But as good as the Sony is, it still couldn't knock out the champion of the superheavyweight plasma division, Pioneer's Elite Kuro, which still reigns supreme as the best HDTV overall and it costs less, even at 60 inches, than the 55-inch KDL-55XBR8.
It delivered deeper black levels than the Samsung, along with less blooming and off-angle fade, two issues you'll have to read about below. In case you don't have time to read the complete blow-by-blow, we'll cut to the chase: the Sony XBR8 won. In this corner is the Sony KDL-55XBR8, the most-expensive flat-panel HDTV we've ever tested at CNET and possibly the worst deal per square inch since Sony's own XEL-1. This bout involves cutting-edge, top-of-the-line LED-backlit models most of us can't afford, but it's entertaining nonetheless.
Although not quite the best HDTV we've tested so far, the wallet-busting, LED-powered Sony KDL-55XBR8 comes mighty close.Īmong LCD heavyweights, Sony and Samsung have been trading blows for the last couple of years at the top of the standings.
