... I tried the same with Sears and they couldn't find the TV in the system...

Did you give them the Sears part number that was posted earlier in this thread?

I just finished replying to the 8 or so people that sent me PMs about my $2069.99 price for the 50A10 but unbelievably my price actually went down this afternoon.

The first store that was going to give me the price above is about an hour from my house and wanted $120 to deliver (of course hidden charges...) so I decided to go back to another store 10 minutes from my house and see if they would pricematch the first store. Not only did they pricematch but they are one of the many stores with a 110% guarantee, so in effect that knocked another $43 off my pricing.

To make the long-ish story short I'm now buying the TV from a different store, close to home, for a total price of $2023.99, and even paying 6% sales tax instead of 7% because here in Florida tax varies by county and my county is one of the cheapest! :D

Again if anyone would like some insight into what stores were involved in this whole transaction or some negotiation pointers send me a PM, but tomorrow is my g/f's birthday and I won't be around tongiht or most of tomorrow. I wouldnt be able to get back to you until Sunday morning which by then most people will have just bought at Sears using the 10% off pass.

Good luck to all and come on lets see some other people post their good deals! Don't have to tell where you bought it we don't want to violate any rules, but I want to see someone break that $2000 barrier!!!!

Hmm...so you'll break the forum rules about posting prices, but won't go as far as posting the stores? lol Glad to see you have some morals at least!

:D

Hmm...so you'll break the forum rules about posting prices, but won't go as far as posting the stores? lol Glad to see you have some morals at least!

:D

List that under things that make you go hmmm..

picked up my 42A10 at lunch and took it home to check it out. Beautiful picture. didn't get a chance to hook it up to a DVD player. Only bad aspect was that I had to get back to work because a 2 hr lunch is frowned on a little bit.

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

Those are some sweet pictures. ;)

Thanks.

Going to go help a friend calibrate his setup tonight - he just got a 50A10 and the Denon 1920. Connected via HDMI 720p, no onscreen sound warnings and the sound passes to the TV by his account.



Look for a report from me later...

Hi All,
Where are people posting their settings for the A10? I am wondering what settings work best and am interested to see what configurations people have tried.

Yup, I do realize that settings are very subjective but just wanted to see what can lead to an improved PQ. Thanks!

...Where are people posting their settings for the A10...

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

Well I've been watching and playing all day. With the sunlight coming in the room I noticed that when the 42 a10 is off I see a hazy "reflection" down the center running top to bottom as if the front screen was slightly bowed in. Being new to anything other than a standard old 32" crt. Is this "normal"? I do not think that it is noticeable while content is playing.

Any info would help.

I was reading another thread and they happened to mentioned that the "Live Color" setting on the GWIV set helped to "increase" blues/greeens thereby compensating (somewhat) for the Sony decoder's red push. The A10 has this setting...has anyone tried this to see if it accomplishes this? (I don't have the A10, as yet so I can't try it out).

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.

Check this link:http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/business/s_362872.html
It may be much longer wait.....

Check this link:http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/business/s_362872.html
It may be much longer wait.....October.. Shmocktober. I bet we'll see them sooner than later.

I have CableCard issues.
With TimeWarner, I get no information about program name or information on any but the old analog channels. So HBO etc does not tell me what the movie names are.
Do non-TW people with CableCards have the same issue?

Has anyone actually obtained a Sears Friends & Family coupon? I have a family member that's retired from Sears and they have yet to receive the coupons.

Just curious.

Is it possible to slightly defocus Sony 3LCD sets to reduce SDE?

Check this link:http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/business/s_362872.html
It may be much longer wait.....


Yeah, saw that. Sounds like October, doesn't it.

Then there is the news about the IBM/Sony "Cell chip" which is suppose to speed up processing. What processing wasn't exactly made clear, nor if it was coming out in the SXRD or a later model.

I can see it forming. Wait till October for the SXRD, then find out that if you wait a bit longer, you can get the better processor, then something else is announced you want to wait for. Does it ever end? lol

Hey you guys with the defective screens, I know this is kind of bad, but you guys would be perfect guinea pigs for jumping into the service menu and trying the stuff in the GW V tweeks thread...you can't hurt it much :rolleyes:

You can hone your skills for when your replacements come.

Is it possible to slightly defocus Sony 3LCD sets to reduce SDE?


Only time I see screen door is when I'm ultra close to the set. Absolutely not normal viewing distance.

I have CableCard issues.
With TimeWarner, I get no information about program name or information on any but the old analog channels. So HBO etc does not tell me what the movie names are.
Do non-TW people with CableCards have the same issue?

If anyone knows where I can get a CableCard please send me a PM.

Yeah, saw that. Sounds like October, doesn't it.

Then there is the news about the IBM/Sony "Cell chip" which is suppose to speed up processing. What processing wasn't exactly made clear, nor if it was coming out in the SXRD or a later model.

I can see it forming. Wait till October for the SXRD, then find out that if you wait a bit longer, you can get the better processor, then something else is announced you want to wait for. Does it ever end? lol

I don't think it does, until you pull the trigger. I started looking at the WE610. Years ago now. Finally bought the 50A10, and next year there well be something better. Now all I have to do is stop looking at the prices in the paper and comparing.... :)

If anyone knows where I can get a CableCard please send me a PM.

Cable cards are gotten from the cable provider. Call them, pay for them to come to your house and put it in the slot, and enjoy.

I just purchased my 42A10 from CC and it will be delivered tomorrow. I am new to this stuff so I need some help. I have cable through comcast and am picking up one of their HD boxes in order to be able to view the HD programs available. What kind of cable do I need from the Comcast box to my 42A10? I obviously want to get whatever provides to best picture. Any suggestions to my non technical self would be much appreciated!

Also got CC to price match plus 10% of the cost difference for a great deal!

Thanks,

Travis (Atlanta)

Given MA tax holiday this weekend I decided to shop for the 50" A10. I stopped at Sear hoping to take advantage of the 10% Friend & Family Day on Sunday. No luck. I then went to Circuit City and they are selling it at MSRP. I then went to Tweeter, who actually had the TV on the floor. They said they will discount the TV. As I'm very interested I asked them to be specific. They offered a $200 discount off of MSRP.

Sears said they would price match plus 10%, which comes to a $220 discount. All Circiuit City said is they would match but when they called Tweeter they were told $2499. The CC sales person said that Tweeter probably knew the call was coming from CC.

Anyway, all other things being equal, I'm going with Tweeter as it seems only fair. Does anyone have any comments why CC or Sears would be better as I'm guessing I can get them all to give me the $200 break.

I asked the Tweeter person about dealer cost. From what little he said, I'm guessing they are paying about $1800-$1900. Store have bonuses so they can make even more money.

I was interested in recording hi-def content to save or time-shift from the A10 series using a cablecard. Without the 1394 connection I assume there is no way to do this. I am not interested in paying for a subscription to do this, ala tivo. What are the recommendations to do this? Or do I need to look at TVs w/ 1394?
Thanks

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.

A little over $2,000 is enough reason for me to buy the 50a10 :D Vs. paying $4,000 plus for a SXRD :eek:

I am starting loooking at A10's tomorrow and have Time Warner calbe. I would love to get the cable card. I saw one post that said it improved picture quality but am wondering if anyone else has tried it. Also I know that it is one way but what does thta actually mean? I ordered ESPN Gameplan thru the phone. Will I be able to get the games if I have a card?

Help!! I just got my 50A10 home an noticed a "blotch" on the lower left hand corner (when looking at it). Its only there when the TV is turned on so it sounds different than the problem everyone else is have. Check out the pics and let me know what you think!!! during normal viewing it is not that noticable but during solid colors you can see it very easily

Help!! I just got my 50A10 home an noticed a "blotch" on the lower left hand corner (when looking at it). Its only there when the TV is turned on so it sounds different than the problem everyone else is have. Check out the pics and let me know what you think!!! during normal viewing it is not that noticable but during solid colors you can see it very easily

Looks like hair close to the LCD. Call Sony.

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.

Because if i wanted to spend $4000 on a TV i would have bought a 50" Plasma.

Update on the A20 (for the few people who PMed me on this and are still considering it):

It seems that it might only be regional as someone from CA said it's not the same price as it is here in DFW. However, when I took the ad to Best Buy for the price match tonight they took almost 30 minutes to go over numbers and then finally call Fry's to make sure it was right. After the girl was pretty rude to me I got a very nice refund. She said with the price match I got it for below their price. That's a pretty good deal IMO. :) Anyone else interested PM me for price.

Looking at the Sonystyle website, it looks like the just raised the stand up $50 to $349. Last time I looked it as $299.

Geez......

Because if i wanted to spend $4000 on a TV i would have bought a 50" Plasma.

An HD Plasma? then you should've.....

Looking at the Sonystyle website, it looks like the just raised the stand up $50 to $349. Last time I looked it as $299.

Geez......

That's why CC website has it for that price. No TV, just the stand.....
Both sites are selling the stand for the 42" at the lower price.

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.

Well, speaking just for myself, I'm considering an A10 because of the small form factor -- the 42" version will fit inside my entertainment center, where nothing else but 32"-34" CRTs will go. Plus, I'm still having trouble selling myself on a nearly $2,000 TV (which would be the most expensive item I've ever bought, aside from my car), so $4,000+ for the SXRD might as well be $4,000,000...just a fantasy.

Hey guys, new to this forum but been browsin it off and on for a long time.

I got a Sony 42WE655 from CC about 2 weeks ago, and can't stand the black levels.

Went to Sears today and they had the new 42" A10 and they are delivering it to me on monday, and my WE655 is goin back to CC tomorrow. They went ahead and gave me the 10% off Friends and Family so I could go ahead and get it delivered.

From playing with the iris, it really cleared up the black levels. The image overall looked alot better than my 655.

Can't wait for monday!

I just purchased my 42A10 from CC and it will be delivered tomorrow. I am new to this stuff so I need some help. I have cable through comcast and am picking up one of their HD boxes in order to be able to view the HD programs available. What kind of cable do I need from the Comcast box to my 42A10? I obviously want to get whatever provides to best picture. Any suggestions to my non technical self would be much appreciated!You'll need a set of COMPONENT cables for HD viewing. Comcast will most likely give you the Motorola 6412 DVR cable box and they should provide you with the component cables.

I just purchased my 42A10 from CC and it will be delivered tomorrow. I am new to this stuff so I need some help. I have cable through comcast and am picking up one of their HD boxes in order to be able to view the HD programs available. What kind of cable do I need from the Comcast box to my 42A10? I obviously want to get whatever provides to best picture. Any suggestions to my non technical self would be much appreciated!

Also got CC to price match plus 10% of the cost difference for a great deal!

Thanks,

Travis (Atlanta)

Get a dvi to hdmi cable. www.monoprice.com if you want a cheap one that works great.

Is everyone in agreement that it is a hair? how does that happen? is it easy to get out? The fools at PC Richards loaded the tv in on its side. 1/2 way home i noticed that the box says never transport the tv in any other postion but straight up. this didn't cause the problem did it?

Is everyone in agreement that it is a hair? how does that happen? is it easy to get out? The fools at PC Richards loaded the tv in on its side. 1/2 way home i noticed that the box says never transport the tv in any other postion but straight up. this didn't cause the problem did it?


That's a possibility, but who knows what caused it.

Sounds like you just got the TV. In which case I think I'd just get a replacement from PC Richards and let them deal with getting it fixed.

Is everyone in agreement that it is a hair? how does that happen? is it easy to get out? The fools at PC Richards loaded the tv in on its side. 1/2 way home i noticed that the box says never transport the tv in any other postion but straight up. this didn't cause the problem did it?

I highly doubt its hair. There was a post from another thread (maybe in the IV generation thread?) that had something similar on their screen. If I recall, the sony tech replaced the whole engine. I really hope they're not shipping these on their sides... I think I'd really lose it if my second one is damaged as well.

I'm think I'm going to consider having my cabinet maker build a custom stand. Until I see something different, I'm going to look to have something built to specs to fit the tv exactly.

To me, I think it would be easier for my eyes to look slightly up compared to looking down. Plus looking down, even though I should be watching the tv, my outside focus will be of the floor etc. vs my room.

So question, what is the optimum height that the 50A10 should sit on? I see stands with height from everything from 15" to 25" out there. Some stands like the Ikea are nice, but the are are way too low. The chairs/sofa I'll sit on measure about 18", and the Sony tube tv I currently have is 20" on the stand

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Just got back from a CC in Massachusetts- Tax free weekend here. Bought my 42A10 and it'll be delivered Monday. The store actually had a 42A10 set up on display- first time I've seen one (I've seen the 50A10 at a Sears.)

I guess last year, more stuff was sold in Mass on Tax Free day (only one day last year- this year the entire weekend) than the day after Thanksgiving! Thankfully though, only about 10 people were at the store when it opened at 7 am...

Can't wait to receive the TV!

Picking up my E50A10 tax free here in Mass in about an hour. A/C is on (supposed to be brutal outside today) so now I have no reason to leave the house after hookup and power up. NASCAR Busch race is gonna look sweet........

Hmm...so you'll break the forum rules about posting prices, but won't go as far as posting the stores? lol Glad to see you have some morals at least!

As far as I was aware the sprit of this rule was to prevent people from saying things like "Circuit City has this TV for $1!" and therefore robbing our forum sponsors of potential sales when everybody runs off to Circuit City (just an example here, no I did not buy my TV at CC and I have no idea how much they are selling them for :rolleyes: ). I have seen in other threads people posting their "bottom line price" and simply not saying where they bought the item, so I assumed this was standard practice. Other people may post "CC has this TV for MSRP minus $2000" (again an example only...) which personally I find against the spirit of the forum rule, but again appears to be the norm. In any case If I've done something wrong mods feel free to xxxx over my prices in the last 2 posts.

On a side note I've now answered over 2 dozen PMs :eek: so hopefully there will soon be more of us enjoying the amazing price I was discussing. Keep in mind that my final deal came from a brick and mortar store that can be found in just about any part of the country, perhaps the same one many of you have already bought the same TV from for hundreds more. No fancy negotiation skills or dirty tactics necessary, just a little bit of luck and a real good deal. :D

Out of curiosity, what country is the A10 series manufactured in?

