Two Sony's...Same Price. DVI or not DVI? 4:3 or 16:9? (1 Viewer)

[Evan S]

Recently went to my local CC to look for a new monitor. I have decided on a direct view over a RPTV for these reasons...

1) my room is wide and not deep, so there is a LOT of off axis viewing at angles more than 120 degrees.
2) I play a lot of video games so I am worried about burn in.
3) The smaller direct view sizes won't dominate my room as much.

I am torn between two sets. The 40XBR700 and the 34XBR800. The 40" is 4:3 with no DVI and the 34 is 16:9 with DVI. I know how controversial DVI is and that I may not need it, but having it would give piece of mind.

What am I looking for out of the set? Great picture on DVD and XBox as this is what I use the set for 75% of the time. The other 25% is used for watching digital cable (mostly sports). I am not concerned with great picture for cable, but am for movies. I have heard the 34" has a very soft focus at the edges and does not have as good a picture as it's predecessor, the one with the included tuner that goes for 4K. (not sure of the model number).

Anyone who has any experience with these sets can chime in, thanks. By the way, the 40" goes for $2499 and the 34" goes for $2420 without haggling. Might be able to get them to go lower. If the 40 had DVI, I would jump all over it, but without, I'm leery.

Thanks.

 

[Tony Meconiates]

hmm... if only sony made a direct view 40" 16x9

 

[Vlad D]

Evan,
While I don't have personal experience with either set, if I were buying one, I'd go with the 34XBR800. Not because of the DVI, but because it's 16:9. And since you're going to use it mostly for DVD's and Xbox, I think you'll be better off.
My 10 cents (My 2 cents are free)

 

[Peter Hunt]

Vlad,
Yeah but a 40" 1.33 will give you a larger picture then a 34" 1.78 in any mode. 1.33, 1.78, 1.85, 2.35, etc... The 40" will still be larger. Granted in 1.78 you'd have black bars on the top an bottom, but you'd have them on the sides if he's playing games in 1.33 on a 1.78.
Evan see if this link would help you make up your mind or not.
Link Removed
Really it comes down to the DVI issue I guess which is a toughy. I'm actually in the same pickle but comparing 50"+ sets and there's no 1.33 sets with DVI (that I know of)which stinks. Personally I'd rather have a 53" 4x3 then a 51" 16x9 (for example) as I have Kubrick, Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Disney, etc films which are all 1.33 or 1.66 and I'd rather have black bars on the top and bottom when I need them and a full frame picture the rest of the time and no verticle black bars.
But this is my two cents.
Peter

 

[Jan Strnad]

Personally, I prefer widescreen. I think it's the future, and that 4:3 is the past. My .02.

Jan

 

[Evan S]

Peter, thanks for the link. I've seen that website and realize that I would be getting more screen area for all aspect ratio's by going with the 40" over the 34". However, I am still leaning towards the 34" for a few reasons.

1) DVI
2) weighs less if I have to move it (although by not much, granted)
3) By the end of it's usable lifespan HDTV will be more prevalent and will be shown in 16:9.
4) XBox software is staring to support 16:9 in more and more applications.
5) I like the asthetics of the set more.

It's probably going to be a tough call. I don't mind black bars so you would think I would go with the 4:3, but I'm torn.

Anyone compare the picture quality of these two sets side by side?

 

[Doug_B]

So you've written off front projection? A digital one meets your criteria, assuming you get the right screen (and assuming your concern about dominating refers to 3 dimensions of real estate eaten up by a big box).

 

[Evan S]

Doug,

Absolutely NOT. However, I feel I am about 5 years away from a projector and screen. The house I'm going to buy will be a starter home and I won't put together a dedicated theater with front projection and screen until I get the home I plan to be in for 20+ years.

