Sony Bravia W-Series KDL-52W3000 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
See it at Amazon.com for $2,050.00Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Fantastic TV, Phenomenal Picture, Sony - way to go!
1080p, v1.3 HDMI, fantastic picture, all the latest technologies and it's a Sony. Nothing much else to say but this TV is awesome. You won't be disappointed. My buddy has a Pioneer 50" 1080p plasma that costs almost twice as much and this LCD blows it away in picture quality, life like color reproduction and doesn't show any reflections like the plasma definately does. I also own a Mitsubishi 52" 1080p DLP and did not think the picture could get any better and I was wrong, way wrong. This TV has a phenomenal picture that I have yet to see on any other TV that I have looked at.
(5 out of 5)Great choice
I spent many moths reading up on LCD and Plasma HDTVs and visiting every local showroom multiple times. Also reading all the posts on AVS for every TV of interest. I had held of purchasing a TV because I felt the 120Hz sets were likely to be the first ones I would consider due to motion blur. Those came out and I started doing live compares and reading the posts and reviews on various sites. It became apparent that a) the non-120Hz sets are doing very well with motion blur these days and b) 120Hz doesn't really help with motion blur to any noticeable extent (but adds a lot to the price). I argued with myself for a long time but decided even though 120Hz felt like "insurance" on image quality there just wasn't evidence to really support it. I looked at Sharp, Samsung etc. as well as comparing the 52" W3000 and XBR4. I ultimately settled on the W3000 from a local store so I could return it if I was disappointed after viewing it. I never once considered returning this thing as the picture quality is phenominal (on HD and good quality SD feeds). No clouding, no banding, no dead pixels, nor any of the other horror stories you read about in reviews on every brand. As one review I read some time ago said, the PQ on these sets is so high you can find yourself glued to the set watching some show that is of absolutely no interest to you but which has great HD imagery. I've kept following AVS posts on the main brands I considered and on the whole the W3000 maintains a strong positive set of feedback. I recommend it without hesitation. I have my paired with a Toshiba A20 for 1080/24p output and it is a great and troublefree combination.
(4 out of 5)Got HD? (Sony KDL-52W3000)
Strengths: Razor sharp 1080p and 1080i, wide viewing angles, vivid "Live Color Creation", many connectivity options, anti-glare screen, excellent value.
Weaknesses: No 120Hz refresh rate. No LED backlight illumination.
Summary: Buying a large screen LCD TV online can be daunting. Luckily, I've gotten a great holiday deal from an online merchant back in Dec. 2007 and CevaEagle Global delivered it quickly and without damage.
Like most informed consumers, I did lots of research online and visited local stores to compare different brands. I decided on mid-tier models for heavy-duty family room viewing and narrowed down to the Sony KDL-52W3000 and Sharp LC-52D92U. The Sharp has better contrast, black shade levels, and 120Hz refresh rate while the Sony has better color and stock audio. The Sony won because I use stock audio 75% of the time and costs less.
My KDL-52W3000 is connected to Directv HD DVR (HDMI), Sony Blu-ray Disc player (HDMI), Panasonic 5.1 HTIB (component and optical digital audio), and Wii(component). Satellite HD (1080i-interlaced) are crisp and detailed (can see one strand of hair sticking out on newscaster) Blu-ray discs (1080p-progressive) are just eye-poppingly, retina-scorchingly sharp. Stock audio sounds good set on Dynamic with S-Force Front Surround. However, not quite as good as the HTIB (which I'll upgrade soon for even better sound). My kids and I are happy with the Wii's 480p resolution set to Vivid. The downside to all this HD is all the SD(standard definition) channels look blurry but can be somewhat enhanced by using Vivid picture setting.
Being an avid NBA and NCAA hoops fan, I was a bit concerned with the lack of 120Hz refresh rate. However, I initially noticed some occasional blurring during quick movements and turning off Noise Reduction and MPEG noise reduction has made it a non-issue. The satellite HD-DVR is set to 16:9 standard format while the TV is set to Full (wide mode). This stretches out most SD channels but the HD channels are all in correct proportion with the occasional boxes on the sides (set by station). The Lack of LED backlight means some uneven lighting during dark scenes and fading to black. Turning off "Gamma" and "Clear White" in advanced picture settings has helped minimize occasional graininess / screen noise with varying shades of black. Also, LEDs last longer than fluorescent backlight but by that time I've already upgraded.
By no means a perfect large screen LCD HDTV, the KDL-52W3000 delivers a powerful punch with excellent value, above-average picture and sound, plenty of connectivity options, and lots of setting options for those who like to tinker with electronics to set personal preferences.
(5 out of 5)Sony - made in Mexico?
I have had the TV for about a week and the picture is amazing, especially in 1080 broadcasts. The only frustration is waiting for the full HD/Digital turnover in 09'. After watching 1080 broadcasts, it's difficult to watch normal TV. The upconverter works seemlessly and DVD's and DVR shows look wonderfu, not sure how. I would like to get an HD or Blu-ray but don't want to make the move until the prices come down.
My only negative comment would be that I did not know that Sony was made in Mexico. The reason I mention this is that it appears that the speaker grill was pushed on with some big thumbs. There are many dents and bumbs in the grill, I have not decided if I want to send the TV back because there is not a single bad pixel and the TV works great. I will have to wait and see if my eye continues to focus on these bumbs in the grill.
The brushed metal case is beautiful and I think it will be more of a classic look that will stand the test of time better than the floating frame on the XBR's.
Before you accept the TV, look at the speaker grill to see if it is dented or uneven. Perhaps it is only my TV but I hope this helps you look for a potential defect before signing for the TV. I wish I had know to look for this detail prior to receiving my TV. I was so focused on checking the brushed metal case for scrates or dents that I hardly glanced at the bottom speaker grill. Hours later after I got all of the cables tucked and tied and the tv in it's final position that I noticed the uneven reflections on the grill. Delivery was great and the TV came about a week early.
Also, the price is great saved about $1200 over the big box stores.
(5 out of 5)You can stop shopping here!
Being the happy owner of a 52' Sony projection set, I was skeptical about whether I would be as satisfied with this LCD. I am amazed at how much I was missing without even knowing it - the picture quality is amazing and I couldn't be happier! The setup was almost too easy - I kept expecting to have to call someone to help - but I was able to do it all myself. If you are in the market for an LCD, spend your money on this set. It's worth it!