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2-678-575-11(2)

LCD Digital Color TV

Operating Instructions

KDL-40XBR2 KDL-46XBR2

2006 Sony Corporation

KDL-40XBR3 KDL-46XBR3

KDL-40XBR2/KDL-46XBR2/KDL-40XBR3/KDL-46XBR3 2-678-575-11(2)
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Owners Record

The model and serial numbers are located at the rear of the TV. Record these numbers in the spaces provided below. Refer to them whenever you call upon your Sony dealer regarding this product.

Model No. Serial No.

For Your Convenience
Please contact Sony directly if you:
Have questions on the use of your television after reading your manual Experience difficulty operating your television
Contact Sony Customer Support at: http://www.sony.com/tvsupport
or to speak with a support representative: United States 1-800-222-SONY (7669) 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM (EST) Mon - Fri 10:30 AM - 7:15 PM (EST) Sat - Sun Canada 1-877-899-SONY (7669) 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Eastern) 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Western)
Sony will work to resolve your questions more quickly than your retailer or place of purchase.
Please Do Not Return the Product to the Store
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WARNING

To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

NOTIFICATION

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: s s s Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN

ATTENTION

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS OUVRIR

PRECAUCION

RIESGO DE CHOQUE ELECTRICO NO ABRIR
If the TV is transported directly from a cold to a warm location, or if the room temperature changes suddenly, the picture may be blurred or show poor color due to moisture condensation. In this case, please wait a few hours to let the moisture evaporate before turning on the TV. To obtain the best picture, do not expose the screen to direct illumination or direct sunlight. It is recommended to use spot lighting directed down from the ceiling or to cover the windows that face the screen with opaque drapery. It is desirable to install the TV in a room where the floor and walls are not of a reflective material.

This television includes a QAM demodulator which should allow you to receive unscrambled digital cable television programming via subscription service to a cable service provider. Availability of digital cable television programming in your area depends on the type of programming and signal provided by your cable service provider.
Declaration of Conformity
Trade Name: SONY Model: KDL-40XBR2/KDL-46XBR2/ KDL-40XBR3/KDL-46XBR3 Responsible Party: Sony Electronics Inc. Address: 16530 Via Esprillo San Diego, CA 92127 U.S.A. Telephone Number: 858-942-2230 This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. s

Installing

(Continued)

Trademark Information

TruSurround XT, SRS and ( ) symbol are trademarks of SRS Labs, Inc. TruSurround XT technology is incorporated under license from SRS Labs, Inc. Manufactured under license from BBE Sound, Inc. Licensed by BBE Sound, Inc. under one or more of the following US patents: 5510752, 5736897. BBE and BBE symbol are registered trademarks of BBE Sound, Inc. Macintosh is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S.A and other countries. Blu-ray Disc is a trademark. BRAVIA and are trademarks of Sony Corporation.
Important Safety Instructions
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. 8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. 9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. 10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. 11) Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. 12) Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

This TV incorporates High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) technology. HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. 14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
For the TV with a three-wire grounding type AC power cord plug (Class 1 unit)
This TV must be connected to an AC power socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.
grounding conductors, location of antenna discharge unit, connection to grounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding electrode.
Antenna Grounding According to the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70

AC power cord

If you damage the AC power cord, it may result in a fire or an electric shock. If the AC power cord is damaged, stop using it and ask your dealer or Sony service center to exchange it. s s s s s s s s Do not place the TV where the power cord is subject to wear or abuse. Do not pinch, bend, or twist the cord excessively. The core lines may be bared and cut, and cause a short-circuit, resulting in a fire or an electric shock. Do not convert or damage the power cord. Do not allow anything to rest on or roll over the power cord. Do not pull the power cord. Do not move the TV with the power cord plugged in. Keep the power cord away from heat sources. Be sure to grasp the plug when disconnecting the power cord. Antenna lead-in wire Ground clamps Antenna discharge unit (NEC Section 810-20) Electric service equipment Grounding conductors (NEC Section 810-21) Ground clamps Power service grounding electrode system (NEC Art 250 Part H)
NEC: National Electrical Code

BATTERIES

Wall outlet
Do not use a poor fitting outlet. Insert the plug fully into the outlet. If it is loose, it may cause arcing and result in a fire. Contact your electrician to have the outlet changed. s s s Do not dispose of batteries in a fire. Do not short circuit, disassemble or overheat the batteries. Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or equivalent type.

When installing the TV using a stand, allow this much space: s
4 inches (10 cm) 4 inches (10 cm)
Leave at least this much space. Never install the TV as follows: Air circulation is blocked. Air circulation is blocked.

INSTALLATION

When installing or removing, using the Wall-Mount Bracket, be sure to use qualified contractors. Wall mount installation requires the use of a Wall-Mount Bracket. If not properly secured during installation or removal from the Wall-Mount Bracket, the TV may fall and cause serious injury. Please use a qualified contractor when installing or removing.
Placing on a stable surface
If you place the TV on an unstable surface, the TV may fall and cause injury or damage.
Do not hang anything on the TV. The TV may fall from the stand or wall-mount, causing damage or serious injury.

Placement for viewing

It is recommended to watch the TV at a distance of 3 - 7 times that of the screen height, and in moderate brightness. Watching the TV for too long or in a dark room may cause eye fatigue.

Attachments

Do not use attachments not recommended by the manufacturer, as they may cause hazards.

Optional wall mount

Observe the following when installing the TV using a wall-mount bracket. If the TV is not secured properly, it may fall and cause injury. s Be sure to follow the operating instructions supplied with the wall-mount bracket when installing the TV. Be sure to attach the brackets supplied with the wall-mount bracket. Do not hang the TV from the ceiling. It may fall and cause serious injury.

VOLUME ADJUSTMENT

s Adjust the volume so as not to trouble your neighbors. Sound carries very easily at night. Therefore, closing the windows or using headphones is suggested. When using headphones, adjust the volume so as to avoid excessive levels, as hearing damage may result.

Outdoor use

Do not install this TV outdoors. If the TV is exposed to rain, it may result in a fire or an electric shock. If the TV is exposed to direct sunlight, the TV may heat up and cause damage to the TV.

LCD SCREEN

s Although the LCD screen is made with high-precision technology and has effective pixels of 99.99% or more, black dots or bright points of light (red, blue, or green) may appear constantly on the LCD screen. This is a structural property of the LCD panel and is not a malfunction. Do not expose the LCD screen surface to direct sun light. Doing so may damage the LCD panel. Do not push or scratch the LCD screen, or place objects on top of the TV. The image may be uneven or the LCD panel may be damaged. If the TV is used in a cold place, a smear may occur in the picture or the picture may become dark. This does not indicate a failure. These phenomenon improve as the temperature rises. Ghosting may occur when still pictures are displayed continuously. It should disappear after a few moments. The screen and cabinet get warm when the TV is in use. This is not a malfunction. Avoid spraying insect repellent with volatile material on the screen. Avoid prolonged contact with rubber or plastic made material.

Upon completion of any service or repairs to the TV, ask the service technician to perform routine safety checks (as specified by the manufacturer) to determine that the TV is in safe operating condition, and to so certify. Should the TV not be repairable, ask a qualified service technician to dispose of the TV.

DISPOSAL OF THE TV

s s Do not dispose of the TV with general household waste. The LCD contains a small amount of liquid crystal. The fluorescent tube used in this display also contains mercury. Follow your local ordinances and regulations for disposal.
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Contents

Getting Started
TM Welcome to the World of...11 Connecting the TV....11 Cable System and VHF/UHF Antenna System..11 Cable Box/Digital Cable Box and Antenna...12 Cable Box/Digital Cable Box...12 Satellite Receiver and Cable/Antenna...13 VCR and Cable....14 VCR and Cable Box/Digital Cable Box...15 When Connecting to Optional Equipment..16 Installing the TV....18 Preventing the TV from Toppling Over...18 Bundling the Connecting Cables...18 When Installing on a Wall...19 Setting Up the Channel List Initial Setup...20

Basic Operations

Remote Control....21 Programming the Remote Control...25 Using Other Equipment with Your Remote Control..27 TV Controls....30

Using the Menus

Overview of MENU....31 Picture Settings....33 Sound Settings....35 Screen Settings....37 Channel Settings...39 Parental Lock Settings...40 Setup Settings....43 PC Settings....46

Other Information

Troubleshooting....48 PC Input Signal Reference Chart....51 Specifications.....52 Index.....53
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Welcome to the World of

Thank you for purchasing this Sony LCD Digital Color TV. This manual is for models KDL-40XBR2, KDL-46XBR2, KDL-40XBR3 and KDL-46XBR3. The packing box contains accessories that are listed on page 52.

Connecting the TV

To display clear crisp pictures, you must connect your TV correctly and select the correct Wide Mode to display the picture in the correct aspect ratio (see Changing the Wide Screen Mode on page 24). It is strongly recommended that you connect the antenna/cable input using the supplied 75-ohm coaxial cable to receive optimum picture quality signal. A 300-ohm twin lead cable can be easily affected by radio noise and the like, resulting in signal deterioration. If you use a 300-ohm twin lead cable, keep it as far away from the TV as possible. You can also connect a variety of optional equipment to your TV (see page 16). For multiple equipment connections, please refer to the separate Quick Setup Guide.

Cable System and VHF/UHF Antenna System

Antenna cable

CATV cable
Press ANT to switch between VHF/UHF and cable.
Cable Box/Digital Cable Box and Antenna
z To change channels using the cable box, set your TV to channel 3 or 4 depending on the cable box channel output.

Use this hookup if

Your cable company scrambles some channels, such as premium
channels. Viewing all channels requires a cable box.
You do not intend to hook up any other audio or video equipment to

your TV.

IN OUT

Cable box Antenna cable

Coaxial cable

Rear of TV

VHF/UHF
Cable Box/Digital Cable Box
To set up the TV remote control, see Programming the Remote Control on page 25. Press SAT/CABLE to begin operating the cable box with the remote control (see page 27). The indicator will light up. Press ANT to switch between VHF/UHF and cable.
You subscribe to a cable TV system that uses scrambled or encoded
signals requiring a cable box to view all channels, and

CATV cable Coaxial cable

Cable box
To set up the TV remote control, see Programming the Remote Control on page 25. Press SAT/CABLE to begin operating the cable box with the remote control (see page 27). The indicator will light up.
Satellite Receiver and Cable/Antenna
RGB DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL)
CATV cable Antenna cable Satellite receiver

Y S VIDEO

L AUDIO R

VIDEO L

(MONO)

L AUDIO

AUDIO R

VIDEO IN

HD/DVD IN

(1080i/720p/480p/480i)

AUDIO OUT

(VAR/FIX)

S VIDEO
VIDEO (yellow) AUDIO-L (white) AUDIO-R (red)

Satellite antenna cable

A/V cable

S VIDEO cable

If your satellite receiver is not equipped with S VIDEO, use a VIDEO cable (yellow) instead of the S VIDEO cable.

VCR and Cable

Y S VIDEO PB PR L AUDIO R

DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL)

Splitter CATV cable
VIDEO (yellow) AUDIO-L (white) AUDIO-R (red) VCR

Coaxial cable A/V cable

If your VCR is not equipped with S VIDEO, use a VIDEO cable (yellow) instead of the S VIDEO cable.

VCR and Cable Box/ Digital Cable Box
RGB Y S VIDEO PB PR L AUDIO R

L AUDIO AUDIO R

Splitter
If your VCR is not equipped with S VIDEO, use a VIDEO cable (yellow) instead of the S VIDEO cable. If you are connecting a digital cable box, you will need a special bidirectional splitter designed to work with your cable box.
When Connecting to Optional Equipment

Left side

R AUDIO L (MONO) VIDEO VIDEO IN 2

For service use only

L AUDIO AUDIO
RGB Y DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL)

Item Description

1 Headphones jack Connects to your headphones. If your headphones do not match the jack, use a suitable plug adapter (not supplied). 2 VIDEO IN 2 Connect to the composite video and audio output jacks on your camcorder or other video R-AUDIOequipment such as video game equipment. L (MONO)/VIDEO If you have mono equipment, connect its audio output jack to the TVs L (MONO) 3 HDMI IN HDMI IN 7/8 HDMI AUDIO IN/ L-R
audio input jack. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) provides an uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface between this TV and any HDMI-equipped audio/video equipment, such as a set-top box, Blu-ray DiscTM Player, DVD player, and A/V receiver. HDMI supports enhanced, or high-definition video, plus digital audio. If the equipment has a DVI jack and not an HDMI jack, connect the DVI jack to the HDMI IN 8 (with HDMI-to-DVI cable or adapter) jack, and connect the audio jack to the AUDIO IN(L/R) jacks of HDMI IN 8. (DVI connector is for video signals only.)
HDMI-to-DVI cable Getting Started

HDMI adapter

Audio cable
5 AC IN 6 VIDEO IN 1 S VIDEO 7 VIDEO IN 1/4 VIDEO/L(MONO)AUDIO-R 8 HD/DVD IN 5/6 (1080i/720p/ 480p/480i)/ L-AUDIO-R
Be sure to use only an HDMI cable that bears the HDMI logo. Do not connect a PC to the TVs HDMI input. Use the PC IN (RGB IN) input instead when connecting a PC. HDMI connection is necessary to view 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p formats. Note that this TV displays all format types of picture in a resolution of 1,920 dots 1,080 lines.
Connects the supplied AC power cord. Connects to the S VIDEO output jack of your VCR or other video equipment that has S VIDEO. S VIDEO provides better picture quality than composite video (7). Connect to the composite video and audio output jacks on your A/V equipment such as a VCR or other video equipment. A third composite video and audio jacks (VIDEO 2) is located on the left side of the TV. Connect to your equipments component video (YPBPR) and audio (L/R) jacks. Component video provides better picture quality than the S VIDEO (6) or the composite video (7) connections.
Component video (YPBPR) connection is necessary to view 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i formats. Note that this TV displays all format types of picture in a resolution of 1,920 dots 1,080 lines.

If no code is input within the above specified time, or an invalid or incorrect code number is input, the remote control automatically goes back to the previous setting. In some cases, you may not be able to program your remote control to operate other equipment. In such cases, use the equipments own remote control.
Basic Operations Manufacturers Codes DVD Players
Manufacturer Sony General Electric/RCA Hitachi JVC Magnavox Mitsubishi Oritron Panasonic Philips Pioneer RCA/PROSCAN Samsung Toshiba Zenith Manufacturer Sony Broksonic JVC Panasonic Samsung Toshiba Zenith Manufacturer Sony Code 751, 757 752, 760, 762 Code 768 Code 770, 771, 772 Code Code 901 Code 101, 102, 103 Code 601, 602, 603, 604 Code 764 Code 301, 302, 303 (VHS, 8mm, Beta) Manufacturer Sony DV Admiral (M. Ward) Aiwa* Audio Dynamic Broksonic Canon Citizen Craig Curtis Mathes Daewoo DBX Dimensia Emerson Fisher Funai General Electric Go Video Goldstar Hitachi Instant Replay JC Penney JVC Kenwood LG LXI (SEARS) Magnavox Marantz Marta Memorex Minolta Mitsubishi/MGA Multitech NEC Olympic Optimus Orion Panasonic Pentax Philco Philips Pioneer Quasar RCA/PROSCAN Code 338, 344 314, 337 317, 319 308, 302, 332 304, 309, 338 309, 312, 341 314, 336, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 341 330, 304, 309, 329 322, 339, 304, 305, 306, 338 308, 309 304, 305, 309,314, 330, 336, 337 314, 336, 337, 345, 346, 347 314, 332, 336, 305, 330, 332, 335, 338 308, 309, 310 314, 336, 309, 335 304, 305 323, 324, 325, 326 321, 325, 338 314, 336, 337 308, 317 306, 307, 308, 309 304, 305 308, 309 308, 309, 306, 308, 309 304, 305, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 329 309, 324, 328, 330, 335, Manufacturer Samsung Sanyo Scott Sharp Signature 2000 (M. Ward) SV2000 Sylvania Symphonic Tashiro Tatung Teac Technics Toshiba Wards Yamaha Zenith Code 313, 321, 322 330, 335 312, 313, 321, 323, 324, 325, 326, 335 327, 328 327, 308, 309, 310, 332 314, 336, 337 314, 336, 337, 338 308, 309 311, 312 327, 328, 331, 332, 335 314, 330, 336, Code 230 222, 223, 224, 225, 226 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 218, 222 227, 228, 229 219, 220, 221 211, 214, 215 209, 210, 211 216, 217 212, 213 Code 802, 808 806, 807 812

Jump forward to the next available chapter Stop Pause Record Record stop Record pause

> x X z x X

TV Controls

CHANNEL

VOLUME
PIC OFF/TIMER STANDBY POWER

TV/VIDEO

1 POWER 2 CHANNEL +/ 3 VOLUME +/ 4 TV/VIDEO
Press to turn on and off the TV. Press to scan through channels. To scan quickly through channels, press and hold down either /+. In the MENU screen, these buttons serve as up/down buttons. Press to adjust the volume. In the MENU screen, these buttons serve as left/right buttons. Press to cycle through the video inputs. If you set a certain input to Skip in Label Video Inputs, then the input will not appear. For details, see page 43. In the MENU screen, this button serves as confirming the selection or setting.
Press to display MENU with TV functions and settings (see Overview of MENU on page 31). 5 MENU 6 PIC OFF/TIMER Lights up in green when Picture Off is activated. Lights up in orange when the timer is set. When the timer is set, this LED will remain lit even if the TV is turned off. For details, see LED page 44. STANDBY LED Lights up in red when your TV is in the PC standby mode. If the LED blinks in red 7 continuously, this may indicate the TV needs servicing (see contacting Sony information on page 2). Lights up in green when the TV is turned on. 8 POWER LED 9 (IR) Infrared Receiver/Light Sensor q; Speaker Receives IR signals from the remote control. Do not put anything near the sensor, as its function may be affected. Outputs the audio signal.
The CHANNEL + button has a tactile dot. Use it as a reference when operating the TV.
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Overview of MENU

MENU provides one-button access for controlling your TV. It enables you to perform a variety of tasks intuitively with a control panel on the screen rather than a variety of remote control button presses. When you press the MENU button, you can select from basic TV functions: External Inputs, Favorites, Cable, Antenna and Settings.

POWER TV POWER

1 Press MENU on the remote. 2 3
The MENU control panel appears. Press V/v to highlight the item. Press to select an option. Press MENU to exit.
A dot appears next to the icon of the currently active input (External Inputs, Cable, and Antenna only). When the TV is displaying the input from a connected PC, the menu only shows PC settings. For more information about PC settings, see page 46.

You can set up a Wide Mode (Wide Zoom, Normal, Full, Zoom) independently for the TV input and for each video input (Video 1 to Video 8). Your Wide Mode settings are automatically saved upon selection. For examples of each mode, see page 24. You can switch the Wide Mode settings by pressing the WIDE button on the remote control. Select to automatically change to the screen mode that is best for the current program. If frequent screen changes are disturbing to you, select Off. Select to turn off the Auto Wide option. Choose a screen mode from the Wide Mode option.

Auto Wide On

Using the Menus Option 4:3 Default Select the default screen mode to use for 4:3 sources. Description Wide Zoom Normal Full Zoom Off Select to enlarge the 4:3 picture, to fill the 16:9 screen, keeping the original image as much as possible. Select to display the 4:3 picture in its original size. Select to enlarge the 4:3 picture horizontally only, to fill the display area. Select to enlarge the picture horizontally and vertically to an equal aspect ratio that fills the wide screen. Select to continue using the current Wide Mode setting when the channel or input is changed. 4:3 Default is not available if Auto Wide is set to Off. If 4:3 Default is set to anything but Off, the Wide Mode setting changes only for the current channel. When you change channels (or inputs), Wide Mode is automatically replaced with the 4:3 Default setting. To retain the current Wide Mode setting as channels and inputs are changed, set 4:3 Default to Off. Select to display the picture for 1080i or 1080p sources in its original size. Select to display the picture in its standard size. Select to enlarge the picture to hide the edge of the picture.

