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Date: 2009-01-04 Sony 52" LCD - Excellent After waiting two years to save, and then researching all the options, I chose the Sony 52" LCD W4100, which was an excellent choice. I read many reviews on Amazon and Consumer Reports, plus many trips to different stores to look and test. I just purchased this TV (Nov 2008), and have had no problems. The picture and sound is awesome. I looked at the other options: Samsung, etc, and they were good too, but in the end, I chose the Sony. I will add one note about the Samsung touch of class model. I was very close to purchasing it b/c it was $200 cheaper. However, when I compared the volume, I discovered the speakers on the samsung pointed down, and it did not sound very loud at the maximum level. When I checked the volume on the this Sony, WOW, awesome, excellent!!! That was the only difference and main reason I went with the Sony, plus the normal quality of Sony. I recommend a Blu Ray player (which I purchased with my TV) if your a movie buff, like me, it is amazing picture, and well worth the investment. Date: 2009-01-04 In time for the digital tv switch, and way to go Amazon! My parents have been looking to replace their 20 year old big screen television for awhile now and took advantage of my being around for the holidays to purchase the Sony Bravia W-series 52 inch lcd tv so that, lucky me, I could set it up for them. I will mention that this TV is being used solely for free, over the air digital broadcasting and not for cable or satellite TV, so I will review it as such. First, Amazon was, well, amazing. We purchased the TV on the Friday afternoon after Christmas, told it would arrive between Jan 6 - 15, but actually received it on New Year's eve, less than 3 full business days after ordering it! Amazon's delivery contractor was excellent, their tracking system was on top of the order from beginning to end, and they had two guys bring in the television and help set it up on our tv stand. Score. After getting a good look at the size of this TV (it's like the size of 2.5 of me!), it is not the sort of thing you would want to load into your car and try to bring home on your own. This is not even to mention that Amazon's price was at least $300 below the local big electronics retailer (that's not even including the tax I would have had to pay). Set up was brilliantly simple (which is good, b/c I'm a moron when it comes to electronics). My parents don't speak English, so I was pleased to see that once setup was complete, the TV pretty much worked itself. I set the TV up with the new Sony bluray player we got using an HDMI cable (Amazon's prices, again, the best for those cables); hooked up our very old vcr with the old analog (3 pronged, red, yellow, and white) cable; hooked up the old rabbit-ear antenna (relieved I didn't need to buy a new one); plugged all these pieces into a surge protector and ta-da! It worked! I also love love love how the TV instantly detects the external components, so you can put in a videotape, DVD, or bluray disc and push play, and the TV will automatically go to your external device. (This is good, again, for the electronically challenged among us.) I should add that there are 4 HDMI outlets on this TV, a PC outlet, and room for at least 4 analog components. Lots of features on this guy: auto-sensor for ambient light; excellent speakers; Bravia sync which synchronized the TV to our bluray player so they turned on/off in unison; free TV guide programming; power saving options; etc. etc. etc. Unlike another reviewer, I actually really like the remote control. It's incredibly user-friendly. The only thing I would change is that the home button and circular trackpad be moved to the bottom and the channel & volume buttons be moved to the middle. The picture is good. I think, though, that I was expecting a lot better. There is still some evidence (or more evidence than I'd prefer) of pixelation despite all the fanfare regarding the 120Hz and digital signal. Potential buyers should take care in picking the appropriate sized TV for their room, as this will only emphasize the pixelation if you get a TV too large for your space. I don't know if this is something that will get ironed out in the future, but the letterboxing (i.e. the black bars on the sides or on top & bottom of the program being viewed) is kinda annoying. You can switch from channel to channel or even (when on the same channel) from program to program and you'll see different variations on the letter boxing. I was watching the local news which had no letter-boxing, then they'd run a commercial that had letterboxing on the sides of the screen, then the next commercial would have letterboxing on both sides AND on the top and bottom of the screen, etc. etc. Sony made it easier to deal with this with the simple touch of the "Wide" button on the remote, but you have to adjust it with every single program and/or channel. It would be nice if there were some way that this was fixed universally or if Sony could have automatically adjusted the picture to the perfect zoom. (Sigh, maybe I ask too much.) As I said, perhaps this will be ironed out once the networks adjust to only digital signals. Very happy with the purchase and I think you definitely get your money's value with this tv. Date: 2009-01-01 My first big screen tv, second LCD: I love it! I love it! Do I have any complaints or regrets? Nope. The price was better than anywhere else on Amazon. The picture quality is awesome, the sound quality/loudness impressive (where does all that sound come from?!), and I dig the Sony quality/functionality/features (partly why I chose it). Now I just need to get that blu-ray player! Date: 2009-01-01 So far, so very good I was apprehensive about ordering such a large ticket item from Amazon (or any online company)but this has proven to be a very smooth and money-saving transaction. I ordered this tv (along with a blu ray player in a promotional deal) on Christmas night from Amazon. The shipping date I received was to be December 30 with an expected delivery of January 6. I received the Blu Ray on the 28th and the tv today about 4:00 PM, much sooner than expected. The Amazon site when I placed the order didn't show White Glove delivery but the shipper's site did. The one delivery guy and I moved the TV off the truck, carried it across my yard and brought it into my living room; together we hooked it up - one HDMI cable from the cable box so that part was not too tough! It would have been, however, very difficult for one person (either the delivery guy or me) to have moved this tv into my house alone. It would be handy if Amazon's site had showed a rear view of the set. I didn't think about this issue until almost the last minute; the tv's input and output panel are on the left side of the tv as you look at it from the front - the "s" side if you're looking at "Sony". If your cable box, etc are on the right side of the TV, as mine are, you may need a longer HDMI cable than you originally thought. (The inexpensive 6 footer I ordered through Amazon, which works great by the way, barely reaches.) I have ordered two of the ten footers to eliminate worries when I hook up the Blu Ray and other components. The tv looks good in my living room (and will be much nicer when I get it mounted next week) and has been a pleasure to watch this afternoon and evening. The matte screen is great. Virtually no reflections and I have a bright living room. I have read other reviewers who have commented that this tv's screen is not as bright as the Samsung's - I found this to be true when comparing them side by side in Best Buy; however in my living room this tv is plenty bright without the reflection issue. The instruction booklet is thorough to say the least. Date: 2008-12-30 Great TV This TV is everything they said it was. Terrific picture that depending on the show makes you feel like you could reach through the screen and touch it! Easy to set up and switch between add ons. I am 100% satisfied with this product.
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