In September 2004, the first news posted about a Sony 70" rear projection television capable of displaying 1080p appeared on the AVS forum. A news release from Cedia stated the model would be called a Sony KDS70XBR100 and sell for $10,000, with availability in early 2005. That television turned out to be the QUALIA 006 (Original MSRP $13,000), utilizing Sony proprietary technology labeled SXRD. A matching stand sold for $1,500. The entire QUALIA line of products was discontinued by Sony in early 2006. The latest reported manufacture date of a Q006 is January 2006.

There were two QUALIA boutiques, located inside Sony Style stores. One in New York and the other in Las Vegas. I placed my order with the QUALIA store in Las Vegas on 12/30/04 and received my Q006 on 1/7/05.

Screen Shots:

NFL screen shots (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5172270#post5172270).

CSI: NY screen shots (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5172454#post5172454).

Various screen shots (http://web.me.com/raythompson/Sony_Qualia_006/Albums/Pages/Screenshots.html) courtesy of brt3.

Reviews:

Sound & Vision Magazine (http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=7&article_id=810&page_number=1).

audio video revolution (http://www.avrev.com/equip/sonyqualia006/) August 2005.

JoeC5 posted this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5657033&&#post5657033) comparison between his newly purchased Q006 and Mitsubishi 65813.

Picture Settings:

brt3 provides these settings (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5143081#post5143081) after tweaking with DVE (1080i) on his JVC 40000 over Input 4.

mauricef provides settings (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5045933#post5045933) from a Panasonic XP50 DVD player, which he verified were also excellent with a JVC DVHS player and HDTV from CableCard.

JP2’s settings (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5121383#post5121383) using a HTPC outputting a 1080i signal via a DVI to HDMI cable to the 006.

From Penton-Man, here are his settings (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5472703#post5472703).

nhey had his set professionally calibrated and posted these results (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5578056#post5578056).

Miscellaneous:

The Qualia 006 Owner's Guide in pdf (http://www.docs.sony.com/release/KDS70Q006.pdf).

Here is a link (http://web.me.com/raythompson/Sony_Qualia_006/HOME.html) to the Qualia 006 web page maintained by 006 owner brt3. This site contains photos, and a lot of other helpful information.

To view signal strength of a digital station you are receiving from an antenna connected to the 006, go to Menu, then Diagnostics, and while utilizing the antenna feed as source material you can view signal strength and frequency of the station as descibed here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5149820#post5149820).

If you do not own a digital camera that utilizes the memory stick format, you can still purchase a memory stick (and reader, if necessary) to copy photos from your computer onto the memory stick, for display on the 006. These are the instructions (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5504120#post5504120).

Bulb Replacement

You can order a Sony OEM XL5000 replacement bulb for approximately $289 from Better Lamps (http://www.betterlamps.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=10), TV Lamps For Less (http://www.tvlampsforless.com/XL_5000_p/xl5000.htm), Express Repair Center (http://www.ercservice.com/lamps/sonylamps/XL5000.html) or Sony (http://servicesales.sel.sony.com/ecom/accessories/web/viewItemDetail.do?operation=getItemDetail&itemID=538646&category=15&categoryName=Television).

To check the hours on your bulb and/or to reset the hours, this is the Official Sony Protocol (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6779958&&#post6779958).

Joe C5 provides these detailed directions (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8010902&&#post8010902) for resetting the lamp timer.

Here are Tulsa1's instructions (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8034900&&#post8034900) for carefully cleaning the glass plate adjacent to the bulb, which is known to accumulate a lot of dirt and dust, which may affect your picture more than you realize.

Extended Warranty Information:

The factory warranty on the Q006 from Sony is 3 years. Some owners have purchased an extended 5 year warranty from GE, that runs about $700.
mpsan provides that information here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=12559467&postcount=13715)


Qualia Customer Support: 877-QUALIA3



jb007

JB007,

Thanks for starting this long awaited thread. Good idea on adding those links too. My 006 is in the general area and should have in a day or two. I am also trying to contact an ISF calibrator to look at my set as soon as it gets here.

Originally posted by kaduku
JB007,

Thanks for starting this long awaited thread. Good idea on adding those links too. My 006 is in the general area and should have in a day or two. I am also trying to contact an ISF calibrator to look at my set as soon as it gets here.

kaduku, congrats. Looking forward to pictures and your review.

jb007 and kaduku,

Looking forward to tweaking the 006 with you guys when my set arrives. Should be about another week. Until then we will have to live vicariously through you, jb007 and colortv. Let us know EVERYTHING.

sj

Originally posted by kaduku
JB007,

Thanks for starting this long awaited thread. Good idea on adding those links too. My 006 is in the general area and should have in a day or two. I am also trying to contact an ISF calibrator to look at my set as soon as it gets here.
I thought that a set should be "broken in" awhile before having it calibrated?

dc

Originally posted by DreamCatcher
I thought that a set should be "broken in" awhile before having it calibrated?

dc

I didn't know you treated these things like a car. But is there really a break in period? I just want to have the best possible viewing experience. From what I read, tvs come from the factory with very minimal adjustments from the factory workers (like 15 seconds), and calibrators will take the necessary time (up to 3 hours) with specialized equipment to make your tv perform the way it was supposed to be. Now hopefully these Qualia tvs might have been looked at a little longer.

New sets ordinarily need the 100-hour break-in period in order for its electronics to settle down thereby allowing the calibration to be most effective. I had to wait this period of time before the ISF did its thing.

Some of the new DLPs are coming precalibrated as a selling point.
sj

Can any of you illustrious gentlemen clairify a question I have. I saw a current 70 inch Sony XBR today and from 14 feet with my tape measure I could not make our any SDE. I brought my tape measure so I could be sure I was viewing things from the exact distance of my couch.

The question is will I see a significant picture difference from the Qualia 006 vs the 70 XBR at this distance. I would assume the Qualia has a "better" picture but what I need help with is there a real world difference for the extra $7,000 to my viewing experience.

At 14 feet can I even discerne 1080p vs 768p. I have never owned a HDTV and have been limping along with my 8 year old Mitsu 60 inch. This is a lot of money for me and I don't want to pay the extra $7,000 for a 5% incremental improvement. I WILL pay the extra if it is really that much better.

I am hoping that Jb, Color or Peyton or any of the newer owners can shed some light on this for me. If the rat bastards at Sony didn't raise the price $3,000 I would already have one but it is funny how that extra $3,000 makes you really think doesn't it.

Anyway would appreciate the opinions as I either gotta bite the bullet or buy a smaller (cheaper) TV for the bedroom and wait for the prices to come back to my trailer park budget.


thx

Thanks DreamCatcher and Ed Weinman for bringing this 100 hour break-in peroid to my attention. This is the reason why I love the forum. The person (calibrator) I talk to didn't even mention this.

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Can any of you illustrious gentlemen clairify a question I have. I saw a current 70 inch Sony XBR today and from 14 feet with my tape measure I could not make our any SDE. I brought my tape measure so I could be sure I was viewing things from the exact distance of my couch.

The question is will I see a significant picture difference from the Qualia 006 vs the 70 XBR at this distance. I would assume the Qualia has a "better" picture but what I need help with is there a real world difference for the extra $7,000 to my viewing experience.

At 14 feet can I even discerne 1080p vs 768p. I have never owned a HDTV and have been limping along with my 8 year old Mitsu 60 inch. This is a lot of money for me and I don't want to pay the extra $7,000 for a 5% incremental improvement. I WILL pay the extra if it is really that much better.

I am hoping that Jb, Color or Peyton or any of the newer owners can shed some light on this for me. If the rat bastards at Sony didn't raise the price $3,000 I would already have one but it is funny how that extra $3,000 makes you really think doesn't it.

Anyway would appreciate the opinions as I either gotta bite the bullet or buy a smaller (cheaper) TV for the bedroom and wait for the prices to come back to my trailer park budget.


thx

I've seen the 70" XBR, but I've never done a side by side comparison with the 006. There's no question the 006 has much better PQ (by most all accounts on this board), but to say it is x % better or $7,000 better is a judgment call you probably need to make based on your eyes (and your wallet). Maybe rogo or someone else can give you a more qualitative analysis.

Here's a small treat for those of you waiting for delivery of your 006 . . . a picture of the 006 screen displaying CSI: Las Vegas (in honor of QUALIA Las Vegas).

Enjoy and welcome to the group :)

jb007

Talk about good blacks.

Imported your csi.jpg into photoshop. The whitest white is 255, 255,255 and the blackest black is 3,3,3. In a scene that's probably around 50% APL, that's incredible. (Big smily face)

jb007,

Congrats for inaugurating this new thread. Great that you were the very first of us to take the plunge on a Qualia 006. You made a daring commitment to a new type of display, sight unseen. And I know you feel as I do - Sony delivered an incredible product which we are thrilled to own! I placed my order sight unseen as well, but only after rogo's enthusiastic reviews of the prototype and your pioneering real world experience. Thanks for posting the link to my review of my Qualia 006 on this new thread.

My favorite SD series, Amazing Race looked great tonight on the SXRD - better than expected. And good news from a friend of mine who sells HD broadcast equipment - Amazing Race is evaluating HD cameras/recorders and will likely make the switch to HD soon. Hopefully other reality shows are not far behind.

I just taped The Tonight Show in HD on my JVC 4000 DVHS machine via iLink connection to the Qualia 006 while viewing the broadcast via the TV's ATSC OTA tuner. The DVHS HD recording is excellent! Record and playback of HD on DVHS via iLink is a no-brainer.

Here are the promised answers to a few questions recently posed on our old thread:

jb007,
Regarding your question about what program I currently work on? Since you asked, here goes. I hope my resume doesn't sound too heavy handed!

I am the editor for "According to Jim" on ABC. I've been at this game a long time - heck, I edited a couple of seasons of "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" in the good old days, on 2" quadruplex videotape. I've worked on commercials, music videos back in the early days of MTV, and clip/awards packages for several Oscarcasts. I edited all "In Living Color" episodes and the original "ellen" sitcom series. And a lot more. I've been lucky and had a great ride with my career.

A few years back, when I was working on "Titus" for Fox, I helped convince the producers to switch from 35mm film production to Sony 1080p/24 HD CAM, although Fox never aired the shows in HD. "Titus" was the very first network series to be produced with the new Sony HD system. On "Titus" we blazed the trail for the many network shows that use Sony 1080p/24 today. Those Sony cameras are amazing - on a properly lit set, images on the studio monitors appear to be have the richness and color depth of 35mm motion picture film - not at all the typical "video look." But great lighting is the key - current HD cameras still do not have the contrast ratio of film, and highlights can be blown out in a hurry under harsh lighting conditions. Our director of photography on "…Jim" does an excellent job and has made the leap from lighting film to HD video with with great success.

thestewman,
Thanks for the info on the HDMI-DVI adapter.

mhafner,
The Qualia 006 looks great in my bright room during the day. My room has 2 skylights. I watched the TV tonight with no ambient light and it looks great. No washed out or blown out highlights. If the highlights are too hot in that dark environment, just bring down the "picture" setting a bit which is more pleasing to me in a dark room. The 3000:1 CR has more importance to me in the shadow detail, which is the best I have seen on an RPTV but still not as good as CRT. The pro 1080p/24 Sony CRT monitors we use at the studio have incredible shadow detail, and SXRD isn't as good. However, I find the SXRD image to be by far the most pleasing I have seen on any large HDTV and the shadow detail is above the threshold I consider to be acceptable - in other words, SXRD shadow detail is quite good in my opinion, better than what I have seen on Samsung's pedestal DLP's. And a LOT less noisy than DLP images which I find to be unflattering at all times. Sorry DLP fans … I briefly considered DLP until this puppy came along.

I have only looked at DVD's briefly, and so far have not seen unacceptable motion judder on any source, HD or SD.

merc,
I assume your negative comment about staying away is because you think the price is too high? It certainly can’t be a comment on the quality of the SXRD display. As with computers or other toys of our modern era, you can wait forever for continuing, inevitable improvements and refinements. I finally took the HD plunge with the Qualia 006 because the time is right for me - enough HD content and an incredible display to watch it on.


nhey,
"Cool" color temp on any image is bluish by definition. I don't know why Sony would set that as the 006's default. "Neutral" is much more pleasing to my eyes. I haven't gotten into playing with the settings yet. "Warm" may be nice as well - I tend to prefer the warm look. By the way, the manual for this set appears to be far superior to the manual I glanced at for my friend's 60" Sony LCD RPTV. The SXRD gets a thick and thorough manual, at least so it seems so far.

NorthJersey,
My Bose center channel speaker fits nicely on the upper center shelf on the Chicane stand directly under the SXRD. Of course a larger speaker isn't going to fit there. The stand is gorgeous to look at, at least in my environment. It complements my oak floors nicely, and the depth of the SXRD is EXACTLY the depth of the top shelf of the Chicane 4. They seem to have been made for each other. I'll post more pics once the cable box/HD DVR are installed on Wednesday.

h20sports,
Thanks for answering alainl's question about Chicane 4 pricing.

Jason30,
The scaler in the Qualia 006 is incredible - better than any built-in scaler I've seen on 720 displays, and obviously more difficult to scale up to 1080p. Perhaps it's not good enough for your needs, but I bet most folks will be very pleased.

MotorMouth777,

There is a big difference in image quality at your viewing distance between Sony LCD and SXRD RPTV's. The SXRD has a WOW factor not apparent with LCD. Even though SDE may not be readily apparent at that distance, it is a "veil" over the image that turns me off big time. And the difference in brightness, richness of color, superior shadow detail, and the SXRD's vastly improved scaler make it worth the extra money. I find SD to be unacceptable on any large HDTV except the Qualia 006. I rejected every other large HDTV I have seen on that basis alone.

JB007 and ColorTv - you guys are GREAT! Keep up the very informative posts...

T-minus 2 days and counting for delivery...

Regarding break-in period before calibration, another reason to wait about 100 hours is to be sure the set is working correctly... why spend a few hundred bucks more for a calibration until you're sure everything is A O.K., although once you've already spent $13K a few hundred more won't be missed :)

Agree with Mark H. about the bulb - that's also a very good point. With CRT RPTVs, the 100 hour break-in rule prior to calibration is even more important - to let the RPTV "settle down".

Hi Mark H. - I'm your buddy in Lawrenceville NJ who bought a Pioneer Elite from you a couple years ago. Glad to see you are also going to be on this thread.

I'm trying to get more information on the bulb - including how to order a replacement. Any idea about that from the manual??

I have already ordered this set and will hopefully get it next week. I am wondering what will happen if one plays a computer game at 1920 x 1080 resolution and the fps is higher than 30? Apparently the set can only do 30 fps so would there be artifacts? JP2 was already kind enough to try out Half Life 2 at this resolution but I'm not sure how many fps that game was running at.

ColorTV,

Can you record HD programs from cable/satellite using the JVC DVHS/Sony Firewire or just HD OTA using the Sony tuner? Does the firewire output the HD signal even if you are using an external tuner?

Many thanks and congrats for such a wonderful machine.

Sergio

Just got my call from Sony delivery. They will deliver on Friday AM. This will be a fun weekend.

within the setup menu, you can choose to "skip" over some inputs that aren't being used. This menu only shows video 1-7. There is another initial input that I'm not using (I think its for a coax input) but can't seem to find a way to "skip" over that one. I'm trying to setup my harmony remote. I only use the 2 hdmi and 1 component. BTW, only 1 of the hdmi inputs will have a seperate audio input. This is important if you connect a dvi device (my samsung 160 stb for d*) and use an hdmi adapter. If I want to just use the tv's speakers for sound (when watching cnn), I need to make sure that I run a seperate pair of audio cables from my stb to the inputs next to the 1st hdmi input. I originally had my pc hooked up to that hdmi input but then I switched them.

I'm pretty sure you can not have 2 hd sources with pip mode but I wanted to confirm with those that have tried this. Since I'm using only hdmi and component, is it possible to use pip? I don't think my stb will allow 480i out of its dvi port and I don't want to have to manually switch back and forth. The samsung stb has a manual switch on the back of the box.

brgds,
jp

I would also like to add that the delivery company did a very good job and was much better than most including the 2 times I had people move the toshiba!

