SONY Service Mode
NTSC Version
Compiled by Anthony W. Haukap
Most SONY televisions have electronic service adjustments. This means that adjustments like picture geometry,
white balance, and color presets are adjusted via on screen displays, using the remote control. This is the NTSC
version of this document.
Master Index
Introduction
Service Mode
Ordering the Serive Manual
List of Settings
Suggested SONY Settings
XBR
WEGA
Corrections / Additions
Go Home Go Top
INTRODUCTION
This document is maintained by Anthony W. Haukap
The current version of this FAQ document can always be found on my Web Site at
http://www.cyberspace.org/~awh/ a printed and bound copy of this document can also be obtained, for additional
information send email to me at [e-mail] and place in the subject line which document you are
interested in, ie. "SONY SERVICE MODE - NTSC".
Go Home Go Top
SERVICE MODE
Most SONY televisions have electronic service adjustments. This means that adjustments like picture geometry,
white balance, and color presets are adjusted via on screen displays, using the remote control. For complete
details, you need a service manual, available from the manufacture.
Any television or monitor will require professional calibration for it to meet true NTSC standards - or see my
How to Calibrate a Television FAQ for do it yourself calibration.
There is also a PAL version of this document available on my HomePage. This document only supports SONY
Televisions manufactured for the NTSC markets.
If you're attempting to adjust color or geometry errors, you'll need the Video Essentials DVD, Laser Disc or some
other source of test material.
PLEASE NOTE:
SERVICE MODE WARNING:
Without proper documentation and training, you can probably do quite a good
job of messing up your television set, perhaps even damaging it.
Don't mess around with the service mode adjustments unless you know
what you're doing and have the service manual to guide you.
Once you enter service mode the first thing you should do is record all the
original values BEFORE you change anything! - This is the only way to restore
the television to it's original (factory default) state should it become necessary
to do so.
Your results with these procedures may vary and can NOT
be guaranteed to work on your particular television set
USE THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK.
ORDERING THE SERVICE MANUAL:
Sony Electronics Inc.
World Repair Parts Center
8281 N.W. 107th
Terrace Kansas City, MO 64153 USA
[phone] (USA Only) -or- [phone]
[phone]
[phone] (Fax)
44-1-71-911-8700 (UK)
HOW TO ENTER SERVICE MODE
Read the SERVICE MODE WARNING before proceeding.
Service switch - small, round opening in the rear cabinet near the Video inputs or the antenna jack (typically
early-90's), push and hold while turning the power on - or if there is no service switch on the rear of the TV use
the remote control and press within one second (timing is very important) of each other:
[PWR OFF] - [DISP], [5], [VOL+], [PWR ON]
-or-
[PWR OFF] - [DISP], [5], [PWR ON]
The TV will turn on in service mode and the screen will look something like this:
NAVIGATE IN SERVICE MODE
[1] = Moves to Previous Menu Item
[4] = Moves to Next Menu Item
[3] = Adjusts Value Up
[6] = Adjusts Value Down
[MTS] = Toggles Stereo/Mono Audio
SAVE NEW SETTING
[MUTE] followed by [ENTER] = stores NEW service mode settings to NVRAM
RESTORE USER SETTINGS
[8] followed by [ENTER] = Restores All *USER* settings to factory defaults
RESET VALUES
[0] followed by [ENTER] = Read Default service mode value from stored settings. (service mode
reset)
LEAVE SERVICE MODE
[PWR OFF] = Leave Service Mode any settings not written will be in effect until TV is unplugged
or a Reset is performed.
RETURN TO DEFAULT SETTINGS:
BEFORE storing NEW settings - unplug TV from wall, wait a few seconds, then plug back in, turn
TV set on - All settings not written will have been lost.
AFTER storing NEW settings - restore original value from list you made of original values before
adjustments and store in NVRAM.
PLEASE NOTE:
RECORD ALL ORIGINAL VALUES BEFORE
MAKING ANY ADJUSTMENTS.
XBR250 COLOR BANDING PROBLEM
If you have a XBR250 and you're experiencing horizontal blue, green or red banding across the screen with a
component video connection, you will need to enter service mode and adjust the HOSC parameter. Initially
HOSC is set to 7 (factory default), you'll need to change it to about 11 - this will eliminate the color banding in
the picture.
