I just bought the 970 at Best Buy a couple of days ago I can't wait to hook it up. I've worked at Best Buy HT for 5 years now and I finally get to taste an HDTV for myself here is what I'm hooking upwith.

34xbr970- $850 employee
Toshiba Upconvert DVD-
Monster Power HTS 1600-
Monster HDMI THX 1000-
Monster Component THX 1000-
Monster Audio THX 1000-

I'm going to hook up my comcast through my component video and use my DVD via HDMI. I basically planned on using the best monster cable for everything series 1000 with the basic line/power conditioner, It's probably overkill but hey i get a great price on them and i shouldn't have a weak link my system. saved 400 bucks on the accessories alone. When I get this hooked up I'll post back and let yall know how it looks.
Congrats on the new set! ;)

I've got a similar arrangement with the 6412 Comcast box and component cables and my Oppo DVD player with HDMI. Without an employee discount, there's no way I could invest in all that Monster gear though.

Cheers!

Here is a little update from me on the 970. The tv is working great and the picture is beatuiful especially on HD. I am using digital cable from Insight. I am using component cables from the digital box to the tv and I'm going to save the hdmi for the dvd player whether it be upconverting or hd (still trying to decide on that). Thank you Justc and Sodaboy581 for all your input. As of now, these are the video settings I am using:

Picture Mode: Pro
Brightness: 43
Color: 50
Hue: 0
Color Temp: Neutral
Sharpness: 35
ClearEdge VM: Low
DRC Mode: Interlaced
Color Axis: Monitor

Any questions, comments or thoughts are always welcome. I seriously don't understand where people besides Sodaboy581 are getting such high brigtness settings. Because I got my results from using the Avia dvd. Where is everybody else getting their test results from? I'm seriously considering getting a professional calibrator to come out so I don't have to worry so much about my picture settings and just enjoy it and not have to be so paranoid about these video settings anymore!!

...I seriously don't understand where people besides Sodaboy581 are getting such high brigtness settings. Because I got my results from using the Avia dvd. Where is everybody else getting their test results from? I'm seriously considering getting a professional calibrator to come out so I don't have to worry so much about my picture settings and just enjoy it and not have to be so paranoid about these video settings anymore!!
You've done an outstanding job with your new set. ;)

Brightness is a matter of taste. And it can be hard to calibrate, even with the test patterns provided by Avia and others. Some choose to calibrate Brightness before Contrast, others do it afterward. Some make sure to set Contrast to its mid-point before calibrating for Brightness. There's lots of ways to approach it. And it's not like you're done when they're both calibrated. You still need to go back and forth and do some final fine-tuning. They are very interdependent. It's definitely as much art as it is science.

I recommend that everyone look into bias lighting - a light that illuminates the wall behind the tv to approximately 6,500K. Bias lighting takes strain off the eyes during nighttime viewing and serves to enhance picture quality. Check it out at CinemaQuest Inc., it's called Ideal-Lume Video Bias Lighting. I purchased the "standard" model and am very satisfied with it.

No one needs to worry about the level of Brightness. Cranking it up to 100% will not harm the tv. It may leave one with terrible black levels, but it cannot hurt the set. Contrast is the setting to be careful with. Set it too high and it could shorten the life of the tube and possibly accelerate burn-in.

And, of course, if you have the funds, getting the set calibrated by a pro is the best of all worlds. Go to "imagingscience.com" to locate a trained calibrator in your area. Also, check the Display Calibration area here at AVS where one can talk directly with calibrators.

I just ordered it at BestBuy and should arrice on Friday.

It looked the best at the show floor. The others looks artifically sharp.

Can't wait!

Been bouncing between Avia and my XBox360 some more.. here's my final settings on my TV which had the best results for me. (With Avia and the "Pro" setting, with color decoder check, the Red, Green and Blue were all at 0%. And when using Red/Blue/Green bar with filter page, blue had absolutely no flashing and the red/green pages had barely any flashing at all. Hard to even see it.)

Service menu adjustments
////////////////////////

RYR 13
RYB 14
GYR 5
GYB 2
SBRT 28

// 720p positionings for overscan
VPOS 24
VSIZ 31
HPOS 18
HSIZ 33

// 480p positionings for overscan
VPOS 24
VSIZ 31
HPOS 23
HSIZ 47


General adjustments
///////////////////

// Vivid (Useful for anime, XBox360, cable TV)
Picture 75
Brightness 55
Color 85
Hue R4
Color Temp. Cool
Sharpness 40
VM Low
Color Axis Monitor

// Pro (DVD watching)
Picture 70
Brightness 27
Color 65
Hue R4
Color Temp. Warm
Sharpness 40
ClearEdge VM Off
Color Axis Monitor

EDIT: BTW, my brightness setting wasn't really that high in the previous post. It was only 31. I've even lowered it now to 27 with the adjustments I've made.

Watched The 40 Year Old Virgin and Drumline with these settings and they looked awesome as hell.

Sodaboy had an awesome post that I hope will be able to fix the problem I've been having, but how do you set the overscan for 720p and 480p different? I've been into service menu, but I don't know what most of the stuff means. I have found HPos, but that seems to change it for both at the same time. Is there any way to set it so both can be centered at the same time? If so what does service mode call these things?

Sodaboy had an awesome post that I hope will be able to fix the problem I've been having, but how do you set the overscan for 720p and 480p different?

I dunno, on my TV, the vertical settings are shared but the horizontal ones are different in 720p and 480p. =\

Alright, KIDZ...Here it is...the ultimate comparison of the high end Sony 34" CRTs.

KD-34XBR960N - still Sony's top-of-the-line CRT, upgrade from the KD-34XBR960...the only difference being an anti-glare coating on the CRT itself...this the ONLY difference

KD-34XS955N - upgrade from the KD-34XS955...just as with the 960 and 960N, the ONLY difference between the 955 and 955N is the anti-glare coating...this is Sony's second best CRT. The differences between the 955 and 960 (besides the colors of the sets) ARE found in their features, but BOTH MODELS are equipped with Sony's Super Fine Pitch CRT. The 960 offers these features that the 955 does not: 1)multi-image driver (responsible for the twin view feature which enables you to watch two different programs in two different windows side by side simultaneously) 2)i-link port 3)DRC Palette, which enables the user to further adjust the picture quality balance between "real life" and "clarity" (this feature is found in the Advanced Video Features menu).

KD-34XBR970 - if you are looking for a Super Fine Pitch CRT, look elsewhere...the 970 is a serious downgrade from the 960. No cable card slot, no multi image driver, no i-link, no memory stick viewer, no scrolling index... and did I mention NO SUPER FINE PITCH CRT? In comparison with the 960 and 955, the number of features this tv doesn't have outnumbers the number of features that it does have. With the non-XBR XS955 out-powering this set, it makes me wonder what warranted the XBR label on the 970. Very peculiar.

NOTE: The only reason I listed the KD-34XBR970 is to clear up any misunderstandings about whether or not it is a replacement for the 960...IT'S NOT. As previously stated, the KD-34XS955 is far superior to the KD-34XBR970.

I hope this information helps someone out.

Dan

__________________

This information is very helpful and I really appreciate all of the time people have spent posting information. I have been researching to make a purchase and knew nothing just a few days ago. Anyway, I have found a refurbished KD-34XBR960N with a 90 day warranty from Sony. Or, I have found a new KD-34XS955N for $120 more. I'm still confused if one is better than the other. (Both sets are good prices.) Which one should I purchase?

Anne :confused:

I would get the new 34XS955N. No question about it. You want the new set with a new warranty. It's true that you can get a very nice refurbbed set, but when there's a new one available for just a little more - to me it's a no-brainer. The only features the XS955 lacks is FireWire, and PIP (there might be one or two other minor features).

Go with the new XS955. It's a great tv and very few are left. I know there are a boatload of folks here dying to get their hands on one of these sets - especially new.

Cool thanks for the help, I have one more question before I try going into service mode. I read to not push 9 or 7, but I'm a clod and a little absent minded so I'll probably push oneof them accidently. If I do push 9 or 7 is there a way to undo it? If not I think I'll stay out of service mode.

If I do push 9 or 7 is there a way to undo it? If not I think I'll stay out of service mode.

I think you just press power, but I dunno, never pressed it. Consult KenTech's thread about service codes for more info.

Cool thanks for the help, I have one more question before I try going into service mode. I read to not push 9 or 7, but I'm a clod and a little absent minded so I'll probably push oneof them accidently. If I do push 9 or 7 is there a way to undo it? If not I think I'll stay out of service mode.

I was messing around with the service codes and I accidentally pressed 9 and nothing happened and so then I said "what they hey" and pressed it and 7 a couple more times and still nothing happened and my tv worked completely fine and didnt shut off or anything. So, in whatever menu I was setting at the time, nothing at all happened. But I can't say that same thing will happen to you! Beware..... lol. Maybe, I was just lucky.

Cool thanks for the help, I have one more question before I try going into service mode. I read to not push 9 or 7, but I'm a clod and a little absent minded so I'll probably push oneof them accidently. If I do push 9 or 7 is there a way to undo it? If not I think I'll stay out of service mode.
DO NOT PUSH THOSE KEYS!

If you do you risk putting your set back to the "factory newborn" state and you will most likely never get it back to a decent state. Here's a quote from KenTech:

"CAUTION: AVOID keys 7 and 9, as they are part of a key-sequence that can reset all of the deflection or image-decoding settings back to a "factory-newborn" state. If you think you’ve hit any key by accident, STOP. In a few seconds it will revert back to SERVICE mode, as you’ll see at the right side of the screen. All dangerous key-sequences are combinations of *three* keys, by the way."

I appologize for using caps in the first line, but there's just no casual way to communicate this warning.

Please take all the usual measures to record the default values of ALL settings you intend to adjust, before you mess with them.

Cheers! ;)

Anyone come up with any better settings than Sodaboy for this set. I am currently using the last settings he posted and am fairly happy with them but open for any new findings.

So - if you had $1,000-$1,300 to spend. Which would you recommend? I want the integrated HD and at least 34"

Thanks - I am driving myself crazy.

Nothing touches the picture of the 970 for anything near that price range.

The XBR970 is a solid HDTV and probably still the best CRT-HDTV besides the 955 and XBR960.

However, i have the XBR960 and i seen this model many times now in Best Buy, and it's depressing Sony removed the amazing SFP tube from this model, as the PQ of the 970 cannot come close to the XBR960's.

If anyone is looking at this model, you should try to somehow find a XBR960..anywhere, because you will never see a better HDTV picture under 40". It really is breathtaking in HD broadcasts, Xbox 360 gaming, and even the upconverting of SDTV from 480i to 960i is excellent.

However, if you cannot find eithier the 955 or 960 in stock anywhere, then the XBR970 is a wise 3rd choice.

...However, i have the XBR960 and i seen this model many times now in Best Buy, and it's depressing Sony removed the amazing SFP tube from this model, as the PQ of the 970 cannot come close to the XBR960's...
I have nothing but the highest respect for the technologies Sony has employed in their lines of crt HD sets. The SFP tube is their highest achievement.

However, it's just not true that the 970 doesn't even come close. I have essentially the same set in the HS420 and I find it to be an exceptional tv. When I was in the market the 960 was selling for $2,100 and the 34HS420 for $1,499. I could have afforded either one, but the 960 just did not have a picture that was $600 better than the 420. No way. I sit 4-5 feet back from my 420 and I see no scan lines. And my model pumps out a brighter picture than the 960 because of the extra space between "pixels."

The 970 is every bit a competitor to the vaunted line of SFP tube sets. As for value, the 970 has no competition.

I have nothing but the highest respect for the technologies Sony has employed in their lines of crt HD sets. The SFP tube is their highest achievement.

However, it's just not true that the 970 doesn't even come close. I have essentially the same set in the HS420 and I find it to be an exceptional tv. When I was in the market the 960 was selling for $2,100 and the 34HS420 for $1,499. I could have afforded either one, but the 960 just did not have a picture that was $600 better than the 420. No way. I sit 4-5 feet back from my 420 and I see no scan lines. And my model pumps out a brighter picture than the 960 because of the extra space between "pixels."

The 970 is every bit a competitor to the vaunted line of SFP tube sets. As for value, the 970 has no competition.

To add to this, I have mentioned before that there is no visible difference between the 970 and the SFP models from 7+ feet IMO and I think I have a pretty good eye.

i work at a local retail chain that sells tv's and i have access to two floor/display model xbr960's selling for 999$ should i grab them? also im a big gamer,ive been told that becuz of the black levels the crt is the way to go but not being able to display 720p nativly kinda is discouraging im wondering if ill see noticable difference between 1080i and 720p when im playin a game like on 360 etc..

If its in good shape, absolutely!

I chose the 970 for three reasons. 1st was price. For the ~$1000 MSRP you can't beat it. Anything comparable is + $500 or more. I had room for it's size since I was replacing a 32" 4:3 set. 2nd was while many say it is a quasi-XBR, it IS an XBR non-the-less and Sony warrants it that way. So a 2 year parts & labor warranty (+1 year via AMEX) was also hard to pass up. The 3rd was Sony quality. The picture processing circutry is top notch and very reliable.

So I am very pleased with my purchase.

What do you think i can still get a New In the box 960 for 1199 at bestbuys, they have 2 left.

What do you think i can still get a New In the box 960 for 1199 at bestbuys, they have 2 left.
If you can get a brand new, still in the box 960 for $1,199 buy both. You could keep one and sell the other for a nice profit, or just keep it as a hot spare.

Be sure to verify that they are truly new.

What do you think i can still get a New In the box 960 for 1199 at bestbuys, they have 2 left.

If you can still get a brand new 960 from a factory authorized dealer such as Best Buy, run (don't walk) there ASAP and snatch it up. That price is an absolute steal!

If you can still get a brand new 960 from a factory authorized dealer such as Best Buy, run (don't walk) there ASAP and snatch it up. That price is an absolute steal!


Why do people keep posting 960 stuff in this thread?

Because the 960 is really the only thing left that most people feel is worth talking about. if they started a 960 forum this forum would die!

Because the 960 is really the only thing left that most people feel is worth talking about. if they started a 960 forum this forum would die!


I'm thinking of starting a seperate black and white TV forum in honor of the two "240p" threads I've seen...among other things. :rolleyes:

How long will sony make the 970? What will we have to look forward to then? Only the Chinese can save us!

So, is the 970 a recommended TV? Does it have the special tuning feature ? Thank you.

So, is the 970 a recommended TV? Does it have the special tuning feature ? Thank you.
This is deninitely recommended Ikabob.

This is essentially the same set I have, except they've added an internal ATSC tuner, independent input memory, etc. I have found the extra 4 inches in this 34" model goes a long way. I know it's only 4", but the difference is pretty dramatic.

This is an exceptional tv. ;)

Because the 960 is really the only thing left that most people feel is worth talking about. if they started a 960 forum this forum would die!
There already is a 960 thread. Or do you mean an entire 960 Forum?

99% of the forum is about the 960--everything else is just like the universe--dark matter!

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but I've noticed some severe geometry issues on the display model at work, with some curving at the top center of the screen. It's made VERY evident when the UI is up while changing channels and such.

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but I've noticed some severe geometry issues on the display model at work, with some curving at the top center of the screen. It's made VERY evident when the UI is up while changing channels and such.
Could you expand on your explanation?

The only curving I seen at the center, and at the top of the screen might look like this:

\ \ \ \ \
l l l l l
l l l l l
l l l l l

Is this what you are referring to?

How do you get both Cable and Over-the-air into the same coax input. My Sony 50A10 has for over the air and cable, but the 970 only has one coax input. The manual says to use an A-B switch, but that seems lame to have to get up and switch; plus I have no where to put it on without the risk of it falling behind the TV.

I did find a diplexer/combiner at Best Buy, but it states its for Satellite and an antennea. Would using a combiner work on cable?

How do you get both Cable and Over-the-air into the same coax input. My Sony 50A10 has for over the air and cable, but the 970 only has one coax input. The manual says to use an A-B switch, but that seems lame to have to get up and switch; plus I have no where to put it on without the risk of it falling behind the TV.

I did find a diplexer/combiner at Best Buy, but it states its for Satellite and an antennea. Would using a combiner work on cable?
I guess they're assuming if you have cable you have a set-top-box (STB). At any rate, they have A/B switches with remotes for under $30 at Radio Shack. Have no idea about combiners.

Combiners will not work for antenna and cable because they occupy the same frequency spectrum. Antenna and satalite do not, so one can safely put them together without interference.

Could you expand on your explanation?

The only curving I've seen at the center, and at the top of the screen might look like this:

\ \ \ \ \
l l l l l
l l l l l
l l l l l

Is this what you are referring to?
It's actually more severe than I originally thought. There is curvature of the image both on the top center and bottom center, meaning a line that is supposed to be straight has an arc to it. It's horrible looking.

I think you need to give a better discription of what this curvature looks like. You mention that it looks worse than originally thought, but haven't yet provided definitive drawing or picture of what you're talking about. Is the "arc" like one end of a "parenthesis" - like this ")" ?

I think you need to give a better discription of what this curvature looks like. You mention that it looks worse than originally thought, but haven't yet provided definitive drawing or picture of what you're talking about. Is the "arc" like one end of a "parenthesis" - like this ")" ?
What? How can you not understand what I'm describing? On the screen, the top and bottom center of the image has an unnatural curve to it. If a straight line is draw, like the lines of the display interface, you easily see the upwards bend in the line as it reaches the center point of the screen

I will be getting this TV soon and i just noticed that there isnt much space at the top of the TV.Would i need a TV top shelf for my center speaker?I have a polk audio center and its about 4-5in wide.Thanks

I will be getting this TV soon and i just noticed that there isnt much space at the top of the TV.Would i need a TV top shelf for my center speaker?I have a polk audio center and its about 4-5in wide.Thanks
I wouldn't put a shelf directly above the tv. It has serious cooling requirements. How heavy is your center speaker? They make nice center speaker stands that work nicely with the build of this tv.

