It would be amazing to see brand new CRT production from Sony. Used CRTs have a lot of issues, even if the picture is "OK" overall. For example, old CRTs will have the electron guns in an even state of ageing (because you never have just pure white screens displayed on any monitor) and that affects not only white balance, but also convergence because it gets to a point where the beam which got the least usage glows stronger than the others, so you can't coincide all beams perfectly anymore.
Awesome! So happy I found this video. I have this exact model that I bought off Craigslist. It is an awesome but some geometry issues have been driving me nuts, just a wee bit off. I never knew about the sub menu controls, I was afraid I was going to have to find someone who could open her up and calibrate it for me. Now I feel like I can do it myself and save myself a bunch of headache. Thanks again for this detailed video!
Thank you so much! I read the istruction booklet that came with my 14M4E but It didn't specify the Horizontal adjustment. I understood a few other things but couldnt figure that out. RGB input was around 4mm to the left and while it was still ok on the SNES ( not cutting any pixel ) it was making me a bit frustrated xD finally could center it and save the setting! So happy about it.
Thank you so much for this, I just bought my first PVM last week, the 14M2E and this video was so helpful, btw the screens are just amazing of the PVM’s I j ust could not believe how good it looked when I hooked my PS1 and PS2 through RGB
That's true Steve. The Q series was really an interesting model to say the least. I personally felt it made a great unit even greater that Sony really put good amount of concentration on that made this a solid gold unit. Despite that it's cramped in there Steve, it still is worth it considering that it pays off in the end once its fully functional and working 100% Nice work as always bro. Glad to see you outdo yourself all the time. 8^) Anthony..
Thanks Anthony. I don't have them anymore, but the model before this is awfully hard to adjust. There is no service menu and you are literally turning dials on the bottom board till the screen looks right. The newer models are much easier to maintain and adjust.
That's right Steve, I heard about that model being tough to work with as well. Some use to say that they use to work a sweat because of it. I personally never worked on one. But I personally believe it's true. But always glad a dude like yourself can do it. 8^) Anthony..
Not sure if you mentioned this but it's important to keap in mind when you write to memory you not only write the currently displayed option but all options you have changed since you last turned the monitor on.
Make sure you are very careful when changing settings. I messed with the horizontal sync too much and lost sync. Didn’t realize this and thought something had gone wrong with the PVM.
Nice look at the monitor. I get what you are saying about how hard it can be to have good geometry in the corners with these models, I have a 1953ST and have some wonky geometry in the bottom right corner that I just can't get exactly right and it drives me crazy.
@@RetroTechUSA I know, I really need to look inside. I saw your video on the convergence strips as well as all the safety tips, but I'm still a bit anxious about safety when opening these things up, knowing how much electricity they hold.
Yes, it's better to be safe and just try to adjust it as best as possible with the service menu rather than getting hurt trying to get a perfect corner
@@RetroTechUSA Except it's a pita because if you fix the corner geometry with the strips, then the corner convergence will get screwed up. These older models simply had very wonky edges and corners. Sony had a rule back then that the peripheral geometry and convergence can be twice less precise than in the center of the screen.
One of these is for sale in my area, the seller doesn't properly identify it but it is a 1954Q. Apparently it doesn't power on, and he's still asking outrageous given it might never work again. This video makes me think I should put in an offer if it doesn't sell for asking (which I can't imagine it will).
Hello, do you know of any places in Orlando or Miami FL that can service a PVM? I am willing to ship to somewhere out of FL, if you can recommend someone that is ok with shipping. Thanks!
I have this one (the european version anyway) and I have the 3 colored lines issue. Is there anywhere I can find which caps exactly need to be replaced and what caps I should use as replacements? I read somewhere that Sony actually gave out instructions about this but can't find this information anymore
Hello. correct me if I'm wrong, but with such a calibration, in many games, the menu part at the top will not be visible. for example, in the game "streets of rage".
