Sony XBR 950 Owners Thread - Page 3

Yes, it really is a shame Sony couldn't have done more with the glare on the XBR screen, because as you say, it will be a show stopper for some folks. But I wasn't entirely satisfied with the 50" GWIII screen either. In addition to being able to see the screen texture in bright white areas when panning, I noticed that bright whites seemed to glow, i.e., the seemed to be too bright, and actually caused eye strain. I was never able to adjust the picture and brightness controls to completely eliminate this because the sources vary so much.

With the XBR, Sony may be appealing to the videophile (couldn't think of a better word) who may have a room configured specifically with home theater in mind, and where glare has been kept under control.

FYI, I went to GG in East Palo Alto Friday afternoon. They only had the 70" XBR950 on display. They said they're expecting 15 units of the 60" in stock this coming week, but they didn't have it yet.

Regarding reflection, it's HORRIBLE! The 70" is on display with the store's doors located far behind and the reflection was unbareable. Although the screen is not glass, it reflected as if it was glass, much more reflection than the WE series or the Sammy DLP's or Panny LCD's. What was Sony thinking!! I was ready to buy a 60" XBR, but I probably cannot live with this reflection since i have too many windows in my living room.

I feel exactly the same way!! I was ready to buy the XBR, extra cost was no issue, but the "mirror" is horrible. I have a Sammy 56" DLP which i'm returning (for other reasons) and i'll probably get the 60" WE610.

Note that I still think this is a great TV... if you're setup is in a dark, light controlled room, you will be very happy with this TV. The blacks and colors and brightness were awesome. The set looks great asthetically. The remote is solid metal, one of the best built remotes I've ever seen.

Damn that mirror screen!!

Where can we find out more about the SXRD?

Quote:


Not only the damn mirror screen, but the damn one way firewire! Last night I saw on the HDNET broadcast from Cedia that RCA's new DLP sets--haven't seen them but have read lot of negatives about them elsewhere in the forum--have built-in ATSC tuners with two way firewire. And they sell a companion 9 hour HD "tivo" that connects to it for $500 list.

I love my Tivo, before they went HD, watching monday night football used to be so great. Because we get it so early on the left coast I am often not home in time for the start. With Tivo I could skim thru commercials, half time, etc and catch up by the end of the game. Now with HDTV broadcast so beautiful I just have to set thru all that junk. I really want to be able to "tivo" HD and I thought Sony was making it possible.

Of course I guess I can get a Sammy 165 and the RCA hardisk thing and a WE 60" for about the same price as the XBR. Maybe that is the route for me. But the 70" is such a beautiful beast. Oh well.

I can't find any local dealers that sell RCA. Whats with that?

Well, the ground truth is that the " 50" XBR" is a plasma set! Stunning, but to my untrained (but critical) eye, it was no better an image than the 50" GWIII sitting nearby. And $11K to boot! "Some customers want the thinness."

I wouldn't pay $11K for thinness, even for my own overweight body!

The "RCA" Web site is actually via the Thomson Web site ... They have a dealer finder, which was Sears and some independent dealers, as I recall, around here. [ Upon rechecking, the only stores they identify are Radio Shack! No way! The Radio Shack salesman didn't even grok what I was trying to explain to him. ]


http://www.thomsonscenium.com/StoreL...ent=3&gLevel=1

Try http://www.dcviews.com/press/Sony_SXRD.htm

I hate to admit it, but I really don't expect to get more than 3-4 years use out of my new GWIII 60 XBR. But in the mean time, I'll be able to enjoy a really great TV until the price and reliability improve on these emerging technologies.

I looked at the reflections of both the XBR950 abd WE's and have concluded that the XBRs have only slightly more "glare". The TRUE difference is that the reflections of the XBR is more "clear" due to the "g;ass-like" texture of the screen as opposed to the "milky" texture of the WE610, which produces more of a blurry reflection. However, when a bright light source is in front of either set, the clarity of the XBR's reflection makes it more noticable.

Just got my 60xbr today at noon. The set looks great! Love the glass, as it complements the contemporary look in our house. The only problem I have is the extended toe kick. Try as I might, I just couldn't figure out how to push the kick in. I tried the 2 white buttons on the buttom, but something still seemed to be stuck. So now it sits with the toe kick stuck out. I could live with it, but would love it better with it in.

