CNET would seem to agree with that assessment based on its new review of the Sony KDS-R60XBR2 SXRD 60-inch set.
The web site says the high-def set, which retails for slightly less than $4,000, "produces deep blacks with excellent detail; resolves every line of 1080 resolution sources and (offers) incredible amounts of picture control."
CNET gives the set a score of 8.3 out of a possible 10.
Sony's new KDS-R60XBR2 60-inch set.
On the negative side, the web site says the Sony HDTV "has a picture essentially identical to its less expensive SXRD stablemate," the 60-inch KDS-60A2000, which now retails for less than $3,000. But CNET says many high-def owners will like the new model's set of features, which includes 3 1080p-compatible HDMI connections; a CableCard slot; and an extra bulb (for when the first one burns out).
"The Sony KDS-R60XBR2 still scored higher on account of its extra features, and if you want to splurge, it's still one of the best-performing HDTVs available today," the review said.
CNET's review included a test of how the set performed when displaying 1080p video from new high-def DVDs. Using a Samsung Blu-ray player, the site's reviewers watched a high-def edition of Mission Impossible III and found that the image looked better than in 1080i, at least in one scene.
"In the beginning of Chapter 8 in the Mission Impossible 3 Blu-ray disc, the camera pans over a set of stairs leading down into a party," the review states. "When we set the Samsung player to 1080p, the stairs appeared relatively solid, but when we switched to 1080i and watched the Sony, the stairs sort of strobed and flashed as the camera moved, and a couple concentric lines of moiré patterns appeared."
However, CNET notes that there didn't seem to be a difference between 1080i and 1080p when it watched a Blu-ray DVD of Batman Returns on the set.
The Sony KDS-R60XBR2 is now available at major retailers.