Go Home Go Top
LIST OF SETTINGS
ITEM TYPICAL RANGE DESCRIPTION
-------------------------------------------------------------
AFC 0 0-3 AFC Loop Gain
HFRE 42 0-127 Horizontal Frequency
VFRE 11 0-31 Vertical Frequency
VPOS 16 0-31 Vertical Picture Position
VSIZ 18 0-63 Vertical Picture Size
VLIN 6 0-15 Vertical Picture Linearity
VSCO 10 0-15 Vertical Correction
HPOS 6 0-15 Horizontal Picture Position
HSIZ 11 0-31 Horizontal Picture Size
PAMP 18 0-31 Pincushion Amp.
CPIN 4 0-7 Corner Pincushion
PPHA 7 0-15 Pincushion Phase
UPIN 10 0-31 Pincushion upper ends, vertical lines
LPIN 10 0-31 Pincushion lower ends, vertical lines
PPHA 7 0-15 Keystone correction vertical lines
HKEY 6 0-15 Keystone distortion, horizontal lines
HTRP 8 0-15 Keystone correction, horizontal lines
VCOM 2 0-7 Vertical Compensation
VUSN 0 0,1 Shrinks Vertical Height to 16x9 Area
 VZOM 0 0,1 Places Bars on Picture to give 16x9 Area
EHT 15 Adjust Height of VZOM
ASP 47 Vertical Picture Size - Aspect
SCRL 31 Vertical Picture Position
HBLK 1 0,1 Horizontal Blanking (on/off)
LBLK 15 Left Blanking
RBLK 3 Right Blanking
GAMP 18 0-31 Green Amp.
BAMP 14 0-31 Blue Amp.
GDRV 18 0-31 Green Driver
BDRV 14 0-31 Blue Driver
RCUT 15 Red Cutoff - (lower level)
GCUT 4 0-15 Green Cutoff - (lower level)
BCUT 1 0-15 Blue Cutoff - (lower level)
RDRV 21 Red Amp. - (upper level)
GDRV 18 Green Amp. - (upper level)
BDRV 14 Blue Amp. - (upper level)
DCOL 1 0,1 Color Temperature
COFF 0 0,1 Color On/Off - B/W Picture
Y-DC 0 0-15 BLACK background level retention
R-YR 15 0-15 Sets the amount of RED
R-YB 15 0-15 Sets the amount of RED
G-YG 11 0-15 Sets the amount of GREEN
G-YB 9 0-15 Sets the amount of GREEN
AXIS 0 0-15 Cleans up the red & oranginess in yellow
DPIX 0 0-3 Dynamic Picture
CROM 28 0-63 Chroma Trap
SPIX 30 0-63 Sub-Picture Contrast (Picture)
SCON 30 0-63 Sub-Picture Contrast (Picture)
SHUE 23 0-63 Sub-Picture Hue
SCOL 26 0-63 Sub-Picture Color
SBRT 22 0-63 Sub-Picture Brightness (Black Level)
RGBP 10 0-63 RGB Picture
SHAP 6 0-15 Sub-Picture Sharpness
SHPF 3 0-15 This helps with the S-Video sharpness
NRLV 0 0-3 Find the value that gives the best resolution
VSMO 1 0,1 Vertical Pull In Range (1 allows PAL in B&W)
REF 2 0-3 Reference Line
ROFF 1 0,1 Red Gun ON(1)/OFF(0)
GOFF 1 0,1 Green Gun ON(1)/OFF(0)
BOFF 1 0,1 Blue Gun ON(1)/OFF(0)
RON 1* 0,1 Red Gun ON(1)/OFF(0)
GON 1* 0,1 Green Gun ON(1)/OFF(0)
BON 1* 0,1 Blue Gun ON(1)/OFF(0)
AXPL 0 0,1 Cleans up Reds/Yellows
ABLM 0 0,1 Automatic Background or Brightness Limiter
NOTC 1 0,1 Notch Filter ON(1)/OFF(0)
VMLV 0 0,1 Scanning Velocity Modulation ON(1)/OFF(0)
VAPI 0 0,1 Sets vert resolution for 3-d comb filter
VAPG 0 0,1 Sets vert resolution for 3-d comb filter
 DRGB 0 0,1 On-Screen Display (OSD) Intensity
DISP 35 0-63 On-Screen Display (OSD) Menu Placement (L/R)
VTMS 0 0-3 On Screen Display (OSD) - On/Off
DPDV 1 0-3 Lumipon
MPIC 8 0-63 Lumipon (depth)
SVOL 0 0-15 Sub-Volume (0=Max,15=Min.)
