Customer Reviews

Sony Bravia KDL37W5500U 37-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Freeview and 100Hz Motionflow

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had researched my next tv purchase for some time as I had always found that the performance of LCDs just didn't match the Panasonic CRT I had used for the last 9 years - in fact they seemed as if they were a step back.

I looked at Sony, LG, Samsung & Panasonic - based on other web reviews, talking to numerous sales personnel & other sources I decided on the Sony - albeit the 40W4500. As luck would have it the 2009 model was just out (the 5500). Had to compromise with the missus for price and opted for the 37 inch. I was nervous to say the least about purchasing one of these without seeing it in the flesh first - Comet weren't expecting any stock for another 2 weeks. Took a leap of faith and purchased it - and I'm glad I did.

It arrrived yesterday and I hooked it up to Sky SD and my new Sony Blu-Ray S550. Installation was child's play. The TV I managed to put on the stand alone though it would be easier with 2 people. The swivel stand moves left and right about 20 degrees - which is useful.

I have not seen any issues yet (only had it 1 day) with clouding around the corners as some people had mentioned on forums with the 4500 models.

Menu system is really good. The TV has got an ethernet port but not as yet connected it to the internet. I did connect the Blu-ray and it carried out a firmware upgrade in about half an hour.

I watched Black Hawk Down on Blu-ray last night and the picture was awesome. I thought the sound was good but could definitley benefit from surround sound (next purchase).

For the uneducated (as myself) if you buy this tv with your first blu-ray player then you may need to alter the default settings of your Blu-ray to output 1080p. Until I changed this under Setup/ Video Settings the Blu-ray was only outputting 480p.

The Sony Blu-ray doesn't come with a HDMI cable - only a Composite cable

I watched some football on Sky SD as my biggest fear was motion blur which led me to buying a 100Hz as a minimum. If you select the Scene button on the remote there are a number of preset parameters you can choose - cinema, sports, games etc. If you choose Sports then motionflow automatically goes to a high setting. I saw no problems with motion blur and I think the motion was probably a 9/10 compared to my CRT.

Had this a couple of days now and I have to say I'm blown away. Having previously thought that Pioneer rule the game in terms of flat screens I opted for this latest model instead of the KURO LCD produced by Pioneer as they are no longer producing them.

Set up is easy and users of the PS3 will be familiar with the Sony UI. I've got Sky HD and a brand new SONY BluRay player as well as a Pioneer normal DVD player / Cinema system.

The picture quality for the price of this set is perfect - crisp, clear and vibrant colours but not overly saturated like LG or Samsung sets. HD sources of course render things beautifully - watching Ratatouille and then Cinderella Man was an absolute joy.

SD sources are fine, no complaints.

I've yet to test the connectivity options of the set and think the Applicast offering is a little gimmicky but may develop in the future.

The sound of the TV impresses and exceeded my expectations - as the optical IN isn't working right now on my receiver I watched the above films using simply the TV volume and was really impressed.

This is the best 37" LCD you can buy right now.

I read Amazon reviews frequently, but often find they miss the point when referring to the product. I hope this review is different. So here's a brief overview of my experience with the TV so far:
Price: pre-ordered early March and paid £788 (inc guaranteed 1pm delivery). You simply cannot get this set any cheaper. I have visited all of the electronic outlets on Tottenham Court Rd and they're selling this set for at least £850 - £1000. However I do, of course, appreciate the frustration as Amazon fluctuates its selling price almost daily.
Picture: I use standard Virgin Media (i.e. cable). For a 37'' TV normal TV viewing is exceptional. Obviously the Bravia Engine 3 has done its job at upscaling, though naturally it still falls short of the awesome HD pictures you would expect from a SkyHD source etc. On the HD front, I have my PS3 hooked up and have so far tested Killzone 2 and Wipeout Pure HD. Both are incredible in detail and almost 3D like and, importantly, there's no frame-rate drop or blur in fast paced action (unlike my Panasonic 32LZD85). Blu-ray wise, I have tested The Dark Knight and Wall-E. Both are impeccable, especially in terms of tracking and smoothness (thanks to motionflow I suspect). It beats my Panasonic with ease. On the motion point, I would always advocate the 100hz on these new sets as it actually works AND you can turn it off if you find it affects the picture adversely (something you can't do with some other sets). It really is worth the extra £100 or so and is very noticeable on a screen of this size.
Sound: is decent but not amazing and presumably symptomatic of the small speakers right at the bottom of the set. However, the surround-effect works well, though never a substitute for a surround sound system (I'm using a Bose 3-2-1). The base could be better but otherwise satisfactory and loud enough for all applications.
Overall: I genuinely rate this TV as a superb viewing experience. The added features of internet capability etc are wasted on me but it's nice to know I've got the technology for the future. Having the Bravia Engine 3 also marks this set out against its predecessors (selling for considerably more). So, for superb Blu-ray and gaming and standard TV viewing which couldn't be any better on a screen of this size I recommend a buy. After all, it's a brand new model and wont depreciate in price for quite some time.

Best 37inch on the market, easy to set up picture for normal tv is very good, connected my PS3 up to it and played COD4 and watch Lord of the rings and the picture is mindblowing i seen some good tvs but none come near this, 100hz motionflow makes a massive differnce, the sound is surpising very good but better with home cinima , best price on the market at amazon most place the tv over £1000 and delievery was briliant orded wednesday got it friday morning thanks again amazon for the briliant peace of kit.

