Just wanted to add:

I own the Sony KDFE 55A20 and for the money this is the best HDTV out there. I compared it extensively against all the DLP models as well as other LCD's and the Sony had the best picture. The picture is bright and full of detail. Sure the SXRD model has a better picture but not by much. Certainly not enough to justify 2000 extra dollars in my opinion. The Sony upgrades the SD signal well - I have mine hooked up to Dish Network - but it really shines when given an HD signal. Simply takes your breath away!

Jeff

Maybe I missed it here, but can someone enlighten me to the differences between the 55A20, and the 55WF655 (GW-IV) As far as I can tell, the I/O and cabinet are identical... are the changes all internal?

Thanks!

Jerm!

That was also my findings in the posts mentioned previously about the red push fix on the A20s. I have gone back into the SM with the same results - cannot find the CST category???

Does anyone have a link to a description of all the variables listed by sony in their Service Manuals?

Thanks..

i just got the e55a20, and just wonder if i use an PC power source protection is efficient to prevent power jumps or it has to be one of those Monster one????? please help.

thx.!

id pass on the S\Xrd and make you life easier all together

Hey WallyGator

The service guy came and told me that the whole circuit board was getting no power, so it wasnt even getting to the thermocoupler stage. I am getting a new one tomorrow, so hopefully this doesnt happen again. My set was assembled in Aug 2005.

Hey WallyGator

The service guy came and told me that the whole circuit board was getting no power, so it wasnt even getting to the thermocoupler stage. I am getting a new one tomorrow, so hopefully this doesnt happen again. My set was assembled in Aug 2005.

Same month as mine.. Did the tech say that this happens alot?

I have the 60a20for 6 weeks now. One word.......AWSOME...It replaced a Toshiba 57hx81 crt rpt that has a bad hyperboard.

The Sony is better than the great Tosh in its prime even if lcd has a weakness with darks at times (my college age nephew calls it the 8th wonder of the world). This tv has sharper edges, more detail and. IMO, Sony has a better color decoder. Text is absolutely razor sharp on dvd and sharper on HD. White detail is excellent, black & shadow detail range from good to great on dvd depending on the quality of the transfer. True high quality HD source has no flaws what so ever.

I am using Comcast HD in 720p via component and Panasonic s97 ( v540 firmware) for dvd in 48p. The hdmi is set for 1080i. I think that is better for dvd than 720p.

HDMI...Here's my report.
-The hdmi removes the Panasonics' inherent left-side edge enhancement that is subtle, but there in component.
-HDMI does add some smaller details and gives an unbelievable picture even more slightly more depth.....BUT....
-HDMI adds a greenish cast to the picture that I do not know how to tweak out.
-HDMI is more vulnerable to subtle macro-blocking and noixse in dark areas.
-hdmi shows a purplish & greenish blotch on some dark tetured items like a tweed charcoal suit....last but not least....

My hdmi input wont communicate, it stopped being active. I bought an LG hdmi dvd player and Monster hdmi cable to confirm the problem and it is in the tv. They will be returned of course.

Does anyone have any idea why the hdmi would go inactive? I have all settings in wega gate set correctly and all dvd setup settings set correctly. I dont know if dvd via hdmi is truly the better pic but I obviously want the tv to work 100%. Any thoughts guys..and gals?

Bladerunner
-

I am running an OPPO OPDV971H via HDMI into my Sony 55EA20 with no problems. I am not getting that green tint you are talking about either. I have the player set to upgrade the signal to 1080i and the picture is superb. Are you not getting any signal at all via the HDMI port?

Jeff

Jeff,

Correct. I get no signal at all from the hdmi input. I can get the wega gate but no dvd player menus. The Panny, which displays an error code in its window, and the "borrowed" LG both show nothing on thru my own hdmi cable or the "new" monster hdmi cable.

The green tint is probably more like a push or a cast. Ex: In LOTR ROTK, the background landscapes are noticeably greener than when thru component. Using the hue adjustment did not correct the situation. Maybe, just maybe it's inherent to the dvd player.

Blade

Are you using external input video 6 via the wega gate? This is where my HDMI signal shows on the set. Also try hooking up the HDMI with the TV off then start up the TV. This more less initializes the set and during this process it will seek out the HDMI port.

Jeff

Are you using external input video 6 via the wega gate? This is where my HDMI signal shows on the set. Also try hooking up the HDMI with the TV off then start up the TV. This more less initializes the set and during this process it will seek out the HDMI port.

Jeff

Yep, I cconnected both while power was off. Powered up on both sequences. Yes, input 6 is selected in the gate and labeled as "dvd"....

Blade

Hmmm - thats all I can think of. Sorry couldnt help you out. I would contact store where you bought it. Maybe take your player in there and try with the floor model to be sure it is the TV.

Jeff

Hmmm - thats all I can think of. Sorry couldnt help you out. I would contact store where you bought it. Maybe take your player in there and try with the floor model to be sure it is the TV.

Jeff

I used the brand new LG dvd player and a 2nd Monster Cable hdmi cable (which I returned tonight) as 2nd testers to my own Monster cable and dvd player. I am cautious about switching units because the screen, chassis, lcd panels and everything else has been so flawless...That is something to think about...

Blade

Hi guys,
I just purchased an A-20 55" on Louisiana "tax-free" day.
Using Cox cable the picture quality is great. Had to change the input to 720p.
Haven't had much time to check settings(allot of remodeling going on here)
Question: Do I have to adjust settings for each input independently?
I have been watching cable input almost exclusively, Last night I hooked up a dvd player to the A20 using component out. Picture quality was terrible. I saw the pasty face described in other posts.
Is this due to not adjusting the "DVD" input or maybe the dvd player itself?

Why is there no posts and replies in this thread? Are the A10 tweaks the same as the A20. There is considerable more conversation in the A10 section!
Just wondering why!!
Thanks, :confused:

Hi guys,
I just purchased an A-20 55" on Louisiana "tax-free" day.
Using Cox cable the picture quality is great. Had to change the input to 720p.
Haven't had much time to check settings(allot of remodeling going on here)
Question: Do I have to adjust settings for each input independently?
I have been watching cable input almost exclusively, Last night I hooked up a dvd player to the A20 using component out. Picture quality was terrible. I saw the pasty face described in other posts.
Is this due to not adjusting the "DVD" input or maybe the dvd player itself?

Why is there no posts and replies in this thread? Are the A10 tweaks the same as the A20. There is considerable more conversation in the A10 section!
Just wondering why!!
Thanks, :confused:

I LOVE my 60a20. This is easily the quality picture and value for the money for anything 55" and bigger at average retail pricing. I got mine at cost because my specialty store was unable to find me a Sony 57ws655 crt rpt that I put a deposit on so i said "why dont I cancel the order and I'll shop around"....They said "Woe, what about an LCD or DLP in stock, at cost?" I test drove everything in light controlled rooms with my test disks....Sony, Tosh, Panny...and fell in love...

For DVD, I have tweaked a setting in "custom" and also modified a setting from the "standard". The one I watch really depends on the quality of the specific dvd transfer. I cant seem to say that one does it all because there is such a wide range in dvd transfer quality and film style....5th Element, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Casablanca etc....so many camera methods so I flip between.

I have found that 720p is easily best for hd with a tweaked setting from "custom". I do not flip between because any tweaking outside of "custom" does not produce a natural pic.

Bladerunner

I got this stand at Circuit City, its was $399, but was $269 when buying at the same time of the tv. Centrios 60" TV Stand (C22110)

http://statik.oooyah.com/wega/DSCN6219.JPG

PS: just got the a20 and loving it, no complaints so far, using directv and xbox in 480p


Curious what speakers you have?

... when I could have gotten it w/1080p Inputs over HDMI.
Does this logic make sense?

Thanks!
Brian.

There are no 1080p media and there will not be any for another decade. Hollywood is scared to death of 1080i and will not release movies on 1080p.

Cable and DBS want more channels -- not 1080p.

ATSC does not support 1080p.

It is a non issue and only a horribly misleading marketing gimmick.

I just bought the KDFE60A20 and SonyStyle AND this site show a headphone jack somewhere on the front. All I see are the dropdown a/v inputs on the front left bottom. I have a Sony cordless headphone set I use when gaming and would like to use it.

Also, my Comcast HD cable box has a DVI output so I use that with a HDMI adapter to the back of the set. Every once in awhile (average 4 or 5 times a day) the signal will go out and I have to turn off cable box and turn back on for picture to come back. Audio is fine as I have to use red/white RCA jacks for audio input as DVI does not support audio. Any ideas how to fix this?

Also again, since I use one component input for DVD and the other for X-Box, can I use a "Y" connector with two female to one male connectors to double-up the inputs on input 5 or 6 (the component inputs)?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

Happy Holidays.

R.

Just got a KDFE60A20 which replaces a week-old JVC HD-61FH96 that's going back to the store. Don't know whether my JVC set is defective or not, but I just can't stand the picture.

The A20 is definitely going to need some service menu tweaks. I'll get to them eventually. :)

I purchased KDFE60A20 TV about a month ago. I am seeing a ghost (like a think line of shadow) like picture in most of the standard definition channels and even sometimes on HD channels. Does anyone know what causes this ghost like pictures? Any help on this would be great.

Dont know, but im soon to get my A20 and will report back when i get that baby with my Sony 5.1 System!!! Im hoping for a problem free TV!

I just bought the KDFE60A20 and SonyStyle AND this site show a headphone jack somewhere on the front. All I see are the dropdown a/v inputs on the front left bottom. I have a Sony cordless headphone set I use when gaming and would like to use it.

Also, my Comcast HD cable box has a DVI output so I use that with a HDMI adapter to the back of the set. Every once in awhile (average 4 or 5 times a day) the signal will go out and I have to turn off cable box and turn back on for picture to come back. Audio is fine as I have to use red/white RCA jacks for audio input as DVI does not support audio. Any ideas how to fix this?

Also again, since I use one component input for DVD and the other for X-Box, can I use a "Y" connector with two female to one male connectors to double-up the inputs on input 5 or 6 (the component inputs)?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

Happy Holidays.

R.
I have a KDF-E55A20, and find no headphone jack on the set or in the manual.
Regarding the problem with DVI output of your cable box to the HDMI input of the TV. I've seen this problem with HDMI output of a cable box to the HDMI input. It usually is caused by firmware in the cable box not recognizing the TV as being HDCP compliant. When that happens, the cable box won't output digital video. If the problem persists, you can try exchanging the cable box for a new one, or else bite the bullet and use component video out to the TV (I've had to do that with my set).
To answer your question regarding component inputs -- purchase a component video switch box. There are quite a few on the market. I believe Wal-Mart carries a manual one, either Philips or RCA branded, at a reasonable price. Also, check the following links:

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=3103&sku=40324
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/40-814.html

Anyone have any A20's with a large red blotch of color on a dark screen? I had an 55-XS but it developed a bright red crop circle along with a less noticable green one. It also had the display bug where the display would pop up every once and a while for no reason. I returned the XS and got my A20 yesterday only to see a large red blob/blotch as well as greenish in two corners as soon as I turned it on. It is hard to miss. The XS did not have any blob issues but exhibited the crop circles. I thought I might get lucky for once with these Sony's but no such luck. I know even the SXRD's and Qualia's have issues but why should anyone have to spend this much money only to get sub standard quality? I guess I will roll the dice and exchange it for another A20.

Anyone have any A20's with a large red blotch of color on a dark screen? I had an 55-XS but it developed a bright red crop circle along with a less noticable green one.

Most likely dust in the optical path. Have a tech take care of it.

i just got my kdfe55a20 and could not be happier......wow... i am using s-video on my direct-tv hook up and right out of the box with no adjustments the picture is great from every angle it is great.

i have been using a wega 36 and it blows it away.


wow

There are no 1080p media and there will not be any for another decade. Hollywood is scared to death of 1080i and will not release movies on 1080p.

However the specs for Blu-ray list 1080p24 as one of the formats they support. Also, you can reverse telecine a 1080i30 movie and extract the original 24 frames. Movies will be released at 1080p24. Many films are on the shelf today having been transferred to HD D-5 at 1080p24.

has anyone connected a pc to this a20? i am almost about to buy it but i want to be able to connect my pc to it. since it only has one hdmi port, is it worth getting a hdmi switch box for my pc? or would component/composit work ok. also since this is 768 native rez. will that have any bad effects for using a pc? would i have to tweek my pc to conform to that rez? also if my cable co. (comcast) brodcasts in 720p and this has a native rez of 768 is that going to cause problems? maybe i need to read up more on resolutions....

Well I am a new member of this thread.....I swapped my dead JVC D-ila for the 55 inch A20.
From what I have read, this seems to be a good, solid reliable display.....I will tweak with AVIA using a Sony 3100Es DVD player (either component or HDMI) and post my settings

bignorm, my A20 55" is coming n 1 hour!!!!!!
Does your display have any Motion blur?
THanks!

Sonduren
dont know... Will get mine tommorrow...are you talking about motion blur on digital cable?
If you are, it might be compression artifacts in the cable source, not the TV..
Good luck with your new "toy" after my JVC nightmare, I am more than excited

Ok, i will post my impression about the TV. They are at my door now, gonna hook this baby up!!!
Will be back with some pics and review!

Sonduren...
Great!! I will be looking for it..I will post my thoughts on Thursday or Friday,,,,

First Impressions:
When i saw the box i was like "Holy cow" this thing is huge. Going to the store is different and seeing it in your house, we have the 55inch, so far im in the setup process hooking everything up, it looks sturdy, strong, and no problems with the shipping, box was nice pakaged and no damage. So far it looks good, ill finish hooking this baby up now with the surrond sound dvd/STB etc.

Hey Guys

Ok I got my replacement about 3 weeks ago everything is great. But right now I noticed a dark spot in the middle of my screen when I was watching a dvd. I think they are dead pixels or could it be something else trust me I tried to wipe it off. Am I going to have to replace it again? Man that would suck.....

So I picked up my 55" A20 this weekend after like a billion years of research and visiting stores and comparing. Finally i just had to pull the trigger and get one. This is my first HDTV and probably the biggest purchase of my life next to my house. I have to say its awesome. So far I've only hooked up my xbox 360 and DVD player. But they look awesome.

I used the DVD Home Essentials that I borrowed from someone but that DVD in my opinion is a piece of crap. I used AVIA on my old CRT Wega and found that to be much better, so I have to see if I can pick that up instead. The black levels are super impressive and I was worried a little bit buying an LCD. All in all I'd have to say I'm very happy.

Also for a awesome stand, I got the Z-Line Maxim edition on sale for like 299. Holds up to 240lbs on the top shelf alone, and it sweet looking. I'll post more when I get my HD cable (Digital Time Warner in NC).

Congrats on your recent purchases guys.
I have had my 55a20 for almost 3 months and love it..

i get mine delivered on saturday! woo hoo..

Got mine yesterday.....Did some minor adjustments with AVIA and popped in a DVD
Really impressed....
A nice feature on this display is the reduced power mode, which lowers the overall brightess of the lamp and according to Sony improves black levels...since I watch in a dark room I reaaly like this feature.
After some more tweaking I will post my settings

Please post your settings, and what input they were for, dvd, gaming, etc. Mine looks good, but i think it could be a tad better. Is anyone using the service menu for adjustments? If so how do you access it and what are the things you should and shouldnt mess with?

Thanks in advance.

