I need your help guys, I am watching dvd's on my 360 and while they look OKAY, it would be nice to step it up a little. I am thinking maybe a good HDMI dvd player would help since I would be using a HDMI hookup instead of the 360's component, also im "guessing" the Sony HDMI dvd player would be a little better at playing dvd's period. Anyone seen the difference?? does HDMI help, is it noticable?? I have a $100 gift card from work (circuit city) and dont know what to get with it, also I heard HDMI cables dont make a difference as far as brand so I should just go to walmart and get like the $25 phillips instead of paying $70 for a monster at work.

I need your help guys, I am watching dvd's on my 360 and while they look OKAY, it would be nice to step it up a little. I am thinking maybe a good HDMI dvd player would help since I would be using a HDMI hookup instead of the 360's component, also im "guessing" the Sony HDMI dvd player would be a little better at playing dvd's period. Anyone seen the difference?? does HDMI help, is it noticable?? I have a $100 gift card from work (circuit city) and dont know what to get with it, also I heard HDMI cables dont make a difference as far as brand so I should just go to walmart and get like the $25 phillips instead of paying $70 for a monster at work.
First, I just hooked up a Sony upconverting DVD player to my new 50E2000 set, and it is noticeably better than my older "legacy" Sony DVD player. I am very satisfied with the device. Mine is the 5-platter version and it was a great investment for around $149.

Second, I learned from many on these forums to forget the high-priced cables and I am very happy there also. Go to monoprice.com and be prepared to stare in disbelief at their pricing. I just rec'd my second box of cables from them, dynamite stuff. They offer every cable known to man. If they don't have it, you don't need it! :)

Second, I learned from many on these forums to forget the high-priced cables and I am very happy there also. Go to monoprice.com and be prepared to stare in disbelief at their pricing. I just rec'd my second box of cables from them, dynamite stuff. They offer every cable known to man. If they don't have it, you don't need it! :)
QFT! The exception would be for analog connections, where good quality cables with tight connectors makes a difference in PQ.

Hello, I picked up an Xbox 360 HD drive and wanted to see how people are using them with the 50 inch A10.

I am using the stock component cables. What would be the best resolution to use for movies and for games? Being the set is 720p, I have been using that setting in the xbox for playing games due to most of them being 720p. However, for movies, being they are 1080p, should I be setting the xbox at 1080i and letting the A10 downconvert to 720p or should I just leave everything at 720p?

Also, are A10 owners using the VGA connection instead of the component, and is this a better way to go?

Does anybody have any successful picture settings for using the components with xbox games, and HD movies?

Thanks for reading, and thankyou even more for any help you can throw this noobs way.

I used the VGA cables and I think the picture looks great. It upconverts my DVDs and they look good too. Don't have the HD drive yet so I can't help you there. If you do get the VGA cables, to get 1:1 pixel mapping. Set the TV to "Zoom" and then go into the TV's menu and "auto adjust". If you have DVE or some other calibration DVD you can even make sure the picture is centered, I had to move it a few clicks on the vertical and horizontal.

anyone have any luck getting 1:1 pixel mapping using a dvi->vga connection?
I know that nobody has had any luck with dvi->hdmi yet, but I am looking at a sweet deal on a dual dvi video card. Don't want to give up the sweet 1:1 I'm currently getting through VGA w/powerstrip.

Hello, I picked up an Xbox 360 HD drive and wanted to see how people are using them with the 50 inch A10.

I am using the stock component cables. What would be the best resolution to use for movies and for games? Being the set is 720p, I have been using that setting in the xbox for playing games due to most of them being 720p. However, for movies, being they are 1080p, should I be setting the xbox at 1080i and letting the A10 downconvert to 720p or should I just leave everything at 720p?

Also, are A10 owners using the VGA connection instead of the component, and is this a better way to go?

Does anybody have any successful picture settings for using the components with xbox games, and HD movies?

Thanks for reading, and thankyou even more for any help you can throw this noobs way.


I bought the VGA cable thinking it would look great, it looks terrible. Washed out colors and soft edges. Not a good choice imo, I'm going to eBay mine cheap.

Iv'e used both component and VGA cable, I think the Component looks ALOT better, the VGA cable gives you slightly crisper more detailed picture but the blacks look horrible, it makes the TV look like the contrast ratio is about 200:1

Hello, I picked up an Xbox 360 HD drive and wanted to see how people are using them with the 50 inch A10.

I am using the stock component cables. What would be the best resolution to use for movies and for games? Being the set is 720p, I have been using that setting in the xbox for playing games due to most of them being 720p. However, for movies, being they are 1080p, should I be setting the xbox at 1080i and letting the A10 downconvert to 720p or should I just leave everything at 720p?

Also, are A10 owners using the VGA connection instead of the component, and is this a better way to go?

Does anybody have any successful picture settings for using the components with xbox games, and HD movies?

Thanks for reading, and thankyou even more for any help you can throw this noobs way.

Hello, I picked up an Xbox 360 HD drive and wanted to see how people are using them with the 50 inch A10.

I am using the stock component cables. What would be the best resolution to use for movies and for games? Being the set is 720p, I have been using that setting in the xbox for playing games due to most of them being 720p. However, for movies, being they are 1080p, should I be setting the xbox at 1080i and letting the A10 downconvert to 720p or should I just leave everything at 720p?

Also, are A10 owners using the VGA connection instead of the component, and is this a better way to go?

Does anybody have any successful picture settings for using the components with xbox games, and HD movies?

Thanks for reading, and thankyou even more for any help you can throw this noobs way.

I play my movies and HD DVD's at 720p on my 42" A10. I can't tell any difference at all if I set the 360 to 1080i for movies. Component is definitly the best choice on this TV because the VGA input lacks any significant tweaking abilities.

These are my settings for the 360 and HD DVD add on (keep in mind I have also done the Red Push Fix and the Grayscale tweak):

Iris: 2
Picture: 80
Brightness: 45
Color: 35
Hue: G4
Color Temp: Warm 2
Sharpness: 30
Noise Reduction: off
DRC Mode: High Density
Black Corrector: off
Advanced Iris: low
Gamma: Max
Clear White: off
Live Color: off

I noticed this TV and the newer models that replaced it push a pee green sort of shade to everything. Like sometimes peoples flesh tones look slightly green or yellow instead of light tan or pink. And grass in movies looks a little too bright and light green, anyone else notice this?? any way to correct it?

15months old -50A10. The Firmware was updated a while back to fix some issue about the picture going out.

Don't think this is related BUT I have noticed in the last months my screen will flicker almost like it has a very low refresh rate. It comes and goes and I don't know what is causing it. I first thought it was from my PC running DVI>HDMI @ 1232x692. But then even on analog channels through the built in tuner I can see it flicker. It is much more noticeable during a clean white screen through the PC but it does for sure happen on other inputs and built in tuner. I have tried the different video/picture settings like Vivid/Standard, Iris/No Iris.

I have the A10 plugged into a cheap Dynex AVR battery back up and it then plugged into a high end Monster Power surge. I only have the PC and A10 plugged into the Battery and all other components directly into the Monster Power. Doubt it is related to power.

Has anyone else had this random flicker issue with their A10? Is this a sign of bulb replacement?

I play my movies and HD DVD's at 720p on my 42" A10. I can't tell any difference at all if I set the 360 to 1080i for movies. Component is definitly the best choice on this TV because the VGA input lacks any significant tweaking abilities.

These are my settings for the 360 and HD DVD add on (keep in mind I have also done the Red Push Fix and the Grayscale tweak):

Iris: 2
Picture: 80
Brightness: 45
Color: 35
Hue: G4
Color Temp: Warm 2
Sharpness: 30
Noise Reduction: off
DRC Mode: High Density
Black Corrector: off
Advanced Iris: low
Gamma: Max
Clear White: off
Live Color: off

Great, thanks for the help. I'll check out those settings and see how it looks. also, thanks to the other posters that commented on my post. I heard that the vga doesn't look good on this set because it's geared towards PC's. Oh, well, I guess I can't get the benifet of upconverting standard dvds. Not going to sacrifice picture quality for that.

thanks again

I guess I don't really have a good eye for video quality. I didn't find that the colors were washed out with VGA. Also the contrast, to me, looks a little better. Maybe I don't know what I am really looking for, but nothing as really bothered me about the VGA connection.

15months old -50A10. The Firmware was updated a while back to fix some issue about the picture going out.

Don't think this is related BUT I have noticed in the last months my screen will flicker almost like it has a very low refresh rate. It comes and goes and I don't know what is causing it. I first thought it was from my PC running DVI>HDMI @ 1232x692. But then even on analog channels through the built in tuner I can see it flicker. It is much more noticeable during a clean white screen through the PC but it does for sure happen on other inputs and built in tuner. I have tried the different video/picture settings like Vivid/Standard, Iris/No Iris.

I have the A10 plugged into a cheap Dynex AVR battery back up and it then plugged into a high end Monster Power surge. I only have the PC and A10 plugged into the Battery and all other components directly into the Monster Power. Doubt it is related to power.

Has anyone else had this random flicker issue with their A10? Is this a sign of bulb replacement?

BUMP. Anyone?

BUMP. Anyone?

No flicker on my set yet.

Maybe you should try plugging your A10 directly into the wall socket.

Run it for a few hours without the protection and see if the flickering goes away.

Of course, you should not conduct your test during a thunderstorm, but instead when the weather is sunny.

BUMP. Anyone?


No flicker here, mine is connected to an APC voltage regulating UPS.

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

I don't get any info on any channels; digital or analog. The UM says it's supposed to work. What's up with that?

Guys, question, if I watch regular channels, does the A10 upscale it to 720p?

THANKS!

Guys, question, if I watch regular channels, does the A10 upscale it to 720p?

THANKS!


The TV scales everything to 720p.

The TV scales everything to 720p.
Slight correction. It SCALES anything that is NOT a 720p signal. If your upconverting DVD player or DVR/cable box is set to output at 720p, the scaling in the TV doesn't come into play. This is where it can get a bit tricky because the scalers in some upconverting DVD players and DVRs aren't very good. Obviously if you can't see a difference in PQ then it probably doesn't matter.

Eh, howcome the normal channels are still as crappy as my old TV?

Eh, howcome the normal channels are still as crappy as my old TV?Because they are very low resolution (worse than DVD). You can make them look slightly sharper and more detailed by adjusting the DRC Palette. Try 40/40 or 50/50.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Character_Zero
The TV scales everything to 720p.

Slight correction. It SCALES anything that is NOT a 720p signal.

Well, yeah. I figured that would be implied. Not sure how it would scale 720p to 720p.

So far, I have my A10 at these settings (they've been tweaked at least 10 times to achieve this level by using THX Optimizer in Finding Nemo):

Using SA3250 HD Converter - Component Cable

Iris - 3
Picture - 80
Brightness - 59
Color - 45
Color Temperature - Neutral
Hue - 0
Sharpness - 50 (yeah I know it's high but I'll explain at the bottom)
DRC Mode (SD Channels) - High Density
DRC Palette - Reality 1 Clarity 100
Noise Reduction - Medium (Auto isn't avaliable)

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector - Low
Gamma Correction - Low
Advanced Iris - Off
Clear White - Low
Live Color - Most definately Off


The DRC Palette's Clarity setting is at 100, Noise Reduction at Medium, and Sharpness at 50 all share one answer:
THE SA BOX HAS A LOT OF NOISE

Clarity at 100 decreases the noise, while Sharpness at 50 compensates for the smoothness of the picture. Noise Reduction is at Medium because High causes the picture to become TOO smooth.
If anyone sees anything that shouldn't be on, is too low, or is too high, please let me know. Also, as a sidenote, Cox Digital Cable is now broadcasting ALL channels in Digital format, but analog channels are avaliable on the 1000's until 2009.

I play my movies and HD DVD's at 720p on my 42" A10. I can't tell any difference at all if I set the 360 to 1080i for movies. Component is definitly the best choice on this TV because the VGA input lacks any significant tweaking abilities.

These are my settings for the 360 and HD DVD add on (keep in mind I have also done the Red Push Fix and the Grayscale tweak):

Iris: 2
Picture: 80
Brightness: 45
Color: 35
Hue: G4
Color Temp: Warm 2
Sharpness: 30
Noise Reduction: off
DRC Mode: High Density
Black Corrector: off
Advanced Iris: low
Gamma: Max
Clear White: off
Live Color: off

Ok, I tried those setting, looking very nice. Is there a button on the remote that lets you toggle through the custom, vivid, and normal modes without going into the menus?

Not at home right now, but if I remember correctly, it is the "PICTURE" button on your Sony remote control.

Not at home right now, but if I remember correctly, it is the "PICTURE" button on your Sony remote control.


great, I will try that tonight.

Now, another question.....Not that there is much you can do about it, but should xbox game settings be the same as HD-DVD settings?

