Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-40V2500 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Excellent HDTV, January 16, 2007

After reading reviews of various LCD HDTVs, my main concern was how well the set would display standard definition content, which still constitutes the majority of what is available on cable. Reviews of Sonys seemed to indicate they did a better job of displaying 480i signals, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by how good standard def looks on this set…comparable or better than the tube set it’s replacing. Digital channels look great, too, and of course the high def channels are fantastic. DVDs from a progressive scan player also look great.

A few points to consider when shopping for a set like this:

1. Don’t get one that’s too big for the viewing distance. Use 3 times the diagonal size as a guide. I sit about 10 feet away from the screen, so the 40 inch set is ideal. There is a big difference watching this TV from 4 ft. away vs. 10 ft. Sit too close (or with too big a screen) and you’ll see all the grain and imperfections in a 480i signal, and even the pixel shimmer on a high def signal. Sit farther away, and the image looks much, much better.

2. Standard def in 4:3 looks better that way than trying to zoom it out to fill the wide screen. By doing so, you introduce distortion to the picture and also enlarge the 480i signal, which reduces the quality. This set has a black border, so watching a 4:3 image with the black bars on the right and left is not distracting.

3. Not all high def content is provided in 16:9 format, and the quality of the signal may vary. Some high def stations look better than others.

4. This set has backlight control that allows you to turn down the backlight brightness. This helps to improve black levels quite a bit.

5. Don’t spend $80-$100 on an HDMI cable. I ordered one from Amazon for around $15 bucks and it works just fine. Digital signals are not as subject to noise and interference like an analog signal, so no need for an overpriced cable.

This TV is pretty easy to set up. The menus are fairly easy to navigate. You can tailor your settings for each input. You can have up to 8 different inputs, and the TV allows you to label each one and also to skip any that are unused. The remote is basic and doesn’t allow you to control any other devices, but on the plus side, is simple to operate.

The delivery service by EGL (Eagle) was fine, and their delivery estimate was accurate. They contacted me by phone when the TV arrived to schedule a time for delivery. They arrived on time, unpacked the set, placed it on the stand, and removed the packaging. The delivery guy also helped me move my other set. The one minor problem I had was with the tracking number. Apparently, the number had been used previously a couple of years ago, so the tracking on the Amazon site was incorrect. I had to go to EGL’s web site and enter it as a reference number in their tracking query in order for my order to show up.

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Best LCD on the Market…Plasma beater, December 9, 2006

By 

Gordong11 (New Jersey) –

  

I must say I am shcoked how good the picture and even the sound are on this LCD. For comparison, I also just bought an Hitachi 42HDT79 Plasma, and this gives the plasma a good showing(in 1080i mode..the hitachi has a native reso of 1024 x 1080 ie. 1080 lines of reso). Both are great.

This Sony has superior contrast, unlike most LCD’s, almost plasma like. Also the standard definition cable channels are reproduced better than any LCD on the market by far…not even close. I have a 1080P upconverting DVD player by Samsung DVDHD960, and it produces spectacular images on the TV. I have nothing bad to say about the TV.

DO NOT USE AN HDMI CABLE RUNNING FROM AN HD CABLE BOX! The Cablevision HD DVR’s HDMI, produces a much inferior picture when compared to using component cables. Red, Green and Blue will make your dreams come true, HDMI will make you want to cry. An HDMI connection from an upconverting DVD player on the otherhand, is just fine. It must be the quality of the cable box?

The remote control, lacks a bit, but this is made up for by lightning fast, easy to use menus.

Overall if you want an LCD…buy this! dont waste money on anything less. Especially those lesser quality panels..spend a few hundred more for the top tier panel. Amazing picture and sound! ENJOY

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Worth the price, January 18, 2007

From what I could tell at the store, this SONY performs just as well as the XBR3, which costs hundreds more. HD pictures are great, with no motion blur in fast moving scenes, like football or basketball. The standard definition pictures are pretty good compared to other LCD sets, but I find myself watching all kinds of HD shows that I ordinarily wouldn’t bother with just becasue of the difference in picture quality.

If you’re looking for a 1080p flat panel, then this is a great choice, especially for the money.

I’ve read that other owners are complaining about “clouding” — the appearance of some light or white patches in what should be a black area of the screen — but on my set it doesn’t affect the picture when there is a signal, only during periods of transition between switching channels or inputs, when the screen should be completely black. I haven’t noticed it at all, even during the darkest scenes, when there’s an active picture on the screen.

I’ve also read that switching between inputs is cumbersome — it doesn’t have to be. You need to go to the Inputs menu and label all unused inputs as “Skip”; after that, pressing the “TV/Video” button on the remote will bounce you only among inputs that are actually in use.

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