very cool looking, small footprint for a rear projection. image quality is awesome. good viewing angle and distances.

Remote is not set up well for the buttons to functions. it has a lot of options on it and it quite intelligent but the interpolations is not good at all. I end up using each remote for each device. it is easier that way. Red gun is HOT.

I have been in the market for a HDTV and decided that i wanted to pay around $2000. There are some absolutely beautiful sets out there that you pay for. With a projection tv more than a tube tv, the performance is reliant upon the light. Fortunately Soundtrack has a hdtv room that has no florescent or halogen lights. The environment is as close to what is going to be in your house as possible in a store. This is VERY critical. Best Buy (Worst Buy) uses all florescent bulbs and this makes some tv's look better than others which is not the case in reality. In my opinion the Sony looks great compared to the mitsubishi(the best). One thing that the Mitsubishi and Sony have in comon is their red guns tend to be a little hot. The screen interpolation and stretching on the sony is superior to the Mitsubishi. My buddy that has the Mitsubishi said that tv(directv) on mine looks 5 times better than on his mitsubishi. One thing to keep in mind is these tv's are ment to display high def sources and not normal broadcast tv. I like playing x-box the most so far. The picture is great not to mention sniping on halo just got ALOT easier!! The Sony Performs and Looks GREAT!!! This is definately a DEAL!!!!

Similar Products Used:

Mitsubishi 55"

Brightnes Cabinet Twinview

dims from up/down angles graininess in background objects built in 2:3 below average

I purchased this TV just in time for the Superbowl and it was well worth it. The televisions physical appearance gives it distinction and presence. When people walk into my living room they "ooo" at the set. The slim cabinet and light weight are convenient, although I dislike not being able to place my center channel on top of it. The picture for standard cable is superb and the twinview has that "wow" factor I love showing off. The built in 2:3 pulldown is a little below average. I use my external Samsung 701p for progressive scan dvd''s. The remote is well layed out, however figuring out color balance, pic modes, and wide modes took some time. Better documentation would have been handy. The image from DVD is excellent in low-light conditions, however glare is pronounced during the day in dark scenes. The picture quality is very good on foreground objects, although there is a graininess in background images that bugs me. I''m not certain if this is characteristic of all tv''s in its class or if its just the Sony. I would recommend watching a dvd at the store and comparing background graininess. My final other quibble is the up-down viewable brightness of the set. There is a pronounced darkening of the picture when you stand up. The ideal viewing height according to the manual is only in a range of eight inches. I did not notice this at the store since they kept it on a pedestal.

Similar Products Used:

none

Supreme oicture, very nearly equal to Pioneer Elite costs two and three times as much. Even one of the salesmen shrugged when we asked why we should spend three grand more when the Sony was so cool. Easy switch button to go from 16:9 to 4:3. Installation was a snap and it looks perfect right from the first time we powered up. Looks great even when it is off. Only 22" deep so it fits snug to wall.

To get the ''full widescreen'' effect on Really none. To view widescreen movies in their full, screen-filling format, be sure to adjust your DVD player (not the TV) -- ours is in the "display" menu of the Sony DVD

WOW! Thanks you guys! using your reviews we bought our new Sony. It was the best looking in the store and it knocked our socks off at home. the sound is near as good as our 1,000 audio system, except of course for the surround aspect. The picture is luminous and sharp; unbelievable depth and clarity. Easily a "best buy" especially since we got it on a trade-in of a 6yr old Pioneer wide screen based on the ''lemon" warranty. The $129 we spent on that warranty translated into a $1500 upgrade to this Sony. Outstanding! The "progressive" scan feature makes even average TV broadcasts look vital and exciting. It also controls our DVD player (just flip up the top of the remote to reveal a complete set of DVD controls) so we were glad to stow the other''s remote. A real plus is the way it looks -- the silver case around the screen and the silver/gray grille looks pretty cool to us also.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Wide Screen TV ( a true dog because the Pioneer was frequently blowing power modules at $600.00 a pop)and not nearly compatible image to Sony.

Clarity. Color. Wide Modes. ComponentS In.

No audio on fixed twin view station, when changing channel on other twin view channel.

