Customer Reviews

Sony Grand WEGA KDF-46E2000 46-Inch 3LCD Rear Projection Television

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

...but after seeing this model in stores, I had to have it.

I had been on the fence between the (slightly) less expensive Samsung DLP televisions, and some low-end 42" plasma televisions in the same price range. I spent a couple of weeks researching forums, checking out different models in different stores and playing around with the display controls, and waiting to see how prices changed with different sales. Each time, the Sony KDF-XXE2000 (different stores had different sizes) came out ahead.

The factors that really pushed me over were:
1) Knowing that the bulb could be replaced for about $150 if you look around online (you can't fix a dim plasma TV at all).
2) There was imperceptible lag (DLP sets are notorious for delays between the picture and audio), and
3) The picture quality was far more natural.

When I got this home, I connected it to a DirecTV HD receiver, an Xbox 360, a progressive scan DVD player, and a cheap set of rabbit ear antennas that I had laying around in my garage. I was delighted to find that regular 4:3/480i channels looked great -- which is a very serious concern when buying any HDTV. The DirecTV HD channels looked amazing, as expected, and the Xbox 360 was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Even my DVD's looked stellar, compared to my old Panasonic Tau. What really surprised me was that I could get HD channels with the rabbit ears. The SD channels barely came in at all (as usual), but the HD channels were razor-sharp, and had next to no dropouts or artifacts, which leads me to believe that the tuner in this set is well above average.

The only thing I don't like (and I can't believe I'm saying this) is the number of inputs. Switching from OTA to the first component input takes five "clicks" on the remote. I'm sure there's a way around this, but it isn't obvious.

As far as the "screen door effect" or "silk screen effect" that some allege exist on all projection sets, I can say that I've looked hard, and this model doesn't seem to suffer from either. Keep in mind though, this isn't the sort of TV you want to sit three feet away from when you're playing video games.

Only your eyes can tell you which set is really best for you. I wouldn't suggest spending as much time as I did, but you really should go to a "big box" store and compare televisions for yourself. That said, I'm willing to bet that this one will make the top of your list.

10/11/2006 Update: I don't know why this isn't possible with the included remote from Sony, but the Logitech Harmony remotes are able to tell the TV which input to go to, without cycling through *all* of the inputs. Now I've finally reached home theater nirvana.

After having shopped and tested widescreen televisions for the last year, I finally settled on this model. I was rather disappointed in the flat panel plasma televisions (potential life of only five years??!!) and LCDs and the rather artifact laden pictures they produced. I started looking at projection televisions (DLP and the like).

I discovered that these televisions were not suceptible to burn-in like the flat panels. What that means is that you don't have to stretch the picture to fill the entire screen, which distorts a traditional picture image and makes everyone look shorter and wider. You can keep the aspect ratio as it was intended and not worry about the black bars at the side of the picture leaving permanent ghost-like bars on the screen.

Another plus to this set is that the picture producing bulb, which lasts approximately 6000 hours can be changed by the owner and at little cost ($150). This beats the pants off of having to buy a new plasma television set every 5-years!

The picture is amazing and the colour is vivid. It produces standard television signals fairly well, which was a surprise. We've discovered that certain channels and certain programmes manage to generate a better picture than others but it's fine enough. What really wows us is the HD stations and our progressive scan DVD player. The picture pops and you really feel like you have your own cinema in your living room. You have to adjust the picture to your liking and, if you don't have any experience with HDTVs, you'll likely be making adjustments for up to a month after you get it. You just discover different settings as you "play" with it. Oh, the "silk-screen" effect previous reviewers have mention is akin to the effect you'd get on a pristine movie screen at a cinema.

The internal sound on the set is fine and there are a variety of options that reproduce the sound nicely. Chances are pretty good that these speakers will never get use as most people will hook such a set up to a surround system anyhow.

There are numerous hook-ups in the back for VCR, DVD, Computer and video games. You shouldn't run out of inputs. There is also a few additional ports on the side of the set for easy access (PC or plug and play games).

We love this set and it's brought us a lot of joy. Granted, some things could look better on this set, but it is in the way the original signal was sent. I've talked to a few flat panel owners about specific DVDs or cable shows and it's been confirmed that it is not something exclusive to this set.

For its size, this set is incredibly light and easily moved for cleaning or plugging in new components.

I've read in many reviews on this site where people state they notice motion blur. I've watched a bunch of football games and played tons of xbox 360 on this sucker and I can't fathom how anyone can notice any motion blur. This tv is incredible and the best bang for the buck I've found yet. The colors are vibrant and just pop off the screen. The built in hd tuner picks up hd channels off of my basic cable. The favorites feature on the remote lets you seamlessly navigate hd-non hd channels. So for with hd-dvd and blu ray source material this tv looks outstanding.

Didn't buy this from Amazon, but wanted to post a review here just to inform those that are interested in this television. This was actually a replacement TV for a 3 1/2 yr. old Samsung that had a couple problems with the image processor, and the retailer decided to replace rather than repair under the extended warranty.

