The BEST picture!

I just got my 36XBR400 2 hours ago, it is a GREAT TV.

But I've a problem. When I am playing a DVD in letter box format, I notice that picture is tilt anti-clockwise, and I tried to use the tilt compensation to fix it, but it couldn't fix it even with MAX clockwise tilt(+7).

Does anyone else have the same problem?

Picture Quality, HDTV ready, lots of connections, 16x9 Enhancemode

Overall size and weight. To access VCR/DVD function, you've got flip up lid

I just got this baby 2 hours ago and I am floored. The picture quality is absolutely beautiful even with my analog cable feed. There is no distortion or anything. My only issue is how do I get 16x9 enhancemode to work correctly. I thought this feature would cause the picture to fill the screen. Right now I'm still get a letterbox look. I'm hooked up a Toshiba 3109 through S-Video for now. I'm getting the new 6200 in a few weeks.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic Flat Screen

Picture quality, Sony's engineering, looks, HD ready

white and blach ununiformity

This by far is the best picture tube HD/non HD ready set. I love XBR's and particularly this one. Picture quality is second to none. If you are in the market for a tube look no further. The reported problems can be minimized by a good ISF person, if he knows what he/she is doing. The color fringe is due to misconvergence and the black Un-uniformity is associated with all the sets to a varying degree. I have had three XBR"s in past and all suffered by the same problem. However, I should say that some sets are better that others. If yours is way out, have it replaced till you get a better one. I have had as many as 4 sets replaced till I get one that did not display as much as un-uniformity as the first one. Another thing, For this money, I believe The Sony 53HS10 makes more sense. It is essentially a XBR unit. But that is a Rear projection. In fact rear projections are better suited for home theater. In any case both are the TV"s to buy.

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Owned several XBR's

This is an update to my previous post on 12/11. Addresses brighter right side possible fix.

This is an update to my previous post on 12/11. Addresses brighter right side possible fix.

They just changed the circuit board a few days ago. It has noticeably decreased the size of the lighter blob on the right side of my screen, though it hasn't completely eliminated it. But now the lighter section is so much smaller and only at the very lower right corner, that I really can't notice it anymore unless I really really try to look for it. But I'm not sure if it's the circuit board that helped. After changing the board, the technician also went into the service menu and set my "SBRT" value to "3". SBRT = Sub-Picture Brightness (Black Level). It must have been significantly higher before, because once he lowered it, I had to significantly increase the "brightness" values on all my settings to compensate. He said Sony reccomended lowering the SBRT. So overall, it has helped a lot, but it doesn't completely eliminate the problem for me.
--
WarrenT '94 TT BPU
http://www.geocities.com/sprasnc/

Similar Products Used:

KV-36XBR250

I would like to point out to the folks who are having trouble with their sets shutting on and off at unexpected times that it is nothing new to Sony. My previous set (an earlier XBR) had this problem as well. It took 11 months and cost me $320 before the Sony Authorized Repair Facility and Sony Tech Support came to the conclusion that it could not be repaired.
Anyway, I always considered the AG tube to be Sony's best invention, and after seeing the DRC in action I decided to pick up the XBR400. Their other electronics seem to be middle-of-the-road stuff. I was impressed by the lack of scan lines, but the convergence on the tube was less than impressive. Whether it's a a strong cable signal, Dreamcast played thru s-video, or VHS, the left and right sides (maybe 20%) of the tube are significantly blurry; the center is near-perfect in terms of focus. This also causes white backgrounds and light images appear darker along the sides. I don't have DVD yet, so I can't comment on that.
Also, the bottom of the screen is bowed upward. This is NOT an optical illusion. Overscan is excessive, too.
Considering the cost of this set, I assumed it would be much better as a whole. The tube itself and DRC give it all it's value. Let's face it, the PIP is cool, but what's it really worth? The speakers are low-budget as well.

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KV32-XBR35

Picture quality with DVDs is stunningly good, lots of inputs

Weight

I've had this set for a week now (replacing a 10-year old 27" set). The picture is fine with cable (and I don't think that our cable is particularly great). For DVDs, the picture is amazing, and this is just with a basic Sony DVD player without component outputs (connected via S-Video cable). It's particularly fun to go back and watch DVDs that I've had for a while, just to enjoy the added clarity of the picture.

I've noticed no distortions or any other noticable problems with the picture. I adjusted it with the standard menus and Video Essentials. Other than the red being a bit orangy, everything looks good enough that I don't see a need to bother with technicians or service manuals.

I have the speakers in the set turned off, so I can't comment on those.

Overall, I think that it's a great set to get me through the transition to DTV/HDTV (5+ years).

dual tuner side-by-side pictures; ability to skip unused inputs

picture; DRC (can this be turned off?)

I've had this set for about two weeks and am having severe buyer's remorse. I checked it out in the stores and read reviews before purchasing but I'm not quite happy with the picture out of the box. While I realize flaws will be more easily noticed on a 36 inch, the picture on my 20 inch TV (KV20FS12) blows this XBR away. I've been playing around with service menu settings and although the picture is now slightly improved, it still doesn't compare to my smaller TV. This is on broadcast TV and DVDs. Does anyone know if DRC can be manually defeated from within the service menu and which option it would be?

