The Official Kd-34xbr960 Thread - Page 257

The 910 is still a sweet CRT. I love my 960 as well as the 970 CRT!

Hello, I have the 960N in my home theater system. For some reason, the option to change the HDMI option from interlaced to progressive to Cinemotion is locked out. It can only be changed if whatever the HDMI Port is connected to, is turned off. Why?

I forgot to add that if an ad states how much they paid for it, etc. then they're probably going to want too much for it (i.e. they can't bear the thought of losing so much when they paid $5,000 although they just spent a fraction of that on a bigger new TV).

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I suspect these sets have input port auto-detect circuitry that prevent them from doing certain functions depending on the input signal (i.e. HDMI issue). My Panasonic locks out certain items in the menu on some inputs, the aspect function is also disabled with a 1080i input which stinks. Hopefully a 960 expert here can better answer your question.

nraval -

I can tell you that there is a plethora of info in this thread. I bought my 960N in December of 2005. I immediately began reading this thread the very next day to get ideas on this outstanding CRT. Go to page 1 and start reading forward.
I would think that some kind of protection circuit is in effect. There are many experts here that tells about the many facets of the Sony service menu.

There's also a search hyperlink below the bold subject line above. And if my memory serves me correctly there is at least one more 960 thread in AVS, this one being called 'official.' The search function may also let you search all of AVS, some folks pop in and create new threads to ask a question (I haven't performed a search since they revamped the site so don't know how thorough it is anymore). I would leave the N off 960 when using any of the model number as a keyword.

Shouldn't you be listed as 'Sony widescreen HD CRT videophile' rather than audiophile? Man what a collection!

Anyone in the D/FW area a 420 just popped up on CL for $20, says perfect pic but no sound though. HDMI but I 'think' right before the DTV tuner was added. Residence is Southlake ($ area).

Many Thanks! Floydage. I no longer have the 910, man, that was a great CRT! My 1st love will always be music, followed by electronic gear to play it.

You're welcome JAudiophile Fant! Similar here although my big audio absorption was in my youth induced by building Frazier speakers out of high school. They're now unique and kinda rare since the original models ended in the '80s (sold off, the 'brand' still exists but not the same stuff). I say rare but can be found on the 'relative' cheap since the name wasn't known like say a Klipsch (Jack and Paul were competitors yet friends). Give 'em a listen if you get the opp, you'll be impressed I guarantee it! Very efficient too, no need for power-hogging amps. I got the original Crown amp&pre-amp from the Frazier sound room and of course a few sets of Fraziers.

Hey someone posted an ad for a 970 but their front panel pic shows it has the Super Fine Pitch picture tube; they also say it was 2004 when they got it. To the best of my knowledge a 970 didn't have an SFP tube and I think they were circa 2006/7; am I correct? (I get the impression the 970 was cost-reduced based on that (if true) and selling price). BTW which one do you like better, the 960 or the 970?

To the guy who spent $250: Well, they were 2 grand when they were new; don't feel too bad. Generally, though, the set, if functioning well and the remote is included, goes for about $100 these days. If the stand and manual come with a used 960, $150 or $200, tops.

A Cadillac I had once would be an adequate correlation. New, in 1996, it went for $50,000 (which, of course, is a rip, but that's Caddies for ya). When I bought it, still a nice car, some nine or ten years on, it was (now I don't remember exactly) around 5,6 grand. Hideous depreciation.

A lot of people are having trouble giving these TVs away as a result of the weight and awkwardness of the set. The movers I hired came thisclose to dropping the beast. I would have been very, very unhappy.

This still is a splendid TV, maybe the best CRT ever, not counting pro monitors. One of the best televisions of all time. Period. The better plasmas and LCD/LEDs have just about caught up but the XBR960 is a classic. Mine (man. May 2005) still works flawlessly (except for ther unavoidable quirks and quirkettes of that rectangular glass tube). I'm fairly certain I'll be enjoying it in my smallish but nicely turned out audio/video center/library/man cave for many years to come.

Finally doing a bit of a video upgrade, and my XBR960 is involved.

I've got an old 35" Mits CS35803 (ca. 1994) built into my bedroom wall, from when I originally did the decorating for this room. The original TV in that wall enclosure was an original first-generation 35" (CK-3501) from 1986 which got given to a friend when I moved back to LA from Dallas in 2002 and brought my CS35803 with me.