Anyway...I've had this Sony about 2 1/2 weeks now. The picture is beautiful,it has a ton of features, and it's easy to navigate through menus. One thing I do like is that you can adjust the picture setting for each input (cable, dvd, antenna, etc...). I also connected a very old outdoor antenna that has been on the roof for probably 35 years, and HD picture that way was spectacular.

The only problem I have is the motion blur with fast moving content. (I've not noticed this mentioned much in other reviews.) I watch a lot of football, which of course has a lot of fast moving scenes, and often times the area behind the fast moving object as it goes past becomes pixellated. My brother was over last week, and within 5 minutes of watching a football game was commenting about how much he noticed it. (He jokingly said several times, "I've got to get one of these $2000 TV's.) I never noticed this on my 3 yr. old Samsung. I knew motion blur was a big problem on older LCD TVs, but I thought it had been fixed with newer model LCDs. Once you notice the motion blur, you start looking for it all the time, and it becomes aggravating. I've noticed it on regular high def. shows as well sometimes. Now that Samsung has a new 46" DLP out (HL-S4676S, I'm going to give it a try since I'm still in my 30-day period from the retailer. If you aren't a discerning tv watcher, you may not even notice it, but I do. Other than that, I love the TV.

The Mitsubishi 36 CRT TV that I had finally died so I had to get a new set before football season ended. Im anal about researching, especially in this case given the choices and tradeoffs among the alternative technologies--LCD, Plasma, CRTs and Rear Projection. After several months of reading everything I could find and a dozen trips to the stores I decided on the Sony KDF46E2000. And it is proving to be an excellent set.

Bottom-line, I found LCDs far too expensive. A Panasonic plasma was my 2nd choice, but the light intensity degrades over time and cannot be fixed...I dont want my TV in 5-years to be 20 less bright... and large format CRTs of any real quality just arent out there anymore. Rear projection LCD was my preference as I read about DLP having problems with audio delays, audio being out of synch with the picture, as well as rainbowing of the image. Among the competitors Samsung and Panasonic this Sony set had the best picture to my eyes, and the technical specs to match. The TruSurround audio quality is first rate, even though I also bought a low end Sony home theater system which sounds amazing for $180. I didnt see enough difference between the 1080i and the 720p to warrant going with much more expensive Sony 1080i equivalent, and unless you watch with your nose touching the screen, the differnce is not that great. 720p is such a leap over standard def and my family couldnt be happier. And the Sony quality is second to none...a big factor.

I just picked up my Sony KDF-46 set today. I upgraded (to say the least) from a Toshiba 32" CRT. Once out of the box, plugged in and cable attached, it did a search to find all analog and digital channels. It found 91 digital channels I didn't know I had.

I got the best taste when I tuned into Discovery HD. The picture was absolutely amazing and the set had not even been tweaked yet (and I'm almost afraid to touch the settings).

Colours were awesome and blacks were perfect. I know there are concerns with blacks but they are so good on the set, that I could see detail in the person's black sportscoat. No graying whatsoever. Woodgrains, silver and golds are also very nicely displayed. 3 different people have seen the set today and they liked what they saw, neighbour wants to get one too (smaller size).

I do have a surround system hooked up, but even without it, the sound is actually pretty good. There is also an internal fan to cool the lamp, but I could not detect it. By the way, the manual says the bulb requires replacing around 8,000 hrs. A warning light flashes or you will begin to notice the picture darkening. It will take me about 4 years to hit that mark, but I'm fine with replacing the bulb if I have to, if it guarantees me the same quality I see now.

It is very important to keep the set at eye-level to get the full detail. I also sit about 10 ft. away from my tv and it is still large enough without being too large. Perfect size. Anything bigger and I think I would have focused too much on small details as opposed to the actual picture. I don't think you need to go bigger unless you are at 12 ft. or farther from the set. Just my 2 cents.

I have yet to set up the dvd and over-the-air antenna, but if what I have seen so far is any indication, I'm in for a treat. DVD will get either hdmi or component cables to ensure quality.

Wish I would not have waited so long to upgrade my tv.

Got a great deal on the set in comparison to flat panels. I also checked over the box before leaving the store to make sure there were no dents or creases (they sometimes pile boxes on top of each other).

Very satisified with my purchase. Spent 2 days researching before making my decision. Would highly recommend it to friends and family.

For the price you can not go wrong. This TV is Awsome. Great Picture and looks. I am very happy with this purtchase and would not hesitate to recommend to a friend. I had a question and called sony support and they were great!

I was surprised that when Verizon Fios techs hooked this set up, they said-"This picture is amazing, better than the Bravias that we hooked up today"--All 3 of the techs came in to admire the HD TV--I love the picture and found that it is one of the best I have found to date. For the price, you can't beat the quality and performance of this set. Kudos to Sony for a terrific product at an affordable price. Would I recommend this set?, I already have and will continue to do so.

To say the least, I am not on the cutting edge of technology. My last TV purchase was in 2001 (another Sony that was 2/3 the size & 2.5 times the price of this one). My goal was to upgrade from the old Sony as inexpensively as possible. This set fit the bill and amazon.com had it at the lowest price around at the time of purchase.