Thanks.

My two cents on the DVD issue... I'm using a S-Videdo connection with my five year old Sony DVD player (only outputs 480i). On paper I thought I would need a upconverting player, in reality I'm very pleased with my 42A10's performance and going to hold onto my money.

My 42A10 buying experience was disappointing yesterday. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to buy this at BB due to double reward points. Well, two BBs in my area told me that the A10 will not be available in this region! I even saw them look it up and showed 0 in the warehouse and the quote "Not avail this loc." They said it would say out of stock if they were just waiting to get some in. As I was ready to buy on the spot, I doubt they would pass up a possible sale if they didn't have to. Has anybody experienced this before with BB where some regions just don't sell them? They still have the old model on the floor, so I have no idea why they wouldn't get the replacement.

My 42A10 buying experience was disappointing yesterday. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to buy this at BB due to double reward points. Well, two BBs in my area told me that the A10 will not be available in this region! I even saw them look it up and showed 0 in the warehouse and the quote "Not avail this loc." They said it would say out of stock if they were just waiting to get some in. As I was ready to buy on the spot, I doubt they would pass up a possible sale if they didn't have to. Has anybody experienced this before with BB where some regions just don't sell them? They still have the old model on the floor, so I have no idea why they wouldn't get the replacement.

You should have called a manager over .... once they hear that Tweeter, Circuit City, et. al will carry them I'm sure they'll think twice about what shows up on their computer!

As far as I was aware the sprit of this rule was to prevent people from saying things like "Circuit City has this TV for $1!" and therefore robbing our forum sponsors of potential sales when everybody runs off to Circuit City (just an example here, no I did not buy my TV at CC and I have no idea how much they are selling them for :rolleyes: ). I have seen in other threads people posting their "bottom line price" and simply not saying where they bought the item, so I assumed this was standard practice. Other people may post "CC has this TV for MSRP minus $2000" (again an example only...) which personally I find against the spirit of the forum rule, but again appears to be the norm. In any case If I've done something wrong mods feel free to xxxx over my prices in the last 2 posts.

On a side note I've now answered over 2 dozen PMs :eek: so hopefully there will soon be more of us enjoying the amazing price I was discussing. Keep in mind that my final deal came from a brick and mortar store that can be found in just about any part of the country, perhaps the same one many of you have already bought the same TV from for hundreds more. No fancy negotiation skills or dirty tactics necessary, just a little bit of luck and a real good deal. :D

Just yanking your chain. :D

Can anyone tell me how well the black level is on the A10s? Is it good enough that it doesn't distract from watching DVDs and HD? Is it something you just get used to over time after using CRTs for several years? I've been looking at getting the 42A10 since it's in my price range and I really like the size of it (it will fit perfect on my TV stand). I'm only asking because this would be my first RPTV.

It wouldn't be a problem returning the TV to PC Richards and getting a new one if I didn't live 2 hours away!!

and what happens if the tv is transported on its side? Thats how the store guy loaded it in my truck

Can anyone tell me how well the black level is on the A10s?...

There is extensive discussion on this in this thread already.

and what happens if the tv is transported on its side? Thats how the store guy loaded it in my truck

FWIW...the Circuit City guy told me there's a liquid in there to cool the bulb and if these TV's are on their side, there's a possibility of the liquid coming out and going all over the inside of the TV.

FWIW...the Circuit City guy told me there's a liquid in there to cool the bulb and if these TV's are on their side, there's a possibility of the liquid coming out and going all over the inside of the TV.

Ok I don't think that happened...I really hope this is just a hair or something. I really dont want to drive 2hrs to bring this back and get another one that may be defective again. maybe i'll just break down and spend the extra 400 and get it locally. This is really depressing.

As for the PQ, I can't really comment yet. I'm picking up the HD DVR from time warner this afternoon and I my DVD player connected with composite cables. I can tell you that it doesn't look all that great on composite. I'm hoping the component cables make a big difference.

Playing PS2 was a joke via the RF connector. I know this is the poorest way to connect to the TV but I couldn't find the standard cables that came with it b/c my first tv only had an RF input. everything is really grainy. I also noticed CONSIDERABLE LAG while playing Madden '05!! Changing players is slow to respond and the kick meter takes awhile to get used to.

on the flip side MVP baseball '05 played pretty clean w/ no apparent lag. I'll post an update when I get some real cables and I figure out wtf is going on with my TV

time after using CRTs for several years

I would say most of us have been watching CRT for several years :) even our whole lifes..

I am very happy with the black levels on the 50a10 so far. I picked up the tv last night and was lucky in that they had got the stand in the warehouse (probably because I tried to order it over the phone and while they told me no can't do they saw that I was getting the tv and broke the rules:) )

I haven't got the HD-STB yet nor does the dvd player I have here do component, but I am getting my xp50 here next weekend which will be awsome since it is a great player. However, I have been getting ABC OTA and the picture is truly stunning. I have had an HD-TV for 2-3 years now and even my wife was laughing saying how much better this picture is than on the other one (which is at my during the week apartment so the wife ends up with the better tv 100% of the time....) Settings are copied from previous posters and just modified minorly so thanks for all the input. I think the blacklevels are good - great and definately way better than last years models -- this is a keeper as long as it stays in one piece :)

The stands is also great - good fit and sits real steady once I got it in the right spot (that was kind of hard to get it to fit perfectly in the stand so it won't fall if it gets bumped) -- the stand was a piece of cake to put together. After doing multiple of these projects for desks ,stands etc this was by far the easiest to put together -- the pictures and descriptions on how were simple and well laid out -- Sony really knows their stuff when it comes to this simple but annoying task. Anyways time to go look for a better OTA antenna -- once I get everything hooked up I will post my settings to see if they agree with others.

Has anybody watched football or a fast moving broadcast? How is this tv handleing fast motion?

You'll need a set of COMPONENT cables for HD viewing. Comcast will most likely give you the Motorola 6412 DVR cable box and they should provide you with the component cables.


To choose or not to choose that is the question. Whether tis nobler to chose the Moto 6412 OR the Cablecard? With Insight Cable its only $1.95 for the Cablecard OR 15.95 for the Moto 6412, with, of course, the benefits of a schedule AND the ability to record. The quandry comes up with the low Cablecard price. Sacrificith thy schedule and DVR and SAVE......along with according to posters here.........a better picture........that is the real question. Fellow board members, what thinketh you? I feel I'm in a kind of "Shakespearean" diliema. Your advice and thoughts will be most graciously received!

Insight Cable its only $1.95 for the Cablecard OR 15.95 for the Moto 6412

Are you comparing apples to apples here? Don't they have a HD-STB that isn't a dvr for less than $15.95? Then that would probably be a more accurate comparison and then a question if you would want to pay the extra for a box.

I am thinking about the same thing here and what I am going to do is get both for the first month -- I can live with the $1.50 that Charter charges for the cable card -- then I will compare the pictures and see how much I use the HD-DVR here (wife will use it mostly) and by the end of the month I am going to cancel either service and drop it of myself.....that might be the best way to answer thy own question

To choose or not to choose that is the question. Whether tis nobler to chose the Moto 6412 OR the Cablecard? With Insight Cable its only $1.95 for the Cablecard OR 15.95 for the Moto 6412, with, of course, the benefits of a schedule AND the ability to record. The quandry comes up with the low Cablecard price. Sacrificith thy schedule and DVR and SAVE......along with according to posters here.........a better picture........that is the real question. Fellow board members, what thinketh you? I feel I'm in a kind of "Shakespearean" diliema. Your advice and thoughts will be most graciously received!

I have the Motorola DVR box, and the HD pic quality is surpurb! As for the DVR service, I would give up my HDTV and go back to a conventional TV, before I would ever give up the DVR box...it is simply wonderful! I hardly ever have to watch a commercial anymore...no more tapes, and wondering what is on them..the thing is totally awesome. I would pay 25.00 a month for the DVR if I had to! On Comcast it is only 9.95 a month more than digital cable, and it includes HD service.

Has anybody watched football or a fast moving broadcast? How is this tv handleing fast motion?


Perfectly...no pixelation at all.

It wouldn't be a problem returning the TV to PC Richards and getting a new one if I didn't live 2 hours away!!
2 hours isn't bad...certainly worth saving yourself $400. Go out first thing in the morning and you'll have it set up at home by lunchtime. Just don't transport it on its side or all of the cooling goo will ooze out and look like a hair on the lamp! :D

Jason

... what is the optimum height that the 50A10 should sit on? I see stands with height from everything from 15" to 25" out there. Some stands like the Ikea are nice, but the are are way too low. The chairs/sofa I'll sit on measure about 18", and the Sony tube tv I currently have is 20" on the stand

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

atlantadan, the following ling can provide some guidance to your querry:
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/Verticalviewing.html

Ok...finally got my 50" A10 from CC this afternoon. Immediately adjusted it to some base settings just so we could watch it! Word of caution...my TV came set to Wide Zoom...drove me nuts for the first ten minutes or so it was so pixelated. I finally sorted that out, set the TV properly and voila...all was well.

I'll try to get it set via Avia tonight and post my settings tomorrow.

lander215 glad you did the same with me and exchanged the samsung for the sony. lovin mine for over a week now. please post settings.

went to visit the 50a10 again today at a different store. i wasnt as impressed as I was the other day at Tweeter, maybe it was the feed. The salesman told me the new Mits dlp 1080 will be in next week and will blow the Sony out of the water. I thought I made up my mind on the sony, now IM really confused. What do you experts think will give me the best experience for sports and movies. What will handle fast motion such as hockey better. Thanks for your help. Really confused in NJ

the stores will never be as good as at home. just realize that. once you view the picture at home, it is like a whole new ballgame

Ok...finally got my 50" A10 from CC this afternoon. Immediately adjusted it to some base settings just so we could watch it! Word of caution...my TV came set to Wide Zoom...drove me nuts for the first ten minutes or so it was so pixelated. I finally sorted that out, set the TV properly and voila...all was well.

I'll try to get it set via Avia tonight and post my settings tomorrow.


I don't have my 50" A10 yet so tell me/us how to adjust/change the aspect ratio.........say from "Wide Zoom" you mentioned to have 16:9 come up for HD and DVD's and the regular 4:3 come up for the analog channels. I'm sure its an easy setting.

2 hours isn't bad...certainly worth saving yourself $400. Go out first thing in the morning and you'll have it set up at home by lunchtime. Just don't transport it on its side or all of the cooling goo will ooze out and look like a hair on the lamp!

Jason


Can you clean it off or does it need to be replaced?

I don't have my 50" A10 yet so tell me/us how to adjust/change the aspect ratio.........say from "Wide Zoom" you mentioned to have 16:9 come up for HD and DVD's and the regular 4:3 come up for the analog channels. I'm sure its an easy setting.

It is...it's just a button on the remote. I went immediately to my sat feed which I'm used to having setup so that it doesn't display the sidebars so didn't think to check the zoom level as I was adjusting.

What should i have my format set to on my cable box? it has settings such as fixed, upconvert1, upconvert2, pass through.....on another note this is crazy they messed up my tv putting it in flat. its 2 bad i didn't get an answer on my question (i asked this about a day be4 pickup). Do you think they will hassle me for trying to return it even though it was their fault? the receipt states "no returns on tvs over 30 inches"

Well someone around here finally put a 42a10 on display, at HH Gregg. I've never owned a projection tv, and I haven't even watched much on them. My main concern is the black levels, while they look way better than the previous sony model it was sitting next to, it doesnt have anything on plasma or crt. The edtv plasma's looked better to me, but everyone says don't buy edtv. Also I did notice the SDE when there were large white or light colored areas on the screen.

Question is do black levels look better with less ambient light? It was pretty bright in the store.

The red push was very noticeable, but they had just put the tv on display this morning and probably didnt adjust it. I was already preconditioned to look for it, but I would have noticed it anyway, Discovery HD was on and a guy was wearing a red shirt and it was waaaay red and much brighter than other colors in the shot.

On a final note, the tv looked better than any other projection tv they had there, (they didnt have the JVC ILA set). I cant get over how much better the plasmas look to me, but I think I'll get over it if I buy the 42a10. Do you guys think this tv is probably the best bang for your buck for a 42" tv in the ~$2000 price range?

What should i have my format set to on my cable box? it has settings such as fixed, upconvert1, upconvert2, pass through....

What brand cable box do you have? I have a Scientific Atlanta box... If you put it on pass-through, all incoming signals will be scaled by the tv to 720p, not the box. You can also put it on fixed and select 720p and the box will scale the signal first provided the cable guy selected 720p in the setup menu when he installed the box. (getting to the setup menu is easy)... What is the box currently set to?

Hi,

I had posted earlier, about the extremely poor performance of this TV at PC Richard. Well today I decided to walk into the SonyStyle store in New York, and after viewing the TV with a proper feed and source material, I'm gonna do a 180 on this TV.

The HD feed was quite good, but then I started watching some DVD's through an upconverting player connected via HDMI, and the TV was quite impressive. Black levels were great, and shadow detail pretty good.

The 42" TV was somewhat disapointing though, viewing angles seemed much smaller, and there was almost no shadow detail on the same dvd's although the 42" tv was connected to a standard dvd player, not an upconverting one.

'taz

For those interested, they have the 42" models on display at Sears and Circuit City in Frisco (Dallas area). Sears has it with the matching stand. 50" is across the street at Tweeter. Doesn't sound like Best Buy will get them anytime soon.

What brand cable box do you have? I have a Scientific Atlanta box... If you put it on pass-through, all incoming signals will be scaled by the tv to 720p, not the box. You can also put it on fixed and select 720p and the box will scale the signal first provided the cable guy selected 720p in the setup menu when he installed the box. (getting to the setup menu is easy)... What is the box currently set to?

I have the scientific atlanta 8300HD . I put the box in myself b/c i upgraded from the sd dvr. i want to make sure i'm maximizing my viewing.

what do you think i should set it to?

