For quite some time, I’ve been facing a common problem - fighting with others @ home to watch my favorite channel on my Panasonic TV when others watch their fav programs. At the peak of desperation, I decided to buy another though I have no complaints with my old TV.
I neglected LCDs owing to one major reason: 4:3 format video on a 16:9 gives bizarre images. I watched Love Mera hit hit song on an LCD in showroom - Deepika Padukone’s face was stretched horizontally - I rejected LCDs hands down.
I wanted to buy a SONY’s 100 Hz DRC-MF CRT TV, SONY’s only HD CRT but its production had stopped. Comparing many CRT models in showroom, I shortlisted one particular model SONY WEGA KV-AZ213M83 because of its v good pic clarity (even better than other SONY models). The winning factor of this TV is it scans @ 60Hz not 50 Hz as other TVs.
:: Things I liked in this TV ::
- Picture Quality: Sony uses Trinitron picture tube that uses an Aperture Grille inside the picture tube - this truly is the determining factor why Sony pictures are much crisper than other TV sets that ALL USE the Invar Shadow Mask. The aperture grille thus allows more electrons through and virtually eliminates the ’blocky/pixely’ picture that is produced by ALL other sets. (Check image attached).
For example, once during the IPL matches, the black IPL Logo on top left corner of screen looked like a black IPL sticker stuck on TV screen and not like an image produced by a TV - so you can imagine the picture quality. And colors . .All colors like metallic, black, green, blue and red are original - the red of tomato is different from red of blood.
Advanced Circuitry : The DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING (DSP) circuitry is very advanced in this TV. With bundled features viz. Intelligent Pic Plus, Sparkling Wega 2.0, Auto Signal Booster, AI Comb Filter etc added to 60 Hz scanning (not normal 50 Hz), the resulting picture is digitally refined & damn clear second only to LCD TVs. The colors in STAR WARS III DVD and the black to white shades in Matrix and Lord Of The Rings DivX are just spectacular. Sometimes I rub my eyes in disbelief as the picture depth is beyond comparison with other crt TVs. No other branded TV applies as many concepts of DSP as this one. Ckk comments for more info.
Ports : Another thing I liked in this TV is that the layout of the connecting ports on the back of the TV is very "spacey" - the ports are placed distant from each other and I cud easily connect the DVD Player to the TV without looking at it directly.
Sound: With 3 surround sounds viz. TruSurround, WoW and Simulated, the sound is theater-like and unique which no TV can beat. I can feel the natural ambience in Cricket matches, Movies and serials.
Velocity Modulation : There is a feature named Velocity Modulation which enables the electron gun to focus on a sharper target. When enabled, the picture is very sharp giving LCD like sharpness.
Wega Gate Navigator : Unlike other TVs that have a ’menu’ to adjust settings, this has a Wega Gate Navigator.
It has 4 features within it:
Settings (to set picture, sound, channels and other settings)
FM Radio (listen to in-built FM)
External Inputs (AV1 AV2 & DVD Component In)
TV ( we can label (name) channels and browse through them).
The other usual features are all there - channels can be labeled & sorted...3 sound modes and 3 picture modes..Remote control is quite good..Sleep and Wake Up Timers (with Alarm)....the TV’s cabinet’s beautiful with a color mix of metallic and grey.
:: Things I didn’t like in this TV ::
- As in old TVs, after switching the TV ON, the sound comes in 2 sec but the picture takes 10 sec to appear. Reminds me of the 1980’s Dyanoras and Solidaires. This is too old fashioned . * And no blue-back - that’s even more bugging. TV sounds like ocean waves when there’s no signal suddenly on cable TV. * To select a double digit channel there is no -/-- button as in other TVs. So to go to channel # 33, you need to press 3. Now you’re taken to channel # 3 then on pressing 3 again it takes us to channel # 33. Irritating at times.
When Intelligent Picture is set to ON, the TV removes unwanted grains and noise from the picture. But there is slightdot crawl noticed (cos the Intelligent Picture Digital Processor’s speed is less). When watching Times Now channel, 1 inch of news text at bottom gets cut though not in other channels.
SONY and other brands - a comparison: From my observation, I feel that others brands make good products whereas SONY makes creative and perfect products. Others do things normally but SONY thinks, applies and does things differently. But one truth is : SONY doesn’t invent anything....they *bought *others’ inventions and then patented them. Ckk comments for more info.
Recommended for : I’d recommend it to those who want the ultimate visual experience. It isn’t a good option for the cash strapped.Punchline : Go for SONY KV-AZ213M83 . . . it is LIKE NO OTHER.