Sony Grand WEGA KDS-55A2000 55-Inch SXRD 1080p Rear Projection HDTV
By: Sony Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 29
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 On: 2008-03-24
Without warning the lamp went. We were nowhere near the 8,000 hours of use that SONY predicts the lamp will serve us before it burns out.
Went to the store where I bought it and spoke to the same salesman who sold it to us. He didnt say a word. Took my paperwork walked over to three different computers and typed in a bunch of numbers and letters in each one. He wrote a phone number down and handed my paperwork back to me. He would not have said a word except I inquired if this was common for the lamp to go so soon. He told me that the lamp on his TV was five years old and he had heard of others lasting a year or less. Not very comforting.
Called the number and spoke to a woamn who didnt want to hear about complaints she only took orders. So for $285.49 I get a new lamp in two working days. Not happy at all. Will not buy another SONY or go to Bernies again.
 On: 2007-09-11
The lamp for my SXRD 60A2000 last just one week longer than the 1-yr warranty period. Without warning it just went Phht. So much for the lamp warning message Sony so proudly yaks about it the manual. BALONEY.
4 hrs a day should have gotten me 3_ years. But reality is just 1 yr of service per lamp and then you have to spend 10-percent plus of original sale price to replace each year. I would never have bought this TV if I knew I would have to do that.
PLUS, the phoney sony baloney people at sony style said my extended warranty would cover lamp replacements...but now of course they do not cover "consummables" (i.e. lamp replacements)
Run away as fast as you can fgrom PHONY SONY BALONEY
Yes I am a disgruntled customer and you will be too!
 On: 2007-05-16
The TV looks great--on or off! Every positive comment Ive read about this thing is right-on.
I dont have my satellite dish hooked up yet, so I hooked up an old 300 ohm off-air antenna (yes, "rabbit ears") and turned it on. It found about 12 local HD channels, which look INCREDIBLE!! Cant believe how good the tuner is in this thing--Im about 20 miles from the nearest broadcast location, and the signal comes in clear as a bell!
I cant imaging how great the picture will look when the HD satellite receiver is installed this weekend. Very satisfied and recommend to anyone in the market for a big screen HD TV. I cant imagine a plasma or LCD tv having a better picture than this, and you cant beat the price difference!
OneCall was prompt and courteous and the packaging didnt have so much as a scrape on it.
by: harterman On: 2007-03-18
I just got this from Amazon, and this TV is great. I was worried it would be too big but the size is just right for 7-12 ft viewing distance. The shipping went smoothly. I received the TV in about a week, and they brought it up to my 3rd floor apartment. I would definitely recommend Amazon and their shipping company for such a purchase. Also, check with your credit card company because many automatically double the warranty for you and offer their own extended warranties.
Also, note that HD quality depends on the HD signal. I discovered that my cable box (Motorola from Comcast) does not give the best signal. If you can get it, OTA HD is usually best. Cable rebroadcasts those signals in an unscrambled format. When I plug cable directly into TV (and bi-pass box), I get much better quality, but when I go through box, it is worse. This is especially noticeable with live action sports -- the box drops frames. For scrambled HD channels, youre stuck with the box unfortunately. I dont know if DirecTV is better, but I suspect it is.
DVD through my Toshiba up-converting DVD player is fantastic and looks HD. I like that you can have different video settings for each input. You will want to turn down the brightness -- swith from Vivid to Standard or Custom setting -- but overall, out-of-the-box picture is very good. The menu works well. I did not need manual to get going and to set up my system.
Thus far, Ive noticed only two flaws: (1) you cannot set different audio setting for different inputs. I wish I could set it to always turn off TV speakers whenever I watch a DVD. (2) the remote is junk. It looks nice but is not really multi-device because it is not compatible with the rest of my components. It will not work with my Toshiba DVD-player or my Onkyo Receiver. Both are major brands, so thats unfortunate. I suggest investing in a universal remote.
I compared this with the cheaper KDF series. I like that this has 1080p, but the real reason I chose this TV was that it appeared brighter and sharper in the store -- even with 720p programming. It also has a wider viewing angle and better contrast. This is definitely the best projection available. IMO the picture quality rivals plasma.
