I am simply thrilled with this TV! I did a lot of research over a period of many months before making this purchase and it really paid off. I got a great price from Amazon and the product itself is wonderful! Great picture, terrific color, easy to set up and use, great features, very attractive sleek design. It allows you to either go with the standard settings or make all kinds of adjustments to the sound and picture from the easy-to-use menu options. You can customize your settings (and save them) for the various HDMI and other inputs. I ordered it late on a Sunday evening and it was already out for delivery to my home on Wednesday morning. Pilot Air Freight called ahead to make arrangements for whatever delivery time was convenient for me. You choose your own time right down to the half hour, in fact, my deliver person was actually early! They gave me free white gloves delivery with a very friendly, prompt, and careful delivery person. They bring it into the house, unpack it and put it on your TV stand, all in just a few minutes--and in perfect condition! Non-HD over the air broadcasts look fairly decent on it. Ordinary DVDs look excellent--even from an ordinary DVD player. It has a USB port so you can look at your digital photos on the big 52" screen, and believe me it makes them look fantastic--and huge! It's at its best when you watch Blu-Ray movies on it. They just look incredibly beautiful and the sound is gorgeous, even with just the onboard speakers. I can't wait to hear how it sounds with my new receiver and surround speakers! And it can play Master Audio disks. You can't go wrong with this TV. The price is right and it's worth every penny and then some. I love it! Thanks again to Amazon for a great product at a great price with super fast high quality free delivery!

This was a big jump up. The last TV was a 6 year old 20 inch JVC tube, so you might think we would be easy to dazzle. Nevertheless I did a lot of research before springing for this one. Got it to watch DVDs; we don't have cable or dish, just an indoor antenna. We were really surprised at all the new (digital) channels we got, even without upgrading our antenna --so don't be hasty in assuming you need to have an outdoor antenna, cable, etc., especially if you are in a metropolitan area.

The old analog stations (say, channel 9) come in pathetically, but usually there are other stations associated with each number. For example, we now get digital 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3 --three different programs where we used to get one. This was all a pleasant surprise. We got digital versions of all the old channels and 7-8 new ones. We even get a San Jose station that we haven't seen in years.

Everything on the digital channels is gorgeous. When I was shopping I saw big HDTVs where the non-HD picture was stretched and distorted, but you don't have to set it that way. You can set it so that each program comes in at its optimal picture quality. Some day, hopefully, it will all be HD, but the SD stuff looks pretty good on this set! As for the Bravia XBR6 specifically, great black-blacks, but your detail within shadows is not sacrificed. It came set to "vivid" color setting, but I find the standard setting more natural. REally stunning picture! Haven't watched any blu-ray disks yet (no player) but the standard DVDs look fabulous!

This was a big purchase but I am very happy with it. And--at least in the SF Bay area-- delivery was faster than projected and the CEVA white glove service was fine. They do not connect your components for you but they do put it on a stand and power it up so you can be sure all your pixels, sound, etc, function.

I spent a good 6 months researching HDTVs, reading reviews and visiting local stores to check them out before I decided on the Sony 52XBR6. But now I'm returning it; read on to find out why.

The only reason I went with an LCD instead of a plasma was because of the screen reflection issue. Our TV will be directly across from a large bay window, with our sofa in-between the two. So my wife and I didn't want to constantly have a reflection of the window behind us in the TV screen. So I never even considered plasma for this single reason.

After speaking to local salespeople, they recommended the Sony XBR6 over all other LCDs, including Samsung. They informed me that although Samsung TVs look nice, they have a quality control issue, where they allow an error rate of 8%-9% off the production line, as opposed to Sony who only allows 1%-2%. One store I went to that services the brands they sell said they stopped carrying the Samsung TVs altogether because they were spending too much time fixing them! So I ordered the Sony XBR6 and my wife and I eagerly awaited delivery.