Just ordered the Sony 55A20...question for those who have already purchased and received their TV, how long did it take to unpack the unit to try basic settings, check pixels, lens etc ? The on-line company I ordered from says to check the unit upon arrival and if it is damaged to refuse delivery! I'm not sure how realistic this is if it takes an hour to unpack and if damaged repack it up. However, for $2600 I'll keep the guy here and send it back if quick! What did you do upon delivery ??? Looking forward to this new TV experience.

I bought mine in the store for 2519 and i can return in for 30 days no questions asked and no restocking fee. However, when I got home, the BOX IS HUGE. have a razor blade or box cutter handy to snip off the two black plastic ties then cut the top and slide it off, you can lift it out in about 30 seconds and just plug it in and hook up something quick like a dvd player or whatever. Shouldnt take more than 10 minutes start to finish if you prepared for delivery.

The service menu on the A20's is alot different than the A10's.
So far I haven't seen anyone post any settings in teh service menus...
The proceedure for entering the service menu stays the same, however the fields have changed names and I have not found anything to correlate them...

Yeah, service menu info would be much appreciated.

I have the service manual,.,,

Does any1 know how to set up,,,,, so the clock appear and stay after everytime you press the displace button????? please help... thx.

Well here ya go....My settings for a two day old 55A20...
I am using AVIA along with a Sony 3100ES DVD player hooked up via HDMI
I sit 7 feet away in a fairly dark room ...so I have the A20 in power reduction mode.
These settings are primarily for watching DVD.....Using the "custom" setting

Picture (white) 60
Brightness (black) 55
Color 55
Hue 0
Sharpness 20
Color Temp warm
Black corrector low
Gamma low
Everything else is off

I am no videophile and I might change these setting as the TV "breaks in"
but to me, this combination of settings seems to provide the best DVD picture in my particular viewing environment

Keep the posts coming...

Mine comes on Sunday. I will have to give those settings a try. This should be a big leap from my old RCA MM52110 :D Will let you all know how the XBox360 looks as well.

I'm looking at both the 50" A10 and the 55" A20.

Quick questions:

1. Costco is bundling the A10 with a matching stand, is there a matching stand for the A20 (I didn't see one on Amazon)?

2. The A10 has a VGA port, the A20 doesn't. I plan to use a Mac Mini has a HTPC, how can I connect one to an A20 (there is an adapter for DVI to composite or S-video, will the quality be worse than VGA)?

Thanks in advance!!

Question from a Newbie

Break-in????????? Does TV really required some type of breaking in????? if yes - pls share what it is.

Does any1 know how to set the clock and has it appear when press on displace?

Is a PC Power Surge protection enough for the TV or more????

Thx.!!!!!!!!!

i just got mine delivered. its HUGE. i got the 55 a20... how come when i watch wide screen dvds it still has bars on the top and bottom? what mode should i be in? full seems small, zoom seems blocky (like digital zoom on cameras). any ideas?

Make sure your dvd player is hooked up via hdmi or components and that its set to progressive scan. I've notice some older dvds like the Fifth Element still have some letter boxing on Full mode, so it may depend.

how can i get my svideo or composit video channels to out put sound to the rca audio out? or does the rca audio out only work for component inputs?

nm, i got the sound working and got the dvd widescreen to work , however most dvds show some small bars on the top and bottom still.. i guess dvd resolution isn't the same as hdtv.

My two week old tv suddenly just shut off, when we tried to turn it back on the red light blinked six times, and nothing!! After reading this thread, I told the service people what it might be.. this was three weeks ago. They told me last Monday, that the part for the power supply was in, and they just needed to install it. So Thursday came, with no call, so I called them back, and I was told that they needed another part (probably misdiagnosed?).... so now, the repair shop has had my tv longer then I have!!!! And I still dont have it back... anyone else have this problem?

Hak

anyone know why my 1 day old e55a20 screen has a green smuge on the lower left corner? its about 3 inches by 2 inches. it doesn't show up when i watch video, only when the screen is black. will this go away? is this a common problem with lcd projections? should i return my set?

I got my KDFE60A20 about 4 weeks ago and have been happy so far (knock on wood). The picture has been great, sure makes watching those football games more enjoyable to watch. It was a pain in the neck to get a HD cable box from my cable co. with a HDMI connection plus the HDMI cable was over $100, but it was probably worth it to have a good picture. I made sure I got the extended warranty so when the lamp goes out or any other problems. My DVD player is a little old and will replace it soon, but I'm not sure what brand I'll get. Overall I have been happy the TV though it takes a little longer than what I'm used to, to warm up.

Just a tip for all you new HDTV owners. HDMI cables are about 40$ online for a 4 footer which normally suits everyones needs. Use froogle. Dont pay insane Retail prices for a cable.

I was in a hurry and anxious to get mine hooked up, but I think I've learned my lesson and will check around on the Internet first. Which I've found vary quite a bit on various items, if you have patience!!!!!!!!!!!But I was a little hesitant about making such a large purchase like a 60" TV on the Internet, so I bought It from a local electronics store, but probably paid more for it.

However the specs for Blu-ray list 1080p24 as one of the formats they support. Also, you can reverse telecine a 1080i30 movie and extract the original 24 frames. Movies will be released at 1080p24. Many films are on the shelf today having been transferred to HD D-5 at 1080p24.

Specs for BR do not mean any BR players will have 1080p outputs.

And what if HD DVD wins?

And, how many BR movies will there be?

Those D5 movies are going to HDTV where there is no ATSC 1080p standard. Nor is there DBS or cable at 1080p.

If an when 1080p media become available everuything you buy today will be obsolete.

Specs for BR do not mean any BR players will have 1080p outputs.

And what if HD DVD wins?

And, how many BR movies will there be?

Those D5 movies are going to HDTV where there is no ATSC 1080p standard. Nor is there DBS or cable at 1080p.

If an when 1080p media become available everuything you buy today will be obsolete.

What about the Sony release?

Sony BD 1080P Player (http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CEStransports/SonyBlurayDiscplayer.php)

Awhile ago several folks asked about reducing red-push using the A20 factory menu.

Doesn't the A20 have a special "Correct Color" mode which either turns ON or OFF Red Push? I think it may turn it ON because Sony thinks Red Push is "correct." So one would turn this mode OFF.

According to some, the price of LCD/DLP RPTVs was supposed to fall dramatically after XMAS as the supply of flat LCDs and plamas could catch-up to demand and, so the reasoning went, their prices would fall which would force down the prices of the non sexy RPTVs.

Have you been seeing the A20 prices start to decline?

Does COSTCO now have the 60A20?

Costco in Fairfax VA does have the A20 now...they are selling it with the stand, but with their return policy as lenient as it it, the price is certainly reasonable...I am going to wait till after the Super Bowl to see if the price comes down a bit still...you'd really think it would at this point...

Curious what speakers you have?
they are older infinitys

sorry for the long response time, my thread subscriptions for this site are not working.

here are some xbox 360 pics for those who are wondering what it looks like on a 55" a20:

http://statik.oooyah.com/xboxsetup/2big.JPG

http://statik.oooyah.com/xboxsetup/perfectdark.jpg

First the good news...

My 55a20 arrived on Sunday morning. Hooked it straight to the Winegard HD antenna on the roof. HD on this set looks awesome! Everyone was very happy with the football games (how they looked, not the scores). Hooked up the XBox360. WOW! The 720p Mission Impossible 3 trailer is very good reference material. DVDs looked great considering I'm still using my old Tosh SD-3750 progressive player.


Now the bad news...

Hooked up the DirecTV HD box. I am getting using a Hughes HTL-HD box connected with a DVI-HDMI connector. Tuned in the Devils hockey game last night. Absolutely horrible (the picture this time, not the score). I know its a bad picture because my wife noticed and that is usually the clincher. Tried using component rather than DVI. Same picture. Is anyone else having such bad SD? I do have a basic cable feed in the house, so I plugged it in and autoscanned the channels. The set actually picked up 15 digital stations on the cable in the clear. One was OLN which had a hockey game on. The banner said it was a 480i signal. It looked way better than the DTV signal. I really haven't changed much in the way of settings. Does anyone have any settings to recommend? I never had to do much on my old RCA MM52110 4:3 HD set other than run an auto-convergence once in a while. Along with an old DTC-100, it did a fantastic job for SD. I know its different technology, I'm just a little disappointed how bad the SD looks comparatively.

Would getting the set calibrated help SD? Would a different STB fix it? Or is this set just horrible for SD?

Any thoughts, suggestions or help would be appreciated.

I'm pretty happy with the SD quality on my A20. You might want to try adjusting the DRC Palette under video settings to see if that helps. I'm looking at the manual online as I write this...the setting is described on page 59.

When I first bought the TV I was only sitting about 4-5 feet from it and SD looked horrible. I've moved into the house the TV was intended for and it know looks fine from 8-10 feet away.

Only other thing I would suggest is using component (not sure if it applies to this situation but to me DVD's look better coming over in 480P via component than they did upscaled over HDMI....I assume the TV does a better job than my player does with all the signal processing) and if your HD box supports it (Sorry I'm not familar with the model you described) make sure it's setup to pass the signal through at its default resolution. I had a Time Warner HD box that seemed to allow you to 'force' everything to 720p (for example) but SD looked better on pass through (Once again I assume the TV is better at signal processing than the box was) and I believe the DRC settings I mention above ONLY work on 480 signals.

Of course keep in mind that SD doesn't look GREAT on fixed pixel displays IMO....can look pretty good though.

i picked my e55a20 because it looked better than all the other hdtvs with a SD source in the stores.. oh yeah and hdtv looked great on it from all angles too!
but now i have this ugly green smudge that im trying to get rid of. im going to try for an exchange tonight: http://susaro.no-ip.com/~B/tv/183-8347_IMG.jpg

I got my tv back last night, the repair shop said it was the thermocoupler fuse. :confused: They claimed that it was probably a surge that took it out. I find that hard to believe... I had it on a surge protector, along with my Dishnetwork 942 reciever, my Pioneer reciever, Toshiba DVD player, and my MSI access point. At the advice of the repair shop, I did go to Costco, and get a really good surge protector (just in case!!) It is working for now, good thing I got the 2yr in house extened warranty.

I got my tv back last night, the repair shop said it was the thermocoupler fuse. :confused: They claimed that it was probably a surge that took it out. I find that hard to believe... I had it on a surge protector, along with my Dishnetwork 942 reciever, my Pioneer reciever, Toshiba DVD player, and my MSI access point. At the advice of the repair shop, I did go to Costco, and get a really good surge protector (just in case!!) It is working for now, good thing I got the 2yr in house extened warranty.


Earlier in this thread someone else had a problem with their A20 and it turned out to be a bad thermocoupler. Reports were that there was a bad batch of thermocoupler from one of Sony's suppliers and that they were going to a different manuf..

When I first bought the TV I was only sitting about 4-5 feet from it and SD looked horrible. I've moved into the house the TV was intended for and it know looks fine from 8-10 feet away.

My family room is 18' x 20'. Minimum viewing distance is 9ft. so I don't think distance is an issue.

I changed the connection to component and tried every format option on the STB (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, native, variable1, variable2, variable3). No noticeable improvement in PQ.

After viewing some of those 480i digital cable channels and their excellent PQ, I am beginning to suspect the Hughes HTL-HD box is the culprit. I am wondering if a new DirecTV HD box would help improve the situation. Is anyone using a new Hughes H20 with a 55A20 or 60A20?

Thanks for the comments & suggestions!

My family room is 18' x 20'. Minimum viewing distance is 9ft. so I don't think distance is an issue.

I changed the connection to component and tried every format option on the STB (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, native, variable1, variable2, variable3). No noticeable improvement in PQ.

After viewing some of those 480i digital cable channels and their excellent PQ, I am beginning to suspect the Hughes HTL-HD box is the culprit. I am wondering if a new DirecTV HD box would help improve the situation. Is anyone using a new Hughes H20 with a 55A20 or 60A20?

Thanks for the comments & suggestions!

I am using the H20 D* box with me 55A20...
It is excellent.

After viewing some of those 480i digital cable channels and their excellent PQ, I am beginning to suspect the Hughes HTL-HD box is the culprit. Thanks for the comments & suggestions!
How does OTA HD look?

How does OTA HD look?

I haven't hooked up OTA on the HTL-HD yet since the SD PQ was my main issue. I will give that a try when I get home from work this afternoon.

The OTA HD is awesome using the internal ATSC tuner in the 55A20. I am using a Winegard GS-2000 amplified antenna.

HAKU, SEE MY POST #230. Thermocoupler was a bad part. Sony has returned to original part supplier.

OK...I seemed to figure out about 2/3 of the issue so far.

Replaced HTL-HD with a H20 via HDMI. PQ is much better with H20.
Although the hockey game PQ was very bad the other night, my wife was under the impression that everything was in HD with the new TV. She has been properly explained now. ;)
That being said, PQ on most channels is fine now. Hockey games seem be still be a bit off, especially when they show wide shot of ice with action. Players seems to look a little fuzzy. I have tried all the modes and 1080i pillar mode looks the best. I will have to see if fiddling with the settings might improve the PQ. Anyone have any settings suggestions?

anyone know of a good apc for this tv. how about this? http://www.sparco.com/cgi-bin/wfind2?spn=P10151

or how about this one?

http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BE350U

i just want clean power, i don't care if it stays up and running after a power failure.

What about the Sony release?

Sony BD 1080P Player (http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CEStransports/SonyBlurayDiscplayer.php)

That's the first mention of 1080p OUTPUT I've seen, as HD DVD is not going to offer it -- as the Sony release reports. Thank you!

But where is the 1080p SOURCE coming from that will be OUTPUT?

The MPEG-2 would need to be progressive. If it's interlaced video, its just a matter of where its deinterlaced -- in the player or in the HDTV.

It also sounds like this is going to be a high-end BR player -- like the $1800 Pioneer.

I'm not going to spend more than $250 to see movies that I can see on HBO HD, etc. for free.

So the question is -- will ALL BR players have 1080p output? If it takes 5 years to get the price of a BR with 1080p to $250 -- I really expect any HDTV I buy today will be fully obsolete. In fact, looking at the speed of technology change -- one is lucky to have an HDTV have any value in 18-months. I'm replacing one not even a year old!

So does the CONNECTION really matter when the display itself it going to be obsolete very quickly?

anyone know of a good apc for this tv. how about this? http://www.sparco.com/cgi-bin/wfind2?spn=P10151

or how about this one?

http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BE350U

i just want clean power, i don't care if it stays up and running after a power failure.

I have a similar UPS but I can't remember the model number. I just wanted to comment really quick about one other thing:

It is important that you have something that will keep the TV powered on for at least a few moments if the power goes out. When I turn off my A20, the cooling fan runs for about 2 minutes to cool off the projection bulb. Some say if this cool down period is unavailable (say due to a power outage) you can lessen the life of the bulb. Replacement bulbs currently cost $200.

So I bought a UPS that would allow me to immediately shut the TV down if the power goes out and still get that 2 minutes...

It is important that you have something that will keep the TV powered on for at least a few moments if the power goes out. When I turn off my A20, the cooling fan runs for about 2 minutes to cool off the projection bulb.


Very good point. Thank You! so i should be able to just find something that supports 210watts (our tv spec's) for at least 5 mins right?

Yep. As long as you are sitting in front of it when the power goes off and you don't have anything else drawing from the UPS that should be enough.

HAKU, SEE MY POST #230. Thermocoupler was a bad part. Sony has returned to original part supplier.


