Well well well...my quest ended in complete frustration. As some of you may know, I been searching the deepest caverns for an xbr 960. Well I finally found an open box at Circuit city about 2 hours away. I took the trip and I saw it today next to a brand new xbr 970. So I had the pleasure of comparing the two.

First of all the 960 was in pretty bad shape. Their was damage to the antiglare coating, I watched a dvd and the top right corner was purple and the whole left side was a bright yellow. I dont know if this is something that can be fixed. Not to mention there was a crap load of dinks and marks on the exterior. The set was on sale for $750 but I got it down to $500. But I found out later that somebody else bought the set for $400 but returned it because the picture was crooked when watching dvds. It looks like this tv has been fixed many times already. What do you guys think? Is it still worth it?

Secondly, I went back and forth watching a dvd on the 960 and the 970...and yes the 960 was alot smoother but after 4 feet of viewing distance, I really couldn't tell the difference. About one foot away you can easily see the difference but I could not tell after 4 feet. I even tested a few people near me and they didn't see it either.

So after all that, I think I might go for the 970 brand new. But I feel better knowing that the 960 is not THAT MUCH BETTER than the 970. Besides, my old set is a 32 inch standard tv so either way it's an upgrade for me.

What do you guys think?

Anyway thanks for everybodys input! :)

With a 34" screen size you will not see that much difference from a normal viewing distance. I have a Sony 36xs955 with the same SFP and resolution. I will agree that it
has better resolution then my Panasonic CT-34wx54 but for normal viewing I prefer my Panny. Colors are more vibrant. Picture is more three dimensional. The noise reduction in the Panny is superior to the Sony. I like both but resolution is only a part of the overall experience. I have seen many 720p LCD sets that look alot better then some 1080p sets.

Are you kidding me? Go with the 970. Like I said 1000x, don't force yourself with a crappy 960 if the 970 is there brand new. There are barely any noticeable difference.

It sounds like the set is in real bad shape. Definately not worth $500.

To really compare the two, you have remove the antiglare coating on the 960 and calibrate both. I think the 960 is significantly better - so do most on this board.

The 960, and all the Sony models based upon the Super Fine Pitch CRT tube, will be noticeably sharper than the Sony non-SFP CRTs, (which is what the 970 is), but only when displaying a native Hi-Def signal!

If you only used a SD 480i DVD to make this comparison with, your not going to notice that increase in sharpness and if anything, that SD 480i DVD may look slightly worse on the 960 than on the 970, because the 960 is more "tweaked" for a native Hi-Def signal.

However, that increase in sharpness of the Sony SFP CRTs comes at the expense of brightness and some people would prefer to have a brighter, less sharp display, than a sharper and darker one.

I would offer that these are highly personal and subjective evaluations which make these two sets different, not one being necessarily better than the other.

If you want the sharper picture for native Hi-Def source material but don't mind the darkness, the 960 would be the better fit. But if you like a brighter picture and plan to still watch a lot of SD 480i DVDs, with just a little Hi-Def viewing, the 970 may be a better fit.

To each his own.


nx211

Are you guys forgetting he said the picture is purple in one corner and yellow on one side? Add all the dents and blemishes and I'd say this is a no-brainer. For the record I am a proud owner of a 960.

f you only used a SD 480i DVD to make this comparison with, your not going to notice that increase in sharpness and if anything, that SD 480i DVD may look slightly worse on the 960 than on the 970, because the 960 is more "tweaked" for a native Hi-Def signal.nx211

Thats what I was thinking also. The majority of my viewing would be my collection of 300 dvds. And I'm in no hurry to start a new collection of HD dvds/blue ray. I will be gaming alot also with my xbox 360 and watching sporting events but I think the 970 will be a perfect fit for me. Not to mention that I will be about 10 feet away from the tv and I dont think I'll be able to see the extra detail from the 960.

Are you guys forgetting he said the picture is purple in one corner and yellow on one side? Add all the dents and blemishes and I'd say this is a no-brainer. For the record I am a proud owner of a 960.

Yeah I was pretty dissapointed about seeing the 960 in bad shape. I searched hard to find this set and I was lucky to find an open box in CC 2 hours away.

I read alot of people here say that it is worth buying a beat up 960 and to try to get it fixed but I dont think I want to spend all that time and effort when the 970 does everything I need.

Yeah I was pretty dissapointed about seeing the 960 in bad shape. I searched hard to find this set and I was lucky to find an open box in CC 2 hours away.

I read alot of people here say that it is worth buying a beat up 960 and to try to get it fixed but I dont think I want to spend all that time and effort when the 970 does everything I need.

Considering the shape the xbr 960 is in, I would just go for xbr 970. From 10 feet, I do not think that you will be missing much in PQ with xbr 970. I do not know whether the problems that you mentioned with xbr 960 are easily fixable though. However, I have read some pretty horror stories about people who were trying to fix their xbr 960 sets.

Is xbr 960 a better set? I watch both xbr 960 and xbr 970 on the daily basis and in my opinion, there is no question that xbr 960 is better of the two. It has got better PQ and far more features than xbr 970.