SBAL 7 0-15 Sub-Balance (0=Left,15=Right)
BASS 8 0-15 Sub-Bass (0=Min., 15=Max.)
TRE 7 0-15 Sub-Treble (0=Mix., 15=Max.)
MPX - 0-15 Audio ATT
FILO - 0-15 Audio I1
DEEM - 0-15 Audio I2
STEV - 0-15 Audio OSC1
SAPV - 0-15 Audio OSC2
PILO - 0-15 Audio PILOT
SEP - 0-15 Audio WIDE BAND
VD - 0-15 Audio SPECTRAL
LVOL - 0-15 Audio VOLUME-L
RVOL - 0-15 Audio VOLUME-R
PADJ 63 0-255 Hor/Vert Picture Adjustment (total picture)
UYBO 32 0-63 Upper Y Bow (B/R Top)
LYBO 27 0-63 Lower Y Bow (B/R Bottom)
HAMP 34 0-63 Horizontal Amp. (B/R OuterLines)
HTIL 32 0-63 Horizontal Tilt (R/R)
UCBO 39 0-63 Upper C Bow (B/R Corners Only)
UTIL 37 0-63 Upper Tilt (Top Corners)
LCBO 41 0-63 Lower C Bow (B/R Corners Only)
LTIL 40 0-63 Lower Tilt (Bottom Corners)
DCSH 36 0-63 DC Shift (Static Convergence All Vertical)
VBOW 30 0-63 Bow distortion correction vertical lines
VANG 30 0-63 Skew correction, vertical lines
RTCO - 0-63 Raster Rotation
PHPO 79 0-127 Picture In Picture (PIP) Horizontal Position
PHUE 0 0-31 Picture In Picture (PIP) Hue
MSHU - 0-31 Main PIP hue
MSCOL - 0-31 Main PIP color
SSHU - 0-31 Small PIP Hue
SSCO - 0-31 Small PIP Color
GV SKEW - 0-63 convergence service item
GH SKEW - 0-63 convergence service item
GH BOW - 0-63 convergence service item
RV SKEW - 0-63 convergence service item
BV SKEW - 0-63 convergence service item
GH PIN - 0-63 convergence service item
GH CENT - 0-63 convergence service item
GV CENT - 0-63 convergence service item
RH CENT - 0-63 convergence service item
RV CENT - 0-63 convergence service item
BH CENT - 0-63 convergence service item
BV CENT - 0-63 convergence service item
 ID0 88 0-127 Model ID
ID1 127 0-127 Model ID
ID2 104 0-127 Model ID
ID3 64 0-127 Model ID
ID4 19 0-127 Model ID
ID5 1 0-127 Model ID
NOTE:
1. Not all ITEMS appear on all televisions models.
2. Provisions for convergence adjustments are not enabled on 27" or smaller Sony direct view
television sets.
3. Typical settings may not apply to your particular model and are shown only for reference purposes.
Go Home Go Top
SUGGESTED SONY SETTINGS
SONY "XBR" SERIES
TRINITONE: NTSC STD - controls color temperature - basically how greys will appear on the monitor. The
"High" and "Medium" settings make everything look too blue.
NR: OFF - filters out high-frequency noise, at a slight loss of detail. Turn it OFF and the picture quality
improves. It also tends to degrade fine picture detail.
DYNAMIC PICTURE: OFF - when turned ON it whitens light areas and darkens shadow areas of the picture,
creating a high contrast although less accurate picture. Leave it OFF.
COLOR CORRECTION: OFF - when turned ON it tries to correct fleshtones but has a tendency to mix up
certain colors and make them look like a prosthetic beige.
PROGRAM PALETTE: MOVIE: ON - only the movie mode allows the television set to run with flat and wide
video bandwidth. It also shuts OFF scanning velocity modulation (SVM), when VMLV is run down to zero it will
shut OFF SVM for the other modes. Each mode (Movie, Sports, etc.) has a separate adjustment memory.
SERVICE MODE ITEMS:
AXIS 0 Cleans up the red push & oranginess in the yellows
VAPI 0 Sets vert resolution for 3-d comb filter
(do this for all modes)
VAPG 0 Sets vert resolution for 3-d comb filter
(do this for all modes)
NRLV 0~3 Find the value 0-3 that gives the best resolution
VMLV 0 Scanning Velocity Modulation (SVM) OFF=0/ON=1
(do this for all modes)
Y-DC 0 Improves BLACK background level retention
DCOL 0,1 Color Temperature - Select either 0 or 1 whichever
turns off the "blue tinted" whites.
