Supposedly, the A20 has better LCD panels, but the A10 has the auto iris....

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

I was set on buying the 50 inch Sony but this thread caught my eye and after reading through it, I compared the 50/55 side by side. To my eye, the 55" was simply a better picture. I compared every set out there (except the SXRD's)
and in numerous different stores. Each time, I came to the same conclusion. Also,
when it was set-up in my basement, I was glad I had the larger sized screen.
It does look much better than a 50 inch would and that is from a distance of 12-14 feet.
Hope this helps.
Take Care,
Craig

CraigSamuel:

You own the 55A20? I guess price point is the deciding factor for me and the 50A10 will fit in my living space perfectly. I wanted to be sure I wasn't losing out on any new features or quality with the 50A10 over the 55A20. I'm really torn between the 50A10, 55A20, and a Panny Plasma. The plasma is at the high end of my budget and most likely out of reach.

CraigSamuel:

You own the 55A20? I guess price point is the deciding factor for me and the 50A10 will fit in my living space perfectly. I wanted to be sure I wasn't losing out on any new features or quality with the 50A10 over the 55A20. I'm really torn between the 50A10, 55A20, and a Panny Plasma. The plasma is at the high end of my budget and most likely out of reach.

The A10 is actually the 'newer' model with features like the dynamic iris (helps with darker source material) and if I remember correctly it has more connectors (An extra HDMI?). The A20 is closer to last years model and has a slightly higher resolution then the A10. I'd mess around with the iris on the A10 and if it isn't a big deal to you and you want the extra 5 inches on the A20 go ahead and get the A20.

And yeah I bought an A20 last July and so far I'm very happy with it.

CraigSamuel:

You own the 55A20? I guess price point is the deciding factor for me and the 50A10 will fit in my living space perfectly. I wanted to be sure I wasn't losing out on any new features or quality with the 50A10 over the 55A20. I'm really torn between the 50A10, 55A20, and a Panny Plasma. The plasma is at the high end of my budget and most likely out of reach.Fry's has the 55A20 this week for $500 off....makes it only $100 more than the lowest price I've seen on a 50A10.

The A10 is actually the 'newer' model with features like the dynamic iris (helps with darker source material) and if I remember correctly it has more connectors (An extra HDMI?). The A20 is closer to last years model and has a slightly higher resolution then the A10. I'd mess around with the iris on the A10 and if it isn't a big deal to you and you want the extra 5 inches on the A20 go ahead and get the A20.

And yeah I bought an A20 last July and so far I'm very happy with it.

Yea. I completely agree. i think the A20 is the best value out there for a LARGE excellent picture with quality. the a10 50" is just too small for the dollars. SXRD is not worth the dollars. I am just glad not everybody gets the a20. I like having the most badass tv in the area.

When I was shopping, I compared the smaller a10 and the sxrd's to the a20 in a controlled environment. My theater company let me bring my Panny s97 dvd player. I was able to compare dvd, sd and HD. HD was superberb and required less tweaks on all the sets.
DVD was different on all but IMHO the iris may push an ever slightly unatural contrast...The iris probably helped most with SD and vcr but how much of that do I watch.....maybe 3% of my viewing. I believe at these price ranges you must have at least 55" of screen in addition to quality. I do like the look of the sxrd better but easily live without that for the money difference.

$2650 and some change for my e60a20 with a stand, 5 year warranty and tax.

Gotta go watch King Kong...later

Bladerunner

$2650 and some change for my e60a20 with a stand, 5 year warranty and tax.


Where did you get that deal? I got the best deal going for my 55A20 at the end of January and it was $2998 w/matching Sony stand after taxes w/no extended warranty.

CraigSamuel:

You own the 55A20? I guess price point is the deciding factor for me and the 50A10 will fit in my living space perfectly. I wanted to be sure I wasn't losing out on any new features or quality with the 50A10 over the 55A20. I'm really torn between the 50A10, 55A20, and a Panny Plasma. The plasma is at the high end of my budget and most likely out of reach.

Yes I own the 55a20.
If price is your concern, wait a bit and the 55's should be coming further down in price. In Canada, they have dropped down to around $3300 CDN which is $600 off list price. I can see them dropping another $400 in the summer.
The biggest rip-off going is the stand and if you can get a deal on the Sony stand or use something from Ikea then you can save a ton of $$.
Good Luck

Originally Posted by Bladerunner1959
$2650 and some change for my e60a20 with a stand, 5 year warranty and tax


Hello folks, am new to these forums. Have been reading over these posts on this site for some time and have finally decided to post a reply. My question is to
Bladerunner1959, where did you get that great of a deal on your set. I live in canada and after conversion you paid roughly $3200.00 Canadian for your set.
I have been shopping around for the e60a20 set for some time and just this week I have seen it on sale at Future Shop for $3999.99, this does not include a 5 year warranty which is worth $600.00 or include the 15% tax on both of those prices. Any Canadians out there have any suggestions, really like the TV set and am wondering where the best deal would be made. As well, do I make the purchase now or wait for the new model that is equivalent to this one which is not very far off. Sorry to make this post so long, any help would be appreciated.

Thank you...

Where did you get that deal? I got the best deal going for my 55A20 at the end of January and it was $2998 w/matching Sony stand after taxes w/no extended warranty.

Harley, Kostas6969 and crew,

The story behind my deal is this. ...Here goes it....."Digital Visions" in Pgh PA, a specialty custom install shop, had a deposit from me, actually they had me fully paid, $2350.00 thru Sony credit card, for a 57" ws rptv crt model with the warranty....
After 3 weeks they were still unable to produce it and deliver it to me so....I said very casually "hey, just give me a full refund and i'll start all over again or....maybe you want to impress me with a number on something in stock" ....I had bought all of my tv's there since 1989 and I intended on getting another thru them....but they were either worried I'd take my money elsewhere or/and they just wanted to show some good faith to me since ....I was replacing a 3 year old Toshiba cinema series, from them, that had a bad hyperboard and that part is discontinued.

At 2pm, over the phone, the manager quickly quoted the same $2350 would get me the e55a20 with a Tech Craft stand and warranty....add $300 for the e60 or take off $200 and do an e50a10.....I was off from work that Friday, so I shot out of my home office like a scud over Kuwait, drove 5 minutes to the store....Panny s97 dvd player and test discs in hand...test drove all the models plus the sxrd....and voila....I just cant take my eyes off that be-otch.....the 60a20 was an easy decision.

It was a freak of a deal, driven by (rare as it is) a fair business person trying to keep a long term customer. He knows I'll refer people, and I have.

That is my story and I'm stick'n to it......

Bladerunner

PS: I would love to have that Sony stand but $$$$$$.......

Ok i've had my KDFE60a20 for couple weeks now, I love it. I have comcast HD-DVR. I dont like it as much as my tivo and i'm sad that i'll lose my tivo, oh well until I can afford the HD Tivo. =)

So I have the HD cable box hooked up to TV with component. I have my dvd player hooked up with component as well. Both signals look great. Since I only have 1 HDMI port I've hooked up my HTPC to that with a DVI --> HDMI cable. So this is how I was going to hook up my system.

Then run an optical out from TV to reciever and just leave receiver on TV/SAT (with optical cable going to reciever TV/SAT input). That way I could leave stereo on TV/SAT all the time and just switch between external inputs on the TV. Well doesn't work, the optical out doesn't seem to work with component inputs. I read in manual that you need to shut off tv speakers for audio outputs to work (well I tried but it doesn't make optical out work either, I assume this is for rca outputs). So right now I have an optical cable going from my cable box (which has the optical out) to reciever TV/SAT. This works as I now have sound coming from 5.1 system as well as tv speakers. Now I guess i'll have to buy another optical cable and to run from my dvd player to tuner, and will have to switch external inputs on tv as well as on tuner, talk about a remote mess, and trying to explain to the wife how to do it. .. ~~

So question number 1 is, Is there any way to have the optical output work with just component inputs?

Question 2 - What resolution do people use for HTPC's on this? I just took my 2nd workstation and threw it in an HTPC case i got off ebay and it looks great, I have a nvidia 4600 in it, and I can run it in 800X600 ok, some pixels are doubled up so it kinda looks crappy. When I try higher resoltuions its either super jumpy (like hurts your eyes jumpy) or black screen and have to wait for it to revert to odl settings. I was playing around in advanced timings one time and I think I got it to work in 1024 X 768 but not again.. Not sure what I did.

Ive also tried powerstrip to no avail. Any suggestions on either?

THanks in advance.

Ken

Ok i've had my KDFE60a20 for couple weeks now, I love it. I have comcast HD-DVR. I dont like it as much as my tivo and i'm sad that i'll lose my tivo, oh well until I can afford the HD Tivo. =)

So I have the HD cable box hooked up to TV with component. I have my dvd player hooked up with component as well. Both signals look great. Since I only have 1 HDMI port I've hooked up my HTPC to that with a DVI --> HDMI cable. So this is how I was going to hook up my system.

Then run an optical out from TV to reciever and just leave receiver on TV/SAT (with optical cable going to reciever TV/SAT input). That way I could leave stereo on TV/SAT all the time and just switch between external inputs on the TV. Well doesn't work, the optical out doesn't seem to work with component inputs. I read in manual that you need to shut off tv speakers for audio outputs to work (well I tried but it doesn't make optical out work either, I assume this is for rca outputs). So right now I have an optical cable going from my cable box (which has the optical out) to reciever TV/SAT. This works as I now have sound coming from 5.1 system as well as tv speakers. Now I guess i'll have to buy another optical cable and to run from my dvd player to tuner, and will have to switch external inputs on tv as well as on tuner, talk about a remote mess, and trying to explain to the wife how to do it. .. ~~

So question number 1 is, Is there any way to have the optical output work with just component inputs?

Question 2 - What resolution do people use for HTPC's on this? I just took my 2nd workstation and threw it in an HTPC case i got off ebay and it looks great, I have a nvidia 4600 in it, and I can run it in 800X600 ok, some pixels are doubled up so it kinda looks crappy. When I try higher resoltuions its either super jumpy (like hurts your eyes jumpy) or black screen and have to wait for it to revert to odl settings. I was playing around in advanced timings one time and I think I got it to work in 1024 X 768 but not again.. Not sure what I did.

Ive also tried powerstrip to no avail. Any suggestions on either?

THanks in advance.

Ken

1)component cables do not deliver audio the carry the video only. that is why you need to run the optical cable from cable box to receiver.
if you have an OTA installed then using the oprical output from tv to receiver will product digital audio to receiver.

2) i'll let someone else answer this

Yea. I completely agree. i think the A20 is the best value out there for a LARGE excellent picture with quality. the a10 50" is just too small for the dollars. SXRD is not worth the dollars. I am just glad not everybody gets the a20. I like having the most badass tv in the area.

When I was shopping, I compared the smaller a10 and the sxrd's to the a20 in a controlled environment. My theater company let me bring my Panny s97 dvd player. I was able to compare dvd, sd and HD. HD was superberb and required less tweaks on all the sets.
DVD was different on all but IMHO the iris may push an ever slightly unatural contrast...The iris probably helped most with SD and vcr but how much of that do I watch.....maybe 3% of my viewing. I believe at these price ranges you must have at least 55" of screen in addition to quality. I do like the look of the sxrd better but easily live without that for the money difference.

$2650 and some change for my e60a20 with a stand, 5 year warranty and tax.

Gotta go watch King Kong...later

Bladerunner
Bladerunner1959;

Sweet deal, I wish you all the best with your e60a20 that movies and gaming can provide. I am jealous of that deal and call upon all Canadians to help each other out.
How much did you pay?
Did that price include a warranty, stand etc?
Where did you buy from?
As well, what is the equivalent model for the 2006 lineup that I should be looking at, I am interested in the e60a20 and was wondering if that model would stay the same, (ergonomically speaking), perhaps add a second HDMI input. Not sure if I should buy very soon or wait to see what the 2006 models have in store. I have waited this long, I guess a few more months will not kill me. Any info would be appreciated, I am stuck with a 29" Samsung and have just finished renovating my family room and am starting to climb the walls.
Thank you...

Bladerunner1959;

Sweet deal, I wish you all the best with your e60a20 that movies and gaming can provide. I am jealous of that deal and call upon all Canadians to help each other out.
How much did you pay?
Did that price include a warranty, stand etc?
Where did you buy from?
As well, what is the equivalent model for the 2006 lineup that I should be looking at, I am interested in the e60a20 and was wondering if that model would stay the same, (ergonomically speaking), perhaps add a second HDMI input. Not sure if I should buy very soon or wait to see what the 2006 models have in store. I have waited this long, I guess a few more months will not kill me. Any info would be appreciated, I am stuck with a 29" Samsung and have just finished renovating my family room and am starting to climb the walls.
Thank you...If you're looking for the best deals, it's doubtful you will find them on brand new models just hitting the stores....at this time next year you'll be asking yourself "I wonder if I should wait to see what the 2007 models have in store".... :D

There's not a "perfect" TV out there and I doubt there'll be one that comes close for several years....so I for one am not sitting around wringing my hands over the best TV or the best deal....I'm enjoying the Radio Shack Nascar race right now on my big screen! I got a decent price on my TV, maybe not the absolute bottom dollar, and it's 2005 technology, but who cares? It gets the job done and I'm enjoying it rather than fretting over it! If I'd waited to buy it I would've missed the NCAA basketball playoffs! :eek:

1)component cables do not deliver audio the carry the video only. that is why you need to run the optical cable from cable box to receiver.
if you have an OTA installed then using the oprical output from tv to receiver will product digital audio to receiver.

2) i'll let someone else answer this


When I say component cables I meant the 5 wire component (green, red, blue, and red and white for audio) cables, not just the 3 video. So I guess using the component 5 wire cables, then it won't produce anything to output via optical cable.

kostos 6969
I thought I was doing the math...I was wrong. I looked at, researched, compared and nit-picked about every set there is to be had and I still came back to the Sony A20 60". So from late 2004 I missed out on High Def viewing big time...my loss. This set is awesome to me and I would not trade it back for anything! Having this TV has opened my eyes up wide...for example...the Cable company here offers four HD channels...guess what? I've signed up for Dish Network and this coming Sunday I'm going to have 20+ HD channels....that's what its all about for me HD viewing...pull the trigger...git it done.

