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Entered CNET Catalog: 02/22/2002
SKU: 0027242597075
Manufacturer: Sony Electronics, Inc.
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Manufacturer description
Get digital with Sony's KV34XBR800 34" FD Trinitron wide screen TV! Its features include a 34" 16:9 wide screen FD Trinitron picture tube, Memory Stick compatibility and new DCR MultiFunction V1 circuitry. To experience the full glory of HDTV, turn to the people with a firm grasp of digital video technology from broadcast equipment to televisions. Turn to Sony!Product summary
The good: Solid value; very nice performance; CineMotion 3:2 pull-down in DRC processing; removable scan-velocity modulation.
The bad: Picture memories not associated with input source.
The bottom line: This set is a major improvement over earlier Sony 34-inch models in terms of both performance and price.
Average user rating: from 46 users
3.5 stars
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 01/28/2003
Sony's ergonomically friendly remote is one of the best that we've used. It's not backlit, although some of the most commonly used buttons--such as Volume and Channel--glow in the dark. A hinged panel hides the majority of buttons and leaves only the important ones exposed, which can make operation less intimidating for tech-impaired members of the family. The hidden buttons are used to control other brands of VCRs, DVD players, and satellite receivers. The 34XBR800's generous jack pack consists of two sets of broadband component-video inputs with stereo audio; three A/V inputs with stereo audio, two of which support S-Video; one DVI input; one set of monitor outputs (composite video only); one set of variable-audio outputs; two RF inputs; and one RF loop out. The DVI input is intended for next-generation HDTV tuners that employ the Hollywood-sanctioned High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection copy-protection scheme. The front-panel A/V input has both composite and S-Video connections.
Sony's DRC video processing includes the important 3:2 pull-down feature, which reduces artifacts in film-based material such as DVDs. Thankfully, scan-velocity modulation, a nasty edge-enhancement circuit, is completely defeatable in the user menu. The 34XBR800 sports three selectable color-temperature settings and four picture presets, each of which can store your adjustments to contrast, brightness, and so on. The set's four aspect ratios include a pair of zoom modes for blowing up standard 4:3 material to fill the wide screen.
In case you have a Sony Memory Stick filled with digital pictures, the 34XRR800 has a front-panel slot that lets you view your photos on the big screen. Twin-view, two-tuner picture-in-picture can place two identically sized 4:3 images side by side. A simulated surround mode--called TruSurround--and a 15-watt-per-channel internal amplifier give the set some audio muscle. Out of the box, the color temperature was mediocre as expected, and even the warm setting was extremely blue. We performed a full ISF-style calibration and were pleased to find new color-decoder tweaks in the service menu that allowed us to fix the red push, which greatly improved color accuracy.
Geometry and convergence were both unusually good for a tube this size. Although some reports complain of softening toward the sides of the screen, the image on our review sample remained sharp across its entire width.
We did have a couple of complaints. While each of the picture presets did save custom adjustments, we would have preferred those custom modes to be automatically associated with the inputs. The way it stands, you have to change modes when you switch inputs if you want them to match up. Although the 3:2 pull-down worked well to eliminate artifacts, we discovered that it's not active by default; you must go into the menu and select CineMotion to engage this feature.
We sat back and enjoyed some scenes from Lord of the Rings using a Denon DVD-1600 player. The scene in chapter 2 when Frodo meets Gandalf in the meadow was particularly impressive. The greens in the grass and trees and the blue sky were incredibly rich and saturated, thanks to the color-decoder fix, and the detail was also quite good.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 User Rating: 
3/10
Dead after 48 months!!!!!
Pros: Great looking, great picture, awesome set in 2002
Cons: Dead after 48 months!!!!!
Review: I bought this set in 2002 and the picture was fantastic. $2,000 set but the plasma's were big bucks back then and the tube TV has a way better picture than the projections. Ask me for a review yesterday and I would have given it a 9! Today I try to turn it on and nothing. Sony support was no help I have to bring it to a service center! I would expect to get at least 10 years out of a tube TV. You pay a premium for the Sony name and now receive nothing in return.
