Review of Sony KP-65WS500 65" Projection
11-10-02, 01:45 PM
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Review of Sony KP-65WS500 65" Projection
This is my first post here.... I'm a computer techie and an electronics freak... but haven't kept up much with the latest on the larger TV's. I wanted to review what I've experienced so far with my new Sony KP-65WS500 65" Projection WideScreen.
I went with the Sony KP-65WS500 because of size and price. I bought it from Circuit City for $2799 which was $200 less than anywhere else! The 65WS500 is the low end of the 3 65" Wega models (there is a 600 and 700). For the additional features, and price difference (up to $1000) to the 600/700, I didn't feel it was worth it. The memory card feature would be nice since we have 2 digital cameras in the house, but not a necessity.
Here is what I have and how I have my home theatre setup so you can possibly compare apples to apples with what you may have:
• Sony KP-65WS500 65" Widescreen
• Sony HT-5500 500W Dolby Digital 5.1 Receiver (STR-K502)
• Sony 5-disc DVD (DVP-NC600)
• Dish Network PVR-508
Audio: DVD and PVR both have Optical outputs for audio. The receiver has 2 Optical inputs, one for DVD and one for Cable/Satellite. The VCR uses the RCA L/R jacks into the receiver. Output is to 5 sony cube speakers (2 front, 2 rear, 1 center) using 12-gauge speaker wire, and a 60W sub using the RCA sub connection. I have the speakers on the TV turned off.
Video: DVD and PVR both using the RCA video out, going into the receiver in their locations. Output from receiver to TV using monster RCA video cable into 'Video 2'. This is the only connection to the TV. No coaxial is used except from the satellite to the Dish PVR.
I hope this describes enough to get a mental picture of my setup. I would love to use S-Video, but for some reason this receiver model doesn't have the S-Video Inputs. I could go from the PVR and DVD straight to the TV with S-Video, but I wanted to make it as simple as possible to use for my family (the TV only has to stay on Video 2 all the time and only the receiver mode is changed from TV/Sat to DVD when needed).
Let me start out by saying that this TV is BIG. My living room is about 16x20, and when they first brought it in off the truck, I stood there in disbelief of how "it didn't look that big in the store". It is 5ft wide by 5ft tall by 33in deep! A week of extra work had to be put into this project... I built a custom wall unit to go around it so everything would fit nicely!
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), the picture quality from the Dish PVR is about a 7. It seems a bit "grainy" depending on how much detail is in the picture. An ocean view or lots of trees seem to make it "grainy". Picture quality from the DVD on the other hand I'd have to give a 9... not crystal clear, but pretty damn good. Audio is automaticaly switched between PCM48/DD 2.0/DD 5.1 on the receiver and sounds excellent. Twister is the absolute best movie to test audio with because of the variations of the tornado sounds all around you. You are literally "sucked" in!
The 65WS500 has 6 A/V inputs (5 in back, 1 in front)... more than enough if you don't have a full A/V HT system. There are 3 coaxial inputs (1 for local antenna, 1 for CATV/SAT, one for VHF/UHF antenna), as well as 3 S-Video inputs (2 in back, 1 in front). Video 5 and 6 have inputs for Y/Pa/Pr component video. The 7th input is for DVI/HDTV In. There is also a video/Audio L/R RCA output, and a second Audio L/R output.
The remote that comes with the TV is nice and can manage some basic component controls, but didn't contain everything I needed for the Dish PVR and the Sony HT. I had purchased a Sony RL-900 remote for the Sony HT because it was bought as a floor model and didn't have the correct remotes. I have programmed it for all my devices, including the TV now. So I don't play the remote game in my house! If you're looking for a versatile, inexpensive ($50) universal programmable remote, check out the RL-900. It can control 8 devices and each device can be mixed with pre-programmed codes and programmable buttons.
Hi Scan 1080i, DRC 4x, CineMotion, Steady Sound, Twin View, Freeze Frame, Scrolling Channel Index, Parental Control, 8-channel favorite preview, Auto Wide, and Flash Focus round out the list of features. If you have cable, the Scrolling Channel Index should come in handy. If you use more than one of the 7 inputs on the TV, you can view 2 inputs side-by side with Twin View.
One last thing... if you hate cleaning the TV screen, this one repels dust very well. We've had it for over 2 weeks now and the screen is as clean as when we brought it in the house!
