Customer Reviews

Sony Grand WEGA KDS-60A2020 60-Inch 1080p Rear Projection HDTV

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Was able to do a side by side comparison of the 55" A2000 and A2020 in two different stores. Noticable improvement in both cases. Picture sharper, brighter and with better colors. On the strength of that comparison I ordered the 60A2020 60" version. The Sony beat all the other sets in the stores on picture quality alone. Reliability should be improved since there is no color wheel. Time will tell on that score. The case is all black which is a big improvement. What were they thinking with the silver case on the A2000?

I finally chose the Sony KDS-60A2020. For a while, I was going back and forth between this television, the Mitsubishi 65" Diamond series, and Panasonic Plasma. When it comes to chosing a High-Def television, what it will boil down to for most people is the price . Also, one has to consider the future, and the future is 1080p. Now, while some plasma's are making the jump to 1080p, the price is still an issue. A lot of people complain about the quality of regular channels on a high-def television, but the truth is when you buy a high-def TV, you aren't buying it to watch regular channels.

After almost a year of research, and flip-flopping between rear-projection and plasma, I kept coming back to the Sony. The simple reason is you can get 60" of rear-projection for about $1000 less than that of plasma. Some argue that plasma is the best picture quality, but once you tweek the settings for the Sony, you can't tell the difference. Everyone who's seen our TV has been amazed. My wife says it's like looking out a window. Like I said, though, you need to tweek it properly. Here's what I used for my settings (courtesy of CNET)...

Picture menu:
Mode: Custom
Advanced iris: Min
Picture: 84
Brightness: 56
Color: 41
Hue: 0
Color temp: Warm2
Sharpness: 50
Noise reduction: Off

--Advanced Settings--
Black corrector: Off
Gamma: Off
Clear white: Off
Live color: Off
White balance: (see below)
Detail enhancer: Off
Edge enhancer: Off

--White balance--
R-gain: -2
G-gain: -1
B-gain: 0
R-bias: -3
G-bias: -2
B-bias: -1

Setup menu:

Color matrix: Standard
Power saving: On


Once you make those changes, and you have your high-def receiver set up (cable, satellite), watch Discovery HD or National Geographic HD. You won't be disappointed. Also, make sure that you cut down considerably on glare from lights and the sun, or else you won't get the full effect.

We have a 42" Sony Grand Wega that's 2 years old and wanted a larger one for a large room we have. We just purchased this 60" from Amazon. I like the black bezel better than the silver one on the 42." We also got the Sony SU-RS11X stand at the same time. The picture with SD is very good and with HD it is amazing. Everyone should have HD! The colors and clarity on this TV are amazing. When watching something like Discovery's Planet Earth you can actually see the hairs on an animal's face. You see so much detail it is truly incredible. The stand is made for this TV and should definitely be considered since you'll need a stand anyway. The TV sits down into the stand almost like it's all one unit and it has a strap which attaches to the TV to keep it from toppling over. The glass shelves are smoked glass and the stand is plenty wide for your Dvd player, receivers, etc., and is very attractive. And here's a hint I read on CNET: Set up a halogen floor lamp in the corner behind the TV and the illumination at night behind the TV is a wonderful addition. We received the TV in five days including the weekend and it was delivered by Eagle USA and they were ultra nice. The stand came by UPS 2 day air. I was very impressed. We got a super deal on the TV as well as the stand, with free shipping to boot. I've purchased a lot of things from Amazon and love dealing with them. I also love Sony products. I looked around a lot at TV's and absolutely love this Sony KDS60A2020; so if you're shopping for a large screen TV, look no further. What more could you ask for? I'm very, very pleased with the whole process.

I researched all the new high definition televisions and came to the conclusion that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some like plasma, some LCD, etc. So I went and looked. For my money, the 60" Sony WEGA beats the pants off other competing technologies. Plasma seemed "over done" when it came to color. Whites blown out, greens way too green... Sony has an excellent reputation when it comes to color standards. I wanted realism and got it with the Sony. Been using it a few weeks and love the picture quality. The downside is today's broadcasting. Most of the programming is not High Def so the quality suffers. However, once you click on a program like Planet Earth, you will never go back... Overall, great tv and excellent service from Amazon.