Generally Sony TVs have inputs labeled "TV" (for the coax) and then Video 1-7. You can usually re-label the video inputs to "Skip" which skips them when pressing the "TV/Video" button (who would want to cycle through all the inputs all the time?). I don't believe you can Skip the "TV" input.

If you have a programmable remote, all the Video inputs also have discrete IR codes.

Thanks Scott. Thats what I thought. I was trying to find a way to skip the TV input as I don't use that. I think JB or someone already uploaded some codes to the Harmony database.

I think I read somewhere that Sony is comming out with a 56" version of this set. Anyone have any info on that?

Originally posted by JimP
The whitest white is 255, 255,255 and the blackest black is 3,3,3. In a scene that's probably around 50% APL, that's incredible.

I don't think it would be safe to say this from the 006 picture that was taken by a digital camera...errr...was it taken by a digital camera or exported to a HD-recorder/computer? Because if the picture was taken via a digital camera, the blacks and whites (along with the colors) will already be biased by the camera's mechanics.

I'm very interested in comparing the black levels of this 006 with Sony's other GWIV LCD RPTVs. Can any of you 006 owners please perhaps run a black level/contrast test and post results/screenshots?

Originally posted by slimoli
ColorTV,

Can you record HD programs from cable/satellite using the JVC DVHS/Sony Firewire or just HD OTA using the Sony tuner? Does the firewire output the HD signal even if you are using an external tuner?

Many thanks and congrats for such a wonderful machine.

Sergio

Comcast is due here any minute to install HD cable and an HD DVR. Their Motorola box has a Firewire port on it which I have been told will allow HD recording to DVHS. I plan to use the Motorola DVR to timeshift then archive to DVHS if necessary. The Motorola HD DVR only records 10 hours of HD on its 120 gig hard drive, so I won't be banking anything on it long term. I want to find out if I can put a larger hard drive in the box or find someone to do it for me. Of course Comcast only leases the DVR so it's not mine to keep - just as good!

Originally posted by Squawks
I don't think it would be safe to say this from the 006 picture that was taken by a digital camera...errr...was it taken by a digital camera or exported to a HD-recorder/computer? Because if the picture was taken via a digital camera, the blacks and whites (along with the colors) will already be biased by the camera's mechanics.

I'm very interested in comparing the black levels of this 006 with Sony's other GWIV LCD RPTVs. Can any of you 006 owners please perhaps run a black level/contrast test and post results/screenshots?

Squawks,

There is no comparison between the blacks of the 006 vs LCD RPTV's. SXRD blacks are vastly superior, but still not as good as CRT. Still, no current RPTV can match the blacks of SXRD.

I doubt the PIP feature on the 006 will allow 2 high-def sources to be displayed at once. I checked the manual for their 34" current XBR model (KD34xbr960) and it allows one digital and one analog picture, with the digital on the left side only.

My 006 arrives Friday a.m. also.

I read someplace on the web that buyers of the 006 will receive a personal thank you letter from their cierge and special invitaions to Sony events. Any input from 006 owners on this?

kaduku,

I haven't received anything from Sony yet.

The forthcoming Harmony 880 remote looks very cool - it's the one I am likely go go with. I just spoke to Logitech - it should be available in April. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with remote clutter and excessive button pushing - yuk!

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsharmony/US/EN,CRID=2084,CONTENTID=9933

Originally posted by colortv
Squawks,

There is no comparison between the blacks of the 006 vs LCD RPTV's. SXRD blacks are vastly superior, but still not as good as CRT. Still, no current RPTV can match the blacks of SXRD.

Thank you for making that distinction!!

So many times people refer to CRT and I assume since we are in a RPTV forum that they are referring to RP-CRT!

Originally posted by kaduku
I read someplace on the web that buyers of the 006 will receive a personal thank you letter from their cierge and special invitaions to Sony events. Any input from 006 owners on this?

I was wondering if SONY would be wanting feedback from you early adopters.
If so, please please please, even though you may be extremely happy with your purchase, also let them know any shortcomings you can!
This set seems like a giant leap, but let's get them to push the envelope!

(ie: removable protective screen, 1080p input, etc.)

Are you saying that SXRD technology gives better blacks than current top of the line RPTV CRTS, including the ones with 9 inch guns?

If true, I wasn't aware we had crossed into that stage yet. Wow.

Originally posted by colortv
Squawks,

There is no comparison between the blacks of the 006 vs LCD RPTV's. SXRD blacks are vastly superior, but still not as good as CRT. Still, no current RPTV can match the blacks of SXRD.

Originally posted by colortv
The forthcoming Harmony 880 remote looks very cool - it's the one I am likely go go with. I just spoke to Logitech - it should be available in April. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with remote clutter and excessive button pushing - yuk!

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsharmony/US/EN,CRID=2084,CONTENTID=9933

Thanks Colortv on the info on the Harmony 880. It does look cool and I want one too. I thought I could deal with so many remotes, but it is getting ridiculous. Also I didn't know programming this thing is so darn easy.

Has anyone hooked their set up to Time Warner Cable's HD feed yet? I'm curious to hear a report on the PQ. DirectTV (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5006885#post5006885) hasn't received good reviews, so im hoping the cableco's signals run better with this set. Thanks

Colortv , Kaduku, et al.

Check this link out for the Home Theater Master mx-700 and mx-800. I have the 800 (available now) and it is a great universal remote. The Harmony also is very good, but the HTM is considered more powerful (more features, etc. and it comes - the 800 version - with RF capabilities).

http://www.remotecentral.com/mx700/index13.htm

The bulb has a rated life of 2000 to 2500 hours. The set keeps track of the number of hours in the user menu. A Replacement is $300 and is not covered by the 3-year Qualia warranty, HOWEVER, I was told that if you purchase the set now, there is some sort of special program in effect that will cover the first bulb. It is a Sony part, and I don't know if you can purchase it, or a generic version, from anyone else. I was told by the Sony cierge that you can't get it elsewhere.

nhey,

Thanks also for the additional info. It's always good to know whats out there and to compare them with eachother.

Glad to hear that your unit will be delivered on Friday. My set is just across the bay (less than 35 miles), but they still have called me on a delivery date. I feel like renting a U-Haul and picking it up myself.

Originally posted by nhey
Colortv , Kaduku, et al.

The bulb has a rated life of 2000 to 2500 hours. The set keeps track of the number of hours in the user menu. A Replacement is $300 and is not covered by the 3-year Qualia warranty, HOWEVER, I was told that if you purchase the set now, there is some sort of special program in effect that will cover the first bulb. It is a Sony part, and I don't know if you can purchase it, or a generic version, from anyone else. I was told by the Sony cierge that you can't get it elsewhere.


I talked to my cierge in LV. He did confirm to me that they will provide a replacment bulb for the 006 within the 3 year warranty period. He said that this is not part of the warranty and is a special promotion for the new owners. He did not know how long the promotion was for. He also said that the bulb should burn out within the 3 years under normal use based on his experience on the 004. I would just call and say that the bulb burnt out, even if it didn't before the 3 year anniversary. C'mon now, thats 300 bucks.

ColorTV, I'm sorry - I should have been more specific in my questions. I was more particularly interested in the SXRD's ability to avoid "black crush"...which is pretty prevalent among LCD RPTV's. I've managed to calibrate my set to avoid nearly all black crush but I still feel like there's room for improvement in my 55XS. Just wondering how much better the XSRD is faring in this issue.

ColorTV,
Thanks for your comments but i Think I wasn'r clear on my question. What I would like to know is if we can record HD cable/satellite FROM the Sony firewire when we use a cable/satlellite box with or without firewire. In other words, when you feed a HDMI or component to the Sony , does the TV firewire outputs the signal?

Thanks again.

Sergio

TWD states above that there was a possible reference somewhere to a 56" version. Any clarification?

Originally posted by slimoli
ColorTV,
Thanks for your comments but i Think I wasn'r clear on my question. What I would like to know is if we can record HD cable/satellite FROM the Sony firewire when we use a cable/satlellite box with or without firewire. In other words, when you feed a HDMI or component to the Sony, does the TV firewire outputs the signal?

Thanks again.

Sergio

No TV is going to output on firewire what it receives on HDMI or Component. That would require a built in MPEG encoder that can handle HD bitrates. It would also (in the case of HDMI) be in breach of licensing agreements.

It would be possible to output on firewire something input on firewire or recieved on the internal tuner. However, no previous Sony TV has done this, so I think it unlikely.

Originally posted by slimoli
ColorTV,
Thanks for your comments but i Think I wasn'r clear on my question. What I would like to know is if we can record HD cable/satellite FROM the Sony firewire when we use a cable/satlellite box with or without firewire. In other words, when you feed a HDMI or component to the Sony , does the TV firewire outputs the signal?

Thanks again.

Sergio

slimoli,

I'll check it out for you. Comcast installed HD cable for me but they are out of stock on the Motorola HD DVR. So for now I've only have their HD STB without DVR. Comcast only supplies component cables to connect to the TV, although the STB has a DMI output. I need to get the correct DVI-HDMI cable to connect the STB to my SXRD digitally. I'll let you know the results when I get everything hooked up. But it sounds like ADGrant has our answer. Comcast STB's have Firewire ports, so I intend to connect to the DVHS machine via Firewire from the STB.

Originally posted by Squawks
ColorTV, I'm sorry - I should have been more specific in my questions. I was more particularly interested in the SXRD's ability to avoid "black crush"...which is pretty prevalent among LCD RPTV's. I've managed to calibrate my set to avoid nearly all black crush but I still feel like there's room for improvement in my 55XS. Just wondering how much better the XSRD is faring in this issue.

Squawks,

That's was I was referring to. Black crush on SXRD is much less severe than any LCD or LCOS RPTV I have seen. As for CRT RPTV's, I haven't researched them at all. But direct view CRT's are still the best when it comes to black crush/shadow detail.

Originally posted by MotorMouth777
Can any of you illustrious gentlemen clairify a question I have. I saw a current 70 inch Sony XBR today and from 14 feet with my tape measure I could not make our any SDE. I brought my tape measure so I could be sure I was viewing things from the exact distance of my couch.

The question is will I see a significant picture difference from the Qualia 006 vs the 70 XBR at this distance. I would assume the Qualia has a "better" picture but what I need help with is there a real world difference for the extra $7,000 to my viewing experience.

At 14 feet can I even discerne 1080p vs 768p. I have never owned a HDTV and have been limping along with my 8 year old Mitsu 60 inch. This is a lot of money for me and I don't want to pay the extra $7,000 for a 5% incremental improvement. I WILL pay the extra if it is really that much better.


MotorMouth777,

I returned my 70 LCD XBR RPTV after having it for about 2 1/2 weeks. Don't get me wrong. This is a great tv for the price. I have about a 12 feet viewing distance. I, too bought the 006 sight unseen and hopefully will be playing with it by the end of the week. I'm pretty sure there will be a significant difference in PQ, by how much, I will know in a few days, since I got to really know the 70 LCD PQ during night and day situations. I don't know much on the technical mumbo jumbo, but at least I can tell you how the picture looks to me compared to the 70 LCD .

I just received the long awaited call from NVC Logistics. They only deliver on weekdays, but made an exception for me on Saturday morning, since this is the only time I have available. They said that their boss is going to personally help deliver the 006 to my house. Now that's service!

Just a quick little picture to make everyone that bought this set feel a bit better. This is a snapshot of the HD version of Amazon. Its almost perfect. The HD version of this does not seem to have DD or DTS and its been a little trickey to get 5.1 sound to pass through the pc unless the source is encoded in DD or DTS. The picture is nice though!

Originally posted by jp2
Just a quick little picture to make everyone that bought this set feel a bit better. This is a snapshot of the HD version of Amazon. Its almost perfect. The HD version of this does not seem to have DD or DTS and its been a little trickey to get 5.1 sound to pass through the pc unless the source is encoded in DD or DTS. The picture is nice though!

Pls forgive my ignorance, what is this Amazon? Is it a dvd or something?

Originally posted by kaduku
Pls forgive my ignorance, what is this Amazon? Is it a dvd or something?
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/amazon.aspx

Originally posted by Ed Weinman
TWD states above that there was a possible reference somewhere to a 56" version. Any clarification?

No responses because this has been covered many times in the original thread. Sony has not announced any other RPTV with SXRD than the Qualia 006. No confirmed rumors, no comments from Sony reps, nothing else.

There WILL be smaller versions of this set, but probably not for at least 9 months to a year, or maybe longer. Maybe 2 years. Who knows, but I think Sony will be looking to replace LCD with SXRD in the long run.

The child is lying on a single water lily leaf (Victoria Water Lily). These are grown here as annuals.

huh?

Thanks Scott MS, I am aware of the original thread and have read/re-read it. I was just commenting on the TWD statement from above.

Smile!

JP2 -

I think the point you are making about the Amazon video is that the 006 can and does accept, and display a 1080p Windows media 9 video source from a PC. The photo indicates it is being shown in 1080p if you look in the lower left corner.

CORRECT???

You can download a clip in 1080p to your computer at this link, hook up your computer via DVI to HDMI to the 006 and test it yourself. I think this is what JP2 did. Note that it's 107 mb so you better have broadband.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/ContentShowcase.aspx

As per Microsoft's web site:
Optimum Configuration
(to play 1080p video with 5.1 surround sound)

Windows XP
Windows Media Player 10
DirectX 9.0
3.0 GHz processor or equivalent
512 MB of RAM
128 MB video card
1920 x 1440 screen resolution
24-bit 96 kHz multichannel sound card
5.1 surround sound speaker system


This is indeed very good news assuming HD-DVD or Blu-Ray ultimately have an option to output 1080p.

nhey,
Not really. I was just commenting on how nice this dvd looked on the 006. I have a htpc that uses an nvidia graphics card that is connected to the tv from the cards dvi port. I use an adapter that converts dvi to hdmi (just a physical adapter.) The nvidia software allows me to configure for 1080i at 60Hz. The amazon wmv hd dvd has 2 options, 720p or 1080p. I think it looks at the pc's cpu, memory, card, etc and suggests which mode to run in. It chooses 1080p on my pc as you noted, but ultimately I think the graphics card will send it out the dvi port at 1080i which then goes into the hdmi port on the tv and processed to 1080p. I have not yet played with the nvidia settings enough yet to test the 1080p theory. There is someone in my town that has an 004 and knows a lot more about the nvidia settings than me and I will be consulting him on this. The net result is pretty stunning and I'm not sure how much better it can get (at least until someone decides to get one of the sony 4K projectors for their own home!)

Well guys, I’m still trying to get a properly functioning DVR box through my local cable company.

I’ll tell you…… when you're accustomed to hunting elephants(the 006), there's nothing exciting about shooting partridges!(cable co. DVR’s)

Adelphia will actually be sending out a supervisor in a few days after I went through a string of rookies.

I’ve got the 006 hooked up to a Panny –S975 DVD player. Sweeeeeet !

My audio system finally sounds correct after nearly going blind looking at that needle bounce around on the sound level meter.

The TV….well, I couldn’t be happier !

When I have something more substantive to relate, I will do so for the more anally oriented.

In the meantime, in case anyone here missed it, Rogo hit 20,000 with this post .. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=497981
In the plasma and LCD forum….and if you haven’t had a chance to drop by to express your congrats….I beseech you to do so not simply for the prolific milestone but for his insights into the old original Sony thread of over 100 pages and his personal mission to the Sony booth on our behalf.

david M. – nice botanical brief. Who did you eventually buy from to procure your personal piece of Nirvana ?

Jp2,If your still looking Enter the Matrix is in 1080I, and Soul Caliber 2 is in 720P.(XBOX)

Anyone try their XBOX on the 006 with Halo 2, with the high defination AV adapter?

nhey,

How do you get to the user menu on the 006 where the total number of hours on the bulb is displayed?


Slimoli,

Although I have not personally tested it, many others have stated there is no output from the firewire jacks on the 006, you can only input.


Penton-Man,

Welcome to the Owner's Thread!


The rest of you,

I have not received any thank you letter from my cirege.

I was told by my cierge and a senior QUALIA marketing rep that the first replacement bulb was free (a small $300 offering to help soothe the sting of the $3,000 price increase). However, I never received any certificate or something in writing to this effect. I think QUALIA should just send out a replacement bulb now.

