Excellent product from Sony! A friend of mine had an old CRT Bravia TV and I remember the picture was outstanding. It stuck with me, and now looking for a new TV Sony was on the list. Some people love Sony, some say it's over-priced junk but, I fall in the middle. I care about value and performance and that is it. I have been following this TV since it was first released but, waited to buy it till about two weeks ago. I purchased it from the local BB as it was on sale.
First off the picture is really great. Some newer reviews I have read on forums complain this TV doesn't have colors that "pop". I have an 42 inch Panasonic plasma that is almost five years old and the color is and has always been very solid. This TV takes it to the next level. It is hard to describe but, to me the TV had that "just right" look. Nothing unnatural but, very vibrant. The blacks are certainly black enough for me, and the contrast in dark scenes are very detailed. Another note about the picture...eveness. It may be a weird term but, sit tight. I have seen a friends LCD TV and when going from source to source the color would change. Nothing was connected with less than component cables and even with that the sources would not be consistent within themselves. It was something I found terribly annoying. The 32XBR6 has no such problems as everything looks super sharp.
I have a Direct TV HD receiver, X Box 360, and Playstation 3 plugged into it via HDMI. Having four ports is very handy as this is going to be the prime digital format going forward. When I first brought it home some HD channels had the "sparkle" effect going on. It would be when panning across a scene like following a basketball and looking at the crowd or something similar. It really bothered me once I noticed it. So I go online and look for "32xbr6 software update" and, sure enough, it forwarded me to the Sony support site with software recently upgraded.
After a simple download I transfered the new software to my thumb drive (which had numerous other files on it) and plugged into the USB port on the back of the TV. Seven minutes later after a series of reboots the TV was set and the problem was gone! Since then I can not say how impressed I am with the set. It blows away my Panny and made me a believer in LCD after being convinced I was a "plasma guy". One last thing I'd like to note is the "variable out" for audio. I have powered speakers and a powered sub set in the bedroom. It has a dial on the front for adjusting the volume with no remote or other way to adjust it. With the Sony set, I have it plugged in to the "Audio Out" and the TV remote(or programmed DTV remote) controls the volume! Sound is excellent due to the digital amp in the TV, and having adjustment controls including mute made me flip! I guess sometimes its the small things that make the difference.
Again I can't recommend this TV enough. I have played numerous games like MGS4, Killzone 2, Assassins Creed, and the quality is amazing. Blu Ray at 1080p/24 has to be seen to be fully grasped. Direct TV looks fantastic as well. The ability to upload any future any enhancements to my set within 10 minutes is the icing on the cake. If your shopping for a 1080p HD TV for your bedroom GET THIS ONE!
Buy Sony Bravia XBR-Series KDL-32XBR6 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV!
