Sony KP-65WS510 65 in. HDTV-Ready CRT TV
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- Digital TV Standard: HDTV-Ready
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 4:3 Enhanced 14:9
- Weight: 300 lb.
- Projector Technology: CRT
- Built-in Tuner: NTSC
- Screen Size: 65 inch
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Sony KP-65WS510 -- 65" of Viewing Pleasure!!
Pros
Picture quality, sound quality, features
Cons
Lack of HD broadcasting, price
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
If you're in the market for a new tv, check this one out. It has all the new features: widescreen, HDTV ready, and advanced picture quality. You won't be disappointed.
Review updated to include info about burn-in and room size!
OK, so here I am writing a review for my brand new behemoth of a television. While I'm not the most technically proficient person around, I'll walk you through a layman's (ok, laywoman) view of this 65" widescreen projection tv.
It all started a few months ago, when my husband and I were watching our 4:3 (for those not in the know, that means not widescreen; square) 27" tv. Suddenly, my beloved decided that we were suffering having to strain to watch shows on such a tiny tube. It was decided we needed to go bigger.
So then began the search. I cannot tell you how many hours we spent researching televisions. First was the question of widescreen vs fullscreen (4:3), and how this would affect us when all broadcasting goes to widescreen HDTV format in 2006. Did you know that in 2006 all television will be broadcasted in widescreen? I had no idea. So we knew we had better get a widescreen.
Since we were going widescreen, it made sense to also get a tv that was HDTV ready. You can also get televisions with the HD tuner built right in, but you'll pay lots more money. And from what I understand, it's unnecessary. Once everything is broadcast in HD, your cable box/satellite receiver will have an HD tuner in it, so the tv tuner will be extraneous.
This is how we arrived at the Sony KP-65WS510. Now let's talk the specifics of this tv. I'll walk you through the features, with my impression of each one.
Aspect Ratio 16:9, 4:3 Enhanced - This is pretty self-explanatory, although there are a few things I'd like to say about it. The tv itself has 4 viewing modes you can switch through with the touch of a button on the remote:
Normal - This is 4:3. When watching regular tv (or a fullscreen movie) on this setting, the tv puts gray bars on either side of the screen. The gray bars - instead of black - help to prevent burn-in. But I'll be honest, we never use this mode. Why? Read on ...
Full - This is the mode to put it on to watch anything in widescreen, whether it be a widescreen movie or a widescreen broadcast. It will also stretch a 4:3 image to fill the screen, although I wouldn't recommend this mode for that use; it looks too distorted.
Zoom - This mode does just what it says; it zooms in on the image and fills the screen with it. This make a 4:3 image look slightly less distorted than the Full mode would. I use this mode when my daughter watches cartoons, simply because I can move the image on the screen (in the menu) to eliminate any station logos. (So they don't burn-in to the screen)
Wide Zoom - This mode is what makes this tv pass muster, in my opinion. It is what you'll want to use when watching regular, fullscreen tv, but want it to fill the screen. It takes a wide camera angle, and also zooms in a bit, so there is a minimum of stretching. It almost looks normal! You can't beat this.
Audio Type Virtual Surround - I cannot say enough about the sound quality of this television! My husband, who is terribly picky when it comes to sound, has not even bothered to hook our surround sound up yet because the tv sounds THAT good. It has bass built in that sounds like you have a sub, and the high tones are crisp and clear. If you crank it up, it truly does sound like quality surround sound. And that's straight from my husband, who is more knowledgeable than I in these matters.
Comb Filter 3DYC - Apparently there are a few types of comb filters, and they affect the quality of the image you see on your tv. This is one of the best.
Picture In Picture With PIP - They call it picture in picture, but it actually is better than that. It will split the screen, with equal size images side by side. You'll need another input source, of course, to have 2 different channels on. Once you have the images side by side you can toggle back and forth between audio for each. You can also freeze an image on one side and continue with the regular broadcast on the other. (I have no idea why that is useful, but my husband enjoys playing with that feature).
