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(More customer reviews)I previously had a Westinghouse 42" 1080p LCD that went bad after just 6 months! I used my service plan and got a full refund since they didn't even want to touch the thing. The only problem i've found that that the prices in 6 months actually increased and suddenly I found that 42" 1080p LCDs were less common.
I first went with the Samsung LN-S4695D. I had some major issues with that so returned it for this. I originally skipped this Sony for the Samsung because it was cheaper.
When I purchased this I knew of the cloud issue and had them deliver it and crossed my fingers. Turned it on and after awhile I noticed clouds. The problem in all honesty does not bother me AT ALL EVER. I think in the 4-5 months i've owned this i've noticed it once or twice. Please note that I almost NEVER watch TV in the dark. If you do, maybe it's more of a problem. Sony's claim that it's "normal" is such a joke. How could you ship out thousands of these LCDs with this issue and knowing it's there? I've knocked off a star due to this. For the price you pay on this thing (it was more expensive when I bought it months ago) you'd expect it to be perfect. My first Sony was. It's not true that there is no PERFECT TV out there. There is.
Anyway, I immediately calibrated this using AVIA and DVE and the picture quality is even better than any previous TV i've owned by far. This thing has so many features in the menu system that you could spend hours just configuring it to get it right. I disliked the menu system on the Samsung and this one is so much better. It's really easy to navigate and not slow.
This also has so many different types of connections. Three HDMI ports. Most people think two is enough, but I don't agree. I currently use all three. Switching inputs on previous Sony televisions was a pain. Now it's a little bit easier. To press a button to display 'external inputs' and switch to the one you want. You can even label the inputs. I have mine set to PC, Wii, PS3, Cable and DVD PLAYER.
Games show no ghosting at all that i've noticed. A couple times i've noticed very slight motion smearing on really low quality cable TV. It's extremely rare and i'm going to blame my cable provider because it never happens on DVDs or anything else.
I don't use the TV speakers but I do when I connect my HD antenna up. That's about once every 2 weeks for NBA games in HD. Some would complain it sounds bad but they've probably never heard sound from other LCDs. My mother's plasma display has such bad sound that it sounds like it's coming from a $2 speaker. Honest. It's impossible to listen to it it's so bad. The sound from the speakers isn't good, but acceptable. My guess is that a large percentage of the people that buy a TV this expensive have a home theater system. I currently use a Yamaha Sound Projector since i'm in an apartment.
The design is much better than my Samsung I previously tried out. The only problem is that it will not tilt/rotate like the Samsung did. Not a big deal for me but it would have been nice. The design on the back is not good. It's hard to access all the HDMI and cable inputs. I'd imagine it's like this due to some people wanting to mount this on a wall? It's nothing that bad.
HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray movies are pretty amazing on this thing. Same goes for Playstation 3 games. DVD movies even look good but it depends on the DVD quality. Old movies don't really look good. I'm mainly talking about DVDs that came out when the players cost a fortune. I've compared the picture quality between an upconverted movie and one that's not and I definitely notice a huge difference.
I will admit though that my Oppo DVD player hates this LCD. It will display dark scenes but they will contain greenish tint/macroblocks etc. I thought it was the LCD but i've tried 5 others and this does not occur. I've tried many ways to fix this with not much luck. I currently use the Denon 575 and so far so good.
Standard "Digital" cable still looks terrible in most cases. I don't have HD cable yet and my cable provider's picture quality is terrible. That's all. It's not the TV's fault. Too bad I can't get Satellite TV out here.
I also was pretty impressed with the results I got when I connected my PC to this. Seeing your desktop at 1080i is pretty nice. I don't really use this feature though much. I've played a game that supports widescreen at that high of resolution (Final Fantasy XI) and it looks pretty good!
Other than the few negatives above, I can't think of many. I've waited months to post a review. I really wanted to give it some time. So far i've not experienced many problems at all.
The cloud issue might make it a risk buying this. Maybe they've fixed the problem already. Even with the cloud issue it's still a good TV. BTW my clouds are nearly impossible to see until I have a completely black screen and my lights are down. I have them on the top left and bottom left. When the actual movie plays they are GONE. Completely unless a scene is completely black, not just a little dark.
If I run into anything bad i'll update this review. So far, so good!
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Sony KDL-46XBR2 Bravia XBR LCD HDTV
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