The PQ of HD, or digital SD using the built in tuner will not be affected. The PQ from any source component connected via S-Video, Component or DVI/HDMI (e.g. HD cable box, DVD player, HD/SD DBS receiver or Tivo/DVR) will also not be affected.

Originally posted by hdiesel1977
marcelval,

I had similiar results with my antenna. I only got about 3 channels, but still couldn't get abc, which is what I was hoping for(no MNF). Tonight I will run the DVE and then do the addition GWIII tweeks this weekend.

Question though, is Avia better than DVE?

I own Avia for the same reason as a lot of posters here will say, they are both the same both Avia is easier to use/understand.

GWIV Tweaks Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=459400&highlight=GWIV) is the link to the tweaks thread started by yours truely. Fire away at it, lets get these things going!

Steve Jones

Well after looking at TV's for 2 years my husband and I finally bit the bullet...we ordered the 60in XS. It is supposed to be in on 10/25 and they are delivering it on 10/30. I can hardly wait to tweak...

Originally posted by spastic
I preordered a KDF-60XS955 from Sears last week when it was on "sale". Now, Best Buy has an "up to 10% off" sale on all of the HDTVs. I've called the three locations around me, and all agree on a price *well* below what I paid at Sears and have it in stock. However, they aren't yet advertising the 60XS in their circulars or on the web. I'm not even sure the TV on on display at the Best Buys. So, how can I prove the price to Sears? Telling them to call a Best Buy doesn't seem to be a good solution to them. I really don't want to buy from Best Buy instead of Sears, but this is a non-trivial amount of money. I also called a Circuit City and asked about price matching. But, they responded the same way...

Hello spastic,
I also bought my TV from Sears and when I found out BB is listing it for almost 800 dollars less I just called my rep at Sears up and he called BB to confirm and gave me a credit. Didn't have any problems. If he gives you problems talk to the sales manager.

Anyone running dish or directtv standard definition on this set? Any comments? Thoughts on how espn/ foxsports looks in sd?

Longtime lurker...

Did anyone ever determine if the XS speakers are detachable? And if so, are the re-attachable (i.e. do you damage them to get them off?)

Also, what is the "new width" of the overall case on the 60". Have to make it fit... ;)

I also have concerns on how D* SD looks. My Brother-in-law has the 70" XBR, and SD didn't look so good (because of the source, I'm sure but...)

No one has it, only BB does!

OTA wierdness on 55WF655:

When viewing over-the-air brodcasts, ONE of the local digital channels comes in just fine - but NO audio. I called the engineer at the TV station, she confirmed that there is no problem at their end - she even tuned in her Sony STB to confirm the audio is OK. Other channels are OK.

Any ideas why my set is doing this?

rmullin

You might want to find someone else whose HD in your area to see they're getting audio on that channel.

Originally posted by rmullin
OTA wierdness on 55WF655:

When viewing over-the-air brodcasts, ONE of the local digital channels comes in just fine - but NO audio. I called the engineer at the TV station, she confirmed that there is no problem at their end - she even tuned in her Sony STB to confirm the audio is OK. Other channels are OK.

Any ideas why my set is doing this?


I'm in Iowa City, where are you located??? Dubuque area? I get nothing with an indoor antannea :(

sj

RE: Calibrating:

I have not seen DVE, but did get Avia based on the consensus that it was easier for the less technical or experienced. DVE may be better if you know more about how TV's work, although I am sure it does not take an expert to use it.

I used the settings I got using Avia and applied them to my SD-DirectTivo, but I found that while I like Pro mode for the DVD (using HDMI input) it was way too soft and lacked contrast when viewing off the Tivo. I am going to go back and run Avia on the other modes and then try and apply those to my Tivo. This will never be exactly right though as there are differences in the electronics of the devices, and of course in the input (HDMI vs S-Video). The ideal would be if Direct TV broadcast some test patterns, but the best I have found is some color bars on PBS stations that are "signed off" it wasn't very helpfull.

BTW not a single stuck or dead pixel to be found! There are a couple of tiny bits of dust though...

Anyone with a WF model, does the red "standby" light ever turn off on your set?

Mine does not, and the manual is ambiguous about it (says the light does not stay on when the power is off).

Originally posted by marcelval
Anyone with a WF model, does the red "standby" light ever turn off on your set?

Mine does not, and the manual is ambiguous about it (says the light does not stay on when the power is off).


Mine stays on, too. No need to worry


Get this, my cable company (MEDIACOM) says that they are not sure that my TV is 'compatible' with their CABLEcard services. So they want to charge me 15.99 to have somebody check to make sure that my TV is compatible and come out and do the VERY difficult installation. :rolleyes:

When they hooked up my motorola 6200 they did not hook it up to a HD input, they used S-Video (I was not home to supervise, my Girlfriend was, and she had no clue). They are BRILLIANT. Arrrgh.

sj

UMR and All,

I'm a newbie when it comes to Sony's Service Menu which makes me dangerous (I currently own a 42WE655). My understanding is that to save settings, Mute-Enter must be pressed on the remote. My question, are there any other ways to save settings? Since my first dive into the service menu it appears to me that the fan is running a little harder on my system. I did shutdown and eventually unplugged the system and the fan still seems to be going louder. It could be just be my paranoia creeping in, who knows.

Also, I noticed while in the service menu, that buttons 7, 8, and 9 returned a _init, read, and reset. I haven't seen any other reference to these buttons in the forums and was wondering if these service menu "buttons" are new to the GWIV. I do not have a service manual...so I'm going from what I'm reading here. (If someone could point me to a service manual online whether here or in private message I would be appreciative).

Ok, back to my Fan. If there is a possibility that I accidentally changed the fan settings (FAN_CNTL1 and FAN_CNTL2?) does anyone have available to them what the defaults should be? If there is now way I could have saved the settings without the Mute-Enter...there is no need to post the defaults.

Thanks! Bryan

BryanSD,

You are playing with fire. DO NOT mess with those other functions. If you hit enter after pressing 7, 8 or 9 you may have reset the values to some assembly line state. You need to stay out of the service mode unless you have a clue about what you are doing.

Get a copy of the service manual and download a copy of the UMR Does tweaks for the GWII and GWIII. They will give you and idea of what things need to be done.

I know one fellow reset his GWIII to factory conditions and he had huge problems getting the PQ back. I had to work with him for days trading PMs back and forth.

Originally posted by jonesi

Get this, my cable company (MEDIACOM) says that they are not sure that my TV is 'compatible' with their CABLEcard services. So they want to charge me 15.99 to have somebody check to make sure that my TV is compatible and come out and do the VERY difficult installation. :rolleyes:

sj [/B]

I think for many cable techs, the CableCard is providing them a pretty huge learning curve. If you think about it, they have gone from supporting a few STB to now needing to support literally dozens of different CableCard HDTVS (basically integrated STBs). The amount of trouble shooting they're now needing to do has to have dramatically increased. Yet, I am surprised they're going to charge you extra because your HDTV is something they haven't worked with before. My own cable company (MidContinent) was quite the opposite, very apologetic that they are still "learning on the job".