User Rating: 
7/10
Died after 4.5 years
Pros: Great picture when it was working
Cons: For 2k I expected it to last 10 years, no more Sony for me
Review:
User Rating: 
1/10
no good...pink dots all over the screen
Pros: worked good for 1 yr and then dots
Cons: never buy sony again...pink dots all over the screen
Review: save your money buy something else
User Rating: 
9/10
loved this till it died at 4 years old
Pros: Beautifull HD picture, split screen, tons of inputs
Cons: tube died at 4 years, regular picture grainy
Review: I got this set in 8/02. Hooked it up to Time Warner digital cable and got a beautifull picture in HD, ok regular TV, dvd 480p was very good. When the set was 47 months old, the colors in the top half of the screen started to 'fringe' and the picture got out of focus. Fortunently I got the circuitcity 3 year protection plan which kicked in after the sony 2year warrenty! It took about 4 weeks to diagnose the problem, then two weeks to replace the set. CC gave me a XBR 970. I'm very pleased with that. I would have listed this as a spectacular set if you had asked me in month 47. I'm sad that other people seem to have had this problem. I have a sony 15 inch from 1974 and a 20 inch from 1988 with colors as good as the day they were brought home.
Updated
The DVI connector on this TV does not talk 'copy protection' when I hooked it up to the time warner scientific atlanta digital cable box, I got a red scrambled picture, then a message appeared about 'copy protection' and then the line went black. FYI if you buy this TV used and want to hook it up to a blu-ray or HDDVD player you'll have to use component inputs, a hdmi-dvi cable won't do it for you (you can try, just make sure you can return the cable
! )
The DVI connector on this TV does not talk 'copy protection' when I hooked it up to the time warner scientific atlanta digital cable box, I got a red scrambled picture, then a message appeared about 'copy protection' and then the line went black. FYI if you buy this TV used and want to hook it up to a blu-ray or HDDVD player you'll have to use component inputs, a hdmi-dvi cable won't do it for you (you can try, just make sure you can return the cable
! ) User Rating: 9/10
Had it for 2 years now, LOVE it
Pros: kick-butt picture, great features, zero complaints from me. Have yet to have a single problem in over 2 years of owning it.
Cons: I've rarely been happier with any major electronics purchase. I love this TV. The only CON is that I wish it had an easy-to-reach headphone jack in the front panel. Otherwise, this thing rocks the hizzle...
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User Rating: 
10/10
believe the hype...
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Review: This is a stunning 16:9 direct view set. Before settling on this set, my biggest problem was deciding between a traditional 4:3 set or this 16:9 set, as the Sony 36" and 40" are really nice as well... I have to admit I was concerned that regular tv(4:3) would not look too hot on this set since it's a widescreen set(16:9) designed for hdtv/dvd... that, coupled with the general opinion that you've got to feed this set good signal had me a bit worried - since I do tend to watch a fair amount of regular digital cable tv... but, I was wrong. Sony has included a couple of really slick different "picture modes" that allow you to stretch your 4:3 signal to fit the whole 16:9 viewing area, and the best part is that I have found very little loss of picture quality when using these "zoom" and "wide zoom" modes. Digital cable is real good, hdtv is unreal - especially hbo, and widescreen dvd's are sick with a progressive scan dvd player. One of the nicest things about this set is that it's ready for the future. Since all tv stations should be broadcasting in digital by 2006? This set will just become better with each passing year, as more and more stations switch over to 16:9 programming. So - if you plan on using your new tv to mainly view hdtv/dvd with some digital cable thrown in, then you should not be dissapointed with this set. One other thing, shop around!... I was lucky enough to get this for less than $2000. Please keep in mind that Sony is bringing out the new 34xbr910 this July,(which should replace the 800) and it will be black, not silver based upon current reports... the picture might be a slight improvement as well, but the list is reported to be about $2800.
User Rating: 
8/10
Find the best deal you can..
