Official Sony HX929 Owner's thread (46HX929, 55HX929, 65HX929) No Price Talk - Page 400

By the way, wanted to report that the glass screen on the new HX does very well in our brightly lit living room with windows, so it should be great inside an Armoire in the bedroom. Not a lot of glare as I feared there may be.

I took a photo today (see thumbnail) with both TV's on. The one on the wall has a matte screen. The HX is on the floor has the gorilla glass. No major problems with reflections (note the reflections from the windows on the glossy frame of the older Sony). So that's a huge relief too.

If you look closely behind the woman's neck you can see some digital artifacting going on. Almost looks like "Mura" as described earlier in this thread. It's easy to see all kinds of things if you look hard enough. If it is "Mura", then both my TVs have it in exactly the same place. Which is to say, no fricken way. That came in with the signal, and I've seen much worse cases of it since I've begun looking for it.

My advice. Watch the TV normally and see if you notice anything. If you don't, there's probably nothing to notice. Not saying there aren't people with legitimate complaints, but in my case it was pretty easy to start imagining things when I was looking so hard to find fault. I think it's the 30 day return period that ramps up the anxiety. You want to make sure you get a chance to exchange it before it's too late. Problem is, you will likely get another perfectly good set and start imaging all the same problems on THAT one.

These things are AWESOME and as you can see, have an even better picture than the older ones did. And I thought the older ones had a GREAT picture. I have not seen any creasing of lines so I can't speak to that. But as far as DSE goes, I think a lot of THAT is simply artifacts. The only real problem I've had with this set so far is that I don't like the "Motionflow Technology" I think it makes it worse, so I turned that off as many had suggested here. Much better without it.

The large bands from top to bottom at 1/3 & 2/3 of the panel are not created by the source material. They're visible on all inputs with all sources...They're even visible on the standard blueish background that is displayed when there's no content to display.

So please don't say we're imagining this issue as it's real !!

That right there is actually a good test. Once I saw it in some content, I ran my set through a few tests to confirm it wasn't the source, including using the "no signal" background.

I also went to a store with multiple HX929 and HX820s on display and ran the "no signal" background on each. So I know it is possible to get an acceptable set, although one of the models they had on display had the same issue (but with a different shape to the blotching). I also saw mild unevenness in most of them with a specific grid pattern that I don't see on mine.

The Sony tech that came to my place multiple times for these 2 vertical bands on the 65HX929 explained to me that they were probably due to the diffusers.
The way I understand it diffusers are plates put in front of the LED's to "diffuse" their light so we don't actualy see brighter spots were the LED's are.
I don't know how, but it would seem that these diffusers are either not manufactured or installed properly.
My guess is since we all have the bands at the same place, could it be that the diffuser is a 3 piece part & there's some kind of overlapping where we see our vertical bands.
To me these bands are probably not caused by the actual LCD panel, LED's or the assembly of the glass in front of the panel as we all have the same bands at the same spot.
Anyone's advice on this?

I'm not seeing any banding on my 45" thank God. I'm merely speaking to the DSE or "Dirty Screen Effect" that has been widely reported here. My thought is that DSE doesn't really exist or if it does, it's quite rare. I think what most people are calling DSE is actually just digital artifacting inherent in the content from the provider.

Having said all that, can I also say that this TV ROCKS!!! Wow. They really have made a huge improvement since the LCD I bought back in 2006. It still holds it's own, but the newer one has way blacker blacks, a sharper picture, and better color overall. I'm very pleased. I'm watching it now and the skin tones are really accurate. Almost looks 3D without being in 3D.

im in love with the picture but the stand does suck...mine also tilts down on right side anjd the whole set flops around if someone bumps into the stand...completely flimsy especially for the price paid for the set....

It does. Those who have banding, see it as DSE. Whatever causes uniformity issues with panel shows up as DSE when watching content. Banding is just a more accurate description for the specific problem that causes the DSE symptom.

See this post earlier in the thread to see what some of us are actually dealing with:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...3#post21252853


I completely agree on that front.

Not acceptable. !! I would demand a replacement.

At least on my replacement 55" 929 [ Nov 2011 build ], the banding [ vertical band on the right side 2/3rd of the screen ] has completely disappeared after ~ 2 weeks / 150 or so hrs on it...

