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[lachesis]

Sony KDF-60XBR950

I was originally thinking of getting Panasonic retail model 50 inch plasma - as my wife insited to have flat pannel, but no projection. Today was just supposed to be a research day, with no purchase in our minds. Funny thing is that she had a very bad opinion regarding anything "Projection" being bulky, no matter how much I tried to convince her out of the plasma idea - and she finally got it.

Yes, it cost me a fortune ($6,141, including stand, 5yr warranty, Sh/H/setup and tax), especially that matching stands' original MSRP was 1000 bucks at my local store - but I'm very happy with the price that I got for the TV itself. Pre-labor day, 1day 10% off sale plus some manager special discount after some dealing. I ended up paying around $4,500 for the TV itself, $900 for the stand and $399 on warranty and some tax, which I can write it off from my tax return as I work for a network TV. I was rather pleased to see its performance - albeit it had cheaper and more comparable models - my wife especially loves its styling and that's one very important thing for me too. Only thing is that the thing is pretty heavy at 177 lbs due to glass pannel, but considering its size and bulk, I guess that's pretty light for what it is.

Also I just ordered Momitsu V880 for my new DVD player (and finally getting rid of that piece of junk DVD player), as well as Audio Authority 1154A component video/audio switcher on the net. Yes, heavy bleeding on my account, but I'm very glad and excited to see my new sets in few days!

I just wanted to thank for all those who chipped in when I was asking frequently in past few days - especially Marty, and just wanted to share my excitement. 60 inch screen, which I never thought and imagined that I would be getting is now mine. That should fire up some of the good ol' videogaming spriit in me too.

lachesis

 

[isamu]

$6,141??? Geez...

You coulda bought a front projector that would've given you a much better picture quality at double the screen size (120") for about $3000 less.

*InFocus SP5700 Review*

But if your happy with it that's cool

 

[lachesis]

Yeah. I guess I haven't spent the money the most practical, wisest way - as it's pretty expensive for what it is. (There are models which are available nearly half the price, for similar size in DLP/LCDPs.) - but yes, I'm very happy.

I was really debating whether I would want DLPs or LCDPs, and for me, the clear choice was LCDP - because I just happened to notice a bit of rainbow effect (or not - just the thing that I notice on most projection TVs, and on LCDPs, I haven't noticed anthing kinda wobbly(?) feel).

I haven't really researched front projections - just like my wife has a thing regarding "projection TV", I have something about "front projection" TVs too. 60 inch is pretty much the maximun I cound go for the size of my house, as I would have to sit within 13 ft, and realistically about 10 ft, so i figured 60 would be more than big enough.

lachesis

 

[EarthStormFire]

You should have waited for the new 1080p Samsung set coming out in the Fall. It will be $5000 for a 60 inch.

 

[lachesis]

I wish I was able to wait more - but the circumstances didn't really allow me too much of time - perhaps a month or so. Since I got the TV for 4500, I am happy about it. it's the all the other stuff that I had to pay which drove the whole thing over 6 grand. I hear that future ones would be even slimmer and slicker, but all new things are always better and more advanced, right?

lachesis

 

[teepo]

You should have waited for the new 1080p Samsung set coming out in the Fall. It will be $5000 for a 60 inch.

more then that buddy... and that not even including 4 year warranty and a stand.

 

[tmdorsey]

I hope you plan on viewing some HD content on that tv soon.

 

[lachesis]

HD cable set-top box will be coming soon. I have Time warner DTV setup, and it's a good thing that they'll upgrade the system to HD Box on request w/o any more service fee. (cable fee's still the same, thank god)...

lachesis

 

[Buggy Loop]

Cool, i bought this sony model, except 42inch on wednesday, been very satisfied so far, while watching ROTK i couldnt believe the image quality, its so damn good. Played ninja gaiden and rallisport challenge 2 on it with 480p and 16:9, its so kickass, and weirdly, im now better at RSC2

 

[Cooper]

Congratulations. My brother has the 50'' Sony and HD football looks sweet. We've also played extensive Project Gotham Racing and it is very immersive. Don't listen to the doubters. That front projector mentioned above isn't even HD. You've bought a fine model and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[lachesis]

Thanks Cooper. (your advice really did convince me to go towards projections, than plasmas) It's just very hard to hide my excitement. I hope this new TV set and image quality upgrade would fire-up my videogaming spirit a bit too.

Funny thing is, when I went to the showing room, ALL of any HD panels didn't really impress me too much, because the signals were being distributed with amplifier, and was really watered down. (It was good, bot not to the point of "WOW!") - which I"m pretty sure that would change with direct component/HDMI/DVI connection, I hope.