Hello, thanks for this awesome guide, i recently bought this exact model (just that mine says 20 instead of 19) but it has some issues, the most distracting or which is some curving of the image when it scrolls vertically. I’ve looked through the settings but i can’t seem to find a fix for this. Is there anything I can do to straighten the image? Best regards
Hey Steve, I can't find the gain poti for the generel brightness on my 20m4e/u I remember those gain Potis from consumer TVs next to the focus on the flyback. Do the pvms in generel don't have any gain potis? One of mine is too bright no matter the menu or knob settings
I have this monitor and have found this video to be very useful. My monitor does not seem to be saving settings. I dial them in, pressing degauss to save each setting (displays WRITE) on the screen, but after I turn the monitor off the settings are reverted. Is there a battery or something that I need to replace in order to save settings after a power-cycle?
Hey Steve. Watched your PVM restoration vids, and I have this particular model that is in need of some repair. I ASSUME it's caps, but as most of my desoldering is done with a wick, I'd prefer to narrow down what might need replacing and pick your brain on thoughts. When I use it with a SCART source, I end up with anything bright on the screen showing horizontal lines across to the right, for example, if there are white words, to the right of them (all the way to the edge of the image) a faint bar will be drawn that's the same vertical thickness as the words. These move as bright images on the screen move, and it only ever shows to the right. Using component through the same set of inputs results in a crystal clear image. I've eliminated cables and the terminators as potential suspects. Would you have an idea of what section of the board might be worth recapping first? Or if you have some tips on testing PVM caps on board, that would be handy too, although I'm not sure how reliable it is. Don't have the service manual. Thanks!
@@igorberzaghi339 apparently this is horizontal smearing, and can be a few issues, although often power supply caps are the cause. I'm waiting on a cap order to see if this is the cause.
@@igorberzaghi339 others in a CRT group I've joined say it almost always is capacitor related. Not 100% of the time, but usually the big one near the flyback internally. I'll follow-up when I actually get to try it, being in Canada, US mail takes like 2 months to get to me lol.
@@tomferrier6143 I hope you can solve it! I have other models like pvm 20L5 20L2 20m4U and 20M2MDU. This model is inferior to the others but I would be glad to get it fixed because whoever likes pvms values the best image. It was a great pleasure talking to you! I'm Brazilian and many here like pixel perfection
Hi, I have been trying to enter the service menu on my 1354Q and it just activates the degauss when I push enter and degauss simultaneously. Any tips on how I can get into my service menu. Just need to fine tune a few settings. Thanks
Hi, it should be the same process on the 1354Q. First press the menu button, then while the menu screen is up, press the degauss & enter keys together and the sub menu should appear.
I've noticed exactly what you describe on my 14m2u. When calibrating geometry, I noticed that I tend to get the best overall look if I allow the corners/sides to have a slight concave bow (as though outward pin amp would be slightly exaggerated). If I try to hard too make the sides/corners line up perfectly, I usually get one particularly wonky corner and some odd bowing geometry effects toward whatever section of the screen it's on. I actually have a question regarding this. Would it be best to leave geometry with an slightly exaggerated pin amp to leave the sides slightly concave (like they appear to be in the video)? Or would it technically be more ideal to calibrate the 3 corners I CAN get perfect and use a convergence strip/magnet to pull out that last corner? Sorry for the lengthy post! I hope I made sense. Thanks.
Sir I need to know how to apply or generate a crosshatch pattern on CRT tv or the methods to cast a crosshatch pattern on CRT tv ....? Please assist me regards.
Hi. You can get a DVD that has TV test patterns, but the best thing to use is the 240P Test Suite if you are using your monitor for retro gaming. sourceforge.net/projects/testsuite240p/
What I noticed on my Sony PVM is a slightly rotated picture, counterclockwise, similar to the picture of this video's PVM. Is there anything I can do about it without opening the monitor up?
Unfortunately no. You can do the adjustment with the monitor turned off/unplugged. Then just turn it on after you make an adjustment to see the result.
Hi, thanks for the great rundown. I've got a little question about a PVM at work: all the onscreen text and presumably image is horizontally flipped and nothing I've tried (menu or hard resetting) will return it to normal. Any ideas? Thanks in advance regardless!
