Projectors Reviews, price and comparision

The KDL-37XBR6 is the latest incarnation in Sony's vaunted top of the line BRAVIA series. True to its bloodline, this 37" 1080p LCD delivers outstanding video and audio performance.

We are swinging the gate closed on our roundup of 37" LCD HDTVs from different manufacturers. We are reviewing each individually and then will aggregate our opinions in a comparison article. This Sony BRAVIA is the sixth one in the corral. (You can read the other reviews here: LG 37LG50, Samsung LN37A550, Toshiba REGZA 37RV530U, and VIZIO VO37L and AOC Envision L37W861.)

Performance: 4.5 The 37XBR6 is definitely one of the highest performing HDTVs in our 37" LCD roundup. I rarely, if ever, can write that the audio quality matches the video, but this BRAVIA compels me to make that claim. Why then do I not give it a 5? There's always room for improvement, like with the black level, which is very good but could be better.Features: 4.5 This Sony has most of the basics covered, four HDMIs, PIP, a good picture adjustment tool set. They even throw in an on-screen program guide from TV Guide. With their DMeX connection, you can add on their Internet Video Link now and in the future, tap into more cool features.

I would prefer that a USB Photo Viewer was built in. It is not. And if you want 120Hz playback, you will need to supersize to the bigger XBR6 models.

Ease of Use: 4.5 If you choose the Standard Picture Mode as a starting point, setup can be a breeze. I'm sure that many people love the Xross Media Bar, Sony's on-screen menu system, but I still find it a bit unwieldy.Value: 4.5 Priced at the top end of the 37" 1080p LCDs in our roundup, the BRAVIA better bring home the bacon. Indeed, you get the whole hog, superior video and audio performance.Ratings are relative to when the review was written. The obvious example is Value, what you could purchase for $2000 two years ago or even two months ago would seem like a bad value for that price now. We have given only a precious few 5 Star ratings, which we reserve for truly outstanding accomplishment.

At a certain angle, when you first look at the front of this Sony BRAVIA, it appears as if you can stick your finger right through the space below the SONY logo. Then you catch the reflection and you realize that the opening contains a piece of glass. And on closer inspection, you discover that the Power, Standby and Timer indicators as well as the the IR sensor are all floating on the right end of the glass.

Cupping the glass below is a rather robust speaker system. Its matte black textured grille offsets the more traditional glossy piano black bezel that surrounds the screen.

At 47 pounds (with its non-swivel stand) and 4 3/8 inch deep (without the stand), this BRAVIA has not followed the same slimming regime that most of the other 37" LCDs in the roundup have. In fact, it is the heaviest of the lot. Therefore, I would prefer that you could twist it on its stand, which would make access to its back connection panel easier.

Of course, if you only have one

HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio, and interactive controls on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committe) HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio. First product releases using HDMI occurred in 2003.">HDMI cable to plug in, then the smaller side panel, just around the back left edge, is easier to reach. This panel contains an HDMI Input and a Composite Input with matching stereo Audio Ins.

Right next to this mini-panel on the back and facing out, the larger panel supplies three more HDMI inputs, (one with matching stereo Audio Ins), two Component inputs (YPbPr) with matching stereo Audio Ins, one VGA (15 pin D-Sub) with a minijack Audio In, one S-Video, two Composite (with Audio), a digital Audio Out (optical) and a stereo analog Audio Out.

The one RF antenna input connects to integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners. Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

In addition, in the upper right corner of the connection panel is a USB port labeled Sony's Digital Media Extender (DMeX). DMeX allows users to connect optional expansion modules such as the BRAVIA DVD Link, the BRAVIA Wireless link, the BRAVIA Input Link, which will ship later this year, and the currently available BRAVIA Internet Video Link.

I have the Internet Video Link that I will cover in more detail in a separate mini-review. For now, let me just say that this $299 add-on plugs into your Internet connection and provide an interface that allows you to watch - directly on your BRAVIA - videos from Sony's numerous content partners like YouTube and Yahoo.

As much as I like the Video Link, I also yearn for a USB port that would accept photos and music files. If this Photo Viewer feature is important to you, you can either wait for the XBR7 series or look at Sony's current Z4100 series that furnishes it.

Now, if you are a picture-in-picture fan, you'll be glad to note that the 37XBR6 includes both P&P (picture next to picture) and PIP (a smaller picture inset over a larger one).

As is becoming usual, the choices are fairly limited. In either P&P or PIP, the sub-window has to be a TV channel coming from the Antenna/Cable input. For P&P, the main window source can be either from the Component or HDMI inputs.

If you want to work on your PC while keeping tabs on your ball game, you can plug your computer into the BRAVIA and use it as your main window source in a PIP setup with the game as the inset.

As a nice extra, Sony includes the TV Guide On Screen Guide, which is handy if you are watching over-the-air broadcast TV.

The remote control is not backlit, but most of the major buttons are good-sized with easy to read labels. I like that some of the buttons, such as Options, are shortcuts to menus that are nested within the TV Home Menu, which Sony dubs the XMB (XrossMediaBar).

Even after using this remote for a couple of weeks, I still find the XMB more complicated then I would prefer. Therefore, anything that allows me to bypass it I appreciate.

