i still think the kuro is bad-ass, dont get me wrong. just hate exaggerated comparisons (like monster cable for instance)

yea the LCDs can get darker than that. I'm curious what the backlight settings are at. I know some reviewers that review "out of the box" settings... if so than that sony is on Vivid, color cranked and backlight max.

its not in 480p.. there are certain hidden camera shots like on the patio and in the bedrooms that look to be 480p... the studio shots, like the actual cooking competition and interviews are very much HD

Light sensor technology on LCDs exists, but most people turn it off because it throws off the picture (i.e. not very accurate)

I believe local dimming LEDs are where we are today. Large sized affordable OLEDs are too far away right now.

I'm actually surprized that the trend this round was more 120hz displays instead of LEDs with local dimming.

doesn't seem like a large enough improvement to get a new model over the old....

Picture mode? most will say "pass". 33,000 contrast? Obviously dynamic, so you can ignore this.

37" and lower with no 1080p? (and who'd need 1080p at that size, unless it serves as your PC monitor)

I'm a 46v3000 owner and I love it. This generation of sonys makes me proud to own my model. Theres a technology lull with LCD. 120hz is still the buzzword, yet I'm still not sold. With "triple ball effect" motion artifacts and "soap opera effect" during movies, I'm not missing much.

This is the model generation to pass, IMO.

the plasma elitist attitude was funny at first... its getting tacky. Apparently all LCDs are visio/sabre.

I'll agree with this: LCDs aren't ideal in a blackened room environment. But they're great with ambient light. Come to think of it, all theaters I've been to recently use ambient lighting. I didn't even completely blacken the room when I had guests over to watch movies on my 36" sony wega CRT years ago.

Bottom line-- the tone of voice reminds me of h4ldol preaching to "J6P".

Heres my problem with this: He's giving advice for something he doesn't seem to know much about. I suppose this is good info for a fresh beginner...

He seems to only have the tv. No component cables for his wii, no blu-ray player, no A/V receiver, and "modest" speakers. Which is fine, you know, he says he needs to start "saving his pennies", and not everyone can afford this hobby.

My problem is that he doesn't talk about what to look for in a television. AT ALL. Draw a map, hide cables, measure to make sure you have room.

Bottom line- for an article on a site called "extreme tech", i'm not quite sure what its trying to accomplish. "I think one day I might need a 5.1 receiver, but not now... but you might. if its a good time for you, you might consider it maybe." Ugh.

has anyone ever seen a single show or movie on TBS that is actually in HD? Is TBS truly a station that has never once shown a show in HD ever??

Ok, let me say this:

I'm sure theres SOME hd content on CNN HD, but as many times as I've checked it, i haven't SEEN it yet. Just side-bars and clear scrolling text.

BUT sci-fi and USA have come through. YES dr. who had pillar-bars, but for some reason it still seemed high-res (clearer than a pillar-bar'ed sd channel) Battlestar galactica IS true HD.

And for USA, Law and Order: SVU is true HD. Thank you, dish.

are there that many cartoons broadcast in HD? I suppose it'd be great for the adult swim (though i don't believe family guy or aqua teen are widescreen... futurama too? And a few animes arent)