Sad to say that I don't think I can convince the fiancee to let me get the 50A10 this week. I was hoping to buy at sears this sunday(8/14), since its NO TAX day in MA and 10% for family and friends. I did schmooze one of the sales critters into giving me a coupon for the sale :) I am taking a board exam on Friday and I have a baby due any day now! The timing is not gonna work in my favor, I can allready see it.
Does anyone have the sony stand for this set? Thoughts? I did see the stand at Sears the other day and aesthetically it looks nice. Well built, sturdy. The little shelf for center speaker is a nice touch, although there is not much clearance between the center speaker shelf and the next lower shelf. It seems you could not put anything to "big" on that second shelf. Receiver, UPS, and the like would definately have to go on the bottom shelf. Anyone having an issue with this?

Sad to say that I don't think I can convince the fiancee to let me get the 50A10 this week. I was hoping to buy at sears this sunday(8/14), since its NO TAX day in MA and 10% for family and friends. I did schmooze one of the sales critters into giving me a coupon for the sale :) I am taking a board exam on Friday and I have a baby due any day now! The timing is not gonna work in my favor, I can allready see it.
Does anyone have the sony stand for this set? Thoughts? I did see the stand at Sears the other day and aesthetically it looks nice. Well built, sturdy. The little shelf for center speaker is a nice touch, although there is not much clearance between the center speaker shelf and the next lower shelf. It seems you could not put anything to "big" on that second shelf. Receiver, UPS, and the like would definately have to go on the bottom shelf. Anyone having an issue with this?

How DARE you place more importance on a new baby and a board exam over a TV. We're talking about a $2000 TV..LOL.
Good luck on the exam and of course the baby.

How DARE you place more importance on a new baby and a board exam over a TV. We're talking about a $2000 TV..LOL.
Good luck on the exam and of course the baby.

Thanks, I'll need luck for all the above, TV most noteably :D :D :D

yeah, i guess you don't have a choice about the baby :D


Good Luck!

yea joe, a baby is pretty easy. no sweat. eating...i can do that. sleeping...ditto. bodily functions....just like college days, except with smaller diapers. you'll be fine. focus your efforts on being a great supporter during labor and delivery....and you might just get a delivery of your own, the 50A10. booyeah!

I bought the 42A10 from my local CC yesterday. They just put it out on the floor, so I asked the sales guy how much they were selling it for. He said $1999, but would throw in a gift card for %10 of the price($200) and take it off the price of the tv. I thought that was pretty cool as all I asked was how much the tv was since the price was not on the floor model yet. :)

I bought the 42A10 from my local CC yesterday. They just put it out on the floor, so I asked the sales guy how much they were selling it for. He said $1999, but would throw in a gift card for %10 of the price($200) and take it off the price of the tv. I thought that was pretty cool as all I asked was how much the tv was since the price was not on the floor model yet. :)

Although the salesman did look eager, you did buy the set. :)

Just a general suggestion, as part of my thinking of making purchases. And I don't mean to sidetrack this tread to a A10 purschasing thread.

I always choose to do business with a seller who offers the best price out of the shoot. If we do not support these folks, eventually these sellers will disappear and we would be forced to pay higher prices.

I realize we all have relationships with our current favorite stores or for other reasons, but as a suggestion, we should not choose to do business with somebody who does price matching plus a nominal concession (assuming everything is equal). If these sellers want our business, they should be upfront with it.

Just my 2cents. All in all these are great TV's and we'll all enjoy them no matter where we buy them.

I always choose to do business with a seller who offers the best price out of the shoot.I totally agree!

I can't describe how irritating it is to go to a store and have a sales person tell me, "Well that's my best price. Now if you find it somewhere else for less, we have a price match policy so make sure you come back."

I know there are policies in place by the retailers and it's not always the sales persons fault. But if he can go lower, it wasn't his best price.

Just a general suggestion, as part of my thinking of making purchases. And I don't mean to sidetrack this tread to a A10 purschasing thread.

I always choose to do business with a seller who offers the best price out of the shoot. If we do not support these folks, eventually these sellers will disappear and we would be forced to pay higher prices.

I realize we all have relationships with our current favorite stores or for other reasons, but as a suggestion, we should not choose to do business with somebody who does price matching plus a nominal concession (assuming everything is equal). If these sellers want our business, they should be upfront with it.

Just my 2cents. All in all these are great TV's and we'll all enjoy them no matter where we buy them.

That's nice if you live in a large metropolitan area, but for the rest of us we have limited purchasing resources.

In my area we have Circuit City, Best Buy, HH Gregg (just opened a store two weeks ago), Tweeter and Sears. That's it...that's my choices. I used to go to BB for nearly everything...but I am so sick and tired of knowing more than the salesman about the most mundane subjects (no offense to any BB employees) that I just can't stomach going there for any large ticket items. I've found at CC the guy that sold me my dish for my sat back in 1999 is still working there. When I walk in, he knows me. I've gotten to know the manager of the department through all of my dealings with TV's over the past two months...granted, he cringes when he see's me now, but at least he recognizes me.

The guys at Tweeter are nice, intelligent...but they have limited inventory and I just don't find myself going there that often. HH Gregg is new...haven't been in yet but to check pricing. Sears...well, sorry....when the guy got on the phone when I sent my wife there looking for the A10 and proceeded to tell me that the A20 was the replacement for the A10...I'd heard enough.

So, for me, I feel comfortable going to CC and dickering with the manager over price...doesn't bother me. I usually just bottom line it with him and he'll give me his best price. We'll negotiate a bit on the warranty if I want it, and I make the purchase. I know that I need to watch everyone's sale prices for the next month, but with the Internet, that's a piece of cake!

I'd love to have a mom and pop electronics store that was authorized to sell the equipment I buy, but there just aren't any in my area.

Has anyone seen an A10 on display in Houston, especially the 42"? Every place I go says they won't have them on display until late August at the earliest.

Also can anyone with a 42A10 measure the width of the TV at the back? I trying to see if it will fit in my entertainment center, which narrows in the back. Thanks.

That's nice if you live in a large metropolitan area, but for the rest of us we have limited purchasing resources.

In my area we have Circuit City, Best Buy, HH Gregg (just opened a store two weeks ago), Tweeter and Sears. That's it...that's my choices. I used to go to BB for nearly everything...but I am so sick and tired of knowing more than the salesman about the most mundane subjects (no offense to any BB employees) that I just can't stomach going there for any large ticket items. I've found at CC the guy that sold me my dish for my sat back in 1999 is still working there. When I walk in, he knows me. I've gotten to know the manager of the department through all of my dealings with TV's over the past two months...granted, he cringes when he see's me now, but at least he recognizes me.

The guys at Tweeter are nice, intelligent...but they have limited inventory and I just don't find myself going there that often. HH Gregg is new...haven't been in yet but to check pricing. Sears...well, sorry....when the guy got on the phone when I sent my wife there looking for the A10 and proceeded to tell me that the A20 was the replacement for the A10...I'd heard enough.

So, for me, I feel comfortable going to CC and dickering with the manager over price...doesn't bother me. I usually just bottom line it with him and he'll give me his best price. We'll negotiate a bit on the warranty if I want it, and I make the purchase. I know that I need to watch everyone's sale prices for the next month, but with the Internet, that's a piece of cake!

I'd love to have a mom and pop electronics store that was authorized to sell the equipment I buy, but there just aren't any in my area.

FYI I have dealt with HH Gregg here in Indy for about 20 years. The will usually dicker on price pretty easily. Give them a try before you buy, and good luck!

Got the 42A10 in yesterday. Been spending most of my time getting everything hooked up and programming the Harmony remote just-so. Still a lot of work to be done.

First impression: awesome. Very happy with purchase. Competes with DLP. Iris has many options for adjustment. Actually I've found the user adjustments to be deep. I'm sure not deep enough to please everyone, but oh-well. I would like to get UMR's take on some simple set-up settings.

Blacks are deep, colors sharp. Detail excellent. I've seen no bluring or sync problems.

Haven't watched too much SD, but liked what I've seen. Better than my father's year-old Sammy DLP.

I only have THX for test patterns, an ancient DVD, and not nearly enough hours on the bulb to get too picky on the tweaking.

Pics, measurements and premature settings forthcoming. Just wanted to let everyong who's waiting know that this is one happy A10 owner.

According to the manual which is online at Sonystyle.com the vertical viewing angle is +/- 30 degrees and the horizontal angle is +/- 65 degrees.


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

What seems to be considered a good discount off MSRP at a B&M (tax, delivery, warranty are non-issues for me)? I plan on buying an A10 this weekend and I have all the usual players (BB/CC/Tweeter/Sears) nicely lined up on the same road. I don't care how I do it (Friends & Family, pricematch, haggling, etc.) just as long as the end result is decent. BB is having double reward points (on one item) this weekend so I guess I prefer to end up there. All opinions appreciated.

Best advice I can offer is visit each one, get their best price, then buy it. Take it home, set it up, and enjoy. Put the drama of buying the TV behind you and enjoy the TV.

exactly, buy this tv and enjoy it. so much better than the decision making price.

I watched Spiderman 2 on HBO-HD over the weekend on the day I got the tv. Only did some minor tweaking and the HD picture looked amazing when watching this movie. Remember, this was on the first day I got the tv. Got home late last night and watching the 4th quarter of Monday Night football, sweet!!!!

I'm glad you're happy with your A10. I love my 60" A20. I tested it against every DLP and LCD RPTV and thought it had the best PQ, Color, etc. The newer Flat Panels and some of the Plasmas were its only competition and it was bested by the new, expesive flatpanels. Anyway, I just got back from PC Richards. I still have two weeks left on my CC return policy. I wanted to see the new JVC D-ILA set. They had a 52", I believe, setup with a DVD of Finding Nemo. I was hoping that I would like the set. The Sony has a small amount of SDE on some feeds and I would love to see no pixelation. Well the JVC set looked terrible compared to the Sony. There was a lot of noise present in the picture, a shimmering effect on highlights and in fast moving scenes the blocky pixelization was horrendous. In one scene Nemo is caught by a diver and the boat leaves with him. The camera shot is of the turning prop on the boat with bubbles that fly accross the screen. On the JVC set you could see large square blocks and smearing of the shot. I went home and put on the same scene on my Sony and saw no pixelization or smearing. The picture was several times better looking too. Perhaps they were using an S-video but even so it shouldn't have looked as bad as it did. I also was checking out one of the newer Samsung DLP's and it couldn't hang with the Sony. I did however see a Mits LCD/RPTV that looked excellent. I didn't spend enought time with the set but I was attracted by its color, detail and sharpness. My plan was perhaps to return my 60" Sony and buy a smaller set like a 50". Then when the new Sonys come out I would put the 50" in my bedroom and buy the another 60". I got my set for a very low price (under 3k) so I'm not sure what to do.

The 42a10 was delivered about two hours ago. I bought this sight unseen from BB. Having had a Sammy 4674 and a Panasonic 44lcx65 in my house under identical conditions, I can say that so far I am extremely pleased with the Sony.

The HD matches the Sammy, and the SD seems better than the Sammy (no clay face, etc.). The Panny was really a piece of junk in comparison to either of them, as it lacked any sharpness whatsoever and suffered greatly from SDE. The Sammy just gave me headaches and rainbows galore.

From about 8 feet, I notice no SDE on the Sony, and while there is some slight SSE, it's much less distracting than either the Sammy or the Panny.

Overall, it looks like a keeper, which is good because if I had one more TV delivered and returned, I'd likely be leaving with the next one.

The TV itself is absolutely beautiful, easily the best looking of the three. I couldn't STAND the 655s, but this one is sharp. Also, while I'm no audiophile, the sound seems pretty good to me.

Lastly, at the risk of AVS heresy, I have to say I like the picture on vivid mode.

I started out paying $2900 for the Sammy, then $2000 for the Panny and now $1800 for the Sony. So far I like this TV the most, and LOVE the fact that it means $1100 more in my pocket.

Time to spend that $1100 on a new plasma for the living room!

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

I would say 10 years is a good lifetime on any piece of consumer electronics. One of the problems is repair. These sets are built on an assembly line that includes robotics. The parts are bought in large quantities which makes them cheap.

When you pay a tech to diagnose the problem and then buy the parts (if still available) one at a time, the cost of repair is huge. Often parts are not available just 4 or 5 years down the road. See the post from the Philips plasma owner. (Can you imagine what he paid for that plasma 4 years ago and Philips doesn't "support repair" of it??).

This is one of the reasons to consider an extended warranty-if it covers replacement of parts are not available. I had an early Panasonic tube HDTV. After 4 years a bad video board started distorting the picture, but a replacement board wasn't available. Fortunately I had bought the extended warranty through NEW and they cut me a check which paid for a KDF42WE655.

Consumer electronics are incredibly cheap today in real dollars so we have become a throw away culture. Expensive computers are deemed obsolete in 3-5 years. Can you think of any other high ticket item that we would accept from?

Good luck shopping and I hope your new TV does last a long time. Lew Black

PS Aren't you supposed to be dead?

Hi all,
Firstly, great forum for all newbies like me!! :)

I got the 42WE655 a couple of weeks ago and it seems a little small for my basement as my viewing distance from TV to couch is 15 ft. I plan on upgrading to the 50A10 and have to buy from CC (since the first one - a gift - was bought from there).

Some members have posted purchasing the A10 from CC, but for some reason the DC/MD/VA stores do not have this model in their systems yet. They have the A20, but not the A10. I only have till the end of next week to upgrade and am hoping that they have it in their system by then. Any idea why this model might not be in the CC systems? Is it a location issue? To those that bought this unit from CC, how did the rep look 'em up?

Thoughts?

These should be completely visible in the system now for CC...not sure why it's not showing up. Have them enter the mfg as SON and the part number is KDFE50A10. Stock in warehouse for the SE was over 400 units just yesterday.

These should be completely visible in the system now for CC...not sure why it's not showing up. Have them enter the mfg as SON and the part number is KDFE50A10. Stock in warehouse for the SE was over 400 units just yesterday.

Are you saying for CC nationwide...just want to be sure?

The 42a10 was delivered about two hours ago. I bought this sight unseen from BB. Having had a Sammy 4674 and a Panasonic 44lcx65 in my house under identical conditions, I can say that so far I am extremely pleased with the Sony.


Do you still have the shipping box? I was wondering what the height and width are. I recall seeing measurements for the 50", but none for the 42" yet. I'm wondering if I can fit it into my vehicle, or if I should just go with delivery...

Thanks!

Hi all,
Firstly, great forum for all newbies like me!! :)

I got the 42WE655 a couple of weeks ago and it seems a little small for my basement as my viewing distance from TV to couch is 15 ft. I plan on upgrading to the 50A10 and have to buy from CC (since the first one - a gift - was bought from there)

I'm about 11-12 feet and I have a 55"....I could definitely go with a 60" but only for TV (that's a little too big at that distance for gaming). At 15" I'd bet you'd really want a 55". Have you looked at the 55" A20? Unless you can't get it due to budget I'd highly recommend checking it out.

Are you saying for CC nationwide...just want to be sure?

Can't say for sure, but I don't see why it wouldn't be available nationwide in the CC system now.

The manager at my store punched up several different warehouses when I went to ask him about them two weeks ago when they were just coming out. He checked the northeast and CA and came up blank. When he checked again last week they were showing up.

Can't say for sure, but I don't see why it wouldn't be available nationwide in the CC system now.

The manager at my store punched up several different warehouses when I went to ask him about them two weeks ago when they were just coming out. He checked the northeast and CA and came up blank. When he checked again last week they were showing up.

Thanks for the info, I'll check back at my local CC and see what they have to say...I'll give them the numbers you provided. A local B&M electronics store knew about the set, but coulcn't give me a date when they would be getting it.

