The Good Exceptional quality; well-designed chassis
The Bad $4,999 cost; picture could be brighter
The Bottom Line Will please those who can afford it
The Sony (SNE) KDS-R line allows consumers to enter the realm of high-end widescreen TVs at something that approaches an affordable level. While $5,000 still strikes me as a lot of money to pay for a TV, this rear-projection set produces a great picture at half the price of a comparable-size flat-panel plasma screen.
The tradeoff with rear-projection TVs is that they're bulkier than plasma or LCD sets, which are often four inches deep and can be hung from a wall like a painting. But Sony has done an admirable job of scaling it down. The set is only 20 inches deep and weighs 112 pounds, making it lighter and thinner than the rear-projection TVs of a few years ago, which looked like refrigerators laid on their sides.
The set is sculpted so that the bulky posterior is all but invisible to a viewer looking at it head on. And there are several inches of space between the sides of the chassis and the built-in speakers. While that space makes the TV a bit wider, it actually creates a lighter and less monolithic impression when you look at it. Even when it's turned off, the deep black screen and the silver trim are elegant and easy on the eyes.
WIDE LOAD. Make no mistake, this is one big TV. One of my colleagues was originally supposed to review it, but the 71-inch-long by 30-inch-wide packing crate didn't fit into his home. He tried several neighbors before reluctantly agreeing to let me take a shot at it. I measured my doorway. At 32-inches wide, it was doable.
It took some time to rearrange the living room to accommodate this 66-inch-wide monster. It took another day to make sure the satellite and DVD connections were in proper order and that the TV channels were programmed into the set. When the process was complete, I felt like Rip Van Winkle, roused from a very long nap.
I've never owned a TV even half as wide as this one. I have three older sets at home, and this one is wider than all of them combined. Waking up to the world of high-end screens was a pleasant shock.
LIGHTEN UP. The kids and their friends were mesmerized by the size and clarity of the picture. They were able to appreciate SpongeBob SquarePants as they've never seen him before. My only qualification is that the picture could have been a little brighter. This was especially true when viewing dimly shot DVDs, such as the night-time battle sequences in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Still, the Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD) delivers incredibly clear resolution that makes watching just about anything a pleasure. And the Advanced Iris technology can automatically adjust the amount of light, which helps to minimize potential problems with brightness. The TV also features CineMotion, a feature that helps smooth the pictures. However, once in a while it was possible to detect the slightest herky-jerky movement.
TV technology, in general, has surpassed the quality of most of the video that's available for viewing. While high-definition broadcasts look great on TVs of this ilk, I subscribe to a regular, non-HD, digital satellite service. The TV can't make that old episode of The Dukes of Hazzard look much sharper than it did in 1983, just bigger. Older shows and movies -- and even some newer ones -- will lose some resolution when viewed on a 60-inch screen. In some cases, we switched to a narrower format that delivers sharper resolution.
INS AND OUTS. The system can accommodate a vast array of sources. It works with everything from satellite and cable to over-the-air high-definition broadcasts. You can plug a PC right into the front of the set. A set of jacks below the lower left corner of the screen accommodates a Sony Smart Stick memory card, which is compatible with Sony digital cameras and other devices.
It also works with personal video recorders, HD DVDs and other devices. There are enough jacks to accommodate just about any connection, including high performance S-video cables. And a slot for CableCARD service allows you to possibly eliminate a separate cable box.
The whole concept of a widescreen TV has changed. A 37-inch screen, which seemed substantial a few years ago, is now considered fit for a bedroom or office. As bigger homes with bigger living rooms become standard, 60-inch screens are needed to fill them up. The Sony KDS-R60XBR1 allows you to enter that new realm at a relatively affordable price, without compromising too much compared to more expensive plasma sets.
Rosenbush is a senior writer for BusinessWeek Online, based in New York
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