Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR4

Reviewed by: Phill

06-16-08

Duration of ownership: 6 Months

Strengths: amazing picture quality

Weaknesses: I have had my Bravia for 6 months. I now have a major problem. It has what I belive is a dead spot or a bad pixel. It shows up as a black spot on the screen about the size of a peanut m&m and about the same shape. I have looked it up and it looks like it is non-repairable. I will have to deal with Sony. it is under the one year limited warr. I hope they will do something for me.

Overall Evaluation: with the exception of the pixel issue, it is excellent. but you may want to consider the extended warranty for a year, at least.

Reviewed by: khesanhvet

02-22-08

Duration of ownership: 4 Months

Strengths: I've owned a number of Sony high-end TVs, and this certainly upholds their reputation for the highest quality. Best LCD picture quality available; and I've checked out all the competition. Best integrated sound, although with this gem you'll likely use a home theater system.

Weaknesses: None.

Overall Evaluation: I am totally satisfied with my Sony XBR4 and have complemented it with a Bose Lifestyle 35 system for this set. Having been spoiled with this quality, I am sure to place a smaller XBR4 in my bedroom soon.

Reviewed by: trossen

02-22-08

Duration of ownership: 4 Months

Strengths: Best LCD Money can buy. amazing picture, easy to calibrate. When compared to the top-of-the-line Pioneer plasma, the Sony XBR4 is close to the deep blacks as the Pioneer and being a LCD has no heat, and will not burn in. The XBR4 has outstanding blacks.

Weaknesses: None

Overall Evaluation: The XBR4 picture is amazing,clean and clear edge to edge even when compared to the new Pioneer Plasma. I have owned several other Sony HDTVs and this XBR4 simply has the best video. The XBR4 has the most natural picture and detail of all the LCDs, DLPs and Plasmas we have seen in my home. We feed it great HDTV signal from our Comcast HDTV box, and DVD player. We also ue an attic antenna. The signal from the DVD player and VHS deck are being processed by the DVDO VP-50 Scaler to a full 1080p. You need to do a little calibration with a Avia Video calibration DVD to tweak the XBR4 for the best performance. Someone wrote that you should buy the largest screen size you can afford. This is wrong. You need to measure the distance from your favorte seated position in front of your TV screen and divide that measurement in half. A 100 inch distance would allow for a 50 inch screen size. Also, try sitting in a movie theater in your favorite seat and extend your arms in front of you and bracket your hand into a frame. That 16:9 frame should equate to the proper diagonal screen size at home.

Reviewed by: XJay100

11-29-07

Duration of ownership: 1 Months

Strengths: color accuracy, brightness, image quality in brightly lite room

Weaknesses: some artifacts in high-speed movement

Overall Evaluation: This unit is a replacemnt for a 50" SXRD that I previously thought to be the best set in the world. The SXRD died a painful death. The 52XBR4 apepars to keep almost all of the positives of the SXRD, but the picture is a bit birther yet, and the depth of the set enables wall mount - a BIG PLUS! All in all, this may be the best that I have seen - period. Summary - a bit pricy, a bit heavy for a LCD flat panel, a bit slow in input switching, BUT still a most excellent set. BTW - the digital tuner works excellent with Verizon FIOS.

Reviewed by: Lesnmark

Updated: 29-Jun-08

Strengths: Sony Quality , Picture , Color Depth , Styling

Weaknesses: None

Overall Evaluation: Great TV - XBR 5's are out now so you can get a decent deal on this set - I have been a Sony Fan for many years - integrated this set with a Sony AV 5.1 Surround receiver with a Standard Def Sony DVD player - Picture is awesome , can only imagine what it will be with my future Blue Ray Player - Only hooked up to standard Def Comcast for now and have no complaints . Looking forward to many years of enjoyment out of this 52 " set - Makes the living room better than the movie theater .

Reviewed by: nuck44

Updated: 24-Feb-08

Strengths: Incredible Picture Quality (HD and SD), Picture & Picture, All the ports you need, Intuitive Menu, Great Design

Weaknesses: Menu could be faster

Overall Evaluation: This TV is incredible! I have seen numerous HDTVs and the picture quality on this one blows all the others out of the water. The non-HD material looks really good as well. I have never seen an HDTV to rival a regular TV at displaying 480i (regular cable) signals but this one does it!It has numerous connections and includes features that make it futureproof for many years (such as 1080p/24 and some color features that only the PS3 can currently support)Bottom line: The pinnacle of television viewing

Reviewed by: meachamrt

Updated: 22-Feb-08

Strengths: Quality design and features such as ample HDMI and Composite connections.

Weaknesses: A little pricy but if you shop around you can find some good deals.

Overall Evaluation: I purchased this TV from LCD TVs after shopping around for about a month. Had one of the best prices at the time, free shipping and some good reviews. I received the TV in an amazing two days in perfect condition from a friendly delivery man. This is highly unusual as it is normally 5 - 10 working days unless you want to pay more. I received a phone call within 24 hours and a confirmation email almost immediately. They of course tried to sell me some accessories like an extended warranty, cables and wall mount but where not push about it. I had already purchased these products from other sites as I am a little picky in what I buy. Overall I was surprisingly impressed with the whole ordeal.

Reviewed by: neilapril

Updated: 12-Feb-08

Strengths: uniform backlighting, Style, Rich color, 3 HDMI ports,BIG BIG

Weaknesses: Not a Plasma, and new LCDs are going to be coming along very soon.

Overall Evaluation: If you want to get a great LCD TV you can't go wrong with this one. I can't say for sure that this is the BEST LCD on the market, but it must be in the top two. After just coming off a bad experience with the sharp 64U family of LCDs this Sony is a dream. The picture and colors are outstanding, and the black level is soooo good for a LCD. There is a saying out here on the net about the size of your TV. It goes something like this, "whatever size TV you think you want, go with one size larger." This is not true. It should go something like this, "Whatever size TV you think you want, @#$& it, get as big as you can afford." These TV are only about 6 inchs thick and don't take up any usable space in your rooms. You just sit them as close to the wall and they look great. The whole Plasma vs LCD thing is over blown. Here is the score card I used to evaluate the panisonic 700 plasma family against the xbr4 1. Blacks --- Panny 2. Colors --- Sony...

Reviewed by: tsrj007

Updated: 09-Feb-08

Strengths: Big yet compact

Weaknesses: Pirce

Overall Evaluation: The Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-52XBR4 52-inch 1080p LCD Flat Panel HDTV continues Sony's tradition of making outstanding televisions, and with a 52-inch screen, you'll be the envy of all your neighbors. Sony does not hold back with any technologies, and the XBR series is its flagship line--so with the XBR, you know you'll get the best quality home theater experience available.