I thought I remembered reading in the manual or someplace that the A10 has a feature where you can set up the TV such that closed captioning is activated when muting the TV.
Did I just make that up?
If not (i.e. it's a real feature), then could someone point me in the right direction as to which menu I would use to set this up.

BTW, my 50A10 was delivered only a couple of hours ago so I want to get a bit more quality time with the machine before I post my completely novice review of the set. But, this mute/cc thing is gnawing at me and I wanted to see if I was nuts or not.


Mitch

BB is having double reward points (on one item) this weekend so I guess I prefer to end up there.

Are you sure about this? I haven't heard anything. This, I believe, should not just be a local deal either. What is strange is that I don't hear many people here talk about the "reward zone." This by far makes any deal... better. It comes down to free money.

I try to find the best deal I can find, then I go to BB with it. Get them to match that deal, then you also get the reward zone points (without ever having to haggle for it - or even bring it up). FYI: on a $2000 TV you are looking at getting a $65 gift card. Obviously if it is double this weekend that pushes it up to a $130 gift card.

Is there a link for this "double reward zone" offer?

My old panasonic enables closed captioning when the TV is muted. It's a nice feature to have. I sometimes did this when I couldn't understand a line that is mumbled by an actor. It sounds like everyone is liking their new Sonys. I just wished the newer 1080P sets were out. Hopefully Sony will execute on LCOS better than JVC and Toshiba. According to the reviews of the Qulia sets the new sets should be awesome.

I'm about 11-12 feet and I have a 55"....I could definitely go with a 60" but only for TV (that's a little too big at that distance for gaming). At 15" I'd bet you'd really want a 55". Have you looked at the 55" A20? Unless you can't get it due to budget I'd highly recommend checking it out.


Hmm.....see now you have me salivating on the thoughts of a larger TV!!
The reason I discounted the A20's was because of (a) the lack of the IRIS for improved blacks, (b) the picture quality not being as sharp in a 55/60" set as compared to the 50". (c) Price was a distant third! Are they valid reasons? Not sure....

ctcousineau:

42a10 box is:

33 1/2 " high
43 1/2 " wide
18 1/2 " deep

azobairi:

Read my post a few pages back (page 28 or 29 maybe?). I've owned the A20 for 2 weeks and I spent almost an hour with an A10 and did not see any improvement in picture. IMO the picture is excellent on both sets but no matter what I did to the A10 I couldn't see a difference from the A20.

Hi all,
Firstly, great forum for all newbies like me!! :)

I got the 42WE655 a couple of weeks ago and it seems a little small for my basement as my viewing distance from TV to couch is 15 ft. I plan on upgrading to the 50A10 and have to buy from CC (since the first one - a gift - was bought from there).

Some members have posted purchasing the A10 from CC, but for some reason the DC/MD/VA stores do not have this model in their systems yet. They have the A20, but not the A10. I only have till the end of next week to upgrade and am hoping that they have it in their system by then. Any idea why this model might not be in the CC systems? Is it a location issue? To those that bought this unit from CC, how did the rep look 'em up?

Thoughts?

I would expect that the manager would extend your exchange period until the TV you want is available. You are trading up afterall. And at your distance I am sure you will be happier with the 50 inch model.

I just checked on the BB website & Reward Zone website. The deal with the double reward zone applies strictly to tube TV's. I called to verify and they repeated that this does not apply to any RPTV's.

I can't describe how irritating it is to go to a store and have a sales person tell me, "Well that's my best price. Now if you find it somewhere else for less, we have a price match policy so make sure you come back." I know there are policies in place by the retailers and it's not always the sales persons fault. But if he can go lower, it wasn't his best price.
Agreed... especially for sales people who aren't on commission. With this kind of thing in mind, I decided to be aggressive today and see what I could do in terms of pressuring the sales person for their "best price". Got 15% off MSRP on the 42" at a major B&M store... no service plan required. So I'm here to tell you that this method does sometimes work.

Alright, I'm going around in circles now...

Originally bought a Panasonic PT-43LC14 last fall. Couldn't stand the SDE from 6.5 ft. away, or the grayish-blacks when watching in low light.

Returned it and got a Sony KD-34XS955 CRT. Absoulutely love the picture, but now after 8 months it's starting to seem a little small. My viewing habits break down as follows:

SD - 40% (due to no HD-DVR)
HD - 30%
DVD - 30%

Can anyone convince me to sell my 34" direct view set to get the 42A10? :rolleyes:

Just purchased the 42" A10 last night from Onecall (got the last one--they said these things were flying out of the warehouse--only had them for one week and already sold out)

My question is: what type of antenna should I get for the HDTV? It will be laying on top of the entertainment center inside the house.

Appreciate all this forum has to offer.

Brad

My question is: what type of antenna should I get for the HDTV? It will be laying on top of the entertainment center inside the house.

Search the HDTV forum area - TONS of info there... easier to find previous posts on antennas & OTA reception.

Hi all,
Firstly, great forum for all newbies like me!! :)

I got the 42WE655 a couple of weeks ago and it seems a little small for my basement as my viewing distance from TV to couch is 15 ft. I plan on upgrading to the 50A10 and have to buy from CC (since the first one - a gift - was bought from there).




I agree with the other comments here. At 15 ft, I think 50" will still be too small for you. If it's in the budget, you should consider 55" or better yet a 60". Look at the Sony A20 models or you might be able to find a good deal on a clearance XS series. You might also look into the new 528 Mitsubishi series - it has a dynamic iris as well and can be had in a 60".

Edit - fogot you have to go through CC. I don't believe they carry Mitsubishi.

Stopped by BrandsMart in North Miami-Dade tonight and learned that they still don't have the A10s. However, they have 110 42A10s on order that are expected to arrive late this week or early next week. Sale price is in line with what's been discussed here, and maybe slightly lower.

Side note: the sales guy was seriously pimping the Samsung 4667 as an alternative, and also had never heard of the A10 series prior to my arrival. He was prepared to sell me a 42" Samsung plasma model for about the same $ as the A10, but I don't really need (or consider myself informed about) plasma.

For those of you facing that "never heard of the A10" situation in a big-box store, I've found that it helps to have "hard copy" stuff handy. I brought in the A10 page from the SonyStyle catalog, which convinced the sales guy that I knew what I was talking about and prevented the "you must have the number wrong" response I've gotten elsewhere. Just a tip, FWIW--same thing worked at a local CC when I brought in the printed 42A10 web page.

I just got back from sears in Anniston,Al and they had no 50a10 on display. I seen the only young salesman on the floor and gave him the sears #54635 for the 50a10. The computer automatically pulled the price of the the MRSP of $2,499.99, and he said let me see what I can do so he punch a Key and it knocked off 10% . He said if I Bought the Warranty (3 or 5 year) I get another 5% for a Total of 15% off the MRSP. I told him if he would be there for the Family & Friends day Sunday and he instantly said the computer would not take the extra 10% off what he Quoited to me.
He said the TV would take a week or more to be delivered, and I asked him if the 30 days satifaction would start when I received the TV and he said NO it would start when I purchased the set.
I'm asking does all of this sounds correct coming from Sears. I would think the special 10% off would be off the selling price not Manufacture suggested Retail price. :(

TexanExile

If he offered a Plasma for the same price it must be an EDTV

TexanExile

If he offered a Plasma for the same price it must be an EDTV

Yep, what's interesting is one of the main reasons Sony aggressively priced the 42" at under $2000 is to go after the customer interested in the EDTV Plasmas. It seems to be working. Also, it's looking like the Sony is taking some of the Sammy 66/67 customers away (like myself). I think the RBE and audio lag turned people into the direction of Sony RPLCD's.

I just checked on the BB website & Reward Zone website. The deal with the double reward zone applies strictly to tube TV's. I called to verify and they repeated that this does not apply to any RPTV's.

I got an e-mail from BB with a printable coupon. It is good for one item and does have a list of things not eligible, but TVs are not on the list. It appears to be a national promotion and is good August 12-14.

Yep, what's interesting is one of the main reasons Sony aggressively priced the 42" at under $2000 is to go after the customer interested in the EDTV Plasmas. It seems to be working. Also, it's looking like the Sony is taking some of the Sammy 66/67 customers away (like myself). I think the RBE and audio lag turned people into the direction of Sony RPLCD's.

Yup, that's right. I'm not interested in EDTV, so I ignored his pitch for that. He was, however, the first sales guy I've seen down here who was actually able to work the Samsung 4667's remote and who had it on a decent source. So I did pay close attention to that....the 4667 is a very nice set. If PQ is a toss-up with the 42A10, this will be a tough call considering the Samsung gives me more screen "real estate," BUT I'm still leaning toward the Sony based on comments in here and in a number of PMs I received. Until I can see both sets in the same environment, though, I'll just sit tight.

Stopped by BrandsMart in North Miami-Dade tonight and learned that they still don't have the A10s. However, they have 110 42A10s on order that are expected to arrive late this week or early next week. Sale price is in line with what's been discussed here, and maybe slightly lower.



I pre-ordered the 50" at the Deerfield BrandsMart on Sunday. They said it should be delivered next week.

Has anyone seen a 42A10 in the PA/DE/NJ area? If so, what store and where.

Thx

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!

Can any one help me with the cables from the hdtv comcast box and from the dvd. Just got back for BB and the have a monster 800 hmdi to dvi for about $30 more than the 400 stated above I bought at CC. Will there be a big difference from the 400 to the 800? Also I was sold the monster video 2 component hdtv at cc and there is a monster 500 component progressive scan hdtv at BB. Which is better. Are they the same they look alike lol.
THANKS

I just got back from sears in Anniston,Al and they had no 50a10 on display. I seen the only young salesman on the floor and gave him the sears #54635 for the 50a10. The computer automatically pulled the price of the the MRSP of $2,499.99, and he said let me see what I can do so he punch a Key and it knocked off 10% . He said if I Bought the Warranty (3 or 5 year) I get another 5% for a Total of 15% off the MRSP. I told him if he would be there for the Family & Friends day Sunday and he instantly said the computer would not take the extra 10% off what he Quoited to me.
He said the TV would take a week or more to be delivered, and I asked him if the 30 days satifaction would start when I received the TV and he said NO it would start when I purchased the set.
I'm asking does all of this sounds correct coming from Sears. I would think the special 10% off would be off the selling price not Manufacture suggested Retail price. :(
Cobbway - I received the same information today from Sears in N.O. A very unfriendly customer service rep informed me today that the 'Friends and Family discount' would be based upon prices in the computer on Sunday 8/14 and no other discounts could be used.

Someone mentioned sweet talking these reps for Friends and Family coupons -- good luck if they are anything like the one I saw today!

You may have noticed that the prices in Sears computers went back to the original MSRP (from $2374.99) -- presumably to ensure that the Friends and Family would not reduce the discount back to $2137.50 (10% of $2374.99).

Another small dealer in the area had 4 units recently. This dealer explained it very clearly to me "why do I need to sell this unit to you at your discounted Sears prices ($2,138) when I can't keep them in stock".

After my Sears experience today, I decided to bite the bullet and pay up for 50A10 at the dealer's shop -- they were still beating the revised Sears prices (MSRP - $250). However, they are now sold out -- with the exception of the floor model which they still were reluctant cut the price on.

It is obvious that the lack of supply in the smaller cities is working against us!!

Now that I have officially seen the unit, I may give it one more weekend of searching and then re-evaluate buying via the internet!!

Now that I have officially seen the unit, I may give it one more weekend of searching and then re-evaluate buying via the internet!!

The salesman did make one good point. That I could get the extended warranty and get the full 15% off the retail price and then I'd have up to one year to cancel and received all my money back on the warranty and still keep my - $350 off the MSRP :o

Having my 2nd 50A10 delivered this week to replace the first one. Any of you with either the 42 or 50 A10 notice the bottom portion of the frame below the speakers not being straight across?? Its wavy on my current set, I thought it was the glass stand I have it on but then I took a closer look and sure enough its not straight. I don't have any stores that have them on the shelves yet, I ordered from a BM warehouse so I have no way to know if all of them are like this. Will find out soon when they drop off another.

Anyone have OTA HDTV working with their A10?
If so, did you have to do anything special (menu-wise)?
Or, did you just connect the antenna and punch in the broadcast frequency and/or run the auto program?

Also, as far as the wavy thing is concerned, yes it appears mine has a bit of a wave - thanks for point it out. ;) But, it's pretty symmetrical and so I'm not too worked up about it.


Mitch

Anyone have OTA HDTV working with their A10?
If so, did you have to do anything special (menu-wise)?
Or, did you just connect the antenna and punch in the broadcast frequency and/or run the auto program?

Also, as far as the wavy thing is concerned, yes it appears mine has a bit of a wave - thanks for point it out. ;) But, it's pretty symmetrical and so I'm not too worked up about it.


Mitch

Has anyone confirmed whether this is a defect or maybe part of the "style"? Everybody.....START FEELING!!!

Good LORD I have spent a lot of time with this TV.

HDTV over air or through my Time Warner cable box via component was easy to calibrate...anyone can do it.

However, dealing with my Panasonic S77 upconverting to 720p via HDMI was a ROYAL pain the butt.

I have spent countless hours and lots of different DVDs getting this right, and after comparing Fifth Element on my laptop to my A10, I think I have HDMI settings right (don't you love having to calibrate for multiple inputs??)

Iris 2
Picture 67
Brightness 45
Color 35
Hue R17
Color Temp Neutral
Sharpness Min (remember, I'm upconverting)

Under Advanced:
Black Corrector High
Advanced Iris Low
Gamma Low
Clear White Off
Live Color Off

Lemme know if someone has a similar setup and what your settings are.

I was mainly trying to get correct skin tone on Bruch Willis, the problem being a slight green tint to his hair line and 'stubble'. This has minimized it. Furthermore, Lord of the Rings was looking pretty crappy after a second run through, and now it's about right.

Ok... here I go, the first question is an easy one, I appologize for not searching for it. The others I've searched for but they are a little vague. Thank you in advanced for taking the time to reply to my questions.

I'm interested in buying the 42" A10... my couch will be 8 feet away from the TV, will this be a good viewing distance?

Sony and SonyStyle does not list all of the specs on this wonderful tv (A10)... I read a few people mention that the response time is 12 ms... However, I have not seen this confirmed anywhere... If anyone see this in the manual or on some part of Sony's website I haven't seen, could someone link me to it?

Also, I'm not a Nascar fan, but how does it look on the A10? Do you still see trails like other LCDs? Could someone try a racing video game to see how it looks.

Last but not least, a few posts back someone mentioned a "warp" defect in the TV, not on the screen but on the plastic or bezel (I'm not sure). Could someone please take a picture zoomed in on this defect? And another picture at more of a distance? Also, if this "defect" is on the right side of the tv (for example), is it on also on the same exact spot on the left side? (so that way its at least symetrical)... If its Symetricalm then it won't bother me as much because I could think its just part of the style... Maybe I just have mild obsessive compulsive disorder :)

Also, in your honest opinion how do the black levels compare with other LCDs you have seen. 1 being worst, 10 being the best you have seen.

Thanks again,
- Bryan

I just got back from sears in Anniston,Al and they had no 50a10 on display. I seen the only young salesman on the floor and gave him the sears #54635 for the 50a10. The computer automatically pulled the price of the the MRSP of $2,499.99, and he said let me see what I can do so he punch a Key and it knocked off 10% . He said if I Bought the Warranty (3 or 5 year) I get another 5% for a Total of 15% off the MRSP. I told him if he would be there for the Family & Friends day Sunday and he instantly said the computer would not take the extra 10% off what he Quoited to me.
He said the TV would take a week or more to be delivered, and I asked him if the 30 days satifaction would start when I received the TV and he said NO it would start when I purchased the set.
I'm asking does all of this sounds correct coming from Sears. I would think the special 10% off would be off the selling price not Manufacture suggested Retail price. :(

He's partially correct. Sears discounts are not always stackable, so don't expect to get 25% off. Get real.

