Sony WEGA KD-34XBR970 34-Inch FD Trinitron Digital HDTV
By: Sony Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 38
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 On: 2008-04-01
I was very lucky to find one of these sets locally here. Id actually purchased it used (1 year old) from a co-worker. Ive been a Sony TV customer since the 70s when they introduced the Trinitron series of TV sets. This set is truly amazing! The picture quality is incredible. Its a shame that Sony discontinued all CRT picture tube TV sets. The CRT is the standard for high quality that the Plasma and LCD TVs are trying to match. Eventually they will but for now, nothing can beat a traditional CRT picture! It may be difficult to find a new one these days but there are some very clean used ones out there for a bargain!
 On: 2008-02-21
Ok, The KD34XBR970
This is a good TV, I once owned a 20" flatscreen TV by sony and it provided me years of enjoyment. when I first hooked this monster up, it had a gorgeous picture and I thought my money had been well spent ($699.99 circuit city) well with in a week, the dreaded geometry problems many if not all people w/CRT TVs have kicked in. the picture tilted and had a wavy like look to it. (you can really tell when watching images w/the top and bottom black bars) also the top corners would bow down a bit. After searching the internet I found a way to get into the TVs service menu, and fool around VERY CAREFULLY with the TVs picture problems. I got it back to almost normal so im fine for now.
On top of all this, I have all ways been under the impression that HD CRT TVs were true 1920x1080 TVs. well this one is only 853x1080.
Ive always been a A/V junkie and Im always scoping different things out. I bought this TV thinking I had bought a true 1920x1080i TV but I found that out the hard way.
Basically what im gonna do is give this to my parents, (thats gonna be fun gettin this damn thing into their living room) and get me a true 1080p HDTV. Their TV is all ready 10 years old.
All in all this is a good tv. it has its few pros and its many cons but for the price I guess I got what I paid for.
Oh and if you do decide to get this TV. Make sure you have plenty of help to lift this thing because IT IS HEAVY. My dad and I have both had back surgery and we even had to help our family and a couple of friends get this thing up stairs.
On: 2007-12-09
I took the advice of Amazon reviews and from many different forums. Needless to say, this is the best TV picture that I have seen yet. If you can still find one, I would grab it just to have it. I use it as my XBox 360/DVD/HD DVD playing TV, even though I have a 57" Hitachi upstairs. My only complaint is that Sony didnt make a 40"-50" version of this TV. Sure it probably would have weighed 400lbs, but it would have been well worth it. I cant even imagine the quality of a larger size. All in all, this TV was a steal for the price, no question what-so-ever.
The picture is amazing, the built in speakers are actually pretty good as well (surprisingly) and it is built like a tank so you will never have to worry about theft.
On: 2007-10-28
Frankly I am still waiting for my HD channel conversion from Dish network so I cant comment on the HD picture (yet). Others have spoken very highly of the picture quality in HD so I will defer to their comments in that regard. However in every other way I am really, really liking this TV a whole lot. Okay, it weighs 1/10 of a ton; nobodys going to steal it. I love the picture, the remote is utterly logical to use, the factory warranty is two years parts and labor in-home. Not to mention that I was able to get it for $500 delivered. You cant sell me anything else Sony makes, but their TVs IMO are as good as it gets. If you can find one it will probably be priced very low as mine was, to move it out as Sony has stopped making these big CRTs - so GRAB it.
On: 2007-10-25
No longer in production, and difficult to locate retail. Im glad I heeded the advice of many reviewers and snagged one for $600 w/free delivery from Circuit City several months ago. Stunning picture quality. Someone mentioned that details get lost when scenes are dark, and thats often the case... but other than that bit of frustration, I figure that this is the way to go until LCD &/or plasma, or whatever else turns up, truly come of age and offer pictures that can compare to this mammoth machine. And yes, unless youre being robbed by a football team, its not likely to be stolen! The large size and weight means (or meant...) that it comes with a 2-year in-your-home service warranty.
On: 2007-09-27
Bought this TV from a local retailer for $599. I spoke with TV repair folks and read many online reviews before purchasing. This is simply the best HD TV you can buy for the money. Picture quality is outstanding regardless of price. Size and weight may be an issue, but if not this is the one to buy. Check online forums to verify.
On: 2007-09-09
One outstanding unit if you have a solid place to put it. Heavy!! but reliable and the last of the breed, too bad! Have use this trouble free for 1 1/2 yrs and have a HD DVD set up which provides excellent results. Very good sound for a TV.
On: 2007-08-21
This TV has the best picture I have ever seen. With $15 RCA rabbit ears (the first antenna I tried, which was more expensive, did not pick up any digital channels, so you might have to try a few), I receive about 20 digital broadcasts in the Boston area for free! With a good HIDEF source (like WGBH-HD), the picture can be breathtakingly beautiful. LCD TVs look pitifully pale in comparison. The sound quality is quite good too. Its a beast in terms of depth and weight but I dont care. After six months, I still love it!
On: 2007-08-12
So i got a ps3, was waiting for something i could afford that offered great picture and 1080i for movies, and 720p for games. I watched monster house in blueray. It blew me away, i have been looking at plasma and lcds at best buy, and this completely blew away anything else ive seen. real black, real color, great contrast, and this thing is smart, it remembers the settings i set up for each of the inputs, so i can change color and screen stretch on video 1 and 2, and have none on video input 3 and it remembers it all, audio settings, screen adjustments. very nice..
This is a big heavy tv, but awesome, it replaced a 36 inch standard tv, with blueray, and ps3 games. im floored. I am a famous musician. I mix, and record and compose music. I hope sony hires me to help them make video game sounds. Who knows. i hope they do, because i love every sony product i have bought in my lifetime.
Yes, do not hesitate, this is a great tv. and if you turn the sharpness down on old school svideo signals, it looks ok.. Why did i go with CRT? well because most flat screens have bad latencies, and for video games this is a big no no. i want my stuff to move the millisecond i move the controller, not 12 or 20 later, they will say 5 or 6, but its still really 15 usually. so CRT still gives you the best colors, and blacks, and no distortion on fast moves, no latency on video games. CRT all the way, we must pressure these companies to bring back CRTs.