If you're looking for the best deals, it's doubtful you will find them on brand new models just hitting the stores....at this time next year you'll be asking yourself "I wonder if I should wait to see what the 2007 models have in store".... :D

There's not a "perfect" TV out there and I doubt there'll be one that comes close for several years....so I for one am not sitting around wringing my hands over the best TV or the best deal....I'm enjoying the Radio Shack Nascar race right now on my big screen! I got a decent price on my TV, maybe not the absolute bottom dollar, and it's 2005 technology, but who cares? It gets the job done and I'm enjoying it rather than fretting over it! If I'd waited to buy it I would've missed the NCAA basketball playoffs! :eek:

I know what you mean and I can appreciate it. I am definitely not waiting till 2007 to pull the trigger on a new set, this is the year. Just thought with it being so close to the release of the 2006 models if it would be wise to see what they have to offer. Does anyone know which 2006 model will be comparable with the e60a20. As well, just wanted to thank everyone for their replys, I know I have been rambling on.
Thank you...

I can't find the thread that appeared about a month ago about the Sony press release regarding the upcoming lcd sets, so can't prove anything, but the gist was that the new lcd models will all be 720p like the current A-10 series, will have speakers on the bottom like the A-10s along with the dynamic iris, and will come in 46, 50, and 55 inch sizes, no more 60" lcd. These will also have 2 HDMI inputs vs the current 1.

gwSmith,

You got that right. There is NO perfect tv out there and life is too short not to grab the gold now because there might be a diamond down the road....These units are incredible for the money....just think back to 4 years ago, what kind of rptv crt's were out there and you had convergence, hot spotting and burn in.....WOW, these Sony's are as close to perfect as we need to enjoy it all....


Kostas6969,

Thanks for the kind wishes and good luck with your deal....Maybe shoot down here and buy one then take it home....maybe we can make a deal for some Cuban cigars...Is there an economic or political reason why you cant buy one here and have it shipped or rent a truck and get it home yourself?

Bladerunner

kostos 6969
I thought I was doing the math...I was wrong. I looked at, researched, compared and nit-picked about every set there is to be had and I still came back to the Sony A20 60". So from late 2004 I missed out on High Def viewing big time...my loss. This set is awesome to me and I would not trade it back for anything! Having this TV has opened my eyes up wide...for example...the Cable company here offers four HD channels...guess what? I've signed up for Dish Network and this coming Sunday I'm going to have 20+ HD channels....that's what its all about for me HD viewing...pull the trigger...git it done.


Way to go Jake, lock & load...Nice choice. I dont think you will be suffering from buyers remorse or twitching pixels....just lovin life and the great HD world....

GET SOME....

Pull the trigger man. I watched the Masters last weekend on my 55" and never enjoyed it more.

Hey,
Newbie here, and a victim of the dredded 6 blink problem that I've read about on this forum.
My KDF-E55A20 just stopped this past weekend and started flashing. I freaked, and checked out this forum and read about the Thermocoupler problems and figured that must be it.
However, the tech came out today and said it was the power supply board, and that it was rare to him?
So a new power supply board is on order from Sony and I'll update later to let you know if it worked.

skeeterman....

What was the build date of your A20???

skeeterman....

What was the build date of your A20???

October 2005

When I say component cables I meant the 5 wire component (green, red, blue, and red and white for audio) cables, not just the 3 video. So I guess using the component 5 wire cables, then it won't produce anything to output via optical cable.


that is correct, the red and white cables are analog. the optical out is if you have an HDTV antenna then you can get the 5.1 dd to your receiver.

your best bet is to always run your audio to the receiver directly. for my satalite i do both, one set of audio to the tv and the digital optical to the receiver.

that way if i dont want my receiver on i get sound through the TV speakers. if i want to use the receiver i just turn the TV volumn down.

Fico...

I have a similar problem as kkmonte w/ my A20, but I'm using a cablecard. I can't receive any audio via Digital Optical out from the TV run to my Denon 3805. Anyone have any suggestions? TIA.

Kostas6969,

Thanks for the kind wishes and good luck with your deal....Maybe shoot down here and buy one then take it home....maybe we can make a deal for some Cuban cigars...Is there an economic or political reason why you cant buy one here and have it shipped or rent a truck and get it home yourself?

Bladerunner1959

Thanks for your advice, to be honest I never actually thought of buying over the net or anywhere for that matter without being there in person. Do you think it is safe, trustworthy, any web sites I should look at. Do not know if I would have to pay duty on something like this as soon as it came in to the country. Anyone ever done this before, if so, your thoughts would be apprerciated.
Thank you...

October 2005

skeeterman....

I have the same build date as you....when did you purchase your A20, and how many hours a day do you watch??

I purchased mine in Jan 06 and watch about 4-5 hours a night, and so far everything is great!!!

skeeterman....

I have the same build date as you....when did you purchase your A20, and how many hours a day do you watch??

I purchased mine in Jan 06 and watch about 4-5 hours a night, and so far everything is great!!!

Got mine in early February, and about the same viewing time.
Not entirely convinced that his diagnosis is correct, I tried to tell him about the thermocoupler thing but I think that may have caused an ego issue. :rolleyes:

But we'll see what happens...

Fico...

I have a similar problem as kkmonte w/ my A20, but I'm using a cablecard. I can't receive any audio via Digital Optical out from the TV run to my Denon 3805. Anyone have any suggestions? TIA.



i have sat and i'm not familiar with the cablecard. hopefully someone else can help with an answer.

Got mine in early February, and about the same viewing time.
Not entirely convinced that his diagnosis is correct, I tried to tell him about the thermocoupler thing but I think that may have caused an ego issue. :rolleyes:

But we'll see what happens...


OK...thanks skeeterman, keep us informed

Fico...

I have a similar problem as kkmonte w/ my A20, but I'm using a cablecard. I can't receive any audio via Digital Optical out from the TV run to my Denon 3805. Anyone have any suggestions? TIA.

Erik,

If I am not mistaken you would need to feed the "optical input" of your Sony tv, from an "optical output" of an actual cable box or satellite box that processes digital audio and has that type of output, to send a digital audio signal to the "optical in" of the Denon reciever.....

I just connect my cable box optical direct to my Pioneer reciever so that I have better control of all audio options. I do not like the 1-way communication that a cable card provides.

Bladerunner

Turns out my problem was the Thermocoupler.
The guy who came out Monday (younger guy) called it a power board.
The guy who came out today (older guy) called it a thermocoupler.
Anyway, it's fixed!
So add October 2005, to the list of manufacturing dates for bad TC's.

I have the 55a20 and is there any place in the service menu to adjust for overscan to where you can move the screen up,down,left and right ?

Turns out my problem was the Thermocoupler.
The guy who came out Monday (younger guy) called it a power board.
The guy who came out today (older guy) called it a thermocoupler.
Anyway, it's fixed!
So add October 2005, to the list of manufacturing dates for bad TC's.


I hope not..........

I have a rather noobish quesiton... My user's manual for the KDF-E50A10 states the following:

Component video (Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr) connection is necessary to view 480p, 720p, and 1080i formats. Note that his TV displays all format types of picture in a resolution of 1280 dots x 720 lines.

Should I conclude that TV displays even 1080i content in 720p? Or am I missing something?

Well add me to the list of people with the "Power light blinking 6 times" problem. Set abruptly shut off last night. Called Sony last night and they sent an order to their repair service who is "trying to find a qualified tech." Bought my set last October, no problems till now. Sony thought the earilest they could even get a tech to look at it is middle of next week.

Should I conclude that TV displays even 1080i content in 720p? Or am I missing something?

That is correct. The TV's native resolution is 720p. Basically 480i & p gets UPconverted to 720p and 1080i & (when avail) p gets DOWNconverted to 720.

Thanks gvg45. Things are becoming a bit more clear (no pun intended). I have one of the older Westinghouse 37" LCDs that is 1080p and to be honest, when playing my Xbox 360 games that are 1080i, I believe the picture on the Sony is just as outstanding. It seems that the Sony holds black level a bit better and I think that contributes to the colors seeming more vivid. At least when using the Home Video Essentials disc, it did better at holding black and it seemed the color bars matched more closely.

When I first brought the 360 home and plugged it into the Westy, I was floored. Any buyers remorse I might have had quickly disappeared while I stormed the beach at Normandy in Call of Duty 2. Here it is about 9 months later and when I plugged the 360 into the Sony, again I was floored. Even before I started tweaking, the picture was incredible.

At least to my eye, with a 1080i source it has been difficult for me to see a real difference between the upconverted 1080p in the bedroom and the downcoverted 1080i (to 720p) in the living room. I hesitate to ask because I am really happy with the set but what actual differences would I see if I put them side by side and ran a 1080i signal to both? And outside of game consoles, are there 1080i sources to be found in DVD and HDTV? My understanding was most broadcasts were 480 or 720 and most DVDs were also only 720. Is that correct?

Also, the 360 has a setting to output 720p in addition to 1080i. I tried the 720p setting for just a couple of minutes and didn't really see a difference so I switched it back. Will I actually see a difference if set the 360 to output 720p when I play games on the Sony?

Dorsai-
They say that you can only tell the difference between 1080 and 720 is if your in the 'sweet spot' or closer. The 'sweet spot' for a 60" 1080p is, I think, 8 or 9'. So if your viewing distance is outside that area you would be hard pressed to distinguish the two.

HD sources vary. In my area (Los Angeles), a lot of stations broadcast in 1080.
Just off the top of my head..
1080--->CBS, NBC, DISC, TNT (i think), HBOHD, SHOHD, INHD, INHD2, HDNET, HDNET MOVIES
vs
720----->ABC, FOX, ESPNHD

DVD's are currently displayed at 480i or 480p unless you have an upconverting DVD player. But keep in mind that HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are set to release this year. They are suppose to display 1080i/1080p.

MREGA, did you get my PM? Noy sure if I responded correctly (computer illiterate).

Hello folks, well I finally pulled the trigger and bought the Sony KDF-E60A20 model. Should have it Wednesday next week, cant wait. Anyway my question is, need an upconverting DVD player, which one works best for this set. As well, should it be able to upconvert over HDMI and component video. Not sure if it matters. Do have my eyes on the Panasonic s77s and s97s, not sure what the differences are between the two. Any info would be appreciated.
Thank you...

Hello folks, well I finally pulled the trigger and bought the Sony KDF-E60A20 model. Should have it Wednesday next week, cant wait. Anyway my question is, need an upconverting DVD player, which one works best for this set. As well, should it be able to upconvert over HDMI and component video. Not sure if it matters. Do have my eyes on the Panasonic s77s and s97s, not sure what the differences are between the two. Any info would be appreciated.
Thank you...

Havent used one myself, however, http://www.oppodigital.com/ is getting great reviews.

:mad:

Well, just got the dredded red lights blinking six times. I was watching a movie and the tv just shut down with no picture and I saw the red lights blinking. I followed the troubleshooting steps in the manual, but no go. I've had my KDF-E60A20 since Nov 2005 and it was manufactured in August 2005 so it is in the range of the other posts I've seen here about a bad thermocoupler or thermocoupler fuse.

I called Sony Support and they had me troubleshoot similar to the manual, but no go. They've scheduled for Qualxserv to come in-house and perform the repair work. Just glad I'm still under the 1 Year warranty. I'll update on the results after they come out and take a look.

Havent used one myself, however, http://www.oppodigital.com/ is getting great reviews.

Or you can just go for http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7652523&type=product&cmp=++&id=1134699969167

Or you can just go for http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7652523&type=product&cmp=++&id=1134699969167

Not intending to turn this thread in to an uconverting DVD player war but folks seriously need to read the 2 main threads about the OPPO unit. This unit can't be beat for twice the money. Even 3 to 4 times the money!!
$200 is a bargain for the Faroudja processing alone! I compared numerous players with my 55A20 for a couple of weeks after I bought the LCD and hands down kept going back to the OPPO trying to find flaws since it was so inexpensive. Excellent support from the company too. I mean 1-2 hour email responses from actual engineers. If you're only going to read one thing about it, read the Shootout report:

http://www.oppodigital.com/images/DVD%20Benchmark%201-8.pdf

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

MREGA, did you get my PM? Noy sure if I responded correctly (computer illiterate).

Got it thanks, I will call them.

Not intending to turn this thread in to an uconverting DVD player war but folks seriously need to read the 2 main threads about the OPPO unit. This unit can't be beat for twice the money. Even 3 to 4 times the money!!
$200 is a bargain for the Faroudja processing alone! I compared numerous players with my 55A20 for a couple of weeks after I bought the LCD and hands down kept going back to the OPPO trying to find flaws since it was so inexpensive. Excellent support from the company too. I mean 1-2 hour email responses from actual engineers. If you're only going to read one thing about it, read the Shootout report:

http://www.oppodigital.com/images/DVD%20Benchmark%201-8.pdf

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

I dont doubt the Oppo is a good upconverting dvd player, as many others have stated here. And for the price very hard to beat! However with the release of HD-DVD, I was just giving other suggestions for consideration to someone looking into buying a new dvd player.

IMO, with HD-DVD here and Blu-Ray in a few months, I would not consider purchasing anything less than one of these two.

Hello folks, well I finally pulled the trigger and bought the Sony KDF-E60A20 model. Should have it Wednesday next week, cant wait. Anyway my question is, need an upconverting DVD player, which one works best for this set. As well, should it be able to upconvert over HDMI and component video. Not sure if it matters. Do have my eyes on the Panasonic s77s and s97s, not sure what the differences are between the two. Any info would be appreciated.
Thank you...

Kostas6969,

Without a doubt, I recommend the Panny s97. Check my post from this morning at the s97 firmware thread...It will tell all.