@@RetroTechUSA Hi, just saw this. The text was reversed horizontally as if mirrored. Example screen text: UNEM (imagine flipping the "N" and "E" of course). Anyway, I say "was" because I finally gave up trying to find a menu or button combination option (even with factory reset--which I haven't been able to replicate since) to restore it and ultimately just flipped the yoke wires after snapping the plug to the board. Not too surprisingly, the later PVMs with double red and double blue wires both have to be flipped as pairs for the horizontal image orientation. Maybe both don't, but I did and the image is perfect now, although I still would have preferred to have found out how they did it in the first place. Regardless, thanks for checking up on me!
Hi Steve, I was wondering if you think a neck board that has been damaged on a PVM-1954q can be swapped with one from a PVM-20m2u? They look almost identical. Just some slight differences. The part numbers are different, however everything else seems to match up. What do you think? I would love to source a new neck board for a 1954q but cant seem to find one at the moment. Thanks bud.
Thanks for the feedback. I have a lot more PVM videos too if you have any other maintenance due on yours. This is the 240p test suite. I'm running ti through a ROM cart on a SNES. junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php?title=240p_test_suite sourceforge.net/projects/testsuite240p/
Thanks for the reply. I was fiddling with the geometry last night, using the no disc menu grid on a PSOne, I got it to where I thought I was happy, but once I put in a game there was still black bars at the top and bottom and the actual game didn't fill out the screen fully. It didn't look warped or anything I just was wondering if it is possible to fully fill the screen without warning or squishing the image for PlayStation. Also is there a way to get it back to factory setpoints? Thanks again.
BTW I'm using rgb scart cables and I have 75ohm terminators on the open bnc outs. Ill have to get that test suite. Do they have one for the Genesis/Sega CD?
It's really hard to use games to calibrate a PVM. Some games are set up different and you end up with the problems you are describing. I always set mine using the 240p Test Suite on a SNES and I oversize my picture slightly to avoid black spaces. The cheapest way to use the 240P suite is to get a copy of it for Sega Genasis/MegaDrive & use that to calibrate. Or buy a calibration dvd off eBay/amazon.
Hello, my name is Cleilton, I recently purchased a Sony PVM 1354q. I am learning to calibrate this monitor but I am having some problems. First problem: The grid that should be white is colored (I changed some settings because it was white before). (photos.app.goo.gl/hkJhYy9qSvHD1Qx57) Second problem: I notice that on the left side of the screen there is a dark spot (noticeable in light color images). I already clicked on Degauss but the stain won't come off. (photos.app.goo.gl/X9g5d4jBboEsKVcq7) Please, I need your help.
Have you noticed weird ghosting, streaking to the right of the bright section on dark background area of the screen? ( it should not and never on black backgrounds just on grey dark only)
Cheers for the video! My 1454Q needed some adjustments and I can't thank you enough for showing me the key to the elusive service menu :P
Thank you so much for all the vids you do, as there aren’t many vids on this stuff out there!! This will be very helpful for me. Outstanding as usual.
Thanks. I knew you said you had a 54Q. Good luck getting it set.
I wish Sony still manufactured these displays. Gorgeous displays, the cream of the crop.
They are great displays! :)
It would be amazing to see brand new CRT production from Sony. Used CRTs have a lot of issues, even if the picture is "OK" overall. For example, old CRTs will have the electron guns in an even state of ageing (because you never have just pure white screens displayed on any monitor) and that affects not only white balance, but also convergence because it gets to a point where the beam which got the least usage glows stronger than the others, so you can't coincide all beams perfectly anymore.
Awesome! So happy I found this video. I have this exact model that I bought off Craigslist. It is an awesome but some geometry issues have been driving me nuts, just a wee bit off. I never knew about the sub menu controls, I was afraid I was going to have to find someone who could open her up and calibrate it for me. Now I feel like I can do it myself and save myself a bunch of headache. Thanks again for this detailed video!
Thank you so much! I read the istruction booklet that came with my 14M4E but It didn't specify the Horizontal adjustment. I understood a few other things but couldnt figure that out. RGB input was around 4mm to the left and while it was still ok on the SNES ( not cutting any pixel ) it was making me a bit frustrated xD finally could center it and save the setting! So happy about it.