On: 2007-07-27
I picked this up at my local Circuit City as an "Open Box" floor display model 3 weeks ago for $550 bucks! Yup. ITs heavy...Two person minimum. But the ole Tube TV picture is in my opinion BETTER than the LCD, Plasma, and Rear Projection sets that have flooded the market. Like many others have stated, Im THRILLED I got this while it was still avalible. Frankly, I feel a little guilty getting it it $1000 bucks cheaper than people who bought it 2 years ago, and still thought they were getting a fantastic deal. This TV has been worth every penny so far...Im very satisfied.
On: 2007-06-24
I have been shoping for a HDTV with the ability to connect my computer and my PS3 to, and I have to tell you... THIS HDTV ROCKS!!!! The black is perfect, the white brite, the colors just prefect! I hooked up my 8800 GTX graphic card to this and my jaw hit the floor... the picture was amazing, the only thing more amazing was the price I paid at Frys $435 W/ a 5year warranty!!!! My advice is if you are looking for a great HDTV and can find one of these, BUY IT! Hope this helps, and hope you can get one too.Sony WEGA KD-34XBR970 34" FD Trinitron Digital HDTV
On: 2007-06-03
This TV isnt for everyone because of its weight and size, but its great for certain people and it wont be available much longer. I owned an LCD flat panel for about two weeks before returning it. I couldnt get past the unnatural look of the picture with objects in motion. It was pretty infuriating to have paid so much for a picture that was worse than my old tube. This TV turned out to be the perfect answer. The picture is really nice with standard cable or satellite and awesome with DVDs. Im not even bothering to pay for an HD signal yet but once there is enough programming to make that worthwhile Ive got the TV for it. The only thing to consider is whether or not you want to move this big beast around. Im not planning on moving for a long time so Im in love with it. This isnt the set for a college kid or someone who moves every two years. If youve got the place to plant it, get one before the industry decides for us that we dont want CRTs any more. I dont blame them for not wanting to stock a thing this big and this cheap compared to flat panels. But dont let some kid at Best Buy tell you that the picture isnt very good. I got about $500 back by switching to this from the LCD. I feel like I got away with something buying this thing while there are a few still out there.
On: 2007-05-15
The ATSC tuner is for use with an antennae. Someone also mentioned something about theoretically LCDs and Plasma screens being better... Thats wrong, too. Theyre lighter and flatter, but everything else is theoretically inferior, not to mention functionally inferior. DLP, DLA...all have more problems. The best tubes Sony has ever produced were actually the large 4:3 HD tubes that did a 16:9 squeeze. 16:9 tubes have higher incedences of geometry distortion and corner/edge focus issues than the 4:3 tubes. Smaller tubes also have better geometry. And round, rather than flat tubes are even better than that. So the perfect CRT is round and small. Obviously people wanted a flat surfaced tube and a big picture, and with 16:9 content it seemed like a waste to people to have a 4:3 tube and squeeze the electron gun V height. Really, the optimal solution would be 4:3 TVs that can run in HD in 4:3 mode with Acadamy-ratio older films and do the V height squeeze on 16:9 HD content. But anyway, these last Wegas, 4:3 or 16:9, are still the finest images produced for the home market in this size range, and the best overall fidelity, period. No other display technology can match its visual dynamic range, subtlety, and average infrequency of picture flaws. Im not sure Plasma or LCD will ever fix all their problems to reach this level of film-like fidelity in my lifetime. To reduce speckling in LCD alone, you have to at least double the resolution of pixels so that each used pixel is at least two or three physical pixels, creating an average consistency. That isnt going to happen.
If youre watching sports, switch your TV to true 720p/60fps...thats the format HD sports are currently in. Dont worry so much about 1080p. Films are shot in 24fps, not 60fps. And 3:2 pulldown does very little that the human eye can pick up. Most optical aberations people claim they are seeing during pans in films at home are not caused by 3:2 pulldown, but either by older DVD 480i, random playback glitches, or the inherent limitations of shooting in 24 fps in the first place. There are precise pan rates you have to adhere to with certain lenses and shutter angles to prevent this, and its often violated. My point, 1080i is a functionally 30fps format and your eye probably cant pick up 3:2 pull-down artifacts, anyway. And all sports are shot in 720p/60fps, so this TV still wins the argument even if you throw 1080p into the fray. The only thing 1080p would be useful for is computers (mostly flight sims and games if you have the computer muscle for that high a res), PS3, and possibly Maxivision 48 at some point...a 48fps, high-efficiency 3-perf 35mm, digital sprocket-controlled film system. But there still isnt a single film in MV48, yet alone any BluRay discs of such a film. The quality of this screen is so far beyond any of the 1080p screens, all of which are Plasma or LCD, I cant imagine the desire to switch from 720p to 1080p just for console games that will end up ghosting more would be a wise one. 720p is still higher resolution than 1024x768. The main concern is the weight. If you may be moving sometime soon and you may not have help, you need to get something lighter like a flat panel or projector. If youre established in a home and dont need an even larger screen, this is optimal.
On: 2007-05-13
This TV beats those pieces of junk hands down. One day I am sure this will not be the case but in the mean time, if you care about refresh rates (that horrible flicker) and pixelation (that plasma and LCD do) and feel like saving $2000 on a comparable flat or LCD set, this is the TV for you! If you play video games, there is no other choice. My PS3 impresses beyond belief with this set. Just make sure you have a powerlifter to help you install it.
On: 2007-04-28
Ditto to Michael Fenners review. I can only add the price keeps getting better - I paid $699 for this set on sale at Circuit City a few weeks ago and that I thought, was an outstanding deal (Id never seen it for less than $999). This last week they had it on sale for $599 and using their price match guarantee I now have an even better deal. A store manager at Circuit City rang up my $100 refund and he commented on the low price - he had first thought there was some kind of mistake on the advertised price as this TV was selling for about $1500 not all that long ago.
