Sony Bravia Z-Series KDL-46Z4100/S 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Silver Reviews Plus

Best in it’s class, October 12, 2008

I have had a Westinghouse 1080p 42inch monitor for a few years and have really been pleased with it. However, with the new features on the market (120hz, 24p, etc) I was ready to upgrade. I initially ordered a Samsung LN46A550 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV. The picture was actually really good on this set, but the glare on the case was VERY annoying. It also lacked the features I was looking for in a new set, but I tried it out because the price was so good. The glare was too much to put up with, so I sent it back and started to research Sony’s since they are one of the few sets on the market that you can still get without a glossy case.

I sure am glad that I found Bravia Z series! WIthout going up to an XBR, the Z series is the way to go. If you look at the specs – most of the high end features offered by the XBR are already in the Z series, so it is a really good value when viewed that way. It makes sense why the Z is not offered in a 52 inch size – it would probably really impact sales of the XBR. What a great looking TV (both the picture and the case). I have been extremely impressed with both the blacks on this LCD as well as the vivid colors it produces. The amount of picture calibration offered on this setup is remarkable – especially compared to my old Westinghouse. I find the 24p mode on Blue Ray disk to be quite impressive – it really adds a whole new level of enjoyment to watching Blue Ray movies. The 120hz mode is also wonderful when watching football. I really cannot say enough good things about this TV – spend the extra money that the Sony brand demands, and you get what you pay for.

Although I did not have the issue with this TV, there is a lot of discussion around the Internet about a sparkle issue that this TV has. Be advised that this was an issue, but Sony has released a firmware update that resolves the problem. I have done the update and everything is running great.

If you are on the fence between this and the Samsung LN46A650 (which is in the same feature class as the Sony), be aware that the Samsung has a very glossy screen – not to mention a sure to be dated red outline on the case. This really kills one of the great features of LCD’s! The only Samsung I would even consider against this Sony is the Samsung LN46A550 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, but it lacks 120hz, 24p, and has that hideous glossy case. It seems to me that there is no viable competitor to the Sony Bravia Z-Series KDL-46Z4100!

Another side note… When my TV was delivered they also picked up the Samsung for return. The delivery guys were telling me that they have to pickup Samsungs EVERY day because people are returning them. He said they have never had to pickup a Sony. This is proved if you look at the used/new link under the Samsung and Sony’s – you will see tons of open box Amazon Warehouse Deals on the Samsungs – but none on the Sony’s!

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Awesome! Five stars, for sure., December 1, 2008

I had been researching TV’s for about a month or so. I knew I wanted an LCD in the 42″-50″ range, backed by a trusted brand name, with if not cutting edge technology then at least most of the latest and greatest features on current high-end models. This because a TV is something I buy and use for many years, and I don’t want my set to become obsolete two years from purchase date. So after reading many product specifications, manufacturers’ descriptions, reviews from other users and professional reviewers, and spending many hours walking through electronics stores and looking at displays, I picked the Sony Bravia KDL-46Z4100. The next closest contender was the KDL-46W4100. However, the Z series won out, although it was a couple of hundred dollars more expensive, for these reasons:

– Much better looking set (I’m talking about the physical TV here) with a very slim bezel and all-black design, as opposed to the two-tone black and silver of the W.
– 10 bit color processor, which gives far more on-screen colors. I didn’t think this was a big deal, until I saw a W and Z series side by side in a store, and the display happened to show a sunset. The W had distinct bands of color, while the Z had a gradual change of color.
– DLNA. I don’t use this option yet, but it’s nice to know that I can if I want to. I have a PS3, which also has DLNA, and I use that to beam images/music/video from my computer to my TV. The reason I use the PS3 is because its DLNA capability is wireless, while the TV’s is not. This is an important caveat for those to whom the TV’s DLNA capability is important. There are ways to make it work wirelessly, like hooking up a bridge, but I have not tried that. However, just know that out of the box, the TV can’t do wireless DLNA.

I also compared this TV with the XBR series, and found that it has almost all the features XBR has but for many hundreds of dollars less. I just didn’t see any huge benefit in going for the XBR versus this model.

As for comparison with other brands: I did consider Samsung, LG, Sharp, and others, but only Samsung seemed to have products that could take on Sony’s Bravias in terms of picture quality and features. However, in my humble opinion, Samsung shot themselves in the foot by putting glossy screens on their LCD’s, thus defeating one of the primary purposes people are moving from plasma to LCD. This is something I read about and didn’t think was a huge difference until I did a side-by-side comparison in the store. The Samsung ToC models reflected the image from the TV displays across the room. The Bravias did not. I have a living room with many windows, so this instantly killed the Samsung’s chances.

As for this TV: I can’t say enough good things about it. If you are a techno geek, there are enough settings and features to keep you busy playing with them and setting them for days. If you are not, and just want to take it out of the box and use it, then it works too because setup couldn’t be simpler. Just set it where you want it, hook up the power, connect your DVD/STB/receiver/box etc, and it’s good to go. You can tweak settings to your heart’s content, but don’t have to. I was amazed by the picture right out of the box. The first movie we watched was Wall-E on Blu Ray, and the picture just blew my mind. We also watched a few episodes of Lost, and there were various scenes where the picture almost looked 3-dimensional, like looking out a window. Just amazing colors. We actually paused the show a few times to admire the picture. 🙂 Oh, and the surround sound speakers are pretty good too. I hooked up my USB flash drive directly into the TV, and played a few songs from there via the TV’s speakers, and it sounded very crisp. I’m not an audiophile, but to my ears it sounded more than satisfactory.

Is the 120Hz a big deal? Here’s something anecdotal (and the sample size is only one), but for what it’s worth: I was standing in the store and looking at the display on this TV for a few minutes. Then I turned around and looked at another TV that was showing the same display but had a refresh rate of 60Hz. I instantly started getting a headache. This is not a definitive scientific test, but I thought I’d mention it.

Nice little touch: the TV stand has a screw-hole in the back to fix it to the unit it is sitting on, to prevent the TV from toppling over if pulled too hard. You don’t have to use this, because the stand is sufficiently wide and deep to take the weight, but just good to have. I don’t know if all such TV’s come with stands that have this. I appreciated this because I have a 2-year old child at home. It will take two people to lift the TV and set it up, either on its stand or wall mount. The TV is light enough that I can lift it on my own, but I’d rather be cautious with an expensive electronic device. I’m also happy that the box fit on the back seat of my Maxima, otherwise I would…

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Awesome PQ and no glare!, June 23, 2008

I decide on the 46z4100S for the following reasons;

a) No glossy screen glare or bezel glare!
b) small bezel, allowing larger screen on wall space
c) 3″ depth on “in-wall mount”
d) 1080P/120HZ/motion control

The Picture Quality is so crystal clear……… just great! Bright, vivid colors are awesome! There are so many features and very easy to set-up.

My wife loves the brushed metal and says, “it doesn’t have glare, doesn’t look like those ‘black plastic’ frames”. She’s candid(LOL) and loves the amazing PQ, when watching her baseball games.

I’m using an in-wall mount and the 3″ depth makes it look like a picture on the wall. The “46Z” is perfect from a viewing distance of 9-11 ft. Friends all love it!

I’m still making the viewing adjustment from a 27″CRT floor console. My eyes do more tracking on this larger screen.

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