--->> The Official Sony E2000 series Thread - Page 55

I saw the parade for a sec on ABC and it looked good, did not see it on Disc HD.

i find that on custom with black level off, the picture looks washe dout. when i put black level on low and gamma the same, it clears it right up and also doesnt crush blacks like the vivid setting does

After comparing the different types of displays, we purchased a Sony 46"E2000. The set was on special at a local department store for less than one thousand dollars plus a very reasonable delivery and setup charge and to us there wasn't enough difference in any of the different technologies to justify several hundred dollars more for a plasma or LCD set. We use the TV for basic cable and DVDs and that's all.

This set displays the standard definition cable channels better than our old JVC, it picks up the broadcast HD channels and it displays OTA HDTV, and picks up more channels, better than either HDTV tuner cards in my computer.

But I was wondering a couple of things about the lamp assembly. The cost of replacing the light source wasn't a factor in our chose of a display and, in fact, the Sony replacement light
sources aren't expensive (and apparently last longer) compared to some other projection light sources. I realize that you get a complete assembly and not just a bulb for $200.

Has anyone successfully replaced just the bulb in a Sony, or any other brand, RPTV lamp assembly? Are the bulbs themselves even available? Is it even possible or practical to try replacing just the bulb?

Wayne

Interesting, i have my set calibrated by DVE and slight modification using a THX optimizer to the settings below...

Auto Iris 2
Picture 91
Brightness 55
Color 49
Hue 0
Warm 1 ( i notice that others have neutral or cool, but I have found that this setting allows the best color and hue when tested with DVE, and from what I have read is closest the to the 6500kw color temperature intended for home theater.)
Sharpness = 0 but (this setting does not seem to affect anything whether 0 or 100) this has puzzled me.

Advanced Settings all OFF.


I have noticed that in a couple of scenes it appears slightly washed out, but in others the blacks look amazing... perhaps the black level setting would help this... Does anyone have a good description of what these settings actually do? I have played with them, but on the scenes i have chosen, I fail to see exactly what they accomplish.

Hello all. I was referred to this site from some friends.

I plugged in my new Sony 46E2000 a few days ago and so far I'm not impressed with the image quality. I've been told that the poor quality of the standard signal is only compounded while watching on a larger screen. But I also watched a DVD (DaVinci Code) and I wasn't impressed with that either.

From everything I've heard, the image right outta the box was going to be awesome, but it just doesn't look awesome to me nor my wife. Things look slightly fuzzy and pixelated. The text on the DirectTV channel guide is very pixelated.

I just ordered The Dish Network's HD package this morning, so we'll see how things look in HD. Also, I plan on upgrading my connections for my DVD player, I have the cheap RCA connections.

Other than that, can anyone help me? This stuff is all new to me so maybe I'm doing something wrong. Thanks!

For Standard Definition content, i think what you are seeing is what to be expected.. What is your viewing distance? If less than 8', this can compound the poor quality of the SD feed. Also, your TV is probably set of VIVID, which in my opinion is the worst setting for SD you can have...

Moving on to your DVD player... if you are still using the RCA composite cable, you are definitely not going to have the best picture... depending on the DVD player, upgrade to component or HDMI if at all possible...

I still do not have HD on my tv, and am extremely pleased with its performance on my Dish Network SD content, and my Sony Upconverting player through HDMI.

I do sit about 11-12' away from the screen which has an impact on how much pixelation you actually see.

Also take a look at the custom settings metioned a few posts earlier in this thread and give them a shot....

Usually displays taking all the factory defaults when you turn it on will be poor for home viewing. Take the time to get a calibration DVD (Digital Video Essentials is one) or if you have a DVD with the THX calibration section at least do that.

You might also want to try using some of the settings that others are happy with noted in thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9198864

Thanks for the quick responses.

I'm sitting about 10' away.

In regards to settings, could you tell my why my color temp options are only cool and neutral? Warm 1 and 2 are in grayed-out and can't be highlighted.

Anyone else notice if you push on the top of the frame of the TV the picture will shift and move?

I have the trapezoidal issue, my screen is about 6 pixels narrower(or is it wider?.. anyway) at the top, but if I pull foward on the top of the tv or lift the back of the base, the cabnet flexes, the picture shifts down, and the trapezoidialness of the picture is reduced. I know this is from the flexing of the plastic cabnet, is this normal or is there something broken loose inside of my TV that is supposed to hold it rigid? I do not want to exchange the set, for fear of getting something worse, do you think they could come out and adjust the picture? or should I just set a book under the back of the TV, lol.

Has anybody else experienced this blooming, or had any luck adjusting contrast?

