Official Sony XBR2 (60" & 70") Owner's Thread - Page 181

Originally Posted by Bob Fosse

Although I own a A2000 I wanted to share my impressions of Jeff Meier's (UMR) recent ISF calibration last Saturday with all you lucky XBR-2 owners:

We recently had Jeff Meier (UMR) ISF calibrate our A2000 to a stunning new level neither I or my wife thought possible. The improvement in picture quality was dramatic and has to be seen to be believed. The overall clarity, detail, focus, and color balance were greatly improved giving the picture a more 3 dimensional appearance. Black level and shading is also better. Facial tones post calibration were also significantly improved giving them or more natural look and texture. With good source material Jeff was able also able to eliminate the green tinge to face issue that has plagued my A2000 which neither I, the 2 Sony techs that looked at my set, or 2 other ISF calibrators were successful at doing. The other calibrators concluded that my A2000 had a decoding error which was the cause of the green artifact. Jeff did find that my A2000 had a green push before his calibration but with his custom software and talent he was able to fix that without upsetting the color balance. The green tint still does manifest itself sometimes on TV broadcasts but is probably the fault of the source in most instances. I have not seen any green artifacts on any of my DVDs that I have viewed so far. If fact Standard Definition DVDs are improved giving the best ones an almost HD quality look that I describe above. The picture on DVD is so much cleaner looking too. One of Jeff's tricks is to eliminate noise without sacrificing detail. In fact, shading and detail are better now post calibration.


Jeff was also going to do a full calibration of my audio but found that my old M&K sub woofer is defective so he only did a partial audio calibration which did improve the balance and tonal quality of the sound from my THX Atlantic Technology surround speaker system. He made some excellent suggestions for a replacement sub woofer and a new receiver too. I will have him come back for a full audio calibration on his next tour to our area. Can't wait!

After having work done by several other ISF calibrators it is most apparent that Jeff has a special talent for ISF calibration and also knows the SXRD technology like the back of his hand. He is a really nice guy too and explained everything that he did in detail to me. If you considering ISF calibration, or even thinking about it, Jeff Meier is the one to do it. The improvement post calibration was worth every penny and then some. Even my wife is impressed with what Jeff did to our A2000 and she normally she doesn't care about these types of things so this is the highest compliment possible.

Originally Posted by Desert Heat

Thanks Max! Which XBR2 did you put on the new stand? 60" or 70"? If you have the time, do you think you could maybe snap some photots of your stand and post or send to me? I am really interested in closeups of the stand as I cannot make out from web pictures what the inside is made up of?? for instance are those glass doors on the two end compartments? How about wire mngmnt? Looks like it might be tuff running all of my componets as the back is not open like the XBR1 stand.

Once again, thank you for all your valuable feedback!!!

Originally Posted by Bob Fosse

Although I own a A2000 I wanted to share my impressions of Jeff Meier's (UMR) recent ISF calibration last Saturday with all you lucky XBR-2 owners:

We recently had Jeff Meier (UMR) ISF calibrate our A2000 to a stunning new level neither I or my wife thought possible. The improvement in picture quality was dramatic and has to be seen to be believed. The overall clarity, detail, focus, and color balance were greatly improved giving the picture a more 3 dimensional appearance. Black level and shading is also better. Facial tones post calibration were also significantly improved giving them or more natural look and texture. With good source material Jeff was able also able to eliminate the green tinge to face issue that has plagued my A2000 which neither I, the 2 Sony techs that looked at my set, or 2 other ISF calibrators were successful at doing. The other calibrators concluded that my A2000 had a decoding error which was the cause of the green artifact. Jeff did find that my A2000 had a green push before his calibration but with his custom software and talent he was able to fix that without upsetting the color balance. The green tint still does manifest itself sometimes on TV broadcasts but is probably the fault of the source in most instances. I have not seen any green artifacts on any of my DVDs that I have viewed so far. If fact Standard Definition DVDs are improved giving the best ones an almost HD quality look that I describe above. The picture on DVD is so much cleaner looking too. One of Jeff's tricks is to eliminate noise without sacrificing detail. In fact, shading and detail are better now post calibration.