Anyway, again ditto to Michaels review - a great (incredible) picture at a rock bottom price and these TVs are probably going, going, gone.
On: 2007-04-16
I just had this set delivered from Circuit City on April 14, 2007 and paid only $649.00! (Brand new, not refurbished) An incredible bargain considering what you get. The HD channels are fantastic. I was watching golf just yesterday and you could literally see the grains of sand in the bunkers. (I have Cox cable) The picture on this set is still better than what youre going to get from an LCD or plasma. The colors and detail are fantastic. Even the CC guys who delivered it said this set had a better picture than the LCDs or plasmas, without the problems of burn-in and speckling, although I had learned that before through some online research. The KD34XBR970 has built in tuners so it can pick up the HD signals through your basic cable line without need of antennae. Sony probably wont make these much longer so get one fast. It is a large and heavy set(190 pounds) so get it delivered. Highly recommended.
On: 2007-01-27
To S.C., you say the SD image is not as promised. Well, you are wrong. Your satellite provider is providing over-compressed SD video. It is racked with compression artifacts. So much so that watching SD programming on a SD tube tv (my old 27" sony) was just frustrating. Several times I wrote them to complain -- hey, Monday Night Football was too blurry to tollerate -- sometime the players feet or the ball would disappear, during fast motions.
But that aside, now that I have my Sony HDTV, I have severed my satellite link. I told them that their SD programming looks horrible on it. I use a home-made 7 element beam antenna to pull all my programing off the air. In Charlotte, I get 8 stations -- really a surprise because my antenna is sitting on the entertainment system, indoors. So, with that antenna, I get a chance to watch SD programming. And, let me tell you; SD is absolutly clear. The new CW network does the best job. Now, I do notice that some SD programming suffers from overly agressive compression. Most notably, on the PBS programming for Sesame Street. Some parts are clear SD and some are obviously over compressed. That is, the muppets fur gets pixelated. Cartoon animation should look perfect, however, many times, those programs have been compressed to the point where you see compression artifacts; I dont think the broadcast station has the original uncompressed SD video. If you want to see what cartoon video should look like, take a look at QuBo on NBC Saturday mornings, it is visually perfect.
Why am I talking about compressed signals or video? Well, all the HDTV (atsc) is compressed. It uses the MPEG-2 standard. There is no way to transmit that much data over the air or via satellite/cable without using compression -- given the 19Mhz bandwidth restriction by the FCC. For satellite, the local channels are compressed more agressively, to squeeze them into the bandwidth they have. Even many of the non local channel programming: HBO, etc., show signs of agressive compression. Dark scenes show the problems with contouring, pixelation and mosquito-ing.
When you look at a true HD picture on this TV, you should see, when the camera pans left and right, that every pixel moves without additional blurring. Then, you know that the camera is recording in HD and that you are receiving the picture in HD. Football is probably the best example. Another good example is either the "Late Show" with Letterman or the "Tonight Show" with Leno. Take a close look at the pin-stripes on their suits, during their monlogue. As the camera pans, the pin-stripes stay sharp. My neighbors have an LCD on Timewarner cable, and those pin-stripes just blur away so it is annoying to watch. Satellite SD show those pin-stripes disappearing too. For shame.
So remember, you must compare apples to apples. Make sure that the picture source is what you expect. Is the camera recording in HD? Is the transmission in HD? Is the show 24, 30 or 60 fps? Is this a rebroadcast of a satellite feed? Am I the victim of agressive compression that leaves many annoying visible compression artifacts? Many times I see an HD picture and I say, oh that looks great, but then I see another program where it is ovbious that the camera was recording in HD and WOW! So what I thought was HD was really an SD camera source reformatted into an HD signal. But when you get an HD camera and HD signal, thats the best.
Side by side comparision of this TV with all the LCD and Plasmas, looking at picture quality and seeing the off-the-air demo in the store, convinced me to get this tv. It has the best picture quality.
It should be noted that LCD/Plasma screens should provide perfect pictures; they have fantastic fidelity. But, because video is blurry and the video signal is compressed, you see compression artifacts and other video problems more readily on those screens. On a direct-view CRT, however, the pixels are closer together (apparently) and because the screen is physically much smaller, only a 34" tube, we have to be much closer to the screen to see the same compression artifacts (or problems) than for the LCD.
Dont get me started on why 24fps is a poor choice for tv shows or movies. When I say "sharp" or "absolutely clear", above, just note that I mean "as clear as" or "as sharp as" the original uncompressed video.
On: 2007-01-17
I have had my Sony Wega for about a month. I researched buying an HDTV for about a week before deciding on Sony WEGA KD-34XBR970. I do have HD cable and the HD channels come in amazing! Even the regular channels are so clear, I have to check to make sure that it is 480i and not HD. I hate going over to someones house now that does not have HD because there is that much of a difference in the quality of the picture. Definitely worth the money. I use my cable menu and guides for show info and dont have a problem reading it. The only thing i noticied that might be a problem to some, but not me, is that some of the pictures bow(when i was watching a football gamein HD). It is very heavy, but could definitely not be too much of an issue. I am definitely satisfied with my purchase.
 On: 2007-01-12
I spoke with Sonys tech support via telephone, Best Buys product specialist via telephone, and a product specialist at my local Best Buy store about what this TV has to offer. My main interest was in the DRC-MF (Digital Reality Creation Multifunction Circuitry) circuit that upgrades standard 480i signals to 480p or 960i, providing a near-high-definition-quality picture from standard video signals. All three people promised me that my standard definition signal would be "near HD quality" and a "HUGE" improvement over what my regular SD image looked like. WRONG, WRONG, and WRONG! My SD image on this TV was HORRIBLE! I do not subscribe to HD programming because of the small assortment of channels and the price for most programming is out of my budget for watching television (my TV viewing time is limited). This is not a good TV to watch SD programming. I had my satellite provider come out to check my wiring in the house...no problems there. I employed my Best Buy extended warranty and had a service tech come check out the TV...TV was functioning "properly". Needless to say, the TV was not functioning as promised by Sony or Best Buy, so I took it back to the store for a refund.
