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224 of 224 found the following review helpful:
 Great TV without the XBR price tag Nov 22, 2006
By C. Lee
"The Beast"
I've been considering the 46V2500 for some time now. After reading the extensive forum thread on AVS as well as checking the monitor out for myself in stores, I was convinced this was the monitor for me. For those of you who are considering the XBR2/XBR3 sets, the only MAJOR differences include the glass bezel and a few additional internal settings and features (some that you probably won't even utilize much less care about). The V2500 series uses the same exact LCD panel as the XBR series. Justifying the price hike between the V 2500 and the XBR units is a matter of personal preference aesthetically. Performance-wise, the units are nearly identical.
Out of the box performance as excellent, but the monitor really shined after a few image tweaks. Fyi for anyone who has this monitor, custom tune your color settings to NOT use the "Vivid" enhancement. The image becomes way blown out and the contrast is much too high. After toning it down to standard with "neutral" color setting (along with a few other tweaks in the various sliders) I was able to get a superb picture.
I currently have an XBOX 360 connected to it through component at 1080i. I have also had a chance to check out a Blu-Ray movie on a PS3 I borrowed...which was absolutely jaw-dropping at 1080p. I also tested Ridge Racer 7 (PS3) which runs natively on 1080p and as far as resolution and clarity are concerned that's as good as it gets. I can't wait until future PS3 titles support native 1080p...people with capable sets are in for a treat. After getting a taste of true 1080p with HD content, it's hard for me to go back to anything else haha. I guess I spoiled myself a little to early.
The OSD and menus are intuitive and very easy to use. I didn't find myself going to through uneccessary menus to get to my final destination. I especially liked the feature of being able to rename my video inputs (1 through 8) with either custom tags or with a selection from a pre-determined list (DVD, GAME, SAT, etc..).
I was skeptical about the sound quality from the speakers at first, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fidelity and clarity of sound they outputted. Who knew TV speakers could sound good? I live in an apartment so I was happy that I didn't have to add a complex surround sound setup.
Shipping was safe and secure. Amazon uses Eagle Freight shipping services for this unit and they were very efficient, although tracking is updated less frequently than other carriers. Not really a downside though.
90 of 91 found the following review helpful:
Without equal on HD yet amazingly GREAT and watchable on SD Dec 22, 2006
By P. Rudy
"Adventure Traveler"
Like most of the people reviewing, I spent my time looking around before buying. I first saw this tv in Costco in November. I was shocked that my wife and I both loved the picture. It was amazing how much better it looked compared to the DLP sets and plasmas. Living at 7500 feet, plasma was not really an option.
Becuase of Costco's liberal return policy, we bought it then and there. Its nice that the unit does NOT have to kept upright, like a glass plasma. Out of the box, you need to immediatley turn off the vivid settings. We stuck with the normal settings for 24 hours to burn the set in before calibrating.
For the first 4 weeks, all we had was DISH SD sat. I must tell you, I was shocked by the picture quality of Standard Definition sat channels on this set. No, it was not HD like, but pleasingly watchable. VERY watchable. I work with several electronics companies and go to CES each year. I have seen many a $4000 flat panel that was horrible in reproducing SD. This is not one of them. My wife made the comment that if we did not upgrade to HD, we could live the SD signal on this set. Note that we were (at that time) outputing from the sat box to the Sony by S cable. The Dish sat box did not have component out.
Playback from a SD DVD was even a notch more impressive. We have a pro grade 480i (non progressive) dvd player and output the DVD by component to the LCD. The Sony did a great job of upscaling the signal. Our DVD's never looked better. The colors were far superior on the Sony than our 35" tube set. Very very watchable.
After 24 hours of burn in, we calibrated the set with the DVE dvd. its a must have and cheap for the power it gives you. Calibation only took 30 minutes. Turns out my wife's eyes were more sensetive than mine. Calibrating was easy and the results tremendous. The black levels were 100% greater range. Again, we were using SD sat for a signal.