By the way, my cable company claims that the CableCard with the Sony's are much easier to work with than other systems. Evidently they're having numerous problems with the Mits. I think eventually the cable companies will be sending the CableCards to their customers the same way as Digital Sattelite. They'll send the card to you in the mail and give you some instructions on what you need to do once you insert the card into your system...no sweat. Until then, let's hope they eventually find that the CableCards are very easy to work with...

-Bryan

Originally posted by umr
BryanSD,

You are playing with fire. DO NOT mess with those other functions. If you hit enter after pressing 7, 8 or 9 you may have reset the values to some assembly line state. You need to stay out of the service mode unless you have a clue about what you are doing.

Get a copy of the service manual and download a copy of the UMR Does tweaks for the GWII and GWIII. They will give you and idea of what things need to be done.

I know one fellow reset his GWIII to factory conditions and he had huge problems getting the PQ back. I had to work with him for days trading PMs back and forth.

I hear you UMR and probably woudn't have messed with those functions if I knew they were there in the first place! My fingers slid down a row on the remote...and curiosity about killed me. As far as the PQ and other aspects, it seems fine but I eventually will need to reference the defaults to be sure. Where can I get a service manual?

Thanks, Bryan

Originally posted by BryanSD
...Where can I get a service manual?

Thanks, Bryan

Call Sony parts.

Ok here's my settings before I changed them based on the GWIII tweaks.
For these values the TV was in Pro mode, with the color temp set to cool and power saver set to reduced.

480i
DCP-USER
UPIC 60
UBRT - 34
USHP - 57
UBOF - 29
AXIS - 0

DCP-ADJ1
RDRV - 140
GDRV - 140
BDRV - 140
RCUT - 255
GCUT - 255
BCUT - 255

DCP-ADJ2
SHFO - 15

MID5
MLVS - 1
MHLC - 3

480P
DCP-USER
UPIC 60
UBRT - 34
USHP - 57
UBOF - 29
AXIS - 0

DCP-ADJ1
RDRV - 140
GDRV - 140
BDRV - 140
RCUT - 255
GCUT - 255
BCUT - 255

DCP-ADJ2
SHFO - 13

MID5
MLVS - 1
MHLC - 2


I don't have any 720p or 1080i devices yet, so I couldn't adjust those. UMR, do these values match what the service menu says? Any suggestions as to setup (other than the GWIII tweaks)? ;)

Just received my new 55WF655 from BB. It's wondeful, but there is one problem: there is no audio from the analog audio out. TV speakers are OK, but I cannot feed the TV audio to my receiver :(

Any idea why? I confirmed that the receiver is not the problem.

I think about using the digital audio out, but someone here mentioned that it worked for digital sources (e.g. HDTV) only, not analog source (e.g. NTSC)

I tried to reset, turn off/on the TV, but problem is still there :(

Originally posted by khanhvn
Just received my new 55WF655 from BB. It's wondeful, but there is one problem: there is no audio from the analog audio out. TV speakers are OK, but I cannot feed the TV audio to my receiver :(

Any idea why? I confirmed that the receiver is not the problem.

I think about using the digital audio out, but someone here mentioned that it worked for digital sources (e.g. HDTV) only, not analog source (e.g. NTSC)

I tried to reset, turn off/on the TV, but problem is still there :(

I believe that you must turn the "Speakers Out" to Off, before the analog audio out will work. Not sure why Sony does this, I but suppose it's a "feature" to make sure that you have a more pure sound through your receiver's speakers. Though I always liked with my old T.V. to keep the volume up as a sort of "second center speaker".

Auidio and video connections on this T.V. are a sort of Love-em/Hate-em...quite a few connections that you question if you really need a audio/video receiver but in the end you still can't substitute a good HQ receiver.

-Bryan

Professor Gascan,

To be useful you must also post the picture mode. Most of the settings are going to be picture mode dependent.

Originally posted by BryanSD
I believe that you must turn the "Speakers Out" to Off, before the analog audio out will work. Not sure why Sony does this, I but suppose it's a "feature" to make sure that you have a more pure sound through your receiver's speakers. Though I always liked with my old T.V. to keep the volume up as a sort of "second center speaker".
-Bryan

I haven't used a TV that way since 13 years ago when I got my first surround Dolby Pro Logic receiver in 1991. I would never use it that way now, not since I started using DD/DTS receivers in 1997.

khanhvn

Try turning off the TV speaker and set the Audio to FIXED. This is the setting just above the Speaker setting (I don't know the exact name). With Variable setting your receiver will not work. In GWIII I remember using both TV speakers as well as receiver but in GWIV you have to turn off the TV speakers.

The Comcast technician stopped by yesterday to install the CableCard on my GWIV 42" but it is not compatible this time - unable to pickup some channels such as HBO and SHO.

The Motorola is ironing out the kinks in the CableCard. They said the next version will be ready in about two weeks. I am using the STB receiver this time :(

Originally posted by umr
Professor Gascan,

To be useful you must also post the picture mode. Most of the settings are going to be picture mode dependent.

Whoops, thought I had that in there :o . Those values are from the Pro mode, with the colour temp set to cool and power saver in reduced (if those two things affect the values.)

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
Whoops, thought I had that in there :o . Those values are from the Pro mode, with the colour temp set to cool and power saver in reduced (if those two things affect the values.)

I would edit your post to include that information as well as all the other optional settings for video that you were using.

I've got a new GWIV coming (60XS955) and was wondering if anyone had good info on how tall the stand should be for optimal picture.

I'll be sitting about 11-12 feet away, pretty much straight on and the cabinet I'm looking at is about 24" tall. Sony's stands on their website are 17" tall for this TV.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks.

same dillema here! sony's stand is way to expensive and seems to be not much accomodating!

I'm going to use a 23" stand for my 60WF in order to get all my equipment under there. Biggest problem I found was fitting the center channel speaker on the upper shelf. Seems like you need a stand that's about 20" tall at least.

Jeff

I just got the Sauder model: (8854-103, $215 total) for my 60XS955 (w59"x d21"x h24"). As for the 24" height this unit has removable 3" legs which i don't know if i'll keep or replace with shorter casters, but the config. of the shelves and center channel space works for my system inside ~
R 18.5" & center 19.5" & L 18.5" .

Originally posted by munu
khanhvn

Try turning off the TV speaker and set the Audio to FIXED. This is the setting just above the Speaker setting (I don't know the exact name). With Variable setting your receiver will not work. In GWIII I remember using both TV speakers as well as receiver but in GWIV you have to turn off the TV speakers.

Thanks Bryan & Mumu. I'll try that today after work. Hope that it'll work and I don't have to return a wonderful set.

I too used the speakers in my previous TV, mostly for my kid who's not big enough to control (and appreciate) the surround sound receiver. I guess the kid needs to learn new tricks now :)

cholly29-

The 17" tall stand is strongly recommended. I sit about 8'-10' from my GWIV 42" and am really happy with the temporary 14" tall coffee table - the eye level with tv is perfect for me. I believe any stand taller than 20" is too high for the sitting viewers. IMHO.

khanhvn: What is the source for your picture/audio. If you are plugging cable directly into the TV then you will need to run the audio from the set to receiver, but if you are using a STB why not run sound directly from your stb to the receiver and tv?

