Sony Bravia KDL-40S5500 LCD TV
January 26, 2010
The term ‘affordable’ and ‘Sony’ do not always go well together and when they do, it’s time for people like us to rub our hands together and get to work. Costing at around £550, the Sony Bravia KDL-40S5500 40” LCD TV is pretty affordable, especially in Sony’s standards. When a brand like Sony dishes out an averagely priced TV, it definitely makes you think that something is very fishy. With this in mind, we went about studying this TV up close and ended up finding out exactly what this TV was missing. To start off, the TV looks decent, there’s nothing to complain about that – smooth and sharp-edged, this Bravia in one good looker.
The Sony Bravia KDL-40S5500 Full HD LCD TV is not so over-loaded with features – in fact, it lacks quite a lot when compared to Sony’s other top-notch models. It sports the Bravia Engine 2 system, or better put, it sports JUST the Bravia Engine 2. This leaves the TV deprived of a lot of advanced picture processing techniques that the Bravia Engine 3 brought forth. Apart from this, the KDL-40S5500 lacks 100Hz processing too. So all these lackadaisical aspects leave permanent marks in the TV’s pictures.
Motion blurs are aplenty, but it’s the backlight inconsistency that shows this LCD TV in awful light. Coupled with unimpressive black levels, movies in the screens of the KDL-40S5500 are very disappointing. But there are times when the TV seems perfect, and you can’t believe your own eyes – such is the sharpness and clarity. But again, those are only times. Scenes with a dark background are so full of grey patches that the eyes hurt! Colours are again, only average – skin tones are easy on the eyes though. So, we were right all along huh? The Sony Bravia KDL-40S5500 is one fishy TV.
Sony Bravia KDL-40V5810 LCD TV
January 13, 2010
Looking good in its usual glossy piano black finish, the Sony Bravia KDL-40V5810 40” LCD TV smiles at you knowingly. ‘Come on now, find a fault with me’ it seems to mock. And so I set out to study the darn thing closely and boy was I in for a surprise. The TV has a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and the dynamic contrast ratio is quoted to be 60000:1. To be honest, I was bent in finding something to complain about this TV and I started with the pictures. To by disappointment, the pictures were as clear as they can get, with no blurs or dims reaching my narrowed eyes. Shrugging off ( the TV features the BRAVIA ENGINE 3, no wonder.) I turned to motion.
This Full HD LCD TV from Sony truly impressed me with the way it handled motion, and just when I began to slacken, something caught my eye. Aha! Gotcha! There were the subtlest of flickering around the moving parts of the picture. With a triumphant smile I moved further down to explore the connectivity. The TV is well connected – there are an ample 4 HDMIs, a USB input and a PC Input as well. More still, it sports a USB Media Player, Photo Viewer and a Music Player – which, I have to say are pretty decent for the price.
Plugging in my Blu-Ray player, I learned that the KDL-40V5810 can render movies with jaw-dropping clarity and with as real as possible colours. Tweaking my ears, I narrowed down on audio. This time the Bravia lost – audio never did impress me. May be I raised the bar too high, but nevertheless, I was not impressed. At last! Now I can readily oppose this TV. But no, dear readers – I dare not. The TV is cheap for all what it has to offer. It definitely is a winner. Oh well, I’m not done yet. I’m still keeping my radars ticking to find that ultimate sluggish TV and knock it hard with all my heart.
How the Toshiba Regza 40LV665DB LCD TV brought forth magic on Christmas Eve
December 24, 2009
It’s Christmas Eve and you’re digging your teeth into a huge chunk of chocolate dripping cake while the kids are fussing about the LED lights around the Christmas tree. You’re probably thinking you’re the happiest man in the world, what with the kids’ laughter ringing in your years, your wife gently chiding them now and then and ‘Silent night’ floating in from the neighbour’s window. You walk to the door and return to the living room; loaf about the kitchen, joke about the neighbour’s dog to your wife who’s with her laptop. But again, it’s the door that you’re headed to every few minutes. You open it, shrug and go back in. An hour or so passes by. Wringing your hands, you look at your watch – it’s about time they arrived. Your son questions, “What’s wrong dad?” Just when you think you cannot take it any longer – you hear the truck pull over.
Here it is, your Christmas present for your family – The Toshiba Regza 40LV665DB 40″ LCD TV. It stands there beaming, but not as beaming as you. “Merry Christmas” you say and huddle together for a good old, warmer than ever family hug. Why did you opt for this LCD TV anyway? Why wouldn’t you, when you heard so many good things about it? The TV looks so good, with a grey-black smooth finish that’s far from plasticky. Though the same can’t be said of the stand, the overall effect is pretty good.
