My local BB has one 60" XBR:SXRD in the back room. Said that they're not
supposed to display them yet ... but sold it to me nonetheless.

-doug

Has anyone confirmed 1920x1080 pc input with this set? Mine is in stock at Magnolia and this is a make or break issue for me. I have 1920x1080 running on my samsung 67" 1080p and it's off the hook. The sony manual (pdf from the sonystyle site) states 1280x1024 max pc res - which does not make any sense.

Thanks in advance
Jeff

It sure is nice being able to play with all these sets at your leisure. :D

So I compared the SXRD to the older 70"XBR, and hands down the SXRD is not only sharper, but much much more detailed. The color accuracy is miles better, and the contrast ratio is great too. First time I've been able to say that about a Sony set. Up until now I wouldn't have bought a Sony, this one though is worth it.

The picture is indeed 'smoother', but definitely not 'softer'. I think when people say smooth it's reflecting the fact that the set has absolutely no SDE. The picture has more 'depth' and a fullness about it. For those wondering, it is a sharp picture.

btw, someone asked about Mits harddrives, we don't have any equipment from Mits. Sorry.

(We sold our first 60" last night. No big deal really, but the customer sure was excited to hear it, and for some reason was exciting for us. I guess that excitement is why we all frequent this forum.)

Just an update. I ordered my 60" SXRD from Circuit City on the 5th, they just called 20 minutes ago to tell me they are delivering it to my house tomorrow..the 8th. It was supposed to take 2 week

This is Rochester,NY area

Marco, I'm in CT and I haven't seen one here either. Though if i go down into the city I'm sure there's one to be seen somewhere!

FYI, Sony has updated thier HD website: -> LINK <- (http://products.sel.sony.com/hdtv/tech/main/hdaudio_index.html?DCMP=hdtv_sony05&HQS=hdtv_hearhd)

Marco, I'm in CT and I haven't seen one here either. Though if i go down into the city I'm sure there's one to be seen somewhere!

:mad: WHERE?!?! I can't find anyone around here with one on display. I am being given the distinct impression that nobody intends to put one out before Tuesday (Oct. 11) including the SonyStyle stores in Boston and Providence. It is as though Sony has allocated things in such a way that they are not allowed to be displayed before Tuesday. And if that is the case, then anyone at SONY associated with this sort of policy needs to know these practices STINK!!!

I won't even bother addressing the statistics of population, income, disposable income, audio or video fans, sports fans because you idiots clearly don't get it. People are out buying TV's this weekend in the Boston CMSA (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area) and that's potentially 5.8 million customers who won't see your set and won't buy it. MORONS!!! :mad:

Has anyone within 200 miles of Boston seen one of these sets in a showroom?
I've run into this with Tweeter before - they seem to have a longer "supply chain" than some other stores. I spoke to the assistant manager of the Nashua, NH store this afternoon. He confirmed that they had some 50+ sets in the warehouse and that many of them would go to stores for display - but that doesn't leave a lot to sell. The Nashua store will get one for display. He also said another shipment is due the end of the coming week and that he expects to have one in store by this coming Friday. He's going to send me an e-mail on Wednesday with an update. Oh, and one of the other salesmen there said he's going to buy one...

I also went by the Nashua Circuit City, but they did not have the SXRD on display.

OK I've been lurking here for what seems like for ever -- I love LCOS technology. Was ready to buy second generation Toshiba before they cancelled the line because of the faulty Hitachi chips. JVC? -- too many problems - at least in the beginning. Qualia? --sure $13k!!!

Now comes the Sony SXRD in a reasonable price range. Finally saw one at CC today, a 50".

The picture was outstanding -- everything I could have hoped for.

The cabinet was horrible. I know I'm beating a dead horse, but I don't think I can stomach putting that thing in my family room. I will have to look at the unsightly cabinet every day. My wife feels stronger about this than I do. Although she did said "it's up to you honey" -- the look in her eye!!!

It seems like Sony is doing a study on human nature. Will people actually buy the best picture in the ugliest possible cabinet.

I don't want to wait another year -- Maybe the 1080p JVC's will have as good a picture. Here's hoping.

I found a store (not a national chain) w/ a 60" srxd on display w/ 2 in the warehouse. Its the real thing. Looked great etc. etc., although I think some of the plasmas looked better. I want a 60" and I don`t want to spend what a 60" or > plasma would cost. They can deliver the TV in 2 days, this Monday. Same deal as others have recieved on this site, $400 off or free 4 year extended warranty includes bulb, free delivery. Here is the concerned I would like feed back on. There is no 30 day return policy. They swap out doing the first 2 weeks if there is a problem, after 2 weeks if you have a problem it goes through the warranty. If you get the TV home and don`t like it ...tough, its yours. The logic behind this policy is after every big game the following week they would have many returns.

Do any of you guys/gals around the Miami area know anything about this place?
Bright and Sleek, Corp. 2370 NE 213 Ter., Suite 200 Miami, FL 33180
To check out their price on the 60" just do the dot com thing after Bright and Sleek and add it to your cart.
Thanks for any info!

Marco, the way the sets are distributed has been described on this board before, and I think it has nothing to do with population or income. I'm in Greenwich, CT where disposable income is about as high as anywhere you'll find, and guess what? I have yet to see a SXRD set locally. I'm sure if I looked around the New York City area I'd be able to find one at an isolated big box store or PC Richard, but I ordered mine from Crutchfield in August, and hopefully it should be shipping out this coming Friday! Can't wait to join all you other SXRD owners out there!! :) Like I said earlier, if you pre-ordered you'll have one this month (or if you can find an isolated store locally that managed to get a few of the initial sets), if not wait 'til next month and I'm sure you'll have no problem getting one and may even get a price break as we head towards the holiday shopping season.

Attention all New SXRD Owners: I just started a new thread to discuss Tweaks and Settings for our new sets. Take a look.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6324025#post6324025

As posted in my Ken Crane's thread, I just wanted to give anyone who's in the So. Cal Los Angeles area a heads up that they just go them in Friday (there NOT YET ON DISPLAY, though. The guy said PROBABLY Monday (would call before heading down there). I know I will be there on Monday :) if said thing about displaying them is true. Since I'm off on Tues., I can spend the whole day viewing them. :D

Let's see, got to remember to bring the HQV Benchmark DVD (thanks UG) and one with a lot of white backgrounds and movement (thanks ALAN [B.], {or was it Aka}, sorry guys). :o

Thanks.

I just went and checked it out at Magnolia HiFi in Clackamas if anyone is interested. I had about 20 mintues all to my self with no salesman, no others in the room. I changed channels, played with settings, etc. Very nice tv.

I wonder if the first question will be whether the SXRDs have 1080p inputs? ;)

My guess is "does this set exhibit SSE or TIR"...

I took my notebook which runs my 67" Samsung at 1920x1080 perfectly thru the PC port to Magnolia today to try it on The Sony KDS-R60XBR1.

Well guss what - NO 1080p input thru the pc port. Just like the manual I downloaded from Sony says, the max is 1280x1024. Way to go Sony!

Maybe it's possible thru using DVI thru the HDMI port, I'm not sure.

Too bad, I'm heavly into media center pcs and this is a deal killer for me. Even worse the one I ordered is in stock! uugghh

Do any of you guys/gals around the Miami area know anything about this place?
Bright and Sleek, Corp. 2370 NE 213 Ter., Suite 200 Miami, FL 33180
To check out their price on the 60" just do the dot com thing after Bright and Sleek and add it to your cart.
Thanks for any info!

That price is cheaper then the 50 inch they have.


Seems like a mistake to me.

Well, I finally got to see a 50 SXRD at Sears in Poughkeepsie today; the first store in my area to display an SXRD that I am aware of. I walked in and couldn't believe it, last week the salesman wasn't even aware these sets existed!

Anyway, I've been reading all the posts in these forums for quite some time now, and was getting a little discouraged by all the negatives that have been posted. Things like screen door, sse, burn in, tir, noise in white ares of someone's shirt, speakers on the side, glass screen vs. matte screen, and the list is endless. It's as if the more critical a poster can be of a technology, the more he/she is accepted as some sort of expert. I wonder if those of you who post all these so called flaws really see the things you claim to see at all.

Here's MY impression of the SXRD (now they just took the set out of the box and it hasn't been tweaked or anything, so it can probably be better than what I saw) ...it's absolutely the most impressive picture I have ever seen. I've looked at the DLP's, the LCD's, the plasma's and anything else out there. This set is superb! I can't imagine a tv having any better of an image. I'm not an expert at anything, but I know what I like, and if this set has any flaws, then everything else is just that much more flawed! You can't have perfection in anything, and I never expected to see perfection. I am impressed enough to make this my new tv! Will something come along in a year or so that is a tad better, maybe, but who cares? If anyone can point to a tv or technology that is better, then let's hear it!

If I've offended any of you experts out there, I apologize, but in your quest to analyze these sets, and most other technologies also, to the point of absurdity, you scare people to the point they may never experience all that HDTV has to offer.

Well, I finally got to see a 50 SXRD at Sears in Poughkeepsie today; the first store in my area to display an SXRD that I am aware of. I walked in and couldn't believe it, last week the salesman wasn't even aware these sets existed!

Anyway, I've been reading all the posts in these forums for quite some time now, and was getting a little discouraged by all the negatives that have been posted. Things like screen door, sse, burn in, tir, noise in white ares of someone's shirt, speakers on the side, glass screen vs. matte screen, and the list is endless. It's as if the more critical a poster can be of a technology, the more he/she is accepted as some sort of expert. I wonder if those of you who post all these so called flaws really see the things you claim to see at all.

Here's MY impression of the SXRD (now they just took the set out of the box and it hasn't been tweaked or anything, so it can probably be better than what I saw) ...it's absolutely the most impressive picture I have ever seen. I've looked at the DLP's, the LCD's, the plasma's and anything else out there. This set is superb! I can't imagine a tv having any better of an image. I'm not an expert at anything, but I know what I like, and if this set has any flaws, then everything else is just that much more flawed! You can't have perfection in anything, and I never expected to see perfection. I am impressed enough to make this my new tv! Will something come along in a year or so that is a tad better, maybe, but who cares? If anyone can point to a tv or technology that is better, then let's hear it!

If I've offended any of you experts out there, I apologize, but in your quest to analyze these sets, and most other technologies also, to the point of absurdity, you scare people to the point they may never experience all that HDTV has to offer.


No need to apologize. The 50" and 60" SXRDs are simply the best HDTVs ever made to this point in time. They put everything else to shame and any other display you compare it to pales in comparison. Their PQ is awesome and unmatched in any other technology, as you say. You have to realize many here are professionals, many others have a direct involvement with a manufacturer or forum sponsor, so you have to take all comments with a grain of salt. I, for one, haven't found much that is far off from perfection on these sets so i complain about the shiny black bezel. When i can only find a bezel to complain about on a display, chances are it is a fairly decent set :cool:


Next year when all the best 2006 models are released during the Fall Season, we may be saying that the 2006 SXRDs are the new kings of the roost - or maybe the new 2006 D-ILAs, or maybe some set we can't even anticipate now. But for 2005 Sony is clearly the king of consumer HDTV. They captured the lower end of the market with their very impressive 3LCDs and now they will capture the mid to higher end with these superb SXRDs....

I took my notebook which runs my 67" Samsung at 1920x1080 perfectly thru the PC port to Magnolia today to try it on The Sony KDS-R60XBR1.

Well guss what - NO 1080p input thru the pc port. Just like the manual I downloaded from Sony says, the max is 1280x1024. Way to go Sony!

Maybe it's possible thru using DVI thru the HDMI port, I'm not sure.

Too bad, I'm heavly into media center pcs and this is a deal killer for me. Even worse the one I ordered is in stock! uugghh

it is well established that the Sony can't do 1920x1080p on any input, so You did the wrong experiment.
You should have set your output to 1920x1080i. If that doesn't work (on the VGA port) one should be
able to run 1920x1080i out of the DVI port. Either way, your experiment means
nothing.

Attention all New SXRD Owners: I just started a new thread to discuss Tweaks and Settings for our new sets. Take a look.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/show...025#post6324025

Awesome!

Posting response to the following there:

Ok all...I got my set (60") yesterday...

Been playing around with it and learning A LOT!

I have some general questions for anyone out there.

1. I got my PC hooked up to this thing and wonder what is the best screen resolution and frequency that I should be setting? My hook-up is via DVI-HDMI.

2. Was told setting the picture to vivid in the past would cause burn-in. Will that be true for this set? What picture type would be recommended: vivid, standard, pro?

3. There is certainly a noticable grainy picture for a source that is not HD. Is this normal? If not, what would be recommended to fix this?

4. Which sound type is recommended for 5.1?

Comments: This TV looks awesome, will post pictures soon. The HD channels also are awesome! Watched Top Gun last night with the wife and where she would normally fall asleep, she stayed up to see it mezmorized (and immursed) into the flick due to this TV.

My son still this morning just has his jaw open saying kewl! Ok gotta go, he wants to watch cartoons on this thing. Appreciate any feedback.

-Arv

If I've offended any of you experts out there, I apologize, but in your quest to analyze these sets, and most other technologies also, to the point of absurdity, you scare people to the point they may never experience all that HDTV has to offer.

It works the same way with program material. When I first started HDTV 2 years ago, I was impressed by all the shows in primetime. I noticed that some were
better PQ than others, but I was accepting of all. Now, after CBS and NBC have
raised the PQ bar so high with "Out of Practice" and "The Office", to name but a
few, I find myself frustrated with CBS because 2.5 Men, NCIS, King of Queens,
and many others are so ugly, I want to throw up. My new mission is to get a hold
of somebody at CBS to get an explanation as to why CBS allows these shows to have such
horrible PQ.
And so it is with HDTV displays. The better they make them, the more we expect ,
the more the flaws stand out against a increasingly high frame of reference.

Ok, I'm shopping around for the 50 or 60" set now. Just wondering if anyone with some inside info has any idea if Sony and/or the chains are going to be discounting the sets for Christmas...

Memphis sucks. CC has the 60 inch SXRD on display here but they claimed they do not have the 50 inch and "won't get any more, it's not even in the system" WTF. Pointing it out on their website just got shrugs. BB didn't have it at all. Local tv stores said they don't plan to carry it. I probed a little more at the 2nd CC locaiton here and the manager essentially told me that they were selling the A10 as their 50-inch model but of course they can special order the 50 inch SXRD for me. Aagh!

The 60 inch SXRD has a gorgeous image, but I have to be over 10 feet away for the SSE to stop bothering me. I need to see the 50" to see if I'll be bothered by it at 8.5 feet (my max distance at home)... and now it looks like I'm going to be taking a road trip to do it.

Sigh. :(

Ok, I'm shopping around for the 50 or 60" set now. Just wondering if anyone with some inside info has any idea if Sony and/or the chains are going to be discounting the sets for Christmas...
rahivictory,

I easily got a 15% discount for the 50" set at Tweeter by showing them an earlier post about the same in this thread- I had printed the posting ~ 8/28/05 for future use. Also got free delivery.
The sets are in their warehouse- they could deliver earlier but I scheduled delivery for next saturday. I did not have to buy EW or a stand to get the price.

I hope all readers of this forum can get same or better deals. BTW, CC was a horror story- they have the set in their warehouse but refused to budge on the price"till it goes on sale officially"-- no wonder they are teetering perilously close to bankrupcy.

Reference is post #2365, page 83

"Since we are not supposed to talk $$ amounts I will use a percentage. I got 15% off the MSRP (60 inch model) at Tweeter here in town (Arlington VA). This was after I put down 25% and agreed to an extended warranty and stand. They charged my amex but I have not received anything in the mail as of yet."

rahivictory,

I easily got a 15% discount for the 50" set at Tweeter by showing them an earlier post about the same in this thread- I had printed the posting ~ 8/28/05 for future use. Also got free delivery.
The sets are in their warehouse- they could deliver earlier but I scheduled delivery for next saturday. I did not have to buy EW or a stand to get the price.

I hope all readers of this forum can get same or better deals. BTW, CC was a horror story- they have the set in their warehouse but refused to budge on the price"till it goes on sale officially"-- no wonder they are teetering perilously close to bankrupcy.

funny I had no problem. 10 minutes walked in an said this is what I want and I'm not taking less than 10% . Got that + 27 months financing + 5% gift card. Easy. Ordered on the 5th. They called today to say the are delivering it tomorrow , the 8th on a Sunday! Free shipping.

Memphis sucks.

Say...wasn't that the B-side of Ian Hunter's "Cleveland Rocks"?

I just got my new 60" SXRD and am very happy. This set replaced a 43" Pioneer Plasma which was rated very high. First impressions are very favorable. The PQ with Directv is great to amazing dependent on feed. SD looks very good to OK on the set. Once again it's dependent on the quality of the feed. Colors are deep and vibrant, shadow detail and BL are CRT like and the picture is razor sharp. I have no complaints. The shiny black bezel is a non-issue for me and the screen is a little more reflective than the A20 I had but it is really very good at diffusing direct light. I did see some shimmering on ornate backgrounds but I saw that on my A20 too. I guess that is what is refered to as SSE. I have a feeling it's feed dependent. It's not at all distracting and is an irregular occurence. I played with the sound settings and discovered a simulated Sorround sound that actually worked quite well and was a huge plus to having the side speakers. The side speakers didn't please my wife who also loved the PQ. The speakers make the set look bigger than it is and in turn really is too large for the book case that it sits in. These sets have settings and inputs galore. I want to try my HD Tivo using component and compare it to HDMI. We watched a DVD which looked wonderful but not in the same league as HD. Next, the set takes about 45 seconds to fully light up. This is not that big of a deal but forget about instant on. Overall I'm quite pleased with the set. My only gripe is that the set is a bit wide for its nest and any other 60" set would have fit perfectly. Oh well. This set is a big step up from the A20 and is worth the extra $$ for the inputs alone that are provided with this set. Now we all need a uncompressed signal like HD DVD or for DIrectv to get on board and these sets will really shine. I give the set an A minus. More to come.

I have a question regarding Standard Definition broadcasts on this set. For the shows that are shown in letterbox, which seems to be happening more and more these days, is it possible to zoom the image to fill most of the screen, without changing the aspect ratio or stretching the image?

I'm totally new to HDTV and just ordered the Sony 60" at Circuit City today! :) Can't wait til it's sitting in my family room.

Thanks,
Dennis

Got the 60 inch SXRD today... running DVD's through an OLD non-upscaling Toshiba player... My head is exactly 9 feet from the screen prior to reclining...
It is nothing less than stunning. I had the WF655 (the equivalent to the A20) and had returned it. There is no comparison. This set is awesome. It's a mini-Qualia.

Agree with a previous post... can't wait to see true 1080i fed into this.

If you're in Las Vegas, PM me and I'll tell you where they are.

:)

djwilso: To get 4:3 to fit on a 16:9 the picture has to be stretched/zoomed. That said the SXRD set has very good stretch modes.

I just got back from BB with my no 60" SXRD. I got it for 20% off MSRP. I'm very excited. I will hook it up tomorrow after the Broncos game!

I just got back from BB with my no 60" SXRD. I got it for 20% off MSRP. I'm very excited. I will hook it up tomorrow after the Broncos game!

Wait...wait...20% off MSRP? That's $3600.... is that BB as in Best Buy? where in which area?

Wait...wait...20% off MSRP? That's $3600.... is that BB as in Best Buy? where in which area?

20% off m.s.r.p. would be $3999...

Got the 60 inch SXRD today... running DVD's through an OLD non-upscaling Toshiba player... My head is exactly 9 feet from the screen prior to reclining...
It is nothing less than stunning. I had the WF655 (the equivalent to the A20) and had returned it. There is no comparison. This set is awesome. It's a mini-Qualia.

Agree with a previous post... can't wait to see true 1080i fed into this.

If you're in Las Vegas, PM me and I'll tell you where they are.

:)

How does it feel from 9ft away?

The Sony owner's manual did say that the minimum viewing distance is 7ft awy. So at 9 fet you're pretty much right at it. My viewing distance is 10 or 11 ft...hhmmm

20% off m.s.r.p. would be $3999...

darn it..I thought MSRP was 4500 :(

I called my local Best Buy and asked if they would match a local Ultimate Electronics 10% off. The manager said, I can match it and do better!! Needless to say, I was there in no time. With my Reward Coupons, I got the same price that Sunshine is selling it for!! I"m very happy! It's pretty odd for the manager to offer double the savings of a competitor without me asking.

He really tried to sell me power conditioners, cables, and every other conceivable add-on. He seemed a little ticked that all I wanted was the TV. Oh well, LOL..

djwilso: To get 4:3 to fit on a 16:9 the picture has to be stretched/zoomed. That said the SXRD set has very good stretch modes.

Thanks! I just took a look at the online manual on page 53, and it does look like it will do exactly what I was hoping for.

Dennis

SXRD 60"... Try for 25% off...there is a huge profit on this set...you need to work a little harder...but it is doable.

SXRD 60"... Try for 25% off...there is a huge profit on this set...you need to work a little harder...but it is doable.


In general I think most of the 1080p sets will not sell as well to the general market because most of them can't see/understand the difference a 720p and a 1080p. The 720p sets have dropped in price quite a bit...I mean look at the 60" SXRD at $5000 at look at a Mits or Sony 720p for aound $3500. They walked into the store and say heck why is that Sony set costs almost $5000? and it's not Plasma.

Only a small % of enthusiasts such as buyers here from this forum will pay the high price for this set.

The common public can't justify the $1500 difference especially when the signal feed in the store is also crappy.

OK I've been lurking here for what seems like for ever -- I love LCOS technology. Was ready to buy second generation Toshiba before they cancelled the line because of the faulty Hitachi chips. JVC? -- too many problems - at least in the beginning. Qualia? --sure $13k!!!

Now comes the Sony SXRD in a reasonable price range. Finally saw one at CC today, a 50".

