The OFFICIAL KD-36XS955 Thread... - Page 16

Should I be scared as to how old a 36xs955 is that is a refurb? I saw it tonight at $1474 at CC and $809!!!! (about $45 more than a 36HS420) at the Sony Outlet Store.

Edit: SonyCare 5 year in-home is $89.

This is to replace a older 32HSR10 that I really like, but it is having some issues, and I'm not sure I want to put repair $$$ into it.

No, I would not be scared by a refurb at the Sony Store. The "refurb" could have been simply a return that was never even opened or used, but in any case Sony checks them out thoroughly and cycles them back out as "refurb". I've been told by some people in the industry that a "refurb" was even better than a TV that wasn't because Sony Techs have been over the TV w/a fine tooth comb and have checked everything as working properly. I'm not sure this is absolutely the case, but you will still get the Sony Warranty, and you can still buy the Sony Extended Warranty if it makes you feel more comfortable. Personally speaking, at the price you stated I probably wouldn't even bother w/an EW.

hey guys i just got my 36xs955 today, but need some help hooking i up. i am just connecting a hd cable box right now but the way i have it there is no signal. i have the rf from outside going into the cable box and then the 3 component video and the 2 audio from the box into the back of the tv. but i am not getting a signal when i run the auto program. do i also need to put the rf coaxial cable into the tv? i tried that and i got a signal but it didn't look good at all. just wondering if i need to connect both. the manual for the hd box does not say to hook up the cable into the tv, but i think the sony manual has the cable going in. anyone that can help would be appreciated. thanks

Penske. you should get a "splitter" and put one cable directly into the ANT. This way, if you're using the SA8300HD STB, you'll be able to record 2 programs at the same time, and watch a analog SD on another.

thanks. ok i so i after fooling around with everything it seems that you do need to connect the component lines and the coax - and i will use the splitter like you advised... and i am using the sa8300 - i dont know how you knew that but i am...
also, if anyone can point me in the right direction on where in this forum i can find some info about setting all of this stuff up. for example i was thinking that i would use the hdmi connections but some places people say it doesn't look better than component... who knows. this stuff is really complicated to someone like me. all i want to do it hook up my cable box, dvd player, and eventually a home theatre speaker system. i will search the boards, but if anyone knows a place where its summarized please let me know.
so far the tv looks great - the high def channels are the best that i have seen compared to friends dlp or plasma tvs or anything else i have seen. but the SD stuff has a little to be desired, but i am guessing there is a whole bunch of tweaking that i will have to do.
i battled over if i should buy this tv or not. i read so many reviews that said it was great and so many that said it was stupid to get a 4:3 tv. right now i am thinking that it was the best choice for me for a few reasons: there are only 2 programs on right now (with my cable package) that are in hi-def. i know there will be more in prime-time there are movie channel options, but most of my viewing will be in 4:3 standard.
and the widescreen (hi-def) channels are 33" diagonal - and i couldn't find a 32" - 34" widescreen tv that looked as good as this one for anywhere near the price.
the only drawback is the size - its huge. i had it delivered and when i need to move it i will get som strong friends to help.
i think until all programming is in hi-def, a set like this was really worth it for me.
just my 2 cents in case anyone is debating what to buy.

A lucky guess on your STB, as the 8300HD is the most popular one w/cable companies in the US, and I've been using mine for about 2 years.

Another stroke of luck, is that there are dedicated threads on this Forum for your SA 8300HD. Go to "HDTV Recorders" here in AVS and you'll you'll see them. Be prepared for a long read, as these threads have been going on for awhile. Depending on your location/cable company, there are presently 2 types of operating systems being used for the 8300. The OS are: Passport & SARA. My local Brighthouse Cable Co. uses "Passport". You'll get to learn all about it on the threads I mentioned, as well as everything else you may or may not care to know on the 8300.

I know that 36"er is one heavy TV. I've got the Sony 40XBR, and it took 3 of us to move the 300lb. beast. Beautiful pic though, and after 3 years of extensive useage I am 100% satisfied. My next HT upgrade will be a 60+" 1080p flat panel.

Wow, I am really tempted by the refurb 955. $809 is a no-brainer. And a 5 year plan for that much is pretty great too (as long as its in-house).

The only things holding me back are:
- need bigger entertainment center for a 36 compared to my old 27"
- Sony Style outlet wont give out the price over the phone - guy acted insulted that I asked. Is this a standard policy or some nonsense?
- the nearest Outlet moved from Lancaster PA (one hour away) to Rehoboth beach DE (3 hours away). For an extra four hours of my life + tolls + gas, I would pay the tax in PA.

Anyone else deal with the Sony Outlets?

The 955 is a great TV, and the price seems like an even greater deal. A bit of advice on the Sony Stand....get one if you can. Ebay has some thatare cheap. Reason being is that the TV has a heavy thick front glass that make it prone to "front tipping". The Sony Stand is made especially for this TV and has clips built in to keep it from tipping. Besides, the stand matches the TV perfectly.

