Mod-Mod-World

I just purchased a 36HS420 HDTV, but it won't arrive til next week. Anyone have any opinions yet? I keep reading that HDTVs like this one aren't so good on regular cable, so any insight about this too is also appreciated.

Shagrath

I just got mine today (replacement of a defective 510). Haven't had a chance to mess with it much as of yet, but can give an update tomorrow or Sunday. Also received my Onkyo HTIB today as well, and I'm all excited about getting that hooked up ASAP.

Mod-Mod-World

Thanks Shagrath, looking forward to your review.
Since I'm new to this type of TV, if anyone wants to share their calibration settings for this model, I'd be really interested. I keep reading about these calibration disks, so perhaps I'll get one if you guys recommend it.

young

i'm new to this as well. i just got the 34hs420 delivered... and it is so beautiful

xbox looks fantastic on it!

i calibrated the tv w/ sound and visions's dvd but honestly, it looked fine before.

i did have to adjust the tilt a little. but out of the box, it looks pretty good.

i would like to figure out how to lessen some of the overscan. if anyone knows how, please post. if i find out how, i will reply.

Shagrath

I received my 36HS420 on Friday. It was a replacement for a defective 36HS510 (speakers made an intermittent popping sound). As far as PQ goes, I think this set is at least as good as the 510, although I haven't received my DVE dvd to fully calibrate yet.

The set is completely silver, whereas the 510 had a black border around the picture. Also, it is slanted down on the top, as opposed to the more flat top of the 510's. I had to use a piece of wood to prop up my center channel and keep it from sliding back and falling.

Other than that minor complaint, I think this is an awesome set, and the difference in price from the 510 doesn't hurt either.

young

i didn't get the 510 b/c people have been complaining about a white line when viewing 1080i sources.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=190083

i also found the service menu information
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=295646

Mod-Mod-World

This is very interesting information Young, thanks for the links.
I imagine that these service menu items also apply to the 420's too. (or at the very least, gives you an idea of what some of the parameters actually mean). I'm a bit terrified to try any of them right now.

I also read the old threads at AVS about the scrolling white bar while watching HD signals in the previous Sony line. From what I've gathered, it's either been fixed, or very much minimized in the new incarnation of sets. I guess we'll see.

My set arrives today, I'm about to pee my pants.

Mod-Mod-World

This may be usefull as well:
http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/brand...sony_tips.html

young

yup, it took me a little bit to figure out what the heck i was doing... i was a little worried that i'd mess up the tv.

but, the 3 things that helped me:
1. to get into the service menu, tv is OFF. press sequentially - Display, 5, volume up, power ON.

2. use the numbers to go thru the choices and change things (1,4 - 2,5 - 3,6)

3. save the info... but pressing setup? and something. have to check again. 1st time, i made some changes but didn't save it. had to do it over again.

-
basically, i corrected some geometry issues and the overscan. i used my S&V dvd - the 16x9 test pattern.

Mod-Mod-World

It's here, my 36HS420 is here!!

I'm gonna answer my own question, and provide a review too.
First off, this TV is awesome! It's a HUGE upgrade from my previous TV (that only had one crappy composite connection in the back).

Standard cable: I was expecting the worst, and I am pleasantly surprised. All I have is the bare bones, cord coming from the wall, directly into the set. Overall, it looks just fine. Some channels do look crappy, and some look very good. Sometimes the actual show will look bad, but the commercials look really clear on the same channel....go figure.
Obviously, it's the same quality cable I'm used to from my old set, only the HD set really shows the limitations of the analog feed. The 4 different display modes (vivid, standard, movie, pro) REALLY help since the quality varies from channel to channel.
The SD cable is not nearly as bad as some have claimed.

DVD: WOW, stunning!!! I have a progressive player hooked up, but I am letting the TV do the upscaling and using the player in interlace mode. It looks better by a small margin. (the progressive output made things look too dark). Movies are crystal clear, it's a little trippy. You can sit *inches* from the screen and it's still extremely crisp and clear.

HD signals: I will have to come back to edit this section, I don't have a HD source right now, but if it looks anything like the DVDs..........

Service Menu changes: First off, it does looks really good right out of the box. I did go in and fix the red push (RYR to 13 (from 8), RYB to 15 (from 9), GYR to 5 (from 9), and GYB to 6 (from 6).

The geometry also looks good. The left side bottom ever-so-slighty slopes down. Hardly noticeable. I played around (carefully) in the geometry section, and it looks like I can correct this, but I am waiting for the Avia disk first before I make any saved changes.

Everything else: The TV is BIG. It looks way bigger at home than in the store. If I squint, it looks like I have a fireplace. I thought I liked the 510 cabinet a little better, but I feel this new one is little bit more low-profile (which is a good thing considering its size and my small San Francisco apartment).
There are a million inputs in the back (and 2 in th front). Take your pick.

I orginally considered getting the widescreen 34", but I watch a lot of old movies and other 4:3 material. With this model, I get basically the same size widescreen picture as the 34", with the added bonus of a jumbo 4:3 picture, so this will really work out for me.

I think that's all I have to say for the moment. If you can't tell, I'm thrilled with this purchase, no regrets whatsoever.