The picture was outstanding -- everything I could have hoped for.

The cabinet was horrible. I know I'm beating a dead horse, but I don't think I can stomach putting that thing in my family room. I will have to look at the unsightly cabinet every day. My wife feels stronger about this than I do. Although she did said "it's up to you honey" -- the look in her eye!!!

It seems like Sony is doing a study on human nature. Will people actually buy the best picture in the ugliest possible cabinet.

I don't want to wait another year -- Maybe the 1080p JVC's will have as good a picture. Here's hoping.

You are entitled to your opinion, as far as how the set looks, everyone has there own personal preference, now as far as my opinion, this is coming from a guy who just bought two SXRD 60 inch sets, and received them both this past friday the 7th, i think the speakers look GREAT! It gives the tv a much more high end look, other than the norm. of every other manufacture making there sets in the plain old boring square shape, trust me take a look at the picture i have attached, just my opinion thats all. Forgive me if the pic is not that good, this was a quick shot of the tv when i had just put it up on the stand, without anything connected to it, i will be posting some more pictures sometime soon in the owners thread.

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/4944/pic5re.th.png (http://img260.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pic5re.png)
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/238/pictvstand1de.th.png (http://img190.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pictvstand1de.png)

it is well established that the Sony can't do 1920x1080p on any input, so You did the wrong experiment.
You should have set your output to 1920x1080i. If that doesn't work (on the VGA port) one should be
able to run 1920x1080i out of the DVI port. Either way, your experiment means
nothing.

Huh? Either I'm missing something, or you're a bit off here. There is no "1080i" coming from a PC through the VGA port--pixels are pixels, no interlacing games allowed. Thus, your suggested experiment is simply not possible. A PC can be set to a specific display resolution only; 1920x1080 would be 1:1 pixel mapping, which is what HTPC'ers want and the Sony doesn't provide. From a PC it seems that it accepts only 1280x1024 on the VGA port, which is what's relevant if you want to use the monitor input.

There is no "1080i" coming from a PC through the VGA port--pixels are pixels, no interlacing games allowed.
Photodyer, are you saying that PC's are not able to output an interlaced signal?

Since 1080p is not accepted, but I was hoping that using SwitchRes X on my Mac I could at least output 1080i over DVI --> HDMI. I don't have a way to test this, but SwitchRes X has a Custom resolution menu where "interlaced" can be selected.

Could you please clarify this issue.

My wife feels stronger about this than I do. Although she did said "it's up to you honey" -- the look in her eye!!!

It seems like Sony is doing a study on human nature. Will people actually buy the best picture in the ugliest possible cabinet.

.I agree...I went and seen the SXRD 3 times...first time I thought the PQ was soft, second time it was tweaked and it looked excellent, third time I brought my wife with, she took one look at it and flat out said it was ugly...I told her to look at the picture not the cosmetic's of the set...she could not get by the design of the cabinet...she has never said no to any audio/video purchase except for this one...she said it looked horrible.

Now I can only hope the JVC is decent...I really need something bigger than the 60" anyway...70" would be perfect at 14 feet.

Huh? Either I'm missing something, or you're a bit off here. There is no "1080i" coming from a PC through the VGA port--pixels are pixels, no interlacing games allowed. Thus, your suggested experiment is simply not possible. A PC can be set to a specific display resolution only; 1920x1080 would be 1:1 pixel mapping, which is what HTPC'ers want and the Sony doesn't provide. From a PC it seems that it accepts only 1280x1024 on the VGA port, which is what's relevant if you want to use the monitor input.
Photodyer, PCs have always been able to output an interlaced signal, it just hasn't seen much use in a long time. I don't know if you're old enough to remember the days when the most input frequency for high-res PC monitors was 43Hz interlaced. (And what a headache that was... :rolleyes: ) Of course, all modern CRT and LCD monitors for PCs accept non-interlaced signal, so there's no need for it anymore for desktop use. However, even my brand-new Radeon X800 card has an option in the drivers to add 1080i as an output resolution. I'm sure you can also use Powerstrip to enable all sorts of fun interlaced modes...

Also, it's pretty clear from previous experimentation by various people here that the SXRD can accept resolutions higher than 1280x1024 on the VGA port; that's only the highest supported resolution. The only real difference is that if 1280x1024 doesn't work, then Sony will repair your set; if you tell them a higher resolution doesn't work, their response will be "Then don't do that!"

MikeyTMaxx,

What stand/cabinet are you using with the 60" SXRD in the photo? It seems to be a perfect fit with the width of the 60" set.

I myself am trying to decide between the following for a bedroom with a 13-15 foot viewing distance:
1. Sony 60" SXRD KDS-R60XBR1 *Leaning towards this model now due to PQ, inputs (multi-HDMI, iLink, etc.) and 60" screen size
2. Sony Bravia 40" KDL-V40XBR1 *Initially considered this for form factor and excellent PQ for LCD technology but screen size is too small and cost too high for a 40" screen.
3. Panasonic 50" Plasma TH-50PX50U *First choice due to reduced cost and form factor. However this set is not PC compatible so this is not an option any longer as I've added an HTPC in the lineup.

My sources will be: (*in order of importance)
1. DirecTv HD DVR HR10-250 (Tivo)
2. Sony HDR-HC1 (HD Camcorder)
3. 1080i upconverted DVD player
4. HTPC (Newly built system)

My priorities are as follows: 1. PQ 2. Input capabilty 3. Form Factor 4. Screen Size

Anyway, after hooking up the HDR-HC1 to the Qualia 006 via iLink and seeing the 1080i feed on an SXRD set, I was convinced (not to mention amazed and awed) that it was the best PQ I've seen so far on a set and with my sources should be the set for me. Hooking up the same HD camcorder on the 40" Bravia was also impressive as it seems the 720P sets produces a sharper image (perceived) compared to the Qualia however, the image range of the Qualia was just in a league all it's own. I would love to see the PQ of the SXRD on 1080i HD sources though fed with the DirecTv HD DVR.

Lastly, CC has the 60" SXRD on sale now for $250 off and I've read folks here have been getting it for 10-20% off through the B&M stores. Hopefully, the prices keep going down in the next few months to make this purchase really viable for me anyway.

Any thoughts on this? I understand many of the folks here are video professionals so my main question is, PQ wise, is the difference between a 720P set (Bravia, in this case) and a 1080i (SXRD) one perceptible? I have heard varying opinons on this matter. Just to add to the mix, my current home theater is FP based, 720P native and I have a 110" screen to watch DVDs and HD programming on so this SXRD set will be replacing a very old 27" CRT in the bedroom for mainly HD, DVD and HD camcorder footage. Thanks for your inputs in advance!

Mikeytmaxx, I like the stand you have your 60" SXRD on.

Who is the manufacturer, and what model is it?
Does the center shelf have room for a 19" x 7" Center channel? NHT AC-1

I saw the 60" SXRD at the local HHGregg.
They had a Mits 1080 DLP next to the SXRD, both running the same feed.
The SXRD just blew away the Mits.
I didn't get a chance to check settings on either set, as the remotes were
nowhere to be found.

I almost have the wife acceptance factor complete, just have to settle on stand that will look right in our living room. Have my components out in the open with my golden retriever's hair is NOT an option.

Long lurker here, first time poster.

VizGuy

...snip...

third time I brought my wife with, she took one look at it and flat out said it was ugly...I told her to look at the picture not the cosmetic's of the set...she could not get by the design of the cabinet...she has never said no to any audio/video purchase except for this one...she said it looked horrible.



....big ouch....

I'm sure this is exactly what Sony wants to hear. :eek: They're not buying our sets because of cosmetics. :mad: That's life. But don't you know that they'll probably go to the other extreme next time and come out with a cabinet with the flexibility of a swiss army knife.

I guess you either love or hate the look of these new sets. I personally think they look cool. If the speakers were on the bottom this set would look genetic like every other set. I did like the cabinet on the A20 better but unfortunately they was not an option.

MikeyTMaxx,

What stand/cabinet are you using with the 60" SXRD in the photo? It seems to be a perfect fit with the width of the 60" set.I could be wrong, but it appears to be a Salamander Designs Synergy Triple 20 (http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/syn/synergy.jsp?modelbase=sl20). According to the specs, the stand is 65.75" wide which is almost exactly the same width as the TV. The nice thing about the Salamander products is that they are modular, so you can custom build them to suit your needs.

....big ouch....

I'm sure this is exactly what Sony wants to hear. :eek: They're not buying our sets because of cosmetics. :mad: That's life. But don't you know that they'll probably go to the other extreme next time and come out with a cabinet with the flexibility of a swiss army knife.


Sony had better hear this loud and clear. The TV is priced at a premium which starts off with a disadvantage to 1080p DLP's and likely the 1080p JVC.

People browsing thru a CC, Best Buys, HH Gregg, BrandsMart, etc are not going to know the difference in quality- they are going to see the same pictures fed thru the showroom settings, they are going to see the price and THEN they are going to see the width of the Sony and figure you can get a 61" of another brand in the same place cabinet and at the same price of a 50" Sony SXRD. If SONY thinks that a majority are going to pick the SONY then they are crazy. That cabinet style is a deal breaker for many. Why they didn't design the speakers to completely come off is an engineering goof by Sony that they will pay for in sales.

TNVOL: Why do you want them to come off? I just want them under the set or without air spaces to make the set less wide.

I saw the SXRD for the first time yesterday. Picture was excellent. I also can't believe they bothered putting speakers on this thing. No one is going to use them. Who spends $5000 on a TV and doesn't have a decent home stereo system? At first, it looked like the speakers were detachable since they were spaced away from the cabinet, but they were not. Big mistake from Sony. How hard could it have been to make them detachable?

Has anyone started a thread yet on how to properly saw off the SXRD speakers without seriously reducing it's resale value? I'm in an apt where space is at a premium. The space gained by shaving ten inches off the width of this cabinet by sawing off the speakers is definitely something I would be interested in doing, if it could be done properly. Maybe I'll ask Sony for tips.

If no one has tips about sawing, I guess I'll wait for the next SXRD that either has no speakers, or detachable ones. Without the speakers, I would have considered buying this set NOW, since I was at the store spending $500 anyway for a replacement light bulb for my Panasonic. But I kept thinking that eventually, within a year hopefully, an SXRD will come out without speakers. I can wait. That should also reduce the cost of the 50".

My current TV is a panny 50" LCD, with useless speakers on the sides, and I'll never make that mistake again.

SXRD 60"... Try for 25% off...there is a huge profit on this set...you need to work a little harder...but it is doable.
jwv651,

When I was finalizing my purchase, the 'associate' described their cost; it came to profit margin of 30% if sold at MSRP-- you can do the calculation. Of course, he may just have been trying to make me feel better about the deal I got- overall about 17% off.

spatzi: Let get serious here. If you take a sawzall to the side speakers you'll kill the resale value and cut wires that may be needed to operate the set. If you don't like the side speakers then wait for the JVC or LG LCoS sets.

Mikeytmaxx, I like the stand you have your 60" SXRD on.

Who is the manufacturer, and what model is it?
Does the center shelf have room for a 19" x 7" Center channel? NHT AC-1

VizGuy

Checkout the Bello stands. Reasonable price and many styles. I chose the 2517mc since it matched the Bello racks I have and most importantly the WAF :D ...

Has anyone started a thread yet on how to properly saw off the SXRD speakers without seriously reducing it's resale value? .

JigSaw should work nicely...Let us know how it turns out... :rolleyes:

jwv651,

When I was finalizing my purchase, the 'associate' described their cost; it came to profit margin of 30% if sold at MSRP-- you can do the calculation. Of course, he may just have been trying to make me feel better about the deal I got- overall about 17% off.17% is a good deal...but it can and is being discounted even more in my area of the country...I was just trying to help others with this information in my area...Enjoy you just bought one of the best HD TV's to date. :)

spatzi: Let get serious here. If you take a sawzall to the side speakers you'll kill the resale value and cut wires that may be needed to operate the set. If you don't like the side speakers then wait for the JVC or LG LCoS sets.


:rolleyes: I wasn't really serious. But glad to know that there are other sets on the way that don't have the speakers. Are these JVC and LG sets using the same technology as the SXRD?

One of the best product write-up for the KDS-R50XBR1 is at the vanns website. I don't know who they are, this is not an endorsement. However, their site says the dumbo-ear speaker consoles on the KDS-R50XBR1 are fully removable. So, I ordered a KDS-R50XBR1 from a dealer in Texas, where I live, hoping that Vanns' information is correct. The dealer (Tweeter) has the Qualia's but has never seen the KDS-R50XBR1, they expect thier 50-units on October 14th, maybe.

If anyone has tried to remove the KDS-R50XBR1 speakers and found it to be impossible, please let me know so that I can cancel the order, (or cut some chunks out of my living room's TV-cavity). Surely, Sony is not so myopic as to prioritize style over configurability, (OK, it's just a hope). The product photos seem to indicate that the speaker removal process will involve a hack-saw!

P.S. The Vanns site also offers a downloadable copy of the KDS-R50XBR1 owners manual, and nowhere in that puppy does it say the speaker consoles are removable.

:rolleyes: I wasn't really serious. But glad to know that there are other sets on the way that don't have the speakers. Are these JVC and LG sets using the same technology as the SXRD?

If you check back in this thread about a month ago, you'll find a few posts referencing the upcoming 1080p LCoS JVC's that were viewed at the CEDIA industry expo along with the Sony SXRD's.

If I remember correctly, it was said the JVC's were the only other sets on the floor to come close to or perhaps equal the picture quality of the SXRD's.

So, before you whip out that saw, I suppose it's worth taking a look at the soon-to-be released (when already?) JVC's. I haven't done a scientific sampling, but I'm personally a little squeamish about JVC reliability. I think I've read more problem-complaint posts involving JVC than Sony.

Ooops, sorry folks. I'm a newbie, didn't read to the end of this thread before posting. Seems that everyone already figured out that the ears are permanent. I'm going to hack mine off, so I'll post results when I figure out how to patch up the mess. Fortunately, the sides of the unit will not be very visible, but Gee, why do we have to do this kinda stuff with a $4k unit?

One of the best product write-up for the KDS-R50XBR1 is at the vanns website. I don't know who they are, this is not an endorsement. However, their site says the dumbo-ear speaker consoles on the KDS-R50XBR1 are fully removable. So, I ordered a KDS-R50XBR1 from a dealer in Texas, where I live, hoping that Vanns' information is correct. The dealer (Tweeter) has the Qualia's but has never seen the KDS-R50XBR1, they expect thier 50-units on October 14th, maybe.

If anyone has tried to remove the KDS-R50XBR1 speakers and found it to be impossible, please let me know so that I can cancel the order, (or cut some chunks out of my living room's TV-cavity). Surely, Sony is not so myopic as to prioritize style over configurability, (OK, it's just a hope). The product photos seem to indicate that the speaker removal process will involve a hack-saw!

P.S. The Vanns site also offers a downloadable copy of the KDS-R50XBR1 owners manual, and nowhere in that puppy does it say the speaker consoles are removable.

You stand a better shot of chopping those Donkey ears off the side of you tater head than the Glomboobahs on this monstrosity, Dude :rolleyes:

Just placed my order with Onecall. They'll match Sunshine's price and they are a Sony authorized dealer.

Just tell em I sent ya. ;)

-Andre'

spatzi: Let get serious here. If you take a sawzall to the side speakers you'll kill the resale value and cut wires that may be needed to operate the set. If you don't like the side speakers then wait for the JVC or LG LCoS sets.You didn't really take him seriously did you. :confused:

If you put wheels on an SXRD would it be a better car than a Honda?

I have the quick opportunity to buy the SU-GW2 stand at a very good price. I'll be buying my 60" SXRD in December.

Does anyone know whether the 60" SXRD would fit properly on the SU- GW2 stand?

Just placed my order with Onecall. They'll match Sunshine's price and they are a Sony authorized dealer.

Just tell em I sent ya. ;)

-Andre'


I don't know how you did it, but I just sent them an email and they replied that thwey won't do Sunshines price the best they will do is take off $500.00 off. Who did you call??

Don't email. Call them. I just orded it three hours ago. After the order was put through, I asked the CSR (sorry, didn't get his name) if he wanted me to spread the word (including info on the pricematch) and he said okay.

You'll likely end up talking to the same person but if not, just make sure to note that Sunshine is also a retail store. They won't just pricematch any online store out there.

Good luck.

I have some question.

How much better is the black level on this compared to the HLP-5085? Is it almost CRT like or what?
Does anyone know if it can take PAL?

Thanks in advance

I was finally able to see it in person at a Best Buy in VA. While trying to ignore the saleman tell someone that the JVC LCOS has a color wheel, I was able to play around with the settings a bit. Though it was in a bright area it was evident that the blacks were very good. It was right next to an XBR and a JVC lcos set. If you got within a couple feet of the SXRD, even with the crappy feed, the picture was still smooth. The XBR and JVC lcos had major breakup at this range....just a pixellated mess (and no it wasn't the feed).

Though not beside the SXRD I was able to check out the Samsung 1080 DLP and the Mits that were side by side in a dark room. SDE was definitely obvious and video noise was definitely obvious. A month ago the Samsungs didn't wow me and they still haven't.

BTW, I forgot to mention in my previous post that I ordered the 60".

Marco,
I saw the 50" at the Circuit City in Dedham, yesterday.

Superb!

TNVOL: Why do you want them to come off? I just want them under the set or without air spaces to make the set less wide.

Why would you want them under the set? That would raise the picture even higher, requiring yet a shorter stand.

You see, everyone has different preferences.

Myself, I would rather it didn't even have speakers at all. :)

Dennis

OK some interesting news and a question...

I just came back from the Sony store where I went to try and get a really good deal on the 60". Unfortunately, they can't give me anywhere near the deal I could get by purchasing in the US. So I'm going to try and by in the US and bring it across the border. Anyone know where I could get a great deal in the Detroit area? I want someone who will price match Shopsunshine or something close to that. I also need an upconverting DVD player so suggestions would be appreciated.

As for the comment, at the Sony Store the assistant manager assured me that the TV can take a direct 1080p input through the HDMI. He claims that Sony has demonstrated this using their Blu Ray players. I know I've read of a couple of people who have seen the Blu Ray demonstration. Does anyone know how they were connected to the SXRD? I know earlier threads said it couldn't be done, but the guy said he was positive. He also said that it wouldn't work over the PC input.

Why would you want them under the set? That would raise the picture even higher, requiring yet a shorter stand.

You see, everyone has different preferences.

Myself, I would rather it didn't even have speakers at all. :)

Dennis

Well the BEST scenerio might be very short in height with the side speakers BUT have the side speakers able to be removed if the customer would like to do this. I just think more people have width problems with cabinetry than they do height problems. People apparently do buy these expensive TV's and then use the speakers. Go figure?

My daughter and wife could care less about using my 10k speaker setup for Dr. Phil or Oprah. Personally I would rather use the sets speakers too. Anyone they are what they are. Someone will probably be crazy enough to cut them off and to spay paint there new set. Can't wait for pics........

I'm going to push for NO LESS than 20% :) off the 50" off at (Ken Crane's).

The following is a JOKE. :) I can just see it guys, in regards to the next gen SXRD's:

*EDIT*

2006: Shiny Bezel, Side Speakers, BUT 55".
2007: 55" Still available, but NO shiny bezel.
2008: Still no shiny bezel, BUT 1080p INPUT (PS3).

Story of my life. :) :(

Don't email. Call them. I just orded it three hours ago. After the order was put through, I asked the CSR (sorry, didn't get his name) if he wanted me to spread the word (including info on the pricematch) and he said okay.

You'll likely end up talking to the same person but if not, just make sure to note that Sunshine is also a retail store. They won't just pricematch any online store out there.

Good luck.


I called and its a no go. His name was Patrick said that they (sunshine) are not an authorized Sony dealer and they will not do a price match. I guess you are one of the lucky ones or you got a new guy on the phone when you bought.

What if Sony teamed up with Bose and had backwards reflecting speakers behind the screen? Don't worry...Sony would never share anything--that's why they don't produce DLP--they would have to pay TI a little bit of money.

A side by side comparison of a KDSR60XBR1 with an LG 60PY2DR plasma at the local Best Buy today showed the SXRD to have a poor response to fast motion compared to the LG plasma. The effect was quite marked and I am surprised that there has not been more discussion of this here.

The symptoms were a blurring of detail in the SXRD during any fast panning. For example, during a ball game, when the camera tracked a base runner much of the detail in the turf was lost on the SXRD compared to the plasma. Or during a fly-over of an outdoor scene, much of the foliage detail smeared on the SXRD.

The two sets were fed from the same source - a demo loop. The input signal type was unknown but I assumed it to be 1080i. The settings/set-up of both sets was unknown.

The sales person attributed the difference to the inherently "slower refresh rate" of the SXRD, which I took to mean a slower resonse of LCOS compared to plasma.

Is this a known characteristic of the set; are there settings which can make it less objectonable; any comments?

(Some other observations: to my eyes, the SXRD significantly outperformed the LG in black level, black detail, and static image detail. The LG showed video noise whereas the SONY was clear. The blacks on the Sony were 'blueish'; on the LG they were 'grayish'. The Sony had a definite red enhancement compared to the LG (red push?). Both sets handled SD well, but I preferred the Sony. The SSE on the Sony was less distracting than I was expecting, and seemed to me to be better than I remember of the A10 and A20. Caveat: all this was in-store with unknown setup conditions.)

Wow, funny to hear you say that 'cause we have ours in the same room as a Pioneer Elite 930 and a Hitatchi Directors series 55" (61 series) and I am stunned at how close the SXRD is to those, seeing none of what you've mentioned.

Just placed my order with Onecall. They'll match Sunshine's price and they are a Sony authorized dealer.

Just tell em I sent ya. ;)

-Andre'

Did you get the Sony financing too (18 months with no interest)?

Marco,
I saw the 50" at the Circuit City in Dedham, yesterday.

Superb!

Hey, that's great! Someone saw a 50" set within 15 miles of Boston! :)

Can someone confirm a 60" sighting?!?! :D

My daughter and wife could care less about using my 10k speaker setup for Dr. Phil or Oprah. Personally I would rather use the sets speakers too. Anyone they are what they are. Someone will probably be crazy enough to cut them off and to spay paint there new set. Can't wait for pics........


:D :D :D

I'm going to push for NO LESS than 20% :) off the 50" off at (Ken Crane's).

The following is a JOKE. :) I can just see it guys in regards to the next gen SXRD's:

2006: EVERYTHING the same, EXCEPT NO shiny bezel.
2007: Still no shiny bezel, BUT 1080p Input (PS3).

Story of my life. :(

let me know how it goes and if you have any tips on how to get that 20% off feel free to share them :)

Not me, I have a height problem in my TV nook! If the 50" SXRD were any taller it would not fit (I already have the shortest stand I could find). As for the speakers, I would prefer them below the screen (like on the Samsungs, etc), there is plenty of room without making the TV taller overall. However, I can live with the speakers on the side (but preferably without the gap).

I'm curious. How high of a stand do you have? I've seen stands from 25" to 16" and have no idea what I should buy for a 60". I understand that it is in relation to how high you sit but 58" (=40+18(Sony stand)) seems that the sweet spot would be around 14-16" high. And forget lying down on the couch!

Thoughts?

Ski

A side by side comparison of a KDSR60XBR1 with an LG 60PY2DR plasma at the local Best Buy today showed the SXRD to have a poor response to fast motion compared to the LG plasma. The effect was quite marked and I am surprised that there has not been more discussion of this here.

The symptoms were a blurring of detail in the SXRD during any fast panning. For example, during a ball game, when the camera tracked a base runner much of the detail in the turf was lost on the SXRD compared to the plasma. Or during a fly-over of an outdoor scene, much of the foliage detail smeared on the SXRD.

The two sets were fed from the same source - a demo loop. The input signal type was unknown but I assumed it to be 1080i. The settings/set-up of both sets was unknown.

The sales person attributed the difference to the inherently "slower refresh rate" of the SXRD, which I took to mean a slower resonse of LCOS compared to plasma.

Is this a known characteristic of the set; are there settings which can make it less objectonable; any comments?

(Some other observations: to my eyes, the SXRD significantly outperformed the LG in black level, black detail, and static image detail. The LG showed video noise whereas the SONY was clear. The blacks on the Sony were 'blueish'; on the LG they were 'grayish'. The Sony had a definite red enhancement compared to the LG (red push?). Both sets handled SD well, but I preferred the Sony. The SSE on the Sony was less distracting than I was expecting, and seemed to me to be better than I remember of the A10 and A20. Caveat: all this was in-store with unknown setup conditions.)


The advertised refresh rate on the new SXRD chips is approximately one half of the Qualias and about 1/6th of what LCD's were just a couple years ago. I don't believe any micro display is as fast. At the SXRD advertised rate of 2.5 ms there should be no "smearing" from fast action. The problem may have been caused from a high "noise reduction" setting or something else in the setup.

Not me, I have a height problem in my TV nook! If the 50" SXRD were any taller it would not fit (I already have the shortest stand I could find). As for the speakers, I would prefer them below the screen (like on the Samsungs, etc), there is plenty of room without making the TV taller overall. However, I can live with the speakers on the side (but preferably without the gap).


I think Sony should have made the speakers so that they would fold back and could be turned off. (maybe into the side of the case a little) Then even if you were in the "I don't use them" camp you wouldn't even have to remove or store them.

I'm curious. How high of a stand do you have? I've seen stands from 25" to 16" and have no idea what I should buy for a 60". I understand that it is in relation to how high you sit but 58" (=40+18(Sony stand)) seems that the sweet spot would be around 14-16" high. And forget lying down on the couch!

Thoughts?

Ski

Good point but then the stands would not be able to fit all of your components. Or better yet, you can see your feet! (or your feet get in the way) :D

Good point but then the stands would not be able to fit all of your components. Or better yet, you can see your feet! (or your feet get in the way) :D

That is what component racks are for. All I need on my TV stand is my
center speaker...

Just so everyone knows Dr. Plasma is currently the cheapest place to get the SXRD. There shipping is less than Shopsunshine also. Just thought some of you would like to know. Here is the link...

http://www.drprojector.com/itemdesc.asp?CartId=6372890IHLE-EVEREST-I484&ic=KDSR60XBR1

Just an FYI in the Kansas/Nebraska area.. Nebraska Furniture Mart has it for the best price around and IN STOCK...

Nebraska Furniture Mart (http://www.nfm.com)

There price is NOT listed on the website but I did call the one here in the Kansas City area and they were in stock and at a great price....

I was finally able to see it in person at a Best Buy in VA.

Which Best Buy? 50" or 60"

A side by side comparison of a KDSR60XBR1 with an LG 60PY2DR plasma at the local Best Buy today showed the SXRD to have a poor response to fast motion compared to the LG plasma. The effect was quite marked and I am surprised that there has not been more discussion of this here.

The symptoms were a blurring of detail in the SXRD during any fast panning. For example, during a ball game, when the camera tracked a base runner much of the detail in the turf was lost on the SXRD compared to the plasma. Or during a fly-over of an outdoor scene, much of the foliage detail smeared on the SXRD.

The two sets were fed from the same source - a demo loop. The input signal type was unknown but I assumed it to be 1080i. The settings/set-up of both sets was unknown.

The sales person attributed the difference to the inherently "slower refresh rate" of the SXRD, which I took to mean a slower resonse of LCOS compared to plasma.

Is this a known characteristic of the set; are there settings which can make it less objectonable; any comments?



I don't know for sure but I don't think it is inherent in the display technology (but I would be interested to see if anyone else notices a problem). It is more likely and issue with how the sets process, scales, de-interlace images. If the sports feed was from ESPN or ABC, then the source was 720P which would require more scaling on the 1080P SXRD. If it was a 1080P source, then you get into the different ways the two sets de-interlace images.

I think if it was an inherent problem with the set we would be hearing more about it by now. As others have pointed out, Sony says the SXRD has fast responding liquid crystal technology.

I would put zero stock in anything the sales person said; they just are not a reliable source of any technical information.

I just saw the 60" SXRD at a Magnolia and was very disapointed. The color at factory default settings was very purple/pink and it didn't handle fast motion very well. Based on what I saw, I'll go with the 1080p Samsung.

I just saw the 60" SXRD at a Magnolia and was very disapointed. The color at factory default settings was very purple/pink and it didn't handle fast motion very well. Based on what I saw, I'll go with the 1080p Samsung.

I personally don't believe you can wrong with the Sammy 1080p as long
you are not suspectable to rainbows BUT please be cautious on making a
decision based on what you saw in a store.

Check the source material, check source components, check the connections
and cables, etc. Make sure the Sammy is in default "movie" mode and make
sure the Sony is in default "Cinema Black Pro" mode before making
a decision...

Of course if you are an expert in calibration go ahead and mess with the
settings but I believe the default modes above will give you a PQ good
enough to compare and make a decision on ...

Best Buy in Springfield VA. I'm surprised that it wasn't actually in the Magnolia section.

The SXRD defaults to Vivid mode which produces a less than satisfactory viewing experience IMO (just like Dynamic mode on the Samsungs). Changing it to Standard or Pro produces a more enjoyable picture. When I first saw the 60" SXRD in a store last week I was not overly impressed. After spending a bit more time with it, tweaking the picture settings, viewing different sources, and then viewing the 50" model I was considerably more impressed. As you can see by my post above I bought one and first impressions after viewing it in my home are very favorable. No purple/pink or motion handling problems that aren't source related. So, I would agree with you about being very careful about making a decision based on an ad-hoc in-store viewing using their showroom "torch mode" settings and source material.

Yes. What I meant to say is Cinema Black Pro with default settings...

Well, I just got my 50" SXRD this evening (delivery was 2 hours late) and my initial reaction is WOW! This thing is AMAZING! It looks so much better in my home with my own sources than it did in the store. Its even better than the A10 that I was previously so pleased with. Excellent blacks, whites, shadow detail, colors, detail and sharpness. SSE seems to be less than the A10. Just goes to show that you have to be careful making a decision based on an in-store viewing. My wife and son and I watched Dodgeball on HBO-HD from DirecTV tonight and it looked great! Dodgeball is actually a good movie to judge the SXRD with as it contains lots of blacks, whites, colors and motion. First step was to change from Vivid to Pro picture mode and back the picture (contrast) setting down to 50. I'll post more about the SXRD tomorrow when I've watched it and tweaked it some more but initial reactions are very good! I'll also post some pics.

P.S. I'm already much happier on day #1 with this 50" SXRD than I was with the Samsung HLR-5078 (50" 1080p) DLP TV that I tried a month or so ago.


Congratulations, and Yes the showroom is not the place to appreciate this TV nor is a quick comparison to the A10 or other display in a showroom going to tell the real value of this picture!

My daughter and wife could care less about using my 10k speaker setup for Dr. Phil or Oprah. Personally I would rather use the sets speakers too. Anyone they are what they are. Someone will probably be crazy enough to cut them off and to spay paint there new set. Can't wait for pics........


First, congratulations on your wise purchase, and thanks for the “Owners Tweaks & Settings Sony KDSR-50/60XBR1” thread. I, an audio nut, have used my old Sony’s TV speakers to listen to a news broadcast or other talk only broadcast while I use my $4K to listen to some back ground music underlying the words that I could not bare to turn off when the news came on. I’m sure I will time to time use the speakers in the SXRD the same way.

I see you have some what agreed with me about display artifacts.

I did see some shimmering on ornate backgrounds but I saw that on my A20 too. I guess that is what is refered to as SSE. I have a feeling it's feed dependent.

I am going to work my way through the Tweaks thread and start to learn from the pool of experience. I am also interested long term, can we minimize the artifacts that a poor signal can produce by making the appropriate compromises with settings.

Best Buy in Springfield VA. I'm surprised that it wasn't actually in the Magnolia section.

I guess I'll have to try and stop by that store instead of the Dale City store.

Anyone here seen the SRX-R110 "4K" digital cinema projector? This 4096x2160 SXRD panel is the most fantastic picture I have ever seen. It was like looking through a 55ft diagonal window. I was lucky enough to see it with some good material - a 100K SRW deck with some broadcast quality HD. I have one coming in November for a theater I have access to.

BTW, AFAIK, SXRD panels are ALL progressive. The technology is a progressive chip. So you can feed it 1080i, and it is displayed progressive. Should be no problem to send it a 1080i feed from a PC (there is a switch in the Nvidia driver for this). It is lame that it doesn't take a 1080p signal though. A Samsung 1080p DLP I played with this weekend, took a 1920x1080p PC signal via VGA no problem. Ironically, Sony is pitching 1080p out on the Playstation 3 and future Blu-Ray models but they are supporting it? Hmmmm. I've heard a rumor that the old HDMI spec didn't support a true 1080p input and that the spec was just modified recently to support it.

I am currently saving for a Qualia 006, but I may get one of these models if they are close. Has anyone here seen both? I have seen the Qualia but no one here in Orlando is showing the GrandWEGA sets yet . ...

Just so everyone knows Dr. Plasma is currently the cheapest place to get the SXRD. There shipping is less than Shopsunshine also. Just thought some of you would like to know. Here is the link...

http://www.drprojector.com/itemdesc.asp?CartId=6372890IHLE-EVEREST-I484&ic=KDSR60XBR1
However, Caveat Emptor - A review at resellerratings does not present a very secure picture and feedback for a $4K+ purchase. Whereas ShopSunshine is a Titanium Power Seller on Ebay with a 98% Positive rating and is a B&M also with it's own warehouse with proven results on this forum so far.

I'd prefer to pay a little more and be secure in my purchase. Also, check this link of NY Dealers and go halfway down the page to #114 to see this slum dealer. Shopsunshine is also on this list but you'll notice it's actually a real B&M with pic's of their warehouse that just isn't in an attractive area - but it's feedback at Ebay speaks for itself.

http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

But Plasmahouse/DrProjector are a joke slumfront and known for bait and switch on those posted shipping rates. How do I know? I got taken in by those low Shipping rates last January when I bought my Sony LCD FP (this was just before I officially joined this forum and knew about resellerratings and others to do backgound checks) and after I placed the purchase and they had my credit card when I read the confirmation the next day they had doubled the Shipping and I could not get through to a human being via phone and they ignored my emails trying to cancel the order and they shipped it and I got it but I had no means of redress since they chose to ignore every attempt to cancel or correct their discrepancy while I waited for the responses the Sony arrived at my house and still a good deal but I don't like someone playing shell games and listing one price and then doubling it and no customer service whatsoever or means of cancelling the order.

Thank God the Sony arrived defect free but I definitely would not order from them again and there is other evidence of this at resellerratings by others that could not get ahold of anyone after the purchase. I still got a good price but what a horrible feeling having no support or cancellation rights on your purchase after clicking the buy button. For those that haven't seen this link above it's quite amusing/entertaining and shocking on what may behind the websites we visit for electronics sales - this guy also has a listing for Manhattan Storefronts which he primarily did for Camera shoppers that use these websites. Enjoy.

JMO :D

I personally don't believe you can wrong with the Sammy 1080p as long you are not suspectable to rainbows BUT please be cautious on making a decision based on what you saw in a store.

The pseudo 1080p DLPs suffer from added dither noise and artifacts, besides rainbows. Why would anyone want to buy into that?

The fact is these new Sony SXRD displays are an instant classic which easily outperform the competition. This is true as many are seeing and reporting superlative picture quality for the first time. There is no going back:)

Only the upcoming JVC 1080p has any chance of competing with Sony this year. These are the facts, attempt to distort them all you wish. In the meantime I look forward to reading many more enthusiastic testimonials from SXRD owners.

The first time, the trend is that people are seeing substantially improved picture quality in their home than in the stores. Why? Because at the store the signal is amplified and split greatly between many displays. This introduces noise and distortion which help mask the DLP technology self generated dither noise. This wrongfully levels the playing field in DLPs favor. But AVS forum members are now literally "seeing through" this serious picture quality degradation. This is why we reading such rave in-home observations. Finally we have true and substantial advancements in display technology that anyone can see for themselves.

The new Sony management is to be congratulated for releasing the best SXRD/LCOS technology this year to the consumer and at reasonable prices. Contrast this to the cost-cut technology TI management deceptively released onto the marketplace. Simply pathetic.

This is Sony's time to rightfully bask in the limelight. They have easily earned "Product of the Year". Next up is PS3. Then Blu-ray. The hits just keep on coming.

Woohoo! I finally got to see one of these newfangled sets at the Circuit City in Somerville, MA.

I stopped my wife at the door to the room where the TV was set up and told her to look at the TVs in the room (which included the A20, SXRD, Philips Plasma that lights the wall up behind it, and 4 other sets) and to identify the one I was interested in. After about 3 seconds of looking, she pointed out the 50" SXRD and said it had the best picture.

I grabbed the remote, put it in pro mode and turned off most of the picture "enhancements" and as one other AVS user stated I "was visually pimp slapped" by the picture. Since we've had so many other good reviews, I'll put my thoughts in bullet format:


Black blacks
Excellent shadow detail, just as good as the plasma next to it and leagues better than the A20
Dumbo of Prey ears...the only thing about the set my wife didn't like!
No SDE, even with my face almost touching the screen
No SSE that I saw, even on large patches of bright white.
The room was dark, so I bezel didn't seem to detract from the TV
My wife said it had the "sharpest" picture of all the sets in the room


The only thing that stopped my wife and I from buying the TV right on the spot was that our current 4 year old Mitsubishi CRT RPTV was acting up and was in pieces in the living room while I attempted to repair the issue. Murphy's Law being what it is, when I came home that afternoon, I successfully fixed the TV. Talk about a pyrrhic victory! Anyhow, that Mits is now on watch. Any misbehavior and it's SXRD for me!!!

FATNoah

Thanks for the excellent bulleted review.

What I think I'm seeing from the consensus of owners/reviewers with a proper feed/connections is that this SXRD can actually best a Quality Plasma? Could owners chime in here. It's hard to believe that a RPTV could best a quality Plasma but that appears to be what I'm seeing by the reviews of sets getting a quality feed and that feedback is coming from some finicky AVS Members. Is this true?

Are you saying that if you could choose a Panny Onyx or a Pio Elite 60" equivalent size for the same price would you still choose the SXRD? Not trying to assert plasma is better just a genuine interests from real owners with all things being equal which you would choose - thank you! For those shoppers that may have resources for either we may still prefer not to throw a few grand out the window if the SXRD delivers as reviewed here recently.

Good to see the SSE issue has gone to the backburner - not in denial but I've never observed it myself and obviously if it's there it's a non-issue with the new owners.:D

BATTLE OF THE CUTTING EDGE: New Sony Qualia RPTV Compared To Panasonic 65" Plasma... (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=508889)

I had planned to purchase a Panny plasma but I do not like the reflective screen (room reflections really bother me). The fact that the new SXRDs do not have the reflective screen and eliminate SDE made the difference for me.

However, Caveat Emptor - A review at resellerratings does not present a very secure picture and feedback for a $4K+ purchase. Whereas ShopSunshine is a Titanium Power Seller on Ebay with a 98% Positive rating and is a B&M also with it's own warehouse with proven results on this forum so far.

Westa, while I totally agree that reseller searches are worth performing, Sunshines non-EBay feedback (i.e. reviews at resellerratings and others) are pretty bad. All potential Sunshine customers should be aware there is a dark cloud amongst the "Sunshine" :)

Here is a quote from one of the customers:

"This company seems to be most vigilant about preventing negative feedback on eBay and least vigilant about actually providing what they say they will provide. I ordered a digital camera package, was told that the shipping was going to be the "free upgrade" to air and it was set up as UPS ground. That designation didn't matter that much as they didn't ship it for four days. When I finally got through on the phone, they told me it had not been shipped yet because there was a problem with my credit card. I use a brokerage account credit card and the account had been charged but we had the charges reversed and a pick-freeze placed on the company. I received a call and they said that they had to invoice me the full amount but my card company would not let them put the charge through. After several discussions they infomed me that they were cancelling the order and that no greivances should be field by either party on eBay. No wonder their positive reviews are so high. They work really hard to make sure no one posts what really happens."

I'm not knocking Sunshine at all, I think its great they can sell these things at the price they go...but just becareful, that's all...

I forgot to add another thing....We watched some demo loop on the TV with the bright red DTS logo displayed in the lower left corner of the screen. After about 20 minutes (yes, my wife was getting pretty impatient by then) of watching the loop switched to something without the logo. I went right up to the screen and saw no image retention whatsoever.

Regarding comparisons to the plasma, the set definitely looked better than the plasma next to it, but I would like to see it properly tweaked next and put next to a properly tweaked quality plasma....of course, we probably would all like to see that!

I should also add a note about the CC salespeople at the Somerville, MA location. I crawled all around the display to get a look at the back of the TV, moved some speakers near it to see how they looked, played with the menus, etc. and they didn't bother me once!

I'm not knocking Sunshine at all, I think its great they can sell these things at the price they go...but just becareful, that's all...
Agreed - Which is why it may be better to buy via ShopSunshine Ebay listing as they must deliver on service/support on Ebay or else ratings suffer and no one on Ebay wants to see negative feedback as it loses one potential customers - shopping outside Ebay there are no consequences outside resellerratings which a number of consumers aren't aware of. I believe Ebay situation could hold them more accountable to a broader audience.

So far things have worked out with buyers of the SXRD through them but your certainly right about proceeding with caution and the question is what happens to the first person that receives a lemon and how they handle it - it can be a gamble and that will be the true test of the Seller's Support. :)

DLP's fill rate isn't close to LCOS.
If I remember correctly, and I'm probably off a bit. LCD is high 50's low 60's, DLP is in the 70's, and Sony's SXRD is 92 or 94%.


Fill factor for DLP is around 90. The lowest figure I saw mentioned on this board is 88 (by rogo).

Can you give a link where the current generation DLP chip fill factor is given in the 70s ?

Dragged my wife into Ultimate Electronics to check out the SXRD this weekend. They had a 50' set up. The sales person said they were out of the 60"s, had 16 coming in this week and that none would be placed on display because everybody wants the 60 site unseen. Supply and demand I guess. The 50" was sitting next to an 60"A20 and two sets down from a Qualia. The SXRD compared pretty average unless you got up to within a couple of feet. I had him swith it over to Pro which helped a bit. Of course comparing the 50" to a 60"and a 70" is misleading . They were showing SXRD at full retail. Wife was not overly impressed. We'll have to discuss how women are wired differently than guys (especially concerning electronics and cars) sometime. I wouldn't know where to start, maybe high school??

What I think I'm seeing from the consensus of owners/reviewers with a proper feed/connections is that this SXRD can actually best a Quality Plasma? Could owners chime in here. It's hard to believe that a RPTV could best a quality Plasma but that appears to be what I'm seeing by the reviews of sets getting a quality feed and that feedback is coming from some finicky AVS Members. Is this true?I can say without a doubt that my SXRD has a better overall picture than my Pioneer Elite plasma. If you are watching something bright like a football game, the difference isn't as obvious. But if you are watching something with a lot of dark scenes, the SXRD blows the Pioneer away. The picture does appear to be a bit softer on the SXRD, but the SXRD's complete lack of SDE easily makes up for it.

