Sony Bravia KDL40W5500U 40-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Freeview and 100Hz Motionflow

 

 

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I took delivery of this TV 3 weeks ago to replace an older and smaller LCD model. Having been looking at the various televisions of this sort of size that are available, I made my final decision to buy this particular model based on looking in stores, careful inspection of specifications and looking widely at reviews on the internet.
As something which is going to be a major feature of my living room for quite a long time I wanted to make the right decision. Certainly there are cheaper brands, and also cheaper Sony models out there, but the Bravia 'W' range seems to be the best combination when it comes to features, quality and price.
Having used it daily I can now confirm that I think I made a wise choice. This Sony has the best colour display of any television I've seen. When you first watch it it's as if everything is suddenly in 3D - such is the depth and definition of the picture, even when using it to watch standard definition Freeview television as I usually do. I thought that I was getting a very good quality Freeview picture with my previous setup, but it is noticeably better with this Bravia. I've also invested in a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player to use with this TV and watched a number of discs through that. As you'd expect the quality of the picture then is exceptional.
The sound is also surprisingly good for a TV. There's plenty of energy in the sound output and great clarity too. I can now hear things that I'd missed before - I actually got up to answer the phone at one point before realising that it wasn't mine - it was on the telly!
There's only one snag that I've found with this TV and that's a minor one. Although it has a good number of connections available to it Sony has reduced the number of SCART sockets on this model to 2. As someone who is still in the process of upgrading my televisual equipment, the rest of my equipment (except for the Blu-ray player) uses SCART connections so a third one may have been a bonus.

When my trusty Trinitron (literally) went pop, I turned to amazon for my next TV purchase, having been impressed with their service and good prices over the years. I was looking for a 37" W series Sony Bravia but as this model was only £10 more expensive, it would have been rude not to go for the bigger screen. Despite specifying next day delivery, it actually took three days to arrive (via Citylink) but the extra £8.80 charge was politely and promptly refunded within three hours of my inquiry. Like all amazon deliveries, tracking was easy online. It comes with a Sony 3 year guarantee.

OUT OF THE BOX

It was actually light enough to remove from the box on my own, though it helps if you have long arms like I do. Putting the TV on its own tabletop stand was nice and easy; you just carefully lower the TV onto it before fixing with the four screws provided. Simple. The TV swivels on the stand, which is very useful as I move around the room during the day though the viewing angle is very good anyway. Once done, putting it onto the Centurion Stand was much easier than I thought as the TV only weighs 18kg (plus it's stand of course).

SET UP

Once plugged in, I connected it to my PVR and PS3 and powered up. It takes 30-40 minutes to set-up as it downloads the Freeview channels for its integrated tuner then you are ready to go. It is quite easy to accidentally skip this part of the set up but you can run it again from the Guide as I did so it's no problem.

IN USE

The remote is light, functional, and refreshingly uncluttered with most of the functions being menu driven onscreen. The blue Home button puts you into a familiar PS3/PSP style horizontal menu (XrossMediaBar) which has all the detailed settings, or you can use the Options button for more basic choices.

Pressing the Scene button allows you to quickly adjust the picture (and sound) according to general, gaming, movies, sports etc. Overall, the functions and menus are quite simple and intuitive and I haven't needed to open the manual yet. The full manual can be found in the menu and there is a system update function too so this TV is fairly future proof.

I am not a big fan of the integral TV guide (Guide+), it looks a bit cheap and nasty to be honest with annoying adverts around it. You get a small window of the current channel in the top left though which is quite useful and you can set reminders etc though I will probably stick to my PVR so I can pause live TV etc so won't be using this much, same as viewers with Sky+ no doubt. It will be useful to have a third option though just in case I'm recording on two channels.

The TV has PIP - Picture in Picture so if you're playing your game you can keep a beady eye on your TV and not miss the start of your favourite prog. The on/off switch is a nice and light button on the side next to channel, volume buttons etc. Never has switching a TV on and off been so enjoyable.

PERFORMANCE

1) GENERAL TV - When I powered the TV on, it soon became clear that the TV was too good for my geriatric Humax PVR800 which uses a SCART connector and so this will soon be rectified with a 9300T (HDMI upload) or perhaps a Freesat box. I will update this review once done. The integrated Freeview tuner delivers a better output, nice and clear with good contrast and no ghosting on movement, thanks to the 100Hz refresh and Motionflow. The moral of this story is the better the input, the better the output. This TV is too good for a basic digital tuner so one with a HDMI upload or HD is the way to get the most out of it if you're picky about your picture (and you probably will be if you've spent nearly £800 on this TV).