I have a DirectTivo which has optical out sent to my receiver, and picture and stereo audio go to the TV. This way I can turn on the receiver when I want better sound, but I can still just turn on the TV and get sound from it's speakers. When I use the receiver I mute the TV.

plex can u pls tell me where can i see that stand? online or store?

Agree...I had my 42" sitting on an old entertainment cart (30" high) as a temporary solution for about 3 weeks...it got the job done but I'm now much happier with the Ikea Oppli that I picked up last weekend for $99. It's only 16 inches high and I was expecteing that to be too short but it's great...could maybe another 1-2 inches but for a 50"+ it would be perfect. My center doesn't fit in the stand but it has 5 good sized adjustable height shelves for components.

http://www.ikea-usa.com/PIAimages/27385_PE082595_S4.jpg

Originally posted by gwood
cholly29-

The 17" tall stand is strongly recommended. I sit about 10' from my GWIV 42" and am really happy with the temporary 14" tall coffee table - the eye level with tv is perfect for me. I believe any stand taller than 20" is too high for the sitting viewers.

gwood, i sit at 12 feet, and i think, 18 inch will be good for xs955 60 inch! But I have prob with central channel so 24 inch will give me better room?

th3 dude!! kinda looks not that aesthatically appealing but darn good for price

Just got the 60xs955. I just wanted to post some pictures OOTB with no adjustments.

another one...

one more...

good pics, which stand are u using riddy?

Originally posted by marcelval
khanhvn: What is the source for your picture/audio. If you are plugging cable directly into the TV then you will need to run the audio from the set to receiver, but if you are using a STB why not run sound directly from your stb to the receiver and tv?

I have a DirectTivo which has optical out sent to my receiver, and picture and stereo audio go to the TV. This way I can turn on the receiver when I want better sound, but I can still just turn on the TV and get sound from it's speakers. When I use the receiver I mute the TV.

My sources are OTA TV/HDTV, VHS, and DVD. I connect all audio into the TV first, then connect TV's audio out to the receiver. That way I can switch AV sources w/ the TV remote only, no need to use the receiver remote.

Just like you, I also connect the DVD dolby digital audio directly to the receiver, and use that connection when I want better sound.

As far as stand height, isn't the picture supposed to be centered at eyeball level when you are sitting down in your favorite chair?

Chairs and sofas vary in seat cushion height several inches, and some people sit upright while others lean that lazy-boy back. Get comfortable in your best couch potato position and then use a tape measure to try to get an idea of just how high your eyes are.

If you don't have your TV yet, print a picture and try to figure out how high the center of the screen (not the overall TV) is from the surface it sets on.

You can use these numbers to figure out the ideal stand height, but the stand can be more or less than ideal by several inches without affecting the picture.

If you watch while lying on the floor, you would want a lower stand.

If people watch while standing behind the couch (i.e. - parties) then a higher stand might be better.

Also remember that the farther you are away from the TV, the less important the stand height is.

I actually think it looks very nice...I'll post a pic tonight. Depends on your style I guess...I don't care for the metal and glass look myself. There is a fellow on here with pics posted of his Toshiba DLP on the same stand and it looks very nice also.

Here it is...

http://www.creationspapillonbleu.com/52HM84/StarWarsBlackLevel.jpg


Originally posted by zoro
th3 dude!! kinda looks not that aesthatically appealing but darn good for price

which stand are u using riddy?

It's a Bush vs74377-03. The height is 22-7/8". I was trying to stay away from a glass stand, but it's a nice stand and very sturdy....

I'm very impressed with the sound on the xs. It sounds like my stereo is on....

Pls dont take me wrong I think in this pic it does go with rest of style imho

I bought the Bush stand (VS1358801). It's a bit too high at 23". So I assembled it w/out the foot to cut the height by 3". It's "almost" perfect now.

The Sony stand height would be even more "perfect", but for my taste the wood of the Bush looks better than the metallic plastic of the Sony. I also put a small light to brighten up the wall behind the 55WF655 and the TV-stand combination looks just gorgeous even when the TV is off :)

zoro - central channel?

TH3-FRB - nice stand you have. I used to have Toshiba DLP, but returned it for some reasons - this tv gave me eyestrains. I am happy with my GWIV so far.

It is important how your head, eye, and neck feel while watching the tv. My eyes are straight at the center of the 42" screen with 14" stand. My head balances perfectly and neck feels relaxing.

It does not matter how big your tv is and where you sit, the appropriate stand height is an important part of your enteraintment and health! I am in progress of replacing my old enterainment stand with new one. If I buy the wood stand over 18" tall, I may run my DeWalt circular saw cutting off few inches off the bottom of the stand.

But I have prob with central channel so 24 inch will give me better room?

...I also have a problem with my comedy central channel, it's all grainy...

Originally posted by Riddy
Just got the 60xs955. I just wanted to post some pictures OOTB with no adjustments.

Nice looking pictures. It's dark, was that because of the camera, or was it a dark room? Blacks look nice.

Originally posted by munu
Try turning off the TV speaker and set the Audio to FIXED. This is the setting just above the Speaker setting (I don't know the exact name). With Variable setting your receiver will not work. In GWIII I remember using both TV speakers as well as receiver but in GWIV you have to turn off the TV speakers.

Just try that and it WORKED :) It's not obvious that you need to turn off both the speakers AND the "variable" audion to get the audio out signal. Many thanks to you guys. I almost call the store to return the set.

The user manual mentions the speaker off but does not say anything about fixed/variable settings. What a lousy documentation!

And I think Sony should not create that "feature" in the first place. If a user doesn't want the TV speakers, he can simply turn the volume all the way down. Requiring speaker off to receive audio out just takes away a customer choice, not to mention it took me several hours trying to figure it out unsuccessfully until you guys here pointed it out to me.

Otherwise, the set is just great !

Has anyone sucessfully connected a PC to the GWIV via the HDMI port (HDMI to DVI cable)? I've connected my Radeon 9500 to the my 50WE655, but the only resolution I can get a picture with is 640x480. Anything else, and the TV doesn't see the signal.

Nice looking pictures. It's dark, was that because of the camera, or was it a dark room? Blacks look nice.

The room was dim but not dark, took them in the day with blinds half closed. Not the greatest camera though, but I knew some guys wanted to see some pictures of the xs.

Has anyone sucessfully connected a PC to the GWIV via the HDMI port (HDMI to DVI cable)? I've connected my Radeon 9500 to the my 50WE655, but the only resolution I can get a picture with is 640x480. Anything else, and the TV doesn't see the signal.

I just picked up a dvi/hdmi cable tonight. I'm going to try to get my pc up and running with a Radeon 9800, probably after the game.

Ok so here it is, I've done the rest of the tweaks, and t has cleaned up the SD a little, and HD looks fantastic, however I'm not sure if we need the following tweaks or not :S.




