The Official KDL...XBR9 Thread - Page 2

True, but for many of us a 52" will do quite nicely.

Granted, I wish they did make larger sizes, 55" - 60" but usually prices on these sizes are through the roof!!

Besides 240Hz vs 120Hz
XBR9 BE3, Video link, broadband TV guide, widgets, +1hdmi, Photo/music/video via usb, 10bit panel & processing, and wide color Gamut backlight with deep color. It may have not been mentioned, but the prices have taken a dramatic drop before the product is shipped.

ht tp://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/sony-kdl-52xbr9/4505-6482_7-33485036.html?tag=mncol;lst (sorry, i'm not allowed to post url)

Performance 7.0

Well just got back from spending about 2 hours checking out these newest sets compared to the existing sets.

Sets compared were the NEW Sony 52" XBR9, Sony XBR7, Sony XBR8, Samsung 52" LN52B750 and the New Samsung UN55B 8000

Here is my initial conclusion:

The picture on the new XBR9 does look better than the Sony XBR7 & Samsung LN52, but NOT by leaps and bounds.

Color and contrast ratio are better on the XBR9, but again NOT significantly better.

After comparing the XBR9 - XBR7 - Samsung LN52, side by side, I would have to say I would NOT immediately give up my existing XBR6 set, to buy the XBR9.

Running through the entire gamut of all these sets, the ONE that REALLY caught my eye was the NEW Samsung UN55 B 8000.

This was set up right next to the Sony XBR8 , which everybody knows is a real jewel, but very expensive.

Being a Sony man, I know it's blasphemy to even consider Samsung in the same circle, but my eyes were telling me something else.

Doing side by side comparisons, I have to tell you the Samsung 55 8000 held it's own against the XBR8, for considerably less money.

It was also noticeable BRIGHTER than the XBR7 & XBR9 and right up there with the XBR8.

The 8000's ultra thin panel, plus all of the inputs in the rear of the set were another big plus.

The final kicker came down to price and performance.

The 52" XBR9 (my cost presently) $2820.00

The Samsung UN55B 8000 (my cost presently) $3220.00

A $400 dollar difference currently separates these two new sets.

The differences between these two sets besides the 3 inches is considerable.
(fluorescent backlight on the Sony vs edge light LED backlight on the Samsung)

Some food for thought for those considering a new set.

Would welcome other opinions and thoughts.

If you don't mind my asking, what is your local store? (I'm in the SF Bay area and would like to check out the KDL-52XBR9 myself.)


I'm waiting for reviews of the XBR9. cnet today posted some XBR9 pics and captioned impressions (e.g., "... [the XBR9] can't match the video quality of the best plasma and LED backlit LCDs on the market ...") Check it out at:

http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6482_7-10000834-1.html

Also, I noticed that the MSRP for the KDL-52XBR9 went down by $200 at SonyStyle.com.

The prices were dropped by Sony before shipping, mainly due to competition from other manufacturers, such as Samsung.

I was chatting with a sony rep, and i was impressed with honest and candor.

They did accept xbr7 was odd ball, xbr8 too expensive, xbr6 good for nothing and 40 xs1 simply out of place. But I was told xbr9 is a real step forward and 65w5100 is scheduled in August with no specs/prices available as of yet.

I am surprised that no one @ Vegas show was allowed to snap 65 inch.

For my next round of tests, I am going to pair my new Panny BD80 blu-ray player with the 52" XBR9 and Samsung UN55B8000.
This will be to evaluate the overall picture quality on both sets, when sending it the best source possible.
I will be looking for that 3-D effect and WOW factor.
Will also comment on the set's speaker capabilities at the same time.
I'm not setting my hopes to high for speaker performance, as both of these newer sets have opted for a hidden design, which usually equates to lackluster speaker performance.
The speakers may not be an issue for some, but I occasionally like to listen to the news and other broadcasts without running the sound through my HT system.
Will report with my findings, hopefully by the weekend.

please do evaluate speakers too, because some do value them.

thnx

It is to see these prices:


$3500 for 46 inch set, and $3K for 40 inch unbelievable!Their own 52 xbr7 are still around for $2500, or Samsungs having design/power consumption advantage or upcoming 55 inch vizio with all latest under 2K. Another lost opportunity for sony to lead!

despite reliability, toyota( reasonable prices, discounts, good mileage)/lexus are taking a hit,dropped sales while sony never enjoyed those advantages, except high price pompous company, with hit or miss records and drpping reliability and quality, and increasing prices instead.

Ummm... yeah... looks like you are running with some mis-information (check the MSRPs):
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921644628896

The MSRP for the KDL46XBR9 is $600 less than you stated.
The MSRP for the KDL52XBR9 is $400 less than the MSRP for the KDL52XBR7
and...
The MSRP for the KDL40XBR9 is $500 less than you stated...

Do we go by MSRP? or how much you can buy it for? take your pick. If they will sell u 52XBR9 for around 2500, then of course you might go for newer with bells and whistles, but for roughly a 1K less I'll pass unnecessary bells and whistles and put my money where the mouth is.

My numbers are rough, but intention is true!

Two days ago I got my 32XBR9. It replaced a Samsung 32LN550A that I returned after two weeks.

I am very impressed with the 32XBR9. It's in my home recording studio and I usually sit very close to the set (between 3' - 4') and watch a lot of sports while I am practicing, recording etc. so 1080P and 240Hz was important to me.

I have a few other Sony TVs at home that I also really love. A 52XBR6, a 52XBR4 and my very favorite 18 year-old 13" Trinitron.

"Sony No Baloney"

Not really Gary, but if it is not coming for 2X the price take it, a couple 100s would be ok, perhaps! but not a $1000

I think the 32 is only 120hz

LOL.... not sure you intended well... but let's try this again...

YOU stated

When the MSRP (at most one would pay under any normal circumstances) is $600 less


Again... at least $500 off...

for the 52" xbr7 vs. xbr9.... one pays in the worst possible scenario several hundred $$$ for a 9, and get's better PQ and more features... without waiting.... sorry, you're points just don't add up... fail!
Hence, you are spewing mis-information... but for the sake of your mis-information, let's call it rough!

I apologize if you felt being mis guided. It is your money and your choice and I hope and wish you the best, nothing more , nothing less.

Good Luck.

You can fix and write more authentic info to support yours point and contradict my mis information, if you pleas? I do not mind at all.

No worries! Just thought that you were being mis-lead by Mr. David Katzmaier's misleading review:



So, this review drives the point that this set is too expensive... especially when Katzmaier states incorrect information about "street prices". Hence the street prices quoted in the review are much higher than the actual street prices and MSRPs for that matter!

Anyways, as it stands, the review indicates that this is now the king of non-LED lit LCDs... so I'm excited to check this series out today!

My Bad . . . you are absolutely right! What I meant to say was:

"I am very impressed with the 32XBR9. It's in my home recording studio and I usually sit very close to the set (between 3' - 4') and watch a lot of sports while I am practicing, recording etc. so 1080P and 120Hz was important to me."

I presently finished my second round of auditions for the XBR9, having conducted the blu-ray and TV speaker tests.

My first audition was with broadcast HD feeds, mainly from Direct TV.

As a recap, this yielded the following results:

The 52" XBR9 looked slightly better than the 52" XBR7, and Samsung LN52A850 in terms of PQ and black level.

All three of these sets were side by side.

Also was able to compare the XBR9 with the new Samsung UN55B8000 which
was in the same field of view.

The Samsung was clearly BRIGHTER and held it's own against the XBR8 right next to it.

The Sony XBR8, still had the BRIGHTEST whites, but the Samsung was a real contender, especially considering the price difference.

The XBR4 still looks very good, but does NOT have the deep blacks of the XBR9 or the BRIGHTNESS of the new Samsung.



My blu-ray auditions consisted of my new Panasonic BD80, using 24p cinema mode and HDMI connection, with the following titles: Speed Racer (pushes color palette into overdrive) - Baraka ( great live and scenic images) - Celion Dion Live in Las Vegas. ( great closeups and concert footage)

Feeding the XBR9 and Samsung UN55B8000 a 1080p source brought out the BEST in these sets and closed the gap considerably.

First off, the PQ on some of blu-ray scenes looked absolutely STELLAR!
Plenty of 3-D POP and WOW factor.