As to when the 30 days start, 2 year ago when I purchased my WE610 from Sears, many others on this forum were doing this from Sears also. There were multiple push backs of the delivery date. At that time, Sears policy was that the warranty, began on delivery. I'm making the presumption that the 30 day satisfaction guarantee would also being at time of delivery. I know for a fact that many of us did not even get our TVs for 40 days, so that wouldn't have left us any time on a 30 day satisfaction guarantee if it had begun at time of sale. If I were you, I'd get them to double check this. You don't know when they'll actually deliver the set.

Got my 50A10 from Sears a couple of days ago. PQ great and now enhancing my settings. I wanted to pass along to others that I find the matched TV stand offered by Sony to be well made and worth the price. Make sure that you have Sears price match SonyStyle's price. Sears charges $50 dollars more. How does a retailer charge more than Sonystyle's MSRP? Anyway, stand has very high build quality, tight, and very good looking.

Only possible concerns that some may have that I can see is: 1) Height is only 20 inches, and could be viewed as a bit low for some. It is NOT what shows up on Sonystyle summary specs of "28in". Open user manual to see real dimensions. 2) Due to corner style stand, depth on sides decreases dramatically and may limit the number and size of components.

However, with that said, I am very impressed and would recommend this stand.

Leadercrat

Got my 50A10 from Sears a couple of days ago. PQ great and now enhancing my settings. I wanted to pass along to others that I find the matched TV stand offered by Sony to be well made and worth the price. Make sure that you have Sears price match SonyStyle's price. Sears charges $50 dollars more. How does a retailer charge more than Sonystyle's MSRP? Anyway, stand has very high build quality, tight, and very good looking.

Only possible concerns that some may have that I can see is: 1) Height is only 20 inches, and could be viewed as a bit low for some. It is NOT what shows up on Sonystyle summary specs of "28in". Open user manual to see real dimensions. 2) Due to corner style stand, depth on sides decreases dramatically and may limit the number and size of components.

However, with that said, I am very impressed and would recommend this stand.

Leadercrat

so, sears will pricematch sony's website? i thought they would only pricematch local competitors. anyway, quick question about the stand....are the shelves glass or made from a sturdy plastic? just wondering, b/c i have a 15 month old son who could end up hitting his head on something that is so open and exposed (i.e. no doors on the front of the stand). i appreciate your help.

leadercrat:

If I'm reading this correctly if we use the official Sony A10 stand, the stand is only 20" tall.

If so, how far off the ground is the bottom edge of the screen? and how far off the ground is the middle point of the screen?

Thanks for the help

In regards to the stands the dimensions states --
• 42 7/8" x 28" x 19 7/8" (1086 x 709 x 502 mm)

so is that correct? 42 inch wide -- for a 50-inch tv?
28 inch is the width and the 19 7/8 is the height

It is funny Sony has this at a great price with shipping included -- I am sure that all B&M stores would match it since it is Sony's own site and not just considered an online vendor...they can't really say that you can't trust the manufacturer........

Just a heads up: CC has now taken all the old 655's off their website. I'd say they'll put the A10's up there at anytime.

I just checked on the BB website & Reward Zone website. The deal with the double reward zone applies strictly to tube TV's. I called to verify and they repeated that this does not apply to any RPTV's.

I got the reward zone mailing yesterday, but I don't have it with me. I remember that the TV related double points deal only applied to tube TVs. However, there was another deal where you get double points for any item over $100, but up to $1000. So I don’t know if you would just get $1000 of the $2000+ at double points, or if a $2000+ wouldn’t be eligible for that offer.

so, sears will pricematch sony's website? i thought they would only pricematch local competitors....

Depending on where you are, SonyStyle IS a local competitor. They have a store here in Dallas.

If you live in NYC, JandR has the 50A10 for $300 under the MSRP but is currently out of stock. You can have Sears price match JandR and get 10% off the difference. You can also wait till 8/14 to get an extra 10% for the Friends and Family discount.

I have a feeling that the horizontal bowing problem under the speakers may be a problem with all the A10 sets. Haven’t seen any with out the problem yet. It is not that bad on mine and not a big deal because it has nothing to do with the picture. Just a cosmetic problem. But I will look the other way on it because I love the picture quality coming from this baby.

Leadercrat,

What is the width of the stand at the rear?

Got my 50A10 from Sears a couple of days ago. PQ great and now enhancing my settings. I wanted to pass along to others that I find the matched TV stand offered by Sony to be well made and worth the price. Make sure that you have Sears price match SonyStyle's price. Sears charges $50 dollars more. How does a retailer charge more than Sonystyle's MSRP? Anyway, stand has very high build quality, tight, and very good looking.

Only possible concerns that some may have that I can see is: 1) Height is only 20 inches, and could be viewed as a bit low for some. It is NOT what shows up on Sonystyle summary specs of "28in". Open user manual to see real dimensions. 2) Due to corner style stand, depth on sides decreases dramatically and may limit the number and size of components.

However, with that said, I am very impressed and would recommend this stand.

Leadercrat

Got my 50A10 from Sears a couple of days ago. PQ great and now enhancing my settings. I wanted to pass along to others that I find the matched TV stand offered by Sony to be well made and worth the price. Make sure that you have Sears price match SonyStyle's price. Sears charges $50 dollars more. How does a retailer charge more than Sonystyle's MSRP? Anyway, stand has very high build quality, tight, and very good looking.

Only possible concerns that some may have that I can see is: 1) Height is only 20 inches, and could be viewed as a bit low for some. It is NOT what shows up on Sonystyle summary specs of "28in". Open user manual to see real dimensions. 2) Due to corner style stand, depth on sides decreases dramatically and may limit the number and size of components.

However, with that said, I am very impressed and would recommend this stand.

Leadercrat

Can you remove/not install the "hanging" shelf? I like the size of the stand but it looks like from the pictures that unless you are using a Bose-type speaker, not much is going to fit in that space. Also, I am very interested to hear if you can fit components side-by-side with regards to the decreasing width of the sides.

I believe the "bowing" people are seeing on the A10 is an optical illusion. I noticed it on my 42 when I first got it and thought, "damn, the bottom edge of the screen is concave." But on closer examination, I realized the bottom of the speaker-scoop is curved outwards.... and for some trick of the eye that curve makes the bottom edge of the screen appear bowed in. Does that make sense? It's not the screen, it's the speaker-scoop. I don't know why the eye wants to see the scoop as being strait, thus causing the illusion of a warped screen. Tell you the truth... I don't even notice it anymore. It has ZERO effect on picture performance.

I believe the "bowing" people are seeing on the A10 is an optical illusion. I noticed it on my 42 when I first got it and thought, "damn, the bottom edge of the screen is concave." But on closer examination, I realized the bottom of the speaker-scoop is curved outwards.... and for some trick of the eye that curve makes the bottom edge of the screen appear bowed in. Does that make sense? It's not the screen, it's the speaker-scoop. I don't know why the eye wants to see the scoop as being strait, thus causing the illusion of a warped screen. Tell you the truth... I don't even notice it anymore. It has ZERO effect on picture performance.

I thought it might be an optical illusion as well at first, but up close it appears to be an actual "flaw." And, it appears to be a "design for manufacturability" type of mistake in that the engineering of how the scoop attaches to the TV leads to an imperfect fit. But, really, folks, it is very minor (imo) and all this talk about is making it a mountain out of a mole hill.


Mitch

Purchased the 42A10 from abt last friday.
Went to a local tweeter last night and
they had the 50A10 next to a bran new Mitsubishi DLP RP.
The Mitsubishi had incredible brightness and color, but had this
weird hazy effect on bright scenes.
I guess maybe it was SDE but is was visible from 30' away!
Maybe they had it turned up to torch mode, but I could not have watched it another
5 minutes.

Somebody had turned the brightness on the Sony way down and they could not find the remote. So I really couldn't compare the two.

The design of the Mitsu was really nice but the Sony was smaller.
Can't wait to see the SXRDs in amonth.

In regards to the stand can anyone of you that bought it post a picture??

I am confused about the specs -- in regards to the 50A10

TV Spec -- 46 5/8"×32 5/8"×16 1/8" (1184×827×408mm)
Stand Spec -- • 42 7/8" x 28" x 19 7/8" (1086 x 709 x 502 mm)

The way this reads the tv sticks out on the sides and on the back.......how does this look? If not correct is the stand wider / is the tv smaller?

Is this just weird to me? SonyStyle just confirmed the dimensions and all they say is that the stand is designed to hold this tv and will have no problem with the weight --- (of course not what I asked about but thanks for the reply).

that was what I was trying to say with the bowing problem, dont worry about it, very minor flaw, nothing to do with the picture at all. PQ is AMAZING on my 50A10

Can you remove/not install the "hanging" shelf? I like the size of the stand but it looks like from the pictures that unless you are using a Bose-type speaker, not much is going to fit in that space. Also, I am very interested to hear if you can fit components side-by-side with regards to the decreasing width of the sides.

Yes you can choose not to install the shelf, and if you have the 42" inch, you'll be hard pressed to fit components side by side...width wise they will most likely fit, but because the stand is more of a trapezoid, depth is an issue and the outer corners of each component will probably be haning over the side. I have my receiver and my cable box next to each other and it's a tight fit...and the cable box is one of those small ones.

In regards to the stand can anyone of you that bought it post a picture??

I am confused about the specs -- in regards to the 50A10

TV Spec -- 46 5/8"×32 5/8"×16 1/8" (1184×827×408mm)
Stand Spec -- • 42 7/8" x 28" x 19 7/8" (1086 x 709 x 502 mm)

The way this reads the tv sticks out on the sides and on the back.......how does this look? If not correct is the stand wider / is the tv smaller?

Is this just weird to me? SonyStyle just confirmed the dimensions and all they say is that the stand is designed to hold this tv and will have no problem with the weight --- (of course not what I asked about but thanks for the reply).

The stand is actually a few inches deeper than the TV. And looking at it from the front, it doesn't look like it hangs over at all, as the endes of the TV are fairly flush vertically with the two front 'legs'.

I'm not sure what all this 'bowing' talk is about, but it may be because the TV panel is flat, yet the lower 'lip' of the speakers is curved outward, giving the illusion of a downward curve if looking at it from the front.

it just looks like the bottom part of the speaker area is a little wobbly, but who cares. nothing to do with pq

The Sony Style web site lists under specifications for the SURG11M stand as 28" in height. However, if you download the PDF file for the stand it clearly says it is 20 and 3/8" in height. Does anyone have one of these stands set up for the E50A10 yet to confirm the actual height?

Thanks

RJ

Yep, what's interesting is one of the main reasons Sony aggressively priced the 42" at under $2000 is to go after the customer interested in the EDTV Plasmas. It seems to be working. Also, it's looking like the Sony is taking some of the Sammy 66/67 customers away (like myself). I think the RBE and audio lag turned people into the direction of Sony RPLCD's.

Well, that's part of what brought me here, anyway. I was thinking of the 4667, but also checked out the Maxent plasma that's on sale at Costco. Maybe I'm 'seeing things', but when watching the football clips on the HD loop in both Costco and BB/CC (don't remember which) both the dlp's and the plasmas (several brands in both cases) seemed very difficult to follow - things seemed to jump from frame to frame almost like stop-motion. Granted, I was way too close in most cases due to aisle width, but I didn't notice this on the Sony LCD's.
Has anyone else noticed anything like this? Since sports (primarily hockey) is going to be a large part of my viewing, performance under 'high motion' conditions is critical. I wouldn't normally expect LCD to be at the same level for this type of programming, but IMHO the Sony (older 655 series - haven't seen an A10 yet) looked best on these types of clips in all places I've seen it. Maybe I'm nuts, though

In regards to the stand can anyone of you that bought it post a picture??

I am confused about the specs -- in regards to the 50A10

TV Spec -- 46 5/8"×32 5/8"×16 1/8" (1184×827×408mm)
Stand Spec -- • 42 7/8" x 28" x 19 7/8" (1086 x 709 x 502 mm)

The way this reads the tv sticks out on the sides and on the back.......how does this look? If not correct is the stand wider / is the tv smaller?

Is this just weird to me? SonyStyle just confirmed the dimensions and all they say is that the stand is designed to hold this tv and will have no problem with the weight --- (of course not what I asked about but thanks for the reply).

I'll be getting mine today from Sonystyle. There are two different dimensions on Sony's site. One is the specs you listed and the other is in the user manuel which are: 46 3/4"x20 3/8x 19 3/8. Those seem are a little more believable.

In regards to the stand dimensions, just look at the PDF for it. It has just about every dimension you could ask for. It's not that hard to find on SonyStyle.com, but I'll even help you out: http://www.sonystyle.com/intershoproot/eCS/Store/en/documents/specifications/SURG11M_manual.pdf

Also, as far as price and discounts: You can walk into pretty much any BB, CC, Sears, etc. on any day of the week and ask for at least 10% off of MSRP on a TV. If you're talking to a junior salesman, he may have to walk over and ask his manager, but generally, they don't even blink over 10% off.

*wavies to everyone*

I'm seeing an awful lot of rather happy KDF-E42A10 owners in this thread and I'm starting to get a major case of the envies. :P ^__^

Had a few questions for those of you who purchased already:

1. I'm the uber technogeekette (hubby just is happy if things look nice and he can play his consoles) in the family and, after talking it over with my hubby, we pretty much decided on the KDF-E42A10. However, after trying to find a place locally online (we reside in the SF Bay Area) that has one I've struck out so far. Some of you mention CC where you purchased but on their website they only show the 42" WE655 one.

Is this something that they have'nt put in their system yet or am I going about this the wrong way? I hate calling places because as soon as they hear a woman on the phone, well, let's just say they try and bamboozle me and leave it at that. *rolls eyes*

2. We are going to be using this for our main TV in the living room for cable, DVD, and console gaming. Right now we have one of the Pelican component switchboxes for all of our devices to go to the TV via component. However, this new set, while having component inputs on it already also has a HDMI connector. After looking at the prices of some of the switchers out there and wincing over the cost I was wondering if someone could shed some light on this.

If we're going to get a nice TV like this then I'd like for us to be able to take full advantage of it but not for $400+. :P

3. We were soon going to be getting a Oppo DV971H DVD player and was wondering if anyone could advise if this player will have any hidden issues with this particular set?

1. the 42 and 50in will probably be on CC's website by the end of this weekend. They should be in the stores also to see. I personally just went to the store manager, said I wanted the 50in, it was already in the warehouse when I ordered it, and got it last saturday. Love the tv. No problems at all (the HL-R4667 which I tried had so many issues)

2. My cable is running via monster component cables and the picture is great. saving the HDMI for dvd player.

could someone who has the sony stand for the 50A10 please tell me if the shelves are made of glass or another material? i have a 15 month old child and just a bit concerned if they are glass shelves, considering there are no doors on this stand. thanks!!!

ph3, jeeper78 and Morley -- thanks for your replies.

I didn't dig deeper into the pdf-file, but went with what Sony had listed as the specifications on their website -- pretty amazing that they can't get this right... oh well -- glad that cleared it and will be ordering this instead of last year's stand that I had on order.

Now just have to pick up the tv on Friday and all is ready to go :)

pjlady,

Try Video Only in the Bay Area. I ordered a 50A10 from their SF store on Monday 8/8 (it's not on display yet, of course, so it's coming directly out of their warehouse), delivery this Sat. Decent price, in my opinion (always below MSRP with them). Beware, however: One particular sales guy tried to wring full MSRP out of me, since I was obviously anxious to get the set without even looking at it first. Hold out for their "floor" price, or just keep calling until you get a salesperson who isn't so, well, I dont' know - what would you call that, greedy? Or just reacting to the laws of supply and demand? Whatever. Guy's gotta make a living I guess.

