Gizmodo
Sony's finally upgrading my beloved Sony XBR3 LCD, so gorgeous, it was chosen as the display of choice by Playstation for the PS3 launch, and even Apple for their Apple TV demos. The new LCDs are 1080p, running a full 1920 by 1080 res, with 10-bit panels that can resolve color 64 times that of 8 bit panels.
The bottom line is that Wilson and Louis, at the Sony event, describe these new LCD TVs as the best-looking TVs they've ever seen, inside and out.
The nicer XBR5 and XBR4 sets also have 120Hz tech, which Sony calls Motionflow, and 24 frame support at full high def.
The devil is in the details, and here's that for all three TV lines.
The XBR5 line is distinguished from the W series by its 120Hz support, which interpolates the original 60 frames with 60 tweened frames. The new TVs also all do 24 frame support, which all film content is recorded and mastered in, so hopefully its played back on these TVs without pulldown and jutter*. The TV does upscaling and deinterlacing by means of the "BRAVIA Engine Pro circuitry with Digital Reality Creation-MultiFunction v2.5". It comes in 52-, 46-, and 40-inch flavors.
The XBR4 line is basically identical to the XBR5. Except every equivalent size is $300 cheaper as an XBR4, and they have detachable color plates. (The XBR5 comes only in piano black.) Strange, but Sony did the same thing with the XBR3 and XBR2. Weird, I know.
Then there's the W line. There's the W line looks identical to the XBR5 line, but it lacks the 120Hz system. It also uses a lesser video processor, but Sony doesn't specify the difference: "Sony's BRAVIA Engine EX full digital video processing system with Digital Reality Creation-Multifunction v1.0 (DRC-MF v1.0)." Like the other two lines, it comes in 52-, 46- and 40-inch sizes.
Is there a caveat? Yes. Sonys have been known to have blotchy backlighting on some sets. I don't know if these have those problems, but its worth waiting for a full review before buying.
(*I think. The press info isn't clear if it will actually divide the 120Hz by 24 or if it does a 60 frame conversion first before jumping to 120Hz.)
XBR5 and XBR4 Pricing and Availability:
The KDL-52XBR4, KDL-46XBR4 and KDL40-XBR4 models will be available in August for about $4,800, $3,800 and $3,000, respectively. Also shipping in August, the KDL-46XBR5 and KDL-40XBR5 will be about $4,100 and $3,300. The KDL-52XBR5 model will come out in September for about $5,100. Sony's KDL-46W3000 and KDL-40W300 models will debut in July for about $3,500 and $2,700, respectively, while the KDL-52W3000 will be available in August for about $4,300.
W Series Pricing:
W3000 Series
KDL-52W3000 - $5100
KDL-46W3000 - $3500
KDL-40W3000 - $2700
Comments
Raise your hand if you bought a 46"ish LCD/Plasma in the last year or so... now slap yourself. Come on now, if I can do it so can you...
Incidentaly, congrats Giz on the first appropriate use of tags with your http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/sony-tvs-ahoy%21/
echo?
I've got a Samsung and a Sony Bravia. The Samsung is great for TV. The Bravia rocks for gaming.
Don't bother slapping yourself because there's ALWAYS going to be something better coming along in 10 minutes.
If there wasn't we wouldn't be frantically refreshing the Gizmodo page every 5 minutes to see what new techno-porn we can drool over!
Thank you Jesus(yea you) for the 120Hz support!
OK, so I finally got my lil pea brain wrapped around the concept of why 120Hz support is better then 60Hz. However, does any source (blu-ray, hd-dvd, gaming consoles, etc) support output at 24 frames natively?
The W3000 series and XBR5 do not look identical. The XBR4 (matte black) and XBR5 (gloss black) look nearly identical, while the W3000 has a brushed metal frame.
In response to hypereric: Yes Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both have the capability to playback 24 FPS (As technically do Hi-Def broadcast signals). THis will be very cool for traditional movie support, until everything is shot/rendered at 30FPS or higher.
Why nary a mention of LED backlighting? Isn't this a must-have feature for any new LCD TV/monitor?
The only thing nice about being a kid just out of high school with regards to technology is that by the time I'm out of college, have a career, and can afford a $3000 TV, $3000 TVs will be even more amazing.
