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Official Sony XBR HX909 owners' thread (52HX909, 46HX909, HX9, HX900)

559K views 3K replies 414 participants last post by  guho 
#1 ·
Hi all. Lots of talk, expectations, speculation about this unit. Let's put HX praise, reviews, gripes, observations, calibration settings, etc. in a thread here, away from the massive "2010 Bravia" thread.


So I just received my 52HX909, replacing a 60NX800 that I had for a month. The sticker says it was manufactured in June 2010. Minty fresh.


I have it in a very bright room with floor-to-ceiling windows. In my first couple of hours, I can make a few positive observations:

1. Reflections are significantly darker and less distracting than the NX series

2. Reflections are not doubled as they are in the NX series (due to Opticontrast resin)

3. Off-axis viewing is better than the NX series


Non PQ observations:

1. I can see ribbon connectors through the top of the chassis in the back, likely feeding the matrix or columns of backlighting. Through the same grille in the back, I can also see several columns of white LEDs themselves.

2. The power cord is surprisingly thin, compared to the NX cord and has a non-polarized "electric razor" style end as opposed to the appliance or computer PSU style end.

3. I'm not hearing the plastic warm-up cool-down cracking (yet?) as I did on the NX. It never actually bothered me on the NX, but I see some people here talking about it.

4. The stand swivels (unlike the 60NX800). I suppose it will fit in a slotted metal Sony Bunchin stand (I've seen photos) but SonyStyle isn't currently saying so explicitly.


Not news to anyone following this TV's release but the first real English review appears to be CNET:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-33943224.html
 
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#2,659 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by seememom /forum/post/20748515


Just a few thoughts on my new 52HX909. I've had both a samsung plasma (hpt4264) and lcd for a couple of years (with the original 1080P panel that the XBR used, can't remember the model), and think the plasma has the much better picture.


I set the TV up with basically Doug Blackburn's settings. To me they are more than bright enough. I've played Transformers in HDDVD and Cars, Fifth Element in DVD. Overall, as I think everyone knows, this is probably one of the top 3 LCD tv's ever made and the blacks are stunning, as is shadow detail. However, the following is what I see that makes it less than perfect:


1. I actually did see the blue tinged blacks after initially setting up the tv. I don't think the blacks themselves are like that, but as light spills into some darker areas it can create this effect. Setting backlight from 3 to 2 and picture from 85 to 82 has helped minimize this. Also, I believe going down to gamma -2 from -1 helps. Not a huge deal, but could certainly be improved. (I'm sure adjusting white balance correctly would be the icing on the cake)


2. Clouding is obvious on the set when the menu is up (no local dimming) but that's nothing new.


3. Viewing angles are really bad compared to a plasma. The LG IPS set is the only one I can remember that has acceptable ones.


Despite the above, I love the TV. The design is great, it does not hum, it does not heat up the room, it has no dithering problems, and it is super sharp in a way that only LCD's seem to be (but at the same time the naturalness of the picture is there, like plasma). Also, I just set up the outdoor antenna and am watching the tv without local dimming, and wheel of fortune looks amazing.


Overall, after the little use I have had with it, I would recommend this tv to everyone. Also, I dislike Sony as a company, since they have done very little in the last 15 years in the way of products that live up to their once high standards. This TV (and their digital radio tuner) seem to be the exception.

Why would you turn off the local dimming? If you really don't like it, then there are plenty of top notch edge-lit panels from Samsung and Sony at a much cheaper price. Have you looked at blu ray material on your panel. I strongly recommend "The Thin Red Line" which imho represents the pinnacle of reference grade video quality. I have rarely seen blue tinged blacks on mine and when I do it tends to be a product of the media rather than the panel. Indeed, I believe this HDTV brings out a lot of flaws inherent to various source material better than most.
 
