mwrisner's Full Review: Sony Grand WEGA KDF-55WF655 55 in. HDTV LCD TV
First things first, the title for this product is incorrect. The TV is not direct view, it's LCD rear projection. Also, it is not 36-in, it's a 55-in TV ... Sony's Grand Wega uses three 0.83-in LCDs (red, green, and blue) to reproduce the image on the screen. The additional LCDs eliminate the need for a spinning color wheel that's found in single LCD RPTVs and in all DLP models. The spinning color wheel can sometimes create a rainbow effect when you look away quickly (although I've never noticed this at any retailer). I chose the Sony, because any moving part will malfunction sooner or later. Also, LCD RPTVs and DLPs do not suffer burn-in like their CRT projection counterparts do. Thus, you can view a standard definition signal in its native aspect ratio (4:3) instead of artificially stretching the image so that the black or gray pillars won't "burn" into the screen. The TV has several hookups, including HDMI, component, digital optical out, S-video, and the obligatory audio ins and outs. This model also has a CableCARD slot that can usually eliminate the need for a digital cable set-top box (check your local cable provider for more details). The Grand Wega also has built-in tuners for cable and over-the-air signals. In fact, there are two tuners that allows it to natively support the Favorites channel preview function and the nifty Twin View feature. TwinView lets you to view to channels side-by-side and allows you to scale either image larger or smaller. You can focus on either image to hear its audio feed. These are features that are useful and not just showroom gimmicks. And finally, the image quality issue. Plain analog cable signals reproduce very well. The built-in upconversion processor does an admirable job here. Using a progressive scan DVD player and component connections creates a very impressive picture. I had my hopes set high in this area, and I was not let down at all. I even used the "fly-over the Coliseum" scene in Gladiator to test for digital artifacts, and I noticed none. As for high definition, I'm getting HD signals over-the-air using a plain old rabbit-ear antenna tucked behind the TV. The HD picture is flat-out pristine. I know someday I'll be used to it, but for now I just sit there slack-jawed at how great the image looks.
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