Sony Grand WEGA KDS-50A2020 50-Inch 1080p Rear Projection HDTV
By: Sony Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 13
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 On: 2008-05-04
This is a great TV and the HD is unreal. Its 2 years old and had to have the optical eye replaced. Remember that if you start to see more green in the picture call your repairman. Sony replaced the optical eye free of charge and they even called me to see if everything was alright. I called when the green was too much and could not be adjusted, and the new eye is bigger and the picture has improved. The only problem I have: the dealer told me the lamp would last 3 to 4 years. After 2 years it burned out. I have been told that the new lamp will last longer. Overall its a great TV and I have yet to see another LCD or Plasma thats clearly better. Its only a matter of time before some company comes out with something even better.
 On: 2007-12-26
A few years ago, I was telling everybody I knew that DVR would change your life! Now, Im singing the same tune for HDTV. And specifically, the Sony rear projection LCOS technology! Sometimes, I just sit and stare at Planet Earth for hours. The picture is freakin unbelieveable The set-up was easy as can be if you start off with the Cnet recommended settings (see previous reviewers tip) and then adjust to your liking from there. And if you have a great room with a wide viewing area, this is the only way to go. The picture quality is the same no matter where you sit in coorelation with the screen. Also, I was really concerned about purchasing such a high dollar, fragile product via the internet, but I had no issues with the quality of the service, from both the vendor and the shipping company. I have had this TV since mid-Sep. and I have NO complaints.
On: 2007-10-10
Delivery was within 7 days and there was no problem with set-up. The instruction manual is fairly straight forward; however, I recommend going on-line to download a copy prior to delivery. This allows sufficient time to familiarize yourself with the setup. Also recommend getting an after market set-up DVD to fine tune the advance settings on the television. The initial set-up will be fine for most people. Great color and an easy set to operate.
On: 2007-09-11
This is one of the finest products I have ever owned. If you want to get into high definition, this is the best combination of quality and price that I have seen and I have looked at many. It is easy and intutive to set up. I did it myself just following the simple directions included.
The picture is amazing with Dishs Voom Networks. We also invested in a Toshiba HD-DVD player although the pictures from our regular DVD player are almost as good, the HD-DVDs knock ones socks off.
I know I will spend $ someday to replace the projecting bulb, but if they last 3-5 years as promised, I can replace several and still be $ ahead. The only small problem I see is a very rare green tone on some tan shades. It is hardly noticable and not a problem for me. I am quite perfectionistic also.
On: 2007-08-31
When you go to the movies, is the picture up on the screen really that sharp? Not really; you are seeing an image that started out the size of a 35mm frame of film enlarged many times. However, if you sit far enough back, the screen looks great. That why I bought a rear projection TV. Using projection technology, it gives a very film-like picture, at least from DVD material or better. And while there has been some criticism of the primary color reproduction on this set, what is far more important is the excellent black level reproduction. If you go Plasma or LCD (or even DLP), you will not get the black levels of this set. That will make those "more accurate" colors look washed out.
It is tempting to get the largest screen that you can. The KDS A2020 series comes in three sizes (50" 55" and 60"), but remember the movie screen? The farther back you sit, the better these televisions look. I sit about nine feet away from my 50" set. I know that is more than the "official" recommendation, but it looks great.
Finally, the price on these sets is low because this is basically last years technology. The new 3000 series will have a few new features, most notably HDMI 1.3a. This will permit twice as much digital information to get to your television, a higher bit rate of color, all kinds of things that sound great. However, there is very little (I think maybe the Playstation 3) which has 1.3a. At least for now, HDMI 1.3a will not change the picture that you see. If you can compare these sets in the store, you will see no difference in the picture between this set and the 3000 series version.
Yes, I know, in the future everyone will have Blu-Ray, higher bit rates of color and all of the new lossless high definition sound. Every station will be high definition. Trying to future-proof equipment for products which do no yet exist is chasing the dragon. And think of what you will need to take advantage of all of this new stuff - a new receiver/amp to process the signals, and new DVD player, Blu-Ray or HD DVD, etc. Suddenly the extra $500 for the 3000 series starts to add up to much more. And, without any source material to look at today, you may find out that it doesnt make all that much difference to you when all of this stuff does come out. And by then, there may even be a new connection standard. (Remember DVI?)
I say dont play the upgrade game. (Although this set WILL work fine with a Blu-Ray player if you are ready to make that leap of faith) Get a great TV at a bargain price now.
And about calibration - it was a bit tricky with this set. There are a lot of options, and the picture looks terrible right out of the box. You might want to try some of the settings suggested by others here to start, but a calibration disc will help. And guess what? You probably already have one if you have any THX disc (Star Wars, Indiana Jones...) The color adjustments do require a color filter, but you can get a lot out of the brightness and contrast adjustments. With the brightness and contrast set properly, it will be easier to adjust the color to your taste.
On: 2007-08-27
I did a lot of research before buying. I almost bought the 50A2000 model but was worried about the infamous "green blob" problems. I saw no reports of the problem with the A2020 model so I decided to go for it.