I will be getting this TV soon and i just noticed that there isnt much space at the top of the TV.Would i need a TV top shelf for my center speaker?I have a polk audio center and its about 4-5in wide.Thanks


It doesnt sound very big. My center channel is just a normal HT in a box ones and I used velcro to keep it up there. It works great.

I have the Polk RM 6700s.I made a slight mistake.The depth of the center speaker is about 5in and it is 11in long.I dont think the weight of the speaker will be a problem.This is what the shelf looks like.And thanks for the replys.


http://www.sanus.com/cgi-bin/web_store.cgi?page=products/foundations/tvshelves.html&cart_id=6921046_19916

I have the Polk RM 6700s.I made a slight mistake.The depth of the center speaker is about 5in and it is 11in long.I dont think the weight of the speaker will be a problem.This is what the shelf looks like.And thanks for the replys.


http://www.sanus.com/cgi-bin/web_store.cgi?page=products/foundations/tvshelves.html&cart_id=6921046_19916
That's actually the stand/shelf I had in mind. It should work well for you.

LOL, I like how they say it is perfect for your videogames, when the controller wires would hang down infront of the TV!

Hello, everybody.
I just got my Sony XBR970, and I'm having trouble with the tuner. When it tries to lock into a digital signal that is a little weak that day, for whatever reason, it just sits there for a very long time, trying to tune it in, sometimes for 5 or more minutes. The screen is blank during this time, and the TV won't let me do anything else with it, like switch to another channel or input, or call up the menu to take any other action. Is there something I can do to get around this locking-up problem? Is there something wrong with my TV? I called the SONY help number, and the person on the other end didn't seem to know any thing about this.
Thanks

I guess I forgot to mention this in my previous posting, although it's probably obvious. I am receiving my HDTV via over-the-air transmission, only. To a directional antenna on top of the TV. This shouldn't make any difference regarding the lockup problem, though.

I've had my 970 up and running for a couple of days now and love it.

I do have a question about the DRC feature;

Should I see a noticeable difference when I chance the setting (from Interlaced to Progressive to Cinemotion)?

I have tried to study the image very closely and just cannot see any change as I go from one choice to another.

Is my DRC simply not working or is the difference so subtle that it's difficult to detect?

P.S.

I should add that I'm using DirecTV (standard service) via S-Video cable.

Most of the time the differences are very, very subtle. I personally prefer Interlaced on good analog and SD digital signals. If the signal is poor I use Progressive.

Hello all,

I started stumbling throught this monster thread of complaints, flames, and comparisons to tv's I have never seen before.

I just bouught my 970 at Circuit City. Took a couple days to get her up and running with my schedule, but I am now tuning HD via an antenna in the attic, and ntsc from my replaytv unit. I am quite happy with the picture, especially the HD stuff. The sad thing is that the HD stuff makes the standard ntsc pix look even worse!!!

I am using the digital coax out to feed my stereo for watching HD.

I have had 1 issue however that I am not quite sure about. The tv has a Left and Right analog audio output on it. If I hook that up to my stereo system, I don't get any sound. Should I assume that if I am tuning a digital signal, that the tv won't be sending an analog audio signal? I haven't had time to test it with a standard analog input to the tv.

I initally set the unit up on my basic comcast cable feed, and it found about 60+ digital channels. The audio on many of these channels would fade in and out, or there wouldn't be any audio at all. I am only paying for basic analog cable, so I guess I was suprised that the tv could tune that many channels that I wasn't paying for... I was just curious if anyone has suggestions, or explanations on that whole scene.


Oh.. I forgot.. I noticed the same thing with the DRC feature. Any differences between the various settings is negligible on the content I tried it with. I haven't yet sifted throught the manual to learn what it is suppoesed to do tho.

Thanks for any feedback,

Mabar1

I was thinking about this TV until I head how good the 960 was and how this one isn't quite up to par.

Is Sony going to release something else soon. Like in a week...lol.

I was thinking about this TV until I head how good the 960 was and how this one isn't quite up to par.

Is Sony going to release something else soon. Like in a week...lol.

The 970 is definitely up to "par", in fact is is way past it and better than most tvs.

The 960 is simply the best of the best though. Don't expect super fine pitch tubes from sony after the 960.

Must say thanks to everyone on here for the great info, very helpful.

I got my KD34XBR970 just in time for the world cup and to date have absolutely loved it.

I have only been using the OTA HDTV (very few stations at present locally) and the PQ is fantastic, really have no complaints as far as that is concerned.

Yesterday I got a new DVD player to take advantage of the HD and HDMI the KD34XBR970 offers, I got myself the Oppo 970HD after reading rave reviews on here. The PQ is truly stunning but I hit a wee snag.

The Oppo is connected via the (included) HDMI cable and I was hoping for the audio to feed thru via the digital coax out to my Sony reciever. This works fine for my OTA broadcasts but nada from the Oppo. There seems to be no specific audio controls for the HDMI on the KD34XBR970 so I went thru every permutation in the Oppo, but to no avail. I ended up doing a work around and feeding the audio directly from the Oppo to the reciever and that worked a charm. Oddly enough the audio works fine to the TV, it just won't passthru to the reciever.

Still, have to say that I am very happy with my purchases.

I was thinking about this TV until I head how good the 960 was and how this one isn't quite up to par.

Is Sony going to release something else soon. Like in a week...lol.
Not quite up to par?

Think of the 960 as a double eagle and the 970 as an eagle.

Not quite up to par?

Think of the 960 as a double eagle and the 970 as an eagle.What kind of TV can I get to be more like the 960? Is the 970 the next "best" thing?

...I ended up doing a work around and feeding the audio directly from the Oppo to the reciever and that worked a charm...
This is actually the optimal method for using the Oppo with an HD set and receiver. I've got the Oppo 971 and the 34HS420 (the 970's predecessor), and that's the way I've got mine set-up.

Enjoy!

This is actually the optimal method for using the Oppo with an HD set and receiver. I've got the Oppo 971 and the 34HS420 (the 970's predecessor), and that's the way I've got mine set-up.

Enjoy!

Yeah, the only problem with that was that the TV has a dedicated port on the reciever where as the Oppo now shares the TV's port.

I have only three digital ports, 2 optical and 1 coax.

I have the TV on the digital coax connection, I have an EyeHome (Digital Media Player) box on the first optical and my Cyberhome Recorder on the second. So basically I removed the optical from the Cyberhome (now just using regular RCA) and gave that up for the Oppo, They now share the same audio grouping (Audio 2) but the Oppo digital overrides the analog from the Cyberhome (which carries the CableTV audio). No idea if this is a normal occurence, but it is a very nice setting allowing me to double up on my connection.

All worked out well in the end I think.

I am in the process of purchasing a 970 and just wanted to know if there is a consensus on what type of upconverting dvd player to get. I have heard that CRT's, being that they are analog, will display a better picture through component upconversion rather than HDMI. However, I have just read two posts from individuals who have purchased Oppo DVD players that say their picture is great.

The Oppo player's Genesis/Faroudja chipset resides on the DVI daughtercard. In order to take advantage of these advanced video processors one must use the DVI interface.

I have not heard this about crts and component upconversion. With my Oppo I get better PQ using the DVI interface than anything I receive over component cables. However, my PQ with my STB is better over component cables than with HDMI cables.

Most upconverting players are aimed at fixed pixel displays and, as such, get optimal picture quality while keeping it all in the digital domain, including the interface between the player and the tv.

A number of current players have hacks that allow users to get upconversion over component cables.

Thanks for the info on that. Would you be able to name some of the players with these hacks?

I have heard that the sound quality on the Oppo is not that great. Is this true? If a player support certain audio formats/codes, should the sound output not depend almost entirely on the receiver?

if my tv budget was like $500 - $800 for a HDTV, should i just save up some more cash and get this or go w/ abother CRT?

How is the warranty on the Sony's?

I can get a relatively good deal on the best buy service plan if I do end up purchasing this set, but considering the high cost of this set compared to others that I am looking at, I wouldnt want to buy the service plan if it is going to be redundant.

Thanks for the info on that. Would you be able to name some of the players with these hacks?

I have heard that the sound quality on the Oppo is not that great. Is this true? If a player support certain audio formats/codes, should the sound output not depend almost entirely on the receiver?
Samsung is the manufacturer that sticks in my mind. But I can't recall model numbers. If you go to the "DVD Players-Standard Definition" area of AVS you'll get all kinds of info on these hacks. If need be post your question there as well.

Oppo and audio - I have been overwhelmed by the Oppo's audio. But I come from meager beginnings. I swear that the audio I get with my Oppo, and fairly low-end HTiB, make sit feel like I have a high-end set-up. All the common formats are supported (e.g. DTS, Dolby 5.1, etc).

Thanks again for the info!

Hey Lanark77,

I found it interesting that you noticed a similar issue I have had with my 970. The audio doesn't appear to pass through the unit in some instances. I pushed my replaytv audio to the tv, and wanted to be able to come out of the tv to the stereo. I had to feed my replay directly to the stereo to get sound. Digital audio from over the air hdtv proggys seem to come out of the digital audio out just fine, but the passthrough has been problematic. Just curious if you overcame the issue, or if this is something that one should expect to work that doesn't.

Thanks,
mabar1

HI,
I have the 34XBR970. Had it for about three days now.

I'm a little out of touch with the new technology now days and have a few questions that someone with some experience may can help me with.

Viewing DVD's in ANY mode looks about the same (great) as mentioned above earlier and from personal experience.

Question is, I think the set does it's own upConverting so, will an upConverting DVD player like the OPPO make the DVD output any better? I hope someone that has already viewed DVD's on a regular progressive scan player and also on an upConverting player on the 34XBR970 can answer this as they have experienced the comparison with their own eyes.

Mini

HI,
I have the 34XBR970. Had it for about three days now.

I'm a little out of touch with the new technology now days and have a few questions that someone with some experience may can help me with.

Viewing DVD's in ANY mode looks about the same (great) as mentioned above earlier and from personal experience.

Question is, I think the set does it's own upConverting so, will an upConverting DVD player like the OPPO make the DVD output any better? I hope someone that has already viewed DVD's on a regular progressive scan player and also on an upConverting player on the 34XBR970 can answer this as they have experienced the comparison with their own eyes.

Mini

A good upconverting DVD player definately will yield a significant improvement on this set. This is because the set does 480p natively, and does not upconvert it.

HI and thanks for the response.

No Actually the set is 1080i natively and has 3/2 pull down among many more upbeat circuitry...

Do you have the set and have viewed it on both Progressive and an upConveter... No offence but I was hoping to get a response from someone with experience with this particular setup.

Thanks,
Mini

HI and thanks for the response.

No Actually the set is 1080i natively and has 3/2 pull down among many more upbeat circuitry...

What I meant was that this set displays a 480p signal natively and does not upconvert it to 1080i.

Do you have the set and have viewed it on both Progressive and an upConveter... No offence but I was hoping to get a response from someone with experience with this particular setup.

I had the 27HS420, which is the same tube/resolution as the XBR970, but much smaller in size. The upconversion yielded a very big difference.

OK,

Here is an excerpt from Googles cache and the same text came up on a search on about.pricegrabber. So I would think that this text is coming from another source and has been copied. I still can't find specific information about it just hints here and there...

((START QUOTE))
Sony's advanced video upconversion circuitry is very effective at enhancing picture quality and reducing the visibility of horizontal scan lines. Plus, tube TVs like the KD-34XBR970 are more forgiving of lower-quality signals than digital displays like plasma and LCD.
((END QUOTE))

* Video

* XDS (Extended Data Service): (Info Banner): Yes

* Program Palette(tm) Presets : Vivid, Standard, Movie, Pro

* Dynamic Focus(tm) Circuitry : Yes

* Magnetic Quadra Pole : Yes

* Tuner: NTSC, ATSC, 8VSB with Clear QAM

* Vertical Center : Yes

* Vertical Size : Yes

* Screen or Display Technology: Trinitron® Technology

* Video Signal System: ATSC and NTSC

* Auto White Balance: Yes

* Dynamic Picture(tm) Processor Circuitry: Yes

* Trinitone® Color Temperature: Yes

* Vertical Compression: Yes

* Comb Filter: 3D Digital Comb Filter

* Vertical Aperture Compensation: Yes

* Screen Modes (16:9: Normal/Full/Zoom/Wide Zoom

* ClearEdge VM(tm) Technology: Yes

* DRC® MultiFunction Circuitry

* Vertical Correction: Yes

* Color System: NTSC


* Audio

* Speakers (Total): 2

* Dolby® Digital: Yes

* Audio Power Output: 20W Total (10W x 2)

* Tone Control(s): Treble and Bass

* Speaker Type: 2-Way Speaker System

* Steady Sound® Automatic Volume Control: Yes (with BBE)


* General

* Aspect Ratio: 16:9

* Screen Size: 34"

* Tilt Correction: Yes


* Convenience

* Auto SAP: Yes

* Channel Fix: Yes

* Closed Caption (CC): Yes

* Video Label: Yes

* ID1 Detection: Yes

* Channel Label: Yes

* Channel Skip/Add: Yes

* Channel Jump: Yes

* Favorite Channel: Yes

* Speed Surf(tm) Channel Selection: Yes

* Auto Channel Programming: Yes

* Multiple Language Display: English; Spanish; French

* Programmable Timer: 2 Event

* Sleep Timer: 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, Off

* Caption Vision: Yes

* Clock: Yes

* Parental Control (V-Chip): Yes


* Inputs and Outputs

* Analog Audio Input(s): 3 (1 Front/2 Rear)

* Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr ) Input(s): 2 (Rear) 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i

* Composite Video Input(s): 3 (1 Front/2 Rear)

* RF Connection Input(s): 1 Rear

* S-Video Input(s):3 (1 Front/2 Rear) with Detection on rear connection

* Audio Out (Variable/Fixed): Yes

* Digital Audio Output(s): 1 (Coaxial)

* HDMI(tm) Connection(s): 1 Rear


* Power

* Internal Power Supply: Yes

* Power Requirements: AC120V, 60Hz

* Power Consumption (in Operation): 240W

* Power Consumption (in Standby): Less than 1W


* Regulation and Standard Compliance

* Energy Star® Compliant: Yes


* Service and Warranty Information

* Limited Warranty : 2 Years Parts and Labor / 2 Years Picture Tube


* Display

* Screen or Display Technology: FD Trinitron®

* Display Resolution : HD (1080i)


* Weight

* 190 lbs. 9 oz. (86.2 kg)


* Dimensions (W x H x D)

* 39 1/8" x 25 3/4" x 23 3/4" (994 x 654 x 604mm)


* Supplied Accessories

* Instruction Manual

* Remote Control (RM-YD007)

* AA Battery x 2

HI and thanks for the response.

No Actually the set is 1080i natively and has 3/2 pull down among many more upbeat circuitry...

Do you have the set and have viewed it on both Progressive and an upConveter... No offence but I was hoping to get a response from someone with experience with this particular setup.

Thanks,
Mini
I own an upconverting player and the Sony KV-34HS420, the predecessor to the 970. All they did was add an internal tuner and 2 more minor features to the 34HS420. Before I got the upconverting player I used a basic PS dvd player.

I have found, as RWetmore has said that there was a significant improvement in PQ with the upconverting player versus using a standard PS dvd player.

But the PQ improvement has little to do with the upconversion. Most of these upconverting players have better internal video processors than what's in the tvs. I ran a test to prove this. There's a dvd out called the HQV Benchmark DVD, which until recently was only available to pros and magazines that compared tvs and dvd players. This disc really puts video processors through the paces. I ran the disc from my older PS player, using the composite interface. This forces the tv to employ its own deinterlacer and scaler, etc. With this set-up the tv scored pretty poorly on the video tests. Then I used component cables with the old PS player to see how its internal video processors scored. The older player in PS mode performed better than my tv's internal video processors, but not strickingly so. Then I hooked up my Oppo upconverting player and tested its internal processors. What a difference! In this mode the Oppo's video processor chip-set (Genesis/Faroudja) passed all of the tests with flying colors.

Bottom Line - I get the best DVD PQ I've ever seen on my set with the Oppo player. It's even better than some HD material I've seen. Of course, very good HD material offers the best PQ, but with my set and this Oppo player it's a pleasure to watch DVDs.

Hi JustSC,

Very Informative and factual post. Since you own the OPPO which I was looking at very hard, can you tell me if it still has the Audio Synchronization problem that I have read so much about?

Mini

Hi JustSC,

Very Informative and factual post. Since you own the OPPO which I was looking at very hard, can you tell me if it still has the Audio Synchronization problem that I have read so much about?

Mini
All I can say is I have not seen it happen on my set. I've had the two together for at least 6 months now and not a single incident of this problem. In fact, I don't believe I've read of any crt owners with this problem, but you might want to do further research on that.

The DVD Players Standard Definition section of AVS has two long threads on the Oppo. Take a look at both, especially during the last 6-8 weeks for the msot up to date info on the currently used firmware update to see if it's been addressed further.

Hey All,

Looking for opinions from owners of the 34XBR970. I, like a million other dudes, have been looking at HDTVs--and looking to buy. But I know I'll be watching (sorry to pain the HD hardcore) many hours of SD programming. (FWIW, I will be ordering HD digital cable, but I know some of my favorite programs aren't in HD yet.) That said, how do the non-HD channels look on this Sony? At least as good as SD on a non-HD Sony set (like a KD27FS120)? I briefly owned an HD set (26" Panasonic) that I ultimately returned for screen geometry problems. Most SD programming on that Panny set,looked like an improvement over the same programming on a non-HD set. However, the increased vividness of color sometimes came with a blurriness--on CNN, for example, it could look like the anchor person's make-up was floating ever so slightly around the face. Was this a case if slow line-doubling, forcing the 480i into 480p? What does the Sony do with 480i stuff and how does it look? I'm still considering buying that 27"sony nonHD--and waiting yet again to make the upgrade.

And how's the screen geometry on the 970? Two I've seen in stores had some bowing on the menu graphics, one had a horrible 4:3.