I had told the repair people that when they picked it up. They went through a few parts trying to find the problem. When I asked if it was the thermocoupler.. they said NO, just the thermocoupler fuse, and that it took so long becuase Sony did not have any, and they could not find one.... Sounded like a lame excuse to me. I think it was the thermocoupler, and they were embarased to admit it. They had my tv Forever!!! Next time I purchase a big TV, I will not buy it from REX's, there return policy sucks. I will buy one from Costco. I had called REX's and it doesnt even matter if you buy it, take it home, plug it in, and it doesnt work... you cannot return it, you have to take it to the local repair shop. Thats fine when you live near a GOOD repair shop..... Sorry for the rant, have to vent somehow :)

HAKU, I think you hit it square on the head.

anyone else have any thermocoupler issues?

Well I had the same lights appear on my tv. the 6 red blinks. But my tech guy said it wasnt even getting to the thermocoupler stage so they replaced the unit. Both of my units were produced in august 2005.

I just picked up a KDF-E55A20 from Circuit City a few days ago and have a few questions. I'm getting my cable signal via an Explorer 3250HD (digital cable + HD) box from Time Warner Cable connected to input 4 with Monster 1000 series component cables.

In nearly all of my SDTV stations I see vertical lines spaced ~1/8in apart across the screen. To a much lesser extent I can also see them in the HD channels. I've played around with the settings (not in the service menu) and I've gotten a better picture color wise, but I'm still not getting the flawless detail I was hoping for; especially in HD.

My parents have a 50" Samsung DLP (720P model ~2 years old) and although I haven't seen them side by side; I'm convinced theirs has a better picture.

Any suggestions? Most people who see the TV think it looks great; but I'm sure the vertical lines aren't supposed to be there. At this point I'm seriously considering returning it for the new 56" Samsung DLP.

Thanks,

-Brad

i have the same tv and i don't have those lines you are talking about. i have comcast tho, maybe its your cable providers singal? try a differnt input, or even type of input. maybe its your cable box?

Here are some pictures I took of the screen from ~6 inches away. This is my cell phone camera but you should still be able to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

http://www.unc.edu/~wcollins/pictures/lines1.jpg

I'm going to try swapping in a different cable box tonight to see if that makes any difference.

Thanks again,

-Brad

Brad,
I looked at my TV, with my reading glasses and all I could see was screen door effect at 6 inches. I see SDE on your top picture listed above. That is not right. Still believe it is Time Warner or Sony TV problem. You might try calling the Sony support number.
WolfpackRon.

Whew... swapped out for a different cable box - problem solved. The picture looks excellent; just as I'd hoped. I'll post up some updated pictures of the setup when I can borrow a suitable camera.

Thanks for the help... and let's keep this thread alive. Who wants a 50" A10 anyway.

-Brad

Brad,
Glad you solved your cable box problem. I was really interested in what was causing your problem. I still have my TV setup as it came out of the box and am very pleased with the picture. I have adjusted the picture and have always gone back to the original settings. Good luck. WolfpackRon.

Question from a rookie,

My current Cable company does not offer HD, therefore I am going to get new service. Please brifely share pros and cons of Digital Calbe Vs Satleline. I am in the South Cali area, there are: Comcast, DirectTV, Dish Network.

Thanks guysss!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wolfpackron ~ What does SDE mean, what it look like and where is it in the picture ? I cant see whats the issue there. Thanks,

jtsony,
Screen Door Effect (SDE) is just what it says. The picture looks like you are viewing the TV thru a screen door. UNCBRAD's top pic shows the SDE as well as the vertical lines he had a problem with on his Sony TV. SDE is much worse the closer you sit to the TV. Also, I think some people see it worse than others. That may be just my opinion from hearing others complain about the problem in a store when I do not see the problem. WolfpackRon.

Screen Door Effect (SDE) really isn't an issue at all with this television. I'm sitting ~10-11 feet away and can't see it at all. From ~3ft in if you look very closely you can faintly see a tiny grid on the screen. I notice it because I've spent so much time working over every detail of the picture but 99% of people wouldn't notice it at all until their face was right on the screen.

I used some of the settings posted in the A10 thread to tweak my picture. The LCD display is so bright at the standard setting that it actually strains my eyes when watching for any period of time in a dark room. Tweaking the settings helped reduce the brightness and made the most difference in achieving more realistic flesh tones.

Now that I have a working cable box I'm satisfied with the Time Warner Digital HD box but I haven't seen what a satellite service like Direct TV looks like on a quality HDTV.

Next project on the list is finding an OTA antenna so I can watch the SuperBowl in HD on ABC.

-Brad

Brad,
I am using a Terk TV55 for my OTA channels. Some do not rate it very good, but I got it from a friend who could not use it and it works fine for the local channels in Winston-Salem. It was missing the amplifier that comes with the antenna and I had to buy one online. I have it installed in my basement between the floor joists under my TV on the main floor of my house. It is a good backup when Time Warner crashes as it did on Thanksgiving and also to pick up ABC HD which Time Warner does not carry in WS. I think it sells for around $100 in the local stores, but cheaper online. Another antenna a lot of people recommend is the Channel Master Model 4228 listed on the following website: http://www.warrenelectronics.com/antennas/4228.htm. It probably should be installed outside to be most effective. Just some suggestions. WolfpackRon.

Hi. I just purchased a 55a20 from Best Buy a week ago and having it delivered soon. This is my first HDTV and am very excited. I've researched and saw the other brands as well as some of the 1080p models from HP, Toshiba and Sony , but what drew me to this set was the PQ/price and Sony name. I was set on the 50sxrd for a while, but I didnt think the $1000+ difference was worth the improvement in PQ plus a loss in 5inches viewing size. Anyone owning this set, how would you rate the reliability and PQ of LCDs vs. DLPs? I stayed away from DLPs after reading about fan noise, bulb problems and shortages (particularly Toshiba), and the dreaded rainbows, although Ive never experienced rainbow from watching demos in the stores. I bought an upconverting Sony DVD player also. Any reviews about that would be helpful too. Thanks.

welp, reliably was my issue, i had to exchange my e55a20 cuz it had a faint green spot on it (only in dark seens and it was about 2x2 inchs, most people coudn't see it, but im a picky sh1$. The second one i got was in great shape, delivered this morning :) i too bought this one for the same reasons you mentioned, PQ, sony, price range. that sxrd was nice tho wasn't it? :) but thats first generation, would you buy a car of the first model? i belive our tv is the 5 generation..

All,

Repair tech just removed my 4 month old Sony 55" from my living room to the shop for repairs. Seems I am having same issue as some of you. Power light blinking 6 times. I did some research here and found all the other poeple having this issue. I notified them that it could be either the thermocoupler or thermocoupler fuse and that Sony might have a service bulletin noting this issue. My TV was mfg in Sept 2005.

Just in time for the best part of the NFL season and Superbowl. Had to watch 24 on my old 24" CRT TV... Life sure sucks right now!!!

Wish me luck.

Jon in Kansas City

i got the 60a20 today.. looks like poo.. no support on advanced timing hooking it up to the pc via dvi-hdmi dongle looked ok pushed 1808x1080 via a nvidia ultra 6800.. would post pics but since no one wants to asnwer my post blagh.. anyways this set is dissapointing only thing i like about it is the color are brighter than my 4:3 sony kp61hs30 and the xbox360 shines that's about it.. i see more distortion even with the stuff cranked down.. maybe i'll try a dlp or proj..
if not i'll stick with my old sony this one doesn't justify the price and it barely looks better than a three year old tv.. lol.. Also has defect.. one sploch a little bit bigger than a quarter looks like a mustard stain but can only be seen on certain backdrops like white and grey.. it's ok.. for $3grand i was expecting alot more. only one that impressed me was the samsung dlps somewhat like the a20 and defin the SXRD but that's a whole nother ball park.. :mad:

just my input..

for some reason this tv is growing on me argh but the flipping back and forth between my diffeent divx sizes etc is driving me nuts.. seems like i got more real estate too plus i made myself i hjated to do it but i pushed it back farther so it's not quite as grainy.. maybe i'll keep it afterall well not this exact tv but the same model... humm i dont know but ill post yah some pics tomorrow.

Its a good thing I bought an extended warranty. If anyone has some screen shots of their A20 in action that would be fantastic. More eye candy would be greatly appreciated.

Well, the DC area Costcos definitely are selling the 60 inch A20 with the stand for a pretty fair price...the wife isnt a big fan of the Sony stand since it wont go with her "decor"...however, CC is willing to match the price on the TV and give me the Centrios 60" TV Stand (C22110) - that's the black wooden one that a picture was posted a few pages back in the thread. I like the CC stand better, BUT with Costco's ridiculous policy of taking any TV back at any time, for any reason, am I playing with fire by considering the CC deal or should I take the Costco price and deal with the Sony stand in order to have the ease of mind that any consumer really should have...its so rare that Costco actually has a new(er) generation microdisplay TV - the manager at the one in Chantilly, Virginia said that they are selling at least one a day there... :cool:

Cheers!

Well, the DC area Costcos definitely are selling the 60 inch A20 with the stand for a pretty fair price...the wife isnt a big fan of the Sony stand since it wont go with her "decor"...however, CC is willing to match the price on the TV and give me the Centrios 60" TV Stand (C22110) - that's the black wooden one that a picture was posted a few pages back in the thread. I like the CC stand better, BUT with Costco's ridiculous policy of taking any TV back at any time, for any reason, am I playing with fire by considering the CC deal or should I take the Costco price and deal with the Sony stand in order to have the ease of mind that any consumer really should have...its so rare that Costco actually has a new(er) generation microdisplay TV - the manager at the one in Chantilly, Virginia said that they are selling at least one a day there... :cool:

Cheers!

I don't know about you but.. i bought my kp61hs30 model from CC first day got it home popped in "jet li/the one" at the dvd menu screen i was greated with dead/bad pixels.. looked like moths were gettin down on it.. remember the two bugs from transformers? joking but CC swapped it out pronto no hassle. got a new one. It's still running strong. I also just downed some cash on the grand wega 60a20 first it had a mustardy looking splotch i have pics will post when i get my laptop back today.. anyways called up CC told them about it and told them i wanted to try out the samsung DLP because i wasn't impressed no prob, i had to go in to re-pay because the samsung costed more.. 61"hlr model. guess what i found twoBYtwo black pixels. So i've had nothing but great experiences with CC and there warranty/return policy. Yout mileage may vary.

Sadly to say like i originally posted the 3lcd began to grow on me and even having the samsung all of today I feel the sony gravatational pull, lol.

the colors just seemed to pop out at me on the sony/3lcd and still like my initial gut feeling the low reso stuff looks better to me on the samsung and the HI-DEF I think is really close.. but for the trad off in color. I might have to head back to the grand wega. Everytime I go in there I find myself starring at the darn SXRD lol.. anyways picies and vids sometime tomorrow. :eek: :eek:

Also anyone buying the grandwega 60a20 is $3149 the best price and lowest CC will honor i'm assuming..

The reason I ask is because i've never done the price match thing. I'm pretty sure $3140-ish range is the lowest the wega sells for?

If not how does the price match work and does anyone know of a cheaper price because i think i'm gonna return this 2pixels black one at bottom and top with 2x2 dead pixels on the samsung dlp 61"

let me know if you guys know cheaper that CC will accept and price match if not no biggie, I will just pay that price then but I was hoping to save the money and get another year added on currently I have the 2 year extended warranty. Wouldn't mind three or four at $3grand plus tax. to cover any bulb--age problems.

let me know guys. I'm stuck now in the sony grand wega gravatational pull, lol. :p

They really did skimp alot on the feature woah.. I have my kp61hs30 right beside it, to compare them the kp btw is 4:3 61" crt/rpt. I like the samsung features though ALOT feels alot more flexible. anyway back to the sonys side by side.. everytime i would hit power or change tv-video lol it would turn on my kp! LOL

then it would switch inputs on both when I hit it.. and what pizzed me off was that the KP would pick on the grand wega remote better than when I was aiming it directly at the darn wega.. then i'd hit wega gate lol! and the settings would come up on my kp lol.. then i would tweak certain settings and the kp would change too, lol.

Granted yeah sony uses the same codes but it was annoying when trying to compare them and tweak the wega.

was funny at first then it became annoying. but it's sad i paid less for my kp three years ago and it has more features it feels like. the wega really did get skimped but like I said the samsung and the wega both were the only ones that caught my eye in my price range and size.. so it was tought but I'm pretty sure the sammy is going back and i've decided on the 3lcd technology.

People keep in mind when reading this every one has different perceptions etc so take my ramblings like a mad man and a grain of salt.. overall. I need and upgrade and though the sanyo-plz4 and pany 900u look tempting, I really don't want to go that route and if I did. I would want over 80+ inches and I don't have the feet/throw distance for it.

pics of the a20/hlr and videos coming soon. today hopefully. Atleast I wont have that nagging feeling in the back of my mind for the next few months wondering if I was missing out on the DLP. I still feel the 3lcd does produce more eye popping colors and vividness. DOA4 looks good on the sammy but daymn I almost felt like I was right there. So did my matrix reloaded letterbox dvd. The colors were breathtaking in my experience.

ramble off.

What happened to the "PRO" feature?!?! that was my fav. on my kp61.

Can someone tell me if its possible to change the color of the pillar box on the 55A20? I'm using a cable box and was unable to find in either the box or TV manual any info on this. Thanks

nvm found my answer, sorry.

I just received my 55a20 a few days ago and the HD shows are stupifying. The only bad thing is now I know just how bad SD sucks, lol. I can't wait to see 150 or so channels in HDTV.

This thread has been a real godsend as I did research.

The 55a20 is really quite stunning as a piece of furniture alone, lol. Huge and impressive then unbelievable when showing HDESPN or any other HD channel.

I have not broken down and purchased an Oppo yet but I plan too soon. I have an older Pioneer dvd changer that shows nicely but nothing like the HD channels so I'll spring for the Oppo in a couple of weeks.
I am using Dish network and have yet to get an OTA antenna but that should happen in the next few days.

I have mine hooked up with a yamaha receiver and 2 dish receivers(the old tivo one for recording), the dvd player, and my old trusty ps2.

I am finding the inputs look like a lot on the back of the tv til you start plugging things in. :) 4 components would be ideal with 2 HDMI.

Anyways this post was mostly to say thanks!!

I keep hearin about this Oppo DVD player in this thread and I've looked some of them up, and they get great reviews. I see its region free with a few simple tweaks which is good, but my big concern is that I need a dvd player like this with a PAL-NTSC convertor built into it. I have many PAL and NTSC dvds and would like a great quality dvd player like this Oppo to complement my 55a20. Any suggesstions?

Im trying to get the most out of my new 55a20 and trying to figure best set up - the Comcast tech recommended using the Optical instead of Component as connection since it has both "pure video audio" is this correct ? The TV only has 1 Optical and it looks like it is an "Out" only ! I have an Elite Receiver (with lotsa optical Ins & Outs), Sony NS70H DVD, Comcast digital & PS2. My speakers are Bose Surround. I was going to set up as follows: Comcast box component Video to TV/Optical to Recr, DVD HDMI Video to TV/Optical to Recr, PS2 component to TV/Optical to Recr ! Is this the best set up or something better ? I was running all Audio optical to receiver so that the sound would always be using my surround system (5). I was not going to use the TV speakers for anything, is this ideal ? I have more than enough cables already.

Im trying to get the most out of my new 55a20 and trying to figure best set up - the Comcast tech recommended using the Optical instead of Component as connection since it has both "pure video audio" is this correct ? The TV only has 1 Optical and it looks like it is an "Out" only ! I have an Elite Receiver (with lotsa optical Ins & Outs), Sony NS70H DVD, Comcast digital & PS2. My speakers are Bose Surround. I was going to set up as follows: Comcast box component Video to TV/Optical to Recr, DVD HDMI Video to TV/Optical to Recr, PS2 component to TV/Optical to Recr ! Is this the best set up or something better ? I was running all Audio optical to receiver so that the sound would always be using my surround system (5). I was not going to use the TV speakers for anything, is this ideal ? I have more than enough cables already.


optical is for audio and component is for video. continue running the audio to you receiver. your opt out on the tv is to send the audio signal from the tv to your receiver (for instance if you have an OTA for HD and want to send 5.1 to the receiver.)

Well after about 3 weeks of tweaking ...I must say I am more than happy with my 55A20
Sure, the black level aint the greatest...But damn, everything else looks pretty good to my eyes!!!

yeah, i love how SD looks. i was expecting it to look like pure crap, but it doesn't look half bad... and of course discovery HD is awsome

MY SD quality with D* is beautiful. HD is absolutely stunning. I've owned this set for 6 months and I'm still amazed every time I turn it on.

Question from a rookie,

My current Cable company does not offer HD, therefore I am going to get new service. Please brifely share pros and cons of Digital Calbe Vs Satleline. I am in the South Cali area, there are: Comcast, DirectTV, Dish Network.

Thanks guysss!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bump.......

optical is for audio and component is for video. continue running the audio to you receiver. your opt out on the tv is to send the audio signal from the tv to your receiver (for instance if you have an OTA for HD and want to send 5.1 to the receiver.)

Hi, I found this thread on a search for optical audio....can any of you folks comment on the following...Initially hooked my dvd to my denon 3805 via red/white audio...dialogue came evenly from the center and two mains.....then decided to get an optical cable and hooked it up....now the dialogue only comes from the center channel....it sounds clearer but not as balanced as with the red/white.....watching pirates of caribbean I was able to select DTS in setup for the movie and the detail seemed more precise when I ran comparisons...is it normal for digital to only deliver through the center channel.......Thanks for any insights....I'm studying and learning every day.....good stuff.

well, I feel like I just got shafted on my post-purchase Circuit City pricematch. I bought my KDF-E55A20 on Jan. 9th and I had checked a few times since the purchase to see if any local retailers had dropped the price below the $2519.99 I paid.

Checked Circuit City's website last night and was shocked to see $2199.99. I immediately printed out the price and took it into the store for my refund +10% only to be told that the website today wasn't listing that as the price and I was out of luck.

I figured I'd post and see if anyone had seen any other retailers carrying this TV for CC's old advertised price. I have a few days left on my 30day price match guarantee and it'd sure be nice to get that ~$350 credit.

I do plan on trying to talk to a regional manager tomorrow since the one in the store wasn't any help at all. After I told him that I'd printed out that price yesterday he told me that since there wasn't a date on the print out I could have printed it out at any time. It's always nice to have a manger insinuate that the customer is lying. I'll update if I get anywhere with the regional manager.

Thanks,

-Brad

Brad - I saw the ad I think you're talking about in my Sunday paper yesterday. I originally thought like you that the $480 discount was off the sale price of $2519 (or whatever it is exactly). However, the more I looked at the ad, I decided that it meant $480 off the list price of $2999. I haven't seen the 55A20 go for anything less than $2500 in my area. I got mine at Circuit City in early Nov 05 for $2500 by making an offer - at the time it was on sale for $2799. I've been looking in all Sunday circulars since then to make sure I got a dcent deal. So far, so good.

UNCBrad,
Check this site under Rear Projection TV and dpnaugle: http://www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=18827.
Dpnaugle purchased a set from CC at a little less than you mentioned. Good Luck, WolfpackRon.

Brad - I saw the ad I think you're talking about in my Sunday paper yesterday. I originally thought like you that the $480 discount was off the sale price of $2519 (or whatever it is exactly). However, the more I looked at the ad, I decided that it meant $480 off the list price of $2999. I haven't seen the 55A20 go for anything less than $2500 in my area. I got mine at Circuit City in early Nov 05 for $2500 by making an offer - at the time it was on sale for $2799. I've been looking in all Sunday circulars since then to make sure I got a dcent deal. So far, so good.

I was able to get them to take a 10% off any TV coupon off of the $2519 price at my local CC last weekend.

Wow! - I guess I'm wrong then. $2100 is a great price on the 55A20. I love mine - I'd love it even more for $400 less than I paid. Good luck guys.

Yeah, I went ahead and got the $500 Sony stand and with taxes, etc it came out to be $2998. I thought it was a pretty sweet deal and have been loving the PQ of my HD service through TWC.

I was ready to buy the 60 XSRD, but then read about the green blobs. I watch a lot of B&W movies and this won't work for me. So I dropped in at Fry's at 10AM. They turned-on a 60 and there wasn't much of a green blob. However, I was looking at the center when the salesperson pointed out the upper-right was green. He said admitted "green stuff" is an issue.

So I went and spent a lot of time with a 60A20. With it at NO COLOR its screen uniformity was very, very good. Went back after an hour and the LCOS was still green in the upper-right.

My opinion is that LCOS when calibrated perfectly is offers the highest possible resolution. But, at this point, 1366v768 LCD is far more mature with a lower probability of defects.

But here's a question for anyone who when deciding to buy-- compared these two sets. Does the A20 have 3:2 pulldown for 1080i?

It's critical that 3:2 work in 1080i not only because of HDTV movies, but because that will enable BR to feed interlaced to the set and use the DRC de-interlacer.

Is $2800 a good price?

Fry's and Costco offer to let you return the TV. But, that's a huge job. Best Buy actually did the shipping to and from for a big TV I bought about 10 years ago. Who provides this kind of service now AND will sell the A20 60 for a great price?

About the price drops of the 55A-20 at local retailers like you guys mentioned, I bought the 55 at a local BB for $2299 (no BS) around the first week in January. The price tag was actually 2399 but the salesperson re-checked their system and said i could get it for 100 bucks cheaper than the display tag. I thought that was odd but who cares. They told me they didnt do price negotiation which i thought was BS but I had to jump on the deal cuz i knew it was a couple hundred dollars more a few weeks earlier since i had been keeping tabs on the prices. A week later I'm in the same store and its back up to 2799. I'm like whats going on? Did they sell me an open box item or was it just a limited offer? Anyways, I'm getting it delivered in 3 days when i move into my house. I'll soon find out. I'm pretty sure when i saw the price tag the day i bought it, it didnt have "open box item" or anything. The receipt doesnt say it either. Just think its strange.

I was ready to buy the 60 XSRD, but then read about the green blobs. I watch a lot of B&W movies and this won't work for me. So I dropped in at Fry's at 10AM. They turned-on a 60 and there wasn't much of a green blob. However, I was looking at the center when the salesperson pointed out the upper-right was green. He said admitted "green stuff" is an issue.

So I went and spent a lot of time with a 60A20. With it at NO COLOR its screen uniformity was very, very good. Went back after an hour and the LCOS was still green in the upper-right.

My opinion is that LCOS when calibrated perfectly is offers the highest possible resolution. But, at this point, 1366v768 LCD is far more mature with a lower probability of defects.

But here's a question for anyone who when deciding to buy-- compared these two sets. Does the A20 have 3:2 pulldown for 1080i?

It's critical that 3:2 work in 1080i not only because of HDTV movies, but because that will enable BR to feed interlaced to the set and use the DRC de-interlacer.

Is $2800 a good price?

Fry's and Costco offer to let you return the TV. But, that's a huge job. Best Buy actually did the shipping to and from for a big TV I bought about 10 years ago. Who provides this kind of service now AND will sell the A20 60 for a great price?


Still see the 60A20 at Costco with the stand for $3199...best deal for this set I have found including the return policy and the stand. CC will match for me, they claim...going to take the plunge on Feb. 25 - the day after I close on my house...just a few more weeks after 9 months of research. I dont think that there is a more reliable "bang for your buck" set out there.

Im trying to get the most out of my new 55a20 and trying to figure best set up - the Comcast tech recommended using the Optical instead of Component as connection since it has both "pure video audio" is this correct ? The TV only has 1 Optical and it looks like it is an "Out" only ! I have an Elite Receiver (with lotsa optical Ins & Outs), Sony NS70H DVD, Comcast digital & PS2. My speakers are Bose Surround. I was going to set up as follows: Comcast box component Video to TV/Optical to Recr, DVD HDMI Video to TV/Optical to Recr, PS2 component to TV/Optical to Recr ! Is this the best set up or something better ? I was running all Audio optical to receiver so that the sound would always be using my surround system (5). I was not going to use the TV speakers for anything, is this ideal ? I have more than enough cables already.

I'd run everything through the receiver depending on if it maintains or upconverts the HD signals. My yamaha is older and didnt so it just gets the analog video feeds now and ALL the audio.

You should buy a few optical (Toslink) cables and connect the audios seperately to the receiver where possible. The out on the TV can also go to the receiver if you desire it.

The receiver should give you at least DD DTS 5.1 sound and probably 6.1 again depending on model.

The picture will probably look best going straight to the TV.

Some folks end up investing in an HDMI switcher so they can plug in multiple HDMI inputs.

The issue with using seperate feeds to the TV and receiver from each device and/or the switcher is you will likely need a 80 buck or so task-based remote that can do many things with one click. Otherwise its turn the receiver to the right function, set the TV to the right input, get the volume right and in the right setting and tweak the picture then of course the dvd/ps2/xbox whatever remote for those items. I just broke down and ordered the Harmony 676 so my wife will be able to actually use the setup without cussing me. lol.

This tv has been awesome. Really awesome. I am gonna have to try the suggested settings of Bignorm and my situation and setup are similar.

I'm a computer geek so my next project is a linux based HTPC that will try to take advantages of all this tv has to offer.

Bump.......
I can only say that any HD offerings are overpriced and a kick in the nads right now:)

I had DirecTV for years then switched to Dish because promotions for new custmers is really the only good deal you get out of a sat company.

The HD Tivo box at Dish is ridiculously overpriced at about 900 bucks. It costs alot to make sure but they are getting a 2 year contract and 10 to 20 bucks per month extra in hd content fees. Right now customers are paying for the rollouts of new satellites and channels I'd assume.

In the end Dish is worth it to me but it is not cheap or cost-efficient by any means.

Dish gets the Voom channels so about 10 more than Direct thus I'd say go that route right now tho both are very likely to keep competition close. DirecTV does seem to be slightly ahead in getting the locals in HD added. However both should have that completed by the end of this year for the major markets.

I honestly cant tell you much about cable based HD.

Thx JT,

Anyone else have good opinion or advice please help me to make a good dicesion.

Have a good weedend! Thx. again! K

If anyone has had this ISF calibrated, I would be interested in the settings. Thanks.

Has anyone had luck connecting the A20 up to a PC using DVI and the HDMI input (with a HDMI to DVI cable)?

Is there possibility of harm to the television if the resolution out of the PC is greater than the TV can handle?

Has anyone had luck connecting the A20 up to a PC using DVI and the HDMI input (with a HDMI to DVI cable)?

Is there possibility of harm to the television if the resolution out of the PC is greater than the TV can handle?

I have my PC hooked up via DVI cable to DVI/HDMI plug to my a20. I used the Nvidia TV wizard and set the resolution at 1360x768 720p. The wizard identified the tv as SONY HDTV right away.

The picture wasn't too bad, I was watching some episodes I *ahem* had on my hard drive. It was about what I expected. DVD's playing through WinDVD looked about the same as through my progressive scan DVD stand alone. I really haven't had the time to play around as much I as want to yet, trying different resolutions and even trying 1080i. Oh yeah, This is coming off a GeForce 5700LE video card (AGP8x). Need to get a wireless keyboard so I can sit in front of the TV to play with the settings, maybe that MCE keyboard I've seen. Right now my current wireless keyboard has a range of about 6 feet and I don't own any USB cable extensions (would need about 15') for my wired keyboard.

As far as damage from a resolution the tv can't handle, I can't comment. I would only assume that the tv wouldn't show anything and revert to the last know good setting after 15 seconds. I think they have a thread in here somewhere about HTPC's that might give you a little better information.

I have my PC hooked up via DVI cable to DVI/HDMI plug to my a20. I used the Nvidia TV wizard and set the resolution at 1360x768 720p. The wizard identified the tv as SONY HDTV right away.

The picture wasn't too bad, I was watching some episodes I *ahem* had on my hard drive. It was about what I expected. DVD's playing through WinDVD looked about the same as through my progressive scan DVD stand alone. I really haven't had the time to play around as much I as want to yet, trying different resolutions and even trying 1080i. Oh yeah, This is coming off a GeForce 5700LE video card (AGP8x). Need to get a wireless keyboard so I can sit in front of the TV to play with the settings, maybe that MCE keyboard I've seen. Right now my current wireless keyboard has a range of about 6 feet and I don't own any USB cable extensions (would need about 15') for my wired keyboard.

As far as damage from a resolution the tv can't handle, I can't comment. I would only assume that the tv wouldn't show anything and revert to the last know good setting after 15 seconds. I think they have a thread in here somewhere about HTPC's that might give you a little better information.


thx man. this is the next project on the way to a full-fledged media pc.
been working too much to get full effect of tv but that'll die down next week(and I can buy more stuff for what the wife refers to as the 'stupid tv', lol)

i have a 6600gt vid card so a dvi to hdmi cable is the next step.

I just need a new sound card with digital audio out to go to the yamaha receiver.

Anyone know what "image shift" does for this display...currently, I have mine set to AUTO
but there are 1 through 4 incremental adjustments...

Is this for double images on SD? it looks like a global adjustment which I assume would affect all inputs....

Anyone know what "image shift" does for this display...currently, I have mine set to AUTO
but there are 1 through 4 incremental adjustments...

Is this for double images on SD? it looks like a global adjustment which I assume would affect all inputs....

Page 71 of the manual gives a before and after picture of what the setting does, but I can't imagie ever having to adjust it off of auto. My TV has never had double images as bad as their 'before shot'

Still see the 60A20 at Costco with the stand for $3199...best deal for this set I have found including the return policy and the stand. CC will match for me, they claim...going to take the plunge on Feb. 25 - the day after I close on my house...just a few more weeks after 9 months of research. I dont think that there is a more reliable "bang for your buck" set out there.

I got my 60A20 for Sony directly. Got TV , 5 year service plan for 299 not 499 at best buy, free delivery and set up and taxes for $3004. Went to CC and got stand for $199. Much better deal IMO. At costco you will get riipped on service plan for another 300-400. Plus delivery and set up. And dont forget cables and montser strip.

Sony takes it out of box, puts it on stand, turns it on and tweaked it for me. Call Sony and tell them the price Costco is going to give you and I asure you they will beat it. I have 1 rep at sony I always use and he will beat any price. PM me if you want for his info.

Okay, so I had a little more time to play around last night with my PC hooked up to my 55a20. Here's what I've got for you.