Ok, the picture button did the trick, thanks. There is a huge difference between the custom settings above and the vivid and normal ones. The settings above for the 360 make the HD-DVD of king kong look amazing. So glad I picked up this player. Which leads me to another question........Is there a way to toggle the 720p and 1080i output setting on the 360 while watching an HD-DVD without going into the dashboard and having to restart the movie. It's tough to compare while wasting all that time to go back to the same scene again.

thanks

Forgive my ignorance, but are all those achievable thru the remote?

BIG THANKS!

Ok, the picture button did the trick, thanks. There is a huge difference between the custom settings above and the vivid and normal ones. The settings above for the 360 make the HD-DVD of king kong look amazing. So glad I picked up this player. Which leads me to another question........Is there a way to toggle the 720p and 1080i output setting on the 360 while watching an HD-DVD without going into the dashboard and having to restart the movie. It's tough to compare while wasting all that time to go back to the same scene again.

thanks

There's no way to toggle it. I agree with you about it being tough to compare the two.......from what I could tell though, there is no difference, so I just keep it on 720p for convenience (games don't look as sharp if you pick 1080i)

So far, I have my A10 at these settings (they've been tweaked at least 10 times to achieve this level by using THX Optimizer in Finding Nemo):

Using SA3250 HD Converter - Component Cable

Iris - 3
Picture - 80
Brightness - 59
Color - 45
Color Temperature - Neutral
Hue - 0
Sharpness - 50 (yeah I know it's high but I'll explain at the bottom)
DRC Mode (SD Channels) - High Density
DRC Palette - Reality 1 Clarity 100
Noise Reduction - Medium (Auto isn't avaliable)

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector - Low
Gamma Correction - Low
Advanced Iris - Off
Clear White - Low
Live Color - Most definately Off


The DRC Palette's Clarity setting is at 100, Noise Reduction at Medium, and Sharpness at 50 all share one answer:
THE SA BOX HAS A LOT OF NOISE

Clarity at 100 decreases the noise, while Sharpness at 50 compensates for the smoothness of the picture. Noise Reduction is at Medium because High causes the picture to become TOO smooth.
If anyone sees anything that shouldn't be on, is too low, or is too high, please let me know. Also, as a sidenote, Cox Digital Cable is now broadcasting ALL channels in Digital format, but analog channels are avaliable on the 1000's until 2009.

Noise reduction doesn't need to be on if you're using it on a good HD source (like the 360 or HD DVD). I would recommend turning advanced Iris on low and turning Black Corrector off (it kills shadow detail). Clear White, messes with the temperature of the image......all it does is add blue to the picture. If you want a more realistic life like image, I'd recommend turning that off. Try my settings and see how you like them.

There's no way to toggle it. I agree with you about it being tough to compare the two.......from what I could tell though, there is no difference, so I just keep it on 720p for convenience (games don't look as sharp if you pick 1080i)

yeah, this is what i'm probably going to do too

Forgive my ignorance, but are all those achievable thru the remote?

BIG THANKS!

If you are talking about the TV settings, yeah. hit wegagate, and go to picture, should be the top one. if you set some settings to custom you can than toggle between custom, vivid and normal with the picture button on the remote

Update on the red line across the bottom of the screen. The techs picked up the T.V. and replaced the light engine which apparently costs over $1800 canadian. I went ahead and purchased the SonyCare extended warranty for an extra 2 years...figured it would be worth it. If anyone is having this done at their home, you should maybe be thinking of getting another tech to do it because the the guys that came to pick my A10 up were saying that it's a very tricky job and is best done in a repair shop-like environment so as to minimize risk....

Do you or anyone else have some guidance to the home setup for this TV?

There's no way to toggle it. I agree with you about it being tough to compare the two.......from what I could tell though, there is no difference, so I just keep it on 720p for convenience (games don't look as sharp if you pick 1080i)


So you are saying that I should setup my 360 to output 720p instead of my current 1080i setting?

Also I did the greyscale and redpush fixes but forgot to write down teh original settings for the values changed with the greyscale tweak.

Does anyone have the original values for those settings in the greyscale and the tweak numbers that they should be set at? I just want to verify that i did it correctly.

The greyscale settings are different for each tv, unfortunately. If you used Dark Rain's method you can backtrack, though.

Mel

Yes I did use DarkRains method. Not sure how I woudl backtrack since there are no directions for goign back. I know I pressed a certain number 16 times for one setting...another 3 times...etc.

I think using his method, you lower RGAIN by 3 and BGAIN by 16, so to backtrack you would raise them by that number of clicks, write down your original values and then reset to DR's greyscale tweak. You would use the "3" button to raise the value and the "6" button to lower the value.

Mel

So I've searched here, Googled to no end, and still can't find any insight into what the IP-capability of my 42A10 is... when you go to the Applications -> CableCARD -> IP Service screen, I'm shown the following:

IP Address: 0.0.0.0
UPM Address: 0
Downstream ID: 0
UPstream ID: 0
Downstream: Unconfigured
Upstream: No Message To Send
Ack timeout: 0
Cell abort count: 0 (max 0)
MAC Abort count: 0 (max 0).

What's all that about? This certainly strikes me as being two-way CableCARD 2.0 -esque, but given the age of this set (bought 11/05) I can't imagine that such is the case (even though the CC 2.0 spec was finalized in 3/05, IIRC). Perhaps this set is firmware-upgradable to CC 2.0 support? The new cards will have the same form-factor, so it would just be a matter of upgrading the software, I would think...

FYI, I have Comcast in the SF Bay area, and the CableCARD Status screen shows:
Manufacturer: 0x00 (Motorola)
Version: 04.05

Is there anyway to switch between the cable and the antenna input without going through the gate menu?

Just push the "input" button and go to input number 8. My cable is on 4 and my antenna is on 8. It may differ on your set.

That is the easiest way to do it.

Brad

Just push the "input" button and go to input number 8. My cable is on 4 and my antenna is on 8. It may differ on your set.

That is the easiest way to do it.

Brad

My remote doesn't an "Input" button that I can see.

Isn't it the "ANT" button that does this?

Is there anyway to adjust the tv image area, its because after sending to the poor support here in my town they take off the insects that i had into the tv but the tv screen is now not adjusted correctly he said it could be done by the service menu but he didnt had the "password"... Now the imagem is cropping in the bottom and i want to know if there is any option in the service menu to adjust that. I've entered in there by using the instructions from the "Grand Wega V Tweeks" post.
But the options are confusing i cant understand anything.

Sorry for my bad english xD
Breno Sabino

I always hear people saying things like, it all depends on which component has the better scaler, whether it be a TV, DVD player, Cable/Sat box. So, how does the A10's scaler stack up against others?

Does anybody know which has the better scaler....A10, xbox 360, DirecTV HD-DVD?

thanks

Is the best option to when possible send the TV's native resolution to the set untouched, or to start with the highest resolution and let the TV downconvert it to teh 720p native resolution?

Is there anyway to switch between the cable and the antenna input without going through the gate menu?

Load both antenna and cable channels in the favorites area.


I always put a "AT" on the end of channel titles so I know I'm on the antenna.

I always hear people saying things like, it all depends on which component has the better scaler, whether it be a TV, DVD player, Cable/Sat box. So, how does the A10's scaler stack up against others?

Does anybody know which has the better scaler....A10, xbox 360, DirecTV HD-DVD?

thanks

Is the best option to when possible send the TV's native resolution to the set untouched, or to start with the highest resolution and let the TV downconvert it to teh 720p native resolution?

Mikey,
Always go native resolution (720P) into your TV if possible. The Sony A10's have a pretty decent deinterlacer and an OK scaler. Your panasonic "77" DVD player will do a great job with DVDs and it has an excellent scaler. You might try letting the DVD player scale and your TV deinterlace (try setting the DVD player to different outputs 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and see if your TV can do a better job deinterlacing than your TV using test patterns like AVIA or DVE; I've found marginal improvements with my OPPO player). You won 't want to use the DVD player on the 360 over your Panny 77. Your Direct TV HD box should go straight in 720P (you might need to buy a HDMI switcher, they can be had for cheap from www.partsexpress.com)

Other than that you're good to go, hope this helps.

I always hear people saying things like, it all depends on which component has the better scaler, whether it be a TV, DVD player, Cable/Sat box. So, how does the A10's scaler stack up against others?

Does anybody know which has the better scaler....A10, xbox 360, DirecTV HD-DVD?

thanks

Is the best option to when possible send the TV's native resolution to the set untouched, or to start with the highest resolution and let the TV downconvert it to teh 720p native resolution?
It really depends on the scaler and deinterlacer of the source equipment.

Cable boxes should be either set to pass through or set to 1080i output. Speaking from experience, the Motorola 6412 does a terrible job at deinterlacing a 1080i signal. So, setting it to output everything at 720p is not a good idea.

With SD DVD players, you would need to test both 480i and 480p, and then look for artifacts like combing, noticeable jaggies on diagonal lines, etc. Upconverting DVD players should be set to 720p because that's why you bought it in the first place. If you're not going to use the internal scaler and deinterlacer of the player then why bother buying one?

Mikey,
Always go native resolution (720P) into your TV if possible. The Sony A10's have a pretty decent deinterlacer and an OK scaler. Your panasonic "77" DVD player will do a great job with DVDs and it has an excellent scaler. You might try letting the DVD player scale and your TV deinterlace (try setting the DVD player to different outputs 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and see if your TV can do a better job deinterlacing than your TV using test patterns like AVIA or DVE; I've found marginal improvements with my OPPO player). You won 't want to use the DVD player on the 360 over your Panny 77. Your Direct TV HD box should go straight in 720P (you might need to buy a HDMI switcher, they can be had for cheap from www.partsexpress.com)

Other than that you're good to go, hope this helps.

thanks. The only thing is, I am using component with my panasonic dvd player, because I am using hdmi with my direcTV. Should I still use the panasonic being I am using the component? I figured the xbox HD drive would be a better dvd player than the panasonic being it is an HD drive.

Should I use the hdmi with my dvd player, and the component with the direcTV stuff? I figured the hdmi would be better suited with the HD broadcasts.

Funny thing is, I though a scaler and deinterlacer were the same thing :(

It really depends on the scaler and deinterlacer of the source equipment.

Cable boxes should be either set to pass through or set to 1080i output. Speaking from experience, the Motorola 6412 does a terrible job at deinterlacing a 1080i signal. So, setting it to output everything at 720p is not a good idea.

With SD DVD players, you would need to test both 480i and 480p, and then look for artifacts like combing, noticeable jaggies on diagonal lines, etc. Upconverting DVD players should be set to 720p because that's why you bought it in the first place. If you're not going to use the internal scaler and deinterlacer of the player then why bother buying one?

damn, I need a new receiver with two hdmi inputs so I can use it with the direcTV and the dvd player. I wish the set had two hdmi's.

would you recommend the hdmi be used with the dvd player over the direcTV?

Purchased a sony KDL40S20L1 (costco) 40" flat screen this weekend, the SD is terrible. I'm not sure if it's comcast or the TV.

My 50a10 looks much better in SD

damn, I need a new receiver with two hdmi inputs so I can use it with the direcTV and the dvd player. I wish the set had two hdmi's.

would you recommend the hdmi be used with the dvd player over the direcTV?

You can buy an HDMI switch box:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&style=

I just use component for my cable box and HDMI for my DVD player.

You can buy an HDMI switch box:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&style=

I just use component for my cable box and HDMI for my DVD player.

do you notice a big difference between your component connection and hdmi with your cable/sat box?

do you notice a big difference between your component connection and hdmi with your cable/sat box?
I have a cable box that has DVI out and when I hooked it up with an HDMI/DVI cable, I couldn't tell a difference when comparing with component hookup. In fact, I prefer the component because when using the HDMI input it takes a long time to switch to a new channel. Of course a direct tv box with HDMI to HDMI connections may be different.

Mel

Anyone use component cables with this TV and a Wii? I have mine coming at the end of this week and I have seen some posts where people are getting small horizontal lines or a checkerboard pixelation kind of thing. I have used Gamecube cables without any problems but just want to make sure the Wii also has no problems with component and this TV. Thanks!

So now that i have the hd dvd add on for the 360 i was wondering if i would get a better picture if i upgraded the basic xbox 360 component cable with some higher quality component cables. Any recommendations.. or is it even worth the extra money?

do you notice a big difference between your component connection and hdmi with your cable/sat box?
Nothing worth noting. The one thing I did notice was the quality of the component cables. The ones the cable company supplied me with were junk. The color was a bit off and the connectors were loose. If you go with component be sure to get some decent cables for better color fidelity and sharpness. And make sure the cables fit nice and tight.

So now that i have the hd dvd add on for the 360 i was wondering if i would get a better picture if i upgraded the basic xbox 360 component cable with some higher quality component cables. Any recommendations.. or is it even worth the extra money?

If Monster cables made a noticeable change to the picture we'd know about it. But that just isn't the case. Save yourself the money and stick with the cables you have.

If Monster cables made a noticeable change to the picture we'd know about it. But that just isn't the case. Save yourself the money and stick with the cables you have.

They actually did in my case. Sharpness and color fidelity were increased. Cables do make a difference when your dealing with analog video and audio. In the digital realm it makes no difference.