TO JUSTSC:
You must have gotten one of the good ones then. If you read the reviews from Amazon (lots of them) for the past six months you will find lots of complaints of the Audio Sync problem, as you will on many other threads of various places on the Internet. Even on OPPO's website in their FAQ section they are addressing the Sync issue and telling users that they can slow down the Audio from within the settings menus in milliseconds until it matches the audio. So I take it they can't fix the Sync problem especially since they have released another DVD player (the DV-970HD), which has only one processor, unlike the OPDV971H, which has two. But you can do upConversion via the component out on the DV-970HD and also they have replaced the flimsy CD tray but use the same Remote.

Thanks for the information on the threads about the OPPO I will run over there and read them to see if any firmware has corrected the Sync problem completely. Which I doubt... With the release of the DV-970HD, I don't think they will be doing that many more firmware upgrades on the OPDV971H.

TO DEATH & TAXES:
As far as the viewing the TV on an SD signal... There’s nothing to brag about there... If you don't zoom in, and sit far enough away from it then it looks fine. (I use DirecTV). The picture is brighter and I actually had to turn mine down some and use the Movie Mode setting.

Using a “non-upconverting” progressive scan DVD player, DVDs look really good if they are in 100% & normal view (not zoomed in). But if up close I can see artifacts and other things that I just don’t know how to describe, as I don’t know what all that stuff is…

The geometry on my 34XBR970 is superb… in fact, I have never heard of anyone complaining about the geometry before you mentioned it… When deciding to purchase this TV, if I were you, I wouldn’t even consider the geometry into the equation. You should assume it to be perfect… the ones that you have seen or heard about probably have been handled rough or dropped (in my opinion). I would never have this TV delivered, as I don’t trust the kids that work for these places as delivery guys. If they bump it or drop it, no one will know and it won’t be his or her problem… I hand delivered and setup my on set like it was a baby… It does have tilt correction, which you must adjust when the TV is first turned on as part of the initial setup. NO GEOMETRY PROBLEMS.

UPDATE:
I got the OPPO 971 and when I used the 720p or 1080i mode the GEOMETRY issues were evident at the bottom of the screen.... I took the 34XBR970 back to circuit city as fast as I could!!! For more information, please see my other post...
Mini

Just to reply to deathandtaxes..

I've noticed absolutely no geometry problems on my 970...

I think most geometry issues with these sets are due to the earth's magnetic fields. Depending on where and what direction the set faces, geometry problems can arise. Most of them are easily fixable via the service menu geometry adjustments.

I've got an interesting choice to make and I'd like to see what all the experts on this board think...so chime in:

I currently have an InFocus 4805 DLP Projector setup. It's got HD and looks nice...when it runs. It has eaten 2 bulbs this year alone at $400 a smack and it the color wheel and fan on it are both louder than the second coming of the lord.

This all leads me to the Sony KD-3rXBR970.

How? Well, I'm not going to buy another $400 bulb. Forget it. But I've heard that a lot of these projector problems have been solved with the InFocus IN72 Projector which comes in at around $1200. On the other side of the fence, the 970, while significantly smaller than my 8 foot screen, is about the same amount of money, and from what I'm reading, has a beautiful picture.

I am not willing to hunt down the 960 - it seems to me, while it has better PQ, it doesn't warrant the additional cash to get it, at least for me... $1200 is my absolute cap which prices the 960 out of the equation.

I have a Sony system: DVD Player, Amp/Recvr, Speakers, PS2 are all Sony.

With all that said... I ask you: What should I do with my $1200 price cap?

A) Grab another $400 bulb (please. god. no.)
B) Buy the InFocus IN72? (does size out-weigh PQ?)
C) Buy the 970? (Does this baby have PQ comparible to the 4805?)

Last question: Leaving "size" out of the equation, what PQ differences can I expect to see between the InFocus 4805 that I'm used to and the 970? My sitting distance from the TV flucuates between 6 and 9 feet (I can setup my sofa in that range). Oh, and I live far away from any store that would carry a 970, so I can't really base my decision on anything but what I read online, and what I hear from you.

What do I do?

Thanks in advance for the help!

So I just hooked up my 970 today and was wondering if anybody can give me an explanation as to why channels (SD, I do not have HD yet) look "artifacty," especially compared to the KV-27V35 (1997) I just replaced. I have not calibrated the set yet, but I do not think that calibration would necessarily get rid of this, but then again I am by no means an expert. Would getting an in-Line amplifier at least partly remedy this issue? Any other advice?

whats the best price around on one these sony's

Don't know the best price, but I would think you could find it for about $1000 if you are willing to shop around.

whats the best price around on one these sony's

For a new 970? The lowest I've seen in-store is 1149.99 (not a sale) at Best Buy, which was when I snatched mine up. That was almost two months ago.

By the way, I am extremely satisfied with this set at a viewing distance of 8'. I did have to do some service menu tweaking (of the rather rudimentary variety), but the picture is downright beautiful, almost too much so - it's hard to focus on HD content when the visuals are so breathtaking! DVDs look great at 480p, too, and CRT handles SD sooo much better than do plasma and LCD, IMO.

If your viewing distance is much further or closer than 8', I'd recommend a different set - any further and the screen is probably simply too small; any closer and scan lines start becoming an issue.

...With all that said... I ask you: What should I do with my $1200 price cap?

A) Grab another $400 bulb (please. god. no.)
B) Buy the InFocus IN72? (does size out-weigh PQ?)
C) Buy the 970? (Does this baby have PQ comparible to the 4805?)

Last question: Leaving "size" out of the equation, what PQ differences can I expect to see between the InFocus 4805 that I'm used to and the 970? My sitting distance from the TV flucuates between 6 and 9 feet (I can setup my sofa in that range). Oh, and I live far away from any store that would carry a 970, so I can't really base my decision on anything but what I read online, and what I hear from you.

What do I do?

Thanks in advance for the help!
I would never say size outweighs PQ. But that's just me.

I cannot tell you how the 970 compares to any projectors, as I am not into that display technology. However, of the projectors I have seen, none have had the PQ of the 970. Of course, it all depends on the incoming signal quality. Give the 970 a good signal and the results will be exceptional.

Six feet back would be wonderful. Nine feet is a bit far back. I sit at 5 feet back and that's just about right for me.

I wish I could think of an objective way you could measure how important screen size is to you, because going to a 970 constitutes a huge change from what you've become accustomed to. Before pulling the trigger I'd try to find some way to guage how you'll handle such a dramatic reduction in screen size.

okay justsc,

i think that ultimately, i'm with you and agree that PQ trumps Size. with that said, i think that i will greatly enjoy the 970. so, i'm gonna grab it and let you know how it goes!

thanks!

Hi people,

I recently picked up a sammie txs3082wh. I'm happy with it for the most part (especially since its a slim fit) - until I realized that it only has 800 lines of horizontal resolution. It baffles me that they can advertise 1080i with this.

I am considering taking it back to get this sony in this thread, but I was curious about the horizontal resolution on this TV. Anyone have a spec? I've googled a bit, but no answers other then the earlier model (960 I think) had 1400.

found this in another thread posted by justsc

The XBR970, currently being manufactured and sold, resolves around 850 lines of horizontal resolution. The sets with the super fine pitch tube resolved around 1,440 lines of horizontal resolution. Currently, the only Sony tube set with the SFP tube is the KD-36XS955. It's a great 4:3 set with approx 33.5" of widescreen display.

found this in another thread posted by justsc

Oh thats not very good news. So moving to the XBR970 would be little to no difference then from the sammie.

Ok, I'm in a dilemma guys. I want to see movies in 1080i since I own the 970. Currently I only have a 480p dvd player. Well, should I buy an upconverting dvd player like the Oppo or just wait for the Xbox 360 hd-dvd player when it is released? I understand that upconverting players arent true HD, but I'm also afraid of investing in a technology like hd-dvd that may not become the standard. Is the upconverted 1080i that much better than 480p on the 970 to warrant purchasing another dvd player or should I just wait for the hd-dvd? Or should I just forget about both and stick with my 480p player for awhile?! I need some help!! Any feedback or comments would be greatly appreciated.

I just bought a KD-34XS955 from a dealer (open box) thinking it was a XBR970 - I didn't even check the designation until I got home with the manual and saw what I'd done. The set will be delivered tomorrow. Did I make a happy mistake or a tragic one. I'll have 30 days to send it back if necessary. What do you think? My main criterion is PQ over cable and satellite both HD and SD. Thanks.

I upgraded my Toshiba 20" Flat Screen to the KD34XBR970 and Im so happy with my purchase. The only thing that makes me mad and maybe someone could help but I own a Sony HT system the reciever is STR-K660P and I cant find a code to program my TV remote for this reciever (Ive tried a ton, basically every sony code in the manual.)

Im using soda's settings and I am very happy.

I dont have a cable box since this has one built in, but I tried to tune in 302 which is a channel I pay for but the TV says its not a channel. Also Im getting channels I dont pay for like Starz and Cinemax HD.

Any Help is appreciated

Thanks,
GearGuy

I just bought a KD-34XS955 from a dealer (open box) thinking it was a XBR970 - I didn't even check the designation until I got home with the manual and saw what I'd done. The set will be delivered tomorrow. Did I make a happy mistake or a tragic one. I'll have 30 days to send it back if necessary. What do you think? My main criterion is PQ over cable and satellite both HD and SD. Thanks.

The 34XS955 has the super fine pitch tube (65% more detail than the 970), so assuming it is in good condition, you/they made a happy mistake.

I've pretty much narrowed my selections down to either the Sammy 3082 or the Sony xbr970, coupled with the OPPO 971. Before pulling the trigger on which display, I thought I would get opinions on the choice between the Sony and the Sammy....here are a few facts on my usage....

1) I don't own an xbox and don't plan to get one as I play games on my sweet 2.6 GHz dual core box with a Samsung 214T 22" LCD.

2) The setup will be used primarily for upscaling DVD's and off the air HDTV.

3) The HT AVR is a Denon 1905 (refurb) with 4 Polk RM2000's, a Bose center and Polk powered sub. Sound from the DVD is via optical cable to the AVR. Will feed the TV via the DVI to HDMI from the OPPO. Secondary feeds will come from the component outputs on the AVR to the TV.

I realize the Sony has one HDMI input and does not have the super fine pitch tube the xbr960 had. I also know the Sammy is cheaper, but can suffer from geometry issues.

Comments and suggestions are very much appreciated in advance.

Oh thats not very good news. So moving to the XBR970 would be little to no difference then from the sammie.
Horizontal resolution on the 970 would be somewhat similar to the Samsung 3082. Both of these sets deliver outstanding PQ.

Be sure you're thinking about resolution is accurate. 1080i refers to vertical resolution, which are the horizontal lines. Horizontal resolution refers to the vertical lines. The native scanning rate of crt sets is 1920x1080i. No crt sets resolve all 1920x1080i. They don't even broadcast the full 1920x1080i. A set that resolves a max of 800 lines of horizontal resolution is an HD set. So is one that resolves 1,440 lines as do the Sony sets with the SFP tube. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Ok, I'm in a dilemma guys. I want to see movies in 1080i since I own the 970. Currently I only have a 480p dvd player. Well, should I buy an upconverting dvd player like the Oppo or just wait for the Xbox 360 hd-dvd player when it is released? I understand that upconverting players arent true HD, but I'm also afraid of investing in a technology like hd-dvd that may not become the standard. Is the upconverted 1080i that much better than 480p on the 970 to warrant purchasing another dvd player or should I just wait for the hd-dvd? Or should I just forget about both and stick with my 480p player for awhile?! I need some help!! Any feedback or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Hey Buddy!

This really depends on your expectations. An upconverting player is not going to make dvds look like HD. As always, the output is only as good as the incoming signal. I have seen dvds from my Oppo look better than some HD material from my Comcast Digital Classic package. On the other hand, a good HD show cannot be beaten - period.

I am so pleased with my Oppo player. I have to believe it would work just as well with your set as mine since they're essentially the same. And since this is HD DVD-Blu-Ray format independent, it'll play all standard dvds forever. I don't intend to invest in an HD capable dvd player until the format war has a winner and the price point reaches my budget. That'll take at least a few years. During that time I'll be enjoying the heck out of my Oppo. The other benefit of my Oppo was how well it drove my inexpensive HTiB. I get audio out of my speakers that I've never heard from any other source.

The OPPO OPDV971H gets my highest recommendation.

Cheers! ;)

Horizontal resolution on the 970 would be somewhat similar to the Samsung 3082. Both of these sets deliver outstanding PQ.

Be sure you're thinking about resolution is accurate. 1080i refers to vertical resolution, which are the horizontal lines. Horizontal resolution refers to the vertical lines. The native scanning rate of crt sets is 1920x1080i. No crt sets resolve all 1920x1080i. They don't even broadcast the full 1920x1080i. A set that resolves a max of 800 lines of horizontal resolution is an HD set. So is one that resolves 1,440 lines as do the Sony sets with the SFP tube. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses.


Hey justsc,

I always appreciate your comments and hope you'll talk a bit more about CRT HDTV resolution--and resolution in general. The definitions for horizontal res. and vertical res. always seem confusing because of the overlap in terms: vertical resolution is based on horizontal lines; horizontal res. is based on vertical lines. Even your description above confuses me: if the xbr960 has 1440 horizintal lines of vertical resolution (hope I'm stating that properly), then does the set have 1920 (hor. res.)x1440(vert. res.) interlaced resolution? Does the Sammy 3082 have 1920x800i and the xbr970 1920x850i?

A set that resolves a max of 800 lines of horizontal resolution

Did you mean 800 horizontal lines of vertical resolution?

Or have I now managed to confuse myself and other readers? Sorry to all. Also, is Sony's aperature grill visible on the 970? As much as I liked the 960's PQ, I hated seeing those thin black lines.

Did you mean 800 horizontal lines of vertical resolution?

Yes, I believe he meant vertical. The best is the Sony Super Fine Pitch (800 vertical, 1440 horizontal).

Or have I now managed to confuse myself and other readers? Sorry to all. Also, is Sony's aperature grill visible on the 970? As much as I liked the 960's PQ, I hated seeing those thin black lines.

Yes, Sony's aperture grille is much more visible on the 970 compared to the 960.

I The only thing that makes me mad and maybe someone could help but I own a Sony HT system the reciever is STR-K660P and I cant find a code to program my TV remote for this reciever (Ive tried a ton, basically every sony code in the manual.)

Does anyone have a code for that HT system, I still cant find one or is the Sony Remote not worth keeping, should I get a Logitech or other lcd remote?

Thanks,
GearGuy

Guys,

I solved my selection.....went to a couple of stores, BB, HH and looked at both the Sony 34xbr970 and the Sammy TXS-3082...the 3082 had the better picture in BB and it was right next to the xbr970...however, the geometry issues were present, easy to see in the menu mode., slight but there in any case. I could live with it....until.....

Went to HH to have a look-see.....saw the xbr970, and the 3082....and to the left of the xbr970 was the KD36XS955....hands down it beat them all. $20 more than the Sammy, $400 less than the xbr970 and the picture was fantastic. That superfine dot pitch tube makes a big diff. Looking at a High-def news channel there were no visible vertical lines in text shown in the bottom ticker on the XS955...on the xbr970 and the 3082 they were easy to see.

I took out a tape measure and the side to side width of the tube was the same as the xbr970, you just get the extra area of the 4:3 style too. Basically that means I have the width of the wide-screen style (plus top and bottom borders in 16:9 mode) and the ability to show regular TV show type display without all the stretch and fill junk.

Delivery is Tuesday....now I need to order the OPPO 971 to seal the deal.

I'm in the Atlanta metro area and while I was closing the sale I glanced at the computer the sales guys was using...it showed stock for the KD36XS955 in the area stores...looks like they have about 20 in stock in the area. And from what the price was marked, they look to be closing out inventory. I got a great deal.

FYI, one store had the price marked $100 less than the other. If you are in the Atlanta area, make sure to check out the prices at multiple stores and ask for inventory amounts.

If the price was equal, would any of you still purchase this model over the XBR960? Is there some benefit to having the newer model even though it appears the 960 has more features?

Well knowing that the horizontal resolution is about equal between these two - my last deterant for choosing one or the other is the blurry edges. The sammy is a bit notorious for having the left and right inch of the screen more blurry then the rest (perhaps due to the slimfit style). I am a bit lost in the service menu for anything but verticle/horizontal amplitude/shift, so I don't even know if its resolvable.

Does the xbr960 have the same fate of blurry left and right edge? Or does that extra ~80lbs resolve this issue? :)

I havent noticed any blurly edges on my XBR970. I looked while watching Cinemax and Starz in 1080i (where it would most likely be more noticible)

Guys,

I solved my selection.....went to a couple of stores, BB, HH and looked at both the Sony 34xbr970 and the Sammy TXS-3082...the 3082 had the better picture in BB and it was right next to the xbr970...however, the geometry issues were present, easy to see in the menu mode., slight but there in any case. I could live with it....until.....

Went to HH to have a look-see.....saw the xbr970, and the 3082....and to the left of the xbr970 was the KD36XS955....hands down it beat them all. $20 more than the Sammy, $400 less than the xbr970 and the picture was fantastic. That superfine dot pitch tube makes a big diff. Looking at a High-def news channel there were no visible vertical lines in text shown in the bottom ticker on the XS955...on the xbr970 and the 3082 they were easy to see.

I took out a tape measure and the side to side width of the tube was the same as the xbr970, you just get the extra area of the 4:3 style too. Basically that means I have the width of the wide-screen style (plus top and bottom borders in 16:9 mode) and the ability to show regular TV show type display without all the stretch and fill junk.

Delivery is Tuesday....now I need to order the OPPO 971 to seal the deal.

I'm in the Atlanta metro area and while I was closing the sale I glanced at the computer the sales guys was using...it showed stock for the KD36XS955 in the area stores...looks like they have about 20 in stock in the area. And from what the price was marked, they look to be closing out inventory. I got a great deal.

FYI, one store had the price marked $100 less than the other. If you are in the Atlanta area, make sure to check out the prices at multiple stores and ask for inventory amounts.

Wow - you got an excellent deal. Congrats on getting the set; it's a great one.

