My 42WE655 arrived in town today and I expect to have it delivered tomorrow of Friday. Guess it's time to start the owner thread :) Hopefully we'll be able get it all tweaked out like the GWII and III. Pics to come ASAP!

Cool, looking forward to them.

Wicked aweomse cool.

This set is at the top of my list for an Oct 30th purchase. What made you by this one over the Panny?

Got my 42we655today awesome hd and digital cable picture, analog lacking. Hooked directly into cable and built in tuner picked up all local HD channels, although they have different number slots than regular cable. Trying to get a cable card from comcast to pick up encyrpted hd channels.

Where's the pictures? Come on!!!

I wanted to be the first lister to get a GWIV (US version anyway)! Mine is scheduled for delivery tomorrow...2 days late for my 30th B-day but in time for the weekend. I have a feeling I'm gonna watch a lot of football this weekend :D

When you say analog is lacking I hope it's at least as good as the GWIII. Do you notice any difference in the analod/SD cable picture running it through your STB vs. directly into the set? I haven't looked at the GWIII tweaks threads yet but is there anything in there that had improvements in analog/SD PQ for the those models?

Originally posted by mmulligan
Got my 42we655today awesome hd and digital cable picture, analog lacking. Hooked directly into cable and built in tuner picked up all local HD channels, although they have different number slots than regular cable. Trying to get a cable card from comcast to pick up encyrpted hd channels.

analog signal is ok,abot the same as i had on my toshiba 32 crt, just not as good as digital and HD whre I am sure I will spent most of my time with this set. Watched Hd NBC Hawaii and picture was totally awesome, played DVD for a test (seabiscut) and could not get wife to stop watching to the movie was over. Comcast to bring cablecard tomorrow so I hope to get encrypted hd channels.

toshiba crts even cinema series, dont have even good HD pq! imho

Some general questions about the GWIV...

1) What is the refresh (sync) rate of these sets? How does the rate compare to the GWIII and current competing models? How often and under what circumstances might one see blurring of the picture when watching sports, etc.?

2) How many different variations of these sets will there be, and at what sizes? Unless I'm mistaken, it seems like there are going to be WE and WF sets of the same size. What's coming down the road for the GWIV in the near future? (I'm looking at getting a 42" set of some sort.)

It's great that someone has a GWIV. Let us know if the PQ is similar or better compared to the GWIII models. How is the SD? I'm sure the HD is great. Also, how is the brightness and viewing angle?

Does it have a 100W lamp or a 120W lamp? (I think the lamp wattage will increase with the WF655 series.)

Thanks,
Alan

Mine was delivered at 6pm...I've only played for 20min just to make sure it worked and didn't have any obvious issues OOTB. It's late so I'll report back tomorrow once I've had a chance to work on all my connections and get channels set up. First impression though...I don't al all mind not having the black surround like the GWIII.

Come on TH3_FRB, you've had this almost 18 hours and no pictures or reports on PQ?
What's going on?
AAAAIIIIIEEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!

Originally posted by arkid
AAAAIIIIIEEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!

arkid,

Hey, you know that's where I live? Aiea (pronounced eye-eh-ah)

Yes, I'm also waiting for TH3_FRB to post a review. Hope we see one soon.

Herb

Is the Gw4 worth a grand over the gw3?

Are you saying that the GWIII can be had for less than the GWIV msrp of $3299? Where??

It's all about pricematching. Go to pricegrabber.com try to find a local internet store and print it up and go to sears,cc or bb. The lowest is [MSRP Only] there beat it by 10%

Originally posted by iSSues
It's all about pricematching. Go to pricegrabber.com try to find a local internet store and print it up and go to sears,cc or bb. The lowest is [MSRP Only] there beat it by 10%

I doubt any local establishments will price match an Internet vendor... Especially on such a high ticket item... They will usually only price match a local competitor with stock on that particular model...

Ok, here are my impressions of my 42GWIV. As to whether the picture is better than a III I can not comment other than to say that HD is great on IV and SD and analog are better than on my sony 27". The advanagtes of the IV that I have found thus far it is slimmer 15 in and the built in tuner has been a plus for me. I live in Annapolis Md, and comcast designates this as a Baltimore area and only puts local Baltimore Hd channels on its lineup. But I was surprised when I hooked my cable line directly into GWIV and had it do the automatic channel search to discover all the washington DC local Hd channels available, located at 122.1 and up. These channels did not appear using my STB from comcast. I am using cable in port for most analog, SD, and Hd viewing. The stb box is hooked up via component to Video 5 and is used to view encrypted channels and on demand function from comcast. Video 6 is connected to my DVD via component and plays DVD exceptionally. I have the GWIV sitting on a bush stand with a swivel base in my narrow room in my condo, sit 8 ft from screen and have not experienced any screen door effects or bad pixels. On my limited viewing thus far I have been happy with black details and have not noticied any blurring doing sporting events. I also enjoy the twin view feature which has allowed me to watch college football and yankee-redsox game at the same time, but digital picture can only be played to the left panel.

Any pictures?

Sorry for the wait folks...party last night and triathlon this morning :D

So I'll review some now and then report back once I have a chance tweak. This is my first WS television. I've been watching a 32" Sanyo HD set for the past few months (and been very happy with it). My set showed up Friday afternoon and actually wasn't smashed to pieces this time. I was a little bummed when we found out the WE655 would be all grey instead of having the black surround like the GWIII but it's still a nice looking set overall. The black would probably give it a slightly classier look, but I don't dislike the grey. I powered it up and it began to scan for channels...found all the OTA digitals. For now I'm using my Moto 6200 HD STB from Cox via component. I might try an DVI-HDMI cable but reports are generally that the DVI output on the Moto (which was only recently activated most places) isn't providing any improvement in PQ. One beef I have with the Moto 6200 is that I have to select either 720P or 1080i as the output rather then having it send the native res of the content to the set and letting the display do any necessary scaling. I can't see any obvious difference between the two output formats...although Discovery HD didn't play well with the Sony when I had the STB sending 1080i last night so I'm running 720P for now. I'm going to play with running the cable directly into the set to see if there are differences in PQ. I might get a cablecard and ditch the STB but it only saves me $4 and I lose the interactive guide and On-Demand stuff so the PQ would have to be substantially better to make up for the loss of features.

Okay, the set needs adjusting OOTB...it's not bad but I'm sure it can be much improved. I'm running Pro mode with some fairly high Picture and Sharpness settings for now. I actually played around for at least an hour trying to tweak the picture to my liking but I'm not there yet. I haven't used any test disc as of yet. I have Avia but have never used it so I'll wait till I have plenty of time to spend...later. I also read a post from one of our friends to the north that used some of UMR's tweaks on his 42WE620 as well as one additional SM adjustment and got substantial improvements in black details (here is the thread - 42WE620 review/tweaks (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=447745)). My general impression is that this set will be very good once I figure out some better settings and do some SM tweaking.

My two primary issues at this point are 1) soft picture on all OTA HD, digital cable/HD, and DVD content. I expect a softer look from analog SD so I accept that. Even the interactive cable guide and Sony user menu is soft. One thing I notice OOTB before changing any of the picture settings was that Pro mode was significantly softer looking compared to Vivid...and I'm running Pro. I believe UMR's tweakes improve the resolution of Pro mode so I'm hoping that will take care of it. 2) black detail needs to be improved and colors in general are a little muted...it just doesn't have that "POP" when you flip on a football game in HD (although the Fox game looks very nice today). I think improving the crispness will also help with that "POP" factor. I can't seem to get the adjustments right for blacks...Pro mode is rather dark to begin with, but when I cranked the Picture setting it brought the colors back up. Even with the brightness at 30 the set seems a little washed out in general. Watching anything wth black bars, the bars appear kind of bright black if that makes any sense...they certainly aren't black black. If I hold up a black speaker grille to the "black" bar you can see a clear distinction. I tried to take some pictures but they didn't reallt show it. This is the type of thing I'd typically use a contrast setting for...increase the darkness of the blackest blacks while increasing the brightness of the brightest colors...but there is no contrast setting :confused: Again, hopefully a run through Avia and SM tweaks will take care of it.

SD is actually good although you will certainly see the difference in quality among various channels. Analog HBO looked very good last night but my analog local networks weren't as good...which is fine since I can get them all OTA digital anyway. I'm satisfied with analog and digital SD. I'm not yet blown away by OTA HD, cable HD or DVD...but they are all generally good. Don't get me wrong...I'm not unhappy with any of them, but I'm not satisfied yet either. I'm certain I can make significant improvements over the next week or two as I have time to read UMR's tweaks and learn the Avia disc.

Okay, some quick pics...they don't actually look that great...probably my 5 year old Kodak 1.8MP camera. I'm having a hard time getting good pics...my camera wants to flash but that reflectsa off the screen so I've been covering the flash, which makes things kinda dark.

Here it is...the stand is temporary 'till I get to Ikea and pick up an oppli stand in a few weeks. It will be about 14 inches lower.
http://members.cox.net/th3_frb/42WE655.jpg

A couple shots of OTA HD
720P on Fox
http://members.cox.net/th3_frb/720P.jpg

1080i on CBS
http://members.cox.net/th3_frb/1080i.jpg

Yesterday 08:30 PM
iSSues:

Sears will likely pricematch, but it will include shipping. In my case, it was based on a price near where you posted plus $249. shipping. Was still a great price at the time.
However, I was also lucky that when I bought the Sony DAVFR8 Home Theater and the SWE50 Tech Craft stand at the same time, the salesmanager did the pricematch but did not add in any more shipping, so I got a great deal. The DAVFR8 final price was a little over $520. and the stand was under $300.

Good Luck!
Alan

I dont like the looks of this TV, will wait for XS995 series..

iSSues:

One more point. Sears will match local stores, not Internet-only stores. But, the person in the TV Dept. told me he would match any credible online store that had a storefront. Abesofmaine has a store in Brooklyn, NY, and it is shown on their web site. I guess he figured I could call a Sears near the other store and get the pricematch. I think he could have used the out that the store was not local if the pricematch caused him to lose money. But, he was able to do it and make money. Also, I bought the Sears extended warranty. I wouldn't buy a TV like this without extended service from a credible source, but this is just my personal opinion.

Alan

alan, did their system show XS series, and will sears be carrying those?

Sorry, I don't know about the XS series. Up to now, I think Sears has only stocked the WE610 series. I would expect them to carry new models as they become available. They may go with the WE655 series since it is the next new model after the WE610. Not sure if they will go with the WF655 series.

Since I don't work for Sears, these are only logical conjectures. You may want to call a local store or their online store.

Alan

TH3_FRB,

Does the new GWIV 'remember' the video settings for each input? For instance, if you set contrast to 30 on Video1, then switch to Video2 and set contrast to 50, is contrast still set to 30 when you switch back to Video1?

-steve

Yes...completely independent settings for each of the 8 sources.

Originally posted by barnabas
TH3_FRB,

Does the new GWIV 'remember' the video settings for each input? For instance, if you set contrast to 30 on Video1, then switch to Video2 and set contrast to 50, is contrast still set to 30 when you switch back to Video1?

-steve

i work at BB and have access to the WD-62525 but am trying to wait a decent time for them to work out some problems. I know most problems can be fixed (tilt) but i do not want the hassel of having to call techs, go thru
menus...etc. The Sony 60XS955 is also in our system so i am stuck with the lcd or dlp problem.

Sony lists » 1386 x 788 pixels (all signals displayed at 788p) , so apparently has a higher resolution but will it be better?

Mitsubishi 1280 x 720p
DLP™ Light Engine


Inputs are a little better on Mits (firewire,pc input) besides the sony having 2 HDMI ports. Everytime i make a decision something new comes up..any advice..I love both but don't know what to pick

Originally posted by TH3_FRB
Yes...completely independent settings for each of the 8 sources.

Good news! Sounds like at least one good reason to wait for the GWIV's. Thanks for the info.

Originally posted by papaduxx
i work at BB and have access to the WD-62525 but am trying to wait a decent time for them to work out some problems. I know most problems can be fixed (tilt) but i do not want the hassel of having to call techs, go thru
menus...etc. The Sony 60XS955 is also in our system so i am stuck with the lcd or dlp problem.


