New Sony 30XS955: Too much Bang for Too Little Buck?

[PGHammer]

This new Sony model has shown up on my radar (and at my local BB). The reason it's on the radar is because of the absolute kick-butt PQ it shares with Sony's other XS models, it's a 16:9 model, and it supports CableCARD (it's the only 30" CRT that supports CC). The feature set makes it a near-perfect TV for bedroom use (non-master bedroom). Has anybody pulled the trigger on one? What are the plusses/minuses? What calibration DVDs (available from BB, naturally, since I want to buy the calibration DVD where I'm buying the set!) should I add to the mix?

[CrocHunter]

Either avia or DVE for the calibration discs.

[voodoogmr]

I just picked one up last week. I had originally bought a Phillips 9100, which developed a horrible image problem. I exchanged it for the Sony, and I really wish I had bought this first. It sure would have saved some back strain. heh

GOOD
- Picture quality is amazing. HD is crisp and clean, and SD sources (like DirecTV) look very good using the DRC function. Xbox games look better than I've ever seen (I also have an older Phillips HD set), with the 1080i games looking immaculate.

- Audio quality from the built-in speakers is very nice. The 15w sub actually adds a bit of thump, which I was surprised to hear. Of course, when watching HD, I use my AV receiver with the big 300w sub. The TV had optical audio output.

- Connections are done right. Both component inputs will accept 480i/480p/720p/1080i, unlike the Phillips I returned. Only one of it's component inputs would accept ED/HD. Plenty of composite/S-video inputs, plus 2 separate RF inputs for OTA and cable. You can also hide the inputs you don't use so you don't have to cycle through them. Very nice. There is also an HDMI input as well as CableCard support as mentioned. The HDMI input will be nice when I finally upgrade to DirecTV HD.

- Input memory! You can have different settings for each input, including the tuner and Memory Stick. This is a godsend. Unlike my Phillips, I can now calibrate each source independently to maximize PQ on everything. Thank you Sony!

- Excellent OSD. The menu is very easy to navigate and has nice, crisp text. You can also select different background colors if you so desire. I prefer the default semi-transparent one. You can also assign names to the video inputs using the built-in list.

- You can turn off Scan Velocity Modulation in the menu! Unlike having to clip wires on the Phillips, the Sony gives you 4 options for the "ClearEdge VM". I turned it off for SD sources, and set it to "Low" for HD. Much better now.

- It just looks cool :)

BAD

- This thing is big and heavy! It's deeper than the Phillips and is taller. I had to trim some of the backing off of the entertainment center so it would fit.

- No PIP, which some people like. I never use it, so it didn't bother me. But I thought I'd mention it.

- ATSC tuner seems to have poorer reception compared to the Phillips, though I didn't do extensive tests. It took some very fine adjustments of the antenna to get a decent signal. I'm about 20 miles from most towers, and my antenna is in the attic, so that doesn't help the situation any :)

- Out of the box, the image quality was horrendous. First thing to do is put the pciture mode on Standard or Pro and then calibrate. The default "Vivid" mode looked terrible. But really, this is fairly common with most TVs. Once calibrated, my jaw starting dropping.

Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with this TV. It is by far the best-looking TV I've ever owned. I got a great deal on it thanks to a Best Buy coupon I had, on top of the sale they had Memorial Day weekend.

[dwhite601]

I've had mine for about 5 weeks and am still impressed. I've feed it everything including progressive DVD's, 720 and 1080 Xbox, FX1 HiDef camcorder, MyHD tuner card, and even HDTV from my Nvidia 6600 GT graphics card. It rendered all inputs very well.

A true test of a TV's actual resolution is to display computer graphics at 1080x1920. If the fonts look as sharp as on your computer monitor, you're getting all the signal displayed. On the 30XS955, the fonts had some softening, but were still quite readable.

Voodoogmr is right, if you get one, turn off that 'Vivid' video setting. It makes the picture look so bad, you would wonder if the TV had been damaged in shipment! Setting it to Pro and increasing the brightness gave a much better picture.

David

[PGHammer]

[QUOTE=voodoogmr]I just picked one up last week. I had originally bought a Phillips 9100, which developed a horrible image problem. I exchanged it for the Sony, and I really wish I had bought this first. It sure would have saved some back strain. heh

GOOD
- Picture quality is amazing. HD is crisp and clean, and SD sources (like DirecTV) look very good using the DRC function. Xbox games look better than I've ever seen (I also have an older Phillips HD set), with the 1080i games looking immaculate.

- Audio quality from the built-in speakers is very nice. The 15w sub actually adds a bit of thump, which I was surprised to hear. Of course, when watching HD, I use my AV receiver with the big 300w sub. The TV had optical audio output.

- Connections are done right. Both component inputs will accept 480i/480p/720p/1080i, unlike the Phillips I returned. Only one of it's component inputs would accept ED/HD. Plenty of composite/S-video inputs, plus 2 separate RF inputs for OTA and cable. You can also hide the inputs you don't use so you don't have to cycle through them. Very nice. There is also an HDMI input as well as CableCard support as mentioned. The HDMI input will be nice when I finally upgrade to DirecTV HD.

- Input memory! You can have different settings for each input, including the tuner and Memory Stick. This is a godsend. Unlike my Phillips, I can now calibrate each source independently to maximize PQ on everything. Thank you Sony!

- Excellent OSD. The menu is very easy to navigate and has nice, crisp text. You can also select different background colors if you so desire. I prefer the default semi-transparent one. You can also assign names to the video inputs using the built-in list.

- You can turn off Scan Velocity Modulation in the menu! Unlike having to clip wires on the Phillips, the Sony gives you 4 options for the "ClearEdge VM". I turned it off for SD sources, and set it to "Low" for HD. Much better now.

- It just looks cool :)

BAD

- This thing is big and heavy! It's deeper than the Phillips and is taller. I had to trim some of the backing off of the entertainment center so it would fit.

- No PIP, which some people like. I never use it, so it didn't bother me. But I thought I'd mention it.

- ATSC tuner seems to have poorer reception compared to the Phillips, though I didn't do extensive tests. It took some very fine adjustments of the antenna to get a decent signal. I'm about 20 miles from most towers, and my antenna is in the attic, so that doesn't help the situation any :)

- Out of the box, the image quality was horrendous. First thing to do is put the pciture mode on Standard or Pro and then calibrate. The default "Vivid" mode looked terrible. But really, this is fairly common with most TVs. Once calibrated, my jaw starting dropping.

Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with this TV. It is by far the best-looking TV I've ever owned. I got a great deal on it thanks to a Best Buy coupon I had, on top of the sale they had Memorial Day weekend.[/QUOTE]


Taking your points one at a time:

GOOD

1. I'll be using both HD cable and my DVD player (progressive-scan) as input sources. The fact that I *can* use both is a definite plus. Unlike the HS models, the XS models have built-in Dolby Digital *and* SRS TruSurround XT support. Since I am seriously considering an external decoder (because of my DVD player, which also supports optical-out) I will need one with multiple optical *inputs*.

2. The fact that the sound is solid means that my wait won't be as painful as I would think.

3. Completely *separate* RF inputs for OTA and cable? AND an HDMI input as well? And my PC happens to support DVI-out....

4/5/6. Expected, expected, expected. This *is* a Sony, after all.

BAD

1. The weight issue: Planned for. It's going into an existing cabinet.

2. PIP: Non-issue.

3. ATSC tuner: Also a non-issue.

4. That is what calibration settings and discs are for.

[praveensg]

Voodoogmr,
Any geometry issues with 4:3 display? Discoloration? How is 480i and 480p playback? I had read somewhere that DRC converts 480i to 960i or 480p? Is that true?

[voodoogmr]

[QUOTE=praveensg]Voodoogmr,
Any geometry issues with 4:3 display? Discoloration? How is 480i and 480p playback? I had read somewhere that DRC converts 480i to 960i or 480p? Is that true?[/QUOTE]
If there are any geometry issues, they aren't noticable to my eyes. There may be an ever so slight amount of pincushioning, but without a real calibration disc, I can't tell. I don't have Avia or DVE yet. I did notice that the ClearEdge VM function caused a lot of tearing on vertical lines on SD sources. Once I turned it off, everything was nice and clean.

Yes, it does convert 480i to 960i and 480p. The manual states "Unlike conventional line doublers, the DRC Multifunction feature replaces the signal's NTSC waveform with the near-HD equivalent, while doubling the number of vertical and horizontal lines." It does an amazing job with DirecTV and older video game consoles. It is especially noticable on text and motion graphics, which look nearly as crisp and clean as HD. Of course, it doesn't do miracles. Poor-quality channels like our local UPN station still look beyond nasty. But compared to my older Philips HDTV, it's a very noticable improvement.

[AVjam]

This is the same 30xs955 that came out last year right? Just wondering why it's referred to as "new model". Anyway, I got mine back in January and it still rocks.

