The chic textured finish of this 42" ECO HDTV sets it apart the others. Consuming less energy than traditional HDTVs, it exceeds current Energy Star guidelines by at least 15%. The full high definition 1080P resolution and 15,000:1 contrast ratio deliver crystal clear, razor sharp images for an amazing viewing experience.
Where to buy cheap prices? -VIZIO VO420E - 42" LCD TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 08, 2010 23:48:04
Experience powerful performance and superior design with the Sony BRAVIA XBR9 HDTV, featuring Motionflow 240Hz technology for maximum motion detail and clarity, plus broadband internet connectivity with built-in BRAVIA Internet Video1 capabilities that let you view select on-demand movies, TV shows, music and more, and even lets you personalize your entertainment experience by selecting and positioning widgets containing the latest news, weather, sports and more directly on your TV screen.
PROS: terrific picture, surprisingly good sound, sleek design, effective anti-glare coating, nifty PS3 integration
CONS: compromised off-angle color, no swivel stand, so-so internet functionality, no Wi-Fi
BACKGROUND: For months, I had been researching 40-46" flat panels to upgrade a 32" Panasonic LCD in the living room (now in the bedroom). Prior to that, I had a 34" Sony WEGA XBR beast (200 lbs) from my bachelorhood days that had to go due to space constraints in our apartment. The Panasonic was purchased in mid-'08 (0) as a stop-gap until the higher-end LCD's came down in price. But then, our friends got us a PlayStation 3 and Blu-Ray discs for our birthdays, which meant that my wife could enjoy her favorite romantic comedies in full 1080p HD glory, and I could pick up video games again (specifically Call of Duty: MW2)... all of which meant moving up our new-TV timeline!
I decided to look at Sony models first, as I had helped a family member pick out a Sony 40W4100 earlier and it turned out to be an excellent TV. I compared them against the Samsung 6-series and 7-series LCD's as well as the Panasonic 42G10 plasma. Though plasma is still superior to LCD in many respects, the lack of flicker-free 24p support on the 42" Panasonics was a deal breaker. LED backlight technology was tempting, but the cost is still prohibitive and the edge-lit models have their issues. I also admit to having some brand bias - I have not had good first or second-hand experiences with Samsung products. Don't get me wrong, in many ways their TVs are comparable or even superior to Sony's, but I still see too many reports of random bugs and reliability issues for my tastes. Besides, I've always felt Samsung pictures to look "boosted" and a little fake in the showroom, and my attempts to calibrate them (admittedly by eye) were never that fruitful.
I found the Sony Z and XBR9 series to provide the balance of performance, features, and aesthetics I was looking for. (I considered the W5100, but wanted the newest Bravia Engine 3 which purportedly has improved processing.) The biggest obstacle was price - with so many 40" options under k, it was difficult to justify the premium. But I waited and found a terrific package deal on the 40XBR9 just before X-mas, netting me an unbelievable price on the set - cheaper than the Z or even W models!
PICTURE QUALITY: As expected from a top-of-the-line Sony, the picture quality is excellent, with rich but realistic color, smooth motion and reasonably dark blacks. If you turn off the fake dynamic contrast as you should, the blacks aren't quite to plasma or LED-backlit standards, but it's still very good (at least 10x better than our Panasonic); only when watching off-angle or in a completely darkened room do I notice the blacks being on the bright side, and when properly adjusted there's little or no "black crush," where anything dark in a scene automatically becomes black. (Samsungs are often adjusted to have black crush to look more contrasty in the showroom - don't fall for it, it's a trick!)
There have been complaints of clouding and sparkle artifacts with Sony LCDs, but I see absolutely no sparkling in my set, and if there's clouding (as all LCDs have to some degree) I really don't notice it. Cable programming like HBO HD looks great, PS3 games and Blu-Rays fantastic, and standard-def material isn't too bad either - very watchable, as long as you're not expecting miracles. The picture quality upgrade over the Sony W4100 isn't enormous, but it is noticeable, with deeper, more accurate colors, smoother motion and fewer artifacts. Though the 240Hz MotionFlow still looks a little fake for my tastes, the Bravia Engine 3 is visibly improved over the older Bravia 2 engine. Even if you're not going to spring for an XBR, definitely try to get a model with Bravia Engine 3.