I know a lot of people suggest using Powerstrip for resolution and timing and all that, I just still haven't gotten there yet. Using the Nvidia software (v81.98 is what I'm on right now I think) I set up two profiles: The first for my primary Desktop monitor, and the 2nd for the a20. Setting up separate profiles allows me to switch between monitors that have different shapes and different resoultions without having to reset a bunch of stuff. The resultion I'm currently using on the a20 is 1176x664 @ 60hz in 720p. I use the custom setup for picture which I tweaked using the Avia Home Theatre Calibration Disc. The resolution setting came from the Nvidia software suggesting it was the native resolution of the TV, which doesn't match up with the numbers in the manual, but does look prety damn good. There is maybe a 1/2" space between the edge of the visible desktop and the edge of the screen. Nvdia software does have a Keystone correction software, but I found that to make entire picture a bit choppy, not to mention it's a resource hog on my PC.

Video, like stated in a previous post, can look impressive, depending on the source. If its a small file downloaded form the internet, and you blow it up to full screen, its gonna look like crap. If you're watching a DVD from the DVD-ROM drive, expect good results.

I watched a slide show of some pictures from my vacation last year to the Dominican Republic. They were shot on a Olympus 4 megapixel camera that is about 3 or 4 years old in 2272x1704 resolution (HQ setting for the camera). The clarity was unbelieveable. A couple of the beach shots made us feel like we were right back there. I wanted to see the waves start rolling :)

I'm not much of a PC gamer, but I did play a little Half Life 2: Deathmatch on the a20, and I have to say it made it a whole new game. The was an easy switch in the setting to make the game screen 16:9 native. It really opened the levels up and gave me the feeling of being immersed in the game. It's a FPS for those of you not familiar. The only thing that bothered me was the brightness levels, which I had to retune in game, but only took about 90 seconds to reconfigure.

So all in all, I would say the a20 is a perfect match for anyone wanting to do some HTPC'ing on it. Just make sure you are willing to put forth a little setup time, allow for some trial and error. And realize before hand, that you may find yourself wanting to spend a little extra $$ on some necessary accessories, like a decent MCE keyboard and mouse. I'm still looking around myself.

Hope this helps answers some questions for people.

Mike,

Killer deal you got there. I too lucked into one. For $2300, I had a deal on a Sony 57ws655 crt, with 5 year warranty, on order at my local hi-end boutique. After 2 weeks, they were unable to deliver even though they were out there thru Sony and Sears. I nicely said "lets just unwind this deal, I'll start shopping all over again"...The manager stepped up to keep my money and offered me from his stock....

For $2635 total, I got my 60a20, Techcraft stand, 5 year warranty and tax. I shook hands, 1 hour later his installers are in my living room hooking me up. I did not think I would end up with an lcd when my Toshiba's hyperboard went bad. ( i knew I wanted a sony lcd)This is an amazing set, and for that deal...that was the best deal since I won 5 free days Curacao....I added 3 more of course

The HD picture is amazing and dvd with my Panny s97 is outstanding. I am using Comcast for cable and HD but I also have a Terk antenna which delivers 5 hd channels free with so much detail, color and contrast that I think I'm on acid......Freaked out in Pittsburgh....

Bladerunner

Is it just me, or do the Olympics look like they were just made for this set?

I LOVE MY 55A20...A nice mature technology!!!!

Anyone running comcast cable to their Sony 55Ea20 with good results? I'm thinking of switching from dish to comcast cable.

Thanks,
Jeff

I recently bought a Sony KDF E60A20 and I would like to know the best powerstrip timings to use. I am currently using:

1224x688=1224,129,48,247,688,14,5,43,74250,768

This is scaled to the native 1366x768, but at least it is full screen without overscan, or at least not much.

I would LOVE to have 1:1 timings for 1366x768 or something very close but 1:1.

I am just learning to tweak powerstrip for myself and I am not sure I know where to start. Does anyone else have the timings I am looking for?

I just switched from dish to comcast cable with my E60A20 and I love it. The HD channels are in 1080i and are beautiful. Be sure to sign up for the "dish buy-back" program if it is still available. For 16 months I get Digital Classic with HBO, Stars, and HD for $40 a month.

For you KDF-E60A20 owners. I'm still on the fence about a HDTV and would like to know your opinion about your sets.
How does your set look on a analog channel?
How does it look on a digital channel?
Have you had any stuck pixels?
Are you satisfied with the picture quality in general?
Have you had any major mfg.problems?
Do you recommend a extended warranty?
In general what do like about your sets?
Thanks
Jake

I posted this in the a10 forum also.
Just saw in HT magazine that the
A20s don't weave a 1080i signal, they only bob it.
They take a 540 line field and synthesize it to make a 1080 line frame.
While the 42 and 50A10 actually display both the odd and even fields to make a
frame.

The 55a20 I saw at sears several months ago looked pretty good to my eyes.

Do you guys see any downside to the fact that the A20 doesn't show all of the info(or at least that missing field)?

The SXRDs do the weave thing but the 32A10 doesn not.
march 2006 Home Theater mag.

For you KDF-E60A20 owners. I'm still on the fence about a HDTV and would like to know your opinion about your sets.
How does your set look on a analog channel?
How does it look on a digital channel?
Have you had any stuck pixels?
Are you satisfied with the picture quality in general?
Have you had any major mfg.problems?
Do you recommend a extended warranty?
In general what do like about your sets?
Thanks
Jake

I have the same newbie questions (for the E55A20). Would 8-9 ft be too close for this size? Thanks.

For you KDF-E60A20 owners. I'm still on the fence about a HDTV and would like to know your opinion about your sets.
(1) How does your set look on a analog channel?
(2) How does it look on a digital channel?
(3) Have you had any stuck pixels?
(4) Are you satisfied with the picture quality in general?
(5) Have you had any major mfg.problems?
(6) Do you recommend a extended warranty?
(7) In general what do like about your sets?
Thanks
Jake

(1) How far away are you sitting? Remember the bigger the screen, the more emphasized the imperfections... I'm sitting 12 feet away and it looks great. Check this thread for the proper settings. It looked pretty bad out of the box. I'm glad I brought it home to try it out first...
(2) OTA NBC Olympics deserve a gold medal!
(3) What's a stuck pixel? :p
(4) I'm estatic with the PQ in particular
(5) Other than hating any other product by Sony.... No.
(6) I would, but I bought mine at Costco. No warranty needed. You can bring it back AT ANY TIME for a full refund!
(7) It's in my living room and I'm watching it right now!

when someone mention about "tweak" the HDTV does it means ????::::

-Playing with the setting of colors, brightness, picture, etc.
-Or there is something else that I don't know of????

Thx.

when someone mention about "tweak" the HDTV does it means ????::::

-Playing with the setting of colors, brightness, picture, etc.
-Or there is something else that I don't know of????

Thx.

Kind of a noob myself but this is what I've learned so far...

Apparently, it can mean a few things.

1) Settings menu - Several owners have experimented with the settings in the settings menu that can be directly accessed from the remote through the user menus. (Yes, this is the Color, Brightness, Hue settings area...) When they have acheived what seems to be their optimum settings, they post them for others to use as a baseline for their own settings. I found this helpful because the "Out of the Box" settings were pretty bad. Then, after getting comfortable with the TV in it's new environment, I've made slight adjustments to the psted ones that I used.

2) Service menu - This is a hidden menu that should only be accessed by Service Personnel or someone who is comfortable with working in an environment with little or no documentation. This menu is actually a set of many menus or pages. Options in here are not descriptive at all, in fact they are very criptic. If you change some settings without knowing what you are doing, you can cause your TV much harm. I have only found one thing useful in here, which is the bulb timer and count. Not something you change, just observe.

3) Some TVs apparently have physical adjustments that can be made in the back of the TV. I don't believe these TVs have this feature.

Hi,

how come my computer can't output higher than 720x480 resolution? im using a DVI to HDMI cable. my pc has a dvi output port and my tv has a hdmi input port. it works. but i can't get HD quality. my tv is a Sony KDF-E55A20. my pc is a toshiba M1 laptop w/ docking station (that has the dvi output).

Laptop manual: http://cdgenp01.csd.toshiba.com/con...cs/tecra_M1.pdf

Well, looks like I may be the next victim of the thermocoupler issue. Watching the UNC / NC State game tonight and all of a sudden I look up and the screen is black. Turn the set off, back on - 6 red blinks. I unplugged the set for ~30min and hooked up another TV to finish the game (nice outcome BTW), and powered the TV back up - still nothing.

And.. of course... I'm about 10 days out of my 30day return policy with Circuit City. I'll be calling them in the morning to see if there's a factory warranty that will take care of the issue. I'll update then.

***update for search purposes***
Sony had a local "TV Doctor" sent out within a couple days, they replaced the fuse (15min fix) - everything is back to normal. All was covered under the factory warranty at no cost to me.


-Brad

This happened to me. Call Sony and they will fix your set.

Does the KDFE60A20 have the advanced iris?
Thanks
Jake

How many bulbs does the E55A20 use?

I thought I read somewhere it used 3... but now I can't find that.

Is it 1 or 3? Am I just mixed up with the 3LCD technology?

NO ....neither of these displays uses the advanced iris....
These displays only use one bulb...you are probably refering to 3 panel lcd

(1) How far away are you sitting? Remember the bigger the screen, the more emphasized the imperfections... I'm sitting 12 feet away and it looks great. Check this thread for the proper settings. It looked pretty bad out of the box. I'm glad I brought it home to try it out first...
(2) OTA NBC Olympics deserve a gold medal!
(3) What's a stuck pixel? :p
(4) I'm estatic with the PQ in particular
(5) Other than hating any other product by Sony.... No.
(6) I would, but I bought mine at Costco. No warranty needed. You can bring it back AT ANY TIME for a full refund!
(7) It's in my living room and I'm watching it right now!

Thanks for the reply, I'm 12' away now while watching my Mitsi 40" CRT and I have more than enough room to fit a 60". Stuck pixel.....I was reading on line that a pixel can be stuck on, off or just plain dead and was wondering if the A20 3LCD models are having or can have this problem. I was over at Sam's Club a couple of weeks ago and they have this set with the stand included for what I think is a good price....cheaper than the brick and mortar stores. The only draw back is the A20 was hooked to a demo tape so I couldn't change channels or view
a analog or digital source because I wanted to check PQ and see how well the set stretches to fill the screen.
Jake

Wouldn't the A20's need to have 3 stuck pixels to be blatently visable?
They would have to be all on the exact same position on all three micro displays.
Otherwise it might be visable during other specific conditions, black or white mainly...
For a pixel problem of one "stuck" pixel, it would only affect 1/3 of the color for that pixel...

mine has 2 stuck pixels, they are green only on black scenes. when theres video i don't knotice them. and they are so small i can't see them from more than 2 feet away.. no big deal at all... this tv has great Standard def picture quality, one of the best i have seen... HD is great too :) not as good as that sxrd tho ;)

mine has 2 stuck pixels, they are green only on black scenes. when theres video i don't knotice them. and they are so small i can't see them from more than 2 feet away.. no big deal at all... this tv has great Standard def picture quality, one of the best i have seen... HD is great too :) not as good as that sxrd tho ;)

So... Your green panel microdisplay has a stuck pixel that does not turn on the pixel in question. Impact on this would be 1 pixel with more green throughout all colors than normal.

New user here. Reading through all the posts have been helpfull. I have injoyed my 60a20 very much. I watch SD off dishnetwork and its a good picture. Last tuesday I got the 6 red blink thing on a 4 month old tv made in september. your post were helpfull in my fears of having a lemon. I got a guy working on it now.
looking at the guts led me to a idea I like to ask all of you. This lamp life thing. Reading the post I haven't seen many with the problem yet with this modle. Cooling seems to be a big factor with it. I was looking at the lamp and noticed screens on both the top & bottom. A squirrel cage fan is mounted above(I think) the light block, and a fan behind & out the back of the tv. This is (I assume) to drive air through the screens in the lamp. My 4 month old lamp was almost completly blocked off with dust on the top screen, killing air curculation through the lamp. I'm thinking, carfully cleaning this screen every so offen will improve the life of the lamp.
Just a thought I'd like to see what some of you think of this
Mike

Thanks for the reply, I'm 12' away now while watching my Mitsi 40" CRT and I have more than enough room to fit a 60". Stuck pixel.....I was reading on line that a pixel can be stuck on, off or just plain dead and was wondering if the A20 3LCD models are having or can have this problem. I was over at Sam's Club a couple of weeks ago and they have this set with the stand included for what I think is a good price....cheaper than the brick and mortar stores. The only draw back is the A20 was hooked to a demo tape so I couldn't change channels or view
a analog or digital source because I wanted to check PQ and see how well the set stretches to fill the screen.
Jake

I apologize as some of my answers were "tongue-in-cheek". I am aware of the existence of stuck pixels on some TVs but haven't heard of any on this TV until now reading some of the latest posts.

Does Sam's Club have a return policy? I am all for playing by the store's rules. If a store wants you to try something for a period of time with a policy allowing returns with no questions asked, I'm going to take that offer. You'll never get a TV in a store to look like it will at your house, in your lighting, with the proper settings, hooked up to your components etc. until you bring it home. Now I understand bringing home a 60" TV is a little bit more of a challenge than, say, a toaster oven but you are also investing a LOT more in the TV than the toaster oven and hopefully you'll use it a LOT more and it will last a LOT longer. We also own a pickup truck which makes it easier to pickup/return ourselves so I guess someone who doesn't have that option would look at it differently.

I lucked out with the A20 because it looked great at a Fry's Electronic's store but I still returned it and bought the same model at Costco because of price and the return policy that Costco offers.... (Basically, any time, any reason... They also provided the matching Sony stand for a better price than Fry's. The Sony stand is definitely the way to go with this set.)

I actually almost got the Toshiba 62" DLP Theaterwide at the same time to compare side by side at the house but I saw more posts that many owners were having lamp issues. Ultimately, we just decided that we loved the 60A20 and stuck with it. Otherwise, Costco encouraged me to compare them at home and return the one I did not want.

I apologize as some of my answers were "tongue-in-cheek". I am aware of the existence of stuck pixels on some TVs but haven't heard of any on this TV until now reading some of the latest posts.

Does Sam's Club have a return policy? I am all for playing by the store's rules. If a store wants you to try something for a period of time with a policy allowing returns with no questions asked, I'm going to take that offer. You'll never get a TV in a store to look like it will at your house, in your lighting, with the proper settings, hooked up to your components etc. until you bring it home. Now I understand bringing home a 60" TV is a little bit more of a challenge than, say, a toaster oven but you are also investing a LOT more in the TV than the toaster oven and hopefully you'll use it a LOT more and it will last a LOT longer. We also own a pickup truck which makes it easier to pickup/return ourselves so I guess someone who doesn't have that option would look at it differently.

I lucked out with the A20 because it looked great at a Fry's Electronic's store but I still returned it and bought the same model at Costco because of price and the return policy that Costco offers.... (Basically, any time, any reason... They also provided the matching Sony stand for a better price than Fry's. The Sony stand is definitely the way to go with this set.)

I actually almost got the Toshiba 62" DLP Theaterwide at the same time to compare side by side at the house but I saw more posts that many owners were having lamp issues. Ultimately, we just decided that we loved the 60A20 and stuck with it. Otherwise, Costco encouraged me to compare them at home and return the one I did not want.