PS - I've been waiting, as have many on this thread, for months for this set, and had kept tabs on all the local main video places in SF. V-Only seemed to have the 50A10 sooner than anyone else in the bay area, to my knowledge, so it stands to reason (or at least to hazard a wild-a** guess) that they'll have the 42's in first or near-first as well.

tweeter just told me. that 42a10 shipping date has change 2 aug 18!!!

Just went on circuitycity.com and punched in son kdf-e50a10 and got the STAND for the tv set, but not the A10 itself...can't seem to pull that up. Plus, the stand is $50 more than msrp. I guess things are getting closer.

Anyone here using the 42" or 50" with HD TiVo through DirecTV??? Curious on how you may have tuned it for SD and HD signals.

Just went on circuitycity.com and punched in son kdf-e50a10 and got the STAND for the tv set, but not the A10 itself...can't seem to pull that up. Plus, the stand is $50 more than msrp. I guess things are getting closer.


No dash.

Just SON KDFE50A10

Maybe I'm 'seeing things', but when watching the football clips on the HD loop in both Costco and BB/CC (don't remember which) both the dlp's and the plasmas (several brands in both cases) seemed very difficult to follow - things seemed to jump from frame to frame almost like stop-motion. Granted, I was way too close in most cases due to aisle width, but I didn't notice this on the Sony LCD's.
Has anyone else noticed anything like this? Since sports (primarily hockey) is going to be a large part of my viewing, performance under 'high motion' conditions is critical. I wouldn't normally expect LCD to be at the same level for this type of programming, but IMHO the Sony (older 655 series - haven't seen an A10 yet) looked best on these types of clips in all places I've seen it. Maybe I'm nuts, though

:eek: I thought I was going nuts also. :eek: On my search for an a10 I hit Tweeter. All lined up was a sammy dlp/Mits/Panasonic/and an old Sony 655. I was sitting about 5 feet away and watching an HDnet broadcast of one of those "Law" shows with the quick cuts and zooms. The others looked to be in "stop-motion" but as my eyes jumped back to the Sony it looked clean. I second the need for Dallas Stars Hockey this season and wonder if this "stop-motion" thing has shown up in the A10? or if what I saw is common or a feed problem?

hey all, my first post here. I got the 42" A10 from Vanns 2 days ago. It came in perfect condition, no dead pixels..whew!

I'll be getting cablecard through cablevision for hdtv and will report back on how that works. I'm getting pbs hd and cbs hd which look pretty damn good on this set. On the pbs channel i do frequently get pixelation and some stuttered movement. It might be my signal strength. cbs has gray bars on the sides.

I have a tivo series 2 hooked up through svideo port and a sony dream sound system, dav-fr9 hooked up via component my pc hooked up at vga port, and saving my hdmi port for the ps3.

SD channel look ok, but I guess it was to be expected, I've been using wide zoom which gives minimal distortion. DVD looks great, i still need to calibrate using DVE as the red push is noticeable. DVD's are on full setting. I was trying out LOTR and I noticed that hte picture doesn't use up the full screen, i still have bars at top and bottom. Am I doing something wrong here? I have the DVD player set for 16:9, tv on full.

I have issues with the pc connection. I have an xfx 6800gt card that can put the resolution at native 1280x720, but at full1 and full2 I get a 1" border on all sides (underscanning I guess?). On zoom, I lose about an inch on all sides off the screen...overscanning? In any case, while web surfing, I find the text very difficult to read on any setting. This was disappointing, I wanted to use my tv as my monitor too. It would seem that even with my res at 1280x720, cleartype or not, these is no 1:1 pixel mapping leading to text bleeding into adjacent pixels. I 'm curious if others have had more luck.

Fabulous as a TV though, It'll only get better once I calibrate the set, I don't know how to do any service menu mods, but I'll have to make do with basic calibration. Maybe we could start a umr fund to do his magic? I'm in!

observations:
This tv is surprisingly light
not much space on top of tv for a center speaker (may have to do a piece of velcro).
I find 42" to be just right for me sitting at 12' away. (for those who don't want their tv to be the dominant part of the room)
amazingly wide viewing angle
games on the computer look fabulous, text is another story
more to come as I play with it more
ask questions if you have 'em

Velcro is your friend for a center channel speaker on top of the set. :D

:eek: I thought I was going nuts also. :eek: On my search for an a10 I hit Tweeter. All lined up was a sammy dlp/Mits/Panasonic/and an old Sony 655. I was sitting about 5 feet away and watching an HDnet broadcast of one of those "Law" shows with the quick cuts and zooms. The others looked to be in "stop-motion" but as my eyes jumped back to the Sony it looked clean. I second the need for Dallas Stars Hockey this season and wonder if this "stop-motion" thing has shown up in the A10? or if what I saw is common or a feed problem?


Try and catch the Dallas game where the Leafs kick their arses!
That should be a great benchmark to judge the speed of
pucks entering your net and red lights flashing! :p

Velcro is your friend for a center channel speaker on top of the set. :D

An alternative... Blu Tac not only can secure the center channel to the top of the set, but it also improves the sound. And you can even change the angle of the speaker.

Well, I've had my 50A10 and here's my take on things:
[With some second day edits to address a mistake I made, and to note a couple of other things.]

My Setup:
HD/Big Screen Experience: None. This is my first HDTV and I've never watched anyone else's HDTV/Big Screen TV. The 50A10 is replacing a 32" JVC CRT I've had for about 10 years.
TV: 50A10 (duh)
Cable feed: Basic cable package from Wideopenwest (analog channels from 1 to 100, basically) with cable directly connected to TV's cable coax input (i.e. no set top box, no CableCARD).
DVD: Toshiba DVD player - NOT progressive scan. Connected with component cables.
HDTV: I'm using an antenna I mounted in the attic about 20 years ago when I first moved into the house and before I got cable service. It is connected, naturally to the UHF/VHF coax input on the TV.
Sitting area: 9-10 feet away.

Aesthetics: Great looking set. But that 3LCD sticker is coming off on day 31. :)
As noted there appears to be a slight up and down wave of the baffle below the speakers but, it's hardly noticeable and generally symmetric - on my set at least.
I have it on a 43.5" wide stand (Tech Craft MT400) and it fits on there very nicely - the 1.5" overhang on each side looks fine.

General PQ: I see SDE a good amount of the time. But, I'm also looking for it. Time will tell if my brain is eventually able to filter it out.
[Day 2 edit: Mr. Brain appears to be activating the SDE filter a bit already.]
I would definitely be fine with the 42A10 in this regard given my sitting distance since watching the 50A10 from a longer distance, say 12-15' shows no SDE. But, I'm digging the big picture of the 50. But, I got another 29 days to decide whether or not I can live with it.
That said, the colors are very nice and vivid even with toning down some of the settings.
And, finally, I do need to at least run a calibration DVD through the system.

Cable feed PQ: Looks fine. Some channels better than others. There are push and takes between the A10's PQ and my old TV's PQ. In other words, the A10's picture has some issues with it that are different than the issues with the CRT picture. These different issues cancel each other out over all, and to be honest the bigger screen A10 makes it easier to see these issues. The problems are basically blurriness or maybe its a form of ghosting or blooming of colors - maybe I need to turn down the colors a bit more, I'm not sure. I also notice that some text doesn't look very good while other text displays look pretty good. I find that kind of annoying. Anyway, it's that sort of thing I'm talking about and is probably something I just have to learn to live with. But, it will require some more couch time to decide whether or not I can get used to the standard cable PQ on the A10. And, this is pretty important since we watch alot of standard cable shows. I don't think going to a digital cable package via a CableCARD will help since I think the channels I watch now will still be analog. But, I might try it out and just cancel the service if it doesn't do much for me.

DVD feed PQ: [Edit: I had forgotten to change the setup on the DVD player to account for a 16:9 TV - it was still set up for 4:3. This change made a HUGE difference. The TV seems to do a fine job with my DVD player's 480i input over component cables.]

HDTV: Only saw part of one show that appears to be a "true" HDTV broadcast and that was a show on PBS. It looked *very* nice. Some pixelation during some fast moving scenes (PBS broadcasts in 1080i which may account for this). But, it was really nice to look at. Very enjoyable. I also, looked at some "normal" broadcasts being shown on local HDTV channels (e.g. noon-time news) and they looked pretty good, but not that much different than what I see via my cable connection.
(For you Chicago western suburb folks, channel 2 is basically worthless which is currently the norm for this channel. Though I understand they are moving their HDTV up to a higher frequency which should help.)
[Day 2 Edit: Channel 2 is actually coming in a bit better now. Also, I watched Law and Order and some Leno in HD and it was really great.]

Summary: Am I gushing over the set? No. [Day 2 Edit: However, with my DVD setup correction, I feel some gush forming.] Am I upset about the purchase. Not at all. Are my expectations too high for a $2000-ish set? Maybe. Will I keep it? We'll see. Am I going to get a bunch of couch time with the TV? You bet. Will I bend your ears more in the future? Yep.



Mitch

Get a progressive DVD player. Night and day on PQ IMHO.

Well, I've had my 50A10 and here's my take on things:

My Setup:
HD/Big Screen Experience: None. This is my first HDTV and I've never watched anyone else's HDTV/Big Screen TV. The 50A10 is replacing a 32" JVC CRT I've had for about 10 years.
TV: 50A10 (duh)
Cable feed: Basic cable package from Wideopenwest (analog channels from 1 to 100, basically) with cable directly connected to TV's cable coax input (i.e. no set top box, no CableCARD).
DVD: Toshiba DVD player - NOT progressive scan. Connected with component cables.
HDTV: I'm using an antenna I mounted in the attic about 20 years ago when I first moved into the house and before I got cable service. It is connected, naturally to the UHF/VHF coax input on the TV.
Sitting area: 9-10 feet away.

Aesthetics: Great looking set. But that 3LCD sticker is coming off on day 31. :)
As noted there appears to be a slight up and down wave of the baffle below the speakers but, it's hardly noticeable and generally symmetric - on my set at least.
I have it on a 43.5" wide stand (Tech Craft MT400) and it fits on there very nicely - the 1.5" overhang on each side looks fine.

General PQ: I see SDE a good amount of the time. But, I'm also looking for it. Time will tell if my brain is eventually able to filter it out. I would definitely be fine with the 42A10 in this regard given my sitting distance since watching the 50A10 from a longer distance, say 12-15' shows no SDE. But, I'm digging the big picture of the 50. But, I got another 29 days to decide whether or not I can live with it.
That said, the colors are very nice and vivid even with toning down some of the settings.
And, finally, I do need to at least run a calibration DVD through the system.

Cable feed PQ: Looks fine. Some channels better than others. There are push and takes between the A10's PQ and my old TV's PQ. In other words, the A10's picture has some issues with it that are different than the issues with the CRT picture. These different issues cancel each other out over all, and to be honest the bigger screen A10 makes it easier to see these issues. The problems are basically blurriness or maybe its a form of ghosting or blooming of colors - maybe I need to turn down the colors a bit more, I'm not sure. I also notice that some text doesn't look very good while other text displays look pretty good. I find that kind of annoying. Anyway, it's that sort of thing I'm talking about and is probably something I just have to learn to live with. But, it will require some more couch time to decide whether or not I can get used to the standard cable PQ on the A10. And, this is pretty important since we watch alot of standard cable shows. I don't think going to a digital cable package via a CableCARD will help since I think the channels I watch now will still be analog. But, I might try it out and just cancel the service if it doesn't do much for me.

DVD feed PQ: The jury is still out for me on this. I expected the DVD image to look better than it does. I expected the A10's line doubler/de-interlacer/do-hicky/whatever to handle the DVD player's 480i output better. I'm seeing too many jagged edges on DVDs like the Incredibles and Finding Nemo. Sky Captain looked good, but Sky Captain has a strange look to it to begin with. Harry Potter looked OK, but I didn't spend too much time with that one yet. So, I'm currently researching a new DVD player and will at least try a 480p via HDMI to see if that helps. I'm also going to try my current 480i DVD player via S-Video to see if maybe the A10 dithers an S-Video signal more. (I'm thinking that the TV might assume the component cable input shouldn't be processed as much as a stupid old S-video input.) I'll report back on these tests later.

HDTV: Only saw part of one show that appears to be a "true" HDTV broadcast and that was a show on PBS. It looked *very* nice. Some pixelation during some fast moving scenes (PBS broadcasts in 1080i which may account for this). But, it was really nice to look at. Very enjoyable. I also, looked at some "normal" broadcasts being shown on local HDTV channels (e.g. noon-time news) and they looked pretty good, but not that much different than what I see via my cable connection.
(For you Chicago western suburb folks, channel 2 is basically worthless which is currently the norm for this channel. Though I understand they are moving their HDTV up to a higher frequency which should help.)

Summary: Am I gushing over the set? No. Am I upset about the purchase. Not at all. Are my expectations too high for a $2000-ish set? Maybe. Will I keep it? We'll see. Am I going to get a bunch of couch time with the TV? You bet. Will I bend your ears more in the future? Yep.



Mitch

Most of your issues are being caused by poor source material....NOT the TV. Judge the TV watching DiscoveryHD, INHD, or a good HD sports program. This will show what it is REALLY cabable of. The TV can't help it that a lot of programming is lower quality. HD TV's have higher resolution, and therefore bad quality looks even worse, plus your screen is way larger than your old TV, which also magnifies picture defects. I expect that the quality of shows should improve rapidly over the next several years. I also suggest you at least get a decent DVD player with progressive scan. I have a fairly inexpensive Sony DVD player, and I don't see jagged edges on my 42 inch GWIII at all. But it certainly doesn't look as good as the best HD programs, and never will until the DVD format is upgraded to the new HD generation.

...doesn't use up the full screen, i still have bars at top and bottom. Am I doing something wrong here? I have the DVD player set for 16:9, tv on full...

I suspect that LOTR is 1.85:1 or higher, i.e. not 16:9, and therefore you see bars on the bottom.

I suspect that LOTR is 1.85:1 or higher, i.e. not 16:9, and therefore you see bars on the bottom.

LOTR is 2.35:1

I’ve had a little over a week with my new KDF-E50A10 and I’m very happy with it. If you’ll indulge me, here’s my mini ‘snapshot’ review.

The Setup:

Digital Cable running into Moxi DVR (from Charter), Component into tv; audio into Sony receiver via RCA.
Antenna signal (via Terk HDTVi) running directly to tv; Optical audio out of tv and into Sony receiver.

The Good:

--The design, of course. It’s really a good-looking television. I have not seen any ‘bowing’ or any flaws in the outer plastics, as some posters noted.
--The remote is well designed, and I like the easy access to the inputs through the Wega Gate. This is my first HDTV, and my first tv purchase since 1996, so forgive me if some of the menu features have been around for a while, but I like having the capability to actually name the inputs. (DVR, DVD, Cable box, etc.) Very handy.
--THE PICTURE. Wow. High Def programming looks phenomenal. Great color production and very bright and crisp. CSI, Leno, and HBO look great. But my new favorite channels are Discovery HD and HDNet. You can sit there all night and watch those nature programs on Discovery. Last night (8/9) we watched a special about the shuttle launch on HDNet, and it was so clear it was like looking through the cleanest window you’ve ever seen. Truly amazing.
--I have not experienced any SSE or SDE, but I know that is a person-by-person thing. Our viewing distance is about 10 or more feet.
--Each video input has its own color settings. Neato.

