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Samsung PN58C7000 58-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV (Black)

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Samsung PN58C7000 58-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV (Black)

(15 customer reviews)

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Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN58C7000, with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense, rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 58 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

Accessories

2010 LinkStick: Connect wirelessly to a world of digital content from Samsung. The LinkStick wireless LAN adaptor eliminates the hassle and cluttered look of wires. Learn more about the Samsung WIS09ABGN LinkStick Wireless LAN Adapter.

List Price:	$2,699.99
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Product Details

Product Length:	13.3 inches
Product Width:	54.6 inches
Product Height:	36.1 inches
Product Weight:	88.2 pounds
Package Length:	58.5 inches
Package Width:	40.5 inches
Package Height:	17.0 inches
Package Weight:	105.8 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 15 reviews

Features

Clear Image Panel
Elegant Style with Slim Design
58 -inch plasma HDTV
3D Experience; 4 HDMI (v1.4)
Every frame is saturated with dense, rich color

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: 4.5

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Outstanding TV Sep 03, 2010
Forget the long drown out reviews - Bottom line this is one outstanding TV. I have read a lot of reviews and worried about all the negatives some pointed out.
For 99.9 percent of you - you can rest assured they are nit picks! This TV has a wonderful picture in both 2D and 3D. You can adjust the picture in a thousand ( exaggerated but not by much) ways so you can have just the way you like it. In answer to some - no buzz - no Blurr - sound is as good an any TV in general but for most you use a home theater amp anyway so not a consideration.
The 3D glasses are the lightest and most confortable of the major TVs now out in 3D. The 3D is awesome and DirecTV now carries 3 channnels in 3D so content is comming.

Samsung PN58c7000 Aug 24, 2010
Received the Samsung PN58C7000 via Pilot shipping through Amazon. First, Amazon's follow-up was excellent, providing tracking and Pro numbers to follow the shipments. Because it was a bundled deal, the TV came separately from the dvd player and stater kit. The dvd player and starter kit arrived about two (2) days before the TV via UPS. Pilot scheduled a delivery and the two (2) delivery men arrived on time, carried the TV upstairs, removed it from the box (and disposed of it as well), put it on the TV stand, and tested it to insure that it was in perfect working order with no dead pixels.

I got the calibration settings online from the CNET website. After a few minutes putting in all of the numbers through all of the different screens, I was ready to watch TV. (Also, turning off the motion judder is a must do, whether via update or toggling on and off game mode). WOW! What a picture! The colors are dead on. Skin tone is perfect and all of the colors are right on the mark. Played the 3d movie Monsters vs Aliens and it was as if it was coming out of the screen. Too bad that there isn't much content at present. The 2d to 3d conversion does provide some depth, but not as dramatic as a 3d movie. Since the dvd payer is wifi, I set it up for Blockbuster and VUDU. Although I haven't streamed any movies yet, that aspect seems to work well. First thing it did was automatically update the dvd payer to have the latest software. So far, watched about 25 hours on the TV and have not heard any buzzing whatsoever. Near the end of Monsters vs Aliens, I did hear the fan for the TV, but it only lasted for a few minutes and I have not heard it since.

Great buy through Amazon. Printed the price, went to HH Greg and asked if they could match the deal. They told me that at that price, it was below their cost. Salesman said that if he was in the market, he would buy it immediately. I went home and did. I would highly recommend Amazon service, follow-up and follow through.

Awesome deal! Aug 18, 2010
Got an unbelievable deal on Amazon for this 3D plasma, plus a free 3D Bluray player and a Samsung 3D starter kid. All for $2014.98. If you see this deal again, jump on it. You would be blown away by the quality of the pictures. Also get the Samsung slim wall mount so you can just hang the TV like a picture frame. Everything works flawlessly.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

BUY THIS TV RIGHT NOW! Aug 10, 2010
Let me save you the time in case you don't want to read this detailed review, then just hear this caveat out: "The PN58C7000 is the GREATEST deal you can possibly get for a new 3D HDTV".

There's so much detail for this review, I don't even know where to begin! It would be helpful to state a precondition that this plasma ultimately replaced a Samsung 42" 720p plasma, which was tipping the scale at 6 years old, but still had an incredible picture for its time. Within the last several months, I spent a lot of time watching 1080p content on my friend's TV, and started noticing the difference. If anyone out there is not a believer that 1080p will blow your old fabulous 720p set away, believe it as it will.

This was one heck of a quest. Let's rewind the clocks a bit as this all started back in December 2008, when I was visiting ABT checking out their newest HDTV lineup. I had been itching to get a new TV, and having had a plasma all these years, I was determined on getting a plasma replacement as the reviews usually include them on the "best HDTVs" list. Anyway, if anyone has been to ABT, then you'll know that by the furniture/appliance area at the entrance of the store, they have home theater seating to sample, and usually have an incredible HDTV on display. Well I remember looking at the regular LCD/Plasma "row display" (near the TV/Audio sections), and looked over by this area to see 3 TVs lined up on the wall. To say the least, those TVs had the BEST picture of any set in the entire store. As I approached, I could see the words "Panasonic" and "THX" enlarged on the wall. They were truly the most magnificent displays I had seen at the time, matched only by the Kuro (which they also had on display in the projector room). Well as it turned out, the TV series was the infamous Panasonic TH-PZ800U. They had a 42, 50, and 58" screen all in a row of 3. I instantly fell in love with the 58" model. I was shocked how much larger the 58" is compared to the 42", which is what I had.

