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| Date Reviewed: 01/12/2005 |
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Strengths: picture quality, color, and sleek design
Weaknesses: none
Summary: After expensive yearly repairs on our Zenith large projection tv, we decided to purchase a SONY which we feel is the best television manufacturer around. My husband was not interested in a plasma tv because of burn-in issues and his concern that the plasma tvs have a short life span. After looking at many types and sizes, we selected this model because the picture quality is outstanding and the colors are brilliant. In addition, the tv is sleek-looking. We are very happy with our purchase so far. We considered an extended warranty plan, but found that there is only one lamp which costs about $199 and can be easily replaced by us. Although this seems expensive, it is much lower than our previous tv that had 3 lamps costing a lot more. We did purchase a SONY surround sound system and the sound is excellent, so we cannot comment on the television speakers by themselves.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/28/2004 |
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Strengths: Picture - Setup - Connections - User Manual - Options - Brightness - Clarity - Sound - This TV has it all
Weaknesses: Minor points-Need to point remote directly at TV-Must scroll thru up to 7 video inputs-Shows the weaknesses of analog cable-Minor dimness of picture on vertical axis only
Summary: This TV looks real good in my living room. It's sleek and modern and the matching stand looks great with it. Of course this isn't why one would buy this TV but I had to mention it.
I do not have an HD signal yet so I can only speak for watching DVDs with progressive scan (480p). The picture is awesome. I can see facial detail as never before. The colors are bright, sharp, clear. I've heard it said that LCD doesn't do shades of dark colors very well. This may be true but I hardly can tell. The TV's other virtues outweigh this deficiency, if you even notice it at all. I can't wait to see a 780p or 1080i signal with HD.
What made me leery about projection was the watching angle and potential loss of brightness when not viewing straight on. Inherent in CRT projection, it is better in DLP, but although present in this TV it's not objectionable. Horizontally (left or right of center), one needn't sit directly in front of the TV to enjoy it. Vertically however, one needs to be seated. If you are standing in front of it you will notice loss of brightness. I never watch standing so it is a non-issue.
A few minutes learning how to use the remote is all I needed. Everything is controlled from there but you can change channel, power up, and volume from buttons on the right side as well. You've got more than enough inputs. It includes two component connections for DVD and digital cable. The manual is clear and concise and thankfully only in English. You need to scroll through sequentially to get to your video input,(there are 7)which is really nitpicking, but I mention it.
A leading consumer mag said it was their pick for LCD projection, I see why.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/20/2004 |
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Strengths: Great picture, sound is better than expected and great features
Weaknesses: you have to roll through all the inputs to switch back and forth between TV and cable
Summary: One of the best moves I ever made. I considered the Panasonic 43" but this Sony has been unreal. I am picking up HDTV from local stations without having digital cable with the ATSC tuner. Picture is great and sound is better than expected without external speakers. The only drawback is you have to roll through all the inputs to switch from TV to cable. No big deal. Picture is pretty close to Plasma and much better price and without the burn in issues. I did much research on all the TV's in this class and Plasma. I think I made the best choice possible. I think you'll agree.
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| Date Reviewed: 02/27/2005 |
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Strengths: Picture with all input sources. Sound quality
Weaknesses: Have to scroll through all video inputs even it they are not hooked up. Remote does not control all features of other sony products (vcr/dvd).
Summary: I spent a lot of time researching HDTV products in stores and on websites. I narrowed my search to DLP and LCD rear projection technology. I chose LCD because I felt the picture was sharper and the colors better on the LCD. I do not see the screen door effect on the LCD, nor do I see the rainbow effect on DLP that others have mentioned. I chose sony over panasonic (i have the 42" model) because to my eye the sony had the better overall picture. I have only had the tv for a couple of days so I can't speak about reliability, but I can tell you that the picture with an HD signal is INCREDIBLE.
I hooked the tv directly to the cable input without a cable box. The built in tuner tuned all available channel including broadcast HDTV. You would expect the HD channels to look great, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that even the analog channels look very good. I have also hooked the tv up to a progressive scan dvd player(sony also). The picture quality and sound are outstanding.
The menu system is fairly comprehensive and relatively easy to navigate. I am sure it is no different than any other tv of this type and requires time to get used to it. My only complaint is that you have to scroll through all video inputs to find the one you want. I only have three out of eight hooked up, and you can only scroll one way.
So far we are very pleased with the tv. I understand that the lamp life is questionable (I was told DLP is the same) but you will be amazed at the picture quality with HD and other inputs as well.