FAVORITE FEATURES: Hallelujah, the screen has an anti-glare matte finish instead of the dreaded gloss on so many Samsungs, so glare is really well-controlled - we have no problem viewing with lots of daylight flooding in from a side window. The TV boots up quickly, with picture coming up normally within several seconds, and very little delay acquiring signals or switching resolutions. The PlayStation 3 integration is pretty neat - turn the PS3 on, and the TV automatically turns on; if it's already on, it switches to the right input. Once on, you can navigate the PS3 menu and control video playback through the TV's remote control. When you turn the PS3 off, the TV returns to your previous input. Fully customizable input labels are a nice touch that every TV should include. The side-mounted input jacks seemed odd to me at first, but they actually work really well - they are sufficiently concelead but allow a shallower wall mount as well as easier access. The internet widgets are mostly curiosities, but YouTube worked great, and Netflix/Amazon streaming are useful if imperfect (more on this later).
SOUND QUALITY: Most importantly to us (as we don't have a home theater), the sound from the built-in speakers is really excellent. It's reasonably full, with a natural midrange timbre and intelligible dialog. There are 4 speakers - a pair of down-firing woofers and side/back-firing tweeters - which fill out the sound nicely, as long as the TV is placed near a boundary like a back wall (it probably won't work as well in the middle of a room). It's not quite as nice as the sound on my gargantuan old WEGA tube TV, and it won't replace a home theater, but unlike so many Samsungs I've heard it's eminently usable for everyday TV or casual movie viewing.
DESIGN: The TV looks great - extremely sleek and streamlined, with a super thin bezel that my wife really likes. It doesn't have the imposing high-tech look of some previous XBR sets with the floating glass design, instead opting for a minimalist design with hidden speakers. We have it sitting on a 16" deep Elfa wall unit and it's very attractive without calling too much attention to itself. For the first few weeks, I was somewhat alarmed at how quickly the glossy black bezel attracted dust (I was wiping it down every other day), but thankfully this has mostly gone away - probably just some manufacturing residue holding a static charge or something. (FYI, the edge trim on ours is a darker charcoal-gray color, rather than the lighter silver I've seen on some earlier showroom models.)
CONS: my biggest pet peeve is the limited viewing angles of the LCD panel. If you drift even a few degrees off dead center, colors will fade rapidly, particularly reds. More than 45 degrees off axis and the picture is quite washed-out - the backlight bleed off-axis isn't as bad as our 32" Panasonic, but the Panasonic's IPS panel does a better job maintaining color fidelity. If you have lots of family and friends that like to watch movies together, or do a lot of viewing off to the sides, plasma is still the way to go. The internet functionality, while potentially useful, feels a little immature. Navigating through the interface is limited and sluggish, and some of the internet widgets are so slow as to be barely usable. I only tested Netflix streaming briefly and it did stutter at times, though a recent software update supposedly mitigates this. I still intend to use it, but for best quality, I'll rent the Blu-Ray. I also get the nagging feeling that the menus are a tad more sluggish than on the non-internet-capable W4100 - probably just extra overhead from the more bloated system software.
A couple more nits: Wi-Fi really should have been included, and it would have been nice if Sony included a SD card slot for photo/movie viewing, though the limited video codec support makes the latter rather moot. And I really wish the stand swivelled, particularly given the limited viewing angles.
In the end though, these gripes are fairly minor, and in a few weeks of ownership haven't detracted from our overall enjoyment of the set.
Incidentally, 40" is the perfect size for our living room (12' x 16' or so) - the 9' viewing distance is comfortable and easy on the eyes (my wife says she is squinting a lot less). For a more cinematic experience, or for a lot of game playing, a 46" is a better fit for this distance, but we specifically didn't want the room to become a theater.
CONCLUSION: All in all, I'm extremely happy with the 40XBR9! If I were to be really strict, I would probably have to dock a star here and there for the aforementioned cons, but given all the other 4 and 5-star reviews for TVs that I feel are inferior, I'm taking the liberty of grade-curving it up. Highly recommended!
UPDATE (1/31/10): I should probably mention that as cited in the CNET review, the XBR9 does suffer from some slight backlight uniformity issues. On a completely dark picture, patches of the screen will be slightly lighter than others. On my particular set it's only really noticeable in the top left corner against a black screen. Also, when using a HDMI splitter and my DVR in 720p output mode, the Sony was a bit finicky locking onto the signal and displayed an "unsupported signal" error (my Panasonic had no issues). However given that HDMI splitting can be rather marginal in and of itself, I don't consider it a major problem. (Switching the DVR to 1080i, which is a better setting for a 1080p TV anyway, was an easy workaround.)
