I picked up my 42" A10 last night from Abt. Of course I had to take it out of the box to fit in my ............really big snip.........

As a GWIII owner I'm interested in how the A10 compares in terms of contrast, gradations of shades leading to black and how dark the absolute black level is(probably best tested in a fairly dim room).

I understand that you've not had that much time with it and your online access is somewhat limited, so whenever you can get to it will be fine.

And I'll take up a collection to go towards your next toy if you can place both 42" sets next to each other and photograph them with the same programming. The GWIII can take the component input and the A10 the HDMI. :D :D :D

some one please if u have the 42a10 please give measurements.
thank u!

I saw that coming from a mile away. ;)



And for those requesting measurements from me. Once again, i'm at work for another 8 hours. I also don't have a computer at home so that means that I likely won't be posting on these boards again for a few days after I leave work today. Sorry.

DON'T HAVE A COMPUTER :eek: But you have a $2000 gaming TV. Now thats hardcore. :D

As I mentioned, you can go into nView and have the video card compensate for the TV’s overscanning. The problem with this is the resolution drops to the 1100 X 660 (something like that). This is NOT the TV’s native resolution. Why should I have the PC compensate for the TV’s setting? The image would look best at 1280X720 full screen. I will settle for no less.

BTW I don’t mean to be so negative on this product. It is a good TV. PBS HDTV looks great. And if I’m able to solve the overscanning, I’m going to keep it.

Also without playing with the Sound options, the sound plugs on the TV produce levels that do not change with the TV volume control. The sound comes out even while the TV speakers are being used.

I need to know more about the sound. I ordered Zvox sound system that I thought I could plug to A10's audio out and turn off the internal speakers and use the TV volume control to adjust Vzox (external speakers).
Now are you saying this isn't possible. :eek:

...
HDMI: This is the most annoying setting for the PC, because the TV is overscanning. I had such hopes for a beautiful, pure digital, 1:1 pixel ratio display. But NO, the display look just like the VGA ZOOM setting. :mad: I’ve played with all the different settings on the TV to no avail. I have also gone through different graphic settings on the PC, which this nVidia card has a lot. The card had a setting to overcompensate for the TV’s overscanning. When using this setting the screen resolution drops to approximately 1100 X 660 (I forgot the actual numbers) and the desktop fits perfectly on the TV screen. This looks OK. Not to be picky, but didn't I buy a 1280 X 720 screen. :mad:

In the meantime I’m still play via VGA in FULL1. Apart form the loss of screen size, the games really do look good. Also since the screen resolution is limited to 1280X720, you need at least 4X AA filtering. :p


With rear projection and direct view CRT TVs there is always some overscan of the imaging area. This is because it is not economical to manufacture the sets with such precise placement of the image that the edge pixels just touch the edge of the screen. With 1 to 1 pixel mapping you will therefore not be able to see the edge of the 1280x720 image which is why the nvidia card can drop the actively used region to just what fits. The other option is to let the TV scale the image down to approximately fit but because of variations in video cards and TVs a black border is provided to make sure that menus etc are not cut off.

...
The image would look best at 1280X720 full screen. I will settle for no less.
...


There is no such thing as exactly full screen and 1:1 pixel mapping for any rear projection or direct view CRT TV. If you will settle for no less than I would recommend that you check out some plasma TVs. I think that even with a Plasma though a few pixels may be dropped from each edge because sometimes junk gets left there by the broadcasters. At least that was definitly true for NTSC broadcasts; with ATSC the edge should be clean but I suspect a few bad edge pixels might still get broadcast.

I need to know more about the sound. I ordered Zvox sound system that I thought I could plug to A10's audio out and turn off the internal speakers and use the TV volume control to adjust Vzox (external speakers).
Now are you saying this isn't possible. :eek:

Sorry for the confusion. I just commented on the default settings. Of course you can use it the way you want by turning off the internal speakers and then setting output to be variable.

Can't you just use Nview to tweak and adjust the underscanned DB15 image? Overscan on HDMI or any other interface should be expected with factory settings. My GW II overscans a ton on DVI from my BFG card. I've used their scan compensation, and it does look pretty good. I don't want to mess with the service menu overscan since mine is set for my DVD and STB, and I don't keep my PC hooked up to my TV. (I was just playing around) Once the service menu stuff is posted, you should be able to adjust the picture to compensate for the overscanned HDMI.


From what I can see , no. There is NO over/under scan settings under the DB15 connection. Before thats how I made my last HDTV fit to screen, I used the underscan feature down to 1152x648. But now there is no option for it. I wonder once we figure out how to adjust viewable size for the DB15 connection if those adjustments will carry over to the HDMI,component,analog connections>>????

Any luck from anyone in the DFW finding these?

I'm still also pretty concerned about the Iris. I've been considering exchanging my 55 A20 for the 50" A10 but after reading several posts about noticing the iris make changes makes me wonder if it will bother me. I know you can turn off the iris...if it does become annoying and I turn it off will the black levels be as good?

Overall I'm very happy with my A20 except in a few maps on Halo it's hard to see with the blacks and I'm still not happy with the white lines I'm getting on some channels while watching SD. So I'm torn on whether or not to get this. Guess I need to try to find one in DFW.

There is no such thing as exactly full screen and 1:1 pixel mapping for any rear projection or direct view CRT TV. If you will settle for no less than I would recommend that you check out some plasma TVs. I think that even with a Plasma though a few pixels may be dropped from each edge because sometimes junk gets left there by the broadcasters. At least that was definitly true for NTSC broadcasts; with ATSC the edge should be clean but I suspect a few bad edge pixels might still get broadcast.

Well that's just lame :mad: LCD projectors offer DVI input for the 1:1 ratio. I see no reason why rear projectors couldn't do the same.

You know, I would be happy if there was a setting in the VGA input to stretch the image to fit the screen.

As I mentioned, you can go into nView and have the video card compensate for the TV’s overscanning. The problem with this is the resolution drops to the 1100 X 660 (something like that). This is NOT the TV’s native resolution. Why should I have the PC compensate for the TV’s setting? The image would look best at 1280X720 full screen. I will settle for no less.

BTW I don’t mean to be so negative on this product. It is a good TV. PBS HDTV looks great. And if I’m able to solve the overscanning, I’m going to keep it.
Actually, for no overscan on a PC with 1:1 pixel mapping, you will end up with a resolution less than 1280x720, at least by a few percent in each dimension, because the LCD panels are optically overscanned. :) I don't know whether or not you're getting 1:1 pixel mapping at ~1100x660, as I haven't seen the A10's yet myself, but it is at least possible (though I personally would tend to think probably not, as I'd expect the overscanless 1:1 resolution to be more along the lines of ~1250x700).

As I mentioned, you can go into nView and have the video card compensate for the TV’s overscanning. The problem with this is the resolution drops to the 1100 X 660 (something like that). This is NOT the TV’s native resolution. Why should I have the PC compensate for the TV’s setting? The image would look best at 1280X720 full screen. I will settle for no less.

BTW I don’t mean to be so negative on this product. It is a good TV. PBS HDTV looks great. And if I’m able to solve the overscanning, I’m going to keep it.


I might be wrong, but that doesn't necessarily mean that 1100x660 isn't a 1:1 pixel mapping correct? It depends on whether the overscan is optical, or scaling. In other words, if the overscan is optical, meaning the image is projected larger than the screen size, you may only be seeing 1100x660 pixels all the time. In this case it would be 1:1 mapping. If the overscan is done by scaling a (for example) 1280x720 pixel signal to, say, 1350x800 and letting the edges run off the lcd display. In this case you can see all 1280x720 pixels, it's just that the incoming 1280x720 signal isn't that resolution anymore, and in that case you wouldn't be getting 1:1 pixel mapping.

I have no idea which of these methods is commonly used, but it seems like the only way to know for sure if you are getting 1:1 mapping is to put up an alternating pixel grid and see if you can distinguish all the pixels.

Just as a data point, if it works like the samsung 1080p vga input, the 1100x660 may actually be 1:1 mapping. On that television, you can adjust the overscan in the pc mode. If you eliminate the overscan, you do not have 1:1 mapping. On the other hand, if you increase the overscan to its maximum size, the tv snaps into full 1:1 mapping and you can, in fact, individually distinguish every pixel in a grid. Clearly, in this case there is optical overscan permenantly built into the set, and adjusting the overscan in pc mode is down sampling the signal to a lower res with the scaler. This is like what you are doing on your pc with the 1100x660 res only it's not downsampling, it's just rendering at the lower res in the first place so 1:1 is still possible. This means on the Samsung you only have 1:1 at the maximum overscan setting, i.e. no down sampling.

EDIT: according to deconvolver, it would seem that it is common to have optical overscan. Therefore I would suspect that using NVidia's overscan compensation to lower the resolution may be giving 1:1 pixel mapping. Or perhaps using powerstrip to send a lower custom resolution. I'm not really that familiar with Nvidia's drivers.

dconvolver and eno45 - the Sony TVs don't have the scan adjustments in plain view. It is my experience with my GW II that the optical system can be adjusted to allow for a view of the entire sensor. Whether or not the source crops pixels or not is another story - to the best of my knowledge, only Secrets tests and publishes this, and only for DVD players.

I'm not really sure it's accurate to say that RPTVs -don't- show the entire image on the "small-chip". I think that they most likely do. I think the chronic overscan is most likely due to the manufacturers building it in intentionally to provide some compensation to ensure that underscanning never happens. Differences in source settings would necessitate this.

dconvolver and eno45 - the Sony TVs don't have the scan adjustments in plain view. It is my experience with my GW II that the optical system can be adjusted to allow for a view of the entire sensor. Whether or not the source crops pixels or not is another story - to the best of my knowledge, only Secrets tests and publishes this, and only for DVD players.

Are you saying you can open the TV and physically adjust the optical assembly, to eliminate the overscan? At least on the older GWs? That would be cool.

Tigerriot, thanks for the detailed review!

I looked at an A10 for the first time last night (50") and was happy enough with what I saw to have decided to buy one tonight.

While watching some HD programming last night I couldn't help but feel that the screen door effect was a little more pronounced on the A10 than on my 42" WE610 otherwise known as the GW III.

I saw this too. There was a GW IV nearby and after close examination I think the difference is the slightly tighter pixel grid (i.e. higher res) of the older set.

I didn't notice much difference in black level between the two sets, but the store was overlit and the TVs set up poorly, as usual. :rolleyes: I have noticed very bluish/gray blacks on the GW IVs in the past, though, and the A10 certainly didn't exhibit this problem from what I could tell.

I liked the A10 image anyway, and furthermore I can't stand the huge silver enclosure on the older model, can't afford the SXRD, so it's the A10 for me -- can't wait! :D

If anyone wants to test to see if the HDMI input is doing 1:1 pixel mapping here is an old test pattern (http://www.marky.com/misc/testpatterns/Digital_TestPattern_ByMark.bmp) that has been used by a lot of AVS members to determine whether a display could do 1:1 pixel mapping. You save the image to your hard drive and than set it as your wallpaper with the tile setting. The test pattern was originally posted here (http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90884).


The service menu manuals are generally about $20, but they're nearly useless because there is so much noise - either stuff we can't understand, or stuff that deals with things we'll never use or need. If we're lucky, UMR will post a thread outlining all the relevant service menu items and how they should be set for maximum performance.I guess that makes sense but when do you think UMR might make a thread for the A10?


I'm still also pretty concerned about the Iris. I've been considering exchanging my 55 A20 for the 50" A10 but after reading several posts about noticing the iris make changes makes me wonder if it will bother me. I know you can turn off the iris...if it does become annoying and I turn it off will the black levels be as good?I would guess that the iris would be fine for most games and it would certainly help for those dark Halo maps as well. Also without the iris on the the contrast ratio would be no better than A20's.

I've been reading through all the posts in this thread and think the A10 is just what I am looking for, but I want to see one first. Has anyone seen one yet in the Philadelphia area? I'm in montgomery county and would love to get my hands on one soon!

Hi everybody. I have tried to find one dealer in the NYC area and even Long Island who has on display the SonyE50A10. I have not found one yet, even the Sony store here in Manhattan does not have it. Does anyone in this forum know of such a dealer? I am very jealous that the rest of the country has it. Thanks for any help.

...I guess that makes sense but when do you think UMR might make a thread for the A10?....

There will not be a UMR Does A10 thread. I do not post service mode information on displays anymore. There will probably be a review.

hey jesse, what about datavision (i think that is the name of the store) in new york? their website has the A10 and they are a certified sony dealer, i believe. i'm from st.louis, so unfortunately, i haven't been to the store to tell you if they have it in stock for sure. you might want to give them a call.

There will not be a UMR Does A10 thread. I do not post service mode information on displays anymore. There will probably be a review.
Too bad you won't be posting any calibration info. :( I hope that you will at least give a review of the A10 before and after calibration.

There will not be a UMR Does A10 thread. I do not post service mode information on displays anymore. There will probably be a review.


So, when will the UMR Review arrive? :)

anyone else who has the 42" or 50" have some pics to show us??? the only ones i found were from lcd.guy (thanks, btw) and i'm dying to see some more. the stores near me (st. louis) still don't have any on display :(

I live in NYC, no stores have them on display yet. Was in sony store yesterday, wont be getting it for a few weeks. Work near J&R, went by during lunch, nothing on display. And Datatvision has nothing on display also when I stopped by over the weekend. NYC is really slow. I ordered mine from CC, getting it tomorrow.

There will not be a UMR Does A10 thread. I do not post service mode information on displays anymore. There will probably be a review.

That is a big disappointment, when said you were looking for one in your area, I thought we were in good shape. I have read your UMR Does thread and was looking forward to trying it now that I will have a TV. :( After your review, I hope you will be able to tell, those of us willing to brave the service menu, if any of your previous UMR Does threads will apply to the A10. It really seems that the service menu on Sony's allows for some marked improvement in PQ.

Hi everybody. I have tried to find one dealer in the NYC area and even Long Island who has on display the SonyE50A10. I have not found one yet, even the Sony store here in Manhattan does not have it. Does anyone in this forum know of such a dealer? I am very jealous that the rest of the country has it. Thanks for any help.

Someone on this thread suggested I check out PC Richard in NY....he said both he and his dad bought two from the store, but I'm not sure they were on display when he went. I think it's post #611

Are the side connections on this TV flush with the cabinet or is there a recessed area for these? The reason I ask, is that I have an entertainment center that has doors that slide in on both sides of the TV and there will not be room for connectors to be extending beyond the actual side of the TV.

Thank you for the help. I figure there may be others in the same situation.

Brad :)

The guys at my local Sears store said they were not going to carry the 42" model, but they also were the ones that said the new A10's were just like the current A20's.
Go figure. Brad

Nice review Tigerriot!

I dont think PC Richards has them on display. but will check tomorrow and get back to the nyc folks

u can shut off auto iris.

