[deconvolver]

So I got my set yesterday and using a THX optimizer disc set my video settings to the following values for each input:


Picture mode: Custom

Iris: 2 [or 3] for controlled movie room lighting; 3 or 4 for daytime TV

Picture: 90 [increased from 60 or 65 improved overall picture, lower Iris if too bright]

Brightness: 34 [40 with antenna input]

Color: 35 [35 - 40 for different TV programs]]

Hue: 0

Color Temp: warm-2 before calibration, [warm-1 after calibrating it to D65 reference]

Sharpness: 28 [ increased for TV after correcting picture level]

Noise Reduction: off

DRC: High Density

DRC Pallette: reality 20, clarity 40

Black Correction: off

Adv Vid- Advanced Iris: low

Adv Vid- Gamma: off

Adv Vid- Clear white: off

Adv Vid- Live Color: off


The picture then looked pretty good but with some red push; so I tried to lower that using the umr gwii tweaks and GWIV tweaks thread info but the service menu has changed. I poked around anyway and came up with the following change that seems to lower red-push. Unfortunately it looked to me (using only the THX optimizer color bars) like it added a slight amount of green push at the same time it lowered the red push. I have neither the service manual nor the test equipment to properly calibrate the color decoder but I am going to post what I tried anyway. If you try this it will be a little like taking painting advice from someone who has always been blind but I don't know if we could ever convince a real calibrator to post the correct fix. Maybe we will get lucky and umr will pity us and give us a clue after he has cal'ed an A10.


*** Warning: messing around in the service menu can damage your TV which would not be covered by warranty ***

Before messing around in the service menu you should read the info posted for the earlier GW tweak threads. It would also be a good idea to get a service manual from Sony parts first. [Manual does not explain service mode settings.]


Red Push Lowering:


(step -1) Start with a TV where all needed inputs have already been configured to best custom mode settings

(step 0) If necessary turn off TV and wait for bulb to turn off

(step 1) Press the following 4 key sequence without a pause:

(display) (5) (Volume +) (Power)

(step 2) Wait the normal turn on time for the debug screen to appear

(step 3) Select the desired input (ex. Press TV/Video) with a signal present- preferably a color test signal

(step 4) Press (jump) twice to get to service data screen

(step 5) Press (2) eight times to get to CST category

(step 5a) write down the current setting for CH_ITU_MODE1

(step 5b) press (6) until CH_ITU_MODE1 is set to 0000

(step 6) Press (1) once to get to CHAXIS 1 item

(step 7) Write down current setting

(step 8) Change the item value from 46 or 3c to 3b by pressing (6) to decrement the value. Observe the effect on the display, press (3) to increment setting back if desired

[edit: I am currently using the 17 setting for all inputs with 0]

(step 9) To save the new value press (mute) (ent) and wait for write to complete, skip this step if no change is desired [setting will stay without write until the set is unplugged]

(step 10) Press (jump) to return to the debug screen

Repeat steps 3 through 10 for each input and resolution, skipping steps 8 and 9 if the value is already decremented. I only needed to change one SD and one HD value for the other inputs to show the new value.

(step 11) From debug screen press (power) to turn the TV off and wait for the bulb to go out


[edit: if you power off without returning to the debug screen then when you power on the service menu will still be visible, you need to repeat the mistake to get the service menu to disappear. There is more info on this later in the thread]


[edit: removed factory reset procedure, here is Dark Rain's warning about factory resets:]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Rain /forum/post/0


I've read about people doing factory resets on other Sony TVs and it made several changes to the service menu that weren't there before. This may not apply to the A10, but I would rather be safe than sorry. It may also void your warranty if you have to call Sony to get it fixed.

I have now calibrated my grayscales using a spider2express plus the HCFR software and the getgray DVD. Thanks to Dark Rain's info below on setting grayscale. Here is a link to the HCFR thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&post8935559

 

[theph0xx]

thanks for the post deconvolver, my tv should be arriving within an hour and I'll be messing with settings and your tweaks this evening. I'll probably post late tonite on the results. Thanks again.

 

[JimP]

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but I'd hold off going into the service menu until some others who are familiar with the service menu and color decoder adjustments have had time to muck around in there.


