Solid Value for the Price

When I decided to replace my 15-year old Mitsubishi 27-inch TV with a new flat screen set, I narrowed my choices down to five brands: Sony, Sharp, Panasonic, Samsung, and Hitachi. Other brands that offered cheaper prices simply could not compare to the sets offered by these manufacturers. In the end a chose the Sony by a narrow margin over the Panasonic (and the others) for two primary reasons: 1. the Sony had the brightest picture among this group (which helps greatly during daytime viewing hours), and 2. the price difference was not as great as in the past when moving up to a Sony. In fact, the price I paid for this set was $112 less than the Panasonic.

I briefly considered a 37-inch Plasma set, but this is actually our second TV and that size was too large for us. Also, as much as I like plasma TVs the true LCD sets are brighter -- especially when viewing them at a distance greater than ten feet away.

I have this set hooked-up to a DISH Network 811 High Definition Receiver, and the satellite HD programming is outstanding. Especially noteworthy is Discovery HD and ESPN HD. Nothing that I have ever seen matches them in picture quality. I had to use an HDMI to DVI converter cable because the DISH 811 receiver has not yet added an HDMI output. I purchased this cable for $43 at Wal-Mart rather than the $150 cable the salesman tried to tell me I could not live without.

Only two minor complaints would be that the Sony TVs do not have as many jacks on the back as some of their competitors (another set of component jacks would be helpful), and like with all LCD TVs they are not meant to be viewed at close distances. You need to be atleast six feet from the set and soon it is clear to see the superior picture they offer. The WEGA Gate is also a nice control feature that is provided with this set.