Australia gets a PS3 with 1080p Sony Bravias (HD Questions inside)

Kiz

I've been considering getting myself a fairly big LCD TV for a little while now (somewhere between 42 and 50 inches).

In light of this deal, I'm now leaning towards a Bravia. However, I've noticed that they're just flat out fucking expensive. Are they actually worth the extra cash over what you'd pay for the other brands? Or is the Sony name just carrying the price up?

On the topic of Bravias, is there a big difference between the quality of the various models? (eg. W/X/XBR series)

Any advice on good quality HD TVs around that size would be great. I had no intention of getting a PS3 any time soon, but if the quality of Bravias is heaps better than that of the others, I guess it'd be worth paying a bit extra for a better quality TV and a PS3. Gonna try and get into a JB Hi-Fi this weekend and see if I can take a look at some of 'em.

Bionic Monkey

I have a rear-projection DLP Bravia, and honestly, the price was excellent, and the picture quality is absolutely astounding. Can't really speak for LCD's though except what I've seen in stores, and that's really never a good comparison.

gilrain

I did a ton of research on this and, while I don't want to spend time linking to proof or whatever, here are my results: for LCDs, the Sharp Aquos line is the best; for plasmas, Panasonic is the best.

Yes, you're paying a premium for the Sony name and, while they're good, they're not the best. You can do better for the money.

Sharp Sharp Sharp. I couldn't be more pleased.

zedrac

This deal is what finally pushed us to buying HD. We bought the cheapest full-HD Bravia on offer, from Bing Lee, and got $600 off. So $2400 for a 101cm LCD and 40gb PS3 isn't too bad at all.
The TV itself is great too, looks far better than some of my friends' HD TVs. I'm still waiting for the PS3 though, from what I've heard, we should get it by next week.

PhoneBone

I was only slightly interested in buying any sort of HD tv. Mostly because I would have to buy more expensive hardware to get the most out of it.

This Bravia/PS3 deal, not only pushed me into the HD era, but it also made up my mind on the PS3 vs. 360 inner struggle I was having. It was just too sweet a deal to pass up.
Now that I have it hooked up and actually played some games on this setup, I'm glad I finally took the HD plunge.

No more LOL Sony's from me (until they deserve one, I suppose )

DaveTheWave

gilrain wrote: »

I did a ton of research on this and, while I don't want to spend time linking to proof or whatever, here are my results: for LCDs, the Sharp Aquos line is the best; for plasmas, Panasonic is the best.

Yes, you're paying a premium for the Sony name and, while they're good, they're not the best. You can do better for the money.

Sharp Sharp Sharp. I couldn't be more pleased.

I bought a Sharp Aquos LC32AX3X at the end of 2006. I got it for a good price then and have been really happy with it. However, I have heard that since the model that I purchased was discontinued, the new line that Sharp introduced is of significantly lower quality, relatively speaking. Is your research on this subject current enough to make any comment? I was so pleased with my purchase back then and saddened to hear about this. Thank you.

By the way, I TOTALLY agree about Sony sets and cannot believe that they can get away with their pricing.

gilrain

DaveTheWave wrote: »

gilrain wrote: »

I did a ton of research on this and, while I don't want to spend time linking to proof or whatever, here are my results: for LCDs, the Sharp Aquos line is the best; for plasmas, Panasonic is the best.

Yes, you're paying a premium for the Sony name and, while they're good, they're not the best. You can do better for the money.

Sharp Sharp Sharp. I couldn't be more pleased.

I bought a Sharp Aquos LC32AX3X at the end of 2006. I got it for a good price then and have been really happy with it. However, I have heard that since the model that I purchased was discontinued, the new line that Sharp introduced is of significantly lower quality, relatively speaking. Is your research on this subject current enough to make any comment? I was so pleased with my purchase back then and saddened to hear about this. Thank you.

By the way, I TOTALLY agree about Sony sets and cannot believe that they can get away with their pricing.

Hmm, no I haven't heard -- if so, that'd be sad, as I was planning on being a Sharp customer for a while. I'll have to look into it all again the next time I buy.

Kiz

gilrain wrote: »

I did a ton of research on this and, while I don't want to spend time linking to proof or whatever, here are my results: for LCDs, the Sharp Aquos line is the best; for plasmas, Panasonic is the best.

Yes, you're paying a premium for the Sony name and, while they're good, they're not the best. You can do better for the money.

Sharp Sharp Sharp. I couldn't be more pleased.

After taking a look at some LCD TVs today, is there any chance that you could elaborate on the Sharp stuff? I had a side by side comparison with one of the 46" Sharp Aquos TVs and the 46" Bravia W, and the Bravia looked much more crisp to me. The Bravia was 400 bucks more, but that makes for a cheap PS3.

Also, is there a big difference between the Bravia series (W/X/XBR)? XBR is over a thousand dollars more for the same size, and I didn't notice any quality difference really.

(Also, I forgot that there was a separate tech forum now, my bad.)

squirly

I bought a Sharp Aquos way back in 2006 in preparation for my 360 and I couldn't be more pleased with it, I've used it tons since than, almost 2 years ago. Also, it has HDMI which was rare as hell back than.