Hey justsc,

I always appreciate your comments and hope you'll talk a bit more about CRT HDTV resolution--and resolution in general. The definitions for horizontal res. and vertical res. always seem confusing because of the overlap in terms: vertical resolution is based on horizontal lines; horizontal res. is based on vertical lines. Even your description above confuses me: if the xbr960 has 1440 horizintal lines of vertical resolution (hope I'm stating that properly), then does the set have 1920 (hor. res.)x1440(vert. res.) interlaced resolution? Does the Sammy 3082 have 1920x800i and the xbr970 1920x850i?



Did you mean 800 horizontal lines of vertical resolution?

Or have I now managed to confuse myself and other readers? Sorry to all. Also, is Sony's aperature grill visible on the 970? As much as I liked the 960's PQ, I hated seeing those thin black lines.
I know how annoying it can be to make sense out of this. Many who post on this issue know less than they may seem to think, and everyone who posts on this issue can easily make a mistake when typing the words horizontal and vertical so often.

There are so many good articles out there regarding digital tv (DTV) and resolution formats. I'm not an expert so I won't try to sound like one. But you've asked for some help and I'll try not to add to the confusion.

Please ask questions when things sound wrong or confusing. Maybe others who are good with explanations will chime in also.

-As we convert to DTV, keep in mind that expressions of resolution are intended to reflect digital displays like LCD sets. So I'm going to try explaining things from the perspective of an LCD type display. You'll get the connection to tube sets.

-If you could look closely enough at an LCD set you'd see thousands of tiny pixels (picture elements) packed real tightly. I'm sure you've heard that SD has so many hundreds of thousands of pixels, and HD has so many millions of pixels? Well, it's true.

-So let's take a display format like 1280x720p. If you put up a ruler absolutely straight across the set and focused on just one row of pixels, counting from left to right, you'd have 1,280 pixels across the screen. This number equals the horizontal resolution of the screen. But I've written that horizontal resolution is the total number of vertical lines across the set, right? That's because with tube sets we talk about lines. These pixels can also be seen to line-up vertically as well as horizontally. Connect all these pixels vertical lines and you get 1,280 of them. Horizontal resolution.

-That takes care of how we measure the resolution horizontally on the screen.

-Vertical resolution is then a piece of cake. Go back to looking at the pixels as rows across the screen. Add up all the rows and you get 720 of them. That's vertical resolution - 720 horizontal lines from top to bottom.

-In pixels that's 1,280 pixels horizontally by 720 pixels vertically. In lines it's 1,280 vertical lines by 720 horizontal lines.

I hope that helps a little.

if the xbr960 has 1440 horizintal lines of vertical resolution (hope I'm stating that properly), then does the set have 1920 (hor. res.)x1440(vert. res.) interlaced resolution? Does the Sammy 3082 have 1920x800i and the xbr970 1920x850i?
The native scanning rate for crt HD sets is 1920x1080, rather than 1280x720 for fixed-pixel sets like LCDs.

The XBR960 is a 1920x1080 set. Just like the XBR970, and the Samsung SlimFit sets. But these sets are not all created equally. Each set receives the same signal and displays it the best it can given its own limitations. But these sets are simply not big enough to pack all 1920x1080 pixels onto their relatively small screens.

On the XBR960 the "pixels" are more tightly packed. "Pitch" is the word used to describe the space between pixels. So, the XBR960, with its Super Fine Pitch (SFP) tube, packs alot more pixels onto its screen than the XBR970 or the SlimFit sets. When the XBR960 receives the 1920x1080 signal, it can actually resolve (display) 1440 x 1080. The tube scales the actual display so the difference between the signal and what gets resolved doesn't look screwy. The XBR970 and the SlimFits resolve around 800-850x1080 of the total 1920x1080. That's obviously less than what the 960 can do, but that doesn't mean that the 970 and the SlimFit sets are not HD, nor does it mean they have worse pictures. There's alot more to the fidelity of a display than resolution, like brightness, color, sharpness, etc. I have found that with the SFP tube sets one can sit alot closer because the "lines" are so close they're hard to make out. That's nice because the closer you can sit the better the cinematic experience. Those with 970's and SlimFits have to sit a bit further back so that the lines can't be discerned, but their PQ is still stunning. HD is so cool!

Did you mean 800 horizontal lines of vertical resolution?

Or have I now managed to confuse myself and other readers? Sorry to all. Also, is Sony's aperature grill visible on the 970? As much as I liked the 960's PQ, I hated seeing those thin black lines.
No. With respect to the SlimFits, Samsung says on its data sheets that they have a max of 800 (vertical) lines, which equals horizontal resolution, like I just described above.

While some manufacturers like to refer to their sets as either 1080 or 720 (vertical resolution), Samsung likes to put out it's maximum horizontal resolution. Who knows why?

What's visible on Sony's aperture grill are the tiny metal wires seen running across the screen (supporting the aperture grill). Most displays have two or three of them spaced evenly apart. They're usually only visible when a very bright (whitish) screen is showing.

I sure hope this helps.

Cheers!

I know how annoying it can be to make sense out of this. Many who post on this issue know less than they may seem to think, and everyone who posts on this issue can easily make a mistake when typing the words horizontal and vertical so often.

There are so many good articles out there regarding digital tv (DTV) and resolution formats. I'm not an expert so I won't try to sound like one. But you've asked for some help and I'll try not to add to the confusion.

Please ask questions when things sound wrong or confusing. Maybe others who are good with explanations will chime in also.

-As we convert to DTV, keep in mind that expressions of resolution are intended to reflect digital displays like LCD sets. So I'm going to try explaining things from the perspective of an LCD type display. You'll get the connection to tube sets.

-If you could look closely enough at an LCD set you'd see thousands of tiny pixels (picture elements) packed real tightly. I'm sure you've heard that SD has so many hundreds of thousands of pixels, and HD has so many millions of pixels? Well, it's true.

-So let's take a display format like 1280x720p. If you put up a ruler absolutely straight across the set and focused on just one row of pixels, counting from left to right, you'd have 1,280 pixels across the screen. This number equals the horizontal resolution of the screen. But I've written that horizontal resolution is the total number of vertical lines across the set, right? That's because with tube sets we talk about lines. These pixels can also be seen to line-up vertically as well as horizontally. Connect all these pixels vertical lines and you get 1,280 of them. Horizontal resolution.

-That takes care of how we measure the resolution horizontally on the screen.

-Vertical resolution is then a piece of cake. Go back to looking at the pixels as rows across the screen. Add up all the rows and you get 720 of them. That's vertical resolution - 720 horizontal lines from top to bottom.

-In pixels that's 1,280 pixels horizontally by 720 pixels vertically. In lines it's 1,280 vertical lines by 720 horizontal lines.

I hope that helps a little.


The native scanning rate for crt HD sets is 1920x1080, rather than 1280x720 for fixed-pixel sets like LCDs.

The XBR960 is a 1920x1080 set. Just like the XBR970, and the Samsung SlimFit sets. But these sets are not all created equally. Each set receives the same signal and displays it the best it can given its own limitations. But these sets are simply not big enough to pack all 1920x1080 pixels onto their relatively small screens.

On the XBR960 the "pixels" are more tightly packed. "Pitch" is the word used to describe the space between pixels. So, the XBR960, with its Super Fine Pitch (SFP) tube, packs alot more pixels onto its screen than the XBR970 or the SlimFit sets. When the XBR960 receives the 1920x1080 signal, it can actually resolve (display) 1440 x 1080. The tube scales the actual display so the difference between the signal and what gets resolved doesn't look screwy. The XBR970 and the SlimFits resolve around 800-850x1080 of the total 1920x1080. That's obviously less than what the 960 can do, but that doesn't mean that the 970 and the SlimFit sets are not HD, nor does it mean they have worse pictures. There's alot more to the fidelity of a display than resolution, like brightness, color, sharpness, etc. I have found that with the SFP tube sets one can sit alot closer because the "lines" are so close they're hard to make out. That's nice because the closer you can sit the better the cinematic experience. Those with 970's and SlimFits have to sit a bit further back so that the lines can't be discerned, but their PQ is still stunning. HD is so cool!


No. With respect to the SlimFits, Samsung says on its data sheets that they have a max of 800 (vertical) lines, which equals horizontal resolution, like I just described above.

While some manufacturers like to refer to their sets as either 1080 or 720 (vertical resolution), Samsung likes to put out it's maximum horizontal resolution. Who knows why?

What's visible on Sony's aperture grill are the tiny metal wires seen running across the screen (supporting the aperture grill). Most displays have two or three of them spaced evenly apart. They're usually only visible when a very bright (whitish) screen is showing.

I sure hope this helps.

Cheers!

Great explanation; however, I don't believe the Sony Super Fine Pitch can resolve all 1080 vertical lines. I think it can only do about 800, and the HS420 and XBR970 significantly less than 800. Such is the case with SFP's 1440 lines of horizontal resolution as well; the HS420 and the XBR970 are significantly less than 1440. I believe the SFP tube has proportionately about a 65% finer dot pitch than the HS420s or XBR970. If one does the math, what does that come out to? Or am I wrong?

To all concerned or interested.

I bought a Sony 34XBR970 about 2½ weeks ago. I also got the OPPO OPDV971H about 1 week ago. Got the Sony TV from Circuit City and the OPPO OPDV971H directly from OPPO. I got the latest firmware and the latest remote control. I connected the OPPO 971 to the TV via the included DVI -> HDMI.

Sounds good so far right? Keep reading…

When playing DVD’s on 480p on the XBR970 the display was great. However, when I changed to 720p (or) 1080i, there was distortion about ½ half inch up from the bottom of the screen in a way in which the picture seemed to slant to the right. After passing that half-inch mark going up, the rest of the display looked OK. (well great)…

I called OPPO 4 times and Sony once. OPPO told me to hook a computer monitor up to the OPPO OPDV971H and see if the distortion was still present. I have a Widescreen LCD monitor that I did hook up to it. The same DVD’s looked fine using all available outputs. (480p.720p,1080i)

I Called OPPO back and they told me to revert back to the March firmware to see if the new release had introduced a compatibility issue with the Sony 34XBR970. I reverted back to the March release of the firmware…. No difference. So I reloaded the July release. I Called OPPO back and all they could tell me is that there was a compatibility issue with the XBR970’s

I also called Sony and went thru their simple phone trouble shooting which entailed unplugging the TV and plugging it back in to reset it. They gave me two choices, since I hadn’t had it but two weeks, I could wither return it or have it serviced. NOT…

Since I was faced with playback problems with the combination of the Sony 34XBR970 and the OPPO OPDV971H, and no apparent resolution. I still had the choice of returning one or both of the devices. Having either one of them serviced was out of the question.

I decided to return the TV to CC and gave the OPPO one more chance.

I did return the Sony 34XBR970 to CC without problem. I then purchased the Samsung HP- s4253 Plasma HDTV.

The Samsung HP-s4253 worked beautiful in any of the OPPO’s 4 output resolutions.
Two days now and I am stunned to say the least. This model of Samsung Plasma is so realistic looking. Outside scenes look like real daylight. Never seen that before. In a TV. The SONY 970 looked good, but this Plasma blows the Sony CTR away!!!

Anyways, I’m very happy in the end and hope that I was able to help some of the other that are planning on paring up this combination of devices. It's just my experience, I hope that yours is better. :)

Mini

hi guys, ive been reading quite a bit lately about direct-view hdtvs and im looking for just a bit of help deciding. picture quality matters to me (especially display of sd signals) more than screen size, so i decided early on to go with a tube. after a ton of searching for the xbr960 (because of the sfp) i decided that a 970 might be my best bet. i found a good deal on a used 970 - about 700 bucks. it just worries me that so many people talk about the 970 being a huge downgrade from the 960. does the sfp tube make an enormous difference?

i am under the impression that, even without the sfp tube, the 970 still has one of the best pictures available. is the 960 really that much better, ie, am i better off searching more?


just wondering what you guys think about the defacto differences between the two sets, and if you think the 970 is still a good option.

thanks!

alex

Great explanation; however, I don't believe the Sony Super Fine Pitch can resolve all 1080 vertical lines. I think it can only do about 800, and the HS420 and XBR970 significantly less than 800. Such is the case with SFP's 1440 lines of horizontal resolution as well; the HS420 and the XBR970 are significantly less than 1440. I believe the SFP tube has proportionately about a 65% finer dot pitch than the HS420s or XBR970. If one does the math, what does that come out to? Or am I wrong?
I was really hesitant to go into any further detail and risk adding to the confusion. This can get so involved and I've seen way too many online arguements over resolution.

But I believe your numbers are very good.

Neither model resolves the whole 1080 (horizontal lines which is vertical resolution). If memory serves the non-SFP tube does much better with vertical resolution (the 1080 format) than it does with horizontal resolution (but I don't recall why this is). Unless I'm mistaken, I believe both types of displays resolve around 800. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that the SFP tube still comes out a bit ahead.

I also agree with you about the relative difference in percentage of finer dot pitch between the two displays.

Another issue I decided to avoid is the difference in fixed-pixel displays against the ATSC format 1280x720. From what I've read many are at 1388x768, or somewhere around that number.

Yet another factor that comes into play is the actual broadcast (or cable/satellite transmission). I get a couple of magazines from the DTV broadcaster's perspective and from what I've read, we never actually receive the whole 1920x1080 anyway. Again, this is if my memory is accurate, but I believe what's actually broadcast is down around close to what we think the 960 actually resolves. As for progressive scan, I believe what's broadcast or transmitted is close to the actual format at 1280x720. I think Cable and satellite come in at less than OTA broadcasts.

Went to HH to have a look-see.....saw the xbr970, and the 3082....and to the left of the xbr970 was the KD36XS955....hands down it beat them all. $20 more than the Sammy, $400 less than the xbr970 and the picture was fantastic. That superfine dot pitch tube makes a big diff. Looking at a High-def news channel there were no visible vertical lines in text shown in the bottom ticker on the XS955...on the xbr970 and the 3082 they were easy to see.

FYI, one store had the price marked $100 less than the other. If you are in the Atlanta area, make sure to check out the prices at multiple stores and ask for inventory amounts.

I live in Birmingham and am not that familiar w/Atlanta. What is HH? I've searched online to no avail.

HH=HH Gregg. They're have a great deal on the 970 right now (999).

Any suggestions on a cheap stand for the 970? And I do mean cheap. By my figuring, its footprint is 39 1/8" w and 21" d. How much space do I need around that (e.g., is it a good idea to have it not sit right at the front edge of a stand)? And help would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Is it OK to have the rear end hang off the stand, too (e.g., 1/2", 1", not at all...?).

thanks for the explanation on resolutions, justsc. so the xbr970 resolves about 850(vert) x ~800(horiz)?
i've seen this set at the local store here, and it looked really good from several feet away. my main concern is how well it performs when connected to the xbox 360, as in if it can resolve the full resolution output by the system(native 1280x720). wish i could see the set with the game system(no system at the moment)!

thanks for the explanation on resolutions, justsc. so the xbr970 resolves about 850(vert) x ~800(horiz)?
i've seen this set at the local store here, and it looked really good from several feet away. my main concern is how well it performs when connected to the xbox 360, as in if it can resolve the full resolution output by the system(native 1280x720). wish i could see the set with the game system(no system at the moment)!
Sounds about right if going by what's actually resolved, but keep in mind that the set is "scaling" the entire 1920x1080 and nothing is "missing."

For more detail on gaming you might try that section of AVS.

Cheers!

Does the Sony stand SU-34BR1 work with this TV? Recommended?

Does the Sony stand SU-34BR1 work with this TV? Recommended?

I can let you know in a week when my 970 arrives! I put the above stand together yesterday, having purchased it for an incredible bargain on Ebay (if it works). I am fairly certain it will work though it will not match this TV perfectly in its front design.

I would like to thank so many here who post with good information. While no expert, I have done lots of R&D regarding the various types of HDTVs available, and finally settled on the CRT as the best for me in terms of PQ, price, and where I will put the TV. I did look really hard (virtually) at the 960 and 955, but could not find any here in Iowa, and was a bit reluctant to go with one from some of the Web stores that seem to have very mixed feedback in terms of customer satisfaction. The 970 has a terrific warranty, a great reputation, and in my living room should do outstandingly well.

If all goes well when the set arrives I will probably add a better DVD player to take full advantage of the set's quality until such time when the new DVD standard resolves itself. If I get ambitious I might add an external antenna for HD broadcast since I doubt we will to go satellite and cable may be a long time coming in my small town. But I would need a rotor as stations are quite distant and in every direction!

Mike

Thanks, Mike. I saw the same deal on eBay for dirt cheap and was thinking about picking one up.

I am surprised that no one is willing to talk stands much here. Guess everyone has their TV on the floor, huh?

[QUOTE=Garvey]Thanks, Mike. I saw the same deal on eBay for dirt cheap and was thinking about picking one up.

According to the Sony website, regarding compatibility, the newest stand, using a solid shelf, is the SU34XBR4, which is offered for the 970, also works for the older KV-34XBR910 TV.

To me this means, that the "old" stand, the cheap cheap one on Ebay, using a smaller glass shelf, called the SU34XBR1, would be compatible with the 970. That was my line of reasoning, and as you rightly suspected, I grabbed the stand and am hoping it will work well enough, allowing me to save a few hundred $.

The stand is nice enough, easy to put together, and arrived in a flash. But it has some "inserts" in front that are mean to match some "holes" in the front base of the Sony 34" TVs. I am sure hoping everything matches when my 970 comes. Worse case, I might have to insert a board underneath the TV, to make sure all is well and level, but I am pretty sure the stand will be okay as is, as both are 34" CRTs from Sony.

I will post the results here in case anyone is interested in these bargains if they continue to be available. I hope the above makes sense!

Mike

So i picked up my XBR970 this weekend. While my only real source of HD is OTA, I have been very impressed with it overall.

When I turned it on last night it appears that it has developed a geometry problem. The top left and top right portions of the screen curve slightly upward. The disconcerting part is not that there is a geometry problem, it is that there was not one and suddenly there is. Is this normal?

The way I see it I have a couple options: either muck with the service codes myself to try to fix it, call sony and see what they say, or take it back to bestbuy and exchange it.