Finally, pbir posted a link in the original Sony 1080p thread to the Sony web site in Canada which is selling a Sony Grand Wega KDS70Q006 (http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=1001017&navigationPath=32050n45260) for $17,000 Canadian. It doesn't appear to have the QUALIA logo in the upper right hand corner of the set, but all the specs are the same and it highlights the SXRD technology, etc. This may be the unit Sony originally intended to sell before deciding to call it a QUALIA (at least here in the U.S.). Interesting. Also, the web site displays the accessories for sale, like the SUSX10 stand and the XL5000 replacement bulb. Additionally, under the specs it says, "New Glass Screen configuration."

It's also interesting to see that Sony Style Canada is only offering a 12 month warranty on the 006, but does offer extended warranty coverage.

Looks like they are out of stock on replacement bulbs too, Kaduku. I agree with jb, it would certainly be nice to have an extra bulb around, just in case.
sj

jb-
See the Limited Warranty loose page paragraph 1, sentence 5 for specifics on the replacement lamp specifics.

First, I want to thank everyone here (and in the "Sony jumps on the 1080p bandwagon" thread). You've all been unbelievably helpful. I've been wanting to dive into 1080p and was originally thinking DLP (the Sammy HLR) but have been a bit quesy about the wobulation factor. I'm not rich enough to make a stupid decision here, since it'll probably have to last me the next 10 years, and the Q006 seems to offer what I need. (the high quality SD scalar is a big plus since HD source is going to be slim pickings for the next year or two).

I have a ton of questions, but the gating factor for me are the actual dimensions of the unit because it has to fit into a corner on a custom stand. On the Qualia web site, they state that the unit is 74x47x24. Could one of you who own one of these monsters please take out your tape measure and give me these measurements?

1) The actual width of the unit, both with and without speakers.

2) The width and height of the screen

3) The actual depth. (24" sounds a bit deeper than my impressions from the images I've seen)

4) Here's the critical one: I need to fit it into a corner, so I need to know the angle of the sides as they slope to the back of the unit. If you can measure the width of the back (assuming that the sides are of a constant slope and the back is centered), I can compute the angle of the side's slope. That said, the sides might not slope at a constant angle, and instead the unit may go straight back for a few inches, then cut in, and then slope back, etc etc. Ack! Without effectively building a template of the unit in cross section (along the vertical axis), I can't commit to buying it.

THANK YOU. I would be forever grateful.

Gary

Originally posted by MotorMouth777


At 14 feet can I even discerne 1080p vs 768p?

IMHO, no.....unless you are Ted Williams who reportedly had a visual acuity of 20/15 or better.

I suggest you put that Sig down, and move the couch closer as Owen plans on doing.

Originally posted by jp2
Just a quick little picture to make everyone that bought this set feel a bit better.

jp2- Honestly, I couldn't feel ANY better about this set.
Looking forward to your tweaks with the color analyzer.:)

Originally posted by Scott MS
No responses because this has been covered many times in the original thread. Sony has not announced any other RPTV with SXRD than the Qualia 006. No confirmed rumors, no comments from Sony reps, nothing else.

There WILL be smaller versions of this set, but probably not for at least 9 months to a year, or maybe longer. Maybe 2 years. Who knows, but I think Sony will be looking to replace LCD with SXRD in the long run.

Scott MS did a nice synopsis as above of this contentious point; however, as a Cierge V.I.P. client, if my schedule allows, I hope to attend the Sony Design Center Launch Party in Santa Monica on Feb.7 looking for those elusive Qualia 006 displays that some have claimed would be re-badged as XBR’s and sell for 11K in Feb. !!!!!!

Rogo-
Where are you?

Or since you are now a member of the “Societe du 20K”-
Ou etes-vous ????

Hop on this new thread and say something spa-cial!

Originally posted by jp2
nhey,
Not really. I was just commenting on how nice this dvd looked on the 006. I have a htpc that uses an nvidia graphics card that is connected to the tv from the cards dvi port. I use an adapter that converts dvi to hdmi (just a physical adapter.) The nvidia software allows me to configure for 1080i at 60Hz. The amazon wmv hd dvd has 2 options, 720p or 1080p. I think it looks at the pc's cpu, memory, card, etc and suggests which mode to run in. It chooses 1080p on my pc as you noted, but ultimately I think the graphics card will send it out the dvi port at 1080i which then goes into the hdmi port on the tv and processed to 1080p. I have not yet played with the nvidia settings enough yet to test the 1080p theory. There is someone in my town that has an 004 and knows a lot more about the nvidia settings than me and I will be consulting him on this. The net result is pretty stunning and I'm not sure how much better it can get (at least until someone decides to get one of the sony 4K projectors for their own home!)


JP2- did you specifically configure your NVIDIA card to output 1080i at 60 HZ? Why don't you simply configure the NVIDIA card to output 1080p and see if you get a picture on the 006?

Jb007 - My cierge in NY told me you can get the number of hours on the bulb from the user menu. I'll try to find out exactly where and post here. Isn't there something in the user manual about this? I don't have my set yet - T- minus about 28 hours and counting...

Someone mentioned that the 006 does not allow you to label channels - for example as "CNN" "MSNBC" etc. However, I think it does have "channel label". Could someone confirm that the 006 does allow you to label channels? How many characters are allowed in the label? All other current Sony models do allow this.

Originally posted by nhey

Jb007 - My cierge in NY told me you can get the number of hours on the bulb from the user menu. I'll try to find out exactly where and post here. Isn't there something in the user manual about this? I don't have my set yet - T- minus about 28 hours and counting...

Someone mentioned that the 006 does not allow you to label channels - for example as "CNN" "MSNBC" etc. However, I think it does have "channel label". Could someone confirm that the 006 does allow you to label channels? How many characters are allowed in the label? All other current Sony models do allow this.

I don't believe there is any user accessible screen that displays the number of hours the set has been in use.

There are channel labels. The channel label function is only accessible when you have the input set to TV. There is room for five characters and the menu allows selection of upper case or lower case, plus some special characters. Interestingly, some of the digital channels will label themselves, with seven characters (i.e., KFMB HD).

Originally posted by jb007
I don't believe there is any user accessible screen that displays the number of hours the set has been in use.

Agreed. I can't find one either.

Perhaps it is located in the Diagnostics category of the Applications menu – which is not selectable to us commoners.
:confused:

Just spoke again to the store in NY and they are going to check about the "bulb timer" with the folks in California and let me know.

Hello Gary,
I took a couple of pictures and some measurements to try and answer your question # 4. Your other questions are answered by the official sony diagram of this set. The rear of the tv is appox. 32" wide because of the taper from front to back. If you were to try and place the tv into an enclosure and have the appox. 2-3" of the screen stick out, there needs to be appox. 20" to the back of the enclosure. As with most built in projects, you need to make sure that there is sufficient ventilation. You can pm me is my description is not clear. I have 2 pictures of this "taper" of the back of the set. One is attached to this msg and the 2nd one will follow.
brgds,
jp

2nd picture of rear taper.

quote:
_______________________________________
"Scott MS did a nice synopsis as above of this contentious point; however, as a Cierge V.I.P. client, if my schedule allows, I hope to attend the Sony Design Center Launch Party in Santa Monica on Feb.7 looking for those elusive Qualia 006 displays that some have claimed would be re-badged as XBR’s and sell for 11K in Feb. !!!!!!"
_______________________________________


I don't think you will find any SXRD XBR displays at the Sony Design Center Launch Party in Santa Monica on Feb. 7. The model will be the
KDS-70Q006 that is being released to select Sony dealers.

You have the re-badging backwards. Actually the Qualia 006 was the
KDS70XBR100 originally on Sept. 9, 2004 when first shown at CEDIA 2004.
This was not some third party telling the world this but instead Sony telling the world that it was the KDS70XBR100. Why they pulled off the labels on
the XBR and re-badged it as a Qualia can only be speculated. Here is their own press release stating that the model was the KDS70XBR100.

Press Release:
http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/5420

Picture:
http://news.sel.sony.com/digitalimages/photo?photo_id=166536

Semantics my dear AVSREADER –

Point is that some people on the old Sony thread were led to believe that the Qualia 006 would be released under a different name or model number in Feb. at 11K with the SAME features.

Therefore, this led to some parties delaying their purchasing decision.

The above speculation was later ??retracted ???clarified or “spun” into the fact that a 70” Sony at 11K would be released in February with *we don’t exactly know what the differences will be from the Qualia 006* - which I believe at that point is like comparing apples to oranges.

quote:
_____________________________________
"Semantics my dear AVSREADER –

Point is that some people on the old Sony thread were led to believe that the Qualia 006 would be released under a different name or model number in Feb. at 11K with the SAME features.

Therefore, this led to some parties delaying their purchasing decision.

The above speculation was later ??retracted ???clarified or “spun” into the fact that a 70” Sony at 11K would be released in February with *we don’t exactly know what the differences will be from the Qualia 006* - which I believe at that point is like comparing apples to oranges."
_____________________________________

OK

Penton Man

Ted williams may well have had 20/15 vision. I've been at 20/10 since I was a kid (and yes I still am, I get my eyes checked every year, always freaks the doctors a bit) So It makes me incredibly happy to know that 1080p is finally here and that your viewing experience is as enjoyable as it sounds.

For those Canadians who do not want to go all the way to New York or Vegas to see this tv...

The flagship Sony Store in the Toronto (Toronto Eaton Center) has a Qualia 006 with the stand on display in the back. It is labeled Qualia Grand Wega.

As mentioned in another post it is retailing for $17K.

Greetings! I saw the 006 in NY yesterday and it looked great, just like all of you said it would UNREAL on the blu-ray, great on DVD and SD was, well, SD -- GIGO. The cierge didn't really know beans, and interestingly, the "menu" button on the remote didn't work so I couldn't play with the settings like I wanted to. I spent an hour in there.

I do not really like the stand, and frankly, that's what's going to hold me up. The Chicane is lovely but doesn't fit my decor. The $9800 Donghia stand holding the XBR 70 LCD would fit but is too danged expensive, so I continue my search.

I did confirm that the NY store will allow you to purchase the set via the Sony Style card with the 18 month payment window, which they had to run up the flagpole for me.

The set is deeper than it looks, and that creates another decorating issue for me. So the cosmetics may define my final decision. I won't be around for the Super Bowl, so I have a little time. And, I really need to have a decorating solution that works to sell the spousal unit on this one.

I did see the 65-inch Panny plasma at a Tweeter as well, and that looks great from my 13 foot viewing distance too.

I couldn't see any SDE on the 006. Not even right up close and personal.
This is an amazing piece of technology, that's for sure.

Too bad the Sony folks really don't know jack about what they are selling!

I am sold on the display itself, though. It is really something.

Cheers

Something "spa-cial"?

I am helping my friend get some landscaping down and the new Jacuzzi is ready, pending an electrical hookup.

Is that "spa-cial" enough? :)

As for other comments, right now, I dunno what to say Penton. Sounds like this product is a hit, though.

Originally posted by rogo

As for other comments, right now, I dunno what to say Penton. Sounds like this product is a hit, though.
O.K.

How about this – See my last paragraph.

Folks, I finally got a lead tech to come out and set up my cable boxes and splitters with proper signal strength so I could actually enjoy my 006 for an hour or more without cable woes.

As I am an Adelphia subscriber, I wanted two boxes. One is simply the Hi-Def Moto 6200 hooked up via DVI-HDMI cable to watch “live” TV.

The other box I have is the Adephia DVR or “Moxi” box to do my Hi-Def recordings.
(hooked up via component as the DVI is not yet activated)

The reason I went this route was because this first generation Moxi does not allow native pass-through of the signal (which the 6200 does allow);therefore, analog and “regulare” digital channels absolutely suck on ANY tv. I even think that the Hi-Def channels look like they have slightly less PQ with the Moxi compared to the 6200 but, I’m willing to sometimes sacrifice that for the potential to record. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the Moxi essentially records everything and by doing so the signal goes through some “stuff” in the Moxi that isn’t in the regular 6200 Hi-Def box. I really don’t have the moxi to comment further on this…..perhaps the Moxi brainiacs can elaborate more.

Anyway, at least for the immediate nocturnal short term, I plan to become a serious couch potatoe (Quayle on the Qualia ?) that is unless Comcast or Time Warner or somebody else buys Adelphia and throws a wrench in my STB set-up. On the other hand, if Charter should buy it, I imagine things would stay status quo as I believe he is also chairman of Digeo (the Moxi unit). Monsieur Rogue, have you heard anything in the wind about Adelphia’s future…or at least the L.A. divison ?

Originally posted by rogo

I am helping my friend get some landscaping down and the new Jacuzzi is ready, pending an electrical hookup.

Is that "spa-cial" enough? :)

P.S.
I got all that stuff accomplished just before the Qualia bird arrived.
Nothing is much worse for the back than digging holes in the ground for plants and such.

Come to think of it, my wife was so impressed with the job that THAT may have accounted for her approval of the 3K price increase in allowing this poor soul to enter video nirvana !

With regards to the stand, you know Joel, I really don’t find it to be THAT bad.

I would have loved to have gotten colortv’s or casey’s stands; however, that dog would just not hunt with the boss of the house after the unexpected 3K price increase.

Also, as an upside, I like the way it locks the bottom of the TV in place for those of us in earthquake country. Plus all my present components fit just fine....barely.

Comcast installed HD cable at my place yesterday. No DVR, although I ordered it. They claim a "several week backlog" on the Motorola 6412 HD DVR's they use (with a puny 120 gig hard drive). My installer "found" a DVR for me after we had a nice "handshake," so I'll be getting one in a few hours. For the most part, the HD channels such as Discovery HD and InHD look awesome. I never imagined I would be glued to a TV watching a dog show at 1 am, but the one on Discovery was magic. The picture on the Qualia 006 is so stunning and realistic that viewers can't help but have a very different connection with the programs we are watching. It's simply engrossing, a feeling I never got from many hours of evaluating other HDTV's during the last year. With SXRD, it's as if the electronic veil has been lifted - there is nothing between the viewer and the flawless image. That may sound a bit silly, but when you see one of these babies, you'll get it!

I compared a PBS HD show between my OTA antenna and Comcast HD. While the Comcast image looked quite good, I noticed severe tiling on every dissolve - a sure sign of heavy compression. The OTA signal of the same broadcast was clean as a whistle - no tiling on dissolves. I only saw tiling on my HD locals via Comcast, but I haven't had time to more closely evaluate and compare other HD cable channels. I didn't see any tiling on the dog show on Discovery HD, and there were plenty of dissolves and video effects that would have inspired compression artifacts. Maybe I'm overly critical, but the SXRD is so clean that you will more easily notice video flaws.

In a previous post someone mentioned that the Firewire ports on the Qualia 006 are inputs only and do not pass video out...that has not been my experience. Here is a photo of my setup taken this morning of an HD recording of The Tonight Show recorded FROM one of the Qualia 006's iLink ports TO my JVC 40000 DVHS machine, and played back via iLink to the TV.

Does that mean that the Firewire outputs a digital signal? That would seem to contradict the whole point of having 'security' as in HDCP for HDMI, where users can extract digital 'copies' of programs of high quality (better than DVDs in which you can buy in the stores).

ColorTv, you should be in marketing! You are going to end up selling more of these sets, sight-unseen than anyone at Sony could have imagined!
They need to give you some kind of kick-back!

"With SXRD, it's as if the electronic veil has been lifted - there is nothing between the viewer and the flawless image."

I'm getting chills!

ColorTV, you wordage is very similar to reviews of certain audiophile equipment which exhibit the same feeling: "...as if the...veil has been lifted - there is nothing between (in this case) the listener and the sound being reproduced."

This type of description makes many an audiophile's blood run hot!

ColorTv,

Something I been wanting to ask you now that you had time to evaluate the 006, and thanks for the review, how does it compare to the monitors you use at work just in PQ alone?

sj

Color-
I also saw no tiling (Adelphia cable as above) during the dog show (was a bit miffed that the Toy Poodle won over the Pomeranian in that class) nor did I see any tiling on ANY of the local HD locals, Yeah Adelphia !

Folks, colortv is absolutely correct. HD channels appear superb with the 006(and we still haven’t reached the Blu-ray era). When you’re watching a football game you really feel like you are actually sitting in the stands or more appropriately have a sideline pass and are standing with the players on the fifty yard line looking at the game.