Does BB have an expected date for the XS? I was at Ultimate Electronics today and they had the WF's in their computer, expecting a shipment 10/9. But they didn't have the XS listed yet.

the xs models have an expected date of mid october.

I displayed the 42we655 the other day and liked its picture, not better than Mits DLP though. But the XS models are supposed to be a step above the WE and WF models, similar to the xbr series.

Originally posted by zoro
alan, did their system show XS series, and will sears be carrying those?
Just got back from Sears and looked on their computer.
The WE655's are available now and the WF's can be delivered on the 4th Oct if you want one.
They will also carry the XS's but I couldn't get a date on them.
I almost paid for the WF but managed to calm myself down and decided to wait until i've seen one first.

Sears is going to carry the XS? I didn't expect that...

Please let us know if you see a WE655 or WF655 at a Sears store.

Thanks,
Alan

Originally posted by TH3_FRB
Sears is going to carry the XS? I didn't expect that...

Me neither. It wasn't in their computer yet but the guy had a ring binder with a list of all the models they will be carrying. He said he'd never even heard of any of these till I came in.

Does anyone have the Sears stock number for the WE655? My mother -in-law works at Sears and she checked on this set yesterday and she said the model number was not in their system (as far as she could tell).

Originally posted by nixima
Does anyone have the Sears stock number for the WE655? My mother -in-law works at Sears and she checked on this set yesterday and she said the model number was not in their system (as far as she could tell).

That's what the guy told me, he said they can only look it up by their stock number.
He then found this ring binder with a list of all the new equipment coming in from all the manufaturers and it had them listed in there. With the stock numbers he was able to look them up.

Originally posted by papaduxx


Sony lists ť 1386 x 788 pixels (all signals displayed at 788p) , so apparently has a higher resolution but will it be better?

Mitsubishi 1280 x 720p
DLP� Light Engine



Just a little math.

1386 X 788 = 1,092,168
1280 X 720 = 921,600
________
170,568 Pixels

If you have 170 thousand more pixels in the same size screen there has to be a good deal of difference in PQ sharpness and smoothness of images.

Originally posted by Barrybud
Just a little math.

1386 X 788 = 1,092,168
1280 X 720 = 921,600
________
170,568 Pixels

If you have 170 thousand more pixels in the same size screen there has to be a good deal of difference in PQ sharpness and smoothness of images.

Not true, you have to factor in the electronics, the light engine, and many many more factors. To make yet another bad car analogy: If you put the exact same engine in a beetle and a porche, which car do you think will handle the road better?

I agree...more pixels doesn't necessarily mean better PQ. That's that logic most big box store clerks use when pushing digital cameras...the MP number is higher on this one...so it's a better camera :rolleyes:

Originally posted by marcelval
Not true, you have to factor in the electronics, the light engine, and many many more factors. To make yet another bad car analogy: If you put the exact same engine in a beetle and a porche, which car do you think will handle the road better?

Originally posted by marcelval
Not true, you have to factor in the electronics, the light engine, and many many more factors. To make yet another bad car analogy: If you put the exact same engine in a beetle and a porche, which car do you think will handle the road better?


i agrere with your analogy the way you state it, however, it doesn't really fit this example IMO. we're not talking about a "beetle" vs. a "porshe"... the quality of the sony and the mits' electronics are both generally regarded as top notch.

Originally posted by Fidelity
i agrere with your analogy the way you state it, however, it doesn't really fit this example IMO. we're not talking about a "beetle" vs. a "porshe"... the quality of the sony and the mits' electronics are both generally regarded as top notch.

Doesn't it also depend upon the source feed? If the source is 720, won't it look better on a 720 screen instead of 788 because you are introducing artifacts when you scale up? For example I would image a 640x480 image would look better in it's native resolution on my computer instead of stretching it on a higher resolution. This may be especially true if you go to a 788 resolution where only some of the lines are extrapolated.

Originally posted by Barrybud
Just a little math.

1386 X 788 = 1,092,168
1280 X 720 = 921,600
________
170,568 Pixels

If you have 170 thousand more pixels in the same size screen there has to be a good deal of difference in PQ sharpness and smoothness of images.

If you notice he said PQ sharpness and smoothness of images, not overall PQ. The picture will be more "resolute", sharper, etc.

I agree the same is true with MP on digital cameras, as in more MPs does not mean a better overall PQ. However, the resolution of 3 MP is better than 2, in terms of a shaper image.

Several other factors as mentioned account for overall PQ.

Originally posted by kasm
Doesn't it also depend upon the source feed? If the source is 720, won't it look better on a 720 screen instead of 788 because you are introducing artifacts when you scale up? For example I would image a 640x480 image would look better in it's native resolution on my computer instead of stretching it on a higher resolution. This may be especially true if you go to a 788 resolution where only some of the lines are extrapolated.

I have often wondered on my 50 in GW3 about the 720p/1080i debate. The display's native resolution is 788p. Sat feeds that are in 1080i like HDnet, Leno, Discovery HD etc., look better than ESPN or ABC's 720p on my display.

I am not saying 720p doesnt look good due to its upconverting to 788p. I am saying 1080i is more detailed and overall better PQ, again on my display.

My pixel count post was not a poke at DLP, just stating that higher density in a 50" or 60" screen is a good thing.

Its true that the GW will scale everything to its native res. So unless you feed a pc at 1386x788 ( Don't know if that is a valid res or not) this TV will alway scale it. The 1080 V 720 feed for a set like this is difficult and really is what looks best to you. Generally if you are able to pick a pass through, that would be best. Let the TV do the scaling. If you set a STB to 720 here is what you get.. Source 1080> STB 720> TV 788. Every time a signal gets scaled you increase possible artifacts and video delay.

It seems that most HD is 1080i (NBC, CBS, PBS, WB, INHD1 & 2, DiscoveryHD, HDNet, HBO, Starz, Showtime, Cinemax) with the odd ones at 720 ABC, ESPN and Fox. If you have to pick one I would say 1080i. If you settle on one of the 720 stations go in and change it to 720. It only takes a few seconds.

Even with a DLP that is 720P I would let the 1080i channels hit the TV in that format. Chances are very likely that the TV does better at scaling than a STB.

so do you think it is a clear advantage of the Sony LCD line to offer this resolution compared to the other resolutions of competitors?

Seems this would be a disadvantage. Both 720P and 1080i need to be scaled by the set. At least with a 720P display the 720P material is displayed natively. I really can't see a significant difference between feeding 720P vs 1080i to my GWIV. Unfortunately my Moto 6200 doesn't do pass-through so I have to pick one or the other for all my cable HD channels...going with 720P right now. Luckily OTA stuff only gets scaled once to the nativ res of the set.

Originally posted by papaduxx
so do you think it is a clear advantage of the Sony LCD line to offer this resolution compared to the other resolutions of competitors?

Regarding Sony's 1386 X 788 native resolution and scaling.

Do you really care how they did it as long as the picture looks great?

No, I don't care..unless the scaling everything to 788 means the PQ is not as good as it otherwise could be...and we have no way of knowing this.

I agree. If the pic rocks, who cares if its 720P, 788P, 1080i, or whatever. Just enjoy a great picture on a really big screen :)

On a related note, I wonder if Sony's new line of upscaling DVD players with HDMI will scale to 788P. I've seen the specs for some of these player that scale to 768P and wondered what that was all about, but if Sony put out a quality upscaling DVD that did 720P, 788P, and 1080i that would be key... not to mention good business sense.

Does anyone know the real reason why Sony uses 1386x788 instead of 1280x720 when it doesn't match any of the HD standards?

Is it possible to get a DVI->HDMI from my computer to the GWIV?

Im debating on getting the 42WE655 or the HLP4663W

The only concern I have about the Sony is the possibility of getting dead pixels and the lack of connections compared to the Samsung =\

and with the Samsung you get rainbows. Pick your poison

Guys!! One Q? I understand Sony GW dont support PC connection through RGB/VGA?

"Many of today's widescreen format projectors use either 1280x720 or 1366x768 resolution displays). With each step up in the number of pixels that produce the image, visible pixelation and the screendoor effect have been reduced. At the new pixel densities, visible pixelation is usually eliminated at normal viewing distances."

http://www.projectorcentral.com/lcd_dlp_update.htm

Not to be a nitpicker, but page 46 of the XS955 model states that 'this TV displays all format types of picture in a resolution of 1368 dots X 768 lines.' And the only reason I bring this up, is because I have already purchased an external scaler in hopes of using it with whatever RPTV I purchase in the next month. At this point, it almost seems easier to buy a JVC dila set that displays in 720p natively then to continue to consider the GWIVs. My Iscan HD doesn't support this 1368 X 768 resolution as a preset. If anyone is currently using an Iscan with a GW III, please PM with 1X1 pixel mapping resolution that you are using.

Thanks,

7

I decided to run through the THX optimizer tonight to see what kind of improvements I can get. I just have't been able to set aside enough time to do UMR's tweaks yet. I've been playing with the user settings every night since I got the set last Friday and arrived at some settings that seem fairly good using standard mode. After going through the tests I ended up with essentially the same settings that I had from trial and error:

Standard mode
Picture - max
brightness - 30
color - 45
Hue - 0
sharpness - 45
temp - warm

The settings on the GWIV range from min/0 to 62 with the final notch being "max". I guess I am a little surprised at these settings. No matter how high I cranked the picture setting, the 4 shades of white were still visible...I'd estimate I could go another 5-10 notches above the "max" before they would merge into one solid block. For color, I couldn't really pick out a single point where the red started to "bleed" so I used a relatively high setting that made the colors fairly vibrant and saturated. I guess I have this idea in my head that adjusting the settings towards the high end of the range is wrong for some reason...but it's what I get from following the tests. I really never saw the lines on the sharpness test become overly enhanced either but again, it just didn't seem right to leave it set at the max...this may have something to do with the relatively soft picture to begin with.

On the 16-9 aspect ratio set-up screen the outter-most box is centered with about 1/2 inch space from the edge of the screen top to bottom, but is about 1/2" off-center to the left. The left edge of the box is right at the edge of the screen leaving 1/2-3/4" space on the right side. I assume I can tweak this in the SM.

I'm fairly happy with the colors and overall brightness of the set but my two main complaints haven't changed...the picture is still too soft and the blacks aren't dark enough. Next step is to do UMR's tweaks and see if that doesn't help. As for the picture/contrast...is it possible to push the max even higher in the SM since it looks like I still have room? I'd say I'll be looking into a neutral density filter too since the bright blacks are kind of driving me crazy.

Originally posted by TH3_FRB

On the 16-9 aspect ratio set-up screen the outter-most box is centered with about 1/2 inch space from the edge of the screen top to bottom, but is about 1/2" off-center to the left. The left edge of the box is right at the edge of the screen leaving 1/2-3/4" space on the right side. I assume I can tweak this in the SM.


IS this similar to what is being descibed on the Mits DLP's? At my BB most of our DLP and some LCD displays all have the 1/2" black gap on the side, could it be source?

Originally posted by Jon7athan
Not to be a nitpicker, but page 46 of the XS955 model states that 'this TV displays all format types of picture in a resolution of 1368 dots X 768 lines.' And the only reason I bring this up, is because I have already purchased an external scaler in hopes of using it with whatever RPTV I purchase in the next month. At this point, it almost seems easier to buy a JVC dila set that displays in 720p natively then to continue to consider the GWIVs. My Iscan HD doesn't support this 1368 X 768 resolution as a preset. If anyone is currently using an Iscan with a GW III, please PM with 1X1 pixel mapping resolution that you are using.

Thanks,

7

I believe it is the same resolution as the GW3: 1386x788p.

Just before I went to bed I fired up the Avia disc...never used it before. I found my way to the overscan test pattern and it was perfectly centered on my screen. Apparently the Avia I have was designed for 4:3 sets so I had to "full zoom" to fill my screen left to right. If I'm using the test pattern correctly it looks like I have 3% overscan on all sides. Could the THX optimizer 16:9 setup test be bad...or maybe it isn't designed to test for proper centering? Can you point me to a thread about the Mits DLP issue?

