I stumbled across this great writeup for one of Sony’s new SXRD rear projection HDTV models. This is a 50″ job that runs about 4 grand.

This model represents the second line offering SXRD, after Sony’s Qualia offerings which require at least one rich dead uncle or primo lottery ticket to afford.

This review gives an 8/10.

“Overall
I love this TV. It has almost everything that a person could be looking for out a large screen set. Besides having crappy sound, I have no major issues with it. The blacks are not incredible, but they aren’t bad ether. I would like to start seeing front HDMI ports on higher end TVs but that is not something to mark this TV down on. The jacks are spread out but at least there is every kind a person could need.

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.

Overall Score: 8 out of 10”

Full review - HD Beat
Found Via HDBlog

Digital Home Canada has a great article about deciding between LCD or DLP for rear projection TV. A couple of noteworthy points are:

The advantages of DLP over LCD include:

- higher contrast ratios ;
- more Consistent Performance throughout the life of the set ;
- no screen door effect;
- newer models offer greater resolution.

The advantages of LCD over DLP include:

- brighter images than DLP for equivalent wattage
- richer more natural colours
- no rainbows
- wider viewing angle

The articles goes on to tell how to be critical in viewing different models in stores. Great writeup.

Digital Home Canada - HDTV Insight: DLP or LCD Rear
Projection?

Yeah, baby! Wow, look at that thing - I think I need a glass of water. The largest rear projection hdtv - I give you the Samsung SVP-71L8UH. (But I take it right back.)

Samsung is selling this baby beginning Friday, and plans to launch the SVP-71L8UH in North America early next month. Launch price in S. Korea is about $7350.

Depth is under two feet, and Samsung claims you can hang this baby on a wall! It weighs over a hundred pounds, but wall mounting should be doable for worthy htdudes.

(Asian chick not included.)

Source

Sony Expands SXRD Rear Projection HDTV Line With 50 and 60-Inch Grand WEGA Televisions

Sony supplements their current RP offerings with these new 50 and 60″ 1080p models, the KDS-R60XBR1 and KDS-R50XBR1 Grand WEGA.

KDS-R50XBR1

KDS-R60XBR1

Among the regular PR marketspeak, I saw:

The panels produce a contrast ratio of 5000:1. Refinements to the panel circuit layout enabled Sony to reduce the pixel pitch on an individual panel to just seven micrometers, resulting increased pixel density, yields, quick response time and a brilliant film-like picture.

They come with CableCARD, dual HDMI inputs, three firewire inputs, PC input, and optical audio out. Oh yeah, the requisite memory stick slot will be there as usual.

The KDS-R60XBR1 and KDS-R50XBR1 units represent the upper end of rear projection from Sony, with the new SXRD panels. They are added to their current SXRD products, the 70-inch Qualia 006 and Qualia 004 front projector. The units are due to ship in September for about $5,000 and $4,000.

This is good news for HTDudes, mfgs please continue to bring the 1080p bling…

Press Release

Looking for a rear projection unit, and budget is not a restriction? (man I love it when money is no object!)
The Sony Qualia 006 is the answer.

At 70″ diagonal with a resolution of 1920×1080, and weighing in at 463 lbs with stand, this widescreen is one big, bad mamma-jamma. Nothing says bling like a big honking permanent screen! And at this size and weight, let’s see some dopehead try to carry it off.

SXRD stands for Silicon Xtal (crystal) Reflective Display. [This technology] does not use backlighting, which means the pixels can be placed closer together (there’s no need for the addressing circuitry to run between the pixels), eliminating the “screen-door” effect that is so common on LCD sets.

So with this tech, Sony has eliminated the #1 problem with LCD - SDE (screen door effect.) It’s not every day a corporate behemoth makes such strides in technical excellence.

Bottom Line
This television offers high-definition images as precise and pleasing as I have ever seen. That is the crowning achievement of the Qualia 006. Its portrayal of DVDs was not perfect but generally superb. It could not portray conventional NTSC TV in a manner I found pleasing to watch. But all in all, this may be the best rear-projection television out there.

‘Nuff said.

Full Review

Rear Projection TV Sales Poised to Take Off in Japan
In Japan, where things are small, Sony hopes to bump sales to 10k RP units, up from a staggering 2,000 units sold last year.

Methinks Sony is being rather optimistic, I don’t think the Japanese like their HT big and hulking as their western counterparts do.

Sony officials said the company expects strong demand in Japan ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament in Germany next year. Video equipment manufacturers usually take advantage of major international sports events as opportunities to spur demand for new products. Victor Co. of Japan , which entered the domestic rear projection TV market in May, is planning to release a new large-screen model ahead of the year-end shopping season.