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.
Hey JimP,

Leadercrat here...with the bad screen. I returned it to Sears yesterday. No problems with return. All Hail BRICK AND MORTAR stores!!! Anyway, my new replacment TV arrives tomorrow. A 2 day turnaround time on replacement! The manager gave me $100 off 5yr extended warranty that I was already considering buying for my troubles (Yes I know that means he just ripped me off $100 dollars less than normal and that I shouldn't have bought an extended warranty. I just can't deal with potential hassles in the future). Anyway, here is the serial number of the TV that went back because it was defective - 8018916. I haven't seen SLAMDUNKEN's yet serial number posted.

For those of you that haven't followed my problems, here was my initial post. Interesting, I saw someone have a problem with their TV screen in the same corner of the screen....but that wasn't similar looking at all. His was more like a transparent water line or "hair" as some have suggested. Mine was an almost a solid black triangle and you could see it with the TV turned off.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6019831&&#post6019831

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 looked over everything I had done and all that I had acquired. I saw all that I had worked so hard to get. And nothing, no nothing, had any meaning or real value. It was all like chasing the wind."

I have the scientific atlanta 8300HD . I put the box in myself b/c i upgraded from the sd dvr. i want to make sure i'm maximizing my viewing.

what do you think i should set it to?
You have the better cable box...I only have the 4300 HD box. From what I've read, pass-through may be the best choice since the TV is doing the scaling (and it's done only once), not the box; tv probably does a much better job at this than the box.
Since you've probably configured all the corrrect signals in the setup menu, upconvert 2, and fixed(when you choose 720p) will also give you a 720p output for all signals, but the box is doing the scaling.
On my older set, pass-through seems to be noticeably better for the non-hd channels....more smooth and film-like. Not a major improvement, but an improvement over fixed or upconvert.

You have the better cable box...I only have the 4300 HD box. From what I've read, pass-through may be the best choice since the TV is doing the scaling (and it's done only once), not the box; tv probably does a much better job at this than the box.
Since you've probably configured all the corrrect signals in the setup menu, upconvert 2, and fixed(when you choose 720p) will also give you a 720p output for all signals, but the box is doing the scaling.
On my older set, pass-through seems to be noticeably better for the non-hd channels....more smooth and film-like. Not a major improvement, but an improvement over fixed or upconvert.

your off when you say "your probably configured"...i havent set up anything. what setup menu are you referring to? the tv or the cable box?

CNET wasn't very impressed, especially with the color decoding (the worst they had seen in a long while).

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_KDF_E50A10/4505-6482_7-31453800-5.html?tag=top

CNET wasn't very impressed, especially with the color decoding (the worst they had seen in a long while).

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_KDF_E50A10/4505-6482_7-31453800-5.html?tag=top

Cnet is notoriously biased against projection LCDs in favor od DLPs. What's interesting is in his review of last year's model his biggest complaint was the silver look. Now that that has been imporved, it's barely mentioned.

that silver design was awful

well i have had the t.v. all weekend .
all i can say is nothind but good things.
i agree with a lot of the reviews.
really u do need 2 bring it home 2 make the adjustments.
every room is different. light where u sit .
i give it 5 stars!!! :)

I have the A20 and it's intersting to note that the A10 uses a different LCD panel. The A20 uses more pixels per panel. Is anyone aware of this and know why? I checked the panel with last years LCD sets and they are different too.

Well someone around here finally put a 42a10 on display, at HH Gregg. I've never owned a projection tv, and I haven't even watched much on them. My main concern is the black levels, while they look way better than the previous sony model it was sitting next to, it doesnt have anything on plasma or crt. The edtv plasma's looked better to me, but everyone says don't buy edtv. Also I did notice the SDE when there were large white or light colored areas on the screen.

Question is do black levels look better with less ambient light? It was pretty bright in the store.

The red push was very noticeable, but they had just put the tv on display this morning and probably didnt adjust it. I was already preconditioned to look for it, but I would have noticed it anyway, Discovery HD was on and a guy was wearing a red shirt and it was waaaay red and much brighter than other colors in the shot.

On a final note, the tv looked better than any other projection tv they had there, (they didnt have the JVC ILA set). I cant get over how much better the plasmas look to me, but I think I'll get over it if I buy the 42a10. Do you guys think this tv is probably the best bang for your buck for a 42" tv in the ~$2000 price range?

Black levels will look better in a brighly lit store, and worse at home in a dark room. I saw the A-10 42 inch at CC and I was not impressed either. Looked about like my GWIII, good on bright scenes, and muddy on darker ones. There is no doubt that a good plasma has the superior picture. I would say the latest DLP's might beat it too, especially on contrast, but then you have the rainbow issues to contend with. That said, the A10 is still a great value, since a good Panny HD plasma in 42 inches is about $3300.00. I suggest buy one from a store that allows returns, and give it a try in your own home. If you don't like it. go with a DLP or plasma.

With all these new owners of The A10,s has anyone tried to go in the service menu to adjust the red push away? That would be nice to know ;)

I personally dont think that my a10 has that strong of a red push. I love this set and am trying not to find faults with it. People should try it and not try to find problems with it right off the bat.

I noticed at the store that with the 50" the red push was much less noticeable.

With all these new owners of The A10,s has anyone tried to go in the service menu to adjust the red push away? That would be nice to know ;)

Here is the tweaks thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=567709

I'm confused on the battery backup :confused: . My questions are:

#When the power is off, does it keep the whole T.V ruining, or only the Fan.
The ideal situation would be when power is loss and the tv. would kick off and then the fan would come on a split second later without leaving the display on.
My concern is when I'm away and the kids are watching they would keep it on until the batteries ran out.
#Anyone using the backup now on their new A10. (I live in an area that the power blinks off regularly.)
#Whats the best deal on a backup? I Don't need all the fancy stuff like keeping the power filtered and all of that.

every one likes different things i used 2 be just a tube guy .

Circuit City, (Easton- Columbus, OH) had two 50a10's in stock an hour ago, now they have one. They were the same price as HH Gregg, but their service plan was $499/4 years, versus HHG $399/5 years. CC dropped the price $100 to match. They dropped the price of the set, not the service plan, which is nice if I decide to cancel to service plan...

I'm confused on the battery backup :confused: . My questions are:

#When the power is off, does it keep the whole T.V ruining, or only the Fan.
The ideal situation would be when power is loss and the tv. would kick off and then the fan would come on a split second later without leaving the display on.
My concern is when I'm away and the kids are watching they would keep it on until the batteries ran out.
#Anyone using the backup now on their new A10. (I live in an area that the power blinks off regularly.)
#Whats the best deal on a backup? I Don't need all the fancy stuff like keeping the power filtered and all of that.

I could be wrong, and someone correct me if I am, but it is a UPS device (Uninterrupted Power Supply) so I believe when the main power is interrupted it immediately switches to UPS power. They're marketed for computers so you don't lose info/files you're working on when power goes out. So yes, I guess your kids could watch tv for 30-40 mins until the battery runs out which means the bulb would not be cooled which defeats the purpose of using the UPS on the tv. Maybe instruct them to turn off the tv if the power doesn't return so the fan will run and cool the bulb.

Circuit City,Elyria-Ohio. Has The KDF-E42A10 on Sale an in stock.
Got one 10% of MSRP- 12months no pay.

I'm confused on the battery backup :confused: . My questions are:

#When the power is off, does it keep the whole T.V ruining, or only the Fan.
The ideal situation would be when power is loss and the tv. would kick off and then the fan would come on a split second later without leaving the display on.
My concern is when I'm away and the kids are watching they would keep it on until the batteries ran out.
#Anyone using the backup now on their new A10. (I live in an area that the power blinks off regularly.)
#Whats the best deal on a backup? I Don't need all the fancy stuff like keeping the power filtered and all of that.

Why wouldn't you want to provide filtered power for your expensive TV? If it's good enough for a $1k computer don't you think it's good enough for your $2.5K TV?

Why wouldn't you want to provide filtered power for your expensive TV? If it's good enough for a $1k computer don't you think it's good enough for your $2.5K TV?I'm using an APC Back-UPS XS 1500 (http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BX1500) and have made sure my wife knows about the fan and to turn the TV off if the power goes out.

Is there a thread where owners just post there settings of the kdf-e50a10? I recieved mine yesterday and overall am not overly statisfied with the pic but I do not have the hd box from comcast as of yet just digital cable. Got component link from my progressive scan dvd player to tv. Am a amateur at this and would like to here about others settings.
Thanks

Is there a thread where owners just post there settings of the kdf-e50a10? I recieved mine yesterday and overall am not overly statisfied with the pic but I do not have the hd box from comcast as of yet just digital cable. Got component link from my progressive scan dvd player to tv. Am a amateur at this and would like to here about others settings.
Thanks

Seek and Ye shall find. ;)
Here is the tweaks thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=567709

Hi folks,
I have been lurking for almost a year now, and I've been researching the 655 series and lately the A10's. I finally ordered a 50A10 today and will pick it up Friday. Too bad I wont be able to watch it for a month or so (new construction). But, that will give me some time to read the manual and get all the necessary antenna and cables I need. I have a few questions...

1) Is there a 'do and dont' list somewhere for this type of TV?

2) Could someone suggest what cables/brands to use (to hook up Xbox, surround, dish rec., etc.) and what to look for in an outdoor OTA HD antenna?

3) Also, what kind of surge protector/filter should I be looking at?

I am somewhat new too all this, and I want to do it right (without over doing it) the first time, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Jim :)

Circuit City has 10% off all TV's over $499. The 50A10 is $2249 at CC.

You can have Sears price match Circuit City plus they'll take off 10% of the difference (extra $25 off). If you have a Sears Friends & Family 10% off, without tax you'll be just around the $2000 range.


By the way, the Sears in Clovis, CA now has the 50A10 on display.

I picked up a 1000VA Tripplite UPS from Costco for $99. I have it set up so that the TV and VCR are on UPS (I didn't want to have to bother reprogramming the clock on the VCR) and the rest of my stuff including my receiver are just getting surge protection. This means that if the power does go out, there won't be any sound so that's the cue to the unwashed masses who make up my family to turn off the TV. Besides, the unit will make an alarm noise that should clue them in as well. :) It's also kind of nifty since it has an LCD display to show the voltage coming out of the wall.

As far as OTA is concerned, I'm using a 20 year old roof top antenna that I actually mounted in my attic when I first moved in to my house and it works great. I live 30 miles from the antennas as per antennaweb.org.



Mitch

I got the E50A10 from Sears on Friday, it's an awsome set. It's just horrible out of the box. Sony has it defaulting to Vivid and they've got everything maxed out. Once you get over the initial shock and get to setting up your different inputs using the "custom" feature, you are gonna love this set. Red push is not that big of an issue once you get it all adjusted correctly. SDE is not an issue after 5 feet or so.

Pros: SD cable looks better than it used to with my RPTV Sony. HD is fantastic. VGA input is also lovely. No dead or stuck pixels (it would have gone back otherwise). I'm also getting some extra channels in HD without using the STB that Adelphia is hiding out on basic cable 80.1 and 80.2. That would be ESPN HD and Discovery HD. Adelphia is not feeding the local broadcast HD channels in the lower streams, why not? I thought they had to by law. Maybe because they are available OTA? I don't know. Hooked up to the Moxi box the SD is terrible as usual, but I split the coax because of this. I'm also getting HD OTA local off the Terk. Looks terrific, better than with the Moxi STB. I might just drop the Moxi and go with the cable card for this set.

Setting tweaks are a matter of preference and room lighting etc. For people not experienced just get your set off of vivid and turn down the white (picture) and color levels so it looks more natural. You can also experiment with the lens, I've got mine set at 2 with advanced levels at low, but I've changed some of this with each input. That is what I love about this set. Each external can be configured with it's own settings along with cable and antenna. Advanced settings found in the custom mode are very useful. Noise reduction, Cinemotion, Reality and Clarity filters are nice. DVD's look incredible with the Sammy DVI player. No problem with the DVI to HDMI cable. Xbox on component is awsome. This set gives a lot of bang for the bucks!

Cons: I've spent the whole weekend tweaking stuff and running the SenCore color pro etc. But this is because I'm a crazy. It's not truly necessary to have pro calibration for this set but it does make it all the nicer.
I do not want to go to work tomorrow, I want to build a media center PC for the vga input. More bucks..........
The audio is not the greatest but I don't use the TV audio that often. Turn on the effects and it will sound better.
No other cons at this time. I'm extremely pleased with this model. I think it has something for everyone at a reasonable price.

When I hit the display button while watching a 16:9 movie it say that it's 4:3. Are one of my settings wrong? I checked my dvd player and it's set to widescreen 16:9. I'm using component cables. Thanks in advance.

Whats wrong with getting a battery backup ups from the sample Link below :confused:

Forget it the link is not working to ebay :mad:

I set up my friend's 50" A10 Friday night with the new Denon 1920 DVD player via HDMI.

The set is superb! I have a heavily tweaked Sony GWII, and this set -far- surpasses it in all respects. Since I've lived with my set for quite a while, I know what to look for when comparing the new to the old. With a black and white grid test pattern, the convergence is perfect - with my GWII I see green and purple fringing. With the A10's optical system I see zero green and purple fringing across the entire set - it's very even unlike my GWII which varies. I also looked very intently for pixel defects and did not find any. The A10 seems to be doing the LCD nuts and bolts type things -very- -very- well.


I'll post settings when I'm done, but so far it looks superb. Using Normal/Standard picture setting and setting color temp to neutral, the balance is good. I did need to turn the color -way- down. After doing this until the red and blue boxes stopped bleeding on the test pattern, everything looks very convincing, including flesh tones. I think a lot of the push that people were seeing was there across the entire spectrum but I think most people are taught to zero in on reds.

I used the iris at minimum setting, and I could still see BTB over the HDMI with no problem. White levels are good with the player as well, I have "Picture" very close to the max with no blown highlights. Contrary to what is in the manual, there is a picture and brightness control in addition to the iris setting. The iris does a very good job of dialing in the image - there were scenes in which I normally see problems with bright white areas and with this TV, the same parts of the image were full of detail and not too bright. The face of the scientist who reconstitutes Leloo in The Fifth Element is one such scene when I noticed the improved rendition of highlights. (RHarkness used this reflection as an example in his "Steaming Rat" tweaking thread) This is RHarkness' image: http://www.pbase.com/image/14205041

The A10 rendered the scene with as much or more contrast and with less loss of detail on his face.

