...I figured the average to be 11.5 hours per day...

Dude! You should consider an extended warranty for that one. I would not be surprised if you use it.

Abward,
The trick was to start with the TV in the off position. My TV has 1799 hours in approximately 340 days. Or 5.29 hrs/day. Thanks for the info. WolfpackRon.

New to the forum. Question about best sound I can achieve on the a10. I do not have a receiver and speakers so I am soley relying on the a10. About to get the new HR20 from DirecTV which has an optical out. As you know, the a10 also has one. Will I get better sound if I use an optical cable between the two? Also, is there any particular sound setting I should use (either on the a10 or in the HR20) to get the best sound? i.e. without 5 channells of sound what is my best option when listening to a HDTV broadcast in dolby digital 5.1?

Sorry if this has been asked before. Couldn't find it.

The A10 has an optical OUT, not IN. So you cannot run a optical calbe from your DirecTV box into the TV. Also, you need a reciever to get 5.1 from the TV.

You guys are lucky. I recently picked up a 42A10, Circuit City had one as an open box deal... I didn't really WANT the open box even with it's $200 cheaper price, but out of three local Circuit City's this was the ONLY 42A10 in stock, PERIOD. I already have a credit card with them which is why I was limiting my search to only this chain.

At any rate... I really wanted the TV and the one they had was the display model, not a customer return, and they assured me it was in mint condition. Got to the store and sure enough, not a mark on it. So I took it home. Didn't even think to question or wonder just how long it had been a display model to know how much of it's lifespan had already been used up....

As you see said on here many times... Ignorance truly is bliss.

Just my luck, I find out on this forum, how to check the amount of hours put on the bulb and the unit itself.

4400 hours.... :mad: :eek:

So.. that puts me... what... halfway thru the bulbs life? Luckily, I decided to spend the savings of the open box sale price on the Circuit City extended warranty which does cover bulb replacement.

The picture does look great anyways, especially after calibrating with Avia and doing the red push fix. But I do have to wonder... how it looked 4400 hours ago :mad:

What do you expect from a floor model. Its one for 10-11 hours a day. Do you ever go in there and see a TV off? So thats sounds about right.

bast yeah that's an eye opener for sure.

i had considered in the past purchasing a floor model but a friend alerted me to that concept of hours used. its not like buying a fridge or other applience off the floor.
i think in the future if you are looking for a second set for a room that wont see mega hours of your use, its a good option as long as you can absolutely negotiate a better price to account for the hours used (prob have to deal with the dept mgr)

i got real lucky on my recent 42a10 purchase on a price match plus 10% off

well I figured on the 10-12 hours a day part... what I didn't figure on was that they would have had it as a display model for so long.

I guess I had the wrong impression... I thought this model was fairly recent... also I figured they don't keep them on the floor that long anyways

But for them to have had it on 10-12 hours a day puts them at having had it as a display model for well over a year.

Figuring I would probably have the TV on 3-4 hours a day, that puts the TV at already ~3 years of wear and tear for me :confused: :(

this thought alone is making me considering returning it... problem here is that this TV is the last in a long line and process of TV shopping that began almost exactly one month ago. First a Samsung LCD flat panel, then a Sony Wega 4:3 CRT, than a Sony XBR970 HD CRT, and now this set.

I dont know if Circuit City's 30 day open return policy resets every time you exchange for another item, but I doubt it. Which means time is pretty much up for me. Even if the 30 days did reset... I have a feeling they won't be too happy considering every new reciept they have given me lists all of the previous trade ins on it.

Not to mention the look I'm sure to get from my wife when I say "honey... we need to exchange the TV again..."

I don't mind the hours on the bulb... again I used the price difference of the open box sale price to pay for an extended warranty which will cover it when it blows, but now I just read CNET's comparison between LCD and DLP and they are talking about the 'organic' nature of LCD and how they degrade over time...

So how long is an organic LCD chip supposed to last? what effect should I look for on this set to see if it's already 'too aged'?

Silly me... I thought getting a floor model open box was actually BETTER than a customer return open box... (proceeds to kick self)

The A10 has an optical OUT, not IN. So you cannot run a optical calbe from your DirecTV box into the TV. Also, you need a reciever to get 5.1 from the TV.


I know that I need a receiver for 5.1, but I'm asking what is the best sound settings on the A10 when I'm watching a show that is broadcast in 5.1? i.e. I'm running into a situation where the dialog is low and special effects are high. Thanks. :)

I know that I need a receiver for 5.1, but I'm asking what is the best sound settings on the A10 when I'm watching a show that is broadcast in 5.1? i.e. I'm running into a situation where the dialog is low and special effects are high. Thanks. :)

My inlaws face this same problem, although on an old 27" Panasonic CRT, since everything seems to be encoded these days for 5.1...they complain about the music overshadowing the dialog.

My suggestion is to consider an el cheapo surround sound system from eBay. I have seen some for $50, including shipping.

I don't think there is a good way around this with the TV's built-in two speakers, but hopefully someone can chime in here with the best setting for you to try.

well I figured on the 10-12 hours a day part... what I didn't figure on was that they would have had it as a display model for so long.

I dont know if Circuit City's 30 day open return policy resets every time you exchange for another item, but I doubt it. Which means time is pretty much up for me. Even if the 30 days did reset... I have a feeling they won't be too happy considering every new reciept they have given me lists all of the previous trade ins on it.



i can relate to the constant hassle of returning items... but you want to be happy and they should want a happy customer so... i'd just be upfront and say that you underestimated the hours that would be on it and want to return it.

as far as the lcd degradation, dont they have a life of like 20,000 hours...?

i did a quick search thru the thread for posts about stands. im wondering who has a good set up for a bedroom and where they got it.

i need something to set the 42A10 on in the bedroom. the commonly found stands i see in most stores are no higher than 30" top shelf.

because i want to see it comfortably when laying in bed, the ideal height would need to be about 40", but i could live with a little lower.

i would prefer casters on it to allow it to be rolled out when I want to get behind it or move it to another location.

finally being able to accomodate a pc tower that is 17" high would be a bonus.

anyone know of such an animal or a custom builder?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TorturEd
I noticed today that my TV is flickering when you are watching it the picture faintly flickers (sometimes you can really notice it like it's not as faint) every couple seconds it has never done this before does this mean my bulb is going to blow soon ? I sure hope not it only has about 2200 hours on it and I only bought it last year. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.


Can anyone else help the 1 response I got told me to take out the bulb and put it back in to see if that works I tried it but no change. If anyone else can help it would be greatly appreciated.

Anybody know what the problem may be ? I'm waiting for a Sony repair guy to come look at it. It's getting more and more annoying.

well I figured on the 10-12 hours a day part... what I didn't figure on was that they would have had it as a display model for so long.

Actually those places keep display models for a long time. I guess they don't want to sell one, then open another to put on display when they get new stock. One time I was in Best Buy and was looking at a small TV for the bedroom. They had one for a good price but I couldn't find a new one. I asked if I could get the display model (hopeing for a discount) and the guy said they couldn't sell the display. I think they seel displays when the new models come out. It makes sense, that way when they run out of stock, they still have a TV to show, and then only one TV to give a discount on in the end.

I don't mind the hours on the bulb... again I used the price difference of the open box sale price to pay for an extended warranty which will cover it when it blows, but now I just read CNET's comparison between LCD and DLP and they are talking about the 'organic' nature of LCD and how they degrade over time...

So how long is an organic LCD chip supposed to last? what effect should I look for on this set to see if it's already 'too aged'?

Silly me... I thought getting a floor model open box was actually BETTER than a customer return open box... (proceeds to kick self)

I think that they are referring to the flat panel display type lcd, although I haven't read the article and could be wrong. I remember reading some info about this sort of thing when researching tv's before I bought the 50a10 and it seemed that the culprits were the flat panel and not the rear projection. I also remember that plasmas also suffered from something much similar to this. I could be wrong, its been awhile since I've done any research.

About how many hours will I get out of a factory bulb?

Actually I just read in a review for the 50E2000 which uses the same lamp according to them. And they say there good for around 8000 hrs. Is this correct?

I don't know if this have happened to anyone yet. It just happen to my E50A10 lately at random. When I turn on the tv, it will turn on but as soon as I can see the picture, the TV turn off by itself and then turn on by itself after about 5 sec. I did check the serial number of my tv on sony website to see if it need a software upgrade but It doesn't.

Does anyone know how to fix this problem.

Thanks in advance.

Suggest you unplug TV from the AC for a few minutes, then plug back in to AC receptacle. This reset may cure your problem, otherwise if it is still in warranty a call is in order. Good Luck

About how many hours will I get out of a factory bulb?

Actually I just read in a review for the 50E2000 which uses the same lamp according to them. And they say there good for around 8000 hrs. Is this correct?
I think the lamps are rated at 6000-8000 hrs, but these are averages so you may see more or less.

Mel

Bought my 50A10 last year Dec.05 now has 2019 lamp hours. Starting to notice dark bars scrolling down the screen kinda weird.

I wander if my lamp is starting to fail?

Doing some research I found that the XBOX 360 CAN upconvert DVDs over VGA (due to the Live Dashboard update from the spring). So I decided to look around before I bought the VGA cable. I have found that no matter what the setting, the VGA cable connected to the TV from the 360 will not fill the screen. I guess using the ZOOM would fix this but with some overscan. Is this the best solution and is the overscan noticable? Does it make games/movies unplayable? I really would like to watch upscaled movies (yeah I know the TV upscales to 720p anyway, but my DVD player isn't the greatest) without having to buy any new components. Any help would be awsome. Thanks!

Doing some research I found that the XBOX 360 CAN upconvert DVDs over VGA (due to the Live Dashboard update from the spring). So I decided to look around before I bought the VGA cable. I have found that no matter what the setting, the VGA cable connected to the TV from the 360 will not fill the screen. I guess using the ZOOM would fix this but with some overscan. Is this the best solution and is the overscan noticable? Does it make games/movies unplayable? I really would like to watch upscaled movies (yeah I know the TV upscales to 720p anyway, but my DVD player isn't the greatest) without having to buy any new components. Any help would be awsome. Thanks!

Using the ZOOM option is perfectly acceptable. The overscan is less than on my other input sources; using DVE I see about 3.5% overscan. I had to adjust the horizontal and vertical center slightly through the WEGA Gate Settings, but other than that, it's great. I had been browsing the forum on the subject this morning and was worried I'd be returning the cable to Best Buy this evening. The VGA cable makes a significant difference and keeps another set of components available to other devices.

Oh sweet, thanks for the reply. I have DVE so I can look at the overscan. I was using Zoom on my TV input to see how much it zoomed and it looked like it would be too much. So watching DVDs and playing games, you don't loose inportant screen?

I just got an open box of the kdf-e42A10 from circuit city with the 4 year service plan. Should I be worried about the fact that it was the floor model and the TV was on 4000 hrs before I got it??? My first impression is that the TV looks great and I am very happy with it!

Cheers...

I just got an open box of the kdf-e42A10 from circuit city with the 4 year service plan. Should I be worried about the fact that it was the floor model and the TV was on 4000 hrs before I got it??? My first impression is that the TV looks great and I am very happy with it!

Cheers...

If CC covers bulb replacement then I wouldn't, but if they don't, depending on how much you use it, you should be replacing that bulb soon enough.

If CC covers bulb replacement then I wouldn't, but if they don't, depending on how much you use it, you should be replacing that bulb soon enough.

And let us know when you do replace the bulb...you might be the first one here to do so. We want to know how many hours you get.

So I got the VGA cable and it is awsome. 1280x720 and now the dvds are in that resolution. Colors look better and the picture is sharper.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TorturEd
I noticed today that my TV is flickering when you are watching it the picture faintly flickers (sometimes you can really notice it like it's not as faint) every couple seconds it has never done this before does this mean my bulb is going to blow soon ? I sure hope not it only has about 2200 hours on it and I only bought it last year. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.




Anybody know what the problem may be ? I'm waiting for a Sony repair guy to come look at it. It's getting more and more annoying.

I am having the same problem. Doesn't matter what source. DVD, HD-DVD, Cable, XBOX 360.... 75% of the time that the TV is on, the brightness is flickering. Sometimes it's worse than others. The tv is 4 months old and does get heavy use so I'm sure the bulb has plenty of hours on it.

Anybody have any idea what the problem could be? Is this a sign of the bulb going out? Or something worse and I just need to call a Sony Service Center (alrady contacted Sony support, they couldn't help).

Thanks in advance for any help.

After weeks of debating I decided to go with something less expensive for now, compared to the Akai CRT I had all the digitals looked like a big step up. This TV has an excellent picture, totally blows my old TV away. I'm finally seeing what real high definition looks like. Some pics of my temporary set up and HD:

My original bulb went out in 6 months and I got it replaced under Sony factory warranty - I just called them and they had me work through a local Sony rep. I basically just took him the old bulb and he exchanged it. They are very easy to replace. My subwoofer sits right to the right hand side of the TV and I watched "War of the Worlds" at high volume the night before it went out - not sure if that was just a coincidense or not. Lots of Bass in that movie!
Jim

Here's our solution to the bedroom TV (42A10) The stand was from Walmart (around $100) It measures 30 1/2" tall X 47 1/2" wide, depth is 13" so it fits snug to the wall. The distance between the bottom shelf and the drawers is 21" so it will accomodate the computer. I added the 1/4" glass shelf for additional components ($20 @glass shop) If you're handy with a drill, Sheppard casters could easily be added to the feet (and would raise it another 2" or so) The KLH 2.1 sound system was a great improvement to the audio! (refurb. less than $50 bucks on Ebay) It puts the TV at an ideal height relative to the bed. Viewing distance is around 12 ft.
http://home.jps.net/~sbethel/stand.jpg I guess I could clean up the wiring!

My original bulb went out in 6 months and I got it replaced under Sony factory warranty - I just called them and they had me work through a local Sony rep. I basically just took him the old bulb and he exchanged it. They are very easy to replace. My subwoofer sits right to the right hand side of the TV and I watched "War of the Worlds" at high volume the night before it went out - not sure if that was just a coincidense or not. Lots of Bass in that movie!
Jim

I realize this is a little OT but how did War of the Worlds look on your A10? I finally looked
at it today and I thought it looked awful compared to most of todays DVDs. I couldn't ask
for a better picture from most of my DVDs but everyone thought this looked strange, really grainy.

Well....BB finally has the deal I've been looking for in regards to financing. That being siad, I'm going to spring for the 42A10 or 50A10 (haven't decided).

