Sony KP-57XBR10W 57 in. TV

I?m going to start this review off by giving my overall opinion. While there are drawbacks noted below, and it may sound as if I don?t like the TV since I focus on those drawbacks, overall the KP-57XBR10W has been an excellent television for my purposes and the price that it can be purchased at. The bells and whistles the KP-57XBR10W has to offer makes it a great entry-level television for someone who wants to get a feel for what HDTV has to offer without spending over 6-7 thousand for a high-end projection or plasma screen television. I checked yes as to whether or not I would recommend the unit to a friend, but it really depends on what your interests, standards, and financial capabilities are...read on.

Picture Quality:

Let me start off by saying that anyone who purchases this television (or any wide-screen projection TV) expecting cable broadcasts (even digital cable) to look as good as the picture you get on a standard picture tube television will be gravely disappointed. This television was not meant to handle a cable video input. It was designed specifically for the video technology that can only be achieved through HDTV and DVD. However, while the picture does have a very noticeable amount of noise compared to a standard picture tube television, the picture is by no means unwatchable.

Now, if you are serious about purchasing this television, you most likely are interested in what I was interested in?the experience of watching movies at home while feeling like you are in the movie theater. While a separate home theater audio system will be required to get the full audio effect, the TV handles the video experience wonderfully for the price. Consequently, the rest of my review about the picture revolves around watching DVD?s. The exact color and brightness levels you desire can be achieved. While the contrast and sharpness are far from perfect (more detail below), they are reasonable when you take into account the price of the unit.

Contrast and Sharpness:
The problems I have with the television begin here. As I have read in other reviews on this product since my purchase, the picture is fuzzy and there is significant bloom (shiny white areas around the brightest images) around the brighter images. The contrast problem accentuates the sharpness problem and visa versa. The result is a noticeably fuzzy picture compared to what you would be used to on a standard picture tube or higher quality (and more expensive) projection television. No matter how much tweaking I do to the picture, the image I am looking for just cannot be achieved. But again, for the price you pay for this unit, the picture is of reasonable quality. If you have the financial means, however, I highly recommend that you shop around for a unit that can deliver the image sharpness you deserve.

Progressive Scan DVD Players:
Possibly the biggest disappointment I have had with this television is its handling of progressive scan DVD input. I had been hearing all the great things that progressive scan DVD players had to offer and so I recently purchased a Sony DVP-NS900V (see my review). My initial disappointment in the DVD player was heart wrenching. The DVD player has both a progressive and interlaced mode, so I performed a few comparisons. There was very little if any difference. After about a week of frustration I decided to take the DVD player to my brother?s house to try it on his new Sony 36? XBR picture tube television. I again tried the comparisons and this time the world of progressive scan DVD opened up to me like the sun breaking through the cloudiest day. It was as if a layer of film had been removed from the television screen. My disappointment instantly shifted from the DVD player to the television upon my arrival home. My financial investment has already been made, but if you want to experience all that progressive scan DVD has to offer, avoid this television like the plague.

While I have to say that the overall picture has been disappointing, the other features noted below help make the purchase worthwhile.

Audio:

The television is equipped with 3 speakers (left, center, and right) and has hookups for a pair of surround speakers. While I have not hooked surround speakers to the television itself, the overall sound coming out of the 3 main speakers is excellent. The highs are clear, and the base is surprisingly powerful. Base and treble adjustments as well as preset sound modes (stereo, virtual surround, live, game, etc.) allow for a further customized sound. The real treat however, is the center channel hookup. If you have a home theater system, you can connect the television to your receiver as the center channel. I have noticed no decrease in quality from my Infinity Delta Center channel I had been using in my system prior to my purchase of the TV. This setup is ideal since it a better match spatially than having a separate center channel sit on top of an entertainment center, far from the point of reference on screen.

Ease of use:

The remote is easy to use and can be used to operate the basic functions of all of your home theater components. The instruction manual is straight forward enough for you to learn all you need to know about the set up of the television.

Picture-in-picture:

My favorite thing about basic television watching is the various picture-in-picture functions, and since the 2nd tuner is built in, there are no extra hookups needed to use it. You have your standard second window option with 3 PIP window sizes and a split screen mode. The neatest one, however, is a channel preview mode. You can watch the main channel you are viewing while getting a short preview of 15 other channels simultaneously. The days of channel surfing are over. The only thing to worry about with the split screen and preview mode is that extended viewing in these modes can damage the projection lense causing ?image burn? on the screen. But this isn?t really an issue unless you leave the modes running for hours at a time. As long as you don?t spend an outrageous amount of your time watching in those modes you should be all right. I?ve had no problems with my limited use (about 15-20% of the time my television is on).

Overall (revisited):

While the television has its limitations, it is a solid unit considering its price. While the picture quality isn?t quite up to my standards, the other bells and whistles (audio, PIP) noted above lead me to believe I still got the best unit for the price I was able and willing to pay. However, if you are in the market for a higher-end wide screen projection television, do some more shopping around (i.e. Pioneer Elite, Marantz).