I have a Sony KLDV26XBR1 hooked up to a Vaio via VGA and looks fantastic.
I did buy a DVI-HDMI cable but wasn't able to get a good picture with the Sony's HDMI input.
As far as I know, the Bravia improves over the S series with better upscaling processors for SD pictures and somewhat better video noise reduction. This is important for DVDs, SD programming and perhaps even HD programming too.
Other than that, Bravia has a better remote, looks better...
I've been using the Samsung 172X for the last couple of years and love it. Only recently, I thought about replacing it with a larger widescreen monitor to take advantage of all the widescreen movies I have on my PC. I hate all the new monitors on the market now because their build quality is...