Be wary buying on line. I had a problem with one trying to add additional fees after placing an on line order. I ended up buying at Howard's (sourthern CA) for about $100-150 over on line vendors without the hassle. Hope this helps. Good luck shopping
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| Date Reviewed: 04/20/2005 |
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Strengths: beautiful picture, great sound, easy to set up
Weaknesses: none so far
Summary: I bought this set via a friend who work at Sony. My initial concerns about receiving HD broadcast were unfounded. After the initial set up (which took the whole 50 minutes that Sony said it would), I was able to receive digital/HD broadcast. All I did was hook the cable line into the TV. I live in the SF/East Bay area, where Comcast is the cable provider. All I have is the extended basic cable service. But last night I was able to get Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS in HD, as well as a few other channels like KQED, Discovery and a bunch of digital music channel. The HD pictures were beautiful, crisp, clear, normal looking colors. The standard pictures were as expected. The speakers in the is set is great. I don't like to hook up all kind of components to my TV, and this allows me only hook up my DVD player and still get everything I need. The TV is simple to use! One remote for the TV and that's it. I'm happy that I bought this TV. I had to sell my 43" Sony projection TV that I bought 3 years ago for cheap to do it, but it was worth it. I will try to update this review if I experience any problems in the future.
94% of People (17/18) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 08/01/2005 |
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Strengths: Everything...especially picture
Weaknesses: narrow angle for remote control/vertical viewing axis
Summary: The weaknesses I mentioned are inherent in most rear projection LCD TVs and are certainly within reason.
The most obvious outstanding feature of this HDTV is the picture quality! I marvel at the color and clarity...I have no missing pixels and don't think the black levels are nearly as poor as some have suggested. The setup is easy and, although it does take 50 minutes to tune the channels, you only have to do it once! The multiple inputs meet all my needs. The twin picture feature is great for watching two sports at once!
Another quality SONY product!
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| Date Reviewed: 12/18/2004 |
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Strengths: everything!
Weaknesses: none
Summary: I bought this tv last weekend at a department store. I love it. I was not sure if I wanted this big, but I am glad I got it. I do not have home theather, I do not really need it with the speakers on this. The sound alone is amazing. I can not say enough about the picture! I am glad I chose this model over the plasma!
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| Date Reviewed: 03/06/2005 |
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Strengths: Color (fleshtones especially), Best contrast in dark scenes of the bunch of sets in it's class, cable card gives control back to TV remote
Weaknesses: would prefer full split screen PnP as option
Summary: First let me address a few reviewers before me who have stated weaknesses involving switching between 7 video inputs, even when not needed. ALL 6 additional video inputs can be skipped over with some menu option selections - video labels - skip ... read your manuals, people, or at least tinker with the set before you post inaccurate reviews.
Not only does the picture size and quality keep you inside the house watching shows or sports events I used to skip over before (maybe too much so, couch potato syndrome??), because there's no flicker, you can sit even closer making this screen even that much larger in perspective. The cable card HD tuner eliminates the cable box and allows you to use your TV remote as we did in the days before cable scrambling. We all know universal remotes are nice, but they never have full functionality compared to the remote that comes with the product. To top it off, the picture is better with the cable card too, now if they can somehow get a "satellite card" feature!!
If there's a minor bone to pick, it's the sound does not match up with my panasonic plasma's BBE sound even though it has more speakers, go figure??
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| Date Reviewed: 05/20/2005 |
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Strengths: EVERYTHING
Weaknesses: Takes too long to warm up LOL J/K
Summary: There is no better picture anywhere - not even on top-of-the-line plasmas. NO DOTS NO GRAININESS Sound is better than acceptable MY brother-in-law is very upset that he paid $7,000 for a plasma system and my picture is a whole lot better than his for $5,000 less.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/17/2005 |
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Strengths: Superb picture with HD and DVD inputs. Better than most with SD programming. Excellent internal speakers
Weaknesses: Remote can be a bit awkward. Internal speakers must be disabled to use audio output.
Summary: 2005-03-18 07:23:15 I chose this Sony over other very good sets because it's an exceptional value and provides a picture as good as anything I looked at, including plasma and DLP TV sets.
With SD (Standard Definition) broadcasts, the picture is quite good. Not quite as good as my old Hitachi 27" CRT, but very, very close. In "Full" mode it is very good, in any of the zoom or stretch modes, not quite as good. With a decent DVD and a progressive scan player, the picture quality is breathtaking. Finding Nemo is just amazing in it's color saturation and clarity. Switching over to my satellite HD input, a true HD broadcast is so sharp and realistic that you'll think you're looking through a glass window. It's very impressive! The only disadvantage to LCD technology is its difficulty in dealing with deep blacks in a scene. This is a fact, but one which has only minimal impact on the overall picture quality. The Sony can render deep blacks very well, but that comes at the cost of some loss of detail in very dark areas. This is most apparent in dim night scenes or areas of a picture with very high contrast. The compromise I use is to simply set my picture and brightness levels to a point where the blacks aren't quite as dark as they might be. This provides a pleasing picture and maintains much of the detail in dark areas that might otherwise be lost. A little tweaking will easily give you a picture that is excellent for almost any programming.
