Sony Grand Wega Comparisons (1 Viewer)

[James Sarno]

Well......I was all set to pull the trigger on a new Sony KDF-50WE655, That was until I saw the KDF-55WF655 "Low Profile"...Whoa!...I was wondering does anyone out there have any experience with this set and what are if any, are the major differences between the two.

According to the sales "pitch" The WF Grand Wegas are supposedly 10% brighter than their WE counterparts...

I dont mind paying the extra cash for a superior set
Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Thanks

 

[James Sarno]

...Also I will be hooking it up with the HDMI cable to a new Denon DVD-2910...Or should I be looking at something else for this Sony TV

Thanks again

 

[ScottHH]

James,

One is 50", and the other is 55". This is the biggest difference between these two televisions. A 55" television has 21% more screen surface area. I think you need to make this decision first before deciding on WE vs. WF.

I'm not a fan of silver electronic equipment to begin with. To me the WF is a much better looking TV. It is surrounded by a charcol frame which is much better than the bright silver of the WE, which I think is distracting.

I've never seen the two next to each other, in the same size, getting the same feed. I also haven't seen a thread that objectively compares the two. That said, I'm leaning towards the 60WF655 myself. Without conclusive evidence of a real diffence in the PQ from the WE, WF and XS, I like the look of the WF the best.

 

[ScottLR]

I recently bougth the KDF-55WF655, and, with a few adjustments to the set and the cable box, it looks great!!! I'm about 9 feet away and I believe there's a noticable difference between 50 and 55.

 

[Elinor]

James, I don't think any RP-LCD that I have seen has lacked in brightness. What some do better or worse, is display black levels.

I'd recommend ignoring that "10% brighter" thing because in 99.9% of homes, even the basic GW is going to be PLENTY bright.

Now, if the WF is better at producing black, THAT would be worth it. But don't ask the salesman about it. You have to see with your own eyes if it is acceptable.

 

[James Sarno]

ScottHH..I too like the look of the WF, That is what stopped me in my tracks

Elinor...I will be going to take a look at it tomorrow and I'll definitely look at how it produceds black...thanks for the tip

ScottLR...I'll be about 10 feet from the set...At 9ft did your eyes have to get adjusted or is the pq that smooth that even at 9ft it didn't bother?

Thanks

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

What about the KDF55XS955? What's the diff with the WF?
Note you can download their manuals at abtelectronics.com

 

[WayneKK]

Well has anyone heard of Sony's new KDS70XBR100. I was thinking of getting the 55" 955, but now I'll just wait and see what the new RP/LCD with full HD resolution has to offer come early next year. I was just about to get the 955, but the prices kept dropping. Now I'll just have some patience.

 

[ScottHH]

Wayne,

There's a long thread about the KDS70XBR100 at the AVS forum. It looks like an amazing set with 1080p, but it's supposed to cost around $10,000. Although I don't think it's a realistic alternative to those currently shopping for WE, WF and XS models today, I agree prices will continue to drop, and the TV's will only get better. But, MY patience is running out, I'd like to enjoy HD and a big screen in 2005.

Phil,
The XS has more user-accessable adjustments for the picture,
a better sound system and two HDMI inputs vs. one on the WE and WF. With a 55" screen, the outside of the XS is 62" wide vs. 57 3/8" for the WF.

Here's my subjective opinion: I'd really like the extra HDMI input (I plan on using the cable card for HD cable, and the HDMI for DVD. If I had two HDMI/DVI out devices, I might come to a different conclusion). The adjustments would be nice. I don't care about the sound, as I'll be using my audio system for any remotely "important" audio. I come back to liking the clean look of the WF, and saving 4 5/8" in width for the same screen size.



This is somewhat off track to this thread, but since the thread starter asked the question, and I'm considering buying a similar TV and DVD player...

The Denon 2910 is an expensive DVD player, what do you think you'll gain vs. the lower priced Panasonic S97, Denon 1910 or Sony DVP-NS975V? From what I've read, the Panasonic S97 has superior guts to the Denon 1910 (which scored poorly in the Secrets Hifi tests and has macroblocking issues.) I think Secrets is supposed to reveiw the Panny, Sony and 1910 this month. If the 2910 scores similarly to the 3910, maybe it's worth the money?

 

[ScottLR]

James...10 feet away is fine - no "eye adjustment" necessary.

 

[Mike_Bauer]

I have had a 60" XS in the house for about 2 weeks now and have been primarily viewing OTA HD (Detroit Metro area) plus DVD's using a Sony NS975 DVD player with an HDMI output, In a word - fabulous. I set the DVD output to 1920 and it looks incredibly good. Love the LCD display for my well lit room. Yesterday looking at an NFL game in HD via Fox, it looked beautiful even in the daylight

Even though technology continues to march forward I did not want to wait any longer. I think either the WE, WF or XS will give you a great picture and years of use

 

[James Sarno]

Mike_Bauer...I was wondering how the pq was in a well lit room, since your 60" XS looks good in the daylight I assume the 55" WF should look fine in the daytime...cant wait to watch the NFL in HD

ScotHH...I was looking at the Denon 2910 because of the HDMI input plus the fact that this is a universal player and it will be pulling "double duty" as my CD player as well. The 3910 looks really nice but a bit on the expensive side. But as you had mentioned, if the 2910 scores close to the 3910, than maybe its worth a serious look. The Sony DVP-NS975V is worth looking at...it is considerably less expensive than the Denon 2910 and its also a universal player with a HDMI input...Thanks for the suggestion.