I saw the Sony LCDs at CES and thought they looked pretty weak and very small. Their LCOS systems looked much better at a fraction of the price however they aren't perfect by any means and they are not nearly as hangable as the LCDs.
I like a lot of things Sony but so far their LCDs haven't impressed me in the least.
The last impressive thing I saw from Sony was their Bravia projector and TV. Maybe these new LCDs are much better than the off color, grainy LCDs I saw at CES. I've seen them in stores as well and one of my clients has a few but they just don't look that good to me and 46"? What is that for a walk in closet? Who would want such a tiny TV - maybe it is for all those yuppy cross over vehicles so the kids in the back can watch sponge bob. Anything less that a size 70" or greater might as well be sold at Radio Shack as far as I'm concerned.
I heard a rumour that Samsung is actually making Sony's LCD's. Can anyone verify this?
Yup, the S-PVA panels used by both Samsung and Sony were developed (and patented) by Samsung:
http://www.samsung.com/Products/TFTLCD/Technology/Technolo...
They treat them very differently through the software, though.
Eh, of course, Samsung aren't making Sony's TVs! Just the panels. My post might be confusing.
One Question.
What specs warrant an upgrade from my XBR3?
Just as TV's were starting to move into the "affordable" and "mainstream" price range, leave it to SONY to double it.
I do appreciate the extra features, but I refuse to pay $3k+ for any TV, no matter how good the eggs it cooks for breakfast are.
I saw a couple of these at the Sony store in Taipei last week and they are truly beautiful. However, I still haven't seen a flat panel at any price that matches a high quality tube TV. I'm no luddite - I'm eager to get rid of my 250lb Loewe Aconda because I've had to lug it up and down the stairs through two house moves.
Woe is SED. I was introduced to some of the technology/manufacturing gurus at SED through a connection with Toshiba a few years back and was super excited for a 1-gun per pixel future. But Toshiba is pulling out and Canon is wishing they never had that bright idea I guess.
@ Vtecno_Geek:
The film industry probably won't ever move from 24 fps for mainstream productions. 24 FPs "looks like film," and many filmmakers say it looks "more artistic." That's what we've been at since the 20's or 30's, and it's part of what makes movies look like movies as opposed to TV. Plus, with intensive special effects, rendering an extra 6 frames per second could add days to render times. Even with big render farms and today's fastest processors, single frames of cutting-edge effects shots can take 8 to 10 hours to render.
24p support without some kind of pulldown or framerate conversion is pretty nice, though... tax deduction, here I come!!
QFT:
W3000 Series
KDL-52W3000 - $5100
KDL-46W3000 - $3500
KDL-40W3000 - $2700
Is the price for the 52" a typo? Why is it all of a sudden more expensive than the 52" XBR4 and the same price as the 52" XBR5?
So someone tell me, how much better is this than the Sony Bravia XBR I got in Jan?
Wheres the HDMI 1.3? Guess I have to wait for XBR6.
A little late in the game. Sharp 92u models already have 120hz 24p technology already and look great. Banding problems (Sharp's caveat) seem to have been resolved in later models already.
Not to mention there'll be a $1800 difference between the two comparable 52" models. It'll be interesting if Sony will resolve their clouding issues (Sony's caveat).
I am 14 years old and was wanting to know, should I wait for the Sony 40" XBR5 to come out, or should I go ahead and buy the XBR3. Also do the XBR3 and XBR5 look the same. I really like the look of the XBR3 and was wanting to know if it would be the same on the XBR5 Thank you in advance
Should I wait for the Sony 40" XBR5 or should I go ahead and buy the XBR3 40". Is it worth the wait and will I be saving me trouble in the long run Thank you in advance
As far as I'm aware the Sony XBR4 and XBR5 models come with HDMI v1.3. This is confirmed by Sony's inclusion of features such as x.v.Color and Deep Color which are tied to the HDMI v1.3 standard. You can find out about the x.v.Color (IEC 61966-2-4 color standard called xvYCC ) and Deep Color features at:
[www.presentationtek.com]
I just bought a Sony 46" XBR5, They can out on Aug. 2007. Most stores don't have then yet. My was bought on the internet for $2600.00 delivered fee. It is GREAT and 81 lbs. I got it in a week. DO NOT buy from "MADPRICE" Mine was from "DTDiscount.com"
Have a GREAT Merry Christmas
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