Sony KP53HS10 any good? (1 Viewer)

[Mark Tomlin]

-All-
I am looking at upgrading from my 35" Sony (not a Wega) and was reading some very positive reviews about the Sony KP53HS10 at audioreview.com. Is anyone out there an owner or familiar with this set and if so, what are some of the strengths and limitations of this model? My local Costco has it for $ 2,299, which from what I can tell is a pretty decent price. I will also scour the internet for any other info on this model. Any input/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
------------------

 

[Abdul Jalib]

Costco also has the Philips 60PP9601 for $2199. I personally can't see paying more for the smaller and less flexible Sony 53HS10. I had both in my home briefly before returning the 53HS10.
The main thing that bothers me about the HS10's is Sony's poor quality control. The sets have several major common problems, and my 53HS10 was plagued with two of them. A service tech fixed one, but it took so much time that there wasn't enough time to fix the other problem too within the first 30 days, so I returned it. If you buy this set, you absolutely must immediately buy a HD receiver and progressive DVD player or DVDO iScan Pro or equivalent, so that you can be sure that 1080i and 480p will both work without banding or blanking; if you experience banding or blanking, then get it fixed or returned within the return period. I think Costco has a fairly liberal return policy, but make sure you know what it is. Also, I don't think Sony recognizes Costco as an authorized dealer, so I'm pretty sure Sony will turn its back on you if you go crying to Sony that your HS10 has problems.
A lot of Sony owners get upset when I criticize the Sony's like this, but the fact is that a huge percentage of the HS10's (and other Sony RTPV's) were shipped with serious problems that could have been identified in under a minute of testing at the factory. Sony kept shipping them as is, even after Sony management realized the sets had fixable design flaws.
A common complaint about the HS10's is that they look soft. I actually like Sony's 960i DRC, which gives the picture a soft yet realistic appearance without scan lines. Alas, the Sony's are also soft on HDTV, which is a disappointment.
I think the Sony's are a good deal for those who primarily want to watch regular DirecTV and DVD's off a progressive player. It gives you a lot of bang for the buck there.
The Philips set is a good deal for those who are willing to invest a bit more effort. It won't look good out of the box on DirecTV, as the line doubler is weak and for some reason the color is washed out on the interlaced inputs.
However, you can add a DVDO iScan Pro or HTPC to achieve a picture superior to Sony's line doubler, as the resolution will be better and the color is very good on the progressive inputs on the Philips set. "Unfortunately", the scan lines on this set are really geared for squeezed 1080i, so you can see gaps between the scan lines at unsqueezed 480p; again a HTPC will solve this, as you can upscale to 1200i for full screen. The Philips set does a great job of HDTV, and with a little work in the service menu, you can watch 1080i 4:3 content (of which there is quite a bit) full screen even if there isn't a zoom mode on your HD receiver.
The Philips set has both component and VGA/RGB inputs, whereas the Sony has those combined into one set of inputs. The Philips set accepts 600p/1200i, 540p/1080i, and 480p/960i VGA, whereas the Sony accepts 480p/960i VGA (not sure about 540p/1080i VGA.) Both sets can squeeze/unsqueeze for all modes with a simple manual menu selection.
The speakers in the Sony are a lot better than in the Philips, but you shouldn't use a RPTV's speakers even as a center anyway.
The glare screen is a lot more annoying on the Philips but infinitely easier to remove on the Philips as well.
------------------
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Philips_HDTV/joinClick to subscribe to Philips_HDTV discussion group

 

[Jim Christian]

Talk to 100+ users athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/sonyhs10

 

[Mark Tomlin]

Thanks, Jim & Abdul, on your replies. Abdul, I went to Costco and asked about warranty issues and the person on the floor conceded that there might be difficulties persuading Sony to stand by its warranty if I purchased from Costco. Your reply was very helpful and gave me insight into some Sony service issues that I would never had gotten from a retail salesperson. Thanks for the prompt reply and again, thanks very much for the warnings about the Sony HS series.
------------------

 

[Tony Pic]

Mark,
I own the 53xbr300, and just bought a 53hs10 for my parents. Abdul has a point about Sony: some hs10/xbr300 had a geometry problem where the image in 16:9 mode was over-squeezed. I fixed my problem usinmg service mode adjustments. Also, my xbr300 has a problem with a flashing picture when feeding the set a 1080i picture that had a lot of dar-to-light transistions. I am in no rush to have it fixed because I returned by HD STB, and have 2 1/2 years left on my extended warranty to have it fixed.
I am happy with my set, and my parents love their hs10 (no over-squeeze on their set). It really is one of the best sets for satellite/cable/dvd.
Abdul said:
"Costco also has the Philips 60PP9601 for $2199. I personally can't see paying more for the smaller and less flexible Sony 53HS10. I had both in my home briefly before returning the 53HS10... It won't look good out of the box on DirecTV, as the line doubler is weak and for some reason the color is washed out on the interlaced inputs.
However, you can add a DVDO iScan Pro or HTPC to achieve a picture superior to Sony's line doubler, as the resolution will be better and the color is very good on the progressive inputs on the Philips set..."
Abdul, how can you recommend this set? It costs $100 less than an hs10, but by your own admission, the set is inferior, and requires the addition of HTPC or DVDO (another $800) to look as good (or better) than the Sony.
Clearly, for the price Mark is looking to spend, the Sony is a better bargin than the Philips.
My $.02

 

[Mark Tomlin]

My viewing mix is currently 70% DSS (sports, movies, network programming) and 30% DVD's so I don't think a 16.9 TV is for me right now. I have no plans on upgrading to an HDTV reciever in the next few years when it is more widely available so I think the Sony KP53HS10 will be a good stop-gap until that time comes. I was able to get Sears to price-match an Outpost.com price of $ 1,999 + a $ 30 delivery charge for the KP53HS10, which I think is a steal. That's $ 300 less than the price at Costco, to say nothing of the fact that Sears is also an authorized Sony distributor. I will probably go ahead and purchase this set tommorow. Thanks to everyone who replied to my query, this web site is great!
------------------

 

[Brian Mello]

While I was looking at other sets, I noticed HiFi Buys (Atlanta) had this set for $1,999 brand new or a floor model at $1,799. In case anyone is interested in this set.