I find the picture flawed in that images are quite fuzzy overall; colors aren't as bright or saturated and the color separation is lacking. I've seen other XBRs in the store that looked quite good so I believe my television simply needs proper calibration. I'll give the circuitry more time to burn in before I try Avia or VE. Also, if anyone has purchased the service manual, please e-mail me or post a few words on how helpful it is.

Since a lot of folks claim this is the best direct-view TV, I'm willing to have a bit more patience and do some more tweaking but so far my S-series 20" TV provides a superior picture BY FAR even using composite inputs.

I don't care as much about the sound or the weight of this set as many other folks here do, however I'd have to say that if sound is very important to you, hook your source to a capable receiver. The ratings I give below are based purely on the picture quality. Hopefully I can get it calibrated to the point that I can repost with a higher rating.

Similar Products Used:

Sony KV32V25, Sony KV20FS12

Incredible picture,excellent sound,picture and picture feature

Weight(It's a beast!), owner's manual sucks

I auditioned just about every box on the market in preparation for this years xmas present to me. I made picture quality judgments using DVDs I brought to the store, since cable and DSS signals vary from place to place. The XBR400 was what I settled on, and it hasn't disappointed. Great picture quality! Even the sound was impressive. DVDs played on my Pioneer DV434 are truly incredible! Had the picture tweaked by a local tech, which only improved the best picture I've ever seen.
Can't wait for the surround system to be installed next week. The theaters may loose a customer. The remote could have bigger labeling, but with these eyes, I'd probably need a remote the size of a small state. Highly recommend this TV. It is expensive though. Probably best to buy a set like this from a reputable, local dealer, rather than a .COM
because of their cost just in case you have a problem.

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Mitsubishi,Zenith

Fantastic DVD/HDTV picture, beautiful design (especially with Sony's matching stand)

Unacceptable cable/DSS/VCR/TiVo picture

This television is schizophrenic. I am absolutely amazed by the picture of this TV with very good sources (which for me are DVDs, and some higher-bandwidth cable/DSS channels), but the performance of this set with average sources is flat-out unacceptable.

DVDs are amazing. The picture looks like you are viewing through a freshly-washed window. Sony has truly created the best direct-view picture possible. The lines, colors, contrast, and shapes are as perfect as my critical eyes could ever want. The raves I've seen in most posts are completely justified when watching a strong source.

As for the rest, it is barely watchable. Most cable and DSS channels are literally unwatchable; it is worst when watching sports (the "bug" that most sports telecasts use to track the score on screen will make you think you need glasses). TiVo is especially bad, even on it's highest-quality setting. The artifacts, the blurred text, the astigmitized lines, the poor effects when pausing a picture, all of this usually chases me upstairs with a headache to watch TV on my 4-yr old analog XBR set. You can try to fiddle with the menu settings, and I found that turning the picture and sharpness down helps somewhat, but makes the image look like it's in a cave - and I did not pay over $2K to compromise like that.

Shoppers beware - I strongly advise you to think about how you plan to use this TV. If your primary use is for DVDs, HDTV, pay-per-view movies, or as a monitor, this TV will blow you away. But if you primarily use ordinary cable, DSS, VCRs, TiVo, or watch a lot of sports, don't buy this TV, and turn your attention to one of many very high-quality analog sets that are currently available. At the very least, take a video-cassette example of your normal cable reception to the video store and have them play it through this TV before you buy.

So, a mixed review for me. Each person will have to decide what is most important to them. I regret to say that I am returning this TV, since, as much as I'd like to ignore them, the defects are something I can't get used to, and the great DVD picture no longer outweighs this disadvantage. I wish that a TV existed that could be switched to digital processing for good sources, but switched to analog processing for normal viewing. But alas, I'll have to wait until HDTV is the prevailing, widely available standard before buying another digital TV.

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Older Sony XBR's, Trinitrons

GREAT picture!
GREAT PICTURE!!
Did I mention the picture?

What it lacks in an owners manual, it more than makes up for in sheer weight

I've only had it a week and I haven't calibrated it fully yet. (Video Essentials DVD is on order.) But the more I watch it, the more I like it. Every one who has been over to see it raves about the picture. Watching DVDs through component connections is wonderful.

What owners manual? (Need I say more?)

After reading about it on the net, I decided to pop for a 5 year service contract and set-up & delivery. Given the 238 lbs., it was well worth the price.

I could harp on some small details, but overall, I love it. I highly recommend it. DVDs are as crisp as in the theatre. Good quality cable TV works quite well. Yes, I do see artifacting and other weirdnesses I didn't see with a smaller set (of course! bigger screen means you see more detail). But when the signal is good, it looks great.

I'm hoping some one out there might be able to answer 2 questions.

1) I'd like to hook up a computer to it via an S-Video connection. What resolution will it handle? 800x600? 1280x1024? 640x480?

2) The menu shows 3 color temperature settings (Cool, Neutral, Warm). Do these translate into Kelvin degrees? 5000? 6500? 9300?

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27" TV that pales in comparason