Originally posted by pepco
Just heard a brick and mortar in hometown will be selling the the 006 for $[MSRP only]

Good grief... um can people start tossing out names of these dealers?

[Mod note - No they cant, but you can PM the poster to find out. Thank you]

If the prices really are that flexible with the secondary dealers I can see one of these puppies in my house FAST! I have enjoyed the thread but somehow I think I would enjoy actually watching a whole lot more and only the last 3k bump has held me off.

Ok, I guess I must be one of those people who just throw my money down on the best TV $13,000 can buy and then try to figure out how to "work it". I purchased my Qualia 006 on Jan 4th in NYC. I was delivered roughly 2 weeks later. I have not been able figure out why I cannot get the TV to show anything in 1080p! The highest I've been able achieve is 1080i... I understand the difference between those two but cannot figure out why 1080p is not being achieved from any source. The best "picture" and sound I have seen/heard is my son's DVD of Ice Age which the TV claims to be 480p.

I have regular DTV AND Comcast HD at this time...

Can someone help me understand this and/or let me know if I am missing something (other than brain cells)?

KDS-70CQ006 announced for Japan.
http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200502/05-0209/

The model next to the 006 is dwarfed by it's size. I wonder how it will sell in Japan. Typically many living environments are based on a smaller scale there.

Cowboy,

The highest resolution that is currently broadcast is 1080i.

The TV takes this 1080i signal and internally deinterlaces it into 1080p.

Your set is fine. Your paradigm is off. lol

Originally posted by colortv
And check out the Amazing Race finale tonight if you want to see how good CBS is scaling up standard def to 1080i for broadcast on their digital channels. In spite of the slightly annoying gray pillarbox, our 006's working in tandem with the CBS scaler yields some very clean SD.

I took this little challenge last night, and the difference was incredible. I don't have a 006 (I've got a 55WF655), but the quality of the SD was quite amazing :D I'd like to see them do this with all TV if it can't be shot in true HD.

I wasn't truly concerned that the set was broken, I just was "annoyed" that I couldn't get the thing to say 1080p when I hit the TV display button. Also, almost any signal coming in, HD or not HD makes the TV display feature say that it is displaying 1080i. If it is truly upconverting the signal (whatever signal) to 1080p, why doesn't the set say this? For instance, I KNOW the Super Bowl was broadcast thru Comcast at 720p - yet, my set says the signal was 1080i, the same thing goes for regular 480p television broadcasts...my set ALWAYS says its 1080i unless I have a DVD in - then it says 480p, which is the only part I understand.

I have another question for all you Qualia 006'ers. I have DTV hooked up to Video 1 w/ S Video cables, VHS on Video 3, Comcast HD on Video 4 w/ component cables, and DVD on Video 5 - leaving Video 2, 6, and 7 open. When I use the TV's picture and picture function, I get side by side views of DTV and Comcast, however, I can ONLY get Comcast on the left side of the screen. The right side of the screen will only let me use Video 1, 2, or 3 inputs during PAP. I cannot "swap" the images because of this. It's not the end of the world but can anyone explain to me why this is? I do not understand why I cannot have Comcast (Video 4)and a DVD (Video 5) displayed at the same time using PAP?

Thanks!

Originally posted by CowboyBFD
Ok, I guess I must be one of those people who just throw my money down on the best TV $13,000 can buy and then try to figure out how to "work it". I purchased my Qualia 006 on Jan 4th in NYC. I was delivered roughly 2 weeks later. I have not been able figure out why I cannot get the TV to show anything in 1080p! The highest I've been able achieve is 1080i... I understand the difference between those two but cannot figure out why 1080p is not being achieved from any source. The best "picture" and sound I have seen/heard is my son's DVD of Ice Age which the TV claims to be 480p.

I have regular DTV AND Comcast HD at this time...

Can someone help me understand this and/or let me know if I am missing something (other than brain cells)?

Your confusion is understandable. A while back I posed the question as to why nowhere on the 006, or in the owner's manual, does it say anything about 1080p. While I never did receive an answer, "the 006 scales and outputs everything at 1080p period" (Quote attributed to rogo). :D

What you are seeing on the display, i.e., 1080i or 480p, is the source material resolution (1080i for CBS, NBC, HDNet, etc.) and 480p for a progressive DVD player. Hope this helps. :)

Cowboy-

Your Comcast box may be set to putput 1080i, regardless of the source (i.e the box scales any signal to 1080i). I think the Comcast box can be set to native, which would pass signals at their broadcast resolution (1080i, 720p, etc.)

I called 800-488-7669 (Sony Parts) and was told replacement bulbs for the 006 are now available. The part number is XL-5000, cost $300 + sales tax, as applicable, depending on where you live. I ordered one. Don't want to take any chances. When the bulb actually burns out, I will call and request my free replacement, and will use the extra one I purchased now as a "spare". Was told it will be shipped by "regular mail".

Would appreciate it if someone else could call and confirm they are, in fact, available, and post here. Ask them how long it will take you to receive the bulb if you order it now. Thanks!

:) :)

Clearing up a couple of points:

The Comcast 6412 dual tuner DVR does not have a native output. It outputs at only one resolution that you can set in the user menu. Turn off the box, and very quickly press Menu on the remote. You will see a screen where you can adjust the output to 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i. I think the box is delivered to you with it set up to output 1080i. Since the majority of high-def material (except for ABC, ESPN, and FOX) is broadcast at 1080i, it is best to leave it at 1080i. I actually changed it to 720p for the Super Bowl and saw no difference between the 720p and 1080i output from the Comcast box, so I turned it back to 1080i.

The 006 manual very clearly states on page 75 that the PIP feature will display digital channels or anything connected to inputs 4, 5, 6, or 7 in the left window ONLY, and that you cannot display two high-def inputs simulataneously in the left and right windows.

Originally posted by nhey
I called 800-488-7669 (Sony Parts) and was told replacement bulbs for the 006 are now available. The part number is XL-5000, cost $300 + sales tax, as applicable, depending on where you live. I ordered one. Don't want to take any chances. When the bulb actually burns out, I will call and request my free replacement, and will use the extra one I purchased now as a "spare". Was told it will be shipped by "regular mail".

Would appreciate it if someone else could call and confirm they are, in fact, available, and post here. Ask them how long it will take you to receive the bulb if you order it now. Thanks!

:) :)

I just called and the guy could not pull up the 006 model number. I gave him the part number of the bulb, but he could not confirm which tv this bulb works on. He said that he will call me back as soon as he gets more information. He said that he was aware of the 006, but that it is so new that he can't pull anything up. ???????

I also tried registering the 006 via their website when I first received the set, based on the little form provided with the 006 documents. While I tried to input the model number, it came back with not found. Go figure.

Most of the HD out there is 1080i like CBS, NBC, PBS, WB, UPN, INHD HDNET. DiscoveryHD, HBO, Showtime and Starz. The only current offering in 720P are ABC, FOX, and ESPN.

I still have a real problem watching DVD's on this size of screen. DVD's on my Sony KV36XBR400 look pretty good. But on 70 inches, the PQ still looks bad to my eyes even on a set of this quality. Watching standard DVD's on this size screen would give me a headache after a short while. Maybe part of it is the cheap ($150) DVD player the Sony Store was using with their Qualia.

Still it looks better than the CA$6000 Knoll DLP projector that I saw on the weekend. The DVD player in that case was a high end CA$6000 Naim DVD5. The Qualia definitely shows better skin tones and colors in general. And the picture is smoother.

For sure this is a great television to view HDTV, but I cannot see myself watching standard definition DVD's on it. I am thinking that before I buy a Qualia, BluRay (or HD DVD) disks must be generally available in the rental stores.

Originally posted by HiDef Bob
I still have a real problem watching DVD's on this size of screen. DVD's on my Sony KV36XBR400 look pretty good. But on 70 inches, the PQ still looks bad to my eyes even on a set of this quality. Maybe part of it is the cheap ($150) DVD player the Sony Store was using with their Qualia.


I have the Denon 3910, and my dvd experience with the 006 has surpassed my expectations. Especially with high bit rate dvds, but even regular dvds were awesome. I watched "Cellular" last night and the pq was great.

Originally posted by HiDef Bob
I still have a real problem watching DVD's on this size of screen. DVD's on my Sony KV36XBR400 look pretty good. But on 70 inches, the PQ still looks bad to my eyes even on a set of this quality. Watching standard DVD's on this size screen would give me a headache after a short while. Maybe part of it is the cheap ($150) DVD player the Sony Store was using with their Qualia.

Still it looks better than the CA$6000 Knoll DLP projector that I saw on the weekend. The DVD player in that case was a high end CA$6000 Naim DVD5. The Qualia definitely shows better skin tones and colors in general. And the picture is smoother.

For sure this is a great television to view HDTV, but I cannot see myself watching standard definition DVD's on it. I am thinking that before I buy a Qualia, BluRay (or HD DVD) disks must be generally available in the rental stores.

If the DVD player was not set to output 480i then it is no surprise that the picture quality was not impressive. You want the Qualia to do the conversion to 1080i and not the DVD player (certainly the one you mentioned).

I saw "Chronicals of Riddick" DVD and it was stunning. Bright, clear, brilliant colors, good edge definition, etc. There is considerable difference depending upon the DVD quality.

Dilbert1

Originally posted by kaduku
I have the Denon 3910, and my dvd experience with the 006 has surpassed my expectations. Especially with high bit rate dvds, but even regular dvds were awesome. I watched "Cellular" last night and the pq was great.

Do you notice a difference when the Denon 3910 outputs 480i versus 1080i?

I have a Denon 2910 and it seems the Qualia scaler is about the same as the 2910. Incidentally, there is a noticable difference in PQ between 480i and 480p output with the 480i being better.

Dilbert1

Originally posted by h2osports
Penton-Man,

IIRC, you were hoping to attend a Sony shindig somewhere in Southern CA right about now with the intention of discovering what plans, if any, Sony had to broaden their use of the SXRD technology beyond a $13k RPTV and a $30k FP. I'm just wondering, assuming you snagged an invite. if you were able to glean any useful info regarding same.

BTW, thanks for all your great posts on this thread and on the "Sony jumps...." thread.

Be skiing ya,

DSG
Apparently, the Sony Design Center Launch Party in Santa Monica was earlier this week and yes, I did have a special invite but, no I couldn't make it over there that nite. Sorry.

Originally posted by Dilbert1
Do you notice a difference when the Denon 3910 outputs 480i versus 1080i?

I have a Denon 2910 and it seems the Qualia scaler is about the same as the 2910. Incidentally, there is a noticable difference in PQ between 480i and 480p output with the 480i being better.

Dilbert1

I've asked this question before, but with no reply. Someone was able to set the 3910 to 480i. I am only able to set mine at 480p. I am not familiar with the 2910 settings. PQ seemed better on 1080i than on 480p on my player. I would love to see it on 480i so I can compare. I do believe the 2910 and 3910 share the same chip. And yes, watching dvds on this 70" screen is awesome.

I guess this means that CC is not going to have these? :D

Originally posted by snatch
One question: How the crap are you guys dropping over 13k for a TV? Have you had your sanity checked? :D

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
ColorTV....Penton

I could not find that sony DVD player you recommended for sale anywhere. Penton you use a panny I believe. Does that unit remain a good choice for an interim player until blu-ray is avail.


Where the hell is that boat?
On the Sony, you get conflicting reports as to whether it's still available in the U.S. - meaning if you place it in your shopping basket, it just don't go in.

Apparently, Panasonic Canada is no longer selling them. If you check the last 5 or 10 pages of the Sony thread ...it sort of reads like a horror story for tray lock ups and discs not playing. It's a shame - because other than those issues, it would seem like the perfect choice for the 006 but, I wasn't willing to deal with the potential return issues.

The Panny is an excellent interim choice before Blu-ray. In fact, a new firmware has become available which apparently almost completely eliminates any macroblocking(which I never saw on any of the DVD's that I played while hooked up to the 006) which is very display dependent anyway.

Personally I think that the BEST choice (if you don't have a DVD player now) is to get the Pioneer 59avi to mate with the 006 but, she be around $900 or so whereas the Sony and Panny are less than $300.

With high def DVD's on the horizon, I just don't know if I would put out that many smackers for an interim solution.....but on the other hand, we all just don't know the exact timetable for all this stuff - so like everything else it just comes down to personal preference.

Originally posted by mpsan
I guess this means that CC is not going to have these? :D
Yup, kinda rules out Costco too! :D

So, are you saying that I non-progressive scan player might work well with the Qualia? I have a old Pioneer DVL90 (pre-progressive scan).

And that if you do have a player with progressive scan that ps should be disengaged (if possible). The DVD player the Sony Store was using was progressive scan.

Originally posted by kaduku
PQ seemed better on 1080i than on 480p on my player. I would love to see it on 480i so I can compare.

There are two menus on the 2910 with one selecting 480p as the only option and another menu that forces interlaced. It may be the same with the 3910. Look for the two options in different locations.

Dilbert1

...and even if we are wrong about CC getting them, they will have a disclaimer on their 10% off coupons that they do not apply to "Insainly priced TV's". :D

SNATCH...just giving you a hard time. I have not had any issues with CC here.


Originally posted by Penton-Man
Yup, kinda rules out Costco too! :D

Originally posted by HiDef Bob
So, are you saying that I non-progressive scan player might work well with the Qualia?

Yes. But I tried a very (very) old DVD player and it did not work as expected (picture size).

If you use 480i you will be happy with good DVD's - at least I am. They are not HD of course but they go from very watchable to stunning (relative to my old DVD performance). A poor DVD will show poor edge detail and stairsteps with ghosting around areas of high contrast difference. I guess this could also be caused by a poor scaler.

Dilbert1

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Yup, kinda rules out Costco too! :D

I don't know about that. The local Costco had a $1000 bottle of Chateau Rothschild. :D

I think you also need to consider that an older DVD player will only output component video. It may be that an older DVD player is not using higher bandwidth components in the design of the driver amplifiers and D/A converters. So it may be there is good 480i and bad 480i analog signals.
If it were digital throughout then component bandwidth would not be an issue (assuming no computing is involved).

Dilbert1

Originally posted by Dilbert1
Yes. But I tried a very (very) old DVD player and it did not work as expected (picture size).

If you use 480i you will be happy with good DVD's - at least I am. They are not HD of course but they go from very watchable to stunning (relative to my old DVD performance).

Dilbert1

Actually I may have overstated this. A poor DVD can be unwatchable even with the correct signal to the Qualia. My solution is to view the DVD on smaller window that is offset to one side. The window can be changed in size, within limits, and works well. I am using the split screen option with only one screen getting a signal. This also works for watching SD news.

Dilbert1

I think what you want -- when choosing a DVD unit for the Qualia -- is the ability to output 480i over HDMI. Feeding the Q006 480i via HDMI and letting it scale the signal has worked out very nicely for me. I'm using the Sony DVP-NS975V (still available; try Am*zon) and the combo is very good. No, it's not true HD quality, but I'm pretty picky and find it very good but source dependent -- be certain you're using discs with very good PQ (SuperBit if possible).

BTW, is it just me or is 480i output over HDMI something of an anomaly? When researching players there were very few that would allow this; on most HDMI enabled DVD players the minimum resolution seemed to be 480P...

Originally posted by Dilbert1
There are two menus on the 2910 with one selecting 480p as the only option and another menu that forces interlaced. It may be the same with the 3910. Look for the two options in different locations.

