Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV

Review by M. Moreno for Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
I bought this TV in June 2008 and have found it to be an absolutely great buy. I bought my at RC Willey. Yes, I read the CNET review and the reviewer marked down the TV because of the dark shades changing. I looked at this in the store for several minutes and have lived with it for a month and have not noticed that problem at ALL! Personally I think they guy shot down the SONY because Samsung is running TV advertisements on CNET. This is a super sharp TV with excellent colors and deep deep blacks. This TV is much better than the old 2007 W. Here is why I bought this TV…It is super clear in digital broadcast and does a much better job in Analog/420p SD (old) transmitions than any other TV I have seen (no jaggies..thanks to Sony noise reduction/DSP). Sony knows Bluray- they invented it, they know what skin tones should look like like (they own a movie studio), thier menus are really easy/simple to use (vs. Samsung 650), it has a built in TV guide (You can get rid of that Monthly cable box fee) and it has future expansion capability.

On pure picture quality vs. Samsung 650:

* Picture: It is pretty darn close in digital broadcast. I looked at both side by side. Samsung has a slight edge on clarity in analog broadcast. Samsungs have more glare, Sony is a matte screen but blacks on samsung are pretty darn good because of the glossy screen. When viewing a BluRay DVD though, the Sony slightly more details. No fade from bright to black issues on sony as noted by CNET (he must have had a protype system). Colors are nice a bright and bravia 2 engine is even better than XBR4 or near it. I have heard the Z series may be better but they don’t make it in 52” yet.

* Menus: Samsungs menus are made for Engineers (lots of tweeks, but really confusing for average user). If you doubt it, download the user manual to the A650 and KDL524100 and see for yourself. If you and your family are highly technical, go for the Samsung. If you don’t want to fiddle (aka get lost in menus), but get an excellent picture, go with the Sony. Sony’s are really simple and easy to use, plus it automatically find digital channels and is somehow able to display all the channel icons (it is like I have a built in cable box).

* Features: The Sony may not have the Ethernet and built in weather/news of the 650 Samsung, but it does have the built in TV guide and future expansion. Realistically, if you want Internet in your TV, you are better off connecting an external device (Playstation, Apple TV, etc). The TV guide feature in the sony is great and the Bravia Sync is a big plus (especially when you use a Sony DVD upconverter 1080p (nice one at costco)- why?…TV remote controls it all. Sony Picture n’ Picture is nice as well allowing you to view pictures/video from HDMI while at the same time viewing cable TV (regardless if it is SD or HD signal)

* Asthetics: My favorite feature on the sony is that the power buttons on on the top of the TV… helps with preventing kids from turning tV on/off. I believe Samsungs are too low. I personally didn’t like the Red on the Samsung and the glossy screen. The remote on the Sony is really easy to find/use vs. the Samsung. But the Samsung’s remote lit up at night…which the Sony’s does not.

Bottom line: if you are a videophile and your family (wife) can deal with the techno menus (plus you want to upgrade the firmware to fix the Samsung A650 on/off bug), get the Samsung. If you want the a super clear Picture (videophile made easy), easiest to use LCD with features that make every day TV viewing smooth and easy… The sony is excellent- Plus it is future expandible.

Recommended Evaluation settings: Picture mode custom, backlight 7, Picture 95, Brightness 45, Color 50, Hue 0, Color temp Neutral, Sharpness 4, Noise Red. off, MPEG Noise red. off, Advanced settings-> Black corrector: med, Advance C.E Med, Gamma off, clear white low.

Review by Ali S. for Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
I did a lot of research when I decided to buy a 52″ TV. I’m a student and a part-time salesman at a fortune 100 company in consumer electronics. After weeks or perhaps months of preparation and research I narrowed down my options to the Samsung A750 and the Sony bravia w4100. Now I did have a Samsung A550 and a Sony Trinitron High Def CRT at home and they were both pretty impressive but I figured that Sony does a better job in 52″ or larger category after observing the w4100 and a750 for several days at work.

First off lets talk about the screen. The 50’000:1 contrast of the Samsung vs. 30’000:1 contrast ratio of the Sony. The way Samsung measures its contrast ratio is radically different from Sony, that is why Samsung never discloses its “TRUE CONTRAST RATIO”, but Sony does. In this case sony’s true contrast is 3,000:1. Whatever the true contrast ratio of Samsung, it is not superior to that of Sony’s. This is something that most experts agree on. It is easy to blast your dynamic contrast ratio but not your true contrast. Some claim that the Samsung produces deeper blacks but my answer is that this is due to Samsung’s glossy mirrored screen and it has nothing to do with performance. The mate screen of sony absorbse white light coming from backlight or any ambient lighting from the room. This causes the blacks not to appear as deep or fake as the samsungs. Plus, Samsung manufactures all of Sony LCD screens so in terms of screen capability they are equal. If you have a bright room go for the sony, the screen is slightly brighter and not reflective like the Samy. The backlight for Sony seems to work brighter but its not as evenly distributed as the Samy, this is clear in the dark.