That is a big disappointment, when said you were looking for one in your area, I thought we were in good shape. I have read your UMR Does thread and was looking forward to trying it now that I will have a TV. :( After your review, I hope you will be able to tell, those of us willing to brave the service menu, if any of your previous UMR Does threads will apply to the A10. It really seems that the service menu on Sony's allows for some marked improvement in PQ.

I am doing this professionally and the ISF community frowns upon those who guide others through the whole process. I do not wish to be an outcast within the community. I am providing a calibration tool similar to Colorfacts for those who wish to DIY their set accurately.

I can also pretty much guarantee you that the service mode will be different than the UMR Does thread. Sony has not been using those chipsets for a while. Them tweaks are a changen beast because of that.

I am doing this professionally and the ISF community frowns upon those who guide others through the whole process. I do not wish to be an outcast within the community. I am providing a calibration tool similar to Colorfacts for those who wish to DIY their set accurately.

I can also pretty much guarantee you that the service mode will be different than the UMR Does thread. Sony has not been using those chipsets for a while. Them tweaks are a changen beast because of that.

You already recommended someone in NJ so I thank you for that, and the previous threads, which educated the rest of us on the existence of these tweaks.
Its a bummer, but what ya gonna do. I do look forward to reading a review if you do one...Maybe others will keep up the fight, we'll see.

Well... to any austinites who are interested in an A10 (50 or 42 inch available) I can hardily recommend jeff from "digital entertainment solutions".

They delivered the tv ... hooked it up ... set up all the channels and inputs.... just fantastic. All for a great price. You won't get the 30 day free as a bird deal (which I know I know I was crying about just earlier today) but I must say it felt really nice to purchase the tv from a PERSON who knew what he was talking about!

anyway... I'm going to go look into adjusting the dvd settings so we can watch a dvd tonight. I can almost see it: a brighter tomorrow not spent refreshing the AVS forums!

well.. just wanted to drop a quick note about a fantastic experience in the austin area... not to mention that he has the 42s in stock....


anyway... happy viewing everyone....! I can't believe how great the tv looks. (both picture and build)... adios amigos! :D

This post just got Jeff an incremental sale. Jeff delivered my 42" A10 today, and I would have never found him without your post!

He showed up within 35 minutes of me calling with the stand and TV, and the purchase price included delivery and setup. I got a GREAT deal, and came out ahead than if I had gone any other route...he's a great guy and he did a good job.

There will not be a UMR Does A10 thread. I do not post service mode information on displays anymore. There will probably be a review.

I can certainy respect that, umr, given that calibrating these sets is now part of your livelihood. I think your previous guides have been helpful to many people, and I'm sad to see that you will not be providing it as a free guide on these forums, but I appreciate where you are coming from.

I am looking forward to seeing your review shortly. And if you ever come to the Southern California area, please let us know. Would certainly like to use your services if I have purchased my A10 by that point.

In New Jersey Electronics-Expo may have some out on the floor there website has both models...i'm planning on checking them out this weekend

sigh! I'd like to echo the sadness concerning UMR's decision to not post calibration info, but again I totally understand his position. Many thanks to him for all his help previously, and for the review to come. Hopefully, some out there will be able to use their expertise handed down by UMR to tweak the A10 models. I'm sure there will be enough interest and owners out there. Thanks again UMR.

UMR -

I believe I read in one of the posts that you're in Houston. Do you ever make your way up to Dallas? If not, is there anyone up here you can recommend?

Just joined the forum guys after reading all 25 pages of this thread the other night. I would like to thank all of u in helping me make the decision on buying the 50in Sony. Hoping now to help u guys out. The Electronics Expo in Woodbridge NJ has the 50 inch model on display in a media room with only a few other screens and also a movable chair so if u bring a tape measure u can easily check how it looks from distances up to about 20 feet. They are selling it for 10% of the MSRP of 2499.00. But the real deal is at PC Richard where I bought mine about 3 hours ago. $1949.00 plus 50.00 deliery, which is as early as the next day including Sundays. Getting mine tomorrow. Still deciding if I am going to upgrade my Directv to HDTV or to go with Cablevision. Hope to give u guys further input on the actual TV tomorrow.

Today, after checking out several Sony, Pioneer and Panasonic plasma models at CC (Castleton), the salesman showed me a new 42" model he had just set up earlier in the morning. It turned out to be the new Sony 42" A10. Wow! After just seeing what I thought were some the very best plasmas, I was truly amazed at the picture clarity and sharpness on this new set. The 50" A10 should be set up within a few days. I will be going back soon to examine these two sets in more detail.

Steve

Just joined the forum guys after reading all 25 pages of this thread the other night. I would like to thank all of u in helping me make the decision on buying the 50in Sony. Hoping now to help u guys out. The Electronics Expo in Woodbridge NJ has the 50 inch model on display in a media room with only a few other screens and also a movable chair so if u bring a tape measure u can easily check how it looks from distances up to about 20 feet. They are selling it for 10% of the MSRP of 2499.00. But the real deal is at PC Richard where I bought mine about 3 hours ago. $1949.00 plus 50.00 deliery, which is as early as the next day including Sundays. Getting mine tomorrow. Still deciding if I am going to upgrade my Directv to HDTV or to go with Cablevision. Hope to give u guys further input on the actual TV tomorrow.


which Pc richards in NJ had them .. last time i checked they werent getting them in until the 8th or more ?? pls let me know asap as ive been waiting to purchase one for awhile .. also did they have a matching stand ?? thanks

UMR-
Second the Dallas trip or local recommendation for ISF.

Rumor has it that Valley View Sears has a 50" on display. I have not verified.

Will buy 42 as soon as I see it.

Were you able to get BF2 to work? When I tried it on my Sammy DLP it wouldn't start up. :(

The resolution on BF2 needs to be changed before you try it on your tv. Since you specify the refresh rate, you also need to set it at 60 for the highest resolution 1280 x 768. See if that works.

I bought mine in Jersey City, due to only 3% sales tax, but they all have them in their warehouse. As of around 5PM they had 90 units in stock, but about 50 were already sold. I am not sure about the stand though.

Are the side connections on this TV flush with the cabinet or is there a recessed area for these? The reason I ask, is that I have an entertainment center that has doors that slide in on both sides of the TV and there will not be room for connectors to be extending beyond the actual side of the TV.

Thank you for the help. I figure there may be others in the same situation.

Brad :)


The side connections do stick out, but less than the screen does at the front. They can also be detached..which I had to do for my tight fit.

I bought mine in Jersey City, due to only 3% sales tax, but they all have them in their warehouse. As of around 5PM they had 90 units in stock, but about 50 were already sold. I am not sure about the stand though.


thanks .. i guess ill call up my local store and order one .. that is a good price they gave you .. hopefully ill get the same :)

I’ve been on the phone with Sony to figure out if/how overscanning for HDMI can be turned off. The have been no help so far. They won’t even confirm (or deny) if the TV overscans. My call has been “escalated” and they’re supposed to call me back. This was 2 days ago. :confused:



You will never get 1:1 pixel mapping and the full 1280x720 resolution displayed.
Unlike computer monitors, HDTV sets project the display on the screen such that some information is lost. They do so in normal TV viewing the close caption data and other issues are not seen.

What you want is 1:1 mapping confirmed by a test pattern, or just put a bunch of text on the screen, if its not perfect its not 1:1. Anyhow, if you get 1:1 with overscan using HDMI, you can use your video card to keep 1:1 mapping but display a smaller desktop as you did.

I'm not aware of any Sony sets that do 1:1 at all. There used to be threads 100 pages long of people getting close, but had to go into the service mode, etc. IF the A10 does offer 1:1 mapping with overscan thats great, but is sounds like there is alot of overscan too...

Please confirm if you are seeing 1:1 mapping, perfectly clear text over HDMI at 720p ?

Just joined the forum guys after reading all 25 pages of this thread the other night. I would like to thank all of u in helping me make the decision on buying the 50in Sony. Hoping now to help u guys out. The Electronics Expo in Woodbridge NJ has the 50 inch model on display in a media room with only a few other screens and also a movable chair so if u bring a tape measure u can easily check how it looks from distances up to about 20 feet. They are selling it for 10% of the MSRP of 2499.00. But the real deal is at PC Richard where I bought mine about 3 hours ago. $1949.00 plus 50.00 deliery, which is as early as the next day including Sundays. Getting mine tomorrow. Still deciding if I am going to upgrade my Directv to HDTV or to go with Cablevision. Hope to give u guys further input on the actual TV tomorrow.

Both very classy outfits to deal with. If you know your facts and print out documentation, PC Richard will invariably match, come close to, or on occasion even do better than the best prices found on reputable online dealer sites. PC Richard also has one of the best Extended Warranty programs in the business. They have a huge service center setup on Long Island. They do all repairs in house on everything they sell. All by Manufacturer & Factory trained Personnel.

UMR -

I believe I read in one of the posts that you're in Houston. Do you ever make your way up to Dallas? If not, is there anyone up here you can recommend?

I actually am arranging a trip to Dallas in the near future drop anyone interested should drop me a PM.

UMR-
Second the Dallas trip or local recommendation for ISF.

Rumor has it that Valley View Sears has a 50" on display. I have not verified.

Will buy 42 as soon as I see it.

Same comment as above. Send me a PM if you are intested.

How does PS3 look on this set? Anyone know if bestbuy is carrying this set? I only saw the 42" a10 and the 55a20

If anyone can confirm that the Valley View Sears has it please post. Tomorrow early afternoon I'm going to start calling to see where I can find in DFW. I'll be trying the Vista Ridge area first and then will try the Valley View Sears if they have it.

There will not be a UMR Does A10 thread. I do not post service mode information on displays anymore. There will probably be a review.


UMR: That really hurts us hicks who live in the Sticks, and can't bring a calibration specialist out to our house. Unless we give him our first born. :(
Maybe you can put together information describing how to get the red push out, ext. from the service section on a email link or something. While charging us a Fee for the info. ;)

anyone else who has the 42" or 50" have some pics to show us??? the only ones i found were from lcd.guy (thanks, btw) and i'm dying to see some more. the stores near me (st. louis) still don't have any on display :(


Here are some photos from my 50" a10. I'm certainly no expert on PQ but I've had mine since 7/30 and in my view it's an improvement over the gwiii which I had before. Blacks are definately improved.

The photos can be accessed by opening the url in the photos.txt attachment. Sorry, it wont let me post a URL since i'm new.

You'll need to download them fully to see full resolution. The PC shots are using the VGA connector. At Full1 and Full2 the desktop is underscanned and at Zoom the desktop is overscanned. But it looks like the Zoom setting is the best one based on the shots IMG_0237, IMG_0238, and IMG_0239 which show the Resolution test from the Nokia montior utility. The lines aren't clear under Full1 and Full2. It looks like the pictures is scaled down on these settings, whereas at Zoom it looks 1:1. Only problem with Zoom is it's overscanned. If anyone knows a fix for this I'd like to hear about it. The tv doesn't have a resize ability that I can find, only the ability to move the picture up/down/left/right. I've attached the nokia monitor test program if anyone wants to try.

btw Thanks for all the great posts. It made my decision to go with the a10 an easy one.

From a fellow Austinite...which Sears was that and did they mention when they might put them on display ?

You might try going to Magnatronics on Shoal Creek Dr

Here are some photos from my 50" a10. I'm certainly no expert on PQ but I've had mine since 7/30 and in my view it's an improvement over the gwiii which I had before. Blacks are definately improved.

The photos can be accessed by opening the url in the photos.txt attachment. Sorry, it wont let me post a URL since i'm new.

You'll need to download them fully to see full resolution. The PC shots are using the VGA connector. At Full1 and Full2 the desktop is underscanned and at Zoom the desktop is overscanned. But it looks like the Zoom setting is the best one based on the shots IMG_0237, IMG_0238, and IMG_0239 which show the Resolution test from the Nokia montior utility. The lines aren't clear under Full1 and Full2. It looks like the pictures is scaled down on these settings, whereas at Zoom it looks 1:1. Only problem with Zoom is it's overscanned. If anyone knows a fix for this I'd like to hear about it. The tv doesn't have a resize ability that I can find, only the ability to move the picture up/down/left/right. I've attached the nokia monitor test program if anyone wants to try.

btw Thanks for all the great posts. It made my decision to go with the a10 an easy one.

Can you try reposting those as attachments. One of them comes up as an exe file, and most are not about to try to open it.

Today, after checking out several Sony, Pioneer and Panasonic plasma models at CC (Castleton), the salesman showed me a new 42" model he had just set up earlier in the morning. It turned out to be the new Sony 42" A10. Wow! After just seeing what I thought were some the very best plasmas, I was truly amazed at the picture clarity and sharpness on this new set. The 50" A10 should be set up within a few days. I will be going back soon to examine these two sets in more detail.

Steve

Thanks. Will head over there Sat after work. Been waiting for Ovations to get some in. They said by 3rd week in Aug.

Here are some photos from my 50" a10. I'm certainly no expert on PQ but I've had mine since 7/30 and in my view it's an improvement over the gwiii which I had before. Blacks are definately improved.

The photos can be accessed by opening the url in the photos.txt attachment. Sorry, it wont let me post a URL since i'm new.

You'll need to download them fully to see full resolution. The PC shots are using the VGA connector. At Full1 and Full2 the desktop is underscanned and at Zoom the desktop is overscanned. But it looks like the Zoom setting is the best one based on the shots IMG_0237, IMG_0238, and IMG_0239 which show the Resolution test from the Nokia montior utility. The lines aren't clear under Full1 and Full2. It looks like the pictures is scaled down on these settings, whereas at Zoom it looks 1:1. Only problem with Zoom is it's overscanned. If anyone knows a fix for this I'd like to hear about it. The tv doesn't have a resize ability that I can find, only the ability to move the picture up/down/left/right. I've attached the nokia monitor test program if anyone wants to try.

btw Thanks for all the great posts. It made my decision to go with the a10 an easy one.


thanks randy. i appreciate it. if you get bored, keep the pics coming ;)

Thank you for the pictures Randy!

Just joined the forum guys after reading all 25 pages of this thread the other night. I would like to thank all of u in helping me make the decision on buying the 50in Sony. Hoping now to help u guys out. The Electronics Expo in Woodbridge NJ has the 50 inch model on display in a media room with only a few other screens and also a movable chair so if u bring a tape measure u can easily check how it looks from distances up to about 20 feet. They are selling it for 10% of the MSRP of 2499.00. But the real deal is at PC Richard where I bought mine about 3 hours ago. $1949.00 plus 50.00 deliery, which is as early as the next day including Sundays. Getting mine tomorrow. Still deciding if I am going to upgrade my Directv to HDTV or to go with Cablevision. Hope to give u guys further input on the actual TV tomorrow.

Any chance you can help a brother out. Maybe PM me with sales guys name, copy of your receipt, anything. I can go to PC Richards in Paramus today and finally buy my TV. Thanks for anything you can do.

