Not really necessary. Considering, Sony does not require a tech to replace it. Think about it. :)

I must be missing your point...I don't get it?

I must be missing your point...I don't get it?

"Oh, my bulb went out (not really)!..and I'm still under warranty, I better call Sony for a replacement." :)

"Oh, my bulb went out (not really)!..and I'm still under warranty, I better call Sony for a replacement." :)

I'm still drawing a blank here (hence the 'notsoadvanced' member status of course). I've got a spare bulb so that if I'm watching a show and the bulb dies I can immediately pop the new one in and I'm good to go. No waiting for shipment of a new bulb. I'm still missing your point? :confused:
PS: Unless you are suggesting that one could game this a bit by having the bulb go out (not really) within the original bulb warranty period...and obtain a new bulb without incurring add'l cost? In which case I'd have to say that on the one hand I'm disappointed that I didn't think of that...on the other hand ethically I don't think I'd try it even if I did!:D

In which case I'd have to say that on the one hand I'm disappointed that I didn't think of that...on the other hand ethically I don't think I'd try it even if I did!:D

I understand...decisions, decisions.... ..Of course, I am just presenting a possible scenario.....:cool:

would their be any reason to purchase the KDF55XS955 over the newer A10, neglecting the obvious size difference?

I bought my 55xs at Onecall for $2800 shipped last year, but they recently got it instock again and now close the price you'd expect from the 42inch:
EDIT, removed the link. It's been a while since posting here and I think it was not allowed to post direct links to competition.

Sorry if that price has been posted before, but it is from a reputable place.


Also, while posting, do these XS tvs have HDCP for the HDMI ports?

Over the past couple of days I've experienced some channels disappearing on my 55XS955. This did not occur on the other analog sets in the house. I called TW and was told to reset the cable card buy shutting off and unplugging the TV removing the CC, plug in and turn on the TV, shut off, unplug and reinsert the CC and turn back on. This did not work. However, looking at the menu under cable card there is a reset function. I activated this and after a few minutes of channel scanning all the channels returned.

Over the past couple of days I've experienced some channels disappearing on my 55XS955. This did not occur on the other analog sets in the house. I called TW and was told to reset the cable card buy shutting off and unplugging the TV removing the CC, plug in and turn on the TV, shut off, unplug and reinsert the CC and turn back on. This did not work. However, looking at the menu under cable card there is a reset function. I activated this and after a few minutes of channel scanning all the channels returned.

I had an issue like this BEFORE I got my cablecard. The set needed a ROM update. My set is an October '04 build (sticker on rear). It may be a related problem.

I know its in this thread but i can't find it. Can someone please send me instructions on how to check my lamp life on my 60xs955? Thanks.

I know its in this thread but i can't find it. Can someone please send me instructions on how to check my lamp life on my 60xs955? Thanks.

You can't determine remaining lamp life, but you can read Lamp and Panel time:

In standby mode (TV off) do the following:
One at a time, in sequence. At no time either when entering or while in the service menu do you press more than one key at a time.

1. Press "Display", "5", "Volume +", "Power ON"
2. Press "Jump" 3 times.
3. To display the Lamp time, press "2", 9 times.
Example Display:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM 14 LampCT 71

Shows:
lamp time = 14 hours
lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times

4. To display the Panel time, press "1", 7 times.
Example DIsplay:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E

7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h

Shows:
Panel time = 14 hours

You will find lots of information in these screens, but I don't know what it all means. Hope this helps.

Thanks Charlie!!!!

Is it ok to clean the glass in the bulb RECEPTICLE using a lens cleaner and lens cleaning cloth? Most lens cleaners are mostly alchohol.

Is it ok to clean the glass in the bulb RECEPTICLE using a lens cleaner and lens cleaning cloth? Most lens cleaners are mostly alchohol.

Maybe some sterile air in a can to remove any dust, otherwise I would leave it alone!

It has some dirt on it. Like a dull film. Air would not do much. Don't see why using optical lens cleaner sparringly would be a problem.

Rather than guessing that this might not be a good idea.... does anyone know for certain?
Has anyone seen a repairman clean the glass or done it themselves?

Thanks

There's guessing and then there is common sense. I have the service manual and no mention is made of cleaning it. But try it and let us know what happens. Otherwise call a service tech and ask either Sony, or a repair shop. If you truly have dirt on it, then you probably have a nice film on the projection lens too which it would seem might be more vulnerable to dust.

You can't determine remaining lamp life, but you can read Lamp and Panel time:

In standby mode (TV off) do the following:
One at a time, in sequence. At no time either when entering or while in the service menu do you press more than one key at a time.

1. Press "Display", "5", "Volume +", "Power ON"
2. Press "Jump" 3 times.
3. To display the Lamp time, press "2", 9 times.
Example Display:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM 14 LampCT 71

Shows:
lamp time = 14 hours
lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times

4. To display the Panel time, press "1", 7 times.
Example DIsplay:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E

7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h

Shows:
Panel time = 14 hours

You will find lots of information in these screens, but I don't know what it all means. Hope this helps.

Thank you CharlieL. Is there anything I need to know or anything I need to do as far as when I'm done and need to get the TV back to regular mode?

Thank you CharlieL. Is there anything I need to know or anything I need to do as far as when I'm done and need to get the TV back to regular mode?

Just shut the TV off and then turn it on again (ideally within 3 seconds to avoid a lamp restart) to exit service mode.

Does anyone know of a way to either buff or fill-in scratches on the screen? The kid decided to try and draw on the screen and used a ball-point pen. The pen marks came off but he used a lot of pressure and actually scratched the screen. Any help is appreciated!

Does anyone know of a way to either buff or fill-in scratches on the screen? The kid decided to try and draw on the screen and used a ball-point pen. The pen marks came off but he used a lot of pressure and actually scratched the screen. Any help is appreciated!

Ouch! :eek:
No ideas...sorry.

Wow, I'd be furious. Good thing I don't have any kids yet! :D

Hi,

I love my 55XS955. However, I have observed some resolution issue. I connect my DVD player to TV using component and set the DVD output to 480i and let DRC in XS955 do the work. This has proved to be better than sending 480P to XS955.

The picture looks sharp and nice overall. However, during the menu selection screen for any DVDs, the picture is sharp initially for about 2 secodns, and then it will blur. Again, this only happens in menu selection screen where you would see Screen Selection, Audio Options etc for a DVD. It doesn't not happen in the actual movie. I think it has to do with the fact that the menu selection screen is static and has no motion. Have you seen this? What can be done to correct this?

Wilson

Wilson...

Since your TV is processing the 480i up to it's native resolution, you can make some adjustments to improve the picture quality.

I forget the menu setting, but it's in the Video menu and might be under "Advanced". It's called DRC (Digital Reality Creation or something like that) and there's a box with a dot you can move to create the quality of image you are looking for. It works something like moving the dot up or down adjusts the de-interlacing and left and right smooths or filters the image?

Sorry, I'm not at the TV right now and haven't adjusted this in over a year, but I remember messing with DRC after being unsatisfied with shimmering on a DVD. If found a scene where the image looked bad, paused it, adjusted that DRC and then played it couple times until it looked good.

Give it a try and report back your findings.

Wilson...

Since your TV is processing the 480i up to it's native resolution, you can make some adjustments to improve the picture quality.

I forget the menu setting, but it's in the Video menu and might be under "Advanced". It's called DRC (Digital Reality Creation or something like that) and there's a box with a dot you can move to create the quality of image you are looking for. It works something like moving the dot up or down adjusts the de-interlacing and left and right smooths or filters the image?

Sorry, I'm not at the TV right now and haven't adjusted this in over a year, but I remember messing with DRC after being unsatisfied with shimmering on a DVD. If found a scene where the image looked bad, paused it, adjusted that DRC and then played it couple times until it looked good.

Give it a try and report back your findings.
Thanks for the suggestion. I have adjusted DRC initially. The DVDs look good as a result but just the menu selection is bad. I will try to adjust the DRC again using the menu selection screen and see what happens. Currently, I have DRC set at 50/50, ie, middle of the square box.

You can't determine remaining lamp life, but you can read Lamp and Panel time:

In standby mode (TV off) do the following:
One at a time, in sequence. At no time either when entering or while in the service menu do you press more than one key at a time.

1. Press "Display", "5", "Volume +", "Power ON"
2. Press "Jump" 3 times.
3. To display the Lamp time, press "2", 9 times.
Example Display:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM 14 LampCT 71

Shows:
lamp time = 14 hours
lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times

4. To display the Panel time, press "1", 7 times.
Example DIsplay:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E

7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h

Shows:
Panel time = 14 hours

You will find lots of information in these screens, but I don't know what it all means. Hope this helps.

LampTM 4028 LampCT 938, so far so good, kdf55wf655,jo :)

have my XS955 for just about a year now. Lamp time is 735 & Lamp counter is 318.

have my XS955 for just about a year now. Lamp time is 735 & Lamp counter is 318.


We only watch TV in the evenings (except football sundays), and rarely after 11pm.
And the set is just a year old and close to 1700 hrs. Of course this includes Netflix rentals on a regular basis. I guess you watch much less than that. :)

Thanks for the suggestion. I have adjusted DRC initially. The DVDs look good as a result but just the menu selection is bad. I will try to adjust the DRC again using the menu selection screen and see what happens. Currently, I have DRC set at 50/50, ie, middle of the square box.
DRC doesn't correct the problem. I think this may have been a problem from the DVD player.

We only watch TV in the evenings (except football sundays), and rarely after 11pm.
And the set is just a year old and close to 1700 hrs. Of course this includes Netflix rentals on a regular basis. I guess you watch much less than that. :)


Yea. I work a lot!!!

Carmine.

Yea. I work a lot!!!

Carmine.

Apparently, retirement has it's benefits if TV can be considered one, small one at that.

I have the kdf-60xs955, its around 6 months old and today it seemed to have a weird problem. It was working fine throughout the day, than I go to turn it on and it was snow/very faint picture, so I switched to dvd, satellite inputs and same problem, changed channels and nothing. So I turned the tv off for a few minutes and turned it back on and it started working normally. What could be the problem be and should I deal with it before my warranty runs out? Please help!!

I have a 60xs and have this problem 3 times. When turning on the tv, the screen is full of snow. You can hear sound and barely see the picture through the snow. If I turn the set off for a while it fixes the screen and pictures look fine. Anyone else have this problem????

I have the same problem! Did you find out what the problem was? Anybody else experience this?

I have a cable card with my 60XS955. Over the last few months my non-network HDTV channels would disappear and would ony come back after having Time Warner reset the card remotely (resetting it myself through the tv usually didn't do anything).

After pressing TW for a solution (they really dragged on this) they said I needed to have my "interface swapped out." They were going to contact Sony for me but called back and said I needed to contact sony myself.

Questions:

1) Anyone else have a problem with their card and did they have Sony fix it with some sort of upgrade?
2) Is this the ROM upgrade other have mentioned?
3) How is it done (in home? or does Sony send a file I can do my self?)
4) Did it work?

Thanks! Now if only TW would carry more HD channels!

-Finn

I have a cable card with my 60XS955. Over the last few months my non-network HDTV channels would disappear and would ony come back after having Time Warner reset the card remotely (resetting it myself through the tv usually didn't do anything).

After pressing TW for a solution (they really dragged on this) they said I needed to have my "interface swapped out." They were going to contact Sony for me but called back and said I needed to contact sony myself.

Questions:

1) Anyone else have a problem with their card and did they have Sony fix it with some sort of upgrade?
2) Is this the ROM upgrade other have mentioned?
3) How is it done (in home? or does Sony send a file I can do my self?)
4) Did it work?

Thanks! Now if only TW would carry more HD channels!

-Finn

When was you set built, it's a sticker on the back.

When was you set built, it's a sticker on the back.

December 2004

December 2004

It's very possible you need a ROM upgrade. Mine was Oct 2004 and I needed the flash done to stop dropping programmed channels. It's simple to do, MemoryStick with the right software but getting Sony to do it out of warranty will be interesting. Start screaming! All they really need to do is mail you a MS and you insert it and confirm with the remote. Report what happens!

I have the kdf-60xs955, its around 6 months old and today it seemed to have a weird problem. It was working fine throughout the day, than I go to turn it on and it was snow/very faint picture, so I switched to dvd, satellite inputs and same problem, changed channels and nothing. So I turned the tv off for a few minutes and turned it back on and it started working normally. What could be the problem be and should I deal with it before my warranty runs out? Please help!!


I just got the exact same problem today on all my inputs. It was working fine the night before and then this morning it showed a bunch of snow with a very faint picture in the background. It's is still under warranty and not going away so I will be getting it repaired or hopefully having it replaced with a new one.

Hello
Mine 60xs955 does something similar but it comes in all black.
I have to unplug the power for a couple of minutes and it usually comes back.
I had the technician in, they suggested a bulb change. I did change the bulb but I still have the problem.
I will be calling sears back in very soon.
Has anyone else seen this problem?

