Official Sony KDL-40/46/52 XBR4/XBR5 Owners Thread

[gand41f]

Looks like we have a few owners of the new Sony XBR LCD's so I figured we can use a thread where we can get together and talk/discuss/complain about our toys.

Despite the thread title, owners of other Sony LCD models are welcome too. I can only answer questions about the XBR4 though, so someone else needs to answer questions regarding others.

The following is taken from the description of 46" XBR4 at

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665116636

Features

Over the years XBR has stood for the best consumer TV's Sony has to offer and this year's line up is no exception. The XBR line of Full HD 1080p televisions incorporate all of Sony's latest technologies (including HDMI v1.3 features such as x.v.Color and Deep Color). Additional features like Motionflow™ 120Hz enable smoother motion when viewing movies or fast-action sports. BRAVIA Engine PRO with Digital Reality Creation upconverts all interlaced and progressive video signals including HD signals directly to 1080p for amazing detail and sharpness. And it's only fitting that your XBR make a statement not only through breathtaking picture quality, but by taking your breath away with optional color bezels. Now your LCD TV can be as distinct as your own personal style.

Full HD 1080

There are a lot of ways to define high-definition but BRAVIA® Full HD means you’re getting the best resolution that high-definition has to offer consumers. With Sony BRAVIA XBR HDTVs, Full HD 1080 means 1920 x 1080 pixels5 and 1080p video inputs. Your lifestyle demands the best in high-definition and with BRAVIA Full HD 1080 products you get it.

1920 x 1080 Native Panel Resolution

When it comes to high-definition TV the pinnacle of performance is achieved by using 1920 x 1080 display panels. Full HD 1920 x 1080 panel resolution with over 2 million pixels 5(more than twice that of 720p HDTV) is exactly what you need to reproduce the 1080p content that can be delivered by our cutting edge 1080p Blu-ray disc™ player.

10-bit Processing and 10-bit Display

While it's great to state that a TV is capable of creating billions of colors it's a whole lot better when you have a display that can actually display them. That's the logic behind Sony's 10-bit processor and 10-bit display. Sony follows 10-bit processing with a 10-bit panel, allowing 64 times the levels of color expression than an 8-bit panel. What that translates to is smoother transitions from color to color and subtle color changes faithfully reproduced.

Motionflow™ 120 Hz with Full HD high frame rate capability

Taking motion performance to the next level requires innovation and expertise. Enter Sony's Motionflow™ High Frame Rate technology. Motionflow™ detects the incoming video signal and applies the appropriate processing for optimum motion reproduction. Taking full advantage of film sourced 24fps encoded content available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, Motionflow™ eliminates the need for 3:2 pulldown and delivers smooth, judder free video, faithfully preserving the integrity of the original film. When 60fps content is detected, Motionflow™ doubles the amount of frames and uses real-time calculation to create a new level of natural motion reproduction. You'll experience movies and sports with a greater sense of realism than ever before.

BRAVIA Engine™ PRO Full Digital Video Processor

BRAVIA Engine™ PRO builds upon the BRAVIA Engine system's outstanding video processing functions making it Sony's most advanced video processing system. It is the culmination of our legendary picture quality expertise, featuring the latest generation of proprietary video processing technology: Digital Reality Creation - Multi Function (DRC-MFv2.5). This technology creates a high-density video signal that traditional interpolation video processing cannot achieve. This latest generation of DRC-MF features increased processing power and provides a sharp, crystal clear image with both 480i and 480p standard definition and all high definition sources (except 1080p). It also features "1080p Direct Creation" which minimizes loss in interlace-to-progressive (IP) conversion by performing Digital Reality Creation and IP Creation algorithms simultaneously.

Live Color Creation™ System featuring WCG-CCFL

Many colors in the real world such as deep reds, greens and clear blues cannot be expressed with conventional display technologies. Working in combination with the special WCG-CCFL backlight in LCD HDTVs or the optical engine in our MDPJ HDTVs, Live Color Creation technology achieves wide color reproduction using advanced chroma signal processing algorithms. The primary benefits are clear blues, natural greens and an overall vibrant color for all scenes.

Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) Function

Sony’s Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) builds on our excellent on-contrastratio performance of 2,000:1(1). A Dynamic Contrast Ratio of up to 18,000:1(2) is achieved by using real-time image processing to adjust the contrast along with optimizing backlight levels. But rather than focus on the "numbers", Sony focuses on actual picture performance avoiding exaggerated blacks where detail can be lost. ACE translates to blacker blacks in darker scenes, as well as better shadow detail in other scenes for a difference that you can see.

x.v.Color™ technology

BRAVIA® HDTV's performance has now advanced to the point that the color range can be defined by limitations in the original video source, rather than the TV. Thanks to the adoption of a newly approved international color standard called xvYCC (an option in the HDMI v1.3 spec and which Sony participated in creating), the color space has been greatly expanded. 1.8 times as many natural colors as existing HDTV signals will now be faithfully reproduced. x.v.Color enabled products can now offer more accurate color reproduction and natural colors beyond broadcast HDTV.

24p True Cinema (24p Input Capability)

Many movies are filmed at 24 frames per second (fps) and prime time TV programs are recorded at 24p. Seizing on an opportunity, some studios are taking a purist approach and encoding high definition video content such as Blu-ray Disc™ in 24p. Sony wisely takes advantage of this by including 24p output capability on our Blu-ray Disc™ players as well as including 24p input capability select 2007 BRAVIA TVs. The benefit? Images are smooth and natural looking. Once you experience 24p video it will be hard to view video without it.

DMex - Ready (Digital Media Extender)

Sony's Digital Media Extender (DMex) ready televisions offer a digital connection path for the addition of the optional modules like the new BRAVIA Internet Video Link. 6 With innovative DMex expansion capabilities featuring the Emmy® award winning XMB user interface, these models are not merely TVs, but powerful entertainment platforms that not only meet your needs today, but extend to add new features seamlessly.

Xross Media Bar® (XMB) interface

When was the last time you saw an on-screen display that was fast, fun and easy to use? Sony's award-winning Xross Media Bar™ (pronounced Cross) provides a logical and fast way to access set up menus, user controls, and more. The on-screen display comes to life by pushing the XMB menu button on the remote. Navigation through the menus is smooth and fast.

BRAVIA® Theatre Sync™ technology

Sony® created BRAVIA® Theatre Sync™ to go beyond basic digital audio and video transmission. Based on the HDMI-CEC function, BRAVIA® Theatre Sync™ will be included on select BRAVIA® Theatre home A/V systems and components. This useful function reduces the hassle and time consuming job of powering up, routing signals, etc. to the simple push of one button.8 Want to play your DVD on your Sony® A/V system? Easy, just push PLAY on the BRAVIA® HDTV remote and everything is taken care of for you. Even when the system is off! Want to change from TV sound to digital surround sound through your Sony BRAVIA® Theatre A/V system? Just one push of the Theater Sound button on the remote and voila, surround sound through your system. Want to power down everything once you've finished enjoying it? Push one button and the TV and A/V system powers down. BRAVIA® Theatre Sync™ helps make things a whole lot easier to operate.

Photo TV HD

BRAVIA® HDTVs are not just optimized for movies. More and more people want to view photos on their large-screen HDTV sets, expanding beyond only viewing them on computer monitors. The new Photo TV HD mode brings the look of actual printed photography to the HDTV reproducing high quality digital photos by fine-tuning parameters, such as sharpness, gradation and color.

enjoy
gandalf

[gand41f]

Specifications (46" XBR4)

Aspect Ratio
* 16:9

Screen Size
* 46 inch class (45.5 inches measured diagonally)

Television Type
* Flat Panel

Closed Caption (CC)
* Yes

ID1 Detection
* Yes

Video Label
* Yes

Native Resolution
* 1080p

Contrast Ratio
* 18,000:1 (Dynamic) 2; 2,000:1 (On-screen) 1

Display Resolution
* 1920 x 1080p (native)

Tuner
* ATSC, Clear QAM

Video Processing
* Yes (BRAVIA Engine™ PRO)

Noise Reduction
* Yes

Comb Filter
* 3D Digital Comb Filter

DRC® MultiFunction Circuitry
* Yes (DRC MF V2.5)

Game Mode
* On/Off

Light Sensor
* Yes

Display Technology
* LCD (178° wide viewing angle)

Backlight Type
* WCG-CCFL (Wide Color Gamut - CCFL)

High Definition
* Yes (Full HD 1080)

MotionFlow™ 120Hz
* Yes

10-bit Display Panel
* Yes

BRAVIA® Theatre Sync™
* Yes (One-Button Home Theater Control (HDMI-CEC))

Steady Sound® Automatic Volume Control
* Yes

MTS Stereo Decoder
* Yes (with SAP)