Finally, Id like to say a few words about bulb replacement. Yes, you will have to replace the bulb every few years for $200 or so. If you only consider this fact, then the overall cost of this TV is higher than a plasma. However, plasmas consume more than twice the energy. They are the SUVs of home entertainment, and your energy cost savings over time will almost pay for your bulbs. Also, you dont have to worry about picture fading over time. Every time you replace the bulb, you have a new TV. This type of TV is also more reliable and durable than plasma. Many extended warranties for plasmas therefore cost more -- sometimes twice as much. Finally, this TV is actually lighter (by a few pounds) than a comparable plasma.
On: 2007-03-12
I researched HDTVs for nearly 3 months before finally deciding on this one. And i could not be happier with my decision.
I will share some details that i have not seen in other reviews that i think may help in making your decision.
First, the lamp. This TV does use a lamp and the life of the lamp is around 4000 hours. This is a disadvantage when comparing RPTVs to LCD/Plasma but there is a warning light that will flash when the lamp is about to go and replacing the lamp is very simple and should require no tech support.
With standard cable television, the quality was surprising better than i had expected. If you change the screen ratio from 16:9 to 4:3, the picture will look much better because stardard broadcasts are designed to be viewed in 4:3 and if kept in 16:9 the picture will just stretch out to fit the screen and it will look disproportional.
Now, This is a true 1080p HDTV. When you connect it to a 1080p source, (like in my case a toshiba HD XA2 HD DVD player), the result is the most stunning picture you will ever lay your eyes on. Honestly it is better than going to the movies. I cannot recommend this TV enough. There is seriously not one thing i dislike about it.
On: 2007-02-14
Pros: True 1080p capable, LCOS technology, 2 HDMI inputs, numerous other inputs, easy to use/understand onscreen menu, picture quaulity is superb.
Standard Def is nice and easy to watch.
Cons: It will cost you, no cable card slot, no picture in picture, will have to replace the bulb (aprox. every 8,000hrs).
The picture you get from this HD TV will not dissapoint! The system was incredibly easy to set up and connect. This thing is lighter than my 27" philps magnavox! Enough cant be said about how much we are enjoying this television. We are using comcast HD-DVR to recieve our HD programming. The picture is so crisp and clear and 3d like its amazing. The speakers arent that great, but we are going to be hooking up a Onkyo reciever and speakers to take full advantage of the THX surround sound.
The reasons we settled on this tv are numerous.
LCOS vs. DLP - With DLP there is the possiblity that you will get whats called a rainbow effect. Not everyone can see it, but there are people who are sensative to this, and it will disrupt their viewing. It would be horrible to throw a superbowl party and have a few guests be distracted by the rainbow. I also didnt like the idea of a color wheel that spins...it made me nervous, and there were reviews by people who had their wheel get stuck, or break down.
LCOS vs. Plasma/LCD - We initially considred Plasma and LCD, however, at this time, to get the 1080p resolution that we truly wanted it was going to cost considerably more to have that feature on a Plasma or LCD. The LCOS image though I must say rivals many of the Plasmas and LCDs we viewed.
Sony vs. JVC - Once we decided to go with the LCOS technology it was a deul between Sony and JVC. I was lucky to get a side by side comparison at my local Best Buy. The image on both tvs were beautiful, however, my eyes kept moving back to the Sony. The image was crisp, it was clear, and yet there is a very subtle softness that really adds to the overall look of the image. The JVC image was very colorful, crisp, yet almost too harsh, it seemed hard on the eyes to me.
All in all, this is an exceptional HD Television that provides a great viewing experience. Its true what they say, "once you watch HD, anything else looks faded and blurry". Be prepared to have your television life altered forever!
 On: 2007-02-13
I got this TV primarialy to watch movies on DVD. What I found out was that it produces an inferior picture when fed a signal from a standard DVD at 480p or from a cable signal that is not in High Def. I dont believe that this is the fault of the TV. It is just a warning that when you go High Def, it becomes a bit of a money pit because you have to go digital upgrade (more money), High Def (more money) or you end up with a picture that is way inferior to a CRT. The route of Blue Ray or HD DVD is out of the question for me at the tune of another $700 to $1000 and the DVDs at $30 a pop. Ultimately I purchased an upscaling DVD player from Sony as well for around $100. The picture is great with the upscaled DVD. Id probably give the TV five stars if it were not for the fact that it is such a poor picture when the signal in not high def
On: 2007-02-11
I didnt expect the TV to arrive before SuperBowl Sunday but to my delight it arrived on Thursday. Just in time for me to rush order Comcast Digital Service to get HD signal... Color and clarity of HD is just super. I felt like I was in the stadium. No, more like I was behind the QB. Wow!
