>>> The Official Sony Grand Wega V (A10 series) Thread <<< [Text View] - Page 15

Dark Embrace

09-26-05, 08:04 AM

Hi guys!
I just joined this forum and have been following it for the past month or so, just want to thank you guys for your experiences and trials with the A10 series sets.
I just purchased mine last week and my 50A10 was delivered on Sat morn.
I live in a one bedroom apt and yes the 50A10 may be a litte bit big for my place but its the one i have been after and the viewing distance I have seems to be adequate, in the range of 7-9 feet. When I hooked everything up and out of the box seemed great, I was just in awe over the size of the screen and stuff it was cool! I started to try some things out, like dvds and ps2 and all I have right now is regular cable but I will be considering HD cable a little later on (obviously).
Now, with the regular basic cable signal its not at all half bad, I can live with it and it seems the more you watch it the more your eyes adjust and get used to the pic quality. The tv itself picked up 69 basic channels and 69 digital channels (alot of audio ones in there too), when i checked the later digital channels on the display tab it came up as 480i (unlike the regular ones that have nothing)but didnt seem any different than the basic cable channels, so just wanted to now if that was normal? should it be considerably better or do i need the decoder box and stuff to see and image quality change?
Next the ps2, I tried a few games (sony ps2 component cables)and games like NHL06 and Burnout blew me away looked great and fit the screen great, if it didnt fit the were small black bars on each side that you couldnt even notice anyways.
Now for the DVDs, I tried a few and I can tell now that if you have an older movie compared to a newer one you can tell the difference on quality and the transfer of the film which you can see in pic quality. I tried Star Wars Attack of the Clones and it looked really good with no or minimal adjustments, then other movies like Escape From New York and Blade Runner which are darker movies seemed like i needed to bring the picture setting down and start messing with the pic tweaks to get something a little more acceptable. So basically after spending the weekend messing around with movies and ps2 stuff I dont know if its just me or what but Im starting to think maybe I am missing something with the settings, I have tried a few and it looks good but maybe I am getting paranoid now and looking for imperfections and not settling for a certain pic quality.
I mean it looks good but I think and feel i can get better, maybe Im getting too picky and nitpicking. I know everyones eye will see something different, friends were over and loved it but I havent seen a super super clear pic yet and I know the distance thing probably comes into play a bit but I dont think thats it 100%.
One question though I had to set an adjustment on my dvd player so i can get the progressive to kick in and its going the light is on my dvd player, now when I used the display button it tells me the pic is 480p and 16:9, now is it suppossed to say 720p or does the tv just convert it and the 480p is the input signal?
Other than that the tv is working great so far (knock on wood)!
(just a note, I am in Nova Scotia, Canada by the way)
Sorry for the big barrage of info..... just emptying out what been on my mind about it ...lol

Thanks again for all your posts info and experiences, you guys help alot thank you!

Any help or opinions are much appreciated! Cheers

Radnor

09-26-05, 09:46 AM

One question though I had to set an adjustment on my dvd player so i can get the progressive to kick in and its going the light is on my dvd player, now when I used the display button it tells me the pic is 480p and 16:9, now is it suppossed to say 720p or does the tv just convert it and the 480p is the input signal?

You'll need something like a DVD player that can upconvert to 720p -- the TV doesn't do it for you. :)

hdtv4prs

09-26-05, 09:56 AM

I'm looking to get the E50A10 and will be sitting about 9.5' from the screen. In looking for a TV stand that will hold my rather large center channel speaker (21" X 8.1" high) and other components, it looks like the Bell'O #522 is the only stand that I've been able to find. But, it is 21.5" high. Do you think the TV will be too high for comfortable viewing?

Any other recommended TV stands?

Thanks.....wjr

Go to CC and look at the Z-Line model # SKYLAR44S. The stand is 44" w X 20" h X 25" deep. The inside heights of the shelves are 9" and 8 7/16" x 32 1/2" wide x 21 " deep. The top shelf is made of 3/8" smoke tempered glass (holds 240 lbs), the other 2 shelves are 5/16" smoke tempered glass. On assembly, make sure that the smoked surface is on the bottom side ,glass side on top (so you don't scratch the coating. I use this stand for my 42" A10, but your base on the 50" A10 is about 44" wide and will fit perfectly.The height is perfect as I sit about 8" from the set.
Before buying, go on the CC website and check the price. At times they will post a lower web-only price that is quite less than the store price. When I bought mine, the store price was $279.99 and the web price was $42.00 cheaper ($237.99).
There is no shipping charges, just go to CC and your info on the web purchase
will be in the system and thats the price you pay. I put this in my car. The package weighs about 110 lbs. Very good looking stand.

AlanBuck

09-26-05, 10:36 AM

Too funny! I'm watching the same 25 inch tube TV that I bought in 1987. sometimes it doesn't come on right away and most days the remote doesn't work but all of the above have kept me from buying this set. I've been shopping for a HDTV for about a year now. With all the bulb isssues, pixel issues, SSE, SDE, blobs, macroblocking , etc not to even mention the technology changing every 3-6 months....I've decided to pass on buying a new set until my tube TV totally dies.

I hope you under age 40... or as reliable as 27 inch tube tv's are, the darn thing might outlast YOU! LOL Don't panic too much about the postings on here..just go ahead and buy an HDTV, and enjoy it. This picky bunch would find FAR more wrong with your old tv, than they are even finding with the A-10. :)

fotomatt1

09-26-05, 10:37 AM

I purchased a 42A10 a couple of weeks ago from BB for their super low sale price. They have not had any in stock, so I haven't taken delivery yet. When my delivery date came and went with no TV, I called the BB store where I bought it in NYC and complained. That day they miraculously "found" one sitting in their inventory despite the fact that their computer was showing that they didn't have any. I had to go over to the store and switch the paper work so they could deliver it to me from that store.

Upon changing the paper work, I asked to see the TV and I was told that customers are not permitted in the stock room. I asked repeatedly if it was really there and if it is a new completely sealed box. I have been assured that it is. I am supposed to take delivery this coming Sunday. Should I be worried? How is the A10 box sealed...staples? Tape? I just want to make sure that it wasn't a demo unit or a returned TV that they reboxed and are shipping to me so I stop complaining? What does everybody think?

Flave

09-26-05, 10:49 AM

Hey Guys,

I've had my 42a10 for about a month now. Everything had been working great, except for last week something has happened to the set. All of my channels seemed to be zoomed in. I have triple checked all of my settings, (which should all be default) and cannot find what is wrong. Basically I try to only watch my HD channels, and this morning I was getting ready for football, and still cannot figure out what's wrong. Is there just a factory reset button someplace I can trigger to fix this? I am using the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD with the set. Thanks for any help you guys can provide!

-Brian

You should read my posts on this thread.

I think there's an issue between A10s and 8300s -- still haven't determined which one is at fault but I suspect it's the 8300. If you connect them via HDMI at 1080i, the 1080i setting does not 'stick'. Changing the TV's video input or even just turning the TV off will reset the link to 480i thus causing a distorted picture.

I've now set the 8300 to use 720p and the problem has disappeared.

AlanBuck

09-26-05, 10:56 AM

The only tool I have is my eyes. That is why I carefully used the word "Subjective" I am SURE the setting are not where they should be but that is where they look best to me no slight intended to the true calibration pros out there (G)

I agree that our eyes are a much better tool to set the TV than some calibration DVD. I have tried it both ways, and doing what looks good in a variety of real scenes on a good program seems to yield a better PQ overall than other methods. After all, what really matters is that TV look its best on live TV, and DVD's. PQ settings usually involve compromise...when you improve one aspect, you usually give up something in return. Mess with the settings a while, and you can fine tune the tv to get the most pleasing PQ for YOUR taste. CUSTOM gives the most options. I find the IRIS workings far too obvious on VIVID (It must be using MED or HIGH advanced iris setting, and there is no way to adjust it), so CUSTOM is the better mode to tweak. I find the IRIS is best set to 1 or 2 for dark room viewing, and the advanced iris to LOW or OFF. MED, AND HIGH generally make the workings of the iris far too obvious to me. You might get better results with the IRIS on MED, if you are watching a movie or show that has largely dark scenes. The BLACK CORRECTOR is better set to either OFF, or LOW depending on the program source. On CSI MIAMI, with its oversaturated, and contrasty style, the tv looks better with the BLACK CORRECTOR on OFF. On some other programs it looks better when on LOW. I find that the trick to getting the best PQ on a given HD show, or DVD is to adjust the IRIS, ADVANCED IRIS, COLOR, AND BLACK CORRECTOR to fit the material. A very good, to excellent PQ can usually be found using those tweaks.

BBQmyNUTZ

09-26-05, 11:13 AM

I hate to ask this simple question (I did search & only got 4 responses), but your HDMI cable, is it male to male? I know the H10 has a female connector because I plugged one end of my male to male cable into it. I went to the A10 & it was just wierd. Not DVI but not HDMI female (at least not like the one on the H10) either.

I'm pretty sure all HDMI cables are the same, male to male. That's how mine is, anyways.

Kai

Mach1Man

09-26-05, 12:14 PM

wjr I bought the salamander TV40 stand. It's 20 1/2" high and has 2 shelves under the TV that are totally adjustable vertically. Not cheap but great quality stuff. Not good thought if you need more than one shelf for components. I only have a receiver, DVD player, and skinny H10 D* box so it's perfect for me with my 8" high Klipsch center under the E50A10.

tp4ever84

09-26-05, 12:55 PM

If you interested in the z-line stand I have that stand. Pictures are above.

ru4real

09-26-05, 01:26 PM

If you interested in the z-line stand I have that stand. Pictures are above.
Wrong stand. They're talking about a different Z-Line stand (Skylar44S) for the 50a10. I have the same one you do, the 23541S, which is smaller and cheaper.

BobRiff

09-26-05, 05:07 PM

You'll need something like a DVD player that can upconvert to 720p -- the TV doesn't do it for you. :)
Actually, I believe that the TV converts everything to it's native format, in this case 720P.

If I'm wrong, please feel free to let me know.

Bob

Symbolic Hearse

09-26-05, 05:31 PM

Does anyone have a list of PS2 games and what they offer as far as 16:9, resolution etc.?

stan2

09-26-05, 05:42 PM

i see sonystyle sells the lamp for the A10 for, i think, $199.. where else is a good place to buy these? i assume i'll need one before not too long. my neighbor's sony bulb lasted less than a yr. any reason the A10 will be any different?

iKnowKungFoo

09-26-05, 05:46 PM

Does anyone have a list of PS2 games and what they offer as far as 16:9, resolution etc.?

http://www.hdtvarcade.com/ps2list.htm

hozho

09-26-05, 05:49 PM

Actually, I believe that the TV converts everything to it's native format, in this case 720P.You are right. It's the only way a micro chip fixed pixel set can work. :)

k2koq

09-26-05, 05:49 PM

cbagger01

09-26-05, 06:35 PM

What actually gives you set a better picture

1: let cable box output everything at 720P

2: Let cable box pass through every format

I think 480i programing may look a little better if I let the cable box up convert to 720p

FYI,

I had to laugh regarding the criticism of your prevuiously posted settings. Your chosen settings are very similar to my (eyeball) settings and are great for general viewing when your TV is in an actual LIVING ROOM with WINDOWS and DAYLIGHT and all those nasty things that come with most homes. Maybe I'll post mine when I get home.

As for the ideal video output, my advice is to try and get all of your Standard Definition material sent into the TV set at 480i resolution.

Why?

Because the DRC processing in the Sony does not work when the set receives a 720p or 1080i signal, and this DRC voodoo does wonders for SD viewability.

For example, yesterday the Jacksonville / NYJets footballl game was broadcast by my local CBS station, but the digital broadcast was not in HD format. Instead, it was a 1080i upscale broadcast of the original SD picture but with the black bars encoded into the image frame.

I compared the Analog cable CBS picture (with DRC enabled) to the Digial upscaled picture and the ANALOG picture was MUCH more pleasing to the eye.

So if your DRC is turned on and the pallet is adjusted properly, you will get a better looking picture than a 720p upconverted Standard Def signal.

amheck

09-26-05, 06:36 PM

Hey guys, did there used to be a A10 settings/setup thread? I thought so, but I can't seem to find it in a search.

ja30278

09-26-05, 07:08 PM

Hi all,

I posted several days ago about my dilemma choosing between the 42a10 and the xbr960. Since I'm posting in this thread, you may be able to guess that I went with the a10.

So far, I'm extremely pleased. After doing some basic calibration, the picture is amazing. I've been consistently impressed with the film-like image watching DVDs. I was expecting a much "harder edged" look from an LCD. Despite my concerns before buying, SSE and SDE haven't been an issue in the least. The size is perfect for my 9' viewing distance; after getting the a10 home, I was really glad I had opted for the larger size.

Some small complaints:

It would be *really* nice to have multiple custom settings per input, to 'quick change' based on source material.

Not that I have anything to compare it to, but the OTA tuner is sloooow changing between channels. This could be normal, but it's annoying

Darkening/lightening of the picture caused by the iris *is* visible, though not to an extreme.

I'd second the call for a settings thread, or at least some posts comparing settings from calibrated sets.

mondo

09-26-05, 07:29 PM

how do you know what signal your cable box is putting out, and how do you change it if needed?

SonicDark

09-26-05, 07:52 PM

I have a 42" Sony A10 and a Sony NS70H upconverting DVD player along with a SA 8300HD box. Does anyone have any suggestions on settings that I should use for these? Thanks for the help!

Jeff

bz2yx9

09-26-05, 10:39 PM

Guys, I posted this over in the A20 forum, but thought I might post over here too since there's no action over there.

Anyway, I'm watching MNF tonight and the picture is absolutely unwatchable. It's kind of hard to describe, but the picture kind of stutters. It's just not fluid motion. This only happens while they're showing the action. It doesn't happen when they show Madden yapping or on commericials. It also doesn't happen on any other channel.

I'm watching OTA thru a DirecTV HD Tivo unit. I've also tried using the tuner in the Sony and get the same effect.

I've had the TV for a little over a month and have not experienced any other problems. Could this be some kind of issue with the signal? Since I haven't experienced this before, I'm guessing the signal is bad for some reason tonight? Or perhaps a limitation of my antenna??

Thanks for any input

philherz

09-27-05, 12:42 AM

You should read my posts on this thread.

I think there's an issue between A10s and 8300s -- still haven't determined which one is at fault but I suspect it's the 8300. If you connect them via HDMI at 1080i, the 1080i setting does not 'stick'. Changing the TV's video input or even just turning the TV off will reset the link to 480i thus causing a distorted picture.

I've now set the 8300 to use 720p and the problem has disappeared.

I'm kinda new to this, but I use an HDMI with my SA8300HD and A10 and I have no problems with getting the setting to stick. (I do have 1080i, 480i, and 2 others picked as available.)

I did have a problem 10 days ago when everything was "zoomed,", but I rebooted the 8300 and it's work fine ever since....

cbagger01

09-27-05, 01:32 AM

Settings Thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=567709

cbagger01

09-27-05, 03:00 AM

OK,

Here are the settings for my 42" A10.

I am just an "average guy" who wants to watch TV and am not any kind of "expert" in any sense of the word when it comes to TV or HDTV or home theater, so I am sure that these settings look awful to some of these folks but they work well for me in my viewing environment.

These settings were not determined with any calibration disk or advanced tools, just my eyeballs and the old "Color Bars" test pattern that appears on one of my Cable channels when no show is being broadcast.

The goal of these settings was to provide a good compromise between day and night television viewing arrangments. My TV is located in the corner of a living room that has windows and is attached to a kitchen with patio slider doors. All of them have ordinary blinds but no special room-darkening shades. For nighttime viewing, an indirect light lamp is used for illumination. It is possible to read books and newspapers in the same room at night, so this is not "low light" conditions.

So I am NOT looking for some perfect ISF-like calibration that only works well in room with no windows or lighting. Most of these style settings perform poorly in a typical living room, with dim washed out color and brightness.

Basically, I wanted something close to the Sony STANDARD setting, but with better shadow details and less oversaturated colors.

As someone else said here, missing shadow detail can be detected by watching a local news broadcast or a CSPAN broadcast with men in dark suits that usually contain pinstripes or other details. Most of this detail is lost in the VIVID or STANDARD settings. As a Red Sox fan, color oversaturation is obvious from viewing the red part of the uniforms and crowd t-shirts and also the grass color during a baseball broadcast.

Many of these settings are either:
copied from the STANDARD setting
copied from other users' posts here
left alone by me

Anyways, here goes:
CUSTOM

Iris=2
Generally reported as the best iris setting for typical use. I agree.

Picture=85
Need a value between 80 and 90 for STANDARD mode like bright TV image

Brightness=54
For a given iris and picture setting, I needed to bring out the shadow details.
Before doing anything else, I turned OFF the black corrector first.
I tuned in to the "color bars" test image from my cable public access channel. Directly under the RED color bar is a black box that contains 3 vertical black stripes of varying subtle shades of black. I adjusted the brightness number until I could barely see the dividing line between each vertical stripe. This greatly improved my shadow details. According to the color bar calibration instructions, you are supposed to make the "left" stripe blend into the "middle" stripe because the left stripe shade is called "blacker than black" and this shade is not present in normal television broadcasts. Well, THEY LIE. I can see an improvement with shadow details if I adjust it so that I can still barely see the dividing line between all 3 stripes.

