Here is yet another review of the Sony 60″ SXRD HDTV. This time up, the HTGuys.

Things they liked:

• 1080p (upscaled picture)
• Color representation
• Sharp detailed picture
• Very Good Contrast (great job with dark scenes)
• Good Black Levels
• Two HDMI inputs

What they disliked:

• No 1080p input
• Ugly cabinet. Speakers look like ears
• ATSC Tuner performed so so
• Performance with highly compressed content
• Cost

“We really haven’t been too impressed with SONY’s offerings in the HD area. That is until we saw this baby. SXRD is based on LCoS technology which we really like for its smooth motion and dense pixel placement. This TV builds on these inherent strengths of the technology with SONY’s CineMotion® technology. The SXRD has spectacular color and great detail. It did a great job with dark scenes. When compared side by side with two other TVs (one DLP and another based on LCoS) the SONY displayed detail that the other two TVs missed. One of the best TVs we have seen! The only real complaints I (Ara) had were the cabinet was very big and the speakers stuck out like a sore thumb, there is no 1080p inputs and its a bit pricy at $4,500 US.The TV weighs 113 lbs (51Kgs) and is 21 inches (53 cm) deep. We can not definitively state that the HDMI input supports HDCP. There is no mention of this in the manual or at SONY’s site.”

Sony 60″ SXRD Review - HTGuys

Here is HP’s latest offering in the 58″ DLP rear projection category.

It uses the new “wobulation” technology, that I’m personally not quite sold on yet. It uses half of the pixels normally required to produce a 1080p image. With a mirror, the DLP chip reflects light to each half of the pixels in each frame, every 1/120th of a second. Sort of a “wobble” back and forth. It does have a better resolution than 1080i, and has less screen door effect, but I’m not sure it would stand up against true, native 1080p.

However, this unit looks to truly be a contender in its size and prize ranges:

Highs
Detailed, natural-looking image
Satisfying contrast and black level
Specified to accept direct 1080p input (not tested)

Lows
None of the pre-programmed color temperatures (Cool, Neutral, and Warm) are close to accurate
Rare, but occasional, color wheel rainbows
Slight pincushioning and vertical stretch

Conclusions
I am immensely impressed with this model from HP. This is a great debut for a company previously known mainly for its computer products; HP hit the target from almost every direction. I could live happily with this set—if not ever after, at least until the next big jump in video display devices, whatever and whenever that may be.

Ultimate AV: HP md5880n 1080p HDTV

Wow, this JVC HD-ILA is one big, bad HDTV. A 70 inch rear projection set with 1920 x 1080p resolution (umm yeah that’s true HD), 2 HDMI inputs and great picture quality all for under $4400!

Pros
•Reproduces deep blacks.
•Fully resolves 1080i signals.
•Rich, accurate colors.

Cons
•Occasionally visible screen texture.
•Picture memories not fully independent.

The Bottom Line
It’s hard to sweat the small stuff when an HDTV performs as well as the JVC HD-70FH96. This giant HDTV manages to combine the high resolution of 1080p with most of the other characteristics that make a great-looking image. Its biggest shortcomings — a clunky user interface and the couple of missing features noted above — shouldn’t deter anybody who values picture quality above all else.

If you’re looking for big rear-projection bling, this JVC could be your ticket.

Sound and Vision - First Look Via - Gizmodo

PC Magazine Names Syntax-Brillian’s 6501m 720p Gen II LCoS HDTV Product of the Year

I haven’t seen much about this model yet, but it sounds promising:

From PC Mags’s December 27th issue:
“With a three-panel LCoS(TM) light engine at its heart, the 6501m has great views from most angles and an outstanding contrast ratio. Though it’s far from a plug-and-play TV, it has the potential to be the perfect home theater centerpiece.”

In another recent review of the Syntax-Brillian 6501m, Dr. Raymond Soneira, President of DisplayMate Technologies Corp. said, “Brillian produces the very finest 720p HDTVs available at any price and these same HDTVs make outstanding large screen living room computer monitors for surfing the web, digital photography, even fine detail work like spread sheets and word processing. It’s the Holy Grail of convergence and we’ve awarded Brillian a special Five-Star DisplayMate Best Video Hardware Award and Trophy for this impressive achievement.”

It’s interesting this award went to a 720p model. Remember, these are PC guys talking, so HTPC and other computer performance may have swayed them over dedicated home theater results.

Still, worthy comments and sources.

Source

Rear projection sales were up 3% in October, even though there was a 2.7% drop in shipments.

The average street price jumped 5.5% for the month, according to Rosemary Abowd, vice president of PMA. The key reason for this large increase was the dramatic growth in the proportion of sales coming from the 1080p resolution microdisplay-technology segment, which moved from 13% in August to 24% in September, and then jumped further to 32% in October, Abowd noted.

It seems the numbers are a reflection of the shift to larger displays with newer technology, like the Sony SXRD units.

“The portion of 50-55 inch models went from 32% to 36%, and accounted for 40% of the total revenues, up from 34% in September. The growing popularity of LCOS (liquid-crystal-on-silicon) models, including D-ILA from JVC and the premium-priced SXRD from Sony, also helped boost street prices.”

