Well, here is an honest review on a 50" SXRD.

I wanted a larger TV for a family room, not a theatre. 50" struck the right balance for me, large enough but not so much to overpower the room, and make it look like a theatre or Sony store.

I am a Sony fan. I would have considered other product, but all things being equal I would buy a Sony. I didn't shop the other LCOS products.

I bought a Sony XBR800 34" 16x9 CRT several years ago, so that was my comparison. Picture quality was more important than size then and now, and nothing larger that I looked at then was good enough in comparison. I told myself that I would buy a larger screen when the quality was there. The SXRD was the first one that met that threshold for me personally, and I had been checking out new TVs for several years. The SXRD just looked fantastic side by side with other alternatives. The XBR800 is now in the basement for the kids.

I set up the SXRD on October 21st, almost two months ago. I continue to be delighted with it today. Only a couple of issues (noted below). On the other hand, I am not delighted with the quality of our cable signal. I already had digital cable (we need to use a Motorola box here for digital service, it is supplied by the cable company). After having used two small dishes in other countries, I didn't want to do that again, cable was just easier. I upgraded to the HD box. We have 7 HD channels out of hundreds of channels. Not enough. Watching them is great, going back to regular channels is a drag. More are coming, but not quickly enough, IMO. This is really the biggest issue for me with a large HDTV, the fact that most channels are crap, and defects in the signal are much more visible.

I am not using an AV receiver, surround speakers, etc. That decision was part of wanting to keep it simple. The standard speakers are fine for me. I am not sure how good the other audio output options are on this model, I just haven't needed them.

So, what else?

1) The custom Sony stand is required, IMO. It is a ridiculous price. Glad I got it, it fits the TV well and is the right height, with a recess for the base on the TV to make it more streamlined. No aftermarket stand I found looked as good. It just costs too much.
2) I find the menus easier to use than past Sony TV menus (which I was very familiar with). My comment would be, however, that there are a lot of adjustments there. I think it would be very easy to mess it up (there is a factory reset button).
3) I don't like the warmup wait. It is something like 20 seconds, sometimes less. We are conditioned to CRTs with circuits that keep a TV ready to fire up instantly. I had to train family members to look for the green light, take a breath, and wait a few seconds, instead of hitting the power button again.
4) I don't like the switching delay when using the DVI/HDMI input, and scrolling through input sources. Using standard Y/Pb/Pr cables the switch is instant. Using the DVI/HDMI input, there is a slight delay. Not important, but is it really necessary?

So, a couple of very minor points. I would buy another again in an instant.

I bought mine at our local Sony store. Given that it is new technology, I wanted an extension to the standard warranty. Future Shop/Best Buy was twice the price of the Sony Store for two additional years of warranty. Neither plan included bulb replacement. I think the difference is that the Sony store really had a warranty for defects/breakdown. The Future Shop 'satisfaction plan' allowed returns for other reasons, such as just not liking it. That feature costs money, and wasn't what I needed. My Sony store beat the Future Shop sale price, which surprised me, and I got the DVI/HDMI cable very cheap as part of the deal.

Speaking of cables, they are expensive. I am using Monster cables, but when I add up the cables for the digital box, DVD recorder, VHS, it means $$. I am not using a power conditioner, just a Monster surge protector. We have very good clean power here, I would not be as cavalier everywhere (The only electronics that lasted in our house in Chile were on individual transformers).

Hope that helps. Any specific questions, fire away. For anything as technical as power factor correction (see above posts), you need another reviewer, but speaking as a typical (early adopter) user, there it is.

Jeff

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2007 X3 3.0si, 6 MT, Premium, White

Retired:
2008 535i, 6 MT, M Sport, Premium, Space Grey
2003 X5 3.0 Steptronic, Premium, Titanium Silver
2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
2004 Z4 3.0 Premium, Sport, SMG, Maldives Blue