OK now I'm pisst. :mad: The guy came, was here probably 2.5 hours. Initially, I made a picture file on my PC with different colored borders to see where the output image was for the HDTV on it. So I loaded it onto a mem stick and into the X360 to display. In the blue border, notice the thin purple line (See Attachment Below). That's where the screen stopped. Everything past it was not visible.

The tech didn't really care and wanted to see where it affected movies or games. I loaded up one DVD where the top of the menu was visibly cut off. I also loaded up a few games that had icons cut off. He called Sony tech support twice. Both times he told me there's now way in the tech service menu to adjust the overscan issue. The face in Doom is cut off, the taksbar in windowsXP is cut off, along with the icons on the left, etc.

He said he never worked on this model before, just got the 200 page service booklet, and said it didn't have any info on resizing the image to fit. He seemed uninformed about it, and at first when he put the grid readout from his little display thing on the TV, he said "yep, that looks normal." Then I showed him how the X's were cut off on each side of the screen, and he still said it was normal. Then I took two pens and drew the intersection of where they were "supposed" to intersect on the screen, and it was 1.33 inches one one side (I measured it, didn't measure the others, which looked worse). He was initially saying to the tech support it was 1/4 inch or less. Then he saw what I was talking about. DUH!

Anyhow he said Sony won't replace it unless it's REALLY bad. To me it was, he told me to call who I got the TV from to replace it with one that doesn't overscan. I called vanns.com where I got it and so far they are great. They will look into replacing it, and I told them I will research another model that is "shown" by others' trial and error not to do this, then I'll buy it from them.

Hey CyberCT, I tried out the image you posted, the lower half of the screen is cut off right around the purple line like yours (3.5%+). The top isnt as bad (~3%).

Set-up:
50"
XBOX 360, HDMI, 1080P
Picture viewer streaming from PC

Did you end up solving this issue?

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2892/dsc01518qm6.th.jpg (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc01518qm6.jpg)

To all I have another question:

I read some where that you can adjust overscan while using HDMI, is this true?

ayone have any issue when there is say white lettering on the screen and the lettering almost looks gray? It seems like the contrast is screwed up. thanks

ayone have any issue when there is say white lettering on the screen and the lettering almost looks gray? It seems like the contrast is screwed up. thanks

Is the text on a black background? try messing with the auto iris setting. I noticed the same "gray" test thing on halo 3 and figured out the auto iris setting needed to be on low which took care of the issue.

thanks, I'll try that

ayone have any issue when there is say white lettering on the screen and the lettering almost looks gray? It seems like the contrast is screwed up. thanks

I have not noticed any issues with that. What are your current settings?

that worked. i had the TV set to vivid and the Iris was like Auto1. I set it to either starndard or cinema (it was like 3 am) I don't remember and that did it. no more gray where white sould be.

that worked. i had the TV set to vivid and the Iris was like Auto1. I set it to either starndard or cinema (it was like 3 am) I don't remember and that did it. no more gray where white sould be.

I personally cannot stand the auto iris and I leave it fixed on medium or low. Does anyone see the benefit of leaving it on auto 1 or 2? I could not handle the noticable darkening and brightening of the screen every few minutes. In fact all the auto funtions I have set to low or off and am very happy with my picture. Any arguements for using any of them?

I also have auto iris off.

Does anyone know why the E series has a 46" model but the A series does not? My room can't fit anything bigger than a 46" and with Samsung no longer making the 4675S model, there isn't much to choose from in this screen size range. Thanks.

I am happy to report after getting Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii and playing it on my 50E3000 there is absolutly no lag (you can test under the game options). I know there has been some concern with video game lag on HDTV's but not on this model! Hopefully this thread picks back up after the holidays, but with the news that Sony is dropping RPTV's this model may only see limited (but lucky) customers.

I bought the 46e3000 in November for a pretty good price. It is my first HDTV and I am loving it. Everything was working good on it till the other day. The TV had not been used for 2 days and when I was watching football I saw 3 green lines flash across the middle for about a second. I though it may have been the boradcast but later I was watching a DVD and it happened except to about half the screen (green lines). Anyone else had this issue? It only happened twice and that was within the first hour of use after days of no use. Hope it doesnt happen again or hope it completely breaks before warranty is out!

I gotta say, i love this TV. for the Price for this 50 inch and I have the room in the basement. I thought somebody handed me the all spark....weird....

2 of my uncles just scored the 46" version for less than $9XX...looks like you can get great some deals on the closeout sales.

I bought the 46e3000 in November for a pretty good price. It is my first HDTV and I am loving it. Everything was working good on it till the other day. The TV had not been used for 2 days and when I was watching football I saw 3 green lines flash across the middle for about a second. I though it may have been the boradcast but later I was watching a DVD and it happened except to about half the screen (green lines). Anyone else had this issue? It only happened twice and that was within the first hour of use after days of no use. Hope it doesnt happen again or hope it completely breaks before warranty is out!

I would say even if it doesn't break completely it is still worth a call to Sony. I had a pretty good experience with their tech support. Even if they don't send someone out they still might be able to troubleshoot it for you. If you do happen to call them please post their reponse in case someone else has the same issue.

Hey, there, noob here who needs a little help. I bought a kdf-46e3000 today for $899, found it to be the best value for this amount out there, and thanks to the good info I got on this site that influenced me to pull the trigger. Anyway, very happy with the set so far with a minor carp. The picture seems tilted a little, it is probably 1/4" or 3/8" higher on the right than the left. My old 34" XBR CRT sony had a tilt correction adjustment, this kdf seems not to. I can adjust the whole image up/down or left/right, but cannot tilt it the one or two clicks clockwise I need to for it to be perfectly level. Anyone with specific guidance as to how I can correct this myself is much, much appreciated. I can call Sony and try to have a tech come out as a last resort, but if there is a DIY-able fix that I can try, willing to give it a whirl. Thanks!

Hey, there, noob here who needs a little help. I bought a kdf-46e3000 today for $899, found it to be the best value for this amount out there, and thanks to the good info I got on this site that influenced me to pull the trigger. Anyway, very happy with the set so far with a minor carp. The picture seems tilted a little, it is probably 1/4" or 3/8" higher on the right than the left. My old 34" XBR CRT sony had a tilt correction adjustment, this kdf seems not to. I can adjust the whole image up/down or left/right, but cannot tilt it the one or two clicks clockwise I need to for it to be perfectly level. Anyone with specific guidance as to how I can correct this myself is much, much appreciated. I can call Sony and try to have a tech come out as a last resort, but if there is a DIY-able fix that I can try, willing to give it a whirl. Thanks!

I used a piece of styrofoam to fix mine. For whatever reason the mirror inside was tilted too far forward on one side. I opened up one of the little circular doors on the side of the tv and reached inside and put a piece of styrofoam in there to push the mirror back a little bit. took no more than a few minutes to put it in, measure the amount of slant and make some more adjustments. I recommend wearing gloves so you dont smudge up the mirror though.

I used a piece of styrofoam to fix mine. For whatever reason the mirror inside was tilted too far forward on one side. I opened up one of the little circular doors on the side of the tv and reached inside and put a piece of styrofoam in there to push the mirror back a little bit. took no more than a few minutes to put it in, measure the amount of slant and make some more adjustments. I recommend wearing gloves so you dont smudge up the mirror though.

Ok, thanks. BTW, any guidance on what size and shape the foam you used was?

I actually figured that although I usually tackle stuff myself, since the TV is new and in warranty I called Sony today. They gave me the number of a local service place, called them and they are coming out Tuesday to try and set it right. They were actually quite helpful and pleasant on the phone. Here's hoping the actual visit goes as well too!

If that doesn't work out, I'll give the DIY fix a try.

Thanks again

Anyone know why some movies or my CSI Season 4 always want to put the TV is Zoom mode? I know the tv has Wide Zoom, Normal, Full and Zoom. I always watch it in Full but some of my stuff pushes to Zoom. Makes the horizontal bars smaller of course but why does it do that.

Some movies on Full have such thick horizontal bars too, is this just because the movie was made this way?

I'm not sure where it is in the menu, I can check when I get home or maybe someone else can chime in, but you can turn off the auto zoom "feature." Mine was doing that as well when I would go from an HD channel to a non-HD and it drove me nuts.

I'm not sure where it is in the menu, I can check when I get home or maybe someone else can chime in, but you can turn off the auto zoom "feature." Mine was doing that as well when I would go from an HD channel to a non-HD and it drove me nuts.

Now I know why I never noticed that before. I forgot I turned it off when I first got the TV. I am also not at home so I can't remember exactly where it is located in the options menu.

Ahh! You can turn it off! Awesome! It is annoying and I cant stand it.

i believe the setting is in settings/screen/auto wide and 4:3 default

I have a question for other owners regarding the center speaker placement on
this TV. The top is pretty narrow, and I have my Paradigm CC-350 carefully
balanced on it, but I am looking for a solution to make it more sturdy. Has
anyone had success with an item like this?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=108951&WT.mc_n=93&WT.mc_t=U&cm_ven=COMPARISON%20SHOPPING&cm_cat=BIZRATE&cm_pla=DATAFEED-%3EPRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=93

The TV is so thin that I'm wondering if something like that would even fit.
What do you guys do to get your center speaker safely above this TV?
Thanks for any help!

How about a small shelf attached to the wall just behind the tv.

I'm afraid that isn't an option because of the way my living room is shaped, and
also the fact that I rent, so I can't really build anything as if it were my own
home. I was just hoping that someone who has this TV had tried a device that
attaches to the TV itself and could let me know which one works, if any.

Hi Nicodimus22, I just installed my new KDF-50E3000 last night, and I used the same Omnimount from Circuit City you linked to for my center channel speaker. It works great. The TV has a steep back, so you'll want to use the "D-Steep Back" option in setting up the Omnimount, using the long leg assemblies setup about 9 inches long.

I also put my 18" fluorescent backlight laying just above the back legs, which worked out perfect.

Thank you so much! :D

Awesome, thanks for the response.

One more question. The store I bought the tv from apparently offers a 4 year warranty for ~$120-130 that does cover bulb replacement. Think this is a good idea? How long do these bulbs usually last? And whats the cost of replacement?

After seeing my mom's lamp go out in her Samsung DLP after only 3 months (they had a bad run of lamp production), the first thing I did after placing an order for my KDF-50E3000 was order a spare lamp to have on hand.

The XL-2500 lamp must be pretty new, as I only found one online retailer selling it, but then checked SonyStyle, and found it was about $40 cheaper at $185 directly from them!

Steven

I have a question relating to overscan. I know that all TVs have it, but in
this case it seems kind of drastic. I noticed it when viewing some 1920 X
1080 images on my PS3.


Take a look at this, the original image:

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p86/Nicodimus22/BEARS.jpg


Now, this is exactly what the same image looks like on my KDF-50E3000:

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p86/Nicodimus22/BEARSonPS3.jpg


A pretty decent amount of the photo gets chopped off, which looks like
a lot more than the 2.5% that I've seen is typical. Is there a way to adjust
the overscan in the service menu? I know I'm not going to eliminate it, but
I'd like to lessen it if anyone knows how to make the adjustment.

Thanks for any helpful replies.

