QUALIA 006 Owner's Thread - Page 4

sorry about your dad, Penton-Man

Hey,
Thanks, but he's 84 years old and it goes with the terriotory.

I guarantee you this, no matter how much care he requires, he will NEVER be placed in a nursing home.

The director of photography lights our show fairly dark, so the images on our finely calibrated CRT monitors appear a bit dim in the camera-original un-colorcorrected video. Since the show I work on is shot in 24p, the CRT's show some flicker, similar to PAL transmissions you may have seen in foreign countries. The blacks on the studio monitors are extremely rich and detailed. SXRD is great, but not as good as studio grade CRT's in shadow detail. But in almost every other way, the images on SXRD are just as crisp and rich and maybe even more pleasing than our studio CRT's which are over double the price of the Qualia 006.

In case you're interested, here are a couple of reasons for lighting a set "down" to achieve a film-like look with HD video cameras:

¥ when the irises on the cameras are wide open to allow an acceptable amount of light to the CCD sensors, the depth of focus is very shallow. On closeups with the lens at full zoom, the actors should be in sharp focus, but the background should be a bit soft - a very pleasing look for fictional film and video. Focus becomes very critical, especially in HD, so it's crucial that the actors "hit their marks" on the set so that focus will be correct as predetermined during rehearsals.

¥ With any video camera, HD or SD, it's much better to err on the side of underexposure than overexposure. Once the highlights and lowlights are clipped by the image sensors, the detail is lost and can't be recovered. In the case of the show I work on, once the show has been "locked" on the final HD "edited master" tape, it goes through a scene-by-scene color correction process where the color from each of the 4 cameras (in the sitcom world) is color matched and the tonal range is stretched out with more contrast to produce the image you see on the air. Obviously this is not the process used for live broadcasts or sporting events. But take a look at "According to Jim" and other sitcoms shot on Sony 1080/24p and notice how film-like the image appears - not the typical video-look. Lighting the set "down" is the key.

Yes of course, the Firewire signal is digital - Firewire is a method of digital data transmission. DVHS records only digital signals and is not capable of analog to digital conversion - or so it has been explained to me. If the digital signal is copy protected, such as a copy-protected DVD or on-demand video from cable, DVHS will not properly record it OR it may be copied to DVHS once but not another generation ("copy once").

As an experiment, I plan to attempt recording on DVHS via iLink (Firewire) connection to the Qualia 006 from a copy-protected DVD playing on my Sony NS975V scaling DVD player connected to the Qualia 006 via HDMI. Theoretically, the DVHS recording should fail as would digitally copying any copy-protected source.

May I suggest DVHS "D-Theater" movies which are gorgeous 1080i and the closest thing to high definition DVD's you can buy and enjoy NOW with a very modest investment. DVHS is a nice stop-gap until we get our hands on high def DVD's. I have several "D-Theater" movies already, including "Master and Commander" and "Entrapment" and they are STUNNING on the 006! At the demo at the Sony Store in Las Vegas where I brought my DVHS machine and a couple of D-Theater movies, the quality was every bit as good as the BluRay demo DVD's.

Once you see SXRD you won't give another thought to Sammy. Single chip DLP doesn't cut it after you see SXRD. Try to see for yourself - the pictures say it all.

Penton,

NS975V is the model number of the Sony DVD player. Did you get the Panny S97 or the Sony?

Colortv

You're HT setup at home. looks great. The 006, Chicane stand, with the hardwood floor looks fabulous. Good job!!!!!!!!! Best stand so far.

I see that you kept the stock speakers on the 006. BTW, whats you're viewing distance?

Can't wait for my 006 to arrive. Color, you are a font of kwowledge! Good to see Penton-Man posting regular again. I think this thread is going to be even better than the "Bandwagon" thread. Just wait till all those 006s start rolling in!

kaduku,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm keeping the stock speakers for now, but that may change. It's a bit of a pain to switch between TV speakers and output to an external amp. It seems the 006 has only one audio out - either internal speakers on or output to external. You have to sort through onscreen menus to make the switch. So I may always listen through the external amp, although I'm not sure I want to listen to the news booming through my sound system. I'm still getting used to the concept of Home Theater!