Hmmm, how much do the Sony Stands run?

What kind of storage do they have? I have lots of peripherals (receiver, cable box, VCR, PS2, Xbox, DVD player) and a 3 yr old and a 8 month old. If I have no way of securing these things behind door, its going to be trouble - the 3 yr old is super inquisitive and the 8 month old is looking to be worse.

Retail, my Sony Stand listed $500, but CC threw it in on a special promo. I've seen them dirt cheap on Ebay, so there's where I suggest you go. On the 2 shelves of my Stand, I have a DVD Player, bottom shelf has the VCR w/my STB (SA 8300HD).

One note of caution...these very large Tubes (36" & 40") are extremely susceptable to "magnetic fields", and you should limit these sources around your Tube, and speakers especially should be kept at a disitance. The magnetic fields will screw up the geometry on the Tube and/or cause the "greenies" or "green blob" on your screen.

Maybe an Entertainment Cabinet will best suit your needs, but just be sure you clamp down the rear of the TV securely. Also, large Tubes require proper ventilation.

Really good info, guys. This newbie appreciates it.

I've been looking at HDTVs, and what I'm trying to figure out is if I want a 4:3 HDTV like the KD36XS955 or a 16:9 HDTV like the KD34XS955.

The 34" 16:9 HDTV seems the same as the 36" 4:3 HDTV except that it's a smaller screen for more money.

16:9 images would be roughly the same size and quality on the 34" 16:9 HDTV and the similar-width 36" 4:3 HDTV, but 4:3 images would smaller on the 34".

I see disadvantages for the 34" 16:9 HDTV (higher cost, smaller image for 4:3 sources) as compared to the 36" 4:3 HDTV but no advantages.

Based largely on this thread, I'm leaning toward the 36" 4:3 KD36XS955.

We still watch a lot of 4x3 material, which is why I went with the 36XS955. The 4x3 picture on the 34 is 28". That would have been way too small.

How large is the 16x9 picture on the 36"?

Approx. 33.0"

Most of my TV viewing is via DISH satellite. No HD, no gaming. Some DVD and VHS watching. I want/need a new TV that meets my viewing needs and is reliable, dependable, and last a long time withput major problems. Our family TV is on 15 hrs. a day 5 or 6 days a week. Being a novice to TV buying I really don't understand why you can buy the 36 inch XS955 for a couple hundred $ less than the 34 inch XS955. Maybe some of guys in the know can explain that to me. Iwas considering a XBR960 but they may be "overkill" for my TV needs. Then I read about the $1,199 Sony XBR970 that is supposed to debut in Mid-March. Maybe that fits my TV watching traits better. But since I don't have/use HD that might be overkill as well. Yeah, I'm floundering and looking for educated guidance before I screw-up and buy the wrong TV. Can somepne pls. provide some sage advice? Especially the difference between the 34 & 36 in. XS955's. Thanx.

From your exclusive use of SD TV, I strongly recommend the 36" HDTV. The reason it is less money is that the hot ticket today is 16:9 widescreen, and the 4:3 TV's are going away quickly. In order to watch a 4:3 SD broadcast on a 16:9 TV, you will have black bars on the sides and approx. 27" picture, UNLESS you want to use a stretch/zoom mode to fill the screen. With VCR, it will be similar to what you experience on 4:3 SD broadcast w/black sidebars & all.

Not so for 4:3 HDTV's, where you will get the full screen 36" when viewing a 4:3 SD broadcast, which is the vast majority of all your viewing. When viewing HDTV or widescreen DVD's (unless it's the "fullscreen" DVD version) you will have black bars on the top & bottom w/a 34" 16:9 screen. On VCR, it will be similar to viewing 4:3 SD. When you finally come to your senses and gradually start watching HD broadcasting, you'll have the 34" 16:9 screen previously noted.

I had been waiting to buy an HDTV for several years. The quality was just never there for me. I always liked the tubes but the price was way too high. My 32" Sony was good enough until it died a month ago.

It was between the

Sony 42A10 (approx. $1,600 OTD w/ 5 year warranty)

Sony 36XS955 ($950 OTD w/ 5 yr warranty)

Now most content is SD and my family watches quite a few VHS tapes. For an LCD RP the 42A10 is the best that I could find for SD & HD, especially for the price. But was it worth the extra $650? I ultimately decided no.

Other than the 240 lb., three person job this TV has gone beyond my expectations. SD is great, HD is the best out there with true blacks, great colors and a bright screen. I even zoom my HD channels (some clipping occurs) and the picture is great.

This TV is of the highest quality. The tuner picked up dozens of HD channels with a direct hookup from my cable from the wall. Yes, no Cable Box, no Cable Card, just a gold plated cable from the wall to the TV. The quality is great. The 480i On Demand movies look DVD like!

I even hooked up an OTA w/rabbit ears to see what I could pick up. Mind you I am 50-60 miles from Chicago and I was able to get all major channels in SD and HD. Quality was good with the exception of breakups if I got too close to the antenna.

