I was at Best Buy this past Sunday and as I usually do I passed but the Sony Blu-ray display. Ghost Rider was playing on the screen and I did a double take. Wait a sec, this looks way better that it did on my 1080i 32" Sammy(HDMI with PS3 features). My 720p native Sammy always looked better than the uncalibrated XBR2 they had at Best Buy. I ask the clerk and he tells me it's the new XBR4 with special image enhancing features. He throws in POTC: DMC and my jaw hits the floor!!!:eek: A crowd started forming with everyone shocked at how amazingly 3D the images look. The Kraken's tentacles literally came off the screen. My sammy started to feel very dated at that point.

I've been enjoying Blu-ray since I purchased my PS3 10 months ago and I never truly knew it's true potential. Best Buy's new XBR4 display helped show me that there is a whole nother level out there. It also introduced the power of Blu-ray to alot of potential buyers.

I was at Best Buy this past Sunday and as I usually do I passed but the Sony Blu-ray display. Ghost Rider was playing on the screen and I did a double take. Wait a sec, this looks way better that it did on my 1080i 32" Sammy(HDMI with PS3 features). My 720p native Sammy always looked better than the uncalibrated XBR2 they had at Best Buy. I ask the clerk and he tells me it's the new XBR4 with special image enhancing features. He throws in POTC: DMC and my jaw hits the floor!!!:eek: A crowd started forming with everyone shocked at how amazingly 3D the images look. The Kraken's tentacles literally came off the screen. My sammy started to feel very dated at that point.

I've been enjoying Blu-ray since I purchased my PS3 10 months ago and I never truly knew it's true potential. Best Buy's new XBR4 display helped show me that there is a whole nother level out there. It also introduced the power of Blu-ray to alot of potential buyers.

A TV can really make a difference. I may have to check out that Samsung as a replacement for my HP Plasma.

I'm more shocked this didn't end with 'and then everyone agreed Blu-ray looked awesome and they all bought players and 10 movies each' like most of these threads end.

It's not a Sammy, it's the new Sony XBR4 that they have on display. It was $2500 for the 40" version. I will be buying one by the beggining of next year. :D

They should use the Pioneer 5080 or the 5010FD to display it. Best tv's on the market right now.

i felt the same way after seeing some of the tvs they had on display and even more so after a friend's fiance picked up a sammy 50" 1080p plasma for him. they had a 3year financing offer going and i picked out the plasma for her.

when we got it to his house and fired it up on a ps3 it was absolutely amazing how much better it was compared to my 720p sammy dlp.

however, i was just at a friend of my mom's place that had a 52" bravia lcd. i'm not sure if it's the xbr4 or older but it did have the glass outter bezel so it should be one of the xbr models. after running it through avia's calibration disc and firing up some blu-ray discs off the ps3 (he only had it up to 1.8, so i dont think the 1080p/24 function was working properly), to my surprise it didnt look much better if at all than my sammy 50".

i'm not sure if there were some function not set correctly, but i was underwhelmed by the tv, i expected to have the same if not better experience than my friend's much cheaper plasma ($2700 vs at least $3000 maybe even $4000). i'm pretty set now on plasma when i decide to upgrade my display.

anyone know where and if i can get the demo disc they use? the one that shows a direct comparison between dvd and bd with a blue vertical line between the two that shifts back and forth.

Hey, I saw the exact same thing this weekend at my Circuit City except they were showing PoTC: CotBP on a Sony. There were literally flocks of people standing in front of the TV with their mouth agape. The picture was so amazing that all of their Sony Blu-Ray standalone players (the one for $499.99) were sold out. I think some people may be disappointed though when they can't recreate the same 3D effect on their less than steller displays (like me!).

Hey, I saw the exact same thing this weekend at my Circuit City except they were showing PoTC: CotBP on a Sony. There were literally flocks of people standing in front of the TV with their mouth agape. The picture was so amazing that all of their Sony Blu-Ray standalone players (the one for $499.99) were sold out. I think some people may be disappointed though when they can't recreate the same 3D effect on their less than steller displays (like me!).

I wanted to buy that TV right then and there, but my wife talked some sense into me. I need to pay off my other bills first. :rolleyes:

I'm just in shock as to how much better the Sony XBR4 looks compared to my HDTV.

I was at Best Buy this past Sunday and as I usually do I passed but the Sony Blu-ray display. Ghost Rider was playing on the screen and I did a double take. Wait a sec, this looks way better that it did on my 1080i 32" Sammy(HDMI with PS3 features). My 720p native Sammy always looked better than the uncalibrated XBR2 they had at Best Buy. I ask the clerk and he tells me it's the new XBR4 with special image enhancing features. He throws in POTC: DMC and my jaw hits the floor!!!:eek: A crowd started forming with everyone shocked at how amazingly 3D the images look. The Kraken's tentacles literally came off the screen. My sammy started to feel very dated at that point.

