superb picture

extremely sensitive to signal quality and strength. requires top of the line cables to connect to other components.

This comment concerns the xbr 400 purchased last year which i previously commented upon. Also, i tried to write this coment earlier and made a mistake, if this is a duplicate, sorry.
Ok, that out of the way, this set is wonderful. I have the best picture i have seen, no exceptions. I also want to say that i am not an expert or have anywhere near the knowledge that many of the people who have posted comments here have shown by their statements. However, i really disagree with the most recent comments about the xbr 450 which is basically the same set as the xbr 400 with the exception of the 3:2 pull down.
The xbr 400, and i assume, the xbr 450 is extremely sensitive to signal strength and quality. I have cox digital cable and, as i have previously stated, the picture i get is superb. The cox people who installed the digital cable were great. My signal strength, by the way, is 12db. The second thing to know about this series of set, you MUST use top of the line cable to connect all components. I obtained this knowledge on this site and it is accurate.
This series of set is really a hybrid. It has a 4:3 screen and is a digital tv that is capable of hd reception with an appropriate converter box, but the hd picture displayed obviously does not fill the entire screen. For me, it was an excellent choice due to the lack of hd "product" at the current time and the high prices for most 16:9 sets.
I just wanted to post this comment because i feel that this series of set gets slammed for defects that i just either don't have or see. My analog reception is not as good as digital, duh, and some channels are clearer or sharper than the others. But this was true with my previous set and is,in my view, due to differences in signal strength or quality which varies from station to station.
Oh, one question which i would appreciate someone answering, the xbr 400 does not have 3:2 pulldown. Would this lack of feature be corrected by getting a progressive scan dvd player, such as the denon 2800, which does have 3:2 pulldown as one of its features? Thanks in advance if anyone can anwer this question.

Similar Products Used:

nothing really. prior set was 1991 32" xbr

Very nice picture with DVD and HD material.

DRC circuitry, resulting in a very poor image with digital cable and most digital satellite channels.

Actually, I do not have this TV yet. I am writing this to respond to a posting by GREG LARA from San Jose, CA. I have also been considering this particular set and have been comparing it with the Panasonic CT36HX41 for over the last 1 1/2 years. I have viewed both TV's in department stores (like Circuit City, Best Buy, etc...), in some of the smaller, high-end home theater specialty stores (where the sales people actually seem to have some real practical knowledge about home theater and electronics), and in the home environment (friends' houses).

As much as I like the physical appearance of the 36XBR450 and it's video performance with DVD and HD material (as well as remote control). I absolutely cannot live with how Sony's DRC circuitry handles digital cable and EVEN most digital satellite channels. Initially, I thought it was just because of a poor or weak signal (there is a difference between these two). However, even when I verified the XBR450 was receiving a strong signal (from either digital cable or satellite), most channels still appeared very pixelated and washed out. Yes, the picture on this XBR450 had even been calibrated with the AVIA DVD disc.

In discussing this with several true HT experts and video technicians (not from Circuit City or Best Buy, of course), I have come to realize that the fault lies in Sony's DRC circuitry. I think the DRC tries to upconvert everything, except a progressive signal, to 960i. When this happens, artifacts in a digital cable and a digital satelite video signal become enhanced and you get what appears to be a poor quality image. I believe the solution would be if Sony made the DCR circuitry defeatable (can be turned off). Other reviewer's have also alluded to this as being a possible solution. Perhaps this will be a feature in next year's model (KV-36XBR500?).

I also realized that the XBR450 set has a relatively low horizontal resolution capability (I believe somewhere in the upper 600s to low 700s). This was pointed out in some professional reviews of the XBR450. Please keep in mind that this does not mean the XBR450 cannot disply a 1080i signal. It just means the 1080i signal will lose some of its inherent resolution and thus appear "softer" when displayed on the XBR450. Sony does not provide this specification to the consumer. In fact, every tech support person I spoke to at Sony said they could not tell me this information. I suspect Sony simply does not want the public to realize how low the maximum resolution is on this particular set, compare with other competitor's digital television sets.

