Sony KDL-XBR6, KDL-XBR7, and KDL-XBR8 specs, and release dates!
What could possibly be better than your 52 inch Sony XBR5 TV? The XBR6, XBR7, and XBR8, of course! If there was any doubt about Sony’s seriousness with the XBR line, we can safely put that to rest right now. We’ve just got a hold of the product roadmap for this year, in addition to full spec sheets on the XBR6, XBR7 and the XBR8. The XBR6 and XBR7 lineup isn’t the most interesting compared to the current models, with modest upgrades like DLNA compliance, TV Guide IPG, "Enhanced" XMB interface, and now BRAVIA Sync capability. Also they sport four HDMI ports instead of three while still keeping both component inputs. There’s also a PC input as well, but it looks like the TVs shed the standard RCA inputs. Then again, will we really miss them?
Here’s where the XBR8 gets really exciting though — TRILUMINOS RGB LED backlight! Yes! That’s what we’re talkin’ about, folks. In addition to the LED backlighting, Sony has thrown in their "Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO", the new BRAVIA Engine 2 PRO, and all of the other features the XBR6 and XBR7 have. Excited yet? We’re foaming at the mouth. Now you may ask, BG, when can we buy one? Here’s where the roadmap comes into play:
There are a bunch of XBR models coming soon, and that also includes a 32" model as well as a 37" one, too. It looks like we’ll see the KDL-32XBR6 around the middle of May and the KDL-37XBR6 around the middle of July. Also, the KDL-46XBR8 will be launching in August. In September and October, the rest of the other models are set to be released. These include the KDL-40XBR6, KDL-46XBR6, KDL-52XBR6, KDL-40XBR7, KDL-70XBR7, and finally the KDL-52XBR8. Hit the jump for the full spec sheets and roadmap!
Thanks, Al!
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 1:43 pm, Just the Facts Said:
First off, neither plasma nor LCD is better. Your half-life argument is moot now that they are rated to 100,000 hours (approx. 40 years under avg. use) The burn in issue is also moot, as they all are incorporated with pixel shifter, you are actually more likely to get “image retention” on an LCD than burn in on a plasma. Plasmas do use more energy, but it is only about 4% more. I own both a 50″ Panasonic Plasma, and a 42″ Samsung 81 series, and they are both great TVs. I would suggest that if you are looking for a larger set (46″ or larger) go with a plasma, as you get more technology for less money. And below that get an LCD.
I’ve been selling these TVs for a while now and can tell you that some people are going to like the brighter LCD image, and some are going to appreciate the more “true” color of plasmas.
A couple more things before I go. Pioneer did not pull out of plasma. Look up Pioneer’s presence at CES and you will be amazed. They had three tvs in a darkened room, all three were turned on, two of them were last years models, and could be visibly seen on a black screen. The third was their new model coming out in June, and nobody knew it was even tehre until a goldfish swam across the screen. That’s how deep the black level is on the new Pioneer, really cool stuff. Lastly, there is a big reason major film studios (including Sony Pictures) use Pioneer Elites and Panosonic 750’s to screen there movies before the debut. To inspect picture and color accuracy. That is simply because Plasmas generate “true” color not bright color.
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 2:27 pm, Gary Said:
Yeah Plasma are dieing as the LCD technology has reached that of the Plasma and better. Plasma have so many drawbacks like burn-in pictures, less life-time and high power consuptions.
So if someone here said taht Plasma still the best, why so many companies stoped producing them like Sony, Toshiba, Philips and many more…
And Yeah the BRAVIA XBR are the best HD TVs one can buy right now and with the upcoming models they are going to be greater.
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 2:35 pm, ChrisNYC Said:
@Derek, not that he needs more whooping.
I needed LCD to cut the glare from a huge window in my apartment. Plazzy didn’t bring that. Plus I wanted the TV to be cooler, since I recessed it in the wall. (sawz-alls rock!)And it needed to be lighter weight than the plasma was.
Plazzy just didn’t fit the bill.
