Sony Bravia XBR-Series KDL-46XBR4 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

LET THE BUYER BEWARE!!
We bought a brand new Sony Bravia XBR this past May from Amazon. The TV stopped working 10 days ago. TV still under warranty. The red stand by light blinks and the TV turns off by itself after about 30 seconds. We have gotten no resolution from Sony after numerous phone calls/online chats to their service dept. They have sent two technicians over the past 10 days. One came yesterday and finally replaced a part that supposedly went out-- it worked for one day only. They TV still has the same problems and turns off by itself after a minute. Customer service is no help-- it is a call center in the Philippines. All they do is say I am sorry. I have tried another service number-- they also are very apologetic-- but again no one can give any resolution--it is impossible to get this issue escalated. This is is obviously not a good product-- Sony refuses to own up to this. We cannot get past the customer service reps to escalate to someone who can actually do something. We do not know what to do. We are out $3600-- Sony has ripped us off. I have contacted some media outlets in the NYC area to see if they are interested in exploring this story.

I have a XBR4-52 and it works fine for the first 4 months, then a vertical dead line appeared and propagated every day.
Called the Repair center and realized this is a typical problem for this TV. Now it is Olympic time and I have no TV to watch!
Simply DO NOT buy this TV, or if you really want to give it a shot, buy it with extended warranty.
I am lucky since this TV broke down while still covered under warranty, if not, be prepared for another 2000+ for display panel replacement.

BTW, as mentioned by someone before, SONY custom service is a disaster!

Wish I could write a real review of this KDL-46XBR4, but since it stopped working after three hours of arrival at my home, I can't. I didn't even get to finish setting it all up. Good reviews overall, but if you aren't lucky, you're in for a world of hurt. This is day 34 since the television arrived, and there is still no resolution to the problem. First I was given two service tech firms to contact. Neither do home warranty in my area. One even laughed at me and told me that they'd look at it if I brought it to them. Imagine that, me in a compact sedan with a 46" diagonal HDTV television in the back seat. Yeah, right. Sony then directed me to a third firm. An appointment was made for nearly two weeks in the future, and they only come out on a Tuesday, so I had to take that and take time off work. Tech guy diagnosed the problem as three - yes, three! - bad circuit boards. He made a return appointment for, yep, two weeks in the future when the parts would have arrived. He suggested, however, on the q.t. that I urge Sony to take the set back. What more might be wrong, he wondered. So I began to pursue that while keeping active the appointment for the next service call, with the hope that one or the other would happen first. Nope, about a day before the new appointment for service, I had a call saying that the parts were unavailable, but they would call me when they could be. When might that be? Well, the earliest they could be available, but no guarantees, might be two more weeks. Again, I asked Sony to replace the set. "Oh, sir, we're so sorry about your (note: "your") problem. But we can't do that." Why? "I don't know. You'll have to call the X department for that information." Again, more waiting, no calls back, no information. On the 30th day since the set arrived, I phoned and started demanding that a return merchandise authorization be provided me and I would at my own expense send the set back to Sony. "Can you tell me what the problem is?" Again, went through the whole drama (by this time I have an official complaint file). Next call on day 32: "Sir, you can't get an RMA since you have had the television for more than 30 days." I popped another high blood pressure pill. Finally, "We'll send you an email within the next 24 to 48 hours with the information you requested." "Sir, does this resolve your issue with Sony?" Huh?? I replied, "I sure hope so." So guess what? No email has arrived. No RMA has been provided. No parts are available. Still in Sony customer service hell. By the way, I asked for the name and address of Sony's USA president, and the customer service person said, "If you sincerely want that information, sir, call X, because I don't have that information in my database." Unbelievable. Moral of this story: Don't ever buy from Sony directly (SonyStyle.com), as I did. If you want to go ahead and spin the roulette wheel, then buy a Sony through a reputable reseller so you can return the television without a hassle. I've been a loyal, repeat customer of Sony over the years. I know from experience now that Sony couldn't care less.

I have had this tv for three months and it has worked perfectly. I haven't had any of the problems mentions in other reviews such as fan noise and clouding. The picture is aboslutely stunning when watching a blu-ray movie. The sound from the speakers is good so there is no rush to get a sound system. Free shipping from Amazon made buying it from them the best value...just be proactive and contact CEVA (the delivery company) when it arrives at your local hub to schedule a delivery time instead of waiting for them to call you which may take a couple of extra days.

I've had this TV for almost a month now and all I can say is....(in my best Keanu Reeves voice) WHOA!!! The XBR4 is simply amazing. Blu Ray movies look absolutely stunning on this set and the 120Hz make you feel like you are on the set during filming. It's that clear. I wonder how I've survived this long without HD. The TV automatically sets itself to whatever source you are watching. For example, using a standard dvd player will set the TV to NTSC setting. HD channels are set to 1081i and the PS3 is set to display at full 1080P. The upconversions look great on the tv as well. I haven't had any issues with hearing the fan as many have complained about (knock on wood!!). All in all, this is a fantastic set and worth every penny.