Sony's 51-inch WS Series KDP-51WS655 takes rear-projection sound and image to new heights. The set uses Sony's HD Microfocus CRT and lens system, featuring smaller phosphor particles, thinner phosphor layers, and other improvements that give the screen a beam spot 28-percent smaller than Sony's standard CRTs. And that means sharper focus, higher contrast, and brighter images. The KDP-51WS655's huge screen features a wide, 16:9 aspect ratio that matches the dimension of most movies and HDTV broadcasts, and it's compatible with just about any video signal out there, from standard-definition 480i and enhanced-definition 480p to high-definition 720p and 1080i--there's no stand-alone set-top box required for HDTV reception.
It's loaded with dual NTSC tuners, a high-definition ATSC (DTV) tuner, and a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) for a direct-digital hookup with advanced HD components. The set's authorized CableCARD ability means the set will also receive digital cable television systems services directly from the cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box.
An onboard HD Detailer wideband video amplifier provides high detail from high-res images to give you the best possible image from high-bandwidth sources. Auto 16:9 enhanced mode with auto ID1 detection automatically renders anamorphic DVD content in letterboxed widescreen, using all available display lines for the image and wasting none on the black bars that frame the image when a program's widescreen aspect ratio differs slightly from the set's.
Digital Reality Creation (DRC) circuitry ensures high picture resolution, while proprietary Direct Digital Circuitry increases a video signal's signal-to-noise ratio before it reaches the DRC circuit, ensuring rich, natural-looking images from any source. TwinView 2-tuner PIP (picture-in-picture) lets you view any 2 sources simultaneously--even 2 TV stations. Sony's MID-X (Multi Image Driver) maintains the integrity of a digital signal by minimizing image loss in the scaling process.
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 offers an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), which permits a direct digital connection with a compatible DTV set-top box. Other connections include 2 component-video inputs, 4 composite-video inputs, 3 S-video inputs (with 1 each composite-/S-video on the front panel for ready connection to a camcorder or gaming console), and 2 RF coaxial inputs for hookup with an older VCR, cable box, or antenna.
An optical digital-audio output lets the set pass a Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround-sound signal to a compatible audio/video receiver or other surround processor for powerful, enveloping sound through your multichannel speaker system. The set's onboard 2-way speakers are powered by a generous 20 watts per channel (x 2) for dynamic, full-bodied sound even if you're not using external speakers.
HDMI 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, remote control, remote batteries (2 AA), a user's manual, and warranty information.