Second factor I checked for was the TV engine. We have the Samsung’s Dnie Pro vs. Bravia 2. Well there is no question that bravia 2 is the clear winner here, being utilized by Sony XBR6 and XBR7 which go for about $4000 dollars while the Samsung’s DNIE pro is built to compete with the lower end Sony Bravia Engine Pro. Sony’s Standard TV quality is excellent and the Samy is just as good but i noticed that Sony’s colour was more natural ie. colour of grass in baseball. Also sony covers over %90 of colour Gamut while Samsung covers only %70, this maybe why skin tones and greens look more natural on the Sony.

Next up was refresh rate and here both run at 120 Hz and here Sony has dramatically improved over the XBR4 series in motionflow. Samsung also does really well in 120 Hz category so I say they are both a tie here.

Sound is another important factor for my decision, i blasted the 7 series at work and noticed poor sound quality in extreme volumes while the Sony better retained its quality. However the Samsung was capable of delivering deeper Bass probably due to its built in Subwoofer. Sony allows you to adjust voice volume and enable steady sound to prevent commercials from freaking you out in the middle of your favourite tv shows. But be aware this may cause low volume in sudden loud scenes in movies.

Finally last thing I looked for was design. Samsung 7 series looks fabulous with its glass like frame and a touch of red, but that is the problem for me, “red”. I don’t fancy a red TV and I think it’s one of those fashion trends that would soon be “old fashioned”. Sony however retains a more masculin design with fine glossy black frame and metal speakers at the bottom.

Its a pretty close call but having used both Sony and Samsung (sony for longer) i feel that sony is more capable of delivering quality products as most Japanese manufacteres do. Also sony has great customer service vs Samsung i have had a sony TV break once and there was a repair man at my door step in less than 12 hours servicing my TV at home (bulb replacement in a old projection tv). Sony is the innovator here while Samsung is the follower, that’s one reason why i chose the sony. Biggest factor for me was the superior Sony TV engine and better design. Oh and by the way sony is slightly thinner.

Sony is the best your money can buy for a TV overall, as it always has been since the day of Trinitron. […]

Pros:

– Excellent Picture Quality

– Deep dark blacks

– Motion Enhancer

– Covers 90% color gamut

– Vertical viewing angle

– Great Sound/Audio performance

Cons:

– Horizontal Viewing Angle

– lacks picture Shadow details

Review by Dr Watson for Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
***Updated*** (with new settings post firmware upgrade)

I have had this TV for 5 months now and could not be happier. This set produces excellent picture quality, amazing black levels and vibrant colors. The new Bravia Engine 2 also improves with 120Hz motion processing from Sony XBR4 line. My TV is located in a well lit room so the semi-matte display was a must. This TV delivers many useful settings to let you have the full freedom of making this TV truly yours. The PQ on 1080p material such as blu-ray movies or games is phenomenal. Broadcasted 1080i/720p HD sources look very good too – all depending on your provider and signal strength. SD quality is good but again it varies from channel to channel.

For everyday use, this TV will get some immediate props for its’ picture delivery from any viewer. If you like sports, you can expect unrivaled video processing of fast action. If you enjoy movies, this Sony offers a combination of settings to complement the true 24p cinematic picture.

Since blu-ray movies are still expensive I have done a lot of testing by watching normal DVD’s on my PS3 – and I have to tell you, those DVDs look better that HD broadcasts from Comcast. It feels almost unreal when you get to watch older movies with such clarity as if they were shot just a few years ago.

