Three years ago we bought a 60” Sony Projection TV for $3500 even though Sony quality seemed to have steadily gone down hill. We bought a Sony TiVo that started locking up after one year, you know after the warranty expired. We had a Sony DVD and of course after a year it would get really hot minutes into the movie and stop working. But Consumer Reports rated the Sony TV (KDS-R60XBR1) excellent so we decided to give it a try. BIG MISTAKE! Obviously Consumer Reports got that one wrong, so we will never trust them again. Next time we need a product review, we will just Google it and see what real people have to say about it. So anyway, after the magical one year mark our TV had no picture, it just looked like it was off. We called Sony and they told us to call The Sony sponsored repair man, also known as the one they must pay off to keep within their conspiracy. So we call the repair man and he said the lamp was blown and he could replace it for $600. We said no and found one on line for $200. We chalked it up as probably just a one time deal. Three months later, the screen became distorted, so again we contacted SONY and they sent out their repairman again. He replaced the optical block (the thing that makes the TV work) and SONY agreed to cover this expense, which we initially thought was nice until we later found out they were being sued over this issue in a class-action lawsuit. Six months later, no picture again! So we ordered another lamp and again called Sony who gave us the big run-a-round and we accomplished nothing! Six months later, yep you guessed it, black screen. We order another lamp and called Sony. Sony promised to reimburse us for the lamps all we had to do was fax the receipts. I fax the receipts and do you think we got a reimbursement check? Heck NO! So now it’s four months later, New year’s Eve 2010 and guess what? Another black screen! We called Sony, yet again, and spoke with someone named “Shayne”. She tells me they have no record of reimbursing us for the lamps but they would be happy to take $50 off their $250 lamp for us…..whoopty shoot! She seems carefree of the situation so I ask her, would you be happy paying $200 every six months to keep your $3000 TV running and she says “well if that’s what it took”. I said BULLCRAP!!!! So anyone want to buy a TV? Sony used to stand for quality, now it stands for not backing their poorly designed TV and uncaring treatment of their previously loyal customers! “Shayne” is a great example of how Sony no longer seems to care about customer retention and their products that last until just moments after the warranty expires. SONY in this house NO MORE!!!! Incidentally, “Shayne” advised us that she is the final step in SONY customer service and she has the final say with our case, so we have no further recourse with SONY.

DON'T BUY THIS TV !!!!!!

THERE IS A KNOWN PICTURE PROBLEM IT WILL LOOK BEAUTIFUL FOR A YEAR OR TWO AND THAN IT HAS AN AWFUL GREEN TINT.

ITS A PIECE OF GARBAGE.

Picture absolutely glistens. My wife says that watching the baseball fans in the background is practically an invasion of their privacy. I can sit closer to this set than I could my 32" CRT set.

As I mentioned above, the speakers on the sides are not removeable. Also the set takes a bit of time to come on in full brightness.

I chose this set after reading several reviews and seeing the set in action. I went through some price-matching to get a decent price at Sears because I wanted their 5 year warranty.

I could do without the speakers on the sides, since I use it exclusively through a 5.1 speaker set and a Rotel receiver. I am on Time-Warner cable with their DVR, which is outstanding. I'm watching many shows in HD and Dolby 5.1. I did find that because I don't have HTMI for my receiver, I had to use the component hookup to get the dolby audio on the optical cable from the DVR, but could tell no difference between HDMI and component video hookups. The picture was outstanding from the gi-go and I haven't bothered to get a professional setup.

DVDs are with a Denon DVD1920 and picture and sound are outstanding. i find that I go out of my way to choose shows that are hi-def.

Found a Wood Technology TV cabinet black with glass doors and shelves that lets me center speaker sit directly below the TV and holds all of my audio and video components and nicely matches the TV.

Customer Service

Both store installation and cable service was without problems. I still haven't bundled the cables

Similar Products Used:

Replaced a 32" Panasonci Crt model.

Picture, color/temp (kelvin), viewing angle, lumines & contrast ratios. Tons of inputs. The black level is respectable. 3 chip light engine.

Sony product, so it is a crap shoot as to weather it will work or not.

I purchased this TV to be placed in a formal home theater. When I took it out of the box, and hooked it up for a test run, the picture with the factory settings was very good. I used the set up disc from video essencials to dial in the picture. Then, I used a THX set up to get the last bit dialed in. I am able to see the 10 THX black bars but barely. Reference gear is: Dedicated 20 amp circuit to a PS audio outlet, Monster HTPS-7000, Sony 9100ES DVD with a M1000 silver HDMI cable. The picture is stunning for a set in the under $5000 range at this time (Summer/Spring 2006) for a 60" set. I am very picky and I am able to notice small artifacts during motion like sports. However it was noted that the flag test on the set up disc was very good to exellent. Also of interest was the pictures with lines like bleachers. They also passed with flying colors, no patterns what so ever. Same with watching sports on TV. No funny lines in the grass or stadium. The picture was so clear that in 1080i I was able to read the words on fans T-shirts and hats behind home plate, reference Cox cable ESPNHD with Component video through a Motorola Box with M1000 cables. The lumines and contrast ratios are on par with middle of the road to top 75% of the better Plasma TVs. Point to make is also the view angle is exellent for a TV classified as rear projection. Side to side has to be better than 160 degrees and up and down 130-140. Next was to watch some movies. I used the first Lord of the Rings movie, King Kong, [King] Arthure (THX certified) & Chronicals of Narnia because they had good transfers from film and had brilliant color scheams in many scenes. I believe the 9100ES up converts to 1080i through HDMI, but I am not 100% sure. Again, the picture is VERY impressive. The TV also has a very sleek and sophisticated look and is slim and light (108LBS). Then I started to have problems. The set is a 16:9 aspect ratio. It would convert to 4:3 and get these green bars on teh sides and lock up. When it locks, it will not function at all. No keys work on the remote or the set itself. It will not even turn off. I must go to the main theater braker and turn off the whole system to reset. The problem is intermittent and I can not nail it down while talking to a tech rep from Sony. When it works it is a piece of art. When it has issues it is a real piece of *#&!. To this I note: In the last 4 years I have purchased 3 Sony TV's. Two of them high end costing me 1000's of frog skins. The first is dead after 14 months (yeah, just out of warrenty). The second, well it was in my house working for 3 months of the first 12 That I owned it. The third (this TV) has packed it after about 20-30 hours of use. My advise to you all is to look at other brands. If you do purchase a Sony, make sure you get one of those service plans to keep it going.

