Customer Reviews

Sony Grand WEGA KDS-50A2000 50-Inch SXRD 1080p Rear Projection HDTV

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

My TV history: I've owned a Sony KF42WE610 set, which is an LCD Rear Proj. TV. I have helped purchase (and tweak) a Samsung HLP4663W DLP set for my parents, which replaced an older Mitsubishi CRT RPTV. I also own a 26" Syntax LT26HVE flat-panel LCD which I use as my PC monitor. I think it's fair to say I've seen my share of HDTVs.

Well, my parents bought me this set as a graduation gift, to replace my Sony LCD set which was lost in a housefire. And boy, am I ever pleased with it. Sony's SXRD (their proprietary version of LCOS, or Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technology is easily superior to all of the above-mentioned techs (including Plasma, which I have not owned, but have viewed relatively extensively). It is offered at a "Sony mark-up" but not a tremendous one in terms of other 1080p-capable sets.

What really blows away competing technologies in the current marketplace is the black level. Sony's SXRD has, for the first time, equaled the deep, inky, rich blacks of a very good CRT or plasma set - and married it to the brightness of microdisplay technology, at a much more affordable price than flat-panel LCD or plasma sets.

The blacks are truly stunning. STUNNING. On my 2003-model Sony LCD RPTV, black was a very dark gray. On my parents' 2005-model Samsung DLP, blacks are better still, but you can still see a bit of light shining through. The blacks on Sony's SXRD sets are so dark, they are only barely discernable from a completely turned-off set. If you're new to microdisplay tvs, you may not be impressed. But when you've followed their evolution for 5 years like I have, it is just astounding the progress that has been made. These blacks are as good as the best plasma sets, WAY better than the best current LCD flat-panels, and finally as good as a very good consumer-grade CRT direct-view or projection set. The level of black may seem unimportant to a newbie, but it is possibly the most important quality of a convincing picture - a high black level leads to a flat, washed out picture. The ability to render deep shades of black without losing detail in shadows makes for a realistic, convincing cinematic experience.

The resolution is, of course, terrific. It is impossible to see individual pixels at further than a foot from the screen (I have 20/20 vision). 1080i HD signals show an obvious (though slight) boost in detail over 720p display devices. SXRD tvs, like all "microdisplay" sets (LCD, DLP and LCOS), offer a tremendously bright and "punchy" picture, as opposed to what you may be familiar with, the older, much dimmer CRT projection sets. This is due to its UHP (ultra high pressure) lamp light source, which is a bright, white light, unlike the three multicolored CRT "guns." It never requires convergence, and there is no danger whatsoever of "burn-in" or image retention. Better still, when the lamp begins to dim or fail after about 8,000 hours of use, it can be replaced by the user, effectively giving you a brand-new picture. This DIY feature is much appreciated by someone who wants to avoid annoying (and costly?) service visits. I have seen some negative reaction to user-replaceable lamps. People say: If you have to buy $200 to $300 lamps periodically, won't that add up to a huge expenditure? Well, first of all, we're talking about 8,000 hours of use, according to Sony's specs on this set's lamp. That equals out to various numbers of years depending on your viewing habits. Let's say you watch 5-6 hours a day - working out to about 4 years. To me, $250 every 4 years is not a big deal, especially when you get a "like new" picture each time you replace. Other techs like Plasma have what they call "Mean Time to Half Brightness," usually around 20,000 hours. So that's around 10 years until you likely would just be better off replacing the plasma set. Even given future price erosion, we're talking about likely a $1500-$2000 purchase to replace. Weigh 2 or 3 lamps in 10 years($500-$750) against a new $2000 set after 10 years, and the expenditure doesn't seem so bad.

DLP is almost on the same par in terms of picture quality, but for me (and *maybe* 5-10% of the rest of the population), my ability to see rainbow trails on high-contrast scenes takes it out of contention. Until manufacturers put out 3-chip DLP sets (1 chip per primary color, with no rainbow-inducing color wheel to separate the white light from one chip into the 3 primary colors), I can't live with a DLP set as my daily option. ((update: LED-based DLP sets apparently have a much-diminished rainbow effect, since the LED source lamps flash quickly between red, green and blue, much faster than any color wheel separating white light. This new tech deserves to be watched carefully - reviews indicate that the picture quality is not yet quite up to snuff)) Keep in mind, this is not to dissuade anyone from getting a DLP set - they look great, and if you don't see rainbows, they come in 1080p flavors for a great price. The best test to see if you are sensitive to rainbows is the THX optimizer menu available on many DVDs. Look at the circle test pattern, and move your eyes around the circle. If you see rainbows, this is the easiest test for them. If you don't you're golden. That said, color wheels are getting faster, so perhaps this issue will diminish with each new generation of DLP sets.

