The KDL 46XBR2 from Sony is a 46" LCD. Reports on this HD TV are very good and having checked it out myself in store the picture quality is great, even when you don't have a full HD feed to the set.
The glass surround style frame looks absolutely awesome on the wall and hanging it with one of the compatible wall mounts is a real breeze. Position isn;t too much of a hassle either as you can view the image very clearly from all around the room, none of this fighting for the seat right in front of the TV needed!
There are some really good deals around at the moment on the KDL 46XBR2 and you can pick it up for a great price. The HD TV comes fully loaded with options although there is no picture in picture which can be pretty cool sometimes... small price to pay though as the rest of the set is heads and shoulders above a lot of them out there. With multiple inputs you can hook up everything you need to.
With Sony you get what you pay for.. and this KDL 46XBR2 proves it.
Live Color Creation System featuring WCG-CCFL backlight
Analog tuner and ATSC Digital Tuner with QAM capability
Three HDMI (1080p) inputs
AMAZING TV...But....Clouding Issues are a problem!
Review Date: January 4, 2007
Reviewer: Woots, Atlanta, GA United States
I have owned a 46xbr3 for over a month now. I would 1st like to say that the image of this TV is awesome. The menu options you have to tweak the look of the image is very very detailed. It helps if you run component and HDMI signals and need to have different tweaked settings to optimize look and reduce pixelization. 1080p with your playstation 3, blu ray or hd dvd players. The tv does not run 1080p component, only hdmi and vga, so your xbox 360 will have to run in 1080i (still looks great). The xbox 360 does run 1080p through vga input on this tv but xbox360 makes the screen look washed out.
Clouding Issue:
There is however a manufacturing defect that is not officially published by sony and no recall is yet in effect. The Sony LCD flatpanels XBR2/XBR3 40"/46"/52" screens have a greater then 50% chance to have a defect nicknamed "clouding". I am one of those unlucky buyers. What "clouding" basically is, is white puffy looking background lighting, when screen is black. This is not to be confused with non uniform lighting often seen in PC lcd panels; This is much worse and much brighter and heavily blotchy. For most people with this problem (including myself) you can only see this clouding during times when the screen goes black. (credits at the end of the movies, transitions between commercials to tv shows, dark parts scenes in movies and shows.) During these dark scenes they stand out like a sore thumb and make viewing distracting; due to the fact they are very bright and whitish. My experience is the longer the TV stays turned on the brighter these clouds get. When you 1st turn on the Tv they are very faint. They also have an odd habit of shifting around the panel very slowly over the course of weeks. (as strange as this may sound) I have found the clouding does not discolor or overbrighten the screen when the TV has full colorful images on it. This is why this problem is tolerable and I did not demand my money back, its still not acceptable though. I have read a few users say their clouding is so bad it effects the colors and makes them washed out. Thankfully I have not seen that.
Please do not take my word for any of this I encourage you to be a critical thinker and go out on google and seek this "sony lcd clouding" issue. I am doing my part for the small community of us who are stuck with this sad problem overshadowing what is otherwise an absolutely great HDTV.
In closing this TV is beautiful looking but when you spend this much money you don't want things like this bringing down your morale over the product. If you buy this TV you could be one of the lucky buyers and get an untainted screen and most stores give you a 30 day return policy. I have also heard (not confirmed) that the newest manufactured models have fixed this issue. I gave the product 5 stars despite the flaw, because even with this flaw I love this TV.
Best of luck with your HDTV purchases. Hope this helps.
All round great television
Review Date: May 27, 2007
Reviewer: L. Topper,
I recently purchased the 46XBR2 46" inch LCD HDTV. I love it. We sit an average of 8' from the screen when we watch it and it is very comfortable. It is not too close.
I have seen the clouding that some of the critics have mentioned, but I have only noticed it when the television is on, but there is no actual signal to the television. In short, it does not effect the actual viewing experience.
I have also read that some people think that the speakers are terrible, but I disagree. For television speakers, the television sounds great. It is not a theater sound, but it sounds great.
The picture is great with natural color. Not as spectacular as the Samsung in contrast and color, but ultimately easier to live with. The color production seems far more natural and easy on the eye, but not "eye candy." The Sony seems to have a picture that seems to have a 3 dimensional quality. When I looked at the Sharp and Samsung, they looked more like pretty wallpaper, but without the dimensional quality.
The LG looks like a very good television for the money, and the color production on the Mitsubishi is spectacular. I have not compared them with the Sony for the sense of depth, but they both seem to be a great television for the money and hundreds if not a thousand off the price of the Sony.
Finally, our viewing rooms have lots of window light. The plastic screen on LCD televisions do not have significant reflection like plasma televions or standard tube televisions with glass screens. Plasmas are great if you have a theater room. In many ways, the plasma produces a superior picture, but mostly in a dark room that minimizes reflection on the screen. If you have a room that has lots of light natural or from interior lighting, the LCD is a better purchase.
AMAZING TV...But....Clouding Issues are a problem!
Leave a Reply