BRAVIA XBR 52 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV with Built-In ATSC/Clear QAM Tuner

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expect great sound from the built in speakers, and realistically, people who buy this are likely to have a home theater system anyway. But the built in sound is adequate as far as built in sound goes.

The problem is getting to to other equipment. Sony provides an optical out that sends Dolby Digital/PCM to your home theater system. But although it works great when sending sound from the tuner, it sends only the PCM component when the source is HDMI. Yes, there are ways around that, such as extra cables or different wiring, but for $4,300 is it really asking for too much for this thing to work as many users expect? It's not as if I'm asking for a built in home theater system. I'm just asking for a jack that works in a useful way, as other manufacturers already provide.

I could get around the problem by using the digital out directly from my DVD player instead. My Sony DVD player from last year had two digital audio outputs. One was coax and the other was optical. Sony's DVP-NS77H DVD player now sells for $89.99, up converts to 1080p, and even it has two digital audio outputs. Why did they leave the coax output off the $4300 HDTV? If they could afford it on this year's low end HDMI DVD player, it's not as if it would have been a bank breaker.

With a missing output on this TV, I can either get a new AV preamp, or run more cables. But should I have to do that with such an expensive TV? And if I did get a new AV preamp, would the Sony make good use of it?

Not Quite. The TV is also missing a video output. Many home theater systems can make use of one for monitoring, and it would also have allowed me to use my VCR to record, since the VCR has no digital tuner.

Was it left out because VCRs are supposedly obsolete, or was it left out because the TV is considered too low end to have the features expected by a high end AV preamp? Either way, the circuitry involved is a mere fraction of what's already on their cheapest DVD players: something to take a digital signal, and output it to HDMI, S-VHS, component video, and composite. I'd settle for even one of them if I hadn't already settled for less.

Sony still sells things such as PS2 video consoles. Indeed many game manufacturers sell things with composite-only video outputs. Yet this TV, while able to accept three HDMI inputs, can accept only one S-VHS input, and none on the side connector. If you use the rear S-VHS connector for a VCR, that leaves one composite input, plus one on the side. And if I want to use the S-VHS connector for my relatively recent vintage Sony camcorder, I'd have to get behind my wall mounted TV to unplug the VCR each time. And since Sony camcorders have a special connector, the cable can't be shared as an alternative.

My kids got a Wii recently. It's neither Sony nor obsolete equipment. But it does have composite outputs. I don't think it's asking for too much to be able to use things like that or my relatively new Sony camcorder without juggling wires. I think for something as expensive as this TV, it's not asking for too much for it to be able to handle basic connectivity with commonly used household AV equipment. It's not asking too much for it to have things that they are willing to put on even the cheapest DVD players.

With equipment that it was designed to work with, it does a great job. It's nice to be able to press "play" on my Sony DVD player, have it turn on, have it turn on the TV, switch its input to DVD, and just work. It's also nice that it will turn off my DVD player if I turn off the TV. And perhaps if I had an all Sony AV system, that would integrate well too. But it's arrogant to think that customers should use only Sony equipment.

The remote control is adequate, but they could have done a better job of allowing it to integrate with other components. Even with their own DVD player, the TV remote has ALMOST all the buttons I would need. And it requires pressing a button to let the remote know if I am intending the next button presses to be for the DVD or the TV. That's to be expected in some cases, but in situations where it's unambiguous, it should figure it out for me.

Prior to buying this, I came close to getting a Samsung. The Samsung has a very impressive picture quality and I probably would not have felt short changed. The Samsung has a glossy screen surface, which can be a problem in certain living conditions, and I've had that issue with an older Pioneer Elite. I would not have considered that last point to be a show stopper, and the Samsungs still give you more on a dollar for dollar basis. But I'd still give the edge to the Sony for picture quality.

The deciding factor for me, though, was Sony's manufacturing quality. If something goes wrong with this set, I feel comfortable that Sony will stand behind me. With the Samsung, if I were among the unfortunate few who have problems, I'd be cursing myself for buying it. I might have spent more for the Sony, and will have to spend even more for the overall system to do everything I want, but I did get a good HDTV. I just can't give it 5 stars given the features for the price.

BRAVIA XBR 52 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV with Built-In ATSC/Clear QAM Tuner

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speakers.

The picture on this TV is outstanding; superb, actually. After spending some time with the video settings, I found that the VIVID mode was the absolute best for our viewing, as long as the color was also backed down to about 70 percent, the brightness to about 30 percent and contrast to 60 percent or so. The tint was fine at the 0 level. It's truly amazing that a screen of this size shows virtually NO pixels at a normal viewing distance. The video in HI DEF looks as crisp and clean as a movie screen. The standard analog programming just pales in comparison. We found it a bit "fuzzy", but with a screen this size, it's to be expected. To really appreciate this TV, one MUST have a HI DEF cable box or go satellite. I couldn't say how over the air HD looks, since we have cable.

We are extremely happy with our purchase. The 120hz motion settings come in OFF, STANDARD and HIGH. I've found STANDARD is probably best for sports programming. It does an adequate job.

As for looks, the glass around the screen with chrome stripping is a nice touch. It sets the look off with an "upscale" design, befitting the quality of the TV.

We would highly recommend this model to anyone wanting a beautiful, perfect 52 inch HI DEF. The blacks are very black, the colors are incredible, the lines and clarity in HI DEF are just breathtaking. It's expensive, but, if it's the main TV in any household and gets watched every day, it's worth the extra money. SONY'S attention to LCD exclusively now, having dropped Plasma a few years back, shows in the extreme brilliance and unbelievable perfection of the picture. Get this one! It's the best LCD 52 inch on the market.

One caveat, SONY recently announced that they're discontinuing their association with Samsung and going with Sharp, possibly as soon as April. Sharp has been known for banding issues and problems with uniformity in their LCD screens, so, unless they've worked out the problems, it might be a good idea to grab one of these sets while they still have Samsung blood running through them. For my money, Samsung and SONY are neck and neck as far as LCD technology.

BRAVIA XBR 52 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV with Built-In ATSC/Clear QAM Tuner

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to supply the old analog TVs in the house (at least until next year when they will need converter digital to analog tuners) as well as the new XBR with built-in digital tuner. Set-up was easy. I simply needed to choose the antenna option instead of cable on the TV menu. The automatic channel search discovered several digital stations in my area that were new to me.

I looked at nearly 100 TV stands and chose the Icon 9429 Stand (www.bdiusa.com) that was a perfect choice for this TV. The stand has architectural features that match the TV well and it allowed me to place my Center speaker and receiver under the TV.

I had carefully researched this TV and I would definitely choose it again. It seems that the features/price/value ratios for HD TVs have hit a sweet spot and this was a good time to buy my first high-definition TV after waiting for the price to come down and the technology to fully mature. The 120 hz rate was a selling point in addition to the picture clarity of the Sony XBR series. This TV is really able to display all kinds of signals with a superb picture quality and very clean action shots. It is bright enough to be placed in front of a large, south-facing tinted picture window with a lot of light in the room. In fact, I usually turn the picture setting down from the vivid to the standard picture mode. The LCD gives good clarity from all the viewing angles in the room.

Amazon's price was much better than list price and reasonably better than local retailers that turned out to also be running their own sales the week before the Superbowl. It took about one week to get the TV after I placed the order despite the fact that the order included "expedited shipping speed." One or two days of that delay occurred when my credit card company put a hold on the order pending my call to confirm that I really had ordered this item that was atypical of my spending habits. Chase is very careful about avoiding fraudulent purchases by putting a hold on atypical charges. Confirming this charge with them immediately would have improved the delivery time.

The delivery man was very helpful and he actually brought the large TV inside my door, despite the contract that only required him to leave it at my front door. This was a potential concern: a TV that would be too large for a single person to easily move, left outside according to the the "portal to portal" delivery contract. It would be helpful if Amazon would correct this potential problem. I suspect that most customers could talk their delivery man into bringing the large TV inside, especially during a rainy week. Customers should be prepared to get someone to help them lift the TV onto its final resting place. It takes at least two strong people to safely move this TV. It's important to get the position right the first day. After couple of weeks, the pads underneath the TV had adhered to the glass stand under it and it could not be easily repositioned.

The TV arrived in excellent condition. I would definitely choose this model again. I would probably order this from Amazon again with the above recommendations.

BRAVIA XBR 52 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV with Built-In ATSC/Clear QAM Tuner

...

to supply the old analog TVs in the house (at least until next year when they will need converter digital to analog tuners) as well as the new XBR with built-in digital tuner. Set-up was easy. I simply needed to choose the antenna option instead of cable on the TV menu. The automatic channel search discovered several digital stations in my area that were new to me.



