MD:

I think you will be very happy with the 60" SXRD. My 50" is great, I am amazed at the picture.

LCD? Well, it is a variation of LCD, actually LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon). Read about it here:

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_te...i=45980,00.asp

and here:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/lcos.htm

Warranty: I am a firm believer in not buying extended warranties on home electronics, opting instead for name brands such as Sony. However, after a painful experience with the first Sony DVD recorder for home theatre (replacing it was cheaper than fixing it in year two), I decided to top up the warranty on the new SXRD to 3 years. That was the best price break at my Sony store, around $300 CDN as I recall. I chose the Sony plan over the Best Buy/etc options, as it was half the price. It required me to buy from the Sony store, but they beat the Best Buy/Future Shop price in a moment.

If you have the option of DVI or HDMI cables on your cable box, great. Get good ones, it isn't a good place to save money. If you don't have the option of DVI or HDMI, it isn't all bad, as the component video cables, to my eye, don't show much degradation. The downside to the DVI or HDMI connections is a slight delay when changing to that source, reminding you that there is a microchip in the circuit somewhere.

Stand: you didn't mention it, but the factory stand is a good option. It is the right height (low), and it fits the base of the TV perfectly, with a trim piece to cover base of the TV. It is pricey, but worth it, IMO. The other stands didn't really do the TV justice.

Enjoy it.

Jeff

__________________
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

That's a beautiful rig there MD. The only BIG tv I bought over the internet was from ShopSunshine.com (Sony KDF-60WF655), and I can highly recommend them. Unfortunately, they are $59.99 more for your TV. One of the things I really liked, is that they give you online tracking of your air freight shipment. It was very accurate and impressive. I bought my 3 year extended warranty INCLUDING BULB REPLACEMENT for $299 from them. I wouldn't pay more than that. A bulb for mine is at least $150.

Their price btw is $3,749. + $295 shipping for your rig

I agree 100% about the stand. I bought the matching Sony stand for my 60" LCD and love it.

You watchin C-SPAN or somethin'? LAME!

__________________
JV

What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know...it's what we know for sure that just ain't so

Hi MD,

You knew I would chime in Here's my $.02 (for what its worth) on your questions...

1) Buying online vs. buying in a store. I personally believe that you are better off buying from a brick and mortar store. I have a contact at CC that can get you a great price on the SXRD. I'll PM you the information and you can go from there. I just get nervous if something happened with your set from a mail order store -- the hassle of having to ship it back, wait for it to be received at the company, and then another one sent to you. Brick 'n mortar will just come and pick up your set and give you another one, no questions asked.

2) Warranties. Well I have some good news. There are two types of warranties you can buy. The first would be from the store that usually includes a bulb replacement. Bulbs usually last about 5000-6000 hours. Since you won't be using your bulb much (half of the year), I would reccomend you skip the store warranties. Now here's where it gets better. Sony offers THEIR OWN extended warranty and they are CHEAP! You do not have to buy the television from a Sony store, you simply have to purchase the warranty before your original warranty runs out. They are a lot cheaper because they do not include a bulb replacement (replacement bulbs run about $250). So I would reccommend doing that. You can order the extended warranty online through Sonys website. I *would* reccommend the extended warranty, lots of stuff can go wrong with these very expensive machines.

3) You will need an HDMI cable. Do not go to any big store and get one, you'll pay $100! Check out www.bluejeanscable.com , they have great prices and make a great quality cable for a lot less $$$. I would advise on holding off purchasing the cables for now. You don't know what kind of box Comcast will give you down in FL. I am guessing the output of their boxes could be either DVI or HDMI, and that will direct you as to what cable you need. Comcast should (check with them) supply a component cable set with the box, this will work great until you get an HDMI or DVI to HDMI cable.

4) Any other tips? Well have fun!!! You will love the set, I am drooling over them.

I'll PM you the info on the CC manager.

Chris

LOL, I don't remember, it's an old pic

I agree with all of your points except #1, well kind of . I ordered mine from ShopSunshine.com. They are actually a brick & mortar store on Coney Island. Their delivery service was top notch, and the TV was delivered in perfect condition. I paid $2,620 for my TV when CC was selling it for $3,499. If your contact at CC can't get him within $100 of where he is planning to buy, I would tell him to punt on CC. Let's also not forget that if he buys at CC, he has to pay sales tax, and that's a LOT on a $4k TV.

Just my 2¢

I use a projector for my home theater with a 110" Stewart screen. Very crisp image on HDTV, beats my LCD.

Good points Greg. I think they get you either way -- tax or shipping, one way or the other you pay the piper....I don't think its that big of a deal to do a purchase like this via mail order, as the manufacturers will warranty their items (at least Sony will)...its just nice to have a store to return an item to nearby.