Sony KV-34HS510

CNET editors' review

Sony's newest WEGA-series direct-view HDTVs look like an improvement over last year's in at least one important aspect: price. The 34-inch KV-34HS510 (listed at $1,999) is essentially identical to our 2002 Editors' Choice, the KV-34XBR800, but the new model costs $700 less. If you're considering the HS510, you should take into account that the 2003 step-up KV-34XBR910 features a new Super Fine Pitch screen that makes HDTV even more detailed. If you don't feel the extra resolution is worth the extra dough, the HS510 certainly won't disappoint. Excellent performance and a sub-$2,000 price tag make this set one of the best-value direct-view HDTVs currently on the market.

Design of Sony KV-34HS510

Cosmetically, the HS510 is identical to last year's XBR800. The two speakers flanking the flat, 16:9 screen enhance the apparent width. A Memory Stick slot, A/V inputs, and menu buttons lie behind a flip-up door. The set weighs 201 pounds, but two people using the convenient side handles shouldn't have too much trouble lifting the beast atop a stand; Sony offers an optional one for $299.

We really like the remote control. Sleek and silver, it matches the TV, and the buttons are logically arranged. Some of the most commonly used keys glow in the dark. The remote is also universal and can control your satellite or cable box, as well as four A/V components from different manufacturers. The TV's straightforward menu system will appeal to experts and novices alike.

Features of Sony KV-34HS510

Sony packed the HS510 with convenience features. A Sony Memory Stick slot lets you display the images from a digital camera or camcorder--as long as the device uses that media--on the big TV. Sports fans will appreciate the Twin View two-tuner picture-in-picture (PIP), which places images from two different sources next to one another on the wide screen.

On the audio side, you'll find Steady Sound, which tames the peaks and valleys you often hear from one channel to the next and as you switch between program material and commercials. A simulated-surround mode called TruSurround and a 15-watt-per-channel internal amplifier give the set some sonic power.

One of the only differences we found between the XBRs and this TV is that the HS510's digital reality creation (DRC) video processing isn't fully adjustable; it offers a simple choice of Interlaced, Progressive, and CineMotion modes but forgoes the Custom setting, a wacky graph with Reality and Clarity axes that wasn't all that effective. CineMotion includes 3:2 pull-down detection to help reduce artifacts in film-based material such as DVD movies.

The VSM is a nasty edge-enhancement circuit; thankfully, it's completely defeatable in the menu. Three selectable color-temperature settings are onboard: Warm, Neutral, and Cool. Four different aspect-ratio controls, usable with progressive-scan sources but not HDTV, let you manipulate the image's shape; Wide Zoom blows up 4:3 programs to fill the screen. The Vivid, Pro, Movie, and Standard preset picture modes are each user-modifiable.

Our biggest complaint is that Sony once again didn't include true individual-input memory. To tailor picture, brightness, and other such parameters for different sources, you must change the picture mode for each input--an inconvenient solution at best. We wonder when the company will get with the program; Sony digital TVs are among the few on the market that still have this problem.

The HS510's connectivity options are quite comprehensive. The rear panel sprouts three A/V and two broadband component-video inputs, all with stereo audio; two of the A/V connections have S-Video. Also at the back are a monitor (composite video only) and variable-audio output set, one DVI-HDCP input for HDTV set-top receivers and DVI DVD players, two RF ins, and one RF Loop out. The front-panel A/V input for camcorder and video-game hookup has an S-Video jack, too.

Performance of Sony KV-34HS510

The HS510's precalibration performance was just average. Even the Warm color-temperature setting measured quite blue, ranging from 8,000K to 8,500K across the grayscale (6,500K is ideal). Calibrating the TV resulted in a nearly perfect grayscale. Geometry and convergence, while not ideal, were certainly acceptable on this big tube.

The factory color-decoding exhibits heavy red push. Fortunately, qualified technicians can access the Service menu to completely eliminate the problem and also improve the green. This tweak is one of our favorites as it gives you one of the most important benefits of component-video sources: increased color resolution. The end result was far richer, more-saturated colors with no bleeding reds.

In an interesting exercise, we played Charlotte Gray from the new V Bravo D1 scalable DVD deck and compared the DVI input at 1080i with a component-video input at 480p. The two needed completely separate calibrations, and the DVI picture did seem just a tad cleaner. Black reproduction and grayscales were similar, but color and tint levels differed significantly. The high-definition D-Theater version of X-Men from our JVC HM-DH30000U player looked much better than the Bravo D1's 1080i output, with superrich saturated colors and awesome detail.

In performance and almost every other respect, the HS510 appears to be identical to last year's XBR800. That's why the new model has replaced the old one as our Editors' Choice among 34-inch HDTVs.