If they are going to show crappy HDsignal on the items they are selling - what's the point of showing them? I went 4-5 different places like best buy, circuit city and all - and all of them had pretty bad signals distributed to their showroom models.

lachesis

 

[Phoenix]

Enjoy. My wife actually likely one like that for our bedroom but I simply refuse to spend that much money - I can wait em out What I'm going to do in the interim is pick up a 34" 1080i Sony 16:9 for about $1200 and then when the larger flats, LCD, OLEDs, etc. get cheaper I'll move this into another room. We've got a 6 bedroom house, so I've got plenty of time to wait.

I too am amazed that the big showrooms of circuit city, best buy, sears, etc. all have such crappy feeds coming in. HHGreg was the only store I went to that had decent feed coming in and that made it a lot easier to see visual differences and with the olympics going on it was easy to see motion artifacts and the like (LCD is still not ready IMO).

 

[lachesis]

Yeah.. I too realized this one actually has a pretty high WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) level (as someone said before). Perhap's it's sony design thingie. I actually liked the panasonic design better, but it was the Sony WAF, which won my wife over and sold the TV.

6 bedrooms?! Damn. 6 bedrooms in my neighborhood, if there's any, would cost multi-millions.

lachesis

 

[Phoenix]

Yeah.. I too realized this one actually has a pretty high WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) level (as someone said before). Perhap's it's sony design thingie. I actually liked the panasonic design better, but it was the Sony WAF, which won my wife over and sold the TV.

6 bedrooms?! Damn. 6 bedrooms in my neighborhood, if there's any, would cost multi-millions.

lachesis

WAF is usually not an issue for me - she tends to go along with things, especially when it comes to electronics More often than not I have a 'price range' in mind when I set out to shop for stuff and I'm usually pretty good about not spending any more than that regardless of how cool something is.

In terms of the house - we like the house (its not multi millions in Atlanta - but it wasn't as cheap as it would have been in a few of the other states) though one day we want to move to a place with a 2-3 acre lot (sitting on 3/4 acre now) and build a larger house (not in terms of bedrooms though - we want a larger deck, pool, fenced area for the dog(s)), and I need at least 1000 sq. ft. for the entertainment room I'm planning. Getting a wireless signal from a single access point to cover this house is a PITA though.

 

[Dilbert]

Congrats on the new system! Hopefully you will enjoy the hell out of it. Be sure to post some pics when it's all set up!

 

[Dagless M.D.]

I too am amazed that the big showrooms of circuit city, best buy, sears, etc. all have such crappy feeds coming in. HHGreg was the only store I went to that had decent feed coming in and that made it a lot easier to see visual differences and with the olympics going on it was easy to see motion artifacts and the like (LCD is still not ready IMO).

Thats because they only have one or two cable feeds in showrooms, they use splitters on those feeds for each TV, and you just get a crap picture no matter how good the TV is

 

[lachesis]

Thanks, Jinx! I'll post up some photos when they arrive.

 

[Bog]

I love the posts that say "You should have waited" "You should have gotten a blah". As soon as you guys get 6 grand to spend on a TV, come back and maybe we'll pay attention.

 

[Eggo]

Congrats on the purchase. Word of warning though, I bought a Momitsu v880 and I've been having problems with it. I can't navigate DVD menus with the remote, which is pretty shitty to begin with. I had them send me another remote and that's not working, so maybe I have a busted player.

 

[lachesis]

Thanks, Eggo. Have you tried to update the firmware of V880? Perhaps that's the source of troubles..?
I hope my set would be free of troubles...

lachesis

 

[Malleymal]

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4090002


here is a LCD plasma HD for those that cant spend 6,000

I already have a 43 inch, just a heads up for those

 

[Crazymoogle]

here is a LCD plasma HD for those that cant spend 6,000

Plasma has nothing to do with LCD, kthnx

and response time 15ms? bleh

 

[Eggo]

I can't even update the firmware on my Momitsu. I made the disc, but the player won't even let me update.

 

[seismologist]

dude that's a massive TV. congrats. I'm thinking of buying the 30" Sony direct view HDTV pretty soon.

 

[DJ Demon J]

I love the posts that say "You should have waited" "You should have gotten a blah". As soon as you guys get 6 grand to spend on a TV, come back and maybe we'll pay attention.

IAWTP

 

[seismologist]

I can't believe that stand costs $900.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Me neither.

 

[BojTrek]

I bought this HDTV, because my basement is too small for the 46" SONY rear-projection set... so I will settle for 27" HD-TV until I can afford a 46" top-of-the-line plasma or DLP (thinner set)

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...KV27HS420&Dept=tv&CategoryName=tv_27"to32"TVs

 

[lachesis]

Yup. That stand cost me 900 bucks. Only good thing is its made specifically for this TV, and looks pretty decent with it. There are other comparable ones with 300 dollar area, but not as "integrated look". The look of this TV had alot to do with convincing my wife from Plasma, so I took the high-road, not practical road.

