XBR950 Vs. WE610 (1 Viewer)

[CalvinCarr]

I have been looking at these 2 sets. My wife has agreed to the XBR950 LCD but when I looked at the WE610 the picture looks great too. The 610 is $1500.00 cheaper which I could use for other gear. Does anyone know what you get for the extra $1500.00 beside the built in tuner? From what I see I need to use the cable companies box anyway?

 

[Danny Beck]

Your right about the cable box.


From what i've seen the XBR model basically offers some slight tweaks to the internal circuity which results in a slightly better picture overall. Most people wouldn't be able to tell a difference but it is there is you know what to look for. So, basically the differences are minimal on a technical level but it should be noted that the XBR line is Sony's top-of-the-line and that means something. They seem to build the XBRs a little strong/better than the other sets. So, you could take comfort that your XBR is unlikely to have problems as much as a non-XBR set.


Performance wise the differences are very small.

 

[Shane Martin]

When I saw the 2 sets, the PQ wasn't even close. The XBR was far and away better than the Grand Wega's. While I wouldn't and didn't buy an LCD set, the XBR is the class of the group.

 

[CalvinCarr]

Do you think both sets were set up the same?

 

[CalvinCarr]

I looked at the spec sheet and the WE610 is 77 pounds lighter than the XBR950. What the heck is in that thing?

 

[Shane Martin]

I couldn't be 1000% sure but I'm pretty sure it was. This was viewing Discovery HD theater.

 

[Dan]

I looked high and low and no other LCD even came close to replicating the PQ of the XBR. I ended up with a 60". Persoanlly, I think you're paying for aesthetics in that $1500 extra cost, as I don't even use the HD tuner since I'm too remote for a signal and have to use Dish's HD package anyway.

If you can choke down the price tag, it's a fine TV for what it is.

 

[CalvinCarr]

Have you found anyplace to be less expensive than another? I plan on getting it around September. Are there new models coming out I should wait for instead?

 

[CalvinCarr]

The WE610 shows a UHP100 lamp and the XBR shows a UHP120 lamp. Is that significant?

 

[Dan]

Calvin-

I'm out West, so I had a place called RC Willey v. Ultimate Elctronics. RC willey gave it to me for $4700 in an attempt to beat Ultimate. It's basically the price war game. I simply went with RC because they beat the low proce by $100 and they had the TV in stock, whereas Ultimate was 2 months out.

I'm not sure when/if any models are coming out.

The UHP 120 is just a brighter lamp, which may be significant in a high light area.