Digital Amplifier
* Yes

Dolby® Digital
* Yes (ATSC/QAM only)

Sound Booster
* Yes

Voice Zoom
* Yes

S-Force® Front
* Yes

Channel Skip/Add
* Yes

Favorite Channel
* Yes

Speed Surf™ Channel Selection
* Yes

Parental Control (V-Chip)
* Yes

Programmable Timer
* Yes

Sleep Timer
* 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, Off

Timer Events
* On/Off Timer

Clock
* Yes

Power Save Mode
* Standard, Reduced, Picture Off

Picture Freeze
* Yes

Input Skip
* Yes

DMeXTM Ready
* Yes (Feature Expansion Capability)

Xross Media Bar®
* Yes (Graphical User Interface)

Remote Control
* Yes (Backlit)

Analog Audio Input(s)
* 5 (4 Rear/1 Side)

Audio Out (Variable/Fixed)
* 1 (Rear)

Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr ) Input(s)
* 2 (Rear)

Composite Video Input(s)
* 3 (2 Rear/1 Side)

Digital Audio Output(s)
* 1 (Rear)

S-Video Input(s)
* 1 (Rear)

Headphone Output(s)
* 1 (Side)

PC Audio Input(s)
* 1 (Rear)

PC Video Input(s)
* 1 (Rear) with D-sub 15 and L/R stereo mini plug connection4

HDMI™ Connection(s)
* 3 (1 Side/ 2 Rear) - 1 rear input has L/R audio inputs

1080/24p Input Capable
* Yes (via HDMI™)

Power Consumption (in Operation)
* 280W

Power Consumption (in Standby)
* Less than 0.4W

Energy Star® Compliant
* Yes

Limited Warranty
* 1 Year Parts / 1 Year Labor

Dimensions (Approx) Width
* 49.7" (1262mm) with pedestal; 49.7" (1262mm) without pedestal

Dimensions (Approx) Height
* 31.3" (795mm) with pedestal; 28.9" (734mm) without pedestal

Dimensions (Approx) Depth
* 12.7" (322mm) with pedestal; 4.8" (121mm) without pedestal

Weight (Approx.)
* 84.0 lbs.(38.0 kg) with pedestal; 73.0 lbs.(33.0 kg ) without pedestal

VESA
* Yes (VESA Hole Mount Compatibility for Mounting Applications)

Dimensions (Approx.)
* 49.7 x31.3 x12.7 inches (1262 x795 x322 mm) with pedestal; 49.7 x28.9 x4.8 inches (1262 x734x121 mm) without pedestal

enjoy
gandalf

[gand41f]

What are differences between XBR4 and XBR5?

• Warranty (12 months for XBR4, 18 months for XBR5)
• Matte black bezel for XBR4, glossy black bezel for XBR5
• RS-232C port (for home automation applications) only on XBR5

What are the differences between the XBR series and V3000/W3000?

• 120Hz and Motion Enhancer only available for XBR series
• "Floating glass" bezel for XBR series, no glass in bezels for V3000/W3000
• V3000 has 2 HDMI inputs, W3000 and XBR series have 3 HDMI inputs
• Contrast ratio: 13,000:1(dynamic)/1,800:1(static) for V3000, 16,000:1(dynamic)/2,000:1(static) for W3000, 18,000:1(dynamic)/2,000:1(static) for XBR series
• Video Processing: BRAVIA Engine PRO for XBR series and BRAVIA Engine EX for V3000/W3000

(This list is likely incomplete -- please let me know of any other differences)

What is KDL-46VL130?
That's the Costco model of KDL-46V3000. (Costco usually carries items under a different model names to avoid getting involved in price matching.)

Which size should I get? (Also known as: "How far should I sit from my TV?")
I sit 6" (1.8m) from my 46" XBR4. It is great for Blu-rays but maybe a tad too close for broadcast HDTV which is not as high quality. Here are two links that may help. The first one focuses on detail sensitivity of human eyes (i.e., at what distance do I see all the details offered by 1080p without being bothered by the grid structure of the screen?), the second one in terms of theater-like experience (i.e., how close do I need to sit to make it feel like I'm in a real theater?).

Viewing distance vs. resolution
Viewing distance calculator for theater-like experience

How do I turn off the glowing "SONY" logo?
From the Logo Illumination menu in the General settings in XMB.

How do I turn off the green power light?
You can't.

Where can I find calibration settings?
Try this link.

