Sony Grand WEGA KDS-60A2000 60-Inch SXRD 1080p Rear Projection HDTV
By: Sony Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 85
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 On: 2008-03-11
SXRD technology looks better than DLP in my opinion. 60inch is large, be sure your room can handle it. I have a bluray player that looks fantastic at 1080p. Verizon FIOS TV looks pretty good (1080i/720p). I never see tearing or pixilation with sports or console gaming. The picture is crisp and movement is smooth. Contrast is pretty good. Weight is under 100lbs.
On: 2007-07-20
This is an awesome TV. Bright, has all the right hookups, and manages regular TV just as well as HD. Love it!
On: 2007-05-30
The picture is great. The only down side is when you watch normal broadcasting, it is such a difference, it almost makes regular broadcast unbearable. There are also times when my cable companys signal struggles with the amount of data in a high motion HD broadcast. For instance, the Planet Earth series was INCREDIBLE and visually stunning, but on a scene that showed a large flock of birds in motion, the picture digitized. At first I thought it was a TV issue, but noticed that even when I paused it on the DVR, the picture was still digitized. So it would appear that the TV could handle the motion fine, but that the cable companies compression software could not.
On: 2007-04-24
I just got this TV today,(from my friendly neighborhood big box retailer.) and I have fallen madly in love with it. The picture quality is far and above any HDTV ive owned in the past. (This is my fourth one.) Coupled with the Sony blu-ray player I have hooked up to it pumping out a Full 1080p picture, its incredible!!!! Anyone who tells you that you cant tell the difference between a 1080i and a 1080p picture is lying through their teeth. Ive looked at 3 blu-rays on it today (Casino Royale, Rocky Balboa and Superman Returns) and they look outstanding! Even Superman Returns, which is one of the worse looking blu-rays on the market, looks better on this tv!!! (Come on you guys who own that movie on blu-ray knows the picture quality sucks...hell it sucked on DVD and HD DVD. The movie was just poorly shot.) Do yourself a favor, if your in the market for a large 1080p HDTV this is the one. You might can find a real good deal on one since this one has been discontinued for the 2007 model and can be found on clearance!!!!!!!!!!!
 On: 2007-04-10
These sets are great IF you get one that works right, and stays that way. The problem is they often have discolored areas where the tint varies across the screen. Mine had a green center haze, and pinkish outer haze from day one. As it aged it also developed a purplish blue glow in blacks. I called for service. The service company said it needed a new optical block, and agreed it looks bad. They showed up to fix it with part in hand a full 6 weeks after I first called for repair. The guy fumbled around for 2.5 hours. He had never taken this model apart before and had no service manual! I had to look on the internet for instructions on taking it apart. After all this, we turned it on and its three times worse than before. The repair guy said it looks really bad. Now black is totally glowing royal blue, and the green and pink haze on light colors is even worse. I called Sony again and they told me to call the service company. The service company told me its not really defective, it just has picture quality issues! They said they probably have to order another optical block, and go through all this again. Then if that fails, Sony might finally give me a new tv. This is a real joke! I would avoid these sets until when, and if Sony perfects them better.
On: 2007-04-10
This is my first HDTV. Bought it through Amazon, not the alternate sellers listed. As always, Amazon processed the order very quickly, and it was delivered within a week by Eagle USA, who did an excellent job, also they unpacked it and helped me put it where I wanted it.
TV works great, picture is very nice, even non-HD channels. No problems with TV at all. And, its Assembled in USA which is quite rare when talking about TVs.
If youre on the fence about getting an HDTV, get this one.
On: 2007-04-09
These sets are great IF you get one that works right, and stays that way. The problem is they often have discolored areas where the tint varies across the screen. Mine had a green center haze, and pinkish outer haze from day one. As it aged it also developed a purplish blue glow in blacks. I called for service. The service company said it needed a new optical block, and agreed it looks bad. They showed up to fix it with part in hand a full 6 weeks after I first called for repair. The guy fumbled around for 2.5 hours. He had never taken this model apart before and had no service manual! I had to look on the internet for instructions on taking it apart. After all this, we turned it on and its three times worse than before. The repair guy said it looks really bad. Now black is totally glowing royal blue, and the green and pink haze on light colors is even worse. I called Sony again and they told me to call the service company. The service company told me its not really defective, it just has picture quality issues! They said they probably have to order another optical block, and go through all this again. Then if that fails, Sony might finally give me a new tv. This is a real joke! I would avoid these sets until when, and if Sony perfects them better.
On: 2007-04-07
The SXRD is excellent. This is my first HDTV and It is great. I used the settings I found in the reviews and they helped to perfect the picture. I think 480p looks good also, it just does not compare to the hd programing. I would recomend to anyone.
On: 2007-03-29
I have no review of the TV since I did not receive it. This is a rating on eagle delivery that lost the TV and would not give me straight answer for two weeks. I had to find out from amazon what had happened.
On: 2007-03-25
Awesome HD picture from free "off-air" local HD channels using rabbit ears attenna or HD channels on Direct TV (1080i) with HD package. With basic Direct TV (480), the picture is poor. This set is great only with HD viewing.
On: 2007-03-23
This is it. I was expecting a great picture, but it was much better that than that. It was also deliever to our family room and removed from the box. Setup was simple and directions were easy to follow. When we started looking for a new TV we needed a very large screen and would not spend $6 to $7 for a Plasma of the same size. We were concerned about the picture quality of rear projection but knew it was the only way to go for this size. Have always had a good success with Sony and when the prices started to to fall we made our purchase. We are glad we did. The color and detail is wonderful. We may never go to a movie theather again and great to watch sports
On: 2007-03-18
This is the best TV I have ever owned. The price is great and the picture is perfect. The color is amazing. The flat panel TVs cost twice as much for the same picture.
 On: 2007-03-14
I am fairly new to this set just picked it up several days ago. I am pleased with the purchase. Its easy to set up and its fairly light weight. I think its just over 100 lbs.
The only problems I forsee (at least for me) at this point are the VGA input which is to hook up your PC. Will not go full screen regardless of what you do. I have some HD Divx movies I wanted to run through the TV from my laptop and I have to watch them in 4:3 ratio because the limitations on this input. That is a huge issue for me so if it is for you keep looking for a TV that will suite your needs.
The only other problem I had was that you cant use your Xbox 360 in 1080P. From what I understand you can only get 1080P from this TV through the HDMI inputs (which may be standard for all TVs I am not sure). Either way the 360 looks better than I had even imagined in 1080i. It is a beautiful picture and will blow you away when you see it.
Having explained those short comings from this unit. I am happy with my purchase. I actually got mine from circuit city for $2300 with a free DVD Recorder.
 On: 2007-03-13
None HD channel are not clear at all!!!
After I bought this TV, I have read bad reviewes about it.
I do not recommend this TV to anybody.
On: 2007-03-11
This is my second HDTV. I bought a Samsung DLP over a year ago and it is a great TV. I wanted another HDTV for my rec room. When beginning my research my sole intent was to buy antother Samsung, but because of he problems they are having with their light engines I went looking for another brand. All the reviews I read on the Sony were good, and I can see why. This TV is amazing. The picture quality is spectacular and it is very user friendly. I have satalite service with HD and the picture is breathtaking even in 1080i. There are no artifacts and with the proper settings digital noise is eliminated. This picture easily rivals that of more expensive plasma TVs. If you are looking for a big screen and beautiful picture, then this is the TV for you!!!!!!!!!!!
The only reason I did not rate this a five is because of the reflectiveness of the screen. My DLP has a non-reflective screen which completely eliminates any glare. The Sonys screen will reflect light from outside or a light in the room at night. With a little repositioning of lights and with the blinds slightly closed, the glare can be eliminated.
On: 2007-03-09
I got this tv @ the beginning of Feb. 2007. I have HD satellite reception and Im loving it. The tv looks great and has been pretty easy to set up and use. My living room is somewhat large and I have about 12 + feet of distance between me and the screen. Even though 60" is pretty big, it took a little time to get used to it, but I think its a good size. Im very happy with my tv and would recommend it to anyone.
On: 2007-03-07
I bought this tv two weeks back and have been using it since then. Picture quality is awesome and it is true film-like experience... connections are easy, I have a sony receiver and Bose sound system, all together makes the perfect home theater. I also connected my laptop to the TV with D-sub and watched streaming videos, however it only allows 768p so does not fill the whole screen. I think I will need to get HDMI adapter.
I compared the techonologies for Sony, JVC, Samsung and concluded LCOS to be the better (Sonys SXRD and JVCs HD-ILA). I considered Samsung 61" but my concern was the rotating wheel. I didnt care about the rainbow so much so a moving component. Doesnt matter how perfect engineering it may be, rotating wheels, bearings and such parts, will have problems sooner or later. Lamp I can replace, but dont know what will it be for the wheel. Also, in terms of years of history and proven technology, Sony has been far ahead of all in televisions... so looking long term, sony was a clear choice.
SD channels looked better on this Sony compared to Samsung I saw at BestBuy. When it comes to HD, there is no match, I got a Phillips antenna and am able to get more than 10 free HD channels with primetime shows... the experience has beeen awesome.
The bottom-line... Its a Sony ! Like Nothing Else..
On: 2007-03-07
Ive been looking for a DLPs for almost a year now but finally decided on the KDS-60A200. I called all the scammers first (ButterFly Photo, NY Scammers, Plasma SCAM, etc...very rude people) I am very pleased. I have no idea why anyone would purchase an item from those other places when you can buy from Amazon. 3 days to ship! White glove delivery! The Sony is perfect : )
On: 2007-03-02
Before buying this tv I did quite some research with several brands and models. But the real test is when it arrives home and you start watching it. This tv prooved to be as it was in the store- crisp picture and excellent sound quality. Be aware that al ot has to do with the kind of reception you have. If you have a regular reception and not HD then the difference is not as much. However if you have reception of HD channels the the difference is huge and you will be glad that you bought this tv. Also you can notice the difference with a blu-ray dvd and your regular dvd player.
One more point. Price. Compared to other far more expensive tv sets, this is a winner hands down. You cannot find a better buy.
All in all an excellent tv with a superb picture with a (relative) low price.
On: 2007-03-02
I researched plasma, LCD, and projection tvs for 6 months. Plasma and LCD are great, but the cost and risk of burn-in when using them with a PS3 or XBOX 360 moved me away from them to projection TVs. In that category, Sony, Samsung, and Mitsubishi as well as the Toshiba models ranked highest by Consumer Reports were considered.