Low and behold, the 800U from Panasonic was CNET's TV of the year, and the second highest rated TV ever, second only to the Pioneer Kuro. Now let's fast forward to January 2010. Since seeing that TV at that time, I instantly was a Panasonic fanboy; I had no choice really now that they were the largest manufacturer of plasmas. I followed the V10, G10, and Z1, all of which received serious accolades. I came close to pulling the trigger on the 54G10 many times, but decided to wait until CES 2010. Boy am I glad I did! With the release of 3DTVs and HDMI 1.4, I did not want to buy an obsolete model. Another major milestone I'll never forget reading about was the infamous CNET/AVS articles regarding the Panasonic "rising blacks" issue. More shocking was Panasonic's arrogance that this issue was expected with no fix. This totally destroyed Panasonic's reputation with me. An entire year of following Panasonic plasmas went down the drain.

At that point, I had given up hope on plasmas, and thus started a new quest: LED. I looked at the UN55B6000, B7000, and B8000 models. Recently I came close to buying the UN55C7000 (3D model), and had a chance to get an awesome deal; actually I would have saved almost $50 this route. Seeing the TV in person really changes you though, the flashlighting (in the corners) and image ghosting was noticeable in the store. The 240hz feature was unbearable as well (soap opera effect). To me, 240hz feels like someone is fast forwarding the scene 1-2x on a DVD. I have no idea why people are pretending they don't see it. I eventually came to terms to getting the Vizio VF552XVT, but something held me back. The picture looked okay in the store, but perhaps it was the design of the TV. I mean, it's really an ugly TV, how can its design even compare with that of Samsung? It's almost a whopping 5 inches thick, which in today's day and age, is just unacceptable. My 6 year old plasma is exactly 3 inches. I felt this would be a downgrade from what I already have as I wanted some appeal as well.

That was one part as to why I didn't want the Vizio. The other was 3D. I have been following 3D for quite awhile now, and originally didn't plan on being an adopter because of the lack of content. However, after seeing that the price deviation from 2D to 3D TVs had dropped to about $200, it was a no brainer. The hard part was choosing LED or Plasma for 3D. After reading numerous threads from owners of both LED and Plasma, I came to the conclusion that plasma was a better choice for 3D, mainly due to its response time. This made me ecstatic as I had originally thought plasma was totally dead. I mean, how could it not be? Check out this list of the only makers of today's plasmas:

1. Samsung = buzzzzzzzz
2. LG = gets mediocre reviews for its subpar quality, and has a mirror screen finish for antiglare
3. Panasonic (the king of plasma) = rising black issue; unimpressive designs (with the exception of the Z1)

I considered the LG PK750 (after reading CNET's review), but couldn't find enough positive reviews; I don't believe I've seen an LG plasma consistently listed on CNET's top 5 plasmas list, or even LED for that matter. I also considered the Samsung B860, as I saw this in person. The B860 was one of the reasons I kept hope alive with plasma. To me, the B860 has an excellent picture, being compared to various LEDs and the Panasonic V10. I even compared it to the PN58C8000 at Best Buy (the 8000 was on the bottom; B860 on top), and honest to god if I couldn't tell which model was which, I probably would've chosen the B860 for its deep blacks compared to the grays of the C8000. I also looked at the VT20/VT25 from Panasonic, but the price premium is exorbitant (close to $600 more than the Samsung). Plus I could care less for the 2 included movies that you get (Ice Age and Coraline). Besides price, seeing the marketing ad from Panasonic that their plasma is an "ultraslim design" at 3.6 inches, is a total joke to me. The Samsung PN58C7000 is 1.4" thick. Coming from a 3" thick TV that was 6 years old, and seeing Samsung's museum style models, ultraslim to me now means under 1.5 inches, or even the new Samsung LED C9000 at 0.25 inches! Panasonic needs to go back to the drawing board on this. Sony also suffers from this pitfall. Their new flagship XBR60LX900, which costs $4,500, claims "ultraslim design" at 3.625 inches. Seriously, who are they kidding???

In my humble opinion, if 3DTVs weren't becoming mainstream, I would have given plasmas an expiration date. I feel that 3D is a game changer for plasma. Panasonic won the Best of Show CES award for 3D, and the VT25 is listed as the top TV on CNET, and for 3D. Almost every review I have read comparing LED to Plasma for 3D, I have heard of the same issue: ghosting and blooming for LEDs. Plasmas have an unparalleled ability for response time, which is essential for fast motion 3D. I haven't heard one person NOT complain about image ghosting and response time with an LED 3D set. One of my friends has the UN55C8000 3D LED (which is the flagship Samsung LED that costs $1,000 more than my C7000), and even he admitted it has ghosting and artefact issues, as well as flashlighting. To say the least, prior to 3D and Panasonic blacks issues, I was ready to abandon ship on plasma technology. Then the Samsung PN58C7000 came along. This was it, and my quest was over. After 18 months of searching for the perfect TV, I now have it. The design is unparalleled, the image quality is spectacular (Avatar looks just as good as it did when I saw it in theaters), and the set is future proof with HDMI 1.4 and 3D. All packed together for a remarkable price of close to $1,800. We come back to my original statement: "The PN58C7000 is the GREATEST deal you can possibly get for a new 3D HDTV". Enough said. The price to performance ratio is just monolithic.

I should mention that this TV was bundled with the free glasses and C6900 BD player. That's right, FREE. It's almost as if you're getting paid to take a 3DTV off their hands. However, if anyone is curious, I would have done the combo deal with BD player and the free glasses. Why wouldn't I? The kit costs $350 on its own (glasses $150 each). You also can't find Monsters vs Aliens 3D anywhere except eBay, where the price can go up to an astronomical $100. You'd be a fool not to jump in on that deal. As far as I know, Monsters vs Aliens was the first 3D blu ray in existence, and is only included in the exclusive bundle from Samsung. Even if you somehow already own a 3D BD player (like the PS3 which to date does not have the 3D firmware...), you're still better off buying the BD player to get the free kit.

3D Glasses - they are very comfortable and sturdy (except for the arms which seem flimsy). They have a 1 year warranty, so I hope their durability proves the test of time. The nice feature I like is the glasses turn off when contact with the 3D emitter is lost and instantaneously reactivate when the emitter is back in focus (this happened when I was laying on my couch and turned my head away). They also power off when there is no 3D content playing through the TV, upconversion included. Since they are battery operated, this is important. Lastly, you cannot power them on at all until the TV is in 3D mode, which is a really nice power saving feature.

BD-C6900 - an awesome BD unit. The BD discs load up as fast as my old Sony reference DVD player. Also, my friend's first generation Samsung BD/HD DVD player is so old that it takes close to a minute to load up. That's how my old Toshiba HD-A1 (HD DVD) player was. Thank the Gods that you can load a movie in under 15 seconds! The audio is also excellent. I have the HDMI going directly to my TV, and am using the 7.1 multichannel inputs on my receiver. The sound was extremely crisp on my test BDs. I'm pretty shocked at the quality of analog inputs. On my friend's older Samsung BD/HD DVD player, the 7.1 analog inputs sound very dull. A pleasant surprise. I did an A/B test of using optical audio versus multichannel analog, and decided there was too much detail lost when using optical. With bass management being a potential issue, I liked using analog so much I will just jack up the volume on my subwoofer when watching BDs. Eventually I am planning on upgrading to an HDMI 1.4 receiver.

To address the common questions and/or complaints I have read about the C7000:

1. Buzz - I have heard horror stories about this as this is the biggest downfall of any Samsung plasma (my wife's PN42C450 has a low buzz that can be heard on mute). Some can hear an annoying buzz over normal volume. One extreme was comparing the buzz to their refrigerator. Unbelievable how a TV can be manufactured like this! Does mine buzz? Well, I would say no instinctively. Why? Because it does buzz SLIGHTLY, and I mean slightly. Can I hear it with the slightest ambient noise? Not at all. In fact, the only way the buzz is heard is by placing my ear a half-inch away from the screen in the middle. If it is dead silent in the room, and you step back 6 inches, you won't hear a peep. Does that qualify this set as a buzzer? I honestly doubt it. My old plasma buzzes louder. Perhaps it's the fact that I have a 1500 watt amp powering my speakers, but I assure you that if you watch the news at the lowest of levels, you will not hear a buzz. When I started reading about the Samsung buzz issues, I put my old plasma on mute one day, and low and behold there was a buzz.

In fact, the buzz on my former plasma is actually 100 times louder than on the C7000. Even on my old set, with the tiniest bit of audio from the TV, you can't hear it at all. If I can't hear it watching regular TV, then I doubt it will be an issue when I watch with my home theater at 75-80 decibels. It's true, all (or most) plasmas have a buzz. This is something I wasn't aware of (I'm the only plasma owner I know). However, I never noticed it in 6 years until I heard complaints about Samsung. I can't tell you how worried I was about my set being a buzzer (which is why this issue was listed first). God must have blessed me with a non-buzzer. Honestly, I hope Samsung addresses this. For a TV at this price point, you SHOULD NOT have to gamble with a 50/50 chance of getting a buzzer. I have heard that most of the earlier models that have a build date of April or May are susceptible. June and beyond should be better. I don't know what my build date is as the box it came with was hauled away.

2. Lack of wifi - I'm not sure why this is a complaint. You can buy a 100FT Cat5 cable for $6 to run to your modem. Wifi will add a higher premium to the TV, as will the separate $80 wifi dongle. $6 vs $80...hmm, I wonder??? I'll pass. Not only is wired ethernet cheaper, you will have the best possible and stable connection to the internet for streaming. Period. Don't buy into the wifi fad, unless you absolutely need it (plaster walls; multiple levels, etc).

