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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 33 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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16 out of 16 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Been studying and waiting for 2 months....absolutely worth the wait!"
Pros: Beautiful picture, lifelike color, deep black, nearly as beautiful when turned off as it is when turned on
Cons: Really just the price (I'm not a Sony-aholic, so if I saw problems, I'd post them).
Summary: I have been studying and waiting...seemingly forever for the right HDTV. Over time, I settled on an LCD because I am worried about glare, and I want a wide viewing angle. I had my decision narrowed down to Sony, Sharp, and Samsung. I sought opinions from "experts" and from friends that know a good deal about AV equipment. Obviously, there were many supporters for each of these televisions, and I was seriously leaning toward the Samsung. It is certainly NOT true that money was no object when I bought this TV, but I did make the decision that I was going to pay what I needed to in order to get the best television. After the XBR4 finally arrived in Boston, I went to do the side-by-side comparision for the 3. Maybe not the smartest thing...but I went with the "eyeball test" to make the final decision. In my opinion, there was NO comparison. This TV (52" XBR4) is the best. As I said above, it is beautiful on its own, but the picture quality for HD channels (comcast digital cable) is superb. I really can't tell yet if the Motionflow is going to make that much of a difference, but I did watch a baseball game and a football game in HD, and I really didn't notice ANY blur...(if that changes, I'll update...). Also, bought my first bluray movie (300) and watched via my PS3...I honestly was amazed at how wonderful it was. I may never go to a theater again (IF BluRay survives).
I haven't "tweaked" the settings yet, but even still, the picture quality is out of this world. The speakers on the TV itself are above average, but to be fair, they are not excellent. In all honesty, though, if you are going to pay this much money for a TV, you should really (if possible) spend the extra money in order to enjoy the surround sound that comes with HD.
Admittedly, I was a little hesitant to buy such a new TV before I read any reviews, but the smaller versions of the XBR4 have been reviewed in other forums and performed quite well. There is also the issue of the price. I am NOT a rich man, so my hands were trembling a bit when I prepared to fork over 2 house payments for a television...but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the store I was at had dropped the price an ADDITIONAL $450. I think that is about as low as the price will go for a while (the demand seems to be high already....I got the last XBR4 in the store, and I was the 4th to purchase one that day). The unexpected price cut made the whole thing more palatable for me, and I (logically) assumed it was a sign from above.
Bottom line, I have only had it for about 24 hours, but I think I may be in love already. If I come across any problems, I WILL edit or re-post, but for now, this thing is GREAT!!!
(*side note: I gave a 10/10 for the customer support section of this review, mostly because the documentation, etc that I do have is easy to use and interpret. I have NOT called customer support, and I hope I won't have to.)
- 1 reply to this review
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I was ready to buy the aquos 52D92U model but after reading your comments on the subject , I change my mind and I think that iI will go for the Sony Model after comparing the input and output facilities.Your comments where very helpfull Tks. Bob
