Sony Grand WEGA KDS-60A2000 60 in. HDTV SXRD TV

Hello again! It's me, Dennis, the guy who is Director of Home Theater for an independent electronics store. I have worked with this KDS60A2000 and must admit, I've had no problems at all with it! It does indeed have a 60" picture, which for most applications would be quite adequate. One disadvantage of course is that not being an LCD or a Plasma set, you cannot hang it on a wall!

If you are looking for a wall mount set, skip this one and look at something like the SONY 46XBR3, a truly magnificent television. If you want something a little larger, wait a few months, and SONY will be releasing their first 51" LCD set!

So back to this 60 beauty! I have many customers viewing the sets I have on display asking me tons of questions. The question most asked is should I get a TV now, or should I wait until the technology changes, and prices drop?

The answer to that question is very simple, don t wait! When it comes to price, this is the best season I have ever seen for consumers to purchase sets. Prices have dropped at least 30-40% in the last 3 months alone. I have received bulletins from SONY, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, JVC and Toshiba. All of them have notified dealers of substantial price lowering, which of course gets passed on to the consumer. Not only that, but Panasonic, and LG are offering great rebates to consumers as well! That takes care of the price issue!

As far as waiting to buy a set with 1080P, don t wait! The sets have never been better, clearer and never looked as sharp! While it is true that there are no on-air broadcasts in 1080P as yet, (uses up too much bandwidth), these 1080P sets will for the most part upconvert other signals. That means it will take a lesser grade signal and convert it to a higher resolution signal for viewing on your set. Let s face it, the big day will be here sooner than you think anyway! The FCC has mandated that all analog broadcasts will be turned off February 17, 2009! What that means is that the old TV s you have in your home will not be able to receive off-air signals after that date without a set-top converter box! A cable box will work, and the government will provide coupons to homes without cable worth about $40 each towards the purchase of a converter box! So rather than wait, why not purchase a set that will work as good in 2009 as it will in 2006, 2007, or 2008? 1080P is the best of the best!

Okay so you purchased this KDS60 set that shows 1080P. What can you show on it? Well, there are currently two formats that can be played back on your TV that will look great! A Blu-Ray Disc or a HD DVD Disc. Both of these formats are capable of playing back full native 1080P on your screen, which looks unbelievable! Take it from me, I have worked with both players on this set and there is nothing quite like it! Unfortunately they are not compatible with each other, so you have to choose one format or the other. No machines are licensed which can play both formats as yet!

Now, what is this talk about 1080P? Here s a good definition taken from Home Theater Newsletter:

There is a lot of talk about 1080p being the "Holy Grail" of high definition resolution. 1080p represents 1,080 lines of resolution scanned sequentially. In other words, all lines are scanned in progressively, providing the most detailed high definition video image that is currently available to consumers.

One note about this set is that is has multiple HDMI inputs. HDMI input/output stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It is a new format cable, which carries both audio and video, uncompressed pure digital signals! It is the only cable that can carry a full 1080P signal, and for those of you wondering, no, a component video cable will not carry 1080P!

Let me take a quick break here, and give you a full list of the specs on this set right from the SONY web site. It will fill in any questions you might have about this set:

Audio Features Audio Mute: Yes Dolby? Digital: Yes MTS Stereo Decoder: Yes Sound Mode: Dynamic, Standard, Custom Speaker On/Off: Yes SRS? TruSurround? XT Audio Effect: Yes Tone Control(s): Treble and Bass A/V Synch: Yes

Convenience Features Auto Channel Programming: Yes Caption Vision: On, Off, Program Channel Jump: Yes Channel Label: Yes Channel Skip/Add: Yes Clock: Yes (with ON/OFF Timer) Programmable Timer: Yes Sleep Timer: 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, Off (2 Event) Picture Freeze: Yes Favorite Channel: Yes Info Banner: Yes Power Save Mode: Standard, Reduced Program Guide Access: Yes Speed Surf Channel Selection: Yes Picture Freeze: Yes

General Features Auto SAP: Yes Channel Fix: Yes ID1 Detection: Yes Video Label: Yes

General Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Screen Size: 60"1

Inputs and Outputs Analog Audio Input(s): 5 (1 Front/4 Rear) Audio Out (Variable/Fixed): 1 (Rear) - Fixed/Variable Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr ) Input(s): 3 (1 Front/2 Rear) Composite Video Input(s): 3 (1 Front/2 Rear) Digital Audio Output(s): 1 (Rear: PCM/Dolby? Digital (Optical)) HDMI Connection Input(s): 2 (Rear: 1 with Audio Inputs, 1 without Audio Inputs) PC Audio Input(s): 1 (Rear) PC Video Input(s): 1 (Rear) RF Connection Input(s): 1 (Rear) S-Video Input(s): 1 (Rear)

Power Power Consumption (in Operation): 200W (TBD) Power Consumption (in Standby): 0.5W (TBD) Power Management: Yes Power Requirements: AC 120, 60Hz