Now, is it worth spending $60 for Monster component cables? Probably not. You can get the same thing or better from places like Monoprice or Blue Jeans Cable--and for much cheaper.

How much would you pay for a supposedly lightly used Sony KDF-E42A10 42" HDTV with matching stand.

The seller says that he:
- Bought it brand new in box about 6 months ago at Best Buy for $1999
- that since then it has gotten consumer type use
- That is has a manufacture date of June 2005?
- That it looks and works perfectly as when he got it
- that he has never used the onboard speakers since he used it in a HT system
- that the bulb is the original one
- and that although he never apparently listened to this TV with the sound off... he never heard any kind of fan high pitched whine?

And... he will let me power the TV up and check it out before I pay cash and carry for it...

So.... how much should I pay for this TV plus stand.. or should I just pass on it? Current price is $600.

Nevermind..... now.

whats the best setting for the 42" A10..?

iris
picture
color
brightness
sharpness
etc...

whats the best setting for the 42" A10..?

iris
picture
color
brightness
sharpness
etc...

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

First post to the forum but have used it for research for a number of years now. Thanks to all for the valuable information that is posted here!

my question:
i've had my kdf-e42a10 since 9/7/05. love the tv but the past couple of weeks the picture has gotten very dark. i have been extremely careful with the lamp. i have a battery back-up on the tv so is has never been shut down without the fan cooling the lamp.
after a couple of hours of reading here, i've come to realize that the lamp is probably going, but i only have 3451 hours on it and of course no extended warranty! at the time, CC's warranty would not cover lamps so i pasted. i was wondering if anybody has had this problem or if there were any suggetions out there before i purchase a new lamp. has there been any problems with the original lamps included with these tv's?
my research has found that the sony xl-2400 bulb is a philips uhp 100w/120w 1.0 and according to philips, should last about 8000 hrs in eco mode and 6000 in high mode. the tv lamp runs @ 100w (per manual), so im assumming that this is the econo mode vs 120w. i also found that this lamp is the same one used in sony's e2000 series and while my manual does not state the life hrs, the e2000 does @ 8000.
i have opened a ticket with sony and am still waiting for a tech response so i figured id throw this question out here while i wait.

sorry to be so long winded...and i do appretiate any replies. thank you in advance!

pfontainejr,

I've got around the same amount of hours on my A10 and am not having any problems with the lamp. You might just be unlucky, but there's no guarantee that the lamp will last 6000-8000 hours. Sony doesn't cover lamp replacement unless it fails (pops) within a short period of time after owning it. You are kind of lucky that the lamp is getting darker rather than just burning out instantly. I hope mine does this so I can order a new one before it burns out.

You can argue with Sony that the lamp has a rating and maybe they will send you a new one. I kind of doubt they will but you never know. Good luck.

Nothing worth noting. The one thing I did notice was the quality of the component cables. The ones the cable company supplied me with were junk. The color was a bit off and the connectors were loose. If you go with component be sure to get some decent cables for better color fidelity and sharpness. And make sure the cables fit nice and tight.

great, thanks. Yeah, I have some good cables. I will mess with it tonight if I get a chance. I would like to set up a SD dvd/ upconverted dvd comparison as well.

If Monster cables made a noticeable change to the picture we'd know about it. But that just isn't the case. Save yourself the money and stick with the cables you have.

you don't necessarily need monster cables, just good quality cables, doesn't matter who makes em. Monster is overpriced, but you don't want to use the cheapo ones that usually come with a system

dark rain,

thanks for your reply. i know i may have no luck with sony, but i will be given it a very calm try.
i've had a brief conversation with 2 sony reps. i was told by one rep that they have no idea how long the lamp life is, then another told me the lamp would last only 2000-5000 hrs. the sales man @ CC quoted the 6000-8000 range which is on par with philips.
im just alittle aggravated with sonys responses so far and have asked to have a tech person call me back with the info i have given them.
like i said, i will attempt to work with sony calmly in order to find out if there are/is any issues with the oem lamp.

I have a spot, which appears to be dust or something, its just a darker spot about the size of your pinky fingernail that is on the inside of the screen or else somewhere in the optics. I am hoping that it is on the screen because I would assume that would be easier to clean.

Has anyone taken off the screen of their kdfe50a10 and cleaned the back of it and how hard was it. I am a pretty technical person but never really worked with TV's.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

How much are each lamp replacements there in US? So I have an idea how much it would cost here... thanks!

Sony Philippines so far dont know the price.

199.99 thru sony w/ free shipping

^^ OK thanks.

How much are each lamp replacements there in US? So I have an idea how much it would cost here... thanks!

Sony Philippines so far dont know the price.

Since I can't post an URL to eBay here. Go there and type in "Sony XL-2400"

Hi all, Thanks for the great thread and settings!

Quick question: Everytime I turn on my tv it asks what language I want and also asks if I want to autoscan channels. I use my stereo reciever as a switchbox so I only use one input on the tv. Is there any way for me to disable the menu coming up everytime I start my tv? Thanks a lot for your help!

I can't seem to get over the halos this tv has over white lettering on dark backrounds. What seems to be the cause of this? Can it be fixed or not?

Hi all, Thanks for the great thread and settings!

Quick question: Everytime I turn on my tv it asks what language I want and also asks if I want to autoscan channels. I use my stereo reciever as a switchbox so I only use one input on the tv. Is there any way for me to disable the menu coming up everytime I start my tv? Thanks a lot for your help!
I think the menu will come up every time until you run the autoscan.

I can't seem to get over the halos this tv has over white lettering on dark backrounds. What seems to be the cause of this? Can it be fixed or not?

Are they red or green in color or transparent? If they have a color to them then it's just misconvergence. One or two of the LCD panels is misaligned and unfortunately there is no fix for this. Sony considers this normal and only out of spec when you can see black between the white lettering and the halo. I've got some misconvergence on mine, but it's barely noticeable from 7 feet away.

If it's transparent or looks like ghosting it could be just the optics or edge enhancement. Reducing sharpness will reduce the EE, but if it's the optics then it might be time for a service call. I thnk the A10's have some sort of 'restoration' feature in the service menu, but I have no idea how to access it.

no, they have no color to them, perhaps it could just be EE, but I currently have my sharpness set to 30 for movies and 35 for the xbox 360, any sharper and the picture starts to look to soft.

Dark Rain,
are the settings you use on your set, set for a bright, medium or dark room?

teckademic,

You should probably set your sharpness setting to 15-20 to reduce the halos.

My settings are set for medium level room lighting. I added another lamp to the living room for better nighttime viewing. The contrast was also increased to 90 for most inputs, which does seem to help add more punch and detail.

I am sure this has been discussed but I searched and could not find it. My TV makes a popping noise every so often while I am watching. It sounds like electricity arching, maybe. Is this something that can be repaired or is it just the way it is. My 36 in Sony tube TV did the same thing. Mostly in the winter. Maybe due to low humidity???

Is there anyway to control how long the blue display banners appear on screen when turning on the TV? Mine stay on forever. I can clear them by hitting the Display button on the TV remote, but since I turn the TV on with my D* HD Tivo remote, this is a pain. Is there a setting somewhere in the service menu I can adjust? I've got an E50A10. Thanks.

I am sure this has been discussed but I searched and could not find it. My TV makes a popping noise every so often while I am watching. It sounds like electricity arching, maybe. Is this something that can be repaired or is it just the way it is. My 36 in Sony tube TV did the same thing. Mostly in the winter. Maybe due to low humidity???


Weird .. mine is doing this too only on channels above the 400s on my local cable system with their digital/hd box .. i assumed it was their hw.

Weird .. mine is doing this too only on channels above the 400s on my local cable system with their digital/hd box .. i assumed it was their hw.
I have the digital box and all the programs I watch are 700 and above. I guess it could be the digital dvr, I just assumed it was the TV. I would feel better if it was the box.

Hi everyone. Now i've read somewhere in here before that you can get the usage hours up on the screen to see the life of your bulb. But i can't find it anywhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Michael39

(step 1) Optionally, press [jump] three (3) times to get to the CONFIGURATION screen.

(step 2) Press [5] once (1) times to get to: GW_SPECIAL 34

>>> SENSOR_TEMP 00 0030

(step 3) Press [1] one (1) time to get to: PANEL_TIME 01 00001490

(step 4) Press [1] one (1) time to get to: LAMP_TIME 02 00001490


Here are the steps once you've entered the Service Menu...Use at your own risk!
The last two categories are what you are interested in....panel time in this case is 1490 hrs and lamp time is also 1490 hrs.

I keep seeing on here about a red push fix and how to fix it. What is red push exactly? and is it dangerous to mess around in your service menu?

Had a cable card installed tonight in my 50a10, the additional HD channels and this TV are awesome.

I keep seeing on here about a red push fix and how to fix it. What is red push exactly? and is it dangerous to mess around in your service menu?

Red push relates to the color decoder. Out of the box the A10 has about a +15% red error, meaning anything red in color is oversaturated. The fix can be found in the first post of the Grand Wega V Tweeks thread. The link is in my signature.

It's only dangerous if you don't write down anything you change. Follow the directions correctly and you should be fine.

Red push relates to the color decoder. Out of the box the A10 has about a +15% red error, meaning anything red in color is oversaturated. The fix can be found in the first post of the Grand Wega V Tweeks thread. The link is in my signature.

It's only dangerous if you don't write down anything you change. Follow the directions correctly and you should be fine.

thanks

i have a purple spot in top right hand corner think its burn in from playing pc games i have a 1 inch black outline all the way around screen when i play pc games i think that caused it is there any way to make the sides grey on pc setting if it was burn in why wouldnt it be every where the black outline is its just in the corner

I have the digital box and all the programs I watch are 700 and above. I guess it could be the digital dvr, I just assumed it was the TV. I would feel better if it was the box.


The reason I believe its the hw is because if I hear it, I immediately turn to a channel that doesnt do it (ie 1-399) wait a few seconds turn back and its gone.

No explanation at all.

The reason I believe its the hw is because if I hear it, I immediately turn to a channel that doesnt do it (ie 1-399) wait a few seconds turn back and its gone.

No explanation at all.
It only does it once or twice a night. Changing the channel would not be a help. I have been running a vaporizer in the room due to a congested chest cold. I have not heard the pop since the vaporizer has been on. That kind of makes me think of static electricity due to very dry air.

My newest settings for the 42" A10 are as follows. These were achieved using a simultaneous view of a 480p (substitutes for HD) and a SD DVD (THX).

SA3250HD (Happy medium for SD and HD programming)

Since SD is kinda dark, and HD is bright, I found a medium that suits both.

Custom

Iris - 3
Picture - 80
Brightness (Key Issue) - 65
Color - 45
Color Temp - Neutral
Sharpness - 50
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette - Clarity 100, Reality 1
NR - Low or Med

Adv Vid

Black Corrector - Low
Advanced Iris - Off
Gamma - Low
Clear White - Off
Live Color - Off

The reason I have Black corrector and Gamma on is because on a CNET review of the 50" model (which is exactly the same besides size), the reviewers (experts) said that Blk corrector on Low and Gamma on Low provides for the correct gamma curve of the picture.

Try it, hope it suits you!

hi -
using the vga from my pc and I'm getting a faint double image. I'm using powerstrip to get 1:1 mapping, which works great other than the doubling that I'm noticing.

I've tried auto-adjusting on the tv, changing the image shift on the tv, but nothing fixes it.

Can all the inputs be set for different settings including the red push? I have only gone to the HD input and did the red push. Does this default all inputs to this setting? What is the gray push and how does this effect the picture?

My newest settings for the 42" A10 are as follows. These were achieved using a simultaneous view of a 480p (substitutes for HD) and a SD DVD (THX).

SA3250HD (Happy medium for SD and HD programming)

Since SD is kinda dark, and HD is bright, I found a medium that suits both.

Custom

Iris - 3
Picture - 80
Brightness (Key Issue) - 65
Color - 45
Color Temp - Neutral
Sharpness - 50
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette - Clarity 100, Reality 1
NR - Low or Med

Adv Vid

Black Corrector - Low
Advanced Iris - Off
Gamma - Low
Clear White - Off
Live Color - Off

The reason I have Black corrector and Gamma on is because on a CNET review of the 50" model (which is exactly the same besides size), the reviewers (experts) said that Blk corrector on Low and Gamma on Low provides for the correct gamma curve of the picture.

Try it, hope it suits you!


Cool, thanks. I tried these settings with my DirecTV HD-DVR, the old one, and my picture looks very nice.

What do you set your DVD input to?

And would this be good for HD-DVD out of an Xbox-360 drive?

hi -
using the vga from my pc and I'm getting a faint double image. I'm using powerstrip to get 1:1 mapping, which works great other than the doubling that I'm noticing.

I've tried auto-adjusting on the tv, changing the image shift on the tv, but nothing fixes it.

Not sure if it'll be your problem, but any time in the past I've seen "ghosting" or double images, it's been a cable issue. Perhaps try another VGA cable if you have one, maybe one with the ferrite gizzies on each end!!