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Review: Just bought this TV a week ago. VERY NICE! I like all the features it has. It can act like a regular NTSC set with an approx. 28" screen in 4:3 mode. But for you indecisive buyers out there, here are all what I found to be minor incoveniences: Non-digital TV input: Watching regular analog broadcasts with this TV is like listening to cassette tape on your $5000 car stereo. You need to have a good digital source broadcast for you to utilize this TV's quality features. An older DVD player (non-progressive scan) will still be better than regular analog but if you set the TV's settings to the highest quality settings, you will see the artifacting more readily. This TV won't make your regular cable TV better. In fact, it might make it worse (especially in the wide-screen mode option). So if you are going to only watch regular NTSC TV broadcasts, don't even bother getting this TV. Get a cheaper TV. Size: This is a HEAVY TV. You will definitely need two people to lift it since it's about 200 lbs. and the recommended stand for this set isn't that cheap either. If you can build a stand that can support this weight, by all means do it. Remote control: If I hook up my DVD player with the Composite Video Inputs, I have to cycle the Video button 5 times in order to watch the DVD input. Too bad they don't have a DVD button which automatically selects this video input instead of cycling all the time. The optimistic side to this is that there are a LOT of inputs you can have going into this TV. I haven't had the chance to watch a HDTV broadcast with it yet, but I'm sure I won't be disappointed.
User Rating: 8/10
I agree with C-Net on this one!
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Review: The best TV I've ever seen! No questions asked. Some of the other reviews are nit-picking at little things (in my opinion). You'll find something worng with anything you buy, hence why C-Net never gives a 10 rating. I give this TV a 9.5. With the price of the TV now under 2,000, you will not be disapointed!
User Rating: 8/10
Good 'today' TV with a future
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Review: The picture is vastly better than current projectors. It is better than current 34" tubes. Controls are better than Panasonic, even with Toshiba. Use with progressive-scan DVD players maximizes 'today' features. Testing with Sony's digital TV tuner through DVI connector. I will report on that in about a month.
User Rating: 9/10
Great picture and terrific sound
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Review: I was a bit squeemish about spending $1900 for a television; but after having this set for two months, I am glad I did. The picture is absolutely breathtaking. I watched Lord of The Rings on this set using my Playstation 2, and I was completely amazed. I also have Comcast's HDTV digital converter and the HDTV PBS station seems to show mostly travel destinations, and the picture is just gorgeous. I would recommend this TV to anyone.
User Rating: 9/10
A Magnificent Machine
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Review: Unbelievable Picture, Great Sound and that's right out of the box. Can't wait to see it do HDTV.
User Rating: 8/10
Awesome Picture Quality
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Review: The picture quality of this TV is really stunning especially with DVD using Monster 3 component inputs. I'm not using a HDTV tuner at this time and I'm really satisfied with the quality. I can't imagine the picture quality with a HDTV tuner. I didn't have this TV professionally calibrated or anything, it looked excellent out of the box. With the Optional Stand it sets the TV at the right viewing height and it's a real slick setup. I returned an 45 inch Panasonic LCD HDTV because of poor picture quality and it didn't look good in my living room. This TV looks right in my living room and won't overpower my decor. The speaker quality is ok for TV broadcast but you will need surround sound dolby 5.1 with some power to get theater quality sound. One note, you have to turn off the 4.3 mode to have your inputs associated with the screen size. If you do this when you choose DVD or other input it won't go automatically to 4.3 size. This unit is extremely heavy at 206lbs and is awkward to carry. It's front heavy due to the thick 3/4" glass. It took two guys all they could muster to set this tv in place. But after it's all done it was well worth the extra effort.
User Rating: 10/10
The Best TV Ever
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Review: I can not put into words the beauty of this set. I can not understand how anyone can look at this picture and not start drooling. It is fantastic. I have digital cable and the picture quality is outstanding. Some better than others of course, but consistantly outstanding. DVD's look better than anything I have ever seen. Crystal clear with incredible sound. I use a high scan dvd-souround sound combo unit (also by Sony) and the playback is flawless. I may not be the most up to date consumer when it comes to technology, but I know quality when I see it. This is quality. Best money I have ever spent.
User Rating: 
6/10
Amazing Video!
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Review: Had this set a month now, and did the calibration after burning it in for 150 hours. It was good 'out-of-the-box', but properly clibrated, it's amazing. One of my friends who had a plasma set just bought one after seeing mine, and everyone who comes over can't believe how good the picture looks.
User Rating: 8/10
Outstanding HDTV quality!