Dilbert1

Yes, Yes, I have noticed that on the setup menu screen. So if I change that from progressive to interlaced and change the format to 480p by the remote, Will I have 480i? I am currently using HDMI.

I believe that none of the Denon DVD players output 480i via digital connection - DVI or HDMI. Very few do.

Originally posted by Eric_RP
I believe that none of the Denon DVD players output 480i via digital connection - DVI or HDMI. Very few do.

If this is true, then I should just set it to 480p or whatever looks good. It does seem to explain why I only have 480p as my option.

Dilbert1, what's your opinion on this?

Hi all,

Just to show how lucky you folks are, the 006 is due for sale in Japanese local market on 3/15, Japanese MSRP is 1.68M Yen, which is about 16K US.

The price up might be due to the added media box, for the Japanese HD broadcasting (BS-Hi).

More detail on watch.impress.co.jp - 006 announcement for Japan (http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050209/sony.htm)

JHC

Originally posted by brt3
I think what you want -- when choosing a DVD unit for the Qualia -- is the ability to output 480i over HDMI. Feeding the Q006 480i via HDMI and letting it scale the signal has worked out very nicely for me. I'm using the Sony DVP-NS975V (still available; try Am*zon) and the combo is very good. No, it's not true HD quality, but I'm pretty picky and find it very good but source dependent -- be certain you're using discs with very good PQ (SuperBit if possible).

BTW, is it just me or is 480i output over HDMI something of an anomaly? When researching players there were very few that would allow this; on most HDMI enabled DVD players the minimum resolution seemed to be 480P...
I would be interested if you could do an objective (no theoretical prejudice allowed here) comparison of 480i over HDMI vs 1080i over HDMI to our beloved Qualia 006.

I'm wondering if you can really tell any difference - other than perhaps some issues with the color tones but, I'm more interested if there is any apparent difference in DETAIL.

Correct, few players do output 480i over HDMI - which is why I would like to know exactly HOW important that is with our particular display.

I plan on doing an A/B comparison with my Panny comparing 480i over component to 1080i over HDMI to see which shows best.

As I stated above, if you want the most optimum DVD player (that is for less than 1K) I would suspect that the Pio 59avi would fit that bill...and yes it does do 480i over HDMI.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
I would be interested if you could do an objective (no theoretical prejudice allowed here) comparison of 480i over HDMI vs 1080i over HDMI to our beloved Qualia 006.

PM,

I'll try and do a detailed back-to-back. I will say this; when I first set up the DVD I was NOT impressed by the PQ; after changing the output setting to 480i things seemed to improve greatly. Now that the Qualia is better set up I'll give it another go...

Eric-RP; I have a Denon 3910 and can output 480i via HDMI... I tested 480i and 480p and found the 480i was better. The 480p had lots of halos.

Originally posted by SRT-10 Viper
Eric-RP; I have a Denon 3910 and can output 480i via HDMI... I tested 480i and 480p and found the 480i was better. The 480p had lots of halos.

Viper,

Again, how are you setting this up on your 3910. I have only 480p by going through the format button. Dilbert1 also mentioned going to the setup screen, then to the video output section and changing it from progressive to interlaced. Is this the way your doing it. If not, tell me how!!

Originally posted by brt3
Feeding the Q006 480i via HDMI and letting it scale the signal has worked out very nicely for me. ..

This holds true for most displays. To take it a step further try feeding it s-vid or a non HD component. This allows all of the expensive circuitry in these units to work their magic. On a lot of sets you lose the processing that the TV offers once you introduce a HD resolution.

Now the up-scaling DVD owners flame me for the suggestion, but several have returned them for a good 480i DVD player because most displays have better de-interlacer/scalers.

Originally posted by HiDef Bob
I still have a real problem watching DVD's on this size of screen. DVD's on my Sony KV36XBR400 look pretty good. But on 70 inches, the PQ still looks bad to my eyes even on a set of this quality. Watching standard DVD's on this size screen would give me a headache after a short while. Maybe part of it is the cheap ($150) DVD player the Sony Store was using with their Qualia.

My experience has been the opposite. With my Sony NS75V DVD player set to output at 480i, the 006 scales the video up to 1080p for display, and I'm impressed that SD looks as good as it does, better SD than I have seen on ANY digital HDTV, regardless of LCD, DLP, plasma, D-ILA, etc. Perhaps the Sony store you visited had the same DVD player set to scale up to 1080i which is not a good idea. The scaler in the DVD player is not as good as the one in the 006 - no doubt of that. Before I evaluated the Qualia 006, I fully expected to be as disappointed as you are. But it turns out that not only am I NOT disappointed, I'm impressed that SD looks so incredible on the 006, especially SD DVD's - everyone of them I have tested looks suprisingly great.

Originally posted by SRT-10 Viper
Eric-RP; I have a Denon 3910 and can output 480i via HDMI... I tested 480i and 480p and found the 480i was better. The 480p had lots of halos.

I'm looking forward to having lots of Halo at 480p on my Q006 when I can finally get one. :D

Where the hell is that boat?

--Dwayne

Originally posted by brt3
Anyone else out there interested in joining us and making a "group buy" on this?


I'd be interested in a nice cover, for sure. Let me know how it goes.

I would also be interested in a group buy for the fabric for a cover.

Walter

In regards to the above cover, have we gotten at least a ballpark figure for the price of the size that simply covers the front screen and speakers rather than some of the back of the TV ?

Originally posted by kaduku
Yes, Yes, I have noticed that on the setup menu screen. So if I change that from progressive to interlaced and change the format to 480p by the remote, Will I have 480i? I am currently using HDMI.

I think so. It made a big difference for me.

Dilbert1

Originally posted by Barrybud
This holds true for most displays. To take it a step further try feeding it s-vid or a non HD component. This allows all of the expensive circuitry in these units to work their magic. On a lot of sets you lose the processing that the TV offers once you introduce a HD resolution.

Now the up-scaling DVD owners flame me for the suggestion, but several have returned them for a good 480i DVD player because most displays have better de-interlacer/scalers.

Well if they are flaming you... then it is out of buyer's remorse!

I couldn't agree with you more(in fact Beefchopper and I have been the most vocal early proponents of passing 480i on this thread and even the old "Sony jumps" thread)...but I'd like to see some real objective A/B comparisons by Qualia owners rather than theoretical assumptions.

Barry, you say, "To take it a step further try feeding it s-vid or a non HD component" - I don't understand what you mean?

You're not saying that you expect feeding 480i over component to the Qualia would be in theory better than feeding it 480i over HDMI...are you?

Originally posted by Penton-Man
In regards to the above cover, have we gotten at least a ballpark figure for the price of the size that simply covers the front screen and speakers rather than some of the back of the TV ?

The contact person at Radtech is John Grzeskowiak, who told me that the price is pretty firm at $39.00 per linear yard (per our conversation today). The fabric is 58 inches wide, which is adequate to cover the face of the 006. You can see some samples and colors at their website. He is willing to go in halves, so half a yard would be $17.00. All you need to do is have it sewn to your specifications at an upholstery shop. He did suggest to use a 3/8 inch wide elastic band for the edges. He said that you can also have it emblazon with any logo or text, which you can also see some samples on their site (extra cost of course). It's up to you if you want enough for the screen only or the whole thing. Pls email him and place your order. I will also provide his direct telephone to you in case you have some sort of a special request. Looks like there is not gonna be a group buy discount, at least not for now.

This is the only fabric that I am willing to touch my screen, that's how soft it is.

http://www.radtech.us/Products/ImacScreensavrz.aspx

john@radtech.us
877-777-9088

Originally posted by TANKFULL
I would also be interested in a group buy for the fabric for a cover.

Walter,
I am assuming that you have purchased a 006, if so, congrats to you.

Thanks Kaduku,
The set will be arriving Feb. 15th.

Congrats TANKFULL.
Let's hope for a safe delivery.

I'm sure your post left motormouth wantin.

kaduku... Might be my bad... In the setup screen section, I set the setting from Proressive to Interlace. As I now read the instructions, it appears to state HDMI is 480P. I'll have to play with it more to see if there is a way to recreate what I thought I did.

Originally posted by SRT-10 Viper
kaduku... Might be my bad... In the setup screen section, I set the setting from Proressive to Interlace. As I now read the instructions, it appears to state HDMI is 480P. I'll have to play with it more to see if there is a way to recreate what I thought I did.

Sounds good Viper, so far I have at 1080i which looks pretty good to me.

Originally posted by TANKFULL
I would also be interested in a group buy for the fabric for a cover.

Walter

My order with John at Radtech is complete. I got 3 yards, which gives me enough room and it will be shipped tomorrow. I decided to just cover the screen, since I am a short guy. He has stated to me that he has already received a few emails from other 006 owners. After I get this thing cut and sewn, I plan to send it back to have a Sony logo emblazed on it to give it that factory look. This is the way John recommended it to be done. I know this sounds too much, but hey what the hell!!! I'm worth it!!!

I don't think any of us have commented on bad pixels or any fixed background patterns with a solid color. I have noticed a very faint speckle pattern that I think is due the the front protective screen.

I have not hooked up my PC to the Qualia yet. I need to buy another DVI/HDMI cable in order to do so. I am interested in any comments or observations by other owners on the status of their pixels. I want to fill the screen with different colors and shades to look for imperfections (maybe I shouldn't). If they can't be seen from a reasonable distance then I don't care too much.

I have noticed static background patterns. I have wondered if these patterns are due to the camera that took the pictures or processing artifacts. In some cases they are the camera because they go away from scene to scene and in others it is less clear what causes them. I have seen faint streaks in blue when my Sat receiver has a fixed blue screen. I do not think the streaks are from the Qualia because they go away when the DVD is on.


Dilbert1

I'm sure your post left motormouth wantin.

I am slobbering and drooling like one of those Aliens with Sigorney Weaver just thinking about a Feb 15th delivery. Just hope I can get one before March Madness really kicks in.


Now where the hell is that boat?

Anyone (Especially you color) have any thoughts on how that new FX1 HD sony camcorder for us peasants would look on the Qualia. It was 1400 x 1080 or so. Says its a 1080i camera but seems to be lacking some pixels in the width department.

I am buying a new G5 Mac with that cool 30inch screen for giggles and would like to start making my family recordings in High Def and have everyone able to watch them on the BIG screen rather than some puny PC.


Anyone familiar with this camera or format. Is it HD lite or do you think it will look good enough to justify the $3,000 for the camera?




Gads.............one more day down....................20 something to go. Someone post a new pic...............please.


Are they bringing these things over by paddleboat?

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Anyone (Especially you color) have any thoughts on how that new FX1 HD sony camcorder for us peasants would look on the Qualia. It was 1400 x 1080 or so. Says its a 1080i camera but seems to be lacking some pixels in the width department.

MotorMouth777,
I am also in the market of replacing my Sony minidv camera. From what I heard, the FX1 produces HD video that will wow you, especially if displayed on the 006, but it will give you a video look rather than filmlike. So if that's what you're looking for, then you've found the right camera. Here's a link to a good review and comparison with other cameras.

http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/shoot3/

Kaduku..............I owe you a drink....or two. You just saved me $3,000


thx

What is the height of the Sony stand and in your opinions is it the optimal height. I have to fit this TV in a 54 inch by 59 inch hole. I will have to accomplish that by only fitting the back in as far as it goes and the front will be approx 8-10 inches from the wall. I am going to have to build a custom stand and frame to make this work. I want to put my center speaker under the TV so I will need a minimum of 14 inches to fit that. I was planning on having the stand at 16 inches.....any comments on this height.


thx

MM,

I would not mount the set any higher than it would be on the Sony stand @ 16 1/2". I'm a tall guy -- 6'7" -- and if it were any higher I think I'd feel as though I were looking up a bit...

brt3


You wouldn't have a shot or image showing the slope of the sides would you. Those will determine how far from the wall the screen will be as at some point the sloped sides will contact the walls of the 54 inch wide hole.

thx

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Anyone (Especially you color) have any thoughts on how that new FX1 HD sony camcorder for us peasants would look on the Qualia. It was 1400 x 1080 or so. Says its a 1080i camera but seems to be lacking some pixels in the width department.

I am buying a new G5 Mac with that cool 30inch screen for giggles and would like to start making my family recordings in High Def and have everyone able to watch them on the BIG screen rather than some puny PC.


Anyone familiar with this camera or format. Is it HD lite or do you think it will look good enough to justify the $3,000 for the camera?

I saw the camera at the Sony Store in Las Vegas. If you are familiar with the VX 2000 it's about the same size. Sony has the camera hooked up to a Qualia 006 in the Sony Style store window. The mall is not super bright, but not all that dark. Still, the picture was quite good even though a bit noisy. The HDV format is very compressed. I recall reading some complaints about compression artifacts in certain conditions, such that it is probably not acceptable for pro work. However the camera is reputed to make gorgeous pictures in sufficient light that most people are very pleased with. Nothing approacing the quality of studio HD cameras such as those being used on American Idol this season. So I suppose you could call it "HD Lite." A more expensive semi-pro version of the camera just came out, but unless you need XLR audio inputs and a few other pro features, no need to spend the extra money.

I assume you would edit your video in iMovie HD or Final Cut Pro HD. Of course there is no way to burn an HD DVD of your edited movie yet, but you can play out your edited sequence back to the camera and record the finished product on HDV tape. Then connect the camera via Firewire to the front panel iLink jack on the TV. I don't know if all the effects in iMovie or FCP are HD compatible.

Much as I would love to own this camera, the idea of schlepping a big video camera is not in the cards for me. I love the size, convenience, and surprising quality of the Sony SD mini-DV camera DCRHC40 that I have now. Slips in your pocket and very convenient. I probably won't get an HD camcorder until a smaller one comes out. No doubt it will happen - Sony's president alluded to it when he made a guest appearance with Steve Jobs at Macworld in January.

Originally posted by brt3
MM,

I would not mount the set any higher than it would be on the Sony stand @ 16 1/2". I'm a tall guy -- 6'7" -- and if it were any higher I think I'd feel as though I were looking up a bit...

On the other hand, I love the aftermarket Soundations Chicane 4 stand I have. Very stylish and well built with separate shelves for components. A must for my needs. I would not want to stack heat-generating components such that they might not breathe as they should. In my case, the Monster Power conditioner and Yamaha a/v receiver are likely much better off with breathing room above their vents. Since the Sony stand does not have shelves, component stacking would be inevitable in my case. The Chicane stand is taller than the Sony stand at 21" but not a complaint from anyone who has seen my setup. I'd say it has not crossed the threshold of being unpleasantly too high.

I also think that if you sit further away from the TV, the hight of the stand becomes less of an issue.

Brian,

Your first link (picture page) does not work!

I love my 006. Tried all the settings some have posted, tried HDMI, component, s-vidio, vivid, pro--it all looks so good. But to be perfectly honest, I'm like nhey a few pages back, the vivid setting and fairly close to what sony did right out of the box,IMO just brings out the full potential of this amazing set. I can't even stand to watch my plasma, even with the DVDO HD+, which a couple of weeks ago was "the best". Now it just sucks!
Did I say I love the 006! Oh yea.

sj

Originally posted by MotorMouth777

Now where the hell is that boat?
See how us Qualia 006 owners help each other out ---
I’ve located it for you….somewhere in the South China Sea !

