Product Description

With the Sony KD-36XS955 36" FD Trinitron(R) WEGA HDTV, you can elevate your TV viewing experience. You'll feel like you're really there, as you enjoy the brighter and more vivid picture. The Super Fine Pitch(TM) CRT, Hi-Scan(TM) 1080i Display, and Cinemotion Reverse 3-2 Pulldown Technology ive you astounding clarity and visual depth. You can also view your family photos onscreen and listen to MP3 audio with the built-in Enhanced Memory Stick(R) Media slot. The KD-36XS955 also features an ATSC Integrated Tuner and is Digital Cable Ready with a CableCARD Slot. Cinemotion feature provides smoother picture movement when playing back movies or other video sources Clear Edge VM - allows for selecting levels to create better separation between an object and its background -- creating clearer edges, greater picture depth and improved overall picture quality. With Steady Sound, volume levels are consistent between programs and commercials Memory Stick Viewer allows you to view digital photos (JPEG) and movies (MPEG1) files on your TV V-Chip allows parents to block unsuitable programming from younger viewers Set up and select from up to sixteen of your favorite channels Front Panel Controls allow access to on-screen menus without use of a remote HDMI interface provides uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface between the TV and any HDMI-equipped A/V equipment Front A/V Inputs for connecting video games, camcorders or stereo/mono equipment Dual Component Video Inputs achieve greater color accuracy than composite and S-Video (when connecting to compatible devices) Meets all Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency Dimensions (WxHxD) - 39.125 x 30.625 x 25 inches

Product Details

• Brand: Sony
• Model: KD36XS955
• Dimensions: 30.63" h x 25.00" w x 39.13" l, 234.50 pounds
• Display size: 36

Features

• 36-inch Hi-Scan FD Trinitron WEGA television with standard 4:3 aspect ratio; 39.1 x 30.6 x 25 inches (W x H x D)
• Built-in ATSC/QAM tuner brings you all the glory of off-air high-definition programming--no external set-top box required
• CableCARD compatibility means you can enjoy digital cable reception without a separate set-top box
• CineMotion Reverse 3:2 pulldown technology lets you watch progressive-scan movies in their native 24-frame format
• Stereo speakers with 7.5 watts per channel and 15-watt subwoofer; offers SRS TruSurround simulated surround sound and BBE sound enhancement

Amazon.com Product Description
You can watch TV a lot and you can also see a lot of TV at once with Sony's big-screen, Hi-Scan KD-36XS955 FD (flat display) Trinitron WEGA television. The set features a built-in HDTV tuner for high-quality, off-air reception of high-definition broadcasts, right out of the box. The 36-inch set also offers analog and digital high-definition inputs, great audio features, and a suite of picture-enhancing technologies. Whether you're watching VHS tapes, DVDs, or off-air high-definition (480p, 720p, 1080i) broadcasts, your programs will look breathtakingly good. A Memory Stick media slot with JPEG/MPEG-1/MP3 compatibility simplifies playback of video clips, MP3 music files, and still pictures from compatible cameras and music players.

DRC--Digital Reality Creation MultiFunction circuitry--upconverts standard interlaced (480i) video sources to 960i or progressive-scan 480p, while inputs as high-quality as 720p (720 lines, progressively scanned) are upsampled to full 1080i. Because DRC processes video signals in real time, it creates an image with 4 times the density of the original signal.

Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p and 720p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. The set's auto 16:9 enhanced mode detects anamorphically encoded widescreen program sources and offers full picture resolution on the video program, wasting none of its usable lines of resolution on the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

The KD-36XS955's high-voltage regulator maintains consistent image size, despite variations in b rightness during scene changes and channel changes.

ClearEdge VM wideband velocity modulation improves the definition at picture edges, creating sharper images by slowing the CRT (cathode-ray tube) beam's horizontal scanning during demanding work--say, when rendering transitions from light to dark parts of an image--and speeding it up when scanning easily rendered sections, like broad dark areas. The set's 3D digital comb filter compares each horizontal scanning line with the lines above and below it, as well as with the corresponding lines on previous and subsequent video frames. This results in higher horizontal resolution, higher vertical resolution, and reduced video noise.