At the same time of the 2002 return from Dallas I also brought my very first HDTV with me, a superb Sampo SME-34WHD5. That set lasted two years in LA until the picture tube died and it was impossible to be repaired (Sampo had stopped selling in the US, and parts were unavailable).

So in 2004 to replace the dead Sampo I bought my 34XBR960 brand new (and got involved in tweaking and setup), got a "magnet job" on the picture tube (which is the only way to correct certain curvatures and bowing of what are supposed to be straight lines) because Sony's tech's (who visited me twice) could not correct it with the service menu so I had to arrange for my own private "qualified" service tech at Sony's expense, and have enjoyed an absolutely superb and stunning picture from this set ever since.

So the bedroom has had two TV's in it since 2002: (1) the CS35803 4:3 SD CRT in the wall, and (b) the XBR960 16:9 HDTV CRT on an entertainment cabinet off to the right. The Mits essentially gets no use any longer, and in fact actually had to undergo service for its audio system which had died because of aging, leaking capacitors due to infrequent use.

Ok. Last weekend I had an opportunity to visit Video and Audio Center (in Santa Monica) specifically to see for myself the new Sony 4K UltraHD 84" set (priced at $25,000) which was on display, showing the special 4K demo loop Sony had produced for it. I also compared it to the competitive 4K LG UltraHD 84" set (around $19,000) which was also on display. It really was no contest, with both quite stunning but the Sony far and away superior... astonishing, actually. Of course it could be the demo loop produced by Sony that I was really comparing, as the LG demo wasn't all that impressive.

Anyway, while I was in the store I got to browse around looking at other large flatpanels which I might consider somehow installing in/on my bedroom wall to replace that old 35" Mits antique that never gets used now. I looked at quite a number of sets in the 55" and 65" (and even 70") size, from various different manufacturers... including the so-called latest and greatest state-of-the-art Sony XBR HX-950 LCD/LED (in both 55" and 65" sizes).

Well, to be honest, I was not impressed. As we all know, the larger the screen the worse "low-resolution" images look. 1080p will look good, but 1080i or 720p will not really look great (especially with low bitrate highly compressed cable channels). And of course watching 480i on a large screen is tragic. In particular, I really was not impressed with the Sony HX-950's overall performance, including the 3D demo.

Very tough to beat the picture (in my mind, anyway) of the XBR960. I know, not really a fair comparison of a 34" CRT vs. 65" LCD, but if I was going to do an upgrade I wanted it to be a real upgrade.

Then I decided to look at plasma sets. I've never owned a plasma and I've never even really looked at one carefully for possible ownership. But I'm now a convert, and have decided to go ahead and finally replace my 35" Mits with a plasma, not an LCD/LED.

And the winner is: Panasonic TC-P65VT50

Truly stunning, even the floor model in the store which has not had an official ISF calibration. I brought my own BluRay demo discs to try (instead of just watching the store content or local TV channels) and it was stunning.

I've got a custom installer from the store coming out tomorrow to discuss installation plans, and how this large set might be mounted AGAINST the wall (rather than IN the wall) since I don't really want to do any demolition or remodeling. But I will be buying it this week.


Ok... which brings me to the XBR960 involvement with the story.

As part of my installation of the 65VT50 I'm going to have a professional ISF calibration done, I've now gotten in touch with four "nationally regarded" ISF calibrators who will be in the LA area in January/February and who could do that job on the 65VT50 then. Haven't decided yet who to commit to.

And... I'm also going to finally have my XBR960 professionally ISF calibrated at the same time. All of these pros say they either (a) own an XBR960 of their own, and/or (b) have done many calibrations for them. So I'm going to let them do the Sony as well as the Panasonic as long as they're here.

My plan is to let them take "VIVID" as their setup (rather than PRO, which I've got set with my own values). Hopefully it will be possible for them to undo all of the factory VIVID preset values and essentially convert it into a second PRO, for their adjustments. I just don't want to lose what I've currently got due to their calibration. I want both available, if for nothing more than being able to do an A/B-comparison.

So, after almost 9 years of "self-tweaked" pleasure watching images on my XBR960, I'm finally going to see what difference can possibly be coaxed out of a professional calibration.