Congrats on your purchase, Sparkysj. Lets hear your impressions when your set is up and running.

C'mon colortv,
You're too diplomatic. "May I suggest" - heck from what I've read DVHS "D-Theater" movies are the ultimate until Blu-ray comes out- even when compared to current multi-thousand dollar DVD players.

I just never had the time to investigate. Please define "modest investment" and exactly how many movies are available on that format ?
What model do you own....how many beans ?

Will my Sony Qualia eat it...if it is a JVC ?

Kaduku,

Did you rent that u-haul yet?

sj

I typed right. You read right.

I picked the Panny because alot of the people with the Sony that you mention have had to return their units (some more than once) for tray locking problems and they couldn't get the disc out ! I mean ALOT of people!

That's just one potential problem that I just didn't want to deal with. Also,
green depression is the downside of the Sony player and shows up as a strong yellow tint specially on skin tones - which you should be able to completely correct for if the 006 has a selectable adjustment for HD/SD color matrix- which I haven't checked out yet in the manual- as I bought the Panny- and that isn't an issue.

The only downside of the Panny is a potential MB issue which appears to be very display dependent - and I've watched several DVD's now, without a hint of macroblocking evident.

So, so far- I'm a happy bird with this less than $300 player.

sparkysj,

No i didn't. Almost though, until they (delivery co) called me that afternoon, and it was moved up to be delivered tomorrow afternoon. Yeah Baby!!!!!!!

I believe a couple more of us is getting their set tomorrow also. It's gonna be a good friday indeed. When is your eta?

Thanks for the help so far. JP references an "official sony diagram of the set" but I can't find that anywhere... I only see the lwh spec on the Sony site. Does anyone have that diagram?

Also, could someone please help me out with the speakers-on and speakers-off widths?

Finally, if one of the Q006 owners could measure the depth of the front bezel (around 2"?) and the width of the undercut in the back of that bezel before the taper starts happening towards the back of the unit (around 3" or so from the photo that JP uploaded, but I have no scale to check that with), I could then come up with a rough sense of the true dimensions of the unit knowing that the back is 32" wide. This corner space I have for the unit is going to be tight and in the best case, it's just barely going to fit.

THANKS.

-G

Kaduku,

Probably not for another wk, I am glad yo hear yours is coming! Sleepless nights in San Fran. Looking forward to your impressions!

sj

Hear Yee, Hear Yee,
To nobleman, commoners and wenches alike,

Tonight playing in Penton's Qualia 006 home theater is the SuperBit version of Lawrence of Arabia !

It certainly aint no Blu-ray nor D-Theater movie for that matter ---but hey, its more than just SuperBit - it's a remastered version under the direction of the master himself, Robert Harris (see -http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/robertharris/harris073003.html)

Eat your heart out Paul Bigelow !!!!!!

Could this be of help ?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attac...601&fullpage=1
Speakers on and off dimensions have been listed ad nauseum in the old Sony thread - maybe try a search under "dimensions" ?

Gary
I have a ton of questions, but the gating factor for me are the actual dimensions of the unit because it has to fit into a corner on a custom stand. On the Qualia web site, they state that the unit is 74x47x24. Could one of you who own one of these monsters please take out your tape measure and give me these measurements?

1) The actual width of the unit, both with and without speakers.

2) The width and height of the screen

3) The actual depth. (24" sounds a bit deeper than my impressions from the images I've seen)

4) Here's the critical one: I need to fit it into a corner, so I need to know the angle of the sides as they slope to the back of the unit. If you can measure the width of the back (assuming that the sides are of a constant slope and the back is centered), I can compute the angle of the side's slope. That said, the sides might not slope at a constant angle, and instead the unit may go straight back for a few inches, then cut in, and then slope back, etc etc. Ack! Without effectively building a template of the unit in cross section (along the vertical axis), I can't commit to buying it.