As for the Panasonic CT36HX41, it has similar problems with digital cable and satellite, but not as bad as the XBR450. The main reason for the better picture is Panasonic does not upconvert to 960i, but rather 480p. Perhaps Panasonic also uses a better internal line doubler (or de-interlacer) than Sony. Who knows. However, without a doubt, the video images on the CT36HX41 appear less pixelated and a bit smoother (& less washed out) than the XBR450. The Panasonic CT36HX41 has a maximum capacity of 800 lines horizontal resolution.

For me, at least 70% of my viewing is with digital cable or digital satellite (mainly sports and other programs). The other 30% is DVD viewing. Therefore, I would not recommend purchasing the 36XBR450 unless you will be using this set mainly for DVDs viewing.

My HT system:
TV: Pan 27" (soon to be upgraded to a HDTV-capable set)
Reveiver: Marantz SR-18EX
Speakers: M&K 750THX system

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic Superflat 27" analog set

Big clear display, funcionality, nice silver/gray finish

heavy, makes some cable channels look horrible, heavy

Put it off for a while, but I finally found it on sale at a local shop. Wanted a local shop in case of any malfunctions on the tv.

Absolutely love it though. DVD's are of the wall clear. Automatic anamorphic compression works beutifully. For testing, I borrowed a friends progressive scan DVD player and hooked it up via component video cables. I didn't really see that big of a difference between progressive and my good old interlaced using s-video cables.

I use local Time Warner cable (not DSS). It handles some channels just great, handles others not so great. The cable signal is coming out at a strong +12 (reading I got from the cable guy when he came out); but there's still plenty of artifacts to be seen on some of the cable channels.

It's nice having plenty of video inputs. The remote control on this thing is layed out VERY well. Simple and easy. *Once* you get used to the rubber knob thing, you'll fly through the menus. I'm actually able to control the cable box, dvd, & vcr through the TV remote. No backlight though - just "GLO-keys".

Still waiting for SONY to ship me the service manual on this thing. The normal manual isn't all that telling.

Twin picture view, and the favorites list, are both great features. Although on the twin view, you don't have access to ALL the video inputs, only a select few - don't know why this limitation's been put in?

Excellent TV for movie viewing. Above average for normal TV viewing (due to TV price and the need for a STRONG cable/DSS signal). Definite eye catcher when people come to your house.

Similar Products Used:

Older normal standard tube tv's

Don't be fooled!
From everything I've read, this TV will NOT pass through NATIVE progressive scan images. It sounds to me (and correct me if I'm wrong) that the DRC chip doubles EVERYTHING that's not 1080i, which means both 480i AND 480p, let me repeat, AND 480p signals get doubled. Who in their right mind wants a 480p signal doubled? DRC should be able to be turned off, but alas, it cannot for a 480p signal. This is NOT a progressive scan television, people. Sony doesn't give a crap about 480p (at least, not yet)! Look at their current line of DVD players - not a progressive scan in the bunch. Why would Sony sell a TV that only showcases the limitations of their current line of DVD players? Think about. I went through two Sony DVD players (650D and 670D) before seeing the light and buying a Toshiba 6200 PROGRESSIVE SCAN player. Your selling yourself short if you hook up a 6200 to an XBR400. Try hooking it up to the Toshiba CN36X81 TV's Color Stream Pro inputs, and you'll be blown away!! To summarize, the XBR400 will NOT pass native 480p signals without the DRC mucking with them first. Then, what's the point? Obviously, proscan and interlaced will look practically the same on the XBR, which, from the reviews I've read below, seems to be the case. I mean, no wonder XBR owner are finding it hard to see the difference between interlaced and progressive scan signals on their televisions.
Get informed people! This TV WILL support progressive scan, but your signal is being converted by DRC. Personally, I want DRC to stay the hell away from my already-pure 480p signal from my kicks-anything-sony-makes Toshiba 62000 player!
The XBR is nice television, but me thinks a LOT of people did not know what they were (or, should I say, weren't) getting.

