Customer Reviews

Sony Grand Wega(TM) SXRD 50" Rear Projection TV KDS-R50XBR1

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I looked at half a dozen 1080p true HDTVs in October 2005 before settling on the KDS-R50XBR1 (there is also a KDS-R60XBR1 60" big brother to this TV). I am thrilled with the picture quality, especially after fine-tuning the Brightness, Contrast, Picture, and RGB balance settings using the Avia calibration DVD. Especially on true HDTV 1920x1080 sources, this TV has an absolutely outstanding picture! In fact, it's more like watching a film or looking out a window than a mere television picture. The SXRD picture is liquid smooth and silky with no screen door effect or harsh "graininess" you see in competing technologies such as DLP, LCD, and even plasma.

One important note: If you are debating between the 50" and 60" models, you should know that both models use the same 120 watt bulb. With the 60" model having approximately 20% more screen surface area to light up, that translates to approximately a 20% dimmer picture than the 50 inch model. (If you ask me, it's not a "bright" idea to use the same bulb wattage for two projection TVs of different sizes, but I guess it keeps manufacturing costs down.)

Compare the two models side by side on the same HDTV content (I did) and you'll see a marked difference in the vividness of the whites and bright colors. The KDS-R50XBR1 50" really "pops" (like looking out the window on a sunny day); whereas the KDS-R60XBR1 60" looks merely average in the brightness department (the overall picture is still excellent, just a bit dimmer).

For me, I decided that a smaller screen with a brighter picture was more important than a big screen with a slightly dimmer picture - especially since this TV sits in a daylight room. Hopefully Sony will correct this oversight in a future SXRD model because the 60" picture is considerably more impressive purely from a size perspective.

The pros: Its magnificent picture quality! SXRD is probably the finest picture you can buy for under $12,000. It has advanced picture fine-tuning feature for prosumers. The 50" model has a dazzling bright display that outshines everything I've seen so far.

The cons: The side speakers are relatively weak with no bass response (as one would expect from their diminutive size). They are not detachable, and add a considerable amount of horizontal width to this TV's footprint. They ought to be made detachable or placed beneath the screen instead at the sides. Also, there are only 2 HDMI ports. It is quite conceivable that a person might have 3-4 HDMI devices (Bluray DVD, Playstation 3, Dish Network, Digital Cable, etc.) but most TVs on the market only have 1-2 HDMI ports so this is not unusual. Daytime viewing is generally very good as long as no direct light hits the TV screen; however, projection TVs still don't seem as bright as the old cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs.

We ended up purchasing the 50" set as opposed to the stunning 60" set due to limited space in our living room.

Out of the box, the 50" produced the most stunning HDTV images I have ever seen. Nevermind the fact that I cannot pump any 1080p signals, I'm talking 720p and 1080i. Even from my DirecTV HD feed, which is compressed up the wahzoo, it still looks remarkable.

Adjusting the set appropriately (which most casual users won't even need to do) took no time and inputs were a snap. I have a progressive scan DVD player hooked into it and its attempt at upconverting the signals makes watching standard-def DVDs a pleasure. For a real treat, pop on the new transfer of TOY STORY for eye-popping standard resolution.

And let's talk about the price? 3999 for THIS set? THIS TELEVISION? The last HD set I bought was the beautiful yet flawed Loewe 55" and that cost me over 8000 dollars. That was a DLP rear-projection that, until now, was the best RP image I have witnessed.

Anyway, I can go on and on with technical specs, but your best bet is to hit a Sony Store or a high-end electronics store and witness this beauty for yourself. Also, there is a glowing review in the recent Perfect Vision Magazine.

I honestly feel this is the best HD television on the market today. Sony's SXRD technology blows DLP out of the water and if any of you have witnessed the 70" Qualia rear-projection set Sony introduced last year, you can consider this television the "Baby" Qualia, because that's what it is.

Also, the light output is so strong that I can have all the windows open and the lights up and I can still see 90% of the image.

I have had this TV for about 9 months now, and I have loved every thing about it. But last night I noticed for the first time the "yellow fog" starting up in the right hand corner. I'm very upset about this because my son bought the same 50" set a couple of months before I did, and last month he ended up having his TV replaced because of the same problem. He said the yellow spot starts out small, but as time goes by it ends up spreading over a lot of the screen. Fortunately, he had purchased a Circuit City extended warranty, and they actually replaced his TV with a new 60" at no charge. Evidently this is a really common problem with this TV and they don't even do the repair anymore. I don't have an extended warranty, so I guess I'll be doing my fighting with Sony. Wish me luck!
PS -- I just had a live internet chat with Sony customer service, and after they figured out that I knew that this has been an ongoing problem, they gave me a link to their website that says there is an extension of the original warranty due to this problem (it's a malfunctioning part called the "optical block"). If Amazon lets me do this, the link is [...]
If you can't paste that into your browser, just go to the Sony website and the announcement and instructions are under "news and alerts".

I purchased SONY KDS-R60XBR1 TV April 2006. It is a bigger size TV which has same functions and capabilities. The TV was advertised as 1080p capable. Salesperson in a store said that it can show 1080p resolution pictures. He also said that I can watch movies in 1080p resolution where Blue-ray player is available. I have waited for the devices to be available at stores and finally bought a PlayStation 3 which has Blue-ray drive equipped. I connected the PS3 to this SONY KDS-R60XBR1 TV with Blue-Ray Movie put in the player by HDMI cable. I was frustrated by realizing this TV is not an actual 1080p TV. I called SONY. They say KDS-R60XBR1 is not a 1080p TV but 1080p display. SONY said that it just shows pictures that look like 1080p pictures. How can a TV with 1080p capability and 1080p term in the upfront not show any 1080p resolution pictures? Be careful this TV is not a 1080p TV. It's a 1080p display which the screen output may look like 1080p TV by their definitions. It sure does not make senses at all to me.

