Sony are doing well with their consumer television business. According to a January 17, 2007 press release posted on the company website, Sony is a the most popular TV brand in the USA. With its Bravia LCD flat panel television and Grand WEGA rear projection microdisplays, Sony Electronics achieved number one total TV market share in the United States in dollars and units for 2006 (Jan to Nov).

Sony’s KDS-55A2020 Full HD RPTV has a native resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080). It incorporates Sony’s SXRD microdisplay technology as well as its video signal processing WEGA Engine. The KDS-55A2020 has an impressive contrast ratio of up to 10,000 and a blistering 2.5ms response time. Sound quality has not been ignored as it comes with SRS TruSurround XT audio enhancement technology.

Technology Features

Sony’s SXRD Microdisplay Technology

Sony’s SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) could be considered as an evolutionary development of LCoS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon) technology. Among Sony’s LCoS competitors are Syntax-Brillian (Gen II LCoS), JVC (D-ILA – Digital Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier) and newcomer MicroDisplay Corporation.

MicroDisplay, a new HDTV manufacturer, received a “Best Buzz” award from Insight Media for its Liquid Fidelity single-chip LCOS technology, demonstrated at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. According to Insight Media, MicroDisplay received the award this year by offering what they believe to be “the best and only single-chip LCOS powered set available today”. MicroDisplay produce a 1080p RPTV with one LCOS instead of three panels (eg. Sony and JVC). When MicroDisplay begins manufacturing large rear projection TVs for its first OEM brand partners, Memorex and Akai, the reduced complexity of a single LCoS panel should give it a cost advantage.

LCoS, the predecessor technology, is a combination of both the reflective approach of DLP (millions of actuated micro-mirrors on a chip reflect light required for the display) and the transmissive approach of LCD (millions of liquid crystals act as valves passing through light required for the display). In LCoS, liquid crystals are applied to a reflective mirror substrate with the polarization of liquid crystals being used for light transmission control and the mirror below reflecting the light or not as required for image display. LCOS microdisplays are mostly of a three-chip configuration for the three primary colors. As with DLP microdisplays, LCoS relies on projecting the three primary colors rapidly enough so that the eye combines them into a single color.

Sony’s SXRD technology differs from LCoS competitors in that the liquid crystal cell gap measures less than 2um which is far thinner than conventional high temperature Poly-Silicon liquid crystal or LCOS(Liquid Crystal On Silicon) microdisplay devices. Additionally, the TN (Twisted Nematic) liquid crystal, commonly used in projection devices, is replaced by Sony’s unique “Vertically Aligned Liquid Crystal” material where liquid crystals molecules are aligned vertically to the cell substrate. This is a significant technology development overcoming a long-standing challenge. It will improve alignment layer durability and ensure longevity of the high resolution.

Advanced Iris

Advanced Iris is a special Sony function designed to improve brightness and contrast expression especially in darker scenes. Of the seven settings two are for automatic opening and closing of the iris determined by the gamma level of the video displayed. The remaining five manual settings are intended to adjust the display for varying ambient light conditions.

Sony’s WEGA Engine

Sony’s WEGA Engine Video Processor is a digital video signal processor designed to improve picture quality. The WEGA Engine includes Sony’s DRC (Digital Reality Creation) that de-interlaces 480i and 1080i signals and then “maps” them for the 1920×1080p display.

Functions that have been added to the previous WEGA Engine version are the:

• Green, blue and white color enhancer circuit to selectively adjust natural colors for a more vivid image.
• Digital MPEG Noise Reduction Circuit for reducing MPEG artifacts caused by compression techniques used in digital broadcasts for maximizing bandwidth.
• Digital Contrast Enhancer circuit which auto scans and optimizes the contrast for each scene.

High Resolution

Specification details such as 2 million pixel (enough pixels to fully display a 1080 line picture without interlacing it) SXRD chips, 9um pixel pitch with 0.35um spacing promise outstanding picture quality free from the “screen door” effect which can affect LCD displays. Sony claim the inter-pixel spacing as the world’s smallest.

Fast Response Time

The SXRD panels have a impressively fast 2.5ms response time (total rise and fall time), for providing accurate detail in fast moving action scenes. Gamers will also appreciate the speed along with the “gamers mode”

Display Quality Improvements

With conventional projection devices, in order to ensure uniform cell gap, the substrates must be assembled one at a time with spacers inserted within the display area of the liquid crystal cell. However, in the case of the SXRD device, Sony have developed Planarization Technology For the silicon backplane, and alignment layer fabrication process, It allows the assembling entire wafers without the use of spacers. The process, according to Sony, has significantly reduced dust ingress during fabrication, while simultaneously improving both picture quality and production efficiency.

Sound

To provide an audio experience matching the visual one, Sony’s KDS-55A2020 has audio provided by SRS Lab’s patented SRS TruSurround XT surround sound technology. TruSurround XT is a multi-channel virtualization technology which aims to produce a surround sound effect using only two speakers. It will handle up to seven (6.1) audio channels.

TruSurround XT combines three patented sound processing techniques from SRS Labs:

• Dialog Clarity: Improves intelligibility of dialog
• TruSurround: TruSurround creates multichannel signals in a way that takes advantage of the human hearing system and create a surround sound field. It carries Dolby certification.
• TruBass: TruBass enhances bass performance utilizing proprietary psychoacoustic techniques. Perception of fundamental low frequency tones is restored by dynamically augmenting harmonics.

TruSurround will produce a two channel stereo output from mono, stereo, or multichannel input signals. It is compatible with signals that been decoded by a Dolby Pro Logic or Pro Logic II decoder and signals that have been encoded to stereo with a matrix encoder (e.g. SRS Circle Surround or Dolby Pro Logic).

For more information on the equipment supplied by SRS Labs can be found on their web site.

HDMI

Sony have thoughtfully included two HDMI interfaces with the KDS-55A2020. Two is really the minimum number required with the number of HD sources most consumers have now.

The HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. HDMI technology supports enhanced or High Definition video, together with multi-channel digital audio to provide matchless image and sound reproduction. Sony has not introduced the new HDMI 1.3 standard with this television.

Comparisons

Sony’s KDS-55A2020 is the successor to the KDS-55A2000. However, probably the largest difference is the change from a silver enclosure to black. The electronics are the same and the specifications are a near perfect match. There does however, appear to be less convenience features with the new KDS-55A2020.

Presentation Technology Reviews has also reviewed the previous models – the 60 inch KDS-60A2000 and the 50 inch KDS-50A2000

Warranty Information

Sony provide a one year warranty on parts and labor.

Front Projectors

Sony aim to introduce front projectors incorporating their SXRD technology to market within the next fiscal year.

Further Reading

Samsungs HL-S5679W won the CNET Best of 2006 Award’s TV category at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The 56 inch, HL-S5679W 1080p HDTV rear projection television (RPTV) is Samsungs first LED backlighting technology offering on the market.

Read our recent review of JVC’s True 1080p HD-ILA Rear Projection TV FN Series – HD-56FN97, HD-61FN97 and HD-70FN97 and our review of JVC’s True 1080p HD-ILA Rear Projection TV FH Series – HD-56FH97FH, HD-61FH97, HD-70FH97.

For more detail on the microdisplay panels powering the new generation of rear projection HDTV televisions, read our article Microdisplay Chips for Rear Projection Televisions.

User Reviews and Price Comparisons

Sony Grand WEGA KDS-55A2020 55-Inch 1080p Rear Projection HDTV

Specifications KDS-55A2020 RPTV