We have begun to measure the power consumption of our review units. Our process is straightforward. We plug the TV into a watt meter, called Watts up? Pro, and take a simple sampling of readings during the playback of a full screen video clip.

The first measurement is at the TV's default picture settings, which are often some form of Vivid. And indeed, Vivid is exactly this BRAVIA's default Picture Mode. This reading is usually a high number because it takes more power to maintain a bright picture.

Our measurement at Vivid was about 180 watts. Sony's manual states power consumption at 200W.

We also take a reading after we adjust the picture to our preference, which is a much less bright image. The power consumption dropped into the 110 to 111W range. Of course, depending on how you like to set up your TV, your mileage may vary.

Finally, we turn off the TV and measure how much power it is using. Many older TVs still suck a lot of electricity even when they are switched off. When we turned off the 37XBR6, the meter lingered for a minute or so at around 22W. Then it dropped off to 0 on our meter. Sony states the Standby consumption as less than .1W.

Also, this HDTV had one of the quickest start up times from Standby of about four seconds.

To calibrate the monitor, we use the the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD called HD Basics. We are playing the DVD on a Pioneer BDP-94HD Blu-ray player connected to the HDTV with an HDMI cable.

We use the test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. The player is set to output a 1080p signal, which is the Maximum Resolution.'>native resolution of the 37XBR6.

The Picture menu provides the basic adjustments, Contrast, Brightness, Color (Saturation), Hue (Tint), Sharpness, and Backlight. Also, you have the common Picture Mode presets labeled Vivid, Standard, Cinema, and Custom.

Then Sony adds in another category called Photo, with Photo-Vivid, Photo-Standard, Photo-Original and Photo-Custom. Finally, if the input is a source with PC timing, then the choices are Video and Text.

My usual procedure is to pick the Custom mode, choose a Neutral Color Temperature, turn down the Backlight and proceed from that starting point. But as much as I tweaked and twiddled, poked and prodded, I never could match up the colors with my test patterns. More importantly, I was never satisfied with how the picture looked.

So, on to Plan B. I switched to the Cinema mode and the colors were almost right on at the default values. But as much as I love to watch movies in a big theater and as often as I am told that Cinema is the closest to how the moviemakers visualize the original, I still don't feel comfortable with my TV set at Cinema, even when I turn the Color Temp to Normal. I'm a barbarian.

Plan C - and I know this is a desperate step for many of you alpha males out there - I read the manual. And there it was, "Standard - Recommended for home entertainment." I flipped to Standard and the defaults, with a little fine tuning, gave me that "AHA, now, this is HD!" moment. I was contented.

In the Standard Picture Mode, the default setting for Advanced C.E. (Contrast Enhancer) is Medium. I usually like to turn these advanced settings off, but I found that this one did consistently improve the picture. You should experiment with it and the other Advanced Picture settings.

Also, Sharpness was turned up about half way, which is usually higher than I like, but it does produce that slight edge that often makes the HD image seem more three dimensional. Setting Sharpness is a balancing act that I will leave to your particular equilibrium.

If you do have a TV room with variable lighting during the day, Sony does provide a Light Sensor feature, which measures the room brightness and adjusts the brightness of the Backlight automatically. You need to dig down to the General Setup menu to locate the control.

I must admit that it took me a day or two to shake off my initial setup impressions. But once I cleared my head and allowed my eyes to refocus, I was able to appreciate the picture quality of this BRAVIA.

As always, HD content looked wonderful. And all that high end video technology that is crammed into this Sony BRAVIA makes standard definition programs presentable - just don't expect miracles.

I even thought that this LCD had a bit deeper black at its picture base that enriched the colors. For example, the Technicolor neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands had an extra level of vibrancy. Even at fairly wide viewing angles the picture didn't wash out.

I connected my laptop through the VGA Out to the TV's VGA In. I was able to set the laptop's video card to 1920 x 1080 resolution without any problem. As I said, this HDTV has two PC Picture Modes, Text and Video.

If you look at the settings, you will see that the big difference is that the Backlight in Text is 3. For Video, it jumps up to 8, which is too bright for me. If you plan on browsing the Internet, then take the hint and switch to Text.

Let me simply say that I could definitely get spoiled using the 37XBR6 as my computer monitor. Text on the Internet was comfortable to read and images in Photoshop blown up to 37" were delightful.

The audio performance from the muscular pair of integrated 10W speakers was another pleasurable experience. Considering the poor quality of a lot of TV sound systems, I'm usually glad just to hear something respectable.

This BRAVIA's aural quality was way beyond respectable. I could actually start to distinguish a separation of tones within the full bodied sound. Even the S-Force Front Surround feature lived up to its name.

And if you want to be like a young Christian Slater and pump up the volume, the speakers handle maximum even if your neighbors don't. If that's not enough, you can toggle on Sound Booster.

With all those kudos, let me remind you that this is a two speaker system that will never be able to match a dedicated 5.1 audio setup. But if you don't have the desire or the space for speakers peppered around your room, then the 37XBR6's audio will be dandy.

The KDL-37XBR6 maintains the Sony BRAVIA's well-earned reputation for top-notch performance. I was especially impressed by the audio quality from its integrated speakers.