Ultimately, I wanted 1080p (elimating the Toshibas) and was a bit concerned about the "rainbows" some people see in the DLP Samsungs (though the Samsung was a close second). I bought this Sony from another retailer for $1899 plus $185 for in-house white-glove shipping. The TV arrived in one week.
After two weeks of using the TV with a PS3 and an XBOX 360, I can say this TV is outstanding in every way. The fact I can replace the bulb every three years (approx) for around $250 and have a brand new picture makes the purchase even better especially when considering a plasma is done when its picture runs out.
If you are looking for a big screen TV and have $2000 to $2300 to spend, this is a great option!
MARCH 13 UPDATE: I just received Casino Royale on Bluray this afternoon. UNBELIEVABLE picture (so clear I thought I was looking out the window!) and sound (using a Yamaha Dolby Digital receiver and JBL speakers) on this TV. I saw this movie in the theater, but, except for the screen size, the viewing experience at home with this TV was better...
On: 2007-03-02
Yes, this is our first HDTV, but I have seen them all. When shopping for this one, I looked at a dozen big screen HDTVs all lined up in a row, and the one that looked the best by far, was this one. The only other 60" HDTV that I think even compares is the Samsung with DLP. But I LOVE this TV! But heres the truth, (in my opinion) only the HD programming looks good. Standard def programming on the 60" screen looks bad. And yes, Ive read the reviews below, I have 3 different sources going in to the TV, and anything in standard def looks bad. I have cable going directly into the TV (not through a box), I have a DirecTV HD DVR, and I have an indoor over-the-air HD antennae. Theres no ifs, ands, or buts about it, it just looks bad. I do not watch anything, with the exception of FOX News, in standard def anymore. I am waiting patiently for DirecTV to launch the satellites this year that will increase their pitiful number of HD channels, and hopefully they will catch up to or surpass the 28 channels that Dish Network offers. Anyway, back to the TV... it DOES look great right out of the box! Forget the professional calibration, 95% of you all will love it just the way it is. The VIVID setting is awesome! Only a bunch of "techie nerds" are going to say otherwise. I followed their suggestions to customize the picture, and I think they are all crazy. The VIVID setting looks fantastic on just about everything. Set it on NORMAL if you cant handle the color. Anyway, this TV is amazing! Just make sure you have HD programming available before you buy it, otherwise, you may be very disappointed. And if you dont already have an HD-DVD player, or Blu-Ray, then you need to invest in one! Or at least get an up-converting DVD player and use an HDMI cable. (you should use HDMI cables for all of your connections, otherwise you have wasted your money on this TV) Final word: its one of the BEST 60" HDTVs currently on the market. You wont be disappointed, I promise! Oh yeah, I bought this one from SEARS over the Thanksgiving holiday last year for $1999! I havent seen it that cheap anywhere else since then.
On: 2007-02-18
We bought our Sony during the Pre-Superbowl Price War on this Sony model. It was $2099 at Circuit City. The TV is great in all respects and I can think of no complaints. An interesting note has to do with our set up. We got the set home and hooked it up to a new Over the Air OTA antenna we had purchased and just laid on the roof to see the Superbowl. The picture was great. We then got the antenna permanently installed on top of the 40 ft tall antenna tower next to the house and the picture got even better plus we received 6 more channels. To finish, we added a modest amplifier (10db) to the antenna signal and the picture jumped up to stunning. My point is that the quality and strength of the signal going to the set has a lot to do with the picture you will receive. In reading these reviews I have the most concern over sets that break down frequently and looked to professional reviews (Consumer Reports) for the picture potential. One additional thought. For anyone, without a sound system, who wishes for a fuller sound on this or any late model TV, purchase a small subwoofer (we use a Sony SA-WM500 but there are many good ones out there) and plug it into the variable audio output on the back of the TV. You will not believe the difference.
2-26-07 Just a note about another nice feature this TV has is 2 RF inputs. One for cable TV and one for OTA antenna. Not everyone needs these but you can watch STD cable or push one button to what OTA digital TV. We are looking for another smaller TV but we cannot find any others set up this way. Next best requires a manual input selector switch be switched and then a change in the TV setup menu. It would be a shame to have to buy the 50" model of this TV :).
On: 2007-02-11
By trade I am a College Professor of Communications. I worked in the wonderful world of Media for 20 years. I extensively researched HDTVs before making this purchase. I looked at the Samsung DLP (about the same size) and a couple of others. I also looked at ratings online by key websites that rate HDTVs. I went to the store and looked at them side by side. I decided to go with this Sony, it looked a bit sharper than the others. Hooking it up was easy. I bought a $50 antenna to pick up my local HD channels. All I can say is WOW! I have added dish network (they have the most HD channels) and they were able to put my locals off of the antenna on the same menu! There is a preview HD channel that shows aquarium scenes...today it is of the Mirage in Las Vegas fish tank. It looks as real as my large fish tank. WHAT A PICTURE. I customized my settings and followed someones who also posted on this site. If you read the reviews you will find it. The settings are great. I am very happy and you will be too.
 On: 2007-02-10
AMAZON is the only way to purchase large screen HD-TVs like this.
They dont publicize it as much as they should, but they ship all large screen TVs with WHITE GLOVE service, at no extra charge. When you compare what all the other online retailers charge for this service, AMAZON is the LEAST EXPENSIVE. And to cap it all, they also have a no quibble/no cost return policy.
AMAZON delivered my TV with free (White glove) shipping in 4 days.
Unfortunately, after a few days trying to set it up for my DVD player I noticed a HORRIBLE HALO around dark objects when set against bright background.
My immediate reaction was to RETURN the TV to AMAZON. But SONY included a notice with the TV asking that if there is any problem with the set, if I called their customer service number, they would look after me.
So I called SONY and reported the problem. But rather than look after me as they promised they merely gave me numbers of two local TV repair firms to call - not what I call excellent service.
I called them, and both said they could come in 10-14 days - so much for responsiveness.
A tech came, and immediately recognized the fault. He said he needed to discuss it with SONY. He returned 10 days later with a very large circuit board. Replacing the board was no mean feat. He removed around 40 screws to remove three covers, which he pushed and pulled for two hours before getting the new board installed.
But when he switched the TV on, NOTHING would work. The TV was now totally broken. He spent another hour putting the old board back but it was still totally broken. He then admitted it was now unrepairable.
We both called SONY and explained the situation, and asked SONY to send a new TV.
SONY refused - even after I escalated the issue to Customer Relations. They said it was their policy to NEVER replace TVs, and if I wanted a new unit I would have to sue the repair tech.
So then I called AMAZON to explain the situation. They immediately took sympathy, and even though the TV was delivered over 30 days ago, they gave me two options:
a) To collect the TV and refund all money paid by me, including shipping, or
b) To bring a replacement TV, and take the old one away at no additional cost to me.
I chose the latter and the new TV arrived four days later.
So the moral is - DO NOT TRUST SONY. If you have a problem - send it back and dont let SONY try to fix it. They dont have clue.
Thank you AMAZON, your service is wonderful!
SONY, you should be totally ashamed. Your customer service is a disgrace!
On: 2007-02-08
Alot of Size in a compact envelope... Plenty of inputs and plenty bright.. No reason to go the the XBR2 and have the added 10"s of speakers on the side. Set up is easy.. Works great with PS3.. Only downside is does not take 1080 Native Via Component, however I have not found a TV does. My AVR STRDA5200ES does take 1080p Native and passes it to the TV via HDMI so XBOX 360 problem solved...
On: 2007-02-01
TV is good. But I was told that LCOS slowly will lose picture quality unlike DLP, where after changing the bulb, picture is almost like a brand new TV. LCOS SONY is good out of box, but how long will it last? Any info?
On: 2007-01-29
I am a long time Big Screen owner and was happy with my 6 year old 57" XBR rear projection, until I saw the image quality of this LCOS TV. Without question, this is the finest TV on the market when judging value to output quality. The colors are vibrant, the blacks are really black and the sharpness of the image when in 1080i are remarkable. The only thing better than the set itself was the price I paid for it at Amazon and the fact that I received it 5 days after ordering, during the x-mas week.
My only complaint is that this TV is referred to as a "Rear Projection", when it is truly the highest quality LCD with enhanced rear lighting to make it the brightest (10000-1 contrast ratio) TV on the market.
On the plus side, 2 HDMI inputs as well as a Digital Optical out jack make this a TV that works beautifully with an A/V receiver that lacks HDMI pass through, so you can save a few dollars on that upgrade. The menus and tweek features are amazing, infact I would dare to say that thank god there is a reset feature, as you can adjust just about everything on this set. Speaking of adjusting, the sound out of what appear to be smallish speakers is anything but and when played through its TRS Surround sound, you may not even turn on the A/V receiver.
The last convincing thought is this...when my wife asked me why we needed a new TV when the other one was only 6 years old and had a great picture, she then saw the KDS-60A2000 picture and even she was stunned by the amazing High Def picture. Is that enough proof?
On: 2007-01-29
I am extremely happy with my purchase. The TV delivers a perfect picture, we have watched all the football playoff games on it and the detail and collor were perfect. I would highly recommend this site to anyone. I did a lot of investigation and talked to many people about all the DLP TVs on the marked and the Sony kept coming up as the TV to buy. The price I got through Amazon was also the best by $300 which just made this sale a no brainer.
On: 2007-01-28
This is a great HDTV for the price. Its only bested by the high end Pioneer Elite plasma but the Pioneer 1080p model so far only comes in 50" and its $7,000! In other words, for the price of this Sony, it compares favorably to a TV that is over 3 times as much money.
One of the great benefits of the Sony SXRDs is that the internal display structure is very smooth so you can actually sit closer to them than with other TVs such as plasmas without having to worry about noticing the actual pixels. That said, I sit about 8 feet away from this TV (Sony recommends minimum 7ft for this model) and movies look wonderful, just like Im in a movie theater if not better! You can sit further back and it will still look great. You can also sit closer if you want and with a good HD source, you wont even notice any pixels. That said, I would say if you cant sit at least 7ft-8ft away normally, I would opt for the 55" instead. 8ft on the 60" is right at the Society of Motion Picture and Television reference sweet spot viewing distance for 1080p. You could also be further away but I wouldnt want to be much closer.
Im very picky and meticulous about picture quality. Im only giving this Sony 4 stars because it does tend to lean towards a green tint which is a bit annoying. I was able to easily and completely eliminate this by adjusting the white balance green settings down about -7 and boosting the blue up about +3. If you are willing to play around with the numerous settings (start with the settings another reviewer has posted as they are a good starting point), you can achieve a very great looking display. Also keep in mind that there is about a 100 hour break in period for this TV before it starts looking optimal.