The banding was VERY prominent watching from an angle [ right or left ], especially on scenes that were predominantly white/grey or bright solid colors.. Now, as hard as I try, I just can't see the banding anymore!!

I've even tried Vivid Mode with LD off, and on the browser at walvisions.com/testpatterns [ solid colors, particularly RGB and White/Grey ]

That doesn't look *normal* at all ! I would ask for an in-house tech, as suggested! Also, if you're within your return period, exchange it!! Don't bother with CS.

You could also take that BR to BB and have them play it on their 929!

Okay that looks very similar to what I was seeing yesterday. Which makes the problem even harder to diagnose since what I was seeing had nothing to do with the backlighting or banding, but was inherent in the content. I'd love to see that same test done on more than one TV at the same time. Something's telling me some degree of this is probably going to happen on any LED TV. I know the Samsung owners are all complaining about the same thing on various models.

In fact, in my research on LCD TV's I couldn't find a single model or brand that didn't have tons of complaints about backlighting problems. I think it's just the way it goes with these TV's. The good news is that for most people, you can't see it during normal viewing. I've been watching the new HX all day today and all I see is pure awesomeness. It's about as good a picture as I've ever seen.

Depends on the content, stuff coming from digital sources will artifact in a way that is nothing like a smooth blotch. You have blocking and all sorts of fun there. You will also not see it with flat colors from uncompressed sources (PNGs).

As I've said in my earlier posts, it does vary from set to set with this model, and it is completely possible to get an acceptable one to my eyes, even knowing what I'm looking for.


Although you'd expect higher end models to be more consistent than the lower end ones. When any random NX729 kicks my particular set's butt up and down the street in uniformity of whites... or my UNB6000, I have to raise an eyebrow. And I have to admit, my UNB6000 is only average.

great point

great to have all these links in one spot! thanks for all your contributions

Ditto, I really appreciate so much in one place. Good references...

I'd like to ask about all the "gee whiz" features such as Cinemotion, Reality Creation, various forms of Smoothing, etc. I turned most of them off and I have to tell you I think the TV is better for it. I think people look a little more natural. Especially skin tones. Are any of these features worth leaving on? Just curious as I'm just beginning to play with the settings a bit.

I could be liking it with all that stuff off, because it's familiar, but I thought the people looked a little plastic surgery-ish with all those features turned on. What have you guys found?

I have had this set since July of last year, and have been quietly following all the different settings and particular issues with this set. There is no doubt the picture quality and black levels are top notch. Are there issues? Most definitely, and I myself have done an exchange for a second set and have realized that the holy grail of a "perfect set" is almost non existent. Having said that, at the end of the day, the only question should be, "Are you happy and satisfied with how content is displayed?". I revel watching HD and 3-D content with this set and would not have chosen any other LCD at this time.

As for settings, after trying everyone's settings from Rizzo and Dennis, I have come to the conclusion (entirely subjective) that less is more. I have disabled nearly all settings, and like bareby, gone with a more natural look. Also, for the longest time, I went with Warm2 and had gotten used to it, but having just purchased LOTR BD, for those that own it, the transfer has a greenish tint on some scenes and combined with the Warm2's slightly orange tint, I felt it really did not do the series justice. So it has convinced me to use Warm1 while pushing Color to 60, to give a brighter and slightly cooler (more blue) look and as a result, it has really changed a lot of the content I watch. The only other setting I give preference to is RC, which I set to 20-25 and min on noise. I find it gives that extra layer of clarity to web streaming content and a lot of my 720p movies I stream using DLNA. It even helps BD, as sharp as the image is already.

So i was able to take home the 65HX929 for $3200 plus tax. To be honest i am very disappointed. I am upgrading from a Samsung 46 inch LNa750, while the black levels are phenomenal, the larger size creates a much softer picture. Does anyone else notice this? All the graphics on ESPN are fuzzy and jagged, and overall it seems to lack a crispness when watching Directv. Blu Ray movies are a totally different story and they look brilliant. Has anyone compared the 55 to the 65? Is the smaller set sharper?