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 4:08 pm, liquidplatinum Said:
@ Gary
First of all, burn ins are extremely rare with higher end plasmas. Check out AVSforums and do some homework before you categorize all plasmas. Did you not even bother to read the post above you? I love ignorant fanboy comments. Before posting garbage, take a trip to somewhere that actually carries high end A/V equipment (if you’re thinking Best Buy or Circuit City carry high end you need help) and view a PRO-150 or wait till September and check out a 151.
There is no LCD out now or that will be released this year or next that will match the black levels or colors of the Pio PRO-151.
If there were, I would pick up the LCD in a heartbeat. They tend to be a lot less heavy and run cooler.
As I said previously, I have no preference either way technology-wise. I just go by what blows me away visually. If I could get an LCD that’s lighter and less expensive with the same quality then I’d jump on it.
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 7:58 pm, @ Derek Said:
just so u know little man who has no money nor knowledge, by 2010, SONY will be making bigger OLEDs and both LCD and Plasma will become history, so you can calm down and enjoy your cheap shitty Plasma while u can, and let US those who can afford XBRs enjoy ours - the BEST TV on the market with TRUE high techs, unlike plasmas, truly a joke lol!
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 8:50 pm, mr nico Said:
But the point is, plasmas are fuzzy and do not have a sharp picture. The cheap ones are almost totally unwatchable. The old Zenith we had in the 70s was sharper!
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 9:10 pm, Gary Said:
@liquidplatinum
You can say that I know nothing about TVs, but I know alot as my friends work in a HI-FI store and they sell alot of TVs. I saw both Plasmas and LCDs. For me LCDs are the Best, especially the XBR series (X series). The only think I know for sure is that many TV manufecturers as I said before , like Sony, Philips, Toshiba, Sharp and others stopped manufacturing Plasmas because of there drawbacks. Does that ring a bell? Do you realize now why?
They declare it themselves if you make some homework. Just take a look on Sony’s website.
I think the problem with you is that you’re a Plasma fanboy that hate LCDs.
And by the way I do homework and post a lot in a particular famous AV forum.
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On Apr 15, 2008 @ 10:54 pm, liquidplatinum Said:
@ Gary
“I think the problem with you is that you’re a Plasma fanboy that hate LCDs.”
Riiiiiiiiight!!! That’s why I’ve said twice that if they made an LCD that was less expensive and better and/or equal quality than a Pio Elite then I would buy it.
There is none right now. If you posted a lot in A/V forums I don’t think you would find anyone that isn’t a fanboy saying that an XBR4 or 5 is better than a PRO-150. That’s like comparing a BMW to a Cadillac. Cadillac is still nice, but it sure isn’t BMW.
The XBR8 will not come close to the PRO-151. If some how it miraculously is better, I’ll buy it. Simple as that.
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On Apr 16, 2008 @ 2:15 am, Jose Said:
@ Just the Facts….Please get your facts straight SPE and SPHE and most of the movie studios do not use plasma for color accuracy or quality control they use CRT BVM monitors or LCD BVM monitors which are designed to achive perfect contrast and color reproduction at 6500K
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On Apr 16, 2008 @ 11:48 am, Gary Said:
@ liquidplatinum
Maybe yeah the Pio is better than the upcoming KDL, but still due the drawbacks of the Plasmas TV I’m more than 100% sure that and LCD is better.
And from a reserach that I’ve yesterday, burn in still a major problem some people even changed their Plasma TV 5 times because of burn in.
And if you make some research you’ll find that experts and many users reviewed the Sony KDL 5 with a picture that displays black and whites the same level as Plasmas my a little better! Maybe thats why they rated the KDL 90+/100.
What about resolutions and 1080p, in those areas LCDs are definitly the champions.
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On Apr 16, 2008 @ 12:30 pm, Just The Facts Said:
Ok Jose, you got me. You’re right they do use CRT or LCD BVM monitors to check their computer effects and make sure all audio effects are in sync with all visual effects. Also, to assure that everything looks as it should. But these are “computer” monitors and as such are capable of higher resolutions and contrast than any TV, plasma or LCD. SO… when these studios do their final screening they do them on Pioneer Elite Pro 150’s, probably be doing the 151 here shortly, or the Panasonic 750u. They use these screening to make sure that their creation has correct color accuracy for release into the real world where no one watches movies on professional computer moniters.
