| Author |
Calibrating KDF-55XS955 |
boulderskies
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Dec 31, 2002
Posts: 760
From: Phoenix, Arizona
 |  Posted: 2005-02-22 15:44
I am embarrassed to ask this but what is "black crush?"
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SONY KDF-55XS955
SONY STR-DA5300ES Receiver
SONY BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Player
Scientific Atlanta Explorer HD Cable Box
Sub: Velodyne SPL-1500R
Center: JAMO
Fronts: B&W 805
Surround L & R: Def Tech BP2X
Surround Back: Def Tech Ceiling
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jehill
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Senior Advisor
Joined: Mar 13, 2003
Posts: 13793
From: Sewell, NJ
 | Posted: 2005-02-22 19:10
Don't be embarrassed! I don't know what it is either!
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-John
Sony A/V System: KDL-55XBR8, BDP-S550, AVD-C700ES Super Audio CD/DVD Receiver, 4 SS-LA500ED surround speakers, 1 SS-LAC505ED center channel speaker and 1 SA-WD200 Active Subwoofer
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jttar
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Master
Joined: Feb 28, 2003
Posts: 9156
From: Chicago,IL, USA
 | Posted: 2005-02-22 23:39
boulderskies,
For lack of better definition, "black crush" is when the dark parts of scenes just become all black (loss of greyscale) with little distinction between different shades of black. There can be any color of "crush" including white.
Joe
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xfirej
Rank: Sony Fan
Joined: Nov 17, 2004
Posts: 5
From:
 | Posted: 2005-02-23 21:55
On 2004-12-21 12:34, boulderskies wrote:
As some of you know, I am the proud, new owner of a SONY KDF-55XS955. I've just loved this set, both in SD and HD and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a bright, sharp and reasonably priced rear-projection LCD set. Warning: do NOT view Discovery Theatre HD at the store if you are unsure about buying! You will be forced to buy one immediately.
Anyway, I decided to experiment with the Sound and Vision Home Theatre DVD on a SONY progressive scan DVD player . Calibrating the basics (tone, brightness, contrast) was a piece of cake. However, when I accessed the Advanced Menu features of this DVD, I was presented with a variety of images presumably used to calibrate. However, there was no way to actually do the calibration with the controls available.
Should I dare access the Service Menu of the KDF-55XS955? How do I access it?
Scott
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xfirej
Rank: Sony Fan
Joined: Nov 17, 2004
Posts: 5
From:
| Posted: 2005-02-23 21:57
No use the dvd it is good enough for most
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xfirej
Rank: Sony Fan
Joined: Nov 17, 2004
Posts: 5
From:
| Posted: 2005-05-01 20:36
leave your mitts off of it and use the disk video essentials works great
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drcandon
Rank: Sony Buff
Joined: Mar 21, 2005
Posts: 18
From: Canada
 | Posted: 2005-05-16 10:44
Hey Everyone...just a word of warning, especially if you are a proud Canadian owner is the voiding of the warranty...I could get a ISF guy in to meddle with the service menu and yep it probably would be better, but as I found out in Canada anyways, it voids the warranty..now it is possible ( in the service menu on the XS series of sets) to do a factory reset...before the warranty guy comes in, but to pay $400 canuck bucks to have an ISF guy in then to have to reset it for warranty is just toooooo much. Sound and Vision also puts out a resonable callibration DVD as well. I have one of these and by using both callibration DVD's and the using power saver mode and fiddling with the pro settings and also the "warm" setting as well, I came 99% close to my XBR CRT..so I am happy with that. What I do like is that the XBR does not seem to have the definition into back like these TV's do, so in a way that is better.
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boulderskies
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Dec 31, 2002
Posts: 760
From: Phoenix, Arizona
| Posted: 2005-05-16 10:52
Interesting.
Can someone explain how the Power Saver mode works and what the advantages of using it are?
Thank you.
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SONY KDF-55XS955
SONY STR-DA5300ES Receiver
SONY BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Player
Scientific Atlanta Explorer HD Cable Box
Sub: Velodyne SPL-1500R
Center: JAMO
Fronts: B&W 805
Surround L & R: Def Tech BP2X
Surround Back: Def Tech Ceiling
|
jttar
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Master
Joined: Feb 28, 2003
Posts: 9156
From: Chicago,IL, USA
| Posted: 2005-05-16 22:16
Hello boulderskies,
It is my understanding that the Power Saving setting when set to "Reduced" cuts down the power to the lamp. Supposedly, this makes the picture a little darker but is also said to improve the black level detail. I believe that I read that using the "Reduced" setting will prolong bulb life. I have tried it set to "Standard" and "Reduced" on my set but couldn't see that much of a difference. I leave mine set at "Reduced"
Joe
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drcandon
Rank: Sony Buff
Joined: Mar 21, 2005
Posts: 18
From: Canada
| Posted: 2005-05-17 10:03
re: reduced power mode...