Jeff was also going to do a full calibration of my audio but found that my old M&K sub woofer is defective so he only did a partial audio calibration which did improve the balance and tonal quality of the sound from my THX Atlantic Technology surround speaker system. He made some excellent suggestions for a replacement sub woofer and a new receiver too. I will have him come back for a full audio calibration on his next tour to our area. Can't wait!

After having work done by several other ISF calibrators it is most apparent that Jeff has a special talent for ISF calibration and also knows the SXRD technology like the back of his hand. He is a really nice guy too and explained everything that he did in detail to me. If you considering ISF calibration, or even thinking about it, Jeff Meier is the one to do it. The improvement post calibration was worth every penny and then some. Even my wife is impressed with what Jeff did to our A2000 and she normally she doesn't care about these types of things so this is the highest compliment possible.

Originally Posted by iumbastu

Bob,
Any chance you can post your settings to the A2000 board? Thanks, Kevin

Originally Posted by umr

It would not help you very much. Each set is unique and requires different settings. Many of the important changes are also in the service mode.

Originally Posted by zxvfrr41

Jeff,

Where are you located? What area of the country do you do calibrations? Thanks.

Originally Posted by JPBOSS

Great to hear Bob, but what exactly does Jeff do. Is it all via the Service Menu or does he actually do physical convergence adjustments as well? Could you elaborate some?

Thanks, JP

Originally Posted by pwiss

Congratulations Bob!

I had a feeling that Jeff would be able to fix your issue.

Originally Posted by iumbastu

Question:

I can purchase either a 70"XBR2 or a 60"A2020. If I go with the XBR2 it will be down in the basement in a home theatre setup (non dedicated room) to be shared with the kids in a second family room. I don't have room for this in our primary family room. Viewing would be on an ad hoc basis during sporting events or family movie nights.

The A2020 would go upstairs for daily viewing and would be used probably 2x, if not more, as much as the XBR2.

I can't afford to get both, but can choose between either one. I'd like to get the XBR but feel like it will be underutilized as it's down in the basement while the 60A2020 would be replacing a Hitachi 50" Director series (which would then head to the basement...) and might have more value to the family. Of course with the A2020 there's always a chance of the green tint issue...(from what I hear.)

Any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks in advance.

P.S. 60" XBR2 is a no go due to the dumbo ears

Originally Posted by mr. wally

finally got some free time and can report on jeff's calibration of my 60 xbr2 and my sony str da2 es a/v receiver.

Originally Posted by mr. wally

jeff also shared some of his insights about the xbr2 that i feel are worth sharing. he indicated, as most of us know or believe, these are as good or better than any sets currently available with large screen sizes like this. he has encountered very few problems that he cannot correct with calibration. he's impressed with the sets. he also stated that he thought the 70xbr2s were overall superior to the 60xbr2s because sony uses their best lcos chips on their flagship set. interesting since most of us believe size was the only difference between the two. luckily, he found my set to be one of the better 60" he has encountered, with no tinges or hazes, and virtually perfect convergence. he did not need to make any adjustments to my convergence - not bad for an october build.

Originally Posted by Dinomon

How come the 70XBR2 is superior lcos chip than 60XBR2. Both are exact same set otherthan the size and removeable speaker option. Has anyone else ever heard about this?

Originally Posted by Dinomon

How much does Jeff charge you for calibration for these sets?

Can you just buy the calibration DVD and do almost the same thing?

Originally Posted by htwaits

Sony can hand pick (test) the chips used in the 70" XBR2 sets. That's what they did when the Qualia 70" set was being offered.

