Sony 55” KDS-A3000

Sony has been known for using the LCoS SXRD technology in many of its rear projection HDTV's. So we are not surprised to see that they have used it for the 55" KDS-A3000. They have made some improvements upon it - creating a better picture quality for your viewing pleasure.

The design of this television is very basic when compared to many of the televisions on the market today. It may not be as appealing to most of us at first glance - but then again we can't always buy a TV based on how it looks - but rather on how it performs and what features it has to offer.

In our book performance is everything. You don't want a television that looks great in your living room - but when you try to watch something it dumbs down the look of things and makes you feel like you are at a cheap dollar theatre. You want something that will grab your attention and make you feel like you are in the movie. We are happy to report that the Sony KDS excels in performance.

The color accuracy - which is one of the most important things to look for is excellent. The brighter colors - which usually stick out too much are perfectly adjusted and the de-coding for the HD and SD sources as well as the grayscale were also well adjusted and were similar to those seen on the standard broadcast.

The performance of the black level was also above average and did a great job of smoothing out the images on the screen. If you look in your menu you will see an option for Noise Reduction - which when enabled will take care of any annoying background noise. The Motion Enhancer option also takes part in smoothing out all of the images that you are watching. Unfortunately it is unable to de-interlace the film 1080i HD picture the way it should and can cause the reduction of vertical resolution when viewing HD through your cable or satellite. However, this will not affect your picture when you are watching Blu-ray and HD DVD's on your television.

The television is equipped with all of the usual input slots - which are located along the side of the television instead of in the back or the front. This was a smart move on Sony's part to place them here because now they are not just easy to access - but they also are hidden from view. The television also comes with a remote control - which we have to admit is a bit confusing to understand. To make it easier on yourself you should just go out and buy a universal remote. This will save you time from trying to figure out how to work their remote and from having to use two different ones (one for the TV and one for the movie player).

All in all the Sony KDS-A3000 offers all the necessary features and gives you great performance. The best part about it is it only costs between $1,500 and $2,000. That is a great price for such a well performing and large television.