Rear Projection Sales and Shipments in October

These 2 models are the hottest and most popular rear projection sets available today.

Excellent image quality coupled with the Sony brand makes these two HDTVs tough to beat.

I’ve covered several reviews and lots of info about these units here, so I decided to consolidate everything to make it all very easy to find.

Reviews

Sony SXRD KDS-R50XBR1 50 Inch HDTV

50 inch SXRD Review
“I’ll lay bets that Sony’s newest SXRD offerings are going to shake things up in HDTV-land.” - Full review at Sound and Vision

User Review
“All in all, the Sony SXRD 50 (it also comes in a 60 inch screen) is an awesome HDTV with a large range of features and high quality screen.” - Full review at HDBeat

SXRD 50 Review
“If you are looking for a great picture from DVDs and HD, consider this TV. Sure it is expensive, but man the picture is amazing.” - Full Review at HDBeat

Sony SXRD KDS-R60XBR1 60 Inch HDTV

60 inch SXRD Review
“By today’s standards, the Sony KDS-R60XBR1 is expensive, but its fabulous performance and feature set make it well worth the price for early adopters.” - Full review at Cnet

60 Review
“This set appears to put Sony back on top. It’s really something special.” - Full review at UltimateAV

User Review at AVS (non-technical “blind test”)
“Wow did you see that… it looks so three dimensional… I’m getting dizzy watching this it so real… look at that picture its so realistic”

Read “Sony SXRD KDS-R50XBR1 and KDS-R60XBR1 Info and Review Roundup”

Epson gets into the home theater game with two new LCD rear projection models, the 55 inch ELS-55GL1 and the 65 inch ELS-65GL1.

These bad boys come with Onkyo sound systems! HDMI, VGA inputs and a USB port for a printer. They also include a memory card slot for photo viewing. (yeah, they’re still a printer company too)

The 65″ model should retail for a bit over $5800 and the 55″ unit should be around $5000 when they start shipping next month.

More products means more competition which is always better for the consumer. I can’t help but wonder if Epson know what they’re getting into, though.

Epson Launches 55 and 65 inch 1080p LCD Projection HDTVs
Via Gizmodo

In search of HDTV news today, I came across this entry about Sharp’s 65DR650 65-inch DLP rear projection HDTV at Costco.

The writer mentions he found a $500 off deal at Costco, bringing the price down to $2500 which includes shipping. Not a bad deal at all, especially when you consider Costco’s customer service and gracious return policy.

If you don’t have a local Costco, this unit is also available online for less than $2200 (add shipping) :

Here is a review on this model at Home Theater Mag:
65DR650 Review

HP’s MD6580n, which took the Best of Show at the Digital Life Expo earlier last month, is under the gun at Cnet. There, she attains the Excellent score of 8.3 out of 10.

This 65 inch masterpiece should be worthy of your interest, if you’re in the market for a 60 inch plus rear projection HDTV.

The good: Accurate color temperature; excellent black-level performance; accepts 1080p sources via HDMI; ample jack pack accessible via front panel; thumbnail source selection feature.

The bad: Nondefeatable edge enhancement; somewhat inaccurate primary colors; can’t fully resolve 1080p.

The bottom line: While it doesn’t quite deliver the best picture among 1080p HDTVs, the HP MD6580n’s innovative design and future-ready inputs may tip the scales in its favor anyway.

HP MD6580n at CNET

The Sony SXRD rear projection hdtv units are all the buzz right now, and it’s easy to understand. The big brand of Sony coupled with their image quality reputation makes for quick notice on the tech side.

Ultimate AV take an in-depth look at this 1080p unit, the KDS-R60XBR1, and here is what they found:

Pros
Full 1920×1080p HD resolution
CRT-like black levels and contrast
Rich color gamut and outstanding saturation

Cons
No place for center channel speaker
Poorly organized instruction manual
No direct input access

Conclusion

“Physically impressive, with a distinctively superior picture to match, Sony’s new KDS-R60XBR1 sets the standard for large screen rear projection television. It beats the images produced by any large screen LCD RPTV I’ve seen (including Sony’s), offering subjectively CRT-like black level and contrast ratio, richly saturated, natural colors, and levels of detail only a full 1920×1080 chip (or three) can produce. For now, it appears that only JVC’s new 1080p LCoS sets offer these SXRD sets any competition—at least technically.”

The high gain screen grain and perhaps some intrinsic noise are the only serious complaints I have about this set’s picture performance. That said, if you mostly watch DVDs on a good CRT based RPTV, I’m not sure you’d gain enough to make trading up to a set like this worthwhile.

Nevertheless, with this level of performance priced at $5000 for a 60″ display, predictions of the demise of rear projection television are wishful thinking at best. Show me a 60″plasma or LCD flat panel display priced at $5000 that delivers this kind of picture quality, and I’ll reconsider. For now, this set appears to put Sony back on top. It’s really something special.”

Right on, that’s what the buzz is all about - 60″ HDTV goodness at a fraction of the same-size plasma cost.

Heck, online this beaut is selling for less than $3700, check it out:


KDS-R60XBR1 Full Review

Via HD Blog