Just checking back to confirm a few things:

- I should connect the HD STB via HDMI
- DVD using something else to connect (It's a POS so I will probably just use the red/white/yellow connection until I can splurge for the optio player).

- I'd like to hook-up my PC to my TV. I THINK I can just get a device to replicate the HDMI ports so I get two rather than one. Run DVI -> HDMI off my 6600GT and then use a wireless keyboard to output the PC to the TV when needed. Anyone see potential issues with this? Should be easy as I already have MCE05 running and a Hauppauge 500MCE

E

I realize this is a little OT but how did War of the Worlds look on your A10? I finally looked
at it today and I thought it looked awful compared to most of todays DVDs. I couldn't ask
for a better picture from most of my DVDs but everyone thought this looked strange, really grainy.

Maybe it was your DVD - It looked great on mine. The Music , esp. the bass is superb. The acting and screenplay is pretty bland. Borrow it from someone else and see if the picture quality is any better maybe?
Jim

Does anyone use HDMI with this tv? I'm currently using Mogami component video since the hdmi cable I used gave it a red tint.

Does anyone use HDMI with this tv? I'm currently using Mogami component video since the hdmi cable I used gave it a red tint.
Yes I use it for my DVR and my DVD and works awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seems I have similar problem. Mine gets reddish hue in left bottom corner. It is best visible on black&white, grays or when you get the color setting to zero. At times it is very annoying. I do not know if I should call service or just live with it.

My problem is similar to this, but I noticed that the red area is redder and bigger the higher I set the auto iris. With the auto iris off, there is no red area at all if the contrast (picture) is set to more than 30 or so.

The set visited the repair shop, and the problem was nowhere to be seen there. When the set arrived back, the problem was there again.

This just feels too odd. I havn't had the time to send the set back to be checked out again now, with first the world cup in the summer and now getting an xbox360. Maybe in the future I'll send it away again.

Btw. How long does the set have to stay off if I demo the defect to the service guy at home, before it can be moved?

Bought my 50A10 last year Dec.05 now has 2019 lamp hours. Starting to notice dark bars scrolling down the screen kinda weird.

I wander if my lamp is starting to fail?

I notice that on some of my channels like ESPN on standard signal

I realize this is a little OT but how did War of the Worlds look on your A10? I finally looked
at it today and I thought it looked awful compared to most of todays DVDs. I couldn't ask
for a better picture from most of my DVDs but everyone thought this looked strange, really grainy.

After reading this, I checked it out and my copy too looked as if it were lower quality than my other dvds.

I just purchased this TV yesterday ... a friend of mine has it and I loved the specs, size and price.

For now, my only connection is the cable from the wall jack. Eventually I hope to add a cable card to this set. For now though, I hooked up the cable from the wall, then did the AutoScan. The TV picked up a bunch of Analog channels and over 100 digital channels.

The picture quality is clearly better on the digital channel vs. analog. For example, one channel for analog is channel 39 and digital it is 89.5. Is there a way for me to 'hide' the analog channel version of this station? Also, is there a way for me to label the channels so I know that channel 89.5 really maps to 39? can I add a name or something?

Also, is there a way for me to find out which of the digital channels map to the analogs easily? Is this something the cable company can tell me? or someone else may know and have posted? I have Charter cable in Madison, WI area.

Also, I am not much into tweaking of the settings normally, but are there any simple tweaks that can be done to improve the picture? I tried to scan thru the Tweaks forum on this site, but it's above my head!

Thanks in advance!

This may have been discussed already, but I couldn't find it, so here's the question:

Has anyone done a comparison between a quality SD DVD player and an Oppo (or similar) DVD player on the A10?
For example, I have a nice Toshiba DVD player that puts out 480i (it's not even progressive scan). And, I find the picture quality to be very good. Thus leading me to believe that the A10 is very good at upconverting to the native 720p image.

But, as one often does, I'm wondering if there would be a noticeable improvement by going to one of the Oppo DVD players that can put out a 720p signal.
In other words, is the Oppo upconversion noticeably better than the A10's built-in upconversion?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,


Mitch

I bought a Yamaha S5750 for about $150, a non converting dvd player and the picture is awesome. I think the A10 will do a better job than any dvd player when it comes to upscaling. If I were you I would just buy a good not cheap non converting dvd player basically $100.00 or more or wait until the hddvd/bluray format settles and get one of those since it will upconvert standard dvd's also.
I have read where the toshiba hd dvd player is better than some very high end upscaling dvd players from denon, harmon kardon, and etc. I think the oppo should be used probably on a cheaper off brand tv than we all know does not have the best deinterlacers in them.
jdmac29

I am at work but I had the same issue but the owners manual shows you how to skip the channels you don't want.
jdmac29

I have a Tivo/DVD combo unit from Toshiba. I come to find out that the DVD just sucks. I played a movie through my Xbox 360 and it looked much better, and this was before I have the VGA cable. Now with the VGA cable I watch everything through the 360 since it outputs in 720p. I dunno why I thought the toshiba DVD player was any better, i guess I thought a DVD player was a DVD player.

I bought a Yamaha S5750 for about $150, a non converting dvd player and the picture is awesome. I think the A10 will do a better job than any dvd player when it comes to upscaling. If I were you I would just buy a good not cheap non converting dvd player basically $100.00 or more or wait until the hddvd/bluray format settles and get one of those since it will upconvert standard dvd's also.
I have read where the toshiba hd dvd player is better than some very high end upscaling dvd players from denon, harmon kardon, and etc. I think the oppo should be used probably on a cheaper off brand tv than we all know does not have the best deinterlacers in them.
jdmac29

I agree that that the A10 does a very good job upconverting.
I'm very happy with the results from my 4 year old 480i Toshiba DVD player.

But, for the record, the Oppo units are not crappy units. They are well regarded upconverting players. So, I was wondering if anyone has tried one of the Oppo units with the A10 after having used a quality SD DVD player.


Mitch

Quote:
Originally Posted by TorturEd
I noticed today that my TV is flickering when you are watching it the picture faintly flickers (sometimes you can really notice it like it's not as faint) every couple seconds it has never done this before does this mean my bulb is going to blow soon ? I sure hope not it only has about 2200 hours on it and I only bought it last year. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.
Anybody know what the problem may be ? I'm waiting for a Sony repair guy to come look at it. It's getting more and more annoying.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by:ClayDawg

I am having the same problem. Doesn't matter what source. DVD, HD-DVD, Cable, XBOX 360.... 75% of the time that the TV is on, the brightness is flickering. Sometimes it's worse than others. The tv is 4 months old and does get heavy use so I'm sure the bulb has plenty of hours on it.

Anybody have any idea what the problem could be? Is this a sign of the bulb going out? Or something worse and I just need to call a Sony Service Center (alrady contacted Sony support, they couldn't help).

Thanks in advance for any help.

Nobody else with this kind of problem? Anybody have ANY idea what could be going on with this?

It's not exhibiting typical bad ground behavior.....but maybe try a different electrical outlet anyways?

I'd have Sony look at it, if it was my set.

It's not exhibiting typical bad ground behavior.....but maybe try a different electrical outlet anyways?

I'd have Sony look at it, if it was my set.

I've tried several different outlets. No difference. I just got off the phone with a Sony Service Tech. They're coming out when I get back from vacation. I'll let y'all know what they find.

I agree that that the A10 does a very good job upconverting.
I'm very happy with the results from my 4 year old 480i Toshiba DVD player.

But, for the record, the Oppo units are not crappy units. They are well regarded upconverting players. So, I was wondering if anyone has tried one of the Oppo units with the A10 after having used a quality SD DVD player.


Mitch

Hi,
Yes I had a nice Toshiba DVD player which was ok, but I got the Oppo 971H from Amazon.com and there's is a much better picture with the Oppo. (DVI - HDMI) For instance I have Blade Runner (My Very First DVD Purchase BTW) and on the Toshiba it was unwatchable :( , however on the Oppo it looks good, not great but was much better. It has noise reduction and the DCDi by Faroudja chip which cleans up a lot of noise and makes a bad DVD look good and a good one look GREAT! There nice and come with a DVI - HDMI cable :)
BTW I run the TV @720p on inputs
Mark

On the circuit city website, 46E2000 for just over 14 Benjamins with free shipping to a local store. Also 150 off using code CJANZ9JAQH

Hi,
Yes I had a nice Toshiba DVD player which was ok, but I got the Oppo 971H from Amazon.com and there's is a much better picture with the Oppo. (DVI - HDMI) For instance I have Blade Runner (My Very First DVD Purchase BTW) and on the Toshiba it was unwatchable :( , however on the Oppo it looks good, not great but was much better. It has noise reduction and the DCDi by Faroudja chip which cleans up a lot of noise and makes a bad DVD look good and a good one look GREAT! There nice and come with a DVI - HDMI cable :)
BTW I run the TV @720p on inputs
Mark

I think that the great black levels on the Oppo offset the not so great black levels on LCD projection TVs. I notice that first and foremost when using the KDF-E42A10 - Oppo 971H combination.

Thanks for the responses regarding the Oppo 971 and the A10.

Anyone have experience with the 970 and the A10?

Regardless, I may have to set aside some pennies for one.

Thanks,


Mitch

I've tried several different outlets. No difference. I just got off the phone with a Sony Service Tech. They're coming out when I get back from vacation. I'll let y'all know what they find.

Pleas let me know what the Tech say the problem is because when I had one come out my TV wasn't doing it and he said he would have to see it and run some tests when it was doing it. And what do you know a half an hour after he left it started doing it again. Does yours do it all the time ? Because seems to do it off and on like it could do it for a few hours or a few minutes and then be fine for awhile then come back and do it again. It's getting very irritating. :mad:

Im thinking of getting the Sony KDF-E42A10 or the Samsung HL-S4666W DLP. Does the E42A10 lag with 480i or p games? I will be mainly gaming on the TV so im trying to find the best for 360 and a Nintendo Wii.

I have the 42a10 and ps2 with component cables, no lag in 480i or 480p games.
I also tried s video no problem either. Tv does have overscan issue not filling screen on ps2 games but I have heard that is ps2 issue not tv. DLP has been know to have lag with games. The 42a10 is a great tv had it since 12/05.
Good luck
jdmac29


Im thinking of getting the Sony KDF-E42A10 or the Samsung HL-S4666W DLP. Does the E42A10 lag with 480i or p games? I will be mainly gaming on the TV so im trying to find the best for 360 and a Nintendo Wii.

Anyone have any thoughts they are willing to share??

HELP!


Three weeks out of warranty and I am experiencing a 1 inch high reddish line across the bottom of the screen. It is there on all inputs and can be seen even when in Wega Gate mode.
Help!!!

I have the 42a10 and ps2 with component cables, no lag in 480i or 480p games.
I also tried s video no problem either. Tv does have overscan issue not filling screen on ps2 games but I have heard that is ps2 issue not tv. DLP has been know to have lag with games. The 42a10 is a great tv had it since 12/05.
Good luck
jdmac29

Thank you for the response.

Does anyone know how long the bulbs last or has anyone had to change one yet? This is the only issue holding me back from getting a rear projection tv.

Three weeks out of warranty and I am experiencing a 1 inch high reddish line across the bottom of the screen. It is there on all inputs and can be seen even when in Wega Gate mode.
Help!!!

Did you by any chance pay with a credit card that doubles the manufacturer warranty? For example, my Amex card doubles the manufacturer's warranty up to a max total of 5 years. In the case of the A10, this basically doubled the manufacturer's warranty to 2 years instead of 1.

If you didn't use such a credit card, I would suggest calling Sony and seeing if you can convince them to stand behind their product since it is only 3 weeks out of warranty.


Mitch

Last night I was playing around with the iris controls. I noticed that the manual iris control does not close the iris as much as the automatic iris does. However, it is a toss up because I think bright images look better with automatic iris off. I also noticed that fire looked fake and enhanced with automatic iris on. Does anyone else have some more experience with the iris features on this tv?

With some more comparisons, I decided on iris at min and advanced iris on medium. I don't notice the iris changing too much and both bright and dark images look great.

I have had a 42A10 for over a year now. Just bought a 50A2000 and have spent a week tweaking. The A10 still looks better 95% of the time. The A2000 is way too source dependant. Picture is either great or fair at best. I wonder if it is the size difference that makes me feel this way? I have never seen motion blur on the A10. Saw it last night during the Red Sox game on the A2000, and it was a high quality source. Real annoying to say the least. I may have to trade it in for a 50A10. The A10 settings were from Deconvolver, and have never been touched since. I have tried about 20 different groups of settings with the A2000 and still can't get it right.

Jackie C, what settings do you have for your a10? "The A10 settings were from Deconvolver"

They're listed on the first page of the Grand Wega Tweaks thread. Deconvolver started the thread with his settings.

Pleas let me know what the Tech say the problem is because when I had one come out my TV wasn't doing it and he said he would have to see it and run some tests when it was doing it. And what do you know a half an hour after he left it started doing it again. Does yours do it all the time ? Because seems to do it off and on like it could do it for a few hours or a few minutes and then be fine for awhile then come back and do it again. It's getting very irritating. :mad:

Mine does the same thing. I'll be sweating when he comes out, hoping it will do it for him.

Thanks for the responses regarding the Oppo 971 and the A10. Anyone have experience with the 970 and the A10?

I have the Oppo 970 with the Sony 50A10. I haven't used other upconverting players so I can't make any kind of comparisons, but I can say it lived up to my expectations. Some discs have really ugly jaggies (eg. Speed) but many look good, and some knowledgeable people have commented that it may be as simple as disc quality variances. I got the 970 over the 971 due to the lower price, not because I needed the specific features of the 970. If I had to do it again, I'd get the 971 and be certain I was getting the best possible picture. As it is, I frequently wonder how much better the 971 would be.

I'm running a 970 into the 50a10 using HDMI 480i and letting the Sony do the processing. Its an outstanding image. :cool:

I have had a 42A10 for over a year now. Just bought a 50A2000 and have spent a week tweaking. The A10 still looks better 95% of the time. The A2000 is way too source dependant. Picture is either great or fair at best. I wonder if it is the size difference that makes me feel this way? I have never seen motion blur on the A10. Saw it last night during the Red Sox game on the A2000, and it was a high quality source. Real annoying to say the least. I may have to trade it in for a 50A10. The A10 settings were from Deconvolver, and have never been touched since. I have tried about 20 different groups of settings with the A2000 and still can't get it right.

Too bad about your new $2500 TV. It's too bad they don't make a KDS-R50XBR2. The picture on the 60" is incredible, much better than the a2000, but the 60" is $4200.