Thanks
Brian

I think our problems are different than yours. This is definitely not a bulb problem. It looks like a part of one of the color circuits went bad or something.

Hello
Mine 60xs955 does something similar but it comes in all black.
I have to unplug the power for a couple of minutes and it usually comes back.
I had the technician in, they suggested a bulb change. I did change the bulb but I still have the problem.
I will be calling sears back in very soon.
Has anyone else seen this problem?

Thanks
Brian

All black, like no light? or just no color, black & white?
If all 'black' could be related to the ballast circuit for powering the lamp.

Most times all black sometimes the green led sometimes blinks.

Then sometimes I see the video display tag but no picture even on different sources.
When it is not working I do not hear the fan

I did change the bulb. Seems a little better but not perfect.
I do have a 5 year warranty 4 left from sears.

This is really interesting guys. I have the KDF60XS955, bought 4/27/05. Around 4/15/06 I started getting the exact same symptoms when I turned the TV on. In the beginning the picture would be dark, snowy -- as if someone was messing with the tuner. HD channels started out as very noisy. The sound started to go out. In the beginning it would sound as if the speakers were shot, but then about 15-20 min of warm up everything would become normal.

This went on for a few days but with increasing degree of degradation. The conditions gradually worsened as days passed. Now, about 3 weeks into it, it takes about 45 minutes from the time TV is turned on for the analog channels to show up but with a lot of disturbance. Noise is present on HD channels. Same story on all other inputs -- DVD, satellite. AND audio is completely gone!! As if the mute is on.

Reported to Sony, thankfully just made it into the warranty period!! The tech came out today but of course with wrong parts. He has ordered a “Q” board, and a “B” board. He swapped the “KDF” board to fix the sound to no avail. He was on the tech support line for about 2 hours scratching his head. Didn’t know what was going on.

Ohh… by the way, back in February of this year, I called Sony to complain about the display screen problem. What happened was that every so often, when the TV had been on for over 2-3 hours, say watching a movie or game, the screen banner, that shows the channel number, program description etc. would come on all by itself. It won’t go away until I pressed the display button on the remote. The tech came out and swapped the “B” board back then. That was then. Today I discovered, with the new tech in my house that the old tech did not calibrate the board to my TV’s model, effectively disabling some of the menu options!! The new tech today had to go in the service menu to fix that.

Manman, did the 'b" board fix the pop up banner from popping up?

Yes it did. Just make sure that the tech knows what he's doing.

Manman, did the 'b" board fix the pop up banner from popping up?

I'd like to know that too! My set is still popping up the banner.
:(

Yes it did. Just make sure that the tech knows what he's doing.

Great to know! I have an extended warranty and will get this fixed! Thanks for the info!! :)

Just make sure that the tech knows what he's doing.


Is their such a thing? :D

Yes it did. Just make sure that the tech knows what he's doing.

I've gone a long as over a month without the banner popping up. I don't think I would be that optimistic. For that matter, I am not sure the problem is bad enough to have a tech fiddling back there, unless there was more to gain.
Do you know for a fact the new board is an update? Or is getting a 'good one' a chance thing. :o

Regarding the banner popping up. Ever since I had my "B" board changed I have not seen it. It's been about 2 months now. When I had called Sony about it in Feb., they told me this was software problem. With the new board, you supposedly get the updated software.

The problem the tech left behind in Feb. was discovered couple of days ago. I tried to change the power setting of the lamp. Video Menu --> Options. Well it wasn't there anymore! The tech looked at it and first tried to tell me there is no such thing. I showed him the manual. He called the tech support and they told him to calibrate it from the service menu -- and presto the Menu option was on again!

Anyway, the banner problem seemed to have been fixed by changing the "B" board

Interesting.... well, first order of business would be to get a tech who knows what he is doing on the first home call.
The information is very valuable. And is something I would consider doing myself, given all the necessary information.

But the B board for all XS and WF models (55 and 60") is part number: A1060168E

price at partstore.com is $447. ORDERED DIRECT FROM SONY or SEARS: $252!


This info should be shared with all GWIV owners, as all models would be affected to some degree. Thanks again!

Interesting.... well, first order of business would be to get a tech who knows what he is doing on the first home call.
The information is very valuable. And is something I would consider doing myself, given all the necessary information.

But the B board for all XS and WF models (55 and 60") is part number: A1060168E

price at partstore.com is $447. ORDERED DIRECT FROM SONY or SEARS: $252!


This info should be shared with all GWIV owners, as all models would be affected to some degree. Thanks again!

I have an EW with BestBuy so no prob. I hope all of you nagged and logged this problem with Sony so you can get it fixed out of warranty, for free.
You shouldn't have to pay to fix a known problem that took over a year to resolve!

I have one with Magnolia, Joe...do you think it will be that easy to get it fixed with a 3rd party warranty? I guess they should get the same tech info from Sony....but we are still dealing with an intermittent problem, and not dealing directly with the manufacturer.

Still gripes me how some of these retailers can boost the price from Sony almost 100%!
Our XL2200U lamps go for $267 at ecservice.com..and $199 from Sony.

It IS very interesting how these retailers are marking up over and above the MSRP! Sounds to me, there could be a shortage or something...

Has anyone ordered a lamp from Sony? How long did it take to arrive? Frankly, at this point, I not even sure if the parts I am getting are new or refurb
:confused:

I don't know of many people who have had to replace their lamps on these sets.

It IS very interesting how these retailers are marking up over and above the MSRP! Sounds to me, there could be a shortage or something...

Has anyone ordered a lamp from Sony? How long did it take to arrive? Frankly, at this point, I not even sure if the parts I am getting are new or refurb
:confused:


Yes, I've read of lamp replacements either on here or GWIV topics. Fedex 2 day delivery from Sony, if I recall correctly. Same goes for warranty or not.
As far as other retailers, I doubt there is any shortage. No shortage of greed! :rolleyes:

Update on my TV repair. The tech had come in last week and told me he'd order some parts. Today, a week later when no one called, I called them to check the status.
I am told that the parts are still on order...

This is not good... :(

I have a kdf-60xs955 and the set just went black and the red light blinks six times. Everyone we called told us it was a bulb. We bought a bulb and replaced but the TV still doesn't work and the old bulb looked fine. The TV is also one month past warranty.

Anyone else had this issue before I call a repairman?

I have a kdf-60xs955 and the set just went black and the red light blinks six times. Everyone we called told us it was a bulb. We bought a bulb and replaced but the TV still doesn't work and the old bulb looked fine. The TV is also one month past warranty.

Anyone else had this issue before I call a repairman?


It could be the bulb door switch is not making a good enough contact.
That is what was wrong with mine.
You can add some tape or somthing to push the switch tighter

It could be the bulb door switch is not making a good enough contact.
That is what was wrong with mine.
You can add some tape or somthing to push the switch tighter

Ok...I will mess with that door a little more before I get excited.

Thanks. :)

Sorry to interject, but I'm curious if anyone here w/ this series Sony set is using a DVDO scaler, the VP30 inparticular. I bought one a couple of months ago, and just installed their new ABT120 deinterlacer board, and it brought up the whole odd-resolution/1:1 pixel mapping issue and the Sony's internal scaling to accomodate said LCD panel resolutions.

Wondering how folks have made things work for best approximation of 1:1 and how. Thanks.

I too am having the same trouble with my Sony, now just over a year old. It happened about 6 months ago, and unplugging it and plugging it back in worked, only to keep me from having the set looked at under warranty. Now when I try that its a big no go. I am kinda pissed.

The bulb litterally blew out 2 months ago, so I purchased another for $200 some odd, and put that in. All was good until again, the set goes into a "5" blink diognotic mode.

I have found that it happens when we have either a power outage or surge. Likely this shuts off the cooling fan before it should (not a very good design if it HAS to keep that bulb cool. They should have installed a battery op in case of a power out/surge). I have my set plugged into an expensive power surge protector, but not a backup power supply. Sony might want to make that a MUST have when buying their tvs.

Anyway... I get a "5" blink. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. Best I can tell is that that has something to do with the color board.

If someone knows how to reset the tv, or get it past the start up diognostic stage, that would help. I think the tv just needs to be "tricked" into thinking all is ok (cause it is I really feel). Likely just a power surge did not settle well with it.

Anyway, add me to the long list of those who are having trouble with their $4500 Sony POS.

Got it fixed (for the moment).

What I did was unplug and plug back in 6 times or so. I waited anywhere from 20 minutes to as little as 30 seconds. Nothing worked.

THEN... what I did was set the TV to "GAME", and then do the above. After unplugging and plugging back in with the TV set to "game", I was able to get the green light to stay on permanently (it was kicking off after 30 seconds and going in to the 5 blink diognostic mode)

Once I had the green light staying on. I then changed the TV from "game" to "DVD", "PVR", and then "DTV" which is the only source I had left plugged into the TV.

The set now is staying and all is good (for now).

Sony really should get their arsses taken to court for the obviously faulty design on their sets. This is rediculous to pay so much for a screen and have to replace the bulb every year at $200 a pop as it is. Heck I have an ol Erickson 27 inch that I have had for 26 years, and the picture is still darn near perfect and not a lick of trouble after A GAZZILLION hours of watching.

Anyway... sorry for the rant. I am just way PO at Sony right now. I will never buy another one of their TVs (not without a substantial warranty and that will have to be taken into consideration of their purchase prices).

Over n OUT!

Got it fixed (for the moment).

What I did was unplug and plug back in 6 times or so. I waited anywhere from 20 minutes to as little as 30 seconds. Nothing worked.

THEN... what I did was set the TV to "GAME", and then do the above. After unplugging and plugging back in with the TV set to "game", I was able to get the green light to stay on permanently (it was kicking off after 30 seconds and going in to the 5 blink diognostic mode)

Once I had the green light staying on. I then changed the TV from "game" to "DVD", "PVR", and then "DTV" which is the only source I had left plugged into the TV.

The set now is staying and all is good (for now).

Sony really should get their arsses taken to court for the obviously faulty design on their sets. This is rediculous to pay so much for a screen and have to replace the bulb every year at $200 a pop as it is. Heck I have an ol Erickson 27 inch that I have had for 26 years, and the picture is still darn near perfect and not a lick of trouble after A GAZZILLION hours of watching.

Anyway... sorry for the rant. I am just way PO at Sony right now. I will never buy another one of their TVs (not without a substantial warranty and that will have to be taken into consideration of their purchase prices).

Over n OUT!

See if you can get into the service menu and see what the error code was.
The tech would not show me how to get into it though.
He saw it was the bulb door and found the switch was not being pressed enough

Brota,

I'll give that a try. Whatever the code, or problem.... one should not have to do that to be able to watch a damn $4500 TV. IMHO.

I will do some checking (halfway afraid to fuss with it anymore so's I don't miss me Soprano show tonight! lol).

Ok-I've been reading AVS for about 3 months now....decided I needed to post and ask a question...

I have the chance to buy the 60xs955, matching stand, and cc 4 year warranty for $2400....I shouldn't pass this up right? I originally didn't want to spend more than about $2000 for a new tv...but to get a stand and warranty with it is nearly impossible. Plus, this is a pretty high end tv. I know my way around a/v pretty well....only reason I didn't consider sony was that "new" is out of my price range. I've considered nearly all other sets.....looking at reviews, in-store, etc and had been waiting for something great to show up on UEC from Hitachi. I figure it'd cost me nearly $2100 for their 50vg825, stand, and estimated warranty......that's $300 less than what I'm thinking is probably the better tv? Any help/suggestions? Thanks

-Kris

Kris,

I own an 60XS and have no issues with it HOWEVER, it will soon be 2 generations old. I would wait and get teh SXRD in a month or two OR buy something else thats current that costs less than the SXRD.

Just my 2 cents...

Aceman

Kris,

I own an 60XS and have no issues with it HOWEVER, it will soon be 2 generations old. I would wait and get teh SXRD in a month or two OR buy something else thats current that costs less than the SXRD.

Just my 2 cents...

Aceman

Agreed, the A10 is actually newer technology. But you will limited to 50" in screen size. I thought they were coming out with a 55 but maybe that was the SXRD.
The A20 is actually a rewrite of the 4th generation WF and XS displays.

I would jump with the SXRD, if you want a Sony. That's about as good as it gets for the money.

Thanks for the replies...but I pose a question about the sxrd sets-from what I've read...they are just like most other 1080p sets out there and do not accept 1080p as an input source (upcoming PS3...) but just upconvert 1080i. I've read the reviews about how great the sxrd picture is, but is the $1000 extra these sets will cost me (tv, stand, and warr.) worth it?

I can get the SXRD here in NJ for around 3200 right now, with another price drop expected shortly. The A20 is MUCH less and its one generation newer than the XS. Finally, with the new sets around the corner, i figure the sets will drop slightly anyway but its your $$$ and your time!

good luck.

Aceman

The A20 is cheaper than the orignial XS and does not have the speaker ring, that is true. Electronically, etc. I think they are the same. But consider this, 'newer generation' means nothing unless it's an improvement.

http://hometheatermag.com/hookmeup/0506halfrez/

Ok-I've been reading AVS for about 3 months now....decided I needed to post and ask a question...

