Pros: Excellent picture, amazing black levels, beautiful looks, nice menus, ALL the latest features
Cons: Cost, 1 of 3 hdmi ports on side
The bottom line: Amazing set, includes all of the new technology and features, but you pay for it in price.
We’re still in the next-morning after-glow, we got the set 2 weeks ago and so far even my nitpicking complaints are so minor as to be laughable. It emerged from the excellent packing in perfect condition, no dead pixels, perfect working order. I’ve thrown every source I have at it – DVD, SD TV, HDTV, and Blu-Ray and of course my PS3 video games. I have not yet played an older standard-def video game or plugged in a VHS. There is no clouding (variance in brightness/dark levels on the screen that some LCDs are rumored to exhibit) – it’s a perfect even black and has the deepest, richest blacks I have ever seen on an LCD.

And for what it’s worth, my last set was a 51” rear-projection set (1366x1080i), so that’s where my past experience lies. This was a substantial upgrade in quality. DVDs looked amazing on my old set, but I didn’t realize how good HD can look until this one.

Setup was a breeze, but that’s because I know my equipment well and this is taking the place of an older HD set anyway. But if you are new to the HD world, PLEASE GOD PLEASE make sure you follow the handy instructions and use the best possible connections to the set (hdmi, or component as a close second). I cry every time I go over to someone’s house and they have their DVD player hooked to their new HD set using “av cables” (you know, rca cables, 2 for sound and the yellow one for video)…

Next: Get it Off of Vivid!
First thing to do once you turn it on is make sure you get it off of the store-friendly “vivid” setting for each content source. I use a tweaked version of “Cinema” for movies and pretty much everything else (or better yet, you can calibrate the set with a calibration DVD). Vivid is the is horribly unnatural blown-out retina-damaging setting that they use so the set looks good in the store under fluorescent lights next to their competitors. Each input has its own independent settings, which is such a breath of fresh air after my last set – different sources benefit from different settings, especially SD vs. HD.

Video Re-Sampling and Upscaling
The XBR has several tools for modifying the source video. Noise Reduction applies to analog signals (which would include a DVD signal sent over component), attempting to remove “static” – this is mostly applied to signals using the built-in tuner or VHS signals. This will “soften” the image somewhat so I would not use it for DVD sources. MPEG Noise Reduction: this is a digital version of the same, attempting to clean up blocky and jaggy digital images from DVDs and HDTV signals hooked up via hdmi. I find it “softens” the image too much for my DVDs but I use it on low for my HDTV sources (because DirecTV compresses the hell out of their signals).

Next comes DRC, which converts signals (upsamples, upconverts, etc). DRC actually stands for "Digital Reality Creation" (now that's a bored marketer for you) and is based on their BraviaEnginePro upscaler. The XBR has 1920x1080 pixels to fill for every frame, and HDTV only broadcasts up to 1920x1080 interlaced, giving you half the image per frame (for which they recommend DRC Mode2). Some HDTV is 720p (1366x768p), and DVD is 480p in progressive mode (720x480p). Anything LESS THAN true 1920x1080p has fewer pixels per frame than the set displays, and this is where upscaling comes in to do a "best guess" and make it look as good as possible, coverting it to fit the screen. If your DVD player or receiver upscales images to 1080p then be sure to turn this feature off (or turn it off in the player/receiver if the Sony DRC does a better job). I’ve been very happy with Mode1 on my SD sources.

CineMotion and Motion Enhancer (MotionFlow)
CineMotion has been in Sony HD sets for years, and what it does is correct the errors that come from converting film on DVD (24 frames per second) to 60 frames per second, known as 3:2 pull-down. This is partly solved by using the 120hz Motion Enhancer, or by using an HD player capable of outputting 24 frames, in which case you can turn CineMotion off. But for most of us this setting should be set to Auto1 (or Auto2) for all DVDs and other disc players (Blu-Ray or HD-DVD) that can’t output at 24 frames.

Motion Enhancer (MotionFlow – they have 2 names for it just to confuse us) is the famous “ 120hz ” refresh rate – double the standard 60hz. This means 120 frames per second! The idea is that it helps reduce “jitter” and other motion artifacts. I recommend turning this off or on "standard" (medium) for your sources that can output at 24 frames to help preserve the “film” quality of movies.

Inputs
For the money it’s not crawling with inputs. There are only 3 hdmi inputs, and one of them is on the side and unless you want a cable sticking out it’s only good for plugging in a temporary external device. The inputs are *almost* all independent, though (no “doubling up”), so unlike another set of mine you can use them all simultaneously (rather than one or the other) – except in the case of S video, which if used replaces one of the 2 composite inputs. There are 2 component inputs, 1 s video and 2 composite video inputs. There’s a nice VGA port to hook to a computer (with a few nice features that go along with that, like standby mode). There is also a jack for an optional internet connection module (DMEX). The set will take unscrambled digital programming for both cable (QAM and 8VSB) and external ATSC antenna. Personally I have my DirectTV box running to the TV via hdmi – my box doesn’t output an “unscrambled” coax signal or else I’d try it.