Display Area

Allows you to adjust the screen area of the displayed image. Full Pixel Normal -1/-2
Horizontal Center Vertical Center Vertical Size
Allows you to move the position of the picture left and right. Press B/b and press to adjust. Allows you to move the position of the picture up and down. (Available only in Zoom.) to adjust. Press V/v and press Allows you to adjust the vertical size of the picture. (Available only in Wide Zoom and Zoom.) to adjust. Press V/v and press
Size adjustment is especially useful for Wide Zoom picture conditions such as news ticker information at the bottom or top of the screen.

Channel Settings

Channel
To display the Channel settings, see Navigating Through Settings (see page 32).
Favorite Channels Digital Channels Auto Program Show/Hide Channels Label Channels

Diagnostics

Option Favorite Channels
Lets you set up a list of up to 16 of your favorite channels. Press V/v to scroll to the slot you would like to edit. Enter your favorite channel number and press to apply and save. To select other favorite channel numbers, repeat steps 1 and 2.

Content-Based Ratings

Canadian Models: Selecting Custom Parental Lock Rating Options
To select custom rating options for Canada, select Canada in the Select Country setting (see page 41).

English Rating

C C8+ G PG 14+ 18+
All children. Children 8 years and older. General programming. Parental guidance. Viewers 14 and older. Adult programming. General programming. Not recommended for young children. Not recommended for ages under 13. Not recommended for ages under 16. Programming restricted to adults.

French Rating

G 8 ans+ 13 ans+ 16 ans+ 18 ans+

U.S.A. Rating

See TV Rating for US Models on page 41.

Viewing Blocked Programs

You can view blocked programs by entering the password. Press ENT when tuned to a blocked program, then enter the password. This temporarily turns the parental control feature off. To reactivate the Parental Lock settings, turn off the TV. When the TV is turned on again, your Parental Lock settings are reactivated.

Setup Settings

To display the Setup settings, see Navigating Through Settings (see page 32).
Caption Vision (CC) Info Banner Game Mode Color Matrix Label Video Inputs Clock/Timers Language Menu Color Power Saving

Off On Off Standard

English Blue Off
Option Caption Vision (CC)
Description Allows you to select from several closed-caption modes. On Off Program Caption Vision (CC) is turned on. Caption Vision (CC) is turned off. Allows you to set basic and advanced Caption Vision (CC) options. See Programming Caption Vision (CC) on page 45.

Info Banner

Set to On or Off. When On, displays the program name and the program information (if the broadcaster offers this service). Displays for few seconds when the channel is changed or the DISPLAY button is pressed. On Off Select to optimize for playing games. Select to turn off the Game Mode.

Game Mode Color Matrix

Allows you to reproduce the color-difference signals. It is recommended that you leave this at the factory default setting. Standard Custom Automatically optimize based on signal. If the tone of the picture from the input source is unnatural, select either ITU601 or ITU709, which normalizes the tone.

Label Video Inputs

Allows you to identify A/V equipment you connected to the TV, such as a VCR, DVD, etc. For example, if you have a DVD player connected to the VIDEO 4 jack, you can select the label DVD for the Video 4 input. Then when you press TV/VIDEO to change inputs, the video label you assigned to that input appears on screen. 1 Press V/v to highlight the video input (Video 1-9) to which you want to assign a label. Then press to select the input. 2 Press V/v to highlight one of the displayed labels. Then press to select the label. You can select from the following labels for each input: Video 1-8 Video 9 , DVD, Cable Box, Satellite, BD, VCR, Receiver, DVR, Game, Camcorder, Edit, Skip , PC, Skip

Be sure not to put anything around the sensor, as its function may be affected. See page 30 for information about the sensor. In low light the range of the backlight control is reduced when Light Sensor is set to On.
Using the Menus Option CineMotion Description Select Auto to optimize the screen display automatically detecting film content and applying a reverse 3-2 pulldown process. Moving pictures will appear clearer and more natural looking. Select Off to disable the detection.

Product Information

CineMotion is only available when you are watching 480i sources, except when the Freeze feature is in use.
Select to display the equipment information of your TV.
Programming Caption Vision (CC)
If you selected the Program option under Caption Vision (CC) (see page 43), you can change the following settings:
Option Basic Description Allows you to select basic analog (EIA-608) closed caption options. CC1, CC2, CC3, CC4 Text1, Text2, Text3, Text4 Digital CC Advanced Advanced Settings Displays a printed version of the dialog or sound effects of a program. (Should be set to CC1 for most programs.) Displays network/station information presented using either half or the whole screen (if available). Using the Menus
Allows you to set digital closed captioning to Basic (digital EIA-608) or Advanced (digital EIA-708). Allows you to select advanced digital (EIA-708) closed caption options. Select from the available options. Allows you to make additional settings for digital (EIA-708) closed caption options. Select from As Broadcast, Small Text, Large Text and Custom. Custom. Allows you to customize the following settings: Character Size Character Style Character Color Character Opacity Edge Color Edge Type Small, Standard, Large Style 1-7 Color 1-8 Solid, Translucent Color 1-8 None, Raised, Depressed, Outline, Left Shadow, Right Shadow None, Color 1-8 Solid, Translucent None, Color 1-8 Solid, Translucent
Background Color Background Opacity Window Color Window Opacity

PC Settings

Picture Display Mode Reset Backlight Picture Brightness Text Text
To display the PC settings, see Navigating Through Settings (see page 32).
Adjust the picture settings Resolution: 1024x768/60Hz

MENU Exit

Press TV/VIDEO to switch to another input. When you connect a PC to your TV for the first time, you may need to adjust the screen display. In such cases, perform Auto Adjustment or manually adjust Phase, Pitch, Horizontal Center, or Vertical Center in Others.

Screen size (measured diagonally):
KDL-40XBR2: 40 inches KDL-46XBR2: 46 inches KDL-40XBR3: 40 inches KDL-46XBR3: 46 inches

Panel System:

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Panel
Display resolution (horizontal vertical):

1,920 dots 1,080 lines

VIDEO IN 1/2/4:
S VIDEO (4-pin mini DIN) (VIDEO 1 only): Y: 1.0 Vp-p, 75 ohms unbalanced, sync negative C: 0.286 Vp-p (Burst signal), 75 ohms VIDEO: 1 Vp-p, 75 ohms unbalanced, sync negative AUDIO: 500 mVrms (100% modulation) Impedance: 47 kilohms
KDL-40XBR2: (with stand) 35.0 kg (77 lb. 3 oz.) (without stand) 30.0 kg (66 lb. 3 oz.) KDL-46XBR2: (with stand) 41.0 kg (90 lb. 7 oz.) (without stand) 36.0 kg (79 lb. 6 oz.) KDL-40XBR3: (with stand) 35.0 kg (77 lb. 3 oz.) (without stand) 30.0 kg (66 lb. 3 oz.) KDL-46XBR3: (with stand) 41.0 kg (90 lb. 7 oz.) (without stand) 36.0 kg (79 lb. 6 oz.)

