Sony TV Owners & Discussion Thread

[Owen]

Higher speed:

• HDMI 1.3 increases its single-link bandwidth from 165MHz (4.95 gigabits per second) to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbps) to support the demands of future high-definition display devices, such as higher resolutions, deep color and high frame rates. In addition, built into the HDMI 1.3 specification is the technical foundation that will let future versions of HDMI reach significantly higher speeds.

We have no need for resolutions greater then 1920x1080 or higher refresh rates for video or film.

Deep color:

• HDMI 1.3 supports 30-bit, 36-bit and 48-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 24-bit depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification.

• Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors.

• Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors.

• Enables increased contrast ratio.

• Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white. At 30-bit pixel depth, four times more shades of gray would be the minimum, and the typical improvement would be eight times or more.

None of this is useful unless the industry standard 24bit systems change, and even then the improvement will be very marginal over good 24bit colour.

I don’t think BluRay or HDDVD support any more then 24bit colour, so where is the content coming from?

Broader color space:

• HDMI 1.3 removes virtually all limits on color selection.

• Next-generation “xvYCC” color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals.

• Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately.

• Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors.

Sounds great, but displays are deigned to have industry standard primary colours and a standard colour gamut.

It the colour gamut on displays is expanded, industry standard video will not be displayed correctly, and colours will be over saturated or exaggerated.

Of coarse expanding the colour gamut of the HDMI interface without the display it’s self being able to reproduce the wider colour range is pointless.

With Phosphor based displays (CRT, Plasma, SED), I don’t think its possible to expand the colour gamut significantly, due to the limitations of Phosphor.

LCD panels and digital front and rear projectors have gamut limitations imposed by the type of back light used.

By the time the features of HDMI 1.3 are useful, any display you buy in the next couple of years will be land fill.

[offshore]

We have no need for resolutions greater then 1920x1080 or higher refresh rates for video or film.

640K ought to be enough for anybody...

[Owen]

Come on mate, why would you worry about an interface for video and display technology that does not yet exist, nor is it likely to any time soon.

I bit of the cart before the horse don’t you think?

[offshore]

Look I agree with you on the HDMI 1.3 thing - there's no need for it, and it's pointless to hold out for it.

I disagree however that we'll never have a need for greater than 1920x1080.

[Owen]

Look I agree with you on the HDMI 1.3 thing - there's no need for it, and it's pointless to hold out for it.

I disagree however that we'll never have a need for greater than 1920x1080.

I did not say never.

[Omega1503559526]

Look I agree with you on the HDMI 1.3 thing - there's no need for it, and it's pointless to hold out for it.

I disagree however that we'll never have a need for greater than 1920x1080.

I think he meant that currently, its pointless having more than 1080 as its botht he current limit of displays, and of the content we have to display on it. In terms of video anyway.

[laurie]

KS60R200A 60-inch SXRD BRAVIA Full 1080HD TV

Product Description

The all-new Sony KS60R200A SXRD BRAVIA is set to deliver a visual experience like no other. Featuring Sonys groundbreaking SXRD reflective LCD technology, the R60 BRAVIA has over 6.2 million total active pixels for mesmerizing picture detail as well as the industrys fastest 2.5 millisecond response time for precise motion. Brighter, more power-efficient than plasma and completely immune to screen burn, the R60 BRAVIA is also equipped with twin HDMI, PC inputs and a user replaceable UHP lamp.

Product Features

· Sony SXRD (Silicon Xtal Reflective Display) reflective LCD technology

· Triple 1920x1080HD SXRD panels - one for each primary colour

· Over 6.2 million total active pixels for unsurpassed picture definition

· Industry-leading 10,000:1 LCD contrast ratio - pure black image reproduction and outstanding gradations

· Industry-leading 2.5 millisecond high speed motion response

· Inter-pixel gap of less than 0.35 microns - no visible on-screen pixel structure

· Invisible on-screen pixel structure - inter-pixel gap of less than 0.35 microns

· Full 1080 HD High definition signal compatibility (1080p, 1080i, 720p)

· Cinema Black Pro technology for superior contrast adjustment

· BRAVIA Engine Pro digital HD picture processor - exceptional colour and clarity

· DRC HD (Digital Reality Creation) enhancement with DRC Palette customization

· Extended definition vertical multi-speaker system - enhanced audio clarity and wide sound dispersion