Originally Posted by mr. wally

finally got some free time and can report on jeff's calibration of my 60 xbr2 and my sony str da2 es a/v receiver. my sony is connected to dish 622 dvr via hdmi and toslink to receiver, and my a2 hd dvd player connected to set via hdmi and toslink to receiver.


initially, just want to say what a great guy jeff is. he's a gentleman, friendly, knowledgable, patient, and someone who is a lot of fun to talk with. i even left him alone in the house for a few minutes when i had to pick up my son from school and found only a few valuables missing (lol).


jeff also shared some of his insights about the xbr2 that i feel are worth sharing. he indicated, as most of us know or believe, these are as good or better than any sets currently available with large screen sizes like this. he has encountered very few problems that he cannot correct with calibration. he's impressed with the sets. he also stated that he thought the 70xbr2s were overall superior to the 60xbr2s because sony uses their best lcos chips on their flagship set. interesting since most of us believe size was the only difference between the two. luckily, he found my set to be one of the better 60" he has encountered, with no tinges or hazes, and virtually perfect convergence. he did not need to make any adjustments to my convergence - not bad for an october build.


jeff calibrated 4 inputs on the set, video 2 for wii at 480i (since we do not have component connection, video 3 for future htpc connection via hdmi (my son wants to build one this summer as a project), video 7 hdmi via 622 dvr, and video 8 hd dvd via hdmi. the results -- SPECTACULAR!!!

most noticeable changes were the blacks. went from deep navy blue to squid, inky blacks. outstanding. watching ncaa tourney game saturday from arena where outside border of the court was black really exemplified the difference. also the shades of gray across the scale are now clearly visible. watch departed or batman begins and you are blown away by the richness and distinctiveness of the blacks and grays. now i see what the videophiles are talking about with these colors.

another major change is the sharpness of the picture and the displaying of accent colors. think of the banners of the armies in kingdom of heaven. i've seen that movie 15x, but only after the calibration did i notice the subtlety of the colors incorporated into the scenes of the armies in the field. the whole picture now has such depth, crispness, and dimensionality it is almost like a 3d effect. watch the dinosaur stampede scene in kong, and all the images stay sharp and distinct, there is not blending together of the colors and tones as there was pre-calib.

lastly, the accuracy of the flesh tones and facial colors is remarkable. in fact that the only thing my wife has noticed post-calib. absolute, right on, precise human colors and tones. completely lifelike. i didn't think it would be possible to obtain this level of accuracy.

as startling as the video has improved, i believe my audio has improved even more. all 5 channels are precisely balanced and tuned. my surround is now working the way it was supposed to. my sub rumbles while subtle audio projects from the rear. it is the complete ht experience. i swear, i have better pq and as good of sound as i can get at my local cineplex. why spend $10 a head from now on, i'll just wait for the dvd or hbo. the setup is so cool i'm excited as a little kid at christmas. this is probably the best toy i've had since childhood!


in summary, these set are off the charts. no matter how much tinkering you do with the settings, you will not be able to dial these puppies in the way jeff can. do yourself a favor and spring for a calibration, and definitely use jeff if you can. i have absolutely no regrets.

pre and post calib results attached. contact me if you have questions or need more info.
thanks again jeff.

Originally Posted by htwaits

Sony can hand pick (test) the chips used in the 70" XBR2 sets. That's what they did when the Qualia 70" set was being offered.

Originally Posted by AnthemAVM

I had Jeff over today to calibrate the TV, and he discovered that my 70" XBR2 is out of focus. I was wondering if anyone else had has this problem.

Sony is coming out on Wednesday to take a look.

Michael

Originally Posted by Dinomon

How much does Jeff charge you for calibration for these sets?
Can you just buy the calibration DVD and do almost the same thing?

Originally Posted by htwaits

Be sure to right a report so it can included in the owner's list.

Originally Posted by AnthemAVM

He didn't end up doing it, as he was afraid that they might replace my TV and it would have waisted my money.

