Sony To Release New X Series Next Month!

[BuDWiZe]

i was in a shop today looking to buy the current sony 1. i was also looking at the coming samsung due out soon to as it is hdmi 1.3.

[Sharka]

the new X series will also use the XMB as seen on the PS3 and PSP.

I would expect better contrast ratios.

and OMG! it finally comes with a Black Bezel! instead of that Silver crap...

specs will be released soon, but I would expect something similar to what Samsung are going to be offering next month with some other improvments.

HDMI 1.3

120Hz

Black Bezel

Better image quality (is a given due to sony implementing the x.v engine)

at the same or cheaper price... is more then enough reasons to make me wait. Plus by the time it comes out there will be ALOT more 1080p panels on the market, thus forcing all of the brands to lower their prices due to increased competition.

[Grubby]

Hi, everyone.

I am in the process of trying to work out what to buy.

I thought I had it narrowed down to two with the 46" or 52" being one of the two.

Now I am not sure what to do. Do I buy a current model or wait for the new X2550 ?

It is good to hear what others think about all of this still.

Cheers

[motlking]

IMO since you know the new one is coming out wait! cloudiness is not worth your hard earned $$$ esp. when you know an update will arrive soon...

[THX1979]

can the aussie Sony's really have a 120 hz refresh rate with our 50 hz power supply? I seem to remember that the european release of phillips' 1080pLCd's were touted as 100 Hz refresh being europe has a 50Hz power supply.

[fawlty99]

can the aussie Sony's really have a 120 hz refresh rate with our 50 hz power supply? I seem to remember that the european release of phillips' 1080pLCd's were touted as 100 Hz refresh being europe has a 50Hz power supply.

AC power cycles have nothing to do with screen refresh rates.

[ozboy]

I don't know why anyone would want to buy an LCD tv that has over 4ms reponse time (which Sharp does)

Has Sony reduced the reponse time on these?

[Owen]

120Hz is not compatible with our PAL 25/50 frame per second video, so hopefully 100Hz is available.

HDMI 1.3 is a useful as tits on a bull.

[Owen]

I don't know why anyone would want to buy an LCD tv that has over 4ms reponse time (which Sharp does)

Has Sony reduced the reponse time on these?

You cant believe any of the response time specs anyway, so don’t base any decisions on quoted numbers.

[ozboy]

You cant believe any of the response time specs anyway, so don’t base any decisions on quoted numbers.

I thought all the 'top' manufacturers are comparable because they all base theirs on grey to grey?

[lhmperth]

IMO since you know the new one is coming out wait! cloudiness is not worth your hard earned $$$ esp. when you know an update will arrive soon...

The grass is not always greener on the other side. Waiting for the next model is assuming that it will arrive soon, will be at the right price and will not have any problems.

If you look at a Sony X series with the supposed "cloud" issue, you will not see any problem when watching a normal signal. The only time you will notice a problem is if you turn off all the light and put no signal to the TV.

Have a look at this statement from Sony's own website:

"Notice to owners of Sony BRAVIA X-series televisions

The Sony BRAVIA line of flat-panel LCD televisions reflects our commitment to the highest picture quality standards. The BRAVIA X-series televisions have received exceptionally high ratings for picture performance from various sources.

To achieve this high level of performance and picture clarity, Sony utilises a very bright backlight setting. This helps deliver the brightest picture possible, as well as exceptional picture clarity even in the darkest image sources.

However, under certain dark viewing conditions, the setting may cause the screens on some of these televisions to exhibit slightly uneven uniformity, especially for blank screens with no video source. This condition is not usually visible under typical viewing conditions, such as watching movies or television programming, and generally should not affect your viewing experience.

Should you find that this condition affects your viewing enjoyment; there are a few settings that you can make to minimize this condition:

* Setup Menu --> Light Sensor: ON

* Setup Menu --> Power Saving: Low or High

* Picture Menu --> Reduce the Backlight Level (Factory Setting: 10)

A combination of the above changes may be applied as necessary.

However, if the problem still persists, please contact the Sony Australia Customer Service line on 1300 13 SONY (7669)."

[Sea Kitten!]

The grass is not always greener on the other side. Waiting for the next model is assuming that it will arrive soon, will be at the right price and will not have any problems.

If you look at a Sony X series with the supposed "cloud" issue, you will not see any problem when watching a normal signal. The only time you will notice a problem is if you turn off all the light and put no signal to the TV.

Have a look at this statement from Sony's own website:

"Notice to owners of Sony BRAVIA X-series televisions

The Sony BRAVIA line of flat-panel LCD televisions reflects our commitment to the highest picture quality standards. The BRAVIA X-series televisions have received exceptionally high ratings for picture performance from various sources.

To achieve this high level of performance and picture clarity, Sony utilises a very bright backlight setting. This helps deliver the brightest picture possible, as well as exceptional picture clarity even in the darkest image sources.