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On Apr 16, 2008 @ 1:06 pm, Michael Said:
Well… the plasma rainbow effect rules out plasma for me… Yellow trails anyone?
Besides, the KDL-46XBR8 will be my next TV. Unfortunately the MSRP will probably be around $5k, and will probably be only sold at Magnolia AV and BestBuy-Magnolia HT… like the 8 series Samsungs… ugh…
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On Apr 16, 2008 @ 1:49 pm, Henway Said:
Please understand there will only be one manufacturer of Plasma panels in the future–Panasonic. Pioneer bailed out of their current production agreement and will buy panels from Panasonic. This information is freely available on the internet.
The reasons most manufacturers have eliminated plasmas from their product lineup probably has less to do with PQ than with economics. LCD production can be leveraged with computer monitors, PDAs, cell phones and other production. Plasma TV production has virtually nothing in common with any other product.
Both technologies will develop, but there is much more economic incentive to go with LCD instead of Plasma, and that difference will only increase in the future.
Personally, I don’t like the look of plasmas. Everyone always talks about the black levels being better on plasma, but seeing Panasonics in their production facility reception room, I see a fair amount of grey. My Samsung 71 series seems jet-black to me… Maybe it’s poor calibration and maybe I’ve never seen a properly set-up plasma, but they all seem grey to me. Maybe I don’t get out enough.
Plasmas will hold out on the market so long as Panasonic is willing to hold onto small margins with future smaller margins. Technology is developed through capital expenditures on the scale of maybe 10:1 on LCDs vs. Panasonic. Plasma could be superior like the Sony Betamax, but it just doesn’t matter any more now that everyone’s jumped off the plasma bandwagon.
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On Apr 16, 2008 @ 7:34 pm, Madwurmz Said:
argh, that many choices, you americans are so spoiled! In europe we only have one 120hz model (actually runs 100hz here) and that’s the x3500 series which is outdated already. roadmap for europe-models also leaked this week, showing a new 100hz model not before end of this year… lcd-wise, I wish I was an american
Told myself 120hz (100hz) is just a hype and will buy a 40e4000, probably around 29th april, liberty city ftw!
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On Apr 17, 2008 @ 10:56 pm, lisa Said:
Companies have decided to STOP MANFACTURING PLASMA TVS NOW. They are garbage and burn out quickly.I had a top of the line Samsang and Pioneer and both are in the garbage. Xbr sonys are the best tv’s and sony has stood the test of time with the best in electronics….you obviously have no clue about you are talking about.
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On Apr 18, 2008 @ 1:14 am, Bidule Said:
Here in Europe Sony just launch the W4000 series, I just buy one, concretly the KDL52W4000.
The TV comes with a lot of technology but haven’t the 100hz (120hz equivalent), here are the bold specs:
·16:9 1080p FullHD Resolution
·WCG-CCFL Backlight
·Real contrast 3000:1
·Dynamic contrast 33000:1
·24p True Cinema capable
·Bravia Engine 2 (BE2)
·Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE)
·x.v.Color technology
·Live Color Creation technology
·10-bit Processor/Panel
·HDMI 1.3a (Deep Color)
·Picture Frame Mode
·PhotoTV Mode
·TV Guide IPG
·Bravia Sync
·XMB 3D Interface
·PiP x2
·HDMI x3
·HD Component YPbPr x1
·SCART x2
·PC D-Sub15 x1
·USB 2.0 x1
.HD Tuner x1
·MPEG-2 Tuner x1
·SD Tuner x1
·PC HDMI-DVI capable
·PCMCIA slot x1
·RS-232 x1
·Virtual Dolby® & BBE ViVA sound technology
·10×10w RMS
·178º Angle viewing
·20º Base turning
·Remote control: RM-ED011
·Only 225w power consumption
Price: 1995€ (aprox. $3k)
Here is the link:
http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.action?product=KDL-52W4000&productsku=KDL52W4000U&site=odw_en_GB&pageType=TechnicalSpecs&imageType=Main&category=TVP+46-70+Sony+BRAVIA+TV#tab
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On Apr 18, 2008 @ 5:29 pm, craig Said:
Soooo… The current XBR5 has the Bravia Engine Pro chip , but the new XBR 6 and 7 have the basic Bravia Engine. All of the Specs for the new XBR 6 and 7 match up exactly with the XBR5. Does anyone see why they would spend more on the new XBR 6 and 7 if they can get a cheaper XBR5 that might out perform because of the Bravia Engine Pro Chip? I heard rumors that 08 XBR displays will be retro. They are bringing back the floating speakers. The speakers will no longer be attached to the bezel but now separated by the glass, like the old school XBRs back in the day. Anyone else hear this?