Customer Service

...or in this case the lack there of......

Similar Products Used:

Another Sony HDTV 1080i HiScan....

Looks-(Rabbit ears don't bother me),
Best picture I have seen on any TV,
options in the setup menu,

lamp replacement cost over time- O'well what can ya do

Oh Boy, this is one bad a** TV. I am going from a 46" Mits to this 60" monster! I thought HD looked good on my last TV- now it looks like I'm staring out the window. THe TV looks incredible!!!!! Enough said!

Similar Products Used:

Mitsubishi WT-46807

- Remote is well built with many options. Gives you the "." option when tuning for digital channels.
- Inputs galore! Dual HDMI and even PC input.
- Advanced Iris feature which greatly enhances contrast/black levels.
- Memory picture adjustment settings for difference sources.
- No screen door effect.
- Excellent colors and razor sharp details.
- Theatre film-like movement and clarity.

- Speakers lack detail and clarity.

The hardest part about buying a big screen television is sacrificing picture quality (especially when I previously owned a Sony CRT HDTV). I wanted to get a plasma because of its ability to produce beautiful three-dimensional images and vibrant colors. Let me tell you now...I am soooooo glad I did NOT get a plasma (actually I did but it got returned). This XSRD projection tv totally annihalates all other televisions I have ever laid eyes on with the exception of the Sony 34" XBR tube tv. Reviews and specifications just don't do it justice! You've heard it time and time again...yes, black levels are amazing.....yes, contrast and clarity is unrivaled.....yes, inputs and features are ample...but please do yourself a favor and get one of these into your home before you judge it. The picture at the store isn't capable of revealing the true potential this tv has to offer. When I first saw it at Ultimate Electronics, they had it set on Vivid with colors/contrast/brightness tweaked way too high and it actually drew me away. Circuit City, however, had it calibrated much better with a Sony XSRD demo video and that was enough for me to make the purchase. Once I got it home, I hooked it up to my better cables and components....and wow!

This tv has the best....and I really do mean the best DVD and HD picture I have experienced (the picture on the Qualia 006 is the same with little or no noticeable difference). I don't care if you are comparing it to plasma, LCD, DLP....the Sony's picture is so smooth and so very very EXTREMELY film-like (just like the theatre), I will take this set over a 60" plasma anyday! I was almost going to buy the Mitsubishi 61" 1080P DLP and I am so glad I let myself audition this one in my home first because it is not going back. I find the perfect viewing distance is 11-12 feet and on a good DVD player you will find that the quality is as good as HD on other units (depends on which movie you watch ofcourse....Superbits being closest).

There is very little glare on this screen (which was a problem with plasmas) and like many others have stated...no "screen door" effect! Colors are accurate and near perfect with amazing details comparable to that of the 34" XBR tube tv. I understand it cannot be as good as the 34" tube, but for a 60" to be almost as good....it is worth your time checking it out. Now, once again...you must bring it home and watch it on your DVD player and your HD signal before determining whether I am lying, because I swear to you it looks much better at home!! If you LOVE plasma's colors and clarity but want the film-like effect of DLPs....this one is it!!! It is the best electronic purchase I have made recently and I do not regret it one bit. The only.....the ONLY...other tv I would even consider buying is the Qualia006. That says a lot about this tv!

I know we don't TVs for their speakers...but I will have to agree many others that this set's speakers are lacking in quality. The previous plasma I bought before this one had better sound and clarity..but oh well, I use my home theatre speakers for movies. Also, people say it's a little pricey but really....try to find a better picture for under $10,000?!? If you do...let me know.

Similar Products Used:

- Sony 32" KV-32HS500 HDTV
- Samsung 42" HDTV Plasma

black levels excellant-picture like looking through a window-many user adjustable settings for each imput-makes even regular tv stations look good.every time i watch a movie it"s like seeing it for the first time.

the remote has a good industrial feel to it but it's not backlit. optical output only outputs tv's tuner

this is my first review so please be patient. i purchased the new sony xbr-1 60 inch with the three .61 inch sxrd chips. i purchased it on october 12 and today being nov. 1st i am still amazed at how beautiful this picture is. it was in the store next to the newest mitubishi dlp chip (1080p) and the difference was incredible. the blacks are really black (contrast ratio actually measured 13300 to 1! the colors are very real-this is the closest i have seen to a t.v. "looking out the window effect". black level was measured at an incredible .006! sony looks so good i had to buy another one for my wife 3 days later! this set also has an automatic iris system which is usually found on fps. i like this pi t.v. so much i thought i would take the time to share my feelings with you all. please check it out! '

Similar Products Used:

i had a mitubishi model 50525 and before that a philips 55" crt hdtv-also checked out the new 65" hp and the new 70" hitachi