Great picture quality.

At 265 pounds this is a heavy TV. The menus could be easier to operate. The remote control is seriously lacking functions, it will not replace my DVD remote.

The picture is remarkable, I hooked up the DVD player and was stunned by the difference in quality from my old TV. I used component cables to hook up my Sony Playstation 2 and was amazed. The XBR allows you to experience video games on a whole new level.

I am seriously happy with my purchase, when compared to other tv's with the HDTV built in the XBR400 is a bargain. Why buy an a tv with HD built in when not to many programs use the format?
The price I paid for this TV, when compared to MSRP,was a STEAL...I also received a free XBR400 TV stand from Circuit City.

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I upgraded from a 4 year old 27" Sanyo

Absolutely outdanding Picture, Solid Design

Not Easy to move around with the huge cabinet size and weight. Not impressed with 16:9 picture mode, and TV sound.

I haven't had anyone in my place who hasn't described the picture in this TV as outstanding. Just like looking out from a window, with clarity that I yet to see in any other TV I have encountered. I yet to be able to find any thing wrong with the picture but I probably need a better understanding of how this 16:9 picture mode works, because I yet to find out how to use it with my DVD player so that it would be different from other standard non Digital-Ready TV's. Or maybe there is no difference, and the DRC circuit just kicks in and that is where the difference lies. Quick question, does anyone know of some way to touch up the gray cabinet? I have couple of black marks on it that doesn't clean. Any help is appreciated.
Bottom line: best TV I've ever watched, bar none.

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36" Zenith Inteq TV

Follow-up to review below.

Follow-up to review below.

One final note on this TV. The Sony stand that they sell as an accessory isn't the best stand I've ever used. In fact, there are a couple things about it that really bother me. First of all is the fact that the internal amount of space is less that previous models. Comparing this to my XBR200 stand, I could barely fit any components in this one, whereas they all fit comfortably in the old stand. Because of the design of the doors, it's very difficult to move this stand around with the TV on it. On the XBR200 stand, you could freely push/pull on the silver panels without worrying about something breaking, but on the XBR400 stand, you can only really pull on the mid-back part of it. Pushing on the gray panels borders on sketchy, because that's where the door hinges are located. Also, the stand comes with these really, really cheap plastic coverings for the sides, which you kind of "stick" on the side, using a Velcro-like locking system. Give me a break! They should have integrated these into the stand design better, as they look and feel extremely cheap. For a stand that costs about $250+tax, that's a mark against Sony's design in my book... plus, if you want to remove these panels, the adhesive sometimes comes off the plastic altogether, and it just doesn't stick as well after that happens. The silver color also doesn't quite match the silver housing of the actual TV, so there isn't a nice continuity between the TV and the stand. Additionally, the doors are clumsy (the glass should have been the doors themselves, and the silver side panels should have been a part of the actual stand, like previous models.

However, the stand seems a bit shorter than previous XBR stands, so if you have a tall center channel speaker, such as the B&W CDM-CNT, it doesn't sit quite as high. It also, as expected, fits the XBR400 like a glove.

Overall, I think Sony rushed on the design of the XBR400 stand, and should have put it through a redesign or two to make it as user-friendly as previous efforts.

**/*****

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Follow-up to review below.

probelms with both sets I have had

This is the 2nd xbr400 set I have had. The first one I had to send back because it had what the serviceman described as a deflector problem. It looked like a black line shot through the middle of the screen once per minute or so, regardless of the input being watched. This problem would have required a replacement part that was on back-order from Sony. It was not worth waiting, since I could send the set back and get a new one.

The new set has two problems the old one didn't. First there is a yellow blob in the lower right hand corner of the set. I used the Avia DVD to calibrate but it didn't take this away. Second, there appears to be some vertical distortion in 16x9 format letterboxing. Near the upper left hand corner the letter box screen curves down instead of going straight across horizonatlly.

Has anyone else had these problems? The technician was unable to solve either problem the first time out. He wants to come out a second time now and try again. He says he got some more codes from Sony that should allow him to fix the horizontal geometry problem. He also wants to try some "magnets" to fix the yellow blob problem. Does this sound reasonable to anyone out there? I thought you were supposed to avoid putting magnets near your set?

Thanks!

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none

Internal line doubler on less than perfect sources.