· Sony digital audio amplifier technology - dynamic sound reproduction

· Virtual Dolby Pro-Logic II and BBE sound enhancement

· NICAM Stereo reception

· Teletext - with Fastext buttons

· Twin HDMI digital AV interface (HDCP copy protection signal compliant)

· Computer input (MAC and PC)

· Triple HD / DVD component inputs (including one front)

· User-replaceable UHP lamp

· Twin tuner Picture & Picture

· Picture Freeze - temporarily freeze any image on TV screen

· Customizable easy on-screen menu system

· Multi-function TV remote control (TV / DVD / VCR / Amp)

· Ultra-fine pitch screen with Uniform Brightness Screen technology - superior picture definition and consistent brightness

· Double AR (anti-reflective) screen coating - reduces reflections from ambient lighting

· Wide vertical and horizontal viewing angle

· No Screen Burn - 100% resistant

· Ultra-low power consumption

Product Specification

General

Screen size (viewable) 60-inch

Display technology Triple 1080 HD SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) reflective LCD panels

Display resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels

Total pixel resolution Over 6.2 milliontotal active pixels

LCD contrast ratio 10,000:1

Contrast enhancement technology Cinema Black Pro with advanced iris

LCD response time 2.5 milliseconds

Zero screen door effect Yes (inter-pixel gap of less than 0.35 microns)

Colour system

PAL Multi (B/G, I, D/K, M) reception Yes

PAL, PAL60, SECAM, NTSC signal playback Yes

Picture

Pictureprocessing technology Yes

Full 100% digital picture processing Yes (incl. 14-bit panel driver)

Digital Reality Creation (DRC) enhancement DRC-MF (Digital Reality Creation - Multi Function)

DRC Palette customization Yes (SD and HD)

HD (High Definition) signal compatibility Yes (1080i / 720p / 576p / 480p)

Super Fine Pitch screen Yes

Anti-reflective (AR) coated screen Yes

Picture Modes Vivid, Standard, Custom

Colour temperature adjustment Yes

Fully resistant against screen burn Yes

Ultra High Performance (UHP) lamp technology Yes (user-replaceable)

Sound

Digital amplification technology Sony S-Master Digital

Nicam stereo reception Yes

Surround sound Virtual Dolby Pro-Logic II

Steady Sound Yes

Sound modes Dynamic, Standard, Custom

Bass / Treble sound equalizer Yes

Speaker system Extended definition vertical multi-speaker array

Power output: full-range speakers 30W

Convenience

Picture and Picture (Twin tuner) Yes

Twin view Picture Freeze Yes

Teletext Yes(with Fastext buttons - 2000 page memory)

On screen menu languages English/Simplified Chinese/Arabic/Thai

Wake up / Sleep timer Yes

User replaceable UHP lamp Yes

AV terminals

Composite video inputs Front x1, Rear x2

S-video inputs Rear x1

HD/DVD component input Front x1, Rear x2

Digital HDMI input Rear x2

Computer input Yes (MAC and PC)

Headphone jack Front x1

Monitor AV output Rear x1

Other

Power requirements 110V- 240V

Power consumption 225W (in use)

Dimensions (WxHxD) 1674 x 1009 x 514mm

Weight 51kg

Product Accessories

SUGW12 - Cabinet for 60-inch and 50-inch SXRD BRAVIA

cheers laurie

[Nevyn72]

cheers laurie

This is the 200A, I thought we were getting the XBR2 version?

[Owen]

The local A200 models are the equivalent of the US only XBR2 models.

Don’t confuse the A200 name with the US A2000 model, as they are not the same at all.

We wont be getting the lower spec A2000 here, and the XBR name will not be used here either.

Both the 60 and 70” Euro-Asian versions of the SXRD’s will probably differ in a lot of ways from the US manufactured A2000 and XBR model.

[Some dude]

i went in to sony central perth today and got a brochure for the sxrd.

the model #'s are kds60r2000 for the 60" and ks70r200 70"

[Omega1503559526]

Full 1080 HD High definition signal compatibility (1080p, 1080i, 720p)

Does this mean they accept 1080p inputs? Or is it just another way of restating the obvious given that its a 1080p set?

[laurie]

I think you need to know will it accept 1080p/24fps/25fps

cheers laurie

[Owen]

The SXRD’s accept 1080p 50 and 60 over HDMI.

1080p 24/25 support is not listed, and very unlikely.

However, since the display will accept 1080p 50, there is a good chance it will sync to 1080p 48, which is perfect for 24fps source.

[AndrewWilliams]

That will be the clincher for me as a HTPC user. If it can sync to 48Hz, it will be great - especially seeing as our HD-DVDs (and possibly blu-rays) will be 24fps.

