Sony KP-53V85 53 in. TV
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Sony KP-53V85 -- Not This TV, Not Now
Pros
Picture-and-Picture
Cons
Overpriced
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Decent set, but overpriced considering that it doesn't do high-def. Also lacks some basic features found on other Sonys.
If a friend asked me about buying the Sony KP-53V85 TV, I'd advise against it. The street price ($2,200) of the 53V85 is too close to high-def sets of similar size to make this set a good value. High-def broadcasting, and programming, is within reach of viewers in all the major metro areas of the U.S., as well as many medium-sized markets (185 TV stations out of 1,500 total, covering 63 out of the 210 broadcast market areas in the U.S., reaching 67% of the TV households).
The DTV Monster Rampages Over America
The CBS network leads the way, with its entire prime-time lineup broadcast in high-def. PBS doesn't broadcast continuously in high-def, but the Public Broadcasting System has used the format for many of its excellent specials, such as The American Experience. High-def programming also comes into homes via satellites, and the Dish Network provides the best option here, with its four channels of high-def programming (HBO, Showtime, a pay-per-view channel, and a high-def demo loop to show off your system to the neighbors). The entry-level price for a complete high-def TV/tuner combo has dropped down to around $2,300.
As you may know from reading some of my other video equipment reviews, I am a proponent of sets which are ready for high-definition/digital-TV (H/DTV). Basically, buying an NTSC-standard set (regular old broadcasting video standard) now is like getting the latest horse and cart just before the release of the Model A Ford.
With this TV, you'll be stuck with the old technology. A set like the 53V85 can only handle the standard NTSC resolution of 480 horizontal lines, interlaced (480i). The resolution won't even reach that level with the output from a standard VCR, which it will display at 240i, or broadcast TV, which will have a resolution of 330i on this set (though these resolution limits are inherent to the signal sources and not the fault of the TV).
High-Def Resolutions, What You Don't Get with this TV
Almost all of the newer, H/DTV-ready sets display pictures at either the 480-progressive (480p) or 1080i resolutions. At an interlaced resolution, such as 480i (the best-case scenario video resolution which you'd get with the output from a DVD player on an NTSC-standard set such as the 53V85), each 1/30th-of-a-second video frame is divided into two consecutively-displayed video fields, the first, in the first 1/60th-of-a-second, containing the odd-numbered horizontal lines in the video frame and the second, in the second 1/60th-of-a-second, containing the even-numbered horizontal lines in the video frame. With a progressive image, such as 480p, all 480 horizontal lines are projected onto the screen each 1/60th-of-a-second, providing a more detailed, richer image than 480i, with less flicker. While 1080i is an interlaced resolution, it has 540 lines on the screen at any given moment, meaning it provides a richer image than 480p.
Unlike the Sony Wegas, this TV Lacks Vertical Compression
The main disadvantage of the 53V85 is that it will only display an image at the NTSC-standard maximum resolution of 480i. However, the lacks some key features which other Sony sets, such as the direct-view (standard tube) Wega models have. The key feature which the Wegas have but the 53V85 doesn't have is the so-called "16:9 enhanced mode," also known as "vertical compression."
The 53V85 has an NTSC-standard screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, or ratio of width to height. However, the output from many DVD players is in the widescreen, 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning horizontal black bars are projected onto the TV screen above and below the image to compensate for its shape, which is wider and shorter than the 4:3 screen shape. Normally, a TV uses up some of its horizontal resolution to display these black letterbox bars. What the vertical compression mode on the Wegas does is digitally create those black bars, allowing the widescreen display area to use the TV's entire horizontal resolution of 480 interlaced lines. Unfortunately, the 53V85 does not have this feature. Thus, when you view a widescreen DVD on this TV, you'll use up about one-quarter of the set's horizontal resolution to create the black letterbox bars, leaving much less than 480 interlaced lines to make up the 16:9 image itself. This is an unfortunate oversight in a set that lists for $2,400.