Well, we bought our TV in 2/06 and were thrilled with the awsome picture quality. Then, 5 months later we had our first experience with the yellowish line down the right side. After hearing that the repair would take at least 3 hours and reading reports about the optical engine DEFECT on forums, we fought with the A/V specialty store we bought it from and were able to get a replacement TV.

Sony, the service company and the store all insisted that there was NO DEFECT, but the many people complaining on the forums and experiencing this problem knew otherwise!

The 2nd TV was great for 10 DAYS! Then it began experiencing the yellow line problem and the fight began again. But, we won that fight and tried one more KDS-R50XBR1, having read that there was a possibility that the optical engine defect had been corrected.

All was good, UNTIL TODAY! This is our 3rd TV! And, we have the same problem. Ironically, Sony sent out a notice about extending the warranty on the optical block in April.

I am so disgusted with this TV and it is unbelievable to think that we have to go through this again.

Yes, the picture is awsome...when it doesn't have a yellow line down the side. No way would I buy this TV until Sony has proven that the problem is fixed. Also, if you do buy it, get the extended warranty and get in writing that a replacement tv will be given to you if you encounter this problem. It is less painful than living through a minimum 3 hour in-home service repair, for the problem to return in a few months.

Better yet...don't buy this TV.

Bought mine in Jan. 2006. I now have the infamous yellow stripe of death down the right side of the screen. I left the future of any sony purchases from this customer up to how sony dealt with this issue. Very poor... part is backordered and, from what I've read, the new part has other imperfections. Only a few customers are getting full replacement tv's. They wouldn't replace mine, even when I wanted to pay extra for an upgraded set. Guess its who you know. Sony has gone down hill. I will never purchase another sony product again.

First off, Ive owned many Sonys over the past 20 years. I purchase about every 4 or 5 years and nearly always the flagship models.

This HDTV is a perfect 10 with one HUGE exception. When using the computer input, a yellow hue (tinge, etc.) becomes visable on the lower and right-hand sides of the screen. Sony phone support told me it doesnt effect all the TVs all of the time, just certain combinations of the tv with certain computers using input 8 (specifically designed for computers).

The yellow image builds-up noticably after about 30 minutes of input 8 use . The yellow image stays on the screen for between 30 minutes & several hours - no matter if you turn the television off & on again, or simply change the input from 8 to any other input.

I have an appointment for a repair shop to come pick-up the tv this morning. The tech there said its pretty common for both the 50" and 60" versions of the tv. This morning, I noticed an additional problem. When using the computer - again on the computer input 8 - I can now see what looks like an acutal screen burn (like the traditional RGB rear-projection big screens do)of the right-hand side scroll bar found in windows. Again, this looks more like screen burn than the yellow tint previously associated with this television.

I have no other complaints about this tv. But, for me, these problems bring the rating down from perfect to simply mediocre at best.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind: Sony should recall these televisions. At what is double the price of other HDTV LCD units, this thing should operate without such a huge oversight. Its rediculous.

Im angry and yes - Im done with Sonys.

I've owned this TV since 10/2005, and it worked great until about a month ago. Now the greenish tint that others complain about has arrived. I do have an extended warrenty, and Sony did send a repairman to check my set. Yes, the light engine is out of whack. The service guy said it is covered by warrenty, but he isn't sure if Sony will replace the light engine or provide another set. We'll see what happens next.

3/7/08 Sony says it will repair my set with a new light engine. Is that engine going to be more dependable than the original one that has failed on so many sets? The local TV service person says the new light engine has been fixed. Sony discovered the cause of the problem and fixed it. I hope so. This TV offers a great picture--when it's not tinted green. We'll see what happens next.

3/11/08 My set has been repaired and it works great now. No charge for the repair. Local TV repair service did a did good job and returned my set quickly. Will the new light engine hold up better than the original? We'll see what happens next.

I bought my 50" version of this television in February of 2006. For 6 months, it was the best picture I had ever seen, and I bragged about my setup to everyone who came over. However, my unit is now 9 months old and I too am having the same "burn-in" effect in the lower right of the screen. My setup is using THX-1000 Monster component cables coming from a Denon AVR-3805 receiver.

I can't believe that with the cost of this unit when compared to other models, that Sony allowed this type of defect to be proliferated in their flagship product.

I too am done with Sony TVs.

Similar to some of the other reviews on Amazon and other places on the net for this TV, I am experiencing the same "yellow-ish" tint on the right borders of the screen. It's getting worse over time and seems to be spreading to the rest of the screen. It's beginning to look like burn-in as a "ghost" image of a DVD menu is lingering on any light colored picture.

I purchased mine from Circuit City back in Febryary '06 and luckily bought the extended warranty. Howwever, the optical light engine, a $1400 part by the way, is backordered for about a month and a half from Sony. This is probably due to the fact that so many others are having the same problem. Sony has recently discontinued this model and now have a new one (which now fully supports 1080P).

Do yourself a favor, ban Sony products. Their quality, IMHO, has really gone down in the last several years. I won't even start on the whole laptop battery recall fiasco!