Official 2010 Sony ...HX701 Owners Calibration thread - Page 13

Reasonable care with placement in relation to light sources will go a long way. I have the 55HX701 and couldn't be happier. The screen isn't matte, but I think it has a positive result. I believe the glass is tinted. The PQ is excellent. Some adjustment may be necessary. You can find settings posted in this forum to get you started, from which point you can change settings to acommodate your room, lighting and tastes.

I can honestly say that glare is not an issue at all here. I originally planned on getting the EX500 series. I have no regrets whatsoever. I believe that the HX701 was the best choice.

Bob

Thanks for the reply. I really like the looks of this set and it did have a beautiful picture. I really wanted to get a TV from Costco with their return policy and their extra warranty. I think this would be a good set for me. I am ready to be able to enjoy a new TV and quit reading about them. Thanks again for your reply.

Update:

I found out why the PQ still looked dull and dark after using the settings posted. It was the Ambient Sensor. When I turned it off the PQ popped out right away. I also found the manual. It is in settings>product support>i-Manual. But you need an internet connection.

It's a bummer that the Ambient Sensor is turned on automatically on initial setup. Most consumers overlook that setting, leaving it on unknowingly.

Soo true. I was thinking about getting my eyes checked because everyone was posting about how beautiful the PQ looked. But all I saw was D&D (dark and dull).

Then I turned off that setting and presto it was like it came alive.

Everyone is right it is an awesome PQ.

Trying to decide on a new TV...

If I could get a KDL-40HX701 for the same price as a 40" EX500 -- Which one should I get?

Thanks!

Whoops! I forgot to mention it, and it does make a huge difference. I edited it into my original settings post. Glad you found it, and apologies for the ommission.




The i-Manual was already on mine, although an update is available.

Bob

Hi Guys,

Might seem like a stupid question, but I do not see a Theater / Cinema mode on mine. I have a 46hx701 bought at Costco a month ago (in California), and it only has Standard / Vivid / Game / Custom - no Cinema or Theater mode. I have a JVC BD player and a Tivo Premiere both connected thru HDMI.

Am I alone ?

Also, I am very interested in geting a 55HX701 from Costco for my living room - is it confirmed that they will go on sale at Costco on July 15th ($200 off)?

Thanx!

I recieved my Costco coupon book in the mail yesterday and that's what it says. You don't need a coupon to take advantage of the $200 off on the 55" HX701. It's good from July 15 until August 8. Also avallable at Costco.com.

Hit "Options" on your remote control and look at the 4th selection...

Mine is the EX700 but the menu should be similar to yours.

I have the same TV as you. On your remote control their is a button called "scene". Select that and you should see the "cinema" option.

No apologies necessary Bob. I'm just glad I got the PQ popping I just wish I had found that setting on July 4th when I was watching the Macy's fireworks spectacular on NBC. The colors from the fireworks were still beautiful even though the AMSEN was turned on.



You are correct again. I tried accessing the i-Manual without an internet connection and I was able to read it.

I am terrified of Sony's updates but that's a whole different story.

I have some concerns about updating also (likely unfounded), but the issues the currently available firmware addresses aren't affecting me, so I can wait for the next one. Truth is, I have yet to run a cat5 to the set (and BDP) and probably won't until I finish renovations to my office, which is adjacent to the livingroom and where my routers will be located. Until that time, I suppose I could DL the update and install via the USB port (should an update I do need become available).



Bob

I can only speak for the 55HX701:

In addition to the 'Scene' button on the remote, there is also an orange 'Theater' button. Mine is the 2nd button from the top, upper left, right under the input button. It adds a more "film-like" quality to the picture.

Bob

Thanx a lot guys - I found the Cinema setting!

I will see with my Costco store if they have a 30 day price guarantee. In that case I may buy the 55'' this weekend and ask them to match the price when they go $200 off next week!

Thanks!

BTW, I have read quite a bit on this forum, and I think this deal at Costco is great. BUUUTTTTT, for the same price I can get a 55LH90 online, but no 3-year warranty as with Costco + Amex....

I am all about picture quality (I calibrate my own sets with EyeOne, ColorHCFR, etc...and do not care about 3d, widgets, etc...) and I currently have the 46HX701 which I like well even though it is non-LED.

Should I get the LG - is that blooming real bad, because otherwise it appears that it is very nice and *accurate* unit?

I have seen the LG LE8500 and really did not like the screen uniformity (banding) unfortunately - otherwise in THX mode, the unit had a great picture!

Thanx!

Hi ... got my Costco book today with the KDL-55HX701... $200 off. I've been in the market for a new TV anyway (currently have a 52XBR4), BUT ...
what's with the CCFL? Isn't that a step backwards or am I missing something??? I've been looking at LEDs and Plasmas. What IS this new TV?
Thanks in advance for your help.