 

[DanielSmi]

Why don't you go with the 36' XBR it has DVI I also think it has the new DRC V1, and it's cheaper than the forty it's bigger than the 34' especially for 4:3 viewing with the 34 it's like watching it on a 20 in screen. Since you cut off a 1/3 of the screen your size will be do the math

34 x .66 (2/3) = 22.66 in (22 2/3 in)

that pretty small for video games regular tv. With the 36' or 40 for dvd your screen size would be

36 x .66 = 23.76
40 x .66 = 26.40
(also pretty small)
it just comes down to which you are going to watch more reg TV or DVD and if you have a wife and she want to watch her TV shows is she going to see it justified to spend 2500 on a TV that gives such a small picture for TV. The name of the 36 is 36XBR800 and here's some specs:

Hi-Scan HDTV monitor (compatible with HDTV/SDTV formats — when connected to a separate HDTV tuner — and displays them at 1080i or 480p; also accepts 480p output from a compatible DVD player)
*4:3 screen aspect ratio
*auto/manual 16:9 Enhanced viewing mode for HDTV and anamorphic DVDs
*Digital Reality Creation Multifunction V1 (upconverts NTSC sources to 960i or 480p)
*CineMotion™ 3-2 pulldown processing
*10-bit 3D digital comb filter
*HD Detailer™ wideband video amplifier
*ClearEdge VM™ Velocity Modulation Scanning (selectable)
*MTS stereo reception
*SRS TruSurround™ 3D audio processing
*SteadySound™ automatic volume control
*181-channel NTSC tuner
*Twin View Picture and Picture with Multi-Image Driver X
*illuminated Flip/joystick multibrand remote
*video input labeling
*7 A/V inputs, including:

This item must be shipped thru Trucking Company
*4 composite video (3 rear, 1 front)
*3 S-video (2 rear, 1 front)
*2 rear-panel wide-bandwidth component video
(compatible with 1080i/720p/480p/480i signals)
*DVI HDTV input with HDCP copy protection

*2 RF inputs for antenna/cable
*Memory Stick playback (JPEG)
*30 watts total (7.5 x 2, plus 15 for subwoofer)
*40-1/8"W x 31-1/8"H x 25-1/8"D
*warranty: 2 years
* retail price: $2300

I would recommend the 36 it's the best of both worlds.

Daniel Smith

 

[IraSWeiss]

How soon do you think Sony will have an upgrade to the 40"? They are supposedly already upgrading their Grand Wega to DVI. Ask and if it's coming out soon, wait.

 

[Brian S]

I believe the 40XBR800 is due out this September.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I recently purchased the 34XBR800. I’ll spare you the normal platitudes other than to state that I did a lot of comparisons over a couple of weeks (both HD and DVD) in order to arrive at my decision. I did not consider 4:3 at all

Personally, I prefer widescreen. I think it's the future, and that 4:3 is the past. My .02.

Exactly and it is certainly superior for wide screen movies.

IMO, widescreen sports telecasting will blow you away. During the last Australian summer, cricket was telecast in widescreen and it was fantastic, especially when compared against the 4:3 telecasts of the prior summer. Now that I’ve returned to the States, I can hardly wait for America sports to be telecast in this format. I really think that football and hockey will benefit greatly from this format. And the World Cup matches would also have been better in 16:9

You can tell my prejudice.

However; any 34" screen may not be big enough to suit your tastes. I chose direct view because RPTV does not have a wide enough viewing angle for my tastes (and lacks a bit of clarity compared to direct view), not to mention the WAF; front projection pretty much requires (today) a dedicated room (and WAF); and plasma screens were not in my budget.

So it was pretty simple.

 

[Evan S]

Lew, my present JVC monitor is only 27", so when compared to the 34SBR800, the 4:3 display is still larger than what I get on my JVC. For me, that's OK. To get 87% more screen size on 1.85:1 aspect ratio's over my current set, is good enough for me.

Sometimes, instead of comparing the 34" to the 40", I should compare both sets to what I CURRENTLY have. I don't feel my cable viewing is too small, especially seeing we sit only about 6' away from the display. My 4:3 area stays practically the same, but my DVD area would increase dramatically. Maybe not as much as the 40", but that's OK by me.

Thanks for your comments. Does anyone know where I can get the lowest price here in NE?

 

[Lew Crippen]

I have heard the 34" has a very soft focus at the edges and does not have as good a picture as it's predecessor, the one with the included tuner that goes for 4K.