On: 2007-01-12
Bought a DLP Samsung 42". Returned it to Circuit City within a week.Could not tolerate the "mirror" technology-fluctuating color splotches, brightness, poor contrast ratio, noise from the motor etc. Purchased the Sony WEGA HD 34" flat screen CRT-WOW! We had looked at all the various technologies, besides the DLP. Higher end LCD with 1080p and a high contrast ratio, along with a very high price are good. However, this WEGA is like watching 3-D! The clarity is outstanding (blackest of black)-simply stated it cannot be beaten. HD Flat Screen CRTs are not likely to be available in the future. Unbelieveable quality. Picture appears bigger than 34". Buy it!!!
On: 2007-01-05
Ive had mine for about three months now and absolutely love it.
Pros: Best picture quality of any HDTV Ive ever seen, period. Excellent clarity, true black point, 179.9 degree viewing angle. Easy to use. Great warranty.
Cons: 190lbs -- however Ive never had a reason to move it since I initially set it up. Two people can lift it pretty easily, just use gloves.
My *only* real complaint about this set is theres no way to read the full description of a channel when watching ATSC broadcasts. It only shows you the first ~100 characters of the channel description and then cuts it off. PBS always has really long channel descriptions. :-/
If youre considering buying an HDTV you need to look at one of these sets so you at least have a standard to compare other HDTVs against. The KD-34XBR970 is the gold standard for what HD can look like.
On: 2006-12-25
Do you want to see what HDTV is REALLY like? Forget all the noise about LCD and Plasma sets, because in order to sell those things, the vendors have to hide this baby in the back. Someone mentioned this in another review, so I went to Best Buy, and the sales person confirmed it before I had even seen this Sony in action. They dont put tube HDTVs on display in stores because the picture is so superior, nobody would buy the more expensive flat screens. I had seen lots of HD material before on friends flat panels, but when I got this sucker home and hooked it up, my jaw dropped. It is brighter, clearer, sharper and more vivid than you can get from any current flat-screen technology. You flat panel owners are getting ripped off, because you are paying more for a lot less if picture quality is your main consideration.
Buy it!
 On: 2006-12-21
My husband and I bought this set a couple years back. Within one month the set wouldnt turn on. We could hear the TV powering up, the red light was blinking, but no picture - no sound. We were annoyed, but hey it was under warranty. We called Sony and started the process.
Now you would think, they produced a faulty product they should pay for everything - WRONG. We had to pay the $125 to have someone look at it AND we had to pay labor costs (and additional $200). Sony warranty only pays for parts - NOTHING ELSE! Basically, because Sony produced a faulty TV we had to pay and additional $325 (plus tax).
We though this was over, now 2 years later, our set is broken - again - with the same problem.
Needless to say, we are NEVER buying Sony product again. Dont buy this TV - it is like playing Russian roulette. Other people might be raving about this product, but you have a good chance of receiving the bullet.
By the way, I have recently learned that other people are having the exact same problem we are - with the exact same part. No recall has been made and we are all paying for repairs.
On: 2006-12-20
My husband and I bought this set a couple years back. Within one month the set wouldnt turn on. We could hear the TV powering up, the red light was blinking, but no picture - no sound. We were annoyed, but hey it was under warranty. We called Sony and started the process.
Now you would think, they produced a faulty product they should pay for everything - WRONG. We had to pay the $125 to have someone look at it AND we had to pay labor costs (and additional $200). Sony warranty only pays for parts - NOTHING ELSE! Basically, because Sony produced a faulty TV we had to pay and additional $325 (plus tax).
We though this was over, now 2 years later, our set is broken - again - with the same problem.
Needless to say, we are NEVER buying Sony product again. Dont buy this TV - it is like playing Russian roulette. Other people might be raving about this product, but you have a good chance of receiving the bullet.
By the way, I have recently learned that other people are having the exact same problem we are - with the exact same part. No recall has been made and we are all paying for repairs.
On: 2006-11-12
With 1080p LCDs and plasmas already available on the market right now, WHY would you still wanna buy this contraption?
Just imagine having to haul this massive thing up and down the stairs in a few years from now!
On: 2006-11-11
The 34XBR may be the largest HDTV screen available using the old technology, but for buyers considering this size screen there are options of 32 and 36 inch LCD.
Advantages of 34XBR:
Price is lower than LCD, viewing from side (anything other than straight on) is better than LCD, reliability and service should be better with 34XBR, picture quality is better because colors are more vibrant and resolution is sharper.
Disadvantage 34XBR
It takes up about five -- yes five -- times the space as LCD.
 On: 2006-11-05
I bought this tv on sale at best buy for 900$, which was 200 over what I had stated as my maximum price. I had my doubts at first about spending so much money on a tv but once i plugged it in and saw the picture quality and all the features it had, all my previous doubts were gone.
The only reason I couldnt give this tv five stars was because it is extremely heavy and large. That wasnt a concern for me going into buying it, but after trying twice to carry it up a flight of stairs and not being able to make it I was forced to return it. The TV weighs in at about 190Lbs. I still ended up getting to enjoy this tv for a long time though because i managed to get my dad to buy one.
If size or weight isnt a factor for you, I didnt think it was for me until I got this TV, then buy this TV. Every other thing about this TV is flawless.
On: 2006-11-04
As a former high-end television salesperson, I must say if you are interested in picture quality (blacker blacks, whiter whites, a sharp picture, bright picture from all angles) This is your television. Let me start by pointing out a couple obvious negatives.
(1) This t.v. is a monster, two adults at a minimum to carry, this cat is H...E..A..V...Y.
(2) This T.V. is NOT light.