With its 1920×1080p resolution and 50000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, pictures in the 40″ screen appear sharp and seamless. Satisfied with the pictures and just the perfect brightness and contrast, you move towards the connectivity. The 4HDMIs, the USB port, PC input and the other usual ones are all in place, just as you expected them to be. Your son brings out his PlayStation and plugs it in one of the HDMIs, turns the Game Mode on, only to be awed at how clear and elaborate HD gaming is in the screens of the telly.
It’s your wife’s turn at the TV and she channel trots in the speed of lightning laughingly. She stops at Mamma Mia playing in a local channel and is amazed at how brilliantly the TV adjusts itself according to the room’s light. The change is evident, enhancing the viewing experience. Auto View is the reason behind it, you note. She steps up and begins to shake a leg, pulling your daughter along. “Honey Honey” they sing along while your son and you roll your eyes. But the twosome force you on your feet and after a few awkward steps, the four of you are dancing away on Christmas Eve in front of the Toshiba Regza 40LV665DB LCD TV with not a care in the world.
Sony Bravia KDL-40Z5800 LCD TV
November 21, 2009
When you have a good look at the Sony Bravia KDL-40Z5800 40″ LCD TV the ‘Built-in Freesat tuner‘ is somehow the first thing that catches your attention. On further inspection, you realise that Sony has given the KDL-46Z5500 a few sprinklings of extra features, the major part of which is the Free tuner. The tuner gives you access to about 140 free TV and radio channels with an efficient electronic programme guide. Another interesting aspect about the tuner is that, you can also tune it to general DVB-S services too, if you prefer it rather than Freesat. So now you can access any free digital satellite TV service that is of the DVB-S broadcast standard. Isn’t that great?
We’ve always praised Sony for the design of it’s LCD TVs and we’re going to do the same thing with the 40Z5800 too. The design is straight and similar to that of the afore mentioned model with no attempts for anything different. But let’s not complain, for it’s stunning nevertheless. Remember the car-chase scene I mentioned in the review of the 46Z5500? Well this time around, I got hold of the same movie (It’s French, and yes I know French!) and watched the exact sequence. The deftness of the tall dude, Lothaire and the mood of the scene that follows was rendered brilliantly with no judders whatsoever. This telly features Motionflow 200Hz with IB reduction and Sony’s ingenious BRAVIA ENGINE 3, which speak for the sharpness and seamlessness of the pictures.
Dark shades look rich with detail and black is perfect to look at. There were times when I came across dull patches in dark areas, but again, they were quite minimal and not worth complaining about. Audio, however, has to be complained about. A heart racing action scene, however brilliant to look at does not give us the actual feeling of being there since it’s not backed by an equally brilliant sound system.
This Full HD LCD TV has a dynamic contrast ratio of 100000:1 and sports the Live Colour Creation feature, both of which do only good things to the contrast and colours. Skin tones and deep reds are natural and at the same time lustrous. All the usual goodies like USB Media Player, AppliCast applications and Picture Frame mode are in place along with a good dose of Eco Settings. Though not THE best LCD TV, the Sony Bravia KDL-40Z5800 will definitely have a lot of takers simply for the fact that it comes with an efficient Freesat tuner.
Presenting the Sony Bravia KDL-40WE5W LCD TV: An Eco-friendly LCD TV that could make a dandy Christmas present
November 4, 2009
Tired of raking your brains for that perfect Christmas present for your father? If you’re ready to eke out a few extra pounds into your Christmas budget, then you could consider the Sony Bravia KDL-40WE5W Eco-friendly LCD TV. According to Sony, the KDL-40WE5W is their ‘most eco friendly LCD set yet’. They say so because, the telly saves almost 50% of power when compared to others of its kind. Unbelievable, right? Well, Sony has made ot possible with the use of Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp backlight technology.
This Eco-Friendly LCD TV oozes out eco-friendliness all over the place. For instance, it has a Presence Sensor that can supposedly detect any motion in front of the TV such that it can automatically turn it off and on when you leave the room and re-enter. The technology behind this is a clever body heat and movement detector. Then there is an Energy Saving Switch that when turned on ensures that the stand-by power consumption is zero. There are also a range of other Eco settings and Sony’s renowned XrossMediaBar menu that are worth a mention. And does Sony compromise on the picture quality? The answer is a big no. This TV has a Full HD resolution, a quoted dynamic contrast ratio of 100000:1 and is HD ready.
So, pictures glitter with clarity on the screens and action scenes are rendered with class. Movies will be a pleasure to watch, for this TV houses the 24p True Cinema feature. The design of the TV is as pristine as its pictures. Coming in an immaculate white, the Bravia KDL-40WE5W LCD TV will definitely make a style statement. Audio is the area where this TV lacks, but in connectivity, it shines very well with 4 HDMI inputs speaking to its credit. To sum up, the Sony Bravia KDL-40WE5W will surely make your dad glow with pride on Christmas day.