I only regret that I won't be utilizing ATSC tuner which comes with it, because I'm have a condo and the condo association would not allow external antena - so I will have to live with the cable box. Then again, cable companies supply more various HD signals than off the air, as far as I know. I wish I had an option with same model, w/o HD tuner... which would have made the whole thing at least 5-600 dollars cheaper.

Well, I'll be getting it sometime tomorrow... It's kinda exciting, and at the same time, a bit nervous about it too. I hope I'll be enjoying this TV as much as I have paid..

lachesis

 

[BojTrek]

Wait until you try Ninja Gaiden on HD... it is unbelievable on my 27" inch HD TV...

 

[Cooper]

I only regret that I won't be utilizing ATSC tuner which comes with it, because I'm have a condo and the condo association would not allow external antena - so I will have to live with the cable box.

Your condo owners' association might be powerless. The FCC has laws protecting your rights to receive broadcast TV. You might also be able to get away with a cheapie indoor antenna. We use a small indoor powered one and get very strong signals from the digital stations, even though we get crappy analog reception.

Still, if the cable company offers all the major networks' digital stations as well as cable-only ones, that's probably the way to go.

 

[Malleymal]

Wait until you try Ninja Gaiden on HD... it is unbelievable on my 27" inch HD TV...

<----Agrees

 

[EarthStormFire]

Your condo owners' association might be powerless. The FCC has laws protecting your rights to receive broadcast TV. You might also be able to get away with a cheapie indoor antenna. We use a small indoor powered one and get very strong signals from the digital stations, even though we get crappy analog reception.

Still, if the cable company offers all the major networks' digital stations as well as cable-only ones, that's probably the way to go.

No he doesn't have to get a cheap small antena. It is against the law for them to restrict your antena. Even if you sign a contracts, such contracts are illegal and in violation of FCC rules. Just contact the FCC and have them send your association a letter explaining their contract is illegal.

 

[seismologist]

I bought this HDTV, because my basement is too small for the 46" SONY rear-projection set... so I will settle for 27" HD-TV until I can afford a 46" top-of-the-line plasma or DLP (thinner set)

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...KV27HS420&Dept=tv&CategoryName=tv_27"to32"TVs

I'm getting the same set but 30". To hold me over until plasmas are less expensive or better technology. Can't wait to see Ninja Gaiden on it

 

[Cooper]

No he doesn't have to get a cheap small antena. It is against the law for them to restrict your antena. Even if you sign a contracts, such contracts are illegal and in violation of FCC rules. Just contact the FCC and have them send your association a letter explaining their contract is illegal.

Did you see the article I linked to?

 

[EarthStormFire]

Did you see the article I linked to?

yes

An association, landlord or local government may impose certain restrictions when safety is a concern or where a historic site is involved. An example of a safety restriction would be installing an antenna on a fire escape. Safety restrictions should be narrowly written so that they are no more burdensome than necessary to address an articulated and legitimate safety purpose.

FCC rules prohibit local governments, landlords, community associations, or similar groups from restricting a resident from installing and using an antenna that is covered under the OTARD rules. These rules only apply to properties or areas of properties that the antenna user owns, leases or rents and areas where the user has exclusive use or control. The rules apply to properties used for commercial purposes just as they apply to residential properties.

So unless it is for safty or historical reasons, then they can't restrict it.

 

[Cooper]

yes
So unless it is for safty or historical reasons, then they can't restrict it.

Or if he doesn't have exclusive control of an area.
"In the case of condominiums, cooperatives, and rental property, the rules apply to an area where the viewer has exclusive use, like a terrace, balcony or patio."

I don't know about you, but I don't know where lachesis lives, and thus can't comment if any of these restrictions apply. Hence, I mentioned the indoor antenna as a possiblity.

 

[EarthStormFire]

Or if he doesn't have exclusive control of an area.
"In the case of condominiums, cooperatives, and rental property, the rules apply to an area where the viewer has exclusive use, like a terrace, balcony or patio."

I don't know about you, but I don't know where lachesis lives, and thus can't comment if any of these restrictions apply. Hence, I mentioned the indoor antenna as a possiblity.

Yea, I was assuming he has a patio or something, that can only be accesed from his condo. Since most condos I have seen do have a patio or balcony, but yea his might not.

 

[lachesis]

I have a pretty good sized patio. (The association that I'm dealing is, bunch of A-holes though - regarding anything - sometimes I don't even feel like I own a home because of strict rules.) I'll talk to them eventually - but since I had a big fight with them with carpeting/hardfloor last time, I'm trying to keep low profile for few months...

Anyhow, Thanks all for clearing that up! It's good to know that my rights are protected by FCC.

Then again.. NJ/Bergen County is one strange place compared to NYC - Blue Sunday (?) law, and no beer in gas stations.

lachesis