After calibration, our satisfaction with SD on the Dish Sat went up another 10%. No, it still was not HD like, but the best SD I had EVER seen on any flat panel. I was just looking for watchable SD and this far exceeded by expectation. Calibration softens the jagged transistions that a good HD set can illuminate.
So, we lived with SD for 30 days. Happily. Then I noticed that Amazon had the same set for what amounted to $800 cheaper (considering no tax). The price difference was too much to pass up. Ordered from Amazon and took the Costco set back.
The Sony from Amazon showed up in 5 days --- broken. The driver and I took off the box and the lower left hand corner was smashed. Off went the broken set. Called Amazon. A new set was sent out within 36 hours. Came in 6 days - perfect condition. The Eagle freight guys are good. They call as soon as the tv hits their local distribution facility.
Two days later, Dish comes to upgrade or Sat to HD. Everything the other reviewers say is so true. The HD picture is nothing short of spectacular. When the Dish tech is setting up, I was in another room. He asked me a question. When I went into the room and first saw the HD picture, I dropped the cookie in my hand I was so startled. The picture on GOOD HD content is mesmerizing. Note that we are using the HDMI output of the SAT box directly into the SONY.
We have surround sound system and all audio is run from that. So, no comment on the Sony's internal speakers. But, in my opinion, you would be crazy to have LCD of this size/quality without a decent surround sound 5.1 system.
In Sum: GO BUY THIS FLAT PANEL. I had read review after review. This Sony really does give 99-100% of the PQ performance of the XBR2 and XBR3 sets for substantially less money.
My experience with SD was vastly different from the viewer below complaining of SD PQ on the Sony. Since owning this set, I have spoken by email with several other owners. No one has had his problems.
Closing Comments. These are my thoughts, using my DISH sat signals. I have no idea what off the air looks like. I did hook the set up briefly to Comcast SD cable and the SD was only fair -- but it was pretty fair on a CRT. Gargage in -- garbarge out. The Sony cannot make a silk purse out of a pigs ear, but no flat panel can do that.
We are most happy with our purchase and buying it from Amazon.
42 of 42 found the following review helpful:
Sony 46" LCD vs Samsung's 46" LCD Dec 09, 2006
By N. MOY
"Buyer"
After doing quite of bit of research recently, physically in person as well as on-line, I ended up purchasing this Sony (KDL-46V2500) flat panel for several reasons and I am extremely happy with my decision.
Having a bit of personal preference towards LCDs beforehand, I was not convinced enough overall in the end to switch over to Plasmas.
Now, in comparing LCDs, the best thing I could do was to sit in front of both abovementioned LCDs in one of the movie chairs at my local retail store and luckily compare them side-by-side right next to each other. Appearing as though I was looking at a tennis match in the store, I was also able to look at the other 30+ models/brands/types surrounding them and instantly and consistently, my eyes would automatically focus on this Sony each and every time.
Narrowing it down, it became apparent almost immediately, that the black shiny glossy bezel as well as the screen that Samsung unfortunately uses creates way too much glare and a wavy reflection which distracts from the picture itself. The black matte bezel and non-glare screen that Sony uses allowed my eyes to solely focus on their screen/picture. It actually made it look like I could reach out and touch the most vibrant pink flowers I have ever seen, that were being shown. Wanting to get another opinion, I brought my colleague to the same store the following day and she, too, ultimately floatated to and could not take her eyes off the Sony! She also noticed the glare/reflections on the Samsung. Being used in a conference room with fluorescent lighting and lots of sun, would not help matters.
Feature-wise, the Sony meets all of our needs/requirements and then some.
I also considered Sony's XBR series (2=gray bezel, 3=black bezel) which also has the extra glass/silver trim frame and even though it does have a more elegant look, I could not justify paying the higher price. If price/budget was not an issue, I would have definitely considered the XBR3.
Highly recommend this Sony KDL-46V2500 and seeing it in person!
29 of 29 found the following review helpful:
Sony Bravia......BRAVO! Feb 01, 2007
By H. Kopietz
"Big H"
After waiting just over a month to get this TV, all I can say is it was definetly worth the wait. Part of the reason it took so long I believe is the timing of the order. I ordered it on December 15, right before the holidays, so maybe that slowed it down some, but regardless of the time it took, the TV really is amazing.
