Sony BRAVIA S-Series KDL-46S5100 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black

Review by Michael D. Barton for Sony BRAVIA S-Series KDL-46S5100 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
Typically when there is a fanboy war over LCDs, the fight comes down between Samsung and Sony. Sonys are usually hailed as having better blacks while Samsungs [aka Sammys] are cited as having more accurate color.

I had a 46V4100 [last year’s V-Series a step higher than this S-series] and found it was a solid performer that was plagued by uneven backlight issues.

After researching several sets, I decided to give Sony another chance. At some point when buying an HDTV you have to accept that there will be compromises.

For a “entry level” set, the S5100 does not disappoint. Yes, SD content looks sketchy because of the huge amounts of upscaling that take place. That’s true on any 1080p set. And the compression that the cable and satellite companies use mean you will see blocky compression artifacts around the edges of some HD content.

But from a picture standpoint, the colors are accurate, the shadow detail is good and the viewing angle for an LCD is outstanding.

Physically, the set is handsome in a functional way but doesn’t have any design pizzazz. Also, the bezel is reflective. I know manufacturers do this so their products look “nice and shiny” but the position of the set in my room causes a noticeable glare on the left bezel- I thought it was severe backlight bleed until I looked more closely.

The screen itself is glossier than most LCD screens- not as reflective as a plasma but it will still throw a reflection at you. Probably not the best choice for a room with lots of direct sunlight. I have the TV in a room under a ceiling fan and the reflection is noticeable but not distracting. However, the reflection is nowhere near as diffuse as you’d expect from an LCD.

I think this reflective screen helps with the viewing angle, though. I’m sitting 6 feet to the left and 2 feet in front of the TV and the colors are almost as vivid as if I were sitting directly in front. This is a rare LCD that can challenge a plasma on viewing angle. Usually you get 50 degrees off center from an LCD and your picture is washed out.

Sony’s xcross [pronounced “cross”] menu system [used on the PS3 AND PSP] is not on the S5100. I don’t consider that a big loss and you do get a remote button called “tools” that lets you get to commonly used functions without using the menu. The interface is attractive and easy to use.

The TV has plenty of connectivity. 3 HDMI, PC input [9 pin, not DVI], 2 component in, digital audio digital audio out… you get the idea. 2 of the HDMI ports and the PC input are on the left side of the panel, recessed far enough to protect the plugs. Seems like a strange design choice.

Finally, I will admit that there are some minor backlight issues [2 “flashlight” areas] but unlike the V4100, I have to look at them to notice them.

If you want a big set and you’re on a budget, this is definitely a set worth looking at. I will warn you that it is very basic- there are NO extras on the TV. So SD slot, no internet connectivity, no picture in picture, no Motionflow 120/240

Those aren’t issues for me. In my opinion, most of those “features” exist to allow TV manufacturers to roll new TVs out each year and build in profit margin at then expense of people who want toys. I’m willing to bet that as a pure picture and sound experience [ie no MotionFlow] this set is the equal of the V5100 series for $200-$500 less.

PS- I apologize for not being able to review the sound but I have the set connected to a receiver.

Review by X for Sony BRAVIA S-Series KDL-46S5100 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
I’m not a big TV person, so I can’t compare this TV to others. I actually purchased this TV to play my PS3 on it, which is great!!!!! The games at 1080p look absolutely flawless. I can’t really make a lot of comments about the functions, but there are a lot of them. Everything looks great and for the price it’s great, and it’s a SONY!

Three months later, here is a review update:

This is still a good TV, especially when I purchased it 3 months ago. However, over the course of 3 months the HDMI connections started doing some weird things.

My set up is very simple: HDMI 1 is connected to my Digital Cable, HDMI 2 is connected to my SONY PS3 and HDMI 3 is connected to my SONY DVD upscale player. The problems I started having was the HDMI connections weren’t reading the signals sent by each component. At first I though it was the digital cable, because I stopped getting a signal. So, I had my cable company come out to my house three times and the last time they exchanged the digital DVR cable box with a new one. However, I noticed that when I turned on my DVD upscale using the “Bravia” features, I could no longer get a signal from my digital cable. So I unplugged the HDMI 1 (digital cable) and connected it to HDMI 3 (DVD upscale), then I received a cable signal. Same thing was happening to my PS3 (HDMI 2). It was like the PS3 and the DVD player kept knock’en out the cable signal.

So after hours of troubleshooting this ongoing problem, I realized, it wasn’t my digital cable boxes, PS3 or DVD player, it was the TV itself and since it was over 90 days, since the day I purchased it, I couldn’t return it to Wal-mart. So I called SONY and come to find out, SONY apparently knows about this problem. So SONY sent me a software update in the form of a USB drive. I received the USB drive, connected it to the back of the TV and the TV updated the software. The process took about 3 minutes and so far, everything is working fine.

I guess the biggest problem I have with this situation is that, if SONY knows this TV need a software update, why don’t they recall the TV or send the software update to each store that is selling the TV, so customers don’t have to go through this madness? So I wrote this review to warn customers who’s buying this TV and those who brought this TV of what to expect as you connect components to this TV using the HDMI ports over time. I would also recommend buying an extended warranty, just to be safe in the long run. I would also change my rating and give it 4 stars if I could, but I can’t.

Review by nash123 for Sony BRAVIA S-Series KDL-46S5100 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
Got the TV about two weeks ago, and have been somewhat satisfied. It took a while to get the SD channels look “OK” (sharpness down, etc), but I have concerns over the HD quality. HD channels are pretty good except when we have dark scenes. I get a lot of ghosting which I really hate seeing on a brand new TV. We have Comcast HD in Chicago, and we have really good HDMI cables. I applied the patch the day the TV came, and turned down the auto dim, and played around with all the picture settings including brightness, picture, sharpness… Anyone experiencing the same issues? I have yet to try a DVD – I only have a standard DVD player, maybe I should get a Blu-Ray player too…

I had a Sony 42″ Plasma (bought in 2004) before this and the dark scenes look much more grainy compared to my old TV on HD channels.

I do not think I will return it but any comments to correct this issue during the return period are welcome.

Review by Missy Stone for Sony BRAVIA S-Series KDL-46S5100 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
It’s amazing how LCD televisions have come down in price. I have a 46″ XBR2 that I bought for almost 3x the price of this one around 3 years ago. And the funny thing is this television and my XBR2 have exactly the same specs–46′, 60Hz, 1080p. It’s amazing.

This television is not 240Hz and it’s not LED-backlit. But guess what, it is good enough! I sometimes can’t help but feel that TV manufacturers add new features and increase specs so that they can justify an higher price. I think there is a term for this–planned obsolescence.

I mean, you probably would get a slightly better picture going for an new XBR or football will probably look better with 120 or 240Hz. But I really can’t tell the difference. And this slight improvement, in my opinion, does not justify the significantly higher price of these upgrades.

Do yourself a favor and go for this model. I mean, today’s top of the line models will also look ancient in a couple of years!

Review by Darren for Sony BRAVIA S-Series KDL-46S5100 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
Very good quality TV. Doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles, like pict in pict, but very nice picture. Built in speakers are ok but would look for another way to add sound. Would recommend.