KDL-60EX720 vs. KDL-55HX800

Sony has offered to replace my defective KDF-60XBR950 with one of these 2 options:

KDL60EX720 - $950
KDL55HX800 - $575

I saw both side by side at Best Buy and IMO the HX800 has a more vivid/deep color/picture that is much better than the EX700 (the latter of which has a matte finish; not a fan of it). But stepping down in size would hurt my living room home theater experience.

I'm looking for pros, cons, opinions and recommendations.

Thanks!
-Chris

Reply 1 : KDL-60EX720 vs. KDL-55HX800

60 vs 55?

Take the better picture.

Reply 2 : KDL-60EX720 vs. KDL-55HX800

See, that's the crux of the matter for me. My living room is huge, with open concept viewing from the kitchen/island, and the main part of the sectional couch being 15 feet from the TV. Going from 60" to 55" may not seem like a big deal to some but it's going to be a dramatic downgrade in my case.

But, in the end, if the 720 picture sucks, size won't matter...

Reply 3 : KDL-60EX720 vs. KDL-55HX800

Both models show as 1080p

Reply 4 : KDL-60EX720 vs. KDL-55HX800

The biggest differences between the HX800 and EX720 are refresh rate (240 vs 120) and the screen (55" glossy vs 60" matte).

Reply 5 : KDL-60EX720 vs. KDL-55HX800

And stood back from 54 and 60 and for me, I see it's bigger but screen quality would win my vote.
Bob

Reply 6 : KDL-60EX720 vs. KDL-55HX800

I think the EX720 has a excelant picture and the matt screen allows for daytime viewing. the glossy screen of theHX800 makes watching impossible with any light. I just went from a 60" sharp to the 55EX720 and I'm really missing those 5", huge difference.

HEL 80 Drivers for Windows 7

Hi, I'm planning to install windows 7 on a HEL 80 and i want to know the experiences of other users of this laptop with windows 7 on it.



Anyone knows if windows vista drivers would work on windows 7?



I searched for windows 7 drivers but i haven't founded.



Thanks

Reply 1 : HEL 80 Drivers for Windows 7

Windows Update will handle all of them but the PCI Flash Memory

Reply 2 : HEL 80 Drivers for Windows 7

LAM HEL80

Reply 3 : HEL 80 Drivers for Windows 7

What is the impact of an inability to update the PCI flash memory driver?

thanks, Maurice

Reply 4 : HEL 80 Drivers for Windows 7

in this sites LAM HEL80, wireless select switch won't work running in windows 7, so bluetooth cannot be enable, anyone can solve this wireless select switch problem???

Creating video files for 60 Gb iPod Classic

I was given some .mp4 video files to watch on my iPod and have tried a couple of converters to modify them for iPod use.
ITunes won't load them to the iPod, it says they won't play on it.
Can someone advise me on this. I can't find the model number but I think its a Classic 5th generation... Serial number is 4J5476F7XL

Reply 1 : Creating video files for 60 Gb iPod Classic

is your friend here.

Google for it


P

Reply 2 : Creating video files for 60 Gb iPod Classic

I've imported mp4 videos just fine into my iPod, but there are variables that could make an mp4 not playable. As mrmacfixit suggested, Handbrake is a great program in that it will load your mp4 video, then give you an option to "Export to iPod". You will be given options for specifiying the pixel size of the exported video. For an iPod, I suggest creating a video that is 320X240, which is tiny, but perfect for the small iPod screen, and it will take a lot less time to create a smaller video instead lf a larger 640X480, which you don't need.

battery level droping event when plugged in

Hello.



I spotted that my fully charged battery level is dropping. in about week or so of some quite decent usage it dropped from 100% to 97%. Is there not enough power supply or something? my adapter is for 120W.

Reply 1 : battery level droping event when plugged in

It's normal. It will go until 95% and then start charging to 100% again, at least that's what my GT627 does.

Reply 2 : battery level droping event when plugged in

Thats what batteries do, they slowly lose charge over time. Luckily for you, the BIOS is such as it will going start charging once you hit 90%/95%. Keeps your battery from constantly being topped off and thus wearing away faster. Or at least that's the theory behind it.

VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

Hello,

After over two years of using this great piece of hardware I damaged my disk (please don't ask about the details...). I would like to replace it with SSD one. And here come my questions.