The KD-36XS955 also employs CineMotion Reverse 3-2 PullDown technology (often called 3:2 pulldown), a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movies in their native 24-frame format. Digital video mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture.

Finally, Dynamic Focus circuitry automatically adjusts the picture during each scanning line for consistent corner-to-corner sharpness. Authorized CableCARD ability means the set will receive digital cable television systems services directly from a cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box.

Two high-definition component-video inputs grant optimum connection with a DTV receiver and progressive-scan DVD player, while standard composite- and S-video inputs accommodate all DVD players. The set's HDMI interface provides a digital connection with your DTV receiver. HDMI supports standard-definition (SD), enhanced definition (ED), or high-definition (HD) video, plus multichannel digital audio--all using a single cable.

Choose between rear AV inputs and a set of front AV inputs for extra convenience. A rear AV output offers a switchable fixed- and variable-level analog audio output for hookup with a surround receiver or integrated amplifier.

The set features stereo speakers with BBE sound enhancement, 7.55 watts per channel, and a separate, 15-watt subwoofer for full bass sound right from the television. If you don't have Dolby Pro Logic processing or a surround speaker system, the TV's SRS TruSurround will simulate surround sound through any 2 speakers.

Other video technologies include Dynamic Picture Processor circuitry, Trinitone color temperature control, and vertical aperture compensation.

What's in the Box
TV, remote control (RM-Y1999), 2 AA batteries, a user's manual, warranty information.

From the Manufacturer
SuperFine Pitch provides better image detail with high definition sources. The Aperture Grill was improved by making the vertical slits a finer pitch that increases the number of slits by up to 65%(16 x 9 base). Also improved were the High Precision Deflection Yoke, Fine Focus Electron Gun and the inclusion of higher intensity Luminescent Phosphors. The result is a more detailed image for both moving and still images, higher resolution picture quality, and better edge detail.

Customer Reviews

Buy One if You Can Find One
Picture still is better than Plasma or LCD. The only bad thing is the weight.

Buy it! Sony KD-36XS955 36" FD Trinitron WEGA Hi-Scan TV
I use the Dish Network ViP 622 HDTV receiver.

Picture Quality:
Cannot imagine better

Size:
Wish it was bigger. I had to fit the TV into my Armoir cabinet, so size was my contraint. If Sony would have put the speakers on the top/bottom instead of the sides, and made 38" size, I could have fit it.

Weight:
235 pounds is a bear, but I used 5 people for the lift into the cabinet, and none of the 5 was strong at all. It was a breeze.

Just be smart about how you move and lift it and you will be fine.

How I use the TV:

--The Zoom, Horizontal Expand, Vertical Expand, and Full modes are great. I usually flip to Full for HDTV, and Vertical Expand when watching SDTV. Sometimes, Zoom is great for certain HDTV if you want to the some wildlife up close.

--Vivid preset. I keep the Vivid preset on at all times. The other modes do not seem to have the light output that I need.

--I watch mostly 4:3, so a 4:3 is best for me. When I watch widescreen, though, it is like owning a 34" Sony widescreen. I think you better off with the 36" 4:3 until more channels go HDTV.

The picture is awesome, you will not regret this purchase.

Wish List: Make me a 38", move the speakers to the top, and lower the weight a little.

UPDATE after 2 years: The TV still works flawlessly. Here are some additional notes, though:

1. CON - Only one HDMI input. This was not an issue at first, but now I have an HD Dish Network Receiver and a Blue Ray Player. I bought a "Terk HDMI-31 Smart HDMI Switch (3 X 1)" to resolve the issue.

2. PRO - Works great with the Dish Network HD DVR Receiver and the LG BD300 Blue Ray Player with Netflix.

3. PRO - The ability to switch between the different screen types, such as "full, zoom, horizontal, and vertical" is easy and works very well. I use this remote button frequently.

So far so good....
Big and bulky, but worth it. The picture is crisp and the colors pop off the screen. If you are in the market for a solid HD TV that's affordable, look no further. This one is the jam!