Digital Trends

Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR6 December 31st, 2008 | by David Elrich

Watching Blu-ray Discs

Just like you did, we bought BD copies of Chronicles of Narnia and The Dark Knight as soon as they hit the shelves. During a battle scene in Narnia, as arrows flew and bizarre creatures leapt through the air, there was very little streaking, thanks to the 120Hz circuitry. Colors were great, with loads of detail, even in scenes like “The Queen’s Lair.” When the cheetahs raced toward us in a battle scene, they looked as accurate as CGI can be. In fact, overall the image looked almost as good as plasma, which is high praise indeed from DigitalTrends.com. Heath Ledger as the Joker also looked terrific, with his red lips menacing and creepily funny at the same time. Batman movies are always a great ride, and the combo of BD and this HDTV was quite impressive.

All is not wonderful with the KDL-52XBR6. While it worked fine with movies, when watching some live TV shows there’s a bit of screen door effect that was quite noticeable from four feet away. Most viewers will be farther back, but it’s still there, and it’s something you won’t see on a plasma display. To the plus side, there was hardly any reflection, even with bright fluorescents turned on; you can only say that with the best Pioneer and Panasonic plasmas.

Conclusion

The Sony KDL-52XBR6 is a very good 52-inch HDTV, and you’ll be happy once you make the investment. The black levels and overall color accuracy were excellent. Since this is a Sony, you do pay a premium for the name—it’s been that way since the ancient Trinitron days. Comparable 52-inchers with 120Hz refresh rate like the Sharp LC52SE94U and Samsung LN52A650 run around $2,200 and $2,000 respectively. Still, it’s hard not to recommend this XBR. Check out the black levels as you scan the walls at your local retailer and you’ll see it definitely stands out. Again, it’s not plasma, but it’s definitely a top tier-one television.

Pros

• Deep black levels
• Good color out of the box
• Plenty of tweaks for picture quality
• Surprisingly decent sound system

Cons

• Expensive
• Some noticeable screen door effect
• Remote should be better
• No memory card slots