Sony KP-65XBR10W 65 in. TV
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- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 14:9
- Weight: 327 lb.
- Screen Size: 65 inch
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Sony KP-65XBR10W Projection "HDTV-Ready" HiScan XBR TV
Pros
Picture qulaity, features, inputs, looks, warranty
Cons
Only one HD component input, line doubler can introduce "stairstep" artifacts
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Sony KV-65XBR10W is not cheap and has some deficiencies (like the absence of second HD input), but great picture quality and reasonable price...
The product page for Sony KP-65XBR10W says that it is NOT ?HDTV-Ready?. It is not true ? the TV is indeed ?HDTV-Ready? - you can buy an outboard HDTV tuner (i.e. Sony?s SAT-HD100) and enjoy high-definition images.
The 65XBR10W is a real-projection HDTV-Ready widescreen TV with a screen size of 65?. The product page also says it has no front inputs and 2 S-video inputs, but in fact this TV has front set of A/V, component and S-Video inputs and the rear panel has massive array of other inputs (see below).
HDTV
The TV has standard 16:9 aspect ratio, so you can enjoy 16:9 widescreen HDTV (using outboard HDTV tuner) and DVD. The 65XBR10W accepts 1080i, 720p, 480p input in additional to the standard 480i.
Looks
The 65XBR10W looks high-tech with its 16:9 screen, silverfish-gray cabinet, sharp angles and flat screen. Looking at it directly, it seems that the TV is flat (like plasma TVs), the impression also helped by the sides that slightly taper inward.
It Is A Projection TV
The TV uses 7? CRTs to project images on the screen. Although majority of other manufacturers uses 9? CRTs that provide slightly better detail level, you will have to try really hard to discern the difference. And the use of 7-inch CRTs allows to keep the price below competition.
Picture Quality
There are several modes you can use this TV in (see below). The picture quality, the 65XBR10W provides you with, is excellent for the projection TV of this side. The best picture quality is achieved when you use a progressive-scan DVD player, switch it to 480p and connect it to the wideband component input or connect an HDTV tuner to it (this TV has only one wideband HD component input, so if you have both progressive-scan DVD player and HDTV tuner, you will have to use an external switching device).
If you have a ?standard? (non-progressive scan) DVD player or a satellite receiver with 480i resolution, you can connect it to either standard or wideband component video input or using any of the three S-Video inputs present, which yields very good picture at 480i. You can also use the TV?s line doubler and upconvert 480i into 480p, at a cost of some ?stairstep? artifacts in scenes with vertical motion ? the small problem that majority of line doublers exhibit.
However, this TV promises much better picture from ?standard? TV programming, converting 480i resolution to 960i and doubling horizontal resolution from 720 to 1440 pixels. Does it make ?regular? picture much better? The results are quite difficult to notice, unless you sit too close to the screen and are annoyed by the scan lines of standard 480i. But the focus and sharpness are great in all modes as well as edge definition. You can also control the advanced velocity scan modulation.
Digital Reality Creation, 1080i, 480p, etc.
Using its HD component input, the 65XBR10W accepts 480p progressive scan input from progressive-scan DVD players, making the picture more stable and easing the eye strain. As described above, the TV also displays standard 480i (480 pixels, interlaced) broadcast/cable signal at 960i, doubling the number of lines and number of pixels on each scan line and giving you better resolution. And if you have an HDTV tuner, you can watch HDTV broadcasts at 1080i.
In case with ?standard? analog broadcast/cable signal, both the vertical and horizontal resolution get doubled (as described above), in theory giving you 4 times more pixels. However, the difference is difficult to notice, unless you sit too close to the screen.
3D Digital Comb Filter
Unlike older designs that used so-called ?notch? or ?trap? filters, to separate the color information (chrominance) from brightness information (luminance) from the composite video signal, modern TVs use either 2D comb filter (also called three-line digital) or a more advanced 3D digital comb filter (used in this model), which in addition to the picture analyzes the consecutive frames, storing previous frames in the ?frame memory?.