Originally posted by papaduxx
IS this similar to what is being descibed on the Mits DLP's? At my BB most of our DLP and some LCD displays all have the 1/2" black gap on the side, could it be source?

3 % overscan is not bad. Some sets have as much as 5%

Well my gw3 will not be coming from sears. They told me that set is now sold out and i will not get my set. :mad: So i took the gw4 for 650.00 off sony price. I will have it in 2 weeks when they get the 50 in-stock.

iSSues:

How are you able to get ~20% off MSRP on a set that no one has in stock yet, and no one has seen?

Easy they messed up selling me a set that they had no more left. Printed out a link from a store in NY in my area http://store.yahoo.com/hypeaudio/kdf50we655.html that had it at a price meet it and beat it by 10%.

I got my 60WF655 for $3200 at Ultimate Electronics which is 20% off. No pricemaching involved. Went to the first salesman and had no luck. He tried to sale me a repaired 60WE610 at 10% off and I said no I want 20% and he just looked at me funny and walked off. Tried a second salesman and he said no problem. I then told him I had an Ultimate credit card and would like 24 months no interest and he said sure no problem to that also. Should have the new set early October.


Doug

I have a Sony KDF42WE655 tv that receives digital channels via my outdoor antenna. The onscreen display states that it's 1080i and 16:9 ratio but it shows on the screen as a 4:3 ratio with grey on the left and right sides. I have to change the wide mode to get it to fill up the screen. Is this normal? The HDTV channel is KHTV 11.1 out of AR.

zcrc01,

Yes, this could be normal. Just because a channel is digital does not mean it's broadcasting in hi def. They're still sending out a 1080 signal, but the content within is only SD. You can tell when you look at it that it's not HD. You should get full screen 16X9 on actual HD programs like CSI, ER, Leno, ect, but commercials will still be 4X3 SD. Hope this makes sense.

Jeff

Jeff,

I was watching CSI last night on 11.1 which is transmitted in HDTV but it still wasn't filling the entire screen until I switched wide modes. Do I have something setup wrong?

The broadcast is SD upconverted to 1080i so in order to send it in 16:9 without distorting the content they add the bars to the sides...in other words it's not real HD. That's not to say that nothing on that channel is HD, just not what you've seen so far. Is it a major network? Typically only the more popular prime-time shows and some sports events are shot in HD at this time. If you like the zoom mode filling the whole screen then go for it but you are distorting the content...it's really 4:3 unless it is true HD or a widescreen movie.

Originally posted by zcrc01
I have a Sony KDF42WE655 tv that receives digital channels via my outdoor antenna. The onscreen display states that it's 1080i and 16:9 ratio but it shows on the screen as a 4:3 ratio with grey on the left and right sides. I have to change the wide mode to get it to fill up the screen. Is this normal? The HDTV channel is KHTV 11.1 out of AR.

What mode did you need to switch to? Check your default wide mode settings in the user menu. If it has gray bars it is NOT HD...although the major network might broadcast HD, it doesn't necessarily mean the local channel passes it OTA.

Originally posted by zcrc01
Jeff,

I was watching CSI last night on 11.1 which is transmitted in HDTV but it still wasn't filling the entire screen until I switched wide modes. Do I have something setup wrong?

I switched to Wide Zoom in order to fill the entire screen. The mode before I switched is Full.


Originally posted by TH3_FRB
What mode did you need to switch to? Check your default wide mode settings in the user menu. If it has gray bars it is NOT HD...although the major network might broadcast HD, it doesn't necessarily mean the local channel passes it OTA.

Full mode should be correct for HD. Could have been your local CBS affiliate screwed up and forgot to throw the switch or something. They've done that here in Dallas from time-to-time. Try looking for other HD broadcasts to test. Usually local PBS stations run an HD loop of some sort on their digital channels. Also CBS has one of their soap operas in HD. Don't remember which one. You may have to wait till tonight for other network HD programming is on to test.

Good Luck
Jeff

This may have been partially answered earlier, but any information is appreciated! Thanks!


The KDF-55WF655 is not on Sears web site.
Can you tell me if Sears aill stock any of the following:
KDF-55WF655
KDF-50WE655
KDF-55XS955

I love the GWIII I bought from Sears, and I will probably keep it.
But, I could return it and get one of the above.

Do any of you know which of the units will be at Sears and the delivery dates? Also, what are Sears part numbers?

Thanks,
Alan

Just ordered the GWIV because i got it at a great price (30% under MSRP). I dont have any satelite right now, but once we move to the new house (reason why we bought the tv) ill be ordering voom (unless someone would advise me not to in these forums).I have only two question:

Has anyone been able to get this TV to display from a HTPC correctly? I dont have a really good dvd player and intended to use it to watch most of my dvd's and since i dont have a tivo i was going to torrent some shows i would happen to miss.

How is the reception with the ATSC tuner? I was planning to use some cheapo ones until i got the satellite hooked up in 3 weeks or so. Would you advise me to get another antenna? One specificly for recieving OTA hdtv? I found it at circuit city and it looks interesting for 40.

Thanks CANT wait to get the TV delievered. Its alot easier making TV decisions based on prices then going into the nitty gritty of these forums hah. Hopefully it doesnt become a blunder but i think I have a pretty good idea of what I am getting myself into since I have been going through these forums on a daily bases lately. Cheers.

Xlent, how and where did you get the 30% on MSRP?? I am trying to narrow my desicion down too and if i could get close to that it would be done deal. could you PM me with the info please?

Please PM me also about how you manage to get this deal

Its too late to get it at the price i do believe... but i sent the pm anyways.

I'd love to know how to get one at 30% off too. Please PM.

xllent send me pm too, pls

i sent the PM's but like i said i doubt you can still get this price but more power to you if you can.

anyways can anyone follow up on my questions?

:Has anyone been able to get this TV to display from a HTPC correctly? I dont have a really good dvd player and intended to use it to watch most of my dvd's and since i dont have a tivo i was going to torrent some shows i would happen to miss.

How is the reception with the ATSC tuner? I was planning to use some cheapo ones until i got the satellite hooked up in 3 weeks or so. Would you advise me to get another antenna? One specificly for recieving OTA hdtv? I found it at circuit city and it looks interesting for 40. "

Also what are some good tweeks out there? I want to riguriously work on the TV while its still under warrenty until I get the picture i find acceptable. I keep reading about how tweekable the WE610 but I am pretty clueless what kind of tweeks these posters were referring to.


cheers

I just got my KDF-50WE655 and it's awesome! However, when I tied the usual (display, 5, vol+,power) this does not work. I even tried the older sequence without the vol+. I don't see any hidden buttons either like the really old sets. Anyone know how to get into the service mode on these sets?

Jeff

CBS keeps commercials going before today's football game bragging that they are in HD. These seem to be sponsored by Sony.

When I watch in HD, they are in standard 4:3 format and do not really look like they are in HD. Looks a little better than SD, but not much better. When I watch HD on other channels, the games are clear as a bell and generally in 16:9 format. What gives with CBS?

Thanks,
Alan

P.S. - In particular, I'm saw this on the Baltimore/Cincinatti game.

Repost:

This may have been partially answered earlier, but any information is appreciated! Thanks!


The KDF-55WF655 is not on Sears web site.
Can you tell me if Sears aill stock any of the following:
KDF-55WF655
KDF-50WE655
KDF-55XS955

I love the GWIII I bought from Sears, and I will probably keep it.
But, I could return it and get one of the above.

Do any of you know which of the units will be at Sears and the delivery dates? Also, what are Sears part numbers?

Thanks,
Alan

Originally posted by alanpgh
Repost:

This may have been partially answered earlier, but any information is appreciated! Thanks!


The KDF-55WF655 is not on Sears web site.
Can you tell me if Sears aill stock any of the following:
KDF-55WF655
KDF-50WE655
KDF-55XS955

I love the GWIII I bought from Sears, and I will probably keep it.
But, I could return it and get one of the above.

Do any of you know which of the units will be at Sears and the delivery dates? Also, what are Sears part numbers?

Thanks,
Alan

They are stocking all of those models.
Don't know Sears stock numbers but I almost ordered the WF655 sight unseen and was told they could deliver it 4th Oct.

sears part number for the 42we655 is 5754644

I know they have the 50'' in stock but I cant help you with the part number. I think they have some other model because they just recently got some paper work for the other tv's. Possibly it is the WF

Try it again...I just did it on my 42WE655 and it worked. I powered off, hit display, 5, vol+, power and then it took probably 15-20 seconds to turn on...the green light was blinking. You going to try UMR's tweaks? I'll probably do them some night this week.

Originally posted by jeff abc
I just got my KDF-50WE655 and it's awesome! However, when I tied the usual (display, 5, vol+,power) this does not work. I even tried the older sequence without the vol+. I don't see any hidden buttons either like the really old sets. Anyone know how to get into the service mode on these sets?

Jeff

TH3_FRB or any other GWIV owners:

How do like your set so far, black levels any better than the GWIII? Are you happy with the PQ (sd/hd/dvd)?

So far so good. See my initial review earlier in this thread. I've had about a week to play and I think I have the UM settings as good as they can get. HD looks very good now and SD is completely acceptable...good even...of course some channels are better then others. I haven't done any significant DVD viewing yet so I can't comment there. The blacks aren't great...can't compare to the GWIII...but they are bright. I really think that a neutral density filter will do the trick but I need to figure out how to do the install...hoping that someone else tries it first :D I'm also thinking about some bias back lighting behind the set to help the blacks appear a little darker at night under low light conditions.

Overall I'm happier with the set now then last weekend...mostly due to finally getting the levels adjusted more to my liking but I'm probably also getting used to the picture overall. Hopefully I'll have a chance to try UMR's tweaks this week and I can report back.

Originally posted by papaduxx
TH3_FRB or any other GWIV owners:

How do like your set so far, black levels any better than the GWIII? Are you happy with the PQ (sd/hd/dvd)?

Here's a conjecture about the GWIII compared to the GWIV:

This is a guess that we should try to confirm:

I bet the KF-50WE610 and KDF-50WE655 have similar PQ.
But, the KDF-55WF655 will likely have some improvements in PQ. At least we know the screen size is 55" vs. 50".
The KDF-55WF655 should be at Sears byOct. 4 according to some previous postings.

Does anyone have any first hand experience to confirm or refute the information above? Or do you have any additional information? Any information is appreciated!

Alan

I don't kow that anyone has presented any reliable information that would suggest PQ differences between the WE655 and WF655...although I believe the XS models are expected to be more in line with the current XBR series.

TH3,

This might be true, but with a 132W lamp vs the older 100w, I think you'd see a definite difference in brightness and maybe contrast between the older 60WE610 and the new 60WF655 set. Wouldn't you agree? Also, the WF series will have the power saver low light setting for night time viewing that could yield better blacks, maybe, well I'm hoping anyway.

Jeff

I stopped by my local Sears in Torrance, CA yesterday... they have a Sony KDF-50WE655 on display, priced at the MSRP.

I asked a salesperson for some info like, what's the major difference between the new model and the older 610 model besides HDMI and a built in HD tuner.

He had to stop a manager for an answer and the manager said... "no difference between the 2 models except "cosmetics" and the new model still didn't have a HD tuner built in."

...and with an answer like that I said thank you very much for your time and got the hell out of there :D

Why can't these people just say the don't know the new details and specs yet but I'd be happy to find out and let you know... or something like that.

Otherwise, the 50WE655 looked pretty good, the cabinet is all silver and looks very clean... I couldn't tell about the PQ because they have an awful HD source and nodoby could figure out how to switch to a SD source.

Oh Well :(

2 weeks ago I was going to buy the 50WE610 from Sears because of a great sales price and no interest/no payments/no deferred interest thru Sears but the salesperson told me they had none left in stock and couldn't get anymore. I asked if I could order it online still because before going to the store I checked online and Sears still had them listed. He told me no because their inventory and the online inventory are the same so if he can't get one then I can't get one online. Well, 2 weeks later and Sears still shows the 50WE610 online at a discounted price. Does that mean I should be able to order online or was the salesperson actually right (which would be a first) and no stock for him means no online stock as well?


sorry about the long questions and such but I've been researching for a new TV for months now... thought about the 50WE610 and then the HLP 50 Sammy, then the JVC 52 DILA... and I finally found this forum! This forum is great but the more I read and answer some questions the more new doubts and issues I find with certain models, etc... :p

So, thanks to all of you that take the time to research, test, compare, and post your reviews and experiences. It's been very helpful!