Originally looked at the 40" Toshiba and the 47" Panasonic. Then the 51" Sony came out in fall 2001 and that was it. This is the clearest projection television I have ever seen, period. It is loaded with features. Twin View is great, multiple component inputs, and DRC is tops. If you think this tv looks good with DVD''s, try watching it on HD, it is sick. For the jack I shelled for this television when comparing it to what I got in return is laughable. This is serious value for your money. Strongly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

Sony.

Great picture. DRC works great. Multiple component inputs.

Can''t disable unused cable connection. Top is too narrow for Center Channel speaker.

I had my choices narrowed down to the Toshiba 50HX80 and this Sony. Both were really close in the store, but I picked the Sony due to what I thought was a slightly better line doubler (or quadupler per Sony''s marketing) and the free DVD player promotion for a slightly better price than the Toshiba. The Sony is easily better than the 50H80, but the 50HX80 was very close. Setting up introduced me to the first peeve. You can turn off unused inputs except the one main cable input. Apparently Sony believes that everyone has cable TV. Even the manual shows cable connections for every configuration. I have satellite with the add-on HDTV receiver. If you haven''t seen a Hi-Def picture on this TV, you are really missing something. That being said, the DRC (doubler) does some really good things with a good signal. With a progressive scan DVD player, this TV is just amazing. I played with the various screen modes (zoom, wide, etc) and found them okay, but I prefer original format for widescreen and the satellite receiver can give you the wide format, so I don''t use the modes much. The other problem that I encountered was the narrow top on the TV that had me a bit nervous putting a speaker on it. I bought a piece of 8X24 black melamine and cut a couple pieces of 2X4 to prop up the melamine(6" long 2.5" tapering to 1.25"). Then I used stick-on velcro to hold the 2X4s in place. Works like a charm. Finally, although I don''t use it much, the simulated surround sound works really well. If you are saving for an AV receiver, the sound from the Sony should hold you for a while.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 50H80, 50HX80

Picture modes and picture itself.

Big silver-blue apeaker cover that dosen''t look as bad at home than it did at the store.

Have a 48" wide opening in my entertainment ctr so I reluctantly purchased a Sony. WOW, I''m amazed. Exceeded my expectations and is really neat. It didn''t look quite as well as the Hitachi next to it but I brought it home (the Hitachi is 50" wide) so the wife could keep her pride and joy ent. ctr. After a few adjustments and hooking it up to the system I am floored. It has some pretty neat features with the split screen and channel review. Looks better on cable than most I''ve seen and really picks up the pace with the PS DVD. A fine TV that can run with the big dogs.

Similar Products Used:

Hitachi

Picture quality and fancy features.

Silver color with goofy silver blue speaker cover.

Flat out awesome. Really wanted the Hitachi 53 but it''s 50" wide and my entertainment ctr opening is 48. Really didn''t want a Sony but got it before me and the wife got into it over the Ent. Ctr. I am stunned. It has a great pic on cable and with the component cables hooked up to my PS DVD it is top shelf. Nice features with the split screen and channell scan stuff. I''m sold, I''m happy, and I''m done typing.

Similar Products Used:

Hitachi Ultravision, Mitsu Diamond.

Picture clarity and color, ease of use, remote control, picture-in-picture, number of video inputs.

None

I shopped carefully, looks at lot of different products and finally narrowed it down to the Sony 51" and Toshiba 50". In the end, I thought Sony had better picture clarity and color. The remote control was also much easier to use. I new I was getting a good TV after all of the research, but when I actually took delivery of the Sony it exceeded my expectations. I know I made a great choce. This TV is absolutely fantastic!

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba

Picture quality,several different a/v hook ups,great P.I.P ajustable split screen with freeze mode.I could go on and on about it.

very large unit ,remote control is a little to basic.manuel for t.v is does not provide enough information.

The kp 51hw40 is a great buy at any price, but I got a steal of a deal.I first started looking at big screen models about two months ago.I could not believe the amount of big screens out there they all have different features but none combine the picture quality and added features that the kp51hw40 combine its a snap to hook up,there are several a/v jacks and s/video connections and digital cable hook ups.This t.v is a 32 year old child''s dream,now my life is complete!!!

Similar Products Used:

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Just wanted to let you know that the cost of this unit is under 1900.00 dollars. I have a friend in the business and his store will allow him to buy at cost so there is it. $1900.00! Try to hit that price point in your negotiation.