There are good reasons why Circuit City / Best Buy / Local T.V. Dealers, do not place this television next to more expensive DLP, LCD and Plasma televisions--with a real H.D. signals being pumped in the back. It is one thing for a television to show a pre-recorded channel over and over, it is quite another to take an "o.k." source and make it look great. That is what this t.v. did with my DVDs--my Star Wars III looked like it was in HD, but it wasnt. The same DVD on my old television looked adequate, my wifes comment upon first seeing C-3POs crisp gold ..."thats blinding!"
I would recommend this television to anyone not looking to hang the t.v. or save a lot of space (depth wise), but wants the best picture available.
On: 2006-10-06
The Sony WEGA KD-34XBR970 34" FD Trinitron Digital HDTV is a great 4:3 aspect ratio CRT set. These will not be around much longer. The picture looks great, but the picture for this type of TVs future looks dim. LCD flat screen sets and Plasma sets are taking over the market. LCD and Plasma sets are priced out of range for the average person so I dont get the overnight transition and logic to force you to buy them. A basic Tube TV with a 4:3 aspect ratio like this Sony 34 inch set is clearly a much better choice.
On: 2006-08-17
Let me start by saying this... all those newfangled tv technologies you see in your local electronics store... LCD, DLP, Plasma... are nice, sure. They can be super slim, super light, hang on a wall, or they can have very large screens, sure. In many ways they may seem superior to the good ol tube television we have all grown up with.
But there is one way that they still have not caught up and in many cases, dont even come CLOSE.... PICTURE QUALITY!
ANYONE who would be considered a "TV Buff" agrees that, nice as these new types of TVs are, a good quality regular old CRT (tube) television still provides the best overall picture quality, with the best and most realistic colors and blacks, best contrast, and best refresh rates. Especially the high def tubes. And most agree that Sony makes THE BEST QUALITY PICTURE TUBES, PERIOD!
And yet, Tube TVs in general (and high def, widescreen tubes in particular) are a dieing breed. Big manufacturers are shifting from Tube to the new technologies, and slowly, the best high end tube TVs are being replaced by smaller, less expensive versions that are shorter and shorter on features.
Sony is following this trend in a BIG way. They have already discontinued the Super Fine Pitch line of tubes, which was far and away considered THE BEST PICTURE that could be had from ANY kind of television, and was literally used as the reference point by which all other TVs, Tube, LCD or otherwise, were judged. Also, the Wega line and XBR line in general continue to lose features thru each generation now.
So... what we have here, is probably one of the last great tube HDTVs that you will ever be able to buy, and the best CRT TV that is currently readily available.
I bought this TV after taking home three other TVs from Circuit City. An LCD flat panel, LCD projection, and regular SD 4:3 Wega (DLP picture sucked and plasma looked good but didnt come in the size and price range I was shopping, 34" or less and $1500 or less). I had had a 27" SD Wega (CRT) for about 5 years and LOVED that TV. Unfortunately I had it shipped when I moved cross country and it was destroyed in the process. I initially wanted only to replace it, but decided I would try to step up to something better. I tried the LCD TVs and was not happy at all with the picture quality, compared to my old Wega. Then I bought a new SD Wega and found that, while the picture was still great, the TV had lost so many features compared to the model I had had before, no PIP, no audio outputs for surround sound, much weaker internal speakers, a few less inputs, on and on. So I decided to take one more shot at HD.
Luckily, a Circuit City salesman pointed me to this XBR970. While not as good as the XBR960 it has replaced (which had the aforementioned Super Fine Pitch picture tube), this is still an amazing TV with an amazing picture. The picture quality stomps all over what I had seen with the Sony and Samsung LCD TVs I had tried, only plasma comes even close. The colors are rich and more realistic, blacks are true deep black, and theres none of the annoying motion lag during fast moving scenes that the LCDs were prone to (Video Games ESPECIALLY suffered from this when played on those LCDs! Moving scenes would go out of focus VERY badly!). It trounced the LCDs in almost every respect, including price, being several hundred dollars cheaper than the two LCDs I had tried, which were smaller at 32" vs. this 34".
This TV has tons of inputs and outputs, more than any TV Ive ever owned, covering the full range. Others wish for a second HDMI input and I agree thats all this TV really needs as far as inputs go. It also has a very comprehensive menu with all kinds of usefull features and settings to play with.
So... more screen area, better picture, lower price,tons of features, whats not to like?
Well.. of course, one big downside (and I mean BIG quite literally!!) is that the TV is huge and HEAVY, nearly 200 lbs. No big deal, my old Wega was a beast as well, its not like I move it around, and I live on the first floor. Just know you will need 2-3 people to move it whenever you need to do so.
The ONLY other downside to this TV is that issue which plagues ALL tube televisions, and the bigger they get the worse they have it.... geometry issues. For most people, not a big deal, many never even notice it (if you havent noticed it on whatever tube TVs youve had up til now, you wont on this one), but some people will, and for those, it can be annoying. Luckily, on my set it was an easy fix. Almost all TVs these days have hidden service menus that allow you to tweak all kinds of parameters of the TV. If you arent afraid to tinker a little, you can easily go in and correct 80-100% of whatever geometry issues any given tube set will have. Some issues may not be completely fixable, but they are so minor 99% of the time that youll never notice them unless you are looking at a test pattern anyways. This and the size issue are the only reason this TV doesnt get the full 5 stars from me.
Which reminds me, if you are buying such a nice HD set as this, do you and your TV a favor and pick up one of the widely available TV calibration DVDs, Digital Video Essentials or Avia, either can help you easily, greatly improve the TVs picture thru simple menu adjustments, and if you are willing to go into the hidden service menu, you can make adjustments based on these DVDs test patterns that can truly make your TV picture perfect as per the NTSC standard.