That's one of the reasons I like this forum...you guys have a sense of humor, some forums are sour as lemons. No problem on a pickup truck I have one that I use to transport my motorcycles around and my Wife is a driver for DHL so there's my other set of hands for loading it. I went to Sam's today and asked some questions about the Sony A20. If for any reason I'm dissatisfied with the set within 30 days I can bring it back for a refund or exchange as many times as needed until it's right. They also have a 3 year extended warranty that looks good. Your right about the SU-GW12 stand...it's a perfect match to the set plus it has a safety strap that secures it to the TV. All the A20's and matching stands are boxed, steel banded and shrink wrapped to a pallet with a build date of Jan. 06'. I'm not going to bash other stores by name but the other sets I saw at the other stores looked like "returns" to me, with cardboard slits up the side, plastic rope, and black marker stripes on the bar code's as well. As soon as my taxes are done it's a A20 for me. Bare with my questions....as they come up.
Thanks

A20 fan after power off?
Does the A20 have a fan that continues to cool the bulb for a few minutes after you power the set off?
Thanks

jake: yes seems like 1 or two mins...

jake: yes seems like 1 or two mins...

Thanks Zodiacal,
Do you use a UPS for your A20? Is a UPS recommended? We get lightning storms here in Arizona and some power brown outs, I have a computer and a older CRT TV just plugged into a power strip with no problems so far but now the A20 seems like it will need one to keep cooling that bulb down after power is cut.

Am looking to purchase a tv in the next 2-4 weeks. Started looking into specific models and am very interested in the Sony A20 60". Also have been looking into a JVC ILA Z/Gx86 and will certainly consider other models as I continue my research. I've seen both in person (I think....I need to go back to the store and confirm these were the actual models I looked at) and liked what I saw. However, reading through the (~100 page) JVC thread here, it sounds like those sets have had more than their share of issues between picture distortions (c.a.) with standard (non-HD) broadcasts and reliability problems after a few months. I don't want a "project" that's going to require a lot of tweaking to get it right and I definitely don't want a headache with a set that's prone to reliability issues. So, the A20 seems like possibly a good option for what I'm looking for, which is a large (55" minimum) set and the best bang for the buck in the 2k - 2.5k range. Skimmed through this thread but still have a few questions that I didn't see addressed (probably because they are so basic and most people around here already know this stuff).

- One thing I liked about the JVC set was that it appears to have a (S)VGA port so you can connect a pc to it. I don't see that option for the A20 but I do see people here talking about connecting their pc's. On the other hand, it looks like the JVC set maxes out at 1024x768 resolution when a pc is connected to its VGA port but people here are talking about getting higher resolution with their Sony A20's. Are you guys using S-video or something else? Is the picture quality better/worse/similar to what you get with a set that has the VGA port? I'm not so much interested in playing pc games (though I'd probably do a little of that) but I would like to hook up the laptop directly and play some divx/xvid videos. Being able to connect the pc and getting good PQ is an important consideration for me.

- I do have a price ceiling on the total $ I'm willing to spend at this time and will definitely weigh local vs. online purchase (probably online unless I can get a local seller to match) and will likely go cheap on the tv stand and buy my cables separately wherever I find the best deal. On the matter of those cables, I didn't expect them to be cheap but I'm a bit :eek: shocked :eek: at what I'm seeing for prices out there. Not unusual to see $199 or $299 for these things. Dumb question I'm sure but if my initial setup will be tv<>dvd and tv<>cable (w/ a couple HD channels) and the option of connecting to a pc as mentioned above, what are the cables not included with this set that I'll need to go out and buy?

J-Co,

Sounds like you have some pretty specific needs/desires. I cannot comment on the PC connection since I don't have that need/desire.

I'm diggin the 60A20 for all around likeability. I don't remember any specifics on the JVCs I saw and I am a former JVC fan. I own 2 JVC TVs - a 15 year old 27" tube and a 10 year old 36" tube. I'm really not familiar with their HDTVs though.

I almost considered a Toshiba 62" Theaterwide but also read about many issues concerning bulbs burning out and a shortage of replacements. I haven't seen the frequency of those issues with the Sony.

I'm sticking with the A20. I'm hurrying trying to decide if I want to owner/upgrade my Direct TV equipment before they start leasing tomorrow. I'm headed to BestBuy in a few minutes to try out the HR10-250 before committing for 2 years.

Ive messed with the basic settings on my 55 and here's what Ive ended up that i like. I started from the standard picture settings at default:

picture - 73
brightness - 60
color - 50
hue - 0
temp - neutral
sharpness - 45

I still think the black crush could use a little more tweaking, but looks a little better now. What does the black corrector do that the brightness control doesnt?

anyone know the native rez of this tv? the 60 incher is: 1366 x 768

I read the A10 thread and noticed alot of people have their settings tweaked to User " Dark Rain's" settings. Would those settings be optimal for KDFE60A20 as well? Also what are best settings for Audio on this model?


I replied to all PM's sent to me as well requesting Sony contact that gave me the deal I received. Hope that helps all. Dont buy a Sony at Best Buy or Circuit City!!!!!!! Order Direct and save $$ not only on TV and setup but save at least $300 on warrentys as well.

I "think" I've narrowed my choices to the E50A10 or E55A20.

My question is whether the 55" will be too overwhelming for my family room. The TV will sit in the corner (due to fireplace and other factors) - and obviously will stick out a bit to the size of the stand.

My couch will be from 8 to 9 ft from the TV. My recliner about 10 ft.

Anyone think this is too close for 55". Will I notice SDE? Also has anyone owned both of these TV's and exchanged one for the other? Any significant difference in PQ (both SD and HD)?

thanks for your feedback.

I "think" I've narrowed my choices to the E50A10 or E55A20.

My question is whether the 55" will be too overwhelming for my family room. The TV will sit in the corner (due to fireplace and other factors) - and obviously will stick out a bit to the size of the stand.

My couch will be from 8 to 9 ft from the TV. My recliner about 10 ft.

Anyone think this is too close for 55". Will I notice SDE? Also has anyone owned both of these TV's and exchanged one for the other? Any significant difference in PQ (both SD and HD)?

thanks for your feedback.

I read somewhere in this thread that the a20 and the a10 do not use the same electronics and that the pix size is actually larger in the a20. I know it's a long thread but look for it. Don't assume that the only difference is the size.

I sit 7 feet away from a 55A20 and do not notice any SDE....
The Sony manual that comes with the TV recommends a minimum distance of 6.8 feet for the
55A20 and 7 feet for the 60A20

I sit about 10.5 feet away from the 55. I would not want to sit any closer than that even though I like the movie theater sreen size impact. If i had gotten a 60 i think i would get a headache with my eyeballs having to sway back and forth to get every action of the program thats viewing. Anybody agree CSI: Miami has got to be the best looking HD primetime show?

I have had My 60A20 for a couple weeks...Love it

Only thing that bothers me is the delay when switching between video sources. going from video 1 to video 2 is like a 1 potatoe 2 potatoe count before I get a picture. Anybody else's like this? not a big deal just a little annoying, makes you want to hit the button again...

Joe

Quick question about the A10 and then some ramblings about my LCD/DLP observations for anyone that cares.

---> I see that the A20 has a native resolution of 1366x768 while the A10 is 1280 x 720. That means that the A10 has native resolution = 720p but the A20 is something higher. Does the A20 take a 720p input and scale it up to its higher native resolution or does it display it at the lower non-native resolution? I assume/hope it does the former because I know LCDs in general look bad at non-native resolutions. I'm still reading old posts here to get a better idea of the pros/cons of A10 vs. A20 (as well as looking an Panasonic options) but I really want a bigger set than 50" so the A10 is most likely out.


I'm going to have to change my screen name to John Kerry soon with all the waffling that I'm doing the past few days. :p Really liked the 720p Sony RP LCDs when I saw them in person a couple weeks ago. Then I got to reading about what other sets are out there and got pretty excited about getting a 1080p DLP for about the same price as the LCDs I was looking at. But every time I go look at the DLPs at the store, I walk away thinking that despite the higher resolution they just don't look as nice to me as the 720 LCDs of the same size / comparable price. The LCDs look sharper and brighter (which I know is a sucker's trap to put too much stock in when standing in a bright show room). But the greater sharpness is unmistakable to me. The DLPs certainly look incredible compared to regular tv but while the LCDs make me feel like I'm looking out a crystal clear window on a bright sunny day, the DLPs screens seem more like there is a film on that window that shimmers with the movement of the outside world on the other side. Hard to describe but I'm now back to leaning toward a 720 LCD despite it being lower resolution than a DLP I can get for the same price.

I "think" I've narrowed my choices to the E50A10 or E55A20.

My question is whether the 55" will be too overwhelming for my family room. The TV will sit in the corner (due to fireplace and other factors) - and obviously will stick out a bit to the size of the stand.

My wife vetoed anything larger than 50" because of the "overwhelming" issue. She would love the $16,000 65" Sharp, however!

I vetoed the A20 beacause the A20 has the documented de-interlacer issue. The A10 will have greater REAL resolution: 1280x720 (921,600 pixels) vs 1366x540 (737,640 pixels). Also, I shoot 720p video -- so no scaling.

It appears the A10 uses the ATI de-interlacer which seems one of the best -- which will be important when it is fed 1080i from a BR player.

Got it for under $2K.

My wife vetoed anything larger than 50" because of the "overwhelming" issue. She would love the $16,000 65" Sharp, however!

I vetoed the A20 beacause the A20 has the documented de-interlacer issue. The A10 will have greater REAL resolution: 1280x720 (921,600 pixels) vs 1366x540 (737,640 pixels). Also, I shoot 720p video -- so no scaling.

It appears the A10 uses the ATI de-interlacer which seems one of the best -- which will be important when it is fed 1080i from a BR player.

Got it for under $2K.

I'm new at this, could you expain the de-interlacer issue with the A20?
thanks

I had been looking at the SXRD and finally decided on the 60 inch A20 from Costco. Including the stand and the fact that you can return the tv at any time, which pretty much eliminates the need for an extended warranty, I thought it was a solid purchase. I did not go through this forum before purchasing though and am now a little concerned about the story outlining the lack of pure 1080 resolution. The picture is fantastic right now so I don't really know if I would notice a difference. If the picture can get better than the one I am getting with the Discovery channel HD I don't know how. It looks perfect to me right out of the box.

I sit 7 feet away from a 55A20 and do not notice any SDE....
The Sony manual that comes with the TV recommends a minimum distance of 6.8 feet for the
55A20 and 7 feet for the 60A20


Wow - 6.8 ft seems real close considering many have said 10-12 ft should be the min for the 55A20.

Funny - a CC manager told me 90% of their returns are basically exchanges for either a smaller or larger TV. Many folks typically miscalculate how the TV will size up in the room when they get it home.

mldmjd5

Yea...I was surprised by that as well...6.8 feet is definitely "pushing the envelope"
I was looking at a toshiba 52" DLP (before I started seeing rainbows) and the Toshiba manual indicates a minimum distance of 10-12 feet for a 52 inch set...go figure..

different technologies maybe...

I must say, the Sony is very "easy on the eye" I have watched up to three movies in a dark room at 7 feet and no eye fatigue at all...

Does anyone know the scanning frequency on the A20?
Thanks

My wife vetoed anything larger than 50" because of the "overwhelming" issue. She would love the $16,000 65" Sharp, however!

I vetoed the A20 beacause the A20 has the documented de-interlacer issue. The A10 will have greater REAL resolution: 1280x720 (921,600 pixels) vs 1366x540 (737,640 pixels). Also, I shoot 720p video -- so no scaling.

It appears the A10 uses the ATI de-interlacer which seems one of the best -- which will be important when it is fed 1080i from a BR player.

Got it for under $2K.


Curious as to why you say the A20 hasless resolution than the A10..
From sony style..
Video
• Panel Type: LCD 0.87" (1366 x 768)

Hi,

Just brought home my A20 last night and love it! One thing I haven't been able to figure out is how to have it skip the Cable input. I use Direct TV and an Xbox but that's it for inputs...So, I figured out how to lable the external inputs to "Skip" so they don't show when I cycle through the inputs but I still get the cable one to show, with a big screen full of snow...says C2 or something like that.

Help!?

Thanks in advance. Fabulous forum here, btw!

Jeff

I just picked up my A20 60" with the matching stand at Sams on Saturday...I'm extremely happy with the four H-def channels I have. Question....I did a auto program and all my analog channels display NTSC 4:3 what can I do to watch the major networks in HD?

I just picked up my A20 60" with the matching stand at Sams on Saturday...I'm extremely happy with the four H-def channels I have. Question....I did a auto program and all my analog channels display NTSC 4:3 what can I do to watch the major networks in HD?

What's your signal source, antenna or cable? What 4 Hi def channels do you receive? You won't get HD on an analog channel, only a digital one. Your local affilliate has to be broadcasting a digital signal for you to get HD.

Curious as to why you say the A20 hasless resolution than the A10..
From sony style..
Video
• Panel Type: LCD 0.87" (1366 x 768)

You fell for the the "resolution of the panel" myth. You need pixels AND a deinterlacer that can fill the pixels. The A20 (bob) deinterlace only outputs 540-lines. (Which is why it fails the deinterlacer test.) These are scaled to 768-rows. But the resolution doesn't increase. So all you can see on an A20 is 1366x540 -- 737,640 pixels.

Since the A10 has a proper (weave) deinterlacer that outputs 720-lines. So 1280x720 yields 921,600 pixels.

Does anyone know the "name" of the A20's deinterlacer? The A10 uses an ATI chip. The name is found in the firmware listing.

You fell for the the "resolution of the panel" myth. You need pixels AND a deinterlacer that can fill the pixels. The A20 (bob) deinterlace only outputs 540-lines. (Which is why it fails the deinterlacer test.) These are scaled to 768-rows. But the resolution doesn't increase. So all you can see on an A20 is 1366x540 -- 737,640 pixels.

Since the A10 has a proper (weave) deinterlacer that outputs 720-lines. So 1280x720 yields 921,600 pixels.

Does anyone know the "name" of the A20's deinterlacer? The A10 uses an ATI chip. The name is found in the firmware listing.

I'm an electronics mutant..so does this pixelation difference cause the A10's to have better picture than the A20's. Is it something significantly noticeable?

thanks.

What's your signal source, antenna or cable? What 4 Hi def channels do you receive? You won't get HD on an analog channel, only a digital one. Your local affilliate has to be broadcasting a digital signal for you to get HD.

Thanks Steve for the reply,
I have extended basic cable after I did a auto program I found that I now receive ESPN, Discovery HD, HDnet and HDnet movies and also a bunch of different music channels. I don't receive any info on these channels other than what the display says like 1080i or 720p and 16:9. The analog channels display NTSC and 4:3. I guess my options are a OTA antenna for HD broadcast or use the cable box from the company. I'm not a TV tech person so bare with me and my questions. I'm going to call my cable company today and ask what boxes they use, one for digital or HD box for both.

Thanks Steve for the reply,
I have extended basic cable after I did a auto program I found that I now receive ESPN, Discovery HD, HDnet and HDnet movies and also a bunch of different music channels. I don't receive any info on these channels other than what the display says like 1080i or 720p and 16:9. The analog channels display NTSC and 4:3. I guess my options are a OTA antenna for HD broadcast or use the cable box from the company. I'm not a TV tech person so bare with me and my questions. I'm going to call my cable company today and ask what boxes they use, one for digital or HD box for both.

I just got off the phone with the cable folks....they said one type of STB is for digital and another STB is for digital and hd....so I guess it's a crap shoot...do I take the digital STB and hope I still receive the hd and maybe some local channels in hd....any ideas?

A nice feature of this TV is that it is "energy star compliant"

don't know if anyone noticed this

A nice feature of this TV is that it is "energy star compliant"

don't know if anyone noticed this

Any chance that makes it tax deductable?

Any chance that makes it tax deductable?


Ya know, thats a good question!!!!