I have the chance to buy the 60xs955, matching stand, and cc 4 year warranty for $2400....I shouldn't pass this up right? I originally didn't want to spend more than about $2000 for a new tv...but to get a stand and warranty with it is nearly impossible. Plus, this is a pretty high end tv. I know my way around a/v pretty well....only reason I didn't consider sony was that "new" is out of my price range. I've considered nearly all other sets.....looking at reviews, in-store, etc and had been waiting for something great to show up on UEC from Hitachi. I figure it'd cost me nearly $2100 for their 50vg825, stand, and estimated warranty......that's $300 less than what I'm thinking is probably the better tv? Any help/suggestions? Thanks

-Kris

I think I'm on the other side of the fence. FOR THE MONEY this set is still way ahead of a lot of current TVs. The picture is fantastic (tip of the hat to the SXRD) the amount of connections and features is second to none. Yes it's two years old but is it in new condition or is it a floor model? That's the big question!? New and you're good. Floor, not so much. I figure your net on the set is about $1700?? FOR A 60"! What am I missing? You may need a ROM upgrade and Q-Board replaced, they are the only main issues.

Update: My price for the set was simmilar to ogbuehi's then add stand and BB EW and tax etc. About 4k total. Again is it new or floor model? Also, it kicks but on the XBox 360! No blurring and very vivid picture.

I agree with the above post. I got everything you mentioned for about $3200 when it was fairly new. You've managed to enter HD realm with your budget constraints and come out with a high quality set. Picture is very beautiful and there honestly doesn't seem to be a $1k difference in PQ between this set and newer models coming out. Plus it looks much better than the a10's or a20's as they don't have the speakers on the sides. I would jump on that deal right now. I've had nothing go wrong with my set at all and feel very future proofed for a long time.

Well, I decided I couldn't pass it up seeing how the other models I've been looking at would run around 2100 for everything....the set was from a home (never a floor model), and it looks well cared for. I will say that the guy kinda lied saying he didn't use it much....checked the service mode and the lamp has around 3500 hours on it, which i know is WAY up there....but makes me a believer that sony lamps last a long time (and that the guy didn't misuse the set by turning it off and on a million times). I haven't gotten my hd box yet, so I cant check out true hd, but damn do dvds (and even digital cable) look great. I used the thx optimizer to tweak a few things, but being it's so late I'll probably need to do it again when my eyes aren't so tired....but all in all, I think i did well. I mean, if the lamp does go out in the next month or two, I have the cc warranty to get a new one and even then, the lamp is only $200 from sony.

I will ask...what is the typical life on these lamps....I see in this thread a lot less complaints about them than on other sets.....

-Kris

Well, I decided I couldn't pass it up seeing how the other models I've been looking at would run around 2100 for everything....the set was from a home (never a floor model), and it looks well cared for. I will say that the guy kinda lied saying he didn't use it much....checked the service mode and the lamp has around 3500 hours on it, which i know is WAY up there....but makes me a believer that sony lamps last a long time (and that the guy didn't misuse the set by turning it off and on a million times). I haven't gotten my hd box yet, so I cant check out true hd, but damn do dvds (and even digital cable) look great. I used the thx optimizer to tweak a few things, but being it's so late I'll probably need to do it again when my eyes aren't so tired....but all in all, I think i did well. I mean, if the lamp does go out in the next month or two, I have the cc warranty to get a new one and even then, the lamp is only $200 from sony.

I will ask...what is the typical life on these lamps....I see in this thread a lot less complaints about them than on other sets.....

-Kris

Welcome to the club and enjoy it! I'm still on my original lamp and, knock wood, it's going strong. Bought Nov. 04 and I have the set on alot!

Well, I decided I couldn't pass it up

Congrats on your purchase Kris. I, like GrumpyJoe, got mine in late '04 (Dec I think?) and still going on the first lamp. Other than the odd "menu pop-up for no reason" bug (something I haven't seen for a long time), I've had no problems and am loving the set.

I would estimate I use the set on average for about 4 hours a day - some days more, some less. Avoiding shutting off the set unnecessarily is a good habit to get into to extend the lamp.

...and just WAIT 'till you plug in some HD material. :cool: You should try plugging an antenna into the antenna jack in the back and doing a channel scan to see what digital HD channels are available for free in your area. While you are behind the set, try your digital cable straight into the cable jack and do a channel scan... you might get some that don't need a cablecard. Just don't expect HBO or anything like that. Once you see some prime-time HD programming you will see this set really shine!

Congrats on your purchase Kris. I, like GrumpyJoe, got mine in late '04 (Dec I think?) and still going on the first lamp. Other than the odd "menu pop-up for no reason" bug (something I haven't seen for a long time), I've had no problems and am loving the set.

I would estimate I use the set on average for about 4 hours a day - some days more, some less. Avoiding shutting off the set unnecessarily is a good habit to get into to extend the lamp.

...and just WAIT 'till you plug in some HD material. :cool: You should try plugging an antenna into the antenna jack in the back and doing a channel scan to see what digital HD channels are available for free in your area. While you are behind the set, try your digital cable straight into the cable jack and do a channel scan... you might get some that don't need a cablecard. Just don't expect HBO or anything like that. Once you see some prime-time HD programming you will see this set really shine!

I believe the pop up info screen is solved, the Q-Board is the culprit. Elsewhere in this forum. I'm going to scedule a service when I have the time. EW is a good thing!

Hi Guys:

It was the B-board in my case. I have the 60XS955 and started seeing the display issue a few months back.

Any way to make a long story short, I ended up having the entire insides changed because the first guy who came out didn't know what he was doing.

btw: since they replaced all the boards in there, now the problem is back.

I think my Sony loyalty days are numbered...

I believe the pop up info screen is solved, the Q-Board is the culprit. Elsewhere in this forum. I'm going to scedule a service when I have the time. EW is a good thing!


I would suggest you think about it again. If it is something you can't absolutely live with only then call someone. I'm saying this from first hand experience, the company that Sony has contracted with here in the LA area to fix these sets, have techs without a clue what's going on.

The guy who screwed up my system in Feb came with the B-board. Opened up unit and calls the tech support line saying, "what am I doing now?" I should've shown him the door right then and there.

Ever since they put the set back together, I have the problem again but I have not bothered to call them. I think I would learn to live with it. BTW -- I do have EW!

I would suggest you think about it again. If it is something you can't absolutely live with only then call someone. I'm saying this from first hand experience, the company that Sony has contracted with here in the LA area to fix these sets, have techs without a clue what's going on.



Besides the pop up menu problem, is there anything else that replacing the board fixes? Like another poster, my menu has stopped coming up on its own. If that is the only thing replacement fixes, then it sounds like I don't need it.

Finn

Besides the pop up menu problem, is there anything else that replacing the board fixes? Like another poster, my menu has stopped coming up on its own. If that is the only thing replacement fixes, then it sounds like I don't need it.

Finn

That's my feeling. I've got EW coverage so that's not a problem. But the banner coming up is so infrequent, I am not convinced I want anybody monkeying around back there replacing anything. Everything else is perfect, I'd like to keep it that way. And I can't imagine what else the board could improve on.

Besides the pop up menu problem, is there anything else that replacing the board fixes? Like another poster, my menu has stopped coming up on its own. If that is the only thing replacement fixes, then it sounds like I don't need it.

Finn


I don't believe the board replacement fixed anything else. However, the guy who came to change it did not "calibrate" the board to the set as I later learned from tech #2. The result was that some of the menu options got disabled, such as the reduced lamp power mode!

When I told the tech #2 that the menu was not available anymore, he tells me there is no such thing! I showed him the manual. Only then he would get on the phone to call "home" and asked them what to do! That’s when he discovered the calibration problem.

The b-board replacement is buried 3 levels deep. The tech had to take out the WEGA engine out and open up a steel jacketed board. From the looks of the inside of this TV (tech #2 had it apart for nearly 6 hours -- I know!) all problems can be very easily attributed to heat dissipation. The design and the tiny fan just does not do an adequate job of removing the heat build up. Therefore these components start acting weird.

My suggestion to anyone who wants to take it -- Hold off the call unless this thing really stops working, then play your EW card and feel good about it for the next fours years or so, till the EW expires. After that throw this piece of worthless junk and buy a nice Panny LCD or something! That's what I am planning.

Anyone planning to buy a Sony LCD RP, save your money. I have seen the quality of this set inside out. It’s not worth it. At least not the 4K I spent on it. Sony for sure doesn't make its TVs the way it used to.

Too bad you got a lemon there manman. I haven't had any problems with my set at all. And I paid a little over $2.5k from a B & M brand new. I've had the set opened to install a ND filter and it didn't seemed design as bad as I've seen some other pieces of electronics. These devices are designed to operate in a heated in environment. Look at some receivers. No fans, and tons of devices including large transformers and they still operate just fine. I think that menu issue just happened on some of the early models and then Sony fixed the problem in later issues of the set.

I would suggest you think about it again. If it is something you can't absolutely live with only then call someone. I'm saying this from first hand experience, the company that Sony has contracted with here in the LA area to fix these sets, have techs without a clue what's going on.

The guy who screwed up my system in Feb came with the B-board. Opened up unit and calls the tech support line saying, "what am I doing now?" I should've shown him the door right then and there.

Ever since they put the set back together, I have the problem again but I have not bothered to call them. I think I would learn to live with it. BTW -- I do have EW!

I have BB's EW and of they can't fix it I'll start lemon procedures. I was very close on the first issue with the channel droppings, but that was firmware and it took 4 visits to figure that out. It was technically a lemon but when I realized the problem I let it be because I like the set over all. The pop up display is quite annoying, especially during a game session on the 360.

Ok...I will mess with that door a little more before I get excited.

Thanks. :)


Well Thirsty, Have you solve the problem of blinking red light?

My KDF-60XS955 had just doing exact same thing, I need help on how to fix it.

Here's a strange situation, I was moving the optical cable from my Xbox 360 to the optical out on the 55xs955 since the 360 didn't need it anymore as it just had hardware failure.

Well, as I was trying to connect the cable to the back of the tv no matter how much I lined it up it wouldn't go in right. So I got down closer to look directly at it and I still could not get it right. Then I realized there was no red light you'd normally see as that trap door opened. So I get even closer for a better look and the dang trap door had come loose and was pushed back into the cavity, blocking the optical light.

I haven't tried picking around inside it to remove the door but I'm sure the door is probably bigger than the opening, so no way to remove it. If I did get out I guess then forever more there would be a red light shining out from the back unless I put like black electrical tape over to hide it, or always have an optical cable connected. But again thats if the door can be removed or pushed in a way to sit on top of the optical cable as it goes in.

Would this be an odd thing to call for Warranty service on? Would they laugh and say goodbye or be a serious and have it fixed? There's still some of the Sony warranty left and I have an extended warranty with One Call.

I also can put in that I hate the high frequency sound that comes from the tv while it's turned off but plugged in, which you would only expect while the tv is on. It should be totally silent when turned off. The sound comes out from where the power cable connects. I mentioned this in the forum before and unless you are real young you might not be able to hear the sound.

Here's a strange situation, I was moving the optical cable from my Xbox 360 to the optical out on the 55xs955 since the 360 didn't need it anymore as it just had hardware failure.

Well, as I was trying to connect the cable to the back of the tv no matter how much I lined it up it wouldn't go in right. So I got down closer to look directly at it and I still could not get it right. Then I realized there was no red light you'd normally see as that trap door opened. So I get even closer for a better look and the dang trap door had come loose and was pushed back into the cavity, blocking the optical light.

I haven't tried picking around inside it to remove the door but I'm sure the door is probably bigger than the opening, so no way to remove it. If I did get out I guess then forever more there would be a red light shining out from the back unless I put like black electrical tape over to hide it, or always have an optical cable connected. But again thats if the door can be removed or pushed in a way to sit on top of the optical cable as it goes in.

Would this be an odd thing to call for Warranty service on? Would they laugh and say goodbye or be a serious and have it fixed? There's still some of the Sony warranty left and I have an extended warranty with One Call.

I also can put in that I hate the high frequency sound that comes from the tv while it's turned off but plugged in, which you would only expect while the tv is on. It should be totally silent when turned off. The sound comes out from where the power cable connects. I mentioned this in the forum before and unless you are real young you might not be able to hear the sound.

If it were me I'd call on the warranty and get the optical fixed. I don't hear any high pitched noise either, and I can hear it from some things. But, I'n not that young any more... :D

If it were me I'd call on the warranty and get the optical fixed. I don't hear any high pitched noise either, and I can hear it from some things. But, I'n not that young any more... :D

On hearing, I read an article now that teenagers can use phone rings with these frequencies so only they hear the phone and adults can't hear it. Even stranger the article mentioned that these sounds which only teens hear were used in front of stores to keep kids from hanging around, lol.