I'm not a videophile, so the picture looks about like my previous 36inch crt. My wife doesn't think the picture looks as nice as a plasma, but then again it's not as expensive either.

BTW, I have not been able to see any stuck pixels yet. I'll try again some time later.

I live in Houston, so go grab them while you can.

Now it's time to find some tuning disks. Anyone knows where to get DVE at a retail store in Houston? Seems like no one in town is selling them.

I'm waiting until summer of '04 for an HD DirecTivo, which will also be able to record OTA ATSC. That way, I'll be able to record one ATSC program while watching another ATSC program. I think I would find using the TV's built-in turner too restrictive.

makes me feel better that i am not alone with this , can't wait to get my we610...

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You guys complaining about the screen on the new XBRs are just a bunch of cheap babies ...

I'll take the new "glossy" screen over the old ugly "dull" looking one any day of the week.



"Tag" man

How do the blacks on your 60" XBR compare to your 36" CRT? I don't think anyone who has the new XBR set at home has said much about the blacks.

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I thought this was common knowledge but blacks on an LCD display are never as good as they are on CRT. At least not yet.


"Tag" man

I'm not ashamed to say that I'm not a videophile, so I checked my 36 crt and it frankly had worse blacks than my new tv. I'm sure if I properly calibrated the sets, things would be different, but I really can't tell much difference. The blacks looked plenty black, but not quite as black as the black borders. The wife thought the blacks looked just fine, but then again, we've never really tweaked any of our sets. The cinema black option didn't seem to do anything.

Guess it's a case of - you really don't know what you are missing untill you've experienced it.

Got the 70" setup 3 days ago. It's HUGE. Better than being there especially in HD.

The "glare" is not an issue even in a room with a glass wall and 24' ceilings the picture is simply stunning. Very bright and clear. Just pull down the shades and turn down the lights and enjoy. The built in sound system is a nice bonus that isn't discussed much here.

OTA HD is a snap with an indoor RCA antenna. I've been able to get most if not all LA HD channels with minor tweaking even in Santa Monica. KCET HD, PBS stands out so far. Never thought I would spend the first few days watching PBS HD programming with my 2 year old soon. Both of us have been mesmerized by the picture. Can't wait to see what the Victoria Secret show looks like next week. Nemo is not bad either. Turn off the progressive.

I spent two hours at UE today looking at this set. Funny thing, I've been looking at LCD's and DLP's for six months now and studying them on AVS forum for 3 months. I went in today, finally ready to buy the Hitachi 50V500. When I saw the 70" XBR set up in a viewing room, I sat down on the couch and fell in love.

I understand that some people won't buy this tv because the reflective screen won't work in their house, but I'm shocked that anyone would question why Sony used this screen. This is a magnificent television and the screen is one of its best features. I don't like the 'silk-screen' effect of the other LCD and DLP tvs. It serves as a constant reminder that I'm looking at an imperfect tv. The XBR is like a plasma. If the viewing environment is right, you can lose yourself in the picture and forget that its a tv.

I sat about 9 feet from the 70" screen and was simply in awe of the picture. I couldn't even make out the pixels from 4 feet away. And the picture quality was beautiful. The blacks did seem to have the same crush that the GWIII has, but I assume that can be tweaked out with proper calibration.

Finally, the tv's cabinetry is a work of art. Absolutely beautiful.

I put off buying a big screen tv week after week because I wasn't completely sold on any of the tv's I'd seen. After months of waiting for the perfect tv to come along, I can say that I am very very happy that I waited. Now I know why Sony decided to stick with LCD technology instead of following Samsung into DLP.

One last note... after viewing the 70" XBR, I laughed at how small the 50" tv's look. Unfortunately, I can't afford the sticker shock of the 70" model, but I expect to have the 60" in my basement before baby new year arrives. For those who have purchased this tv or are about to, I applaud you.

I am ready to pull the trigger on a 60XBR950, Can you guys let me know what you guys have been paying for them, or what prices you have seen. Thanks

Yes, yes, the picture is clear and bright, but we expected that. What about the blacks?

I too was mesmerized by the PBS HD feed for the one week I had the 50" GWIII, until it broke. My 60" XBR ships on 11/17.

You mentioned that Nemo looked better with progressive scan turned off. How so?

I just came back from looking at the 70" XBR GWIII and I'm puzzled by what I saw.