DCP-ADJ1 (Category)

RDRV changed from 140 to 131 (gray scale adjustment for high level red signal WE version only 12/28/03)
GDRV no change 140 (gray scale adjustment for high level green signal WE version only 12/28/03)
BDRV changed from 140 to 102 (gray scale adjustment for high level blue signal WE version only 12/28/03)
RCUT no change 255 (gray scale adjustment for low level red signal WE version only 12/28/03)
GCUT changed from 255 to 242 (gray scale adjustment for low level green signal WE version only 12/28/03)
BCUT no change 255 (gray scale adjustment for low level blue signal WE version only 12/28/03)


THANKS
SJ


EDIT: Here is what I changed...

4 DCP-ADJ2
1 SHFO 13 changed to 15


11 Mid-5
3 MVLS 1 changed to 0 (except HD)


11 Mid-5 3 Changed to 1
4 MHLC


DHCP-USER
Axis 2 changed to 0

I saw this stand (http://www.ethanallen.com/jsp/universalprod.jsp?itemID=289842&mainSelect=4&subSelect=1) @ Ethan Allen (msrp is $899). It is very nice (no particle board), but I am very concerned about the height (25"), so I walked.

It's been hard finding another stand that fit the decor, so I am going back to Ethan Allen to see if the metal base can be removed without jeopardizing it's structural integrity. It would bring it down to 20"..

Zoro:

I was at GG last Saturday, and came across a credenza style stand from a furniture company called Elite. I have never heard from them before, but the dimensions are perfect for me, because I also have an oversized center speaker (JBL). Best thing about it is that it's only $399.00. They don't have a website, I'll try to borrow a camera to show you a picture (the wife crushed my camera with the car seat :( )

If you want, I'll PM you their phone # so they can tell you where to see it.

Now, if I only had my TV yet...

Originally posted by Riddy
It's a Bush vs74377-03. The height is 22-7/8". I was trying to stay away from a glass stand, but it's a nice stand and very sturdy....

I'm very impressed with the sound on the xs. It sounds like my stereo is on....

That looks awesome -- which is good, because I bought that same stand while I'm waiting for my stupid pre-ordered 60XS to ship... ARGH! I'm ready to move somewhere closer to a shipping port, because no one in Chicago area has this sucker in stock yet!!

I just bought a KF-50WE610! It arrives on Thursday! I'm so EXCITED! I've never had a TV over 32", so this should be a BIG STEP UP! Any tips or setup info? Can't wait to watch the World Series in HD on this baby!

I just bought the 42WE655 and am underwhelmed. This is my first LCD TV. The black crush is so evident. I want to know why people would pay $1000 more than a RP CRT for lower PQ. Is it just something that people are willing to accept to avoid the problems w/ burn in? Also in very dark scenes, besides losing detail due to poor black levels, there is a green glow in the upper right of the screen and a blue glow in the upper left.

I'm not really willing to pay 1000 for professional calibration. I'm considering going back to the Toshiba 46H84 I had previously. Only problem there is that I watch alot of 4:3 and don't like to stretch.

Any advice or suggestions?

Thnx sombra look forward to..

Originally posted by xrtdr
there is a green glow in the upper right of the screen and a blue glow in the upper left.
Any advice or suggestions?

Sounds defective, i'd take it back for a replacement.

have you taken the time to properly set all the user controls? I wasn'r very impressed with my 42" when I first got it either but I found that using Standard mode, warm, and adjusting the picture and brightness with THX Optimizer made significant improvements. The blacks are still relatively bright but it is much better overall.

Originally posted by xrtdr
I just bought the 42WE655 and am underwhelmed. This is my first LCD TV. The black crush is so evident. I want to know why people would pay $1000 more than a RP CRT for lower PQ. Is it just something that people are willing to accept to avoid the problems w/ burn in? Also in very dark scenes, besides losing detail due to poor black levels, there is a green glow in the upper right of the screen and a blue glow in the upper left.

I'm not really willing to pay 1000 for professional calibration. I'm considering going back to the Toshiba 46H84 I had previously. Only problem there is that I watch alot of 4:3 and don't like to stretch.

Any advice or suggestions?

I had a Mits RP before my 42-WE655... Not so good on SD Cable, HD was pretty good....But I'd take this TV over that simply because if you adjust it right, the Black Crush is not bad at all and only on very dark screens, and there is no screen that glares so much you can't have it near any windows.

Maybe its not for you, maybe it is. But we like 'em. :)

SJ

Originally posted by xrtdr
I just bought the 42WE655 and am underwhelmed. This is my first LCD TV. The black crush is so evident. I want to know why people would pay $1000 more than a RP CRT for lower PQ. Is it just something that people are willing to accept to avoid the problems w/ burn in? Also in very dark scenes, besides losing detail due to poor black levels, there is a green glow in the upper right of the screen and a blue glow in the upper left.

I'm not really willing to pay 1000 for professional calibration. I'm considering going back to the Toshiba 46H84 I had previously. Only problem there is that I watch alot of 4:3 and don't like to stretch.

Any advice or suggestions? I had 3 GWIII's with this same problem . They all had green bleeding into a plain black screen and in dark scenes coming from the lower right and upper left corners. The last one had blue coming from the top left instead of the usual green. Once your eye picks this out it can be quite bothersome. None of the Service Techs could figure out a fix. Awhile back, umr had suggested manual adjustment of the polarizers, something that I did not have the ability to even think of attempting. I was debating the XBR950 or the XS, but now hearing that the color uniformity problem is also in some GWIV's, I think I might try the Mits DLP. Good luck.

TH3-FRB - where do I find the THX Optimizer software. I have not used the user controls yet. Watching the PQ of SD pictures is disturbing a bit.

Originally posted by jonesi
Ok so here it is, I've done the rest of the tweaks, and t has cleaned up the SD a little, and HD looks fantastic, however I'm not sure if we need the following tweaks or not :S.




DCP-ADJ1 (Category)

RDRV changed from 140 to 131 (gray scale adjustment for high level red signal WE version only 12/28/03)
GDRV no change 140 (gray scale adjustment for high level green signal WE version only 12/28/03)
BDRV changed from 140 to 102 (gray scale adjustment for high level blue signal WE version only 12/28/03)
RCUT no change 255 (gray scale adjustment for low level red signal WE version only 12/28/03)
GCUT changed from 255 to 242 (gray scale adjustment for low level green signal WE version only 12/28/03)
BCUT no change 255 (gray scale adjustment for low level blue signal WE version only 12/28/03)


THANKS
SJ


EDIT: Here is what I changed...

4 DCP-ADJ2
1 SHFO 13 changed to 15


11 Mid-5
3 MVLS 1 changed to 0 (except HD)


11 Mid-5 3 Changed to 1
4 MHLC


DHCP-USER
Axis 2 changed to 0

It looks like you just copied the gray scale adjustments from the GWIII that I posted. Did you verify this with gray scale ramps? What picture mode were you in? Did you verify that AXIS 0 is correct with color bars? Did you look at frequency sweeps when you adjusted MID-5 settings and SHF0?

Originally posted by rotty2
... I was debating the XBR950 or the XS, but now hearing that the color uniformity problem is also in some GWIV's, I think I might try the Mits DLP. Good luck.