Did anyone ever determine what the difference was between the A-10 and A-20?

I'm running a 970 into the 50a10 using HDMI 480i and letting the Sony do the processing. Its an outstanding image. :cool:
So the 50A10 will accept 480i via HDMI? I'm getting a Directv HR10-250 this weekend and want to only use the HDMI hookup so I don't have to change the inputs on the TV when switching between HD and SD signals.

Nevermind, I just dug up the manual on Sony's site and it says the HDMI input will accept a 480i signal. :cool:

I have my H20 set up that way for that reason. :)

If anyone's interested, I just went to the Sony Style (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_Storefront-Start) site to pick up a replacement bulb for my 42A10, just to be on the safe side since I'm over 4,000 hrs., and they have free shipping on orders until Thursday.

I am about to order an A10 from Amazon. Does Amazon offer any kind of warranty or could I buy one through Sony?

Warranty is available from Sony $$$$. I bought using a Platinum card doubling the mfg. warranty (free)

Warranty is available from Sony $$$$. I bought using a Platinum card doubling the mfg. warranty (free)

ORDERED! I can't wait!

SONY KDF-E42A10

Are the Audio Out jacks an amplified signal? (Internal speakers off, on Variable setting). Would they power up non-amplified external speakers?

And if anyone has hooked up a powered sub-woofer to the A10, what audio-out feed from the TV would be good for the S-W input?

Thanks Kindly in advance.

For some reason my whites seem to be just below blooming no matter what level I have my contrast or brightness. Does anyone else notice this? I can barely notice the contrast boxes from the thx patterns. What can I do to fix this?

anyone?

Are the Audio Out jacks an amplified signal? (Internal speakers off, on Variable setting). Would they power up non-amplified external speakers?

And if anyone has hooked up a powered sub-woofer to the A10, what audio-out feed from the TV would be good for the S-W input?

Thanks Kindly in advance.

The audio out jacks are for input to an AV receiver. You then hook the speakers and sub to the AV receiver. Buy a good receiver that has DD 5.1 and use the optical output from the TV to the amp.

Here is a example of a nice "basic" amp for under $200
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-HuPfDRMMB88/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?wm=fp&I=158STDG500&g=10420

Hey guys,I need some help with my 50 A10,the fan is real loud,it sounds like my computer only louder,it just started doing this,when I turn it off the fan will run for hours,I don't think it ever shuts off,so I have been unplugging it.
Other than that it has been great..
Anyone else experience this?

Thanks

I see a used KDF-E50A10 available on a popular used items site for a quite a good price - I think I'm not supposed to say here in the forum, so I won't) and I am thinking of maybe buying this 720P set rather than a 46" or 47" 1080P LCD flat panel for a lot more and keeping it for three or four years. This would be our first HDTV. We currently have a 12 yr 32" standard def TV in great shape.

We went over to the guys house that was selling it and he plugged it in and it appears to work fine. My concern is that we watch TV at about 7' to 11' and I'm wondering if a 50" will look good. We have netflix and watch a lot of DVDs and would probably upgrade our Dish service to HD, which costs about $20 more. The seller plugged in a hi-def antenna and was able to get a few hi-def channels but the picture was not impressive. - I'm figuring it might be the programming at the time - and the room was very small, maybe about 8ft distance to the screen, so it wasn't as impressive as I hoped. It has me thinking I'd be better off with a smaller model.

Anybody use the KDF-E50A10 in the 7-11 foot range?

I think the 50" would be fine at that distance. I bought two of the Sony's. A 50" or the living room (viewing distance 12') and the 42' for the bedroom (viewing distance about the same) The picture is great on the Dish HD channels, and looks very good on SD DVD's. I have absolutey no gripes about the picture quality on either TV. I probably paid less for both TV's than a 50' plasma. The technology changes so fast that three or four years down the road they'll have something better, and probably less expensive.

Thanks for responding. At 12' I think it would look good. But I'm wondering if anybody uses this set and likes it in the 7' to 11' range. --- We have a long living room and a couch back at 15' but we usually don't sit there. We sit in either a recliner at 8' or one or two feet back in another chair.

As for the DVD, about a year ago I bought a Panasonic DVD recorder (DMR-E55P9-5) to be able to record DVDs of some of my old VHS tapes - I didn't have a video card in the computer for composite IN. Cheap progressive scan DVD players have been out for a while so I think it is a progressive scan. Will I need a different DVD player to get the most out of the A10?

One foot one way or the other won't be noticeable. At 6 or 7 ft. you'll probably notice a "silk screen effect". Not really oblejctionable unless you're 'nit pickey' and really concentrate on the white backgrounds etc. At 10 or 11 ft. I think it'll look great. Any progressive scan DVD player will look good. We're using an older Pioneer and a Panasonic both of which look great. They're both hooked up using component cables with optical (toslink) for the Dolby 6.1. I'm going to buy a HD DVD player for the living room TV (50") sometime around Christmas. I figure by then prices and selection will be better. Netflix provides HD DVD's and no additional charge.

Hey guys,I need some help with my 50 A10,the fan is real loud,it sounds like my computer only louder,it just started doing this,when I turn it off the fan will run for hours,I don't think it ever shuts off,so I have been unplugging it.
Other than that it has been great..
Anyone else experience this?

Thanks

Did you recently upgrade the firmware? Last year when I got the mandatory upgrade letter, sony upgraded the firmware on my TV. It was incredibly loud, like a computer. After ~10 visits, they finally figured out it was because they installed the wrong firmware. In the mean time, they replaced the $$$ optic block twice, and they're going to do it again due to a bad fan. Go figure.

But even with the bad firmware, the fans do shut off 5-10 minutes after you turn off the TV. So it may have also have a bad thermo sensor or something.

Who has the "oldest" A10 with the original bulb?

What are you seeing as the bulb ages? Is the picture getting darker? If so, are you compensating by increasing the picture and brightness controls?

If you own a Sony KDF-E42A10 or E50A10 and subscribe to Directv HD it would be helpful for me to learn which settings you choose for:

A. The Sony's "Screen" settings

Wide Mode - Wide Zoom, Normal, Full, Zoom
4:3 Default - Wide Zoom, Normal, Full, Zoom, Off
Display Area - Normal, -1,-2

B. The DirecTV HD20 Receiver "Display" setup
Preferences

Native: On, Off
Screen Format: Stretch, Crop, Pillar Box

Did you recently upgrade the firmware? Last year when I got the mandatory upgrade letter, sony upgraded the firmware on my TV. It was incredibly loud, like a computer. After ~10 visits, they finally figured out it was because they installed the wrong firmware. In the mean time, they replaced the $$$ optic block twice, and they're going to do it again due to a bad fan. Go figure.

But even with the bad firmware, the fans do shut off 5-10 minutes after you turn off the TV. So it may have also have a bad thermo sensor or something.

Thanks for the reply,I did have the update done quite a while ago.
The fan did finally shut off but it was on for 58 minutes,but as soon as I turned the tv back on it stays on..
I guess Id better call and get someone to look at it..Thanks again....

This is the weirdest thing but I'm curious to see if any other A10 owners have experienced the same thing..

I just moved into a new place and currently am just using Comcast digital cable (basic package) with the coax being fed right into the back of the TV. I used to have a DVR at my other place.. btw, SD cable looks sooo much better with a signal going straight to the TV!

Anyways, I ran the auto program channel function (which took about 45 minutes) and I found that I picked up more than I expected I would! I have a bunch of XX.X channels which include all major network HD feeds and I also am seeing what I believe to be other people's On Demand programming! Anything from HBO to straight up hardcore porn. It's pretty rediculous, but I'm not complaining. None of the other TV's in my house can pick these stations up because they can't tune to a station with a decimal. Sometimes it's not really worth watching the On Demand stuff because I never know what and when things will be on. Sometimes it pauses or fast forwards. I'm just excited that I pick up the major network channels in HD with the basic cable package.

I get the same thing, I think it's because of the QAM tuner built into the TV

I believe you are correct also that we can see some other peoples on demand programs.

Oh yeah. I also have Comcast, but only the expanded basic package.

i looked thru the 9000 posts in this thread to see if i could find an answer to this and im not sure i have

i have both the a50a10 (living rm) and the a42a10 (bed rm)

both have home theater systems (onkyo in the LR, sony in the BR)

i cant seem to get any audio out of the optical out of either set. i have the sat receivers and dvds and xboxs running into the recievers separately and get great sound direct to the rec, but why can i not get the same sound from the tv directly?

The optical out from the tv only works when recieving digital signals. Mine works fine to my receiver, but only when tuned to a digital channel.

Mel

i looked thru the 9000 posts in this thread to see if i could find an answer to this and im not sure i have

i have both the a50a10 (living rm) and the a42a10 (bed rm)

both have home theater systems (onkyo in the LR, sony in the BR)

i cant seem to get any audio out of the optical out of either set. i have the sat receivers and dvds and xboxs running into the recievers separately and get great sound direct to the rec, but why can i not get the same sound from the tv directly?

You have to also hook up the red/white stereo cables then you always get sound. DD5.1 via optical, other via stereo cables.

thanks guys

For some reason my whites seem to be just below blooming no matter what level I have my contrast or brightness. Does anyone else notice this? I can barely notice the contrast boxes from the thx patterns. What can I do to fix this?

anyone have any suggestions?

Hmmm, well since no one else has addressed your problem, I'll take a stab at it.

Not sure what is going on with your set, but LCDs do not suffer from "blooming". Blooming is primarily a symptom of "overdriving" a CRT diaplay (other types I believe can also be affected by it, but not LCD).

I own both DVE and Avia, and find that Avia is much better for calibrating contrast with a digital display. Your best bet for calibrating contrast is to set it just below the level of "white clipping".

Basically, if contrast is too high, there will no differentiation between the last few shades of "white". They will "blend" together to form a single block of the same color (maximum white). Don't know if DVE has a test pattern for this or not.

As to seeing "blooming" on your set, there is something else going on.

-Alan

The the a10 doesn't hard clip whites for many users so setting picture will be more subtle. On my set which doesn't hard clip either and for many users that occurs around picture 90. Look for clipping of colour in the whites, a shade of pink shifts on mine.

I've asked this question before on the tweaks forum but really did not get an answer that satisfied me. Maybe you guys in this forum might have a better understanding of what I am seeing and if there is a tweak that might help my situation

KDFE42A10. Using HD DVR cable box from Cablevision of Long Island.
Monster componet cables

When watching ice hockey and the camera being used is the overhead view of the game, the camera operator tends to pan very fast back and forth to follow the action. As this panning occurs players seem to go out of focus. Their jersey numbers become very fuzzy. When I play back the game on my DVR and go in slow motion, the same focus issues appear. It can be quit annoying when watching a hockey game because of all the fast panning. I also see this focus issue wacthing baseball and football and there is a fast pan such as the quarterback throwing a long pass down field and the camera pans with the ball. The players go out of focus then back in when the panning stops.

never notice this issue when watching games on my SD tv.

Could this be:

1. Compression
2. The cameras inability to keep focus while panning
3. The DVR box
4. HD technology itself (mpeg)
5. The TV's inability to keep up with the motion.

Or might is be something else that I have not stated.
Any comments would be appeciated

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I did a search and couldn't find it. I have the E50A10 and a Directv HR10-250 HD Tivo. The Tivo doesn't have native resolution pass through so I have to manually change it from 480i to either 720p or 1080i when switching from SD to HD content. It's easy enough to do and only takes a few seconds for the picture to come back. But I'm wondering if I could be hurting the TV at all by doing this? The Tivo is hooked up via component cables and when I make the swtich, the piture does go funny for a few seconds, although I guess I don't know for sure if that's the Tivo or TV causing that. Just want to know if I could be damaging the TV at all by switching the Tivo's resolution setting? Thanks.

I just got my TV. Its awesome! Got a question though. In the manual it said don't have it near light sources. My tv is about 4-5 feet away from a light bulb. Should I move my tv cabinet or do you think it will be fine?

I have the new hr20-700and a 42a10 hooked up with hdmi, I would say no to the change hurting your tv. If you had your OTA antenna hooked up to your tv and you change from say nbc to fox using the tv tuners the screen has to change from 1080i to 720p, I know we just don't see the change as much when changing channels but their is a delay for the picture to pop up. When I use native on the hr20 the screen will flicker and go blank from 3-5 seconds. If you are still a little nervous contact sony tech support.


Sorry if this has been posted before, but I did a search and couldn't find it. I have the E50A10 and a Directv HR10-250 HD Tivo. The Tivo doesn't have native resolution pass through so I have to manually change it from 480i to either 720p or 1080i when switching from SD to HD content. It's easy enough to do and only takes a few seconds for the picture to come back. But I'm wondering if I could be hurting the TV at all by doing this? The Tivo is hooked up via component cables and when I make the swtich, the piture does go funny for a few seconds, although I guess I don't know for sure if that's the Tivo or TV causing that. Just want to know if I could be damaging the TV at all by switching the Tivo's resolution setting? Thanks.

Hmmm, well since no one else has addressed your problem, I'll take a stab at it.

Not sure what is going on with your set, but LCDs do not suffer from "blooming". Blooming is primarily a symptom of "overdriving" a CRT diaplay (other types I believe can also be affected by it, but not LCD).

I own both DVE and Avia, and find that Avia is much better for calibrating contrast with a digital display. Your best bet for calibrating contrast is to set it just below the level of "white clipping".

Basically, if contrast is too high, there will no differentiation between the last few shades of "white". They will "blend" together to form a single block of the same color (maximum white). Don't know if DVE has a test pattern for this or not.

As to seeing "blooming" on your set, there is something else going on.

-Alan

well, then perhaps I am being mistaken, but on the THX patern that has the different shades of white, it says that you should be able to discern each shade differently, but some of the shades tend to kind of blend together. Does anyone know which pattern to use on DVE to adjust contrast?

I've asked this question before on the tweaks forum but really did not get an answer that satisfied me. Maybe you guys in this forum might have a better understanding of what I am seeing and if there is a tweak that might help my situation

KDFE42A10. Using HD DVR cable box from Cablevision of Long Island.
Monster componet cables

When watching ice hockey and the camera being used is the overhead view of the game, the camera operator tends to pan very fast back and forth to follow the action. As this panning occurs players seem to go out of focus. Their jersey numbers become very fuzzy. When I play back the game on my DVR and go in slow motion, the same focus issues appear. It can be quit annoying when watching a hockey game because of all the fast panning. I also see this focus issue wacthing baseball and football and there is a fast pan such as the quarterback throwing a long pass down field and the camera pans with the ball. The players go out of focus then back in when the panning stops.