#2,661 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by MGP99999 /forum/post/20748685


Why would you turn off the local dimming? If you really don't like it, then there are plenty of top notch edge-lit panels from Samsung and Sony at a much cheaper price. Have you looked at blu ray material on your panel. I strongly recommend "The Thin Red Line" which imho represents the pinnacle of reference grade video quality. I have rarely seen blue tinged blacks on mine and when I do it tends to be a product of the media rather than the panel. Indeed, I believe this HDTV brings out a lot of flaws inherent to various source material better than most.

No, what I'm saying is that for an LCD panel (without local dimming on) it still looks good (which you can't say for every LCD). Of course, you would not buy this TV unless you truly believe in the benefits of local dimming, which I do.
 
#2,662 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by martyball619
anybody here has that alice n wunderland 3d starter package? where it comes with 2 glasses, hdmi cable, transmitter, and the movie?? quick question.. is the glasses in these bundles the rechargeable ones? or the ones that require battery
They require the battery. The newer 250 model glasses are much more comfortable and are the ones that can be recharged I believe.
 
#2,663 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chemi /forum/post/20741768


Hello Blackvette94,


I keep your settings ... they are perfect!

By increasing the backlight, it accentuates the DSE / banding.


I tested two 52HX900 in a specialty store to see if they were just as DSE / banding:

They date back to November 2010.

They have a slight vertical banding (and horizontal).

They have the same amount of DSE on mine.

I do not have material for film.

The DSE is rather annoying for watching broadcast football and video games (PES: football games)

For the rest, it is not a problem (just a little on clear images of FPS as the sky for example).



I also test the 55HX920 exposure (May 2011) :

He had a lot of banding (wide vertical stripes on a background fixed of light color)


I saw them on a image on light-colored!

I could not test the DSE, but I guess it should not be better than the HX900. (???)


Like you say, the HX929 is less uniform than the HX909.

Apparently sensitive people (like me) also complain about DSE on this new model.


I had the choice between the two. And I chose the 52HX900.

I must not regret my purchase.


But le DSE still bothers me ... My old 46HX900 had the same amount of DSE.

Unfortunately, we can not escape this phenomenon on the new generation of flat panel displays.


I've never had DSE on my old LCD ... it disturbs me



But it is not possible to have a better panel, I would be satisfied.


I hope to adapt to the future.

I wish we still reassures me (please)


Blackvette94, do you see DSE on broadcast sports (hockey, football)?

Yes, DSE/uniformity is there with sports and games. I have seen it on all tvs, both lcd and plasma, including my Elite Plasma. Sadly this is how flat panel tvs are, and we are in a small category that see this, alot of people it doesnt bother them.

Sit back and enjoy the tv my friend!! It is fantastic!!


Best regards
 
#2,664 ·
I think I snatched up the last XBR52HX909 off of Sony's site. I placed the order shortly after the backordered message went up, and it shipped on Wednesday. Should arrive tomorrow! This will be my second TV, and by far my largest (other TV is a Sony KDL-32XBR4, which is still going strong). I'm really glad I pulled the trigger.
 
#2,666 ·
A couple of observatios...


1) Unit clicks when television is in the off position, but still has power applied.

2) Netflix continues to give DRM errors, (Digital Rights Management)

- Only way to clear, is to reboot TV and a full power recycle.

- Happens about 1 every two weeks.
 
#2,667 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackvette94 /forum/post/20752320


Yes, DSE/uniformity is there with sports and games. I have seen it on all tvs, both lcd and plasma, including my Elite Plasma. Sadly this is how flat panel tvs are, and we are in a small category that see this, alot of people it doesnt bother them.

Sit back and enjoy the tv my friend!! It is fantastic!!


Best regards

DSE sucks. I wish I wasn't able to notice it, everytime I get lost in the beautiful images on this set, DSE snaps me out of it. As i posted earlier, setting the dynamic contrast to low has helped, but it's still less then ideal for a TV of this high calibre/price range.
 