Not Bad, but…
--There is a significant amount of ‘red push.’ It’s not a deal breaker by any means, but it is noticeable. I have tweaked the image to where I am happy with it, but even now when something that is really red comes on screen, I think, “Wow, that is really red,” and keep watching. Don’t worry, I’ll keep fiddling with it until its just right. Like I said, not a deal breaker, but it does bring me to…
--I would have liked to see even more color tweaking options, like what is in the 55 and 60 models. (you can access a few more options by choosing ‘custom’ color in the Wega gate—but it would have been really handy to have 3 sliders for red, green and blue. I would, as mentioned above, turn down the red a bit more)
--I’m not completely sold on the dynamic iris. It works great 95% of the time, producing nice darks. But sometimes, when switching between a shot that is very dark to one that is light (or has a lot of flashes, like CSI), you can really notice the iris working its mojo. Again, not a deal breaker, and it may be something I can tweak to perfection.
--Standard definition looks pretty bad. BUT it is going through the Moxi (see the Moxi forum and get an eyeful of words about how their SD compression blows). Last week, before we received our new digital cable, the SD picture from analog cable was fine. Not mind blowing, but fine. It was only until we got the Moxi that we noticed how bad SD was. We have noticed that the pure digital SD channels look much better than the pure analog ones. I’m going to chalk this one up to the Moxi/digital cable situation and not the television. (Also, SD coming from the Terk antenna looks much better than digital Moxi) So yeah, it’s the cable.

Well, that’s really all I can think of. Overall, a great television that I’m really happy with. I recommend it.

I've reviewed this thread but am not sure there has been information specific to my question (I apologize if there has). Like others, I'm debating between the 42" and the 50". For SD channels, is there a noticable picture quality difference between the two sizes? It seems intuitive that the 42" would have higher PQ on SD content that the 50". Has anyone compared the two A10 sizes for PQ?

I've reviewed this thread but am not sure there has been information specific to my question (I apologize if there has). Like others, I'm debating between the 42" and the 50". For SD channels, is there a noticable picture quality difference between the two sizes? It seems intuitive that the 42" would have higher PQ on SD content that the 50". Has anyone compared the two A10 sizes for PQ?

All things equal (and with the 2 sizes of A-10 it should be ), a smaller tv using the same chassis etc should always have a better PQ than a bigger model. The more you enlarge the picture, the more it shows flaws. Question is how far will you sit from the TV. If 10 feet plus, I would imagine you would prefer the 50. 8-10 you might like either size. 7 or closer. most people would probably prefer the 42, even though some 'experts' think you should sit 5.5 feet from a 42. My experience is that most people don't like the distances that the experts think are 'ideal', and prefer to sit somewhat farther from the tv.

I can't wait till I get my set to review it. I am replacing my 10 month old Samsung HLP with this set. Previous to the Samsung I had a Toshiba RP HDTV for 5 years.

I also have perfect vision so if there is a visual flaw I will notice it.

WHY DOESN'T CANADA HAVE THESE SETS YET!?

WHY DOESN'T CANADA HAVE THESE SETS YET!?


Same reason we don't have them where I live. It takes time to get them into the distribution network and not everybody is going to get them at the same time.

He's partially correct. Sears discounts are not always stackable, so don't expect to get 25% off. Get real.

As to when the 30 days start, 2 year ago when I purchased my WE610 from Sears, many others on this forum were doing this from Sears also. There were multiple push backs of the delivery date. At that time, Sears policy was that the warranty, began on delivery. I'm making the presumption that the 30 day satisfaction guarantee would also being at time of delivery. I know for a fact that many of us did not even get our TVs for 40 days, so that wouldn't have left us any time on a 30 day satisfaction guarantee if it had begun at time of sale. If I were you, I'd get them to double check this. You don't know when they'll actually deliver the set.


I'm a little behind in this thread, but I thought I'd respond to this anyway, as it might help someone. My father in law was in exactly this situation; buying a WE610 from Sears two years ago. He just attempted to get warrantee work done on it (using the credit card warrantee extension) and they definitely started the warrantee period when he bought the set NOT when he received delivery, which I believe was almost two months later. I thought this was rediculous, as he didn't even have the tv for that period, but he said they wouldn't budge.

Now, in this case, he was still barely within the period even measured from when he bought it, so maybe if push had come to shove because he had really needed it, he would have been able to get them to honor it. The could have told him that in this case just because he didn't really need it yet. Just to be clear however, this was Sears not the credit card company, that was indicating the warrantee started at the purchase data not delivery date.

Has anyone tried the audio sync with external device option capabilites?

Most of your issues are being caused by poor source material....NOT the TV. Judge the TV watching DiscoveryHD, INHD, or a good HD sports program. This will show what it is REALLY cabable of. The TV can't help it that a lot of programming is lower quality. HD TV's have higher resolution, and therefore bad quality looks even worse, plus your screen is way larger than your old TV, which also magnifies picture defects. I expect that the quality of shows should improve rapidly over the next several years. I also suggest you at least get a decent DVD player with progressive scan. I have a fairly inexpensive Sony DVD player, and I don't see jagged edges on my 42 inch GWIII at all. But it certainly doesn't look as good as the best HD programs, and never will until the DVD format is upgraded to the new HD generation.

I agree with everything you say. Don't get me wrong, the TV is excellent when fed a healthy diet. I was just hoping I wouldn't notice the effects of junk food as much. :)

And, yes, I will definitely be trying a progressive scan DVD player.
(BTW, my S-Video experiment did not show any noticeable improvement.)

And, I'm looking forward to watching some HD primetime material this evening - at least until my wife makes me reattach the cable feed for the bedroom's TV - it has to do with how the coax is wired in my house. :o


Mitch

Has anyone tried the audio sync with external device option capabilites?

Joanr,

I did have some moderate sync issues when I first got the set. I tried the sync option to no avail. There are three levels of sync adjustment, and for me it just went from bad to worse. My solution was to go into the receiver's menu and tell it that my speakers were farther away than what they actually were. (I told it they were 19 feet away!) In theory, if I tell the speakers they are farther away, I'd think the sound would be sent out sooner, so as to hit your ears with the video, but that must not be the case. Anyway, it worked for me.

WHY DOESN'T CANADA HAVE THESE SETS YET!?

Sony is scheduling their arrival for the drop of the puck. Very smart marketing on their behalf!

No dash.

Just SON KDFE50A10

Tried that, but still get only the info for the stand where it mentions the A10.

Does anyone else have experience with the 42" having problems on the bottom right of the screen? One thing I am confused about... is it the actual picture that is not right or the frame?

Does anyone else have experience with the 42" having problems on the bottom right of the screen? One thing I am confused about... is it the actual picture that is not right or the frame?


Please elaborate

I was trying out LOTR and I noticed that hte picture doesn't use up the full screen, i still have bars at top and bottom.

FYI: 16x9 tv's have an aspect ratio of approx. 1.78:1. Only anamorphically processed DVD's (enhanced for widescreen tv's) with a 1.85 aspect ratio will fill the screen completely(may be an extremely small gap top/bottom depending on overscan of the set). Films with 2.35 aspect ratio or higher will have bars top & bottom. You can use ZOOM feature to eliminate the bars, but you will lose picture information.

All things equal (and with the 2 sizes of A-10 it should be ), a smaller tv using the same chassis etc should always have a better PQ than a bigger model. The more you enlarge the picture, the more it shows flaws. Question is how far will you sit from the TV. If 10 feet plus, I would imagine you would prefer the 50. 8-10 you might like either size. 7 or closer. most people would probably prefer the 42, even though some 'experts' think you should sit 5.5 feet from a 42. My experience is that most people don't like the distances that the experts think are 'ideal', and prefer to sit somewhat farther from the tv.

If your viewing was primarily HD content, with DVD next and SD a very small percentage, would you go with a 50" set for 8 ft. viewing distance?

A10's are in at Tweeter in Dallas. Saw one at the Preston/635 location. Salesperson said they had "a lot" in stock.

If your viewing was primarily HD content, with DVD next and SD a very small percentage, would you go with a 50" set for 8 ft. viewing distance?


I do not think there is an answer to this that is right for everyone, since some can see SDE and/or SSE at this distance and some cannot. And SDE/SSE bothers some, and not others.

Best to try it at a store, at your distance, before buying.

--Standard definition looks pretty bad. BUT it is going through the Moxi (see the Moxi forum and get an eyeful of words about how their SD compression blows). Last week, before we received our new digital cable, the SD picture from analog cable was fine. Not mind blowing, but fine. It was only until we got the Moxi that we noticed how bad SD was. We have noticed that the pure digital SD channels look much better than the pure analog ones. I’m going to chalk this one up to the Moxi/digital cable situation and not the television. (Also, SD coming from the Terk antenna looks much better than digital Moxi) So yeah, it’s the cable.

I'm not sure after reading your config but it seems like you have your cable signal going to your cable box/DVR and connected to the TV via component, right? I have the A20 and some SD channels look ok some look horrible. Someone suggested skipping the box to see what they look like. They looked MUCH better skipping the box. So, I need to get a splitter and I'll be sending one Coax to the TV for SD and the other to the box that will then run HDMI to the TV for HD.

Hello, I am trying to decide between te a10 and a panasonic plasma. And I would love to hear from gamers that are using the a10. Are you having any problems with gaming on this set? Also I would LOVE to see some xbox pics being played on the a10. THANKS for the help

no

I'm not sure after reading your config but it seems like you have your cable signal going to your cable box/DVR and connected to the TV via component, right? I have the A20 and some SD channels look ok some look horrible. Someone suggested skipping the box to see what they look like. They looked MUCH better skipping the box. So, I need to get a splitter and I'll be sending one Coax to the TV for SD and the other to the box that will then run HDMI to the TV for HD.

A. Anybody experience SD PQ via cable card yet? I'm curious if that would yield better SD PQ than an HD STB. If so, that would in my opinion be even better than a separate coax-only solution, since one wouldn't have to switch inputs to get to watchable SD.

B. Also, I have read in these forums that, if one uses a cable company-supplied HD DVR STB (which is what the Moxi is, I gather), SD is noticeably worse than otherwise, due mainly to the fact that ALL SD signals get digitized/converted at the DVR STB in order to be written to the disk/buffer and THEN sent off the disk/buffer out to the TV, even with live SD TV. I understand that it is this digitization process at the box (& onto the disk) prior to being sent to your TV that markedly degrades SD PQ through an HD DVR. This is also why SD Tivo, even live, presents a slightly degraded signal, noticeable even on POTV (Plain Old Television).

My solution/workaround? Try every possible combination at once. I will be getting my 50A10 this Sat, and one of the things I like about this and other newer models is you can set up all sorts of configurations simultaneously (and I intend to do so). All together now: (1) HD DVR STB to TV via HDMI out and (2) again via Component out, (3) straight coax to cable card, plus (4) straight coax into the TV, PLUS (5) Tivo Series 2 to s-video. It seems, then, that one would be able to compare the PQ of this set in five different cable-into-TV configurations without moving from the couch. Pass the potato chips, please. You can then evaluate your TV's prowess at generating cable signal PQ from three different HD inputs and four different SD inputs, again without ever getting up off the couch. More chips, please . . . All you gotta do (which I will) is to keep your old SD cable box (for the TIVO) then rent the new HD DVR STB (dual tuner, hdmi and component out) PLUS get a cable card ($1.50 a month!).

A side benefit of all this is the ability to record three shows at once, while still watching a fourth show live, to wit: two HD shows recording on the dual tuner STB, one SD recording on the TIVO, and the cable card handling the live action (HD or SD, your choice). That's so much TV, it hurts my head to think about it . . . more chips, stat . .

'Only problem I see with this set up is potentially a loss in coax signal strength (and therefore PQ) with the triple splitting necessary to get this set up (coax goes to STB, Tivo and cable card). Only other problem I see with this set up is an acute danger of gaining 50 pounds watching more TV than God ever intended one human to watch.

I'll post comparisons/etc. if all this pans out as I hope, and if I don't just go into complete sensory overload . . .

Yes! PC Richards just got their 50A10's in stock and I was able to snag one. I'm going to pick it up this weekend. I couldn't get them down to 1950 but eventually got them down to 2050 - not a bad deal. The tough part is just going to be waiting....

I saw the a10 at Tweeter in Maple Shade NJ today. Picture looked great!! But then I saw the Sony Qualia 70 inch, now everything looks sub par. That set was beautiful!!!! But at 13k I guess it better be. IM just really confused now because I looked at the 52 inch Mits lcd and thought it looked great last week and today the way it was set up looked crappy. I think IM just going to pull the trigger on the Sony 50a10 and take it from there.

Day 2 of 42a10:

Played Need for Speed Underground with my son on PS2 hooked up with component cables - AWESOME!

When we were done, Discovery HD was showing "Cosmic Collision." ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I've looked at many TVs, but have been constrained because of entertainment center size constraints.

Plasmas were out because of potential for burn in. The Sammy 4674 was nice but SD looked pretty bad and I discovered that I am highly prone to seeing rainbows. The Panny 44lcx65 was simply awful. I was nervous about the a10s because I didn't think the 655s were so great in the store, and I wasn't able to see an a10 before buying it. For now, feeling like I hit a home run.

Quick Question - Can someone measure the size of the box for me? I'm going to try and fit it in an '03 mustang conv. with the top down. i got the good deal at pc R's but now i need to figure out how to get this puppy home!! i got about 1 1/2hr drive there...

Quick Question - Can someone measure the size of the box for me? I'm going to try and fit it in an '03 mustang conv. with the top down. i got the good deal at pc R's but now i need to figure out how to get this puppy home!! i got about 1 1/2hr drive there...

42a10 box is:

33 1/2 " high
43 1/2 " wide
18 1/2 " deep

Quick Question - Can someone measure the size of the box for me? I'm going to try and fit it in an '03 mustang conv. with the top down. i got the good deal at pc R's but now i need to figure out how to get this puppy home!! i got about 1 1/2hr drive there...

If you search this thread, you will see the box dimensions for both the 42" and 50" A10s.

If anyone is interested in the 42A10, i work at Circuit City. We have an amazing price on this unit in the system. It is 3 Benzos less than Sonystyle price. Also our store is a test market store for a lower price on EW. We have the lowest price i have ever seen for a 4 yr. Just sold one today so i can speak first hand of this. Dont know how long it will last. I imagine till Saturday but dont hold me to it. Let me know if anyone is interested. I work at a store in Houston.

My box was 51" x 21" x 37" It's still in my living room ;)

If anyone is interested in the 42A10, i work at Circuit City. We have an amazing price on this unit in the system. It is 3 Benzos less than Sonystyle price. Also our store is a test market store for a lower price on EW. We have the lowest price i have ever seen for a 4 yr. Just sold one today so i can speak first hand of this. Dont know how long it will last. I imagine till Saturday but dont hold me to it. Let me know if anyone is interested. I work at a store in Houston.

Would this price be good in other stores, say like in the Dallas area? I suppose I would need to call some Circuit City's.

What is the "low" price on the 4 year EW?

$250

and to answer ur question about price....it should be. Go in and check.

Most of your issues are being caused by poor source material....NOT the TV. Judge the TV watching DiscoveryHD, INHD, or a good HD sports program. This will show what it is REALLY cabable of. The TV can't help it that a lot of programming is lower quality. HD TV's have higher resolution, and therefore bad quality looks even worse, plus your screen is way larger than your old TV, which also magnifies picture defects. I expect that the quality of shows should improve rapidly over the next several years. I also suggest you at least get a decent DVD player with progressive scan. I have a fairly inexpensive Sony DVD player, and I don't see jagged edges on my 42 inch GWIII at all. But it certainly doesn't look as good as the best HD programs, and never will until the DVD format is upgraded to the new HD generation.

Agreed. I have comcast hd and all of the hd channels look perfect...no pixelation. My cheap progressive scan dvd player looks great also.

$250

Circuit City in Culver City, Ca. is offering the 4 year EW for $249 on the E42A10.

This is information related to the a SONY A10 stand for the 50A10. Dimensions and information for the 42 are different and NOT outlined here.

Questions from various members w/my answers.

Cheers!

Leadercrat

I have given myself everything my eyes have ever wanted. There hasn't been any pleasure that I have refused to give myself. At the end of my life, I then I looked over everything my hands had done and all that I had acquired. I saw what I had worked so hard to get. And nothing had any meaning. It was like chasing the wind."


