I've decided after much research that the Sony KD-XBR970 will be my first hd tv. I know that it has a great picture compared to most if not all flat panels. Even though its res is only 853x1080 interlaced, i figure whats the real difference between that and 720p? only 360 pixels lol.

Sounded great from owners with rave reviews so i went to my local best buy and they actually had it set up with discovery hd displaying. Even next to a much larger screen dlp, the colors were much richer and blacks were stellar. Then i saw that side of the set was somewhat split down the side of the caseing and that there was noticable vertical colored lines (as i call them) throughout the screen. It looked like that the lines were supposed to be there, not random. What are these lines and would they affect my viewing experience playing xbox360, dvds, tvshows etc.?

Or

Is it just a problem because the set was somewhat damaged?

Thanks in advance.

hey man, I think I know the exact set you were looking at. Crossgates mall right? I know the split on the side. I did not notice the lines though. Hm. I just bought the same set from CC, and it will be delivered tomorow!

I don't have vertical lines on my 970...

Yeah Crossgates mall. Small world. Why did you get it from CC instead of BB?

Were you looking very closely at the screen and seeing the vertical stripes of red, green and blue phosphor on the Trinitron tube?

The only reason I chose CC, was because theyhad the stand I wanted with the set in stock to be delivered. So, tomorow I will have it. A small world indeed! That's so funny that we both noticed the crack on the side! Then again, you would hope a person would notice such a thing. Good luck, and I will be sure to post my feelings tomorow.

If you see a bunch of lines vertically this is aperture grille. If you see a colored line that isn't
adjacent to the vertical grille then the tube has probably worn down due to it being in a
"torch" setting to make consumers want to buy them.