I've also still got a fair few R1 DVDs surprisingly.

[Omega1503559526]

The SXRD’s accept 1080p 50 and 60 over HDMI.

1080p 24/25 support is not listed, and very unlikely.

However, since the display will accept 1080p 50, there is a good chance it will sync to 1080p 48, which is perfect for 24fps source.

Sorry to change the subject a bit...but why the HELL did they change from 25 to 24? Surely its better to go to a higher fps if possible, but if youre not going to do that, surely keeping it the same makes more sense?

[AndrewWilliams]

Hollywood movies are 24fps. They probably will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

An annoyance of PAL viewers in the past is that all movies (and TV shows shot on film) are sped up by 4%. That looks like coming to an end with HD-DVD which will be the correct 24fps.

NTSC regions currently convert 24 frames/second to 60 fields/second which involves a bit of trickery with the rearranging of fields every 4 frames as explained here.

http://www.dvdfile.com/news/special_report...ldown/3_2_a.gif

A current trend in home theatre circles is to show 24 fps content progressively at 48Hz (or 72Hz or other multiple of 24) to avoid the slight juddering of rearranging fields. Once you've done an A-B comparison, the juddering is quite annoying.

[Owen]

Here is a link to the NZ Sony site, showing the new 60” SXRD.

http://www.sony.co.nz/default.asp

[AndrewWilliams]

Seems to be a few retailers with these in stock in NZ too. Hopefully they're not far away now. NZ$7K RRP for the 60" translates to about $5K street price here.

Any chance you're going to buy one, Owen? We need someone to play the PC->HDMI guinea pig.

[mizu]

Yes, I am awaiting reports of "pc-friendliness" by Owen.

Looks like the R might be a better option for motion than the X. Guy in the Bravia X thread found panning pretty dismal. (Have yet to see for myself)

[AndrewWilliams]

Yeah, true, and another reason my attention has switched to SXRD rather than LCD is the performance in a dark room. Even though my HT is in a family room, I do most of my movie watching at night with the light off. The Bravia LCDs look sensational in a brightly lit showroom but put them in a dark theatre room and the performance is pretty average compared to CRT or LCoS.

[laurie]

So why is the price so competive for an 60" 1080p display is it because it's a RPTV or it requires less components to build!

cheers laurie

[O-3]

Finally they are almost here...seems like we have been waiting forever.

Count me in for a group buy!

O-3

[Drizt]

Finally they are almost here...seems like we have been waiting forever.

Count me in for a group buy!

O-3

If they were here now i would be in store to take advantage of that 40 months interest free....

[Redmist1503559903]

So why is the price so competive for an 60" 1080p display is it because it's a RPTV or it requires less components to build!

cheers laurie

Well, you can't hang them on a wall, they don't look as bright or vivid in a showroom and you need to replace the bulbs occasionally so maybe average Joe perceives them to be an outdated technology. That's my guess anyway.

Luckily none of those things matter one iota to me.

[Omega1503559526]

Hollywood movies are 24fps. They probably will stay that way for the foreseeable future.

An annoyance of PAL viewers in the past is that all movies (and TV shows shot on film) are sped up by 4%. That looks like coming to an end with HD-DVD which will be the correct 24fps.

NTSC regions currently convert 24 frames/second to 60 fields/second which involves a bit of trickery with the rearranging of fields every 4 frames as explained here.

http://www.dvdfile.com/news/special_report...ldown/3_2_a.gif

A current trend in home theatre circles is to show 24 fps content progressively at 48Hz (or 72Hz or other multiple of 24) to avoid the slight juddering of rearranging fields. Once you've done an A-B comparison, the juddering is quite annoying.

Ahh okay, that makes sense i suppose. THanks for clearing it up.

Seems to be a few retailers with these in stock in NZ too. Hopefully they're not far away now. NZ$7K RRP for the 60" translates to about $5K street price here.

Any chance you're going to buy one, Owen? We need someone to play the PC->HDMI guinea pig.

Well i dont know about Owen, but subject to a PQ inspect, ill be getting one of the 70" almost straight away hopefully.

I have an $8k store credit pending, that i was supposed to be spending by late September. Extending it to early-mid November is really going to be pushing it, so im unfortunately not going to have much time for other peoples opinions to accumulate.

So i guess im being forced to be a guinea pig, and im running a HTPC, so ill run whatever tests you guys can come up with and run me thru (if necessary). hehe.