I didn't see anyone answer your question and I'm not an expert, but I bought my A10 1+ year ago and have been following this thread longer than that......everyone attributes this phenomena to a bandwidth issue....the cableco just isn't allocating enough data to keep up with the quickly changing picture.

Do you notice any difference if you switch between SD & HD for the same program? (IE: NFL on CBS-SD and CBS-HD)

I didn't see anyone answer your question and I'm not an expert, but I bought my A10 1+ year ago and have been following this thread longer than that......everyone attributes this phenomena to a bandwidth issue....the cableco just isn't allocating enough data to keep up with the quickly changing picture.

Do you notice any difference if you switch between SD & HD for the same program? (IE: NFL on CBS-SD and CBS-HD)

I think most of it is related to MPEG2 compression. This problem starts at the network level and continues down the pipeline until it gets to the cable company and local network affiliates. Even when viewing OTA broadcasts you can see this happening. Sunday Night Football on NBC is a prime example.

MPEG4 is supposed to fix this problem, but it will be awhile before everyone is using it.

This is the weirdest thing but I'm curious to see if any other A10 owners have experienced the same thing..

I just moved into a new place and currently am just using Comcast digital cable (basic package) with the coax being fed right into the back of the TV. I used to have a DVR at my other place.. btw, SD cable looks sooo much better with a signal going straight to the TV!

Anyways, I ran the auto program channel function (which took about 45 minutes) and I found that I picked up more than I expected I would! I have a bunch of XX.X channels which include all major network HD feeds and I also am seeing what I believe to be other people's On Demand programming! Anything from HBO to straight up hardcore porn. It's pretty rediculous, but I'm not complaining. None of the other TV's in my house can pick these stations up because they can't tune to a station with a decimal. Sometimes it's not really worth watching the On Demand stuff because I never know what and when things will be on. Sometimes it pauses or fast forwards. I'm just excited that I pick up the major network channels in HD with the basic cable package.

Me too! That is, until Time Warner officially took over adelphia. It was a great 5 months of free on demand stuff. I still get 2 of the major networks, and some random things like the pay-per-view preview channel and Discovery HD. Enjoy it!

Me too! That is, until Time Warner officially took over adelphia. It was a great 5 months of free on demand stuff. I still get 2 of the major networks, and some random things like the pay-per-view preview channel and Discovery HD. Enjoy it!

I need to try this...so you just unplug from the cable box and go straight from the wall to the tv and there is a possibility I will get HD channels?

I need to try this...so you just unplug from the cable box and go straight from the wall to the tv and there is a possibility I will get HD channels? yes, you should find all the local stations in HD somewhere.

yes, you should find all the local stations in HD somewhere.


Holy hell I had no idea. Im trying it now. Ive found 71 Analog and 10 Digital channels so far. Im at like 90 percent and its stayin here. EDIT HOLY GOD. Just found 56 digital channels.

Update: How stupid. Like 50 of em were music channels. Its telling me im not authorized to view some channels :(

Hi,

I have a Westinghouse 1080p monitor I'm going to have to return, without the possibility of replacement. It's sad, as the HD picture on this set is quite amazing....anyway....

I'm considering a Sony RP set now. I've come close to buying the 42 A10 twice and backed-out both times. I am now seeing that this set is still available through Target and Crutchfield (and a few Tweeters in my area). I will say that every time I've seen this set in a store, I'm very impressed with it's picture quality.

I've also looked at the 46 E2000 and see that Sony is selling the 42 E2000 currently on their website. Honestly, I'm not as impressed with the 46 E2000 as I am with the 42 A10. I'm not sure why this is since Sony hasn't really changed but a few connectivity things on the E2000 series and changed the iris. I can only assume that the issues are coming from the purified crap that the big box stores are feeding these sets. (I know my local BB has changed, once again, how it feeds a signal to their televisions...and I don't think it's working very well.)

So, my question is....do I go for the 42 A10 or the 42 E2000? Their really isn't much of a price difference between the two.

Are their any glaring problems with either set?

Are the majority of users of the A10 series satisfied? (sorry, I know it's a loaded question)

I'm actually a little "spooked" with the purchase process due to purchasing an HDTV and then having to return it. I need some ecouragement here! :p

Anyway...thanks for your thoughts!
dwh

...Are the majority of users of the A10 series satisfied? (sorry, I know it's a loaded question)...

The overwelming majority of users report here about how much they like this TV. I suspect much more than average. Me too.

I do not know about the E2000, so I cannot comment on it. Is that the one where they dropped the PC input and added another HDMI input?

Space was an issue for me. The 42 A10 fits my entertainment enclave like a glove, and many others would not. Fortunately for me, it also met all my other criteria and has been a joy to own one for over 13 months now.

Hi,

...
Are the majority of users of the A10 series satisfied? (sorry, I know it's a loaded question)

I'm actually a little "spooked" with the purchase process due to purchasing an HDTV and then having to return it. I need some ecouragement here! :p

Anyway...thanks for your thoughts!
dwh

What the poster above said. While I am sure there are other minor changes, I knew the E2000 was coming, but wanted the A10 instead.

I think it basically comes down to this:

What is more important: an extra HDMI input and 4 additional diagonal inches, or VGA input?

For me, I wanted my VGA.

-Alan

The overwelming majority of users report here about how much they like this TV. I suspect much more than average. Me too.

I do not know about the E2000, so I cannot comment on it. Is that the one where they dropped the PC input and added another HDMI input?

Space was an issue for me. The 42 A10 fits my entertainment enclave like a glove, and many others would not. Fortunately for me, it also met all my other criteria and has been a joy to own one for over 13 months now.

DW, listen to Abward.

The overwelming majority of users report here about how much they like this TV. I suspect much more than average. Me too.

I do not know about the E2000, so I cannot comment on it. Is that the one where they dropped the PC input and added another HDMI input?

Space was an issue for me. The 42 A10 fits my entertainment enclave like a glove, and many others would not. Fortunately for me, it also met all my other criteria and has been a joy to own one for over 13 months now.

Well put!!!!

I've owned mine for 13 months and totally agree!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the comments.....

How many of you have dealt with Crutchfield before?

Would I be pushing concerns of shipping damage by ordering a RP set from crutchfield or a similar company?

Also...does anyone here use the Sanus/Omnimount center speaker shelf with these units? My center channel speaker is a Sony weighing in at a little over 8lbs. The top frame around the screen seems rather rigid....I'm just a little concerned about possible downward bowing of the front frame/screen. Any thoughts?

Sorry for all the questions....but I just want to make sure this is going to be right this time!

thanks,
dwh

I dunno about being able to balance a speaker on top of the TV. I think you would be better off building a shelf above the tv or putting the speaker below the TV.

I purchased my 42a10 from them last year, no problems with the shipping and if you do have a problem with the tv within 30 days call them and they will send you another one. As far as your center channel, I have a Cerwin Vega center channel, I would say it ways at least 6 pounds, I have i setting on top of mine with no center channel support from omnimount and I have had no problems with the frame bending, I have had my tv since dec 05. The only ? will be with the steep drop off from behind the frame you might need the omnimount if the center channel support from the speaker will not drop off far enough down. I don't think the weight will hurt anything.
jdmac29


Thanks for the comments.....

How many of you have dealt with Crutchfield before?

Would I be pushing concerns of shipping damage by ordering a RP set from crutchfield or a similar company?

Also...does anyone here use the Sanus/Omnimount center speaker shelf with these units? My center channel speaker is a Sony weighing in at a little over 8lbs. The top frame around the screen seems rather rigid....I'm just a little concerned about possible downward bowing of the front frame/screen. Any thoughts?

Sorry for all the questions....but I just want to make sure this is going to be right this time!

thanks,
dwh

Go to sonystyle.com and their is a 42e2000 model, earlier this year they said the smallest set would be a 46 inch but maybe things have changed since samsung still sells a 42in dlp.


What the poster above said. While I am sure there are other minor changes, I knew the E2000 was coming, but wanted the A10 instead.

I think it basically comes down to this:

What is more important: an extra HDMI input and 4 additional diagonal inches, or VGA input?

For me, I wanted my VGA.

-Alan

Okay, have a question-and a problem (not with my TV I'm sure).

Does the A10 output a siganl on the optical jack with ALL DIGITAL CHANNELS?

Reason I ask, is last night I did some "rearranging" of hookups to make room for upcoming upconverting DVD and HD Satellite, and for the very first time I hooked the audio out of the TV to my AVR.

Problem is, I'm getting clicks, pops, dropouts, etc....BUT.....

its only with the digital channels. Even the fuzzy analog channels sound PERFECT.

I made a thread elsewhere, but am getting nowwhere.

I *think* either I have a bad converter, or too long a cable run.

I have optical out of TV going to a optical to coax converter, which in turn feeds in wall wiring (RG6), about 33 FT total.

On the avr, only ONCE did it recogize a digital signal, and when I changed channels and then went back, it was back to analog.

When the AVR is set to "auto-detect" audio (it will use the analog inputs until it detects a digital signal then it will switch) is when I am getting the dropouts, clicks, etc. If I force the AVR to use the analog inputs no matter what, problems are gone. So its definately something with the converter or cable length, but I am curious is the DTV stations will ALWAYS put out a signal on the TVs optical jack, or not necessarily.

I do not know if the converter can drive 33 ft of cable, but I have seen conflicting reports-spec say 25ft max, where I have seen some users report success of digital coax of up to 50ft or more. Maybe my converter is bad, I didn't test it with short lengths before putting it into service.

TIA,

-Alan

Bought one from Fry's last month, only $XXX and no interest for 1 year. Great TV and the whole family loves it.

Okay, have a question-and a problem (not with my TV I'm sure).

Does the A10 output a siganl on the optical jack with ALL DIGITAL CHANNELS?

Reason I ask, is last night I did some "rearranging" of hookups to make room for upcoming upconverting DVD and HD Satellite, and for the very first time I hooked the audio out of the TV to my AVR.

Problem is, I'm getting clicks, pops, dropouts, etc....BUT.....

its only with the digital channels. Even the fuzzy analog channels sound PERFECT.

I made a thread elsewhere, but am getting nowwhere.

I *think* either I have a bad converter, or too long a cable run.

I have optical out of TV going to a optical to coax converter, which in turn feeds in wall wiring (RG6), about 33 FT total.

On the avr, only ONCE did it recogize a digital signal, and when I changed channels and then went back, it was back to analog.

When the AVR is set to "auto-detect" audio (it will use the analog inputs until it detects a digital signal then it will switch) is when I am getting the dropouts, clicks, etc. If I force the AVR to use the analog inputs no matter what, problems are gone. So its definately something with the converter or cable length, but I am curious is the DTV stations will ALWAYS put out a signal on the TVs optical jack, or not necessarily.

I do not know if the converter can drive 33 ft of cable, but I have seen conflicting reports-spec say 25ft max, where I have seen some users report success of digital coax of up to 50ft or more. Maybe my converter is bad, I didn't test it with short lengths before putting it into service.

TIA,

-Alan

WOW...no one chimmed in eh? Well as it turns out, I had a defective optical to coax S/PDIF converter.

Parts express shipped me another and all is well...

-Alan

CUSTOM

Iris - 3 (or 4)
Picture - 90
Brightness - 70
Color - 45
Color Temp - Cool
Noise Reduction - Off
DRC - High Density
DRC Palette - 50,50
Sharpness - 50

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector - High
Clear White - High

Everything else in the menu is off.

I bet there's a lot of people who'll say this all sucks, but to me it's like looking outside a window and seeing the same exact thing on TV. I hope this helps a lot of people who're looking for the perfect settings for their perfect A10.

I got my E50A10 a litttle over a year ago and I just love it. So much so, in fact, that I have not been completely diligent about keeping up with this thread. I may have missed, therefore, the answer to my following question.

Currently, what are the least expensive sources for a replacement bulb for the E50A10?

Thanks,
wjr

I have the same question WJR... Also i thought someone on here said that other manufactures were going to start making the replacement bulbs making them cheaper. Is there any chance of that still happening?

Anyone have any info on where best to purchase a replacement bulb?

Thanks

I picked this website up awhile ago, I'm not sure if the a10 bulb is even listed

http://www.betterlamps.com/comersus/store/comersus_listCategoriesAndProducts.asp?idCategory=52


Just checked XL-2400 is not listed.

check out this site:

http://www.shopping.com/xGS-Sony_Xl_2400~NS-1~linkin_id-8002380

yet another source

$165 on ebay

Anyone have any info on where best to purchase a replacement bulb?

Thanks
These guys ship fast

http://cgi.*********/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=9727760655&fromMakeTrack=true

I have an E50A10 with an October 2005 build date that has performed wonderfully since I bought it last December. It has around 2100 hours total on the system. This past weekend, the unit has developed a reddish line all along the bottom of the screen, regardless of the input. Nothing has been altered to the video settings once I had done the red fix and adjusted other parameters. It has produced very sharp, clear, life-like colors and flesh tones until now. The rest of the screen looks great but the red line across the bottom protrudes inward about an inch. One's eye automatically is drawn to this in constrast to the great picture above this line. I noticed a couple of questions posted with reference to this but there were no follow up responses. I don't know if the bulb is showing signs of aging and something has color shifted or what. I do have the extended warranty but wanted to check with this group on their experiences before calling Sony to initiate any warranty work. I do not have access to another bulb at this time so a quick change to see what happens is not possible, and $200 to find out is a bit steep.

Thanks for the comments.....

How many of you have dealt with Crutchfield before?

Would I be pushing concerns of shipping damage by ordering a RP set from crutchfield or a similar company?

Also...does anyone here use the Sanus/Omnimount center speaker shelf with these units? My center channel speaker is a Sony weighing in at a little over 8lbs. The top frame around the screen seems rather rigid....I'm just a little concerned about possible downward bowing of the front frame/screen. Any thoughts?

Sorry for all the questions....but I just want to make sure this is going to be right this time!

thanks,
dwh

I have the OmniMount center channel shelf. Works great on the 50". In fact, it fits so nice that it almost doesn't require any adjustment on the longer supports. I've got about a 6 pound speaker, and a PS2 on top of that, and it doesn't seem to bow the set at all.

hi guys! need help, can someone give me a perfect picture setting of my 50A10 TV?

