Sony's sexy BRAVIA KDL-55XBR8 gets reviewed: amazing, but expensive

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2008 at 7:36AM

Sony's XBR6 recently pulled down some pretty high marks, but those with a little extra coin may be looking at the higher-end XBR8. CNET recently got ahold of the 55-inch KDL-55XBR8, and aside from reproducing the deepest black levels of any LCD TV they had tested, boasting best-in-class bright-room viewing and sporting a whole plethora of ports, it was just, um, alright. In other words, the beautifully designed set was an absolute marvel to look at, but the "mind-boggling" price tag and less-than-stellar off-angle performance will probably keep all but the most loaded of prospective customers at bay. The bottom line? It came "mighty close" to being the best HDTV reviewers had ever (ever!) tested, but we'll be really interested in seeing how the similarly priced LaserVue HDTV stacks up.

Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Sony, LCD

Tags: bravia, HDTV, KDL-55XBR8, LCD, LCD HDTV, LCD TV, LcdHdtv, LcdTv, revew, reviewed, Sony, XBR8

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 20th 2008 11:14AM

Where in the article does it say that except for the image it's 'just alright'?

Highest Ranked

daaper @ Oct 20th 2008 4:12PM

I think he was being facetious...

Highly Ranked

Mr. S. @ Oct 20th 2008 4:27PM

I've been waiting for this TV for eight years. EIGHT YEARS!!! Good think i get a 30% off discount. :-) Bye bye 200lb Wega, Here come's something leanier.

Neutral

knurled @ Oct 20th 2008 7:27PM

LaserVue will add another 10" of diagonal...
Faster processing...
Greater viewing angle (vertical and horizontal)...
Deeper blacks...
Twice the color and half the power of todays LCD's
Does anyone consider the XBR8 to be a Kuro or LaserVue killer?

Neutral

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 21st 2008 3:57AM

Laservue is unlikely to have better viewing angle. RP TVs always have worse viewing angles than direct-view.

Faster processing? I don't need any processing, thanks. I just want the image I'm inputting.

Also, like all RP TVs, LaserVue will take up more space than a direct-view panel.

I don't know how it's a LaserVue killer, since LaserVue isn't going to do well anyway. Both are overpriced and will be niche players at best.

Neutral

EJNelly @ Oct 21st 2008 10:54PM

To be honest, I've always felt like LaserVue was a Laservue killer.

Also if you read the review, it seems to almost be a Kuro killer. It gets dinged on price, blooming, and off angle viewing, which so far have plagued LED LCD's.

Blooming can be corrected by adding more LED's, but I'm not sure about off angle viewing as LED's are direct lighting.

Neutral

JagoMidnight @ Oct 22nd 2008 9:52AM

Off angle viewing was never a problem for me in my home, my 4 year old Aquos looks good enough to me from darn near behind the screen LOL. I'm SO in for one of these. Hope my same store in downtown NYC can lop off a bit of that price,..Mr.S 30%? Wow, can I be down?!

Neutral

FiguredMaple @ Oct 22nd 2008 12:12PM

People who can afford to spend $7K on a TV will most likely have already bought an Elite Kuro.

If this Sony, and the soon to be released 55" Samsung LED, had a street price similar to the regular Pioneer Kuro 60" (at around $3500), then I'm sure they would sell a lot more sets than they will at this price.

Neutral

BOBOY NOBLE @ Nov 1st 2008 10:40PM

I AM FROM THE PHILIPPINES AND JUST RECENTLY WROTE SONY PHILIPPINES THAT I HAVE BEEN A SONY FANATIC FOR DECADES NOW BUT THIS THING MAY SOON CHANGE SINCE I FINALLY CAME TO MY SENSES TO REALIZE HOW SONY PRODUCTS ARE GENERALLY MORE THAN TWICE PRICED HERE IN MY COUNTRY THAN IN THE USA. YOU GUYS THERE ARE WISHING FOR REASONABLY PRICED SONY XBR8 SERIES BUT A SIMILAR MODEL HERE COSTS EVEN ASTRONOMICALLY MORE--- BEYOND THE REACH OF EVEN THE NASA ASTRONAUTS. KDL-55XBR8 IS ABOUT $6,999.00 IN THE USA WHILE ITS SIMILAR MODEL HERE IN MY COUNTRY KLV-55X450A COSTS P799,999.00 ( $15,999.00 ). I INFORMED THEM THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER THE DOMINANT FORCE IN THE MARKET WHEN IT COMES TO PRICE, QUALITY AND SERVICE, AT LEAST IN MY COUNTRY. I GUESS SONY IS ALREADY LOSING TOUCH. SAMSUNG AND PANASONIC PRODUCTS ARE REASONABLY PRICED AND ANY SLIGHT ADVANTAGES THIS XBR8 SERIES IS DOING MAY EASILY BE OFFSET BY PRICE AND BETTER SERVICE BY THESE TWO BRANDS AND OTHER COMPETING BRANDS.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH SONY IS GENERALLY GREAT BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS PRODUCTS SHOULD BE REASONABLY PRICED!!!!!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I AM FOR SONY BUT YOU SONY MARKETING GUYS ARE @#$%^&*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU ARE WHAT YOU ARE NOW BECAUSE OF SMALL CONSUMERS LIKE ME SO PLEASE REMEMBER US ALWAYS SO WILL STILL BE BEST IN THE FUTURE.........
G R E E D IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS ECONOMIC TURMOIL. SONY PLEASE DON'T BE PART OF THIS.

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