Thank you so much for this, I just bought my first PVM last week, the 14M2E and this video was so helpful, btw the screens are just amazing of the PVM’s I j ust could not believe how good it looked when I hooked my PS1 and PS2 through RGB
That's true Steve.
The Q series was really an interesting model to say the least. I personally felt it made a great unit even greater that Sony really put good amount of concentration on that made this a solid gold unit.
Despite that it's cramped in there Steve, it still is worth it considering that it pays off in the end once its fully functional and working 100%
Nice work as always bro. Glad to see you outdo yourself all the time. 8^)
Anthony..
Thanks Anthony. I don't have them anymore, but the model before this is awfully hard to adjust. There is no service menu and you are literally turning dials on the bottom board till the screen looks right. The newer models are much easier to maintain and adjust.
That's right Steve, I heard about that model being tough to work with as well. Some use to say that they use to work a sweat because of it. I personally never worked on one. But I personally believe it's true.
But always glad a dude like yourself can do it. 8^)
Anthony..
I realize it's kind of off topic but do anybody know of a good site to watch new series online ?
Not sure if you mentioned this but it's important to keap in mind when you write to memory you not only write the currently displayed option but all options you have changed since you last turned the monitor on.
Good point. I don't think I did mention that. Thanks
@@RetroTechUSA you're welcome. Thanks for the awesome content
I have a pvm1953md as my main retro gaming monitor. It's awesome
Make sure you are very careful when changing settings. I messed with the horizontal sync too much and lost sync. Didn’t realize this and thought something had gone wrong with the PVM.
Nice look at the monitor. I get what you are saying about how hard it can be to have good geometry in the corners with these models, I have a 1953ST and have some wonky geometry in the bottom right corner that I just can't get exactly right and it drives me crazy.
Thanks. I know. Have you checked the convergence strip in that corner? You can move it around to adjust corner geometry.
@@RetroTechUSA I know, I really need to look inside. I saw your video on the convergence strips as well as all the safety tips, but I'm still a bit anxious about safety when opening these things up, knowing how much electricity they hold.
Yes, it's better to be safe and just try to adjust it as best as possible with the service menu rather than getting hurt trying to get a perfect corner
@@RetroTechUSA Except it's a pita because if you fix the corner geometry with the strips, then the corner convergence will get screwed up. These older models simply had very wonky edges and corners. Sony had a rule back then that the peripheral geometry and convergence can be twice less precise than in the center of the screen.
Every console i use on my pvm and now bvm need the screen setting up differently. It can be a pain in the butt.
Yes, it can be. There are some Extron devices that allow you to easily adjust the geometry too, but I don't have any currently.
Retro Tech luckily my 20f1e is very easy to adjust..way easyier than the pvm's.. its usaly just the H size and phase..
One of these is for sale in my area, the seller doesn't properly identify it but it is a 1954Q. Apparently it doesn't power on, and he's still asking outrageous given it might never work again. This video makes me think I should put in an offer if it doesn't sell for asking (which I can't imagine it will).
Love my 1454Q but it definitely needs some TLC. Don’t have the skills myself and I don’t know anywhere in my (rural) area that will service it.
What area are you in? I know some places around the US that can service a PVM.
Hello, do you know of any places in Orlando or Miami FL that can service a PVM? I am willing to ship to somewhere out of FL, if you can recommend someone that is ok with shipping. Thanks!
Retro Tech I reside in the Boston area, what are areas around the east coast that can service my 1354Q and 14M2MDU?
I have this one (the european version anyway) and I have the 3 colored lines issue. Is there anywhere I can find which caps exactly need to be replaced and what caps I should use as replacements? I read somewhere that Sony actually gave out instructions about this but can't find this information anymore
Great video!!!
Hello. correct me if I'm wrong, but with such a calibration, in many games, the menu part at the top will not be visible. for example, in the game "streets of rage".
Hello, thanks for this awesome guide, i recently bought this exact model (just that mine says 20 instead of 19) but it has some issues, the most distracting or which is some curving of the image when it scrolls vertically. I’ve looked through the settings but i can’t seem to find a fix for this. Is there anything I can do to straighten the image?
