Picture Quality, HDTV Capability, Flat Wega Screen

Heavy

This is the best 36 inch direct view TV on the market today. I had last years XBR250, but when I found out about the XBR400 1080i resolution capability, I had to upgrade to this years model. I was actually eagarly anticipationg a new second generation SONY KW34HD2 HDTV, but from what I read, SONY has Postponed all new HDTV units for at least 10 months. As soon as I read that, I had to get this set, which is by far the best available unit next to a flat out HDTV set. Hook this baby up to a Progressive Scan DVD Player like the Panasonic 1000 and stand back in amazement! The Pioneer Elite DV-09 is also worthy of this great TV!
If you want to truly show off this set to your friends or family members, use the CANARE Componenet Video Cables, and purchase the "A Bug's Life" DVD and let it rip!!!!
Oh by the way, it seems like everyone here got a good deal on this TV. For anyone interested, I can get this awsome TV for them BRAND NEW, FACTORY SEALED, With Manufacturer's Warranty for $2099 plus $250 shipping to your door.
Anyway, if you already have this great set...ENJOY!!
and if you're shopping around for a top of the line set, look no more!

Similar Products Used:

Sony XBR250

The real story here is the picture. With a progressive scan DVD player, top quality component cables (Monster Video 3), a DVD enhanced for 16/9, the picture has no rival. Sure, the 4/3 ratio of the screen means you'll have black areas at the top and bottom of the picture, but the quality of the picture (color depth, detail, etc.) will make this quite acceptable. I am anticipating seeing my first HI-DEF picture when I decide on a source. I will need a box in addition to the source for this to happen. This will cost some serious $.

Although not really a weakness, your picture is only as good as your source. I have poor cable, so a lot of regular NTSC broadcasts have an annoying amount of artifacts. This should be eliminated when I choose a better broadcast source. I would have prefered a backlit remote, but already have it pretty much memorized for use in the dark. I will soon purchase a Philips pronto remote to remedy this.

I can only comment from the perspective of a layman, as I have no real technical background. That having been said, I would highly recommend this model. Some would argue that a 36"- 4/3 aspect set is not really "home theater", but I have yet to have anyone feeling this way show me a better picture. I am watching from a distance of approximately 6 feet and cannot see any scan lines, which was my biggest complaint about my previous TV (also a Sony XBR). At this distance, you are actually fairly close to SMPTE viewing standards. There are a good deal of standard features (too many to address) which also help make this set stand out above its' rivals. I have yet to find any problems. I would have liked a 16/9 ratio tube, but seeing as I find myself watching broadcast TV probably 90% of the time, this set made sense as a compromise while I await the next generation of HDTV projection sets. I still haven't seen a projection TV in my budget range that impresses me. I hope to acquire HD satelite or cable service in the near future, as my current cable blows and doesn't really let the set show off its' capabilities.

Picture Quality

Tube Anomalies & DRC Anomalies

I wrote a review for this TV last week. Now I'd like to reveal a major fault I've found on my set at least.

A glaring fault that I've discovered on my XBR400's tube is a problem similar to what some XBR200-250 owners have had. People spoke before about banding or stripes of different lightness on those sets. While I also did see that the right side of my XBR250 was a bit lighter than the rest of the screen on pure black screens, this anomaly didn't actually affect the picture. When an actual image was on screen, even if it was a dark night scene, the right side would not be visibly brighter, although in a completely black screen you could see that it was.

Well, with my XBR 400, I've got a cloudy blob of lightness that starts out small on the left side & grows toward the right side until it covers about the right 1/3 of the screen. Now to normal viewers it's probably subtle and they'll not notice it. But for videophiles this is VERY obvious. On a pure black screen, with the lights off, you can't miss it. Now I could dismiss this anomaly if, like my XBR250, when there was an actual image the lighter area was no longer discernible. BUT, with my XBR400, this is not the case. In night scenes and any fairly dark scenes, with the lights off, I can tell that the right side's black levels are not as dark as they are on the left. This is very irritating, and I'm hoping this is something that is not inherent on all the new XBR400's. It'd be nice if more people could review this set & see if this is the case.