PICTURE SETTINGS: Here is my calibration by eye, using test patterns on the PS3 and a blue filter. For Blu-Ray movies, I use the theater mode.
Picture mode: Custom
Backlight: 4 (theater: 3)
Picture: 85
Brightness: 50
Color: 55 (theater: 58)
Hue: G2
Sharpness: Min
Color Temp: Neutral (theater: Warm 2)
Cinemotion: Off
For TV viewing, my settings are (somewhat arbitrarily) slightly different
Picture mode: Standard
Backlight: 5
Color: 49
Cinemotion: Auto 1
All other features (noise reduction, black corrector, etc.) are always OFF. For the most accurate picture, don't use that stuff!
Motionflow is set to OFF except for some video material such as sports which can benefit from it. For film-based material I still find the motion interpolation rather unnatural in distracting.
Currently I am using some power saving features to be a little more green; however for the most accurate picture they should be set to OFF.
Where to buy cheap prices? -Sony BRAVIA XBR Series KDL-40XBR9 40-Inch 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV, Black $1,289.00
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 07, 2010 19:32:05
Sony Dvd Player Reviews Hd Dvd Player Reviews 32 Hdtv Lcd Reviews
Enjoy the world of entertainment in a completely different style with the chic, elegant and aesthetic Razor LED™ LCD HDTV from Vizio™. The VM230XVT offers full 1080p high resolution for brilliant color, deep contrast, rich detail and crystal clear images-in a sleek razor thin design. This Mercury Free, Energy Efficient, Razor Thin HDTV achieves a 20,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio giving you deeper blacks and brighter whites along with energy efficient sensors that auto-adjust brightness for the perfect picture regardless of room conditions. The illuminated touch controls with proximity sensors get lightened when your hand draws near and fade away once you’re done. The LCD LED TV features advanced sound technologies from SRS Labs that delivers immersive virtual high definition surround sound. It also exceeds Energy Star® Guidelines by at least 55 percent thus conserving our planet’s vital resources! Décor your living space with the 23 inch Razor LED LCD HDTV and enjoy the breath taking visual trip.
Where to buy cheap prices? -Vizio 23" VM230XVT 1080p 60Hz Razor LED LCD HDTV
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 06, 2010 15:44:07
47", REGZA, 1080p HD LCD TV, High Gloss Balck Finish, New ThinLine Bezel, 14 Bit PixelPure Processor, Deep Dynamic Contrast Ratio, Clear Frame 120 Hz, New 5:5 Pull down, 10 Bit LCD Panel, ColorBurst 108% Wide Color Gamut CCFL, Deep Color, New Gaming Mode, Soundstrip Speaker System, 4 HDMI 1.3 Inputs with CE Link, Improved High Res Capability for PC Input, IR Pass Through
I purchased the Toshiba 46XV540U at my favorite volume wherehouse store for 99 one week ago. I originally planned on buying a Panasonic 42" 1080p Plasma, but after discussing Plasma panels with some video engineers at work, I was NOT convinced that it would be free from image retention (burn-in), especially since I watch a lot of 4:3 programming and I didn't want to lay awake at night worrying about having left-right bars burned into the screen. Then I set my mind on either a Sony W4100 or Z4100, but my local wherehouse only had a 40" Sony. The 46" cost too much. I settled on a Sony because I own a Sony 55" SXRD, which I find stunning, and as good as any Plasma or LCD, and it's 120Hz and 1080p/24 display. Then I saw the Toshiba, which stated that it had similar specs as my SXRD. After obsessing and doing extensive research, I decided to buy the Toshiba. I was hesitant since I really liked what I saw on the Sony LCDs. Out of the box, the Toshiba looked good, but the levels needed to be toned down. I initially used a THX DVD (any DVD that is THX certified, like Toy Story, Monsters, Inc), and the disc has a THX setup menu that will help you adjust any TV to look pretty darn good. Later I used the Video Essentials DVD for further adjusting. After setting the color, tint, brightness and contrast, I couldn't be happier. One of my biggest necessities of any HDTV is that it displays SD (standard def) channels well, and I'm happy to say that this Toshiba does a great job. HD on my Charter cable looks stunning in 1080i. Blu-Ray is jaw-dropping. I also watch a lot of sports and the 120Hz option looks great, and from what I've read in test reports, the Toshiba handles this better than Sony, and I condider the Sony better than Samsung for this. Anyways, the Toshiba colors are excellent, it gives