1. Could you please tell me which type of SSD will fit my Vaio?



2. I've red that it would be very good to buy a disk with TRIM function to avoid the performance decrease in the future. How can I recognize such disk?



3. Is there a disassembly guide written for Vaio Z (not the old Z1 that I've already found on this forum)?



4. Is the disk change procedure hard?



Please excuse me for not searching whole forum, but I'm currently forced to use my mobile's browser (which is a pain)!



Thanks in advance

Reply 1 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

1) 2.5"



2) Read description from the SSD manufacturer



3) Here



4) Not really, the hardest part is to take off the keyboard

Reply 2 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

Thank you kind sir!

Reply 3 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

I just disassembled my Vaio. The original HDD is Hitachi HTS542525K9SA00 (250GB) and it's SATA 1.5 Gb/sec, 5400 rpm. Can I change it to other disk with SATA 3.0 Gb/sec, 7200 rpm? Will it be compatible? Will it improve the performance? Because I just realized that I can't afford SSD...

Reply 4 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

Yep, it will down clock automatically if the controller can't handle it. You should experience a slight performance improvement by upgrading from a 5400rpm to 7200rpm drive.

Reply 5 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

You'll just have to check, if that HDD has the same dimensions as your old disk. Otherwise you'll probably notice a small improvement in speed, depends on HDD. Most probably you'll also notice bigger noise, vibrations and less battery life though.

Reply 6 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

So I bought WD Scorpio Black 500 GB 7200rpm 16MB (WD5000BEKT) but it vibrates like hell :|

I'm depressed... Do you have maybe any idea how to decrease the vibrations?

Reply 7 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

Quote:

Originally Posted by aponow So I bought WD Scorpio Black 500 GB 7200rpm 16MB (WD5000BEKT) but it vibrates like hell :| I'm depressed... Do you have maybe any idea how to decrease the vibrations?

Make sure you use all screws and tighten them when putting it in?



Seriously, the Scorpio Blacks aren't bad at all. They run a tad hotter than average, but if anything, I'd call it more quiet than the 7200 RPM Toshiba drive that my Z came with.

Reply 8 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

I couldn't stand 7200 rpm drive in my Z, that's why I exchanged it for a SSD less than a month after I bought it...

Reply 9 : VGN-Z550N/B - change the standard HDD to SSD

Quote:

Originally Posted by arth1 Make sure you use all screws and tighten them when putting it in?

Screws are ok...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metsn I couldn't stand 7200 rpm drive in my Z, that's why I exchanged it for a SSD less than a month after I bought it...

Yea, now I regret...

NEW, HP Print Diagnostic Utility

I found this during a look for other problem(s). Since it was released on Sept/2009 its fairly new. Also, used for the infamous print queue stoppage problem. That problem is fairly common to USB HP printers and the utility can help resolve this and/or be part of the solution process for other problems. When visiting the HP support website for your model#, find the "Software and Driver" section, locate utility heading and d/l.

ie: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=228&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=sg&product=3382185&lang=en

The utility is available for most of the HP printers. Enjoy -----Willy


IMHO, Moderator consider this post for a "sticky"?

Reply 1 : NEW, HP Print Diagnostic Utility

Let's see if Cnet members report back if this helped them.

Reply 2 : NEW, HP Print Diagnostic Utility

12/10/09
Under Rel 1.1, the Utility ONLY worked on inkjet printers (example Officejet J4580 A-i-O) - the new release [1.5] now works on other HP printers connected via USB (example Laserjet 1320). [Windows XP Pro environment]

General comment - please, moderators and repliers alike - ALWAYS put a date on your comments. When someone reads them, it is important to know whether the information is current, relatively current, or downright obsolete. I have wasted many hours following someone's advice only to find out that the information is about a product no longer in existence or has it been renamed or the supplier has quit providing the product. Thank you.