Baddog

I saw 42655 at sonystyle store, believe me, for whatever PQ looked better than XBR955 60 inch, right next to it?

Why

Bright, better contrast, less SDE, because of size? dont know?

But I want XS series

huh?

Originally posted by zoro
I saw 42655 at sonystyle store, believe me, for whatever PQ looked better than XBR955 60 inch, right next to it?

Why

Bright, better contrast, less SDE, because of size? dont know?


Yes, because of size.

The lamp might make some difference...especially in the larger set, but my 42WE655 is way bright with the smaller bulb. I've got the brightness set around 35% and it's plenty. Could even be bumped down in dark viewing conditions so the "power saver" thing could be useful.

Originally posted by JeffZX9R
TH3,

This might be true, but with a 132W lamp vs the older 100w, I think you'd see a definite difference in brightness and maybe contrast between the older 60WE610 and the new 60WF655 set. Wouldn't you agree? Also, the WF series will have the power saver low light setting for night time viewing that could yield better blacks, maybe, well I'm hoping anyway.

Jeff

Someone explain the built-in HDTV Tuner to me please. I want to see if buying the new model isworth it over the older model.

I have Adelphia cable and will get their HDTV package. The package comes with 8 channels:

CBS HDTV
NBC HDTV
FOX HDTV
ABC HDTV
Showtime HDTV
HBO HDTV
Discovery HDTV
ESPN HDTV

By having the HDTV tuner built-in the new Sony TV's, will I be able to get more channels? Do I still need to add an antenna to get reception through the built-in tuner? I am in Los Angeles at the moment and do have some tall buildings around me. I wonder if this will cause a problem with reception.

Please help. Thanks!

Just pre-ordered my 55WF655 using the Agoraquest.com groupbuy. Got 10% off, no shipping, no tax from ABT Electronics... Haven't heard a delivery date yet... I just hope Sony ships these suckers soon! And praying to the RPTV Gods for no lamp problems!

marcelval,

How reliable is Agoraquest.com?

Originally posted by marcelval
Just pre-ordered my 55WF655 using the Agoraquest.com groupbuy. Got 10% off, no shipping, no tax from ABT Electronics... Haven't heard a delivery date yet... I just hope Sony ships these suckers soon! And praying to the RPTV Gods for no lamp problems!

Thanks for the link, was debating between this tv and the 50" hitachi 810.

5" bigger screen with less SSE(hopefully), for $700 less including white glove delivery, sorry hitachi

hdiesel, This is the first time I am ordering anything through that site. Agoraquest is a "Sony enthusiast" site with forums, reviews, etc. The groupbuys are done through ABT Electronics which has a store in Chicago, and sells over the internet. ABT has a very good rating on Bizrate (96% positive with over 25,000 ratings). The discount (10%) is no better than what you can get at BB or CC, but since they don't charge sales tax (to most states) it's another 8.25% (California) off! Also they give free white glove shipping which is a great deal, and seem to have a good return policy.

When the deal goes through and I receive the TV I'll post my experience...

Go to antennaweb.com and use the antenna selector. You will provide your address and answer a few questions and it will return a list of DTV stations broadcasting in your area. These are what you can reasonable expect to get with an OTA antenna and the integrated tuner. Looks like your cable company has a decent line-up already with the 4 major networks. Here in Norfolk Cox only has CBS-HD plus the other cable-only channels so the OTA DTV is great for me...I get all 4 major networks plus WB, UPN, and PBS. Now because the GWIV has a built-in tuner AND cablecard slot you could not bother renting the STB from the cable company and get a cablecard instead...save $10-15/month. The cable card provides all the information the Sony needs to decode whatever channels you subscribe to from cable. However, first-generation carbecards are only on-way communication so you lose any interactive program guide and pay-per-view/On-Demand features that you would otherwise have with a STB from the cable company.

Originally posted by km23
Someone explain the built-in HDTV Tuner to me please. I want to see if buying the new model isworth it over the older model.

I have Adelphia cable and will get their HDTV package. The package comes with 8 channels:

CBS HDTV
NBC HDTV
FOX HDTV
ABC HDTV
Showtime HDTV
HBO HDTV
Discovery HDTV
ESPN HDTV

By having the HDTV tuner built-in the new Sony TV's, will I be able to get more channels? Do I still need to add an antenna to get reception through the built-in tuner? I am in Los Angeles at the moment and do have some tall buildings around me. I wonder if this will cause a problem with reception.

Please help. Thanks!

Originally posted by marcelval
hdiesel, This is the first time I am ordering anything through that site. Agoraquest is a "Sony enthusiast" site with forums, reviews, etc. The groupbuys are done through ABT Electronics which has a store in Chicago, and sells over the internet. ABT has a very good rating on Bizrate (96% positive with over 25,000 ratings). The discount (10%) is no better than what you can get at BB or CC, but since they don't charge sales tax (to most states) it's another 8.25% (California) off! Also they give free white glove shipping which is a great deal, and seem to have a good return policy.

When the deal goes through and I receive the TV I'll post my experience...

Abt is one of the more respected places around here. If it weren't for the tax being tacked on I'd probably jump on the deal. Since these are just being released you probably won't find much better with white glove shipping free. Since it is a reputable place at a good price it isn't a bad way to go.
Now if anyone finds a place that has the 50we655 or the 55xs955 from a reputable authorized dealer at as good or better price for us IL folks let me know.
Also, who sets up power buys on this site. Seems to me that with all the interest here we'd probably be able to get a better deal through someone they've used in the past like TV Authority. Any chances on this?

Thanks!

I ordered my 40XBR800 from Shopsunshine.com last year and had great service. Their prices are very good and they are indeed an authorized Sony dealer...I called Sony to confirm and even used my warranty coverage to have the set replaced with my new 42WE655 when the tube went bad. They have a very good feedback rating on eBay if you want to read up on their service.

I'm sorry to report that UMR's tweaks can not be applied to the GWIV WE655. I sat down to run through the whole process as described in the "UMR does GWIII" thread and when I got to the service menu I found that none of the categories are the same. Even worse, almost none of the items under any of the categories match the ones that UMR adjusted in the GWII/III. the only item I could find was SHOF (under 2 categories) with a factory setting of 0. I tried different input types and formats to see if the categories would change based on format but they remained the same. My 42WE655 has 34 categories as follows:

TELETEXT
MSP SIZE
MSPMO
MSPSEL
MSPFNC
MSP3714G
CCPS 1
CCPS 2
CCPS 3
CCPS 4
CCPS 5
CCPS 6
CCPS 7
CCPS 8
CCPS 10 (CORRECT..."CCPS 9" DOES NOT EXIST)
CCPS 11
DELAY 1
DELAY 2
OSD
CC M
CC S
CC T
ID
OPB GA
OP GA
OP VS
VERSION
CXA2209Q
AP
DLBY
BUSSW
CXA2103
CXA2163
2D COMB

I guess we're out of luck as far as SM tweaks go until someone translates the new categories/items. I think I remember UMR saying something about the new GWIV service manual he has being rather useless and mentioning that tweaking the GW may be over as we know it. I hope he's wrong...I'm not completely satisfied with my UM adjustments.

TH3_FRB

You're making the presumption that the new sets need the same tweaks. It may not.

Not a presumption at all...I've owned the set for over a week now and it certainly needs tweaks IMHO. I have optimized the user menu settings and I'm not satisfied with the PQ. You'll see my review earlier in this thread...my 2 main issues still stand...soft picture and bright blacks that lack detail. I can live withit for now but only because my plan has alwasy been to replace this set with a Tosh DLP after the holidays. If I had bought this set to be my permanent display I'd probably not keep it. The picture is nice and it handles SD very well, but lacks impact with all material in general.

Originally posted by JimP
TH3_FRB

You're making the presumption that the new sets need the same tweaks. It may not.

What I'm trying to get across is that what you are seeing may not be the same as what UMR was correcting with the GWIII. Therefore, his tweaks may not crossover to your set. Not that it doesn't need some tweaking, just that they may need to be different tweaks.

On the GWIII that I have, I never could get the kind of look out of pro mode that I think you're also looking for. Looked flat with no punch.

What I wound up doing, was using Vivid mode with neutral color temperature. Still had to use Avia and DVE to adjust user settings. In addition to this, I did change a setting in the service menu that affects how blacks are affected (in terms of crushing/enhancing the last few blocks)
That setting is what give me more detail in the shadows. I'll dig around and see if I can find what it was and PM you with it.

Try Vivid mode on neutral color temp as your starting point and see if that doesn't work better for you.

Does anyone know about PCmall.com? They seem to have a pretty good price on the WF and XS.

Originally posted by TH3_FRB
I'm sorry to report that UMR's tweaks can not be applied to the GWIV WE655. I sat down to run through the whole process as described in the "UMR does GWIII" thread and when I got to the service menu I found that none of the categories are the same. Even worse, almost none of the items under any of the categories match the ones that UMR adjusted in the GWII/III. the only item I could find was SHOF (under 2 categories) with a factory setting of 0. I tried different input types and formats to see if the categories would change based on format but they remained the same. My 42WE655 has 34 categories as follows:

TELETEXT
MSP SIZE
MSPMO
MSPSEL
MSPFNC
MSP3714G
CCPS 1
CCPS 2
CCPS 3
CCPS 4
CCPS 5
CCPS 6
CCPS 7
CCPS 8
CCPS 10 (CORRECT..."CCPS 9" DOES NOT EXIST)
CCPS 11
DELAY 1
DELAY 2
OSD
CC M
CC S
CC T
ID
OPB GA
OP GA
OP VS
VERSION
CXA2209Q
AP
DLBY
BUSSW
CXA2103
CXA2163
2D COMB

I guess we're out of luck as far as SM tweaks go until someone translates the new categories/items. I think I remember UMR saying something about the new GWIV service manual he has being rather useless and mentioning that tweaking the GW may be over as we know it. I hope he's wrong...I'm not completely satisfied with my UM adjustments.

That list does look totally different. I did get a copy of the service manual and it is worthless with respect to listing the codes. Reading the manual it looks like Sony moving toward eliminating tweaking the service menu. That is a shame unless the sets are setup properly from the factory.

Do you think the XS will be any better at being able to tweak or adjust PQ?

Sorry for the lame ? Is the KDF-42WE655 a GW III or IV??

Originally posted by papaduxx
Do you think the XS will be any better at being able to tweak or adjust PQ?

Don't know yet. There is no service manual available for that set at this time.

Originally posted by indianajns
Sorry for the lame ? Is the KDF-42WE655 a GW III or IV??

IV

If true, that would imply that professional calibration will no longer be possible on newer sets either...unless there is some method I'm not aware of to tweak settings o otherwise adjust picture properties. Seems like a bad move by Sony.

Originally posted by umr
That list does look totally different. I did get a copy of the service manual and it is worthless with respect to listing the codes. Reading the manual it looks like Sony moving toward eliminating tweaking the service menu. That is a shame unless the sets are setup properly from the factory.

Just got the 42WE655!!!

I dont have the cable to hook up my camera to the computer right now but, when I do ill try to upload the pictures.

Out of the box i was pretty dissapointed by the 1080i pictures with my OTA antenna. But im actually kind of surprised I got so many digital channels, now i just need a better antenna to get a sharper picture. I was VERY impressed by the 720p picture from our local public station KOCE or something like that. I dont get good CBS reception but the college footbal game for some reason is broadcasted in 4:3 1080i? It says 16:9 but its a 4:3 picture.

Only problem with delivery is theres a scratch on it so im going to exchange it for another one cant really complain for the price i got it ^_^

Are there any tweaks out right now? Im going to exchange this set so i want to do some tinkering ^_^

Originally posted by xlent
Just got the 42WE655!!!

But im actually kind of surprised I got so many digital channels, now i just need a better antenna to get a sharper picture.

Another antenna won't give you a sharper picture on digital stations. It might help with dropouts or pixelization.