CUSTOM

Iris - 3 (or 4)
Picture - 90 (or 85)
Brightness - 70
Color - 45
Color Temp - Cool
Noise Reduction - Off (unless you have analog RF cable, I'd put it on auto)
DRC - High Density
DRC Palette - 50,50 (Default makes it grainy, with auto, you have to have it at default)
Sharpness - 50

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector - High
Clear White - High
(You may turn on Live Color, but Red Push will be greater, along with Green Push.)

Everything else in the menu is off.

To me, it's perfect, to some, it sucks.

I've owned my 42a10 for a little over six months. I have had no problems with the unit.

My only quandary is why when using the Cablecard Ant input I get no Program Title or Time Remaining Info when I hit the "Display" button on the remote, but I do when using both my Tivo S2 & S3.

Any Ideas?

Can someone please confirm if the optical out on the A10 gives out audio from all sources? Maybe all but the HDMI?

I searched this thread along with a few others and could only come up with a few "I think", "possibly", "I heard" instead of a straight up answer.

I currently have a Samsung TV connected to my receiver via a single optical cable. I have video sources connected to HDMI, VGA, and component inputs. The single optical out is able to pass the audio from all of these sources in 2 channel stereo (AC3 passthrough would have been nice). This allows me to use one connection on my receiver for everything I have connected to the TV. From what I am hearing, the A10 is solely for the internal tuner and doesn't work on any other input. :(

Does anyone know how to program the timers to turn the television OFF at a specified time EACH DAY?

hi guys! need help, can someone give me a perfect picture setting of my 50A10 TV?

You might drown in all of the information and advice, but here is the thread addressing your question. :D

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

Does anyone know how to program the timers to turn the television OFF at a specified time EACH DAY?


I have used them when I was out of town to turn on and off each day. I am not sure if you can just have it turn off at a certain time. Try not putting a time in for it to come on, but I don't have the TV in front of me so I am sorry I can't be much help, but I do know for sure you can have it come on and turn off daily.

The digital output is only for the digital tuner stations, there is no sound even with the analog stations. Any other connections the sound will not pass through it. I have read where only the analog sound outputs will output the sound from other input sources.


Can someone please confirm if the optical out on the A10 gives out audio from all sources? Maybe all but the HDMI?

I searched this thread along with a few others and could only come up with a few "I think", "possibly", "I heard" instead of a straight up answer.

I currently have a Samsung TV connected to my receiver via a single optical cable. I have video sources connected to HDMI, VGA, and component inputs. The single optical out is able to pass the audio from all of these sources in 2 channel stereo (AC3 passthrough would have been nice). This allows me to use one connection on my receiver for everything I have connected to the TV. From what I am hearing, the A10 is solely for the internal tuner and doesn't work on any other input. :(

Hi everyone, I'd like to know the correct settings for the Sharpness, DRC Mode, and DRC Palette options for my KDF-E42A10 TV. I currently have it at these settings:

Sharpness - 50
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette - Reality 1 Clarity 1

I have my TV hooked up to a SD Digital Cable Box, and I would like my picture to appear sharp, but not grainy (a high reality setting tends to do that), but definitely not soft. The settings I have now look a bit soft, yet a bit grainy, too. Also, is the DRC Mode setting I selected correct? What does this setting actually do? Again, thanks very much!

-Andrew :)

Thanks for all the info about the 42a10.....

I ordered one from Crutchfield last week....now just waiting for delivery. :D

Also, thanks for the info on the center channel shelf. I just wanted to double-check things. Unfortunately, things aren't always built as sturdy as they should be now a days. (Case in point, when I replaced my old entertainment center, I was bascially able to break every piece of it in half with my bare hands....and to think I had A LOT of weight on it). I'm glad to hear that the case of the 42a10 is sturdy. This will save me major mods to my TV stand.

Ok...now I'm getting excited.....and a little nervous. I've had one bad experience with an HDTV....but I'm hoping this will be the same quality as all of my other sony equipment. (Though I'll probably do a little praying to the TV's gods over the next few days just to be on the safe side....LOL) ;)

Thanks again....I'm sure I"ll have questions once I get everything setup.

(P.S. Thanks to all of you for not being "mean" and/or "nasty" when someone asks a general question on this thread.....some of the other threads here have some MAJOR grouches!) :rolleyes:

The digital output is only for the digital tuner stations, there is no sound even with the analog stations. Any other connections the sound will not pass through it. I have read where only the analog sound outputs will output the sound from other input sources.

Thanks for the confirmation. It looks like all of the Sony rear projections are this way.

I guess the single analog input on my receiver will get some use.

i use the analog outputs for the analog cable stations.

Cable card will only pass info on analog stations; not the digital ones.

Hey guys, I know it's about my 3rd time saying this, but I would really like to know the optimal sharpness, DRC Mode, and DRC Palette settings for my A10

I currently have them at

Sharpness - 50
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette 1,1

I am using a SD Digital Cable box with NO High-Def channels. The picture currently seems a bit grainy on solids, but a bit soft too. Is there anything wrong? I'd like my picture to be sharp like the good ole' CRT's, but not grainy, and definately not soft. Thanks for all your help!

JoJo- Try lowering your sharpness to between 10-20 (mine is at 15), DRC Mode = High Density and I have DRC Palette at 10, 95.

I actually left the DRC Palette alone for now, but I reduced the Sharpness to 25. It didn't make a difference with actual sharpness of the picture, but greatly reduced noise. Also, I have a Sony DVD/VHS hooked up with Component (R/G/B) and I would like to know the sharpness for that. I believe the picture would appear perfect at 0, but I'd like to know for sure. Also, how do I get rid of halo's that appear around subjects and text? It sometimes bothers me, A LOT.

I got my E50A10 a litttle over a year ago and I just love it. So much so, in fact, that I have not been completely diligent about keeping up with this thread. I may have missed, therefore, the answer to my following question.

Currently, what are the least expensive sources for a replacement bulb for the E50A10?

Thanks,
wjr

I'll bet this one doesn't last long on that big auction site:

Item # 180037917336

I got this idea from the e2000 thread.

Check out this security camera, it has composite output. It looks like you could put it at your front door and hook it up to one of your unused inputs on the TV

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=107&cp_id=10702&cs_id=1070204&p_id=1507&style=&seq=1&format=2#description

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=107&cp_id=10702&cs_id=1070204&p_id=1509&seq=1&format=2&style=


You would never have to get off the couch.

Hey you guys. I still need help on the Sharpness and DRC Palette settings.

I have them at:

Sharpness: 30
DRC Palette: 40, 40

The picture is good, but I definately know the picture could be better. I want the picture sharp, but not grainy (a high reality setting does that), and I don't want the picture soft either. Is there an "optimal" setting you guys have you are 100% happy with? If you do, I'd like to know it. Thanks!

If anyone is interested I've posted in the Grand Wega V Tweeks thread my FINAL settings after having my 50A10 ISF calibrated.

These settings to my eyes for my RPTV are just mesmerizing. The skintones and overall picture quality are right on.

Try them out. see if U agree !!

ENJOY YOUR SONY ..........

If anyone is interested I've posted in the Grand Wega V Tweeks thread my FINAL settings after having my 50A10 ISF calibrated.

These settings to my eyes for my RPTV are just mesmerizing. The skintones and overall picture quality are right on.

Try them out. see if U agree !!

ENJOY YOUR SONY ..........
I belive that adjusting color and picture settings won't enhance your picture quality, just the way it looks. I mean all it will do is alter how colors are percieved an the luminoscity of the picture. PQ won't increase unless you play around with your sharpness and DRC palette settings. I'd lower the sharpness to 30 and below, and put noise reduction on anything but auto (try off first), and adjust your drc palette starting from 40,40 to 65/63 (my settings)

I've altered my settings, just a bit, not too much, and it resulted in a picture I've never seen before. It's perfect for my taste, since I don't like a "warm" picture, but a neutral to cool setting.

SD Digital Cable Box

VIDEO


CUSTOM

Iris - 3
Picture - 85
Brightness - 70 (or up to 80 if you want)
Color - 35
Color Temp - Neutral
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette - Reality 40, Clarity 40
Sharpness - 30
Noise Reduction - Off

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector - High
Advanced Iris - Off
Clear White - High (I like my whites pure white, not off white)
Gamma - Off
Live Color - Low (To compensate for the low color setting)


SOUND


DYNAMIC

Treble - 9
Bass - 8
Steady Sound - On
Balance - 0
Volume Offset - 0
Effect - TruSurround XT
BBE - High
MTS - Stereo
Audio Out - Variable


Hope this helps those who are looking for perfect settings!

Hi all

First post here but have gone through both of the above unit's forums in detail.

Firstly, I am from South Africa so answering my question might be difficult...

Anyway's

My local retailer has two flavours of the Sony 3LCD RPTV sets for sale - both are 42" but here is the confusing bit - the one is labled Grand Wega which I am sure is the 42A10 as that is also what it says on Sony South Africa's website and the other one is labled as a Bravia which I think is the 42E200A. Also the Bravia labled unit is not listed on the Sony South Africa website.

The only noticeable difference between them is price - the Grand Wega is $266 cheaper than the Bravia labled unit.

So the question is what is the difference if I am missing something and if there is no real difference should I rather use the money to buy a replacement lamp now for later use.

Great Forum - plenty of help.

Regards
Douw

ok.. have had my av1042 for almost a year now and just within the last two months i have noticed that my screen get's all pixelated when I am watching hd content that moves fast across the screen or show real bright moving images up close (fire or rotating police lights).

It is really starting to bug me. Has anyone else experience this. I mean I am starting to see it when I am watching football in HD. I do not believed this happen when I first got my tv, or is this just one of the downfalls of LCD.

any suggestions or thoughts please.

I think the "pixilation" is actually coming from the local affiliate station. Some can correct me here if I am wrong. I think it comes from the station not allocating the correct bandwidth for the broadcast.

Hi all

So the question is what is the difference if I am missing something and if there is no real difference should I rather use the money to buy a replacement lamp now for later use.




douwg,

The Bravia is a more advanced television. You can find out more about the Bravia at the Sony site: "www.sonystyle.com"

My local retailer has two flavours of the Sony 3LCD RPTV sets for sale - both are 42" but here is the confusing bit - the one is labled Grand Wega which I am sure is the 42A10 as that is also what it says on Sony South Africa's website and the other one is labled as a Bravia which I think is the 42E200A.

We have both models in Canada as well.

The 200A is a newer model, which may account for the price difference. The A10s are now clearance items while the 200A remains an in-stock item. I assume your country has the KF-E42A10 as opposed to the KDF-E42A10. This means that neither the 200A and the A10 have the ATSC tuner, optical out, QAM tuner, or CableCard slot.

The 200A does not have a VGA port (the A10 does), but gains an additional HDMI port (total of 2).

I compared the manuals for each model when I was shopping for a TV and that is the only major difference I could find. For the record, I picked the A10 since it was $500 cheaper.

Hi I now have the Scientific Atlanta 3250HD Cable Box, and I was wondering if upconverting to 720p is better than 1080i, or is it the other way around? Thanks!

Hi all

Thanks for the input - I will be going for the A10 as they have dropped the price on this again yesterday - it is now $400 cheaper than when I started looking at it which was last week and $533 cheaper than the 200A.

I will be useing that saving to buy a standby lamp.

Regards
Douw

Use the "pass-through" setting on your cable box if this setting exists.

Otherwise, choose 1080i because it is better to leave the signal as 1080i and then let the Sony TV do the de-interlacing and scaling. The Sony does a better job of this than most (if not ALL) cable boxes.

Use the "pass-through" setting on your cable box if this setting exists.

Otherwise, choose 1080i because it is better to leave the signal as 1080i and then let the Sony TV do the de-interlacing and scaling. The Sony does a better job of this than most (if not ALL) cable boxes.
What does the pass-through setting do?

ok.. have had my av1042 for almost a year now and just within the last two months i have noticed that my screen get's all pixelated when I am watching hd content that moves fast across the screen or show real bright moving images up close (fire or rotating police lights).

It is really starting to bug me. Has anyone else experience this. I mean I am starting to see it when I am watching football in HD. I do not believed this happen when I first got my tv, or is this just one of the downfalls of LCD.

any suggestions or thoughts please.

It seems to be a common broadcast problem, especially on football games. The tv is not to blame.

Update on Reddish Line along Screen Bottom - The Sony tech was here yesterday and he states that the light engine will need to be replaced. I am still under original warranty but also purchased ESP via Sonystyle so I am covered. Has anyone else had to have a light engine replaced in their A10? How does this affect the picture now that I have the red push fixed and the picture tweaked to my version of perfection? Will I have to start all over again once the light engine has been swapped out? Please share any experiences with this, good or bad.

It seems to be a common broadcast problem, especially on football games. The tv is not to blame.



thanks everyone for your responses. I'll sit back and see if the broadcast start to get any better.

Other then that... the tv is great. :D

What does the pass-through setting do?

The pass-through setting will send the TV broadcast UNCHANGED through your cable box and then into your TV set. The Sony will then scale and/or deinterlace the broadcast to make it fit on the screen. The Sony usually does a better job with these tasks.

So when pass though it turned ON:

480i (Standard Def) Show -> Cable-Box -> 480i -> Sony TV
720p (High Def) Show -> Cable-Box -> 720p -> Sony TV
1080i (High Def) Show -> Cable-Box -> 1080i -> Sony TV

As opposed to the "1080i" setting on your box:

480i (Standard Def) Show -> Cable-Box -> 1080i -> Sony TV
720p (High Def) Show -> Cable-Box -> 1080i -> Sony TV
1080i (High Def) Show -> Cable-Box -> 1080i -> Sony TV

Hi everyone!

I was wondering it there was a setting on this tv that allows you to see how much lamp hour has been used or remains.

How many lamp hours with a new bulb?


Thank you in advance for your replies.

W

Hi everyone!

I was wondering it there was a setting on this tv that allows you to see how much lamp hour has been used or remains.

How many lamp hours with a new bulb?


Thank you in advance for your replies.

W

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6200303&&#post6200303

Thank you Fiend

Update on Reddish Line along Screen Bottom - The Sony tech was here yesterday and he states that the light engine will need to be replaced. I am still under original warranty but also purchased ESP via Sonystyle so I am covered. Has anyone else had to have a light engine replaced in their A10? How does this affect the picture now that I have the red push fixed and the picture tweaked to my version of perfection? Will I have to start all over again once the light engine has been swapped out? Please share any experiences with this, good or bad.

I've never had any work done on mine, BUT, if I were you, I'd start writing down your current settings so you can get back to where you were quickly, if necessary. Good luck!