Color=39
I was looking to tone down the color oversaturation without making the picture seem "washed out". It appears that a lower value, maybe 36, completely gets rid of the oversaturation even for Red Sox Logos but it makes the picture seem washed out for daytime viewing. 39 seemed to be a good compromise for me. Your preferences may vary.

Hue = 0
I tried playing around with color temps and hues but I could not get the colors to look "right" to me. Maybe I am already conditioned to think that STANDARD hues are "just right", but that's the way that I feel. My best guess is that it is impossible to get the color hues "just right" without making adjustments in the service menu, and I don't want to play around in there.

Color Temp = Neutral
See "Hue" comments

Sharpness=35
Seems like a good compromise to me. I watch analog SD and digital SD and HD. If I only watched HD, I could probably set it to "0" without any problems.

Noise Reduction=OFF
The only reason to turn this ON is if you have REALLY BAD quality analog cable signal, OR if you watch over-the-air analog television with an antenna.

DRC mode=High Density
No comment

DRC Pallet:
Reality=20
Clarity=94
Made a BIG IMPROVEMENT for standard definition channels.

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector=OFF
You MUST turn this off if you want ANY hope of seeing shadow details.

Advanced Iris=LOW
I did not want to completely disable this function, as it helps in some situations. Low does not bother me and I do not hear the Iris servo motor whirring a lot as far as I can tell.

Gamma=LOW
Why Not?

Clear White=OFF
It didn't make much of a difference either way, so I turned it off.

Live Color=LOW
The only way that I could get STANDARD mode like color hues was to set this value to LOW. Otherwise, the colors had a reddish tint that could not be brought back into my perception of "normal" (IE: STANDARD mode) by making adjustments to HUE and Color Temp. So the easy way out is to set the HUE back to 0 and the Color Temp back to Neutral and then turn Live Color to LOW

In conclusion, I have used these settings for a few weeks now for normal daytime and nighttime (with room light) TV viewing and am satisfied with the results.

However, if anyone has suggestions for improvements, keeping in mind MY lighting conditions, please feel free to offer them.

Thanks, and hope this helps someone.

Dark Rain

09-27-05, 04:52 AM

Fwiw, it was mentioned elsewhere that Clear White has no effect with Color Temp = Neutral. I.e. Clear White only applies if Color Temp = Cool or Warm.

It affects Neutral as well. All Clear White does is add more blue to the whites, which helps reduce the redness which is caused by the strong red push.

mondo

09-27-05, 07:02 AM

KevinXbox360

09-27-05, 07:55 AM

Well the Sony authorized technican came out yesterday to remove the "dirt/dust blob" on the screen.

He literally had to take the whole TV apart, cleaned it, put it back together, and it was still there. He said the whole optical assembly needs to be replaced.

Thankfully he wasn't able to fix it, since seeing $2,000 all taken apart after 2 days didn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling going forward, rather just have a brand new TV.

Called Best Buy immediately, requested a new TV, they didn't fight me at all & they are delivering a new one on Thursday.

Not to mention that for whatever reason, Adelphia's CableCard would not be recognized by the TV. No idea if the card was bad or the slot was faulty, but will be trying that again this Saturday.

Ah, the joys of new TV ownership. All in the pursuit of playing video games in HD. :D :D :D

CraigSamuel

09-27-05, 08:06 AM

Sevenfeet

09-27-05, 10:33 AM

I've earlier been discussing guiding the purchase of a 42" A10 for a friend (known in these parts as AndyinNYC). His dilemma was one that this set was designed for: space. His wife said he could get any television, but he couldn't replace the entertainment armoire in their living room, which is only a very narrow 39.5" wide inside. There were two projection televisions that fit the bill....the Sony 42" A10 and the Samsung 42" HLR. Another friend of mine recently purchased the Samsung and loves it, but didn't have a space problem. Both TVs are about 39 1/3rd inches wide (999 mm) according to the specs, but the real test would be getting a TV home.

My friend compared both sets and decided on the Sony. The first set was purchased at Sears but never made it into the armoire since it was marked "DOA" on the delivery box (and indeed, it was hosed). So it went back to the store and he instead went to Circuit City who price matched Sears. The new set was installed last week and I'm told fits the cabinet perfectly. I'll see the set myself in a couple of weeks when I travel to his house to perform some Avia adjustments.

So thanks to Sony (and Samsung) for recognizing a market of people who want widescreen HD but are constrained by furniture and cubbyholes designed for older TVs. Sony has a sale where compared with their previous generation sets would not have had before.

KevinXbox360

09-27-05, 10:40 AM

I really don't get how this can be happening. Out of curiosity, was your set assembled in Mexico Or USA?
Thanks
Craig

Dirt or CableCard not working? Where do I look to find out ?

TV worked fine otherwise this small dirt mark, just hope I don't have "other problems" with the new one.

Flave

09-27-05, 10:43 AM

I'm kinda new to this, but I use an HDMI with my SA8300HD and A10 and I have no problems with getting the setting to stick. (I do have 1080i, 480i, and 2 others picked as available.)

I did have a problem 10 days ago when everything was "zoomed,", but I rebooted the 8300 and it's work fine ever since....

Does your 8300 have Passport or SARA software? Mine has SARA and I think it's the cause of this problem. (I tried rebooting too but that didn't fix it for me.)

philherz

09-27-05, 11:10 AM

Does your 8300 have Passport or SARA software? Mine has SARA and I think it's the cause of this problem. (I tried rebooting too but that didn't fix it for me.)

Good question- How do I tell????

faztcobra

09-27-05, 12:38 PM

Well, after reading every page of this thread and doing several demos and Samsung DLP units, I bought this unit on saturday and it was delivered early this morning by Sears. I've got a few problems, hopefully simple...hopefully just minor oversights.

1st is the screen. I've probably got it connected wrong but I'm not sure which wire would fix my issue. I have what seems like hundreds of vertical lines on my screen. I can somewhat make out the picture behind these lines, but there are so many. I'm sure I've got something plugged in backwards, but not sure what.

And 2nd, the volume on the TV and the remote doesn't work. I've had a Sony before, so I'm familiar with being able to control other things with the same remote, but I assure you it's programmed to run the TV. The only button on the TV or the remote that works is the power button. I find it very odd that I can't turn the volume down at the TV. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you guys have.

Edit to include...for what it's worth, I've just got a regular Comcast digial box for the signal and I also have a regular TIVO unit tied into all of this.

faztcobra

09-27-05, 12:42 PM

Flave

09-27-05, 01:09 PM

Good question- How do I tell????

Well, probably the easiest way is to just unplug it and then plug it back in and check what the splash screen says when it boots up.

davidlem

09-27-05, 03:02 PM

Having a hard time finding a local deal below MSRP on the E50A10. I've got a $40 coupon for CircuitCity so I'll try to go there if at all possible - that will buy me some replacement cables. I went and saw the unit in person at Sears today and it looked smaller than I thought - likely due to the thin frame (which is nice). I was set on the 42" A10 until I saw the 50" A10 next to a Samsung 42" DLP. Which brings me to the next subject - the Samsung looked very crisp next to the Sony, except within 3 feet where SDE was extreme on the Samy. Then I looked at the tag for the Samy and it was a 852x480 pixel display model...WTF Batman?!1! But dang if it didn't look excellent from all angles at about 6-8 feet back. I checked the signal and both sets were receiving a 1080i program, mirrored and looped so I could directly compare the sets. The Sony was just so dull next to the Samsung. I used the remote to change the Sony mode to Vivid just real quick (may not be the best setting..) and it helped a lot, but it was still muddy compared to the gleaming Samsung. So what's with the Samy looking just as good at 852x480?? At $2199 for the Samsung I certainly would rather spring the extra change for the 50A10 but I couldn't believe my eyes. Store lighting perhaps?

faztcobra

09-27-05, 05:54 PM

Small update...I unplugged the TV and plugged it back in and this seems to have corrected these issues for now. Not sure why that would have caused a problem but now to begin playing with the settings and getting the rest of the sound set up.
And yet another update. I powered the unit off earlier and when I came home from work to get started on all the settings, the lines are back and the volume doesn't work again. So back to my original question...any thoughts on what's causing this? Like in my original troubleshooting, I unplugged the TV hoping that would fix it again - although it's a habit I'd rather not get used to performing. I'll give this about 72 hours and if I don't get the bugs worked out, I guess it's going back to Sears. :(

BSparks294

09-27-05, 05:59 PM

I have to get my A10 taken into the shop to get the "green" blotch repaired as I previously mentioned. Here is the problem.

The tech who came out earlier only has a small pickup and not sure if he plans on laying the TV on its face to transport. Isn't that incorrect or ill advised.

Any help would be appreciated.

Brad

BSparks294

09-27-05, 06:02 PM

getoffb

09-27-05, 08:36 PM

And yet another update. I powered the unit off earlier and when I came home from work to get started on all the settings, the lines are back and the volume doesn't work again. So back to my original question...any thoughts on what's causing this? Like in my original troubleshooting, I unplugged the TV hoping that would fix it again - although it's a habit I'd rather not get used to performing. I'll give this about 72 hours and if I don't get the bugs worked out, I guess it's going back to Sears. :(

I had the same problem with the vertical lines on the first set I had. My lines were blue and were every 10-12 pixels across the entirety of the screen. Pretty obnoxious. They would be there for about 15 minutes and then go away and were on all inputs.

I took the tv back on Sunday, after getting it the day before, and the new one hasn't had any problems yet...

I would return ot for another set as it looks awesome once you get a good set!

Radnor

09-27-05, 08:41 PM

Here are some pictures of World of Warcraft via my laptop on the 42" (click for larger):

http://static.flickr.com/27/47272463_db67f47993.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/27/47272463_db67f47993_b.jpg)

http://static.flickr.com/25/47272462_a12f6288ac.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/25/47272462_a12f6288ac_b.jpg)

abward

09-27-05, 08:48 PM

abward

09-27-05, 08:50 PM

Radnor,

Looks nice. What laptop and what resolution are you running, and what did you settings are on the TV (input 7 I assume)?

Radnor

09-27-05, 08:57 PM

Looks nice. What laptop and what resolution are you running, and what did you settings are on the TV (input 7 I assume)?

The laptop is a Sony S150, and the resolution is some funky number like 1380x740. I just let windows decide what to display at, even though it was higher than the resolution stated in the manual's specs. I found that Full 1 looked best for the zoom setting, and during daylight I kept the picture on "Text Mode" which really pumped up the brightness.

AndStill

09-27-05, 10:04 PM

Got my 50 A10 on the 22 after waiting nearly a month and I absolutely love it. No problems with pixels, blotches, nothing (knock on wood). Was a little worried after all the problems reported here but am glad that I finally made the purchase. Would do it all over again. Now that it is in my apartment and I can enjoy it, I am so glad that I finally got off the fence and got something. I am also a college student and this was my first big purchase. Worked for my dad all of last summer and this was my reward :cool: . Will post picks as soon as my setup is complete.

Anyway, here's my problem. I've got my pc hooked up and it looks great, but I can't seem to get any sound to come through the televisions speakers. I have the tv hooked up via vga with a DVI adapter to my videocard. I bought a stereo mini cable and connected it to my television and then to my sound card but I get nothing. Does anyone have any advice on how to get the sound working? Thanks in advance!

Nevermind..... I figured out that I am gonna need to buy a capable sound card that has the right outputs.

Ripper64

09-27-05, 10:15 PM

faztcobra

09-27-05, 10:26 PM

I had the same problem with the vertical lines on the first set I had. My lines were blue and were every 10-12 pixels across the entirety of the screen. Pretty obnoxious. They would be there for about 15 minutes and then go away and were on all inputs.

I took the tv back on Sunday, after getting it the day before, and the new one hasn't had any problems yet...

I would return ot for another set as it looks awesome once you get a good set!
These lines are blue, pink, yellow, and red. They're all the way across the screen without much of a gap anywhwere. I've called Sony tech support and they were no help. Since I got it at Sears, I've got one of their reps coming on Thursday in the morning to check it out.

Oh yeah...this set was not from the Pitt plant. QA issues?

CraigSamuel

09-27-05, 11:43 PM

I was looking at getting the 50 inch A10 but I can save $500 getting last years KF50WE620 . Now I am leaning towards the new Hitachi 50V525 (Canadian model). Its a nice looking unit also. I haven't read basically anything on the new Hitachi's in the forum so no idea what to do here.

Hey Brother,
I would wait about a month and then pull the trigger on the new 50inch.
There is no way that the quality would get worse instead of better. Think of all the leaps and bounds each year has brought in the past 5 for this technology. That said, they can not possibly compete in this intense market race without getting better and when spending this high amount to begin with, what is $500.
(other than 17 24's of Molson Dry before the bottle returns!)

cragsleeper

09-28-05, 12:28 AM

Hi, been lurking awhile and am now posting my experience with the 50a10. I bought it two weeks ago, set it up in my apartment, and got the max viewing distance I could (which was 8.5 feet).

I started off in love. The exterior design is about the best I've ever seen and the first couple days were spent in awe of the picture. But then it started happening, I started seeing things about it that bugged me. The white areas not only had what people here are calling SSE, but tiny immovable black specks were visible that always drew my eyes. I thought I just had an abundance of stuck pixels or something at first, but close inspection revealed only two stuck pixels that became invisible beyond 4 or 5 feet. But still, to give an example, while watching MNF the Chiefs' white jerseys exhibited these tiny specks amongst the shimmer that always drew my eyes and distracted me. When it was showing an image without bright colors, it was gorgeous however. Which actually only made it more frustrating. :(

High definition had the shimmer, and when panning over scenes it had a distracting effect that I'm pretty sure was just SDE and I needed to (but couldn't) get any further away from the TV in my apartment. This is a set I had fallen in love with and was giddy about, and now it was like the cracks were showing now that my initial euphoria had passed.

I'm just dumbfounded because my experience seems to be so different from most users who say there is no issue with SDE or otherwise watching from 8 feet or beyond. I spent a week toying with settings including those recommended here and tried component, HDMI, you name it. For me it got to be so distracting that I freaked out and returned the set (high marks to Circuit City for a no hassle return). Thing is, I really didn't want to, but no matter when I watched a DVD or High Def or even SD I could see the specks. This was most distracting when a person would turn his/her head and the tiny specks would remain stationary, constantly pulling my eyes away from the experience. I thought maybe I had a broken set but I see it in the stores' display 50a10's too, now that I have had one.

I am NOT trying to bash this TV and I envy those who are having no issues because like I said, I did not want to return that gorgeous set. I'm not upset about the SSE per se - I realize all RPTVs have it and for me it's so bad in most DLPs I can't stand that tech (and I see rainbows anyways). It's the black specks within it that always ruin the experience for me, especially since I see it on any light color, including people's faces.

I guess I'm just throwing my experience out there to see if anybody else knows what I'm talking about, or if I'm just nuts. Maybe it's just that I needed a further distance considering I have better than 20/20 last time I got my eyes checked. Maybe I just expected too much. At any rate, I'm going to see what the new SXRD XBR's look like and make a decision on whether to buy one of those or whatever.

Congratz those who are happy with your a10's! :) I hope I'll have something happier to post in the future. The bare wall in my living room is depressing! :o

Secant

09-28-05, 12:32 AM

Really basic question. I live in a Charter Cable market that does not offer HDTV channels -- officially. However, after turning the A10's digital tuner loose on the Cable input, it found nearly 60 channels. I'm thinking that they're in 'testing' mode right now.

In the setup under WegaGate, most of the channels come up as "No Signal". However, if I try punching in the channel number directly, the set shows "Not Authorized". Does this mean that the 'missing' channels are encrypted QAM signals, and that either a CableCard or Set-Top-Box is required to get them? Or is "Not Authorized" a generic value, and that the channels exist but are just empty? (There is nothing in the manual on this subject.)

The first 60 or so Charter Channels are analog, and thus require no cable box or CableCard to receive. Any analog or digital TV can pick these channels up without any help. These channels are not HDTV. Charter, at best, offers 5-12 HDTV channels...many at a premium price ($1-$3 each).

As far as the "Not Authorized", this is the digital channels (60 and above) that you are not picking up via your TV because you need the cable box or CableCard. Plus you have to have a "digital package" from Charter...or even the cable box won't pick it up if you are not paying for it. As far as using a cable card, I've heard the card changes channels super slow, and you can't get VOD using them, etc. Never tried them myself though...

Hope this help...

Secant

09-28-05, 12:38 AM

I guess I'm just throwing my experience out there to see if anybody else knows what I'm talking about, or if I'm just nuts. Maybe it's just that I needed a further distance considering I have better than 20/20 last time I got my eyes checked. Maybe I just expected too much. At any rate, I'm going to see what the new SXRD XBR's look like and make a decision on whether to buy one of those or whatever.

:o

Deja Vu...I've got better than 20/20 and have the same issues with such...and my reaction time visually is pretty decent, so I constantly see rainbows viewing DLPs... :(

I've been following the SXRD 60"...and will probably wait until the next revision when a few more improvements and options are added. There is no perfect TV I realize, but I'm still holding my breath on the SXRD...the technology looks extremely promising, and the 60" price is amazing at launch, and will only fall like a rock over time.

