hi,
i got the xbr970 recently
and adjusted the horizontal and vertical service menu settings so the whole screen fits perfectly. but when i pop on my xbox 360 on the bottom of the screen theres a verry small portion (probally 1/2 inch) that i can see the picture but its blurry when i move my character. is there a setting in the service menu where i can correct this or any recommendations?
thanks in advance
james

What HDMI ver is this tv.. 1.1, or 1.2?

Alright, here's a question I'd like to see someone crack.

I have been trying to get some Guncon 2 games working (lightgun game). I have a box that allows me to hook the Guncon 2 into a standard composite video out source so I know it's not that. I've tired hooking my PS2 up by component, s-video, and composite, but still nothing. I then try to change the DRC setting, thinking this might help, again it still doesn't work. I've tried it all folks and I'm at my wits end. It's a CRT for crying out lous, it should work somehow.

Here's my question, is there anyway to have the TV display the game in it's native 480? Does this have to do with the DRC and can it be turned off? I know this should work but it's just not working like it should. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I was fooling around calibrating my new Westinghouse LCD while it was next to my 970. Lord of the Rings was on TNT HD in 1080i on both sets and I noticed that there was much more detail on the LCD. Close up shots showing facial hair, beads of sweat, and clothing textures where much crisper on the LCD. On the 970, I am using "Standard Mode" with "Medium Edge Enhancement" and my DRC selection was not available. Adjusting the Sony's main menu options didn't show any improvement.

I was wondering since my 970's native resolution was 1080i and my LCD was down converting the 1080i signal to 1366x768, Shouldn't the Sony be sharper? Is this something to do with the tube vs LCD technology or perhaps the tuners having different DRC capabilites?

:DThe actual resolution your 970 resolves on screen is 853x1080i. Alright, here's a question I'd like to see someone crack.

I have been trying to get some Guncon 2 games working (lightgun game). I have a box that allows me to hook the Guncon 2 into a standard composite video out source so I know it's not that. I've tired hooking my PS2 up by component, s-video, and composite, but still nothing. I then try to change the DRC setting, thinking this might help, again it still doesn't work. I've tried it all folks and I'm at my wits end. It's a CRT for crying out lous, it should work somehow.

Here's my question, is there anyway to have the TV display the game in it's native 480? Does this have to do with the DRC and can it be turned off? I know this should work but it's just not working like it should. Any help would be greatly appreciated.For 480i when setting DRC to interlaced it upconverts to 960i and when setting to progressive it de-interlaces to 480p.

The actual resolution your 970 resolves on screen is 853x1080i. With the vertical 1080i lines that would still be 921,240 pixels but if you believe what some people say about interlaced in that it vibrates then a lot of detail is lost in the vertical 1080i lines.For 480i when setting DRC to interlaced it upconverts to 960i and when setting to progressive it de-interlaces to 480p.

So is there anyway to set it to display 480i for the lightgun games? Even something as detailed as going in the SM to turn it on or off?

I don't believe so...

I don't believe so...
:(

Well, thanks anyway.

Thanks Vazel,

I looked up some other posts on 853x1080i and I think i understand now. I guess I would have never thought the 970 image lacked detail if I didn't have an another TV right next to it. If I turn the sharpness all the way down on the LCD, it looks worse than the 970. However, there still seems to be more detail in the 1080i picture on the LCD with the sharpness at about 30 percent, not just enhanced or exaggerated edges from too much sharpness. So I wasn't sure if there was another setting on the 970 that was softening the image.

xaroe, its version 1.2

hi,
i got the xbr970 recently
and adjusted the horizontal and vertical service menu settings so the whole screen fits perfectly. but when i pop on my xbox 360 on the bottom of the screen theres a verry small portion (probally 1/2 inch) that i can see the picture but its blurry when i move my character. is there a setting in the service menu where i can correct this or any recommendations?
thanks in advance
james

I'm considering buying an 34XBR970. Primary usage will be xbox 360. Please let me know if you find a solution to this.

Are you outputting 1080i with the component cables?

Thanks,

Jeff

hi,
i got the xbr970 recently
and adjusted the horizontal and vertical service menu settings so the whole screen fits perfectly. but when i pop on my xbox 360 on the bottom of the screen theres a verry small portion (probally 1/2 inch) that i can see the picture but its blurry when i move my character. is there a setting in the service menu where i can correct this or any recommendations?
thanks in advance
james
What are you sending the tv from the xbox?

I assume you adjusted the SM on the 970 for the widescreen HD format? So, if you are outputting 1080i widescreen from the xbox it "should" line up. If you are outputting something different from the xbox that's another matter.

:(

Well, thanks anyway.
As far as I know, there's no way to display 480i on this set.

Originally Posted by jameasson
hi,
i got the xbr970 recently
and adjusted the horizontal and vertical service menu settings so the whole screen fits perfectly. but when i pop on my xbox 360 on the bottom of the screen theres a verry small portion (probally 1/2 inch) that i can see the picture but its blurry when i move my character. is there a setting in the service menu where i can correct this or any recommendations?
thanks in advance
james



I'm considering buying an 34XBR970. Primary usage will be xbox 360. Please let me know if you find a solution to this.

Are you outputting 1080i with the component cables?

Thanks,

Jeff

What are you sending the tv from the xbox?

I assume you adjusted the SM on the 970 for the widescreen HD format? So, if you are outputting 1080i widescreen from the xbox it "should" line up. If you are outputting something different from the xbox that's another matter.

hi,
i am using the monster component cables w/ fiber optic for sound to hook up my xbox 360 to my tv, and yes i am using 1080i on my xbox 360. .. i have fooled around with the service menu in the past and i hope i did not mess anything up. what do u suggest i change in the service menu for this?
thanks again
-james

"I assume you adjusted the SM on the 970 for the widescreen HD format? "

acually now that i think about it, i do not recall doing that, is it hard?

Some folks find that when they adjust the picture to "fit," that they've adjusted the 4:3 picture and that ends-up screwing up the widescreen HD picture.

There are certain settings for adjusting picture size for the 4:3 picture and others for the widescreen 1080i and 720p screen.

Take a look at the spreadsheet just uploaded to the Sony Service Codes thread by DSperber. This is exhaustive for the SM settings for the KD-34XBR960 and should have some application to the 970.

i am looking for a .XLS viewer to view that file. jeffsiler if you buy this tv for the 360, it has an AMAZING picture when configured properly. the bottom of the screen is not really noticable unless u look at it and i did not have the problem until i configured the screen from the SM so i could see everything... i want the complete screen 100% PERFECT for the next generation gaming experiance! hope to see you on live soon :) justsc thanks for the spread sheet i will be looking forward to putting your advice into action :)

ill update ya all when i try and fix this issue
-james

We recently purchased a 970. While hooking up cables, I noticed a small flap on the back, between the rf input and the hdmi input. It's labeled "service only". If you lift the flap, it appears to be a usb or another hdmi port, I can't tell which while looking at it with a mirror and a flash light. I've searched, but can't find any mention of this. Any idea what this is for?

Keith

sony 34xbr970 no longer available at sony style .com. curently unavailable at this time. This means no longer in production and discontinued. next year early two new widescreen models.

We recently purchased a 970. While hooking up cables, I noticed a small flap on the back, between the rf input and the hdmi input. It's labeled "service only". If you lift the flap, it appears to be a usb or another hdmi port, I can't tell which while looking at it with a mirror and a flash light. I've searched, but can't find any mention of this. Any idea what this is for?

Keith
I imagine it's just what it says. This gives service techs the means to upload firmware upgrades and the like. It may also be there for new features planned for the future. I've seen some cable boxes with USB and FireWire ports for future use as well.

I imagine it's just what it says. This gives service techs the means to upload firmware upgrades and the like. It may also be there for new features planned for the future. I've seen some cable boxes with USB and FireWire ports for future use as well.

Here's what I don't understand... On this forum, there are tons of pages of stuff on the service menu, but nothing on the service port. Just seems wierd that so many people are using / curious about the service menu, but there seems to be no interest in the service port.

I'll probably order a service manual, maybe it will provide some information about the service port.

Keith

I'm new to this forum and am thinking about buying the 970 tv because i really like a tube vs. lcd. I primarily watch tv (sports and shows) and not movies an am concerned about viewing 4:3 on this tv in a full screen mode and having it not in proportion. Does anyone have experince with this. If I have to watch cable tv using a format that looks like a 27inch tv, it's probably not worth it. Any help or suggestions would be a big help. The picture looks great on it. Thanks.

I'm new to this forum and am thinking about buying the 970 tv because i really like a tube vs. lcd. I primarily watch tv (sports and shows) and not movies an am concerned about viewing 4:3 on this tv in a full screen mode and having it not in proportion. Does anyone have experince with this. If I have to watch cable tv using a format that looks like a 27inch tv, it's probably not worth it. Any help or suggestions would be a big help. The picture looks great on it. Thanks.

a) you might end up utilizing the full screen more than you think with HD broadcasts. Most everything I watch (sports and shows) is in HD. Check with your cable provider. For instance, Cablevision in my area offers:

700 Hi-Def On Demand
701 INHD
702 CBS HD
704 NBC HD
705 FOX HD
707 ABC HD
709 My9 HD
711 CW HD
713 Thirteen HD
715 YES HD
720 MSG HD
721 WLIW Digital
725 FSN NY HD
730 INHD2/SportsNet NY HD
736 ESPN HD
737 TNT in HD
740 Starz HD
744 Universal HD
750 HBO HD
760 Showtime HD
770 Cinemax HD
780 The Movie Channel HD

b) With Standard Definition (480i/480p) Sources, Wide Zoom is not bad: it enlarges the center portion of the 4:3 picture proportionately, while the left and right edges of the screen are stretched to fill the screen

I'm new to this forum and am thinking about buying the 970 tv because i really like a tube vs. lcd. I primarily watch tv (sports and shows) and not movies an am concerned about viewing 4:3 on this tv in a full screen mode and having it not in proportion. Does anyone have experince with this. If I have to watch cable tv using a format that looks like a 27inch tv, it's probably not worth it. Any help or suggestions would be a big help. The picture looks great on it. Thanks.Watching 4:3 TV in zoom mode isn't bad. The only thing that reminds me that I'm watching zoomed is text being chopped off.

Could Someone please tell me how to adjust the horizontal picture on a per input \ resolution basis * i've looked over the spread sheets and still cant find anything that works. It will look great while playing xbox when i go back to viewing normal tv the sides will be chopped off, etc etc. I got the vertical dialed in, i just need to fix horizontal.

any major problems with this tv? i posted on the older model fourm, and mistakenly thought that was the newer one, and i know some have power issues with that model.

any with this? if not, its a deffently buy

sony 34xbr970 no longer available at sony style .com. curently unavailable at this time. This means no longer in production and discontinued. next year early two new widescreen models.

i got the same thing but it looks like it's back today and you can still get free shipping and a 5 year service plan for $99

Does anybody know what the chassis number or chassis model number is for the 34XBR970?

TIA

Hi, I'm new to this forum and wanted to say thanks to all for the info in the last 26 pages. I just purchased the 970 and like it very much. :)

I'm just wondering if anyone has hooked up the new Playstaion 3 to their 970 yet?
Does it look great? What about connections and settings?

Thanks for any input as I'm looking to put these 2 pieces of gear together soon!

Sincerely,
B.

I'm hoping this gets some good responses. In fact, you might consider making it a new thread unto itself.

Cheers!

I have a question that has probably already been answered, but I don't have the time to look through all of the posts.

I just hooked up my XBOX 360 to my 970 with some Monster GLX360 component cables and I popped in Gears of War. When I hit the "DISPLAY" button on the remote it says "480p". How do I switch to 720p or 1080i? I know this is a stupid question but I thought there might be something wrong with either the XBOX or the TV (which is brand new). Thank you for any answers. I would greatly appreciate it.

I have a question that has probably already been answered, but I don't have the time to look through all of the posts.

I just hooked up my XBOX 360 to my 970 with some Monster GLX360 component cables and I popped in Gears of War. When I hit the "DISPLAY" button on the remote it says "480p". How do I switch to 720p or 1080i? I know this is a stupid question but I thought there might be something wrong with either the XBOX or the TV (which is brand new). Thank you for any answers. I would greatly appreciate it.
When you press "display" and it shows a resolution (such as 480p), that tells you the kind of signal that the TV is receiving through an input. In this case, your TV is telling you that the xbox is giving it a 480p signal.

Thus, your problem probably has to do with the xbox, and not the TV. I think there's likely a way to set up the xbox so it transmits 720p or 1080i (whichever you prefer) to the TV, but I don't know how, exactly. If you can't figure it out with the xbox instruction manual, head on over to the "xbox area" of the "home theater gaming" forum.

When you press "display" and it shows a resolution (such as 480p), that tells you the kind of signal that the TV is receiving through an input. In this case, your TV is telling you that the xbox is giving it a 480p signal.

Thus, your problem probably has to do with the xbox, and not the TV. I think there's likely a way to set up the xbox so it transmits 720p or 1080i (whichever you prefer) to the TV, but I don't know how, exactly. If you can't figure it out with the xbox instruction manual, head on over to the "xbox area" of the "home theater gaming" forum.



Thanks. I appreciate the response. I completely forgot about the system menu on the XBOX 360. All you have to do is go into the menu and switch the format to 1080i, 720p or 1080p. Nothing like just playing around with stuff until you figure it out :)

Hello Guys & Gals,

I just bought this awesome T.V. after returning the Samsung 32" LCD.
The Samsung's PQ wasn't getting it done.So I went back to the Tube.
And oh boy..... This Sony 970 is simply unbelievable! The clarity is out of
this world. I purchased the T.V.s from Circuit City.I went ahead and grabbed
the near ($300 5 year extended warranty from Circuit City ). Complete coverage meaning if there is any problems I get a brand new t.v. No questions asked.

Now,back to my reason for posting.The t.v. makes a noticable ( transformer thump/sound ) when turning the t.v. on for the first time after being off for a while.

Does anyone else hear this sound ? Is this normal ?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Bombero

I've searched this forum a bit before asking...how do I get into the SM on my 970 and adjust overscan?

Hello Guys & Gals,

I just bought this awesome T.V. after returning the Samsung 32" LCD.
The Samsung's PQ wasn't getting it done.So I went back to the Tube.
And oh boy..... This Sony 970 is simply unbelievable! The clarity is out of
this world. I purchased the T.V.s from Circuit City.I went ahead and grabbed
the near ($300 5 year extended warranty from Circuit City ). Complete coverage meaning if there is any problems I get a brand new t.v. No questions asked.

Now,back to my reason for posting.The t.v. makes a noticable ( transformer thump/sound ) when turning the t.v. on for the first time after being off for a while.

Does anyone else hear this sound ? Is this normal ?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Bombero
What you're describing is likely the sound of the automatic degauss that the TV does when it's turned on. Yes, my '970 does the same thing. According to the owners' manual, "this is the normal sound that results from the TV automatically degaussing each time it is turned on."

What you're describing is likely the sound of the automatic degauss that the TV does when it's turned on. Yes, my '970 does the same thing. According to the owners' manual, "this is the normal sound that results from the TV automatically degaussing each time it is turned on."

That's a normal sound of many Sony TV's. (I know for sure the WEGA line as my old 36" and my brother's 36" did it).

I've searched this forum a bit before asking...how do I get into the SM on my 970 and adjust overscan?
This is all in the Sony Service Codes thread. The first post has a table of contents and will point you to the overscan adjustment posts, and post #3 or #4 gives info on accessing the Sm and navigating it with the remote.

Hi all.
I'm still working out the tech end of using this t.v. so please bear with me.
I am using the new Sony Play Station 3 as my new dvd player. I connected the player and t.v. via HDMI. I then ran a cable from the digital audio out on the t.v. to my audio receiver/amp coax imput. Is this the way to go about this? I don't know if the t.v. knows to pass the sound signal out or not or even if I'm using the right kind of cable.
I apologize for my ignorance here.

One other quibble: when checking the drc setting it is greyed out and showing interlaced. Any ideas?

Thanks all,
B.

P.S. The PS3 looks phenomenal on this set. The games (some are 720p native) are eye popping!

One other quibble: when checking the drc setting it is greyed out and showing interlaced. Any ideas?
The DRC can only be changed/utilized for standard-definition 480i content.

Thanks G-Bull. :)

(I don't know if the t.v. knows to pass the sound signal out or not or even if I'm using the right kind of cable.
I apologize for my ignorance here.)

Well I now have a digital coax cable hooked into the digital audio out port and still no sound coming from the receiver/amp and speakers. My next steps I guess are to either try a optical out from the PS3 separate from the tv or go old school with the analog av cable they suppled with the PS3. :confused:

An help appreciated,
Thanks all.
B.

I am using a PS3 on this set as well.

The digital out on the TV is to output sound from an over the air antenna.

To get digital out of the PS3 you need to run an optical cable directly from the PS3 to your reciever (im assuming you have no hdmi input/outputs on your reciever) go into the menu... settings... then set the audio to digital optical output... all is good. If you dont have an optical cord, pick one up from monoprice.

Hi all.
I'm still working out the tech end of using this t.v. so please bear with me.
I am using the new Sony Play Station 3 as my new dvd player. I connected the player and t.v. via HDMI. I then ran a cable from the digital audio out on the t.v. to my audio receiver/amp coax imput. Is this the way to go about this? I don't know if the t.v. knows to pass the sound signal out or not or even if I'm using the right kind of cable.
I apologize for my ignorance here.

One other quibble: when checking the drc setting it is greyed out and showing interlaced. Any ideas?

Thanks all,
B.

P.S. The PS3 looks phenomenal on this set. The games (some are 720p native) are eye popping!

Thank-you Ryan!
I will pick up the optical cable tomorrow. I want you to know that I called Sony about that digital out on the T.V. and 2 different tech support people had no idea about its usage! Amazing. Now I can quit fooling around and have some fun!
Thanks again!
B.

Does this Sony 970 have a built in HD tuner (like the Samsung 3082)????? Do you recommend this 970???

Hi, new here. Considering getting this tv.

Will this TV actually display 720P? Or does it just upscale it to 1080i?

The sony rep I chatted with says it will indeed display 720p and not upscale it.

But i've been reading confilicting reports of this.


What's the real answer?

XBR 970 has cable and antenna tuner.

To my knowlege it upconverts 720p to 1080i only.
It displays 480p though.

back to my reason for posting.The t.v. makes a noticable ( transformer thump/sound ) when turning the t.v. on for the first time after being off for a while.

Does anyone else hear this sound ? Is this normal ?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Bombero

yes....normal.

Does this Sony 970 have a built in HD tuner (like the Samsung 3082)????? Do you recommend this 970???
Ikabob,

Yes, the 970 has an integrated tuner, like your Samsung set.

I highly recommend this set. It's essentially just like my 34HS420, except this has the tuner built-in.

Are you thinking about getting a 970?

Hi, new here. Considering getting this tv.

Will this TV actually display 720P? Or does it just upscale it to 1080i?

The sony rep I chatted with says it will indeed display 720p and not upscale it.

But i've been reading confilicting reports of this.


What's the real answer?
This is an exceptional tv, but it does not display 720p.

720p gets scaled for display at 1080i.

I just got this set and noticed something on a bright or whitish backgrounds. There are sets of very very thin dark lines running horizontal.

One line is about 3 inches below where the actual image starts on the top of the screen. There is another one about 3 inches up above from where the image starts on the bottom. And there is another about some where in the middle.

They don't look like a row of dead pixels, too small. It's like a tiny gap in the phosphor coating on the screen. Is this normal? Or am I going crazy....

That the aperture grill, that is a sign of quality, it is on all sony trinitron tv's and monitors, the larger the screen the more they have usually just 1 or two, usually are not noticeable unless very close and with certain backgrounds.
When I was a salesman, people actually returned there sets for inferior sets because they did not understand.

That the aperture grill, that is a sign of quality, it is on all sony trinitron tv's and monitors, the larger the screen the more they have usually just 1 or two, usually are not noticeable unless very close and with certain backgrounds.
When I was a salesman, people actually returned there sets for inferior sets because they did not understand.
That's not entirely accurate. The horizontal lines are not the aperture grille - the aperture grille itself appears as vertical lines from the top to the bottom of the screen. The horizontal lines you see are the very thin wires that hold the aperture grille in place so it doesn't shift or sag from left to right (which would adversely impact color purity).

First of all a HUGE THANKS to all of the informed members here for giving some invaluable information to those of us less savvy in these sorts of areas.

Well, this post should serve as good reference and as an indirect answer to your questions. Like you, I've been looking for a set to give me good HD quality while also providing me with a nice non-HD picture.

I went down to my local Best Buy and Circuit City on a mission last week. I went there to find out how an old 480 signal would look on the newer HD TVs. I've always heard bad things, but I needed to see for myself. For reference I brought my Sega Saturn along, as it's my 2-D beast of choice. I brought along s-video cables (the best video you are going to push out of a Saturn) and two games. One is a 2-D fighter called "Vampire Savior" and the other is a 3-D action game called "Virtual On". I wanted to use both a 2-D and a 3-D game to make sure that I had a good idea what both types of games would look like.

Weeks before I had my eye on a 30" Samsung Slimfit at Sams. It was much cheaper then any other HD CRT I had seen on the market and it looked nice and had a pretty good HD picture. I came on these forums and heard some pretty decent things about it, but needed to see for myself. So, I went to Best Buy first. After an odd look from the front door security guy in the yellow shirt, I kindly asked if if I could use my Sega Saturn to try out the TVs. He said sure and I went on my merry way. My first stop was the Samsung I was just telling you about. I hooked it up and booted up Vampire Savior. My first impressions were decent at best. While the picture was very bright and colorful, it had some terrible upscanning issues. It looked like a mix of the 2-D pixels and an almost "pastel" like clump of colors. That and when I put the set back to 4:3 there was color bleeding on the side. Plus I noticed some warping issues on the top corner where "press start" appears. I know this can be fixed in service mode, but it was still annoying. I then started up Virtual On and had the same results.

So I decided to check out a 40" Sony standard definition TV they had a few rows down. I plugged in the Saturn and booted up Vampire Savior agin. It was no surprise that it looked much better then the previous Samsung. Naturally Virtual On looked great too, but this presented a terrible dilemma. Either have a nice HD set with crappy non HD picture, or a standard definition TV with great non HD picture but only an HD tuner with no true HD picture, or buy both and be broke.

I then gazed upon the Sony KD-34XBR970 34". I had seen this set before, but it was around $1300 when I first saw it. It had gone down in price recently, so I thought what the hell, I'll try it out. I hook up my Saturn and started Vampire Savior. Wow, I was blown away. Even with the crappy store settings, it looked even better then the standard Sony set. Even with the small bit of tweaking I could do, it looked great. Pixels were sharp and defined with nice edge clarity. There was no color bleeding in 4:3 mode either. Needless to say I played it for a good while just screwing around with settings and also tried out Virtual On with just as amazing results. I also went to Circuit City to confirm what I had seen at Best Buy and had the same amazing results.

I have no idea what the 960 looked like and have no doubt there is some picture difference, but for my money and what I saw, I promptly forgot about the Samsung and am getting ever closer to buying the 970. For my two cents, it looked great whether it was non HD or an HD signal. I am in love. ;)
Ha HA ! Call Security he has a saturn,
I like this story as I use my Saturn and dreamcast with my 960 and it's great with no lag whatsoever from the svideo connection.
Only problem is light games dont work right.
Nice to see others havent thrown away these great ground breaking systems and games. :D

That's not entirely accurate. The horizontal lines are not the aperture grille - the aperture grille itself appears as vertical lines from the top to the bottom of the screen. The horizontal lines you see are the very thin wires that hold the aperture grille in place so it doesn't shift or sag from left to right (which would adversely impact color purity).


That's what they look like. About the width of a human hair. So that's normal? I'm debating whether I should keep the set and just get a flat panel. It's kind of irking me. :(

That's what they look like. About the width of a human hair. So that's normal? I'm debating whether I should keep the set and just get a flat panel. It's kind of irking me. :(
Perfectly normal. It's part of your TV, my TV, and every other Sony Trinitron TV or PC monitor ever made.

Perfectly normal. It's part of your TV, my TV, and every other Sony Trinitron TV or PC monitor ever made.

You're right, I just remember seeing a family members VAIO monitor years ago that had one of these lines.

Might keep it afterall, gonna give it some time. It's just my eyes are now trained on it.

If you look closely at a flat-panel / fixed-pixel display (LCD, etc), you might notice more things like that - such as an actual grid of fine wires between every pixel, instead of just a couple horizontal wires.

I don't know about you, but I've found that ever since I bought this HDTV, I've become so much more critical of how TV looks. It's like the closer you get to perfection, the tiniest imperfections seem to stand out more.

I decided I'm gonna keep it.

Could someone recommend a cheap (150 or less) but aesthetically pleasing tv stand for the 970?

I bought IKEA Storemark stand for $79
Their website has it listed for $69.

It is rated 220 pounds and fits well with the TV.

G-Bull, I have an issue:

I have my SA 8300HD connected to my Sony KD-34XBR970 VIA an HDMI cable and was wondering if anyone out there, including you, knows if I would just be better off using Components. I've been reading and reading and I have yet to find a conclusive answer (maybe because there isn't one?!?).

The problem I have is that no matter what input I have my 8300HD set to (HDMI/DVI, Fixed, Upscale 1 or 2, etc) when I turn my STB off and then back on either 30 secs later or later in the day my option to switch between 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, etc goes away and I have to do the whole "Hold Info and Guide together" process. EVERY TIME I turn it off and on.

Cox Communications sent someone out to help but they were clueless.

I bought IKEA Storemark stand for $79
Their website has it listed for $69.

It is rated 220 pounds and fits well with the TV.

found it. Looks good. I live somewhat close to an Ikea too. Thanks.

Also, if anyone knows the best ways to tweak this set, please PM me. I would greatly appreciate it. I was think DVE (the HD version when it's released in Feb???)

That's not entirely accurate. The horizontal lines are not the aperture grille - the aperture grille itself appears as vertical lines from the top to the bottom of the screen. The horizontal lines you see are the very thin wires that hold the aperture grille in place so it doesn't shift or sag from left to right (which would adversely impact color purity).
Thanks G bull, I knew that but typed faster than I thought, I stand corrected, they hold the A. grill in place. I use to just call them lines. :o

Ikabob,

Yes, the 970 has an integrated tuner, like your Samsung set.

I highly recommend this set. It's essentially just like my 34HS420, except this has the tuner built-in.

Are you thinking about getting a 970?


Justsc, I am toying with the idea of getting this TV since from what people are saying CRTs are not going to be available anymore and the CRTs have a better PQ from what I understand. I don't know if I will really get this 970 but ....maybe. What do you think....it is kind of large which my wife does not like. It may be too large for the sunroom. Thanks Justsc.

Justsc, I am toying with the idea of getting this TV since from what people are saying CRTs are not going to be available anymore and the CRTs have a better PQ from what I understand. I don't know if I will really get this 970 but ....maybe. What do you think....it is kind of large which my wife does not like. It may be too large for the sunroom. Thanks Justsc.
My original task was upgrading from my 27" Samsung set in my master bedroom. We have a rather large bedroom, say 20' x 15'. So I had plenty of room to work with.

I had boiled down my choices to three sets, a 30" WS set, a 32" 4:3 set and the 34" Sony. After really checking them out I focused on the 34" set. It's definitely an imposing sight. But just evaluating screen size, 34" was by no means too big. In fact, what I came to learn was just how much of the cinematic experience the extra 4" delivers. You definitely get the feel you're in front of a big screen type tv. Much more so than the 30" sets. The extra 4" made a much bigger (positive) impact than I ever would have thought.

I appreciate your wife's reluctance. It was the same with my wife. But after installing the set and watching it now for 2 years, she prefers to watch the 34" set for all of the good material.

I prefer to sit as close as possible without noticing the scan lines - that puts me at about 4-5 feet back.

I am very pleased with this set. And it has brought my wife and I closer. Used to be that we each had our own preferences about what material to watch. Now, we tend to gravitate to the 34" set and compromise more so we can enjoy the better HD material together.

Long term I hope to put a 60" Sony SXRD set in the family room.

I do highly recommend this set. ;)

Thank you for the quick reply. I now will start getting serious about getting this set and maybe put it in our bedroom.....I want to get it before they are sold out. Thanks again and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Ron

G-Bull, I have an issue:

I have my SA 8300HD connected to my Sony KD-34XBR970 VIA an HDMI cable and was wondering if anyone out there, including you, knows if I would just be better off using Components. I've been reading and reading and I have yet to find a conclusive answer (maybe because there isn't one?!?).

The problem I have is that no matter what input I have my 8300HD set to (HDMI/DVI, Fixed, Upscale 1 or 2, etc) when I turn my STB off and then back on either 30 secs later or later in the day my option to switch between 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, etc goes away and I have to do the whole "Hold Info and Guide together" process. EVERY TIME I turn it off and on.

Cox Communications sent someone out to help but they were clueless.
liquidplatinum, I'm not sure I fully understand what you're asking, so I'll answer as best I can.

As far as using HDMI vs Component cables from the 8300HD, I don't know which is better. I also have a 8300HD cable box, and I use HDMI. I haven't taken the time to do a side-by-side comparison, and all my component inputs are already "in use" by devices that can't use HDMI, anyway. HDMI looks fine to me, so that's what I use.

When I first set up the 8300HD, it upconverted everything to a 1080i output - even SD sources - and that just looked like crap. The TV does a great job at displaying 480i content, it does well with a 720p source and it looks great with content at its native 1080i. So I decided I didn't want the cable box to upconvert anything, and I set it up to pass the signal through to the TV without any upconversion:

In the "settings" menu of the cable box, I have "SET: PICTURE FORMAT" set to "AUTO DVI/HDMI." Then when I go into the "HD Setup Wizard" (by holding INFO and GUIDE simultaneously), I have selected -only- 1080i, 720p, and 480i. I decided against 480p, 480p widescreen, and 480i widescreen. I decided against 480p because if I let the cable box pass 480i content to the TV, I can use the TV's DRC settings to choose progressive or interlaced or cinemotion. You can't use DRC with 480p. And like I said before, this TV is great at displaying 480i - I think it even looks better than my 24" 4:3 SD Wega. And I can't say that about most HDTVs.

So now the cable box doesn't upconvert anything. When I watch NBCHD, the cable box sends a 1080i signal to the TV. ABCHD is 720p, and all the regular SD channels are 480i.

Is there any fix in the service menu for bowing down at all 4 corners? I have a 4 month old 970 which is now frowning top and bottom. Just to be clear the entire screen looks like a person frowning(low in all corners and high in the middle)

Thanks.

Is there any fix in the service menu for bowing down at all 4 corners? I have a 4 month old 970 which is now frowning top and bottom. Just to be clear the entire screen looks like a person frowning(low in all corners and high in the middle)

Thanks.
Service menu adjustments should only be made by qualified technicians. You may invalidate your warranty. You may break your TV. You may cost yourself hundreds of dollars in repairs by messing with the wrong setting.

The short answer to your question is, "Yes: VCEN in 2170D-1."

Geometry fixes are quite tricky. When you try to fix just one problem with the geometry settings of the service menu, you'll probably find that you cause a new problem with a different geometry setting. The geometry settings of CRTs seem to be interrelated, so if adjust one thing, you'll throw something else off, so you adjust that, but that throws something else off, and you'll have to spend some time going back and forth between all the settings to make it look right.

Read the THE SONY SERVICE CODES thread before going into the service menu. Yes, it's long. But just about everything you need to know is in there.

This .pdf has good info on the 2170D-1 and 2170D-2 geometry settings. This is a link straight out of the THE SONY SERVICE CODES thread. It's for an older TV, which had "2150D" instead of "2170D" but the names of the codes are the same, and it tells what the codes do (with diagrams).
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=42213

Thanks a ton. It's under warranty so I will give sony a call.

..

I think this set only has one coax cable input. Does anyone know if this set has to re-scan for stations each time you would switch from standard cable to an OTA antennea using an A/B swithch? Thanks.

Will this HDTV play Resistance Fall of Man in 480p or 1080i??!!

I don't have PS3, but I have xbox 360 and my TV handles 720p signal fine.
It takes 720p signal and converts it to 1080i(853x1080 in this tv case). In the end, your resolution should around the same as 720p except it is interlaced.

To my knowlege, PS3 downgrades from 720p to 480p only for sets that can't accept 720p signal(no internal scaler in the TV).

Hi all, just recently purchased my new sony 970, and decided to try out some of the settings reccomended here in the forums. Unfortunately soon after I lost the sheet where I recorded the original values.

The new settings look fantastic but I would just like to have the stock settings just incase, anyone know where I can find these? Thanks!!

Resistance Fall of Man plays in 720p, It doesn't run in 1080i or p. I've noticed a lot of ps3 games play in 720p native.

Will this HDTV play Resistance Fall of Man in 480p or 1080i??!!

Resistance is a 720p game. Your PS3 will send 720p which will be converted to 1080i on the television.

This television does not have any of the display issues that people are experiencing with the ps3.

Do I have to enable something on my PS3? My resistance plays in 720p on my sony kd 34 and I set the ps3 to output in 1080i. It only displays in 1080i for the ps3 menu and a few game demos. Or is there something I need to set on my TV?

We have had the 970 for about 6 months and mostly use it for watching DVDs and OTA HD sporting events and a few news shows. It gets about 2-4 hrs use 4 times a week. I calibrated it right away and, normally, everything is the way I would want it to be. However, in the last 2 weeks it has done something wierd 3 times. About an hour into watching a DVD, the screen flashes very briefly, as if it were one scan. The flash is the color of an incandescent light. It has never happened more than once in the period we were watching it. Has anyone ever noticed anything like this on the 970 or any other tube set? I have never seen anything like that in a long life of watching TV. Could a gun be going or something shorting out? Could it be my Sony DVD deck? Should I worry at all? Since it is intermittent and not reproducible at will, I can't say anything more intelligent about it. But, it is worrisome.

I've not seen this on my set but I think I've read about this before.

You might also post to the Display Calibration section of AVS, just below this one on the main forum page. That section is frequented by calibrators and might be a better audience for your question.

Good Luck!

I recently bought an xbr970 and I am using it for ota and direct tv broadcasts. the problem i seem to be having is that when in ota mode the picture seems to be off screen a little to the right and perfict on the left, but when i am watching direct tv over component cables the picture seems to be off screen to the left and perfict on the right. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so can it be fixed in the service menu. Also I have noticed that the 720p programs seem to look a lot better than the 1080i programs when watching in the ota mode is this normal?

Iv had my XBR970 for about 3 months now with no problems at all. A weird thing has popped up. Or maybe I just noticed it. When I power the tv on at the top right corner there is a darker spot 1 inch thick and about 3 inches long when there is no signal to the tv (when its on the dvd player input when the player is turned off, its all black but it doesnt look off as if it was on another video without a connection). Once I turn the player on and play a dvd it goes away after about 20 seconds. I turn off the player and the darker spot is gone. Also when the dvd player is on and a dvd plays I dont notice the spot at all. Its only noticable when the screen is black. Its not a problem but Im wondering what causes it. The other side is fine and this only happens after the tv has been turned off for awile. Thanx.

update.. Iv been powering the tv on and off a few times and I noticed 1 time that did it, just after the tv powered up I noticed the spot, then a weird little light flickered in the spot area. hmmmm

I'm wondering for this tv do you set the Xbox 360 setting at its native 720p or do you set it to 1080i? thanks.

I'm wondering for this tv do you set the Xbox 360 setting at its native 720p or do you set it to 1080i? thanks.
Either works - the 34XBR970 accepts both. The xbox360 apparently has a pretty good hardware scaler, and it upscales to 1080i well. Currently I've got my xbox outputting 1080i, but I go back and forth. I haven't yet found anything to use to compare so I can tell whether 720p or 1080i actually looks better. They both look about the same to me, so far.

I realize this response doesn't actually answer your question... sorry about that... but if you do find that one looks better than the other, would you please post to let me (and others) know what you decide (and why)?

Thanks.

Either works - the 34XBR970 accepts both. The xbox360 apparently has a pretty good hardware scaler, and it upscales to 1080i well. Currently I've got my xbox outputting 1080i, but I go back and forth. I haven't yet found anything to use to compare so I can tell whether 720p or 1080i actually looks better. They both look about the same to me, so far.

I realize this response doesn't actually answer your question... sorry about that... but if you do find that one looks better than the other, would you please post to let me (and others) know what you decide (and why)?

Thanks.

No that was a great answer. I'm thinking it probably just doesn't matter then. I'm buying my 970 today and am very excited.

I got my 970 and I can't even believe how awesome it is. I have my 360 set to 720p vid setting and when I push display on the remote it says 16 9 720p on the tv. That has to mean its displaying in 720p right? I mean again I can't even believe how awesome this tv is right now. YES

I got my 970 and I can't even believe how awesome it is. I have my 360 set to 720p vid setting and when I push display on the remote it says 16 9 720p on the tv. That has to mean its displaying in 720p right? I mean again I can't even believe how awesome this tv is right now. YES
First to say that to stay away from Vivid. Change it to Pro.
Second, it doesn't display 720p. The source is outputting
720p but the TV is displaying 1080i. The TV can display
480p/960i/1080i.

I got my 970 and I can't even believe how awesome it is. I have my 360 set to 720p vid setting and when I push display on the remote it says 16 9 720p on the tv. That has to mean its displaying in 720p right? I mean again I can't even believe how awesome this tv is right now. YESA 720p input is scaled by the 970's Multi Image Driver (MID) to 1080i for display.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2117/dinosaur3kz.jpg

For now I threw it on Standard video settings and dropped color down to 31. I'm probably gonna bump it up to 50 again though to kind of break in the tv. For gaming this tv is everything I could of ever wanted.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2117/dinosaur3kz.jpg

For now I threw it on Standard video settings and dropped color down to 31. I'm probably gonna bump it up to 50 again though to kind of break in the tv. For gaming this tv is everything I could of ever wanted.

Have you tried the Pro setting yet? I personally don't like the standard or vivid settings, especially with my Xbox 360. Those settings give 360 games a jagged. rough look where the Pro setting is silky smooth.

Yeah definitely Pro setting now. Also after seeing a very minimal difference I think the Xbox 360 is better set to 720p then 1080i. I believe the tv's scaler is better then the 360's.

I'm loving my PS3 on the 970, but I have some problems. Namely, the image is too big for the TV! I'm missing about an inch or more on the left and right, and the bottom.

It looks exactly the same over component and HDMI, and with the PS3 set to 720p or 1080i. Surely there's an easier fix than me reading articles for the next 5 years in the Service codes thread?

I'm really not all that technically minded, and I don't want to mess around with stuff like that. I don't see how Sony could make a TV that could be off this much without some kind of simple fix.

I've had my tv for 3 days now and would like to post my video settings.

Pro Mode

Picture 65
Brightness 50
Color 50
Hue R3
Color Temp Neutral
Sharpness 50
Clear Edge VM Off
Monitor

I'm loving my PS3 on the 970, but I have some problems. Namely, the image is too big for the TV! I'm missing about an inch or more on the left and right, and the bottom.

It looks exactly the same over component and HDMI, and with the PS3 set to 720p or 1080i. Surely there's an easier fix than me reading articles for the next 5 years in the Service codes thread?

I'm really not all that technically minded, and I don't want to mess around with stuff like that. I don't see how Sony could make a TV that could be off this much without some kind of simple fix.

Overscan. And yeah, you will have to go into the service menu to fix it.

Today I bought a Sony progressive scan dvd player with HD upconversion and a 100 dollar hdmi cable. It looks very very good. Magnificant clear smooth picture.

Today I bought a Sony progressive scan dvd player with HD upconversion and a 100 dollar hdmi cable. It looks very very good. Magnificant clear smooth picture.


:eek: Next time, monoprice.com can be your friend. The 35 foot cable I have running in wall in my home theater was only about $40 and it looks great on the 100" screen.

lol I bought a $7 6 foot hdmi cable from monoprice and it solved all of the random glitch issues I was having with my PS3 & XBR960, They are very high quality cables for cheap I'm glad people told me about monoprice before hand, I was about to buy a monster cable HDMI $$$$

i was in sears today and they had a xs955 on clearance for $550 sitting right next to a 970 practically touching each other both getting the same hi def demo feed and i couldn't tell a difference in picture quality

i was in sears today and they had a xs955 on clearance for $550 sitting right next to a 970 practically touching each other both getting the same hi def demo feed and i couldn't tell a difference in picture quality

Are you trying to compare a direct view (tube) TV to a rear projection LCD? Did you view it at any angle other than straight on? XBR to non-XBR? If your looking for a big TV, it may be a good choice, just don't see how you can be shopping for a TV and even bring these up in comparison :confused:

Are you trying to compare a direct view (tube) TV to a rear projection LCD? Did you view it at any angle other than straight on? XBR to non-XBR? If your looking for a big TV, it may be a good choice, just don't see how you can be shopping for a TV and even bring these up in comparison :confused:

the 955 and the 970 are both sony 34" CRTs

Hi,

Are there any quirks to the QAM tuner in the 970? I got my new TV today and can only pick up 1 local channel thru the QAM tuner. Most everyone else in the Lexington market can pick up all the locals My concern is since it only has one antenna input for all the tuners the manual says to use an A/B switch to use my OTA antenna. That stinks... Plus I really didn't want to have to make another coax run. I was concerned about the one input, but since I was told that I could pick up the locals using the QAM tuner, I didn't worry much about it. I do get the on demand channel and HBO for free, but neither of those is going to get me the Super Bowl.... I wonder if the tuner just isn't working right or maybe my cable is just bad, I never really had a clear picture on cable. Anyone with any experience with this?

the 955 and the 970 are both sony 34" CRTs

Strange, I did a search on the internet and it turned up a 2004 55" Rear projection LCD. I guess that what happens when someone posts a partial model number :rolleyes:

I guess it is time to check the local Sears around my house for one and sell my bad 32" LCD Westinghouse

i was in sears today and they had a xs955 on clearance for $550 sitting right next to a 970 practically touching each other both getting the same hi def demo feed and i couldn't tell a difference in picture quality

Did you adjust both of the tv's with similar picture settings?... such as disabling Clearedge VM / Picture mode / sharpness etc... Its hard to compare two models without knowing there current settings..

When I was at best buy a few days ago they had a 970 sitting next to a LG LCD (both running the same HD feed) and the 970 looked terrible because of the way it was setup.

Here are my settings for the TV.

Through HDMI

Picture 30
Brightness 67
Color 68
Hue (between 0 - R5)
Color Temp. Neutral
Sharpness 20-25
ClearEdge off

I know the color seems high. I've calibrated through DVE and the color patters are correct (cept the black green pattern. Doesn't matter what I do, the outer blacks don't match the inner). Pushing the hue to R5 makes the red color pattern correct but when watching TV the skin (some of them seem too red while others are ok).

I have a dimensions question about this tv. I'm going to be purchasing this television and placing it on a desk unit that is 43" wide, but only has a depth of 19". I see on their listed specs that the tv has a depth of 23 3/4". Will this fit on my desk? Is the base of this tv going to be too deep? Any input on this would be very helpful.

Here are my settings for the TV.

Through HDMI

Picture 30
Brightness 67
Color 68
Hue (between 0 - R5)
Color Temp. Neutral
Sharpness 20-25
ClearEdge off

I know the color seems high. I've calibrated through DVE and the color patters are correct (cept the black green pattern. Doesn't matter what I do, the outer blacks don't match the inner). Pushing the hue to R5 makes the red color pattern correct but when watching TV the skin (some of them seem too red while others are ok).

In my opinion the picture is suppose to be higher than the brightness. Picture =
whites. Brightness = blacks.

In my opinion the picture is suppose to be higher than the brightness. Picture =
whites. Brightness = blacks.
That's not correct. The brightness (aka black level) setting and the picture (aka contrast aka white level) setting do not directly correlate like you describe. A properly set up TV might have a higher number for brightness setting, or it might have a higher number for the picture setting, or they might be exactly the same. It doesn't matter which number is greater, it just matters that the two settings are set correctly. The numbers themselves are basically arbitrary.

Yeah, the brightness is setup correctly according to DVE's pluge test. The contrast I had to eyeball fairly close since the blooming effect is minimal.

Well, according to Avia my picture is setup correctly.

I have a dimensions question about this tv. I'm going to be purchasing this television and placing it on a desk unit that is 43" wide, but only has a depth of 19". I see on their listed specs that the tv has a depth of 23 3/4". Will this fit on my desk? Is the base of this tv going to be too deep? Any input on this would be very helpful.
By my measurement, the actual "footprint" depth is 20 3/4"

The front of any CRT is heavier than the rear, but it looks like the rear of this TV does carry some of the weight, so placing it on a surface that's less than 20 3/4" deep will put extra stress on parts of the TV that weren't necessarily made to support the additional weight.

It might be okay on your 19" surface, but the TV was clearly designed to sit on a surface at least 20 3/4" in depth.

Remember the thing does weigh 200 pounds, so I don't know if I'd risk it...

Post again to let us know if it works out, or if you discovered another solution.

Here are my settings for the TV.

Through HDMI

Picture 30
Brightness 67
Color 68
Hue (between 0 - R5)
Color Temp. Neutral
Sharpness 20-25
ClearEdge off

I know the color seems high. I've calibrated through DVE and the color patters are correct (cept the black green pattern. Doesn't matter what I do, the outer blacks don't match the inner). Pushing the hue to R5 makes the red color pattern correct but when watching TV the skin (some of them seem too red while others are ok).


I don't know how your making a color setting of 68 work. My settings look like this over hdmi-

Picture 50
Brightness 65
Color 50
Hue 0
Color Temp Neutral
Sharpness 40
Clear edge Off

I just got my set wednesday night, set it on pro mode, and with all the default settings, I believe at 50, it looks amazing. I can't possibly see how a calibration would make it look any better. Discovery HD underwater is fantastic!

I just got my set wednesday night, set it on pro mode, and with all the default settings, I believe at 50, it looks amazing. I can't possibly see how a calibration would make it look any better. Discovery HD underwater is fantastic!

Your absolutely right. This is the most accurate tv you can buy. All I have to do is bump my brightness up to 65.

I don't know how your making a color setting of 68 work. My settings look like this over hdmi-

Picture 50
Brightness 65
Color 50
Hue 0
Color Temp Neutral
Sharpness 40
Clear edge Off

Well the color patters on DVE are pretty much on mark. Except green, nothing I do seems to make the black ends match.

Well, I took the plunge and purchased this television on Friday, and somehow they were able to have it delivered to me yesterday (Saturday)! It is a WONDERFUL tv that blows away the Olevia 232V that I just sold because I was unhappy with it.

I have a question about it though. How come I can't change the DRC settings when I'm using watching cable? It seems to fixed on "interlaced." I the have cable box hooked up with component cables, and the HDMI connection is reserved for my Panasonic upconverting player. So am I doing something wrong? How do I change the DRC setting when it keeps saying "feature not available" on the input used for my cable box?

I also just got my new set yesterday. The picture is so good that I haven't even changed any of the settings yet. I love that it found the digital stations over on the standard timewarner cable so I don't have to use the OTA antennea. The picture is even great on non HD.

Well, I took the plunge and purchased this television on Friday, and somehow they were able to have it delivered to me yesterday (Saturday)! It is a WONDERFUL tv that blows away the Olevia 232V that I just sold because I was unhappy with it.

I have a question about it though. How come I can't change the DRC settings when I'm using watching cable? It seems to fixed on "interlaced." I the have cable box hooked up with component cables, and the HDMI connection is reserved for my Panasonic upconverting player. So am I doing something wrong? How do I change the DRC setting when it keeps saying "feature not available" on the input used for my cable box?
The DRC is only available when the TV is receiving a 480i signal.

BTW, did you set it up on the 19" deep desk? I'm curious how that worked out...

The DRC is only available when the TV is receiving a 480i signal.

BTW, did you set it up on the 19" deep desk? I'm curious how that worked out...


Well, I spoke to the delivery guys about it after they placed the tv on my desk. They said it would be fine and that a lot of the stands they (Circuit City) sell end up having a problem supporting the weight of this tv. They said my desk will have no problem supporting its weight. But it does have about 2" of over hang on the back side. To me, it seems SOOOOO front heavy that I don't think there is much back side pressure. My desk is more than wide enough for it, so I tend to agree with the delivery guys that it will be fine...they were more confident then me!

But my god is this tv beautiful. I'm watching some golf on NBC HD and its just breathtaking!

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k21/JayPSU/Sony001.jpg

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k21/JayPSU/Sony002.jpg


Hope this works. Here is my setup...what do you think, safe or not safe?

But my god is this tv beautiful. I'm watching some golf on NBC HD and its just breathtaking!

Yes, it looked nice, but when they switched to the SD Widescreen cameras you could tell a big difference.

I think that dresser should be fine. Most of the weight is on the front, and as long as the dresser doesn't tip over, that thing shouldn't budge.

Hi Folks,

My Horizontal Trapezoid (HTPZ) setting is maxed out at 31. Changing the setting to a lower value will vertically shrink the left side, but the right side will not go smaller than the image below. Are there any other settings that would effect this or is this a hardware adjustment issue?

________________________________
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________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________

..

Well, I think I have put off going into the service menu long enough. How do I do it? I'm having a slight problem where the edges are coming inwards at the bottom of the screen.

Thinking that I should get it now, even though I don't have HD yet (hopefully a player by summer).
I like the TV up high (bedroom) and wonder if anyone has tried a shelf bracket, like this one rated for 250 lbs. up to 36" TV
racksandstands /Peerless-JMWS-35-PE0051

thanks

Anyone else like using the warm color temp on this tv? It says it is the NTSC standard meaning it must be 6500k. I guess I like it more then the neutral setting right now as its closer to reality.

Anyone else like using the warm color temp on this tv? It says it is the NTSC standard meaning it must be 6500k. I guess I like it more then the neutral setting right now as its closer to reality.

While technically speaking..WARM is supposed to be the right temperature to use but in realitty it's settings and offsets for that mode in the service menu are off.

Blue's look greenish, whites look yellowish,etc.

Neutral seems to be the best compromise of the 3 color temps.

also did you correct the color decoder? to get more accurate colors adjust these settings in the service menu to the following:

RYR: 14
RYB: 14
GYR: 6
GYB: 4

While technically speaking..WARM is supposed to be the right temperature to use but in realitty it's settings and offsets for that mode in the service menu are off.

Blue's look greenish, whites look yellowish,etc.

Neutral seems to be the best compromise of the 3 color temps.

also did you correct the color decoder? to get more accurate colors adjust these settings in the service menu to the following:

RYR: 14
RYB: 14
GYR: 6
GYB: 4

I'm not seeing color inaccuracy with this tv so I won't be going into the service menu. To me the look of warm is doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing to the picture. I dropped the color down to 40 with warm as well.

i goofed up something in the service manual, i was chaing settings for my xbox 360 and i was under the assumption that changing them was unviersal, and that you did not have to go to each individual video input, I have sonys and best buys warranty and there was a problem with the tv prior to this(purple bar on right side of screen), should i get it as close as i can back to normal and call sony for hte other problem or what? :confused:

While technically speaking..WARM is supposed to be the right temperature to use but in realitty it's settings and offsets for that mode in the service menu are off.

Blue's look greenish, whites look yellowish,etc.

Neutral seems to be the best compromise of the 3 color temps.

also did you correct the color decoder? to get more accurate colors adjust these settings in the service menu to the following:

RYR: 14
RYB: 14
GYR: 6
GYB: 4In all of the 34XBRxx displays I have done, none have ever been anywhere close to accurate using "Neutral", generally somewhere around 8000K. "Warm" is generally close, within 300K-400K +/- of D65. Problem is that they never seem to have a really flat grayscale (same color from 10 IRE to 100 IRE). Calibration with a color analyzer can correct this. Technically speaking, watching movies mastered at D65 with a display set at 8000K is just not right. It may be a personal preference, but, technically incorrect. Accurate color decoder settings with non D65 white balance will allow you to accurately produce inaccurate colors. The factory color decoder settings (non Monitor) are an attempt to correct for the errors introduced by 8000K or 11000K color temperatures.

Alright, with the warranty that Sony provides does anyone know if it would cover correcting the picture or not?

I want to thank justsc, Wickerman, and all of the others in this thread who gave such ringing endorsements about this tv. It gave me the confidence to trade in my Olevia 232V for it. I've had the tv now since Saturday and I absolutely LOVE it. It has an amazing SD picture, and a jawdropping HD picture. At some point I will get a calibration dvd for it and take the plunge into that, but for now I am just so happy with my decision. It's a fabulous tv, far better than any of the LCD or Plasma tv's that I've ever seen, and I hope this tv can last me a very long time.

OK, I saw this TV in Circuit City today and have a few questions. I have never owned an HDTV, I am currently upgrading from a 75 dollar 27'' TV that doesn't even have S-Video or Component Cable imputs in it.

I purchased a 52'' Mitsubishi 1080p DLP Tv from Circuit city a couple of months back for 2000, and hooked up my top of the line Progressive Scan DVD player with a newer DVD in it and the picture was horrible. It looked like a VHS that was recorded a few too many times, I had used S-Video, Composite and Component Cables, and the best I got was pretty bad so I returned the TV.

Now today I see this one (Sony KD-34XBR970 34" HDTV) in Circuit City for 1000. The TV looks amazing, and I'm reading here that it upconverts 480 to higher definintions. My question is, with a decent Progressive Scan DVD player and a really good DVD, and a Component/HDMI cable connected to it, what kind of image can I expect from this TV. Is it going to be anywhere close to the "display" video they show at circuit City. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, I've been looking for a new TV for so long, and I don't want to get this one and find it still gives a muddy/boxy(distorted image).

OK, I saw this TV in Circuit City today and have a few questions. I have never owned an HDTV, I am currently upgrading from a 75 dollar 27'' TV that doesn't even have S-Video or Component Cable imputs in it.

I purchased a 52'' Mitsubishi 1080p DLP Tv from Circuit city a couple of months back for 2000, and hooked up my top of the line Progressive Scan DVD player with a newer DVD in it and the picture was horrible. It looked like a VHS that was recorded a few too many times, I had used S-Video, Composite and Component Cables, and the best I got was pretty bad so I returned the TV.

Now today I see this one (Sony KD-34XBR970 34" HDTV) in Circuit City for 1000. The TV looks amazing, and I'm reading here that it upconverts 480 to higher definintions. My question is, with a decent Progressive Scan DVD player and a really good DVD, and a Component/HDMI cable connected to it, what kind of image can I expect from this TV. Is it going to be anywhere close to the "display" video they show at circuit City. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, I've been looking for a new TV for so long, and I don't want to get this one and find it still gives a muddy/boxy(distorted image).

I don't know about your dvd player, but I have a Panasonic upconverting DVD player that I got for $85. I have it hooked up to this tv with an HDMI cable and it looks fantastic. It is as good as you can get without it being an HD DVD. You will love the picture, absolutely love it.

Also, as far as price goes, HHGregg has it significantly cheaper so you might want to get the details and have CC price match.

well, it is smaller than your 52", so that it itself will make the picture look better. The 52" Mistubishi did upconvert to it's native resolution just like the Sony will.

What was their "display" source in the store? A standard DVD or an HD DVD / Blu-Ray demo? In general the image for SD material will look "softer" on an HDTV than on a SDTV. Some sets do a better job than others of displaying SD material.

I don't know about your dvd player, but I have a Panasonic upconverting DVD player that I got for $85. I have it hooked up to this tv with an HDMI cable and it looks fantastic. It is as good as you can get without it being an HD DVD. You will love the picture, absolutely love it.

Also, as far as price goes, HHGregg has it significantly cheaper so you might want to get the details and have CC price match.

Can you describe any faults you see with the image on your tv with your upconverting DVD player? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but just anything in particular.

A guy at best buy showed me a Samsung 40 inch flat-panel that he said was hooked up to a $200 up-converting DVD player with an HDMI Cable. They were playing a disc with scenes from Gladiator, Matrix, The Incredibles, etc. And although it looked good, anything that wasn't the focus of attention looked bad, for example Gladiator. The crowd behiend Russel Crowe was all boxy and distorted, and I know that's not in the print. Is that something that is just standard for an upconverting DVD player and an HDTV, or was their setup just bad/or he was lying about how/what was hooked up?

Can you describe any faults you see with the image on your tv with your upconverting DVD player? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but just anything in particular.

A guy at best buy showed me a Samsung 40 inch flat-panel that he said was hooked up to a $200 up-converting DVD player with an HDMI Cable. They were playing a disc with scenes from Gladiator, Matrix, The Incredibles, etc. And although it looked good, anything that wasn't the focus of attention looked bad, for example Gladiator. The crowd behiend Russel Crowe was all boxy and distorted, and I know that's not in the print. Is that something that is just standard for an upconverting DVD player and an HDTV, or was their setup just bad/or he was lying about how/what was hooked up?

Well I bought a 140 dollar sony dvd upconverter and I see no problems. Just a brilliant vibrant picture.

I've had a 970 for 10 days. It's not only the best TV I've ever owned, it's also one of the best consumer products I've ever owned. Judging by some of the posts here, I may have lucked out and got an "anti-lemon" - the thing is essentially perfect right out of the (huge) box. I've made only a few adjustments so far and am consistently blown away by HD on this set. I'll probably do a proper calibration after a month or so, but right now it's hard to imagine the PQ could be better. "Sunrise Earth" on Discover HD is like looking out a window....I'm absolutely certain that some toddler somewhere has seriously tried to walk into the picture on a 970!

But...I have an odd problem with 4:3 480i subchannels on HD OTA broadcasts here in the Bay Area. All of them come in with a heavy green cast, very little blue and absolutely no red. I have search the web intensively for anything on this issue and have come up with nothing. The one other person I know with an HD OTA setup does not see this problem.

This may be some type of generic HD reception issue, but I thought I'd start here since there is already SO much good information here; somebody should condense this thread into an FAQ at some point.

I feel the same way. I DVD'red a few Discovery HD shows to show off this set. It's simply amazing. I didn't even do any adjustments aside from setting it to pro mode. As far as OTA, I dunno, I only watch 480i through the cable box. SD looks good on some stations, others complete crap.

But...I have an odd problem with 4:3 480i subchannels on HD OTA broadcasts here in the Bay Area.

Wow, all of ours (other than PBS) were turned off on Jan 1, 2007 due to the new "must show 3 hours of kids shows per week, per sub-channel" law change. My OTA PBS sub-channel picks up fine. is it every sub-channel or just one. When we had them, one of them did exactly what you described, but the station fixed it after about 2 months. It appeared that way on all my TV's.

Wow, all of ours (other than PBS) were turned off on Jan 1, 2007 due to the new "must show 3 hours of kids shows per week, per sub-channel" law change. My OTA PBS sub-channel picks up fine. is it every sub-channel or just one. When we had them, one of them did exactly what you described, but the station fixed it after about 2 months. It appeared that way on all my TV's.

EVERY such channel comes in as I described... there are still a bunch in this area. KQED (PBS) alone has 4 of them. I should stress that this is my only problem; HD and standard channel SD are perfect.

My question is, with a decent Progressive Scan DVD player and a really good DVD, and a Component/HDMI cable connected to it, what kind of image can I expect from this TV. Is it going to be anywhere close to the "display" video they show at circuit City. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated, I've been looking for a new TV for so long, and I don't want to get this one and find it still gives a muddy/boxy(distorted image).
I have no idea what the "display" video at Circuit City is... However, unless you get a lemon I can guarantee you that there's no way that anyone would ever use the words muddy, boxy or distorted to describe the XBR970.

I'm simply using a PS2 with component cables for watching DVD's and the'yre gorgeous. I'd like to use the HDMI port but I currently have an HTPC running SageTV connected on that input.

I'm simply using a PS2 with component cables for watching DVD's and the'yre gorgeous. I'd like to use the HDMI port but I currently have an HTPC running SageTV connected on that input.

With the component cables how do ps2 games look? When I tried playing the ps2 on that TV I had bought and returned games were pretty much unplayable due to how bad they looked. I am so close to going out and buying this TV (Sony KD-34XBR970) thanks to all of your help with my questions. The guy at circuit city didn't know what I was talking about and was telling me that I wouldn't get that good of an image out of this TV with what I had.

First to say that to stay away from Vivid. Change it to Pro.
Second, it doesn't display 720p. The source is outputting
720p but the TV is displaying 1080i. The TV can display
480p/960i/1080i.

Since I'm new to this tv and haven't made many tweaks (I'm also color blind), I'm wondering why it's suggested to stay away from Vivid? That is how I have the tv set. It's much brighter in that setting and I also have the clear edge fully on.

Any guidance is appreciated.

Since I'm new to this tv and haven't made many tweaks (I'm also color blind), I'm wondering why it's suggested to stay away from Vivid? That is how I have the tv set. It's much brighter in that setting and I also have the clear edge fully on.

Any guidance is appreciated.

The reason I don't like vivid ( or standard ) is because it is very unnatural looking. It makes everything very jagged looking, especially video games.

most of the time vivid has the color exaggerated and the sharpness turned way up. Calibrate the TV so that it looks best to you. After all, you will probably be watching it more than anyone else.

EVERY such channel comes in as I described... there are still a bunch in this area. KQED (PBS) alone has 4 of them. I should stress that this is my only problem; HD and standard channel SD are perfect.


i live in chicago and have the same issue with OTA HD ( on any station) ( though we have a different TV) every other input works fine but no red, even if the signal is otherwise great...

Something just happened with my local HD stations. I have basic cable (Time Warner, Buffalo NY) and the QAM tuner picks up the locals in like the 89.1 range. Up to last night they would display perfect in the 16:9 screen format. Now they're displaying with bars on the right and left of the picture, but the display info still shows that it is 1080i 16:9. ANy ideas what could be causing this. Do you think TW made some adjustments? I haven't put the OTA antennae on yet to check out if the local stations actually changed something. Thanks for any advice.

Something just happened with my local HD stations. I have basic cable (Time Warner, Buffalo NY) and the QAM tuner picks up the locals in like the 89.1 range. Up to last night they would display perfect in the 16:9 screen format. Now they're displaying with bars on the right and left of the picture, but the display info still shows that it is 1080i 16:9. ANy ideas what could be causing this. Do you think TW made some adjustments? I haven't put the OTA antennae on yet to check out if the local stations actually changed something. Thanks for any advice.Most of the programming on local network digital (DT) stations is upconverted SD with black pillars added. The signal is still 1080i or 720p but it is upconverted SD. Actual HD programming, without the pillars, is generally most of the primetime shows, Letterman, Leno, one of the morning shows, at least one of the soaps, and a few others. PBS DT is generally all HD.

Yes my PBS is coming through without the bars, and it says HD on the screen water mark. I'll check out the prime time shows tonight. Thanks.

I'd like to share some settings I've come to love.

Picture 60
Bright 50
Color 40
Hue 0
Color Temp Warm
Sharpness 40
Advanced Setting-Monitor (the warm color temp adds color to the greenish cast of the monitor setting nicely)

Settings are not transferrable from set to set. In order to achieve the same levels, the settings will be different from set to set - often a lot different.

With the component cables how do ps2 games look? When I tried playing the ps2 on that TV I had bought and returned games were pretty much unplayable due to how bad they looked.
I wouldn't call it unplayable but it's not amazing. I have to say that I haven't tried out an upconverting DVD player yet so I don't know if I'm really missing anything or not.

I have to say that I haven't tried out an upconverting DVD player yet so I don't know if I'm really missing anything or not.

That depends....you would have to find a DVD player that does a better job at upconverting (upscaling) the picture to 1080i than the TV does...so you are already viewing an upconverted image even with a standard DVD Player. If it wasn't, it would be in "windowbox" mode when watching any DVD's.

I would just like to say that you guys are great, and have been extremely helpful to me already.

I'm a bit embarrassed to ask this question...

I just purchased the XBR970, but somehow I missed that it doesn't have component inputs. I have a 360 and a PS3... obviously the PS3 will use HDMI... but what do I need to hook up my 360?

Input 4 and input 5 are component inputs.

Hey thanks, G-Bull. I actually just found that out. The store website doesn't have them listed for some reason.

I knew I'd looked for that!

:) Thanks again. I was sweatin' there for a bit.

That depends....you would have to find a DVD player that does a better job at upconverting (upscaling) the picture to 1080i than the TV does...so you are already viewing an upconverted image even with a standard DVD Player. If it wasn't, it would be in "windowbox" mode when watching any DVD's.

So would me buying an upconverting DVD player be a waste of my money with this TV?

hi all....

Here I was, out looking for a hdtv, mostly for my games, I found out through
this, and other, forums, that crts are the only real way to go for older ps2 games, which I play a lot of.

I found that in best buy, the KD-34XBR970 really lloked nice.

Then i also looked at the same set at Sears, and here is what utterly blew me away: The 970 was at the end of a row of mostly SD televisions, mostly of the size of 27" to 32". I could see that these SD tvs had fairly pixilated graphics and "screen door" patterns, to be expected for a SD set on a cable coax feed
which is also a SD feed, to a large set.
The 970 looked very "HDTV", of course, being a HDTV, only slightly pixilated and
screen doorish, to be expected for a set on a cable and not callebrated.

ah...here was my shock, people.....this tv was getting the VERY SAME SD feed as all of the other tvs, the Sony 32" right next to it looked comparily terrible!

I asked the salesperson standing next to me about three times, to make sure that this tv was getting a SD feed, not a HDTV feed, I suppose that they have to put a SD feed to all of the tvs, on one shelf.

So here is a very good picture on a SD cable feed, "hdTV" in quality, but SD!!

the difference in tvs was SO obvious!

freestone

Hi Folks,

I asked a question about this ealier but it got lost in the mix.

Can someone check out their 970's Trapezoid (HTPZ) setting and see if you can expand/contract both sides of the screen somewhat symetrically.

The adjustment range is 0-31. The left side is contracted and the right side is expanded at a setting of 0, but 31(max) doesn't quite bring it back to neutral so the bottom and top of the screen are not parallel. I can't contract the right side past the neutral(parallel) point which seems like I'm mssing 50 percent of the adjustment range.

Thanks..

Hi All,

Just checking in to say thanks for the helpful posts. Thanks!

I have to retire my failing Sony SXR10 27" TV and make the jump to HDTV. I'm a broadcast user who thinks CRTs have near best PQ and value for the money. This thread helped to guide my purchase decisions. I called SonyStyle and ordered the subject KD-34XBR970 for $849.99 plus $42.50 tax... and free shipping which seems to come and go frequently on their website (they actually flew it from LA to DC!). I'm now looking forward to a positive out-of-box experience. That was the best deal I could find... I'll be watching to see what CRTs, if any, Sony releases in 2007.

Finding THE stand for this beast was not easy. I wanted more component shelf space, tempered glass, and steel than the $300 Sony stand offers. The troublesome criteria were top shelf loading (190 lbs.), top shelf depth of footprint (~23 3/4"), and holding the screen center height *down* at seating eye level (the Sony stand height is 18 1/8"). I did visit IKEA to check out their $60 Stormark stand and found it to be insufficient. I ordered a $229 Powell 398-275 stand, but canceled that after discovering the face frame is MDF, not steel. I finally settled on a $370 Omnimount Cosmic VT-3 in black satin ordered from Dynamic Sound Systems (both of AZ... Omnimount recommended DSS). I'm pretty sure this will be THE stand... it has good component shelf space, 10mm tempered glass, black steel, and good top shelf specs: 350 lbs. load capacity, full 23" depth, and ~22" height (a bit higher than Sony's but this helps the component shelf space height). The price includes shipping (147+ lbs.) and isn't that bad, imo, when you consider this stand's build and suitability. See the Omnimount website for design specs and assembly details.

Well, I hope I'm done, hence my rushing out this information before having received anything yet! I guess I'm anxious to share some info and be done with this chore... buying a TV use to be a lot easier. Now I have to figure out how I'm going to move the damn thing!

A parting question... I wonder what options I might have down the road for integrating a media center PC and/or Internet content with this TV? For instance, is HDMI similar to DVI... could I connect PC video (DVI) to an AV receiver (HDMI) to this TV (HDMI)? [Thanks, G-Bull!]

Update: Well, the Sony 970 is awesome PQ for the money. No complaints (except I wish I could hide/block some of the higher .x digital channels that just carry stuff like weather radar). If the image isn't perfect, it's very likely the signal, not the TV. And the Omnimount Cosmic VT-3 stand is an excellent fit for the 970. This stand is very well-designed, well-made, and looks very sharp in black. I only made 2 mods... I inserted thin plastic washers/spaces between the top of the black frame and the 3 aluminum cup supports that suspend the top glass shelf... to protect the paint; and I applied Teflon glides to the 3 bottom levelers so I could easily slide the stand with TV on my hardwood floor. This TV and stand combo is excellent... highly recommended! Next task... av/music receiver and speaker setup... a custom HTIB.

Footnote: Yes, this equipment is heavy, but the real danger is in how you move it. Use proper technique.

Cheers!

Glenn

Hi Folks,

I asked a question about this ealier but it got lost in the mix.

Can someone check out their 970's Trapezoid (HTPZ) setting and see if you can expand/contract both sides of the screen somewhat symetrically.

The adjustment range is 0-31. The left side is contracted and the right side is expanded at a setting of 0, but 31(max) doesn't quite bring it back to neutral so the bottom and top of the screen are not parallel. I can't contract the right side past the neutral(parallel) point which seems like I'm mssing 50 percent of the adjustment range.

Thanks..
Hmmm that's strange... 0-31 is the full range, and that should be enough.

The next setting, MHTZ is "middle horizontal trapezoid." The range of that setting is 0-3. As far as I can tell, that should almost always be set to 0. Is yours different? That might mess it up.

Otherwise, are you sure what you're seeing isn't actually a different problem in disguise? These 2170D-1 and 2170D-2 settings are funny - sometimes you'll change a couple settings together and it will seem to have the same effect as one of the other settings. I'd look at NSCO (rotation), VCEN (bowing top and bottom), and VPIN (pincushion affecting horizontal lines on the top and bottom of the screen). It might be a combination of these settings that are making it look like HTPZ is what's off.

And of course, my usual disclaimer applies:
Service menu adjustments should ONLY be made by qualified technicians. DO NOT try this at home. Most importantly, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU DO.

A parting question... I wonder what options I might have down the road for integrating a media center PC and/or Internet content with this TV? For instance, is HDMI similar to DVI... could I connect PC video (DVI) to an AV receiver (HDMI) to this TV (HDMI)?
DVI is similar to HDMI (but the connectors are different). I frequently hook my PC up to my TV, mainly for test patterns for display calibration. My PC video card has a DVI output, so I went out and purchased a DVI to HDMI adapter/connector, and it works just fine. I plug that adapter into the back of my PC, then I just run my HDMI cable from the TV to the PC. Also available are cables which have HDMI on one end and DVI on the other end, apparently made specifically for this purpose.

Man, not happy with my 360 running through component. Just playing around with the regular settings and not having a lot of success. I think I need to go more advanced with a real calibration. Don't even know where to start. I really don't want to pay a professional to do it. (all these purchases are starting to add up to some big bucks already)

And it has an overscan problem through HDMI (PS3) and Component (X360) that is a pain in the *** for someone like me, who doesn't really know anything about how to fix it, and is weary about screwing around in the service menu.

bah!

Hmmm that's strange... 0-31 is the full range, and that should be enough.

The next setting, MHTZ is "middle horizontal trapezoid." The range of that setting is 0-3. As far as I can tell, that should almost always be set to 0. Is yours different? That might mess it up.

Otherwise, are you sure what you're seeing isn't actually a different problem in disguise? These 2170D-1 and 2170D-2 settings are funny - sometimes you'll change a couple settings together and it will seem to have the same effect as one of the other settings. I'd look at NSCO (rotation), VCEN (bowing top and bottom), and VPIN (pincushion affecting horizontal lines on the top and bottom of the screen). It might be a combination of these settings that are making it look like HTPZ is what's off.

And of course, my usual disclaimer applies:
Service menu adjustments should ONLY be made by qualified technicians. DO NOT try this at home. Most importantly, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU DO.

Thanks for the reply. My MHTZ setting is set to 0. I don't see any difference between 0 and 3. I thought another setting could be effecting the trapezoid setting but I haven't found anything yet. The left side of the screen is definitely more vertically compressed than the right. I'm just curious if anyone else can compress their right side, or if their setting of 31 stops at just under the parallel point.

I'm sorry if this has been answered but i skimmed thru these pages and didnt see it...

In some descriptions for this tv, it says it can do 720P, but i thought all crts scaled everything to 1080i?

Can this tv display 720P? i'd really like to play my 360 on it in 720P and dont want to have the PS3 downscaling to 480p on me...

I think I messed up one of the service menu settings.

When watching true 4:3 content, say playing a PS2 game, the game looks squeezed.

Anyone know what setting I should look at?

I'm sorry if this has been answered but i skimmed thru these pages and didnt see it...

In some descriptions for this tv, it says it can do 720P, but i thought all crts scaled everything to 1080i?

Can this tv display 720P? i'd really like to play my 360 on it in 720P and dont want to have the PS3 downscaling to 480p on me...
The 34XBR970 will accept a 720p signal, upscale it and display it as 1080i.

You can set the xbox to output 720p or 1080i and the TV will accept it and it looks darn good either way. I went back and forth with mine for a while and I couldn't decide which looks better. It looks darn good either way.

As long as the PS3 outputs at either 720p or 1080i then the TV will display it in all its high-definition goodness. No need to downscale to 480p.

The PS3 does something cuz of its lack of a true vertical scaler chip...so if ur tv can;t display 720P native....it wont scale to 1080i, it'll drop it down to 480P :(.

Sucky news about this tv scaling everything to 1080i, why in the hell do crts do this?

I think I messed up one of the service menu settings.

When watching true 4:3 content, say playing a PS2 game, the game looks squeezed.

Anyone know what setting I should look at?
Do you mean squeezed horizontally or squeezed vertically (or both)?

Have you first checked to be sure it's not on ZOOM or WIDEZOOM or something like that?

Did you make adjustments in the service menu? What did you adjust?

Is the 4:3 "window" the correct size -- are the black bars the correct size, and the image is just squeezed within them, or are the black bars themselves too wide?

The PS3 does something cuz of its lack of a true vertical scaler chip...so if ur tv can;t display 720P native....it wont scale to 1080i, it'll drop it down to 480P :(.

Sucky news about this tv scaling everything to 1080i, why in the hell do crts do this?
Some older or low-end HD CRTs would only accept a 1080i signal, and couldn't accept 720p. That's where people run into problems with the PS3. This TV accepts 720p just fine. There's no reason the PS3 won't work on this TV.

Sucky news about this tv scaling everything to 1080i, why in the hell do crts do this?It would have been way too expensive to produce a CRT that would do 720p and 1080i, especially in a market with rapidly lowering selling prices. They would have needed to produce super fine pitch tubes better than the 960. More in line with the high-end computer graphics monitors. Who was going to spend $4K+ on a 34" TV?

It would have been way too expensive to produce a CRT that would do 720p and 1080i, especially in a market with rapidly lowering selling prices. They would have needed to produce super fine pitch tubes better than the 960. More in line with the high-end computer graphics monitors. Who was going to spend $4K+ on a 34" TV?

This I don't understand. Most CRTs do 480p natively, so why is it such a big expense to engineer them do 720p natively?

Personally, I'd rather have a set that scales 720p to native 1080p than one that has native 1080i and 720p, but that's just me.

Do you mean squeezed horizontally or squeezed vertically (or both)?

Have you first checked to be sure it's not on ZOOM or WIDEZOOM or something like that?

Did you make adjustments in the service menu? What did you adjust?

Is the 4:3 "window" the correct size -- are the black bars the correct size, and the image is just squeezed within them, or are the black bars themselves too wide?


It's horizontally squeezed. Everything is set. When I try to watch something pillarboxed, it looks squeezed.

When watching cable TV, 4:3 content looks correct because the cable box adds the sides to make it 16:9.

This I don't understand. Most CRTs do 480p natively, so why is it such a big expense to engineer them do 720p natively?

Personally, I'd rather have a set that scales 720p to native 1080p than one that has native 1080i and 720p, but that's just me.It is a matter of dot pitch. With 1080i, only 540 lines are being displayed at one time. Trying to squeeze 720 lines would probably cause dot overlap resulting in a softer picture. This effect can be more easily seen on a Large screen where a 65" with 9" CRTs and sharply focused, 1080i scan-lines can be visible, but the space between lines is smaller than the line of video. I generally don't see the scan-lines on the 7" models.

Even the $30-$60K 9" CRT projectors can have difficulty with 1080p. Everything has to be perfect for it to work properly. It has long been the rule, for a 9", use 960p, for a 8", use 720p, a 7" 540p and a 6", 480p.

1080i and 720p are just signals the 970 will accept. It doesn't have a fine pitch tube and is not capable of displaying a higher resolution picture, it isn't as fine as the 960, therefore you need to sit further away than with a 960.

It is a huge expense so many things need to be changed, kind of like saying I don't see why it would be so expensive to build a Honda with 500HP.

If you really want 1080p, consider looking into a new 1080p Plasma, they are looking really good. On the 720p side, the 1366x768 panels are getting better too, you just need to sit a little further away than the 1080p. BTW, the geometry on the Plasma is absolutely perfect. You might be pleasantly surprised at the image quality of the new generation Panasonic Professional 50" and the Pioneer Plasmas.

It is a matter of dot pitch. With 1080i, only 540 lines are being displayed at one time. Trying to squeeze 720 lines would probably cause dot overlap resulting in a softer picture. This effect can be more easily seen on a Large screen where a 65" with 9" CRTs and sharply focused, 1080i scan-lines can be visible, but the space between lines is smaller than the line of video. I generally don't see the scan-lines on the 7" models.

Even the $30-$60K 9" CRT projectors can have difficulty with 1080p. Everything has to be perfect for it to work properly. It has long been the rule, for a 9", use 960p, for a 8", use 720p, a 7" 540p and a 6", 480p.

1080i and 720p are just signals the 970 will accept. It doesn't have a fine pitch tube and is not capable of displaying a higher resolution picture, it isn't as fine as the 960, therefore you need to sit further away than with a 960.

It is a huge expense so many things need to be changed, kind of like saying I don't see why it would be so expensive to build a Honda with 500HP.

If you really want 1080p, consider looking into a new 1080p Plasma, they are looking really good. On the 720p side, the 1366x768 panels are getting better too, you just need to sit a little further away than the 1080p. BTW, the geometry on the Plasma is absolutely perfect. You might be pleasantly surprised at the image quality of the new generation Panasonic Professional 50" and the Pioneer Plasmas.

970 looks better than the 1024x768 plasma and I think it's almost comparable to
the newer 1366x768 plasmas.

When you start considering HD viewing distance, 1.5 x screen width, the 970 will not support 45" viewing distance, a 50" 1366x768 is marginal at 65", and the 50" 1920x1080 is viewable at 65". As I mentioned before, a High-Resolution computer monitor with HD video is easily viewable from 2-feet.

As far as I can remember, the 37", 1024x768, has a slightly higher resolution than the 970, and the 42", 1024x768, should be on par with the 970 because of the larger pixels.

When you start considering HD viewing distance, 1.5 x screen width, the 970 will not support 45" viewing distance, a 50" 1366x768 is marginal at 65", and the 50" 1920x1080 is viewable at 65". As I mentioned before, a High-Resolution computer monitor with HD video is easily viewable from 2-feet.

As far as I can remember, the 37", 1024x768, has a slightly higher resolution than the 970, and the 42", 1024x768, should be on par with the 970 because of the larger pixels.

I really think that base on the number of resolution pixel doesn't actually make up
the picture quality of the TV. Take our SXRD for example. Our 34" CRT 1080i TV looks
the same as a SXRD 1080p but the CRT does judder when still image or text is
present. So basically you can't compare resolutions on different technology because
it's just not worth comparing. To me, it's comparing apple from oranges. 853x1080i
looks the same as a 1920x1080p TV shouldn't be possible technically but different
technology uses different method to create the picture.

I appreciate and enjoy reading all of the comments about this tv, although I'm not a videophile and don't understand most of them. I'm just enjoying the great picture quality in SD and HD from this set. This is the best TV I've ever owned.

I have the settings at wide zoom and pro. Other than that, I haven't changed anything else. I don't use it for games and only an occasional DVD. Does anyone have, or are there any, standard basic settings that are suggested? Should I just stay at the factory defaults?

One more question. I purchased it at Circuit City and took the 3yr service plan. I can still upgrade to the 5yr. Any thoughts on if it's worth the added expense on the plans?

Thanks for any suggestions.

I took the plunge on this set last night. I'm trying to recruit a friend or two to pick it up today. I have a couple of questions:

How much time should I allot for breaking this set in? What do I pull back on while breaking it in? Contrast or brightness or both?

Thanks.

It's horizontally squeezed. Everything is set. When I try to watch something pillarboxed, it looks squeezed.

When watching cable TV, 4:3 content looks correct because the cable box adds the sides to make it 16:9.
I asked you whether the 4:3 window was of the correct proportion, and whether the black bars are the correct size because there are different ways to fix the problem, depending on what the problem is.

Service menu adjustments are only to be made by qualified technicians. It's easy to get in way too deep and screw something up, and never get it back to "normal." Read the THE SONY SERVICE CODES (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=531494) thread before doing anything in the service menu.

If the 4:3 window is the correct size (and you don't need to change the size of the black bars, you just need to squeeze or widen the image within the existing black bars), use MID2 settings DHHP for horizontal position and DHHS for horizontal size.

If you actually need to change the width of the 4:3 window, and increase or decrease the size of the black bars, check out this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9575104&&#post9575104) in the THE SONY SERVICE CODES thread. This is a complicated procedure, involving making adjustments to multiple inputs and multiple resolution/scan rates. I don't recommend attempting this procedure unless you have had a lot of experience making geometry and size adjustments in the service menu.

As some of you already know, I purchased this television about 2 weeks ago now. I have 2 new questions.

1. Have any of you found this tv to be a dust magnet?! I swear, I have to clean the glass screen at least twice a week because of all the dust it sucks in. Not to mention the unit that I have this tv on is about 5 times dustier than anything in the room. As far as problems go with tv's, I'd gladly take that as its only problem, but it's just a little odd.

2. I'd like to hook up my laptop to this tv, is that possible? I have a Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop. Would be nice to d/l HD trailers and such and be able to watch them on my tv. Thanks!

As some of you already know, I purchased this television about 2 weeks ago now. I have 2 new questions.

1. Have any of you found this tv to be a dust magnet?! I swear, I have to clean the glass screen at least twice a week because of all the dust it sucks in. Not to mention the unit that I have this tv on is about 5 times dustier than anything in the room. As far as problems go with tv's, I'd gladly take that as its only problem, but it's just a little odd.

2. I'd like to hook up my laptop to this tv, is that possible? I have a Toshiba Satellite M45 laptop. Would be nice to d/l HD trailers and such and be able to watch them on my tv. Thanks!

1. Yes it is prone to dust everytime it starts. The electromagnet, when the TV is
degaussing, grabs hold of the dust around it so you have to clean it everytime
which isn't pain for me because of Swiffer Duster. ;)

2. Yes, you can hook this TV into your laptop using DVI-HDMI connectors. But
beware of the resolution because this CRT isn't actually a computer friendly
resolution. So set it to a widescreen resolution.

1. Yes it is prone to dust everytime it starts. The electromagnet, when the TV is
degaussing, grabs hold of the dust around it so you have to clean it everytime
which isn't pain for me because of Swiffer Duster. ;)

2. Yes, you can hook this TV into your laptop using DVI-HDMI connectors. But
beware of the resolution because this CRT isn't actually a computer friendly
resolution. So set it to a widescreen resolution.


Thanks for the info. I think my laptop only has a VGA output, not a DVI output. Is there a VGA to DVI adapter so that I can then do a DVI to HDMI connection?

Thanks for the info. I think my laptop only has a VGA output, not a DVI output. Is there a VGA to DVI adapter so that I can then do a DVI to HDMI connection?

I don't think you can go to VGA -- DVI -- HDMI but I could be wrong.
There is VGA -- HDMI for $150 average. But I would spend that on
a LCD if I were you. Go ahead and try VGA -- DVI -- HDMI and see if
it will work. Search eBay for VGA to DVI then go to Monoprice for DVI
to HDMI.

Hello Everyone,

When viewing sd content on my 34XBR970 theres a clear, greenish looking line on the edge of the black bar on the left. At first i thought it would be my cable provider but it wasn't. The bar is present on inputs 2 (hooked up to a ps2), 4 and 5.

I havent yet fixed overscan for the set (I've fiddled around with the SM and the 2170D menu but i havent saved any of the changes, just got used to navigating it).
There's also a couple other things that i need to fix but this to me is the main offender right now.. well that and the upward bent on the bottom that will require a technician with magnets, but oh well.

Any ideas on what could be the cause of this? Ive attached a couple pics. They were taken at night with the lights off so the effect is clearly noticeable.

ps. No my brightness is not that high anymore. Thanks to Avia for that ;)

Hi, What posts on this site deal with HDMI problems? Specifically, my connections seem fine from my panasonic dvd to the xbr970, but no picture, just black. Is this typically a dvd 'problem' or an operator (me) 'problem'? Please advise, thanks!

Can anybody tell me if this Sony KD-34XBR970 is worth to buy, despite of that little gap problem on the top left side????thanx
by the way is the regular SD 4:3 picture from a regular satellite receiver looks as good too in terms of proportion??because thats what i wanna use it for right now..is that will be same as watching it on 27" tv. or there will be a noticeable difference.?

hi all....

Here I was, out looking for a hdtv, mostly for my games, I found out through
this, and other, forums, that crts are the only real way to go for older ps2 games, which I play a lot of.

I found that in best buy, the KD-34XBR970 really looked nice.

Then i also looked at the same set at Sears, and here is what utterly blew me away: The 970 was at the end of a row of mostly SD televisions, mostly of the size of 27" to 32". I could see that these SD tvs had fairly pixilated graphics and "screen door" patterns, to be expected for a SD set on a cable coax feed
which is also a SD feed, to a large set.
The 970 looked very "HDTV", of course, being a HDTV, only slightly pixilated and
screen doorish, to be expected for a set on a cable and not callebrated.

ah...here was my shock, people.....this tv was getting the VERY SAME SD feed as all of the other tvs, the Sony 32" right next to it looked comparily terrible!

I asked the salesperson standing next to me about three times, to make sure that this tv was getting a SD feed, not a HDTV feed, I suppose that they have to put a SD feed to all of the tvs, on one shelf.

So here is a very good picture on a SD cable feed, "hdTV" in quality, but SD!!

the difference in tvs was SO obvious!

freestone

I passed through this same sears store, the other day, about four days after I told the salesperson about the sony xbr970.

the set was GONE!

--just a big hole in the shelf where it was. At first I figured that someone bought it and the sales peaople had not yet placed another one in the same spot, or worse, maybe the set failed and they took it out.
Later though, i had an Intuition as to why this set was removed! Here in the double row of tvs, there are about 15 large screen tvs, from about 27" to 40", and all of the them are "SD" tvs. The signal feed was also in SD format.
These tvs were selling for about $250 to $400 each. Yes they pulled this sony, I feel, as
"it was too too good"! It showed the SD feed in such good quality that this image looked to be HD, and the other tvs were "shamed" as a result!
But the xbr970 had a price of $860 on it, too too high for someone who is looking for a bargin and not caring for the image quality, plus they have to get rid of all of the "dinasaurs" of the crudy SD crt sets, and if someone had the money, they would buy the sony or a lcd set instead!

freestone

I purchased one of these guys a couple of weeks ago and occasionally I hear a high pitched buzzing noise coming from the TV. It doesn't happen all the time. For the most part it appears to be random.

I had a Best Buy tech come out to look at it and he said that it was normal. That when the screen displays a 'bright' picture it's drawing more power and that's when you hear the noise. He said it's common with Sony TVs.

Is he right? I was thinking about getting a replacement from BB since it's within 30 days. Should I get the same model or just go with a different brand? Thanks!

I purchased one of these guys a couple of weeks ago and occasionally I hear a high pitched buzzing noise coming from the TV. It doesn't happen all the time. For the most part it appears to be random.

I had a Best Buy tech come out to look at it and he said that it was normal. That when the screen displays a 'bright' picture it's drawing more power and that's when you hear the noise. He said it's common with Sony TVs.

Is he right? I was thinking about getting a replacement from BB since it's within 30 days. Should I get the same model or just go with a different brand? Thanks!

No. He is wrong. It's his attempt to placate you without doing any actual work (and at this point, repairing the TV is unacceptable).
The fact that you've posted your concerns is reason enough for me to believe that you're less than satisfied.
If they have a replacement, replace it. If not, get a refund.
You're not likely to find a better tube TV.

So this isn't common among Sony TVs?

Other then the buzzing I hear occasionally I LOVE the TV. The picture on it is amazing.

No. Mine have been very quiet. I had a TV (Zenith) that buzzed and it eventually did fail and it failied spectacularly. Big bright flash from the back of the set and a cloud of smoke. :eek:

Just be aware that the buzzing could be an indicator of bad things to come.

The replacement set should have an equivalent picture.

Thanks for your advice! I'll definitely get it replaced. I wasn't looking forward to that only because the TV weighs almost 200 pounds. :)

I'm just glad it's still within the 30 days. (I now know what my friend and I will be doing tomorrow night) I'm sure he'll be thrilled. :cool:

I purchased one of these guys a couple of weeks ago and occasionally I hear a high pitched buzzing noise coming from the TV. It doesn't happen all the time. For the most part it appears to be random.

I had a Best Buy tech come out to look at it and he said that it was normal. That when the screen displays a 'bright' picture it's drawing more power and that's when you hear the noise. He said it's common with Sony TVs.

Is he right? I was thinking about getting a replacement from BB since it's within 30 days. Should I get the same model or just go with a different brand? Thanks!


i was thinking the same thing as oliver. it sounds like he doesnt want to OR doesn't know how to fix it so he tells you it's normal. i've had mine since thanksgiving with no high pitch buzzing. as a matter of fact, my set has been pretty much flawless. it has a fantastic picture (the best i've ever seen) so i'm very satisfied. what's the opposite of a lemon? an orange? if so, then mine's an orange. at least so far.............

what's the opposite of a lemon? an orange? if so, then mine's an orange. at least so far.............

Cherry?

It is a matter of dot pitch. With 1080i, only 540 lines are being displayed at one time. Trying to squeeze 720 lines would probably cause dot overlap resulting in a softer picture. This effect can be more easily seen on a Large screen where a 65" with 9" CRTs and sharply focused, 1080i scan-lines can be visible, but the space between lines is smaller than the line of video. I generally don't see the scan-lines on the 7" models.

Even the $30-$60K 9" CRT projectors can have difficulty with 1080p. Everything has to be perfect for it to work properly. It has long been the rule, for a 9", use 960p, for a 8", use 720p, a 7" 540p and a 6", 480p.

1080i and 720p are just signals the 970 will accept. It doesn't have a fine pitch tube and is not capable of displaying a higher resolution picture, it isn't as fine as the 960, therefore you need to sit further away than with a 960.

It is a huge expense so many things need to be changed, kind of like saying I don't see why it would be so expensive to build a Honda with 500HP.

Thanks for the detailed reply, Glen. I had no idea 1080p scanning was so difficult. Even though only 540 lines are being displayed at one time with interlaced, aren't they being displayed in different spots (odd then even lines once per second?)? I don't understand how dot pitch limitation would be different if all the lines were displayed at once rather than interlaced?

Also, do you know how many small computer monitors with very high resolution (1024x768, for example) successfully do progressive scanning? Aren't their dot pitches even finer?

Is it normal for this set to require a relatively high sharpness setting? I picked up the 970 last weekend to replace a 27" Panny SDTV. When I run DVE through my PS2 and xbox, I get sharpness settings in the 55 range, according to the overscan test pattern on DVE. Is this unusual? I mean, it looks pretty good to me, but I can't seem to comprehend such a high sharpness setting. My HDMI cable is in the mail, so I haven't had a chance to see what I get via my new upscan DVD player.

Is it normal for this set to require a relatively high sharpness setting? I picked up the 970 last weekend to replace a 27" Panny SDTV. When I run DVE through my PS2 and xbox, I get sharpness settings in the 55 range, according to the overscan test pattern on DVE. Is this unusual? I mean, it looks pretty good to me, but I can't seem to comprehend such a high sharpness setting. My HDMI cable is in the mail, so I haven't had a chance to see what I get via my new upscan DVD player.

55 sounds a little high. Are you in "Pro" mode? Also, you are better off using component with this set - it is sharper than HDMI by about 15-20%.

Thanks for the detailed reply, Glen. I had no idea 1080p scanning was so difficult. Even though only 540 lines are being displayed at one time with interlaced, aren't they being displayed in different spots (odd then even lines once per second?)? I don't understand how dot pitch limitation would be different if all the lines were displayed at once rather than interlaced?

Also, do you know how many small computer monitors with very high resolution (1024x768, for example) successfully do progressive scanning? Aren't their dot pitches even finer?With a CRT, there is an electronic beam that hits the phosphor and it glows. With a DV CRT there is also a mask (with a magnifying glass, you can see the RGB dots) With higher resolution, there may not be enough dots to show every detail, they would overlap, resulting in a softer, picture.

Non CRT computer monitors, (1024x768, for example), Plasma, DLP, LCD, LCoS are all fixed pixel and the image needs to be scaled to fit or the image doesn't fit. Like viewing a 1366x1024 picture at 100%, you don't see all of it or an 800x600 will not fill the screen. Computer monitors are designed for close viewing, TVs are designed around normal seating distances. For example, my 1024x768 notebook monitor, at 2', is bigger to the eye, than my 65" TV at 13', therefore, a 65" 1024x768 display would have a comparable image resolution.

55 sounds a little high. Are you in "Pro" mode? Also, you are better off using component with this set - it is sharper than HDMI by about 15-20%.
Yes, I am in Pro mode. The xbox and PS2 are both hooked up via component. Could having a contrast set too low contribute in a round about way to the crispness of an image? Things are a little muddy right now, but I'm afraid to boost up the contrast until this sets gets some more hours under its belt (Should I even keep contrast down on a new set, or is this a myth?). I know contrast and sharpness aren't specifically related, but I'm wondering if softness could be in the realm of muddiness, as far as my eye is concerned.

Also, what are people's thoughts on the Color Axis option? Would Monitor or Default be a better way to go when tweaking color?

With a CRT, there is an electronic beam that hits the phosphor and it glows. With a DV CRT there is also a mask (with a magnifying glass, you can see the RGB dots) With higher resolution, there may not be enough dots to show every detail, they would overlap, resulting in a softer, picture.

I understand this, but not in reference to interlaced vs. progressive with the same resolution (i.e. 1080i vs. 1080p). If with interlaced, the odd then even lines are drawn (both in their different, respective locations) in the same time frame, why is dot pitch limitation not the same?

Non CRT computer monitors, (1024x768, for example), Plasma, DLP, LCD, LCoS are all fixed pixel and the image needs to be scaled to fit or the image doesn't fit. Like viewing a 1366x1024 picture at 100%, you don't see all of it or an 800x600 will not fill the screen. Computer monitors are designed for close viewing, TVs are designed around normal seating distances. For example, my 1024x768 notebook monitor, at 2', is bigger to the eye, than my 65" TV at 13', therefore, a 65" 1024x768 display would have a comparable image resolution.

I'm aware of this. My question is how do they successfully do progressive scan at that resolution at such small sizes???

Yes, I am in Pro mode. The xbox and PS2 are both hooked up via component. Could having a contrast set too low contribute in a round about way to the crispness of an image? Things are a little muddy right now, but I'm afraid to boost up the contrast until this sets gets some more hours under its belt (Should I even keep contrast down on a new set, or is this a myth?). I know contrast and sharpness aren't specifically related, but I'm wondering if softness could be in the realm of muddiness, as far as my eye is concerned.

The lower the contrast setting, the better the beam focus, so that probably isn't the problem unless it is set really low.

Also, what are people's thoughts on the Color Axis option? Would Monitor or Default be a better way to go when tweaking color?

I think Monitor is more accurate, but you really need to get into the service menu and adjust the color decoder settings (See the Sony service codes thread). I think the correct settings for the 970 are:

RYR - 14
RYB - 14
GYR - 4
GYB - 3

or something really close to that.

The lower the contrast setting, the better the beam focus, so that probably isn't the problem unless it is set really low.



I think Monitor is more accurate, but you really need to get into the service menu and adjust the color decoder settings (See the Sony service codes thread). I think the correct settings for the 970 are:

RYR - 14
RYB - 14
GYR - 4
GYB - 3

or something really close to that.

Actually i find

14
14
6
4

to be more accurate for the color decoder.

I understand this, but not in reference to interlaced vs. progressive with the same resolution (i.e. 1080i vs. 1080p). If with interlaced, the odd then even lines are drawn (both in their different, respective locations) in the same time frame, why is dot pitch limitation not the same?Consider it like this, you have a 4-lane highway with 8'wide lanes. Now you have 4 trucks carrying 9'wide loads. You can have trucks in lanes 1/3 then 2/4 (forget 1/4) this is interlaced. To have trucks in lanes 1/2/3/4 you need smaller loads or wider lanes, progressive. Same with the TV, for CRT, you need smaller spot beam and or wider phosphor. There is a reason the new 1080p Plasmas are not smaller than 50", they cannot make the phosphor cells any smaller at this time. 42" Plasmas are usually 1024x768. The pixels on a 65" 1080p Plasma are smaller than the pixels on a 50" 1366x768 Plasma.I'm aware of this. My question is how do they successfully do progressive scan at that resolution at such small sizes???It is just digital data going to a pixel. If you think about the newer LCoS 1080p chips, they are only about .7" if that measurement is diagonal, the size is .6"x.34" with 1920x1080 pixel display, the chip/video signal is something in the area of 2200x1125 pixels. Now just imagine a 1080p image on a chip that size.

Consider it like this, you have a 4-lane highway with 8'wide lanes. Now you have 4 trucks carrying 9'wide loads. You can have trucks in lanes 1/3 then 2/4 (forget 1/4) this is interlaced. To have trucks in lanes 1/2/3/4 you need smaller loads or wider lanes, progressive. Same with the TV, for CRT, you need smaller spot beam and or wider phosphor. There is a reason the new 1080p Plasmas are not smaller than 50", they cannot make the phosphor cells any smaller at this time. 42" Plasmas are usually 1024x768. The pixels on a 65" 1080p Plasma are smaller than the pixels on a 50" 1366x768 Plasma.

It is just digital data going to a pixel. If you think about the newer LCoS 1080p chips, they are only about .7" if that measurement is diagonal, the size is .6"x.34" with 1920x1080 pixel display, the chip/video signal is something in the area of 2200x1125 pixels. Now just imagine a 1080p image on a chip that size.

I mean 1024x768 direct view CRT computer monitors, not fixed pixel displays. How do they do those progressive scan?

I mean 1024x768 direct view CRT computer monitors, not fixed pixel displays. How do they do those progressive scan?CRT screens don't have a fixed "pixel resolution" they have a dot pitch, and the internal circuits have a maximum resolution they can handle, in part limited by the dot size. A 15" monitor with a .27 dot pitch will have much less resolution than a 21" monitor with a .20 dot pitch. The dot pitch and size of the monitor dictate the maximum resolution.
A 17", .20 can go to 1280x1024 and a 21", .20 can go to 2048x1536, while a 15", .24 can only go to 1024x768 and a 15", .23 can go to 1280x1024. It is mainly in the dot size, smaller dots = more resolution. The two 15" examples are like the 970 vs. 960, the dots are smaller on the 960.
21" here (http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktopdisplays/crtmonitors/graphicseries/g225fb/#specs)
17" here (http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktopdisplays/crtmonitors/e2series/e70fplussb/#specs)

CRT screens don't have a fixed "pixel resolution" they have a dot pitch, and the internal circuits have a maximum resolution they can handle, in part limited by the dot size. A 15" monitor with a .27 dot pitch will have much less resolution than a 21" monitor with a .20 dot pitch. The dot pitch and size of the monitor dictate the maximum resolution.
A 17", .20 can go to 1280x1024 and a 21", .20 can go to 2048x1536, while a 15", .24 can only go to 1024x768 and a 15", .23 can go to 1280x1024. It is mainly in the dot size, smaller dots = more resolution. The two 15" examples are like the 970 vs. 960, the dots are smaller on the 960.
21" here (http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktopdisplays/crtmonitors/graphicseries/g225fb/#specs)
17" here (http://www.viewsonic.com/products/desktopdisplays/crtmonitors/e2series/e70fplussb/#specs)

Glen,

I'm eluding to the point you made about a 34" DV CRT being too small to do 720p on any commercially made TV. I'm asking how then do they do similar resolutions on small DV CRT computer monitors that only cost a few hundred dollars? I understand fully the difference between dot pitch and fixed pixel displays.

What I don't understand how you say they can make a 1024x768 (dot pitch) DV CRT progressive scan 15" computer monitor, but cannot feasibly make a 720p (or 1080p for that matter) 34" DV CRT.

Consider it like this, you have a 4-lane highway with 8'wide lanes. Now you have 4 trucks carrying 9'wide loads. You can have trucks in lanes 1/3 then 2/4 (forget 1/4) this is interlaced. To have trucks in lanes 1/2/3/4 you need smaller loads or wider lanes, progressive. Same with the TV, for CRT, you need smaller spot beam and or wider phosphor.

I don't get it. WIth interlaced, the trucks would not ever be traveling in overlapping lanes (odd then even lines don't overlap - or do they?), so I really don't get the size analogy to interlaced vs. progressive.

Glen,

I'm eluding to the point you made about a 34" DV CRT being too small to do 720p on any commercially made TV. I'm asking how then do they do similar resolutions on small DV CRT computer monitors that only cost a few hundred dollars? I understand fully the difference between dot pitch and fixed pixel displays.

What I don't understand how you say they can make a 1024x768 (dot pitch) DV CRT progressive scan 15" computer monitor, but cannot feasibly make a 720p (or 1080p for that matter) 34" DV CRT.They could, my best guess is that they decided that the cost couldn't support the projected sales at the current market price. A graphics monitor and a TV are two totally different markets. When a big CRT was needed they just went to a CRT projector.

I don't get it. With interlaced, the trucks would not ever be traveling in overlapping lanes (odd then even lines don't overlap - or do they?), so I really don't get the size analogy to interlaced vs. progressive.That is the point if the dot or beam spot is greater in size than the scan line for that resolution, progressive lines will overlap and the image will loose resolution. If alternating lines overlap the blank space, it doesn't matter as much. This is exactly the issue with doing 1080p on a 9" CRT projector. Unless it is in perfect condition and properly setup, 960p can look better than 1080p. 8" CRTs don't have enough surface area to even think about resolving 1080 lines.

Read the first 15 and the last 4 pages. Went out tonight and picked up this set at BB for $900. Last one at that store per the inventory lookup screen on premise. Started my HD journey in March of 04 with a crt projection (Toshiba 46h83-isf'd) then in October of05 went to a 52" D-ila (52g886) and today, down to a 200 lb, 34" direct crt. It exceeds the pq on both prior sets. Before this set, I spent $4 thousand on the other two in three years and they cannot match the pq on this set. Expensive lesson but until SED arrives, I will just keep the smaller, bulkier, and superior TV (I hope!), no SFP and all!

Thanks for all the posts.

It appears that the Sony KD 34XBR970 is being discontinued - B&H Photo is a fairly well known electronics store here in NYC. I was checking their site for pricing and found that they are listing the tv as discontinued (sorry, I can't post the link here - so that you can directly link to the page and see for yourselves - as per the moderator's rules. If you do a google search for the store, you should find it easily).
Also, it appears Best Buy is no longer selling the tv online, limiting sales to in store only, while lowering the price to $899.99. Is the end of Sony's line of CRT HDTV's almost here?

Hey if anyone wants a 34 KDXBR970 check out Sony's website. They still have it listed. My local Best Buy here in NC is discontinuing the 970 as well. Sad Day

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The FD Trinitron enables you to view life-like images of exceptional brightness and precise colour reproduction, with greater depth and clarity for total visual enjoyment. This is done through a special feature of an Aperture Grille, a unique high tension grille conceptualized with a series of vertical slits stretching from top to bottom. This feature allows more electrons to pass through than the conventional shadow mask television and makes for greater enjoyment for the viewer.

Brighter Images!
The Sony’s High-Tension Aperture Grille allows more electrons to pass through its series of vertical slits that stretches from top to bottom. This helps produce images of exceptional brightness and clarity with greater depth, when compared to competitor's shadow mask television.







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A new gateway to explore and navigate through advanced and comprehensive graphic menu for an easy access to a wide range of entertainment options. Enjoy TV and video programmes, tune in to the radio or adjust your TV settings at the push of a button.





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Doming Free Images!
Another superior benefit of the High-Tension Aperture Grille is its ability to effectively deliver onscreen images with much better colour accuracy! This is achieved through its stable vertical tension that absorbs expanding heat energy, ensuring that there is no unwanted colour spillage as all beams will hit at the correct position when reflected on the phosphor.





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Intelligent Technology For Enhanced Visual Enjoyment
Intelligent Picture Signal Indicator enables viewer to see improved picture quality after visualising the signal strength indication, providing an impressive testimony of the Intelligent Picture PLUS effect. Convenient signal sensor that provides quick and precise identification of signal level.





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Intelligent Picture PLUS

AUTOMATIC CONTRAST OPTIMISATION
This function automatically optimizes the contrast of bright and dark scenes with variable gamma. Contrast performance is further enhanced in Sparkling WEGA that will feature a more convincing picture quality.

AUTOMATIC NOISE DETECTION
This function automatically detects noise when receiving weak broadcast and video signals. There is improved picture quality by controlling sensitivity, colour level, sharpness and brightness.







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Intelligent Signal Booster*
The Intelligent Signal Booster automatically strengthens weak TV signals. When the incoming RF signal shows an unclear, snowy picture, this function detects the signal level then amplifies it to improve overall picture quality. With Intelligent Signal Booster, images are finer, clearer and have excellent contrast.





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Diamond Cut Design
Encased in this sophisticated outfit, the new SZ29/25 features the superior diamond-shape feature that is sleek and attractive.

DVD Component Input
Sony WEGA delivers picture images of astounding quality when compared to standard composite and S-Video input television units through specially designed features to optimize signals from DVD sources. Enjoy perfect image resolution and colour fidelity when viewing movies and videos on your Sony WEGA.

V-Compression (Vertical Compression Technology)
Enjoy watching DVDs on the SZ series in a cinematic widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and images of high-density quality. Compressing the image from a 4:3 to 16:9 mode is achieved through focusing the scanning lines within the image area. This greatly increases the lines to reveal richer, fuller images and vast improvements in picture quality.

5-Band Graphic Equalizer
Fitted with the 5-Band Graphic Equalizer, you will be able to enjoy richer listening pleasures. To view the graphic display, you need only push the Sound Mode button on the remote control. Each mode comes with optimized settings to provide the most comprehensive audio enjoyment.

The Sparkling Sound Technology

The pursuit for ideal precision has lead Sony to introduce Sparkling Sound* Technology. Driven by Tweeters & BBE Digital Technology for the reproduction of delicately tuned high frequency sounds, Sparkling Sound Technology delivers exceptional quality with surround effects in a compact package. A sound engine with excellent clarity and remarkably realistic sound reproduction – Sparkling Sound Technology sets a new benchmark in sound fidelity and realism.