Best regards
Hey Steve, I can't find the gain poti for the generel brightness on my 20m4e/u I remember those gain Potis from consumer TVs next to the focus on the flyback. Do the pvms in generel don't have any gain potis? One of mine is too bright no matter the menu or knob settings
I have this monitor and have found this video to be very useful. My monitor does not seem to be saving settings. I dial them in, pressing degauss to save each setting (displays WRITE) on the screen, but after I turn the monitor off the settings are reverted. Is there a battery or something that I need to replace in order to save settings after a power-cycle?
Hey Steve. Watched your PVM restoration vids, and I have this particular model that is in need of some repair. I ASSUME it's caps, but as most of my desoldering is done with a wick, I'd prefer to narrow down what might need replacing and pick your brain on thoughts. When I use it with a SCART source, I end up with anything bright on the screen showing horizontal lines across to the right, for example, if there are white words, to the right of them (all the way to the edge of the image) a faint bar will be drawn that's the same vertical thickness as the words. These move as bright images on the screen move, and it only ever shows to the right. Using component through the same set of inputs results in a crystal clear image. I've eliminated cables and the terminators as potential suspects. Would you have an idea of what section of the board might be worth recapping first? Or if you have some tips on testing PVM caps on board, that would be handy too, although I'm not sure how reliable it is. Don't have the service manual. Thanks!
I have the same problem with my other 3 monitors of the same model
@@igorberzaghi339 apparently this is horizontal smearing, and can be a few issues, although often power supply caps are the cause. I'm waiting on a cap order to see if this is the cause.
@@tomferrier6143 Thanks Tom for your reply! If you can solve this problem with the replacement of capacitors let me know!
@@igorberzaghi339 others in a CRT group I've joined say it almost always is capacitor related. Not 100% of the time, but usually the big one near the flyback internally. I'll follow-up when I actually get to try it, being in Canada, US mail takes like 2 months to get to me lol.
@@tomferrier6143 I hope you can solve it! I have other models like pvm 20L5 20L2 20m4U and 20M2MDU. This model is inferior to the others but I would be glad to get it fixed because whoever likes pvms values the best image. It was a great pleasure talking to you! I'm Brazilian and many here like pixel perfection
Hi, I have been trying to enter the service menu on my 1354Q and it just activates the degauss when I push enter and degauss simultaneously. Any tips on how I can get into my service menu. Just need to fine tune a few settings. Thanks
Hi, it should be the same process on the 1354Q. First press the menu button, then while the menu screen is up, press the degauss & enter keys together and the sub menu should appear.
I've noticed exactly what you describe on my 14m2u. When calibrating geometry, I noticed that I tend to get the best overall look if I allow the corners/sides to have a slight concave bow (as though outward pin amp would be slightly exaggerated). If I try to hard too make the sides/corners line up perfectly, I usually get one particularly wonky corner and some odd bowing geometry effects toward whatever section of the screen it's on. I actually have a question regarding this. Would it be best to leave geometry with an slightly exaggerated pin amp to leave the sides slightly concave (like they appear to be in the video)? Or would it technically be more ideal to calibrate the 3 corners I CAN get perfect and use a convergence strip/magnet to pull out that last corner? Sorry for the lengthy post! I hope I made sense. Thanks.
Also might be notable that my sub menu is almost exactly the same as this monitor's. Same settings.
Sir I need to know how to apply or generate a crosshatch pattern on CRT tv or the methods to cast a crosshatch pattern on CRT tv ....? Please assist me regards.
Hi. You can get a DVD that has TV test patterns, but the best thing to use is the 240P Test Suite if you are using your monitor for retro gaming. sourceforge.net/projects/testsuite240p/
What I noticed on my Sony PVM is a slightly rotated picture, counterclockwise, similar to the picture of this video's PVM. Is there anything I can do about it without opening the monitor up?
Unfortunately no. You can do the adjustment with the monitor turned off/unplugged. Then just turn it on after you make an adjustment to see the result.
@@RetroTechUSA thank you very much for thr help!