I had my light engine replaced under Warranty around a month after I got the set. (I had a greenish blob that was very annoying). I don't think the light engine affects the settings but I could be wrong (I never actually confirmed that I still have the red push fixed, but I haven't noticed anything different in picture quality).

It's definitely worth it under warranty, not having that green blob under dark scenes makes it better (I just wish the blacks were a littttle bit better on this TV).

Good luck.

I have owned the A10 for about 9-months and still can't figure out how to get the remote to work with the Comcast menu system (i.e. ENT button). The Comcast menu comes up but you can not navigate to any of the channels etc.

I have the Digitial Cable service and box. Is it possible to have the Sony remote work the Comcast menu system (i.e for On Demand options and simple channel scrolling).

Also, none of the program info shows up in the standard Sony display. It just says the channel's logical number and time remaining.

Any help is appreciated.

Well,

I just want to start off by saying this site is fantastic, every night I log in to this forum to read the abundance of information on this site.

Owner of a KF-E50A10 since April of 2006 and just love it. I have been tweaking uncontrollably since I got it, utilizing the user accessible controls only. I think I have achieved a fairly accurate picture by doing so and perhaps the best that this television is capable of.

How many of us are actually sitting back without the remote in our hand, not analyzing shadow detail and colour accuracy during our viewing time and actually watching TV? We are going to wear the "WEGA GATE" button on our remote down to the electrical contacts if we don't stop.

Don't get me wrong, I am not telling anyone to stop trying to better the image quality on their TV but there comes a point where a display can no longer be tweaked to output a better image. Even after ISF calibration is completed, the set has reached its full potential.

So all I am really trying to say is put down the remote sit back and enjoy the show.

Here are some pics from Spiderman taken with my Canon SureShot A75, shutter speed 1/15 s, aperture f2.8 and no flash. Let me know what you think of my settings!

I have owned the A10 for about 9-months and still can't figure out how to get the remote to work with the Comcast menu system (i.e. ENT button). The Comcast menu comes up but you can not navigate to any of the channels etc.

I have the Digitial Cable service and box. Is it possible to have the Sony remote work the Comcast menu system (i.e for On Demand options and simple channel scrolling).

Also, none of the program info shows up in the standard Sony display. It just says the channel's logical number and time remaining.

Any help is appreciated.

Try a Harmony Remote

I have the Digitial Cable service and box. Is it possible to have the Sony remote work the Comcast menu system (i.e for On Demand options and simple channel scrolling).

Also, none of the program info shows up in the standard Sony display. It just says the channel's logical number and time remaining.

Any help is appreciated.

What kind of cable box do you have (i.e., is it a Motorola 6412)? The program info is sent by the broadcast channel, so it won't show up if no data is being sent. Some channels show it on mine, some don't.

Use the "pass-through" setting on your cable box if this setting exists.

Otherwise, choose 1080i because it is better to leave the signal as 1080i and then let the Sony TV do the de-interlacing and scaling. The Sony does a better job of this than most (if not ALL) cable boxes.

Where would you find the "pass-through" setting? Thanks.

Well,

I just want to start off by saying this site is fantastic, every night I log in to this forum to read the abundance of information on this site.

Owner of a KF-E50A10 since April of 2006 and just love it. I have been tweaking uncontrollably since I got it, utilizing the user accessible controls only. I think I have achieved a fairly accurate picture by doing so and perhaps the best that this television is capable of.

How many of us are actually sitting back without the remote in our hand, not analyzing shadow detail and colour accuracy during our viewing time and actually watching TV? We are going to wear the "WEGA GATE" button on our remote down to the electrical contacts if we don't stop.

Don't get me wrong, I am not telling anyone to stop trying to better the image quality on their TV but there comes a point where a display can no longer be tweaked to output a better image. Even after ISF calibration is completed, the set has reached its full potential.

So all I am really trying to say is put down the remote sit back and enjoy the show.

Here are some pics from Superman taken with my Canon SureShot A75, shutter speed 1/15 s, aperture f2.8 and no flash. Let me know what you think of my settings!

Nice looking pictures but I don't think that's Superman ;-)

BTW: What settings did you use with your camera, I have an A80.

Nice looking pictures but I don't think that's Superman ;-)

BTW: What settings did you use with your camera, I have an A80.

Yes you are correct, they are from Spiderman, that's what happens when to type late at night.

Camera settings are: Night mode, shutter speed 1/15 s, aperture f2.8 and no flash.

Regards,

Yes you are correct, they are from Spiderman, that's what happens when to type late at night.

Camera settings are: Night mode, shutter speed 1/15 s, aperture f2.8 and no flash.

Regards,

also curious what your source is, DVD ? cable ? satellite ? HTPC ?

Hi, I have a sony a10 and an oppo 971 dvd player. I have noticed serious macroblocking issues, especially on older dvds. I have been told that I can calibrate this out of the image (usually). Has anyone used this player, experienced the same thing, and figured out how to get rid of it? Thanks

also curious what your source is, DVD ? cable ? satellite ? HTPC ?

I am using a Denon DVD-1710 and outputting a 480i signal via Monster Ultra component cables allowing the A10 do the deinterlacing. My settings are:

Picture Mode: Custom
Iris : 3
Picture : 84
Brightness 50
Colour : 40
Hue : +3 Green
Colour Temperature : Neutral
Sharpness : 50
Noise Reduction : Off
DRC Mode : Off

Black Corrector : Low
Advanced Iris Low
Gamma : Low
Clear White : Off
Live Colour : Off

Try these settings out and let me know what you think.

I love my Comcast HD digital channels. But the SD channels are such a crapshoot. They vary so much, one channel may look like a poor-mans HD and others look like worse than my 20-year old TV set.

Is this just par for the course for non-HD channels on our set?

I love my Comcast HD digital channels. But the SD channels are such a crapshoot. They vary so much, one channel may look like a poor-mans HD and others look like worse than my 20-year old TV set.

Is this just par for the course for non-HD channels on our set?

Have you done Dark Rain's tweaks yet? If not go to the link below and scroll down about 2/3rds of the way. It made a big difference with my 50". I haven't done the red push tweak but even without it his settings made a big difference. You may have to adjust it a bit according to the ambient light in your home.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=567709&page=1&pp=30

I recently read in home theater mag an article concerning deinterlacing that the new E2000 models did not pass the tests they ran for deinterlacing a 1080i signal, last year they did the same tests with the A10's and they passed the deinterlacing tests. I know there was some changes in the menu settings, extra hdmi, on the new sets and they got allot cheaper on the retail price end since the a10's were introduced but what would they have changed that the new sets will not do the same as the old sets? I have a 42a10 and am extremely happy but this article made me curios about why basically the same set failed the same tests. Any thoughts?

I was one of the first here to buy a 42A10 back on August 4, 2005.
It is my first HDTV and has been fanastic.
Picture quality is great.

I am thinking about upgrading.
better black level, more resolution, etc.

What would you guys buy next?
I will need to go 50" this time.
Is plasma ready for prime time now?
DLP?

I have had my A10 for two weeks. I sure hope it lasts longer than the one year that you are suggesting. :p

Hey. I've seen that many uses the iris-function and I don't get it. Ok, the black in dark scenes gets much better but whenever a lightsource is filmed the iris is turned off and the picture "blinks", this happens at least a couple of times per minute. Secondly, every time the iris is turned off, the TV makes a clicking sound. How do you stand using the iris function? Can it be tweaked somehow?

Hey. I've seen that many uses the iris-function and I don't get it. Ok, the black in dark scenes gets much better but whenever a lightsource is filmed the iris is turned off and the picture "blinks", this happens at least a couple of times per minute. Secondly, every time the iris is turned off, the TV makes a clicking sound. How do you stand using the iris function? Can it be tweaked somehow?

Uhhh...mine doesn't behave that way. Can anyone else confirm? Perhaps you have some mechanical issues

Have you done Dark Rain's tweaks yet? If not go to the link below and scroll down about 2/3rds of the way. It made a big difference with my 50". I haven't done the red push tweak but even without it his settings made a big difference. You may have to adjust it a bit according to the ambient light in your home.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=567709&page=1&pp=30

Grateful11, you gotta do the red push fix. Its such an easy thing to do and you notice the improvement as you change the values. The red push fix has also been calibrated by ISF technicians and they advise the same thing. You'll be in and out of the service menu in 10 minutes. I'm going to post the procedure again for you and others to follow.

Step 1-Start with your TV off
Step 2-On your TV remote in a sequence push Display, 5, Volume+, Power.
Step 3- Tv turns on and the service menu appears
Step 4- Now push "Jump" twice
Step 5-Now push "2" eight times and you will see Ch_Itu 0002
Step 6-Now push "6" two times to lower that value to Ch_itu 0000
Step 7-Now push "1" to reach the Ch_axis setting
Step 8-Change the Ch_axis setting to 0017 by pushing "6" on your remote.
(3 increases the value, 6 decreases the value")
Step 9-now with the value set at 0017 you push "Mute" then "Enter" to write the new value. (This is how you save the value.)
Step 10-Push "Jump" to return to the opening Service Menu Screen.
Step 11-Now you want to do the same for each input on your tv, Push TV/Video and repeat steps 4-10 for each input.
Step 12-Turn your tv off and wait for bulb to turn off.
Step 13-You are finished, turn your tv back on and enjoy the new picture.

Key-

3 increases values
6 decreases values
Mute then Ent (Enter) writes and saves values

I had never entered a service menu on a tv before the A10 and I was leary about it to at first. But when I finally did it, it was funny how easy it was by just following each step slowly. Great improvement to the picture.

I mentioned a couple months ago that Sony needed to replace the "Q" Box for the CableCARD problem I was having (card not being recognized). Before closing up the back cover, the tech fired up the set to see if the repair was successful, which it was.

While the set was open I mentioned to the tech that I always thought that since the set was new there was an unusual amount of fan noise. With the back cover off and the set on, the two fans we could see and hear (one for the "Q" Box and one for the bulb), were whisper quiet. But there was another noise heard that seemed to be coming from deeper inside the TV.

It's definitely something spinning that puts out what I can best describe as a low harmonic, and when the set shuts off I can hear it spin down. What else is in there that spins that might make such a noise??? Is there another fan back there???

The tech was reluctant to take the top cover off so we could take a deeper look inside and listen, but it wasn't part of the "repair". I'm thinking about doing it myself, but don't want to void my warranty (1 month left) if I screw something up. Does anyone have any ideas as to what this noise might be?? Thanks for any help or insight.

Hello all.

So i'm finally using the VGA cable with the XBOX 360, and i'm trying to figure out if i should set the xbox to 1280 X768 or 1280 X 720.

I thought ours was a 720 screen, but the manual says it supports 1280 X 768. So which should i choose?

My gut feeling is that it looks better with ZOOM at 720 than 768, but i don't want to be messing up the aspect ratio.

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Im still very happy with my TV!

I just wanted to ask you people here in this topic about HDMI splitters? As we know this particular TV only has 1 HDMI input..... Im getting a PS3 in 15 days and soon after I may be getting a HD DVD Player..... thats two deviced with HDMI capabilities both of which I will want to use to their fullest. I know there are HDMI splitters out there, are they any good? Does anyone have any suggestions??

I dont plan on buying a new HDTV for a few years.. like 3 or 4 years..... so for now this is all I got, and so far its been amazing - I just like being able to use HDMI as much as possible, especially for the Bluray/PS3 and HD DVD players. Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone, great thread. I'm just here to let you all know that a couple of weeks a go my TV got the red hue along the bottom of the screen. Just wondering if the techs take the TV with them when they repair it?

Thanks,

although it's not like I won't do it anyway ;)

TV was bought December '05.

Hello all.

So i'm finally using the VGA cable with the XBOX 360, and i'm trying to figure out if i should set the xbox to 1280 X768 or 1280 X 720.

I thought ours was a 720 screen, but the manual says it supports 1280 X 768. So which should i choose?

My gut feeling is that it looks better with ZOOM at 720 than 768, but i don't want to be messing up the aspect ratio.

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Set the Xbox 360 to 1280x720. Then ZOOM. Then go into the user menu and tell the set to "Auto Adjust". Then, if you want to be real precise, put in a calibration disc where you can see overscan and move the picture a few clicks vertically and horizontally. I checked overscan with 1280x720 and component at 720p and they were very close (2-4%). Some people don't think VGA looks that good, but I think it looks great. Unconverted DVDs look awsome too.

Thanks!

But why did you go 1280x720 when the manual states it should be x768?

Also i get 'unsupported signal' at 720, even though i can still see it and it looks better to me.

Grateful11, you gotta do the red push fix. Its such an easy thing to do and you notice the improvement as you change the values. The red push fix has also been calibrated by ISF technicians and they advise the same thing. You'll be in and out of the service menu in 10 minutes. I'm going to post the procedure again for you and others to follow.

Step 1-Start with your TV off
Step 2-On your TV remote in a sequence push Display, 5, Volume+, Power.
Step 3- Tv turns on and the service menu appears
Step 4- Now push "Jump" twice
Step 5-Now push "2" eight times and you will see Ch_Itu 0002
Step 6-Now push "6" two times to lower that value to Ch_itu 0000
Step 7-Now push "1" to reach the Ch_axis setting
Step 8-Change the Ch_axis setting to 0017 by pushing "6" on your remote.
(3 increases the value, 6 decreases the value")
Step 9-now with the value set at 0017 you push "Mute" then "Enter" to write the new value. (This is how you save the value.)
Step 10-Push "Jump" to return to the opening Service Menu Screen.
Step 11-Now you want to do the same for each input on your tv, Push TV/Video and repeat steps 4-10 for each input.
Step 12-Turn your tv off and wait for bulb to turn off.
Step 13-You are finished, turn your tv back on and enjoy the new picture.

Key-

3 increases values
6 decreases values
Mute then Ent (Enter) writes and saves values

I had never entered a service menu on a tv before the A10 and I was leary about it to at first. But when I finally did it, it was funny how easy it was by just following each step slowly. Great improvement to the picture.


I guess you could say I'm chicken but I might just go for it this weekend while my wife is
out for an hour or so. If she knew I was going into that part of the TV she'd have duck fit.

Thanks!

But why did you go 1280x720 when the manual states it should be x768?

Also i get 'unsupported signal' at 720, even though i can still see it and it looks better to me.

Well I had read that in another thread (going 1280x720). I am not sure if there is a difference or not. I get unsupported signal right when I turn the 360 on, but then it doesn't come up after that. So 720 looks better that 768. I haven't messed with it that much.