LCD projection sets (like my previous set), though they have three chips (and thus no rainbows), have a lower level of "pixel fill," (the portion of the screen filled by the pixels of the image, as opposed to the spaces between pixels) meaning you can more easily discern the spaces between pixels, creating what some call a "screen door effect." Figures I've read put the pixel fill of LCD RPTV's at 50%, DLP sets at 90%, and SXRD sets at 92% (I have not seen a published figure on plasmas, but to my eyes they look to have a lower pixel fill - I have always found it quite easy to see plasma pixels). I can say from having owned these sets and compared them side by side that it does make a big difference. Pixels which are 'invisible' a foot away from the screen lend themselves to an incredibly creamy, smooth picture which doesn't look "digital." LCD offers a great no-rainbow budget option, but currently is not available in 1080p resolution, has a higher black level by the nature of its pass-through technology, and has more easily discerned pixels.

Where Sony's SXRD models unexpectedly shine are in their feature sets and customizability. You can name each input and channel. There are so many tweaking options available in the regular user menu that you may never even find them all. The funny thing is , most of them are unnecessary. I calibrated the set with the Digital Video Essentials home theater disc, and the set required *no* changes to color settings and only the barest minimum change to brightness levels. Both SD and HD signals look great, and the integrated Over-the-Air tuner does a great job of pulling free broadcast HD signals. This is a set that you can plug in and not change one setting and get a truly great picture - all the knowledgeable tweaking in the world (I consider myself knowledgeable, having made service menu adjustments based on much research on my old Sony) will only improve things nominally - which was kind of a disappointment - since I so enjoyed tweaking the Sony LCD and Sammy DLP sets, each requiring far more in the way of adjustment.

I use the Oppo 971H "upscaling" player for my DVD source, the PS3 for my Blu-Ray source, and the Terk HDTV-S indoor/outdoor antenna to pull in my OTA HD broadcasts. I highly recommend all of these pieces of equipment (Oppo has a new model out, which can be purchased on Amazon.) As many have said - you MUST feed your set the best material to really enjoy it. DVDs through HDMI look very good (the TV does just as good a job as the Oppo scaling them up to 1920x1080), and native 1080p Blu-Ray discs such as "Planet Earth" can't be beat. Pairing a set like this with an HD disc player (whatever your pleasure, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray) is highly recommended.

As far as standard definition goes, "garbage in, garbage out" is the applicable phrase - but to be fair, this Sony does a fine job of smoothing out analog cable signals to make them watchable. I consider myself a pretty discerning viewer, and frankly I just don't understand some of the criticism out there with regard to this set's SD performance. Folks, if you feed a high-performance set like this a blurry, noisy signal through coaxial cable, you're going to see each blur and shake in glorious, 50" high-resolution detail. It's the nature of the beast. Play with the "DRC Palette" to find a setting which smooths it out to your liking.

Just an aside - as with most microdisplays, this set has a screen with a matte finish - not the glassy reflective screens typical of Plasma or CRT sets. Thank goodness. I don't know why anyone ever thought putting a 50-inch mirror in your living room and then trying to get a good tv picture from it was a good idea. Now if they can just stop using these shiny screens on laptops... Another note on the screen - like all microdisplays, this set's screen is "high gain," meaning it is engineered with a lenticular finish on the interior to amp up the brightness levels and create a wider viewing angle. While this is mostly a good thing (especially in a bright room), some people feel it creates a "silk screen effect," in which you can see the "sparkling" of the screen material on a very bright field in the image, such as a white screen, or clouds. Subjectively, it doesn't bother me at all. But it is a difference to note between these types of sets and a front projector, LCD, or plasma.