I like the fact that this TV uses a bulb. Plasma TVs wear out too but dont have a replaceable bulb, so you have to just throw away the TV when it wears out. With the Sony SXRD, you simply replace the bulb after a few to several years when it burns out and then its like you have a brand new TV again.
The TV really shines when displaying true high definition signals or HD-DVD or Blue-ray discs. Standard definition looks fine too, totally watchable on this TV, although of course its not nearly as good as HD, which is exceptional. HDTV on this TV is like eye candy, so crisp and great!
Im in an area where I get great TV reception over the air. I bought a Terk HDTV indoor antenna (like rabbit ears) and it works great with the ATSC tuner in the Sony XSRD. I was pleasantly surprised that now in addition to all my local channels in HD, I also gained several additional digital channels that I could not receive before going HD.I also of course still get the standard definition channels as well.
But I watch mostly movies and my system at home now is literally better than going to the movie theater! Im quite blown away by this TV, even despite the fact that it leans towards green, the fact that I was able to adjust this out makes it ok. For the price, I dont think you could find a better TV.
On: 2007-01-26
We bought this set with the A/V stand made for it and the Sony DAV-FX500 XM-Ready Five-Disc DVD Dream System from Amazon on Jan. 1. Everything arrived together, ahead of the estimated arrival date. Delivery service was excellent. We had everything cabled up and running within a couple hours (including 1 hour assembly of the stand). The TV attaches neatly and securely to the stand minimizing probability of tipping (from cats, babies, etc.). The Dream System ROCKS ! Everything is routed through the Dream System (VCR, Satellite channels, audio from OTA channels, DVD) so we get awesome sound all the time. And I agree with the raves previously posted, that the HD picture quality is eye-popping. I still get excited everytime I turn it on. I would definitely recommend this system.
On: 2007-01-22
After 7 HDTVs over 5 years. 3 in the last 3 months. These were the JVC HDILA and the Samsung DLP also both 1080p this TV is at least 50% better. DLP lacks a paperlike solidity to the picture that is present in either of the 3 panel LCOS sets as well as poor shadow detail. The JVC is great except the black level and shadow detail are poor. Anyway get the sony and add a Toshiba HD-A2 and you will be blown away.
On: 2007-01-20
Was waiting until I felt the time was right to upgrade my home system.
With this TV at this price...both are right.
I read several review sites and then went to a bunch of stores to check out the ones I narrowed down side by side. It came down to his one and the Samsung. At first, looked like the Samsung had more brilliant color. But then in watching both I noticed the Samsung did not handle motion nearly as well...a lot of artifacting. The Sony was pretty rock solid. So, I ordered the Sony from Amazon.
Now that it is home, I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I made the right choice (and I second guess just about every decision I make usually). The build is top-notch. The remote is goofy, but Sony (and all TV mfgs) have always had terrible remotes....they look like they were designed by the Politburo. The picture is very, very good...and I am watching SD stuff off Directv most of the time...imagine what I will see once Direct comes though on their HDTV promises. The brightness I thought I saw in the Samsung...have pretty much come to the conclusion they just ship them turned way up and exaggerated to make them "pop" in the store..when you get them home, you realize the environment is different and the more subdued Sony picture is much better (and if you like it bright and exaggerated...Sony can do that too).
It is a great tv..not sure why everyone complains about the sound, as it sounds ok to me. I looked around, compared all technolgies and manufacturers, and to me the final choice was this TV...highly recommended. If you get a chance to see one in the store, pay attention to how (a) it handles motion (very well) (2) viewing angle from the side (great) and (c) get up close and see if you can detect any lines or blocking affect (you wont). Look at other TVs in this size and I am betting you will see some of these defects you wont find here. If you are like me and most folks, you are going to be watching SD channels along with HD for another couple of years...and in this regard, the Sony handles SD extremely well!
I was real down on Sony for years (quality went bad)...but they have gotten their act together in TVs at least, and buying this TV will remind you of those great Trinitrons you used to buy in the 70s that outperformed and outlasted your uncle Louies Curtis Mathis.
On: 2007-01-19
Overall, Im satisfied with this TV; my complaints are: a relatively long wake-up time until the screen achieves full brightness and contrast; the PC interface in this TV is not full-screen, nor is it full resolution that the TV otherwise produces (I think there is a model [has some letters after the model number] that does, but it isnt this one). So if you plan on interfacing an XBox 360 or high-resolution PC, and you want full resolution, look for that other model.
On: 2007-01-18
I ordered my Sony KDS-60A2000 Grand WEGA 60" SXRD 1080p Rear Projection HDTV before the holiday, it took a week to get it delivered, arrived five days earlier than they estimated. Everything was good, we enjoy it a lot. If I have to point out something not as so perfect, it was the HDMI connection. I thought the HDMI cable was included in the package, but I was wrong. After I bought it and put it on, I realized my cable box only had DMI, so I went out again to buy the adapter. This connection costed about $60, but it made big difference.
On: 2007-01-17
Very happy. Not a videophile, and havent yet had the TV calibrated(or got ambitious and tried to do it with an affordable DVD kit), but pleased overall with the set. It has a good picture for watching movies, I hardly watch network programming, so I cant really comment on the display for SD signals. I currently use a DVD upconverter for watching movies in 1080p. Look forward to the day that DVD players that can utilize that format are affordable. Recommend set based on price and value, although one should consult further reviews if they have an interest in watching cable/antenna programming.
On: 2007-01-16
I purchased this TV after returning a shoddy Samsung. The SONY costs a bit more, but is really worth it. Its made with heavier plastic and a far superior screen that doesnt warp. Look at the weights of the different TVs -- you really do want one has some weight to it rather than thin styrofoam-like plastic.
Watching TV on this SONY is like being right there when the Hi-Def is displayed. The image is very sharp and the color vivid. The sound is very rich considering they are the TV speakers.
Im also very impressed with Eagle, the delivery service that Amazon uses. The boxes always arrive in perfect shape, without even a mark of dirt on them. The Eagle staff are always professional and pleasant.
Im very happy I purchased my TV with Amazon. In the ten years as an Amazon customer, I never had to return an item. That was until I purchased the biggest and most expensive item ever -- it was a Samsung 61 DLP that broke after one day of use! I tried to deal with Samsung customer service and got nowhere -- Samsung was the worst customer support Ive seen in a long time.
Amazon stepped right in to assist and took back the defective Samsung TV with no hassles and no red tape.
On: 2007-01-16
from start to finish this was the best purchase i have ever made. i love it.super bowl here i come!!!!
On: 2007-01-16
Couldnt be happier with this TV. Great picture.
The only downside is that non-HD sources dont look that great. But if you watch a lot of sports in HD and a lot of DVDs as I do, this set is awesome.
On: 2007-01-14
I waited patiently for Samsungs LED-light-source DLP projector, but was disappointed when I finally got to see one. Then I discovered that Sony apparently succeeded where others had failed with LCOS technology. The 60A2000 and its cousins seemed to me to have better picture quality than any of the competing sets on display in the stores. I hesitated to buy something this expensive over the internet, but it worked out fine. The no-return policy was daunting, but the up side is the assurance that there is no risk of getting someone elses returned set. My only regret is that I bought just a month or so before the $600 price reduction.
I have a Sony DHG-HDD250 digital video recorder that I bought though Amazon a year ago, and most of my TV viewing comes from that source. The TV sets universal remote mimics all of the DVRs functions except that the forward (commercial) skip button is inoperative. That is obviously a deliberate crippling, and I think it is very petty of Sony do do that. My solution is simply to use the DVRs universal remote. Its smaller and fits the hand better anyway.
On: 2007-01-13
My first HDTV. I did lots of comparisons and research before I settled in on this one. Yes its rear projection but please do not compare these to the rear projections of years past. Its about 8" less deep than my old 32" CRT and weighs less! This is true LCD 1080p format. Incredible viewing angle, 10000:1 contrast ratio, 2.5 mSec refresh rate and an ample number of inputs to support any high end cables (two HDMI, component video... etc) and the ability to hook up my computer directly. My son is a big gamer PS3 and many pc based ones and is in awe of the response and resolution it provides. Do keep in mind, a true high def picture requires high def input. Easy set up and controls. The sound is as good as can be expected within the enclosure so im sure theater sound will be a nice add on when ready. Highly recommend the Sony stand for this also. I purchased this directly from Amazon for $2199 with free shipping. That is about the same price as a flat panel 40" LCD 1080p set! So I cant hang it on the wall and im forced to watch a much larger and as clear a picture....oh well. Go compare....you will be amazed. Whatever you decide, dont be sold short or too small. Go 1080p not 1080i, high contrast ratio and fast response time.
On: 2007-01-13
The price and the buying experience were great--I wouldnt hesitate to buy large electronics from Amazon again. As far the the TV, I was not very happy with the picture out of the box; It took me a few days of tweaking, particularly fleshtones, to get it right, but now Im very pleased with it. The AVS forum is a great resource for advice on the settings. When the Sonys good, its very, very good. It just takes a little work, in my opinoin. Excellent picture for all my HD sources: Cable, OTA and HD-DVD. Easy to use, intuitive menus. Lots of settings (and as I said earlier, you need them.) And, a smaller footprint than the 50" LCD it replaced.
Would I buy it again? Id probably take a harder look at the DLPs. But for now, Im satisfied.
On: 2007-01-13
Great picture, lots of video connections.
Spent a bunch of time comparing vs. DLP and am very happy with the decision after three weeks.
Sound could be better but is fine for general listening.
Doesnt allow output from the optical audio output when HDMI input is used. Sony says thats the way it works.
Took a couple days longer to receive than expected due to a shipment routing error.
On: 2007-01-12
Had this set (and its special stand purchased from Sony) now for a week and it is everything good that anyone has said about it. We couldnt be more pleased. The delivery system used by Amazon seems flawless. The set was delivered in the minimum amount of time specified and in pristine condition. It is scary to risk this much money this way, but Amazon really came through and we will have much more confidence the next time. However, Beware of the "Amazon" credit card people. They are now Chase Manhattan Bank and could not care less about you and your purchase. They stopped payment on me because they suspected someone might have been using my card. They did so in a way that took several days and lots of phone calls to straighten out, therebye delaying the purchase past the holidays as I intended. Use some other credit card - I certainly will next time.