And with shows like CSI, NCIS – you feel like you are not watching TV but rather that the characters are nearly in your home theatre room!

It’s simply just incredible.

For me, I had an extra bonus in the fact that my father lives with us and suffers from severe glaucomatous changes in both eyes which never really made him a TV watcher – which was sad as he is an old school sports fan.

When we got the 006 and watched the Pittsburg game that was on last Saturday, he was simply mesmerized with the picture (seating distance is 9 ½ feet for the first row and several feet back for the second) and would not even get up to go to the bathroom- and he suffers from “bladder frequency” to boot !

sorry about your dad, Penton-Man

Hey,
Thanks, but he's 84 years old and it goes with the terriotory.

I guarantee you this, no matter how much care he requires, he will NEVER be placed in a nursing home.

Originally posted by sparkysj
ColorTv,

Something I been wanting to ask you now that you had time to evaluate the 006, and thanks for the review, how does it compare to the monitors you use at work just in PQ alone?

sj


The director of photography lights our show fairly dark, so the images on our finely calibrated CRT monitors appear a bit dim in the camera-original un-colorcorrected video. Since the show I work on is shot in 24p, the CRT's show some flicker, similar to PAL transmissions you may have seen in foreign countries. The blacks on the studio monitors are extremely rich and detailed. SXRD is great, but not as good as studio grade CRT's in shadow detail. But in almost every other way, the images on SXRD are just as crisp and rich and maybe even more pleasing than our studio CRT's which are over double the price of the Qualia 006.

In case you're interested, here are a couple of reasons for lighting a set "down" to achieve a film-like look with HD video cameras:

¥ when the irises on the cameras are wide open to allow an acceptable amount of light to the CCD sensors, the depth of focus is very shallow. On closeups with the lens at full zoom, the actors should be in sharp focus, but the background should be a bit soft - a very pleasing look for fictional film and video. Focus becomes very critical, especially in HD, so it's crucial that the actors "hit their marks" on the set so that focus will be correct as predetermined during rehearsals.

¥ With any video camera, HD or SD, it's much better to err on the side of underexposure than overexposure. Once the highlights and lowlights are clipped by the image sensors, the detail is lost and can't be recovered. In the case of the show I work on, once the show has been "locked" on the final HD "edited master" tape, it goes through a scene-by-scene color correction process where the color from each of the 4 cameras (in the sitcom world) is color matched and the tonal range is stretched out with more contrast to produce the image you see on the air. Obviously this is not the process used for live broadcasts or sporting events. But take a look at "According to Jim" and other sitcoms shot on Sony 1080/24p and notice how film-like the image appears - not the typical video-look. Lighting the set "down" is the key.

Originally posted by Squawks
Does that mean that the Firewire outputs a digital signal? That would seem to contradict the whole point of having 'security' as in HDCP for HDMI, where users can extract digital 'copies' of programs of high quality (better than DVDs in which you can buy in the stores).

Yes of course, the Firewire signal is digital - Firewire is a method of digital data transmission. DVHS records only digital signals and is not capable of analog to digital conversion - or so it has been explained to me. If the digital signal is copy protected, such as a copy-protected DVD or on-demand video from cable, DVHS will not properly record it OR it may be copied to DVHS once but not another generation ("copy once").

As an experiment, I plan to attempt recording on DVHS via iLink (Firewire) connection to the Qualia 006 from a copy-protected DVD playing on my Sony NS975V scaling DVD player connected to the Qualia 006 via HDMI. Theoretically, the DVHS recording should fail as would digitally copying any copy-protected source.

Originally posted by Penton-Man


HD channels appear superb with the 006(and we still haven’t reached the Blu-ray era).

May I suggest DVHS "D-Theater" movies which are gorgeous 1080i and the closest thing to high definition DVD's you can buy and enjoy NOW with a very modest investment. DVHS is a nice stop-gap until we get our hands on high def DVD's. I have several "D-Theater" movies already, including "Master and Commander" and "Entrapment" and they are STUNNING on the 006! At the demo at the Sony Store in Las Vegas where I brought my DVHS machine and a couple of D-Theater movies, the quality was every bit as good as the BluRay demo DVD's.

Originally posted by 3deye
I've been wanting to dive into 1080p and was originally thinking DLP (the Sammy HLR) but have been a bit quesy about the wobulation factor. I'm not rich enough to make a stupid decision here, since it'll probably have to last me the next 10 years, and the Q006 seems to offer what I need. (the high quality SD scalar is a big plus since HD source is going to be slim pickings for the next year or two)

Once you see SXRD you won't give another thought to Sammy. Single chip DLP doesn't cut it after you see SXRD. Try to see for yourself - the pictures say it all.

Originally posted by Penton-Man

I’ve got the 006 hooked up to a Panny S975 DVD player. Sweeeeeet !


Penton,

NS975V is the model number of the Sony DVD player. Did you get the Panny S97 or the Sony?

Colortv

You're HT setup at home. looks great. The 006, Chicane stand, with the hardwood floor looks fabulous. Good job!!!!!!!!! Best stand so far.

I see that you kept the stock speakers on the 006. BTW, whats you're viewing distance?

Can't wait for my 006 to arrive. Color, you are a font of kwowledge! Good to see Penton-Man posting regular again. I think this thread is going to be even better than the "Bandwagon" thread. Just wait till all those 006s start rolling in!

kaduku,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm keeping the stock speakers for now, but that may change. It's a bit of a pain to switch between TV speakers and output to an external amp. It seems the 006 has only one audio out - either internal speakers on or output to external. You have to sort through onscreen menus to make the switch. So I may always listen through the external amp, although I'm not sure I want to listen to the news booming through my sound system. I'm still getting used to the concept of Home Theater!

Congrats on your purchase, Sparkysj. Lets hear your impressions when your set is up and running.

Originally posted by colortv
May I suggest DVHS "D-Theater" movies which are gorgeous 1080i and the closest thing to high definition DVD's you can buy and enjoy NOW with a very modest investment. DVHS is a nice stop-gap until we get our hands on high def DVD's. I have several "D-Theater" movies already, including "Master and Commander" and "Entrapment" and they are STUNNING on the 006! At the demo at the Sony Store in Las Vegas where I brought my DVHS machine and a couple of D-Theater movies, the quality was every bit as good as the BluRay demo DVD's.

C'mon colortv,
You're too diplomatic. "May I suggest" - heck from what I've read DVHS "D-Theater" movies are the ultimate until Blu-ray comes out- even when compared to current multi-thousand dollar DVD players.

I just never had the time to investigate. Please define "modest investment" and exactly how many movies are available on that format ?
What model do you own....how many beans ?

Will my Sony Qualia eat it...if it is a JVC ?:)

Kaduku,

Did you rent that u-haul yet?

sj

Originally posted by colortv
Penton,

NS975V is the model number of the Sony DVD player. Did you get the Panny S97 or the Sony?
I typed right. You read right.

I picked the Panny because alot of the people with the Sony that you mention have had to return their units (some more than once) for tray locking problems and they couldn’t get the disc out ! I mean ALOT of people!

That’s just one potential problem that I just didn’t want to deal with. Also,
green depression is the downside of the Sony player and shows up as a strong yellow tint specially on skin tones – which you should be able to completely correct for if the 006 has a selectable adjustment for HD/SD color matrix- which I haven’t checked out yet in the manual- as I bought the Panny- and that isn’t an issue.

The only downside of the Panny is a potential MB issue which appears to be very display dependent – and I’ve watched several DVD’s now, without a hint of macroblocking evident.

So, so far- I'm a happy bird with this less than $300 player.

Originally posted by sparkysj
Kaduku,

Did you rent that u-haul yet?

sj

sparkysj,

No i didn't. Almost though, until they (delivery co) called me that afternoon, and it was moved up to be delivered tomorrow afternoon. Yeah Baby!!!!!!!

I believe a couple more of us is getting their set tomorrow also. It's gonna be a good friday indeed. When is your eta?

Thanks for the help so far. JP references an "official sony diagram of the set" but I can't find that anywhere... I only see the lwh spec on the Sony site. Does anyone have that diagram?

Also, could someone please help me out with the speakers-on and speakers-off widths?

Finally, if one of the Q006 owners could measure the depth of the front bezel (around 2"?) and the width of the undercut in the back of that bezel before the taper starts happening towards the back of the unit (around 3" or so from the photo that JP uploaded, but I have no scale to check that with), I could then come up with a rough sense of the true dimensions of the unit knowing that the back is 32" wide. This corner space I have for the unit is going to be tight and in the best case, it's just barely going to fit.

THANKS.

-G

Kaduku,

Probably not for another wk, I am glad yo hear yours is coming! Sleepless nights in San Fran. Looking forward to your impressions!

sj

Hear Yee, Hear Yee,
To nobleman, commoners and wenches alike,

Tonight playing in Penton’s Qualia 006 home theater is the SuperBit version of Lawrence of Arabia !

It certainly aint no Blu-ray nor D-Theater movie for that matter ---but hey, its more than just SuperBit – it’s a remastered version under the direction of the master himself, Robert Harris (see -http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/robertharris/harris073003.html)

Eat your heart out Paul Bigelow !!!!!!

Originally posted by 3deye
Thanks for the help so far. JP references an "official sony diagram of the set" but I can't find that anywhere... I only see the lwh spec on the Sony site. Does anyone have that diagram?

Could this be of help ?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4897601&fullpage=1
Speakers on and off dimensions have been listed ad nauseum in the old Sony thread - maybe try a search under "dimensions" ?

Gary
I have a ton of questions, but the gating factor for me are the actual dimensions of the unit because it has to fit into a corner on a custom stand. On the Qualia web site, they state that the unit is 74x47x24. Could one of you who own one of these monsters please take out your tape measure and give me these measurements?

1) The actual width of the unit, both with and without speakers.

2) The width and height of the screen

3) The actual depth. (24" sounds a bit deeper than my impressions from the images I've seen)

4) Here's the critical one: I need to fit it into a corner, so I need to know the angle of the sides as they slope to the back of the unit. If you can measure the width of the back (assuming that the sides are of a constant slope and the back is centered), I can compute the angle of the side's slope. That said, the sides might not slope at a constant angle, and instead the unit may go straight back for a few inches, then cut in, and then slope back, etc etc. Ack! Without effectively building a template of the unit in cross section (along the vertical axis), I can't commit to buying it.

THANK YOU. I would be forever grateful.


Gary

Try this URL for a brochure with 4 views of the 006 and all the specs.

http://www.qualia.sony.us/qualia_main.cgi

Skip the intro and select the new product on the lower right

Stew

Hello Penton-Man!

Good job on the 006 and "Lawrence"! I'm busily chewing away..... ;)

Thanks for the posting the update on the 'S97 thread.

I know it's a great picture.

Paul

Color Tv

I too have a JVC DVHS machine waiting for my 006. Except in addition to playing the DVHS tapes I feed the JVC machine with a HD signal from a Motorola C band (Big ugly Dish) digital receiver that has been modified with a firewire output. The HD signal I get is the same the Pie Plate companies, Dish, Direct etc. receive and retransmit, but mine is not compressed.
You do know that the JVC has a built in mpeg2 video decoder so you can feed it with just about anything via firewire.

Originally posted by jb007

Finally, pbir posted a link in the original Sony 1080p thread to the Sony web site in Canada which is selling a Sony Grand Wega KDS70Q006 (http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=1001017&navigationPath=32050n45260) for $17,000 Canadian. It doesn't appear to have the QUALIA logo in the upper right hand corner of the set, but all the specs are the same and it highlights the SXRD technology, etc. This may be the unit Sony originally intended to sell before deciding to call it a QUALIA (at least here in the U.S.). Interesting. Also, the web site displays the accessories for sale, like the SUSX10 stand and the XL5000 replacement bulb. Additionally, under the specs it says, "New Glass Screen configuration."

Sorry, I'm catching up a couple of pages back, but KDS-70Q006 is the Qualia product number. It was the model number of the set in the NYC store, and should be the same as what's on the back of your TV. Maybe in Canada they don't official sell the Qualia line. I would suspect this will be no different than ones in the U.S.

Ok still trying to figure this one out - can this set play computer games at 1920 x 1080 with high frame rates - what happens if you have a video card capable of a really high frame rate, are there a large number of artifacts?

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Speakers on and off dimensions have been listed ad nauseum in the old Sony thread - maybe try a search under "dimensions" ?


Duh! Sorry for not thinking of that earlier. Of course. I have all I need to know now... 66" wide w/o speakers and the bezel frame is 2" deep.

It will fit!

I'm having a great time learning from all of you. Thanks again.

3deye,

I see you live in Mill Valley. My 006 is being delivered tomorrow afternoon. I see that you may have all information on the 006 to make a decision on whether to purchase. Let me know if you need to see one in person.

The Adelphia issue has no clarity at all right now. Time Warner's executive shakeup makes them a less likely buyer, though.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
C'mon colortv,
You're too diplomatic. "May I suggest" - heck from what I've read DVHS "D-Theater" movies are the ultimate until Blu-ray comes out- even when compared to current multi-thousand dollar DVD players.

I just never had the time to investigate. Please define "modest investment" and exactly how many movies are available on that format ?
What model do you own....how many beans ?

Will my Sony Qualia eat it...if it is a JVC ?:)

I hosted a crowd at my house tonight and we relished "Entrapment" in D-Theater - one of the most stunning film transfers I have ever seen. One of the guys is an entertainment industry bigwig who previously poo-pooed RPTV in favor of his beloved plasmas. No more. He said this bad boy blows away his Pioneer Elite and Fujitsu plamas by a long shot. They are not in the same league with this new king of the mountain - and no burn-in on Qualia to boot! (no flames, please).

Your Qualia will mate nicely with a JVC DVHS machine - heck, your new TV even displays the brand and model number of your JVC machine when connected to the Qualia via iLink.

Here's the DVHS machine I own:
JVC HMDH40000U

I guess DVHS isn't too popular with the masses, because huge discounts are available from list price. To keep our forum hosts happy, I won't name the discounters. But Google the above model number and you will see nice prices on the machine for less than $400 - think about South American rivers while you're price shopping. I'd say that's a very modest investment. And consider that you can archive HD from your cable DVR's Firewire port to the JVC machine to free up disk space on the DVR. Much as I love hard drive recording, tape is still the way to go for archiving HD until recordable high def DVD's come our way. The machine will play your old VHS and SVHS tapes too and send the audio/video out the Firewire port to your Qualia.

And here is a long list of available titles:
http://www.dvhsmovie.com

Originally posted by thestewman
Color Tv

I too have a JVC DVHS machine waiting for my 006. Except in addition to playing the DVHS tapes I feed the JVC machine with a HD signal from a Motorola C band (Big ugly Dish) digital receiver that has been modified with a firewire output. The HD signal I get is the same the Pie Plate companies, Dish, Direct etc. receive and retransmit, but mine is not compressed.
You do know that the JVC has a built in mpeg2 video decoder so you can feed it with just about anything via firewire.

I was not aware that the machine had a built in mpeg2 decoder. A lot of bang for the buck IMHO.

Great thread so far! Thanks for all of the information provided so far, guys.

Colortv,

I did not know DVHS had so many titles available. With the price so low on the players, and the PQ just as good as Blu-Ray, I might just get one too. Thanks for that information.

Anyone,

I have not heard from the owners about so called stuck pixels on the 006, which is good news. The 70 XBR RPTV was known for having this problem. In fact, my replaced XBR had them (5 total). Does the SXRD or LCOS technology prevent this from happening? Also another problem on the 70 XBR was dust easily collecting behind the glass. Wondering if this will be a problem on the 006 as well. Since the glass is not removable, I would cover the unit during non-use periods.

This thread has been added to the "Popular Threads" post stuck near the top of the forum.

Originally posted by kaduku
Let me know if you need to see one in person.

Kaduku... I'd love to see it once you've got it hooked up if that's ok. Where in the area are you?

-Gary

Originally posted by Barrybud
This thread has been added to the "Popular Threads" post stuck near the top of the forum.

Hey fellow 006 owners, we're up there with the big boys now :D

Originally posted by 3deye
Kaduku... I'd love to see it once you've got it hooked up if that's ok. Where in the area are you?