Does this tv only operate at 720p or can it display at 1080i also? The reason im asking is because these monitors look good for the price but I think direct tv displays at 1080i for its HD.

Cool, thanks. I tried these settings with my DirecTV HD-DVR, the old one, and my picture looks very nice.

What do you set your DVD input to?

And would this be good for HD-DVD out of an Xbox-360 drive?

My DVD is hooked up w/component with a resolution of 480p. I also tried it w/ 480i to make sure it looks good both ways {SD (480i), ED (480p), HD (best substitute is 480p)}. It will work with HD-DVD out of an X-Box 360, but I would change the brightness to about 54 with Gamma Correction off.

Does this tv only operate at 720p or can it display at 1080i also? The reason im asking is because these monitors look good for the price but I think direct tv displays at 1080i for its HD.
Only 720p. 1080i when scaled to 720p looks really good on this TV. But it's best to let the TV scale it rather than the cable or satellite box. Use 1080i output or pass through.

If you want 1080i native you will need to get a CRT-based HDTV.

Only 720p. 1080i when scaled to 720p looks really good on this TV. But it's best to let the TV scale it rather than the cable or satellite box. Use 1080i output or pass through.

If you want 1080i native you will need to get a CRT-based HDTV.
How much worse is it than a set that actually does 1080i?

1080i and 720p are pretty close in screen resolution. You probably won't see a huge difference. For the most detailed picture, a 1080p HDTV is the way to go unless you want to save some money. The A10 is a great HDTV, but it does lack a bit in the shadow detail department. Sony's SXRD HDTV line does much better, and they are 1080p.

Some people still prefer the look of CRTs, but they aren't as sharp as microdisplays and only do 1080i. But, they are CHEAP and offer excellent black level and shadow detail.

Only 720p. 1080i when scaled to 720p looks really good on this TV. But it's best to let the TV scale it rather than the cable or satellite box. Use 1080i output or pass through.

If you want 1080i native you will need to get a CRT-based HDTV.

interesting, I have my direcTV box outputing 720p. So, better to go in at 1080i and let the TV do the scaling?

interesting, I have my direcTV box outputing 720p. So, better to go in at 1080i and let the TV do the scaling?
Wait. So you can make the actual box output different resolutions?

Oh and does anyone have a pic of this set upscaling 480i to 720p?

'lo all,

Read a dozen or so pages of this thread - it's a monster!

I need some help deciding on this set. I'm looking at a 42" A10 vs an LG 37LC2d - 37" flat panel. Prices are near identical, about $100 from each other.

In the store today, I had them place the sets side by side, and honestly didn't see enough to make the choice. Initially the Sony looked a little more vibrant - almost overdriven. Changing the settings to the factory setting 'standard' fixed that.

Some details...seating is about 10' from the wall - so 8 1/2' from the A10, or the full 10' from the LCD panel. The room is not that bright. This will be the 'everyday driver' set. Used for all kinds of watching - video games, movies, sports. The kitchen sink. There will be a fair amount of SD content, but it looks like this set handle that ok.

Saw one mention of lamp life, (around msg 9072) that the bulb life might be as low as 2000h??? That's not much more than a year, and at $200 per, that changes the price point pretty quickly. Is this a normal lifespan for the bulb?

Tx all

Saw one mention of lamp life, (around msg 9072) that the bulb life might be as low as 2000h??? That's not much more than a year, and at $200 per, that changes the price point pretty quickly. Is this a normal lifespan for the bulb?

The bulb is rated for 6000-8000 hours. I've already got over 3000 on mine and I've had the set for 28 months. I would guess 2-3 years (depending on usage) for most people.

10' from a 37" screen isn't very good. You will be missing a lot of the detail in HD content. It's just too small from that distance and you will wish you had gone with the 42A10. Unless you can rearrange the seating area your best bet is the A10.

interesting, I have my direcTV box outputing 720p. So, better to go in at 1080i and let the TV do the scaling?

If the box can de-interlace a 1080i signal better than the A10 then 720p is okay. Most cable and satellite boxes don't do this very well, so let your eyes be the judge. They can scale just fine, but when it comes to de-interlacing they often suck at it.

I should have my PS3 sometime this week for my 50A10, anyone here running a PS3 on one, and if so, how does it look? I'm also curious how BluRay looks on it due to the PS3 NOT outputting a 720p signal and instead a 1080i.

This may have been answered already. If so please forgive my ignorance. I have an Xbox 360 hooked up to my KDF-E50A10's VGA Port. When I set the res to be 1280 X 768 I get a black border around the image. It does not fill the entire screen. Any ideas on correcting this?

This is probably a dumb Question. I have the KDF-e50A10 and am currently using 2 DVD players. I have the Panny RP-82 hooked up via Component input 4 on TV also I have the Oppo 970HD currently hooked up Component also using Input 5. Since the 50A10's native resolution is 720P would it make any difference utilizing the HDMI capability of the Oppo 970 ? Is it not true that all signals will be scaled to 720p on the 50A10 ? I've noticed that playing DVD's on the Panny Rp-82 which plays 480p thru component using the Standard setting in Grand Wega Gate look extremely good and are scaled to full aspect on the 50A10.
What would you suggest I do to maximize the full DVD capabilities of both the Oppo 970 and Panny 82. I have played the Oppo thru HDMI Input 6 and wasn't overly impressed. Will any High Def DVD player such as the Oppo 981 HD or Toshiba HD -A1 show any significant difference with their High Def discs on the 50a10 ? Do you need a HDTV with 1080p native resolution to fully enjoy the HD or Blu-Ray Discs ? Really, how good is the upscaling Oppo 970HD in comparison to the Oppo 981HD anyway with this 50A10 TV ?

This may have been answered already. If so please forgive my ignorance. I have an Xbox 360 hooked up to my KDF-E50A10's VGA Port. When I set the res to be 1280 X 768 I get a black border around the image. It does not fill the entire screen. Any ideas on correcting this?

The A10's native resolution is 1280x720. (720p) Switch your resolution settings in the 360's display setup menu. You will still need to the use the zoom aspect function to attain widescreen(16:9) format. Interestingly enough, when using VGA input you loose a considerable portion of the picture settings in A10's settings menu. You can adjust only Iris, Picture, brightness, and color temp. !! It sounds too simplistic. There are also other settings like phase and pitch that can both be adjusted A LOT. I'm not sure how to tweak those settings?

The bulb is rated for 6000-8000 hours. I've already got over 3000 on mine and I've had the set for 28 months. I would guess 2-3 years (depending on usage) for most people.

10' from a 37" screen isn't very good. You will be missing a lot of the detail in HD content. It's just too small from that distance and you will wish you had gone with the 42A10. Unless you can rearrange the seating area your best bet is the A10.

Ok - thanks. I couldn't see 2000h being the norm.

The seating could easily be re-arranged - I was trying to maximize it. I thought 10' might be a little close for 42".

Tough choice between these sets - there doesn't seem to be much between them, including price. Looks like the A10 doesn't handle PC input quite as well, but I don't intend to do much of that anyways. Sony has a longer warrantee.
I guess I'm just going to have to make a choice.

I should have my PS3 sometime this week for my 50A10, anyone here running a PS3 on one, and if so, how does it look? I'm also curious how BluRay looks on it due to the PS3 NOT outputting a 720p signal and instead a 1080i.

I have the 42A10 and a PS3. My PS3 outputs 1080i using the HDMI connection. Both the games and the Blu-ray movies look really good. I also have the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player. It looks great also. I see little if any difference between the PS3 Blu-ray and the HD-DVD.

Hey Benee..

i am not sure what your purple spot would be, but you can get rid of the black border you have if you use mrpibbs step by step solution. you have to download a program called powerstrip which lets you create custom resolutions.

here is a link to his instructions.. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=670840

I have the 42A10 and a PS3. My PS3 outputs 1080i using the HDMI connection. Both the games and the Blu-ray movies look really good. I also have the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player. It looks great also. I see little if any difference between the PS3 Blu-ray and the HD-DVD.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear. :D

Do you have HD Cable or Satellite? I'm curious how much better/worse/same it looks?

My newest settings for the 42" A10 are as follows. These were achieved using a simultaneous view of a 480p (substitutes for HD) and a SD DVD (THX).

SA3250HD (Happy medium for SD and HD programming)

Since SD is kinda dark, and HD is bright, I found a medium that suits both.

Custom

Iris - 3
Picture - 80
Brightness (Key Issue) - 65
Color - 45
Color Temp - Neutral
Sharpness - 50
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette - Clarity 100, Reality 1
NR - Low or Med

Adv Vid

Black Corrector - Low
Advanced Iris - Off
Gamma - Low
Clear White - Off
Live Color - Off

The reason I have Black corrector and Gamma on is because on a CNET review of the 50" model (which is exactly the same besides size), the reviewers (experts) said that Blk corrector on Low and Gamma on Low provides for the correct gamma curve of the picture.

Try it, hope it suits you!


What about the Hue setting? The picture seems pretty bright to me. I have the 42" model.

Would Someone PLEASE address my situation as posted in #9112. I'm fairly certain someone here has had similar issues.

Appreciate the input.

Larry

Would Someone PLEASE address my situation as posted in #9112. I'm fairly certain someone here has had similar issues.

Appreciate the input.

Larry
You might want to ask those questions in the DVD forum. There are topics on both of the Oppo DVD players.

My advice would be to run the Oppo 970 through the HDMI port and set the player for 720p output. That player was designed to upconvert and de-interlace a 480i signal. You shouldn't let the TV do it.

You don't need a 1080p TV to get good PQ from HD-DVDs, but it is ideal for maximum resolution and detail.

Thanks for the input Dark Rain, I'll give it a try.

What about the Hue setting? The picture seems pretty bright to me. I have the 42" model.

My viewing conditions may be different from yours. My TV is placed in a corner adjacent to a sliding window (like the standard in most living rooms), and there's a lot of sun which drowns the picture brightness. During the night hours I have an indirect light almost in front of the TV (about 15'-20' away). So the conditions are usually pretty bright. If you are in a dark room, I'd lower the brightness no less than 54.

Remember, I have a SD/HD Set-Top Box (SA3250HD) with Component Wires, so SD is darker than HD, so this is sort of a happy medium between the two. SD is bright enough, and HD isn't TOO bright.

I've revised them JUST A BIT!

CUSTOM

Iris - 3
Picture - 85 (80 is also good)
Brightness - 64
Color - 45
Hue - 0
Color Temp - Neutral or Warm 1 (Whichever you prefer, I have Neutral)
Sharpness - 50
Noise Reduction - Depends on source, but NEVER put it on High!
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette - Again, depends on source, but Reality should never be over 50.

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector - Low (See below)
Advanced Iris - Off
Gamma - Low (See below)
Clear White - Off
Live Color - Off

Ok, I have Black Corrector and Gamma both on Low because on a CNET review of this guy's big brother (50"), it says that having them on those settings provides for a 2.2 gamma level, which is the optimum setting you need to achieve to have a good picture.

My viewing conditions may be different from yours. My TV is placed in a corner adjacent to a sliding window (like the standard in most living rooms), and there's a lot of sun which drowns the picture brightness. During the night hours I have an indirect light almost in front of the TV (about 15'-20' away). So the conditions are usually pretty bright. If you are in a dark room, I'd lower the brightness no less than 54.

Remember, I have a SD/HD Set-Top Box (SA3250HD) with Component Wires, so SD is darker than HD, so this is sort of a happy medium between the two. SD is bright enough, and HD isn't TOO bright.

I've revised them JUST A BIT!

CUSTOM

Iris - 3
Picture - 85 (80 is also good)
Brightness - 64
Color - 45
Hue - 0
Color Temp - Neutral or Warm 1 (Whichever you prefer, I have Neutral)
Sharpness - 50
Noise Reduction - Depends on source, but NEVER put it on High!
DRC Mode - High Density
DRC Palette - Again, depends on source, but Reality should never be over 50.

ADVANCED VIDEO

Black Corrector - Low (See below)
Advanced Iris - Off
Gamma - Low (See below)
Clear White - Off
Live Color - Off

Ok, I have Black Corrector and Gamma both on Low because on a CNET review of this guy's big brother (50"), it says that having them on those settings provides for a 2.2 gamma level, which is the optimum setting you need to achieve to have a good picture.

Probably the best settings you can have with black corrector on. I'd turn the sharpness down to 20 and the color around 42 though.

i have a sony 50" A10 and directv hd receiver....one option is to have "native" resolution on. Should i choose the native resolution of the program as my default or should i always have a program viewd in 1080i? which is a better choice for viewing? thanks in advance

i have a sony 50" A10 and directv hd receiver....one option is to have "native" resolution on. Should i choose the native resolution of the program as my default or should i always have a program viewd in 1080i? which is a better choice for viewing? thanks in advance

1080i looks better because you are letting the A10 scale and de-interlace the signal. 720p broadcasts (ABC, FOX, ESPN) don't seem affected by scaling up and then back down again.

