Black. Off axis viewing. General image quality. Connections.

Heavy. Bulky. Quite expensive.

Really shows the differences between sources. Has enough adjustment that you can get a watchable picture from almost any source, but I'm looking at HDTV satelite after suffering some comcast broadcasts. Progressive scan DVD looks wonderful.

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Other sony direct view TV's. B&O. Lots of research.

Undeniable Picture!

Twice the rear end of Jennifer Lopez. (Even years from now.)

This is a follow up to my first review I have had the Sony 40 inch for more than 3 months now and I can evaluate correctly. I said I’d get back when I purchased and installed the High Def. Well I have. As Jackie Gleason used to say “How sweet it is!” As good as I thought the regular picture coming from the dish is, the images resulting from the High Def feeds are just THAT much better. It is astounding. And really, the screen images are better than what is being run in the store for promotion. REALLY. ************************************************************************ I watched Colorado State University play California University from Berkley a couple weeks ago. MAN oh Man Oh MAN!!! Now we have a new definition of CLEAR. Clean, Crisp, Sharp. I am receiving from Direct TV: HD Net, HD Net Movies, Discovery HD, ESPN HD. ( Let me tell you RIGHT NOW, ESPN comes in 3rd for sure.) I also get (over the air) CBS, NBC, & FOX. {I’m working on ABC, more in a sec.) Now for the skinny on these over the air channels: CBS, NBC look great. And I mean great. FOX is sorta like ESPN. ESPN & FOX do not broadcast in full 1080. ESPN uses 720P and FOX uses some kind of 480i or 480P. Either way you can tell the difference. The 720P makes the players look kind of squashed. The 480 P or i is not as good as a DVD image. Back to the TV. The only way you are going to get better is on plasma. And the cost/value ratio will not compute in that noggin brain of yours. Unless you are Donald Trump, Bill Gates. (But even the secretaries for those two never read here.)

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Panasonic 47 rear projection Sony 36 (almost purchased)

Deep, deep colors. Pleasing to the eye (looks nice in your room) Reasonable remote

Almost looks better at a 45 degree angle You can't claim Workmans Comp when you hurt your back at home trying to lift this!

Hey you… Yes YOU. You might want to read this review. It’s written for those of you trying to decide between a medium sized rear projector and a large tube. Read this review and I’ll be able to save you some time and some real aggravation. (unless you go in for that kind of masochist stuff.) I own the Sony 40XBR800 and I’m happy. I’ve had it for about 3 weeks now and it’s great. But more on that in a minute. I need to tell you how I got to this point. My previous TV was/is a 32inch JVC. And, other than the size of the picture, there was NOTHING WRONG WITH THE JVC. Like so many others I considered a plasma TV. But I also think that plasma, along with an outrageous price, is still in need of some refinement. I can’t pay $8,000-$16,000 and still worry about altitude problems (I live Colorado), burn in, and short replacement life. Hell! That’s too much money. So I needed a HIGH QUALITY TV to tide me over. I watch lots of movies. Actually I’m sort of a movie nut. So I purchased a wide screen. FINALLY!! After years and years of looking, I finally had a big-screen TV in my home. And, after 5 days of evaluation I boxed that baby up and sent it back! Now this is one of those times that the brand name actually does not matter. Really it doesn’t. But ok. It was a Panasonic 47inch Widescreen Rear Projection. And I’ll tell you this: The Emperor Wears no Clothes! How in the hell people are watching rear projection on a regular basis is beyond me. The TV looked good ONLY when watching a DVD. It looked terrible on regular broadcast TV. I have Direct TV and after all the adjustments (convergence, color, luminance, Video Essentials, etc.) the picture was not really watchable. I could not read the names and numbers on the backs of jerseys of the basketball players. The screen is simply not geared for the image it received from the regular signal. Yes, DVD with a higher resolution looked better. But even then I could tell that the screen needed more information. Perhaps High Definition world have done the trick but I had had enough and the big Panasonic was returned. I was at the end of my rope. Rope? Yes, rope. I had “owned” many different sets before while not actually bringing them into my home. After reading one magazine after another I was convinced that somehow the projection set would equal or surpass the tube once in my home. ¡Eso no es posible! Now for some good news. The Sony 40XBR800 is a joy to behold. The quality is apparent from the time it’s unboxed, while you attempt to move it, and when you first turn it on. The 305lbs it weighs it the real deal. This is not the kind of 300 that you can lift one end and say “hmmm, that’s not so bad.” No, my barbell-lifting friend, this is the kind of weight those large boys from those funny sounding countries lift when they lift the balls of stone at the end of the competition. This is SERIOUS you need help! I’m amazed at the picture. Large, clear, and deep, deep colors. I put in the requisite DVD, the Fifth Element (Superbit Edition) and sure enough the movie jumped up yet another notch in its appeal. Man! Vibrant colors! Deep, rich, tones. And great detail. Of course the acid test was regular broadcast TV. And no, I won’t tell you that it looked like a 27-inch, or even my 32. But pretty damn good. After all it IS 40 inch screen. And what is amazing about this large Sony is the different angles of viewing. You can watch it from almost 180 degrees and it actually looks better than dead center. (Something about the lines of resolution?) I’m excited about the HD feed I’ll soon have from my satellite. All in all a great TV. I was looking for something to hold me until I could afford plasma. I’m sure I can hold off on the plasma now.

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Panasonic 47inch Widescreen JVC 32inch Tube Lots and lots of time spent looking (years!)

Stunning clarity with DVD's Best sounding speakers I've ever heard in a tv!! Many input and output jacks. Beautiful to look at. 2 year warranty.

Extremely heavy. Optional stand is a must. Pricey for a 4:3 screen.

Absolutely an amazing television. The picture is crystal clear when watching progressive scanned DVD's, digital satellite signals are average when viewed on this tv but then all HDTV's have average pictures when reproducing non-HDTV signals. The tv is stylish to look at and the specially designed tv stand offered by Sony makes it even better. The Playstation2 and Xbox look great when played on this tv. Overall, an excellent purchase, I'd buy it all over again!

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Sony tv's. Always.