The Official Kd-34xbr960 Thread - Page 250

Luv the picture as well! However, the loss of the anti-glare coating still bothers me greatly :-|

Greetings all, long-time lurker on AVS, and especially this board. I'm moving in two weeks and it's time to let go of my 960. I bought it new from B&H in 2006 as the last of the sets were disappearing at retail ($1600, at the time the second most expensive thing I had ever bought!), and it has never been moved again since setup. It is cosmetically perfect, save for a small (1/4 inch or so) ding on the side of the cabinet. The screen itself is perfect (read: no GF has "cleaned" it with Windex!) and the anti-glare coating is perfect. It has slightly-off geometry (as well as a blue bloom in the lower corner of the set) typical of a 960 that hasn't been tweaked in the service menu, as I've learned reading these posts for the last 5 years. I'm a bit gun shy when it comes to such adjustments, and frankly it's been fantastic after my cursory THX eyeball calibration, but I'm sure an enthusiast will want to get in there and tweak.
Local pickup in Los Angeles (Silverlake) only. I've got it connected to Dish HD, Xbox 360, PS3, and Apple TV and will happily demo it to a serious interested AVS member. I'll put it up on Craigslist in a couple days but I thought I'd offer it to a member first since this thread sold me on the tv in the first place. You'll need two (2) strong folks and a truck/suv, obviously. I've already had one hernia so I'll pass on the heavy lifting, thankyouverymuch.
$200, cash and carry, for the best CRT ever made...
Cheers!

That drives me nuts too, even though it's only noticeable with the lamps across from it turned on.

Hi! first post in this thread! well ive been looking this tv for years, in my country i havent seen one. Until today! someone its selling it online (web like ebay). the problem is... the image the seller took of the tv looks similiar to these one but the chasis is missing some specs (see picture)

Your best bet is to find out what the model number of the TV is. I think the ones that have the Super Fine Pitch tube should say so on the front of the TV. The one in the photo does not. A photo of the back would have the model number on it.

Here is what the lower front of my 960 looks like.

To the right of the Super Fine Pitch is Dolby Digital, then SRS surround sound, then BBE (?). And the door lifts up to reveal more connections.

Thanks everyone.... i contact the seller.... it wasnt the xbr960 . The model was kv 36drc430, ive been searching and it is a hi-scan..... .

Back to the xbr960, ive thinking buying one from USA and bring it to my country. SO if anyone is willing to sell his xbr960, i want it! the only favor i need, is that the seller take it to an office located here: 8123 northwest, 68 street , Iomeka
Miami, Florida 33166, United States, Phone: 3054779066.
i already got the info on the shipping(sea). it cost 110$ for the first 5 cubic foot (minimun fee), and every additional cubic foot 25$ more...

I really want this tv! i also contact someone from ebay, but he doesnt answer me anymore...

So make me some offers!! i can pay by: USA account bank wire (sorry for the transfer before, we call it "transferencia" here) and amazon gift card

One thing to be mindful of is that large CRT monitors and televisions tend to be treated roughly by shippers. This is unfortunate because they are quite fragile.

I have gotten a few that I paid dearly for, only to find that they were mishandled in shipping and ultimately junk. Not trying to discourage you from buying-just wouldn't want you to spend a lot of money and end up with a mashed up box of pieces like I did more than once. If you do get one shipped, make sure that it is through a reputable outfit.

Just a heads up-I hope you can find one soon!

What country are you in Alfredo? If Sony sold super fine pitch models in Latin America they may have been under model names different from their North American counterparts. I know that in Europe Sony sold them without support for HD.

The North American KD models with internal digital tuners only support ATSC and not many countries use ATSC/MPEG-2. If your country doesn't then you would need an external tuner. The other problem is that CRT televisions are magnetically tuned in the factory for either the northern hemisphere, the southern, or the equatorial regions. If you use a CRT outside the zone it was designed for there might be display issues.
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/crtfaq.htm#crtnsh
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/crtfaq.htm#crtnat
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA45151?viewlocale=en_US

You would have a tough time finding a 960 in the USA as they are very rare. There is only one on eBay at the moment.

