Official Sony XBR HX909 owners' thread (52HX909, 46HX909, HX9, HX900) - Page 88

Originally Posted by EvilManatee

Hey fellow 909 owners, look at what I just found.

http://mobile.twice.com/article/4709..._Streaming.php

Looking forward to checking this out tonight. More free 3D content from Sony is good news to me (even though I have mixed thoughts on the 909 3D).

I just got the 909 a few weeks ago, and hope to write my impressions later. Overall I am very pleased with the set.

Originally Posted by Opentoe

Where do you find the content in the menu? I've searched and can't find any "free" 3D content.

Originally Posted by dan007

I will post them when I get back from work later.....I actually have different settings for watching movies(blu ray), games and television....

the only thing I am still working on is the white level....I have a few calibrated settings that i am trying out.....

Originally Posted by sam008

Guys

I just got my HX909 and wondering if I should buy the 3DBDNL which comes with 2 3D glasses, transmitter, HDMI cable

The glasses are TDG-BR100. Are these good glasses or should I forego the kit and buy different glasses?

The kit's going pretty cheap for $150

Originally Posted by MGP99999

I have both of Sony's 3D glasses models and my suggestion is to buy the 250 (this year's model) and just get the transmitter separately. The difference in comfort justifies having to pay a little more imho.

Originally Posted by martyball619

i am so glad this thread is still growing! just bought my xbr46hx909 last night at frys for 1199 and i couldnt b any happier. spent the whole day watching blu rays.. how much did u guys pick up your set for?
and also what is automotion and motionflow and what does that do?

Originally Posted by jsulmeyer

Hey everyone - I'm glad to hear so many people loving their 909's. Unfortunately, despite my hunger to really love this display, I'm having trouble doing so, and I could really use some feedback, since I only have a few weeks before my 30 day Fry's return window expires.

Before I give my impressions, I should start by saying that I am in no way an A/V expert - quite the opposite. I have practically no idea what most of the settings even do or, more specifically, what they do and at what cost to image quality. All I know is what my eyes like and what they don't like. I was drawn to this TV because it was the only fully back-lit LED I could find. I had been using an edge-lit, 40-inch Samsung 6400 series which had Samsung's rich colors (which I like very much) but suffered from really inconsistent blotchy backlight bleeding, including the headlamp effect emanating from the corners, which I hate with a passion. Every time I would be watching a show with really dark scenes, or TV/movies in letterbox format, the blacks on the sides looked washed out and the backlight bleeding would bug me to to no end. So, despite my desire for a 40-inch TV (I have a small apartment and can't put my couch very far from my TV) I splurged for the 46-inch 909.

Now my impressions. First the positive:

I love the deep blacks.
Coming from the Samsung, I especially like the fact that the blacks in the scene blend almost seamlessly into the letterbox bars and, in turn, the border around the screen. This is what I WISH the Samsung had.

I love the uniformity of the screen
Again, coming from the Samsung, a real delight.

Now, the negative:

Can't find settings I like
What I mean by this, is that just when I find settings that I think I can live with, I turn to a channel that looks crummy, causing me to reach for the remote and adjust the picture settings. I've tried several of the calibration settings offered here, as well as the ones CNET posted on their website. When I use these settings (which usually include turning off most of the image enhancement settings) I end up with a picture that might be more "accurate" but which has faded, hazy, gray blacks, and no richness to the colors. For some reason, while the Samsung may be known for it's inaccurate or unrealistic colors, I didn't have the same issue of constantly having to change the settings to find something that worked, more or less, across the board.

HD Content looks like SD content
I simply don't understand this, and I could REALLY use some feedback here. One minute I'm looking at HD content, say HD channels like CNNHD or MSNBC, and they look pretty good (although skin always looks flat and pasty, compared to the Samsung, which, for some reason, seemed to show greater depth and detail). Then, I'll switch to another channel, like CBSHD or ABCHD - both broadcasting primetime HD content - and it looks HORRIBLE - blurry, blotchy, lots of artifacts, etc. Same with Sports, like ESPNHD or a Dodgers game being broadcast in HD. Not crisp and clear AT ALL. What's more, when I return later to a different show on a channel that previously looked okay, say CNNHD, the image now looks blurry, with lots of artifacts. I would have thought a fully backlight, $3,500 TV that runs at 240Hz would give me an AMAZING image - especially when watching sports or HD content. With the Samsung, HD content actually looked crisper, had more clarity and depth to the images - especially skin tone - and was more CONSISTENT from channel to channel. I have NO IDEA why this is or why I'm having these issues with the 909. You're probably thinking, "just shut up and return the Sony and buy another Samsung" but the edge lit TVs are not an option for me and I REALLY want to like - and keep - this TV. Also, I originally bought a display model of this TV and then returned it when I found one new, in the box, and having compared them side-by-side, I know that it's not just THIS particular unit that is having issues.