I spend quite a bit of time tweaking one of those recently. You might want to read my take on it if you did not see my posts already. You will have issues with DLP they will just be different.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4474573#post4474573

I was in pro. I did verify it with THX colorbars and patterns, but I can't verify that I know at all what I am doing :) Just know what I can and can't adjust based on what you did before. Those values 'looked' correct, but I haven't got a clue.

SJ

EDIT: Yes I copied and pasted the other values because I was not sure we needed to change those or not....Any thoughts out there?

Thanks for the advice. I'll try returning and hope for the best. So can people verify that there are 42WE655 sets out there that do not glow green and blue fromthe corners during dark scenes (or split screen mode)?

Also, can someone answer why Sony disables the 3:2 pulldown for 420p/720p/1080i sources? Doesn't this mean that DVDs played on progressive scan players w/component cables can't take advantage of this feature?

Originally posted by xrtdr
Thanks for the advice. I'll try returning and hope for the best. So can people verify that there are 42WE655 sets out there that do not glow green and blue fromthe corners during dark scenes (or split screen mode)?

Also, can someone answer why Sony disables the 3:2 pulldown for 420p/720p/1080i sources? Doesn't this mean that DVDs played on progressive scan players w/component cables can't take advantage of this feature?

Yes I have a 42we655 and it does NOT glow green and blue during dark scenes.

sj

Originally posted by xrtdr
...Also, can someone answer why Sony disables the 3:2 pulldown for 420p/720p/1080i sources? Doesn't this mean that DVDs played on progressive scan players w/component cables can't take advantage of this feature?

Yes, but progressive implies that the source has done the 3:2 pull-down if necessary. They disable it because it is not needed for 480p or 720p and they don't offer it for 1080i.

UMR any thoughts on what I had posted??

jonesi

Originally posted by jonesi
UMR any thoughts on what I had posted??

jonesi

It is hard to comment when I can't see it myself. It sounds like you duplicated what was done on the GWIII. That may be correct or it may not I can't tell from here. Just copying my previous settings does not verify that they are correct on this set.

I was curious if anyone tried turning off the panels as I posted earlier. That would give you a good way to confirm the AXIS settings using color bars from a test disk like DVE or Avia. THX Optimizer is not sufficient for this.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4519213

red push is not horrible with AXIS at 2. For right now, I might run on the GWIII settings until we figure out the exact ones for the GWIV. Its a start. I need to get avia and/or dve. Until then, I think the settings look better now than before. It may require a few more fine tuning points of the numbers but I think it will work well for right now.

How do I shut off each panel at a time?

Steve

EDIT: I Think that link you posted is how to shut off each panel at a time... I'll wait on further adjustments for somebody who knows what the hell they are doing...ie not me.

Originally posted by xrtdr
Thanks for the advice. I'll try returning and hope for the best. So can people verify that there are 42WE655 sets out there that do not glow green and blue fromthe corners during dark scenes (or split screen mode)?

Also, can someone answer why Sony disables the 3:2 pulldown for 420p/720p/1080i sources? Doesn't this mean that DVDs played on progressive scan players w/component cables can't take advantage of this feature?
No green and blue on mine either...

Originally posted by radius360
No green and blue on mine either...

None on my 50WE655...

None on my 42WE655 either.

-Jim

jonesi and anyone else

What general change do you see after tweaking this set? Out of the box I am pretty happy with my 42WE655.

I am using a cable card from Brighthouse and the reception on analog and digital is far better than with the Pace HD cable box I eliminated. My biggest complaint at this point is what seems to be an overblown amount of edge sharpening or enhancement (not sure what this is called? Is there an easy fix (or any) for this?

-Jim

It's included on any THX certified DVD...the new Star Wars DVD's for example.

Originally posted by gwood
TH3-FRB - where do I find the THX Optimizer software. I have not used the user controls yet. Watching the PQ of SD pictures is disturbing a bit.

My 42WE655 is also fine...

Originally posted by jonesi
Yes I have a 42we655 and it does NOT glow green and blue during dark scenes.

sj

If the new Sonys have independant controlls for every source (TV, DVD, satellite, etc) doesn't that mean that using a DVD to optimize your system only optimizes the DVD stream? Wouldn't you have to have a broadcast test pattern to optimize the broadcast stream?

rmullin

Technically, you're correct.
That's in part why people who do calibrations use a signal generator. Its likely to be more accurate on non DVD inputs not to mention what do you do when you need a high definition signal. Other than a JVC DVHS player, you wouldn't have a signal source to calibrate a 1080I signal.

Could you record Avia onto TiVO and then play it back through either the coaxial or Svideo inputs on the Sony to calibrate those inputs?

If the new Sonys have independant controlls for every source (TV, DVD, satellite, etc) doesn't that mean that using a DVD to optimize your system only optimizes the DVD stream? Wouldn't you have to have a broadcast test pattern to optimize the broadcast stream?

I have an HDNET color bar test pattern that I use. I also can use my Zenith DVB318 to calibrate a 1080i signal.

I've connected my DELL laptop via docking station and DVI -> HDMI using my HR10-250 's cable - that I got with the unit. Worked pretty well, some overscan, that can't be corrected via setup screen.

I just did it for ha Hah's no intention of using it. I had seem some threads on the subject, and just thought I'd share...

cut & paste URL if you would like to see an photo... (can't post links yet new to this forum)

for large image:

mpython.com/sony/DSCN0954.JPG

Originally posted by umr
Yes, but progressive implies that the source has done the 3:2 pull-down if necessary. They disable it because it is not needed for 480p or 720p and they don't offer it for 1080i.

Any idea why they don't of 3:2 pull-down for 1080i sources. A large amount of the 1080i material currently broadcast is film based (movies and scripted TV shows). I would think that 3:2 pulldown would improve the de-interlacing of thoses sources.

Originally posted by Hi8
I've connected my DELL laptop via docking station and DVI -> HDMI using my HR10-250 's cable - that I got with the unit. Worked pretty well, some overscan, that can't be corrected via setup screen.

I just did it for ha Hah's no intention of using it. I had seem some threads on the subject, and just thought I'd share...

cut & paste URL if you would like to see an photo... (can't post links yet new to this forum)

for large image:

mpython.com/sony/DSCN0954.JPG

I'm assuming that's 640x480 resolution you were running? I got mine working as well, but unfortunately it only accepts 640x480 or 1280x720 input via HDMI. Even trying the powerstrip settings for other resolutions from the GWIII tweak thread didn't work. At 1280x720, overscan is so bad it's basically unusable, even using the +1 -1 setting in the menu.

Has anyone been able to successfully get their PC hooked up via the HDMI input, and use any other resolutions?

People have mentioned this briefly in a couple of previous posts. I was about to post this in reply to a question in another thread, but think this information is more appropriate here. (Many people here have likely already discovered this, but for those who haven't, and for the search engines...)

I recently got a Sony KDF-42WE655.

The "diagnostics" function is under the "application" menu. The only thing the manual says about it is:Display diagnostics information about the TV. This can be useful in providing information to an authorized technician or repair person.It would have been nice if they mentioned that it shows signal strength; the implication is that there's no information there that the owner would find useful. I sure found it useful in pointing my antenna!