Does the TV remember picture settings per input?
Yes. Picture mode settings are stored for each input. Also, when you switch inputs, it will bring up the last picture mode used in that input.

enjoy
gandalf

P.S. My 900th post!

[gand41f]

24Hz native display

There are two ways to have this panel show 24Hz content (i.e., movies) using 5:5 pulldown. In both cases, you need to turn off Motion Enhancer (from Options menu) and Game/Text Mode (from Video Options menu in XMB).

• Use a 24p capable device (e.g., Blu-ray player) and send 1080/24p directly from the player. The TV will display each frame 5 times.
• Feed 1080/60i to the TV and set CineMotion (in Video Options from XMB) to Auto1 or Auto2. (Does anyone know the difference between the two?) The TV will first do a 3:2 cadence detection to reconstruct the original 24Hz signal, then display each frame 5 times. (Unfortunately, this process doesn't always work: see here for more.)

Full Pixel mode

It is also a good idea to make sure the TV is set to display all pixels without scaling by setting the Display Area to Full Pixel (in Screen from XMB) for film-based 1080p or 1080i content to avoid scaling due to overscan. (If you are feeding 720p over HDMI, you will see "+1" instead of Full Pixel to mean no overscan -- if you see "+1", select that one. If you see neither Full Pixel nor "+1", select Normal.)

Note that turning on Full Pixel or "+1" while watching TV may cause a thin white or white and black line to show up at the top of your screen on some channels. This is the TV station's fault -- your TV is fine. Use Normal mode to watch TV if this bothers you.

Cinema and Theater modes

The picture setting "Cinema" is designed to give a more cinema-like feeling to the picture.

The orange "Theater mode" button on your remote can be used to toggle Theater mode on/off. When Theater mode is on:

• The picture settings will be swiched to "Cinema"
• Motion Enhancer will be turned off
• The audio output will be switched to the home theater system (if you have a BRAVIA Theatre Sync receiver connected)

The Theater mode was added by cooperation between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Electronics.

enjoy
gandalf

[gand41f]

Reserved for future use 4

[gand41f]

Reserved for future use 5

[gand41f]

Reserved for future use 6

[doctorsteve]

I've already searched with no luck, so-
Any word on why the Bravia 52" XBR4 was recalled and/or when it will be returned to production??? I'm saving my pennies as we speak... PM me if you like.

[gand41f]

Nice to hear from you. It was starting to get lonely here with the crickets chirping. I was wondering if I'm the only one on this forum interested in this TV.

Originally Posted by doctorsteve

I've already searched with no luck, so-
Any word on why the Bravia 52" XBR4 was recalled and/or when it will be returned to production??? I'm saving my pennies as we speak... PM me if you like.

It's recalled? I didn't know that. The 46" XBR4 seemed to be out of stock everywhere when I started looking a few weeks back but it is back in circulation now (I found mine at Fry's). Are you sure what you are seeing is not merely demand exceeding supply?

enjoy
gandalf

[Seretur]

As I'm in Europe, I'm thinking of getting the local version of this TV -- the KDL-46X3500. But, of course, 50Hz power supply means that these run on a 100Hz refresh rate. The display does boast a "24p True Cinema" feature, but I was wondering -- will this thing truly reproduce 24p?

Any input?

[Rustmonsteru]

Originally Posted by doctorsteve

I've already searched with no luck, so-
Any word on why the Bravia 52" XBR4 was recalled and/or when it will be returned to production??? I'm saving my pennies as we speak... PM me if you like.

I had not heard of this and I was looking to buy that exact model in a few weeks time. More info from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Spoke w/ my Crutchfield rep and he's heard of no such recall.

Link?

[owa]

Originally Posted by gand41f

What are differences between XBR4 and XBR5?

Could you add a comparison to the non-XBR sets also? I've been trying to decide if it's worth it to go with the XBR4/XBR5, for example, over the KDL-52W3000. What are the differences and are the XBRs worth the $1k+ difference in price?

[gand41f]

Originally Posted by Seretur

As I'm in Europe, I'm thinking of getting the local version of this TV -- the KDL-46X3500. But, of course, 50Hz power supply means that these run on a 100Hz refresh rate. The display does boast a "24p True Cinema" feature, but I was wondering -- will this thing truly reproduce 24p?

Any input?