I think your overscan is normal. Cropping your original picture to look like the PS3 one, I then calculated that you have about 3% overscan horizontally, and 3.8% vertically. This is on EACH side of the image. My TV has about 3.5% overscan using an AVIA test disc.

On adjusting overscan, I found this in the A3000 Settings/Tweaks thread, and I think it applies to the E3000 as well:


"Originally Posted by davehancock
Here's the scoop on Overscan on 1080p rear projection sets (Sony as well as others). The imaging chip in these sets are 1080 x 1920 pixels. Because of mechanical tolerances in building these sets plus changes that can occur in shipping and with temperature changes they project that chip image over a slightly larger area than the screen. So if things shift right by 1%, you won't see the edge of the picture.

Digital HD 1080i broadcasts are also 1080 x 1920 pixels. They "map" these broadcast pixels to the corresponding pixel on the imager. If you tried to reduce the optical overscan electronically, you could do so only by altering this 1:1 mapping (1:0.99999), and this will destroy the set's ability to truly display 1080 x 1920 pixels.

Some 1080p sets still do have size adjustments (usually in the Service Menu) that allow you to have something other than 1:1 pixel mapping - but this is not something that you really want to do."


I've been trying to find a guide to all the adjustments in the service menu, but have not found anything. It might be easier to find a guide to an SRXD service menu, which is probably similiar.

The only thing I can suggest to look at to reduce overscan is to make sure that in the HOME menu that the Screen/Display Area is set to Normal and not -1 or -2.

Steven

The only thing I can suggest to look at to reduce overscan is to make sure that
in the HOME menu that the Screen/Display Area is set to Normal and not -1 or -2.

Steven

Thanks for the quick response. I did go in and check that just now, and it was
set to "Normal." If I could just set it to +1 (which doesn't exist) it would get the
picture pretty much how I want it.

If anyone else knows how to adjust the overscan in the service menu, please
let me know. Thanks!

I just got my 50" E3000 last week, so far I really like it. I was in Bestbuy and looked at the E3000 next to the A3000 and honestly the E3000 looked better. There was a lot of "bleeding" of whites and other bright colors on the A3000. This may be adjusted I'd assume, but first impression was that the E3000 was crisper.

Two small things I'm wondering about. Twice now I've heard my fan kind of make a higher pitched sound rather than the low, constand sound. Is this a problem? Also, I bought an HDMI cable and hooked up my HD cable with it. Why does the component hookup of HD cable look better than the HDMI hookup? Is this a faulty HDMI cord?

Thanks

Are you watching an HD or SD program when comparing the two? SD might look better or softer through component. What is your cable box set to output as? When comcast set mine up the guy set it as 720p. When I later set it to 1080i I noticed a big difference in HD programs through HDMI.

As far as the fan, when I first got the TV the fan made all kinds of strange and loud noises. After a few weeks it seemed to calm down and I barely hear it all anymore.

Are you watching an HD or SD program when comparing the two? SD might look better or softer through component. What is your cable box set to output as? When comcast set mine up the guy set it as 720p. When I later set it to 1080i I noticed a big difference in HD programs through HDMI.

As far as the fan, when I first got the TV the fan made all kinds of strange and loud noises. After a few weeks it seemed to calm down and I barely hear it all anymore.

I was watching HD comparing the two. It was a college basketball game on ESPN HD, I used component then HDMI. The HDMI cable I got is supposed to be top notch, although I got it at a "cheaper" online store.

I took it back yesterday. I know that the fan always make a low-level sound which is normal, mine acts up and makes a very high pitched shrill sound that doesnt stop at times. I ended up switching to the 55" A3000 instead, not much more in price and sounds like a lot more TV. We'll see what happens.

Have you try changing the fan setting? I can't remember what they call them but one is for like living in Denver and the other low land. I don't hear mine at all except when I shut the set off at nite and the fan is cooling down the bulb, even then I have to walk right up to the tv to hear it.
The HDMI cord I use is the cheapest I could get, the one that came with my D* box, and I really don't see a difference. Are you hooked right from the reciever or are you going into your home theater set then to tv? I just go straight to the tv, cut out the middle man so to speak, but hook to audio to the home theater.

Just to follow up and let other owners know: If you have a center speaker
and need a way to put it on top of this TV, the OmniMount works like a charm.
I am using a Paradigm CC-350, which weighs about 25 pounds, and this thing
does a fine job of holding it, and the front pegs do NOT get in the way of the
screen at all. I've been using it for about a week and it seems very solid:

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p86/Nicodimus22/Omnimount.jpg

The OmniMount:

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=108951&WT.mc_n=93&WT.mc_t=U&cm_ven=COMPARISON%20SHOPPING&cm_cat=BIZRATE&cm_pla=DATAFEED-%3EPRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=93

I'm a new 50E3000 owner here! I bought the TV on Saturday after bringing over 100lbs of change that I had collected over the years to a local Coinstar machine and getting a CC gift card.

My DirecTV hi-def doesn't get installed until next Thursday, so for now It's just SD on the set. So far I'm pretty happy with the set. The SD DirecTV broadcast doesn't look nearly as bad as I expected, even when in "zoom" mode to fill the screen. I can't wait to watch HD on it!

Unfortunately, the limitations of my 480p Pioneer DVD player make dvds look less impressive than I'd hoped. Everything is blocky. Hopefully upgrading to a new Oppo will make my DVDs look good enough until the HD DVD vs. Blue Ray issue settles itself.

I guess I really had nothing constructive to add at this point, but after sitting on the fence for nearly 10 years, I finally dove in and got my first HD tv. :D

I did have my cooling setting on Auto. The fan had a different problem that I read about on another site, it was a high pitched sound that came from it. Either way I was either returning it for the A3000 or another E3000. I ended up getting the A3000 because it really wasnt much more.

jim85IROC,

Do you have a UHF antenna and live an area with OTA HD? If so, try it, the tuner in the set is very good, maybe even one of those old bow tie indoor jobs would work if your signal is strong enough.


ej

jim85IROC,

Do you have a UHF antenna and live an area with OTA HD? If so, try it, the tuner in the set is very good, maybe even one of those old bow tie indoor jobs would work if your signal is strong enough.


ejI'm in a rural area, though the Albany NY stations do have a repeater on a nearby mountain. I suppose it might be worth a try, but growing up (5 miles away), I grew up with 3 fuzzy stations until we finally got DirecTV the first year it was introduced. Reception is tough around here... though I am at a much higher elevation than my parents house, so I suppose it could be worth a try.

Maybe for the hell of it I'll try a pair of rabbit ears tonight.

Rabbit ears are more for VHF signals, you would likely need a bowtie or round antenna,or i think zenith makes a silver sensor indoor antenna rated highly.

hey all

Is anyone using the optical output from the tv to your receiver?
If so is it only passing 2 channel PCM? The manual doesn't specify..

I'm looking to upgrade receivers, in my budget Optical is my best
connection. I plan on keeping my video sources going straight into the tv
via hdmi.
I'm just trying to determine if its best to go from video sources (via opt.) to the receiver or tv (via opt.) to receiver. Would be nice to have less cables, but not that big of a deal really....

thoughts/comments anyone?

hey all

Is anyone using the optical output from the tv to your receiver?
If so is it only passing 2 channel PCM? The manual doesn't specify..

I'm looking to upgrade receivers, in my budget Optical is my best
connection. I plan on keeping my video sources going straight into the tv
via hdmi.
I'm just trying to determine if its best to go from video sources (via opt.) to the receiver or tv (via opt.) to receiver. Would be nice to have less cables, but not that big of a deal really....

thoughts/comments anyone?
On many TVs, HDMI audio in is converted to PCM stereo (presumably since the TV only has stereo speakers). The only 5.1 audio passed from the TV over the audio output is from the ANT source.

To get 5.1 from a HDMI input source, run the HDMI to TV for video and the digital audio direct from the input source to the receiver.

thats what i figured
thanks! :cool:

Can anybody comment on the quality of the set's internal upconversion qualities? Right now I've got a pioneer cd/dvd/dvd-a/sacd player that can output 480i and 480p but no better. DVDs look decent, but obviously not spectacular. Would I benefit from something like a new Oppo combi-player that can do the 1080p upconversion, or is the sony's upconversion good enough that any differences I see would be minor at best?

This is a great set. Here is my review:

I have had it for a few weeks and overall it is a great deal. It seems solid, has a good picture, and I have not had any technical issues. (no annoying fan noise, no crooked picture, and overscan is to be expected (how often do need to see "Stunt driver, on closed road. Do not attempt" anyway? News crawls are seen fine.) I have yet to try gaming / HD-DVD or Blu-Ray on it but all in due time.

As far as current inputs I have an 2-3 year old Panasonic Home theater in a box DVD player connected via component (480i) and a Motorolla HD Comcast cable box connected via component (1080i HD / 480i SD).

Just a side note: From reading the instructions the set will upconvert 480i signals but not 480p. So if you have the chioce, send 480i for SD sources. How it compares to other upconverting devices I do not know but I expect that you can only do so much with a "bad" signal to start with.

The picture through my DVD player actually looks good on the screen. (And looks much better than the non HD cable channels for whatever reason.)
The HD cable programming looks so good though it is addictive so I will just about watch the worst HD program before going to the SD channels.

My only issue would most likely be solved with a TV calibration or a setting change of some sort. Occasionaly I feel I am not seeing all gradients of black properly, shades that are slighly lighter than black seem to be shown too dark so they appear as black. The set is in a room with little sunlight and I generally use the default "standard" viewing setting but with Auto iris set to medium for TV. and default "Cinema" with iris set to medium for DVD. I will continue to tinker with that but let me know if you have any simple fix you think I may have missed.

Thanks. Hope this helps someone.

That's odd that it doesn't upconvert 480p. Doesn't the set have to upconvert everything to it's native 1080p resolution? When switching my dvd player back and forth between 480i and 480p, I can see virtually no difference on my screen.

That's odd that it doesn't upconvert 480p. Doesn't the set have to upconvert everything to it's native 1080p resolution? When switching my dvd player back and forth between 480i and 480p, I can see virtually no difference on my screen.

It does seem off but the excerpt from their site only mentiones 480i upconversion so the other formats must just be upscaled rather than upconverted thus giving a more blocky picture from a 480p source. I can honestly say that I messed with my DVD player as well, switching between 480i and 480p, and did not see a difference either. I just attributed that to my untrained eye so I erred on the side of caution and sent it 480i based on the manual info.

From Sony Site:
"BRAVIA Engine™ EX Full Digital Video Processor
The BRAVIA Engine EX full digital video processing system is based on Sony’s famous BRAVIA Engine video processing system. It has all of the same video processing functions of BRAVIA Engine plus the added ability to upconvert 480i standard definition signals via Digital Reality Creation Multi Function v1.0 technology for a picture with more detail and definition.

Ah, :confused: unless the basic Bravia Engine does the 480p etc upconversion while this set has that feature set and the Bravia Engine ex adds the "....added ability to upconvert 480i" as well giving upconversion of all sources rather than just upscaling all other than 480i. Maybe I misunderstood what the sentence was trying to get across.

Anyone know what the upconversion features are in the "regular" Bravia Engine vs the known upconversion of 480i in the Bravia Engine EX?