I did not get a chance to tune the gamma, and I think that with this final piece everything will be perfect. There was an ever-so-slight band near black that is likely due to the gamma curve. This also manifested in some noise in the background (not macroblocking - I think this set is a good match for the 1920). With that said, I don't see this noise or banding in my set with the same source DVDs, but I have tweaked my gamma to dial in the image. I plan to do this using The Incredibles THX Optimizer advanced test image and report back.


In all, the shadow detail that I see on my set is there, but the A10 tracks more neutral near black (my set is a tad blue near black) and the blacks are CRT level on the A10 with the iris at minimum. It really is amazing.


In all, I can't find a fault other than the slight banding near black - which I think should be correctable with the gamma setting. The set is super sharp and vibrant, and the blacks are deep.

UUronl, please post your settings when you get a chance.

I set up my friend's 50" A10 Friday night with the new Denon 1920 DVD player via HDMI.

The set is superb! I have a heavily tweaked Sony GWII, and this set -far- surpasses it in all respects. Since I've lived with my set for quite a while, I know what to look for when comparing the new to the old. With a black and white grid test pattern, the convergence is perfect - with my GWII I see green and purple fringing. With the A10's optical system I see zero green and purple fringing across the entire set - it's very even unlike my GWII which varies. I also looked very intently for pixel defects and did not find any. The A10 seems to be doing the LCD nuts and bolts type things -very- -very- well.


I'll post settings when I'm done, but so far it looks superb. Using Normal/Standard picture setting and setting color temp to neutral, the balance is good. I did need to turn the color -way- down. After doing this until the red and blue boxes stopped bleeding on the test pattern, everything looks very convincing, including flesh tones. I think a lot of the push that people were seeing was there across the entire spectrum but I think most people are taught to zero in on reds.

I used the iris at minimum setting, and I could still see BTB over the HDMI with no problem. White levels are good with the player as well, I have "Picture" very close to the max with no blown highlights. Contrary to what is in the manual, there is a picture and brightness control in addition to the iris setting. The iris does a very good job of dialing in the image - there were scenes in which I normally see problems with bright white areas and with this TV, the same parts of the image were full of detail and not too bright. The face of the scientist who reconstitutes Leloo in The Fifth Element is one such scene when I noticed the improved rendition of highlights. (RHarkness used this reflection as an example in his "Steaming Rat" tweaking thread) This is RHarkness' image: http://www.pbase.com/image/14205041

The A10 rendered the scene with as much or more contrast and with less loss of detail on his face.

I did not get a chance to tune the gamma, and I think that with this final piece everything will be perfect. There was an ever-so-slight band near black that is likely due to the gamma curve. This also manifested in some noise in the background (not macroblocking - I think this set is a good match for the 1920). With that said, I don't see this noise or banding in my set with the same source DVDs, but I have tweaked my gamma to dial in the image. I plan to do this using The Incredibles THX Optimizer advanced test image and report back.


In all, the shadow detail that I see on my set is there, but the A10 tracks more neutral near black (my set is a tad blue near black) and the blacks are CRT level on the A10 with the iris at minimum. It really is amazing.


In all, I can't find a fault other than the slight banding near black - which I think should be correctable with the gamma setting. The set is super sharp and vibrant, and the blacks are deep.

Nice report. Thanks - It's no wonder these things are flying out of warehouses and stores faster than they can stock them.

Great report for us.

I think collectivley we'll be able to form a list of "best settings". Since I'm fairly new to the board, is there somebody who gathers this and posts it some where?

Many thanks to the community

What should i have my format set to on my cable box? it has settings such as fixed, upconvert1, upconvert2, pass through.....on another note this is crazy they messed up my tv putting it in flat. its 2 bad i didn't get an answer on my question (i asked this about a day be4 pickup). Do you think they will hassle me for trying to return it even though it was their fault? the receipt states "no returns on tvs over 30 inches"


electronics-expo.com says the say thing in their return policy. But they're still shipping me a new TV because I received damaged goods due to a shipping mishap. This is your case as well. You're not returning the tv but simply exchanging it since they made the mistake of shipping it on its side.

Be firm and I'm sure they'll understand.

electronics-expo.com says the say thing in their return policy. But they're still shipping me a new TV because I received damaged goods due to a shipping mishap. This is your case as well. You're not returning the tv but simply exchanging it since they made the mistake of shipping it on its side.

Be firm and I'm sure they'll understand.

If You paid by any credit card. fight the payment tooth & nail telling the card company it was defective when it arrived and you are not going to pay for a defective fraudulent TV Set. Your card company will be sure to relay the message and not pay the Retailor until everything is solved. You can even state that the company knew they were sending you a defective set. Get in touch with the card company NOW!
Get tough because, nobody is going to lookout for you except yourself. :cool:

I’m new to this forum and came here as a result of seeing the Sony A10’s on Sony’s website. I couldn’t find them in stores yet, so I googled the model numbers and found this forum. Excellent info available here. I’ve been reading several threads in the last few days, mostly this one, and headed out to Best Buy to ask about the A10’s.

Went to 2 BB’s and left far more confused than when I went in. One guy told me all LCD RP models have the 3LCD system. Then he went on to say that they all contain 3 bulbs. They had a 3LCD sticker on the Panasonic 44” model. Anyway, I came back home and read more in this forum, and it appears that the 3LCD system is not new to Sony models. I’m also assuming the guy was wrong about these having 3 bulbs. And I don’t think the Panasonics use the 3LCD system. It looks like Sony and Hitachi are the only ones using this?

Is the 3LCD system really significantly better than one panel?

I had narrowed my list down to the 42A10 and the Panasonic 44” (PT-44LCX65). Biggest TV I’ve ever had is my current Sony 27” tube, so I am a complete noob at this. I like the PQ on both the Panasonic and the Sony (older model). I think both of these are native 720p.

Is it pretty much a toss-up between these two sets? CC has a really good price on the Panny right now. Still haven’t seen the A10 in person yet.

I’d appreciate any advice you guys could give me. Don’t think I can trust anything BB people tell me. Like I said, I’m a big-screen virgin…. so please be gentle. :D

Great report for us.

I think collectivley we'll be able to form a list of "best settings". Since I'm fairly new to the board, is there somebody who gathers this and posts it some where?

Many thanks to the community

Someone posted a thread link earlier about settings but there is nothing there.
I have no problem with having people leaving there settings Here.
I don't think this thread is only intended for where someone can buy the A10's or gripes, Wow effect, ext.
So just post your settings here :D

For all the A10 owners and admirers, what do you think of these stands. I looked at the BDI line this afternoon, very nice, high quality, but pricey.

Let me know which one you like and any paticular reason why. I'm trying to get a visual of what each stand would look like with the A10

#1- BDI Cielo (48"W) : http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/cielo_9324.shtml

#2 BDI Icon 9424 (46"W) in Black: http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/icon_9424.shtml

#3 BDI Icon 9424 in Silver (46") http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/BDI-Icon-9424.htm


Interesting, my local store and all e-tailers are priced exactly the same.

Ok, my TV is only one day old, so these settings will most likely change when I revisit them in a month or so.

Using Avia and turning all of the automatic settings off my settings for my 50" A10 are:

Iris - 3
Picture - 80
Brightness - 35
Color - 37
Hue - 63
Color temp - Neutral
Sharpness - 50 ( I saw no change in sharpness from 0 to 100, so I put it at 50)
Advanced Iris - Medium

I may put the Advanced Iris to Low because I see it working occasionally and I think I'd rather not. But, I'm gonna give it a few days first.

I'll run the Avia again in a month and see if anything needs tweaked.

For all the A10 owners and admirers, what do you think of these stands. I looked at the BDI line this afternoon, very nice, high quality, but pricey.

Let me know which one you like and any paticular reason why. I'm trying to get a visual of what each stand would look like with the A10

#1- BDI Cielo (48"W) : http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/cielo_9324.shtml

#2 BDI Icon 9424 (46"W) in Black: http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/icon_9424.shtml

#3 BDI Icon 9424 in Silver (46") http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/BDI-Icon-9424.htm


Interesting, my local store and all e-tailers are priced exactly the same.

I can't take the open look right now! With my 9 month old grandson living with us.
I think they should name the next hurricane after him. His first word ever spoken came yesterday and It's "OH OH " He now goes around pulling things out and droping them to the floor while saying OH OH :mad:

I can't take the open look right now! With my 9 month old grandson living with us.
I think they should name the next hurricane after him. His first word ever spoken came yesterday and It's "OH OH " He now goes around pulling things out and droping them to the floor while saying OH OH :mad:

As long as he doesn't go OH OH with the TV I think you are ok :D

Those stands look OK. It really depends upon the decor of your house and what you want in a stand. I think about $500 is the norm for a decent stand these days. You can also check out Salamander at www.mander.com Sanus is another good company at www.sanus.com

Well I finaaly put my order in for the 50A10 at Sears today(family and friends) I ended up getting the TV and Sony stand for a little under the TV's MSRP not a bad deal! I will pick it up on tuesday!

Some very thorough reviews have been posted here and many thanks.
A few early reviewers wrote that the iris was somewhat annoying in that it was noticeable when scenes changed and the screen would darken/brighten etc....Has this been an issue with you(s)?....
thanks again for the reviews.
Take Care
Tec :)

I have a large center channel speaker and require an omnimount shelf to sit on top of the tv like this one:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OmniMount-Center-Channel-Speaker-Shelf-CCH1P-/sem/rpsm/oid/121849/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

It looks to me like the back of the 50" A10 slopes too much and this set-up won't work. Any A10 owners out there have any experience with this?

We ordered this stand from Costco:

Costco Stand (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11031955&whse=&topnav=&cat=&s=1)


We are taking a chance (ordering online) since it is not in a Costco store anywhere near us. They said it could be returned to any Costco store though.

I can't take the open look right now! With my 9 month old grandson living with us.
I think they should name the next hurricane after him. His first word ever spoken came yesterday and It's "OH OH " He now goes around pulling things out and droping them to the floor while saying OH OH :mad:

Here's a picture of my Hurricane Grayson

http://www.pixhost.com/pixc/cobbway/img_0201.jpg

We ordered this stand from Costco:

Costco Stand (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11031955&whse=&topnav=&cat=&s=1)


We are taking a chance (ordering online) since it is not in a Costco store anywhere near us. They said it could be returned to any Costco store though.

Must be nice to be Rich and Famous. :D Serously that's the best looking stand yet! :eek:

...Then he went on to say that they all contain 3 bulbs...

Your first problem is that you actually asked one of these guys a question and expected to get a correct answer :)

You are correct, there is only one bulb. There are three LCD panels, one for each color. See here for a good explaination: http://www.3lcd.com/eg/ftr_bi_e.html

In future, search this thread, then if you cannot find an answer, ask questions here. The answers are much more likely to be correct (and if not, that will be pointed out by someone else).

For all the A10 owners and admirers, what do you think of these stands. I looked at the BDI line this afternoon, very nice, high quality, but pricey.

Let me know which one you like and any paticular reason why. I'm trying to get a visual of what each stand would look like with the A10

#1- BDI Cielo (48"W) : http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/cielo_9324.shtml

#2 BDI Icon 9424 (46"W) in Black: http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/icon_9424.shtml

#3 BDI Icon 9424 in Silver (46") http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/BDI-Icon-9424.htm


Interesting, my local store and all e-tailers are priced exactly the same.


If you are gettin the 50A10, I would go with the first one since it's about 20" high and that's a very good height for the 50A10. Although the other stands are only 3" taller, I think at 23-ish inches, the TV is getting kind of high (imo).



Mitch

When I hit the display button while watching a 16:9 movie it say that it's 4:3. Are one of my settings wrong? I checked my dvd player and it's set to widescreen 16:9. I'm using component cables. Thanks in advance.

I get the same info with the display button with dvd player set on 16:9. Anybody know why? I have tried several different setting when I am watching my cable through comcast and the picture is not acceptable at all. Very grainy. As I said before I have not recieved the hd box yet and am hoping for alot different results when the tech from comcast comes on tuesday. Any comments.
Thanks

Ok, my TV is only one day old, so these settings will most likely change when I revisit them in a month or so.

Using Avia and turning all of the automatic settings off my settings for my 50" A10 are:

Iris - 3
Picture - 80
Brightness - 35
Color - 37
Hue - 63
Color temp - Neutral
Sharpness - 50 ( I saw no change in sharpness from 0 to 100, so I put it at 50)
Advanced Iris - Medium

I may put the Advanced Iris to Low because I see it working occasionally and I think I'd rather not. But, I'm gonna give it a few days first.

I'll run the Avia again in a month and see if anything needs tweaked.

I ran Video Essentials today and came to similar settings. Though, I think you should try knocking Sharpness down between 0 and 10 and living with it for a while. I found it cleaned up the picture a bit across all inputs.


Mitch

I have a large center channel speaker and require an omnimount shelf to sit on top of the tv like this one:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OmniMount-Center-Channel-Speaker-Shelf-CCH1P-/sem/rpsm/oid/121849/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

It looks to me like the back of the 50" A10 slopes too much and this set-up won't work. Any A10 owners out there have any experience with this?

How high is your speaker? My Polk center speaker is 6" high and it will be ok sitting below the screen because from bottom of TV to bottom of screen is 6 1/2". You can place it slightly to the left so that the remote can work. Of course i'm basing this by using a coffee table that has enough space in front. With a TV stand YMMV.

By the way, the new "Sin City" DVD is here now. Great movie but i mention this because this would be a perfect DVD to calibrate and test how the CR of the A10 comes thru (or maybe shows some limitations). OK everybody, get to work! and let us who haven't purchased this set yet how the A10 performs. I expect a full report soon.....LOL.

My center is quite large - 9" high. Small satellite speakers were not all the rage back when I bought my system. They sound great, but I have considered getting something smaller...

This is probably off topic, but I'll join the crowd:

If anyone knows of a cherry "Mission" style open cabinet, or sees one, please PM me- I'm looking for one to match the rest of my furniture. My 42A10 is arriving tomorrow around noon!

If I had a mortiser, jointer and planer, and 50 hours, I'd make one myself!