The one and only drawback for me is the lack of picture-in-picture - I would have used it a lot for gaming while having the TV on as well. It is a disappointment, but not a dealbreaker. The quality of the picture makes up for it. Others may miss "cable card," though it is not something I care about. PIP and Cable Card are available on the step up "XBR" model Sony, for quite a premium. Since the two models share identical display chips and nearly identical processing abilities, I personally don't think the premium is justified.

With resolution, color fidelity and black levels like these; and weighing in at 85 pounds and about 14 inches deep; all at a price rapidly plunging below $2k; I cannot reasonably see purchasing any other type of set, unless space is so limited that you absolutely cannot live without (and you have the extra $1000 for) a flat panel.

There's a reason these sets top the ratings of sites like CNET, Sound & Vision, and Home Theater Mag. They are truly the best of breed and can't be topped in the current marketplace for quality and price/performance. These sets (and DLP sets also, minus the rainbows) are better than flat-panel technologies for sometimes half the price. I can't possibly recommend a set like this enough if you are in the market for a big screen which you want to use for serious movie watching, HD sports, or even just regular viewing.

Before you buy, think about the source of the material that you watch. If it is mostly NTSC video (analog TV), I wouldn't bother. If it is mostly digital cable (480i), I still wouldn't bother. If you mostly watch standard-def DVD's, will soon be watching HD DVD's/Blu-ray, or HDTV feeds, then I would say GO FOR IT.

IMHO, standard definition TV (NTSC) looks fair, standard definition DVD's (through an excellent upconverting DVD player like the Toshiba HD-A1) look very good and HD-DVD's look AWESOME.

Even when I messed with the settings, I just couldn't get NTSC video to look any better than what I would consider tolerable. Standard definition DVD's, however, look very good. The resolution is not near as good as HD DVD, but it is pretty good and the color reproduction is phenomenal. I watched Star Wars Episode One on the new TV (through the HD-A1) and saw colors and detail I had never seen before. I am excited about watching all the standard def DVD's in my collection on the new TV to see the difference.

HD-DVD's are just plain awesome and the sound is phenomenal. Do yourself a favor and get the HD-A1 from Toshiba for under $400 and not the 2nd generation, as G2 does not have analog audio outputs, which you'll need for Dolby TrueHD and DDPlus (unless you have a very new receiver). Yeah, the HD-A1 is a little slow, but it works pretty well after you do the firmware upgrade. This thing is more like a PC than a video player, so just be patient. Turn on the TV and the DVD player and then go make your popcorn.

Also beware that most retail rental stores (at least by me) don't have Blu-Ray or HD-DVD's for rent yet, so you may want to sign up with Blockbuster (good selection) or Netflix (OK selection). I'm not buying any just yet.

One more thing...the stand for this puppy is expensive but it is designed specifically for this model. The front bezel clamps down on the front of the TV and the rear of the stand has a belt that snaps into the TV. It's not going anywhere. If you are going to drop $2K on this sucker, you better make sure the stand holds it in place!

Oh getting back to the TV, my center channel speaker barely balances on the top of the TV. I will need a shelf or something else creative to secure the speaker better.

***Updated 10/2/2006***

OK, instead of feeding my cable to the TV through my DVR (VHF in, VHF out), I fed it directly to the TV and used a splitter. There was a SIGNIFICANT improvement in picture quality. Also note that I have seen huge variations in picture quality from channel to channel and show to show. I was watching a movie on TBS (digital 480i) yesterday that was near HD quality. It's all about the source!

This is somewhat lengthy but if you're going to spend $2,000 on a TV it's worth spending a minute reading up on it.

I purchased this TV a month or so ago. I actually purchased three TV's, put them all in my house to see which one I liked best and kept the Sony. I also had the Samsung HLS-5086W, and Toshiba 50HM66. One 1080p and two 720p sets. I purchased the 1080p Sony instead of the 720p model because I got it for a great price, it was the smallest premium for the 1080p model instead of the 720p model from the three manufactures. I think it's gone up some since I purchased it though - prices for micro-display rear projection TV's fluctuated wildly in December and January.

The picture quality is outstanding. It was the best of all the TV's I took home. I'm pretty picky and while this TV isn't perfect for me it has the best picture and ultimately that's what matters most.

The TV has more settings to adjust the picture then you'll likely need. This TV has the most impressive set of picture controls - at least compared to the other two I had, download the manual from Sony and you can look through all the settings you can control.