I hope this helps in your decision for finding a good 'bang for your buck' TV for your Home Theatre. And a home theatre it will be with this TV! If you have any questions, I'll try and answer them.
I went with the Sony KP-65WS500 because of size and price. I bought it from Circuit City for $2799 which was $200 less than anywhere else! The 65WS500 is the low end of the 3 65" Wega models (there is a 600 and 700). For the additional features, and price difference (up to $1000) to the 600/700, I didn't feel it was worth it. The memory card feature would be nice since we have 2 digital cameras in the house, but not a necessity.
Here is what I have and how I have my home theatre setup so you can possibly compare apples to apples with what you may have:
• Sony KP-65WS500 65" Widescreen
• Sony HT-5500 500W Dolby Digital 5.1 Receiver (STR-K502)
• Sony 5-disc DVD (DVP-NC600)
• Dish Network PVR-508
Audio: DVD and PVR both have Optical outputs for audio. The receiver has 2 Optical inputs, one for DVD and one for Cable/Satellite. The VCR uses the RCA L/R jacks into the receiver. Output is to 5 sony cube speakers (2 front, 2 rear, 1 center) using 12-gauge speaker wire, and a 60W sub using the RCA sub connection. I have the speakers on the TV turned off.
Video: DVD and PVR both using the RCA video out, going into the receiver in their locations. Output from receiver to TV using monster RCA video cable into 'Video 2'. This is the only connection to the TV. No coaxial is used except from the satellite to the Dish PVR.
I hope this describes enough to get a mental picture of my setup. I would love to use S-Video, but for some reason this receiver model doesn't have the S-Video Inputs. I could go from the PVR and DVD straight to the TV with S-Video, but I wanted to make it as simple as possible to use for my family (the TV only has to stay on Video 2 all the time and only the receiver mode is changed from TV/Sat to DVD when needed).
Let me start out by saying that this TV is BIG. My living room is about 16x20, and when they first brought it in off the truck, I stood there in disbelief of how "it didn't look that big in the store". It is 5ft wide by 5ft tall by 33in deep! A week of extra work had to be put into this project... I built a custom wall unit to go around it so everything would fit nicely!
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), the picture quality from the Dish PVR is about a 7. It seems a bit "grainy" depending on how much detail is in the picture. An ocean view or lots of trees seem to make it "grainy". Picture quality from the DVD on the other hand I'd have to give a 9... not crystal clear, but pretty damn good. Audio is automaticaly switched between PCM48/DD 2.0/DD 5.1 on the receiver and sounds excellent. Twister is the absolute best movie to test audio with because of the variations of the tornado sounds all around you. You are literally "sucked" in!
The 65WS500 has 6 A/V inputs (5 in back, 1 in front)... more than enough if you don't have a full A/V HT system. There are 3 coaxial inputs (1 for local antenna, 1 for CATV/SAT, one for VHF/UHF antenna), as well as 3 S-Video inputs (2 in back, 1 in front). Video 5 and 6 have inputs for Y/Pa/Pr component video. The 7th input is for DVI/HDTV In. There is also a video/Audio L/R RCA output, and a second Audio L/R output.
The remote that comes with the TV is nice and can manage some basic component controls, but didn't contain everything I needed for the Dish PVR and the Sony HT. I had purchased a Sony RL-900 remote for the Sony HT because it was bought as a floor model and didn't have the correct remotes. I have programmed it for all my devices, including the TV now. So I don't play the remote game in my house! If you're looking for a versatile, inexpensive ($50) universal programmable remote, check out the RL-900. It can control 8 devices and each device can be mixed with pre-programmed codes and programmable buttons.
Hi Scan 1080i, DRC 4x, CineMotion, Steady Sound, Twin View, Freeze Frame, Scrolling Channel Index, Parental Control, 8-channel favorite preview, Auto Wide, and Flash Focus round out the list of features. If you have cable, the Scrolling Channel Index should come in handy. If you use more than one of the 7 inputs on the TV, you can view 2 inputs side-by side with Twin View.
One last thing... if you hate cleaning the TV screen, this one repels dust very well. We've had it for over 2 weeks now and the screen is as clean as when we brought it in the house!
I hope this helps in your decision for finding a good 'bang for your buck' TV for your Home Theatre. And a home theatre it will be with this TV! If you have any questions, I'll try and answer them.