HD/DVD IN 5/6:

YPBPR (Component Video): Y: 1.0 Vp-p, 75 ohms unbalanced, sync negative PB: 0.7 Vp-p, 75 ohms PR: 0.7 Vp-p, 75 ohms Signal format: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i AUDIO: 500 mVrms (100% modulation) Impedance: 47 kilohms

Supplied accessories:

Remote control RM-YD010 (KDL-40XBR2/46XBR2) (1) RM-YD013 (KDL-40XBR3/46XBR3) (1) Size AA batteries (2) 75-ohm coaxial cable (1) AC power cord (1) HD15-HD15 cable (1) Support belt (1), securing screw (1) and wood screw (1) Cable holder (1) Operating Instructions (1) Quick Setup Guide (1) Warranty Card (1) Online Registration Card (U.S.A. only) (1)

HDMI IN 3/7/8:

HDMI: Video: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p Audio: Two channel linear PCM 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz, 16, 20 and 24 bits AUDIO (for HDMI IN 8): 500 mVrms (100% modulation) Impedance: 47 kilohms

AUDIO OUT:

500 mVrms (100% modulation) (Fixed) 1 Vrms at the maximum volume setting (Variable)

DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL):

Optical Digital Audio Output (PCM/Dolby digital)

PC IN 9:

D-sub 15-pin, analog RGB, 0.7 Vp-p, 75 ohms, positive See the PC Input Signal Reference Chart on page 51

introducing a new HDMI interconnect featuring an HDMI 1.3 C-type mini connector to a standard A-type HDMI connector, which will be available in one-, two-, and three-meter lengths in early 2007, in time for the release of the new high-definition camcorders utilizing HDMI version 1.3. Phone Phoenix Gold at 1449 or visit them at www.phoenixgold.com to learn more. The Polaris universal projector mount from Premier Mounts is designed to fit most projectors that weigh less than ten pounds and features Premier Mounts exclusive MagnaGuide technology, which allows for quick-and-easy, one-person installation. Featuring the Lock-It Security System, 6 degree tilt and roll, 360 degree rotation, and a lifetime guarantee, the three different models (Low-Profile, Height-Adjustable, and Professional) are available from $129 to $149. Premier Mounts first scissor-style universal swingout arm, the AM250, is designed to pull displays up to 18 inches from the wall and retract to less than five inches. The mount also allows the display to tilt down ten degrees and pivot to the left or right 45 degrees. With an open design to allow for easy cable management, the AM250 is designed to fit most 37- to 50-inch plasma or LCD displays up to 125 pounds. The mount is available for $299.99. For more information on Premier Mounts, go to their Web site at www.mounts.com or phone 9700. They also have a Web site available to aid consumers in mounting and installing their flat panel displays, www.mountingtips.comcheck it out! Sanus Systems has added two new ceiling mounts, for small to medium flat panel televisions, to their VisionMount line. Ideal for corner locations, the universal mounts are made of sturdy extruded aluminum to provide incredible strength and rigidity. The VisionMount Model SC1A flat panel ceiling mount is designed to fit virtually all LCD televisions up to 27 inches with a total weight capacity of 50 pounds. The Model MC1A is designed to fit 23- to 40-inch LCD and plasma TVs with a total weight capacity of 70 pounds. The SC1A is currently available for $109.99 and the MC1A will be available in late January for $129.99. Phone Sanus Systems at 5520 or visit them at www.sanus.com. Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) has announced a development relationship with SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Utilizing the Z-Wave wireless protocol, a wireless radio frequency-based communications

Vantage Point EVO System Sanus Systems Visionmount Universal Electronics SIRIUS Conductor Universal Electronics UR7-G2 Universal GAMER
technology designed for residential control, UEI was able to develop a truly unique and cost-effective solution for SIRIUS subscribers. UEI worked with SIRIUS on a customized solution that includes integrated hardware, software, and patented control technologies to provide a custom solution, allowing SIRIUS subscribers to access comprehensive information directly from the handheld media controller, while also providing seamless universal control of other traditional home entertainment devices, wirelessly, up to 150 feet away. The SIRIUS Conductor is available for $149.99. Visit Universal Electronics at www.uei.com or phone 1000 to learn more. Universal Remote Control, Inc. (URC) has introduced the UR7G2 Universal GAMER remote control. The new remote allows users to play video games or enjoy audio/video entertainment as they choose. Dedicated game-system buttons and customizable features make it easy to meet the specific needs of individual users and lets them better integrate their game consoles into a home entertainment environment. URC has also introduced the Total Control FX1 remote
control, which includes all the essentials needed to easily operate a home entertainment system. Able to control up to five AV components, with quick-and-easy set up and usability, the FX1 comes packed with a database of thousands of pre-programmed codes, and is available for $19.95. Contact Universal Remote Control at www.universalremote.com or phone them at 4484. Vantage Point introduces the evo system, a modular, furniturequality installation solution for audio, video, gaming, and home office electronics. A complete solution for mounting flat panel televisions, rear-projection televisions, and all electronic components onto the wall, the evo system consists of an aluminum frame and track system that expands to support unlimited equipment configurations. Great for home entertainment and office equipment, the evo system makes custom installation a possibility for everyone. Visit www.theevosystem.com for more information and to watch a video on the product and its installation. Go to www.vanptc.com or phone 1718 to learn more about Vantage Point and their products. WSR

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Your Home Theatre Dolby Digital Technology

The HDTV Audio Standard?