A/V Inputs Composite 4 (1 front/3 rear)
Number of Component Inputs 2
Number of RF Jacks 2
S-Video Inputs 3 (1 front/2 rear)
DVI-HDTV input
Apparently that last one (DVI) is an important one. From what I've read (and correct me if I'm wrong here), HDTV is still in a state of flux, so to speak, but a DVI input will ensure that you will be able to hook up to a tuner in the future.
Now to the question everyone wants to hear about with projection televisions: burn-in. To be honest, we were greatly concerned with burn-in ourselves. From what we've learned, it IS something that can happen. My husband has hooked up our XBox and GameCube to the tv, but he plays video games maybe once a week for a few hours. Burn-in can occur if any static image stays on the screen for long periods of time, maybe 4+ hrs a day, every day. Since video games are constantly moving, that isn't a huge problem. However, if you are playing a game with a static image, such as a health meter, a racing console - anything that just stays there and doesn't move, AND you play alot, I would worry.
That being said, there are things that can be done. With this tv, in any mode, you can move the screen up or down or left and right 15 degrees from center. What I mean is, for example, when we watch the Boomerang cartoon network they have a dark logo in the bottom right of the screen that never moves. I don't want that on the screen, because eventually it will burn-in. So I go into the menu and move the image on the screen down until it is off the screen. This may not be the best solution in a game where you need to see certain images, but if you're going to play long periods of time it could help. OR, if you switched the image every so often so that the static image was at a different place on the screen, that could help too.
Also, some games let you turn off the console stuff that shows on the screen. I guess it would depend on the game. One time my husband left the tv on all night with "Video 3" displayed on the screen, and it didn't burn in.
The only problem with burn-in is it isn't covered under manufacturers warranty.
Our living room, where the tv is, is actually on the small side. I was concerned about this too, but it looks great. I had read that these televisions actually seem smaller as time goes on, and it's true. While it still is like our own theater, it no longer seems to dwarf the entire room. We're probably sitting about 8 ft away from it, and it looks great.
Now a word about the picture quality of this tv. (OK, a few words) First of all, this is a very large television. So any input that is of less-than-stellar quality (think standard broadcast television) is going to have flaws accentuated. It isn't horrible, but is sure isn't great.
However, pop in a DVD (or watch HDTV), and this where the tv earns its keep. We watched Lord of the Rings on it, and it was absolutely breathtaking. The picture quality was so crisp, so clear - we had to watch it again just to see it. Your living room will become better than the movie theater.
Yes, it's that good. Now go buy one!
OK, so here I am writing a review for my brand new behemoth of a television. While I'm not the most technically proficient person around, I'll walk you through a layman's (ok, laywoman) view of this 65" widescreen projection tv.
It all started a few months ago, when my husband and I were watching our 4:3 (for those not in the know, that means not widescreen; square) 27" tv. Suddenly, my beloved decided that we were suffering having to strain to watch shows on such a tiny tube. It was decided we needed to go bigger.
So then began the search. I cannot tell you how many hours we spent researching televisions. First was the question of widescreen vs fullscreen (4:3), and how this would affect us when all broadcasting goes to widescreen HDTV format in 2006. Did you know that in 2006 all television will be broadcasted in widescreen? I had no idea. So we knew we had better get a widescreen.
Since we were going widescreen, it made sense to also get a tv that was HDTV ready. You can also get televisions with the HD tuner built right in, but you'll pay lots more money. And from what I understand, it's unnecessary. Once everything is broadcast in HD, your cable box/satellite receiver will have an HD tuner in it, so the tv tuner will be extraneous.
This is how we arrived at the Sony KP-65WS510. Now let's talk the specifics of this tv. I'll walk you through the features, with my impression of each one.
Aspect Ratio 16:9, 4:3 Enhanced - This is pretty self-explanatory, although there are a few things I'd like to say about it. The tv itself has 4 viewing modes you can switch through with the touch of a button on the remote:
Normal - This is 4:3. When watching regular tv (or a fullscreen movie) on this setting, the tv puts gray bars on either side of the screen. The gray bars - instead of black - help to prevent burn-in. But I'll be honest, we never use this mode. Why? Read on ...