JimP

09-28-05, 05:17 AM

Yes, I'm also better than 20/20 and I also see the effect you described on my 50A10 and it does detract a bit from an otherwise very good TV. However, I see it also on my Samsung DLP and pretty much any DLP, RP-LCD or JVC D-ILA in the stores. It is an unfortunate side-effect of the screen design used in RP HDTVs and it can be a bit of distraction if you allow it to be. I fully expect the SXRDs to have it as well because those TVs will have a similar screen to the Sony RP-LCD TVs. OTOH, I have not seen this effect on plasma TVs.

Plasma screens, for the most part have fairly reflective screens.

So it comes down to which bothers you more, the reflections or the SSE.

There's always going to be something.

Navmaster

09-28-05, 10:18 AM

I went and saw the unit in person at Sears today and it looked smaller than I thought - likely due to the thin frame (which is nice). I was set on the 42" A10 until I saw the 50" A10 next to a Samsung 42" DLP. Which brings me to the next subject - the Samsung looked very crisp next to the Sony, except within 3 feet where SDE was extreme on the Samy. The Sony was just so dull next to the Samsung. I used the remote to change the Sony mode to Vivid just real quick (may not be the best setting..) and it helped a lot, but it was still muddy compared to the gleaming Samsung.

Check the Sammy on SD programming... I think it will fail your eyeball test. Also, there are numerous settings on the A-10 that could have been maladjusted prior to your short time with the remote. In my view and my wife's at Sears when we bought our A-10 it blew the Sammy and all other DLP's away in picture clarity and detail. The blacks are not quite as black as a DLP but when you get it home you will not know that and when the A-10 is set up correctly it is as close to a theater type screening experience as I have ever seen. Football looks darned good too!

Remember, you can buy your extended warranty on the phone at Sony Style and save a chunck of change!

Navmaster

09-28-05, 10:21 AM

These lines are blue, pink, yellow, and red. They're all the way across the screen without much of a gap anywhwere. I've called Sony tech support and they were no help. Since I got it at Sears, I've got one of their reps coming on Thursday in the morning to check it out.

Oh yeah...this set was not from the Pitt plant. QA issues?

Call your retailer and have it replaced, it is BAD.

Navmaster

09-28-05, 10:28 AM

Congratz those who are happy with your a10's! :) I hope I'll have something happier to post in the future. The bare wall in my living room is depressing! :o

Thanks Cargsleeper, Question: Did you look at a 42A-10 to see if you could see the SDE? The 50 may have been just too large for your viewing distance.

I have the 42" and sit about 8 feet away and see no shimmer or SDE. Settings can have some effect as well...

Scott

Sony DA4ES
B&K Reference 4430
Sony CX985 400 disc DVD
Sony CX450 400 disc CD x 2
Definitive Technology BP30 Mains Bi-Amped
Definitive Technology ProTower400 Center
Definitive Technology BPX Surrounds
SVS 25-31 PC+
Cerwin Vega LW10 Surround sub
Sony Grand Wega 42 A-10
Panamax 5100
Sony VCR
XBOX
Hughes DirectTv Tivo

NickHDTV

09-28-05, 12:23 PM

new_berlin

09-28-05, 01:04 PM

The 42A10 arrived on schedule, picked it up last night. Used it to watch OTA-SD, OTA-HD, and DVDs. Here are my thoughts from 1-night of viewing.

OTA-SD leaves much to be desired but that's definitely a function of two things -- (1) I can't position my antenna (rabbit-ears) since the 42a10 has no slot to hold one :-)...I just left the antenna leaning against the wall. (2) The A10 needs good signals to display good pictures.

OTA-HD -- Again I used the rabbit-ears. My first view was on PBS of a sudden shot of Hawaiian tropical foliage with a waterfall cascading in its midst. The PQ was simply unbelievable. 1080i signal of course. Picked up 10 or so HD-OTA channels, all were incredible. BTW, the A10 takes 1-2 seconds to switch from one OTA-HD channel to next. SD-channel switching is instantaneous.

DVD -- Used my cheapo old progressive scan player (Apex AS-2500). Only capable of 480p. PQ was excellent. Checked out Matrix, Matrix II, and a old black-and-white Jimmy Steward movie (DVD) called ...(arrgh I forget the name.) Anyways, the Matrix-es were excellent PQ. Saw several details that I had never noticed in the dozens of previous viewings. Examples -- I spotted gradations/details on doors, walls, necks etc that I never knew were meant to be seen. Only spent a few minutes with M1,II. Moving on to the Jimmy Steward flick. Remember this is a BW movie -- we watched it for more than an hour and it was simply AMAZING. The DVD box says that the movie's original aspect ratio has been PRESERVED (which I am sure means 4:3) but the A10 displayed it in 16:9 with perfect everything. No distortion, stretching of any kind at all. Incredible PQ again...felt like we were in a 1950's theater.

The A10 speakers are nothing worth talking about. Easily the weakest part of the set...in fact, they are well below average. My old CRT (a JVC D-series) was way superior. In any case, I use external Bose speakers, so this was never a concern for me. I would rather have Sony cut-corners on speakers (or even leave them out entirely) and save me a few $$s.

The right-back-bottom of the TV emits some serious heat from the cooling fan.

I haven't tweaked a single setting on the TV. So everything written so far is simply factory setting. Pleased so far.

I would appreciate any pointers from other owners on what I should look for in the next few days while I have still have the option to exchange if necessary. Is it worth getting a 720p dvd player? Are all DVDs able to take advantage of the 720p players?

Will add more to this thread later. THANKS TO ALL FOR THEIR NOTES and REPLIES over the last few days....it helped me make up my mind and buy the A10. Cheers.

MtBikerE

09-28-05, 01:52 PM

Sweet.

I've decided on the 50"A10 after much deliberation. Can't wait to pick it up.

I wish they had options as far as speakers or no speakers. I'm just happy it doesn't have the dumbo ears.

Icehouse

09-28-05, 02:33 PM

Here are some pictures of World of Warcraft via my laptop on the 42" (click for larger):

Radnor I really like that Entertainment Center, who is the manufacturer?

markt170

09-28-05, 03:00 PM

What's considered a good deal on the KDF-E50A10?

philherz

09-28-05, 03:05 PM

I also see the "shimmering" look too at 9ft. This doesn't bother me at all though. It is much less noticable than on the DLP I was looking at.

I am going to attempt a better HDMI cable because I bought an $8 cable but it does not feel like a secure connection. I will let you know if I notice a difference between an $8 hdmi and a$60 hdmi cable. Most likely not but it's worth a try.

nick

I also bought one of those $8 HDMI cables and it certainly seems to be doing it's job!

If the more expensive cable gives a better HD picture, I might have to keep smelling salts handy!!!!

Keep us posted!

PS: Might you send me a PM so that I make sure not to miss it?

AlanBuck

09-28-05, 03:19 PM

What's considered a good deal on the KDF-E50A10?

Check out Sams Club if you need one with a stand. Your local store can tell you which ones have the A-10. Some stores are still selling the GWIV model. They sell it as a package deal at a great price...and their extended warranty is cheaper than most. (not quite clear if bulbs are covered though).

MtBikerE

09-28-05, 03:28 PM

What's considered a good deal on the KDF-E50A10?

I've seen pricing as low as $1799 on-line. The suggested list is $2499.
I'd consider 2 grand (20%) a good deal from a local dealer. Usually sales rep are more motivated to drop price if you get the extended warranty. I'd haggle on the price/term of the extended also.

Radnor

09-28-05, 03:37 PM

Is it worth getting a 720p dvd player? Are all DVDs able to take advantage of the 720p players?
Picture quality can really vary between DVD players that upconvert to 720p or 1080i. I'm able to tell the difference between my Panasonic component DVD player and a Toshiba HDMI player at 720p. The picture is a lot clearer and sharper. All my DVDs ended up looking nicer. If anything, it frees up a component slot for other devices. :)

Radnor I really like that Entertainment Center, who is the manufacturer?
It's from Rooms To Go. This Palmero Wall Unit (http://www.roomstogo.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=showItem&ipac_id=8283) is the closest thing I see on their website. It's a very nice setup with lots of DVD drawers in the slim cabinets.

new_berlin

09-28-05, 04:00 PM

Which brings me to the next subject - the Samsung looked very crisp next to the Sony, except within 3 feet where SDE was extreme on the Samy. Then I looked at the tag for the Samy and it was a 852x480 pixel display model...WTF Batman?!1! But dang if it didn't look excellent from all angles at about 6-8 feet back. I checked the signal and both sets were receiving a 1080i program, mirrored and looped so I could directly compare the sets. The Sony was just so dull next to the Samsung. I used the remote to change the Sony mode to Vivid just real quick (may not be the best setting..) and it helped a lot, but it was still muddy compared to the gleaming Samsung. So what's with the Samy looking just as good at 852x480?? At $2199 for the Samsung I certainly would rather spring the extra change for the 50A10 but I couldn't believe my eyes. Store lighting perhaps?

David, FWIW, I had the opposite experience. I first saw the A10 at a BB sitting in a row next to 5K-plus Plasmas. All with the same feed. All sets had clearly been calibrated very well. The PQ on the A10 was actually (to my eyes) a little superior to the Plasmas (these were LGs, Panasonics etc.) I also saw the A10 sitting by its own lonely self in a very well lit Sears. And it didn't look too good. The signal here seemed to be from a DVD player (i would guess 480i) and if I had seen the A10 only at this Sears, I probably wouldn't have bought the A10. I've also seen the A10 at a Frys seated next to Samsung and Mitsubishi DLPs and to my eyes was better (color and PQ).

Basically, what I am saying is that IMO the A10 CAN be made to look as good if not better than most other sets. By the same token, you might be able to make the same argument for other sets as well. I would suggest looking for the A10s in different stores to get a better feel. Hope that helps a bit.

new_berlin

09-28-05, 04:08 PM

Sweet.

I've decided on the 50"A10 after much deliberation. Can't wait to pick it up.

I wish they had options as far as speakers or no speakers. I'm just happy it doesn't have the dumbo ears.

There is something to be said for Dumbo ears...the older GW 42-incher looks like a tank...Could pass off for a 52" set :-) and impress the bigger is better crowd. Even I felt a little short-changed on how little/optimal material seems to have gone into making the A10. :-)

The packaging on the A10s is also really different. Very little to minimalistic. You can separate the box from its base in a second and there the TV sits -- with just its corners in Thermocol. My brother's SONY CRT (this was a few years ago) packaging-box was a monster in comparison. That could've withstood a headon collision with a truck and getting that TV out of that box was a monstrous exercise...and it's not like we are weaklings.

rosenkavalier

09-28-05, 04:35 PM

The first 60 or so Charter Channels are analog, and thus require no cable box or CableCard to receive. Any analog or digital TV can pick these channels up without any help. These channels are not HDTV. Charter, at best, offers 5-12 HDTV channels...many at a premium price ($1-$3 each).

As far as the "Not Authorized", this is the digital channels (60 and above) that you are not picking up via your TV because you need the cable box or CableCard. Plus you have to have a "digital package" from Charter...or even the cable box won't pick it up if you are not paying for it.

One of the problems in talking about this is that the cable companies use the term "digital cable" as a blanket term, when, as far as I understand the technology, there is a difference between "digital cable" and DTV-over-cable transmission.

I do understand that the channels 100 and above (in my market) are "digital cable" channels and require a "digital cable" STB. What my A10 DTV (QAM) tuner found were DTV channels down in the analog section of the system, sitting on unused channel assignments.

For example: our cable channels skip from 13 to 19, leaving 14-18 blank. The A10 found numerous DTV subchannels in that area: 14-1, 14-2, 14-3, 15-1, 15-2, 15-3, etc. The set was clearly using its internal digital tuner, as the same delay in locking in on the signal that is seen in OTA HDTV (via the ATSC tuner) was seen in selecting these channels. If I go past them and back to the standard NTSC tuner, the instantaneous tuning for analog broadcasts returned.

So the QAM/DTV carriers my set was finding were well within the analog NTSC "cable-ready tuner" portion of the channel assignments. That's why I wasn't sure how to interpret the "Not Authorized" message. The only folks who could probably tell me for sure are at Charter Communications, and so far they won't divulge even one word about HDTV in our market. So I'll just continue to check periodically and see what changes occur over time.

JHermon

09-28-05, 05:00 PM

AlanBuck

09-28-05, 05:19 PM

I am looking to make the jump to HDTV sometime in the next month, and I've been very impressed with the picture quality of the 42A10 at my local retailers. I've got a couple of questions I was hoping you all would be able to shed some light on.

1. I'm going to be connecting the set to (a) a DVD player, (b) a HD Cable box (Sci. Atlanta, I believe), and (c) a Replay TV. Cable box I assume will bet best picture via HDMI; if I get an upconverting DVD player, will I see the benefit of the upconversion if I connect via composite video? Or am I just wasting cash if I don't connect via HDMI?

I'm not worried about how I connect the Replay -- will probably just hook up component or S-Video and be done with it.

2. Many of the sets I see show letterbox DVD titles showing on a 16:9 display still having the black bars on the top and bottom. I am always horribly confused by this, since I thought the point of the 16:9 is to display the movie on the entire screen. Is this simply a matter of the TVs I'm seeing not being set up correctly or all working off of one signal?

Sorry for the newbie questions, but I'm a bit out of my knowledge base here...

First off, I would just use a normal DVD player. Try it on both Progressive and standard modes. You should get a very acceptable picture from one of those. Save your money for when true HD DVD players come out in a year or two.

I would hook your cable box via HDMI. Don't waste the money on a Monster cable though...find a cheaper one and it will be just fine.

As for the black bars on DVD's, that depends on the aspect ratio of the movies. The ratio is usually in the fine print on the back of the box. If the film is 1.78:1 ratio, it will fully fill the screen. But if the film is 1.85:1 you will get small black bars top and bottom. If it is a 2.35:1 you will get even larger black bars. I find this annoying also..we finally get a TV standard that is supposed to eliminate this, and Hollywood is making movies that still don't fit right..UGH.

For the price point, you are getting a great TV. You will get a better PQ overall if you tweak it some from the factory settings per some of the posts on here.

viewer001

09-28-05, 05:36 PM

Dark Rain

09-28-05, 06:33 PM

But if the film is 1.85:1 you will get small black bars top and bottom.
That only happens if your 16x9 TV has no overscan.

WW_Joshua

09-28-05, 06:58 PM

JHermon

09-28-05, 07:09 PM

Thanks for the help. When you say that you only get the black bars if your 16:9 TV has no overscan -- does the 42A10 have overscan? I've seen there is an ability to "zoom" -- is that the same thing?

AlanBuck

09-28-05, 07:24 PM

That only happens if your 16x9 TV has no overscan.

Hmmmm....you had to shoot me down..lol. Is there some aspect ratio between 1.85 and 2.35 that is in use? I do get 2 different sizes of black bars which varies from movie to movie. I prefer the standard ratio with no bars....but those don't seem to be all that common...thanks a lot Hollywood! :rolleyes:

kirali

09-28-05, 08:02 PM

Question:

I have had the A10 no for over a month and am very happy. I have yet to watch any HD material and Have DirecTV coming out to install my HD sat. I am also intrested in contacting Comcast to come and install cable. Does anyone have Comcast and Directv coming to the TV and how did you set it up....Thanks

AlanBuck

09-28-05, 08:26 PM

Hello All! I've been lurking here for a while but finally registered...

I have a question on the availability of the "support belt" for the 42A10... It's the one shown on page 14 of the user manual. It looks like it is part of the SU-RG11S support stand that they recommend.

Here's my problem... I built my own stand / entertainment center and I would like to add the extra security of the support belt since the TV is front-heavy...

Anyone know where I can find one???

Thanks!
-Joshua

Unless you have children in your home I wouldn't even worry about it. These TV's are MUCH lighter weight than tube type TV's, and they really aren't front heavy either. I had a 36 inch Sony flat tube TV...now that beast WAS HEAVY, and all the weight was in the front. It weighed about 225 pounds...the 42 A-10 is about 62 pounds...what a relief!

Laura Palmer

09-28-05, 08:52 PM

I was at the store looking at this TV the other day, and I was able to tweak it a lot to get a picture I was pretty satisfied with. I brought a wide range of different DVDs to test.... but my favourite film, Magnolia, didn't look very good at all. I also tried it on the Toshiba and didn't think it looked very good on that either.

Before I pull the trigger, I just want to know that someone with the 42" A10 was able to get Magnolia to look really really nice :P

ru4real

09-28-05, 11:23 PM

Television doesn't dictate what aspect ratios Hollywood should use. They've been making wide aspect ratio movies (>2:1) for decades. 1.78:1 is not nearly as common as 2.35:1 for cinema, so television manufacturers should probably be making 2.35:1 televisions for us to buy, but that would just result in people complaining that 1.78:1 movies have black bars on the sides!

gck105

09-28-05, 11:26 PM

Does anyone have any information on using the digital audio output on the Sony KDF-E42A10. I was on the phone with Sony for 2 hours with no help. I am not getting any sound from the digital audio output.
I tested the cable by making the connnection directly from the DVD and Cable Box and it worked. I can get sound over the TV speaker when using the HDMI input, but when I turn the speakers off to using the digital out, I get nothing. . I am waiting to hear back from tech support in the next 48 hours.