Comb filters occasionally mistake chrominance for luminance, creating ?cross-luminance artifacts? ? dot crawl along the edges, rainbow-like Moire patterns, etc. However, 3D filters deal better with static images. To avoid these artifacts, you should use S-Video or component video connection as often as possible, as opposed to composite video or RF inputs.
Inputs
Simple switching from composite video input to S-Video (when possible) allows you to illuminate the artifacts described above. Since this model comes with both S-Video and component inputs, you can use them to get better detail level and edge definition from your DVD player or other high-resolution sources. This model has a specifically marked HD component input.
The TV has front composite video, S-Video, component and analog stereo audio inputs. The rear panel features RGB+H/V input that also serves as HD component video input (for progressive-scan DVD and HDTV), 2 sets of A/V, component and S-Video jacks, another A/V input, fixed and variable audio inputs and a composite video out. Also there as 2 RF inputs and Control S in and out.
The S-Video input allows you to bypass the comb filter and pass the signal directly to color decoder, and component input allows you to bypass both. And since this TV accepts progressive-scan signal through the component video input, you can get a progressive-scan DVD player and enjoy flicker-free picture using the component video connection.
Features
You can use Snap Shot mode to freeze the picture, the parental control with the V-chip allows you to restrict viewing of certain programs. The 65XBR10W has impressive array of inputs (see above) and features a progressive-scan compatible and high definition compatible 1080i HD component video input for the best possible quality playback from your progressive-scan DVD player or HDTV decoder. But unfortunately, there is only one HD component input.
Audio tract features Dolby Pro Logic decoder with 80 W total output, but you can connect the TV or your DVD player to a real surround sound system. The PIP window can be resized using remote?s joystick.
The TV provides three color temperature settings: Cool, Neutral and Warm. Although the TV has Flash focus feature, it doesn?t always work properly, so it is a good idea to allow the technician converge the CRTs and adjust the grayscale setting.
Remote Control
The universal remote control allows you to control other devices in addition to your TV. It features a joystick and buttons to control other devices are concealed behind a flip-up panel. Some buttons are small, but the button layout is logical.
Bottom Line
The Sony KV-65XBR10W is not cheap and has some deficiencies (like the absence of second HD input), but great picture quality and reasonable price for this size make it worth considering.
The 65XBR10W is a real-projection HDTV-Ready widescreen TV with a screen size of 65?. The product page also says it has no front inputs and 2 S-video inputs, but in fact this TV has front set of A/V, component and S-Video inputs and the rear panel has massive array of other inputs (see below).
HDTV
The TV has standard 16:9 aspect ratio, so you can enjoy 16:9 widescreen HDTV (using outboard HDTV tuner) and DVD. The 65XBR10W accepts 1080i, 720p, 480p input in additional to the standard 480i.
Looks
The 65XBR10W looks high-tech with its 16:9 screen, silverfish-gray cabinet, sharp angles and flat screen. Looking at it directly, it seems that the TV is flat (like plasma TVs), the impression also helped by the sides that slightly taper inward.
It Is A Projection TV
The TV uses 7? CRTs to project images on the screen. Although majority of other manufacturers uses 9? CRTs that provide slightly better detail level, you will have to try really hard to discern the difference. And the use of 7-inch CRTs allows to keep the price below competition.
Picture Quality
There are several modes you can use this TV in (see below). The picture quality, the 65XBR10W provides you with, is excellent for the projection TV of this side. The best picture quality is achieved when you use a progressive-scan DVD player, switch it to 480p and connect it to the wideband component input or connect an HDTV tuner to it (this TV has only one wideband HD component input, so if you have both progressive-scan DVD player and HDTV tuner, you will have to use an external switching device).