I've been enjoying Blu-ray since I purchased my PS3 10 months ago and I never truly knew it's true potential. Best Buy's new XBR4 display helped show me that there is a whole nother level out there. It also introduced the power of Blu-ray to alot of potential buyers.

yes this is why i have been waiting for a tv for the past 2 years, im goin to buy the 60 inch XBR5 that comes out in november. i cant wait to hook up my PS3 to it and watch some blu ray movies.

I was at Best Buy this past Sunday and as I usually do I passed but the Sony Blu-ray display. Ghost Rider was playing on the screen and I did a double take. Wait a sec, this looks way better that it did on my 1080i 32" Sammy(HDMI with PS3 features). My 720p native Sammy always looked better than the uncalibrated XBR2 they had at Best Buy. I ask the clerk and he tells me it's the new XBR4 with special image enhancing features. He throws in POTC: DMC and my jaw hits the floor!!!:eek: A crowd started forming with everyone shocked at how amazingly 3D the images look. The Kraken's tentacles literally came off the screen. My sammy started to feel very dated at that point.

I've been enjoying Blu-ray since I purchased my PS3 10 months ago and I never truly knew it's true potential. Best Buy's new XBR4 display helped show me that there is a whole nother level out there. It also introduced the power of Blu-ray to alot of potential buyers.I'm going to have to swing by my closest Best Buy now & check them out. I hope they're displaying Blu-ray now using the new Sonys.

I also hope they've hooked up their HD-DVD player to a Venturer HDTV displays (should such a thing exist).

anyone know where and if i can get the demo disc they use? the one that shows a direct comparison between dvd and bd with a blue vertical line between the two that shifts back and forth.
If I recall, it's not really a "direct" comparison, but a simulated one...no?

Hey, I saw the exact same thing this weekend at my Circuit City except they were showing PoTC: CotBP on a Sony. There were literally flocks of people standing in front of the TV with their mouth agape.

Same experience here at Circuit City in New York City on Sunday. PoTC: CotBP was playing on a 52" Sony XBR4 and there was a constant crowd hovered around with a lot of comments about the high quality of the image. Overheard several guys asking salesmen about Blu-ray.

Part of the "wow" factor is that these displays have a 120hz refresh rate, which gives the appearance of smoother action and an almost 3-D clarity. I was watching parts of "X3" on Blu-ray on a Samsung display that also features 120hz refresh rate and it made the film image appear so smooth that it took on a video-like appearance. It can be weirdly distracting if your TV settings aren't tweaked just right, based on users' experiences with these sets that I've been reading on message boards, but the effect can also be breathtaking in its amazing clarity.

If I recall, it's not really a "direct" comparison, but a simulated one...no?
Indeed. It's just marketing - but very effective marketing.

Yeah, when I saw the side by side comparisons it almost looked as if they ran a blur filter over the SDDVD side of the image.

Same experience here at Circuit City in New York City on Sunday. PoTC: CotBP was playing on a 52" Sony XBR4 and there was a constant crowd hovered around with a lot of comments about the high quality of the image. Overheard several guys asking salesmen about Blu-ray.

Part of the "wow" factor is that these displays have a 120hz refresh rate, which gives the appearance of smoother action and an almost 3-D clarity. I was watching parts of "X3" on Blu-ray on a Samsung display that also features 120hz refresh rate and it made the film image appear so smooth that it took on a video-like appearance. It can be weirdly distracting if your TV settings aren't tweaked just right, based on users' experiences with these sets that I've been reading on message boards, but the effect can also be breathtaking in its amazing clarity.

Ooooh so it's the 120hz refresh rate that makes the picture look like that? I feel silly now because I've been asking people on the forums how to recreate that exact look on my crappy Mits WD-52631... Crappp now to think of a way to unload my big fat DLP!

Yeah, when I saw the side by side comparisons it almost looked as if they ran a blur filter over the SDDVD side of the image.I suspect that on the one half they simply reduced the number of pixels. Have you ever seen a basketball game displayed on a HD-DVD display next to a standard definition TV? World of difference. The HD-DVD allows you to clearly see and (if you knew them) recognize individuals in the audience. The same picture shown on the standard TV next to it doesn't have that level of detail.

Ooooh so it's the 120hz refresh rate that makes the picture look like that? I feel silly now because I've been asking people on the forums how to recreate that exact look on my crappy Mits WD-52631... Crappp now to think of a way to unload my big fat DLP!And the 120MHz rate is one of the prerequisites for the 3D video capability coming out next year using Blu-ray. THE FUTURE IS HERE!!

