Sony KDL-V32XBR1 32" BRAVIA XBR LCD Flat Panel HDTV
I don't downgrade for price, great is great!
Yes, this Sony is price fixed most retail outlets by Sony at the $$$$ price tax.  I have seen it on the web at some outlets for less, and they have a different supplier or somehow manage to skirt the required retail pricing.   <br /> <br />I bought the set locally from a retail store, the set was for my mother in a nursing facility and they gave me a break on the price somehow (warranty reduction, etc.)  It was not as good as web pricing but fair.  The price seems high until you realize that Sony does make the best.  Here's a quick primer on big flat panel and other HDTVs.   <br /> <br />1.  DCR built-in, is the digital tuner for High Definition, it is not always included since HDTV broadcasts are still not very widespread. Lots of people just want a good quality digital set that has the capacity for HDTV and many cable boxes themselves have the tuner needed, so a built-in tuner is a luxury item. <br /> <br />2.  All TVs have general orders of weaknesses. CRTs (cathode ray tube) are heavy, and do not exceed 42\\" for the most part, even those have problems because of the weight and structure of the tube.  Plasma TVs have active elements that glow, and after so much use they wear and the picture gets less bright.  They can also get burn-in so need some sort of screen saver device to be safe. This is not always found on the discount model.  Plasma's do not typically have the highest resolutions found in the LCDs Liquid Crystal Display.  LCD TV's typically have a weak contrast, and grayish black levels.  They have lower frame rates, and will sometimes blur when high speed action is displayed, like a movie chase scene. LCD's do not give off light in the elements like plasma's so they require a back light, this is hard to replace, so it's not advisable to get a cheap model that doesn't have a quality back light. DLP's (digital light projection) use a series of moving mirrors that take away pixelization found in LCD projection models, but there are always issues with movingparts. Other people have found issue with delays on some DLP's that does not allow them to play video games which require a real-time interaction.  This is often fixed using the component video connection, but still may be a problem on some sets.  Game players beware! <br /> <br />Finding a set that is strong in overcoming these weaknesses without breaking the bank is generally the goal.  The Sony while expensive does this.  It has an unusually high refresh rates for an LCD, so the high speed chases look great.  The blackness level of the XBR models is better than some CRT tv's I've seen which is very unusual on an LCD set. <br /> <br />Everyone hits this TV for two things, lack of PIP, and a backlit remote.  The remote you can probably fix with an aftermarket programmable model.  As for PIP, I guess this is personal choice.  I had a VCR that had nine pictures, and I have PIP on my computer screen which I use as a TV in my bedroom.  I never use PIP other than to test to see if it's there.  If you want it, don't buy the Sony, wait till they add it in a later model.  If you're like me, who cares, PIP is only a rarely used feature for most of us anyway. <br /> <br />The sound system, Sony varies in sound systems for some of their sets, but they made the right choices here, and the below screen speakers do just fine, unless you want home theater sound.  This sounds much better than the typical flat panel. On other sets, the sound system is just a place holder for you to add 7.1 surround sound connections. <br /> <br />While they don't support the new 1080P standard on this set, they do support 720P which many HD sets do not and 1080i which all current standard HD sets must support.  HD picture is spectacular, especially for football and movie broadcasts made in HD.  Commercials, soaps, and other things sometimes broadcast in HD were not filmed that way and so don't look quite as good.  It will be years before everything finally gets there.  Animation by the way, does not need any better than 480P and will not improve much if at all in higher HD broadcasts. Such is the nature of the art generally only filmed live action benefits greatly from the subtle color, and resolution improvement. <br /> <br />One more thing, current DVDs generally only support 480P, and then normally in progressive scan connections. Sony \\"Blue Ray\\" and the other HD DVD standards are working together to come up with a combined standard to make new DVDs that will hold enough data to display a 1080P HD broadcast.  You will likely need a new DVD player that supports this as well, so get you're wallet ready again if you want the best.  I wouldn't bother replacing all your DVD collection, many won't be remastered into the HD format, and animation makes little sense as I mentioned.  New movies and old salable classics will probably show up in the next 2-3 years. <br /> <br />People hate change, and the government are finally forcing the issue so Digital TV will be required in a little over a year.  If you have an analog TV, you'll need a converter box which will by rule be cheap to take the digital and convert it to the old standard.  This also means HD digital will become popular very fast, so get ready for more HD broadcasts in the near future.  This Sony is ready for most of that today.  They'll hold the price till the higher standards hit the market, but this is the newest they have right now, so if you want it today, buy it. <br /> <br />Remember to check your LCD for dead pixels when you buy it, this should be returned immediately if you find more than one or two.  It's advisable to get a surge protector as well as these are expensive TVs, and you don't want a bad breaker or a lightning strike to hit your home owners insurance that hard. Service contracts can be expensive for these, if the back light is replaceable, I wouldn't bother.  TV's without moving parts typically last a long time.