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On Apr 23, 2008 @ 11:39 pm, Minok Said:
Woohoo! XBR8, baybeee!
Lets hope the 55 inch typo is the real deal and we get an additional 3 inches of real estate diagonally.
Finally, now I can schedule my HDTV purchase and install for September of this year.
Here’s hoping the LED backlighting on the XBR8 also takes care of that uneven backlighting issue the XBRs have had problems with in the past.
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On Apr 29, 2008 @ 4:35 pm, hakan Said:
Too bad it seems that Sony have changed design?
I think the current X sets with the frame of glass look stunning, but if XBR8 will look like XBR6, I’ll probably go for an XBR4/5..
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On May 1, 2008 @ 2:52 pm, Russ Said:
I really would appreciate some help.
We sold our old analog TV in the MBR, and I have narrowed the choices down to a Sony 32″ (XBR 5 or 6) or a Samsung 32″ LCD (LN32A650). Actually, I wasn’t aware until this morning that Sony had a 6 series. My wife will use it to watch TV while she irons and also for her WII system. I’m thinking of upgrading my DVD to a 1080 one. Any suggestions on which TV to buy as well as suggestions on speakers/cables, etc. As you may have figured out by now, I’m not a electronics genius so any help would be much appreciated.
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On May 1, 2008 @ 5:14 pm, Michael Said:
I’m not sure why you would want a 32″ flat panel, unless you are constrained by space.
If space constraints in the viewing room are not a concern then I highly recommend going with the largest size you can afford. At a minimum go with the 40″. HDTV will lose it’s high quality affect the farther away you sit from the tv. Common rule of thumb is that ideal viewing distance is about 1.5 times the dimension of the tv screen.
My opinion based on over a year of research is to go with the Sony XBR4 series. It is hands down the best LCD on the market. It costs more, but based on what I have seen and read, it’s the best. I wouldn’t wait on the new Sony 2008 line before I buy. Go with the 2007 series and save some cash. Go to Cruthfield.com for more info.
Hope this helps
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On May 11, 2008 @ 7:07 pm, James Said:
Wouldn’t the best strategy is to wait for the XBR6/7/8 to come out before picking up the XBR4/5? Based on intuition I would expect the prices of the XBR4/5 to drop when newer models are introduced.
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On May 16, 2008 @ 10:37 am, Mr. Brownstone Said:
This Derek isn’t so bright. I suspect he still watches a 19″ Sylvania his parents unloaded on him.
Anyway, LED backlighting and 120-Hz should be spectacular. Not enough to make me ditch my 52BXR4, but certainly enough to make me sit up and take notice.
In the long run, though, I think these are interim enhancements to mature technolgies; I think OLED will eventually crush LCD and plasma.
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On May 17, 2008 @ 11:56 pm, steve Said:
i am looking forward to purchasing a sony 55xbr8 this sept. i know i can save money buying this on the internet, but i can get a better warranty on this set buying from a electronics store close to my house. anybody have any thoughts on which is the better way to go on my purchase
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On Jun 5, 2008 @ 6:51 pm, iggy Said:
by 2010 plasmas will be a technology of the past.
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