Introduction to the Sony WEGA series...

[ArkiStan]

Hi everybody.
A relative overseas has requested that I get him a Sony WEGA TV when I move over there (Jan 2002). He says that High-Definition TV broadcasting is something far enough into the future there that the HD-ready models would be useless for now. Can somebody briefly explain the different model series and their characteristics?? I'm thinking about 36" and not HD-ready...So far, from the Sony website I've found:

KV-36 FS12 ($1699.99)
KV-36 FS16 ($1799.99)
KV-36 FV16 ($1999.99)
KV-36 FV26 ($2099.99)

These seem to be the 36" models that aren't HD-ready. There was a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo that I couldn't understand. I know there are a lot of users and enthusiasts with a lot of knowledge on these machines. Can somebody compare these models in layman terms?? FYI, the TV will be used mostly for TV and DVD watching (probably non-progressive player).

thanks


[Edited by ucbstan on 07-05-2001 at 05:55 AM]

[ArkiStan]

I've also thought about getting him a 16:9 TV. For about the same price as those WEGAs ($2000) couldn't I get a big enough widescreen TV that even when watching 4:3 broadcast with the sides of the screen greyed out, the screen would be just as big as on a 36" 4:3 screen?? And DVD watching would be much bigger with the 16:9. And it would be HD ready...Any thoughts??

[Leon]

Hmm... No XBR450 for you?

A 36" XBR450 is $2,499 retail, so you can probably find a better deal online. If you have a friend who works at Sony, you can get it for $1,700! Even if you can't get it for $1,700 I think it's worth waiting and saving up that $500 to get an XBR. The picture quality is amazing.

[ArkiStan]

Are the XBRs better looking even when watching non-HD sources??

[Leon]

No... It actually looks worst because you can see the pixelation. But it is awesome for DVDs because of the anamorphic squeeze.

The XBR450 has the CineMotion reverse 3:2 pull-down process. This process minimizes motion artifacts caused when 24 FPS film is transferred to 30 FPS video. My XBR400 can't do this. =(