--------------------------------------------
Q: If I'm reading this correctly if we use the official Sony A10 stand, the stand is only 20" tall. If so, how far off the ground is the bottom edge of the screen? and how far off the ground is the middle point of the screen?
A:
26” to the bottom edge of the screen
38” to the middle point of the screen

Q: In regards to the stands the dimensions states --
• 42 7/8" x 28" x 19 7/8" (1086 x 709 x 502 mm)
so is that correct? 42 inch wide -- for a 50-inch tv?
28 inch is the width and the 19 7/8 is the height
A: It is best to read .pdf on sonystyle (see link below), because it all depends on how you measure...but the bottom line is for the 50in TV stand the outer width is 46 3/4 (inside columns where the TV sits is 42 7/8), is 19 3/8 inches in depth (front of stand to back), and 20 3/8 in high.

Question/Comment: It is funny Sony has this at a great price with shipping included -- I am sure that all B&M stores would match it since it is Sony's own site and not just considered an online vendor...they can't really say that you can't trust the manufacturer........
Answer/Comment: Correct. Sears at least for me... and my guess other brick and mortar stores would be willing to match Sonystyle.com’s prices, as that would not consider them a typical e-tailer.

Q: What is the width of the stand at the rear?
A: With the stand backed up so the back of the stand is touch the wall, you have the following widths:
15 ¾ against the wall
28 inches athe wide at approximately 5 inches away from wall.
See .pdf user manual on sonystyle (see below), for detailed diagram with measurements, because it all depends on what exactly you measure.

Q: Can you remove/not install the "hanging" shelf? I like the size of the stand but it looks like from the pictures that unless you are using a Bose-type speaker, not much is going to fit in that space. Also, I am very interested to hear if you can fit components side-by-side with regards to the decreasing width of the sides.
A: Yes you can remove or not install. I decided simply not to install mine. I agree, it takes up valueable space. You can fit side by side, but it is a tight fit. See pics. However, I believe you could add a thin piece of plexiglass the dimension of your component's footprint and support most components fine, even if they hang out a bit from the stands glass. Your plexigass would likely support the small over hang of a component. This space constraint I think is critical depending on whether you buy the stand for the 50 or 42. With the 42, I bet you are really pushing it to get two components there.

Q: In regards to the stand can anyone of you that bought it post a picture??
A: See pics….

Q: The way this reads the tv sticks out on the sides and on the back.......how does this look? If not correct is the stand wider / is the tv smaller?
A: Nope the TV doesn’t overhang, fits completely on stand, except for some minor 1/4 over hand up front by design.

Q: The Sony Style web site lists under specifications for the SURG11M stand as 28" in height. However, if you download the PDF file for the stand it clearly says it is 20 and 3/8" in height. Does anyone have one of these stands set up for the E50A10 yet to confirm the actual height?
A: I have the stand. Height is 20 3/8.

Q: Could someone who has the sony stand for the 50A10 please tell me if the shelves are made of glass or another material? i have a 15 month old child and just a bit concerned if they are glass shelves, considering there are no doors on this stand. thanks!!!
A: Per user manual “This stand uses “tempered” glass with an anti-scatter film, but care should still be taken”.

Other:
- The stand has a nice integrated strap on the back that fits into a custom slot on TV to secure it from tipping over. The stand also has slots for the front TV footers that help ensure the TV fits in the right spot and is hard to slide on stand. In addition, the stand has corner marks on the back to ensure proper placement of TV.
- User manual referenced above -> http://www.sonystyle.com/intershoproot/eCS/Store/en/documents/specifications/SURG11M_manual.pdf
- You're not allowed to make fun on my A/V components!

Three more pics...

Cheers!

Leadercrat

"I have given myself everything my eyes have ever wanted. There hasn't been any pleasure that I have refused to give myself. At the end of my life, I then I looked over everything my hands had done and all that I had acquired. I saw what I had worked so hard to get. And nothing had any meaning. It was like chasing the wind."
--------------------------------

Could someone please elaborate this "audio sync issue" i'm hearing about? Is the picture ahead of the sound, or sound ahead of the picture... is this the fault of the Sony A10 tv's? or are people having problems with home theater audio because of a flaw in the A10?

Yuck, those type of stand are NOT sexy (to me). I hate seeing the ugly sides (everything but the front) of home electronic equipment. To make it worse the cables that are needed are insane, they all also seem to have their own shades of black, silver and gold and are different sizes.

The stand looks nice on its own but once you add things it goes downhill. I much rather use something that hides all the junk like this:

http://www.bitflydesign.com/misc/samsung3.jpg

Is that the Ikea Oppli stand? If it is, do you know if they come in other colors?

And finally, do the casters lock?

Woohooo.. My tv is scheduled to get deliverd tomorrow (thursday).

This is the stand I got for my e50.

http://store1.yimg.com/I/furniture-sale_1855_345478367

Could someone please elaborate this "audio sync issue" i'm hearing about? Is the picture ahead of the sound, or sound ahead of the picture... is this the fault of the Sony A10 tv's? or are people having problems with home theater audio because of a flaw in the A10?

I think you are in the wrong thread. It's the Sammy DLP's that have this problem not the Sony A10's.

Hi all,

Finally, have gotten my 50" A10 tweaked thru AVIA and suggestions here to the point where I am happy with it. Happy at least until the really experienced owners delve into the service menu and really go to town. Here is a little mini review for everyone.

My Equipment:

Samsung HD950
Motorola HD-DVR from comcast
Xbox video game system

What I've watched so far:

plenty of SD cable
a fair amount of HD cable
a couple of DVDs (Constantine & Swordfish)


SD picture quality: I'm pretty satisfied so far with SD picture quality. My previous HDTV was a 48inch JVC RP CRT (model AV-48WP30). I would say that SD looks slightly better, but I'm not using the same source as I've moved from dishnet to comcast. To break it down further, the analog stations in the basic cable are watchable, and are probably as good as could be expected. The higher tier digital stations, and premium movie channels are better. I would say they are better than what I expected.

HD picture quality: I would say this TV is limited only by the source feed. The better the quality coming in the better the quality displayed. The ABC Monday Night Football game was absolutely amazing. I watched non-OAR Spiderman 2 and it was very good, but of course suffered slightly due to the zoom. I've watched and DVR'd a couple of INHD documentaries that have pretty stunning picture quality.

DVD picture quality: DVD's look very clean through my upscaling DVD player. Obviously it doesnt touch a good HD feed, but the upconversion is pretty good. It is a bit softer than I expected, and I'd like to tweak the picture quality a bit more. My main problem is that I prefer to connect both my cable box and my dvd player over HDMI. Since there is only one input I'm swapping cables at the moment, and I haven't gotten good settings for each source. Hoping to invest in a switching box sometime later.


General Observations: Blacks are very acceptable. I sold my JVC HDTV about 2 months ago, and have been relegated to CRT since then. I'm not going to say the blacks are as good as CRT, but I think as good as my JVC, and a lot better than the other TV's I demo'd in stores. There is red push as everyone has stated, but you can do a pretty good job of lessening it to a more acceptable level. With time I would think we should be able to reduce it even more. Sony is going to sell a lot of these TVs as the out of the box torch mode looks pretty amazing and attractive in bright scenes.

Still to test: I have an xbox connected and haven't had any time to test it out yet, so I will post regarding how pretty Halo looks at a later time. I also would like to hook the cable box through component and see if I notice a drop in picture quality. If it's good enough that would save me the cable swapping and cash for a switcher. I'm going to upload some preliminary pictures, but I'm not altogether happy with them. Need to read up on how to properly take digicam pics of TV. With the pictures compressed and shrunk they look fairly good, but at full size they are a touch blurry. I'll get some better ones out later. I'll put my 7.1 MP Canon to good use!

Overall: I definitely recommend this set, especially for the price. The only thing else I could have asked for was a second HDMI. That would have made this nearly the perfect TV for me. Hopefully we can get some good support going and delve into that new service menu to tweak it to perfection. Any comments, questions, etc I'll be happy to answer!

couple more pics....

Well a local tv store finally got in the 50" A10 and I was able to play with it. They had a 1080i feed through coax, which I thought looked pretty good, but I'm pretty sure a 720p signal over component / hdmi would look better.

I was looking to get a Sammy HLR before I heard about these A10s. I shyed away because of complaints of audio and video game lag. I brought my gamecube to the store and hooked it up to the A10 via composite with no menu calibration and the picture looked pretty good with no delay at all. Composite should be even better. I'm probably going to go back in the next few days to negotiate price and then I'll have my first HDTV :)

One question though. I'm planning on picking up a monster power surge protector to run my tv / dvd / audio system (don't have audio yet). I just want to get clean power and I'm not worried about battery backup. I also don't want to spend more than $200. Anyone have suggestions other than the monster power strip? If not I think the monster will do fine.

Anything Except Monster. Overpriced pieces of equipment IMHO. Get out of the box stores to pick up your power protection. Belkin makes some nice equipment as well as plenty of others. Ditto the cables...Anything Except Monster.

I finally took the plunge yesterday. Was able to purchase the 50A10 for only $2069.99 before tax. That's at a brick and morter authorized dealer by the way, not a gray online vendor. I won't post where or how I was able to accomplish this in an attempt to not violate forum rules, but I just had to brag about the price :D If anyone would like to PM me for details I'll try and get back to you in the next day or 2.

I won't be taking delivery for a little while, as the store won't even have units in stock for a week more or so, but it seemed too nice of a deal to resist. I was able to play with a TV at Sears and even brought in my DVE disc for a half hour or so, and was very pleased with this set overall.

The store wanted to sell me a 4yr extended warranty for ~$370 but if I declined, thinking that if I do decide to spring for one I'm going to get it through Sony directly. I called them up last night and was told that as long as I purchased from an authorized dealer they will only need the serial number of my unit to sell me a warranty.

Anyway I think that's all I have to report so far. The next thing I'll be working on is a great price on the stand. I'm hoping to find something nicer than the Sony stand, but if it comes down to it I'm hoping to get 25% off the sonystyle.com price :). Best of luck to everyone who's still out there negotiating their deals. Let us know how good you do!

Hi all,

Finally, have gotten my 50" A10 tweaked thru AVIA and suggestions here to the point where I am happy with it. Happy at least until the really experienced owners delve into the service menu and really go to town.

Maybe you could post your settings in the set up thread.

Does the hold down strap for the 50A10 come with the stand or the TV? If it comes with the stand, I was wondering if there is another way to secure the TV from being pulled forward with either a home built stand or a stand by another vender.

RJ

Has anyone confirmed whether this is a defect or maybe part of the "style"? Everybody.....START FEELING!!!

Just got my E50A10 last night. Haven't had a chance to play with it at all, but I must say that I love the picture on standard cable. Hopefully picking up a HD cable box today to hookup. Can't wait.

I can see a wave in the middle of my set, very slight but there, not sure if it's actual or optical illusion, because I can't feel it.

So glad I went with this one over the A20. Spent hours comparing two in store, and could easily see the difference.

Quick question, is there a magic number for stuck pixels? I have only three and feel very happy about that, can't see them unless I'm one foot away and really looking, but now that I found them I'm sure I will notice more. :confused:

Thanks again for all the help people give in this thread, made buying my first LCD RPTV an easy process. I will post reviews and pics soon I hope.

Kangarooster,
Try the
BELKIN PureAV Home Theater Surge Protector F9A923-08
2655 joules / $250,000 connected equipment warranty / 9 outlet / 8 foot cord / Safety cover / Lifetime warranty
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4024431

I have one and the improvement in picture/sound quality is night and day.

So glad I went with this one over the A20. Spent hours comparing two in store, and could easily see the difference.

.

Man,
I am debating whether or not to get the 55 or 50. What did you notice that was better than the 55?
Thanks,
Tec

leadercrat,

Thanks for the pics, thats exactly what I was looking for.

One more question,

Your components that are side-by-side on the middle shelf, are they hanging off the edge in the back or do they both completely fit on the shelf?

Thanks again.

I just want to get clean power and I'm not worried about battery backup.

You know that most people will agree that these LCD RP's should really be run with a UPS/battery backup in place, right? If the power goes out and the fan to cool the bulb cannot run, I think you're risking bulb life. You should be able to get the belkin mentioned above with an additional UPS for the TV for less than $200.

Up to 0.01% of the pixels are allowed to be dead, within warranty. That means that it's normal to have up to 92 dead pixels out of 921, 600.

Thanks for the quick reply. And thanks for doing the math too, would have taken me hours... :D

If anyone is interested in the 42A10, i work at Circuit City. We have an amazing price on this unit in the system. It is 3 Benzos less than Sonystyle price. Also our store is a test market store for a lower price on EW. We have the lowest price i have ever seen for a 4 yr. Just sold one today so i can speak first hand of this. Dont know how long it will last. I imagine till Saturday but dont hold me to it. Let me know if anyone is interested. I work at a store in Houston.
Which store b/c I live in Houston and was in a CC yesterday and was told that they were not sure when they would start selling the 42 A10s...could be next week, week after, or the beginning of September?

Man,
I am debating whether or not to get the 55 or 50. What did you notice that was better than the 55?
Thanks,
Tec

I found that the picture seemed brighter on the 50. I do think there was more Red on the 50, but I figure I can menu that out soon. I know difference in resolution favors the 55, but 50, to my 20/20 eyes was sharper, text looked better too on the fox ticker. I know, your thinking Fox news guy, forget it. :p

I also just love the look of the 50. The lack of side speakers makes the picture look better, I'm sure its just my mind, but hey, good enough for me.

Just look at them side by side, when you can.

Is that the Ikea Oppli stand? If it is, do you know if they come in other colors?

And finally, do the casters lock?

yes it is the ikea stand, it is under $100. The wheels don't lock but you can replace them with normal legs as far as I see. it used to come in black but I don't think they offer that colour anymore.

I find myself rolling the system in and out all the time for cleaning and changing ports so I am glad I have the wheels in the end.

I love my new 50a10 but I do have a question to other owners...

How long does it take for your set to be fully "lit"? My old Toshiba projection TV would be at maximum light output within a second or two after powering up. This set is quite dim when it comes on and slowly gets brighter over the course of 30-45 seconds. Is my unit defective or is this normal for this type of set?

Once it's blazing away there is no problem with the light output.

That's normal for these units.

Que_Dawg_Doom - check your private messages. Thanks.

lell, we special order them right now. anyone who is buying from us is buying sight unseen. we dont have on showroom floor yet. Baybrook store.

I love my new 50a10 but I do have a question to other owners...

How long does it take for your set to be fully "lit"? My old Toshiba projection TV would be at maximum light output within a second or two after powering up. This set is quite dim when it comes on and slowly gets brighter over the course of 30-45 seconds. Is my unit defective or is this normal for this type of set?

Once it's blazing away there is no problem with the light output.

Mine takes about that long too. Don't know if thats normal, its my first RPTV.

when does CC and BB expect to have them on their websites and showroom floor for viewing

when does CC and BB expect to have them on their websites and showroom floor for viewing

The CC's around me have them now. One had just the 42" and the other was to have the 50" on display starting yesterday.

Haven't been to BB to see what they are doing. The old series are gone from the CC website, so I'd guess any day for the A10's to show up on the site.

was trying to help my friend out because he wanted to see it at CC or BB first, while I didnt care. I wanted it all along. Glad I did, such a great tv so far. No regrets at all. Glad I stuck with this and not the HL-R4667(so many problems)

I love my new 50a10 but I do have a question to other owners...

How long does it take for your set to be fully "lit"? My old Toshiba projection TV would be at maximum light output within a second or two after powering up. This set is quite dim when it comes on and slowly gets brighter over the course of 30-45 seconds. Is my unit defective or is this normal for this type of set?

Once it's blazing away there is no problem with the light output.