I really cannot comment on the sound, I'm running sound through an A/V receiver. But, it does have more sound settings then the Samsung or Toshiba. One thing about the audio out that I don't like is that it's only enabled for the coax inputs. If you plan to use composite or HDMI inputs then the audio out is not enabled. Probably not a big deal for most.

The feature set of this TV has more or less the same as the Samsung and Toshiba. One thing I'd have liked to have is auto input detection. The TV has 9 inputs which is great but can be time consuming to switch between inputs. I use the Air antenna and the two HDMI inputs (6 & 7), if I switch from one HDMI input to the other I have to scroll through all 8 other inputs to get back to the first HDMI input - even though there are no other signals on the inputs. The Samsung will only show inputs that have a signal to them. It's a minor inconvenience.

This TV costs more than either the Samsung or the Toshiba but it's worth it. Part of that is this TV is a 1080p and the others are 720p, part of it is because it's a Sony. The picture quality is worth the extra money, 1080p isn't though. Do NOT buy this TV just because it's 1080p. I had this one side by side with the Samsung and with the same HD source (Over the Air) you cannot tell a difference due to the resolution - the Sony is brighter, the colors are better and more accurate, it excels with dark scenes, etc. and that's why I kept it but I could not tell a difference due to the resolution - which makes sense since I don't have any 1080p sources to input to it...

One thing I want to point out too, in some of the reviews a few people have rated the TV low because standard definition sources display poorly. They do compared to HD sources, but they do on any large screen, fixed pixel display (DLP, LCD, Plasma). Do some research and understand what's going on and how SD sources are displayed. This TV happens to have a number of features to help display SD signals and if you take advantage of them you'll be able to get an SD picture that's pretty good. Spend a few minutes tweaking the SD source and it will be more then acceptable. A great and useful feature of this TV is the settings apply to each input. So, if you have an over the air antenna you can set up the TV to display that perfectly and if you have an SD cable/satellite input you can have different settings for that input.

I really didn't want to spend the extra money for the Sony (or a 1080p model), but I was surprised to see how much better the Sony looked compared directly to the Samsung or Toshiba. It especially excels with dark scenes. Both the other TV's could not show details in dark scenes, for example the pocket or collar of a black shirt against a dark background. With the Sony you can see the pocket, shadows in the pocket, etc. With the other two all you can make it is a dark shirt. That's likely due to the different display technologies the TV's use. Sony uses LCOS (they call it SXRD) and the others use DLP. DLP sets have trouble with dark scenes.

At some point I will get an HD-DVD player so maybe the investment in the 1080p will pay off - I know that is debatable but regardless the TV is exceptional.

I also have had experience with Sony support. I used the IM feature they have on their website twice and was very surprised by how helpful and accurate it was. Very well done service by Sony. You can even get a transcript of the chat session to save.

Finally, Sony offers a 5 year extended warranty with this TV. You purchase it directly from Sony. It covers parts and labor, costs $249. I think that's a great deal for an extended warranty. You don't have to purchase it with the TV, you have 60 days to purchase the extended warranty and you can purchase 2,3,4, and 5 year terms - all with different prices.

I have now had this set for 3 months and I am very happy with it. I must admit, if there was a 4.5 stars I would give it 4.5 stars instead of 4 stars. I'll get into that in a bit.

Why I Love this Set:

Put simply, it has an absolutely incredible picture that is not compromised by its very competitive price. I previously had a 720p LCD 50" TV and the first time I watched hi def content on this 1080p TV I was stunned by the picture quality of it over the 720p TV. I've only seen this TV with 480i, 480p, 720p, and compressed 1080i material. I have not yet seen it with uncompressed 1080i material or 1080p material, so I can only imagine how good it will look the first time I get to see an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray on it.

I play a lot of Xbox 360 and this set has such a gorgeous picture that I bought a bean bag that I plop down on about 3 - 4 feet from the screen. From that distance the picture still looks phenomenol. I had a 720p LCD rear projection TV and I had to stay at least 6 - 7 feet away to not be bothered by the screen door effect.

Why I had to knock off a star:

I am knocking it to 4 stars for two reasons, lack of features and the fact that it took 4 sets before I got one without problems.

