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Buying new Sony HDTV

9K views 20 replies 8 participants last post by  57 
#1 ·
I have a gift card for the Sony Store and am hoping to buy a new HDTV sometime in the near future. Considering times of the year that new models usually come out, or when the prices of older models get marked down, is there a good or optimal time to make a new HDTV purchase at the Sony Store?
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies, all! I was hoping there would be a time coming up very shortly, to be honest, as I'd like to replace my current HDTV as soon as possible.

Waiting til Black Friday or Boxing Day...that just feels like such a long time, and my tv is pretty unwatchable at the moment.

I was considering just breaking down and picking up the 50W790B but then I saw that a 55" version (55W790B) will be released mid-June. My eyeballs are approx. 90" away from my current screen, but I think 90" distance from a 55" HDTV should be fine. Or is it best to stick with a 50" like my current set?

I was also considering the 55W950B but I remember someone on a different forum saying that its black levels are atrocious. Has anyone picked up this set, calibrated it, and can say how he picture quality is?

At 90" distance, a 60" screen is too large, I think. Otherwise, I would have included the 60W630B and the 60W840B in my list of Sony HDTVs to consider. If I got a 60", I'd likely have to push he couch back a bit and my wife has stated that she does NOT want that to happen!
 
#9 ·
I talked to a sales associate at the Toronto Eaton Centre Sony Store who told me that there's no negotiating on the cost of the TV itself, but if I purchased other items as well, he could give me a deal on those. The reason for not budging on the price of the TVs, he said, is that the Sony Store offers price matches on other stores.

Sony Store salespeople get commission as well.

Anyone have any experience with any of the models I mentioned earlier? Reviews or time spent with a calibrated set?
 
#10 ·
When I did my comparison between the XBR and the W900A (I think that was the model), colour/contrast wise they looked identical. Only difference was resolution. I have to assume that the 2014 W series are better than the 2013 W's. Just make sure that the W set has the same basic internals as the XBR. I'm very happy with the XBR.

I irks me when a store says they'll price match. Sure, I run around doing all the leg work and I come back to your store and buy it off of you! I don't think so. Now if they would beat that price by 5%, they'd have my sale.
 
#11 ·
I wish I could afford an XBR! They're minimum several thousand smackers; the most I want to spend is a couple grand.

"The same basic internals as the XBR" -- which internals specifically should I be investigating, louey?

As for price matching, I'll be doing my running around online. Less wear on my sneakers. ;)
 
#12 ·
Mine is a 2013 so things may be a little different for 2014. The W900A had Triluminos,X-Reality Pro (processor), and dynamic LED intensity. The XBR really only had the 2160 resolution and an up-scaler over the W900A. At the time, the W900A could be had for $2K from Sony. I went for the XBR because of the price and the fact that I look at most of my personal photos in 2160 res. They are absolutely spectacular on the TV. They looked equally good on the W900A only slightly less resolution.

With respect to calibration, I kept all the default setting but turned off the auto light sensor and added one increment to the LED intensity. Picture looks great. I may play around with the settings some time later but I know what my original photos looked like and the TV is doing a very good job of reproducing the colours.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents.
 
#13 ·
In the five 2014 sets I'm considering, Triluminos and Dynamic Edge LED exist in only one of them, the 55W950B, which has terrible reviews due to very bad black levels, so I'm no longer considering it.

X-Reality Pro, however, is present. Hmmm...maybe I should call up a Sony Store and ask if they have any W900A sets lying around.
 
#14 ·
Is the W900A a significant step up from the W790B? I found a store that still has a W900A floor model that's been sitting around for six months or so. Is the picture quality that much better that it's worth an extra $300?
 
#15 ·
I not familiar with the 2014 lineup so I can't really comment on the W790B. I find it surprising that the 55W950B with dynamic LEDs has terrible black levels. I always thought one of the main reasons for dynamic light control was for the black levels. I find my XBR black levels very good. So good that I'd swear the TV wasn't even on in some of the dark areas of the screen.

Have you viewed some of these TV side by side? That's what did it for me. Load up a few of your favourite photos on a memory stick and view them at the store on different TVs.

Good luck and have fun. I'm a Sony fan especially the XBR series since they seem to make good guesses where the TV technology is going. Because of this, my sets are usual good for at least 5-7 years technology wise.
 
#16 ·
Here's one bad review of the W950B: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/kdl55w955b-201403103661.htm and one good review: http://televisions.reviewed.com/content/sony-kdl-55w950b-led-tv-review

Bear in mind that the model number W955B is the UK equivalent of the North American W950B.

So I guess that reviews are mixed. Reading the forum over at avforums, users are divided on it as well, some saying the blacks are bad and the backlight bleeds too much, and other people saying the opposite. The members of the forum over at avsforums also feel the W950B is a big step down from the W900A. I kinda feel like I don't want to get mixed up in all of this and would rather just leave this particular model alone.

That's a great idea about taking a memory stick with pictures on it. I'll prepare one for tomorrow's visit to the Sony Store. I'll also grab a few Blu-rays and DVDs.

My only concern is that I'll be watching these things on non-calibrated sets. Oh well. We'll see.

baba louey, my thanks to you relating your experiences with your set! :)
 
#17 ·
You're welcome. As for calibration, just make sure that all the sets are on their default settings. The salesperson should be able to help you out there.

Also, if you can, recreate your photos at 1080 resolution. This matches the TV's resolution and gives you the best possible image the TV can produce. If you can't do that, then try to make sure all the pictures are at least the same resolution. I had fun comparing 2160 to 1080 res.
 
#18 ·
So I got to the Sony Store, packing ten 1920x1080 jpegs and three Blu-rays, all set to compare them on the 55W900A and the 55W790B. I found the latter mounted up high on the wall but couldn't find the former. I asked a salesperson where it was, having confirmed it was in the store two days prior. He replied that he had boxed it up that morning for shipping to the other Sony Store in town. Suddenly, my plans for examining pictures and video on the 900A were shot. That's when I did it. I purchased it right there.

Of course, I hemmed and hawed at first, just for show. The salesguy offered me $100 off when I expressed surprise at the price of the TV stands, then another $10 when his delivery estimate was $10 lower than what it should've been. So $1790 plus environmental handling fee plus tax plus delivery minus my gift card and the whole shebang came to less than $1400.

And the picture is sweet! The screen is extremely reflective, which sucks during the day, but our jaws just dropped at the video quality when we plugged a few Blu-rays in. (Its Cinema mode was almost perfect right out of the box!). Avatar, The Dark Knight, and Spider-Man 3 all looked perfect!

The base sucks, though. That big circular protrusion at the front of the TV sticks out too far and is a bit too shiny/reflective. For now we've draped a black T-shirt over it til we figure out how to better deal with it.

And I'm mildly annoyed that the audio return channel is doable only with an HDMI or optical cable. My receiver doesn't have HDMI, and I loathe optical, as it always seems to slip out easily. Eh, whatever. I'll break down and buy a stupid optical cable.

All in all, one darn fine TV! Thanks again, baba louey, for a GREAT recommendation! :D
 
#19 ·
You're welcome again. One thing I enjoy is viewing my photos on the TV. They stream right from my computer to the TV via a network cable (I don't have wireless). I think your set is capable of doing this. Also, web browsing with the Opera application can be difficult at times but it still works. YouTube works well. Just a bit of a pain working only with the remote.
 
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