Full - This is the mode to put it on to watch anything in widescreen, whether it be a widescreen movie or a widescreen broadcast. It will also stretch a 4:3 image to fill the screen, although I wouldn't recommend this mode for that use; it looks too distorted.
Zoom - This mode does just what it says; it zooms in on the image and fills the screen with it. This make a 4:3 image look slightly less distorted than the Full mode would. I use this mode when my daughter watches cartoons, simply because I can move the image on the screen (in the menu) to eliminate any station logos. (So they don't burn-in to the screen)
Wide Zoom - This mode is what makes this tv pass muster, in my opinion. It is what you'll want to use when watching regular, fullscreen tv, but want it to fill the screen. It takes a wide camera angle, and also zooms in a bit, so there is a minimum of stretching. It almost looks normal! You can't beat this.
Audio Type Virtual Surround - I cannot say enough about the sound quality of this television! My husband, who is terribly picky when it comes to sound, has not even bothered to hook our surround sound up yet because the tv sounds THAT good. It has bass built in that sounds like you have a sub, and the high tones are crisp and clear. If you crank it up, it truly does sound like quality surround sound. And that's straight from my husband, who is more knowledgeable than I in these matters.
Comb Filter 3DYC - Apparently there are a few types of comb filters, and they affect the quality of the image you see on your tv. This is one of the best.
Picture In Picture With PIP - They call it picture in picture, but it actually is better than that. It will split the screen, with equal size images side by side. You'll need another input source, of course, to have 2 different channels on. Once you have the images side by side you can toggle back and forth between audio for each. You can also freeze an image on one side and continue with the regular broadcast on the other. (I have no idea why that is useful, but my husband enjoys playing with that feature).
A/V Inputs Composite 4 (1 front/3 rear)
Number of Component Inputs 2
Number of RF Jacks 2
S-Video Inputs 3 (1 front/2 rear)
DVI-HDTV input
Apparently that last one (DVI) is an important one. From what I've read (and correct me if I'm wrong here), HDTV is still in a state of flux, so to speak, but a DVI input will ensure that you will be able to hook up to a tuner in the future.
Now to the question everyone wants to hear about with projection televisions: burn-in. To be honest, we were greatly concerned with burn-in ourselves. From what we've learned, it IS something that can happen. My husband has hooked up our XBox and GameCube to the tv, but he plays video games maybe once a week for a few hours. Burn-in can occur if any static image stays on the screen for long periods of time, maybe 4+ hrs a day, every day. Since video games are constantly moving, that isn't a huge problem. However, if you are playing a game with a static image, such as a health meter, a racing console - anything that just stays there and doesn't move, AND you play alot, I would worry.
That being said, there are things that can be done. With this tv, in any mode, you can move the screen up or down or left and right 15 degrees from center. What I mean is, for example, when we watch the Boomerang cartoon network they have a dark logo in the bottom right of the screen that never moves. I don't want that on the screen, because eventually it will burn-in. So I go into the menu and move the image on the screen down until it is off the screen. This may not be the best solution in a game where you need to see certain images, but if you're going to play long periods of time it could help. OR, if you switched the image every so often so that the static image was at a different place on the screen, that could help too.
Also, some games let you turn off the console stuff that shows on the screen. I guess it would depend on the game. One time my husband left the tv on all night with "Video 3" displayed on the screen, and it didn't burn in.
The only problem with burn-in is it isn't covered under manufacturers warranty.
Our living room, where the tv is, is actually on the small side. I was concerned about this too, but it looks great. I had read that these televisions actually seem smaller as time goes on, and it's true. While it still is like our own theater, it no longer seems to dwarf the entire room. We're probably sitting about 8 ft away from it, and it looks great.
Now a word about the picture quality of this tv. (OK, a few words) First of all, this is a very large television. So any input that is of less-than-stellar quality (think standard broadcast television) is going to have flaws accentuated. It isn't horrible, but is sure isn't great.
However, pop in a DVD (or watch HDTV), and this where the tv earns its keep. We watched Lord of the Rings on it, and it was absolutely breathtaking. The picture quality was so crisp, so clear - we had to watch it again just to see it. Your living room will become better than the movie theater.
Yes, it's that good. Now go buy one!