Reply 3 : NEW, HP Print Diagnostic Utility

Thanks for the link, Willy.
I'm a newbie tech (spelled, there's nobody else here to do it, so I'm stumbling along), and working on/with 2 laptops and a cheap netbook. I do have an OfficeJetJ6480, and your link helped with the Acer Netbook.
HP and Compaq laptops, however, print any document endlessly. All settings say 1 page, and so does the print queue - until I click - then the Page column in print queue jumps to 3x/pages, but actually prints forever and ever. I've uninstalled/re-installed, from disc and from online. Same result on both machines.
I've not seen this reported anywhere.
At least I can print from the Netbook, so that's its function right now. Suggestions welcome.
Fraidicat2
01.17.2010 5:25 PM PST

Reply 4 : NEW, HP Print Diagnostic Utility

My Win 7 64bit loses my printer at random times. I tried the Print Diagnostic Utility and it found no problems. AKerans

Reply 5 : NEW, HP Print Diagnostic Utility

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=sg&lang=en&os=228&product=3382185

As you can see, not only the drivers have been totally updated and upgraded, the software of it all has been upgraded/updated as well. Several miscellaneous Updates offered and, 3 utility programs offered also.

This link is only useful for the Photosmart C7250 All-in-One unit. For all other units, a totally different support web-page for them.

Enjoy your 2010 software programs everyone!

Reply 6 : NEW, HP Print Diagnostic Utility

Hello,

The latest release of the HP Print Diagnostic Utility can always be easily found using this link: http://www.hp.com/go/tools

Information and links to other HP Diagnostic Utilities that are useful for troubleshooting network and scan issues can also be found at the above link.

MODERATOR: Please consider making this post sticky...

thanks!

Kent G.

Although I am employed by HP, my comments and opinions are my own and not those of my employer.

G73 Static

I've kinda "heard" of the static issue but I'm not totally familiar with it. I got a new G73 from NewEgg today. The minute I turned it on I heard a horrendous loud staticy noise coming from the speakers. It would come and go. I saw a thread about uninstalling the realtek drivers and then installing a new one. The problem is two fold. One the thread is from February and the drivers are newer than the ones posted in the thread. The second is that realtek's site isn't working. I found a driver online and uninstalled the current driver. When I tried to install the new driver, it said "no supported device found". So I called Asus and they told me about a driver on their site. He told me not to uninstall the old driver but to just install this new one on top. That made it worse. It got to the point where the static was constant. So any advice? I'm at a loss to have a brand new computer act like this out of the box. I looked up Newegg's RMA process and it says 2-3 weeks for a laptop! Why would I want to wait 2-3 weeks for another if it does the same thing? Ridiculous!

Reply 1 : G73 Static

I have the same problem and did a month's worth of research on the subject. Long story short, you can:



1) RMA it

or 2) uninstall the Realtek driver and use the generic Windows high definition audio driver. All the "workarounds" (installing the Realtek driver twice, installing one driver over another, etc) appear to work because it screws it up so that Windows falls back to the default generic driver anyway. With this solution the subwoofer won't work, and a little of the right channel will be unmutable.

Reply 2 : G73 Static

Uninstall the creative software first (there are 2 of them), then try re-installing the updated realtek drivers. That should work. If not,



try looking at this thread:



http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus...tive+debugging



There are a lotta things you can try before opting for a RMA...

Reply 3 : G73 Static

Well, I contacted newegg for an RMA. I have the labels but I won't ship it out til Monday. So I can try a few things in the meantime. I'm just seriously disappointed and I guess I don't understand the whole "you can remove this software and it'll work" nonsense. Uh, shouldn't someone at some point test these damn things? I mean not each one, but this is obviously a known issue. By reading up on it I'm not even sure it's software since some people get rid of it and some don't. Even if I mute my speakers it still goes on. And I'm not talking a little static, I mean ear splitting loud static I can hear halfway across my house. If I can do something simple I guess I wouldn't mind, but even the Asus tech told me to send it back. I guess I find that just maddening that people except that they'll have to take away some of their laptops features instead of returning it. My current laptop is OC'd so I'm not afraid to tinker....to improve performance though not to get something to work as intended. I HATE that newegg is going to make me send it, have them test it, then ship me a new one(or this same one if they can "fix" it). It'll probably take me 2-3 weeks to get a working laptop. But I think I would rather do that than live with a laptop that I have to fix right out of the box. I wouldn't keep a brand new car that I have to use duct tape to keep the hood down.



Anything else to try outside of removing all of the Creative stuff? What am I going to lose in the process?