When the TV is tuned to an SD (NTSC) broadcast or any of the video inputs, this menu option isn't even available -- it's ghosted. If you start on a DTV channel but change to an SD channel, you'll pop out of this menu.

When on a DTV channel on the Antenna input, it shows: Signal Strength -- both a number and a bar graph, along with a dot that shows the peak value
Phy. Ch: -- physical broadcast channel number, e.g. "51"
Freq. (KHz): -- the channel frequency, e.g. 695000
Modulation: -- e.g., "8VSB"
Status: -- "Locked" or "Unlocked"
Errors: -- count, resets quickly to 0
SNR (dB): -- Signal to Noise Ratio
AGC (%): -- Automatic Gain Control levelWhen on the Cable input, it shows two columns -- the above list (except no signal strength) on the left, with the heading "In Band (FAT)", and the following on the right, with heading "Out of Band (FDC)": Freq. (KHz):
Symbol Rate:
Bit Rate (kbps):
Status:
SNR (dB):

kevlo9,

I have hdnet but have not seen the color bars. Could you point me in the right direction?

I haven't seen them in awhile, but I recorded them on my HD-PVR about a month ago. Check late at night around 2-3 AM. Sorry I can't be more help.

Originally posted by jojoxl
I'm assuming that's 640x480 resolution you were running? I got mine working as well, but unfortunately it only accepts 640x480 or 1280x720 input via HDMI. Even trying the powerstrip settings for other resolutions from the GWIII tweak thread didn't work. At 1280x720, overscan is so bad it's basically unusable, even using the +1 -1 setting in the menu.

Has anyone been able to successfully get their PC hooked up via the HDMI input, and use any other resolutions?

well it wasn't 640x480 it was some not standard size that seemed to be automatically set, and I couldn't change it. 724x352 or something like that.

Originally posted by umr
It is hard to comment when I can't see it myself. It sounds like you duplicated what was done on the GWIII. That may be correct or it may not I can't tell from here. Just copying my previous settings does not verify that they are correct on this set.

I was curious if anyone tried turning off the panels as I posted earlier. That would give you a good way to confirm the AXIS settings using color bars from a test disk like DVE or Avia. THX Optimizer is not sufficient for this.


Just to clarify, adjusting the value of the TNPRGB item under category D9671TPN is what allows you to turn off one or more of the LCD panels? Is this the equvalent to ROFF, GOFF, and BOFF in CRT sets? I don't want to mess with anything unless I know what it will do first... :p

(As a side note, the full service data listing for the GWIVs has the category as D9809TPN. Is the number model dependent?)

Originally posted by fretbored03
Just to clarify, adjusting the value of the TNPRGB item under category D9671TPN is what allows you to turn off one or more of the LCD panels? Is this the equvalent to ROFF, GOFF, and BOFF in CRT sets? I don't want to mess with anything unless I know what it will do first... :p

(As a side note, the full service data listing for the GWIVs has the category as D9809TPN. Is the number model dependent?)

You have all of the information I have on the subject in this TV. It may only effect the test patterns and not be useful. If it works like I hope it should do the following...

7 = all on
6 = blue off
5 = green off
4 = red only
3 = red off
2 = green only
1 = blue only
0 = all off

This is a three bit binary thing. RGB is the bit order from most to least significant bit. This is how the GWII worked for a similar setting.

50WE655 vs. 55WF655

I'm curious about the power saving mode in the WF (it's not mentioned anywhere in the manual). Does it actually reduce the lamp output? This would imply longer bulb life and better blacks. Can you force into power saving mode all of the time? I don't need brighter picture, but I'd like to see better blacks than the WE.

Originally posted by jeff abc
50WE655 vs. 55WF655

I'm curious about the power saving mode in the WF (it's not mentioned anywhere in the manual). Does it actually reduce the lamp output? This would imply longer bulb life and better blacks. Can you force into power saving mode all of the time? I don't need brighter picture, but I'd like to see better blacks than the WE.

Page 99 (in the copy I downloaded) under "Using the Video Menu" talks about this.

Anyone with more detailed specs - any idea what the lower output of the bulb is? It's a 132 watt bulb to start, but I'm just curious if the power saving mode is equivalent to ??? watts or ??? F-stops.

Originally posted by jeff abc
50WE655 vs. 55WF655

I'm curious about the power saving mode in the WF (it's not mentioned anywhere in the manual). Does it actually reduce the lamp output? This would imply longer bulb life and better blacks. Can you force into power saving mode all of the time? I don't need brighter picture, but I'd like to see better blacks than the WE.

Standard mode is 132W
Reduced mode is 120W

From the "He might be crazy file": I was playing with my TV settings and DVD player, and I found that DVDs looked better when I watched in 480i mode over component as opposed to 480p mode over component. Mostly it was the detail that seemed better, and blacks were better too. I'm using a Sony RDR-GX7 (don't worry, I plan on getting a Denon 3800 or 2900). Is this normal or am I nuts?

Professor Gascan,

I have found this to be pretty common with cheap players. Y/C delay is frequently a problem on progressive outputs.

I have a question about the tweaks folks have been using here. After performing the tweaks, do you get any enhancement in the resolution of the picture? For some reason, the picture seems abit soft to me, especially on dvd content, and I wanted to know if the tweaks could correct this.

Can anyone who owns one of these new Sony sets comment on whether or not the bars on the sides of the image when watching 4:3 material are black, or can they be made black by a service menu tweak?

Thanks,
Jason

they are black.

Some stations use gray. Most use black. On Direct Tv CBS CH. 80 from New York they use gray.

The color used by set top boxes is different from what is built in the set. If I have a STB that is adding bars to the side of a 4:3 channel and outputing a 16x9 image to the set, then obviously the color will be what the content provider chooses. BUT if I have a native 4:3 signal (such as a DVD player) then the TV set will add the bars to the side. What color are those bars? In another thread, someone said they sax a 60xs955 at Best Buy with grey side bars.

Jason

Guys.. I hate to do this and incur wrath but..

55XS for 3.4 boxes of ziti. That decent? And the guy said two weeks until it would come in.. which I dont believe.. but...

The 60XS is now 3 bills cheaper on Sears website.

Actually the 60XS is $800 more...

I almost $hit myself when I read your post because I thought I could get a 60XS for $3100 :eek:

Originally posted by arkid
The 60XS is now 3 bills cheaper on Sears website.

Can some one confirm? if bezzel around screen on 60XS is dark gray or black? does it look like Sony's floating plasma style? thnx

Zoro - the outside bezel is a dark gray and not like the XBR floating screen. The screen is the matte finish to help eliminate glare. It looks very good, but we are going to go with the XBR.

yubakram, what helped u make that decision..thnx

Zoro - the exterior look and build quility of the XBR IMHO is better, that along with the tweaks by people on this forum (i.e. UMR) will provide a very nice picture. We really like the plasma look and size of the 70" and with prices coming down that is the one we will get.

That and the WAF for the 70" is very high.............:)

For those that care...

