Sony KDF-55XS955 55' HD-Ready LCD Projection Television

Features of Sony KDF-55XS955

• Live Color emphasizes blues and greens without affecting reds for a more natural and vivid picture

• 5 watts per channel x 2 stereo sound and built-in 20-watt subwoofer for rich and lifelike sound; Dolby Virtual Surround simulates surround sound

• Vivid and high-definition and slim-chassis LCD projection television with 55-inch screen and ATSC (HDTV) tuner; 62 x 37.5 x 19 inches (W x H x D)

• Lightweight design with bright and high-contrast screen; CableCARD compatibility removes the need for a separate digital cable box

• 3.28 million dots resolution for stunning detail and clarity; fixed-pixel display and constant light prevent image flicker

Go for gold with Sony's stellar, 55-inch KDF-55XS955 rear-projection LCD television. The big-screen, flat-panel set delivers standard and full-fledged HDTV reception right out of the box through its integrated NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners. It also offers digital cable readiness with a CableCARD slot and the latest digital-video interface, HDMI. Weighing a mere 105 pounds and standing just 19 inches deep, the set also offers maximum image with minimal space investment. The set's 1,366 x 788 liquid-crystal display frees you from having to make convergence adjustments or having to worry about image burn-in. Instead you get incredible detail (more than 3 million pixels), high contrast, and even, corner-to-corner brightness from the set's user-replaceable 132-watt UHP (ultra high pressure) lamp. The screen features a wide, 16:9 aspect ratio to match the dimension of most movies and HDTV broadcasts, and the KDF-55XS955 offers compatibility with standard-definition 480i, enhanced-definition 480p, and high-definition 720p and 1080i signals. Sony's CineMotion 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal is a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. Digital video mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture. The set's WEGA Engine system maximizes picture performance from any video source by minimizing the number of digital-to-analog conversion processes. This full digital processing engine includes Sony's MID-X (Multi Image Driver), which maintains the integrity of a converted signal by minimizing image loss in the scaling process; and a proprietary optical engine, which employs a trio of Sony's wide-XGA, high-resolution LCD panels, 1 for each of the RGB signals (resulting in a total of 3.28 million dots of resolution). The optical engine also features a special 11-element lens system responsible for the lightweight, ultra-slim cabinet. The lens system bends the light path, creating an ultra-short focal point while maintaining high brightness. This proprietary system delivers vivid images from the center of the screen all the way to the edges. This XS Series Grand WEGA television offers advanced menu functions that are typically found only in service menus: gamma correction (bright and dark balancing), black correction (enhances contrast), white balance (fine-tunes white intensity), detail enhancement (sharpens the picture), and clear white (emphasizes whites). The set includes numerous other features. TwinView PIP (picture-in-picture) lets you view any 2 sources simultaneously, even at different image resolutions, while the built-in Memory Stick media slot offers ready display of both JPEG images and MPEG-1 video. A Memory Stick media slot (compatible with Memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick Duo media) grants convenient viewing of JPEG and MPEG-1 files. It can also display customized slide shows using MP3 files for background music. Authorized CableCARD ability means the set will receive digital cable television systems services directly from the cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box. Live Color is an innovative circuit that emphasizes blues and greens without affecting reds for a more natural, vivid picture. Choose from 3 enhancement levels (high, medium, low) or 'off.' Sony's exclusive S-Master 1-bit digital amplifier produces 5 watts per channel (x 2), pumping an additional 20 watts into a built-in subwoofer for rich, full-bodied sound from movies and music. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link the set with any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver). What's in the Box TV, remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, and warranty/registration information.

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Sony KDF-55XS955 Customer Review(s):

Summary: This set exceeds my expectations (so far)
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Comment: I've had the XS955 for about three weeks now and definitely don't regret spending the money. Every source I throw at it (most only standard definition) looks great. Off-the-air digital TV is beautiful. My Dish Network standard definition receiver even looks great using s-video. My plans to upgrade the DVD player have been put on hold because my current player with progressive scan component outputs looks great. I can't imagine what it would look like with a high def dvd player.

This set provides a large number of settings to fine tune the picture and many display features to keep the techy happy. The 55' set fits nicely into an average size living room. Any bigger and you need a lot more room. The set is easy to move as it weighs just over 100 pounds.

Sound quality is very good from the built in speakers. One complaint of mine is that you have to turn off the set's sound if you want to feed audio to a home theater amp. Not a big deal, but not what I expected. The number and type of available inputs will leave you longing for more hardware to use them all! Support for legacy video inputs is great and all the newest inputs are there as well.

I have not used the Cablecard slot so I can't provide info on its funtionality.


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Summary: Display Problem
Rating: 2 (out of 5)
Comment: My Sony LCD large screen TV is just over one year old. It has yellow splotch about mid upper screen. A close inspection of the screen reveals a circuit board trace like pattern that is yellow. The set has not been abused or exposed to temperature extremes. A UPS should be used with these units to keep the lamp cooling fan powered in case of a power failure. The lamps are at least $250.00 I would definitely recomend the extended warranty. Is the technology not proven on these large screens? Is the screen going to fail after 3 years when the extended warranty is expired? Sony will not stand behind their product after the warrany is expired. (mine is two weeks out) Other than the display problem the unit has performed flawless. It's a lot of money for a TV that doesn't last more than a year!!!!
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