Sony RP-LCDs: Grand Wega or XS opinions anyone?

[Breezer88888]

Hi,
I am deciding on a choice of Sony rear projection LCDs. Sorry, no DLPs for me. These models essentially the same price, so please let me know your thoughts:

KDF60WF655 (60 inch Grand Wega, nice charcoal bezel suits me better)

KDF55XS955 (55 inch upgrade from the Grand Wega - "better color", 2 HDMI inputs instead of just 1, street price is slightly more than the 60'' Grand Wega so the hyper-frugal side of me is leaning toward this one merely for the implied value)

My viewing distance will be roughly 13 - 14 feet away. In the store, the larger 60 inch seemed okay, but I'm curious about anyone's real world experiences. I will be viewing some HD, but expect to mostly watch upconverted DVDs (will buy the Sony ns975).

Thanks for your feedback,
Breezer

[edtyct]

Breezer, I'm going to stay out of this one and let others give their opinions. But I'll make one comment on the Sony DVP-NS975V DVD player. It is an exceptional performer all around at its price. But beware. It has suffered from tray lock, HDMI failure, and a refusal to play disks in its well-documented career (it was even taken off the market in Canada). Buyers with these problems had to send their players to Laredo TX initially either for refund or for lengthy repair/exchange. Early firmware numbered at 1600 had the most problems; newer players with firmware at 1800 or 1900 are definitely holding up better. I'd definitely buy one, but you might want to check the firmware version beforehand. But you'll need to get into the service menu; I'll tell you how if you want (Sony doesn't offer the same kind of access to firmware that other companies do). I love this player when it works and recommend it. Something else to consider, Sony will be issuing a bunch of new players very soon, the closest replacement to the 975 costing $200.

Ed

[Breezer88888]

Good lookin' out Ed.
I read other reviews on the NS975 (outside of AR) and am very concerned about the tray mechanism. I'm glad that they're putting out an updated model. Then again, with Sony's product life cycle usually lasting about 9 months before the next best model comes out, I'll wait.
Catch you later,
Breezer