Sony Grand WEGA KDS-50A2000 50-Inch SXRD 1080p Rear Projection HDTV Review from Customer. Great TV, My TV history: I’ve owned a Sony KF42WE610 set, which is an LCD Rear Proj. TV. I have helped purchase (and tweak) a Samsung HLP4663W DLP set for my parents, which replaced an older Mitsubishi CRT RPTV. I also own a 26? Syntax LT26HVE flat-panel LCD which I use as my PC monitor. I think it’s fair to say I’ve seen my share of HDTVs.

Well, my parents bought me this set as a graduation gift, to replace my Sony LCD set which was lost in a housefire. And boy, am I ever pleased with it. Sony’s SXRD (their proprietary version of LCOS, or Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technology is easily superior to all of the above-mentioned techs (including Plasma, which I have not owned, but have viewed relatively extensively). It is offered at a “Sony mark-up” but not a tremendous one in terms of other 1080p-capable sets.

Designed for maximum versatility, Sony’s Grand WEGATM XBR® line is equipped with a comprehensive range of input interfaces. The HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. HDMI technology supports enhanced or High Definition video, together with multi-channel digital audio to provide matchless image and sound reproduction. The PCD input (HD-15-pin) offers easy connection to your PC, allowing you to use your high resolution Grand WEGA XBR TV as a computer monitor.

The C750 series packs a strong punch with the new 3D TV compatibility feature combined with some of Samsung’s best features from the past. Samsung isn’t only producing LED backlit LCDs for 2010, the C750 line of CFL backlit LCDs contains many of the features of the more expensive LED TVs at a more affordable price. The C750 uses Samsung’s 1080p, 240Hz “Ultra Clear” panel. While we found the motion blur reduction of the AutoMotion Plus 240Hz and 120Hz impressive during sports programming we didn’t like the effect it had on picture depth in film programming. Other high hertz rate TVs didn’t showcase this issue so we are hopeful that this has been remedied for 2010.

This LCD is 3D ready like all of the LED line up, Samsung’s proprietary 3D enabled system allows compatibility with multiple 3D formats to provide access to 3D content from many sources. As we note often, the TV will obviously perform regular two dimensional duties, but is enabled for 3D should you introduce some 3D content. We viewed DirecTV 3D enabled content on this series. We noticed some eye straining when the picture changed scenes or programming. We believe this was due more to the content than the TV.

Silver TVs haven’t really been “in” since around 2005, and we’re sure there enough buyers who will be happy to see this styling return. With that said, after so many years of seeing only black, we did find the bezel mildly distracting at first. To stop the display falling over, it is supplied with a large “four-legged” silver stand.

The remote, too, has undergone a transformation to match the TV design. Like the TV, it’s styled in brushed titanium with a glossy silver trim. All of the “buttons” are hidden below the face, so although they do provide a little bit of feedback when you press them, operating takes a little bit of getting used to because you can no longer run your finger over the remote’s surface to find your way around (at least, not to the same degree as before – the remote does include some raised lines and a tactile dot for this purpose). We did appreciate that, like some of Samsung’s other remotes, the UE46C8000’s remote control features backlighting which can be enabled by pressing the dedicated button at the top-right.

Philips recently introduced new additions to its 9000 series HDTVs via two new models for the 9600 series and the new 9700 series announced for release in summer 2009. ??The TVs boast full HD displays, Philips’ Ambilight technology on three sides, and aluminum frames which will be black in the 9604 and 9664, and silver in the 9700 series. ?? The consumer draw to the Philips 9664 is its waif-like thickness (20mm thick) at its thinnest point. The HDTV also boasts 200Hz “Clear LCD” and a one millisecond response time. This will make for less motion blur, particularly during fast moving scenes which is all the rage in LCD HDTVs right now.

What’s amazing about the 46PFL9704H/12 is the high dynamic contrast ratio of 5000000:1. This is made possible by the LED backlighting found on the TV. The LED backlight achieves this through a unique local dimming of the LEDs. It generates light where it is needed in the image and keeps dark areas supremely black. With this feature, images are rendered with extreme deep blacks alongside vibrantly coloured bright sections. As with the other Philips LCD included in this Group Test, the 46PFL9704H/12 also supports Net TV for streaming video content from the internet in directly to your TV – might we add as well that the LCD has a built-in Wi-Fi 802.11n support for connecting to the internet. Yes, it has Wi-Fi. Lastly, the Philips 200 Hz Clear LCD brings the response time of LCD TV to an incredible 1 ms, so even with the fastest action scene you will be enthralled by the action, and not following the stretched car across the screen.