By Gary Reber Dolby Digital Technology Selected As HDTV Audio Standard
In a decision likely to impact all future consumer audio and video formats, the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance which is developing the U.S. high definition television system has selected technology invented by Dolby Laboratories to deliver multi-channel digital surround sound along with the new systems high resolution picture. Dolbys AC3 coding and decoding data compression technology was one of only three multichannel coding systems to be considered and tested by the coalition. The actual decision was based on the endorsement by the Technical Subgroup for Sound of the FCCs Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service for incorporation in the Grand Alliances HDTV system to be tested by the Committee next year. Dolby AC-3 coding is the data compression algorithm that is the basis for Dolby Stereo Digital film sound, and has been used for more than 40 movies since its introduction in June 1992 (Batman Returns). These same films plus any other films or programs produced in a discrete six-channel format (left/center/right/surround left/ surround right) with the addition of a special bass-only effects channel could be broadcast in digital surround sound the moment HDTV becomes a reality, which may be as soon as 1996. The HDTV standard was essentially derived from the previously introduced motion picture application. Similar to the theatrical digital system, the HDTV application comprises six-channels or what is termed the 5.1 formatfive channels are full bandwidth and the.1 is a limited bandwidth supplemental low frequency channel for special bass-only effects. Optimal Dolby Surround Digital playback in the home will require the same five loudspeakers as todays Dolby Pro Logic systems (left/center/right/surround left/surround right) except for the requirement that each loudspeaker including the surrounds have full range capability (a subwoofer for reproducing the supplemental bass channel is considered optional as long as the other loudspeakers are capable of full bandwidth response). In

addition the new discrete channel capabilities of this quintaphonic format will no doubt allow greater loudspeaker placement options beyond placement of the pair of surround loudspeakers to the sides of the listening area. Another placement option will be a symmetrical arrangement with the surround loudspeakers placed to the left back and right back of the the listening area at an equal distance relationship to the front left/center/right loudspeakers and to the optimized so-called sweet spot seating area. The HDTV development continues to advance the Dolby Surround Digital system as the standard for digital surround sound, but it will be perhaps another year before a standard for laserdisc or VCR is likely to be settled upon for the consumer market. There are other viable high performance alternatives to Dolby AC-3 coding which may outperform the Dolby Surround Digital system. I say may because there has been no out-in-the-open comparative testing of the competing technologies in which respected audiophile journalist (consumer ombudsmen) have been invited to audition and report their findings. This begs the question of just how was the standards decision arrived at? Who were the members of the Technical Subgroup? What was the testing environment? What material was played in the comparative tests? What were the competing systems to be tested? What were the biases? What are the politics? What impact will all this have on the future? This is a complex subject but here is my assessment based on what I have been able to piece together.
Coordination at Panasonic Advanced TV Video Laboratories, Inc. in Burlington, New Jersey. The official Audio Expert Group consisted of Mr.Gaspar; Birney Dayton, President of NVision; Ms. Bronwen Jones, a psychophysicist consultant, Tom Keller, a consultant who was previously an engineer with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB); and Ken Davies, Vice President of Engineering for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). None of the members of the audio expert group were listeners. The actual expert listeners were Randy Hofner of NBC, Ed Fox of General Instruments; Garrett Smith, Director of Video Operations at Paramount Home Video; Tomlinson Holman of Lucasfilm; Gary Rydstrom, a sound designer with Lucasfilm; Ben Burtt, a sound designer with Lucasfilm; Gary Summers, a re-recording mixer with Lucasfilm; and Paul Matwiy, a licensing technician with the Lucasfilm Home THX Division. The FCCs Audio Expert Group and the Audio Specialist Group, a body made up of representatives from the various organizations of the Grand Alliance, selected the expert listeners on a non-formal selection criteria basis. Three multi-channel coding systems (actually four codex rates, three manufacturers) were selected for testing. They were the Philips Musicam at 384 kilo-bits/second, MIT which is a discrete channel system at 580 kilo-bits/second, and two Dolby AC3 coding systems, one operating at 384 kilo-bits/second and the other at 320 kilobits/ second (Dolby SRD) data rates.

The Test Materials

The test materials consisted of selected film excerpts supplied by Lucasfilm (specifically four excerpts from Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade called drum, oh rats!, plane and wind) and four other specially recorded non-Lucasfilm supplied surround materials recorded in the 5.1 discrete format. These materials were pulled together by the FCC Advisory Committee for testing. Tom Keller and Bronwen Jones selected and produced the specially recorded nonLucasfilm materials which included a selection from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a single male-speech story editorial, five voices talking at the same time, one in each chan-

The Expert Group

When the Grand Alliance coalition was formed, the FCC Advisory Committee established five Technical Subgroups to work with the Grand Alliance which were called expert groups. One group, the Audio Expert Group was responsible for the audio standards recommendation to the FCC Advisory Committee, based upon testing to be conducted in conjunction with the Grand Alliance. Each of the five expert groups had a chairman. The chairman for the audio group was Jim Gaspar, who is the Manager of Technical

Dolby Digital Technology

nel, plus a tympani drum and a glockenspiel (a percussion instrument with chromatically tuned, flat metal bars set in a frame that produces bell-like tones when struck with small hammers). Eight tests for quality were run. The tests were conducted at Lucasfilms Skywalker Ranch. The limited scope of the test materials are certain to be questioned as adequate for demonstrating the full reproductive capability of the 5.1 full bandwidth system format. A broader range of test materials than used is necessary to test for absolute phase coherency. There is no way to test for phase coherency unless you have phase coherent pre-recorded material in the first place. The film material was manufactured and remixed from a sound library of mono and stereo effects amassed by sound designers, further complicated by recorded music and ADR for dialog insertion in the master mix. This is the way film mixes are conceived and manufactured. They have not been designed, on the whole, to be full bandwidth balanced, integrated sound field 5.1 mixes, because there has never been a practical full bandwidth discrete theatrical (non-traditional special venues excepted) or consumer home delivery system to playback such mixes. The additional material that was specially produced was recorded with an array of five or six microphones, one microphone inter-connected to each of the 5.1 channels. Point source phase coherent recordings of balanced, integrated real-life sound fields would have correctly demonstrated the capability of the coding system to reconstruct the sound field without phase distortion anomalies. Multiple microphones, in which matching capsules have not been verified, do not guarantee a phase coherent sound field. Abundant discrete full bandwidth recordings of real sound fields exist, for example, on the Colossus/MS-4 system. Unlike the test material recordings, these are recorded using a single point array of four coincidental capsules to create four in-phase and matched hyper-cardioid pickup patterns for a 360 symmetrical sound field that maintains perfect stereo images between each of the four quadrants. Brad Miller of Mobile Fidelity International (Colossus) suggests that localization and imaging tests should have been performed based upon frequency sweeps, using a symmetrical 360 pan. Spotting specific frequencies anywhere within the sound field would have then revealed the mettle of each system, with regard to its localization performance characteristics. Inphase re-cordings were offered by Mr. Miller to Mr. Keller for testing by the

The Dolby/Zoran ZR38500 Six-Channel Dolby AC-3 Digital Audio Decoder Audio Expert Group and the offer was ignored. However, Dolby has received some of this material and they have implemented it in their AC-3 coding improvements during the past eighteen months. Mr. Gaspar told me at the SMPTE Conference on November 1st that in addition to the discrete 5.1 channel mixes, stereo mixdowns were tested. Further, each of the bit stream paths were purposefully convoluted to find out what type of concealment there might be in the systems that could show concealment of problematic data. We were going after differences in the codex compared to the original reference material, he said. The tests encompassed testing for imaging differences, but all the systems were said to have performed well in this regard. We were all surprised added Mr. Gaspar. We expected to hear imaging problems but we didnt. That was one thing that did not show up in any of the systems. What we did find was little (sound) holes you might hear in which in one system it was not quite as clear as it was with another, but the sound was there (recognizable). So there was really no phasing problems in any of the systems. Some of the mixers who mixed down the Indiana Jones excerpts listened to their material and they thought that the systems did a really good job. They expected it to fall apart. If the phase coherency was reportedly good in these limited tests, the weaknesses that were heard were mostly sound fidelity artifacts. According to Mr. Gaspar, if you didnt hear the reference you would never know they were there. Some of the official testers like Tomlinson (Holman) who were really familiar with the film material could hear little things in the Indiana Jones selections; for instance where rats were making sounds in the background and they sounded a little bit different. The imaging was a little bit different. But if you were to only listen to the codex version on most of the test materials you would never know it, unless you listened to the reference first and then you would say oh yeah, there was a little something. But on one piece of test material all the systems showed a difference. And that is what ended up causing the Dolby system to be chosen. It was a recording of a tympani drum and a glockenspiel recorded with six microphones surrounding the instruments. It loaded up all the systems. The sound of the glockenspiel was changed. On two of the systems, MIT and Dolby, it changed on the attack of the glockenspiel but had no problem on the trail off sound. On two of the systems it messed up on the trail off also, and that was the Dolby operating at 320 kilobits/second and the Musicam system which rated very bad by the experts on that particular test material. At the time no one knew what system was which because it was a double-blind A/B test. I took down the results of the testing after the tests were done. The test material was recorded on an Alesis A-DAT multi-track machine.

its prominence as the motion picture sound standard. DTS in particular, has been very successful in its challenge to Dolby Stereo Digital (which employs the AC-kilobits/second codex instead of the 384 kilobits/second data rate for HDTV AC-3). Not only has every Universal Picture been released in DTS since its debut with Steven Spielbergs Jurassic Park, but New Line, Paramount and Warner are preparing a slate of films to be released in DTS digital sound. Only Disneys Buena Vista remains exclusive to Dolby Stereo Digital as its feature film format. Sonys SDDS could prove ultimately to be Dolby Stereo Digitals death blow when it officially enters the theatrical competition in April with production units supported with an all Columbia/TriStar Pictures slate released in SDDS. In the end there could conceivably be a theatrical standard other than Dolby for the 1990s and beyond if Dolby cannot get filmmakers to release in its format. Dolby must anchor its digital coding technology in the lucrative consumer market to survive in the rapidly approaching all-digital age which will ultimately supplant analog. While the sound wars rage at the movies, the electronics industry and the Grand Alliance in particular want to proceed with their business plan to standardize on the picture and digital sound technology and divide the profits amongst the various major players in what is certain to be a multi-billion dollar home theatre entertainment industry. Such plans put profitability ahead of absolute excellence and too often thats good enough technology development ahead of we can do better. There is no question that Dolby wants to further ensure the universality of their digital surround sound system. They are working closely with the Japanese and other consumer electronics manufacturers to develop a practical means to incorporate their technology into the various consumer equipment hardware that will become available within a year or two. Prototype applications of the AC-3 coding technology to tape and optical disc-based consumer formats have been developed and are expected to be shown at the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In addition, the effort already underway to apply Dolby AC-3 coding to new all-digital cable TV systems is expected to gain added impetus as a result of the Grand Alliances decision. As to the cost factor, Zoran Corporation announced last September (see story in Issue 5, September/October) that in cooperation with Dolby it had developed, and was imme-
diately making available, the first digital signal processor capable of implementing the AC-3 algorithm on a single chip. Subsequently Dolby has licensed both General Instruments, the largest cable set-top manufacturer in the United States, and Texas Instruments, and is negotiating with other semi-conductor companies, including Motorola, to manufacture AC-3 chip sets. Other systems that would have liked to have been considered are now essentially shut out. AT&T wanted to be tested but did not submit their system in time for testing. A DTS or Sony SDDS entry, or for that matter any other system entry such as AT&Ts, will now not be a consideration. These developments, if unchallenged, are expected to foster the rapid availability of Dolby Surround Digital consumer products. The Dolby AC-3 technology was originally designed to code five full bandwidth channels into a single composite data stream. One of the issues that will be of concern to audiophiles is whether or not improvements can be facilitated within the Dolby AC-3 architecture. According to Mr. Gaspar, decoder technology wont change. It is locked down as the Grand Alliance standard. This leaves the encoder as the singular area for tweaking of the system in the future. consumer confusion with a proliferation of video compact disc-based products that are thus far all incompatible and, from what has been seen in picture and heard in sound, inferior to the laserdisc, which still has a tremendous potential for significant performance improvements. The issues get very complex and the politics even more foreboding. If not resolved politically, the Grand Alliance could come apart at the seams. At this writing both Philips and Thomson have decided to stay with and support the Grand Alliance, and adhere to the decision to select Dolby AC3 digital coding for the HDTV standard with the anticipation that Dolbys system also will be approved as a MPEG standard.

can be listened to and evaluated by experienced and objective audiophiles in familiar reference system home environments, there will be doubt.
Should There Be System Limits?
The Home THX setup used for these tests, for example, did not use full-range loudspeakers but limited bandwidth loudspeakers and a subwoofer. The surround loudspeakers also were not full range, but THX dipoles placed to the sides of the listening area. The THX surround loudspeakers are designed to mechanically diffuse the sound field no matter what the intent of the program creator. That may be the preferred THX approach to listening to a Dolby Pro Logic matrix surround sound movie presentation in order to prevent point source sound (effects) from distracting the audience, but it does not represent an optimal approach with full bandwidth discrete surrounds. There is no reason for the surround channels of any system format, be it Dolby Surround or the 5.1 format, to distract the audience at all. And for certain, the test system does not represent what the capability of the 5.1 format is all about. An optimal system should be able to reproduce accurately whatever the artist decides to create, and not have that vision mis-represented by limits placed there by sound system designers. Other approaches are better suited to realizing all the potential of the full bandwidth discrete digital system to recreate holographic three-dimensional sound fields. Program material will not, after all, be limited to old films mixed the old fashioned way, but will embrace fresh mixing approaches that explore a new realm of surround sound possibility. Did the Grand Alliance/FCC Advisory Committee forget that the 5.1 systems are designed to be discrete full bandwidth systems when they chose to limit the listening tests to a sound system that was not full bandwidth in each channel? In addition to movies and television programs, listeners will want to hear their favorite recording artists produced in the new format whether it be Barbra Streisand, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, or U2. Certainly other sound system approaches in addition to the Home THX system used deserved to be a reference playback system for the Grand Alliance tests. Some people in the audiophile community are certain to question whether any of the expert listeners are known to be an objective,

experienced audiophile listener. They will question whether the group was as consciousness and sensitive as it could have been to how it approached the listening tests. Why, for instance, was not a forum of respected audiophile golden ear reviewers from say Stereophile, The Absolute Sound or Audio and Stereo Review magazines and other journals not asked to participate in critical listening tests on their own reference sound systems to comparatively evaluate the test materials? If there had been a call to participate, was it heralded directly at the audiophile media or was it obscured from them in invitations to the various professional engineering societies that they are not members of or the various professional technical publications that they do not read? After all, in the final analysis it will be these same journalists who will critique the pluses and minuses of the systems performance and either tell consumers that it is the greatest thing since sliced bread or give it a thumbs down in the direction of audio hell. Another approach could have enlisted hundreds of experienced listeners as auditors in listening tests in controlled environments.