#2,668 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by bass462 /forum/post/20770298


DSE sucks. I wish I wasn't able to notice it, everytime I get lost in the beautiful images on this set, DSE snaps me out of it. As i posted earlier, setting the dynamic contrast to low has helped, but it's still less then ideal for a TV of this high calibre/price range.
bass462,


You mean "local dimming"?

The exact term? please...



I changed three times in TV.

They all DSE with banding (horizontal and vertical).

I took the one with the least vertical banding (light bands when you look at the slab on the side).

Unfortunately, this one has the most DSE. :/


I took the TV expostion the store.
Blackvette94, should I take the Sony extended warranty (5 years) to 250 €?
 
#2,669 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chemi /forum/post/20773953

bass462,


You mean "local dimming"?

The exact term? please...



I changed three times in TV.

They all DSE with banding (horizontal and vertical).

I took the one with the least vertical banding (light bands when you look at the slab on the side).

Unfortunately, this one has the most DSE. :/


I took the TV expostion the store.
Blackvette94, should I take the Sony extended warranty (5 years) to 250 ?

Yes the dynamic contrast is the control for the local dimming, setting it on low helps a bit since you don't see changes in brightness firing through the screen during vertical pans. My previous unit didn't have it as much as this one but i got an exchange because of a dent in the frame and now i'm stuck with more DSE.


Like i said earlier i'm waiting for hockey season to start to see how this will look on the white ice. I'm expecting the worst.
 
#2,670 ·
Last week I posted an S.O.S. regarding my 46HX909. I mentioned several issues, including issues with the image quality - especially with skin tone - and some mechanical problems I was having with my set. A few nice folks here asked me to post my picture settings, which I'll do below, but unfortunately, in trouble shooting with Sony, I had to reset everything, so I'm kind of back at square one, with regards to settings. I also have an update regarding the mechanical issues I was having. I would love some additional feedback in both these areas.


First, regarding image quality:


After drawing several comparisons between the image quality of my 40-inch Samsung edge-lit LED TV and the HX909, I finally set them up side by side, with the Samsung running via HDMI and the Sony via component cables. Watching the same cable feed, I was able to get the settings pretty close between the two. The main differences I'm noticing in terms of color reproduction is that with both units in the standard setting, and color temp set to neutral:

Whites:

The Samsung's whites are "whiter" - perhaps with a very slight blue tinge compared to the Sony. The Sony's whites have a warmer or browner tinge. I tried setting the the Sony to "cool" which I hate, but wanted to see if I could match the shade of white, but it looked REALLY cool and didn't match the Samsung at all.

Reds:

My biggest complaint of Sony's color reproduction. Compared to the Samsung's reds, the Sony's look almost "mustardy." The reds have a slight burnt orange tinge to them - it's really apparent when viewed side-by-side.

Skin Tones:

Okay, maybe THIS is my biggest complaint with Sony. When viewed side-by-side, skin on the Samsung had more red/pink "pigment" where skin on the Sony looked greenish/yellowish in comparison. Skin on the Samsung just looks more natural and healthy to me; I had been using the word "pasty" to describe skin on the Sony and it was strikingly apparent when I had the sets running side-by-side.

Black and White:

Viewing black and white footage, on the Samsung the blacks and grays looked, well, like normal black and white footage; on the Sony, the image looked almost like sepia in comparison. Very weird. Perhaps the same yellowish quality that I'm seeing in the whites, reds, and skin tones is what I'm seeing here.


If anyone has any suggestions how I can better match the whites, reds and skin tones to be closer to the Samsung's - most importantly getting the reds to be more true red and skin more red/pink and less yellow - I would GREATLY appreciate it.