There was no special deal, that is the price all PC Richards are selling it for at this time. I got that price at 3 different locations w/o any haggling. All the salesman told me that they have an agreement with sony to sell at this price, don't know if that is the case or not. Also one salesman said that their cost on each TV is 1899.00, so they are only making 50.00. Don't know if this true or not but, 1949.00 is a great price. BTW like i said bought it last night around 5:00, and the delivery guys woke me up this morning at 8:00 with the TV. Should have it hooked up later today, but won't have my HDTV cable install untill the 18th, so thats a bummer, but any other questions i can answer feel free to ask.

Here are some photos from my 50" a10. ...Bandwidth edit.....

Thanks for the pics....great job.

There was no special deal, that is the price all PC Richards are selling it for at this time. I got that price at 3 different locations w/o any haggling. All the salesman told me that they have an agreement with sony to sell at this price, don't know if that is the case or not. Also one salesman said that their cost on each TV is 1899.00, so they are only making 50.00. Don't know if this true or not but, 1949.00 is a great price. BTW like i said bought it last night around 5:00, and the delivery guys woke me up this morning at 8:00 with the TV. Should have it hooked up later today, but won't have my HDTV cable install untill the 18th, so thats a bummer, but any other questions i can answer feel free to ask.

Thanks, looking forward to your review...Price on website is higher...it would be great if what they told you is true, I hate to have to talk these guys down in prices...I am going to hit the one in Paramus in a couple of hours, I'll let you know.

Walked into Sears in Kalamazoo, MI yesterday - small little place and really didn't expect to see the A10, but thought maybe they have the new Mitsu LCD that I can check out -- first thing I see is the 50A10 - it was sweet. So much better than last year's model -- they had last years at closeoutsale so could compare the two and while one bulb is getting tired and the other one is fresh there were differences that I think are just due to the new model. Will probably get this model (just wished it was 55-inch, but oh well) but have one question about the VGA input since I have never hooked up my computer to the tv before (tried S-video once and it sucked so I don't count that).

If I have my computer dvd-player set to another regional format (Europe) can I then send that over the VGA without any issues and see this on the new Sony? Do I need to do any settings / are there any limitations in these that will hinder the movie since it is another region? Appreciate any info

Thanks

PC Richards has them in their showroom in NYC. Only the 42 though, but it looked sweet. I dont know about CC or BB, but I bought mine thru CC thru the store manager. It is being delivered to my apartment in less that two hours. The 50in that is. Excited. Will give you guys my initial evaluation and tweaks once completed. Thanks for the advice to everyone in this forum. Much appreciated.

For those in the DC area, the Sears at Landmark Mall in Alexandria says the 42 are available in the warehouse for delivery as early as Monday. I just spoke with Bernie who was very helpful, and they are selling them at below MSRP.

They don't have them on the floor yet.

tv came. I was alittle scared because the box looked like it was hit a few times. But I set up the tv and the pq looks AMAZING. My tv does have the little horizontal bowing on the bottom of the base of the tv, but I dont care because that has nothing to do with the picture. HD is awesome on this. For all of you who thought the 50in would be to big sitting 7-8.5 ft away. It is perfect. No viewing problems for me so far.

I had the HL-R4667 before this but exchanged it. BEST decision I ever made. Sharpness, clarity, and overall pq is so much better on this tv. In my opinion you wont be disappointed. But that is all for now. Will do some more tweaking later and get back to everyone in this forum.

Also, can people please post their settings once they get their tv to help others out. Sorry if it might be annoying, but this forum is based on people relying on others for assistance. Just my two cents. Will post my setting later today.

UMR: That really hurts us hicks who live in the Sticks, and can't bring a calibration specialist out to our house. Unless we give him our first born. :(
Maybe you can put together information describing how to get the red push out, ext. from the service section on a email link or something. While charging us a Fee for the info. ;)

I doubt that will work. Much of what is done to improve a display requires instrumentation and test patterns to do it well. My other issue is that people have been known to post ISF calibration information on the web after purchasing their services alone much less detailed instructions.

Many of us will travel anywhere for a price less than your first born. :D

Anyone know where I can see either of the models in the Denver area?

Can you try reposting those as attachments. One of them comes up as an exe file, and most are not about to try to open it.

The exe was the Nokia monitor test and, your right, opening an exe from a stranger is probably not the smartest thing to do. If you want to run it, just google 'nokia monitor test' and you can find it from a 'reputable' source.

Got a chance to hop on my parents computer for a moment to give a couple more tidbits for those who are interested.


One thing i've come to realize after tweaking and adjusting for each of my game systems and HD signals is that this new A10 does not offer a true "pro" setting. Don't be fooled, the "custom" setting is not the "pro" setting with a new name. It's actually slightly dissapointing but basically the three available settings are "Vivid" (torch mode), "Standard" (torch mode with half the calories), and "Custom" (torch mode light). In other words they all exhibit a larger amount of picture processing than some people are gonna be happy with. Again, i'm just trying to give a heads up to the ultra picky out there. ;)


For most people this will be a non issue but it's a noted change from the GW III and GW IV. There simply is not true way to see a pure "pro" setting unless you go into the service menu on this set. Of course with a bit of adjusting the "custom" mode can get most people satisfied "such as myself" but some might still have issues with the processing thats going on even in the "custom" mode. When I talk about processing i'm talking about overly digitized and almost "too sharp" a look to things. This leads to SD material looking harsher and HDTV material looking overly sharp. Of course i've already turned down my sharpness setting to 35. It could even go lower but i'll see.

I've currently got my tv set up as follows:

"Custom" picture mode. Iris set at 2. Picture set at 60. Brightness at 50. Color at 38. Hue, default. Sharpness 35. Noise reduction off. Advanced settings: Gamma low, black correcton low, iris low, live color off, pure white off.


For me those are pretty darn good HD settings with my Comcast cable card.



With all that said I still have to say that the A10 is capable of so much more than the previous LCD Projection sets. When you get right down to it the picture is just very solid with HD material. SD is clearly less attractive than it was with the GW III and IV. This is due to the increased processing of the picture. It brings out the flaws in content much more than it did on previous LCD Projection sets. Of course that also means that the HD material is as brilliant as it could be. So, the best stuff looks better than it did on the GW III and IV but the worst looks worser than it did prior. Is worser a word? :D


Overall this set truly looks stunning with a good HD signal. Just make sure you adjust things on the custom setting and once you've got things in a more normal range it's quite a sight.


As for videogames it's the same story. Really good looking Xbox games look even better than they did on the GW III and IV. But the less impressive games with aliasing problems and running at 480p look a little worse. This tv gives you everything out of the source material and that can be good or bad depending on the material. :D The tv sort of reminds me of a DLP set in that regard.



My earlier concerns with the "advanced iris" have all but disappeared. This iris truly adds something to this tv and I have no intentions of ever setting it off. Even with my games, which were first a concern of mine, the iris adds to the picture greatly. I recommend generally setting the iris at "2" but some may like it higher than that. Either way it truly does what it was intended to do. Increase the contrast between dark and light scenes and it works very nicely when the tv is adjusted well.


I still don't like the remote. I still love the look of the tv. I am still thrilled I bought it. It's easily the best LCD Projection set that has been released to date.


If you're thinking of asking me a question just be aware that i'm going out of town tomorrow and likely won't respond til Wednesday at the earliest. Later.

Anyone know where I can see either of the models in the Denver area?

I have the 42A10 set up at the ListenUp store at 685 S. Pearl St. We are open today. Call me at 3-778-0780 if you would like to come in. BTW, I came up with the same settings as Tigerriot on the custome setting tuning by eye. I will turn the iris all the way to 1 when the lights are out. Lew Black

Just finished talking to Sony support. The 50A10 remote can not talk to any Sony DVD Recorder. They say they forgot to program it into the remote. They say the problem will be fixed with next years models.
I tired 20 codes so far and none work. If anyone finds a work around please tell me.

You'll need to download them fully to see full resolution. The PC shots are using the VGA connector. At Full1 and Full2 the desktop is underscanned and at Zoom the desktop is overscanned. But it looks like the Zoom setting is the best one based on the shots IMG_0237, IMG_0238, and IMG_0239 which show the Resolution test from the Nokia montior utility. The lines aren't clear under Full1 and Full2. It looks like the pictures is scaled down on these settings, whereas at Zoom it looks 1:1. Only problem with Zoom is it's overscanned. If anyone knows a fix for this I'd like to hear about it. The tv doesn't have a resize ability that I can find, only the ability to move the picture up/down/left/right. I've attached the nokia monitor test program if anyone wants to try.

btw Thanks for all the great posts. It made my decision to go with the a10 an easy one.

Randy:
The pictures were Great. Can you Post your settings at below link. Its the A10 Tweak Thread. :D
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=566619

UMR:
:D Can You Give me a good contact ISF pearson in the Birmingham AL area. That would be the closest Big city to me, I live Anniston Al. I'll probably wait till I have 100 Hours on my set to have it calibrated when I get it.

There was no special deal, that is the price all PC Richards are selling it for at this time. I got that price at 3 different locations w/o any haggling. All the salesman told me that they have an agreement with sony to sell at this price, don't know if that is the case or not. Also one salesman said that their cost on each TV is 1899.00, so they are only making 50.00. Don't know if this true or not but, 1949.00 is a great price. BTW like i said bought it last night around 5:00, and the delivery guys woke me up this morning at 8:00 with the TV. Should have it hooked up later today, but won't have my HDTV cable install untill the 18th, so thats a bummer, but any other questions i can answer feel free to ask.

You were right on, My set is being delivered tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.

You were right on, My set is being delivered tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.

I wish there was a PC Richards in Alabama :mad:
All we have are carpetbaggers :D

UMR:
:D Can You Give me a good contact ISF pearson in the Birmingham AL area. That would be the closest Big city to me, I live Anniston Al. I'll probably wait till I have 100 Hours on my set to have it calibrated when I get it.

Sorry,

I don't see anyone around Birmingham that has a spectroradiometer along with skill set that I would recommend. :(

Can you anyone take a picture of the horizontal banding on the corners of the TV?

It seems to be for the 42's only.

Also, any place in Orange County, CA that has the 42" for viewing?

UMR-
Second the Dallas trip or local recommendation for ISF.

Rumor has it that Valley View Sears has a 50" on display. I have not verified.

Will buy 42 as soon as I see it.


Valley View Sears does indead have the 50". It's on an endcap by the washers so you really can't compare it to anything. They also have a 60" A20 next to that new 60" Mits LCD on the back wall...

Valley View Sears does indead have the 50". It's on an endcap by the washers so you really can't compare it to anything. They also have a 60" A20 next to that new 60" Mits LCD on the back wall...

Was actually just calling there right now to make sure...it's about the furthest of all the Sears stores from me but I'm going to take the ride there to check it out. It took the girl 10 minutes on the phone to find it but just wanted to make sure. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the tips. I checked out the TV at Listen Up. It looks great and the size is just what I need. It measured just a tad over 39 1/4" wide. So that works great. I have all of 1/8" to spare on each side. My width can be increased slightly by adjusting the hinges to move the doors ever so little.

I really liked the TV--nice picture. The regular stations looked good as well as the dvd movie. Did not take the time to test out the TV much since that is pretty much what I am resigned to get because of space limitations.

Great TV.

Brad

OK, I've spent hours calibrating this set and I have gotten it close to where I'm happy with it. Here are my settings:

Iris 1
Picture 87
Brightness 51
Color 36
Hue R13
Color Temp Warm2
Sharpness 11

I have tried the following DVDs on my Panasonic S77 over HDMI with 720p upconversion, and that's what I used to calibrate these settings:

Superbit Fifth Element
Superbit Blackhawk Down
Hellboy
A Bug's Life
Pirates of the Caribbean
Lord of the Rings FOTR
The Saint
Tombstone
Lethal Weapon 2

And a myriad of others...I think I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. At first flesh tones had some green tint on shadows or facial 'stubble' and browns were a bit green, but now it's looking great. OOTB experience was a bit of a letdown, but I'm 100% with my purchase now.

42" A10 btw.

I had the HL-R4667 before this but exchanged it. BEST decision I ever made. Sharpness, clarity, and overall pq is so much better on this tv.

First off, a million thanks to all of you--I've been lurking for 2 months now, studying these A10s, and can honestly say this has been the best "consumer info" experience I've ever had on the Web. Most of y'all are outstanding critics and the discussions have been really helpful.

Scherer326, I have narrowed down my TV choices to the 42A10 and the HL-R4667 you just sent back....main reason is available space. (I even had a carpenter come out to see if I could get a couple more inches in the entertainment center without wrecking it, but no.... :( ) My viewing distance will be 6-8 feet, so I'm really on the fence about going for the 42" Sony vs. the extra 4" of screen space on the Samsung. You're the only one I've seen who's specifically seen both, although you were looking at the 50A10...I'd appreciate your opinion on this.

(And anyone else's thoughts, too. Preferably before next weekend and the first real week of preseason football. :D )

Just gave myself an early Christmas present with the E50A10 (delivery on the 19th). Got it from Myer Emco in Gaithersrburg, MD. Ken, the salesman, was a great guy. Pointed me toward all of the "value concious" products that I needed, and was very open about telling me to get stuff at other places if there were better deals out there. "You should get DirecTV from somewhere else... we'd charge you way too much for the install" "I got a cheap HD antenna from BB. It was half the price of this one and works just fine.".

Many thanks to everyone on here giving their opinions and thoughts. I was pretty set on getting the E50A10 for a while now, but the reviews definitely set me over the edge.

firstly - just read this entire thread - thanx for all the really usefull info.

couple of questions:

Online $$ for the A10's are definately cheaper the BB/CC/Sears - so why would you not buy from online merchants? One thing I can think of is the hassle to return the set if there are too many dead/stuck pixels?

second question is about the viewing angle. Where I would put the set would have the bottome edge of the screen a few inches above eye level - I know the vertical viewing angle is pretty narrow - am I going to have a problem with this ?

thanx

Got no responce on these question - no one got any opinions?

I had the HL-R4667 before this but exchanged it. BEST decision I ever made. Sharpness, clarity, and overall pq is so much better on this tv. In my opinion you wont be disappointed. But that is all for now. Will do some more tweaking later and get back to everyone in this forum.



I took the 42" 655 back because I wasn't thrilled with the PQ and definately did not like the style of it in our living room. Got the 4667 instead and it took about three days for me to really not like it PQ wise, but the style is great. Hit a new CC today and the manager told me that he'd have the 50" A10's in end of week at the latest, so I'm going to sit tight until they arrive.

What's worse for me is now I want one of these: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-7I9Z9xiW67g/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=147350&I=158SR50XBR

<sigh> Heck, it's only money right?

in my opinion the a10 series is alot better than the HL-R4667, right when I turned on the tv for the first time I noticed the tv being much sharper in displaying the text, HD is amazing. Am so glad I did the exchange. Never looked bad.

For the guy who is 6-8 ft. the 42 in maybe best. I am 7-8.5 ft and I have the 50in with no problems viewing it. All depends on your eyes. If they are good, heck, go with the 50in, you wont be disappointed.