Upon setting it up, the picture was fine: very clear, and HDTV channels looked crazy good. We popped in the Planet Earth Blu-ray disc, and again we were blown away. I also liked the on-screen menus -- very fluid, sorta like the PS3 or an iPhone. We couldn't have been happier. Little did we know that we were seeing the "Dr. Jekyll" side of this TV, and once nightfall came the "Mr. Hyde" side would emerge...

That night, we sat down to watch a movie on Blu-ray. Almost immediately, even before the opening credits came up (while the screen was still dark), I noticed lights shining from the corners and edges across the screen. There were also a couple of cloudy patches. I pointed them out to my wife, and she said "It looks like a marquee sign!"

I played around with the picture settings for a while, but even when I set the backlight to "Min" (the lowest setting) and the power saving mode to "High" (which is supposed to reduce the backlight to save energy), I could still see the lights. Of course, when the movie was playing I rarely saw them because the picture on-screen overwhelmed the flaws in the backlight. But whenever a dark scene came on, or a scene faded to black before the next scene faded in, you could see these lights. I saw the lights no matter what the source: Blu-ray, DVD, cable TV. My stomach sank, because I found it so distracting that I knew I couldn't keep the TV if something couldn't be done.

I contacted Sony tech support through their online chat feature, and after describing the problem and following a few of their troubleshooting tips, the problem remained. That's when the Sony tech support said, and I quote:

"This is the characteristic drawback of LCD technology. If you think that the LCD technology is not acceptable, you may purchase a plasma display to avoid the clouds."

Here's the kicker... Sony doesn't even make plasma TVs! So they were basically telling me to return their TV and buy a competitor's product!

So why am I giving this TV 3 stars instead of 1? Because in all fairness it does produce a great picture when feeding it an HD signal, as long as the picture is relatively bright all across the screen. If you watch mostly sports, sitcoms, and animation, you'll probably never notice the flaws in the backlight. But if you watch a lot of movies or TV dramas with dark scenes in them, you'll find the backlight flaws totally unacceptable. Maybe you'll get lucky and get one without flaws in the backlight, but that's the chance you're taking.

As for me, I'm getting a plasma, reflections be damned. In fact, I took my wife out to see the Panasonic plasmas at the same store where we bought the XBR6, and she said, "THAT'S the reflection you're talking about? That's not bad at all, I can live with that." And besides, that's what curtains are for, right? So it looks like our replacement TV will be a Panasonic plasma.

But don't take my word for it -- see for yourself. I posted some photos of the leaking backlight here: www.webapalooza.com/sonyxbr6/

Until the XBR8 is shipping, this is the top-of-the-line Sony LCD television. Consequently, as you might expect, the color, image, and performance are superb. The picture is honestly nothing short of spectacular.

It was a great disappointment, however, to discover that "mura" (also called black clouding), an irregularity in the LCD panel that keeps it from going dark evenly during playback of a very dark scene or during a dip-to-black in the program material, is STILL an issue with the XBR6 family. I found posts about this problem as far back as the XBR2.

Simply said, "mura" (the japanese word for "unevenness") is a quality control issue. Some sets have it, some don't. The larger the panel is, the harder it is to build it perfectly, and the nature of LCD backlighting makes it difficult to build a large, LCD screen that renders a pure black screen evenly without clouding. But not impossible. You see many 40" sets with no mura at all. Other manufacturers' 52's that have fewer accolades about their onscreen images don't seem to have the problem, although, admittedly, their operating images may not look anywhere near as good as images seen on this tv.

Amazon is shipping my 2nd unit even as I write this...so we will see whether my first was just a bad panel, or whether Sony Customer Service's comment that "some mura is typical of this unit and LCD technology" is accurate.

This is Sony, after all...and it's their best-of-the-best product in the family (if you don't count the $7,000 XBR8). You don't expect "good enough" from Sony; they are the unit against which all others are judged, which means you expect "perfect".

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Thursday, November 27, 2008

I'm happy to report that the second unit supplied by Amazon is considerably more uniform in low light. In a pitch black room, there is still a small amount of black level mura, but it is so much better than the first unit that I can live with it. In a nutshell, if your viewing area is a very dark, movie-theater-like environment, you may see what I'm talking about. But if you have even a small amount of ambient light in your room, you probably won't.

