SONY KDF70XBR950 70-Inch LCD Projection TV

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [4.51mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 71.8 x 25.5 x 45 inches
• Shipping Weight: 219 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B0000YOPAC
• Item model number: KDF70XBR950
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,010 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Pushing the limits of big-screen technology for the home, Sony's incredible 70-inch KDF-70XBR950 projection LCD television will practically put you on the playing field for your favorite sports events. The set also houses integrated NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners. Nevertheless, the perfectly flat LCD TV uses an amazingly lightweight and slim-bodied chassis and stands a mere 19 inches deep, giving you maximum image with minimal space investment.

The set's liquid-crystal display frees you from having to make convergence adjustments or having to worry about image burn-in. Instead you get incredible detail (more than 3 million pixels), high contrast, and even, corner-to-corner brightness from the set's user-replaceable 100-watt UHP (ultra high pressure) lamp.

The screen features a wide, 16:9 aspect ratio to match the dimension of most movies and HDTV broadcasts, and the KDF-70XBR950 offers compatibility with standard-definition 480i, enhanced-definition 480p, and high-definition 720p and 1080i signals. Sony's Digital Reality Creation (DRC) circuitry ensures high picture resolution, while proprietary Direct Digital Circuitry increases a video signal's signal-to-noise ratio before it reaches the DRC circuit, ensuring rich, natural-looking images from any source.

Sony's CineMotion 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal is a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. Digital video mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture.

The set's WEGA Engine system maximizes picture performance from any video source by minimizing the number of digital-to-analog conversion processes. This full digital processing engine includes Sony's MID-X (Multi Image Driver), which maintains the integrity of a converted signal by minimizing image loss in the scaling process; and a proprietary optical engine, which employs a trio of Sony's wide-XGA, high-resolution LCD panels, 1 for each of the RGB signals (resulting in 3.28 million dots of resolution).

The optical engine also features a special 11-element lens system responsible for the lightweight, ultra-slim cabinet. The lens system bends the light path, creating an ultra-short focal point while maintaining high brightness. This proprietary system delivers vivid images from the center of the screen all the way to the edges.

TwinView PIP (picture-in-picture) lets you view any 2 sources simultaneously, even at different image resolutions, while the built-in Memory Stick media slot offers ready display of both JPEG images and MPEG-1 video. A DVI-HDTV input affords a direct digital hookup with a compatible DTV receiver or digital cable box. Top-of-the-line high-definition-capable component-video inputs minimize digital and line-scan artifacts from compatible video sources (480i, 480p, 1080i), while standard composite- and S-video inputs accommodate all DVD players. You can label the set's video inputs and channels for easy selection.

Channel Fix automatically sets TV to a specific channel (such as 3) for cable box control, letting you switch channels on the cable box via the TV's universal remote control without altering your TV setting. The Control S feature (input/output) lets you use the set with other Sony components, controlling all with a single remote control, and only ever pointing the remote at the TV--not each piece of gear.

What's in the Box
TV, remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, and warranty information.

From the Manufacturer

The Sony KDF-70XBR950 Sonys new fully integrated Grand WEGA HDTV televisions offer enhanced LCD-based rear projection picture technology. This years models combine the WEGA Engine system with Sonys proprietary LCD Optical Engine, which contains the new 0.87-inch wide XGA LCD panels to achieve 3.28 million dots resolution, resulting in exquisite, detailed picture quality and a 20 percent improved contrast ratio. The new widescreen models are also equipped with a built-in ATSC tuner, Uniform Brightness Screen technology, enhanced Memory Stick media playback, both i.LINK and DVI-HDTV digital interfaces, and a new design.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top of the Line - Best of the Best, March 11, 2004

By 

R. Guentner (Valrico, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SONY KDF70XBR950 70-Inch LCD Projection TV (Electronics)

I have an 8-year old 50 inch bigscreen that still puts on an exceptional picture. I had found a deal on a satellite receiver that could tune the local channels in HD and connect to the bigscreen with S-Video. I had decided that I would not upgrade until I found a 60 inch or larger with a better picture. I saw this Sony on display showing Discovery HD, and had to have it. Since I got it home, I have been glued to it watching anything available in HD.