3. Motion Judder Canceller (MJC) - I can't BELIEVE how overhyped this is! I fired up the TV expecting the motion judder canceller to look like a 240hz LED (I absolutely detest the cheesy soap opera effect of LCDs), and the MJC is NOT THAT BAD on this plasma. What is everyone complaining about??? Coming from plasma, which is the king of motion response time, I can tell you the MJC is extremely tolerable on this set. Quite honestly, the MJC on the C7000 is somewhere in the middle of a LED 240hz and plasma; it feels like only half the speed of a normal soap opera effect. If you're as detailed as I am, you'll have read the 135+ thread pages on AVS regarding this plasma and the MJC for the C6500/C7000/C8000. Yes, it's installed by default. Not sure why Samsung did this as there are loyal plasma and film fans that don't want it. I do respect that. Luckily, there are some workarounds to this. I used Star Trek BD as a test, and disabled MJC from the TV; I wound up reactivating the feature since the picture quality looked noticeably better. Let me tell you, if it was that bad I would have used the workaround to permanently disable the MJC already. I wound up resetting my picture options to turn MJC back on, though. Being a loyal plasma owner, this must tell you something. Future firmware is also making this less of an issue.

4. Image Retention (IR for the tech savvy) - I have yet to experience this. This issue should really be a universal problem of all plasmas. However, as long as you break in your plasma for more than 100 hours, you should be good to go. Technically, Samsung stopped requiring a break in period for plasmas as of 2007. The old adage is still to do one. The C7000 manual clearly states there is a possibility of "image retention" (fancier slogan for burn in). Until plasma manufacturers GUARANTEE there is no chance of burn in, I will continue with the break in protocol that has been adopted since the birth of plasma. The burn in prevention technology Samsung uses is awesome, you get your choice of a screensaver, scrolling black/white page, and pixel shift. I use all of them. My old Samsung plasma didn't have tweakable burn in tech like this, and there was never IR. Keep in mind, I do heavy gaming. Once the C7000 passes the break in period, I'll start playing again.

5. Poor antiglare - I have heard that if this plasma is in a brightly lit room, or near a window, the antiglare doesn't help much. I can't really comment on this as I have a dedicated home theater room with no windows. This isn't an issue to me, which is another reason I passed on the C8000 plasma's marketing scheme of the "Real Black Filter".

6. Lack of "Real Black Filter" (RBF) - The C8000 has it but not the 7000. I believe it helps reduce the antiglare. I do know that it partly consists of a simple film that is attached to the screen; I heard some cases of it being removable. That seems cheap to me. I cannot discern if it's worth the extra $500 to get it. It is the only gimmick that people seem to know about versus the C8000.

7. Lack of Connectivity - This TV was designed without analog in mind, and purely for high definition and HDMI, which is the absolute BIGGEST complaint I have to agree with people about this TV. Specifically, the lack of S-Video, composite, and component outputs is quite upsetting. There is no S-Video output at all (not that surprising), and 1 component output that is shared with composite (major surprise for me), which basically means that you can only use one component or composite. Samsung's website states there are 2 components, and 1 side composite. NOT TRUE! There is only one shared component/composite port. That's all. How can a TV manufacturer get away with this? Several of my legacy analog devices are no longer compatible until I upgrade my receiver with HDMI passthrough (I'm using an older non-HDMI audiophile pre/pro). However, I have come to grips that S-Video is being deprecated. No current Samsung or Sony device implements S-Video anymore, and I believe LG and most BD players have followed suit as well. It's only a matter of time before S-Video is extinct completely. Nonetheless, there should have been AT LEAST one separate composite port, and one component, not a COMBINED composite and component. Samsung, fix your website specs!

8. Digital audio port - Another complaint of mine. Yes, you can connect a toslink optical cable from the TV to your receiver. No, it WILL NOT output Dolby Digital for any of your connected sources, only with DTV broadcasting. What this means is, if you connect your Xbox 360 or DVD player to your TV (with optical through your TV to your receiver), you will NOT get 5.1 digital audio. The TV will downmix the audio stream from the source component to 2 channel PCM. This is stated through the TV manual (page 11). What's the point of this? I feel this is purposely limited by TV manufacturers in order not to compete with their HTIB systems.

9. It's hot enough to fry an egg - This must be a case by case issue as I have no overheating issues whatsoever. My old plasma literally generated enough heat to warm my home theater room in the winter. No joke. You could feel the heat generated from the TV two feet away, and to touch the rear of the panel was quite hot. I should note that my old plasma was one of the very first to have "fanless cooling", which meant it was very quiet. I have been breaking in the C7000 overnight, and just today went to power it off. After 13 hours, the entire panel was almost cool. There is very little heat, which is a major concern for an electronic device. I did not feel any exorbitant amount of heat anywhere within 1 foot of the TV, certainly nowhere near as much heat as earlier generations of plasma. The C7000 has worked like a champ in this regard. This makes me happy as I have been known to literally play games 12 hours straight.

10. "It's not Samsung's flagship" - I beg to differ! I actually never saw the C7000 in person before purchasing. Magnolia had the C8000 and B860 on display, and I used that as a baseline. The B860 was last year's model, and the difference was discernable. If we did an A/B test in my home theater room with the C7000, C8000, and B860 models, I bet you would have a hard time picking one out over the other, or the results would be marginal at best. Save yourself $$$ by getting the C7000!!!

