Hello all,
I have a sony kp-51ws520 (51" RPTV HDTV) that just does not look very good; unfortunately, it's my home theater display TV and is the focal point of my basement multimedia setup. The HD channels seem lackluster, the clarity is lacking, and overall it's just not that impressive. I have a zenith 316 (i think) DVD player that never really looked right on it and now a toshiba HD-A2 that looks ok but not completely awesome like I expect.

My wife recently had us get a 32" LCD for upstairs to save some space by moving another sony rptv (36") upstairs. This LCD screen blows my 51" home theater tv out of the water on HD channels, my old upconverting DVD player looks better on it than my A2 does on the 51", and so on.

My question is this -- do you think my 51" is "calibrate-able" to the extent that it will make the difference we can so noticeably see between the LCD and this set? I'm not expecting miracles and understand that LCD technology and rptv tech is designed for different strengths; however, I am tired of putting up with mediocrity on my main television. Sad thing is, I've only had this set about 2 yrs.

I would be very happy with my current 51" if i could get the quality up significantly. In your opinions, should I spend the $XXX to calibrate this or save up for a new set entirely?

Thanks for reading and I appreciate your input.

Have you done a basic setup yourself? I would start there.

How old is your Sony? I have a KP45wt-500 that is 4 years old. I recently took it in for a screen replacement (that a toddler had damaged) and had it cleaned. I then had it recalibrated once I got it back to my house. It really brought it back to life. The picture is vibrant again with great color and deep blacks.

Yours is a good TV and I think it's worth a try (and $300-400) to get a good cleaning and calibration.

CobraKai_00 -- Your display is definitly "calibratable", at least for basic adjustments, which should get you a very good picture. I down-loaded the manual, and according to the instructions starting on page 61, they tell you what the basic adjustments are. If you've never used them (and don't have a calibration DVD) then that's the place to start. Your set is capable of showing a very good picture. You can calibrate it yourself, but your set can really shine if it's calibrated by a professional for both the HDTV and DVD inputs.

For a newbie to calibration, I would recommend either the AVIA "Guide to Home Theater" or the "Monster/ISF Calibration Wizard" (both are available from Amazon and other internet e-tailers). In some respects, the Monster/ISF DVD may be easier to use because it uses video and movie clips to illustrate the correct settings (the Monster/ISF DVD is only marketed by them - it doesn't have a big markup either).

If the set been moved around, it probably will need to have the tubes re-adjusted (individual tube focus and convergence, and that's something that should be done by a service technician). These are adjustments that normally need to be done about once every year on CRT projectors. Since it's out of warranty, you will have to pay for this service. It would make more sense to have a professional (ISF?) calibrator do these adjustments and follow that up with a complete calibration.

There are many threads in this forum (Display Calibration) which provide information on DIY and ISF calibration. You might also check the RPTV forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=63) for added information on your KP-51WS520 display.

WadeSc -- He said he's had it for 2 years.

Thanks for the feedback; I have done some basic adjustments myself using AVIA but can't seem to get the picture to quality I think it should be; further, when I get it to look decent for the DVD source, my HD channels still look subpar.

From the responses, it seems that the consensus is to have a pro come calibrate and breathe some new life into this tv. Wanted to make sure that you think it is worth it before I spend 1/3 of its original cost again to avoid a further sunk cost for something I still wouldn't be happy with.

Have been waiting to get it calibrated and am still "due to be put on the schedule" but started to get cold feet looking at the cost while unsure about the outcome. I think I'll try it out with a professional and let you know how it turns out.

Anyone else go through a similar situation (newer tech/older tech tvs in the house) and what was the outcome?

There are a number of threads that have testimonials about the improvements obtained. Here is the most recent one (in this forum): http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=826827.

NOTE: Settings for HDTV (and SDTV) can be significantly different from the DVD player calibration (especially with older players and if the player defaults have been changed or are mis-set).

I'm going to go forward with the calibration. I've been waiting since early January for the tech I picked to get back to me with a date...Is that normal?

I'm going to go forward with the calibration. I've been waiting since early January for the tech I picked to get back to me with a date...Is that normal?

I'm no expert on TV service, so take my uninformed opinion for what it is, but if a tech takes 3 months to get back to you, chances are he doesn't want your business very badly. Maybe there isn't a large enough profit margin for him to do the work that needs to be done. I'd definitely try to book with somebody else.

I hear you; however, this seems to be the field where someone who can "come right over!" might not be the best person for the job compared to the one that is booked several months out. I am however starting to think of going elsewhere, as you might expect.

Wonder what other experiences are...?

There is a difference between "getting back to you to set a date" and the date that he/she can make it to your place. If they can't respond to your request within a week, or so - they don't want your business (or they're in legal trouble).

Find someone else. See this sticky thread for suggestions: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=586330.

Hello all,
I have a sony kp-51ws520 (51" RPTV HDTV) that just does not look very good; unfortunately, it's my home theater display TV and is the focal point of my basement multimedia setup. The HD channels seem lackluster, the clarity is lacking, and overall it's just not that impressive. I have a zenith 316 (i think) DVD player that never really looked right on it and now a toshiba HD-A2 that looks ok but not completely awesome like I expect.