Thanks, Andy

I get the same info with the display button with dvd player set on 16:9. Anybody know why? I have tried several different setting when I am watching my cable through comcast and the picture is not acceptable at all. Very grainy. As I said before I have not recieved the hd box yet and am hoping for alot different results when the tech from comcast comes on tuesday. Any comments.
Thanks

fox broadcasts in 720p right? i get mis-info on my display as well. All hd coming in says 1080i

Did anybody see the Sony commercial during the NASCAR race today??? Only caught a quick pic but I think it was the E50A10.

Also watching the golf I was able to see huge differences in quality between cameras. The ones on the greens looked much better than those on the tees or elsewhere. The NASCAR race looked much better IMO.

I finally signed all the paperwork on my TV purchase today, and believe it or not through no act of my own the price of my TV came down even further!

It all started when some glitch in the computer was trying to take 10% off the $2026.99 price that I had been quoted for the 50A10. At first the salesman didn't even notice and I was _praying_ that he never would, but because of some other glitch in the computer delaying my in-store credit application he had plenty of time to stare at the screen and eventually noticed that $1824.29 didn't look correct ;)

Try as he might he couldn't find anything that would stop the computer from trying to take 10% off my entire order, and even went as far as to utter the phrase "I might just have to let you get away with a great deal because this doesn't seem to be working." If only he had left it at that... :D

Anyway it turns out that his last idea was to increase the sale price an appropriate amount such that after the computer insisted on taking 10% off it would bring it back down to the 2026.99 price that I had been quoted. The math was a bit tricky due to a 110% price match clouding the issue, so eventually the closest that he got it was charging me $1984.67, a $42.32 error in my favor!!!

The sales tax was increased by $12.30 due to me being charged tax on a higher initial value, but even with that considered I wound up $30 ahead. Must have been my lucky day!

If LCD RPTVs have inferior contrast to CRT, than howcome no one cranks up the contrast to 100%?
For most people it would be WAY too bright and cause eye strain. The only reason LCDs are inferior to CRTs is because they can't match their superior black level--yet.

Oops I also forgot to mention that if people didn't mind they could stop sending me PMs now :D

I was able to answer over 45 of them in the past 3 days and I know that at least 1 led to a confirmed sale at a great price, so I'm glad I was able to help at least a few of you.

To suspend the secrecy, my deal was based on combining one store's $200 coupon with another store's 10% off sale and on top of that a 110% price match guarantee. No negotiation or haggling just plain and simple bringing the right coupons to the right stores in the right order.

Both special offers expired this evening, so unfortunately if you missed the boat I'm unable to help :( Many people have posted similar deals in the thread above though, and those may not have expired, so happy hunting to everybody!

I get the same info with the display button with dvd player set on 16:9. Anybody know why? I have tried several different setting when I am watching my cable through comcast and the picture is not acceptable at all. Very grainy. As I said before I have not recieved the hd box yet and am hoping for alot different results when the tech from comcast comes on tuesday. Any comments.
Thanks

My xbox is also displaying 4:3 on games that support 16:9. :confused:

I also have comcast the the SD isn't looking that hot but the few HD channels that I do get look amazing. Watched the 49er and Raider game and was blown away.

fox broadcasts in 720p right? i get mis-info on my display as well. All hd coming in says 1080i

Cable box is probably set to 1080i and not configured for 720p. You then need to go to settings and set the cable box to pass-through. Check your PM...I explained how to get into the setup menu.

My xbox is also displaying 4:3 on games that support 16:9. :confused:

I also have comcast the the SD isn't looking that hot but the few HD channels that I do get look amazing. Watched the 49er and Raider game and was blown away.

The XBox always displays in 4:3, except for the actual console settings screens (which display in 480i 16X9. Apparently none of the xbox games actually sets the anamorphic (16X9) bit. Some games will display in widescreen if you stretch, some don't. Some (I think PGR2) have the game setup so it will display correct on 16X9 during play, but in the setup screens it looks stretched. Kind of all over the place.

in response to HD Noob, you do know those guys at Best Buy, etc. have absolutely no training to describe the technology of the TV and the advantages and disadvantages. in addition, no offense, but most of them don't even have any enthusiasm for the TV's and it's just a paycheck for them (can't blame them considering the pay). all they can tell you is "yeah it looks good" and "it's running 1080i" and "you suuuuure you don't wana buy a service plan? i've seen alot of tv's break down"

in response to HD Noob, you do know those guys at Best Buy, etc. have absolutely no training to describe the technology of the TV and the advantages and disadvantages. in addition, no offense, but most of them don't even have any enthusiasm for the TV's and it's just a paycheck for them (can't blame them considering the pay). all they can tell you is "yeah it looks good" and "it's running 1080i" and "you suuuuure you don't wana buy a service plan? i've seen alot of tv's break down"


It is funny how you can go into a Big Box Store and if one of these sales drones sees you examining a set for a couple of minutes will come over and extoll the virtues of the set you're looking at telling you what a wonderful choice you are making and how good a set it is and how their Grandmother has the same set and loves it! Then in the next breath, they'll tell you how you really need to buy a service plan because this is a new-fangled technology and these sets are always breaking down and no one should take one home without taking out "insurance", it's too big a risk :)

Does anybody have the Sony stand (the SU-RG11M) for the 50A10? From the looks of it, it would be hard to put two DVD players or other components side by side on it because it's triangular shaped -- it looks to me like the back foot of each component would be hanging out in mid air. Is this the case?

For all the A10 owners and admirers, what do you think of these stands. I looked at the BDI line this afternoon, very nice, high quality, but pricey.

Let me know which one you like and any paticular reason why. I'm trying to get a visual of what each stand would look like with the A10

#1- BDI Cielo (48"W) : http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/cielo_9324.shtml

#2 BDI Icon 9424 (46"W) in Black: http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/icon_9424.shtml

#3 BDI Icon 9424 in Silver (46") http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/BDI-Icon-9424.htm


Interesting, my local store and all e-tailers are priced exactly the same.

Personally, I like door number 2. The first one seems a little more retro and the 3rd one doesn't have the pizazz as the 2nd one even though its just a different color.

At 46" wide I guess its for the 42A10? I think for the 50 they're too narrow.

One thing for sure about this new Sony design is that although its alot cleaner looking the lack of a 'neck' makes it hard to find a real nice looking open glass/metal stand to match. I think the new Sonys would really nice on a wood stand but they're either too high or too deep.

I really wanted this stand for my 50 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Centrios-60-TV-Stand-C22110-/sem/rpsm/oid/121372/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
But its available only online and there's no dimensions listed anywhere. A 'neck-less' TV looks good on this one.

Anybody take off those 2 ugly stickers yet??? Just curious if any adhesive is left on the TV. If yes what did you use to clean the surface.

Thanks

I took mine off. They came off real easy. No adhesive left. IF by chance that does happen, put a LITTLE vegetable oil on a paper towel and rub the adhesive off. Followed by a warm wet wash rag.

Cheers!

Leadercrat

I took mine off. The came off real easy. No adhesive left. IF by chance that does happen, put a LITTLE vegetable oil on a paper towel and rub the adhesive off. Followed by a warm wet wash rag.

Cheers!

Leadercrat


...........and remember where you heard it. :eek:


I'd recommend contacting the manufacturer if a problem comes up. I would like to think that the manufacturer has enough sense to not use an adhesive that would leave a residue but they didn't have enough sense to not put a sticker on the screen so who knows. :D

...........and remember where you heard it. :eek:


I'd recommend contacting the manufacturer if a problem comes up. I would like to think that the manufacturer has enough sense to not use an adhesive that would leave a residue but they didn't have enough sense to not put a sticker on the screen so who knows. :D


Well okay...use Peanut Oil then! :D

I would not recommend for stickers on an actual screen, but if simply on the plastic frame of the TV I say - Hey finger lickin' good!

Leadercrat

Personally, I like door number 2. The first one seems a little more retro and the 3rd one doesn't have the pizazz as the 2nd one even though its just a different color.

At 46" wide I guess its for the 42A10? I think for the 50 they're too narrow.

One thing for sure about this new Sony design is that although its alot cleaner looking the lack of a 'neck' makes it hard to find a real nice looking open glass/metal stand to match. I think the new Sonys would really nice on a wood stand but they're either too high or too deep.

I really wanted this stand for my 50 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Centrios-60-TV-Stand-C22110-/sem/rpsm/oid/121372/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
But its available only online and there's no dimensions listed anywhere. A 'neck-less' TV looks good on this one.

I got a PM from a member, that was buying this stand that seems similar to the one at CC you were interested in....I thought looked pretty nice. See link below. I personally went with they matching Sony stand, before they raised their MSRP by $50, to $349!

http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/Bush-VS05836-03-TV-Stand.htm

Well okay...use Peanut Oil then! :D

I would not recommend for stickers on an actual screen, but if simply on the plastic frame of the TV I say - Hey finger lickin' good!

Leadercrat


I prefer your original recommendation of vegetable oil. Add some vinegar, lettuce, feta cheese and some calamatia olives and I can make you a nice Greek salad. :D

The way I look at it, in these stands, I'm figuring I need to put 2-3 components, plus a center speaker.

When I'm looking at these pictures, I'm trying to figure out a way to put them all in, with an open face for sound and remote capabilites.

In regards to the stand - I am able to fit a dvd-player and the STB on the first shelf -- the center channel should fit in the spot for that even if it will stick out on the sides. Overall I am impressed and happy with the stand - easy to put together and doesn't take up to much room and very functional

I did watch Matrix Revolutions over the weekend on a digital channel -- I had the iris set to 3 and quickly changed that -- I had a pulsating picture going from dark to lighter and it was very very annoying. Once I dropped down the iris to 1 it worked fine.

Only gripe so far is how to change input etc - the WEGA button is real annoying but I should get over it. The one OTA HD channel I am getting is stunning so that will keep me going until I get everything setup :)

So far I think I have seen 4 people that have tweaked the set with Avia, and all 4 are quite different. I guess we all see things differently

Some of the settings are subjective, some of the settings are because not every TV is the same.

I took mine off. The came off real easy. No adhesive left. IF by chance that does happen, put a LITTLE vegetable oil on a paper towel and rub the adhesive off. Followed by a warm wet wash rag.

Cheers!

Leadercrat

Or put a SMALL amount of WD-40 on a paper towel or your finger tip and then gently rub the adhesive.

I just ordered a 42A10. Can someone tell me how many inches it is on the flat part of the top of the TV from front to back? Would it be wise to put a center speaker on top of it or just get a speaker shelf? My center speaker measures roughly 7" deep by 15" wide.

I really wanted this stand for my 50 http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Centrios-60-TV-Stand-C22110-/sem/rpsm/oid/121372/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
But its available only online and there's no dimensions listed anywhere. A 'neck-less' TV looks good on this one.

Circuit City has a little furniture "buying guide" in the stores. That stand is listed and the dimensions are 22"H x 60"W x 20"D

No way you can put a center channel on top. I ordered one of these yesterday.

http://www.bracketsandstands.com/brackets10.htm

Hi-

Can the folks who are price matching at CC please post or PM me who you're using to price match against? I pretty much paid full MSRP and folks are buying the 50 for only $50 more than I paid for the 42... :( I live in MA- I see that someone used Fry's- but they're not in MA...

Also, thier website says 10% off all TVs. The fine print says that Sony XBRs are not included- but this the xxA10s aren't XBRs, correct?

I've got 30 days to find a pricematch and I can get a refund. Thanks for any info!

ps- MSRP for the 42A10 is $1999, right?

KDF-E50A10 is now $1888 before tax at PC Richards in NJ.

The A10s are not XBRs so at a minimum, you should be able to go back in and get the 10% off. By the way, Fry's doesn't have the A10's on sale, so you're not missing out on anything - it's only the 55" A20 that they have a sale on.

KDF-E50A10 is now $1888 before tax at PC Richards in NJ.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Anybody know of any place with good pricing on these units in the Dallas - Ft Worth area? I have a coupon for 10% off at CC - I've read the fine print and see nothing to preclude it's use for this tv. But if somebody can beat that I'd love to know. :)

Also, any suggestions on price haggling at CC? Never done it before.

thanks!

Anybody know of any place with good pricing on these units in the Dallas - Ft Worth area? I have a coupon for 10% off at CC - I've read the fine print and see nothing to preclude it's use for this tv. But if somebody can beat that I'd love to know. :)

Also, any suggestions on price haggling at CC? Never done it before.

thanks!
Hey, Ojo, I'm in the same boat, also in DFW area. Probably going to pull the trigger within the next few weeks. I'll let you know if I find anything remarkable. PM me if you find anything better than CC.

Thanks!

Anybody take off those 2 ugly stickers yet??? Just curious if any adhesive is left on the TV. If yes what did you use to clean the surface.

Thanks


Take one clean underwear top OR a few Kleenex's with one drop of baby oil and viola...............its like new!

Take one clean underwear top OR a few Kleenex's with one drop of baby oil and viola...............its like new!

Goo Gone also works quite well.

http://www.magicamerican.com/googone.shtml

In regards to the stand - I am able to fit a dvd-player and the STB on the first shelf -- the center channel should fit in the spot for that even if it will stick out on the sides. Overall I am impressed and happy with the stand - easy to put together and doesn't take up to much room and very functional

I did watch Matrix Revolutions over the weekend on a digital channel -- I had the iris set to 3 and quickly changed that -- I had a pulsating picture going from dark to lighter and it was very very annoying. Once I dropped down the iris to 1 it worked fine.

Only gripe so far is how to change input etc - the WEGA button is real annoying but I should get over it. The one OTA HD channel I am getting is stunning so that will keep me going until I get everything setup :)

You could always use that TV/Video button at the top of the remote to change inputs rather than going in WEGA GATE. But scrolling through up to 7 inputs can take a while. Of course we can skip the unused ones... ;)

You could always use that TV/Video button at the top of the remote to change inputs rather than going in WEGA GATE. But scrolling through up to 7 inputs can take a while. Of course we can skip the unused ones... ;)



Is there a SIMPLE way to switch between outputs, say STB and DVD player? Surely there is a better way. If so, please spell it out step by step.
We won't get out TV til this Thursday.