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Review: Bought this TV about 2 months ago and very happy. Did a lot of comparison shopping and soul searching when comparing 4:3 to 16:9. One thing that did it for me was the fact that on a 40" 4:3 the 16:9 image would be SMALLER than on the 34" 16:9. Glad I went with the 34XBR800 and you will be too. I love the "wide zoom" mode for 4:3 sources - nice combo of stretching on the outside of the image while zooming in slightly overall. Also don't worry about the noise in low quality sources like cable. This set has some great adjustments right on the remote to clear up the picture. Only gripe is that there is a slight shading in the left upper corner when there is a white screen and price was steep. Recently hooked up a cheap ($300 Best Buy open box deal) Samsung digital receiver with set top indoor UHF antenna and picked up a number of DTV channels from Washington DC. - I am about 25 miles west of the city. The HDTV transmissions are unbelievable!! The regular broadcast quality is also superb! Forget the satellite! Shoot me an email if you have any questions. (Change aol.com to verizon.net)
User Rating: 9/10
This would be an excellent choice.
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Review: We have owned this TV now for 3 months, the picture is great, and our friends tell us it is the best TV they have seen also. Prices are a little steep, but is a sony and they make the best TV's on the planet. I'd buy this TV all over again.
User Rating: 3/10
Dont buy this, get a toshiba
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Review: This set at two stores I went to has nothing on picture quality in comparison to the Panasonic or Toshiba 34inch TV's. Sony used to be top tier but over the last 10 years there technology has been below average. I personally went with the the Toshiba that also has great tech service.
User Rating: 
5/10
The TV is good the service is bad
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Review: I am having a bad experience with the TV. After 4 months I lost the red color and it happen from time to time. I was told I need to replace the digital main board. Sony refused to exchange the TV. It has been more than month with so many ohone calls to Sony and the TV is still down, likely is still under warranty. The warranty is 2 years, but does not matter. If you pay that much money you expect a TV that does not fail after 4 months.
User Rating: 10/10
Absolutely superb and a great value
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Review: Excellent product for over the air HD broadcasts and satellite HD broadcasts. Excellent when paired with Sony HDN200 HD tuner and Direct TV Receiver.
User Rating: 8/10
Tube HDTVs so much better than plasma and projection
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Review: I have had my 34' beauty now for a week, and what a pleasure it has been. The TV has such a beautiful display especially w/ HDTV or progressive DVD. The colors are unreal and so is the detail. This TV has all the features that you'd expect with Sony's XBR series plus many more such as aspect control. Now, I can watch DVDs w/o those black bars...even the 2.85:1 ratio bars can be eliminated putting the TV in wide zoom mode. The only reserve I have about the TV is that it weighs a ton!! (like any good TV should)..so make sure your armoire or stand can support it.
User Rating: 8/10
Great set for price - needs tuning
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Review: This is a great set. Admittedly i did not do much comparison shopping - just checked out 1/2 dozen sets all best buy display models (which they all had way over tuned), but the sharpness of picture in the xbr800 is astounding - much better than any rear-projection (obviously) and better than any of the other tvs i saw on the floor. While that is a very limited endorsement - i have had for 5 months and the dvd movie viewing is well worth the price - saves me from dealing with the people in the theatres who have come to believe they can behave the same way they behave in their own living rooms - rant. anyway - with a 5.1 receiver it is as though you are in a theatre. i have had no problems and the set looks great, though a bit oversized in a fairly small living room.
User Rating: 8/10
Worth the money I paid! Awesome television
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Review: I went to a local Circuit City and saw an opened box 34XBR800 and I couldnt resist, so I purchased it for around $1600. The picture quality is amazing...very sharp crisp graphics. This television can do wonders for your Xbox with High Definition Component video cables. Playing games in high resolution makes a world of different. I just saw Star wars 2 and Terminator 2 DVD last night, and it was awesome.
User Rating: 8/10
I love my XBR800!
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Review: I've had this TV about a month now and I'm still in awe over the picture quality. Bright, true colors and sharp picture clarity. I have DirecTV and every channel is stunning. The sound quality is also top-notch. Star Wars:Attack of the Clones DVD looks fantastic on this set. Can't understand why other people are having trouble with this model; mine works flawlessly.
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent picture and sound quality
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Review: This model represents tbe best in quality that SONY has to offer.