deep blacks, I don't see any pixel blurring or lag and fast motion on sports looks rock-solid. AND, this 46" Toshiba cost about 0 less than a similar-sized Sony. The speakers in the Toshiba give satisfactory audio, especially for my bedroom, where I have this set. The image looks pretty good even at extreme angles. The screen is matte-finish, which is essential in my opinion to control reflections. The bezel of the Toshiba is gloss black. I would have preferred a satin-black bezel, but no problem. The Toshiba remote is well laid out. I recently owned a Toshiba 50" CRT rear projection set and I loved the remote on that set because of two things: 1) Mute does a half-mute first, then a full mute with a second press. Half-mute allows you to turn down the TV if answering a phone but you can still hear the sound. 2) The Channel Return will actually return you to a previous Input. So, if you are watching a DVD then switch to a cable channel to check out a football score, you can immediately return to the DVD by pressing the RTN button without the need of it bringing up the numerical menu or cycling through the Input options to get back to the DVD. This new Toshiba remote keeps these two great functions!! The 46RV540U is a terrific TV!
Where to buy cheap prices? -Toshiba REGZA 46XV540U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV Too low to display
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 05, 2010 05:50:04
The Sony BRAVIA XBR8-Series HDTVs represent the next step forward for Sony HDTV technology. Underpinning this advance is the TRILUMINOS RGB Dynamic LED backlight, which utilizes clusters of red, green, and blue LEDs to produce accurate colors and an amazingly realistic image, and employs local dimming to dynamically adjust the brightness of LED clusters, allowing the XBR8 to display deep blacks alongside bright whites for enhanced image depth and exceptional shadow detail. Motionflow 120Hz PRO technology creates new frames to double the frame rate, then uses sequential scanning to enhance motion and deliver a smoother and clearer picture, and 24p True Cinema lets you experience a cinema-like experience. BRAVIA XBR8-Series HDTVs also feature the powerful BRAVIA Engine 2 PRO fully digital video processor, which creates sharp, crystal-clear images at any resolution, as well as advanced color reproduction technologies including 10-bit processing and a 10-bit panel, Live Color Creation, and x.v.Color capability. DMex functionality lets you expand the capabilities of the BRAVIA XBR8-Series with optional BRAVIA Link modules, including the BRAVIA Internet Video Link, BRAVIA Wireless Link, BRAVIA DVD Link, and BRAVIA Input Link (all sold separately). In addition, the exclusive Xross Media Bar (XMB) user interface, integrated TV Guide Interactive Program Guide, and BRAVIA Sync one-touch component control make the BRAVIA XBR8-Series HDTVs easy to use, and the large number of inputs offer you a wide range of connectivity options. BRAVIA XBR8-Series HDTVs also feature an RS-232C connection for integration into home automation systems. You can even customize the timeless design of the BRAVIA XBR8-Series by adding optional speaker grilles available in a selection of designer colors (sold separately)
I bought this tv about 3 weeks ago from OneCall, which was an excellent seller and the delivery was fast, easy, and reliable. They definitely put the customer in customer service.
All i can say about this TV is WOW!!! Me and my wife are still in awe of the picture quality and sometimes watch a show or movie in HD just because the picture looks phenomenal. I was originally looking to buy the xbr9 vs samsung led because of the affordable price. Suprisingly my wife supported me to spend the extra 600 bucks since we plan on keeping the tv for many years to come. I felt guilty about spending 2 grand on a television until i set it up within minutes of receiving it and saw the picture. It's as if I'm watching the action outside my window. The color richness, especially the black level is awesome. I actually bought this TV blind as none of my local electronic stores had it in stock. They only had the Samsung LED, but after having a 26"samsung hdtv for the past 5 years i knew that a reflective screen on a 46" screen was going to drive me nuts. I based my purchase on the reviews on cnet and amazon.com. You will not regret this purchase. The picture quality compared to the samsung led is much more crisp, clean and vibrant. The bright lighting in my room no longer bothers me, thanks to the matte screen.