Anyone else have this problem? I have read on here elsewhere about a sevice menu that you can access by entering a code, does this have audio options? Any help is appreciated. The TV is less than a week old and I want to start enjoying is full capability.

F23Coupe

09-28-05, 11:35 PM

Unless you have children in your home I wouldn't even worry about it. These TV's are MUCH lighter weight than tube type TV's, and they really aren't front heavy either. I had a 36 inch Sony flat tube TV...now that beast WAS HEAVY, and all the weight was in the front. It weighed about 225 pounds...the 42 A-10 is about 62 pounds...what a relief!
Our 40 inch direct view CRT was 350 lb. I think the delivery guys were VERY relieved that they didn't have to go up a flight or two or even worse yet, in an apartment building!

Dark Rain

09-29-05, 02:18 AM

Hmmmm....you had to shoot me down..lol. Is there some aspect ratio between 1.85 and 2.35 that is in use? I do get 2 different sizes of black bars which varies from movie to movie. I prefer the standard ratio with no bars....but those don't seem to be all that common...thanks a lot Hollywood! :rolleyes:

I've seen a 2.20:1 aspect ratio (2001: A Space Odyssey) that will show some small black bars. But this isn't very common. The most common aspect ratios are 1.33:1 (full frame), 1.78:1, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1.

From what I could tell when I ran DVE, my 42A10 showed around 2% overscan which is enough to hide the black bars on movies shot in 1.85:1. I never see them.
Of course, if the DVDs you're watching aren't anamorphic, you need to make sure
you're using the "Zoom" mode on the A10 to eliminate the letterboxed look.

I wonder if your A10 isn't providing enough overscan?

KevinXbox360

09-29-05, 08:26 AM

Here's a list of Xbox games and what they offer.

http://www.hdtvarcade.com/xboxlist.htm

Aurora,

I've noticed that none of the Xbox games mention 16:9 on them and the Xbox outputs 480p & 4:3 when I check the display on the TV . Obviously the Xbox dashboard is in 16:9 and the TV detects this.

But is there actually confirmation of 16:9 supported in these games? So far on Halo 2, Ninja Gaiden & Burnout 3 when I put the picture in FULL it appars slightly distorted and "stretched".

I've also tested Halo 2 and you can not see any further to the sides, like you should be able to in 16:9. I tested this on doorways and put them at the edge of the screen. Changing to FULL mode should allow me to see further to each side of the doorway, but it does not, just merely makes everything BIGGER.

Am I making sense :confused:

Serbonze

09-29-05, 08:43 AM

I posted this in the HDTV Hardware forum and didn't get a response, I thought I would try here just in case anyone had an idea...

I purchased a Sony 50" A10 and hooked everything up. I'm running the cable through my SA 8300HD cable box.

I went through all the cables, and I couldn't to get the video to work. It worked fine using component cables, but just not with the HDMI.

I made sure that the TV was set to input 6 for the HDMI connector. I downloaded the instruction book for the cable box, and followed those instructions. It indicated that the box should normally be set up for pass-through, but when an HDMI cable is used there would be a separate option for that. When I went into the menu, the HDMI option was not there.

I called Brighthouse, and they said that they would send a "diagnostics" through and to then try it. I got home from work, and sure enough the HDMI port was working, and the "Set Picture Format" on the settings menua of the cable box recognized the HDMI.

Then a few nights later, the picture went blank. Sure enough, the port went out again. The next morning I woke up, and it was working again.

Two days ago, the picture went out again. I waited a day to see if it would fix itself again, and it didn't. I called Brighthouse, and the tech support person said that even though they have HDMI ports, they don't support them. Huh?!

He suggested I bring the box in, and swap it out for a new one.

I did that today, and hooked up the new box, and the port is still not working.

The tech response has always been "even though the HDMI port is on the box, we don't support it".

Anyone have any idea what is going on?

KevinXbox360

09-29-05, 08:53 AM

The tech response has always been "even though the HDMI port is on the box, we don't support it". Anyone have any idea what is going on?

Seems like the tech doesn't know what they are talking about. Unless they mean by "support" that they don't guarantee it will work, but I find that highly unlikely.

You may have to be a pain in the rear and make them kick it up to a supervisor or high end tech support person and have a Sony tech support person on the line when they come to the house.

GtDiesel

09-29-05, 09:22 AM

I am new to this forum, spent a few days lurking and reading through all of the fantastic information, reviews, and feedback on this and other TVs.

After much research and consideration I decided to purchase the 50a10. Just wanted to pass on that BB is running a very good price on the 50" this week (actually this week they are well above MSRP for the 42" and well below MSRP for the 50", such that the 50" is actually a good bit cheaper than the 42"). It arrives Saturday. I just happened to be in BB looking at stands and saw the price, I don't think it was even listed in their ads.

Don't know if the BB price is limited to my area (Atlanta), but wanted to pass that along. Also, I was able to get BB to match the financing offer over at CC so I ended up with a great price and some really flexible financing (24 months same as cash).

If you are in the Atlanta area, the employees over at the Cobb Pkwy store, near Cumberland Mall, are a pleasure to deal with (both the TV guys and customer service).

kgfarrell

09-29-05, 09:31 AM

I have the 50A10 in use with the H10 D* receiver. The format for the H10 is set to all/native. Sometimes the TV converts fine; however at times the tv does not want to convert the incoming signal and all I get are squiggly lines. Any sugestions.

JHermon

09-29-05, 09:59 AM

gck105

09-29-05, 10:05 AM

So, even if I input digital signal, if it is not coming through the TV's tuner, the digital audio output will not work? That seems a little silly, but that may explain the problem. I am inputing through the HDMI input. The Sony Tech thought it should work. I don't the manual in front of me, but I thought it mentioned the dgital out would work with the HDMI input?

gck105

09-29-05, 10:12 AM

Also, the manual mentions an AV Sync option under the audio menu. This option is not available on my TV, does anyone else have or not have this menu? I have the E42A10.

GLX

09-29-05, 10:17 AM

But is there actually confirmation of 16:9 supported in these games? So far on Halo 2, Ninja Gaiden & Burnout 3 when I put the picture in FULL it appars slightly distorted and "stretched".

http://www.hdtvarcade.com/xboxlist.htm

rosenkavalier

09-29-05, 10:19 AM

Dual reply...

OK, I'm a bit confused. My cable provider (Comcast) doesn't support CableCard in my area. I intend to hook the cable box up to the TV via HDMI, so I'm not using the built in tuner to watch TV, I'm using the cable box.

I had intended to use the optical out from the TV to run sound through my audio system when watching TV over the box, but from what I'm reading here, it sounds like my only options would be either (a) running a separate digital audio out (whether optical or coax) from the TV to my A/V receiver or (b) listening to audio through the TV speakers.

Do I have this right? Because if I do, it sort of stinks...

So, even if I input digital signal, if it is not coming through the TV's tuner, the digital audio output will not work? That seems a little silly, but that may explain the problem. I am inputing through the HDMI input. The Sony Tech thought it should work. I don't the manual in front of me, but I thought it mentioned the dgital out would work with the HDMI input?

We discussed this earlier in the thread, but this thing is such a monster now I don't have a problem restating it. The HDMI input, which is capable of receiving 2.0 (stereo) audio from a HDMI-capable device, is not intended to function as an audio pass-through. That is, the only purpose for the HDMI's audio feed into the TV is to use it with the built-in speakers. (This is why the HDMI setup on the TV is only spec'd to receive 2.0 audio -- the set only has two speakers/channels, so taking in more would be pointless.)

If your external device has digital audio out (and hopefully anything with an HDMI output on it does), there is nothing to be gained by trying to run the digital audio from the device through the TV, then on to the A/V receiver. Just run the digital audio connection from the device straight to the receiver.

The only possible advantage that a pass-through approach would give you is if you are also using the A10's internal HD tuner (OTA, or HD-over-Cable), and you're already running a digital audio cable from the TV to the receiver to get the Dolby Digital signals from broadcasts. Running each separately, you would be using two digital inputs on the receiver (and on some A/V receivers, there aren't enough digital inputs to go around). However, in both of the cases outlined above, the tuner in the set is dormant -- so the solution is to bypass the TV and run the audio straight into the receiver.

JHermon

09-29-05, 10:30 AM

Thanks -- that is extremely helpful. Sorry for beating the dead horse from prior posts, but like you said, the thing is a monster to sort through.

gck105

09-29-05, 10:32 AM

Thanks for input. I was unaware that the HDMI was only a 2.0 output for audio. It seems to make more sense now.

cragsleeper

09-29-05, 10:38 AM

Thanks for your replies Secant, AkaStp, and Navmaster. I feel better knowing there are others who understand what I'm saying. I was starting to feel like I do with computer monitors running at 60Hz. I can't stand to look at them and it gives me a headache, but nobody ever seems to know what I'm talking about when I bring it up.

A friend just bought the 42a10 so I'll have a chance to see it in a home environment. I have to admit I'm really hoping the SXRD doesn't let me down because I like the imposing presence of a 50 inch tv.. and OK... actually I'll just admit it... I have a couple of friends who bought the bargain-basement RCA 50-inch CRT sets and it's really hard to convince the average person your TV is better when it has a smaller screen. There, I said it. They think I'm a total sucker for shelling out so much $$ on a TV and I need to be able to prove why it's worth it. To them the image on the 50a10 I had was 'the same' as on their $900 CRT sets (ahhh to be so simple... or so blind... it would be cheaper for me) so of course I was the only one who saw the issues that made me return it.

Anyways, advance reports seem to indicate the SSE is just as bad if not worse on the SXRD so I don't hold high hopes that I won't see the specks in the shimmer. It seems a unanimous opinion on here that the 42 inch a10 has absolutely no SDE at 8 feet or beyond, so if the issue that bugs me isn't visible on it either then I suppose I'll have to let the two CRT buddies 'win' on this count. Considering one of those two buddies is a 25-year old virgin and the other is married with a kid already, I think I can let it go. :p

Serbonze

09-29-05, 10:39 AM

Seems like the tech doesn't know what they are talking about. Unless they mean by "support" that they don't guarantee it will work, but I find that highly unlikely.

Correct, that was the meaning of the response.

davidlem

09-29-05, 12:03 PM

David, FWIW, I had the opposite experience. I first saw the A10 at a BB sitting in a row next to 5K-plus Plasmas. All with the same feed. All sets had clearly been calibrated very well. The PQ on the A10 was actually (to my eyes) a little superior to the Plasmas (these were LGs, Panasonics etc.) I also saw the A10 sitting by its own lonely self in a very well lit Sears. And it didn't look too good. The signal here seemed to be from a DVD player (i would guess 480i) and if I had seen the A10 only at this Sears, I probably wouldn't have bought the A10. I've also seen the A10 at a Frys seated next to Samsung and Mitsubishi DLPs and to my eyes was better (color and PQ).

Basically, what I am saying is that IMO the A10 CAN be made to look as good if not better than most other sets. By the same token, you might be able to make the same argument for other sets as well. I would suggest looking for the A10s in different stores to get a better feel. Hope that helps a bit.

I appreciate your input on the display. I will compare in person at least one more time at another location before making any decision. A really great local deal would pretty much do it for me, and I'd be sure to get the Sony extended warranty. If a salesperson wants to make me a great deal I wont hesitate!

toenail

09-29-05, 12:31 PM

Aurora,

I've noticed that none of the Xbox games mention 16:9 on them and the Xbox outputs 480p & 4:3 when I check the display on the TV . Obviously the Xbox dashboard is in 16:9 and the TV detects this.

But is there actually confirmation of 16:9 supported in these games? So far on Halo 2, Ninja Gaiden & Burnout 3 when I put the picture in FULL it appars slightly distorted and "stretched".

I've also tested Halo 2 and you can not see any further to the sides, like you should be able to in 16:9. I tested this on doorways and put them at the edge of the screen. Changing to FULL mode should allow me to see further to each side of the doorway, but it does not, just merely makes everything BIGGER.

Am I making sense :confused:

If your xbox console is set to "widescreen" and your tv is set to "full" you should be getting a non-distorted 16:9 image from Halo2.

daveninjadotcom

09-29-05, 01:22 PM

I thought halo 2 only did 16:9 widescreen when you play 2 players with the vertical split.

FFFred

09-29-05, 01:47 PM

OK, I'm a bit confused. My cable provider (Comcast) doesn't support CableCard in my area. I intend to hook the cable box up to the TV via HDMI, so I'm not using the built in tuner to watch TV, I'm using the cable box.

I had intended to use the optical out from the TV to run sound through my audio system when watching TV over the box, but from what I'm reading here, it sounds like my only options would be either (a) running a separate digital audio out (whether optical or coax) from the TV to my A/V receiver or (b) listening to audio through the TV speakers.

Do I have this right? Because if I do, it sort of stinks...

Your best bet would be to connect your cable box directly to your receiver, via a digital out on the cable box. After much thought, consideration and analysis, this is what I have done and it works just fine - it stinks not at all.

You may be thinking that you want to take advantage of the audio-carrying feature of HDMI, but HDMI carries at this point only stereo; not 5.1 surround. The only way to get 5.1 sound, then, using a cable box, is to send the digital signal directly from the box to the receiver.

The optical out on the TV seems only to be a viable solution if you're using the OTA tuner or cablecard - but even then only truly digital channels will output through your TV's optical out. All "lower number" analog channels will be silent through the optical connection; you'll have to hook up red/white RCA's from your TV to your receiver and switch to them when you're viewing analog. That, indeed, does stink.

On the other hand, just digitally connecting from your cable box to your receiver gets you sound on aallll channels, and you'll get Dolby Digital (stereo/5.1/whateer they're serving up) whenever it's broadcast that way.

KevinXbox360

09-29-05, 01:49 PM

If your xbox console is set to "widescreen" and your tv is set to "full" you should be getting a non-distorted 16:9 image from Halo2.

Both are set that way. But shouldn't I be able to see more on each side?

I ran tests on the game and lined up things on the edge of the screen while in 4:3. I then placed it in FULL mode and yes the picture expanded, BUT it didn't increase my field of vision on each side. Whatever was there, door, enemy, weapon on the ground, was still in the exact same position.

If a game was truly 16:9, shouldn't my field of vision increase and be able to see more NOT just everything LARGER :confused: :confused: :confused:

DashK

09-29-05, 01:58 PM

hey guys, what kind of display modes does the A10 have for 4:3 material, can it display 4:3 material untouched with bars?

anyone know how this looks vs it's stretch modes?

thanks

Serbonze

09-29-05, 02:06 PM

hey guys, what kind of display modes does the A10 have for 4:3 material, can it display 4:3 material untouched with bars?

anyone know how this looks vs it's stretch modes?

thanks

The A10 has normal, zoom, and wide zoom.

Yes, it can display 4:3 untouched with the bars. I prefer the "wide zoom" function. It's not like other manufacturers that only offer the "wide" mode that stretches the picture out.

The wide zoom is a progressive stretch that I use to watch all of my 4:3 material.

x94blair3

09-29-05, 02:09 PM

After much research and consideration I decided to purchase the 50a10. Just wanted to pass on that BB is running a very good price on the 50" this week (actually this week they are well above MSRP for the 42" and well below MSRP for the 50", such that the 50" is actually a good bit cheaper than the 42"). It arrives Saturday. I just happened to be in BB looking at stands and saw the price, I don't think it was even listed in their ads.

Don't know if the BB price is limited to my area (Atlanta), but wanted to pass that along. Also, I was able to get BB to match the financing offer over at CC so I ended up with a great price and some really flexible financing (24 months same as cash).

Thanks for the info. I'll check my local BB's here in Grand Rapids, MI. If anyone else knows of a good place to get a good deal on this TV here in GR, please PM or let me know in this thread. I'm tired of sitting on the fence about an HDTV!

Nick

The Keither

09-29-05, 02:09 PM

The A10 has normal, zoom, and wide zoom.

Yes, it can display 4:3 untouched with the bars. I prefer the "wide zoom" function. It's not like other manufacturers that only offer the "wide" mode that stretches the picture out.

The wide zoom is a progressive stretch that I use to watch all of my 4:3 material.

Another vote here for the "wide zoom" setting. The only draw back to this setting is if you are watching a "Ticker" at the bottom of the screen, sometimes it looks as if its travelling in an arc.

But you get used to it...its way better than 2 large black bars on either side of the screen.

Radnor

09-29-05, 02:10 PM

I ran tests on the game and lined up things on the edge of the screen while in 4:3. I then placed it in FULL mode and yes the picture expanded, BUT it didn't increase my field of vision on each side. Whatever was there, door, enemy, weapon on the ground, was still in the exact same position.

Have you tried setting the dashboard to not use widescreen mode? You'll probably see that you see more with the option turned on, as doing the test with the TV is just expanding the same picture -- you won't see any difference at all.