I watched the opening scenes of "A Bug's Life" played on the $699 400 disk Sony DVD via component. The salesman wanted me to watch the "full" version but I wanted to see the 'wide" version. I've never seen this DVD look bad but it did with this setup. Closeups looked good but when the perspective moved back a bit the PQ was not very good.

I was sitting at least 10" from the screen.

I'm going back with my own disks to see what they look like. Any advise from 70" GWIII owners will be appreciated.

Like you I am going to have to wait for that too and when available I will order my HD Tivo or Dish PRV or VOOM or anything else the day it hits the market. But in the interim I am going to find a way to record HD--either with D-VHS, the RCA thing, or via computer. I would prefer not to have so many different boxes to contend with. That is why I hoped the Sony would output the OTA via firewire. I am willing to part with a few hundred for that convenience until the Tivo or Dish HD PVR's.

Taquirre--(you crazy dude) I guess I am one of the complainers about the high gloss. I have a question. taguirre, how does hating reflective Plexiglas cover screens makes one cheap? I miss the connection there.
Another question for you, Taquirre, How long have you had your XBR? How do you avoid watching yourself watching your TV? My only time with the XBR was about an hour in a showroom and no matter what was on the screen as soon as there was a dark scene I could see me setting there on the sofa in front of the screen. Very distracting.
I guess from years of watching TV I have become spoiled. I like to be able to read in my TV environment. If I wanted to sit with drapes pulled in a dark room I would go for a front projector with a 10 foot screen. To each his own, but we ain't necessarily cheap.

htwaits, could you expand on what was wrong with "A Bugs Life"? There are dozens of reasons why a DVD might look bad, but I think it is unlikely it was the disk it self. Store showrooms are the best and worst places to evaluate TVs. They're the best place because you get to see and compare all the model at once. But they're the worst place because we all play around with the equipment and settings, HDTV feeds for D* and are usually poor, the room lighting is atrocious, equipment is defective, and on, and on. Not sure what store you were at, but you would probably have a better experience going to a Tweeter if you want to do a seriuos evaluation of picture quality on the showroom floor.

why turn off the progressive?

Be glad to. Send airline tickets and money for a hotel.

When I go back with my own disks I will make sure the set has reasonable options set and that it is either after sundown or an overcast day. I will also take material that I have seen on at least a 56" screen.

I think that I've never seen "A Bug's Life" on anything bigger that 50". It may not be able to stand up to a 70" screen. If any owner of a GWIII XBR has "A Bug's Life" I would like to hear what you think about it.

htwaits, you may want to try your DVD disk with both 480i and 480p. CJR recommended turning off progressive scan for Nemo, but didn't elaborate. For the short time that I had a 50" GWIII (it died after a week), I noticed that 480p looked blurry compared to 480i using a ATSC OTA turner. I didn't have access to a progressive scan DVD player at the time, but it might have had the same problem as the tuner. This issue with 480p is puzzling.

For those of you that already have the new XBR, can you save picture settings (brightness, color, hue, etc.) for each input? This wasn't possible with the 50" GWIII, and the manual did a poor job of explaining it. The 50" GWIII remember the last picture mode (Vivid, Standard, Pro) for each input, but Vivid was the same for all inputs, as were Standard and Pro. If you change the settings for any of these 3 modes, you change it for all inputs. If found this to be less than ideal, and would have much preferred to save different settings for D*, S-VHS, ASTC OTA, DVD, etc. The 3 picture modes feature is fine, but I need to tailer each of them for each input.

I will definitely try it both ways. I assume they had their DVD player in progressive mode.

HT

If there is any way to view this set in a darker environment, see how well it handles black and near blacks in movies with darker scenes. This is my only complaint about the GWIII. The blacks don't go dark enough for me. I don't see how the XBR could have overcome this. It would seem that the darker screen would be a step in the right direction, but then the bulb is burning brighter, which would then seem to offset the darker screen benefit.

Thanks,

Jim

JimP,

My feelings exactly. My complaint about the 50" GWIII was also the blacks. They weren't real bad, but sometimes were distracting when watching dark scenes with the lights turned down. I prefer watching TV with the lights turned down, but the 50" WGIII's picture actually looks better with the lights turned up more than I'm use to. I had the 50" for a week before it died. CC is picking it up tomorrow (11/17), and replacing it with a GWIII 60" XBR, so I will be able to report on the blacks tomorrow.

From what I saw in the showroom, the XBR's blacks looked better than the 50" GWIII they also had on display, so I'm optimistic.