As delivered, even the Warm setting of the Sony Grand Wega KF-50WE610's Color Temperature control was far too blue (see the Before curve in the accompanying graph). Neutral—from 10,059K (low) to 11,864K (high)—was anything but. After calibration, however, the result was excellent, and very close to the optimum D65 point. The trend toward blue shown at 20 IRE did increase at lower light levels. The result was a subtle blue tint in the darkest grays, visible on test patterns but only rarely on normal programming. The red and blue points were very accurate. Green was shifted a little deeper into green (and further away from yellow-green) than is called for by the standard.

I would have preferred a little less light output than the calibrated 44 footlamberts for viewing in a darkened room. But reducing the output too much made the image increasingly drab, 2-dimensional, and grainy. (Interestingly, CRTs can be driven at half this peak light output and still look punchier than most digital displays.)

The KF-50WE610 performed superbly on all the test patterns I could throw at it, both standard and hi-def. Only its overscan, through the component inputs, was a little excessive: 6–8% on all sides. Because of the set's high black level, peak on/off contrast measured a rather unimpressive 160, and ANSI contrast (16-square checkerboard) was 96.—TJN