I just ordered a new TV...

[petrym]

a Sony KDLV40XBR1 40" WEGA HDTV (link to an example) (http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/462999632) from Nebraska Furniture Mart here in the Heartland; it's due in about a week and a half. I'm going to integrate it to the HT setup in our family room (components currently in the basement - 32" Sony CRT) using an HDMI hookup for picture and sound -- though I'll mostly use the amp/speakers setup for primary audio. I can't wait! :D

[fireshoes]

Congrats, it's a fantastic lcd. :)

[janmike]

Congrats, nice one!

[polkatese]

very nice! did you get extended warranty? curious, since I have changed completely from never to yes (for display, computer). Congrats!

[RuSsMaN]

Man I need a new TV.

[danger boy]

Very nice.. it looks great. Nice present to yourself. a good display is so important to a good HT set up I always say. :)

[petrym]

did you get extended warranty?
You know, I used to say no to this one too, but we opted to get it both for the initial HT purchase and this TV as well. I've read that extended warranties are extra profit for sellers, however, with the price $500 under list, we got the plan for $350 that covers the TV for 5 yrs – cheap insurance for about 19.2 cents per day since I’m a buy-it-and-keep-it kind of guy.
Nice present to yourself.
The wife wanted this one too, so it’s to us. Just little presents to each other for Christmas now! :)

[petrym]

Oh, and we got an 18 month no-interest financing deal on it too, 4% balance minimum per month, but we'll pay it off on time with no interest paid. Sweeeeeet!

[dorokusai]

I just picked up the 32" WEGA Bravia but the non-XBR model. I really like it alot. My old reliable Mitsubishi CRT finally started to give up the fight so an upgrade was coming soon either way. In comparison to the 20" Mitsubishi, this thing is like a movie theatre screen.

I'm a digital cable subscriber; however, not everything is originally broadcast in digital so you really see the poor quality of some stations and/or programs due to the higher resolution.

I also opted for the extended warranty for peace of mind.

[petrym]

I'm a digital cable subscriber; however, not everything is originally broadcast in digital so you really see the poor quality of some stations and/or programs due to the higher resolution.
We have digital cable too and since the salesman warned us about burn-in on a plasma set from barring the display, we got the LCD so we can watch standard 1.33:1 broadcasts without the picture looking vertically smushed.

[polkatese]

Cool. Mark, congrats to you too! I was a Sony believer (for display/CRT), then I went to Pio Elite. Loving it, next stop, back to Sony xrcd. Those 1080p looks incredible.

[gregure]

The 40" Sony XBR LCD is easily the best LCD out there by a long shot!
Congrats.

[Willow]

Congrats on the new TV. Now be sure to calibrate that puppy.

[petrym]

Thanks, I feel pretty good about it... now I just have to pay for it. :(

How do I calibrate it? I downloaded the owners manual and there's nothing in there about calibrating :confused: Do you have any more info about this Willow?

[Gaara]

There are discs out there used to calibrate the TV such as S&V and Avia. I personally like Avia because there are so many different test signals to use and lots you can do with the disc. The basic calibration is to properly adjust brightness, contrast, color, sharpness, and tint using the test signals in the disc. More advanced calibration would involve going into the service menu and doing adjustments, which I wouldn't advise unless you have alot of time to do alot of reading, tinkering, and alot of patience.

Jared

[petrym]

Thanks Jared; I'll check into that Avia disc.

[bknauss]

Check avsforum.com for threads on this TV. I'm sure they have some calibration settings. I used that site for my TV, and it looks much better than what I did with the Avia disc.

[dorokusai]

Petrym - I have the DVE(Digital Video Essentials) disc for HT setup if you want to use it....when you get it calibrated, just mail it back to me.

dorokusai@comcast.net

[petrym]

dorokusai - email comin' your way. Thank you! :)

[petrym]

bknauss,
Thanks for the reply, I'll check into that forum.
Michael