In my initial review of this tv I was less that thrilled with picture quality on anything except dvd. DVD picture
in widescreen mode is amazing but on sporting events picture would often look heavily pixelated. I bought the HDTV ready tv because I wanted to use DVDO line doubler
which requires VGA or component inputs with converter. Well
after 2 months with DVDO i-scan the difference is night and day. At first the picture appears a little softer than DRC
on DVD's but you get used to that real fast. The best part is no more pixelation an any other signal. The only trade off is that you must manually switch to 16:9 mode on dvd's.
I would highly recommend i-scan unit to anyone that has problem with pixelated picture from cable or dish feeds.
My wife who is not impressed with electronics in the least
often comments on the amazing clarity of the picture. Dvdo i-scan units can be had from e-bay for average of $500. I've
seen them go for under $400 but this is very rare. This is the perfect compliment to the XBR400. I will say that with the internal DRC line doubler the clarity on DVD's(Toy Story 2 for example) is incredible. You will find that when you first watch the same with i-scan unit that the picture appears slightly softer. My first reaction was to want to return i-scan unit but I decided to give it some time. After 2 weeks I got used to the difference and after 2 months I could not be happier. Everyone that watches my
TV says that picture could not possibly look any better.
Because of this I am rating tv higher this time.

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This is a follow-up to my review of 1/17/01

none

The XBR400 is the "Best tv set" for the money !!
the picture quality is incredible sharp with a progressive scan dvd & my SATHD-100,the colors are very accurate if calibrated right,if you are in the market for a HD ready TV set this is the one!!!!!the good thing about this set is that you get a tv that is sharp now and is ready for the future!!! for a fraccion of the expensive hdtv`s

4:3 aspect ratio. Does the degaussing feature have to be so darn loud when you turn it on?

First I must state that this TV is in my HT system and for my personal entertainment value, it takes a second seat to my Listening System. Well, I waited a full year to review this unit and, apparently, I got a "good" one because I have had none of the problems described by other reviewers. Excellent picture, especially anamorphic dvd's via component video. Reds look quite natural and not orange as has been reported. I cannot rationalize paying an ISF tech two to three hundred dollars to tweak the tv. If I had the extra cash I would have gotten a 16:9 display as I loathe network television and almost exclusively watch dvd's. I still do not understand why so many people recommend disabling the SVM (edge enhancement feature). Someone explain this to me . . . Let's turn off the function that makes the picture look sharper. I had actually accessed the "Service Menu" to try and make some of the tweaks that others recommend (Disable "Red Push") but I was way too intimidated by the unfamiliary territory. All told, this is a wonderful monitor. The split screen PIP and "Favorites" functions are very thought-out and useful features. This TV is very impressive. I just wish I was rich so I could get what I really want, a 16:9 flat screen.

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Sony 36" Trinitron

Heavy; May need some tweaking to perfect the picture

I have had my XBR400 for 6 months now and overall I have been very happy. Last month I noticed a 'discoloration' in the lower right and upper left corners of the screen. It is most apparent on blue screens from my Sony DVD player because the discoloration tended to by pink when it's at its worst. After realizing this was unacceptable, I had a Sony Authorized Service tech come out. Big mistake! because I picked Walt's TV (one of the few in the Bay Area) This guy tried to convince me that it was my setup and that I must be getting interference from the walls (because it did get worse when it was in the HT cubby hole) Needless to say, I wanted a second opinion. Soundtechs came out and this technician immediately recognized the problem. He called it a 'purity' problem and said that it was quite common. He popped the back off and proceeded to add tiny magnets (each magnet size/shape had a Sony part number) At first this sounded like a band-aid fix, but he showed me that there were already a couple of magnets on the back of the picture tube from the factory. Well after spending 20 minutes with it, the discolorations are gone. Before the fix, I noticed I could make the discoloration more intense by placing steel near the sides of the TV (I tested this with a roll of steel mesh I was using for part of a fence.) This is probably due to EM fields. I think I have some reinforcing steel members in the walls near my Home Theater cubby hole. I would be curious to know if anyone else can create discolorations by placing steel near their sets.

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NA

weight, depth, can't calibrate the color

Picture is fuzzy on some channels, text is not very clear.
When DVD is playing through S-Video, picture is excellent, but... no matter if I am watching DVD or regular channels, RED and GREEN colors are out of whack.
and I can't seem to do anything about it. When I decrease the red, all the faces get dark greenish/gray shadows, when I decrease the green, everything is redish.
Any ideas?

I've had it only for 1 day, so I will update later. Just ordered both AVIA and Home Theater Essesntials. we'll see.

Also planning to call up Sony.

Weight

This is my second review of this product. I was initially extremely disappointed when i first turned this tv on and hooked up my satellite setup(digital). Now after proper Video caliberation i must say i am a convert. The picture MUST be caliberated with video essentials or similar dvd disk to get the most out of the set. I have to turn the contrast way too high to get the picture to behave to my liking.

I believe somewhere in the reviews someone had a detailed description of caliberating with the "service menu" I tried it and got totally confused and decided to leave it alon(tinkering with service menu voids your warranty). All in all the best picture TV i have ever owned!! Highly recommend as long as you are not afraid to experiment with the tweaking.

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sony 36" trinitron