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"Great TV for the price" on by rbrist
Pros: HD images fantastic; built in HD tuner and cable card; individual adjustments for each input; 3 component inputs; HDMI
Cons: remote not illuminated and can't get it to learn the codes I need; proj bulb will need replaced eventually
Summary: This is my first LCD projection TV. I moved up from a 34" tube set. It is taking me a bit of time to get used to the projected image but I really like the larger screen.
Scenes with flashing lights or rapidly moving images do show signs of pixelation and that has been the toughest thing to get used to since I rarely or if ever saw that on my CRT HDTV. Blacks don't have nearly the detail they did on my CRT, but you can adjust the contrast to help with this a bit. Non-HD channels through the HD cable box don't look very good at all-but they didn't look good on my Sony 34" tube. Basic cable channels bypassing the HD box going into the TV's cable input look much better. I have one local HD channel and the built-in tuner worked very well and I can enjoy that channel without using the cable box- just a small indoor antenna. TIVO playback at anything below BEST shows major artifacting.
The set sounds great, and you have quite a few adjustments available for each input. Speakers fire in down position, but the chassis is scooped to then send them forward. By moving the speakers to the bottom (and effectively hiding them) the set will bit into an entertainment center made for a 36" 4 X 3 set. Mine is on a stand I used for my 34" CRT set and fits perfectly.
When I set up the TV and it looked for both analog and digital channels, I was curious it found 13 digital channels when I only had the cable box hooked to it. What I discovered is that the tuner had "picked up" digital channels from the cable box that are used for video on demand. Whenever somebody was apparently watching a VOD movie in our neighborhood or in the city?? it showed up on upper channels like 188.1, 188.2, etc... Sometimes video was there and sometimes not. I ended up removing those channels.
This is the first TV I've owned that let's you customize the audio and video settings for each input, but it appears that the cable and antenna input share the same settings. This works very well when having to make one setting for cable, and another for HD or DVD inputs.
The on-screen menuing is great. If broadcasters have the signal encoded, you can get program info without resorting to a TV Guide type system. I noticed the HD broadcast channel I get via antenna had full program info- sound info, etc... but most of the channels through cable only have program titles or just the rating, or just the time remaining. Perhaps the cable company strips this signal? I leave this feature turned off because I am tired of seeing "information not available."
I was most disappointed in the remote however. It's not illuminated, and even though there are pages of codes to use for other devices, I could get none of the ones for my cable box or DVD player to work (Motorola and Toshiba)
Overall I am very happy with the purchase and can put up with the small problems since the HD images are spectacular, and the progressive DVD images look great as well.Updated
Getting used to a rear LCD projected TV image again took some time. I would like to update my rating from a 7 to a 9. I still don't like the fact that Sony provides a remote that is supposed to have codes from other devices but that in reality it won't learn my Toshiba DVD or Motorola cable box codes- both brands which appear on the code list in the owner's manual. I think previously the 7 rating was due to the remote- which is really not that big of a deal. If you don't want to spend the extra $$$$ for a plasma or LCD screen TV, and don't want to mess with the alignment issues of the CRT rear projection sets, this Sony set is for you! -
"Fantastic LCD Rear Projection HDTV" on by bdochoda
Pros: Image quality, tons of inputs, audio
Cons: Red push out of the box, remote
Summary: DVDs and HDTV look great. Monday night football in HD was an eye opening experience.
Take the time to set this TV up. There is major red push out of the box. Follow CNEt's advice for the 50 inch version and then mess with the settings until you get it to where you like it.
There are tons of inputs on this TV. There is a PC in, and the component in on the side is a nice touch. The sound is better than I expected for normal TV watching. The simulated surround is pretty good.
Two things about the remote: It is not backlit, and it only recognizes Sony receivers. Trivial complaints at best.
For the price, you can't go wrong with this TV. HDTV on this set is unbelievable. I returned the 42" Samsung DLP because the image quality on the Sony puts it to shame. -
"Better than many plasma and flat-panel LCDs!" on by lawstud3
Pros: Picture quality when paired with Denon HDMI DVD player is absolutely stunning. Sony color reproduction is still the best in the industry.
Cons: None, unless you want a bigger screen!