30-60 seconds to full brightness is normal for this type of TV.

was trying to help my friend out because he wanted to see it at CC or BB first, while I didnt care. I wanted it all along. Glad I did, such a great tv so far. No regrets at all. Glad I stuck with this and not the HL-R4667(so many problems)

Saw the new 42 inch at CC Castleton (Indy) store yesterday. It looked ok, but not better than my GWIII at all. I was rather underwhelmed. Still looked B grade on bright scenes, and C- on darker ones. I was drooling over a 50 inch Panasonic plasma nearby. It totally blew the Sony pic away. The PQ on it would get a solid A grade on both dark and light scenes (Of course it cost about $2500.00 more too...lol). I think I will wait for the SXRD, and study the Samsung 1080P carefully too, before making any purchase decisions.

can you pm me and tell me how much CC was offering the 42 and 50A10's in the stores.

Circuit City Price On The 42a10 Is Wow!
I Have The 42a10 Pre Order At Tweeter.
Had Them Call Circuit City .
They Are Now Matching The Price!!!

cc in South Bend IN has them in their system.. Not sure when they'll be in store. BB said they can pre order them but won't have them on the floor until the 21st. The BB salesman told me that they were the same resolution as the A20 on the floor but If Im not mistaken the resolution of the A10 is 1280 x 720 , A20 1366 x 768 which is the same resolution as the 655 series. Has anyone been able to view the A10 and the old 655 side by side?

I'm sorry, he is interested in the 50in at CC or BB. prices please. you can PM me if you know.

what size 50 or 42 $1879

Hey folks, they may shut down this thread if prices are posted in here!

Anyone know how big of a battery backup pack this unit would use? Should I simply base it off the specs:

• Power Requirements: 120V 60Hz
• Power Consumption: In Use: 210 Watts Standby: Less than 17 Watts

How does one figure how big a backup source to purchase?

Anyone know how big of a battery backup pack this unit would use? Should I simply base it off the specs:

• Power Requirements: 120V 60Hz
• Power Consumption: In Use: 210 Watts Standby: Less than 17 Watts

How does one figure how big a backup source to purchase?

This has been discussed already in this thread. Basically, the formula is 210/.6 = 350VA UPS capacity. So, you need maybe a 500VA unit or higher.

Hi all,

Finally, have gotten my 50" A10 tweaked thru AVIA and suggestions here to the point where I am happy with it. Happy at least until the really experienced owners delve into the service menu and really go to town.

Can you post your settings?

This has been discussed already in this thread. Basically, the formula is 210/.6 = 350VA UPS capacity. So, you need maybe a 500VA unit or higher.

Appreciated!

I visited the Sony Styles store here in Manhattan and saw for the first time the 50 inch A10. We (my wife and I) think the picture looked great. Even from the side it was quite bright. The picture was sharp and the colors (including skin tone) were very good. What I do not undertand are some of the harsh words some of the people on this forum have for this A10. Is it the setup in some of the dealers or the homes> It has been my experience (as a total novice in this area) that every single TV manufactured has its good and bad comments.

We plan to purchase the A10 as soon as we can get rid of our 250 pound, 15 year old, 35 inch screen Zenith which has never had a service call. I wonder if some charity would take it or we will just dispose it. I would be glad to receive some comments on any of my above statements. Thanks. :)

Received my 42A10 from abt electronics in Glenview, Ill today.
6 days from order to delivery paid $18__ for it, but the price really didn't matter.
I got the TV I wanted before any of the stores here are stocking it.

On comcast HD cable I watched PBSHD and TNTHD.
The PGA championship is on now and while they were using HD and non HD cameras
some of the shots were so visually stunning that the over used "It's a window!"
phrase was spot on.
The shot with the announcer in the foreground and the clubhouse with it's slate roof behind him was jaw dropping.
The vivid mode will run you out of the room it is so bright, but it looked good on certain shots.
I have it in Custom mode and have turned the brightness and contrast down but am struggling with where it should be.
The black levels look great with the Iris on 2.

The TV actually intrudes less into the room than my Sony 27" and does not dominate my small room at all. It fits perfectly on my 1992 era CWD Fineline cabinet.
I am about 6.5-7' away and can't really see any SDE at all.

This is an incredible TV for less than 2K.
I have to spend more time with it but am extremely happy after the first 2 hours.

Anyone know how big of a battery backup pack this unit would use? Should I simply base it off the specs:

• Power Requirements: 120V 60Hz
• Power Consumption: In Use: 210 Watts Standby: Less than 17 Watts

How does one figure how big a backup source to purchase?

I got a heck of the deal on the 1200va Belkin PureAV battery backup unit here: Link (http://www.beachaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=47490)

It's really a slick, simple, unit.

I got a heck of the deal on the 1200va Belkin PureAV battery backup unit here: Link (http://www.beachaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=47490)

It's really a slick, simple, unit.
Well, I better get of this fence and pick it up now that you told the whole frickin' world about it! :D

Jason

Well, I better get of this fence and pick it up now that you told the whole frickin' world about it! :D

JasonRut-ro Raggy

Here (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6842553&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08201&id=1093467507825) is the real deal on that unit! :D

Jason

Here (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6842553&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08201&id=1093467507825) is the real deal on that unit! :D

Jason Isn't that nuts? I was at a local Best Buy and they has about six of them stacked up at that price. What a ripoff for folks that don't know any better. :rolleyes:

We plan to purchase the A10 as soon as we can get rid of our 250 pound, 15 year old, 35 inch screen Zenith which has never had a service call. I wonder if some charity would take it or we will just dispose it.
If you can't find a charity to take it, and really do want to give it away, post something on craigslist.org and it will be gone in a heartbeat.

CC seems to have different prices at different stores. Someone said they worked at CC and the 42" is 15% less than sonystyle? Someone else said CC in indy had them for about $130 less than sonystyle. I just called CC in columbus indiana and their price is the same as sonystyle, but they do have them in stock. If someone actually is able to buy the 42" at CC for less than sonystyle please pm me with the price. TIA

I got a heck of the deal on the 1200va Belkin PureAV battery backup unit here: Link (http://www.beachaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=47490)

It's really a slick, simple, unit.

Now THAT'S a good deal!

I'll be using it to protect my new 50A10 when it gets here in a week or so. :D

Thanks for the link! :)

Just received delivery of my 42A10 today and the Tv looks great in the entertainment cabinet. Really sleek.

The picture looks good but I have not yet hooked up the HDTV.

Glad I stumbled onto this thread.

Is that battery back-up really worthwhile--the price is quite attractive.

Brad

So anyone know of a website dedicated to these sets yet? I am using mine as a monitor/TV and the underscan issue using the DB15/PC input is bothering me. I hate having to switch from Full1/2 to Zoom mode which then overscans the image. What are the good workarounds for getting 1280x720 to fill the entire screen from a PC. I am wondering if Full 1, Full2 and Zoom modes are seperate adjustable areas in the Service menu, if so I could adjust Full2 to be my perfect fit mode and the other two will be under/over scan. Any ideas? Feel free to PM me with some thoughts or just post away.

Is that battery back-up really worthwhile--the price is quite attractive.

Brad

If you just want a UPS, you can get one considerably cheaper.

In addition to the UPS, you're also getting automatic voltage regulation and additional power line filtering, all wrapped up in a nice looking package.

With the amount of lightning storms and power blips we get here, I felt it would be a worthwiile investment.

YMMV.

Just received delivery of my 42A10 today and the Tv looks great in the entertainement cabinet. Really sleek.

The picture looks good but I have not yet hooked up the HDTV.

Glad I stumbled onto this thread.

Is that battery back-up really worthwhile--the price is quite attractive.

BradThe best reason to have a battery backup in addition to power conditioning on a microdisplay RPTV (LCD, DLP, LCOS, etc.) is when you turn off your TV normally, a fan continues to cool the bulb until it reaches a safe tempurature. When you suddenly lose power while the TV is being used, no power is available to cool the bulb, which overheats and you get to buy a new one for $200-300. The battery allows you to normally shut down the TV in a power failure to allow the bulb to properly cool.

Could someone report the size (width x height) of an HDTV image on the display please. The sony specs only list the dimensions of the cabinet.

I'm thinking of upgrading my Sony 4x3 CRT TV which does HiDef since the hidef picture is proabably about the eqivalent of a 27" 16x9 display. The hidef if great though, I hope this wouldn't be a letdown compared to that... yes the image would be much bigger but is there a big dropoff in image quality?

let me know the details of your purchase price please........kmil123@msn.com

Sony has sent us new CANADA msrp for the A10 models for the Canadians still reading this thread.

KDFE42A10 is at 2599.99
KDFE50A10 is at 3199.99

down from 3299.99 and 3699.99.

just ordered the 50a10, Now for a stand. How wide should the stand be? Does it have to be the 46 5/8 width of the tv? I need a stand with a solid base so you cant see the jungle of wires behind the tv. Is anybody using a regular type tv stand for say a 35 inch tv?

I am the new kid on the block. At least when it comes to HDTV and rear projection units. I have read more threads and recommendations on viewing distances then I care to count. But here is my question anyway. I want to go with 50A10 based on reading most recommendations of "going big", rather than what should fit.

My viewing distance is going to be a mininmum of 7 feet for two side couches and a maximum of 10 feet for two recliners in the rear of the room. Most of the time, the viewing will be in the recliners, except on football Sunday when the house will be full of people. Should I go with a 42 like the wife suggests or go with the 50 and make me and the guys happy? My wife is okay with either choice, so opinions would be greatly appreciated. I would like to go with "my choice" ASAP.

I took the plunge tonight and ordered a 42A10 from BrandsMart in South Florida. (Multiple locations now have them--PM me if you need more info on which ones and/or prices) 5 were allocated to the store I visited, and all 5 were gone within hours of their arrival earlier today. I ordered one from the warehouse that will be delivered on Sunday.

Face-to-face comparison with the other comparable models was, astonishingly, no contest. I know this stuff boils down to personal preference and everyone should make their own call, but after lots of walking around, changing viewing distances, and watching different shows, my preference definitely was with the Sony over similar-size RPTVs.

I do concur on the OOTB red push, though, even though I'm a novice at this stuff. Human faces on one show looked REALLY red compared to a nearby Mitsu running the same signal. But to my eyes, it wasn't that noticeable on most programs.

BrandsMart now has the full line of A10s and A20s on hand and on display. Be careful, though, because (incredibly) not all of their stores are running the same prices...! I caught a $200 price difference between 2 stores on the 42A10. I'm sure it's a goof because they were just setting them up--BUT if people are running out the door with these things, they could be getting ripped off!

Aarrgh!! 4 days new...I think I have dead pixels... See pics below. Any suggested diagnosis? About 3 square inches of black....

Leadercrat

took the plunge and bought 42A10 at CC in Houston. Great deal plus the 10% off with a new CC account. 24 mos no interest. cheap cheap EW 4 yrs, including bulb replacement.

its arriving from Dallas tomorrow. can't wait to get it for the weekend.

........

My viewing distance is going to be a mininmum of 7 feet for two side couches and a maximum of 10 feet for two recliners in the rear of the room. Most of the time, the viewing will be in the recliners, except on football Sunday when the house will be full of people. Should I go with a 42 like the wife suggests or go with the 50 and make me and the guys happy? My wife is okay with either choice, so opinions would be greatly appreciated. I would like to go with "my choice" ASAP.


At 10' my biggest fear would be chosing the 42" and then a few months later, wishing I had gone bigger. I'm ordering the 50" for 8.5' - 9.5' viewing distance.

Nobody may care, but I edited my "Day 1" review
(http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6012154&&#post6012154)
to reflect the fact that I had an error in my DVD player set up that greatly affected the picture. I had forgotten to update the DVD player settings for a 16:9 TV - it was still setup for 4:3. Once I made this change, the picture improved several fold.

Plus, I had a chance to see some true HD content on the TV and it was really spectacular.


Mitch

Aarrgh!! 4 days new...I think I have dead pixels... See pics below. Any suggested diagnosis? About 3 square inches of black....

Leadercrat

To my un-trained eye, it looks like something fell in front of the lens. Open the door to the bulb area and look around.

To my un-trained eye, it looks like something fell in front of the lens. Open the door to the bulb area and look around.

Yeah...I agree...something is in the light path as opposed to pixel failure.

The best reason to have a battery backup in addition to power conditioning on a microdisplay RPTV (LCD, DLP, LCOS, etc.) is when you turn off your TV normally, a fan continues to cool the bulb until it reaches a safe tempurature. When you suddenly lose power while the TV is being used, no power is available to cool the bulb, which overheats and you get to buy a new one for $200-300. The battery allows you to normally shut down the TV in a power failure to allow the bulb to properly cool.

Has anyone here who had a decent surge suppressor actually had to buy a new bulb after a power outage? I have no experience with this (no RPTV ... YET ... still researching), but I would think that when power is lost, the bulb will turn off and will not get hotter. So why would it 'overheat'? Granted, without the fan running, the bulb will cool down slower than it would if the fan kept running, but it seems that that would actually be easier on the bulb (less of a thermal transient) than cooling it down quickly. I could see losing a bulb to a power surge or fluctuation, but not to inability to keep the fan running after the bulb shuts down. Is there something here that I am missing? :confused:

By the way, great thread! :)

i was wondering if i used the hdmi on a dvd player and connected to the sony a10, and then use the optical audio out on the tv to my 5.1 receiver, if its losing any information along the way. basically what i mean, if i'm playing 5.1 on some dvd, is it going back to two channel stereo before it comes out of the optical audio out?

also, what is the response time on the a10?

thanks!
- Bryan

i've heard that plasmas can only be transported upright - is this true with lcd rp tvs? The only way its going to fit in my friends truck is lying flat. this wont be a problem will it?

Has anyone here who had a decent surge suppressor actually had to buy a new bulb after a power outage? I have no experience with this (no RPTV ... YET ... still researching), but I would think that when power is lost, the bulb will turn off and will not get hotter. So why would it 'overheat'? Granted, without the fan running, the bulb will cool down slower than it would if the fan kept running, but it seems that that would actually be easier on the bulb (less of a thermal transient) than cooling it down quickly. I could see losing a bulb to a power surge or fluctuation, but not to inability to keep the fan running after the bulb shuts down. Is there something here that I am missing? :confused:

By the way, great thread! :)
Here's one story. If you search the forum you can find more.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5716260&&#post5716260

Nobody may care, but I edited my "Day 1" review (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?=6012154&&#post6012154)
to reflect the fact that I had an error in my DVD player set up that greatly affected the picture. I had forgotten to update the DVD player settings for a 16:9 TV - it was still setup for 4:3. Once I made this change, the picture improved several fold.

Plus, I had a chance to see some true HD content on the TV and it was really spectacular.


Mitch


Link is not working for me.

I stopped at a CC today (Thurs) and they had the 42" for 15% off thru the weekend. The extended warranty was $418 for 5 years if I recall & it did include the bulb.

Mike

Has anyone here who had a decent surge suppressor actually had to buy a new bulb after a power outage? I have no experience with this (no RPTV ... YET ... still researching), but I would think that when power is lost, the bulb will turn off and will not get hotter. So why would it 'overheat'? Granted, without the fan running, the bulb will cool down slower than it would if the fan kept running, but it seems that that would actually be easier on the bulb (less of a thermal transient) than cooling it down quickly. I could see losing a bulb to a power surge or fluctuation, but not to inability to keep the fan running after the bulb shuts down. Is there something here that I am missing? :confused:
... The bulb will get hotter if the fan stops running. During normal operation the fan has to run to cool the bulb, and immediately after turning the bulb off it's still very hot and still needs the additional convective heat transfer from the forced air or it may actually heat up to a higher temperature, if even for just a very short time. That's probably enough to damage or weaken it. Think about it -- if what you're saying were true why would the design be for the fan to continue to run for a time after the TV (bulb) was turned off? There would be no point to it.

Yeah...I agree...something is in the light path as opposed to pixel failure.
Hey, thanks for suggestion. I did that, but no luck. Looking at it again, I can see this same spot with the TV off. It is almost appears to be like maybe an interior lining or film has peeled back from the inside of the glass screen. I will do some more checking around... My thinking right now is a "defective" glass or screen? Don't know. If others have ideas, feel free to share them. Thanks!