It's not just broadcast content that looks crummy.
I realize that what I've been talking about so far is content being broadcast by Time Warner - it's not natively 1080p and it's highly compressed, then converted to HD via my set top box. However, two things concern me. First, it's the same feed that was being used by the Samsung and, second, I threw in a Blu-ray of Wedding Crashers the other night and it looked like a mess. In the first scene, with the window behind a seated Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, there was tons of noise and artifacts dancing around. I then switched to movie mode, which was a little better. Then, I switched out the Sony with the Samsung and the noise was basically gone. Totally frustrating.

So, here I am, wanting desperately to love this TV and just as soon I think I'm good with it, I switch channels or pop in a disc and I'm back to square one. I'm wondering if a) maybe a 46-inch TV is just too big for sitting seven feet away, or b) maybe I'm way too picky, or c) maybe Time Warner's feed sucks and I should get Dish Network or DirecTV, or, d) I had the wrong scene settings to adequately view a Blu-ray. Whatever it is, I could REALLY use some feedback and support from the community here so that I can join the group of proud 909 owners :-)

Many thanks in advance

John

Originally Posted by jsulmeyer

Thanks very much. I'll try to track down the settings I used and cut/paste them into a post. In the mean time, just as I was feeling a little better about the TV, something strange happened: I turned it on, a show came on, and then about 10 seconds into the show the TV turned off and then immediately back on. I thought that perhaps I was sitting on the remote or something, but the remote was on the table in front of me. Has anyone experienced this behavior? It's REALLY concerning - I'd hate to wind up after 30 days with a TV with a bad switch or bad power supply, etc. I noticed a few days ago - and posted it here, I think - that while the TV shuts off instantaneously via the remote, it doesn't always turn back on instantaneously. Sometimes I will need to click the remote 10 times in succession before it turns back on. The demo unit I had did this as well, so I figured it was the nature of the TV, but the one thing this unit DID do during that experiment that the demo unit didn't do, was turn on, turn ITSELF off and then immediately back on. I think it did it twice when I was testing the on/off issues with both sets, but I chalked it up to the fact that I was kind of putting the power switches through a kind of "stress test" to see if I could detect a pattern of why there was this arbitrary delay with the set turning on right after shutting it off. Now I'm really beginning to worry.

Has anyone else experienced their set suddenly turning itself off and then back on? Has anyone noticed that, if they power their set off, and then try to immediately turn it back on (anywhere from 1-10 seconds in between) that, when attempted repeatedly, there is an arbitrary delay being able to get the set to turn back on via the remote? I'd GREATLY appreciate if someone would try this simple experiment and let me know the results. Maybe the delay is simply the nature of the beast - something having to do with how the internal electronics perform - almost like some kind of fail safe mechanism. That being said, I don't see how that would explain my set turning itself off and then back on tonight.

Again, many thanks.

Originally Posted by jsulmeyer

Hey everyone - I'm glad to hear so many people loving their 909's. Unfortunately, despite my hunger to really love this display, I'm having trouble doing so, and I could really use some feedback, since I only have a few weeks before my 30 day Fry's return window expires.

Before I give my impressions, I should start by saying that I am in no way an A/V expert - quite the opposite. I have practically no idea what most of the settings even do or, more specifically, what they do and at what cost to image quality. All I know is what my eyes like and what they don't like. I was drawn to this TV because it was the only fully back-lit LED I could find. I had been using an edge-lit, 40-inch Samsung 6400 series which had Samsung's rich colors (which I like very much) but suffered from really inconsistent blotchy backlight bleeding, including the headlamp effect emanating from the corners, which I hate with a passion. Every time I would be watching a show with really dark scenes, or TV/movies in letterbox format, the blacks on the sides looked washed out and the backlight bleeding would bug me to to no end. So, despite my desire for a 40-inch TV (I have a small apartment and can't put my couch very far from my TV) I splurged for the 46-inch 909.

Now my impressions. First the positive:

I love the deep blacks.
Coming from the Samsung, I especially like the fact that the blacks in the scene blend almost seamlessly into the letterbox bars and, in turn, the border around the screen. This is what I WISH the Samsung had.

I love the uniformity of the screen
Again, coming from the Samsung, a real delight.

Now, the negative:

Can't find settings I like
What I mean by this, is that just when I find settings that I think I can live with, I turn to a channel that looks crummy, causing me to reach for the remote and adjust the picture settings. I've tried several of the calibration settings offered here, as well as the ones CNET posted on their website. When I use these settings (which usually include turning off most of the image enhancement settings) I end up with a picture that might be more "accurate" but which has faded, hazy, gray blacks, and no richness to the colors. For some reason, while the Samsung may be known for it's inaccurate or unrealistic colors, I didn't have the same issue of constantly having to change the settings to find something that worked, more or less, across the board.