Last but not least, I should mention the entire reason you're probably reading this review: 3D. The 3D is PHENOMENAL!!! Forget any 3D demo you may have seen at a store. I watched 3D demos on Samsung LEDs, Panasonic plasmas, and Mitsubishi DLPs. I honestly wasn't that impressed. Holy cow, those store demos might be the reason people are skeptical about buying a 3DTV. Watching Monster VS Aliens was a total treat. The image REALLY DOES pop out at you (just watch the first few minutes and you'll see what I mean). Now on the flipside, I noticed an image ghost 3 or 4 times throughout the movie. It was noticeable in sharper scenes, mostly the character's hair. This happened near the middle and end of the movie (I guess the studio's wanted to impress everyone with the beginning of the movie). I had heard the 3D was horrible when these TVs launched, but with recent firmware updates, it has greatly improved. I would highly recommend adding the latest firmware before using this TV as a workhorse. Samsung, keep them coming!

The 2D-3D conversion is very cool, and adds value to the Samsung over any other 3D brand as they're the only ones (plus Sony) who have this conversion engine. Can the 3D be improved? Certainly. This is a first generation 3DTV though, so bugs were expected, as they should be with a new product launch (DVD wasn't perfect either, anyone remember The Matrix "white rabbit" DVD problem?). The images don't pop out as much with the 3D upconversion, but I also haven't properly calibrated the TV as I'm in the break in mode. If you're like me and buying this set for current 2D content, then the 3D is just a value-added bonus.

Luckily, Samsung has been excellent with releasing new firmware every month. My TV came with 1019 installed. I manually updated to 1022. If you check, there was just an update to 1026 was recently released. I highly recommend making sure you get the most up-to-date firmware as there are a lot of 3D fixes.

Amazon shipping - I was worried about this as several reviewers had received TVs with cracked screens. I heard one story where someone had to exchange their TV 3 times due to cracked screens. Good God, that would be upsetting! I once again lucked out. The shipping service was Pilot, and they were most excellent, especially since the TV arrived in perfect condition. I scheduled the delivery window online through a link emailed to me. I received a call an hour beforehand that they could deliver it sooner. Since it was before my 4-hour window and I was preoccupied, they came back at the scheduled time. They brought the TV in, unboxed it, set the TV on the stand, and powered it up. I had to sign a checklist that there was: no damage to the set, screen powers on, screen has no dead pixels/bad image, and remote works. They then took the box away. I would say the entire process took 10 minutes. What service! If I ever need another TV, I will use Amazon henceforth.

So that's my review. Take it as you will as I understand your mileage might vary. If you're on the fence, I would just order this set as you might be in the surprise of your life. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. CNET didn't review this set at the time when I ordered it, but they have now and it is currently listed as the best 3D set, and number 2 overall for 2D picture quality. Consumer Reports also rated this as a best deal TV.

I have heard some cases where the TV has worked perfectly, then 3 weeks later it takes a dump. I've had it about a month now, and will update this review appropriately should there be a change in my rating.

Unbelievable Detail Aug 07, 2010
I am not one to normally write reviews, however i felt compelled to write this review since there is not much first hand information outside of CNET on the PNC7000. I am sort of a video file and have been do homework on my new TV upgrade for almost a year. I currently had a Samsung 40" LCD which i loved. The picture was amazing and i never had any ghosting, motion blur, or image problems whatsoever. I did need however a larger screen size, 58". I began looking at LED LCD's exclusively . Plasma wasn't even a consideration. I had my eye on the Samsung UN55B7000/8000 series. This LCD had received pretty good professional and user reviews. I was sold on this LCD until i watched one in person outside of the retailer showroom. The motion blur and dejudder were horrible and the colors and images looked unrealistic. At this point I starting looking at Plasma. I began to really look at the detail and realness of the plasma vs LED and not the brightness and vivid colors of the LED. Looking at TVs with this perspective showed me the major difference between the two technologies. I went to BB and did a side by comparison of the Samsung UNC6000/7000 and the Samsung PNC7000. The image detail was so much better on the plasma. Watching Discovery channel is simply amazing. The colors of the grass look real. The flesh tones looked real. Now its certainly not as bright as the LED and that takes some getting used to if you already have an LCD, but the Plasma shows much more realistic image quality. I did however really like the UNC8000, but it was way out of my price range. For under 2K with free blue ray and glasses this set cant be beat. As for 3D, its really cool. Although not a feature i needed to have, i am glad it does. It shows really well on MvA and I cant wait for more 3D content. Its a great feature. Style? this set gets major style points. It has a matte finish, hard to find over piano black, and a clear glass border which is sweet looking. It also comes mounted with a clear bezel on a stainless steel stand that looks killer. Great WAF(wife acceptance factor)

The reason I can't give this set 5 stars are as follows: Buzz! the only real issue from the users standpoint was the buzz. I took a chance and my set has a consistent buzz after start up. The good news is that i can only hear it when the volume(i am connected to a Yamaha receiver and Take 5 Classic surround speakers with Polk Audio 10" subwoofer) is down so low you wouldn't be able watch TV anyway. The Xbox 360 has a louder hum than the TV, but the TV should'nt have it at all. Its certainly not a deal breaker but the buzz is real. There is also no Standard AV connections on the back(this did not affect my rating). I needed to upgrade my wii cables to component video to be able to play it on this set. Not a huge deal and i should have looked it up prior to ordering. I just assumed there would be at least one standard AV connection. Could only give 4 stars because of the Buzz!