-Gary

I'm in WC. I'll let you know when it's set up already.

Colortv-

Thanks for the excellent primer on D-Theater. You know instead of South American river, for me, you could have said just think of the movie featuring the Latina with the blank the size of Texas whom nobody even heard or knew about before she starred in that movie with the big snake. (Ah, for the uninformed but interested, go to our old beloved “Sony jumps on the 1080p bandwagon” thread and search under arse or snake and that should provide enlightenment)

Anyway at that modest price point and the “now” factor – which is why we all essentially bought this TV, the D-Theater is indeed appealing to me.

What the hell, for that price, my better half would only require about 4 or 5 more big holes dug for more bungevillas (?sp).

How much are blank tapes anyway?

Here’s the dilemma for me. My wife has seen the Blu-ray hooked up to the 004 that Sony has in Culver City …..and she was present when they said they expect it to be available in the U.S. to the general public around Dec. of this year……so, it may be a tough sell to invest in this format.

So…..I need some Rogo advice…..

Oh color, did you ever play that D.V.E. 1080i tape with the 006 and did you find anything informative ?

ATTENTION - ATTENTION – ROGO Query Alert-

Mark,
Let’s say, Sony is able to ship the Blu-ray in Dec. as is predicted at this point.
Would the format war have any bearing on delaying that release ???

Also, more importantly, do you have any prediction on the availability of movies for that Hi-Def moe-chine – when the Blu-ray debuts.

I mean are we talking as many titles as are available on D- Theater in a couple of months after the Blu-ray comes out….or is that process going to drag.

Also, how much do you think Blu-ray movies and blank discs will cost ???

Go for the D-theater, you will not regret it at all. It's the highest quality content you can feed your Qualia right now and will help you hold off on Blu-Ray/HD-DVD until the content is there. DVD can look excellent but D-VHS makes it look very low-res. There's also the benefit of Digital Video Essentials in 1080i on D-theater.

The movies are $25-$35 and most of the transfers are very very well done. Due to the wide bandwidth, the HD content is the best you can get... D-theater offers 28Mbps which IIRC is more than any other consumer HD distribution method available at present. There's also a decent if small software library out for it. Yes it's dead-end but you're not talking a large investment. You should be able to find the first-gen deck (HM-DH30000U) out there for $399 or less as well as the second gen model. You can find lots of info and a source for mail-ordering tapes at HTTP://www.dvhsmovieguide.com .

IMO it's VERY much worth the investment to be able to play back some excellent movies as well as tape what HD content is available. You needn't purchase DVHS blanks either, normal SVHS tapes work just fine although you have to tell the machine you want to record digitally as opposed to automatic operation with the DVHS blanks.

Back on topic : Select Sony dealers WILL apparently be getting the 006 in February. I have one on order. I know I could buy from Sony themselves but would rather go through my current dealer who offers excellent support.

Just got my 006 today. Voom(now Doom) looks absolutely wonderful.

My Bravo D-1 has an issue. I had it connected to my Toshiba LCOS at 1080i setting via DVI and it worked fine. I got an HDMI adapter for the DVI cable and when I connect to 006 at 1080i colors are all wrong, e.g. blue flesh tone. 720p setting on Bravo works ok with 006. I called V Inc. and they said since it was working ok with Toshiba set its a Sony problem. Is there a fix for this? Would pq even be better at 1080i setting if I could get it to work? Or should I just buy a Blu Ray :)

My thoughts are that as he's the one who'll install and maintain the set, I'd much rather give him the business than a corporate store who won't be nearly as accountable when it comes to support later on. He said he had to order quite a bit of product (several 004 projectors, a number of 006 tvs, not sure about the SACD system, the MD portable or the camera)

What is Sony's policy WRT MSRP and discounting when it comes to Qualia? I'd be surprised if they didn't have a Bose-esque policy in place to rigorously support and protect the perceived product value/price (E.G. get caught discounting and face the wrath of Sony).

I have the JVC DVHS desk. And I love it. If anything it's a nice tool for working those firewire ports and PC. I think now they have built in OTA tuners.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
Colortv-

Thanks for the excellent primer on D-Theater. You know instead of South American river, for me, you could have said just think of the movie featuring the Latina with the blank the size of Texas whom nobody even heard or knew about before she starred in that movie with the big snake. (Ah, for the uninformed but interested, go to our old beloved “Sony jumps on the 1080p bandwagon” thread and search under arse or snake and that should provide enlightenment)

Anyway at that modest price point and the “now” factor – which is why we all essentially bought this TV, the D-Theater is indeed appealing to me.

What the hell, for that price, my better half would only require about 4 or 5 more big holes dug for more bungevillas (?sp).

How much are blank tapes anyway?

Here’s the dilemma for me. My wife has seen the Blu-ray hooked up to the 004 that Sony has in Culver City …..and she was present when they said they expect it to be available in the U.S. to the general public around Dec. of this year……so, it may be a tough sell to invest in this format.

So…..I need some Rogo advice…..

Oh color, did you ever play that D.V.E. 1080i tape with the 006 and did you find anything informative ?

Penton,

That Latina was one of the Fly Girls (dancers) on In Living Color. She used to hang out in my editing room to escape the tirades of Rosie Perez who was the choreographer on the show. She used to be a very sweet girl - always fighting the battle of the bulge. But her fortunes have changed and I've heard she's a bit less than pleasant these days. That was a good film by the way!

Rather than investing in a bunch of these movies, maybe some of us trusted Qualia 006 owners may consider sharing our D-Theater collections. I agree, it's not worth wasting a lot of money on a format with such a limited life span (I have a nice collection of movies on Betamax, by the way). I'm rationalizing the value of the machine itself because of the ability to archive recordings from my Comcast Motorola DVR, which by the way is really awesome! Too bad it only holds 10 hours of HD on the teeny 120 gig hard drive, but the DVHS machine will help me manage stuff I want to hang onto. I think the blank tapes are around ten bucks.

I opted not to buy the 1080i DVE tape. Ninety smackers is too much money to spend on it, and the lack of DVD menu functionality on the DVHS version turned me off. So I'll play with the DVD version of DVE this weekend and see how the Qualia 006 tweaks out.

colortv-
Well you’re in HD recording heaven compared to me. The Adelphia Moxi box apparently has a WHOPPING 80 gigs of storage !

And guess what, I just checked the back and no firewire.

Luckily, I’m also renting a Moto 6200 from Adelphia for reasons as listed above…which does have firewire.

One more question, if you please, after how many hours of use are you getting the heads cleaned ?

You know you really intrigued me with your first post on this accessorial use of the Qualia 006 to obtain 1080i input……NOT… by the resolution thing at first …but by the movie that you displayed to your friends.

I’ve always been big fan of Catherine Zeta-Jones from the first time I saw her in ZORRO –after which I was convinced with her accent that she was the loveliest Latina on earth…that is until my wife burst my bubble shortly after the movie by informing me that she was indeed a Brit (actually I think having won Miss Universe or perhaps her country’s delegate to said event?). Anyway, if you ever tell us that SHE was in your editing room, I’ll absolutely scream !

I don't believe BluRay and movies will ship this year.

I'd be surprised if they did.

I currently have d* with the samsung 160 stb. I was considering getting the hd-tivo but wanted to know my options with the 006. I live in a comcast area and use comcast for my cable modem connection. I am wondering what would be the cleanest signal for watching on the 006. Is it possible to use a cablecard and have some form of hd dvr capabilities? Or would comcast's hd dvr not allow that? I have heard that the cablecard may be the best way to achieve the highest pq for tv viewing. Does comcast have any form of hd dvr that will work in conjunction with a cable card or would I need to go with their 6412 box and not use the cablecard?
thanks for any info.
brgds,
jp

Originally posted by kaduku
I'm in WC. I'll let you know when it's set up already.

Hey, only 90 minutes away... I'd love to come over sometime in mid-February after you're all set up and burned in a bit. My email address is g2k@pacbell.net... please give me a shout when you get the unit. (And I have some questions for you about how you ordered it and from whom.)

Thanks...

-G

Originally posted by kanebear
You should be able to find the first-gen deck (HM-DH30000U) out there for $399 or less as well as the second gen model.

I believe the only difference between the 1st Gen JVC HM3000U and the 2nd Gen HM4000U is the HM3000U does Dolby Digital 5.1 and the HM4000U does Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS.

And think of the variety sources you can feed the JVC in various formats and then firewire to the 006 or a HTPC.

Stew

Originally posted by Penton-Man
ATTENTION - ATTENTION – ROGO Query Alert-

Mark,
Let’s say, Sony is able to ship the Blu-ray in Dec. as is predicted at this point....

Blu-Ray is currently scheduled to ship in 2006.

HD-DVD will ship in time for Christmas 2005. Among theHD-DVD titles: slated to make their HD DVD bow this year are the upcoming Warner theatrical releases Batman Begins, Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves; and the Tim Burton-directed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp.

The three new releases will lead a slate of 50 titles from the studios, also including The Polar Express and The Phantom of the Opera, along with HBO's The Sopranos and New Line's Rush Hour and Final Destination. Paramount will contribute the upcoming Cameron Crowe film Elizabethtown and the recent Manchurian Candidate as part of a 20-title slate, while Universal will offer Van Helsing, The Bourne Supremacy and The Chronicles of Riddick.

Toshiba and Sanyo will begin selling HD DVD players in the U.S. by the fourth quarter.

Not advocating one or the other and I Apologize if reply is off topic thread; just wanted to answer your question

jp2,

I just changed over from the Samsung 160 to the Directv HD DVR. IMO the HD DVR is noticably better than the 160. The 160 crushes blacks on the DVI out.

From what I have read, the Qualia 006 cannot accept a 1080p signal via HDMI or i.Link, is this correct?

twd,
what about all the hdmi issues that I've been reading about with the hd-tivo? It also seems like its still a lot of money for the hd-tivo and d*'s relationship with tivo seems to be up in the air. My ideal setup would be to use the cable card and have an hd dvr connected via firewire.
thanks,
jp

jp2,

I have my DLP connected via HDMI with no problem. I understand your concern regarding the HD DVR, Rumors are flying all over the place. But it really is a great piece. Check it out over on the TIVO community forum.

When I was using the 160, I had it connected via component and my DVD (Bravo D2) via DVI.

PS - I've had the DVR running since December 9.

Originally posted by hdnathan

Not advocating one or the other and I Apologize if reply is off topic thread; just wanted to answer your question
No apologies to me needed.
Thanks for the input.

As far as I’m concerned all of this stuff is interrelated and simply serves to embellish the qualities of the 006!

I actually find that Johnny Depp’s movie that you mention on HD-DVD to be ironic since he just recently bought an 004 for his L.A. abode.
:)

colortv-
Please check your PM when you get a chance.

dpc123-
Sorry, I never check my PM box unless somebody gives me a heads up.
Your query was just responded to.

I hope that helps.

Good luck with the traffic around the Perimeter - I personally think its worse than the L.A. area!

Originally posted by colortv
In a previous post someone mentioned that the Firewire ports on the Qualia 006 are inputs only and do not pass video out...that has not been my experience. Here is a photo of my setup taken this morning of an HD recording of The Tonight Show recorded FROM one of the Qualia 006's iLink ports TO my JVC 40000 DVHS machine, and played back via iLink to the TV.

I said that previous Sony TVs had input only firewire ports. Good to hear that the 006 does not have that limitation. However I assume you were recording off the internal tuner or another firewire port. I would be very surprised if you could record off the HDMI or component ports.

My 006 arrived today and is looking good. I looked at some HD via CableCard and it looked exceptional as expected. I tried a few DVDs (Kiil Bill Vol 1, Shrek 2, Spiderman 2) and they all looked great. I will watch some HD hoops on TNTHD tonight. The real test is when I watch the Eagles finally make it to the Super Bowl on Sunday.

This display is clearly superior to my old Toshiba LCOS.

Thanks to all who contributed to the 006 threads. It was helpful in my decsion.

mauricef -
Welcome to the party!!!

Do I surmise chilly, willy Philly ??

My Sony KDP-65WS550 has i.Link that outputs to my JVC 40k as well, so Sony's have had Input/Output i.Link for a while now. I notice the new HDMI equipped models don't have i.Link anymore, except for the 006 that is. Wonder if they have dropped i.Link altogether.

Originally posted by ADGrant
I said that previous Sony TVs had input only firewire ports. Good to hear that the 006 does not have that limitation. However I assume you were recording off the internal tuner or another firewire port. I would be very surprised if you could record off the HDMI or component ports.

My only DVHS recording test so far has been using the Qualia's ATSC tuner and recording on the DVHS machine via Firewire. No problems - a no-brainer. However, in playing back a couple of D-Theater movies from DVHS to the Qualia via Firewire there has been an occasional glitch causing audio/video freeze and a momentary sea of tiles. I don't know if there is a Firewire issue or dropout on the tapes or what. As a test, I connected the output of the DVHS machine to the Qualia via component cables and haven't seen anymore dropout problems. Another bonus of connecting via component: the DVHS machine's on-screen menus and fast scanning are not visible via Firewire, but are visible via component. I can't see a difference in PQ between the two, so I'm going component for now. But I am still have the DVHS machine connected to the Qualia via Firewire in case I want to record from the Qualia's ATSC tuner (the DVHS machine has 2 Firewire ports for daisy chain).

My Firewire path:
Motorola 6412/Comcast HD DVR > JVC 40000 DVHS (for archiving HD DVR to HD DVHS)

JVC 40000 DVHS > Qualia 006 for recording from Qualia 006 ATSC tuner to HD DVHS (select either the Motorola Firewire DVR or the Sony Firewire TV on the JVC's input menu)

JVC 40000 DVHS component out > Qualia 006 component input to view DVHS without Firewire data glitches

Originally posted by bernster2001
Just got my 006 today. Voom(now Doom) looks absolutely wonderful.

What's up with the Doom thing? I'm considering VOOM when they come out with their DVR in March. Is there some news I haven't heard about a possible demise of VOOM? I hope not!

(It appears that Dish is buying Voom.)

I also received my 006 today. The delivery guys were very careful in bringing in my set. So far I've only been able to try the 006 with my upconverting Denon 3910. I'm very impressed so far. Directv is being hooked up later. You can see actually see the pixels in my old 70 XBR, but you can hardly see them on the 006 and the blacks are definitely blacker on this set. The 006 also appears to be deeper than the 70 XBR. I'm probably gonna keep the stock speakers off to give it a more streamline look, but I am gonna need a toslink switcher for the audio. I am soooo glad I opted to return the 70 XBR, and waited to get this baby. Totally no regrets on the money that was spent. I thought I was first one in my area to get the 006, but I learned through the delivery guy that another 006 was delivered earlier just 6 miles away.

I thought Blu-Ray players were already available because theres two for sale on eBay.

Congratulations to the new owners today including mauricef!!!!!!!

Bernster2001,
Sorry to hear that you're having trouble with you 006. Hope you resolve it soon.

bernster and kaduka - Welcome to the club !

This Qualia bug is becoming contagious !

I hope you guys are as happy as the rest of us lads!

Originally posted by Ed Weinman
(It appears that Dish is buying Voom.)

Not exactly.

Echostar who owns Dish is buying Rainbow 1, Voom's satellite, and certain other related equipment.

My guess is that Dish will wind up with the customers, but we'll see how that goes.

Got my set today. Great picture quality. Watched Fifth element superbit - incredible. Still setting everything up.


ONE QUESTION: The manual for the stand on page 3 says it can't be moved to the left or right once the TV is placed on it. But the very next paragraph says that if you want to move it to the left or right you need to move the left or right end towards you, then the other end towards you etc. However, that doesn't seem to move the stand left or right. I need to move it to the left about 1 foot. Has anyone succeeded in moving it left or right once the TV is seated on it??????

I thought this stand had built-in casters. No???

david - Yes it does! Who did you buy your unit from ?

nhey-
Congradulations -
I really didn't read the manual about moving the stand but, it won't go directly from side to side.

You have to kind of move it forward or backward one end at a time and sort of manuever it into place and you will easily get it one foot or more to the right or left.

I had to get mine to go at least 2 feet to the left from where the delivery guys placed it and probably more after doing all the hook-ups...all it takes is a little back and forth elbow grease.

Penton - you ARE THE MAN!!

