Television Product Review For: Sony KDF E42A10

Product: Sony KDF-E42A10
Overview:
Note: This product is part of the Sony KDF-EA10 Rear Projection television series. .
Review:
We haven't reviewed the 42-inch Sony KDF-E42A10, but we have posted a full review of the 50-inch Sony KDF-E50A10. The two LCD rear-projection HDTVs are identical except for screen size and should perform nearly the same. Upside: If the 42-inch Sony Grand Wega KDF-42A10 performs similarly to its 50-inch brother, it should be able to display nearly all the resolution of a native 720p HD signal. It should also have relatively solid black-level performance (for a LCD rear-projection set) and 2:3 pull-down in its video processing. Other perks include three independent memories per input, three component-video inputs, and a PC input. Downside: Again, although we haven't done a hands-on review of the Sony KDF-42A10, we did review the larger 50-inch model, which has inaccurate color decoding out of the box. In addition, it lacks picture-in-picture capabilities. Outlook: Despite falling a bit short of last year's DLP-driven sets in terms of black-level performance, the Sony Grand Wega KDF-42EA10's other image-quality strengths make it worth considering. People looking for a 42-inch HDTV, however, may also want to check out plasmas in this price range.