Uhhh...mine doesn't behave that way. Can anyone else confirm? Perhaps you have some mechanical issues
So you can have the Iris on High and dont have any annoying problems at all? Maybe i should call Sony then..

So you can have the Iris on High and dont have any annoying problems at all? Maybe i should call Sony then..

Mine does not behave the way you described. I normally run Advanced Iris at Low, but I have tried the higher settings and I did not experience blinking and definitely did not hear clicking or other mechanical noises.

I would call Sony if I were you.

Mine does not behave the way you described. I normally run Advanced Iris at Low, but I have tried the higher settings and I did not experience blinking and definitely did not hear clicking or other mechanical noises.

I would call Sony if I were you.
Mm ok strange. If you have it, it would be really kind if you could watch Gladiator, in the first och second scene where they light the fire on the ground for the arrows. That's an extremecase, don't you see any blinking in that scene? And if you turn the sound off, no mechanical sounds at all?

hey guys, i've tried searching for the answer to my problem, but don't know where else to look. i'd appreciate it if you guys had any insight:

i have my tv hooked up to a comcast motorola hd-dvr box through component cables on the 'video 4" input. everything worked fine up until a couple days ago. when i turned it on, all of a sudden i couldn't get my hd channels to show up. the sd channels looked fine, but the hd channels looked scrambled with lots of horizontal lines through, couldn't make out anything. kind of like when you plug in a hd output to a tv that doesn't have the capabilities.

i then plugged the cable box output to the other 2 sets of component inputs. both worked fine. i tried plugging in my ps2 component output to video 4 to see what would happen, and the screen shows up in 480i, not 480p.

i tried looking through the menus for a setting or something that would affect the video 4 input, but can't find it. any ideas guys?

I have digital TV coming in through S-Video and the DVD player through Component. Can I get the TV to skip the analogue tuner when you cycle through the inputs? You can tell it to skip everything else but I cannot work out how to get it to skip the tuner. Ideas?

I have digital TV coming in through S-Video and the DVD player through Component. Can I get the TV to skip the analogue tuner when you cycle through the inputs? You can tell it to skip everything else but I cannot work out how to get it to skip the tuner. Ideas?
You cannot skip the tuner. Only external inputs can be skipped.

OK thanks for the confirmation. I did not think i could but just wanted to confirm that I was not blind or something.

Interesting discussion on LAMP influence.

http://maceditionradio.com/index.php?module=Pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=3&pid=45

Has anyone determined if Game Mode for playing ps2/cube/xbox is worth using, or what it officially does?

iirc, the response time for the set is something estimated 12ms... but since Sony's never officially stated, it's speculation.

I'm not refined enough to notice any lag in games, I'd just as soon blame the slow moves on my feeble skills. However once I notice a problem I become locked onto it. So is lag an issue, and does game mode help? Does game mode help regardless of lag?

no need for game mode. I never had any lag issues from ps2, xbox and gamecube to the 360. Using game mode does diminish the picture quality, as the tv reduces some of the processing of the scaler to make up for the lag.

why is that on some older dvds I get a widescreen picture in a 4:3 window? Is it a setting in the dvd player, tv or the dvd itself? Two that come to mind are GI Jane and the first release of Bugs life which both are listed as widescreen versions.

They might not be anamorphic widescreen. It would either say anamorphic or formatted for widescreen TVs. Some early DVDs were widescreen formatted for a 4:3 tv if that makes sense. Like the original release of Goodfellas.

Has anyone determined if Game Mode for playing ps2/cube/xbox is worth using, or what it officially does?

I'm not refined enough to notice any lag in games, I'd just as soon blame the slow moves on my feeble skills. However once I notice a problem I become locked onto it. So is lag an issue, and does game mode help? Does game mode help regardless of lag?
I am very sensitive to display lag and play PS2 rhythm games that require exact timing (Dance Dance Revolution, Taiko Drum Master, Guitar Hero). DDR in particular requires good timing in order to score a "perfect". I am happy to say that I see no need for game mode. I do sense maybe a frame's worth of lag, but it does not affect my game.

When I enable game mode, I don't notice any overall quality decrease. I do notice that de-interlacing seems to be changed to a different method, since the edges of the screen have a "bounce" to them. The image isn't as stable or solid looking, but otherwise I see no difference.

why is that on some older dvds I get a widescreen picture in a 4:3 window? Is it a setting in the dvd player, tv or the dvd itself?
This is due to you having your DVD player set to 4:3 or the particular DVD being non-anamorphic.

no, my player is set to 16:9

Hey all,

So I've had my e42a10 for 13 months now, and it just began to act up about a week ago. I'm experiencing 2 problems:

1) The TV would "freeze." Whatever I'm watching will still be on, but the TV won't respond to anything (remote, buttons on the TV itself). All I could do is pull the plug and plug it back in.
2) While on, the TV would randomly turn off and immediately back on. This would happen 1-3 times an hour.

I went to updatemytv.com and it said my TV would require the update, so the tech came today. He plugged in the usb key in the back, and it went all the way to the point where the 2 lights in front would blink. It did that for about 30 minutes or so (I believe that should only happen for 10-15mins). The tech guy said he had used that same exact USB key to update the same exact TV, so that couldn't have been it. So he called Sony, and we described my problems to the Sony guy, and he said problem #2 was not a software issue, but was in fact a hardware problem. I think he said I would need an AGU board or b-block assembly, something like that. Problem #1 hasn't happened yet, so despite the fact that the firmware update took longer than expected, it might have worked. I myself called Sony later on, and they referred me to a local TV repair shop here in San Francisco, so someone's coming here Wednesday afternoon.

Anyway, has anyone heard of or experienced these problems as well? Please help if you can, thank in advance.

Oh, I forgot to mention that my fan got louder after the 'update', so maybe it did work. Has anyone fixed this issue or replace that fan with a quieter one?

no one else experienced the fan thing after update?

So I picked up the VGA cable for my Xbox 360 and hooked it to my 50" A10 and it looks like crap. Colors are washed out, and text is nowhere near as sharp as it is via component. Am I missing a step somewhere, I hate to think I just wasted $40 on this cable.

aurora,

make sure you have the vga resolution set correctly. set it to 1280 X 720, ZOOM, and it should look good. I thought it looked great, loved the upconversion, but didn't like the lack of adjustments and having to use the 'video' setting which turns the AI to high. It was a bit too much, so i went back to component.

If your colors look washed out, you have the color set way too high in component (should be 45 max).

-josh

Has anyone compared 720p vs 1080i with the 8300HD STB?

When I tell the STB to upconvert 720p to 1080i or have it "downconvert" 1080i to 720p, I can't see any picture quality difference.

Anyone else try this?

aurora,



If your colors look washed out, you have the color set way too high in component (should be 45 max).

-josh


The color is set to 38 on component.

Just pick up an extended warranty from SonyStyle direct. Almost ran out of time 10 months 26 days! Hopefully I won't be using it.

Has anyone compared 720p vs 1080i with the 8300HD STB?

When I tell the STB to upconvert 720p to 1080i or have it "downconvert" 1080i to 720p, I can't see any picture quality difference.

Anyone else try this?

I've not seen a lot of difference between the two (720p/1080i up/down convert). I would venture to think that passing the native HD signal through is probably better than scaling through the 8300.

I actually have my SA8300HD set up to "pass through" the signal coming from the cable provider. In this way HD is presented in the way the provider/network intended. As well, with SD programming the TV then acts as the scaler (which I think the TV scaler is probably better than the one incorperated in SA8300SD...to my eyes at least).

Other opinions?

Update on Reddish Band Along Screen Bottom of E50A10
The Sony tech diagnosed the problem as a bad light engine about three weeks ago. Last Friday he returned with the replacement and installed the new light engine at my house in around 1-1/2 to 2 hours total. There is a lot that has to be removed to replace the light engine and I was nervous about all wires and parts getting properly reconnected however I had a very methodical tech and everything worked fine when he was done. The set fired up properly (and retained all of my previous adjustments) and the reddish band was gone. I did do a quick comparison of the old versus the new light engines and while they were essentially the same in appearance, the new version did have a larger circuit board on the outside and some extra components that did not appear on the original (October 2005 build date). Hopefully the newer replacement light engine is indeed an improved version. Several days of usage and all is still well, the E50A10 is putting our a gorgeous image and the football games in HD are fantastic. I have been very pleased with Sony on this warranty work and on the competency of my local Sony authorized technician. Hopefully I won't need him often but I am glad to know that I have a good one available if I do need him again in the future.

does anyone still have the firmware update that can send it to me? i really dont want to have to schedule another appt. thanks in advance

I've not seen a lot of difference between the two (720p/1080i up/down convert). I would venture to think that passing the native HD signal through is probably better than scaling through the 8300.

I actually have my SA8300HD set up to "pass through" the signal coming from the cable provider. In this way HD is presented in the way the provider/network intended. As well, with SD programming the TV then acts as the scaler (which I think the TV scaler is probably better than the one incorperated in SA8300SD...to my eyes at least).

Other opinions?

Here is what I am running into with the TW 8300HD cable box: I cannot get an option called "Pass Through?" I am fairly new to all of this, what reading I have done so far might indicate that if use a HDMI cable from the cable-box to the TV, you cannot get the "Pass Through" option to select. I just downloaded a bunch of PDF files from the Sci-Atl web site and will read up more on this. Anybody else run into this issue?

If the above turns out to be true, I am at kind of a loss as to what to select? :confused:

To be taken with perhaps a grain of salt ;) ...

Picked up the 42A10 2 weeks ago, after J&R put it on "clearance" for 1k - that's what I get for waiting patiently for over a year while the wife and I saved up money for this set, a nice little price drop. Happiness. :)

However, overall I am disappointed with the set.

I guess I was expecting the earth to move under my feet as I switched it on- what do you expect after reading so many positive reviews, including avsforum.

All those months of build-up, and in reality what I am left with is a television that has its own problems and drawbacks, requires a lot of tweaking and constant "adjusting" to get the "right" picture for current lighting conditions, and ultimately is not as "clean" a picture as our old set; a 24" Trinitron that was my pride and joy for many years, which is incidentally still sitting on the floor just inches away from the A10's TV stand, at this point very temptingly...

So I'll start with the Cons;

Cons;
1) Silk Screen Effect. This did not bother me "in the store," as I looked carefully for it but just didn't see it. After I got the tv home, the SSE suddenly "popped" out at me after a few hours of watching. For me, this is one of those things where after seeing it once, IT NEVER GOES AWAY. I can even see it now in non-white scenes, when there is any kind of movement, the "silk screen" appears as a dirty film over the image. I can consciously try to block it out, but after a few seconds my eyes naturally gravitate back to the "dirt."

2) Blacks are not black. I know, you don't have to tell me twice; this is a known property of all projection televisions, and a "small" price to pay for a slightly cheaper set that otherwise has a great picture. Well I bought that line of thought, thinking I could save a few bucks. But now try and tell me it's not distracting, when watching a wide-format film, with black bars on top and bottom that are "not really black" but gray, and a dimly-lit scene comes on and the whole image just seems to become a mush of grayness with no defined edges.

3) Standard-def tv is just horrid. Particularly analog channels that are being converted and passed from my cable provider as a digital signal - horribly washed out and pixelated, it makes me want to cry every time I'm trying to watch Prime Suspect on public tv. I am looking into getting an antenna instead to pick up local channels at least - I hope to jeez there is some improvement that way! Of course, I have hated the "digital" cable picture quality since its inception even on my 24" CRT- actually thought about returning the digital box for an analog one when they first came out a couple years ago, I just can't stand the compression artifacts, they pop right out at me constantly.

4) Hi-def cable tv is far from perfect. Once you get the calibration and settings properly "equalized" (Hello; CH_ITU_MODE1 = 0000 and CH_AXIS = 000C are clearly correct, no way is CH_AXIS = 0017 correct) and the brightness turned up "not too high," so the SSE and "grey blacks" are not inducing an apoplectic aneurysm at least, and set the WARM2, and turn off the apalling Advanced Iris (that thing is devil spawn; it takes .5 seconds to "adjust" to a new scene/shot, I can see the picture going from "brighter" to "dimmer" mid-shot!) - I say once you get these settings worked out, the Hi-def cable channels look okay. SO LONG AS NOTHING IS MOVING! But try and watch a car chase, a la "Transporter 2" on HBO last night, and suddenly I'm looking at a haze of microscopic little square boxes- compression artifacts again. The cable company is not sending you an uncompressed signal, and as such there is simply not enough detail there to handle complex rapid motion. Yes, you can blame this one on the cable company, too, but if there's NO PROPER CONTENT out there to watch with this set then why is everyone so excited about a 42" television that looks like camel dung? Does the bikini show on HDNet not have any panning or "fast motion", is that why everyone in this forum raves about that channel? Maybe I should sign up, because I am about to throw this tv out the window. Grr.

5) And my PS2 looks like giant hairy elephant testicles on this television. And this is through a component cable. You're saying I saved up a grand, just so I could save up another grand for a vile PS3 or XBOX, for which there are no games (no games NOT featuring the umpteenth version of the laser-frag-chainsaw cannon with bone-pulverizer attachments)? Give me a break. Once again, if there is clearly no proper content out there for display on this set- content that does not look like herpes-infested anteater scrotum, or that IS NOT ACTUALLY herpes-infested anteater scrotum (a la Resistance: Fall of Man for PS3)- then WHAT IS ALL THE FUSS ABOUT THIS TELEVISION, EXACTLY?

Whew. I needed to get that out of my system. Glad there is a forum here for this purpose. Now on to the good stuff;

Pros;
1) Well I have wasted too much time and space on the Cons, so the Pros will have to wait for now.

Maybe I am sitting too close to this set? Our couch is currently about 7.0 feet away. Maybe anteater scrotum is suddenly heaven at 8.0 feet?

OK samtny that was definitely different, have you tried setting your set up to Dark Rains
or someone elses settings over at the Tweak thread?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=567709&page=1&pp=30

Hey I'm at the top of the 300th page!

any hd dvd owners here care to share their impressions on using the a10? I was at BB and an employee hooked up a bluray player to the sony 50e2000 and to a samsung 42ws??? dlp and the samsung clearly looked better than the 50." I was not impressed at all by the sharpness of the sony. Seeing the picture made me want to sell my tv and purchase a dlp, but I would like to see what an hd dvd player looks like on these sets.

1) You're sitting too close. Move back another foot or two and it will disappear. Also, stop looking for problems in the TV and just watch the content.

2) What are your settings exactly? While blacks are not as deep as one could hope for, they're nowhere near gray.

