Because plenty complained about last year's W804 having shitty black levels and poor color vibrance, which actually looked worse than the much cheaper W674.
Sony switched the W8 series to AUO VA panels this year and thus active 3D instead of passive 3D that was possible with the LG IPS panel on the W804.

from wat I know from da sales, they said r series is using previous model to reassign new no. as new model, meaning the sony chip is still using reality.

but wxxxa & wxxxb is using new reality pro sony chip so tat it has improve a lot compare from reality to reality pro processor. others mayb smart features upgrade or minor upgrade from hardware...

so this year r series got ar? i don't mind getting this year r series based on w954

For me personally, yes. I hated how poor the blacks were on the W804. Though the IPS panel on the W804 is a necessity for the viewing angles if your room is setup with sofas beyond the 60 degree viewing angle limit of a VA panel. You can certainly still watch, but colors will shift beyond 60 degrees (some VA panels are even worse) eventhough specs state that they have an angle limit of up to 178 degrees.

So, see how your room is setup to be like.

Though if you were to go for an IPS panel, I'd suggest you go back to LG instead.

well, 47 inche la7400 is an option for u as it is less than 4k. input lag still acceptable & passive 3d, but dlna i'm not sure as i didnt try it...

If gaming is important to you,get Sony.
Been using 50w800b around 1 month+ & it was fantastic

The retail price for 50W800B is RM3,999. Where to get it for RM3,500?

Didn't try for NAS. MKV no problem at all & it can read srt too

Yes, it can

Gaming means using ps3/ps4 or pc?
How about movie. 50" size okie for movie? Too small?

for me, if the price is the same between 55W804 vs 50W800B, i'll go for the 55.
just because of the additional size and ability to watch 3D while lying sideways on my sofa.
as for the pq, its minimal to me.

still... i really love the webOS. damn hard to decide.

I went window shopping last week, and they sell the 55W804a at the same price with the 50W800B.
so yeah, my comparison is legit.

alex,

after LG announce the availability in our local stores, i'll wait for Raya promo, than again the YES promo.
if the price is still not right, i'll wait for the 2015 edition to launch, then buy the 2014 model..

but then again, the 2015's webOS might be much better.

i really hope it is upgradeable for this year model.

i saw the prices at local shop in Sungai Petani.
Rm3999 each for both items.

is RM4670 a good buy for KDL55W804A now? searched few shops, this is the cheapest I can find (though I missed out on a promotion back in March - RM4799 with free Bluray player directly from Sony Center, geez