On: 2007-01-12
I bought this tv at Ultimate electronics for $1999 right after Thanksgiving. Best purchase I have made in along time. Best picture overall I have seen on a tv in along time. Looking at other tvs some show better colors or better blacks but overall this one is the best of overall picture quality. For the price cant go wrong or you could get the next step up for $1000 more for basically tv with same picture quality put adds cable card slot and Picture in picture if those features are worth it to you.
On: 2007-01-12
After a year of waiting and reading, I picked the 60A2000 for several reasons to replace a 1995 51" Pioneer Elite and required 1080i:
1. Id earlier picked a LCOS display as the best from tech reviews, also they have no moving parts, (the color wheel), to break and make noise.
2. A top notch 60A2000 review in Home Theater Mag; Id looked the Sony 60" the year earlier, also rated best, but I didnt have the 15" of extra wall space for the side mounted spakers.
3. A frequency of repair article in PC Computing rated the Sony HDTVs excellent and sigificantly better than other LCOS HDTVs.
4. The price was the best. An added goody was a free delivery.
5. The delivery was perfect! They called ahead to pick a time, carried it in, and sat it on the table Id previously bought.
6. It works like a charm and Standard Definition in even better than our old Pioneer, which was great for a decade.
On: 2007-01-11
The picture on this TV is outstanding. I have used it on an "on air" antenna and the HD tuner operates perfectly expibiting high sensitivity to weak signals. The main use is on Direct TV and I am quite dissapointed that the Sony remote control will not operate the Direct TV HD satellite box. The Sony reomte is light years ahead of the Direct TV remote in user friendliness. I have not found a place on Amazon to purchase a spare lamp for the projection portion.
Overall, a great TV.
On: 2007-01-11
I agree with the other reviewers who state that you must adjust settings from factory in order to get a great picture. The sharpness was WAY too high when you turn it on and watch SD content -- things are way to blocky. Turn that down, muck with a few other settings, and you have a beautiful picture.
Also, the delivery on this puppy from Amazon was AMAZING. They shipped it via Eagle Global Logistics (whom Im familiar with in my business shipping needs) -- and part of the FREE shipping from Amazon includes a 2 man delivery where they bring the TV set into your home, unbox it, place it where you want it to be placed, and then take away the packaging materials (saving you from having to deal with them).
I was simply amazed that my decision to purchase from Amazon proved to be the BEST possible decision. Not to mention the price was VERY right!
On: 2007-01-10
This TV is awesome! It was a "plug and play". No special tools needed or even used. Just plug it in and you are ready to be spellbound. The picture quality is wonderful whether you are watching HDTV or regular broadcasts. The sound system that comes with it is also outstanding when you consider it isnt a home theater, nor does it have speakers that you can place around the room. It has plenty of hookups on the back for just about anything you can think of hooking up to it. Would I buy it again, you betcha! To really enjoy it you need to have HD signals, Dish or Direct TV. I compared this TV along side competing brands at several brick and motar stores and it was hands down the best. Only Samsung came close and its draw back was that it was really a 720 trying to mimic a 1080. Also, Samsung has already obsoleted their existing technology and are doing away with the three color wheels on their DLP. I didnt want to buy old technolgy even if it was a few hundred bucks cheaper.
On: 2007-01-10
Simple set-up right out of the box. I have Time Warner Cable and use the 8300HD box, and used an HDMI connection from my cable box to my TV. The HD channels simply look amazing. The menu and set-up features are very easy to use, and set up. Ive read reviews in the past that stated that it took a long time to switch between input sources. This is simply not true, it switches back and forth in 5 seconds or less. The SD channels are not as good as Id hoped they would be, but Im a big HD guy, and I know that as the future progresses more HD channels will be available, but all in all the SD channels dont look that bad, just nothing compared to the HD.
On: 2007-01-10
First off, let me say that this SXRD TV has an absolutely flawless picture.
I purchased the set in November and have enjoyed numerous football and basketball games since.
Clarity, color, contrast, black level are all fantastic. No pixilization on the HD channels and the
analog pictures do not suffer as much as most HD sets I have observed.
That being said, I did have a problem that occurred one week after receiving the television. The cooling fan for the projection bulb quit operating and I was out of luck until a new part could be ordered by the repair technician. The good part was that the tech was able to determine the problem by asking the sequence of blinking lights on the front of the set. The bad thing is that he had 3 such fans on order, because others have had similar problems. It took over two weeks for the fans to come in, so that was a long time to have this big unit in my den with no way to watch all those great Christmas shows and football games.
Another slight beef I have is that if you turn the tv on before the digital box, you will not get a picture. You must turn on your box first and make sure their is a signal flowing through the HDMI cable (my default connection). This problem does not happen with the component input.
Also worth mentioning is the programming display that you activate with the remote. Very easy to use and set up. Just make sure you read the manual first or you are going to waste a lot of time trying to muddle through the controls. The remote could use some lighting and it would be nice if the fast forward, reverse, etc, worked the DVR functions when the digital box code is programmed in. As is, it only adjusts the basic channel selection controls and audio.
Thats about it. At this point, if you buy the television, beware of the fan problem and the fact that there arent enough parts out there to go around.
On: 2007-01-10
This is one of the best HD TVs I have ever seen. Only problem, you must be at least 10-13 away to ensure you get the best view. Anything less, the picture looks grainy. Other than that, the TV is AWESOME! Def a great buy, highly recommend.
On: 2007-01-10
This TV has the best picture, by far, of any TV of comparable size. Granted its not the sleek fancy ones that hang on a wall or take up little room, but those dont even come close when it comes to picture quality.
The brightness of the picture and the contrast ratio are the two most astounding features. I can watch "any" program (HD or not) during the middle of the day with the curtains wide open and not miss anything. As for the contrast, thats the first thing that people notice when they come over. The blacks are really black!
There is no degradation of resolution in the margins or corners and you cannot notice any "screen door effect" unless you put your face within about 2 feet of the screen!
The TV, while large screen, is surprisingly light for its size. My wife and I can easily move it, which is more than I could say for my 32" Trinitron.
The only negative I can describe is the remote control. Its long and skinny. It seems no time was spent on either usability or ergonomics. This however, is irrelevant because I use the Logitech Harmony remote which just augments the ease of use of this TV.
I cant wait to try it with a Blue-Ray Disc movie, in true 1080p!
On: 2007-01-09
Excellent product - clear picture and easy to use.
Amazon was very efficient with its shipping. Matched a later price reduction with a credit to our account. Very competitively priced too.
On: 2007-01-09
The TV is incredible. It has a ton of inputs, looks good, and has the best picture quality Ive seen. the 3-chip SXRD blows away the picture quality of the color-wheel DLPs. And with the price plummeting as it is, this TV is a steal. My only complaint was the specialized freight shipping took over 2 weeks to get it from the warehouse to my living room.
On: 2007-01-04
The picture is superb. I have it hooked up to a BOSE sound system and a PS3. The video games and blu-ray are unbelievable. Now THIS is home theater. Indeed, the above may be more of an endorsement of 1080p than of the Sony KDS-60A2000, however the set couldnt look better in my living room, and as I said, the picture is superb.
No problems hooking it up to the surround sound and PS3. Just remember to use an HDMI cable instead of the cable supplied by the PS3 else youll lose out on the 1080p (gasp). (And dont spend over 50 bucks or so for the HMDI cable, as the extra money doesnt matter here. Itll either handle the digital bandwith or it wont.)
On: 2007-01-04
With a deep cabinet to put the tv, I didnt have to drop big bucks for a flat screen tv. This tv is huge, has a great picture, was easy to set up and didnt break the bank. Plus, with the free shipping and no sales tax, It would have cost around $500 more had I purchased the unit from my local retailer - and the would have been without the white glove delivery and set up provided by Amazon. It has been a great purchase, thus far.
On: 2007-01-03
Ive owned the KDS-60A2000 since mid-October but wanted to experiment with it for a while before making any comments. My feeling is when we make a large purchase based on individual choice we tend to "justify it" initially. A little time always helps the perspective. Ive returned enough mistakes in my life to freely admit when I have made the wrong choice.
Firstly, I am not new to home theater or large screen television. For most of my life I have been an early adopter of both. I owned one of the first DVD players in the Kansas City area and currently have over 500 DVDs in my library. My former main viewing setup(s) were an Infocus DLP projector (non-HD) with an 84" screen and a 60" Sony XBR (tube RPTV). While that does not make me an expert by any means, I am not a "newbie". In selecting the Sony, I looked very seriously at the JVC, Toshiba, Pioneer, Samsung, and Mitsubishi. I researched all of them extensively and spent countless hours in Best Buy and Circuit City viewing each one. I looked at both 720 and 1080. Like most of you, I was limited to a price point (roughly $3,000), wanted a 60" if possible, and probably had a bias for DLP due to the above-mentioned Infocus.
To make a long story short, it came down to the Mitsubishi 65" DLP (WD65731) and the Sony. It was simply a result of the various reviews, recommendations of friends in the industry, personal past experience, and a lot of in-store viewing and tweaking. I wont offer negative comments on the others. The six color wheel line of Mitsubishis and the Sony SXRD line offered the absolute best picture for the money. I probably could have live with either but in the end I was unable to resolve a "blue shift" in the Mitsubishi (could have been unique to that particular sample). The Sony on the other hand offered complete control over every picture characteristic. Same price, less size, more control, and in my opinion, a slightly better picture.
I currently have the Sony connected to Direct TV, a Winegard off-air HD antenna, and a Sony NS75H DVD player (up converts to 720/1080). All video connections to the Sony are through the two HDMI connections. I do have a lot of control over the light in the room.
The standard definition picture from Direct TV is great. I cant speak to the comments made in some reviews regarding mediocre 480 performances except to say that I have several relatives with HDTVs connected to cable (Cox) and their picture is NOT even close to good on non-digital / non-HD channels. I suspect the culprit is analog in nature, or just lousy performance from the cable company. High-Definition (720p and 1080i) pictures on the Sony are simply stunning. The off-air transmissions especially are unbelievable (and free). Hopefully, unless the FCC caves in again, all broadcasts will be in HD by February 2009 (editorial comment). Up-converted DVDs at 1080i are a real plus and I highly recommend the Sony NS75H as a perfect match for this TV.