Wow, really impressed with this telly.

Amazing picture and sound, lots of really clever options to play with, and it remembers the settings used for each input, so if you switch between a games console and TV it'll auto change the settings for you.

The EPG's really quick, and the remote's good.

Plugged it into my wifi router and it was really easy to set up streaming pictures/music from my laptop using DLNA. It's fussy with reading videos over the DLNA though due to not having all the codecs so you'd need to convert all your video files if you want to stream them directly. Far better to get a PS3 for that sort of thing.

The Applicast thingy is a bit of a gimmick, but it's ok. Don't buy it for that.

Overall this telly does the important things really well, it looks and sounds amazing, has lots of inputs and outputs, seems well built, and the on screen graphics look great.

Thoroughly recommended.

I purchased this TV last week as an upgrade to my old 26' Sony Bravia and the difference is stunning. Incredibly easy to set up and the picture is absolutely brilliant, the xbox has never looked so good...goes perfectly with the black glass stand I ordered from Amazon as well! 5/5

This is a terrific television. Like most of the other reviews, I could go on at length about the excellent picture quality. It is indeed superb. I had expected great sharpness and clarity but I was blown away by the rich colours. I watched a football match on DVD and there was no hint of blurring on the ball. I was wavering between the Sony and a Panasonic, but was convinced to go with the Sony after seeing the two side by side in several different shops. The Sony's blacker blacks won me over. I also have experience with Sony products and have always found them to be incredibly reliable. Some people have mentioned in their reviews some concerns about the sound and the menu system; I'd like to address these points based on my own experience.

If you are planning to re-create a cinema in your living room and have no neighbours to worry about, then it is unlikely you'll be satisfied with
the sound quality of any of the televisions' sound quality and will want to invest in a 5:1 surround sound system. On the other hand, if, like me, you don't watch many of the latest blockbuster movies and instead watch sport, documentaries, soaps, news and a movie now and again then you'll find the sound to be perfectly good. It's clear and big, and with enough power and bass for most things. I was surprised by this having read other reviews. I was expecting sound somewhat like my laptop which is thin and tinny.

As for the menu system: this is a complex television that gives you many many options and settings to allow you to set the television up to suit your own taste. If anyone else thinks that they can accommodate that many options in a more logical manner then they should try it. The manual that comes with the television has an entire section on the options, where it explains how to find each one and describes what it does. I can only assume that those people who don't like the menu system haven't read the manual. If you don't fancy reading the manual, you can do what I did: explore around and see what's there and if you can't find something, look it up. This is an expensive acquisition so surely it's worth investing a bit of time setting it up correctly. It's not like you have to do it every time you turn it on. How much time do you spend mastering characters in Playstation games so that you
can get the most out of them? The remote control will feel very familiar to anyone who has owned other Sony televisions/video recorders, and for those that haven't, it soon will. It's the most intuitive remote control out there.

A final note about Amazon delivery. I always rate products based on the product itself and not on the delivery, but as always Amazon deserve five stars.
I would normally be a bit concerned about ordering such an expensive item online, but over the past nine years I've ordered a tonne of stuff from Amazon and never had a problem. In this case, I ordered the television on Thursday night with guaranteed delivery for Saturday by 13.00. It arrived on Saturday at 11.00. I'd be surprised if you can find this television cheaper elsewhere. I tried and failed.

What more can I say, crystal clear picture with no pixelation, sharp images and bright colours. The motionflow system is incredible, you can really see the difference it makes, especially when watching sport or fast moving films/tv. I can't recommend this highly enough, just buy it, try it and see for yourself, Sony have done it again!

I spent some time doing my homework on this. What arrived from Amazon UK (great service BTW next day service) has blown me away.

Firstly, I still have Sky+ standard. The SD signal is beautifully rendered by the new bravia 3 engine. No Jaggies!!!

PS3 - One word - Incredible! - the 1080p signal via my £9 HDMI lead is truly stunning. The PS3 and this TV are made for each other. Worried about input lag? - Don't! The game mode reduces the input lag time giving excellent response - Call of Duty World at War looks fantastic and plays just as well. I changed the mode over from 'game' to 'general' and there is no noticabe game lag on the stantard 100hz mode either. So please don't put off your purchase if you're concerned about this.

Blue Ray DVD (via PS3) - We watched Casino Royale. The picture was beautifully rendered with great colour and range.

I wholeheartedly recommend this 37W5500

Good points :-
* Picture excellent.
* Nice UI for setup.
* Good looking TV.
* Lots of connections
* DLNA Ethernet (Video/Music/Photo) - has potential! see below.

Bad points :-
* Slow to turn on (a good 5 seconds or so)
* AppliCast widgets seem a bit limited - not much use really.
* DLNA Network streaming of videos only seems to support limited certain file types (or video codecs). It says "Enjoy video, music and photo content from your computer on your TV with DLNA home networking technology". It can see my Buffalo Terastation, but won't see a lot of files (only sees .MPEG filenames I think - not .MPG or .DivX etc. Even then it doesn't play them all. No subsutitute for a proper streaming box I guess - which is a shame as I was hoping to minimize the clutter around the TV!). Maybe this will change. Looks like you can update it's firmware so there's hope.