Flat Screen Tvs - Plasma Tvs - LCD Displays and HDTV

Sony KDE-42XS955 42" Widescreen WEGA Plasma Flat-Panel TV with Integrated HDTV Tuner
Price: $4,499.99 Buy Now

Product Description
Sony's 42-inch KDE-42XS955 gas-plasma television boasts a bright, detailed, and perfectly flat screen, stylish construction, and abundant image enhancements. The screen features a wide, 16:9 aspect ratio to match the dimension of most movies and HDTV broadcasts, and the set is compatible with standard-definition 480i, enhanced-definition 480p, and high-definition 720p and 1080i signals, delivering full-fledged HDTV reception right out of the box via its integrated NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners. It also offers digital cable readiness with a CableCARD slot and the latest digital-video interface, HDMI.

With a plasma screen you get vivid colors like you've never seen before, extremely wide viewing angles (wider, even, than those of most LCD screens), and easy placement due to a plasma monitor's slim profile--the KDE-42XS955 is a mere 6.25 inches deep, perfect for desk or wall mounting (for wall positioning, use bracket SU-PW3M). Brightness tends to be extremely uniform across plasma screens, which are also impervious to the picture distortion and negative color balances that afflict CRT monitors when placed near lighting or sound systems. You do, however, need to be wary of image burn-in (wherein long-held stationary images leave a permanent impression in the screen).

Sony's CineMotion 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal is a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs 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.

The set's WEGA Engine system maximizes picture performance from any video source by minimizing the number of digital-to-analog conversion processes. This full digital processing engine includes Sony's MID-X (Multi Image Driver), which maintains the integrity of a converted signal by minimizing image loss in the scaling process.

Digital Reality Creation (DRC) circuitry ensures high picture resolution, while proprietary Direct Digital II circuitry increases a video signal's signal-to-noise ratio before it reaches the DRC circuit, ensuring rich, natural-looking images from any source.

Sony's BN Smoother scans the frequency of a given image (such as those from DVD players, off-air HDTV programming, or even analog cable and broadcasts) to calculate the edges of each MPEG block. It applies an algorithm to each block edge, smoothing the transition from one block to another for a seamless picture.

The set includes numerous other features.

• Single-tuner PIP (picture-in-picture) lets you view 2 images simultaneously (such as 1 TV station and 1 video input).
• A Memory Stick media slot (compatible with Memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick Duo media) grants convenient viewing of JPEG and MPEG-1 files. It can also display customized slide shows using MP3 files for background music.
• Authorized CableCARD ability means the set will receive digital cable television systems services directly from the cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box.
• Sony's exclusive S-Master 1-bit digital amplifier produces a powerful 25 watts per channel (x 2), pumping an additional 50 watts into a built-in subwoofer for rich, full-bodied sound from movies and music.

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link the set with any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver). HDMI supports standard-definition (SD), enhanced definition (ED), or high-definition (HD) video, plus multichannel digital audio--all using a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports up to 8-channel digital audio, with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.

What's in the Box
TV, removable stand, remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, a quick-start guide, a cleaning cloth, and warranty/registration information.

Product Description
If you want a High-Definition plasma TV with state-of-the-art performance and styling, Sony's 42" KDE-42XS955 belongs at the top of your list! Its slender, sculpted shape compliments your room and decor in a way that tube TVs never could. The all-in-one design combines the TV tuners, inputs for all your video gear, and a high-powered 3-speaker system in one clean, uncluttered package. The KDE-42XS955 includes the latest in HDTV tuner technology: built-in no-hassle reception for all over-the-air and cable HDTV programming. If you rely on over-the-air broadcasts, this TV can tune in both digital and standard analog signals. Cable TV subscribers can get a CableCARD from their local service provider. A CableCARD lets you watch basic analog, digital, and even premium cable programming, including HD, without using a separate set-top box! You can change all channels using the TV's remote control, and you have one less component to connect. It's really cool!