The funny thing was that I was ready to bring the TV back after the first 2-3 hrs that I had it. I was getting a purple hue in the corner of the screen that wouldn't go away. I finally realized that my speaker was too close and it went away.

Overall this is a great TV for a great price. Go to the Sony Outlet and get the 5 year warranty. You will not be sorry. If 36" isn't big enough for you then you have many choices depending on the money.

These are my best buy picks and I spent months evaluating all of them.

720p - Sony 42A10 ($1,600) or 50A10 ($1,800) / Panasonic Plasma 42" ($2,600)
1080p (de-interlacing) - Toshiba 56HM195 ($2,300) or 62HM195 ($2,800)
1080p - TBD

If I buy the TV from a different store, (or via employee purchase plan), can I still buy the warranty from Sony?

Yes, no problem. I bought my Sony Vaio Laptop from Ubid, and then later called Sony and purchased the EW.

Has anyone found a way to get closed captioning (CC) without drilling down through the menus? I'd be willing to buy a third-party remote (i.e., Harmony) to avoid the hassle of turning it on and off. CC is useful when my toddler pitches a fit because the news is not Elmo, but it gets in the way during, say, the Olympics.

Also, the manual doesn't explain the choices for the CC setting. Off and On are rather self-explanatory, but what's Program?

Congratulations.

Where did you manage this price (I assume TV is new in the box) - sounds ridiculously low?

I just got for $780 plus tax shipped.

Sony is having an outlet sale for it's employees. They're blowing out all their refurbished stock. The 40" is only $600.

Sony Outlet. The TV is $809.99 + $80 EW (5 year). It is Factory New (refurbished) but I thought that as long as I get the warranty I am covered. So far so good.

I got one for ya. Had my 36XS955 for 5 weeks, and it started doing this funky little number:
When it powers up cold, the picture on the RF Ant inputs are full of interference. Horrible
Wavy lines and such in the picture on the RF Ant. The Video input is still fine. If I let it warm
up for about 3-5 minutes, then toggle the Ant button on the remote to switch to the other
Ant then back to the original Ant, everything is fine on both Ant inputs, until I power it down
and let it cool off again. I have a 3-yr service warranty, so I'm in no big hurry to have it
down while pieces of it are hauled off to the service dept. I'll just live with this problem until
it completely craps out or the interference wont go away. Anybody else heard of this
problem? Another question: it was mentioned that you can see the displayed resolution
by simply pressing the display button on the remote??? Mine just shows me the Channel
# in the upper-right, the display mode (full/zoom) in the lower left, and the Time of Day
in the lower right. What up?

Try the "Guide" button instead.

God I hope they still have some in a month or so. Will be getting tax refund (I think) to buy this beast.

Now I just have to find a decent entertainemnt center to put it and all my AV stuff in. Doors are necessity because of toddlers.

OK, I see it on their Web site.

The 34XS955 is only $699.95 refurb - with 5 year warrantee sounds pretty good.

I had my Dish VIP622 installed yesterday with my week old KD-36XS955 and I'm having several issues that any help with would be greatly appreciated.

1 - The Standard Def picture looks weird and washed out. I have the TV hooked up via component cables until my HDMI cable is delivered (Dish was too cheap to include one with the receiver) and I hope that the improved input may address some of my concerns.

The SD picture looks like a feed from somebody's camcorder. HDTV is spectacular and some SD signals are better than others and I know I'm picky but yikes!

The picture is too dark unless it is set to 'vivid'. I have it set to 'neutral' and the picture & brightness settings are maxed out! Color is at 20, sharpness is at 50 and I'm on 'monitor' mode instead of default'.

The picture is set to 1080 and the DRC controls are grayed out.

2 - This next issue is a minor inconvenience but it would seem to be an easy fix. My screen size setting (vertical expand) will not stay after the TV is powered down. It's not a real hassle to reset it after turning the unit back on but you would think that it would remember the previous settings.

Your time, consideration and response is appreciated.

Beachbum

I really don t know that much about this stuff so you can't take what I say as fact:

I have a fairly new 36xs955 and have some of the same problems you have. the SD channels were bad and the HD looked great. i got the SD to look better by increasing the signal strength to my STB. I had some old wiring and many splits, so that helped when i fixed that up.

AS far as the darkness of the picture modes, i have that same issue. I can point you to this a thread titled "THE SONY SERVICE CODES - Articles, Comments, Discoveries" maybe you can search for that ( i cant post a url yet)
Its about going in and changing the settings in the service mode for the tv. Apparently, when Sony sets this stuff from the factory they dont take much care in doing it. Changing those settings discussed in that thread should help. you have to be warned that its not a quick fix - there's a lot of reading in that thread and you have to be disaplined about what you do.
I do not know if the dark picture would be covered under a warranty - i have been debating whether to call about it or fix it myself.

hope this helps - like i said i am in no way an expert like the others on this board. i just noticed that no one has responded to you so far, and thought i would just let you what i know.

good luck, and if you find out anything please let me know.