(Also, Just to define what I mean when I say it whether it is correct or not:
Upconvert: smoothing an upscaled image by adding fake detail to make it appear smoother
Upscale: zoom in / make it fit, 1 pixel becomes 4, something like that.)

Yes, everything is upconverted to 1080p.

I got the 50 in model of this tv and have a quick question. i notice when the tv is off there is a slightly lighter part of the screen in the middle.

I noticed this as soon as I took it out of the box before it was ever turned on. I didn't know if it might be light reflecting off a mirror inside it or something.

Ive heard of hot spots on RPTVs when theyre on, but since this was there before it was ever turned, i wanted to see if it was normal. thanks!

I got the 50 in model of this tv and have a quick question. i notice when the tv is off there is a slightly lighter part of the screen in the middle.

I noticed this as soon as I took it out of the box before it was ever turned on. I didn't know if it might be light reflecting off a mirror inside it or something.

Ive heard of hot spots on RPTVs when theyre on, but since this was there before it was ever turned, i wanted to see if it was normal. thanks!
Yes this is just your room lighting reflecting off the inside of the TV. I had a E3000 too and had the same thing happen. I returned it because of a broken fan and got the A3000.

thanks inferno! i would have liked the A3000 but couldnt find it anywhere.....very hard to find in my area. Do you see i big difference with the A3000? Is the silk screen effect any better?

thanks inferno! i would have liked the A3000 but couldnt find it anywhere.....very hard to find in my area. Do you see i big difference with the A3000? Is the silk screen effect any better?
The silk screen effect is much better so far on the A3000, watching hockey on HD the other night I really didnt see it. The picture is slightly better, more crisp and there are more options to adjust it with, some may like that, some may not. The sound is slightly better as well. The A3000 is hard to find now, CC only has it in 60". It is possible to find online at various vendors I believe.

Has anyone compiled a tweaks list for this set yet. My in laws bought one and I'm trying to dial it in. this set can be a little hard to dial in on just the up front settings PQ menu.

How do I get into the service menu. I know I read it here somewhere else.

I have been able to get a very pleasant picture using just the user settings. If you are comfortable changing values in the service menu, go for it. I would just suggest getting your set dialed in as best you can before you start. I began by turning off the dynamic iris. This was the biggest help for me.

ej

I have been able to get a very pleasant picture using just the user settings. If you are comfortable changing values in the service menu, go for it. I would just suggest getting your set dialed in as best you can before you start. I began by turning off the dynamic iris. This was the biggest help for me.

ej
Thanks..I'll turn it off and play with the settings this weekend.

here's an updated pic on my setup
added:
Onkyo 505 receiver
Klipsch SF-1's and a SC-1
LG LDA511 Divx/Upconvert Player (HDMI)
Pace TDC779X HD DVR (HDMI)

removed:
Sony VCR
Cerwin Vega DX-7's
Crummy Pioneer HTIB reciever w/ passive sub & center
Phillips Divx/Upconvert player (HDMI)
General Instruments cable box

Next up:
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I have had the e3000 for about 4 months now. Its a good TV. I really enjoy the HD DVDs (even though they will be no more and ill have to go bluray) but there are a couple HD DVDs that just look like complete crap on HD. Specifically the HD DVD 300 and Miami Vice. Is this because they are movies that have a lot of dark color and it cant reproduce them that dark. Any insight would be appreciated.

I saw this TV (the 50") on closeout at Sears today for $599. It looked like a good buy, but there was a problem: I couldn't get it to respond to any of the Sony remotes they had. I even tried using a remote that is, according to the Sony website, the right one for this TV (the RM-YD016); that didn't work either. All of their Sony remotes seemed to work universally with any Sony TV except for this closeout one. Is there any reason this would be? Could the remote sensor on the TV be damaged? If not for this remote issue, the TV would seem like a good buy.

I have had the e3000 for about 4 months now. Its a good TV. I really enjoy the HD DVDs (even though they will be no more and ill have to go bluray) but there are a couple HD DVDs that just look like complete crap on HD. Specifically the HD DVD 300 and Miami Vice. Is this because they are movies that have a lot of dark color and it cant reproduce them that dark. Any insight would be appreciated.


I just recently bought an HD-DVD player for my 46" Sony. The picture on Composite was not very dark or at least as dark as it should have been. As soon as I hooked up the HDMI cable though and set the player to 1080p the colors were very dark. I would say if its not dark enough try playing with the settings on the TV and HD player. I know my A30 had a setting to enhance darkness.

I really enjoyed 300 on the KDF-E3000 and would definetely recommend the tv if you can get it for a good price.

I just recently bought an HD-DVD player for my 46" Sony. The picture on Composite was not very dark or at least as dark as it should have been. As soon as I hooked up the HDMI cable though and set the player to 1080p the colors were very dark. I would say if its not dark enough try playing with the settings on the TV and HD player. I know my A30 had a setting to enhance darkness.

I really enjoyed 300 on the KDF-E3000 and would definetely recommend the tv if you can get it for a good price.

Its not that its not dark. Its hard to explain. you can have a black figure, in a bright seen and it will look fine, but if you have a frame in the movie that is particularly dark, its very static looking. It almost looks like a bad UHF signal. Keep in mind that this is an HD-DVD and is running through HDMI cables. It is really only with those two movies though. Batman Begins does it a little, but not that bad. Maybe its because its the xbox HD DVD player, which seems like a cheap alternative to some of the better players out there.

Has anyone else seen Miami Vice on this model television in HD?

A lot of the movies were designed to be grainy. I believe there are some threads referring to the Grain in films. It is there on SD but the resulution was never high enough to see it. Now that the resolution is higher it is much more clear to see Grain. I know 300 was done like this intentionally.

Hey everyone i have had the Kdf-50e3000 for about 2 weeks now. I like it so far. I was wondering if anyone knows how to read threw the service menu to find amount of hours used on the lamp? I got the floor model at BB for 1100 with no intrest for 18 months and wanna check how much longer the lamp will likely go before replacing. i know when you get in the service menu you can just push 5 on your remote to go through the different display options/screens but cant find out where to see amount of hours on lamp or used on lamp.

One cool thing is you can see what the lamp temperture is other cool little things.

Thanks

I saw this TV (the 50") on closeout at Sears today for $599. It looked like a good buy, but there was a problem: I couldn't get it to respond to any of the Sony remotes they had. I even tried using a remote that is, according to the Sony website, the right one for this TV (the RM-YD016); that didn't work either. All of their Sony remotes seemed to work universally with any Sony TV except for this closeout one. Is there any reason this would be? Could the remote sensor on the TV be damaged? If not for this remote issue, the TV would seem like a good buy.

It's a no-brainer at that price...I have this TV and LOVE it. The only caveat I have is that Sears will usually not reduce the price of a warranty plan based on price reductions of the actual unit (a couple weeks ago I picked up a brand new in-box Samsing BDP-1200 Blu-Ray player at Sears for $96.97, but since the warranty plan was priced at 15% of the original MSRP, it was $99! Apparently, they wanted me to purchase the plan based on an MSRP of $1500! ...I passed)

Anyway, I would look a bit further into the remote issue...and inquire about a reasonable protection plan. At this price, though, I would probably go for it anyway. 50 inches of 1080p glory for $599???? Sold!

Ordered the 46e3000 for 998.45 from ABT Electronics, on a truck somewhere right now.

Upgrading from a low quality 27" Insignia CRT 1080i.

Can't wait to hook up my ps3 to the new one.

i'm sure you will be pleased
it's a good value TV ;)

i'm sure you will be pleased
it's a good value TV ;)

well i know no matter what, it is going to be 100x better then my old one, hehe. And for how good the reviews are, 1000 feels like a steal.

Hi, i don't know iof this was asked but there seems to be a red tint to the tv when the HDMI first kicks on. I feel like it may be messing with my picture as well. I've tweaked the setting but has anyone heard of this? thanks

My picture settings for KDF46e3000:

Standard
Advanced Iris-High
Picture-82
Brightness-68
Color-50
Hue-0
Color Temp-Neutral
Sharpness-50
Noise Reduction-Low
Black Corrector-High
Gamma-Low
Clear White-High (For Hockey it helps)
Live Color-Low

Also, use the XCross menu to go into video options and set cinemotion to "auto" on any inputs you use. It is supposed to be only for film based content..maybe it is my imagination but it also helps for sports. I don't feel that there is the same motion blur effect with it on, but like I said, maybe that is my mind playing tricks.

Today I brought a PS3 and watched some of Spiderman 3 on Blu-Ray. It was unreal. No artifacts, no macroblocking. If 1080P ever becomes a broadcast standard then we will see truly amazing images.

Getting back to my settings, I know they are bright, but having been to maybe 15 live hockey games and knowing what the unis should look like, what I have now is very close to the way they actually look. The standard calibration is so dim I can barely see it, even in a dark room, but then I have always preferred my images bright. To each his or her own I guess. For hockey I have a slight silk-screen effect. At times I have allowed it to distract me but for the most part it is not a big deal. Seeing what the TV can do in Blu-ray really made me feel like it is a winner. I have Cablevision HD DVR and they recently have added a bunch of channels, which has probably led to bandwidth problems for their HD broadcasts. Most are still appealing. The TV is good for standard def in my eyes. All-in-all a lot of positives. Reading this thread and the A3000 thread I sort of wish I went with the SXRD. But still this is a very nice TV. You can get nice, vivid colors while still having a good black level.

I had the E3000 for about a week and really liked it too. The black levels were good and the color was good too. There was a slight silk screen effect, but that is pretty much the case with other RPTVs also. I took my E3000 back because of a faulty fan that made lots of whistling noise and ended up getting the A3000 for the same price. I will say the picture is better somewhat. Your settings look similar to mine on the A3000, I use the Auto Iris setting though. And I definitely agree on the Clear White, it helps snow and ice sports. The X-Games looked good with it on High.

Well it took almost a month, but last week while watching a hockey game, I finally noticed the dreaded silk screen effect. Prior to that it had eluded me. Now, of course, I see it all the time. For the most part I'm able to ignore it, but sometimes it drives me nuts. Watching hockey is no longer an option. :(

Well it took almost a month, but last week while watching a hockey game, I finally noticed the dreaded silk screen effect. Prior to that it had eluded me. Now, of course, I see it all the time. For the most part I'm able to ignore it, but sometimes it drives me nuts. Watching hockey is no longer an option. :(

Bear in mind if you were watching a VERSUS hockey game it is far more noticeable, at least here in the NY area on Cablevision. Other local hockey is far superior, as is NBC. I believe what you are seeing is a combo of the silk-screen effect, (slight for the most part) magnified by whatever artifacts are present on VERSUS hockey. Just my take. Don't let it get you down. Focus on the game and the effect will fade by comparison.

Also, I just purchased an HDMI Monster Cable. Some people think they are a compete rip-off and others swear by them. I think it has made a difference in a positive way myself, and I feel the enhancement makes SSE a little less noticeable. If you want a link for one from Amazon cheaper PM me and I will send you a link.

Finally, think of it this way, whether we are talking Flat-Panel or Projection, Plasma or LCD, all TVs have positives and negatives. You have a good deal on what is still a very nice TV. Look at SSE as a little thing compared to the overall picture quality of the TV.