According to the two Sony guys I had to come in and do a repair/replacement on my TV ( subject of another post) the reduced mode saves about 30% on bulb life and correspondingly reduces light output only by about 15%. These guys apparently got a Sony service note on the subject and Sony recommends to all techs that they inform the customers of this during a warranty repair visit. Apparently according to them ( and the Sony service bulletin)it also increases the life of the lamp driver and video driver board as well. A decrease in 15% light output would be the equivalent ( roughly) of turning down the brightness control about 3 notches. Since the brightness/contrst control on any TV is not truly linear that is why it appears to have very little effect. The only real difference is if you take it out of vivid mode and put it into pro mode. But then if you calibrate using the various calibration DVD's out there, you will gain back a lot of the perceived light/black level output...LCD tv's handle this kind of stuff better than CRT's even though CRT's are supposed to handle lower black levels better..All I can say is compared to my XBR and after calibration, playing a dark movie like Underworld or Hellboy you can see the black detail on the LCD but not on the XBR (my XBR is a bit old though so the tube could be weaking)...
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boulderskies
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Dec 31, 2002
Posts: 760
From: Phoenix, Arizona
| Posted: 2005-05-17 11:04
Thanks guys. Very informative replies.
I will experiement with the Reduced setting. Since I first configured the set, I've been running Vivid Mode with the brightness cranked almost all the way up. This undoubtedly is a cardinal sin and will reduce lamp life, but anything less caused a distinct lack of clarity, crispness and clarity. The only ill effects I see are when there are light lines on a dark surface (ie: salt and pepper colored hair on someone's head). There is definitely distorting but I put up with it because it doesnt happen very often.
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SONY KDF-55XS955
SONY STR-DA5300ES Receiver
SONY BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Player
Scientific Atlanta Explorer HD Cable Box
Sub: Velodyne SPL-1500R
Center: JAMO
Fronts: B&W 805
Surround L & R: Def Tech BP2X
Surround Back: Def Tech Ceiling
|
jttar
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Master
Joined: Feb 28, 2003
Posts: 9156
From: Chicago,IL, USA
| Posted: 2005-05-17 22:54
boulderskies,
Considering that you have been using vivid mode with the brightness cranked up, after you change to "Standard" or "Pro" mode give your eyes and brain a week of adjusting to the new settings. At first it will seem too dark but after your eye's adjust to the new settings you will notice more detail and truer colors.
Joe
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boulderskies
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Dec 31, 2002
Posts: 760
From: Phoenix, Arizona
| Posted: 2005-05-18 09:56
I checked my settings last nite and I was a bit off in my previous posts. Actually, the brightness is up only about half. Its the "picture" setting that's cranked almost all the way up. Anything less and the things get dull in a hurry. And this is with the "vivid" setting.
I carefully went thru the video 1, 2 and DVD modes and they were all about the same, so at least I was being consistent.
Joe, your sage advice is well taken but I think my settings are due to the fact that the TV is in a relatively light room, with glass sliding doors to the outside nearby.
Also, I dont find any power saving settings in any menu. Where the heck are they?
-----------------
SONY KDF-55XS955
SONY STR-DA5300ES Receiver
SONY BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Player
Scientific Atlanta Explorer HD Cable Box
Sub: Velodyne SPL-1500R
Center: JAMO
Fronts: B&W 805
Surround L & R: Def Tech BP2X
Surround Back: Def Tech Ceiling
|
jttar
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Master
Joined: Feb 28, 2003
Posts: 9156
From: Chicago,IL, USA
| Posted: 2005-05-18 22:20
On 2005-05-18 09:56, boulderskies wrote:
Also, I dont find any power saving settings in any menu. Where the heck are they?
Scott,
On my WF655, the Power Saving menu is in the Video menu of the Setup Menu. I got out my manual to give you a step by step path and noticed that there is a sidebar that says: "Power Saving is available for WF655 series only." Now, my owners manual covers the WF655 and the WE655 series so it is telling me that the WE655 series doesn't have the Power Saving capability. Check your manual or the TV's menu ( under video setup) to see if the XS955 series has this feature. It will be the last item in the Video menu, right past "Noise Reduction" and "Mild Mode".
Joe
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boulderskies
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Dec 31, 2002
Posts: 760
From: Phoenix, Arizona
| Posted: 2005-05-19 11:02
Joe,
First, thanks for your time on this.
I researched the owners manual for my KDF-55XS955 and it does in fact show a Power Saving Mode in the Video Menu, just past the Mild Setting. But it looks like its on a second page of the menu or something so I'll just have to experiment. Its definitely not on the first page of the Video menu. Or-it could be turned off when the set is in Vivid mode, which mine is.
One way or another, I'll get to the bottom of it.
S.
-----------------
SONY KDF-55XS955
SONY STR-DA5300ES Receiver
SONY BDP-S550 Blu-Ray Player
Scientific Atlanta Explorer HD Cable Box
Sub: Velodyne SPL-1500R
Center: JAMO
Fronts: B&W 805
Surround L & R: Def Tech BP2X
Surround Back: Def Tech Ceiling
|