[RandyWalters]

[QUOTE=AVjam]This is the same 30xs955 that came out last year right? Just wondering why it's referred to as "new model". Anyway, I got mine back in January and it still rocks.[/QUOTE]

Yeah it's the same one that was released last year. Dunno why someone would refer to it as a new model since it's a 2004 model. Sony is not making any new widescreen tubes for 2005, they're just carrying over their current widescreen sets for another year.

[kleptophobiac]

Bedrooms need tv's?

[RandyWalters]

[QUOTE=kleptophobiac]Bedrooms need tv's?[/QUOTE]

Porn :D

[subysouth]

[QUOTE=dwhite601]A true test of a TV's actual resolution is to display computer graphics at 1080x1920. If the fonts look as sharp as on your computer monitor, you're getting all the signal displayed. On the 30XS955, the fonts had some softening, but were still quite readable.

David[/QUOTE]

I think I know the reason for this suggestion but I had a couple of questions:

How would you get 1920x1080 into the set? Interlaced or progressive?

Can you see how no matter how well you set that up most any computer monitor will always win?

ss

[kny3twalker]

How would you get 1920x1080 into the set? Interlaced or progressive?

interlaced of course
thats what I use (1920x1080i)
and the horrible flicker (well not that bad but after a hour or so of reading with even large text will give a headache) and default small text
make using it as a monitor pointless IMO

I use mine for light gaming and tons of PVRing, DVDs and as soon as my HDTV card gets here HD PVRing from my HTPC


furthermore the flicker makes text, most probably, seem softer than if it was not present

[Jediphish]

[QUOTE=praveensg]Voodoogmr,
Any geometry issues with 4:3 display? Discoloration? How is 480i and 480p playback? I had read somewhere that DRC converts 480i to 960i or 480p? Is that true?[/QUOTE]

I've had this set for about a month. I used the THX calibrator on a Star Wars DVD to calibrate (will have an ISF technician come out in a few weeks for $150).

On the 16:9 screen on the THX calibrator that displays a circle with a rectangle around it, the left side vertical lines of the rectangle were "off screen." This set provides tilt and vertical corrections from the main menu, but horizontal shifts had to be done from the service menu. I followed the service menus and codes thread from this forum and fixed it in about 2 minutes. I also fixed a slight bow that was occurring when I displayed 4:3 material, again using the service menu.

I was really surprised how easy the service menu was to use. My set looks great. I've used Avia and DVE before on a previous set, but do not own copies, so I haven't performed a more extensive calibration on this set.

I've been considering taking this TV back to get the larger 34 inch Toshiba, because the Toshiba is the largest diagonal set that will fit into my cabinet, but the stunning quality of the Sony will likely keep me from making the switch. Supposedly the HD and DVD pics on the Toshiba are great, but SD material is not as good as Sony's (I guess meaning the DRC function works!)

Pick one up today!

[subysouth]

[QUOTE=kny3twalker]interlaced of course
thats what I use (1920x1080i)
and the horrible flicker (well not that bad but after a hour or so of reading with even large text will give a headache) and default small text
make using it as a monitor pointless IMO

I use mine for light gaming and tons of PVRing, DVDs and as soon as my HDTV card gets here HD PVRing from my HTPC


furthermore the flicker makes text, most probably, seem softer than if it was not present[/QUOTE]

kny, I havent put together a computer in about 3 years, is 1920x1080i now a common ouptut resolution for most of the newer video cards?

ss

[kny3twalker]

on the new generation nvidia cards over DVI and component output
yes (some older cards have trouble)

on ATI cards over component
yes (for quite a while)

on DVI on a new generation ATI
not until August will the drivers be updated (then it will be nice to see how the older hardware does)

and I am using a 6800 standard edition with DVI output to HDMI in on the TV

also 1280x720p is available

furthermore there is overscan compensation
I only using this when gaming (I use 720p underscanned resolution)
as I do not surf on the TV

[subysouth]

[QUOTE=kny3twalker]on the new generation nvidia cards over DVI and component output
yes (some older cards have trouble)

on ATI cards over component
yes (for quite a while)

on DVI on a new generation ATI
not until August will the drivers be updated (then it will be nice to see how the older hardware does)

and I am using a 6800 standard edition with DVI output to HDMI in on the TV

also 1280x720p is available

furthermore there is overscan compensation
I only using this when gaming (I use 720p underscanned resolution)
as I do not surf on the TV[/QUOTE]


Thanks kny, great info.

ss