Here's a sort of diagram, where the bottom is an HDTV in Full mode that stretches the 16:9 picture. It should look a little squishy when you put it in Normal mode, assuming the widescreen option is turned on.

http://img318.exs.cx/img318/7084/16x96xy.th.gif (http://img318.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img318&image=16x96xy.gif)

AlanBuck

09-29-05, 02:12 PM

Thanks for the info. I'll check my local BB's here in Grand Rapids, MI. If anyone else knows of a good place to get a good deal on this TV here in GR, please PM or let me know in this thread. I'm tired of sitting on the fence about an HDTV!

Nick

If you need a stand too, check Sam's Club package deal on the 50 inch A-10. Right now it seems hard to beat, their extended warranties are much cheaper,...and they are more lenient on returns than most stores. Not all Sam's have them yet...but they should be able to tell you which locations do.

x94blair3

09-29-05, 02:28 PM

If you need a stand too, check Sam's Club package deal on the 50 inch A-10. Right now it seems hard to beat, their extended warranties are much cheaper,...and they are more lenient on returns than most stores. Not all Sam's have them yet...but they should be able to tell you which locations do.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I bought a TV stand a few months ago to hold my 32 inch Sony Wega CRT (a hulking beast I might add). At the time, I found a widescreen friendly one I really liked and went with it knowing I'd eventually give in.

Does it make more sense to try and barter with a large electronics store for their warranty? I noticed a couple of pages back someone mentioned a direct sony warranty that's pretty cheap if you call them? I'm not a huge warranty fan anyway, but I suppose it might make sense.. With the amount of horror stories avsforum supplies on a daily basis, I'm conditioned to expect the tv to not work upon arrival, shut down randomly, and need replacement bulbs every 3 weeks...and I'm only half joking when I say that.

Nick

BSTNFAN

09-29-05, 03:37 PM

Another vote here for the "wide zoom" setting. The only draw back to this setting is if you are watching a "Ticker" at the bottom of the screen, sometimes it looks as if its travelling in an arc.

But you get used to it...its way better than 2 large black bars on either side of the screen.

I'm just the opposite. I watch all 4:3 with the bars. I have a decent stretch mode on my RPCRT, but I only use it to prevent burn in. I much prefer the picture unstretched and like that burn in is not an issue on the A10.

KevinXbox360

09-29-05, 03:50 PM

Have you tried setting the dashboard to not use widescreen mode? You'll probably see that you see more with the option turned on, as doing the test with the TV is just expanding the same picture -- you won't see any difference at all.
Here's a sort of diagram, where the bottom is an HDTV in Full mode that stretches the 16:9 picture. It should look a little squishy when you put it in Normal mode, assuming the widescreen option is turned on.
http://img318.exs.cx/img318/7084/16x96xy.th.gif (http://img318.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img318&image=16x96xy.gif)

Nope, I turned all gthe options ON in the dashboard. Which looks fine, but all games default to 4:3. This seems to be a typical problem with the Xbox, so I understand that.

Maybe it's my eyes. So you are saying that games should look "squishy" in the Normal mode & will look it's proper size when in FULL mode?

When I push DISPLAY on the remote, it shows 480p 4:3 for every game, only thje dahsboard says 16:9

Serbonze

09-29-05, 03:50 PM

I bought the brand new 46" Samsung DLP and returned it because the stretch mode was so pathetic.

I loved the wide zoom on my Sony 46" RP CRT and I knew the new A10 had the same type of stretch.

I really shouldn't even call it a stretch, because that gives the impression that there is distortion in the picture.

My suggestion to my friends when they are shoppint for a widescreen tv is have the store switch inputs from their satellite HD channel to analog cable (since digital cable is limited in my area to only a handful of channels, analog is mostly what we watch) and then view the picture in the setting that I will watch 95% of my programming.

AlanBuck

09-29-05, 03:58 PM

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I bought a TV stand a few months ago to hold my 32 inch Sony Wega CRT (a hulking beast I might add). At the time, I found a widescreen friendly one I really liked and went with it knowing I'd eventually give in.

Does it make more sense to try and barter with a large electronics store for their warranty? I noticed a couple of pages back someone mentioned a direct sony warranty that's pretty cheap if you call them? I'm not a huge warranty fan anyway, but I suppose it might make sense.. With the amount of horror stories avsforum supplies on a daily basis, I'm conditioned to expect the tv to not work upon arrival, shut down randomly, and need replacement bulbs every 3 weeks...and I'm only half joking when I say that.

Nick

Most of the problems with these TV's will be right out of the box, or soon thereafter. Remember the vast majority have no problems...but forums tend to attract the people with problems. You have a full one year warranty from Sony, and lots of credit cards will double that warranty for free. The only case where a warranty might make sense is if you watch TV a LOT, and the warranty covers failed bulbs. Otherwise I would pass on most of them. Sam's club does offer warranties cheaper than most stores, but I am not sure that bulbs are covered.

toenail

09-29-05, 04:50 PM

Both are set that way. But shouldn't I be able to see more on each side?

I ran tests on the game and lined up things on the edge of the screen while in 4:3. I then placed it in FULL mode and yes the picture expanded, BUT it didn't increase my field of vision on each side. Whatever was there, door, enemy, weapon on the ground, was still in the exact same position.

If a game was truly 16:9, shouldn't my field of vision increase and be able to see more NOT just everything LARGER :confused: :confused: :confused:

If the xbox is set to widescreen and the TV is set to full, you are seeing all of the content that exists. If the xbox is set to widescreen and the TV to 4:3, you're still seeing all of the available content but it is squished. If you then change the TV to full, the amount of content won't change but it will now fill the screen as it should.

Halo2 can be played in 4:3, letterbox, or widescreen. Your selection in the xbox console of "widescreen" will enable the full 16:9 image. If you've done this and have your TV set to "full" you'll get the image you're looking for.

mondo

09-29-05, 04:50 PM

Arnie H

09-29-05, 05:30 PM

How about progressive scan vs the A10 interlacer? I have an inexpensive Sony dvd and have tried both ways. The progressive scan seems smother. Yes, I have tried all the settings and adjustments in the A10. Anybody else find this to be true? Arnie

KevinXbox360

09-29-05, 05:45 PM

If the xbox is set to widescreen and the TV is set to full, you are seeing all of the content that exists. If the xbox is set to widescreen and the TV to 4:3, you're still seeing all of the available content but it is squished. If you then change the TV to full, the amount of content won't change but it will now fill the screen as it should.
Halo2 can be played in 4:3, letterbox, or widescreen. Your selection in the xbox console of "widescreen" will enable the full 16:9 image. If you've done this and have your TV set to "full" you'll get the image you're looking for.

Thanks Toe :D

tp4ever84

09-29-05, 05:56 PM

I have the nc675 dvd player and I believe the picture is better with the nc675 progressing then the tv's ability, but it is really hard to tell.

faztcobra

09-29-05, 06:03 PM

Call your retailer and have it replaced, it is BAD.It is bad. Confirmed.

Sears tech came out today and said I had a bad "Q box" aka video board. Said they didn't even have the parts in stock for these TVs yet. Check several local stores and none of them have any in stock. It'll be next Wednesday before I can even get a new TV. I'm so frustrated that I'm thinking about just taking it back and waiting til Christmas or so to buy and see if I can find another good deal at that time.

markt170

09-29-05, 06:10 PM

Is there some rule that prohibits talking about specific prices in these forums? Someone said BB has the A10 for a good price. How about stating what that exact price is?

faztcobra

09-29-05, 06:23 PM

Is there some rule that prohibits talking about specific prices in these forums? Someone said BB has the A10 for a good price. How about stating what that exact price is?
Did you read the Ts&Cs when you signed up? Its in there.

Postal1

09-29-05, 07:15 PM

Setting the TV Speakers to off affects audio through the TV's analog audio outputs. This is mentioned on pages 42 and 67 of the manual.

Funny on my 42A10 the audio comes thru the analog audio outputs even if the speakers are on. This is just the opposite of what the manual says. It seems that when you turn the speakers to OFF, then you enable whether you want FIXED or VARIABLE output . Again this is just for analog output. Got HDMI hooked up today on Moto 6212 P3 and to my eye HDMI is a big improvement over component. This TV ROCKS. :)

42A10
Manf. date 9/05
Mexico

SonicDark

09-29-05, 07:43 PM

How are you people who have your PC hooked up to the TV setting this up?

I have an NVidia 6800 GT which has dual DVI plugs so I have it hooked up with an adapter and it works but i can't have the desktop and all icons visible in both formats. I want to have my Dell 20" set at 1680x1050 and the Sony at 1280x720 displaying the same exact thing.

My problem is whatever I set the primary at the secondary is messed up format wise. I want to play games and have both perfectly formated. What do I need to do? Thanks!

Jeff

AuroraProject

09-29-05, 09:19 PM

Aurora,

I've noticed that none of the Xbox games mention 16:9 on them and the Xbox outputs 480p & 4:3 when I check the display on the TV . Obviously the Xbox dashboard is in 16:9 and the TV detects this.

But is there actually confirmation of 16:9 supported in these games? So far on Halo 2, Ninja Gaiden & Burnout 3 when I put the picture in FULL it appars slightly distorted and "stretched".

I've also tested Halo 2 and you can not see any further to the sides, like you should be able to in 16:9. I tested this on doorways and put them at the edge of the screen. Changing to FULL mode should allow me to see further to each side of the doorway, but it does not, just merely makes everything BIGGER.

Am I making sense :confused:

Sorry, I missed this question, but I see it has been answered. Game on.

BSparks294

09-29-05, 11:02 PM

I appreciate this board. Because of the previous posts I learned that the A10 should not be transported on its front. Mine had to go in for service and the company that Sony sent me to was likely to transport it on its front due to the fact they have nothing but pickups for transportation. I complained and they sent me to another service company that will take the proper measures to transport my TV correctly.
Thanks to this board and to the Sony customer support.

Brad :D

lovswr

09-30-05, 09:36 AM

Also, the manual mentions an AV Sync option under the audio menu. This option is not available on my TV, does anyone else have or not have this menu? I have the E42A10.

If I remember correctyl, that option is for use only with the TV is recieving the signal via its own, built in tuner.

Dealdoc

09-30-05, 09:41 AM

AlanBuck

09-30-05, 09:43 AM

Thanks for the info. I'll check my local BB's here in Grand Rapids, MI. If anyone else knows of a good place to get a good deal on this TV here in GR, please PM or let me know in this thread. I'm tired of sitting on the fence about an HDTV!

Nick

I was in Costco last night, and much to my suprise they have the 50 inch A-10 with matching stand on display! Package price is very good, plus you get their ultra-liberal return policy. I bought mine at Sam's Club 2 weeks ago for the same price, but I would have bought at Costco if they had them at that time. My A-10 has been perfect so far, no defects or issues at all. This is a great TV for the $$$. I am suprised that the warehouse clubs have them so soon, given that every CC store in my area is out of stock on them as of yesterday.

Mitch G

09-30-05, 09:55 AM

I was in Costco last night, and much to my suprise they have the 50 inch A-10 with matching stand on display! Package price is very good, plus you get their ultra-liberal return policy. I bought mine at Sam's Club 2 weeks ago for the same price, but I would have bought at Costco if they had them at that time. My A-10 has been perfect so far, no defects or issues at all. This is a great TV for the $$$. I am suprised that the warehouse clubs have them so soon, given that every CC store in my area is out of stock on them as of yesterday.

How about this for a completely unfounded rumor/paranoid delusion:

A BIG bunch of A10s were poorly manufactured resulting in a high probability of dust blobs or color blotching.
Once this manufacturing problem was discovered, these poorly built units were shipped off to Sams and Costco to participate in a sort of discount warehouse lottery where people buy the sets but can always return them given these stores' liberal return policies, Sony figured people wouldn't get too annoyed if the TV they bought had problems but Sony would still have a chance to recoup some if not all of their costs of building these sets.

Huh? Whadaya think?

The truth is out there .... :D

Mitch

billthebassist

09-30-05, 11:24 AM

Sounds like # 5 is dead on the component video. It sounds like you are getting audio through # 5 though? What happens if you hook the cable box, or DVD player to the other set of component jacks? ( I forget which # that is) If it works ok then, it has to a be a defect in the TV itself. I would think if # 5 was programmed as a SKIP, you wouldn't be hearing audio either. Make sure # 5 is active though.

Aha!! Vindication!

After longs hours and much frustration of NOT being able to see any HD or Progressive pictures via Video 5, I have the solution! I brought the damn thing back to Sears and got a new one. I was a little apprehensive when I hooked up the new set because I'd headbutt the wall if after all this trouble, it too wouldn't show a pic on Video 5 (meaning the original set wasn't necessarily to blame), but low and behold...WE HAVE A PICTURE!!!

So to all fans of this thread, this was a problem with this particular e50a10 (not me :rolleyes: )

Thanks for all your advice.

P.S. Sears' "repair" guys are still calling me trying to set up an appointment to fix the 1st set. Now I can use their excuses they gave me for 2 weeks of not showing up when they promised to (which eventually led me to demand a new set) "Sorry I didn't call you guys back...I've been soooo busy this week...it's just been crazy for me. " :mad: :p :cool:

viewer001

09-30-05, 12:10 PM

I am planning to buy the 50a10 and am now working on a built-in cabinet unit to house it and other equipment and books. Viewing distance will be just a shade over 9 feet from eyeballs to screen. My question is whether a 30 inch shelf height for the Sony would be too high. With a modest complication in the design, I could get it down to 24 inches, with the rest of the cabinet shelf height (on either side of the TV) at 30 inches. Those who already have the 50a10, what do you think? Would the 24 inch shelf height be noticeably better than 30 inches, or does it make no difference? Thanks in advance

Call me impatient, but I posted the above query two days ago, and thus far there has been no response at all. I'd much appreciate any thoughts on the question of shelf height for good viewing of the 50a10 from those who already have the set. I'd like to start building my cabinet! Thanks.

Yankees24

09-30-05, 12:22 PM

I owne the same model, I personally think 9ft is to close for this TV. I'm sitting about 12ft, and I find myself moving my eyes to see the whole screen. I also have the Sony stand, and I would say it's about 18 inches high. Maybe that's what Sony thinks is the optimal viewing height.

Mitch G

09-30-05, 12:35 PM

The Sony stand is a smidge over 20 inches.
The stand I use is 19.75" high and I find it to be the right height - my eyes are level with the middle of the screen.

24" may be pushing things a bit - assuming a "normal" couch or chair for watching.
But, I wonder if there are any folks out there with a 24" high stand who could comment.

Mitch

WW_Joshua

09-30-05, 01:12 PM

I have another question for all your guru's out there...

I have the 42A10 and was wondering if there is a way to tune the TV to a channel then turn off the video and only have the audio active (either through the TV speakers or the audio output)

My wife is hooked on some of the Music Choice channels but I don't have a STB yet... I don't want to leave the TV on all day while only using it for audio...

Can you turn off the video or do I have to wait until I can get a STB to do the tuning?

Thanks!
-Josh

Postal1

09-30-05, 01:28 PM

Postal, do still get Digital 5.1 sound from the Motorola phase 3 when you use hdmi. I found that it only outputs prologic. If I use the component it outputs Dolby 5.1 via the optic cable hooked direct to the HT receiver. Maybe mine needs an upgrade?

Sorry I don't have anything to hook the dolby 5.1 into yet , so I couldn't tell you that. Thats my next upgrade. And also in regards to other posts my 42A10 sits on a stand that is 22 inches high and it seems to be ths right height for me.This TV ROCKS

42A10
manf. date 09/05
Mexico

mattearl

09-30-05, 01:49 PM

Hey,
First poster with a couple quick questions. I've been researching for around 1 month now and have finally decided on the KDFE42A10. I was going to go for the new 34" Toshiba CRT (cheap option), but the 42" will actually fit in my cabinet & deliver a superior picture.
I currently sit about 7 feet from the screen. My cabinet is deep enough for the 32" Wega monster that lives in there now. So the question is, do I keep the TV at 7 ft or do I push it back a foot into the cabinet to get a better viewing distance. There really seams to be difference of opinion on how far back you should sit from these sets. I am worried that pushing the TV back into the unit will look weird, but I also don't want to puchase a new cabinet (my Energy AC-300 center is a BEAST and really hard to place).
Second question. I have heard that HD tunerless models will be introduced in November, dropping the price by $500 (here in Canada) for the 42".Since I'll be purchasing a HD PVR from Rogers, I have no need for the built in tuner. AND, I can wait a month to save $500 (hockey won't have worked out it's new rule kinks until then anyways ;) ).
Can anyone else confirm this?
Thanks in advance.

apk8

09-30-05, 02:03 PM

x94blair3

09-30-05, 02:19 PM

Second question. I have heard that HD tunerless models will be introduced in November, dropping the price by $500 (here in Canada) for the 42".Since I'll be purchasing a HD PVR from Rogers, I have no need for the built in tuner. AND, I can wait a month to save $500 (hockey won't have worked out it's new rule kinks until then anyways ;) ).
Can anyone else confirm this?
Thanks in advance.

Any truth in this?!? If I'm building a HTPC and I have a HDTV card I wouldn't need an internal tuner right? That might save me some cash...then again, having the ability to just hook the OTA antenna directly might have some value?....

Same thing would apply for cable or DirecTv boxes as well...hmmm.

