- CNET Editors' Rating 8.0/10 Excellent Editorial policies >>
- Average user rating from 32 users 7.5/10 Very good Read user opinions >>
The good: Excellent performance after calibration; 1080i and 480p native display; CineMotion 3:2 pull-down in DRC video processing; user-removable SVM; lots of convenience features.
The bad: No true independent memory for each input; so-so precalibration performance.
The bottom line: One of the top-performing 34-inch, direct-view HDTVs gets a different name and a lower price.
Specs: Product type: CRT TV; Diagonal size: 34 in; Resolution: 1080i See full specs >>
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 08/12/2003
- Released on: 08/01/2003
Cosmetically, the HS510 is identical to last year's XBR800. The two speakers flanking the flat, 16:9 screen enhance the apparent width. A Memory Stick slot, A/V inputs, and menu buttons lie behind a flip-up door. The set weighs 201 pounds, but two people using the convenient side handles shouldn't have too much trouble lifting the beast atop a stand; Sony offers an optional one for $299.
We really like the remote control. Sleek and silver, it matches the TV, and the buttons are logically arranged. Some of the most commonly used keys glow in the dark. The remote is also universal and can control your satellite or cable box, as well as four A/V components from different manufacturers. The TV's straightforward menu system will appeal to experts and novices alike.
Sony packed the HS510 with convenience features. A Sony Memory Stick slot lets you display the images from a digital camera or camcorder--as long as the device uses that media--on the big TV. Sports fans will appreciate the Twin View two-tuner picture-in-picture (PIP), which places images from two different sources next to one another on the wide screen.
On the audio side, you'll find Steady Sound, which tames the peaks and valleys you often hear from one channel to the next and as you switch between program material and commercials. A simulated-surround mode called TruSurround and a 15-watt-per-channel internal amplifier give the set some sonic power.
One of the only differences we found between the XBRs and this TV is that the HS510's digital reality creation (DRC) video processing isn't fully adjustable; it offers a simple choice of Interlaced, Progressive, and CineMotion modes but forgoes the Custom setting, a wacky graph with Reality and Clarity axes that wasn't all that effective. CineMotion includes 3:2 pull-down detection to help reduce artifacts in film-based material such as DVD movies.
The VSM is a nasty edge-enhancement circuit; thankfully, it's completely defeatable in the menu. Three selectable color-temperature settings are onboard: Warm, Neutral, and Cool. Four different aspect-ratio controls, usable with progressive-scan sources but not HDTV, let you manipulate the image's shape; Wide Zoom blows up 4:3 programs to fill the screen. The Vivid, Pro, Movie, and Standard preset picture modes are each user-modifiable.
Our biggest complaint is that Sony once again didn't include true individual-input memory. To tailor picture, brightness, and other such parameters for different sources, you must change the picture mode for each input--an inconvenient solution at best. We wonder when the company will get with the program; Sony digital TVs are among the few on the market that still have this problem.
The HS510's connectivity options are quite comprehensive. The rear panel sprouts three A/V and two broadband component-video inputs, all with stereo audio; two of the A/V connections have S-Video. Also at the back are a monitor (composite video only) and variable-audio output set, one DVI-HDCP input for HDTV set-top receivers and DVI DVD players, two RF ins, and one RF Loop out. The front-panel A/V input for camcorder and video-game hookup has an S-Video jack, too.
The HS510's precalibration performance was just average. Even the Warm color-temperature setting measured quite blue, ranging from 8,000K to 8,500K across the grayscale (6,500K is ideal). Calibrating the TV resulted in a nearly perfect grayscale. Geometry and convergence, while not ideal, were certainly acceptable on this big tube.
The factory color-decoding exhibits heavy red push. Fortunately, qualified technicians can access the Service menu to completely eliminate the problem and also improve the green. This tweak is one of our favorites as it gives you one of the most important benefits of component-video sources: increased color resolution. The end result was far richer, more-saturated colors with no bleeding reds.
In an interesting exercise, we played Charlotte Gray from the new V Bravo D1 scalable DVD deck and compared the DVI input at 1080i with a component-video input at 480p. The two needed completely separate calibrations, and the DVI picture did seem just a tad cleaner. Black reproduction and grayscales were similar, but color and tint levels differed significantly. The high-definition D-Theater version of X-Men from our JVC HM-DH30000U player looked much better than the Bravo D1's 1080i output, with superrich saturated colors and awesome detail.
In performance and almost every other respect, the HS510 appears to be identical to last year's XBR800. That's why the new model has replaced the old one as our Editors' Choice among 34-inch HDTVs.
- See more CNET content tagged:
- 1080i,
- Sony Corp.
User opinions
WRITE YOUR OWN REVIEW How would you rate this product?
-
3/10 Poor January 20, 2008
"Four years, then KAPUT!" Read more >>
-
10/10 Perfect June 10, 2008
"Loved it for almost 5yrs!" Read more >>
-
9/10 Spectacular September 25, 2006
"Great CRT TV" Read more >>
- WRITE YOUR OWN REVIEWSee all 32 user opinions >>