All in all i feel that this is the set to have for the price and image quality. 3D looks amazing, plenty of picture adjustments and settings, widgets(i have CAT6 hardwired for widgets and updates), blue ray looks outstanding, great stand alone image appeal and the set really captures the detail and realism over LCD, in my opinion.

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From the Manufacturer
BRAVIA XBR HDTVs have become the benchmark by which all others are measured, and the performance-oriented feature set on the XBR6 series shows why. Exclusive motion and color technologies deliver legendary XBR performance. 10-bit processing and 10-bit displays, x.v.Color technology and Deep Color render a wide color gamut and smooth color transitions. Motionflow 120Hz and 24p True Cinema provide smoother picture performance with unprocessed 24p film reproduction. XBR6 Series HDTVs include Sony's innovative DMex technology which "future-proofs" them by creating an expandable platform for connecting to devices that haven't even been invented yet. Of course, right now they will also connect seamlessly with other Sony products like camcorders, computers, digital cameras, and the interesting new Bravia Internet Video Link. HDMI-CEC compatibility means you can control everything from one remote. They are even DLNA compliant, offer Sony’s unique PhotoTV HD, and include swivel stands.

A bold new design with a color-accented speaker grille complements the gloss black finish, which also hints at the floating glass look of previous XBR models. If you’re looking for some personalization you can purchase an optional speaker grille in multiple colors.

Key Features

New:TV Guide IPG

New:Enhanced (XMB) User Interface with Rich 3D Graphics

New:DLNA Compliant

16:9 Full HD 1080p Resolution Panel (1920 x 1080p)

BRAVIA Engine fully digital video processor

Advanced Contrast Enhancer circuit (ACE)

50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

24p True Cinema capable

DMeX capable

BRAVIA Sync capable

S-Force Front Surround Voice Zoom

Robust Connectivity with 4 HDMI inputs, 2 HD Component inputs, and a PC Input

Piano Gloss Black with Onyx Speaker Grille

Remote: RM-YD023

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Full HD 1080p

Full HD 1080p means our connections accept 1080p signals and the display will render that signal in Full HD 1080p. The flexibility of native 1920 x 1080 displays allows any high definition content to be viewed without the need to downconvert images to the native resolution of the display. Take full advantage of Blu-ray Disc players and PlayStation 3 systems that can deliver 1080p content.

(Found in S, V, W, Z, and XBR Series HDTVs)

Digital Media Extender (DMe^x)

Sony's DigitalMedia Extender (DMe^x) offers a digital connection path for optional modules like the BRAVIA Internet Video Link, as well as other modules you can add in the future. Innovative DMe^x expansion capabilities integrate into the award-winning XMB user interface making HDTVs a powerful entertainment platform that not only meets current needs, but expands to meet tomorrow’s needs as well.

BRAVIA Engine Technology

The latest version of Sony’s respected BRAVIA Engine fully digitalvideo processor uses a collection of unique SONY algorithms to significantly reduce noise and produce sharp, vibrant, life-like images.

Dynamic Noise Reduction: Intelligently identifies and dramatically reduces noise in the signal according to the motion and brightness of each scene for clearer, crisper images.

Detail Enhancement: Improved image enhancement algorithms render greater overall detail.

Contrast Enhancement: Works with the Advanced Contrast Enhancer circuit to optimize the contrast for every scene to create better depth and reality.

BRAVIA Engine technology optimizes the color, contrast, detail and clarity of every scene for the exceptional performance that BRAVIA HDTVs are known for.

Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE)

Part of the cinematic drama in film-making comes from details found in shadows and dark areas of the picture. Sony’s Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE)n uses real-time image processing to dynamically adjust backlight levels for improved contrast without masking details the filmmaker intended you to see. ACE delivers deep blacks in darker scenes, as well as fine details in shadows and other dark areas of the picture for a difference you can truly see.

Motionflow™ 120Hz Technology

No Motion Flow

With Motion Flow
Motionflow 120Hz technology doubles the number of existingframes by calculating in real time and inserting 60 entirely new frames between the original 60 frames. It uses a special Sony-developed algorithm that detects specific objects, as well as the movement of the overall scene and intelligently applies the right amount of enhancement. There’s
more to the story.

Unlike some other high frame rate technologies, Motionflow also includes Sony’s unique Image Blur Reduction algorithm, which reduces blur from the original source image captured by a camera before applying motion enhancement technology.

Judderis a visual artifact that shows up in video content that has been converted from film-based content. A visible jerking or stuttering effect can sometimes be seen during motion sequences on converted film-based content that may be noticeable on scenes that include panning.

There are many forms of high frame rate technology in the market today, but only Motionflow 120Hz technology uses special Sony algorithms designed to intelligently detect and apply the right amount of enhancement to reduce judder and deliver a smoother, sharper picture with more natural motion of the original film.

24p True Cinema

Movies and many prime time TV programs are shot at 24 frames per second. This means that TVs operating at any refresh rate that is not an even multiple of 24 will have to do some interpolation to present the content. TVs operating at at 30Hz or 60Hz traditionally solved this via a method called "2:3 pulldown". The television repeats the first film frame over the first two fields of video, and the second film frame over the next three fields of video (1, 1, 2, 2, 2), and continues to do this with the 3rd and 4th frames, the 5th and 6th framer (1,1,2,2,2 - 3,3,4,4,4 - 5,5,6,6,6), and so on until 24 frames are displayed over 60 refresh cycles. This discrepancy in the number of times frames are displayed can lead to a jerky motion in filmed material which some viewers notice for example, especially with scenes that pan.