Dick

Correct. If the tuner locks in then that's as good as the picture gets...as far as reception goes anyway. Start by running through the THX optimizer on any THX-certified DVD to set the picture and balance properly. I actually ended up with my picture setting maxed out and brighntess around 25-30. I actually prefer the standard mode opposed to vivid or pro. Pro is too soft and gloomy and vivid is too enhanced overall. You need to be sure you know what type of material you're looking at. 4:3 1080i is that standard format for OTA DTV broadcasts of unconverted 4:3 material...I call it pseudo-hidef because it's really SD. 720p is the real deal as is any 1080i that is in full 16:9 aspect (not talking about added sidebars like ESPN often does on the ESPN-HD channel when they show SD stuff. Also, all stations are ot created equal and individual shows on each may vary considerably. Mu local Fox station has brand new state of the art gear while several of the other locals that got into the HD/DTV game early still have their original equipment from 4-5 years back.

Originally posted by Dick Kalagher
Another antenna won't give you a sharper picture on digital stations. It might help with dropouts or pixelization.

Dick

I have a question about availability of the KDF-55WF655 at Sears:

Does anyone know who I can contact by message board, email, or phone regarding when I can order a KDF-55WF655 from Sears? I think this unit is supposed to be available from Sears on Oct. 4. None of the new models are showing up on Sears web site. Is there a Sears part number so I can contact Sears to look up this or other new Sony models?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Alan

I just started watching the LSU game on CBS and my gooodness, THAT is what im talking about. The picture is greatttt ... too bad the angels game is on and i have to watch it in 480i.

Now i need to find a good antenna and decide on either voom, dishnetwork, or comcast. They sure do have alot of voom infomercials on the digital channels. They always bring up sports but without FSN what kind of sports are they talking about?

I also tried to hook up the dvd player but I dont have component cables and its not a progressive scan dvd player. I remember reading that the samsung tv's looked better with progressive scan turned off is it the same for the Sony? or should i expect a better picture if i go out and buy a progressive scan dvd player?

I've spent a little time trying and so far can'r see the difference between 480i and 480p over component from my 3-year old Philips DVD953. If you're going to buy a new player then I'd either get one of the new up-converting units with DVI/HDMI output or wait a while longer for HD-DVD.

Originally posted by xlent
I just started watching the LSU game on CBS and my gooodness, THAT is what im talking about. The picture is greatttt ... too bad the angels game is on and i have to watch it in 480i.

Now i need to find a good antenna and decide on either voom, dishnetwork, or comcast. They sure do have alot of voom infomercials on the digital channels. They always bring up sports but without FSN what kind of sports are they talking about?

I also tried to hook up the dvd player but I dont have component cables and its not a progressive scan dvd player. I remember reading that the samsung tv's looked better with progressive scan turned off is it the same for the Sony? or should i expect a better picture if i go out and buy a progressive scan dvd player?

This thread has been added to the Sony section of the "Popular Threads" post near the of the forum.

I bought component cables and too see no difference, infact i think it looks alittle worst. I guess ill just move my computer down stairs and get a hdmi to dvi cable to watch dvd's.

Its cool having a nice picture but i am reminded how bad television is. hopefully it gets better once i get cable/satellite.

Ulso on an update: I called sears about the scratch on the tv and they offered me 250$ so it actually makes the price i got 40% off msrp

Hello all, newb here, I have been through a lot with my TV's, but I have a GWIV on the way and got a great deal on it due to the problems I've had with my two other TV's.

Had a mitsu WT-42313 and after 7 months of trying to get somebody to fix a convergence problem BB took it back. Got a Sammy DLP and the day after I got it, it would not turn on and the audio would not sync with vid on Tivo etc. So I went with the GWIV. Now the Sammy will turn in from time to time, but I gave up. Thanks to BB, they have been great.


Steve Jones

A friend of mine picked up a 42WE655 on Friday from Best Buy and he is having a little trouble with the DVD player input. He has a Sony DVP-NS300 DVD player connected via component and even though he has the Zoom mode set properly it switches between Normal, Full, and Zoom depending on which DVD he puts in. All of his 2.40 aspect ratio dvds are fine, but the 2.35 and 1.77 ones are zoomed in. Switching back to normal mode puts bars on the sides AND top and displays the picture in a tiny box in the middle. Any ideas what could be wrong?

Make sure the dvd player is set to a 16:9 tv mode.


Doug

Originally posted by Opus2
Make sure the dvd player is set to a 16:9 tv mode.


Doug

It is. Is there anything else I need to have him set in the screen menu?

Hey all...

Got my new GWIV...Woah. I just had the Sammy 'removed' and wow what a difference it makes for SD. Sammy looked ok, the GWIV looks -great-.

This thing is great, especially the built in tuner. PQ is ok OOTB, but the brightess is CRANKED up....lower that down, adjust with a THX Disc or Avia and it looks good. Hopefully we can do the SM tweaks to this like the GWIII. Nice work on this TV.

steve 'jonesi' jones

I bought a Sony 50" GWIII some months ago. Some of the main selling points of the Sony over the new Toshiba DLP's were the SD is very good, the HD is excellent, and the horizontal viewing angle is very wide. The fact that the SD looks very good (depending on the input signal quality) made a big difference in my decision. The GWIV should be the same or a bit better. You made an excellent choice!

Alan

I'm not sure that this is an improvement so much in PQ on SD or even in HD...but it just has some features that I liked. Built in HD tuner and Digital Cable Ready...Very Cool. Sony has a great setup here. Nicely done.

steve jones

Try the "Twin View" button on the remote. Nice feature!

I've found "Twin View" to be fairly useless with my current setup. You can't display two component sources side-by-side, and you can't display a component source along with the integrated DTV tuner. I run my HD cable box via component so I can have cable on one side and OTA digital on the other. I suppose I could run an extra S-video line from my cable box to the set to make use of the Twin View feature.

Originally posted by alanpgh
Try the "Twin View" button on the remote. Nice feature!

I just bought my 55WF655 from CC for $500 off msrp! It's getting delivered on wed. 10/6. I'll update later when i get it.

Got my 55WF655 delivered tonight. Looks great. Had to do a few quick tweaks (quick and dirty - no special disk to set things up.)

So far, digital cable HBO-HD is excellent. SD cable is very very good. Over-the-air digital HD is superior.

My Toshiba DVD player is.... funky. Using new Monster coomponent video cables and setting the DVD player to progressive, the color is WAY off. Had to crank the green/red to about 85% toward the green to get halfway ok color and skintones. The default color hue setting left a very red picture.

Probably either the new cable - or the Toshiba DVD player. Haven't used the DVD player with component cables before.

Any ideas??

Cool! I'd like to here more about your set since I will most likely be getting it tomorrow. Could you take any pictures?

Originally posted by rmullin
Got my 55WF655 delivered tonight. Looks great. Had to do a few quick tweaks (quick and dirty - no special disk to set things up.)

So far, digital cable HBO-HD is excellent. SD cable is very very good. Over-the-air digital HD is superior.

My Toshiba DVD player is.... funky. Using new Monster coomponent video cables and setting the DVD player to progressive, the color is WAY off. Had to crank the green/red to about 85% toward the green to get halfway ok color and skintones. The default color hue setting left a very red picture.

Probably either the new cable - or the Toshiba DVD player. Haven't used the DVD player with component cables before.

Any ideas??

cables definately would not affect the colors (unless they were defective, unlikely)... try going into the dvd player's menu and see if there are color adjustments.

I remember someone on here a while back who got a new set and had similar problems, tried everything to calibrate it but with no luck. They ended up switching the monster cables which solved the problem.
Maybe it's worth trying it with any old rca cables to see if it helps.

Fidelity,


Are you sure you don't have the component cable reversed somehow?

Connect Y to Y, Pb to Pb, Pr to Pr?

WE NEED PICTURES!!!:)

rmullin

switch the green and blue cables

Will the "WF" be available in 42" or should I get the "WE". What is the difference between "WE" and "WF". I am getting tired of reading posts. I want to start watching HD!
Thanks

Originally posted by cstandke
Will the "WF" be available in 42" or should I get the "WE". What is the difference between "WE" and "WF". I am getting tired of reading posts. I want to start watching HD!
Thanks

WE will be the only Sony GWIV available in 42". The WF and XS come in 55" and 60".

Big diffs of WF vs. WE:
1) Size
2) WF has power Saving mode to help with blacks
3) Style
4) Bulb

Other than that the menus, inputs, and manuals are the same.

Originally posted by rmullin
Got my 55WF655 delivered tonight. Looks great. Had to do a few quick tweaks (quick and dirty - no special disk to set things up.)

So far, digital cable HBO-HD is excellent. SD cable is very very good. Over-the-air digital HD is superior.

My Toshiba DVD player is.... funky. Using new Monster component video cables and setting the DVD player to progressive, the color is WAY off. Had to crank the green/red to about 85% toward the green to get halfway ok color and skintones. The default color hue setting left a very red picture.

Probably either the new cable - or the Toshiba DVD player. Haven't used the DVD player with component cables before.

Any ideas??

SERIOUSLY! Take a day off work, stay home, tweak this baby a bit and post some pictures!!! :D

Any more review would be much appreciated. Have you tried out the power saving mode? Do you think it noticeably helps the blacks look blacker at night? Really looking to hear some good news, 'cause I have a set I need to exchange and I'm hoping this is the one.

I'd like to know too. I'm waiting for my 60 WF, but if it's gonna take a while to get here, I might go with the 55 or 60 XS. I am having trouble dealing with the "look" of the XS with those handles on the sides. Maybe it's retro modern or something. Yeah, yeah, that's it. It's supposed to look weird.

Jeff

My 55WF655 will be delivered tomorrow (traded in my Mits DLP due to rainbows and glare). I'll try to post some pictures also as soon as I get it calibrated.

Where did you guys buy your WFs at that they are being delivered already? I have a return to make to BB and am considering this as an exchange, otherwise I'll try to work something out at ABT, who has it in stock and listed on their website at a killer price

Ooops. Forgot I cant' post a direct dealer link, but check it out for yourself.

Usually I love Abt, but I'm hesitant on a purchase like this because:
1) They don't have great financing
2) Their extended warranties are overpriced and only include (1) bulb change (hopefully wouldn't need more than that, but hate the limitation).

mklaessy:

Wish I could take the day off work! I was up till midnight last nigh playing, but had to be on the road by 7:15 this morning. I promise to send some photos and further info as soon as possible.

I have tried the "power saving mode" for about 5 minutes before I left this morning. My hunch is that I will probably keep that setting, since I had already cranked the brightness down to about 20 (that's very low). One hitch is that I haven't seen the set in daylight yet, so that may affect my settings.

But again, the 55WF655 is a gorgeous piece of equipment - looks great in the living room. However, my wife now says we need to change some of the artwork (19th century museum prints in gold leaf frames just doesn't seem to go with a 55" TV in the middle. Go figure.) The picture is excellent, haven't noticed any sound-lag problems or bad pixels or any other bad mojo. I have a feeling that by next Monday I will know a lot more about this thing.

Rmullin:

Sounds good! Look forward to hearing/seeing more of your review!

Congrats on the new set, by the way :)

You can buy an extended warranty from somewhere else...no need to use the same retailer you buy the set from.

The ABT prices don't look very impressive to me...definitely better options if you do some shopping online. Check ShopSunshine dot com.

Originally posted by mklaessy

Usually I love Abt, but I'm hesitant on a purchase like this because:
1) They don't have great financing
2) Their extended warranties are overpriced and only include (1) bulb change (hopefully wouldn't need more than that, but hate the limitation).

where can we purchase independent warranty..thnx

Originally posted by TH3_FRB
You can buy an extended warranty from somewhere else...no need to use the same retailer you buy the set from.

The ABT prices don't look very impressive to me...definitely better options if you do some shopping online. Check ShopSunshine dot com.

I think ABTs prices are actually pretty decent, but I'd expect to get lower than that anyways. Like I've said before, they're pretty great about negotiating.

THe other reason for me to go with them is that for me they aren't an online store. They have a great B&M here in the Chicago land area (~40 mins away) that I can go to if anything goes wrong. You gotta like that for emergencies and repairs.

I just called them and am going to go over and maybe pick up a WF! Hopefully I'll have more to post later.