Bottom line: LCDs etc. are nice, but tube TVs still provide the best picture. And of tube TVs, this is currently THE top of the line TV you can buy, and a raging bargain to boot. The picture is simply beautiful, and looks great for movies, gaming, and even looks good with regular old low def TV (which looks HORRIBLE on LCD!!). And theres a good chance, if things keep going the way they are going, it wont be available for long. Get yours while you can.
On: 2006-08-16
Let me start by saying this... all those newfangled tv technologies you see in your local electronics store... LCD, DLP, Plasma... are nice, sure. They can be super slim, super light, hang on a wall, or they can have very large screens, sure. In many ways they may seem superior to the good ol tube television we have all grown up with.
But there is one way that they still have not caught up and in many cases, dont even come CLOSE.... PICTURE QUALITY!
ANYONE who would be considered a "TV Buff" agrees that, nice as these new types of TVs are, a good quality regular old CRT (tube) television still provides the best overall picture quality, with the best and most realistic colors and blacks, best contrast, and best refresh rates. Especially the high def tubes. And most agree that Sony makes THE BEST QUALITY PICTURE TUBES, PERIOD!
And yet, Tube TVs in general (and high def, widescreen tubes in particular) are a dieing breed. Big manufacturers are shifting from Tube to the new technologies, and slowly, the best high end tube TVs are being replaced by smaller, less expensive versions that are shorter and shorter on features.
Sony is following this trend in a BIG way. They have already discontinued the Super Fine Pitch line of tubes, which was far and away considered THE BEST PICTURE that could be had from ANY kind of television, and was literally used as the reference point by which all other TVs, Tube, LCD or otherwise, were judged. Also, the Wega line and XBR line in general continue to lose features thru each generation now.
So... what we have here, is probably one of the last great tube HDTVs that you will ever be able to buy, and the best CRT TV that is currently readily available.
I bought this TV after taking home three other TVs from Circuit City. An LCD flat panel, LCD projection, and regular SD 4:3 Wega (DLP picture sucked and plasma looked good but didnt come in the size and price range I was shopping, 34" or less and $1500 or less). I had had a 27" SD Wega (CRT) for about 5 years and LOVED that TV. Unfortunately I had it shipped when I moved cross country and it was destroyed in the process. I initially wanted only to replace it, but decided I would try to step up to something better. I tried the LCD TVs and was not happy at all with the picture quality, compared to my old Wega. Then I bought a new SD Wega and found that, while the picture was still great, the TV had lost so many features compared to the model I had had before, no PIP, no audio outputs for surround sound, much weaker internal speakers, a few less inputs, on and on. So I decided to take one more shot at HD.
Luckily, a Circuit City salesman pointed me to this XBR970. While not as good as the XBR960 it has replaced (which had the aforementioned Super Fine Pitch picture tube), this is still an amazing TV with an amazing picture. The picture quality stomps all over what I had seen with the Sony and Samsung LCD TVs I had tried, only plasma comes even close. The colors are rich and more realistic, blacks are true deep black, and theres none of the annoying motion lag during fast moving scenes that the LCDs were prone to (Video Games ESPECIALLY suffered from this when played on those LCDs! Moving scenes would go out of focus VERY badly!). It trounced the LCDs in almost every respect, including price, being several hundred dollars cheaper than the two LCDs I had tried, which were smaller at 32" vs. this 34".
This TV has tons of inputs and outputs, more than any TV Ive ever owned, covering the full range. Others wish for a second HDMI input and I agree thats all this TV really needs as far as inputs go. It also has a very comprehensive menu with all kinds of usefull features and settings to play with.
So... more screen area, better picture, lower price,tons of features, whats not to like?
Well.. of course, one big downside (and I mean BIG quite literally!!) is that the TV is huge and HEAVY, nearly 200 lbs. No big deal, my old Wega was a beast as well, its not like I move it around, and I live on the first floor. Just know you will need 2-3 people to move it whenever you need to do so.
The ONLY other downside to this TV is that issue which plagues ALL tube televisions, and the bigger they get the worse they have it.... geometry issues. For most people, not a big deal, many never even notice it (if you havent noticed it on whatever tube TVs youve had up til now, you wont on this one), but some people will, and for those, it can be annoying. Luckily, on my set it was an easy fix. Almost all TVs these days have hidden service menus that allow you to tweak all kinds of parameters of the TV. If you arent afraid to tinker a little, you can easily go in and correct 80-100% of whatever geometry issues any given tube set will have. Some issues may not be completely fixable, but they are so minor 99% of the time that youll never notice them unless you are looking at a test pattern anyways. This and the size issue are the only reason this TV doesnt get the full 5 stars from me.
Which reminds me, if you are buying such a nice HD set as this, do you and your TV a favor and pick up one of the widely available TV calibration DVDs, Digital Video Essentials or Avia, either can help you easily, greatly improve the TVs picture thru simple menu adjustments, and if you are willing to go into the hidden service menu, you can make adjustments based on these DVDs test patterns that can truly make your TV picture perfect as per the NTSC standard.
Bottom line: LCDs etc. are nice, but tube TVs still provide the best picture. And of tube TVs, this is currently THE top of the line TV you can buy, and a raging bargain to boot. The picture is simply beautiful, and looks great for movies, gaming, and even looks good with regular old low def TV (which looks HORRIBLE on LCD!!). And theres a good chance, if things keep going the way they are going, it wont be available for long. Get yours while you can.
On: 2006-08-04
Look around the next time you are in Best Buy or Circuit City. The CRTs are sequestered off in their own little section away from the huge display of LCDs and plasmas. This Sony is the last of its kind. This tv also convinced me to make the switch to LCD. I had made the switch from CRT to LCD on my computer monitor years ago and would never go back to a CRT computer monitor now. The TV took me a little longer to change to LCD, but Ive finally done it.
This is what is wrong with the Sony Trinitron 34XBR970:
1. The Size: The Sony 34" is GARGANTUAS! I mean really, really huge! It is very deep, tall, and extremely heavy. It weighs in at almost 200 pounds. You have to have it delivered and it takes at least two very strong men to lift it and move it around. When I bought my new Westinghouse LCD 32" tv, I was able to put the whole box in my car and then install the 35 pound tv all by myself.