Especially being that the hockey you watched yesterday must have been on VERSUS...and a number of us know how bad their pic quality can be. ;)

well i know no matter what, it is going to be 100x better then my old one, hehe. And for how good the reviews are, 1000 feels like a steal.

Did you get your TV? What do you think?

Bear in mind if you were watching a VERSUS hockey game it is far more noticeable, at least here in the NY area on Cablevision. Other local hockey is far superior, as is NBC. I believe what you are seeing is a combo of the silk-screen effect, (slight for the most part) magnified by whatever artifacts are present on VERSUS hockey. Just my take. Don't let it get you down. Focus on the game and the effect will fade by comparison.

Also, I just purchased an HDMI Monster Cable. Some people think they are a compete rip-off and others swear by them. I think it has made a difference in a positive way myself, and I feel the enhancement makes SSE a little less noticeable. If you want a link for one from Amazon cheaper PM me and I will send you a link.

Finally, think of it this way, whether we are talking Flat-Panel or Projection, Plasma or LCD, all TVs have positives and negatives. You have a good deal on what is still a very nice TV. Look at SSE as a little thing compared to the overall picture quality of the TV.

Especially being that the hockey you watched yesterday must have been on VERSUS...and a number of us know how bad their pic quality can be. ;)The game I was watching was on NESN HD. I can see the SSE on almost any bright image, no matter the channel. As you said, everything is a trade-off, and I'm still happy with my TV, especially considering what $1500 would get me in a flat panel. But, with the huge amounts of white in a hockey game, the SSE is just too much for me to ignore. Thankfully, with most normal broadcasts, any SSE that I see is usually very brief.

I know that the SSE varies somewhat depending on which lights are on in my bedroom at the time. I moved one of my lamps just now. It had been off to the side just in front of where the TV screen is. Now I moved it back about three feet, where it is still off to the side but behind the plane where the TV begins. It had a positive effect.

I have heard that trying a dim light directly behind a RPTV helps the Pic quality in some way. Does it help reduce the SSE?

I have heard that trying a dim light directly behind a RPTV helps the Pic quality in some way. Does it help reduce the SSE?

i put a 40 watt soft white lamp behind mine. I wouldn't say it reduces SSE but it definitely reduces eye strain during those dark room movies :cool:
I read on here somewhere there is a specific wattage/candela/lumine bulb to enhance pic quality etc, but what is was escapes me.

The game I was watching was on NESN HD. I can see the SSE on almost any bright image, no matter the channel. As you said, everything is a trade-off, and I'm still happy with my TV, especially considering what $1500 would get me in a flat panel. But, with the huge amounts of white in a hockey game, the SSE is just too much for me to ignore. Thankfully, with most normal broadcasts, any SSE that I see is usually very brief.

Jim, I messed with some settings and I think I have something that really minimizes the effect. It was getting on my nerves but now with these settings I barely notice it, and trust me I am looking closely.

Picture Mode-Standard
Advanced Iris-Auto 1
Picture-85
Brightness-55
Color-50
Hue-0
Color Temperature-Neutral
Sharpness-35
Noise Reduction-Low
Black Corrector-Medium
Gamma-Low
Clear White-Low
Live Color-Medium

I am sure that you will probably want to tweak these somewhat, but the significant thing is to get as close as you can to light-dark balance, at least as I see it. I know for me these are a HUGE improvement for SSE compared to before. I am confident with these settings I can watch hockey with enjoyment and with no concern about SSE. Your TV may respond differently to these settings, but mess with them until you get the most ideal light-dark balance...I have a feeling you can get them to something that will satisfy you. I hope it helps. I love hockey and would be lost if I had a TV that made it unwatchable, so I don't want to see it happen to anyone else. Good luck.

Hey everyone i have had the Kdf-50e3000 for about 2 weeks now. I like it so far. I was wondering if anyone knows how to read threw the service menu to find amount of hours used on the lamp? I got the floor model at BB for 1100 with no intrest for 18 months and wanna check how much longer the lamp will likely go before replacing. i know when you get in the service menu you can just push 5 on your remote to go through the different display options/screens but cant find out where to see amount of hours on lamp or used on lamp.

One cool thing is you can see what the lamp temperture is other cool little things.

Thanks

I am in the same situation where i am going to buy one. If someone can help me find out how to check the lamp usage it would be great.

I just purchased the kdf50-e3000 which is now on it's way and I am trying to figure out if the current TV stand that I have will work. what can you all tell me about putting this TV on a smaller TV stand? how does it look. I have been told that a tv stand that is less wide then the screen of the TV will look odd. and what is the width of the tv's base? if nothing else I would at least like to make sure that the base is fully supported. thanks

I got the Blu-Ray version of Digital Video Essentials yesterday, and went back and forth with the tests and color filters several times to get everything as accurate as possible on my KDF-50E3000. I calibrated this in a 15'W X 12'D room with two 40 watt floor lamps in the front 2 corners of the room behind the screen, and no other light sources (this pretty much matched, but didn't exceed the maximum ambient light test pattern.) Here are the results these tests yielded:

Picture Mode: Standard
Auto Iris: Medium
Picture: 84
Brightness: 64
Color: 49
Color temp: Neutral
Hue: G2
Sharpness: 20
Clear White: Low

(any other mode not mentioned in these settings is turned off.)

Just thought I'd share. If you're looking for picture accuracy but don't feel like dropping the money on this disc, this should get you very close.

I just purchased the kdf50-e3000 which is now on it's way and I am trying to figure out if the current TV stand that I have will work. what can you all tell me about putting this TV on a smaller TV stand? how does it look. I have been told that a tv stand that is less wide then the screen of the TV will look odd. and what is the width of the tv's base? if nothing else I would at least like to make sure that the base is fully supported. thanks

I have mine on a stand that is not quite as wide as the TV. It looks a little goofy, but it gets the job done for the moment. When my tax return comes, I found a bigger one I really like that I'm getting for this TV. Check it out:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4646132#reviews

This TV's base is 39.5 inches wide, and the TV itself is about 46.5 inches wide.

I have mine on a stand that is not quite as wide as the TV. It looks a little goofy, but it gets the job done for the moment. When my tax return comes, I found a bigger one I really like that I'm getting for this TV. Check it out:



This TV's base is 39.5 inches wide, and the TV itself is about 46.5 inches wide.

thanks for the link. I looked at walmart yesterday but didn't see that particular model. looks great and $100 is a pretty good price.

so the box just arrived and it looks like it may have been opened before. there were two portions of the box a very small part at the bottom that held a Styrofoam packing insert and then the TV was inside there wrapped in a plastic bag which was taped together. over all of that was a larger corrugated portion that encapsulated the entire package. this is the part of the box with all the labeling and everything but there were some holes in the box and the top portion of the box was not taped to the bottom. When it was removed from the truck though the delivery guy removed a couple of plastic straps that were wrapped vertically around the package. The remote control was in a plastic bag sitting in the foam insert near the bottom, there was a yellow paper taped to the back of the set with some instructions and the power cable was bound in something similar to a zip tie. I don't know it just seems a little loose and I find it hard to believe that Sony packages these TV's so poorly from the factory.

what experiences have you all had with packaging methods for Sony TV's. What should be contained in the box?

from what i recall.. that packaging sounds like how mine came.
It doesn't sound like yours was opened..
Mine seemed like the box held up fairly well. The Styrofoam inserts did their job!

as far as content. you should have a manual and a remote, and that is about it

hope you enjoy your new set

from what i recall.. that packaging sounds like how mine came.
It doesn't sound like yours was opened..
Mine seemed like the box held up fairly well. The Styrofoam inserts did their job!

as far as content. you should have a manual and a remote, and that is about it

hope you enjoy your new set

yeah it looks like it may have been nerves typing in that last post. I have finally gotten everything together and it all looks/sounds great. the TV, PS3, and the sony Bravia DAVHDX500 sound system. I just picked up the sound system today at BB. I hadn't planned on getting one but I was there to pick up an antenna and saw it for $213. couldn't pass it up for that price.

ps3 :(
i keep dropping hints at my wife, but it's not working...
post some pics of your setup if you can

I have the TV stand Sony made for the television. Its pretty nice and flows together.

Picture Mode: Standard
Auto Iris: Medium
Picture: 84
Brightness: 64
Color: 49
Color temp: Neutral
Hue: G2
Sharpness: 20
Clear White: Low

(any other mode not mentioned in these settings is turned off.)


i've tried these settings for a few days now. My wife and I both felt it was a little bright even during the daytime. But overall very decent.
I adjusted:
brightness: 48
clear white: off
noise red: low
we've been really satisfied w/ these settings for TV viewing and Movies via upconvert as well.

Thanks a bunch for sharing them :cool:

i've tried these settings for a few days now. My wife and I both felt it was a little bright even during the daytime. But overall very decent.
I adjusted:
brightness: 48
clear white: off
noise red: low
we've been really satisfied w/ these settings for TV viewing and Movies via upconvert as well.

Thanks a bunch for sharing them :cool:

I also use different settings for TV watching. The ones I listed were for viewing HD content with the HDMI input. Our TV keeps different picture settings for each input, so you can tweak each to your liking, rather than
having to settle for something that looks so-so for all content. Glad it worked as a starting point for you!

I got this stand today for $99.99:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4646132#reviews

I left the drawers with silver handles and plastic feet off because I thought thought they looked tacky. I also bought
two black foam sheets at the same Wal*mart to tape to the back (to avoid the see-thru to all the wires effect, cost
$5 for both.) It took about 2 hours to assemble it and switch the TV over to it from the old stand. This stand is
*exactly* the width of this TV. Check out the finished product:


http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p86/Nicodimus22/HomeAVsetup/50SonyBravia1080p.jpg

I just wanted to say I check this forum daily for new post or info on this TV, because I LOVE mine, I will post a pic of my setup shortly. Does anyone know all the details of the service menu?

The one important detail I know is that I am going nowhere near the service menu. I am scared to mess with it. The only part of my TV picture that even remotely troubles me is the silk screen effect. Other than that the pic is great. Though I still wish I had gone with the A3000 instead. Could have had it with a stand for probably 100 or 200 more than I paid for my E3000 with the stand. I kick myself every day. But that being said, I am still happy with the purchase.

OK, I'm about to ask the dumbest question ever asked; The KDF-46e3000 has QAM?, does that mean that cable TV (COX) can be direct hooked up into the TV without the need for a cable box AND receive digital/HD programming?

Sorry, I'm a satellite guy. This is for my M-I-L who can't seen to handle the concept of using a cable box, but would love HD programming. Anything beyond channel up/down baffles her.:rolleyes:

it will pick up local digital channels that are not scrambled..
Mine for instance picks up the local channels in HD and all the digital music channels. But none of the digital movie channels

Ya mine picks up local HD Channels and its only 3 plus the music channels. I wish it would pick up the cable channels without a box.

I'm consider KDF-46E3000 and I have the following questions:

From what I understand, these TV's use the LCD tech. Does that mean the panels have a response time like a regular LCD?

I'm trying to upgrade from Samsung LCD with 8ms response time which ghosts and smears like crazy whenever there's any movement. I need to know I'm not getting myself into the same situation again.

Next, BB has an open box deal for this set that I'm considering. What should I look for when inspecting the TV? They're pushing the Extended Warranty on me. How much does a lamp for a TV like this cost?