I am definitely gonna look in to it...I purchased my 55A20 in Jan 06, So it could qualify.......

I'm an electronics mutant..so does this pixelation difference cause the A10's to have better picture than the A20's. Is it something significantly noticeable? thanks.

You might see some difference, but it seemed silly to pay more for less. Moreover, I would much prefer to only scalw 480i to 720p and not 1080i -- since the more video is scaled the worse it looks. I watch lots of SD and letterboxed SD movies which require a zoom AND a scale.



Anyone displayed their firmware?

I just got off the phone with the cable folks....they said one type of STB is for digital and another STB is for digital and hd....so I guess it's a crap shoot...do I take the digital STB and hope I still receive the hd and maybe some local channels in hd....any ideas?

The HD box might block out the HD channels you're getting now, the regular non-HD digital box definitely will not tune the HD channels you're getting now. Your set has a cable card slot, which means it's capable of recieving HD cable with no box at all. The cable company installs the card and activates your service, no box is required.

If you want the least hassle, check with your cable company about the cable card option or get their HD-capable box.

Since there still is considerably less HD material than SD, it might be a good idea to get an HD-capable DVR from your cable company. This is a box that not only has an HD tuner in it but also a hard drive recorder which can record and store HD programming (sorta like a Tivo).

I have an older HD set with no HD tuner and am using DirecTV with an HDTivo DVR. I hardly ever have to watch SD anymore, as it will record HD programming and store it for later viewing.

I'm going to purchase a new TV tomorrow and its between the Sony 50" SXRD and 55" A20.

I compared the sets side by side at the Sony store and definitely feel the SXRD has a sharper picture. BUT...is it worth an extra grand? Not to sure about that now. I could upgrade my receiver and speakers for with the savings. ;)

My question to you guys is, "Since the A20 is LCD, is their a lot of ghosting with the A20's?". I love to watch sports, action movies and play XBOX and would hate to see ghosting which would kill the whole experience.

Your prompt responses will be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!

I'm going to purchase a new TV tomorrow and its between the Sony 50" SXRD and 55" A20.

I compared the sets side by side at the Sony store and definitely feel the SXRD has a sharper picture. BUT...is it worth an extra grand? Not to sure about that now. I could upgrade my receiver and speakers for with the savings. ;)

My question to you guys is, "Since the A20 is LCD, is their a lot of ghosting with the A20's?". I love to watch sports, action movies and play XBOX and would hate to see ghosting which would kill the whole experience.

Your prompt responses will be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!

I was choosing between the same 2 sets about a month ago and ended up going with the 55" A20. I watched the Superbowl and the Daytona 500 in HD and it was extremely sharp with no ghosting. Also have the Xbox 360 hooked up via component input and my friends drool over the graphics on DOA4 and Fight Night Round 3 :cool:

I was choosing between the same 2 sets about a month ago and ended up going with the 55" A20. I watched the Superbowl and the Daytona 500 in HD and it was extremely sharp with no ghosting. Also have the Xbox 360 hooked up via component input and my friends drool over the graphics on DOA4 and Fight Night Round 3 :cool:

Excellent News!!! Thanks for your input!!!

After reading some more, I've decided on the A10 50" set instead of the A20 55". But I'm sure your results will be the same on both sets. So now its up to the A10 50" and SXRD 50". Decisions...decisions!!!

My diagnostic screen only shows activity on a HD channel, is that correct?
Thanks

I've had my set now seven days. What are some of the setting changes that you would recommend. I already switched off the vivid mode and lowered the lamp setting.
Thanks

Hello. I'm new to the forum so be gentle. :)

I'm thinking about buying the 60" version of the A20 at Costco. I was set to buy the 60" SXRD, but after sleeping on it and reading about how it didn't have 1080p inputs, I decided it probably wasn't worth the extra $1500 or so to me. The A20 is something like $3200 at Costco which includes the stand and I'd prefer local to etailer just in case something goes wrong or I don't like it for whatever reason. Plus, that Costco return policy is awesome.

But I digress... I was all set on this unit, until I read about the whole deinterlacing issue. I'm pretty new to HDTVs and such so can someone help me through this?

So the A20 gets a 1080i signal and instead of processing odd and even lines, it just processes one batch and throws the other half of the information away giving you 540p? (Please correct me if I'm wrong at any point). With that 540 lines of information, the TV just upconverts that 540 image into 768 lines? Or it somehow scales those 540 lines into 768 line, not really guessing at what content should be there but by just making the lines "fatter"? Is there really a difference between the two?

This as opposed to a better deinterlacer which takes the 1080i signal and all the data within those 1080 lines and downcoverts the picture to a progressive 768 lines instead? You still lose data because you have to reduce 1080 lines into 768, but it should be more accurate since you start with more data to begin with?

Lastly, is this really a huge difference? Would it be noticable to the average viewer. Keep in mind, I'm upgrading from a SDTV. :) I'd like to stay at 55+ inches and unfortunately the A10 doesn't give me that option. I'd like to stay around $3k for the TV and stand, but if there are other options in that size and price range, I guess I'm open to other models?

Sorry for the lengthy post. I've been trying to read up and catch up on HDTV technology in the past two days, but a whole lot has changed since I bought my TV in 1999. :) Thanks for the help!

I finally got my 42 inch A10 (exchanged the Samsung DLP) and it is great! Just wanted to thank all the poster on this board who helped lead me to this TV. still playing with the settings, etc but ithe PQ is great even out of the box.

One more question. I have the Samsung HD - 950 DVD player, but its really terrible. Can anyone reccomend a good dvd player under $200? Thanks

I finally got my 42 inch A10 (exchanged the Samsung DLP) and it is great! Just wanted to thank all the poster on this board who helped lead me to this TV. still playing with the settings, etc but ithe PQ is great even out of the box.

One more question. I have the Samsung HD - 950 DVD player, but its really terrible. Can anyone reccomend a good dvd player under $200? Thanks

http://www.oppodigital.com
buy the DV971H - don't question it. Get it and be very, very happy.
If you do want to question it, see these threads:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=491306
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=482239

Hello. I'm new to the forum so be gentle. :)

I'm thinking about buying the 60" version of the A20 at Costco. I was set to buy the 60" SXRD, but after sleeping on it and reading about how it didn't have 1080p inputs, I decided it probably wasn't worth the extra $1500 or so to me. The A20 is something like $3200 at Costco which includes the stand and I'd prefer local to etailer just in case something goes wrong or I don't like it for whatever reason. Plus, that Costco return policy is awesome.

But I digress... I was all set on this unit, until I read about the whole deinterlacing issue. I'm pretty new to HDTVs and such so can someone help me through this?

So the A20 gets a 1080i signal and instead of processing odd and even lines, it just processes one batch and throws the other half of the information away giving you 540p? (Please correct me if I'm wrong at any point). With that 540 lines of information, the TV just upconverts that 540 image into 768 lines? Or it somehow scales those 540 lines into 768 line, not really guessing at what content should be there but by just making the lines "fatter"? Is there really a difference between the two?

This as opposed to a better deinterlacer which takes the 1080i signal and all the data within those 1080 lines and downcoverts the picture to a progressive 768 lines instead? You still lose data because you have to reduce 1080 lines into 768, but it should be more accurate since you start with more data to begin with?

Lastly, is this really a huge difference? Would it be noticable to the average viewer. Keep in mind, I'm upgrading from a SDTV. :) I'd like to stay at 55+ inches and unfortunately the A10 doesn't give me that option. I'd like to stay around $3k for the TV and stand, but if there are other options in that size and price range, I guess I'm open to other models?

Sorry for the lengthy post. I've been trying to read up and catch up on HDTV technology in the past two days, but a whole lot has changed since I bought my TV in 1999. :) Thanks for the help!


If your local Costco, like most in my area, also carries the 62" Toshiba dlp just compare the two, as the Toshiba supposedly doesn't have that de-interlacing "issue" (heavy on the quotation marks).

I've been reading a lot of high-flown stuff about this 1080i "issue" and have just one question--What happens if you feed the set 720p?????? Every HD stb I've owned can convert 1080i to 720p and vice-versa, and since 720p is closer to the A-20's native 768, and would require no de-interlacing, it seems like this 1080i issue is not a problem unless you're using the set's internal tuner.

If your local Costco, like most in my area, also carries the 62" Toshiba dlp just compare the two, as the Toshiba supposedly doesn't have that de-interlacing "issue" (heavy on the quotation marks).

I've been reading a lot of high-flown stuff about this 1080i "issue" and have just one question--What happens if you feed the set 720p?????? Every HD stb I've owned can convert 1080i to 720p and vice-versa, and since 720p is closer to the A-20's native 768, and would require no de-interlacing, it seems like this 1080i issue is not a problem unless you're using the set's internal tuner.

I'll keep an eye out for that. I didn't see the Toshiba on their website, but maybe their in stock inventory is different than what they have online?

I would probably be using the internal tuner initially to get my HD channels. So it's (potentially) an issue for me in the short term.

Thanks for your reply!

If your local Costco, like most in my area, also carries the 62" Toshiba dlp just compare the two, as the Toshiba supposedly doesn't have that de-interlacing "issue" (heavy on the quotation marks).

I've been reading a lot of high-flown stuff about this 1080i "issue" and have just one question--What happens if you feed the set 720p?????? Every HD stb I've owned can convert 1080i to 720p and vice-versa, and since 720p is closer to the A-20's native 768, and would require no de-interlacing, it seems like this 1080i issue is not a problem unless you're using the set's internal tuner.

I was down to the 60A20 and the 62" Toshiba dlp when I was buying 2 months ago. I went with the A20 for reasons I will explain below.

I had already purchased the A20 at Fry's before I found out about Costco but still had time to return it. I went to Costco and discussed my situation with them. They actually encouraged me to take the 62" Toshiba dlp home to try it side by side with the 60A20, which I actually considered. When finished, either keep the Toshiba or bring it back and take the Sony.

First, I subscribed to the 62" Toshiba dlp thread and started reading more and more recent posts about bulb issues, including shortages due to hoarding and people having to wait 3 or more weeks before replacements were available. I ended up buying the 60A20 at Costco and returning the other one to Fry's.

I'm not too knowledgable on the mechanics of how these sets do what they do but I talked to someone who is very knowledgable and he said, for the price, either of those sets would be his choice in that price range. He just explained the major differences between LCD and DLP to me. LCD - softer picture with more vivid color. DLP - sharper picture with less vivid color. Also the blacks tend to show detail on DLP whereas LCD hardly shows any detail. He also mentioned the 768 thing but emphasized that, if it looks good to you, who cares what everyone else thinks. It was then I decided to take them home to see them in my house, with my lighting, making the adjustments I read on these threads... not in a store full of flourescent lighting with whatever settings were set on the TV. I'll admit that, out of the box, I wasn't too pleased with the PQ. After making the suggested adjustments and then tweaking them from there made a WORLD of difference.

Although it was a tough choice, I'm extremely happy with the 60A20. We finally got TWC with a dual tuner DVR and despite hating the functionality of the SA8300 DVR compared to my old Panny Showstopper, we are addicted to all of the HD content and how great it looks. This is coming from someone who normally HATES Sony products. I have to admit, when they get something right, they get it real right.

I've had my set now seven days. What are some of the setting changes that you would recommend. I already switched off the vivid mode and lowered the lamp setting.
Thanks

Jake,

just click on "Search this thread" (Upper Right in the header bar), type "setting" and then click "Go".

I think the results come up from newest to oldest so scroll down a bit and you'll find a few posts with some suggested settings.

Jake,

just click on "Search this thread" (Upper Right in the header bar), type "setting" and then click "Go".

I think the results come up from newest to oldest so scroll down a bit and you'll find a few posts with some suggested settings.

Got it....thanks!

I have 2 questions as I'm also considering the 60A20.

The first is concerning bulb life. I don't see it mentioned anywhere in the specs like they do with projectors and I was wondering if it's roughly the same as projectors, being about 2000 to 4000 hours?


My second question is that there was a very good article in HT magazine about HDTV and what sets passed or failed to process all 1,080 lines at the same time using a SMPTE 133 pattern. Half of them did not pass the test. Does anyone know, or tried to feed this set such a pattern to see if it passes such a test? They said that sets using the latest IC from Pixelworks and Genesis passed while older versions failed. Anyone know which IC's these sets are using?

Looks like a great set in the store but these issues are still important to me and rather spend a little more if I have to and not worry for a little while...my last set lasted me 13 years so far! I'm hoping to do the same with this new one so I want to make sure. :)

The A-10 series Sony passed that test, the A-20 did not. I've seen the 60" A-20 right next to a 62" Toshiba that did pass the test and could see no difference except more realistic fleshtones and fewer digital artifacts on the Sony.

So the Sony actually looked better than the Toshiba that passed the test? :cool:

What about buld life on these things, last night I saw on some web sites stating something like 8000 hours? Is that even close to being true? Why doesn't Sony advertise this? :confused:

Have any others had a problem with a bad thermal fuse on this Sony model? My friend has three of these TV's in his business and two of the three TV's have had this problem. Thanks in advance. WolfpackRon.

See post#230.

Paulwozniak,
Thanks for the info. How often has this problem ocurred? The date on my TV and my friends third TV is August 2005. WolfpackRon.

I have only experienced this failure once. Outside of this small hiccup my set has operated flawlessly. I have D* (Ulitimate TV using S-video output) for my SD, and PQ is amazingly good. I watch HD via a cheapo Terk indoor antennae, and again PQ amazes me day in and day out. The problem I had was covered in more detail in my earlier posts (start around #230). Sony took care of me promptly and efficiently with the superior service provided by ABL Electronics in Madison Heights, MI. The date of manufacture was also stated in my earlier posts (Ibelieve it was about the same time.) Sorry i don't have the time to look this up for you. Hope this helps.

My set 's date of manufacture is September.

my a2055 was manufactured in sept as well and had the whole board replaced. from the time the tv was in the picture in SD was not very good. the lamp would go out about 2 - 3 time a week.

the board was replaced and no problems since and the SD picture quality is excellant now. HD is unbelievable.

very happy camper now.

BTW i bought this at Conns Elec in DFW Texas. Service Dept was top notch and very informed of this problem.

I have the Sony E60A20 and I'm very happy with the HDTV channels that I watch...cable analog channels aren't so good but that's the way they get them and pass them on to me. I have a older Sony CD/DVD player # DVP-S500D from about 1998 I think. I found out it's progressive if that makes a difference. Is this older unit going to be able to display DVD's with a fair amount of clarity even though the native is 1366x768? The player also has component outputs.
Thanks

Jake,

I owned a DVPS-500D player, it is NOT progressive scan. There were no progressive scan players for at least a year after that model was sold. It's a good solid performer though. The upconversion in the set is pretty good, so give that old player a try.

Jake,

I owned a DVPS-500D player, it is NOT progressive scan. There were no progressive scan players for at least a year after that model was sold. It's a good solid performer though. The upconversion in the set is pretty good, so give that old player a try.

Thanks Steve for the reply and the correct info on the player not being progressive...

Jake,

I think you should pick up a new progressive scan player for $250 ish or under. It will be worth the investment for stunning upgrade in pic quality. I had the 2nd generation Toshiba flagship dvd player and stubbornly upgraded. At that point I doubted that progressive scan would make a difference but it did.

Not all players are created equal. I recommend the Panasonic s97, s77 or even the Sony 9 series(forget exact model#) Forum members will gladly guide you on any firmware updates desired to help you maximize and get the best picture possible whether you connect via hdmi or component cables.