Other than the Qualia, the SXRD is the only RPTV I have seen that I felt had a picture that was as good or better than the best plasmas. And yes, I would take the SXRD over any current 60" or 65" plasma even if they were the same price. There are supposed to be some new plasmas coming out soon, however, that should give the SXRD a run for its money. We'll have to wait and see. :)

Fill factor for DLP is in the 90s. Can you give a link where the current generation DLP chip fill factor is given in the 70s ?
POSTED Article by IMX http://www.panamorph.com/cygnus/Panamorph_IMXTechnology.htm

Projectors using transmissive LCD technology may have fill factors from 60% to roughly 80%. DLP projectors have fill factors of about 88%. LCoS projectors have fill factors from about 88% up to 93% (D-ILA). Notice that while a higher fill factor decreases the visibility of the dark gaps between pixels, it also results in more of a "building block" or jagged appearance in the image. The processor benefit therefore shifts from minimizing gap visibility with lower fill factors (depixelation) to reducing this jaggedness at higher fill factors (interpolation).

From Vann's -info on the SXRD Fill Factor

The development of the SXRD panel allowed Sony to achieve this objective through an all-new reflective display technology that's totally different from traditional micro display devices. With 0.35 micrometre inter-pixel spacing and a 92 percent panel fill factor, SXRD boasts the highest pixel density possible for unprecedented picture brightness and clarity, coupled with world-class black level and colour stability.

Well, I just got my 50" SXRD this evening (delivery was 2 hours late) and my initial reaction is WOW! This thing is AMAZING! It looks so much better in my home with my own sources than it did in the store. Its even better than the A10 that I was previously so pleased with. Excellent blacks, whites, shadow detail, colors, detail and sharpness. SSE seems to be less than the A10. Just goes to show that you have to be careful making a decision based on an in-store viewing. My wife and son and I watched Dodgeball on HBO-HD from DirecTV tonight and it looked great! Dodgeball is actually a good movie to judge the SXRD with as it contains lots of blacks, whites, colors and motion. First step was to change from Vivid to Pro picture mode and back the picture (contrast) setting down to 50. I'll post more about the SXRD tomorrow when I've watched it and tweaked it some more but initial reactions are very good! I'll also post some pics.

P.S. I'm already much happier on day #1 with this 50" SXRD than I was with the Samsung HLR-5078 (50" 1080p) DLP TV that I tried a month or so ago.

If and when Sony puts the SXRD in the 50 inch A-10 cabinet I may be again tempted to spend money. For the moment, I guess Sony did me a favor by putting the wide wing speakers on the SXRD and thus saving my cash. The A-10 will do me for now. I have no doubt that I will be wanting to trade up to something better in 2-4 years though. We all have a disease here...lol :)

So far things have worked out with buyers of the SXRD through them but your certainly right about proceeding with caution and the question is what happens to the first person that receives a lemon and how they handle it - it can be a gamble and that will be the true test of the Seller's Support. :)

Absolutely, it will be very interesting indeed. So I see your sig changed again -- now its a Hitachi :) What made you change, and are you still undecided? I too am debating SXRD vs. Plasma. I think I am going to wait until '06 to see if prices drop any (and to see if I can afford one given oil prices! I am not anxious to get my heating bill)

For those of you in the Long Island, NY area, the CC in Merchants Concourse near the Meadowbrook Pkwy has the 60" on display. They matched the Shop Sunshine price and I didn't have to pay shipping.

Originally Posted by CFoote:
I too am debating SXRD vs. Plasma. I think I am going to wait until '06 to see if prices drop any (and to see if I can afford one given oil prices! I am not anxious to get my heating bill)

Perhaps you could huddle around the plasma for warmth, though SDE could be problematic.


Originally Posted by FatNoah:
The only thing that stopped my wife and I from buying the TV right on the spot was that our current 4 year old Mitsubishi CRT RPTV was acting up and was in pieces in the living room while I attempted to repair the issue. Murphy's Law being what it is, when I came home that afternoon, I successfully fixed the TV. Talk about a pyrrhic victory!

Sorry you didn't remember these words by the late Johnny Cochran:
"When the Mits is in bits, to the SXRD you may commit."

Perhaps you could huddle around the plasma for warmth, though SDE could be problematic.

Actually I think it's time to put you on ignore.

Which Best Buy? 50" or 60"

The Best Buy at Fair Lakes has the 60" on display. None in stock, but they offered to sell me the floor model at a discount. They said they would not have them until Oct 28. Myer Emco had the 50" on displeay.

The Best Buy at Fair Lakes has the 60" on display. None in stock, but they offered to sell me the floor model at a discount. They said they would not have them until Oct 28. Myer Emco had the 50" on displeay.


Oct 28?? :eek:

Oct. 28 isn't that surprising. It's still hard just to see a floor model let alone order one of these things locally.

now its a Hitachi What made you change, and are you still undecided? I too am debating SXRD vs. Plasma. One week folks are trashing the SXRD for IR and SSE and then the next week it's the next best thing to great sex -

It's easy to change your mind when you get 3 delays in shipment and paying MSRP. Now it appears the actual owners are raving about the SXRD? Sorry guys I know it's seems crazy but go back and read the feedback it's like up and then down but finally some serious videophiles on the forum are receiving them and seemingly confirming it's a kick ass TV. I could swear I saw Gazelle ordering one the JVC King - Now talk about an endorsement if Gazelle grabbed one that tells you something unless he'll have both it and the 70" JVC 1080P.

Would anyone dare view a 70" DILA from 9'? Just curious if it's doable as it's the same size as the 60" SXRD. Wish there was a way to Poll the Qualia Owners on viewing distance Min-Max from actual LCOS owners.

Either way I'll have a great set I believe but it appears the videophiles are swaying me back but no way I'll pay MSRP now. Pre-orders can be cancelled until shipment and it seems alll these are being delayed as I had 3 delays on the Samsung also and I saw QC issues I didn't favor even though the PQ was rated very high by most.

Thanks :D

So far things have worked out with buyers of the SXRD through them but your certainly right about proceeding with caution and the question is what happens to the first person that receives a lemon and how they handle it - it can be a gamble and that will be the true test of the Seller's Support. :)

Well, I don't think I've read of any forum member here that have received a set from ShopSunshine yet. (Anyone out there have?) Maybe they're all busy watching TV right now. :)

The fact that ShopSunshine is not an authorized Sony dealer would make me think twice and maybe three times, no matter what kind of assurance I received from Sony at this point in time about whether they would honor the warranty. And the commentary at resellerratings is not confidence-inspiring.

I wish all of the ShopSunshine buyers the best of luck with their very expensive purchases.

Dennis

Well, I don't think I've read of any forum member here that have received a set from ShopSunshine yet. (Anyone out there have?) Maybe they're all busy watching TV right now. :)



Bombthroat, the first guy on the forum to rx a SXRD and starter of the owners thread, received his from Sunshine despite the D&G'ers...

do u mind saying what u paid for the television at circuit city? did u get a warranty and stand also? I plan on going to that circuit city this weekend and purchasing the tv

The Best Buy at Fair Lakes has the 60" on display. None in stock, but they offered to sell me the floor model at a discount. They said they would not have them until Oct 28. Myer Emco had the 50" on displeay.
CHG, when were you there? I saw the 60" at Fair Lakes on Saturday afternoon, and they told me they could get it either 10/16 or 10/26, depending which ordering system you believed.

I didn't feel like it was displayed to best advantage, although it was pretty impressive nonetheless...

I don't think we were "trashing" the SXRDs for IR and SSE (to name but a couple of discussion areas), I think we were trying to determine if these were going to be potential problems or not. It looks like they are not.
I guess I should have stated "Battle" serious hostile discussionss went on and on including some off color remarks and personal attacks between people on these issues and it wasn't very pretty. So the thread got so polluted with negative controversy I just left for awhile as we had but a couple owners at the time that no one knew the truth and there was nothing to gain but perhaps a laugh or two observing the battle going on from the sidelines. ;)

Well I didn't leave and don't remember it getting all that bad. There was a long discussion about SSE on these sets and several conspiracy theories about Bombthroat getting his set from a small place in Brooklyn. I would say that the rave reviews way outweigh the so so reviews. No one here has said the SXRD looked terrible. Several reviewers stated that they were not wowed. I have a 60" SXRD in my house and I can tell you that it is head and shoulders better than the Pioneer Plasma I just got rid off. Also, plasmas usually have limited inputs. Westa, I would wait a few weeks when prices fall. I wouldn't pay MSRP either.

AkaStp and other owners. I noticed that when I get 1' or closer to my 60" SXRD I can see a slight SDE. I can see the individual square pixels although the are faint and hard to see in bright scenes. I was wondering if anyone has seen this on their sets?

CHG, when were you there? I saw the 60" at Fair Lakes on Saturday afternoon, and they told me they could get it either 10/16 or 10/26, depending which ordering system you believed.

I didn't feel like it was displayed to best advantage, although it was pretty impressive nonetheless...

I was there this afternoon. I agree, they certainly are not showing the set well. They looked it up in the computer and told me Oct 28. I stopped by the BB in Sterling and they told me the same thing. Actually saw it on the computer screen this time.

I guess I'll have to try and stop by that store instead of the Dale City store.

So you tried the Dale City BBB store yesterday and they didn't have SXRD? Did they say when they would get one on display?

I dropped by the BB in Reston after work tonight and they had the folllowing 1080p sets on display with the HD Net feed :

50" SXRD
60" SXRD
Mits 62"
Samsung 'Capt Kirk' 56"
Samsung 65"

The SXRD picture quality blew everything away.

It was like night and day between the SXRD and Samsung. The Mits was slighter better than SXRD with BL, but kinda looked grainy due to the DLP technology vs the SXRD's plamsa-like crispness of the picture.

The SXRD made the Samsung colors look stale.

I stopped by the CC in Southlake TX this evening to pick up a Linksys router. I'm not going to be in the market for a HDTV until early 2006, but couldn't resist looking for the SXRD.

They didn't have a 50" on display, but did have the 60". At first glance, I was blown away with the clarity of the set. I'm probably the last person you'd want to consult regarding HDTV but it was sitting next to a Panasonic of some sort (don't think it was a Plasma), and the SXRD has a noticeably brighter and sharper picture. I believe I saw the SDE on the Panasonic, so looking back it was probably a LCD of some sort.

They were feeding the HDTVs with a Direct HDTV signal via a component connection. I felt like a little school boy watching the latest and greatest toy. I want one .. bad.

Now all I need is a good year-end review and nice bonus and I'll have a 50" SXRD in February.

I wouldn't (and didn't) pay MSRP on my new SXRD either. It should be possible to get at least 10% off at most places that have it. As for some people not being "wowed" by the SXRD, that is not beyond the realm of possibility given the lousy setup and feeds at many stores, but when you get to see it in more ideal conditions that is when opinions change.

First time i saw it i thought it was good. Maybe a little better than the Mits and Sammy 1080Ps. Next time i saw a 60" SXRD next to a Mits 62"and Sammy 61" 1080P DLP. Again, no tweaking. Everything at factory default. The direct comparison showed it was more than "a little better". It was a lot better. 3rd time i was better able to do some tweaking and it was on a better feed, but still in a less than ideal warehouse setting . It was still obvious this thing was considerably better than anything else, so i figured i would take one home for a few days to really check it out. That's when the wonderment and jaw-dropping start. This SXRD has found a home. If i told my wife it was going back, she might keep the SXRD and ship me back :)

I stopped by the BB in Hurst, by N.E. Mall. They had the 60" and I really liked what I saw. However, they had it on Vivid. I asked the salesman to change it to Professional and the colors all dimmed to the point that it looked worst than all the other tv's on the floor running on full torch. The Standard mode made the colors better. I asked the salesman about adjusting the iris in Professional mode and he didn't know about that...said it will adjust automatically. He offered me the remote, but with so many tiny buttons of same color and size and not able to read what each one does (did not have my reading glasses, nor the time) I decided to forget about it. I did see some ringing behind the DirectTV lettering and it's probably because of the brightness setting at the store. I loved the PQ and would probably purchase one today, if I could get rid of my 55" Mits crt.

I don't know what the MSRP is, but if it's $5,000, then they have it for around $300 less. The salesman said he sold three units on the first day he had the unit on display and the only other unit he can compare it with in PQ is the Panasonic plasma he has at home. I still hate that remote...what a piece of crap!!!

All of the above was from an initial observation and it may change.

PS - I went to Fry's yesterday and the salesman showed me the "latest" Sony A-20, "we just got it in". I asked him about the newest Sony LCOS and he just told me I didn't know what I was talking about.

Have any of the SXRD superiority true believers here ever thought of defending that premise as vigorously at the Qualia thread as they do at this thread?

Have any of the SXRD superiority true believers here ever thought of defending that premise as vigorously at the Qualia thread as they do at this thread?

Why? Are you suggesting that those in the Qualia thread don't defend it's alleged superiority strongly enough?

No I'm suggesting that Pro-Sony SXRD supporters' defenses end when they come into conflict with the Qualia which makes more money for Sony and that they would do NOTHING to negatively effect Sony's bottom line! If what I'm saying is off base--show me otherwise!

Gazelle's comments there are typical!

I went to Magnolia in Woodland Hills, CA today and spent quality time with a 60” sxrd sony. It was playing from a hard drive connected thru firewire. The firewire “looped thru several tv’s too.

They said it was a 1080p input, it looked stunning. I bought it and I am getting it delivered this weekend.

I spent an hour testing the HTPC aspect with this unit. I tried the VGA port and 1080i thru the HDMI port from my Dell 9300 notebook.

I want to make one think clear. If you are heavy into HTPC this TV is probably not for you. This is my second 1080p tv purchase in the last two months. I have a Samsung 67” running 1080p thru the vga port. The HTPC aspect of that tv is awesome.

This TV will be our extra family room TV. I am still hooking up an HTPC to it. I was able to get 1080i output running on it. The text had some ghosting, but was readable. The geometry looked very good; it’s easy to tell with windows. (so many vertical and horizontal lines - taskbar etc)

If someone has a hack or other way to get better output from the VGA port, I’d really appreciate it. If I find other info I’ll post it too.

Jeff

The pseudo 1080p DLPs suffer from added dither noise and artifacts, besides rainbows. Why would anyone want to buy into that?

The fact is these new Sony SXRD displays are an instant classic which easily outperform the competition. This is true as many are seeing and reporting superlative picture quality for the first time. There is no going back:)

Only the upcoming JVC 1080p has any chance of competing with Sony this year. These are the facts, attempt to distort them all you wish. In the meantime I look forward to reading many more enthusiastic testimonials from SXRD owners.

The first time, the trend is that people are seeing substantially improved picture quality in their home than in the stores. Why? Because at the store the signal is amplified and split greatly between many displays. This introduces noise and distortion which help mask the DLP technology self generated dither noise. This wrongfully levels the playing field in DLPs favor. But AVS forum members are now literally "seeing through" this serious picture quality degradation. This is why we reading such rave in-home observations. Finally we have true and substantial advancements in display technology that anyone can see for themselves.

The new Sony management is to be congratulated for releasing the best SXRD/LCOS technology this year to the consumer and at reasonable prices. Contrast this to the cost-cut technology TI management deceptively released onto the marketplace. Simply pathetic.

This is Sony's time to rightfully bask in the limelight. They have easily earned "Product of the Year". Next up is PS3. Then Blu-ray. The hits just keep on coming.

how annoying :(
can anybody in this forum use the words Sammy & DLP without triggering this litany?

I stopped by the BB in Hurst, by N.E. Mall. They had the 60" and I really liked what I saw. However, they had it on Vivid. I asked the salesman to change it to Professional and the colors all dimmed to the point that it looked worst than all the other tv's on the floor running on full torch. The Standard mode made the colors better. I asked the salesman about adjusting the iris in Professional mode and he didn't know about that...said it will adjust automatically. He offered me the remote, but with so many tiny buttons of same color and size and not able to read what each one does (did not have my reading glasses, nor the time) I decided to forget about it. I did see some ringing behind the DirectTV lettering and it's probably because of the brightness setting at the store. I loved the PQ and would probably purchase one today, if I could get rid of my 55" Mits crt.

I don't know what the MSRP is, but if it's $5,000, then they have it for around $300 less. The salesman said he sold three units on the first day he had the unit on display and the only other unit he can compare it with in PQ is the Panasonic plasma he has at home. I still hate that remote...what a piece of crap!!!

All of the above was from an initial observation and it may change.

PS - I went to Fry's yesterday and the salesman showed me the "latest" Sony A-20, "we just got it in". I asked him about the newest Sony LCOS and he just told me I didn't know what I was talking about.

That's funny I was in that store on Thursday last week and the sales manager said they had put it on display the morning before but, didn't have any in stock and had not had any bites yet.

FWIW, that store has one of the worst feeds I've ever seen at any store.
Really sad because it's a new store.

Hey all you DFW area guys! Is there a store in the North Dallas area displaying these sets with an HD feed (preferably the 60")? I looked at all of these in the Galleria area last Friday and came up empty. For some reason the North Dallas suburbs always seem to be the last place on Earth to get new electronic gizmos. :mad:

I should say that I did find one of these at Stereo East, off of Preston, but they didn't have an HD feed to it! :eek: They said they're moving in a month and don't want to pull a new feed to that part of the store. Ummm, yeah..., OK... it couldn't be set up in place of the Sony 60" LCD (with HD feed) in the other room? :confused: I would have asked them to hook up the antenna but lunchtime HD programming seems to be basically non-existent around here.

FWIW, they did have Toy Story running to it (not sure if it was HDMI) and my overall impression was very favorable as the SXRD appeared cleaner overall than the 1080p DLPs with DVD. I'd really like to see this thing cranked up with some good HD content before signing the dotted line however.

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any sightings. I've seen some guys post about finding these things in Southlake, Hurst and Arlington, but those places are a bit of a hike for my lunch hour.

Thanks,
Alan

Finally, I bought a 60'SXRD at P.C.Richard & Son(Paramus store at Route 17) in NJ.
They have one on display.

I can't tell you the exact price but the total discount was 20~25% off!!!
(KDSR60XBR1 + SUGW12 SONY stand + 5Yr Protection Plan including Bulb Replacement)

First, they said 'No Discount on Protection Plan & TV stand', but I tried & got it!
(Actually they didn't give me a discount on the Plan but changed numbers in other fields technically to get a discount totally :) )

Other local electronic store offered me a good deal, but they didn't have it on display & I had to wait for a week to get the TV stand.
But from P.C.Richard & Son at Paramus, I got more discount & way faster delivery on this Wednesday!

The name of the salesperson is James.
I told him about this forum & he responded in a positive way & permitted me to write about this great deal except the exact price(but a rough range of discount, 20~25%off) :D

I'll write some reviews after I have them delivered on Wednesday.

Good luck to NJans!
(PS. I opened their credit card without fee of any kind
& there is no interest for 18 months but a minimum payment of 3% of the total amount,
so I'd like to pay 6% every month to pay full for 18 months)

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any sightings. I've seen some guys post about finding these things in Southlake, Hurst and Arlington, but those places are a bit of a hike for my lunch hour.

I know the Southlake CC may be a hike for you, but it might be worth the trip. This particular CC opened less than 6 months ago and probably has the latest and greatest when it comes to showing off content.

As you would know from living in in DFW, Southlake is a very affluent part of town and it would make sense they want to show off end higher margin televisions. I'm lucky that this particular CC is half way between work and home.

That's a great deal. I forgot that PC Richards is an authorized dealer and that they are local to Sunshine. Sounds like a winner.

Enjoy your set.

I know the Southlake CC may be a hike for you, but it might be worth the trip. This particular CC opened less than 6 months ago and probably has the latest and greatest when it comes to showing off content.

As you would know from living in in DFW, Southlake is a very affluent part of town and it would make sense they want to show off end higher margin televisions. I'm lucky that this particular CC is half way between work and home.


Thanks for the reply musicforme. I may just be desparate enough to try it. Now where's my radar detector...? :D

I have the quick opportunity to buy the SU-GW2 stand at a very good price. I'll be buying my 60" SXRD in December.

Does anyone know whether the 60" SXRD would fit properly on the SU- GW2 stand?

I don't think so. The SU-GW2 was made for a 42" set.

The stand that goes with the 50 and 60" SXRD's is the SU-GW12 (which is what I have). Here is a link to it.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=SUGW12&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tv_StandsScreens_36%22to70%22TVStands

and the manual...

http://www.sonystyle.com/intershoproot/eCS/Store/en/documents/specifications/SUGW12.pdf

CC usually has it on sale for $440.


I would check the manual and be sure the SU2 can handle the weight of a 60" SXRD. I don't even think Sony sells that stand anymore.

"No I'm suggesting that Pro-Sony SXRD supporters' defenses end when they come into conflict with the Qualia which makes more money for Sony and that they would do NOTHING to negatively effect Sony's bottom line! If what I'm saying is off base--show me otherwise"

Does the Lexus line cannibalize the Toyota line? I am sure that the "tricked out" most luxurious Toyota Camry takes some sales from Lexus ES330, but I don't hear Toyota whining. They do exceedingly well on both.

The sales of Qualia items are miniscule in comparison to mainline Sony electronics. Whatever cannabilization may take place from Sony brand to the Qualia will be incredibly minor. I am sure the Sony executives have long ago realized that the REAL money to be made and the REAL BIG customer base resides in the lower priced Sony brand.

The Qualia customers are generally different from the mainline Sony customers. Most of the Qualia customers have the money to either want the best and even if some Qualia models aren't appreciably better, they want the cache of the name, the generally increased feature set, and the better design.

A Rolex doesn't tell time better than a Timex. People buy many items for ego reasons, perceived and real quality reasons, and just because they can afford to buy it.

I went to Magnolia in Woodland Hills, CA today and spent quality time with a 60” sxrd sony. It was playing from a hard drive connected thru firewire. The firewire “looped thru several tv’s too.

They said it was a 1080p input, it looked stunning. I bought it and I am getting it delivered this weekend.

I spent an hour testing the HTPC aspect with this unit. I tried the VGA port and 1080i thru the HDMI port from my Dell 9300 notebook.