THANKS!!!!

I'm trying to upgrade from Samsung LCD with 8ms response time which ghosts and smears like crazy whenever there's any movement. I need to know I'm not getting myself into the same situation again.

Next, BB has an open box deal for this set that I'm considering. What should I look for when inspecting the TV? They're pushing the Extended Warranty on me. How much does a lamp for a TV like this cost?

THANKS!!!!

I haven't seen a published response time for this model..I know it's been asked in this thread before too...
I can assure you (along w/ the other owners) this set performs well w/movement. I personally watch alot of racing and football, and I have no complaints.

I'd say look for the obvious cosmetic stuff.. A couple people had noisy fans in the back of the tv.
The only real issue would be Lamp hours..Which you can't check w/o the service menu.
If I recall sonystyle has the replacement bulbs for under 200 dollars.
hope this helps.. overall its a very fine TV especially for an open box price

I'm consider KDF-46E3000 and I have the following questions:

From what I understand, these TV's use the LCD tech. Does that mean the panels have a response time like a regular LCD?

I'm trying to upgrade from Samsung LCD with 8ms response time which ghosts and smears like crazy whenever there's any movement. I need to know I'm not getting myself into the same situation again.

Next, BB has an open box deal for this set that I'm considering. What should I look for when inspecting the TV? They're pushing the Extended Warranty on me. How much does a lamp for a TV like this cost?

THANKS!!!!

Excellent TV I'd get it. Great for Video games. No ghosting or smearing. U can watch SD in 4:3 without having to worry about burn in. I can't believe they discontinued projections. Flat panels are inferior in my opinion but people thinks it cool to hang a TV on a wall I guess

I'm consider KDF-46E3000 and I have the following questions:

From what I understand, these TV's use the LCD tech. Does that mean the panels have a response time like a regular LCD?

I'm trying to upgrade from Samsung LCD with 8ms response time which ghosts and smears like crazy whenever there's any movement. I need to know I'm not getting myself into the same situation again.

Next, BB has an open box deal for this set that I'm considering. What should I look for when inspecting the TV? They're pushing the Extended Warranty on me. How much does a lamp for a TV like this cost?

THANKS!!!!

It's a nice TV. There is slight ghosting only in very fast moving movies on Cable. On my PS3 I watched Spiderman3 and Phone Booth via Blu-Ray, no ghosting or smearing at all even in the fastest scenes.

Silk Screen Effect is present in clear white scenes and bright scenes. It can be minimized by messing with the settings. It is an occasional distraction for me when I watch hockey, which I really like, but otherwise I don't notice it much.

People in these forums who have owned both the Sony E3000 TV and A3000 TV that I have seen have a preference for the A3000. If you can still find the A3000 I think you should go with that if it is in your budget. I went with the E3000 and I am happy with it, but I do wish I had gone with the A3000.

What do you guys think would be a good way to clean the screen? I smoke and it needs cleaned.

soft cloth w/ soap and warm water is what i use occasionally..
no nicotine here though.. hopefully it would cut it

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm this close to ordering this TV but I need to know a couple more things.

How is gaming on this TV? I understand motion blur in a natural effect, but anything else out of place when in fast motion?

How are the black levels on this set? This one thing I can't find anywhere.

Are the lamps/bulbs covered by the manufacturer's warranty?

Thank you! I can't wait to finally order this TV! The A3000 is not available anywhere in my area. I haven't seen in action, so no regrets. :)

Just order it. Its better for gaming and has better black levels than LCDs. If u can still find one buy it. It has one lamp that costs about $200. I'm not sure or worried if its covered under the warranty. Alot of people say its a good idea to get an extended warranty to cover the lamp. $200 isn't that much to buy a new if I need it so I didn't worry about it. I don't think these TVs have been out long enough for anyone to comment on lamp life.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm this close to ordering this TV but I need to know a couple more things.

How is gaming on this TV? I understand motion blur in a natural effect, but anything else out of place when in fast motion?

How are the black levels on this set? This one thing I can't find anywhere.

Are the lamps/bulbs covered by the manufacturer's warranty?

Thank you! I can't wait to finally order this TV! The A3000 is not available anywhere in my area. I haven't seen in action, so no regrets. :)

Get it. I don't play any of the really consistently fast paced games, but on any sports game on my PS3 whenever there is significant motion, the TV handles it fine.

As for the bulbs, I don't know about coverage under warranty..I don't have one. But the bulb should last you awhile.

soft cloth w/ soap and warm water is what i use occasionally..
no nicotine here though.. hopefully it would cut it

Doesn't soap leave behind a film residue? Think rubbing alcohol will hurt the screen?

a dry wipe as you go works fine (i use baby soap since its super mild)
i suppose alchy would work ok too... I've used clorox wipes on my LCD monitor for a long time w/ no ill effects... just haven't been brave enuff to use on my tv yet :cool:

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm this close to ordering this TV but I need to know a couple more things.

How is gaming on this TV? I understand motion blur in a natural effect, but anything else out of place when in fast motion?

How are the black levels on this set? This one thing I can't find anywhere.

Are the lamps/bulbs covered by the manufacturer's warranty?

Thank you! I can't wait to finally order this TV! The A3000 is not available anywhere in my area. I haven't seen in action, so no regrets. :)

If you lookback earlier in this thread, you'll see my lamp crapped out after a month and Sony shipped me a new one a few days after I called. It was definetly covered by the man. warranty and handled very well by Sony. My replacement lamp has been fine ever since. I also do a lot of gaming and this TV works great with no lag.

I'd like to ask someone with their set connected to a PC for a huge favor. 1 minute of your time.

http://tft.vanity.dk/

^ This is a very good site for testing displays. There's a "trailing" test on there. My flat panel LCD leaves bad trails when moving the box around. Could anyone tell me how the E3000 does on this test?

I would get an instant heart attack if I dropped my hard-earned money (I'm still in school) on this set only to have the same problem again. I'll be forever in your debt.

Can anyone tell me how these compares to the SXRD A3000 series RPTVs? Thanks!

Searching this thread, I found 36 instances of a3000. You should be able to find some comparative information.

Can anyone tell me how these compares to the SXRD A3000 series RPTVs? Thanks!

The consensus even in the A3000 thread is that the A3000 is superior. I have read extensively in the A3000 thread, and there are a number of glowing reports about how the A3000 reduces motion blur significantly for sports. I think the E3000 is quite good for sports, just maybe not at the same level as the A series...though the SSE for hockey can be distracting at times on my E3000. There is also SSE on the A3000 as on all RPTV's, but I have never seen one calibrated to compare the level of the effect.

The one potential negative of the A3000 is that a very small percentage of owners report a green or purple tint in parts of the screen in varied degrees. I have read reviews where a few owners have developed the tint over the course of time, only to be told by Sony that a "slight green discoloration" is expected.

Personally, I think if you have a chance to get a good deal on an A3000, go for it. The overwhelming majority of owners in the numerous threads I have read rave about the TV.

Could you guys tell me if E3000 can display 1080p via VGA? For PC use.

this model has no vga port

You could probably get a DVI>HDMI adaptor as a work around, if your video card supports it.

in that case, can I get this set to display 1920x1080 from a PC via dvi>hdmi?
thanks guys.

That is this display's native resolution, so I don't see why not.

hello the newest owner of this tv kfd50e3000 and so far so good.
have my pc hooked up and is @ 1080 I ;)


now i wished i didnt buy my 22' lcd monintors now have 2 of them for $600 plus anyway i know how to get into the service mode
but how do you find the lamp hours

Hey guys, I've been enjoying my 46" for quite some time now, but I have my computer hooked up to the tv through a DVI to HDMI cord and I have some overscan issues. I can correct a lot of it with Nvidia's tools which allows me to stretch the picture a bit and then I can use the TV's Horizontal Center to move the picture left and right BUT vertical center is grayed out and doesn't allow access to it. Anybody know why? I have about .5" of black space on the top of my screen and can't seem to find a way to get rid of it. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks so much!

hi guys, i found the 46" version for just under $1,000 but i have also seen the 55"a3000 but it is $500 more-is it worth it to pay the extra $500? i am not talking about the size difference because i really don't care but pq-no gaming-just ota and some cable and movies. thanks

I love my E3000 but i'd say if you can afford it the A3000 is a superior set
just read the owners thread...

hi guys, i found the 46" version for just under $1,000 but i have also seen the 55"a3000 but it is $500 more-is it worth it to pay the extra $500? i am not talking about the size difference because i really don't care but pq-no gaming-just ota and some cable and movies. thanks

I just purchased the 55a3000 and I have an older 42a10 sony 720p set.
There is a big difference in picture with SXRD compared to 3LCD. Don't get me wrong 3LCD is good also but I see alot more detail with sxrd. Star Wars EP III looks like it is a high def movie on my new tv. Also the 120 scan rate helps with sports and fast action movies. I know you don't care about size but if everything is going high def like blu ray stuff then the extra size will allow you to see alot more detail also.
good luck.

hi guys, i found the 46" version for just under $1,000 but i have also seen the 55"a3000 but it is $500 more-is it worth it to pay the extra $500? i am not talking about the size difference because i really don't care but pq-no gaming-just ota and some cable and movies. thanks

55a3000 is now 1,299 at Sears. I just bought one. I think it is worth it.

Hey guys, I've been enjoying my 46" for quite some time now, but I have my computer hooked up to the tv through a DVI to HDMI cord and I have some overscan issues. I can correct a lot of it with Nvidia's tools which allows me to stretch the picture a bit and then I can use the TV's Horizontal Center to move the picture left and right BUT vertical center is grayed out and doesn't allow access to it. Anybody know why? I have about .5" of black space on the top of my screen and can't seem to find a way to get rid of it. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks so much!

Hey-

I had this same problem and it drove me up the wall. I could only get it to either cut off some of the display or have three inches of black frame around it. After tons of configuration changes on the TV and the laptop I eventually called sony who said that nothing was wrong with the TV. Eventually I figured out it was the resolution on the laptop. You have to set it to 1776x1000. It lines up perfectly at that resolution. I have a Dell Inspiron E750 (or something like that). I have no idea why it has to be like this, all I know is it wouldnt work at any other resolution.

I take it that the 2nd hdmi input doesnt support audio via hdmi and you have to use the left and right analog audio?

I take it that the 2nd hdmi input doesnt support audio via hdmi and you have to use the left and right analog audio?

No. The red/white jacks are just in case you are using DVI and you still need to pass audio to your tv. I have the 55a3000 and a hdmi cable hooked up to my hdmi port with the red/white jacks(not hooked up) and I get audio through hdmi.

My 8527 Espresso Avion, with KDF-50E3000 50" 1080p TV and Yamaha YSP soundbar.
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/6480/dsc00310zu7.jpg
By michanecash (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/michanecash), shot with DSC-W55 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-W55&make=SONY) at 2008-05-07

Remote Drawer
http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/4994/dsc00294qf7.jpg
By michanecash (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/michanecash), shot with DSC-W55 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-W55&make=SONY) at 2008-05-07

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/2486/dsc00300br2.jpg
By michanecash (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/michanecash), shot with DSC-W55 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-W55&make=SONY) at 2008-05-07

Later today I am picking up a KDF-50e3000 for only $800, new. Still considering the 55A3000, but it's $500 more. Is the A worth $500 more?

