Sony Trinitron PVM 20M2U Picture quality

[Rynex04]

A while back I purchased a Sony PVM20M2U expecting the best Picture I can get, I have to say I'm pretty dissapointed I play using a scart cable and play in RGB. The picture looks Dim and the colors look washed out a bit dull no matter what I mess with in the settings contrast brightness etc, the only thing i really notice is the color separation and how all the sprites are clean I got this explanation from the seller-

"PVMs do lack some brightness to give the detailed scanned picture. Crts are brighter because of the bleeding through scan lines."

This is the only PVM I ever had but I just wasn't blown away or didn't see anything special could it be my cables, Monitor?

I play both my Genesis and SNES on it and both show similar results, I just wanted to know if there is a solution before I just get rid of it or something.

[Bradtemple87]

I own the 20m4u and might be able to walk through your setup with you. Send me a PM

[ApolloBoy]

Your PVM might be worn out too, PVMs saw a lot of use in TV studios where they're on all the time so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

[jay_red]

Your PVM might be worn out too, PVMs saw a lot of use in TV studios where they're on all the time so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

This might be the case, after seeing ApolloBoy's in action, you should be blown away by every aspect of the image displayed, they truly are a sight to behold!

[Rynex04]

Yeah I figured that may be the case I was concerned about the usage and where my PVM would come from, just put my faith in the seller that he would get me a good one since he also plays on one but apparently not, the explanation he gave me also seemed false to me. The only time I'm impressed by the picture is when i switch it 16:9 it looks amazing but their is always random borders its small and its not the original size seems like the PVM can only produce that image when a small section of the screen is using resources instead of the whole screen.

I have a RGB converter around that I never used might just use that now instead, pretty much sucks that my first monitor was a not all that it could have been, might buy another one some time later but seeing the age of some of these I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

[bored_index]

"PVMs do lack some brightness to give the detailed scanned picture. Crts are brighter because of the bleeding through scan lines."

um...those sony pvms ARE crts. the seller is trying feed you some bull and probably just wont tell you you he sent you an aged and worn unit.

[AppleQueso]

pop off the back, look for a potentiometer labeled "screen" or something and give it a few turns? That'll let you adjust the brightness to a far greater extent than you'd be able to normally.

Should probably do this while the screen is on so you make sure you don't turn it TOO bright.

[vicosku]

I recently picked up a 20M2U as well, and am similarly disappointed. The image is very accurate, but a bit dull. I have the internal screen pot turned up as high as I feel is safe. If I turn off all the lights and use it in a completely dark room after giving my eyes a bit of time to adjust, it's not so bad. When I have it turned on next to my Commodore 1701 though, it just pales in comparison. I was expecting 1701 picture quality on a bigger screen, but all it seems to do is blow up the picture a bit and expose flaws while looking more muted. Reds pop a bit more and 6th gen 480i stuff looks pretty good though. This picture doesn't do a great job of showing the difference, but it was the best I could do this morning before work. Dreamcast s-video is on the left on the Commodore, Dreamcast VGA to RGB through an Extron Emotia in 240p mode to the PVM is on the right. (Quality is the same on a PS2 or Wii/Gamecube through component without the Emotia step)

(Full Size)
http://i.imgur.com/kBacW.jpg

[robneal81]

I just got a 20M2U a few weeks ago and I LOVE it. It absolutely blows away the high-end CRT TV I was using.

I was hoping to perform a full calibration on it, but I needed the service manual. Does anyone have a PDF of it they'd be willing to share?

[vicosku]

I actually do have the service manual. I paid $5 on one of those sites to grab it, but it was worth it. You can get into the service menu by pressing the menu button once to bring up the regular menu, and then pressing degauss and enter simultaneously. The manual explains the settings pretty well.

http://www.mediafire.com/?1wc0y5vo9v43b2r

I calibrated mine using Avia, and it does have a pretty good picture, but the contrast level is pretty low compared to my Commodore monitor or my 27" Wega. Also sprites on the commodore just look like animation to me, where the 20M2U allows me to see individual pixels clearly. Pre-rendered stuff like backgrounds in PS1 RPGs look like a pixellated mess unless I sit far away, and then I may as well use the 13" commodore. My Wega's quality is about the same, just with a larger picture and better contrast. It's been a while since I've seen an actual arcade cabinet with some old sprite-based games running in 240p, but I remember it looking better than this. My PVM would look pretty dull in an arcade. Yours is fine though?

*Edit
The service manual thing made me remember something that might help you, Rynex04. For non-RGB sources, anyway. When I first got my PVM I had to turn the Chroma knob all the way up. After I ran the color bars auto chroma setup using the pattern on the Avia disc, my component sources' color looks really good at the middle setting, same as RGB sources. If I turn this thing on after a break and play it without looking at my other displays, it looks excellent to me. It's just when I turn on my 1701 that I become disappointed in the PVM in comparison. Maybe the only thing I prefer is the smaller, denser, picture of a 13" display vs anything larger.