The Set: It is an LCD-projection system using a very bright lamp to project thru the LCD and onto the screen. It never needs converging. It is not affected by speakers or magnets. It has seven inputs for sources such as a DVD player, satellite receiver, etc.. Four inputs (one on the front) accept S-Video or composit video plus two channels of encoded audio. There are two inputs for RGB component sources, and one DVI input for the highest grade connection. The internal tuner will tune any broadcast tv channel, analog or digital, and offers picture with picture(side-by-side) and can adjust the size of the two pictures to maximize one and minimize the other.

The picture: It's like standing at a window and looking at the world. Simply breathtaking. There are several modes to take less-than-HD sources and fill the screen. With movies on DVD, it's better than the picture in a movie theater. and DVD players are only 480I/P sources. A 1080I source provides the best picture.

The Sound: The internal sound system provides excellent sound with several modes. The Trusurround(tm) mode will provide a very good impersonation of Dolby 5.1 surround, minus the sub-woofer. I frequently hear sounds behind me and turn to realize the home theater system is OFF, and I am listening to the TV's sound. For most people, the onboard sound will be enough. For those that want all of the theater experience, you will probably want a home theater system. I have a Sony DAV-FC9 home theater system for full enjoyment of movies.

Other: This set weighs 225lbs in it's carton. Sony recommends no less than 4 people to move it and has provided some hand-holds for that purpose. It needs a sturdy base to sit on. Sony's base is overpriced, in my opinion. I found a nice base from a home theater collection at a furniture store. It has room for DVD recorders, satellite receivers, or the home theater receiver. The screen protector is a solid sheet of tempered glass about 3 inches larger than the screen. It makes the set a bit front heavy. Read the manual for more info (www.docs.sony.com/release/KDF70XBR950.pdf). The glass has a front-surface anti-glare coating to cut down on reflections. It should not be touched, except for gentle cleaning. If you are watching a dark program(outside scene at night) you may still get some reflections from light room objects, but not overwhelming.

To Sum it Up: I am very happy with this HDTV receiver. I still have not found a better picture on anything bigger than 60 inches. I apparently am not the only fan. I had to order it from a local store by placing a 20% deposit and wait for the next shipment. My one complaint, if that, is that with this sharp of a picture, you can see the flaws in lesser programming.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sony does not stand behind this product, August 14, 2007

By 

Paul A. Henry "Security & Forensics Expert" (Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SONY KDF70XBR950 70-Inch LCD Projection TV (Electronics)

I speny just under 8,000 USD for my KDF70XBR950 in August 05 and it recently started showing a blue squiggely line in the center - bottom of the tv. I had a repair tech come out and he told it had a bad optical assy and that I should contact Sony as there was a known issue with this part. I contacted Sony and they claim that while there is a known issue that "my particular issue" wasn't the specific issue covered by the extended warranty. Bottom line is they want $1,400 to repair it. So I am stuck with a peice of junk KDF70XBR950 that I paid more for then my car and Sony refuese to stand behind it. Buyers beware - Sony does not stand behind their products. I can buy a new 73 inch Mitsubschi for $3500 so why pay for the $1400 repair for a product that will just fail again....

There will never be another Sony product in my household!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the best I've seen at this size, January 3, 2006

By 

David C. Everett "CacheDasher" (IA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SONY KDF70XBR950 70-Inch LCD Projection TV (Electronics)

I have had this TV for two years now. No buyer's remorse what-so-ever. I still have not seen a better TV at this size, and I have looked at DLP, LCD-RP, LCD-directview, plasma, CRT, and also front projection. Five of my friends have gone out and bought this TV (or the 60-inch version) after seeing it in action at my house. I cannot say enough about how stunning the picture quality is.

The 60-inch version of this TV now uses LCoS instead of LCD, and I think it has higher resolution, so I may wish to upgrade if they ever come out with the 70-incher in LCoS.

I have heard two complaints about this TV in the HD forums. One of which is completely bogus. The other may be a concern.

1) The big sheet of plexiglass in front of the screen causes too much glare. This is the bogus complaint. If they had put a lenticular screen in front to cut down on glare, you would lose both brightness and viewing angle. Give me the ultra-bright, super-sharp, wide-angle-viewable screen any day and I'll do whatever else can be done to cut down on the glare.

2) The contrast drops off sharply at dark grey. Yes, LCDs have contrast problems below a certain brightness level. You will definitely see a sharp drop off in detail in darker areas of the screen when watching this TV. It is inherent to LCD. No way around it. In my opinion, there are at least as many drawbacks to the other technologies (DLP, Plasma, CRT).

Go get one of these before they are all gone!