Customer Reviews

Sony KV36XBR450 36" XBR Flat-Screen HDTV

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Not a full review, but some key points: This is a terrific TV. (I own it.) Many consider it to be the best tube TV on the market. There is a new 40" version that is out so consider the 40" prior to buying the 36". Each weigh over 225 lbs. If you can spend more money, want a smaller footprint and can stomach some of the other deficiencies, move up to plasma screen tvs. The 36" wega xbr450 is regularly sold for 20% below list, so look around and bargain.

I have always had Sony XBR2 products in the past. I recently broke away and purchased a Toshiba 34" HDTV followed by a Toshiba Theater Wide 56" projection. Making a long story short I have finally gotten rid of Toshiba completely and returned to this Sony set. It is undoubtably the finest picture I have ever had in my home. I have had the best of Toshiba, Pioneer rear projection and Mitsubishi. This Sony set beats all of them. The geometry was perfect out of the box and the clarity and detail of the images even from my regular [bad] cable signal is astounding! Anamorphic DVD's are beyond words so I won't even try. The most astounding thing about this set is its unique ability to display so many subtle hues of color! Most sets simply render variations of red, blue and green. However, this set renders luscious tones of brown, gold, lavender, pink, maroon, cobalt blue, lime, etc. etc. I have never seen a set with the ability to do what this set does to color. There was also no hint of digital artifacts or digital gremlins of any kind. To sum it up I don't miss my larger rear projection one bit! I would much rather have a bright crystal clear gorgeous set of smaller dimensions than an obviously bloated oddly stretched dim so-so picture of a rear projection. My friend is an ISF tech and after seeing this set he said this set was the finest out of the box set he had ever seen. I'm seriously thinking of simply leaving it alone without ISF tweaking! This is the one folks . . .

I have had this television for over a year and it serves me very well. From DVD, VHS, Digital Cable, Playstation 2 and most recently HDTV, I have put the Wega XBR through its paces and have had nothing to complain about. The picture is perfect in all formats and HDTV is very impressive. I highly recommend it for those who prefer a direct view television. Remember that quality cabling makes a huge difference.

I had this TV for about 2 and 1/2 years, and the picture just went blank. The TV shuts itself down after few seconds. I had a local TV repair service take a look at the problem, and he said that I need a new tube. He said he would do it for $1,200. I like the over all picture quality and the design of the TV set, but having the tube last only 2 and 1/2 years is not acceptable. I'm very disappointed at the reliability of Sony TV.

Enjoyed my new tv for 17 months, give it the highest ratings. Then the picture went black. Sony said you should of brought the extended warranty. After paying $2400.00 for a sony tv (the best brand on the market or so I thought) why should I need a warranty. The dealer has had the tv for 3 weeks. They want $248.00 for trouble shooting and now they say they still can't fix it, need a new board for $300.00 Total of $548.00, plus the $50.00 we already gave them. Was ready to buy one like it for the bedroom, not anymore.

I purchased a sony 36" XBR in June 2002. Almost after a year, the TV is giving me problems. Sometimes there is no picture, but audio is fine. After waiting for a day or two without turning ON the TV, it would magically turn on and after working for few hours, the picture will vanish but audio is fine.

Its very disgusting to know that after paying a good decent price for a SONY TV, I would have to face such a problem and that too almost in a year of purchase.

TV worked great for first 18 months and now picture goes black after 1 hour of viewing. Warranty is only for 1 year. Can't find tech able to fix it. Really heavy to move too!

I got the Sony KV36XBR450 in March 2002 It only had the 2 year Sony warrenty. Did not think I would need an exteded warrenty having bought several Sony TVs over the years.It lasted only 2 years 11 months.(2-2005) It would try to turn on then shut down and only the red light in front would bink 4 times and repeat. I had it serviced $419, and it worked fine until 12-23-05 9 monthts after the repair,when it did the same thing. No sound no picture. Now I have to decied to throw more money at it or throw out this two hundred an thirty-eight pound paperwight.

I purchased and installed this TV on 9/10/01, and unfortunately watched the horror of 9/11/01 in amazing clarity. This set has been trouble-free for three years. I've never had to make any adjustments at all. It is a very heavy piece of equipment so if you're considering purchasing it, make sure you have 3 strong guys to lift it into an entertainment center! I'm a bit disappointed to find out that we now have to purchase a separate HD tuner to get high-definition TV, but it's not an issue with the TV itself. I paid $2,500 for this TV and it is still worth it even at that price.

I bought what was supposewd to be the best. After 2 years, i am having problems with the set turning itself off after a brief time. Local technicians say this is a common problem, but don't seem to know how to fix it. I'll never buy another Sony.