Sony Bravia XBR-Series KDL-37XBR6 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Sony BRAVIA small XBR-Series LCD bring Full 1080p HD resolution down to smaller sizes as small as 37". Whether movies or gaming XBR represents the pinnacle of picture quality. Product details and pricing info |
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17 Customer Reviews Posted
- Fanstatic picture and sound
- I've owned this tv for two months. HD channels have exceptional color and depth (to be expected), and standard channels come in clear as well. The sound on the tv is good.
TV has ports for just about any type of connection. Currently using it with HDMI to cable DVR box, RCA jacks for XBox connection, and RCA jacks to connect a VCR. Although the latter two aren't HD devices the sound and color are good. Playing games on the XBox makes me feel like I am in the game as compared to the old Sony tube TV.
The delivery through Amazon was stellar. The shipment arrived 5 days ahead of the projected time listed on the site. - 2008-11-23, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- very satisfied
- The price is right from Amazon. Delivered on time, the guy opened the box
and made sure it worked before he left.
The picture on both tuner and dvd met expectations, both fine.
If you want to tinker there are more than enough picture adjustments.
Be sure you lower brightness and contrast to standard, they are way too
high from the factory.
I looked at the panasonic 37" but it seemed a seemed somewhat lower in
quality.
Update: After about a month usage, both the HD and DVD pictures
are simply beautiful. - 2008-10-19, 3 of 3 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Sony Bravia XBR-Series KDL-37XBR6 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
- Very pleased with my purchae. I shopped around and found Amazon.com offered it for the best price. It was delivered within a few days. The TV has the most life-like picture. It also sounds great. I'm a big fan of SONY products and this TV only reassures me that SONY makes a superior product.
- 2008-10-19, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Just what I wanted
- This was the best tv I found from doing on line and in store research. I've always like Sony tvs, and this one is no exception. I does what it says it will do and do it very well. As we all know that is not always true with a lot of products. I especially like the pc hook-up. Works really well with my Macbook Pro.
- 2008-10-17, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- So close...if only it was a 10-bit TV. Banding is a bummer.
- If you're looking for a great 37 inch HDTV, there aren't many choices. I found Samsung, Sharp and Sony as the highest rated in this size. Unfortunately all the best technology is only available at 40 inches and up, so you will be making some sacrifices to stay under 40".
PICTURE QUALITY
One of the factors that influenced my decision was an Amazon review for the 37" Samsung, which compared it to this Sony and claimed the Sony was 120Hz. Let me make it clear -- this TV is NOT 120Hz. It is 60Hz.
Due to the fact this TV uses 8-bit processing instead of 10-bit, there is major banding of gradients. As a web graphics professional it is extremely obvious to me, to the point of being annoying and distracting when there are scenes that have strong gradients. But I may be more sensitive to this due to my profession. Had I known that 10-bit processing alleviates this problem I would have made that a must-have feature for my TV purchase. Other than the banding issues, I'm very happy with the picture quality.
INTERFACE
The interface for the TV is sensational. Very adjustable, and very sexy and enjoyable to use. The only nit is the interface for changing inputs. If you are using a TiVo remote, you will find it tedious. Pressing the input button will first show you a menu of all possible inputs. The one you are currently on is highlighted. You must hit the input button again to highlight the next input. Then you must wait a few seconds, and the TV will select the new input. The interface insists on showing all possible inputs in the menu -- and there are ELEVEN! Unused inputs are grayed out and cannot be selected. Still, it's extremely annoying to see ELEVEN inputs when I'm only using two.
HARDWARE
The bezel is nice and thin, which means this TV doesn't take up much space for a 37-incher. The Sony styling is very appealing -- much nicer than the best Samsung and Sharp in this size. However, the status lights ( in the clear area below the TV but above the speakers ) are almost impossible to see in a well lit room. It takes a while for the TV to turn on and it makes no sound when powered up. Without the feedback of a green light, it can be difficult to tell if you've succeeded in turning the TV on.
The TV is also quite thin and light. I had no problems mounting it on a stand myself.
EXTRAS
It supports Bravia Link, which makes life with my Sony DVD player a lot easier. By using an HDMI cable, the TV is able to control the DVD player. The DVD player turns off and on automatically as needed and the TV remote can play, pause forward, etc. One less remote on my coffee table. Wonderful!
This TV is also has a DMEX connector, so you can use all the latest pricey add-ons that Sony is making, like the Internet Video Link.
REMOTE
The included remote is one of the nicest I've had with a TV in a long time. It looks beautiful, is simple, nicely sized, and doesn't feel cheap. I only use the remote when I want to watch a DVD, so I may not be the ideal candidate to speak about the remote. I did notice the channel and volume buttons are placed quite low and far away from the circular directional control.
IN SUMMARY
You make sacrifices today when you get a TV under 40 inches. There's a lot to like about this TV, but it seems that the Sharp Aquos LC37D64U has 10-bit processing which makes a significant difference when there are scenes that require lots of subtle shades of the same color. This TV doesn't handle those kinds of scenes well -- lots of banding. I haven't seen the Sharp myself, but based on the tech specs I would advise anyone looking for a TV in this size and price range to check it out. - 2008-10-15, 24 of 27 people found this review helpful, Rated:
