I just got myself Sony SXRD KDS50A2000 after owning sony 27" tube for 16 years. Of course everything is much biger & wider but I find picture not as smooth/sharp as it was on 27" tube. Even when switching from regular cable to FTA satellite receiver picture is not as fine/sharp as it was on tube. I was told I need to get HD box/terminal in order to catch channels that are being broadcasted in HD, this way I am 100& certain to have much more define/sharp picture. Please let me have your input. Thank you,
You've basically taken a 27" picture and blown it up to 50"! All of the imperfections and noise are going to be more apparent. I suggest the addition of an HD box. That's why you got this set. I have the same set in 60" and the difference between SD and HD cable is like night and day! SD can look decent on this set. However, I find myself reluctant to watch some of the SD channels now that I'm spoiled with HD, lol. Here you will find some recommended settings to get the most out of your set, as always these are entirely subjective: http://reviews.cnet.com/9601-4_7-0-4.html?messageID=2506536 I use thes settings (can be set per input). The only thing I change when watching SD channels is setting the noise filter to medium. That seems to clean up the picture for me. When I switch to an HD channel I turn the noise filter off (when on, it seems to blur the picture slightly with HD channels)
Tks for your comments, very informative. As you mentioned color adjustments are very subjective just like audio, since this is a very new TV for me (Got it 4 days ago) I need to find right color adjustments so I can set only once. I understand these TV come with built-in HD decoder/tuner, if so then why is it necessary to get external HD box to catch HD broadcasted channels by cable TV provider. When yo say difference is like day/night is picture quality/clarity almost identical if not 100% same as what you see in show rooms. What do you mean by "SD"?
I found the settings on the cnet link to be very good (personal opinion). Remember you can have different settings for different inputs. If you find a setup you like you will have to duplicate it for each input. The cable companies do not broadcast HD channels unless you sign up for them, I'm actually not sure if you can get those without their box, I haven't tried it. That is, if you hook the cable right into the t.v. set. For HD pay channels (HBO, etc.) you will need a box. If you want FREE network HD channels, like NBC, etc, you will need an HD antenna. The picture quality should most likely be better at home than what you see in stores. Usually in a store the picture you see is set to ultra bright, high color to catch your attention. It generally doesn't look natural but has the "wow" factor. Also, the signals are often split many times to run to all of the sets and the quality degrades somewhat. SD refers to standard definition.
What is your picture like when you watch DVD, is it much sharper with less noise & imperfections or is it very close to SD, because for me it is very close to SD like if I am watching regular cable TV. With old 27" the difference was 100% obvious like day/night much smoother/sharper/clear from regular cable to DVD but doesn't seem to be the case with this new set. I was talking to a friend who got Panasonic 50" & he has more or less same issue. I think many of us were expecting to get HD clarity on regular cable.
BTW, were you able to get HD channels on your set without a cable box? I just experimented and ran the incoming cable directly to the T.V. without the box. I was unable to get ANY HD channels. You will know what signal is coming into the set if you press the "display" button on the remote during a program. On the top right of the screen you will see 480i, up to 1080i/p. When I am watching HDcable the picture is fantastic. There is, what I feel to be, a huge difference between HDcable and regular cable channels. I even watch sports in HD (B-ball, hockey, footbal) just because they look so damn good, and I don't like to watch sports! LOL! As far as DVD playback: I have an upconverting DVD player and I'd judge the picture at about 60-70% between SD cable and HD cable. Mind you, the player is not true HDDVD (which I hear is awesome). If you have a large DVd collection, you can find relatively cheap upconverting DVD players, from less than $100, to what some consider to be the best at $230: http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/index.html The clarity of the picture will depend on the signal coming into the set. A 1080p set is not going to change a 480i/p signal coming in from regular cable or a standard DVD player. You are basically taking a lesser signal and magnifying and displaying all of the flaws in grand 1080p. You will need an HD signal, either from the cable/sat company or over-the-air to get an HD picture on your set. With my cable box, it was only $5 more a month for the HD cable channels including all of the local channels (NBC, CBS, etc). CSI Miami looks great in widescreen HD. BTW, for other people's input, we have a thread going specifically for these SXRD sets: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/358708
No I can not get any HD channels (at least here in Montreal, this is where I leave) without HD cable box. I.E) Here in Canada our main sport channel (TSN) is always broadcasted in HD at least this is what they advertise during commercial or during main sporting events but wil not have HD reception unless I have that box. I can either rent it on a monthly basis or buy it for $200.00 plus basic HD programming which will give me (channels like ABC, NBC, CBS + few local & other channels for approx. $45.00/month all these will be HD) So I might give it a try & hope to have that show room like reception. When I watch satellite I get "480i" when press display, when I watch regular cable channels without going through satellite receiver there is no 480 or 1080 at all, I guess this only means that it's SD. BTW) When watching widescreen movies via DVD or directly from cable companies, will I get the famous black bars on top & bottom of the screen. I was told the whole idea iof having widescreen is to eliminate those black bars. I was watching widewscreen movie via DVD player the other day & black bars did remain on top & bottom, is this how it's supose to be?
I hate those damn black bars! The aspect ratio of your set is 16:9 or roughly 1.78:1. Most DVDs and movies are shot in a 2.35:1 ratio, which is wider horizontally, and narrower vertically than your set. Hence the black bars. If you have not yet had the experience of seeing true HD in widescreen in your home (without black bars on top and sides of the screen) then you are in for a great surprise. BTW, when watching broadcast HD (cable, etc) most of the time you will not have black bars. They usually broadcast in full 16:9 ratio so it takes up the whole screen.
When you say "I'm in for a great a surprise" is this suppose to be a in a good way or disapointing? Where are yout from by the way?
Here's a good discussion on OAR (Original Aspect Ratio): http://www.rexer.com/cine/oar.htm The black bars can be a distraction on 2.35:1 films but for me I'd rather suffer the black bars and see the entire picture as intended by the director. There's very little that can be done with flat panel and rear projection sets. However, for front projector setups there is such a thing as "masking." I'm upgrading to a screen with electronic masking which allows you to choose between the common film aspect ratios such as 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 - no black bars. I've seen some people use velcro and black felt as a substitute and the results were more than acceptable.
I hate to lose lines of resolution to those black bars. I remember a CRT set by Sony that would display the black bars but somehow devote the entire 480p to the movie image. I guess there is no way to do this with fixed pixel displays.
For video, is it better to go with components or S-video. Unfortunatley I don't have any hdmi source yet, so I can't quite use my TV's hdmi inputs. I also have a very goods reciever Yamaha Rx-V2300 Should I connect my video inputs directly to TV (DVD player & satellite receiver) or via Yamaha reciever? I presently using TV's video inputs & using Yamaha for audio only. I hope you don't mind me asking so many questions since couple of days now. What part of N.california are you from. I've been to L.A, San Francisco & S.Jose many times.
Components will give you a better signal. As far as what to connect to, t.v. vs. receiver, that would depend on your available inputs and what is most convenient for you. Is it easier for you to switch to different inputs on the t.v. then change the sound source on the receiver, or would you rather have one input to the t.v. and simply change the video and sound concurrently through the receiver? I am in San Fran area. Very rainy and chilly now!! Nice to stay inside and watch movies!!LoL
If your HDTV has a ZOOM function you can use that to get rid of the black bars. Of course you'll be doing this at the expense of losing some of the picture.
With widescreen HDTV broadcasts there are no black bars. Hopefully, all shows will be this way in the future.
Read dblbogey7's link to the OAR discussion above. You'll understand why even with a widescreen TV you'll sometimes still have black bars. Here's the link: http://www.rexer.com/cine/oar.htm With network HDTV there should be no problem. However, if you want movies to fill up the whole 16:9 screen then you should ask Hollywood to stop making 2.35:1 films. Here's more OAR debate in avsforums: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=764372 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=768248