I bought the Sony 52XBR6 after nine months of research, including reading reviews of various LCD models on Amazon.com. I found the reviews very helpful so that's why I'm taking the time to write this.

I was considering buying a 52-inch Samsung model because of the many positive reviews, including top ratings in Consumers Reports. However a couple of the reviews mentioned Samsung's highly reflective screen. That wouldn't work in my Arizona home. The XBR6 is in my family room, the southern wall of which is all windows so we get lots of sunlight. No problem for the Sony.

When I ordered the XBR6 I also bought a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player and a Sony STR-DG720 audiovisual receiver, all through Amazon. I've only had them for a week so still learning about them but they work great. Last night I watched a blu-ray disc about Australia. The picture was so clear I could stand within two feet of the screen without seeing pixels - amazing.

I don't have a home theater set up yet. For audio I'm alternating between the TV's speakers and two JBL speakers (Model 4312 Control Monitor) I've had for years. The DG720 receiver's audio settings allowed me designate the JBLs as Front Speakers and combine the 7.1 multi-channels through them without loss. The receiver's audio settings are so flexible I can later add speakers, such as a front speaker and/or a sub-woofer, and just change the settings to accomodate them. I really like that.

My only complaints so far are the user-unfriendly operating manuals for the blu-ray disc and especially for the receiver. Here's a couple of paragraphs from the STR-DG720 Operating Instructions:

"Sound may be interrupted when the sampling frequency, the number of channels or the audio format of the audio output signals from the playback component is switched" (page 21)

"IF YOU CONNECT A SUB WOOFER. This receiver will generate a low frequency signal for output to the sub woofer when there is no LFE signal, which is a low-pass sound effect output from a sub woofer to a 2 channel signal. However, the low frequency signal is not generated for 'NE06 CIN' or 'NE06 MUS' when all speakers are set to 'LARGE'." (page 53)

You audiophiles out there might read these and say "of course" but my response was "huh?" Anyway, by comparison the TV's operating instuctions were a piece of cake.

One final comment. I chose the slower, no cost, delivery option but still received the White Glove service because of the size of the TV. The delivery company's paperwork including the recommendation that I keep the large carton for a while in case the TV had to be returned. However,the truck driver said he never had to return a Sony.

I must say, colors pop out on this set like nothing I've seen before. They're extremely vibrant, amplififed by the 50,000:1 contrast ratio which makes for deep blacks. In a pitch dark room, the black levels nearly blend in with the surrounding environment. This is important to me since my viewing area is very dark with no ambient lighting.

Sound, for me, is not important on a TV since I have a home theater system. I imagine most people buying such a big, expensive set are in the same boat. I have listened to the speakers and I must say there's nothing special about them IMO. They're not big enough to put out much bass. I just took down my 8 year old 35" Trinitron CRT and I hear no improvement on sound quality. If you're planning on buying this TV and don't have a home theater system, I'd suggest looking into one.

One of the only cons I can see so far is what another reviewer called "mura", or slightly cloudy areas on the screen when it's completely black. I only notice this when nothing else is on the screen so it's not that huge a concern, but I did knock off one star because of that. It's not enough of a problem for me to send the set back since the next one could be worse, and I haven't noticed it so far when something's on the screen. If the screen went evenly black, I'd easily give this set five stars. I'm also not impressed by the remote. The volume and channel buttons are awkwardly placed, making the remote off-balance when using them. And the illuminate feature is lacking since key words aren't written on the buttons but above them, keeping them in the dark as the button is lit. They could take some notes from Onkyo on this; their illuminated remotes are superb, and I use my universal Onkyo remote for this TV rather than the one included.

All in all, I'm very happy with this TV. The picture is by far the best I've ever seen. I would shop around for the best deal, however. I had this in my Amazon cart at less than $2,300, and when I went to pay for it the price flew up to $2,500. That's still not a bad price for this TV, but Amazon's prices on the set are all over the place as I'm sure you know if you've been watching. There are places online that sell it cheaper, but be sure to review their policies before making a purchase, and don't fall for the high-pressure sales tactics that many employ.