Here are the current settings of the Sony that are as close as I can get them to the Samsung's image so far:


Picture Mode: Standard

Backlight: 6

Picture: Max

Brightness: 50

Color: 55

Hue: 0

Color Temp: Neutral

Sharpness: 65

Noise Reduction: Low

MPEG Noise Reduction: Auto

Motionflow: Clear 1

CineMotion: Auto 1

Advanced Settings:

Black Corrector: Medium

Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off

Gamma: -1

LED Dynamic Control: Standard

Auto Light Limiter: Medium

Clear White: Low

Live Color: Off

White Balance: default

Detail Enhancer: High

Edge Enhance: Low


I'm sure most of you who are using professional calibration settings are cringing at these settings, but I'm simply tweaking my newly reset default settings to match my Samsung's image as closely as possible. Like I said, it's pretty close, except for the whites, reds and skin tones.


*****


Now, as far as the mechanical issues are concerned, the most troubling issues I've experienced so far are the following:

Random/intermittent lag/delay in the onscreen menu.

I'll be pressing the volume up button, for example, and suddenly, even though the green light on the TV is flashing (receiving the signal) the horizontal blue bar and the numbers on the far right stop responding. Then, suddenly, they will JUMP to the proper position. I also noticed the same behavior when scrolling through the menus, where the onscreen menu will basically freeze and jump ahead to catch up with itself. Unfortunately, this issue is extremely random and, therefore, very hard to reproduce. I had an authorized Sony repair guy come take a look and, while he did catch the volume bar lagging and then jumping ahead, he didn't consider it a particularly serious issue. What do you think? Has anyone here experienced this type of menu "lag?"

Set turned itself off and then back on

This happened twice. The first time, I attributed this to the fact that I was repeatedly turning the set off and on, trying to reproduce a random delay I had noticed, where the set wouldn't immediately turn back on after a power off. The second time, however, it occurred a about 5-10 seconds after powering up the set for the first time that day. I turned the set on, saw the image come up, then the set shut off and then back on. I thought I was sitting on the remote, but I wasn't. This happened a week ago and hasn't happened since, but it really had me upset. Of all the issues I mentioned to the Sony repair guy (random delay turning on immediately after a power off, lagging menu, etc.) this was the one issue that troubled him.


As I'm mentioned numerous times, I can't find any more 46HX909's at any Fry's in southern California, so exchanging this unit for another one is not an option. The Sony repair guy, after contacting Sony for their take on the issues, recommended replacing the main board and, possibly the remote pre-amp board. The main question I'm faced with right now is whether I want to have a brand new, two week-old TV taken apart and repaired. I'm very OCD about these things and one slightly dinged or stripped screw on the back will drive me nuts! On the other hand, if the only alternative is to return the TV and have to settle for a different model somewhere down the line, perhaps it's the right thing to do.


Is what I'm experiencing just the normal, idiosyncratic behavior of modern TV sets? Since these behaviors are so random, am I better just living with the set as it is or should I be running to Fry's to get my money back?


As always, any and all feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.
 
#2,671 ·
In fact, I noticed a slight improvement.

But I hate to reduce the local dimming.


Are you a gamer? When I play a FPS (Borderland), I see a little clearer spot on the sky (blue or gray).

It could be confused with a very small cloud. It is located slightly above and left of the target. Hard not to see it (I make a fixation).

I was at my other two 52hx909 before deciding.

They had just under DSE, vertical banding, but a more marked.


DSE: light cloud clear background of uni (sky, grass, ice, sand)


Banding (light & black bars): a lot of screen tearing, with all the visible content.

bass462, what are you a face and under what conditions?


Blackvette94 is right: Some users complain about the 920 black bars very marked and DSE.
 
#2,672 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jsulmeyer /forum/post/20777926


Last week I posted an S.O.S. regarding my 46HX909. I mentioned several issues, including issues with the image quality - especially with skin tone - and some mechanical problems I was having with my set. A few nice folks here asked me to post my picture settings, which I'll do below, but unfortunately, in trouble shooting with Sony, I had to reset everything, so I'm kind of back at square one, with regards to settings. I also have an update regarding the mechanical issues I was having. I would love some additional feedback in both these areas.


