Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony KDL40XBR5 40" BRAVIA XBR(R) series LCD Flat Panel HDTV

I was looking to get the best picture I could in an LCD TV. I narrowed it down to the Sony BXR4/XBR5 and the Samsung LNT4071. (Both have great pictures, but the highly reflective screen on the Samsung is not practical for me as the TV must sit opposite a large window, so I opted for the XBR5 which has a matte screen. (The XBR5 is the same as the BXR4 but with a shiny "piano" black bevel). I have NO trouble with reflection on the screen with the XBR5.

The picture on the XBR5 is just amazing. It's truly hard to tell the difference between it and some of the plasma TVs out there! As the other reviewer noted, you will probably want to create a custom picture setting (vivid is usually TOO vivid for me, but the standard wasn't quite right for my taste, either). The good news is that you can set all KINDS of individual picture elements on this tv. (The "Cinema" mode is great if you're watching movies with the lights dimmed.!)

As with all LCD TV's, there is a significant difference in picture quality between HD programs and non-HD programs, but even the non-HD programs look decent on this TV.

The shiny black bevel looks great with the thin "glass" pane around it. Very upscale and elegant.

The icing on the cake for me is that I was able to save several hundred dollars on this TV buying it through Butterfly photo instead at the one local "big box"-type store in my area that carries it (most stores here only carry the XBR4, which is less expensive). So I got the XBR5 for the price of an XBR4.

I purchased the Sony 40" XBR5 in April of 2008. I use an upscaling DVD player and also have my PC connected to the XBR. I hope to soon attach a new 80 gig PS3 to the system. All I can say is the whole package is superb! I have sampled most of the features including the motion enhancers--everything works as advertised. And, of course, the picture quality is second to none. Finally, I cannot detect any fan noise from the XBR. I recommend this unit to anyone desiring the highest quality LCD display.

As a retired Electronics Technician with a vast DVD collection I wanted the best HDTV there is. The difference between HDTV picture quality is currently much greater than the traditional CRT or "tube" TV's. In particular, the Contrast Ratio is one of the most important features.

Yes, this HDTV is expensive, but if you add up all your Cable/Satellite/Internet and DVD purchases over a 15 year period you might discover it's worth while to get a quality HDTV.

You will want to experiment with the settings for optimal viewing. When you watch a good BluRay or HD-DVD movie on this HDTV it will be worth every penny. If you only have $800 for a new TV I can NOT recommend going High Def yet as regular programming will look WORSE on an HDTV with inferior video processing and low Contrast Ratio.

This is arguably the best HDTV and well worth the money. Sony TV's are high quality, but do get an extended Warranty. OLED technology is going to replace LCD but it will be at least two years before we see a reasonably priced HDTV.

Again, if you spend $800 on an HDTV you'll be disappointed but if you bite the bullet and invest in a quality HDTV like this one you'll really be glad you did. You'll get frustrated with the picture quality (or it'll break) on a cheaper HDTV and buy a new one in a few years time. Go to Sony's site, look at the terms and Google and/or use Wikipedia to research. You'll be glad you did.

Sony. This HDTV is simply AMAZING.

I love this TV! All of my electronics are Sony and they all work seamlessly together. Highly recomend product.

I find the set has great color, a good sound system and an easy to use menu and remote control.