Sony HDTV

This Sony HDTV, the KDE-50XS955 is a 50in plasma set which has built in NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners, a CableCARD slot and an HDMI interface.
Like all HDTVs, it has a screen aspect ratio of 16:9 and supports, 480i (SD), 480p (EDTV), 720p, and 1080i resolutions. It's ultra-slim at only 6.25 inches deep and so is ideal for wall-hanging.

Sony's CineMotion 3:2 pulldown detection allows you to watch progressive scan DVDs in their native 24 frames per second format and the WEGA engine mimizes the number of digital-to-analog conversion processes, so maximizing image quality.

This Sony HDTV has a few other clever tricks up its sleeve, such as Direct Digital II which improves the signal to noise ratio of a video signal before it reaches Sony's Digital Reality creation Unit. Then there's the BN Smoother which scans the frequency of an image such as those from a DVD or off-air HDTV broadcast to calculate the location of the edges of an MPEG block. It then smoothes the transition from one block to the next, making the overall image smoother.

Other features of this Sony HDTV include picture-in-picture, which allows you to view one video input while watching another.There's a Memory Stick slot, which will take Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro cards, for viewing photo slideshows on-screen. These can also be set to music using MP3s stored on the card.

The CableCARD slot means you can receive and watch encrypted cable TV content without the need for a box, and the S-Master 1-bit digital amplifier produces 25 Watts per channel stereo output and delivers an additional 50 Watts to a built-in subwoofer.

The HDMI interface allows digital video and multi-channel audio to be passed using a single cable.

In the box, there's the TV, a stand, remote control and batteries, user manual and cleaning cloth.