I want to make one think clear. If you are heavy into HTPC this TV is probably not for you. This is my second 1080p tv purchase in the last two months. I have a Samsung 67” running 1080p thru the vga port. The HTPC aspect of that tv is awesome.

This TV will be our extra family room TV. I am still hooking up an HTPC to it. I was able to get 1080i output running on it. The text had some ghosting, but was readable. The geometry looked very good; it’s easy to tell with windows. (so many vertical and horizontal lines - taskbar etc)

If someone has a hack or other way to get better output from the VGA port, I’d really appreciate it. If I find other info I’ll post it too.

Jeff

You got the 1080i through the HDMI, right? Can you take a picture of some text, and of a good quality still photo being displayed? Also, which Samsung did you get? Do you like it as much as the sony for watching TV, both HD and SD?

-Drew

I went to Magnolia in Woodland Hills, CA today and spent quality time with a 60” sxrd sony. It was playing from a hard drive connected thru firewire. The firewire “looped thru several tv’s too. Any chance you can provide a little more information about the hard drive connection? What type of source file was being played from the hard drive? Was it connected directly to the SXRD set?

I've heard the Mitsubishi sets will have a hard drive available as a media source but this is the first I've seen about the SXRD dirctly accessing a hard drive.

Thanks.

If someone has a hack or other way to get better output from the VGA port, I’d really appreciate it. If I find other info I’ll post it too.

Jeff

I'm not sure why you would use the VGA port. The difference on my LCD computer monitor is amazing so I'm guessing that the difference would be quite dramatic on an SXRD. I haven't used one since DVI came out and plan on getting a DVI->HDMI connector and running it through a receiver for switching purposes.

Ski

I am so IN for the 60". My stand from DiamondCase (couldn't convice the wife that the Salamander was perfect, so I had to cough up the dough for the DiamondCase) is due at the end of the month, which I figure means first week of November. So I've been waiting for the right deal, watching competitors emerge... and then my current tv starts crapping out! 32" XBR, turns red and turns itself off after a few minutes of being on - common problem apparently.

So I am open to buying right now... let it sit on the floor until the stand gets here... it looks like Butterfly Photo, from whom I bought my bedroom Sony LCD, is the play right now. 20% off ($250 shipping though) and minimal hassle - they require a phone call so they can try to upsell cables and warranty.

Unless I can get the B&M around here (Silicon Valley, NoCal) to get within $500, I may go Butterfly. Any guidence?

I've read this thread since the beginning - 2+ months but feels like six... Congrats to those that have made their decisions, good luck to those with decisions yet to come.

Any chance you can provide a little more information about the hard drive connection? What type of source file was being played from the hard drive? Was it connected directly to the SXRD set?

I've heard the Mitsubishi sets will have a hard drive available as a media source but this is the first I've seen about the SXRD dirctly accessing a hard drive.

Thanks.

The SXRD sets have what SONY calls an iLink input.. but it's really just a firewire input... You can plug your stuff into it from there as well as the HDMI ports...

Any chance you can provide a little more information about the hard drive connection? What type of source file was being played from the hard drive? Was it connected directly to the SXRD set?

I've heard the Mitsubishi sets will have a hard drive available as a media source but this is the first I've seen about the SXRD dirctly accessing a hard drive.

Thanks.

I looked at the hard drive unit briefly. It was an external unit, not the one internal to the Mits. They connected firewire in/out to all three tv's. I'm going back there today, I'll look at the hard drive player more carefully.

atl001 - I should have done a screen capture of the 1080i display with the HTPC. It looked acceptable for windows and text in windows (web pages documents). I did not get the chance to play a media file though. I should have done that. Again I guess the scalar introduces "ghosting" around the text a bit when upconverting to 1080p. I'm not exactly sure though.

Overally I was impressed with the PQ, but a little dissapointed in the HTPC support. Not enough to make me purchase something else though.

I wonder if the new JVC D-ILA has better HTPC support. Hmmmm

Hey all you DFW area guys! Is there a store in the North Dallas area displaying these sets with an HD feed (preferably the 60")? I looked at all of these in the Galleria area last Friday and came up empty. For some reason the North Dallas suburbs always seem to be the last place on Earth to get new electronic gizmos. :mad:

I should say that I did find one of these at Stereo East, off of Preston, but they didn't have an HD feed to it! :eek: They said they're moving in a month and don't want to pull a new feed to that part of the store. Ummm, yeah..., OK... it couldn't be set up in place of the Sony 60" LCD (with HD feed) in the other room? :confused: I would have asked them to hook up the antenna but lunchtime HD programming seems to be basically non-existent around here.

FWIW, they did have Toy Story running to it (not sure if it was HDMI) and my overall impression was very favorable as the SXRD appeared cleaner overall than the 1080p DLPs with DVD. I'd really like to see this thing cranked up with some good HD content before signing the dotted line however.

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any sightings. I've seen some guys post about finding these things in Southlake, Hurst and Arlington, but those places are a bit of a hike for my lunch hour.

Thanks,
Alan


Circuit City in Frisco (Across from Stonebriar Mall) or CC near the Galleria, both have the 60" on display with HD Feeds.

Thanks.
Marc

Hey all you DFW area guys! Is there a store in the North Dallas area displaying these sets with an HD feed (preferably the 60")? I looked at all of these in the Galleria area last Friday and came up empty. For some reason the North Dallas suburbs always seem to be the last place on Earth to get new electronic gizmos. :mad:

I should say that I did find one of these at Stereo East, off of Preston, but they didn't have an HD feed to it! :eek: They said they're moving in a month and don't want to pull a new feed to that part of the store. Ummm, yeah..., OK... it couldn't be set up in place of the Sony 60" LCD (with HD feed) in the other room? :confused: I would have asked them to hook up the antenna but lunchtime HD programming seems to be basically non-existent around here.

FWIW, they did have Toy Story running to it (not sure if it was HDMI) and my overall impression was very favorable as the SXRD appeared cleaner overall than the 1080p DLPs with DVD. I'd really like to see this thing cranked up with some good HD content before signing the dotted line however.

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any sightings. I've seen some guys post about finding these things in Southlake, Hurst and Arlington, but those places are a bit of a hike for my lunch hour.

Thanks,
Alan


Circuit City in Frisco (Across from Stonebriar Mall) or CC near the Galleria, both have the 60" on display with HD Feeds.

Thanks.
Marc

we just put the tv up in our best buy (60") and honestly i wasn't too impressed...it was nice, the nicest tv out there I think, but wasn't blown away even after calibrating it to my best ability

we just put the tv up in our best buy (60") and honestly i wasn't too impressed...it was nice, the nicest tv out there I think, but wasn't blown away even after calibrating it to my best ability
Are you saying your an ISF Certified Calibrator? I doubt you'd be selling TV's if you were as they make $400 a pop for a calibration. How many splits and type of cable are you using and sharing thereabouts.

Is this a Flame Bait???

No offense personally but I've yet to see a BB where they knew even what 1080P is, what it does or how to calibrate anything in their store - but they could recite the extended warranty pitch backwards. Sorry but your feedback doesn't mean a whole lot on this forum if you haven't noticed but viewing the pathetic viewing setup at our BB is simply atrocious and lack of knowledge of the Sales Staff at BB stores as to what is going on in this technology is simply poor. They recently renovated and enlarged ours and it's worse than ever and for 3 months I've been asking when will you have a 1080P set and the response is Duh - Whats that? That speaks for itself.:D

I don't think I've ever seen any HDTV look its best in Best Buy (or Circuit City). They're either mounted too high, or too low, or in a place where you can't step back more than 5', or there is way too much ambient light, or they have a poor feed, or they are badly adjusted, or the remote has gone missing, etc.

Yep!

Don't mean to be rude to the RelDude but, when you're ready to buy into Sony's latest-amazing-one-of-a-kind-never-before-seen-not-one-not-two-but-THREE LCD technology AND you're savvy enough to hook it all up with that insanely superior Monster Cable (hey you get what you pay for in this world right?), be sure to head for BB or CC. :D

If you want to evaluate the SXRD's against other sets in a decent tv viewing environment, go elsewhere.

Of course, I could be biased. The last time I was in the local CC and stepped back to evaluate a new set (XS955) I backed into a freshly painted building support column. Oh sure there was a "Fresh Paint" warning sign - on another column 20 feet away. At least the color matched my shirt. :D #2.

Last time I was at BB checking out TVs the sales guy didn't know what geometry was in regards to a TV.

we just put the tv up in our best buy (60") and honestly i wasn't too impressed...it was nice, the nicest tv out there I think, but wasn't blown away even after calibrating it to my best ability

Yeah I'm sure you're quite the wizard at calibrating a TV set, Mr. Best Buy salesperson :D

Last time I was at BB checking out TVs the sales guy didn't know what geometry was in regards to a TV.

:eek: Gee I’m a tree??? What do --you being a tree -- have to do with televisions? ...And you expected an answer from this B&M clerk? :p

Right now I'm looking at 20% off over the internet (butterfly photo) or 10% from local Fry's. I told Fry's they can have me for 15% off - apparantly they need to talk to a manager who wasn't around, so they have my cell if they can do the 15 off. I told them if they give me 20% off I'd buy their 5yr warranty, even though it doesn't include bulbs.

We'll see.

I'll call Butterfly Photo tomorrow if I don't hear from Fry's.

Anybody know of better deals to be had in NoCal?

For those in OC, Tweeter in Costa Mesa now has the 60" set on display, and both the 50" and the 60" in their warehouse ready for delivery. After seeing it I wasn' t buying, but even so inquiring about price yielded very little give in the MSRP.

I am so IN for the 60". My stand from DiamondCase (couldn't convice the wife that the Salamander was perfect, so I had to cough up the dough for the DiamondCase) is due at the end of the month, which I figure means first week of November. So I've been waiting for the right deal, watching competitors emerge... and then my current tv starts crapping out! 32" XBR, turns red and turns itself off after a few minutes of being on - common problem apparently.

So I am open to buying right now... let it sit on the floor until the stand gets here... it looks like Butterfly Photo, from whom I bought my bedroom Sony LCD, is the play right now. 20% off ($250 shipping though) and minimal hassle - they require a phone call so they can try to upsell cables and warranty.

Unless I can get the B&M around here (Silicon Valley, NoCal) to get within $500, I may go Butterfly. Any guidence?

I've read this thread since the beginning - 2+ months but feels like six... Congrats to those that have made their decisions, good luck to those with decisions yet to come.
The CC in Fremont, Auto Mall Pkwy, has both the 50 and 60" in stock.

I'm not sure why you would use the VGA port. The difference on my LCD computer monitor is amazing so I'm guessing that the difference would be quite dramatic on an SXRD. I haven't used one since DVI came out and plan on getting a DVI->HDMI connector and running it through a receiver for switching purposes.

Ski

Right. The only reason that one would even care about connecting a PC to
an HDTV is because the normal way of tuning in HD OTA is through an add in
HDTV card, like a Fusion or MyHD. That's because this is the only way to be able to record
HDTV at a reasonable cost (about $100). You would therefore use the
DVI port on your graphis card and set the output to 1080i so the Sony can run at
full resolution. My understanding is that Sony crippled the VGA port by restricting
the input to sub- full resolution 1280x1024. If this is the case, it borders
on false advertizing to advertize that the set supports VGA.

Right. The only reason that one would even care about connecting a PC to
an HDTV is because the normal way of tuning in HD OTA is through an add in
HDTV card, like a Fusion or MyHD. That's because this is the only way to be able to record
HDTV at a reasonable cost (about $100). You would therefore use the
DVI port on your graphis card and set the output to 1080i so the Sony can run at
full resolution. My understanding is that Sony crippled the VGA port by restricting
the input to sub- full resolution 1280x1024. If this is the case, it borders
on false advertizing to advertize that the set supports VGA.

I want to connect my computer to my HDTV to be able to run slide shows of my digital photos without having the audience crowd around my computer. I use a Tivo to record television.

So far, the only way I have found to get to the native res of a display is through VGA. Unfortunately, my panasonic plasma disables color control on the VGA input, and the color errors produced are beyond the ability of the source device to correct. Feeding this plasma a 720p or 1080i signal via hdmi results in poor results (i think) due to the required scaling to the native res.

I am hoping to try feeding an SXRD a 1080i signal. THe hope is that deinterlacing produces better results than the scaling needed with the panasonic.

I have had great success with the Pioneer 5060 and Elite 1130, I can get great images at native resolution using the VGA input. I hope the Sony will work as well, because it is significantly less expensive, and has higher resolution.

Nice cfoot. The guys only been a member for the last three and a half years.

Regarding SSE on the SXRDs....this is turning out to be a lot less than on the A10. That is a definite plus for me with the SXRD as I was getting worried that SSE on the SXRD would be about the same as on the A10 based on in-store viewings and that this could spoil my overall enjoyment of the SXRD.In fact, the concern about SSE on a $4K TV almost caused me to avoid the SXRDs. I'm not saying its not present, but its much less than on the other Sony RP sets. Many people may not even notice it and I suspect that I'll eventually not notice it either.

How does SSE compare on a Sammy DLP vs a SXRD?

Also, now that you have your set, could you check out "Out of Practice"
on CBS Monday night? It has the best, most pristine PQ of all
shows so it would make an ideal test platform.

Hear Ye, HEar YE,

Best Buy (Like them or hate them...) has officially listed the price of the 60" SXRD at $3999.00. Their 4 year warranty is 399 and covers bulb replacements. Not to mention it is international so I can buy the TV in the US and take it to Canada!

I'm getting mine at the end of the month!

Rahi

P.S. One could also get a replacement bezel and spray paint it matte black to cut down on reflections.

Not ever having seen a SXRD, this suggestion may not even make sense,
but here goes:
An alternative to getting a replacement bezel might be to carefully mask off
everything except the bezel, then overlay Scotch brand magic tape over the bezel, then
spray paint the tape with flat black paint. This alleviates the 'new bezel' requirement, and allows an almost
instant return to original condition when upgrade time comes and you need to sell
your SXRD. Also, the tape is so thin and unobtrusive, it would be invisible and
all you would notice is no more shiny bezel. Of course you would have to do the
painting outside because of overspray, but this seems like a better way to go than
replacing the bezel.

Yeah I'm sure you're quite the wizard at calibrating a TV set, Mr. Best Buy salesperson :DYou guys are brutal...when I first seen the 60" SXRD at a non-Best Buy it looked like crap...but after Sony came and calibrated it, it looked great...it probably looks like crap all Best Buy's...bright lights and all...lighten up guys he didn't mean to insult you and your purchase. :rolleyes:

Are you saying your an ISF Certified Calibrator? I doubt you'd be selling TV's if you were as they make $400 a pop for a calibration. How many splits and type of cable are you using and sharing thereabouts.

Is this a Flame Bait???

No offense personally but I've yet to see a BB where they knew even what 1080P is, what it does or how to calibrate anything in their store - but they could recite the extended warranty pitch backwards. Sorry but your feedback doesn't mean a whole lot on this forum if you haven't noticed but viewing the pathetic viewing setup at our BB is simply atrocious and lack of knowledge of the Sales Staff at BB stores as to what is going on in this technology is simply poor. They recently renovated and enlarged ours and it's worse than ever and for 3 months I've been asking when will you have a 1080P set and the response is Duh - Whats that? That speaks for itself.:DHere we go again. :rolleyes:

You guys are brutal...when I first seen the 60" SXRD at a non-Best Buy it looked like crap...but after Sony came and calibrated it, it looked great...it probably looks like crap all Best Buy's...bright lights and all...lighten up guys he didn't mean to insult you and your purchase. :rolleyes:

Actually Joe you are quite wrong...I haven't bought a thing yet. But Mr. BB Salesperson is throwing around the wrong lingo, and I caught him on it.

So Joe, what stand are you buying with your SXRD? :rolleyes:

Hear Ye, HEar YE,

Best Buy (Like them or hate them...) has officially listed the price of the 60" SXRD at $3999.00. Their 4 year warranty is 399 and covers bulb replacements. Not to mention it is international so I can buy the TV in the US and take it to Canada!

I'm getting mine at the end of the month!

Rahi

Where do you see it listed for $3999? I don't see it on their website. If that price is true (and not accidentally the 50" price) I need to get Circuit City to credit me with their Price Match plus guarantee.

I just seen 60 inch at BB in NJ,got there just as they set it up.This is one of the Magnolia hybrid stores . The 60 inch SXRD was next to a 56inch(i think) JVC, both looked great, but i thought the picture on the sony is far better than anything else out right now. I have Toshiba HDTV RPJ, the only thing keeping me from buying the SXRD is the overall width attributed to the speakers on the sides ;-(

Where do you see it listed for $3999? I don't see it on their website. If that price is true (and not accidentally the 50" price) I need to get Circuit City to credit me with their Price Match plus guarantee.

I was there yesterday, and bargained them down to $4200.00. I went back today to finalize and they said that BB had dropped the price to 3999.00. I saw it in their computer system when the guy punched it up. I don't know if it's online yet, but it definetly is in the computer system.

Rahi

Really, where? Sounds like a mistake to me (should be $4,999 surely?) If not, what are they showing for the 50" SXRD price which is listed elsewhere as a MSRP of $3,999? If its a lot less I'll be all over UE for a price-match. ;)

At a BB in the Detroit area.

I should apologize, in my zeal, I forgot about the don't post a price rule. Sorry!

Rahi

I was there yesterday, and bargained them down to $4200.00. I went back today to finalize and they said that BB had dropped the price to 3999.00. I saw it in their computer system when the guy punched it up. I don't know if it's online yet, but it definetly is in the computer system.

Rahi

Aww man I hope they post that on their website. I need something to bring into Ciruit City so they can refund me some money as I only got $400 off of mine.

Hey all, : )


UG: I'm GLAD! your getting TV tomorrow.

Everyone: There was a kind fellow AVS'er who helped me out one time with an SXRD question I had one time. And he was kind enough to share his purchasing experience with me and said he got a warranty that covered DEAD PIXELS (DP). Just wanted to say thanks for his help and congrats and that great warranty coverage. : )

Everyone: PLEASE see post Subject Title.

- I will be joining the SXRD club SOON! (hopefully - LOL) [w/ AKA & Phil : ) ]. Will be going to check out the one on display within a couple of days.

[will have to search back through this thread to see how many of you guys got warranty coverage that covers DP]

[or smilies disabled right now ' . ' {rhetorical}] : )

THANKS! for listening - Matthew

60" at Tweeter in Dallas. But HELP

I saw the 60" at the Tweeter Southlake and went there fully intending to drop some green. It was sitting between a 1080p Samsung DLP and Mits 1080p DLP. The first thing you notice is how good the blacks and contrast is. They were showing the Mits HiDef hard drive loop and the second thing I noticed was that the trees and fine detail was absolutely blurry compared to the DLPs (and I cant stand them for all the standard DLP reasons). We spent about an hour tweaking and never could make it look right. I was disappointed as hell and left with my head hanging.

Any ideas what was going on here? I've never seen a comment regarding this. I've seen it referred to as soft, but that was not what was going on here.

Please help.

Was just in my BB today, and they finally got the 60" just the other day. I was truly hypnotized by the set...I want it and I want it now! But, I am still going to be waiting til jan. to purchase the set. But, was curious about the price differences mentioned in the earlier post...the BB in Des Moines, Iowa, was selling the 60" for $4,749.00 and 399.00 for the five year warranty including the bulbs.

Im assuming BB doesnt set thier prices nationwide?

60" at Tweeter in Dallas. But HELP

I saw the 60" at the Tweeter Southlake and went there fully intending to drop some green. It was sitting between a 1080p Samsung DLP and Mits 1080p DLP. The first thing you notice is how good the blacks and contrast is. They were showing the Mits HiDef hard drive loop and the second thing I noticed was that the trees and fine detail was absolutely blurry compared to the DLPs (and I cant stand them for all the standard DLP reasons). We spent about an hour tweaking and never could make it look right. I was disappointed as hell and left with my head hanging.

Any ideas what was going on here? I've never seen a comment regarding this. I've seen it referred to as soft, but that was not what was going on here.

Please help.Make sure it is set to Pro mode

A side by side comparison of a KDSR60XBR1 with an LG 60PY2DR plasma at the local Best Buy today showed the SXRD to have a poor response to fast motion compared to the LG plasma. The effect was quite marked and I am surprised that there has not been more discussion of this here. ...



I'm happy to report that the TV's noise reduction feature had been set to 'Medium'. When this was set to 'Off' the poor response disappeared and it was comparable to the plasma.

An impressive TV!

Actually Joe you are quite wrong...I haven't bought a thing yet. But Mr. BB Salesperson is throwing around the wrong lingo, and I caught him on it.

So Joe, what stand are you buying with your SXRD? :rolleyes:Be nice ;)

Newbie here - first post!

I'm interested in buying the 60" SXRD, preferably from CC. I understand they will price match? Who has the best price? Where is it documented? Can the price of CC's service contract also be negotiated?

Thanks very much for your help!

strikeeagle

:p

How much are bulbs for the SXRD?

CC will price match...an "advertised price". Ultimate Electronics add featured the 50"...with price advertised as $300 off. The 60" was also...but was not called out in the ad.

so they lost a sale....

Saw BB at $4799 today. Ultimate was $4699

May have been able to better on line...but 18mos no paymets/interest got me...I love using other peoples money!! :D

Man, sounds like I got ripped off from Crutchfield if these prices are true! 20% off for the 60 inch is sounding like the standard price around here and it's not like people are getting these things from fly by night companies. Usually I think of BB and CC as the kings of rip off and especially on anything Sony. It seems there is quite a bit of variation in the price across the country though. You guys are making me regret not cancelling my order while I had the chance to bargain hunt. I originally went with Crutchfield because I thought that would be my best chance to get one of these sets the quickest (another bad assumption as people walking into their local B&Ms are getting delivery days later while I wait and wait and wait though mine is finally on its way). Got screwed more ways than one on this one. Oh well, live and learn...