Its very easy to screw things up. That's when your new toy becomes a paper weight.

Be safe, not sorry.

 

[deconvolver]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JimP /forum/post/0


Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but I'd hold off going into the service menu until some others who are familiar with the service menu and color decoder adjustments have had time to muck around in there.


Its very easy to screw things up. That's when your new toy becomes a paper weight.

Be safe, not sorry.

Do you think that an ISF will be posting suggested tweaks in this forum? Without umr doing it I wonder who that would be. Since the service menu appears to have changed it will probably take a lot of work armed with the service manual and equipment to determine all the recommended tweaks. Of course correcting sample variation would require that each owner hire a calibrator but many of us would be happy with just a generic set of tweaks. I added a warning about the service menu to my post because I agree that there is the possibility of really messing things up if you change and and write the change for the wrong items. I didn't feel too worried after reading the previous tweak threads because I probably wouldn't write a change that would be disastrous. Still, it looks like if you messed with the wrong items that you could erase all the initial calibration that was done at the factory and if you wrote that change you would really mess up the TV.

 

[JimP]

I already mucked one TV up, two TVs ago. So when I got my last one, I was extremely careful. Guess you have to be there to fully appreciate how quickly this can happen.


And may I repeat, there is no Master Reset Button to return service menu settings to their original factory values. Write everything down and be sure that your set is being fed the resolution that you think it is.

 

[noizemaker]

as long as you don't mess with anything that you don't know, u cannot "muck" up your tv messing with the color decoder adjustments.

 

[abward]

Bump. Has anyone else tried these tweaks?

 

[jetjaguar]

im nervous to start messing around with mine .. i guess ill wait till some more people have time to play around with it before i try

 

[mnc]

Does turning "live color" ON not correct the red push? It's supposed to on other Sony sets.

 

[deconvolver]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mnc /forum/post/0


Does turning "live color" ON not correct the red push? It's supposed to on other Sony sets.

If I remember correctly when I turned on live color it added green push to the red push; this along with turning down the color control won't work to fix red push because then the blue is way off.

 

[Tigerriot]

Live Color simply deepens the colors on screen. It's pretty worthless overall.



The setting I think you're confused with is the "red axis" setting that is available on a few Sony sets. It allows you to change this setting to "minitor" to easily eliminate the red push without going into the service menu.



As far as I know there are only 3 sets with this feature. The 30" and 34" XS CRT models. The 34" XBR960 model. Also, the 51" and 57" WS655 CRT RPTV models.



It's a great feature and I wish that Sony just put it on all of their tvs. How hard could it be?

 

[npm]



Quote:
Originally Posted by deconvolver /forum/post/0



Red Push Lowering:


(step -1) Start with a TV where all needed inputs have already been configured to best custom mode settings

(step 0) If necessary turn off TV and wait for bulb to turn off

(step 1) Press the following 4 key sequence without a pause:

(display) (5) (Volume +) (Power)

(step 2) Wait the normal turn on time for the debug screen to appear

(step 3) Select the desired input (ex. Press TV/Video) with a signal present- preferably a color test signal

(step 4) Press (jump) twice to get to service data screen

(step 5) Press (2) eight times to get to CST category

(step 6) Press (1) once to get to CHAXIS 1 item

(step 7) Write down current setting

(step 8) Change the item value from 46 to 45 or from 2c to 2b by pressing (6) to decrement the value by one. Observe the effect on the display, press (3) to increment setting back if desired

(step 9) To save the new value press (mute) (ent) and wait for write to complete, skip this step if no change is desired

(step 10) Press (jump) to return to the debug screen

Repeat steps 3 through 10 for each input and resolution, skipping steps 8 and 9 if the value is already decremented. I only needed to change one SD and one HD value for the other inputs to show the new value.

(step 11) From debug screen press (power) to turn the TV off and wait for the bulb to go out



After making the change I increased the Color settings for each input to 40. I have not played a wide variety of content on the TV yet so I will probably continue to adjust the user settings like color and sharpness.


[edit: changed repeat to steps 3 to 10]

Good tip.