DVDs and Blu-Ray movies look great. Even analog SD cable broadcasts look pretty good. Out of the box, the picture settings were way too high. I turned down the brightness, contrast and color quite a bit and am very pleased with the picture now. The set can produce a very bright image if needed. No green-blob issues seen so far.
A flat-panel LCD would be nice, but for a 50" screen theyre way more expensive than the SXRD. I considered plasma but I live at high altitude in Colorado and have heard reports of problems with plasma in this environment. I choose SXRD over other rear-projection sets because the color wheel used in other TVs reportedly gives some people headaches. Also, Ive bought lots of other Sony gear in the past and have never been disappointed.
The build quality, remote control, etc are all good. Im sure this TV will keep me happy for the next 5 years or so until whatever new technology comes along by then.
 On: 2007-08-05
Overall this is an excellent projection HDTV. I have rated it a "3" so people would focus on an annoying feature of the TV.. But first.
As a 50 inch projection HDTV, the system has been excellent. I have it attached to an indoor antenna. The system found all the digital channels and quickly programmed them. The user menu is pretty easy to use. The color, brightness, etc is fine out of the box. The remote makes it very easy to switch video modes (normal, full, zoom, etc). Sound from the unit is very good. It does take 30 seconds or so to warm but but the color is bright. Connecting a DVD and VCR was easy.
Down side:
The unit has about 8 external video options. I only have a combo DVD/VCR attached but I have to cycle over all the external video (video1, video2, video3... video8, TV) each time. It would be nice to remove some of them when using the remote to switch external inputs.
Im not happy with the PC input. My computer screen does not take up the entire 50" screen. The user manual (in small print) does say that the full screen is not used for PC input. THIS IS A SHAME. I had planned to use the PC input to connect a PC-computer and play digital versions of movies on the hard drive. NO such luck. I have about a 5 inch border around the picture. Playing the same movie via the DVD uses the entire 50" screen. For this reason, I rated the product an overall "3". If you dont plan to use this feature, the product is a "5"
On: 2007-07-23
People who do the research always come up with the Sony SXRD as the best way to get a large picture for the money. When you watch a true HD broadcast the picture is breathtaking -- I must have said "wow" a hundred times the first week I had it.
But everything depends on the source. There are only 11 or 12 HD channels on my cable now, and the picture quality varies among them. And some of the non-HD channels look dreadfully blurry in all of the screen modes. DVDs played with up-converting look great. So one caveat with HD is to make sure you have enough HD content to make the investment worthwhile at this point. The other is to pay attention to size; if youre too close to a big TV any imperfections are magnified.
On: 2007-07-18
this was a purchase to replace an aging CRT. Directions sucked (typical of Sony) but everything else was as expected.
On: 2007-07-13
Ordered this TV from Amazon and received it about a week and a half later. The local delivery company gave me a call and we scheduled a convenient time for the delivery. I took a half day from work as the window was 1-5pm on a Friday. The TV arrived without incident and I helped the delivery guy into the house with the box. He helped me unbox it and set it up on my stand. It is rear projection, but the case overall is less deep than my old 27" HD CRT by about six inches and though bulkier the 50" weighs less than that old TV (HD CRTs are pretty heavy).
The TV itself has 9 different inputs including two HDMI inputs that support 1080p resolution. There are three component inputs, two on the back and one on the front that support resolutions up to 1080i.
Currently I have my XBOX 360 attached to one of the component inputs running at 1080i and it looks absolutely terrific overall. HD material looks great on this TV, no doubt about it.
After hooking up my Dish Network DVR to the TV I noticed it wasnt looking all that great so I did some digging for settings that could improve things. I found a good article on CNET reviewing the Sony-KDS-60A2020 model which is basically the same TV just larger and the CNET guys had some good suggestions for improving overall quality both in SD and HD resolutions. There were also some other forums I perused as well.
The key problem is that when the TV arrives the standard picture setting is what videophiles refer to as "Torch Mode." Basically this setting is designed to make the TV look good in a store under a load of fluorescent lighting, but for normal viewing it makes content overly bright and especially on SD content can overemphasize flaws in the picture.
Because it can be a bit difficult for people to find Ill post some of the settings I ended up using below that I found buried in a CNET review.
Picture menu:
Mode: Custom
Advanced iris: Min
Picture: 84
Brightness: 56
Color: 41
Hue: 0
Color temp: Warm2
Sharpness: 50
Noise reduction: Off
--Advanced Settings--
Black corrector: Off
Gamma: Off
Clear white: Off
Live color: Off
White balance: (see below)
Detail enhancer: Off
Edge enhancer: Off
--White balance--
R-gain: -2
G-gain: -1
B-gain: 0
R-bias: -3
G-bias: -2
B-bias: -1
Setup menu:
Color matrix: Standard
Power saving: On
The above settings are used for viewing the TV in a very dark room. Since I dont generally watch content in a completely dark room I made some minor adjustments to add a bit more brightness. Basically changing the Advanced Iris setting to Auto(2) rather than turning it off was enough to brighten the content up a bit. For someone who really wants the best picture you would want to buy into a calibration DVD of some sort like Digital Video Essentials HD (HD DVD + DVD Combo Disc), but Im afraid Im just not that dedicated or picky.