3) My SDTV is passed through a Motorola 6412 so I can't comment on your situation, but SD is acceptable for me.

4) If your cable company can't provide a clean HD source, move to another provider or stop complaining. Comcast in Seattle has had their act together for awhile now and HD viewing is pleasurable now (versus worrying about drop-outs, glitches, and if it will even be in HD this time).

5) PS2 looks fine for a 6 year-old gaming system. I've played through a few PS2 games on the TV and I deal with the graphics. It's not going to compete with the 360 sitting next to it, but I don't expect it to. If you don't want to jump into a next-gen console due to the price, pick up an original Xbox; the graphics are superior to PS2 and all games run at 480p (with a few 720p games).

For all the problems you pointed out, remember what this TV is. It gives good performance for the price, but is not without it's faults. I'm quite happy with my set (42A10) and have had it since August 2005, which is longer than most people in this thread.

I originally posted this question in the E2000 thread, but with no answer I thought I'd ask here since the TV's are similar.

Anyone have any problems when running DVI-> HDMI from their computer? I'm running a 6600GT and the DVI->HDMI cord I'll be using is a 22AWG @ 25'.

A user in the other thread said outputting the PC to the A10/E2000 is not easily done ... and I just don't think that statement is correct.

Any thoughts?

Okay, thanks to those who responded to my rant as if it actually made some sense :) . My language got a little intense there, but after typing out all the things about the A10 that are "not as good" as my old CRT I became somewhat exasperated. Guess I was pretty attached to that little Trinitron, a relic of my bachelorhood. Next time I shop for a big tv, probably sometime after I retire as I don't foresee convincing the SO we need "another" television any time soon, I will know then that I am very picky about picture quality and that the cheaper sets are not going to cut it.

In the meantime, some responses to suggestions I have received;

Unfortunately changing my cable provider is not an option, as here in NYC you are forced to work with 1 provider depending on your neighborhood. It's down to the house number - last year my wife and I moved across the street and had to change cable providers.

If I can get Standard Def material to look more bearable, I will be happier. Going to try turning on DRC and perhaps lowering Picture which is currently around 90. Any other advice for SD viewing? I have not tried running the coax cable directly to the A10 for "analog" channels, as recommended by Dark Rain, perhaps it is worth a shot. Not sure if you need a cable card for that, will have to do some research.

Finally, its true, I am probably sitting too close to this 42" set, at just under 7 feet away. I'll try to scoot back some, although the dining room table is kinda in the way, to see if that improves the experience any.

Hey guys, Im new here, and Im from the Philippines.

Anyways, I got the KF-E50A10 December last year. I just wanna ask something bout upscaling(since I plan to get PS3 soon)...

The native is 720p right? Yet it supports up to 1080i... So if I use 1080i for games/Blu Ray instead of the 720p native, will it really upscale it? If so, will the quality be comprimised a lot? Is it better to just have 720p?

THANKS!

Well I don't have the ps3 but I have a 42a10, my recommendation is if the game is 720p set the ps3 to 720p so there is no change of the signal. If the game is 1080p or 1080i( I don't think the hdmi connection or component on the a10 will accept a 1080p signal, only the new sxrd's do that) I would set the ps3 to 1080i and let the a10 downscale it to 720p since that is the native resolution of the set.
I have directv hd and I leave native on so all signals are processed by the tv not the directv receiver. As I have read many time would you not think a $2000.00 tv would have better gear in it that a cheap dvd player or any other device that is cheaper than a hdtv. For me the a10 does a great job upconverting 480i/p signals and downconverting 1080i signals. But a true test would be for your eyes to see if you see any difference. I have a ps2 and all games look great on my a10 even the old ps1 games. Good luck on getting a ps3.
Happy Thanksgiving.
jdmac29

Well I don't have the ps3 but I have a 42a10, my recommendation is if the game is 720p set the ps3 to 720p so there is no change of the signal. If the game is 1080p or 1080i( I don't think the hdmi connection or component on the a10 will accept a 1080p signal, only the new sxrd's do that) I would set the ps3 to 1080i and let the a10 downscale it to 720p since that is the native resolution of the set.
I have directv hd and I leave native on so all signals are processed by the tv not the directv receiver. As I have read many time would you not think a $2000.00 tv would have better gear in it that a cheap dvd player or any other device that is cheaper than a hdtv. For me the a10 does a great job upconverting 480i/p signals and downconverting 1080i signals. But a true test would be for your eyes to see if you see any difference. I have a ps2 and all games look great on my a10 even the old ps1 games. Good luck on getting a ps3.
Happy Thanksgiving.
jdmac29

Great and very helpful reply. Thanks man! Very nice of you to help.

So if I put it to 1080i, you mean the A10 automatically downscale it? Or is there an option for it to upscale it from its native resolution(720p) to 1080i? Whats the use of the A10 being able to do 1080i if it downscale it anyway?

Just had an issue with my 50a10. It was on most of the day. I went out for a while. Came back turned it on and nothing, the bulb went on but the TV would not respond. Had to pull the plug. Left it unpluged for 5 minutes. The reboot worked but this cannot be a good sign.

Just had an issue with my 50a10. It was on most of the day. I went out for a while. Came back turned it on and nothing, the bulb went on but the TV would not respond. Had to pull the plug. Left it unpluged for 5 minutes. The reboot worked but this cannot be a good sign.


Have you had the update done?

Eh, can we do the update without taking it to the Sony store?

Eh, can we do the update without taking it to the Sony store?


Yes, they send someone to your house.

http://www.updatemytv.com/

I posted a while back that I was getting a message with my SA8300HD cable box that my HDMI port was blocked and instead of the tv picture, I got a picture of the component inputs and was told to use the R G B hookups. Sound was fine, but no picture.

I called my cable company, but they claimed they had not changed anything at all and that it was a problem on my end. Then I posted here and got several replies that I should just wait for my cable company to do a firmware update and it would probably fix it. So I went ahead and got used to using component cables, but every so often I would check and see if my HDMI was working again, but it wasn't.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if it's not a bad HDMI port after all. Last week I bought a PLaystation 3 so I pulled the HDMI cable from the back of my cable box and plugged it in to my PS 3. I got no picture AND no sound. I called Playstation 3 support and they spent about a half an hour going through the settings, but we never got a picture through the HDMI.

The weird thing is with my cable box I got the message that my HDMI input was blocked because my tv didn't have HDCP, but I got sound. Now with the PS3, I get no picture and no sound.

How can I check to verify what the actual problem is? I still have warranty, but if there is a problem I want to take care of it soon. Could it be a bad cable? The cable I am using came out of a upscaling Toshiba dvd player. At this point I don't know what to do.

Thanks

I posted a while back that I was getting a message with my SA8300HD cable box that my HDMI port was blocked and instead of the tv picture, I got a picture of the component inputs and was told to use the R G B hookups. Sound was fine, but no picture.

I called my cable company, but they claimed they had not changed anything at all and that it was a problem on my end. Then I posted here and got several replies that I should just wait for my cable company to do a firmware update and it would probably fix it. So I went ahead and got used to using component cables, but every so often I would check and see if my HDMI was working again, but it wasn't.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if it's not a bad HDMI port after all. Last week I bought a PLaystation 3 so I pulled the HDMI cable from the back of my cable box and plugged it in to my PS 3. I got no picture AND no sound. I called Playstation 3 support and they spent about a half an hour going through the settings, but we never got a picture through the HDMI.

The weird thing is with my cable box I got the message that my HDMI input was blocked because my tv didn't have HDCP, but I got sound. Now with the PS3, I get no picture and no sound.

How can I check to verify what the actual problem is? I still have warranty, but if there is a problem I want to take care of it soon. Could it be a bad cable? The cable I am using came out of a upscaling Toshiba dvd player. At this point I don't know what to do.

Thanks

Here is what I read, and its worth a try...

Plug both AV and HDMI cables of the PS3 to your TV. Choose AV first then switch to HDMI... cuz it says in some cases, it doesnt detect right away. You need to manually switch it.

Yes, they send someone to your house.

http://www.updatemytv.com/

Thanks. Whew. It says (after putting my serial) that mine doesnt need the upgrade.

So anyway is that upgrade only for the bug? No additional features added?

Here is what I read, and its worth a try...

Plug both AV and HDMI cables of the PS3 to your TV. Choose AV first then switch to HDMI... cuz it says in some cases, it doesnt detect right away. You need to manually switch it.


Been there, done that...no go.

Why not try borrowing or buying a new HDMI to really have it checked? They cost very cheap(unbranded ones)...

Have you had the update done?

Update was done about 6 months ago, working fine today

Hey Guys, been a while, but I am in the market for a new TV stand for my A10. Got a toddler walking around now and my low profile, no drawers stand just isnt cutting it anymore. I'm sure others have gotten tired of little fingerprints on the TV and getting thier components turned off. Kids love those blinking lights :)
I want something at least 2 ft off the ground and with shelves to store my Tivo and 360, with a cherry wood look as well.
Any ideas?
I found this one from Bush, but not sure if it would work. the A10 is definately less than 240 lbs but not sure on the dimensions yet.
http://www.bush-furniture-online.com/bush_VS13588-03.html

We really like our Bush. I might suggest that you make sure your hardware will fit. I had to modify our Bush.

Great and very helpful reply. Thanks man! Very nice of you to help.

So if I put it to 1080i, you mean the A10 automatically downscale it? Or is there an option for it to upscale it from its native resolution(720p) to 1080i? Whats the use of the A10 being able to do 1080i if it downscale it anyway?
The point of having a 1080i interface is that not all sources can take a 1080i signal and make a good 720p signal from it, like the A10 can. So if you have a PS-3 playing a Blu-Ray disk or a Toshiba HD-DVD player or many cable boxes then you will get much better results sending the 1080i signal to the A10 and letting it downscale it to 720p for display.

The point of having a 1080i interface is that not all sources can take a 1080i signal and make a good 720p signal from it, like the A10 can. So if you have a PS-3 playing a Blu-Ray disk or a Toshiba HD-DVD player or many cable boxes then you will get much better results sending the 1080i signal to the A10 and letting it downscale it to 720p for display.

But it can still play 1080i and not downscale it right? 720p upscaled to 1080i, is it bad?

THANKS!

We really like our Bush. I might suggest that you make sure your hardware will fit. I had to modify our Bush.
You have the same bush tv stand I listed? What exactly do you mean by "modify"? :) Got any pics?
Thanks!

We have the 42 A10 and have been very pleased. One of the three fans has been running very loud so it is beening replaced next week.

My wife sits approximately 7.5 feet an I sit almost 10 feet.

Is it worth the money to change from the 42 A10 to the 46 E2000? The second HDMI is not critically needed. There is not enough room for the 50.

Thanks,
Louisp

You have the same bush tv stand I listed? What exactly do you mean by "modify"? :) Got any pics?
Thanks!

No, our Bush is not exactly like yours. It is open in the front. I had to increase the height to fit all of our hardware in it. The Infinity Alpha 37c Center Channel is very large and takes up almost half of the interior height.

Good luck,
Louisp

We've got ours in an Armoire.

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5923/pict0014jx5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

But it can still play 1080i and not downscale it right? 720p upscaled to 1080i, is it bad?

THANKS!

Don't believe you understand their response. The A10 only displays 720p. Every input is scaled to 720p, whether it is 1080i, 480i or 480p. So it will accept a 1080i feed but will scale it to 720p.

^^ So in the manual, it says up to 1080i resoultion(though native is 720p), it means it will only accept but not display it fully to 1080i?

Since there is no 1080p written in the manual, what happens if there is a 1080p game or such?

^^ So in the manual, it says up to 1080i resoultion(though native is 720p), it means it will only accept but not display it fully to 1080i?

Since there is no 1080p written in the manual, what happens if there is a 1080p game or such?

You are correct, it will accept 1080i as input and display it as 720p. As far as I know it will not accept 1080p.

Holy Cow dude, you really need to chill out this is a great TV I work @circuit city in the TV dept, been there for 3 years and I look at TV's all day. I can tell you for the money this tv blows anything away, for $1,000 (that's what I paid also) you got a very good deal. Sonys level up from this TV the SXRD is not that much better, yes it is noticably better, but not that much for twice the money I didn't think it was worth it. You defenitly dont get twice the picture quality.

Also DLP's SUCK, yes they have about the same picture quality and maybe a little better blacks, but they break 10x as much. Plus Sync issues, Rainbow Effect, moving parts, they are just not a good technology, good picture quality, way too many problems. We get Samsung DLP's returned atleast twice as much as Sony LCD Proj. Having said that, the tv has a few MINOR faults, for starters the blacks do not look that bad, for LCD's they actually look very good better than most other brands ie LG, Polaroid, etc. The brightness is good, color is vibrant, picture is crisp, and yes theres a little bit of screendoor, not much though unless your too close, move back a little.

I also had a Sony CRT, and yes there were things about it that were better than the A10, but also it had it's faults too. With Sony CRT's you can easily see scanlines which always annoyed the heck out of me, worse than the A10's blacks. And the Geometry usually sucks on CRT's, they radiate they are worse for your eyes, and lets not forget the INTERLACED factor which I call headache mode. CRT's are great, but they wearn't without there flaws too, you are nit picking bad, trust me man I look at TV's all day, im just as picky as anyone else or worse, but still it's a great set.


Okay, thanks to those who responded to my rant as if it actually made some sense :) . My language got a little intense there, but after typing out all the things about the A10 that are "not as good" as my old CRT I became somewhat exasperated. Guess I was pretty attached to that little Trinitron, a relic of my bachelorhood. Next time I shop for a big tv, probably sometime after I retire as I don't foresee convincing the SO we need "another" television any time soon, I will know then that I am very picky about picture quality and that the cheaper sets are not going to cut it.

In the meantime, some responses to suggestions I have received;

Unfortunately changing my cable provider is not an option, as here in NYC you are forced to work with 1 provider depending on your neighborhood. It's down to the house number - last year my wife and I moved across the street and had to change cable providers.

If I can get Standard Def material to look more bearable, I will be happier. Going to try turning on DRC and perhaps lowering Picture which is currently around 90. Any other advice for SD viewing? I have not tried running the coax cable directly to the A10 for "analog" channels, as recommended by Dark Rain, perhaps it is worth a shot. Not sure if you need a cable card for that, will have to do some research.

Finally, its true, I am probably sitting too close to this 42" set, at just under 7 feet away. I'll try to scoot back some, although the dining room table is kinda in the way, to see if that improves the experience any.