My default for the CH_AXIS1 setting was 003C. When I went to 003B the red push definitely was minimized, but as you said, a green push was added. For fun, I continued to decrease the value and when I hit 0002 the red was minimized without increasing the green. It seems that each setting number has an effect, but not a incremental one. I will be curious to know what you think!


Please post any additonal details about the service menu. I had an older Sony set and got comfortable with the service menu. The A10 menu is significantly different and I can't make heads or tails of it.


I am especially curious if you have figured out any of the MID-5 type settings. I didn't see those parameter names when I cycled through the menu.


Also, I noticed a category called PC_CONFIG. In that category (25) there is a parameter called PANEL_UNDER_SCAN. I got very excited when I saw it, but it appeared to have no effect on the Under Scan of input 7. Any thoughts?


I hope this thread picks up. Keeping up with the huge 2500 post A10 thread is tough. The tweek info and dialog gets lost in the mix.


Thanks.

 

[cbagger01]

Anyone here have success using the "Zoom" mode to get rid of PC / VGA underscan?

 

[sfkayaker]

OK - just had my set "fixed" by authorized Sony center and the picture is no longer square - anyone know how how to ajust the left/right tilt of the picture - not sure I want to get the same clowns back in to fix this.


thanx

 

[deconvolver]



Quote:
Originally Posted by npm /forum/post/0


Good tip.


My default for the CH_AXIS1 setting was 003C. When I went to 003B the red push definitely was minimized, but as you said, a green push was added. For fun, I continued to decrease the value and when I hit 0002 the red was minimized without increasing the green. It seems that each setting number has an effect, but not a incremental one. I will be curious to know what you think!


Please post any additonal details about the service menu. I had an older Sony set and got comfortable with the service menu. The A10 menu is significantly different and I can't make heads or tails of it.


I am especially curious if you have figured out any of the MID-5 type settings. I didn't see those parameter names when I cycled through the menu.


Also, I noticed a category called PC_CONFIG. In that category (25) there is a parameter called PANEL_UNDER_SCAN. I got very excited when I saw it, but it appeared to have no effect on the Under Scan of input 7. Any thoughts?


I hope this thread picks up. Keeping up with the huge 2500 post A10 thread is tough. The tweek info and dialog gets lost in the mix.


Thanks.

I have not yet ordered the service manual but if I can and the $ aren't outrageous then I plan to. I don't think I will mess with much except the color decoder without the manual.

 

[sfkayaker]

where do you order the service manual from?


thanx

 

[stevenmh]

Don't bother with the manual. Mine arrived today and it's useless. Tells you how to get into the service menu, but nothing whatsoever about the settings.

 

[Symbolic Hearse]

Here are my settings, calibrated with Avia, and then tweaked to perfection:


I use these settings with my Toshiba XA2 HD-DVD player hooked up w/ HDMI.


Picture mode: Custom

Iris: 1

Picture: 68

Brightness: 46

Color: 40

Hue: G1

Color Temp: Warm 1

Sharpness: 45

Noise Reduction: Off

Black Correction: off

Adv Vid- Advanced Iris: medium

Adv Vid- Gamma: low

Adv Vid- Clear white: off

Adv Vid- Live Color: off

 

[BBQmyNUTZ]

Been playing in the service menu and agree with NPM, 0002 seems to be the optimal setting. The red push is eliminated without screwing with the other colors.


Another setting I noticed has some bearing on the reds is the first one that displays when you get to the CST settings. There are only like 4 values, 0000-0003. I'm pretty sure 0000 is the default, but it may be 0002. I honestly can't remember. 0003 screws the colors up completely, 0002 made some reds look slightly orange... 0001 adds magenta, and 0000 seems to be the neutral baseline.


Kai

 

[npm]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BBQmyNUTZ /forum/post/0


Been playing in the service menu and agree with NPM, 0002 seems to be the optimal setting. The red push is eliminated without screwing with the other colors.

I have been living with that setting and am quite happy with the colors on the set. I have set the color (user setting) to 42-45.


I would recommend that anyone going to change that setting, reset their their user setting for color back to 50. You'll really see the difference. I still chose to tone the color down a little to 42-45 depending on the source.


Also, that service menu tweak seems to affect inputs 1-6 at once. You will need to set it again for input 7 (PC) if you want it to affect that input.


b