I'd definitely have that sound checked out. Sounds like a power supply issue. I can hear those things too, and there is no way I'd ever let that go. My 60xs955 makes no noise when off whatso ever.
On the other hand I DO have a pixel stuck on. Right in the freak'n middle of the screen too. It's under my extended warranty though...I am just awaiting on the parts to arrive and the tech to fix it. The 1st unit Sony sent me was obviously used and not even refurbished, it was really dusty all around the cooling fan for the light engine. On the upside they are replacing my bulb as well, and letting me keep the currently functioning old one too.

On the other hand I DO have a pixel stuck on. Right in the freak'n middle of the screen too. It's under my extended warranty though...I am just awaiting on the parts to arrive and the tech to fix it. The 1st unit Sony sent me was obviously used and not even refurbished, it was really dusty all around the cooling fan for the light engine. On the upside they are replacing my bulb as well, and letting me keep the currently functioning old one too.

Karl... sounds like you have a good warranty. Where did you buy your set? How long is the estimated wait time for a tech to come out to your house?

I have my extended warranty through BB and I'm worried when the bulb goes I'm going to be waiting for a week or more without HD. :eek:

Hi Dave. How those shows coming ;)
I bought it at Sears. The wait time has not been too long. Usually they have scheduled me within a week, but I think the norm is a week. I have to wait longer on the part than the tech. Sony is slow as hell when it comes time to ship out a part.

If you sit more than 6 feet away from the set, you CANNOT see the difference. This is a statement of physiological "eyeball" fact, NOT merely my (normally exalted) opinion.

Plus, the XS955 has a cablecard slot while the A2000, unbelievably, does not. And yes, the cablecard has value. With a typical CableCo HD STB you can record two HD streams while you use the cable card to view a third HD stream. You can't do that with an A2000.

Even if you still swear you will never use a cablecard, doesn't moving backward technologically by eliminating inputs irritate you?

And, finally.... when is Sony going to give us direct input selection? Lots of folks have more than one component hooked up and Sony's crappy "rotation" selection scheme really blows.

BBH... what post were you replying to? :confused:

Okay, so I was not the only one confused.

Sorry, but I admit I was just replying to the general "tone" of the thread, i.e., pluses and minuses of the XA955 series. I have a 55xs955 I am extremely happy with, with the exception of Sony's implementation of input selection on the remote.

I realize you can get a Universal remote and probably find the remote codes for direct input selection somewhere, but you shouldn't have to.

Sorry, but I admit I was just replying to the general "tone" of the thread, i.e., pluses and minuses of the XA955 series. I have a 55xs955 I am extremely happy with, with the exception of Sony's implementation of input selection on the remote.

I realize you can get a Universal remote and probably find the remote codes for direct input selection somewhere, but you shouldn't have to.

BUT, I can't ever remembering buying a device that had discrete input selection right on the remote. I know some can acomplish this with hidden commands but never a top level button. My Harmony can hit input 1-7 directly and 8 is input 7 + next.

I have a 60XS955, a Sony DVD player, and a HDDVR from my cable company. All three have HDMI ports and TOS audio ports. HOwever, my Onkyo receiver only has component inputs for HD connections.

Most of the diagrams from my manuals tell me to run my DVD player and HDDVR through the receiver then out from the receiver to the XS955. Wouldn't I be better off as far as cable clutter and picture quality running those two through the XS955 via HDMI and then running the audio out of the tv through TOS to my receiver?

Has anyone tried this or can you think of any downsides to doing it this way? I just picked up the HDDVR yesterday, replacing a CableCard, and I haven't purchased any HDMI cables yet.

I guess this question could have gone to a variety of AVS forums (audio, DVR, HDMI, etc.), but since it does involve the XS955 I thought it would be ok to post here.

Appreciate your input.

Thanks

Finn123

Most of the diagrams from my manuals tell me to run my DVD player and HDDVR through the receiver then out from the receiver to the XS955. Wouldn't I be better off as far as cable clutter and picture quality running those two through the XS955 via HDMI and then running the audio out of the tv through TOS to my receiver?

You will be fine, except you loose the ability to switch both video and audio inputs together through your receiver. Also, you run a slightly greater risk of audio getting out of synch, but I'll bet your Onkyo has the ability to delay audio if you need to.

I have a 60XS955, a Sony DVD player, and a HDDVR from my cable company. All three have HDMI ports and TOS audio ports. HOwever, my Onkyo receiver only has component inputs for HD connections.

Most of the diagrams from my manuals tell me to run my DVD player and HDDVR through the receiver then out from the receiver to the XS955. Wouldn't I be better off as far as cable clutter and picture quality running those two through the XS955 via HDMI and then running the audio out of the tv through TOS to my receiver?

Has anyone tried this or can you think of any downsides to doing it this way? I just picked up the HDDVR yesterday, replacing a CableCard, and I haven't purchased any HDMI cables yet.

I guess this question could have gone to a variety of AVS forums (audio, DVR, HDMI, etc.), but since it does involve the XS955 I thought it would be ok to post here.

Appreciate your input.

Thanks

Finn123

I think the TOS out from the TV is only for OTA digital broadcasts.
:confused:

I think the TOS out from the TV is only for OTA digital broadcasts.
:confused:

Well, when I was using the CableCard i was certainly getting a digital audio signal from the TV to my receiver for all my HD channels (no SD though). And that was carried by my TOS cable.

My HDDVR has its audio carried over composite although the video is over component. So that won't pass through the tv to the receiver.

Well, when I was using the CableCard i was certainly getting a digital audio signal from the TV to my receiver for all my HD channels (no SD though). And that was carried by my TOS cable.

My HDDVR has its audio carried over composite although the video is over component. So that won't pass through the tv to the receiver.

I stand corrected, cable too. BUT I still don't think as a loop back from an HDMI input?

I have a 60XS955, a Sony DVD player, and a HDDVR from my cable company. All three have HDMI ports and TOS audio ports. HOwever, my Onkyo receiver only has component inputs for HD connections.

Most of the diagrams from my manuals tell me to run my DVD player and HDDVR through the receiver then out from the receiver to the XS955. Wouldn't I be better off as far as cable clutter and picture quality running those two through the XS955 via HDMI and then running the audio out of the tv through TOS to my receiver?

Has anyone tried this or can you think of any downsides to doing it this way? .....

You SHOULD be fine. One thing to check is the Cable provider and software version used. Many locales have different software versions, even from the same provider. Those differences may dictate how you change settings, etc. for HDMI, DD 5.1, etc.

For example, the TWC Passport (or SARA) threads here have many of us who likely have your configuration.

BUT, I can't ever remembering buying a device that had discrete input selection right on the remote. I know some can acomplish this with hidden commands but never a top level button. My Harmony can hit input 1-7 directly and 8 is input 7 + next.

JVC, for one, and I believe Panny offer direct input selection on at least the top end of their models.

The optical out only works with coax input. If you send a 5.1 via HDMI, the tv will display that HDMI audio not supported.

The optical out only works with coax input. If you send a 5.1 via HDMI, the tv will display that HDMI audio not supported.

Hmmm, so is there another way to get surround sound from the tv to my receiver considering my receiver doesn't have HDMI?

It seems strange to me that it would support HDMI inputs but not a way to get that digital audio signal to a receiver for surround sound support.

Maybe that's why I've had to run the component outputs from my DVD and Xbox along with TOS to get surround sound.

I was just hoping to take advantage of the HDMI connections.

Thanks

Quick question; I'm trying to estimate where I am in the bulb replacement cycle, specifically to see if my bulb will make it for another 3months(1 yr warranty expires) with my current use. May have to increase use if i'm close.

Today my Tv results were "Lamp TM 2733 and lamp CT 1208". "TM" and "CT" means what?

Ive been unable to find estimated hours of bulb life ? anyone know or have a good quess?

After 9 months this lcd still is superior to many Sony Lcd's including current models in my opinion. My system is coupled with Sony ES and Sony products and the headaches were greatly reduced in setup versus other product manufactures.

Thanks

Quick question; I'm trying to estimate where I am in the bulb replacement cycle, specifically to see if my bulb will make it for another 3months(1 yr warranty expires) with my current use. May have to increase use if i'm close.

Today my Tv results were "Lamp TM 2733 and lamp CT 1208". "TM" and "CT" means what?

Ive been unable to find estimated hours of bulb life ? anyone know or have a good quess?

After 9 months this lcd still is superior to many Sony Lcd's including current models in my opinion. My system is coupled with Sony ES and Sony products and the headaches were greatly reduced in setup versus other product manufactures.

Thanks

Can't help on the bulb but I agree with your assesment of the TV. I find only the SXRD is superior (natch) but still see nothing that compares with its ability to put a decent SD picture on the screen. Let alone its HD image.

I loaded up Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter on my Xbox360 last night and I just marveled at how well this set renders colors, and the black level was surprisingly deep and rich. :cool:

I'm not sure what the MT and CT letters mean, but I think the MT is hours bulb is on and CT is the number of times it's turned on and off (cycled). Can anyone confirm this? :confused:

Today my Tv results were "Lamp TM 2733 and lamp CT 1208". "TM" and "CT" means what?



LAMP "TM" = LAMP HOURS
LAMP "CT" = LAMP POWER ON CYCLES

Hope this helps!
Carmine.

LAMP "TM" = LAMP HOURS
LAMP "CT" = LAMP POWER ON CYCLES

Hope this helps!
Carmine.


Thanks for the acronym info.. Anyone have a idea of estimated hrs of bulb(stock) life for those that have changed bulbs?

Anyone have a idea of estimated hrs of bulb(stock) life for those that have changed bulbs?

I think it's impossible to estimate how long a bulb will last because the number of power cycles (turning the set on and off) can drastically shorten the life span.

I would imagine the range of hours a bulb can last would be drastically different, up to years apart, depending on the household's viewing habits.

Hello everyone, anyone know when the bulb for the KDF-55XS955 should be replaced. My TV is going on 2 years. Also is there anyway to tell how many hours the bulb has used up? i think i read they typically last about 6000 hours.

anyone know when the bulb for the KDF-55XS955 should be replaced.

I think I remember someone saying the bulb will dim for a while (an hour?) before it goes.... :confused:

But the certain way to know is when you hear a loud "pop" and the screen goes dark. Just be ready for this to happen - I'll bet it's quite shocking. :eek:

I don't know that it always works this way but it certainly did with the first bulb in my KDF-60XBR950 set when it went - the image was noticably dim for around the last 50 hours of the bulb's life. From what I've read here with other peoples' experiences of what happens when bulb death is imminent, this seems to be fairly typical. It seems to be a rare occurrence that the bulb goes when it's still putting out a good brightness. Oh yeah, as I recall, even though I was half-expecting the bulb to go for some time before it did, the pop itself was still rather shocking when it did finally occur (on the loud side). :p

I don't know that it always works this way but it certainly did with the first bulb in my KDF-60XBR950 set when it went - the image was noticably dim for around the last 50 hours of the bulb's life. From what I've read here with other peoples' experiences of what happens when bulb death is imminent, this seems to be fairly typical. It seems to be a rare occurrence that the bulb goes when it's still putting out a good brightness. Oh yeah, as I recall, even though I was half-expecting the bulb to go for some time before it did, the pop itself was still rather shocking when it did finally occur (on the loud side). :p

So how long did you have the tv before the bulb went out?

My first bulb only lasted somewhere around 1850 hours (and not all that many power cycles to get it there because I won't turn it off if I know I'll be coming back to it in relatively short order, meaning it typically only gets turned on once a day and then left on until shortly before bedtime). My second bulb is currently somewhere in the 3350-3400 range and still has no noticable brightness dropoff, so hopefully it still has a good long time left in it. Of course I'm relatively likely to be upgrading to a better set in a near future (quite possibly a 70" XBR2 :p), and because I'd most likely sell my current set at that time, I wouldn't so much care myself but whoever I sold it to probably would. ;)

My first bulb only lasted somewhere around 1850 hours (and not all that many power cycles to get it there because I won't turn it off if I know I'll be coming back to it in relatively short order, meaning it typically only gets turned on once a day and then left on until shortly before bedtime). My second bulb is currently somewhere in the 3350-3400 range and still has no noticable brightness dropoff, so hopefully it still has a good long time left in it. Of course I'm relatively likely to be upgrading to a better set in a near future (quite possibly a 70" XBR2 :p), and because I'd most likely sell my current set at that time, I wouldn't so much care myself but whoever I sold it to probably would. ;)

Perhaps you can answer my second question regarding how to find out the number of hours the bulb has on it. :-)

Perhaps you can answer my second question regarding how to find out the number of hours the bulb has on it. :-)
Look a few posts up and You'll find your answer. ;)

Look a few posts up and You'll find your answer. ;)

This thread is over 50 pages, I wouldnt know where to begin :-(

Sorry, I was thinking of the wrong thread anyways. Try here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8045683&&#post8045683

From the GWIV thread:

Reading Lamp and Panel time:

In standby mode (TV off) do the following:

1. Press "Display", "5", "Volume +", "Power ON"
2. Press "Jump" 3 times.
3. To display the Lamp time, press "2", 9 times.
Example Display:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM 14 LampCT 71

Shows:
lamp time = 14 hours
lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times

4. To display the Panel time, press "1", 7 times.
Example DIsplay:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E

7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h

Shows:
Panel time = 14 hours

Jason

Probably a stupid question but im going 2 ask it anyway :-) what is panel time? i understand lamp hours and cycles

anyone?

anyone?