THEY DONT LIST XS THOUGH

Mklaessy

My 55WF655 is coming from an independent local dealer. He just unpacked the TV 3 days ago for me to see !!

My extended warranty is sold thru Phillips, bought from the dealer.

My new 42" GWIV(s)

I bought the 42" from BB last week. I went into BB since I was in the area and they had them in stock, none on display though. Got a good deal 2 year no interest financing and on sale.

Since I didn't have any furniture yet, I put the TV up on an old coffee table right in front of my old TV and what was the first thing I notice... dead pixel almost dead center in the screen, OUCH! Once I saw this, I knew I couldn't keep the TV since I could see the dead pixel 10' away.

Anyway, watched a lot of HDTV, Lost, NFL and College football and a couple of other shows, is HD ever nice! Put on a couple of DVD's, nothing special, Nemo, Raiders of the lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan and they all looked good.

I haven't tweaked the set yet as my AVIA disk is on loan at the moment, I'll probably use the THX setup later today.

Yesterday, I took the original set back to BB and got a new one, no dead pixels and since I'm using an ant for HDTV, the channel scan picked up more channels than the GWIV that I had to return.

I had to return a Samsung DLP last year because of rainbows and what I thought was an unacceptable SD picture, so the wait for the GWIV for me, was well worth it.

Originally posted by zoro
THEY DONT LIST XS THOUGH

If you're talking about Abt, they actually do. You have to look up projection TV's, then filter at the top for LCDs. All the GWIVs then magically appear for preorder. The pricing on the XS isn't different from MSRP now, though.

Originally posted by mklaessy
Where did you guys buy your WFs at that they are being delivered already? I have a return to make to BB and am considering this as an exchange, otherwise I'll try to work something out at ABT, who has it in stock and listed on their website at a killer price

Thought I'd let you know, I just bought a KDF-55WF655 from CC in Burbank, CA. They are delivering on Thu. They didn't have them in the store, but I asked them to punch up the SKU in their system, lo and behold there are 4 onhand at their depot. Their price is $3599, but I knocked em down to $3449 b4 tax... so not bad with 18 months interest free compared to Crutchfield @ $3699. I'm much more comfortable paying a bit more for the benefit of free credit and no returns hassle.

Originally posted by rmcewan
Thought I'd let you know, I just bought a KDF-55WF655 from CC in Burbank, CA. They are delivering on Thu. They didn't have them in the store, but I asked them to punch up the SKU in their system, lo and behold there are 4 onhand at their depot. Their price is $3599, but I knocked em down to $3449 b4 tax... so not bad with 18 months interest free compared to Crutchfield @ $3699. I'm much more comfortable paying a bit more for the benefit of free credit and no returns hassle.

Hey CONGRATS! I just pulled the trigger on a WF from Abt as well. I was able to get one hell of a price out of them, 12 mos financing, and even negotiated their extended warranty down so I'm really happy. Once again, a BIG vote for shopping at Abt.

The set looks great, very like the old GWIIIs, but with a little more style. THey had one on display at their showroom in Glenview, IL. Unfortunately I can't take delivery until next Tuesday, out of town, but hopefully by then I'll have my new Momitsu Deluxe DVD configured to scale to 788p and I can give a good review to that.

I'll look forward to hearing your reviews and any settings/tweaks you discover.

Here's my KDF-55WF655 that was delivered from Abt Electronics this afternoon!

Looks good - how's the picture so far? Have you adjusted it yet or did it look good OOTB?

Cool! I just closed the deal on mine today. Got what I think was a great deal ($3711.76 including tax, 4 year warranty, and stand, no interest/payments till Jan 06) Only thing is I have to wait till Sunday to for delivery. Now I need digitial cables and component cables for my GC and xbox and I'll be set.

davis03

What is the height of the tables you have the TV on? Is the viewing angle Ok from there? My stand is about 19" high and only has one shelf and I might switch to a taller one if it won't mess up my viewing of the TV.

Originally posted by davis03
Here's my KDF-55WF655 that was delivered from Abt Electronics this afternoon!

How's SD?

Originally posted by davis03
Here's my KDF-55WF655 that was delivered from Abt Electronics this afternoon!

Looks nice! Can you tell me what the width of the base is? I want to know how wide of a stand I will need for this set (or possibily the XS version).

Bought the KDF-42WE655 this week. PQ is awesome. SD on my Comcast analog network does not look bad - will upgrade it to the digital system soon with CableCard :)

Anyway, what do you think of Sony's extended warranty program? My CC store said its warranty program offers better than Sony. They said they would fix the dead pixels that Sony does not. Is that true?

Anyone come across a printed ad for 50" Sony Grand Wega III (KF50WE610) for $2700 or less??

I got the 50" Sony Grand Wega III 2 months ago from Onecall for a little over $2,900. Unfortunately, the price has dropped by almost $500. Amex will make up the difference (up to $250) if I submit a printed advertisement (can't be an Internet ad, has to be in print).

Has anyone come across a printed ad for $2700 or less? Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Originally posted by davis03
Here's my KDF-55WF655 that was delivered from Abt Electronics this afternoon!

That's a 55"? It looks so small, how bout a few more pics :)

Does anyone know what the average bulb life should be on the WF series ?

Also anyone know about cost of replacement bulbs ??

Mine is delivered at 1:00 pm today !!!!!

KF55WF655

Further tweaks to the picture settings, and I am extremely satisfied with almost everything about this set. SD picture over cable is superior. Will be getting a cablecard on Friday so will report what that does to the cable's digital channels. HBO-HD from the cable box is wonderful. OTA digital local channels are just stunning in HD. I find myself watching some crappy show just because it looks so good (like Las Vegas or Hawaii.) NCIS on CBS looks incredible. However, nothing can make Dick Cheney look good - he looks just like The Penguin on the old Batman TV series. PBS-HD is awesome. I watched about 5 minutes of Monday Night Football - outstanding PQ.

Am using the "power saving mode" on the lamp, even though the room the TV is in is VERY bright (16' of floor-to-ceiling glass just next to it.) At night, we have most of the lights on in the room and it is still very bright and sharp; the black levels also seem much better in all light conditions using the power saving mode.

Still having issues with the DVD component video - tried swapping another DVD player and had the same lousy result: everything is very very red. It's either the cable, or it's the TV - should have time to work that out this weekend.

My TV guru just sent me the 'Home Theatre Tune Up' DVD so I expect to have everything even better - hard to imagine.

Originally posted by rmullin
...Still having issues with the DVD component video - tried swapping another DVD player and had the same lousy result: everything is very very red. It's either the cable, or it's the TV - should have time to work that out this weekend....

Most Sony's come with "red push". You will need to correct this in the service menu if it has it. Unfortunately, Sony is limiting access to that information on this TV. Good Luck.

Keep in mind that "digital" cable only applies to channels 100+, channels 2-99 are still analog and will not benefit from your digital package. In fact, many digital STBs actually produce worse SD PQ then running the cable directly into the set.

Only way that I'm aware of to "fix" dead pixels is to replace the set. Tell CC that you want it in writing that they will give you a brand new set if you get dead pixels.

Originally posted by gwood
Bought the KDF-42WE655 this week. PQ is awesome. SD on my Comcast analog network does not look bad - will upgrade it to the digital system soon with CableCard :)

Anyway, what do you think of Sony's extended warranty program? My CC store said its warranty program offers better than Sony. They said they would fix the dead pixels that Sony does not. Is that true?

Originally posted by umr
Most Sony's come with "red push". You will need to correct this in the service menu if it has it. Unfortunately, Sony is limiting access to that information on this TV. Good Luck.

How long did it take them to release that info on the GWIIIs? Is there a possibility that they'll never release that info or is it just a matter of time?

I find myself watching some crappy show just because it looks so good (like Las Vegas

Hey! I think that's one of the better shows out there! :)

Originally posted by bee01
Looks nice! Can you tell me what the width of the base is? I want to know how wide of a stand I will need for this set (or possibily the XS version).

As far as the footprint of the TV base, take a look at the owner's manual (PDF) for the new stand - the SU-GW12. It has a recessed area on the top shelf for the base of the TV, and it is between 39" and 40" wide. I found this on the sonystyle web site. Depending on where you look on their site, it says that this stand is for the 55" AND 60" WF and XS series (all 4 sets) which would imply that they all have the same base footprint. Information about this on their web site is inconsistent so before making major commitments it would be nice to get some actual verification of the measurements, but it looks like a 40" wide stand would work.

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
How long did it take them to release that info on the GWIIIs? Is there a possibility that they'll never release that info or is it just a matter of time?

It was in the service manual. I have the service manual for the new WE655 and they indicate they are limiting access to that information in the manual. You must contact Sony and "they" are going to decide if "you" really need it. How that process will work is unclear at this time.

I doubt rmullin's problem is "red push". Sounds like he either has bad cables (why does everyone insist on Monster?) or bad component inputs on the set itself. My DVDs look very good running through component and the color is very balanced overall to my untrained eye.

I've been into the service menu on the 655 and unfortunately Sony has completely re-designed all the categories and items...nothing matches UMR's stuff from the GWII/III...so as of now we can't do the same type of tweaking on the GWIV. It's a shame because while my 42WE655 is nice, I think it could be great with some additional tweaking.

Originally posted by Professor Gascan
How long did it take them to release that info on the GWIIIs? Is there a possibility that they'll never release that info or is it just a matter of time?

"Red Push" on Sony:

My TV guru in Colorado had to put together a simple little signal attenuator from a couple of parts from Radio Shack to cure the same problem on his Mitsubishi HD set. Basically you get the Radio Shack 15-678 attenuator and add a couple of adapters to make it work for RCA cables. Just twiddle the dial until the picture looks right. Unfortunately, that may be the cleanest solution if Sony has that kinda stuff locked away from any service mode. I will let you know how the 'Radio Shack Fix' works.

Thanks again to UMR for outstanding input on this and other threads.

Finally had time to setup my 55WF655 today. SD looks awesome and HD is incredible... currently watching LOST in HD.


Have a quick question tho, when watching with the black bars on the side (normal mode), i'm noticing that the top portion of the side bars is about 1/4 inch wider than the bottom. Is there any fix to this? I dont have any dead pixels on this set so I wanna keep it if I could just have a technician come in and adjust the picture.

Forget the "Red Push" issue.

I replaced the Monster Cable component cables with others to my DVD player, and the picture is excellent now. Guess it was just some defective cables.

Originally posted by rmullin

I replaced the Monster Cable component cables with others to my DVD player, and the picture is excellent now. Guess it was just some defective cables.

That's what I suggested a few days ago, you just got round to it?

Yes - I just got around to it. I had previously ordered a new hdmi cable and was waiting for it to arrive so I could use one of the other 2 component Monster Cables I own. The hdmi cable arrived when I got home from work, and I swapped them out.

The Red Menace is now banished forever (and Star Wars Episode IV looks incredible.)

Thank you for the suggestion - keep 'em comming.

glad it was just the cables... strange... i think monster cables are all snake oil, but i never thought that they built something of LESSER quality than the off brands. glad i build all mine out of canare rg6 now!

For those who are interested, I measured the size of the base of the 55WF655. It is approx. 39-1/4" wide and 18" deep. A 40" wide stand would certainly work.

After installing the set, yesterday, we connected the cable line. The set took about 50 minutes (!) to scan the cable and find all of the analog and digital channels. At each digital channel, it must pause for a period of time and collect MPEG PID (program ID) values. It has then populated the channel table and those analog and digital channels are available.

The primary digital feed for some of tha local OTA channels (NBC/CBS/FOX/PBS) are available on the cable. I don't know why ABC is not included? (or maybe I just haven't found it yet.) There is also a number of other digital channels which I have found, including several HBO channels. (Although someone told me today that he had seen advertisements that HBO was free only this week as a promotion, so I don't know if this is permanent.) I do not yet have the CableCARD, and have not purchased the digital package from Comcast, so there is some number of digital channels which are available with the basic cable package. The digital channels appear at various places in the spectrum. The lowest is channel 15, the highest channel 115. So, this is good news that you can get some digital channels, without paying an additional digital cable package.