However, under certain dark viewing conditions, the setting may cause the screens on some of these televisions to exhibit slightly uneven uniformity, especially for blank screens with no video source. This condition is not usually visible under typical viewing conditions, such as watching movies or television programming, and generally should not affect your viewing experience.

Should you find that this condition affects your viewing enjoyment; there are a few settings that you can make to minimize this condition:

* Setup Menu --> Light Sensor: ON

* Setup Menu --> Power Saving: Low or High

* Picture Menu --> Reduce the Backlight Level (Factory Setting: 10)

A combination of the above changes may be applied as necessary.

However, if the problem still persists, please contact the Sony Australia Customer Service line on 1300 13 SONY (7669)."

You realise that in the avforum, there are pictures galore of people's X and SBR sets being fed images AND showing the cloud problem?

[CoNFooZeD]

If you look at a Sony X series with the supposed "cloud" issue, you will not see any problem when watching a normal signal. The only time you will notice a problem is if you turn off all the light and put no signal to the TV.

I recommend people check out the Sony X Series Patchy Backlight Bleed thread to find out more about this issue. The degree of the problem seems to vary, but some forum members have reported (and shown pictures) showing that it can be a problem when watching a normal signal. The recommendations from Sony will simply dim the picture and reduce your viewing experience. When I hear about forum members having to fight Sony in court it concerns me, and even if it is only a small percentage of buyers that have significant problems it is enough to influence my purchasing decision.

[jordang]

I recommend people check out the Sony X Series Patchy Backlight Bleed thread to find out more about this issue. The degree of the problem seems to vary, but some forum members have reported (and shown pictures) showing that it can be a problem when watching a normal signal. The recommendations from Sony will simply dim the picture and reduce your viewing experience. When I hear about forum members having to fight Sony in court it concerns me, and even if it is only a small percentage of buyers that have significant problems it is enough to influence my purchasing decision.

Playing the devils advocate too - you need to also keep in the back of your mind that the people on this site are quite finicky. Not that for that kinda money you shouldn't be... but to me, i've found a lot of the huge dramas on this site..well.. to not be. Not for me anyway.

I've seen a level of cloudiness on the x-series... i'm not denying it's not there. but when i saw it, it was there with nil signal. I don't give a **** what is shown on the screen when i have no image there. The displayed pictures, while playing a movie or a hi-def avi file was absolutely stunning.. including the dark areas.

The people finding the cloudy areas are generally only the ones looking for it. An average user wouldn't even notice it. Some of those photos that people display are using various contrast/exposure combinations that the human eye during a normal film-viewing just wouldn't notice.

*crosses fingers that i wont get flamed*.

[Wolf1503559591]

You guys should wait until the ultimate version is finally available. I am 70, I haven’t got any spare time left waiting so I went out on Saturday and bought a 46X2000 for 5,2k.

It’s a great improvement from an old 42†SD Plasma. Even FTA at SD looks so much better that there isn’t that much difference anymore between the HD roundabout on 7 and SD. The greatest improvement is a playback from my Sony HC1 cam; that is gob-smacking quality and is in par with any HD coming over the air.

I am smiling, because my wife is happy as well.

[beejean]

Hey guys,

My 1st post, registered just to post this:

The ‘BRAVIA’ D3000-Series

Preview

Looks good to me, hope we will get this european model soon.

I was actually about to buy the current Bravia 40X series. But since new model coming out, I guess I might as well wait. The few small improvements seems to be worth waiting for according to my humble opinion.

Edited April 3, 2007 by beejean

[magictorch]

Playing the devils advocate too - you need to also keep in the back of your mind that the people on this site are quite finicky. Not that for that kinda money you shouldn't be... but to me, i've found a lot of the huge dramas on this site..well.. to not be. Not for me anyway.

I've seen a level of cloudiness on the x-series... i'm not denying it's not there. but when i saw it, it was there with nil signal. I don't give a **** what is shown on the screen when i have no image there. The displayed pictures, while playing a movie or a hi-def avi file was absolutely stunning.. including the dark areas.

The people finding the cloudy areas are generally only the ones looking for it. An average user wouldn't even notice it. Some of those photos that people display are using various contrast/exposure combinations that the human eye during a normal film-viewing just wouldn't notice.

*crosses fingers that i wont get flamed*.

Jordang, you can see the clouding on my panel when a dark signal is present. The clouding is noticeable even when the room is fairly light, becomes more obvious as the room gets gets darker, and is completely distracting when the room is very dark (no home theatre experience for me then).

I've posted photos in the Bravia clouding thread. I have an SLR, I know how to use Photoshop, I could easily have made the problem seem more dramatic in my photos, but I chose not to. The photo I have posted (the one showing the signal from Xbox game) does not do justice to the problem - it is far more apparent to the naked eye, to both casual observers and myself alike (even my mother-in-law commented on the cloudiness when she was watching a dark movie).