The TV has 3 lcd panels internally. In the example above it looks like lamp time and panel time are the same. I'm not sure when they would be different, unless you reset the lamp time after changing the bulb.

does anyone know if i can buy a lamp driver and change it myself.like you said i figured it was like a video card.i paid for an extended warrenty but i lost it...go figure! it was 400 so i really dont want to pay those guys 350 just to come plug a video card in!any help would be greatly apreciated.i cant stand the 19 in sanyo anymore.

I loaded up Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter on my Xbox360 last night and I just marveled at how well this set renders colors, and the black level was surprisingly deep and rich. :cool:

I'm not sure what the MT and CT letters mean, but I think the MT is hours bulb is on and CT is the number of times it's turned on and off (cycled). Can anyone confirm this? :confused:


I have the xs955, and I have a LOT of horizontal tearing when I rotate right or left on the 360 in GRAW. When the guide extends, I see the tearing, too. Otherwise, everything is perfect.

Hmmm, so is there another way to get surround sound from the tv to my receiver considering my receiver doesn't have HDMI?

It seems strange to me that it would support HDMI inputs but not a way to get that digital audio signal to a receiver for surround sound support.

Maybe that's why I've had to run the component outputs from my DVD and Xbox along with TOS to get surround sound.

I was just hoping to take advantage of the HDMI connections.

Thanks


On your STB or DVD, you should be able to run the video to the TV via HDMI and the audio from a digital coax or TOS to the receiver. You might have to go into the menu on your STB and DVD to select digital audio out via the coax or TOS. Anyway, that is how my setup is right now, with my Motorola HD STB/DVR connected to input 7 (HDMI) and a digital optical audio cable from the STB to my receiver. Works terrifically.

Good luck.

I'm about to get a new surround sound receiver - preferably one that upconverts all analog sources to HDMI, so I can run only one cable from the receiver to the TV, and push only one button to select different audio/video sources.

One concern I have is whether the TV excepts SD resolutions through the HDMI inputs, because some of the receivers seem to simply pass through the analog signal to through the HDMI output on the receiver, rather than truly converting it to a digital, HD resolution.

I can't find my manual or I would look it up. Has anyone else bought a similar receiver and can report on how well it works?

BUT, I can't ever remembering buying a device that had discrete input selection right on the remote. I know some can acomplish this with hidden commands but never a top level button. My Harmony can hit input 1-7 directly and 8 is input 7 + next.

How did you get your remote to input directly? I have a Sony Remote Commander and would love to be able to directly select inputs. Cycling through 5 inputs blows.

...I have a LOT of horizontal tearing when I rotate right or left on the 360 in GRAW.

Yea, but that's not the fault of the set... it's ubisoft's fault for not enabling v-synch in the game. There are more than a few games that have this problem. :( It's my second biggest gripe about many games on the 360, right behind inconsistent framerates.

In spite of these problems, I think GRAW looks awesome on the XS955.

How did you get your remote to input directly? I have a Sony Remote Commander and would love to be able to directly select inputs. Cycling through 5 inputs blows.

Read what you quoted from me. My Harmony...

I'm about to get a new surround sound receiver - preferably one that upconverts all analog sources to HDMI, so I can run only one cable from the receiver to the TV, and push only one button to select different audio/video sources.

One concern I have is whether the TV excepts SD resolutions through the HDMI inputs, because some of the receivers seem to simply pass through the analog signal to through the HDMI output on the receiver, rather than truly converting it to a digital, HD resolution.

I can't find my manual or I would look it up. Has anyone else bought a similar receiver and can report on how well it works?I can tell you my PC can send out a 480i signal to the set thru HDMI and it seems to work just fine.

I can tell you my PC can send out a 480i signal to the set thru HDMI and it seems to work just fine.


Great. Thanks for the info.

Read what you quoted from me. My Harmony...


So when you punch in the code for a Sony TV on your Harmony, the direct input selection is automatically available?

You didn't have to do any learning of discreet codes?

So when you punch in the code for a Sony TV on your Harmony, the direct input selection is automatically available?

You didn't have to do any learning of discreet codes?

Harmony remotes are programmed using their web site. You input the model numbers of all your equipment and macros (Activities) are set up using a wizard. The program will ask you what input the TV should be tuned to and will send a signal that will switch the TV directly to that input. The exception is Input 8. This requires the TV to be set to Input 7 and then cycled to Input 8. The remote handles this, but there is a short delay.

Like he said ;)

Harmony remotes are programmed using their web site. You input the model numbers of all your equipment and macros (Activities) are set up using a wizard. The program will ask you what input the TV should be tuned to and will send a signal that will switch the TV directly to that input. The exception is Input 8. This requires the TV to be set to Input 7 and then cycled to Input 8. The remote handles this, but there is a short delay.


You'd think a "Sony" programmable remote commander would be able to do the same things that 3rd party remotes could do. That's BS. I guess I need a Harmony!

You'd think a "Sony" programmable remote commander would be able to do the same things that 3rd party remotes could do. That's BS. I guess I need a Harmony!

There are other choices, but I'd reccomend the 880 when it's on a deal, Dell recently had the deal, it comes and goes.

Hi there.

I've been reading this forum for quite some time but never really posted.

Here's the scenario. A buddy of mine is moving in for a couple months and he has not one but TWO English Mastiffs. This is a highly drooly breed and I'm worried about getting it on my screen. Short of moving my 55XS955 into another room, as it's not really an option, I thought that some type of screen protector might be in order.

I've been looking and unable to find anything. Does anyone have any thoughts or options on this?

Thanks,

-Fernando

Hi there.

I've been reading this forum for quite some time but never really posted.

Here's the scenario. A buddy of mine is moving in for a couple months and he has not one but TWO English Mastiffs. This is a highly drooly breed and I'm worried about getting it on my screen. Short of moving my 55XS955 into another room, as it's not really an option, I thought that some type of screen protector might be in order.

I've been looking and unable to find anything. Does anyone have any thoughts or options on this?

Thanks,

-Fernando

A new TV when you return?? :eek: :eek: :eek: ;)
Sorry :(

I just hooked this up the other day after my move to FL. At the moment it is just a coxal cable out of a regular cable box. I was watching the football game and noticed rainbow colors on the Indy white uniforms when they are in motion. Not always but definitely often.

Is there something wrong with the set or is it just a bad feed? Will this be cleared up with a HD feed?

Thanks

Brian

After almost 2 years my TV has started acting up. It turns off and on while im watching tv on its own. it goes into standby mode with the red light blinking about 3 times continuously which according to the manual means it might need service. anyone else experience this? if so what was done to fix this problem. im waiting for sony to call me back. thanks to all who respond.

After almost 2 years my TV has started acting up. It turns off and on while im watching tv on its own. it goes into standby mode with the red light blinking about 3 times continuously which according to the manual means it might need service. anyone else experience this? if so what was done to fix this problem. im waiting for sony to call me back. thanks to all who respond.

I hope you have an EW or it's gonna be pricey. Good luck!

Mine has the Info Display pop-up bug. I've read earlier the it's been fixed. When I finish dealing with my current Samsunf 32" LCD lemon I may tackle this issue. Based on my earlier problems this may make it classify as a lemon. I'm not sure if I want to press that issue on this TV as overall it's been good. We'll see later.

i actualy have that bug as well, however it never really bothered me. It didnt happen often enough and when it did it would either go away on it's own or I would hit the display key and it would disappear. overall i have been very happy with my tv and yes i do have the ew, just waiting for a call back now

I hope you have an EW or it's gonna be pricey. Good luck!

Mine has the Info Display pop-up bug. I've read earlier the it's been fixed.

I have it too. I wonder if it's worth calling BB to have them fix this? :confused: If it's unfixable, maybe I could get an upgraded model?

Hmmm, so is there another way to get surround sound from the tv to my receiver considering my receiver doesn't have HDMI?

It seems strange to me that it would support HDMI inputs but not a way to get that digital audio signal to a receiver for surround sound support.

Maybe that's why I've had to run the component outputs from my DVD and Xbox along with TOS to get surround sound.

I was just hoping to take advantage of the HDMI connections.

Thanks

Not if you aren't using the tuner and trying to get 5.1. I found it odd and even the tech support at Sony found it odd. It's now in the newer sets' manuals. I don't know why they shortchanged the set up for that and continue to do so in their current and future models but it must be something the engineers know about that we don't.

akadennis & Daverj:

If I remember earlier in this thread it's discussed as a fixed issue with the part needed mentioned. I think it's theQ-Board but I'll check again before initiating the fix. I find it HIGHLY annoying as it occurs jusat as I'm targeting a meany in an XBox-360 game! Arggghhh! :D :eek:
I'd really like it to stop, it happens often enough to be really annoying. So when I have the time I'll initiate the repair.
On a seperate note I've had a lot of experience lately with the BB EW. My 360 went "Red Ring of Death" and instead or replacing the box they bought it back for what I paid. Not good because I paid full price for the warranty but got a $100 discoung thanks to Amex last January and that got wiped out. They are sending me a giftcard with my purchase and tax so I lose $100 and the $50 of the EW. Not happy and bought a new 360 from Costco for ultimate protection, and the fist replacement was DOA!!
On a second note, my Sammy 32" LCD had 3 mainboards replaced since I bought it in May. Samsung took the initiative and lemoned it. I can buy anything I want (with a credit) so I'm getting a 37" LG and $140 refunded and reinitilization of my EW to the new start date. That was good. So I'm batting 50/50.
I had lots of trouble with the Sony early one, documented here, and we'll see how this plays out.

Not if you aren't using the tuner and trying to get 5.1. I found it odd and even the tech support at Sony found it odd. It's now in the newer sets' manuals. I don't know why they shortchanged the set up for that and continue to do so in their current and future models but it must be something the engineers know about that we don't.

I'm confused. I use the TOSLINK output of the xs955 to my receiver and channels broadcasting in 5.1 OTA are in 5.1 in my house. IF you are using a cablebox or D*/Dish box they have TOS/COAX output for 5.1 and that's what you connect. I think the only weak link in the senario that I actually haven't tried is the cablecard, I'm not sure if it passes the 5.1 signal or not because I don't use it that way. (I have a CC but just use it to surf regular channels and watch the 5.1 stuff through Moxi.

anyone experience their tv turning off and on by itself? this is whats currently happening to me.

Does anyone have a problem with the white coloring off. I have been seeing what looks like rainbows or multi colors on the whites?

I know its not a DLP TV and I know what the rainbow effect looks like on DLP. It does kind of remind me of that problem though.

I am using a low quality feed and thought that might be contributing to it.

Thanks

Brian

anyone experience their tv turning off and on by itself? this is whats currently happening to me.

Sounds like my Samsung (but it turns on by itself, but not today!) That's a new one on me.

Does anyone have a problem with the white coloring off. I have been seeing what looks like rainbows or multi colors on the whites?

I know its not a DLP TV and I know what the rainbow effect looks like on DLP. It does kind of remind me of that problem though.

I am using a low quality feed and thought that might be contributing to it.

Thanks

Brian

Sounds like a "Duh"?? Low quality feed. artifacting... :eek:

Does anyone have a problem with the white coloring off. I have been seeing what looks like rainbows or multi colors on the whites?

I know its not a DLP TV and I know what the rainbow effect looks like on DLP. It does kind of remind me of that problem though.

I am using a low quality feed and thought that might be contributing to it.

Brian

Guess the question really is why are you using a low quality feed??? You've got a superb TV...when properly tweaked. Why not get a great feed, tweak the darn thing, and then figure out if you really have a problem or not? Odds are that your set is fine. The picture looks awful with a poor SD feed, but is stellar with a good HD feed.

Guess the question really is why are you using a low quality feed??? You've got a superb TV...when properly tweaked. Why not get a great feed, tweak the darn thing, and then figure out if you really have a problem or not? Odds are that your set is fine. The picture looks awful with a poor SD feed, but is stellar with a good HD feed.

Heck, SD is even passable with a strong feed!

....
Mine has the Info Display pop-up bug. I've read earlier the it's been fixed. When I finish dealing with my current Samsunf 32" LCD lemon I may tackle this issue. Based on my earlier problems this may make it classify as a lemon. I'm not sure if I want to press that issue on this TV as overall it's been good. We'll see later.Can anyone verify this issue was ever FIXED? Multiple calls to Sony tech support as well as Sears tech support (Who also call Sony support) only result in the response of "....we do not know of this as an issue....blah...blah...blah.....no there is no update for your TV". I thought there was mention of people getting firmware updates by memory stick. Has anyone who has had this problem gotten it fixed? If so please tell me how or link the post if this has already been covered.

