Sony Bravia LCD

[MDS]

So I returned the Toshiba 52LX177 and am now looking for another LCD. The Toshiba was mostly nice with the few occurences of excessive green every once in awhile but I decided to try something different.

I saw the latest Sharp D64U, also in 52", at a friends house over the holidays and I could see the 'banding' issue although only when his satellite receiver took 2 seconds to tune a channel and the screen was pure gray for that time. Therefore, the Sharp is out (which is why I bought the Toshiba in the first place).

So now I am thinking about the Sony Bravia LCD series. I wouldn't go for the XBR version simply because I don't like the extra glass around it. Anybody own one of the Bravia LCD series (KDL-w3000 or something like that)? In the stores I've always thought the Sonys looked less color accurate than the others but CNet reviews say they are actually near spot on to the D6500 color temp standard so maybe I should give it a shot.

 

[Thwarter]

I did a side-by-side comparison of the Sony and the Mitsubishi and thought the clarity and color on the Mitsubishi was just a tad better. Not trying to sway you, just thought I'd throw in the Mitsubishi for your consideration. The LT-52244 also has four (yes four! - 3 on the back, one on the side) HDMI inputs. Also, the bezel around the screen is the smallest I've seen, along with hidden speakers, so it has a nice minimalist look to it. I got the 40" LT-40134 a bit more than a month ago and I'm very pleased how it performs with my HD sources (Playstation 3 games and blu-ray movies.)

Mitsubishi LT-52244 Info

 

[mouettus]

If you're going the sony way, try to get your hands on a v2500 instead of a 3000. You lose a little on contrast (black levels) but you gain a lot of build quality and I find the picture to be better looking when doing a side/side comparison at a Sony store. I think the processor might be more efficient scaling to 1080p. You save a lot because it's last year's model too. So you're gonna be able to go bigger for less. Bogus for me. I paid 4000 CAD for my 46" a year ago.

 

[Hi Ho]

I would also recommend looking at the Mitsubishi. It looks better to me than the Sonys. Is there any reason for not going with plasma? The Panasonic models with the anti-glare shield look much better than any LCD I've seen and don't have the glare problems associated with the glass plasma panels. I bought the 42 PZ77u and I am happier every day that I chose a plasma set over LCD. I setup LCD sets every day and they just can't compare to plasma.

 

[mattldm]

I have a question regarding the plasma Vs. LCD battle.

I have always been told that LCD's work better in brightly lit rooms, i.e. watching TV during the day in a room with lots of windows. (which is my situation) However all the reviews I read seem to say that the Plasma's have better pictures.

Anyone with experience with plasma TV.s:
How is the viewing in a brightly lit room?
Is the difference between LCD and Plasma really all that big of a deal?
Is the better pic. quality worth it to go with plasma?

Thanks

 

[annunaki]

I have a question regarding the plasma Vs. LCD battle.

I have always been told that LCD's work better in brightly lit rooms, i.e. watching TV during the day in a room with lots of windows. (which is my situation) However all the reviews I read seem to say that the Plasma's have better pictures.

Anyone with experience with plasma TV.s:
How is the viewing in a brightly lit room?
Is the difference between LCD and Plasma really all that big of a deal?
Is the better pic. quality worth it to go with plasma?

Thanks

It really depends upon where the windows are in relation to the televison and if you can control the light level in the room. An Anti-glare panel such as on the 77 models from Panasonic would eliminate much of the glare issue. If the windows are oriented like below LCD may be a better rout if the window faces South, West, or East. If it is east, how ofthen will watch television in the morning??

.......TV

....COUCH

W I N D O W S

I would do plasma in nearly all cases simply because of all the issues regarding LCD. I can't stand the change in Black levels from different angles, especially up or down. Granted some are better than others but it is still noticable.

 

[annunaki]

So I returned the Toshiba 52LX177 and am now looking for another LCD. The Toshiba was mostly nice with the few occurences of excessive green every once in awhile but I decided to try something different.

I saw the latest Sharp D64U, also in 52", at a friends house over the holidays and I could see the 'banding' issue although only when his satellite receiver took 2 seconds to tune a channel and the screen was pure gray for that time. Therefore, the Sharp is out (which is why I bought the Toshiba in the first place).

So now I am thinking about the Sony Bravia LCD series. I wouldn't go for the XBR version simply because I don't like the extra glass around it. Anybody own one of the Bravia LCD series (KDL-w3000 or something like that)? In the stores I've always thought the Sonys looked less color accurate than the others but CNet reviews say they are actually near spot on to the D6500 color temp standard so maybe I should give it a shot.

MDS,

Is Plasma out of the question for you??

The Best LCD's I have seen are the Samsung 71F & 81F models. The 81F is very pricey though. The black levels are very good. Off angle black level is uniform. The color points are fairly accurate. The native refresh rate and processing is much superior to the Sony's and the cabinet looks very nice as well. The 71F series actually perform best with the 120hz processing shut off and look fairly similar to a plasma (not quite as good) with motion. This is by far the ONLY LCD I would consider purchasing myself (if someone had a gun to my head and said I must buy LCD ) Great deals can be found on them from time to time.

All that said, it still does not beat a good (i.e. Panasonic) plasma display, for less money.

 

[MDS]

I wouldn't say Plasma is totally out for me but for some reason I'm more interested in LCD. I know they aren't quite as good as plasma but I didn't find the black level of the Toshiba to be all that bad. The softness of SD does bother my eyes a bit but HD and SD premium channels looked really good. But it seems that every model has one problem or another.

I don't really have an issue with light because the windows are to the right of the TV and face North. A large covered patio is behind those windows and in the evening this room is pitch black.

The piano black bezel of all of these LCDs does reflect light a bit but the screen doesn't. I know I wouldn't like a reflective screen regardless of whether it is plasma or lcd.

Anyway I'm on the fence once again after returning the Toshiba. The Sony looks ok to me and so I'm considering it although I may change my mind and look more closely at the plasmas.

 

[annunaki]

For the price of a Sony 52" XBR you can pick up the Panasonic TH-58PZ700U!

Your money would be best spent on the TH-50PZ77U though. The Anti-Glare glass will work for your situation and give you better overall performance without any of the issues inherent with LCD. Plasma is simply a better value in my opinion. Plasma's I have seen tend to do better with SD content as well making the image smoother. LCD's tend to have a lot of Jaggies with SD content. Especially fast motion.

Because of your requirement for a non glossy screen it takes the best LCD out of the picture. The Samsung 71F series use a glossy screen though I do not notice it too much.

 

[Thunder18]

MDS,

Is Plasma out of the question for you??

The Best LCD's I have seen are the Samsung 71F & 81F models. The 81F is very pricey though. The black levels are very good. Off angle black level is uniform. The color points are fairly accurate. The native refresh rate and processing is much superior to the Sony's and the cabinet looks very nice as well. The 71F series actually perform best with the 120hz processing shut off and look fairly similar to a plasma (not quite as good) with motion. This is by far the ONLY LCD I would consider purchasing myself (if someone had a gun to my head and said I must buy LCD ) Great deals can be found on them from time to time.

All that said, it still does not beat a good (i.e. Panasonic) plasma display, for less money.

You should be able to get a Samsung 5271F for around $2700 without trying too hard and while the 81 series does have amazing blacks, it's also been proven to be worse at producing a wider gamut of greyscale(the 71 series beats in in reproducing a fuller scale of gray) because it seems the local dimming of the LED's is not localized enough. The 81 just turns off the backlighting altogether when the signal gets down to a certain level. Audition a 71F series and I'd be surprised if you've seen a better LCD.

Disclaimer: I do own a 71F series Samsung, I had the Toshiba 47HL167 nearly 30 days before switching it out for the Samsung and still have an Emprex 37" LCD that has the best viewing angle of any LCD i've ever seen. I can watch that thing from nearly 180 degrees and it doesn't wash out at all.