Sony KDF-55WF655 55-Inch HD-Ready LCD Projection Television
Posted by TVReviews on September 28, 2009 · 3 Comments
Weighing in heavy on style, features, and quality, Sony’s cutting-edge, 55-inch KDF-55WF655 is nevertheless a lightweight when it comes to heft. That means the 101-pound LCD projection television is easy to position, and its relatively modest chassis–standing under 20 inches deep–won’t push you out of your house. The set is also loaded with great features, from integrated NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners to Sony’s WEGA Engine system, digital cable readiness, and the latest digital-video interface, HDMI. The set’s 1,366 x 788 liquid-crystal display frees you from having to make convergence adjustments or having to worry about image burn-in. Instead you get incredible detail (more than 3 million pixels), high contrast, and even, corner-to-corner brightness from the set’s user-replaceable 132-watt UHP (ultra high pressure) lamp. The screen features a wide, 16:9 aspect ratio to match the dimension of most movies and HDTV broadcasts, and the KDF-55WF655 offers compatibility w…
Buy Sony KDF-55WF655 55-Inch HD-Ready LCD Projection Television at Amazon
A new adopter of this 55-inch set, I have a few caveats for those who are thinking of plunking down the dough. First, if you are not planning on going all-out digital with your television broadcasts, then forget buying this unit. Any non-digital/non-high-definition source will look totally grainy and pixilated on the screen. This is not the fault of the TV or of the manufacturer, SONY. Basically this type of TV, like all HDTVs, is meant for digital television viewing. Watching normal TV on this set is hard on my eyes because the image is sometimes fuzzy and sometimes pixilated, and I can see some artifacts and ghosting.
However, if you can get digital cable or HD satellite (DirecTV, Dish, Voom) then you’re good to go. Mind you — these companies also provide an antenna for “off-air” viewing, which means to get local HD television broadcasts, you must use an antenna (pointing in the right direction of course) to receive the signal, but this is free. In fact, if you want to skip digital cable or satellite, then you can buy an antenna yourself and hook it up to this unit, which has an integrated HD TV (DTV) tuner. In a major metro area like San Francisco, we can get the signal easily — we are within 3.5 miles of a major broadcast tower.
As for viewing DVDs, this model really shines and happens to be a perfect compromise between the 50″ and 60″. I used two DVDs to test the picture when the unit arrived: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the 2004 edition of The Empire Strikes Back. I used Two Towers to test action sequences, shadows, and contrast. The unit performed brilliantly. I used Empire Strikes Back to test black levels. Brilliant. I had heard that black levels were problematic in LCDs, especially the previous version of this unit class, but I closely watched Darth Vader and all the space scenes to detect any flaws but there were NONE. I only got the truest of black; nothing appeared dark grey when it was supposed to be black, and the shadows were perfect, especially when watching Luke’s confrontation with Vader in the carbon-freezing room. Darth Vader’s shiny and matte black uniform looked exactly as it should, so I found no flaws with the blacks on this unit. In fact, both DVDs were awesome to watch, and I did sit through both to look for any kind of visual distraction.
One last note about such a large screen. If you don’t have ample room between your sofa and the screen, forget about getting such a large screen TV. You need ample room because watching TV close to one of these screens hurts your eyes. I sit anywhere from 7-9 feet back, and sometimes I still want to move back a little.
I recommend this unit without hesitation to anyone who is going all digital and who is willing to pay for the necessary evils of an all-digital experience. If you can’t, then I don’t recommend any HDTV because you’re only going to see worse-than-normal-TV images on-screen.
Now that we’ve had this Sony 55″ LCD in the house and used a great deal, I have a few comments for potential buyers.
This is my personal setup-
Comcast HD Digital Cable feed
Digital CableCard
Sony DVD with progressive scan toggled on
Component Video from DVD to HDTV
Surround Sound (5.1) from DVD player
8-12 feet from HDTV to seating area
Low lighting in room; little to no natual lighting
Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. My family, the kids and friends, really love it! Family members are so impressed with the DVD & HDTV picture quality that it’s fun to hear their reaction.
The HDTV from Comcast is 1080i and very good. Some channels are better then others, so set your expectations for quality on what is broadcasted from each channel. The best quality is coming from DiscoveryHD and INHD, INHD2 for general topics. ESPN-HD is also great. Some local HD channels are mixed and quality is on/off depending upon the technology in the camera used.
I also have a SONY DVD Progressive Scan/5.1 surround sound player. DVD Component Video output to either of the two Sony HDTV Component Video-In provides the better picture. Don’t go cheap on the Component Video cables.
Combined with the surround sound audio, progressive scan video to this Sony HDTV provides results that are just wonderful and entertaining. It’s amazing for family and friends that have not seen or heard DVD/HDTV combo yet.
We just finished watching Lord of the Rings, Extended versions for all three movies – one each weekend. The picture quality is so very clear; action sequences are great but my most enjoyable seens are the landscapes in Return of the King. You will find yourself “looking around the HDTV”, focusing on areas of the picture and noticing things never before seen or observed. The surround sound DVD player is a major component of enjoyment.
Picture quality is very sharp with recent animated DVD videos from Toy Story, Shrek, Incredibles, and others.
We just love it.
ROOM TO IMPROVE Areas:
The remote is less then friendly and logical. Buttons are too small, most used functions are spread around the unit. Lighting in dark rooms isn’t there. Getting the remote pointed DIRECTLY at the HDTV is annoying. Other cautions – there is a button or more to switch between Cable and Antenna inputs!! That caused me pain solving that mystery out. If Sony could redesign the remote and keep it compatable, I’ll be one of the first to buy it.
The cold power-on and warm-up time seems long. It may take 15 seconds or more to get the bright, clear picture so be patient.
At times, the picture and sound get off queue by maybe a second. This may not be the HDTV, but I’ve noticed it more now then with the old CRT TV set.
When using a Sony Memory Stick for pictures, the HDTV provided music is great, except when it repeats itself over and over in 15-20 second segments. Too bad Sony didn’t include more lengthy music segments. Another item, why is Sony only accepting their own “picture card” and not other standards such as Compact Flash, SD Cards, etc.
First of all lets take a moment to thank my dear wife, who approved buying this
and now she is so much in love with this set. For watching DVDs I am using a 4 year old Sony DVD player and the results can be divided into 2 broad categories. The newer DVDs look absolutely stunning, however the older ones look a little flat, and this may be due to the quality of the DVDs itself. I do not have a progressive scan DVD player [yet] and I am told that it’s a great experience to move up to 480p from 480i. I am considering buying a HDMI/ progressive scan DVD player.
As far as watching TV is concerned, I have regular digital cable and the pictuer quality is not good at all, 3 out of 5 at best. I think this TV is made for HD transmission and regular/ digital cable kind of defeats the purpose.
The rest of my system comprises of a Denon 2802 receiver and 5.1 Energy speakers and this TV is a good fit with the rest of the system.
I recommend this unit.