Useful features Beautiful picture Nice inputs Great sound Makes cable look good Makes DVD's lood better PS2, Xbox and Gamecube look awesome!

Shallow top. I had to put some anti-skid material under my center channel so it will stay. Thats it!

What can I say...This tv is fantastic. I can't believe the picture quality. It's like looking out a window. It has 3 s-video inputs and 3 component inputs. It has tons of useful options, but most importantly it makes DVD and cable look great. I have basic cable and for some reason it just looks fantastic. I used to hate watching cable on my 35' trinitron, now I love it.

Picture quality (cable,DVD,satelite) Inputs Purchase price 2520.00 delivered and set-up in my living room.

remote Chasis top (needed to gerry-rig my Center front channel speaker)

For about the first week after I purchased this RPTV I was having second thoughts, but after I started to understand how to properly set it up and understand its full potential I began to love it and consider it an excellant purchase! When I go to someones house who has a "small" TV (36", 42") I can't understand why I waited so long to upgrade (that's not even taking the outstanding picture quality into perspective). I read the review done by BRETT stating how bad the unit is, (I bet nobody ever accused Brett of being the sharpest knife in the drawer)he must have not set his TV up properly!

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Sony 36" TV

Looks Nice on Out Side. Has a lot of style.

The whole thing Grainy Picture Low contrast image DVD Playback

This is the worst Television I have ever had. DVD's from Progressive Toshiba look like old VHS. HD is all grain. I tweaked with Video Ess test dvd and no better. Additionaly the screen has some slight bows in it. This set has no contrast either. Avoid this one... I fought for two months to get it picked up for replacement. Thanks for reading

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Toshiba 50 HD

Great progressive scan picture from HD/DVD sources. Ergo cabinet fits nicely into small areas. Great sound.

Video settings must be manually manipulated for good picture. Top of cabinet won''t hold components. Remote has limited 3rd party product support.

So I just traded in my Hitachi 61" for this Sony. The Hitachi had a great, super bright picture but had some problems with "blanking out" on high contrast scenes (explosions, bright flashes) and the huge cabinet didn''t really fit in my family room (at least not where it was). So I got the Sony instead. Out of the box first thing I noticed was that the picture was TERRIBLE! the red gun was WAY off and the picture was really grainy. After turning the set off and back on, then running the "flash focus" it was better, but still EXTREMELY grainy. The problem was that I was used tothe bright picture on the Hitachi and was trying to get the same from the sony by using the VIVID mode. It is WAY too bright from the factory. I switched to the NORMAL mode and it was much better. After more adjustments and playing with tit for a while I got a picture that was pretty good for analog cable. Digital cable was a bit better but wtill nothing to shout about. I did run Shrek and Tomb Raider to see how my JVC progressive scan DVD looked and it was much better. Tomb raider was a bit grainy in places (I think that''s just the DVD. It looks that way on my Bro''s Pioneer Elite too) but Shrek was EXCELLENT! Sound ws much better on this than from the Hitachi. My biggest complaints right now are the lack of 3rd party codes for the remote and the narrow top of the cabinet which won''t allow for a top mounted center channel speaker.

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Hitachi UWX 61" HDTV

-Crisp picture with or without progressive scan DVD -Intuitive menu system -Number of connectors in back (2 with Cmpnt video, plus 4 others) -Two tuners allow for awesome pip concept and dual/split screen viewing-you gotta see it. -Regular cable looks a whole bunch better than I expected it to -Only 24inch depth

-having to scroll through video modes seems awkward, but once I settle into certain modes over time it will not seem like such a pain. -A more universal remote would be cool. -The remote won''t properly control my Pioneer DVD player. The ability to memorize some commands would at least meet most shortcoming--come on Sony help us here. The wife factor is not helped by needing multiple remotes! -Narrow tapered top makes it not useable for components. But My large kenwood center channel fits fine thanks to its rear arm extension. Other users have jury rigged the taperd top with nice wood to allow for somethings on top.