I've owned a 50" A10 since November 2005 (manufactured in November 2005) with a cablecard (Scientific Atlanta) installed since December 2005.

At times, the cablecard loses its memory. This seems to happen only with digital channels. Most recently, ESPN HD has been especially flaky. Four or so times within an hour, the picture completely disappears and I am left with a "No Signal" message on the screen. Within about 10-15 seconds, the picture is restored. Performing a cablecard reset resolves the problem for a few days, but then it reappears.

Comcast has made 4 service visits trying to correct the situation. They have not nor will they replace the cablecard. They have verified a good signal to the TV at each visit. Sony's suggestion is to contact the cablecard manufacturer. There is nothing on their website about this particular problem.

I don't want to go to the STB. Any suggestions appreciated.

That's exactly what I wanted to hear. :D

Do you have HD Cable or Satellite? I'm curious how much better/worse/same it looks?
I have Cox cable and the PS3 and the Toshiba A2 both look better than HBO/Showtime, NBC,CBS and so on. But nothing looks as good as Discovery, PBS and those that use that technology.

I heard HDMI gives you a sharper image, but component gives you better contrast on a LCD what do you guys think will look better?

I've owned a 50" A10 since November 2005 (manufactured in November 2005) with a cablecard (Scientific Atlanta) installed since December 2005.

At times, the cablecard loses its memory. This seems to happen only with digital channels. Most recently, ESPN HD has been especially flaky. Four or so times within an hour, the picture completely disappears and I am left with a "No Signal" message on the screen. Within about 10-15 seconds, the picture is restored. Performing a cablecard reset resolves the problem for a few days, but then it reappears.

Comcast has made 4 service visits trying to correct the situation. They have not nor will they replace the cablecard. They have verified a good signal to the TV at each visit. Sony's suggestion is to contact the cablecard manufacturer. There is nothing on their website about this particular problem.

I don't want to go to the STB. Any suggestions appreciated.

I'm having a simular cable card problem. At night non-HD channels freeze up and loose signal, I switch over to my sony HDD-250 DVR (non-digital signal, non-cable card) and problem goes away. I also do not want a STB.

When buying a new TV for my parents I noticed most new sets do not have CC slots. CC my soon be a thing of the past.

How do you do a cable card reset?

I see the lamps for the A10 42" are available from a couple places at least for $199, including from sony. Is that the going rate or are there better prices out there I haven't found yet? thx .

I see the lamps for the A10 42" are available from a couple places at least for $199, including from sony. Is that the going rate or are there better prices out there I haven't found yet? thx .


i just had to replace mine in december after only 3451 hrs on it :mad: . after much research i opted to go with sony due to the fact that overall prices were about the same and if there should be a problem in the first 90 days, sony will replace it.
also, not sure if its still offered but @ the time you could apply for the sony card and get a $150 credit towards your first purchase. now a $50 bulb is more like it!

I'm having a simular cable card problem. At night non-HD channels freeze up and loose signal, I switch over to my sony HDD-250 DVR (non-digital signal, non-cable card) and problem goes away. I also do not want a STB.

When buying a new TV for my parents I noticed most new sets do not have CC slots. CC my soon be a thing of the past.

How do you do a cable card reset?

There is a diagnostics option in the WEGAGATE menu which allows you to view signal levels and to reset the cablecard.

did anybody ever fix the flickering issue? i noticed my 42a10 started doing this a few days ago. i tried plugging the tv right to the wall, but it still happens. its pretty annoying when trying to play madden or tiger woods because of the green grass makes the flicker more noticeable.

did anybody ever fix the flickering issue? i noticed my 42a10 started doing this a few days ago. i tried plugging the tv right to the wall, but it still happens. its pretty annoying when trying to play madden or tiger woods because of the green grass makes the flicker more noticeable.


I've been having the same problem lately. Could this be the light bulb going out?

I tried to order a replacement lamp at Sonysyle.com. Guess they are on backorder.
Seems like many people are ordering before their lamp takes a dive. Hope it comes in before my TV blacks out.

I like my set so far, but wish I had paid what they can be had for now.

Brad

i just had to replace mine in december after only 3451 hrs on it :mad: .

Pre, how did you know you needed a new bulb? What were the symptoms?

Larry

Pre, how did you know you needed a new bulb? What were the symptoms?

Larry

the picture got gradually darker to the point that is was unwatchable.

thx.. sounds like buying it from sonystyle is as good as any, unless I can find one locally for the same money. I don't have any signs of it dying yet, but want to be ready. It'll probably wait to go during the pre-game of the superbowl and I'll miss the next viewing of janet jackson's ya-ya's...

nothing on the flickering issue?

A risk in pre-buying a spare is that the spare may be DOA when you finally use it and the warranty, which starts at purchase, may have expired.

I mentioned a few months ago that Sony needed to replace the "Q" Box for the CableCARD problem I was having (card not being recognized by the TV).

While the set was open, I mentioned to the tech that I 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 (one for the "Q" Box and the exhaust fan 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 answer to that question is YES!!! There is a third fan (in addition to the two mentioned above) located on top of the bulb housing. This is the fan that made the noise (also mentioned above) that cools the bulb and runs for a couple minutes after the set shuts off. The fan that is visible at the back of the set is the exhaust fan that helps remove the hot air.

I had originally called in mid-November (right before my one-year warranty expired) to complain about it again. I was finally told by Sony that yes, there was a third fan. So I again asked to have it replaced. The tech called me yesterday to let me know the fan finally arrived after being backordered. After replacing the fan and turning the set on I could not believe my ears. Silence. I had to ask the tech if it was working! Now quiet passages in movies are just that, quiet. Whisper quiet.

So all of you that think you have fan noise... You do!!! Call and get it replaced. You'll be happy you did. You're welcome.

I've owned a 50" A10 since November 2005 (manufactured in November 2005) with a cablecard (Scientific Atlanta) installed since December 2005.

At times, the cablecard loses its memory. This seems to happen only with digital channels. Most recently, ESPN HD has been especially flaky. Four or so times within an hour, the picture completely disappears and I am left with a "No Signal" message on the screen. Within about 10-15 seconds, the picture is restored. Performing a cablecard reset resolves the problem for a few days, but then it reappears.

Comcast has made 4 service visits trying to correct the situation. They have not nor will they replace the cablecard. They have verified a good signal to the TV at each visit. Sony's suggestion is to contact the cablecard manufacturer. There is nothing on their website about this particular problem.

I don't want to go to the STB. Any suggestions appreciated.Read the below posts from a year ago. It may be your problem. I had other issues with cablecard (see my above post). Would've tried to have the same thing done with my TV but didn't have cablecard long enough. Good luck.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6931027&&#post6931027
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6931584&&#post6931584

Just picked up a 50A10 w/stand at my local Sam's club on clearance. Very attractive price... (Sonystyle has refurbished ones without stand at basically the same pricepoint ;) )

So welcome me to the owner's club :)

i need some suggestions on connections......

currently have:
HD cable box (scientific atlanta explorer 8300HD) connected to the A10 via HDMI cable.
DVD player connected via s-video through onkyo receiver.

it's time to upgrade to a new DVD player (plan on an upconverting unit....onkyo 404 or oppo 970). the question is about the best way to connect each unit since we only have the one HDMI input. i know a two port HDMI switch is a possibility, but i wouldn't bother if it is not going to be worth it.

if i connect the DVD player via component cable, as i understand it, it pretty much voids the "upconvert" abilities of the player.
if i connect the HD cable box via component cable, i assume i will loose some HD quality.

of course i may be wrong here and there, and that's why i'm asking this here.

what are my best options for connecting these two units?

So welcome me to the owner's club :)
Welcome, hiperco, be sure to check out the tweeks thread for the A10...lots of good info for settings to get a great picture!

what are my best options for connecting these two units?
Use HDMI for your upconverting DVD player and component for your cable box. You won't lose any significant quality using component for the cable box...I can't tell the difference and there is no lag when switching channels using the component cables. Buy your cables from monoprice.com (they have a banner at the top of the forum pages).

Mel

thanks! that's what i needed to know. i kinda figured that's how i needed to do it, but i wanted to make sure that i really won't need the HDMI switch box to make everything work properly.

Let me know how you like the Oppo with the A10. I have the Sony upconverting DVD player, but have always wondered if the Oppo would look any better. Since the Sony was half the price, I went with it.

well i actually went ahead and picked up the Onkyo DV-SP404 about an hour ago. i'm a fan of onkyo in general, plus i had a gift card to CC, it was on sale for $130, and i had a $15 off coupon. i ended up paying very little for it. i'm going to play around with it tonight and probably post my opinions here and in the dvd section. if i'm not happy with it, i'll just return it, spend the gift card on something else and get the Oppo.



edit: got it hooked up. takes forever to add anything or take anything out because our TV stand weights about 300 lbs. and there really isn't much room to work with back there after pulling it forward.
haven't had the chance to make any adjustments yet, but set at the default 480p resolution, the two seconds of Cars that i watched looked great. i need to do some tinkering with the receiver/dvd player because it's not picking up the digital audio sound.
right now, i have the dvd player running straight to the TV via HDMI and the coaxial audio running to the receiver. the HD cable box is run to the receiver via s-video b/c i don't have a component cable yet (currently ordering one from monoprice), and audio from the box to the receiver via optical cable.

do i need to somehow divert the digital audio from the HDMI cable to the coaxial cable so that the receiver picks it up as a digital signal? it picks up the audio, just in Pro Logic (and it is set to pick up the coax signal).

Read the below posts from a year ago. It may be your problem. I had other issues with cablecard (see my above post). Would've tried to have the same thing done with my TV but didn't have cablecard long enough. Good luck.


Thanks. According to Sony, my set is not affected by the issues reported in those threads. Now I have noticed other HD channels dropping out, so it is not solely an ESPN HD problem. This is absurd. I am not one to give up easily, but I think I have reached my breaking point. I see a set top box in my future. Oh, the horror of it all...

The answer to that question is YES!!! There is a third fan (in addition to the two mentioned above) located on top of the bulb housing. This is the fan that made the noise (also mentioned above) that cools the bulb and runs for a couple minutes after the set shuts off. The fan that is visible at the back of the set is the exhaust fan that helps remove the hot air.

I had originally called in mid-November (right before my one-year warranty expired) to complain about it again. I was finally told by Sony that yes, there was a third fan. So I again asked to have it replaced. The tech called me yesterday to let me know the fan finally arrived after being backordered. After replacing the fan and turning the set on I could not believe my ears. Silence. I had to ask the tech if it was working! Now quiet passages in movies are just that, quiet. Whisper quiet.

So all of you that think you have fan noise... You do!!! Call and get it replaced. You'll be happy you did. You're welcome.

Good to know.Thought I was hearing things but guess not alone in thinking the fan noise has gotten worse.Ya know its bad when the wife asks what that loud fan noise is.Gonna call Sony about it for sure.

I understand the digital output is only for the digital tuner stations. Does this mean both over the air ATSC and cable QAM?

Does it also output on non-DD5.1 programs?
What about standard def digital cable channels?

Thanks in advance.

I understand the digital output is only for the digital tuner stations. Does this mean both over the air ATSC and cable QAM?

Does it also output on non-DD5.1 programs?
What about standard def digital cable channels?

Thanks in advance.

Yes. It does both DD 5.1 and 2.0. For my AVR I have it set to auto-detect digital/analog audio signals.

Hey guys.

I'm wondering about a couple things with the RBG input on the t.v.

I hooked up the 360 via VGA so I can upconvert my dvds and see what they look like. Why are my dvd's playing in a 4.3 ratio? And why is it that when I hit the display button on my t.v remote it won't tell my what rosolution I am running in. I have no way to see if it is upconverting and it looks NO better than 480P so I don't think it is working.

Anything I should be doing that I'm not?

Here is how I tell people to get the VGA with 360 on this TV looking correct. Plug the VGA cable into the TV. In the 360 settings choose 1280x720 as the resolution. Then on the TV "ZOOM". Then go into the TV menu (WegaGate) settings and "Auto Adjust". It will then look right. Also when you go into the TV settings it will show you the resolutioon feeding into the TV.

.[/QUOTE]Here is how I tell people to get the VGA with 360 on this TV looking correct. Plug the VGA cable into the TV. In the 360 settings choose 1280x720 as the resolution. Then on the TV "ZOOM". Then go into the TV menu (WegaGate) settings and "Auto Adjust". It will then look right. Also when you go into the TV settings it will show you the resolutioon feeding into the TV.

That I did and it looks fine. BUT the dvd's look horrible. They are playing in 4.3 and definitely not upconverting to 720P. Why is that?

That I did and it looks fine. BUT the dvd's look horrible. They are playing in 4.3 and definitely not upconverting to 720P. Why is that?


New owner here :cool:

I have no experience with the Xbox into VGA, but I can tell you that I have already determined that the picture quality on the VGA input (using my HTPC) leaves a lot to be desired (even with 1:1 pixel mapping). The colors and contrast are very washed out.