In my signature below, there's a link to Home Theater Magazine website that gives a good review of the TV and provide as much info on the features you're talking about and the reasoning why they disabled most of it and I think you'll find the answer to some of what you're looking for.

What is your picture setting? Are you connected via HDMI?

Already read that one. He pretty much disabled them ALL. Is that what most of you guys are doing or are there one or two of the settings that you guys feel have value? I feel kind of bad not getting to use ANY of the nifty new features.

Yes I am connected through HDMI. I have tried various calibration settings that were shared here. I think it comes down to sitting close to the tv. I see all imperfections which i could not with the smaller set. 1080p source content is the only thing that really looks perfect

It is s shame to have to pay for all those bells and whistles, just to turn them all off

That might just be the source of what you are watching. Cable or satellite the feeds can be hit or miss. The real test on these high end tvs is popping in a bluray, which you mentioned looked brilliant. Getting your set calibrated will also help smooth things out on the other content besides bluray. I own a kuro krp 500m and while it is the best looking display I have seen, it is so detailed it shows every little flaw of a bad source on Dtv or anything else I watch. But give it some good quality hd feeds and my jaw hits the floor. Also that is a hell of a price for that 65. Try some of the popular settings floating around on this thread.

Good Luck!

I bought a Sharp 70735 in addition to my HX929, and Netflix streaming became almost unwatchable. On the big screen every little flaw seems twice as big, and the same program I can stream and watch normally on my smaller Sony - looks like crap on 70 inch Sharp. I think you might be observing the same thing. I can only watch blu rays, and also OTA programs look pretty decent on my Sharp.

The diffuser is in front of the LEDs. Just like diffusers in edge-lit LED or even CCFL, it's behind the LCD.

So to my understanding, the LED backlight, diffuser, LCD, and probably another layer of some kind are all one unit - the panel.


That might explain why the problem improves for some people over time.

The other day I found one reference to banding on an Elite that was barely visible. I don't know if the Elite uses Gorilla Glass but I suppose it has some kind of glass and is bonded as well.

If it is a bonding issue then Sony has a manufacturing problem and, as others have said, there is no excuse for that in a $5K+ product.

One has to wonder why it's necessary to bond the panel to the glass in the first place.? It must be for structural support. Double pane windows can keep out dust and humidity!

So servicing a panel or glass problem means replacing BOTH?!

Before I got mine professionally calibrated, I'm also seeing those flaws when watching cable, DVDs, streaming videos and SD videos (I watch foreign channels and most countries still doesn't have HD channels), but after getting mine pro-calibrated, not only HD videos are great on cable and blurays but also SD videos on cable, streaming and DVDs. PM me if you'd like to try my settings, I will not respond to any request from posting here.

It does mean replacing both.

The reason can be environmental, but the primary reason is to create the right optical conditions. By bonding the glass to the panel you remove an air gap that refracts your light coming from the panel which improves PQ and light efficiency a little bit (not always noticeably). Air gaps are sources of additional reflections as well, as you get the glass reflections and the panel reflections. So it is really a good idea, unless you get consistency issues with the process. Plastic or thin glass is easier to bond, and then hide the edges with a bezel like most TVs, but the HX929 looks nicer. They just trade off complexity in manufacturing to get that look.

And I will admit the diffuser is another place that can create problems, but I think I've seen that on other 929s as a barely visible grid pattern. It's hard to tell without actually having one I can disassemble and examine to see exactly how the panel assembly is put together.

I had a few friends over to get their opinion and one of them equated viewing ESPN to watching a DLP tv!!He is not far off as it looks almost unwatchable on this set. I then showed him Columbiana on Blu Ray and his Jaw Dropped. Best picture he has ever seen. I have come to the conclusion that a 55 inch set is the sweet spot for most programming. If i was able to afford a dedicated Movie room i would take the 65HX929 any day but unfortunately it just doesn't do everyday tv viewing justice. I am going to return this set and go with the 55. Sucks that i got such a great deal on it too.

Nooooo! Why don't you give it time and maybe your eyes will adjust but if not, I suggest you get yours professionally calibrated and see if they can help you with your problem first, if not most them can give you a refund if you're not satisfied. I would give anything (except money of course cause I can't afford it) to get the 65 or larger screens!