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~fsinc/yachts/videos/page1.htm

I just received my 006, and while I agree the picture is fantastic with the lights on, I’m pretty disappointed when I turn the lights off.

The set has plenty of contrast with the lights on. The blacks appear perfectly black. When I turn the lights off, though, in order to keep the bright picture from hurting my eyes, I have to turn the picture setting way down. That reduces the whites, but the blacks stay the same, and appear as gray. Also, when I turn the picture way down, some vertical banding becomes visible.

With CRTs and dynamic-iris displays, the blacks go down with the whites, so you can turn down the picture without losing so much contrast ratio.

Is there a way to do this on the 006? The manual iris seems to only have two settings, and the dark one isn’t dark enough for a pitch-black room. I could get around this by leaving the lights or replacing the switch with a dimmer, but I prefer watching movies with the lights out. Another solution might be to somehow make it so the bulb isn’t so bright.

It’s a shame, because the open iris setting is so bright that it’s useless for me. Clearly, the SXRD is capable of great contrast, but it appears that this set isn't designed to take advantage of it in low light.

Originally posted by rcohen
I just received my 006, and while I agree the picture is fantastic with the lights on, I’m pretty disappointed when I turn the lights off.


You probably already know this but a bias light will work wonders.
I bought a 5000 degree Kelvin daylight fixture from Home Depot for about
$17.00 and put it behind the set. I like the wash of light up the wall and
it is easy on the eyes.

Dilbert1

I'll give that a try. Do you think that would be better than dimmers for the whole room?

rcohen

Although there is some interaction between the picture and brightness controls, its generally accepted that the brightness control is what adjust the blacks. So you might want to see if you can get the blacks to where you would like them by adjusting brightness..

Room lighting has an influence on picture. In a brightly lit room, the setting would be different than in a dimly lit room.

Originally posted by rcohen
I just received my 006, and while I agree the picture is fantastic with the lights on, I’m pretty disappointed when I turn the lights off.

The set has plenty of contrast with the lights on. The blacks appear perfectly black. When I turn the lights off, though, in order to keep the bright picture from hurting my eyes, I have to turn the picture setting way down. That reduces the whites, but the blacks stay the same, and appear as gray. Also, when I turn the picture way down, some vertical banding becomes visible.

With CRTs and dynamic-iris displays, the blacks go down with the whites, so you can turn down the picture without losing so much contrast ratio.

Is there a way to do this on the 006? The manual iris seems to only have two settings, and the dark one isn’t dark enough for a pitch-black room. I could get around this by leaving the lights or replacing the switch with a dimmer, but I prefer watching movies with the lights out. Another solution might be to somehow make it so the bulb isn’t so bright.



It’s a shame, because the open iris setting is so bright that it’s useless for me. Clearly, the SXRD is capable of great contrast, but it appears that this set isn't designed to take advantage of it in low light.

rcohen,

You need to try the Ideal Lume back light. Go back a few pages an read about it. It puts out 6500K of backlight and can be mounted on the back of the 006 with velcro. This baths the wall behind your 006, and the entire room but very suttlely. This allows your iris to not dilate so much, which in many people can lead to eye strain. Plus it tends to add the ambient feel of a movie theatre.

sj

Originally posted by rcohen
I'll give that a try. Do you think that would be better than dimmers for the whole room?
Actually, I have a row of tracking lights mounted on the ceiling behind the TV that shine down on the wall connected to a dimmer switch which has become very versatile for different viewing experiences ….a perfect solution for my needs.

Originally posted by JimP
rcohen

Although there is some interaction between the picture and brightness controls, its generally accepted that the brightness control is what adjust the blacks. So you might want to see if you can get the blacks to where you would like them by adjusting brightness..

When I turn brightness all the way down, so the whole screen should be black, with the lights out, it's still gray. I seem to have hit the limit of how much light the SXRD panels can absorb. They do have a very good contrast ratio when you use their full range, but when you turn the picture down to use a fraction of their range, the blacks stay constant, but the brights get darker. The result is lower contrast. It seems like the only way to fix it for dark rooms would be by reducing the incoming light. It would be great to find a way to do that (darker iris settings, dimmer bulb, etc.).

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Actually, I have a row of tracking lights mounted on the ceiling behind the TV that shine down on the wall connected to a dimmer switch which has become very versatile for different viewing experiences ….a perfect solution for my needs.

Penton-Man,

Now that sounds really good! How long is your track? Thanks ahead of time.

sj

Originally posted by rcohen
I'll give that a try. Do you think that would be better than dimmers for the whole room?
You might try the power saver mode and see if that helps.
Just a thought.

Martin

Originally posted by Tulsa1
You might try the power saver mode and see if that helps.
Just a thought.
Martin
Are you saying there's a menu option to dim the light? That might be the ticket.

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Kaduku..............I owe you a drink....or two. You just saved me $3,000
thx

That review was interesting but the reviewer appeared to have a rather anti HD and anti SD 16:9 viewpoint. That seems a little short sighted to me. Unless you are shooting material for wide distribution that will have a short lifespan, an HD master would be nice to have.

If you are shooting material for display on your own Qualia 006, the FX1 problems are probably worth tolerating.

Originally posted by rcohen
Are you saying there's a menu option to dim the light? That might be the ticket.
Go to the 6th item on the main menu called "Setup" then last item
in that menu called "Power Saving".
It's called "Reduced" and says it enhances black levels and darkens the
overall picture.

Martin

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Actually, I have a row of tracking lights mounted on the ceiling behind the TV that shine down on the wall connected to a dimmer switch which has become very versatile for different viewing experiences ….a perfect solution for my needs.

Sounds nice. My comment on this would be to consider that a halogen lamp
connected to a dimmer changes it's color temperature. A dimmer light will actually be redder. I'm sure it all looks nice - the key is to get some light behind the set.

A halogen lamp even at full power gives a distinct yellowish cast compared to a daylight lamp. The daylight lamps have a slightly blue appearance that looks very nice.

I used a 20 watt lamp.

Dilbert1

rcohen:


I am sorry to hear about your 006 not being sub-optimal for you in a darkened room, and since Penton pointed out that fellow Qualians take care of ourselves I would be willing to take that Lemon off your hands at full list...........just to help you out of course.


The South China sea. What the hell are they doing.........chasing Godzilla or something.

Originally posted by Dilbert1

A halogen lamp even at full power gives a distinct yellowish cast compared to a daylight lamp.
Dilbert1

I should have said low voltage halogen like you buy as accent lighting. Actually there are halogen lights that have much higher color temperature but I don't think they are appropriate for these applications because they are power hungry and very hot. Compact fluorescent bulbs are available that can be dimmed but this type of lamp, that is reasonable to use for this application, have a yellow cast compared to daylight.

For me, contrast ratio is very important. I would rather use the bias light than make any adjustments to the set that would affect contrast ratio.

Scenes of the Artic ice are stunning in no small part due to the contrast ratio.

Dilbert1

I don't want to overdue the bias light stuff but it is a cheap way to increase the drama and overall effect of the TV (we all want that I think).

The combination of a daylight lamp (like other people are talking about) and low voltage halogen is very cool. I am using halogen lamps behind silk trees to throw shadows up on the ceiling and some of the wall. It is very interesting how the daylight lamp color temperature affects your perception of the halogen color temperature. Basically you have two different colors but the difference is subtle and gives drama without overpowering your senses.

It is cheap to experiment.

Dilbert1

Good points all. I sit fairly close to my set as I won't do a final install until my cabinets are made (it will be built in). That makes a lot of difference, as it makes small changes in display height more obvious...

Originally posted by rcohen
I just received my 006, and while I agree the picture is fantastic with the lights on, I’m pretty disappointed when I turn the lights off.

The set has plenty of contrast with the lights on. The blacks appear perfectly black. When I turn the lights off, though, in order to keep the bright picture from hurting my eyes, I have to turn the picture setting way down. That reduces the whites, but the blacks stay the same, and appear as gray. Also, when I turn the picture way down, some vertical banding becomes visible.

With CRTs and dynamic-iris displays, the blacks go down with the whites, so you can turn down the picture without losing so much contrast ratio.

Is there a way to do this on the 006? The manual iris seems to only have two settings, and the dark one isn’t dark enough for a pitch-black room. I could get around this by leaving the lights or replacing the switch with a dimmer, but I prefer watching movies with the lights out. Another solution might be to somehow make it so the bulb isn’t so bright.

It’s a shame, because the open iris setting is so bright that it’s useless for me. Clearly, the SXRD is capable of great contrast, but it appears that this set isn't designed to take advantage of it in low light.

rcohen,

I may be mistaken, but it seems to me that what you need to do is optimize the settings for "lights out" mode and create custom settings to match those conditions. Just turning down one setting will not work, as Picture (contrast) and Brightness are very interrelated. Whenever you change one it affects the other. So, in my case I've put my settings for critical viewing (with some low room lighting, some of this perfectly situated behind the screen) into the Pro picture setting, and have changed the Standard settings around to give me a second preset for different conditions or sources. The only flaw with this is that you can't access all of the video settings unless you're in Pro mode. That's why I use "Pro" for critical viewing...

BTW, I don't see how anyone could watch this set in the dark; even with settings optimized for critical viewing this thing still has MAJOR light output. You can get away with viewing in total darkness in movie theaters because: 1.) you couldn't see the screen very well if they had any lighting at all; and 2.) the screen is so large that it takes up a significant portion of your field of view and your eyes adjust to the screen, not the darkness.

At normal viewing distances the Qualia will never have this same effect with your field of vision, and in a totally dark room it will always read as a painfully bright light against a black background -- your eyes read a greater portion of the field of view as black (compared to the theater) and adjust accordingly. In my case I just can't watch normal material on my Qualia in a totally dark room; it feels uncomfortable, and I don't think it's good for the eyes (any opthamologists on this board?)

The SXRD panels in the Q006 are fantastic for what they are, but what they are NOT is CRTs. They simply cannot generate perfect black since they use a reflective technology. The blacks are quite good -- especially compared to other digital projection technologies -- but don't quite match the standard set by CRT. But let's think about CRT technology and some of it's shortcomings. One reason that optimized CRT setups (especially if they're front projection) use darkened settings is that CRT is simply not capable of high brightness, at least not without imposing major stress (read, expensive and frequent replacement) on the CRTs. SXRD, on the other hand, gives you so much light output that viewing in a totally dark room is neither optimal or practical.

So, my "free advice" -- which is worth exactly what you paid for it [ :D ] would be to try and set up some sort of bias lighting or dim room lighting, and see if this works for you. Please note that there are a number of ways to "skin a cat", and my thoughts and methods might not work for you.

Ray

happened to see one of these in a Best Buy recently... it is really neat, wonder how long before some one markets one to use with a set as big as 006?

http://www.plasma.com/philipsplasma/50pf9966.htm

OVERVIEW - philips 50pf9966/37 plasma tv display

Ambilight is a unique feature from Philips that provides ambient light at tested levels in order to improve multiple aspects of the viewing experience. The soft-light emanating onto the wall surrounding the television has a number of benefits:

* Improves the perceived picture detail, contrast and color
* Enables relaxed viewing conditions
* Establishes the TV set as a design element

The unprecedented viewing comfort of Ambilight and Plasma technology culminate in a daring and innovative design. Ambilight is an ambient lighting feature that projects a soft light onto the wall behind the TV. You choose from six preset colors and white tones, or it can be fully personalized using the custom settings. Or simply allow Ambilight adjust the backlight color based upon the action on the screen. Ambilight provides this optimal level, never impeding on the action, only enhancing it. Additionally, glare and reflections are dramatically reduced because of the diminished effects of light striking the front of the set. Ambilight also enhances the design of your Philips FlatTV and your interior, and creates the ultimate environment for entertainment.

"I don't see how anyone could watch this set in the dark; even with settings optimized for critical viewing..."

wow, this is really discouraging to hear. I was hoping this set was the holy grail for me; a set that would not be washed out during the day (like a plasma) but would also give the darkened theater experience (like a crt). uhgggg

Originally posted by skoolpsyk
"I don't see how anyone could watch this set in the dark; even with settings optimized for critical viewing..."

wow, this is really discouraging to hear. I was hoping this set was the holy grail for me; a set that would not be washed out during the day (like a plasma) but would also give the darkened theater experience (like a crt). uhgggg

skoolpsyk,

The Qualia still may work for you; please note that I've set mine up using DVE and prefer to watch with some ambient/backlighting. I don't know for a fact that you can't optimize the settings for a darker environment...

I'll let you know what happens, when I try out these suggestions.

Perhaps this is where these folks who are planning on having a ISF person work on their set could help....

Maybe they could have them set it up for optimal totally blackened room home theater experience and then share the settings!

Originally posted by ADGrant
That review was interesting but the reviewer appeared to have a rather anti HD and anti SD 16:9 viewpoint. That seems a little short sighted to me. Unless you are shooting material for wide distribution that will have a short lifespan, an HD master would be nice to have.

If you are shooting material for display on your own Qualia 006, the FX1 problems are probably worth tolerating.

Agreed. That review was targeted to pros or semi-pros. The Panasonic 24p camera has gained wide acceptance with budding filmmakers because the video frame rate translates directly to the film frame rate, making higher quality transfers of video to film than from a 30fps camera. Also, the Panny has a very realistic "film look" to it which is ideal for fictional storytelling.

I'm not sure what the market is for Sony's FX1. It's too big and pricey for most folks who want to shoot home videos, but it doesn't have many of the features that pros and industrials require. IF any of those more demanding shooters are going to go with HDV, they will likely go for the pricier HVR-Z1U version with pro audio inputs and other enhancements. But for anyone who wants to shoot beautiful HD home videos, doesn't mind the size of the FX1, and can afford the ticket, I think it's a great camera. Cheaper, better, and smaller HDV cameras will likely be available in a year or so. I'm going to wait this one out.

compare amateur and semi-pro versions of the Sony HDV camera:
http://www.hdvinfo.net/articles/sonyhdrfx1/compare.php

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
brt3


You wouldn't have a shot or image showing the slope of the sides would you. Those will determine how far from the wall the screen will be as at some point the sloped sides will contact the walls of the 54 inch wide hole.

thx

MotorMouth777,

I posted this before but am not sure if you saw it. This Sony drawing gives you a better idea of the side view than photos.

Originally posted by skoolpsyk
Perhaps this is where these folks who are planning on having a ISF person work on their set could help....

Maybe they could have them set it up for optimal totally blackened room home theater experience and then share the settings!
I really doubt that this is a calibration issue, except, perhaps for that power save setting, I didn’t know about. No matter how I adjusted the screen, it couldn’t get very dark when viewed in a pitch black room. I don’t need fancy equipment, if I’ve got everything set at 0.

I think the only solutions will be somehow closing the iris more, dimming the bulb, or adding ambient light, so that my eyes can handle brighter whites.

Also, maybe when I put some hours on my bulb, it will get dimmer on its own.

The Power Save mode does noticeably dim the picture, and increase the "blackness" of blacks.

I have watched a number of HD movies in my viewing room at night with only a bias light on behind the 006 (room otherwise pitch black), and have been extremely pleased with the beautiful images - most recently with Matrix Revolutions where there are PLENTY of very dark scenes. To each his own, I guess. I feel really sorry for those few who have difficulty fully enjoying this wonderful set.