Having said all that, I do have a couple of small items that Sony could improve. The remote does not have direct inputs so you are forced to cycle through each input (unless bypassed in the setup menu). The codes exist so theres no reason why Sony couldnt have included them on the remote. If you have a programmable remote like a Pronto or Home Theater Master you can download the direct input codes. Changing inputs takes longer than it should. I know the electronics have to sense the input type/resolution and configure the display but it shouldnt take 5 or 6 seconds. Another consideration (for some) is the lack of any real "sound processing". The basic two speaker stereo setup could be improved considering this is a $3,500 piece of electronics. There are both analog and digital outputs on the TV however the digital output will not convert or pass through analog. I recommend just running the sound through a surround sound system and bypassing the TV altogether. Lastly, the manual is typical Sony so count on the Internet for any real information on the myriad settings and their meaning / impact (see below).
The above small complaints aside, Im extremely happy with this TV. In the final analysis, it is "all about the picture" and the Sony KDS-60A2000 delivers. Family, friends, and neighbors are amazed at the picture, even standard resolution from Direct TV. Two family members have purchased it already and one is considering replacing his plasma.
As for the settings, I found the out-of-the-box settings to be typical but inadequate. You really owe it to yourself to adjust them. I do understand that different people have different opinions about what a pleasing picture is (Im not a slave to the NTSC guidelines). There are three basic groups of settings (Vivid, Standard, and Custom) controllable from the Picture setting button on the remote and in the setup menu. Vivid is a joke and should be avoided by everyone (sorry Best Buy and Circuit City). It should only be used if the TV is located on the middle of a beach. Standard is better but best used in a room with a lot of conflicting light. This TV can generate a BRIGHT picture and Standard mode is still a little too bright for my tastes. I occasionally use Standard for casual daytime viewing when all the blinds and windows are open. Custom is the "personal favorite" mode and is the one I have applied the below settings to. Its a good starting point for someone trying to get used to the "approved standard" but it does imply some level of light control. My settings are the result of tweaking recommendations from several "experts" with far more expensive test equipment than I will ever have (CNET, Sound and Vision, etc.). Still, I know what I like. It may not be what you like. These settings are for a dark or fairly dark viewing environment.
Settings for Picture Mode CUSTOM
Advanced Iris = Min
Picture = 84
Brightness = 56
Color = 41
Hue = 0
Color Temp = Warm1
Sharpness = 65
Noise Reduction = Off
DRC Mode = High Density (applies to 480i only)
Advanced Settings
Black Corrector = Low
Gamma = Off
Clear White = Off
Live Color = Off
White Balance = See Below
Detail Enhancer = Low
Edge Enhancer = Off
White Balance
R-Gain = -4
G-Gain = -4
B-Gain = 0
R-Bias = 0
G-Bias = -2
B-Bias = -1
Hope this helps you in your buying decision.
On: 2007-01-02
This review covers the Sony KDS-R60XBR2 and Sony KDS-60A2000.
I first heard rumors about Sonys new XBR2 and A2000 product lines in spring 2006, when considering the replacement of a 25 year old RCA 25" console TV. I decided to delay the purchase of a new TV until the Sony KDS-R60XBR2 was available locally, so that I could see first-hand how the TV compared to other models. In that time frame I looked at several different TV models with great interest, but always found one or two limitations that kept the TV from being ideal. The greatest limitations of the TVs were limited viewing angle and either no support to display 1080p or an inability to feed a 1080p signal to the TV.
Two months ago I had the opportunity to see a Sony KDS-60A2000 up close in a local store, and compared its picture with those of LCD, plasma, and DLP sets. From just about any angle, the KDS-60A2000 picture was brighter and easier to view than any other TV on display. Some of the other TVs suffered from screen door effect (I never understood why this was objectionable until I compared the picture to that displayed on the KDS-60A2000), slow screen refreshes, and "blocky" or blurry pictures. None of these problems were present in the KDS-60A2000 picture. Failing to find a KDS-R60XBR2 to compare, I visited another local store that advertised the KDS-R60XBR2 on their website. The KDS-R60XBR2 was in stock at the second store, even though it was currently unavailable for sale as of that time on Amazon. It only took one look at the picture quality of the KDS-R60XBR2, playing back a movie from a DVD, to be convinced that the TV was perfect, and that it would squeeze through the entry door with about 1/16" to spare.
On December 24, 2006 I placed an order with Amazon for a Sony KDS-60A2000, which was to be given as a late Christmas present to my parents. Much to my surprise, the TV arrived at one of the Eagle shipping companys hubs on December 29, which is located about 70 miles from its final destination, but by the shipping companys schedule, the TV would not have been delivered until January 2 (January 2 was still a week earlier than expected). Eagle permitted me to pick up the TV at their hub and take it to its final destination.
How do the KDS-R60XBR2 and the KDS-60A2000 compare?
Both TVs offer the same exceptional picture quality, and clearly highlight the need to transition to high definition digital broadcasts. The KDS-R60XBR2 was tested with over-the-air analog and digital broadcasts, as well as with a seven year old Sony DVD player. The KDS-60A2000 was tested with over-the-air analog and digital broadcasts, standard definition cable, and a new Sony DVD player. Both TVs display exceptional quality high definition 1080i and 720p as well as 480i digital broadcasts, even when the analog versions of those channels showed excessive ghosting to the point that the analog version was impossible to view (this was primarily a problem with analog stations located within 30 miles, and was a problem on the older TVs as well). The Sony DVD players were connected using component cables (three for video, two for sound). Even on fast action scenes, the picture quality was very good, although the lower resolution of the DVD playback, compared to the over the air 1080i and 720p digital signals, was very obvious. This may have to do with the sharpness of the picture, compared to other TVs that provide a slightly blurry image which covers up the limitations of the lower resolutions. Standard definition cable playback on the KDS-60A2000 looked OK, but not impressive - the same can be said for over-the-air analog broadcasts on both TVs. As far as I can tell, the picture quality of the two TVs is identical, and even the same image customization features are available on both TVs.
Differences: The KDS-R60XBR2 ships with a remote that has a brushed aluminum finish, while the remote for the other TV is a matte gray color. The remote for the KDS-R60XBR2 includes one additional button (twin view) and has another button labeled "TV Guide", while the corresponding button on the other remote is labeled "Guide" - theses differences hint at important differences in the two TVs. The twin view button allows an analog TV signal to appear in a window at the right of the screen, with either a digital or analog picture to appear in a window at the left of the screen - the size of the windows can be scaled larger or smaller. Twin view is not an option on the KDS-60A2000. Pressing the "TV Guide" button on the remote for the KDS-R60XBR2 displays a listing of scheduled programming for specifically defined TV channels for several days, as well as a small window that shows the picture for the current TV channel. The TV Guide can be used to search for specific program titles or program descriptions, and then set reminders on the TV to optionally display a message on the TV, tune it to the correct channel and/or turn on the TV just prior to the start of the show. Descriptions of each show appear in the TV Guide as a program is selected - this can make it slow to navigate through the TV Guide, as the TV tends to pause when long program descriptions appear on screen. Pressing the "Guide" button on the KDS-60A2000 does not display the same TV Guide screen as seen on the other TV. Instead a simple listing of all channel numbers is provided, along with a means of selecting alternate audio broadcasts; a long description of the current program and time remaining appears on screen when a channel is selected on the KDS-60A2000, while the other TV just shows the program title and time remaining.
The input capabilities of the two TVs differ slightly as well. The KDS-R60XBR2 offers one additional input. The front HDMI input on the KDS-R60XBR2 supports 1080p, while the same front input on the KDS-60A2000 supports 1080i. The VGA style video connector (used for computer connections) on the KDS-R60XBR2 supports up to 1280x1024 at 75Hz or 1920x1080 at 60Hz, while the KDS-60A2000 is limited to maximum video resolutions roughly equivalent to 720p. With the speakers at the side, the KDS-R60XBR2 appears to provide a more distinct stereo separation between left and right channels, than does the speaker configuration on the KDS-60A2000, which places the speakers below the picture. The speaker configuration on the KDS-R60XBR2 also gives the possibly unintentional illusion that the picture size is larger. The KDS-R60XBR2 includes a free replacement bulb, while the other TV does not. A cable card slot is present on the KDS-R60XBR2, while no such slot is available on the other TV.
Both TVs offer several highly desirable features, some of which are disabled by default. Automatic control of volume levels when switching from one channel to the next is very helpful. Both TVs can simulate surround sound, to some extent, using just the two stereo speakers. The menu system is easy to navigate, although it would be nice to have a button on the remote to quickly switch between antenna and cable input (two separate jacks are provided on the back, one for cable, and one for over-the-air broadcasts).
Not everything is perfect. It seems to take 30 to 60 seconds for the TV to turn on. Switching between the digital and analog tuners seems slow, when using the channel up/down button on the remote. The number of cascading menus needed to navigate to the digital channel discovery section (and diagnostics) seems excessive. Digital channels are sometimes discovered on their physical channel, rather than their mapped channel - this seems to be dependent on the direction of the antenna when the digital channel is discovered. For example, the digital versions of channel 8, which should appear on 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 were discovered on 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5 and could not be discovered on their correctly mapped channels without completely re-running the analog and digital channel discovery process. If a digital channel is incorrectly added, there is no way to add specific channels, for example 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3, to the channel up/down selector on the remote. The software controlling the TV Guide on the KDS-R60XBR2 still needs a bit of work. The search feature sometimes fails to locate shows by partial program title - it might find a program on one PBS station, but miss the same show title on two or three other PBS stations. Long delays may be experienced when navigating through the program listings. Not all station call letters that can be received are included in the available call letters list, and there is no way to manually enter a stations call letters; manually specifying a different stations call letters assignment for a channel just as a place holder in TV Guide causes those call letters to incorrectly appear at the top right of the screen when the channel is tuned in using the remote, over-riding the correct call letters that had appeared on screen. Digital channels that could not be discovered on the correctly mapped channels can be added to TV Guide in the correctly mapped location.
Even with the minor imperfections, I am very impressed with both TVs. The KDS-60A2000 is perfect for people who just wish to watch TV, while the KDS-R60XBR2 throws in several extras to expand the potential TV experience.
On: 2006-12-28
The ease of this order and delivery were awesome. Came way ahead of schedule.
Picture quality is great, PC using VGA input cannot max out to full screen size, but the screen is already big enough so it works fine for our music/picture library purposes.
One problem, can anyone advise? The screen seems to have paper impressions (like leaf stains on concrete) from the paper it was wrapped in. Weve tried mild soap/water to no avail. Anyone else have this issue when they unwrapped it? I figured it was due to the cold, but its been a week now, and the impressions are still there (only really visible when the TV is off).