You mentioned that you were not impressed with xbr 960. I was not either when I saw it at the store that I bought it from. The signal was junk. Like nx211 said, dvd is not the best way to compare two sets. To make xbr 960 truly shine, you need to feed in good quality HD signal.

Considering the shape the xbr 960 is in, I would just go for xbr 970. From 10 feet, I do not think that you will be missing much in PQ with xbr 970. I do not know whether the problems that you mentioned with xbr 960 are easily fixable though. However, I have read some pretty horror stories about people who were trying to fix their xbr 960 sets.

Is xbr 960 a better set? I watch both xbr 960 and xbr 970 on the daily basis and in my opinion, there is no question that xbr 960 is better of the two. It has got better PQ and far more features than xbr 970.

You mentioned that you were not impressed with xbr 960. I was not either when I saw it at the store that I bought it from. The signal was junk. Like nx211 said, dvd is not the best way to compare two sets. To make xbr 960 truly shine, you need to feed in good quality HD signal.

I agree. When I bought my 970 from CC, the picture was junk, but I knew it was going to be better than that, hooked up to the right signal. Man, was I right. I love my 970..

I wish I could have gotten the 960 but I came into the market too late, all that was available when I came along was the 970. I did try looking for a NEW 960 but wasn't able to find one, and I absolutely refuse to buy a used one or one that has been running in burn mode in a store for a long time. So I've got the 970 instead. I like it but there is no doubt in my mind that I'd like the 960 much more.

I think you will be happy with your purchase. I have a Sony 36xs955 and a Panasonic CT-34wx54 and if you go by all the talk about the SFP screen you would think that it would blow away my Panny but my Panny is the one with the better PQ. Yes I can see a better resolution on 1080i but 720p are equal. Overall PQ goes to the Panny for better more vibrant colors, smoother image and a much better MPEG noise reduction circuit. On my Sony you can really see it on the HD channels. My Sony also crushes blacks. I am having Chad ISF the set in August along with my Panny. I can then give more of a objective assessment on both sets.

I think you will be happy with your purchase. I have a Sony 36xs955 and a Panasonic CT-34wx54 and if you go by all the talk about the SFP screen you would think that it would blow away my Panny but my Panny is the one with the better PQ. Yes I can see a better resolution on 1080i but 720p are equal. Overall PQ goes to the Panny for better more vibrant colors, smoother image and a much better MPEG noise reduction circuit. On my Sony you can really see it on the HD channels. My Sony also crushes blacks. I am having Chad ISF the set in August along with my Panny. I can then give more of a objective assessment on both sets.

Yeah, I get mine done in June, and I cannot wait! I am also picking up the Flea HDMI video processor for NR, mosquito, etc.

How much is the Flea HDMI processor and is it worth it to buy for a 34-36" set?

How much is the Flea HDMI processor and is it worth it to buy for a 34-36" set?

$799 + shipping


It's worth it for even a 20" TV. If you want a significantly clearer picture, this is the way to go.

I cannot find a merchant that sells it online>

I cannot find a merchant that sells it online>


http://www.algolith.com/index.php?id=flea-hdmi


And contact someone from sales on this page (http://www.avscience.com/contact.htm)


I got in contact with Jason.

Why wouldn't Sony put a SFP Tube in the 970 if it has such an advantage and why is it so darn hard to find a 960 anywhere when most places I go I can find a 970?

Why wouldn't Sony put a SFP Tube in the 970 if it has such an advantage and why is it so darn hard to find a 960 anywhere when most places I go I can find a 970?

960 has been discontinued for 2 years, I believe.. maybe more. It's been a while since they were last on sale.


There IS one online retailer, who has them for $1,400 brand new, the last time I checked.

If you are considering a 960 or XS955, remember that light levels are low on these sets. A darker room is more suited for this set. If the room has alot of light then a Panasonic CT-34wx15 or 54 will be more suited for that environment. Just had Chad calibrate both my Sony 36xs955 and my Panny 34WX54 and he told me the light level on the Sony sets are low and suggested I switch areas for the sets. We are moving tomorrow and I will have the Sony in the basement and the Panasonic up in the family room which as alot of windows and much
light. Happy with the work Chad did. Not a WOW but the sets performance have improved. My video settings were very close to what he finally put them on. Glad to know that my eyes are pretty good.

Yeah, I'm pretty satisfied with the overall performance of the 970 in regard to HD, SD and DVD viewing. I had a Toshiba 42" rear-projection (42H80) and this is much better on many levels. Unfortunately I have an issue that can't be resolved, so I'm getting it replaced by Sears so hopefully my new one will be even better.

Any word on Sony releasing future models as good or as better as the 960 or are Tubes virtually dead?

Any word on Sony releasing future models as good or as better as the 960 or are Tubes virtually dead?

Dead.. dead as can be...

i have a xbr960 i'm trying to sell. have had the set for about 1.5 years, bought new from local Best Buy (Raleigh, NC). still 2.5 years left on the Best Buy Service Plan/Warranty. i also have the matching stand. never had any problems with it, but moving to a new townhouse with not enough space for its bulk. price is definitely negotiable and would listen to any offer. email me if interested.

thanks,
chris