Sony Grand WEGA KDF-60XS955 60 in. HDTV LCD TV

Just as we are about to leave home, they pull us back in!! Sony has come out with its Grand Daddy of rear projection slim profile LCD High Definition televisions, the KDF-60XS955 Grand Wega! With a sexy slim line with a petite footprint, no longer do we have to sacrifice large chunks of valuable real estate in our living or media rooms accommodating clunky behemoths! Open options have also widened enabling this technology; comfortably in our bedrooms is a viable option as well. The remarkable thing here is that at 113 pounds the Wega is 3 times as large as your old 20" and 1/3 the weight, making it a candidate for just about any room in the house (space provided). It's small footprint, (66 3/8" x 39 5/8" x 20 1/4") however, makes it easy to accommodate.

Reception

LCD technology isn't the new kid on the block anymore, but lots of innovations have taken place to make this an exciting and viable technology that we all can put on our shortlist of possible home theater candidates. The Grand Wega is set up to receive over-the-air High Definition broadcasts as well as digital cable programming through its integrated ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner with no separate converter required! The quality of your reception is going to be significantly better with a satellite than through cable, although most cable systems are converting to full digital, which should present a solid case for cable subscription in the future. Colors are vivid, engaging and lifelike. The picture is crisp, real and jaw dropping. Make no mistake about it; the Grand Wega is a looker! Lets face it, no matter the technology; the rubber meets the road with a sets reception. The Sony satisfies in spades on this count with 1,092,168 dots of resolution per panel. The 132-watt UHP lamp provides even lighting throughout the picture with no dead spots. You have a wide field of vision and should allow for at least 15 feet to really take it all in. Viewing angles are comfortable up to 22 degrees.

Connections


It's HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) technology is the latest interconnect between digital peripheral sources, supporting both uncompressed HD video and multi channel digital audio through a single cable source. HDMI is the enhanced version of DVI-HDTV found on older sets, but is backwards compatible so you can use all your existing video/audio components. Inputs located on the front and rear panel include:

Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) 2 rear 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i
Composite inputs 1 on the front panel 3 on the rear
S Video 1 Front / 3 rear
Control S(IN/OUT) 1 front 3 rear
Audio Inputs 1 front/ 6 rear
Subwoofer out 1 rear
HDMI with Analog Audio 1 rear
Cable card slot 1 rear

One of my ongoing gripes with cable technology was that it limited subscriber's ability to fully utilize all the features on their sets because of the necessity of a cable converter, thus rendering many of your sets features useless. Sony has addressed this issue with the inclusion of a Cable Card Slot. Getting a Cable card from your cable company eliminates the need for a separate cable converter. You can receive both Standard and High Definition programming. Many have noted that reception improved markedly with the Cable Card. You would have to check your local cable or satellite provider for details and fees.


A key consideration during setup is the quality of the cables you choose to interconnect your components. You have a considerable investment in the Grand Wega; connections are not an area you want to cut corners on! Make certain you get good quality component and audio cabling.

The front panel mounted audio and video and S Video connections enables quick camera setup to view home video.

Audio Impressions

The KDF-60XS955 Grand Wega (pronounced Vega) can sit alone without a sound system if necessary. Enclosed in the slim cabinet is a 30-watt, 5 speaker system accompanied by a 10 watt subwoofer! Frankly in a bedroom, you may not want to the complexity of a sound system and the Grand Wega will do just nicely on it's own. You can choose 4 palettes to accommodate your desired sound environment:

Dolby Virtual Surround
BBE Sound Enhancement
TruSound
Simulated Surround

Of course, if it's full steam ahead, the skies the limit with your sound component choices to give this monster some real claws. The Wega's Dolby Virtual Surround mode will surprise you with its realistic sound imagery. Considering it's all built in, it's still quite nice!


Remotely Impressed?

With the Supplied RMY915 remote, you can navigate deeper into the wonderful capabilities of the Grand Wega. Among the Video functions you will find, input select for your video components. You can access 3 picture modes (Vivid, Standard, Pro) and 4 Wide mode settings( Wide Zoom, Normal, Full, Zoom). The 915 confirms via red led, under 3 centrally located command categories: tv, SAT/CABLE VCR/DVD. The channel select buttons are smartly placed next to the Volume controls. Menu choices take you into preference picture adjustments, setup, audio and are easily navigated around using a logical 4 way cross cursor and center select button.

The smart remote performs the standard functions as would be expected with the addition of satellite controls.

Features

Among some of the other features are:

ATSC Integrated Tuner
16:9 aspect ratio
Flexible Twin-View™ 2-Tuner Picture-and-Picture (HD, NTSC)
CineMotion™ Reverse 3-2 Pull-Down Technology – improves frame movement when playing back movies.
BN Smoother – reduces block noise caused by video digital encoding & decoding
0.87" WXGA LCD Panels
Memory Stick?ƒƒ‚?ƒ‚?‚A? Media Enhanced Playback
Steady Sound – Equalizes audio levels between programming and commercials
Parental Control V-Chip
Optical Engine
Clear White Circuit
Black Corrector
Gamma Corrector
Detail Enhancer
High Resolution Panel
Video Label
Sleep Timer
On Screen Display in English/Spanish/French
Speed Surf™ Channel Selection
Auto Channel Program
Caption Vision (CC

Overall Impressions

The Sony 60" Grand WEGA LCD Projection HDTV is a great set, make no mistake about that. The set is illuminated by 1 UHP lamp. This is a consumable that will eventually burn out, requiring another replacement which costs upwards from $100 in today's market. The lamp takes a couple of seconds to illuminate causing some startup lag and because it is cooled by a near silent fan, repeated power-ups will require the entire system to recycle, which can take up to 10-15 seconds. Aside from this small inconvenience, you will find the Wega is worthy contender on the large screen television market. At a price tag nearing $4000.00 it competes head to head with more expensive plasma units. There is still an outstanding issue of plasma lifespan that, while being addressed, yet still looms as a serious concern with plasmas, further making LCD technology quite attractive.

Sony's proprietary Wega Engine minimizes digital to analog signal deterioration stabilizing the signal processing. Incorporating Composite Component Processor2 signal to noise ratios are enhanced by chroma decoder digital processing technology. Digital mapping of any NTSC source including DVD, VHS, DBS or Cable delivers pictures that is revealing of the finer details, bitmapping 1080i HD signals. Image Format Processor further reduces signal to noise ratio while New Panel Driver LSI delivers more vibrant colors and color gradation.

Okay, technical details aside; does the Wega have a place in your media/entertainment center? I have to answer yes with no reservations provided you have a satellite hookup. If you are relegated to your cable provider, and are on a large drop, or have a lengthy drop to your home you may want to give plasma further consideration. With a satellite, the Sony KDF-60XS955 Grand Wega is a great buy!