[hifi59]

ok. i finally got to see 2 60xs955 sets yesterday. first one at bb, the other at brandsmart with the 70xbr right next to it. spent the whole afternoon evaluating. conclusion.....the xs rates somewhere between the we,wf and the xbr at best. it was in a standalone theater setup at bb. after setting the tv in pro mode and warm, i watched movie clips that i'm familiar with and later went home to verify. my xbr was much better at displaying the same clips. shadow detail,color rendition, depth. (i did take into account the lighting in the store).i could go into alot of specifics, but space is limited. next i went to brandsmart. comparing apples to apples and viewing hd channels, the xbr right next to it had a more clearer,more detailed image. yes, the xs is somewhat brighter,but so was the we 60" sitting next to them. the image seems to have a blue vail over it when viewed next to the xbr(and even the we),. it definitely has a tinted screen thats different than the we and the xbr. i believe it helps the colors track closer to the xbr, but thats about it. i also expected it to have a pelxiglass shield. i firmly believe the shield on the xbr gives images more depth. by the way, the xbr shield is less refelective than both the new hitachi 60" lcd and the mitsu 62" dlp XX725. after a solid 6 hrs of evaluating, i personally am convinced that the xbr image is still king.

 

[TH3_FRB]

I assume you at least took the time to optimize the UM settings of both the XS and XBR before comparing "apples to apples". The new XS has a bunch of advanced settings that are used to tune the colors and could easily be out of whack from people tinkering in the store. At the very least run both sets through the THX Optimizer to get the contrast and brightness set properly before making the comparison. I haven't seen the XS yet, but most folks haveposted that it is close to the XBR in most aspects.

 

[hifi59]

while i didn't use the thx optimizer, i tried everything i could,including features in the advanced settings, to get the xs to look like the xbr. i'm not saying the picture is bad, it's just not as good. i felt it had a blueish/violet cast to the image that the xbr clearly did not amongnst other things. i probably might not have noticed it if it were not sitting next to the xbr. i would expect an isf calibration would tame it. it seemed like the xbr displayed a broader color palette than the xs. the xs crushed blacks more while both sets were in pro mode and all other settings were equal. i also felt the blacks on the xs were more "chaulky" than the xbr. i did'nt go into my evaluations hoping the xbr would be better,i simply wanted to see what the xs was all about. i like to think i know what makes a great image (early Proton & sony monitors and pioneer plasma) and what does not (rca dlp). i also must say that my xbr is isf calibrated and clearly has a superior image to the xs and uncalibrated xbr. i still firmly believe that the uncalibrated xbr that was sitting next to the uncalibrated xs was superior in all the areas that matter most to me. in the xs defense, it is physically a gorgeous unit at a terrific price 3800.00 - 4100.00.

 

[Tigerriot]

What a shocker. An XBR owner saying the XS doesn't match up.



In all honesty though I took a good look at the XS myself recently and concluded it was probably a step behind the XBR overall.



Final conclusion: The XBR is still the king of the LCD Projection world for the foreseeable future.

 

[James T]

I recently compared the XS 55in and the XBR.

While the XBR is the state if the art I believe the XS will give it a run for the money.

I thought the XBS had a stunning picture ,the blacks were good no visible screen door effect or silk screen effect.


The XBR will soon be replaced by a new set from Sony.


However in Canada prices are significantly more money

60 in XBR $9,.000 and a

60 in XS $6,400.00



Plus we have a tax of 15% on those prices.



So in my opinion the XS is excellent value for the money and it is tweekable without playing around in the service modes which can be dangerous territory for many.


In fact it is so good I will buy one when they are released in Canada around the 2nd week of November . Some of the Sony stores have it now on an isolated basis.

 

[3mar67]

I live in Canada too. I think I might be going across the border so I can buy a 42 inch 655 model, with built in HD tuner -- not available in Canada. Exchange rate is 1.22 right now. Even with taxes and duty....still cheaper than buying the non-HD-Tuner model in Canada.

 

[James T]

You will need a truck to transport the set

There will be the added sales tax from the state where you buy the unit and most importatnt factor will Sony Canada warranty the set or will have to take it back across the border if service is required.

All that movement for a set will not be good for an electronic item once it is removed from the factory carton


I would suggest that you contact Sony Canada customer service to check on the warranty issue.



Do not forget the 15% sales tax that Canada Customs will asses you.


Is it worth it ? only an informed consumer will know.