120, on the other hand, is an even multiple of 24. Televisions with 24p capability, operating at 120Hz, can display an equal number of frames for every refresh cycle.

The benefit—You can watch movies in natural, cinematic motion, the way they are seen at the cinema. Every single frame of the movie can now be seen without using additional video processing that converts film-based images to video reproduction. Additionally, 24p True Cinema input capability can be used along with Motionflow™ 120Hz technology for outstanding fluid motion beyond what you would typically see at the cinema. Once you experience 24p video it will be hard to view video without it.

(Found in S, V, W, Z, and XBR Series HDTVs).

Sony's Blu-ray disc players wisely take advantage of this by including 24p output capability.

x.v Color

RGB Color Range

xvYCC Color Range
Thanks to the adoption of a newly approved international color standard called xvYCC (an option in the HDMI v1.3 spec and which Sony participated in creating), the color space has been greatly expanded.

All XBR HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation “xvYCC” color space actually offers an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize.

Next-generation “xvYCC” color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals

Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately

Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors

Select products such as four Sony Handycam High Definition camcorders include x.v.Color to reproduce color that takes you beyond HD.

10-bit Processor and 10-bit Panel

While it’s great to state that a TV is capable of creating billions of colors it’s a whole lot better when you have a true 10-bit display that can actually display them. Sony combines 10-bit processing with a 10-bit panel, allowing 64 times the levels of color expression. What that translates to is smoother transitions from color to color and subtle color changes faithfully reproduced without a paint-by-numbers look.

So, where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color.

Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors

Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors

Enables increased contrast ratio

Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white.

(Found in all Z and XBR Series HDTVs)

Rich Graphic On-Screen Control Interface

Delivering a fun user experience is what the new rich graphics are designed to do. Accessing video content and sharing digital photos with your family and friends on an HDTV is now fast, easy and fun. Colorful thumbnails cascade before your eyes allowing you to visually choose what you want to see. Viewing digital images through Sony’s photo viewer is now more organized and can be quickly accessed.

TV Guide On-Screen Interactive Program Guide

The TV Guide On-screen IPG delivers continually updated program listings to users. The guide requires no subscription fees or phone connection and is available at no extra cost to the consumer. Sony is the first company to integrate the TV Guide On-Screen User Interface into a custom interface — Sony’s exclusive Xross Media Bar user interface.

(Found in all V, W, Z, and XBR Series HDTVs)

Connectivity

In 2007 Sony included HDMI CEC capability in select HDTV and BRAVIA Theatre Home Audio products, which led to a one-touch function Sony feature called BRAVIA Theatre Sync. This feature allows the access and control multiple tasks and system operations with one button ease. BRAVIA Sync is now being introduced as the name for a new family of control features that not only includes BRAVIA Theatre Sync, but will now include BRAVIA Sync. This feature allows the user to control a CEC-enabled camcorder connected to a BRAVIA HDTV via an HDMI cable by using the HDTV’s remote control and an on-screen display that shows camcorder transport functions.

(Found in all V, W, Z, and XBR Series HDTVs)

All Connections

4 HDMI — High Definition Multimedia

2 component video inputs

PC Input: Limited to resolutions supported by both the PC and the Sony TV. See Sony TV users manual and PC documentation for supported resolutions.

Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)

All 2008 XBR and Z-Series BRAVIA HDTVs are DLNA-compliant.

You already know something about digital living. There’s the TV and digital video recorder in your family room. (And another set in your bedroom.) You have a PC and digital printer in your office, along with a network attached storage device. And you’ve copied all your music onto your portable music player and haven’t had to open a CD case for years. But getting them to talk to each other can be pretty tough. Why is it still so difficult to send digital content from one device to another?

Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is a collaboration of the world’s leading consumer electronics, PC and mobile companies that has created design guidelines for a new generation of products that can work together — no matter the brand.

Think for a moment about all of the photos “locked away” on your home PC that you wish you could access while entertaining your friends and family. Now, thanks to DLNA enabled devices, a DLNA-enabled PC can be accessed from the comfort of your living room or family room via a DLNA-enabled HDTV, where you can enjoy your memories with friends and family, without having to deal with the hassle and non-intuitive “PCexperience”.

Or, say you recently downloaded your daughter’s birthday party video from your digital camcorder to your PC. Now you want to share it with your parents who are visiting. Without DLNA, you probably have to burn a DVD of the video or hook up the camcorder to the TV. With DLNA, you can just use your TV’s remote to call up the video on your TV. That’s it.

Live Color Creation featuring WCG-CCFL Backlight

Many colors in the real world such as deep reds, greens and clear blues cannot be expressed with conventional display technologies. Working in combination with Sony’s special WCG-CCFL backlight in LCD HDTVs in our HDTVs, Live Color Creation technology achieves wide color reproduction using advanced chroma signal processing algorithms. The primary benefits are clear blues, natural greens and an overall vibrant color for all scenes.

