Tassie Devil Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Apologies if this has been covered in the long 83 page thread below but I could not find the answer in a quick perusal. I've been highly impressed with these since my son purchased as 60in model last year in the USA - brilliant PQ. But research has yielded conflicting info. re the guts of these two models. One report says identical but a review suggested the 70in was different. With prices for the 60in dropping to around the $4k mark, this looks tempting to put in the second system - the 70in is really a bit too big and I've seen posts here indicating the 60in has some problerms which maybe the 70in has not. All responses gratefully received TIA John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRiSX Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 the shutdown problem with the 60" in apparently related to the built in tuner which the 70" doesn't have... as far as i know that is the only difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Phoenix Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 With that in mind, can it be said that the 70" is the best choice of the two? Because I'd so get it if I had several thousand dollars!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Devil Posted April 21, 2007 Author Share Posted April 21, 2007 With that in mind, can it be said that the 70" is the best choice of the two? Because I'd so get it if I had several thousand dollars!! A net search shows it is at least $1500 (or 37%) more so that is a big premium. So, apart from the budget, I guess it all boils down to room size & layout + seating position away from the screen. If there is no difference other than screen size & tuner I'll go for the 60in if prices are competitive enough at the end of the financial year. And there is another factor - the 70in is VERY heavy - 73 kg vs 52 meaning 3 men rather than 2 needed to manouvre the big beast. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Phoenix Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 A net search shows it is at least $1500 (or 37%) more so that is a big premium. So, apart from the budget, I guess it all boils down to room size & layout + seating position away from the screen. If there is no difference other than screen size & tuner I'll go for the 60in if prices are competitive enough at the end of the financial year. And there is another factor - the 70in is VERY heavy - 73 kg vs 52 meaning 3 men rather than 2 needed to manouvre the big beast.John ****! And I thought 53kg (Samsung WS CRT) was heavy. That takes 2 people to lift, and even then its a strain! If/when I win big on Lotto/Powerball, I'll buy one of these 70' SXRDs. Save for my Sammy CRT, they are the only other TV kind that I trust to look great (I don't quite trust LCD or Plasma, though the latter has slight favour). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsmith Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 The 70" has 36% more screen area than the 60". While the manual reccommends three people, it is easy for two to lift manovure the 70" onto a stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 eh, two manly Aussie blokes should easily be able to move 73KG. My CRT weighs 112 KG, now thats a heavy TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drsmith Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Two wimps should be able to move 73kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Yep, the 70” is easy for two people to handle. My 86cm CRT weighs 85kg and my 57” CRT RPTV is 100kg If your viewing distance is 3 meters or more definitely go for the 70”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewWilliams Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Apart from the tuner, the only other difference is that the 70" has an 'auto' power saving mode. Most people leave power saving mode on all of the time though anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarDrifter Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 It also has detachable speakers - whereas the 60" doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 While the 60” and 70” models are functionally and visually very similar, the electronics are different enough to need a different service manual , or so it would seem. The service manual for the R200A model does not cover the R2000 model, but it does cover the R200A 50” and 60” models that we don’t get, as well as the 70” that we do. I had hopped that the service manual would show me the exact differences in design between the 60” and 70” but alas I am still in the dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Devil Posted April 22, 2007 Author Share Posted April 22, 2007 While the 60” and 70” models are functionally and visually very similar, the electronics are different enough to need a different service manual , or so it would seem.The service manual for the R200A model does not cover the R2000 model, but it does cover the R200A 50” and 60” models that we don’t get, as well as the 70” that we do. I had hopped that the service manual would show me the exact differences in design between the 60” and 70” but alas I am still in the dark. Thanks for your comment. Yes I think there could be a few differences, that is why I posted. The May 2007 "Widescreen Review" gave a rave review of the US model (which DOES have an inbuilt tuner) and said: "Sony's latest SXRD model, the fully integrated HDTV BKDS-R70BRX2, offers a 70-inch picture as good as or better than the 2004 model I covered, at less than half the price." Later he finished up ... "In its third generation, SXRD technology is now becoming more approachable for everyone, not just the high rollers, but the high picture standards remain the same". Now we only saw the 60-in model here late last year so it is very possible it was upgraded from the equivalent USA model and is the same "third generation" referred to in the glowing review. I'm guessing that quite a few changes had to be made for the PAL model so they effectively revamped it altogether for here. Interestingly the SXRD 50-in model was not offered here at all, possibly because it was not worth the re-engineering expense with other Sony units rapidly approaching that size. I have seen a comment elsewhere that the 70-in model was identical to the 60 except for picture size, tuner & removable speakers but that was an announcement for the 70 and I'm not sure what authority/knowlege that the author had. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozboy Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 I have seen a comment elsewhere that the 70-in model was identical to the 60 except for picture size, tuner & removable speakers but that was an announcement for the 70 and I'm not sure what authority/knowlege that the author had. Doesn't the 70" have picture freeze & the 60" not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 The 60” (R2000A) is an Australia only model due to the inclusion of an Aus spec digital tuner which is not use in any other markets. The Oz 70” and other R200A models (50" and 60") are “world” models and are sold in many markets outside the US, that’s why they do not have digitals tuner built in. Both the 60” and 70” we get here support 50Hz and 60Hz operation as well as 120-240volt operation. The US models only support 60Hz and have other US specific features such as cable card slots, and US digital tuners. They are also manufactured in the US, not Japan as "World" and Oz models are. The 60” and 70” Aus models have the same video performance and specifications as the US XBR2 models, which include 1080p input over HDMI and DRC 2.5 processing. The case design also looks the same. All these models are third generation and both the 60” and 70” Oz models where released within about a month of each other last year. I have service manuals for the Aus (World) R200A series 50”, 60” and 70” (50” and 60” models not sold in Oz) and the US XBR2 (60” and 70”) Although the internal systems and overall design used in all are the same, the circuit boards are mostly not interchangeable. The only significant difference between the 60” and 70” Aus models is the built in digital tuner in the 60”. This tuner is probably the same design and may even be the same board used in some of the Sony LCD flat panels, which also exhibit the same reboot problem as the 60” SXRD. Even though there is no talk of the problem with the LCD’s in this forum, two different Sony technicians have said that the restart-reboot problem is very common with LCD flat panels with built in Oz digital tuners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeAusDTV Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 The Australian 60" uses a 120 watt lamp with an 8000 hour rated life. The 70" uses a 180 watt lamp with a 4000 hour rated life - I guess that's why only the 70" comes with a spare bulb so both have a 8000 hour life in the sale price. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Devil Posted April 22, 2007 Author Share Posted April 22, 2007 The 60” (R2000A) is an Australia only model due to the inclusion of an Aus spec digital tuner which is not use in any other markets. The Oz 70” and other R200A models are “world” models and are sold in many markets outside the US, that’s why they do not have digitals tuner built in. Both the 60” and 70” we get here support 50Hz and 60Hz operation as well as 120-240volt operation. The US models only support 60Hz and have other US specific features such as cable card slots, and US digital tuners. They are also manufactured in the US, not Japan as our models are. The 60” and 70” Aus models have the same video performance and specifications as the US XBR2 models, which include 1080p input over HDMI and DRC 2.5 processing. The case design also looks the same. All these models are third generation and the 60” both and 70” Oz models where released within about a month of each other last year. I have service manuals for the Aus R200A series 50”, 60” and 70” (50” and 60” models not sold in Oz) and the US XBR2 (60” and 70”) Although the internal systems and overall design used in all are the same, the circuit boards are mostly not interchangeable. The only significant difference between the 60” and 70” Aus models is the built in digital tuner in the 60”. This tuner is probably the same design and may even be the same board used in some of the Sony LCD flat panels, which also exhibit the same reboot problem as the 60” SXRD. Even though there is no talk of the problem with the LCD’s in this forum, two different Sony technicians have said that the restart-reboot problem is very common with LCD flat panels with built in Oz digital tuners. VERY helpful reply thanks Owen So, do I understand that the reboot problem you refer to with the 60-in would not occur with external inputs, only using the internal tuner? How serious is this problem - a minor niggle or a relatively frequent irritation that cannot be overcome? Unreliable behaviour in gear (and not just electronics), particularly expensive items, really bugs me John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Devil Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 The Australian 60" uses a 120 watt lamp with an 8000 hour rated life.The 70" uses a 180 watt lamp with a 4000 hour rated life - I guess that's why only the 70" comes with a spare bulb so both have a 8000 hour life in the sale price. Mike Thanks Mike, most interesting. Even 4000 hours is a lot. Our Barco projector has clocked up 11,000 hours with heaps of use most nights (mostly time shifted TV from FTA & Austar) but it has taken nearly 8 years to reach that figure. On that basis a 70-in Sony tube would last us nearly 3 years if it was the no 1 set used. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 So, do I understand that the reboot problem you refer to with the 60-in would not occur with external inputs, only using the internal tuner? How serious is this problem - a minor niggle or a relatively frequent irritation that cannot be overcome? Unreliable behaviour in gear (and not just electronics), particularly expensive items, really bugs me There is a thread devoted to the 60” restart problem. Basically, there is no pattern to the restart problem, it might happen twice in a day then go for two months with happing again. It makes no difference if the tuner input is in use or not. The tuner is almost certainly running all the time, even when it is not selected as the current input and I suspect when it crashes it takes down the rest of the system with it. The 70” does not have this issue at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Devil Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 There is a thread devoted to the 60” restart problem.Basically, there is no pattern to the restart problem, it might happen twice in a day then go for two months with happing again. It makes no difference if the tuner input is in use or not. The tuner is almost certainly running all the time, even when it is not selected as the current input and I suspect when it crashes it takes down the rest of the system with it. The 70” does not have this issue at all. Thanks for that. Looks like the 70" is the way to go. Trouble is it makes space tight - not enough room either side for the speakers unless I put them on stands. Anyway, a couple of months to ponder about it. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 The speakers are removable on the 70” making it only about 40mm wider then the 60” which does not have removable speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Devil Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 The speakers are removable on the 70” making it only about 40mm wider then the 60” which does not have removable speakers. Thanks for that. So could someone mind checking for me that the total width without speakers is 1925mm. Unfortunately that is still a bit too wide but I can get around it by putting the spakers on stands a bit behind. I would have no use for those side speakers so being able to remove them is a big plus for me. Also, I'll need to have a stand made for the Sony. I have a friend who is handy at welding so I'm envisaging something with a shelf below for a centre speaker, the Denon 3805 receiver & players so will need to have a gap of around 200 mm. Does anyone have a template for the base of the 70" they could let me have or point me to? It is going across a corner so measurements will be critical & commercial cabinets would not fit, even if they were strong enough. TIA John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I just measured my 70” and its 1710mm wide without speakers. 50mm less if you leave off the side trim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Devil Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 I just measured my 70” and its 1710mm wide without speakers. 50mm less if you leave off the side trim. Excellent thanks - it will just fit without worrying about speaker stands Now to find out about a design for the stand to put it on. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 The base is approx 1100mm wide by 540mm deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts