How good are the new Sony XBR9s ?

[raypasote]

I was shocked to see sony replaced the 52inch XBR7 within 3 months by the 52 inch XBR9 at $1000.00 cheaper. It has a new bravia engine and now sony has thrown in internet connectivity. Does anyone have any experience with these new TVs? Did Sony cheapen something somewhere to come up with this price or was Sony just socking it to us with the price of the XBR7 ?Unfortunately, I bought the XBR7. I am just wondering just how much better this new TV series could be. I am thinking that the internet connectivity is the main difference. The picture is probably comparable. Anybody out there know?

 

[Quickley17]

Well for starters, it weighs 28(!) pounds less... It uses slightly less power, it doesn't have PIP, it has 2 less video inputs (not relevant for a lot of us), and it has a shorter warranty... The largest difference I can tell is the total panel depth of the tv goes from 5-1/8 to 3-1/2 which I think is pretty cool.

Scroll about 2/3 of the way down on this. They compare it to other tv's including yours.

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/sony-kdl-52xbr9/4505-6482_7-33485036.html

Also, I wouldn't worry about the price thing. I got a 40" XBR 4 for 2300 2 years ago... that stings a bit.

 

[raypasote]

yes, you are right!

Yes, you are right about the price thing. Thanks for pointing that out! I guess that I am in a "I should have waited" blue mood about the whole thing. Yesterday, my brother-in-law bought the 46 inch XBR 9 and I set it up for him. For me, the internet connectivity offered by the XBR 9 was not very compelling. Out of all the widgets offered, the only one I would be interested in accessing would be the Netflix for movie streaming. However, I just read that this will be only at a 720p and not the full 1080p. If I really wanted to get the internet connectivity, I could just buy the $199.00 bravia internet video link and get almost the same thing, I suppose. The picture was very comparable to my XBR 7 so that is a non issue. As far as color correction is concerned, there are more user adjustable areas than mine but I am satisfied with the default settings. All in all, I am satisfied with my XBR 7, but the price still stings! Thanks for your interest and help.