Nobody else is having sound problems? I think I need to call Sony. Sound is normal coming out of the TV speakers, but it won't come on when I use the optical out. Sometimes after a minute or more, it will come on, but I sometimes lose it when I switch the channel. Seems to me it should be instantaneous. I do have the TV speakers off when I try to run it through my receiver.

I was thinking maybe my signal wasn't strong enough, but it's typically 84 or higher on the CBS affiliate (OTA). And I have a picture.

This is a mystery to me. Do I have a bad set? I hope not...

So far I think I have seen 4 people that have tweaked the set with Avia, and all 4 are quite different. I guess we all see things differently

I also tweaked mine with AVIA and noticed that same thing. I have not posted my setting yet, as I'm not truly happy with them yet.

The pattern for adjusting sharpness didn't seem to change much when making the adjustment and when setting the brightness to match their example, the black doesn't seem black enough, afterwards, anyone else notice this?

Is there a SIMPLE way to switch between outputs, say STB and DVD player? Surely there is a better way. If so, please spell it out step by step.
We won't get out TV til this Thursday.

You mean inputs?
There are only two ways that I have seen to switch inputs. Through WEGA GATE select the External Inputs option and then scroll down to the one that you want and select it. OR, press the TV/Video button on the remote or TV and scroll through all of the inputs until you reach the one you want. You can, in the menus, "skip" the inputs that you're not using so it makes selecting inputs faster with either of the described methods.

Nobody else is having sound problems? I think I need to call Sony. Sound is normal coming out of the TV speakers, but it won't come on when I use the optical out. Sometimes after a minute or more, it will come on, but I sometimes lose it when I switch the channel. Seems to me it should be instantaneous. I do have the TV speakers off when I try to run it through my receiver.

I was thinking maybe my signal wasn't strong enough, but it's typically 84 or higher on the CBS affiliate (OTA). And I have a picture.

This is a mystery to me. Do I have a bad set? I hope not...

I haven't tried the optical out yet. I guess I should do that within the 30-day return period. I'll try to remember to do it this evening and post the results.

I finally bought the TV after looking for it in several retail stores. I actually found the tv in CC (this is after 10 minutes of research by the sales rep), but the tv was in a different store that is about 50 miles away. I was going to pick up the tv from that location, but i thought i will stop at Frys first and check it out. To my luck, Frys had it in stock and also had one 42" tv in display.

For some reason the PQ on the display model was not great, but the other TVs next to it had the same problem. THe feed may not be great quality, but i took my chances and bought the tv. Frys had it listed at MSRP. I told them that CC had it at a lesser price(not as less as some members quoted on this forum), but that waS the cheapest price i could quote for them to compare in stores nearby. The guy matched the price (and 20$ less) and i bought the tv.

I don't have HD hooked up yet, but i used component cable and S video to hook my dish network broadcast. SD so far looks ok, cannot complain much. I changed the color to somewhere around 33 from 50 and the colors looked much better.

I tried auto program to search for HDTV signal, but the tv could not pick any in my area. Do i need to hook up an external antenna to receive the OTA HDTV signal?

You could always use that TV/Video button at the top of the remote to change inputs rather than going in WEGA GATE. But scrolling through up to 7 inputs can take a while. Of course we can skip the unused ones...

Thanks - hadn't figured this out yet so will try that. I am only going to have 4 inputs hooked up so no biggie. I haven't tried it yet, but what I liked with my Toshiba is that you press the buttong to see the input list then you can either keep pressing that button to skip down or just press the number that is next to the item real quick.

Circuit City has a little furniture "buying guide" in the stores. That stand is listed and the dimensions are 22"H x 60"W x 20"D

I went to CC to ask them about the stand and they had no clue. Thanks for the info!


But now I wish I never knew about it :rolleyes: . Those dimensions are perfect (I like the stand to be wider rather than flush with the tv). Now what to do? I have a shipment from walmart for a different stand. Maybe I should return the stand and forego the shipping charges to get this Centrios stand. arg.

For all the A10 owners and admirers, what do you think of these stands. I looked at the BDI line this afternoon, very nice, high quality, but pricey.

Let me know which one you like and any paticular reason why. I'm trying to get a visual of what each stand would look like with the A10

#1- BDI Cielo (48"W) : http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/cielo_9324.shtml

#2 BDI Icon 9424 (46"W) in Black: http://www.bdiusa.com/avfurniture/icon_9424.shtml

#3 BDI Icon 9424 in Silver (46") http://www.audio-video-furniture.com/BDI-Icon-9424.htm


Interesting, my local store and all e-tailers are priced exactly the same.

I don't know if this line would work with your tastes, but I got the larger Axis stand from BDI. Great looking stand IMO, plus it was heavily discounted at my local retailer (Myer Emco) since they're being discontinued.

I tried auto program to search for HDTV signal, but the tv could not pick any in my area. Do i need to hook up an external antenna to receive the OTA HDTV signal?

Definitely need an external antenna, assuming you mean external to the TV. And depending on where you are located, you might need an antenna on the exterior of your place. Check out the local HDTV section of the forum... lots of great info there.

Has anybody seen this set in the Minneapolis area?

Here's the stand I bought for the 50A10, resonable and it matches the silver and black color scheme very nicely. About $299.00, very sturdy and easy to assemble.

Link to stand (http://www.techcraft.net/htm/products/monaco/pdf/ptv483bp.pdf)

Another less known stand company is Schroers & Schroers a German outfit. Quite $$$ but quality is fantastic and very attractive I think.

Bought one about 4 years ago for my 304 lb 40XBR700 and looks great with my new E50A10.

I'm using this stand Click here (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=5678411&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03116&id=1056281191336) and the 50" hangs over about 1" on each side but it matches up nicely. I like the open design and don't mind the wires, but do plan on adding a wire trace to the back just to clean it up a bit.

Any more news on the Canada front? I saw that the MSRP dropped (which is about time) but do any FutureShop people know what the store cost is approx? Or when they will be released? I hope it's by September 1st, that's when I move.

So, I got the 50A10 Saturday, followed an hour later by the cable guy for all the HD stuff (Motorola DCT6412 DVR STB).

Haven't had time to tweak anything, and HD picture is wonderful already. The contrasts in shadow areas are great - so much better than my DLP that I returned (because of poor detail in shadows - awful). Colors are rich, vibrant, with only some red push in only some scenes that is partly alleviated by adjusting the hue (further tweaks when time permits . . ).

But . . . I get this odd flickering of these horizontal bands of grey/black when viewing HD. It shows up usually in medium/darker light scenes, on surfaces that are generally medium brightness with solid consistent coloring/texture (e.g., a wall in the background, solid color clothing, etc.). The overall effect is that of flickering candle-light against these solid areas of a scene. Indeed, it can make most scenes seem as if there is a hidden candle flickering in the background (I'm guessing this "candle flicker" effect is not one of Sony's settings). When the entire screen is black (e.g. going into a commercial break) I can see it as these horizontal bands of grey/black (entire width of the screen) that kind of flicker on/off, dancing up and down the screen. I hope that makes sense.

I also noticed it when viewing the DVD player source, especially when the screen goes black - same horizontal bands of dark grey/black, flickering and dancing up and down the screen. This makes me think it's the set, since I observed the same effect when viewing two different sources (DVD / HDTV).

This can't be normal, and I'm hopeful at this point it's completely fix-able. Anybody else see this phenomenon? It is unfortunately pretty noticeable and is degrading an otherwise stellar viewing experience.

Here's the stand I am using. Bought at Ikea for $127. Sorry for the crappy pictures.

Here's the stand I am using. Bought at Ikea for $127. Sorry for the crappy pictures.

I've never seen that on their website...is it store only? How long ago did you get it? It looks great and I'd probably buy it if I can find it.

Here's the stand I am using. Bought at Ikea for $127. Sorry for the crappy pictures.

That's a pretty decent stand, and I also haven't seen it at the Ikea website (which, IMO, was designed by trained seals and thus is inordinately difficult to navigate)

It would be cool if we could have an A10 stand thread, but perhaps that's too specific a topic to warrant its own thread . . .

Nobody else is having sound problems? I think I need to call Sony. Sound is normal coming out of the TV speakers, but it won't come on when I use the optical out. Sometimes after a minute or more, it will come on, but I sometimes lose it when I switch the channel. Seems to me it should be instantaneous. I do have the TV speakers off when I try to run it through my receiver.

I was thinking maybe my signal wasn't strong enough, but it's typically 84 or higher on the CBS affiliate (OTA). And I have a picture.

This is a mystery to me. Do I have a bad set? I hope not...

The optical output only works for HD programs.
So, for example, I get HD over the air, and when I'm watching one of those programs, the optical output will deliver 5.1 to your receiver.
Otherwise, non-HD and HD programming outputs via the RCA jacks.

This means you need to connect both the TV's optical and RCA audio outputs to your receiver and then select the audio input on your receiver that you want to use depending on the program.
Personally, I have my remote (I use a separate programmable remote) programmed to always assume the RCA jacks input from the TV and then I explicitly select the optical input from the TV when I'm watching HD stuff.


Mitch

You mean inputs?
There are only two ways that I have seen to switch inputs. Through WEGA GATE select the External Inputs option and then scroll down to the one that you want and select it. OR, press the TV/Video button on the remote or TV and scroll through all of the inputs until you reach the one you want. You can, in the menus, "skip" the inputs that you're not using so it makes selecting inputs faster with either of the described methods.

There is one other way, but it requires getting a programmable remote that can download the discretes for the TV's inputs.
For example, I have a Home Theater Master MX-700 and I found a file on remotecentral.com that had the discrete codes for selecting the video inputs on Sony TVs - including Video #7.
This lets me set up macros that directly select the appropriate video input when selecting a task such as "Watch DVD."

I know this isn't all that helpful, but I find a programmable remote like the MX-700 (there are others, like the Pronto, etc.) is a great accessory for any home theater.

Mitch

I just bought a KDF-E42A10 today and am getting it delivered tomorrow.

I'm very anxious and hope it turns out well. It took my a while to finally pick one out. (I'm still using a 36" curved screen tube tv). What made me finally decide to change TV's? Lack of variety in input connections. It only had composite.

I was going for a DLP, but reading about both DLP's various problems and the A10's also great PQ (and not many problems) sold me on the Sony.

I'll report back tomorrow night!

I just bought a KDF-E42A10 today and am getting it delivered tomorrow.

I'm very anxious and hope it turns out well. It took my a while to finally pick one out. (I'm still using a 36" curved screen tube tv). What made me finally decide to change TV's? Lack of variety in input connections. It only had composite.

I was going for a DLP, but reading about both DLP's various problems and the A10's also great PQ (and not many problems) sold me on the Sony.

I'll report back tomorrow night!

I would say you made the right move picking the Sony over DLP...they have too many issues, especially seeing rainbows. The new Sony can certainly hold its own against the current Samsung 720P models.

hanbal,

i'm right there with you, I am still using my Sony 32"XBR tube that I purchased in 1989. And I have to admit, still a very good picture, but I wanted HD.

Finally got to see the 42A10 today after months and months of waiting. First thing that came to mind was that the design is much nicer looking than the 655. Second thing that I noticed was that the black levels seemed better than the older model. My dad has the 655 and the blacks look more washed out on his than they do the a10. Those were the two improvements that i saw over the older model. Unfortunatley they were running an old western DVD on it and the picture had some really bad video noise. This was not the Tvs fault but It was hard to make a proper judgement based on the quality of the feed. The colors seemed off as well and I did see the red push but after I fiddled with it for about a half an hour even that crappy dvd was producing a pretty good picture. They didnt have it hooked up to anything else while I was there but im gonna go back tonight with some DVD's and fiddle with it some more.

The place I saw it was CC and like many have been reporting it was priced lower than msrp. If i can get it for about 250 less than msrp than I will probably be buying it tonight.

The only thing I havent decided on for sure is the extended warranty. Im leaning towards not getting it but I would appreciate any advise from those who are for or against it.

And ill report back on what I think of the picture when I take my own DVDs in to test out.

The optical output only works for HD programs.
So, for example, I get HD over the air, and when I'm watching one of those programs, the optical output will deliver 5.1 to your receiver.
Otherwise, non-HD and HD programming outputs via the RCA jacks.

This means you need to connect both the TV's optical and RCA audio outputs to your receiver and then select the audio input on your receiver that you want to use depending on the program.
Personally, I have my remote (I use a separate programmable remote) programmed to always assume the RCA jacks input from the TV and then I explicitly select the optical input from the TV when I'm watching HD stuff.


Mitch

I have both connected and I was watching the PGA Championship in HD, as well as flipping to the NASCAR race (also HD) out of curiosity. It's goes on and off sporadically--that's the problem (when it goes on at all). And the RCA jacks don't seem to work at all, but I will double-check that connection. I think something is wrong with my TV :(

So, I got the 50A10 Saturday, followed an hour later by the cable guy for all the HD stuff (Motorola DCT6412 DVR STB).

Haven't had time to tweak anything, and HD picture is wonderful already. The contrasts in shadow areas are great - so much better than my DLP that I returned (because of poor detail in shadows - awful). Colors are rich, vibrant, with only some red push in only some scenes that is partly alleviated by adjusting the hue (further tweaks when time permits . . ).

But . . . I get this odd flickering of these horizontal bands of grey/black when viewing HD. It shows up usually in medium/darker light scenes, on surfaces that are generally medium brightness with solid consistent coloring/texture (e.g., a wall in the background, solid color clothing, etc.). The overall effect is that of flickering candle-light against these solid areas of a scene. Indeed, it can make most scenes seem as if there is a hidden candle flickering in the background (I'm guessing this "candle flicker" effect is not one of Sony's settings). When the entire screen is black (e.g. going into a commercial break) I can see it as these horizontal bands of grey/black (entire width of the screen) that kind of flicker on/off, dancing up and down the screen. I hope that makes sense.

I also noticed it when viewing the DVD player source, especially when the screen goes black - same horizontal bands of dark grey/black, flickering and dancing up and down the screen. This makes me think it's the set, since I observed the same effect when viewing two different sources (DVD / HDTV).

This can't be normal, and I'm hopeful at this point it's completely fix-able. Anybody else see this phenomenon? It is unfortunately pretty noticeable and is degrading an otherwise stellar viewing experience.


