Sony unveils XBR10 LCDs: Superslim, 'wireless'
Edge-lit LED backlighting has allowed LCDs to get thinner than ever, but at some point you run into physical limitation; you can't make a TV thinner than the actual inputs. That is, unless you move the inputs somewhere else, which is precisely what Sony has done with its new KDL-XBR10 line of LCDs. The XBR10 series uses a separate media receiver to handle inputs, and it transmits video wirelessly to the display, similar to the design of Panasonic's 1-inch-thick Z1 plasmas. The rest of the features are similar to what's available on other Sony LCDs; let's take a look.
Key features of the Sony KDL-XBR10 series:
- 1,920x1,080 (1080p) native resolution
- Four HDMI inputs
- Sony's Motionflow 240Hz processing
- Edge-lit LED backlighting
- Quoted contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1
- Bravia Internet Widgets, powered by the Yahoo Widget Engine
- DLNA-compliant; stream music, photos, and video from other DLNA servers
- USB input
- RS232C input
- 46-inch KDL-46XBR10 | $4,500 list price
- 52-inch KDL-52XBR10 | $5,000 list price
- Both models available in October
We won't deny that that combination of the wireless display (although it still needs power) and superslim panel is slick, but $5,000 for a 52-inch LCD is likely to put these out of reach for all but the wealthiest buyers. If you're looking for an incredibly thin TV you can actually afford, check out our recent roundup of ultrathin HDTVs.
But $4500-$5000? Eeeep.
Hopefully, when I'm ready to buy a new set, that number will cut in half.
Check it out .. use HDMI cables, 10-bit panel, 10-bit processor [Bravia3], WCG-CCFL 2 100,000 contrast ratio ... BTW .. you would need a room full of electronic test eqipment to tell the difference between LED back lit XBR10 and the quality of the XBR9 ...!!
Here's the folly of Sony's decision to bring the XBR10 to market outside of Asia (where lemmings still dutifully buy electronics for status over end-user experience): people willing to spend US$4000+ want to know they are getting the best image available, while people who are dazzled by slick, thin styling can find what they want for half the price from Samsung. As long as Sony continues to make their XBR8 sets available, perhaps we should read it as an admission that their newer fare is still not as good.
Now this may be stretching it , but lets say 2 years from now , after a move you lose the media box ,will one be able to replace it or will your new flat panel be worthless !!
The remote wireless Tuner/Receiver is the most amazing part of this TV, well, besides the unreal picture! I am still figuring out which hookups I'm going to use as of right now. I have my Sony Blu-ray player hooked up directly to the TV remote tuner with a new Monster 3' 1000 HDMI cable (I picked up 4 of them.....holy cow, I need a loan) but since it sits right next to the TV tuner in my system cabinet it would only need about a 1 foot cable but they don't make one.
The only other equipment as of right now hooked up is my HD cable box with the same type Monster HDMI cable. I do have a 1 year old 5400ES Sony A/V receiver and a 7.1 Surround System along with a standard definition/ up converting>? Sony 400 DVD changer that will be getting hooked up after I get the feel for what works best. Also, the same time I ordered the TV I ordered the new Sony Blu-ray BDP-CX7000ES 400 Mega changer that didn't arrive with the TV and is scheduled for the original date of delivery, 10/23 :-(
So far I have watched the Discovery channels Blu-ray Planet Earth DVD, and compared to the Sony I had in this room (2 year old 46" XBR4 thats now in my bedroom) this TV is at an entirely new level. Most times when you can't compare TV's side by side, especially LCD's, there's really no way that you can tell that one picture is that much better than the other, but the difference is overwhelming between the XBR4 and the XBR10 that everyone that has watched the new TV today has said how much brighter and more colorful the picture is than the XBR4's and that it makes you want to get up and touch the screen (which my 6 and 9 year olds kept doing because they thought the picture was set back into the screen, 3D like) The XBR10's stunning picture gives you the feeling you're in the picture. I caught myself leaning with the camera as it went through the mountains in the Planet Earth DVD as well as when it was moving through the ocean scenes.....Incredible!
I have a 7.1 Surround system that I will be hooking up tomorrow and I'll bet while the picture gets you leaning with the camera's angle on screen the surround will also get you a lot of head turning once it gets hooked up!
It's been less than 2 days but so far no problems with the wireless HD tuner, no interference at all, I even tried the tuner about 10 feet away from the TV sitting on the coffee table and it worked as though it was right next to the TV, so no problems with that part of the Sony technology. There is one thing I can't stand about all the manufacturers when they seem to think that one of the HDMI inputs has to be in a different area that the others! Why put an HDMI input on the front of the TV tuner (my Computers hooked up to my TV's so all my home videos and pictures I download to my computer and not directly to my TV's) Yes, put the USB jack on the front, but not the HDMI or atleast give us more HDMI jacks on the back because everything now uses the HDMI cables so you can always use more. I think in all the years that manufacturers have been putting in/outputs on the front and even on the sides of A/V equipment I have never used them unless that was the last one of that type on the equipment. I did use the side HDMI on the XBR4, I had to, it was the last HDMI on the TV and you could see the cable from the front and was not very attractive at all. I would love about 6 rear HDMI and 4 HD component jacks because I like to send 2 signals from each component I have in my system, 1 to my A/V receiver and the other directly to the TV because I don't always want to be blasting what I'm watching through my A/V system especially when the kids are asleep! So, I can watch a Blu-ray or a movie from my DVD changer or a cable channel from my HD cable box and not have to watch it through the A/V receiver which means that equipment is turned off saving me on my next electrical bill! This is always a good thing especially after spending my kids future education on A/V equipment and TV's......Ha, kidding ;-)
- by iknowstuff November 23, 2009 12:56 AM PST
- plasmas are still better
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