Originally posted by sparkysj
Penton-Man,

Now that sounds really good! How long is your track?

sj
Well son…..mine is pretty LONG but, we all know... some men’s are longer than others.:D
Seriously, I believe they come in 4 ft., 2ft., and 1 ft. lengths and you can buy a connector to connect as many together as you want.

Or you can do a custom job as I did. I bought two four foot lengths and used a hack saw to cut a foot off of one of them(which is perfectly acceptable and doable-according to the manufacturer) to give me a total of 7 ft. Just call me Johnny.

The nice thing is with the dimmer switch and the halogen cubes is that in the full on position it provides a lot of light for the room when not even viewing the display and in the lowest position it provides the perfect lighting conditions that I like for viewing.

An added bonus is that if you have something hung on the wall above the TV such as a painting, photos, a row of trophies and medals from past conquests (as I do)- you can watch live TV and then during commercials look up at what is accentuated by the tracking lights and reminisce about past glory days.

I call it “Multi-Purpose” Home Theater.

In regards to the Sony DVD player that somebody asked about -

To all Qualia owners that are using the Sony player please note that I believe I read somewhere on this forum a post from Kris Deering (Secrets) that the Sony does not pass BTB in the default setup with HDMI. So, unless you can do some menu tweaking to alleviate the problem, he actually recommends running component to your display.

Wow, some people want blood from a stone. ;) There is a 200 watt lamp in these sets, how do you expect absence of light from a box with that in it?

If you are going to watch in total darkness look into FP or CRT.

Hello Barry,
Can you go back a page or so and answer my question about what you meant regarding the DVD players connections?

Originally posted by Penton-Man
In regards to the Sony DVD player that somebody asked about -

To all Qualia owners that are using the Sony player please note that I believe I read somewhere on this forum a post from Kris Deering (Secrets) that the Sony does not pass BTB in the default setup with HDMI. So, unless you can do some menu tweaking to alleviate the problem, he actually recommends running component to your display.

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly are you referring to vis a vis the Sony not passing BTB (I'm not even sure what that acronym means.)? According to the folks here on the forum the Sony is ideal for the Q006 because it's inexpensive and can output 480i via HDMI. ??

Thanks...

BTB: Blacker Than Black or Below Black (I think)...

Originally posted by 3deye
Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly are you referring to vis a vis the Sony not passing BTB (I'm not even sure what that acronym means.)? According to the folks here on the forum the Sony is ideal for the Q006 because it's inexpensive and can output 480i via HDMI. ??

Thanks...
There is no need to be excused.
There is no ignorance on the Qualia 006 thread– only well meaning, kind, helpful, happy, (slightly poorer) videophiles!

There are calibration discs that provide precise tests for setting black levels, i.e.Avia, DVE.
BTB- Blacker than Black.

Kris(the DVD guru from the Secrets shootouts) claims the Sony doesn't pass this test with the default settings over HDMI ...so...unless you can correct it by doing some tweaking, he recommends running component into your display.

brt3

Yes I saw those and thanks they helped. What I am looking for to complement that is perphaps a top view. I need to figure out how much of the TV will be sticking out from the wall when the sloped sides finally plug in the 54 inch wide hole. That way I can build both the stand and side framing panels.


I also have my Mac-Mini to try on this set...............if they can ever seem to deliver one. I wanted to display my home mpeg4 video clips and my digital camera images on the 006. With that cool Ken Burns effect from the Mac I am hoping it will bring new life to my photo collection and let me share it with family and friends much better.

Not planning to use it as a HTPC....just to display pics. Will shoot some video of how it looks............................if they can ever seem to deliver one.


I don't think these things even come over by boat. I think they are mailing them piece by piece by U.S. mail and assembling them in Slowtown California.....


Waiting is sooooooooooooo hard.

Originally posted by HiDef Bob
Brian,

Your first link (picture page) does not work!

Should be fixed now...
Thanks for the heads up.
I need to put my HT pictures up...!!!

Originally posted by skoolpsyk
Perhaps this is where these folks who are planning on having a ISF person work on their set could help....

Maybe they could have them set it up for optimal totally blackened room home theater experience and then share the settings!


Skoolpsky,

Typically, ISF settings are not transferable between different sets.

With that said, I'd be surprised that the sets are not already maximized.

Don't know if I'd want anybody touching them with the risk of misadjusting it.

Who was that who said about how disappointing DVD viewing was on the 006. Well, my son and I are watching Shark Tale and it is just spectacular to watch it on the Qualia. I love this tv!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by skoolpsyk
"I don't see how anyone could watch this set in the dark; even with settings optimized for critical viewing..."

wow, this is really discouraging to hear. I was hoping this set was the holy grail for me; a set that would not be washed out during the day (like a plasma) but would also give the darkened theater experience (like a crt). uhgggg

I can't imagine why you would be discouraged. The experience on this TV is better than the commercial movies (except IMAX) in my opinion.

Dilbert1

The low power mode definitely helped. By combining the iris and the low power mode, there's a much better brightness range. When you use the picture contol to turn down brightness, you lose contrast fast when you start getting below 35, so it works better to leave the picture up, and turn down brightness with the iris and low power mode.

I installed a remote controlled dimmer, so I don't have to choose between pitch black and bright lighs. That definitely helped, too.

The screen is really bright. I can't imaging using both open iris and high power, even during the day. Perhaps that's showroom mode.

What wattage bias lights are you guys using?

On an unrelated subject, for console gamers, I highly reccommend Logitech's wireless controllers. They work great, and they're very convenient.

Has anyone tried using two networked consoles on the side-by-side picture mode? What input are you using for PC games? What resolution?

As a CRT RPTV owner, I have been concerned about black level performance and excessive light output on the Qualia 006.
I ran my last two CRT RPTV’s with the contrast at 40% and that was plenty bright for me, and I do not view in complete darkness and use a bias light.
Most owners have reported good black level performance, but also commented that light output was high, which worried me.
Now rcohen has reported grey black and excessive light output which is exactly what I was worried about.
I very much hope this issue can be addressed, as I do not want to give up the beautiful blacks that I very much enjoy.
I don’t think there is much chance of getting a replacement lamp with substantially lower light output however, It would seem that the 006 is a good candidate for having a neutral destiny filter installed in the light path to cut down the light output and improve black levels.
Anyone game to modify there 006. :D
It would also be interesting to see how well the inside of the cabinet is treated for light absorbency to reduce internal reflections and improve blacks.
Examination of the internals of many rear projectors shows that very little effort has been put into this aspect of design by the manufacturers. One would hope that at the price being charged for the Qualia, Sony should have done the job right, they have no excuses.
Time will tell I suppose.

Regards to all from down under,

Owen

Originally posted by Owen
As a CRT RPTV owner, I have been concerned about black level performance and excessive light output on the Qualia 006.
I ran my last two CRT RPTV’s with the contrast at 40% and that was plenty bright for me, and I do not view in complete darkness and use a bias light.
Most owners have reported good black level performance, but also commented that light output was high, which worried me.
Now rcohen has reported grey black and excessive light output which is exactly what I was worried about.
I very much hope this issue can be addressed, as I do not want to give up the beautiful blacks that I very much enjoy.
I don’t think there is much chance of getting a replacement lamp with substantially lower light output however, It would seem that the 006 is a good candidate for having a neutral destiny filter installed in the light path to cut down the light output and improve black levels.
Anyone game to modify there 006. :D
It would also be interesting to see how well the inside of the cabinet is treated for light absorbency to reduce internal reflections and improve blacks.
Examination of the internals of many rear projectors shows that very little effort has been put into this aspect of design by the manufacturers. One would hope that at the price being charged for the Qualia, Sony should have done the job right, they have no excuses.
Time will tell I suppose.

Regards to all from down under,

Owen

Owen, this TV needs no excuses. NONE! Your fears are for naught. I have never seen a better picture on any large TV, regardless of technology. The blacks are gorgeous, better than any other display other than a studio-grade direct view CRT. I'm confident making this statement - I work on a TV show shot with Sony 24p HD cameras and I know what the pictures look like right out of the cameras on Sony's finest HD studio CRT's. Taking into consideration that the finished product is downcoverted from 1080p/24fps to 720p/30fps for network broadcast, the images of the show I see every day at the studio are simply astounding at home on my Qualia 006. I have yet to see any CRT RPTV that even comes within shouting distance of this SXRD display. No contest.

Have you seen the Qualia 006 with your own eyes? Or are you making judgements on one or two comments of our group who may still be acclimating their new sets to their viewing environment? There are some very critical folks who have bought these sets and please notice how few disappointments you read from those of us who are living with this dream machine every day.

Modify my set? Not a chance! I doubt if there will be many takers on that one.

Sony did the job RIGHT on the Qualia 006. If they cut corners, it sure doesn't show. In fact, I think they pulled out all the stops on this product. Considering the extremely high quality of the set, it's worth the money - every penny.

How about more pictures guys. I need something to get me through the next couple of weeks...........................................

Agreed, i need to see some screenshots of this tv....PLZE :D
How are the skintones, color accuracy?

With low power, closed iris, and a bit of room light, the blacks are good - in the same ballpark as my old CRT rearpro. I don't think that a density filter is necessary. It would be an interesting experiment, though.

With high power, picture set low, and no room light, the blacks are not good - clearly worse than CRT.

With the lights on, the blacks are perfect - far better than the older Sony LCD rearpros.

Also, the resolution, color accuracy, and scaling are in a different league than the older Sony LCD rearpros, and my old Mits CRT rearpro. The TV couldn't be much better here. There are no issues with response time. The rest is up to your source material. 1080 HD signals are insanely good. It leaves you lusting for more. Good DVDs look as good as they possibly can. When my DVR records noisy TV signals, the compression artifacts don't look very good at 70"s. But, when I set my DVR to output 480i, and set the 006's digital noise reduction to medium or high, the compression artifacts smooth out nicely.

At nighttime, I'll try to take some pictures that show the difference in black level in a dark room with different iris and power settings.

I'm a little mystified at all the hostility caused by me asking asking for advice on how to get the most out of this set. Thanks again to all who helped.

Any comments on this!

I know a neutral or white color is preferred, but how about a bias lighting against a dark colored wall, let's say in a beige/gold color. Would filters be necessary?

Originally posted by rcohen
I'm a little mystified at all the hostility caused by me asking asking for advice on how to get the most out of this set. Thanks again to all who helped.

rcohen,
I'm glad that your adjustments are beginning to work for you. Some people do see things differently and their HT environment and lighting will be a great factor. I am just a wannabe videophile, but what I do know is that I also never cared for RPTVs, but this 006 is not your father's RPTV. It has made me a believer. Plasmas are flat, but I am not going to watch them sideways. I have always been a Sony fan and Sony has done it right with this tv. Even pros like colortv and rogo (sorry if I did not mention your name) has given this tv more than a thumbs up.

Originally posted by kaduku
Even pros like colortv and rogo (sorry if I did not mention your name) has given this tv more than a thumbs up.

No offense taken :D

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by kaduku
Even pros like colortv and rogo (sorry if I did not mention your name) has given this tv more than a thumbs up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by jb007
No offense taken :D

How could I forget about the thread starter "JB", sorry man!

Originally posted by rcohen

I'm a little mystified at all the hostility caused by me asking asking for advice on how to get the most out of this set. Thanks again to all who helped.

For me, I would prefer to watch with a small amount of attractive lighting so the brightness of the picture was never an issue. I saw it as a plus in that I could have a bright picture for daytime. In fact my recommendation is to experiment with mood lighting to create an attractive environment - I think it adds to the experience.

No hostility here.

Dilbert1

Originally posted by colortv
Agreed. That review was targeted to pros or semi-pros. The Panasonic 24p camera has gained wide acceptance with budding filmmakers because the video frame rate translates directly to the film frame rate, making higher quality transfers of video to film than from a 30fps camera. Also, the Panny has a very realistic "film look" to it which is ideal for fictional storytelling.

I'm not sure what the market is for Sony's FX1. It's too big and pricey for most folks who want to shoot home videos, but it doesn't have many of the features that pros and industrials require. IF any of those more demanding shooters are going to go with HDV, they will likely go for the pricier HVR-Z1U version with pro audio inputs and other enhancements. But for anyone who wants to shoot beautiful HD home videos, doesn't mind the size of the FX1, and can afford the ticket, I think it's a great camera. Cheaper, better, and smaller HDV cameras will likely be available in a year or so. I'm going to wait this one out.

compare amateur and semi-pro versions of the Sony HDV camera:
http://www.hdvinfo.net/articles/sonyhdrfx1/compare.php

True. Of course cheaper and smaller SXRD displays will also be available
in a year or so :)

The problem with shooting home video on SD is it won't look so good in about 10 years or so.

Originally posted by rcohen

I'm a little mystified at all the hostility caused by me asking asking for advice on how to get the most out of this set. Thanks again to all who helped.
I think you have a misperception here. There is really no hostility but a healthy exchange of different opinions by other owners.

If you want to see hostility….hey, just check out some other threads on this forum.
Also, I believe that your original query prompted a slew of posts on the benefits of bias lighting, backlighting – whatever you want to call it - that a lot of owners found helpful in itself.

Please don’t hesitate to post any misgivings that you may have about the set because when they are discussed and evaluated – it simply adds to the credibility of the value of this display.

Originally posted by rcohen
I'm a little mystified at all the hostility caused by me asking asking for advice on how to get the most out of this set. Thanks again to all who helped.
Happy to of assisted.

Cheers,
Martin

Originally posted by rcohen

I'm a little mystified at all the hostility caused by me asking asking for advice on how to get the most out of this set. Thanks again to all who helped.

I assume you may be referring to my reply to Owen. No hostility toward him intended. But he seemed unnecessarily anguished over a non-existent problem. The old "mountain out of a molehill" syndrome. Obviously there is no problem to most of us like me who never imagined we would have such an amazing HDTV in our homes. 69 pages (and counting) of mostly positive posts on this thread prove the point.

I was referring to statements like this...
"I feel really sorry for those few who have difficulty fully enjoying this wonderful set."
...but I think I'm experiencing that "mountain out of a molehill" syndrome you're referring to. I do appreciate all the great advice.

Speaking of advice, what wattage bias light are you guys using? In the store, it's hard to guess what size is right.

Originally posted by rcohen

Speaking of advice, what wattage bias light are you guys using? In the store, it's hard to guess what size is right.

I mentioned before that I am using a 5000K daylight 20 watt fluorescent lamp from Home Depot that cost about $17.00. I think the length is 28 inches or so.
There are other good solutions that have been posted here as well.

Dilbert1

So I'm just about ready to buy a >60" PDP when Sony release the 006 and all of you guys go 'nuts' over it. Now, I'm re-considering my options about what to replace my trusty Pioneer 610HD with, i.e. a >60" plasma or the 006.

My questions:
How many of you watch this set in well-lit rooms, either during the day or night? Do you have to decrease ambient lighting to really enjoy all that the Sony can deliver, or does it still perform exceptionally well in well lit environments?

How close are you generally sitting? We currently sit 14 feet from the 610HD, and my thought with a plasma was that it would increase my space in the room by about 2 feet. However, IF you guys are sitting closer than 14 feet, e.g. 10-12 feet without any problems, then the above becomes moot.

Thanks for any help,
Bish

P.S. My main problem of course is that like so many others, I can not audition this set prior to purchase should I elect to buy it.