This is going to be wonderful when finished... top-of-the-line reference-status 34XBR960 CRT, and current generally agreed reference-status 65VT50 plasma, both in one room right next to each other. Can't wait to watch my first 1080p movie on the calibrated 65", but I will continue to also use the XBR960 especially during the day, and also for "ordinary HDTV programs" which might not look terrific on the 65" but look stunning on the XBR960.

Very excited about getting this plasma set on my wall.

That triggered a question: Does the 960 have an 'odometer' for hours of use? I recall reading about a similar genre set that did but seemed like it was a Loewe or maybe the RCA with the same CRT as a Loewe. A lightly used 960 would be worth more to those of us who really care about these sets.

I did get the Sony stand with the XBR960, so there is that.

So, I have a new speaker system to hook up to my 960. I hook it up to the audio out and turn off the internal speakers per the instructions. No sound comes out of the new speakers despite their apparently being on and correctly hooked up and working. I then connected to my A/V receiver with the same output, the A/V receiver worked with other components (Blu-Ray, DVR, CD player, etc.), and no sound comes through the A/V speakers either. Finally, I tried the digital optical audio output to the A/V receiver. Still no sound.

My question is: Is there something I am missing to get the 'audio out' going? Am I missing a setting? It seems simple but maybe I just missed a step. I am thinking outputting to two different speaker systems with two different analog cables and one digital cable points to the 'audio out' system not working. Just wanted to check to see if I am missing something before I try to figure something else out.

Thanks,

"DSperber"

Congrats on your purchase! I too am retiring our XBR960 for a Panasonic TC-P65VT50, which is being delivered tomorrow. Negotiated an awesome price with the Magnolia dept. manager at the local BB, and plan to have Chad B. calibrate it sometime in the spring after it has a few hundred hours on it. Chad did the calibration on our XBR960 back in 2005, and we've been enjoying that picture ever since. The XBR will now reside upstairs in the bedroom... once I find a strong helper to assist me getting it there.

I'm sure you've already found the 2 threads on here for this model.... lots of great info there. Let us know who will be doing your calibration! -Jacob

Haven't quite made my mind up yet, although I'll have to do it soon. I'm deferring the decision until after I actually buy the set (probably this weekend) and get all the details set for delivery and installation.

But it's between three: (1) Jeff Meier of AccuCal, (2) David Abrams of Avical, and (3) Gregg Loewen of LionAV. They're all very highly regarded and I'm sure all of them would do a superb job on both the VT50 as well as the XBR960.

However both Jeff and Gregg are from far away, and happen to be planning on being in the LA area in January/February (either around CES or for a while afterwards). On the other hand David is local, which might be a real plus and thus gives him a small edge in my mind if for no other reason than logistics and possible repeat visits.

Anyway, I'm still not decided yet.

But both sets will be in the same room together, side by side... like "big brother" and "little brother". Should be fascinating to have both of these "best in breed" displaying the same content, to make a true direct comparison.

Right On! DSperber,

I,too, am at the point where I want to ISF my 960N. Bought new in 2005, this is Sony's last killer XBR CRT. It is simply he best ever!
Keep me posted on whom you choose to calibrate your 960.

If your anywhere within Chad B's territory, his calibration of the 960 used to include adjustment of the magnets on the tube. If he still does this, he would be by far your best deal on a calibration.

Excellent! Those are nice stands.
Hopefully you got the remote too. I had to buy one off eBay for my Panny, needed it for the special functions like Aspect and PoutP, was dreadful not being able to change the aspect from whoever used it last before me. I only had simple U-remotes so I don't know if the fancier ones could do those special functions.

BTW $250 was a great price about two years ago, it's just changed rapidly the past coupla years. I still see ads occasionally around that price but they're usually the ones stating how much they paid for it new, maybe the lightly used ones with all the extras still command that price if they're patient. Of course it's not like the ads are full of widescreen HD CRTs...
Edited by Floydage - 12/28/12 at 8:59am

I'm just wondering if having the 960 re-calibrated a few years back could raise the asking price today - if proved - or at this stage of the game, it doesn't really matter.

And trojita, don't worry if you paid $250 for your 960. If it' in good shape it' better than most any flat screen available on the market today - and 34 x 960 times better than any new 32 inch you an get in that price range - with that, it's a no-brainer.

This is still a powerhouse set. What I still do is every few weeks to unplug the set for about five minutes - it seems that the diffuser really kicks in at that point and restores just a bit of the punch that is lost due to the nature I guess of CRTs.