My wife recently had us get a 32" LCD for upstairs to save some space by moving another sony rptv (36") upstairs. This LCD screen blows my 51" home theater tv out of the water on HD channels, my old upconverting DVD player looks better on it than my A2 does on the 51", and so on.

My question is this -- do you think my 51" is "calibrate-able" to the extent that it will make the difference we can so noticeably see between the LCD and this set? I'm not expecting miracles and understand that LCD technology and rptv tech is designed for different strengths; however, I am tired of putting up with mediocrity on my main television. Sad thing is, I've only had this set about 2 yrs.

I would be very happy with my current 51" if i could get the quality up significantly. In your opinions, should I spend the $XXX to calibrate this or save up for a new set entirely?

Thanks for reading and I appreciate your input.


Your set is emminently calibratable, and will be as good or better than any fixed pixel out there, when done correctly and completely. Sonys have the capacity for greatness, when brought to their full potential.

See my website for details. Mine's a CRT set like yours, and if your set doesn't look as good as the one on the front cover of my website - mine - it needs the magic I can do for it.

It's worth flying someone in for something like this. I have been flown in to lots of cities, the most recent Atlanta. There's a thread on AVS called "Mr. Bob does Atlanta", which carries testament to that.

The first and primary thing needed might be something as straightforward as optics cleaning. Again, see my website for details.


Mr Bob

There is a difference between "getting back to you to set a date" and the date that he/she can make it to your place. If they can't respond to your request within a week, or so - they don't want your business (or they're in legal trouble).

Find someone else. See this sticky thread for suggestions: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=586330.

Well said.

CSI - from my Dish DVR

Doesn't LOOK like a db, does it?

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2265/22308csiontosh003vm7.jpg[/URL]

Dean Cain, guest appearance

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6123/22308csiontosh009ep3.jpg[/URL]

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/492/tomsizemorecsi51308014ol2.jpg[/URL]


http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/5860/tomsizemorecsi51308013pu9.jpg[/URL]

cobra -

Am trying to comm with you, can find no way to pm you and have no other means. Are you still around?

b

This was just posted on another thread, thought I'd share it with you here -


Holy Cow Dave Harper!!! You said ISF is in Florida, so I decided to see where they're located. They're about 5-10 minutes from my house!! Didn't even know it, too darned funny.

I have an elderly Pioneer SD-532HD5 like this one.

http://www4.shopping.com/xFS?KW=pioneer+sd-532hd5&FN=TV+and+Video&FD=85747

I might just need to have this thing calibrated some day. It works OK and has been moved across the country twice, in storage for a couple years, never been touched except when I used the Avia disk set it up initially and when I moved here in Boca Raton 3 years ago.

Just noticed this post in another thread, from way back in '05.

Just so you know, those "elderly" CRT RPTVs are not old, they have a 20 year service life - or more, I've seen it, recently heard about a 29 year old Panny CRT 50" that's still cranking away just fine - and at today's stage are only halfway thru it. I know of an "old" curved screen bounce-off-the-screen Sears CRT whose guns fire at the hinged mirror that you pull out and let fall into place to start it up, that's still cranking away just fine too. We've been looking for someone to take it home and keep it going, or hopefully get it to some sort of video museum, tho I have never actually heard of one...

Well treated by their owners re. usage, light levels and avoidance of screenburn, they are capable of WAY better than new performance, even at 11 years old.

I am being flown all over the country cleaning and calibrating these "elderly" beasts, which are capable of incredible HD, head and shoulders better than a lot of the "affordable" fixed pixel offerings out there in today's marketplace. And better looking in some ways than all fixed pixel offerings.

The main thing that not everybody knows about them is that their optics need to be cleaned yearly, and on some brands - like the Pioneers, be they Elite or non-Elite - the "deeper optics" need it every few years as well. That's because of the air gap between the lens barrels and the CRT coolant covers, where 6 additional surfaces get invaded by dust, soot, smoke and all manner of other airborn contaminants, and thus compromised because of the high voltage turning them into powerful, continuous dust magnets every moment they are powered on. There's 28 optical surfaces in there that need to stay crystal clear, 10 of which get heavily compromised because of the HV. When all 28 surfaces are clean and polished and you have a crystal clear light path again, the results are truly astonishing. Like getting a brand new TV for a simple hour's work.

Just doing this one thing gives your "elderly" set a brand new looking picture - in my area my calibrations are called "The Sparkle Process" - and calibration after that is just incredible icing on the cake.

I started the "Don't Dump Your CRT RPTV!" thread here on AVS more than 5 years ago, and it is still going strong, with over 300 complete pages so far and over 9000 posts. If you have a CRT RPTV at all, HD or non-HD, I invite you to go over there and check it out.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=695922&page=327

If you have a CRT RPTV or know someone who does and want info about how to do your optics cleaning with no damage - those soft plastic surfaces in there are incredibly delicate, vulnerable and easily scratched, and any damage to them is permanent - contact me directly, by email or phone. No pm's please!

Thx -

Mr Bob