Similar Products Used:

XBR250

I have not purchased this set yet.Hoping to hear from other consumers or someone from Sony.I spent almost 2 hours at circuit city yesterday with a very patient sales rep playing around with this .I noticed the same graininess that other reviewers have referred to when viewing a standard cable signal.It was more than noticeable it was downright annoying.Is this a performance/design goal for this model or a flaw?I would not be able to justify the hefty price tag for this set if this is an issue with this generation of xbr televisions.Would love to hear what other consumers have experienced or think regarding these sets.

great picture

Expensive

The TV shipped monday, so I'm hoping to get it in this friday. I cant wait to get this bad boy hooked up. I got one of only two that Crutchfield had. They said they should be recieving a shipment in on the 10th. I'll post a follow up later. Does anyone know if the XBR250 stand is compatible with this TV. scotttorrez@hotmail.com

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Picture quality with DVD and satellite feeds, very attractive unit.

Picture quality may be slightly grainy with poor analog feed.

I received the Wega on 7/30/00; a week ahead of Sony's expected delivery date. Most stores still don't have it in stock yet, but if you search hard enough you should be able to get your hands on one.

I originally purchased the 36XBR250 back in March as the first component of my home theater system, but I held off on the delivery because I was having a custom wall unit made which wasn’t going to be completed for a couple of months. The day after I ordered the 36XBR250, a friend of mine at work told me about this Web site. Boy am I glad I checked out this Web site.

After reading all the reviews about the 36XBR250, I was overwhelmed with the many problems people were experiencing. A few postings mentioned that a new Wega model was coming out within a few months. So I checked out the Sony Web site and found information about the 36XBR400 (available in the summer). After reading the Sony press release announcing the XBR400 will provide a hi-scan 1080i display and Digital Reality Creation (picture with 4x density), I immediately canceled my order for the 36XBR250. Both my wife (what do you need HD TV for ?? this TV is fine !!) and the salesman (you’re making a mistake !!) gave me grief about canceling it. I didn’t listen to them and canceled it anyway…besides, I was hoping that Sony would correct all of the XBR250 problems with the new XBR400.

And now the review:

The 36XBR400 is great. I don't see many of the problems that people reported with previous models. There is no geometry problem (maybe I’m lucky), no black lines or bands, no uneven color, and no scan lines. That’s right, no scan lines even when sitting close to the unit. The only problem that I do see with this unit is that it produces a slightly grainy picture when used with my analog cable TV feed and my regular VHS player. I was initially upset with the grainy picture, but I was informed that this is because of a weak and/or noisy cable signal. I was told that I may be able to correct this by using a signal amplifier, but with no guarantee. To be honest, the grainy picture is not that bad. At times, it makes the picture look sharper, with more detail than a standard TV. At other times, it makes images look a bit blurry. It really depends on what channel that I’m watching. The best setting that I found to eliminate most of the grainy picture is to use the Movie mode (which softens the picture) and then increasing the Brightness and Sharpness controls. I also have set the Color Temp to Warm, the VM to Off, and the DRC-MF to Interlaced.

Because I was a little concerned about the grainy picture, I decided to visit the Sony store in Manhattan to check out the XBR400 on display. I wanted to see if it too had a grainy picture. I’m very glad that I did, because the XBR400 on display was playing a DVD of The Fifth Element and it blew me away. It produced the clearest picture of all the TVs on display, even better than the much more expensive (10 to 16k) plasma TVs. The picture was perfect, crystal clear resolution even sitting only four feet away. I had never seen a better picture on any TV. The TV had no grainy picture whatsoever. This made me feel much better and eased my concern.

All I need to do now is get myself a DVD player and a satellite dish. I plan to buy a DVD player next week. After much review, I am considering the Pioneer DV-434 with progressive scan outputs or the Sony DVP-C670 with digital image enhancer and DD decoder, both are reasonably priced less than $500. For the satellite dish, I was told to get a HD dish (oval shaped) with a TV top HD converter. RCA currently makes an inexpensive TV top HD converter that’s less than $650.

