Sony 46.. to xbr or not to xbr?? that is the question

[davidxiphoid]

Sorry if this has been beaten into the ground.

I was actully looking to buy a 46 " Acquos but when I saw the sony it knocked me out.

Im looking to buy a new hd and my choice seems to be pointing towards the
Sony Bravia 46" Model: KDL-46V3000. I am finding this for about $2100-2300at various stores and online. The picture looks amazing and I'm really pumped about getting this BUT......

Can someone tell me if it would honestly be worth it to get the XBR 46" Model: KDL-46XBR3 for $1000 more? I would use the set for watching blu-rays, PS3 gaming and HD channels. I rarely ever watch anything SD these days.

What are the true differences? as I stated the model i'm curently eyeing has an amazing picture as it is. Is it REALLY worth the extra to get the xbr?

Thanks! love this forum, its always been very helpful

Cheers
David

[xtop]

at a $1000 difference. i personally wouldn't go for it. but there's no denying the xbr4 is one of the better lcd's out there right now

[clyon]

Nope, besides the XBR looks nicer & has a better chip for std tv making for better image of std broadcast that is it.

[DragonSarc]

xbr4 and 5 is 120hz
non xbr is only 60hz
big diference

[Wheelman1970]

Go with the XBR - you can always make more money.

[gearyt]

go to the sony site, select the two or three sets you are interested in,
then press compare... it will put side by side the differences..
when my daughter did this for her new set, it came down to "is the
difference worth $1000", or would you like that new amp and blu-ray
for the money....

[Robmx]

I returned my 42" Sharp Aquos and got the 40" Sony KDL-40V3000 last week.... all I can say is stick with Sony. As for getting the XBR go for it if u can afford to... they are the best although I find it hard to believe my Sony can be beat... But I'm sure it will be worth the extra...

[xtop]

Originally Posted by Robmx

I returned my 42" Sharp Aquos and got the 40" Sony KDL-40V3000 last week.... all I can say is stick with Sony. As for getting the XBR go for it if u can afford to... they are the best although I find it hard to believe my Sony can be beat... But I'm sure it will be worth the extra...

i'm not saying the sony is better or worse than the sharp you had. but did you do any tweaks before switching sets or are you basing this on factory settings?

[Robmx]

Originally Posted by xtop

i'm not saying the sony is better or worse than the sharp you had. but did you do any tweaks before switching sets or are you basing this on factory settings?

I first had the 62 series Sharp 37" and the corners went black on it within 2 weeks.... Returned to Best Buy and picked up the 42" 64 series Sharp.... Set it up custom and it looked amazing for about 1.5 weeks then when I turned on fine motion to get the 4ms response the screen split in half and mirrored on the bottom what was showing on the top..... Went back to Best buy again and picked up the Sony KDL-40V3000 and so far so good....

As for calibration I setup my own settings.... Options like vivid are too hardcore for me.... Both set have comparable picture.... when setup custom.

The contrast on the Sony beats the Sharp and I feel the Sony put out more natural looking color... Could be due to the new 10-bit EX processor up from 8-bit.

I could go on and on about why I like this Sony.... But I won't ! Truth is Sharp makes a decent LCD but due to the 2 I received I had to go for a change.... Its hard bringing back 40+ inch tv's every couple weeks.... enough is enough !

As for warranty I love the fact if u go on Sonystyle.ca I can purchase extended warranty for a year at a time or purchase 4 years for half the price of the Best buy warranty.... Plus I can extend it at anytime after as long as the coverage hasn't expired..... Win / Win to me !

[xtop]

sounds like a good enough explanation to me! haha. well thats good to know that the sony really is better. i didn't mean to sound like i was doubting you i just know a lot of people never touch the settings and leave what the factory has, which is a very bad idea

[davidxiphoid]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I have a sony now and love it but it's only 1080i and it has never worked with my ps3 with only the dvi port available.

Think I'll wait a few months, maybe even til next chrstmas and spend the extra cash to get an XBR set.

the 60 hz versus the 120 hz difference is starting to really sink in with all the gaming, sports and action type blu-rays I watch. IF I'm gonna get the best I might as well get THE best and waiting will make my wife happier as opposed to the dirty, dirty look i got earlier when I mentioned the extra $1000 bucks for the set I decided I was going to get over the one that WE decided on together. lol.

[bkbluray]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

Thanks for all the input guys.

I have a sony now and love it but it's only 1080i and it has never worked with my ps3 with only the dvi port available.