Nick

xris2o0o

09-30-05, 02:42 PM

philherz

09-30-05, 02:50 PM

OK experts, I realize it's not a good idea to turn my A10 off for a one minute break, but is there a generally accepted amount of time that you just leave it on for in order to avoid excessive power-ups/power-downs on the bulb?

thnx

FFFred

09-30-05, 03:45 PM

FFFred

09-30-05, 03:56 PM

I currently sit about 7 feet from the screen. My cabinet is deep enough for the 32" Wega monster that lives in there now. So the question is, do I keep the TV at 7 ft or do I push it back a foot into the cabinet to get a better viewing distance. There really seams to be difference of opinion on how far back you should sit from these sets. I am worried that pushing the TV back into the unit will look weird, but I also don't want to puchase a new cabinet (my Energy AC-300 center is a BEAST and really hard to place).

Fortunately for you, while there is a difference of opinion on how far back you should sit from these sets, there is an absolutely error-free way to ascertain your (or anyone's) particular adequate/optimal viewing distance: Try and see which looks best to you.

Not to be too tongue in cheek here, but really, that is the bottom line. Some on this forum with eagle-eye vision notice the SDE and/or SSE at distances farther than an average person, so they have to sit farther back. Those of us with just regular vision typically can sit closer with no noticeable SDE. Nobody can tell you the optimal viewing distance for your eyes; only you can.

I, a person with just regular vision (with my glasses on, that is), find that the 50A10 at around 9 feet away provides a fantastic picture; no SDE and no more than the typical SSE (which I totally can live with). If I do move with in 6 or 7 feet, I start to notice SDE more, so if I was in a 7-foot evironment, the 50-inch is too much for my eyes. For what it's worth, a 42A10 at 7 feet away would be just fine for me.

One last consideration: It sounds like the cabinet you'll be putting the 42A10 in will be an enclosed structure (bottom/sides/back and top?). If so, pushing your new 42A10 back into your cabinet would likely reduce the air flow around the unit, which may cause the thing to overheat. That, through anyone's eyes, is bad.

FFFred

09-30-05, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by mattearl
Second question. I have heard that HD tunerless models will be introduced in November, dropping the price by $500 (here in Canada) for the 42".Since I'll be purchasing a HD PVR from Rogers, I have no need for the built in tuner. AND, I can wait a month to save $500 (hockey won't have worked out it's new rule kinks until then anyways ).
Can anyone else confirm this?
Thanks in advance.

Any truth in this?!? If I'm building a HTPC and I have a HDTV card I wouldn't need an internal tuner right? That might save me some cash...then again, having the ability to just hook the OTA antenna directly might have some value?....

Same thing would apply for cable or DirecTv boxes as well...hmmm.

Nick

I choose not to believe this rumour.

At least in the US, it is a fact that they are mandating that all HDTVs over a certain size (I think it's like a minimum of 27 inches or so) MUST contain an HD tuner, by I think the end of 2006 or thereabouts. Given this rule, at least in the US, I don't see how they could introduce tuner-less HDTVs in the A10 sizes in violation of this rule (That rule being instituted in order to foster the adoption of HDTVs, i.e., more consumers will buy them if they don't also have to buy a separate tuner). While individuals may find the tuner non-essential, on a mass-market, mass-adoption level, I agree it makes sense to mandate in-set tuners.

I also doubt that the HDTV tuner component even costs close to $500 any more, so I question a $500 savings even if they didn't include it.

AuroraProject

09-30-05, 04:11 PM

I, a person with just regular vision (with my glasses on, that is), find that the 50A10 at around 9 feet away provides a fantastic picture; no SDE and no more than the typical SSE (which I totally can live with). If I do move with in 6 or 7 feet, I start to notice SDE more, so if I was in a 7-foot evironment, the 50-inch is too much for my eyes. For what it's worth, a 42A10 at 7 feet away would be just fine for me.

While I can see SDE on my 50" at 10 feet away. I agree with the advice given, go to a store with one on display and take a tape measure. Only you can decide.

Rico66

09-30-05, 04:59 PM

I also doubt that the HDTV tuner component even costs close to $500 any more, so I question a $500 savings even if they didn't include it.
1/10 of this price is probably closer to the truth.

mattearl

09-30-05, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by mattearl
Second question. I have heard that HD tunerless models will be introduced in November, dropping the price by $500 (here in Canada) for the 42".Since I'll be purchasing a HD PVR from Rogers, I have no need for the built in tuner. AND, I can wait a month to save $500 (hockey won't have worked out it's new rule kinks until then anyways ).
Can anyone else confirm this?
Thanks in advance.

I choose not to believe this rumour.

At least in the US, it is a fact that they are mandating that all HDTVs over a certain size (I think it's like a minimum of 27 inches or so) MUST contain an HD tuner, by I think the end of 2006 or thereabouts. Given this rule, at least in the US, I don't see how they could introduce tuner-less HDTVs in the A10 sizes in violation of this rule (That rule being instituted in order to foster the adoption of HDTVs, i.e., more consumers will buy them if they don't also have to buy a separate tuner). While individuals may find the tuner non-essential, on a mass-market, mass-adoption level, I agree it makes sense to mandate in-set tuners.

I also doubt that the HDTV tuner component even costs close to $500 any more, so I question a $500 savings even if they didn't include it.

This is what a freind of mine in retail told me. He said to wait as they are putting the tunerless models on order in a month or so. The current model with tuner sells for $2499 in Canada and he quoted the expected retail for the tunerless at $1999. Maybe it's a canadian only thing, I'm not sure.

Thanks for the viewing distance help. I'm going to a BB on Sunday to check out some HD football feeds & test some dvd's out for the eventual purchase. I'll be sure to take along a tape measure.

cbagger01

09-30-05, 05:39 PM

philherz

09-30-05, 06:01 PM

I am not the keeper of the "generally accepted" amount of time that you should keep your TV set turned off before turning it back on.

For my taste, I move up close to my 42A10 set and listen for the cooling fan. When the cooling fan eventually turns off (usually takes 2-3 minutes. May take longer if you keep the TV inside an enclosure that restricts cooling), I decide that it is OK to turn it back on.

I am basing this on an assumption that the design engineers must have either picked the correct fixed time interval or a temperature controlled switch setting that is long enough to cool the bulb adequately upon shutdown.

Of course, I could be wrong. But my approach makes sense to me based upon the available information.

This makes sense, but I probably wasn't clear with my question.

If I'm going to stop watching TV for an hour, I'll turn the set off.

If I'm going to stop watching TV for a minute, I'll leave it on.

I remember early in this thread someone saying that bulb life is also significantly impacted by how many times it's turned on/off, besides total hours used.

If I'm going on a 20 minute break, leave it on? Turn it off?

thnx

cbagger01

09-30-05, 06:39 PM

For 20min of lost bulb life + electricity usage, I would probably just leave the set on.

But I am also sure that the bulb will be cool by then so there is no real harm in turning it back on.

Either option seems OK by me. Now if I was doing this 20minute cyle 5 times per day, that would be a different situation. But the occasional off/on cycle should be no big deal.

These sets are intended for normal consumer use, so I wouldn't tiptoe around them as if you are walking on eggshells.

FFFred

09-30-05, 07:11 PM

This is what a freind of mine in retail told me. He said to wait as they are putting the tunerless models on order in a month or so. The current model with tuner sells for $2499 in Canada and he quoted the expected retail for the tunerless at $1999. Maybe it's a canadian only thing, I'm not sure.

Thanks for the viewing distance help. I'm going to a BB on Sunday to check out some HD football feeds & test some dvd's out for the eventual purchase. I'll be sure to take along a tape measure.

Well, then, that is very interesting. My bet is it would be only a Canadian thing, given the mandates for HD tuners in the US, though it may be that the mandate is that only a proportion of the TVs have tuners. If so, Sony I suppose could still release tuner-less versions even in the US. Still, I am surprised that Sony would go to the trouble of designing a tuner-less one (I gotta think it's not as simple as just "pulling out" the tuner), and even more surprised that they would cut the price by $500 for such an omission. But, hey, that's their decision; not mine . . . Maybe it's their "industrial" model, stripped down with fewer features/inputs all-around, like they do with some plasmas.

hkhurana

09-30-05, 07:20 PM

Hello,

I have a 3 week old e42a10. I watched a few movies, and am fairly certain this is brand new behavior.

I put in a 16:9 dvd (and confirmed the dvd player was set to 16:9, and tried two dvd players and a few movies), and as part of the "wide" selections, normal shows up. By default, it is going to normal when watching a movie, which is and the display showing a medium size picture in the middle of the tv. I can select, full, which seems to zoom in and I think shows a loss of quality. I do not think that "normal" should even be an option, and I don't think the tv is picking up the 16:9 signal. Any ideas here? I chatted with sony online, and they were no help except to reset, which has not helped.

Other signals (an hdmi pc connection, and hdtv) and processing signals fine.

Thanks.

Hareesh

WW_Joshua

09-30-05, 08:40 PM

Ok, this question may sound a bit off the wall, but here goes...

My wife has a very sensitive sense of smell and is pregnant (so she worries incessantly about smells!). We recently got the 42A10 and got it set up and running with no problem... She then said that she started smelling something that she says is like formaldehyde or something (BTW, she has a degree in chemistry...). We thought it was the packing material so it was ejected from the house. It's been 4 days now and she claims she still smells it, however I have never been able to smell it from the beginning...

Could it be coming from the TV itself? I told her that any new electronic device will give off a few smells as they "burn-in" but she still pleaded that I ask the board what their thoughts were...

Any suggestions?
-Josh

Radnor

09-30-05, 09:48 PM

Could it be coming from the TV itself? I told her that any new electronic device will give off a few smells as they "burn-in" but she still pleaded that I ask the board what their thoughts were...

My entire downstairs area smelled like an electronics store for a week and a half after putting up a 42" A10. It's probably the internal fan blowing new-electronics-smell everywhere. It should go away after a while I guess. :)

steve ans

09-30-05, 11:25 PM

[Hello,

I have a 3 week old e42a10. I watched a few movies, and am fairly certain this is brand new behavior.

I put in a 16:9 dvd (and confirmed the dvd player was set to 16:9, and tried two dvd players and a few movies), and as part of the "wide" selections, normal shows up. By default, it is going to normal when watching a movie, which is and the display showing a medium size picture in the middle of the tv. I can select, full, which seems to zoom in and I think shows a loss of quality. I do not think that "normal" should even be an option, and I don't think the tv is picking up the 16:9 signal. Any ideas here? I chatted with sony online, and they were no help except to reset, which has not helped.

Other signals (an hdmi pc connection, and hdtv) and processing signals fine.

Thanks.

Hareesh]
Easy Answer:
You are watching older DVDs that are letter boxed for standard 4x3 TVs. Newer DVDs are ANAMORPHIC and will usually say "enhanced for 16:9 TVs" Some anamorphic DVDs are wider than 16:9 to preserve the original fim's aspect ratio so you may have some black banding top and bottom.
Steve

Silvertip1

10-01-05, 01:11 AM

rosenkavalier

10-01-05, 01:12 AM

Call me impatient, but I posted the above query two days ago, and thus far there has been no response at all. I'd much appreciate any thoughts on the question of shelf height for good viewing of the 50a10 from those who already have the set. I'd like to start building my cabinet! Thanks.

Some other folks have already replied on some of these points, but I thought I'd throw in one more: the "ideal" height is entirely dependent on your furniture, and how you sit/stand/lie when watching the set. If you watch TV from the floor, then no stand would be best. If you have elevated seating or abnormally high furniture (or are extremely tall), then your stand would need to be higher than someone elses. In my case, it was a moot point, as I got my 42A10 specifically to fit into my existing entertainment center. However, I lucked out, as it turned out to be near dead center from the POV in my recliner (where I watch from 98% of the time).

The simplest solution is to move around in your room where the TV will live, and sit/lie where you would normally be when watching. Take a tape measure, and get the "eye height" from the primary locations. If they vary, either prioritize to the most used locations, or split the difference.

With that number (XX inches), subtract the 'half height' of the set (number of inches from the base of the set to halfway up the screen). On my 42A10, that's about 16 inches, and eye height was about 38 inches. So in my room, I'd need a stand approximately 22 inches high. And that's almost exactly how high my entertainment center raises the TV. As a reminder: image brightness drops off more dramatically on the vertical axis (higher/lower), so if you're going to the trouble of building your own stand, I'd suggest taking the time to research the room and how you use it first.

Mark Oliver

10-01-05, 01:46 AM

I watched another B&W movie and saw no yellow spots. Not one. Perhaps they went away after the set in time or the conditions aren't the same as the other B&W movie I watched.

Dark Rain

10-01-05, 09:27 AM

My new 50A10 also smelled (that "new electronics" smell that Radnor mentioned above) for the first few days.

It's probably just the gases that are getting released from the plastics used in the TV. I used to smell this everytime with a new CRT, but didn't really notice it with my A10.

teckademic

10-01-05, 09:50 AM

I keep seeing that dark blue tint in the upper left hand corner of the tv and I am wondering if it should be something to be concerned about? It is only noticeable in dark areas of the picture. I thought it would go away since the tv is only two weeks old, but nothing yet. It could be comcast or not, but HD does not look as impressive as some have described it around here. To me it looks rather soft and not as sharp. The only channel that I think looks really good is espnhd, but I don't know. What do you think...

Dark Rain

10-01-05, 10:18 AM

Color non-uniformity is common on these TVs. All I can suggest it either get used to it, exchange it for another A10, or go with DLP.

I've had my A10 for over a month and I have the dark blue tint also in the upper right corner. It really bothered me when I first got the TV, but then it seemed to become less and less noticeable. I don't really see it unless I'm watching something in b&w or something with a night scene. But rather than obsess over it I just enjoy the program I'm watching. It's so faint anyway that it doesn't really distract me.

HD quality varies from source to source. I find it's usually the content and not the channel. Film-based HD content always looks sharper depending on the transfer and age of it. Also, cable and satellite companies compress HD channels resulting in loss of resolution and bandwidth. Blame them and not the HD providers.

teckademic

10-01-05, 10:30 AM

I was just curious if it would go away or get worse.

Yankees24

10-01-05, 12:01 PM

hkhurana , you have to change the defualts on the input where your DVD is conected. Set the defualt to "wide"....I think that's what it's called.

DashK

10-01-05, 12:36 PM

Hey guys, i looked at one of these sets today, the 42 inch model, and I was really impressed, but I have a few questions.

I am coming from a Sony 34XBR960.

Does the A10 have cinemotion mode for the DRC? I couldn't seem to find it on the remote in the store. Also does the TV support DRC at all? Can it display 960i thru DRC like the XBR960's DRC can?

What does SSE stand for?

is red push a problem? can it be fixed easily? there is a "monitor mode" on the XBR which takes care of red push, I couldn't find this option in the store....

any problems with fast scenes and lag/ghosting/choppy playback on this set during movies etc?

What exactly does Game Mode do? Will the TV have any lag or ghosting playing games that aren't 720p?

anyone running an xbox in 480p? How do the games look?

will this TV support 60fps 720p playback for xbox 360?

is burn in a problem on this TV?

does the TV have a VGA port for a PC? and if you are running a PC, how do games look? what resolution do you display in? 1024x768?

Is 720p the only mode it displays in?

How long does the stock bulb last? Does circuitcity or bestbuy offer unlimited bulbs in their protection plans?

Thank you for any help!

jackie C

10-01-05, 01:55 PM

I bought my 42a10 during the "big BB sale" about a month ago. I was reading this forum since July, looking to overhaul my TV situation from a 27" Sharp crt TV. I now want to continue and create a Home Theater. I really do not watch much TV except for the Redsox and some football. I have to say, I love this TV. Every night, I study every sq. inch of screen, looking for flaws. My wife is sick of my HD Tv talk. I have the HDMI hooked up to the new Motorola 6412 DVR. My question for you guys is this. I want to buy a DVD player, but don't want to change the HDMI hookup I now use because it looks so good. So I need a DVD player which has the best PQ using component with this TV. I hear the s77 is great using HDMI, but only so so with component. I love the chase, and want to get a DVD, then the Pioneer 1015 rec. and then research surround speakers. Please help me decide on a DVD player, and I would welcome any other suggestions you guys have.

AuroraProject

10-01-05, 03:31 PM

jackie C

10-01-05, 04:42 PM

If that route doesn't work, consider an HDMI switching receiver.
What is this?

AuroraProject

10-01-05, 04:47 PM

A receiver that has multiple HDMI inputs and one output to the tv, so you can connect an HDMI dvd player, your HDMI cable box and whatever else comes along to your tv which only has one HDMI input. The Denon AVR-3806 and up come to mind.

Jeraden

10-01-05, 05:04 PM

Can someone post the exact measurements of the actual base of the 50a10? A previous post listed it as 33", but I just wanted to confirm, as that actually seems a tad small. I mean the actual base that would rest on the stand, as the sides of the tv stick out a bit from the side. What are the minimum requirements for WxD of a tv stand for this?

kirali

10-01-05, 05:36 PM

I have had the 50A10 now for one month and am very happy with the TV...but the catch is I have yet to watch any HD material. So the questiin to the expers is this:

I have DirectTV coming out this week to install the HD dish and reciver but I decided not to get the off air antenna for the local channels (I live in san jose Ca) I have Comcast cable and they will also be in this week to install my HD cable system. My Question is how should I connect the two systems?? I will use the HDMI-DVI cable to conncet one source and probably use componet for the other. WHAT DO YOU ALL RECCOMEND???