Amazon and Eagle Shipping rock! They delivered the TV to my home and provided excellent service. Unpacking and putting the TV in the spot I wanted and removing all the garbages. Downside? The viewing guide said 7 feet for optimal viewing distance for 55 inch TV. I had to rearrange my furniture to get a bit more than 8 feet because 7 feet was making me dizzy. I was researching on speakers to buy for this TV, thinking that built-in speakers may not be adequate. For my small living room, built in speakers are just great. I hooked up my old DVD player and played some old DVDs. It sucked. I think because of my old DVD player and the movies themselves are to blame. I guess Ill just wait till BlueRay vs DH-DVD war is over before I get a new DVD player.
On: 2007-02-08
Have had the set for two months now and truly love it! Everybody that comes over loves it too. "Best picture Ive ever seen" is the typical comment and thats from techies that already have an HDTV. My setup includes an OPPO Digital upconverting DVD player (OPDV971H), Denon 2807 receiver and Definitive Technologies surround speaker system ProCinema 1000 in which I upgraded the center channel to the CLR-2002. All highly reviewed and recommended. I just like to sit there with my mouth agape...
On: 2007-01-28
Great TV. At first, I was a concerned with the picture quality; but after setting the display modes correctly and tuning in HD channels, I was amazed! HDMI cables are important, but do not get suckered into buying the expensive gold plated ones. With a digital signal you either have it or you dont - gold, silver, plastic(LOL), it doesnt matter. I love the TV, and even my pessimistic wife had to admit that she was impressed.
On: 2007-01-26
Im not an expert, by any means on TVs, but the Sony KDS 55A2000 HDTV is great! The picture is wonderful even when not recieving an HD signal, (blacks are so inky-black water at night black) the sound is quite good and the setup was, well even I could do it. I would recommend this TV to anyone.
The only cons are; it takes a few seconds for the bulb to warm up- you get used to it after the first week or so. And, there is no PIP. SO you cant watch 2 channels at once.
On: 2007-01-25
Have had my TV now for about 2 1/2 months. Just look at all the great reviews this set has gotten from others. Have been very happy w/ it. I was debating between the Sony SXRD & the Samsung DLP. I went w/ the Sony because of the technology used on the Sony. LCoS 3-chip technology, vs. the Color-Wheel used by Samsung. I suggest using Cnets, David Katzmaiers suggestions on user settings ( search under Tips & Tricks, then type in Sony KDS60A2000 user-menu settings).After using those settings, you can tweak it a little more to get it exactly the way you want it. The picture still looks good when I have to get up & go into the kitchen to get something.SD channels look fine too. If you have Cable TV, find out if they offer an ADS line-up ( Advanced Digital Service). It makes the SD channels look better, they upgrade the SD channels which are Analog signal, to Digital. So the picture quality is much better on SD channels. This makes a difference on HDTVs.
I currently have mine hooked up to my Motorola HD DVR, OPPO Upconversion DVD Player, & Onkyo Surround Sound. I really liked the look of the A2000 series over the XBR 1 & 2. The XBR series still have the Elephant Ear speakers that stick out. Also I couldnt afford about the $1,000 difference in price. Like someone else suggested I also got a Logitech Harmony Remote (Harmony 720) You can also see my review of the Harmony 720 remote. Makes things so much easier.
I highly recommend this TV. Every once in a while, I still go into the retail stores & look at Big Screen TVs. After looking at other sets, I still believe I made the right choice. Also glad I went w/ the 55 inch instead of the 50 or 60 inch.
On: 2007-01-23
Im totally satisfied with this purchase. Great picture. Solid features. Digital tuner works great with an antenna.