I bought the 360 vga a couple of weeks ago, I need more testing and tweeking, but I went straight back to component after the lack of options to mess with the picture settings and I didn't have time to tweek. I don't recall seeing the "auto adjust" on my a50.

I kept the cable to play with it, but with my fist impression it sucked. I'd really love to box up my upconverting dvd player though...

Yes. It does both DD 5.1 and 2.0. For my AVR I have it set to auto-detect digital/analog audio signals.


IOW, I do not need both an optical connection and a pair of standard RCA audio cables from the TV to my receiver. Correct? I'd play around more with this, but I do not have enuf cables presently available and am getting together a shopping list for a bunch of them from monoprice.

Thanks,
Mike

IOW, I do not need both an optical connection and a pair of standard RCA audio cables from the TV to my receiver. Correct? I'd play around more with this, but I do not have enuf cables presently available and am getting together a shopping list for a bunch of them from monoprice.

Thanks,
Mike

In my case I needed both, the digital cable only works when it's broadcast in DD5.1. For stereo I needed the red/white cables.

I only need the red+white audio cables for analog cable channels, and I use the A10's internal NTSC tuner over the cable box tuner because it I find that it delivers a sharper picture.

For anything viewed on the A10's ATSC digital tuner, all you need is the optical cable to get audio. But I think you need an AVR capable of auto switching digital/analog for it to work properly. I receive both DD 5.1 and DD 2.0 over the optical audio output.

I did have to experiment a bit, so YMMV.

That I did and it looks fine. BUT the dvd's look horrible. They are playing in 4.3 and definitely not upconverting to 720P. Why is that?

Could be possible that the DVDs aren't anamorphic. Also if the settings menu says its 1280x720 then it is upconverting even if it doesn't look as good as you think it should. Its not going to look HD. Most people don't like the VGA from the 360 but it looks just as good if not better than component to me. I calibrated it the best I could with the limited options with DVE and I haven't noticed it being washed out. But I don't have an extremely sensitive video eye.

anyone have the Dish network Vip622 HD receiver with their A10?? Parents are switching to dish and since I still live at home for the time being, I'm wondering if this is going to be a welcome change or not...

anyone have the Dish network Vip622 HD receiver with their A10?? Parents are switching to dish and since I still live at home for the time being, I'm wondering if this is going to be a welcome change or not...

I have that DVR with the 42 inch version of the set. It looks great with SD and HD. I used an HDMI cable between the satellite box and TV since I am using the TV's sound.

// Scott A

I have that DVR with the 42 inch version of the set. It looks great with SD and HD. I used an HDMI cable between the satellite box and TV since I am using the TV's sound.

// Scott A

Got home and apparently we can't get a signal unless they put the dish on a pole in the middle of the yard, so no go.

Now I'm left with Time Warner's HD offerings as we're already paying for digital cable - just need to find out the actual monthly costs of getting a HD-DVR...

Today I decided to switch my cables to my A10/DTV HD tuner from HDMI to component due to wanting to use HDMI for PS3.Big mistake,the picture quality really suffered.HD channels had lots of visible pixalation when frames change.SD also suffered.Changed back to using HDMI for now untill pick up a switcher.

Really bummed that after 1 year this TV is already kinda outdated at least for me.Guess its time to look for a 1080P TV with at least 2 HDMI inputs if not 3.

i am pretty inexperienced with hdtv, and am looking to replace my old 36"crt with a 50" A10. Taking into consideration its release date and newer models, is there any other 50" around $1.2K i should be looking at, which is what a refurb model costs on the sony website outlet section.

lastplace & Dark Rain,

I watch just about everything without a STB & get the clear QAM local HD channels right from the TV's tuner. But of course just about everything else is analog, so I guess I'll need to run 2 sets of cables to my AVR. It does have auto switching, but I don't know if it just switches between different formats supplied via the optical input, or if it will actually switch to the physical analog input if no DD5.1 is detected.

I'll guess I'll have to experiment & change some wiring around before I order more cables.

Thanks,
Mike

my lamp time is currently 3222 hours and I'm only had the set about 7-8 months. Yes we watch alot of tv or at least the thing is on alot. Set still looks nice, colors are still vibrant.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/653/dsc03053lf5.jpg

Today I decided to switch my cables to my A10/DTV HD tuner from HDMI to component due to wanting to use HDMI for PS3.Big mistake,the picture quality really suffered.HD channels had lots of visible pixalation when frames change.SD also suffered.Changed back to using HDMI for now untill pick up a switcher.

Really bummed that after 1 year this TV is already kinda outdated at least for me.Guess its time to look for a 1080P TV with at least 2 HDMI inputs if not 3.

Welcome to the world of electronics, buy it , take it home, watch it a month and it's outdated :eek: :D

Monoprice has a good price on HDMI switchers

i am pretty inexperienced with hdtv, and am looking to replace my old 36"crt with a 50" A10. Taking into consideration its release date and newer models, is there any other 50" around $1.2K i should be looking at, which is what a refurb model costs on the sony website outlet section.

the 50e2000 is around 1.5, nice set

Today I decided to switch my cables to my A10/DTV HD tuner from HDMI to component due to wanting to use HDMI for PS3.Big mistake,the picture quality really suffered.HD channels had lots of visible pixalation when frames change.SD also suffered.Changed back to using HDMI for now untill pick up a switcher.

Really bummed that after 1 year this TV is already kinda outdated at least for me.Guess its time to look for a 1080P TV with at least 2 HDMI inputs if not 3.

I'll first say that I'm by no means an expert.

I'd blame the quality of your set top box's component output then, because HD channels look great on my tv that's just hooked up via coaxial (time warner sends HD channels at no extra cost to digital cable subs - and I don't have/use/need a set top box because I use the tv's ATSC tuner).

I'm just a bit hesitant to say that HD through component is outdated. Psh. It's just not "ultra top of the line."

Why did you get a PS3? (just curious)

My 1-year old A10 has yellow line about a half-inch in size that is running across the entire bottom of the TV.

I have an extended warranty so it will be covered. Without seeing the TV they have already ordered a part. I think its the color disc.

Anyone have similar issue and resolution.

Thanks. According to Sony, my set is not affected by the issues reported in those threads. Now I have noticed other HD channels dropping out, so it is not solely an ESPN HD problem. This is absurd. I am not one to give up easily, but I think I have reached my breaking point. I see a set top box in my future. Oh, the horror of it all...I was told by a Sony tech when I asked about the problem back then, that it was more a fault with the bulb putting out certain RF that erased the memory on the card, more than the heat issue. He said Sony was installing a redesigned bulb in newer sets (mentioned in the referenced posts) that fixed the problem. Like you mentioned, you won't know you have the problem unless you have CableCard installed. I would send the member in the referenced posts a PM and ask him for more info. According to him "First contact I had with Sony was with an engineer who was very straightforward that it was a known problem and had a known fix." Push Sony to take care of it. That's what I had to do with my fan noise issue before they finally fixed it. Good luck...

I'll first say that I'm by no means an expert.

I'd blame the quality of your set top box's component output then, because HD channels look great on my tv that's just hooked up via coaxial (time warner sends HD channels at no extra cost to digital cable subs - and I don't have/use/need a set top box because I use the tv's ATSC tuner).

I'm just a bit hesitant to say that HD through component is outdated. Psh. It's just not "ultra top of the line."

Why did you get a PS3? (just curious)

Was in the market for a new DVD player & wanted either a upscalling one or Blue Ray.Well decided to get a PS3 since its a great Blue Ray Player & game console.

I have ordered a HDMI switcher from Monoprice cause thats the cheapest solution right now.Also very pleased with the PQ from the PS3,amazing compared to a old progressive scan DVD player.

I was told by a Sony tech when I asked about the problem back then, that it was more a fault with the bulb putting out certain RF that erased the memory on the card, more than the heat issue. He said Sony was installing a redesigned bulb in newer sets (mentioned in the referenced posts) that fixed the problem. Like you mentioned, you won't know you have the problem unless you have CableCard installed. I would send the member in the referenced posts a PM and ask him for more info. According to him "First contact I had with Sony was with an engineer who was very straightforward that it was a known problem and had a known fix." Push Sony to take care of it. That's what I had to do with my fan noise issue before they finally fixed it. Good luck...

Great information. Thanks. What's weird about this problem is that in every case when I lose the signal, it returns within 5-10 seconds. Now I have even witnessed at least one instance of this happening with an OTA broadcast. So that would imply something other than the cablecard is the problem. I'm stumped.

My 42 is off to the Sony repair man for a light engine replacement for a green blotch on th lower left part of the screen. 10.5 months old, covered. Blotch has been there for a few months, but was pretty inconspicuous. I figured with warranty out end of Feb. get it fixed. Looking at big white windows on a computer, it almost seemed the screen had general green blotchiness, also.

What I'd like to know is, will all my settings be intact when it comes back, or will I have to reread a ton of posts and remember how to do all this over again?? Can someone who's had a light engine replaced, along with whatever else gets replaced in the process, comment.

My 1-year old A10 has yellow line about a half-inch in size that is running across the entire bottom of the TV. ... I think its the color disc.
??? Color disc?

Well after 4 phone calls to Sony customer service about my A10's cooling fan being very noisy I am getting a Refurb. replacement.No authorized service center is close enough to me to come look at tv.This really is not what I want.I bought a new tv & think my replacement should be new,not someone elses problem tv thats been fixed & boxed up.Seems like I am letting Sony off the hook way to easy.Should I call them back & request a new tv or just a refund?

still have the flicker issue, and it's been going on for more than 2 weeks. I called a local authorized tech guy and he told me (without actually seeing the issue, so he's hypothesizing) that it's either a ballast problem or the lamp's dying out. my lamp light is not lit or blinking. i checked my lamp time and it says 3711 hours, which seems to be alot based on what others have mentioned. has anyone else had an issue similar to this? i just want to know if it'll fix the issue before i pull the trigger on ordering the lamp.

thanks in advance

still have the flicker issue, and it's been going on for more than 2 weeks. I called a local authorized tech guy and he told me (without actually seeing the issue, so he's hypothesizing) that it's either a ballast problem or the lamp's dying out. my lamp light is not lit or blinking. i checked my lamp time and it says 3711 hours, which seems to be alot based on what others have mentioned. has anyone else had an issue similar to this? i just want to know if it'll fix the issue before i pull the trigger on ordering the lamp.

thanks in advance

jaberocs, before you replace the lamp, have you tried playing with the manual and advanced iris settings of the TV. I know it started doing it out of the blue, but if the iris circuitry is defective, making adjustments may affect the condition, ruling out the lamp as an issue. If you go ahead with the lamp, either make sure the service company will take it back if it does not correct the problem or give you a deal (i.e. install the new lamp and keep the original lamp as a "just in case "spare).
Regards,
atek99
P.S. I have over 4000 hours on my A10 lamp and so far no flicker or other issues.

I hate to ask, but how do you check your lamp hours? Tried a search but came up with a ton of replies.

Never mind, found the answer. For others it is #3035 on page 102

Regarding lamp life, I'm wondering if there is any scientific strategies to maximize the lamp life. For example, lets say I am planning to be away from the TV for about 30 mins. Is it better to turn it off during the time I am away, or is it better to leave it on and avoid the startup/cooldown stresses...hmmm...

Ok, since I got my 42A10 way back on page 60 something I have not been following this thread very much.

Has it been determined between YCbCr or RGB via the HDMI input which is better? Or does it not matter at all? TIA :)

Ok, My 50a10 has the green blob issue on the top middle of the screen. It's not that bad but it's getting more noticeable. I have a 3yr Mack Camera extended warranty as well as a 3yr bulb replacement if needed. I haven't checked how many hours on the lamp lately but the TV's about a year old and was bought new.

Anybody have any experience with warranty coverage for a similar green blob problem. Still waiting for Mack to respond to my EMail earlier today.

Larry

I just this week had an entire light engine replace by the local Sony repair affiliate for the green blob issue. Forty two inch was 10.5 months old, bought 2/24/06. No cost to me, but TV gone for 4 days over a weekend. Looks OK now.

Thanks for the info thosj. Seems like the Green Blob issue is pretty common. I'll find out more later on when I hear from Mack. Hopefully, I can have a in home repair. Glad to hear that the light engine replace did the trick for you.

Gonna try Sony Warranty for the Green Blur Fix since I have had the TV less than a year. Hopefully, this **** is covered and can be fixed. Black & White films the green blur really shows up more. I could live with it but why should I have too ?

Keep you posted....

I have had the E42A10 with a SA8300HD cable box for over a year now and am still very impressed with the picture. I did all of the recommended "Rain" tweaks.... Currently, I run the HDMI out from the cable box directly to the HDMI in on the A10. I just recently purchased a Yamaha RX-V659 (no HDMI out or in) and an OPPO 970 (w/HDMI out). I'm looking for connection/setup advice to optimize my system and be able to get 5.1 surround for my new Mirage Nanosat speaker system. I'm okay with the speaker setup/connections.... What I need to know is the best component to component connection/setup and any tweaks/ programming I might need to do to get the best picture and audio quality out of the system.

