Sony KP-53HS30 53 in. HDTV-Ready CRT TV
Out of stock |
Similar in Projection Televisions
- Digital TV Standard: HDTV-Ready
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 16:9 Enhanced
- Weight: 168 lb.
- Projector Technology: CRT
- Built-in Tuner: NTSC
- Screen Size: 53 inch
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
For 4:3 this Sony set is very hard to beat
Pros
Wonderfully crisp and clear picture, easy configuration and excellent index PIP
Cons
Sony should have used a non-glare screen.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
An incredible TV with perfect picture, tons of features & innovations and a very reasonable price. Score another for Sony!
I was just recruited to help my folks pick a new TV for their living room. Despite my trying to convince them to go to 16:9 aspect ratio, to join the (largely letterboxed) 21st century, they decided on going with a standard 4:3 box and so began our shopping and researching. After lots of reading, reaserching, discussing and not to mention help from Epinions, this Sony came out a hands down winner in terms of value and bang for your buck - this is a great set, and for anyone shopping in the 4:3 realm, this is a must see.
The KP-53HS30 is Sony's mid-line model 4:3 and it comes at a very reasonable price, within the 2000-2100 dollar range, however you can bargain to under 2 grand with relative ease! THe TV have some really nifty features, like the on-the-fly freeze frame and a very nicely laid out index PIP capable of a dozen extra channels! A key aspect which will make this TV a winner for those still using VHS is the forgiving nature this TV has for lower quality sources... Most projection televisions tend to make DVD's and higher quality sources look better, but at the same time, make lower quality sources look worse. Since this is a projection TV, calibration is required to maintain the razor sharp picture, and convergence can be automatically set at the touch of a button - this is fast becoming standard in the projection TV world, however make no mistake, the absence of it on certain sets is inexplicable and can be costly to correct if need be! Although I highly prefer the 16:9 aspect ratio, there is virtually nothing I can say that is negative about this TV - and the only item absent on it that I can say would be potentially useful is a center channel mode for the speakers. This is one hell of a television for under 2 grand, so read on for details on why this may just be the best game in town...
This TV is designed very sensibly in many ways -- For instance, compart it to my Toshiba 42H81 - while I love my TV and very much prefer the 16:9 aspect ration, my TV does not have casters built- enter Sony...employing a little intuition and common sense, Sony decided to but casters on the TV making is easy to roll around, BUT, beyond just regular casters, like some of the competition, sony's casters have a larger diameter making the TV easier to roll around on carpet...This is the least of great things to say about this TV in terms of value and features, but it is merely indicative of how Sony really broke it down to basics and made this TV a pleasure to set up, use and view! Beyond the caster issue, the TV is very easy to hook up and configure. You have plenty of input capability with 2 line antenna coax inputs, 4 composite ins with RCA audio, you also get 2 component ins, which in my opinion are essentially for DVD viewing and allow you to take advantage of the line-enhancing properties of the set, more on the later... you also get 2 S-vid connections, and although I seldom use them, sticking with component because it is the best, the S-vid is very useful for those with super-VHS players and other comppnents which have S-vid outs, but no component.
The TV's picture is just crystal clear, and that is the bottom line. Seldom will you find a picture this clean and this attractive, especially in the projection world..picture quality on a tube-TV is usually well ahead of the RP competition, and tends to be warmer and more color-saturated, however Sony did it right and used higher quality projectors than most of the competition- the result is a remarkable picture well ahead of most of the competition, especially in the under 3 grand price - this TV kept up with alot of Tv's priced thousands higher! HDTV ready, lines go up to 1080 (standard HD) with the use of a hi-res HDTV tuner....
Although I believe Toshiba used a slightly more sophisticated line doubling technology on its latest round of RPTV offerings, Sony's line doubling system does the job nicely and offers a sharper imaging quality than most with its "DRC" technology. Image sources do look shaper in the hi-res mode, and one of the best features of the TV is the presence of the CineMotion feature - it gives you 2:3 pulldown so unlike alot of the competition, VHS and lower quality sources look pretty darn solid, and this is a very good feature to have, since alot of RPTV's are not very forgiving to lower quality sources - typically DVD's look better and VHS looks worse - this TV gives you the best of both worlds. The only compaint I had when compared to the Toshiba is that certain resolutions actually get downgraded back to 480 - which Toshiba will always try to up the lineage to at least 540 or keep higher sources at their natural level (for instance 720 will get downgraded to 480 on the Sony set which it will stay at 720 on the Toshiba).
Because the 53" screen is considerably large, 1) it will fill a larger size room with ease BUT 2) it will also allow you to view letterboxed sources in 16:9 mode and still have a large screen area - which is why we decided on staying with 4:3, knowing that viewing and 16:9 source wouldn't look so tiny, as compared to viewing on a 42 inch 4:3 screen, where 16:9 is essentially cut down to the equivalent of a 27 inch 16:9 screen! Additionally, the line enhancing features carry over to 16:9, so despite compressing the picture vertically, you retain the picture enhancing hi-res qualities despite squeezing the image. Unlike most of the self-calibrating RPTVs, the Sony needs to be on for at least a half hour befour calibrating - although this makes sense, this bothered me, since I like to be able to set convergence before a movie without having to wait a half hour...no big deal though, I have yet to have to reset covergence after 2 weeks of viewing since the first calibration...we'll see how long it takes. The only downside to the screen is that the protective screen cover is fairly reflective and will throw glare around the room during the day...I firmly believe Sony should have used a non-reflective anti-glare material for this, but nevertheless careful room position and the use of blinds alleviates the problem.
The remote control supplied is ergonomic and comfy and is capable of controlling most other playback-oriented components like VCR or DVD player, however the controller will not cut it for most A/V receivers, so don't plan on tossing all those remotes! The remote's top half opens up to reveal the controls for other components and has a slider to select which pieces you'll control.
Sound wise, the stock speakers are well short of incredible, but then again, I lack any recolection of a TV whose sound blew me away out of the box - this is also why most of us home-theatre enthusiasts pay the big bucks to have a high quality receiver and speakers! Nevertheless, the absence of a center channel pre-amp input is a surprising ommision on Sony's part - again, though the stock speakers on most all TV's are nothing to write home about, it is nice to be able to utilize the TV as it's own self contained center channel to avoid sticking a center channel atop the TV (which usaully requires some micro-engineering to suspend the speaker without worry about it falling over or moving). This is the only lack-of which I can point out however, and the impressive feature list more than makes up for this a thousand time over - features are as follows:
2-Component Inputs, HD Capable (Y/PB/PR), (1080i, 480p, 480i)
CineMotion™ Reverse 3-2 Pull Down Technology
Built-in High Contrast Protective Screen
16:9 Enhanced Mode (V-Compression)
Advanced Pro-Optic™ System
Multi-Image Driver-X™ (MID-X™) Circuitry
MICROFOCUS™ CRT
Hi-Scan 1080i&153; Chassis
New 3D Digital Comb Filter Circuitry
MICROFOCUS™ Lens System
DRC™ Multi-Function
BrightView™ Dual Component Screen
Dynamic Focus™ Circuitry
Advanced Velocity Modulation™ Scanning
Advanced Picture Stabilizer
TruSurround™ Sound with SRS (Sound Retrieval System) 3D Audio Effect
MTS Stereo with DBX? Noise Reduction
Dynamic Acoustic Chamber (DAC) Speaker System (18 Watts x 2)*
Flexible Twin-View™ 2-Tuner Picture-and-Picture (HD, NTSC)
New Flash Focus&153; Fully Automatic Digital Convergence System
Express Tuning? System (181 Channel)
V-Chip Parental Control
1-Front & Rear Audio/Video Inputs
1-Front & 2-Rear S-Video Inputs
Variable/Fixed Audio Output
2-RF Inputs
Monitor Output
Center Speaker Input
Control S In/Out
2-Component Inputs, HD Capable (Y/PB/PR), (1080i, 480p, 480i)
Remote: RM-Y902 Remote Commander? Remote Control (TV/VCR/Digital Satellite System/DVD/Cable)
Dimensions: (W x H x D) 46 1/2" x 55 7/8" x 24 7/8" (1180 x 1417 x 632mm) Weight: 153lbs (69.3kg)
With an impressive feature list like above, a remarkable picture quality and intuitive features and innovations, it is surprising that the TV comes with a price in the neighborhood of 2 grand... While I'm not a big fan of buying extended warranty plans, it is a good bargaining angle to offer to buy a plan for a better price on the TV - essentially we took the TV WITH the 5 year plan for only 50 dollars more than the price of the TV if we didnt take the plan (the 5 year plan is 400 dollars, but with it, the salesman marked the TV down anouther 350!) The final cost of the set was 2314.00 including the set, 5 year protection plan, tax and delivery!!! That is pretty darn good, since usually the TV is priced at 2100-2200 before anything! With the exception of a little screen glare with wide-open blinds during the day, there is virutally no bad that comes with this TV and at this price it is a steal - a ton of bang for your buck! I highly recomend the Sony 53HS30 if you're in the market for a 4:3 big screen. Excellent job Sony.