First, regarding image quality:


After drawing several comparisons between the image quality of my 40-inch Samsung edge-lit LED TV and the HX909, I finally set them up side by side, with the Samsung running via HDMI and the Sony via component cables. Watching the same cable feed, I was able to get the settings pretty close between the two. The main differences I'm noticing in terms of color reproduction is that with both units in the standard setting, and color temp set to neutral:

Whites:

The Samsung's whites are "whiter" - perhaps with a very slight blue tinge compared to the Sony. The Sony's whites have a warmer or browner tinge. I tried setting the the Sony to "cool" which I hate, but wanted to see if I could match the shade of white, but it looked REALLY cool and didn't match the Samsung at all.

Reds:

My biggest complaint of Sony's color reproduction. Compared to the Samsung's reds, the Sony's look almost "mustardy." The reds have a slight burnt orange tinge to them - it's really apparent when viewed side-by-side.

Skin Tones:

Okay, maybe THIS is my biggest complaint with Sony. When viewed side-by-side, skin on the Samsung had more red/pink "pigment" where skin on the Sony looked greenish/yellowish in comparison. Skin on the Samsung just looks more natural and healthy to me; I had been using the word "pasty" to describe skin on the Sony and it was strikingly apparent when I had the sets running side-by-side.

Black and White:

Viewing black and white footage, on the Samsung the blacks and grays looked, well, like normal black and white footage; on the Sony, the image looked almost like sepia in comparison. Very weird. Perhaps the same yellowish quality that I'm seeing in the whites, reds, and skin tones is what I'm seeing here.


If anyone has any suggestions how I can better match the whites, reds and skin tones to be closer to the Samsung's - most importantly getting the reds to be more true red and skin more red/pink and less yellow - I would GREATLY appreciate it.


Here are the current settings of the Sony that are as close as I can get them to the Samsung's image so far:


Picture Mode: Standard

Backlight: 6

Picture: Max

Brightness: 50

Color: 55

Hue: 0

Color Temp: Neutral

Sharpness: 65

Noise Reduction: Low

MPEG Noise Reduction: Auto

Motionflow: Clear 1

CineMotion: Auto 1

Advanced Settings:

Black Corrector: Medium

Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off

Gamma: -1

LED Dynamic Control: Standard

Auto Light Limiter: Medium

Clear White: Low

Live Color: Off

White Balance: default

Detail Enhancer: High

Edge Enhance: Low


I'm sure most of you who are using professional calibration settings are cringing at these settings, but I'm simply tweaking my newly reset default settings to match my Samsung's image as closely as possible. Like I said, it's pretty close, except for the whites, reds and skin tones.


*****


Now, as far as the mechanical issues are concerned, the most troubling issues I've experienced so far are the following:

Random/intermittent lag/delay in the onscreen menu.

I'll be pressing the volume up button, for example, and suddenly, even though the green light on the TV is flashing (receiving the signal) the horizontal blue bar and the numbers on the far right stop responding. Then, suddenly, they will JUMP to the proper position. I also noticed the same behavior when scrolling through the menus, where the onscreen menu will basically freeze and jump ahead to catch up with itself. Unfortunately, this issue is extremely random and, therefore, very hard to reproduce. I had an authorized Sony repair guy come take a look and, while he did catch the volume bar lagging and then jumping ahead, he didn't consider it a particularly serious issue. What do you think? Has anyone here experienced this type of menu "lag?"

Set turned itself off and then back on

This happened twice. The first time, I attributed this to the fact that I was repeatedly turning the set off and on, trying to reproduce a random delay I had noticed, where the set wouldn't immediately turn back on after a power off. The second time, however, it occurred a about 5-10 seconds after powering up the set for the first time that day. I turned the set on, saw the image come up, then the set shut off and then back on. I thought I was sitting on the remote, but I wasn't. This happened a week ago and hasn't happened since, but it really had me upset. Of all the issues I mentioned to the Sony repair guy (random delay turning on immediately after a power off, lagging menu, etc.) this was the one issue that troubled him.