P.S. thanks for starting to post settings for others. Will post mine tonight.

The A10s are not coming to Canada until mid sept at the earliest. Like the gw4 it will be a canada specific model with no cablecard slot. The e50a10 will have a cdn msrp of $3699. It will be much cheaper to buy it from the US because sony decided to bump up the prices for canada on the a10 and a20s.
I now have more info for canada. e50a10 will msrp for 3699 and e42a10 will msrp for 3299. Futureshop now has the 2 models in the system with no stock. it means we will see the set in 2-3 week in west coast and 3-4 week in the east coast a little earlier than expected. there is a very big difference in msrp compare to dealer cost so expect to get big savings by negotiating with sales people especially with buying more than 1 set with a friend. It will definate be cheaper to buy from the usa as dealer cost is a little bit higher than the lowest retail price i have found plus exchange rate. The us dealer price is lower than canadian dealer price.

well i called pc richards today and they had one in stock .. so im picking it up in about an hour or so .. cant wait .. gonna suck that i wont have a stand until monday .. but i can live with watching it on the floor lol .. pc richards definitely have a nice price of 1949 .. ill post pics once i get it all setup ..

ill have to use my component dvd player until i can get an hdmi one .. and my hdtv cable box only has component connections as well .. sucks

A10 vs. A20

I bought the A20 about 2 weeks ago and overall was very happy with it (other than some rolling white lines on some SD channels...long story). I've been reading all these posts about the A10's and how great they are so I had to see one while I was within my 30 day return/exchange period.

I called every Sears, Circuit City, Best Buy, Frys, etc. in a 20 mile radius and no one had it. Fortunately one the Dallas Sears did have it so I took a ride there. As someone mentioned earlier, it's on an endcap all by itself so it's somewhat hard to judge against other TVs. However, a 60" A20 is about 20 ft. behind it so if you take a step to the right you can see both the A10 & A20 (they did have an open spot next to the A20 and I thought about asking them to move the A10 next to it to compare but since I wasn't going to buy it I didn't want to put them through that).

So, the 2 TVs were not next to each other so it was slightly harder to compare them but I have owned the 55" A20 for 10-14 days so I feel like I know what it looks like for the most part. Overall, I was NOT impressed by the A10 over the A20. I spent almost an hour messing with all the settings that the A10 has that the A20 doesn't have (black corrector, white brightness, iris, etc) and overall nothing I did made me say 'Wow, this looks so much better than my TV." IMO (and I'm not an expert) the iris on the A10 is nothing more than a tweak for the brightness.

It's been a few hours since I was there so I can barely remember what was on it (I do know it was a DirectTV HD signal) but there wasn't anything very dark/black for me to be able to see how much better it could be than the A20. There were some dark sequences but nothing that held for too long or with a ton of detail. So, that is about the only thing I still am not sure about but I'm about 95% happy with the blacks on my A20 (only time I wish it could be better is on a certain map on Halo2).

Feel free to ask any questions but I was all set to exchange my 55" A20 for a 50" A10 due to everyone proclaiming it was so much better. While there is a whole extra settings menu for the A20 I honestly don't feel like any of those settings do anything drastic to the TV that you can't come close to with the A20 menu/settings. I bought my A20 for $2999 from Best Buy and right now it's on sale for $2849. So, instead of exchanging my A20 I just got a $163 credit from BB and am happy for now.

If in the next 2 weeks I can see an A10 again somewhere else I will check it out (the Sears store was pretty bright...I would've preferred a lower lit room) again to give it another shot but as of now I think the A10 and A20 are very close in performance...which overall I do think is great.

w000000t

My 42" A10 has arrived at Circuit City and I'm going to grab it tonight.

My HD TiVo hasn't arrived yet, so it'll be SD for a while. But I'll live. :D

in my opinion the a10 series is alot better than the HL-R4667, right when I turned on the tv for the first time I noticed the tv being much sharper in displaying the text, HD is amazing. Am so glad I did the exchange.

Thanks--I'm looking forward to seeing the 42A10 in person to make the final call, but I can't fit the 50A10. Soooo...it's down to the HL-R4667 or the 42A10. My gut tells me that 4" more screen may make the difference, but PQ will be the main thing if there's an obvious gap one way or the other.

Of course, with the variations I've seen in different big-box stores' setup, signal, lighting, etc....who knows if I'll even be able to make that call? :confused: I appreciated your first-hand experiences on it. Thanks again.

I personally would choose Sony over Samsung unless you have a very strong preference for something about the Samsung. Many people have been having trouble calibrating some of the recent Samsung sets. Samsung's analog circuitry in general also tends to be of a lower quality than Sony.

If in the next 2 weeks I can see an A10 again somewhere else I will check it out (the Sears store was pretty bright...I would've preferred a lower lit room) again to give it another shot but as of now I think the A10 and A20 are very close in performance...which overall I do think is great.

From everything I've ready, I'm not surprised by this. Barring the cabinet and iris, the A10 is basically the 655 repackaged, and the A20 is a the bigger version of the old 655's.

I don't think your eyes deceive you and if the 55" is what you want I wouldn't give up 5" for an A10. I saw the 55" A20 today and considered purchasing it, but I'm gonna wait until I can see the 50" A10 as well as the new SXRD's (yeah, two different technologies and about a grand more).

A10 vs. A20


It's been a few hours since I was there so I can barely remember what was on it (I do know it was a DirectTV HD signal) but there wasn't anything very dark/black for me to be able to see how much better it could be than the A20. There were some dark sequences but nothing that held for too long or with a ton of detail. So, that is about the only thing I still am not sure about but I'm about 95% happy with the blacks on my A20 (only time I wish it could be better is on a certain map on Halo2).

Feel free to ask any questions but I was all set to exchange my 55" A20 for a 50" A10 due to everyone proclaiming it was so much better. While there is a whole extra settings menu for the A20 I honestly don't feel like any of those settings do anything drastic to the TV that you can't come close to with the A20 menu/settings. I bought my A20 for $2999 from Best Buy and right now it's on sale for $2849. So, instead of exchanging my A20 I just got a $163 credit from BB and am happy for now.

If in the next 2 weeks I can see an A10 again somewhere else I will check it out (the Sears store was pretty bright...I would've preferred a lower lit room) again to give it another shot but as of now I think the A10 and A20 are very close in performance...which overall I do think is great.

At a Sears in Vegas the channel was tuned to an HD station, but the feed was coming from a standard coax cable. Are you sure the A10 at Sears was getting a true HD feed?

Generally, it's difficult for them to get an HD feed to one of the endcap displays.

Unless the picture on the A10 was truly better then then A20 you made the correct decision. 55" is a nice size set. I wouldn't want anything smaller in my livingroom. I went from a 65" Toshiba to a 60" Sony. I like screen realestate I think it makes the biggest impace when watching movies, etc. The A20 60" from Sony is a great set and I'm 100% satisfied. I also noticed that most of the settings on the A20 don't make drastic changes on the set. When I played with sharpness on my Toshiba I could see a huge difference. Not so on the Sony. Color is probably the biggest tweak on the set. You can really over saturate the colors. Blacks are excellent on the set and I read on the SOny website that the contrast ratio is 6000 to 1. Not bad. At some point there is a point of diminishing returns. The only thing I don't like about the Sony is that there is a slight SDE when you get close with most feeds. The very best HD feeds displayed don't display the SDE. Also you need to be like 2-3 feet away to even see it. Sitting 8-10ft. away and it's no visible even on the worst feeds. I think that LCD RPTV's have come a long way and are 80% of the TV I want for the next 10 years. The new flat panel sets are a little smoother then RPTV LCD's but they are also a lot smaller so they are hard to make a direct comparison. The few I saw and the better Plasma sets looked great.

Well, I got it. 42" special ordered from Circuit City. I got it two days after they ordered it for me. They're in the warehouse, so go order them if your local store doesn't have them yet.

I don't have a HD source yet, so I can't comment. I can say the TV looks great and SD channels look phenominal. So far, so good.

At a Sears in Vegas the channel was tuned to an HD station, but the feed was coming from a standard coax cable. Are you sure the A10 at Sears was getting a true HD feed?

Generally, it's difficult for them to get an HD feed to one of the endcap displays.

Yep, positive it was HD. It was about 1-2 ft. from the closest TV so it wasn't exactly far away from all the other TVs. The picture did look great...I wasn't unhappy with the picture at all...my point just was that the picture, IMO, was no better than my 55" A20.

Just went to PC Richards, in NY today (Union Sq). They had the 42" tv on display. The price for the 50" showed up slightly below MSRP, however when I called the Jersey City store, he quoted the lower price. I'm sure the NY store would match the jersey one, so I didn't get into it.

But here's the rub, I really wanted to like this TV, I've been waiting a while for it. I spent about 30 mins trying to play with the settings. (they didn't have any remote controls, so it was "much" harder). No matter what I tried, I could not get the "red push" to go away. skin tones looked way too red/orange. Shadow detail was much improved over the 655, but I thought the colors were just not correct.

Instead, I kept getting drawn to the 44" Toshiba ('84 series) they had on display. Without playing with any settings, (they were mostly on defaults) the colors looked pretty good.

Sad to say, but I'm very disappointed. I'll probably go back and try out some of the settings posted in this thread, and hopefully some other stores will have them on display soon (maybe the color decoder was defective), but at this point i'm going to start seriously considering dlp's

What's worse for me is now I want one of these: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-7I9Z9xiW67g/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=147350&I=158SR50XBR

<sigh> Heck, it's only money right?

I've been pretty set on buying the A10, but now that I took a look at this and read the thread on it in this forum I'm rethinking too....I think I'm about to convert....

I've been pretty set on buying the A10, but now that I took a look at this and read the thread on it in this forum I'm rethinking too....I think I'm about to convert....

Ok...you go first and tell me what to watch out for. ;)

What's amazing is my WAF....she said whatever I wanted...get it. So....blond or brunette? :D

Just went to PC Richards, in NY today (Union Sq). They had the 42" tv on display. The price for the 50" showed up slightly below MSRP, however when I called the Jersey City store, he quoted the lower price. I'm sure the NY store would match the jersey one, so I didn't get into it.

But here's the rub, I really wanted to like this TV, I've been waiting a while for it. I spent about 30 mins trying to play with the settings. (they didn't have any remote controls, so it was "much" harder). No matter what I tried, I could not get the "red push" to go away. skin tones looked way too red/orange. Shadow detail was much improved over the 655, but I thought the colors were just not correct.

Instead, I kept getting drawn to the 44" Toshiba ('84 series) they had on display. Without playing with any settings, (they were mostly on defaults) the colors looked pretty good.

Sad to say, but I'm very disappointed. I'll probably go back and try out some of the settings posted in this thread, and hopefully some other stores will have them on display soon (maybe the color decoder was defective), but at this point i'm going to start seriously considering dlp's


It's a night and day difference from the OOTB A10 to a few hours later and two dozen DVD's worth of calibration...I bought the A10 sight unseen after spending weeks looking at sets in person from Fry's, BB, and CC, and I'm REALLY happy.

Just watched Bandits on ABC HD feed...unreal!

I've been pretty set on buying the A10, but now that I took a look at this and read the thread on it in this forum I'm rethinking too....I think I'm about to convert....

SXRD is a very compelling technology. I have seen many Qualia 006's and they are my current favorite RPTV. Properly executed LCOS is a significant improvement over LCD. I personally would wait for it if you can afford it. There is little doubt it will be better than any of the current LCD sets iris or not. I have three HDTV's in my house one LCOS set, one LCD direct view and one LCD RPTV. There is no doubt that the LCOS is the superior set to the LCD's in PQ. My father wanted one very bad until he found out what LCOS cost.

I've been pretty set on buying the A10, but now that I took a look at this and read the thread on it in this forum I'm rethinking too....I think I'm about to convert....

Yeah, tough decision, it's only 2 grand more....LOL.

SXRD is a very compelling technology. I have seen many Qualia 006's and they are my current favorite RPTV. Properly executed LCOS is a significant improvement over LCD. I personally would wait for it if you can afford it. There is little doubt it will be better than any of the current LCD sets iris or not. I have three HDTV's in my house one LCOS set, one LCD direct view and one LCD RPTV. There is no doubt that the LCOS is the superior set to the LCD's in PQ. My father wanted one very bad until he found out what LCOS cost.

I believe it was three years ago when I first heard about LCOS, but the manufacturer (can't remember who) stopped production after a few months due to problems. How is this use of LCOS technology different or more improved than previous ones? It's a big chunk of change to spend, but close to what I spent on my current CRT direct-view 5 years ago when it was "state of the art" HDTV.

Yeah, tough decision, it's only 2 grand more....LOL.

I'll have to call in some long, overdue loans.... :cool:

I believe it was three years ago when I first heard about LCOS, but the manufacturer (can't remember who) stopped production after a few months due to problems. How is this use of LCOS technology different or more improved than previous ones? It's a big chunk of change to spend, but close to what I spent on my current CRT direct-view 5 years ago when it was "state of the art" HDTV.

Basically Philips and Toshiba failed at making LCOS. Sony, JVC and Brillian have been making LCOS that has been successful to date, but of questionable profitability. Philips failed because they tried to use a color wheel and it was too slow. Toshiba had problems with the panels failing and the PQ was not that great. It appeared they either could not dissipate the heat properly or had a material that could not withstand the operating conditions. I never heard exactly why they failed.

The other manufacturers appear to be making devices that are very reliable. I would say they have been more reliable than LCD. I have seen DLP and LCD failures with the current models, but not LCOS. LCOS does use polarizers, but I know at least one of the manufacturers is not using organic polarizers.

I would not put all of the current LCOS in the same performance categories. Sony definitely makes the best RPTV product followed by Brillian and then JVC a distant third in PQ. I personally would strongly consider SXRD based on what I have seen, but you may choose differently it is your choice. I rarely suggest displays to anyone in the open forum anymore, but in this case someone was on the fence so I spoke up. I will go back to silence on these issues because it only seems to upset many people.

It's a night and day difference from the OOTB A10 to a few hours later and two dozen DVD's worth of calibration...I bought the A10 sight unseen after spending weeks looking at sets in person from Fry's, BB, and CC, and I'm REALLY happy.

Just watched Bandits on ABC HD feed...unreal!

Ooo. I hope you have a nice post for the settings in the other thread! :)

My 50A10 arrived today. Bought it sight unseen. This is the third HDTV in the house. I bought a Panasonic 50DLP54 (50” DLP) one year ago and a Sony 34XS955 (34” CRT) about four months ago. I am very pleased with the A10.

The cooling fan is incredibly quiet. I think that it is much quieter than the other Sony rear projection LCDs. This was a concern for me because excessive fan noise is my number one complaint about my 50” Panasonic DLP. I can only hear the fan if I am w/i 1-2 feet of the A10 and then only if I am really listening for it. This is great.

Blacks look like black to me on the A10. I only notice that they aren't really black when I compare it to my 34xs955. Black levels are as good as on my DLP set.