Originally posted by thebishman
So I'm just about ready to buy a >60" PDP when Sony release the 006 and all of you guys go 'nuts' over it. Now, I'm re-considering my options about what to replace my trusty Pioneer 610HD with, i.e. a >60" plasma or the 006.

My questions:
How many of you watch this set in well-lit rooms, either during the day or night? Do you have to decrease ambient lighting to really enjoy all that the Sony can deliver, or does it still perform exceptionally well in well lit environments?

How close are you generally sitting? We currently sit 14 feet from the 610HD, and my thought with a plasma was that it would increase my space in the room by about 2 feet. However, IF you guys are sitting closer than 14 feet, e.g. 10-12 feet without any problems, then the above becomes moot.

Thanks for any help,
Bish

P.S. My main problem of course is that like so many others, I can not audition this set prior to purchase should I elect to buy it.

1. A well lit room is not an issue, in fact, if you read over the last couple of pages you will see many owners prefer to have (ambient) light.

2. Probably moot. I sit 12 feet away. There are others who sit even closer.

I, like so many others here, purchased the 006 unseen, and have been extremely pleased. Good luck in your decision making process!

Originally posted by kaduku
Any comments on this!

I know a neutral or white color is preferred, but how about a bias lighting against a dark colored wall, let's say in a beige/gold color. Would filters be necessary?

I suspect that everyone knows this but white light is a combination of all the visible colors in the correct proportion. Pigments have color because they reflect certain wavelengths and absorb others. A light that is yellow will tend to intensify the gold (yellow) color in your walls because the ratio of the reflectable versus absorbable wavelenths is higher for that light source.

A filter will only attenuate the amplitude of selected colors in the light source. If your paint were 100% efficient at absorbing everything but the desired color and you filtered that color out at the source then your wall would be black. You can think of the paint on your wall as a filter that selectively reflects more of certain colors back at you. Additionally, filtered light on paint may create a combination of reflected colors that are muddy or grey. Look at a color giude for what which colors make grey, brown, etc. Your wall will look different and interesting at night with a combination of halogen, incandescent, and daylight.

I think a daylight lamp (20 watts or so) will bring out the colors in your wall very nicely and is still a good choice - if it isn't I suspect your wife is not going to let you repaint.

Try it and see.

Dilbert1

Originally posted by colortv
Taking into consideration that the finished product is downcoverted from 1080p/24fps to 720p/30fps for network broadcast...

The data rate from these cameras must be over a Gigabyte/sec. What do you know about the compression that is done to this data stream. You are not saving the uncompressed data are you? I know that compression schemes are used before transmission of the data but I don't know about how the data is saved from the camera.

Incidentally there is a lot of interesting things you can see going on in pictures related to compression. In some pictures flame or moving water show compression artifacts. I also suspect that some material has been compressed, expanded, and then compressed again.

In some of these outdoor films it is apparent to me that they must be using small less expensive cameras because of the risk and portability factor than in video of a golf course for instance.

Garbage in yield garbage out.

Dilbert1

kaduku-
Thanks for the contact on the special fabric cover for our Qualias.
I just put an order in.

For me, it's not really a concern over dust as we discussed earlier. But I do foresee the REAL possibility of someday having workers in that room to change flooring, paint, wallpapaer...whatever and I know that I will have to wrap up the 006 like a Christmas present to protect it and this cover will be the first layer of said protection.

Thanks again.

Dilbert-
I was over home depot this a.m. to pick up some stuff and I checked out the light that I believe you are refering to (G.E. - Plant and Aquarium) - it was indeed 28" total length (not the bulb) and cost just under $15. without tax.

Problem is, I looked everywhere on the packaging for the K rating on the bulb and nothing is listed...in fact it doesn't even say "daylight" on the packaging.

How do you know this is 5000K or did you swap the bulb in the fixture out with another bulb at home depot ?

Are you using the light with the filter? or whatever it's called (the white plastic thing over the bulb itself) off....and does it make a difference one way or another ?

P.S. - They also have a Plant and Aquarium fixture that is ....oh about 23" in length that clearly has 3500K rating on the outside of the package.

Originally posted by Owen
As a CRT RPTV owner, I have been concerned about black level performance and excessive light output on the Qualia 006... Most owners have reported good black level performance, but also commented that light output was high, which worried me. Now rcohen has reported grey black and excessive light output which is exactly what I was worried about. I very much hope this issue can be addressed, as I do not want to give up the beautiful blacks that I very much enjoy.

It would also be interesting to see how well the inside of the cabinet is treated for light absorbency to reduce internal reflections and improve blacks.

G'day, Owen...

I think this thread needs to be viewed in it's entirety to get a sense for the virtues (and small vices) of this set. Is it perfect? No. Is it d*mn close? Yes. IMHO the Qualia gets it so right in the 95+% of criteria it nails that the areas in which it is merely "good" are very excusable. Furthermore, what this set does well it sets new benchmarks for. It IS really that good. I was prepared to be disappointed because I'm so picky regarding black level performance (CRT snob). I have been mesmerized by watching this set.

BTW, every RPTV I've owned has been treated to the black-fabric lining treatment to improve performance. The Qualia is great out of the box. No discernable halos or spurious reflections. On very rare occasions I can detect a small amount of light scatter; this only happens in very exteme cases where there's a very dark background with a very intense light source, and even then it's nearly undetectable.

For anyone with fears about this set: life is short, and there's too much HD content out there (between my Comcast box and DVHS) to pass up. Too expensive? This is always the penalty of being an early adopter. The way I look at it is this: if the same exact set is $10K by Xmas I will have had 10 full months of very enjoyable viewing to offset my "depreciation" hit. The other way to look at it: this is the first set I've EVER had (and I've had quite a few) that I can envision keeping for 5+ years. The Qualia's 1080P output is going to keep pace with technological improvements in source materials for at least five years, if not ten. Blu-Ray? Piece of cake. We'll have to wait until the next round of disc technology (3D holographic data storage, perhaps?) to ever worry about this set becoming obsolete.

Do your self a favor if you're on the fence. Get your order in now and find someplace to see this set, or make your purchase contingent on a demo session with your dealer. You will not be disappointed...

I can definitely confirm that replacement bulbs are available. I ordered one last week from Sony Parts, it shipped this week Wednesday, and my credit card has been charged. I expect to receive it next Monday (they told me it shipped via first class mail).

Sony Parts: 1-800-488-7669
Bulb part no. = XL5000
TV = KDS-70Q006
Cost = $300 + sales tax as applicable

I think it's a smart move to have a replacement bulb on hand "just in case". However, it has a 90 day warranty, so to be safe I will probably try it just to be sure it works. Instructions for installation (from the front of the set) seem pretty simple and are at the beginning of the user manual.

rcohen - my comment about feeling sorry for those who don't enjoy the set was not meant as a "knock" at you or anyone else. I'm sorry if you took it that way. I also added after that statement that "I guess to each his own". As Penton has stated, we welcome all opinions, good, bad, or indifferent. The overwhelming consensus of owners' opinions is that they really enjoy this set, and that was the intent of my statement.

Someone asked about skin tones and color accuracy - HD programs are "dead on" accurate. I think all those who have posted their settings have agreed that the "out of the box" settings for color, hue, and color temperature (warm setting) are just about perfect. I checked default color, and hue with Digital Video Essentials and they were, in fact, perfect. Color temperature was checked by JP2 using his Colorfacts and he also stated the warm setting default can't be improved upon.

I also looked at the resolution patterns on DVE and its pretty impressive. As compared to my (now sold) Pioneer Elite Pro-730hd, their is no comparison. This set, as expected, shows resolution to the limits of the patterns.

I have an expert calibrator coming on 2-23 and it will be really interesting to see if he needs to adjust anything. I think if I show him the Fifth Element Superbit or Gladiator or Lord of the Rings - all of which he uses to check his final settings, he may just get up and leave - they are THAT GOOD with this set right out of the box.

...actually it may be really hard to get him to leave once he sees this set in action...

Originally posted by Penton-Man
kaduku-
Thanks for the contact on the special fabric cover for our Qualias.
I just put an order in.

For me, it's not really a concern over dust as we discussed earlier. But I do foresee the REAL possibility of someday having workers in that room to change flooring, paint, wallpapaer...whatever and I know that I will have to wrap up the 006 like a Christmas present to protect it and this cover will be the first layer of said protection.

Thanks again.

My fabric is also on it's way. The cover will be a nice thing to have to protect the set when I'm out of town, or for those times there are people working in the area of the set. I'm sure this may be overkill, but I plan on having this set around for a long time and really want to protect the screen. It is too easy for the dog to put his nose against the screen or for someone to bump it -- when walking through the room you have to walk between the bed and the set.

I have a local company giving me a quote on the "tailored" cover that I have planned. They do some amazing work but are willing to take on a small job. I'll let everyone know how much they plan to charge, and if it's not too exorbitant I'll post photos of the completed cover.

For those of you building this set into cabinets -- I put my hand on the main exhaust vent after the set had been running for an hour or so. This thing throws out a heavy stream of warm air. I would advise building a cabinet with a "chimney" effect -- some way to let cool air in at the bottom and warm air out at the top...

nhey: No problem. I feel silly for mentioning it.

I had a chance to play with the memory stick a bit. It point samples pictures to 1920x1080, so you will see some aliasing. Also, when you zoom in, it doesn't resample, so there's no way to see any resolution beyond the initial 1920x1080. If you resize/crop pictures in Photoshop to 1920x1080 before viewing on the Qualia, they look perfect. This obviously isn't why I bought the TV, so it's not a big deal. Maybe I'll find or write a little program to do this automatically, so I can wow guests with pretty photos.

The good news is that 1920x1080 photos are direct-mapped to pixels, so you can use it for test patterns, if you're so inclined.

Originally posted by Dilbert1
I think a daylight lamp (20 watts or so) will bring out the colors in your wall very nicely and is still a good choice - if it isn't I suspect your wife is not going to let you repaint.

Thanks Dilbert for the info. I canceled my order from CinemaQuest, hoping to maybe save some money and get something at Home Depot. I will definitely try your recommendations.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
kaduku-
Thanks for the contact on the special fabric cover for our Qualias.
I just put an order in.

For me, it's not really a concern over dust as we discussed earlier. But I do foresee the REAL possibility of someday having workers in that room to change flooring, paint, wallpapaer...whatever and I know that I will have to wrap up the 006 like a Christmas present to protect it and this cover will be the first layer of said protection.

Thanks again.

Penton-Man,
You're welcome, but it was actually brt3 who brought this company to my attention, I just followed up on it. Yes, yes, brt3, I sincerely thank you too. My wife is in Paris right now and she will be thrilled that I managed to buy some of this stuff. By the way Penton-Man, did you buy the jaguar fabric?

Originally posted by rcohen
I had a chance to play with the memory stick a bit. It point samples pictures to 1920x1080, so you will see some aliasing. Also, when you zoom in, it doesn't resample, so there's no way to see any resolution beyond the initial 1920x1080. If you resize/crop pictures in Photoshop to 1920x1080 before viewing on the Qualia, they look perfect. This obviously isn't why I bought the TV, so it's not a big deal. Maybe I'll find or write a little program to do this automatically, so I can wow guests with pretty photos.

The good news is that 1920x1080 photos are direct-mapped to pixels, so you can use it for test patterns, if you're so inclined.

For those of you that haven't tried the memory stick function, it's really pretty cool. You can set wipes, fades or random. Plus, there is a built-in piano track in the 006, that will play a music loop while the photo slide show is going. Vey cool :)

Originally posted by kaduku
By the way Penton-Man, did you buy the jaguar fabric?

Now THAT would be amazing... a box this big covered with that jaguar pattern would be SO shag-a-delic...

Originally posted by rcohen
nhey: No problem. I feel silly for mentioning it.

I had a chance to play with the memory stick a bit. It point samples pictures to 1920x1080, so you will see some aliasing. Also, when you zoom in, it doesn't resample, so there's no way to see any resolution beyond the initial 1920x1080. If you resize/crop pictures in Photoshop to 1920x1080 before viewing on the Qualia, they look perfect. The good news is that 1920x1080 photos are direct-mapped to pixels, so you can use it for test patterns, if you're so inclined.

Now why didn't I think of that? One of the first things I did with my set was to try viewing photos via MemoryStick, but I was disappointed by the results. I'll just resize to 1920x1080 and see how that works. BTW, a heads-up regarding this function; when you go to MemoryStick you have the same options for picture settings, and it will default to VIVID. Once you go to PRO the image improves greatly...

Originally posted by kaduku
Penton-Man,
but it was actually brt3 who brought this company to my attention
Yikes!
Sorry brt3, must have been senile moment.
:)

Motormouth,

Remember that secret webcam guy you put on the ole "Sony jumps on..." thread around page 100 singing some crazy foreign song, after getting his new 006? Well, he was on Anderson Cooper 360 CNN tonight singing away!!

sj

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Dilbert-

P.S. - They also have a Plant and Aquarium fixture that is ....oh about 23" in length that clearly has 3500K rating on the outside of the package.

That sounds like the lamp I used. I don't have the package now. If I remember right there were tubes that were sold individually that were marked 5000K.

Plant and Aquarium lights should be full spectrum and that would imply 5000K. Actual daylight implies about 6500K. It may very well be that the lamp in the fixture is less than 5000K. However, it is distinctly whiter than my low voltage halogen lamp. It is almost blue looking against a dark white wall I believe the halogen lamp is about 2700K. I did not see the 3500K lamp you are talking about but if it was there then it is a possibility that the lamp in the fixture was 3500K.

In any case the lamp and the fixture are cheap and easy to try and work for me. I am using it with the bulb guard in place and using velcro to hold the fixture. I realized that velcro is a better solution. Use enough so that the fixture will not fall off. It looks nice and throws about the right amount of light. Of course this is all personal taste. I may decide to attach the lamp to the wall. Good luck.

Dilbert1

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Yikes!
Sorry brt3, must have been senile moment.
:)

Not a problem. Plus, kaduku did the work -- I thought RadTech would blow us off when we asked them to sell us fabric, and he was the one to make the call...

BTW, if you guys want to see something awesome check out the series of "Sunrise" shows on INHD. Someone else mentioned it awhile back on this thread; the guy takes beautiful locations and films them before, during, and just after sun-up. Saw it today for the first time and it is stunning. Also, it's worth the exorbitant price of DVE just to see the footage of the Space Shuttle. This is going to be the definitive HD demo footage, I think. Good thing too, as I was getting tired of that Joe Kane "flag" footage...

;)

One idea on bias lighting for those using the Comcast 6412. I believe this unit has a switched outlet that you activate in the setup menu; plugging the bias light into this outlet would allow it to switch on and off with the cable box...

Originally posted by MotorMouth777

I don't think these things even come over by boat. I think they are mailing them piece by piece by U.S. mail and assembling them in Slowtown California.....

I told them to speed it up for you :
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/modern_times/mod_lrg/mod_lg.htm

Originally posted by Penton-Man
I told them to speed it up for you :
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/modern_times/mod_lrg/mod_lg.htm

Now THAT'S funny, PM!

LMAO...

:D

LMAO


Thank God for Penton. Without your keen wit I would have gone batty long ago waiting for Qualia to deem I am finally worthy enough to actually ship me my set.

One more day down..............one more day without knowing when in the hell they are gonna deliver a set.