If you need some starter settings to get more accurate reproduction of colors and detail, feel free to use my settings (post update v.202):

Picture Adjustments

Picture mode: Custom

Back Light: Min

Picture: 94

Brightness: 52

Color: 45

Hue: 0

Color Temperature: Neutral

Sharpness: 5

Noise Reduction: Medium

MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

Advanced Settings

Black Corrector: Off

Advanced C.E.: Off

Gamma: Off

Clear White: Off

Live Color: Off

White Balance

R-Gain: -1

G-Gain: -1

B-Gain: -4

R-Bias: -3

G-Bias: 3

B-Bias: -2

Motion Enhancer: Standard

CineMotion: Auto1

Screen Menu

Wide Mode: Full

Auto Wide: On

4:3 Default: Off

Display Area: Full Pixel

Keep in mind that sets and environments vary – so you don’t have to use these settings verbatim. But it should give you a good start without a professional calibration. Just make sure not to leave the setting at the default given Vivid – since companies set most TVs at the brightest picture setting to compete against other sets in the bright store rooms. Otherwise you may be get a second hand tan from the picture =)

Sound quality is excellent if you are not planning on using a more powerful sound system. The TV offers plenty of ports – so you can easily connect to many devices at once.

I hope you love this TV as much as I do. Enjoy!

Review by W. Chan for Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
This is my first HDTV and this one fits my budgets. Both picture and sound quality are great.

I was comparing this one with Samsung 650 and Sony XBR4. XBR4 is very nice, but with $800 more it is way over my budget. I like the contrast on W4100 better. I believe XBR6 will have same contrast ratio or even higher, but price will be definitely much higher too. Samsung 650 definitely has better color on HD content, due to its 10bit panel maybe, but the glossy screen will produce too much glare in my family room where it has windows all around. I was debating if 10bits panel really matters during the shopping process. But now, the TV is setup in my room and I feel very happy with the color (as I won’t remember how 10bit panel on Samsung’s looks like in Frys or Circuit City 🙂 ).

The PQ on HD content is very good in local cable 1080i and 720p HD broadcast. SD content PQ is decent if you keep the Wide mode at Full mode. If you skretch to zoom to take up the full screen, the result is not good at all.

The sound quality is good too out of the box. I don’t have home theater system, therefore, built-in sound is important.

So far, I enjoy this HDTV set a lot.

Amazon white glove service is nice too. They call before delivery and they unpack and setup the TV set for you. I got this set for $2399 from Amazon a week ago and the TV arrives within a week. Excellent.

Review by Eric Persson for Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
Bought this from Amazon, best price by $400+ from local stores and lower then other sites, and the Amazon reputation!!! White Glove delivery was 4 days earlier then anticipated and was flawless. They brought it in and set it up, turned it on and left…

Over all I LOVE this television. My ‘quirks’ later are minor compared to the overall excellence of this.

Picture is sharp, bright, and clear, even with sporting events. Sound is excellent, glare (I have two large windows in the room) is low compared to a glossy TV.

I have played one DVD and watched cable television from it. The cable sourced unencrypted 720 and 1080 HD broadcasts that fill the screen are AWSOME! The others are better then my old 37″ as they equate to about a 42″ but I feel cheated because they don’t fill the screen without losing the edges of the picture. This is a transmission issue not a TV issue.

I bought a Bravia audio system at the same time and while it took me a little while to find all the settings in both devices once you do it works well. When you switch between functions (TV or Video) the TV and Audio system decide who’s speakers to use and switch between them. You can override that but the initial setting work.

Now the quirks….

– I did a full auto search then digital channels only, some digital channels that I can direct access do not get enabled in the search. I can access them if I enter them in the TV Guide (which works well) but if I manually scan up or down it skips them.

– Then I noticed that some channels that were locked out arbitrarily come back to live. When I go to them I get no signal. Occasionally “can’t decode signal” which is an active encrypted channel, but I locked these out manually.

– The PIP is frustratingly limited as you can only use it with the PC input. I often used PIP when watching sporting events and another show.

– The PAP (picture and picture) is also arbitrarily limited as you can only use the TV input as the sub screen, then another input as the main screen. You can switch back and forth between them and get audio from the live one but not maximize then switch. I had an older tube TV that allowed PIP and then another that allowed 4x PIP and you could switch between andy of them.

– The buttons to get the PIP and PAP are convoluted. There is not a single key to get them, takes about 3 to 4 key strokes.

– The remote is out of ergonomic balance. The control buttons in the middle do nothing during normal TV operation and the channel and volume are all the way down the bottom putting it off balance when using it. They could have se the control buttons at the top to mimic the volume and channel.

– Manual is good at best. Some of the steps to reach a goal are missing so the last step like `and push the control button’ are there but how to get to that control button is left to the user to figure out.

– No Coaxial audio out, there is Optical and HDMI.

– TV Guide is very good. It also takes a litte ‘smarts’ to set up. One thing missing I had with my old Guide + Gold was the ability to schedule shows so the channel changed automatically or if you had shut it off, the TV would turn back on when the show started. The ability to schedule would have been nice.