BTW, I'll get my new 50 next Thursday and Insight will install the new Moto 6412. I'm told by the chief engineer that the new 6412 will have a considerably better analog (lower channels) than the STB I had before......the Moto 6208. He tells me that in addition to the HDMI capablity........new "chips" inside the 6214 account for the big improvement. Also, I see any wierd "horizontal bands of dark grey/black flickering" as you posted, I'll try to post it here. I suspect for me that with the new 6214 the HD will not show much improvement in that I had DVI before and am now goin HDMI. Good luck and let us know how everything settles out. In other words, I'd like to know if you found a solution to your problem, and if so what, specifically, was the problem.

You mean inputs?
There are only two ways that I have seen to switch inputs. Through WEGA GATE select the External Inputs option and then scroll down to the one that you want and select it. OR, press the TV/Video button on the remote or TV and scroll through all of the inputs until you reach the one you want.




rnp22, you said: "You can, in the menus, "skip" the inputs that you're not using so it makes selecting inputs faster with either of the described methods." HERE'S MY QUESTION: JUST EXACTLY HOW DOES ONE "SKIP" THE INPUTS YOUR USING SO IT MAKES SELECTING INPUTS FASTER???
Please post with simple step by step instructions so even the "technically challenged" can do it. Notice I didn't say technically "handicapped"; we must remain politically correct in these changing times! BTW, thanks!!!

I have both connected and I was watching the PGA Championship in HD, as well as flipping to the NASCAR race (also HD) out of curiosity. It's goes on and off sporadically--that's the problem (when it goes on at all). And the RCA jacks don't seem to work at all, but I will double-check that connection. I think something is wrong with my TV :(

Bummer. Although, could it be your receiver? Are the optical and RCA jacks going into the same input "device" on the receiver? In my set up (Yamaha HTR-5640 receiver), the RCA jacks go to one input device ("D-TV" specifically) and the optical input goes to another input device ("DVD" specificallY). If you have both the optical and the RCA jacks plugged into the same input device (for example, if I plugged both into my "DVD" input device), I wonder if the receiver would have issues with that.

(BTW, mostly off-topic, I think the little "door" for the optical output jack on the TV is pretty nifty :))


Mitch


Mitch

I have both connected and I was watching the PGA Championship in HD, as well as flipping to the NASCAR race (also HD) out of curiosity. It's goes on and off sporadically--that's the problem (when it goes on at all). And the RCA jacks don't seem to work at all, but I will double-check that connection. I think something is wrong with my TV :(
I have a CRT RCA HD model I've had for a few years. Just last winter I got HD through DirecTV and OTA HD through a Samsung receiver. I've noticed periodically the sound will disappear or at times there will be no Voices just background music on the OTA HD feed. This is in the broadcast and not the TV. Not sure if this is your problem. I don't know if you could find out from your local broadcaster if they may be having transmission problems with audio. When this happens it is the same on the optical feed and the rca feed to my TV.

BTW, I'll get my new 50 next Thursday and Insight will install the new Moto 6412. I'm told by the chief engineer that the new 6412 will have a considerably better analog (lower channels) than the STB I had before......the Moto 6208. He tells me that in addition to the HDMI capablity........new "chips" inside the 6214 account for the big improvement. Also, I see any wierd "horizontal bands of dark grey/black flickering" as you posted, I'll try to post it here. I suspect for me that with the new 6214 the HD will not show much improvement in that I had DVI before and am now goin HDMI. Good luck and let us know how everything settles out. In other words, I'd like to know if you found a solution to your problem, and if so what, specifically, was the problem.

I had the 6208 and now have the 6412 and there isn't much improvement in the analog PQ. The 6412 doesn't have an HDMI output, only DVI unless there's a revision model that just came out.

Thanks to everyone at AVS Forum from a long time lurker and happy new owner of a KDF-E50A10. I have been stopping in at the local B&Ms periodically and found them finally setting up a floor display at CC on Saturday. It was on sale, but ending Saturday. I ran by Sears and confirmed the 10% F&F happening on Sunday and crossed my fingers. Sure enough, it was at an even lower sale price at CC on Sunday and they took their Sears medicine with little complaint. I did some minor tweaking using some of the settings that have been posted by those using Avia and am getting a very nice picture -- particularly with OTA HD signals. Next stop, a new DVD player.... So, THANKS to all of you.

I have both connected and I was watching the PGA Championship in HD, as well as flipping to the NASCAR race (also HD) out of curiosity. It's goes on and off sporadically--that's the problem (when it goes on at all). And the RCA jacks don't seem to work at all, but I will double-check that connection. I think something is wrong with my TV :(


Jack, its not your set, its the network feed. Others have reported the exact same thing about pictures changing from SD to HD as they change cameras during NASCAR and the golf tournament.

I had the 6208 and now have the 6412 and there isn't much improvement in the analog PQ. The 6412 doesn't have an HDMI output, only DVI unless there's a revision model that just came out.


Just talked with the Chief Engr. of Insight Communications a few hours ago and asked him again if the new 6412 has HDMI............the "final answer" YES!!!

Nobody else is having sound problems? I think I need to call Sony. Sound is normal coming out of the TV speakers, but it won't come on when I use the optical out. Sometimes after a minute or more, it will come on, but I sometimes lose it when I switch the channel. Seems to me it should be instantaneous. I do have the TV speakers off when I try to run it through my receiver.

I was thinking maybe my signal wasn't strong enough, but it's typically 84 or higher on the CBS affiliate (OTA). And I have a picture.

This is a mystery to me. Do I have a bad set? I hope not...

It sounds like the receiver. Make sure you your optical cable is going in/out. Check to see that the cable is fully enabled. Also, be sure the inputs are selected properly, another words the TV, DVD, etc have dedicated input selections.

With luck I'll be picking up my KDF-E42A10 tomorrow, or at latest Saturday from CC. Their list price is about 10% off MSRP, and I have a coupon that came in the mail when we recently moved (a packet of crap coupons delivered by the post office apparently anytime you post a change of address, but I kept that one). I've read the fine print a hundred times and can find no way it *shouldn't* apply - the coupon is for 10% off any TV purchase period. So, with luck, I'll be getting around 19% off msrp.

Er.... that wasn't even the point of my post. Sorry, I'm drooling. Anyway....

I'm wondering if anybody who has a Momitsu V880-DX dvd player (another great purchase recommended by the fine folks here!) has worked out any custom DVI settings for this TV. It'll be awhile before I tinker with that probably, as I am a neophyte when it comes to this sort of thing (example: I haven't even figured out yet what cable I need between these two units), but I figured if anybody knew how to maximize the potential between these two items it would be you folks.

Any thoughts? If not I'll go back to lurking and drooling. :p
thanks,
ojo

I'm thinking about getting one of these.

I'm thinking about getting one of these.

Is that you Piki?

Thanks for the input and knowledge you all take the time to put in here. The stand talk gets a little old wading through but hey. I have a tech from comcast coming tommorow night to hook up the hd box. Is there anything I should watch out for or ask the settings of or anything. Hoping like hell it helps the non hd picture some as alot of the channels just plain suck and can not wait to see a hd program.
Thanks all. :)

Saw the A10s for the first time today at Tweeter's on Southlake Boulevard near DFW Airport and I like them. Would go with the 50" unit if I break down and buy one at $2,299 through Sunday. Liked the Sony better than the Sammy DLP next to it. The Sammy had a shimmer to it which I guess is SSE? Could live with an A10 just fine. This store also had a Sammy 1080p at $4,500. Nice picture. The salesmen said the Mits 1080p they've seen blows it away. The Mits should be arriving sometime soon. This store will also be getting its first Qualia 006 as well at $2K off list.

Welll i got my second look at the 42 a10 tonight and brought in some of my own dvds for comparisons since my dad had the 42 655. Overall i dont see that much improvement compared to the older model. The blacks seem a little better and the detail seems a smidge better in the darker scenes but other than that i think they are pretty similar. My opinion may change once i get one home and get the settings where i like them but as of right now im a little disappointed. I think I was expecting to much out of this tv and that is the main reason for the let down. But considering the lower price and the extra features this set is still one heck of a buy and im still planning on getting one. I was actually planning on getting it tonight but after a year of trying to find the right hdtv i still couldnt pull the trigger. Im gonna sleep on it and go back tomorrow and hopefully bring one home. If nothing else I can always bring it back before my 30 days run out. Man I wish this decision wasnt so hard

I tested the optical out on my TV and I think a more accurate description of how this works is: you will only receive audio through the optical port if the source is a digital channel. The channel may or may not be in HD. I did not receive any sound through my receiver on analog channels. If I am viewing a digital channel, my receiver switches to the proper mode depending on whether it is receiving a stereo signal or a 5.1 signal.

The optical output only works for HD programs.
So, for example, I get HD over the air, and when I'm watching one of those programs, the optical output will deliver 5.1 to your receiver.
Otherwise, non-HD and HD programming outputs via the RCA jacks.

This means you need to connect both the TV's optical and RCA audio outputs to your receiver and then select the audio input on your receiver that you want to use depending on the program.
Personally, I have my remote (I use a separate programmable remote) programmed to always assume the RCA jacks input from the TV and then I explicitly select the optical input from the TV when I'm watching HD stuff.


Mitch

1. Press the WEGA GATE button
2. Select External Inputs
3. Select Edit Video Labels
4. On this screen you can chose a label for each of the inputs, e.g. DVR, DVD, Satellite, etc.
5. On the inputs you are not using scroll through the labels until you see "Skip"
6. Select Skip for each input you want to skip
7. Press the WEGA GATE button.

Now when you scroll through the inputs, the ones you labeled Skip will be skipped.

" HERE'S MY QUESTION: JUST EXACTLY HOW DOES ONE "SKIP" THE INPUTS YOUR USING SO IT MAKES SELECTING INPUTS FASTER???
Please post with simple step by step instructions so even the "technically challenged" can do it. Notice I didn't say technically "handicapped"; we must remain politically correct in these changing times! BTW, thanks!!!

I decided to take the plunge, and get both the 50 & 42 A10's, wife said the 20" in the bedroom just doesn't cut it anymore. I would like to thank everyone on this thread for your inputs, even though the A10' wouldn't be as good as my 60XS955 i'm still looking foreword to checking out this Iris thing, BTW great deal $35## for both (tax included). :D

p

It sounds like the receiver. Make sure you your optical cable is going in/out. Check to see that the cable is fully enabled. Also, be sure the inputs are selected properly, another words the TV, DVD, etc have dedicated input selections.

OK, I may be a newbie here but I'm not retarded. I definitely have it hooked up properly. I've had this receiver and several others over the years. I may not know much about red push, but I do know how to hook up my equipment. ;)

At any rate, I hooked up the optical cable to another device (Squeezebox) to test it out and it works fine, so it's not the receiver and it's not the cable. I can't seem to get any output from the RCA jacks, and I am only using this function while watching digital channels (4.1, 9.1, et al) in DC. My concern is if they are having audio problems, how come I receive sound through my TV speakers? Even if there's no digital signal, the RCA jacks should be outputting the same signal as the TV speakers (when the TV speakers are off), no?

Just hoping to hear there's something to it other than checking to see if I have it connected properly. I don't want to give my TV back--it looks too pretty!

Just talked with the Chief Engr. of Insight Communications a few hours ago and asked him again if the new 6412 has HDMI............the "final answer" YES!!!

He's wrong:

http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct6412/

Hey folks,

Thanks for all your comments on the stands. I've narrowed my list down to 2 or 3, now I just need to decide which one, easy task, right?

finally got my 50" yesterday and boy is it a sight to see. i almost dumped in my pants when i saw how big it was in my family room (largest tv i've owned up to this point is a 27") and thought the wife would freak out and give me the ole' eye gauge (sp?). anyway, just did some minor tweaks along the lines of previous posts and the tv looked good. SD was ok...about what i expected. DVDs looked fantastic. i dumped in a second pair of pants while watching the opening scene to saving private ryan and felt like popping a bottle of chamagne while watching Nemo...i felt like partying like it was 1999, whatever that might mean. video games really did me in though. i was so stoked to see how awesome metroid prime looked w/ progressive scan and then i played the new madden. i was breaking beer bottles and shooting my gun every which way, i was so darn excited. the wife almost broke down and told me how awesome this tv was....i could see it on her stubborn face, but she wouldn't gush with me just yet. wait until she comes home tonight and sees ron jeremy in all of his glory...

agrippi,

You may want to do your own laundry this week, if you want your wife to still like the TV. :rolleyes:

agrippi,

You may want to do your own laundry this week, if you want your wife to still like the TV. :rolleyes:

true. i heard a scream this morning when she was in the laundry room...."It's poop again!"

i'm so ashamed.

A few pics I took when I got the TV... Forgot to post them. :D OTA broadcast...

Enjoy.

btw, can someone explain to me what some of these advanced settings do? i.e. DRC, Noise Reduction, Black Correction, Advanced (iris, gamma, clear white, live color)? or are they explained well enough in the owner's manual? not sure what i should be doing w/ these. some people have turned them off while others are using them on different settings. my pic looks pretty good w/ some basic tweaks, but i'd like the best pic possible w/out professional calibration, but since i'm a noob, i don't know what half of these things really do and what i should be looking for.

42A10 owners, how large is its box? I want to figure out if I can bring one home myself.

42A10 owners, how large is its box? I want to figure out if I can bring one home myself.


I don't recall exactly, but the height is something like 34" or so... It easily fit in my Murano, placed on its side.

42A10 owners, how large is its box? I want to figure out if I can bring one home myself.

Search this thread. The dimensions for both (42" and 50") boxes are in here.

Alright, I've had this tv for a few days now and thought I would I would chime in regarding its performance. First off, this is my first HDTV. I upgraded from a 32" Toshiba CRT (still a great set). The first night I was a little disappointed with the picture. I honestly thought it would be better.

