My hotttttttttt new TV

I've thought for a little while that having a big, fancy TV was a huge extravagance - it seemed kindof unnecessary and just a little overboard. So I got an old school Sony Trinitron XBR 36" CRT TV from a colleague and hauled all 216 lbs of it into my old aparment. For the moment, I was fine.

So I thought, "I don't need a flat screen, I've got a beautiful picture right here! I've got excellent contrast and glorious colours and sharp blacks and strong reds."

Then I had to move to a top-floor San Francisco apartment with no elevator in the building... and try to determine how many Computer Graphics nerds does it take to haul a 216 lb, front-heavy beast-of-a-TV up multiple flights of stairs. The answer? Get movers.

But the plot thickened, because movers were going to be $400. Ouch. I decided instead to recruit some kind friends and get a ZipCar Toyota Tacoma truck, and lug all my stuff on a day with impending rain... but it was all a complete success. And I sold that darn TV on craigslist and got one guy and is 2 poor buddies to lug the thing outta my old apartment (which was the main floor, thankfully).

Now onwards and upwards. So I modified my original ideas, and decided that LCD TVs weren't just for people with money to waste... it was for people who didn't want to pay $400 to movers every time they wanted to move apartments and had to move a TV of sumo-wrestler proportions to their new home.

After some massive research, emails to friends, reading articles upon articles on CNET, referring to Consumer Reports, talking to co-workers and family and friends... I decided actually against the Samsung LN40A550. I was pretty sure I was going to go for that and turns out when I looked at it side-by-side with the S-Series and V-Series Sony Bravia's at BestBuy, I was not too happy with some of the pixellation that was happening from the source channels. The picture in even the cheaper Sony seemed to be "cleaner" (that's the S-Series) though the colours didn't seem as vibrant in the S-series Sony. Anyway, the pixellation artifacts really bugged me in the Samsung LN40A550, and so I looked at the upgrade one, the Samsung LN40A650, which was almost $1700... and the picture was a lot better and sharper in that one. But it was pretty expensive.

Soooooooo... long story short... the Sony Style store downtown is closing. They will sell their stock and their floor models for a ridiculously amazing price. I ended up getting an absolutely ridiculous price (like 55% off MSRP?!) for the Sony V-Series. Since the deal was so good, I went up a size and got the 46" TV... the KDL-46V4100!! It is gorgeous. It looks AMAZING, the quality is great, the size upgrade from my old 36" CRT to the new 46" LCD is massive. This looks just amazing, the local free HD channels look amazing, and I can't wait to watch some movies on this awesome TV!!

So far there are some amazing features, the menuing system is very, very good. It is clearly modeled after the PS3 system (also by Sony) and it is incredibly simple and efficient. The TV itself looks great, and the quality is awesome. I believe this model has 60Hz Sony "MotionFlow" - the frame interpolation stuff, so I doubt I'll use that all that much... I didn't really like it when I saw it running on the James Bond trailer at the Sony Store... I agree with what some people say, it looks pretty weird.

Anyway this TV is just amazing, and I'll blog some photos soon. I now am officially impressed with large LCDs... as long as you get the deal-of-a-lifetime on them. ;)



Soooo hot. Here are some of the specs.

46" BRAVIA® V-Series LCD Flat Panel HDTV
Model Number: KDL-46V4100
V-Series features: Full HD 1080p, BRAVIA Engine 2™ , Advanced Contrast Enhancer circuit (ACE), 24p True Cinema capable, enhanced XMB™ user interface, BRAVIA Sync capable, piano black gloss finish
(Screen size measured diagonally.)

This is HD done the Sony way. The awe-inspiring KDL-46V4100 brings 1080p picture quality home with amazing, Sony-exclusive features like the XMB (Xross Media Bar®) with 3D graphics, DMex capability so you can add functionality to your TV, and technologies like ACE (Advanced Contrast Enhancer) and BRAVIA Engine 2™ for impeccable picture quality. Add to all this a sophisticated, piano black design, 24p capability so you can get the most out of the movies you watch on Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD media, four HDMI™ inputs along with three other HD-capable connections, and you have a TV that dreams are made of.
16:9 Full HD 1080p

16:9 Full HD 1080p resolution panel (1920 x 1080) accepts any HDTV signal and renders them with optimum resolution.
Motionflow 60Hz technology

Motionflow 60Hz technology allows you to enjoy movies and prime-time TV (film-based content) with a clarity and resolution in motion that will spoil you. Sony’s Motionflow motion-compensation algorithm identifies film content and removes “judder”. That means you'll get a clearer picture during sweeping pans with reduced visible jerking or stuttering.
DMeX™² functionality

DMeX™² functionality lets you expand your HDTV’s capabilities by connecting optional BRAVIA® Link Modules, such as the DMX-NV1 BRAVIA® Internet Video Link module (sold separately).
Enhanced Xross Media Bar™ (XMB™)

Enhanced Xross Media Bar™ (XMB™) makes it simple and intuitive to navigate the television's menus, controls, and user settings.
TV Guide Interactive Program Guide

TV Guide Interactive Program Guide is integrated into Sony’s exclusive Xross Media Bar™ user interface to deliver continually updated program.
BRAVIA® Sync™ capability

BRAVIA® Sync™ capability combines the one-touch access and control functionality of BRAVIA® Theatre Sync™ with the ability to control CEC-enabled Sony® Handycam® camcorders using the TV’s remote and an on-screen display.
HDMI™ and PC connectivity

HDMI™ and PC connectivity transmit both uncompressed digital video and multi-channel digital audio on the same cable for maximum versatility. (4) HDMI™ inputs deliver up to 1080/60p input capable video content. Additionally, a PC input1(HD-15 pin) offers up to a 1920 x 1080p connection to your PC so you can use your HDTV as a computer monitor.
BRAVIA Engine™

BRAVIA Engine™ fully digital video processor significantly reduces noise, enhances overall image detail, and optimizes contrast.
Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE)

Advanced Contrast Enhancer circuit (ACE) dynamically controls the backlight improving contrast and resulting in deep blacks in dark without losing fine details in shadows and other dark areas of the picture.
24p True Cinema mode

24p True Cinema mode enables you to enjoy films at their intended 24 fps (frames per second) when viewed using a 24p capable output device, such as a Blu-ray Disc™ player.
S-Force® Front Surround enhancement

S-Force® Front Surround enhancement function generates realistic, virtual three-dimensional “surround sound” from the two speakers in the TV.
Favorites function

Favorites function features rich graphics capability that makes it easy and fun to quickly access video content.
Voice Zoom

Voice Zoom extracts the "center" sound (where the human voice is positioned) so you can control the volume of commentators.
VESA® compatible hole spacing

VESA® compatible hole spacing uses an industry-standard mounting hole pattern that can be used with VESA-compliant mounting brackets.