Opinions on Sony 36" XBR 400

[goatweed]

I might be able to score this TV for about $2000, so I was wondering what opinions the owners of this TV have. Now I know the HDTV option soesn't pay unless you have the decoder as well as an HDTV signal, and I know the screen isn't a true 16:9 size, but every review I have read gives this set a GLEAMING review. I also understand they are releasing a new 450 in the very near future, but from what I gather, there aren't any major changes that would tempt me to get the newest model. How does the picture look? Whats your setup, etc.? I appreciate any and all input. Thanks!!

[brez]

dvddude23,

$2000.00 seems to be the going price since the 450. I have used the 36" XBR400 since they were released, it has an outstanding picture and all kinds of inputs. Some people have had problems with less than optimal NTSC signals, it seems to be less tolerant of weak signals than other sets. I added a ampifier to my cable input and it has worked fine.

Mike

[Brian Shannon]

I have had mine for about 8 months and think it is a great set.

I can magnify image problems and look strange sometimes if the broadcast quality is poor. I have DSS and notice this sometimes from channel to channel.

[HepDude]

I ended up with an "S" series Wega instead (the price difference was too much to ignore), but the XBR400 is an outstanding set. I compared it to Sony's big 60" or 70" HD set, and the XBR400 image was actually better in some aspects.

The new model XBR450 uses the new color scheme (dark gray instead of silver), and it adds a Cinema feature which is sort of like the film feature in progressive DVD, except it does a similar thing for films on broadcast, cable or DBS.

As mentioned, the $2000 price is not particularly a great deal, since as of this month, it is the previous year's model. But, it's certainly not a bad deal, either.

[goatweed]

Thanks for all the input. Brez mentioned a cable amplifier, is this something I can pick up at my local radio shack? Reason being is that chances are, I will be sticking to regular cable as oppossed to digital cable simply because I use a "special" box to watch cable, and the "special" digital boxes are not available to purchase as of yet. Though my DVD player is not a prgressive model (Tosh 2109), I do plan on upgrading to that in a few months. I saw the picture in a local 6th Ave. Electronics using their DirecTV feed as well as a DVD feed (Tosh 2200 I think, looked just like mine) and the picture was outstanding. I know I won't see a great image with regular cable, but I figure I'd like to squeeze the best out of it with an amplifier. So far, noone has had a bad thing to say about the set, so its basically a lock for me to get it :)