Thanks for the answer, i am from Venezuela... so Latin America. i search ebay frequently. i already talk to the guy from ebay who is selling it for: 350$ plus stand, but he find it strange: "why would someone ship an 300lbs oversea?". what can i say? i like technology . But it looks like 350$+400$( to take it to iomeka,shipping), 750$!!! and i have to add the international shipping.... too much!!! or maybe i misunderstood and was 400$(tv+stand+shipping to Florida)

Why????
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/crtfaq.htm#crtnsh
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/crtfaq.htm#crtnat
Why????

Thanks for the info! Someone have internationally ship CRT tv?
Maybe i should keep looking..... (over 1 year.... ) here in latin america....

Venezuela isn't an ATSC country so I doubt the 960 would have been sold there. It would probably work as you are still sort of in the Northern Hemisphere.

I can't find any evidence that SFP models were sold in S. America.

The ebay seller accept! just 400$(tv+stand+shipping to florida)!! what do you say?? risk 400$(problems with tubes electromagnetism and maybe shipping damage) for the xbr960??

400 bucks(shipping included) for a 960 in great condition with the stand is not bad. There is sure to be a risk with shipping, but unless you can find one within driving distance you will have to take that risk eventually if you want that TV.

Good luck-let us know how it goes!

Hello:

Does anyone know where one might still purchase the official Sony stand for the 34xbr960? I'm moving it to my bedroom and the current (non-official) stand it sets on will remain in the family room for the newer, larger TV as part of the entertainment center.

I checked eBay but no luck.

I love this TV - have had it since 2006 and it still works perfectly - and really don't want to get rid of it; it will make a great TV for the bedroom.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

vader999: believe it or not I found an online parts emporium some time ago that still had the stand in stock but they were still charging the original price for it. I don't remember the name of the website but you might have some luck somewhere if you can find the product name of the stand.

Alfredo3001: try to find a shipping outfit that has the mentality of a house movers. Many shippers damage things like TVs because they expect packages to be packed to protect the item inside. A house movers has or at least should have the mentality that every item is breakable and that they should protect the contents.

When you get it you'll probably need to correct overscan and red push, see the service codes thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=531494

Salty and Homerging, the florida shipping isnt a problem(that was the seller told me). The real problem is the international shipping!

Hi Alfredo,

Happy you found a set and best of luck with having it shipped to you in Venezuela. Please be sure the seller packs it securely and safely with plenty of protection for even if the transport is handled with kid gloves, any pressure could damage the screen if there is not enough cushioning to absorb the shock. Plus be sure the screen itself is covered with some sort of cloth material that would not scratch it or chip away at the anti-glare coating if it is not a "N" model.

And it also makes me proud to know one will go through such efforts to get the TV set most of us swear by. You will love it.

Again, congratulations and please let us all know how it works out with you with the shipping. Once hooked up, we'll all be here to answer any questions you might have.

BTW - the set only has one HDMI input so if you have multiple devices to hook up, you can get a good HDMI switch box from monoprice.com - that's what I did.

The XBR960 does pass 5.1 dolby digital down through toslink. The problem is more than likely in the SIGNAL going in to the TV or a configuration issue with your audio equipment

I love CRTs as much as you do but after getting a Panasonic 42 in S30 (ST30, even better), I can finally say the XBR960 has been surpassed in terms of picture quality. The 960 does not nativly resolve 1080, it final resolution is much lower.

My XBR960 just died from the infamous D-Board Failure which plagues these TVs badly. I would suggest not wasting your money on a 5 year old used TV that won't likely live much longer. For as much as you will spend, a Panasonic Plasma will do you much more justice. Cause that damn Sony timer will eventually catch up with you when you least expect it.

My Set is repairable, if you want; I will let it go extra cheap and make it worth your while. Repair costs are estimated to be under $300 if you pay someone. DIY, you can do it for around $100. Private Message and we can discuss this as a possibility.

Have the audio output from our cablebox set to HDMI which passes the 5.1 signal to the Sony but the receiver only registers surround sound. Is there an audio-out setting on the 960 that I didn't notice? Many others have said they do not get 5.1 using the toslink out to their receiver, either.

In my experience, since the XBR960 cannot accept DD5.1 the DVR/STB/AVR only delivers 2-channel PCM stereo to it via HDMI (since that's what the HDMI handshake says is acceptable audio format). And thus that is what then gets passed out over the optical output of the 960 to your AVR, only 2-channel PCM stereo.

NOTE: if the source device (e.g. DVR) is "forced" to send DD5.1 audio to the XBR960 (say through the "additional HDMI audio" setting of Motorola DVRs set to SOURCE), you will hear no sound. The DVR should be set to "auto" for audio-out over HDMI, in order for the 960 to specify "please send me 2-channel PCM stereo only", and they you will hear sound.

To get DD5.1 audio through the AVR, HDMI should be sent from source device through the AVR, and then HDMI for video should be used from AVR to the HDTV. Or, HDMI from source device directly to HDTV and optical for audio from source device to AVR (if HDMI relay through AVR is a problem).

Only when using the internal ATSC tuner of the XBR960 to tune OTA channels will DD5.1 audio (from the tuned channel) be sent out over optical to your AVR.

Hi DSperber, has been a while.

Yes, I thought we had the question about the 960 unable to output 5.1 to an AVR receiver settled. With the DVR set to DD 5.1 no sound comes through the television speakers. Since my receiver is older and without HDMI inputs/output, to get 5.1 audio the DVR has to be set (as you pointed out) to Dolby Digital and the signal passed through a separate tolink. So when using the receiver, I have to change the audio settings of the DVR from HDMI to DD, which has nothing to do with the 960. If I don't, I just get two channel surround.

The S30 / U30 is one of the lowest end 1080p plasma televisions on the market; if it is really better than the XBR960, then by extension almost all 1080p plasma televisions are better than all HD CRTs. The resolution of the SFP CRTs is 3/4ths of Full HD - not ideal, but not bad either and far superior to the 786p flat panels.

I've seen a U30 and ST30, and the ST30 is vastly superior.

It isn't the Sony CRTs' D-board that fails per se but usually one or two of the MCZ3100D chips which is a relatively easy repair.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=928945
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=458437

Thanks homerging for this, I am hopeful I won't need it anytime soon but it is good to know that the fix isn't ridiculously expensive.

Someday I will replace my 34XBR960, I do look at current sets every now and then. The best I have seen were the Pioneer Kuro Elites but that was a few years ago.

Panasonic plasma followers keep hoping each year that the next plasma from Panasonic will finally reach or meet the superb black levels (and not rise as time goes by...) using the Kuro tech that was bought by Panasonic from Pioneer. Maybe someday...

That's because the XBR960 handshakes as a 2 channel device; thus the cable box only sends 2 channels to the tv. If you use a cable card, then your TV will output 5.1 to your reciever. Your best bet is to use toslink or spdif coax (better) from your cable box to your receiver. Viola, 5.1.

Alternativly, in the case of my Integra DTR 7.6, I would 1st run HDMI from the cable box to the receiver, then to the TV so the receiver handshakes as a 7.1 device, and the TV is left out of the audio equation. Also, note my DTR7.6 has a option of allowing or blocking (passing) the audio from handshaking with the source device. I dont know about your equipement but you may want to look for such an option.

My XBR960 blinks 7 times.
http://www.justanswer.com/tv-repair/...-flashing.html

EDIT: I mis-counted, it blinks 6 times.

Even better than the XBR960 is the Sony Qualia 0015. If you can find one, then hold on to it as it's probably the finest and rarest of any CRT in the world. One or two may be in America but I suspect the majority are to be found in Japan.

http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer...015/index.html

[quote=8086;21035736]That's because the XBR960 handshakes as a 2 channel device; thus the cable box only sends 2 channels to the tv. If you use a cable card, then your TV will output 5.1 to your reciever. Your best bet is to use toslink or spdif coax (better) from your cable box to your receiver. Viola, 5.1.QUOTE]

That's exactly what I have set-up. Just need to change DVR audio from HDMI to Dolby Digital.

[quote=Joseph Dubin;21036920]
With My Integra set up, i can use full HDMI to my XBR960 with 7.1 audio. I have to disallow the audio to be passed on to the TV so the Receiver handshakes with the HDMI source.

After years of great viewing I am selling my 960. It works perfect and is in very good condition. Its time to update my electronics. Asking 300 with matching stand. Albany NY