Thanks!!

Originally posted by 3deye
Hey, only 90 minutes away... I'd love to come over sometime in mid-February after you're all set up and burned in a bit. My email address is g2k@pacbell.net... please give me a shout when you get the unit. (And I have some questions for you about how you ordered it and from whom.)

Thanks...

-G

3deye,

Check your email!

nhey,

Congrats!!!! Isn't it a great tv. I guess there was alot of deliveries today.

Originally posted by Penton-Man
colortv-
Well you’re in HD recording heaven compared to me. The Adelphia Moxi box apparently has a WHOPPING 80 gigs of storage !

And guess what, I just checked the back and no firewire.

One more question, if you please, after how many hours of use are you getting the heads cleaned ?


I bought a DVHS cleaning tape when I got the machine but haven't used it yet. I thought all HD cable boxes were REQUIRED to have Firewire ports. Obviously, the word didn't get to Moxi. 80 gigs? Comcast told me that's what their previous DVR had so maybe they were Moxi before. So far I'm loving the Motorola 6412 and the TV Guide interface.

Welcome to all the new QUALIA 006 owners! This group just keeps getting bigger and better :)

Wow, this was Good Friday for a lot of us! Congrats guys, I know you are enjoying the experience.

One thought about upconverting DVD players such as the Sony NS975V and the Panny S97 ... since the scaler in the Qualia 006 is SO GOOD, should we not let the TV do the upscaling job on SD DVD's rather than having our DVD players do the math? My logic may be flawed, but I tested the theory last night with my Sony 975 DVD player which was set to HDMI "Auto" by default. During a brief test, the video looked better to me on the DVD player's "Auto" setting than when I forced it to upconvert to 1920x1080. But it was really late and I didn't have time to test further with DVE. Any ideas?

(a) Your logic is not flawed. People have an irrational love for upconverting DVD players when the key is >>digital output<< not internal scaling.

(b) Most of the upconverting DVD players out today are considered dreadful by videophiles. Check out the DVD Players section to learn all the bugaboos.

For everyone's information: Through a contact at Sony (Engineer for the Q004), there are no plans for an XBR version of the Q006. That doesn't mean that they'll change their mind sometime this year, but the plan was to bolster the Qualia line, set up Q Dealers with the Q006 as the lead in, and wait for more competitive products to hit the market before XBR XSRD.
There seems to be enough Q006 to go around at this time.
Elbert

Originally posted by rogo
(a) Your logic is not flawed. People have an irrational love for upconverting DVD players when the key is >>digital output<< not internal scaling.

(b) Most of the upconverting DVD players out today are considered dreadful by videophiles. Check out the DVD Players section to learn all the bugaboos.

Thanks rogo. We're lucky to have your sage advice! I'll let the Qualia do the scaling and set the DVD player accordingly.

No doubt there are far better and more expensive DVD players out there than my new Sony 975V, but I want to minimize my investment in standard def DVD. The only reason I bought this new player was to get HDMI connectivity. I've been telling my friends for years not to spend a lot of money on huge collections of standard def DVD titles because high def DVD's were on the horizon. In due time, the studios will be thrilled to sell high def DVD's to those collectors to replace their fuzzy old SD DVD's. For now, I'm strictly a DVD renter - or better yet, try to see as much HD content as possible.

Originally posted by Elbert
For everyone's information: Through a contact at Sony (Engineer for the Q004), there are no plans for an XBR version of the Q006. That doesn't mean that they'll change their mind sometime this year, but the plan was to bolster the Qualia line, set up Q Dealers with the Q006 as the lead in, and wait for more competitive products to hit the market before XBR XSRD.
There seems to be enough Q006 to go around at this time.
Elbert

That makes a lot of sense. The poor Qualia salesmen have had almost no PRACTICAL items to sell. Just very pricey stuff that is beautifully designed, but can be bought in less snazzy wrapping with equal or superior quality for far less money. Giving the Qualia stores this TV was a smart move by Sony. Despite the price, the SXRD TV is an item with no peers (for now) that will surely bring recognition to the Qualia name.

I was shopping for cables a new a/v receiver today at The Good Guys and stopped to take a look at every plasma, direct view LCD, and RPTV on display. After having spent a few days with my Qualia 006 and becoming familiar with the look of SXRD video, I was reminded that nothing out there can match this TV. You fellow owners give that a try after spending time with your 006's - nothing else looks as good in comparison.

JB007-

Does your Harmony remote allow you to switch to the "TV" input directly? That's the input between Video 7 and Video 1. In other words, does it have a discrete code for the TV input?

Penton-man - is your set on a carpeted floor or wood floor?

Originally posted by colortv

JVC 40000 DVHS > Qualia 006 for recording from Qualia 006 ATSC tuner to HD DVHS (select either the Motorola Firewire DVR or the Sony Firewire TV on the JVC's input menu)


So if you buy a Qualia you can record all HD channels to D-VHS?
Does it work with a Panasonic D-VHS VCR too? Do some channels not
work?

Originally posted by kanebear
My thoughts are that as he's the one who'll install and maintain the set, I'd much rather give him the business than a corporate store who won't be nearly as accountable when it comes to support later on. He said he had to order quite a bit of product (several 004 projectors, a number of 006 tvs, not sure about the SACD system, the MD portable or the camera)

What is Sony's policy WRT MSRP and discounting when it comes to Qualia? I'd be surprised if they didn't have a Bose-esque policy in place to rigorously support and protect the perceived product value/price (E.G. get caught discounting and face the wrath of Sony).

I was told that Sony is enforcing that it's full MSRP and was quoted $13,999 as MSRP by Tweeter here in Atlanta.

I only have comcast analog channels right now. Directv with HD is being installed in a few days. The 006 was still able to get more channels than my other tvs, including some digital ones. The standard channels are alot better than the ones on the 70 XBR. The set is also alot heavier than the XBR. Did I mention that I was happy camper.

Pls help me on this!!!!! I plan to hook up the XBOX with Halo 2, along with the high definition av adapter. Will I have any isssues on this? Colortv, you seem very knowledgeable, any input on this?

Kaduku,
No issues with xbox with component adapter with 006. I purchased mx unleashed which is a 1080i xbox game and it looks very good. Just to make sure, I went into the xbox setup console and disabled everything except 1080i.

Originally posted by jp2
Kaduku,
No issues with xbox with component adapter with 006. I purchased mx unleashed which is a 1080i xbox game and it looks very good. Just to make sure, I went into the xbox setup console and disabled everything except 1080i.

Thanks jp2,

My son's birthday is coming up and he wanted to play Halo 2 with his friends on the 006 on that day. I will do the XBOX setup. Thanks again for the info.

I JUST LOVE THIS FORUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by nhey
JB007-

Does your Harmony remote allow you to switch to the "TV" input directly? That's the input between Video 7 and Video 1. In other words, does it have a discrete code for the TV input?

nhey,

Funny you should ask that question, because that's the one command I have noticed I do not have set on my Harmony 688 (by the way, I can't wait for the Harmony 880). I have an HD TiVo that I utilize as my primary viewing input. The only time I will watch the "TV" input is to view Channel 4 (cable) for Padres games when the season starts. I can get to the TV input on the Harmony by selecting TV on its screen (as I would to access settings on the 006) and then just hit the channel up or down button.

I have two thoughts on this issue. First, maybe I just need to set up (teach) the discrete code for TV to the Harmony database, or maybe there is not a discrete code for TV, since that is the one input source on the 006 you can not set to skip.

Hello All,

I am planning to pull the trigger on the Qualia 006, perhaps today.
I was planning on also getting a Denon3910 DVD player based on
comparisons I did with other players at the store. The Denon clearly
had a better picture (edge detail was smooth and free of jagged lines).

Is the Denon a good choice or am I throwing away money if it is better
to have the Qualia do the scaling and whatever else?

I did not by DLP or LCD because, among other things, I did not like
the way these TVs handled subtle color changes. For example, ocean
water changing its color with distance. The DLP made the ocean look
flat. Plasma did a better job but was not a technology that I wanted.
Does the Qualia 006 do a good job with this sort of thing?

There also does not seem to be many good choices for stands to put this TV on. The stand has to be strong and also the correct height. Are people happy with the Sony stand? My concern with that stand is with a cheap look and lack of room for components. I only know of the stand "Colortv" used - are there other options?

Thanks

jb007,
How do you like the hd-tivo with the 006? Do you have it connected via the hdmi port? There have been a lot of reports on hdmi issues with the hd-tivo and I'm also considering any cable options.
thanks,
jp

Dilbert1,
I have the sony stand and it doesn't look cheap in person. Also it has a lot of space for a large center channel speaker and several components. I think the main issue is that it is wide open and may look cluttered if you stack components on top of each other. My toshiba lcos tv has given me an idea with how to "clean up" the look of this stand though. I was thinking of having a custom made door/cover for the front of the stand. This would use acoustically transparent cloth like the toshiba had. It would also lift up from the bottom. I might even have "Qualia" etched in the cloth to make me feel better!;)

Originally posted by Dilbert1
Hello All,

I am planning to pull the trigger on the Qualia 006, perhaps today.
I was planning on also getting a Denon3910 DVD player based on
comparisons I did with other players at the store. The Denon clearly
had a better picture (edge detail was smooth and free of jagged lines).

Is the Denon a good choice or am I throwing away money if it is better
to have the Qualia do the scaling and whatever else?

I did not by DLP or LCD because, among other things, I did not like
the way these TVs handled subtle color changes. For example, ocean
water changing its color with distance. The DLP made the ocean look
flat. Plasma did a better job but was not a technology that I wanted.
Does the Qualia 006 do a good job with this sort of thing?

There also does not seem to be many good choices for stands to put this TV on. The stand has to be strong and also the correct height. Are people happy with the Sony stand? My concern with that stand is with a cheap look and lack of room for components. I only know of the stand "Colortv" used - are there other options?

Thanks

Dilbert1,

I have the Denon 3910 and I am very happy with it. It does a great job in scaling, though I am very interested in Colortv's approach on having the 006 do it itself. Colortv also has a great stand, probably best so far I've seen. Another option for you is the Salamander triple. I have one of these and it is not bad all.

http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/

Here's a link to the other popular thread and check out my pic of the stand with my old 70" XBR.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=444411&perpage=20&highlight=sony%2070&pagenumber=100

Originally posted by jp2
jb007,
How do you like the hd-tivo with the 006? Do you have it connected via the hdmi port? There have been a lot of reports on hdmi issues with the hd-tivo and I'm also considering any cable options.
thanks,
jp

I am a huge fan of the HD TiVO. I've been using one with the Sony 42" plasma upstairs for about one year and replaced a Sony SAT-T60 DirecTV TiVo downstairs when I received the 006. I've added 300GB hard drives to each of them, and am now able to record 70 hours of HD or 470 hours of SD.

I have had HDMI issues with each unit. Basically, the picture output through HDMI was posterized. However, DirecTV sent a brand new replacement unit out via FedEx overnight (no cost to me) both times. Posters in the TiVo community report the problem has been fixed on the new batch of units. Typically, if the HDMI card is bad, you will know it the first time you plug it into your TV. If it's OK, you should be fine thereafter.

Hey Guys-

I just pulled the trigger. I bought it through my local SONY/Qualia dealer. They say I should have delivery by Feb 15. (10% off). I like dealing with someone local....................................in case there is a problem. I just got the standard 3 year warranty.

Originally posted by casey
Hey Guys-

I just pulled the trigger. I bought it through my local SONY/Qualia dealer. They say I should have delivery by Feb 15. (10% off). I like dealing with someone local....................................in case there is a problem. I just got the standard 3 year warranty.

casey,

Welcome to the Qualialution. Now, with that $1,300 savings, how about springing for food and drink at the First Annual 006 Owner's Convention to be held at a time and place TBD :D :D :D

I just found this over in the TiVo Community. Logitech/Harmony is offering a 25% mail-in rebate on their remotes purchased between January 20 and March 15, 2005. While it's specifically aimed at TiVo users, anyone can get the rebate. Here's the rebate form (http://www.logitech.com/lang/pdf/rebates/OLRS00371_Harmony_TiVo_25.pdf).

Some of you may be waiting for the new Harmony 880 (expected release date in April), but this is a really good deal that is being offered, so I just wanted to bring it to your attention.

Thank you for the reply about the Denon 3910 and the stand.

There is a nice stand made by avdeco (P374)
but the top shelf is only rated to 300lbs and I don't know how
much margin really exists. It would be bad to be sliding this
television and have it break through the top glass shelf. Incidentally
it would be a good idea to place teflon cups under the legs of any
stand you buy to reduce friction when you move the unit. These cups
or pads are available from stores that specialize in organization and storage.


There is also a great stand available from JSP that measures 28"x73"x26
but I am afraid that it may be too high at 28". it is the IN'OVATION CREDENZA 070C110 and costs about $2000. Do you think a 28" high stand would be
bad?

I am still very interested in any comments about how the Qualia 006 does
on subtle color reproduction with greens and blues found in ocean water.

Dilbert1
P.S. I was not allowed to post the links for these sites.

Originally posted by mhafner
So if you buy a Qualia you can record all HD channels to D-VHS?
Does it work with a Panasonic D-VHS VCR too? Do some channels not
work?

I'm not sure about all channels. I tried a few channels from the Qualia's ATSC tuner and all recorded to DVHS just fine. I assume that copy protected programs will not record on DVHS properly. But I'm not sure what those programs would be. In my case, most of my DVHS recording will be from my Comcast HD DVR which has Firewire ports which should allow recording of non-copy protected programs to DVHS. I assume that attempting to record a copy protected movie from HBO would fail, but I'm not certain. Currently I'm not subscribing to HBO, just basic HD cable.

I assume that if a Panasonic DVHS machine has Firewire/iLink ports, you can record and playback HD with it. But I don't have experience with the Panasonic machines.

Originally posted by Dilbert1
Hello All,

I am planning to pull the trigger on the Qualia 006, perhaps today.
I was planning on also getting a Denon3910 DVD player based on
comparisons I did with other players at the store. The Denon clearly
had a better picture (edge detail was smooth and free of jagged lines).

Is the Denon a good choice or am I throwing away money if it is better
to have the Qualia do the scaling and whatever else?

Dilbert,

If you decide to order the Qualia, you won't be sorry. I smile and shake my head in amazement everytime I turn my set on. You won't see that "flat" look you mentioned regarding DLP. SXRD images have much more depth. You may have seen my earlier posts that I work in televsion production and watch 1080p on studio monitors every day - been there, done that. But the size and image quality of the Qualia 006 has impressed even a jaded old-timer like me!

I'd advise you to think twice about spending big bucks on a standard definition DVD player. In a year or so you'll be done with it because high definition DVD will be here. Regardless of format, those HD players are probably backward compatible and will play your current DVD's just fine. Consider the Sony NS975V or Panasonic S97. Both are fine medium priced players with digital HDMI connections to the Qualia you may soon own. And per Rogo's advice (see quote below) ... don't let the DVD player scale up DVD video to 1920 x 1080. The scaler in the Qualia 006 is better than the ones in most DVD players. I see a big difference in video quality when my Sony player is not scaling. The Qualia contains Sony's newest and more expensive scaling technology and does a fantastic job of it.

Originally posted by rogo
(a) People have an irrational love for upconverting DVD players when the key is >>digital output<< not internal scaling.

(b) Most of the upconverting DVD players out today are considered dreadful by videophiles. Check out the DVD Players section to learn all the bugaboos.

Originally posted by jb007
I am a huge fan of the HD TiVO. I've been using one with the Sony 42" plasma upstairs for about one year and replaced a Sony SAT-T60 DirecTV TiVo downstairs when I received the 006. I've added 300GB hard drives to each of them, and am now able to record 70 hours of HD or 270 hours of SD.

I have had HDMI issues with each unit. Basically, the picture output through HDMI was posterized. However, DirecTV sent a brand new replacement unit out via FedEx overnight (no cost to me) both times. Posters in the TiVo community report the problem has been fixed on the new batch of units. Typically, if the HDMI card is bad, you will know it the first time you plug it into your TV. If it's OK, you should be fine thereafter.

Any word on what DirecTV will do about the current mpeg 2 HD TiVo's when they switch to mpeg 4 compression? Seems like a gray area right now and kept me from spending a grand on that box if the future of it is iffy.

