Official KDL..EX500/501 Thread - Page 10

Be aware unless the video has a perfect 1.78 to 1 aspect ratio, you will see a very small amount of horizontal black bars with 1.85 to 1 aspect ratio movies. Indeed, with many Disney animated movies on DVD, you see vertical black bars because the aspect ratio on Disney animated features released in theaters are usually 1.66 to 1. Interestingly enough, the two Tinker Bell direct-to-video movies do fill the screen correctly, since they are formatted more or less in the 1.78 to 1 aspect ratio.

I'd say the reviewer is new to HDTVs and doesn't realize 2.35:1 is not 16x9....hence the letterbox bars.

the reasons costco and sams club have "different numbers" in their models are so you can't take our sign to a RETAIL store and get a price match and vice versa. they are the same tv except for some cosmetic changes. once you are in the know, you should ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS buy your tv's/electronics at costco. we simply have no competition on price/returns/warranty.

check on it yourself.....

Dude. Get over yourself, get off the soapbox and take it easy on your employer's koolaid. There are MANY MANY MANY items that Costco does not sell so there is OFTEN OFTEN OFTEN no choice but to shop elsewhere. Enough already.

I know but isn't there usually a picture option to fit it full screen so no black bars are shown? My Samsung32a550 can fill the screen and if i remember right the Sony 32 xbr6 i had for a day or did did as well.

bluewhale1, I saw in some of your posts that you were looking at both the Sony ex500 you bought and the Samsung C630/650 series. I'm looking at the same comparison, have a Samsung now and am leaning towards the C630. Could you tell me why you chose the Sony EX500 over the Samsung C6 series? Thanks for the input.

I haven't brought anything yet. I still have my Samsung 32b550(sorry if i have been typing c550). The review came from the Sony website. I was going to try to go to Bestbuy and see if i can compare the two but didn't go due to a lot of rain. The reason i picked a Samsung over Sony a couple of years ago is because the picture looked better and had more pop to my eyes. I'm not a fan boy of any company so i want to check out the 40ex500. Im hoping the Ex500 looks and performs better(120hz and higher contrast ratio) than what i have since its

I usually have to shop at best buy because I don't have a costco on my area. So I'm trying to set it up for a long distance friend delivery, but it's hard - miata (or anyone) when will these be available on costcos website? Might they not be? Wondering if I should wait for that or work on the 170 mile setup with friends. If its not going to come online I don't wanna wait and wait

I tried it with The Lion King DVD (which is 1.66 to 1 aspect ratio anamorphic release) and I didn't like it at all--the picture looked like it got squashed down as the TV tried to stretch out the picture horizontally.

Well, I have had some time to dink around with the 40EX500.

I have started to notice flashlighting, about the same amount as my previous model (KDL40V5100) in the upper left and right corners.

I am starting to get annoyed. Is it impossible to get an LCD without this problem? Most here in the forum haven't had these issues, but the flashlighting is just as bad as it was on my previous set. Can technicians realistically fix this problem? I don't want to return the TV to the retailer again only to have to miss work or school to stay home so they can deliver me another set with the same issues.

I have temporarily remedied this problem by setting the brightness up to 68. The backlight settings actually don't make a difference concerning the bleed...brightness is the only thing that seems to affect it, and instead of turning it down I have to turn it up. The blacks look washed out at this setting but bleed completely disappears.

Has anyone here had any experience with a technician being able to fix backlight bleed? I am A. Worried they won't know what I am talking about. B. Feel like I am being petty. and C. Straight up won't be able to fix the issue.

Let me know. All I ask for is an LCD without issues. I love this set (just as I loved the V5100) but the backlight issues are driving me up the wall. It seems like something that could be corrected with more careful assembly.

Which tv do you have? (size)

Sorry, I just need a tiny clarification here -- when people talk about "input lag" do they mean only for gaming? I have a receiver for my audio and I am concerned about lag between the TV and the receiver -- I really can't stand people's lips on TV being out of sync with the audio. It's never been an issue with my Wega rear projection TV. Do I need to worry with the EX500? Thanks!

I am playing the same game. ex500, vs ex501, vs c630. Leaning towards the ex501. I like the black bottom instead of the silver, and I saw the Samsung c630 today in person and am not a fan of the clear plastic strip at the bottom of the set. Looks cheap.

Why can't anyone make a matte black set, plain and simple?!

I believe are talking about gaming. There is no problem with my55EX501 using a receiver for the audio. It works great and that is how i watch all our Blu-ray's and most of the TV shows. Even my son says using COD works fine on his Xbox. Not sure yet about Guitar Hero, he has not tried that yet.

They do list the 46" at costco.com if you are interested in that.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...ang=en-US&Sp=C

About time the new Sony's make it Costco's web site. Hopefully more to follow. It is the only one listed of the 2010 models.

I am looking for some honest advice. My wife and I have started shopping for a new TV to replace and old Magnavox 1080i tube (CRT?) tv. Our budget is $1000 and we would like to go between 42" and 47" since we sit about 10 feet from the screen.

At first we were considering the Panny Plasmas, specifically the G10/G15 series but as I read about some of the issues with increasing black levels, I am starting to shy away from this model.

Today at Best Buy we looked at the Sony 46EX500 and the Samsung 46B550 as they are both very close in price. We are mainly using the TV for HD cable (comcast at the moment) and gaming on the XBox 360. We are also going to be adding a blu-ray player sometime in the near future.

This is my first flat panel purchase and considering both units have no real reviews that I can find, I would like to get some opinions from the people here.