Think I'll wait a few months, maybe even til next chrstmas and spend the extra cash to get an XBR set.

the 60 hz versus the 120 hz difference is starting to really sink in with all the gaming, sports and action type blu-rays I watch. IF I'm gonna get the best I might as well get THE best and waiting will make my wife happier as opposed to the dirty, dirty look i got earlier when I mentioned the extra $1000 bucks for the set I decided I was going to get over the one that WE decided on together. lol.

The 120 hz would be worth it.

[Gio]

Originally Posted by DragonSarc

xbr4 and 5 is 120hz
non xbr is only 60hz
big diference

i just saw the xbr5 for the first time and man that thing is freakin amazing

[AranhaHunter]

Originally Posted by Gio

i just saw the xbr5 for the first time and man that thing is freakin amazing

My sister has one of those, KDL 46XBR5, all the standard channels and movies look amazing, I can only imagine once she hooks up all the HDMI cable and Home Theater system....she's not buying into Blu or HD DVD yet though (waiting for a clear winner 1st).

[Roland1919]

Am I biased, maybe, NIKON, SONY, ADIDAS, COKE, etc.. buy the best you can AFFORD. After being a MITSUBISHI fan for years I strayed from DLP and went with the SONY BRAVIA 46XBR3 and quite frankly it blows away the competion picture wise and delivers quite frankly the most stunning sound from any TV I've ever listen too. I bought a 42" Panasonic Viesa for my master bedroom based on Consumer reports and I wasn't impressed at all...The menu options suck and the colors sometimes "spray", its reds..go with the XBR the $1000 extra is going to amount to about a $100 a year when you consider your goint ot have this TV for at leaast 10 years.

[xtop]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

Thanks for all the input guys.

I have a sony now and love it but it's only 1080i and it has never worked with my ps3 with only the dvi port available.

Think I'll wait a few months, maybe even til next chrstmas and spend the extra cash to get an XBR set.

the 60 hz versus the 120 hz difference is starting to really sink in with all the gaming, sports and action type blu-rays I watch. IF I'm gonna get the best I might as well get THE best and waiting will make my wife happier as opposed to the dirty, dirty look i got earlier when I mentioned the extra $1000 bucks for the set I decided I was going to get over the one that WE decided on together. lol.

keep this in mind too. in a year when you finally go for that set, new sets with new specs that the xbr4 can't do will be out, and then you'll have the same question you have today.

[Hawknelson05]

yeah... I'll get an xbr when the contrast ratio goes up from 2000:1!!!! are you freaking kidding me? my mid-grade samsung gets 7000:1. Theres a new samsung model with a 500,000: 1 AND the new LED scanning tool for the same price.

[OokieSpookie]

Originally Posted by Hawknelson05

yeah... I'll get an xbr when the contrast ratio goes up from 2000:1!!!! are you freaking kidding me? my mid-grade samsung gets 7000:1. Theres a new samsung model with a 500,000: 1 AND the new LED scanning tool for the same price.

The lowest I have seen on an XBR4 is 18,000:1 ..not sure what you are on and on about.

[OokieSpookie]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

Sorry if this has been beaten into the ground.

I was actully looking to buy a 46 " Acquos but when I saw the sony it knocked me out.

Im looking to buy a new hd and my choice seems to be pointing towards the
Sony Bravia 46" Model: KDL-46V3000. I am finding this for about $2100-2300at various stores and online. The picture looks amazing and I'm really pumped about getting this BUT......

Can someone tell me if it would honestly be worth it to get the XBR 46" Model: KDL-46XBR3 for $1000 more? I would use the set for watching blu-rays, PS3 gaming and HD channels. I rarely ever watch anything SD these days.

What are the true differences? as I stated the model i'm curently eyeing has an amazing picture as it is. Is it REALLY worth the extra to get the xbr?

Thanks! love this forum, its always been very helpful

Cheers
David

The way I look at it is this because I am in a similar situation.
I do not want to have to buy a new tv for quite a while so get everything you need now.
HDMI 1.3
120mhz
1080p/24
18,000:1 contrast.
Hell they even have a pc port on them.

[Hawknelson05]

Originally Posted by OokieSpookie

The lowest I have seen on an XBR4 is 18,000:1 ..not sure what you are on and on about.

looked some xbr's up on amazon said it was a 2000:1 contrast ratio. I hope it was a screw up. That's pathetic for a sony