I did about 3 months research by reading all the reviews on Amazon as well as other websites. By the way thanks for the first 15 or so reviews I read on here before purchasing this TV, it was a really big help in making my decision. I wanted an LCD because the plasmas have such a glare, among other issues. I had it finally narrowed down to the Sony and the Samsung LN-S4695d. I didn't like the look of the Sammy's shiny black frame, although the picture quality is right up there with the Sony. What finally made my decision was seeing the Sony at BJ's on display. It just blew me away, and my wife was also startled at the picture quality of the Sony. Also the fact that the Sony was only about $200 more than the Sammy helped the decision. By the way BJ's price is over $700 more than Amazons price if you figure in the extra $200 sales tax that you would have to pay.
I have the TV hooked to Comcast Digital cable through the HDMI input. I also bought the Sony upconverting DVD player which is run through the other HDMI input on the TV. The DVD's really do look better with the upconverting player which converts the DVD's to a 1080i signal. Although the picture that really grabs me is the HD channels on the cable. I watched the playoffs of the NFL last week and was absolutely wowed at the detail. The Discovery HD channel is also amazing. I can't imagine a TV that could get even a better picture. I haven't seen this TV's picture quality with a direct 1080p signal such as the Blue-Ray disc or the HD DVD, but I can't imagine how it can be better that the high def channels in 1080i. I'm just glad that I have the 1080p technology on this TV for the future when hopefully someday soon all DVD formats and brodcast formats will be in 1080p. If anyone that bought this Sony has used it watching a Blue Ray disc, please comment.
It's been over two weeks now that I received this TV and the WOW factor is kinda wearing off, but when I go into the bedroom to watch my "old fashioned" 480i TV, before sleeping, the picture looks super blurry and I can't imagine I watched TV like that for the past 49 years. Also I don't have the clouding issues as others talked about. So in wrapping this up, if you are looking for a top notch high def TV, I seriously think that the Sony KDL-46V2500 is the abslute best out there on the market today for the price. The experience of buying this through Amazon was also great. I would give Amazon and Eagle Freight who delivered the TV both 5 stars as well as 5 stars for the TV. Also I have to mention that purchasing this TV through another website besides Amazon......BEWARE, I 've read horror stories about other companies that may offer this TV for a hundred or two hundred dollars cheaper. The fact that Amazon backs up all their stuff for 30 days made me feel confident with dealing with them.
27 of 27 found the following review helpful:
 Great TV But Mine Does Have Some Clouding Mar 05, 2007
By Amy K. Yu
"Pak K. So"
I just got my 46V2500 a few days ago and the image quality really blows me away. When I went to the local store to compare models, the Bravia line always looked much better than the other makers.
The design is nice and slender (I actually like the look of this model over the pricier XBR models)...the back of the TV has an easy layout for all the cables. I like the fact that the power button is on the top of the TV so my kid can't go turning the TV on and off which was a favorite pasttime for her on my old TV.
The remote control is a little bland but I really use the one that Time Warner provided to me anyway.
One thing I recommend is to talk to your HDTV provider to make sure the box they will give you has HDMI cable support which you really need to get the most out of your television.
My TV does have some clouding which is disappointing to me but is really not that big of a deal. On mine, there is an unevenly lighted region in the top left corner and a few smaller areas elsewhere. When there are scenes which have a lot of black (like when the credits are rolling at the end of a movie for example) I notice the uneven backlight clouds. But other than that, I don't notice it at all.
It did surprise me at first that such a TV would have this but it really isn't anything more than a minor nuisance. The quality though from normal viewing is phenomenal.
Regular non HD programs look so-so but that is something I can endure until HD becomes main stream.
One last thing I want to state is the Eagle delivery was fantastic. They called to let us know which day the tv was going to arrive...their delivery workers were courteous and did their job just fine. Excellent service!
See all 96 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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