Well at least here is an example of something I can do to pass the time......






http://fury.com/mirror/penguin.html

Now when that gets boring.....................


http://www.ebaumsworld.com/homerun.html



Bet you guys can't wait till I get my set....................................

Originally posted by jb007
1. A well lit room is not an issue, in fact, if you read over the last couple of pages you will see many owners prefer to have (ambient) light.

2. Probably moot. I sit 12 feet away. There are others who sit even closer.

I, like so many others here, purchased the 006 unseen, and have been extremely pleased. Good luck in your decision making process!

My viewing room is bright during the day. The image on the 006 is bright enough, but there can be screen reflections in spite of the anti-reflection coating on the semi-matte finish of the display panel.

I sit about 8' from the TV and it's not too close. The picture is so good you can sit even closer. Some of the guys at my place watched the Super Bowl from 6' or less and loved the immersive experience. You couldn't pull that off on a lesser quality TV.

Originally posted by Dilbert1
The data rate from these cameras must be over a Gigabyte/sec. What do you know about the compression that is done to this data stream. You are not saving the uncompressed data are you? I know that compression schemes are used before transmission of the data but I don't know about how the data is saved from the camera.

I'm not sure about the compression specs of Sony's professional HD CAM format. These are the same 1080p/24 frame camera/recorders that George Lucas has been using for the last and forthcoming Star Wars films, as well as many primetime TV shows. I'd suggest a Google search on HD CAM to get the specs.

I know this is OT on this thread, but some of us who have considered VOOM may be interested in this:

Cablevision to Sell
Remaining Assets
Of Voom to Dolan

By PETER GRANT
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
FebruaryÊ11,Ê2005;ÊPageÊB2

In a last-ditch effort to save his cherished Voom satellite TV service, Charles Dolan, the chairman of Cablevision Systems Corp., has decided to acquire what remains of the service himself.

The move is the latest twist in a family and corporate drama that reached a climax last month when Cablevision board members joined Mr. Dolan's son, Cablevision Chief Executive James Dolan, in voting to stop funding the service. In the wake of that vote, Cablevision decided to sell Voom's satellite to EchoStar Communications Corp.

A new company set up by Mr. Dolan and another one of his son's, Tom Dolan, has reached a tentative deal with Cablevision to acquire what EchoStar isn't buying -- Voom's 21 high-definition channels, customer agreements and satellite licenses, according to a statement released by Cablevision.

While Voom no longer owns its own satellite, it would be able to keep providing service by leasing capacity on other spacecraft. The service had 26,000 subscribers at the end of the third quarter.

Charles Dolan's decision to keep Voom going himself raises new questions about whether his struggle to save the satellite service could lead to the breakup of Cablevision, the country's sixth-largest cable operator and the owner of cable networks, Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks and Rangers professional basketball and hockey teams.

Mr. Dolan could have a difficult time obtaining financing for the new company given widespread skepticism that Voom has a viable business plan. Some analysts believe the most-likely way for him to finance the venture would be for him to sell a large stake of his stock in Cablevision. "This could be a step towards selling the company," says Richard Greenfield, an analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners.

In exchange for Voom's assets, Mr. Dolan's new company, Voom HD LLC, will pay no consideration to Cablevision other than assuming substantially all of the satellite service's liabilities. "The transaction will allow (Cablevision) to avoid various shutdown costs and other liabilities...which it would have incurred had it proceeded with its original plan to shut the service," according to the Cablevision statement. The statement says that the letter of intent to sell Voom's assets to Mr. Dolan's company was negotiated by a committee of the company's independent directors.

Cablevision said Voom HD is in the process of obtaining financing to support the service, which lost $75.3 million in the third quarter of last year alone. The deal reached between Voom HD and Cablevision expires if it isn't finalized by the end of this month, the company said.

Charles Dolan, one of the pioneers of the cable industry, has been trying to launch a satellite-television business for over a decade, and has refused to give up his dream despite a lack of support from the company, his advisers, and his son, James. He believes that satellite is a more-efficient way to deliver television signals than cable systems. But most analysts don't believe a third satellite service will be able to carve out sufficient market share given the intense competition that already exists between the two established satellite operators, EchoStar and DirecTV Group Inc., and the cable industry.

Anyone with a set coming in this month interested in switching your early order position for one 30 days out? Doubtful but worth the question.

In the meantime I got these links to pass the hours.....they days.......the weeks.



http://www.*******.com/4yx2z



http://www.ebaumsworld.com/homerun.html



http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/badgers.php



http://www.subservientchicken.com/



http://www1.analogik.org/amanita/samorost/



http://www.funpic.hu/swf/numanuma.html

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Anyone with a set coming in this month interested in switching your early order position for one 30 days out? Doubtful but worth the question.

In the meantime I got these links to pass the hours.....they days.......the weeks.

I think the chicken man is cool!!!!!!

Does any 006 owners have a digital camera that can capture some nice screenshots of this tv in action??:confused:

Originally posted by Zues
Does any 006 owners have a digital camera that can capture some nice screenshots of this tv in action??:confused:


Greetings Zues

I've been following this thread from its inception and feel fairly certain that along the way many pictures were posted. As I go back to try to find a few for you, they all seem to be gone.

Maybe somebody can help Zues with a few jpegs.

Originally posted by Zues
Does any 006 owners have a digital camera that can capture some nice screenshots of this tv in action??:confused:

Screenshots (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=5132051#post5132051)

Originally posted by Zues
Does any 006 owners have a digital camera that can capture some nice screenshots of this tv in action??:confused:

I posted this photo previously when someone asked to see a photo of my stand. Sorry the top of the set is cropped out in this photo.

Colortv,

Is that a power filter/regulator in the lower left of your rack?

Man, this set is ruthless; it shows any flaw in the prodcution process. My wife commented how the female news anchor's makeup looked ridiculous; the locals will really have to be careful of those details from here on out. Mixed viewing night; watched DVHS "Unfailthful" with Diane Lane and Richard Gere. This had some good looking scenes, but the dark scenes were plagued by noise artifacts; not the set's fault but the master or transfer. Briefly checked "The Last Samurai" and "Matrix" on the Comcast HD Channels; they were very well done as expected. In some instances of fast motion or screen refresh you get annoying compression artifacts that show as tiling. I've never noticed this before on D*TV; I'll have to try and watch again on my DSS system downstairs, where I can do a direct comparo between the two. Finished up with "Leno" and was it spectacular. You could count every hair, pore, and mole on Morgan Freeman's head. Just goes to show it is GIGO with this set, so feed it well...

Originally posted by TWD
Colortv,

Is that a power filter/regulator in the lower left of your rack?

Yes. It's a Monster HTS 5100

http://www.monstercable.com/power/productPagePower.asp?pin=1316&LastPage=Reference%20Power

Originally posted by brt3
Man, this set is ruthless; it shows any flaw in the prodcution process. My wife commented how the female news anchor's makeup looked ridiculous; the locals will really have to be careful of those details from here on out. Mixed viewing night; watched DVHS "Unfailthful" with Diane Lane and Richard Gere. This had some good looking scenes, but the dark scenes were plagued by noise artifacts; not the set's fault but the master or transfer. Briefly checked "The Last Samurai" and "Matrix" on the Comcast HD Channels; they were very well done as expected. In some instances of fast motion or screen refresh you get annoying compression artifacts that show as tiling. I've never noticed this before on D*TV; I'll have to try and watch again on my DSS system downstairs, where I can do a direct comparo between the two. Finished up with "Leno" and was it spectacular. You could count every hair, pore, and mole on Morgan Freeman's head. Just goes to show it is GIGO with this set, so feed it well...

I agree - "Unfaithful" is not a great D-Theater transfer. Check out "Entrapment" - much better!

A friend of mine commented on how good "Matrix Revolutions" looks on HBO HD on Comcast. So I threw in the towel and finally subscribed to a premium channel. HBO HD looks really good. I saw "Intolerable Cruelty" and it looked great, although there are occasional compression artifacts on fast pans or fast motion. Sigh... there's no getting away from it. HD compression is a fact of life. Uncompressed HD just takes too much bandwidth and we're never gonna see it at home.

colortv,

Agreed -- "Intolerable Cruelty" looked very nice, and what a great, funny film! I'll see anything the Coen Bros. make, and usually that works out just fine. Would love to see "The Big Lebowski" in HD. I Watched part of "Moulin Rough" on DVHS and it is a stunner; just amazing contrasts and shadows, with incredible use of color.

The more I watch this set the more I become convinced that flaws I'm seeing quite clearly are actually the limitations or distortions inherent in the lens or optical system of the camera used to film the material. The "Sunrise" series has some spectacular footage, but several frames (it happens a lot with wide angle shots) have a type of fringing or chromatic abberation towards the corners of the frame, particularly in high-contrast situations. I could go back and post exact locations for these scenes, but I'm nearly positive it was in the source. Looking at Leno afterwards confirmed just how sharp and crisp the Qualia is from corner to corner.

ColorTV; What type of center speaker and speaker system do you use... Looks like Bose from the Sub. Where did you put the center speaker?

Yeah ColorTV,

I saw that subwoofer and felt like "we need to talk". lol

Just kidding with you.

I'm still drooling about the 006. Excellant choice. Enjoy...

Not to throw cold water on the 006 but I saw it at CES 2005 and while it was very good it was not the best RPTV display in my opinion. The best picture was produced by the not yet released JVC HD-ILA in 1080p. A close second to this set was the Samsung 1080p DLP being shown at the Texas Instruments booth. I am a big fan of Sony products but they first came out with the SXRD as an XBR product for 10k and then at CES showed it as a Qualia for 13k. A spokesperson at CES confirmed it was the same identical set with just a different badge. I looked at the 006 each of three days and it still didn't change my opinion as to which set was the best. The SXRD may be the best RPTV available today, but if you haven't ordered one yet you might want to consider the others when they come out. The JVC will retail at 9k.

Hugh

Well, we know what will be discussed today. ;)

Hugh, hope you wore your flame suit over your Judge's robe.

Poor poor Hugh...:D

Originally posted by JimP
Well, we know what will be discussed today. ;)

Hugh, hope you wore your flame suit over your Judge's robe.

Not being judgemental at all. Just pointing out that there are possible alternatives that may be better for less money in the coming months. I first saw the SXRD at CES 2004 and was hopeful it would be the best as I like Sony products. But based on what I saw at CES 2005 there may be better sets available in terms of picture quality, for less money in the next few months. I am trying to find a set to replace my Pioneer Elite RPTV in the next year or so and 1080p is the way to go but the technologies keep improving and changing.


Hugh

Does anyone know the exact date of the Sony show for dealers? It must be in about two weeks. Should be some interesting news coming out.

Hugh,

If nothing else, as soon as the under 10K alternatives show up, we are likely to see a price drop of the SXRDs. Works for me.

I googled your name and city and found what I thought identified you as a judge. That is you, right??

If he is a judge, why did he say he was tyring not to be judgemental?? :D

Did you get a chance to check out the new LG LCOS sets?
Better picture then the Qualia, faster response time, higher contrast and half the price. Best of all, mid 2005 relase date for the 71" and the
62" soon after! I also liked the JVC, but don't know if I can wait until
the end of 2005 and miss most of football season.



Originally posted by HughScot
Not being judgemental at all. Just pointing out that there are possible alternatives that may be better for less money in the coming months. I first saw the SXRD at CES 2004 and was hopeful it would be the best as I like Sony products. But based on what I saw at CES 2005 there may be better sets available in terms of picture quality, for less money in the next few months.

Hugh

Hugh,

You didn't have a chance to see a version of the upcoming LG 71" LCOS, did you? I'm hoping that set will contend with the 006 and the new JVC for best RPTV honors.

Should be an interesting year for RPTV, especially if someone makes a really great set that sells for significantly less than $10,000.

SDL

Originally posted by sycore
Did you get a chance to check out the new LG LCOS sets?
Better picture then the Qualia, faster response time, higher contrast and half the price. Best of all, mid 2005 relase date for the 71" and the
62" soon after! I also liked the JVC, but don't know if I can wait until
the end of 2005 and miss most of football season.

One thing to realize is that the landscape is littered with companies who have tried to deliver LCoS and failed. It is a very difficult technology. Sony is unique in have a relatively mature technology on the market right now. JVC is doing sort of ok; they have had some QC problems that they seem to getting sorted out - maybe by next year they will be ready for prime time. LG may have some good looking prototypes, but I'd be it is going to be 2007 before they are really ready for the consumer.

There were people at CES who thought the Samsung DLP had the best picture. There were those (like myself) who maintain the Qualia had the best picture. There were even those who thought the 1080p JVC HD-ILA had the best picture--but no one I talked to while I was there thought the LG 71SL1D had the best, or even second best picture. Everyone who saw it said it had an excellent picture, but not up to the other three yet.

Not trying to start an argument or anything, but it's too early to start hailing the LG as the second coming. It's cool to be excited about it, though.

jb007, what what you picture control set to when you took these screen shots?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=5015944&fullpage=1
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=5021067&fullpage=1

Originally posted by JimP
Hugh,

If nothing else, as soon as the under 10K alternatives show up, we are likely to see a price drop of the SXRDs. Works for me.

I googled your name and city and found what I thought identified you as a judge. That is you, right??

No judge, someone else with same name is a judge.

Originally posted by ehlarson
One thing to realize is that the landscape is littered with companies who have tried to deliver LCoS and failed. It is a very difficult technology. Sony is unique in have a relatively mature technology on the market right now. JVC is doing sort of ok; they have had some QC problems that they seem to getting sorted out - maybe by next year they will be ready for prime time. LG may have some good looking prototypes, but I'd be it is going to be 2007 before they are really ready for the consumer.

Both the JVD HD-ILA and the Sony SXRD are based on LCoS with a twist. Did not see any LG LCoS. JVC is doing very well with their 1080p HD-ILA which will be available very soon.

JVC then had better do a MUCH improved job delivering color punch and clarity on their new set. Currently the D-ILA units I have seen leave me lacking as to depth, color and overall impact.

What makes you think the new set will exceed the qualia in real life. It is one thing to have perfect setup environment at a show but the 006 has delivered outstanding picture quality in real peoples homes with real signals. I think that this is a key point.

Other than 1080p do the new sets have updated electronic guts? Is the light engine different? Will it scale and display SD as good as the Qualia which from peoples reports is simply stunning. (This is a VERY important requirement as there is still lots of SD stuff I end up watchng). Comments on these other sets ability to display SD as good as the Qualia has been reported to do would be appropriate.

I too would not mind saving a few bucks but if I am going to spend anything over 8k then I don't mind spending a few extra K for the absolute best. From everyones report the Qualia is that absolute best. Other than being poorer I doubt I will be dissapointed with the Qualia. If the new sets are ALMOST as good as the Qualia but cheaper I still get the Qualia........At this price level a couple of $k savings won't sway me as you only pay for quality one time.

Originally posted by HughScot
Not to throw cold water on the 006...

Hugh

Give me a break. You are mature enough to know exactly what you are
doing.

I am interested in comments from people that own this set or are ready
to buy and have questions. Comments about pixel problems, black level,
etc. are all interesting and valid here.

For someone who is waiting for their television your comment is not helpful
and can be hurtful. There are other forms where your comments would be
much more useful.

Dilbert1

To anyone that is considering the JVC as a viable choice for an upcoming purchase, I suggest you check out the old “Sony Jumps” thread.