Currently have the 42e2000 and have been pleased with it, so not sure if I would even notice the difference between the E and A.

I am still paying off the $1200 I spent on my 50E3000 from last november. I wish I had waited. Get the A3000, I have read alot about the comparisons and you really can see the difference.

Later today I am picking up a KDF-50e3000 for only $800, new. Still considering the 55A3000, but it's $500 more. Is the A worth $500 more?

Currently have the 42e2000 and have been pleased with it, so not sure if I would even notice the difference between the E and A.

I have owned both. I put myself further into debt with the A3000, but it is far superior to the E3000. If you can afford it, go with the A3000. You will not regret it.

I'm happy with the E3000....$500 is a lot of money. Seems like most people end up turning off the 120hz stuff anyways

I decided to go with the e3000, have had it for a couple of days and am pleased with it. In my situation it wasn't just $500 more, it was 60% more. 60% is a high premium to pay. For the cash I saved I can get a blu-ray player and a 1 year subscription to netflix!

thread has been pretty slow lately..
here's a pic of my setup w/ a few changes from last time.

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll105/steppinrazer/HiDef/DSC00181.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll105/steppinrazer/HiDef/DSC00182.jpg

Hello all, this is my first post here.

I bought a display model of the 50inch E3000 a little less than 2 months ago, I'm not sure of the hours of the bulb or anything I "hope" its not too many.

I've been extremely happy with this set, my first HDTV, I was always planning on an LCD Flat panel but then saw this open box at circuit city for less than $1k and just couldn't resist and was pleasantly surprised how great a choice rear projection is, I never considered it.

With that out of the way, lately I've started to notice that every once and awhile there is a high-speed "flickering" of the brightness, its barely noticeable and I can only see it on an overwhelmingly bright scene. Its not the auto-iris as I have it set to always "high"

Anyone else experience this? My thoughts are could be:

1. A new bulb could resolve this though I was hoping to go at least a year before replacing the bulb.

2. Interference from some other device (dish washer, dryer, AC units outside my apt complex

3. Some type of wireless interference (wifi from ps3, tivo, etc)

I've done some searches online for other sony rptv's(not the e3000) with this case and it seems that a new bulb seems to fix it for a while only to have it come back after several months.

Thoughts? Thanks!

Hello all, this is my first post here.

I bought a display model of the 50inch E3000 a little less than 2 months ago, I'm not sure of the hours of the bulb or anything I "hope" its not too many.

I've been extremely happy with this set, my first HDTV, I was always planning on an LCD Flat panel but then saw this open box at circuit city for less than $1k and just couldn't resist and was pleasantly surprised how great a choice rear projection is, I never considered it.

With that out of the way, lately I've started to notice that every once and awhile there is a high-speed "flickering" of the brightness, its barely noticeable and I can only see it on an overwhelmingly bright scene. Its not the auto-iris as I have it set to always "high"

Anyone else experience this? My thoughts are could be:

1. A new bulb could resolve this though I was hoping to go at least a year before replacing the bulb.

2. Interference from some other device (dish washer, dryer, AC units outside my apt complex

3. Some type of wireless interference (wifi from ps3, tivo, etc)

I've done some searches online for other sony rptv's(not the e3000) with this case and it seems that a new bulb seems to fix it for a while only to have it come back after several months.

Thoughts? Thanks!


I have noticed this recently on my 46e3000 as well. I have had the tv since November. On solid color screens it is easily noticable in the background. Like while watching golf towards the center of the tv I can see a slight flicker. Also on the menu scrren of my PS3 and on game load screens it is easily noticable because the image is a near solid color. Has anyone else had this problem and know of a solution?

Hi everyone. I've got one of these sets as a loaner while my old Toshiba 51" is getting fixed. The set looks much better overall then my Toshiba, bright scenes seem awesome. Much sharper. I'm not happy with my Blu-Ray dark scenes thou (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Underworld). There seems to be noise in the dark scenes. Any suggested settings? I’m using the Cinema setting, Iris low, and tuned up with my calibration DVD. I’m using a PS3 as my player.

Any help would be welcomed as I might have this set for along time if not forever. I can buy it for only $700 if I want!

Paul

PS3 settings?

"Adjust the output settings for TVs that support RGB full range. For RGB video signals, the range of color scale that is input varies depending on the TV in use. This setting is for use when the TV is connected to the PS3™ system using an HDMI cable.

Limited RGB output signal is output in the range from 16 to 235.
Full RGB output signal is output in the range from 0 to 255. "

limited or full?

"Adjust output settings for TVs that support Y Pb / Cb Pr / Cr input signals. Super-white signal can be output when playing a DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD), or AVCHD-format video. This setting is for use when the TV is connected to the PS3™ system using an HDMI cable.

Off Disable super-white output.
On Enable super-white output. "

off or on?

RGB output is set to "full" and Super-White is "On"

Hi everyone. I've got one of these sets as a loaner while my old Toshiba 51" is getting fixed. The set looks much better overall then my Toshiba, bright scenes seem awesome. Much sharper. I'm not happy with my Blu-Ray dark scenes thou (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Underworld). There seems to be noise in the dark scenes. Any suggested settings? I’m using the Cinema setting, Iris low, and tuned up with my calibration DVD. I’m using a PS3 as my player.

Any help would be welcomed as I might have this set for along time if not forever. I can buy it for only $700 if I want!

Paul

Look back a page, I calibrated with DVE and posted some settings that work really well for the room I am in. Just make sure you write yours down first so you can go back to it if you don't like mine.

RGB output is set to "full" and Super-White is "On"

This is what hwjohn said in the A3000 thread...

"RGB Limited makes the PS3 output video levels (16-235). Full makes it output PC levels (0-255).

Unless you are using a PC monitor as a display, you generally want to use video levels. A lot of people don't understand this, and they either a) think Full gives better blacks (it doesn't) or b) think Full must be better than Limited because "more is always better."

Ok I got tired of my logitech remote not working all that well and decided to keep this tv on and just plug it to the back of my receiver. So now when I turn on the reciever the tv turns on... but when I turn off the receiver the e3000 just turns off without the cooling down period. Just flashes and goes black instantly (usually it stays on for bit then goes black when I used it's remote to turn it off).

Will this harm a rear projection tv?

That is probably not a good thing. I'm sure it is lowering the life of certain internal components that rely on the cool down period for their affectiveness. I would reconfigure it so that the TV is functioning the way it was meant to.

Ok I got tired of my logitech remote not working all that well and decided to keep this tv on and just plug it to the back of my receiver. So now when I turn on the reciever the tv turns on... but when I turn off the receiver the e3000 just turns off without the cooling down period. Just flashes and goes black instantly (usually it stays on for bit then goes black when I used it's remote to turn it off).

Will this harm a rear projection tv?

That will definetely harm the TV. That is why the unit powers off after a cool down period. If you have been running the Tv longer the cool down period is usually longer. I would get the TV hooked up correctly right away, it may even void the warranty if it dies and sony tech can tell that you had been running it that way.

That will definetely harm the TV. That is why the unit powers off after a cool down period. If you have been running the Tv longer the cool down period is usually longer. I would get the TV hooked up correctly right away, it may even void the warranty if it dies and sony tech can tell that you had been running it that way.

I have a harmony 890 and it works flawlessly with this tv. I can't image what the problem could be.

I am part of the directv beta tester group that is testing their upcoming 1080p video on demand technology. From what I've read, their receivers are supposed to support tv's that are 1080p/24 with 3:2 pulldown technology. So far I've had no luck with mine. The only wildcard in this is that I do have a Denon AVR-4306 sitting between the two. I have a hard-to-get-at cabinet so I thought I'd ask to see if anyone had taken a stab at it before I rip my stuff apart. :-)

I have Dish and am/was not able to take advantage of their 1080p VOD offering. It's very frustrating on two fronts:
1. This set can accept a 1080p signal at 24fps, with the 3:2 pulldown.
2. Neither Sony nor Dish can offer any advice or remedy, other than covering their own @ss ("It's not our fault. It must be the other guy's problem.")

Hopefully, future offerings will be made after extensive testing and firmware updates have been made. Good Luck!

I have Dish and am/was not able to take advantage of their 1080p VOD offering. It's very frustrating on two fronts:
1. This set can accept a 1080p signal at 24fps, with the 3:2 pulldown.
2. Neither Sony nor Dish can offer any advice or remedy, other than covering their own @ss ("It's not our fault. It must be the other guy's problem.")

Hopefully, future offerings will be made after extensive testing and firmware updates have been made. Good Luck!

Thanks much for your reply. It must be more difficult than it seems because I have the same receiver in the bedroom with the sony KDL-40S4100 and it does work on that tv. I may pull out my cabinet after all and try a direct connection. I originally bought the Denon to upscale all of my non-HD signals but I'm sure the Sony must do a better job of that anyway so I had disabled this function.

I did end up running a line right from the sat receiver to my Sony and didn't have any luck with that.

I know this accepts 1080p/24 input, but is only a 60Hz display, so the 3:2 pulldown will have to be done in the player or the tv.

Can someone tell me if they have tried a blu ray movie on a PS3 with this setting on and off and which looks better?

thank you,
ej

anyone know if tghe tv's firmware is upgradable?

anyone know how many mhz the 50" is?

anyone know how many mhz the 50" is?


Both the 46" and 50" models have 60 Hz refresh rates.

Well we have had the 50" for 1 year now and am happy to report no problems! We bought a 5 year warranty from sears and they came out last week for preventive maintenance. All that was needed was cleaning. I run this tv maybe 12 hours @ day and am still on the orginal blub, so I tell this to the guy and he says he will order a new blub for us no questions asked! We got the blub ups, in 3 days. Like I said so far we are really happy with this tv and sears support.And best of all the visit AND the blub didn't cost us a dime!

I bought the 50E3000 today for $699. It was a floor display model, and likely was used for awhile, but replacing the bulb isn't a big deal as I still would have a good TV for a good price. Just curious of a few things I thought people could help me with:

1) Is that a good price? It seems to be, but I can only find old prices for this TV, and I'm more curious what someone would get for one now.

2) How do I really tell if I need a new bulb? Is there anything specific to look for?

3) Where is the best place to buy a bulb? Just anywhere I can find it online? Ebay? Sony direct?

Thanks for your help.

I bought the 50E3000 today for $699. It was a floor display model, and likely was used for awhile, but replacing the bulb isn't a big deal as I still would have a good TV for a good price. Just curious of a few things I thought people could help me with:

1) Is that a good price? It seems to be, but I can only find old prices for this TV, and I'm more curious what someone would get for one now.

2) How do I really tell if I need a new bulb? Is there anything specific to look for?

3) Where is the best place to buy a bulb? Just anywhere I can find it online? Ebay? Sony direct?

Thanks for your help.

1. uhhhh......awesome price
2. adjust the settings how you like it and as longs as the picture looks good, you're fine.
3. personally., this is one of those things i would only get from sony. from ebay, this could be a used bulb someone is trying to get rid of.. it's an item you have no way of telling how much use it has. Go direct......my 2 cents

That is a great price on that set! Since Sony has not manufactured any since last fall, I'm surprised that you found one new-ish. Congratulations and enjoy your new $700 50" 1080P RP Sony!!! You will love it!