HD Content looks like SD content
I simply don't understand this, and I could REALLY use some feedback here. One minute I'm looking at HD content, say HD channels like CNNHD or MSNBC, and they look pretty good (although skin always looks flat and pasty, compared to the Samsung, which, for some reason, seemed to show greater depth and detail). Then, I'll switch to another channel, like CBSHD or ABCHD - both broadcasting primetime HD content - and it looks HORRIBLE - blurry, blotchy, lots of artifacts, etc. Same with Sports, like ESPNHD or a Dodgers game being broadcast in HD. Not crisp and clear AT ALL. What's more, when I return later to a different show on a channel that previously looked okay, say CNNHD, the image now looks blurry, with lots of artifacts. I would have thought a fully backlight, $3,500 TV that runs at 240Hz would give me an AMAZING image - especially when watching sports or HD content. With the Samsung, HD content actually looked crisper, had more clarity and depth to the images - especially skin tone - and was more CONSISTENT from channel to channel. I have NO IDEA why this is or why I'm having these issues with the 909. You're probably thinking, "just shut up and return the Sony and buy another Samsung" but the edge lit TVs are not an option for me and I REALLY want to like - and keep - this TV. Also, I originally bought a display model of this TV and then returned it when I found one new, in the box, and having compared them side-by-side, I know that it's not just THIS particular unit that is having issues.

It's not just broadcast content that looks crummy.
I realize that what I've been talking about so far is content being broadcast by Time Warner - it's not natively 1080p and it's highly compressed, then converted to HD via my set top box. However, two things concern me. First, it's the same feed that was being used by the Samsung and, second, I threw in a Blu-ray of Wedding Crashers the other night and it looked like a mess. In the first scene, with the window behind a seated Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, there was tons of noise and artifacts dancing around. I then switched to movie mode, which was a little better. Then, I switched out the Sony with the Samsung and the noise was basically gone. Totally frustrating.

So, here I am, wanting desperately to love this TV and just as soon I think I'm good with it, I switch channels or pop in a disc and I'm back to square one. I'm wondering if a) maybe a 46-inch TV is just too big for sitting seven feet away, or b) maybe I'm way too picky, or c) maybe Time Warner's feed sucks and I should get Dish Network or DirecTV, or, d) I had the wrong scene settings to adequately view a Blu-ray. Whatever it is, I could REALLY use some feedback and support from the community here so that I can join the group of proud 909 owners :-)

Many thanks in advance

John

Originally Posted by jsulmeyer

Hey everyone - I'm glad to hear so many people loving their 909's. Unfortunately, despite my hunger to really love this display, I'm having trouble doing so, and I could really use some feedback, since I only have a few weeks before my 30 day Fry's return window expires.


So, here I am, wanting desperately to love this TV and just as soon I think I'm good with it, I switch channels or pop in a disc and I'm back to square one. I'm wondering if a) maybe a 46-inch TV is just too big for sitting seven feet away, or b) maybe I'm way too picky, or c) maybe Time Warner's feed sucks and I should get Dish Network or DirecTV, or, d) I had the wrong scene settings to adequately view a Blu-ray. Whatever it is, I could REALLY use some feedback and support from the community here so that I can join the group of proud 909 owners :-)

Many thanks in advance

John

Originally Posted by chemi

Hello Viper2847!

I use your settings :

Picture Mode: Custom

Scene: General

Backlight 3
Picture 85
Brightness 50
Color 50
Hue 0
Color Temperature Warm 1
Sharpness 60
Noise Reduction off
MPEG Noise Reduction off
Motionflow Clear 1
Cinemotion Auto 1

Black Corrector off
Adv Contrast Enhancer Off
Gamma -1
LED Dynamic Control Standard
Auto Light Limiter Off
Clear White Off
Live Color off
White Balance: Default


Detail Enhancer Low
Edge Enhancer Off


Power saver: Off

I use my 55HX900 for TV and the game

Have you changed a setting from?

thank you!

Originally Posted by Blackvette94

My 52HX909 Review:

Hi everyone, I wanted to post my review of the 52HX909 that I bought from PC Richards. It was a display model and was in like new condition other then some finger prints

I want just briefly go over the most recent displays I have owned. I will start with the Pioneer Pro1150 768P plasma. I currently still have this tv in the house and I will reference it later in the review. I also owned two different Pioneer Pro110's 1080p and one Pioneer Pro111 1080p plasma. All three 1080p plasma's suffered from the dirty screen effect, the first was ironically better then the last two. The DSE as I will refer to it going forward is fairly noticable in movies and tv but painfully obvious while gaming.