Can anyone verify this issue was ever FIXED? Multiple calls to Sony tech support as well as Sears tech support (Who also call Sony support) only result in the response of "....we do not know of this as an issue....blah...blah...blah.....no there is no update for your TV". I thought there was mention of people getting firmware updates by memory stick. Has anyone who has had this problem gotten it fixed? If so please tell me how or link the post if this has already been covered.

I've been Stick updated for my original problems. It's not a stick issue. It has been covered in this forum, the answer is in the pages before. If I find it or some one beats me link to it to bring it forward.

Regarding the banner popping up. Ever since I had my "B" board changed I have not seen it. It's been about 2 months now. When I had called Sony about it in Feb., they told me this was software problem. With the new board, you supposedly get the updated software.

The problem the tech left behind in Feb. was discovered couple of days ago. I tried to change the power setting of the lamp. Video Menu --> Options. Well it wasn't there anymore! The tech looked at it and first tried to tell me there is no such thing. I showed him the manual. He called the tech support and they told him to calibrate it from the service menu -- and presto the Menu option was on again!

Anyway, the banner problem seemed to have been fixed by changing the "B" board


Looks to be the "B-Board"

So I'm noticing my KDF55XS955 is a little slower to reach full brightness (after a couple years of usage). Is there any con to having a spare xl-2200 for the inevitible death of the current one?

So I'm noticing my KDF55XS955 is a little slower to reach full brightness (after a couple years of usage). Is there any con to having a spare xl-2200 for the inevitible death of the current one?


I was playing with some settings in the daytime and realized, it ain't as bright as it used to be! :eek: November will be 2 years with a lot of use ;)

Joe... sounds like lamp replacement time.

Joe... sounds like lamp replacement time.

I'm thinkin' that too, but want to stretch out the EW have the B-Board issue and currently replacing a Lemon Sammy LCD. So I want to coordinate all this. The TV is still good for now.

Popup problem

I had the board in my TV replaced by a Circuit City tech. It seemed to work, but a week later I noticed it happenning again.

So....maybe it isn't the 'B-board', the confusion continues.....................

Oh boy, :(
I wound up calling for service when I realized that my bulb is dying and I'd better get it done before it's totally out. I hadn't realized I had it on Vivid all the time. I forgot. Id I go to Standard it's dim, and Pro is dark beyond watching. :eek:
I'm complaining about the pop up too, so we'll see how that resolves.

Greetings all. I've had my KDF-60XS955 for about 1.5 years and it's crapping out on me.

Here's what happens: the tv fires up fine, after a few minutes the screen goes completely dark (as if you turned it off) and the power standby light blinks green for a couple of minutes and then the picture comes back. This process continues in what seems like a neverending loop.

I reset the TV, left it off overnight, and still have the same problem. Following some instructions here I checked the lamp time and it's about 6500 hours and the cycle time is about 1000. Is this a lot?

I e-mailed Sony tech support and got a pretty generic "sounds like it needs to be serviced" e-mail. It's out of warranty and the thought of trying to deliver it to a service center or have a tech come out along with the associated cost doesn't have me too happy. I'm thinking of trying to replace the lamp to see if that does anything before going through what is likely a more expensive service route.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,
Chris

Greetings all. I've had my KDF-60XS955 for about 1.5 years and it's crapping out on me.

Here's what happens: the tv fires up fine, after a few minutes the screen goes completely dark (as if you turned it off) and the power standby light blinks green for a couple of minutes and then the picture comes back. This process continues in what seems like a neverending loop.

I reset the TV, left it off overnight, and still have the same problem. Following some instructions here I checked the lamp time and it's about 6500 hours and the cycle time is about 1000. Is this a lot?

I e-mailed Sony tech support and got a pretty generic "sounds like it needs to be serviced" e-mail. It's out of warranty and the thought of trying to deliver it to a service center or have a tech come out along with the associated cost doesn't have me too happy. I'm thinking of trying to replace the lamp to see if that does anything before going through what is likely a more expensive service route.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,
Chris

Sounds like you need service. ;) :p :D


Sorry had to do that. I feel your pain. As my lamp issue sounds different than yours but I'm not sure, mine is now going dim but the set starts and runs normally. Not counting the info pop-ups. I hate to say it but, no EW? Why would anyone buy such an expensive item with no protection. You can look at the money you saved upfront to pay for the service you will need now. Good luck!

Sounds like you need service. ;) :p :D


Sorry had to do that. I feel your pain. As my lamp issue sounds different than yours but I'm not sure, mine is now going dim but the set starts and runs normally. Not counting the info pop-ups. I hate to say it but, no EW? Why would anyone buy such an expensive item with no protection. You can look at the money you saved upfront to pay for the service you will need now. Good luck!

Yeah, sounds like service it is. I have the pop-up issue as well from time to time. To be honest I almost never buy an extended warranty. If I added up the cost of all of the extended warranties I've been offered for electronics it would probably add up to over 10x the cost of money I've spent on repairs.

Chris

Yeah, sounds like service it is. I have the pop-up issue as well from time to time. To be honest I almost never buy an extended warranty. If I added up the cost of all of the extended warranties I've been offered for electronics it would probably add up to over 10x the cost of money I've spent on repairs.

Chris

Generally I agree but on these new tech items I fit it in the budget. I believe even Consumer Reports actually recommends EWs on new HDTVs. Unusual for them too.

Hey everyone I need some advice please. I have a 60XS about 1.5 years old now. I have a couple of DVD's that when I play them they play as widescreen within a 4x3 window. In other words I have black bars on top and bottom AND on the sides. I have to use zoom mode to fill the screen so I only have bars on top and bottom but it degrades the clarity some I feel.

Not every DVD does this only a few but it drives me crazy. Has anyone heard of or fixed this?

Thanks!!! Love this board.

Not every DVD does this only a few but it drives me crazy. Has anyone heard of or fixed this?



Some movies are letterboxed but aren't anamorphic. If you look at the box on older DVDs, it might say "enhanced for widescreen TVs"... that's another way of saying they were mastered to fill both 4:3 TVs and widescreen 16:9 TVs. Almost all widescreen DVDs are mastered anamorphicly now, but every now and then one pops up that isn't. "The Boondock Saints" was the last DVD I rented that was this way -- not that proper mastering would have helped this flick.

You might notice some bonus features, deleted scenes, etc.. of widescreen movies are also commonly non-anamorphic.

Hey everyone I need some advice please. I have a 60XS about 1.5 years old now. I have a couple of DVD's that when I play them they play as widescreen within a 4x3 window. In other words I have black bars on top and bottom AND on the sides. I have to use zoom mode to fill the screen so I only have bars on top and bottom but it degrades the clarity some I feel.

Not every DVD does this only a few but it drives me crazy. Has anyone heard of or fixed this?

Thanks!!! Love this board.

Sounds about right. What you're finding is some DVDs are produced better than others and when you stretch them they fall apart. Are you using an upconverting player?

Are you using an upconverting player?

No I'm not. I have a Denon 2900 I had the blacks crushing on everything else I tried. :rolleyes:

Oh boy, :(
I wound up calling for service when I realized that my bulb is dying and I'd better get it done before it's totally out. I hadn't realized I had it on Vivid all the time. I forgot. Id I go to Standard it's dim, and Pro is dark beyond watching. :eek:
I'm complaining about the pop up too, so we'll see how that resolves.

Let us know how how it goes. I have the pop up to and im going to call service and complain. Hope they can fix it.

Let us know how how it goes. I have the pop up to and im going to call service and complain. Hope they can fix it.

WOW! What a difference a bulb makes! It was dimming so slowly that until recently I didn't realize what was happening. It had to be way past 50% dim! It's much better now.

As for the pop-ups. Oscar the tech said I needed 1.7.2 I have 1.6.4 and it covers the pop-up issue. He didn't have a working copy so said to try Sony directly for a faster reply. I did, Sony said there was no official fix for this issue, barely knew about it. I really think we ALL need to call Sony and REMIND them that they need to fix this or there's gonna be a lot of "lemons" and BestBuy might get mad at them for being the root cause of the problem!

The Sony phone number for such issues is 866-210-6333.

I'd suggest, if you really like having the info pop up, do nothing, it will stay that way. If, like me, it pisses you off, call and complain! The more we squeak the more likely they'll assign a tech to fix and patch it! They created it they can fix it!

Please post your results!

...Oscar the tech said I needed 1.7.2 I have 1.6.4 and it covers the pop-up issue.....Who is this 'Oscar the tech'? Is he a Sony tech? How does he know of this fix? We hear of people saying there is a firmware fix, but then no one ever confirms it has been done. Sony continuly responds that there is no "firmware update." Can 'Oscar the tech' give you more information about this "fix"?

Who is this 'Oscar the tech'? Is he a Sony tech? How does he know of this fix? We hear of people saying there is a firmware fix, but then no one ever confirms it has been done. Sony continuly responds that there is no "firmware update." Can 'Oscar the tech' give you more information about this "fix"?

Oscar is a Best Buy tech. I'll talk with him about zeroing in on the firmware update. Sony could barely find the TV in their system. I was asked to repeat the model number 3 times, even though they parroted back what I was saying. Frustrating.

How many people have this pop-up problem? It may not be as common as we want it to be. What about what people actually have hooked up to their set? Maybe that's why Sony has no fix for it.

I have this problem. It happens without anything but basic cable hooked up to the TV. (I get the local HD feeds thru my cable, I am not just watching SD on this set :) )

I have this problem. It happens without anything but basic cable hooked up to the TV. (I get the local HD feeds thru my cable, I am not just watching SD on this set :) )

Call the number!

I get it on various inputs (HD DirecTivo, DVD players and video games). I'm certain it's within the set and not anything that's plugged into it.

I think, like Grumpy Joe, I'll bring it up when my "Oscar the tech" comes to change a bulb. I'm not sure I have the patience to deal w/ Sony phone tech support.

....I'm not sure I have the patience to deal w/ Sony phone tech support.I hear ya Dave, I hear ya.

I have called mulitple times and online chat as well. It got me absolutely no where, the response I get is "We do not know of this issue, your TV may need to be serviced." Oh really...you think! Sure, service it and get the same problem $250-$500 later 'cause no one at Sony seems to 'know' about the issue. Heck if your lucky maybe they'll give you a new problem worse then the 'pop-up' issue, and you'll get so pissed about the new problem you'll dream of the days the only issue you had was the pop-up.

I have the infamous "pop-up" as well on my 55XS955. But it happens so infrequently that i just deal with it rather than having someones hands inside my otherwise perfect tv!!!

Just my 2 cents.
Carmine.

how does one go about checking lamp hours on the XS60955?

Hey everyone,
I posted back in January about my 55xs. Love the tv. I got comcast dvr tonight, and was playing with the settingss I'm wondering, whats the proper setting for this tv, 1080i or 720p to provide the best HD picture. I was also wondering the same for the xbox 360 settings on this tv. Thanks.

Hey everyone,
I posted back in January about my 55xs. Love the tv. I got comcast dvr tonight, and was playing with the settingss I'm wondering, whats the proper setting for this tv, 1080i or 720p to provide the best HD picture.

Hey Dave...

The best answer I can tell you is find some good source material for each input, go into PRO mode and experiment.

Because the 955 scales everything to 788p, you won't get any 1:1 advantage for 720p or 1080i. To me, they both look great. I have my HD DirecTivo set to 1080i and my video games set to 720p.

As for the Xbox 360, here's my settings (copied from this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=672158) in the Xbox forum on AVS):

Mode - pro
pic - 53
bright- 34
color - 32
hue - 0
sharp - 42
temp. - warm
noise red. - low
mild - off
live color - low
clear white - off
detail enhance - med
black correction - high *
gamma correction - high *
white balance - all 0s

* these two settings really push the picture, making the colors pop. For anything other than video games I wouldn't do this, but with gaming I'm a sucker for vibrant colors and the deepest blacks I can get while still seeing in dimly lit areas.

Thanks for the reply. For now, I think I may leave the dvr at 1080i, and the xbox at 720p. I think I'll go crazy if I try to go back and forth and look for differences.

Hello everyone, I just had my lamp and lamp driver replaced and I went back to check if the lamp hours reset itself to 0 and it did not. Any suggestions?

Hello everyone, I just had my lamp and lamp driver replaced and I went back to check if the lamp hours reset itself to 0 and it did not. Any suggestions?

Dennis,

Go here for directions:

http://www.agoraquest.com/viewtopic.php?topic=26033&forum=34&start=10&select_page_number=2

I had my firmware flashed on Friday. The new version is 1.76 0089
We'll see if it stops the info pop ups. :rolleyes:

I had my firmware flashed on Friday. The new version is 1.76 0089
We'll see if it stops the info pop ups. :rolleyes:


At least it was quick. It popped up today Sunday during the Dallas/Philly game. Back to the drawing board. :(

Are you getting that on all of your inputs?

I was playing Halo 2 on the xbox 360 the other night and had the info bar keep popping up for no reason.