2) PS3 - It really shines with the PS3; colours are nice and vibrant with excellent detail and it gives you a much more involving and cinematic experience. Ratchet and Clank, a big and bright game looks amazing, despite being produced in 720p. I'm playing it through again on this TV, it's like I'm on a new game. Uncharted:Drake's Fortune (also 720p) is excellent with lush greens against the rocky outcrops showing up beautifully, ditto the water.

3) DVDs are very good and my first BluRay purchase, Planet Earth is jaw-dropping in places.

4) Sound is good, excellent in fact, very clear but just lacking in bass when playing music. As I intend to use my PS3 as my media centre I will look into additional speakers of some sorts soon.

INPUTS

Amongst many others, there are :

4 x HDMI (2 side, 2 rear)
2 x SCART
VGA (for laptop, PC)
USB (view photos, other media etc)
RJ45 - for connecting to your router and other wireless DNLA compliant devices such as laptops

VERDICT

This is a stunning and very up to date piece of kit that I am very pleased with and am enjoying very much. I cannot find fault with it at all (apart from the messy TV guide), hence the 5 stars.

First of all, congratulations go to Amazon for outstanding delivery time and service. This TV was ordered late on a Wednesday night and delivered by parcel force early on the Saturday morning of that week. I think that is remarkable.

The set up of this TV is simplicity itself. From opening the box to putting on the stand, connecting it to our peripherals and switching on took less than 15 minutes. We have it connected to a Sky + box and so there was no tuning to be done. The correct input was selected for the Sky box and away we went.

My initial thoughts on seeing the picture were good but a few minor tweaks of brighness, hue and contrast and the picture was outstanding. Very crisp, natural looking colour and with motionflow on, movement was scarily smooth.

Can I address a couple of points others have raised and suggest solutions. Firstly several people have said that after a period of time the TV spontaneously switches off of its own accord. A brief look at the instruction manual will tell you that the front of the TV has a motion sensor which to all intents and purposes can `see` if anyone is in the room. If you have this feature turned `on` and you sit motionless for a couple of hours or for whatever time you have preset it for, then the TV will switch off. All you need to do is switch this feature off. Pretty simple.

The second very common `problem` is the light at each corner of the screen pointing into the centre of the screen. Some people have said this is present in very dark scenes and is so distracting they have had to send the appliance back. Just change the ambient light setting and the lights magically disappear! I can categorically say that the screen is super impressive even with terrestrial digital and I cannot wait to see its performance on SKY HD.

Sony Bravia TV`s are among the best quality you can get in this price range. I have several family members and friends who have these TV`s and have had no short or long term problems with them. Please don`t be put off by bad reviews. Some simple thought and reading solves all their complaints. Buy it and ENJOY!

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5.0 out of 5 stars purchased over a year ago
great telly , good picture, although with hindsight i'd of either bought a cheaper one or waited as 3d is becoming the rage now and cant justify replacing it yet. Read more

Published 12 months ago by oliver

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing TV
Bought this just by the belief that Sony would provide me the quality that it's brand promises.
I must say it lived up to my expectations (if not more) and I'm more than... Read more

Published 14 months ago by Vivek More

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful TV, pretty as a picture
I appreciate looking at objects of great beauty - glad I see this TV every day.

Crisp picture, minimalist design, a treat for your eyes. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Mr. Philip J. Greenwood

1.0 out of 5 stars RUN AWAY WHILE YOU CAN
Had this tv for 5 months then it suddenly stopped working it began turning itself off which is no good so i sent it back hence the 1 star. Get yourself a quality LED tv.

Published 17 months ago by A. Davis

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I purchased this TV although reviews were mixed, I just wanted a simple TV as I do not sit the whole day and watch TV and this has exeeded my expectations. Read more

Published 17 months ago by KINGA

5.0 out of 5 stars sony bravia kdl40w5500u
i have been very pleased with the tv,the picture is excellent,its easy to use all the functions and i would highly recommend this tv

Published 18 months ago by lantisdog

4.0 out of 5 stars Sony Bravia TV
Fabulous picture quality.
Average sound quality.
The swivel mechanism between screen and stand is stiff, and requires two hands and a firm grip to move the screen left... Read more

Published 20 months ago by Amazon addict

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Value ....Pretty Great TV...
I don't really have any complaints about this TV. Pretty much what you'd expect from Sony. Possibly a tad over priced but in no way am I dissapointed. Read more

Published 20 months ago by C. Brady

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Picture ever
Have had it for 8 months.
I spent most of my adult life as a TV director. I lived years in most of the top edit suites with the best equipment then available. Read more

Published 20 months ago by Westlondoner

5.0 out of 5 stars Glad I bought through Amazon
I purchased this TV for my mother, sadly, it had a fault after a couple of months. Just wanted to put on here that after having contacted Amazon, they handled it fantastically... Read more

Published 20 months ago by Ms. S. L. Harfleet

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