Picture and Tuner Features
The 53V85 has a 53-inch (measured diagonally) screen. The set uses a 3-D digital comb filter, improving the image quality of signals that come in via the set's RF (antenna) and composite video inputs. The set has a twin-tuner picture-and-picture system, meaning it can display a separate broadcast signal on each half of the screen simultaneously. You can also access a traditional picture-in-picture (PIP) mode where the second image is shown in a small box which you can position at various points on the screen.
The built-in tuner will handle 181 channels, including the standard broadcast channels and most non-scrambled cable channels (please note that connecting directly to a cable and tuning in basic cable with your TV, without paying for it, is against the law and will deprive the monopolistic price-gouging cable company of your money, which they want to have, very much). Tuning features include favorite channel, channel index (12 channels), and jump channel. There's a V-Chip control, if you wish to limit your parents' access to inappropriate channels.
Audio Features
The audio system on the 53V85 is of good quality. It will be sufficient for any TV program and for most movies, unless you are expecting movie-theater type sound (in which case you'll need an A/V receiver and a set of surround speakers). The set's stereo amplifier feeds 20 watts into each of the two channels, feeding a set of 3-inch speakers mounted behind a cloth panel on the front bezel of the set below the screen.
Remote
The RM-Y905 remote is identical to most Sony remotes. It has an extensive set of control buttons, but it's too large to easily operate with one hand.
Inputs/Outputs
The rear panel of the set includes two component inputs (a high-quality type of connection for connecting DVD players and other high-resolution devices), two S-Video inputs, and two composite video inputs. There are corresponding L/R audio input jacks to go with each video input. In addition, there's an L/R audio output jack, allowing you to feed the audio signal from the TV to a surround-sound A/V receiver. The front panel of the set has an S-Video input jack, a composite-video input jack, and a set of L/R audio input jacks, allowing you to quickly and easily connect a camcorder or video game to the TV. There's also a Control-S jack, allowing you to wire the set up with other Sony products, such as a VCR, and control the functions of all the products from one (for example, hitting play on the VCR powers up the TV, etc.).
Misc. Features
The 53V85 is energy-star compliant and consumes 170 watts (one watt in standby mode). The set weighs 168 pounds. It's covered by a limited one-year warranty on parts and labor, and two years on the picture tube.
Conclusion
If you're determined to buy an NTSC-standard rear-projection television (RPTV), you might consider the 53V85. However, it's quite expensive, considering that it's just an NTSC-standard set and not H/DTV-ready. There are similarly-sized NTSC-standard RPTV's from Mitsubishi, Hitachi, and Toshiba which sell for quite a bit less than this set.
The DTV Monster Rampages Over America
The CBS network leads the way, with its entire prime-time lineup broadcast in high-def. PBS doesn't broadcast continuously in high-def, but the Public Broadcasting System has used the format for many of its excellent specials, such as The American Experience. High-def programming also comes into homes via satellites, and the Dish Network provides the best option here, with its four channels of high-def programming (HBO, Showtime, a pay-per-view channel, and a high-def demo loop to show off your system to the neighbors). The entry-level price for a complete high-def TV/tuner combo has dropped down to around $2,300.
As you may know from reading some of my other video equipment reviews, I am a proponent of sets which are ready for high-definition/digital-TV (H/DTV). Basically, buying an NTSC-standard set (regular old broadcasting video standard) now is like getting the latest horse and cart just before the release of the Model A Ford.
With this TV, you'll be stuck with the old technology. A set like the 53V85 can only handle the standard NTSC resolution of 480 horizontal lines, interlaced (480i). The resolution won't even reach that level with the output from a standard VCR, which it will display at 240i, or broadcast TV, which will have a resolution of 330i on this set (though these resolution limits are inherent to the signal sources and not the fault of the TV).
High-Def Resolutions, What You Don't Get with this TV
Almost all of the newer, H/DTV-ready sets display pictures at either the 480-progressive (480p) or 1080i resolutions. At an interlaced resolution, such as 480i (the best-case scenario video resolution which you'd get with the output from a DVD player on an NTSC-standard set such as the 53V85), each 1/30th-of-a-second video frame is divided into two consecutively-displayed video fields, the first, in the first 1/60th-of-a-second, containing the odd-numbered horizontal lines in the video frame and the second, in the second 1/60th-of-a-second, containing the even-numbered horizontal lines in the video frame. With a progressive image, such as 480p, all 480 horizontal lines are projected onto the screen each 1/60th-of-a-second, providing a more detailed, richer image than 480i, with less flicker. While 1080i is an interlaced resolution, it has 540 lines on the screen at any given moment, meaning it provides a richer image than 480p.