The lowest "advertised price" ("advertised" subject to interpretation) I've come across is $3764.79 from Dr. Plasma. Would CC be obliged to match this price?

Thanks!

strikeeagle
:p

CC will price match...an "advertised price". Ultimate Electronics add featured the 50"...with price advertised as $300 off. The 60" was also...but was not called out in the ad.

so they lost a sale....

Saw BB at $4799 today. Ultimate was $4699

May have been able to better on line...but 18mos no paymets/interest got me...I love using other peoples money!! :D

When I asked the sales manager at a local CC here in Columbus Ohio this past Friday about what sort of discount I could get on the 60" SXRD, they said they could give me $400 off (So it was $4600). Plus I asked if they could give me free delivery and they did. I also took advantage of their 24 months no interest although I really didn't want another credit card.

Man, sounds like I got ripped off from Crutchfield if these prices are true! 20% off for the 60 inch is sounding like the standard price around here and it's not like people are getting these things from fly by night companies. Usually I think of BB and CC as the kings of rip off and especially on anything Sony. It seems there is quite a bit of variation in the price across the country though. You guys are making me regret not cancelling my order while I had the chance to bargain hunt. I originally went with Crutchfield because I thought that would be my best chance to get one of these sets the quickest (another bad assumption as people walking into their local B&Ms are getting delivery days later while I wait and wait and wait though mine is finally on its way). Got screwed more ways than one on this one. Oh well, live and learn...Are you saying you can't cancel your order? I thought you could cancel with Crutchfield up to the time it ships.

Boy am I confused...

I dragged my wife down to the local Magnolia this afternoon to compare the 60" XBR1 to the 61" Samsung 6168. After all I had read in this thread I expected the Sony to blow the Samsung out of the water but that didn't happen. After about an hour of looking at several DVDs at 480p via component my wife and I agreed that the Samsung was a whisker better. I had both sets set to Standard display for the comparison. As far as color, both sets seemed pretty equal to me although the Sony had a slight purple tinge on all the blacks displayed. I assume that can be adjusted out. Is that correct? We both thought that the fine detail of stuff like hair and grass was slightly better with the Samsung. I delibertately brought our copy of Sin City to look for the rainbow effect. Neither one of us saw it.

So what do you guys think? Are they really this close? Was the Sony somehow set wrong? We really didn't look at much HD content because most of what we will be viewing will be SD and DVDs. Would the Sony look better for HD content but not DVDs? ???

UG: I'm GLAD! your getting TV tomorrow.
Between 2-4 Wed. I'll be waiting at the curb. :p


- I will be joining the SXRD club SOON! (hopefully - LOL) [w/ AKA & Phil : ) ]. Will be going to check out the one on display within a couple of days.] :cool: I hope you enjoy it!

Boy am I confused...

I dragged my wife down to the local Magnolia this afternoon to compare the 60" XBR1 to the 61" Samsung 6168. After all I had read in this thread I expected the Sony to blow the Samsung out of the water but that didn't happen. After about an hour of looking at several DVDs at 480p via component my wife and I agreed that the Samsung was a whisker better. I had both sets set to Standard display for the comparison. As far as color, both sets seemed pretty equal to me although the Sony had a slight purple tinge on all the blacks displayed. I assume that can be adjusted out. Is that correct? We both thought that the fine detail of stuff like hair and grass was slightly better with the Samsung. I delibertately brought our copy of Sin City to look for the rainbow effect. Neither one of us saw it.

So what do you guys think? Are they really this close? Was the Sony somehow set wrong? We really didn't look at much HD content because most of what we will be viewing will be SD and DVDs. Would the Sony look better for HD content but not DVDs? ???

I just got my 60" SXRD today and played with a bunch of DVD's and they looked fantastic! I used both a Toshiba progressive scan DVD player with component connections and a upscaling 1080i Oppo DVD player connected via HDMI. Both looked great. What picture mode was the SXRD in when you were testing it? I hope it wasn't VIVID mode. I have been using the Pro mode (with the factory settings so far).

I can't speak for the Samsung you tried. All I know is that I am totally thrilled with the PQ coming from my new SXRD. HDTV broadcasts look amazing, DVD's look great, my XBOX looks great. SD via the cable look kinda crappy, but I will wait for the Time Warner HD DVR box I am getting tomorrow as my friend has one and SD through that looks acceptable.

Was just in my BB today, and they finally got the 60" just the other day. I was truly hypnotized by the set...I want it and I want it now! But, I am still going to be waiting til jan. to purchase the set. But, was curious about the price differences mentioned in the earlier post...the BB in Des Moines, Iowa, was selling the 60" for $4,749.00 and 399.00 for the five year warranty including the bulbs.

Im assuming BB doesnt set thier prices nationwide?


This is what BB quoted me and I saw the price on the computer screen. I have a hard time believing the 3999.00 price.

Man, sounds like I got ripped off from Crutchfield if these prices are true! 20% off for the 60 inch is sounding like the standard price around here and it's not like people are getting these things from fly by night companies. Usually I think of BB and CC as the kings of rip off and especially on anything Sony. It seems there is quite a bit of variation in the price across the country though. You guys are making me regret not cancelling my order while I had the chance to bargain hunt. I originally went with Crutchfield because I thought that would be my best chance to get one of these sets the quickest (another bad assumption as people walking into their local B&Ms are getting delivery days later while I wait and wait and wait though mine is finally on its way). Got screwed more ways than one on this one. Oh well, live and learn...


Don't feel too bad....To get too the price that I got online...locally with tax.... I would have had to get someone down too 3880.00!!!! for my 60". :D :D :D

Boy am I confused...



So what do you guys think? Are they really this close? Was the Sony somehow set wrong? We really didn't look at much HD content because most of what we will be viewing will be SD and DVDs. Would the Sony look better for HD content but not DVDs? ???

Posts like this one never cease to amaze me. The sole purpose of a set like
the SXRD is to deliver uber Hi definition, and yet people use low definition
content to make the evaluation. What were you thinkin'??

Boy am I confused...

I dragged my wife down to the local Magnolia this afternoon to compare the 60" XBR1 to the 61" Samsung 6168. After all I had read in this thread I expected the Sony to blow the Samsung out of the water but that didn't happen. After about an hour of looking at several DVDs at 480p via component my wife and I agreed that the Samsung was a whisker better. I had both sets set to Standard display for the comparison. As far as color, both sets seemed pretty equal to me although the Sony had a slight purple tinge on all the blacks displayed. I assume that can be adjusted out. Is that correct? We both thought that the fine detail of stuff like hair and grass was slightly better with the Samsung. I delibertately brought our copy of Sin City to look for the rainbow effect. Neither one of us saw it.

So what do you guys think? Are they really this close? Was the Sony somehow set wrong? We really didn't look at much HD content because most of what we will be viewing will be SD and DVDs. Would the Sony look better for HD content but not DVDs? ???


I would say that they probably are. I saw the same two sets side by side a week ago and thought that the Samsung displayed better, warmer colors and equally rich blacks. It's just too bad that I see rainbows, or else I'd own a 52" Mitsubishi DLP. :(

Thank you! I'll report back if I find a place that will play ball.

I already did last night and it looked great, as did How I Met Your Mother and CSI:Miami and other programs and DVDs that I've viewed. I posted this over in the HDTV Programming section in response to Alan Buck's observation.

As for SSE, I found it to be quite a bit less than the A10 and my older Samsung DLP.

If you have not already done so, you need to get yourself over to UE in Boulder and do some serious SXRD viewing so you can judge for yourself.

Thanks for the info. BTW, I just watched "Close to Home" and I gotta say, this
is another winner PQ wise. Strain as I might, I could detect no graininess, even
in relatively dark scenes. Maybe not *quite* up to "Out of Practice" which is still
number one, but like OoP and 'Mother', it was WAY up there with sharp as a
tack detail and popping colors. Also, I believe that Cold Case, Without a Trace,
and Numbers have undergone a makeover cause they look better this
year vs last. No graininess, sharp, but the colors are not quite up to
the top tier OoP. Still they're a 8.5 on a 0 tp 10 scale. In fact, all
of CBS new programs are improved over last year, which makes the dogs
King of Queens, NCIS, 2.5 Men look that much worse.

Thanks for all the terrific reviews and feedback folks - based upon feedback reviews of PQ and got me to return to the prodigal 60" SXRD - mine get's delivered once I return from Florida week of 10/24 and got a pretty good deal from a Sony authorized online dealer with a 30 day return policy which equaled 19% off (+no sales tax) with free 2 yr warranty I extended to 5 and the 5 year extended warranty includes bulbs and so switching from Crutchfield will have saved me over $500 and a longer warranty with bulb coverage.

Crutch had free shipping though but I love saving money and I don't like a preorder being delayed 3 times (your out).

Thank you for the fantastic feedback folks - this is the best feedback I've observed over the past year on this forum since the debut of the Qualia. Lots of positives here. :D

Hear Ye, HEar YE,

Best Buy (Like them or hate them...) has officially listed the price of the 60" SXRD at $3999.00. Their 4 year warranty is 399 and covers bulb replacements. Not to mention it is international so I can buy the TV in the US and take it to Canada!

I'm getting mine at the end of the month!

Rahi
Have you figured out the duty and taxes?

I'm guessing that there is state sales tax where you would be buying.

Then add on duty. (I'm guessing that the SXRD is not NAFTA duty-free. Although it is assembled in the US, it is built of parts from Japan, so I doubt that it is NAFTA duty-free.)

Then add on PST/GST (that you would have to pay in Canada anyway).

It's not that I want to sound discouraging, but I have been disappointed on occasion in the past when I bought in the US to bring to Canada. If it works for you, I will be interested to read the costs.

The Sony Canada prices are pretty inflated, so maybe a little cross-border shopping might encourage Sony Canada to adjust things a bit.

(For interested Americans, the 60" MSRP in Canada is C$6500. The MSRP in the US is US$5000, or the equivalent of C$5885.)

Please correct me if I'm wrong but you made a decision about which TV had the better PQ by watching DVDs at 480p via component? As good as the interlacers & scalers may be, you really need to watch good quality true HD programming such as HDNet or the Mits 1080 demo loop.

Why do the comparisons have to be in HD to be valid? That doesn't seem right. If he's comparing two TVs with everything else being equal, it is a valid comparison - apples to apples.

I would recommend they get the Samsung since they liked it better. He did sort of sound like he was trying to find a reason to stay with the Sony though. ;)

However, it seems like the probability of having issues is higher with the Samsung than with the Sony. I saw a bad Samsung set in a Magnolia myself, and I've read a lot of posts in the Samsung thread with issues also.

The feedback on the Sony in this thread has been phenomenal, so I've ordered one up from CC without even ever seeing one. Can't wait for it to get here! :cool:

Dennis

Why do the comparisons have to be in HD to be valid? That doesn't seem right. If he's comparing two TVs with everything else being equal, it is a valid comparison - apples to apples.

I would recommend they get the Samsung since they liked it better. He did sort of sound like he was trying to find a reason to stay with the Sony though. ;)

However, it seems like the probability of having issues is higher with the Samsung than with the Sony. I saw a bad Samsung set in a Magnolia myself, and I've read a lot of posts in the Samsung thread with issues also.

The feedback on the Sony in this thread has been phenomenal, so I've ordered one up from CC without even ever seeing one. Can't wait for it to get here! :cool:

Dennis

Congratulations. You won't be disappointed, i'm sure :D

I agree that since there is still a preponderance of SD one should check out any HDTV you are considering on SD feeds, and also DVDs. But it's still a HDTV. You would surely want to also see how well it performs on a good HD feed, no?

Anyway, there had to be something wrong with the setup he saw since the SXRD's Scaling/Deinterlacing and Video processing is so much better than what's in the Samsungs that the worse the feed, the more the SXRD should stand out from the Samsung. The Samsung looks almost unwatchable with artifacting, macroblocking,etc. on a bad feed. especially on a bad feed with lots of motion. The SXRD is much better on HD feeds, but much, much better on crappy feeds so i can't understand what he was seeing.

Hey all you DFW area guys! Is there a store in the North Dallas area displaying these sets with an HD feed (preferably the 60")? I looked at all of these in the Galleria area last Friday and came up empty. For some reason the North Dallas suburbs always seem to be the last place on Earth to get new electronic gizmos. :mad:

Thanks,
Alan

They set up a 60 SXRD next to the Mits and the Samsung over at Hillcrest (owned by Tweeter). It is on the west side of the Tollway, just north of Parker, and across the road from that Twinkletown Movie theatre place... Sorry, I'm new to the area so this as specific as it gets.

The salesfolks at Hillcrest were still playing with HD feeds, Pro color settings, noise filters, aperture settings...endless adjustments. Anyway, the salesfolk were not too impressed when it arrived, but as I watched them play they became really impressed with themselves. They even started comparing its PQ to the other sets in the store as if everything else had suddenly started to look old and tired. They were like kids rediscovering why they sell displays for a living. I suspect that Sony ships the units out with the worst possible default settings to match their worst possible cabinet setting.

One sales guy said, "Why does Sony always make TV's, when most high-end customers are looking for monitors?" We then spent some time trying to figure out how to hack the ears off. The back of the ears look like they unscrew. So, it should be a fairly easy to see the electronics. Special plastic caps will need to be manufactured to conceal the stumps.

You just gotta know there are a hundred folks here who want to know whether the set will explode if I chop off its ears...but someone has to be brave and stupid enough to be first to void a perfectly good warrantee in the interests of product development... Photo's to follow...hmmmm?

If you really want to check those black levels, watch "Lost".

How cumbersome is the set, box and all? I only have curbside shipping. I've got to figure how I'm gonna get it to the second floor of my apartment. Maybe I can tip the delivery guy. :)

I wonder if the next SXRD model will have no dumbo ears. That is the only reason keeping me from pulling the trigger. The PQ is great but the 60" set does not fit in my wall. The 50" is too small for my liking. Does any one have any insider info rearding the next models?

Posts like this one never cease to amaze me. The sole purpose of a set like
the SXRD is to deliver uber Hi definition, and yet people use low definition
content to make the evaluation. What were you thinkin'??

My fault for not including additional information... My wife and I had viewed a Samsung 6168 about a month ago when I first seriously started looking for a new TV. Obviously the XBR1 wasn't out then so it wasn't part of the evaluation. Our evaluation then, using, a HD source, was that the 6168 was the best among those we compared. Truly excellent picture.

This time around we started with the DVDs. Since we both decided the 6168 was better (by a whisker) than the XBR1, and we had already decided that the 6168 was perfectly acceptable with HD material, and my wife wanted dinner *now*, ...

There is one other piece of the pie that I failed to mention earlier. We sit about 14' from the screen. A 60" TV is a minimum for us. We currently are using a Pioneer Elite 51" CRT based standard definition RPTV. My wife said, believe it or not, that she wanted a bigger TV. The bigger, the better. The Samsung is now available in a 71" model. It sounds like a 70" XBR1 is about a year away.

My original message was really me wanting some feedback on my observations of the XBR1. I was expecting, based on new owner's reviews in this forum, to see something significantly better than the 6168 we had seen previously. It didn't happen and I wanted to make sure that what I observed reflects reality: that the XBR1 and the 6168 have extremely similar quality of display. The other question was whether the purple tinged black we observed on the XBR1, which bothered my wife far more than it did me, could be corrected with a simple adjustment in the menu.

I've been lurking in this forum for several months now and found the discussions both informative and interesting. The information I picked up here has seriously helped me in understanding the pros and cons of the various technologies and what to look for when doing my evaluation. It has also annoyed a few salesmen because they were prevented from spreading the B.S. very thick before I picked up on it.

Anyway, thanks for any feedback on these questions.

Maybe I didn't state my point very well. I was questioning making a decision to buy a 1080p TV based purely on watching DVDs at 480p rather than also viewing a good quality HD source at such as HDNet. This would apply whether considering the Samsung or the SXRD. As for Samsung vs Sony SXRD, I tried a Samsung 50" 1080p set a few weeks ago but have now settled on the 50" SXRD. I was probably one of the people you read about having issues in the Samsung 1080p thread.

True, true. I would also want to see both of them showing good HD content.

Dennis

My original message was really me wanting some feedback on my observations of the XBR1. I was expecting, based on new owner's reviews in this forum, to see something significantly better than the 6168 we had seen previously. It didn't happen and I wanted to make sure that what I observed reflects reality: that the XBR1 and the 6168 have extremely similar quality of display. The other question was whether the purple tinged black we observed on the XBR1, which bothered my wife far more than it did me, could be corrected with a simple adjustment in the menu.


I have not seen anything but blu-ray DVD on the Sony SXRD so will agree
that with high quality HD content, the 6168 and the SXRD have very
comparable PQ provided the Samsung 6168 is in "movie" mode and the room
is very dark ( SXRD in "Cinema Black Pro" with probably any lighting condition ).
I don't have a blu-ray DVD player :-) so my reference for the Sammy is
the "occassional" high quality content on the Dishnetwork HDNET feed.

I rarely watch any SD but DVD on the 6168 so cannot comment much on
compressed SD satellite feeds.

The edge I will give to the SXRD is definitely brightness. The PQ appeared
to be very comparable to the Sammy even with bright ambient lighting.

The SXRD really reminds be of a big 60 in. tube!

Sorry if I missed a prior response...have you had a chance to view an SXRD yet?

No I have not. My plan is to wait until the JVC LCOS sets show up at UE, then
take my computer along with 2x DVI>HDMI cables to UE so that I can
view carefully selected .tp files which now reside on my hard disk. Only by doing a side by side
of the Sony vs JVC with known program material can I make a valid comparison.
With pristine video clips of "Out of Practice", "Office", and the Denver-SanDiego
game (CBS) I'll know that any visual flaws are from the performance of the sets,
not from the source material.
The lastest schedule has the JVCs out in Oct., so I won't have long to wait.
BTW, are you able to get ABC in hi def from D**TV?

My original message was really me wanting some feedback on my observations of the XBR1. I was expecting, based on new owner's reviews in this forum, to see something significantly better than the 6168 we had seen previously. It didn't happen


Of course it didn't happen, the viewing material was the bottleneck,
incapable of revealing differences.
I'll say it again: you can't draw any conclusions by comparing performance
charateristics based on low definition material, just doesn't make sense.
That would be like comparing the performance of a Ferrari vs a Maserati by
driving both through a school zone at 10 miles per hour.

If your viewing distance is really 14 feet, then I'd say it won't matter. All sets
will look the same, even a RPCRT, because the perceived screen size is so tiny.
I'm at a distance of 7' with my 61" lo res DLP, and that distance is about right,
very close to the ideal 36 degree viewing angle. Even the 71" size is way small
for 14', so I'd suggest rearranging the furniture to get the TV closer, otherwise you'll never get anything like
an immersive viewing experience.

Thanks for all the terrific reviews and feedback folks - based upon feedback reviews of PQ and got me to return to the prodigal 60" SXRD - mine get's delivered once I return from Florida week of 10/24 and got a pretty good deal from a Sony authorized online dealer with a 30 day return policy which equaled 19% off (+no sales tax) with free 2 yr warranty I extended to 5 and the 5 year extended warranty includes bulbs and so switching from Crutchfield will have saved me over $500 and a longer warranty with bulb coverage.

Crutch had free shipping though but I love saving money and I don't like a preorder being delayed 3 times (your out).

Thank you for the fantastic feedback folks - this is the best feedback I've observed over the past year on this forum since the debut of the Qualia. Lots of positives here. :D

Westa ~

Glad to see that you're finally an SXRD believer!
Enjoy your new set...

Have you figured out the duty and taxes?

I'm guessing that there is state sales tax where you would be buying.

Then add on duty. (I'm guessing that the SXRD is not NAFTA duty-free. Although it is assembled in the US, it is built of parts from Japan, so I doubt that it is NAFTA duty-free.)

Then add on PST/GST (that you would have to pay in Canada anyway).

It's not that I want to sound discouraging, but I have been disappointed on occasion in the past when I bought in the US to bring to Canada. If it works for you, I will be interested to read the costs.

The Sony Canada prices are pretty inflated, so maybe a little cross-border shopping might encourage Sony Canada to adjust things a bit.

(For interested Americans, the 60" MSRP in Canada is C$6500. The MSRP in the US is US$5000, or the equivalent of C$5885.)

Since the TV is made in America (or assembled at least), there is no luxury tax. so in Ontario, we just pay PST and GST (15%). The cheapest I've seen here is not even close to what I can get it for in the US. In fact, when converted there is over a $1000.00 difference. I'm all for supporting the Canadian economy, but not when the difference is that exaggerated.

Rahi

Yep!

Don't mean to be rude to the RelDude but, when you're ready to buy into Sony's latest-amazing-one-of-a-kind-never-before-seen-not-one-not-two-but-THREE LCD technology AND you're savvy enough to hook it all up with that insanely superior Monster Cable (hey you get what you pay for in this world right?), be sure to head for BB or CC. :D

If you want to evaluate the SXRD's against other sets in a decent tv viewing environment, go elsewhere.

Of course, I could be biased. The last time I was in the local CC and stepped back to evaluate a new set (XS955) I backed into a freshly painted building support column. Oh sure there was a "Fresh Paint" warning sign - on another column 20 feet away. At least the color matched my shirt. :D #2.

actually you can look up my previous posts and i've been on this forum for years and i am a home theater nut. i know alot about this stuff and am kind of offended you guys said that without looking up my history.

They set up a 60 SXRD next to the Mits and the Samsung over at Hillcrest (owned by Tweeter). It is on the west side of the Tollway, just north of Parker, and across the road from that Twinkletown Movie theatre place... Sorry, I'm new to the area so this as specific as it gets.



Thanks olde, maf0917, and musicforme. I visited the Galleria CC and saw the 60". It looked good in most respects, but I did notice some mild softness in the image compared to the XS and A20 sitting nearby which surprised me. This was with the set in Pro mode with all "advanced" video enhancements (including NR) turned off. Turning the DTE and detail enhance (I think those are the names) back on helped, but even then the detail did not reach the same level as the other two sets.