Sony will cover the repair and it will depend on the technician, but my TV was repaired in my home in about 20 minutes. No problems since.

It was strange though, that in the original light engine, two screws were missing--definitely contributed to the green blob occurring because dust go in.
The components were not completely sealed.

Good luck on the repair.

Brad

I have had the E42A10 with a SA8300HD cable box for over a year now and am still very impressed with the picture. I did all of the recommended "Rain" tweaks.... Currently, I run the HDMI out from the cable box directly to the HDMI in on the A10. I just recently purchased a Yamaha RX-V659 (no HDMI out or in) and an OPPO 970 (w/HDMI out). I'm looking for connection/setup advice to optimize my system and be able to get 5.1 surround for my new Mirage Nanosat speaker system. I'm okay with the speaker setup/connections.... What I need to know is the best component to component connection/setup and any tweaks/ programming I might need to do to get the best picture and audio quality out of the system.
Connect OPPO via HDMI to tv and cablebox via component. Connect Oppo to receiver with optical audio and cable box to receiver with either optical audio or coaxial audio, depending on what the output from cable box.

Good luck.

Mel

Brad,

Sony Tech should be out early next week. He thinks with just a call that dirt is the problem. Thing is, he also said he would have to take it in the shop and possibly replace the light engine.

Couldn't that be done in home ? I'd really prefer not tearing the 50A10 down and transporting it out ? EMailed him back about in home and haven't heard back as yet ? Will get back on it Monday, no way I am gonna let some place keep the TV for 4 days if it's not necessary. Hell, it's Super Bowl Week coming up.

Brad,

Sony Tech should be out early next week. He thinks with just a call that dirt is the problem. Thing is, he also said he would have to take it in the shop and possibly replace the light engine.

Couldn't that be done in home ? I'd really prefer not tearing the 50A10 down and transporting it out ? EMailed him back about in home and haven't heard back as yet ? Will get back on it Monday, no way I am gonna let some place keep the TV for 4 days if it's not necessary. Hell, it's Super Bowl Week coming up.

The company that worked on my Sony, only had a van and they were going to transport it on it's face, which Sony DOES NOT recommend. So I found someone else and they did say it could be done in my home. Just set it on my coffee table and had no problems whatsoever.

If it I were me, and they insisted on taking it into the shop--I might hold off on getting it repaired until after the Super Bowl. You would not want to be without a TV at all during that event. You never know what could happen--they might not get it done for whatever reason.

Hope you are enjoying your set--I have the 42" but I did not have the space in my wife's cabinet for a 50".

I have the A10 "42 Sony, I just ordered a Oppo 970 Dvd player, anyone have this combination, if so how does it look?

Also how big are the black bars on the Oppo 970 with this Tv, or arent they very noticable?

I have the A10 "42 Sony, I just ordered a Oppo 970 Dvd player, anyone have this combination, if so how does it look?

I have this same setup and it looks fantastic. The black bars are there, but I usually use the Oppo zoom 1.2-1.3 and it makes them less obvious (also cuts off the side of the screen a few inches).

I recommend using a calibration disc with this TV and DVD player, you can set the CUSTOM pic setting for night time movie watching (less brightness, deeper blacks) and use the other presets for daytime/sports watching.

You can get pretty close with the tweaks thread but you TV will probably be a few points off.

I have had a 50a10 for about a year and a half and the other day when turning the set on the red lamp light started flashing no picture came on the screen. I turned ot off and left the set off for a few hours and turned it on and it has worked fine since. The screen is just as bright as it always has been. The bulb time in the service menu is 2700 hrs. Is my bulb starting to go or was there some other problem? I have ordered a new bulb to have on hand but I wont replace it until the original bulb truly goes out. The hours on the bulb seem low from what I have read. Any thoughts on what might have happened?

John

I have had a 50a10 for about a year and a half and the other day when turning the set on the red lamp light started flashing no picture came on the screen. I turned ot off and left the set off for a few hours and turned it on and it has worked fine since. The screen is just as bright as it always has been. The bulb time in the service menu is 2700 hrs. Is my bulb starting to go or was there some other problem? I have ordered a new bulb to have on hand but I wont replace it until the original bulb truly goes out. The hours on the bulb seem low from what I have read. Any thoughts on what might have happened?

John

I have the 42A10 for 1 1/2 years and a few days ago the picture disappeared and I get 3 flashes on the little red indicator light. (The # of flashes is significant)

It will start back up with a picture if I let it "rest" for an unknown amount of time....20 minutes sometimes, 2 hours the next. It always conks out after 30 minutes or an hour.

The service guy came out, decided it was the bulb and replaced it, and was getting ready to leave when the picture failed again, the 3 red flashies happened, and he put the original bulb back in...

He now says it's the "ballast" and it's being shipped from SONY.

We'll see if it fixes the problem.

If the TV hasn't been unplugged for 6 months or more you may want to do it now. Sometimes this will fix problems because unplugging it is kind of like rebooting your computer.

There is a software update that fixes some issues with the A10, and info on getting it upgraded can be found here:

http://www.updatemytv.com/

Thanks for the replys! Dark Rain is this the update that was talked about a while ago? I did have sony update the software last year. I guess I will just keep using the set until it fails again and try to count the number of flashes next time it happens. I know that some people have said the use of a UPS may cause problems. I have had the set plugged into a triplite UPS for 6 months with out any issues until now.

John

It's possible that the update didn't fix the issue with your A10. I've had my A10 refuse to shut down once. Unplugging it solved the problem. I never bothered with the update because I didn't feel it was necessary.

If the TV hasn't been unplugged for 6 months or more you may want to do it now. Sometimes this will fix problems because unplugging it is kind of like rebooting your computer.

There is a software update that fixes some issues with the A10, and info on getting it upgraded can be found here:

http://www.updatemytv.com/

Looks like this is for the software update that was recommended 6 - 9 months ago.

I already had that done and the website shows that my TV should be "good-to-go."

I'll see what the ballast does........

Looks like this is for the software update that was recommended 6 - 9 months ago.

I already had that done and the website shows that my TV should be "good-to-go."The update doesn't always fix the problem.

The update doesn't always fix the problem.


I had the update done also but the other day my wife said she did not touch the remote and was no where near it and my tv just shut down( this is the 1st time this happened) I have the monster ups hts500 with cooldown technology, it is possible we had some power glitches and it shut the tv down but it has not happened since. I unplug my tv every so often to clean the dust off so it should reset whatever inside when I do this.

If the tv is under warranty I would let Sony take a look at it.

So far my 42a10 has been great since purchase of 12/05.

I had the software update, 4-5 months later the unit froze. unpluged it for 5 minutes, works great since then.

Beyond the sound issues the superbowl was great in HD on my 50a10.

BTW, I vacuum mine while it's on, top, back and all of the vents

I have a sony TV and when i connect my DVI to HDMI port in the back and set it to 1280x720 it is too big for the screen. I need to rescale the picture down to fit on the tv.

1. can this be done and how?

Also since i didnt get that to work im using a vga cable that connect to the PC input from the tv. It works fine but there is a black empty bars on each size. I would also need to try to resize that to fit.


Any help would be great

I have a sony TV and when i connect my DVI to HDMI port in the back and set it to 1280x720 it is too big for the screen. I need to rescale the picture down to fit on the tv.

1. can this be done and how?

Also since i didnt get that to work im using a vga cable that connect to the PC input from the tv. It works fine but there is a black empty bars on each size. I would also need to try to resize that to fit.


Any help would be great

The best way is to use software called Powerstrip to set up a custom monitor timing. See the link in my signature for 1:1 pixel mapping.

I have the 42' now for just over a year and its been great so far. Recently I have had on both sides at the top (pretty much the top corners but more from the side) these darker areas. The picture comes through but on light pictures ie an all white screen they are very noticable. They arent really any color just darker, I would sort of describe them as dark blotches or cloudy maybe. Any ideas on the cause? May dust?

Thanks.

Also how big are the black bars on the Oppo 970 with this Tv, or arent they very noticable?
The size of the black bars depends on the aspect ratio of the DVD. The 16X9 tv is 1:78. No bars. Look on the back of the DVD box. Many are 1:85, thin black bars. Then 2:35 bigger black bars.

Ok, My 50a10 has the green blob issue on the top middle of the screen. It's not that bad but it's getting more noticeable. I have a 3yr Mack Camera extended warranty as well as a 3yr bulb replacement if needed. I haven't checked how many hours on the lamp lately but the TV's about a year old and was bought new.

Anybody have any experience with warranty coverage for a similar green blob problem. Still waiting for Mack to respond to my EMail earlier today.

Larry

let me know how this works out for you, dabreeze. i bought my 50a10 at the end of the summer and am getting a slight greenish tint in the upper right and a blue in the upper left. i bought it at costco, so i may just return it there. it's unforuntely however that the a10 is no longer in production.

For those of you using the xbox HD DVD drive, are you outputting 720p or 1080i?

What would be the preferred methond of delivering the 1080p HD DVD signal to a 720p set?

thanks

I had the software update, 4-5 months later the unit froze. unpluged it for 5 minutes, works great since then.

Beyond the sound issues the superbowl was great in HD on my 50a10.

BTW, I vacuum mine while it's on, top, back and all of the vents

Why would you vacumm it while it is still on? Should it be vacummed when it is on or off? I've done mine with it off but after seeing that you do it with it on, is there a certain reason why you do it that way?

I had to unplug my A10 the other night because it locked up when changing from SD to HD. At first I thought the video board was toast, but unplugging it fixed it. It had been about 6-8 months since I last unplugged it.

Ok Folks, My 50ea10 returned yesterday from my local Sony authoriked Tech. The green tint blur at the top of screen is virtually non existent. The Tech said on a white screen he actually couldn't see it at all. Set got a cleaning and check on the optic block, replaced a mirror part and checked LCD Panel. I must say that after watching Rome and Star Wars Return of the Sith the details in the colours and contrast have never looked better. This truly is a fine Sony Rptv. Thanks fella's for taking care of it on Warranty with no charge.

Hopefully, no green tint problems in the future and that everything stays as is now. Sorry, I don't have the means or know how to post a picture, my Tv looks MARVELOUS !!

I have had a 50a10 for about a year and a half and the other day when turning the set on the red lamp light started flashing no picture came on the screen. I turned ot off and left the set off for a few hours and turned it on and it has worked fine since. The screen is just as bright as it always has been. The bulb time in the service menu is 2700 hrs. Is my bulb starting to go or was there some other problem? I have ordered a new bulb to have on hand but I wont replace it until the original bulb truly goes out. The hours on the bulb seem low from what I have read. Any thoughts on what might have happened?

John

Hi John-

This happened to me as well- you seem to be describing the exact same issue I had with my 50A10. What is confusing is that it's not the Power/standby light that flashes, but the Lamp light, right? But for some reason after unplugging the TV the lamp still lights up?...and still with the same brightness!

I had a Sony tech replace the ballast, but after a year it has started doing that again. I have no idea why, though...

One option- I was able to find a Sony Service menu for this TV, and there are instructions for getting to a diagnosis screen (it says to use this in the case where it cannot be determined by the number of red flashes).

1. Make sure TV is off and fan has stopped running
2. Press DISPLAY, (channel) 5, (volume) - , POWER
3. When done viewing, press POWER OFF on the remote.

(notice this is different from entering the service menu, which uses volume +)

A screen should come up with error counts of different functions. I'd be interested in seeing what came up for yours!

Anyone know if Sony offers an extended warranty when you register the A10 online? Sears price for the extended warranty seems a little on the high side. Thanks in advance.


Yes, just go to sonystyle.com and look for extended warranties. Just be sure you purchase the extended warranty from Sony BEFORE the beginning of the eleventh month of service. They have the best price by far. Here is the link below.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/EW_ViewExtendedWarranty-LandingPage?CategoryName=ExtendedWarrantyRoot

Good luck, Brad

I apologize but I posted this in the tweaks thread too:

I entered the BE Micro menu to see my lamp's life. Now I can't get out of it. I turned the set off, letting the lamp go out, then powered back on but the menu is still visible.

Can someone please help me real quick? Thanks.

EDIT: Nevermind. Unplugged the unit and it's all good now.

I have the 42' now for just over a year and its been great so far. Recently I have had on both sides at the top (pretty much the top corners but more from the side) these darker areas. The picture comes through but on light pictures ie an all white screen they are very noticable. They arent really any color just darker, I would sort of describe them as dark blotches or cloudy maybe. Any ideas on the cause? May dust?

Thanks.

anybody? help, please..

Yes, just go to sonystyle.com and look for extended warranties. Just be sure you purchase the extended warranty from Sony BEFORE the beginning of the eleventh month of service. They have the best price by far. Here is the link below.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/EW_ViewExtendedWarranty-LandingPage?CategoryName=ExtendedWarrantyRoot

Good luck, Brad

don't you have to purchase the warranty within 60 days of buying the set?

anybody? help, please..

It could be dust. It could also be the light engine. Polarizers are used to filter the light before it's projected onto the screen. The polarizers in the A10 are not of the highest quality, so you get discolorations in the corners. They can be dark or light in nature.