THANKS

number2withacoke

10-01-05, 05:38 PM

33inches wide and 13 inches deep.. not that big at all.

x94blair3

10-01-05, 06:10 PM

Hey guys, i looked at one of these sets today, the 42 inch model, and I was really impressed, but I have a few questions.

I am coming from a Sony 34XBR960.

What does SSE stand for?

is burn in a problem on this TV?

does the TV have a VGA port for a PC? and if you are running a PC, how do games look? what resolution do you display in? 1024x768?

Is 720p the only mode it displays in?

How long does the stock bulb last? Does circuitcity or bestbuy offer unlimited
bulbs in their protection plans?
Thank you for any help!

Since I'm always asking questions, I'll take a shot at helping where I can.

The TV does have a VGA port, however a lot of people are using a DVI-HDMI adapter (with a graphics card with DVI) because it looks better.

Burn in should not be an issue with an LCD projection TV (as far as I know).

I was quoted 8000 hours today at BB with the stock bulb. I was also told by BB that their 4 year warranty does include bulb replacement. (I believe the second because I've read it several times here..the 8000 hours is anyone's guess...)

720p is what the output displays as, but it will accept all the normal resolutions including 1080i

SSE is (quoting another user): "Silk Screen Effect. Looks similar to SDE at a distance."

SDE is the screen door effect. It is what it sounds like...if you were watching "real life" through a screen door, your image would be affected.

For what it's worth, I was checking out the 50 inch sony today in BB and that's one of my concerns with the TV...I think the picture is sharper than the Samsung DLP, but I can see the SDE effect and I'm worried how the LCD will stand up with fast moving sports and video games...

ForrestB

10-02-05, 12:58 AM

The 42A10 base measures 40 inches wide x 14 inches deep.

DashK

10-02-05, 01:14 AM

SonicDark

10-02-05, 02:14 AM

Are you using CloneView, or DualView? If you want to run at different resolutions, you will have to be in DualView.

Silvertip

I try putting it on "DualView" but I can't view the computer desktop on both of them if I put it on that mode. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions?

Jeff

Dark Rain

10-02-05, 03:54 AM

Does the A10 have cinemotion mode for the DRC? I couldn't seem to find it on the remote in the store. Also does the TV support DRC at all? Can it display 960i thru DRC like the XBR960's DRC can?

is red push a problem? can it be fixed easily? there is a "monitor mode" on the XBR which takes care of red push, I couldn't find this option in the store....

any problems with fast scenes and lag/ghosting/choppy playback on this set during movies etc?

What exactly does Game Mode do? Will the TV have any lag or ghosting playing games that aren't 720p?

anyone running an xbox in 480p? How do the games look?

will this TV support 60fps 720p playback for xbox 360?

Thank you for any help!

- The A10 has Cinemotion for reverse 3:2 pulldown. The setting is under a different menu and kind of hidden.

- DRC is supported and can be customized for both Reality and Clarity. High Density and Progressive are available.

- Red push is only fixable via the service menu. The SM is very different from the XBR960. See the link in my signature for the A10 tweaks to fix the red push.

- No lag or ghosting on the A10.

F23Coupe

10-02-05, 03:58 AM

Does anybody know if Sony's projected to reduce their pricing on the A10's anytime soon? Or do they have a certain time of year when they reduce the pricing? I know that spring is definitely one. I'm in the market and would hate to buy something that'd drop in the next 3 months. I'm going the Sam's Club route so far where they have the 50" A10 plus stand for hm, how do I say this delicately... TV MSRP + stand MSRP - $450. Or look at it as free stand - $100 off MSRP. But this price has stayed for the past couple months.

RBethel

10-02-05, 09:14 AM

I traded our Samsung DLP for the Sony 50A10 after issues with lip sync, rainbows etc. After setting up the new Sony I was dissapoinited in the input selection from the remote. I use only two video inputs. HDMI (the satellite receiver) and componenet from the DVD player. Is it necessary to scroll through all 7 inputs (slowly I might add) to get to back to the beginnning? Perhaps I'm missing something??

k2koq

10-02-05, 09:21 AM

Mark Oliver

10-02-05, 12:56 PM

I traded our Samsung DLP for the Sony 50A10 after issues with lip sync, rainbows etc.

Smart move.

amheck

10-02-05, 01:25 PM

What is this?

I receiver with 2 HDMI inputs, and then one output, which would go to the TV. Thent he DVD player and STB would plug into the receiver.

amheck

10-02-05, 01:30 PM

Hi everyone,

I've been following this thread off and on because I plan to get a 50" A10 this fall sometime. Well, my friend got the 42" set during the big BB sale and we finally made it over to their house last nite to check it out.

He has the Scientific Altanta HD 8300 box via component out into the TV. Whenever we went to a HD station (CBS football, INHD, Disc HD, etc) there were black bars on the top and bottom. He had to use the zoom mode (instead of FULL) to get the whole screen filled. But the weird thing was, when going to the SD channels, those filled the screen just fine on ZOOM. I wasn't too familiar with the TV yet, nor the box, so I really didn't know what to check.

I did press the "#" button on the remote and saw that it was putting out 1080i. I also went into wega gate and saw that a 4:3 setting was set to off. Other than that, I really didn't know what to check.

Any ideas what settings he's missing that's giving him black bars on the top and bottom of his HD channels?

Thanks
Aaron

rickmeoff

10-02-05, 05:27 PM

I also returned a Samsung 5078 DLP and got a 50A10 and am happy with it. No lip synch or lag problems and no rainbows (though they don't bother me much on our older Samsung DLP). As for the input selection, as k2koq mentioned, in the settings menu you can specify the "Skip" name for any particular input so it is not part of the scrolling process. You can also apply names to inputs. Plus, using the Wega Gate UI, you can also pick from a list of available external inputs.

I'm hooked up with my D* HR10 DVR via HDMI on 6, along with a DVD player and a 2nd DVR through component, respectively.

I've noticed that although you can set to "skip" specific inputs... "cable" always comes up, with no way to skip that particular input?

k2koq

10-02-05, 07:01 PM

Hi everyone,

He has the Scientific Altanta HD 8300 box via component out into the TV. Whenever we went to a HD station (CBS football, INHD, Disc HD, etc) there were black bars on the top and bottom. He had to use the zoom mode (instead of FULL) to get the whole screen filled. But the weird thing was, when going to the SD channels, those filled the screen just fine on ZOOM. I wasn't too familiar with the TV yet, nor the box, so I really didn't know what to check.

Aaron

Did he go through the HD setup on the cable box? The box may think he has a 4/3 set.

I have my cable box set to "HDMI AUTO" and the sets picture mode to "Normal" and infrequently when surfing around the set seems to loose contact with the box or something. The Picture mode goes wacky

the picture will be stretched.. of it will go into 4/3
I just turn the Cable box off and back on and everything goes back to normal.

P.S tell him to get a HDMI cable...you CAN see the difference

DashK

10-02-05, 07:28 PM

does the A10 suffer from dead pixals?

Dark Rain

10-02-05, 09:18 PM

does the A10 suffer from dead pixals?

Any LCD-based TV or PC monitor can have dead or stuck pixels. The A10 is no different. I have a stuck pixel in the upper right corner of the screen that can only be seen from about 3 feet away. At normal viewing distances it isn't an issue.

rickmeoff

10-02-05, 10:38 PM

Thats correct, you can't skip the cable/ant input. A bit of an oversight by Sony IHMO. Maybe they assumed that everyone will use the cable(card) input. :rolleyes:

Ah well....after coming home and finding the wife on 'cable' and stating "the HD TiVo won't work...and I can't change the channels!" I was hoping there was some way to circumvent.

Guess she's just gonna hafta figure it out.... :rolleyes: :D

Seawater

10-02-05, 10:55 PM

I would like to say that I think the Sony 50" is a super TV, so far. A friend of mine bought one a couple of weeks ago at Circuit City. I like the HD so much, I was stunned. He popped in Star Wars I and it was fantastic. Now when I helped my friend set up his, the box looked new, the date on the back was September, 2005. He bought it on 9/19! They were out of stock and they called him to pick it up.
So I sold my Sony XBR 40" 300lb.(boat anchor) TV on Ebay and picked one up a Sony KDF-E50A10 myself. A week later at the same CC. I was going to wait a week but the salesman insisted for me to take the set, for it was the last one in stock. He said it could be a long time before more came in. I wanted to wait a week but I took it home. I checked on line and they were restocked 2 days later.

Anyway, the box kind of looked a bit rougher, dirtier than my friend's. I opened it up and date said August, 2005. Not a big deal but with the exception my friend's was purchased a week earlier, with September, 2005 on it.

Does anyone know if by any chance if CC gets a return they may check it out themselves and repackage it? There were also 2 circular imprints on the back of my set, which may have been from packaging, I don't know.

I just paid a lot for the set and I want to make sure I got one that was new. If anyone has any input it would be appreciated. Other than that my picture looks outstanding.

Thanks,
Scott

RBethel

10-03-05, 01:00 AM

Thanks for the info. on the input selections (when all else fails, read the manual) Now I just use the Wega Gate button and toggle back and forth between the two inputs.

Silvertip1

10-03-05, 02:08 AM

I try putting it on "DualView" but I can't view the computer desktop on both of them if I put it on that mode. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions?

Jeff

I'm not a home right now so can't double check but if you go to Nvidia's web site and download the "Users Guide.pdf" for whichever version of the drivers you are using, it will tell you how to get the same display on both. HTH>
Silvertip

SonicDark

10-03-05, 02:14 AM

I'm not a home right now so can't double check but if you go to Nvidia's web site and download the "Users Guide.pdf" for whichever version of the drivers you are using, it will tell you how to get the same display on both. HTH>
Silvertip

I've tried pretty much everything. If you get a chance and can post what settings you've used I would appriciate it. I can use Clone but the resolutions can't be independently set. Dual View allows independent resolutions but it won't "Clone" the desktop on both.

Jeff

Dark Embrace

10-03-05, 07:04 AM

hey guys
i have had my 50a10 now for about 3 weeks, unfortunatley i dont have hdtv but i plan to in the future, i have been mainly using the tv for watching regular cable (which i am used to and doesnt look all that bad), playing ps2 and watching dvds

the thing that i have been noticing is that when watching dvds the dark levels and scenes are great and have no complaints at all but it seems like if there is a bright scene or a scene with like fire or an explosion it seems like the pic gets a little pixelized effect happening with those "brighter" scenes, is there a setting i am missing or is this just the way it shows up with those types of scenes?
(i do also notice that depending on the movie, how old or new the transfer is will determine how clear the pq is, older dvds seems to have a bit of a grainy look to them where as a newer dvd like star wars or whatever looks crisp)

as for ps2 games the only thing noticable is some games are the edges and graphics can look a little "jagged" around the edges and not that smooth rounded look cause of the resolution and its on a larger screen

so just wanted to see if this was the normal for those 2 things or if i was maybe missing some adjustment

thanks for any feedback!

KevinXbox360

10-03-05, 08:37 AM

Dark Rain

10-03-05, 08:54 AM

the thing that i have been noticing is that when watching dvds the dark levels and scenes are great and have no complaints at all but it seems like if there is a bright scene or a scene with like fire or an explosion it seems like the pic gets a little pixelized effect happening with those "brighter" scenes, is there a setting i am missing or is this just the way it shows up with those types of scenes?
(i do also notice that depending on the movie, how old or new the transfer is will determine how clear the pq is, older dvds seems to have a bit of a grainy look to them where as a newer dvd like star wars or whatever looks crisp)

as for ps2 games the only thing noticable is some games are the edges and graphics can look a little "jagged" around the edges and not that smooth rounded look cause of the resolution and its on a larger screen

so just wanted to see if this was the normal for those 2 things or if i was maybe missing some adjustment

Most likely you are seeing compression artifacts on your DVDs. Scenes with intense explosions or rapid movement can cause the "macroblocking" effect. It can also be your DVD player that causes this. A cheaper MPEG-2 decoder might be to blame.

Graininess with older DVDs is pretty common since the encoding techniques back when the transfer was done weren't as good as they are today. A lot of the older single layer DVDs have this issue since the bitrates were smaller. But a poor and grainy film print will always look bad no matter how well it's encoded.

You might be able to make the jaggies in your ps2 games less noticeable using the DRC palette. Adjust the Reality setting lower and the Clarity setting higher from default. But this is merely "hiding" it rather than eliminating it.

Dark Rain

10-03-05, 09:11 AM

One little thing I can't seem to figure out is how to get my picture to auto default to FULL mode for HD content & then go back to WIDE ZOOM for regular analog TV.

When I was just running the coaxial cable directly into the TV , with no cable box, the TV would auto detect HD content and place in FULL then when I went back to regular TV, it knew to go to Wide Zoom.

Now I have a SA HD/DVR cable box (from Adelphia) hooked up via component cables into input 4 (CableCard has been a nightmare so far). The cable box is set to display 720p in the main menu and the tech who came out was pretty knowledgeable and not your "run of the mill guy". He went through the cable box setings meni and turned ON all the different display settings for the box to accept/display, but the TV always pushes 720p, which is fine.

But now every time I watch regular TV I have to manually change it to Wide Zoom and then back to FULL for HD content..

Also, being that the cablebox is pushing 720p out, even regular TV doesn't take advantage of Cinemotion or DRC mode as it is greyed out in the Settings menu.

Is this typical or is there a way around this ?

Make sure the 4:3 Default setting is turned OFF in the SCREEN menu. I can switch to 4:3 programs on analog or digital cable and I get WIDE ZOOM. When I go back to HD it goes back to FULL. The same goes for DVDs. The only time I need to manually switch the screen mode is when viewing non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs since the A10 will see it as 4:3 and leave it on WIDE ZOOM. There are cases where I've switched it manually to FULL and then I need to switch it back to WIDE ZOOM since the A10 doesn't always remember to switch it back. It's a bit annoying but I rarely need to do it.

If you are running a progressive signal like 480p or 720p, it's already performing 3:2 pulldown and CineMotion is activated.

Edit: I did forget to mention that my cable box (Motorola 6412) has a 4:3 override mode, which basically sends 4:3 signals to the TV as 4:3. See if your cable box has this. This may be an issue or not.

Also, DRC does not work on anything above 480i.

oakie

10-03-05, 10:43 AM

You can always go back to internal TV tuner by pressing channel up/down. I fpound that 'feature' accidentally, but nice to know.

The unused inouts are defeatable, but it is confusing how to do that. You 'relabel' them as 'skip'.

jackie C

10-03-05, 10:55 AM

fotomatt1

10-03-05, 10:57 AM

Hi all. Just received my 42A10 yesterday and promptly went out to PC Richards to buy a DVD player. I was going to buy the Toshiba SD5980, but was talked into the Samsung HD850 for the same price. He said it was a better more reliable machine with better PQ. They both included an HDMI cable in the box, so both were pretty good value.

Anyway, my question is this. How does everybody like the HD850 vs. the Toshiba 5980? Also, what are the best settings for my A10 when using HDMI? The picture looks a little dark to me right now, but overall it is very sharp. I've heard some people say that HDMI is worthless. Just use component / progressive scan and let the TV upconvert. If this is the case, should I return this player for a plain old progressive scan model?

The other problem I'm having with the HD850 is that when I change chapters, the subtitles come on. It's pretty annoying to have to turn subtitles off every time you change chapters. I've tried this several times, but haven't tried it with another DVD yet. I've only tested it with U571. I will try another DVD later when I get home and hopefully the problem is with the particular DVD and not the player. If it is the player, I will swap it, but should I swap it for another HD850 or something else?

Any input is appreciated.

Dark Rain

10-03-05, 11:19 AM

I've heard some people say that HDMI is worthless. Just use component / progressive scan and let the TV upconvert. If this is the case, should I return this player for a plain old progressive scan model?

It's worthless for DVDs though some people will say there is noticeable improvement. I won't argue with them. HDMI will be suited best for HD-DVD.

DashK

10-03-05, 11:21 AM

does anyone know how you turn cinemotion on/off with the remote or in options? I can't find it, i'm also assuming it only works with 480i/480p signals?

DashK

10-03-05, 11:24 AM

It's worthless for DVDs though some people will say there is noticeable improvement. I won't argue with them. HDMI will be suited best for HD-DVD.

current dvds are only 480p anyway, either your tv or dvd player will do the conversion, i think it's best to just let the tv do it using component. hdmi seems like a gimmick for dvd, it is more worthwhile if your cable box supports it.

some people will say HDMI gives a better PQ, but I can't tell the difference, and if it did it would mean your set had pretty crappy component input.

Dark Rain

10-03-05, 11:32 AM

DashK, go to Wega Gate then SETUP. It doesn't show up on the screen until you scroll up one notch or scroll past High Altitude. It works for any interlaced signal such as 480i or 1080i. Click on the picture settings link in my signature for an explanation.

jmolli

10-03-05, 11:46 AM

I have an E50A10 connected to a Motorola 6412 III DVR. I am curious to know if I will get a better picture if I set the cable box output to 1080i or 720P.