Screen door effect does not bother me as long as I sit a reasonable distance from the screen. But I do still notice it, and it is one reason why I like DLP. HD images on my Panasonic have a smooth, film like quality, whereas sometimes my eye is a little distracted by the grids on the Sony.

Sound-- I thought the hidden speakers was a gimmick. Turns out that the speakers work quite well. Speech is clear. Still not as good as the sound on my 34XS955 but plenty good.

The A10 reinforces my faith in sony products. The difference between Sony and other MFR’s is in the details. It’s the little things- how quickly channels change, how the digital tuner doesn’t lose channels, i really like sony's implementation of wide zoom for non-hd material, logical on screen menus, etc.

Circuit City in Culver City, Ca. (wow, that's a lot of C's) is putting the 42" and 50" on display Monday. I mention this because i hit this store almost every day during lunch hour. They've been playing "A Shark's Tale" on the WE series, can't wait to see it on the A10.

I will go back to silence on these issues because it only seems to upset many people.

I hope you don't. I look to this forum for guidance and want everyone to throw in their opinion--especially people with relevant training. What I do with those opinions, well, that's up to me to pick who I listen to, right?

Saw the A10 in Hi-Fi Buys (Tweeter for some of you) yeserday and was amazed. PQ looked better than some of the higher-end plasma's that were right next to it. After reading and researching the market for the last 4 months, this is the TV I'm going to buy, Hands down, and for all of the same reasons mentioned here.

Interesting note and because I have been waiting for programming to catch up/prices to come down, I have held onto my 1989 Sony XBR 32" inch tube for years that still has an excellent SD picture. 16 years on this TV is great and many of my friends still don't believe it is that old. It has made me a Sony customer for life.

So I'm now on a mission to find the best price. The Sears F&F discount sounds good and Sears stands behind their sales, although the HFB salesman was willing to give me 5% of the MSRP with no issue. He also mentioned the 60 price protection. I'm going to shop around for the next couple weeks, and will be happy to have the set in my home by kick-off of the regular football seasons. I'm open for suggestions. PM me if anybody has a beat on better than MSRP prices.

But the TV is only part of my purchases. Since my life has changed with TIVO, I also need to upgrade to a HD TIVO. Currently I have DTV but they are behind the timeline for HD broadcasts. Who knows when they will have the additonal broadcasts. So I'm considering switching to Comcast with their HD-TIVO unit. Does anybody have experience with this. (of course I'm reading the other forum threads).

Also, I'm going to purchase a sound system. The Bose systems looks great and the sound quality seems good, any comments here? I have alot of reading to do here. Let me know your suggestions.

All in all, I think Sony really nailed the market with the A10. Excellent combination of PQ, function and price. I can't wait to get it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

atlantadan,

Dish Network has the best looking HDTV content that I have seen from a subscription service. I recently switched to using a Dish 942. The 942 is generally a much better STB than my SA 8300HD was. It is not without some flaws, but I find Dish and the 942 to be a great option unless you want the NFL package then DTV is the way to go. Time Warner Cable here is only using 2 MBS of bandwidth per HD channel and it shows. I do not know what the bandwidth is for Dish, but I would guess around 10 MBS. The quality is not as good as D-Theater or the best OTA content, but it is much better than TWC. I also really like the way the 942 integrates OTA programming with Dish. This is much better than the separate HD tuner and TWC STB setup I was using.

dont do any tweaking at PC Richards, they have the worst feed. go to a better place to test it

umr: Where did you see a SXRD display? Does it have a much smoother PQ over the current Sony LCD sets?

I think most audiophiles will tell you to go with anything except Bose.

Understand the issue with DTV and HDTV completely. I'm a Tivoholic so there's no way I can get HD DTV without a Tivo, but there's no way I'm gonna spend that kind of money for a HD Tivo and get so few channels in HD. Not willing to switch to Dish or anyone else, so I'll just sit and wait on that.

Right now I find myself watching OTA HD not because I like the shows per say, but because they're in HD. :D

Saw the A10 in Hi-Fi Buys (Tweeter for some of you) yeserday and was amazed. PQ looked better than some of the higher-end plasma's that were right next to it. After reading and researching the market for the last 4 months, this is the TV I'm going to buy, Hands down, and for all of the same reasons mentioned here.




..........and the flip side is that I wasted a trip to a Tweeter's store a hundred miles away for what had to be one of the crappiest demos.

I know enough to know that what I saw was not representative of what the Qualia and the A10 is capable of. I'm still amazed they sell any TVs with these lousy demos. By the way, the salesman that followed me around didn't know that digital can be either HD or SD nor did he know that some programming that is HD is basically SD due to the cameras.

This brings up an even greater point with me. With all the demos I've seen and have driven thousands of miles to see, most of them really didn't tell me anything as the devices were usually set up poorly. I've done better waiting a few months and viewing them locally with one of the stores that will allow you to adjust the controls.

umr: Where did you see a SXRD display? Does it have a much smoother PQ over the current Sony LCD sets?

Where & What: Sony Qualia 006 & 004 - Las Vega Qualia Store, Tweeter in Houston and many peoples homes.

The PQ is less grainy because of the tight pixel structure. I have 20-10 vision so I see most defects pretty easily. The colors and contrast ratio are also exceptionally good. They do require careful calibration and tweaking to achieve what they are capable of. Sony enhancement/filtering has to be removed in the service mode on the 006. The new XBR's will probably require the same. Smooth images are also a strong function of the source. Having quality HD sources is critical as display quality improves.

Lander, right there with you, as I cannot watch television without TIVO.

But to spend $575+ for a HD Tivo with 30 hours of HD record time is outrageous. I'm going to call Comcast tomorrow and see what they have to offer. If they have a HD Tivo with two tuners included, might be worth taking their $400 switch from dish promtion until DTV can get their act together. The only thing is that I'll loose the NFL Sunday ticket.

I need to do my homework on the sound system. I hear you about the Bose, those little speakers look enticing, but I haven't really speced-up on performance. I've really focused on the television and TIVO, now I need to round it out with a sound system.

two questions:

1. Should cinemotion be kept on or off?

2. How do you get rid of the info screen that appears everytime you turn on the tv. Mine says video 4 (top left corner), full mode (bottom left corner) and the time (bottom right corner). Is there a way to not see this everytime you turn on the tv. Just want to see the program each time, nothing else. I have info banner off right now. Is there something else that controls this.

Well went to the local BB store yesterday and while they had no A10 in the store they have it in the system. I negotiated down to a rate on the tv that INCLUDING the extended warranty puts it at MSRP. Now I bought it on AMEX and fully plan on cancelling the extended warranty -- the negotiating power you have at BB when you say you will get the EW is amazing (tells you how much they track this / make money of it) It will be real interesting when I go to cancel it to see what they want to do with the price of the tv -- I am hoping for some new guy that doesn't know much :) -- you have 30 days to cancel the EW so works pretty good for me.

Also noticed that they have the stand for the 50-inch models (Sony) way cheaper than I can find them online / at Sony so that might be a good deal for people that are sure they will be getting this tv - you can get 15% of the stand in addition if you buy a tv. It is funny that after looking for so freaking long and being finally sure that I am going to buy online I end up with a price that is not very different from online vendor at a B&M store and if there is a single bad pixel this baby is going back :) -- not up and running until next saturday, but thanks to everyone in this and all the other threads for info / thoughts etc - it makes it easier when you look at a tv to know the issues and what to look for.

Understand the issue with DTV and HDTV completely. I'm a Tivoholic so there's no way I can get HD DTV without a Tivo, but there's no way I'm gonna spend that kind of money for a HD Tivo and get so few channels in HD.

It's a tough call--I'm in that boat too as a Tivo addict, and Sunday Ticket's really the only thing that keeps me with the DirecTV program. But football is the main thing I watch on TV, so I go where the Ticket goes (minus that ridiculous SuperFan overcharge!). Even if you decide to go nuts and buy an HD Tivo, be sure to check out some of the threads over in "HDTV programming." Now is not the time to buy any new equipment from DirecTV, I think.

But on THIS topic: I just finished scanning ads and big-box websites again. Seems strange, but STILL nobody's getting the A10s down here yet in South Florida. If anyone spots one down here, let me know.

After playing with the TV a bit more this morning, I can say it has a great picture but does need some more tweaking. OTA signals look good and in my opinion the "cool" temperature produces much better blues that any otherr setting.

Red push can be minimized and doesn't really bother me.

SD through my current TiVo looks OK, but could be better IMHO. Part of the problem is the fact that I'm using S-Video right now... No component on the back of this DTV TiVo receiver. That'll change with the arrival of my HD TiVo this week.

If anyone has any questions, I can answer them.

But on THIS topic: I just finished scanning ads and big-box websites again. Seems strange, but STILL nobody's getting the A10s down here yet in South Florida. If anyone spots one down here, let me know.

The Sears in the Boca Town Center mall had a 50" on display when I was up there last weekend.

For those people in the RI/SE MA area, The SonyStyle store in the Providence Mall has the 50A10 on display. It looked considerably better than the one I saw in Sears a few days ago. Sony store is set up much more favorably than Sears(i.e lower lighting, etc).

After playing with the TV a bit more this morning, I can say it has a great picture but does need some more tweaking. OTA signals look good and in my opinion the "cool" temperature produces much better blues that any otherr setting.

Red push can be minimized and doesn't really bother me.

SD through my current TiVo looks OK, but could be better IMHO. Part of the problem is the fact that I'm using S-Video right now... No component on the back of this DTV TiVo receiver. That'll change with the arrival of my HD TiVo this week.

If anyone has any questions, I can answer them.


Post your settings :)

Also, I'm going to purchase a sound system. The Bose systems looks great and the sound quality seems good, any comments here? I have alot of reading to do here. Let me know your suggestions.


I have no interest in hijacking this thread, but I feel it is my AVS Forum member duty to advise you to shop shop shop around, before deciding on the Bose. As another has already stated the Audiophiles around here would give Bose a less than stellar rating, and after doing much speaker shopping I would agree. At the very very LEAST, you can find a system that performs as well as the Bose for probably half the price. There are much better options out there in all categories to fit your needs: price, size, styling, room size, etc. Demo everything, read here, do your homework and if you still think the Bose are for you, than go forth and be happy. I'd wager you'll soon change your mind though. :)

Places to start? Definitive Technologies, Energy, Athena, HSU, and many more! Check the speaker section here at AVS for some very helpful and intelligent suggestions.

My settings pretty much follow Morley's on pg 29. However, I am only tuning via. a crappy rabbit ear antenna as my HD TiVo and upconverting DVD player haven't arrived yet.

One thing I noticed... Some of the chicago stations (OTA) say they're broadcasting in 720p. Yet, it's being pushed in 4:3 and for example the NBC logo and words that are displayed on the TV are not crisp at all. In fact the only OTA channel that looks good IMHO is PBS channel 11.1 here in Chicago.

With that...

Iris 4
Picture 87
Brightness 51
Color 47
Hue R13
Color Temp Cool
Sharpness 41

finally setup my 50a10 .. upgraded to it from my 36inch xbr crt ..
hd from my comcast hd dvr looks great .. one thing though some sd channels
like fx .. amc and stuff are showing a fuzzy line on the very top where the screen ends .. only happens on some SD channels and its really annoying .. any ideas ??

also on the display it shows the hd channels at 1080i and 16:9

everything else is 480i and 4:3

are u guys running normal ? wide ? wide zoom ??


thanks

im using component cables for the hd dvr

Went to Tweeter today (deerfield IL) o look at the A10 - 50inch. The set look fantastic. However, Tweeter is blowing out the 55xs series. The price was to good to pass up. Check out the there web site for details. If the xs is to big for my room (and my wife), I would not hesitate to pick up the a10.

My 50A10 arrived today. Bought it sight unseen. This is the third HDTV in the house. I bought a Panasonic 50DLP54 (50” DLP) one year ago and a Sony 34XS955 (34” CRT) about four months ago. I am very pleased with the A10.

The cooling fan is incredibly quiet. I think that it is much quieter than the other Sony rear projection LCDs. This was a concern for me because excessive fan noise is my number one complaint about my 50” Panasonic DLP. I can only hear the fan if I am w/i 1-2 feet of the A10 and then only if I am really listening for it. This is great.

Blacks look like black to me on the A10. I only notice that they aren't really black when I compare it to my 34xs955. Black levels are as good as on my DLP set.

Screen door effect does not bother me as long as I sit a reasonable distance from the screen. But I do still notice it, and it is one reason why I like DLP. HD images on my Panasonic have a smooth, film like quality, whereas sometimes my eye is a little distracted by the grids on the Sony.

roblim - could you elaborate a little more on comparison between A10 and the 34XS955?

I know you've got the 50, but I was thinking about selling my 34XS955 and moving to the 42A10. Sitting about 6.5 - 7 ft. away, do you think the trade off (picture size vs. SDE & black levels) is worth it?

Hi everyone,

I've been reading this forum for a solid week now, but this is my first post. My story is that I'm in the market for my first HDTV and I'm looking at getting a tv from either the HLRxx67 series or the A10 series. Something 42"-50" and I want to buy within the next month or so. I want to ask A10 users about the two main complaints I've read about for the HLRxx67 series: audo lag and video game lag.

Audio lag isn't so much of a big deal to me. At best, I won't have the problem, which is what a lot of users experience. At worst, I do have the problem and I fix it by adding delay through my audio receiver or I buy a fellton delay unit.

Video game lag, however, is a deal breaker. Let me just be clear that I don't mean motion blur (ghosting), that is a non issue, I mean the delay from pressing a button to seeing that action on screen. One big reason why I want an HDTV is to use it for current and next-gen consoles, so lag is a huge concern of mine. In the HLRxx67 threads some people are screaming bloody murder. Others say that with component cables and using 'game' mode the problem goes away.

My question to you is: has anyone noticed this problem on their A10 set? Whoever has gaming experience on their A10 can you please post your console connections and how well the tv responds while playing games? Is there something on the A10 like the 'game' mode on the HLR that reduces delay? Any help is appreciated.

One final question, what do users here think about next-gen consoles outputting in native 720p? Do you believe this will solve game lag because the set won't have to upconvert from 480i/p?

Thanks in advance.

I have a PS2 and a X-Box and there is no ghosting, smearing or lag time on the 60" A20. I'm sure it would be the same with the A10.

DC/NoVa Update:

Pulled the trigger on the 42 this afternoon. BB at Potomac Yards didn't have any on the floor but had 103 of them in the Baltimore warehouse. Nice discount off MSRP with only minor negotiating. Being delivered Tuesday. Will update the. I'm comparing against a Sammy 4674, which was awesome but caused MAJOR rainbows and headaches, and Panny 44LCX65, which was generally lame all the way around (not sharp, severe SDE, extremely underwhelming).

I have a PS2 and a X-Box and there is no ghosting, smearing or lag time on the 60" A20. I'm sure it would be the same with the A10.

