Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-70XBR3 - 70" BRAVIA LCD TV - 120Hz - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV - high-gloss piano black

The 70" KDL-70XBR3 is the largest screen size in the BRAVIA LCD line and pushes the limits of display technology with Full HD 1920x1080 resolution and amazing features such as 10-bit panel and picture processing, MotionFlow high-frame rate technology, Triluminos LED backlight, and x.v.Color. This remarkable television also includes 3 HDMI inputs, 2 component inputs and a PC input. BRAVIA Engine Pro with DRC-MFv2.5, Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) and 178-degree viewing angles help to deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 7000: 1.

Regrettably, I agree with D.D. Martinez. Alas, I tried quite extensively to fit this into one of my 14 luxury estates...but could not. I felt that even though having an HDTV is cheaper, I still must opt for paying live actors to perform on stage in my living room 24/7. Even though they aren't quite up-to-par when performing at 3AM, nothing compares to the real thing. I would take to watching flesh and blood with my Dom Perignon and caviar over a sterile, impersonal thing like an HDTV any day of the year. If you'll excuse me, I must now go cleanse my hands in my 24K gold laundry room sink, as I feel I have dirtied myself by reviewing such a mediocre "entertainment" appliance.

The reviewer who is building their "showcase" house and looks down on those who live in apartments and dorm rooms, should learn the phrase "diminishing returns." I have met these kinds of people many times in my travels. They believe all you have to do is throw massive amounts of money into something and it'll be exponentially better for it. Wrong. There comes a place where beyond a certain price point the display unit will not provide the eye and the brain with even an incremental increase in visual quality. I understand that when a person is ultra-wealthy they don't want to let money be an obstacle, but how gauche is it to waste $40,000 on a TV! $40,000 is enough to build a large, and VERY nice, VERY stylish theater. $40,000 would be enough to have an acoustically treated room; high-end pre/pro and multi-channel amps; very nice speakers (in-wall or otherwise) that would fill a 3,000 cubed foot room with rich sounds; a virtually silent 1080p ceiling mounted front projection system with an acoustically transparent 120" permanently torsioned screen; in-wall wiring of course; upconvert DVD player, blu-ray player, HD cable/sat receiver, and finally an integrated media-center PC. I admit that theater seating and the popcorn machine would be extra. Point is this. If you're so rich you can buy that TV... don't. Make a gorgeous theater for 40 or $50,000, and give the rest to a worthy charity. Oh by the way, I to could afford the TV =)

Forget the other uninformed reviewer - if you can't afford a $30k TV then you shouldn't be looking here. This TV costs about $44k in Japan, where it is made - so the price in the US is actually quite competitive. Let's all remember that when a Philips 40" plasma first came out it cost about $17k. However this review isn't supposed to be about price - it's about the quality of the unit. First off, this unit looks good even when it is off. If you live in a multimillion dollar house, then you need to think about what kind of look and style you want in your room - even when not watching TV. If you don't want to go all the way for a full blown home theatre with projector (only good in the dark) then this model is what you need. Then - when you turn the unit on - be ready. The picture is as clear as being their in person. I have seen this unit side by side with other high-end units, all using the same HD feeds, and this unit just feels more natural. I am not going to get into the details of the color processing system, refresh rate, contrast ratio, etc... it just feels natural. Not too bright. Not to red. Nothing bleeds. I just feels like you are there. If there are any weaknesses of this unit it would be the speakers, however clearly this unit was meant to be plugged into a much large home theater speaker system. The speakers sound fine on their own, but don't expect them to be enough to fill a large room. This isn't for your college dorm room, nor is it for your $1200 per month rental apartment. But if you are building your showcase house, and want something that will last and look good, then this is for you. I plan to factor one of these into my next home construction project!

Clearly SONY is trying to capitalize on LED hype and the relatively few who offer a 70" screen size, but $30K+ for this TV, the term OFF YOUR ROCKER does not even begin to explain the logic of justifying this purchase, SAMSUNG already has LED backlights and and 120Mhz processor for image production for 1/4th the price. SONY needs to lower the price of this to the $8K to $10K range and then it will be a great buy, until then SONY is SMOKING the good stuff, to try and price at this level.