Weight and Size
We got this home in our 15 year old Cherokee. It fit between the wheel wells but the hatch wouldn’t quite close. It weighs 120lbs in the box. There are good handles on the box and it was no trouble to get in the house. Unpacking is a breeze because the carton lifts off the set once you cut the straps. The set itself weighs 108 lbs with the included pedestal (93 without) so be sure to put it on a solid piece of furniture designed to take the weight. We are using an uber-solid video cabinet and once we placed the set on top it pressed down enough that the sliding-doors are now harder to open. Yeah, wow.

Using it with Blu-Ray
I can’t say enough about how good this set looks with true HD content. Blu-Ray (BD) outputs at 1920x1080p, so every pixel of the screen is receiving information from the disc (no conversion or alteration). You see exactly what the digital image holds. This is true for HD-DVD too, but that is (officially, from the mouth of Toshiba) a dead format now. And unlike HDTV at 1080i, BD gives you the full frame (progressive) vs. half the frame (interlaced) – this is as big a difference as it is on DVD players when you select progressive (480p) vs. standard definition 480i. And remember that a LOT of HD content is 720p, not even 1080i. All of it looks great on this set, but BD is the perfect mate for this set – think of it as the most optimized content possible for true HD. I use my PS3 for Blu-Ray and set it to 24 frames output, and this is as close to film as you can get without being in a theater – and no worries about dirty prints or 16 year old projectionists who don’t know how to focus the projector.

Picture & Picture, Picture in Picture and Freeze
The “revolutionary” 1990s concept of PiP works beautifully well but only from an external antenna input (or anything plugged into the coaxial input). For me this means it’s useless. I could hook up rabbit ears and do PiP with HDTV off-air channels using the built in tuner, but I don’t think I ever will. I never used it on my old set (same restrictions). Picture AND Picture, however, is *almost* a great tool. You can have side-by-side images of 2 sources. The “almost” is because it can’t handle 2 hdmi sources simultaneously, but that may not affect everyone. Lastly, “freeze” pauses the screen on whatever you are watching, windows it and then windows in a smaller version as it continues to play (does that make sense? Basically, you keep watching in a smaller window but at the same time a “frozen” version sits on your screen, for, you know, those 800 numbers and stuff).

Remote
The XBR4 comes with a straightforward but well-organized black remote with a sleek “blue” backlight to most keys. It can control 3 other devices from a short list of other manufacturers. Personally I use a Harmony remote (which I HIGHLY recommend) but the Sony does a great job, mostly intuitively, of controlling the set and navigating the XMB menus. If you have a simple setup the remote would probably work well, assuming your brands are on the list (it’s on p.27 if you want to check and download the manual from Sony), controlling 3 other devices (DVD, VCR, DVR, Set Top Box, Blu-Ray player). There’s a sliding cover over controls to record and 2 “function” buttons for special functions on other devices.

OSD Menu (XrossMediaBar)
If you have a new Sony product you probably are already familiar with their menu system (the XMB) – it’s on the PS3, the PSP, their new receivers, etc. It’s simple but elegant and easy to move around in. It also transposes itself beautifully over whatever you are currently watching. That said, the different options (and there are LOTS of video options) seem to be scattered across a few different locations, making it a little clumsier than maybe it could have been. Poor organization? I don’t know, but it’s only a minor issue for me. The “options” button on the remote takes you right to the main things you need during playback anyway.

Cost, Future Models and the XBR5
This is not a cheap set. It should go down in price as the new models come out soon (Spring 08), but the next 46” version might not be out until fall. Also, Sony has re-arranged their lineup so the Z and W lines are now the highest end for some reason. The good news is that there is no new technology being introduced. Sony is trickling down high-end features to the rest of the models and slightly improving contrast ratios in the new sets. And the new XBRs won’t have the glass bezel, which I think is a shame. Lastly, the XBR5 (which cam out when the XBR4 did) is the same set as the XBR4 with a beautiful piano black finish, an 18 month warranty and an RS232 jack for “home integration”.

Last Thoughts
The XBR4 is one of the best (if not the best) LCD out there. It has all of the latest technology and won’t be surpassed anytime soon. Even the weakness of LCD, black levels, are amazing. I read a lot of reviews before buying, and frankly was skeptical of the price tag on this set (I worried it was just for the Sony brand and the beautiful glass bezel) – though I like Sony my last 3 sets have been Toshibas. As the prices go down this set becomes more and more attractive, and worth every penny even at the exorbitant $2600 I paid.