Note, I don't think this effect was due to the artifical sharpening caused by the gridlines on the LCDs or even due to edge ehancement on those sets. The details being smeared on the SXRD spanned a few pixels even on the LCD(and obviously more than that on the SXRD). It looked for all the world as though the signal was being low-pass filtered just a bit. The set was hooked up on component so I wonder if this is the same type of mild softening reported on the Qualia's component inputs. Or it could just be that the feed to the SXRD was even more degraded than to the other two sets. I would really like to see how it looked over HDMI (or even OTA) before drawing any broader conclusions. Black levels and contrast were clearly in the DLP category (under CC conditions I couldn't discern whether they were superior or not) and colors looked really good, although, like some others I noticed a bit of a purple push to the blacks (color temp was set to Warm FWIW).

I then went over to the LBJ BB and they had a 50" on the floor. It looked quite good and I didn't notice the softness described above. This could be due to a better quality feed or simply the smaller screen size. I also observed less SSE on this set than the 60" which was just at the threshold of my personal tolerance for this phenomenon. It was certainly a candidate for the best RPTV in the store (though I am also quite taken with the Mitsu 62628 inside the Mini-Mag there).

I will probably zip up to Hillcrest today to see if their 60" is set up better.

However, unless that one just blows me away, I'll probably have to go with the Mitsu 62628 due to width limitations of my entertainment center. It only expands to about 64" without placing children and small animals at risk. AARRGH!! :mad: If I find it to clearly be in another league, however, I will seriously consider doing something with / to the entertainment center. :)

I wonder how many sales the wings (which I personally don't mind visually) will cost Sony? I personally know someone at work who went with the 50" A10 for this very reason. Still a sale for Sony, but I'm betting the profit margin's not nearly as good.

Alan

You guys are brutal...when I first seen the 60" SXRD at a non-Best Buy it looked like crap...but after Sony came and calibrated it, it looked great...it probably looks like crap all Best Buy's...bright lights and all...lighten up guys he didn't mean to insult you and your purchase. :rolleyes:


guys,
yes it did look like crap when it came in and i calibrated it using the avia disc. I said in my post it was the best looking tv out there and thats next to samsung 1080p's and mitu 1080p sets as well. It looked very good but was not blown away like alot of people are saying. And I do know my stuff by the way. I work in Magnolia and home theater is my passion.

OK can we stop with the "immersed" stuff? Of course there is going to be a difference at even 14 feet between a Samsung and SXRD. Can anyone tell me that they've been "immersed" (a word thrown around a lot on this board) in a TV? Some people need a reality check. You're watching a screen for god sakes therefore you can't be immersed no matter what TV or size. Perhaps if it was some kind of holographic projection then I could see. And just because some stupid spec (that is biased to begin with) says that my eyeballs should be able to view X number of degrees of angle of the screen is crap. No one in their right mind would sit closer than 10 feet from a 70 inch screen, but that doesn't mean one should go out and get any old TV just because they sit further away and won't be able to resolve every single line of resolution with their naked eye.

Hi all. Just bought the 60" SXRD yesterday at Fry's with a 5 year warranty, they'll deliver today.

Does the Fry's warranty cover bulb replacement? Their text says they cover parts and labor for normal operation. But I've seen comments in this thread about CC and BB warranties, but not Fry's warranty, covering bulb replacement...

By the way, Crutchfield does let you cancel. Mine just shipped so there wasn't anything I could do. I echo westa's frustration though as it is a little irritating to see people walk into their local store, buy the TV that you've had on order since August, and take delivery of the TV a day or two later, and on top of that don't pay anywhere near MSRP whereas I paid the full $5k and have to wait. Of course most of us are exaggerating the waiting because the first person to get their set didn't get theirs until the last week of September, and we're really only into the second week of October, so the perception is far worse than the reality.

jdanon,

You do make a good point, though. Why pay MSRP if you're going to have to wait??

guys,
yes it did look like crap when it came in and i calibrated it using the avia disc. I said in my post it was the best looking tv out there and thats next to samsung 1080p's and mitu 1080p sets as well. It looked very good but was not blown away like alot of people are saying. And I do know my stuff by the way. I work in Magnolia and home theater is my passion.

My full apologies then! It's nice to know there's at least one intelligent salesperson within the BB company.

Gentlemen,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the technical readouts on the battle station, but WHO, oh WHO has the best advertised price on the 60" Sony?

Thanks in advance.

strikeeagle

:p

Your best bet is to go local where it seems you can get the deepest discount. Online places generally won't be willing to go for a discount, unless of course they're already priced with a discount.

My 60" has also shipped from Crutchfield. I figure $4999 with free shipping, no tax, and free 3 yr warranty isn't a bad deal for this TV. And no local B&M in my area has it yet to my knowledge. I just couldn't bring myself to take the chance of ordering from Sunshine after reading about the horrible experiences some people have had with them.

CC and Sears currently have a sale at $250 off through 10/15.

Egan mine has as well, and even though they don't charge sales tax at the time of the order, I still have to pay the 6% when it comes tax time in April :(

And the warranty, is that standard with all their SXRD sales or did you work something out with them? I don't remember getting that deal.

Egan mine has as well, and even though they don't charge sales tax at the time of the order, I still have to pay the 6% when it comes tax time in April :(

And the warranty, is that standard with all their SXRD sales or did you work something out with them? I don't remember getting that deal.

The free 3 year warranty was posted on their website, you may have to ask for it now if you preordered a while ago. I had originally purchased their 5 year warranty but decided to take the 3 year one since it was free.

If you now regret your purchase from Crutchfield, I think you may be able to refuse delivery even though it's been shipped. I would call and ask them, if that's the case.

Westa ~

Glad to see that you're finally an SXRD believer!
Enjoy your new set...Come into the light...
All are welcome...


:D

From Widescreen Review - Nov. 05

EQUIPMENT Review
Sony
KDS-R60XBR1
WEGA™ HDTV
60-Inch 16:9 SXRD™
Rear-Projection Display
Introduction
I have waited long for the chance to get a true 1920 x 1080
pixel TV to review. This rear projector is the first Sony has had
available in their new, “reasonably priced” line of TVs using the
latest Silicon X-tal (Crystal) Reflective Display (SXRD™) 0.61-
inch panels. Last year Sony released two displays using its first
generation 0.78-inch SXRD panels, the $30,000 Qualia 004
front projector (reviewed by Greg Rogers in Issue 86, June
2004 of Widescreen Review) and the $13,000 Qualia 006 70-
inch rear projector (reviewed by Mike Marks in Issue 96, May
2005). The 60-inch (16:9) KDS-R60XBR1 and its 50-inch sibling,
the KDS-R50XBR1, are in production now at Sony’s
Pittsburgh factory and carry a manufacturers’ suggested retail
price of $4,999 and $3,999, respectively. The KDS-R60XBR1
picture is stunning and its features are outstanding.
What Is SXRD?
SXRD is Sony’s brand of LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon), a
new micro-display technology related to LCD but working differently.
Another popular implementation of LCoS is the JVC DILA
® technology, used in JVC, Dukane, and Faroudja projectors.
The liquid crystal material in LCoS has a structure like other
LCDs, but it is sealed directly to the surface of a silicon chip.
The electronic drivers controlling the crystals’ alignment are
etched into the silicon, which allows several million pixels to fit
in an area smaller than one square inch. The chip is coated
with an aluminized layer, which means that LCoS is highly
reflective (rather than “transmissive” like normal LCD), allowing
more light to pass. The benefit compared to LCD is that the
same amount of light applied to an LCoS panel will create a
brighter image. Like an LCD, light passage through the liquid
crystal is controlled by the state of polarization of the crystal.
But since the light passes through the liquid crystal layer twice
(once on the way in and once on the way out after being
reflected from the mirror surface), LCoS displays of the same
thickness can have twice the contrast ratio of a standard LCD,
or they may use a thinner liquid crystal layer and achieve faster
response times. Sony has managed to achieve both a fast
response time (2.5 ms rise time) and a high contrast ratio
(5000:1) for its new SXRD panels. Their first generation panels
“I have never seen ‘Dark City’ look
so good!”
General
Panel Size: 0.61 inch
Panel Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Device Contrast Ratio: 5000:1
Pixel Pitch: 7.0 micrometers
Inter-pixel Spacing: 0.35 micrometers
Response Time: 2.5 milliseconds
Video
Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (1.78:1)
Viewing Angle: 60 degrees
Tuner: ATSC/8VSB
WEGA Engine™ system: WEGA Engine HD video
DRC® MultiFunction Circuitry: DRC-MF v2
CineMotion® Reverse 3:2 Pulldown Technology
Cinema Black Pro: Iris Control and Advanced Iris
Comb Filter: 3D Digital
Audio
Digital Amplifier: S-Master® Digital Amplifier
Dolby® Digital technology
SRS® TruSurround® audio
MTS Stereo Decoder: Auto SAP
Steady Sound® Automatic Volume Control
Inputs And Outputs
Video: component (2); HDMI™ (1); composite (3); S-video (3); PC (1)
Audio: analog stereo (5 in, 1 out); i.Link (3); digital optical (1 out)
Other: RF (2); CableCARD™ (1); Memory Stick® (1); Control-S (1 in, 1 out)
Dimensions (WHD In Inches): 66 x 39 3/4 x 20 1/4
Weight (In Pounds) 112
Price: $4,999
Manufactured In The USA By:
Sony Electronics, Inc.
1 Sony Drive
Park Ridge, New Jersey 07656
Tel: 201 930 1000
www.sony.com
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
Bill Cruce
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EQUIPMENT Review
had contrast ratios of 3000:1. LCoS panels
have a high fill factor, meaning there is little
space between the pixels. By placing the
wiring area and switching elements under
the reflection layer, there is no black matrix
area––so the image is without the “screen
door” effect of many micro-displays. It is
very film-like. Sony’s second generation
SXRD panels are 7.0 microns center-to-center
with a 0.35 inter-pixel spacing.
Importantly for display makers, it is easy for
LCD manufacturers to adapt their plants to
make LCoS, as opposed to DLP (digital
light processing), which is radically different.
It is also a cost-effective technology
compared to TFT and plasma. Sony’s new
SXRD technology can produce 0.61 inch
panels with the same 2 million pixels as the
first generation panels, which were 0.78
inches. This means more of the chips can
be produced from a single silicon wafer,
driving down costs.
Sony uses three of the SXRD panels in a
traditional red, green, blue arrangement;
light is split via precision prisms, passed
through the individual panels, then reunited
through a single lens. Thus all of the color
alignment is made in the rigid optical
assembly, and there are no separate projector
lenses to be aligned as there are in CRT
rear projectors. Because the three colors
are generated simultaneously, the eye
receives one consistent image. There is no
rainbow effect seen by many people when
viewing DLP-projected images that use a
single panel and a color wheel. Furthermore,
the panels have a true 1920 x 1080 image
in each frame. Current DLP displays that
claim 1920 x 1080 resolution achieve this
by a technique known as “wobulation,”
where a panel with half the number of pixels
is offset at twice the frame rate to generate
separate halves of the 1920 x 1080 picture.
It is suspected, but not proven, that such
dithering may add to eyestrain.
Appearance
Viewed from the front or slightly to the
side, one could be fooled into thinking this
was a flat panel TV. Compared to rear projectors
of old it is remarkably small; its
backside tapers to a small bulge at the bottom
center, making it at most 20 inches
deep. It can sit on a table top and weighs
only about 112 pounds. The sleek design
attempts to downplay the width. There is a
small black bezel around the screen (width
56 inches), but the silver loudspeakers on
each side add an additional 10 inches to
the overall width. Unfortunately, the loudspeakers
are not removable; rather they are
an integral part of the cabinet. The dark,
recessed base gives the set the appearance
of floating above the surface on which it
rests. The TV is one integral unit; there is no
separate control box as some HDTVs have.
A companion stand, the SUGW12 is an elegant
combination of brushed aluminum and
glass that matches the TV perfectly.
Remote And Controls
The only controls on the set are located
on the right side, hidden under the loudspeaker:
channel, volume, TV/video
(inputs), and menu. On the lower right front
of the frame there is a power switch alongside
LEDs for power, timer, and lamp (when
burned out). As with most modern TVs, the
remote control has the majority of the control
functions. The programmable remote is a
long, slim (9 x 2 x 3/4 inches) brushed aluminum
infrared control. It is dominated by a
central disc that controls menu movements
(up, down, left, right) and a central “enter”
button. When controlling a DVD or VCR
these buttons function as pause, stop, fast
reverse, fast forward, and play, respectively.
Below the control disc, arrayed in a
curve matching the disc are small buttons
for split-screen, antenna/cable, i.Link®, and
Memory Stick (Sony’s proprietary portable
storage memory). In a matching array
around the top of the control disc are buttons
for widescreen, picture, favorites and
freeze. “Split-screen” puts two small images
on the screen to the right and left of each
other; with the motion controls you can
switch to make one dominant (and the
source for TV audio). Unfortunately, only
one of the images can be an HDTV image.
“Freeze” again puts two small images side
by side, only this time one is the frozen
image and the other continues running.
Below the bottom row of buttons are
found a long volume up-down toggle button
and a matching channel up-down toggle
button. In between the two is a pair of small
buttons for Menu and Exit. Above the top
row of buttons are four rows of three buttons
each in a semicircular arrangement (following
the arc of the control disc) that have
numbers for direct entry of channels and a
second enter button. Above these buttons
are two more rows of three slightly smaller
buttons controlling channel guide (for ATSC
over-the-air channels), display, and jump
(toggles between current and most recent
channels). Above these are buttons to cycle
through the audio effects, sleep modes, and
TV/video (input selector).
At the top of the remote is a function
button and associated lights to cycle
through TV, SAT/CABLE, DVD/VCR, and
i.Link programmable control functions for
the remote. The remote cannot “learn” but
can be programmed by manufacturer’s
device codes found in the manual; it comes
pre-programmed for Sony devices.
Adjacent to the function lights is the only
recessed button on the remote, for record
or reset. Finally, above this latter row are
buttons for muting and sat/cable power and
main power.
Although the remote control is not backlighted
or glow-in-the-dark, the buttons are
distinctively arranged, and key buttons have
raised dots to help orient your fingers by
feel. I found it relatively easy to use in the
dark. Although it does not have to be pointed
directly at the TV, the infrared signal is
not powerful enough to bounce off the ceiling
or walls.
Menus And Functions
The menu key brings up a main menu
with seven submenu selections for Video,
Audio, Screen, Channel, Parental Lock,
Setup, and Applications. There isn’t room to
discuss all of the functions here, so I will
just highlight the main ones I used. If a
reader is interested in details about the
menus, they can be found in the downloadable
manual (http://www.sonystyle.com).
The Video submenu has selections for
Picture Mode, Iris, Picture (contrast),
Brightness, Color, Hue, Sharpness, Color
Temperature, Noise Reduction, Direct
Mode, and Advanced Video. Picture Mode,
which can also be selected from a button
on the remote, allows you to store all the
other settings in the Video submenu. You
can store different settings for each of three
modes (Pro, Standard, and Vivid). Advanced
Video offers many additional choices for the
Pro Mode: DRC Mode, DRC Palette,
Advanced Iris, Color Corrector, DTE, Clear
White, Detail Enhancer, Black Corrector,
and Gamma Corrector (only DRC Mode and
DRC Palette are available in the other two
video modes). I turned all of these off
except Advanced Iris (high, for greater contrast),
DRC Mode (Cinemotion), and DRC
Palette (Custom 3, using default). It would
take weeks of experimentation to explore
each of the Advanced Video settings; it is
an engineer's dream. For more details
about the effects of these settings, see Mike
Mark’s description in his review of the
Qualia 006 ( Widescreen ReviewIssue 96,
May 2005). Basically they add various
degrees of enhancement that most video
sources simply don’t need.
The Advanced Video setting for White
Balance allows a consumer to adjust RGB
Gain and Bias. It allows very accurate setting
of the color temperature of the gray
scale; you can separately adjust each of the
three main Color Temperatures (Cool,
Neutral, Warm). And if all goes wrong, there
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is a selection for “Initial Set.” Of course, you
really don’t want to adjust color temperature
unless you have the proper instrumentation.
Each of the White Balance settings can be
different for each input (antenna and cable
share all the same video settings). Color
temperature can also be adjusted in the
service menus, but there really isn't any
necessity to do so.
The Audio submenu allows adjustment
of Sound Mode (Dynamic, Clear Voice,
Custom). Custom allows adjustment of treble
and bass as well as balance. There is
an Effect adjustment for simulated surround
(Dolby Virtual, TruSurround, Simulated, and
Off). The internal loudspeaker can be
turned off, and when it is the audio-out
jacks on the rear become active; then there
is an option for fixed or variable audio-out.
There is an MTS option that becomes available
for analog TV channels allowing selection
of Stereo, Audio SAP, or Mono.
The Screen submenu allows adjustment
of Wide Mode (Full, Zoom, and Wide Zoom
in HDTV; SDTV adds Normal). These can
also be selected from a key on the menu.
Further adjustments include 4:3 Default (Off,
Zoom, Full, Wide Zoom, or Normal) and
Overscan (normal, +1, +2). Normal overscan
was about 2 percent; the adjustments
add an additional 1 or 2 percent.
The Channel submenu allows setting of
Favorite Channels, Label Channels, Auto
Program channels, auto programming
Digital Channels only, and Hiding channels
you don't want. Channel Fix allows setting
for one channel only if you have a cable
box that requires that.
The Setup submenu allows you to
choose among Power Saving, High Altitude
(boosts fan output to compensate for thin
air), Menu Color, i.Link Standby, Language,
Info Banner, Caption Vision, and Label
Video Inputs. Label Video Inputs was especially
useful because I used it to skip
unused inputs. There are eight video inputs
in addition to antenna/cable. There are fixed
selections for what they can be called (Skip,
Video “n”, VHS, DVD, Receiver, Satellite,
Cable Box, 8mm, DTV, Game, LD, Beta).
HD and PVR are added on the two HDTV
inputs, but the PC input (8) has only PC and
Skip as options. One of the drawbacks to
the remote control is that inputs are selected
by a single button, and you have to
cycle through them to get to the one you
want. With eight inputs plus two tuners, this
gets tedious quickly. I used the “skip” function
of Label Video Inputs to limit my input
selection to only those I needed.
The Applications submenu has settings
for Memory Stick, i.Link, Clock/Timers,
Diagnostics, and CableCARD. Memory
Stick and i.Link can also be selected from
dedicated buttons on the remote.
Diagnostics gives useful information about
OTA reception, especially signal strength for
digital channels. CableCARD gives useful
information about the CableCard, mostly for
setting up the card to function with a cable
provider.
Inputs And Outputs
The Sony KDS-R60XBR1 has rear inputs
for cable and antenna RF, and a CableCARD
slot for a card from your cable provider to
give you access to digital and HDTV channels
on your cable system. There is a PC
input (Video 8) on a standard VGA connector
with a separate mini pin stereo audio
jack. There are two HDMI™ inputs (Video 6
and 7), one of which has analog stereo
audio inputs associated with it. These will
also take digital RGB from DVI sources converted
with a cable to fit the HDMI connector.
Two analog YPbPr inputs (Video 4 and
5) each have analog stereo audio inputs
associated with them. Two inputs (Video 1
and 3) have a choice of S-Video or
Composite video with associated analog
stereo audio inputs.
Video Input 2 is located on the right front
of the set behind a panel that is recessed
on the stand; it includes S-video and composite
with associated analog stereo audio
inputs. This same area also has an i.Link
input and a Memory Stick slot. Two additional
i.Link inputs are available on the rear
of the TV.
Further connections on the rear of the
unit include a digital optical audio output
(TOSLink) and analog stereo audio outputs
(fixed or variable).
I tested the RF inputs (antenna and
cable), the PC input, one HDMI input, and
one YPbPr input. I turned off the unused
inputs (the Skip function), so it wasn’t so
hard to cycle through them. Then I used
external switchers on the HDMI and YPbPr
inputs. For the HDMI input I used a Gefen 6
x 2 HDMI switcher, and for the YPbPr input I
used an Altinex RGBHV switcher. Fifty-foot
cables (RGBHV, HDMI) from Better Cables
were used for the long run from my equipment
rack to the Sony RPTV as well as their
shorter cables for connections from the
equipment to the switchers.
Sound
The sound was remarkably good for TV
loudspeakers. The various surround modes
were acceptable. The missing element for
watching movies was a subwoofer. I mostly
watched using my own separate surround
sound system.
Video Tests
I used a variety of sources and signal
formats with the Sony. No matter what I fed
it, I was not disappointed. I used a Denon
DVD-5900 and a Bravo D-2 DVD player via
DVI to HDMI and YPbPr; a Sony DVPP
E R F O R M A N C E
EQUIPMENT Review
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ratio was so good that it was unmeasurable
with the equipment I had available. Black
levels were so black that they were below
the limit of my meter (.03 fL). Maximum light
output as measured at the screen was
about 20 footLamberts (fL), but this did not
account for screen gain, which might be as
much as 3.0 (Sony would not reveal the
gain of their screen). Even without screen
gain this would make the estimated contrast
ratio at least 1000:1 to 2000:1 (if black level
was reading 0.02 or 0.01 fL). My standard
test for black level rendition and contrast
ratio is Dark City. I have never seen this disc
look so good. The really black blacks
enhanced the sense of foreboding and ominous
secrets in the movie.
Resolution for 1080i HDMI and YPbPr
was excellent, rolling off before 37 MHz,
using the AccuPel multiburst tests. The single
pixel vertical line from the AccuPel was
perfectly resolved at 1080i. There was just
the slightest hint of pincushion distortion at
the edges using the AccuPel crosshatch,
but it wasn’t apparent on any video images.
There was no misconvergence at the edges
nor any significant drop off in light level
(white field uniformity).
The Sony KDS-R60XBR1 does an excellent
job of deinterlacing. Although it has
three modes (called DRC Mode 1, Mode 2
and CineMotion) in the Advanced Video
menu, I found that CineMotion performed
best on both film and video material. Using
interlaced YPbPr input from the Denon
5900, I looked at the Video Essentials
“Montage Of Images.” The pan into the
leaves, the bobbing branch with ice on it,
and the bleachers just behind the race
cars, all difficult video sequences, had few
if any jaggies. I saw few discontinuities
between film and video sequences. The
opening scenes of Star Trek: Insurrection,
and Shakespeare In Lovehave pans across
scenes with incredible detail (for STI) and
NS9100ES DVD player via HDMI to HDMI
and YPbPr; a Motorola 6208 Comcast HD
cable box via DVI to HDMI and YPbPr; a
Comcast CableCARD; and a Silver Sensor
over-the-air antenna. For testing and setup I
used Digital Video Essentialsand AVIA:
Guide To Home TheaterDVDs as well as
the AccuPel HDG-3000 signal generator.
Color temperature as received from the
factory was remarkably flat (except at 10
and 20 IRE), but a little cool (7000K). It was
easily corrected to 6500K by instrumentation
and the user menus, with the analog
inputs (YPbPr) being slightly more correct at
10 IRE than the digital (HDMI/DVI). This
resulted in beautiful, warm, film-like images
on all inputs.
Colorimetry was exceptionally accurate
for both digital and analog, 1080i, and
480p; the exception was green, which was
very saturated. Although not accurate, this
saturated green had a pleasing effect.
Chapter 3 of The Lord Of The Rings: The
Fellowship Of The RingDVD has several
good tests of the color green. Green fungus
on the trees was almost Day-Glo! Although
the green of the grass and trees is intense,
subtle differences were evident between
drier greens and lusher greens. At 15:24
the door on Bilbo’s house is unbelievably
green compared to the green grass; but
that is good because it is a painted green
as compared to a chlorophyll green. The
accurate red combined with the correct
color temperature resulted in excellent skin
tones. At the opening of Chapter 3 the skin
differences between Gandalf and Frodo are
quite distinct. I’ve not seen any hint of sunburned
skin on any of the many DVDs and
TV programs I've watched.
The Sony KDS-R60XBR1 has a mechanical
iris to enhance contrast ratio. I found
that the best setting for Iris in the Video
menu was level 2, and for Advanced Iris in the
Advanced Video menu, High. The contrast
multiple vertical lines (SiL). These were as
perfectly rendered as I’ve ever seen.
The set has two tuners, one for antenna
(8VSB) and one for cable (QUAM). A
CableCARD (supplied by most cable companies)
uses the cable signal to give you
digital channels including HDTV. The
Motorola CableCARD that I got from
Comcast provided an image that matched
the image from my Comcast Motorola DVR
cable box (DCT6208), only it lacked an onscreen
guide. I haven’t used an over-the-air
(OTA) antenna since cable began carrying
a large selection of HDTV services.
However, I decided to check out the ATSC
tuner in this Sony. I hooked up a Silver
Sensor indoor HDTV antenna and was surprised
to find that I could pull in seven digital
stations from my suburban location in
Washington, DC. Although my home theatre
is in a walk-out basement, it has floor to
ceiling windows along the walk-out side and
luckily that points in a direction where most
of the major DC digital stations are located.
Frequently the OTA images had better resolution
compared to cable. Until now, I
haven’t had a video display capable of
resolving the improvement, but the Sony’s
full 1920 x 1080 sure did! To add icing to
the cake, all the stations have guides displaying
information about current programming,
only visible with OTA reception. There
is a menu selection for signal strength
(Menu/ Applications/ Diagnostics) that was
very helpful in orienting the antenna. There
is a marker on the signal strength bar that
indicates the maximum signal received for
that channel, usually during the automated
setup.
The PC RGB input can accept only a
limited number of computer input signals.
Of most interest are 1024 x 768 (where it
can accept frame rates of 60, 70, 75, and
85), 1280 x 768 (60 fps), and 1280 x 1024
(60 fps). The 1280 x 768 format is the highest
resolution PC format that is widescreen;
it has a ratio of 1.66:1, since PCs use
square pixels. Most notably the Sony SXRD
RPTV cannot accept a 1080p input, which
is the native resolution of the set. Many
modern computers can be set to output
1920 x 1080 pixels (progressive since that
is the only computer output possible) but
the Sony SXRD RP cannot accept it. Why
would you want to do this? Well the
Microsoft WMV HD format looks best at this
resolution. It is currently the best HD media
format available outside of D-VHS® DTheater
™ tape. It is also rumored that the
next Sony PlayStation will have 1080p computer
output. Sony’s official explanation for
the lack of 1080p signal acceptance on the
PC input is that there are no copy protection
standards in place.
G R A Y S C A L E T R A C K I N G
Gray Scale Tracking 1080i YPbPr
IRE Factory Calibrated Factory Calibrated
°K °K dE dE
10 7050 6500 40 6
20 7320 6400 28 3
30 7400 6540 23 3
40 7410 6590 23 2
50 7310 6580 22 2
60 7230 6480 21 2
70 7310 6450 22 1
80 7260 6490 21 2
90 7160 6430 19 1
100 7170 6400 20 2
Sony KDS-R60XBR1
EQUIPMENT Review
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It’s All About The
Picture!
I have described above a variety of
video sources used for testing various features
of the Sony KDS-R60XBR1. When I
just kicked back and watched the set, what
did I look at? The Tonight Show With Jay
Lenoin HDTV on NBC is a favorite, as well
as Late Night With Conan O'Brianthat follows.
I like the shows, and the 1080i image
is incredible, especially OTA with the little
Silver Sensor antenna. The details in Jay
Leno’s and Conan O’Brian’s suit material
and the writing on Jay’s coffee cup are
incredibly clear in HD. On cable, I watched
many movies on Showtime, HBO, INHD and
INHD2, including Taking Livesand The
Transporter. For DVD, in addition to the
Denon and Bravo players, I had a chance
to use the incredible new Sony DVD player,
the DVP-NS9100ES. My favorite reference
disc is still The Fifth Element, now in the
Superbit™ version. This is a disc that should
have absolutely no sign of edge enhancement,
yet should be as crisp and sharp as
the display will allow. The colors should be
brilliant and deep. And so it was. The combination
of the Sony DVD player and the
Sony SXRD display gave the best looking
Fifth ElementI have ever seen. Every strand
of LeeLoo’s hair was distinct, and slight
color differences (orange to yellow)
between the strands were clearly seen. The
level of detail was not necessarily desirable:
the face of the blue opera singer could be
seen to be covered with blue makeup rather
than blue skin. Seen on the Sony KDSR60XBR1,
the Sony DVP-NS9100ES DVD
player could produce an image from a reference
DVD like The Fifth Elementthat
equaled or bettered many so-called HDTV
broadcasts.
Summary
The 60-inch Sony KDS-R60XBR1 has the
most satisfying image I have seen since
watching an 8- or 9-inch CRT front projector,
but it is brighter and arguably has better
blacks and contrasts. It instantly grabs the
attention of anyone walking into the room.
Cable or broadcast HD sources are simply
breathtaking, and DVDs look like I’ve never
seen them before. When this set and its 50-
inch sibling hit the stores, I predict they will
fly off the shelves faster than any previous
112 pound object; hopefully, Sony’s
Pittsburgh factory can keep up with the
demand (from what I saw on a factory tour it
should be able to). I would buy this in an
instant, except I’m waiting to see what Sony
does with its new second generation SXRD
chips in a front projector. ■■
EQUIPMENT Review
Widescreen Review • Issue 102 • November 2005 46 Page 5/5
#102 Master Pages 30-61 10/10/05 8:25 AM Page 46