I had been shopping for a large screen HD TV for a couple of years, but was never completely satisfied by the image quality of most units. After reading about, then seeing the Sony SXRD set, I knew it was time to buy. Since delivery of my 60A2020, my family and I have been enjoying watching movies and whatever HD channels we can find. The image sharpness and color quality at times has you sensing that you are looking out a window. The channels I receive range from standard analog up to 1080i. The 60a2020 does a really good job with the standard def, but the HD 1080i channels are stunning! The size of the screen is ideal for that intimate home theatre environment. On the day of delivery, I hooked the cable up directly to the TV since I had yet to upgrade my standard digital cable STB to HD. I was surprised to find that the TV had decoded an assortment of HD channels, precluding the need for me to call in my cable provider for an upgrade in service. I was a bit apprehensive about making this large purchase online, but felt it was worth it for the $ saved. My first attempt through Amazon failed after their partner retailer said that Amazon gave the wrong price, and it could not be sold for that amount (so they cancelled the order). Although frustrated, I waited another week and found another good price on Amazon (higher than the first though) and tried it again. As with before, this partner retailer (J&R) indicated that Amazon got it wrong, but after putting me on hold, came back and agreed to go forward with the purchase. All else went smoothly. Finally, the only item I have hooked up to this TV is the OPPO-981HD which does a fabulous job of upconverting. I also bought this through Amazon but had no issues with ordering/shipping. Bottom line, if you are spending big bucks to get a big screen, this TV is the best value out there.

We ordered the TV on Friday and it was delivered the following Wednesday. Not too shabby, since we live in the mountains in Colorado. The delivery guys took it out of the box, unwrapped it and carried upstairs and placed it on my stand. They even took the old box away.

We were mesmerized watching HDTV on it the first night. I stayed up till 3AM and got up at 7 to start watching it again. It's a blast to have people over and watch their eyes glaze in amazement. The colors are vibrant, the picture is super clear, and the viewing range is awesome.

It was very easy to hook the TV up to my Denon AVR 3806. I just ordered an OPPO 981 DVD player, can hardly wait to hook it up, too.

Overall, the TV exceeded our expectations and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It replaced an old Sony 36 Wega, the 400 pound beast. I was afraid the new one would be the TV that ate the living room, but with the slim case it looks better than the old one.

I got the older version the KDS-60A2000 60" which is very similar to this one. I paid a bit more than what Amazon is selling this one for though. I also purchased a MACK extended warranty from B&H. The delivery was what I was most concerned about because I had looked at the TV locally and was sure it was the one I wanted. I have to say the freight guys were great and very helpful with putting the TV on it's stand. Overall a I am very happy with the set and the service. The only downside is I only watch the dozen or so HD channels that my cable company carries. I just can't stand to look at SD stuff after seeing the HD picture.

One important note: Adjust the picture settings ASAP. It comes set to VIVID, but should be set to STANDARD for most situations. This is a little less bright (but still bright enough to light the whole room), and will extend the life of your lamp (approx. $200) by about 50%.

The Grand Wega was exactly as most other reviews said it would be... sharp picture, brilliant colors, a good selection of darks and a nice trim design. One small disappointment that won't affect too many users was playback on a standard DVD player--the 480i output especially was mixed with a poor DVD transfer (such as "The Mummy" remake or "Astronaut Farmer") looked simply terrible with lots of pixilation. After upgrading to a Blu-Ray player with upscaling to 1080 (outputted through HDMI) these same DVDs were 200% better, and of course, Blu-ray Disks are amazing on the Grand Wega. I highly recommend this TV.

The only difference in this model and the A2000 is the color. They are otherwise exactly the same. This one is all black instead of silver/gray and black. The A2000 was 2006 model and this is the new 2007 model. The electronics, display technology, and software are all the same.

I ordered the set and it arrived within ten days which is not bad for a bulky item. The set is fantastic. The HD pictures is very very good, although I can see the "silk" screen effect at times. This is common on rear protection sets from what I have heard. Standard definition is average at best. I notice green tints in shadowy areas at times. Blond hair also has a slightly green tint to it in some scenes. I have not calibrated the set yet, so these issues may be minimized once calibrated. XBOX360 using component is at another level. Fantastic!!! 60 inches of HD gaming joy!!! HDDVD is also awesome on the set. Watching HD movies is awesome.

Now for the not so good:
The date of manufacture on the set was February of 2007. This seem like old inventory, especially since I ordered the set in July 2007.

The delivery company (Eagle Transit) was a bit late in arrival, after 7PM. There was only one person on the truck to bring the unit into the house. The description on Amazon's site stated that the set would be unpackaged and powered up to make sure there was no damage and the set was working. Nobody told this guy. He wanted to leave the box right at my front door and that was it. After some serious discussion and with MY help, we brought the set inside and unpackaged it. It worked fine and was without damage. So much for "white Glove" delivery.

The set is fantastic and I highly recommend it.

If you must have an extended warranty, get it from Sony. Five years will cost you about 249.00. It does not include the bulb, but everything else.