Hello All, I am new to the forum. Bought a KDF55E2000 a week ago and wish to thank all members for the wealth of info I gathered from this forum. I am very happy with the set. I have a HD cable box connected using component. I have an issue with Closed Captions (CC) feature. The normal channels displays the CC ok. But the HD channels do not. I tried using the CC from the cable box but i hate the displayed text and cannot change it. I am trying to figure out how to get CC on HD channels using the TV feature but have been unable to do so. There are 3 options ON/Off/Program. Using the Program option does not do anything. It stays at ON and CC is not displayed. Sony says only via the HD box feature can I see CC on HD channels. I am not convinced. Could somebody try this feature on their set and see what it does. Thanks.

I always thought that blooming was something that happened only with CRT based displays, or is that incorrect?

In regards to settings, could you tell my why my color temp options are only cool and neutral? Warm 1 and 2 are in grayed-out and can't be highlighted.

Believe Warm modes are only available when using custom setting.

You want to change the video setting to standard or custom to be able to access warm 1 and warm2. Agree with previous posters that SD programming is not the best way to judge an HD set. SD programming will not look great on any set. On the other hand DVD's should look good to excellent depending on the player. If your player has component outputs, you should buy an inexpensive set of component cables from monoprice.com. That should improve your DVD picture alot. If your player does not have component output, invest 60 bucks in a panasonic or Sony progressive scan player. Invest 120 and get a Sony upconvert player that gets very good reviews. For the sony upconvert, you will need an HDMI cable which you can get from monoprice for about 10 bucks. Never buy name brand cables at a store. You will be 10x too much.

Several other things you should consider. First, out of the box settings are for catching your eye at Best Buy or Circuity City or any brightly lit showroom where the set has to compete with 100 others. It will look lousy in your home and burn your eyes in five minutes. Use the search function for this thread with the following terms +iris +brightness +hue + color. That should bring up posts with settings people are using. Another option is to go into the video settings menu and play with the settings using your eyes as the judge. A better option is to buy Avia or DVD and adjust the set using the test patterns. ISF through Monster has any easy to use disc for adjusting your picture.

The settings you get for your DVD will not be appropriate for OTA or for a cable box but it's a good starting point. You can adjust by eyer for these sources. Great thing about the Sony is that you can separate settings for each input.
If you've got $300 lying around, find a local ISF certified calibrator to calibrate your set. The one thing you need to be mindful of is that when you calibrate a set, it will be far less bright. Give your eyes and brain a couple of weeks to adjust. You will then appreciate that the picture is far better than what you had. We tend to be accustomed to overly bright pictures but overly bright pictures is not the best way to view the content.

Finally, get HD programming. That is what these sets are meant to do. I currently have Comcast cable. While I don't like the company, the quality of their HD feed is quite good. The programs on Discovery Theater HD cannot be beat. Sporting events, especially football are wonderful. You can see every blade of grass. If you live near a city that has OTA HD programming, hook up a $10 pair of rabbit ears from Radio Shack. That's all you need to pull in about 3 or 4 OTA HD channels.

Once your adjust your set, upgrade your DVD cables or player, and get some HD to watch, I think you will start enjoying this television.

My current settings. Was using a version of this in vivd, but when comparing back and forth I found the greens(college football) were off and looked better under standard. My custom settings(used Avia) appear to have washed out colors and blacks when I compare them back and forth to standard and vivd so I'm sticking with these settings until someone can come up with something better. I understand the blacks on vivd and standard may be slightly crushed but they still look better than custom with the blaack corrector off.

Standard
Picture 80
Brightness 55
Color 50
Hue 0
Temp Cool
Sharpness 15

I've tried other color temp's but they make whites to orange for me, doesn't look real.

I have these same settings applied to my Sony 75h upconvert dvd player (sharpness is at 20) and World Trade Center looked awesome upconverted to 720p last night.

probably image retention on the LCD panel.

If I look for it I can see it, but I have very keen eyes.

It's like flashing a bright light in your eyes and you may have a spot for a few seconds, the lcd panel sometimes holds the last image in it for a few seconds or less depending on what is being sent to it next.

No, I dont think were talking about the same thing. What I am seeing is like a "halo effect" around images. With digital cable it is awful, with dvd and hd-dvd it is not as bad but clearly visible. It looks like ghosting around the object, I see it most clearly around people. It's annoying the hell out of me, the set is only 2months old. I have calibrated the set with DVE. I previously owned a Hitachi 50V500 and 50V720, and have never seen anything like this.

What is your sharpness setting? If it is anything other than minimum, try that.