I am very impressed with the quality of the picture and have yet to notice the "silk screen effect" others have mentioned. We upgraded our satellite service to HD after receiving the TV and found the difference amazing - an already great picture became even better. For TV speakers, the sound is good, but we still plan to add surround.

For a grand or less, I don't think you can go wrong with this TV.

Sony KDF-46E2000 46" WEGA Widescreen Television

After looking around for 2 months, I finally decided to go with the Sony KDF-46E2000 as my new TV. My older Samsung 42" widescreen projection television finally run its course after about 4 years of service, and I felt that my money would be better spent on a new unit as technology has advanced to the point to where picture quality was above and beyond anything I could get on my older Samsung even if it was repaired to factory-new condition. I initially thought about buying a plasma TV, but I didn't like the fact that they had a finite lifespan as opposed to a projection unit that could have a lamp replaced and be in practically new condition again.

I've been running what I consider to be my "test DVD's" through my set since I got it, and I'm convinced that I made the right choice. The DVD's I use are a mixture of high quality transfers that all have certain aspects that make them stand out. For instance, Independence Day had a lot of colors and fast moving action scenes while The Fifth Element puts a lot of color and texture variation on the screen. Frank Miller's 300 has a unique color palette and a wide-range of high-quality still scenes and textures. So far, I am nothing but impressed with the Sony.


Pros:
Colors are amazing and brilliant. Artificial laser and light sources on movies really stand out (such as seen in the Star Wars movies or the Fifth Element). Skin tones and clothing can be very accurately represented if the settings are tuned correctly, finding the initial sweet spot for this took me less than 10 minutes of watching various scenes of high-quality transfer (non-HD) DVD's.

The clarity and detail that can be achieved on this relatively inexpensive set is amazing. Things look very life-like (again, if you tune the settings towards this end). Plasma definitely has an edge over this type of projection set, but the differences on this size screen for most home viewers should be minimal and not necessarily worth the added cost of the Plasma units. The texture of wood, metal, snow, dirt, clothing and skin has a near life-like quality to it once the set is tuned properly. I've only done an initial calibration and it can only get better with further, more precise tuning. However, if the picture I have is what I have to live with for the life of this set, I will have no complaints, overall the picture is amazing and worth every penny (and then some) that I spent on the set.

The sharpness of text in the menu system and on-screen text is perfect. Sub-titles are dependent on the DVD, but while they're not as clear or sharp as on-screen and menu text, they are acceptable.

There are more than enough inputs to connect virtually every piece of equipment a normal home user would have.

No unexpected visual artifacts can be detected at my regular viewing distances of 10-15 feet. Some people like to turn the sharpness up to high levels in thinking that it will give their DVD's a better picture, but it actually can have the opposite effect. DVD's are generally of a high enough quality that adding additional sharpness will produce artifacts and edges that shouldn't be there, giving the picture a jagged and pixelated look.

The lamp life on this unit should be 4000 to 8000 hours, which should last 2-4 years at watching the TV 5 hours every day of the week. Though this lifespan can be significantly impacted by individual habits and conditions, a replacement lamp currently costs about $200 USD, which is not all that much considering replacing it should restore the picture to the condition it was the day you bought it (provided of course that nothing else has broken, malfunctioned or burned out). This is one of the larger benefits of going with a set like this instead of a plasma TV...once a plasma has run its course, you'll need a new TV, there's currently no way to restore the picture.


Cons:
None that I've really noticed yet. I think this set, especially considering the rather modest price, is a bargain and has everything most of us need and want in a home theater system.



My initial settings for DVD viewing (tuned with THX Optimizer* and then honed in by eye):
-Picture Setting (Vivid> Standard> Custom) = Standard, which is recommended by the manual for home use, I presume that vivid is suited to work better with in-store demos to catch your eye and compel you to purchase

-Advanced Iris = Auto 1 - for signals with a larger variance between light and dark as in a typical movie

-Picture = Max (100) - This is the contrast setting, and although common wisdom dictates that the contrast shouldn't be this high, so far this seems to be the best setting for the few movies and games I've displayed on the TV...though experience tells me that I may end up going down to the normally recommended settings of between 30 and 50 once I get through watching more films.

-Brightness = 60

-Color = 35

-Hue = R7

-Color Temp = Neutral

-Sharpness = Min (0) - this should normally be left at zero or close to it for home viewing when using DVD or HD-DVD sources, all sharpness does is add artificial edges to sharpen soft signals (like regular TV), DVD's and HD content benefit more from leaving sharpness at a very low settings

-Noise Reduction = Off - again, more for removing noise in TV signals, best left off

-DRC Mode = High Density

-DRC Palette = Custom (Reality 25 - Clarity 35)


If you use the above as a starting point, you can then fine tune it to your liking as you go. With the above settings, I can see the blemishes and pores in facial close-ups and metal and wooden objects show through with detail on the grain and texture, things look very realistic. I will tune it further as I go, but the current settings are a very good starting point and way beyond the quality you'll get with older large projection or tube TV's.


*As I understand it, you can find THX Optimizer on any Lucasfilm or Pixar DVD created from 2000 onward; I used one of my Star Wars DVD's for this.