Bladerunner

I have a basic question. On a set like the A20, what would be the preferred way to hook up a HD DVD player to the set? If I use the HDMI port for the cable box, will component video cables be adequate for the HD DVD player.

I have a basic question. On a set like the A20, what would be the preferred way to hook up a HD DVD player to the set? If I use the HDMI port for the cable box, will component video cables be adequate for the HD DVD player.

I'm not totally positive, so someone correct me if I am wrong, but I dont think HD-DVD upconverts SD DVD through component.
You would probably be best HDMI-->HD-DVD and cable-->component.

Kostas6969,

Without a doubt, I recommend the Panny s97. Check my post from this morning at the s97 firmware thread...It will tell all.

Bladerunner

Thanks for the input Bladerunner. Was wondering, I was just at the Panasonic web site and apparently the s97 is now discontinued. Does anyone from CANADA, Toronto area have any idea where I can purchase this unit. As well, if I cant get the s97 will the s77 do. What is the difference between the two?

Thanks...

Thanks for the input Bladerunner. Was wondering, I was just at the Panasonic web site and apparently the s97 is now discontinued. Does anyone from CANADA, Toronto area have any idea where I can purchase this unit. As well, if I cant get the s97 will the s77 do. What is the difference between the two?

Thanks...

Kostas,
I called Panasonic directly for dealers when I ordered mine about a year ago now. I cannot find the receipt but it was an appliance store in Missouri I think (for sure a place in the midwest)
The s77 would be very comparable.

Regarding HD-DVD.....I am definately going to wait on the HD-dvd format a little while. I will jump in when the availability of movies is abundant and the players are further refined, I will want to read reviews from a large selection of players so I dont waste time and money on an average player when it will be easy to discover the excellent ones. It's not like going from vhs to dvd/480i back in fall 97...That was huge.....I had the 1st generation Toshiba flagship dvd player. This is more subtle from some honest early reports and with great equipment adjusted properly, too subtle to rush unless money is no factor....That said, I am curious......

Bladerunner

Kostas,
I called Panasonic directly for dealers when I ordered mine about a year ago now. I cannot find the receipt but it was an appliance store in Missouri I think (for sure a place in the midwest)
The s77 would be very comparable.

Regarding HD-DVD.....I am definately going to wait on the HD-dvd format a little while. I will jump in when the availability of movies is abundant and the players are further refined, I will want to read reviews from a large selection of players so I dont waste time and money on an average player when it will be easy to discover the excellent ones. It's not like going from vhs to dvd/480i back in fall 97...That was huge.....I had the 1st generation Toshiba flagship dvd player. This is more subtle from some honest early reports and with great equipment adjusted properly, too subtle to rush unless money is no factor....That said, I am curious......

Bladerunner

Thanks for your input bladerunner, should be getting my player, s97 or s77 tomorrow, will have my set on Thursday. As far as HD-dvd goes, I think your right, play the waiting game for a bit and see what happens, especially with Blu-ray just around the corner.
Later...

Hello folks, just a heads up, I e-mailed Panasonic directly regarding the availability of the s97. They finally wrote me back to inform me that the s97 has been discontinued as of June 2005. Looks like I will be purchasing the s77.
Later...

Hello folks, just a heads up, I e-mailed Panasonic directly regarding the availability of the s97. They finally wrote me back to inform me that the s97 has been discontinued as of June 2005. Looks like I will be purchasing the s77.
Later...The S97S is (was) availble at several online sources the last time I checked, including Amazon, B&H, JR and others. I bought one at Fry's just a couple months ago, although it was the last one they had. Last time I was there they had two "open box" S97S's.

They're still out there...you just have to look for them. Online sources are your best bet, because many big box stores never stocked them in the first place (not a volume seller....msrp too high), and if they did stock them it was in small quantities which have now been depleted, or reduced to shelf displays.

The post kinda says it all ... Using a KDFE55A20 with DirecTV H20 Box - What is the Sony Remote Code? I have tried them all that are given by Sony including the Phillips code. Is there something I am missing, or is it not possible on the Sony Remote to code it for the DirecTV H20 HD box?

thanks in advance.

Well add me to the list of people with the "Power light blinking 6 times" problem. Set abruptly shut off last night. Called Sony last night and they sent an order to their repair service who is "trying to find a qualified tech." Bought my set last October, no problems till now. Sony thought the earilest they could even get a tech to look at it is middle of next week.


Finally got the repair guy out today. Replaced the thermocoupler. Set was manifactured August 2005 same as the others. Check your sets!

I discontinued my Cable service with NPG and have had Dish-Network for about two weeks now. They installed a 1000 dish and a VIP 211 receiver. The receiver had problems the second day ....the screen would go blank and I had to do a front panel reset several times, but after they replaced the receiver all is good. Pictures are clear and the audio is strong and consistent. The Dish-Network folks have earned my respect. From start to finish they have proven to me as a new customer that they can deliver. My Sony A20 definitely looks better on a satellite system.

Has anyone had to change their bulb yet? If so how long did your first one last? How much was the replacement, and where did you get it? How hard was it to install?

:mad:

Well, just got the dredded red lights blinking six times. I was watching a movie and the tv just shut down with no picture and I saw the red lights blinking. I followed the troubleshooting steps in the manual, but no go. I've had my KDF-E60A20 since Nov 2005 and it was manufactured in August 2005 so it is in the range of the other posts I've seen here about a bad thermocoupler or thermocoupler fuse.

I called Sony Support and they had me troubleshoot similar to the manual, but no go. They've scheduled for Qualxserv to come in-house and perform the repair work. Just glad I'm still under the 1 Year warranty. I'll update on the results after they come out and take a look.


Well the Qualxserv guy came out last Wednesday and replaced the faulty thermofuse as he called it. Problem took about 15 minutes to fix and the TV was back in good working shape. Having talked to him and the Qualxserv customer support rep on the phone, this is definitely an unofficial recall item within this model of Sony TV during these manufacture dates as he stated to me.

I'm just glad it was so easy and I'm able to watch HDTV again.

Well the Qualxserv guy came out last Wednesday and replaced the faulty thermofuse as he called it. Problem took about 15 minutes to fix and the TV was back in good working shape. Having talked to him and the Qualxserv customer support rep on the phone, this is definitely an unofficial recall item within this model of Sony TV during these manufacture dates as he stated to me.

I'm just glad it was so easy and I'm able to watch HDTV again.


i mentioned in an earlier post, that i achieved a better PQ after the repair? i did especially in SD. did you notice a better PQ?

I noticed an increase in SD PQ also.

I can't say that I noticed much change after having my thermocoupler replaced. Actually I have to go through now and come up with settings I like beacause everything got reset and I never wrote them down.

I can't say that I noticed much change after having my thermocoupler replaced. Actually I have to go through now and come up with settings I like beacause everything got reset and I never wrote them down.


post your setting when you get it cal.

Hello folks, just a heads up, I e-mailed Panasonic directly regarding the availability of the s97. They finally wrote me back to inform me that the s97 has been discontinued as of June 2005. Looks like I will be purchasing the s77.
Later...

Did you ever get a DVD player? I'm curious how you like it.

Hello mrega, yes I finally picked up the Panasonic s77 and couldn't be happier. This player has a lot of features packed into it for the price, great picture quality through this player and my xbox 360 on this TV set. Very happy so far folks.
Later...

Just happened...
I will be calling the service company tomorrow...

Just happened...
I will be calling the service company tomorrow...

my son in law just went through the same process and I had to go over to their house to let the repair man in. First time out they wrote down 5 reds and ordered in a new bulb and something else and it didn't fix it as he found it to be the thermal fuse. He did mention that the bulb did show signs of stress and it was replaced under warranty. I worked on calibrating the picture, but I have never been that impressed with the picture when viewing SD cable. Colors never seem right and the picture has no pop to it. My 8 year old 51" Pioneer Elite has a better picture in SD. I will admit I've yet to see the TV with HD or XBox360, but haven't been overly impressed with the set.

my son in law just went through the same process and I had to go over to their house to let the repair man in. First time out they wrote down 5 reds and ordered in a new bulb and something else and it didn't fix it as he found it to be the thermal fuse. He did mention that the bulb did show signs of stress and it was replaced under warranty. I worked on calibrating the picture, but I have never been that impressed with the picture when viewing SD cable. Colors never seem right and the picture has no pop to it. My 8 year old 51" Pioneer Elite has a better picture in SD. I will admit I've yet to see the TV with HD or XBox360, but haven't been overly impressed with the set.

I have been following this thread for 6 months and have seen the first reported issue here and have a set made in the same month as Pwozniak... So I have been wondering if I was going to miss that bullet. Guess not.

Hang in there Wally, you'll be past the problem in a few days, and all will be well.

I have been following this thread for 6 months and have seen the first reported issue here and have a set made in the same month as Pwozniak... So I have been wondering if I was going to miss that bullet. Guess not.

Wally, what is the build date of your Sony? ....also what is the screen size?
I've had my A20 since March 4th-06 with a build date of Feb. And no problems what so ever....

Wally, what is the build date of your Sony? ....also what is the screen size?
I've had my A20 since March 4th-06 with a build date of Feb. And no problems what so ever....

My build date is August 2005...
I am hanging in there. Just nervous about the lead time before someone can get here. In my area they are usually a week or more backlogged.

Week or more.. Hell.. Try June 17th was the first available from
the first company I could get ahold of. Ouch...
So far, 4 of 6 places I have called, either their is no answer or no one available
and you go through the auto attendant hell..
I am waiting on one return call and they may be able to have me bring it in today to be fixed today..

Wally_Gator........

Hope everything works out OK for you....

All is good now...
A local shop (30 minutes away) lol... Had me bring the unit in.. I could have waited until next week but I ha the day off.
They had it all of 1 hour. Fixed... The thermocouple that went bad is not a fuse, it
is a temperature sensor. When this goes bad it will not allow the unit to turn on.
The "new and improved" ones is supposed to be more reliable. The tech had the tv done in 15 minutes. They leave the unit on for 30 minutes and then require a minimum of 15 minutes to cool down before moving it. This is to allow the LCD panels to cool, otherwise hot, they are suseptable to cracking or shattering.

Any one in Southern Cal interested in this company, I am happy to refer them to you.
Clean work and a clean shop..

All is good now...
A local shop (30 minutes away) lol... Had me bring the unit in.. I could have waited until next week but I ha the day off.
They had it all of 1 hour. Fixed... The thermocouple that went bad is not a fuse, it
is a temperature sensor. When this goes bad it will not allow the unit to turn on.
The "new and improved" ones is supposed to be more reliable. The tech had the tv done in 15 minutes. They leave the unit on for 30 minutes and then require a minimum of 15 minutes to cool down before moving it. This is to allow the LCD panels to cool, otherwise hot, they are suseptable to cracking or shattering.

Any one in Southern Cal interested in this company, I am happy to refer them to you.
Clean work and a clean shop..

That's great news Wally! I'll remember the cooling down the LCD panels if I need to move my set.

I was thinking about getting the KDF-E60A20 at Costco at three grand with the matching stand. Is the manufacture date available on the outside of the box? I'd hate to get it home and find out it was dated to possibly have a bad thermomajiggy down the road.

I was thinking about getting the KDF-E60A20 at Costco at three grand with the matching stand. Is the manufacture date available on the outside of the box? I'd hate to get it home and find out it was dated to possibly have a bad thermomajiggy down the road.

There is no way that I'm aware of that you can check on these TV's for the manuf date other than on the back of the actual TV itself. But with Costcos return policy, I would not hesitate to pick one up. Just keep your membership active and your receipt. I have heard of people returning sets years down the road.

Not sure, but I think the bad thermoajiggy :p only applies to the 55". Dont quote me but thats what I thought. Maybe others can confirm.

Hi guys, first post here. Just purchased my 55 A20 and its great. Only having one issue. Any here that has an Xbox 360, when you set it up in HD with the component cables some games are not displaying correctly.(Fight night round 3 and Tomb raider). The screen seems to have three bars climbing the screen horizontally. One is green, another is a pinkish purple and the third is the correct color. Seems to only be happening in dark environments. Other games look fine, like Madden 2006. I am just wondering if it is an issue with my 360 cables or possibly the HD inputs. Any help would be great. Watching digital television and hooking the Xbox up using the non HD cables looks fine.
Thanks

Nick

Hey everyone! This is my first post. And I am very interested the A20. I went to CC about a month ago and saw it, and instantly fell in love. But, I went back yesterday to "visit" it. And saw the 60 in Sony that was $4100, for some reason i saw the A20 in a different light. I still am on the fence about the 60 inch A20. But I have a few questions... Once everything goes 1080p, am i losing out by having a TV that can only hit 720p? Because the $4000 60'in was amazingly beautiful, but he said they were using a 1080 DVD, or something. Also, is pixelation going to be that big of a problem? Because all the TV's on display there had a decent amount of it. And the last time i went the HD blew me away, this time i was kinda "eh" about it. But my biggest concern is the 1080 vs. 720. And pixelation. And also, is there a justifable reason to get the 60in. over the 55in.? Cause i really want 60 inches!!!

I appreciate any feedback, I'm really excited about my first big TV purchase.

James

Just recieved my KDF-E60A20 yesterday and every time a widescreen image displays, the black bars at the top and the bottom are on a slant like the rotation button on a pc monitor thats of kilt. Is there a way to fix this or is my sony defective? Has anyone else had this problem where your image is off kilt or slanted?

I recently bought a Sony Wega 55in LCD HDTV (KDF-E55A20) 3 days ago. Its my very first HDTV so im not sure how things are ment to look (when hooked up to a standard DVD player I mean). HD channels look great BTW. This TV is hooked up to a Panasonic 5-Disc DVD Home Theater System (SA-HT920) via component Monster Video 1 cables (MV1CV-2M).

The problem is that my DVDs dont look as good as they should. The picture looks great when I watch 'off the air' HD on cable (I dont have Direct TV or any other service provider) but when I switch to watch DVD's, it looks sorta like if im watching a DVD thats been burned. The quality is kinda crap basically, it just doesnt look good to me. It happends more when I watch live action movies. So I tried tweaking the TV's picture and DVD player settings. Nothing. My player is set at 480p. Anyone know what I can do to fix this? Perhaps new cables? Can someone post which brand of component cables they have?