User Rating: 6/10
Unfortunately, not worth the money
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Review: I have this TV now for about 2 months and to be honest I'm very disappointed with it. First of all, its way over priced although I got it for $2000. Secondly, this is the first ever Sony TV I have owned and I really though Sony were the "gurus" of TV land. My gut told me to buy the Panny 34WX52 as my friend has one and is very happy with it. Anyway, out of the box, the calibration is way off, so I bought the AVIA DVD and ran the video calibration. Even after doing this, there is either too much red push, and in some movies using a Sony progressive scan DVD player, its too dark! I have HDTV through Comcast Cable and even the HD quality I have been disappointed with on this TV. I cant understand why Sony and everyone else make such a big deal abou the "sound" quality from this TV. The reason we buy a TV is for picture quality, not its sound.If you want good sound, go out and buy a good Yamaha A/V receiver with DTS/DD7.1. I am at my witts end with the PQ so I will have to get this TV professionally calibrated. If you are set on buying this set, go ahead, but keep in mind if you are as picky abou the PQ as I am, it will require a professional to calibrate it.
User Rating: 6/10
Suffers from screen geometry problems
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Review: I have went through two sets experiencing the same problem. The problem seems to be that the picture humps outward on the left side of the screen when there is left to right (or vice versa)motion. This problem is most apparent when watching basketball or football. Has anyone else experienced this same problem besides me?
User Rating: 8/10
It is a nice TV
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Review: I have been watching this TV for more than 2 months. It is great. The only problem is with the geometry of the upper left cornet. All the demo sets that I have seen have the problem...
User Rating: 8/10
Best 34" TV, bar none
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Review: I bought this TV instead of a 50" rear-projection of equal price. And I'm glad I did. First of all, RPTV's don't even compare (that goes without saying). Among the direct views, I can't say for certain that its image quality is better than that of Toshiba's 34", but it certainly is an excellent picture. Has the full load of user-customizable controls and calibration tools. Sony also offers 2 year warranties rather than 1. That, and the fact that I was able to get a good price made this purchase a no-brainer. I recommend it to anyone who prefers picture quality over size.
User Rating: 9/10
Very satisfied! HDTV is great!
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Review: We have a small living room and the TV looks great in it. The pictures are great. X-Box looks good- especially NFL Fever 2003. I have Time Warner cable premium stations look best, I get HD HBO and SHOtime those are stunning
User Rating: 10/10
The BEST direct view tv Period!
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Review: Sure this set costs more than some others, but, you get what you pay for!!! I have yet to see another tv that has better colors, picture and better blacks! I got this set one month ago and have not tweaked any settings yet (waiting for the AVIA dvd to come in the mail). The picture on this set looks awesome right out of the box.
User Rating: 8/10
Awesome Television Set
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Review: Visit www.agoraquest.com the complete unofficial site for Sony products. I decide between the varieties of excellent televisions available today, the KV-34XBR800 may seem a bit of an odd choice given that it is a 4:3 screen, in a world that is moving toward 16:9. In truth, if the same size television had been available (at a reasonable price point) in a true 16:9 format I might have purchased it instead. As it is I now have the Wega 40XBR700 and couldn't be happier. I get all my television programming (including local) from DirecTV. The visual quality of local channels ranges from fair to very good. On a set this size, especially one that upconverts scan lines, the images can get slightly pixilated. This can be offset by the proper adjustment of the display modes (Vivid, Standard, Movie, and Pro). I have found the best results in the ?Pro? mode. This could likely be improved even further by using an outboard line-doubler and bypassing the internal one but such systems are still very expensive. When watching premium movie channels such as HBO or Showtime the image quality is excellent. As the TV is a 4:3 the image is large and beautiful without the annoying gray bars a 16:9 set would display (or bizzaro image stretching). I tend to watch TV in a fully lit room and the brightness that a real tube provides makes this possible when a large projection set would wash out. I also use this system as the display for Xbox gaming. Hooking the Xbox up through component video to the TV provides for an outstanding image. I had the opportunity to use the Xbox on a 