The speakers can sound both good to fair, depending on what you are watching. I was expecting them to sound great. When listening to music channels they sound better when the volume is cranked up, but when listening to other shows they can sound weak (not enough bass or oomph). When watching a variety of shows, I find that I am constantly adjusting the sound Effect from TruSurround (a softer sound) to Simulated (more projection, in your face sound). This will not be an issue for me once I purchase my home theater receiver (Yamaha RX-V995) and speaker system (Def Tech Pro Cinema 80), as I will primarily be watching with the home theater system on and the Wega speakers off.

The remote, although good and simple to use, lacks back lighting. Instead, it has glow in the dark buttons. I’m considering a Marantz RC5000 (very cool) to replace all of my remotes. This is great for the wife as she has no idea which remote works what, and I won't have to fumble with mutliple remotes.

The TV Guide feature - One thing that I like about my two year old 36” Mitsubishi (they don't make 4:3 TV's any more) is that it has TV Guide. When changing channels, it displays the channel and name of the show you’re watching for about two seconds and then disappears. The Wega has a similar feature, when enabled it displays the information all of the time which I find distracting. I think this feature is not necessary if you have satellite, as it displays the shows.

The manual, although short (this is a good thing because who likes to read manuals), provides enough detail. I was actually surprised as to how short it is. I expected it to be much longer than 52 pages.

And yes, this TV is heavy. The two, very large men that carried it into my house said that it weighed more than the 61” Sony projection TV that was on their truck. They even had trouble carrying it. The manual reports a weight of 238lbs, while the Sony Web site states 235lbs. Give or take 3lbs, this thing is heavy and may require 3 average size people to lift it. I was told that the previous models had handles on the sides, but this unit does not. Be careful when lifting it.

My recommendations:

I recommend purchasing all the cables that you plan on using ahead of time so that once you install it, you don’t have to move it, unless of course it’s on a TV cart/stand.

Purchase an extended warranty. Although it may cost a few hundred dollars (I paid $375 for a 5 year extended), I believe it is worth the investment, especially with the history of reported problems with previous models.

The Bottom Line:

This is a great TV, but you’ll need a DVD player and a satellite dish to get the best picture possible. With the proper feeds, this TV is probably the best one available. If you have an analog cable TV feed and standard VHS player, this unit may produce a slightly grainy picture.

After I purchase the rest of my home theater components (DVD player, satellite dish, HD converter, receiver, sat/sub speaker system, etc.), I’ll report back with an update. I can’t wait!

Similar Products Used:

Mitsubishi 36"

Great picture quality!!

wherever you put it,is where it stays.....for good

This is a awesome product and I got it delivered for 2099.00!!!

I gave it a quick calibration with my AVIA DVD and WOW!! What a picture, I'll be back but thanks to all you reviewrs who pointed me in the right direction.

I would definetly give TODD at www.jandr.com a call 800 221 8180 he made it quick and painless thanks again and I'll be posting more soon.

Similar Products Used:

SONY 32FS12, VARIOUS OTHER SONY TV'S

Could anyone comment on whether or not I should buy the KV36XBR400 ($2200) or the KV36FV24 ($1600). I cannot recieve off-air digital tv (antenna) and I still see directtv high def broadcasts as limited. My kids will use this set egually (4:3 viewing) as myself (DVD's 16:9). I am concerned regarding all of the negative views regarding analog sources and picture quality. Should I just buy the FV or bite the bullet and buy the XBR????
Help!
Thanks

it won't be easy to steal because it's so heavy,good picture with dvd not great

the picture,need for constant picture adjustments,to many to name

I have to start off by saying i am very very disappointed in the picture quality from the sony xbr400 if i spend $3000 dollars for a tv with stand and top of the line cables a should not have to adjust the picture every time i change the channel my cable signal is very good (my picture on my previous 36" tv was crystal clear) i read all the reveiws and was suckered in to believing i was upgrading my tv and picture clarity with this tv NOT! ALSO I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN HAVING TO TWEAK A TV PICTURE CONSTANTLY also people say all good audiovideo needs to be tweaked that's like saying if i check in to $600 a night hotel room i should expect to make my own bed! i'm a strong believer in the "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" well i got a $2500 tv with a crappy picture buyer beware!

Similar Products Used:

46 inch hitichi ultra vision

Does anyone know how to get the service manual for this TV?
If I buy this TV I want to be able to adjust the overscan and other things.
And yet I know it voids the warranty, yada yada yada.