I am looking to purchase this TV possibly on the 15th after Costco drops the price by $200. I have my concerns about the screen uniformity and what two other posters have mentioned about pilaring. Is that an issue with all sets, the band going down the right side? Is there any flashlighting at all? I also heard reports about buzzing. I would love to know more about the screen uniformity since it is really hard to judge the TVs in Costco.

Thanks!

Anybody any tips for doing a firmware update on these TVs ( I have the HX700 - Aus model) ? I have followed the instructions as per Sonys' Australian site (using a Mac) and have tried two different USB drives (both FAT32 with just the folder and bin file) and each time the TV comes back with the following message "no applicable update data was found". The TV has .103 and the USB has the current .106 firmware.
Updating the TV via network is currently not an option for me.
Any ideas?

I picked up the 55hx701 last week and there definitely is some pillaring. To me, though, it is only noticeable when the screen is blank or if you really look for it on a relatively dark scene. It might bother some people but it doesn't bother me one bit when I am just enjoying the picture instead of studying it for flaws. The PQ on this tv is better than any other lcd or plasma tv I've had. There is a gloss to the screen but it seems to me that the gloss adds a depth to the picture that is fantastic. Before buying this tv, I actually brought home and considered the 55ex500 as well as the samsung pn58c550 plasma. I had a bias toward the plasma before bringing it home so I was very surprised by how much better I found the picture to be on both LCD's. I found the Samsung plasma's color accuracy to be off, especially on faces, which really bothered me (maybe the color could be calibrated more accurately but I my tweaking it with the naked eye just couldn't get it to a point that I could live with). I also noticed a lot more jitter on the sammy, which also really bothered me. Those negatives were much more distracting to me than the pillaring of the hx501. I also really liked the 55ex500. The ex500 also had a beutiful picture with no flashlighting, cloulds, or pillaring. I ended up keeping the ex500 for a second room because i thought it was a great tv for the money but the HX501 was by far the best tv I saw. To me, it has a mesmerizing picture. It also seems to handle off-angle viewing better than the ex500, which was important in my primary room. Hope this helps.

I can't find the price of the 55 at costco.com. How much will it be after the $200 rebate?

Here in Canada Future Shop is having a sale on the 55 for $1999. I just wanted to know how good of deal this is compared to the U.S. I am having a hard time finding this set anywhere except on European sites.

Thanks

That helps a lot. Thanks for he reply

I don't see it listed on their site right now either, I expect since this is a new TV for them it will probably be listed around July 15. The Costco in Winston Salem NC had them in stock last week when I was there. I can't remember the price exactly but it was 17 something so I was thinking 15 something for a 55" would probably be a good price. I have tried to research this set also and it's not listed on the Sony USA site but it is on the Canadian Sony site. If anyone has this set and has tried over the air tv signals I would really appreciate your opinion of it's abilities.

When you did the Rockband 2 test, were you using the RB2 guitar to get these values?

I'm about to pull the trigger on the 55hx701 but would like to know more about how sports (football, hockey, and basketball) look on this set. Does the 240hz actually make a difference and reduce motion blur? Is this a better set then the higher end plasmas for watching sports. Or even is it better then the ex500 or ex700 which are 120hz.

I am a newbie at this and I'm finding a lot of different opinions on what to buy. I love my Saturday night hockey and my Sunday football.

Any comments on this would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi all,

I saw this in Costco today, and was intrigued. I recently picked up an LG 60 inch plasma (PK550), and the buzz from the plasma is driving me nuts! I have to have a quiet TV, since I do most of my watching at night.

I do like the glossy screen (that always helps with image quality in my opinion), and i'm hoping the 240 hz means no issues with motion (although I hear it isn't possible to see much of a difference between 240 hz and 120 hz). Just a few questions, coming from a guy who has had nothing but plasmas for a while (and needs a quiet tv!).

1). Is the 240hz on this model handled by having 120hz along with a scanning backlight? That's how LG does it, i think. Or is it true 240hz?
2) Noise. Has anyone watched this tv in an absolutely silent environment? Is there any noticeable noise during quiet/dialogue scenes? Maybe this has never been an issue with LCDs, but i've never owned an LCD.

Thanks!

1. It's true 240hz not 240ish gimmicks like some other brands.
2. I don't hear any noise coming from my HX701

I own the 46HX701 which I use for sports and video games. I dont have any problems with motion blur while watching sports. I also have no problems with input lag while playing video games. The set is also quiet. So far no complaints. I recommend a glossy screen over a matte screen when possible.

This is interesting. I have been looking forward for a TV does is great with Sports (motion blur) and videogames. Now you mention you do not notice input lag, can you be more clear on which games you play and from which console?

I'm still confused by this new TV. Why CCFL vs. LED? Are they ditching LED and returning to CCFL? Is CCFL now better than LED? Help.