Browsing the Internet via your TV remote isn’t ideal. It’s harder to navigate around pages and access links without a mouse, and inputting hyperlink text without a proper keyboard is always going to be a chore. But, thanks to a neat on-screen virtual keyboard and the possibility of inputting often-used Internet phrases like ‘www’ and ‘.co.uk’ with the press of just one button, surfing the Web on the 32PFL9604H isn’t nearly as frustrating an experience as expected.

This, together with the freedom of having the whole Internet at your disposal, means that the 32PFL9604H’s online access is something you’ll probably use regularly, rather than being a mere sideshow, as it is with most TVs.

Sony Bravia ZX1 is the world’s slimmest television up to now. It is only 9.9mm thick at its edges however it is a bit thicker at the back bottom. It can be mounted to a wall or placed on its own stand. It can also be used as a monitor for a computer. In its idle mode it can also play a slide show of images stored into it via a USB. The image is displayed by the high qualityLEDs on all the for sides of it. A technology called “Bravia Engine 2? is used which, according to Sony, improves every aspect of the image. It can easily handle fast motion sequences with itsMotionflow 100Hz with image Blur reduction (IB reduction). The Motionflow 100Hz inserts additional frames to the picture to compensate for the scenes of 50Hz.

One of the ways the boffins at Sony were able to make this TV so slim is BRAVIA Edge LED Technology. In layman’s terms this means the LED (Light Emitting Diodes) are around the edges of the screen and not behind it, which is the ‘traditional’ way of lighting these screens. All the tech-talk aside, the end result is that it works quite well. On close inspection there is some minor backlighting issues around the corners, but this is indeed very minor and something you’d really have to look out for. In normal viewing situations I don’t think this would amount to any major show-stopper.

Overall the BRAVIA ZX-1 is a pretty impressive achievement – it looks great, it’s about as slim as these things will ever get and has decent picture quality. The media receiver box eliminates just about all cabling to the screen itself, bar the power lead (and HDMI for 1080/24p), making discrete wall mounting easy and at 12.2kg you won’t need wall bolts the size of spark plugs. On the downside the limited number of analogue inputs may trouble some users, but the three HDMI ports might make this acceptable. The real downer was the pitiful set of speakers built into the stand, but this can be overcome with dedicated speakers, albeit at a price. As long as you can live with these it makes for one heck of a unique TV – and at $5,499,- you would hope so.

Sharp has managed to get the depth of this LCD TV down to just 23mm — although that’s considerably more than Sony’s 9.9mm, the Sharp should be out a little bit sooner, which might help people with walls creaking under the strain of a lardy TV at the moment. The size reduction is mostly down to the new LED-based backlight, which is a more traditional system than Sony’s side-mounted LEDs.

LED backlighting has many advantages, including low power consumption and a great contrast range. The technology isn’t without its problems though, such as halo effects on bright objects shot against dark backgrounds. We’ll reserve judgement until we get our hands on one though.

The styling is excellent too. On the front, the buttons are flush with the metallic bezel, giving it a cool streamlined look. Because it’s so tiny, Sharp has also opted to have the speaker mounted beneath the screen, something the company is no stranger to. What is new is that the audio system is Pioneer-branded — clearly one of the first signs that the two companies are working closely together.

The XS1 is a 1080p, 100Hz model of course, which should be a massive bonus for film lovers. No word yet on pricing, but don’t expect them to be cheap! Photos for you to drool over are included. -Ian Morris

In addition, televisions incorporate energy-efficient technology, which reduces power consumption by adjusting the screen brightness according to the brightness level in the field of installation.

Thanks to its AQUOS XS1 TV series “thinness, users will have the freedom of installation of styles including wall mounting, table etc. Even thin speakers are fitted in the new Sharp television. In cooperation with Pioneer, Sharp has set the single point of 1-bit digital amplifier for the new thin televisions.