Tweeter: High Performance Sound and Vocal Clarity Enhancement

To enhance your audio experience, Sparkling Sound* is powered with two finely pitched tweeters for excellent sound delivery and outstanding sound definition. This remarkable device is designed to effectively deliver high frequency sounds and enhance vocal clarity.



BBE Digital: Clarity Up with Original Live Sound Reproduction

BBE Digital Technology produces high definition sound, with harmonic complexity, Sparkle and Clarity. Since components with large negative phase shifts (high frequencies) arrive at the listener’s ear later than signals undergoing small phase shifts(low frequencies), audio materials with high frequency sounds such as sharp vocals and, instruments like guitars and pianos are unfocused. The sound is not delivered perfectly, making it seem fuzzy and unclear. BBE Digital Technology works to neutralize the distortion and the resultant effect is the production of realistic sound. High frequencies are clearer and naturally brilliant while low frequencies are harmonically rich and well defined. BBE Digital Technology facilitates the maximization of surround sound effects whilst maintaining natural clarity definition.




Picture
Sparkling WEGA

unfortunately sony may not introduced this new technology sparking wega in the united states. Focusing on lcd improvement than crt. Sparking wega will be available in asia and overseas countries where crt is in demand.

unfortunately sony may not introduced this new technology sparking wega in the united states. Focusing on lcd improvement than crt. Sparking wega will be available in asia and overseas countries where crt is in demand.

What's the contrast numbers on the 970 and will improvements be perceived in such a small footprint? Sounds like a lot of marketing mumbo jumbo. But wait, there's more! New and improved!

A BETTER 6500k gray scale than before.

etc. etc. etc.

This is my favorite part:
According to Sony internal tests, the colour temperature has increased by 65%.
So they're saying that the "standard" color temp isn't just way too blue like it usually is, but it's now 65% MORE way too blue. I mean, WAAAAAY too blue.
:rolleyes:

This is my favorite part:

So they're saying that the "standard" color temp isn't just way too blue like it usually is, but it's now 65% MORE way too blue. I mean, WAAAAAY too blue.
:rolleyes:

Yeah, that one had me scratching my head...

THE SPARKLING WEGA TECHNOLOGY
I love (and own) Sony stuff, but pretty much everything here made me giggle.

According to Sony internal tests, the colour temperature has increased by 65%.
This boggles my mind.

Brighter And Higher Contrast With Intelligent Picture PLUS
I wonder how much more blooming comes with this 30% increase in brightness.

True Flat Visual from FD Trinitron
Wow! An aperture grill! Welcome to 1969.

A new gateway to explore and navigate
Whee! WEGAGATE!!

Doming Free Images!
Glad to know the visible wires holding the grill are doing something.

Intelligent Technology For Enhanced Visual Enjoyment
I had to break out my decoder ring for this one. It took a whole paragraph just to say "signal strength meter".

AUTOMATIC CONTRAST OPTIMISATION
This CRT version of automatic iris going to throw the color temperature off like it does on their rear projections.

AUTOMATIC NOISE DETECTION
Notice that this mentions nothing about actually doing something to prevent or eliminate the noise. Just that it succesfully detects the noise!

Intelligent Signal Booster
Hey, something that is described accurately and named appropriately for a change.

Diamond Cut Design
In other words, if you don't buy the matching Sony stand, your setup will look like ass.

DVD Component Input
I guess third world countries like the UK haven't heard of HDMI or DVI. Bah, who needs it anyway!

V-Compression (Vertical Compression Technology)
Hey, if you are sitting 2-3ft away from your tiny 34" screen, you might actually notice the improvement!

5-Band Graphic Equalizer
As if any equalization is going to help with 2" speakers.

Tweeter: High Performance Sound and Vocal Clarity Enhancement
Two-way speakers! Who needs 5.1 surround anyway?

BBE Digital: Clarity Up with Original Live Sound Reproduction
Yes, since we are already sitting 3 feet away from the screen to take advantage of the increased resolution, we will definitely notice that the bass is hitting our ears before the treble.

To dcorban:

Have you ever heard of emphasizing for advertisement a.k.a marketing?
Ever had a job? Ever encounter anycorporation that doesn't
emphasize their product to sell? I am just wondering why you are
picking this stuff like it's a bad thing.

Well, that didn't take long. :rolleyes:

You came off sounding like an A$$.

I am a "Sony fan" just like some of the other people here. I have all Sony gear (except in my car, Sony seems to suck at car audio). I was just extremely humored at their marketing and thought I would share the fun with people here. I guess you guys eat lemons for breakfast. :P

To dcorban:

Have you ever heard of emphasizing for advertisement a.k.a marketing?
Ever had a job? Ever encounter anycorporation that doesn't
emphasize their product to sell? I am just wondering why you are
picking this stuff like it's a bad thing.
You came off sounding like an A$$.
Lighten up, guys. dcorban said that the silly ad made him giggle. It didn't make you giggle? It sure made me giggle. I thought it was silly.

If you were so impressed by Sony's hype over this amazing TV, then move to India and buy one. Me, I'm keeping my HD XBR set...

Sony India - where the article originated (http://www.sonyindia.co.in/productdetails.do?prod_id=217#)

So, it makes the "Indian Idols" sparkle?
http://www.setindia.com/indian_idol/index.htm

Lighten up, guys. dcorban said that the silly ad made him giggle. It didn't make you giggle? It sure made me giggle. I thought it was silly.

If you were so impressed by Sony's hype over this amazing TV, then move to India and buy one. Me, I'm keeping my HD XBR set...

Sony India - where the article originated (http://www.sonyindia.co.in/productdetails.do?prod_id=217#)

In a past life I was a marketing finance manager for a well known beer co. but c'mon, you gotta admit the copy on this promo is a bit over the edge to say the least...

I remember once seeing a promo that touted "added value bonus offers". Huh?!?!

My apologies to those who have written the copy but it is over the top.

I love (and own) Sony stuff, but pretty much everything here made me giggle.


This boggles my mind.


I wonder how much more blooming comes with this 30% increase in brightness.


Wow! An aperture grill! Welcome to 1969.


Whee! WEGAGATE!!


Glad to know the visible wires holding the grill are doing something.


I had to break out my decoder ring for this one. It took a whole paragraph just to say "signal strength meter".


This CRT version of automatic iris going to throw the color temperature off like it does on their rear projections.


Notice that this mentions nothing about actually doing something to prevent or eliminate the noise. Just that it succesfully detects the noise!


Hey, something that is described accurately and named appropriately for a change.


In other words, if you don't buy the matching Sony stand, your setup will look like ass.


I guess third world countries like the UK haven't heard of HDMI or DVI. Bah, who needs it anyway!


Hey, if you are sitting 2-3ft away from your tiny 34" screen, you might actually notice the improvement!


As if any equalization is going to help with 2" speakers.


Two-way speakers! Who needs 5.1 surround anyway?


Yes, since we are already sitting 3 feet away from the screen to take advantage of the increased resolution, we will definitely notice that the bass is hitting our ears before the treble.


Well I thought your commentary was pretty funny dcorban.

And I was thinking the same thing about "blooming" when I read about "Sparkling WEGA's" from the Sonystyle web site in Jakarta.

However, it is sad that Sony doesn't even want to bother introducing the "Sparkling WEGA" technology into the US. Although flat panel sales are growing stronger every year, I believe I read somewhere that almost half of all TV sold in the US in 2006 were still CRTs.

CRTs are hardly dead yet if that percentage that I read was an accurate one.


nx211

Just like sony superfine pitch tube, that disappeared now the sparking wega technology won't make it to the usa. sony just don't care about the consumer. They charge premium over inflated prices and force consumers with unnecessary crap.

I've had this TV since Nov. and have been happy for a while. Never touched the service menu just dialed in w/ AVIA with good results.

Today I just noticed that when turning on I no longer hear that big degaussing thump. Red light flashes 6 times and turns on quiter. Unfortunately the picture is now bad w/ horrible discoloration in the corners that appears to be releated to no degaussing. Any ideas on how to fix easily? Is there a way to force a secret degauss function? Since the 1st thing any electronic trouble shooter tells me to do is unplug the unit for a few minutes then plug it back in and turn it on, i've done that to no avail. :(

I've had this TV since Nov. and have been happy for a while. Never touched the service menu just dialed in w/ AVIA with good results.

Today I just noticed that when turning on I no longer hear that big degaussing thump. Red light flashes 6 times and turns on quiter. Unfortunately the picture is now bad w/ horrible discoloration in the corners that appears to be releated to no degaussing. Any ideas on how to fix easily? Is there a way to force a secret degauss function? Since the 1st thing any electronic trouble shooter tells me to do is unplug the unit for a few minutes then plug it back in and turn it on, i've done that to no avail. :(

Call Sony to appoint you with a technician. Usually it get fixed in an instant. They
just go at the back of your TV and mess with the internal unit.

Just like sony superfine pitch tube, that disappeared now the sparking wega technology won't make it to the usa. sony just don't care about the consumer. They charge premium over inflated prices and force consumers with unnecessary crap.Too many consumers don't care about what they buy. If most consumers purchase a TV based upon the way it looks in the showroom, in "Torch Mode" and the manufacturer sells all they make, why would they change? "If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it"

Having trouble accessing the service menu. Is it the same (display - 5 - vol^ - power) code listed in the Service Menu Thread?

I have to do something... My 360 looks so terrible running through component (colors seem muted / dull and it's really freakin dark). I also have a nasty overscan issue.

PS3 looks sweet through HDMI though. Barely any adjustments. Little overscan, but much less than the 360 through component.

Having trouble accessing the service menu. Is it the same (display - 5 - vol^ - power) code listed in the Service Menu Thread?

I have to do something... My 360 looks so terrible running through component (colors seem muted / dull and it's really freakin dark). I also have a nasty overscan issue.

PS3 looks sweet through HDMI though. Barely any adjustments. Little overscan, but much less than the 360 through component.

My 360 looks great through component. Any particular game(s)? Did you set the console to 1080i?

My 360 looks great through component. Any particular game(s)? Did you set the console to 1080i?

All games.

I was originally using a PC monitor and running my 360 through VGA. PQ was really impressive, especially the color, which was very vibrant.

The switch to component seems to have muted or dimmed the colors. And everything is really dark. A lot of detail is lost because dark colors bleed together.

COD3 is especially bad. That whole game just seems really, really dark.

Can you post your settings? Just curious what you're running with.

And did you calibrate your set in the SM... or is it pretty much "out of the box".

Thanks.

Edit: I have the 360 on 720p right now. I tried 1080i and, honestly, didn't see much difference. Someone (in this thread) said the television does a better job upconverting than the 360... so I'm just taking their word for it atm.

Probably pretty apparent from my posts, but I really don't know very much about this stuff.

All games.

I was originally using a PC monitor and running my 360 through VGA. PQ was really impressive, especially the color, which was very vibrant.

The switch to component seems to have muted or dimmed the colors. And everything is really dark. A lot of detail is lost because dark colors bleed together.

COD3 is especially bad. That whole game just seems really, really dark.

Can you post your settings? Just curious what you're running with.

And did you calibrate your set in the SM... or is it pretty much "out of the box".

Thanks.

Set is OOB. Try standard at 65pic and "monitor" to reduce red in advanced menu and no edge enhancement. Leave the rest as is.

Did you switch to HD on the back of the 360? It comes on SD by default.

Yeah... it's set to HD.

I think maybe the problem might be that the 360 just looks a lot better through VGA.

Just put my set into warm mode of neutral, and it looks so much more natural. At first I felt that the warm mode was too red, but after diverting my eyes for an hour or so and going back to the set, the colors looked much better.

I've had this set for a week or so, and I've got a horizontal downward bowing in the corners that looks something like this:
_-----------------_
--------------------
--------------------

The bottom corners also seem to bow upward slightly, although not as bad as the downward bow of the upper corners. I've messed with geometry in the service menu, and there is no way to make this problem less noticeable.

So, it's magnet time for me. Is there any chance whatsoever that I could get some magnet therapy under warranty? Or am I just better off dropping the cash for ISF calibration?

I've had this set for a week or so, and I've got a horizontal downward bowing in the corners that looks something like this:
_-----------------_
--------------------
--------------------

The bottom corners also seem to bow upward slightly, although not as bad as the downward bow of the upper corners. I've messed with geometry in the service menu, and there is no way to make this problem less noticeable.

So, it's magnet time for me. Is there any chance whatsoever that I could get some magnet therapy under warranty? Or am I just better off dropping the cash for ISF calibration?ISF doesn't deal with the magnets in the TV, some may be technically capable and offer the service, but generally ISF calibration it is just minor geometry/convergence then all the normal calibration adjustments. The setup on a CRT projector can run $2500 and is probably easier than fixing a 960's problems. The bowing in the corners is most noticeable when viewing horizontal lines, generally not as noticeable when watching video. IMO, spending the money to get the picture looking the best it can with accurate colors and settings and enjoy watching it will give bigger rewards than fixating on geometry issues inhearent in large CRT DV monitors.

Is there a step by step guide i can follow to change the geometry on my sony XBR970.I want to get into the service menu so i can fix the picture a bit.I notice things are a bit off when i play my xbox 360.There is so many posts here,dont know where to look.Can anyone help?thxs.

Is there a step by step guide i can follow to change the geometry on my sony XBR970.I want to get into the service menu so i can fix the picture a bit.I notice things are a bit off when i play my xbox 360.There is so many posts here,dont know where to look.Can anyone help?thxs.

It's really hard to adjust the picture straight. What you can do is tilt and overscan
the edges so it fills up the screen with no bending on moving full picture.

Does anyone know how long Sony will make tube t.v.'s? I'm very interested in the kd-34xbr970, though I'm afraid that when my budget allows the purchase, it might be discontinued.

Does anyone know how long Sony will make tube t.v.'s? I'm very interested in the kd-34xbr970, though I'm afraid that when my budget allows the purchase, it might be discontinued.

most CRT manufacturers as i know it are all closing down their factories,CRT tv's are slowly phasing out completely.

If you have the chance definately get the sony because i don't see anything better coming in a blue moon as far as i'm concerned.

all i can say is get these tv's while you can because once they are gone, they will be very hard to find.

most CRT manufacturers as i know it are all closing down their factories,CRT tv's are slowly phasing out completely.

If you have the chance definately get the sony because i don't see anything better coming in a blue moon as far as i'm concerned.

all i can say is get these tv's while you can because once they are gone, they will be very hard to find.

Glad I picked mine up recently. I would second getting one now. Just read another thread here that said sony would not be introducing any crt tv's this year. Don't know if that's true, but most don't want a 200lb tv, even if the PQ is superior.

I got the 970 on fri. I love it! I tried today t hook my hd cable box up va the HDMI cable. It says t.v. does not support HDCP. What can I do? Anything? Thanks!

Chris

I got the 970 on fri. I love it! I tried today t hook my hd cable box up va the HDMI cable. It says t.v. does not support HDCP. What can I do? Anything? Thanks!

Chris

What is your cable box?

It is a Pace HDTV cable box thru Time warner cable.

From SonyAll Sony® televisions that have a DVI or HDMI input support High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).

This error message may display when a set-top box is connected to the television with either a DVI or HDMI cable. The error message is being produced by the set-top box, not the television.

To correct this, ensure your set-top box has been properly configured to output a DVI or HDMI signal and that it is securely connected to the television with the corresponding type of digital cable.

If the issue cannot be resolved, it will be necessary to contact the set-top box provider for additional assistance.

It is a Pace HDTV cable box thru Time warner cable.
Refer to your manual to set the output to HDMI or call your cable company.

Probably the box as stated. Mine works fine with a Comcast Motorola DVR on HDMI.