Sony BRAVIA KDL40EX520 40-Inch 1080p LED HDTV, Black Reviews

Excellent picture, sound, and connectivity…, March 13, 2011

By 

Victor H. Agresti “remodeling-guy” (Gaithersburg, MD United States) –

  

  

Sony BRAVIA KDL40EX520 40-Inch 1080p LED HDTV

We almost bought the less-costly Sony 40″ KDL-40EX500 Bravia, but didn’t because that model has been on the market since 2005. Instead, we bought this recently introduced EX520 which has later technology (e.g., back lighting); in spite of it having no Amazon customer ratings at the time. We looked at TVs in several local stores and no model in this size-range had a better picture than the Sony Bravia. Consumer Reports labels the 40″ Bravia’s picture (high definition and standard) as “excellent”, their highest rating.

Taking advantage of a 30-day free trail of Amazon Prime, the TV arrived in only 2 days. It’s well packaged, and I attached the stand to the TV in short order without needing the instructions. Turn it on the first time, and it goes through a question and answer setup procedure; e.g., it asks if it’s against a wall or in the middle of a room so it can adjust the sound accordingly. After the setup, it worked perfectly with no adjustments of any kind.

Pros:

– Outstanding picture; stunning even. The entire screen is vivid with life-like skin-tones, can be viewed from a reasonable angle, and action shots are smooth.

– Sound is crisp, clear, and realistic – excellent in my estimation for a TV; speakers are along the top of the unit’s rear, so it’s actually louder in back of the set than in front. We have it on a stand in the middle of a large room, 8 to 9 feet from our easy chairs. Having played trumpet in various bands for nearly 50 years, my hearing isn’t what it used to be; so decent sound was just as important as picture quality. Our backup plan, if the sound had stunk, was to buy an auxiliary BOSE sound system; but that would only be needed for actual high fidelity sound.

– For connection to a wired network, this model can be directly connected to your router and the only thing you’ll need to buy is the cable. Sony recommends Cat 7 cabling.

– The included stand is quite nice. The TV can be swivelled 20 degrees right or left without moving the stand. However, the TV cannot be tilted up or down if it’s on the table stand. (Curiously, the Bravia made for Mexico can be tilted up to 6 degrees, but that model uses a different stand.) I mounted ours on a Telehook TH-2050-VFM (Telehook Swing Arm Mount). If you want an articulating wall mount, this is a terrific choice; strong, doesn’t droop, and attractive.

– Lot’s of connectivity options.

Cons:

– For a wireless LAN connection, you’ll need to buy an [over-priced] SONY proprietary device called a “USB Wi-Fi Adapter”. Search Amazon on: UWA-BR100

– Although this model’s 60 hz refresh rate seems fine to us, you might want to look for a 120 hz TV if you watch lots of really fast action.

Other:

– If the TV will sit on a table, securely anchor the stand-base TO the table; this is crucial if you have small children. (From 2000-2005, there were 36 TV-tip-over deaths in the U.S. and three thousand injuries to kids under 5). This TV is only 25 pounds (32 with the stand), so it could be knocked over easily, or pulled over by a rambunctious youngster. Even if there are no kids around, a tip-over could seriously damage the TV, which wouldn’t be covered by any warranty.

– Many large LCD TVs on Amazon have some Customer Reviews citing maintenance issues with THEIR unit after the warranty expired. If this is a concern, consider buying a Square Trade 4-year warranty via Amazon (as we did).

Summary:

With its excellent picture, sound, and connectivity features, our Bravia 40″ TV is a 5-star product.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comments (3)

Great Picture Easy Setup, May 29, 2011

By 

V. Cheng (Cape Girardeau, MO United States) –

  

Pros
Great Picture and easy to navigate. Never need to look up the manual.
Connecting to the internet requires only plugging the LAN cable to your router. Did not try the WiFi connection though.
Like the presence detection. Screen would be shut down when you step away yet the audio sound continues.
Normally I do not like over-saturated colors, but the vivid mode here brings everything to live.
Watching Youtube on such a big screen gives an entirely different experience especially with the availability of HD contents.
Using the Media Remote Apps on your iPod/iPhone as your alternative remote allows you to have a Keyboard for your TV. Great for searching videos on Youtube!

Cons
Additional video ins would be great if you still run certain old DVD players and STBs.
Audio quality is just average limited by the thin casing.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comment

Sony Bravia KDL 40EX520_TV, May 25, 2011

This television is for a bedroom and is placed in an entertainment center that is 37.4″ in width. Fits perfectly.

Amazing color and picture! Viewers will not be disappointed with this television. Everytime I look at this tv, I am happy with the puchase. Red is red and black is black even with out HD cable. Purchased the Sony Blu-Ray BDP-S580. We do not have the internet hooked up to bluray or tv.

The only con is the remote for tv does not have a sleep timer button. However, the sensor/motion feature will automatically turn off which is needed when viewer falls asleep or forget to turn off tv.

I want to thank all of the previous reviewers because of your comments, I decided to purchase this television for a relative. By the way, my relative, the artist loves the tv.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comment