I know the set has a good price, but there are two features that I really would like to see in this set and would have paid $100 more to have each one. Cablecard and picture in picture (PIP). Actually, if it didn't have cablecard, but did have PIP I probably would be fine. I want PIP for two reasons 1) to be able to watch two sporting events at once and 2) to be able to play Xbox 360 while my wife watches TV.

I had to go through 4 defective sets before I got one without problems, which makes me question Sony's quality control. The first one had some serious audio synchronization issues when using the internal ATSC tuner. The second one would flip out about once every 30 minutes. The menus would flash on and off and the screen image would flicker. The third one had a green area on it that never went away. The fourth one (which I kept) works great, but I do have to say that is has a few greenish areas that take about 2 minutes after power on to be not noticeable on almost all content and about 20 minutes to not be noticeable on black and white content. I guess that this is actually expected and that many rear projection TVs aren't considered truly warmed up until 20 - 30 minutes have passed. Like I said, within 2 minutes, it is not a problem at all and the picture quality you get when it is warmed up is phenomenol.

Summary

To sum it all up, I am satisfied with my purchase even though I paid more than what it is currently selling for at most stores. The fact that I was willing to go through three defective sets before getting a good set shows you how happy I am with the picture quality, which in the end is the most important aspect of a TV.

This was my first HDTV, replacing a nine-year-old Sony Trinitron 27-inch CRT. I had my decision narrowed to the KDS-50A2000, the KDS-60A2000, and the Samsung HL-S5687.

My main search criteria were as follows, in order of importance: picture quality (including 1080p resolution and HDMI input--yes, I've bought into the hype), connectivity, and price. Not among my criteria were cabinet size (i.e. I didn't need a flat panel), sound reproduction, PIP, or cable card.

In the stores, the Samsung looked brighter, with more vibrant color, was bigger than the 50A2000 of course, and cheaper. So I was leaning that way, albeit reluctantly, because I'm somewhat a Sony loyalist. Meanwhile, the Sony 50A2000 was brighter than the 60A2000. I was told that's because the two sizes use the same lamp. The Sony images looked more finely detailed, maybe, or was that my loyalism coloring my perception?

Anyway, when the 50A2000 got down to $1950 on Amazon, free shipping, no sales tax, I went for it.

About my purchasing experience: all was well with Amazon, but the shipper, Eagle Global Logistics, got my name and phone number wrong. Their delivery date window was way too broad and wrong as it turns out. They recovered from their initial mistakes, though, with courtesy and efficiency. The delivery was much sooner than expected. I suggest you contact the shipper as soon as possible to work out details.

I also ordered the Sony DVPNS75H DVD player with the HDMI output.

I am no expert, but I am completely pleased with the sharpness of the image, the blacks, the whites, the color accuracy. It looks fantastic. The DVDs through the HDMI are stunning; I even hooked up my old LaserDisc player and it looks really good.

The set-up and menus are intuitive and easy. I'm getting all my broadcasts through old rabbit ears. Standard definition images are very good. I was happy with many of the TV's default picture settings, but it offers a wealth of adjustment options. There are more connections than I'll need. The TV is quiet, lightweight, and simply, elegantly designed. The speakers' sound is also quite satisfying.

The picture is plenty bright in a normally lit room, vibrant (much better than you tend to see in stores, I think), accurate, with a wide viewing angle. 50 inches is enough for a theatrical thrill. Amazing.

I cannot rightly compare this TV with other products, as this is my first and only HDTV purchase. I also have some quibbles with the HDTV experience in general. But I can conclude that I am totally thrilled with this product so far. Go for it.

January 13, 2007 Addendum: About a month after ordering this TV, I saw that it had gone down in price another $150. I asked Amazon whether reimbursement of the difference were possible. They credited $150 to my Visa with no fuss at all. Amazon, you rock!