The KP-53HS30 is Sony's mid-line model 4:3 and it comes at a very reasonable price, within the 2000-2100 dollar range, however you can bargain to under 2 grand with relative ease! THe TV have some really nifty features, like the on-the-fly freeze frame and a very nicely laid out index PIP capable of a dozen extra channels! A key aspect which will make this TV a winner for those still using VHS is the forgiving nature this TV has for lower quality sources... Most projection televisions tend to make DVD's and higher quality sources look better, but at the same time, make lower quality sources look worse. Since this is a projection TV, calibration is required to maintain the razor sharp picture, and convergence can be automatically set at the touch of a button - this is fast becoming standard in the projection TV world, however make no mistake, the absence of it on certain sets is inexplicable and can be costly to correct if need be! Although I highly prefer the 16:9 aspect ratio, there is virtually nothing I can say that is negative about this TV - and the only item absent on it that I can say would be potentially useful is a center channel mode for the speakers. This is one hell of a television for under 2 grand, so read on for details on why this may just be the best game in town...
This TV is designed very sensibly in many ways -- For instance, compart it to my Toshiba 42H81 - while I love my TV and very much prefer the 16:9 aspect ration, my TV does not have casters built- enter Sony...employing a little intuition and common sense, Sony decided to but casters on the TV making is easy to roll around, BUT, beyond just regular casters, like some of the competition, sony's casters have a larger diameter making the TV easier to roll around on carpet...This is the least of great things to say about this TV in terms of value and features, but it is merely indicative of how Sony really broke it down to basics and made this TV a pleasure to set up, use and view! Beyond the caster issue, the TV is very easy to hook up and configure. You have plenty of input capability with 2 line antenna coax inputs, 4 composite ins with RCA audio, you also get 2 component ins, which in my opinion are essentially for DVD viewing and allow you to take advantage of the line-enhancing properties of the set, more on the later... you also get 2 S-vid connections, and although I seldom use them, sticking with component because it is the best, the S-vid is very useful for those with super-VHS players and other comppnents which have S-vid outs, but no component.
The TV's picture is just crystal clear, and that is the bottom line. Seldom will you find a picture this clean and this attractive, especially in the projection world..picture quality on a tube-TV is usually well ahead of the RP competition, and tends to be warmer and more color-saturated, however Sony did it right and used higher quality projectors than most of the competition- the result is a remarkable picture well ahead of most of the competition, especially in the under 3 grand price - this TV kept up with alot of Tv's priced thousands higher! HDTV ready, lines go up to 1080 (standard HD) with the use of a hi-res HDTV tuner....
Although I believe Toshiba used a slightly more sophisticated line doubling technology on its latest round of RPTV offerings, Sony's line doubling system does the job nicely and offers a sharper imaging quality than most with its "DRC" technology. Image sources do look shaper in the hi-res mode, and one of the best features of the TV is the presence of the CineMotion feature - it gives you 2:3 pulldown so unlike alot of the competition, VHS and lower quality sources look pretty darn solid, and this is a very good feature to have, since alot of RPTV's are not very forgiving to lower quality sources - typically DVD's look better and VHS looks worse - this TV gives you the best of both worlds. The only compaint I had when compared to the Toshiba is that certain resolutions actually get downgraded back to 480 - which Toshiba will always try to up the lineage to at least 540 or keep higher sources at their natural level (for instance 720 will get downgraded to 480 on the Sony set which it will stay at 720 on the Toshiba).