I just got off the phone with the Sony FAE. He has confirmed that they can repeat my channel memory problem (loss of all programmed channel memory and TV gets stuck on last channel before power down). Anyway, the short of it is that THERE IS A FIRMWARE PROBLEM WITH THE 42WE655's. I'm not sure whether this applies to all of the 655's, but I should know more in the coming days. The plan of action right now is for Sony to locate a service techincian that can come out to my house to update my TV's firmware.

I'll keep you all posted on how it works out and what else I can find out about the problem.

Later!

-Darius

P.S. I'm SO happy I won't have to return my 655!!!

Originally posted by zoro
Can some one confirm? if bezzel around screen on 60XS is dark gray or black? does it look like Sony's floating plasma style? thnx

I know this question was answered by yubakram (it is a dark charcoal metallic gray, not black) but it does give it a floating look. If you are interested in the shade difference between what it is and "black" I could try to take a picture later to show the difference.

Actually the 60XS is $800 more...

Think arkid meant it's $300 less than it was because Sony has dropped the MSRP on the new sets by $300. Most retailers are also now dropping their listed prices as well.;)

Jeff

Originally posted by radius360
... Sony FAE [says] THERE IS A FIRMWARE PROBLEM WITH THE 42WE655's. ... Sony [will] locate a service technician that can come out to my house to update my TV's firmware.Would you mind posting your firmware versions before and after the update? You can check them in Service Mode, under the VERSION settings (there are several).

Originally posted by David 42
Would you mind posting your firmware versions before and after the update? You can check them in Service Mode, under the VERSION settings (there are several).
I can do that, but how do I enter the Service Mode?

I see...Sears reduced their price $300 on the 60XS. That post just happened to follow someone else asking about the price he's getting on the 55XS so it sounded like he was saying Sears has the 60XS for 300 less then the other guys 55XS price...which I would have jumped on without a doubt...the AMEX needs some exercise anyway :D

Originally posted by JeffZX9R
Think arkid meant it's $300 less than it was because Sony has dropped the MSRP on the new sets by $300. Most retailers are also now dropping their listed prices as well.;)

Jeff

The mosttoys! I'll appreciate the picture pls?

Originally posted by zoro
The mosttoys! I'll appreciate the picture pls?

Well, I tried a few;

Originally posted by zoro
The mosttoys! I'll appreciate the picture pls?

Here's another:

Just got a call today...My 60XS955 will be delivered on Tuesday morning, i feel the need to use a couple of sick days next week!!!! i'm calling Comcast to set up a time to have the cable-card installed that same day, i hope that all i've read about its' performance is true. I would hate to go back to using that box (even with component cables). Does any one have any out of the box tweaks for my new baby?

Originally posted by TheMostToyzWins
Here's another:

I really really appreciate!!

Pls kindly post the entire tv Picture! Ur resolution is absolutely superb!! I can wait! Thnx

Plex - Well the CableCard for new Sony LCD rptv is not ready this time. The reason is incompatible...The Motorola will release the CableCard's next version in few weeks to support the new Sony models. Wish you a luck!

Originally posted by zoro
I really really appreciate!!

Pls kindly post the entire tv Picture! Ur resolution is absolutely superb!! I can wait! Thnx

No problem, glad to do it.

These are not as good, the other was a macro shot, but they are ok.

This is using a strobe to get the whole case:

Here is one with a fan light on above the camera (notice the reflection on the TV border.)

Here is one with a large (6 four foot fluorescent tubes) light behind me. The reason it is still kinda dark is because the TV's picture is so bright. :-)

Thnx again, it looks like sitting on small stand?

how wide is pedestal? and how deep is TV itself? thnx

A pic of the other nights game from a DVR:

A pic of whatever happened to be on INHD at the time:

After looking at these pics from the postings, it is really hard to truly appreciate the quality of the actual TV image, it is MUCH better than these 640x3?? snap shots. But I guess it's better than nothing.

Let me know if there's anything else.

radius 360, I PM a message to you.G.B.

Originally posted by TheMostToyzWins
No problem, glad to do it.

These are not as good, the other was a macro shot, but they are ok.

This is using a strobe to get the whole case:

Got any pictures from the side?
Thanks.

Gwood & Plex:

I have a Motorola cablecard in my new Sony - it works fine. It was installed a couple of weeks ago. Don't know what problem your local cable company has...

Zoro,

Here's some pictures of the stand I was talking about, sans 60XS which I get delivered tomorrow.

As you can see, there's a glass to that sits about 7" above the stand...

Here's the center speaker, which fits right underneath the TV.

Originally posted by arkid
Got any pictures from the side?
Thanks.

Sorry, I don't have any pics from the side. It's now in an entertainment center (rather tightly) and not easy to move to get a side shot.

Originally posted by zoro
Thnx again, it looks like sitting on small stand?

how wide is pedestal? and how deep is TV itself? thnx

Actually on a rather large center piece to an entertainment center. The center piece is 31"H 45"W 24"D.

The base of the TV is 38"W 18"D

The main part of the TV is 20"D

Here is a picture of the whole system (flash reflection in the TV image.)

Originally posted by radius360
I can do that [post firmware version numbers], but how do I enter the Service Mode? See post #88 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4412492&highlight=service+mode#post4412492) on page 5 of this thread.

Read this link (Anthony W. Haukap's info) (http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/wega16x9.html#over) for descriptions of what the remote buttons do in service mode (AND THE LINK TO THE WARNING!), then stick to buttons 1/4 and 2/5.

And just to drive home the point, see posts 598 and 599 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4523498#post4523498) on page 30 of this thread.

EDIT: I had to check again, and realized that you do need to use the 3/6 buttons to check the firmware version screens. So be very careful doing this: Get into service mode.
Use 1/4 (and possibly 2/5) to change to "VERSION" mode group (category), item 0 ("VERSION 0" "VERS")
"Setting" 0 doesn't show anything. Press 3 to change the "setting" to 1. You'll see something like:Software Version
TV: T1.007U(C) B1.000U
WEM: W1.001U
DEM: P1.004U
ATSC: 01.23 0053
iLINK: I1.002A
HDMI: H 0.09U Press 6 to change back to "Setting" 0 (probably not necessary, but to be safe).
Press 1 to change to "VERSION" mode group, item 1 ("VERSION 1" "NWR")
"Setting" 0 doesn't show anything. Press 3 to change the "setting" to 1. You'll see something like:
NWM Version
TV: 0006
WEM: 0005
DEM: 0002
ATSC: {blank}
iLINK: {blank} Press 6 to change back to "Setting" 0If you think you may have accidentally changed any setting, power off, wait for the fan to shut down, then unplug the power cord.

Here's UMR's post UMR Does GWIII XBR & WE (Updated to include WE) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=331875) for a few more tips.

As mentioned previously (and only for people who can go through these screens without being fat-fingered and hitting the wrong buttons on your remote), you can press the JUMP button to pull up even more screenfuls of information.

BTW, these TVs are using Linux -- the paperwork includes a GPL declaration for the MontaVista Linux Kernel, busybox, insmod, and other libs.

Rmullin-

Last Monday, the technician was unsuccessfully configuring the CableCard on my GWIV - failed to receive Comcast's premium channels(HBO and SHO). Each cable company probably has different encryption technology. Are you using Comcast?