On: 2007-01-21
shop around for more than 2 weeks look at every tv in its price range it by far had the best picture.its in my house now me and my kids love it.it looks great with my ps3 and 360 the blu-rays are awesome so is the hd tv.i love it
On: 2007-01-20
Easy set-up, good inputs and outputs, great picture. Bought this TV in December for $400 less than Best Buy was selling it. The savings and home delivery made it worth the 2 week wait. Delivery was on-time, box was perfect. I got the 55" because I didnt like the way non-HD programming was blurry on my friends 60". The blur is barely there, and HD and Xbox360 look fabulous. The computer monitor input allows for playing games on the big screen from my laptop. Make sure to get a male-male monitor cord though, most stores only sell male-female, and I had to take the first cord back. The difference between 1080p and 720 is noticable with 1080p HD programming, definately worth the extra money. I compared my $25 HDMI cable I bought from an online store to my friends $150 Monster cable and could tell no difference. The chip still has a little trouble with close-up, fast-action, but its not really noticable unless you look for it. Very happy with the purchase and the service.
On: 2007-01-19
1. The HD pictures are good A+
2. 480i pictures are about C+
3. Not sure about reliability, my co-worker got the smaller model KDS-50-A2000 from Best Buy & it wont display any picture after 2 weeks, its fan makes very lound noise.
On: 2007-01-16
I have had my 55" SXRD 1080p for about 3 weeks. I love it. The picture quality is outstanding both in high def and standard. High def movies and DVDs look incredible. Set up was easy with dual HDMI. I couldnt beat the price from Amazon and with no shipping and no tax what a deal. Saved over $350 from local retailer. TV arrived in specified time and with no issues. The 55" is worth the extra $$ over a 50". Makes a big difference.
I would recommend both the Sony 55" and Amazon to anyone. I am very satisfied with my purchase.
On: 2007-01-11
Delivery (the free service) was slow and took many telephone calls to find the TV sitting in a warehouse. The unit is great. I went to a store and viewed all the TVs on display and found the Sony to have the best picture.
On: 2007-01-11
I bought this tv a couple months ago,and really love it. The picture on high def. is increditable,and above average on standard def. I love Sony products. This is my second HD tv by Sony and both are great.
On: 2007-01-10
The Sony KDS-55A2000 projection TV delivers a bright, sharp, high definition picture at full 1080p resolution, meaning the image is scanned progressively rather than interlacing two, lower resolution frames. The TV features a Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD) that produces a high contrast image on a relatively non reflective screen, with less image latency than a typical LCD TV. Although brightness and contrast will not match a high-end plasma TV, the SXRD picture is still excellent. I was more than satisfied when comparing the KDS-55A2000 with similar sized plasma and LCD sets.
The high definition picture is generated by the WEGA engine from a wide variety of inputs: HTDV, normal broadcast, normal DVD, high definition DVD, VCR and PC. The displayed picture is excellent from high definition signals, and surprisingly good from lower resolution sources. After you turn on the TV the display is dark for a few seconds, and remains dim for first 30 seconds or so until the projection lamp reaches operating temperature. After that the picture is bright and sharp.
The TV has about all the inputs and outputs you could want. On the back of the set there are two HDMI inputs for HDTV; coax connections for cable and antenna; regular definition S Video, composite and component; high definition/DVD component; and PC RGB. Each of the video inputs has companion stereo sound inputs. Sound is output in digital optical (surround sound) or stereo. The TVs front panel offers the following inputs: component HD/DVD (up to 1080i), composite video, and audio stereo.
The TV comes with a reasonably intuitive multifunction remote control. If youre comfortable with complex "clickers", you should have no trouble figuring out the Sony version. However, to truly integrate controlling a TV, cable box, DVD, VCR, audio amplifier and whatever else you have, you might consider one of the Logitech Harmony remote controls which can be programmed by computer.
The KDS-55A2000 is a projection TV so there will come a time when the lamp will have to be replaced. The lamps life is approximately 8,000 hours, and the owners manual provides detailed instruction for replacing it.
On: 2007-01-10
I thought it was a steal when I purchased the TV for $2199... then the price dropped another $250 to $1949 and I was elated! Great TV, and even better price. Throw in free shipping, and this was a great deal!