Any thoughts?

Smashr:The way I see it I have a couple options: either muck with the service codes myself to try to fix it, call sony and see what they say, or take it back to bestbuy and exchange it.

I'd choose door #3, personally. Just seems easiest to me, and it matches my personal tolerances and inclinations. YMMV.

Mike: that's great news. I think your notion that backwards-compatible means forwards-compatible should be correct. Or one can hope. It's hard to find anything cheap that will hold the weight AND fit the depth without spending at least $150. The NOS Sony stands are <65 shipped, which sounds great to me. I spent everything I had in my TV budget on the TV itself, and it now sits on the floor. Even a $150 stand is out of the question for now. Maybe in a few months, but that's longer than I want to wait. And marital harmony depends on frugality, esp. in light of this big puchase.

So i picked up my XBR970 this weekend. While my only real source of HD is OTA, I have been very impressed with it overall.

When I turned it on last night it appears that it has developed a geometry problem. The top left and top right portions of the screen curve slightly upward. The disconcerting part is not that there is a geometry problem, it is that there was not one and suddenly there is. Is this normal?

The way I see it I have a couple options: either muck with the service codes myself to try to fix it, call sony and see what they say, or take it back to bestbuy and exchange it.

Any thoughts?
Try to be a little patient with it. These sets tend to have a settling-in period where initial problems can slowly vanish. Hopefully you have a 30 day return period. If so, give it a week or ten days before trying anything. In the meantime study-up on how to adjust linearity issues. If the problem remains after 10 days try a few adjustments. If that doesn't help, then return it.

I've seen folks react too quickly, return their set, and get a worse one through the return. Try to keep the set on as much as possible now. If there are any serious problems with a set they'll usually expose themselves early on if the set is made to be on alot.

Found this site a couple months ago when I started to research a new HDTV. The amount of info here is astounding, not to mention the high quality clientele that post here(myself not included). :p I'm learning a ton! I recently purchased a Sony XBR970 and have been completely satisfied its performance. I have however run into a small glitch that I cannot find a solution for. I found nothing substantive using the search function, so I figured I would venture a post. About a week ago I turned on the set and, as normally happens, the info menu is displayed. This time, however, it was in "red" text. OK, I figured that the toddlers had found the remote and monkey'd with the menu. I selected "menu" and navigated to the menu options..hmmm. It was still configure for "Translucent" which normally is a pleasing light gray. I cycled through all the menu color options thinking something else was selected, but no dice. I tried a "shutdown reset"..........no change. I tried shutting down and pulling the plug for a minute.....no change. At this point I 'm thinking maybe there is a hardware problem, like a bad card or something. I have not attempted any SM excursions yet. I guess maybe it's possible that the toddlers got their hands on the remote and could have possibly hit the right button combo to enter the SM. Is there anything in the SM that could be changed to manifest this problem? I see no color shift to programing that would lead me to believe a blue or green color gun got changed or turned off. Any thoughts or opinions? I think my next step will be to contact Sony. Thanks in advance and Great Site! - Lee

You can change the color of captions, so perhaps this is related? See manual section on caption options.

Hi all!

I promised I would report back on the suitability of the above stand for the 970. The answer is that the stand "can" work, but is not a perfect design for the new CRT.

My 970 arrived today and I tried it out on this stand that I got for a bargain on Ebay. This stand, designed for an older model 34" Sony set, has two plastic plugs on either side, that are meant to be inserted in two matching slots on either side of the TV. Basically, this does not work with the 970. The inserts lock the TV to the stand so that it cannot slide backward or foreward or sidewards. Thus it is a safety precaution, esp, if one has young children or lively adolescents in the house.

What I had to do is to saw off the plastic plugs, and simply set the TV on the stand. Its heavy weight keeps it quite secure, and in an adult household, one would be fine. So I am happy to have saved the money. But you need to evaluate whether this will work for you.

I will probably put something underneath the set that will make it virtually immovable, something like the rubbery material they put in the bottom of drawers, or whatever looks good in the hardware store. I had already put sliders on the bottom of the stand so that the entire stand moves fairly easily on the carpeted floor when need be.

Anyway, I hope this helps anyone who was considering this alternative to save some money on a stand.

Mike

Hey everyone,

So, I bought the xbr970 about 3 weeks ago and have spent a lot of time in front of it, both with DVD's, HD and SD. In short: this set is *SWEET*. I love it and am 98% happy with it!

Now about that 2% that I'm havin' a problem with:

When I'm watching HDTV at 1080i via component cables, the picture looks amazing, however, when a shot has a lot of movement, or is panning left to right (or vice versa), I see a lot of pixelation. I'm sure there is a better term for this, as you guys probably know all about this, so I apologize for my ignorance. But, the picture looks "pixelated" or "edgy" when panning or there's fast movement. This only happens while watching HDTV at 1080i. I have not noticed this problem with DVD's, and I never saw this problem on HDTV at 1080i with my InFocus 4805 projector. So, since nothing has changed on the "HDTV" side of things, am I safe to assume that it has something to do with how the xbr970 receives HD?

I tried searching for this problem on the avsforum, and if there is a solution posted somewhere that I missed, please point me in the right direction.

Like I said, minus this little problem, I am absolutely THRILLED about the xbr970's PQ, and for all those prospective buyers out there getting cold feet because of all the 960 vs 970 talk on this board, rest assured, the PQ on this baby is the "real deal".

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can give me.

Jeremy

...When I'm watching HDTV at 1080i via component cables, the picture looks amazing, however, when a shot has a lot of movement, or is panning left to right (or vice versa), I see a lot of pixelation. I'm sure there is a better term for this, as you guys probably know all about this, so I apologize for my ignorance. But, the picture looks "pixelated" or "edgy" when panning or there's fast movement. This only happens while watching HDTV at 1080i. I have not noticed this problem with DVD's, and I never saw this problem on HDTV at 1080i with my InFocus 4805 projector. So, since nothing has changed on the "HDTV" side of things, am I safe to assume that it has something to do with how the xbr970 receives HD?...
Your InFocus 4805 and this Sony 970 process video very differently.

All crt HD sets employ interlaced scanning, which is at times subject to "interlaced motion artifacts" which can appear to look like blurring or pixelating. It all depends on the signal quality - the better the PQ the less motion artifacts you'll see. Try watching some NFL football and you'll notice some motion blur or pixelating, but not terrible.

Your InFocus projector is an ED display with a native resolution of 854x480 and the display format is progressive scan. PS is much less apt to show motion artifacts. Even though your projector is able to receive 1080i, it scales and deinterlaces the signal for display at 480p.

Mitigating Motion Artifacts - Be sure you are not watching in the "Vivid" picture mode. Use Pro or Standard. Make sure contrast (Picture) is no more than 65-70%. Set ClearEdge to "none" (edge enhancement). Try not to run Color any higher than about 50%. The best thing you can do is invest in a calibration dvd (e.g. Avia or DVE) and give your set a proper calibration.

Cheers!

Justsc,

Seriously, that is an extremely helpful and informative post. Thank you!

I will adjust the settings to your specs - I'm currently not using Vivid mode (it's :eek: :eek: :eek: ) - I have 2 settings I use: movie (a slightly adjusted version of it, that is) and pro (a slightly brighter version of movie for HBOHD, which is consistently darker than everything else on TV).

One thing that has prevented me from buying an Avia DVD is the fact that, when I first got this TV, I found some posts in this thread (like post #256) which I set my tv to match, and the picture was just waaay too dark. I like it dark, I understand the importance of having deep black color, etc., however, if these settings are the optimum settings that people are setting their xbr970 to, then I fear that if I spend the money on an Avia disc, that it will lead me down the same road and I'll have a picture that I'm told is ideal, but personally I can't enjoy because it's sooo dark - and I'll have spent more money in the process.

So... with that said, I wonder if the $35 disc is worth getting?

Anyhoo, thanks for the great info and clearing up my issues with this TV.

:)

I've had the exact same experience with the calibration discs and overly dardk pictures.

But that shouldn't lead one to avoiding the discs. These discs are there to get your set to comply with established NTSC standards. Most viewers react badly to the over darkness that results. Some find if they give it a full week or two they can adjust successfully and then find the brighter picture troublesome. Others, like me, perform the full calibration and then adjust to taste - for me that means somewhat higher Contrast and Brightness.

I'd had my first HD set for a few months before learning about these discs. I was already satisfied with my picture and really felt it wouldn't be worth the money. I was very wrong. After performing the calibration my set looked incredible. So much so that I re-watched all my favorite dvds because it felt like I had a new tv. Because you've tried settings from others with this set who've calibrated against one of the discs shouldn't persuade you to avoid the discs (IMHO). Each and every crt set is unique, and each one has different SM settings out of the factory. Because these are analog devices there's no absolute right or wrong settings between sets. The only correct settings for your set are the values you apply while using a calibration dvd.

After my last calibration adjustment (the settings on these sets tend to drift over time, being analog in nature), while adjusting to taste afterwards, I bumped up my contrast (Picture on Sony's) by a good 5-8 points, brightness too.

The discs are a guide, a very good guide which provide a baseline from which to start.

Could somebody measure the width of their TV?

I have exactly 39" to work with in my current ET center and Best Buy's website said it is 38 1/8" wide, yet I've seen it listed 39 1/8" in other places.

Thanks,
dave

Dave,

My brand new 970 measures 39 and 1/8 inches at its widest. Very close to 39".

Mike

Mike,
Yikes! That's not good. Where is the widest point?

Mike,
Yikes! That's not good. Where is the widest point?
It looks like the KV-34HS420 is the same. The measurements on my set are:

39 1/8 x 25 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches.

Justsc,

Thanks for the feedback. After reading your post, I went and purchased the Avia disc!

I will make sure to post my thoughts on how the PQ improves so that anyone following this discussion can have an opinion on the use of this disc with the xbr970.

Thanks! :D

Dave,

I am not home right now, but if memory serves, the front is exactly 39 inches, and about two inches back, where the molding changes, it is 39 and 1/8. If your stand is 39, you are fine. It reduces further toward the back.

Mike

I don't have a lot of experience with the 970 yet, but I did just purchase the Avia, and did the recommended adjustments. The resultant PQ looks terrific to me! Sometimes, on some films, it seems a mite dark (as others have reported), but when I try to brighten it up, the rendition is not as good. The AVIA gives one close to a perfect image when viewed in a darkened room. It appears to me to allow for nearly perfect placement of blacks (dark tones) that give a richness that one can develop an appreciation for in films.

Mike

Dave,

I am not home right now, but if memory serves, the front is exactly 39 inches, and about two inches back, where the molding changes, it is 39 and 1/8. If your stand is 39, you are fine. It reduces further toward the back.

Mike

Thanks Mike,

It's not a stand but a center where it is enclosed. I measured again last night and it is closer to 39 1/8 than 39. So I'm hoping it can squeeze in. If not I guess I could always use a dremel and shave down that portion of the center.

Finally got a chance to take a look at this set at a local BB yesterday. After doing the usual in-store adjustment and changing the setting from Vivid to Pro, the PQ was outstanding and clearly blew away all the surrounding TVs. I don't think its as nice as my XBR960, but then again I didn't have a chance to do a side by side comparison. For 1,200 bucks, I think its a steal, especially compared to the 1,900 I paid for the 960 on sale for a couple of years back. You can probably negotiate another 10% off to make it an even better deal.

I don't have a lot of experience with the 970 yet, but I did just purchase the Avia, and did the recommended adjustments. The resultant PQ looks terrific to me! Sometimes, on some films, it seems a mite dark (as others have reported), but when I try to brighten it up, the rendition is not as good. The AVIA gives one close to a perfect image when viewed in a darkened room. It appears to me to allow for nearly perfect placement of blacks (dark tones) that give a richness that one can develop an appreciation for in films.

Mike
Which setting did you use to try and brighten up the picture?

Most folks turn up Brightness (actually Black Level adjustment) and don't like the results because it causes the nice blacks to appear washed out. You might try bumping up the Contrast (Sony calls it Picture). Since this is actually an adjustment for white level it won't immediately affect the black level. I find these Sony crt sets can easily withstand more Contrast.

After I calibrate a set (usually for friends) the owner almost always feels it's just a tad too dark. I usually ask them to put up with it for at least a week, and if they still say it's too dark I recommend a minimal increase in contrast.

There's another, even better solution to this problem. It's called backlighting, or video bias lighting. What's involved is adding illumination to the wall behind the set.

This is from the web site for the Ideal-Lume Bias Lighting:

"All TVs require a darkened room to present their best picture. The color, point of origin, and intensity of light in a viewing environment, all affect the quality of image obtainable from any television, as well as the viewing fatigue experienced. A small fluorescent fixture, with a proper 'color temperature' bulb, placed behind a direct-view monitor, flat panel TV, or rear-projection set, fulfills much of what is needed to achieve the SMPTE recommendations pertaining to ambient light in the room. Viewing a TV in a darkened room can cause eye strain in short order. This is primarily due to the iris opening and closing dramatically as scenes change from dark to light on the screen. For a vivid demonstration of how frequently light levels change throughout a typical program, turn your back to a TV in a darkened room and notice how much the light changes in the room, both in intensity and frequency. Providing a small amount of light behind the set 'biases' the iris (reducing the range of motion in the iris muscle), resulting in more relaxed viewing. Glare and reflections are then dramatically reduced, by eliminating any light source from striking the front of the set. Colors appear richer and blacks are darker. Contrast and brightness controls can be turned down. Doing this will prevent over-saturation of phosphors, thereby reducing the risk of 'screen burn-in and preserving maximum sharpness and detail. This also preserves correct picture geometry and actually prolongs the life of picture tubes. Phospor life will also be extended for plasma panels and LCD monitors with adjustable cold-cathode fluorescent backlighting."

For more go to:

http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm

I installed the IDEAL-LUME (standard) model and the results are wonderful. It brings out the richness of the colors, deepens the blacks, and reduces eye strain making it much easier to appreciate the nuances of these high resolution sets. There are many others here at AVS who also have integrated these bias lights into their HT set-up. The standard model costs about $45 and it's a good idea to get an additional bulb (~$10).

Cheers!

Ideal-Lume Bias Lighting:

For more go to:

http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm

I installed the IDEAL-LUME (standard) model and the results are wonderful. It brings out the richness of the colors, deepens the blacks, and reduces eye strain making it much easier to appreciate the nuances of these high resolution sets. There are many others here at AVS who also have integrated these bias lights into their HT set-up. The standard model costs about $45 and it's a good idea to get an additional bulb (~$10).

Cheers!

I'll be buying this tomorrow and will let you all know my findings. Once again, Justsc, you have helped me maximize my investment in the xbr970. Thanks!

I'll be buying this tomorrow and will let you all know my findings. Once again, Justsc, you have helped me maximize my investment in the xbr970. Thanks!
Cool!

I think you'll find this will really enhance viewing in low light situations.

Cheers! ;)

Hi all!

I have been to the Ideal-Lume Bias Lighting website before and was tempted, as I don't like the tunnel look of a TV without some ambient lighting. I think I will give it a try. While not a lot of money I wondered whether the especial spectrum of this bulb was that worthwhile.

Phillips was selling an HDTV that put out back lighting in keeping with what was on the screen; i.e. blue for skies, green for grass, etc. Their advertising said it helped a lot with eyestrain and other such issues.

Hopefully, this will be a good addition to my 970. Otherwise, I could always get a lava light on Ebay! ;-)

Mike

Hi all!

I have been to the Ideal-Lume Bias Lighting website before and was tempted, as I don't like the tunnel look of a TV without some ambient lighting. I think I will give it a try. While not a lot of money I wondered whether the especial spectrum of this bulb was that worthwhile.

Phillips was selling an HDTV that put out back lighting in keeping with what was on the screen; i.e. blue for skies, green for grass, etc. Their advertising said it helped a lot with eyestrain and other such issues.

Hopefully, this will be a good addition to my 970. Otherwise, I could always get a lava light on Ebay! ;-)

Mike
I think they called it AmbliLight, or something like that. At first, I thought that was a great idea. But then I wonder if the effect can be achieved with ever changing colors. I have to believe the Ideal-Lume approach is a little more sound.

Best of Luck! ;)

If anyone's been sitting on the fence about purchasing one of these, they're 899 now at hhgregg. (Also, the KD36XS955 is 799 there.)

Yowza.

Looks like I'm swinging by CC today to get 100 bucks back via their guarantee.

BTW, are there any rumors that the 970 is being replaced or discontinued? The reason I ask is that hhgregg is now listing the SRP as 999, which is quite low.

new srp plus the retail sales discount on top of it. Sony just annouce they will introduce two new models widescreen next year only.

If anyone's been sitting on the fence about purchasing one of these, they're 899 now at hhgregg. (Also, the KD36XS955 is 799 there.)

Yowza.

Looks like I'm swinging by CC today to get 100 bucks back via their guarantee.

BTW, are there any rumors that the 970 is being replaced or discontinued? The reason I ask is that hhgregg is now listing the SRP as 999, which is quite low.

oh i know and i called them 2day, there price is $899.97, so i think i might get it this week cuz he sai dit can very well go higher but he doesnt know 4 sure....btw the 2 widescreen models Sony is coming out w/ next year, will they have SFP?

early next year, two new models. What ever happen to the superfine pitch tube? What was wrong with it? If it was such a great tube, why will sony stop making it? Rated # 1, why would they kill it? super fine pitch just disappear? strange

new srp plus the retail sales discount on top of it. Sony just annouce they will introduce two new models widescreen next year only.


Is that a solid info? how did you know that? I am concern about this news pretty much. Thx!

‘‘The end of picture-tube TVs is accelerating faster than a lot of us expected,’’ said Randy Waynick, a senior vice-president for Sony Electronics. The company, which offered 10 tube models two years ago, will pare that number to two next year, both of them wide screens.

Is that a solid info? how did you know that? I am concern about this news pretty much. Thx!
Welcome to AVS!

Yes, this news is from a story that can be found here:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060824/BIZ04/608240335/1013

Cheers!