The set also found numerous digital audio channels. This is nice, but I don't think I will waste my bulb life on listening to music. What is really needed here is a way to turn off the bulb, while still outputing the audio.
That is certainly technically possible since everything in electronics today is controlled by software. Maybe there is a secret remote control sequence for turning off the bulb??

I also tried last night hooking up a small antenna to try and receiving the OTA channels. I had some success with this, but because some of the OTA channels are already on cable, and there is a learning curve with this television, I haven't messed with that again.

I am very happy with the PQ. The NTSC PQ is very good. I haven't noticed any visible problems that I could attribute to the set. The NTSC quality has much more to do with the quality of the signal your cable company provides -- this can be highly variable.

The SD PQ is also very good. The display is consistent. Any quality issues here depend much more upon the quality of the compression source.

The HD PQ appears to be excellent. The Tonight Show looks superb in HD.

The display is bright. Colors seem lifelike. The off axis viewing is also very good. The room we have this in has southern exposure. I feel like the brightness of the set will be suffcient, even when the room is bathed in sunlight. I experimented a bit last night with the power saving mode, but couldn't detect any visible difference. I suspect that I will run in power saving mode most of the time. I haven't noticed any issues with the black level, but I don't necessarily have the golden eyes to comment.

My only nitpick about the set so far have to do with i.) remote control is too small, with many tiny buttons, placement of channel and volume controls is awkward. ii.) needs an easier way to turn closed captioning on and off. (We have two small kids and they seem to make noise during important dialog. With CC, we can read the dialog the kids have obscured.) iii.) Remote control seems weak and has to be aimed carefully at the set (or I need new batteries!)

I was a bit nervous buying it without ever seeing one in the store. But at this point we are tickled with everything about this set.

I'd have the agree the remote does feel poor. I have to aim it at the television to actually get it to pick up sometimes. Guess it gives me agood reason to get a JP1 enabled remote ^_^

I've read about more then a few folks having picture problems with Monster Cable components. Don't waste your cash. Glad you got it figured out though.

Originally posted by rmullin
Forget the "Red Push" issue.

I replaced the Monster Cable component cables with others to my DVD player, and the picture is excellent now. Guess it was just some defective cables.

What are some other brands of cables out there (in the B&M stores) I can buy instead of Monster. I've had my share of problems with Monster Cables, but they seem to be the only brand I can find (at CC & BB anyway).
Thanks,
Tim

BB also carries Acoustic Research cables (AR) that are really very good and about 1/3 to 1/4 the price of the Monsters. I started off with Monster and am now using A/R. I had a hard time justifying spending more money for cables to hook up my DVD player than the DVD player was worth, especially w/o seeing any noticeable picture difference.

I've been using a few sets that I found at Lowes (yes, the home improvement store). They are very well built and appear to be a quality cable believe it or not...and a 1m set runs about $18. If you MUST have a name brand I'd try AR as suggested above.

Originally posted by timick1
What are some other brands of cables out there (in the B&M stores) I can buy instead of Monster. I've had my share of problems with Monster Cables, but they seem to be the only brand I can find (at CC & BB anyway).
Thanks,
Tim

I wont wast time with the AR cables from BB. Go to ac4l dot com. They have the better AR PROII cables and it's also cheaper.

BTW, can someone help me out with my trapezoidal issues? For those that have the 55 GWIV, can you measure the width of the top and bottom portion of your sidebars? Mine is 1/4 inch wider on top. Do I risk returning the set and getting one with a dead pixel?

Got my 42 on Tuesday & I love it. BB had it on the floor to look at & that persuaded my brother and I to get it :) (His is being delivered today.)
Was more than I wanted to spend on a TV, but it was worth it. 55 is nice obviosly, but didn't want to spend 1k more.
Anyway, everything is great - blacks, brightness, color, DVDs, HD, audio!

Here's a pic of my new TV & new stand.

wayde,
Nice tv! Do you have any info on that stand?(dimensions, model, price).
Where did you get it?

Thanks

Thanks. We bought the TV and the stands at Best Buy (we both thought this stand looked the best for the price). I can't remember the brand off the top of my head but I will look when I get home tonight.
If you have a BB nearby I would recommend walking through to see if it's at your location. Originally, the guy told us that stand was discontinued... but he went in the back to check and there were 3 left - we took 2 of em.

Stands are freakin expensive - the Sony stand was 499 - this one was 299 which was still alot but since we were buying 2 they gave us a deal on them.

Which tv do you have?

I just purchased the 55WF655 on Tuesday, and it gets delivered on Sunday. I ordered a stand but it only has one shelf and the one you have looks like it has similar dimensions as the stand I purchased. I hear you on the Sony stands, the are pretty expensive.

Now that you mentioned best buy, I think that I saw that stand there about 2 weeks ago and liked the price and style, however when I went back yesterday, the display set was gone, so I figured they were out. I guess I might try some of the others in town. If you get a chance could you please PM me the model # info, that way I can call around knowing what I'm looking for and save gas. And Thanks for the reply.

Would someone who has a 55WF655 please let me know the depth of the top of the screen when they get a chance? I have a center channel speaker that is 5 3/4" deep, and I'm wondering if it will fit. Thanks!

sony stands are way too, over priced

See if Tech Craft ( www.techcraft.net ) has what you need. They make the stands for the WE610 series. These are their SWE42, SWE50, and SWE600 models. You should ask them about stands for the new WF655 models. Tech Craft stands are availalbe online and places like Sears. Check out their web site and call or email them.
I have an SWE50 stand that I managed to buy for less than $300. It matches my 50" GWIII perfectly. Nice unit!

I got my 55WF655 yesterday & since it's my first big TV, I am pretty blown away by it all. HD looks incredible (CSI in HD rocks!) & PQ of SD is good. DVD (component) PQ is pretty good OOTB but after tweaks with the THX video test, it is better. Any recommendation on a good video calibration DVD? Or just wait for Sony to release the service codes & umr to supply the magic numbers? ;)

With regards to the TV stand, I'm using a Klubbo table/tv bench from Ikea. It costs 40, has a max load of 154 lbs and it's almost a perfect fit for the TV base. The delivery guy asked did I order it specially for the TV. :)

Cheers!

CC had the TechCraft stand for the Sony & it does blend in well with the design of the set. We decided to get the one from BB cuz of the added space and what we thought was a "cooler" look (imho - to each his own).
The one we bought looks similar to their Monaco series... I'll let you know once I'm home and look at the booklet that came with it. Normal price on the one I bought is 299$ (which is the same price the TechCraft one is that blends in to the sony).

darrh - curious, how far from your tv do you sit? (I'm about 6-7 feet away with my 42")

I love this forum! I've been following this thread for awhile, and . . .

I'm contemplating the purchase of a 50WF655, but I have a question for anyone who owns one about viewing distance:

My max distance from screen to seating position is around 8 feet. Is this too large a screen for this distance? I am familiar with the 2.5X rule, but have been told that is for SD, and that these displays allow closer viewing.

Thanks!

yb

Originally posted by yobob
I love this forum! I've been following this thread for awhile, and . . .

I'm contemplating the purchase of a 50WF655, but I have a question for anyone who owns one about viewing distance:

My max distance from screen to seating position is around 8 feet. Is this too large a screen for this distance? I am familiar with the 2.5X rule, but have been told that is for SD, and that these displays allow closer viewing.

Thanks!

yb

You're probably cutting it a little close, but....

The manual for the 55WF quotes 6.6" as the minimum necessary distance from TV to viewing position, you will probably find lots of post on this forum from guys who sit 7 feet away from their 65" CRTs and wish they had a 70", and you'll most likely never regret buying up in size. My .02

Finally bought 55WF655 from Sears this afternoon. It will be delivered on 10/11. Not seen the TV yet but I was getting good deal so took the risk.

man u guys have great gutts to buy a huge set without looking and then returning if not like it..lol

I believe the stand I'm getting is a tech craft Monaco. I was kind going between the 2 shelf and single shelf model and went with the single shelf b/c it is lower and I don't want to mess up my viewing angle from my coach. I looks good, but the one the wayde posted is a double shelf and it looks like it is maybe an inch or so taller than the one I chose. It also looks pretty cool and would go well with the 55wf colorwise too.

zoro:
I was weary of that. The sales person told me that he had the TV in stock but couldn't put it out just yet. I told the him I was not buying till I saw it, that's why I have to wait till Sunday to get man b/c they were backed-up. They got it on tuesday and I went forward. It was next to a samsung "Kirk" model and while there was a difference in the picture, the kirk did not look any better then the 55wf.

It's also weird b/c at Hi Fi buys(tweeter) I ask when they were getting displays and he said that most of the tv's that were coming in were already sold, so he could tell me when a display would be up. I guess ppl trust Sony.

munu:
Just curious, how good of a deal did you get on the from sears?

yobob, i have the 42" which is the same model as the 50" except smaller (WE model, not the WF that the 55 and 60 are).

I sit ~7 feet away and find it perfect. People are life size. On standard channels you can see some grainy-ness but HD/digital/DVDs are crystal clear. I think I could go up to 50" if I wanted to, but my wall space won't allow it and since I watch alot of normal TV I went with the 42.

hdiesel1977

Its around 21% off MSRP

munu,
That's pretty good, didn't think sears would go that low, I got about that much off at brandsmart myself.

hdiesel1977 - let me know how the Tech Craft Monaco (PTV 58b?) works for you.

Even better, post a pic if you can! :D

Originally posted by wayde
Got my 42 on Tuesday & I love it. BB had it on the floor to look at & that persuaded my brother and I to get it :) (His is being delivered today.)
Was more than I wanted to spend on a TV, but it was worth it. 55 is nice obviosly, but didn't want to spend 1k more.
Anyway, everything is great - blacks, brightness, color, DVDs, HD, audio!

Here's a pic of my new TV & new stand.

The stand looks quite a bit like the Bush VS74377-03, which I bought for my KF-50WE610.

http://www.bush-furniture-online.com/bush_VS74377-03.html

Originally posted by wayde
darrh - curious, how far from your tv do you sit? (I'm about 6-7 feet away with my 42") I'm sitting about 8.5 feet away & it actually feels kinda comfortable. :D I was worried before it arrived that I'll be too close. However, I can move the TV towards the wall to make it 9 feet which I'll most likely be doing.

Cheers!

Originally posted by J*Cio
Would someone who has a 55WF655 please let me know the depth of the top of the screen when they get a chance? I have a center channel speaker that is 5 3/4" deep, and I'm wondering if it will fit. Thanks! It's about 3 1/2" wide and has a "step" around the midpoint. crutchfield dot com has high res pictures of the tv which will give you an idea of what I mean about the "step".

If you are also wondering, the base of the tv to the screen is about 8" high.

Cheers!

glad to see alot of you guys are buying them from sears ^_^

munu: Can you please post the Sears stock number for the 55WF655? My local sears does not have this TV in their system yet for some reason.

nixima
I don't have the Sears part number with me now but I will post it later today. Part number was already posted in this forum few time, it is something like 56634 but not sure. On Sears website if you put actual part number it shows some kenmore product, so there is a mismatch between website and actual system.
Thanks

Has anyone hooked up a PS2 to their 55WF655 yet and checked for video lag? You can really notice it on sports games with a scrolling meter like golf and kicking in football. I know the GWIIIs did not have any lag issues so I would assume the GWIVs would be ok, but just thought I would ask.

I think they GWIV's (WE & WF) are on sale next week at Sears, I saw the sale tags under the regular price tags, approx $175 off MSRP.

Now that I've had my Sony 55WF655 for a couple of days, here is my evaluation of the set (also I'll compare it to the Mits DLP I had for 2 weeks):

55WF655 Mits DLP

Picture Quality (1-10) 8 9
Eye Fatigue 0 9
Rainbows 0 10
Sound Quality 7 5
Build Quality 6 7
Appearance 7 8
SD TV Quality 5 5
Glare Problems 1 9

It's in a way, picture quality in HD is like comparing apples to oranges, the two TV's are both great quality but the DLP was crisper, the Sony LCD is softer and smoother, so therefore I gave the edge to the DLP. Colors and clarity are great on both. The SD picture quality is about the same in my opinion. The sound is much better on the Sony......I guess maybe the seperated speakers add some depth to the sound. But the reduction in glare and no rainbows is worth the SONY winning my vote.