Just got my 60" A20 on Tuesday and I'm loving it!!! A quick question to you others: What do you use to clean the screen? The manual says a dry cloth (for stubborn dirt you can use a soft cloth moistened with dish soap and water), but I'm paranoid about scratching the screen. Can anyone recommend a good microfiber cloth and or cleaning solution that won't scratch the screen or remove the anti-glare surface??


Thanks,

J.

No DVD will look as good as a HD feed.....
I have a Sony 3100ES DVD player hooked up VIA HDMI and I am quite pleased with the quality of the image on my 55A20...

The quality is kinda crap basically, it just doesnt look good to me. It happends more when I watch live action movies.

I've got the same problem with my A10. Most of the time, the picture quality of a DVD is not as good as SD. I have my DVD player connected via component cables and all the subtle coloring is lost. Watching the maze scene of Harry Potter 4 is very bad. All the mist has a fuzzy distortion that I don't get on a SD TV.

// Scott A

Well, I just picked this up at Best Buy: http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/5774/5774879cv1a.jpg

Looks like it'll do the trick.

I've got the same problem with my A10. Most of the time, the picture quality of a DVD is not as good as SD. I have my DVD player connected via component cables and all the subtle coloring is lost. Watching the maze scene of Harry Potter 4 is very bad. All the mist has a fuzzy distortion that I don't get on a SD TV.

// Scott A

I couldnt even watch HP4. I sit 11 feet from the set and I could still see how bad it looked. 'The Incredibles' looks great but 'Finding Nemo' looks crap. I have no idea why. I'm starting to realize how low 480p is compared to 720p. :\

Is it me or does CGI look even more obvious on an HDTV? I was watching 'King Kong" a few nights ago and all I could think was "Wow, that looks so freaking fake." but I when I saw it in the theater back in December, All I could think was "My God, I believe it!" LOL Its funny.

I did own the a10 for a few days but it looked too small so I traded it in for the A20. I love the TV but the picture quality is shite when I watch any SD DVD. Maybe I've been spoiled by HD.

I've got the same problem with my A10. Most of the time, the picture quality of a DVD is not as good as SD. I have my DVD player connected via component cables and all the subtle coloring is lost. Watching the maze scene of Harry Potter 4 is very bad. All the mist has a fuzzy distortion that I don't get on a SD TV.

// Scott A

I had a few minutes to look over my setup again and I realized that my biggest problem is that I am an idiot. :p

My DVD player, a Panasonic PV-8453, had a setting for sending images in different aspects. My setting was still set for the previous TV (4:3) instead of the new Sony (which should be 16:9). So, I had a widescreen DVD being compressed to 4:3 ratio from the DVD player being stretched back into a 16:9 in Wide Zoom mode. When I think about it, I'm surprised I got that good a picture.

I set the aspect ratio and re-played the worst parts I had noticed from my previous viewing (the maze, the graveyard, etc). It was much better than before and equal I think to the colors seen on a SD picture. So friends, check your DVD player and make sure its sending the correct aspect ratio for the TV!

// Scott A

ScottA, realizing you have a problem is the first step to recovery. Enjoy your set.

Just recieved my KDF-E60A20 yesterday and every time a widescreen image displays, the black bars at the top and the bottom are on a slant like the rotation button on a pc monitor thats of kilt. Is there a way to fix this or is my sony defective? Has anyone else had this problem where your image is off kilt or slanted?

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE W/THIS PROBLEM OR DOES ANYONE KNOW A FIX?

How do I find the manufacturing date of my set?

How do I find the manufacturing date of my set?
It i on a sticker on the back of your unit right by the serial number..

Hey all, been a while since I posted. I bought the 55A20 in January from Circuit City. 3 weeks later, 6 red lights....ugh. I had the extra service plan, yada , yada, yada. Took them 2 weeks to come out and diagnose the problem, even though I explaned in detail what it was to them. Once they came and figured out i was right, he had to order the part, which was 7-10 business days. Then once the part came in , they were going to call to schedule him to come fix it (another 2 weeks?).

Finally on the 10th business day (Tv has now been broken for about a MONTH) and no phone call, I went to the Circuit City that I bought it from and raised hell, and was 3 seconds from beating some punk kid within an inch of his life when another customer asked me what was up. So i explained to about 10 people in the TV area that their warranty is ********, they take too long, they dont listen when you know what youre talking about and coming back to the store obviously yields no results as well.

Finally a manager came over and said they had 1 in stock and would replace my set if i brought it back that day.

Never buy anything from Circuit City...that's just my story.

I feel all your pain and my new set says Manufactured Feb 2006, so am I in the clear on this now?

Here are some pics I took:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/mariusdavis/DSCI0028.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/mariusdavis/DSCI0015.jpg

This is what bothers me:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/mariusdavis/DSCI0012.jpg

All my SD DVD's look like that. I dunno. Maybe I'm anal.

480p = Poop 720p = Bliss.

Buy a Oppo Upconverting DVD player, so you can bask in the glory of 720p as much as possible.

That blooming looks odd though. What you should do is post what movie your watching and your dvd player and see if someone with a similar setup can replicate your issue. Also is your dvd player set to output 480p and hooked up with component cables? If not, that could be an issue as well.

Well, that movie was 'The Island', the DVD player is a Panasonic (SA-HT920), set to 420p and 16x9 and yup its hooked up with Monster Video 2 component cables. Is that normal for SD DVD's to look like that on an HD set? I always heard they would look better even without an upconverting player. I must have been feed wrong info.

A few more pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/mariusdavis/DSCI0023.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/mariusdavis/DSCI0029.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/mariusdavis/DSCI0027.jpg

I was watching 'Corpse Bride' and I saw this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/mariusdavis/DSCI0031.jpg

Now that isnt normal!

The banding that your seeing is normal for a regular old dvd player, I have noticed that as well. Also, have you calibrated your DVD input on the TV usin Avia or some other calibration tool? King Kong and the building blowing up above it look ok, also you gotta look at the source. Sometimes when people make these DVDs the transfer from film to dvd isnt perfect, and HDTV will make imperfections show up even more. Thats why i say to get an upconverting DVD player. Remember your taking a low resolution source and basically stretching it to fit the 1300 x 760 resolution of your tv and then trying to compensate, so its not going to be perfect. The upconversion on the Oppo will make the dvd upscale to the native resolution of your tv, making it a little more watchable.

Ill hold out on buying a new DVD player atleast until Blu-Ray comes out. Thanks for the rec though.

Ive been expirencing sound drop out when I watch shows in SAP. Has anyone else had this happen? It will be in spanish and it will go back to english, then it comes back. Its not a huge problem for me, my Mother watches shows in SAP so she gets frustrated with that.

Hi,


Last Thursday I experienced the 6 red light fault with my 55A20. I refuse to wait for 2+ weeks for service so I have removed the back panel of my set and exposed the faulty thermal fuse below the lamp. It is very difficult to get to and I cant tell if it is connected with phillips or allen head screws. I have a new thermal fuse arriving from Sony tomorrow that I ordered. Anyone have experience swapping out the thermal fuse that can give me some tips?

Thanks,
Jeff

I have a sony 50inch Grand Wega 50 A10 with a cable card slot. Will the DirecTV Cable Card slot function within the TV set. In other words can i remove the card from the DirecTV receiver and plug into the rear of TV and have it work functionally?

Hi,


Last Thursday I experienced the 6 red light fault with my 55A20. I refuse to wait for 2+ weeks for service so I have removed the back panel of my set and exposed the faulty thermal fuse below the lamp. It is very difficult to get to and I cant tell if it is connected with phillips or allen head screws. I have a new thermal fuse arriving from Sony tomorrow that I ordered. Anyone have experience swapping out the thermal fuse that can give me some tips?

Thanks,
Jeff

What was the build date on your A20???

Hi,


Last Thursday I experienced the 6 red light fault with my 55A20. I refuse to wait for 2+ weeks for service so I have removed the back panel of my set and exposed the faulty thermal fuse below the lamp. It is very difficult to get to and I cant tell if it is connected with phillips or allen head screws. I have a new thermal fuse arriving from Sony tomorrow that I ordered. Anyone have experience swapping out the thermal fuse that can give me some tips?

Thanks,
Jeff

Nobody has replaced the thermal fuse in the 55A20?

Happy-

I watched the guy replace mine and it looked like a real pain. He had to take out a few items to get to the thermocoupler. He used a phillips head.

You are a brave man who would risk voiding a warranty on a $2,000 TV when the repair is free!

Question:

I am thinking of buying either a 60 inch A20 or a 50 inch plasma. I would like to know how reliable these tv’s are…?

Is there anyone on this board who has had a trouble free A20 for 3 or 4 years? There appear to be many problems and issues surrounding the rear projection tv’s.

How reliable are these new TV’s.

Question:

I am thinking of buying either a 60 inch A20 or a 50 inch plasma. I would like to know how reliable these tv’s are…?

Is there anyone on this board who has had a trouble free A20 for 3 or 4 years? There appear to be many problems and issues surrounding the rear projection tv’s.

How reliable are these new TV’s.

I would like to know this too cuz I'm constantly worried about my TV blowing a fuse or something. I try not to watch much on it cuz I dont wana have to send it in for repairs and spend more than I have to! LOL

The only problem I have heard of on this model (A20) is the thermo-fuse issue and it seems to be isolated....If you read the posts about all the problems with other displays
(JVC comes immediately to mind) ...These Sonys seem relatively trouble free...

Thank you for your informative reply...unlike some other mentally deficient posts!

LOL

I have a sony 50inch Grand Wega 50 A10 with a cable card slot. Will the DirecTV Cable Card slot function within the TV set. In other words can i remove the card from the DirecTV receiver and plug into the rear of TV and have it work functionally?

that will not work

I would like to know this too cuz I'm constantly worried about my TV blowing a fuse or something. I try not to watch much on it cuz I dont wana have to send it in for repairs and spend more than I have to! LOL

Are you serious?

i hope not!

I have had my Sony A20 60" since the beginning of March this year...not one problem. I'm very satisfied with the picture when viewing a Hi-def source. I'll go out on a limb here when I say this and probably get some flack...but I feel most of the Grand Wega owners are watching TV and don't have many problems to report...if you want a real eye opener check out the other owners (name brand) threads. I'll stick with my A20...my opinion.
I'm going back to my work shop and finish working on my on HD flat tracker and by 5 tonight kick back and watch Art Mann

This model unit 55" or 60" has not even been on the market a full year yet.
Sometime last july or so it was released. The issue with the "thermocouple" is a simple one.
Units with build dates before ??? October??? of 2005 may have this issue (somewhere in this thread is the date). A faulty design of the temp sensor in the unit causes the failure. Sony recognised the problem and issued a new part to replace the faulty one. For those with the problem, it should only happen once. I have not heard of anyone with a build date later than sept 2005 with the problem.

Are you serious?

Well, yeah. It is my first HDTV and I did spend over 2 grand, I mean I thats a huge investment ofcourse I'll be worried about wearing it out.

Just sit back and ENJOY....

You wont wear it out!!!!

Happy-

I watched the guy replace mine and it looked like a real pain. He had to take out a few items to get to the thermocoupler. He used a phillips head.

You are a brave man who would risk voiding a warranty on a $2,000 TV when the repair is free!

I did get the repair for free - It's just that I didnt want to wait 3 weeks for it so I bought the fuse and just had in hanging lose in the unit - outside the bulb area because it looked too difficult to get at the assembly that the bad fuse was in. That way I was able to watch the TV for 3 weeks before the service tech came out. Then when I watched the TV repair guy fix it I had to laugh - he simply attached his new fuse (I now have a backup) next to the old fuse assembly with a piece of double sided tape! He said that will promote the best airflow over the fuse so that it wont blow again.

Anyways I guess all is good now - although I might say it seems a bit of a half assed fix!


Jeff

Well, Sony sent a repair tech to my house, ordered what needed to be ordered, came back 2 days later and fixed the unit. I must say, Sony's service was great! TV is perfect now.

I have a question regarding viewing distance with the 60a20.

I have two seating areas, one about 10 or 11 feet away and the other 14 feet away. I spoke to a man at tweeter and he said that 10 feet was too close for the a20.

He said it would give me headache or eye strain. He said it would be okay for the 60 inch sxrd.

Does anyone have experieice with the a20 (with Standard Def/and HD) at 10 feet away? Good or bad?



What's your experience? :)

I have a question regarding viewing distance with the 60a20.

I have two seating areas, one about 10 or 11 feet away and the other 14 feet away. I spoke to a man at tweeter and he said that 10 feet was too close for the a20.

He said it would give me headache or eye strain. He said it would be okay for the 60 inch sxrd.

Does anyone have experieice with the a20 (with Standard Def/and HD) at 10 feet away? Good or bad?



What's your experience? :)

I sit 7 feet away from my 55A20 and experience NO PROBLEMS...
The Sony manual for this TV indicates a minimum distance of 7 feet for the 55A20 and 8 feet for the 60A20.....

How's the sd from that distance?

Do you get the sse with the a20?

SD is not bad (analog cable for me) (better than expected)

I experience no SDE and very minor SSE and I am watching 7 feet away in a dark room.....

I sit 7 feet away from my 55A20 and experience NO PROBLEMS...
The Sony manual for this TV indicates a minimum distance of 7 feet for the 55A20 and 8 feet for the 60A20.....No neck problems after watching a tennis match? :D

I may as well pipe in...

I bought my E55A20 in early March '06.

I bought it because my KP-51WS510 decided not to work one morning.

The night before the WS510 broke I had plugged my Marantz 7500 receiver into my pathetic set up.

I borrowed my brother's pick 'em up truck and drove to Best Buy.

Spent 1 hour looking at TVs.

Wife and I decided on the E55A20.

I couldn't get any salesperson's attention at BB. I left.