I finally sat down with DVE last night (I've been busy painting) and tweeked some of the settings for each input. I'm using a basic Toshiba SD-3800 progressive scan dvd player. After setting my DVD player to progressive scan and using DVE, I felt the picture improved tremendously. Blacks were better, as well as details and shadows. I viewed parts of The Incredibles, ROTK, Band of Brothers, and lastly...the dark scen in ESB when Vader and Luke are fighting near the end. I was very impressed with the picture. It was better than I thought it would be. I don't remember all of my settings right now, but I know I had the picture on Custom, Iris on 1, sharpness at 10, and most of the other settings (color, brightness, Pic) were somewhere in the 40's and 50's. I may mess with the settings a little more with the Iris on 2 and 3 to see if there is any difference in blacks.

Question...Since this is a fixed panel display, it will try and convert every source to 720P correct? I ask because I set my DVD player to 480P, and I was wondering if the TV is still converting this to 720P or simply displaying at 480P. I would think converting 480P to 720P would be easier than converting 480i to 720P...but I'm still somewhat of a noob...so I don't know for sure.

HD looks great. I used my DVD settings and tweeked them using my eyes. I viewed CSI Miami, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Las Vegas. I ended up with Custom, Iris 2, and i dropped color near the low 40's to get rid of some of the red push. I felt this looked excellent on each channel.

Analog cable looks decent enough (I don't have digital). Not great, but I expected that. Some channels are better than others.

PS2 looked fine playing NCAA 2006. I'm using the S-video cable and wondering if it's worth the $20 for component. I did have one problem while playing PS2. I was unable to play the game in 16x9. I may have to mess with it some more. I have the PS2 set to 16x9, as is NCAA 2006...

I have the optical out hooked up to my receiver, but have yet to view any programming with 5.1 digital, so I have not even used it as of yet. The sound out of the TV is decent enough, but not as good as my dad's GWIII (50WE610). Blacks are better though...

Last thing. I do notice some "shimmering" or what others may call SSE (Silk Screen Effect). I think this is due to the anti-glare screen more than the TV. I also saw this on the Sammy 5067 and other TV's. I don't believe this is SDE (screen door) but I could be wrong. I sit about 12 feet away. I think this is something I'll just have to get used to on Microsdisplays.

Well that's it. I absolutely love this TV. I had a limited selection due to WAF. She only wanted a TV with speakers on the bottom. I guess I don't blame her. I am very happy with my purchase. The picture is excellent as is the actual design of the TV. I just hope it holds up reliability-wise. My dad's GWIII did have a light engine replacement in year 1, but since then it has been great.

-Nick

42A10 owners, how large is its box? I want to figure out if I can bring one home myself.
33.5" high
link... (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6007066&&#post6007066)

CC delivery was only $40, so I'm having mine delivered friday :D - can't wait...

A few pics I took when I got the TV... Forgot to post them. :D OTA broadcast...

Enjoy.

Those teddy bears really add a masculine touch to the TV.

33.5" high
link... (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6007066&&#post6007066)

CC delivery was only $40, so I'm having mine delivered friday :D - can't wait...
Thanks! I thought I had read the entire thread, but I missed the info. If it can't fit in my friend's Subaru wagon then I'm using CC delivery.

Those teddy bears really add a masculine touch to the TV.


lol


My wife likes bears... :O

He's wrong:

http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct6412/



Sorry Dark Rain but it appears you are in the dark. I just got off the phone with Insight Engineering here in Central Illinois and they assured me that the new 6412 DOES have HDMI. Originally, the first iteration of the 6412 did NOT have HDMI. Somewhere on this post is a picture front/back of the 6412. If I can figure out how to post it I will........here it is:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=558602

I've never seen that on their website...is it store only? How long ago did you get it? It looks great and I'd probably buy it if I can find it.

The stand is not in their catalog. In store only. I bought it last month at Ikea in Paramus, NJ. Not bad for the price and pretty solid. It held my old Sony CRT which weighed almost 150lbs with no problem before I got the 50" A10. Sorry I don't have the model number since I threw out the boxes. It's worth it to go to Ikea to see what they have as there were plenty of stands there not shown in their catalog.

Has anyone done any geometry tests on their TV? On my 42", I'm noticing a trapezoidal effect. Ie, if I have a test pattern or simply hook up my computer to VGA or HDMI, the top of the image is narrower than the bottom. I've been going over everything in the service menu, and while I can find how to control the horizontal and vertical width and position, I can't figure out how to set the upper and lower widths.

Any chance a 42" A10 in the box will fit in a 2004 Jetta completely empty with the back seats down? I'd put it in on its side of course. CC and PC Richards have a 1 week delivery time...I'd like to get it home as soon as I can when I buy it.

Any chance a 42" A10 in the box will fit in a 2004 Jetta completely empty with the back seats down? I'd put it in on its side of course. CC and PC Richards have a 1 week delivery time...I'd like to get it home as soon as I can when I buy it.

If you take it out of the box it will fit no problem, but I don't think it will work in the box. I tried to move a 42" plasma in my Jetta, and there was no chance (even with the bottoms of the back seats up). I also think it is too wide to fit through the back seats.

Costco-Home seemed fine with moving it in the back seat unpackaged though (and didn't seem to care when I brought it back the same way). Just drive smoothly and pack it with blankets / loop twine through the head rests and around the back.

Or be safe and borrow a larger car from someone. It fit fine in the back of my Passat wagon with the seats down. Even a smaller wagon like an Impreza would probably be fine.

Thanks for the review. Got a couple of questions (hopefully not showing my ignorance too much). :)

I finally sat down with DVE last night (I've been busy painting)...
What is DVE?

I sit about 12 feet away...
Do you have the 42" or the 50"?

I had a limited selection due to WAF....
And, what is "WAF"?

Thanks!

[QUOTE] And, what is "WAF"? [QUOTE]

Wife Acceptance Factor!

And to those with the size/delivery questions -- Note that there have been several past posts in this thread to the point that these sets should NOT be laid down on their sides. I noted when I was trying to get it home from CC on Sunday that the box also carries this warning. Anyhow, the television without its box fit nicely across the back seat of my friend's Murano.

The sales"boy" at the store told me I will get a better picture with component cables opposed to dvi output to hdmi. He said the hdmi would magnify all the noise and artifacts in the picture. Im supposed to get the set next week but I was going to have comcast change out my old hd box for a new one with dvi out. What do you people think.

What is DVE?



DVE=Digital Video Essentials...title of a dvd used to calibrate your tv...video and audio.

Thanks for the review. Got a couple of questions (hopefully not showing my ignorance too much). :)


What is DVE?


Do you have the 42" or the 50"?


And, what is "WAF"?

Thanks!

No Big deal, I'm still learning more and more everyday.

DVE is Digital Video Essentials. It's a calibration DVD that uses display patterns and color filters to help you tweek the basic settings on your tv. Another DVD to consider is AVIA. I got DVE pretty cheap, and that is why I went with that particular disc. Many people have both, and use certain tests from each disc to calibrate their TV. I've heard that the DVE filters may be off a little but it seems to have worked out fine for me so far. DVE is a little cumbersome to navigate, but once you get through a few times it's not so bad. I hear AVIA is easier to use.

Does anyone have any comments on whether AVIA has better filters?

I have the 50" in a room that is 15.5W X 22L, and there is no way I would have gone smaller. I feel this is the perfect size. It still doesn't overpower our family room like many big TV's do.

WAF was answered above

-Nick

Has anyone from Massachusetts bought this set in CC in either natick or North attleboro? I called both and they both say they dont have it, as in not in their computer at all. Yet yesterday the same store said they had them in a warehouse. Any other places I can look?

EDIT: oh yea, im lookin for the 42"

Chris

Has anyone from Massachusetts bought this set in CC in either natick or North attleboro? I called both and they both say they dont have it, as in not in their computer at all. Yet yesterday the same store said they had them in a warehouse. Any other places I can look?

EDIT: oh yea, im lookin for the 42"

Chris

Yes, Natick has them in warehouse for delivery, not pickup. Make sure they search for 'SON KDFE42A10' (no dash in the model#). You may have gotten a newbie today who tried looking it up on their website...

The sales"boy" at the store told me I will get a better picture with component cables opposed to dvi output to hdmi. He said the hdmi would magnify all the noise and artifacts in the picture. Im supposed to get the set next week but I was going to have comcast change out my old hd box for a new one with dvi out. What do you people think.

The boy is right, but he didn't give you the right reason. When you output through component the SD channels should look better. Most HD set top boxes allow you to output channels at their "native rate." This allows 480i channels to get to the TV unaltered and all of the conversion/scaling is done in the TV. If you go through a DVI or HDMI connection the box converts the signal to either 1080i or 720p (depending on box settings). The scaling circuits in the TV are better than those in your box, so the analog (component) connection gives you a better picture with analog channels. On HD channels the difference will be minimal. Lew

Thanks Lou, so in your opinion, it isnt wort changing out the box for a new one with DVI? My HD wont look much different than it does now? I have a toshiba 42h81 now, and have been very happy with my HD picture. I am getting the sony a10 next week and didnt know if I should change the box out or not. If you think it would be a minimal change, I'll keep the box I have. Thanks for your input.

Update in case anyone is still interested in my sound saga (probably not). I still get nothing out of the optical output most of the time. When it comes on, it doesn't always stay on. Just strange that it comes on sometimes and then cuts out but this doesn't happen with the TV speakers.

The RCA outputs do work, but I have to crank the volume really high to get a hearable sound. This can't be right, can it? I don't want to have to drop the volume back down tremendously before switching receiver functions. Maybe if I change it to fixed output and control the volume through the receiver? Haven't tried it, but I have my doubts whether it will work.

Thanks for listening and helping me. This is driving me insane...

It is funny how you can go into a Big Box Store and if one of these sales drones sees you examining a set for a couple of minutes will come over and extoll the virtues of the set you're looking at telling you what a wonderful choice you are making and how good a set it is and how their Grandmother has the same set and loves it! Then in the next breath, they'll tell you how you really need to buy a service plan because this is a new-fangled technology and these sets are always breaking down and no one should take one home without taking out "insurance", it's too big a risk :)

What's even more funny is now and then you will come across one of these sales drones who actually knows what he is talking about, and reads avsforum on his downtime. :p

While 95% of what you are saying is true, remember we are out here. While I get paid to do a certain job, it is a hobby for me and I am concerned with learning and teaching customers the correct information. If anyone in socal wants to talk to a bb employee who knows something, gimme a holler.

I've been lurking and learning for some time gathering information.

Picked up the 50A10 this weekend. Intended to go the F&F route, but CC beat that price as well as having it in stock.

Coming from a 10 year old 27" CRT, I was unsure what to expect in my room and don't really feel qualified to offer a full fledged review. I will say that while analog SD is ok, I was surprised that the picture with digital cable was an improvement over my old set. Watching football last night on ESPN was great.

One question I have - I'm used to having closed caption appear whenever I mute the volume. Is there a setting that I've missed that enables this, or is it simply not available on this set?

Has anyone compared the E50A10 to the Mitsubishi WD-52527? When I picked mine up today, they had it sitting right next to the Sony. For about $200 more, it looks like you get an extra component input on the back, an extra HDMI, IEEE 1394 and TV Guide on screen. Not sure how much I'd actually use those features, but it's making me wonder if I shouldn't have gone for it anyway...

Picture seemed okay, but I didn't take too much time to compare. The Sony looked sharper and brighter, but it could be how they were set up. My issue is that the Mitsubishi is about 1 1/2" taller than the Sony so it might be difficult to fit into my entertainment center.

BTW, if anyone is looking for the 50" in South FL, the Deerfield Brandsmart has broken the $2k barrier and they have 11 in stock now that I bought mine.

I had narrowed my list down to the 42A10 and the Panasonic 44” (PT-44LCX65). Biggest TV I’ve ever had is my current Sony 27” tube, so I am a complete noob at this. I like the PQ on both the Panasonic and the Sony (older model). I think both of these are native 720p.

Is it pretty much a toss-up between these two sets? CC has a really good price on the Panny right now. Still haven’t seen the A10 in person yet.



I am/was in the same boat as you but with the larger models. I am able to get the 52" Panny for much less than the 50" Sony, but I still went with the Sony after seeing both sets together. I find the picture on Sony to be much more grain free and to just have an all around better picture.

As always, let your own eyes decide whenever possible. I only pay for differences that I am able to see and hear for myself.

Sorry Dark Rain but it appears you are in the dark. I just got off the phone with Insight Engineering here in Central Illinois and they assured me that the new 6412 DOES have HDMI. Originally, the first iteration of the 6412 did NOT have HDMI. Somewhere on this post is a picture front/back of the 6412. If I can figure out how to post it I will........here it is:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=558602

Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to call Mediacom and see if they got the new one available.

BTW, if anyone is looking for the 50" in South FL, the Deerfield Brandsmart has broken the $2k barrier and they have 11 in stock now that I bought mine.

Wow...nice. Any chance you could PM me the actual price? I tried calling from Tampa the other day (in hopes of a possible pricematch) and they would not give out prices over the phone.

Also, a little OT, but did anyone see the SXRD thread or press release? It seems as though the sets are not 1080p like everyone was hoping.

Aaron

Welll i picked up the 42a10 today and have been playing around with it watching an analog cable feed and playing some xbox and I have to say im not too happy. My dad has the 42 655 and I think his has the better picture after comparing the xbox on his and mine. There seems to be a really bad shimmer effect with this tv no matter what the feed is. Cable, DVD's, Xbox.......I see it on all of them and its really bothering me. I guess this is what everyone is referring to SSE as. Has anyone else has this problem and if so have you been able to get rid of it or have you gotten use to it? Please let me know if you are expierencing any of the same problems

Not to rain on anyone's parade, here, but I fiddled with this set extensively at Circuit City today and was terribly unimpressed.

I've had my sights on this set for a long time, now, and it pains me to say but I'm gonna have to pass.

I think it's time to wait for the purported price drop on the Panny plasmas.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, here, but I fiddled with this set extensively at Circuit City today and was terribly unimpressed.

I've had my sights on this set for a long time, now, and it pains me to say but I'm gonna have to pass.

I think it's time to wait for the purported price drop on the Panny plasmas.

No rain on my parade. I absolutely love my A10, and that's after owning a 655 and a Sammy 4667. You didn't really offer up any reasoning as to why you weren't impressed, and you really can't tell what a TV is gonna be like until you take it home, set it up and play with it. Just fiddling with it at the store really isn't gonna prove anything one way or the other.

Enjoy your Panny.