Does anyone know how to make a warranty claim on this product? I just went to Sony.com/Support and I can't find anything. I found how to print out my warranty card! (already have one)

In looking at some of the forums for earlier versions of Sony RPTVs, there was away to enter the service menu to find a sub-menu which showed how many hours the lamp had accumulated. I tried this procedure with my 50E300 but I could not find a sub-menu that displayed this information.
Does anyone know of a way for this model that I can find out how many hours my lamp has accumulated? -thanks-

Stupid question, but is it a possbility to change the bulb to make the picture look any better?

Grrrrrr. My bulb just went out the other night. I purchased my 50E3000 on Black Friday of 2007 so i got about a year and two months on the first bulb. I was really hoping for a hell of a lot more because replacing a bulb almost yearly is going to get really frustrating.

I tried ordering the new bulb from Sony but they are back ordered and didnt haven any available. Resorting to searching the debts of the Internet, i could only find a bunch or shady discount bulb dealers or one dealer on Amazon without a picture of the bulb and limited dealer information. I opted to go with the unknown on Amazon instead of the random bulb dealer sites.

I ordered the bulb Wednesday and it arrived just now on Friday morning. $236 all told with expedited shipping. So far I have only installed the bulb and turned it on to make sure I can see anything at all, menus or whatever. Menus look fine as far as I can tell. I dont have time at the moment to hook my cable back up and boot my box so ill report back later if everything is back to normal.

First off, I'd like to start by saying that this forum has been an invaluable tool in at least acquainting myself with terminology and tools to use to troubleshoot many different tech related issues.

Now for the main point of my post... My 1 year old Sony KDF-46E3000 has been giving me headache after headache since about the 6-7th month(give or take a few weeks) of "light use" ownership. I do admit that I let the issue go for about 2-3 months after the initial onset of the issue due to the minimal use at the time. At the 10 month point I had had enough of the TV's apparently "spontaneous" behaviour, so I decided to get the warranty company involved as it was becoming literally unwatchable at what seemed to be random times... I had started using it slightly more at that point than previous occasions and its now at the point where I'm at a loss for words while talking to the [fluffing bunnies] at the warranty company that provide the warranties for the store I bought it from (brand new) in January of 2008.

So, with that background info, on to the actual issue.
1ST they sent a tech out who said he didn't know much about my specific model after staring at the screen for about 45 minutes and flipping back and forth through the service menu(not being an expert or anything, but he didn't seem to have any specific troubleshooting method in mind, he just watched the TV to see if he could "see something" and I have NO prejudice, but he was wearing corrective glasses...so it would hypothetically be possible that perhaps that might make it a bit more difficult to discern any issues related to my problem... :/ SO, of course on a day when the problem was less apparent, as it OFTEN is) after almost an hour at my place, he said he'd just look it up and then never got back to me and later claimed that I was supposed to get back to him...(even though the warranty company later called to let me know that my TV "is ready for pickup" after being "fixed", all the while, my TV NEVER left my living room...LOL o_O) So, their screw-ups and semantics aside, I called back several weeks after hearing nothing from the tech, and then they scheduled another tech to come out, which by chance, just happened to be the SAME guy, so I figured we could have a more productive info session over the phone and not waste either of our days by having him come out to let me know that "he can't see anything wrong".....(by simply visually looking at the TV),of course not even suggesting opening up some panels to check for dust buildup affecting the bulb or what have you in any of the internal components!?!

SO, without further ado:

#1 On primarily white screens there are VERY noticeable green and sometimes yellowish hues that appear on the corners of the screen, (at all angles)...

#2 Over scan I know is built-in to RPTVs (to an acceptable point I'm sure)... but I can't see in any terms how the over scan on mine is at all within "normal parameters" >_< It cuts a significant amount of Blu-ray/DVD and cable borders/picture off... I suppose its watchable, but not pleasant at all when even looking at some subtitles...or any sports stats,etc that go across the bottom of the screen.

#3 The ABSOLUTE WORST out of the 3 "symptoms" I'll call them, is what I would most accurately describe as a "high-speed flicker" that is VERY noticeable on backgrounds or pictures with brighter colors, but it still doesn't stop even in darker situations, its just less noticeable, (which has also been noted by other users previously in this thread with no apparent responses or solutions noted...).

So in the phone conversation I had with the tech about a month ago, he said he would email Sony about it and supposedly he did... He then got back to me within a week when he got an email back from Sony and said that the "most senior tech from Sony for the whole region" stated that there were no known issues for the TV that resembled the symptoms the tech advised him of. At first the tech thought that the TV being on SD cable(at the time) might be the culprit, but I ruled that out as I have had the TV have 3/3 issues while on HD Satellite, Xbox 360, a SONY Blu-Ray player and a PS3, plus my SONY upconverting 1080P DVD player(yes I know its not true 1080P HD per say, but neither is the HD satellite that it was on)... point being Blu-Ray, 360 and PS3 all are true 1080P,for kicks I even hooked up my computer with 1080P and the same thing, all at some point or another had the VERY noticeable "high-speed flicker" no matter the settings... and I've had a lot of time to try EVERYTHING... but when it occurs, (which varies from 4-12+ times a week, it makes the TV basically unwatchable without being preoccupied by the consistent flicker...it does, however, disappear for anywhere from 2-3+ days at a time, and then come back with no changes to settings,etc. -_- :/ It should be noted that the tech and I agreed to have me try HD programming for a while to rule out "prolonged" exposure to "noise" from a low quality SD signal, (which hasn't seen any improvement besides the obvious picture quality difference, but the same 3 issues still occur)... SO, now I'm desperate... I'm almost considering selling the TV at a loss and transferring it with the remaining 4 year on the warranty because its been one thing after another and I simply don't have the time to deal with the hassle.

If ANYONE has any idea what I could say to the warranty company now,etc, or if you have any ideas what the issue could be PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post anything and I'll be checking this board 10+ times daily, so if you have any questions as well, please ask them and I'll respond within 8-12 hours or much less hopefully! Thanks in advance for any help and also for enduring my mini-essay...(apologies for the length)... :/

Anyone? :(

^^Other than my premature bulb death, i've had no issues. Sorry I'm at a loss for how you could resolve this.

Indeed, thank you though for at least taking the time to read it... :) It seems thus far I've (temporarily,hopefully permanently) corrected the issue through some user menu options + switching to a different cable splitter + making sure the bulb housing is firmly in place... **Crosses fingers** It was hypothesized by a tech friend of mine that supposedly if the light engine(or something attached to it like the signal processor or something like that) has to overcompensate for a poor signal for a prolonged period of time, "make it work harder" , it could make other inputs go awry, (Blu-ray),etc & temporarily display the similar issues... I've come to agree despite certain obvious inconsistencies mainly because I left the TV off of the cable signal for a whole week and changed a few settings, then displayed only blu-ray on it for a week, and the issue seemed to go away miraculously, lol... so I'll see... BUT STILL... in case it rears its UGLY head again, if ANYONE has heard of any similar issues, please post whatever you know or have heard!!! THANKS A LOT!! :D

ok, no go, seems to have minimized the problem but not abolished it totally... any other suggestions appreciated... :)

time to tell them to give you a new TV

Indeed, the problem is quite odd, it seems to subside for a long period, [up to almost a week], then come back all at once and then partially go away and not be noticeable when the tech comes out, I'll be getting a lot more specific with what I want done from now on since they seem incompetent or unable to understand basic English. **Waits for TV to act up again** :/

Thread bump!
upgraded stands yesterday

from this..
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll105/steppinrazer/HiDef/DSC01885.jpg

to this..
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll105/steppinrazer/HiDef/DSC02568.jpg

If any of you fellow owners of the E3000 series would be interested in purchasing the Sony model specific stand on the cheap shoot me a PM

anyone know if the tv's software is upgradable?

anyone know if the tv's software is upgradable?

i don't believe so.

Anyone have any new settings? Ive had mine where they are for a little over a year and thought about tweaking them again. If I remember right mine are from someones in here or a variation of them. I might even throw in the DVE disc and mess around with it.

I recently got the bluray version of DVE and after a few sessions using my PS3, these are my current settings:

advanced iris: medium
Pic: 80
Brightness: 55
Color: 45
Hue: G1
Color temp: neutral

Sharpness: 15
noise red: off
DRC mode: high density:
Black corrector: med
gamma: med
Clear white: off
Live color: off

I use these both for HDTV and PS3/ Bluray and am pretty happy with them. I usually gear my settings for more natural looking colors as opposed to ultra vibrant colors.

Three bulb questions:

1. Is anyone on their second bulb yet with this TV? I am only because my original was defective and crapped out after a month (which Sony promptly replaced for free). My current one has been great and still looks good after about a year and a half.

2. I have a 5 year service plan with BB and I was curious if anyone also had one and tried to get their replacement bulb yet. With the plan you get one bulb during the life of the plan i was curious if you can order it anytime or if you had to turn your old one it to BB like Sony required me to do.

3. I was also wondering if these bulbs were tough to get because Sony is no longer manufacturing RPTV's.

My usual settings are as follows

Day/Night DVR:
Pic Mode Standard
Iris Low
Pic 94
Bright 58
Color 54
Hue G1
temp Warm 1
Sharpness 50
all else off

Nighttime PS3/HD DVD
Pic mode Standard
Iris Low
Pic 80
Bright 46
Color 50
Hue G2
temp Neutral
Sharpness 80
all else off

I also use cinema for ps3/hd dvd
(better blacks but iris flicker is annoying :( )
Iris auto 2
Pic 74
Bright 50
Color 54
Hue g2
Temp neutral
Sharpness 70
all else off

I put in my DVE disc in that I have on blu ray and I ran the overscan patterns. I noticed that the sides have about 2.5% on each side. The thing is though, is that the top is 5-8% and the bottom is around 2.5 or 3%. Can you adjust the image up in Full mode to adjust it evenly? I notice this when I watch movies too as the my screen isnt centered I guess. The top black bar is much thicker than the bottom one.

Has anybody replaced the lamp in their unit yet?
If so what option did you take just bulb or replacement housing?

My wife said a popup came on this morning to replace the bulb soon.
I've been worried for the last few months it was getting to be time.
We've had the TV since late October '07

well i ordered my replacement from ness electronics
I got the phillips bulb and housing w/ a 3 month warranty for $125
I installed it and am keeping the original bulb as an emergency backup.

the settings from a few post up are totally blown out w/ this new lamp..
back to tweaking again (after I replace my ps3 optics:mad:)

well i ordered my replacement from ness electronics
I got the phillips bulb and housing w/ a 3 month warranty for $125
I installed it and am keeping the original bulb as an emergency backup.

the settings from a few post up are totally blown out w/ this new lamp..
back to tweaking again (after I replace my ps3 optics:mad:)

That seems like a good price. I am sure I don't have too much time left on mine because I purchased it a little while after you got yours. Let us know how the Phillips bulb performs.

I just replaced my lamp this weekend, but the picture wouldn't come on and the power light blinked three times red, repeat. I looked around online and found there is a little switch to the bottom right of the mirror where you put the lamp in that might be bent in too much, so I pulled it out a little (not too much or you'll break it) and the TV came right on.