Were I was somewhat surprised is how well the XBR9 did on this portion, compared to the Samsung.

The Samsung was still noticeably BRIGHTER in the white scenes, but had more of an artificial look about it.

The colors and the overall PQ of the Sony seemed more NATURAL while still maintaining that POP and WOW factor.



Sound testing the sets speakers was as expected.

NOT as good as the XBR6.

The sound from the XBR9 was considerably better than the speakers on the Samsung UN55B8000, but not as directional or dynamic as the XBR6.

The Samsung speakers required more volume and had less dynamic output than the Sony.




The XBR10 & 11 are coming out, but not until this fall and the holiday season.

One or both of these will surely incorporate LED backlight technology, but will it be tri-luminous like the XBR8, or some edge backlight technology similar to the new ultra slim Samsung 55B8000?

There is also the BIG question of PRICE.

Will these new Sony backlight sets be in there own price league similar to the XBR8?

I am almost certain, the performance on the newer Sony LED backlight model will exceed the new LED edge backlight Samsungs, but may not matter if they are priced to high.

Still personally disappointed Sony choose NOT to roll these models out with there initial line up, and instead let Samsung basically take the lead.

Currently Sony is in the position of catchup, instead of being the leader.



At this stage I'm inclined to wait it out, and see what Sony is going to offer on there new backlight model(s).
Also most of the discounts and best pricing occurs later on in the year as well.

One other DISCOVERY worth mentioning!!

I was UNABLE to completely hide the HDMI cable from a direct front view, when using the side panel inputs on the 52" XBR9.

This was using both a premium Monoprice and Monster M1000HD HDMI cable.

You would have to SEVERELY bend the cable right after the connector, in order to stand any chance of it not showing.

There might be other thinner HDMI cables, or right angle cables available, that would work better.

As mentioned before, there is now only ONE (1) HDMI input on the rear panel and THREE (3) on the side panel.

This is not a favorable design change IMO, but in all fairness Samsung is also doing this on some of there new models as well.

My guess : There is some form of cost savings on the part of the manufacturers involved here.

sony wants to sell their $$$ thinner cables hdmi to go with their tvs

Currently waiting each day for my XBR9 46inch to arrive. I got one at a very good price (about $2400 including tax, freeshipping & 3yr warranty) through a friend who works for one of the Sony companies.

When it arrives I will take pics and give you guys more details on all the features and functions since it looks like there are not many places to get info or even pictures or video on everything this line does.

I am super excited to get mine since it is a huge upgrade from a 37inch Olevia I purchased about 4yrs ago.

It is! We look forward to.

This is good news. I might have to look into this one.

Anyone get a chance to compare the XBR9's PQ against its lesser cousin the Z5100? I saw a brand new 52Z5100 yesterday in UE next to a Samsung B650 and other than the blue-grey blacks from a sharp angle with the B650, the B650 had much better PQ. The Z5100 had washed out colors and no sharpness using the same feed as the B650. I even got the UE sales rep to agree the $1K more Z5100 looked like crap next to the B650 (he'd been pushing the Z5100 to satisfy my wife's desire for a matte screen). Note, they also had a Samsung B750 in another location and it had the best PQ for under $5K in the store. They had a $5,500 Sony, didn't get the model, that looked like the best PQ of all in the store. But, hey at least for paying more, you get a better set, unlike the comparisons with the Z5100.

They didn't have any XBR9's yet, so can anyone say the XBR9's PQ is hands-down better than the Z5100's?

BTW, those Luxia series Samsungs like the B6000, B7000/B7100, and B8000 are catching heck in reviews for uneven PQ across the screen, flashlighting, and clouds. Edge-lit LEDs just can't provide a uniform lighting control across a large screen. Most say, and I agree based on what I saw yesterday, the the Samsung B750 is currently Samsung's best PQ and best all-around HDTV. Unfortunately, it has a glossy screen that just won't work for me, so I'm looking for alternatives, but they have to be in the under-$2,500 price range.

MSRP Sony XBR9 52-3399, 46-2899, 40 2499
MSRP Samsung B8000 (adds LED edge lighting) 55-3999, 46-3299, 40B7000(120hz)2499

Would getting the Bravia Link HDMI hub, help with this?