Unlike the Sony Wegas, this TV Lacks Vertical Compression
The main disadvantage of the 53V85 is that it will only display an image at the NTSC-standard maximum resolution of 480i. However, the lacks some key features which other Sony sets, such as the direct-view (standard tube) Wega models have. The key feature which the Wegas have but the 53V85 doesn't have is the so-called "16:9 enhanced mode," also known as "vertical compression."
The 53V85 has an NTSC-standard screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, or ratio of width to height. However, the output from many DVD players is in the widescreen, 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning horizontal black bars are projected onto the TV screen above and below the image to compensate for its shape, which is wider and shorter than the 4:3 screen shape. Normally, a TV uses up some of its horizontal resolution to display these black letterbox bars. What the vertical compression mode on the Wegas does is digitally create those black bars, allowing the widescreen display area to use the TV's entire horizontal resolution of 480 interlaced lines. Unfortunately, the 53V85 does not have this feature. Thus, when you view a widescreen DVD on this TV, you'll use up about one-quarter of the set's horizontal resolution to create the black letterbox bars, leaving much less than 480 interlaced lines to make up the 16:9 image itself. This is an unfortunate oversight in a set that lists for $2,400.
Picture and Tuner Features
The 53V85 has a 53-inch (measured diagonally) screen. The set uses a 3-D digital comb filter, improving the image quality of signals that come in via the set's RF (antenna) and composite video inputs. The set has a twin-tuner picture-and-picture system, meaning it can display a separate broadcast signal on each half of the screen simultaneously. You can also access a traditional picture-in-picture (PIP) mode where the second image is shown in a small box which you can position at various points on the screen.
The built-in tuner will handle 181 channels, including the standard broadcast channels and most non-scrambled cable channels (please note that connecting directly to a cable and tuning in basic cable with your TV, without paying for it, is against the law and will deprive the monopolistic price-gouging cable company of your money, which they want to have, very much). Tuning features include favorite channel, channel index (12 channels), and jump channel. There's a V-Chip control, if you wish to limit your parents' access to inappropriate channels.
Audio Features
The audio system on the 53V85 is of good quality. It will be sufficient for any TV program and for most movies, unless you are expecting movie-theater type sound (in which case you'll need an A/V receiver and a set of surround speakers). The set's stereo amplifier feeds 20 watts into each of the two channels, feeding a set of 3-inch speakers mounted behind a cloth panel on the front bezel of the set below the screen.
Remote
The RM-Y905 remote is identical to most Sony remotes. It has an extensive set of control buttons, but it's too large to easily operate with one hand.
Inputs/Outputs
The rear panel of the set includes two component inputs (a high-quality type of connection for connecting DVD players and other high-resolution devices), two S-Video inputs, and two composite video inputs. There are corresponding L/R audio input jacks to go with each video input. In addition, there's an L/R audio output jack, allowing you to feed the audio signal from the TV to a surround-sound A/V receiver. The front panel of the set has an S-Video input jack, a composite-video input jack, and a set of L/R audio input jacks, allowing you to quickly and easily connect a camcorder or video game to the TV. There's also a Control-S jack, allowing you to wire the set up with other Sony products, such as a VCR, and control the functions of all the products from one (for example, hitting play on the VCR powers up the TV, etc.).
Misc. Features
The 53V85 is energy-star compliant and consumes 170 watts (one watt in standby mode). The set weighs 168 pounds. It's covered by a limited one-year warranty on parts and labor, and two years on the picture tube.
Conclusion
If you're determined to buy an NTSC-standard rear-projection television (RPTV), you might consider the 53V85. However, it's quite expensive, considering that it's just an NTSC-standard set and not H/DTV-ready. There are similarly-sized NTSC-standard RPTV's from Mitsubishi, Hitachi, and Toshiba which sell for quite a bit less than this set.