Because the 53" screen is considerably large, 1) it will fill a larger size room with ease BUT 2) it will also allow you to view letterboxed sources in 16:9 mode and still have a large screen area - which is why we decided on staying with 4:3, knowing that viewing and 16:9 source wouldn't look so tiny, as compared to viewing on a 42 inch 4:3 screen, where 16:9 is essentially cut down to the equivalent of a 27 inch 16:9 screen! Additionally, the line enhancing features carry over to 16:9, so despite compressing the picture vertically, you retain the picture enhancing hi-res qualities despite squeezing the image. Unlike most of the self-calibrating RPTVs, the Sony needs to be on for at least a half hour befour calibrating - although this makes sense, this bothered me, since I like to be able to set convergence before a movie without having to wait a half hour...no big deal though, I have yet to have to reset covergence after 2 weeks of viewing since the first calibration...we'll see how long it takes. The only downside to the screen is that the protective screen cover is fairly reflective and will throw glare around the room during the day...I firmly believe Sony should have used a non-reflective anti-glare material for this, but nevertheless careful room position and the use of blinds alleviates the problem.
The remote control supplied is ergonomic and comfy and is capable of controlling most other playback-oriented components like VCR or DVD player, however the controller will not cut it for most A/V receivers, so don't plan on tossing all those remotes! The remote's top half opens up to reveal the controls for other components and has a slider to select which pieces you'll control.
Sound wise, the stock speakers are well short of incredible, but then again, I lack any recolection of a TV whose sound blew me away out of the box - this is also why most of us home-theatre enthusiasts pay the big bucks to have a high quality receiver and speakers! Nevertheless, the absence of a center channel pre-amp input is a surprising ommision on Sony's part - again, though the stock speakers on most all TV's are nothing to write home about, it is nice to be able to utilize the TV as it's own self contained center channel to avoid sticking a center channel atop the TV (which usaully requires some micro-engineering to suspend the speaker without worry about it falling over or moving). This is the only lack-of which I can point out however, and the impressive feature list more than makes up for this a thousand time over - features are as follows:
2-Component Inputs, HD Capable (Y/PB/PR), (1080i, 480p, 480i)
CineMotion™ Reverse 3-2 Pull Down Technology
Built-in High Contrast Protective Screen
16:9 Enhanced Mode (V-Compression)
Advanced Pro-Optic™ System
Multi-Image Driver-X™ (MID-X™) Circuitry
MICROFOCUS™ CRT
Hi-Scan 1080i&153; Chassis
New 3D Digital Comb Filter Circuitry
MICROFOCUS™ Lens System
DRC™ Multi-Function
BrightView™ Dual Component Screen
Dynamic Focus™ Circuitry
Advanced Velocity Modulation™ Scanning
Advanced Picture Stabilizer
TruSurround™ Sound with SRS (Sound Retrieval System) 3D Audio Effect
MTS Stereo with DBX? Noise Reduction
Dynamic Acoustic Chamber (DAC) Speaker System (18 Watts x 2)*
Flexible Twin-View™ 2-Tuner Picture-and-Picture (HD, NTSC)
New Flash Focus&153; Fully Automatic Digital Convergence System
Express Tuning? System (181 Channel)
V-Chip Parental Control
1-Front & Rear Audio/Video Inputs
1-Front & 2-Rear S-Video Inputs
Variable/Fixed Audio Output
2-RF Inputs
Monitor Output
Center Speaker Input
Control S In/Out
2-Component Inputs, HD Capable (Y/PB/PR), (1080i, 480p, 480i)
Remote: RM-Y902 Remote Commander? Remote Control (TV/VCR/Digital Satellite System/DVD/Cable)
Dimensions: (W x H x D) 46 1/2" x 55 7/8" x 24 7/8" (1180 x 1417 x 632mm) Weight: 153lbs (69.3kg)
With an impressive feature list like above, a remarkable picture quality and intuitive features and innovations, it is surprising that the TV comes with a price in the neighborhood of 2 grand... While I'm not a big fan of buying extended warranty plans, it is a good bargaining angle to offer to buy a plan for a better price on the TV - essentially we took the TV WITH the 5 year plan for only 50 dollars more than the price of the TV if we didnt take the plan (the 5 year plan is 400 dollars, but with it, the salesman marked the TV down anouther 350!) The final cost of the set was 2314.00 including the set, 5 year protection plan, tax and delivery!!! That is pretty darn good, since usually the TV is priced at 2100-2200 before anything! With the exception of a little screen glare with wide-open blinds during the day, there is virutally no bad that comes with this TV and at this price it is a steal - a ton of bang for your buck! I highly recomend the Sony 53HS30 if you're in the market for a 4:3 big screen. Excellent job Sony.