What I concern is whether Sony would bring NEW wide screen models next year. I am considering buying a xbr970 before Xmas. Or should I wait until newbies are
released. That story you linked just mentioned Sony will pare the line to two (not NEW) models. Will those be an exist xbr970 and something with a SFP?

Justsc do you have some pics of your setup with the Ideal-Lume on? ive seen a report on the internet or tv about it.. the site you posted didnt have any pics that i could find with it on a tv on.. just a pic of the bulbs/setup..



Also anyone with and xbox 360 having issues with cutoff? right now on the xbox-dot-com forums theres a disscussion about how it cuts off the screen a little bit and people were having trouble finding a way to fix this. for the KD34XBR970.

I received my 970 in the last 2 weeks from Crutchfield and was more than happy. Today, I noticed that they are having a big Labor Day Sale and the 970 has dropped $200 to $999 with free shipping.

Boy was I upset (at first). But I had some memory about a price guarantee, and with a quick call, found out that I am covered by their 30 day guarantee and I will get the $200 back. Oh Happy Day!

BTW. I received my Ideal-lume light yesterday. It was shipped the same day I ordered and arrived in a flash, extremely well packed. Put it on the TV last night and will report soon. Might try and take a picture, but am not sure how that would carry given the light spectrum, etc. But I will report my impressions to all here.

Mike

Might try and take a picture, but am not sure how that would carry given the light spectrum, etc. But I will report my impressions to all here.

Mike

yes, try to take some pics no matter how they come out, i just wanna see how it looks and if its worth getting.

What I concern is whether Sony would bring NEW wide screen models next year. I am considering buying a xbr970 before Xmas. Or should I wait until newbies are
released. That story you linked just mentioned Sony will pare the line to two (not NEW) models. Will those be an exist xbr970 and something with a SFP?
I understand your concern. I imagine many others are in the same situation.

No one that I know has any clue at to Sony's intentions. The loss of the super fine pitch tube came as a shock to all. No one could have predicted that Sony would bag its flagship crt sets. Will they put out a new model with this tube - your guess is as good as mine.

If I were in the market, given what I know now, I'd grab a 34XBR970 immediately. If there's any kind of trend to what we've seen, it's that manufacturers are getting out of the big tube sets - some more quickly than others - confining crt technology to smaller tubes. This 34" model could be the last of the big screen crt HD sets.

We are sharing the same view, Justsc. I am just wondering if I can grab any 34' CRT
before next spring. Not only the manufacturers, but every retailer is dumping those
lovely monsters in a hurry. I can not find any HS420 or XS955 ringh now at BB in Vancouver.
I am thinking about driving south to get a 970 on Thanksgiving or Xmas sale. I know this is not a good idea on aftersale service and warranty. But I do believe I won't even have any chance in 2007.

BTW, I don't know much about the sale in the States. That is, which sale has a better discount among Thanksgiving and Xmas (boxing say)?

We are sharing the same view, Justsc. I am just wondering if I can grab any 34' CRT
before next spring. Not only the manufacturers, but every retailer is dumping those
lovely monsters in a hurry. I can not find any HS420 or XS955 ringh now at BB in Vancouver.
I am thinking about driving south to get a 970 on Thanksgiving or Xmas sale. I know this is not a good idea on aftersale service and warranty. But I do believe I won't even have any chance in 2007.

BTW, I don't know much about the sale in the States. That is, which sale has a better discount among Thanksgiving and Xmas (boxing say)?
I find the best deals after Christmas. Lots of folks return gift items then, and the stores usually have the best prices after Christmas.

Justsc do you have some pics of your setup with the Ideal-Lume on? ive seen a report on the internet or tv about it.. the site you posted didnt have any pics that i could find with it on a tv on.. just a pic of the bulbs/setup..




???

It's funny. I answered that question yesterday, but today I see my post is not here.

Unfortunately, I do not have a digital camera. What I wrote yesterday was that I'm really not sure that a picture will do justice to the technology. Bias lighting is for use in other than full daylight conditions, and most useful in low light or dark conditions. The "light" cast behind the set is great for letting the eyes totally relax and it helps the eyes appreciate the blacks and colors much better. But I really don't think you'll notice the benefit in a picture. That's probably why the Ideal-Lume site has no pictures.

Hopefully Diffractionlimit will provide some images.

Is the KD-34XBR970 HDCP compliant? I'm assuming since those 4 letters don't appear in the manual or on Sony's web page that it isn't. Just wanted to be sure though.

Stopped by a local BB today and noticed they had this set marked down to $998. Just about 3 weeks ago it was going for $1,298. Furthermore, they have it on sale for $948. A real bargain IMHO if you don't mind the size & weight of a CRT.

Stopped by a local BB today and noticed they had this set marked down to $998. Just about 3 weeks ago it was going for $1,298. Furthermore, they have it on sale for $948. A real bargain IMHO if you don't mind the size & weight of a CRT.

at hhgregg where i am purchasing this tv, they have it not on sale but they sell it for $850...the SRP 4 them is $999...link (http://hhgregg.com/ProductDetail.asp?SID=F8AD482480474C298510477FDE983304&ProductID=15869)

Thank you for posting that, Zeke. Looks like I'm going back to CC yet again for another adjustment (was there last Sat. when HH was selling them for 899).

Thank you for posting that, Zeke. Looks like I'm going back to CC yet again for another adjustment (was there last Sat. when HH was selling them for 899).

lol hey no problem, its amazing the price is dropping like this...

At at any price, this set was already the best CRT available that is in current production. At 850, it's fantastic.

I wonder how much lower the price will go? Do we happen to be witnessing one of those downward jumps that all technologies make in price every so often, or will this be a steady decline? For my own buyer's remorse, I hope the former. ;-)

But seriously, where do you think the bottom is for 34" widescreen CRTs? If Sony keeps making them for the next few years, which many doubt, could we see 34" CRTs settle around $300? $500?

This is unprecedented. Since the price for the set at SonyStyle remaind at around $1,200, these resellers are doing this without guidance from Sony. The only time I've seen this before is when BB and CC decided to discontinue carrying the KD-30XS955. The prices continued to drop until no more were left.

This set may be at its end of life cycle.

Hey all. Newbie here. Great thread/information. Learned much.

Have this set, no complaints. Have it connected to the HD-A1. Was wondering if anyone also had this same set up, could comment on thier picture settings when using the player. Have it connected with hdmi. Still tweaking it now and then, currently settled with the settings below. But any opinions/suggestions r greatly appreciated. Thanx much.

Picture 70
Brightness 60/62
Color 66
Hue R4
Color Temp. Warm
Sharpness 40
ClearEdge VM High
Color Axis Monitor

This set may be at its end of life cycle.

Well, that was fast. What--five months?

Hey all. Newbie here. Great thread/information. Learned much.

Have this set, no complaints. Have it connected to the HD-A1. Was wondering if anyone also had this same set up, could comment on thier picture settings when using the player. Have it connected with hdmi. Still tweaking it now and then, currently settled with the settings below. But any opinions/suggestions r greatly appreciated. Thanx much.

Picture 70
Brightness 60/62
Color 66
Hue R4
Color Temp. Warm
Sharpness 40
ClearEdge VM High
Color Axis Monitor

The toshiba Hd-dvd player? Is the PQ sharp? If you can, can you take a shot of your set :D

The toshiba Hd-dvd player? Is the PQ sharp? If you can, can you take a shot of your set :D

The PQ is extremely sharp and detailed. Also, the upconversion on this player is great. Apologies, I do not have, currently, the means to take a picture, upload and post it. I'll try to see if one of my buddies has something I could use.

A question about the sharpness, this is a rookie question. I can't seem to, really, settle on a setting for sharpness. Is it that, the more sharpness you apply, the less "grainy" appearance you get, or is it the opposite? If you apply more sharpness, does that "blurry" the image more. I read on another board that someone recommended that you turn sharpness off, as "digital images do not need sharpening". Would anyone agree with that? It's just hard to decern with this player and tv, as the image is already so sharp and crystal. Thanx for any suggestions.

Oops. Just notice a thread on this in the HD-A1 forum too. Will check it out. Any opinions on sharpness settings for this tv are still appreciated. Thanx.

The PQ is extremely sharp and detailed. Also, the upconversion on this player is great. Apologies, I do not have, currently, the means to take a picture, upload and post it. I'll try to see if one of my buddies has something I could use.

If you email pics to me i can host it.. just let me know. Im intrested in seeing pics too.




Oops. Just notice a thread on this in the HD-A1 forum too. Will check it out. Any opinions on sharpness settings for this tv are still appreciated. Thanx..

Where's that thread??? i just took a quick look and couldnt find it.

currently there is only one widescreen tube 34xbr. In the article sony mention next year, early by feb there will be two models. So that means one new or two new models don't know for sure. I bet a 30 and maybe am hoping, wishful thinking a 26 .But i am sure 34,30 only. am hoping 26 because 34 inch are not selling well. don't forget sony annouce there new models last february.

If you email pics to me i can host it.. just let me know. Im intrested in seeing pics too.


Where's that thread??? i just took a quick look and couldnt find it.

I wish I had something just to take the picture with, sorry, man, I just don't have anything I could take a picture with. I'll see if I can get one of my friends to come over and see if he has something I can use...

Apologies, the site won't let me put in the url as I have not made enough posts yet. But, go the HD DVD Players forum, not HD-A1 forum, my bad, use "search this forum" and type in "sharpness settings". It's the thread entitled "sharpness settings for viewing HD".

Thanks and no worries :D So there will be two widescreen models next year? I think 30/34 is likely again, too.

I'm going to order a KD-34XBR970 and matching Sony SU-34XBR4 XBR TV Stand from Crutchfield...my 1st HDTV :)

Newbie question: What should I hook up to the lone HDMI input?

I'll have a HDTV Set-top box from Cablevision (need to order) and an old DVD player. Do the set-top boxes have HDMI outputs? Should I get a new DVD player with HDMI output?

Edit: Follow-up question - I don't suppose the set comes with a HDMI cable...does it?

Just got a 970 from BB on Friday. Open box for $768!
So far I'm very happy with it. I don't see it alot because it's the
bedroom, but it's hooked up to D* HD just like the downstairs set.
(that's a Toshiba 65" RP CRT.) The picture on the SONY is incredibly
detailed. I have Picture mode on PRO, and VM on LOW. Color Temp
is on MEDIUM. I can't imagine why anyone would use VIVID mode for
ANY type of viewing. It's absolutely awful! It applies terrible edge
enhancement.
The only issues are minor geometry and convergence in the lower left.
I plan to eventually get into the SM to try and correct this.

Anyway, I'm really pleased! I was considering everything from a
Westinghouse 27" LCD to the 46" E2000 SONY LCD. The 46" was too
expensive, and the Westy was too small for the price.

A few quick questions for owners of the 970:

1) How does the QAM tuner work? (I know some sets have trouble going to and from the QAM...see the Westy LCD thread if you don't know what I'm getting at.)

2) Any gaming lag? (XBox 360 owners willing to chime in on this?)

3) Buy a new 970 of spend about ~ $50-100 more for an open box 955? (If I can find one; I've never tried buying open box models for something this pricey. Wondering how all that time in 'torch mode' will affect its lifespan.)

I'm planning on using this set as my main TV for the next 5+ years, then transition it to a bedroom TV...if that affects anyone's analysis.

Any opinions on which calibration disc to use with the KD-34XBR970?

Monster HDTV Calibration Wizard
(see crutchfield)
Item #119HDTVCAL
$29.99

or

AVIA GUIDE TO HOME THEATER
(see deepdiscountdvd)
Item Number: IMA005867D
$36.54


Note: I could not linkify because of AVS Forum restrictions until one makes 5 posts.

Please don't give Monster any of your money.

Please don't give Monster any of your money.

I think I'm going to go with the AVIA GUIDE. Monster did not do so well with the Customer Reviews. For example:

Monster hole in my wallet, August 5, 2006
Reviewer: Wayne F. XXXXXX (Bonita, ca USA)

Color me stupid
Save you money and your time.
Thirty dollars for 20 minutes?? HAH!! Just like every other Monster product; overpriced and over-rated. Save you money buy a
real calibration DVD.
If I could give it back, I would.
Don't be sucked in by the name....

Hi folks, just bought the SONY 34XBR970. It has one HDMI port. I will pick up a HDcable box from Time Warner today with, they tell me, an HDMI port there. I also need to buy a progressive scan DVD player. For a few more bucks I am told that I should get one with an HDMI port that "upconverts" to a higher resolution. Cheap suggestions anyone? SOOOO what should I do for the connections? Cable box to TV? DVD player to TV? Can I "split" an HDMI cable? I watch broadcast TV mostly but really want to get the best DVD playback that I can? Suggestions?

One more question: I am sure that I have goofed up the picture settings. Everything looks really contrast-y with hot reds and deep too-dark blacks etc. Any suggestions on how to reset the picture settings to just a plain normal? LOL

Whew, thanks for your patience, I am older than dirt and this stuff is new as a baby for me!

Hi folks, just bought the SONY 34XBR970. It has one HDMI port. I will pick up a HDcable box from Time Warner today with, they tell me, an HDMI port there. I also need to buy a progressive scan DVD player. For a few more bucks I am told that I should get one with an HDMI port that "upconverts" to a higher resolution. Cheap suggestions anyone? SOOOO what should I do for the connections? Cable box to TV? DVD player to TV? Can I "split" an HDMI cable? I watch broadcast TV mostly but really want to get the best DVD playback that I can? Suggestions?
Use component cables to connect the HD Cable Box (STB) to your tv. These usually give better picture quality (PQ) than with HDMI cables. This frees-up your HDMI interface, so you can use it for your upconverting dvd player.

One more question: I am sure that I have goofed up the picture settings. Everything looks really contrast-y with hot reds and deep too-dark blacks etc. Any suggestions on how to reset the picture settings to just a plain normal? LOL
I have the previous version of this set (the KV-34HS420) and I could swear there was a reset function with the remote control. Look in your user guide in the remote control section for this. IF you are using the "Vivid" picture mode, change that ASAP. It's no good for your tv. Use Pro or Standard. For starters, you might try "Picture" (Sony uses this for Contrast) around 60, Brightness around 70-75, Color and Hue at the mid point, and Sharpness low, maybe around 30-40. Keep ClearEdge at Low or Off and use the Medium or Normal Color Temp. The best thing to do is buy a calibration dvd and give your tv a proper calibration. I recommend Avia or DVE.

Whew, thanks for your patience, I am older than dirt and this stuff is new as a baby for me!
Old as dirt? I just turned 50 last year, and sometimes I feel that way. ;)

I think I'm going to go with the AVIA GUIDE. Monster did not do so well with the Customer Reviews. For example:

Monster hole in my wallet, August 5, 2006
Reviewer: Wayne F. XXXXXX (Bonita, ca USA)

Color me stupid
Save you money and your time.
Thirty dollars for 20 minutes?? HAH!! Just like every other Monster product; overpriced and over-rated. Save you money buy a
real calibration DVD.
If I could give it back, I would.
Don't be sucked in by the name....
I have Avia, DVE and Sound & Vision's Home Theater Tuneup, and I've had occasion to use them all. DVE is best for those who've done this before. Avia has a little easier user interface. Home theater Tuneup is geared more towards newbies, but it has an outstanding introduction and is great at guiding the user through all the necessary steps. And, it has all the necessary test patterns for advanced work in the Service Menu.

I own the Sony 34" KV34HS510 and I am in the market to buy another one. I am at best buy looking at the XBR970........and am ready to shell out the 950 bucks they are selling it for, but they have an open box of the XBR960 for 800 dollars. it is a bit dinged up, and no telling how long it has been running, there is the possibility of me getting them to lower the price some more, sooooooooo.........

I have read through most of this thread, my question is - how important is the super fine pitch on the 960 vs. the 970 without? I was really excited about getting a XBR for under a grand, but from what I have read here - this TV really isn't a XBR? is it better than my KV34HS510?

Thanks

btw - I have been on this forum alot, just never posted before, feel free to flame me if I am asking a retarded question.

I would like to know the answer to claybryant's question as well. I can go grab the 970 at hhgregg today for the great price listed above but I can't make my mind up. This will be a set mostly for xbox 360 and some DVD play.

exactly - I am using this purely for my Xbox360..........

Any opinions on which calibration disc to use with the KD-34XBR970?

Monster HDTV Calibration Wizard
(see crutchfield)
Item #119HDTVCAL
$29.99

or

AVIA GUIDE TO HOME THEATER
(see deepdiscountdvd)
Item Number: IMA005867D
$36.54


Note: I could not linkify because of AVS Forum restrictions until one makes 5 posts.The Monster/ISF disc is actually pretty accurate for adjusting user controls. I purchased one for evaluation and it achieved accurate results. This is not a technical, advanced calibration disc. It is one the average consumer can follow, not be intimidated by test patterns and easily achieve good results. I have seen many with DVE and Avia and not been able to make the correct adjustments. It is quick and easy.

SOOOO what should I do for the connections? Cable box to TV? DVD player to TV? Can I "split" an HDMI cable? I watch broadcast TV mostly but really want to get the best DVD playback that I can? Suggestions?

That was my question too. I did find this as a possible solution:
Av Switcher with HDmi Inputs

Product Description
The VS-HD31 is ideal for Home Theater and commercial applications such as bars, restaurants, churches, conference centers, a/v rooms, retail stores, and more! The VS-HD31 features 3 HDMI inputs and 1 output - expand your home theater without breaking your budget. It provides a single cable solution to connect HD sources to HDMI compatible TVs. The low-profile, compact design takes up precious little space on an A/V rack. Included is a remote, making switching between sources effortless. It features Signal Enhancement circuitry can be activated with the touch of a button, boosting long-distance signals back to Hi-def clarity instantly. Slim ?credit-card' size Remote Included

The Monster/ISF disc is actually pretty accurate for adjusting user controls. I purchased one for evaluation and it achieved accurate results. This is not a technical, advanced calibration disc. It is one the average consumer can follow, not be intimidated by test patterns and easily achieve good results. I have seen many with DVE and Avia and not been able to make the correct adjustments. It is quick and easy.Monster=bad
There has to be another way.