On: 2006-12-28
DVDs look fantastic on this set. Standard def is OK but you can definitely see any problems in the signal (this really isnt any different that any 60" HD TV). Eagle shipping was easy to deal with and showed up on time.
On: 2006-12-24
I researched TVs for more than a year before I finally pulled the trigger on the KDS-60A2000 from Amazon. First, let me say that the free delivery by Eagle deserved an A+. As many are aware, Amazons pricing is cannot be touched by local retailers. I was skeptical about such a large on-line purchase, but good reviews from others and my past experiences with Amazon made me feel more comfortable.
Now that Ive been able to enjoy the TV for several weeks, there are few words to describe the picture quality for over-the-air HD broadcasts and those I receive via DirecTV. SD is more disappointing, but this is to be expected on a large display. I almost feel guilty about this TV, I mean, Ive got a movie screen in my living room.
On: 2006-12-21
This Sony HDTV has the best picture I have ever seen! A totally awesome TV set, even the non HD content looks great! I am proud to have this set in my living room.
All the inputs are a little hard to manage, there should be a way to lock the unused inputs out of the selection process.
The best part was Amazons price with no tax and free shipping. Eagle transport was great, and even unpacked the set, put it in place and took the empty box away.
On: 2006-12-20
I have been reading great reviews on this TV on a variety of websites for the last year - it was originally priced around $3500 - I didnt have to think twice when I saw Amazon would sell it and deliver it for $2200!!! It arrived in 10 days in immaculate condition - I used the HDMI cable purchased at a very reasonable price at Sams Club and connected it to our DirecTV HDTV receiver and WOW, WOW, WOW - what a picture on the HDTV channels! Even friends who are not "techno-junkies" are shocked at the perfection of the picture! We do have an extensive DVD collection, so we looked at our 480p DVD playback on this 60" screen and immediately decided to buy a new Sony upconvert DVD player with an HDMI connection - also reasonable priced and on sale at Best Buy. Even though its not a true 1080p upconvert, it made a remarkable difference in our DVD playback. I cant say enough good things about this Sony TV and I was exceptionally pleased with the price and shipping from Amazon.
On: 2006-12-18
I ordered this product on 06Dec06, which is plenty of time to get it by Christmas using Amazons super saver shipping. I chose to pay extra to upgrade to the only available option of "standard shipping".
On 07Dec06 I received an email stating that my TV had shipped and giving me the tracking number. I initially noticed that the tracking number had information from a 2004 shipment on it. Knowing that tracking numbers are reused I expected it to clear out and be updated. After several days, I contacted Amazon and found out that I was not even given the correct tracking number to begin with and was given the correct tracking number.
The TV was coming from Reno, NV and going to Phoenix, AZ (which is a 1 day trip), but was estimated at a 5 day delivery. The package arrived in Phoenix the morning of 14Dec06. Friday afternoon when I had gotten no calls from the delivery company, I decided to call them. I was initially told that the delivery would be next Tuesday (19Dec06) at the earliest. After complaining for some time I was told that I could have it delivered Saturday 16Dec06. I was also informed that there was a notation that the box had a "tear" in it from the shipper.
On Saturday when the TV was delivered, I had them open up the box in my presence. Exactly where this tear was (a 1" by 6" hole) was damage from an impact (most likely a forklift). The hit was so hard that the whole top of the TV was destroyed. I of course refused the shipment and called Amazon.
The first gentleman that I spoke with told me that he could not help me and that I needed to talk with the "electronics department", but that he could not transfer me. Instead, he would have to send an email to them and they should be getting back with me in 2 days. On Sunday 18Dec06, I received an email saying that they could send out a replacement, but couldnt guarantee delivery by Christmas or I could have a refund that wouldnt come for 2-3 "business" days.
I called again and was told that no Supervisors or Team Leads were available and that one would call me back within 2 hours. 2 hours came and went with no call, so I called again. This time I was told that there was no Supervisors or Team Leads even working today. When I confronted the Rep on the fact that SOMEONE had to be watching over her, she was magically able to find a Team Lead for me to speak with. He told me that he could not send out a replacement nor refund my money. He said that they only thing he could do was send an email to his Supervisor, who "should" get back with me by the end of business.
About an hour later, I received a phone call from someone at Amazon who was not the Supervisor who was supposed to be calling me back. He in fact confirmed this and said that he was only a Team Lead. He told me that he was told that the only thing that they could do for me was to refund my money, because they could not guarantee shipping by Christmas. When I asked when they sent out a broken TV to begin with, why they could not pay to send the TV 2nd day; I was told that FedEx or UPS would not accept a package that big for shipment. Now I have a FedEx account and to ship that TV from Reno 2nd day cost $310 and to ship it 1 day was $325. I then asked to be refunded my money PLUS the cost to buy it locally, since they knowingly sent out a broken TV. I was told that all he could do is refund my money and that I should get it within 2-3 business days. Then he hung up!
Therefore, the answer to the problem is to NEVER use Amazon again for anything that is time sensitive or over a couple hundred bucks. Even my order that really was not needed quickly said "In Stock" on the site, but magically was back ordered, when they got their money, for a week that ended up being a month. Amazon like many companies before it has gotten too big for its britches. Even right now, I can take back products for 90 day with no exclusions and no questions at Wal-Mart.
_______________________
Updated information:
After my initial review of Amazon and this joke of an order, I spent the next 1 1/2 weeks talking to many more CS Reps, Team Leads, and even a few "Supervisors". Every time I was told a completely different story and was told that, it did not matter that there was notations in the system otherwise. When I told them that I had been recording every conversation that I had had with Amazon I was told that it did not matter.
Trying to call the corporate office was a joke too. The secretary who answered asked how she could help you and when you ask for the CEO, she says she CANNOT do anything without a name. Knowing his name, I asked for him and was told that he does not take calls. I then asked for his secretary and was again asked for a name. In the end what ended up being my TRUE options was to wait 2-4 weeks for Amazon to process a return(how you return something that was never technically delivered I dont know). After Amazon processed my "return", I could then choose to wait another 2-4 weeks for either my refund or another TV to be sent out to me.
In the end after all of the lies and lack of service; Plus the fact that this was part of my sons Christmas presents (Yes when your son understands and deals with how you have to live on almost nothing, when Social Security takes almost 2 years to start paying, you go and spend $6,000 on his Christmas!). I had to file a Visa Dispute with my bank and had my money back within a couple of days. I turned around and bought the TV for $2,150 from Spencers TV and Appliances here in Mesa, AZ. It was in my house by the Friday after Christmas.
On: 2006-12-14
I paid $1999 for this at circuit city the weekend after thanksgiving, but its a great buy even at the current price. The picture is fantastic. I originally wanted a flat panel lcd, but also wanted a 60 TV. Honestly, the picture on this is as good asthe lcd flat panels. I paired this with a samsung hd-960 1080p upconverting dvd player and regular movies are incredible. HD channels incredible. non-hd channel, well, you know the deal with non-hd channels, but they do seem to be better on this tv thanon the others Ive seen (including a samsung dlp that my nephew has).
Just one complaint - although this tv has an optical audio out, in my opinion, its useless. I have my cable box and dvd player both connected to the tv via hdmi. I thought I couldthen make a single connection from the tv to my surround sound via the optical out. It didnt work - when i called sony they told me that the optical out will not work with hdmi input sources and only works on digital cable channels (makes no sense to mesince the signals coming in via hdmi are all digital).
Besides that, I have no complaints.
On: 2006-12-13
I have owned this TV for about 3 weeks now.
TV Piture is great - HDTV is stunning. SDTV is even really good. This TV scored VERY high on Consumer Reports.
I wonder has anyone else experienced the problem I have with PC input though:
TV is 1080P (1920x1080 resolution) so shouldnt it be able to take a PC input at that resolution...???
Maybe its bc it has a VGA PC input vs. DVI? But I cant get above 1300 somthing (1360 myabe) by 768 resolution on mine via the PC input.
I know my graphics card is capable as I have a 24" Dell LCD monitor that I previously used this graphics card on at 1920X1200 resolution.
Anyone else experience this issue? Is it a graphics card & TV compatability issue or is the that the VGA input cant accept a full 1080P resolution (but the HDMI inputs can???)_
On: 2006-12-09
I am absolutely pleased with the quality of this TV, the price Amazon sold it for and the free, timely, high-value delivery by Eagle USA.
Eagle unpacked it while I uncabled & removed the old TV, and helped me lift it onto the stand. I cabled it up & it was working about 15 minutes after coming into the door!
The picture quality is stunning in HD and acceptable with conventional format. Audio is terrific with the built-in speakers.
On: 2006-12-07
I ordered the Sony KDS-60A2000 on November 24, 2006. I recieved the TV on December 2nd, several days ahead of schedule. When the delivery guys took the TV out from the box, nothing was inside the box except the TV. No users manual, remote control, warranty card, etc. I called Amazon immediately and was told to call Sony directly! I left a message to the Amazons customer service and still have not heard from them!
I suspect that the TV that I received is an open box item. When they put the TV back into the box, they forgot about the remote and manuals. This is not right. I supposed to have received a brand new TV!
The rating is supposed to be 2 stars instead of 4!!!
On: 2006-12-07
I just got my tv today. So far, the picture is fantastic. The SD picture is at as good as my old 50" SD TV (which had a great picture). To me thats a big deal because Ive seen a lot of HDTVs with a bad SD picture.
And the HDTV picture is mind-blowing. I have the tv in a room with a lot of windows and even with a lot of sunlight in the room (but not on the tv), the picture still looks great.
On: 2006-12-04
Right out of the box. A great picture. We purchased this TV at Circuit City for the same price that Costco and Sams club was selling the lower model. Two of the biggest differences we found with this TV as opposed to the Sony 60" at Costco.
1.. TWO HDMI inputs on the rear of this (KDS 60A 2000) in stead of 1 on the cheaper model.
1.. This TV also has the higher resolution factor.
Before purchasing this TV we had never heard of HDMI cables, wow! what a difference in the picture quality. One cable brings audio and video to the TV. you would of course need to hook your cable box or Directv box to your stereo in order to get your theater sound.
another good reason for the 2 HDMI inputs: we are inputting the signal from our Cable box into one of them and our new "upconverting" DVD player into the other.
"upconverting"? DVD player? I just found out about these, they are called "upconverting" DVD players. Very inexpensive! under $100.00 for a basic unit. the difference between our 1 year old DVD player hooked into this new TV via component cables and our new Panasonic "upconverting" player hooked into the TV via HDMI cables is unbelievable!