I suspect that on the one half they simply reduced the number of pixels. Have you ever seen a basketball game displayed on a HD-DVD display next to a standard definition TV? World of difference. The HD-DVD allows you to clearly see and (if you knew them) recognize individuals in the audience. The same picture shown on the standard TV next to it doesn't have that level of detail.


I agree that the difference in picture quality between SD and HD is huge, whenever I would watch boxing in HD my friend and I would constantly be watching the audience looking for people doing weird/crazy things, and the detail is fantastic. However I felt the difference was exaggerated.

The SD shots in the side by side at bestbuy look noticeably worse than any DVD I've watched either in 480p or upscaled to 1080i on my mediocre CRT set.

Don't think it is all done to promote Blu-ray. TV profit margains are dropping due to how competitive the market is and dropping tv prices, and so retail stores are really trying to promote higher priced tv models now to bring in more money. I don't mind though. XBR's sure are nice.

I agree that the difference in picture quality between SD and HD is huge, whenever I would watch boxing in HD my friend and I would constantly be watching the audience looking for people doing weird/crazy things, and the detail is fantastic. However I felt the difference was exaggerated.

The SD shots in the side by side at bestbuy look noticeably worse than any DVD I've watched either in 480p or upscaled to 1080i on my mediocre CRT set.I'll have to check that out the next time I'm at Best Buy. The one time I recall seeing the side-by-side comparison, they were using Kingdom of Heaven and the "regular" side looked like what DVD looks like (i.e., not really bad at all, just noticibly not as good or detailed as the Hi-def side.).

Venturer HD-DVD motto:

"Venturer; Melts on Your TV Stand, Not in Your Hands"

I don't remember what movies they were demoing on the side by side when I saw it, but it was about 30 second clips of a few different films. I would say the PQ of the SD side of the screen was about on part with an SD cable boradcast. This was several months ago, and I'm only going on memory so I could be off on this. I only hung around and checked it our for a minute or so.

I don't remember what movies they were demoing on the side by side when I saw it, but it was about 30 second clips of a few different films. I would say the PQ of the SD side of the screen was about on part with an SD cable boradcast. This was several months ago, and I'm only going on memory so I could be off on this. I only hung around and checked it our for a minute or so.

if you're referring to the simulated scenes, Kingdom of Heaven and A Knight's Tales are a couple of titles i remember being shown.

i'm not sure if the "pop" on the xbr is a result of the 120Hz, b/c my friend's sammy plasma also had that same pop and it wasnt 120hz. i'd think the refresh rate should only effect smoothness of movement rather than image quality.

on an odd note, my mom's friend's 52" bravia xbr, i'm not sure 3 or 4, did not have the same pop and i was very disappointed when i was calibrating it (with avia disc). he didnt have his ps3 updated to 1.9 so i dont think the 1080p/24 feature is at work.

It is not just that these new displays are using a 120Hz refresh rate. They are also using "dark frame insertion" where they insert flames of black or darkened image in between the regular video frames. These greatly reduce the ghosting that is one of the shortcomings of LCD direct view sets.

There are threads about it in the display forums.

BB

if you're referring to the simulated scenes, Kingdom of Heaven and A Knight's Tales are a couple of titles i remember being shown.

i'm not sure if the "pop" on the xbr is a result of the 120Hz, b/c my friend's sammy plasma also had that same pop and it wasnt 120hz. i'd think the refresh rate should only effect smoothness of movement rather than image quality.

on an odd note, my mom's friend's 52" bravia xbr, i'm not sure 3 or 4, did not have the same pop and i was very disappointed when i was calibrating it (with avia disc). he didnt have his ps3 updated to 1.9 so i dont think the 1080p/24 feature is at work.

To get that "pop" do you want 1080p/24 on or off?

I had this same experience Sunday at my local Best Buy. There were 3 blu-ray displays, but one in particular caught my attention. The pq was amazing on their display. I have only had my Panasonic for 9 months, but I think I already need an upgrade now.

[QUOTE=TheAxeMurderer;11516562]The Kraken's tentacles literally came off the screen.

WOW!!! This TOTALLY blows smell-o-vision out of the water. This TV is a steal at anything under $50,000, but do I need a new Blu-Ray player or does this somehow work with all of them? I literally crapped my pants reading that!

Hey, I saw the exact same thing this weekend at my Circuit City except they were showing PoTC: CotBP on a Sony. There were literally flocks of people standing in front of the TV with their mouth agape. The picture was so amazing that all of their Sony Blu-Ray standalone players (the one for $499.99) were sold out.
Don't be too quick to judge "sold out"; my local BB has been "sold out" of Sony BD players for about three weeks now.

(Seriously - two "open box" S1s and the shelf space for the BDP-300 has just been empty for at least that long.)

