Sony Bravia SXRD KDS-55A3000 Reviews

Lamp blew after a year and a half
by G. Mochan from Seattle, WA, 2010-02-25

We loved this TV until the lamp blew after only a year and a helf and we had to pay $296 with taxs and shipping to replace it. It blew a couple days into the Winter Olympics and Sony kept delaying shipping so we missed most of the games. Very unhappy with the product and SONY customer service!

Bravo for Bravia!
by Grand Poobah from Phoenix, AZ, 2008-02-28

This RP (Rear Projection) HDTV was recommended to me by colleagues that own them. I am glad I listened to them.

SUPERB picture quality (it won a best picture award in 2007) and plenty of inputs (the side inputs are very convenient). GREAT TV FOR SPORTS (120 hz)! TV is 82 lbs., 36" tall, 50" wide, and 16" deep. I also recommend the TV stand by Pinnacle Design (mahogany wood/glass shelves, sells @ Best Buy for around 300 bucks, SKU# 8181674).

Don't spend the extra money on an LCD or Plasma! This TV has a better picture and sells for around $1,750 (Feb 2008). If you must go Plasma, stick with Panasonic or Pioneer. If you must go LCD, stick with Sony, Sharp or Samsung. Still, you will be spending $2,500 to $3,500 going the LCD/Plasma route. Save the money and spend it on your cable/satellite bills, a surround-sound system, Blue Ray DVD player, kids college fund, or a few nights out on the town with that "special woman" in your life.

Make sure to read the manual as it covers the many different functionalities of this outstanding TV. I know it sucks to read a manual...but trust me... you will learn tons of valuable information.

You will not be disappointed with this TV! You can thank me later.

Grand Poobah

Sony Bravia SXRD KDS-55A3000 55" 1080p Rear Projection HDTV

Great value, great picture
by Omar L. Gallaga from New Braunfelx, TX, 2008-02-08

Sony Bravia SXRD KDS-55A3000 55" 1080p Rear Projection HDTV

Really beautiful picture and very easy to set up. We considered the 52" Bravia LCD, but couldn't justify spending so much more for comparable picture quality when we didn't really need a flat-panel.

We did a lot of research and the reviews here and on Cnet were big factors in making our decision.

We're using it with DirecTV HD channels, a PS3 at 1080p and an Xbox360 with an HD-DVD add-on at 1080p over component. All produce a fantastic picture. WE couldn't be happier.

Only negative is that it takes longer to turn on than our older Toshiba HD RP set. But other than that, no complaints. The built-in digital tuner picks up a lot of local HD channels and works great, too.

Great HDTV if you can find it.
by Sudhir P. Moolky from Portland, OR, 2008-02-06

Sony is discontinuing this great RPTV. It has an Editor's Choice
award on cnet.com, grab it if you can. This TV is simply stunning when
paired with my Sony PS3. Spiderman 3 and BBC Planet Earth look awesome
in 1080p.

Ordered it through Amazon/Crutchfield. Shipping via Eagle
was a little bit inconvenient, they shipped from the East Coast on
Monday and arrived in Portland, OR on Friday. However, it arrived
late morning so it didn't get loaded on the local delivery truck.
I was told I could pick it up but my deal included white glove
service (deliver and set up on stand) so I had to wait till Monday
for that. While I did manage to get to their tracking web site, it
was pretty much useless as there was an entry for pickup on the East
Coast and then a local arrival entry 5 days later. Nothing in between.

Service by Amazon and Crutchfield were good though.

Excellent
by Pete S from Pennsylvania, USA, 2008-02-05

A great TV. Purchased in early January, I've only had it for about a month now, but have been nothing but pleased thus far. Picture clarity is fantastic, as is the color, and it's loaded with enough options to make any viewer happy. It's been said by some that the menu system is complicated, but any who have even the most basic understanding of modern-day tech navigation will have no problem at all. Plenty of inputs to accommodate most components.

I only have three complaints, and all of them are VERY minor. The first is that the TV lacks a USB input, so connecting a camera or memory stick for slideshow viewing is not possible. In its place is a PC input though, so one could easily play the show on a computer, or even burn a DVD of the photos to play in a DVD player.

The other two gripes are even more minor... the "mute" message stays on the screen at all times (when muted), which annoys me only b/c when watching a DVD I use only the 5.1 speakers, and it would be nice to just press mute rather than have to scroll the volume down every time. The other gripe is that the "TV" input cannot be removed from the input selection list, unlike all of the other inputs. I don't use the coax input at all since I have an HD cable box via HDMI, so I would like to get it off the top of the list. As I said, these are about as minor as one can get.

Just as a warning to any that aren't super informed about HDTV tech, this is a rear-projection system. That means four big things:

1) It will take a healthy 30 seconds to put a picture on the screen once turned on, and even then it will be dark for another 30-45 secs until the lamp warms up.

2) Since it does run off a lamp, which is estimated to last about 8,000 viewing hours, it will eventually need to be replaced, which will cost about $150-200 but can be easily done by the owner.

3) The TV is approx. 16" in depth, which means it CANNOT be wall-mounted, and needs to have a substantial base to sit on.

4) Since it is a projection system, viewing angles become very important. Viewers looking at the TV from extreme left or right angles will see a darkened, faded picture. An even more important consideration is vertical viewing angle. Unlike LCD or Plasma, this cannot be viewed from much below or above the set, lest you get the faded picture. Estimate the height your eyes are at when you watch TV, then plan your TV stand purchase accordingly to get the center of the screen as close to that height as possible.

Those points listed above are not complaints, as I was fully aware of those factors prior to purchase. I have listed them here to help describe the product in full.

All in all, a great machine that we've been very happy with. And really, a well-performing, 55" 1080p screen for this price is a bargain that's hard to beat.