Since most HD content is broadcast in 1080i and assuming the scaler in the Sony is the better of the two. My laymen's logic tells me to set the DVR output to 1080i, which would essentially have the E50A10's scaler doing the conversion to 720P for most HD networks, except those networks broadcasting in 720P (ABC and Fox??).

Unfortunately, for ABC and Fox, I assume there will be a double conversion before the picture is displayed. 720P to 1080I by the cable box and then 1080i back to 720P by the E50A10. Will this significantly degrade the HD pic quality from ABC and Fox??

Has anyone done any testing to see which DVR setting provides the best HD picture. I am not willing to change the DVR default output resolution every time I change HD channels.

I read some mention of "pass through" capability in the 6412 manual, but found no details on how to set it or exactly what it is. Would this capability just "pass through" the native resolution of the broadcast to my E50A10, with no scaling manipulation by the 6412??? Would this be the best solution if I could figure out how to set it??

Thanks,

John

MtBikerE

10-03-05, 11:51 AM

Hey all

What HD antenna do you recomend for the A10?
I'd like an indoor for now due to current living arrangement.
Anything new in the HD antenna world?

The HD antenna forum really doesn't say much other than what channels are available, so I figured I'd check out what other A10 owners are using.

thanks all

Seawater

10-03-05, 11:54 AM

Please A10 owners, tell me how you have the Motorola 6412 DVR, DVD player and Receivers hooked up? I specifically am interested in the 1 HDMI cable, do you have it hooked up to the dvr or the dvd player. Is there a DVD player that works exceptionally well with the A10s? Hdmi hookup? Component hookup? I also notice some receivers have an HDMI slot. Do you notice a difference in the DVR to A10 using component compared to Hdmi? Thanks.

Hi Jackie,

I believe Samsung has a DVD player which has an HDMI ouput available at Circuit City for $149. I had comcast come with a DVR and HD cable box. He said component works just as well if not better than a HDMI cable. Bull. Comcast doesn't want to spring the extra money for these cables. I went to Wal-Mart and purchased a RCA DVI-HDMI cable for $47. The picture is way,way better than component. I'm just trying to figure out myself if I can use the 1 HDMI input with 2 sources, without shelling out $1300 for a new receiver.

Scott

blkacklover

10-03-05, 11:54 AM

I had mine (SA8300HDDVR) set up to receive all formats. 1080i 702p 480i, etc.

When I change a channel and the format changes I get a black screen and then some quick white diagonal lines and then the picture pops up. Change to another channel with a different format and it happens again. Everytime a format is changed.

Not really a big deal.

That being said, I did experiment this weekend turning off the 1080i input acceptance.

When I cruise through the HD section of my channel lineup I get no black screen diagonal line pause thing, just goes channel to channel with everything at 720p.

Also with all the inputs accepted I would get an odd pause when I selected MyDVR or the guide function. That seems to be gone too.

I notice no loss in quality so I am going to stick with these settings.

The remaining cable box weirdness that I am seeing now is this:

Say I have the box on ESPN. I change the A10 input to PS2 or DVD and then come back to the HD input. I have lost the DVR ability for the cable box. I can't go backwards or forwards or record or pause or any of that stuff until I change the channel.

I figured out a way to record. I can pop up the guide and then then select the channel and record through the guide.

Here is an example: STB is on ESPN, a show is coming on in the next half hour I want to watch. I am playing the PS2. I press pause on the STB remote to freeze the program. If I go back to the PS2 and then back to HD it's unpaused and uncached.

Lame and I don't understand it.

I have HDMI to TV out of the STB. Only thing I can think is the problem.

Dark Rain

10-03-05, 12:00 PM

Has anyone done any testing to see which cable box setting provides the best HD picture. I am not willing to change the cable box default output resolution every time I change HD channels.
I have the same cable box and outputting at 1080i looks much sharper. The scaler in the 6412 is crap compared to the A10.

blkacklover

10-03-05, 12:26 PM

Yeah see that is the other option. Have everything sent out at 1080i from the box. It's not really all 1080i of course, but there would be no pause/flicker deal when the formats changed.

fotomatt1

10-03-05, 12:39 PM

Ok..say I return my Samsung HD850 and get a plain old progressive scan DVD player, how do I set my TV to do the upconversion? If it is fed a 480P progressive signal, will it automatically recognize that and upconvert? My other question is...which progressive scan DVD player do you recommend?

teckademic

10-03-05, 01:01 PM

KevinXbox360

10-03-05, 01:02 PM

I have an E50A10 connected to a Motorola 6412 III cable box. I am curious to know if I will get a better picture if I set the cable box output to 1080i or 720P.

Since most HD content is broadcast in 1080i and assuming the scaler in the Sony is the better of the two. My laymen's logic tells me to set the cable box output to 1080i, which would essentially have the E50A10's scaler doing the conversion to 720P for most HD networks, except those networks broadcasting in 720P (ABC and Fox??).

Unfortunately, for ABC and Fox, I assume there will be a double conversion before the picture is displayed. 720P to 1080I by the cable box and then 1080i back to 720P by the E50A10. Will this significantly degrade the HD pic quality from ABC and Fox??

Has anyone done any testing to see which cable box setting provides the best HD picture. I am not willing to change the cable box default output resolution every time I change HD channels.

Thanks,

John

Jmoli,

GOOD QUESTION, I'd like to see the answer on this. When I had regular coaxial & the CableCard in my TV I had no pauses or any problems. Now I get slight delays and have to change the WIDE mode anytime I watch analog broadcasts.

It's confusing enough with all these settings, hopefully someone will know exactly how to set it.

I was going to go with the CableCard but after using the DVR for 2 days I'm reluctant to give it up now. But on the other hard, the CableCard has no fiddlig with output signals, etc. Just PLUG N PLAY, no thought process involved (aside from all the other inherent hang ups with CableCards. :D )

KevinXbox360

10-03-05, 01:05 PM

Dark Rain,
Do you game on your 42a10 with the x box? If so, could you possibly post some settings that you use for gaming?

How do you determine settings for gaming? What games can you use as reference for black levels?

I've used Ninja Gaiden & Halo 2.

Halo 2 will be good to tell you how much "black crush" is being applied.

I had to turn Black Corredtor to OFF and Advanced Iris to LOW, although I kinda like the Advanced Iris OFF.

I prefer my picture a little brighter than most "videohpiles" do.

Other than that, I keep all the Custom Settings, as is for gaming. Color 48, Hue 0, Color Temp - Neutral or Warm 1 , whichever you prefer, Brightness 51, Picture 80

abward

10-03-05, 01:31 PM

Yeah see that is the other option. Have everything sent out at 1080i from the box. It's not really all 1080i of course, but there would be no pause/flicker deal when the formats changed.

But the DRC will not kick in for SD channels if you do that, right?

JIMF25

10-03-05, 01:37 PM

rickmeoff

10-03-05, 01:45 PM

But the DRC will not kick in for SD channels if you do that, right?

DRC won't work w anything other than 480i source, IIRC....so yes.

FFFred

10-03-05, 02:11 PM

Anyone have any opinions on which set (42a10 or 50a10) would be best from 7-8 feet away. I was close to getting a tosh46 dlp but found that the a10 looked much better in two different stores i visited yesterday.

Someone a few pages back asked a similar question re distance (they were considering a 42a10). The answer from me and several others applies equally to your question: You have to evaluate the distance question for yourself/yourEyes. Some see distracting SDE on the 50A10 at even 10-plus feet away; some apparently enjoy their 50A10 very much at only seven (7) feet. I personally have my 50a10 at 9 feet and I see no SDE at all. At seven (7) feet, though, my eyes do start to see SDE, and I could see that being distracting for my eyes. For me, 7-foot vieweing distance would mean I'd reluctantly have to get the 42 incher. At 8 feet, well, now that's cutting it close, for my eyes. . . .

The best you (or I think anyone) can do is to measure your viewing distance at home as accurately as possible, and then go to the stores and replicate that viewing distance for each set, see what your eyes can tolerate.

Lastly, I will say, 50 inches is more enjoyable for me - I love the quasi-immersive feeling I get from 9 feet away. 42 inches would have been neat, but nowhere near as impressive/immersive/theatrical as the 50A10 (indeed, my good friend who was satisfied with his 42 inch prior version of this TV is now convinced that his is too small - he loves the size/PQ of my 50A10). My advice is to do what you can within reason to make the 50A10 work for you.

Wombatman

10-03-05, 02:38 PM

So I picked up the KDF-E50A10 from Costco on the weekend (it was bundled with the matching Sony stand).

I had purchased a month ago the Samsung HLP5656W from Costco and our experience was not ideal. One of the component inputs failed after 4 days and the XBOX and PS2 gaming lag I felt.

The Sony KDF-E50A10 is leaving the wife and I speechless. The HD picture is outstanding and my experience is the SD quality is much clearer over the on-board cable tuner rather than the Comcast moto 6412 tuner.

Overall we love the TV - XBOX and PS2 look great and I have my PC connected over the VGA connector. I did connect the PC over HDMI however I find the picture a little clear over VGA (I have a HTPC with a Dual DVI Ge7800GTX

We sit about 10ft from the TV and have complaints.

The matching Sony stand is a very nice as well

Thanks for all the advice and comments in this thread it certainly answers a lot of questions.

Question:

(1) When watching 4:3 content with the black bars is there a setting to change the black bar angles? The black bars lean in slightly (i.e. On a pc monitor you can adjust the ceonvergence). >

NOTE: When using the on-board Cable tuner from Comcast (splitter goes into TV and into 6412 Comcast box) we receive all the SD and HD channels over the Cable tuner in the TV which is a great surprise (i.e. 83.1 is ABC HD). One odd thing we noticed though is sometimes in 100.1 we can get On Demand channels - very cool btw

Brad

AuroraProject

10-03-05, 02:49 PM

We sit about 10ft from the TV and have complaints.

Brad

What complaints do you have?

devro

10-03-05, 03:04 PM

The best you (or I think anyone) can do is to measure your viewing distance at home as accurately as possible, and then go to the stores and replicate that viewing distance for each set, see what your eyes can tolerate.

Yeah, what he said :)

Myself, I wanted to go as large as I could, but on the 50 I noticed very distracting SDE at 7' (my closest viewing distance at home), which was much less on the 42 at the same distance. So I pulled the trigger on the 42, and hopefully won't be looking back. In fact, I think I can even still see some SDE on my 42 at 12', but you certainly have to check it out for yourself.

That is, assuming what I am seeing _is_ what we call SDE. A more accurate description than 'screen door' for me would be what looks like the texture of a canvas. I don't actually see gaps between pixels, but rather the effect of light vertical and horizontal grain in the solid colors. Is that right?

JIMF25

10-03-05, 03:22 PM

Yeah, what he said :)

Myself, I wanted to go as large as I could, but on the 50 I noticed very distracting SDE at 7' (my closest viewing distance at home), which was much less on the 42 at the same distance. So I pulled the trigger on the 42, and hopefully won't be looking back. In fact, I think I can even still see some SDE on my 42 at 12', but you certainly have to check it out for yourself.

That is, assuming what I am seeing _is_ what we call SDE. A more accurate description than 'screen door' for me would be what looks like the texture of a canvas. I don't actually see gaps between pixels, but rather the effect of light vertical and horizontal grain in the solid colors. Is that right?

Thanks guys. you make a good point with going as big as possible. i can probably sit 9- 10 ft away in my loft. i'm just worried that the picture may not be as sharp on the 50, esp for SD. but, then again, the real purpose of the TV is Yankees playoffs (hd) and football (also sports gaming) which would look better on the 50, i assume.

teckademic

10-03-05, 03:23 PM

Anyone have any opinions on which set (42a10 or 50a10) would be best from 7-8 feet away. I was close to getting a tosh46 dlp but found that the a10 looked much better in two different stores i visited yesterday.

I have the 50 at about 10ft away and no sde for me, but I dont think I am that sensitive to it like others here seem to be. I do see SSE and it bugs me a lot, but I am trying to ignore it and I am getting better at it. My girlfriend cannot notice either one since she has not mentioned anything yet.

cbagger01

10-03-05, 03:51 PM

I have used two indoor antennas with my 42A10 in order to pick up local digital over the air HDTV stations.

For UHF only reception, I used the Zenith/Antiference "Silver Sensor" model. It is a very directional non-amplified high-gain antenna that is great at eliminating the effects of "ghost images", aka multipath interference.

However, unlike older digital TV tuners, the new Sony A10 TV tuner itself does a great job of eliminating multipath interference, so you don't need a special antenna like a Silver Sensor to do it for you. Just about any decent indoor antenna should work fine with this TV as long as you mount it HIGH UP. If you have an entertainment center, place it on top of the furniture so that the top of the antenna is almost scraping up against your ceiling.

I am currently using a Terk TV3 amplified indoor HDTV antenna for both UHF and VHF. I have the amplifier adjustment knob turned down to prevent oversaturation of the amplifier.

You can adjust your amplifier knob by using the "DIAGNOSTICS" screen in the WEGA GATE menu. If your signal quality percent starts dropping, or if your signal to noise ratio starts dropping, then you have adjusted the knob too high and need to turn it down a little bit.

In general, you will get better reception with an outdoor or inside-attic mounted antenna but in many places you can also get great reception with just an indoor antenna. Digital TV broadcasts are similar to a digital cell phone signal. Either you have near-perfect reception, or you have no signal and/or dropped calls.

My friend, who lives at the top of a hill, was able to get a dozen digital stations, including 2 VHF STATIONS (channel 10.1 and channel 12.1 high end VHF not lower VHF channels) that were over 50 miles away from his condo using just the Silver Sensor antenna.

So definitely try an indoor antenna. If you buy it from a local store like CC or BB, you can always return for a refund if it doesn't work for you.

devro

10-03-05, 03:51 PM

I have the 50 at about 10ft away and no sde for me, but I dont think I am that sensitive to it like others here seem to be. I do see SSE and it bugs me a lot, but I am trying to ignore it and I am getting better at it. My girlfriend cannot notice either one since she has not mentioned anything yet.

Thats funny, because SSE is much less of a problem for me. I can see it, but I have to look for it -- usually when I focus my eyes slightly past the screen.

JIMF25

10-03-05, 04:06 PM

Thats funny, because SSE is much less of a problem for me. I can see it, but I have to look for it -- usually when I focus my eyes slightly past the screen.

not to sound stupid, but what is sse.

I have a 30" syntax olevia LCD (for about a year) and sit 6-7 ft away and still have no idea what SSE or SDE are. ????

MtBikerE

10-03-05, 04:06 PM

Character_Zero

10-03-05, 04:28 PM

I am a proud new owner of the 50A10. Before I had a 26" Samsung direct view HDTV with built in tuner. The QAM on that tv was terrible and I had to get all my channels OTA. So with this TV i was prepared to have to use an antenna. Much to my suprise I did the auto channel setup and all the local HD channels were picked up over cable, and stable taboot. Now i can use my antenna with the Sammy and don't have to get a new one. I love this TV, even my wife liked it at the store but she hasn't seen it in our place yet. I see a little shimmer but nothing too distracting. Of course analog cable looks terrible but it seems that my location may have something to so with that. I used to be a DLP lover but this tv converted me!!

F23Coupe

10-03-05, 04:56 PM

FFFred

10-03-05, 05:05 PM

not to sound stupid, but what is sse.

I have a 30" syntax olevia LCD (for about a year) and sit 6-7 ft away and still have no idea what SSE or SDE are. ????

You don't sound stupid; just unitiated/new to the world of HDTV abbreviations . . .

SDE = Screen Door Effect, emphasis on "screen"; not "door", where if you look close enough, or have particularly acute vision, the TV screen appears to have screen material similar to that used for screen doors/windows superimposed upon it. The effect occurs with LCD TVs because there is a surprising amount of "blank"/black space between each of the square pixels. Taken together, and at a close enough distance, all of that dark space around the square pixels looks like a screen. Sit far enough away from the TV, and the space becomes less/non- noticeable. Most LCD RPTV (rear projection) sets seem to have this effect to some extent. DLPs have it less, and LCOS (SXRD) have it even less, as their pixels are much more densly packed, with much less space between the pixels.

SSE = Silk Screen Effect. Described variously as looking through a thin piece of translucent silk stretched across your screen (also called "veiled effect"), or "sparkle" effect in bright monochromatic portions of a scene. A function of the screen material mfrs use for their rear projection sets, all types of RPTVS (DLP, LCD and LCOS (SXRD)) tend to exhibit this. If yours is a flat panel LCD, my guess is you likely won't see this effect at all because you aren't projecting an image on this SSE-susceptible material .

Your set being a "small" size of 30 inches diagonal, my guess is you don't see these effects because your TV is small enough so it's just not an issue - the pixels are, relatively speaking, packed pretty close together because the screen itself isn't huge. If you did sit reallllllly close to your display, like a foot or so, I bet you could discern a SDE (even CRT direct view tube TVs will exhibit this effect if you get super close to them - you'll literally start to discern the actual screen they put inside the tube, so it's literally a screen in that case; not an "effect."). But it's not anything you'd notice at a normal/comfortable viewing distance with a set of that size. The problem for larger sets is that it can be noticeable from a number of feet away, depending upon viewer sensitivity/visual acuity/etc.