As I'm mentioned numerous times, I can't find any more 46HX909's at any Fry's in southern California, so exchanging this unit for another one is not an option. The Sony repair guy, after contacting Sony for their take on the issues, recommended replacing the main board and, possibly the remote pre-amp board. The main question I'm faced with right now is whether I want to have a brand new, two week-old TV taken apart and repaired. I'm very OCD about these things and one slightly dinged or stripped screw on the back will drive me nuts! On the other hand, if the only alternative is to return the TV and have to settle for a different model somewhere down the line, perhaps it's the right thing to do.


Is what I'm experiencing just the normal, idiosyncratic behavior of modern TV sets? Since these behaviors are so random, am I better just living with the set as it is or should I be running to Fry's to get my money back?


As always, any and all feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.

i dunno about u but i have seen both sets side by side samsung and sony and i picked the sony because the pq and colors looked for real and brighter
 
#2,673 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by chemi
In fact, I noticed a slight improvement.

But I hate to reduce the local dimming.


Are you a gamer? When I play a FPS (Borderland), I see a little clearer spot on the sky (blue or gray).

It could be confused with a very small cloud. It is located slightly above and left of the target. Hard not to see it (I make a fixation).

I was at my other two 55hx909 before deciding.

They had just under DSE, vertical banding, but a more marked.


DSE: light cloud clear background of uni (sky, grass, ice, sand)


Banding (light & black bars): a lot of screen tearing, with all the visible content.

bass462, what are you a face and under what conditions?


Blackvette94 is right: Some users complain about the 920 black bars very marked and DSE.
chemi, i'm not sure i understand your question. ( i speak french if you want to message me)
 
#2,674 ·
Setting Memory: Common

Picture Mode: Custom

Backlight: 7

Picture: 86

Brightness: 46

Color: 50

Hue: 0

Color Temp: Neutral

Sharpness: 65

Noise Reduction: Low

MPEG Noise Reduction: Auto

Motionflow: Clear 2

CineMotion: Auto 2


Advanced Settings

Black Corrector: Medium

Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off

Gamma: -2

LED Dynamic Control: Standard

Auto Light Limiter: Medium

Clear White: Low

Live Color: Low

White Balance: R-Gain -11

G-Gain -8

B-Gain 0

R-Bias 0

G-Bias 0

B-Bias -1

Detail Enhancer: Off

Edge Enhance: Off


Ambient Sensor: Off


Best picture I've had since I've purchased this 52HX909
 
#2,677 ·
Got to say this stuff is awesome. My daughter was changing Blurays out the other night and sneezed on my 52HX909. By the time i got over there, it was dried onto the display. I tried water and a microfiber cloth, but no luck getting the spots off. The were all over the right side of the display. I checked through this thread and saw the recommendation for Purosol. So, I ordered some off Amazon. All I can say is this stuff works great. Took all the spots off without damaging the coating on the panel. It looks great!!!


Get some! You will not be sorry.
 
#2,678 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by btmac /forum/post/20804695


Got to say this stuff is awesome. My daughter was changing Blurays out the other night and sneezed on my 52HX909. By the time i got over there, it was dried onto the display. I tried water and a microfiber cloth, but no luck getting the spots off. The were all over the right side of the display. I checked through this thread and saw the recommendation for Purosol. So, I ordered some off Amazon. All I can say is this stuff works great. Took all the spots off without damaging the coating on the panel. It looks great!!!


Get some! You will not be sorry.


Glad you like it. I bought a large bottle so I will always have it around. I even carry a small bottle with my laptop.
 
#2,679 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Opentoe /forum/post/0



Glad you like it. I bought a large bottle so I will always have it around. I even carry a small bottle with my laptop.

I got the 16 oz. bottle. Wanted to have plenty of it!!!
 