Three quick points:

(1) White Glove Delivery -- This is a big and expensive set, so I was a little stressed about delivery. But I needn't have been. Amazon's delivery service was excellent; the two representatives were competent and respectful (took off their shoes, didn't rush, unpacked and set up the set, etc.) -- a great experience.

(2) Picture -- This set replaces a four year old Runco 50" plasma in a large room with lots of windows/daylight. What a difference: not only is the picture just as sharp and detailed as the Runco, it is *bright* and easily visible, without reflections. If you need to fill a big and well-lit room, this set will do it.

(3) Mechanical Layout -- The only reason this TV doesn't get five stars from me is the illogical placement of the I/O ports (including the power cable connection) on the back. Basically, there are four (and only four!) wall mounting points (holes for bolts) on the back, arranged like a square. But the power connection is directly between two of them and the other I/O ports (HDMI, component, etc.) are in a group directly beside and on horizontal line connecting the bottom two mounting points. This means that typical mounting brackets, which form what looks like a tic-tac-toe arrangement of four metal bars, actually cover most of the ports, making them unreachable. I needed to saw off part of the lower mounting plate to make the ports accessible. All that trouble would have been avoided by placing all the I/O ports in an area not on a straight line connecting any two of the four mounting points. A silly mechanical design, but correctable (with a hacksaw!). Anyway, all's well now, and this is a great set, and maybe my sawing experience would be avoided with a mount that doesn't have a cross-hatch (tic-tac-toe) bracket.

I've had TV for approximately one month and love it. Outstanding picture and very good sound. Was easy to install (on pole mounted TV stand), and setup was straight forward assuming you follow the on-screen options and prompts. With a 52 inch screen, you don't want to sit too close (need 10-12 feet for best view). View from side angles very good, and contrast and brightness excellent under different light conditions. Very pleased to date.

I couldn't be happier with any other TV than I am with my Sony Bravia XBR KDL- 52 inch LCD HDTV. The blackest blacks, incredibly true colors, no reflections even in daylight, intuitive remote. Just automatically adjusts itself to the proper picture size. Glorious picture, and the sound is good also. I only have to keep it on 35 out of 100 on the volume. I have it with DirectTV, and I think this really makes a positive difference. Pricey, but worth it. Do not hesitate to buy.

Bought this TV about a month ago and it is really awesome. I love sony - you always know it's quality. Especially at the Amazon price - don't even think twice about this one. Delivery went well - no dead pixels - and the picture quality is really great.

If you already own a cheaper large LCD (I also have a Vizio), you won't be blown away by the difference at first, but when I go back and watch my Vizio now, I notice the little differences. The sony just has deeper blacks and brighter brights. Its picture can be adjusted so you don't get much of that annoying LCD jutter, too (see next paragraph). In fact, the sony just has a lot more options overall, and it's really easy to customize to the way you like it (which you really should do to get the best experience).

One suggestion: I've heard the complaint about the "motionflow" effect, which you can turn on to smooth out the picture and recude the LCD "jutter" you get during panning scenes, etc. Motionflow does make the picture extremely smooth - almost like you're watching something shot on a camcorder. While this elimiates jutter, it also takes the "weight" away from films, which are shot in a special way to give them that "movie" feel. Most complain that the motionflow makes movies too smooth to watch, and I agree - it's excellent for sports but I couldn't stand it during movies. But after messing with the settings, I've discovered that it's not only Motionflow that's to blame, it's a combination of the TV's Motionflow and Cinemotion effects. Go to the "Home" menu and edit the picture settings. Turn Cinemotion to "Auto 2" across all the inputs (mine was set to Auto 1 by default, which is the highest setting). Now watch a movie and crank up the Motionflow, and you'll notice extra smoothness but without that "shot with a camcorder" feel. I'm still playing with the settings but so far this seems like the best way to reduce jutter and get a great picture that's true to the orginial content.