We are almost seeing Hi Def quality out of our old CDs
I.e. an "upconverting" DVD player is a must in my opinion.
Dont get these players confused with Blu-Ray. Blu-ray is still way too expensive and new, I think. Also Blu-ray disks are very limited.
Until Blu-ray is proven, I am quite pleased with an "upconverting" DVD player.
I also hooked up our audio portion between the DVD "upconverting" player and our Time Warner Cable box using the fiber optic inputs. This type of hookup eliminates the need for the red and white RCA type audio cables.
Also our Home Theater also is better able to automatically adjust to best set up for the movie we are watching. Another huge difference in sound.
Your cable box and home theater must have optical in and outputs in order to do this.
Hopefully this info will help you.
On: 2006-12-04
Although I have been a satisfied customer of Amazon for many years now, I was quite concerned about purchasing such a large, in size and cost, item from Amazon. The tranasaction, from beginning to end, could not have gone better. The price, with no sales tax, and no delivery fee, was about $700 less that Circuit City, Best Buy or Sears. Shipment was on time as promised, but actual delivery was 10 days ahead of schedule. My TV was delivered by Air Freight. They put the TV in the room, took it out of the box, and removed the box. They would not put it on the stand for fear that the stand would not support it properly. The deliver men commented that Amazon is very careful and thorough with deliveries like this. I was truly impressed, and kept looking for something to go wrong! If it sound too good to be true, it probably is - Not So - Now, as for the TV. The picture quality is awesome! I have a digital cable box, so I hooked the cable up two ways, With a splitter, I directed one side to the cable box, and the other straight into the TV. To my surprise, a channel search on the straight cable turned up many Digital and HD channel I did not know I had!. I connected the sound output to my SONY surround sound receiver (pro logic) and connected my SONY DVD/VCR player to the TV. I am old enough to remember the introduction of Cinemascope movies with stero sound back in the 50s. I remember what some of the great movies of that time looked like and sounded like. The great Rogers and Hammerstein musicals filmed in the 50s were truly an experience when seen in a large theatre with all the latest screening and sound equipment. Well, my new TV lets me relive those experiences, only better. We just purchased Sound of Music, King and I, and Carousel DVDs from Amazon. The picture is absolutely amazing! The sound is super! I have one minor problem and that is my connection from my VCR. I cant seem to get the right combination to be able to record programs. Hookup directions for the TV call for a simple audio/video cable connected to one of the standard inputs. We are little by little, replacing our favorite movies (VCR) with new DVD versions. Judy Garlands A Star Is Born just arrived, and next will be Ben Hur. In closing, dont hesitate to purchase and iten if this size from Amazon. One more thing, in the past, I had a service contract from Sears on another old large screen TV and was really happy with their service. I went to a Sears retail store and asked if they would consider a service contract on my new TV and they said no. I went to Sears Home Service on the internet, got a contact, and the confirmation arrived last week. It includes replacement of all parts, including the bulb!
On: 2006-12-04
My Sony KDS-60A2000 Grand WEGA 60" SXRD 1080p Rear Projection HDTV was delivered 2 days ago and it is incredible. The picture is excellent and the controls are very usable. I did a lot of research before choosing this television, and am very happy with my choice.
On: 2006-12-02
Beware of the fact that the lamp may need replacement every year or so! It costs around $200 and is supposed to last 3 years/5000 hours but I went through two lamps in three years on my older LCD projection model...will see how long the current one lasts.
On: 2006-11-24
Ive been researching hdtvs for the last 3 months in preparation for my birthday gift to myself and it finally came down to Sonys first generation SXRD(aka LCoS) KDS60A2000 or Samsungs DLP HLS-6188W. Although this KDS had the best picture by far it lacked a few common features...actually one common feature that I felt shouldve been there, and that was either a USB or Firewire input for external pictures or music. I can agree w/ the other reviews on the cable card, so i wouldnt pour any time into the lack of that feature.
However, Im a gamer and PIP was almost the deal breaker for me because although my cable DVR box has PIP, the ability to game and watch tv in a smaller window weighed heavy in my decision.
So, I sacrificed the absence of PIP and USB/Firewire for the best picture on the market right now not to mention CompUSA was having an unadvertised special on turkey day for $1999.99 which came w/ an XBox360 Core system(wish it had been a PS3 since i have the XBox360 already).
Best picture quality and technology (Sony SXRD) vs. Great picture quality and a few features...(Other DLPs)?
On: 2006-11-15
Im highly detail-oriented, so that makes me picky when it comes to TV quality. Having had an exacting electronics engineer for a father, who serviced TVs and other electronics for a living for 40 years, also has made me more critical than most about TV pictures. Things like excessive color push and poor geometry, obvious while watching graphics-heavy sports and news, can really bug me. And I love this TV!!!
After doing a lot of reading, plus the incentive of some recent price cuts, I decided this set -- of all HDTVs regardless of technology -- was the best combination of picture size, quality (superior to DLP), future-proofing (1080p, 2 HDMI inputs) and price. The set itself has lived up to it all and then some. The idea of rear projection made me reluctant at first, but this set puts out such a bright picture, it matches any direct-view set, and there are no convergence issues. Ive tuned the HD and SD pictures with Digital Video Essentials and some suggestions from good forums like AVS (turned off most enhancements or set to low, set DirecTV box to pass through resolutions to let TV scale).
Sonys reputation has taken a beating of late, but the SXRDs deserve to be their Trinitrons of the 21st century. Thankfully I seem to have gotten a set from later off the assembly line, for I have not experienced any issues others have noted. Im looking forward to many happy years and events enjoyed with this TV. Having been blown away by gorgeous HD in my home, I have some feeling what the exhilaration must have been like when our parents and grandparents brought home their first color TVs 35-40 years ago.
On: 2006-11-12
Best looking TV Ive ever owned. I never calibrated and it looks just as good as the display model in the store. I have no complaints. HDTV is wonderful.
On: 2006-11-10
We decided to join the big screen revolution this year with an early Christmas present to each other at the start of football season and we havent been disappointed. We were leaning towards a Sony product, because we usually like their quality and have had a 36" flat screen Wega for the past few years. It had a great picture, but it just seemed too small for our family room. After doing a lot of research, we narrowed the choice down to a rear-projection lcd tv, because the calculations I researched said we needed a 60" screen for the size of our room, and the rear projection table top was the sleekest tv in an affordable price. We settled on the KDS60A2000 due to the fact that we did not have to pay extra for the unwanted cable card function and our cable dvr box already included PIP, so we didnt need that either. We have another smaller LCD tv in our bedroom with the cablecard and it never worked from day one, and we wound up having to go back to the cable box, wasting all the extra cost. So we checked prices all over and found the best deal from Amazon. They delivered it, set it up and took away the boxes! And since Sony provides the warranty service in your home for the first year, we feel we got a great deal without having to pay more at the local electronics store. The picture is wonderful, especially on the HD channels, and now we wonder how we went so long without it!
On: 2006-11-10
I bought this TV because of the reviews on Amazon.com and other sources. The HD picture is excellent. however, the digital only picture is not as good as my old Mitsubishi 60" big screen. I am not sure why. Overall, I am very satisfied with this product and Amazon service was great.
On: 2006-11-01
Ive had this SonyKDSA2000 for 3 weeks and have already had a factory tech come and replace something called an optical block. This part had a scratch on it and caused the screen to show a baseball sized gray spot that showed itself on bright scenes. Now the lighter colored backgrounds look like fine woven fabric and are very distracting. Maybe I got a lemon. Mine never looked nearly as impressive as the one on display which was shockingly beautiful. Ive viewed this in all light conditions from 10 feet away and have only set the picture to standard since vivid was a bit too much. Any advice? If I get it worked out Ill edit this review.
On: 2006-10-25
I just bought this television for our new "media" room, and I have been blown away. I spent months visiting Best Buy and Circuit City trying to figure our which HDTV to buy. I knew, based on the size of the room we were furnishing, that I needed something bigger than 55 inches. Further research indicated that I couldnt really afford a quality plasma screen of that size. Checking out websites like [...] Comparing them side by side I was first drawn to the more vibrant colors of the Samsung. The Samsung also seemed to me to do a better job producing a blacker black in dark scenes. I was worried that the Sony might not be bright enough in a well-lit room. But after looking at both these TVs for a while I drew a couple of conclusions:
1. The Samsung does seem to favor more vibrant, intense colors by design, but the Sony seems to me to do a better job reproducing a truer, more lifelike image. If you like more color, you can easily switch the Sony into "vivid" mode or crank up the color, but I like more natural hues.
2. While Samsung does appear to have higher contrast ratios and handle the deep blacks better, I think the Sony did a better job in reducing or eliminating noise from the image. With the Samsung I was seeing tiny flickers of white in the deep black backgrounds of some scenes, as well as in other places. I didnt notice any such flickering in the Sony. Also, while both TVs looked great showing HD programming, it seemed to me that the Sony did a better job handling lower quality signals (such as the analog signal you get when watching "regular" TV channels).
So, based upon the more natural colors and the better noise reduction I bit the bullet and bought the Sony. It certainly didnt hurt that I have had Sony TVs in the past and have always been happy with them.
Since the TV has been delivered and set up, I have been just amazed. I bought the TV to watch sports and it has been phenomenal. Notre Dame football and the World Series have been awesome. It is amazing what you see in high-definition on such a big screen, and the clarity of the SXRD picture is beyond words. When they show a close-up of the pitcher, you can count his individual whiskers and differentiate the gray whiskers from the black ones. When they pan the dugout, you can read the papers that are thumbtacked to the wall. This TV is not as good as being at the game - it is probably much better than being at the game!
Before the TV arrived I was worried about at least three things:
1. Would the picture be bright enough in a normally-lit room? The TV is in the same room with our desk and computer, so the lights are usually on. I was worried that the room lighting would wash out the picture. This is absolutely not a problem. Ive actually toned the picture brightness down a little bit because it was so bright when first set up.
2. Would my cable box degrade the HD signal and make it less than razor sharp? It does not. I have Cox HD cable service and am using an HDMI connection from the cable box to the TV. The picture is crystal clear on the HD channels, and still very good on the non-HD channels.
3. Would the cable box interfere with the auto-size function of the TV? With my older, 32-inch conventional 4:3 TV, the cable box and TV combination was less than optimal in figuring out how to display the different types of signals. I usually had to change the settings by hand when I switched from 4:3 to 16:9. This TV gives you about 5 options on how you want it to handle the different sized images, and then carries out your preferences flawlessly.