DPIX 0 Dynamic Picture
AXPL 0 Cleans up Reds/Yellows
GDRV 18 (GAMP) Green Amp. - (upper level)
 BDRV 14 (BAMP) Blue Amp. - (upper level)
GCUT 4 Green Cutoff - (lower level)
BCUT 1 Blue Cutoff - (lower level)
R-YR 15 Sets the amount of RED
R-YB 15 Sets the amount of RED
G-YR 11 Sets the amount of GREEN
G-YB 9 Sets the amount of GREEN (8 or 10 may be closer)
SHPF 3 This helps with the sharpness (S-Video)
Setting R-YR and R-YB to 15 will greatly improve color accuracy and tone down the reds. Also, when Y-DC is
changed from 1 to 0, DC restoration (black level retention) becomes almost perfect.
Sometimes setting items G-YR to 11 and G-YB to 9 may need some more fine tuning using the SMPTE color
bars w/gray reference [split bar pattern] (Frame VE-46673, AVS-14415 - NOTE: VE 46673 is mis-calibrated, use
AVS-14415) See the section on Setting Tint & Color Level: Matching Gray Reference in the How to Calibrate a
Television FAQ for the procedure on how to adjust these two settings.
WEGA SERVICE MODE ITEMS:
4BCT 7 input4 (component) Blue Cutoff (BCUT -1)
4BDR 30 input4 (component) Blue Amp (BDRV +1)
4GCT 5 input4 (component) Green Cutoff (GCUT +0)
4GDR 36 input4 (component) Green Amp ((GDRV +2)
BCUT 10 Blue Cutoff
BDRV 29 Blue Amp
GCUT 10 Green Cutoff
GDRV 34 Green Amp
DPIX 0 Dynamic Picture
Y-DC 0 Improves BLACK background level retention
HOSC 11 Fixes problem with color banding on component input
SONY "MODEL-ID" SETTINGS
These ID setting are different for every chassis - in general here's what they control:
ID-0 Controls number of active video jacks.
ID-1 This controls video features. Allows notch filter
(NOTC) to be turned off outside of service mode.
ID-2 This sets up user interface features. Enables Spanish
language menus. Allows naming of video inputs.
ID-3 Enables / disables Picture-In-Picture (PIP) support.
ID-4 Enables / disables Lumisponder option.
When IC 102 is replaced, these ID values must be reset. The values varies with model and chassis version.
Go Home Go Top
CORRECTIONS / ADDITIONS
Any corrections or additions should be mailed to me: Anthony W. Haukap at [e-mail] -or-
[e-mail]
Comments of any kind are appreciated. Messages concerning errors of fact, formatting errors, and/or typos will
receive prompt attention and will be included in future releases of this FAQ. I want the information contained
here to be as accurate and accessible as possible.
All items listed here may be subject to change at any time. Thus, some items MAY be inaccurate.
This document has been accessed
E-Mail me at:
[e-mail] -or-
times since February 16, 1997.
[e-mail] - backup email account
Copyright © 1997, 1998 Anthony W. Haukap All Rights Reserved.
AWH: SONY Service Mode (PAL)
SONY Service Mode
PAL Version
Compiled by Anthony W. Haukap
Most SONY televisions have electronic service adjustments. This means that adjustments like picture geometry, white balance,
and color presets are adjusted via on screen displays, using the remote control. This is the PAL version of this document.
See also the DVD disc that no Home Theater enthusiast should be without...
Avia or Video Essentials? A comparison of the leading DVD calibration discs
Why would you want these discs? Simply put these discs will probably improve your TV more than anything else you can do.
That's a bold statement, but from my experience it holds true in almost every case.
Master Index
Introduction
Service Mode
List of Settings
Corrections / Additions
Go Home Go Top
INTRODUCTION
http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/sonypal.html (1 of 4)4/24/2005 10:07:52 AM
AWH: SONY Service Mode (PAL)
This FAQ document is maintained by Anthony W. Haukap
The current version of this FAQ document can always be found on my website at:
http://www.cyberspace.org/~awh/
While every attempt is made to present accurate data it should be noted that the author makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of
any information provided in this document, and is not responsible for any consequences of its use.
Go Home Go Top
SERVICE MODE
Most SONY televisions have electronic service adjustments. This means that adjustments like picture geometry, white balance,
and color presets are adjusted via on screen displays, using the remote control. For complete details, you need a service manual,
available from the manufacture.
There is also a NTSC version of this document available on my HomePage. This document (this you are reading) only supports
SONY Televisions manufactured for the PAL markets.
PLEASE NOTE:
SERVICE MODE WARNING:
Without proper documentation and training, you can probably do quite a good
job of messing up your television set, perhaps even damaging it.
Don't mess around with the service mode adjustments unless you know
what you're doing and have the service manual to guide you.
Once you enter service mode the first thing you should do is record all the
original values BEFORE you change anything! - This is the only way to
restore the television to its original (factory default) state should it become
necessary to do so.
Your results with these procedures may vary and can NOT be guaranteed to
work on your particular television set USE THEM AT YOU OWN RISK.
HOW TO ENTER SERVICE MODE
Read the SERVICE MODE WARNING before proceeding.
First, turn off power with the main switch on the front panel.
Hold the plus and minus buttons on the front panel and turn on power. Wait for picture, then release the plus and minus buttons.
It now shows "TT" (test mode) on screen.
Once "TT" isdisplayed, select a number from the remote:
The newer Sony televisions use a different procedure to senter service mode:
http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/sonypal.html (2 of 4)4/24/2005 10:07:52 AM
AWH: SONY Service Mode (PAL)
Turn on the main power switch and enter into the stand-by mode.
Press the following sequence of buttons on the Remote Control:
info/disp (OSD)
5 (Number 5)
vol+ (Volume Up)
TV
-or-
[it]
[5] (Number 5)
[vol+] (Volume Up)
[teletext off]
-or-
On TV:
Hard Power On
On Remote:
Standby Off
[i+]
[5]
[Vol+]
Digital TV
The television will turn on and "TT" will appear in the upper right corner of the screen. Other status information will also be
displayed. Press "MENU" on the remote control to obtain the following menu on the screen:
Picture Adjustment
Geometry
Wide
IC Status
MSP
Current TV status
Also you can enter "TT" mode by opening the little hatch on the front, holding [P+] and [P-] (prog. button) switching
main power on - then pressing menu twice enters the service menu.
Move to the corresponding adjustment using the button on the remote. Press the + button to enter the selected adjustment. Turn
off the power to quit the service mode or enter 0, 0 (zero twice) when adjustments have been completed.
Go Home Go Top
LIST OF SETTINGS
ITEM DESCRIPTION
-------------------------------------------------------------
00 TT Mode off (save and exit)
01 Service menu on
02 No function
03 Set vol to 30%
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AWH: SONY Service Mode (PAL)
04 Service menu in "Service Mode"
05 Serve menu in "production Mode"
06 Set vol. to 80%
07 Aging mode (picture goes normal to bright)
08 Shipping condition (Reset to defaults - affects brightness/contrast only)
09 Language reset (effective after power cycle)
11 (menus locks up - requires a power off reset)
13 Display of software version
13 SCART 16:9 On -> Off -> On (auto 16:9 switching by SCART connector control
voltage level)
14 Production info display: TV Status Menu (view only) + SW version info
15 Norm
18 RGB Priority On / Off
22 Operating timer and error mem. display
24 Chassis Destination: UK (United Kingdom?)
25 Chassis Destination: D (Germany?)
26 Chassis Destination: B (Belgium?)
27 Chassis Destination: K
28 Chassis Destination: L (Luxemburg?)
29 Chassis Destination: E (Spain?)
31 Chassis Destination: A (Austria?)
32 Chassis Destination: R
36 Rotation Test (3 steps)
37 Size: 25 Inch
38 Size: 29 Inch
39 Colour Trap Switch: Off, SECAM only, All
55 (screen goes back to normal when it's gone bright after using code 56)
56 (screen slowly goes very bright)
57 AV3 (front) input enabled
58 AV3 (front) input disabled
74 (Teletext screen comes up)
99 Enter Service Mode
NAVIGATE IN SERVICE MODE
The service menu (01):
Up/Down (menu keys) you may select the module (controller chip) to modify.
OK selects the highlighted module.
Choose a parameter with Up/Down. OK then selects the parameter.
Up/Down changes the value.
OK writes the value to memory.
"Speaker Off" will toggle the display of the menu. The function is kept even when the menu is not displayed.
Exit from service mode with "teletext cancel key".
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Document URL - http://myweb.accessus.net/~090/sonypal.html
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