That would not be my view. However, I was not able to compare the KV34XBR800 side-by-side with its predecessor. All of the dealers that I visited had one or the other, not both. It was difficult for me to accurately remember from one dealer to another.
I have, however compared both Sony’s to a Panasonic 34”, which was also very impressive. To be honest, I just went back and forth between the Sonys and the Panasonic. I don’t really think that (from a quality of picture perspective) you could go wrong with either Sony or the Panasonic. IMO all three of these sets were superior to the other, similar size and feature sets that I considered or compared (First runner-up was a Toshiba).
I compared HD signals for all sets (the feeds available at the stores) and some DVDs, which I knew well and felt, would provide good tests. I used the Criterion Dreyer Box set for B&W, as it has both 4:3 and widescreen disks, Barry Lyndon for its color, standard format and low light scenes, the Criterion version of Bergman’s Cries and Whispers for its color and low light, and the Criterion version of Fellini’s Juliet of the Spirits for its color and wide screen.
Those with a more critical eye (and perhaps more objective, scientific measurements) may detect a difference in the two Sonys: I could not.
I picked the 34XBR800 over the 34XBR2 mostly because it lacked the HD tuner (much cheaper and more versatile to purchase an external HD tuner) and because of the DVI interface. I picked this model over the Panasonic partly because of the Panasonic’s lack of a DVI interface, but mostly because neither the salesman nor his boss could get the Panasonic to properly display a 4:3 DVD. While I was pretty sure that this was a competency issue, not a problem with the set. I decided ease in change of viewing formats was a big WAF consideration. I really want to make watching everything easy for her for the usual reasons.

 

[Evan S]

Lew, you just answered my big question. If the picture quality is comparable with both the 34" Toshiba, Panasonic and Sony, yet the Sony is the only one with DVI interface, my decision is made for me. I have already ruled out the 40XBR700 in favor of the 16:9 and now have ruled out the Toshiba and Panny as well. Do you know if future models of the Panny and Tosh will have DVI as I won't be buying until around Christmas, when the new models should be out by then. Thanks. Great info.

 

[Gil D]

Absolutely NOT. However, I feel I am about 5 years away from a projector and screen.

Evan are you sure?
Those Sony Tubes are great sets but I think the pic will still be very small for a viewing area with 120 degree viewing angle as that sounds like a big room. What is your viewing distance anyway?
You can get a great 4:3 DLP projector like the NEC LT150Z with a DaLite ModelB pulldown screen for about $500 more (maybe less with savings in tax) than that Direct View sets your looking at. This will give you superb DVD, gaming, and HDTV capability. The down side is that you need some light control for daytime viewing.
I just connected an HDTV Sat Receiver (Dish 6000) to my LT150 using a DaLite 100" WidePower screen and tuned into Discovery HD running on the Demo channel

I was considering upgrading my analog RPTV to the Sony 53" 4:3 HDTV set but now wondering if that's big enough! The 40" tubes are more appropriate for small rooms or bedrooms IMO. For you main HT display I would recommend 57" 16:9 or greater to get that theater feel. Bigger is better.

 

[jeff lam]

Evan,
The new Panasonic just came out a couple weeks ago. It does not have DVI but looks to be a killer set. I think I will go with this one. The sony is a little more expensive and doesn't fit in my entertainment center. I don't know if Toshiba has one due out soon but I doubt it will have DVI anyway.

Lew,
Don't know about the new panasonic (52), but the older one (50) had a button on the remote right at the top that let you view 4x3 images in either OAR or stretched.

 

[Evan S]

Gil and Jeff, thanks for the input.

Right now my choices are dependant on what kind of job I get and where/if I relocate. I work in the investment industry and recently was laid off. I have a big severance package, so I am presently getting two incomes (play money!!!) by waiting tables. However, if my next job is in NYC or Boston, a house may not be feasable, so I'm researching the tube sets. If I stay here in Hartford, I will buy a house and probably go projector and screen. My comment on the 5 year thing is because the job market here in Hartford is very bleak and relocation is looking more and more inevitable every day. Projector and screen in the big cites is practically impossible in an apartment environment.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Do you know if future models of the Panny and Tosh will have DVI

I read in the last few days that Panasonic had ruled out DVI, but that Toshiba might start including an interface. Can’t remember where I saw this, nor vouch for its accuracy.

 

[Leon C]

Ira,

Do you know WHEN Sony is upgrading the Grand Wega to DVI?
I have been considering that model, but if a change is due
in the next few months, I'd definitely wait.