If you have a blu ray player you can use a calibration disc to tweak the service menu on your own. Just be sure to print the speadsheets available on other threads and write down the initial factory settings so not to worry about making any errors if you want to start all over again. I do not have a blu ray player but had stored on my DVR the test patterns from the old INHD station and was able to use them in conjunction with the THX glasses for color. Of course, a few years back I accidentally erased it and because I don't have a blu ray player, I only go into the service menu to confirm the settings I made are still there.
Edited by Joseph Dubin - 12/28/12 at 10:11pm

Floydage-

you are correct Sir. The Sony 970 does not have the super fine pitch (SFP) tube. It was $1000 compared to the 960 that does have SFP tube at $2000.
The 970 did appear in early 2006. I say, without reservation, that the 960 / 960N is Sony's last outstanding CRT.
Happy New Year!

Thank You! jhirsche for the suggestion on Chad B. If you read enough of these threads, here in AVS forums, you will soon realize that he is very-highly regarded for ISF calibration. Another expert is Mr Bob located in the San Francisco Bay area. He truly has much love for the Sony 960 CRT!
Happy New Year!

Thanks for the info JA Fant. I've passed on a couple of good 970 deals in the past thinking that was the case but that recent CL ad had me second-guessing myself.
Happy New Year to you too as well as the rest of the AVS crowd!

Well, that may be true if you choose to Ignore the Sony Qualia 015

Or maybe like me he never heard of it or sorted it outside of reality. A quick search shows it as an $11,000 monitor circa 2003. I bet it looks great though.

I've been searching for once since 2003 and I may end up spending the rest of my life in search of it. I believe it to be the most rare of all the Qualia products Sony produced, right next to the Qualia 016 Camera, which I have seen only once on ebay and the asking price was waay too high. The Qualia 004 and 006 come up rather frequently on ebay and can be had for under 3k each.

Hi DSperber,

Congratulations on the new Panny plasma. I too have already decided if I need to replace my 960 (no, please, never) that it would also be a plasma model. Fortunately, in my co-op, electricity is included in the monthly maintenance fee so I don't have to worry about kilowatt hours.

I've also felt that the larger the set, the lower - even in subtle - the resolution has to be. There has to be some give when the same amount of pixels is used with a screen the larger it gets.

That was a great suggestion - having the vivid mode transformed into a second pro one. That's the only drawback to the 960 - only one HDMI input and though I have a HDMI switcher, the PRO is used for HD cable, the MOVIE is used for up-converted DVD (with my extensive disc collection not worth upgrading - and besides, the 960 produces such a great picture on regular DVD anyway) and STANDARD is used for watching my recorded DVD-Rs.

I've also done my own service tweaking so please let us know if you were close to with your settings after the professional calibration.

Again, enjoy the Panny.

Three years ago when I helped him shop for, it I had my WattsUP Pro monitor my dad's new 42" Panasonic S2 Plasma and monitored it for 3 months. Watching the News, it runs around 85 and momentarily jumps to 150watts. With an All White Screen, it can peak to 200. Which is no more than my 34" XBR960 uses under similar circumstances. Newer LG Plasma displays have an energy guide rating of $15 a year, plasma tech surely has come a long way since 1998!

GL on your quest for the Holy Grail!
Deja vu that was same the link I got my quick search info.

Just wanted to say if you didn't pull the trigger on your 65VT50 panny yet, a little bird told me Paul's TV is blowing them out right now... best deal in town out on your side of the country. PM me for the details...

BTW, ours was delivered on Saturday. One word to describe it (once put in THX Cinema mode....)

S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G.!

Guess I'll start squirrling away my pennies now for a calibration. hoping to find someone who'll do a 125 pt calibration.... not sure if Chad.B. is doing them yet...

Too late. Bought it last Friday from Video and Audio Center, and it's being free-delivered today (Monday) and installed (not free, but reasonable) by their OneTouch people on Thursday. The delivery people will also take away my existing (and heavy) Mits CS35803 today.

Selling price was $300 more than Paul's "regular price" of $3K, but the sales tax was paid by V&A as part of a promo, they gave me $100 off the 4-more-years extended complete warranty (total of 5 including Panny's) package, a significant discount on the Chief 125lb. mounting bracket, and I also talked them into giving me two pairs of TYER3D4MU 3D-glasses for free. I'm satisfied with the deal.

Getting very very excited. Started taking pictures already to document the transition.