Originally posted by casey
Hey Guys-

I just pulled the trigger. I bought it through my local SONY/Qualia dealer. They say I should have delivery by Feb 15. (10% off). I like dealing with someone local....................................in case there is a problem. I just got the standard 3 year warranty.

Congrats Casey! You may be the first to get any kind of discount of a Qualia 006. Apparently the rumors of Sony's ironclad rules about full list price are unfounded.

I plan to set the SXRD on a wood stand. Do I need to put something under is to keep it from scratching the wood? Also, looking at the TV, is the HDMI connector on the right or left? Trying to figure our if I need a 3' or 6' HDMI cable.

Has anyone tried a HDMI-DVI adapter yet? Do they work o.k.? I may wait until this summer to get a new HDMI cable when I will need to upgrade to the new mpeg4 DirecTV STB.

Originally posted by casey
Has anyone tried a HDMI-DVI adapter yet? Do they work o.k.? I may wait until this summer to get a new HDMI cable when I will need to upgrade to the new mpeg4 DirecTV STB.

Casey,

I ordered an HDMI-DVI cable from RAM ($30 - ad at the top of AVS pages) to connect my Comcast DVR to the Qualia 006. When the cable shows up, I'll report on how it works and if the video is any better than through the current component connection. Thanks to Penton's tip about RAM. Their cable is seriously cheaper than anything I can find locally.

Originally posted by casey
I plan to set the SXRD on a wood stand. Do I need to put something under is to keep it from scratching the wood? Also, looking at the TV, is the HDMI connector on the right or left? Trying to figure our if I need a 3' or 6' HDMI cable.

Casey,

I haven't seen the underside of the Qualia. I assume it has some thin feet or pads. The HDMI connectors are on the right side as you view the set from the rear.

Originally posted by colortv
Any word on what DirecTV will do about the current mpeg 2 HD TiVo's when they switch to mpeg 4 compression? Seems like a gray area right now and kept me from spending a grand on that box if the future of it is iffy.

Nothing has been said officially by DirecTV, but CSR's there are telling customers DirecTV will replace their HD TiVos with a new unit capable of MPEG4, at no additional cost to the customer, when the MPEG2 stream is turned off. That is not expected to happen for some time (2 years?). In the past, DirecTV has provided new hardware and free installation to customers that needed new hardware due to updated technology. Time will tell, but I think an HD TiVo is a sound investment at $600 ($850, less $250 DirecTV credits, see the TiVo community forum for details) for the viewing enjoyment you will receive for the immediate future.

Here's a little Quicktime movie (16:9 of course) of the delivery of my Qualia 006. Two strong men can handle the beast in spite of the recommendation in the manual.

http://www.kingoftheroad.net/qualia006/colortv-delivery.mov

Originally posted by colortv
Here's a little Quicktime movie (16:9 of course) of the delivery of my Qualia 006. Two strong men can handle the beast in spite of the recommendation in the manual.

http://www.kingoftheroad.net/qualia006/colortv-delivery.mov

colortv,

Ver cool! Thanks for sharing.

P.S. Tell that third guy to watch out for fingerprints on your virgin 006 :p

[QUOTE]Originally posted by colortv
[B]Here's a little Quicktime movie (16:9 of course) of the delivery of my Qualia 006. Two strong men can handle the beast in spite of the recommendation in the manual.


My two delivery guys wish they could have been delivering that instead of a 73" Mits :D Enjoy your new TV.

Originally posted by jb007
.... Time will tell, but I think an HD TiVo is a sound investment at $600 ($850, less $250 DirecTV credits, see the TiVo community forum for details) for the viewing enjoyment you will receive for the immediate future.

jb007,

Apparently not all of the Vice-Presidents at D* would agree. :p

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=43484

Originally posted by colortv
[B]Here's a little Quicktime movie (16:9 of course) of the delivery of my Qualia 006. Two strong men can handle the beast in spite of the recommendation in the manual.



Colortv,

That video was almost comedic. Cool though!!!!!

A question for the owners: have you seen the abnormality I've illustrated below? I spotted in when viewing the 006 in Vegas. I'm not sure if it was the setup, or the TV. At the time, I was watching HDnet via their feed (DirecTV?). I believe the DirecTV was box was connected via component video. I noticed it during the closing titles for a movie.

It's hard to describe, so here's an illustration:

http://home.earthlink.net/~fancyboybob/images/sxrd.gif

JP2-

I think the idea of an acoustically transparent cloth of some sort for the front of the 006's stand is a great idea. I'd go for that. PM me when you get the details. I'd want it to be black. I bet there are others here that would go for it also to help the WAF. Maybe we can get a list going for that.

JB007 - I also noted that pressing channel up or down on the Sony remote takes you to the TV input, so I think I will try using channel + as the discrete code for that input.

NOTICE TO ALL: The Sony stand has casters but is not easy to move from side to side. You CANNOT role this stand straight ahead or backwards with the TV seated on it. If anyone disagrees please post.

Warm color temp. is closest to the NTSC standard (not exactly 6500 degrees K but closer than the other choices.

Review of Picture Quality after 24 hours:

Being very picky, there is only one small negative I have seen with picture quality and that is there is some motion blur I've noticed infrequently that might bother some folks who like to watch fast moving sports like basketball or hockey. However, I have seen it more ofter watching CNN with the news crawl on the bottom - you will likely see some motion blur in the news crawl. Does this bother other owners? Not sure if gamers will be happy with any motion blur whatsoever so if that's a primary purpose for this set you may want to see the set first. I would assume its much more of a problem with LCD sets that don't have the "5 millisecond" response rate of the SXRD, but instead have a "12 millisecond" response time at least.

DJ-V - you might be seeing the motion blur I've also noticed.

Blacks are black to me and 100% acceptable- and that's coming from an ex-Pioneer Elite RPTV CRT owner. Not an issue whatsoever.
Picture quality is really great on a good source like DVD and outstanding on HD sources. Even good enough for the family for analog cable - considering this is a 70 inch set that speaks volumes about this set's great scaler.

Penton, not in Philly anymore but it is my home town.

I wanted to share some setting that I fell gave me a spectacular picture. When I calibrated the set I noticed that the bottom few bars of the gray scale test parttern were crushed. I bumped up the brightness 2 or 3 increment above the default setting (I am using Pro mode) to reveal the missing bars. The image now was a little washed out. I went to the advanced menu and set the Black Enhance (I think that was the name without being in front of the TV) to medium. The picture now shows the missing bars and also has that punch that gives the 3D picture effect we all love.

Hope this is useful.

Mauice

How is free or discounted equipment to replace the Tivo an issue?

Originally posted by rogo
(a) Your logic is not flawed. People have an irrational love for upconverting DVD players when the key is >>digital output<< not internal scaling.

(b) Most of the upconverting DVD players out today are considered dreadful by videophiles. Check out the DVD Players section to learn all the bugaboos.

I agree with Monsieur Rogo. As if that's not like a senatorial aide agreeing with the SENATOR.

The key is the digital output. Whatever upconverting DVD player you guys end up with - check to see whether the 006 or the player does a better job at scaling before you finalize connections.

Originally posted by nhey
JB007-

Does your Harmony remote allow you to switch to the "TV" input directly? That's the input between Video 7 and Video 1. In other words, does it have a discrete code for the TV input?

Penton-man - is your set on a carpeted floor or wood floor?

Carpeted floor. Audiophile prerequisites beat the wife out this time over the better aesthetics of interior decorating.

Don't even ask about wall treatments in the room.

Originally posted by nhey
DJ-V - you might be seeing the motion blur I've also noticed.


I should point out that the titles I saw (and I reproduced in the illustration above) were not moving, they were still. So it was blur without motion.

God,
I leave this thread for 10 or 12 hours and I've got alot of make-up reading to do....whaz up with you guys?

Originally posted by DJ_V
A question for the owners: have you seen the abnormality I've illustrated below? I spotted in when viewing the 006 in Vegas. I'm not sure if it was the setup, or the TV. At the time, I was watching HDnet via their feed (DirecTV?). I believe the DirecTV was box was connected via component video. I noticed it during the closing titles for a movie.

It's hard to describe, so here's an illustration:

http://home.earthlink.net/~fancyboybob/images/sxrd.gif

No, I've never seen what you've pictured. Thank God.

I've also never seen this with stationary text.

FYI -- I've updated the first post in this thread to include some of the suggestions which have been posted. Thanks to all for their contributions. :)

Originally posted by mauricef
Penton, not in Philly anymore but it is my home town.

I wanted to share some setting that I fell gave me a spectacular picture. When I calibrated the set I noticed that the bottom few bars of the gray scale test parttern were crushed. I bumped up the brightness 2 or 3 increment above the default setting (I am using Pro mode) to reveal the missing bars. The image now was a little washed out. I went to the advanced menu and set the Black Enhance (I think that was the name without being in front of the TV) to medium. The picture now shows the missing bars and also has that punch that gives the 3D picture effect we all love.

Hope this is useful.

Mauice

Maurice,

Would you mind posting or pm'ing me with all of your settings after calibration, so I can include them in the first post?

[i]Originally posted by nhey there is some motion blur I've noticed infrequently that might bother some folks who like to watch fast moving sports like basketball or hockey. [/B]

I've watched some BB ball and noticed no motion blur...what's your source hook-up nhey?

I haven't tuned it to CNN yet.

Hell, I've been so involved in my Home Theater room that I've not keep current with any news events.

Tell me, have they found any weapons of mass destruction yet...or have we become the self-appointed spreader of democracy around the world or the international policemen at tens of millions of dollars a day in Iraq?
(funny how we don't push the democracy thing in Saudi Arabia)

Has the civil war exploded yet between the Sunnis (?sp.) and the Sheites (?sp.) ?

Sorry for the off-topic rant, but I lost teenage friends in Nam. Colin P. (a true soldier) was the only voice of reason and non-arrogance in this administration.

Geez,
I'm starting to sound like Artwood !

Originally posted by rogo
How is free or discounted equipment to replace the Tivo an issue?
Watch out.

Me thinks Tivo is one of Rogo's pet peeves!

After all Tivo does contain an "O".:)

colortv-
Nice film.

On the topic of delivery-guy logistics - and anyone with hesitation on buying this TV for an upstairs delivery.

Not to worry.

The local contractors that NVC uses in my area were able to carry this puppy up a flight of stairs AND negotiate a 90 degree turn which necessitated the bottom dwellers to raise the 006 above shoulder level.

It CAN be done...so don't worry about it.

Signing off...all caught up.
To all 006 owners:
Enjoy your new toy.

To all 006 contributors and consultants:
Thanks so much for your input...it makes our lives a helluva alot easier.

Could someone hook up a PC to the HDMI port, and run a game at 1920 x 1080 at greater than 30 fps (should be possible with most good video cards) and see how much artifact there is?

Originally posted by DJ_V
A question for the owners: have you seen the abnormality I've illustrated below? I spotted in when viewing the 006 in Vegas. I'm not sure if it was the setup, or the TV. At the time, I was watching HDnet via their feed (DirecTV?). I believe the DirecTV was box was connected via component video. I noticed it during the closing titles for a movie.

It's hard to describe, so here's an illustration:

http://home.earthlink.net/~fancyboybob/images/sxrd.gif

I haven't seen anything like that on my Qualia 006 and I've seen white titles on a black background just as in your simulation. Must have been a quirk, perhaps in the incoming feed.

punkzip,
I have a htpc connected via a dvi to hdmi cable and it works fine at 1080i. I've been trying to get it to sync with a 1080/24PsF signal. I am almost there with that input. I'm struggling wih a driver issue but it looks like it shoud work with the 006. I went out and bought a pc game that the so called pc game guru would put the 006 to the test. It was need for speed underground 2. i don't think most people have any clue as to what we are doing. The graphics in this game top out around 1024X768 and it doesn't even include DD let alone DTS. I had mentioned to the guy at the pc game store that i was trying to find a game that would do at least 1080 and mentioned the limitied number of xbox games at this resolution. He thought that the need for speed pc game would do it. Live and learn! i also got a true 1080i xbox game, mx unleashed, that looks very good with no motion lag. As I mentioned before, a am not a pc gamer and can't rely on the local pc gamer wiz. What type of test would you like me to perform. Are there any specific test programs that I could try as opposed to just my casual observations? Keep in mind that a lot of these programs may just be testing the capabilities of the pc and it's graphics card and not the actual monitor. Thanks for any detailed suggestions and sorry that i'm not up on this as I would like to be.
brgds,
jp

I saw my first issue in the 006. It has some serious internal reflections. The credits of "The Village" were scrolling when I noticed a faint mirrored version of the credits scrolling in the opposite direction. I did some more testing and I could see them on any moving object on a all black background. This could be what DJ_V was seeing.

The good news is that I could not see this on normal viewing and it has not dampened my enthusiasm for the TV.

JB007 I will jot down my settings and send them to you.

Originally posted by colortv

I'd advise you to think twice about spending big bucks on a standard definition DVD player. In a year or so you'll be done with it because high definition DVD will be here.

With the format wars I really doubt that there will be much in the way of consumer acceptance of HD DVD and thus catalog buildout for the next few years. Look at the situation with DVD-Audio and SACD. Look how long DVD catalog buildout took. Heck there are a lot of desireable movies that even today you can't get in Widescreen DVD.

As far as the cheap upscalers like the Sony, don't waste your time, they are artifact city. Get one of the SiL based deinterlacer units aka Denon 2200, 2900 or 3800 and feed that 480p via composite, and let the scaler in the Qualia do the rest.

DVD feedback: Fifth Element superbit is considered a "reference" DVD - it looks great on most DVD players. However, with the 006 it is not great - it is PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!! The detail, color, etc. etc. is just tremendous. Must be like watching a blu-ray HD-def DVD - can't wait for those.... If you have that DVD do yourself a favor and watch it on the Qualia with a bunch of friends - they will be blown away.

Positive aspects to ordering from a dealer : Better support, they'll install and wire everything gratis, if it breaks they're local and will help with warranty issues... and I might just get a sweet discount.

Negative aspects to ordering from a dealer : Waiting sucks. No, waiting REALLY REALLY sucks. Sucks hard. It's even worse as I have a custom built cabinet (was built for a 60XBR950 but was very very easy to modify for the 006) all ready and waiting for a TV. I'm SO hopeful February means Feb 1 and NOT Feb 28th.

"Me thinks Tivo is one of Rogo's pet peeves!"

Not at all....

I got annoyed with the nonsense above about staying away from something great that DirecTV is apparently willing to replace later for next to nothing.

My HD Tivo went on the blink and it's been serious withdrawal waiting for the replacement.

I'd get one today if I didn't have one.

Had Directv installed today. All I can say about HD on the 006 is WOW!!!!!!

3deye,

Sorry I could not get to you. I will call you later today.

Originally posted by rogo
[BMy HD Tivo went on the blink and it's been serious withdrawal waiting for the replacement.

I'd get one today if I didn't have one. [/B]
Well put Mark, to combine HD with Tivo functionality is by far the best
STB I have ever owned.

Martin

Wow. The 006's specs say that it's a WHOPPING 273 lbs in weight. Damn that is pretty heavy. My 55XS is only about 120. The guts of that monster must be pretty extensive.

Originally posted by kaduku
Had Directv installed today. All I can say about HD on the 006 is WOW!!!!!!

3deye,

Sorry I could not get to you. I will call you later today.

kaduku,

Since DirecTV is not doing all locals in HD, how will you watch your locals in HD - such as the forthcoming Oscarcast on ABC? Do you have an antenna to see OTA thru the Qualia's ATSC tuner?

Originally posted by nhey
ColorTV or anyone else,

Last night, I decided to move my roof top antennae hook up from my HD TIVO (yes, I have both comcast cable and DirecTV) to the 006 "VHF/UHF" input to see if the set's tuner is better than the HD TIVO's in terms of picking up local digital OTA channels. I then went to my "TV" input but don't see any of the OTA channels. Do I have to run the "50 minute set up" again manually to see the channels from the roof top antennae? Will the set then display all the analog cable TV channels and my rooftop antennae channels through the "TV" input?

Sounds like you need to run the Qualia setup again. Mine took more like 10 minutes instead of the indicated 50.