I haven't had a chance to so much as watch a commercial advertisement yet, but I noticed right away the top of the screen is discolored. It is most noticeable with a black screen, and the top three inches or so are yellowish and then gradients to black quickly. It's barely noticeable when watching bright TV, but it is a concern to me.

Any idea what it is?

Asking for my parents that have this TV, if the bulb goes out, does the audio not work too? And it flash's green 64 times then will flash red.

Do they need a new bulb?

Asking for my parents that have this TV, if the bulb goes out, does the audio not work too? And it flash's green 64 times then will flash red.

Do they need a new bulb?

If the bulb goes out you get nothing. The fan spins up and then shuts down. Flashes red three times.

Did you count all 64 times? This is very important. :p

I didn't count. :)

They called me on the phone to ask and this is the information they gave me. (We live 80 miles apart).

They do hear the fan, but get nothing but a flashing light. But it takes a while before it will flash red.

The TV is 1.5 years old and they watch a lot.

I have the previous year 60" model for 2.5 years and never replaced the bulb. But from browsing this thread, it looks like these may expire quicker.

Hey guys, I posted in the other e3000 thread (used the search function to find it) and then saw this thread. I assume this would be the proper place to post.

Anyhow, I have a KDF50e3000 (refurbished replacement for an e2000) that is out of warranty and the screen is flickering very subtly (you can really notice it in the whites).

Would this be indicative of failing bulb or worse a light engine?

Thanks in advance!

Update : I contacted Sony via e-mail and got their typical canned response (They are not the customer service oriented company they use to be.) That stated that I should unplug the TV and/or do a factory reset. I did both, and I also gently cleaned out all of the dust from the TV. I have it running right now and am waiting to see if the issue comes back. If it does, Sony wants me to contact a repair person. I have read on other forums now that intermittent flashing "could be the bulb". I guess there is no way of really knowing until I buy a X-L2500 from Sony and try it. If that doesn't work, if you drive by my house at the right time, you'll see this TV sitting outside by the road.

how do you have the advance iris set? I know that with whites specigfically, i had it set to high and i would notice changes in the screen.

I just wanted to let everybody know that, on 10/23/2009, Sony issued warranty extension alerts for all of their 2007 rear-projection TVs. Now, every Sony rear-projection model ever produced (2003-2007) has been the subject of a warranty extension, a class-action lawsuit, or both. See my informational web site for links and additional information:
http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/

This also reveals a disturbing, but perhaps not surprising, reality related to the class-action lawsuit Sony settled for the 2005 SXRD models. The "Opinion and Order" in that settlement stated on page 4 that Sony had fully resolved the yellow stain issue by September 2006, and that no TVs or replacement optical blocks manufactured after that date should have problems with green or yellow discolorations. Yet, I have emails from owners with SXRD models manufactured in 2007 that got the yellow stains, and this latest warranty extension suggests that it is another widespread problem.

The newly covered TVs are:
KDS-50A2020 (KDS-50AL120)
KDS-55A2020 (KDS-55AL120)
KDS-60A2020 (KDS-60AL120)
KDS-50A3000
KDS-55A3000
KDS-60A3000
KDF-37H1000
KDF-46E3000
KDF-50E3000

Thanks for the info

I have the 46" model and I love this set. I've had it since Feb '08 and I have the Samsung Blu-ray BDP-1500 hooked to it. One of the things I have always liked about DLP is the film like picture when watching movies. I never see that when watching a flat panel.

this set is a 3lcd not DLP ;)

I do agree on the RPTV. I love projection images because of the film-like image. Direct-view images look so artificial. Of course if you dial in a good plasma you can get the same.

I'm freaking out here.

I ordered a new lamp since the "end of life" message popped up.
Tried to install it today, seemed simple enough. I was worried, however, when I slid the new lamp in and there was no "click" kind of feeling I just pushed it until it wouldn't push anymore, it never seemed to "secure" in place.

I put the lamp door back on and turned on the TV. The power light blinks green and I hear a slight buzzing near the lamp, it does this a few times and then the lamp light blinks red.

I figured the lamp just isn't secure but now for the life of me no matter how many times I try to put this lamp in there it will not "secure" or anything and it never works.

It is the same model as my old lamp, I even tried reinstalling my old lamp and it does the same thing!

Help?

I see the problem now....

It seems as I removed the original lamp, somehow the male end of the lamp cable (which is inside the TV) came detached from its mount and now there's no physical way for me to get it back in without opening up the TV.

I'm going to call Sony on Monday and perhaps they can send a tech out to fix it? Anyone have any guesses as to how much something like that might cost? If it's too much I may just buy a new tv......=(

update

it was $100 for a technician to come out. he came out, took the TV apart (which was very hard to watch) and put the cable back in place. we got the lamp in and all is well and because he was able to do it on the spot I wasn't charged anything extra.

huzzah!

Sweet. How long did your bulb last and what was the cost for the new one. I think mine is nearing the end. Pictures isnt quite as bright/sharp as it once was. I bought it back in november of 08.

so I bought the TV in April of 08 (open box so it was probably set on for a long time in the store) and I got the notification to replace the bulb soon last month. Almost 2 years not so bad, and the bulb never went out or anything, I guess it just reached 8000 hours. I have the old one in a box as a backup.

I got the bulb for around $99 here: http://www.electrified.com/Catalog/Items/?ItemID=36413&Supplier=SONY&ItemModel=XL-2500%20%20%20XL2500%20F93089000%20%20F-http://www.electrified.com/Catalog/Items/?ItemID=36413&Supplier=SONY&ItemModel=XL-2500%20%20%20XL2500%20F93089000%20%20F-9308-900-0

New bulb seems to be working great!

so I bought the TV in April of 08 (open box so it was probably set on for a long time in the store) and I got the notification to replace the bulb soon last month. Almost 2 years not so bad, and the bulb never went out or anything, I guess it just reached 8000 hours. I have the old one in a box as a backup.

I got the bulb for around $99 here: http://www.electrified.com/Catalog/Items/?ItemID=36413&Supplier=SONY&ItemModel=XL-2500%20%20%20XL2500%20F93089000%20%20F-http://www.electrified.com/Catalog/Items/?ItemID=36413&Supplier=SONY&ItemModel=XL-2500%20%20%20XL2500%20F93089000%20%20F-9308-900-0

New bulb seems to be working great!

Cool.

Do you see any difference in clarity/brightness?

nothing blatantly obvious. The only sure way to test would be for me to put the old bulb back in to compare but I won't wanna risk it.

Perhaps it looks a tad brighter but it could just be a placebo affect. My old bulb still looked really good before I replaced it.

nothing blatantly obvious. The only sure way to test would be for me to put the old bulb back in to compare but I won't wanna risk it.

Perhaps it looks a tad brighter but it could just be a placebo affect. My old bulb still looked really good before I replaced it.

gotcha, well thanks for the link.

when I replaced my bulb I had to redo the tv settings..
significant brightness increase

when I replaced my bulb I had to redo the tv settings..
significant brightness increase

I might just go ahead and replace it now, It really seems to be dimming for me.

My TV must of heard us talking. Last night the lamp light came on.

go figure!

better get one on order pronto

go figure!

better get one on order pronto

Moneys tight right now. Mid-atlantic snow storm F'd up my house. 3 feet of snow on the roof is not good. Just dropped $1G on the deductible for my insurance. I'll ride out the life on this bulb and hopefully buy one next month.

so after a few weeks of using this new "OEM equivalent" bulb I have noticed some very annoying flickering that happens intermittently. I tried to live with it but its just too annoying and noticeable

I put in the old bulb, so far no flicker. I'm sending this new bulb back and ordered this lamp from amazon which seems to be OEM rather than OEM equivalent. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-KDF-50E3000-KDF50E3000-Housing-XL2500/dp/B001DH4U46/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1267288620&sr=8-2

frustrating/nerve wracking. hopefully this 2nd bulb will bring me better luck

so after a few weeks of using this new "OEM equivalent" bulb I have noticed some very annoying flickering that happens intermittently. I tried to live with it but its just too annoying and noticeable

I put in the old bulb, so far no flicker. I'm sending this new bulb back and ordered this lamp from amazon which seems to be OEM rather than OEM equivalent. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-KDF-50E3000-KDF50E3000-Housing-XL2500/dp/B001DH4U46/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1267288620&sr=8-2

frustrating/nerve wracking. hopefully this 2nd bulb will bring me better luck

at least its not that much more. Let me know how it goes. I will order from the same place as you, as long as the bulb seems good. Thanks for the link.

yeah my old lamp doesn't seem to flicker at all which is a bit of a relief so at least its not a more serious problem with my tv.

I got expedited shipping on the new lamp so it should get here earlier this week.

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

I got the new lamp yesterday, the one I ordered from amazon which was Philips bulb + housing.

so far no flicker and WOW this new bulb looks AMAZING. The TV is so freaking bright it is like a brand new TV. I don't remember the TV ever looking this good with my previous bulb.

Highly recommend the lamp from amazon. here's the link again: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DH4U46/ref=oss_product

I got the new lamp yesterday, the one I ordered from amazon which was Philips bulb + housing.

so far no flicker and WOW this new bulb looks AMAZING. The TV is so freaking bright it is like a brand new TV. I don't remember the TV ever looking this good with my previous bulb.

Highly recommend the lamp from amazon. here's the link again: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DH4U46/ref=oss_product

Awesome. I will order my replacement from there. Thanks again for the info.

Just installed the replacement bulb you suggested,. Got here in three days and looks tv looks new. Thanks!

Has anyone recently used the Bravia internet streaming box recently withis model?

Has anyone recently used the Bravia internet streaming box recently withis model?

For $200 you could get a PC and hook it up.

This thread has been quiet. My46" was looking a little dim, but nothing extreme. I decided to replace the lamp. Then I could always use the old one as a temp spare.

New lamp worked wonders! I don't think it looked this good new. I dialed the iris way back. I love this set! It's a shame they abandoned the line. I know it's not as well regarded as the A line SXRD's. It works for me. My in-laws have a 720p 42E2000, heavy tv watchers on their 2nd lamp. They said replacing it was like having a new set again.

My 2 year old daughter got the remote and turned the tv off then on again. When it came back on the screen was flickering. The picture was there but it was flashing. I waited a few minutes and turned the tv off. It then went to a bright white screen for a minute or two then turned off. I could also smell a burning smell for a minute. After giving the set time to cool, I turned it back on and it is working normally. Any ideas on what happened and should I call for service since I have 1 month left under warranty? Thanks for any help.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

I maintain the informational web site (https://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/) on Sony optical block and related problems with their 2002-2007 rear projection liquid crystal TVs. Sony had been running an "optical block program" for about 1-1/2 years in which owners of these failed TVs received discounts off newer direct-view LCD TVs in exchange for a legal release. This program was abruptly terminated today, and the "I Have A Defective Sony TV" Facebook page, with tens of thousands of customer posts, was turned off.

If you have a pending settlement with Sony for a failed optical block, you should probably try to resolve it quickly, as it is unknown whether Sony will be offering any future program. There is an alternative Facebook page called "I Still Have a Defective Sony TV (https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Still-Have-a-Defective-Sony-TV/200792536623139)" that can be used for general discussion/complaints.