(provided a convenient excuse for getting destroyed by a bunch of 12 year old punk kids)

Are you getting that on all of your inputs?

I was playing Halo 2 on the xbox 360 the other night and had the info bar keep popping up for no reason.

(provided a convenient excuse for getting destroyed by a bunch of 12 year old punk kids)

On the ones I use, yes.
It's most annoying on the 360!
:eek:

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong area, first timer. I have a problem with my 55" Sony KDF. When watching a DVD, it will change from whatever format (wide zoom, full) I am watching, to another, (usually "Zoom".) I have done everything I can think of to stop this. Any suggestions?????

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong area, first timer. I have a problem with my 55" Sony KDF. When watching a DVD, it will change from whatever format (wide zoom, full) I am watching, to another, (usually "Zoom".) I have done everything I can think of to stop this. Any suggestions?????Nope I do not believe there is. Maybe the 'phantom' firmware flash that is floating around out there might do it.

Chris -- did you ever get this fixed? (I am referring to MyBoysLandC posting regarding the KDF-55xs955 coming on fine and then the light starts blinking green and the picture goes out then after a minute or so comes back on for a while, then it goes back out) Our 55xs is having the exact same problem. We did buy an e/w thru Tweeter but they can't come until next Friday. We are in football withdrawal!!

My display caught this bug about a month ago. I powered down the unit, pulled the plug for a while (30-60 minutes?) then fired it up. Been fine ever since. Worth a shot.

I too have had success in unplugging for an hour and then replugging back in a few times.
I think it might have to do with power outages or bulb life/bulb installation. If the unit is turned off without having a chance to cool down (listen for the fan on the bulb when you turn off), the unit goes into a lockdown mode of some sort.

Mine was doing the exact same thing. The green light would come on and blink 5 times and then go to red. I could get the set to come on for a few moments, and then it would click itself off. I called Sony 2x to send someone out, but each time I was able to fix the problem by unplugging as noted above.

Chris -- did you ever get this fixed? (I am referring to MyBoysLandC posting regarding the KDF-55xs955 coming on fine and then the light starts blinking green and the picture goes out then after a minute or so comes back on for a while, then it goes back out) Our 55xs is having the exact same problem. We did buy an e/w thru Tweeter but they can't come until next Friday. We are in football withdrawal!!

Yes I did get it fixed. The repair shop wanted about $175 to come out and troubleshoot it - so I decided to just swap in a new bulb first since mine had a lot of hours on it. Well swapping in a new bulb fixed the problem. The cost was about $220 directly from Sony. I needed a new bulb anyway, so I'm glad I tried that before paying for a tech.

MyBoysLandC.... actually you can now put in your old bulb, and the problem will still be fixed. Keep that new bulb until you really need it.

I bought my XS60 a couple of years ago from an internet dealer. ( wannasavealot ) Set has worked perfectly so far - no problems. I have a friend that wants to buy and I can't find wannasavealot and I don't remember who the other internet store are. Could someone give me some names? Recommendations?
Thanks.

I've had my 60xs955 for almost 2 years and have used it moderately, average about 4 hours a day. I would estimate the bulb is at about 3000+ hours with limited on/off cycles.

Yesterday I noticed all inputs taking on a slight blueish tint, and today have noticed that while some scenes in TV shows are bright, moderate scenes are starting to look dark.

Is what I described to be expected when the bulb needs to be replaced? :confused: How long with the bulb remain in this state until it's replaced? I have an extended warranty at Best Buy and would like them to replace the lamp before it goes all the way -- is that fair?

I've had my 60xs955 for almost 2 years and have used it moderately, average about 4 hours a day. I would estimate the bulb is at about 3000+ hours with limited on/off cycles.

Yesterday I noticed all inputs taking on a slight blueish tint, and today have noticed that while some scenes in TV shows are bright, moderate scenes are starting to look dark.

Is what I described to be expected when the bulb needs to be replaced? :confused: How long with the bulb remain in this state until it's replaced? I have an extended warranty at Best Buy and would like them to replace the lamp before it goes all the way -- is that fair?

I dont know if that is a bulb but most warranties include a yearly tune-up service. Have them come in for that and have them bring a bulb.

I own a Sony KDF-55XS955 and I'm coming up on my 2 year anniversary with this set. Two months ago the Light Engine was replaced under my extended warranty. The repairmen who installed it said it was from my LCD overheating. I asked them what I could do to keep it cool and they said put a fan on it. Well, my TV sits on the Sony stand that matches the model and is not enclosed at all as well as sitting about 3' from the wall. So, I think it is well ventilated.

The TV has been running fine since replacement of the Light Engine. Yesterday the picture went black with the green led blinking. I turned it off let the fan finish running then turned it back on and it was fine. It happened again and I did the same thing. I'm thinking that this is it overheating and turning itself off to cool down. But what do I know, which is why I ask this community. I don't want to have to get a new Light Engine or possibly do more damage to my TV.

My TV runs about 15 hours a day. So, any ideas on what is happening or what I can do to prevent this from happening?

I've had my 60xs955 for almost 2 years and have used it moderately, average about 4 hours a day. I would estimate the bulb is at about 3000+ hours with limited on/off cycles.

Yesterday I noticed all inputs taking on a slight blueish tint, and today have noticed that while some scenes in TV shows are bright, moderate scenes are starting to look dark.

Is what I described to be expected when the bulb needs to be replaced? :confused: How long with the bulb remain in this state until it's replaced? I have an extended warranty at Best Buy and would like them to replace the lamp before it goes all the way -- is that fair?

Sounds like what mine did. It's the bulb. It was like a new set after BB replaced it. (Still poping up the info but so much brighter!) ;)

I own a Sony KDF-55XS955 and I'm coming up on my 2 year anniversary with this set. Two months ago the Light Engine was replaced under my extended warranty. The repairmen who installed it said it was from my LCD overheating. I asked them what I could do to keep it cool and they said put a fan on it. Well, my TV sits on the Sony stand that matches the model and is not enclosed at all as well as sitting about 3' from the wall. So, I think it is well ventilated.

The TV has been running fine since replacement of the Light Engine. Yesterday the picture went black with the green led blinking. I turned it off let the fan finish running then turned it back on and it was fine. It happened again and I did the same thing. I'm thinking that this is it overheating and turning itself off to cool down. But what do I know, which is why I ask this community. I don't want to have to get a new Light Engine or possibly do more damage to my TV.

My TV runs about 15 hours a day. So, any ideas on what is happening or what I can do to prevent this from happening?

Do you have a lemon clause?

Not sure if that's meant as a joke or not but either way I'm not sure if my extended warranty has a lemon clause. But since it's the extended warranty it's doubtful.

So, any ideas on what's going on or what I can do. This happened one day, twice that day and has not happened again. Other then that I love the TV. I will probably get a new TV in 2007 but until then I want this TV to perform like it should.

Not sure if that's meant as a joke or not but either way I'm not sure if my extended warranty has a lemon clause. But since it's the extended warranty it's doubtful.

So, any ideas on what's going on or what I can do. This happened one day, twice that day and has not happened again. Other then that I love the TV. I will probably get a new TV in 2007 but until then I want this TV to perform like it should.

No joke, my XS955 is just that close, a light engine failure would classify it a lemon. I believe most major league EWs have a lemon clause. BB CC RepairMaster all do, read it!
The 4th repair on most of these will result in a new TV or buy back or something.

I'll have to break out the paperwork and see what it actually says. It was purchased from Circuit City and I must say the Extended Warranty has already paid for itself. I was told the Light Engine is a $1400 part. That right there paid for my warranty 2 times over and my warranty is good until 2009. Thanks for the info/input.

I have a Sony KDF-55XS955 rear-projection HDTV with a DirecTV RCA HD box. When watching HD channels, I can see a very fine separation running directly across the screen horizontally. It is very noticeble when watching slow moving objects. It looks like a fine line separating the top half of the screen from the bottom half. Others don't notice it until I point it out. I do not notice the anomoly when watching regular channels or DVD's and VHS tapes. I don't know if its because HD channels are a lot sharper and more noticeable or it only has to do with the way my TV and satellite box processes the HD signals. Does anyone know what can cause this? Thanks.

I have a Sony KDF-55XS955 rear-projection HDTV with a DirecTV RCA HD box. When watching HD channels, I can see a very fine separation running directly across the screen horizontally. It is very noticeble when watching slow moving objects. It looks like a fine line separating the top half of the screen from the bottom half. Others don't notice it until I point it out. I do not notice the anomoly when watching regular channels or DVD's and VHS tapes. I don't know if its because HD channels are a lot sharper and more noticeable or it only has to do with the way my TV and satellite box processes the HD signals. Does anyone know what can cause this? Thanks.

I see no such line, sounds like a problem??? :confused: :eek: :(

Hi,
I have a Sony 60XS955 I bought in March of 2005.Lately every once in a while its been shutting off and the green light on the front flashes for awhile then comes back on.It was doing it every once in awhile but is doing it more frequently lately.Has anyone had that happen before.I'm hoping its just the lamp getting to the end of its life and needs replacing.What do you guys think?
Randal

Edit: I tried the unplugging for an hour trick but it didn't work.So I changed the lamp and the problem is solved.

I am also having a problem with my KDF-55XS955, which sounds like the same issue others have had. When I turn on the TV, the power light flashes green for a few times, then flashes red, with no picture. I unplugged it for a few hours, but when I plugged it back in, same thing happens.

I have a tech coming out tomorrow, so hopefully it will be resolved. Does this sound like I need a new bulb?

I also have the pop-up issue, so I will ask the tech about that.

**Update - Circuit City canceled my appt, said their tech was sick... Called another company to set up appt for tomorrow.

Originally Posted by JasonColeman
From the GWIV thread:

Reading Lamp and Panel time:

In standby mode (TV off) do the following:

1. Press "Display", "5", "Volume +", "Power ON"
2. Press "Jump" 3 times.
3. To display the Lamp time, press "2", 9 times.
Example Display:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM 14 LampCT 71

Shows:
lamp time = 14 hours
lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times

4. To display the Panel time, press "1", 7 times.
Example DIsplay:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E

7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h

Shows:
Panel time = 14 hours

Jason



My set reads 8779! Is this even possible? I have been experiencing blue tint and image retention in the lower portion of the screen lately. Is this caused from a dying bulb?

RandalG: I'm having the same problem with my KDF-55XS955. My set will be on for sometimes an hour then the screen will go blank and the green power/standby LED will blink for 10 - 20 seconds and the picture will then come back as it does when you initially turn on the set. My set will go days without doing this and sometimes do it 3 times a day at random intervals. I'm calling CC and going to get this checked out under my extended warranty.

I checked on 12/18/06 and my LampTM was 1323 and LampCT was 187.

sfgiantsfan: My set had the same problem with blue tinting at the bottom and it got progressively worse making its way up the middle of my screen. I called on the extended warranty through CC and a tech came out and said the Light Engine had gone bad. They ordered a new one came and installed it and that problem was gone. From what I've been told it's a $1400 part...so I'm happy about paying for my extended warranty.

I'll post back if I can get my issues with the TV screen turning on and off fixed.

Hey guys, I'm new here and so very glad to see so many people discussing this wonderful TV.

I tried using my Dell PC's S-video Out to use the TV as a monitor. Unfortunately my video card (NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128mb) seems incompatible (at least that's what some are telling me). The Windows XP splash-screen during start-up looks fine, but when Windows loads, everything is in black/white and somewhat blurred and pixelated (poor shading, perhaps).

Some suggested getting a new video card with HDMI output, but I'd hate to waste one of my only 2 HDMI ports on the TV for a computer if I'm only going to be using it for internet/email. Also, I don't know 100% if the video card is my problem, although it probably is. I saw Best Buy had a 256mb ATI card with DVI/HDMI Output, for about $80 or so. Would that be a good choice?

If anyone else has their 60xs955 doubling as a computer monitor, I'd really appreciate some advice on this. I picked up a wireless keyboard/monitor and this would kick ass in my living room as a PC display. Thanks!!

Hey guys, I'm new here and so very glad to see so many people discussing this wonderful TV.

I tried using my Dell PC's S-video Out to use the TV as a monitor. Unfortunately my video card (NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128mb) seems incompatible (at least that's what some are telling me). The Windows XP splash-screen during start-up looks fine, but when Windows loads, everything is in black/white and somewhat blurred and pixelated (poor shading, perhaps).

Some suggested getting a new video card with HDMI output, but I'd hate to waste one of my only 2 HDMI ports on the TV for a computer if I'm only going to be using it for internet/email. Also, I don't know 100% if the video card is my problem, although it probably is. I saw Best Buy had a 256mb ATI card with DVI/HDMI Output, for about $80 or so. Would that be a good choice?

If anyone else has their 60xs955 doubling as a computer monitor, I'd really appreciate some advice on this. I picked up a wireless keyboard/monitor and this would kick ass in my living room as a PC display. Thanks!!