I've had my A20 for almost 2 weeks and have played a LOT of Xbox (Halo & ESPN Baseball). No lag whatsoever.

To confirm what homeguy said, I've seen the A10 & A20 together (not side-by-side but very close to each other) and I really don't think there is much difference at all. I'm sure you'll be fine with gaming on either unit.

One gripe is that I can't get the A10 remote to work my TiVo. I have an old Sony RM-AV2100 that could probably learn everything, but the bulkiness doesn't make things doable IMHO.

So switching between the TiVo and OTA requires three remotes (TiVo, A10 and Yahama receiver).

I'll have to maybe pick up a good universal remote.

By the way... White Sox in 1080i on WGN rules! :D

where can I find the 50in stand on the CC or BB website. How do I order this other than from the sony website. Live in NYC. any advice.

One gripe is that I can't get the A10 remote to work my TiVo. I have an old Sony RM-AV2100 that could probably learn everything, but the bulkiness doesn't make things doable IMHO.

So switching between the TiVo and OTA requires three remotes (TiVo, A10 and Yahama receiver).

I'll have to maybe pick up a good universal remote.

By the way... White Sox in 1080i on WGN rules! :D


There is an issue with the remote on the A10. Some remote codes were not programmed including of all things Sony DVD Players! Oh well. The factory remote is a little confusing to use anyways so a replacement isnt a bad idea

where can I find the 50in stand on the CC or BB website. How do I order this other than from the sony website. Live in NYC. any advice.Onecall has it here (http://www.onecall.com/ModelSearch.htm?SKU=SU-RG11M&MinRange=0&MaxRange=35%2C000&AnOrderBy=0#TopOfPage)

BB & CC didn't have it.

Or you can search other places by model number "SU-RG11M"

Google brought up a few places.

Well,
In Canada, we have no A10s out here yet and I visited a local shop to see the new 55inch A20 and I must say that the picture was stunning. I lowered their settings which were cranked way up and I saw picture that was smooth, clear and no screen door effect for me at a distance of around 5 feet. The casing of the TV is really stunning too. So, I now wait wait wait for the 50 incher to come out but I seriously doubt that it could be much better.
Later
Take Care
Tec :D

There is an issue with the remote on the A10. Some remote codes were not programmed including of all things Sony DVD Players! Oh well. The factory remote is a little confusing to use anyways so a replacement isnt a bad idea


Really? That sucks. Any plans to fix this?

I may try to pick up a Harmony 880. But I will need to do some research first.

Really? That sucks. Any plans to fix this?

I may try to pick up a Harmony 880. But I will need to do some research first.

I'm looking to do the same thing, a tip for you www.onsale.com has it "on sale" for a pretty good price right now..

Do you guys think it'd be possible to have Sears pricematch the PC Richards store? I'm in FL and we don't have PC Richards here. But if Sears can call a store and verify the price, I think they have to match. Any reason this wouldn't work?

Aaron

roblim - could you elaborate a little more on comparison between A10 and the 34XS955?

I know you've got the 50, but I was thinking about selling my 34XS955 and moving to the 42A10. Sitting about 6.5 - 7 ft. away, do you think the trade off (picture size vs. SDE & black levels) is worth it?


The 34XS955 is in a small guest bedroom/home office. I sit about 5 to 10 feet away from the screen. I have been really happy with the 34XS955. No complaints other than its weight of 200 lbs, which makes moving it a chore.

The A10 is in the master bedroom. It's a much larger room than the one where the 34xs955 is located, and it is also a very bright room- lots of sun all day long. I sit about 10 feet away from the A10 in this room. The A10 can throw a bright enough image so that even during the day it looks great. A CRT would look really washed out in this room.

The one thing I have noticed about watching HD material and DVD movies is that bigger is definitely better. I think a 42" screen is a minimum size to really get the immersive feel. The A10 is wonderful because you get that big screen feel.

I think if you were going to sell your 34XS955 then the 50A10 is a great TV to trade it for. If you sit far enough back then the screen door effect probably won't bother you. Screen door effect is the real drawback to rear projection lcd technology for me. That is why I bought my 34xs955 and not a rear projection lcd a few months ago. But the A10's clean design, improved black levels, and low price tempted me to try it.. I'm glad I did and I think that I can live with the SDE.

PC Richards looks like they are out of stock for the moment...also their website lists a price of $2399.97. Even CC is beating that price. How do you get the 1950 pricetag? i was going to call today and ask but noticed that they are out of stock. i live about 2hrs away from the store.

i also called CC to see if they would price match (but they are actually cheaper) and the salesman said they would only match direct competitors within 50 miles.

Up until Friday the in store price without haggling was 1949.00, and the salesman said they had about 50 in stock. You can call and try to ask the price, but I think their policy is that they don't quote prices over the phone. Maybe if u tell them u a distance away u can get them to bend the rules. They should definitely tell u if they have any in stock. Good Luck

does anyone know if we should set the cinemotion in the settings menu to auto or off on the tv. I have mine off, but was wondering if it should be set to auto.

also, when I turn on the tv, I get the clock, video 4, and full mode each time. What do I do to turn this off so it doesnt happen each time I turn on the tv. Any advice would be great

I have 20-10 vision so I see most defects pretty easily.

Sheesh umr - ever consider a second career as a fighter pilot? ;)

Scrib: If u have unlimited funds then the Harmony remotes are excellent. Another good remote for the money is the Ratshack universal remote.

Scrib: If u have unlimited funds then the Harmony remotes are excellent. Another good remote for the money is the Ratshack universal remote.


Unofrtunately, the money tree isn't bearing nearly enough fruit this summer. But I may pick one up in the next month or two.

Thanks. :D

Quick question. Should I leave cinemotion on or off in the settings menu. This deals with automatically detecting film content and applying a reverse 3-2 pulldown process. Will this moving picture will appear clearer and more natural looking.

Do you guys think it'd be possible to have Sears pricematch the PC Richards store? I'm in FL and we don't have PC Richards here. But if Sears can call a store and verify the price, I think they have to match. Any reason this wouldn't work?

Aaron

I'm in Dallas and tried this exact same thing on Saturday. I asked a guy in Sears about price matching and he pulled up a screen full of retailers they price match to. PC Richards happened to be on the list (unfortunately no other stores known for good prices). I called up the Woodbridge store and got them to quote the $1949 price over the phone. Unfortunately when my sales guy went to the manager for approval, it got shot down since it wasn't a local store...

So I'm still without a TV. I'm actually now considering the 55" XS at Tweeter. They have a pretty good close-out price on it.

does anyone know if we should set the cinemotion in the settings menu to auto or off on the tv. I have mine off, but was wondering if it should be set to auto.

also, when I turn on the tv, I get the clock, video 4, and full mode each time. What do I do to turn this off so it doesnt happen each time I turn on the tv. Any advice would be great

The trick to not getting the clock to display is to never set the time in the first place. If you have, then use the reset function which resets all the menu settings including the clock. this is true for sony tv's in general, not sure about the 50a10 though. i don't think you can hide the video mode setting or the input display.

but are these all suppose to show up each time you turn on the tv. It goes away, just wondering if you can stop it some how so they dont show up anymore unless you push the display button.

also, what about cinemotion, any clues

I got the same info from FS and the Sony Store. But I find it very hard to believe that the 42A10 will MSRP for 3299 when the Samsung 4264 is 2399 (or 2499). They are supposed to be in direct competition to each other. I think that the price is in their system now and will change to the true MSRP when the set is actually available (similar to the way some online sites had the set for over $3k US before it became available).

If the 42A10 is actually over $3k CDN there is no way it's worth a grand more than the Samsung (which has been as low as $1999 CDN on sale already).

Steven

but are these all suppose to show up each time you turn on the tv. It goes away, just wondering if you can stop it some how so they dont show up anymore unless you push the display button.

also, what about cinemotion, any clues

I would not find a problem with this. As soon as I turn on my 34" Sony I hit the Display button and everything goes away. This is better than waiting several seconds for the clock to go away. Just hit Display on the remote and it's gone" :D

I hope you don't. I look to this forum for guidance and want everyone to throw in their opinion--especially people with relevant training. What I do with those opinions, well, that's up to me to pick who I listen to, right?


Agree.

anyone know where I can see one of these TVs in Pennsylvania? (central PA). I went to BB and had them try to look the E42A10 up in their system and the guy told me nothing came back and he never heard of the A10. What do i need them to search for so they can find this tv?

Can anyone tell me the viewing angles for the a10 - I don't see it in the sony site - must be in the manual. Especially interested in the vertical since I will be placing this set on a self.

thanx

Why do most people seem to buying these A10 from the BB/CC/Sears big box stores - seems Online merchants give the best price?

thanx

Why do most people seem to buying these A10 from the BB/CC/Sears big box stores - seems Online merchants give the best price?

thanx

CC in L.A. is selling the E42A10 for $18--

One reason people are buying from box stores rather than online is the "low price" guarantee. They figure the price might drop in the next 60 days which it might.

You save the tax with online but it is really hard to send a defective unit back. Also with the box stores the return policies are rather lenient, so you can in reality, try out the merchandise for awhile, with nothing down and no payments.

I am interested in the 42" A10 since my space is limited. Probably go the online route though since I have a warranty credit with one of the companies mentioned before. My Pioneer 53" have performed flawlessly for the past 3 years. Great picture, but my wife made me put it in the basement.

I got the same info from FS and the Sony Store. But I find it very hard to believe that the 42A10 will MSRP for 3299 when the Samsung 4264 is 2399 (or 2499). They are supposed to be in direct competition to each other. I think that the price is in their system now and will change to the true MSRP when the set is actually available (similar to the way some online sites had the set for over $3k US before it became available).

If the 42A10 is actually over $3k CDN there is no way it's worth a grand more than the Samsung (which has been as low as $1999 CDN on sale already).

Steven
This is the msrp that sony gave retailers 2 months ago. If they dont change it, than all retailers will be listing at that price. Dealer cost on the 42a10 is a little over 2000 cdn dollars so there is a lot of room for negotiation when buying the 42a10.

Lander, right there with you, as I cannot watch television without TIVO.

But to spend $575+ for a HD Tivo with 30 hours of HD record time is outrageous. I'm going to call Comcast tomorrow and see what they have to offer. If they have a HD Tivo with two tuners included, might be worth taking their $400 switch from dish promtion until DTV can get their act together. The only thing is that I'll loose the NFL Sunday ticket.

I need to do my homework on the sound system. I hear you about the Bose, those little speakers look enticing, but I haven't really speced-up on performance. I've really focused on the television and TIVO, now I need to round it out with a sound system.

I have the Comcast HD cable, and DVR service (Motorola box). It works great, and the picture quality on good quality programs is awesome. Recorded shows look as perfect as live ones. A far better deal than buying a Tivo and paying their fees. PLUS, if the Comcast unit ever breaks, they swap it out it at NO CHARGE. When the Tivo pukes, you will have to send it in for service, do without it for who knows how long, and pay the bill for the repairs.

Scrib: If u have unlimited funds then the Harmony remotes are excellent. Another good remote for the money is the Ratshack universal remote.

Tying back to the TiVo issue, I've been using the HomeTheaterMaster MX-500 (http://www.universalremote.com/products/index.php?item=mx500) for several years now. It adapts remarkably well to the TiVo remote control format (the center control pad is perfectly placed). For more $$$, the MX-700 has built-in editing/setup via PC.

Hi all. I've been reading for a while as my 31" Zenith made in 1991 finally lost it. This is my first post, and I was hoping you could help answer my question on this TV. The A10 is a dream TV. I'm limited for space, as I have 48" width to a doorway, as well as a limited viewing distance (8 1/2 ft. from wall to couch). I've figured the 42" is as large as I can go.

I haven't seen it yet, and will either go w/it or just get a CRT instead. I was all ready to buy a Samsung DLP online, but I don't like the picture quality the new -66 models provide w/their darker glass, as well as I see SDE worse in DLP's than I do in LCD projections.

I live in a somewhat isolated place, and HD isn't availble here. I have Atlantic Broadband cable w/a Motorola HD capable DVR box (the same one Comcast is using in many places), but we do not have HDTV and I have been told by them that our cable system (dumped by Charter last year) has never been updated out of analog cable that was laid in the 1970's, and that HD is at least 1 1/2 years away, if not longer, for me here in Western Maryland. I'm wondering how the A10 looks when analog cable is displayed on it? I have analog local stations as well as most of my cable stations, as well as SD for movie channels and other cable stations. I know RPTV's have problems displaying lower quality signals, and I'm wondering how the A10 looks w/them. The A10 isn't available in my city (The only stores that sell TV's here are Wal-Mart, Sears and Rex), and my Sears says they can't get it.

I visited the Sears in Valley Mall in Hagerstown, MD this weekend where I saw a 50" A10. I tried playing around w/it to get a different signal, but they only had a Dish HD demo channel hooked into it, so I couldn't see what to expect.

I know this is somewhat long, but for those of you that already have the TV, what is analog cable's picture quality look like? If I don't get the A10, I'll go for one of the better quality CRT's, either the Sony, Panasonic or Samsung 32" HD models (the model numbers escape me at the moment). I bought a Philips 32" at Wal-Mart, but the picture quality is terrible on analog channels, as well as the fact that the inputs are defective and shows video streaming in the background of both signals when my STB and VCR are hooked up. I'll be returning it as soon as I can get a better quality TV.

drhull,

First of all, don't consider yourself bound to a cable service as satellite is a viable alternative for most people. At the moment, Dish has the better HD signal and cost a little less than Direct TV. Direct TV has more football.

Analog varies so much that its difficult to make any solid comments about its quality. If you have a problematic cable system, I doubt anything put on it will look all that good.

I have the Comcast HD cable, and DVR service (Motorola box). It works great, and the picture quality on good quality programs is awesome. Recorded shows look as perfect as live ones. A far better deal than buying a Tivo and paying their fees. PLUS, if the Comcast unit ever breaks, they swap it out it at NO CHARGE. When the Tivo pukes, you will have to send it in for service, do without it for who knows how long, and pay the bill for the repairs.


Alan,

Thanks for the other info. Comcast seems the way to go until DTV can get thier act together. I have to have TIVO and the box needs to maintain the HD signal.

Also, for others living in Atlanta, thanks to the tip from another poster, I have found the A10's priced from a local store that are comparable to e-tailers. Great pricing!

I haven't seen it yet, and will either go w/it or just get a CRT instead. I was all ready to buy a Samsung DLP online, but I don't like the picture quality the new -66 models provide w/their darker glass, as well as I see SDE worse in DLP's than I do in LCD projections.



This is intriguing....you see the Screen Door Effect in a DLP system?

First off, a million thanks to all of you--I've been lurking for 2 months now, studying these A10s, and can honestly say this has been the best "consumer info" experience I've ever had on the Web. Most of y'all are outstanding critics and the discussions have been really helpful.