Drove to Circuit City just down the road.

Spent 30 mins looking at TVs and confirmed we wanted the E55A20.

Took over 20 mins after that to flag down a salesperson to hand them money.

Circuit City guys loaded TV into the back up of truck. My daughter watched the box the whole way home letting me know the TV hadn't flown away.

I set up the E55A20. Watched some stuff for 3 hours. Everything works, I leave the room because the wife wants to watch the premier of Big Love. 3 minutes into Big Love the TV turns off.

I pull the power plug and re-plug it and try to turn on TV. That red LED blinks a bunch, TV doesn't turn on. This happens for quite a while.

Wife is mad that she can't watch new TV show.

I am mad TV doesn't work.

Wife's doubly mad because our "old" TV worked fine until I introduced Marantz into the system. I try to tell her it was a fluke.

I take E55A20 back to Circuit City next day and get a replacement. 1 week later I go back with receipt and get 300+ dollars back since it was on sale on website :)

I believe my first set had the thermal fuse problem. I didn't bother looking at it's build date, I just took it back and picked up another.

I didn't know about the thermal fuse problem until after I had the set replaced :)

So far this TV has lasted almost 3 months!

I am afraid to look at the Born on Date on the TV I have!

HEY....at least you saved $300.00!!!

I have a question regarding viewing distance with the 60a20.

I have two seating areas, one about 10 or 11 feet away and the other 14 feet away. I spoke to a man at tweeter and he said that 10 feet was too close for the a20.

He said it would give me headache or eye strain. He said it would be okay for the 60 inch sxrd.

Does anyone have experieice with the a20 (with Standard Def/and HD) at 10 feet away? Good or bad?



What's your experience? :)

well some people like to sit in front of a theater and others like to set all the way in the back. depends on where you like to sit. NO SSE from 8' on my 55". i think he just wants to sell the more expensive 60"er

well some people like to sit in front of a theater and others like to set all the way in the back. depends on where you like to sit. NO SSE from 8' on my 55". i think he just wants to sell the more expensive 60"er

I think you mean, "no SDE (screen door effect) at 8'", not SSE (Silk Screen Effect). SSE is not effected by distance. It is present on almost all rear projection TV's no matter what distance your viewing at.

On the other hand, the closer you get to your TV the more likely you will see the Screen Door Effect which is actually seeing the lines of pixels making up the image.

I think you mean, "no SDE (screen door effect) at 8'", not SSE (Silk Screen Effect). SSE is not effected by distance. It is present on almost all rear projection TV's no matter what distance your viewing at.

On the other hand, the closer you get to your TV the more likely you will see the Screen Door Effect which is actually seeing the lines of pixels making up the image.Actually, I can see SSE and SDE on my 50A10 when viewing close (4' or less). I see neither at my normal 8'-13' viewing distance. SDE and SSE are both there at any distance....I just don't see them, or my mind's eye chooses to ignore them. ;)

Actually, I can see SSE and SDE on my 50A10 when viewing close (4' or less). I see neither at my normal 8'-13' viewing distance. SDE and SSE are both there at any distance....I just don't see them, or my mind's eye chooses to ignore them. ;)

Your lucky that you don't see the SSE at normal viewing distances. I see it no matter how far away from my TV I sit. I bought the 50" A10 back in March and hated seeing the SSE. So much so that I almost returned it for a Samsung DLP. Everyone here on AVS said I'll get used to it after a while. Well....Unfortunately, I didn't. :(

If it wasn't for the extremely visable SSE, I would give the 50" A10 a rating of 10. But it bothers me so much that I would have to rate it a 7.

No neck problems after watching a tennis match? :D


Can't complain

Well, yeah. It is my first HDTV and I did spend over 2 grand, I mean I thats a huge investment ofcourse I'll be worried about wearing it out.

I thought about that also...for about two minutes...I bought mine and I'm going to use...the bulb replacement might run you a couple of hundred now but down the road after 4,000 hours it will probably be even less...maybe $180..my wife was saying that the bulb is too expensive..so I'll put away $2.00 a week and have the cash ready..watch TV that's what it's for.
A60

I have a question regarding viewing distance with the 60a20.

I have two seating areas, one about 10 or 11 feet away and the other 14 feet away. I spoke to a man at tweeter and he said that 10 feet was too close for the a20.

He said it would give me headache or eye strain. He said it would be okay for the 60 inch sxrd.

Does anyone have experieice with the a20 (with Standard Def/and HD) at 10 feet away? Good or bad?



What's your experience? :)

I have the A60 and I sit 12 feet away viewing straight on...for me it's very comfortable. HI-DEF channels are awesome to view on this Sony...regular channels via Dish-Network are ok and they recently added CBS NBC ABC and FOX in HI_DEF so I'm very happy with the reception. Just for grins I have a couch that is off to the side and I kick back there sometimes and the viewing is still good! The only problem I have had is when the sun goes down at night if the drapes are open there is a glare spot dead center on the screen...it will only last about 15 minutes until the sun sets...easy fix close the drapes.

I have two seating areas, one about 10 or 11 feet away and the other 14 feet away. I spoke to a man at tweeter and he said that 10 feet was too close for the a20.

He said it would give me headache or eye strain. He said it would be okay for the 60 inch sxrd.

I sit 9 feet away from my 60" A20 and it looks fantastic. No SDE to speak of. Sounds like the salesperson was trying to get you to drop an extra grand or more for the SXRD. Pretty dodgy salesmanship if you ask me.

J.

I think you mean, "no SDE (screen door effect) at 8'", not SSE (Silk Screen Effect). SSE is not effected by distance. It is present on almost all rear projection TV's no matter what distance your viewing at.

On the other hand, the closer you get to your TV the more likely you will see the Screen Door Effect which is actually seeing the lines of pixels making up the image.


i did mean SDE (my bad for bad typing an d not proof reading) any way the A20 rocks. could not be happier. my brother has the a10 50"and it looks puny compared to the 55.

Just picked up the 55A20 last night at CC. $1950 out the door. Ive used some suggested setting from a member on here for the DV D player and the picture looks VERY VERY good. Now I just need some settings for SDTV. Any advice would be great.

Thanks,

Paul

Great price on that A20

Just picked up the 55A20 last night at CC. $1950 out the door. Ive used some suggested setting from a member on here for the DV D player and the picture looks VERY VERY good. Now I just need some settings for SDTV. Any advice would be great.

Thanks,

Paul

That is a good price Paul....what did you decide on for a stand?

Below $2k out the door is a good price. When I got mine in January, I got a deal on the price at time compared to the other dealers in my area and it was $2950 out the door with the matching Sony stand.

I would suggest the Sony stand if you are still looking. It really compliments the TV, which as you know by now, was an exellent choice :D

That is a good price Paul....what did you decide on for a stand?


Well uhhh....we're using a coffee table :D . The GF couldnt decide on what she wanted so we're using the coffee table for now. TRUST ME that if she finds a reason to buy furniture she will.

Paul

this is what i have and it fits perfectly. the black background of this center makes it disappear when the light are dimmed

http://www.hookerfurniture.com/photos/medium/HF17555239_5_04.jpg

Anyone used the Avia software on this? Any helpful hints? Sorry if I missed it in the thread. Ive read all of it, but may have missed it.

As mentioned before, I have the 55" A20 model that I purchased back in January. I have TWC with the SA8300HD DVR and I had a question that I hoped someone in this group could answer.

Since this TV is a 720p model, should I try and get my DVR to output just 720p? I believe it outputs at 1080 and my TV downconverts that to 720. I have the DVR connected via the HDMI port.

same here harley. Yeah just set it to 720p.

Anyone used the Avia software on this? Any helpful hints? Sorry if I missed it in the thread. Ive read all of it, but may have missed it.

I have my settings posted somewhere in this thread....try a search using "settings"

I'm really having issues with the black level. I never knew anything about black level when I got the television, and it's bothering me. My friend has a 50" SXRD and even in a completely dark basement it looks amazing. I go home to my 60A20 and there is nothing even close to black on the screen. I have my brightness turned down, etc.

Is there any hope for the A20 or do I need to get an SXRD to finally get dark inky blacks?

My wife called me first thing Tuesday morning to tell my KDFEA20 55" had gone "pop" the night before and now had a red flashing light. Thanks to this thread I knew exactly what it was. Manufacture date on mine was August 2005.

Called Best Buy for service and the earliest they could come was July 5. No way I was waiting that long so after searching on the Sony website found a local shop Radz Electronics and they are coming this Friday with the part. I doubt Best Buy would have come with the part which would have made my down time even longer.

Read all 22 pages of posts, very informative. I just bought my 55A20 for $1999 + tax at
Showcase Entertainment 2 days ago, they threw in a HDMI cable and a surge/line condtioner. I am upgrading from a 13 yr old Pioneer 50" set, wow, what a difference. We have 16 HD channels so far here in Phx-Cox Cable and they look awesome. After reading
all these posts, I don't even want to move my setup (hard to get to) to look at the build date. Is there any other way? Some HD channels still have the black bars on the side, why? SD broadcasts are ok, to improve I should choose 720p for my res in my HD DVR cable box? Another post said to change to cable in setup? I connect thru HDMI from cable box to TV, I then have my DVD player connected thru component cale to TV, still shopping for
audio system. Anyway great to be here and a owner of this great set, hope someone
will respond to my questions, thanks in advance! Tom

great info on this thread !

I searched but could not find the info I need, so I apologize if its posted somewhere else, but can anyone tell me how I can check the lamp time on a A20 (55" version) ?

I tried the same codes as for the A10 and it did not work.

Many thanks in advance.

I'm really having issues with the black level. I never knew anything about black level when I got the television, and it's bothering me. My friend has a 50" SXRD and even in a completely dark basement it looks amazing. I go home to my 60A20 and there is nothing even close to black on the screen. I have my brightness turned down, etc.

Is there any hope for the A20 or do I need to get an SXRD to finally get dark inky blacks?

I would recommend AVIA or VIDEO ESSENTIALS calibration disc as a first step to improve your black level....Also having the display back-lit would help...

Hello A20 owners, can you guys give me the quick and dirty pros and cons for the A10 and the A20? I am possibly going to switch out a set for one or the other and was wondering about the differences besides the iris. Both seem to be trouble free units with the A10 seemingly favored here at AVS.

Hello A20 owners, can you guys give me the quick and dirty pros and cons for the A10 and the A20? I am possibly going to switch out a set for one or the other and was wondering about the differences besides the iris. Both seem to be trouble free units with the A10 seemingly favored here at AVS.

I have an A20. I'd say the quick and dirty differences would be no iris on the A20 but the A20 has a slightly higher resolution (768p vs 720p). I think most people favor the A10 because while it included some new features (the iris probably being the biggest one) the A20 was very similar in most respects to last years model...

Of course you could always look into this one:

55" Grand WEGA™ 3LCD Rear Projection HDTVKDF-55E2000

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KDF55E2000&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tv_hdtv_projectiontv_55to80

Seems to be what you'd get if you bred a A20 to an A10. :)

I'm really having issues with the black level. I never knew anything about black level when I got the television, and it's bothering me. My friend has a 50" SXRD and even in a completely dark basement it looks amazing. I go home to my 60A20 and there is nothing even close to black on the screen. I have my brightness turned down, etc.

Is there any hope for the A20 or do I need to get an SXRD to finally get dark inky blacks?

Also keep in mind that there is no perfect TV right now so it's pretty easy to get TV envy depending on what you notice. Two friends of mine recently purchased Panasonic plasmas (one 50 inch and one 42) and yes, the look awesome with nice blacks. But would I have paid what they paid for a smaller set? (The 50 inch was close to $1000 more than what my 55 inch A20 is going for now a days). It's all a trade off.

I have an A20. I'd say the quick and dirty differences would be no iris on the A20 but the A20 has a slightly higher resolution (768p vs 720p). I think most people favor the A10 because while it included some new features (the iris probably being the biggest one) the A20 was very similar in most respects to last years model...

Of course you could always look into this one:

55" Grand WEGA™ 3LCD Rear Projection HDTVKDF-55E2000

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=KDF55E2000&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tv_hdtv_projectiontv_55to80

Seems to be what you'd get if you bred a A20 to an A10. :)

If i swap my dealer only has a 42A10 and the 55A20, so I'd be taking a size hit coming from a 52 inch set to the A10, I am not opposed to the 55A20 but was curious about the SDE on it, it will be 10 feet from my seating area. Are the blacks on these sets black or that bluish black? Thanks for the reply.

If i swap my dealer only has a 42A10 and the 55A20, so I'd be taking a size hit coming from a 52 inch set to the A10, I am not opposed to the 55A20 but was curious about the SDE on it, it will be 10 feet from my seating area. Are the blacks on these sets black or that bluish black? Thanks for the reply.

I don't notice any screen door at 10-12 feet but my girlfriend claims that she does. I actually notice what people call the 'silk screen effect' more but even that isn't that distracting.

Ultimately it comes down to what YOU like though so the only thing I can suggest is that you look at as many as you can before you pick one. If you are worried about the A20 you might try viewing it at a few showrooms to get a feel for how different conditions effect it.

I see rainbows on DLP so I felt like RP LCD was the best way for me to get a big screen at a reasonable price, but of course there are some compromises that had to be made. Contrast ratio/black crush is one of them, but there are worse things...I thought rainbows were much worse...

I don't notice any screen door at 10-12 feet but my girlfriend claims that she does. I actually notice what people call the 'silk screen effect' more but even that isn't that distracting.

Ultimately it comes down to what YOU like though so the only thing I can suggest is that you look at as many as you can before you pick one. If you are worried about the A20 you might try viewing it at a few showrooms to get a feel for how different conditions effect it.

I see rainbows on DLP so I felt like RP LCD was the best way for me to get a big screen at a reasonable price, but of course there are some compromises that had to be made. Contrast ratio/black crush is one of them, but there are worse things...I thought rainbows were much worse...
I would be coming from a JVC 52z, so black crush isn't a deal breaker. As long as the blacks are blackish and not bluish I'm good.