On: 2007-01-09
After agonizing for several months between several different models, notably the Samsung DLPs and some Plasmas, I chose this one. I looked at all of them and thought the DLPs were too harsh looking for my taste and the plasmas couldnt match the resolution and size for the price. It was an easy decision in the end.
After owning the TV for several months, here are my observations:
Picture is GREAT! I will say that some of the local stations I get dont look so good. Everything else is fine. HD has to be seen to be believed.
I bought the Sony stand with the TV. It fits very well, looks good, and locks the TV in place.
Cosmetically, the TV looks super and is much shallower than my previous big box projection TV (19 versus 25 inches deep).
I like the all of the adjustment options but I found the picture to be quite good out of the box. I did some minor tweaking to the colors, but thats all.
My only small complaint is the lack of PIP, but I knew that going in.
For what I paid for this unit ($2100), I feel like it was a steal! I recommend this TV very highly. No buyers remorse what so ever.
On: 2007-01-07
I had had a 50 Plasma screen. I was never happy with the picture. The blacks looked green and everything in dark scenes looked "mossy".
This SXRD has none of those issues. The blacks look great, details can be seen in scenes that I didnt think possible. Everything is crisp and color reproduction is very good I think. The feathered wide screen mode helps a lot with 4x3 images. Tuners (QAM and ATSC) work well in my location. As with all projectors, it take about 3 minutes to have a really good picture and about 10 minutes to have a great picture.
You have to love the 1080p feature.
On: 2007-01-03
Ive had the tv for a few months now and have loved every minute of it. Make sure to read around on forums some place for suggestions on color settings and the like (you would need to do this with any new tv). I primarily use the tv for next gen console gaming, but of course have watched plenty of standard def and high def tv.
Only downside i can think of is poor support for computer resolutions (most tvs dont do this well) and lack of the newest hdmi standard (which is of questionable value)
amazon was marginally helpful when the shipping was delayed a couple of days, but hey its worth it for the great savings over brick and mortar stores! (the shipping was still fast... and free at the time!)
On: 2006-12-23
A friend of mine has the highest rated 42" Panasonic plasma and watching sports broadcast in Standard Definition (SD) looks horrible. It was hard on his eyes and so he had to purchase the HD package (13 channels of HD) from his cable provider. Even though I have direct TV, which has the most HD channels of any provider, the vast majority of what I want to watch is not part of the channels they broadcast in HD. Because of this, my biggest requirement was for an HDTV that could reproduce SD sources good enough so that it was not be really blurry on a big screen TV. The research I had done seemed to indicate that the WEGA engine Sony uses was one of the best at reproducing SD. I looked at DLP, Plasma and many rear projection sets and from my perspective learned that HDTV that are 60" and larger do not reproduce SD as well as those which are smaller. For my eyes 55" was about as big as I wanted to go to minimize the blurriness of SD signals. Why have a huge set that has a picture quality worse than a smaller set?
CNETs first review of the Sony A2000 HDTVs in August 2006 was very disappointing, so I waited for SBR2 models to come out. I looked at the SBR2 when it first came out and really did not how the speaker are integrated into this weird border that makes the whole TV set bigger and in my opinion unattractive. Then CNET reviewed the SBR2 in Nov. 2006 they learned new information about the A2000 product line from Sony and so they went back and reviewed the A2000 again. This time the picture quality of the SBR2 and A2000 lines were pretty much the same, but CNET rated the A2000 less than the SBR2 because it did not have PIP and the cable card. I have scrambled movie channels and so the cable card does me no good, I never use PIP and the ugly speakers made me decide on the A2000 model after the November update by CNET.
I bought the 55A2000 and hooked it up using coax, component video, video/audio, S-connector and an HDMI cable and then began to test how well the TV reproduced SD signal sources. What I am presenting in what follows is the end result of a lot of trial and error experimenting. The SD reproduction was just ok when using the initial factory settings. Then I turned the DRC OFF and everything improved (this is done in the video setting menu under the sharpness control options). When I turned the DRC OFF the SD performance of everything got dramatically better! I was amazed that even using a coax input with the DRC OFF produced a very nice picture--a better picture than what I had seen for SD signals in all the DLP and Plasma TVs I had seen (I have not seen SD on the Pioneer 5070).