Use component cables to connect the HD Cable Box (STB) to your tv. These usually give better picture quality (PQ) than with HDMI cables.

That's interesting. If I'm only hooking up a set-top box and an old DVD player (i.e. not Up-Converting capable) to my KD-34XBR970, are you suggesting I forgo utlizing the HDMI connector altogether...that I would get better PQ using component cables to connect my set-top box?

Any opinions on which calibration disc to use with the KD-34XBR970?

Monster HDTV Calibration Wizard
(see crutchfield)
Item #119HDTVCAL
$29.99

or

AVIA GUIDE TO HOME THEATER
(see deepdiscountdvd)
Item Number: IMA005867D
$36.54


Note: I could not linkify because of AVS Forum restrictions until one makes 5 posts.

I used DVE for my xbr970 just 2 weeks ago and the results were awesome. All the horror stories I've read on this forum about the DVD navigation being difficult were not true in my case - I thought the navigation was pretty easy.

Also, I bought the Ideal Lume Bias Light and installed it behind my set, and the benefits of having this bias lighting is extremely high. I can not emphasize the importance of having this lamp behind your set for quality viewing. The colors and most especially, the blacks, really look great with the light.

DVE + Bias Lighting + xbr970 = 1 Happy Viewer! :)

That's interesting. If I'm only hooking up a set-top box and an old DVD player (i.e. not Up-Converting capable) to my KD-34XBR970, are you suggesting I forgo utlizing the HDMI connector altogether...that I would get better PQ using component cables to connect my set-top box?
It's all a matter of taste. I have found that I get better PQ by using the component interface with my Comcast STB (6412) than by using HDMI. This has been echoed by many other crt owners as well. Our crt sets are analog devices. Even if they receive a digital signal over DVI or HDMI, the set will convert it to analog for display. I would assume that using a digital interface would be much more important to digital displays like LCD and DLP, etc. For these displays, keeping the signal in the digital domain from the source all the way to the "screen" offers the best shot at the best PQ.

Give both a try and see what you think - then use what looks best.

Clearedge VM in pro mode, for dvd viewing specifically. It seems most state this should be set to "off". It seems, to me, it looks better with it on....Does it add "noise" to the picture, even if it is not discernable? Would appreciate any insight...thanx

Clearedge VM in pro mode, for dvd viewing specifically. It seems most state this should be set to "off". It seems, to me, it looks better with it on....Does it add "noise" to the picture, even if it is not discernable? Would appreciate any insight...thanx
I'm with you.

And that puts us both outside of the "norm." Most everywhere you'll read posts encouraging that there be no edge enhancement whatsoever. This doesn't work for me. In the beginning I used Pro mode exclusively, and ClearEdge at Low. Then I learned about the SYSM setting in the SM. It's kind of a global "sharpness" setting. It ranges from "3" which is similar to lowest, to "1" or "0" which represent highest levels of sharpness (which is also a kind of edge enhancement). I played with SYSM and finally decided I liked it at "2." Now, I prefer the Standard picture mode with ClearEdge at Low and SYSM at "2."

I do not see it as adding noise. Noise is another thing entirely and would go well beyond simple edge enhancement.

There's all kinds of technical and preference issues at play here. Bottom line - it's your viewing experience and you should set it up to match your tastes.

I'm with you.

And that puts us both outside of the "norm." Most everywhere you'll read posts encouraging that there be no edge enhancement whatsoever. This doesn't work for me. In the beginning I used Pro mode exclusively, and ClearEdge at Low. Then I learned about the SYSM setting in the SM. It's kind of a global "sharpness" setting. It ranges from "3" which is similar to lowest, to "1" or "0" which represent highest levels of sharpness (which is also a kind of edge enhancement). I played with SYSM and finally decided I liked it at "2." Now, I prefer the Standard picture mode with ClearEdge at Low and SYSM at "2."

I do not see it as adding noise. Noise is another thing entirely and would go well beyond simple edge enhancement.

There's all kinds of technical and preference issues at play here. Bottom line - it's your viewing experience and you should set it up to match your tastes.

justsc, appreciate the info and the reply. thanx much.

I'm going to order a KD-34XBR970 and matching Sony SU-34XBR4 XBR TV Stand from Crutchfield...my 1st HDTV :)

Congrats on your choice. I'm planning a similar purchase for my father. Do you know if that vendor will arrange to deliver the stand first? That would allow my father to assemble the stand first (which he can do by himself) and then have the tv placed on the stand (which he can't) when it is delivered. Tnx and good luck with your new set.

Just bought the XBR970 at J&R music world today.Came out to $980.72.They are delivering it tuesday.I cant wait.

Congrats on your choice. I'm planning a similar purchase for my father. Do you know if that vendor will arrange to deliver the stand first? That would allow my father to assemble the stand first (which he can do by himself) and then have the tv placed on the stand (which he can't) when it is delivered. Tnx and good luck with your new set.

IF you order them from Crutchfield at the same time, the stand will be delivered first via UPS GROUND. The TV is shipped via one of their freight carriers. "Our freight carrier will contact you to set a delivery appointment. If you prefer, you may make delivery arrangements by contacting the freight carrier yourself."

Either way, the stand will arive first. I set up my stand last night. Now I'm waiting for the TV. Tip: Make sure you have your dad pick up some super sliders or magic sliders to put underneath the stand so he'll be able to move it ;). I bought a package of 4 (100mm round size) for $20 at Home Depot.

I own the Sony 34" KV34HS510 and I am in the market to buy another one. I am at best buy looking at the XBR970........and am ready to shell out the 950 bucks they are selling it for, but they have an open box of the XBR960 for 800 dollars. it is a bit dinged up, and no telling how long it has been running, there is the possibility of me getting them to lower the price some more, sooooooooo.........


the sfp makes a big difference. ive seen both televisions in direct comparison and personally i think the 960's finer dot pitch(especial at the edges and corners) produces a much clearer image. but id see if i couldn't knock a little more of that price.

I own the Sony 34" KV34HS510 and I am in the market to buy another one. I am at best buy looking at the XBR970........and am ready to shell out the 950 bucks they are selling it for, but they have an open box of the XBR960 for 800 dollars. it is a bit dinged up, and no telling how long it has been running, there is the possibility of me getting them to lower the price some more, sooooooooo.........

I have read through most of this thread, my question is - how important is the super fine pitch on the 960 vs. the 970 without? I was really excited about getting a XBR for under a grand, but from what I have read here - this TV really isn't a XBR? is it better than my KV34HS510?

Thanks

btw - I have been on this forum alot, just never posted before, feel free to flame me if I am asking a retarded question.
Sony's SFP tube is their top of the line crt. No question about it. And like other products, it has its strengths and weaknesses. The crt in the 970 is also a premier tube. No question here either. And, like the 960, it too has its strengths and weaknesses.

When I was in the market 2 years ago I compared the two tubes (KV-34HS420 vs KD-34XBR960) side-by-side. Both were outstanding. At 5 feet, my preferred viewing distance, the lines on the 960 were much harder to detect (nearly impossible) than the lines on the HS420. By moving to 6 feet I couldn't detect the lines on either set. I did notice that the HS420 had better brightness than the 960, a direct result of the finer dot pitch on the 960. The 960 was selling for $2,199 and the HS420 for $1,449. I simply could not see $650 worth of improved picture quality in the 960. It was better, but not that much better. I had the funds to get either set, but I went home with the HS420. And I haven't regretted my decision even once.

Regarding the 960 you are talking about - you really need to see it perform. Take in a dvd you are very familiar with and ask then to hook-up and progressive scan player using component cables and see what you think. Go into the user menu and set the picture mode to Pro, Contrast (Sony calls it "Picture") to about 40 (8 ticks past the midline), Brightness about 50 (18 tics from mid line - you get the idea), Color and Tint each at the mid line and Sharpness around the mid line. Set ClearEdge to Low or Off. See what you think. If it looks really good, as it should, then consider taking it home. I would try to get the price lowered by around $50-$100. Be sure you can still return it within 30 days for refund or exchange and that it has the new tv warranty for the 960.

Best of Luck!

Tip: Make sure you have your dad pick up some super sliders or magic sliders to put underneath the stand so he'll be able to move it ;). I bought a package of 4 (100mm round size) for $20 at Home Depot.

If the stand is going to be on a hard floor instead of carpet then you can go to Wal-Mart and pick up some 1/4" felt sliders for around $2.

I suggest everyone waits for the new sony widescreen tubes . They will appear around early march or february. much lower prices.

If the stand is going to be on a hard floor instead of carpet then you can go to Wal-Mart and pick up some 1/4" felt sliders for around $2.

super/magic sliders are for hardwood floors too. I think they'll peform better than felt pads.

I suggest everyone waits for the new sony widescreen tubes . They will appear around early march or february. much lower prices.

Is there a press release or something that you can direct us to? I'm wondering if these new sony widescreen tubes will make the XBR70 the new XBR60 if you know what I mean.

exactly - I am using this purely for my Xbox360..........

the 360 looks fantastic on the 970. I leave the 360 on 720p. Unbeleivable picture. Zero issues.

I suggest everyone waits for the new sony widescreen tubes . They will appear around early march or february. much lower prices.

While this may be true, you fail to account for opportunity cost. By forgoing a purchase until another 6 months have passed, one would also miss most of the TV season, the entire NFL season, half of NBA season, the entire NCAAF and NCAA-BB seasons, figure skating, etc., etc. If you're into that sort of thing.

Not that I care what people buy when, but the suggestion above is a little silly. If you have a strict budget, then it is a good idea to wait until prices drop to get the set you really want. If you really want a Sony but have a refurbed Philips budget, then maybe waiting until March is a great idea.

(Feh, don't listen to me. Do what you want. )

Hey, I paid $1200 for my 970; so $999 is an awsome price for this set.

the 360 looks fantastic on the 970. I leave the 360 on 720p. Unbeleivable picture. Zero issues.

You set the 360 to 720p?Isnt this CRT 1080i native?The games should look much better in 1080i.Have you tried both resolutions.There should be a noticable difference.

You set the 360 to 720p?Isnt this CRT 1080i native?The games should look much better in 1080i.Have you tried both resolutions.There should be a noticable difference.
This isn't always true.

I have both a Samsung and a Sony digital set. I also have an Oppo upconverting player. I have found that for both sets it's best to set the Oppo at 720p. Sometimes the video processors in peripheral devices are better than those in our tv's, and when a peripheral processes for a progressive scan setting more than just PS is applied. This, in turn, can enhance the image quality even if the set is native at 1080i.

You set the 360 to 720p?Isnt this CRT 1080i native?The games should look much better in 1080i.Have you tried both resolutions.There should be a noticable difference.

I tried them both. The games are made for 720p. The TV scales them to 1080i better than the Xbox and they look outstanding.

If you can, please post a shot of your 970 when playing the 360 :D Something upclose, to compare small text would be nice. thank youuuu

Is the KD-34XBR970 HDCP compliant? I'm assuming since those 4 letters don't appear in the manual or on Sony's web page that it isn't. Just wanted to be sure though.

I received an email from Sony tech support that says the HDMI input is HDCP compliant. Just letting everyone know.

super/magic sliders are for hardwood floors too. I think they'll peform better than felt pads.

Wow. I didn't know they were made for hardwood floors too. I've only ever used the felt pads myself and have been able to move around furniture without scratching my floor. I'll have to checkout the super/magic sliders next time I see them in a store.

You set the 360 to 720p?Isnt this CRT 1080i native?The games should look much better in 1080i.Have you tried both resolutions.There should be a noticable difference.

The only difference here is which device does the better scaling of 720p-1080i...the tv or xbox360.

either way your still getting 1080i, only the tv is doing the scaling instead of the xbox360.

Xbox360 is 720p native resolution, It's my understanding that the only reason there is an 1080i option in the the dashboard is for owners of HDTV's without 720p support..these owners have no choice but to pick 1080i in the dashboard settings.

Picking 720p would give you a blank screen since the tv does'nt support it.

The general consesus from what i gatherd so far is use 720p if your tv supports it, if your tv does'nt support 720p use 1080i. whatever you pick either way your tv is still doing 1080i resolution.

I tried them both. The games are made for 720p. The TV scales them to 1080i better than the Xbox and they look outstanding.


But doesn't some of the screen get cut off? thats whats been said in previous posts.. has anyone had a fix for it?

But doesn't some of the screen get cut off? thats whats been said in previous posts.. has anyone had a fix for it?


It's not really an issue with the game, it's more or less an issue with the actual tv having too much overscan. 5% overscan is recommended for CRT's.

Hi folks,

I'm a new member and brand new KD34XBR970 owner. I love the set except for one seriously aggravating thing. And I just had the most maddening conversation with a Sony rep.

Here's the deal. When going from my STB/PVR via HDMI into the TV, I cannot get digital audio out of the TV to my home theater receiver. Apparently the TV was not designed to pass through the digital audio when the input is HDMI.

No problem, I'll send video via HDMI and just connect the digital coax straight from the STB to the receiver. Well... since there is a fraction of a second of video processing done by the TV, the video lags behind the audio a few frames and throws off the lip sync.

So I explain all this to the Sony rep and she explains that the TV doesn't send a digital signal out. I informed it that it quite clearly does A) because there's a digital audio output in the first place (duh), and that B) it does so quite beautifully when I receive my signals from rabbit ears over the air. My receiver displays when it's getting Dolby Digital, or any other type of processed signal, and I am quite aware of what it is getting at any given time.

So the only thing of which I am ignorant is what type of audio is sent through the HDMI cable. Is it digital? If it is, it is insane that the TV cannot pass it through the digital audio output.

If it's analog, that's all I need to know. And I'll be a little disappointed that that is the case.

The rep's lame excuse was that the over the air signal is converted to analog in the TV before going to the TV's built-in speakers. OK, whatever, I don't care about the on-board speakers. But it passes through the digital output digitally. So I have a TV that's capable of receiving Dolby Digital AND sending it out, a cable box capable of providing said signal, and a receiver capable of receiving it to distribute it to my surround Sound speakers in glorious dolbe digital. And yet, the ONLY digital input into the TV for audio (HDMI) will not pass it through to the only digital audio output.

And the Sony rep acted like I was crazy for expecting that.

So I've tried to figure out which piece of equipment I have to replace to complete that circle. And every scenario I have imagined still has the TV processing the video and something else processing the audio, and the sync being off no matter what.

I can't believe there is no solution to that.

Comments?

Ok i got my set today and i love it.I have been using the DVE dvd to setup the TV.Trying to get everything to look good.Its a lttle wierd getting around the DVE disc though.I have been going back and forth from 720p to 1080i on my 360 and on this set i dont see much of a difference.There was a very noticable difference on the 36xbr800 i had before i picked up the 970.Its a great set.

Hi folks,

I'm a new member and brand new KD34XBR970 owner. I love the set except for one seriously aggravating thing. And I just had the most maddening conversation with a Sony rep.

Here's the deal. When going from my STB/PVR via HDMI into the TV, I cannot get digital audio out of the TV to my home theater receiver. Apparently the TV was not designed to pass through the digital audio when the input is HDMI.

No problem, I'll send video via HDMI and just connect the digital coax straight from the STB to the receiver. Well... since there is a fraction of a second of video processing done by the TV, the video lags behind the audio a few frames and throws off the lip sync.

So I explain all this to the Sony rep and she explains that the TV doesn't send a digital signal out. I informed it that it quite clearly does A) because there's a digital audio output in the first place (duh), and that B) it does so quite beautifully when I receive my signals from rabbit ears over the air. My receiver displays when it's getting Dolby Digital, or any other type of processed signal, and I am quite aware of what it is getting at any given time.

So the only thing of which I am ignorant is what type of audio is sent through the HDMI cable. Is it digital? If it is, it is insane that the TV cannot pass it through the digital audio output.

If it's analog, that's all I need to know. And I'll be a little disappointed that that is the case.

The rep's lame excuse was that the over the air signal is converted to analog in the TV before going to the TV's built-in speakers. OK, whatever, I don't care about the on-board speakers. But it passes through the digital output digitally. So I have a TV that's capable of receiving Dolby Digital AND sending it out, a cable box capable of providing said signal, and a receiver capable of receiving it to distribute it to my surround Sound speakers in glorious dolbe digital. And yet, the ONLY digital input into the TV for audio (HDMI) will not pass it through to the only digital audio output.

And the Sony rep acted like I was crazy for expecting that.

So I've tried to figure out which piece of equipment I have to replace to complete that circle. And every scenario I have imagined still has the TV processing the video and something else processing the audio, and the sync being off no matter what.

I can't believe there is no solution to that.

Comments?

I have a fairly new 32" Sony XBR LCD tv and it's the same situation. That digital output on the tv, is only for tv shows, picked up by the tvs internal tuner! I had used my digital output for over the air HD shows that the tv was capable of picking up. I had hoped that the output would work for my HD DVD player that's hooked to the set, but no dice.
I haven't noticed any lip sync issues yet.

Hello.

First post here! Just picked up the 970 over the weekend. For the most part I've been pretty pleased so far. My first HD set, first set over 25 inches, etc. So I'm a newbie. I've read over this thread and the first five or six pages of KenTech's monster Service Menu thread, the first as I prepared to purchase the set and the second after I got it home.

I've got a small issue that's making me think I'm going to have to return the set to Best Buy and exchange it for another. But I want to get a few opinions before I do that, and get a little more info on the issue, since I'm basically just making an educated guess with very little education.

Here's the issue:

I didn't notice it immediately, but horizontal lines are drooping down as they approach the left side of the screen. It's noticeable when I've got the guide up, but I first noticed it when I was watching a letterboxed movie. At first it looked like just a slight bend downward. I'm not sure if the problem's gotten worse, or I've just become more and more able to see it, but either way, it's begun to bother me.

Last night I brought up the guide so that I could have a straight, horizontal, lasting white line across the set. At the very right side of the screen, it seemed fine, all white and level. At the very left edge, the line not only drooped, but—and here I was only inches away from the screen—I could also discern the individual Red, Green, and Blue "pieces" of what should've been a white line.