60-inch Marantz rear-projection TV and the experience on the Sony, despite its smaller size is much better. The Xbox can output all the up to 1080i, so the image will improve as game developers utilize this power because the 40XBR700 will support all such resolutions. Where this TV really shines is when displaying DVD content. When your DVD player is connected through the component input the TV will behave like a 16:9 display, meaning that anamorphic DVDs (most are these days) will be displayed with all of the TVs available scan lines, scrunched into the appropriate aspect ratio. This is technology Sony calls Digital Reality Creation (DRC) and it works very well. It is, in fact, the best image I have seen outside of a theatre. No doubt that a top-of-the-line Vidikron system will out-do it, but that requires spending a lot more money. The compromise is of course image size, but I have found it very satisfactory in my 25x18 room. With the lights turned down the TV disappears and all you are left with is a beautiful, bright, film-like image. My movie watching has ramped way up since purchasing this TV. The TV itself is very large. It looked enormous at the reseller, it looked even larger in my home. You get used to it though especially since the TV is a physically beautify object. I purchased it with the matching stand and the build quality of both is excellent. The weight of the thing makes dealer delivery and setup a requirement. Moving the set on a hardwood floor is easy, on carpet it will require at least a couple of big guys to move safely. One additional note that you cannot find in the product literature is that the stand has built-in cable management. The one disappointing thing about the TV is the remote it ships with. Rather than risk intimidating the buying public with more buttons on the face of the remote Sony chose to hide buttons beneath a flip-up panel. This make the remote look pretty but seriously detracts from its usability. Instead I replaced the remote with the very cool Home Theatre Master SL-9000 remote from Universal Remote Control, Inc.
User Rating: 10/10
Eye Candy!
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Review: We love our 5 week old 34XBR800, I must say this TV is excellent, a keeper! This after a 3 year trial and error in RPTV land (Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer standard and Elite, Mits. Diamond). If you think your seeing Ghosting or Ringing, be assured what you are seeing is Edge Enhancement, after trialling 4- different RPTV brands I've returned to direct view as my "Final Answer" (will be watching the FPTV realm closely for a future display system, this TV will be part of that!). The 34XBR800 readily reveals inherent picture flaws to the software or broadcast. Ringing or Ghosting was one of my biggest hangups with RPTV and the 34XBR800 has solved it! You must tweak carefully using AVIA test patterns but you'll see No Ghosts (or color shift left to right, or internal lens reflections, or internal cabinet reflections, or reflections from the screen, or vertical screen shift). TV is fun again! Enjoy!!
User Rating: 8/10
Excellent Choice In This Size
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Review: Great color, clarity, feature-set and remote. Good size for a medium sized room (8 - 10 feet viewing distance). Quality costs dearly, and nothing is perfect. I believe the previous reviewer meant to say sheer ignorance and not shear ignorance, and numbnut not numnut. Cheers.
User Rating: 10/10
Nonetheless Ignorant
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Review: First of all, I'm amazed to see how many people who can afford this TV cannot even spell, let alone type correctly. But let's leave that on the sidelines. The shear ignorance of some of the reviewers who aren't even reviewing the right TV such as "TSANG." He claims it's the worst TV yet he said he bought a KV34XBR2. Hey numnut ! This is for the KV34XBR800 idiot!!! Anyway, I purchased mine due to the solid review by CNET. Thanks CNET !!! I bought mine for 1650.00 (Sony employee price.)
User Rating: 10/10
"PERFECT TV"
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Review: PERFECT~!!. GREAT~!!. WONDERFUL COLOR. GREAT IMAGE QUALITY. SEE MOVIE. WONDERFUL~. GREAT TV.
User Rating: 1/10
WEGA- Worst Electronic Gadget Announced
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Review: This isnt perfect as some might say. There are noticable discrepencies near the edges of the screen. I was expecting a better quality TV from Sony, but this one just doesnt do it. I returned it just 45 minutes ago. Had to pay $250 reshelving fee!!!
User Rating: 7/10
Expensive,but great TV
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Review: I bought the KV36xber after looking at the all the selections at the electronics store. It's expensive, but definitely worth it. The quality of the pictures are the clearest on a satellite hook-up instead of cable, but the features make up for the lack of "perfect" definition. Also the sound is fantastic!
User Rating: 9/10
Exceptional Performer - Top of the Line Direct View 16:9 HDTV!!!
