Official Sony XBR8 Series Owner's Thread

I think we might have to wait a while...

Normally don't you have to own one to start these threads?

Yes, this thread should be closed since the original poster doesn't own one and cannot provide any information, post photos or reviews.

My KDL46XBR8 shipped yesterday and is expected to arrive within the next 48 hours.

i'll agree. the 'impressions' thread is more interesting and helpful at this point -- especially if you can convince the moderators to cut out the plasma crowds's intervention. although the 'ownership' criteria seems to have been jetissoned awhile ago looking at past threads.

but actually i've been thinking of starting a xbr9/xbr10 thread -- you can't be too early.

Yesterday I took delivery of my new KDL-46XBR8!

This TV is replacing a KDL-46XBR3.

The Bad News:
Unfortunately as I began to unpack the TV, I noticed a large number of serious scratches around the bezel, and a very small chip on the left lower side of the bezel. I am currently working with Sony Style to get this resolved.


The Good News:
I can immediately see an incredible difference over my XBR3, and am VERY happy with my investment!


Please keep in mind I have only had this set for 24 hours, so my experiences are limited. I currently have it hooked up to a Sony DA3200ES receiver, through which I have both a TiVo Series 3 (Cable Cards from Time Warner) and Playstation 3 connected.

It still amazes me how awful HD cable looks on these TVs on their default settings. Definitely scared me at first, but I remembered how much better my XBR3 looked with a little tweaking. After some tinkering, I immediately noticed that they grays of my XBR3 were gone, replaced with deep dark blacks on the XBR8. That alone was the selling point for me, and although I bought this TV sight unseen, I was confident they would be significantly better than the XBR3, and they are.

Let's look at a few pics!! My apologies for my poor camera work.


In the Box
Unpacking the TV
More Unpacking
Initial Setup
First Experience: Baseball in HD
More Baseball, different angle


A small turnoff of this set is the depth. However, knowing where I was placing this TV, it wasn't an issue for me. But still, that's pretty deep for an LCD set from 2008. I'd love to know why the LED backlighting increases this depth. Any insights?

XBR 8 Depth Shot


I tried a few HD programs I had on my TiVo Series 3, including a couple of stellar CBS broadcasts.

Carrie Underwood Detail
More Carrie Underwood

I know it's nearly impossible to tell in camera shots, but the blacks are really black, and the detail and color are equally impressive. Unfortunately in that last shot you can see some of the scratches and "striations" across the top of the bezel.

Star Wars Episode II from TiVo
More Star Wars Episode II

The Vice Presidential Debates on CBS

It's really tough to see in camera shots, but the off angle viewing is very impressive, better than my previous XBR3.

VP Debates Off-Angle

Here are a couple of Ratatouille BluRay shots, played from a PS3 via HDMI. Sorry, they aren't the best quality.

Ratatouille BluRay
More Ratatouille BluRay

Overall, I really like the aesthetics of the set. I wasn't sure about the "ears" when I saw the promo shots, but in person I think they are great, don't stick out much, blend into the set, and because they extend the width of the set just a but, it adds a perceived wider cinematical value to the experience, if that makes any sense.

Anyway, I just wanted to get some pics up for you guys and provide a few insights. Tomorrow I'll be able to spend more time with it and will provide some PS3 gaming insights & pics, as well as explore the magical world of Standard Definition. I also have a lot more tweaking to do with the settings, and would love any suggestions on what you're using on similar sets. (Usually I prefer to turn most of the advanced settings off...)

Bring on the questions & requests, I'll do my best to respond. I hope some of the above is helpful in your purchase decisions!!

vangorkomm,

Can you post pictures of the remote control of the XBR8?

thanks

Play any video games on it?

First, congratulations on your new purchase.

Second, would you be willing to post pics of the damage you mention? The box looks undamaged and the internal styrofoam and wrapping looks good. I am wondering if this damage occurred during the manufacturing process and went undetected before packing and shipping. On second review of your pics, I can see the scratches on the bezel. That almost looks like this set has been used. Maybe an early production unit that was tested at another location.

Don't be embarrassed by your camera work. It's very good and much better than most that are posted.

