Sony SXBR

[T-Monk]

Just had a few questions about this.. families lookin into one prolly the 50" or 60". We aren't gamers, mostly just for movies and ALOT of sports
1) Does the 50" and 60" have that same technology as the KDS70Q006 70"
2) The 1080p resolution, will this be that much better than the 720p considereing not many things are even in 1080p yet? Will u be getting much more for the extra cost?
3) Are there any tvs that are very comparable, other than the mits as we can't get the mits up in canada

and the stupidest one do u think this technology will still be comparable to most tvs' in lets say 5-10 years down the road.

If ya can give ne other info on these sets it'd be greatly appreciated, i know they're fairly new

[Intimidator#3]

Well it all depends on your room setup and budget. The 50 is a great size and 60 yes is bigger but you pay more just for a little more size. Overall PQ= Picture Quality will be about the same so if you want to spend the extra money then do so. If not then the 50 would be more than enough and the room you plan on sitting the set. A 60 could be a bit over kill on where you could move the set around in the room and so on. 1080p 720p you will see some difference but not a night and day so most things will support 1080i even blu-ray. HD is HD 1080p 1080i your not going to see that big of difference between the two. No one TV controls the PQ that much your set can only do so much. Its all how things are broadcast and are made and how they are filmed. This is why the movie industry is starting to make more of their movies in the next year or so in HD. They are starting to buy more HD cameras so they can make things in HD which right now space has been an issue. Now with Blu-Ray they have the space to put more video on the disk to the PQ can be HD. Overall Buy what’s in your budget and what fit's in your room the best where you plan on putting the set. Reason I touched on the HD is because it all depends on what you are watching. HD Channels look better because its done in HD and you have equipment on you’re in that takes advantage of that in your TV. But it what determines is the Networks and how they are broadcasting things. So pick the TV that fit's you the best and with a Sony you can not go wrong. They are a great company make great products and will be around a very long time. Mits I know folks that have them and they are ok but I think Sony has better technology. Sony always seems to be on top of anything new that comes out. Mits at one time was having some money problems and they did not get started in electronics. They are more of a car company that branch off into the electronic industry. To where Sony always has been their and has always been a leader. Again either way I think you can’t go wrong. But my first choice would be Sony but you make the choice that fits your needs the be

[gparris]

Yes, I would like a 50" SXRD as I sit about 8-10 feet away, but since the picture I have found out by seeing several at various stores/displays is so good, maybe the 60" at 10 feet is better anyway...decisions, decisions.. :D
I also have a Sony 60WF655 in my rec room, but taking it up the stairs to replace the older CRT RPTV is going to hard and at that 8-10 feet viewing distance, I find that it does not have as good a picture as the SXRD 50"or 60" models.
Simply, I have decisions like yours to make, too.
Realistically, I want to get the 60" SXRD instead if I can get a good price on it.
The only thing holding me back is the price and the spouse doesn't like the speaker wings
(but likes the picture better than the Sony 50A10 without the wings).
Sony sets, like my 32" Wega from 2001, even after several moves and even put in questionable storage lockers, it still works great, so I vote for Sony since I have 2 of them of different types and timeframes...your choice!

As for me, I am still deciding on WHICH Sony to get, for me (us). :D

[max]

I got it and am loving it more and more eachday, I dont think you can go wrong with it. Blacks are Black, color is great and the detail is amazing.

Here is an attachment of the Picture Quality, also take into account I am only using a 4.0 mega pixel camera and my skills with it suck.

MAX,

[mase63425]

Hey max have you tried playing any X-box games on your new TV? I know the Hulk game and Nba Live 06 can be displayed in 720p.

[max]

No I haven't, I gave all of my consoles away right before I pre-ordered my Xbox360.

Xbox went to my little cousin's, the PS2 went to my wife's sister and the gamecube I gave to a buddy of mine because he loved the new resident evil so much.

In less than a month I will have a little review of what the Xbox360 looks like on the SXRD, so please be patient. Even though my patients are running out, this month is going to be a long one! I cant wait to try the 360 on this bad boy.

MAX,

[mase63425]

Im thinking about getting the 60 inch but do i have to get it calibrated by tv tech and how far do you have to be to really enjoy this TV?

[57U]

...my patients are running out...Can we call you Dr. Max? ;) Or perhaps the evil Dr. Max, if they're running out...

[Intimidator#3]

Max is that a HD channel or SD?? If that is SD looks really good for SD and you on cable or Sat?

[57U]

That picture is only 75kB. An SD picture would be 4X that and an HD picture would be 10-20X that...

This proves exactly why people often think that smaller TVs have sharper images, when in fact they are simply smaller. (The larger TV is like putting a magnifying glass to a newspaper.)

[Intimidator#3]

Yeah I understand all of that I was just curious of the channel is all.

[max]

I had to make the picture smaller to make it an attachment, It is HD but does not compare to what it really looked like on the set. I just picked up my camera turned off the flash and snapped the shot. No preperation or anything.

For the question from mase63425 about distance, I would say 8 feet is very possible with 10 to 15 being even better. And the set looks amazing out of the box without calibration, but I figured for the price of the set a few hundred more to make it look it's absolute best is a small investment for many hours of enjoyment.

If you do end up getting it I am sure you will be more than pleased with it's PQ

MAX,

[max]

Can we call you Dr. Max? ;) Or perhaps the evil Dr. Max, if they're running out...


Nice comment 57U, I kind of like Evil Dr. Max! but I really cant wait for the Xbox360

MAX,

[mase63425]

Now if you can only tell me wheres the best place to buy one for a good price

[max]

Well I can tell you what I paid and then you can go from there, atleast it will let you know what type of margin you can work with. Also keep in mind all my prices are in Canadian dollars.

TV Retail: $6499.99 Price Paid: $5599.99
Stand Retail: $799.99 Price Paid: $449.99
5 yr Warranty:$619.99 but I got an extra bulb upfront which is on order right now.

And they threw in a free Monster HDMI400 To hook up my new SA8300HD box. It retails for $220

I saved $1250 cash and got a free replacement bulb and HDMI cable

The store was kind enough to drop the price, I buy my stuff from a specialty store called Stereoplus Home theater & Design. I say always go to specialty stores when you can.

Hope this helps,
MAX...

[mgonzo2u]

Without any concerns, I would recommend the following vendor for the purchase. They list the 60" SXRD at $4,499.99. I purchased the matching Sony stands (SU-GW12) on sale from Circuit City at $499 (minus 10% due to a 4th of July sale). The stand is currently on sale via the CC web site for $449.99.
http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/Plasma/Product.asp_X_Sku_Y_KDSR60XBR1

I purchased my TV (shown below) and the exact same model for my father back in July without any major issues.

[XBR1]

Hello all, new to the site and loving it!

I purchased my 60” SXDR on the 3rd of October sight unseen and picked it up the day it arrived on the 7th, hooked it up and can not take my eyes off of it! This is my first large screen TV, it replaces my Sony 36” Trinitron.

Max,
When I picked up the SXDR the sales guy mentioned that there was a break in period of about two weeks however paid it no mind but I must say that he was right. I can see a marked difference in the color and sharpness. Don’t get me wrong, it was perfection out of the box and now it seems more refined. Is this indicative of LCD projections of is it all in my head and will this break in period effect any early calibration?


David

[mgonzo2u]

Sorry I'm not Max but I can chime in with my .02 about the model I own having a break in period. I was told by one individual that there was about a 2 week to 1 month break in period where the TV would begin to settle in with a nicer overall view.

I must admit, even to my color blind eyes, I noticed an improvement in overall clarity.

[max]

I have had my TV also for about 2 weeks now, but the Calibrators I spoke with both told me there is no break in period other than the first few hours the bulb is on. Who is right? I dont know, I think by the end of 2 weeks most people find their sets to look better than the day when they came out of the box because they have had a chance to tweak them to their liking. And to me, I guess an ISF calibration is like the ultimate tweak I can provide for my set.

MAX,

[57U]

I believe that break in is associated with CRTs that do require about 100 hours to "settle in". I don't think that applies to Microdisplays.

[XBR1]

Thanks for the input guys!

There seem to be widely differing thoughts on the subject of calibration from “do it yourself with a calibration disk” to “have a pro do it” to “do it yourself using your own eyes”. How do the “self disk” compare to the “pro” calibration?


David

[57U]

Check out the HDTV FAQ on "What you need to do to your new HDTV".

Each stage and more work gets you closer to "accuracy". I believe it depends on how picky you are, and how much you wish to invest in terms of time and money.

Probably 90% of people with HDTVs leave them as they come from the store, but those people haven't visited this site or seen a properly set up TV. ;)

I have read that the newer TVs, especially LCD/DLP/LCoS, are not as "far off" as TVs were 3-4 years ago.

[max]

Thanks for the input guys!
How do the “self disk” compare to the “pro” calibration?
David

I would guess there are a few factors here, First issue I see with the self disk is it only calibrates your set to the DVD input and gives you a starting point for the rest of the inputs, the next issue I think of is the DVD player itself.
Some DVD player are better than others at outputting proper color, contrast and so on, So I think the Disk may be "held back" by that. Sure it can make that DVD player look good, but how accurate can you know it really is?

Then also the calibrator does alot of work in the Service Menu, fixing the factory presets that help companies produce a better image for a store display than your livingroom.

One person on this site that had an ISF technician tweak his setup is LeeS, he said there was an excellent difference in PQ after the calibrator left compared to what he was able to do with his test disk. I consider him a very reputable source with alot of knowledge seeing how he has been into this hobby longer than I have been alive.

When it comes down to it, I think it depends on how picky you are! some people spend a couple of hundred bucks on a cable that may or may not give them a 1% difference in perceived PQ, I'd rather let a professional setup my TV to the best it can be.

What's $300 bucks compared to what you spent to get the best TV you could afford. Would you not have spent an extra $300 more on another set if you saw even a 5% better picture?

MAX,

[Intimidator#3]

Well your PQ is going to be control on what your are watching! Your TV will have something to do with it but main thing is how things are broadcast. Things will only look as good as they are broadcast and untill more networks move to HD they will always look the same. In 06 you will start seeing more things broadcast in MPEG4 which will improve the SD PQ a bit. DishNetwork will have out some of their MPEG4 Receivers next year. Once more networks start useing HD Cameras like the movie industry is. Then you will see the big diffrence just like with the new Blu-Ray Format with the moive industry. So unless your rich or just want to throw away money never go out and spend a bunch of money on a TV. A HDTV that is 2,500 to one that is 4,000 the PQ is going to be about the same. So in the long run we must waite on the Networks to spend the money to catch up with the TV Manufactures.

[max]

Well the Calibration went smooth, The PQ looks awesome! it's a little less bright but the detail is amazing. The Sencore Calibration equipment does an excellent job, even though it was acting up at the beginning because of a faulty wire or something but after half hour John got it all setup and ready to go.

It took about 1.5 - 2 hours and I am VERY pleased with the outcome. Highly recommend having your set ISF'd...

MAX,

[gparris]

Thanks for the update, max-glad you got it done and now...I'll bet it is a perfect as an HDTV can be! :D

I am so envious (saving up for the 60" SXRD, now).

I see you added a second 8300HD DVR...me, too, but for my old Mits set I am trying to sell...you can't just have one if you have 2 HDTV sets, IMO. :whistle:

[mgonzo2u]

MAX,

Why would a ISF person advise me not to spend $ on a calibration for my KDF-55XS955? He told me that he has done very few of them because they look great with just personal tweaks but some people want to pay him so he does it. He told me flat out he didn't think it was worth it on my model.

[hdaddikt]

I read a review on the XS in Perfect Vision. It got a very good rating. As part of the review process, they run the display through an ISF cal ,and at least get the grayscale calibrated to 6500K. When through, the improvement was quite noticeable.

They need the adj to gray scale and are also helped by internal adjustments to reduce red push. Just using Avia and the user menu is like substituting a large rock under the accelerator pedal of a Corvette, with a smaller one.

[max]

MAX,

Why would a ISF person advise me not to spend $ on a calibration for my KDF-55XS955? He told me that he has done very few of them because they look great with just personal tweaks but some people want to pay him so he does it. He told me flat out he didn't think it was worth it on my model.

I dont know why he would say that? I do know that the colours are off, on my set there was less red push than blue. I think the blue was somewhere in the 10-11000K before he calibrated it to 6500.

MAX,