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Review: Purchased KV-34XBR800 based on room size, HDTV spec's and dealer recommendation. Early adopter. Consequently paid MSRP from high end retailer. Find overall quality exceptional when using quality source material (DVD and superbit DVD's). Still deciding on best source for for HDTV content. To fully appreciate XBR800's video/sound performance capabilities, connect TV to an external 5.1 DTS/Dolby Digital sound system. Used THX DVD setup screens to fine tune picture sharpness, color and clarity. Seriously considering hiring HDTV TECH to finish fine tuning video quality (currenlty WAITING for realiable HDTV source locally). Remote is great but searching for reasonable priced Universal Remote to support all system inputs. Shocked and dissapointed that that digital cable input seriously degraded video quality!!! Consequently choice between advertised cable provided HDTV service (1st Qtr 2003) versus Satelite HDTV is difficult one. Would be interested in user recommendations.
User Rating: 9/10
It's like looking out a window
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Review: I looked at EVERY TV out there from small 4:3 tubes to plasma displays. In my mind image quality is the most important aspect of the tv and I could not find a single TV that came close. I compared both DVDs and HD broadcasts. I do agree with the comment that regular cable and Tivo look like garbage because of the low quality of the image even with monster cables. At any rate, if you can afford the tv you will simply be in heaven. Great stuff!
User Rating: 7/10
CNET STAFF IS A LITTLE DISCONNECTED
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Review: An HDTV that's priced just right? In order for HDTV to hit the mainstreem, it will have to compete with standard Television. WIth the limited reception and content, it scares me that CNET would say what a great value a 600 dollar equivalent sony tv would be.. CNET, lets get serious
User Rating: 9/10
Best in class for price and looks.
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Review: I was conflicted between waiting for cheaper plasma, a settling of the hdtv standards and even newer technologies just over the horizon when i checked out the 36XBR800 at a retail store. Great picture, amazing blacks - side by side viewing with digital control. All amazing stuff. Too bad i have digital cable and digital compression from tivo reducing my image quality to the days of rabit ears and tin foil. But dvds are incredible! Sound is good too - but if you are watching a dvd movie with this tv, you really oughta have at least 5.1.
User Rating: 3/10
NOT GOOD QUALITY
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Review: IF YOU ARE EXPECTING A PHOTO-QUALITY PICTURE, YOU WON'T GET IT HERE. HAS LOWER DEFINITION THAN MY OLDER, ANALOG SONY. THE SET IS PASSABLE WITH A PROGRESSIVE SCAN DVD, BUT REGULAR TV IS VERY POOR QUALITY. SONY HAS COME OUT AND SERVICED THE SET TWICE AND THEY SAY "THIS IS THE WAY IT IS." VERY DISSAPPOINTED.
User Rating: 8/10
Drop Dead Gorgeous!
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Review: My DVD Titles like Shrek & Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within have never looked better. My XBOX has finally found a perfect partner (sorry PS2). I thought I had to wait much longer to afford HD-ready TV.
User Rating: 9/10
Beware: This TV is addicting!
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Review: The picture quality is so stunning on this set that I almost wish that I hadn't purchased it. As this set, while adjustable, reveals so much detail, it is probably at its best with a satellite hookup,which I have. I purchased my set at the beginning of September, 2002 where they were willing to compromise between Circuit City's and Crazy Eddies price. Check out the Bello TV stands for this model which can be readily had at a discounted price on the internet. When people come over and see HDTV broadcasts on the kv-34xbr800, their mouth's drop.
User Rating: 3/10
One of the worst model by Sony
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Review: I bought this TV, KV34XBR2 in January. Rightaway,I noticed there are two vertical strips of shade on both sides from top to bottom. It shows on TV signals and DVD players. It is so obvious when the picture background is light. I called Sony Service and they sent the tech to look at it twice. Both technicians agreed that there are shades, but they said they could not do a thing because there are not enough complaints for Sony to fix it. What they said is the shade on this model is normal. I called Sony again but they don't return my call anymore. So before you buy it, go to the store and look at it carefully to see whether I am right or not.
User Rating: 9/10
IF you are willing to spend the cash, you will not be disapointed
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Review: This TV has turned me into a TV viewing snob. If it is not In HD it is like looking at through a foggy screen.
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