If you have a ?standard? (non-progressive scan) DVD player or a satellite receiver with 480i resolution, you can connect it to either standard or wideband component video input or using any of the three S-Video inputs present, which yields very good picture at 480i. You can also use the TV?s line doubler and upconvert 480i into 480p, at a cost of some ?stairstep? artifacts in scenes with vertical motion ? the small problem that majority of line doublers exhibit.
However, this TV promises much better picture from ?standard? TV programming, converting 480i resolution to 960i and doubling horizontal resolution from 720 to 1440 pixels. Does it make ?regular? picture much better? The results are quite difficult to notice, unless you sit too close to the screen and are annoyed by the scan lines of standard 480i. But the focus and sharpness are great in all modes as well as edge definition. You can also control the advanced velocity scan modulation.
Digital Reality Creation, 1080i, 480p, etc.
Using its HD component input, the 65XBR10W accepts 480p progressive scan input from progressive-scan DVD players, making the picture more stable and easing the eye strain. As described above, the TV also displays standard 480i (480 pixels, interlaced) broadcast/cable signal at 960i, doubling the number of lines and number of pixels on each scan line and giving you better resolution. And if you have an HDTV tuner, you can watch HDTV broadcasts at 1080i.
In case with ?standard? analog broadcast/cable signal, both the vertical and horizontal resolution get doubled (as described above), in theory giving you 4 times more pixels. However, the difference is difficult to notice, unless you sit too close to the screen.
3D Digital Comb Filter
Unlike older designs that used so-called ?notch? or ?trap? filters, to separate the color information (chrominance) from brightness information (luminance) from the composite video signal, modern TVs use either 2D comb filter (also called three-line digital) or a more advanced 3D digital comb filter (used in this model), which in addition to the picture analyzes the consecutive frames, storing previous frames in the ?frame memory?.
Comb filters occasionally mistake chrominance for luminance, creating ?cross-luminance artifacts? ? dot crawl along the edges, rainbow-like Moire patterns, etc. However, 3D filters deal better with static images. To avoid these artifacts, you should use S-Video or component video connection as often as possible, as opposed to composite video or RF inputs.
Inputs
Simple switching from composite video input to S-Video (when possible) allows you to illuminate the artifacts described above. Since this model comes with both S-Video and component inputs, you can use them to get better detail level and edge definition from your DVD player or other high-resolution sources. This model has a specifically marked HD component input.
The TV has front composite video, S-Video, component and analog stereo audio inputs. The rear panel features RGB+H/V input that also serves as HD component video input (for progressive-scan DVD and HDTV), 2 sets of A/V, component and S-Video jacks, another A/V input, fixed and variable audio inputs and a composite video out. Also there as 2 RF inputs and Control S in and out.
The S-Video input allows you to bypass the comb filter and pass the signal directly to color decoder, and component input allows you to bypass both. And since this TV accepts progressive-scan signal through the component video input, you can get a progressive-scan DVD player and enjoy flicker-free picture using the component video connection.
Features
You can use Snap Shot mode to freeze the picture, the parental control with the V-chip allows you to restrict viewing of certain programs. The 65XBR10W has impressive array of inputs (see above) and features a progressive-scan compatible and high definition compatible 1080i HD component video input for the best possible quality playback from your progressive-scan DVD player or HDTV decoder. But unfortunately, there is only one HD component input.
Audio tract features Dolby Pro Logic decoder with 80 W total output, but you can connect the TV or your DVD player to a real surround sound system. The PIP window can be resized using remote?s joystick.
The TV provides three color temperature settings: Cool, Neutral and Warm. Although the TV has Flash focus feature, it doesn?t always work properly, so it is a good idea to allow the technician converge the CRTs and adjust the grayscale setting.
Remote Control
The universal remote control allows you to control other devices in addition to your TV. It features a joystick and buttons to control other devices are concealed behind a flip-up panel. Some buttons are small, but the button layout is logical.
Bottom Line
The Sony KV-65XBR10W is not cheap and has some deficiencies (like the absence of second HD input), but great picture quality and reasonable price for this size make it worth considering.
