Summary: I did a lot of research online and in stores. I was looking for TV that was at a fair price, offered a fair sized screen, and offered a quality picture.
I realized that I didn't have the moolah for a plasma or DLP, so I set my sights on a rear projection. This was my first big screen purchase, so anything bigger than my 32" Sanyo was fine, although I put a 50" minimum on my search.
This Sony quickly went to the top of my list. The purchase price was within my means, the size was good (51" is good enough for now), and the picture was the best of the rear projections I looked at. When I looked at this picture next to the other rear projection TVs, it just looked superior in color and sharpness.
I could have gone bigger, but I also had to keep in mind that I was putting this TV into a 12'X12' family room in my basement. It's a little on the thick side (25+ inches), but that seems to be par for the course for a rear projection. If I had the money, I probably would have leaned toward a DLP box, whihc come in around 12-16", but that wasn't an option.
As well, this box was a console unit, so I didn't have to worry about buying a TV stand. And it's an attractive TV. Not gaudy or overly monstrous.
It was delivered in mid-December, 2004. I was able to get it working fine right away. I had some problems with the screen size and aspect ratio that concerned me at first, but it turns out it was Comcast's fault. The install tech had set up the cable box at 4:3 and 440 resolution. Once the 2nd tech came out and set the cable box to 16:9 and 1080i, it was incredible!
So far, the picture has been flawless. We only get about 12 HD channels from Comcast, but I find myself staying on those 12 channels all the time! However, the regular cable pictures are fine, too... Of course, when you are watching an NBA game on HD, then switch to the regular TV version of it, you immediately switch back to HD. But it's fine in regular, too... Just realize that if you buy this TV with no intention of getting/using HD, you're really depriving yourself of what this TV is best at doing.
As well, DVDs and my TiVo works great on this machine. The best part is, the 7 inputs mean it's no problem to hook everything up. I definitely recommend getting component cables for DVD and TiVo players, if available for your model. The difference between even the basic composite and component is really noticeable. The TV includes 3 composite and 3 component, with the standard coax, and one HDMI input.
The HDMI input is absolutely wonderful. I was able to find a really inexpensive HDMI cable on the Web (DO NOT PAY $130 FOR A MONSTER CABLE AT BEST BUY! A little Web resourcefulness can net you a cable that's just as good for as little as $15!). If you have HD, you must get an HDMI cable... Comcast boxes have DVI outputs (for now... supposedly they will have HDMI output boxes sometime this year), so you'll need a DVI to HDMI cable, which, like I said, are available at good prices on the Web.
Also, I have my Xbox hooked up to the TV, and the picture on that is incredible as well. I would defintely recommend the component XBox cables as well, which are available for about $20 at most retailers. The picture you get with it makes you feel like you're watching a live action game (ESPN NFL 2k5 is just wonderful to watch and play).
The only "complaint" I've had is that I can't PIP the HD channel and a component channel. If you use PIP, it can only be HD (or component) and a composite/coax signal. No two component/HD combinations are allowed.
Overall, I am immensely happy with this TV. It still retails for around $1,600-1,700, but with coupons and pricematching you might be able to get it down closer to $1,400.
In fact, a week after I bought mine, a friend of mine decided he wanted to get a big screen. Well, he bought the exact same model I did... He saw ours, and I told him how happy I was, and now he has one and is just as happy.
99% of People (156/158) found this review helpful. Was this review 
Report this as 
There are no comments for this review. 