Hi! I know it has nothing to do with this model, buto do you happen to know the service menu for a Panasonic BT-H3090YN?
Hi. Sorry, I am not familiar with that monitor. My experience is mostly with Sony or Olympus PVMs.
tienes para el 29 pulgadas philis crt
In your opinion do you think upgrading from this monitor to a PVM-20M4U would be worth an extra $100?
Maybe if it's good condition. It's not a huge jump though
@@RetroTechUSA wooo one size up to 20
Hi, thanks for the great rundown. I've got a little question about a PVM at work: all the onscreen text and presumably image is horizontally flipped and nothing I've tried (menu or hard resetting) will return it to normal. Any ideas? Thanks in advance regardless!
HI. Do you mean the text is upside down or is the text on the bottom of the screen?
@@RetroTechUSA Hi, just saw this. The text was reversed horizontally as if mirrored. Example screen text: UNEM (imagine flipping the "N" and "E" of course). Anyway, I say "was" because I finally gave up trying to find a menu or button combination option (even with factory reset--which I haven't been able to replicate since) to restore it and ultimately just flipped the yoke wires after snapping the plug to the board. Not too surprisingly, the later PVMs with double red and double blue wires both have to be flipped as pairs for the horizontal image orientation. Maybe both don't, but I did and the image is perfect now, although I still would have preferred to have found out how they did it in the first place. Regardless, thanks for checking up on me!
Hi Steve, I was wondering if you think a neck board that has been damaged on a PVM-1954q can be swapped with one from a PVM-20m2u? They look almost identical. Just some slight differences. The part numbers are different, however everything else seems to match up. What do you think? I would love to source a new neck board for a 1954q but cant seem to find one at the moment. Thanks bud.
No, it wouldn't work. Too many changes in the chassis between 1954Q and 20M2U.
I have the 2054QM and can't seem to use the underscan button it does nothing and no light on button when pressing it. Am i doing something wrong?
The button must be broken. As simple as that.
Where did you get that calibration tool? And what are you running it off? Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback. I have a lot more PVM videos too if you have any other maintenance due on yours. This is the 240p test suite. I'm running ti through a ROM cart on a SNES. junkerhq.net/xrgb/index.php?title=240p_test_suite
sourceforge.net/projects/testsuite240p/
Thanks for the reply. I was fiddling with the geometry last night, using the no disc menu grid on a PSOne, I got it to where I thought I was happy, but once I put in a game there was still black bars at the top and bottom and the actual game didn't fill out the screen fully. It didn't look warped or anything I just was wondering if it is possible to fully fill the screen without warning or squishing the image for PlayStation. Also is there a way to get it back to factory setpoints? Thanks again.
BTW I'm using rgb scart cables and I have 75ohm terminators on the open bnc outs. Ill have to get that test suite. Do they have one for the Genesis/Sega CD?
It's really hard to use games to calibrate a PVM. Some games are set up different and you end up with the problems you are describing. I always set mine using the 240p Test Suite on a SNES and I oversize my picture slightly to avoid black spaces. The cheapest way to use the 240P suite is to get a copy of it for Sega Genasis/MegaDrive & use that to calibrate. Or buy a calibration dvd off eBay/amazon.
Man, I have to repair a neckboard on one of these things. Not looking forward to it, the thing is in like 5 pieces.
Dang that stinks. Did it crack?
Hello, my name is Cleilton, I recently purchased a Sony PVM 1354q. I am learning to calibrate this monitor but I am having some problems.
First problem: The grid that should be white is colored (I changed some settings because it was white before).
(photos.app.goo.gl/hkJhYy9qSvHD1Qx57)
Second problem: I notice that on the left side of the screen there is a dark spot (noticeable in light color images). I already clicked on Degauss but the stain won't come off.
(photos.app.goo.gl/X9g5d4jBboEsKVcq7)
Please, I need your help.
how is it saving the setting is there a battery backup?
I have my 1954q for sale if anyone is looking on here!
Have you noticed weird ghosting, streaking to the right of the bright section on dark background area of the screen? ( it should not and never on black backgrounds just on grey dark only)
why are these tvs so complicated, its like you are talking in an alien language