Is it safe to assume that the Denon will be "built" a little better than the Sony?

Mike_Bauer...How is your Sony 975?...If I cant find a "real" difference between that and the Denon than maybe its the player I should use with my upcoming purchase of the 55" WF

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

The spec sheet (on Abt's site) for the XS955 mentions these items, not sure if they really are unique to the XS or if the WF has them too?

Image Quality Enhancer LCI - provides full 10 bit digital image processing to provide superior contrast and enhanced natural color reproduction.

A/R Anti Reflective Coating - High Contrast Screen

LCD Panel Driver LSI - minimizes motion blur caused by the response time slag of LCD panels

Also the guy at Frys says the XS has a brighter bulb but from Sony's site the XS and WF have the same bulb part # so I'm not sure if he knew what he was talking about?(XL2200)

 

[Patrick Larkin]

I have the WE and love it. I was pretty much focuses on the 50" size so snagged one before they even made it onto shelves. I saw the 55" a week later. I probably would buy the 55" if I had to do it all over again. That being said, I couldn't be happier with SD and DVD on this set.

BTW, I chose NOT to purchase an HDMI based DVD player since the TV has only one HDMI jack. I'm saving it for HDTV if we ever get it in my area.

I ended up getting the WE50 for around $2600 after planning on spending $3299 (the price the previous model was going for - the WE610).

 

[Mike_Bauer]

James,I think you will really like the 55 in daylight. I have a very well kit room on a sunny day (2 big door walls, and 1 large window) and it was great for football in HD. Only drawback was the team, Detroit Lions.

I am amazed by the Sony DVD player (NS975) with the HDMI output. I put in the video essentials disk and the picture quality was breathtaking. Star Wars looked superb as well as many others I have sampled and for less than $300 the NS975 is a bargain

 

[James Sarno]

Mike,I too have a big drawback on Sundays...(New York Giants)...My only concern was how it looked in daylight But if your set performs great then Im sure the 55 will too.

I think I will have to take a serious look at the NS975...
For that price I don't think I could go wrong...I am really hooked on the Denon 2910....But if there isn't any "major" differences than maybe I can use the extra cash on a good HDMI cable and some DVD's ...question...does the NS975 come in black also or just silver (I would prefer black but Im willing to go with the silver)

Patrick...thats a great price for the WE...ENJOY IT!!

 

[Mike_Bauer]

James, I don't think the NS975 is available in black. I checked the Sony website and saw no options other than silver.

One more update, we watched Seabiscuit in HD last night on our 60" XS and it was stunning, beautiful colors, detail, etc. I couldn't be more pleased.

 

[ScottHH]

The new Secrets shootout is up.

This next opinion is based on using HDMI for video:
To me the Denon 2910 isn't worth the extra money.
The NS975, Panny S97 scored similarly, and I think beat the Denon 1910 pretty handily. In my book, it's a toss up between the Sony and Panny, which unfortunately only come in silver finish.

But then there's the Toshiba SD-V592 which is available for probably $100 less than the others. Yea, it's a cheesy silver dvd/vhs combo, but did I say it's $100 less? There is some further discussion about it lacking color accuracy. But I'm thinking it might be the way to go, and I won't feel bad throwing it in another room when I buy an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player.

Patrick,
How do you plan on receiving the HD when it becomes available? If you're using cable, you can use the cable card in the TV, and not use the 1 HDMI jack. Are you reserving the jack for and HD-DVR?

If, like Patrick, you have other plans for the HDMI, these upscaling dvd players appear to be pretty average at best via the component outputs, and I don't see why you'd buy one.

 

[Dave H]

I recently tried out the Toshiba 592 combo on my new Sony KP-57WS520. (I have been using my interlaced Panaonic RV80 player and having my display do the 3:2 reverse pulldown).

The picture on the Toshiba at 1080i was very good (had to recalibrate my display with thie player using Avia --- as the settings did change). However, I could not tolerate the macroblocking. It looked terrible. In my opinion, macroblocking is totally unacceptable and negates any other positive. In addition, the audio is very poor on the Toshiba -- very thin and flat. I couldn't believe how much better my Panasonic sounded. (I had the player's audio going into my receiver.) The remote control is atrocious, as well. All in all, I do not recommend the Toshiba.

I too have my eye on the Sony 975 player. However, I think I am going to be using it more for component than HDMI and upscaling (though I will surely try it out). Using HDMI, the 975 seems to be depressing green according to most reports ---- unless your display has green push --- then it only seems to balance things out. They are also reporting the 975 gives a slight red and blue push, though not severe. There are a few other things noted, as well (no player is perfect). However, since it isn't using Farjouda, macroblocking will be a non-issue while upscaling.

The 975 has some pixel cropping --- losing 17 pixels on the sides. Not sure how much of a big deal this is though.

The audio is supposed to be quite good on it too.

All in all, for the money, it seems to be a good player. I'm trying to find something for $500.00 or less, so this might be it.

 

[James Sarno]

ScottHH.......Thanks for the info, Im starting to have second thoughts on the Denon 2910...Im starting to take a closer look at the Sony 975.
Im not big on the silver look...but if it means a $350 savings...well then I might have to start getting use to the look...
Unless the Denon drops drastically in price ($649) It looks like its going to be put on the back burner...
At least with the money I save it will cover the extended warranty...
Im going to CC on Tuesday to do some final measurements and I hope to have the 55" in time for the NFL playoffs