Whats Next?

No one, including this author, is saying that Dolby AC-3 coding is not a wonderful system. Dolby has performed a superlative job at engineering their data rate reduction scheme. Dolby Surround Digital may well turn out to be the greatest, most faithful reproduction of sound since the introduction of stereo, but in the haste of meeting Grand Alliance deadlines, perhaps certain aspects of performance were not detected, not to mention the possibility that other competing systems may offer better performance than the four data reduction schemes tested, but because they were not in the running for these tests they are now locked out for further consideration. If there is one absolute that the FCC Advisory Committee and the Grand Alliance, and Dolby will have to face up to, once it is understood that the test criteria and environment was inadequate for the evaluation, is the pressure that will come from the audiophile community who will express great disappointment that they were, in effect, locked out of the process. More importantly, this community of audiophiles and home theatre enthusiasts will urgently seek to input. I
____________________________________ Authored by Gary Reber, Editor and Publisher, Widescreen Review.

I Want To Know

The Studio Scoop
Rumors, Reports, & Ramblings

Jack Kelley

Have you broken your New Years Resolutions yet? Or were you smarter than most (including me), and just bypassed the whole ordeal of making and breaking them? I made 13 (no superstition here), and am going strong, but with CES (Consumer Electronics Show) just around the corner, and in Vegas.well, one just never knows.

Lionsgate

Keeping everything crossed, we are hoping to have two Lionsgate titles Crank and Employee Of The Monthwhich street on January 9 and January 16, 2007, respectively, reviewed in both standard-definition and Bluray Disc formats. In an effort to save valuable real estate in the magazine, and get you the most reviews possible, we are attempting to bundle the various formats into a single review, when possible, regardless of street date. For example, if a title is scheduled to be released at the end of the month, and we have only received the standard-definition disc, we may elect to review the title the following month when we have both (or all three, in some cases) formats available. What are your thoughts? Do you prefer when all formats available are included in a single review? Or do you like them separate?

Paramount

See DreamWorks.

Sony Pictures

So, I was on Entertainment Weeklys Web site (www.ew.com) yesterday, um, doing research, and stumbled upon the worst movie of 2006 poll. Being a poll lover, I read my five choices: Little Man, RV, Art School Confidential, Firewall, and Fur. The titles, of course, were familiar, as we have reviewed the first four.and of those four, three belonged to Sony Pictures. Snap. I personally watched RV and Art School Confidential in their entirety, and I can say, without hesitation that I saw worse movies than those two in 2006. You can access our reviews of these titles, sans the-yet-to-be-announced Fur, on our Web site (www.WidescreenReview.com). For the record, I, of course, did not vote.

Buena Vista

Last month I reported that Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest sold nearly five-million DVD copies in its first day of release, tying the record with Warner Bros. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. Well, piratesnot being ones to take tying lightlyset the all-important week-one DVD sales record with 10.5 million units purchased in the United States and Canada, which is 1.5 million more copies than the previous record holderBuena Vista/Pixars Cars.

DreamWorks MGM

So, have you seen any good movies lately? And Im not talking about ones on DVD, Blue-ray Disc, or HD DVD. I mean, theatrically. Actually going to the theatre, paying to park, forking out $10-plus to get in, finding a seat that is unblocked by a big head, and sitting through commercials and previews before the start of the actual movie. When did commercials become part of the movie-going experience? Seriously. Anyhow, I regress. Over the holidays, I did go to the Pacific Theatre in San Diegos Gaslamp Quarter, and saw five-time Golden Globe-nominated Dreamgirls. Pretty amazing. Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy. And I do recommend listening to the soundtrack before seeing it, as it really does add to the experience.

20th Century Fox

Score another one for Borat. As you have probably already read somewhere (or everywhere), two college frat boys were denied when they petitioned to have footage in which they appear intoxicated and making racist remarksof themselves cut from the film. They were, however, given the opportunity to petition to have this footage deleted from the DVD. But in December, they were again denied. Double snap. You can grab your own copy of Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan on March 6, 2007. Man, just think, in less than two months you can own the movie that has been reported to be the cause of Kid Rock and Pamela Andersons divorce. Such a tragedy.
MGM had announced two Blu-ray Disc titles to be released in December 2006 Bulletproof Monk and Rocky. Both titles were to have streeted on the 5th, but due to undisclosed delays, we did not receive them until five days before Christmas.and two days too late to be included for review. This month, two titles have been announced so farFlyboys and Harts War, which have a January 30 street date. Heres to receiving them sooner rather than later.

Continued from page 9.

Universal Studios
Got any plans this Friday (01/12/07.to be precise.just in case this newsletter is late going out)? If youre a fan of reallife-brought-to-the-screentype movies, the much anticipated, and controversial, Alpha Dog makes its premiere. It is based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a 5-foot 5-inch Los Angeles drug dealer, who allegedly abducted and then ordered the execution of Nicholas Markowitz, the teenage brother of a fellow drug dealer and debtor, in August 2000. Hollywood then fled to Brazil, where he taught English and was allegedly financially supported by his parents, all while the FBI searched for him. On March 9, 2005, after nearly five years, he was apprehended and extradited back to the states. Alpha Dog stars Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch, Sharon Stone, Justin Timberlake, and Bruce Willis.

Warner Home Video

Did you know Warner Bros. has a new unit? Neither did I, that is, until I read about it in Video Business. It seems that direct-to-video DVDs do quite well, financially. (But, as a reader of this column, you already knew that.) So, hoping to bank on that, we now have the Warner Premiere unit, which expects to generate 10 to 15 direct-to-DVD prequels per year. The Dukes Of Hazzard: The Beginning, starring April Scott, Jonathan Bennett, Randy Wayne, and, of course, Willie Nelson, will be the first, and will be available on March 20, 2007 for $27.99. A $1.01 saving from the original.WSR
Contrary to popular opinion, Research/Production Editor Jack Kelley is not responsible for any release date changes, price changes, or any other perceived errors contained within. He can be reached at jack@widescreenreview.com.

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