I don't know much about the European models but since 100 does not evenly divide 24, I don't think it can faithfully reproduce 24Hz. I'm afraid you're going to either get the "PAL speedup" or one frame out of 24 repeated will be four times (or two frames repeated three times, I'm not sure how it usually works).

enjoy
gandalf

[gand41f]

Originally Posted by owa

Could you add a comparison to the non-XBR sets also? I've been trying to decide if it's worth it to go with the XBR4/XBR5, for example, over the KDL-52W3000. What are the differences and are the XBRs worth the $1k+ difference in price?

I'll try, but I'm not sure if I can get everything right as I wasn't really looking into the V3000/W3000 series due to them not listed as 120Hz sets. The differences other than cosmetics (floating glass etc.) that I am aware of are 120Hz (XBR4/5 only) and number of HDMI inputs (3 for XBR4/5 and W3000, 2 for V3000).

Anything else?

enjoy
gandalf

[Seretur]

Thanks, Gandalf!

Sony claims that their 24p True Cinema output doesn't involve PAL speedup, so I guess they add frames somehow, in the way you mention. Then again, as this is an electrical frequency common to all Europe, I don't suppose I'll be able to do better with any TV on this continent.

In any case, my Sony Style shop has just received their first 40" set, but as they don't use Blu-ray discs to show it off, just some lame, overcompressed 1080i signal, I couldn't really tell anything. So I'm looking forward to the review that's upcoming on this site -- one of the best English-language HDTV resources for European users.

BTW, I'm professionally involved with Tolkien, so I like you.

[groovyone]

I hope to be one very, very soon. The 52" was just on sale at CC for $3500.

[Slapper]

I'm saving my Pepsi bottles until after the holidays to buy the 52". If I can find a really good deal around Black Friday I may pounce.

Be joining you shortly!

[doctorsteve]

5 Star ReviewSony Recalls and stops production of XBR4 52's
Strengths: This is my pick however, I'll need to wait until the design is fixed.
Weaknesses: Recall and production stop.
Summary: The Consumer show is in Denver this year (Sept 2007) and the Sony Sales and Engineer people have told my local high end theater store that they have put their 52" XBR's on production hold and have recalled the 52". They will not comment as to why.

This is dissapointing, since I am ready to make my purchase now. But I'll have to wait. I've looked at the Sharp, my 2nd choice, but the action is not as crisp. Ghosting remains an issue. Minor, but noticable.

If anyone hears when Sony will resume production on XBR 52's please post it.



BUT... CNET has in stock prices from 11 stores, so maybe this is wrong or just old.

[xivex]

Originally Posted by gand41f

24Hz native display

Full Pixel mode

It is also a good idea to make sure the TV is set to display all pixels without scaling by setting the Display Area to Full Pixel (in Screen from XMB) for film-based 1080p or 1080i content to avoid scaling due to overscan.
enjoy
gandalf

Gandalf,

I own the 46" XBR4 (see sig for model #)..I have read about fullpixel mode and often game on my ps3 or pc on this tv. I'd like to make sure I have this setting correct, but am not sure what "FULL PIXEL" is. I went into the TV's options XMB bar, went to screen, and I DO see the "Display Area" option. However, I only have -2,-1, NORMAL, +1 for my options under "Display Area". I currently have it set to NORMAL. Is this the equivalent of full pixel mode? Or should I set display area to +1?

Also, what is the deal with motion enhancer and cinemotion? I've read many differing opinions on what these should be set to for Directv HD vs. Bluray playback. Can you offer any opinion on these? Should it be changed when switching sources? (directv vs bluray)

Thanks,

X

[gand41f]

Originally Posted by Seretur

Thanks, Gandalf!

Sony claims that their 24p True Cinema output doesn't involve PAL speedup, so I guess they add frames somehow, in the way you mention. Then again, as this is an electrical frequency common to all Europe, I don't suppose I'll be able to do better with any TV on this continent.

In any case, my Sony Style shop has just received their first 40" set, but as they don't use Blu-ray discs to show it off, just some lame, overcompressed 1080i signal, I couldn't really tell anything. So I'm looking forward to the review that's upcoming on this site -- one of the best English-language HDTV resources for European users.

BTW, I'm professionally involved with Tolkien, so I like you.

Actually, I don't think it's the issue with electrical frequency -- it's PAL. The Eastern half of Japan uses 50Hz for electricity (the other half is 60Hz) and their TVs are still 60Hz because that's the NTSC standard. Since the broadcast TV uses 50Hz in Europe, it makes sense for TV manufacturers to come up with a 100Hz "Motion Enhancer" display. Too bad that doesn't work very will with film-based content.

enjoy
gandalf

P.S. Glad to hear you like my screen name.