Although the 1080p Pioneers offered to me the best color, contrast and clarity among the tv's I have owned, the DSE really was distracted to me and I sold them, at a large loss I might add. I then purchased the LG 15 inch OLED tv. Thinking this would not have any downfalls that Plasma or LCD would have. Problem with this OLED is that one it was WAY too smalle and two the motion handling wasn't alot better then a normal 60hz lcd. I was pretty shocked about that. The blacks no doubt were amazing and better then any plasma or lcd before it. This tv was sold again at a loss because the size and motion blur were too distracting.


Now this brings me to the Sony 52Hx909. I had saw this tv last December at Ultimate Electronics in NH. I was very impressed by it for many reasons, one the moiton handling with motion flow on clear 1 was VERY impressive. Two the DSE was really non-existent on this tv. This was huge for me because I am very sensitive to it.

Anyway the 909 was about $4200 at the time and I had my share of buying $4k plus plasma's that were not up to what I was looking for. So I held off on buying it. Then last week I was looking around at PC richards and they had a floor model 52HX909 that they had on sale. It was less then the 46 inch NX720, so I figured I would jump on it.

After getting alot of quality time with the 909, I have to say its the second best tv I have ever seen. The only display IMO that is better is the Pro1150. The reason for this is uniformity, the Pro1150 does not have the DSE that the higher pixel 1080p panels had, and the phosphor lag is just not there on the 768p model. The Sony 909 has not horizontal banding or Uneveness BUT it does have some slight veritcal banding/uneveness on the screen. This can bee seen on mostly solid color screens or very quick motion going left to right.

I had checked out the 55hx929 at two different stores before purchasing the 909, and I saw much worse uneveness on the 929. But I felt the 929 did handle the blooming off axis better, and the off axis viewing was improved on the 929.

I will say that I mainly use the tv for gaming and some blu ray movies. So if your going to be using the 909 or the 929 for movies and tv, the uneveness is a NON issue. If you plan to game on it, be prepared to see some uneveness. In all fairness, I have yet to see any tv have perfect or close to perfect uniformity. Even the LG OLED had issues with that. Below is my settings for the Sony 52HX909, please try them out, I think everyone will be very satisfied with them

Also for gamers, all tv's mentioned in the review have NO issues with input lag, even with local dimming on and motion flow on clear 1. I tried in game mode, graphic mode, and I could not detect any difference. The settings below is how I play all content including games:

--Home Menu>Settings>Picture & Display--

--Picture Adjustments menu--
Setting Memory: [any]
Picture Mode: Custom
Backlight: 2
Picture: 90
Brightness: 50
Color: 50
Hue: 0
Color Temperature: Warm 2
Sharpness: 50
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motionflow: Clear 1
CineMotion: Auto 1

--Advanced Settings menu--
Black Corrector: Off
Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off
Gamma: -2
LED Dynamic Control: Standard
Auto Light Limiter: Off
Clear White: Off
Live Color: Off
White Balance: [See below]
Detail Enhancer: Off
Edge Enhancer: Off
Skin Naturalizer: Off [grayed out]

--White Balance menu--
R-Gain: -11
G-Gain: -8
B-Gain: 0
R-Bias: 0
G-Bias: 0
B-Bias: -1

Home Menu>Settings>Ambient Sensor: Off

Home Menu>Settings>Screen menu--
Setting Memory: [any]
Wide Mode: Full
Auto Wide: Off
4:3 Default: Off [grayed out]
Auto Display Area: Off
Display Area: Full Pixel
Screen Position: [grayed out]
Vertical Size: [grayed out]

Home Menu>Settings>Pro Picture Setup: [All settings Auto]

--Home Menu>Settings>Preferences--

--Scene Select menu--
General

--Eco menu--
Power Saving: Off


Also I want to say that build quality wise the 909 was much better then the 929, the 929 uses Gorilla glass/acrylic and the 909 uses thick glass. The Gorilla glass looking off axis has some slight wave to it on the borders where its attached to the rest of the tv, just looks cheaper then perfectly flat glass ont he 909, and the metal border on the 909 looks VERY nice!

Overall, Sony really surprised me, I haven't been a fan of lcds in a long time for gaming and movies but this has changed my mind. The blacks in a dimly lit room look the SAME as the LG OLED I had. Other then some slight blooming the two looking very much the same as far as blacks go. The last time I enjoyed a Sony tv was the 34XBR2 crt, the 30XBR910 and the 24FW900 monitor. All of which I owned in the past. This tv is right up there with the best I have ever seen, I would give a 10 but because of the vertical uneveness/uniformity I will have to say its a 9.

Sorry for the long post, if I missed anything please let me know, thank you!

Originally Posted by martyball619

good post.. why does every1 like their settings on backlight to be so low??