2. The geometry: Widescreen CRTS do not have the greatest geometry. The 4:3 side bars will always not look right. On this Sony, sometimes the side bars looked a little bowed and sometimes they have a curvy look to them. LCDs are perfect in this respect.
3. The color: CRTS have good picture quality but after comparing the LCD monitor side by side to this one, Ive got to say that the Sony looked a little washed out compared to the beautiful smooth and colorful look of the LCD.
4. The final straw: Ok, I tried to look past the size, the not perfect 4:3 mode geometry, and the color not looking as great as the LCD. But, the final straw was when I noticed what is evident in EVERY Sony Trinitron:
A fine faint (but noticeable) horizontal line going straight across the screen. Its noticeable on light and white backgrounds. It drove me nuts. After some research, I found that this line is due to Sony using an aperture grill instead of a shadow mask. All Sony Trinitrons have this and I didnt find that out until I had this beast delivered.
I had to have this Sony picked back up by a delivery company to return it. I went with a Westinghouse LTV-32w6 LCD-HDTV and I am extremely pleased with it. CRTs are definitely on the way out due to their weight, shipping costs, etc. Whos going to be repairing these things 10 years down the line too? Its time to get modern and go with a beautiful new LCD or plasma.
On: 2006-07-29
Well, I had the Kd-34XBR960, prior to XBR970. The 960 has super-fine pitch feature. The quailty of the picture was great, if the TV works. Nine months after I bought the TV, all of a sudden for no reason I can think of, it would not power up. The red light blinks periodically, but no picture, nothing. Power cycling, after reading many many post online, doest work. If you search for "Sony TV power issues" on the net, you will find thousands of user posts. It is a long-running, consistent problem with any SONY TV. The 970 will be no exception, just wait.
Once SONY was a great company making 1st rate product. Now it is obviously on a downhill spin. They have abused customer trust and loyalty, they have consistently offered horrible customer service. The day will come when we will find SONY sold at low-end stores. You are warned.
Sony must be aware of the customer complanits and serious problems with their TVs, but they have done nothing to address this problem. They should have done a recal with all XBR960s. Anybody who is interested in class-action lawsuit should talk to some serious lawyers.
On: 2006-07-26
Like many at first I was in awe with the LCD and Plasma TVs when they first hit the market. My husband married a woman that actually loves electronics. I prefer Circuit City over a Shoe Store. Yes.. he knows he is a lucky guy. So being the Gadget Girl that I am I was tickled pink at first with the looks of a flat panel LCD until I began researching the tech specs of both LCDs and Plasmas. The short life span of Plasmas considering their high price tag is a huge turn off. LCDs are better, but still have their issues. And for a decent LCD be prepared to shell out 2 - 3 grand still. So I love big TVs, clear picture both analog and HDTV and being a woman I love a good bargain and the biggest bang for my buck. All that led me to this TV and my husband and I are happy to report that we absolutely LOVE this TV. No matter what you plug into this thing it all looks amazing! It is heavy, but the CC guys set it up when they delivered it and we do not move our TVs around, so it was no big deal to us. Get this tube tv before it is not available anymore. They are a dieing breed. Chances are this baby is still going to work admirably long after any of the current Plasmas and LCDs have kicked the bucket.
by: alphaspace On: 2006-06-03
Best reason to buy this Sony WEGA KD-34XBR970 34" FD Trinitron Digital HDTV is because in the United States the Federal Communications Commission will be ending Analog (Current Conventional TV Services in 2009.) 2009 will be here in a heart beat and this TV will be HDTV ready. All TVs in the United States that are not HDTV ready by 2009 will go dark IF THEY ARE LIMITED TO ONLY GETTING OVER THE AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS! If your old TV is linked to Cable or Satalite things will go on as usual. So buying an anlog TV now is like wasting your money buying an 8 track tape player as your primary means of entertainment. Yes there will be Digital to Analog converters that will be kind of cheap. If you are in the market for a TV today or in the near future please do not waste your money buying yesterdays technology that is scheduled to be rendered dead as a door nail by FCC mandate in mid to late 2009. Spend the few extra dollars on a good digital TV and rest easy in 2009.
I scrambled like hell to get this last of the great Sony tube TVs before they went the way of The BetaMax Tape Player and Laserdisc. This set does not have any of the bells and whistles like picture in picture display, multiple HDMI ports or anything like that but it has all the essentials for great TV viewing and gaming alike. There is one HDMI port. The screen is huge, the colors are crisp, the blacks are dark, the whites are bright. Skin tones look realistic here and the HDTV looks darn good when fully engaged.
I watched some of my many DVDs on this TV and it was as if I was seeing them all for the first time. Little things I never noticed before on the DVD I picked up on this TV. No the speakers that come with this TV are not the very best but for the price they are good. Compared to the shrill metalic sounding speakers that were the rule in even high end TVs when I grew up the speakers in this TV are high fedelity incarnate.
I brought this sony for 1,139 at Circuit City and the shipping was only $76.00. This included the guys unpacking it, delivering it to my home, bringing it into my TV room, placing it on the stand and powering it up to be sure it worked. The TV worked fine right out of the box. Hook up was so easy the pigeons could do it. I had this Sony connected to my Direct TV and DVD players \\ recorders and other systems within 15 minutes of the install dudes leaving. Its just connecting a few RCA cables and a few co-axial cables and you are done. No need for tools or anything.
The TV is easy as pie to program, and or configure. Sony has really simplied the menu making it far more user friendly than the earlier versions and I have 2 more Sonys in my house other than the new one. the Sony KD-34XBR970 34" Wega XBR® high-definition TV is easily the best tube TV out there currently. You can not do better than this TV on overall picture and functional quality. Tube TV is a dying breed. The high per unit cost of production, The low profit margins and the hefty weight that increases delivery costs have all conspired to kill off tube TV. Plasma LCD and other incarnations of flat TV is light weight and in time will likely be dirt cheap to produce.