I'd call Sony and see about getting it serviced. If it's just dust then this might resolve the problem. If it's a polarizer issue then you'll have to live with it unless it keeps getting worse. In that case call Sony because the light engine will need replacing.

cool thanks. my warranty is with futureshop so ill have to see what they are willing to do for me, at least armed with some info on this now. thanks again.

I was hoping someone could help. I`m trying to get my 50"A10 to automatically switch from wide zoom in SD and full in HD. I did a search and from what I understand I need to set my 4:3 default to off and my wide mode to wide zoom (is that right?), and the set would automatically switch to full on HD channels and then back to wide zoom in SD channels.....well its not!!! so I`m not sure if I have something wrong in the settings on the A10 or I need to change someting on my DTV reciever.

My Dtv is setup w/ native on to recieve all resolutions its an HR20 an I have it in stretch mode .

Any help would be appreciated.

I`m trying to get my 50"A10 to automatically switch from wide zoom in SD and full in HD. I did a search and from what I understand I need to set my 4:3 default to off and my wide mode to wide zoom (is that right?), and the set would automatically switch to full on HD channels and then back to wide zoom in SD channels.....well its not!!! so I`m not sure if I have something wrong in the settings on the A10 or I need to change someting on my DTV reciever.

On the A10:
4:3 should be set to off
wide should be set to full

It sounds like your problem is due to a setting on your DTV receiver. The A10 appears to use the normal/wide function only if the input signal is 480i/p. If the DTV is always outputting a 720p signal, even for 4:3 content, the A10 won't detect the change. I am not that familiar with DTV, but maybe there is a "passthrough" option to pass the signal unchanged?

On the A10:
4:3 should be set to off
wide should be set to full

It sounds like your problem is due to a setting on your DTV receiver. The A10 appears to use the normal/wide function only if the input signal is 480i/p. If the DTV is always outputting a 720p signal, even for 4:3 content, the A10 won't detect the change. I am not that familiar with DTV, but maybe there is a "passthrough" option to pass the signal unchanged?


Thanks for getting back to me.....I`m not sure if if the "native on" setting on the DTV reciever would be the same as "passthrough", basically it allows the upscaling to be done by the A10 so I`m assuming its letting the signal go through unchanged. When I check display on the A10 it does show the SD channels as 480i.

As for the settings on the A10 would I still set the wide to full even if I want the 4:3 to show in wide zoom? Sorry for the noob questions I just got this DTV reciever installed and still tryng to get it working the way I want it!

don't you have to purchase the warranty within 60 days of buying the set?

That is not my understanding since the one year manufacturers warranty would cover anything up to one year. Sony just does not want you to purchase the extended warranty in the last month when something may be amiss.

It is really the best priced deal for an extended warranty on this set.

Brad

Thanks for getting back to me.....I`m not sure if if the "native on" setting on the DTV reciever would be the same as "passthrough", basically it allows the upscaling to be done by the A10 so I`m assuming its letting the signal go through unchanged. When I check display on the A10 it does show the SD channels as 480i.

As for the settings on the A10 would I still set the wide to full even if I want the 4:3 to show in wide zoom? Sorry for the noob questions I just got this DTV reciever installed and still tryng to get it working the way I want it!

My A10 is set for 4:3 default "off" and wide mode set to "wide zoom", just as you figured, and it responds properly: SD automatically goes to wide zoom, HD to Full. I agree that the problem is probably with your receiver. I have the SA8300 cable box; it must be set for passthrough for this automatic switching to occur. I do know also that if I set any of the stretch modes on the box itself, it will mess up the A10's ability to display properly, so maybe this is the area you can look into.

You have up until the 11th month to purchase the extended warranty from Sony

My A10 is set for 4:3 default "off" and wide mode set to "wide zoom", just as you figured, and it responds properly: SD automatically goes to wide zoom, HD to Full. I agree that the problem is probably with your receiver. I have the SA8300 cable box; it must be set for passthrough for this automatic switching to occur. I do know also that if I set any of the stretch modes on the box itself, it will mess up the A10's ability to display properly, so maybe this is the area you can look into.

Yeah the issue is somewhre in the hr20 ...and its quite frustrating!! I tried every possible setting and it still gets stuck on full mode on SD channels when I switch over from an HD channnel. I`m thinking "native on" on the hr20 isnt a true "passthrough" like your SA8300....

Maybe there somebody out there familiar with the hr20????

Hi - new poster, long time watcher.

I have owned the 42a10 for about 9 months now and have a HD satellite rcvr which puts out a constant 720p format regardless of the channel. In other words, 4x3 channels are dropped into the 16x9 constant window. With this in mind, I can still do the 'wide zoom' and get a decent stretch on 4x3 channels. However, the problem is that after a period of time, say 10-20 minutes, the screen reverts back to 'full'. I don't know why this is happening. I thought it might be on scene changes or commecials, but it is not.

Anyone with any ideas here? Anyone else having this problem?

TIA

This may have been posted before, but I wasn't about to sift through all of this thread to find out.

Here is the A10 service manual for downloading:
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/kdfe42-50a10_sm.pdf

Use at your own risk.


Mitch

Ok Folks, My 50ea10 returned yesterday from my local Sony authoriked Tech. The green tint blur at the top of screen is virtually non existent. The Tech said on a white screen he actually couldn't see it at all. Set got a cleaning and check on the optic block, replaced a mirror part and checked LCD Panel. I must say that after watching Rome and Star Wars Return of the Sith the details in the colours and contrast have never looked better. This truly is a fine Sony Rptv. Thanks fella's for taking care of it on Warranty with no charge.

Hopefully, no green tint problems in the future and that everything stays as is now. Sorry, I don't have the means or know how to post a picture, my Tv looks MARVELOUS !!


That's good to hear. DaBreeze, not sure you got my PM but maybe anyone can answer this.. what does Sony require from you to show proof that your TV is under warranty? Is that something they already have on file from serial number? All I have is a receipt from where I bought the TV.

Jon,

You might try registering your TV on Sony style.com. You'll need the Model # of your Tv and the serial # on the back plate of the Tv. It might also be helpful if you record the build date, when the TV was manufactured. The website will list about 5 Authorized repair shops in your area. Also, HOLD ON to that sales receipt. Better yet, make a copy. That's all the shop needed from me.

I was fortunate that although I thought I had a Green blur problem it turned out to be a reflection thing. On the white screen test they ran they saw no problem. Good thing is, they definitely did a great job in cleaning and aligning things as well as replaced a mirror part because my sharpness and contrast is much improved. Recently, I revisited my Spiderman 2 on Super Bit dvd and it looks fabulous.

Good Luck with your TV .

Larry

awesome, thanks for the info. i only notice the greenish hue when the screen is dark.. whites are no problem.

I am running my 42A10 w/ HDMI on the upconverting DVD player and Component
on the HDcablebox.
Do you guys think I will see a pic improvement w/HD if I switch the HDMI over to the cablebox?

I have to say the pic is stunning already. This is probably the best electronic purchases I have ever made. I am also one of the longtime A10 owners.
purchased 8/05.

You have up until the 11th month to purchase the extended warranty from Sony

My 50A10 is 13 months old. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where the best place to get an extended warranty is?

Sorry if this has been covered in the previous 308 pages; I've been through about 30 of them so far.

I am running my 42A10 w/ HDMI on the upconverting DVD player and Component
on the HDcablebox.
Do you guys think I will see a pic improvement w/HD if I switch the HDMI over to the cablebox?

I have to say the pic is stunning already. This is probably the best electronic purchases I have ever made. I am also one of the longtime A10 owners.
purchased 8/05.
It may depend a lot on your cablebox. I have the Motorola 6412 and I couldn't tell a difference between HDMI and component. I use the component because I can switch channels faster than when it was hooked up via HDMI.

Mel

Thanks, I have a Motorola 3250.

I didn't see how the pic and color could be much better than it already is.

I am running my 42A10 w/ HDMI on the upconverting DVD player and Component
on the HDcablebox.
Do you guys think I will see a pic improvement w/HD if I switch the HDMI over to the cablebox?

I have to say the pic is stunning already. This is probably the best electronic purchases I have ever made. I am also one of the longtime A10 owners.
purchased 8/05.

I used to have my A10 hooked up via hdmi to my DirecTV HD box, and my upconverting DVD player with component (of course not upconverting).

I switched a couple of weeks ago to component with the HD box and hdmi to the dvd player.

Now I get the upconverting functions from my DVD player, and it looks great. And the HD box looks exactly the same once I matched the settings. I don't know anything about settings so I use Dark Rain's settings and I am very happy with them. I don't notice a difference to my eyes between the hdmi and component coming out of the DirecTV product. I'm no pro though. But I think many on here will agree, I read some previous posts on here about the very same topic.

Enjoy your upconverting funcionality, and don't bother looking back, especially if the component looks good to your eyes

My 50A10 is 13 months old. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where the best place to get an extended warranty is?

Sorry if this has been covered in the previous 308 pages; I've been through about 30 of them so far.


I bought my extended warranty late (after the 11th month) from a company recommended by Sonystyle. Unfortunately they are quite a bit more expensive but they still use Sony repair centers.

A nice sale on replacement lamps on ebay--only $124 plus shipping. I think I might get one just to have on hand. That is a tidy $65 savings.

Hope your TV is working great.

Brad

hello, i have tried finding a solution on this board but didn't see one. i have a pc connected to rgb input on a sony kdf-ae42 a10. while i am watching or playing games on the pc through the tv, the tv continues to flash the input icon on the top right. i have a feeling it does this whenever the pc refreshes. but i never lose the picture. is there a way to turn off the input icon so that it will stop flashing?
thanks for help in advance

hello, i have tried finding a solution on this board but didn't see one. i have a pc connected to rgb input on a sony kdf-ae42 a10. while i am watching or playing games on the pc through the tv, the tv continues to flash the input icon on the top right. i have a feeling it does this whenever the pc refreshes. but i never lose the picture. is there a way to turn off the input icon so that it will stop flashing?
thanks for help in advance
Mr. Pibb posted a solution for this problem in post #771 of the Grand Wega Tweaks thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/show...9&page=26&pp=30
It's apparently due to a ground loop problem with the antenna.

Hope this helps.

Mel

Is overscan adjustable in the SM on this model?
I have a HD test pattern on my Dtv HD HR10-250 DVR attatched to the A10 via HDMI.
The pattern is full screen, no zoom, and appears to have too much overscan.
There are vertical bars numbered 1-10 on the sides going towards the center. The narration says you should see line #2 or #4 but mine shows #6 or more and this is not zoom just regular 16:9.
Also the amount of overscan is not uniform on both sides.
I hope this hasn't been answered before but I have "searched" and every link has to do with Xboxes or PCs and that is not my problem.

I bought my extended warranty late (after the 11th month) from a company recommended by Sonystyle. Unfortunately they are quite a bit more expensive but they still use Sony repair centers.
Brad

care to give any more info?

Sure, here are the details.

Sony Extended Service Plan 1-866-374-0134

Here is the kicker--it cost me $129 for one year of extended coverage. I could have gotten 3 years of coverage for $199 if I had remembered to extend the coverage through Sonystyle before the 11th month began. Ouch.

I do not think I will renew again since the TV is going for barely over $1000 now if you can find them. Just upgrade to something different.

Good luck on finding a warranty.

Brad

thanks for the tip. i got mine back in sept. of 05 and was just curious if purchasing an extended warranty now would benefit me.

Need a little help.
I switched to the antenna to auto program more channels in and see what it would pick up. When I switched back to cable, nothing comes in. Any idea on what I could do or what I may have messed up?

All SXRD, XBR1, XB2, XBR3 have an inherent design defect that is not correctable.

What does this have to do with the A10's? You are a dodo, Waldo!

Mel

1) Is there a way to see how many hours are on the lamp?

2) Where should I buy a replacement lamp (least expensive)?

Once you've entered the Service Menu:

From the SERVICE TV MICRO screen :

(step 1) Press [jump] two (2) times to get to the CONFIGURATION screen.

(step 2) Press [5] one (1) time to get to: GW_SPECIAL 34

>>> SENSOR_TEMP 00 0030

(step 3) Press [1] one (1) time to get to: PANEL_TIME 01 00001490

(step 4) Press [1] one (1) time to get to: LAMP_TIME 02 00001490

In this example, the lamp has 1490 hours on it.

I think the best place to get a replacement lamp is from the Sony Style site.

Mel

Thanks Mel. One last question, how do I get to the service menu? (I know it's probably somewhere in this thread, but I'd rather not waste time reading stuff I don't need to know).

Thanks Mel. One last question, how do I get to the service menu? (I know it's probably somewhere in this thread, but I'd rather not waste time reading stuff I don't need to know).
If necessary turn off TV and wait for bulb to turn off

(step 1) Press the following 4 key sequence without a pause:

(display) (5) (Volume +) (Power)

(step 2) Wait the normal turn on time for the debug screen to appear.

Mel