I have enjoyed reading all the post on this forum and this thread. I had been eyeing the 60" SXRD for some time, but after seeing the "green blob" syndrome on the set at BB and also at Frys, I started reading about that and didn't like what was being said on that defect :) . I then saw the 60" A20 side by side with the 60" SXRD and was impressed with the A20 (especially considering the price difference). I began reading on this and other sites about the A20 and decided to get the A20. I ended up ordering the 60" A20 from a highly recommended site for $2300 delivered (also included a nice choice of bonus gift). It is supposed to be here Monday, so I will probably be asking for your help and ideas on setup etc. Thanks again for your post and advice.

Is Sony still making these?

I've looked around the stores here in the OKC area and can't find it.

Circuit City said they discountinued it.

I have an A20. I'd say the quick and dirty differences would be no iris on the A20 but the A20 has a slightly higher resolution (768p vs 720p). I think most people favor the A10 because while it included some new features (the iris probably being the biggest one) the A20 was very similar in most respects to last years model...


Call me ignorant, but what's the "iris"

I would recommend AVIA or VIDEO ESSENTIALS calibration disc as a first step to improve your black level....Also having the display back-lit would help...


Funny, I have used a back light from almost day one and I never have any complaints about blacks. I think there is a link somewhere to on this site to CNET and they have a one minute video on setting up the lighting. Made a world of difference for eye strain.
Also, I tried the DVD Essentials disc for tuning or "calibrating"....It made the PQ worse more than anything and I just went back to the defaults. It may have been my user error though. Not sure.....

Is Sony still making these?

I've looked around the stores here in the OKC area and can't find it.

Circuit City said they discountinued it.

I believe it has been replaced by the 'E20' line which combine some of the best features of the 'A10' and 'A20' models. There are probably still many 'A20' models out there though, could be a good time for a deal.

There are still some in the stores in Georgia. The Frys in Atlanta had some this week. The CC here had the 55" but said they could still get the 60" Also if you do a google on these A20 you will see several etraders still have them for very good deals.

I just found it for $2,069 at ultimate electronics. Hmmm...maybe I can get a stand, 5 year warranty, 2 sets of composite cables, and an HDMI cable for $2,500.

Or is that asking for too much? I'll barter with the salesman but I have never bought a TV before so I'm not sure what to expect.

I just found it for $2,069 at ultimate electronics. Hmmm...maybe I can get a stand, 5 year warranty, 2 sets of composite cables, and an HDMI cable for $2,500.

Or is that asking for too much? I'll barter with the salesman but I have never bought a TV before so I'm not sure what to expect.


It never hurts to try, but that price sounds close to bottom. The 5 year warranty might throw you out of that price. Also, have to be careful with some of those extended warranty, check the fine print.

What should I check for?

What should I check for?

For one thing, does the warranty cover in house service or do you have to bring the set in? Also, does it cover lamps and how many times for replacement? Does it cover full replacement if the set has repeating problems with the same defect? In general, make sure it covers what you need.

I'm leaning toward a Sony A20. Relative to an extended warranty, does Sony offer one? Is it best to get one through the manufactureer (Sony) or through the store you purchase from, i.e. BB, CC, Frys? I'd like some guidance. Thanks, FJK

I'm leaning toward a Sony A20. Relative to an extended warranty, does Sony offer one? Is it best to get one through the manufactureer (Sony) or through the store you purchase from, i.e. BB, CC, Frys? I'd like some guidance. Thanks, FJK

Welcome, Check out Sam's Club for a A20. That price includes a stand, they also have a warranty package and a 30 day take back policy. I bought my 60" there in March of this year and 45 days later they compt me back the difference after the price dropped. I don't regret selecting this TV ....HD viewing is excellent.

Welcome, Check out Sam's Club for a A20. That price includes a stand, they also have a warranty package and a 30 day take back policy. I bought my 60" there in March of this year and 45 days later they compt me back the difference after the price dropped. I don't regret selecting this TV ....HD viewing is excellent.


The 60" Sony w/ stand at our local Sams is the model prior to the A20 series and has the big wing speakers like the XBR series (I don't recall the model number).

Who provides the repair service for Sam's Club?

Who provides the repair service for Sam's Club?

National Electronics Warranty Corporation.

Well the truck line just delivered my 60A20 this morning that I had ordered. I got it unboxed and connected my DVD up just to test it and make sure it arrived O.K. Man, this thing looks amazing right out of the box. BTW mine has a built date of June 06. Looking forward to many great hours of enjoyment from the Sony.

I just picked up our E60A20 at Costco for 2399.00 with the stand included (Oregon). My girlfriend made me watch Oprah since it happened to be on after I got it hooked up...still impressed!

I just picked up our E60A20 at Costco for 2399.00 with the stand included (Oregon). My girlfriend made me watch Oprah since it happened to be on after I got it hooked up...still impressed!

That's a great price!!! You scored....

Where is a tweak thread for the A20? Will the A10 settings work?

Hey guys/gals, anyone using an HR10-250 HDTivo?
Do you prefer 720p or 1080i?
Also HDMI or Component?

I will say that this set handles SD from D* extremely well if you output 480i blows my previous set away. The HD is equal to my last set.

Are the A10 settings agreeable with the A20?
One last thing, Avia or DVE?
Thanks in advance. The A20 is a winner so far.

It looks like th 60 A20 is at rock bottom prices. I have some questions, both general knowlede & to resolve some info I got at BB.

Most of what I might watch will be SD. Will the picture be as good as my 12 yr old big screen?

The volume at BB was up all the way & the set did not seem loud at all. Volume is a big deal for me, getting old. Is this the case with the A20 or did BB have low audio input level?

A20 has only 1 hi-def input. How bad of a dis- advantage in years to come?

I have comcast digital cable. Do you get a new box for hi-def to feed into the hi-def input in the tv or does hd cable feed the same way? Hence, the preceding question?

Want to get the set through Sam's, with extended warranty. How many bulb replacements does that work out to?

Thanks in advance for helping out the old guy. FJK

It looks like th 60 A20 is at rock bottom prices. I have some questions, both general knowlede & to resolve some info I got at BB.

Most of what I might watch will be SD. Will the picture be as good as my 12 yr old big screen?

The volume at BB was up all the way & the set did not seem loud at all. Volume is a big deal for me, getting old. Is this the case with the A20 or did BB have low audio input level?

A20 has only 1 hi-def input. How bad of a dis- advantage in years to come?

I have comcast digital cable. Do you get a new box for hi-def to feed into the hi-def input in the tv or does hd cable feed the same way? Hence, the preceding question?

Want to get the set through Sam's, with extended warranty. How many bulb replacements does that work out to?

Thanks in advance for helping out the old guy. FJK

Welcome to the dead A20 thread :) . I have been trying to get some input for days now to no avail. Anyways coming from a JVC D-ILA set the SD channels are VERY much improved almost night and day when using some of the tweaks form Dark Rain. The A20 has more than one HD input it just has one HDMI. I cannot comment on the sets audio as mine is ran through a separate reciever. I would say that SD is great on the A20 once you tweak it a little. I can tell little to no difference in HD coming from my JVC which is good as the JVC HD pic was stellar to say the least. I have only had it 2 days and the improved SD quality from D* has almost been more impressive than any HD, I guess it was really bad on the JVC. I think most A20 users are frequenting the A10 threads as the settings and tweaks transfer nicely between the two sets. The differences in the service menu leave me at a loss on the greyscale and red push fixes though. My better half is out of town this week so I will have ample tweak time and hope to try and map some service menu items just for posterity. I am seeking a service manual so if you come across one PM me and I will do the same, thanks.

Welcome to the dead A20 thread :) . I have been trying to get some input for days now to no avail. Anyways coming from a JVC D-ILA set the SD channels are VERY much improved almost night and day when using some of the tweaks form Dark Rain. The A20 has more than one HD input it just has one HDMI. I cannot comment on the sets audio as mine is ran through a separate reciever. I would say that SD is great on the A20 once you tweak it a little. I can tell little to no difference in HD coming from my JVC which is good as the JVC HD pic was stellar to say the least. I have only had it 2 days and the improved SD quality from D* has almost been more impressive than any HD, I guess it was really bad on the JVC. I think most A20 users are frequenting the A10 threads as the settings and tweaks transfer nicely between the two sets. The differences in the service menu leave me at a loss on the greyscale and red push fixes though. My better half is out of town this week so I will have ample tweak time and hope to try and map some service menu items just for posterity. I am seeking a service manual so if you come across one PM me and I will do the same, thanks.

I think most people interested in the A20 have already had their sets for a while and now Sony has replacements coming out. I too am getting a late start on my A20. I had been studying Rear projection HDTVs since about Sept. I had pretty much decided that the XBR Sony was tops on my list (except the price) until I started actually seeing the "green blob" on sets in stores and then reading about it too. That scared me away and with Sony's announcement of their replacement for those had the instock XBRs running out. I then saw a 60" A20 side by side with the XBR with both showing the same HD picture and was pretty amazed at the closeness of the two. I ended up ordering my 60A20 off the net ($2300 delivered) and just got it this past week. I havent had much time to play with it yet, but did play a couple of DVDs through it and it looks good right out of the box, haven't tweaked anything yet.
As far as the question on the sound. I think it has good volume through the onboard speakers. I played a concert DVD and had the volume at about 50% and it was great. When I get this set moved into its resting place, I will have the audio routed through the Yamaha deck.
Also, you mention some settings from "Dark Rain" I am not familiar with that. Is that a site or forum poster? Can you give some info? I would be glad to hear anyone's suggestions on settings and/or tweaks!

Also, you mention some settings from "Dark Rain" I am not familiar with that. Is that a site or forum poster? Can you give some info? I would be glad to hear anyone's suggestions on settings and/or tweaks!
Try the A10 threads, he is a poster over there. Most of the posted user settings look great on the A20. I am trying to find if the 'red push fix' is doable on the A20 although I do not see it like I saw on the A10s. It seems like most of the A10 peeps are either very tight lipped or the info just isn't there. There is a Grand Wega V tweak thread with some great info also.

Welcome to the dead A20 thread :) . I have been trying to get some input for days now to no avail. Anyways coming from a JVC D-ILA set the SD channels are VERY much improved almost night and day when using some of the tweaks form Dark Rain. .

Thanks for your reply darthrsg about "dark rain". I did a search after my post and found it too. You mentioned in the quote above about coming from the JVC. I looked at some of the JVC of that series, but read too many posts about service issues, especially lamp failures. Not sure if that is true or not. Just curious about you moving to the Sony? Just from reading various forums and reviews on the net, it seems that most RPTV have a few quirks and/or service issues. This A20 Sony seemed one of the most reliable out of the bunch. I talked to a friend that is a service tech. on most major brands and he said the Sony 3LCD series are pretty reliable. Well time will tell.
Well my oldest daughter gets married this Sat. and my youngest moves back to college the next week. Looks like early Aug. before I get to do much with my new toy anyway. Good luck with yours.

Thanks for your reply darthrsg about "dark rain". I did a search after my post and found it too. You mentioned in the quote above about coming from the JVC. I looked at some of the JVC of that series, but read too many posts about service issues, especially lamp failures. Not sure if that is true or not. Just curious about you moving to the Sony? Just from reading various forums and reviews on the net, it seems that most RPTV have a few quirks and/or service issues. This A20 Sony seemed one of the most reliable out of the bunch. I talked to a friend that is a service tech. on most major brands and he said the Sony 3LCD series are pretty reliable. Well time will tell.
Well my oldest daughter gets married this Sat. and my youngest moves back to college the next week. Looks like early Aug. before I get to do much with my new toy anyway. Good luck with yours.
My issue with JVC is their service for getting a repair. 6 months is too long. Luckily my dealer let me return it even after a year and get a full refund to get the Sony.

Welcome to the dead A20 thread :) . I have been trying to get some input for days now to no avail. Anyways coming from a JVC D-ILA set the SD channels are VERY much improved almost night and day when using some of the tweaks form Dark Rain. The A20 has more than one HD input it just has one HDMI. I cannot comment on the sets audio as mine is ran through a separate reciever. I would say that SD is great on the A20 once you tweak it a little. I can tell little to no difference in HD coming from my JVC which is good as the JVC HD pic was stellar to say the least. I have only had it 2 days and the improved SD quality from D* has almost been more impressive than any HD, I guess it was really bad on the JVC. I think most A20 users are frequenting the A10 threads as the settings and tweaks transfer nicely between the two sets. The differences in the service menu leave me at a loss on the greyscale and red push fixes though. My better half is out of town this week so I will have ample tweak time and hope to try and map some service menu items just for posterity. I am seeking a service manual so if you come across one PM me and I will do the same, thanks.

(Dead thread) Probably due to little if no issues with the A20. I run the audio from my receiver with the set speakers off. Out of the box the set looks great to me. I'm not sure if the A10 settings are a match to the A20. Analog viewing is OK but not outstanding, but digital is better and of course HD is awesome. I have Dish-network and set the VIP211 to 720p. We put the 40" glass Mits in the master bedroom and I would except the A20 to be our main set for at least the next five years....I run this set at least 8-9 hours a day...

(Dead thread) Probably due to little if no issues with the A20.
That's what I like to hear :) . I know the A20 is a little old and it's not the SXRD but not having blobs or being a beta tester like I was for JVC is great. Of note, I seem to prefer the 480i output of my dvd to 480p, I wonder if others have similar experiences?

Well boys.... ran into the same problem as many others. Watching TV Friday night and the TV shut off, got the red light flashing 6 times. Called Best Buy, arranged for repair yesterday. The guy was in and out in 15 minutes. On the repair reciept, it says they replaced the thermal fuse. Now I thought the issue with the A20 was a thermo coupler??? or is that the same thing??
Manufacture date was Aug 2005.....

Well boys.... ran into the same problem as many others. Watching TV Friday night and the TV shut off, got the red light flashing 6 times. Called Best Buy, arranged for repair yesterday. The guy was in and out in 15 minutes. On the repair reciept, it says they replaced the thermal fuse. Now I thought the issue with the A20 was a thermo coupler??? or is that the same thing??
Manufacture date was Aug 2005.....
How long have you had it?