Since you have both Comcast HD and DirecTV HD, can you comment on PQ comparison of the same HD channels carried by both services? Such as Discovery HD? I'm surprised that Comcast looks as good as it does - in the past, I never liked cable's signal degradation, at least back in the SD days. I hope Comcast adds more HD channels now that VOOM is soon to be history. I was planning to switch to VOOM when their DVR was coming out in March. Oh well...

I am new to the forum... Have been following this forum as well as the previous one on Sony 006. I ordered the TV sight unseen based on the feedback here on the forum. I would like feedback on the way I plan to set up my system:

1) TV to Comcast HD STB (Firewire) since it has no HDMI it has DVI but
Firewire does both Digital Video and Audio
2) Comcast STB to Denon 5803 A/V Reciever (Optical)
3) Denon DVD to TV (HDMI)
4) Denon DVD to Denon 5803 A/V Receiver (Denon Link) this works now
5) JVC D-Video to TV (Firewire)
6) JVC D-Video to Denon 5803 A/V Reciever (Optical)

I figured since composite is Analog I would try to go all digital connections... Any recommendations on the above connections? I think I read from JB007 the TVs firewire port is 4 pin.

I get my 006 Tuesday... Can't wait!

Originally posted by jp2
punkzip,
I have a htpc connected via a dvi to hdmi cable and it works fine at 1080i. I've been trying to get it to sync with a 1080/24PsF signal. I am almost there with that input. I'm struggling wih a driver issue but it looks like it shoud work with the 006. I went out and bought a pc game that the so called pc game guru would put the 006 to the test. It was need for speed underground 2. i don't think most people have any clue as to what we are doing. The graphics in this game top out around 1024X768 and it doesn't even include DD let alone DTS. I had mentioned to the guy at the pc game store that i was trying to find a game that would do at least 1080 and mentioned the limitied number of xbox games at this resolution. He thought that the need for speed pc game would do it. Live and learn! i also got a true 1080i xbox game, mx unleashed, that looks very good with no motion lag. As I mentioned before, a am not a pc gamer and can't rely on the local pc gamer wiz. What type of test would you like me to perform. Are there any specific test programs that I could try as opposed to just my casual observations? Keep in mind that a lot of these programs may just be testing the capabilities of the pc and it's graphics card and not the actual monitor. Thanks for any detailed suggestions and sorry that i'm not up on this as I would like to be.
brgds,
jp

jp, I know myself and quite a few other people are DYING to know whether or not we can drive this sucker with true 1080p from a PC, and if so at what refresh rate, since it's a tough sell for me to buy a 6 megapixel display that's logically limited to 1080p then artificially limited to 1080i! I know you're not a PC video expert and we thank you for your efforts, but is anyone here a knowledgeable PC user who's planning to answer the 1080p question?

ColorTV-

I find Comcast HD to be much better than Directv HD and, if fact, I always watch the Comcast feed. Also, in NJ, Comcast has about 2x as many channels available as Directv. Most people claim that Comcast passes through the HD signal without adding any additional compression, while Directv is "bandwidth constrained" to say the least. I find the difference to be clearly noticeable.

SRT-10 - you have GREAT equipment. Your suggested setup sounds good to me. You will be in "Video Heaven" in a short few days.

To all those with a HD-TIVO 250 - I tried to hook up HDMI to the set's HDMI and get nothing - screen is black. My 250 is one of the earlier manufactured ones. I know they will replace it for free with free shipping so I may take them up on a replacement. I'm familiar that many 250's have this problem. Too bad it doesn't have a firewire port.

I was able to hook up via a DVI to HDMI cable to my Comcast 6412 dual tuner PVR, to input 6 (HDMI) and it works. Have not had enough time to compare that to a component hookup. I don't have a firewire cable as yet to try the firewire route to the set.

Somebody needs to answer the PC 1080p question. It sounds like that is the one remaining major unknown about this set. Sorry can't do that myself.

I have read articles on the sony sxrd, but it doesn't mention if it has a built in hd tuner. does this tv have a built in hd tuner? For $13,000 Im hoping it has a built in hd tuner.

Yes.

Originally posted by colortv
kaduku,

Since DirecTV is not doing all locals in HD, how will you watch your locals in HD - such as the forthcoming Oscarcast on ABC? Do you have an antenna to see OTA thru the Qualia's ATSC tuner?

Colortv,

Unfortunately, I don't have OTA signals in my area. Someone a few miles away, where they also said had no signals, was able to receive all the local HD stuff. Any suggests on this? Directv did get me CBS in HD. I've requested a waiver for ABC and NBC, will take up to 45 days for an answer. FOX is a no go, so no Super Bowl.

Originally posted by SRT-10 Viper
I get my 006 Tuesday... Can't wait!

SRT-10,

Welcome to the Qualia Owner's Club!!!!!!!

Question about the bulb -

If you run the set at a high contrast and/or brightness level does it diminish the bulb's life or is the bulb "always on" at the same output level????

Originally posted by kaduku
Colortv,

Unfortunately, I don't have OTA signals in my area. Someone a few miles away, where they also said had no signals, was able to receive all the local HD stuff. Any suggests on this? Directv did get me CBS in HD. I've requested a waiver for ABC and NBC, will take up to 45 days for an answer. FOX is a no go, so no Super Bowl.
Some people "move" to an area that qualifies for the distant network feeds. Basically you tell DirecTV that you live in a different area/ZIP code that's considered part of a "white area", yet are keeping your existing address as your billing address. Tell them you do not need to take advantage of their Movers Program either, of course. This "white" lie (get it, "white" lie, "white area") will mean that you will have the privilege of paying DirecTV more money each month for those distant network feeds.

hi all i just found this fourm about 3 days ago and have read all the post

about the qualia 006, over 120 pages later i registered and first off would

like to let u know i did decide to buy the 006 on thursday jan 13, i paid half

money orders and half on the sony credit card.sonystyle las vegas has

gaurented me that i will have my tv before the super bowl but they didnt

send it yet they keep telling me they have to wait till my postal money

orders clear from the bank, witch i think is an excuse cause my bank said

that it could only take 1-3 days for it to clear, should i be concerned? i

have a few questions hopefully some one can help me get a list together

on what i need. first off i have the comcast hd reciever hooked up to my

toshiba 56h80 with is like 5 years old one of the first wide screens, all the

conections were done by comcast service guy so i dont know how good

the wires they used are can someone help me out as to what i need to buy

wires, conections to make my hd expirence the best with in reasonable

price. what can i pick up from best buy? and i was told to get a monster amp

cause most tvs run 120v and philly and jersey run at 110v ? im a little

clueless in this area so any help would be great can i run the hd fead on

fire wall cables i seen this in other posts ? and ill keep every one up to

date on the arival of my 006 thanks in advance.

Originally posted by rogo
...
I got annoyed with the nonsense above about staying away from something great that DirecTV is apparently willing to replace later for next to nothing.
...

Bob Marsocci
Vice President, Communications
DIRECTV, Inc.
310 726-4656
ramarsocci@directv.com

is the one that was quoted as saying:

" .... When we begin transmitting in MPEG4 new reception equipment will be required; thus you may want to hold off purchasing an HD DVR receiver until we begin selling one that will receive the MPEG4 transmission. For customers who have purchased an HD Tivo receiver we will have an equipment replacement offer available; we have not yet finalized what that offer will be. ..."

In other threads it has been reported, IIRC, that some HD in MPEG4 will be trnasmitted by D* as early as this summer. One man's "nonsense" is another man's "advice." lol :rolleyes:

Well I finally received my 006 (Sat).
WOW, you guys are right, this set kicks major *ss:D
Best picture by a long shot I've ever seen. Even a good SD signal looks amazing.
Compared to our Fujitsu P50 plasma, well there is no comparsion, the 006 PQ is much, much better. Colors are just insanely good.

Only concern was the delivery crew, or lack there of.
The crew of two, a 65 year old man and his grandson, neither one the big beefy guys you like to see moving your $13K display.
My son and I both had to help them or they wouldn't have even got the beast out of the box.
I'm also having cable HD (Charter) hooked up this coming week and plan to do some comparsions with our current DirecTV HD stuff.

The 006 RULES!!!!

dc

Originally posted by DreamCatcher
Well I finally received my 006 (Sat)....
WOW, you guys are right, this set kicks major *ss:D
Best picture by a long shot I've ever seen. Even a good SD signal looks amazing....
Compared to our Fujitsu P50 plasma, well there is no comparsion, the 006 PQ is much, much better. Colors are just insanely good. the 006 RULES!!!!

dc

DreamCatcher: This is some very helpful information to me. As said in the other thread, I own a Fujitsu P50 plasma and love it. But I want something bigger...especially for watching movies. However, I didn't want to lose the qualities of a plasma just to get a bigger picture. (I'm also considering the 65" Panasonic Plasma). I'm in a room that's very bright during the day.

When I purchased my P50 in early 03 there was no display in the 50"+ size that compared to the P50. DreamCatcher's statements comparing the PQ on the 006 to the PQ on the P50 are going to make me think very seriously about purchasing this set...althought I will need to see it with my own eyes first....I mean we're talking real money here.

I also asked about live sports events on the 006 and never got a response. Maybe you guys aren't big sports fans? To me there's nothing that produces that "WOW" "it's like looking through a window" effect like watching live sports.

There are 2 games to be broadcast in HD today.

At Noon Pacific (3 PM East) on Fox broadcasting... in a 720p format...is the NFC championship game.

At 3:30 Pacific (6:30 PM East) on CBS... broadcasting in a 1080i format...is the AFC championship game.

This is a great opportunty to see how the 006 handles live HD sports in the 2 different formats. Also do you get that looking through a window feel. DreamCatcher and anyone else out there...with a large plasma and the 006... (Unfortunately there can't be many of you) would be in a unique position to compare.

Anyway I hope you guys tune in for a at least a few minutes.

Originally posted by DOBE
DreamCatcher: This is some very helpful information to me. As said in the other thread, I own a Fujitsu P50 plasma and love it. But I want something bigger...especially for watching movies. However, I didn't want to lose the qualities of a plasma just to get a bigger picture. (I'm also considering the 65" Panasonic Plasma). I'm in a room that's very bright during the day.

When I purchased my P50 in early 03 there was no display in the 50"+ size that compared to the P50. DreamCatcher's statements comparing the PQ on the 006 to the PQ on the P50 are going to make me think very seriously about purchasing this set...althought I will need to see it with my own eyes first....I mean we're talking real money here.

I also asked about live sports events on the 006 and never got a response. Maybe you guys aren't big sports fans? To me there's nothing that produces that "WOW" "it's like looking through a window" effect like watching live sports.

There are 2 games to be broadcast in HD today.

At Noon Pacific (3 PM East) on Fox broadcasting... in a 720p format...is the NFC championship game.

At 3:30 Pacific (6:30 PM East) on CBS... broadcasting in a 1080i format...is the AFC championship game.

This is a great opportunty to see how the 006 handles live HD sports in the 2 different formats. Also do you get that looking through a window feel. DreamCatcher and anyone else out there...with a large plasma and the 006... (Unfortunately there can't be many of you) would be in a unique position to compare.

Anyway I hope you guys tune in for a at least a few minutes.

We are having a few friends over for the games and will be doing alot of comparisons between the 006 and the P50. I don't think it will take long to figure out which display is preferred:)

dc

dc: Great! I can't wait for all your friends reviews of both displays.

Originally posted by SaltiDawg
Bob Marsocci
Vice President, Communications
DIRECTV, Inc.
310 726-4656
ramarsocci@directv.com

is the one that was quoted as saying:

" .... When we begin transmitting in MPEG4 new reception equipment will be required; thus you may want to hold off purchasing an HD DVR receiver until we begin selling one that will receive the MPEG4 transmission. For customers who have purchased an HD Tivo receiver we will have an equipment replacement offer available; we have not yet finalized what that offer will be. ..."

In other threads it has been reported, IIRC, that some HD in MPEG4 will be trnasmitted by D* as early as this summer. One man's "nonsense" is another man's "advice." lol :rolleyes:

This is FUD. While it is still questionable whether DirecTV will even have the MPEG4 stream going by this summer, by all accounts, it will be used initially for local HDTV channels in selected markets.

Some here have spent $300 on a new DVD player for their 006, to have good quality until HD DVD and Blu-Ray players are available within the next year. Other posters on this thread convinced me to spend $400 for a DVHS, which will have about the same shelf life as a current DVD player. The point is, many here that spend $13,000+ for a new TV will opt to spend $600 to time shift HD (and SD) programming for the next year or two. And that's why the advice in the posted email is nonsense, except for the fact it may cause there to be an employment opening at DirecTV for a vice-president of communications :D

Originally posted by DOBE
DreamCatcher: This is some very helpful information to me. As said in the other thread, I own a Fujitsu P50 plasma and love it. But I want something bigger...especially for watching movies. However, I didn't want to lose the qualities of a plasma just to get a bigger picture. (I'm also considering the 65" Panasonic Plasma). I'm in a room that's very bright during the day.

When I purchased my P50 in early 03 there was no display in the 50"+ size that compared to the P50. DreamCatcher's statements comparing the PQ on the 006 to the PQ on the P50 are going to make me think very seriously about purchasing this set...althought I will need to see it with my own eyes first....I mean we're talking real money here.

I also asked about live sports events on the 006 and never got a response. Maybe you guys aren't big sports fans? To me there's nothing that produces that "WOW" "it's like looking through a window" effect like watching live sports.

There are 2 games to be broadcast in HD today.

At Noon Pacific (3 PM East) on Fox broadcasting... in a 720p format...is the NFC championship game.

At 3:30 Pacific (6:30 PM East) on CBS... broadcasting in a 1080i format...is the AFC championship game.

This is a great opportunty to see how the 006 handles live HD sports in the 2 different formats. Also do you get that looking through a window feel. DreamCatcher and anyone else out there...with a large plasma and the 006... (Unfortunately there can't be many of you) would be in a unique position to compare.

Anyway I hope you guys tune in for a at least a few minutes.

The 006 blows away the picture I receive on my Sony 42" plasma, by a long shot, watching HD, SD and DVDs.

I have posted previously that I have watched the NBA and college hoops on ESPNHD and it has been an outstanding visual experience. I have watched the NFL playoff games on the 006 and there is an absolute WOW factor! You and your guests will feel as though you are there, no question about it! I have also posted that during basketball games, I have occasionally seen some "motion blur." That is the only negative, along with the 006 being incapable of delivering the "smell" of the arena or stadium. Otherwise, the QUALIA 006 was made for sports and it outperforms anything I have ever seen, and in some ways is better than being there, because it takes you right down on the sidelines and immerses you into the action.

Wow dudes I cannot believe the huge amount of cash some of you paid for that set! :eek: I could never pay that much and home theater is my favorite hobby.

I also cannot believe how ugly the Qualia (Ugly name too Sony!) tv stand is and how it costs over one thousand dollars! :eek:

This looks like something straight out of galaxy quest.

-antonio

Hi, My set is to arrive sometime this week. Can any Q006 owners list the inputs on the set, including what kind of inputs they are? I seem to remember input 7&8 being HDMI, but it could be 6&7.
Also, which i/o's are component? Trying to get my control system set up for it in advance!
Thanks!
Elbert

Originally posted by Elbert
Hi, My set is to arrive sometime this week. Can any Q006 owners list the inputs on the set, including what kind of inputs they are? I seem to remember input 7&8 being HDMI, but it could be 6&7.
Also, which i/o's are component? Trying to get my control system set up for it in advance!
Thanks!
Elbert

006 Rear Inputs Diagram (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=4839509&fullpage=1)

Originally posted by anthonix
I also cannot believe how ugly the Qualia (Ugly name too Sony!) tv stand is and how it costs over one thousand dollars! :eek:

This looks like something straight out of galaxy quest.

-antonio

Some here have opined the stand is better looking in person. But, to each his own. I happen to like the stand and it matches/supports the 006 nicely :)

Has anyone experimented with the optical out on the rear of the 006?

Before investing in another optical cable, I was wondering if the 006 will output all audio optically and not just digital audio. The label underneath the jack does say PCM. I think this may be a better way to get audio from the TV to an amp, instead of standard RCA cables, if you're not using the TV speakers, so you can get Dolby Digital.