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Date: 2006-02-07 very good TV I did my homework (like many others) for 4 weeks, before deciding on the Sony kdf-e50a10. At first, i purchased the samsung hl-r4667w which had a good picture. i also noticed the sony, which had a slightly better picture and was a little larger 50", but was about another $400. after taking the samsung home, i realized two things: 1. i like the sharper picture (as opposed to the 'cinema look') 2. DLPs have 2 moving parts (color wheel and fan), while LCD projection has 1 (fan). -if you will be watching alot of movies (of darker persuasion like tim burton or night scenes) and prefer the cinema look, then the samsung is fine and you save money. -if you will be watching regular tv, sports or brighter movies (like nemo, etc.) and prefer a brighter, better defined picture, then it may be worthwile to spend the extra money. -last, because these are all new technologies, i just figured less moving parts are probably better. i did not give a 5 star because now the 1080Ps are out, and there's no comparison. But for entry-level 720P lcd rptv, the sony kdf-e50a10 is pretty much at the top (especially b/c amazon has them on sale right now for under $2000). hope this review helped. Date: 2006-02-02 THE BEST OF THE BEST This is a review for Canadians.In Canada this tv is also available as the KFE50A10.The only difference between the KDFE and the KFE is that the KFE does not have a tuner or cable card slot.Other than that these tv's are identical. I should say almost identical because the price between the two can vary as much as $900.00 cdn dollars.The KDFE being more expensive. If you watch tv using a satellite (HD)dish or an HD upconverting dvd player then to buy the more expensive KDFE serves no purpose. CONS: only one HDMI hookup ( you can buy an HDMI switch box that will allow you to hook up two or more HDMI sources) PROS: everything !!! This tv has it all.The styling is very sleek and classy. NO stupid extra space added on the sides for speakers. They are hidden under the screen. I first hooked up the HD sat.box using a component connection.Very good picture.Then I hooked up a DVI/HDMI cable and the picture was terrific.Then I tuned into a program that was in HD and I was blown away by the picture quality.It almost seemed three dimensional.I set the HD box to 720p for the best quality picture. My upconverting dvd player is also set to 720p and the picture quality is awsome when you use the HDMI connection. If you don't use HDMI connections then why bother buying an HD tv?Your missing the whole HD experience if you don't get the HDMI connector !!! I am now watching a lot of my dvd's over again because it's like seeing them in a totally new and far superior way. I also use this tv as my computer monitor and again the picture quality is unbelievable.I use the s-video connection and an Aver Media box to do this.I could use the tv's computer outlet connection but I haven't got the necessary cable to make the connection. Being an avid videophile,I am thrilled with all the choices that this tv offers to set up the picture to the way that I want it.In the picture mode they offer 3 choices,standard,vivid, and custom.You can also use what they call the "DRC mode" which allows you to choose between a progressive picture for watching moving scenes like hockey etc.or hi density which increases the picture quality by 4 times.Then they have the "DRC Palette" which alowws you to adjust the reality and clarity of the picture.If that isn't enough they also have an advanced video selection that allows you to make 5 more adjustments to the picture.There are also 4 choices for the type of picture you want to watch:normal,full(screen),wide zoom and zoom.If for example you are watching a dvd that is in the 1:85 mode and you want it to fill up the entire screen then you would select wide zoom.The loss of picture quality is so minimal it's still has great pictur quality. Of course like most remotes you can set this one up to control all of your equipment if you wish.I.E.,dvd player,vcr,sat.box, receiver. Some reviewers have mentioned screen door affect,I have had NO evidence of that whatsoever with this tv. If you really want to see a little of what this tv is capable of,then when you go to your local tv store take along your favourite dvd movie and have the staff connect up an upconverting dvd player.I did this and that is what got me to switch from the Sony 40" lcd rear projection to the 50". This tv also has a replaceable bulb on the side of the rear chassis.Some reviewers believe this to be a negative.I do not, because when,(like any tv )this tv begins to have it's picture fade over time you yourself are able to remove it and replace it with a new one, which will be like having a brand new tv as far as picture quality is concerned. All in all,as far as I'm concerned,this tv gives you the best bang for your buck.It's the best of the best. I can hardly wait to see what the SONY blu-ray dvd's are going to look like on this tv. Date: 2006-01-25 Buying Big TV's Online NEVER, NEVER, buy any TV online. They say 99% of shipments are received without damage, (I highly doubt this figure), but if you are one those whose TV has been damaged, you're screwed. It has been going on two months now with the dealer, SONY and the shipping companies passing the buck to see who is responsible. So much easier to pay the extra couple of bucks and buy from a local reputable dealer (COSTCO)that will exchange without question. ONLINE BUYERS BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Update 27 Nov 2009. I have now had this tv for 4 years, and other than the original shipment problems, the TV has worked fine. The lamp went out last week, but was easily fixed with a replacement bulb (get the bulb only and fix it for much less), and the TV worked like new. All the little color distortions and bad picture clarity were GONE!. I had no idea just replacing the bulb could have such a dramatic effect! Date: 2006-01-24 Update on Software Glitch and Sony Coming Through Now this is a dam good set and the only problem I have is the bloody cable company ran out of cable cards for it. Bummers!!!! UPDATE: We've owned this set for over a year, and have suffered no problems with it so far. You can now purchase this set brand new for $1000.00 less than what we paid over a year ago. And about them cable cards, by all means get it, for the built-in HD tuner in the set is far superior to the tuners in the separate cable boxes provided by the cable company. Trust me, there is a big difference in picture quality with the cable card installed when watching HD content. Take advantage of the built-in HD tuner and install the cable card, since you already paid for HD tuner, you might as well use it and enjoy the terrific picture. The sucker is real light too, and your wife can help you carry it anywhere. The audio sound is just fair, but who cares - just hook up any decent HTIB to it and you'll never miss it not being on while the HTIB plays. Update: well, never got around to buying 2nd set, because the boss said no. Anyway, caved in and bought Sony's upscale HDMI DVD player (Model DVP-NS90V) from Amazon and hooked up the cheapest HDMI to HDMI cable AR AP085 I could find in an hour. Now that bloody cable cost $55 at Best Buy (should of cost $35 or less), but I was in a hurry to hook up, and didn't want to spend $100+ more for the overprice (sucker) cable: If you get 99% performance, why pay another $100 so you can get 100% performance? Having one HDMI slot is ok, since the cable company came through with the cable card and the new upscale vcr was the only other equipment that required it. Great TV is even better with the Sony upscale HDMI CD/DVD player, which only requires one cable to the TV. Now all I got to do is wait for the Blue Ray? Update #2: Sony sent us a letter informing us that the software needed to be updated, so called them back and made date with technician to service. Technician came and installed software in 15 minutes. Great service, great TV, and great picture. No problems with the set, just the lack of more high definition channels to view. What's available is great too, just can't look at conventional sets anymore. HD rocks!!!! Date: 2006-01-09 Samsung is better I bought this right after black friday. Only reason I went for the Sony instead of the Samsung 50 is the price. It can't hold a black level compared to the Samsung HL-R5067W. * Price is subject to change. |
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