TIA

Maybe there is a removable protective film over the bezel? or even try buffing some scratches out with a damp rag. I doubt either will help but it's worth a try. I would also check the screen for scratches, get a bright light or a flash light and go over the hole screen. I have no idea how this could happen during shipping since the scratches go in all differen't directions.

A question I have is does the tv stand swivel? The japan and europe version do but I don't see it in the US manual or spec sheets. And thanks for the pics.

vangorkomm:

Sorry to hear about those scratches. Congrats on your purchase! [Nice BDI stand by the way. I want one of those series stands as well.]

Very interested in the picture options available. What, to your knowledge, can you do to tweak picture that you couldn't do with the older model?

More pics of the scratches. I need to get some better pics than these, they don't quite do it justice. I've tried wiping it off with a rag, as I also thought maybe they were just some bad smudges from the styrofoam or something, but it's all mostly engrained in the bezel. My first thought was that they sent me a floor model. Sucky.

Top of Bezel
More of the Top
Top Right, Major Scratch
Closeup of Strange Striations
Small white nick in bezel
Upper Right Corner Scratch

Sony said they'd get back to me in 48 hours. I bought the TV through the Sony Family Center, so unfortunately their only customer support is an email address.

Good times!

I would never judge a TV by pics posted on a forum. Good thing because these pics I'm sure(hope) don't do this set any justice. I actually like the look of the set, speaker ears and all.

Congrats on the set! Question for you when you are messing around with gaming tomorrow though. Do you have a PS3 that can play PS2 games? If so, can you test some of them to see what kind of lag we can expect? If you can't play PS2 games, can you download the Mega Man 9 demo from the PSN instead? I have issues with lag mainly when jumping on my Samsung DLP that I'm looking to replace possibly with an XBR 8, and since I would use this as primarily a gaming TV, I'm hoping that this won't be an issue. Thanks and congrats again!

Thanks for the photos! Nice TV huh? One thing I noticed is that your settings are too red. Can you turn that down? Thanks.

Congrats and some pics of blu-ray movies and ps3 game shots would be real nice to show the true capabilties of this awesome piece of machinery but of course it won't reveal itself than actually being in front of it is a whole different story but it's enough to please the weary minds...

Your investment? , thanks for all the helpful information, hope you're very happy with your set!

Thanks for the pics Vangor!

It almost looks to me as though the TV might have been repacked. I could be wrong, however factory shipping in original cartons and packaging are usually pretty bullet prof. Those mars look like there was a fair amount of shifting taking place, which should not occur. The factory is pretty anal about shipping containers, since they know how boxes are handled.

In your first pics, it did not seem that there was any significant damage to the box.


By the way, I appreciate your photos and comments..I am debating returning my 52XBR6 and going to the 8 or a 950.

x2

I actually noticed the scratches from your first set of pictures and didn't want to say anything and then scrolled down and saw that you had actually noticed yourself, so now I feel ok posting about this issue.

Bottom line, if this were me, I wouldn't have even accepted delivery if I had noticed the scratches right away. If I hadn't noticed, I would be all over Sony until they sent me a properly packaged new set. I see that you got the set-up menu upon start-up, but I'm not sure if that screen can't be re-produced. For the price they're charging for an XBR8 you'd better be damn happy.

Thanks forn the pictures and impressions Vangor, nice to see you are happy with the TV except for the scratches. The scratches do look really bad in your photo's and this is certainly not the condition you should expect to receive any TV never mind Sony's flagship model. I would certainly be on to them until they agreed to swap it out and make sure you get one in pristine condition as you should rightly expect.

I would be interested if you are a gamer and have noticed much input lag.

Thanks again

I have have purchased 3 Sony's in the past two years. When each was unpacked, there was a clear film which covered the entire screen and bezel. In addition there was a decal on the bezel, with icons displaying the different features of the set. I did not see either in your photos.

My XBR6 which I took delivery this past Saturday was no exception. The clear film is there to protect the screen and bezel. The decal is located on the upper right top and side.

I would say exchange the tv and keep us posted what happens

Ref post 14......sorry that this "8" was found to have scratches, but would be more interested in the operation.

I forgot all about those features stickers. I'm sure the XBR8 would come with them too.

Some TV's don't have those stickers for some odd reason but it's still the real deal. When I bought mine, there were no stickers either but it was not refurbished for sure.