I find the sound quality to be well above average for a TV. The sound is full and well defined with reasonable bass response and clear mid and high range tones. It features normal, TruSurround, and simulated Surround modes, but its built in automatic volume control function will only work in normal mode. One nuisance is that you must disable the speakers through the on screen menu before the audio output can be used. This only takes a few seconds, but it means you have to use the TV's remote.
This set has seven video inputs, all of which can be labeled and/or bypassed through the menu system. The HDMI input is preset to use input seven. There is no DVI input on this Sony. The inputs are accessed by scrolling with the remote. The remote is fairly complex and not very intuitive. I prefer using the remote that came with my DISH satellite receiver and have it programmed to control the TV. I only use the Sony's remote when I have to access the menu system for the TV.
This set is not too heavy...about 68 pounds, and can easily be carried by two adults. It is 32" high and just over 14" deep, but it is nearly 48" wide. That's pretty wide for a 42" set and makes a TV stand the most practical way of setting this unit up. Entertainment units wide enough for this set may be difficult to find.
The fan is quiet and can only be heard at start up and at shut down. Bulb life is estimated to be in excess of 3,000 hours and replacements are about $200.
Viewing angles are limited in the vertical plane...about 60 degrees...but are generous in the horizontal plane. (Over 130 degrees). In practice, this presents no real problem since not too many people will be watching this set while standing up.
So, yes, I am very pleased with this purchase. It has picture quality that will compare with plasma or DLP, but at a sub $2000 price point. That plus its built in HD tuner, make this a very impressive buy for a big screen HD TV.
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| Date Reviewed: 03/09/2005 |
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Strengths: Great picture,only weighs 46lbs, easy to move
Weaknesses: none
Summary: This is the best tv that we have ever owned. It has enough inputs for anything you want to watch. It has 3 different picture modes and plenty of color brightness. We are going to buy a another one shortly.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/20/2004 |
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Strengths: Great picture...best rear-projection on the market.
Weaknesses: None.
Summary: By the way, a reviewer here said that he's owned this TV for a year? It hasn't been out a year...or even 6 months! He must own the KDFWE610, which had known bulb issue (since been fixed)
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| Date Reviewed: 05/25/2005 |
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Strengths: Incredible HD picture. Remote is easy to use. Plenty of inputs. Integrates well with Sony products (DVD, VCR, digital camera). HD card is better (and cheaper) than a set top box.
Weaknesses: The only weakness I've found has been addressed by another poster.
Summary: This set has been perfect from the day I got it. My cable company (Cox Communications) installed the HD card into the back of the set, and except for the rare "hiccup" in the transmission, has worked flawlessly. The different surround selections are OK, assuming you don't have a true surround system, but I bought the set for its reliability, and picture quality, both of which have been outstanding. Friends who have never seen true 1080i HD are completely blown away by the picture on this set.
As for the issue of paging throught the 7 video sources, thanks to the other poster for pointing out the fix. That was my only issue.
The true HD channels (Discovery HD, and INHD 1 & 2) are absolutely amazing.
I only wish I could afford a 55".
88% of People (7/8) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 01/01/2005 |
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Strengths: Picture w/built in Tuner
Weaknesses: Following in the footsteps of the KF-42WE610
Summary: I love Sony! After years of watching TV on a 25" GE mono TV, I decided to upgrade. So I chose the KF-42WE610 HDTV moniter by SONY. I loved the TV until 28 days later it didn't turn on. I began to seriously doubt SONY LCD TV's. I returned my KF-42WE610 to BestBuy and decided to upgrade to the KDF-42WE655 HDTV w/built in tuner. I am so glad that I did. The tuner is very important for the twin view option. There are other upgrades in the menu options as well as an HDMI connector versus the DVI connector. My HDTV cable box does not have HDMI plug so I purchased the monster HDMI-DVI cable. This does not allow for the full HDMI quality but the picture is to die for!
Anyway, I have had my TV for 4 weeks and I have had no problems. I am hoping that the only weakness for the KDF-42WE655 is following in the footsteps of the KF-42WE610.
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| Date Reviewed: 12/26/2004 |
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Strengths: color,sound
Weaknesses: remote control
Summary: great set with the built in tuner. the HDTV is worth the price.comparing the Sony to it's competion has the Sony alone in this size tv. a very smart buy!
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