If you live in Melbourne, you are more than welcome to pay me a visit and come and see firsthand what severe clouding is like. You'll see that it's not just a case of people being perfectionist, it's a serious and justified grievance.

[Neon Kitten]

whats "new" in this new model pver the previous 1?

It's BLACK for a start. Black, without having to have $600+ stolen from you by Sony Australia for the privilege.

Secondly, hopefully they've learned a lesson in build quality after the ridiculous clouding issue with the current X series. Just from looking at some of the pictures of the problem that people have posted, there is no way in HELL that I'd buy one of the current ones (even if I didn't mind silver!) given the feedback in these forums not only about the extent of the problem, but the extent of Sony Australia's bastard behaviour regarding that major fault. As someone who does not drive a car, I cannot tolerate multiple returns of an item that requires one to be transported.

I'm waiting and watching to see what happens in 1080i land, really. I don't see the point of getting a 768 panel at this stage, but so far there is no true quality 1080 option (unless you're one of the lucky ones that gets a flaw-free X series )

[KRiSX]

hey all

last weekend i put a deposit down on a current model 46" x series...

i did it due to getting what i thought was an awesome price $4500 + $200 for 5 yr warranty (so $4700 total)

now i knew bits and pieces about the new x series coming... but i'm starting to have doubts...

i can still back out (it may cost me about $20 to cancel)... but i need to decide quick as my tv should arrive on thursday!

is it worth waiting for the new models? things i will be using on my tv will be 360 @ 720p (currently connected via vga) ps3 @ 1080i (hdmi) and normal tv (no foxtel or anything)...

i have a samsung 32" at the moment and love it... and i want to be just as happy with my next purchase, can someone advise on what to do?

i have also been considering waiting for the new samsung 1080p... once again... worth waiting?

[Geforce]

i have also been considering waiting for the new samsung 1080p... once again... worth waiting?

The new Samsungs and Sonys are so close. I'd wait a month or so, then take a look at them. If they were 6 or more months away, that would be different. After that, even if you decide to buy a current "X" series, you will be paying less than your price now because they will have been officially superseeded by new models.

Try to be patient.

[fawlty99]

You can wait forever for the next best thing. At some point you need to bite the bullet.

[madmax]

You can wait forever for the next best thing. At some point you need to bite the bullet.

Normally I would agree with you, but with all the documented problems with the current Sony, I'd definitely be waiting.

[lhmperth]

I am smiling, because my wife is happy as well.

Yes, I must agree, the wife approval factor is very high in my house too on this product. Despite costing almost twice what she "authorised" me to spend, she thinks it is awesome. When I pointed out the slight clouds when changing channels, she said I was being rediculous.

Out of interest I called Sony and spoke to their support helpline. The very helpful guy who took the call explained that the problem is caused by a humidity build up in the set during storage and transportation and that 40 to 80 hours of use will cause the clouding to disappear. Interestingly, in another forum a guy was told to leave the TV off for 40 continuous hours to get rid of the problem!

We'll see what happens.

[Chesty]

Yes, I must agree, the wife approval factor is very high in my house too on this product. Despite costing almost twice what she "authorised" me to spend, she thinks it is awesome. When I pointed out the slight clouds when changing channels, she said I was being rediculous.

Out of interest I called Sony and spoke to their support helpline. The very helpful guy who took the call explained that the problem is caused by a humidity build up in the set during storage and transportation and that 40 to 80 hours of use will cause the clouding to disappear. Interestingly, in another forum a guy was told to leave the TV off for 40 continuous hours to get rid of the problem!

We'll see what happens.

Dont believe their bull. They tell everyone that.

[Chesty]

hey all

last weekend i put a deposit down on a current model 46" x series...

i did it due to getting what i thought was an awesome price $4500 + $200 for 5 yr warranty (so $4700 total)

now i knew bits and pieces about the new x series coming... but i'm starting to have doubts...

i can still back out (it may cost me about $20 to cancel)... but i need to decide quick as my tv should arrive on thursday!

is it worth waiting for the new models? things i will be using on my tv will be 360 @ 720p (currently connected via vga) ps3 @ 1080i (hdmi) and normal tv (no foxtel or anything)...

i have a samsung 32" at the moment and love it... and i want to be just as happy with my next purchase, can someone advise on what to do?

i have also been considering waiting for the new samsung 1080p... once again... worth waiting?

You got a great price on a great panel. I know as i have one and got the same price. When the new model comes out it will be some what more than you paid now. There is always something better around the corner.

You should be happy with what you will be getting. The people who always say they will wait a few more months are the ones missing out, not the ones who take the plunge.

While the clouding issue is one to be wary of, you can minimise the risk. I had a little issue with the clouds but after some adjustment of the settings i got rid of them and not to the detriment of the PQ.