Follow-up to previous review

Follow-up to previous review

I posted a full review of the Sony XBR400 a few weeks ago and this is just a response to the user below who is comparing his XBR250 to the XBR400. When it comes to HDTV and anamorphic DVD's, there is absolutely NO comparison. The XBR400 blows the XBR250 out of the water! While I can agree that cable and DSS sources can sometimes look bad(or at least less than spectacular), that is not exactly the fault of the XBR400. Cable and DSS just look bad PERIOD(especially when compared to HDTV or anamorphic DVD). I had the XBR250 and I can not stress enough how much better anamorphic DVD's look on the XBR400. It is an absolutely stunning picture! There are no scan lines, colors are rich and vibrant, images are perfectly displayed and it almost looks like it is in 3-D. You can read all the reviews and opinions you want, but you have to experience this TV for yourself to see how good it really is. I thought the XBR250 was the best TV I had ever seen when I bought it last year, but after owning and experiencing the XBR400, I have to say that it is worlds better than the previous model. Hope this helps all of you potential buyers.

Similar Products Used:

Sony XBR250

Follow-up to previous review

Follow-up to previous review

I posted a full review of the Sony XBR400 a few weeks ago and this is just a response to the user below who is comparing his XBR250 to the XBR400. When it comes to HDTV and anamorphic DVD's, there is absolutely NO comparison. The XBR400 blows the XBR250 out of the water! While I can agree that cable and DSS sources can sometimes look bad(or at least less than spectacular), that is not exactly the fault of the XBR400. Cable and DSS just look bad PERIOD(especially when compared to HDTV or anamorphic DVD). I had the XBR250 and I can not stress enough how much better anamorphic DVD's look on the XBR400. It is an absolutely stunning picture! There are no scan lines, colors are rich and vibrant, images are perfectly displayed and it almost looks like it is in 3-D. You can read all the reviews and opinions you want, but you have to experience this TV for yourself to see how good it really is. I thought the XBR250 was the best TV I had ever seen when I bought it last year, but after owning and experiencing the XBR400, I have to say that it is worlds better than the previous model. Hope this helps all of you potential buyers.

Similar Products Used:

Sony XBR250

Just an update on my 8/5/00 initial review. I would say the picture on certain cable channels is a bit grainy like many others have noticed. Not real bad but I expected better so I'll be looking into satellite reception next. One problem I do have is with the remote. When I go to the Twin picture side-by-side feature, once in a while the joystick enlarges/shrinkens the picture very jerky i.e. not a smooth transition at all. I try to push the joystick more firmly but it still has a very jerky motion to it. Also sometimes I have to press the buttons on the remote very firmly to get the wanted action. I changed the batteries in the remote so I figure I got a lousy remote which I will have to exchange. Anybody have similar problems with the remote??

Picture quality with DVD and Sattelite dish

VERY heavy and big

Great TV! Crisp picture but buyer beware that you will have to get a custom wall cabinet to hold this puppy unless you opt for the Sony stand.

Clarity, DVD- I found a great place to buy DVD on the net
go to http://consumer.20m.com

Heavy

regular tv viewing is not that great. DVD and HDTV looks awesome!!!

Similar Products Used:

none

Perfect picture(especially on Anamorphic DVDs), good remote, lots of inputs, split-screen PIP, HD-ready, etc.

None So Far

I have had this TV for almost a month now and I absolutely love it. I sold my 36" XBR250 so I could upgrade to this model and it was the best decision I could have made. I thought my old set had a great picture and by most peoples standards it does, but the XBR400 is light years ahead of the XBR250. I just got my Pioneer Elite DV-37 progressive-scan DVD player today(another piece of equipment I highly recommend) and the picture is nothing short of amazing! I didn't know how much of a difference progressive-scan would make over my other DVD player(a very nice Pioneer Elite DV-05), but I can now attest that progressive is a must-have for this TV. Anamorphic DVDs look just like HDTV. The picture is perfect! I am very picky when it comes to audio/video equipment and the combination of the XBR400 and a progressive-scan DVD player meets my very high standards. I don't have the RCA DTC 100 high definition DIRECTV receiver yet so I can't comment on the HDTV channels(I think there are only 2 anyway), but I am sure they would look perfect on this TV as well. Normal cable and DIRECTV looks good, but not perfect. There is some minor artifacting(not nearly as bad as some people make it out to be) which is to be expected because normal cable and DSS signals suck for the most part anyway. Overall, I think this TV is a steal at the price I paid for it($2000) and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for the best direct-view picture on the market.

Similar Products Used:

Sony WEGA XBR250