Rosh - thanks much! I actually got hooked up with HD just yesterday afternoon. I'm going to give the Dish Network a try. I watched a concert in HD and then the Sugar Bowl. The image is indeed quite good. However it's going to take some getting used to, it just looks, well, surreal.

I will eventually get a better DVD player. I'll probably get the Sony upconverting. And also, I have some HDMI cables on the way.

In conclusion, I think I'll be ok with the set. Still not sure about my purchase compared to other technologies (plasma, dlp, etc.). The type of technology was a major headache in trying to decide. In the meantime, I just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy some viewing!

As far as th tv technology, its a good one. I feel after researching it's better than DLP RP.

I went from a Panasonic plasma 42" to this tv and I can tell you the Plasma does have a better picture that does not blur at all. That being said, is the plasma price worth the picture, um NO.

I wanted to get a slightly larger tv this fall with two HDMI inputs. The new 50" plasmas were what I paid for my 42" last year($2500). I saw the deal on this 46" sony and got it for $1167 the day after thanksgiving.

If you try and tell me a plasma's hd picture is twice as good as this sony, I'll tell you that you're crazy, the Sonys about 7/8 the pq of the plasma. I do not regret my purchase one bit and told my wife that I'd never buy a plasma again as long as the technology is still around and that much more expensive.

My buddy just bought a 50" Pioneer plasma for three grand, i just laugh.

Yeah, good point on the price, Elway. I paid $1400 for the TV and matching stand, out the door. I'm no AVphile so I set my price limit at $1500 and I tried to get as much as I could for it.

Thanks for the help.

I also have the 46E2000 that I picked up on the Black Friday Weekend and am really happy with it. Over the New Years period I was at my sister in law and they just purchased a Sharp LCD LC37D40U, I set it up and tweak it up as per the tweaks on this site for this model. I can honestly say that my 46E2000 has a better PQ.

I've never had sat tv but I hear that the HD quality is not as good as cable or OTA due to high level of compression of the signal. Don't know if this is true but this is what many on this site have said.

Hey Guys,

I have had my 46E2000 for about a month now, very happy.

I recently bought an LG-731, which I thought was good, but now realized how crappy the picture indeed was. Being as I was on day 30, I had to return it.

Not wanting to be without a player, I temp purchased the Sony NS75. This is a good player and runs well upscaling to the 46E @ 720p.

There have been a lot of ppl stating the OPPO 970 is a cut above the NS75. Is this so for our TV's as well? Has anyone had or tried both on our E series specifically?

I also would like to have the DIVX feature, as it is nice to not have to have 2 players hooked up.

There have also been quotes stating the 480i HDMI from the OPPO can deliver the best Picture Quality, when sent natively, and allowing the built in upscaling in the TV do the job.

Any input. If the picture quality is a bit better, and not worse then the NS75, I think I will order a 970 and return the Sony when it arrives.

Thanks for the input!!

Cheers.

From what I've seen, a few say is that the OPPO PQ is great, but not worth twice the $$$ of the Sony. Kinda like is a plasma worth twice the cost of a LCD RPTV.

My opinion would be that if you feel ok with spending $200 on a DVD player then go for it, but the deal on the 75 is hard to beat. I personally am waiting for the new generation dvd players to come down in price so spending $200 on a stopgap was not an option.

Verbatim:
I personally opted for the OPPO 970 and love it. The price difference is actually around 50bucks. That aside, I wanted the Divx feature, and it's ability to play PAL movies. Also the USB/Card reader was an added bonus. It also has more options and settings for audio and video. But that said, if you are not a video/audio-phile and don't care about the extra features you could stick with the Sony. From what I have heard, it is a decent player as well.

Well, for the 971 it's $199 and I bought my 75h for $89. If I was going to buy I'd get the 971.

I am definitely a bit of a "phile" in many ways. Or just self obsessed with making myself happy.

I would not go for the 971, as I live in canada and it is $260.00 Shipped. (Plus they currently have no stock)

I would go for the 970 as it is $200.00 shipped and I can turn around the HDMI cable for at least another $25.00.

I Paid $150.00 for the Sony.

Looks like another transaction to add to the credit card. Whoooo.

anyone else let the tv scale native 1080i sources? For HD DVD and hd channels in 1080i, i let the tv scale it to 720p rather than my SA8300 downconverting it to 720p. I do leave 72op sources at 720p (360 and 720p hd channels, I also let my sony dvd player upscale to to 720p)

For some people, any incremental improvement is worth whatever it costs. It was true with audio and now it's true with video. That's why we have so many choices. There's something for everyone!