By the way, anyone know if the short clip from POTC on the BR demo disc is from an extra shot on videotape? It's just too clean and crisp to be film - it looks more like the picture you see watching videotaped HD, like The Tonight Show.

My new Sony 60A3000 also used 120 Hz refresh rate and has lots of other motion features (enhancer, naturalizer, and cinemotion). Some of them really bring the picture to life more than any other TVs I've seen.

I'll have to check that out the next time I'm at Best Buy. The one time I recall seeing the side-by-side comparison, they were using Kingdom of Heaven and the "regular" side looked like what DVD looks like (i.e., not really bad at all, just noticibly not as good or detailed as the Hi-def side.).

Venturer HD-DVD motto:

"Venturer; Melts on Your TV Stand, Not in Your Hands"

You need to seriously chill out. 733 posts in less than 2 months??

To get that "pop" do you want 1080p/24 on or off?

there's ON and AUTOMATIC, you want it on ON. it'll give you a warning saying if you don't see a picture after clicking yes it'd revert back to Auto in 30seconds. if you see a picture after clciking yes your display supports the feature, if not, time to save for upgrade.

Sony LCDs are nice and all but they aren't anything special. They rank along with the newest Sharp, Samsung, and Toshiba TVs.

These endcap displays have contrast/brightness turned up to torch mode to attract attention. They actually look quite bad if you actually like movies to look like film and not like Monday Night Football.

My 52" XBR4 is supposed to be delivered on Sunday. :D

people are really turning into friking jerks around here...

I must be out of it... BB has XBR?:confused:

Yes, BB carries Sony XBR sets.

If the BB in question has an in-store Magnolia HiFi, they will often carry any XBRs BB itself doesn't.

So for example, BB carries the KDL-32XBR4, but Magnolia sells the 60" and 70" XBR SXRD sets.

The displays have the signals split like 100 times for the same content that is showing throughout the store. What manipulation is being done if this specific Bravia isn't the top of the heap at this point? Looked damn good to me, much better than the previous Bravia model sitting right next to it. :)

they have several models on display that has its own dedicated player rather than all tv's showing the same content from the same source split to all tvs.

Yes, BB carries Sony XBR sets.

If the BB in question has an in-store Magnolia HiFi, they will often carry any XBRs BB itself doesn't.

So for example, BB carries the KDL-32XBR4, but Magnolia sells the 60" and 70" XBR SXRD sets.

Ah right, Magnolia. Should have thought about that before posting.:o

Displays are nice and just because it looks crappy at your store doesn't mean that all stores are inept.
Of all the Best Buys stores I visited, I never had a problem with their demos of Blu-Ray or HDDVD for that matter.
The only way Best Buy is really going to do either format justice is two-fold:
1) Lower their prices $5 across the board, minimum on every title. It confonds me that Wal-Mart can sell the same title $5 less while Best Buy has them beat on Standard DVDs.
2) Loss leader sales on new releases. Showing MSRP next to (also available on Blu-Ray) isn't doing it for me and won't get me into the store.

They should use the Pioneer 5080 or the 5010FD to display it. Best tv's on the market right now.+1. The 5010FD is (in my opinion) the best panel on the planet at this moment (excluding the 6010FD/Elite models).

Tell me about it... I have an XBR2 and when I saw the XBR4's, I felt like my TV is a couple years old...

people are really turning into friking jerks around here...

Welcome to the club. It's been that way:

Deface and mud sling anything Sony related. However, this doesn't happen in the LCD TV forum that actually has people interested and are happy owners of the XBRs.

I'm glad I came into this thread. I already planned on buying the 46XBR4 around black Friday and I never even seen the thing in person. I picked up a ps3 last week and had a 360 since day 1, been supporting HD DVD since day 1 so it's time to upgrade my nice but severely outdated 720P Sammy DLP. I'd buy it now, but we all know prices are insane before xmas. Before I take the plunge I will compare to the new Sammy LCD as well. Thanks for the thread.

The best buys near me, the Bluray Display aways looks pretty lousy. The have the settings messed up, color is way to bright. and doesnt look very sharp, then they always have the " A Knights Tale" demo showing witch is an awful demo. the have it on I think a Samsung LCD and the tv must be on Vivid settings because it looks like crap.

The Other end the HD-DVD is on a nicer TV and looks alittle sharper and better then the bluray display. but not as impressive as home.

My local Circuit City has Bluray and HD-DVD playing right next to each other on about 50 inch tvs usually Superman or King Kong on HD-DVD and a bluray Demo Disc playing on the other.




but even if you look at HD stuff that they are showing on all the tvs at best buy, it never looks that great, its never very sharp. Its sad, if people could see a good HD signal on those tvs, everyone would be buying a HD TV right away.