Leadercrat

Well folks....looks like our specials price on the 42 was a one day, non advertised sale. Today the price was back to the same thing that sonystyle has it for. Now the 4 yr EW is still low(249) but no more 3 Benji discount. I had a two customers by this set sight unseen for this price but like i said the deal is now gone. IF it shows up again anytime soon, i will let yall know.

Hey, thanks for suggestion. I did that, but no luck. Looking at it again, I can see this same spot with the TV off. It is almost appears to be like maybe an interior lining or film has peeled back from the inside of the glass screen. I will do some more checking around... My thinking right now is a "defective" glass or screen? Don't know. If others have ideas, feel free to share them. Thanks!

Leadercrat


I remember a couple of years ago there was a new set that came to market that had a fairly common problem with some piece of styrofoam shifting out of position causing a similar problem with what you're showing. At the time there was some speculation if it had to do with the sets being turned on their sides for delivery or if it was something from the factory that hadn't been done right.

Your choice is to either have service come out to correct the problem or have your retailer swap it for you.

Aarrgh!! 4 days new...I think I have dead pixels... See pics below. Any suggested diagnosis? About 3 square inches of black....

Leadercrat


Well, I just got my E50A10 delivered today!! As for the picture, all I can say is...






WOW. Its freaken not working! :mad: Just my luck that I would be one of the first few people here to have a damaged unit. When I had opened the box there was little pieces/shards of tiny plastc or glass. They almost looked like shattered Xmas ornaments. I ran my finger around the opening of the speaker and my fingers were covered with dust.

I spent about an hour and a half on the phone trying to get some resolution to this situation. Finally, got in touch with someone at Electronics-Expo that would send out a new tv and pick up the old one.

I think it was caused by the shipping. There's not much in the way of packaging by Sony to protect the screen of this TV from getting banged up during freight shipping.

Leadercat, I think we have the same problem. here's some pictures. The middle of the screen where its black is also visible with the TV OFF. Looks like the bow of sinking ship.

leadercrat and slamdunken


Sorry to hear about the problems you're having.

What is the serial numbers on the back of your sets?? Be interesting to see if they're close together.

just to get this thread back on a postive note. I have had my 50a10 for over almost a week now and am looving every minute of it.

For the two with the problems, swap them for new ones, so you can start enjoying the magic of these tvs.

Slamdunken - sorry about the tv
Leadercrat - I would as opposed to the other people say -- don't even mess with it get a new one / have them fix it -- if you bought it in a store then complain and get some freebies :) - I know a lot of us knows how to mess around in there, but when it is brand new and fails I prefer to not to a thing vs 1-2 years later when some messing around is warranted :)

However - thanks a bunch for the pictures you posted. Me and the Wife looked at them and ordered the stand after seeing them - that was real helpful

So far, I am thinking these are not Sony's fault, and some gorilla tossed these TVs off the truck when they were unloaded. Let's hope this is the case. Anyways, I agree that both you guys should just get new replacement units.

I was in sears and there A20 wasn't working becuase of shipping damage. My A20 was perfect out of the box and looks great.

My 50" A10 should be in today...if it is damaged I'll just take it right back and exchange it for another (hopefully they brought in more than just the one I ordered!). If they don't have another one then I get to go shopping again! lol

One good thing all this swapping TV's has done for me is now I'll get 24 months same as cash instead of 18 at CC!

My 50" A10 should be in today...if it is damaged I'll just take it right back and exchange it for another (hopefully they brought in more than just the one I ordered!). If they don't have another one then I get to go shopping again! lol

One good thing all this swapping TV's has done for me is now I'll get 24 months same as cash instead of 18 at CC!
What do you mean by " I'll get 24 months same as cash instead of 18 at CC!" and how?

I have a CC Visa and they have 24 months with no interest, so as long as you pay it off in the 24 months it's basically a same-as-cash offer. When I bought my first and second TV there within the past month and a half it was only for 18 months. Starting I think this week they upped it to 24 months.

24 month offer (http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/genericContent.do?oid=107877&c=1&cm_re=main%20marquee-_-Save%20instantly%20on%20all%20TVs%20$499%20and%20up-_-Details%20#television)

OK - I thought you were referring to warranty months (vs. interest free months).

Um..no, sorry. Same as cash refers to a purchase, not a warranty. :D

Stopped by CC at lunch and upgraded to the 50A10 from my 3 week old 42WE655. It will be delivered on Saturday so I will be able to post a review afterwards.

Initially, the salesman could not pull up the unit in their system. I asked him to check their "Delivery Warehouse" system and lo behold they had 450+ units in there. The price was lower than sony style and I mentioned the 10% off at Sears (the friends and family discount this Sunday) and the CC manager matched the discount so I got the TV for an even lower price!! :p :D

They could not do the 250 for 4yr extended warranty as posted earlier - apparently, the EW's are a regional thing and since I am in DC that discounted price does not apply.

Question: Since I did not get the EW yesterday, is it something I should reconsider? I figure that it comes with the 1 yr warranty from Sony which I can extend before my 12 months are up. Will CC/BB service the set if I buy the warranty from sony style down the road? Thanks!

leadercrat and slamdunken,

Really sorry to hear of your misfortune. I just ordered a 42" last night from an authorized online dealer, couldn't pass up the savings. Now I'm wondering if that was the right decision as opposed to a b&m store.

R

With the SXRD TVs roughly a month away, why are you guys buying the A10?

I would think that you would at least wait until you could compare the two technologies.

Link is not working for me.

Fixed it above, but here it is as well:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6012154&&#post6012154

With the SXRD TVs roughly a month away, why are you guys buying the A10?

I would think that you would at least wait until you could compare the two technologies.

Becauset he SXRD's are about $1500 more list and some of us don't want to afford a $4k TV.

Initially, the salesman could not pull up the unit in their system. I asked him to check their "Delivery Warehouse" system and lo behold they had 450+ units in there. The price was lower than sony style and I mentioned the 10% off at Sears (the friends and family discount this Sunday) and the CC manager matched the discount so I got the TV for an even lower price!! :p :D



Could you PM me the price you paid? Both what it was before the additional price matching discount and the final price before tax?

The warranty is up to you....I think I'm gonna go with the warranty from Sony since replacing a bulb really doesn't bother me. There's an entire thread dealing with extended warranties (i.e. insurance policys) with a lot of great info.

azobairi, can you PM me the same price for paid for the 50in at CC for my friend

With the SXRD TVs roughly a month away, why are you guys buying the A10?

I would think that you would at least wait until you could compare the two technologies.

I would guess that it's because the SXRD sets cost close to twice as much?

KDF-E50A10 - $2499.99 MSRP
KDS-R50XBR1 - $3999.99 (from crutchfield)

First post-got my 50a10 a few days ago and love it. Can't wait to watch golf (and NASCAR for that matter) tomorrow in HD.

Anyway, I took an optical cable and ran it from the back of the TV into my Panasonic HTIB to try out the sound and I get nothing. I turned off the TV speaker like it says to so I can't figure out what the deal is. I have used this cable and input before.

Am I missing something or doing something wrong? Any help would be appreciated from someone who has a similar setup.

Thanks.

Note on CableCard with the A10.
I switched from TW 8300 DVR to a cablecard. The 8300 SA Explorer was connected to the TV with an HDMI cable. (Actually I still have both connected so I can do comparisons for a while.) The CableCard has a much better and in fact much brighter picture.
The difference was very visable and a big improvement. What a surprise!

As a note to salesmen having a hard time finding the TV or not wanting to look for it. I took someone's advice here and printed out the picture/info on the A10 from the Sony Style website. It makes them realize you know what you are talking about.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?CategoryName=tv_ProjectionTVs_RearProjection_42to51TVs&ProductSKU=KDFE42A10&TabName=feature&var2=

Has anyone here who had a decent surge suppressor actually had to buy a new bulb after a power outage? I have no experience with this (no RPTV ... YET ... still researching), but I would think that when power is lost, the bulb will turn off and will not get hotter. So why would it 'overheat'? Granted, without the fan running, the bulb will cool down slower than it would if the fan kept running, but it seems that that would actually be easier on the bulb (less of a thermal transient) than cooling it down quickly. I could see losing a bulb to a power surge or fluctuation, but not to inability to keep the fan running after the bulb shuts down. Is there something here that I am missing? :confused:

By the way, great thread! :)

I think the main concern, if I understand it correctly, is shortened bulb life, not necessarily a bulb blow out right after a power outage. For me, the power doesn't go out all THAT much, but on some of the deal sites, you can find cheap UPS's, so you might as well buy one.

Aaron

With the SXRD TVs roughly a month away, why are you guys buying the A10?

I would think that you would at least wait until you could compare the two technologies.

I totally agree! I have a GWIII 42 inch now...want to move up to at least a 50 inch. I saw the new 42 A-10 at CC...not much better than my GWIII from what I could see. The Panny plasmas nearby blew it away. I have high hopes that the SXRD comes a LOT closer to good plasma quality, than to the good, but not great, A-10.

some tips:

i have the 42" A10
the acoustic research performance cables are great and not costly...ahem buy-dot-com
using component from my dav-fr9 to my tv
svideo from tivo to tv
vga from computer to tv
optical from computer to dav-fr9
also got a power conditioner from same manufacturer. i decided not to go with the ups since power probably has gone out twice in my life and i doubt will have much impact on bulb life.

note to those using a10 as monitor. wide has the cleanest picture, but overscans so you lose about an inch on all side. i've been have good success using power strip and setting the resolution to 1200x666 and wide. i'm running a 6800gt. let me know if anyone else has been getting better results.

-later

Your power will blink or brownout more than you might think...especially in the summertime....the interruptions can happen so quick that it won't reset a digital clock, yet other devices can sometimes be effected....if it is out long enough to trip the power circuit in your set, then it becomes a problem....

Upconverted DVD movies.
Has anyone had a chance to see if the A10 automatically upconverts the DVD 480 to the A10's "native" 720 or do I need to get an upconverting dvd player? Looking at getting the TV and just trying to figure out what else I may need to purcahse with it.

Upconverted DVD movies.
Has anyone had a chance to see if the A10 automatically upconverts the DVD 480 to the A10's "native" 720 or do I need to get an upconverting dvd player? Looking at getting the TV and just trying to figure out what else I may need to purcahse with it.


As a practical matter, the TV can take your DVD player's 480i signal, deinterlace it and then scale it to the set's native resolution.

As to buying an upconvert DVD player, this really only benefits you if the deinterlacer and scaler in the DVD player is better than the one that's in the TV.

Picked up my 42" a10 yesterday afternoon. Tweeter matched the special CC price and happened to have an un-opened one sitting on the floor ready for unpacking and use as a demo. Thank you; loaded it in my suv, went to comcast and swaped boxes for HD and.......ooooooooo big clear bugs on Discovery HD. :D

Heading out for some cables now. Need a couple real component cables (I just used my old composite[video, R & L audio]) for the component hook up last night.

Still fiddling for the best hook-up with vcr and dvd. 480I or 480P for the standard definition 4:3 content?? I'm using 1080I for 16X9 HD. The motorola (comcast) box has setting for both HD and 4:3 content. All going to A10 via component now.

Oh yea...nice, will post more info as day goes on.

i have an upconerter and was watching the incredibles, thought it looked really good

Upconverted DVD movies.
Has anyone had a chance to see if the A10 automatically upconverts the DVD 480 to the A10's "native" 720 or do I need to get an upconverting dvd player? Looking at getting the TV and just trying to figure out what else I may need to purcahse with it.

Based on my experience, the TV does a very good job upconverting 480i input.
My set up is a Toshiba DVD player connected to the TV via component cables (although an experiment with S-Video showed similar quality).
I have not tried a 480p or any other upconverting DVD player. So, it's possible that such a DVD player would look better - but I can't really imagine how. :)


Mitch

As a practical matter, the TV can take your DVD player's 480i signal, deinterlace it and then scale it to the set's native resolution.

As to buying an upconvert DVD player, this really only benefits you if the deinterlacer and scaler in the DVD player is better than the one that's in the TV.

Agreed... I bought a player with the faroudja chip and it does an excellent job.

So far, I am thinking these are not Sony's fault, and some gorilla tossed these TVs off the truck when they were unloaded. Let's hope this is the case. Anyways, I agree that both you guys should just get new replacement units.

I agree. I definitely don't think this was a design or manufacturing issue. More likely a shipping issue based on the pieces of glass/plastic inside the box and the speaker opening.

Leadercat, I'll post the serial number later tonight.

One thing for sure. I am very impressed by how Electronics-expo.com handled the issue. They already shipped out the replacement unit this morning. I highly recommend them if you intend on purchasing through an online retailer. Their prices have come up from $19xx to $22xx but I'm sure they'll price match any other online retailer or at least come reasonably close.

What's funny is that I have a broken TV in my living room. But that hasn't kept me from sitting on the couch mesmorized at the beauty of the set. I'll just sit there and stare at a blank screen. One thing for sure, as others have mentioned, the set looks much bigger at home then it does in the showrooms.

I envy you guys with your working sets.. but hopefully before next friday I'll be there joining you! :) For now I'm back to my Daewoo 19" (non-flat) tv for the week. Yes, its not even flat :eek:

Oh btw, I bought these cables. And I'm not saying to buy them from these retailers. Nor am I saying that these were the cheapest I found. I just merely want to show you the pictures.. :rolleyes:

3FT:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008VSKT/qid=1123869011/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_sbs_3/002-6089822-1443263?v=glance&s=pc&n=507846

6FT:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90130170&loc=111&sp=1

I agree. I definitely don't think this was a design or manufacturing issue. More likely a shipping issue based on the pieces of glass/plastic inside the box and the speaker opening.

Leadercat, I'll post the serial number later tonight.

One thing for sure. I am very impressed by how Electronics-expo.com handled the issue. They already shipped out the replacement unit this morning. I highly recommend them if you intend on purchasing through an online retailer. Their prices have come up from $19xx to $22xx but I'm sure they'll price match any other online retailer or at least come reasonably close.

What's funny is that I have a broken TV in my living room. But that hasn't kept me from sitting on the couch mesmorized at the beauty of the set. I'll just sit there and stare at a blank screen. One thing for sure, as others have mentioned, the set looks much bigger at home then it does in the showrooms.

I envy you guys with your working sets.. but hopefully before next friday I'll be there joining you! :) For now I'm back to my Daewoo 19" (non-flat) tv for the week. Yes, its not even flat :eek:

Oh btw, I bought these cables. And I'm not saying to buy them from these retailers. Nor am I saying that these were the cheapest I found. I just merely want to show you the pictures.. :rolleyes:

3FT:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008VSKT/qid=1123869011/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_sbs_3/002-6089822-1443263?v=glance&s=pc&n=507846

6FT:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90130170&loc=111&sp=1


Yes, Electronics Expo is a very classy outfit. You can't do better ordering online or in person from them, and you're correct. They will match or come very close to any credible etailer or retailers price if you talk to them...

For anyone on the fence between this & the A20 Fry's has the 55" A20 at an unbelieveable price in their ad (for easy price matching). I bought mine 2 weeks ago from Best Buy and will be going today to get over $500 back! PM me for the price.

I wanted to order E42A10 from CC or Sears and haven't been successful so far. I called CC 3 times today and each of the rep had no clue what TV i was talking about. I gave them the model number and they could not find it in their system. I tried the same with Sears and they couldn't find the TV in the system.

Has anyone ordered from these retail stores over the phone? If so, do you have the serial number on their system?

I will try to go to the local store and may be talk to some one in person.. Hopefully that might help.

DO NOT call the 1-800 number for CC to order this product, they are based in India and have no clue. Call a retail store and give them SON KDFE50A10 or the 42in. Tell them to look it up in their warehouse and it WILL be there.