(Found in XBR6 Series HDTVs)

Optimized Theater Mode

Developed in consultation with the Sony Pictures Entertainment movie studio, most 2008 Sony BRAVIA LCD HDTVs feature our optimized Theater Mode. Selecting the THEATER mode on the BRAVIA HDTV remote automatically adjusts a number of key elements that have an important impact on reproducing movies better. Skin tones and lighting are seen as natural without over-enhancing color and contrast. The picture is fine-tuned for a dark viewing environment just like the cinema and optimized for LCD display technology. Even the right amount of film grain is included. All of this helps preserve the mood and detail so you enjoy the cinema
experience that you go to the theater to see, right in the comfort of your home.

Optimized Theater Mode is another great example of Sony HDNA in action. We not only create the exciting movies that you see at the cinema but also enhance the home viewing experience to
recreate it as only Sony can.

(Found on most Sony® BRAVIA LCD HDTVs.)

Note: Optimized “Theater Mode” was developed in consultation Columbia Pictures, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

Audio Features
S-Force Front Surround
Built around a sophisticated set of Sony algorithms, the S-Force Front Surround enhancement function generates realistic surround sound from the two speakers in the TV. Unlike some other "virtual surround" technologies, S-Force Front Surround sound does not need to be bounced off of side walls or other surfaces to hear three-dimensional sound. No matter what the size or shape of the room it's possible to hear sounds from behind you.

SRS TruSurround XT
TruSurround is a patented SRS technology that solves the problem of playing 5.1 multichannel content over two speakers. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through any two-speaker playback system, including internal television speakers and headphones. It is fully compatible with all multichannel formats up to 5.1 channels. High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the two hidden, downward-firing side-mounted 2.2-channel dome speakers built into the TV.

SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass.

TruSurround XT audio also adds three audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.

Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into Focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.

TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.

The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.

Stereo broadcast reception is offered for MTS and SAP with 181-channel capacity. A sound leveler keeps audio volume consistent during channel changing.

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get.

Minimum size= Viewing distance/3

Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5

Which Sony Bravia Series is Right For You?

Series
Size Range
Resolution Bravia Engine ACE True 24p DMe^x TV Guide IPG 3D Graphic Onscreen Controls 120 Hz 10-Bit
Deep Color x.v. Color DLNA
Backlight Dynamic Contrast Multi Device Control Component Inputs HDMI Inputs Speakers Standard Features

L 32",37"
720p
(1366x768)

8,000:1
1 2 2 x 10W
1 PC Input

178 degree viewing angle

VESA mounting compatible

8 ms panel response

ATSC/NTSC tuner with QAM

M (19-inch) 19"
720p
(1440x900)

9,000:1
1 1 2 x 5W

M 26",32",37"
720p
(1366x768) BE2 ACE

9,000:1 Bravia Theatre Sync 2 2 2 x 10W

N 26",32",37" 720p
(1366x768) BE2 ACE

9,000:1 Bravia Theatre Sync 2 2 6 (2x7W + 20W internal subwoofer + 2x7W external)

S 40",46"
1080p
(1920x1080)
ACE

25,000:1
2 3 2 x 10W

V 40",42",46",52"
1080p
(1920x1080) BE2 ACE

25,000:1 Bravia Sync 2 4 2 x 10W

W 40",46",52"
1080p
(1920x1080 BE2 ACE

30,000:1 Bravia Sync 2 4 2 x 10W

Z 40",46"
1080p
(1920x1080 BE2 ACE

30,000:1 Bravia Sync 2 4 2 x 10W

XBR6
(37-inch
or smaller) 32",37"
1080p
(1920x1080) BE2 ACE

25,000:1 Bravia Sync 2 4 2 x 10W

XBR6
(40-inch
or larger) 40",46",52"
1080p
(1920x1080 BE2 ACE WCG-CCFL 50,000:1 Bravia Sync 2 4 2 x 10W

XBR8 46",55"
1080p
(1920x1080 BE2
Pro ACE Pro TRILUMINOS RGB LED over 1,000,000:1 Bravia Sync 2 4 TBD

Consumer Reports Says: Buy HDTV at Amazon!

Washington, D.C. (October 31, 2008) -- When it comes to price, Consumer Reports says shoppers are most likely to find the best deals online. And the publication called three ecommerce sites "standouts" in this year's Consumer Reports ratings of electronics stores: Amazon.com, Crutchfield.com and B&H (bhphotovideo.com)

The magazine's survey was based on more than 38,000 purchases of electronics, including flat-screen TVs, between January 2007 and June 2008. The report indicated that online stores consistently offered better prices. (The magazine's full report can be found in its December 2008 issue.)

"Buying online can be better," the magazine said in a press release. "The higher-rated electronics retailers in Consumer Reports annual reader survey are Web sites. Readers who bought online rated their overall satisfaction at 90 out of 100 -- higher than those who bought in a store. Additionally, many Web merchants offer free shipping, even on TVs, which could spare the hassle of struggling to fit a bulky carton in the car or paying a local store for delivery."

Consumer Reports said that while no single retailer scored excellent in all shopping categories, Amazon.com and Crutchfield.com came closest.

SonyXBR8.com is proud to be an Amazon.com SuperStore