Great TV

After at least four years of deliberation and procrastination, I recently decided to retire my excellent but undersized decade-old 27" Panasonic TV. I had no immediate plans to upgrade my DirecTV to HDTV, but I saw no point in investing in another standard definition set. So, much as I hated forking out 2 or 3 grand for a TV, I resolved to began shopping for a big-screen HD set.

I saw this one on sale at Circuit City for $1700. The picture, off the store's HDTV feed, looked great, with blacker blacks and better contrast than I've ever seen on a LCD projection TV, (which are notoriously weak in those areas). So, with my tax refund burning a hole in my pocket, I took the plunge, arranging to have it delivered in a couple of days. This was most uncharacteristic of me, as I usually search the internet for reviews before I make any purchase more major than a loaf of bread.

Anyway, as soon as I got home that evening, I checked out Epinion reviews of my new TV. Imagine my dismay! Several reviewers criticized the big Sony's standard definition picture quality. Since I planned to watch almost exclusively standard definition, I began preparing myself for a big disappointment and the hassles of returning the set.

I needn't have worried. The picture on non-HDTV DirecTV is just fine, every bit as good as my old set. And DVDs! Wow, what a revelation. The depth and richness of color, the sharpness of the picture had me enthralled.

I also like the degree of control over that picture this set gives me. The screen-filling zoom mode looks clear and natural, the adjustable white-balance and color temperature controls allowed me to customize the picture to a greater degree than I've ever enjoyed before. And all the adjustments can be saved for each input. So I could tweak my DVD picture, then save an entirely different set of adjustments for my DirecTV, a third for my VCR, and yet another for the few off-air HDTV stations I could pick up with my rabbit ears indoor antenna, (thanks to the built-in HDTV tuner). Plus, those inputs not in use can be "skipped" in the set-up menu, so you won't have to toggle through all 7 every time you want to switch between DVD and VCR.

And the set looks great even turned off. It doesn't dominate my room, It's compact, and it actually looks like a TV, rather than a monolithic block.

Still, it's not perfect. The picture fades noticeably if one sits far off-axis, particularly vertically. So make sure your TV stand is neither too low nor too high for your seating position. And be prepared to delay gratification when you turn this baby on. The picture doesn't appear on the screen until at least 30 second after you turn it on.

Overall, I'd recommend this set very highly. Careful adjustments of the picture settings will yield a really dynamite viewing experience. I'd suggest you pop for an extended warranty too, as the lamp in the TV will need replacement after a couple of years or so, at a cost of about $250. Most extended warranties will provide you with a replacement lamp, even if the original hasn't died yet by the time the warranty expires.