#2,680 ·
I have had a HX900 since last year, and have extensively tried every posted calibration out there, and have compared minor changes across an assortment of favorite blu-ray test discs.


So I feel confident in giving this advice to those struggling to dial this set in. The sweet spot on getting this TV right is smaller and more difficult than others.


But let me first say that you will not see what this TV can do, until you get a quality blu-ray player such as the Oppo-93 or better. Do not listen to those idiots who say all 24p blu-ray players look the same. They do not, especially on a well calibrated set.


The Oppo-93 has richer color, better shadow detail, and smoother motion, compared to my Sony S370 and Marantz BD-7004. For example, on the later two players, I always felt the need to turn Live Color on to at least 'Low', because the color just seemed washed out. But with the Oppo this is not the case. The Marvell Qdeo image processor that the Oppo-93 uses is worth paying the extra money for. There is also a more resolving picture, more backround detail with the Oppo.


Picture Mode: Cinema / Theatre

Backlight: 7

Picture: 85

Brightness: 50

Color: 50

Hue: 0

Sharpness: 0

Color Temp: Warm2

Noise Reduction: Off

MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

Motionflow: Clear 2 (Also called Clear Plus)

CineMotion: Auto 1


Advanced Settings


Black Corrector: Off

Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off

Gamma: -1

LED Dynamic Control: Standard

Auto Light Limiter: Off

Clear White: Off

Live Color: Off

Detail Enhancer: Off

Edge Enhance: Off


Ambient Sensor: Off


I should mention that you are totally going the wrong way by using Doug Blackbourne's settings of Backlight 2, Clear 1 and Gamma -2. These settings will make shadow detail completely crushed and the picture will overall look too dark.


At first glance, Clear 2 has even worse reduced light output, so the backlight must be raised to compensate. But what you get is the clearest and most detailed picture out there. Image stability is better than using Clear 1. Clear 2 is just phenominal once these settings are dialed in.


Also, this Tv seems suceptible to dirty AC mains. The use of a power conditioner and good cables noticably removed picture grain and hash.


Now calibrating white balance varies from TV to TV, but what has been consistant with this model across all the forums is the brown/yellow tint that is prevalent when setting color temp to Warm2.


So if you do not have acess to proper calibration equipment, I suspect you can safely make the following changes to the white balance, to give more natural color.


R-Gain -9

G-Gain -7


My own settings are R-Gain -11, G-Gain -8.


Also, setting the color mode output on the blu-ray players themself is important, but it seems to vary from player to player. The Sony S370 needs to be set to output YCBCR, and cannot achieve deep blacks in any of it's RGB modes. But what I can say is best if using an Oppo, is to output RGB (PC Levels) and turn all Deep Color and dithering OFF. For some reason, 30-bit or 36-bit Deep Color seems to create some artifical noise in the color gradiants, but we are talking the most minute differences at this last stage.


Hope this helps...
 
#2,681 ·
I also want to add further why I think the Backlight 2, Clear 1, and Gamma -2 calibration that is commonly posted should not be used.


These settings are correct when calibrating from a starting point of Motionflow OFF or Clear 1. But in this mode shadow detail is crushed. To uncrush, using those settings, you must raise gamma to 0 or +1, or raise the backlight. But by doing any of this, the image loses vividness and punch, because it has moved out of the sweetspot. So yes, those calibrated settings are correct for that mode. But using Clear 2 to begin with get's you the best image, for blu-ray anyway.
 
#2,682 ·
Almost a year ago, we purchased the 52HX909. We are constantly pleased w/ this set's spectacular picture. When the 929 came on the scene this year, I worried that we had paid too much, too soon, w/ a first-year model. However, after reading about the crease issues, frustrations w/ crosstalk/flickering in 3D mode (and 3D was/is still important to us), we are not regretting our purchase.


One year later, and its beauty still makes our jaws drop!
 
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