I have the e60a20 connected to the Panny s97 and I am very content with the picture while I kick back and watch the new hd dvd/blue ray dvd hd formats battle it out. Even my wife has conceded to actually recognizing the pic quality of the dvd with this setup as compared to hd channels. (minor miracle)

Bladerunner

FYI, Costco just lowered their price on this tv including the stand by $200.

I've been following AVS Forum for several months now, waiting for my 1993 Sony XBR RPTV to expire. I originally thought that my replacement choice would be easy - Sony SXRD. With size issues & all the negative posts on this board, I am backing down and considering instead either the 50A10 or 55A20 Grand Wega sets. I have seen much said about these sets, but I have a very simple question:

All things being equal, which television, 50A10 or 55A20, is the better set? And, why?

Thanks!

Jake,

I owned a DVPS-500D player, it is NOT progressive scan. There were no progressive scan players for at least a year after that model was sold. It's a good solid performer though. The upconversion in the set is pretty good, so give that old player a try.

Steve
I finally got around to hooking up the Sony DVPS-500D. I used component cables from the player to the TV and a optical cable from the player to the A/V receiver. It's not to bad at all to view so I'm going to live with it for a while. The AC-3 or I guess it's called 5.1 sounds great from a DVD and on the receiver it says it's Dolby Digital. When I switch to a HD channel I'm not receiving Dolby Digital. I have the speakers on the TV turned off.....what can I do to fix this?
Thanks

Probably the A10 is the better set because of the advanced iris feature.....
I have the A20 because I wanted something larger than 50"

How many years do most people get out of a 60 A20 lamp...i've heard 1 or 1.5 years at best...

Also, how often do the Rear Projection TV's need to be cleaned by a professional?

Are the a20 HDTV's reliable sets?

My 55A20 (mnf. Aug. 2005) just flashed the dreaded 6 red lights on Sat. Sony scheduled service for Thurs. Qualxserv called today and acknowledged the defective part (thermocoupler), is getting part from Sony and will call on Wed. A hassle to be sure, but at least within the 1 year warranty. Check your manufacture date for 8/05 and be prepared.

DrGregc,

True home theater requires a big screen or what is the point. 55" plus gets you there. You will not be happy if you go larger. Your guests will be blown away. Stupid as it sounds, I like to hear how insanely impressive my theater is when I entertain for hd & dvd movies and hd sports.

I have test driven the a10, a20 & sxrd in controlled environments at specialty shops. The a10, with it's nice blacks, look great but it is small. The sxrd is simply not worth the price for slightly deepr black on dvd. The a20 gives deep inky black with hd and is outstanding on dvd and an amazing value for large rear pro lcd.

99% of the people out there are not ISF calibrators. Own a e60a20 and you will have ZERO buyers remorse, a lot of fun for the money, lack of sleep and a most impressive entertainment piece...Size matters in home theater...Call me crazy but ....we all know that is true. Just like if this was a muscle car forum....0 to 60 matters....4cyl, v6, v8, v10...get my drift....

So bite the bullet and get one asap with a 5 year warranty as I did, one that even covers the bulb and you wont have to worry about every post wigg'n out over a blinking light or a twitching pixel...Just do it.

Bladerunner

AMEN, Bladerunner

I have the 55A20 and have not looked back....

I did end up buying the E60A20 here. I thought about it long and hard. Originally I was going to buy the SXBD, but all the horror stories of the green blobs and the price to be an early adopter of 1080p technology (of which there aren't 1080p inputs) caused me to look at other products.

The whole issue of deinterlacing almost had me look at getting something else and I spent a good couple of days fretting over this decision.

Finally, I just let my eyes be the judge. I went into my local retailer and looked at the SXBD vs. the A10 vs. the A20. They're all beautiful pictures in all honesty. Regardless of what's happening under the hood, it was a vast improvement over my old SD CRT and the minor difference in PQ didn't warrant thousands of dollars or for me to settle for a 50" when I wanted the 60".

I've had the A20 now for a couple of weeks and am in love with it! YMMV.

Does your new a-20 have a noisy fan? :)

Steve
I finally got around to hooking up the Sony DVPS-500D. I used component cables from the player to the TV and a optical cable from the player to the A/V receiver. It's not to bad at all to view so I'm going to live with it for a while. The AC-3 or I guess it's called 5.1 sounds great from a DVD and on the receiver it says it's Dolby Digital. When I switch to a HD channel I'm not receiving Dolby Digital. I have the speakers on the TV turned off.....what can I do to fix this?
Thanks

Jake,

Although I do own a DVPS-500D (now in the custody of ex #2) I don't own a Sony A-20 so can't be too confident about being able to help you.

I'm assuming you're getting your HD channels using the TV's tuner?

How are you running audio signals to the receiver--you need to use the optical digital out from the tv to the receiver, the analog (red and white color coded cables) won't carry Dolby Digital.

Not all HD channels broadcast in 5.1, and those that do don't do so all the time, but the Dolby Digital indicator on your receiver should light up.

Most all dvd players can be set up to output PCM instead of Dolby Digital from their digital audio outputs, perhaps your A-20 also has this setting?

Mark,

True that...no rear view mirror needed!

DrGreg,

GET SOME!!!!

Tedescm,

Outstanding choice!!

Fan noise is unheard in any volume that lets me hear the tv unless i am standing within 3 feet of it and to the side...

Bulb cost??? Who cares? Anyone with these tv's spend alot of proud recreation time watching them and the cost is alot less than comparable time spent in bars, at stadiums, at theaters, at strip bars, at the gas station....lets all hold hands and admit we like to watch alot of tv...it is cleansing and liberating... LOL

Steve,

I use Comcast for HD and a TERK antenna for some ota. I find the audio from ota has many more drop outs than Comcast so I stopped using the optical-out to the tv for that situation. I just use Comcast digital-out to the av unit even when watching ota.

Bladerunner (waiting for the remaster of that title of course)

To Steve:

Thank you for the recomendation and the reponse. I was looking at the JVC and A-20 and the A-20 seems to have a better reputation.

By the way, how many months or years can i expect to get from a A-20 Lamp?...just curious!

DrGregc,

True home theater requires a big screen or what is the point. 55" plus gets you there. You will not be happy if you go larger. Your guests will be blown away. Stupid as it sounds, I like to hear how insanely impressive my theater is when I entertain for hd & dvd movies and hd sports.

I have test driven the a10, a20 & sxrd in controlled environments at specialty shops. The a10, with it's nice blacks, look great but it is small. The sxrd is simply not worth the price for slightly deepr black on dvd. The a20 gives deep inky black with hd and is outstanding on dvd and an amazing value for large rear pro lcd.

99% of the people out there are not ISF calibrators. Own a e60a20 and you will have ZERO buyers remorse, a lot of fun for the money, lack of sleep and a most impressive entertainment piece...Size matters in home theater...Call me crazy but ....we all know that is true. Just like if this was a muscle car forum....0 to 60 matters....4cyl, v6, v8, v10...get my drift....

So bite the bullet and get one asap with a 5 year warranty as I did, one that even covers the bulb and you wont have to worry about every post wigg'n out over a blinking light or a twitching pixel...Just do it.

Bladerunner

I wasted too much time picking apart HDTV's...one had that..and another one had something else...I've had my A20 since March 04 06 and HD viewing is addictive. I find myself watching HD-NET and wonder what took me so long. I would do it again.

Jake,

Although I do own a DVPS-500D (now in the custody of ex #2) I don't own a Sony A-20 so can't be too confident about being able to help you.

I'm assuming you're getting your HD channels using the TV's tuner?

How are you running audio signals to the receiver--you need to use the optical digital out from the tv to the receiver, the analog (red and white color coded cables) won't carry Dolby Digital.

Not all HD channels broadcast in 5.1, and those that do don't do so all the time, but the Dolby Digital indicator on your receiver should light up.

Most all dvd players can be set up to output PCM instead of Dolby Digital from their digital audio outputs, perhaps your A-20 also has this setting?

Yes I'm using the TV's tuner for my HD. I assumed all HD broadcasts were Dolby Digital...I'm getting an education here for sure. I'll check the PCM function on the player..thanks.

Jake,

I think you should pick up a new progressive scan player for $250 ish or under. It will be worth the investment for stunning upgrade in pic quality. I had the 2nd generation Toshiba flagship dvd player and stubbornly upgraded. At that point I doubted that progressive scan would make a difference but it did.

Not all players are created equal. I recommend the Panasonic s97, s77 or even the Sony 9 series(forget exact model#) Forum members will gladly guide you on any firmware updates desired to help you maximize and get the best picture possible whether you connect via hdmi or component cables.

I have the e60a20 connected to the Panny s97 and I am very content with the picture while I kick back and watch the new hd dvd/blue ray dvd hd formats battle it out. Even my wife has conceded to actually recognizing the pic quality of the dvd with this setup as compared to hd channels. (minor miracle)

Bladerunner

Bladerunner,
When viewing a DVD with your Panny a97, when you press the display function on the A20 remote does it read 750p or something else on the TV screen?
Thanks

Jake,

Good question. When watching dvd or hd tv, the display button on my a20 shows only the input label and what screen mode I am in. The dvd remote display will dig in deeper.... but.....when watching HD tv via the Terk ota antenna and antenna input, the a20s' remote "guide" button displays the channel label, the ota channel number and the resolution that is being sent and I have seen that change from 720p to 1080i as I switch channels on the Terk antenna, and I think it even displays the audio mix being sent...

Yes, addiction is right...I had the 1st Comcast hd box in the area. I went and picked it up in summer 03 and I am still strung out on hd.....and the channels just keep adding on. Every series that I really follow is in hd plus the miscellaneous stuff that catches my eye as I sit and ignore my family LOL...The travel shows on INHD and Discovery are rediculous....you can feel the sand and blue water as you sit there in the dead of winter....I was once active but now....I happily watch tv and my diet while I consume video....

Bladerunner

Does the A-20 do a good job of projecting standard def channels? All the sets seem to do a good job on the HD channels.

I have comcast cable?

tx, :)

Does the A-20 do a good job of projecting standard def channels?


I'm very happy with the digital channel standard def on my 60a20, and pretty happy with NTSC analog standard def as well. I think it does a great job. You probably will want to fiddle with the DRC settings to get the best image to your liking. I've found I like different settings for digital and analog sources. There have been a lot of ideas in the Wega V tweaks thread for good DRC settings, but it's mostly a matter of playing with them.

It definitely depends on the quality of the source. I can't vouch for cable, because I only get OTA. Some channels and programs provide very good SD quality, while others are pretty awful. The awful ones just get their awfulness magnified. The good ones look very good on the A20. I'd never mistake them for HD, but the best channels can look close to the way DVD looked on my old non-HD set. For me, many of the OTA stations (SF Bay Area) have excellent SD pictures on both digital and analog, for example.

Also, this is using "normal" mode. Stretching the picture makes any problems all the worse.

Today I had my A20 delivered. I have DTV now and the picture is very good. I used a couple of the settings on this thread and then tweaked them a bit and I thought the SDE would bug me (as it has in the stores when I have seen it), but it has not been very noticeable. I have Comcast coming out on Sat to install HD and switch out my DTV boxes for Digital Cable. I had originally planned to use it for a couple of months and then move it to the basement in a 2nd HT which would be used by my son (no more competing for the HT during football season). My choice for the family room is either the 50 or 60 inch SXRD. Seeing the 55" A20 in my family room makes a 60" inch SXRD all the more attractive. I am back about 11 feet from the screen and it does not overwhelm the room or my eyes. As the SXRD is only another 9 inches wider (entire frame), I think it would look fine. I have to decide if I just put an old 32" Sony in the basement for my son and trade the A20 back to the dealer for the 60" SXRD. I got a great price on the A20 and this dealer has a 90 day upgrade policy.

TX,

I leave my tv in wide mode and watch all shows, both hd and sd channels, thru component video cables. 95% of the programs I watch is on hd channels so I never bothered to connect s-video or composite out to the tv and tweak that input with drc, aspect and other basic settings. Maybe I should. What do you think?

Bladerunner

TX,

I leave my tv in wide mode and watch all shows, both hd and sd channels, thru component video cables. 95% of the programs I watch is on hd channels so I never bothered to connect s-video or composite out to the tv and tweak that input with drc, aspect and other basic settings. Maybe I should. What do you think?

Bladerunner


I have the A10 50" and switch to the cable input while watching everything other than HD. The tweaked DRC settings make a big difference.

Give it a try. Worst case scenario is you put it back to the way it was.

I have the A10 50" and switch to the cable input while watching everything other than HD. The tweaked DRC settings make a big difference.



So what input do use for HD?

thanks.

So what input do use for HD?

thanks.

Component in for HD (Think its input 4 or 5). Line out on cable box to line in on TV for SD.

Component in for HD (Think its input 4 or 5). Line out on cable box to line in on TV for SD.

Gotcha Thanks. I "think" thats what I have as well. I also have the 50A10 (for 2 weeks) and still question whether I have all the lines hooked up right.

Picture looks great though.. :)

KB4343,

I'll give it a whirl. without having looked yet, it's an rg6 cable connection right? (Cable box ant out to ant/cable-in at tv) What tips, hints and tweaks do you suggest with this connection in the menu? Or did I see that you use the rca jacks from cable box to tv?

Bladerunner

KB4343,

I'll give it a whirl. without having looked yet, it's an rg6 cable connection right? (Cable box ant out to ant/cable-in at tv) What tips, hints and tweaks do you suggest with this connection in the menu? Or did I see that you use the rca jacks from cable box to tv?

Bladerunner

Yeap.... you have the connections right. Just make sure that you switch the input to 'Cable' when your watching standard definition programing.

As for the settings I use on my A10, I just did it by eye. No calibration software used. Believe me, it took about two weeks to tweak it just right. Since everyone see's things differently, you might hate my settings. Therefore, I suggest you try to tweak them yourself without using a cheat sheet of someone elses settings.

If you want me to write down my settings and post them here for you to see, I will gladly do so . You can probably use them as a baseline.
Just let me know, if that's what you want.

Yeap.... you have the connections right. Just make sure that you switch the input to 'Cable' when your watching standard definition programing.

As for the settings I use on my A10, I just did it by eye. No calibration software used. Believe me, it took about two weeks to tweak it just right. Since everyone see's things differently, you might hate my settings. Therefore, I suggest you try to tweak them yourself without using a cheat sheet of someone elses settings.

If you want me to write down my settings and post them here for you to see, I will gladly do so . You can probably use them as a baseline.
Just let me know, if that's what you want.

Kb4343,

Thanks again. The nerve of work and family to get in the way of my toys....LOL. I read the manual again to get a grasp on the drc and I'll connect the rg6 tonight and tweak after LOST. I wonder how dvd in 480i via composite or S video looks in this method? I have not watched 480i since March 03. That seems like a million years in AV world... LOL

Bladerunner

Anyone ever get their A20 ISF certified?

And if you did, did you do the Neutral Density Filter modification???

Just curious.....

Wondering what make the 55A20 so much better than the 50A10? Thanks

Wondering what make the 55A20 so much better than the 50A10? ThanksIt's 5" bigger? :p

It's 5" bigger? :p


which means that the 55" is about 20% larger viewing area than the 50".

most will agree that the A10 has a better picture than the A20 (because of the iris issue and i personnally thing it is in SD PQ only). but the size of my room dictates a larger screen than 50" and the 55 does not disappoint and HD looks just as good.