For a year I have been lusting after the SXRD. I have had Sony TVs all my life and can attest to their longevity and picture quality as being the best in the industry. I was looking to move up in technology, screen size and resolving power from my Sony 27" Wega that I purchased 5 years ago. At the beginning of the micro display (DLP, LCD, & LCoS) revolution, Samsung was the leader and the biggest spender on R&D for this technology. Sony was happy to sit back and rely on their reputation while they brought to market LCD projectors that their long time customers looked at with Benny Hill expressions of suprise and disgust. Meanwhile, Samsung and Panasonic took more and more of Sony's market share with exquisite picture quality, handsome cabinet design, and intuitive controls. Well, the gloves came off at Sony. Sony decided to get around the pros and cons of LCD and DLP using a technology that only one other major manufacturer (JVC) has had the guts to produce on a large scale. This technology is called LCoS, or Liquid Crystal on Silicon. Sony uses the SXRD moniker to differentiate it's LCoS based TVs from the rest of the sub-standard LCD TVs it produces. Basically, LCoS is a hybrid of DLP and LCD using the best of both technologies and able to discard the deficiencies. Inspite of the advantages of this technology, few manufacturers are willing to produce TVs using LCoS because it is more expensive (less profitable). I would have bought the less expensive 720p 50" Samsung DLP HDTV but my wife said that I would regret it, knowing how much I wanted the SXRD. Man, was she right. I got this thing home and out of the box on standard digital cable, transmitted at 480i resolution, it was impressive. The up-conversion works phenominally. When we had our cable company upgrade us to an HD converter box I was exceedingly impressed with scene transition, contrast, and well....the color was jaw-dropping. Normally, when I have seen a projection TV produce color this vibrant, there was alot of color bleeding and smearing (color temps. too hot). But not on this set. The first movie I watched in HD was "V for Vendetta" and it was totally absorbing. I was really excited about this TV and asked my wife what she thought of it. She said that she couldn't tell the difference from normal TV except for the size. After I stopped looking for the alien pods in the basement and clues as to what they had done with her, I came into the livingroom where she was watching "Saving Private Ryan" in HD. It was the beginning where they are storming Normandy beach and an excellent war scene. What made me take notice of how my wife was watching was that she was sitting forward on the couch with her head way down and flinching at the whizzing bullets and artillery explosions on the screen. I caught her attention and asked her, "Can't tell the difference, huh?" The biggest thing about HD isn't that us tech nerds can tell the huge difference from older technologies, it's that the normal "Joe" gets immersed so entirely in the program that they forget where they are. The shadow detail, black reproduction, limited stepping, iris controls are all, in and of themselves, little improvements and subtle but they enhance cumulatively the experience and soon the person is lost in the program. And that my friends is the triumph and the ultimate goal of these technologies. As impressive as the picture quality is in HD on this set, I was looking to stay a bit ahead of the technology curve by buying a set that was capable of displaying a 1080p image. I borrowed my friends Panasonic Blue Ray player and found that I don't ever need to see a movie in the theater again. Reviewers say that 720p is almost film-like. 1080p, in my opinion, surpasses film and heightens the viewing experience that much more. Many current sets offer the same HDMI inputs and resolution, etc. which you can read about in the other reviews of this set, but as many can attest, how a set uses all of these things together is what matters most. And it is awesome!!! The one and only down-side to this TV is that when playing video games on it with the PS2, there is hesitation in the game play. My favorite game right now is MLB 2006: The Show. When batting there is a delay. At first I couldn't figure this out but then realized that the TV was trying to up-convert the image and in this attempt to up-convert, there was the delay. This TV, after much research, has so far surpassed it's competition that it's total capabilities will not be realizied anytime soon. (1080p HD programming from the cable company, satallite, or over-the-air providers) Just the small amount of 1080p discs being produced on Blue-Ray are capable of showing what this TV can do. So, this TV is too good to measure using existing technology. An affordable big screen that is finally worthy of the title of "Home Theater." Highest recommendation posible.

I researched for months, I already several HDTVS. I was looking for the best tv. I check everything out before dropping $$$ on a tv. Right now at circuit city get tv for less than $2300, can't beat it!. I am getting ready for launch of ps3, and HD Movies my major motivation for the tv.
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I have had the set for about a week and I am loving it. The picture quality is great and I am amazed by the blacks and shadow detail.

I almost went out and bought an upconverting HDMI cable DVD player, but decided to try my older 480i player. For now, I am glad I didn't spend the extra money for the upconverter (albeit I plan to buy a PS3 with Blu-Ray this November, which gives me motivation to wait). Anyway, the picture is honestly and suprisingly great even from my older player (still not at HD level though - it really depends on the DVD you are watching).