Originally Posted by mr. wally

finally got some free time and can report on jeff's calibration of my 60 xbr2 and my sony str da2 es a/v receiver. my sony is connected to dish 622 dvr via hdmi and toslink to receiver, and my a2 hd dvd player connected to set via hdmi and toslink to receiver.


initially, just want to say what a great guy jeff is. he's a gentleman, friendly, knowledgable, patient, and someone who is a lot of fun to talk with. i even left him alone in the house for a few minutes when i had to pick up my son from school and found only a few valuables missing (lol).


jeff also shared some of his insights about the xbr2 that i feel are worth sharing. he indicated, as most of us know or believe, these are as good or better than any sets currently available with large screen sizes like this. he has encountered very few problems that he cannot correct with calibration. he's impressed with the sets. he also stated that he thought the 70xbr2s were overall superior to the 60xbr2s because sony uses their best lcos chips on their flagship set. interesting since most of us believe size was the only difference between the two. luckily, he found my set to be one of the better 60" he has encountered, with no tinges or hazes, and virtually perfect convergence. he did not need to make any adjustments to my convergence - not bad for an october build.


jeff calibrated 4 inputs on the set, video 2 for wii at 480i (since we do not have component connection), video 3 for future htpc connection via hdmi (my son wants to build one this summer as a project), video 7 hdmi via 622 dvr, and video 8 hd dvd via hdmi. the results -- SPECTACULAR!!!

most noticeable changes were the blacks. went from deep navy blue to squid, inky blacks. outstanding. watching ncaa tourney game saturday from arena where outside border of the court was black really exemplified the difference. also the shades of gray across the scale are now clearly visible. watch departed or batman begins and you are blown away by the richness and distinctiveness of the blacks and grays. now i see what the videophiles are talking about with these colors.

another major change is the sharpness of the picture and the displaying of accent colors. think of the banners of the armies in kingdom of heaven. i've seen that movie 15x, but only after the calibration did i notice the subtlety of the colors incorporated into the scenes of the armies in the field. the whole picture now has such depth, crispness, and dimensionality it is almost like a 3d effect. watch the dinosaur stampede scene in kong, and all the images stay sharp and distinct, there is not blending together of the colors and tones as there was pre-calib.

lastly, the accuracy of the flesh tones and facial colors is remarkable. in fact that the only thing my wife has noticed post-calib. absolute, right on, precise human colors and tones. completely lifelike. i didn't think it would be possible to obtain this level of accuracy.

as startling as the video has improved, i believe my audio has improved even more. all 5 channels are precisely balanced and tuned. my surround is now working the way it was supposed to. my sub rumbles while subtle audio projects from the rear. it is the complete ht experience. i swear, i have better pq and as good of sound as i can get at my local cineplex. why spend $10 a head from now on, i'll just wait for the dvd or hbo. the setup is so cool i'm excited as a little kid at christmas. this is probably the best toy i've had since childhood!


in summary, these set are off the charts. no matter how much tinkering you do with the settings, you will not be able to dial these puppies in the way jeff can. do yourself a favor and spring for a calibration, and definitely use jeff if you can. i have absolutely no regrets.

pre and post calib results attached. contact me if you have questions or need more info.
thanks again jeff.

Originally Posted by MaxHuey

I have a 60". Since the stand is for 70" too there are about 4" longer than the TV on each side.
I won't have my Camera with me until this weekend but the stand looks like a "C" channel with 2 vertical dividers, no center shelf.

The shelf have cable holes at the back with invertable plastic cover.

Originally Posted by mr. wally

no way can you get the same results via any commercially available calibration system. jeff uses his own software to make the adjustments in the service menu. he then tweaks everything again making subtle adjustments based on his own intimate knowledge of the sxrd sets and his significant sensory experience. every set is different and needs its own specific adjustments in the service menu to obtain it maximum performance. other isf calibrators may be able to accomplish the same results, but with jeff it is a sure thing. you don't have to take a chance on getting less than optimum results (ask bob fosse or alan buck about other isf calibration results)

jeff charged me $500.00 which included a $100.00 travel surcharge. he spent nearly 5 hours at the house. once again, money well spent as as far as i am concerned, i have an entirely new hd home theatre.

Originally Posted by AnthemAVM

I had Jeff over today to calibrate the TV, and he discovered that my 70" XBR2 is out of focus. I was wondering if anyone else had has this problem.

Sony is coming out on Wednesday to take a look.

Michael

Originally Posted by AnthemAVM

I had Jeff over today to calibrate the TV, and he discovered that my 70" XBR2 is out of focus. I was wondering if anyone else had has this problem.

Sony is coming out on Wednesday to take a look.

Michael