Currently flat panel TVs have a number of negatives like picture quality shortcomings, not being able to produce a realistic black image. flashing, bowing and other issues like burn in, short useful life span \\ durability but in time they will be resolved. I brought the Sony KD-34XBR970 34" Wega XBR® high-definition TV because, I am banking that the industry will have worked out all the kinks in the current flat panel LCD or plasma TVs in the oh next 10 years time before my new Sony KD-34XBR970 34" Wega XBR® high-definition TV wears out. This Sony is an excellent technology hedge play. I can always buy a plasma or LCD later if I want one but buying a really good Sony KD-34XBR970 34" Wega XBR® high-definition Tube TV is an opportunity that will not likely last much longer so act now before the Tube TV goes the way of BeeHive Hair Dos and Buggy Whips.
As always with Best Wishes fellow consumers from the Wolf Dude!
On: 2006-06-01
So I will echo all the above thoughts about picture quality and price compared to other LCD or Plasma sets.
The thing that bothers me about this set is the smell.. yeah thats right, smell.
When its on for more then an hour it begins to emit the smell of heated up plastic or electronics. Its completely open on the top and there is about 1.5" on either side.
Anyone else having issues like this??
Otherwise, what a great TV
On: 2006-05-21
I bought this 200lb beast for $1199 from Crutchfield, free shipping and they even install in your entertainment center! I actually bought it after I returned a 32" Westinghouse LCD (which cost $150 more). The Sony CRT looks great with DVDs and awesome with my Xbox 360. The LCD looked unbelievable with my 360, but there was slight lagging with fast games like COD2. The Sony looks about as good, with perfect tube performance. It defaults to 1080i, and I guess I wish that I had the option for 720p, but oh well. It has an HDMI input, so itll take full advantage of the upcoming PS3 and Blu-Ray. It even looks good with regular cable. Highly recommended for gamers and movie buffs if you dont mind its weight!
On: 2006-05-19
This HDTV deliver incredible image accuracy, wide viewing angles, outstanding contrast, and corner-to-corner detail. Dont be afraid about to buy a "old fashion" CRT TV. First, it is capable of reproducing deeper, darker blacks than any other display technology, rendering images of excellent contrast and realism. It is bright enough to be viewed in a fully-lit room, and the pictures superb color characteristics remain intact regardless of viewing angle.
If you can afford the space, and dont require an exceptionally large screen, the Sony KD-34XBR970 is the choice.
On: 2006-05-15
Ive had this TV for about a month now. 1080i and 720p both looking amazing on this TV. DVDS (480p) look great as well. Glare on the set is worse than on the 15 year old one it replaced. Make sure you do not set it directly across a large window. Sound quality is not great, adding a surround sound receive made a huge difference. The TV is heavy, but Sony style delivery includes taking it out of the box, and setting it on the TV stand. Regular TV looks decent on it, although its hard to watch it after seeing HDTV. I bought a regular UVH & VHF antenna, and Im getting 1 HDTV and 7 DTV channels.
by: dschryer On: 2006-05-08
Contrary to popular opinion, you dont have to buy an expensive plasma or LCD (liquid crystal display) TV to get a great high-definition picture. In fact, many experts (including Consumer Reports) assert that high-definition TVs using traditional cathode-ray tube technology -- as this high-definition Sony does -- currently offer a sharper picture than plasma and LCD TVs, plus they are much less expensive and more reliable. This widescreen HD Sony TV has a very good picture with standard broadcasts and an outstanding picture with HD broadcasts and DVDs. If youd like to get a widescreen high-definition TV now but you dont want to spend thousands of dollars on an expensive plasma or LCD set, please consider this 34" Sony. The picture is superb and the price is quite reasonable.
On: 2006-04-18
Ive been looking at the previous two high end CRT sets that Sony made (the KD-34XBR960 and the KD-34XS955) for many months but had a hard time justifying the price ($1899 & $1699 respectively).
Our local Sears still has a 960 set up so we were able to compare the pic quality to the new 970 which, quite frankly, I expected to pale in comparison.
Boy, was I wrong!
The image quality of the new 970 is so close to that of the previous top-of-the-line CRT that its almost impossible to see any difference. By contrast, the KD-34XBR970 is a whopping $500-$700 less than either of the previous models!
Now there are a few small differences in terms of features but frankly those extra features, such as PIP and cablecard, were of little interest to me and would certainly not be worth paying HALF AGAIN the price of the new set and as for the fact that the KD-34XBR970 has a lesser sound system...well, I plan on hooking the set up through my sound system when watching DVDs so its a non issue ALTHOUGH the built-in speakers and sound is still pretty darn good.
So for a huge difference in price with nearly identical picture quality and all of the same key features that I was interested in this set is my first choice.
On: 2006-04-02
I was looking for my first quality HDTV with a budget of under $1300. Like many, I first looked at all of the many cool-factor lightweight LCDs. While they do look cool and are very lightweight compared to CRTs; I went with the Sony KD34-XBR970 because of the better picture quality available from a CRT as opposed to what an LCD can produce right now. CRTs can produce true dark blacks and I think that is a very important part of the movie experience.
Although this tv weighs in close to 200lbs, you can have somebody like Crutcfield or SonyStyle, deliver it in your home completely free of charge! So please dont be intimidated by the size. They can do the work for you!
The only things I could of asked for from this tube is maybe Super Fine Pitch which was included in the previous incarnation (XBR960), Picture In Picture, and maybe an extra HDMI connection, but those features would have greatly increased the price of the TV for many.
So in conclusion, I highly recommend the Sony KD-34XBR970 Tube television to anyone out there looking for an incredible widescreen 34" picture that surpasses anything LCD can offer in picture quality in this price range. Get a CRT while you still can, because they are being phased out for the lower quality LCD. Dont be fooled by all of the marketing and hype for LCD!!
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