I have dvi on my pc and I use a DVI to HDMI cable. You need to use the Nvida tool set to scale it a bit but I get full screen once windows loads. I see nothing on the screen until Window starts.

Brian

....., but I'd hate to waste one of my only 2 HDMI ports on the TV for a computer if I'm only going to be using it for internet/email...If you plan on actually reading what you see on screen, then you will need to use one of those HDMI inputs...or one of the components.

I have dvi on my pc and I use a DVI to HDMI cable. You need to use the Nvida tool set to scale it a bit but I get full screen once windows loads. I see nothing on the screen until Window starts.

Brian


Sorry to sound like a noob, but what is the Nvidia tool set? I updated the NVidia drivers and got some lousy NVidia display manager or something, which did nothing to help. Is that the same thing, or is it a different program I need? Also, should I just lose the 128mb vid card and upgrade?

Thanks

The Nvidia control panel has desktop resizing which allows you to scale the dsktop to remove overscan. Play around with the control panel. I am sure you will find it. You might wan to switch to the old style control panel which seems easire to navigate around in. The option for that is in the toolbar somewhere.

and FYI, I used to use an old ATI 7500 64mb card to run my Sony without problems. So I doubt that your 5200 wouldn't be able to do it.

The Nvidia control panel has desktop resizing which allows you to scale the desktop to remove overscan. Play around with the control panel. I am sure you will find it. You might want to switch to the old style control panel which seems easier to navigate around in. The option for that is in the toolbar somewhere. I amnot in fornt of my HTPC at the moment so I can't give you exact directions. My best advise is to look through ALL the different options available to you in the control panel.

and FYI, I used to use an old ATI 7500 64mb card to run my Sony without problems. So I doubt that your 5200 wouldn't be able to do it.

I have recently replaced the bulb in my set. The old one was still working, but very dim. I had 6350 hours on the bulb. Is it better for the bulb to leave the set on for long periods of time or go through multiple on - off cycles.

I have recently replaced the bulb in my set. The old one was still working, but very dim. I had 6350 hours on the bulb. Is it better for the bulb to leave the set on for long periods of time or go through multiple on - off cycles.

texadillo, may I ask? how to check hours and change bulb please? and where to buy?

texadillo, may I ask? how to check hours and change bulb please? and where to buy?

Post 1710 in this thread will give you the instructions. I checked online and with shipping and tax the Sony site was as good as any. With next day shipping and tax it was $229

I have recently replaced the bulb in my set. The old one was still working, but very dim. I had 6350 hours on the bulb. Is it better for the bulb to leave the set on for long periods of time or go through multiple on - off cycles.

I had always heard an on-off heat/cool cycle is the quickest way to shorten a bulb's life. However, I don't know how that equals in lamp hours... does a warm/cooldown cycle shorten bulb life by an hour...? 10 hours...? Should I turn off the TV when I go do the dishes?

I would love to hear someone with knowledge fill in the unknown in this equation: "if you aren't going to watch the TV for xx number minutes (or hours), shut it off. Otherwise, leave it on."

Mythbusters just did an episode about power savings and light bulb stress. Maybe the results can be transferred to the lamp in these sets.

Originally Posted by JasonColeman
From the GWIV thread:

Reading Lamp and Panel time:

In standby mode (TV off) do the following:

1. Press "Display", "5", "Volume +", "Power ON"
2. Press "Jump" 3 times.
3. To display the Lamp time, press "2", 9 times.
Example Display:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM 14 LampCT 71

Shows:
lamp time = 14 hours
lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times

4. To display the Panel time, press "1", 7 times.
Example DIsplay:

PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E

7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h

Shows:
Panel time = 14 hours

Jason



My set reads 8779! Is this even possible? I have been experiencing blue tint and image retention in the lower portion of the screen lately. Is this caused from a dying bulb?
I tried those instructions and it doesn't seem to work on my TV - KDF-55E2000

Any idea how I can get the lamp time on that particular model?

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have an upscaling dvd player, and do you feel that its worth it for this tv. I currently have a standard sony dvd player, but I allow the tv to do the upscaling. Would I get any benefit from getting an upscaling player, since I'm already allowing the tv to upscale, rather than the player's progressive scan. I plan on getting either a blu ray or hd-dvd player in a few years, once the dust clears.

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have an upscaling dvd player, and do you feel that its worth it for this tv. I currently have a standard sony dvd player, but I allow the tv to do the upscaling. Would I get any benefit from getting an upscaling player, since I'm already allowing the tv to upscale, rather than the player's progressive scan. I plan on getting either a blu ray or hd-dvd player in a few years, once the dust clears.

Dave
I recently purchased a Sony DVP-NS75H upscaling DVD player. I have not tried it yet on my KDF-55XS955 but was very impressed with it connected to my Sharp LC-32D41U. Hope this helps.

Cheers
Joe

hello guys i am sort of new to HDTVs but with that being said i have had the kdf 55xs955 for awhile now but i never really used it or played around with it

so i am wondering even though i have had it for awhile what is one supposed to do when they first hook up a HDTV? are there any setting i am supposed to turn on or something?

i am using satellite TV and the picture on my TV isn't great why is that?

thanks sorry i am new to this

How do you have it hooked up?

hello guys i am sort of new to HDTVs but with that being said i have had the kdf 55xs955 for awhile now but i never really used it or played around with it

so i am wondering even though i have had it for awhile what is one supposed to do when they first hook up a HDTV? are there any setting i am supposed to turn on or something?

i am using satellite TV and the picture on my TV isn't great why is that?

thanks sorry i am new to this

Hit menu on the remote and take it off "Vivid" (retina searing) mode. "Standard" is pretty good if you don't want to bother with calibrating.

Also, you need supply the TV with a High Def signal. For satellite that means having an HD box and connecting it to the TV with (usually) component cables.

If you have an old TV antenna handy, try plugging that into the ANT on the back and switch to the tuner, go into the menu and find "channel scan". That will probably locate some free HD programming in your area.

Then tune into Network programs durning Prime Time. Then you will see this set look looks pretty darn good.

How do you have it hooked up?yes i do

Hit menu on the remote and take is off "Vivid" (retina searing) mode. Standard is pretty good if you don't want to bother with calibrating.

Also, you need supply the TV with a High Def signal. For satellite that means having an HD box and connecting it to the TV with (usually) component cables.

If you have an old TV antenna handy, try plugging that into the ANT on the back and switch to the tuner, go into the menu and find "channel scan". That will probably locate some free HD programming in your area.

Then tune into Network programs durning Prime Time. Then you will see this set look looks pretty darn good.yea i don't have HD tv but a weeks ago i was at someones house and they had a sony HDTV (i guess its the model just after this one) and it was not on HD programming but the picture looked great so this caused to to think if i hooked mine up wrong or something

thanks for the info

and what is calibrating?

yes i do
??

Me: How are you?

You: Yes.

yes i do
LOL!

He asked how it was connected to your TV. ie, what is the video cable type?

Thanks for the response joeren.

Also, I have another question. I have to replace my bulb, and I have never done this before. I read in the instructions that you shouldnt touch the bulb with your fingers. Is this easy to avoid, or should I wear latex gloves? Thanks.

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have an upscaling dvd player, and do you feel that its worth it for this tv. I currently have a standard sony dvd player, but I allow the tv to do the upscaling. Would I get any benefit from getting an upscaling player, since I'm already allowing the tv to upscale, rather than the player's progressive scan. I plan on getting either a blu ray or hd-dvd player in a few years, once the dust clears.

Did not rock my world, but the Oppo Digital 971 made an appreciable improvement in DVD viewing. I had a Sony NS90 that had a very good picture before it went belly up in 3 weeks. But no improvement noted in the HDMI output. The Oppo trumped it, by not by a lot.

??

Me: How are you?

You: Yes.lol i am sorry

i have it hoked up by cable

through the sat receiver to the TV

i have it hoked up by cable

through the sat receiver to the TV
Yes, but what *type* of cable? These are the most common:

Single cable with yellow connector = composite
Single cable with (usually) black connector and lots of pins = S-Video
Three cables with a red, green, and blue connector = component

Composite is the worst of the three. Well, besides RF Coax which is what the cable/satellite jack on the wall uses. Only use RF Coax to get to your cable/satellite box; don't use it from a cable box, satellite receiver, VCR, etc., to go to your TV. (Although going from the wall directly to the TV with RF is quite acceptable when receiving a cable signal.)

S-Video is a bit better than composite. And component is the best of those three listed above. Component is also required if you want to view high definition signals on your TV. Also, this TV is optimized for HD (high definition) viewing. You should get a setup that lets you receive HD satellite channels.

SD (standard definition) looks pretty decent on this set, as far as big TVs go, but remember that you will see all of the imperfections and resolution limitations of SD when you blow up the picture this big. That's why you really want to get as many HD channels as possible.

Another cable type I didn't mention is HDMI. It uses a flat rectangular type connector and is even better than component. Look at the back of your TV to see what each of these connector types look like.

So to summarize: use the best cable type you can, and upgrade your satellite reception equipment to deliver HD if it doesn't already. If you want to see HD you must use at least the component or HDMI connection types.

From where to buy new bulb?

From where to buy new bulb?

I bought one cheap off ebay -- around $150 or so. Haven't tried it yet, but it's sealed in an original Sony box... so I hope it works. :o

Don't know if anyone asked this yet, but I see a lot of hype now about the contrast ratio of the new LCD flat panel sets. A recent ad for the new SXRD says it has a ratio up to 10,000 to 1.

I have the 60XS955. Any idea what the contrast ratio is? Just curious how it compares to what's on the market now.

Yes, but what *type* of cable? These are the most common:

Single cable with yellow connector = composite
Single cable with (usually) black connector and lots of pins = S-Video
Three cables with a red, green, and blue connector = component

Composite is the worst of the three. Well, besides RF Coax which is what the cable/satellite jack on the wall uses. Only use RF Coax to get to your cable/satellite box; don't use it from a cable box, satellite receiver, VCR, etc., to go to your TV. (Although going from the wall directly to the TV with RF is quite acceptable when receiving a cable signal.)

S-Video is a bit better than composite. And component is the best of those three listed above. Component is also required if you want to view high definition signals on your TV. Also, this TV is optimized for HD (high definition) viewing. You should get a setup that lets you receive HD satellite channels.

SD (standard definition) looks pretty decent on this set, as far as big TVs go, but remember that you will see all of the imperfections and resolution limitations of SD when you blow up the picture this big. That's why you really want to get as many HD channels as possible.

Another cable type I didn't mention is HDMI. It uses a flat rectangular type connector and is even better than component. Look at the back of your TV to see what each of these connector types look like.ahhh i guess i see what my problem is

i have been connecting RF Coax to connect to my TV. i have to check and see if my receiver has a HDMI slot but i don't think it has one

so i think my best option is to buy some Component cables??

so i think my best option is to buy some Component cables??

Yes.

Don't know if anyone asked this yet, but I see a lot of hype now about the contrast ratio of the new LCD flat panel sets. A recent ad for the new SXRD says it has a ratio up to 10,000 to 1.

I have the 60XS955. Any idea what the contrast ratio is? Just curious how it compares to what's on the market now.


If I remember from my calibrator, not even close to that before or after calibration. I think somewhere in the 900's.

From where to buy new bulb?

I gave Sony a song and dance that my bulb went dead before the 1 year factory warranty expired.

I received my free replacement bulb by being the smartest bulb in the room.

Btw, I did the same for my dad who has the same model TV.

That's about $300 in free bulbs I managed to pull from Sony.

Do you feel sorry for them? :)

I gave Sony a song and dance that my bulb went dead before the 1 year factory warranty expired.

I received my free replacement bulb by being the smartest bulb in the room.

Btw, I did the same for my dad who has the same model TV.

That's about $300 in free bulbs I managed to pull from Sony.

Do you feel sorry for them? :)

Couldn't you have just bought the lamps?

I gave Sony a song and dance that my bulb went dead before the 1 year factory warranty expired.

I received my free replacement bulb by being the smartest bulb in the room.

Btw, I did the same for my dad who has the same model TV.

That's about $300 in free bulbs I managed to pull from Sony.

Do you feel sorry for them? :)
No, but I do feel sorry for you.

Yeah, you just go right ahead and feel sorry for me.

The lamps are covered under warranty for the first year. Sorry you didn't think of taking advantage of the big corporation as I did.

I feel so ashamed. NOT! LOL

Sorry you didn't think of taking advantage of the big corporation as I did.

I feel so ashamed. NOT! LOL

Based on your sig, you seem to be quite fond the products that the "big corporation" makes. Strange you would find such delight in taking advantage of them.

That's why I did the extended warranty. I try not to lie, wouldn't do me any good being in Law Enforcement for 32 years. Honesty is the best policy, has always worked for me.

If my bulb hasn't blown near the end of the warranty, 13 months to go, I might change my tune but I kind of doubt it.

Good luck,

AvDad

By the way I love this TV, not one minutes problem. Now that I've bragged I'll start worrying!

;<}

AvDad