Overall my wife and I are happy with the TV for viewing all content. She preferred the SXRD over the DLP because of the increased viewing angle of SXRD. Because of price drops this became a much more affordable TV and I was even able to get a refund from Amazon when the priced dropped again a few weeks after I bought my set.
Sony warranties the TV for one year parts and labor included with in home service. They warranty the projection optical block for two years. (Note: this is for in-home use, for commercial use the warranty is only for 90 days) Based on this I decided to go without the 3rd party warranties offered by Amazon as most of these sorts of warranties involve contracting out to a 3rd party for any repairs and overall I just dont feel like I want to deal with that or that it is really worth it.
On: 2007-07-13
bought this TV for my HT centerpiece. Bought through Amazon for the best pricing and delivery in your living room. Beats everyone elses prices,and comes with 30 day price guarantee. Picture and features have already been discussed (also see 50a2000 sony reviews since its pretty much the same TV). If you are thinking of purchasing one, go to your local TV store and check it out, then order through Amazon for best prices and delivery service.
On: 2007-06-14
Bought this television a few days ago after a great deal of research. Basically, I bought it for gaming (X-box 360 Elite with HDMI) and DVDs. Gears of War is BEAUTIFUL on this television. The many inputs also help make it a winner. Widescreen DVDs also look great.
However, I have to cite one major flaw. Unless I am missing something, this television is extremely lacking in its ability to stretch full screen DVDs into widescreen. I used to have DLP Toshiba that had the option to stretch full screen DVDs into widescreen by only stretching the areas towards the left and right side of the screen. The middle portion stayed looking normal and proportionate. It was a really nice feature that I used all the time for watching DVDs like Star Trek, Sopranos, etc, that dont come in widescreen. That was some 7 years ago. Naturally I assumed this function would exist across all widescreen televisions, espcially a brand as robust as Sony. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that it doesnt.
The Sony SXRD gives you 4 options on how to manipulate a full screen source, none of which look very good. Without going into too much detail, no matter which you choose, the entire picture will look fat, wide and stretched. "Wide Zoom" evenly stretches the 4:3 into 16:9 and tries to crop the upper and lower portions in a little to hide the distortion, but still looks disproportionate. It is the best of the options, but still looks noticeably wide, plus you lose some of the picture. "NormaL" just gives you black bars on the sides, which is obviously not something you want to do too often to protect from burn-in (not to mention the unsightly black bars). "Full" simply stretches the 4:3 into 16:9 without any cropping, which looks horribly fat and wide. "Zoom" is a useless option because it enlarges the entire 4:3 so that it eventually fills the screen. You lose way too much of the picture.
If it wasnt for this flaw, Id easily rate it a 5. But seeing that I happen to watch a lot of television on DVD, which doesnt come in widescreen, I have my regrets about this TV.
On: 2007-05-13
Ive wanted this TV from Sony for a couple of years now, when it first came out as the model E2000. When walking through department stores, you can easily pick it out as having a very bright picture in comparison to other brands. I have upgraded from a 34" widescreen CRT HDTV. It is so much nicer having the bigger screen in the living room. Except for one small detail, SD (standard definition). HD sources on this TV are fantastic and a real joy to watch. SD sources are absolutely hideous. The intense interpolation of a SD source on this TV will make everything blurry and unwatchable.
After noticing the horrible SD picture, I drug my old TV back out and hooked it up. I noticed the same distortions, but only if I sat right in front of the screen. The big 50 inches really brings out the yuck. I was at the end of my contract with one of the satellite companies, so I switched to the other one in hopes of a better picture. It did not improve at all.
The bottom line on this TV is that if youre going to watch HD sources the picture quality is fantastic. But, keep your old tv around to watch all the other shows as non-HD sources look horrible. And a quick note on Amazons white glove delivery service. Its a joke. They are supposed to bring the tv into your house and unpack it to make sure there is no damage. The delivery service wouldnt even unload it off the truck until my wife signed their delivery receipt and then refused to bring it in the house.
On: 2007-03-14
Ive owned this TV for about 1 1/2 months. I love this tv with all my heart. I did a lot of research, as well as searching in stores, for the right tv. I finally found it. I truely think this is a beatiful tv. Its somewhat pricey, but well worth it. I regret, not a day, ever since I purchesed this tv. I was interested in plasmas, as well as lcds. The Sony lcd XBR was the best I saw, but, I cant afford a $3000 tv, so this was the very next best. Really it all depends on what you see and what you like. This TV takes a little up-keep, but the picture quality will never change. So this tv, if properly taken care of will last for ever. I would recommend this tv to my very best of friends.
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