Scherer326, I have narrowed down my TV choices to the 42A10 and the HL-R4667 you just sent back....main reason is available space. (I even had a carpenter come out to see if I could get a couple more inches in the entertainment center without wrecking it, but no.... :( ) My viewing distance will be 6-8 feet, so I'm really on the fence about going for the 42" Sony vs. the extra 4" of screen space on the Samsung. You're the only one I've seen who's specifically seen both, although you were looking at the 50A10...I'd appreciate your opinion on this.

(And anyone else's thoughts, too. Preferably before next weekend and the first real week of preseason football. :D )


I also had a HL-R4667 and hated it from the first day. I have an older GWII and have been completely happy with that TV, which I used for comparison. I decided to up grade my family room TV so I went the Samsung because it was available and the price was acceptable. I spent many hours with DVE (Digital Video Essentials) trying to get an watchable picture; however the Samsung does not appear to have the color depth to accurately reproduce non-moving backgrounds without serious color banding and pixelization. I even noticed this with HD sources. Everything else on the TV was fine. Since I had purchased the Samsung at circuit city I had the 30-day return policy to use. When I went to return the TV they were pretty set on trying to get me another TV. I said that the only thing I was interested in was the Sony 50A10, which they did not have in stock or in the computer system for ordering. The manager agreed to extend my 30-day return to a 90-day return.

I had my 50A10 delivered last week and could not be happier. I was skeptical about going with a 50-inch TV in my family room; however it seems to be fine now. The 50A10 has near perfect solid backgrounds after some initial adjustments. I could have lived with the Samsung if I only intended to watch HD or DVD; however since this a family room TV most of the material will be SD digital or analog channels.

The only problem that I can see now is that my GWII mat not get much use. :)

In regards to stands -- I am going with SUGW11 -- instead of the SURG11M -- that is last year's model for the 50-inch -- anyone know if this will be an issue? Compared to onecall I am saving $110 bucks (shipping) since BB have it and I bought the tv from them so another 15% discount on the stand.

Regarding gaming:
I used the VGA input to play halflife 2 from the PC - It was incredible!. No problems of delay, synching, etc. Can't wait for xbox 360-hd.

I spent many hours with DVE (Digital Video Essentials) trying to get an watchable picture; however the Samsung does not appear to have the color depth to accurately reproduce non-moving backgrounds without serious color banding and pixelization. I even noticed this with HD sources. Everything else on the TV was fine.

Whew....glad it's not just me. Had the 42" 655 and had some minor issues with it and a major design issue (ok...it was just butt ugly in our living room), so back it went to CC and I got the 4667 instead. Good looking system, but the stationary backgrounds were driving me nuts! I thought my eyes were failing me or something!

I finally found an A10 nearby and went to look at it yesterday...heading to CC at lunch to tell them to order me a 50" version and I'll return the 4667 when it arrives. I'd contemplated getting the new LCoS from Sony when it arrives next month, but I just can't see myself spending $4k on a TV right now.

Just an update. I have had the 50A10 for only 2 days and am loving every minute of it. No problems at all, and picture is perfect.

For others who may be interested in the HL-R4667, I went thru two of them, had problems with both, exchanged each one and finally went with the Sony KDF-E50A10. It was a total difference. The Samsungs had problems with geometry in both sets that I tried, text being displayed on the screen was blurry, pq was so-so, and HD was good at times. But the HL-R4667 had a humming noise that was always coming from the tv. So I went for the Sony thru CC. So much better. No geometry problems, vertical and horizontal lines are straight, text be displaying is sharp, pq is great, and HD is AWESOME. Go with the Sony for all those considering either one.

My setup will be posted when I get home from work

I finally found an A10 nearby and went to look at it yesterday...heading to CC at lunch to tell them to order me a 50" version and I'll return the 4667 when it arrives. I'd contemplated getting the new LCoS from Sony when it arrives next month, but I just can't see myself spending $4k on a TV right now.

You will be very happy with your exchange. Additioanlly the 50A10 looks great. I thought the opening at the bottom was going to look funny from the published pictures; however it's really very small. I also hated the looks of the WE655 so much that I couldn't buy it at any price.

I'm thinking that eventually I'll replace my GWII 50" with a 60" SXRD. I'll let the prices filter down first.

Andy

I'd contemplated getting the new LCoS from Sony when it arrives next month, but I just can't see myself spending $4k on a TV right now.

Are these the SXRD models that I see mentioned in the forum? The 1080p sounds nice, but so is the ~$2000 price on the A10's. Decisions...Decisions....

Yes, you can see the new ones here: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-3eOH2WoJ3aZ/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=147350&I=158SR50XBR

i'm going to order my 50A10 at sears this week. when i was there recently, i saw that they will give you 15% off if you get a sears credit card. just wondering, has anybody done this, and moreso, are you able to get the 15% off from the credit card and also the extra 10% from the friends and family discount/sale. that would be sweet.....25% off would be some pretty big savings on this bad boy and the stand.

i live in central PA and best buy and CC both claim that the E42A10 is not in their systems or warehouses... do i need to give them a part number or something?

Have them use SON for the mfg and p/n KDF-E50A10. I just got back from my local CC and ordered the 50" model from their warehouse.

Interestingly, they had the 42" on display but no 50" in stock...the supervisor said the 50" just hit the warehouse which I know to be the case as a salesman looked them up a week or more ago and they were already in the warehouse then (50" models).

Alan,

Thanks for the other info. Comcast seems the way to go until DTV can get thier act together. I have to have TIVO and the box needs to maintain the HD signal.

Also, for others living in Atlanta, thanks to the tip from another poster, I have found the A10's priced from a local store that are comparable to e-tailers. Great pricing!

And where would that be? Can you PM me your price?

Thanks!

Regarding gaming:
I used the VGA input to play halflife 2 from the PC - It was incredible!. No problems of delay, synching, etc. Can't wait for xbox 360-hd.

I'm wondering if the VGA input is running one-to-one pixels, ie non-scaling? Is text very clear on screen? I remember a debate a while back concerning 1028x728 LCDs being used rather than the now advertised 1028x720. Maybe it was just a misprinted manual or old specs being migrated from last years models.

Has anyone ran any tests?

Thanks

Saw the A10 in Hi-Fi Buys (Tweeter for some of you) yeserday and was amazed. PQ looked better than some of the higher-end plasma's that were right next to it. After reading and researching the market for the last 4 months, this is the TV I'm going to buy, Hands down, and for all of the same reasons mentioned here.

Interesting note and because I have been waiting for programming to catch up/prices to come down, I have held onto my 1989 Sony XBR 32" inch tube for years that still has an excellent SD picture. 16 years on this TV is great and many of my friends still don't believe it is that old. It has made me a Sony customer for life.

So I'm now on a mission to find the best price. The Sears F&F discount sounds good and Sears stands behind their sales, although the HFB salesman was willing to give me 5% of the MSRP with no issue. He also mentioned the 60 price protection. I'm going to shop around for the next couple weeks, and will be happy to have the set in my home by kick-off of the regular football seasons. I'm open for suggestions. PM me if anybody has a beat on better than MSRP prices.

But the TV is only part of my purchases. Since my life has changed with TIVO, I also need to upgrade to a HD TIVO. Currently I have DTV but they are behind the timeline for HD broadcasts. Who knows when they will have the additonal broadcasts. So I'm considering switching to Comcast with their HD-TIVO unit. Does anybody have experience with this. (of course I'm reading the other forum threads).

Also, I'm going to purchase a sound system. The Bose systems looks great and the sound quality seems good, any comments here? I have alot of reading to do here. Let me know your suggestions.

All in all, I think Sony really nailed the market with the A10. Excellent combination of PQ, function and price. I can't wait to get it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.


Finally, someone in the ATL saw one of these things. Which HiFi Buys was it? I have been checking every Sears & Best Buy between Stockbridge & the Galleria Mall & I have not seen an A10 (several A20's) yet!

Alan,

Thanks for the other info. Comcast seems the way to go until DTV can get thier act together. I have to have TIVO and the box needs to maintain the HD signal.

Also, for others living in Atlanta, thanks to the tip from another poster, I have found the A10's priced from a local store that are comparable to e-tailers. Great pricing!

atlantadan,

Can you PM me with the store and the price?

Anyone see either the 42 or 50 A10 in the Detroit area? I've been to a bunch of bb's, cc's, the great indoors, etc to no avail. I called the sony style store and they're not going to get it until the end of the month.

atlantadan,



Can you PM me with the store and the price?

Ok, atlantadan, that's 3 ATLiens who all want to know, where did you see this at!! :D

trust me the 42in and 50in are in CC's system. I got my 50in from CC on saturday and am loving it. Tell the saleperson to look for it using what any earlier post mentioned and it will be there.

Finally, someone in the ATL saw one of these things. Which HiFi Buys was it? I have been checking every Sears & Best Buy between Stockbridge & the Galleria Mall & I have not seen an A10 (several A20's) yet!

I saw one at the HiFi Buys on Scenic Highway (Hwy 124) in Snellville, yesterday. I was impressed enough to buy the TV buy I wanted a better price. They were offering the 42A10 for MSRP, then offered to PM Sears' price which is $100 under MSRP.

The HiFi Buys salesman did indicate that they had over 100 in the warehouse on Bankhead Hwy.

I'm patiently waiting for my local CC to start stocking E50A10s. I forgot, is foaming at the mouth considered patient? In preparation I recently upgraded my Charter PoS digital cable box with a brand spanking new Moxi box.

This dream machine caught my eye on TechTv way back in '03 during their E3 special. Most features aren't active yet (unit is basically in beta) but it includes a digital receiver with... 80Gig 2-tuner HD-DVR, HDMI output(non-functional), USB 2.0 and
cable modem with router\software firewall(atm modem is only used internally to download TV listings).(this will change later on to allow home networking besides extreamly fast listings and updates)
*****already working on a 2nd machine with twice the drive space, built in DVD/CD player, and someday way in the future... the ability to stream DVR content to another basic moxi within your home.

I've only been using it for a couple weeks now and have found a few glitches, but overall picture quality is very good. Or so says my 7 yr old 32" Sanyo ;-) We'll see what it can do once my new Sony arrives.

As others on the forum are commenting on Tivos and Sat-DVR I wanted to point out this little beast. I've been a faithful Tivo follower for 3 yrs now. And my modded 102-Gig network-ready Series-I Tivo is upstairs waiting for my Sanyo's banishment from the basement. I do miss it's intuitive interface (Moxi can be nauseating at times) but I just can't pass up a deal like this. A 2-tuner HD-DVR for an extra $3 over my regular digital cable box? This'll tide me over very nicely, untill it's perfected and Charter up's the fee 5000%. By then D-TVs MPEG4-DRVs will be out and priced nicely.

By the way, I'm in Madison, WI. Moxy site lists all the cities participating in the the test if you wish to see where it's available.

Has anyone ran any tests? No, though it has been discussed before on this thread. In case any A10 owner wants to see if they are getting 1:1 pixel mapping over HDMI or VGA here is an old test pattern (http://www.marky.com/misc/testpatterns/Digital_TestPattern_ByMark.bmp) that has been used by a lot of AVS members to determine whether a display could do 1:1 pixel mapping. You save the image to your hard drive and than set it as your wallpaper with the tile setting. The test pattern was originally posted here (http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90884).

Finally, someone in the ATL saw one of these things. Which HiFi Buys was it? I have been checking every Sears & Best Buy between Stockbridge & the Galleria Mall & I have not seen an A10 (several A20's) yet!

I saw the 50" on display at the HiFiBuys in Tucker near Northlake Mall yesterday. MSRP, I was just checking it out and didn't ask if they'd move down on the price.

Brandsmart off of Peachtree Industrial has the 55" A20 on display. Said they would have the 50"A10 in "soon". The salesman checked the computer and claimed he could order it for me at a price around 20% off MSRP, but I'm not convinced he knew what he was doing.

I saw the 50" on display at the HiFiBuys in Tucker near Northlake Mall yesterday. MSRP, I was just checking it out and didn't ask if they'd move down on the price.

Brandsmart off of Peachtree Industrial has the 55" A20 on display. Said they would have the 50"A10 in "soon". The salesman checked the computer and claimed he could order it for me at a price around 20% off MSRP, but I'm not convinced he knew what he was doing.

Heh, 20% off? I would have found out right then if he knew what he was doing. I would have ordered it. I may have to make at trip up that way to see.

For everyone dying to see these units read back a few pages and read my comparision from the A10 to the A20. You can go see an A20 and you'll get a very good idea of what an A10 will be like as I think the picture they offer is almost identical.

1137 are you saying that there is no advantage to the adjustable iris ?

Without re-writing my entire post I own the A20 and I spent almost an hour with the A10 and didn't think the picture was any better and didn't think the blacks were noticeably different. My post was probably on page 29 or 30...check it out and feel free to ask any questions.

how much does the bulb cost to replace in the 42a10? just wondering whether or not i should shell out $300 on a service plan or not.

i'm going to order my 50A10 at sears this week. when i was there recently, i saw that they will give you 15% off if you get a sears credit card. just wondering, has anybody done this, and moreso, are you able to get the 15% off from the credit card and also the extra 10% from the friends and family discount/sale. that would be sweet.....25% off would be some pretty big savings on this bad boy and the stand.

If you find out that they will do this, then please let us know! 25% off might even push me to buy one now (instead of waiting until the holidays).

The bulb can be had online for $150-180

I asked about this a few pages back but I'd like to get more replies.

For anyone who has their A10, can you give any information about audio lag (lip-sync issue) or video game lag (action delay) that you may be experiencing on this tv? I'm trying to decide between the Sony 42" A10 or one of the Samsung HLR tvs and I've read a lot of mixed impressions about the audio / video game lag with the HLRs.

So far not a lot of people have been talking about this with the A10, but I guess not a lot of you actually have the TV yet.

thekangarooster,

I may be mistaken, but I believe several people have replied that there are no problems here.

Without re-writing my entire post I own the A20 and I spent almost an hour with the A10 and didn't think the picture was any better and didn't think the blacks were noticeably different. My post was probably on page 29 or 30...check it out and feel free to ask any questions.

No offense intended, but this is exactly why I wanted to see the A10 for myself, because there have been conflicting opinions regarding the benefits of the iris and the internal speakers, etc. You feel there is not much improvement due to the iris but many others disagree. So each person should decide for themselves by actually seeing the set(s) in question, IMHO.

I don't think this has ever been an issue with RPLCD. In fact, the only place I have ever seen this brought up is with the Sammy DLP units. Having owned a Sammy for over a week now, I can say I haven't seen any lip sync issues. I don't game on it so I can't say anything about lag.

I do believe there has been discussion in this thread regarding gaming on the A10 series and it's been positive feedback on it.

With the A10 sets it is easy to simulate the lack of the iris, just turn it off in the custom mode *and* turn its value up to 5. Even when the dynamic circuit is off the IRIS at least lets you have the equivalent of a neutral density filter set for your current room lighting, I think it is a nice improvement over the previous model. Those with a neutral density filter installed in last years model with controlled room lighting would probably see only a small benefit to upgrading.