In regards to the competitiveness of the JVC to the Qualia 006 (at the Vegas venue), this was debated somewhat extensively by people that had seen each display and by one person that didn’t get an opportunity to see it but, is extremely well versed in the JVC RPTV’s and front projector’s technology and capabilities.(Rogo)

In addition, if I recall correctly, JVC had just about an ideal setup for a viewing experience compared to the 006’s layout.

Originally posted by HughScot
Not to throw cold water on the 006 but I saw it at CES 2005 and while it was very good it was not the best RPTV display in my opinion. The best picture was produced by the not yet released JVC HD-ILA in 1080p. A close second to this set was the Samsung 1080p DLP being shown at the Texas Instruments booth.

Hugh,

I, for one, welcome you to our thread. All I can say is let the games begin; if Sony, JVC, and Samsung go at it we will all (eventually) benefit. I'm pretty satisifed with my set, and would love to see the others you mention.

Ray

Originally posted by brt3
Hugh,

I, for one, welcome you to our thread. All I can say is let the games begin; if Sony, JVC, and Samsung go at it we will all (eventually) benefit. I'm pretty satisfied with my set, and would love to see the others you mention.

Ray

Thanks Ray, I was beginning to think I had shot someone's mother, or the thread was sponsored by Sony :). Since it appeared no one else had seen the JVC HD-ILA 1080p I was just mentioning it as an alternative to paying an extra 4k when the picture was considered by many to be the best of show at Vegas. Naturally it is going to look its best at the show but then so is the Sony SXRD and all the rest. I wonder if the JVC has the same problems as the Sony when being viewed in a dark room....probably but I don't know.

Hugh

Penton....................you go girl.




This fat guy named Mr. D-Ila is ALMOST as good a diver as Mr. Qualia but he is just a little cheaper. http://bordergatewayprotocol.net/jon/humor/video/not_an_olympiad.mpg LMAO as usual.



If you liked the Penguin baseball then your gonna love this
http://www.elek.bydg.pl/flash/pingwin1/



http://www.student.kun.nl/h.huijbers/pics/VW_20_b3.mov



http://www.google.com/googlegroups/archive_announce_20.html



http://www.skateboardingbulldog.com/tysonskateboarding.wmv

As I said before, this JVC talk is all deja-vu. I suggest that starting here-

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4956438&highlight=unpunished#post4956438

and either reading back a few pages or forward a few pages and you will be able to get the opinions of more people that actually saw both displays in Vegas.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
............that actually saw both displays in Vegas.

Are you implying that I didn't actually didn't see the display?

One other thing about other people's opinions on what they "saw". Samsung had two DLP sets setup side by side to demonstrate the difference between 720p and 1080p. As I stood there on two occasions virtually everyone said they couldn't see a difference......when in fact the difference was huge. When these people were told what to look at.....the details.....then they could see the difference. The point being that not everyone knows what to look for when viewing HDTV and it was surprising since everyone was connected to the industry.

Hugh

Originally posted by Penton-Man
As I said before, this JVC talk is all deja-vu. I suggest that starting here-

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4956438&highlight=unpunished#post4956438

and either reading back a few pages or forward a few pages and you will be able to get the opinions of more people that actually saw both displays in Vegas.


After looking at the link above it is obvious that "Rogo" is your daddy per your comments below his or hers. Without a name who knows.

Hugh

Originally posted by HughScot
Are you implying that I didn't actually didn't see the display?

No Hugh, not at all, if you had read the link carefully, I was referring to Rogo- - who didn’t have an opportunity to see the JVC.

However, other people that I believe qualify as discerning viewers did have that opportunity.

I really don’t care to comment much more on this because like I said, it’s all old hat to many of us – from what the pic on the JVC looked like to when it would actually ship.

I did what I could to provide you with a link to some other people’s opinions.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
I really don’t care to comment much more on this because like I said, it’s all old hat to many of us – from what the pic on the JVC looked like to when it would actually ship.

I agree. If you guys can address this one last issue I have you may have a new member...I sure want this set but...

First, I want to thank brt3 and Barrybud for answering some of the questions I had asked about the 006. brt3 was particularily helpful.

After reading every post on this and other 006 threads, I think my decision as to whether to buy this display will turn on just one issue. This issue below is the only one that still concerns me. I added a few facts to better describe my lighting situation.

Originally posted by DOBE

washed out picture in sunlit room: My family room has many windows and it opens...no walls, only an angled counter separates the rooms... onto a kitchen which has two 8' windows. The couch is in front of 8' sliding glass door. My family room faces west and so the sun is a problem in the summer, until late in the day. The windows are covered by relatively thin cloth coverings. Two years ago a plasma was my only real choice. LCD and CRT RPTV suffered too much PQ degradation in bright light.

The current 70" XBR still has the problem. I saw that set with soft lighting at Magnolias and it looked very good. The Good Guys had the same set in the front of the store facing the front door and during the day the PQ suffers greatly. Has the 006 significantly improved this potential problem (for people with sunlit rooms)? [/B]
Originally posted by brt3
DOBE,

...WASHED-OUT PICTURE is the only area where you might have a problem, though it will be far less severe with the Q006 than with any other RPTV. If I were spending this kind of money (wait... I just did!) I might try and invest in some window coverings, or the new style of external "storm blinds" that are totally hidden until needed. Would either of these be an option?...

Originally posted by thebishman
How many of you watch this set in well-lit rooms, either during the day or night? Do you have to decrease ambient lighting to really enjoy all that the Sony can deliver, or does it still perform exceptionally well in well lit environments?


Originally posted by jb007
A well lit room is not an issue, in fact, if you read over the last couple of pages you will see many owners prefer to have (ambient) light.

Originally posted by Dilbert1
I am interested in comments from people that own this set or are ready
to buy and have questions. Dilbert1


I am now convinced that the 006 is an extraordinary RPTV. However, is it the the display for my enviornment.? I really haven't seen the issue of bright sun light (filtered through thin blinds) and its affect on the PQ of the 006 addressed adequately for me to make a decision on whether the 006 will work in my family room enviornment.

Storm blinds would cost a fortune and are not practical in my situation. Plus, I enjoy watching sports and other programs during the day...with the filtered natural sun light.

This time of the year the sun still sets early. Obviously it's starting to stay light later and later. Do any Qualia owners have the set in rooms that receive the kind of all day filtered sun light I'm talking about? If not you must have some times in the day where the room is sunlit. How much is the PQ degraded?

This is a question I won't even be able to answer when I see the set in a store. I'm sure the 006 will be displayed in well controlled lighting conditions. I still can't believe The Good Guys put the 70" XBR near the front window. They've now moved it to the back of the store...away from the windows.

Bottom line: I've heard enough descriptions regarding the PQ of this set to want to own it. The only thing stopping me is the lighting conditions in my house. Do you guys think this would be a significant problem? Sorry for this long post but I think this is an important question. Thanks

Originally posted by DOBE

Bottom line: I've heard enough descriptions regarding the PQ of this set to want to own it. The only thing stopping me is the lighting conditions in my house. Do you guys think this would be a significant problem? Sorry for this long post but I think this is an important question. Thanks

In all seriousness, and this applies to all TVs, the only way you will know for sure is to try it in your house. Never buy a TV you can't return, especially when it costs 13k.

Hugh

Originally posted by HughScot
After looking at the link above it is obvious that "Rogo" is your daddy per your comments below his or hers. Without a name who knows.
Hugh
Well if you had taken the time to read much of the prior thread, you would have discovered that Rogo made a special mission to the Sony booth on our behalf to evaluate the 006 and submitted a list of approximately 20 questions about the display that we compiled.

He also looked at a few other competing brands.

When he submitted his findings (despite all his voluntary effort) he was grilled by a few people (mostly over semantics) whom to my knowledge never ended up buying a Qualia 006 ….. and for all his time and his effort – he never even received a thank you until my prolific post page.

You have to take the whole thing in context to appreciate the situation.
In regards to the tone of your above post, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're just having a bad day.

Let's get things back to where the were on this thread. Hugh, none of us are "wedded" to our Qualia displays. If someone can match or top this technology that would be great. But -- until someone lines these sets up side-by-side, carefully matches the source material, set calibration, and viewing conditions I will remain in Missouri mode -- show me.

This thread my be unique in that it's a very positive exchange. Not that we're in FantasyLand here, it's just that -- for some bizarre reason -- we enjoy trying to help each other out and maximize our knowledge and subsequent enjoyment of these sets.

Since this is an open forum I can't tell you to get lost, but I would request that you "play nice".

And, never run with scissors...

Originally posted by Zues
Agreed, i need to see some screenshots of this tv....PLZE :D
How are the skintones, color accuracy?

Skintones are fantastic! Earlier this week I took a copy of "Hero" into one of the local Sony Stores ... I was extremely inpressed with the quality of the skin tones!

T.he 006 is simply the best on the market right now. I find it hard to believe that Sansung or JVC will come up with anything better. The only way you are really going to know is buy one. That was somewhat of a gamble for me, but not really. I knew I was getting a good set because of all the feedback and I certainly got to know and trust everyone one this forum. But when the 006 arrived, it far exceeded my expectations. It was stunning!!!

sj

I, too, want to thank Hugh. We are waiting for our local highend dealer to get the 006 and the new Samsung. I have also heard that the 006 may be a little better than the 70" DLP, but was it $6 or $7K better?



Originally posted by HughScot
In all seriousness, and this applies to all TVs, the only way you will know for sure is to try it in your house. Never buy a TV you can't return, especially when it costs 13k.

Hugh

Originally posted by brt3
none of us are "wedded" to our Qualia displays.

I don't know brt3, my wife is starting to wonder.:D

As apparently one of the few that actually saw the 1080p JVC at CES I'll quickly recap my experience. I first saw the Qualia 006 at CES proper. The viewing conditions were abysmal but it was clearly the best television reproduction I had ever seen. I spent about 15 minutes in front of the set until I got tired of looking at Spiderman and Doc Ock.

I then headed over to Mandalay Bay and was completely absorbed by the 70 inch JVC 1080p set due for release in September. I spent about 1/2 hour in front of the set. Any longer and I think they would have called security to have me tossed out. The picture was phenomenal. The loop of Thunderbirds was just jaw dropping. At the price point I was being quoted by the JVC reps I felt that if the set was not as good as the Qualia it was so close as to not be material to me.

The next night I saw the Qualia 006 again...this time set up properly at the Sony Style store. Again I saw Spidey, Resident Evil: Apocalypse ao. It was an incredible viewing experience. One woman turned to her boyfriend and said - "Honey is this what you want?" and I quickly interjected "Dear - this is what every man wants!".

At the end of the day I'm not saying the Qualia will not offer up a better picture than the JVC but until the sets are side by side in a showroom come Q4 2005 we won't really be able to judge. If price is a factor than the JVC is a more than viable solution. I couldn't imagine anyone being disappointed by either set.

One thing I find odd is that some members of this forum who have posted on the various Sony/JVC 1080p threads are questioning whether or not there will be improved electronics in the upcoming JVC sets. It was made quite clear to me by the JVC reps that the sets feature a new generation of electronics. I guess until they can disassemble a set by themselves some people won't be satisfied?

Ken Golden

The 006 looks pretty close to perfect in a well lit room. The only concern is reflections off the screen surface. If you have windows that would be directly reflected by the screen, you either need to cover the windows or avoid all displays with glass screens. Similarly, white surfaces that receive direct light will be a problem, if they would be reflected by the glass. When the 006 is off, the screen appears black. TVs with gray screens have more problems with ambient light.

Originally posted by sparkysj
I don't know brt3, my wife is starting to wonder.:D

The latest threat to the institute of marriage; the Qualia widow...

http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm

Originally posted by Neo2005
http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm


Let me say that the fellow who owns this company, Alan Brown, is a really good guy and will help you as much as possible. He's a real HDTV enthusiast. I don't have any connection with the company.

Hugh

Originally posted by HughScot
...especially when it costs 13k.

Hugh

Hugh - you mentioned Qualia's price ($13K) several times in your last few posts. Seems like you're pissed at Sony that they hiked the price by 3 grand.

Your harping on the price makes the rest of your otherwise fairly reasonable comments less credible (axe to grind, etc).

Originally posted by wojtek
Hugh - you mentioned Qualia's price ($13K) several times in your last few posts. Seems like you're pissed at Sony that they hiked the price by 3 grand.

Your harping on the price makes the rest of your otherwise fairly reasonable comments less credible (axe to grind, etc).

Not at all......not harping. Only calling attention to anyone picking up the thread in mid stream that it does cost a lot of money. As one poster stated, with other possibly comparable models much cheaper it is something to consider.

The fact that Sony brought out this exact same television at CEDIA for $10,000 as an XBR and then decided to change it to a Qualia and charge $13,000 does not concern me in the least. :D (tongue stuck in cheek)

Hugh

Originally posted by HughScot

The fact that Sony brought out this exact same television at CEDIA for $10,000 as an XBR and then decided to change it to a Qualia and charge $13,000 does not concern me in the least. :D (tongue stuck in cheek)

Hugh

They are selling out, so Sony's move was quite clever. My guess is they will promptly drop the price to $10K when credible competition shows up (ie JVC HD-ILA 70").

Me, I am waiting to see a 50-55" LCoS, be it Qualia, XBR, or JVC.

Originally posted by HughScot
Never buy a TV you can't return, especially when it costs 13k.

Well my friends, it looks like alot of us ignored someone's advice. I imagine that implies we're all rich and dumb.:confused:

A good friend of mine, Rodolfo La Maestra, who is one of the most knowledgeable audio/video guys around and who also writes for "HDTVetc" magazine just sent me a copy of his 162 page report on CES 2005. In his report he puts the SXRD in third place but states that the set did not look like it had been calibrated and he felt it would need a second look. Thinking back that is the way it appeared to me at the time. So a side by side will definitely be needed.

Hugh

brt - as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

I'd like to say that I took your advice and picked up one of those GE lights at Home Depot. I mounted on the back of the display and I really like the versatility it gives me.

I can turn the tracking lights on with the GE light and get a pleasant blend of bias lighting or just go with the GE light itself for other source material.

Thanks for the lead! At $17. (including tax), I find it to be a far more reasonable choice than the more expensive alternative mentioned in the past.

Just like that Energizer rabbit, just keeps going and going and going!

Originally posted by Penton-Man
brt - as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......


Luv it!

brt-
One other thing.

Did you ever list the actual numeric value of your sharpness setting?
If I recall correctly, you listed it as minimum????

Actually, I'm surprised that you didn't end up with something around the default.

Originally posted by kaduku
Luv it!
It's just like Dilbert said on the last page, he knows EXACTLY what he was intending to do when he came into our house.

I just received my special magic fabric from Radtech today. I will post a pic of the finished product once it's done.

brt3,
I decided just to do the screen for now, but please keep us informed on how your project is going. Since mine is a simple design, I will just have it done locally. I'd also love to see a pic.

jp2-as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

Why did you pick cinemotion for your drc mode? Were you planning on using that input for DVD's ?

kaduku--as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

Were you planning on doing the size just to cover your screen or much of the whole set?

I went with the grey color, my wife would kick me and the Qualia 006 (did I mention the mission of the Qualia family??) right out of the house if I had picked the jaguar.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
kaduku--as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

Were you planning on doing the size just to cover your screen or much of the whole set.

I went with the grey color, my wife would kick me and the Qualia 006 (did I mention the mission of the Qualia family??) right out of the house if I had picked the jaguar.