The Sony 51HW40 has exceeded my expectations of a RPTV. I had a 27" Sony in a nice oak entertainment center, and labored over abandoning the existing decor for a RPTV. What a difference. To avoid a "bachelor pad" look, the wife got to redecorate sans entertainment center. My only remaining dilemma is how/where to place my stereo/video equipment. Sears haggled with me from $2499 to $2150 thanks to internet prices and their need for us customers to bring friends back to buy stuff. DVD movies a awesome - I recommend Video Essentials or Avia Home Theater to properly calibrate the set--the factory defaults are way wrong. I find Wide zoom works best for fitting convential 4:3 to the wide screen. To handle CNN''s news crawlers you can adjust the center position of the wide zoom mode up 9 units (a great capability)and the tv will remember that for that mode.

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none, I just shopped a whole bunch!

Great Visual. Plenty of Inputs.

Remote is big.

First off, Most of u are probably looking at the price and thinking it's a typo, but I assure u I paid 1700 USD for the unit before taxes. How is it possible? well, u bargain, bargain, bargain.

I had owned the non-wide screen 43" version of this TV before upgrading to this unit. First thing i notice is that this thing had wheels and was easy to move around. (i have never owned such a big tv before, but i know some of the bigger tvs dont' have wheels under them..

The video quality is great, but you'll have to watch HDTV or DVD to get the best of it.

There are plent of inputs on the tv, including one in the front with S-video input to plug in a home gaming system.

I also noticed the extra layer of glare protection did make a difference compared to the ones with one.

TV included as wide screen mode, in case u are watching a non wide screen source. I have to admit this took a little getting used to us the images seemed a bit stretched out, but after a while, you don't notice it.

My main complaints are the remote being too big and that there is no room to place your dvd or satellite decoder so be preparted to use a cabinet/case besides it..

Get to know your sony salesman. Their audio/visual products are marked up riduculously. I've purchased many products including a complet surround system, with speaker stands and only paid 1/2 price for everything. Imaging how much money they were making before i got my discount?

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n/a

cabinet style, color rendition, picture detail, picture depth

out of the box, in all picture modes the color, brightness, contrast.....way off.

After laboring over whether to buy the latest Hatachi 53 in.(53SWX10B, or the newest 53in. Pioneer(Broadline)SD533HD5 product, I was directed to the Sony. The salesman said in his opinion it had the best picture in the store. I was immediately skeptical! After using my descriminating eye, two things were apparent, the picture was very grainy, and the store had done zero to improve the picture. Compared to the Hatachi though, the picture showed much greater color, and much greater picture depth. I was still reluctant. I went back to Best Buy where they had the Pioneer and Sony side by side. Pioneer is known to have a super line doubler and I was unsure how Sony's DRC would stack up. After I adjusted the Sony (turned the picture/contrast way down, the brightness way up and sharpness off), I thought the Sony had the better picture overall!....The colors were fantastic, the picture was crystal clear! I made the purchase. I also bought the Sony DVP NS700P progressive scan DVD player and a good set of Monster component cables. My GOD what a picture......3D! After living with this set for 5 weeks now I have no regrets whatsoever, in fact, I can't wait to get home to watch anything! The styling of the cabinet is classy vs. the standard black square with most other sets - the picture unbelievable. An HDTV reciever will be my next purchase. I can't wait...

I highly recommend this Sony model against all others.

One other thing, be sure to haggle with the sales folks. I got 'em down $425 off the asking price!

My set up:

receiver - Marantz SR7000
speaker mains - Energy C6
center - Energy AC-300
rears - Energy RVSS
DVD player - Sony DVP NS700P
Dish Network Satellite
older Pioneer CD player soon to be upgraded to SACD..

Similar Products Used:

Hatachi

Pretty much anything on the set...

The remote...

I just have had this set for 3 weeks and it is the first rptv that I had and I like it.

I really can't compare it against anything because it is my first set, but so far haven't noticed anything wrong with it.

I just wish it would be possible to control each color idependantly...