Hey everyone. I'm looking forward to the Sony 42" coming out in Canada even though they'll be $500 more expensive than they SHOULD be. But what I've recently been aware of are the maintenance costs of RPTVs. Bulbs only last 4 years usually? That's remarkably low, isn't it? I mean I want my TV to last me 20 years, which means I'll have to buy like 5 bulbs. At $300 a bulb, that's another $1500 I'll need to spend on my TV. That's a pretty heavy maintenance cost don't you think? Is it better to spend $1500 extra initially and just get a plasma? I mean that will last 20 years approx. What do you guys think?

Do you really plan on keeping a TV for 20 years? If so, you do what you think you need to do to give you your best bang for your buck. If you want it to last that long though, you're probably better of sticking to a CRT.

Hmmm, how long do people expect RPTVs to last then, out of curiosity? I didn't know 20 years was unrealistic.

A plasma isn't going to last anywhere close to 20 years.

It's not that it's unrealistic, but imagine yourself watching a 25" CRT TV from 1985 still...I expect newer and better displays to be forthcoming from mfg's making what we're buying today hand-me-downs in 5-10 years.

A plasma isn't going to last anywhere close to 20 years.

Why wouldn't it? With the new gen's having 60,000 hour half lifes I don't see why it technically wouldn't last.

Or do you know something we don't?

My Phillips 42" plasma only lasted 4 years and Phillips then said they were no longer supporting repair of the unit. So I now have a Sony A10

I decided to see if the red push could be fixed in the service menu. I posted what I tried here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=567709
If anyone else is fool enough to try this I would be interested in your results.

If you find out that they will do this, then please let us know! 25% off might even push me to buy one now (instead of waiting until the holidays).

well, i just went by sears to ask them about the double discount and the saleslady was clueless about what i was referring to about the credit card thing. when i showed the sign to her, she asked her boss and he said it was a misprint and it should have said $15 off purchase, not 15%, for getting the sears credit card. so, i punched her in the face and pooped in the corner of the store. how you like me now, mrs. saleslady and mr. misprint? i'll still buy it from sears, just gotta wait until next sunday when they have their friends and family day.

Ok next question, extended warranty....

Sony Style tells me I can purchase the extended warrantly from them anytime before the 12 month warranty period ends. They say they use their own tech's, compared to a reseller who might use a local guy.

Is any of this true? Sony says 5 years is $279 on the A10, but does not include the bulb.

Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

The no-bulb coverage is common in Canada it seems. Which is making it a tough decision for me to assess whether a Service Plan is still worth it.

BB & FutureShop do NOT cover the bulbs in their service plans either.

I've also asked AudioTronic and gotten the same response.

Ok next question, extended warranty....

Sony Style tells me I can purchase the extended warrantly from them anytime before the 12 month warranty period ends. They say they use their own tech's, compared to a reseller who might use a local guy.

Is any of this true? Sony says 5 years is $279 on the A10, but does not include the bulb.

Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

Plenty of good information about warranty's in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=565930

While I've purchased the 2yr plan from CC with the two TV's I bought in the past month or so, I think with the A10 I'm going to decline it and instead purchase the warranty through Sony for five years. I consider the bulb to be a wear item and as long as I can get a few years out of it I'll be happy. It's the rest of the stuff inside that worries me in relation to expensive repairs, and I'd rather have a longer warranty for the same basic price sans the bulb coverage.

Do not bother with the service plans for LCD tvs. It is a pure money maker I know because my company sells them all the time. we have very very low problem rates on lcd tvs compared to DLP or plasma with plasma being worst. If you want hassle free maintainance go with CRT or LCD panel not LCD rear projection. Plasma will not last long, we see them break down quite often during warranty with many different problems.

Scratch that...please keep the warranty discussion in the indicated thread and let's keep this thread pertaining to the unit itself.

Sorry about sidetracking this thread.

the warranly thread link you provided was great.

Now, back to the A10.....

well, i just went by sears to ask them about the double discount and the saleslady was clueless about what i was referring to about the credit card thing. when i showed the sign to her, she asked her boss and he said it was a misprint and it should have said $15 off purchase, not 15%, for getting the sears credit card. so, i punched her in the face and pooped in the corner of the store. how you like me now, mrs. saleslady and mr. misprint? i'll still buy it from sears, just gotta wait until next sunday when they have their friends and family day.


Are you sure that anyone can participate in the Sears friends / family sale on the 14th? I e-mailed customer service through their website and they said no, that it was only for employees and their family / friends that they bring to the store.

Are you sure that anyone can participate in the Sears friends / family sale on the 14th? I e-mailed customer service through their website and they said no, that it was only for employees and their family / friends that they bring to the store.

Go into your local Sears and sweet talk an employee to give you a coupon/ticket or whatever it is you need to get in. ;)

Note that the low cost link to buying a Harmony 880 no longer works. They are now sold out and have raised their price! I was too slow in ordering.

I have the A10 on order and am getting Comcast HD cable installed on Wednesday.
What DVD player do you recommend for this TV?
I read the NS-975 thread and that about scared me away from buying.
My dealer has given up his Sony franchise due to too many recent problems but has
2 975s left.
He said I had a 1 in5 chance of it breaking.
I have 2 other sony players I can use one a 530 and a 333(?).
What else should I do to get myself up and running with my first HD TV?

samsung HD950 and panasonic dvd-s97 are some good upconverters

samsung HD950 and panasonic dvd-s97 are some good upconverters


I ordered the Sammy HD941. It has the faroudja chip in it and can upconvert through component.

Alan,
Also, for others living in Atlanta, thanks to the tip from another poster, I have found the A10's priced from a local store that are comparable to e-tailers. Great pricing!

Whats the name of your local store in Hot-lanta. :D

well, i just went by sears to ask them about the double discount and the saleslady was clueless about what i was referring to about the credit card thing. when i showed the sign to her, she asked her boss and he said it was a misprint and it should have said $15 off purchase, not 15%, for getting the sears credit card. so, i punched her in the face and pooped in the corner of the store. how you like me now, mrs. saleslady and mr. misprint? i'll still buy it from sears, just gotta wait until next sunday when they have their friends and family day.

Man, that was funny. I've had a hard time reading the remaining threads because I keep chuckling.

Glad you quoted agrippi's post, goblue, or I think I would have missed it. (Sometimes there are few too many new posts in these threads to really read each one in detail.)

I really needed a good laugh today.

I made a few very favorable comments about the new 50 inch last week.
What I just learned is interesting.........Sears had it hooked up through COMPONENT..........AND with "lower grade" (read NON brand name such as "Monster") component cables at that. What that means, IMHO, is that when I get the TV home within 2 weeks and hook it up with HDMI to HDMI cables, the picture should look significantly better. Two reasons for that is that the TV is no longer looped together with the other sets on display, and secondly, the difference between cheap component cables a a straight through HDMI hookup!

I know it's kinda early yet since the TV was just released but has anyone used a harmony remote with it? I just picked up the 42A10 and was thinking about buying a Harmony remote. Thanks... -DaBuggah

I know it's kinda early yet since the TV was just released but has anyone used a harmony remote with it? I just picked up the 42A10 and was thinking about buying a Harmony remote. Thanks... -DaBuggah

If you search this thread, you will see some information on the Harmony remotes.

Not much talk about how these sets are performing or not performing. Maybe the owners are enjoying the sets so much, they can't spare a few minutes to even post their observations...the picture is that good. Or....is the set not so outstanding after all-just average?

I just purchased my 42A10 for Sears for about 17% off MSRP before tax and delivery. But sill came in nearly $200 under MSRP. I'm happy. I can't wait for it to be delivered--Wednesday. :D

I just purchased my 42A10 for Sears for about 17% off MSRP before tax and delivery. But sill came in nearly $200 under MSRP. I'm happy. I can't wait for it to be delivered--Wednesday. :D

Which Sears? How much did you have to negotiate for that price?

Not much talk about how these sets are performing or not performing. Maybe the owners are enjoying the sets so much, they can't spare a few minutes to even post their observations...the picture is that good. Or....is the set not so outstanding after all-just average?

The tv is incredible at this price point. Picture is stunning in HD. SD channels are much better than expected. A few tweaks on the settings will make your eyes very happy!

It's not that it's unrealistic, but imagine yourself watching a 25" CRT TV from 1985 still...I expect newer and better displays to be forthcoming from mfg's making what we're buying today hand-me-downs in 5-10 years.

Ummmm, try no name brand 13". I graduated High School in '85 & in my Mothers' office (ne my old bedroom) there is that same 13' little color TV still going strong. My 14 year daughter has no problems with it. The TV that I had before that one was a 19" B/W Amanna (Ford Philco Baby :)) My Dad bought that TV circa 1974 when we moved from TN to Ohio. It finally crapped out about '83 or so & I got the above TV the next year at X-mas.


edit: needed to add Black & White :D

--SNIP-- so, i punched her in the face and pooped in the corner of the store. how you like me now, mrs. saleslady and mr. misprint? --SNIP--.

That made me LaughOutLoud LOLOLOL!!!! :cool: If they were dead, I'm sure Kool Moe D & L.L. Kool J would be rolling in their graves.

Sorry to repost this but I need an answer - I'd really like to get this set but I need some comment/data about off-vertical plane viewing.

Eye level will be a few inches below the bottom of the screen. What's the vertical viewing angle specified as? I could not find it on the sony site

thanx
tim

Hey all! First I got to say this is a great site. The knowledge here is unreal. I am a novice as far as the tv's go. I have a 36" jvc and have been looking at RLCD and DLP for about a year now trying to decide which to buy. Well I finally bit the bullet and bought the KDF-E50A10 from CC. I should recieve the tv late this week and I am very excited but am a little worried about all the settings and such to get the thing in the best viewing mode. Seems it can get quite in depth. I will be checking these threads for sure to find the right settings. I have a couple of questions to start. The cables I was sold at CC are Monster 400 for HMDI and Monstervideo 2 component video cable . Are these what I need? Are they the best? If not where do I find what I need? Also the the tv stand I found I like will put the center of the screen about 6in above my level eye line in my recliner. The tv will be 10.5' from my chair. Do you think the height will cause any dimming or should it be fine. I hope someone in the know can find some time to help me out. It would be very much apprecieated. I have gone through the first 30 threads and have not found the answer yet.
Thanks alot!

surveyor,

Welcome to the forum. If you do a little searching, you will see that the overwelming opinion is that Monster cables are over-priced. Consider getting some of the good alternatives that have been recommended.

The cable types that you need depend on what you are hooking up to the TV. Please post what that is.

Thanks abward. I will have comcast hdtv box and will be hooking a jvc dvd player along with a jvc reciever for sound. I have a optical cable.
Thanks

Which Sears? How much did you have to negotiate for that price?

Sears at Gwinnett Place mall. No negotiating, per se. They pricematched BrandsMart - 10% of the difference. It was much easier than I would have expected.

I'm watching Monday night Football in 720P OTA and the picture is absolutely amazing on the 42". Even my wife, who is anti-HDTV (another "man toy" in the house), commented on the picture.

I have little to no experience with turing these sets and yet the picture it's delivering with simple menu tweaks is just awesome.

The kicker is, the picture is being produced over a set of rabbit ears that are sitting BEHIND the TV.

I love this thing!!!

I just wanted to add that i spent another hour at CC today playing and looking at it and all i can say is WoW. For $18__ you get a 42" HDTV with an awesome picture, PC input, cable card, Iris, 1280x720, gorgeous looking, the Sony name, and more. I will be buying this very soon.

I purchased the E50A10 online last week sight unseen and today I'm very happy to report that I will be very happy with the set when I get it the next two days.

Howards Appliance (branches in southern CA) have these sets. At least the one by my house in Corona. Call before you go to make sure they have them in your local store.

No reviews since I was in/out real quick looking for a TV stand and it was near closing. And plus I was distracted by someone pooping in the corner. Who started this?

Seriously, I only had enough time to say wow "what a nice picture". The credits of a movie were rolling. What I noticed was that about 7 RPTVs within my field of view (including another 55" Sony that I didn't have time to make out) had text that were flickering as the credits rolled. Noticeably bad, something with the feed I guess. The A10 had a very SLIGHT flicker but was not even 1/7 of the sets to the right and left of it.

And as I was leaving they were playing some HD content and I noticed how great the blacks looked. As mentioned there was some red push.

Can people post whether you are using the component or HDMI/DVI connection? Or, since most cable companies don't activate their HDMI (those bastards), is component more than sufficient on this TV?

Hey all! First I got to say this is a great site. The knowledge here is unreal. I am a novice as far as the tv's go. I have a 36" jvc and have been looking at RLCD and DLP for about a year now trying to decide which to buy. Well I finally bit the bullet and bought the KDF-E50A10 from CC. I should recieve the tv late this week and I am very excited but am a little worried about all the settings and such to get the thing in the best viewing mode. Seems it can get quite in depth. I will be checking these threads for sure to find the right settings. I have a couple of questions to start. The cables I was sold at CC are Monster 400 for HMDI and Monstervideo 2 component video cable . Are these what I need? Are they the best? If not where do I find what I need? Also the the tv stand I found I like will put the center of the screen about 6in above my level eye line in my recliner. The tv will be 10.5' from my chair. Do you think the height will cause any dimming or should it be fine. I hope someone in the know can find some time to help me out. It would be very much apprecieated. I have gone through the first 30 threads and have not found the answer yet.
Thanks alot!

You won't see any dimming vertically unless you crawl up to the tv on the floor.

Can people post whether you are using the component or HDMI/DVI connection? Or, since most cable companies don't activate their HDMI (those bastards), is component more than sufficient on this TV?

I am using a cheap dvi to hdmi cable and it works great. Spent about 1/15th the price of other stores. www.monoprice.com

As for my signal, I have a Dish Network at my house as well. To have the same channels I do now would cost nearly twice as much as what I'm paying for Atlantic Broadband cable (We have a pretty good digital cable lineup, the same one we had w/a few more channels than Charter). That would not be for HD either, they tell me, and I'd need a new receiver. 10 miles away from me Adelphia is the cable company, and they offer a lot more, but I'm not sure if they offer HD yet. I may be moving anyway.

As for picture quality, I own a Sony KV-27V10 27" TV from 1995, and I love it. The picture quality is stunning. This Philips I just bought at Wal-Mart is horrible on analog, and decent on the SD channels.

As for seeing the SDE on Samsung DLP's, a Circuit City I visited I placed on an analog cable signal (Adelphia in this city), I saw a very grainy picture which looked identical to the SDE I've seen on some LCD projection TV's (mainly the Panasonic 44" PT-44LCX65). I was all ready for the HLR-4266W, but the picture quality on analog cable really turned me off. I've read that analog is better on LCD projection than DLP, and overall I like the picture quality better from an LCD projection (plus I see rainbows on a DLP).

If it wasn't for the size issue, I'd have a 50" SXRD coming in September. They look to be something special.