All in all, as you can probably tell, I am thrilled with my new HDTV. The only drawback is that my old TV, a very nice 32" Sony WEGA flat screen is now about as useful as a paperweight. After watching the SXRD for a while, the old TV seems so small, and the 4:3 screen is just annoying. I guess the kids can watch it.
On: 2006-10-05
I own this spendid TV and I have had it for a little over two weeks. I love it to pieces. I put it in a two story high very spacious family room with two stories of windows letting in bright light. As long as I am sitting down at an appropriate viewing angle it is always clearly visible with negligable screen glare even in the most bright sunlight. Anything less than full summer sunlight and the viewing angle becomes almost anywhere you can actually get line of sight on the TV.
You need to be about 10 feet away to watch standard definition TV on this screen and have it look acceptable. DVDs look great from that distance and look pretty good from five or six feet away. HDTV and HD DVD looks incredible from two and a half feet away. My advice, this TV is made to show HD and I woulnt bother with it if you are going to watch SD all the time. Upconversion helps a little, but it is no subsitute for really having a DVD or HD quality signal.
All that praise aside, there are DLPs that are probably just as good in terms of picture quality, actually have a few more features than this TV and are somewhat cheaper. This leaves me with the feeling that maybe I paid a little too much and got a TV that maybe is a little too good for me to really apreaciate it fully. But then again, what is an extra 10% or so to ensure that your purchase is of the absolutely highest quality.
On: 2006-09-29
So I spent countless hours researching every TV on the market. I finally decided on this TV when I was in Circuit City. While I was there I happened to bump into a technician that installs the TVs for C.C. and Best Buy. He told me that this TV was great, but after a couple of years you would notice a deterioration of the monitor quality(i.e. green streaks). He said to go to Best Buy and look at the display TVs that have been on the floor for more than 2000 hours. He recommended the Samsung HL-S5687W 56" 1080p DLP HDTV or a Pioneer Plasma(if I could afford it). Just ordered my Samsung yesterday from Amazon with the stand for $2183. Not a bad deal, although I will have to buy a new bulb every 5000 hours.
I still think that this Sony is the better TV, but not in the long run.
On: 2006-09-28
This tv is fantastic. I returned a Sony 50" XBR1 because of "green blob" problems and bought a 60" A2000. The SD picture is very clear and the HD picture is amazing. The tvs tuner does a beautiful job. The only time I use my cable box is for scrambled channels. The remote controls every piece of AV equipment that I own so I can put all the others in a drawer. Right out of the box the picture looked great. I only made a few minor adjustments to obtain my personal preference.
On: 2006-09-26
This is my second HD set, and its much much better than what I had. Not only does this have an excellent HD 1080p, but the picture from standard def sources is the best Ive seen. The internal scaler (which converts SD to 1080p) is among the best made.
One thing that happens, though, is that people hook up devices that have their own (inferior) scalers and then complain about the Standard def. This happens often with "hi-def" cable boxes, where the installer sets the cable box to do all the converting before it gets to the TV. Not much the TV can do when the cable box has already mucked things up. The proper thing to do is to set up the cable box to "pass-through" mode (i.e. leave the signal alone!) so the $3000 TVs scaler is used instead of the junk in the $80 cable box.
When set up properly, regular TV looks like DVD used to, DVD looks hi-def, and true HD is eye-popping.
On: 2006-09-15
...you have to calibrate the display (as you should with ANY television), and because of the incredible detail possible with a 1080p picture, the "garbage in, garbage out" tenet of picture quality really holds here.
I cant stress those two points enough. If you cannot afford a full calibration by an ISF technician, you should at least purchase Digital Video Essentials or Avia Guide to Home Theater (both available at Amazon) and calibrate the brightness, contrast, color, and grayscale tracking of the display. It is not fair to gauge the picture quality of the display when using factory settings, which are set to "torch" mode (super-bright, super-contrast) to attract ignorant buyers at Best Circuit Buy City. You MUST calibrate the TV for your viewing environment. Note that the A2000 remembers calibration settings PER INPUT and PER RESOLUTION. That means if you have an HD cable box that is in "pass-through" mode - meaning it might send 480i, 720p, or 1080i, depending on the source - for best results you will want to calibrate using the same input as the cable box, and at all resolutions. If you cant do that, you should at least calibrate at one of the resolutions, then copy the settings to other resolutions and tweak for best picture.
After doing a basic calibration, evaluate picture quality using high-quality sources (OTA high-definition, progressive-scan DVD, HTPC, etc.) and the best connection you can (HDMI or component). Most standard definition cable content is crap, and blowing crap up to 60" and (comparitively) ultra-high-resolution will result in big, high-resolution crap. In my opinion, after proper calibration and judicious use of the noise-reducing/picture-enhancing features of the A2000, standard-definition content looks pretty good. Itll never look as good as your old 27" CRT, due mostly to being blown up to 4x the size. Compared to other 60"-class HDTVs, the SD quality is excellent. Check your cable signal strength, and compare several SD channels - some have better overall picture than others.
OK, rant over. Here are my thoughts on high and low points:
High Points
- Amazing HD picture quality
- Good SD picture quality, keeping in mind GIGO
- Quite bright enough to be usable in a well-lit room
- Accepts 1080p natively (hello HD-DVD)
- Low-reflectivity screen
- Blacks are very deep
- Plenty of inputs
- Plenty of calibration/configuration options (even without going into the service menu)
- Immune to "rainbow effect" of DLP sets
- Immune to burn-in (CRT, plasma)
- Good viewing angles
- User-replaceable bulb
Low Points
- No picture-in-picture or picture-and-picture (has "freeze" feature, which seems of dubious usefulness)
- Silver bezel (this is strictly a matter of opinion; I prefer an all-matte-black bezel)
- No bulb timer (to gauge lifespan of bulb)
To add some context to my opinions: I watch 60% SD content and 40% HD content, plus Xbox 360 gaming and the occasional DVD. I am not a videophile, but I do have enough skill to calibrate the display including service-menu adjustments. My viewing environment has a WNW-facing window shaded by trees. During the afternoon/early evening, the room is pretty well lit, but without direct sunlight hitting the TV. At night, I watch TV with some lights on in the room. The A2000 is more than bright enough for all viewing conditions I encounter, and has very low reflectivity (the old Tosh was like a mirror when dark). If you have a light-controlled home theater and bias lighting, I expect you will have even better results than I.
For more information on the A2000 (buyers experiences, calibration, tweaks, etc.) see these AVS Forum threads:
[...]
On: 2006-09-14
...you have to calibrate the display (as you should with ANY television), and because of the incredible detail possible with a 1080p picture, the "garbage in, garbage out" tenet of picture quality really holds here.
I cant stress those two points enough. If you cannot afford a full calibration by an ISF technician, you should at least purchase Digital Video Essentials or Avia Guide to Home Theater (both available at Amazon) and calibrate the brightness, contrast, color, and grayscale tracking of the display. It is not fair to gauge the picture quality of the display when using factory settings, which are set to "torch" mode (super-bright, super-contrast) to attract ignorant buyers at Best Circuit Buy City. You MUST calibrate the TV for your viewing environment. Note that the A2000 remembers calibration settings PER INPUT and PER RESOLUTION. That means if you have an HD cable box that is in "pass-through" mode - meaning it might send 480i, 720p, or 1080i, depending on the source - for best results you will want to calibrate using the same input as the cable box, and at all resolutions. If you cant do that, you should at least calibrate at one of the resolutions, then copy the settings to other resolutions and tweak for best picture.
After doing a basic calibration, evaluate picture quality using high-quality sources (OTA high-definition, progressive-scan DVD, HTPC, etc.) and the best connection you can (HDMI or component). Most standard definition cable content is crap, and blowing crap up to 60" and (comparitively) ultra-high-resolution will result in big, high-resolution crap. In my opinion, after proper calibration and judicious use of the noise-reducing/picture-enhancing features of the A2000, standard-definition content looks pretty good. Itll never look as good as your old 27" CRT, due mostly to being blown up to 4x the size. Compared to other 60"-class HDTVs, the SD quality is excellent. Check your cable signal strength, and compare several SD channels - some have better overall picture than others.
OK, rant over. Here are my thoughts on high and low points:
High Points
- Amazing HD picture quality
- Good SD picture quality, keeping in mind GIGO
- Quite bright enough to be usable in a well-lit room
- Accepts 1080p natively (hello HD-DVD)
- Low-reflectivity screen
- Blacks are very deep
- Plenty of inputs
- Plenty of calibration/configuration options (even without going into the service menu)
- Immune to "rainbow effect" of DLP sets
- Immune to burn-in (CRT, plasma)
- Good viewing angles
- User-replaceable bulb
Low Points
- No picture-in-picture or picture-and-picture (has "freeze" feature, which seems of dubious usefulness)
- Silver bezel (this is strictly a matter of opinion; I prefer an all-matte-black bezel)
- No bulb timer (to gauge lifespan of bulb)
To add some context to my opinions: I watch 60% SD content and 40% HD content, plus Xbox 360 gaming and the occasional DVD. I am not a videophile, but I do have enough skill to calibrate the display including service-menu adjustments. My viewing environment has a WNW-facing window shaded by trees. During the afternoon/early evening, the room is pretty well lit, but without direct sunlight hitting the TV. At night, I watch TV with some lights on in the room. The A2000 is more than bright enough for all viewing conditions I encounter, and has very low reflectivity (the old Tosh was like a mirror when dark). If you have a light-controlled home theater and bias lighting, I expect you will have even better results than I.
For more information on the A2000 (buyers experiences, calibration, tweaks, etc.) see these AVS Forum threads:
[...]
On: 2006-09-10
I really like this TV, but the Standard Definition was not all that great. I adjusted some of the picture setting and it looks better, but its still not great. My father in-law has the XBR1 and his SD looks fantastic. But I do want to add a caveat, that this may be a problem with my SD source. Others have reported xlnt SD. Also, the XBR2 will be coming out fairly soon, so if youre not in a hurry, you can wait for those, but watch out, these will be much more expense...
On: 2006-08-13
Ive been waiting for this TV for several months and have had it for a week now.All I can say is totally Awsome! 5 STAR, standard def is as good as it gets and HD is the best I have seen and I looked at a couple of dozen sets.Check out the few reviews that are out there its amazing I bought this at one call and got a great price and they were very good to work with.
Paul from Iowa
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