How long have you had it?

I have had the TV since December 2005..... good thing I got the extended warranty (although it is still within the manufacturer warranty)

Well boys.... ran into the same problem as many others. Watching TV Friday night and the TV shut off, got the red light flashing 6 times. Called Best Buy, arranged for repair yesterday. The guy was in and out in 15 minutes. On the repair reciept, it says they replaced the thermal fuse. Now I thought the issue with the A20 was a thermo coupler??? or is that the same thing??
Manufacture date was Aug 2005.....

Thermal fuse and thermo coupler are the same thing.

Hey everyone!

So after owning a Toshiba 46HM95 for just over a month, it died on me, so I returned it yesterday, and just picked up the E55A20, and am amazed at the improvement! It is absolutely beatiful, even with just a SD E* satellite receiver. Makes me want to upgrade to the HD stuff now!

Fired up my Xbox with it this morning, and it looks amazing. Once I get home today, I'm definitely going to try some of the color settings upthread and see if I like it better.

So thanks all for the information, and it's nice to know a place like this exists for questions and answers.

Hey everyone!

So after owning a Toshiba 46HM95 for just over a month, it died on me, so I returned it yesterday, and just picked up the E55A20, and am amazed at the improvement! It is absolutely beatiful, even with just a SD E* satellite receiver. Makes me want to upgrade to the HD stuff now!

Fired up my Xbox with it this morning, and it looks amazing. Once I get home today, I'm definitely going to try some of the color settings upthread and see if I like it better.

So thanks all for the information, and it's nice to know a place like this exists for questions and answers.
I have had mine since Saturday and am loving it. The A10 owners thread has a lot more settings and such and they seem to transfer really well to the A20. These sets really handle SD well and they are no slouches in the HD area either. The XBOX 360 really kicks arse. It is really hard to find any service menu tweaks though, dialing in grayscale or tweaking red push are always handy options. I have not noticed any red push and between Avia and DVE the colors are fantastic. With a little bias lighting or backlighting in your viewing room the blacks on the A20 are great. Enjoy your set.

Alright, now to inject a little life into this thread.

By following Dark Rain's KDFEA10 Grand Wega Tweaks and his grayscale tweaks I have found the same settings inthe KDFE55A20 service menu.

enter the service menu by having the set OFF
enter this sequence: display, 5, volume+, power
you will see a small area of numbrs and such in the upper left corner
press the JUMP button twice, you should see bold green lettering
press 5 eleven times to reach the D9809PIC item
press 1 four times to reach the RGAIN setting, it is defaulted to 127 on my set
press 6 three times to lower the RGAIN
press 1 two times to reach the BGAIN setting, mine was defaulted to 127
press 6 sixteen times lower the BGAIN
save by pressing MUTING followed by ENT(er)
power off, power on
He suggests using the WARM2 color setting, A20 doesn't have this so try WARM. I prefer NEUTRAL.
His posting suggests these tweaks are tracking very close to 6500K, of course without the right equipment you cannot be sure. I hope this helps fellow A20 owners out. You should read through the A10 threads for additional information.

There is mention of a red push tweak but the particular settings they provide I have not found in the A20 service menu. I personally do not see red push on my A20 unless it is set on the WARM/STANDARD settings. I prefer the CUSTOM/NEUTRAL myself.

Thanks for the info. It's nice to actually have something for the A20 instead of always having to try out the A10 settings.

Tripplite UPS
Here in Arizona we get a fair share of the power going off, so when I bought my A60 I also picked up a UPS. From what I know its not a good idea for the bulb to take a power off hit because you need the fan to cool down the bulb. For my peace of mind it gives me enough time to cool down the bulb. Nine power outages since March of this year.

Can the A20 series give the total hours on the lamp? If so, what menu and/or remote key strokes gets you to that information? When the lamp is replaced, does the hour timer reset automatically or manually through the service menu?

Can the A20 series give the total hours on the lamp? If so, what menu and/or remote key strokes gets you to that information? When the lamp is replaced, does the hour timer reset automatically or manually through the service menu?
I saw that somewhere in the service menu, it will display hours. When I get some more tinker time, I'll document it and post. The instructions may not deviate too much from the A10.

Tripplite UPS
Here in Arizona we get a fair share of the power going off, so when I bought my A60 I also picked up a UPS. From what I know its not a good idea for the bulb to take a power off hit because you need the fan to cool down the bulb. For my peace of mind it gives me enough time to cool down the bulb. Nine power outages since March of this year.

I read in here somewhere that the reason for the fan coming on is to cool the bulb down in case of a quick re-start. It doesn't want to re-start with a hot bulb. If that is true it doesn't seem like a UPS would be necessary.

I read in here somewhere that the reason for the fan coming on is to cool the bulb down in case of a quick re-start. It doesn't want to re-start with a hot bulb. If that is true it doesn't seem like a UPS would be necessary.

I think the reason that I use a UPS on my A20 and other pricey electronics is that regardless of the above issues, a UPS conditions your incoming electricity and provides consistent clean power to your equipment. You just don't get the same level of quality power out of a surge protector.

What size UPS are you all using for your A20?

I own many UPSs but they are all for smaller electronic devices (i.e. computers, DVRs, VCRs, Cable Box etc...)

I've often wondered what size would work for the A20 (understanding that it will not power the whole TV but only the cooling fan when necessary)

I know that UPSs are rated for wattage but I wasn't sure what the wattage requirement is for the cooling fan.

I imagine that there is also a "surge" when the A20 is turned on. Is anybody noticing any issues with smaller UPSs hooked up to the A20 when turning it on?

I'm not using a very large UPS. I have an APC 500 and my A20, XBox 360, DVD player and SA 8300 DVR attached.

A20 Lamp time..

Screen Display Method
To access service mode, press the buttons on the Remote Commander sequentially, in rapid succession, as shown below:
1. Press DISPLAY Channel 5 Volume + POWER
2. Press JUMP until the PANEL service menu displays.
3. To display the Lamp time, press 2 until the OPTION_E category displays.
4. The LampTM is the fi rst item in the OPTION_E category.
(If the LampTM item is not displayed, press 1 until the LampTM item displays.)
exam
Item
Hours On/Off Cycle
ple
PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM LampCT 14 71
Category
The screen displays:
“Total lamp time is 14 hours” and “Total lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times”
NOTE: If replacing the lamp, reset the lamp time by pressing Channel 3 Mute ENT .
WRI-EXE(Character color is Red) is momemtarily displayed and LampTM is reset to “0”.
5. To display the Panel time, press 1 until the PanelTM item displays.
example
PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h
The screen displays:
“Total Panel time is 14 hours”
NOTE: You cannot reset the Panel time with the Service menu.
Exiting Service Mode
After completing the changes exit service mode by turning off the set using the Remote Commander or the power switch.

What size UPS are you all using for your A20?

I own many UPSs but they are all for smaller electronic devices (i.e. computers, DVRs, VCRs, Cable Box etc...)

I've often wondered what size would work for the A20 (understanding that it will not power the whole TV but only the cooling fan when necessary)

I know that UPSs are rated for wattage but I wasn't sure what the wattage requirement is for the cooling fan.

I imagine that there is also a "surge" when the A20 is turned on. Is anybody noticing any issues with smaller UPSs hooked up to the A20 when turning it on?

I'm using a Tripplite TRP-Smart1000 LCD, for my A20-60, Dish receiver, Yamaha amp and a sub-woofer. If I'm watching a program and the power goes off I can still watch TV but I don't. It allows me more than enough time to power everything off. Like Harley Dude said earlier it also cleans up the power plus has a surge protector.

A20 Lamp time..

Screen Display Method
To access service mode, press the buttons on the Remote Commander sequentially, in rapid succession, as shown below:
1. Press DISPLAY Channel 5 Volume + POWER
2. Press JUMP until the PANEL service menu displays.
3. To display the Lamp time, press 2 until the OPTION_E category displays.
4. The LampTM is the fi rst item in the OPTION_E category.
(If the LampTM item is not displayed, press 1 until the LampTM item displays.)
exam
Item
Hours On/Off Cycle
ple
PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
0 LAMP 0 Diff 1
LampTM LampCT 14 71
Category
The screen displays:
“Total lamp time is 14 hours” and “Total lamp ON/OFF cycle is 71 times”
NOTE: If replacing the lamp, reset the lamp time by pressing Channel 3 Mute ENT .
WRI-EXE(Character color is Red) is momemtarily displayed and LampTM is reset to “0”.
5. To display the Panel time, press 1 until the PanelTM item displays.
example
PANEL NVM OK 9 OPTION_E
7 SH SFT1 10 Diff 1
PanelTM 14h
The screen displays:
“Total Panel time is 14 hours”
NOTE: You cannot reset the Panel time with the Service menu.
Exiting Service Mode
After completing the changes exit service mode by turning off the set using the Remote Commander or the power switch.

That is really great info! I appreciate it. Do you know if there is a counter in that menu that tracks how many times it has been accessed or what was changed if any? I'm just thinking if I access the service menu and later down the road I need warranty work done and the question comes up...."has anyone done any work on this" or does it matter?

As far as I have been able to tell, there is no counter for number of service menu accesses.
Just for the thermal fuse replacement the tech was in and out of the Service menu 4 times.

What size UPS are you all using for your A20? I just purchased the Belking Pure/AV AP30800-10 as it was recommended on another thread. My 60a2000 will be delivered next Friday - which leads to another question. Until my new Denon AV receiver is installed in a few weeks, does anyone have a suggestion on how to connect between the Time Warner SA8300 DVR cable box and the SXRD? I'm confused as to whether simply going cable out/cable in is the way to go, or composite, or DVI (if the box has it) to HDMI? The reason I ask is that I'd like to have the appropriate cables here for when the set is delivered. Thanks guys!!!

Has anyone needed to replace their bulb yet?
Is the XL-2200 rated at 4k hours or more than that?
I am currently at 3600 hours on my 55A20 and am getting ready to buy a spare.

I just purchased the Belking Pure/AV AP30800-10 as it was recommended on another thread. My 60a2000 will be delivered next Friday - which leads to another question. Until my new Denon AV receiver is installed in a few weeks, does anyone have a suggestion on how to connect between the Time Warner SA8300 DVR cable box and the SXRD? I'm confused as to whether simply going cable out/cable in is the way to go, or composite, or DVI (if the box has it) to HDMI? The reason I ask is that I'd like to have the appropriate cables here for when the set is delivered. Thanks guys!!!


if you have HDMI then that connection, if not then Composite. as for audio optical

Bump

I know this was talked about a little bit on this thread earlier, but does anyone have an opinion on an upconverting DVD with this TV? Those of you that have one, was the difference noticable? DVDs look pretty good already from a standard progressive player. Is the scaler in an upconverting DVD player going to be that much better than the TV's?

Also, I am little confused on the connections from an upconverting DVD player. Currently I am using the HDMI port for my cable box and component cable for the DVD player. It looks like many of the upconverting DVD players are set up to use an HDMI cable. Does this mean that I would have to switch my cable box to component instead of HDMI?

I know this was talked about a little bit on this thread earlier, but does anyone have an opinion on an upconverting DVD with this TV? Those of you that have one, was the difference noticable? DVDs look pretty good already from a standard progressive player. Is the scaler in an upconverting DVD player going to be that much better than the TV's?

Also, I am little confused on the connections from an upconverting DVD player. Currently I am using the HDMI port for my cable box and component cable for the DVD player. It looks like many of the upconverting DVD players are set up to use an HDMI cable. Does this mean that I would have to switch my cable box to component instead of HDMI?

I have the Zenith DVB-318 upconverting player and it has upconversion through the component outs. This required a firmware change (you can find this on the net). They have been out of production, but I was able to find some on the net. If you do a search on this site, you will see lots of comments on this unit. It has a great picture on my 60A20. I don't have any experience with other units, maybe someone else has.

Anyone still looking for 60A20 (or any electronics) should check out "Vann's.com" I bought mine there about a month ago. They had great service and fast shipping. I was checking their stock for a friend and saw they had lowered the price from what I paid. I emailed them and asked about 30 day price gaurantee. They are giving me a credit for the difference of the new price. I highly recommend these folks. They do buisness the right way.

:p Got mine on the fist of this year! I'm already at 2,779 hours 590ish bulb encounters... should I be worried or has anyone been way over this number? I got a two year warranty at CC anyways and it covers bulb etc..

Has anyone officialy found the hours on this lamp model-life span???

Wally_Gator : I see you have hit close to 3.6k lamp hours how is it still doing?

I might try to sell this tv.. I can't decide yet. It's still kicking strong though.

I have the 60a20.

How many hours you guys got clocked??

Let me know, thanks! :p

:p Got mine on the fist of this year! I'm already at 2,779 hours 590ish bulb encounters... should I be worried or has anyone been way over this number? I got a two year warranty at CC anyways and it covers bulb etc..

Has anyone officialy found the hours on this lamp model-life span???

Wally_Gator : I see you have hit close to 3.6k lamp hours how is it still doing?

I might try to sell this tv.. I can't decide yet. It's still kicking strong though.

I have the 60a20.

How many hours you guys got clocked??

Let me know, thanks! :p

if i may ask, why sell the 60a20, are you not happy with it?

if i may ask, why sell the 60a20, are you not happy with it?

Newer Technology.

:p Got mine on the fist of this year! I'm already at 2,779 hours 590ish bulb encounters... should I be worried or has anyone been way over this number? I got a two year warranty at CC anyways and it covers bulb etc..

Has anyone officialy found the hours on this lamp model-life span???

Wally_Gator : I see you have hit close to 3.6k lamp hours how is it still doing?

I might try to sell this tv.. I can't decide yet. It's still kicking strong though.

I have the 60a20.

How many hours you guys got clocked??

Let me know, thanks! :p


No probs with the bulb YET... I was wondering about the estimated life. I have the Extended service plan as well. Just wondering if I need to get my order my spare for the Just In Case the service company cannot get out to me in a short period of time.