Video Features Advanced Iris: Yes Advanced Video Menu: Yes Auto Adjustment (PC): Yes Black Corrector: High, Medium, Low, Off CineMotion? Reverse 3:2 Pulldown Technology: Yes Clear White: On/Off Color Temperature: Cool, Neutral, Warm Comb Filter: 3D Digital Comb Filter Detail Enhancer: High, Medium, Low, Off Direct Mode: On/Off DRC? Mode: Mode 1, Mode 2, CineMotion? function DRC? MultiFunction Circuitry: Yes (DRC-MF v1) DRC? Palette Presets: Custom 1, Custom 2, Custom 3 Game Mode: On/Off Gamma Compensation: High, Medium, Low, Off Noise Reduction: Yes Picture Modes: Vivid, Standard, Custom Screen or Display Technology: SXRD Technology Video Processing: Yes Video Signal System: ATSC, NTSC Wide Mode (4:3): Wide Zoom, Normal, Full, Zoom WEGA Engine System: Yes

Video Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Horizontal Center: Yes Native Resolution: 1080p Display Response Time: 2.5 ms (rise and fall) Vertical Center: Yes Vertical Size: Yes Tuner: ATSC/NTSC hybrid with Clear QAM (8 VSB)

Service and Warranty Information Limited Warranty: 1 Year Parts and Labor, 2 years for optical block

Weights and Measurements Dimensions (Approx)(WxHxD): 55.6" x 38.9" x 20.2" (1413 x 988 x 514mm) Weight (Approx.): 94lbs 14oz (43 kg)

Supplied Accessories Remote Control (RM-YD010)

Operating Instructions Quick Start Guide Batteries (AA x2) Warranty Product Registration Card

Optional Accessories SU-RS11X (AV Stand) XL-5200 (120W Replacement Lamp)


I can go on and on with the technical specifications, but that is not what Epinions is all about! Anyone can go to a web site and read specs; it is all our opinions that matter here! Would we recommend that someone else purchase this set, and if so, why?

Okay, so here is my two cents worth. Don't hesitate if you want an outstanding picture, good sound, and the SONY name. I work with this set every day and it has never given me any trouble whatsoever! It looks good from two feet away or 15 feet away! This set uses the SONY proprietary SXRD technology, which has no moving, or spinning wheels as in other sets. Panel resolution is 1920x1080. Response time, how fast the panel responds to motion, is an incredible 2.5 ms, which by any standards is great!

Are there any negatives to this set? Well, yes and no. It is a 60 set that needs a sturdy stand to sit on that holds at least 100 pounds! Now one other item of note which may or may not be a negative, depending on your outlook. This set use a replaceable bulb. Under normal use it is supposed to last about 2-3 years, depending on how much you watch television. Since this bulb gets hot, you cannot just unplug the set and walk away. The set has to run the cooling fan for a minute or so, cool off the bulb and then turn off! This simply protects the bulb from premature burn out.

Now, one last item, good or bad again, depending on your outlook! When you eventually do replace the bulb, the set will return to 100% full brightness. It is like viewing a brand new set! Plasma TV s tend to degrade slightly after about two years, and there is nothing you can do about it. That is the nature of the set with gas at the core of the display. This SONY will return to all its original brightness after the bulb is replaced, but again, there is that expense!

Some folks have asked for more of my own opinions, and less quoting facts about the set. That is a valid point. My feeling is that SONY has developed a set that will satisfy anyone looking for a good size picture. Many of the older 60" screens were grainy, and difficult to view from an angle. This set is not! It can actually be viewed up to a 178 degree angle! To be quite honest, I never recommended SONY before. When it came to rear projection sets, I always thought of Pioneer or Mitsubishi. Yes, they do make great sets, but SONY has played the catch up game, and won this round! All the R&D they spent with these sets paid off, because now SONY would be my first choice. Not from a sales standpoint, but from the technology, build quality and over all picture and sound. This set is bright, clear and sharp. If you watch a high definition DVD on it, the set really shines! It looks great and you really see what you have been missing without true 1080P and a large screen!

The fact is, you can purchase this set for less money than a smalller plasma TV. To me, the extra real estate of the 60" screen is really worth looking into, no pun intended! When Consumer Reports did their TV/Electronics study, one of the biggest complaints consumers had was that they purchased TV's too small for the area they wanted to watch in. A 60" set is a great size, and with this somewhat compact set, it will really not take up much room. All you need is a stand capable and large enough to hold 100 pounds!

If there is any debate in your mind, purchase the larger set for less money. Okay, so you will have to replace the bulb in a few years, but by then the prices of bulbs will be less, and when you do replace the bulb your set will be like brand new! Those are my own thoughts about this unit, and not from any brochure. Anyone can read the specs, but after you see and work with this set for a while, you get to know what it really looks like and how it works! Believe me, you will not go wrong purchasing this set!

Final opinion, go with this set, the prices are down, technology is far superior to what it was years ago, and the TV won't be out of date in a few years! Enjoy!