Nope - Fry's will install the bulb after you order it from Sony and pay for it.

Did you pay MSRP?

Gentlemen,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the technical readouts on the battle station, but WHO, oh WHO has the best advertised price on the 60" Sony?

Thanks in advance.

strikeeagle

:p
Welcome as a new member but we aren't allowed to actually post anything other than MSRP and no linking to discounts at least until a moderator see's it but I recommend a Sony authorized on-line dealer DTVCity with a 30 day return policy - you won't see the price until you'll place it in the cart and it includes a free 2 yr warranty and an inexpensive upgrade to 5 year and includes bulbs.

I could've saved more with ShopSunshine but I was willing to pay extra for them being Sony authorized and the 30 day return availability. I figure when balancing out the difference from the preorder I had at Crutch with free shipping I came out ahead about $500 and no taxes of a B&M like BB CC as that would've been about $300 in MI. They are waiting for their stock but I don't need it for 2 weeks anyways plus I can wait and save the extra money. Will enjoy the feedback in the meantime and how to max out the settings when it arrives! Back into the Light! Good Luck! :D

P.S. Also as you are a new member the best price quite often is a shell game - what you'll find is a lower price but then you may discover a questionable Warranty plan that costs 2-3 times what are charged from other dealers so they bait you with a low ball price and then make their profit on the back end with the extended warranty gravy if someone may not realize and shop those warranties.

Resellerratings provides feedback on many but not all.

So, I can only get it via the ATSC QAM cable tuner in my SXRD as a result of having basic cable. Unfortuntaely, it is not possible to Tivo anything from this source.

Are you saying that you can get ABC in Hi def from your cable (I can't)?
If so then you can easily Tivo ABC. Just get a cheap HDTV tuner card for
your PC and your PC becomes a cable/OTA Tivo.

Another question: Now that you have this uber HDTV set, can
you tell a difference between OTA and D** in terms of PQ?

Nope - Fry's will install the bulb after you order it from Sony and pay for it.

Did you pay MSRP?
Oh, that's not good. Any time limits, etc.? I.e., what if the bulb blows like next month? I can see that they don't replace after its normal life, but abnormal?

I already got the TV (amazing speed, overnight basically) and am checking it out. Any options in terms of service? Say, return the Fry's service and take an outside plan, etc.?

About price, all I got was a price match with CC ($250 off) and a small additional discount to offset a problem I had with my previous purchase.

Between 2-4 Wed. I'll be waiting at the curb. :p


I hope you enjoy it!

- : )

- Thanks.

- Saw the 50" in action at Ken Crane's (KC) today. I don't know if I should post my thought (yes, that is {"thought"} singular), because the only "tweaking" I did was switiching it from Vivid (to what they had it on), the other settings. The salesman was ALL over me!/hounding me!. I don't want to be an irresponsible reviewer in regards to posting my thoughts (seriously) about the TV.

So please tell me honestly if I should post my thoughts on the SXRD.

Thanks!,

M.

actually you can look up my previous posts and i've been on this forum for years and i am a home theater nut. i know alot about this stuff and am kind of offended you guys said that without looking up my history.

Hey Dude:

I offended you and I apologize for that.

I thought I worded my post in a way that indicated my unhappiness with past shopping experiences at CC and BB, where I've had my fill of salespeople who don't know as much as I do about the products they are selling - and believe me, I'm no expert; I wouldn't know nuttin' if it weren't for this forum. Hence my comments alluding to "new" 3lcd tech and Monster Cable. I've been hit with both pitches every time I've gone into a BB or CC recently. No lie, my last trip to CC I spent 15 minutes explaining to the salesman why 3lcd was not "new" in spite of those pretty stickers all over the Sony E series sets.

I'm guessing part of the problem with these stores may not be the quality of the people they hire, so much as it is a failure to invest what it takes to train them properly and keep the training up-to-date. Strictly a business decision, I'm sure, with an eye on the bottom line.

I could go on, but this doesn't really belong in this thread, so I'll shut up.

It was not my intention to impugn your experience and expertise ("don't mean to be rude to the Reldude"). I saw that you had 759 posts here before I posted my comments. I respect that. I was responding to and agreeing with AkaStp's commentary about the shopping experience at BB and in no way did I include you personally in those remarks. I hope that is clear now.

I come here to learn, share and have some fun in the process, not to smear. :)

Al

Of course it didn't happen, the viewing material was the bottleneck,
incapable of revealing differences.
I'll say it again: you can't draw any conclusions by comparing performance
charateristics based on low definition material, just doesn't make sense.
That would be like comparing the performance of a Ferrari vs a Maserati by
driving both through a school zone at 10 miles per hour.

If your viewing distance is really 14 feet, then I'd say it won't matter. All sets
will look the same, even a RPCRT, because the perceived screen size is so tiny.
I'm at a distance of 7' with my 61" lo res DLP, and that distance is about right,
very close to the ideal 36 degree viewing angle. Even the 71" size is way small
for 14', so I'd suggest rearranging the furniture to get the TV closer, otherwise you'll never get anything like
an immersive viewing experience.

What's wrong with that comparison? If I had to drive that car through a school zone some % of the time then I would want to know how it performed. Does it brake evenly, does the engine run rough, does it overheat? Those would be my criteria, not yours.

As for the distance, that's another personal choice. Go look in a movie theater some time where people sit - in the front, the middle, the back. It's all personal preference and each of those people are correct in their choice.

Welcome as a new member but we aren't allowed to actually post anything other than MSRP and no linking to discounts at least until a moderator see's it but I recommend a Sony authorized on-line dealer DTVCity with a 30 day return policy - you won't see the price until you'll place it in the cart and it includes a free 2 yr warranty and an inexpensive upgrade to 5 year and includes bulbs.

I could've saved more with ShopSunshine but I was willing to pay extra for them being Sony authorized and the 30 day return availability. I figure when balancing out the difference from the preorder I had at Crutch with free shipping I came out ahead about $500 and no taxes of a B&M like BB CC as that would've been about $300 in MI. They are waiting for their stock but I don't need it for 2 weeks anyways plus I can wait and save the extra money. Will enjoy the feedback in the meantime and how to max out the settings when it arrives! Back into the Light! Good Luck! :D

P.S. Also as you are a new member the best price quite often is a shell game - what you'll find is a lower price but then you may discover a questionable Warranty plan that costs 2-3 times what are charged from other dealers so they bait you with a low ball price and then make their profit on the back end with the extended warranty gravy if someone may not realize and shop those warranties.

Resellerratings provides feedback on many but not all.
Thank you for the info on from whom you purchased the sony. I will order one from them today. I had reservations about ordering one from a company that had an unsatisfactory return policy nor was I willing to pay MSRP. I also like the idea of a reasonable extended warranty that includes bulbs.

Hi all,

Just got back from looking at my second 60" SXRD and with similar results. The picture was noticeably soft. I noted this yesterday when I compared a different 60" to the 720 Sony LCDs nearby, but the difference was on modest. Today, however, the neighboring sets were a Mitsu and Samsung 1080p and the difference was much more pronounced. Subjectively the 60XBR1 looked maybe 85% as sharp as the other two. A friend who was with me and even the salesman agreed that the Sony just looked a bit fuzzy. :( In fact, the thought that struck me was that I would have expected the comparison to have turned out in the exact opposite way (ie, wobulated 1080p DLP looking 85-90% as sharp as the SXRD). What's even more bizarre is that the Qualia 70" in another room was much sharper as well, so I don't think that it's just the smaller screen sizes that were giving this impression. And the sets were right next to each other on the wall so I doubt that it was a feed problem in this case (the salesman even said that they'd moved the set yesterday because they thought this might be the issue, but that it made little difference). Even the 50" Sony A10 LCD looked sharper to us.

As yesterday, the set was driven on the component input and the pro mode was engaged. It did occur to me later that I didn't check to be certain that the NR was turned off nor that the DRC mode was set to Cinemotion. Either of these things may make an improvement in the level of detail in the image. I will try to go back this evening and play with these settings. I will also visit the one other store in the area that's supposed to have one of these on display.

This situation is driving me nuts, as I'm seeing rave after rave about these sets from owners and now from WSR as well with the high level of detail as one of the main points! :confused: Not only that, but the 50" SXRD that I saw looked demonstrably clearer than either 60". Something must be out of whack with the setup for these sets, but I have a hard time blaming the feed in this case since the 1080p DLPs right next to it presumably would have similar issues.

A rolloff of the component vs. the HDMI or OTA inputs is the only thing I can think of that may account for this issue. A possible reason why this may not be getting flagged by owners is that they are probably only using component inputs for DVD, if at all, and using either the OTA tuner or a satellite box with HDMI for HD. If the component input were rolling off the highest HD frequencies it probably wouldn't be too noticeable at DVD signal bandwidths (even 480p). This theory is leant some credence by the fact that the Qualia was, according to the salesman, being driven through it's HDMI port and looked much sharper.

So the question then is, has anyone compared the difference between the HDMI and component inputs for an HD signal on their set? If so, does the component input produce any noticeable softening vs. HDMI?

Sorry for the long post. I really want to buy this set, but I need to figure out what the heck's going on before plunking down $4-5k.

Thanks,
Alan

- : )

- Thanks.

- Saw the 50" in action at Ken Crane's (KC) today. I don't know if I should post my thought (yes, that is {"thought"} singular), because the only "tweaking" I did was switiching it from Vivid (to what they had it on), the other settings. The salesman was ALL over me!/hounding me!. I don't want to be an irresponsible reviewer in regards to posting my thoughts (seriously) about the TV.

So please tell me honestly if I should post my thoughts on the SXRD.

Thanks!,

M.

Sure. Sounds like 'Vivid' is not the best mode for analysis but within that
context it should be great...

Welcome as a new member but we aren't allowed to actually post anything other than MSRP and no linking to discounts at least until a moderator see's it but I recommend a Sony authorized on-line dealer DTVCity with a 30 day return policy - you won't see the price until you'll place it in the cart and it includes a free 2 yr warranty and an inexpensive upgrade to 5 year and includes bulbs.

I could've saved more with ShopSunshine but I was willing to pay extra for them being Sony authorized and the 30 day return availability. I figure when balancing out the difference from the preorder I had at Crutch with free shipping I came out ahead about $500 and no taxes of a B&M like BB CC as that would've been about $300 in MI. They are waiting for their stock but I don't need it for 2 weeks anyways plus I can wait and save the extra money. Will enjoy the feedback in the meantime and how to max out the settings when it arrives! Back into the Light! Good Luck! :D

P.S. Also as you are a new member the best price quite often is a shell game - what you'll find is a lower price but then you may discover a questionable Warranty plan that costs 2-3 times what are charged from other dealers so they bait you with a low ball price and then make their profit on the back end with the extended warranty gravy if someone may not realize and shop those warranties.

Resellerratings provides feedback on many but not all.

Hello West, did you look at Resellerratings they have a "O" you could be the first to give them a rating. http://www.resellerratings.com/seller7265.html

I am thinking also of buying from them same price as OneCall's had, I just like to see the price under 4 bills.

Good luck

Alan,

I asked the same question a couple of days ago. The concensus was that HDMI was only slightly sharper.

I brought my wife to CC in Danvers, MA where they had recently put a 50" SXRD on display. She wasn't crazy about the shiny bezel and wondered if there was a model that didn't have speakers since I was going to use mine. I told her that I thought the set look like a serving tray with handles on either end and that if they had a monitor I would have opted for it. Having speakers on a set like the Sony seems to me to be like putting training wheels on a Harley.
All the units of various manufacturers on display in the display room at CC were in need of fine tuning (too saturated for a start) which I am sure will suprise no one. That being said, at first glance I thought the Sony had the best picture but I wasn't sure if I would be aware of the difference at home without the side by side comparison. They were all tuned to an HD Discovery Channel program on the Australian outback. Suddenly there was a shot of the outback as night was falling, all the sets had the same picture and were uniformly black on the bottom on the screen - except the Sony. The Sony displayed discernable shades of green and detail of the foliage. That blew me away. Some of you might say it was just that the Sony was better adjusted that the others - I don't believe it. Based on that and many of the reviews above I am getting the 60" SXRD.

Hi all,


Not only that, but the 50" SXRD that I saw looked demonstrably clearer than either 60".


When doing a side by side comparison, you *must* use sets of equal screen
size. A smaller set will always look sharper, better simply because it has
greater pixel density, which in effect makes it higher resolution.



A rolloff of the component vs. the HDMI or OTA inputs is the only thing I can think of that may account for this issue.


Right. Once again, you've designed an 'apples and oranges' comparison.
In any experiment, you must work one variable at a time. If you see a
difference, you don't know if it was due to the inherent display characteristics,
or due to the fact that component is analog and therefore subject to high frequency rolloff.

What's wrong with that comparison?


In the case of a hi definition Tv set, it makes no sense to
evaluate HD performance by testing it with low definition
material.

If you have at least basic cable and an ATSC QAM cable tuner in your TV you should be able to get HD locals (WB, CBS, ABC, PBS, NBC, FOX) from cable.

I only wish this were true.
Unfortunately, Comcast has decided to deny the citizens of Longmont, Co
hi definition programming,
thereby creating a "haves" vs 'havenots' class.

[QUOTE=AkaStp]
OTA and cable are not as good as they used to be, with some blocking, probably due to multicasting.

I haven't noticed any degradation in PQ on any of the locals that I get in HD
(i.e. every network except ABC) except this year on some (not all) NFL games on
CBS. Then again, I've only been doing HD since August, '03.
What is blocking, what does it look like?

If you have at least basic cable and an ATSC QAM cable tuner in your TV you should be able to get HD locals (WB, CBS, ABC, PBS, NBC, FOX) from cable.

I only wish this were true.
Unfortunately, Comcast has decided to deny the citizens of Longmont, Co
hi definition programming,
thereby creating a "haves" vs 'havenots' class.


OTA and cable are not as good as they used to be, with some blocking, probably due to multicasting.

I haven't noticed any degradation in PQ on any of the locals that I get in HD
(i.e. every network except ABC) except this year on some (not all) NFL games on
CBS. Then again, I've only been doing HD since August, '03.
What is blocking, what does it look like?