Is there anyway to switch video inputs directly, say like going from Video 2 to Video 7, without using the menu or Wega button? I need to program a remote to auto switch to the dvd input when I press DVD button.

Thanks

Is there anyway to switch video inputs directly, say like going from Video 2 to Video 7, without using the menu or Wega button? I need to program a remote to auto switch to the dvd input when I press DVD button.

Thanks

I would like to know this too. Also, can you step backwards in video inputs, rather than have to step trough all inputs to get to a previous one?

My 60A20 only shows 6 video inputs, unless you count the OTA antenna or cable inputs as number 7.

Is there anyway to switch video inputs directly, say like going from Video 2 to Video 7, without using the menu or Wega button? I need to program a remote to auto switch to the dvd input when I press DVD button.

Thanks

My MX-700 Universal Remote can do it so there must be a way. I'm sorry but I don't know how it does it. It has a database of devices it knows codes for and all I had to do was select the device. At the time I set it up the closest match to my A20 was KDF55WE655. It now lists my exact model TV but I never changed it (it's not broke so I'm not fixing it).

Mort

jpesc and kencal51, you need a programmable remote control that can learn discrete codes or that can access downloadable codes. Go to www. remotecentral.com for more info on this. There are discrete codes for Sony TV's for each input which will take you directly to a given input. I have a 55A20, and these codes work great. I'm using an MX-850 remote from Universal Remotes. It has an infrared database that has the codes as mentioned by MortGuffman, but you can also download the codes from remotecentral.com for several different brands of universal remote controls. Good luck.

Harmony 880 allows direct input selection also.

jpesc and kencal51, you need a programmable remote control that can learn discrete codes or that can access downloadable codes. Go to www. remotecentral.com for more info on this. There are discrete codes for Sony TV's for each input which will take you directly to a given input. I have a 55A20, and these codes work great. I'm using an MX-850 remote from Universal Remotes. It has an infrared database that has the codes as mentioned by MortGuffman, but you can also download the codes from remotecentral.com for several different brands of universal remote controls. Good luck.

I got a Harmony 628 (as a freebie with my TV purchase), but haven't had much time to play with it yet. It seems to be low on the features pole, but it may have enough to do this, when I get it fully programmed.

First of all, i'm going to be sitting about 13 feet from the t.v. is that too close for a 60 inch hdtv?
Second how does sd picture look on this t.v.? (especially if anyone has dish network)

Please help with HDMI problem,

I am currently using Motorola HD box DCT6412 III from MediaCom with my E55A20.
I can't find anywhere in the set up from the menu of Sony to get the HDMI signal to work with Motorola box. Please help, I am using the Component cable now and I could never watch HD with a full screen, would I be able to watch full screen if the HDMI sign work?
Is it a big different in PQ between component and HDMI?

Many thanks guys.

Kevin

First of all, i'm going to be sitting about 13 feet from the t.v. is that too close for a 60 inch hdtv?
Second how does sd picture look on this t.v.? (especially if anyone has dish network)
You are not too far, it should be about right. As for Dish it will close to a step below DVD and above VHS. I use D* and it varies from channel to channel.

Please help with HDMI problem,

I am currently using Motorola HD box DCT6412 III from MediaCom with my E55A20.
I can't find anywhere in the set up from the menu of Sony to get the HDMI signal to work with Motorola box. Please help, I am using the Component cable now and I could never watch HD with a full screen, would I be able to watch full screen if the HDMI sign work?
Is it a big different in PQ between component and HDMI?

Many thanks guys.

Kevin

Are you sure that the cable box is set up correctly? Turn the cable box off and then press "menu". I think that will let you enter the cable box menu. Set up the cable box to output 1080i.

First of all, i'm going to be sitting about 13 feet from the t.v. is that too close for a 60 inch hdtv?
Second how does sd picture look on this t.v.? (especially if anyone has dish network)

that is plenty, the recommended sitting minimum is 9.6 feet for the 60 (or something close to this). go to the store and sit 13' away and see what you think.

SD looked great on dish N - HD though is unbelievable

I am trying to enter the menu to check the lamp hours on my KDF-E55A20 Sony TV. I must not be holding my mouth right. I hit the "Display" key, then the number "5" key on the remote, then the volume + key, then the green "Power" button on the top of the remote. Can someone help me please. I am missing the boat somehow. Thanks in advance. WolfpackRon.

Are you sure that the cable box is set up correctly? Turn the cable box off and then press "menu". I think that will let you enter the cable box menu. Set up the cable box to output 1080i.

Thx Mrega, I will try that when I get home today.

Anyone know if that is the way to do it or is there another way to configure the HDMI cable to work for Motorola box and E55A20?

Thx.

Please help, I tried to turn off the cable box and set it up to 1080i, but it is for the component cable not HDMI, I think.
I turned to Video 6 which is for the HDMI from the connect in the back of the TV, is there anything else that I need to set up from the TV.

I paid a hundred bucks for a HDMI cable from Tweeter but still can't get it to works... pls help. THANKS GUYSSSSSSSSSS.

Kevin

bump.....

Please help with HDMI problem,

I am currently using Motorola HD box DCT6412 III from MediaCom with my E55A20.
I can't find anywhere in the set up from the menu of Sony to get the HDMI signal to work with Motorola box. Please help, I am using the Component cable now and I could never watch HD with a full screen, would I be able to watch full screen if the HDMI sign work?
Is it a big different in PQ between component and HDMI?

Many thanks guys.

Kevin

Tiger, slow down. If that didn't work, maybe you should re-state your problem a little clearer. I can't really follow what you are saying above. Are you saying that you are currently using component cables and that HD channels are not filling in the whole screen? If so, that is a problem unrelated to the HDMI issue. Component cables should give you a pretty good 1080i picture. Very comparable to HDMI. I don't know what else you may have hooked up to your system, but unplug everything except for the component cables, make sure the TV is on that input and turn on a HD channel to see how it looks. If it doesn't fill the screen, are the bars on the sides or bottoms? Do the same thing with your HDMI cable and if there is a problem, report the specific results.

Also, did the cablebox menu have an option for 16:9 screen?

By the way, I would recommend that you return that HDMI cable if possible and buy a cheaper one. I bought one for under $10 on-line and it works fine.

Thanks for helping Mrega!

I am currently using RCA cable to connect cable box to TV.

I turned off the cable box and looked up the menu, it shown that the it has the option for 16:9 screen and it’s setting to use.

Right below the option for the 16:9 screen is the setting for Component cable (setting at 1080I), but I did not see anything for HDMI.

What can I do (configure) to get the HDMI port to work?
Where can I find HDMI and component cable for $10? Is it any good?

Does expensive cable really make a different??????????[U]

Thanks a bunch for helping again Mrega!!!!!!!!

Kevin

bump.

Good cable prices:
https://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=789&gclid=CMG99OSL94YCFQMyHgod6zFRXA

Thanks for helping Mrega!

I am currently using RCA cable to connect cable box to TV.

I turned off the cable box and looked up the menu, it shown that the it has the option for 16:9 screen and it’s setting to use.

Right below the option for the 16:9 screen is the setting for Component cable (setting at 1080I), but I did not see anything for HDMI.


Kevin - I don't have the series III cable box, but I have a Motorola 6412. The setting you are seeing for component also affects the HDMI connection, it's just not listed in the menu. I think mine says "YPbPr Output" but it is also the output for HDMI. Also, you say you are using RCA cable to connect cable box to TV. Unplug that connection once you have your HDMI cable connected to the TV.

[QUOTE=Melanotheron]I think mine says "YPbPr Output" but it is also the output for HDMI.QUOTE]

Mine says the same thing for the output.
Thanks, I will try that.

Kevin

Ok guys, I bought the KDF-E60A20 and a DVI to hdmi converter.
The resolution doesn't look good as my old KDF-50WE620.

I was happy to see windows boot up on the E60A20, but after a minute or
two it shut down. I put my computer to sleep and turned it back on and wala!
Picture is back. After a minute or two it shuts off! Is this due to the HDCP
(copy protection)?

This would be a real bummer if I can't get my pc to work on the E60A20!!
Anyone know a workaround to this?

I need to be able to hook up my PC to the KDF-E60A20, else I'll have to
return it which is a shame since I got rid of the 50WE620 (which I should
have kept).

By the way, does anyone know what the technical difference are between the
WE620 and the A20 series besides one is 50" and the other is 60".
I believe both are 1366x768, while the newer A10 (50A10 for example) is
1280x768 (or so).

Gary

^^

What is shutting off? The screen or the PC? By shutting off do you mean power down?
Check for screen savers on the PC. Do these sets have an auto-off feature if no signal is detected?

The Sony E60A20 is blanking out the screen.
It's not the computer blanking it as I had this same computer set up running on
the Sony 50WE620.

I believe that the HDCP handshaking is failing. I found a way to work around it.
If you unplug and plug the cable back in, that fixes the problem and the SONY
won't shut me out.

Gary

Are there any people here who tinker with their E60A20?
On my 50WE620 I can go into the service screen to change the screen settings.
I was able to get into the E60A20 service screen, however, I cannot find the params I
used to tinker and fix my overscanning problem with the computer connected to the HDMI
port. These params on my older sony (50WE620) are:

DHPL
DHSL
DVPL
DVSL

What are the corresponding params on the E60A20?
Seems like less people tweak their tv now or the E60A20 in general.

Is this thread dead???

Gary
Ps. My born on date of my TV is August 2006. Must be one of the last ones made.

Are there any people here who tinker with their E60A20?
On my 50WE620 I can go into the service screen to change the screen settings.
I was able to get into the E60A20 service screen, however, I cannot find the params I
used to tinker and fix my overscanning problem with the computer connected to the HDMI
port. These params on my older sony (50WE620) are:

DHPL
DHSL
DVPL
DVSL

What are the corresponding params on the E60A20?
Seems like less people tweak their tv now or the E60A20 in general.

Is this thread dead???

Gary
Ps. My born on date of my TV is August 2006. Must be one of the last ones made.

Gary if you back about 20 or so posts there are some posts about getting into the service menu. I don't think this thread is dead rather I think most people are just enjoying there sets as is and check back in as needed, have you used a calibration disk on your 60 yet? As far as tinkering I have only changed a couple of settings and do not have my computer interfaced with my A20 and much of my tinkering is spent on British and older Harley motorcycles. My build date is Feb. 06'...over all I think this set is great.
Jake

Are there any people here who tinker with their E60A20?
On my 50WE620 I can go into the service screen to change the screen settings.
I was able to get into the E60A20 service screen, however, I cannot find the params I
used to tinker and fix my overscanning problem with the computer connected to the HDMI
port. These params on my older sony (50WE620) are:

DHPL
DHSL
DVPL
DVSL

What are the corresponding params on the E60A20?
Seems like less people tweak their tv now or the E60A20 in general.

Is this thread dead???

Gary
Ps. My born on date of my TV is August 2006. Must be one of the last ones made.

MTCP
MDHP
MDVP

I think these are the items to adjust for horizontal and vertical position. I am not 100% sure though. Proceed with caution.

As for the thread being dead, most of the A10 settings apply nicely to the A20. There are a lot of differences in the service menu. I posted a tweak a few posts back that applies to the A10 tweaks to the A20. My set has 3.5% overscan and I am happy with that. It is not off center so I have not tried to fix it. Good luck!

Well, My TV is down again. I just had the thermo fuse replaced about 2 months ago and now it is down again. This time it seems to be a different problem. The TV turned on by itself today and has hundreds of vertical lines. The TV will only power on and off, nothing else works such as switching to Video 2 or even turning up the volume. It is almost like it is frozen.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

Well, My TV is down again. I just had the thermo fuse replaced about 2 months ago and now it is down again. This time it seems to be a different problem. The TV turned on by itself today and has hundreds of vertical lines. The TV will only power on and off, nothing else works such as switching to Video 2 or even turning up the volume. It is almost like it is frozen.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar?

I haven't had any problems like that. Let us know the outcome. Good luck.

So, Best Buy sent out their service guy the next day. He told me it was the picture circuit??
So, he said he has to order the part from Sony and it may take 3 weeks.......
Fairly disapointed in this. This is the second problem in 2 months. I am hoping something else goes wrong so I can exchange it under Best Buy's no lemon policy!!

Has anyone done any backlighting on one of these TV's? I have looked at the products from Cyron and Ideal-Lume and just wondered if anyone has used them specifically with an A20.

I am considering the package from Costco with the stand. My question is, what do you guys do with your center Chan speakers? Do they fit on the shelf on the stand, do you place them above? Any pics would be GREAT!!!

i got a dope center channel shelf that fits on top the tv, you can find it at circuit city or best buy for like 30 bucks.

Zoid, is this what you are talking about?
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OmniMount-Center-Channel-Speaker-Shelf-CCH1P/sem/rpsm/oid/121849/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

yup thats it works great and i have a klipsch synergy series center on it, think its about 20 lbs, works like a charm.

Excellent, this should work. I have a new Synergy as well, do you have a pic of your setup?

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster.

I picked one of these up a week ago at the local Fry's (they had them on 1 day sale for $1500) and have been pretty happy with it (other than the fact that my local cable company won't have HDTV till at least end of Dec...). However while watching TV today i noticed what can only be described as something that looks close to a cracked pixel. At first i thought it was a stuck or dead pixel like a computer LCD monitor but it's not like anything i've ever seen on one of those. I say cracked because if i get up close to the TV and look at it it looks like one square pixels is cracked from the bottom left corner to the top right, with half being a dark color and the other outputting the correct one.

Anyone heard of anything like this before? I know with normal computer LCDs you should expect dead and stuck pixels (i personally don't find this acceptable but it is the norm with most manufacturers) but i have no clue if the same policy is in place for TVs such as these. Do i have any options or am i just going to have to deal with it? I did pick up an extended warranty plan but i very seriously doubt that a manufacturing process defect like this would fall under that. If anyone's got any info it'd be much appreciated.