I'll try to post some screen shots soon !!

Thanks

I saw 42 inch 655 connected to XBOX, man!! PQ was unbelievable!! but that is not end of the story!!lol

Fasten your seat belts! It looks like the new XS series is available at Sears:
For the KDF60XS955, the Sears Part No. is 54694.

Also, for the KDF-50WE655, the correct Sears Part No. is 54654.

These units are on sale through Oct. 12. See the Sears web site.

A previous post said the KDF-55WF655 Sears part no. is 54674, but this does not work on the Sears web site.

If anyone has any additional information, please send to us.

Thanks,
Alan

Originally posted by nixima
Has anyone hooked up a PS2 to their 55WF655 yet and checked for video lag? You can really notice it on sports games with a scrolling meter like golf and kicking in football. I know the GWIIIs did not have any lag issues so I would assume the GWIVs would be ok, but just thought I would ask. Hi,

I hooked up the PS2 when my tv arrived & everything looks good to me. I played a short game of soccer & didn't notice any lag. I guess I should play for a couple of hours tomorrow to make sure. ;)

Cheers!

I just bought the 42WE655 from cc and noticed that the lower channels (sd) on my warner digital cable have generally a bad picture. As I go up in numbers the picture gets better. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Originally posted by kenout
I just bought the 42WE655 from cc and noticed that the lower channels (sd) on my warner digital cable have generally a bad picture. As I go up in numbers the picture gets better. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Are you connecting the cable directly to the TV? (versus an STB). If so, you might want to try a signal booster - that can often help when the analog channels are uneven in quality AND you have the cable split several times. I used a $60 Motorola booster installed before the first splitter in my house and it helped a lot on my standard CRT TVs. Look for something that supports the full bandwidth needed for digital cable, and also supports backwards communication (back to the cable company) to avoid losing interactive features and cable modem support. (Cheap boosters at hardware stores won't work.)

thanks jj, I'll check that.

Originally posted by darrh
.... Or just wait for Sony to release the service codes & umr to supply the magic numbers? ;)...

I just received an email from Sony. They indicated they would release the codes to me. I am not sure I can release them to other though. I'll have to see what they send me first.

UMR I was still wondering with only 113 LBS weight will XS series will have GLASS or Plastic front shield?

Originally posted by zoro
UMR I was still wondering with only 113 LBS weight will XS series will have GLASS or Plastic front shield?

I would guess plastic. Weight could also be an indication of how rigid the box is. A rigid box is a very good thing with all of the optical gymnastics RPTV's must go through.

Thnx Umr!! I am waiting anxiously, so far consensus is comparing WF 655 to Samsung HLP 5685, Samsung seems to win in PQ! overall

Originally posted by umr
I just received an email from Sony. They indicated they would release the codes to me. I am not sure I can release them to other though. I'll have to see what they send me first.


It seems so silly for Sony to hold back on this - having this information available definitely makes their products much more desirable to the early adopter / influencer market that is key to word of mouth on these sets.

Originally posted by umr
I just received an email from Sony. They indicated they would release the codes to me. I am not sure I can release them to other though. I'll have to see what they send me first.

umr:
Hopefully you will be able to let the cat out of the bag. Have they made you sign an NDA? I don't see how they could keep that sort of information under wraps forever. Eventually it will be leaked by someone. I also think that the "tweakability" of their sets is a selling point. I know your work on previous models influenced my decision to buy a GWIV. I understand that they don't want uninformed peope screwing in the service menu, mucking up their set, and then calling for a warranty repair, but I just don't see how that information will stay secret for long.

Thanks for all your tweaking information, even if it does not help me personally, it's a great service to the community!

PS2 Via Component or Composite does not have lag. I've played hours of Spiderman 2 on both to check it out. Very slick picture.

Anybody know a good adjustment to get away from black crush? Not a HUGE problem...but needs a little adjusting.

Hopefully Sony will let UMR let us know how to tweak these guys.

Steve Jones

CableCard in 55WF655

My local cable company came out yesterday and installed the Motorola digital cablecard into my Sony. The TV recognized it right away and the diagnostics screen popped up.

The cable guy phoned into his office for instructions - nobody seemed to know just what to do next. After a half-hour wait, he called CableOne's corporate tech center in Phoenix. Their computers could "see" the cablecard but nothing would authorize. After another half-hour, they sent out a "hit" to re-authorize, and the card now shows everything I subscribe to, including their meager HD output.

The digital tuner in the Sony is vastly superior to the digital cable box I was using before the cablecard - much sharper picture. Also the "favorite channel" feature allows me to have a listing of analog, digitial cable, hd and antenna hd channels that I can switch to with the touch of a button - the analog cable channels are even shown in a small window preview when you go up and down thru the 'favorites' you have chosen. Nice feature, and you can have up to 16 favorites.

Now if there was just some REAL choices of HD content on CableOne it would be much much better.

We purchased a KDF-42WE655 two weeks ago and love this set; highly recommended for anyone sitting on the sidelines weighing all available options. Prior to my selecting this set, I gave serious consideration to Mitsubishi, Samsung and even the new RCA DLPs...and LCD versus DLP issue. We have owned a Mitsubishi CRT RPTV or 2 years so this was a second HD set...more or less for everyday use. We have had nothing but good experiences with our Mits. The wife said we could purchase a Mits WD-52725, but I felt it was too large and too expensive (4K) an option for a 2nd set.

The tuners in the new Sony GWIV are excellent. They work very well at decoding anything digital & analog, cable & OTA...and it has manual tuning and diagnostics (signal level) to boot. It has all the features and performance of an expensive receiver built right into the box. I currently have two other tuners: Mits w/integrated OTA/Cable QAM and VOOM w/OTA module. It's like Sony took all the good features from these tuners and rolled them into one very slick and highly sensitive package.

IMO the PQ on this set (actually compared the 50WE610) was better than the Mits WD-52525 and Samsung HL-P5063W in side-by-side comparisons. Black level and contrast is improved with this years 655 series, but still not as good as the Mits DLPs...without any service menu tweaks. Although not perfect, it is an awesome set at a competitive price (best bang for the buck IMO) - you should be very happy with your purchase of any of the WE or WF models.

Sadly, I had to return my KDF-42WE655 yesterday....in exchange for a bigger set (KDF-50WE655)! :D I thought the 42" was enough TV, but the 50" is actually a better option for us. In my case, the price difference was only $200 (10% off - Sony said they would honor their $200 rebate, plus other free stuff, with the exchange - we were provided with an additional $200 rebate Gift Card with my exchange/purchase of the 50" set.

Can't wait for the GWIV tweaks!!!

I bought the KDF-50WE655 tonite at Sears. The sales guy sold it to me for 10% off MSRP since they had a 10% sale last weekend. He had to enter it as a Price Match so it kicked in an extra 10% off the difference. Its coming Oct 18.

This cable card intrigues me. I have a small cable co who does offer HD but I'm not sure if they offer the cable card. This cable card replaces the whole set top box? That would be awesome. To those with a cable card - do you have a Tivo? I'm hoping I can integrate my Tivo into this new setup.

As for stands, I have no idea what to get. I was looking at the walnut Salamander Synergy Triple with black mesh doors. Anyone ever get a unit from Salamander?

guys, newbie here. just got my new 42KDF-we-655. I'm simply blown away. Watched Jay Leno in high def on Friday, watch CBS football Georgia v. Tennessee today and tonight the Desperate Housewives---i'm simply, ****ING blown away by the colors and resolution. i've never, in any store, or on any tv, seen anything as colorwise vibrant and resolution-wise SHARP as this (i'm exchanging a hitachi crt 51 f 510 for the s0ny)--take my word, television has NEVER looked this clean, vibrant and detailed ever.

wolfi

Tell us how you really feel. :)

Originally posted by TH3_FRB
...I've been into the service menu on the 655 and unfortunately Sony has completely re-designed all the categories and items...nothing matches UMR's stuff from the GWII/III...so as of now we can't do the same type of tweaking on the GWIV. It's a shame because while my 42WE655 is nice, I think it could be great with some additional tweaking.

This is in disagreement with the information Sony sent me. It looks to me to be similar in many respects. However, I don't give specifics on tweaking service data unless I have seen it myself.

I got a question for the XS-955: Is there something in between the speakers and the black bezel or is it just a hole ??? I'm wondering...

Can anyone confirm if the Techcraft SWE42, SWE50, SWE60 stands are compatibile with the GWIV? The diagrams I've seen appear to show tabs on the top of the stand, which I assume fit into the GW's base to stabilize it. The reason I ask is that Sony released new stands (SU-G11, SU-G12) with the GWIV. I have no desire to pay $600-$800 MSRP for those, though. The other options for 60" appear to be the BDI Vector 9527 or Bello 2050.

Thanks

I suggest you call Tech Craft. Here's a link to their customer service web page:
http://www.techcraft.net/htm/contact/contact.htm

I have called them before, and they have been very helpful.

Originally posted by 187
I got a question for the XS-955: Is there something in between the speakers and the black bezel or is it just a hole ??? I'm wondering...

Although I have not physically seen one yet, it's my understanding (from a LOT of reading) that it is a hole (the speakers are like handles on the side of the set.)

I'm with Spastic regarding the Sony stands. I have no desire to spend $800 for the matching stand for the KDF-55WF655. Can the new owners of that TV let me know what they're using? The one thing that has me nervous is that the matching stand has a support belt that attaches to the TV. Any 3rd party stand I would buy won't have the support belt and my TV is about 1/3 exposed on the back. Now I'm paranoid some ass (a relative perhaps? :D ) may knock into it just enough to tip it over. Please tell me I'm just being paranoid.

Well, the TV is pretty darn light so if someone puts their shoulder into it, I guess it can be knocked off the stand without the clip. Whether that's going to happen though...

Originally posted by J*Cio
I'm with Spastic regarding the Sony stands. I have no desire to spend $800 for the matching stand for the KDF-55WF655. Can the new owners of that TV let me know what they're using? The one thing that has me nervous is that the matching stand has a support belt that attaches to the TV. Any 3rd party stand I would buy won't have the support belt and my TV is about 1/3 exposed on the back. Now I'm paranoid some ass (a relative perhaps? :D ) may knock into it just enough to tip it over. Please tell me I'm just being paranoid.


Get new relatives. :D

OR rig something up that serves a similar purpose as the strap arrangement with the Sony stand.

You can use those velcro furniture straps. One end screws into the wall and the other fixes with adhesive to the back of the set. I have one on a very heavy 36" set that I was worried about the kids knocking over and it works great.

where can you get velcro furniture straps at? B&M i mean

I purchased a Bush stand online for my 55WF655, and I understand it is also available at BB. I did NOT want the "sony" look for the stand, but wanted more of a credenza style. Had to spend a couple hours putting it together, but it was a LOT cheaper than anything of similar style at furniture stores. We wanted a "furniture look" that matched some of the maple furniture in the room. It works.

I don't see why it would be liable to tipping. Most of the weight is in the rear - you'd have to really pull hard to make it tumble forward. I think the "safety strap" idea is driven by the liability folks and by the marketing guys for their stand.

Attached is a photo of my setup.

rmullin,

Couple of questions:

Are the shelves in that stand adjustable? And does the Height of the stand adversly affect your vertical viewing angle? And what are the dimensions of the top-center compartment?

JimP and Arkid - great idea. Thanks!

rmullin - that Bush stand looks great with the KDF-55. I'm pretty much sold on this Tech Craft 58B (originally designed for a Samsung DLP) unless someone points out a reason why I shouldn't:

http://www.goodguys.com/adtemplate.asp?invky=668819&catky=63870

On the Bush stand, the open center area is 18" wide, the shelves on the left and right behind the glass doors are 19-1/2" wide. The shelves are the typical adjustable height style usually found in assemble-yourself furniture.

The drawers at top are very limited. I use them for the manuals for the various components and for my remote controll collection.

The height of the stand is the optimal height for viewing the TV while sitting. Couldn't be better.

rmullin
Do you know the height of the stand. I bought a stand from BB which is around 19.5" so just wanted to check what should be the correct height.