Bright picture, deep colors, excellent contrast, stylish cabinet.

Grainy picture, can even see grains with DVD source.

I'm ok with the tv, I was just expecting a huge improvement in picture clarity over my 31". After reading several reviews and some HDTV forums, I realize that this is a common mistake. The mirrors make imperfections of the source much more noticeable. Ok, I get it.

I own a DirecTV receiver and a standard DVD player both hooked to the tv through S-Video. I also have basic cable plugged into the coax antenna hookup. The artifacts associated with digital satellite signals that everyone talks about are certainly visible with this tv. The cable picture is very grainy and is extremely annoying.

On the plus side, the DVD picture is nice. Even though I can still see some graininess with DVD, I am pretty happy with the picture. So my hope is that my picture will only get better as technology catches up to the tv. Of course, who knows when his will happen. I think consumers are ready - get on with it! Two satellite channels, ha!

The other day I saw a 53" Pioneer HDTV (not Elite) at Best Buy side by side with my exact Sony tv and playing the same DVD. I noticed that the Sony was grainy (similar to my experience) and the Pioneer was not. The Pioneer was a smaller tv, but cost as much as my Sony KP-57HW40. Is the Pioneer a better tv? I've only had my Sony a few days and I'm wondering if I should have done more comparisons. Is it worth the trouble of returning my Sony and getting the smaller Pioneer? Am I overreacting?

Because I was not overly thrilled with my new viewing experience, I will only give the product a 4 star rating.

Excellent color, depth, detail. Stylish looks. User friendly remote control. Excellent black levels. Overall a satifactory performance.

Narrow top cabinet shelf for center speakers. Remote could use a back light. Artifacts (grain, edge noise) with regular TV signals, especially using Vivid mode. Wish the manual is a little more comphrehensive for first time users, especially in the explanation of using the DRC mode.

I have had this TV for a month now and the picture seems to get better and better. I feel that the CRT guns are finally breaking in and are now approaching their optimum performance. At first I was experiencing buyer's remorse but once I started learning the full operation of this set and getting used to it, I find that I am extremely glad to finally have a bigscreen in my living room.
The first thing one has to do is adjust the set's picture controls using either the "Video Standard" DVD or the "Ovation" DVD. If you do not have access to these discs then at least use THX Optimode feature included on some DVDs, such as Toy Story 2.

The second thing is to turn down the picture control (contrast) in the Vivid mode since this makes everything too bright and can cause "burn in" if used for too long a period. It also enhances the grainy look of the TV. I found the Standard setting best for regular TV viewing along with using the Wide Zoom feature. Just turn down the color control down a few notches to de-emphasize the reds.

Once you have everything adjusted get ready to enjoy!

I use the Pro mode for all DVD viewing, again ensure to adjust this setting as well with the adjustment DVDs. I think the trick is to know what viewing feature to use with the different sources. For example, with widescreen DVDs I use the Full and Cinemotion setting as well. I find this combination works the best. Of course make sure you utilize the component connection from your DVD player if possible.

Overall once you learn the ropes of the TV set I found it produced an excellent picture with great colors, depth and contrast. Shrek,and Gladiator on the KP57HW40 simply looks awesome! I think for the money you cannot go wrong with this set. I realize there are lower priced sets out there but I doubt it would excell the picture quality of this Sony in its category. I have not had the pleasure of running an HDTV source through the HW40 but I am looking forward to it!

A couple of quibbles that I have is the narrow cabinet shelf, which needs to be modified to hold a large center speaker. Also, when using the Video Standard DVD, the tint adjust menu gets in the way of the tint and color test pattern. I found that extremely annoying and difficult to adjust properly. Oh well, nothing is perfect.

On the whole, the Sony KP57HW40 is worth ever penny that I invested. It should bring one many happy viewing experiences and I'm glad I finally took the plunge. If you don't mind spending the time and patience in setting up the TV properly one cannot go with this purchase.

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Sony KV25XBRII. Sony VPLVW11HT.