THANK YOU. I would be forever grateful.


Gary

Try this URL for a brochure with 4 views of the 006 and all the specs.

http://www.qualia.sony.us/qualia_main.cgi

Skip the intro and select the new product on the lower right

Stew

Hello Penton-Man!

Good job on the 006 and "Lawrence"! I'm busily chewing away.....

Thanks for the posting the update on the 'S97 thread.

I know it's a great picture.

Paul

Color Tv

I too have a JVC DVHS machine waiting for my 006. Except in addition to playing the DVHS tapes I feed the JVC machine with a HD signal from a Motorola C band (Big ugly Dish) digital receiver that has been modified with a firewire output. The HD signal I get is the same the Pie Plate companies, Dish, Direct etc. receive and retransmit, but mine is not compressed.
You do know that the JVC has a built in mpeg2 video decoder so you can feed it with just about anything via firewire.

Sorry, I'm catching up a couple of pages back, but KDS-70Q006 is the Qualia product number. It was the model number of the set in the NYC store, and should be the same as what's on the back of your TV. Maybe in Canada they don't official sell the Qualia line. I would suspect this will be no different than ones in the U.S.

Ok still trying to figure this one out - can this set play computer games at 1920 x 1080 with high frame rates - what happens if you have a video card capable of a really high frame rate, are there a large number of artifacts?

Duh! Sorry for not thinking of that earlier. Of course. I have all I need to know now... 66" wide w/o speakers and the bezel frame is 2" deep.

It will fit!

I'm having a great time learning from all of you. Thanks again.

3deye,

I see you live in Mill Valley. My 006 is being delivered tomorrow afternoon. I see that you may have all information on the 006 to make a decision on whether to purchase. Let me know if you need to see one in person.

The Adelphia issue has no clarity at all right now. Time Warner's executive shakeup makes them a less likely buyer, though.

I hosted a crowd at my house tonight and we relished "Entrapment" in D-Theater - one of the most stunning film transfers I have ever seen. One of the guys is an entertainment industry bigwig who previously poo-pooed RPTV in favor of his beloved plasmas. No more. He said this bad boy blows away his Pioneer Elite and Fujitsu plamas by a long shot. They are not in the same league with this new king of the mountain - and no burn-in on Qualia to boot! (no flames, please).

Your Qualia will mate nicely with a JVC DVHS machine - heck, your new TV even displays the brand and model number of your JVC machine when connected to the Qualia via iLink.

Here's the DVHS machine I own:
JVC HMDH40000U

I guess DVHS isn't too popular with the masses, because huge discounts are available from list price. To keep our forum hosts happy, I won't name the discounters. But Google the above model number and you will see nice prices on the machine for less than $400 - think about South American rivers while you're price shopping. I'd say that's a very modest investment. And consider that you can archive HD from your cable DVR's Firewire port to the JVC machine to free up disk space on the DVR. Much as I love hard drive recording, tape is still the way to go for archiving HD until recordable high def DVD's come our way. The machine will play your old VHS and SVHS tapes too and send the audio/video out the Firewire port to your Qualia.

And here is a long list of available titles:
http://www.dvhsmovie.com

I was not aware that the machine had a built in mpeg2 decoder. A lot of bang for the buck IMHO.

Great thread so far! Thanks for all of the information provided so far, guys.

Colortv,

I did not know DVHS had so many titles available. With the price so low on the players, and the PQ just as good as Blu-Ray, I might just get one too. Thanks for that information.

Anyone,

I have not heard from the owners about so called stuck pixels on the 006, which is good news. The 70 XBR RPTV was known for having this problem. In fact, my replaced XBR had them (5 total). Does the SXRD or LCOS technology prevent this from happening? Also another problem on the 70 XBR was dust easily collecting behind the glass. Wondering if this will be a problem on the 006 as well. Since the glass is not removable, I would cover the unit during non-use periods.