Big, Flat and Happy
Written: Nov 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Flat Tube, Triple Comb Filter, Two Tuners
Cons: Weighs over 200 lbs.
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| rickcomerford's Full Review: Sony KV-36XBR200 36 inch TV |
Nearly a year ago I bought my 36” Sony WEGA Trinitron XBR. Yes, it cost more than most 36” tube televisions, and no, it’s not HD, but it is flat, bright sharp and colorful. Since the day I bought the television, I have kept my eye on everything else in the market. With the exception of some of the most recent plasma televisions, there is nothing out there that looks as good as the Sony WEGA. If your budget is for less than $2,500.00 then this is it.
When I began looking for a new TV all I considered were tube televisions. Plasma was out of my price range and I have still not seen a projection TV that looks as good as a tube. What makes the Sony WEGA so outstanding is that the tube is nearly perfectly flat. The curve is so minute that it is undetectable, and the color distribution and focus is accurate at every corner. The amazing accuracy of this television really comes out when watching a DVD. The image is sharp, and clear and offers a full range of color and a terrific Black. The TV also gives you four premixed color and contrast options for movies, sports, vivid and standard images.
OK, enough about the image, lets talk about features. My XBR version of the WEGA television comes with two TV tuners. This means you can have picture in picture with just one input. The P.I.P. window is adjustable in size and location, or if you can’t decide which program is more important there is the Picture and Picture feature which puts two equally sized images side by side on the screen. There is also a terrific search feature that shows the present channel in the center of the screen surrounded by 9 other channel images which are updated every few seconds so that you can see what’s on your favorite 10 channels at one time.
As far as inputs go, there are four different input channels offering every popular option. There are also input jacks in the front of the television for your camcorder or any other on again off again connection. Since this TV weighs over 200 pounds, the front input jacks are a real convenience. I have a scan converter that I use to connect my laptop to the television for larger viewing and I use the front S Video jack for this connection.
The remote control is easy to use, and fairly intuitive. If you want to use a universal remote with your TV you are going to loose a few of my favorite features, so I suggest getting a learning remote for your “all-in-one” control. Even the Sony remotes don’t take full advantage of the menu options of the WEGA.
I mentioned that the TV weighs over 200 lbs, which means you will want to give plenty of consideration to where you put it. I decided to put mine on a rolling TV stand because I am always connecting and disconnecting new stuff to my TV. This has paid off big many times. I can’t imagine trying to move this TV very often without a strong set of wheels under it. One last recommendation, make sure you are getting the TV that you expect. There are two versions of this flat tube in the stores. One version is not XBR. It is several hundred dollars less expensive and it does not have the two tuners and a few other key features I would not want to give up. Some stores sell only the less expensive version others sell both. Just make sure you are getting XBR, and if you can afford it, get the HDTV version the KV-XBR36400!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rickcomerford
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Member: Rick Comerford
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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