I looked at nearly 100 TV stands and chose the Icon 9429 Stand (www.bdiusa.com) that was a perfect choice for this TV. The stand has architectural features that match the TV well and it allowed me to place my Center speaker and receiver under the TV.



I had carefully researched this TV and I would definitely choose it again. It seems that the features/price/value ratios for HD TVs have hit a sweet spot and this was a good time to buy my first high-definition TV after waiting for the price to come down and the technology to fully mature. The 120 hz rate was a selling point in addition to the picture clarity of the Sony XBR series. This TV is really able to display all kinds of signals with a superb picture quality and very clean action shots. It is bright enough to be placed in front of a large, south-facing tinted picture window with a lot of light in the room. In fact, I usually turn the picture setting down from the vivid to the standard picture mode. The LCD gives good clarity from all the viewing angles in the room.



Amazon's price was much better than list price and reasonably better than local retailers that turned out to also be running their own sales the week before the Superbowl. It took about one week to get the TV after I placed the order despite the fact that the order included "expedited shipping speed." One or two days of that delay occurred when my credit card company put a hold on the order pending my call to confirm that I really had ordered this item that was atypical of my spending habits. Chase is very careful about avoiding fraudulent purchases by putting a hold on atypical charges. Confirming this charge with them immediately would have improved the delivery time.



The delivery man was very helpful and he actually brought the large TV inside my door, despite the contract that only required him to leave it at my front door. This was a potential concern: a TV that would be too large for a single person to easily move, left outside according to the the "portal to portal" delivery contract. It would be helpful if Amazon would correct this potential problem. I suspect that most customers could talk their delivery man into bringing the large TV inside, especially during a rainy week. Customers should be prepared to get someone to help them lift the TV onto its final resting place. It takes at least two strong people to safely move this TV. It's important to get the position right the first day. After couple of weeks, the pads underneath the TV had adhered to the glass stand under it and it could not be easily repositioned.



The TV arrived in excellent condition. I would definitely choose this model again. I would probably order this from Amazon again with the above recommendations.

BRAVIA XBR 52 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV with Built-In ATSC/Clear QAM Tuner

...

to supply the old analog TVs in the house (at least until next year when they will need converter digital to analog tuners) as well as the new XBR with built-in digital tuner. Set-up was easy. I simply needed to choose the antenna option instead of cable on the TV menu. The automatic channel search discovered several digital stations in my area that were new to me.





I looked at nearly 100 TV stands and chose the Icon 9429 Stand (www.bdiusa.com) that was a perfect choice for this TV. The stand has architectural features that match the TV well and it allowed me to place my Center speaker and receiver under the TV.





I had carefully researched this TV and I would definitely choose it again. It seems that the features/price/value ratios for HD TVs have hit a sweet spot and this was a good time to buy my first high-definition TV after waiting for the price to come down and the technology to fully mature. The 120 hz rate was a selling point in addition to the picture clarity of the Sony XBR series. This TV is really able to display all kinds of signals with a superb picture quality and very clean action shots. It is bright enough to be placed in front of a large, south-facing tinted picture window with a lot of light in the room. In fact, I usually turn the picture setting down from the vivid to the standard picture mode. The LCD gives good clarity from all the viewing angles in the room.





Amazon's price was much better than list price and reasonably better than local retailers that turned out to also be running their own sales the week before the Superbowl. It took about one week to get the TV after I placed the order despite the fact that the order included "expedited shipping speed." One or two days of that delay occurred when my credit card company put a hold on the order pending my call to confirm that I really had ordered this item that was atypical of my spending habits. Chase is very careful about avoiding fraudulent purchases by putting a hold on atypical charges. Confirming this charge with them immediately would have improved the delivery time.





The delivery man was very helpful and he actually brought the large TV inside my door, despite the contract that only required him to leave it at my front door. This was a potential concern: a TV that would be too large for a single person to easily move, left outside according to the the "portal to portal" delivery contract. It would be helpful if Amazon would correct this potential problem. I suspect that most customers could talk their delivery man into bringing the large TV inside, especially during a rainy week. Customers should be prepared to get someone to help them lift the TV onto its final resting place. It takes at least two strong people to safely move this TV. It's important to get the position right the first day. After couple of weeks, the pads underneath the TV had adhered to the glass stand under it and it could not be easily repositioned.





The TV arrived in excellent condition. I would definitely choose this model again. I would probably order this from Amazon again with the above recommendations.