The terms "geometry" and "convergence" are thrown around a lot on this board, and aside from their general definitions, I'm not sure exactly what they mean. But what I'm seeing sounds like it'd be an issue in both regards.

I've also read, that while there are Service Menu adjustments for these things, adjustments that I might be inclined to try out, horizontal distortion cannot be fixed and requires magnets and compentant service and the like.

So I'm wondering: should I just take it back and exchange it? Is there anything I can do/try before I do so? What exactly is the problem I'm describing?

Any help/info/insight/advice is appreciated! I hope I can get this set working or get a working set back in the living room by this weekend.

Thanks,

Jeremy.

Jeremy,

This line bending problem exists in all of the KD-34xxx TVs, some more than others. This is a mechanical/physical magnet issue, not a Service Menu issue. One option is to return it and hope the next is not worse. Another is to call Sony service telling them the lines bend down in the corner and see if a Warranty repair technician can fix the problem, if he can’t, you can then return the TV. Lastly, depending on the severity, you can try to live with it.

“EVERY” TV has its compromises, all we can do is pick the ones we can live with.

Jeremy,

This line bending problem exists in all of the KD-34xxx TVs, some more than others. This is a mechanical/physical magnet issue, not a Service Menu issue. One option is to return it and hope the next is not worse. Another is to call Sony service telling them the lines bend down in the corner and see if a Warranty repair technician can fix the problem, if he can’t, you can then return the TV. Lastly, depending on the severity, you can try to live with it.

“EVERY” TV has its compromises, all we can do is pick the ones we can live with.

Thanks.

So, is the color seperation I noticed along with the bending an aspect of the bending itself, or something that's occuring simultaneously and can be fixed [while the bending itself cannot]?

Oh, and could this issue get worse? Or does something like this stay relatively steady? I know I've only had it for like 4 days, but I'm going to keep an eye on it...

I've read that gemoetry issues are quite common, and I'm wondering what people consider livewithable. Below is a picture I drew up, from memory, of what I'm experiencing—so it's not exact, but an idea. Say that the Black/White border is the upper edge of a letterboxed film. Is something like that within normal limits? Too much? It doesn't bother my girlfriend, and if this is about as good as it gets, I'd be inclined to keep the set and work on making what I've got as good as possible.

Image:

they consider acceptable?]

And, while I'm here, I've got an additional small geometry issue noticable only when I'm watching 4:3 programming in "Normal" mode: the borders tend to bow out near the top and bottom, in a very minimal hourglass effect. This, I'm assuming, is something I can fix, correct?

Input on what's "acceptable" geometry would be valued. I know it's all about what I can live with, but I want to know what others are working with.

Thanks, love this forum.

Picked mine up today from a guy on Craigslist. He said it's a demo, I think it's just a used TV. The only problem the TV has is a few little scuffs on the case and the volume, scroll and channel buttons on the TV do not work. Any Idea what might cause this and what it might cost to fix? I want to make sure I can use the damn thing if the remote breaks. :)

Got home and hooked up my LG upconverting DVD player with an HDMI cable bought at Micro Center (15', $55) and it looks beautiful. Thankfully, the remote works so I can use the TV! Anyway, paid $540 and am loving it.

I have a fairly new 32" Sony XBR LCD tv and it's the same situation. That digital output on the tv, is only for tv shows, picked up by the tvs internal tuner! I had used my digital output for over the air HD shows that the tv was capable of picking up. I had hoped that the output would work for my HD DVD player that's hooked to the set, but no dice.
I haven't noticed any lip sync issues yet.

The lip synch issue is only present when I'm sending video via the HDMI cable and bypassing the TV to send digital audio straight from the cabe box to my receiver.

As long as audio and video are being processed by the TV there is no lip sync issue (like your set-up for over the air).

And when it's present, the sync is only off by a few frames, say a tenth of a second, but it's enough to be noticeable.

The lip synch issue is only present when I'm sending video via the HDMI cable and bypassing the TV to send digital audio straight from the cabe box to my receiver.

As long as audio and video are being processed by the TV there is no lip sync issue (like your set-up for over the air).

And when it's present, the sync is only off by a few frames, say a tenth of a second, but it's enough to be noticeable.

I have my HD DVD player hooked via HDMI to my tv and the audio hooked via coax to my receiver. Haven't noticed any lip sync issues with the LCD.
I am actually getting a KV-34HS420 on Saturday, which will be hooked up to the HD DVD player. I wonder if I will start getting lip sync issues?

I have my HD DVD player hooked via HDMI to my tv and the audio hooked via coax to my receiver. Haven't noticed any lip sync issues with the LCD.
I am actually getting a KV-34HS420 on Saturday, which will be hooked up to the HD DVD player. I wonder if I will start getting lip sync issues?
I've got the 34HS420 hooked up to an Oppo upconverting player and I get no lip sync issues at all. My set-up has a DVI-HDMI cable from the Oppo to my tv, with optical audio out from the player to my receiver. No worries.

I am a newcomer to this forum, and am having a real problem that I cannot find the answer to. I have contacted several stores, and nobody can help me. Thus, I humbly throw myself at the feet of this forum. Here is the situation: I purchased the XBR970, as well as the new Sony DVP-NS75H upconvert DVD player. The problem is that no matter what I do, the picture is not a huge improvement over a normal progressive scan player. I've used both HDMI and component, and the latter looks the best, but still not great. Now, my friend has the same player but a new Sony XBR LCD, and the upconvert is much, much better than on my set. Can someone please offer some advice or suggest something?

I am a newcomer to this forum, and am having a real problem that I cannot find the answer to. I have contacted several stores, and nobody can help me. Thus, I humbly throw myself at the feet of this forum. Here is the situation: I purchased the XBR970, as well as the new Sony DVP-NS75H upconvert DVD player. The problem is that no matter what I do, the picture is not a huge improvement over a normal progressive scan player. I've used both HDMI and component, and the latter looks the best, but still not great. Now, my friend has the same player but a new Sony XBR LCD, and the upconvert is much, much better than on my set. Can someone please offer some advice or suggest something?

DVD is limited to 480i resolution..the DVD is not going to magically turn into HD.

Theres not much you can do really,i think your just expecting too much probably.

I am a newcomer to this forum, and am having a real problem that I cannot find the answer to. I have contacted several stores, and nobody can help me. Thus, I humbly throw myself at the feet of this forum. Here is the situation: I purchased the XBR970, as well as the new Sony DVP-NS75H upconvert DVD player. The problem is that no matter what I do, the picture is not a huge improvement over a normal progressive scan player. I've used both HDMI and component, and the latter looks the best, but still not great. Now, my friend has the same player but a new Sony XBR LCD, and the upconvert is much, much better than on my set. Can someone please offer some advice or suggest something?
Upconversion technology is actually intended for fixed-pixel displays. Or, to put it another way - fixed-pixel displays can be expected to get the most from upconverting players. Much of the strengths of these players has to do with the digital processing that results in a progressive scan format. All fixed-pixel displays run in a progressive scan format. Since our crt sets are not progressive scan, they may not gain much benefit from some of the upconverting players. As you have seen, a crt set with a good PS player can look very, very good.

I feel fortunate to have the Oppo upconverting player. On my crt set the PQ is much better with the Oppo than with a PS player.

You might consider returning the player and trying another, or just continue to enjoy the PQ from your PS player.

Thank you for your advice, but I'm just confused on one thing: If my TV can run 720p and 1080i, then why can't I use the upconvert? I'm not sure I understand about the fixed pixel display.

I think player/tv compatibility may come into play here. I also have a 32" Sony XBR LCD.
Before I bought my Toshiba HD DVD player, I tried two different upconverting players.
First was the top Panasonic(model number escapes me). It had the famous Faroudja chip and looked horrible on the XBR LCD. So much grain and macroblocking as to make the picture unwatchable. I switched to the Sony upconverting player, not the new 75, the older 70. It was much smoother, no macroblocking.
So, it could very well be that the Sony, for a CRT, isn't up to snuff. The Oppo or Panasonic might be better, who knows?
I'm hoping that, as my Toshiba HD DVD player outputs 1080i, it will be a good match for the Sony CRT I'm getting on Saturday!

12
DISCONTINUANCE OF XBR970

I have not seen this on this site, but Crutchfield is telling callers that as of 9/7, Sony marked this model as discontinued. Crutchfield indicates that they are limited to what is in stock. Is this true? It seems a little early. I am in final stages of deciding on a 970, as our room cannot accomodate anything over 34" and all viewing needs to be done on a 30-40 degree angle. I am also using a rather heavy coffee table with shelf (which has the right dimensions) for a stand and which the salesman, weighing 206 pounds, was able to stand and walk on without stress. My wife feels the coffee table is more functional than an XBR stand, now that it appears to be supportive of the weight of this set, and it's less money. Any comments here too? The discontinuance notice, if true, creates a certain sense of urgency.

12
DISCONTINUANCE OF XBR970

I have not seen this on this site, but Crutchfield is telling callers that as of 9/7, Sony marked this model as discontinued. Crutchfield indicates that they are limited to what is in stock. Is this true? It seems a little early. I am in final stages of deciding on a 970, as our room cannot accomodate anything over 34" and all viewing needs to be done on a 30-40 degree angle. I am also using a rather heavy coffee table with shelf (which has the right dimensions) for a stand and which the salesman, weighing 206 pounds, was able to stand and walk on without stress. My wife feels the coffee table is more functional than an XBR stand, now that it appears to be supportive of the weight of this set, and it's less money. Any comments here too? The discontinuance notice, if true, creates a certain sense of urgency.

That's the first I've heard of the XBR970 being discontinued. However, Sonystyle just reduced their price to match crutchfield at 999. Regarding stands...
I bought the Sony SU-34XBR4 Matching TV stand for the Sony XBR970 (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-t172NF8wK8y/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?search=KD34XBR970&i=158SU34XB4) and I'm VERY happy with it. It is so tightly integrated with the TV, it appears to be one piece. If you have a 2006 entertainment book, there is a $50 off $250 coupon that you can use on the stand, but not the tv.

Crutchfield.com Chat Session Log

Session Started with Agent (Adam)
Agent (Adam): "Hi my name is Adam. How may I help you today?"
Me: "can you tell me if the Sony KD-34XBR970 is being discontinued?"
Agent (Adam): "Taking a look if we have any information on it being discontinued yet..."
Agent (Adam): "Looks like I do show we will not be getting that model after we sell the last 17 we have in stock. At the moment I am not showing a replacement."
Me: "does that mean the Sony is discontinuing it?"
Agent (Adam): "Its a possibility or it may be we just stopped carrying the model. Unfortunately I have no way to be 100% sure. You may want to check directly with Sony at 1-800-222-7669. Typically if it was being replaced we have information on a new model but so far we"
do not.
Me: "ok, thx for the information Adam. Any chance the Crutchfield will be reducing the price further to get rid of the last 17 you have in stock?"
Agent (Adam): "I'm not aware of it lowering further but if you did purchase one and we dropped the price within 30 days you just need to contact us and we refund the amount for you."
Me: "K...thx again."
Session Ended

Order it direct from Sony if the price is the same
It gets tyhe White glove delivery treatment

Just wanted to say thanks for the information in this post. After doing tons of research, I am the proud father of a kd34xbr970.

So far, all is well. I have a little overscan (xbox games -GRAW- show the outside of the hud cutoff) which I hope to fix as soon as I translate the sony service code thread into english.

The hardest part of owning this TV was the two day wait while the TV sat in my basement unusable. It took that long to convince a friend to come and help me lift it onto the TV stand. :)

Just wanted to say thanks for the information in this post. After doing tons of research, I am the proud father of a kd34xbr970.

So far, all is well. I have a little overscan (xbox games -GRAW- show the outside of the hud cutoff) which I hope to fix as soon as I translate the sony service code thread into english.

The hardest part of owning this TV was the two day wait while the TV sat in my basement unusable. It took that long to convince a friend to come and help me lift it onto the TV stand. :)

HAHA i hear you.I had to wait a few hours for my nephew to come over and help me lift the tv onto the stand.I have had mine for about a week and the picture is fantastic.The 360 looks incredible on it.But yeah i have the same problem with a little overscan.You could give sony a call.They are sending a technician over to my house friday to fix it.You wont have to pay anything as long as your under warranty and have a copy of your receipt.

I just got off the phone with Crutchfield and I ordered the XBR970; they only have 4 left so ya better hurry if ya want one from there. $999 delivered seems to be a great deal:) I have a question regarding setup when it does get here. My cable provides free local station HD broadcasts and I am wondering if I get an old series 2 tivo and run my cable through that will I lose the ability to view the HD channels? Will they just look like SD? If so would a coax switcher work and not lose any HD quality?
Thanks for the help..........great site by the way!

Ya snooze, ya lose...

Item #15834XB970 out of stock at crutchfield.

There goes what little hope I had at a price adjustment :(

Service code access is the same as posted in KenTech's thread.

1. Power off TV.
2. Press Display, 5, Volume +, then Power on the remote control in sequence.

Once the service menu is up navigate it like so:

Keys 2 and 5 on the remote change service menu groups.
Keys 1 and 4 on the remote scroll through items in the current service menu group.
Keys 3 and 6 adjust the value of the current item's setting.

Do NOT press keys 7 and 9 under any circumstances.

You may goof around with settings to your heart's content as they won't be saved when you power off the TV unless you specifically save them.

To save a setting you like, you must hit the "Muting" key on the remote control. The word "Service" will change to "Write" on the screen. Once this happens, hit "Enter" on the remote. The word Write will change from green to red to let you know that it is saving the change. It will then change back to "Service" when the change has been saved.

You must save EACH INDIVIDUAL setting. Writing just once only saves the current setting of the item in your current group.

Having trouble getting into service mode.I have done this in sequence and the tv just blinks twice when it comes on and does nothing.

sony will be introducing two new models early next year. There will be two new widescreen hdtv crt tube television. They will discontinue their 20,24,27,32,36 stdv television and only have two widecreen hdtv only. the price of there new hdtv will be substantial lower than last year.

sony will be introducing two new models early next year. There will be two new widescreen hdtv crt tube television. They will discontinue their 20,24,27,32,36 stdv television and only have two widecreen hdtv only. the price of there new hdtv will be substantial lower than last year.

That's interesting, out of curiousity where'd you hear this? Couple questions,

1. Since all those sizes are being discontinued what sizes should we expect? 34 and ?

2. Are these going to have the same tubes and features as before or are they going to downgrade these even more as well (like how they took out SFP, etc. from the 970s)?

3. You say substantial, how much are we looking at here? Substantial but realistic to me would be something in the the range of a $699-799 MSRP.

Please do tell, inquiring minds want to know. There are still plenty of 970s in my area and i was going to pick one up but if these new sets are a reality i can definitely wait abit.

That's interesting, out of curiousity where'd you hear this? Couple questions,

1. Since all those sizes are being discontinued what sizes should we expect? 34 and ?

2. Are these going to have the same tubes and features as before or are they going to downgrade these even more as well (like how they took out SFP, etc. from the 970s)?

Hopefully they will only be downgrading features and not the tubes themselves. Perhaps they will eliminate the XBR label. I'm surprised to hear this news as I expected the 970 would be the last Sony CRT.

Great HDTV just got this last week - Returned my LCD for this. The PQ is crisp and clear compared the Westinghouse 37" 1080p LCD that i bought earlier. Using a OTA DB4 antenna to get my HD viewing. I get around 36 digital channels :) (NY area) The best station I like watching is PBS.

One thing that I do have to di is correct the little overscan problem - That will take some time learning how to use the service menu. (also got to give the TV a little burn in time before I correct the colors and the other settings)

Overall the PQ makes this set worth any little trouble that I have.

sony will be introducing two new models early next year. There will be two new widescreen hdtv crt tube television. They will discontinue their 20,24,27,32,36 stdv television and only have two widecreen hdtv only. the price of there new hdtv will be substantial lower than last year.

and you know this how?

and you know this how?
I don't know where he gets his info, but julio388 is usually dead on. He's got a wealth of good info on the market as well as excellent insights on the workings of the sets.

Here is the article quote from the nytimes dated aug 7, 2006. Direct quote from sony senior vice president:

The end of picture-tube TV’s is accelerating faster than a lot of us expected,” said Randy Waynick, a senior vice president for Sony Electronics. The company, which offered 10 tube models two years ago, will pare that number to two next year, both of them wide screens. “Picture-tube TV sales reductions were far greater than forecast,” Mr. Waynick said.

The only question i cannot answer is what two size models is he speaking about. Is it 30 and 34 or 30 or 26.

I would assume 30" and 34". I would be an angry man if they came out with a 36" widescreen :)

NYTimes article (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/07/technology/07tube.html?ex=1312603200&en=3b3ec6f255ab4c5f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)

I would assume 30" and 34". I would be an angry man if they came out with a 36" widescreen :)

36" and 27" would make a lot of sense (never made sense to me having models 2 inches apart)

i went into a panic when i saw the 970 gone from crutchfield. i was waiting for xmas to get it and everyone said it was going to be the last sony hdtv crt

i was looking at the 970 at circuit city tonight and they have it on sale for about $949 + tax

i hope sony style still has the 970 around xmas time cuz i need the free delivery and set up

it's sad to see the CRT go away. hard to believe people are willing to pay more for a crappier picture

what was the verdict on the 970 not having the "super fine pitch" tube? did it hurt picture quality compared to the earlier more expensive models that had it?

Just returned my 970.

I liked the picture, black levels, etc, but there were just too many major issues.
The set I got had some pretty serious geometry problems that I couldn't get
worked out in SM. But the biggest reason I couldn't justify keeping it any more
was the 190 pounds! I replaced it with a 32" Toshiba LCD. Less than 40 pounds!
Black levels aren't great but aren't bad either., but it's a bedroom tv.
Picture quality is outstanding in every other way.

I am a fan of CRT sets evidenced by the fact that our main tv is a 65" CRT Toshiba.
I love the picture of that set in every way, but I also don't have to lift it. (it's on rollers! :p )

Anyway, those of you who love the glass tube crts, more power to ya.
Just make sure you have 2 or 3 people to help you lift it!