Hi I have the 42WE655 and i'm shopping for a dvd player right now as my current is very old and doesnt even have progressive scan. I watch alot of movies but I can not afford the denon player, but was wondering would it be worthwhile to buy the Zenith DVB318? I know UMR advised to get the Denon but how much of an upgrade would it be from a Zenith? Would it be worthwhile to get a small cheap progressive scan dvd player now and save up for the Denon or should i just settle with the Zenith? I am far from a videophile so would i really notice the better image quality? What are some of the advantages to the Denon from the Zenith?

Thanks

Do the XS units have firewire outputs? That's the one thing that is holding me back from going with a 55XS. The new Toshiba HM94 DLP has firewire and they also have an HD DVR that plugs right in...wish I could get that from the GWIV.

Originally posted by TH3_FRB
Do the XS units have firewire outputs? That's the one thing that is holding me back from going with a 55XS. The new Toshiba HM94 DLP has firewire and they also have an HD DVR that plugs right in...wish I could get that from the GWIV.

nope, firewire is only on the xbr's.

Sombra Azul,

Is the Elite stand black or really dark brown?

Thanks.

Originally posted by David 42
See post #88 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4412492&highlight=service+mode#post4412492) on page 5 of this thread.

Read this link (Anthony W. Haukap's info) (http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/wega16x9.html#over) for descriptions of what the remote buttons do in service mode (AND THE LINK TO THE WARNING!), then stick to buttons 1/4 and 2/5.

And just to drive home the point, see posts 598 and 599 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4523498#post4523498) on page 30 of this thread.

Ha...it's always nice to be the example of what not to do! I don't think I caused any problems (never pressed the sequence of the MUTE-ENTER), but I learned my lesson. My own recomendation to anyone here...be sure to get the service manual BEFORE even taking a "frist look" at your system in service mode.

-Bryan

Is there a discussion on this thread on comparison b/w 60'' XS and 60'' XBR? Curious what was the verdict. On thing that I cannot confirm for sure is why there is a difference of about 135 pounds b/w the two sets. My dealer tells me that the circuitry/build is way better on the XBR line. Just curious.
Another thing that is very surprising is new XS line is on sale almost right after it was released. Why?

Originally posted by xlent
Hi I have the 42WE655 and i'm shopping for a dvd player right now as my current is very old and doesnt even have progressive scan. I watch alot of movies but I can not afford the denon player, but was wondering would it be worthwhile to buy the Zenith DVB318? I know UMR advised to get the Denon but how much of an upgrade would it be from a Zenith? Would it be worthwhile to get a small cheap progressive scan dvd player now and save up for the Denon or should i just settle with the Zenith? I am far from a videophile so would i really notice the better image quality? What are some of the advantages to the Denon from the Zenith?

Thanks
I'm in the same boat...must have new DVD player Which Denon model do people recommend?

Thanks!

Originally posted by xlent
Hi I have the 42WE655 and i'm shopping for a dvd player right now as my current is very old and doesnt even have progressive scan. I watch alot of movies but I can not afford the denon player, but was wondering would it be worthwhile to buy the Zenith DVB318? I know UMR advised to get the Denon but how much of an upgrade would it be from a Zenith? Would it be worthwhile to get a small cheap progressive scan dvd player now and save up for the Denon or should i just settle with the Zenith? I am far from a videophile so would i really notice the better image quality? What are some of the advantages to the Denon from the Zenith?

Thanks

I have the Zenith and for the price I paid, not sure it can be beat.

Originally posted by BryanSD
Ha...it's always nice to be the example of what not to do! I don't think I caused any problems (never pressed the sequence of the MUTE-ENTER), but I learned my lesson. My own recomendation to anyone here...be sure to get the service manual BEFORE even taking a "frist look" at your system in service mode.

-Bryan

Thanks for the warning BryanSD! Getting into the Service Mode had me a little nervous. Now I'm not so sure if it's something I want to mess with right away. Maybe I'll just let the service tech tell me what the firmware rev. level was (and is being upgraded to) when he/she upgrades my TV.

Guys abt the DVD Players, Check this thread of mine. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=423609 Will provide good info on the players. Nutshell, Zenith is great for Component Upconversion and Denon 1910 (similarly priced) for DVI. Zenith with DVI-fixed firmware upgrade unfortunately takes away the component upconversion.

Originally posted by radius360
Thanks for the warning BryanSD! Getting into the Service Mode had me a little nervous. Now I'm not so sure if it's something I want to mess with right away. Maybe I'll just let the service tech tell me what the firmware rev. level was (and is being upgraded to) when he/she upgrades my TV. Well, in case you do decide to take a look, I've edited my previous post (#723) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4542330#post4542330) with a little more information (and software version values).

It's not too hard as long as you remember you're in service mode and don't start trying to key in channel numbers or use ENTER and MUTE! The TV/VIDEO, Volume, and Channel Up/Down buttons still work.

thanks mallu2u Ill read it more once i get back from work, but I'm pretty sure my next paycheck is going to be for the Zenith after a quick skim through the post.

Anyone one with first hand experience advise me not to????

Thanks

anybody know if the non-firmware updated zenith's are still available anywhere?

New Sony XS is absolutely stunning, PQ is better or same than current XBR, I saw it local CC finally

i ordered from CC for Low price of $3689, and has been promised for $400 gift card too. free delivry. matching sony stand was $599

Originally posted by cholly29
Sombra Azul,

Is the Elite stand black or really dark brown?

Thanks.

It's dark brown, and I think it looks quite good.

CC has on their web site bush dark brown, that i dont like!!

if silver not a prob, tv indeed looks gorgeous with sony stand

Well, my 60XS is here!

Only thing I can say so far, I'm glad I didn't buy the XBR...

IMHO PQ is just as good. I'm no expert, but it looks just stunning!

I'm still playing with it, though...

By the way, somebody asked this, the speakers could be detached, but the silver frame around them can't.

I just found this stand on the IKEA website, and would like to try to use it for the KDF55WF655 (http://www.ikea-usa.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=42127&langId=-1&parentCats=10104*10174). Looks pretty nice. Is there anyone who has one, that could tell me what the width of the base of that TV is? The stand is 40", and I think it might be enough.

Sam

General question about DVD players...

Why would I want a DVD player that does 1080i upconversion when my Sony does it for me? Are the DVD players better at upconverting the signal?

All this talk today about DVD players has me wondering.

you are right sombra!! when i saw the tv!! i said same thing, that i am happy not getting into xbr! i would have appreciated 70 inch to 60 inch any time!

but may be when sxrd comes out! enjoy

zoro,
what distance are you viewing at?
thanks
aztjc

Has anyone seen any dead pixels on their 60xs955's?

Just wondering cause i am planning on exchanging mine out for a new one.

oh hell papa!im 60 yrs old--MY pixel died 10 yrs ago lol

Originally posted by aztjc
zoro,
what distance are you viewing at?
thanks
aztjc

12 feet

zoro

Thanks,
I am in the 12-13' range and was worried that the 60" mightb be a little overwhelming as opposed to 55".

aztjc