Sony Bravia KDL-40S2000 40-Inch Flat Panel LCD HDTV
If you have not bought this yet, read on ...
Ok, I admit it took me several visits to Costco, Best Buy and Circuit City before I decided to part ways with $2-3K for a flat screen HDTV. After viewing a myriad of brands I have never heard of before, I decided that the Sony Bravia and the Sharp Aquos were in the top of the LCDs. Not surprisingly, so were their prices.    Both the Sony Bravia and the Sharp Aquos displayed bright whites and dark blacks better than most other LCDs. They also had sharper pictures and more natural colors compared to their cheaper competitors. The only other brand I was impressed with was Panasonic. But it was a plasma and I wanted an LCD.    After reading some reviews here, I was convinced that buying a large flat screen was better done by going to Costco rather than online.  You can see what you are buying before you actually buy it. And, Costco has a liberal return policy. Since prices of LCD flat screen TVs are predicted to continue dropping, you might want to get some of your money back. Within one week of my buying an LCD TV from Costco, the same model dropped by $300 and I got it back from Costco without fighting for it!    I bought this Sony Bravia - S series 40 inch ($1,999) AND the Sharp Aquos 45 inch ($2,499) LCD from Costco. In my opinion, the 40 inch Sony Bravia produces a high contrast and extremely sharp picture. It is very, very good. However, the Sharp Aquos provides a noticeable overall better viewing experience. In a way, the picture looks softer, more natural and lifelike. I think, in the end, what you will find better will be a matter of personal preference.  In my opinion, if you like amazing sharpness, get the Sony. If you prefer overall balance, get the Sharp. You will be happy with either, so don't lose sleep about it.    Here are a few more tips:    1.) Don't buy based reading the specs or reviews alone. Go to a store and actually watch the TV. Insist that at a component (Y, Pr, Pb) or HDMI cable from an HD source be connected to the TV before you make a comparison.  2.) Make sure you get an HD cable box from your cable TV provider or else your investment may not be worth much. Ordinary, non-HD channels may actually look worse on HD sets.  3.) You don't have to blow a hundred bucks or more for HD cables. Go to Walmart, and buy your HDMI or DVI to HDMI cable (Philips brand) for about $23. I found that using the DVI-HDMI cable to hook up the cable box to the TV gave better results compared to using component cables.  4.) Fine tune or calibrate your HDTV. You can use the THX Optimizer that is included with Toy Story or The Incredibles with your DVD player.  5.) Finally, once you have experienced High Definition you probably will be unhappy with Standard TV. That means, you'll be replacing your other old TVs. That's how I ended up with both this Sony Bravia and the Sharp Aquos. Unfortunately, I'm not done yet. The rest of will be smaller 37 or 32 inch Sharp Aquos.  6.)     The Sony Bravia S series has only one HDMI input. You may want to eventually have 2, one for the cable box and the other for an High Def DVD. This may not be a show stopper given that you will probably buy a home theater system that can take several HDMI inputs. However, the Bravia has a set of component inputs on the side. So, if you mount it on the wall, you can still easily connect video equipment without figuring out how to get to the back.  7.)   If you watch more broadcast tv than dvds, don't worry about 720p, 1080i (this TV's capability) versus 1080p. At the moment, I am not aware of any broadcast channel doing 1080p. Also, it's too early to determine if Blue-ray will win over HD DVD so committing to a high def DVD system may not be very smart. Save your money until there is a definite winner.    Enjoy.