Thanks!

You are going to use the TV exactly the way I do. I have the 55EX501 and I am very happy with it. That being said, I do not know anything about the Samsung. Not sure if the screen is glossier than the Sony but I would look at that. It will make a difference when you get it in your home. The EX500/501 works fine in my house with some reflection but does not interfere with watching. The blacks are very good with the EX500. Xbox has been fine according to my son. Blu-ray movies are great.

I do not watch very much standard def TV. The quality is not very good on the EX500/501 in my opinion, but I do not care since all my watching is in HD.

HD on cable will vary with each channel and even time of day you are watching. Just the way it is. But mostly it is good ( I have Cox). I would definitely go with a 46" model, you will not be disappointed.

So again, I am very happy with my EX500/501. Costco is a great place to buy the TV's since the Sony's there have a 3 year warranty from Sony instead of 1 year like at Best Buy. The 46" has just been added to the Costco web page by the way.

Hope this helps. I am sure someone with experience on the Samsung may post also. Or check the Samsung Board for the TV you are looking at.

Good luck.

Get a plasma if you are worried about black levels. As far as I know, all LCDs have backlight bleed (at least every single one I have ever seen or owned).

The EX500, with the exception of backlight bleed is overall a great value for the money. The 46 inch model retails for 999 I believe, which falls into your budget. Just be sure to watch LCDs in a room with ambient light.

Dan, sorry to hear about the backlight bleed. Maybe I am just not seeing it on mine. Or it is so much better than the V5100 I had (corners were very bad) so I do not see it on this one. Hopefully you will still enjoy the TV. Or try another one.

Oh thanks, that's a huge relief.

to those that have this tv, 60 inchers if possible, can you pleasr turn off the power saver mode and light sensor in the set up, or just go to a an input that is not being used and select pc input( this does not let the screen automatically dim)(like on the xbr4)

I say this because i was never really happy with my pic on my 52"xbr4. i turned the power saver off and light sensor off and now my images really pop, but this also made me realize that the clouding and flash lighting is really bad, it was not visible because the light sensor and power saver were masking the problem. thank god i got that 3 yr extra warranty until april2011.
any how i am looking at this tv as a replacement
thanks

I have no idea what is up with this set.

I have been using it for the last 3 hours and for the life of me cannot see the bleed anymore. Turned off all the lights, etc. Last night it looked bad, but it looks amazingly uniform right now. I could see the bleed on the V5100 during the day, btw.

So weird. I have decided to just live with it. Its a great set with an incredible picture and a low price tag. I am not going to let "intermittent" bleed detract from my enjoyment.

Oh good, I've been watching the costco site, looks like the 46 has the black bottom from the picture, someone keeps saying not all the 501s have the black so wondering which doesn't, the 40? Ordering online I'd hate to get a silver one and go through major trouble returning nearly 200 miles away. Ideally I want 55, do i'm gonna keep watching the site...

I have seen the 40" 501's in both black (BJ Wholesale) and silver (Costco).

Costco isn't for everyone. The nearest Costco is a 20 minute drive. Most importantly, I'm single and don't need to buy 5 pounds of nutmeg at a time.

A $50 membership fee doesn't really seem to make sense for me, though I can't even get all the info I would need to make the decision. The 40" isn't even on the web site, so I don't know what it goes for. And I can't even go browse there since I'm not a member without finding someone who is to take me.

When I called to ask costco said you can look around without a membership, just can't purchase. Oh no, silver on the 40ex501 that worries me, if anyone sees a 46 or 55 501 with silver, please post...I can't imagine costco would have 2 different versions of the same model number, right? I just wish I had a costco here! Thank you to everyone who has given me the costco info.

I have a Sony KDL-40EX500. I don't like the "fill screen" mode on many Disney DVD's because most Disney movies use 1.66 to 1 aspect ratio--the aspect ratio of the paper they use to hand-draw animation. As such, it causes the display to "squash down" horizontally the picture with unpleasant results. The only exceptions to the 1.66 to 1 rule I know of since The Little Mermaid from 1989 on were Beauty and the Beast (1.85 to 1), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2.35 to 1), and Brother Bear (initially 1.85 to 1, then expands out to 2.35 to 1).

Looks like Best Buy has free delivery, setup, and recycling again for any TV over 999. Makes me so mad at the rude lady who told me "no there won't be any more sales that will include free delivery, it's 69.99". If the Best Buy version was all black I'd go with Best Buy for convenience.

Other than that silver, I'm not all that picky - I don't think. I want everything to work properly, I don't want dead pixels, etc. but just coming from a 32", 13 year old Sony CRT (that is still working perfectly) any HDTV looks beautiful to me. I recently purchased the cheapest Sony TV there was (32" L series, 720p) and didn't adjust a thing and I love it with my HD Tivo, so as long as everything works, I'm sure I'll be happy with this one. Don't knock me about not liking the silver, I have a silver TV that I liked at the time, but now I don't - so I just don't want that. Especially 1/4 silver and 3/4 black, seems so bizarre and inconsistant.

I wonder if the Costco ones will fly off the shelves compared to the ones sold everywhere else - if many people share my opinion.

Can anyone tell me about the warranty that comes with the Costco EX501s? Wondering if it includes in-home service? I know the $200+ best buy warranty would include that - and I can't be hauling around a 55" TV, so this is a big deal for me.

If it comes with a 3 year Sony warranty, so nothing to do with Costco, then same question, I've never dealt with that -- if they require you to mail it into them that might make a big difference in my decision.