Reply 4 : G73 Static

Quote:

Originally Posted by milhouse74 Well, I contacted newegg for an RMA. I have the labels but I won't ship it out til Monday. So I can try a few things in the meantime. I'm just seriously disappointed and I guess I don't understand the whole "you can remove this software and it'll work" nonsense. Uh, shouldn't someone at some point test these damn things? I mean not each one, but this is obviously a known issue. By reading up on it I'm not even sure it's software since some people get rid of it and some don't. Even if I mute my speakers it still goes on. And I'm not talking a little static, I mean ear splitting loud static I can hear halfway across my house. If I can do something simple I guess I wouldn't mind, but even the Asus tech told me to send it back. I guess I find that just maddening that people except that they'll have to take away some of their laptops features instead of returning it. My current laptop is OC'd so I'm not afraid to tinker....to improve performance though not to get something to work as intended. I HATE that newegg is going to make me send it, have them test it, then ship me a new one(or this same one if they can "fix" it). It'll probably take me 2-3 weeks to get a working laptop. But I think I would rather do that than live with a laptop that I have to fix right out of the box. I wouldn't keep a brand new car that I have to use duct tape to keep the hood down. Anything else to try outside of removing all of the Creative stuff? What am I going to lose in the process?

From all the information I've seen, it appears to be a hardware defect. As I suggested earlier, you can uninstall the Realtek driver and just use the generic high definition audio driver that comes with Windows. For me it's the only sure way to avoid the static noise.

Reply 5 : G73 Static

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yuxi From all the information I've seen, it appears to be a hardware defect. As I suggested earlier, you can uninstall the Realtek driver and just use the generic high definition audio driver that comes with Windows. For me it's the only sure way to avoid the static noise.

I tend to agree with the hardware issue. I have a feeling Asus realizes this as well(esp since the Tech told me if the driver didn't work that I should return it, lol). I also wonder if people are having different "static" issues. I'm wondering how many of the fixed ones NEVER happen again. I'm also wondering how many of the fixed ones are the same as what I'm experiencing. It's ear piercingly loud, lasts about 10 seconds or so, and isn't dependent on the volume/mute(it's the same regardless). The only way I got rid of it was uninstalling all of the realtek drivers....then again I got no sound. Luckily I talked to another Newegg employee who said I could get a full refund if I want. I just don't know if I should try another one or what else I would even want. Decisions. I'll play around with it but I don't have much hope for a "fix".

Reply 6 : G73 Static

Quote:

Originally Posted by milhouse74 I tend to agree with the hardware issue. I have a feeling Asus realizes this as well(esp since the Tech told me if the driver didn't work that I should return it, lol). I also wonder if people are having different "static" issues. I'm wondering how many of the fixed ones NEVER happen again. I'm also wondering how many of the fixed ones are the same as what I'm experiencing. It's ear piercingly loud, lasts about 10 seconds or so, and isn't dependent on the volume/mute(it's the same regardless). The only way I got rid of it was uninstalling all of the realtek drivers....then again I got no sound. Luckily I talked to another Newegg employee who said I could get a full refund if I want. I just don't know if I should try another one or what else I would even want. Decisions. I'll play around with it but I don't have much hope for a "fix".

If you can return it to newegg, I suggest doing it now before it's too late.



A G73 without this problem can use the Realtek driver without producing the random crackling noise. This is the exact same problem I have, except I would have to RMA it for a motherboard replacement (it's a problem with the sound card, which is part of the motherboard) and can't afford to risk having it sit there for x weeks while they wait on new parts from Taiwan. I can live with the crappy generic driver since I use external speakers most of the time anyway.

Reply 7 : G73 Static

I'm still plagued by this issue sometimes myself.



It only happens when using the built-in speakers (I've never had a problem with headphones) and it only seems to happen when any Windows sound is playing. It doesn't seem to be a problem in games.



It's pretty frustrating.

Reply 8 : G73 Static

I had the same problem... a crackling noise coming out from built-in speakers after long gaming sessions or furmark... if you want you can watch this video I did as a demonstration of the problem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT-jYfpG0_M)... the only solution was to send in assistance the G73 to replace the mainboard... hi all

Reply 9 : G73 Static

I purchased my unit December 23, 2010 and I'm pretty pissed that ASUS knowingly sold me a unit that should have been recalled and fixed before being sold.



This seems to happen to me at any time once I have exited any application that uses the graphics card. Pretty much after any game or my 3D poker client.



Usually rebooting will solve the problem but one time it happened just after I completed a reboot after playing a game. I have been accustomed to now rebooting immediately after playing anything.



I'm going to try the Creative fix, but I'm not having much faith, this seems like a hardware issue to me.



Is there any new information on this?