Sony Grand WEGA KDF-50WE655 50-Inch LCD Projection TV with Integrated HDTV Tuner

by Sony

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 114 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: B00061ZNVO
• Item model number: KDF50WE655
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,315 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Sony's cutting-edge, 50-inch KDF-50WE655 LCD projection television is loaded with great features, from integrated NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners to Sony's WEGA Engine system, digital cable readiness, and the latest digital-video interface, HDMI. The 86-pound LCD projection television is also easy to position, and its relatively modest chassis--standing under 18 inches deep--won't push you out of your house.

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-50WE655 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 a total of 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.

The set includes numerous other features.

• TwinView PIP (picture-in-picture) lets you view any 2 sources simultaneously, even at different image resolutions.
• A Memory Stick media slot (compatible with Memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick Duo media) grants convenient viewing of JPEG and MPEG-1 files. It can also display customized slide shows using MP3 files for background music.
• Channel Fix lets you select a specific TV channel (3, for example) for cable box reception. Then you can control a compatible cable box via the TV remote without inadvertently changing the TV from Channel 3.
• Authorized CableCARD ability means the set will receive digital cable television systems services directly from the cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box.
• Sony's exclusive S-Master 1-bit digital amplifier produces 15 watts per channel (x 2), ensuring high power for superb, clear dialog.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link the set with any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver). HDMI supports standard-definition (SD), enhanced definition (ED), or high-definition (HD) video, plus multichannel digital audio--all using a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports up to 8-channel digital audio, with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.

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

Product Description

2/8/200615-19-32...

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What does an LCD HD monitor look like without HD signals..., January 17, 2005

By 

W. Wu "WWW" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony Grand WEGA KDF-50WE655 50-Inch LCD Projection TV with Integrated HDTV Tuner (Electronics)

I'd like to start this review with a disclaimer. I am very happy with the TV. It works exactly the way it's supposed to. Problem is, nobody who sells the thing tells you how it's SUPPOSED to work.

When you are looking at these things in the store, notice that there is always a DVD playing, or they have the set turned to Discovery HD Theater. There is a reason for this. An LCD HD monitor that is showing a regular (I think analog) or even a digital signal will not show well. The picture quality is lower than that of a regular CRT TV in these cases due to the extreme pixelation of the image.

However, if you position the TV correctly in your viewing space, some of this will be aleviated. For a 50 inch TV, you should sit back between 10-15 feet from the screen. From that far, you really won't see the pixels, so it won't bother you. (You can definitely tell the difference between HD and non-HD from this disctance still). This viewing disctance is what the manufacturers tell you to do. Do not buy this TV and sit 8 feet away and expect to be happy with it.

I say all this not to harp on Sony. THEIR PRODUCT WORKS JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE'S LCD!!! You should know this because currenlty only 10-15 channels are broadcast in HD depending on your vendor and region. Therefore - if you have 150 channels, 90% will not be in HD, so the majority of your viewing will be pixelated.

OK - all that said - it's a great TV. All the pro's have already been discussed - so I won't go there.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent picture in every way except black level and 480p, December 4, 2004

By 

J. Demmon (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sony Grand WEGA KDF-50WE655 50-Inch LCD Projection TV with Integrated HDTV Tuner (Electronics)

This TV is capable of astounding IMAX-like pictures when viewing a good HDTV signal. Has very good 480i/NTSC up-conversion but only so-so at 480p. That's because the advanced video processing menu option is only available for 480i and NTSC, not 480p (progressive). As a consequence the TV does a really amazing job at up-converting ordinary analog tv signals and 480i DVD output. But 480p component/DVI DVD is NOT as good as 480i component DVD, at least with my Denon 1910. The sony's 480i up-converter even has an edge over the Denon's 720p and 1080i internal DVI up-converters. Too bad you can't get 480i over DVI.

As others have noted, black level is mediocre. The screen puts out a glow during dark scenes that can't be adjusted away. You don't really notice it in a brightly lit room. But in a dark room it is very much apparent. Before buying, judge for yourself by playing Harry Potter 3 or other dark movie in a dark room. Turning on the DVD player's black level boost can help separate dark scenes from the background glow without compromising normally lit scenes.

After about a month, I got use to the glow and don't really notice it except during extended, very dark scenes.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Picture and Sound, April 22, 2005

By 

Mark Marin (Landstuhl Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sony Grand WEGA KDF-50WE655 50-Inch LCD Projection TV with Integrated HDTV Tuner (Electronics)

I got this TV about a month ago. Fantastic color and sound quality. Black is not absolute, which is typical for an LCD TV. Black is dark enough however that it really is not a factor.

When you get used to HDTV you really notice how low quality a standard broadcast is. I am using a DirecTV HD receiver for all channels including local. I do not get cable or HD good local reception where I am. I can not comment about off air TV quality.

I chose an LCD based product because I could see the rainbow on some DLP based products. There is also a squeal audible (color wheel?) with some DLP products. I chose the Sony because it does not give much of a "screen door" appearance as some other LCD projectors do.

If using a home theatre or surround sound receiver for your audio be sure to get a "fast" TV like this one. On some TVs the video processor is slow enough that you get sound and video out of sync. This TV does not suffer from such a video delay.