The HD channels look incredible and the SD channels look pretty good (again, depending on the channel). But when I watch something in SD on the new TV and compare that to my 32" CRT TV, I would rather watch it on my new Sony. (Note: I have DishNetwork HD Package)

When I first received the TV, I thought the "vivid" color setting looked really nice. It brought out the colors, but then I decided to change my custom to match the settings from David Katzmaier's review, and I would say, if there is one thing you do, please set your custom color settings the way he has suggested in his review. I was amazed with the difference and don't plan on tweaking them much from his suggestions (except maybe with my SD source).

As mentioned above, I plan to get the PS3 this fall (if I can get my hands on it at MSRP). I plan to give an update on the performance with a true HD 1080p source coming through HDMI at that time.

For now, I would recommend this TV to anyone. I was going to get last year's XBR series, but I am glad I waited to pull the trigger on this set. I didn't need the cable card, wide speakers, and I really wanted the true 1800p input, so I am sure that biased my opinion a bit though.

credit goes to spencerdmiller, he basically took word out my mouth

We purchased this television from a local electronics dealer. A few days after delivery, we noticed a small black spot in the left-center of the screen that appeared to be either dead pixels or material trapped under the screen. We called the store where we purchased the set and they sent a repairman.

The technician offered to disassemble the set, in our living room, in order to investigate the problem, but mentioned that the screen might not align properly upon reassembly. He also said that Sony doesn't consider problems outside of the central viewing area to be significant. I, however, feel that a television in the $2000 neighborhood should be absolutely perfect in every way. We insisted the electronics dealer repace the television, and they agreed.

The repacement set had the same black spot issue in not one, but two locations on the screen. We're waiting for another set replacement. We're a little disappointed in Sony, to say the very least. My point here is to closely check your screens for these spots. I recommend a program or movie with a white or light colored solid picture as a background reference.

I purchased this TV (not from Amazon) about a week ago. I have it connected to DirectTV (not HD yet), HD upconverting DVD player, and Phillips over the air HD antenna. The current DTV picture is OK, but nothing to brag about. The upconverted DVD's Look really good, and very detailed. I did not have high expectations with the HD antenna, but boy was I wrong, I was able to pickup all my local stations that offer HD in about 15 minutes with the digital channel scanner. Watching Sundays NFL games in HD was breathless. My daughter and I watched the Ghost Whisperer on Friday night, and the picture as just outstanding. I will have my DTV upgraded to HD in the next few weeks. I cannot see getting a better picture, and I have not even used the 1080P yet. The only small complaint would be I noticed that when changing stations via the over the air antenna the volume levels change drastically. One recommendation is to check the review on cnet, and use their optimal settings. I did think the factory settings out of the box were a bit to bright.

In one word, wow!

This is my first big screen and I am extremely happy with this TV. My last TV was a 32" Sony CRT so this is definitely a substantial upgrade. I absolutely love this TV but I just wish I could use it to get 1080p out of my Xbox 360. Unfortunately this TV only accepts 1080p through the HDMI connections. This makes sense but my Xbox 360 only outputs 1080p through the VGA connection. The new Xbox 360 elite has an HDMI connection but obviously I don't have that. Not sure what I'm going to do about that yet.

Both my wife and I were against rear projection TV's and never liked the picture quality they had. This completely changed once we saw the Sony SXRD's. This is a beautiful TV for the price. It is packed with features and a great value. If I were to buy an equal in an LCD flat panel or Plasma I would be paying close to twice the price. Since I wasn't going to mount my TV on the wall having a flat panel didn't make a difference for me. Before I found this TV I was going to buy a 37" or 40" TV. I look at these now and realize I wouldn't be happy with that size. Actually, if I had my way I would have bought the 60" version but really this TV is more than big enough.

I sit about 9 feet away from this TV and I think this is the perfect viewing distance for this TV. Video games on my Xbox 360 and Wii (both through component) are awesome. I only have a progressive scan (480p) DVD player and most movies look great. I say most because you can tell movies that are low budget. Poor video quality is definitely more noticeable on a big TV like this. I have standard analog cable right now and it is as bad as my Sony CRT. I say as bad because analg cable sucks no matter what TV you watch it on but on a bigger TV it is more noticeable again. I'm going to wait to buy HD cable or satellite until there are more HD programs and channels. I really didn't buy this TV for watching cable anyways since most TV programs suck nowadays. The thing I will miss is sports in HD but again I can wait for that.

If you're looking for a big screen HDTV then this may be a good choice for you especially considering the price compared to others.