The A2000 has two main functions that allow users to change the picture presented to meet their liking. First, there is four different sizes of the image reproduced; Full, Zoom, Zoom wide and Normal. I have found Full, Zoom wide and Normal all reproduce SD well. Second there are three different color/brightness settings: Vivid, Standard and Custom. This provides 12 different combinations any input signal source can be presented in. It also stores the configuration you use for each of the input sources. This is useful for me because I have two DVD recorders, a DVD/SACD player and a gateway, etc. as inputs and some look better to me when using different settings than the others.
I have a Toshiba recorder with an HDMI output that can upconvert signals to 480I, 720I and 1080i. Connecting the HDMI output from the DVD recorder to the HMDI input on the 55A2000 resulted in beautiful images from purchased DVDs. The images from movies TIVOd (recorded and output as 1080i) were of excellent quality and close to the quality of purchased DVDs. I output the SD input signal through a HDMI connector from the Toshiba as 1080i and it passes directly through a Sony DA3200ES receiver and produces a lot better image quality. So if your watching SD or HD or playing a 1080p game, I have found the 55A2000 to produce picture quality up to my expectations.
On: 2006-12-08
This is my first big screen TV and my first HDTV to own. I am absolutely blown away by the clarity, brightness and vivid detail of the picture when playing HD sources. The HDMI, S-Video, Composite and FRONT component jacks all work well. When I connected a DVD player to the rear component jacks, the color of the picture was very oversaturated with green and purple. I tried the next set of component inputs on the back of the tv. Same problem. I changed sources and cables, same problem. Then when connecting to the front component inputs, the color and picture was perfect once again. So, Sony is sending someone out to work on my brand new tv. Again, this is the only issue with the tv, cause otherwise, I am really amazed by the quality. I do expect Sony to make it right. Hope this info is helpful. Ill see if I can re-post something once the issue is resolved.
On: 2006-11-05
I purchased this through Amazon about a week ago. Eagle Global Logistics lost it and couldnt deliver on our scheduled delivery date, however they made it up by getting it to us the following day at a flexible time. Overall, Im pleased shipping wise and I think it was just an honest mistake. I was somewhat nervous about making such a large purchase online, however everything has worked out well and I highly recommend to anyone to save the hundres of dollars and buy it online.
Since I have a Sony credit card that earns rewards, I called the rewards center and confirmed points can be used towards the purchase of items online. The only exceptions are refurb and items purchased through auctions. I saved 1200 bucks because of this...
As far as the product, TV quality is awesome. It has quite a bit of inputs and also has a cable and antennae coax connections.
The only downside is computer connectivity. If you read the cnet review, they are right on regarding the problems getting the computer hooked up. I am using a dvi to hdmi and there is quite a bit of overscan. This may be fixed using your underscan settings on your video card, but I dont have those settings on my ATI. One thing I figured out is if I put the TV into normal mode, it is in a 4x3 view even though im natively outputting a widescreen resolution. I plan on calling Sony regarding this issue, so hopefully they have some answers. My current workaround to this entire issue is to set my ATI card to 720P optimized, which is 1152x648. I then went to the Screen menu settings and set the display area to -2. Its not quite 100% full screen, but its probably 98%. Quality is great. You can also use the analog connectivity but quality isnt as good and the screen size is actually too small. If youre going to hook up a computer, I recommend HDMI. Another possible solution is to get a xbox 360 and use it as a media extender. Xbox now supports 1080P with the latest firmware upgrade.
If you are not sure which size to get, Sony recommends min viewing distances for the following:
50" - 6.6 ft, 55" - 6.8" and 60" 7 ft.
Overall, I give 4/5 stars due to issues with computer connectivity.
On: 2006-11-04
After researching HDTVs on the internet for weeks I came to the conclusion that this was the best tv. Excellent picture, best price and I did not have a problem with shipping.
On: 2006-11-02
I have had this TV for a little over a week now. The picture is absolutely stunning. In my opinion, SXRD is superior to DLP in every way. As long as you have room for it and dont need a flat panel, this is the way to go. This TV has no rainbows, no screen doors, perfect blacks and plenty of inputs. Incredible value. Notice I am reviewing the television and NOT the freight carrier.
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