Many reviewers have slammed the quality of the speakers, but since i haven't owned a surround system and all my friends and family listen through the tv speakers, my ears are geared towards the stand alone tv speakers. The quality is the best by far compared to different models of Sharp and Sumsung lcd. I'm more than content with these speakers and will not need the bose 2.1 speaker system i was looking at, although it would be an upgrade, but definitely not a necessity like other televisions. Even standard television looks great on this set. I think i've fallen in love all over again. Spend the extra money because the technology with this picture quality is still more advanced than almost all the led sets out there and will satisfy you for years to come.
Where to buy cheap prices? -Sony Bravia XBR KDL-46XBR8 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Triluminos LED LCD HDTV $1,996.84
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 04, 2010 02:02:06
The brilliant Samsung LED TV experience starts with the UN40B6000. Its incredible mega contrast provides blacker blacks and whiter whites along with enriched color expression. Its ultra-slim 1.2" depth is the slimmest HDTV yet, and that includes the tuner! The exclusive touch of color design complements any room, and infolink puts up to date information right at your fingertips. Best yet, Samsung LED TVs use 40% less power than conventional LCDs.
I really wanted to give this a 4.5/5, but that isn't an option. I bought this TV with 3 things in mind: sports, movies, video games. The picture on this TV is absolutely incredible; it's on par with any picture on any hdtv out there. It did take a lot of adjusting to get the picture (color, contrast, dejudder, etc) to the level I wanted. I suggest using a THX certified dvd to calibrate it, for those who do not want to pay to have it calibrated. The factory settings for the TV are not good, but after tinkering with it for quite a while, I think the picture is near perfect. Unlike regular LCDs I've been accustomed to, the colors on this LED are better. Blacks are blacker, whites are whiter. Also, I'm a very big video game player, and this TV displays my 360 games (using an HDMI cable) better than any TV I've ever used. Also, there is no lag while playing, which I've noticed before on some HDTVs. Sporting events are crystal clear and crisp without appearing fake, which was a "must" for me while shopping. The clear and crisp picture isn't just for sporting events; it also looks great for all HD channels, particularly Discovery, Travel, Food Network. It makes you feel like you are there. Another thing I like about it is simply the way the TV itself looks and is designed. It's very thin and light weight, which is great. I also really like the "touch of red" design; it's just nice to look at.
With all those good things said about the TV, it is not perfect. Probably my biggest issue came up while watching my first dvd with this tv. The LED edge-lighting can cause an issue during scenes that are intended to be very dark/black. However, after some adjusting (again), I got the picture to look the way I wanted it to. (Note: this was a regular dvd played on an upscaling dvd player; NOT a blu-ray. I can't say how a blu-ray would look on this tv or how the backlighting might affect it). A VERY good thing about this tv in respect to this problem is that you can have different settings for each input. For example: the settings I chose for picture quality for video games, dvds, and cable are all different. However, all three of these use different inputs to the tv, so when I decide I've had enough cable and want to play a game, I switch it over and my settings do not need to be adjusted; they are saved individually. My second issue: sound. This TV simply has mediocre sound. It's not bad, it's not great. My biggest problem with the sound is that when switching between a video game, dvd, and cable, I had to adjust the sound dramatically for each one. That's more of a nuisance than a true problem though. Lastly, alot of people complain about the viewing angle of this tv. Personally, I do not have a problem with it at any of the angles in the room in which I have this TV, so that hasn't been an issue for me.
So in conclusion: If you are like me and want to use this TV mostly for video games, sporting events, and movies, I highly recommend it as the picture quality can compete with any HDTV out there. Do be aware of the edge-backlighting issue for black/dark scenes in movies and be prepared to adjust each of your inputs to compensate (cable, games, dvd players, etc). And you might want to invest in surround sound, if that is an issue to you. If you want a GREAT picture for the reasons above, this is a very good option.
Where to buy cheap prices? -Samsung UN40B6000 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV $1,138.99
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 02, 2010 19:00:05
Sparkle Calibre P980 9800 GT GDDR3 Overclock Dual Fly w/ Graphics Display Port PCI-Express 2.0 x16 SLI Dual DVI-I HDTV HDCP support Graphics Card
Where to buy cheap prices? -Sparkle Calibre P980 9800 GT GDDR3 Overclock Dual Fly with Graphics Display Port PCI-Express 2.0 x16 SLI Dual DVI-I HDTV HDCP Support Graphics Card $134.99
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 01, 2010 14:44:03