Summary: I had been looking at the prior version of Sony's 42" LCD projection TV, at high-end NYC retailers, side by side with more expensive plasma and flat LCD TVs. Even that older set had a better picture and color reproduction than most of those more expensive ones. This newly released 42" set is even better. I'd swear that I was in a movie theater watching a digital projection film when I watch this with a Denon 2910 DVD player connected via HDMI. And you can get this for about $1800 online! Best bang for the buck out there. I just wish that my living room were big enough for this guy's big brother.
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"Of course it's nice, it's a Sony Wega!" on by mlk18
Pros: DVD and HD is incredible on this tv, multiple connection points, very good sound, easy to set up and use
Cons: Remote could have been better, memory stick slot would have been nice
Summary: I went from an RCA 27" tube to this 42" Sony Wega. So you can imagine how excited I was when I pulled it out of the box. Forunately for me Sony didn't disappoint me at all. The screen is large, the resolution is amazing, images are crisp and clear, no screen door effect as far as I can tell, there are seemingly unlimited hook-ups, this unit was super easy to set up and very easy to use and adjust.
I was going to spend $500-600 more and get the 50" Sony Wega but with my smallish living room, and mere 6-8' viewing distance, the 42" was the perfect choice for me. I am happy to report that football looks sweet on this screen (I heard rumors that 3LCD was not good for fast action sports, that rumor was false as far as this display is concerned).
If the remote was improved and it had a memory stick slot I would have given it a 9. As is I would give it a solid 8. I will definitely be getting a Sony Wega when it's time to upgrade a few years down the road. -
"Buy this Set! You'll be happy-no doubt about it. For the price and picture you get, it's perfect." on by sdrass
Pros: Great picture, both analog and digital; fantastic picture HD. Fantastic sound, even without a multi-speaker system hooked up
Cons: Remote is awkward and not lighted. You do lose some screen view at the sides and top when viewing at an extreme angle. Dead on or from about 15 degrees from center on either side gives the best view.
Summary: I've had this set for two months now and am very happy with it. It took a little time to become accustomed to it, having previously been watching a 27 inch Sony CRT for 10 years. The 42 inch is a great size. You won't go wrong buying this set; the price is right--and you are getting a Sony. It is very easy to access the settings through the "WegaGate" button. There is no problem setting it up for a picture you like. Even "out of the box" I thought the picture was great. I did use the "Custom" setting to set it up the way we like it. It's very easy to reset the system to the factory default settings, if you get lost.
Forget about what some have said about "inadequate black levels." That is a bunch of hogwash. Unless you are some kind of expert video techie with analytical equipment, I would be surprised to find anyone that would be unhappy with the superb black level that this television displays.
I'm glad I didn't buy a larger set because 42 inches is plenty big. We sit about 8 feet away from the set now, after re-arranging some furniture to allow us to do that. When sitting closer, a 42 inch screen is too large, allowing you to see stuff you don't normally see. The picture is so clear, you get to see how bad the analog cable signal is; I didn't notice it before on my 10 year old 27 inch Sony CRT set.
One must realize, however, that there are very few HD programs available right now, so you will be watching a lot of analog or plain digital signals. Our local cable company and CBS affiliate cannot agree on something or other and we get no HD CBS programming here in our area. The best part of this television though is when viewing DVD's. Even with the component video connections (which are analog) the picture displayed is fantastic. I had a HDMI equipped DVD recoreder/player by Hitachi. The tv's picture was truly outstanding using the HDMI display. However, I had to take the Hitachi unit back because it wouldn't play a lot of my personally made DVD's. So, now I am using my old JVC player with "only" component video, which provides practically the same great picture.
The "wide zoom" setting nicely expands the 4:3 normal aspect ratio of the cable signal analog programming to fill the screen without distortion. The internal computer interpolates the pixels to fill the screen. When watching a DVD that is in "widescreen" format, the screen automatically fills up and looks fantastic. You don't have to touch anything.
Another advantage is the built-in tuner, which I do use from time to time when the cable goes out. All it takes is a cheap little indoor antenna to pick up an outstanding signal.
I did buy an extended warranty (which includes the display bulb) from my local bricks and mortar store. According to a consumer reporting magazine, it's ok to buy the extended warranty on an item such as this, since it's rather new technology.
If you are having a hard time deciding, give this set a try; you won't regret it.
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