Penton-Man--as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

I decided just to do the screen, unlike brt3, who is covering the whole thing and 6'7", I am just 4 feet tall, so it would be difficult for me. I would have loved to see a 006 with a shaguar cover. Just kidding on my height. I am a couple inches taller.

nhey- as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

I would appreciate any insight you could give us after the calibration of your set and any recommendation of the person doing the tweaking to current and prospective Qualia 006 owners in the N.J. area.

kaduku--as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

I too went just for the screen (and speakers attached format) with my material.

Is your upholstery person willing to take orders from some of us that are not local for the final alterations?

Originally posted by Penton-Man
brt-Did you ever list the actual numeric value of your sharpness setting? If I recall correctly, you listed it as minimum????

Actually, I'm surprised that you didn't end up with something around the default.

PM,

Using DVE the best results (for me) were with SHARPNESS turned all the way down. This surprised me, too. I'm going to be busy, but will run back through my settings in two weeks or so. I'll go back and forth between DVE and source material to see what works best in the real (non test-pattern) world...

Ooops -- forgot to mention "as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners......."

Originally posted by kaduku
I decided just to do the screen, unlike brt3, who is covering the whole thing and 6'7", I am just 4 feet tall, so it would be difficult for me. I would have loved to see a 006 with a shaguar cover. Just kidding on my height. I am a couple inches taller.

kaduku,

My fabric should be here Monday. My final decision about designing the cover will come after I've had a chance to play around with the options; I may even prototype something out of an old sheet to see how it works. At the minimum I'll probably end up with one vertical seam (on the side) done in velcro to ease the taking on and off...

Originally posted by brt3
kaduku,

My fabric should be here Monday. My final decision about designing the cover will come after I've had a chance to play around with the options; I may even prototype something out of an old sheet to see how it works. At the minimum I'll probably end up with one vertical seam (on the side) done in velcro to ease the taking on and off...

My setup will probably be the simplest of all. Since it is so simple, I would think that any upholstery shop should not have a problem doing it. It will basically look like the imac cover shown on radtech.com. I will have an extra piece around the back of the speakers and a little more on the top. I plan to purchase 3/8 elastic band to keep it in place. This was recommended by John at Radtech, since it will be more heavier, because of more cloth material. Having a protoype will not hurt, especially if you only have enough material for one try, like I do.

brt--as a Qualia owner posting on the Qualia 006 Owner's Thread which was conceived by jb007 to provide help and guidance to all current and prospective Qualia 006 owners.......

Another thing I found interesting was the fact that I believe you set your Noise Reduction to "off", whereas stock is "medium", and jp2 picked "high" I believe.

Any thoughts on that?

As you know, we are a family here and strive to either contribute something meaningful to enhance our viewing experience or attempt to give guidance to future prospective Qualia owners....oh, and those that put down the cash but are waiting ....and waiting.....and waiting like our friend motormouth.

So far........................So good......................

Just posted screenshots online:

http://homepage.mac.com/raythompson/PhotoAlbum7.html

Hope this is helpful to others. These were taken today at 2 PM during pretty intense sunshine that was shining directly on the windows at the side of the room. The room has windows on three sides, and gets a lot of light during the day. The shades were down but are only translucent. The room was, as a result, brightly lit. The reflected image that sometimes appears is a bed with white linens. I made no effort to cover or hide it, so this is a worst-case scenario. Some pics have some digital noise added by the camera; sorry but this is my first attempt at screenshots. At some point I'll try and post screenshots from a darkened room for comparison.

PM; all those settings were, again, from DVE and were set using the test patterns. I did change some things slightly after viewing the included video footage, but (as I mentioned) I'll go back and "recheck" these in a week or two...

Originally posted by brt3
Just posted screenshots online:

http://homepage.mac.com/raythompson/PhotoAlbum7.html

Hope this is helpful to others. These were taken today at 2 PM during pretty intense sunshine that was shining directly on the windows at the side of the room. The room has windows on three sides, and gets a lot of light during the day. The shades were down but are only translucent. The room was, as a result, brightly lit. The reflected image that sometimes appears is a bed with white linens. I made no effort to cover or hide it, so this is a worst-case scenario. Some pics have some digital noise added by the camera; sorry but this is my first attempt at screenshots. At some point I'll try and post screenshots from a darkened room for comparison.

PM; all those settings were, again, from DVE and were set using the test patterns. I did change some things slightly after viewing the included video footage, but (as I mentioned) I'll go back and "recheck" these in a week or two...

Thanks brt3, there is now a link to your screenshots photo page in post #1.

jb007

What did he put as first and second? The new JVC an LG LCoS?

Originally posted by HughScot
In his report he puts the SXRD in third place but states that the set did not look like it had been calibrated

Originally posted by sycore
What did he put as first and second? The new JVC an LG LCoS?
Please don’t encourage him as he entered this thread under the auspices of a well meaning individual but whose subsequent posts became more and more true to his nature…. including lame excuses for everytime he took a swipe at the Qualia 006 or its cost (which has been well known now for about 2 months).

I suggest that if you want to pursue this line of questioning (which is absolutely of no use or contribution to the other posters here) you simply PM the angry old bugger or perhaps simply start a new thread on the RPTV forum entitled something such as “Alternatives to the Qualia 006” where I’m sure he will be happy to respond prolifically.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Please don’t encourage him as he entered this thread under the auspices of a well meaning individual but whose subsequent posts became more and more true to his nature…. including lame excuses for everytime he took a swipe at the Qualia 006 or its cost (which has been well known now for about 2 months).

I suggest that if you want to pursue this line of questioning (which is absolutely of no use or contribution to the other posters here) you simply PM the angry old bugger or perhaps simply start a new thread on the RPTV forum entitled something such as “Alternatives to the Qualia 006” where I’m sure he will be happy to respond prolifically.

Right on, PM! I am all for alternative opionions, new ways of looking at things, or the reality of different people seeing the same thing in different ways. But keeping this thread true to it's purpose -- and free of the BS apparent elsewhere on this forum -- is something we need to maintain. If someone has something based in demonstrable fact that they want to point out bring it on. But I don't understand people who just enjoy stirring the pot...

Penton-Man,

I've really enjoyed your posts in both this thread and in the 006 "anticipation thread" that preceded it. However, I think you're being too hard on Hugh. This thread is for current and prospective owners of the 006, and part of deciding whether to break down and buy a 006 is to compare it to the competition. So a few posts that discuss potential competition for the Sony "comes with the territory" when you have the best RPTV ever made.

I hope you're as enthusiastic as you can be about the 006, but there's no need to try to scare away posters who are not yet "true believers." I'm still undecided myself. I think the 006 sounds great and I may end of buying one, but I'd like to hear about any sets that look as good (if that's possible) and cost a bit less. Is that so wrong?

SDL

Originally posted by brt3
Just posted screenshots online:

http://homepage.mac.com/raythompson/PhotoAlbum7.html

Hope this is helpful to others. These were taken today at 2 PM during pretty intense sunshine that was shining directly on the windows at the side of the room. The room has windows on three sides, and gets a lot of light during the day. The shades were down but are only translucent. The room was, as a result, brightly lit. The reflected image that sometimes appears is a bed with white linens. I made no effort to cover or hide it, so this is a worst-case scenario. Some pics have some digital noise added by the camera; sorry but this is my first attempt at screenshots. At some point I'll try and post screenshots from a darkened room for comparison.

One thing I failed to clarify; I posted these pix specifically because there's been a lot of discussion about the Qualia's performance in a well-lit room. Hope the pix help lay these fears to rest; I think it looks pretty good under those conditions...

brt3


Thanks.....................Looks awesome and I am going crazy waiting. I am so pathetic I am actually excited to see your pics of the 006 in a darkened room. Penton, you've got a good camera don't you. Throw on Eurotrip and "enligten us". If you can shoot some pics of SD as well. We know the HD is awesome.


p.s.

Don't everyone be too hard on old Hugh...............I have it on good advice that he is not getting any lately.






Bratislava..........................................

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
brt3 -- Thanks.....................Looks awesome and I am going crazy waiting. I am so pathetic I am actually excited to see your pics of the 006 in a darkened room. Penton, you've got a good camera don't you. Throw on Eurotrip and "enligten us". If you can shoot some pics of SD as well. We know the HD is awesome.


p.s. -- Don't everyone be too hard on old Hugh...............I have it on good advice that he is not getting any lately.

Bratislava..........................................

MotorMouth,

Do you often wear your swinging gold neckchain medallions?

Glad the pix help whet your appetite. If I can get some nighttime pix I'll post those too. Will check out "Eurotrip" for PQ...

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Please don’t encourage him as he entered this thread under the auspices of a well meaning individual but whose subsequent posts became more and more true to his nature…. including lame excuses for everytime he took a swipe at the Qualia 006 or its cost (which has been well known now for about 2 months).

I suggest that if you want to pursue this line of questioning (which is absolutely of no use or contribution to the other posters here) you simply PM the angry old bugger or perhaps simply start a new thread on the RPTV forum entitled something such as “Alternatives to the Qualia 006” where I’m sure he will be happy to respond prolifically.

You go boy!!!!!!!!

If that don't scare him, nothing will!!!!!

Originally posted by brt3
Just posted screenshots online:

http://homepage.mac.com/raythompson/PhotoAlbum7.html

Hope this is helpful to others. These were taken today at 2 PM during pretty intense sunshine that was shining directly on the windows at the side of the room. The room has windows on three sides, and gets a lot of light during the day. The shades were down but are only translucent. The room was, as a result, brightly lit. The reflected image that sometimes appears is a bed with white linens. I made no effort to cover or hide it, so this is a worst-case scenario. Some pics have some digital noise added by the camera; sorry but this is my first attempt at screenshots. At some point I'll try and post screenshots from a darkened room for comparison.


brt3,
No to change the subject here. Can't help noticing that you use the D70, nice camera since I have one too. Just shows that us 006 owners do have good taste. What lens do you have?

Originally posted by kaduku
Can't help noticing that you use the D70, nice camera since I have one too. Just shows that us 006 owners do have good taste. What lens do you have?

kaduku,

I've been using Nikons for 25 years so I have a bunch of lenses. The one I shot the Qualia with was the 24-120/VR. A great lens, and the D70 has been a lot of fun. Never thought digital cameras would get this good this soon; same thing goes for digital projectors!

Originally posted by SDL
I think you're being too hard on Hugh.
SDL –
I beg to differ with you. He entered this thread under the auspices of a well-meaning naïve poster looking for a viable alternative to the Qualia 006.

However, if you read his posts carefully, it is apparent that he has a predetermined notion that there are viable alternatives to the Qualia 006 that are MUCH CHEAPER as his subsequent posting went from an original “inquiring mind” to arrogantly making lame excuses for his Qualia cuts simply to evoke controversy perhaps to fulfill some argumentative ego.

As Dilbert or somebody else said a while back…. this is of no help or contribution to anyone here and simply proves hurtful to those that have already paid for the display and are now awaiting its delivery.

I have no problems with well intentioned posters that come here and earnestly ask about how we feel about the Qualia 006 compared to other displays. And this has already occurred without even making a wave as several of us have given objective opinions to sincere posters but, THIS GUY HAS ALREADY MADE UP HIS MIND and is simply trying to pick a fight for his own personal agenda.

Thanks for the complement about my posts and I’m glad you enjoyed them.

Originally posted by brt3
kaduku,

I've been using Nikons for 25 years so I have a bunch of lenses. The one I shot the Qualia with was the 24-120/VR. A great lens, and the D70 has been a lot of fun. Never thought digital cameras would get this good this soon; same thing goes for digital projectors!

VR huh!!! very nice. I still have the kit lens, but hopefully soon (like in two weeks) I hope to be sporting a 80/200 AF-S. Okay back to the subject, I don't care what anyone says "I Love My TV" and it was worth every penny that I begged from my wife.

Originally posted by kaduku
I don't care what anyone says "I Love My TV" and it was worth every penny that I begged from my wife.

Hmmm, honestly I find myself saying the same thing out loud, when nobody else is there, while watching the QUALIA 006 :)

Am I delusional or are other owners doing the same thing?

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Penton, you've got a good camera don't you. Throw on Eurotrip and "enligten us". If you can shoot some pics of SD as well. We know the HD is awesome.

Actually, it was smashed into pieces falling down the side of Whistler Mountain, so no, I don't currently have a digital camera in the house....only a Nikon N80 and an old FG which I still love.

Thanks brt3 for the screenshots, they were great, it is really all us non owners have to look forward too, everyone that can, show more screenshots. Thanks

Originally posted by pepco
Thanks brt3 for the screenshots, they were great, it is really all us non owners have to look forward too, everyone that can, show more screenshots. Thanks

With so many requests for screenshots, here are a couple that I originally posted on the old thread of an NFL playoff game:


NFL (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4955359&fullpage=1)



NFL 1 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4955366&fullpage=1)

Enjoy!

Wow jb007. That last shot is particularly amazing.

Penton is right. Some people seem to be in here just to pick an ill advised fight. I'm done listening to their speculative drivel since they have shown themselves to be a grumpy old buggers with a $13,000 chip on their shoulders.


One person in particular has definitly exceeded his allotted 15 minutes of fame.............

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Penton is right. Some people seem to be in here just to pick an ill advised fight. I'm done listening to their speculative drivel since they have shown themselves to be a grumpy old buggers with a $13,000 chip on their shoulders.


One person in particular has definitly exceeded his allotted 15 minutes of fame.............

Oh no!, you might have woke him up! Anyway, that's why I don't have a picture of myself as avatar!!! So just in case I piss off somebody, they can't make fun of my appearance.

BTW, anyone know if the Grammy's shown on HD?

Screenshots from tonight's repeat of CSI:NY

And another

One more

Originally posted by kaduku
BTW, anyone know if the Grammy's shown on HD?

HD & Dolby Digital 5.1 on the QUALIA 006!!!

Originally posted by jb007
HD & Dolby Digital 5.1 on the QUALIA 006!!!

Thanks JB, can't wait to see Alicia Keys in HD on the Qualia. Sinese looks pretty good too! I did mean the PQ, not the man.

Originally posted by kaduku
Thanks JB, can't wait to see Alicia Keys in HD on the Qualia. Sinese looks pretty good too! I did mean the PQ, not the man.

I saw your first post . . . guess that's what the edit button is there for ;)

jb007.......

Would you quit taking real pictures of NY out of your window and post some pics from the Qualia......................................

JB007 and BRT3 -

Your screen shots are GREAT!!! and will do more to silence any critics of this marvelous set (those who haven't seen it in person in a home environment) than our words could ever do. THANKS.

JB007 - I suggest you post a link to your CSI and NFL pics on the first post - they are THAT GOOD - show the blackness of blacks, the level of detail, the outstanding skin tones etc. etc.


Question for the photographers among us:

I have an Olympus 8080 (8 megapixel), but am definitely an amateur - when I try to take screenshots at night in a dark room with only a bias light on behind the set, I can't use the flash cause it causes a reflection on the screen. If I try to take a picture without a flash, I get blurry images no matter how hard I try to hold the camera still (camera is increasing the exposure time), so how do you get great screenshots in a dark room? Tripod? I assume I should take the photos at High quality resolution (way above 1920 x 1080) and then downrez in something like Photoshop Elements to 640 x 480?