Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-46W5100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

After waiting for a few years for a great deal, I finally punched the 'Buy' button and am I glad...:)

This was my list of 'Must Have'
1. Less than $1000 (total cost inclusive of tax and shipping). Got a sweet deal for $1288 inclusive free shipping, no tax, blue ray player and a home theater ($450 promotion which I later sold..nice! ).
2. 46 inch
3. 120 Hz and high contrast ratio. Yes 120 Hz and 100,000 dynamic contrast ratio
4. High reviews
5. Matt finish. Yes it has a matt finish
6. Internet Connectivity, DLNA and USB plus HDMI in the front


Amazon is the BEST when it comes to price, delivery and customer service. The TV was delivered in less than a week although initially it showed delivery after a month.

The picture quality is exquisite, colors are unbelievable and the aesthetics of the product design excellent. Watching HD quality videos, channels was an amazing experience in itself. Having a red eye in the morning is a given side effect !

Ethernet connectivity and Streaming videos is the future and I really like the fact I don't need another device to watch videos. Amazon on Demand, Netflix and most importantly Youtube takes care of most of my need. Now only if it could have a browser built in and an ability to connect a blue tooth keyboard, it would make it a complete package.

Streaming thru a media server is easy, so is connecting thru the USB. Having access to HDMI makes it a breeze to connect and remove accessories.

This is a great product!

BTW, if someone is looking for measurements for this TV ...

Weights and Measurements
Dimensions (Approx.) : 43 x 28 5/8 x 13 in (1091 x 725 x 330mm) with pedestal; 43 x 26 1/2 x 3 1/2 in (1091 x 672 x 86mm) without pedestal
Packaging (Approx.) : 53 x 32 5/8 x 8 3/8 in (1346 x 827 x 211mm)
Weight (Approx.) : 52.5 lbs. (23.8kg) with pedestal; 45.2 lbs. (20.5kg) without pedestal

[...]


RECOMMENDED SETTINGS
Go right to the Custom picture mode and in an instant the Sony configures itself to deliver top notch picture performance. Do trim down the backlighting (the default is too bright) and also scale back the color saturation a few notches to tame some over-richness.
§ Color: 45
§ Tint: 0
§ Sharpness: Min
§ Picture Mode: Custom
§ HD size (pixel-to-pixel): Full Pixel
§ Color Temperature: Warm 2
§ NR: Off
§ Gamma: 0 (2.4 result)
§ MPEG NR: Off
§ Motionflow: Standard
§ Cinemotion: Auto 1
§ Black Corrector: Off
§ Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off
§ Auto Light Limiter: Off
§ Clear White: Off
§ Live Color: Off

Pros:


+ Solid picture Quality
+ Probably the best image processing available in the market
(Anti-aliasing, sharpness, noise reduction - performances are so good when compared to all its competitors. You can compare the quality to XBR9 and you wouldn't feel any difference. The Bravia 3 Engine has got its own algorithm - none can match)
+ Very Good black level
+ Very less reflection on the screen
+ Good off angle viewing
+ Simple/Easy remote. If the Bravia Sync is excluded it would have been even better
+ The scene select is a cool feature (Try the 'Cinema' setting while watching Blu-ray movies)
+ The menu is stylish and Easy to use - very similar to PS3's
+ Variety of internet video option
* Lots of HD trailers, music videos
* Slacker Radio
* You have to upgrade the firmware before enjoying these
+ If you are a great fan of Widgets, you'll love this too

Cons:

- Simple design
- No option to pan/tilt the screen
- Not the best of sounds, if you have a AV receiver, then you should be good
- Lil Expensive :(
- Not very impressed with SD rendering
- The USB is very slow (is that 2.0?)


Questions:

? I could not able to use Amazon On-demand. I tried registering, but it is rejecting the serial#. I don't know what I am doing wrong
? TV Guide is not giving any channel info. I don't know if there is a incompatibility with my cable provider
? Is there any way I can use the Bravia Sync feature to control my Onkyo AV receiver?
? When listening to music (say from slacker) how do you turn off the screen?

Would I Recommend to a Friend? Yes
How long do I Own: 2 Weeks only
Other options I had: Samsung ln46a650 | UN46B6000, Sharp 46LE700UN, Sony kdl46v5100


I don't really want to brag about the product I have. It is been only 2 weeks, the product hasn't annoyed me yet. I will update this in a month if it does. I didn't try all its features - may be you can get more info from cnet. But this TV impressed me more than the other options I had.

I will preface my remark by saying that I've only had this set a short time as of this writing, so the reader can qualify accordingly. Coming off a plasma 42" from a different manufacturer that died unceremoniously after 3 years, the Bravia 46" is a wonderful blend of design, features, and functionality (and hopefully, reliability!). I especially liked the side panel connectivity ports, and the fact that there are ample HDMI imputs. Picture issues of earlier LCDs, such as blue tinted blacks, off center viewing clarity, appear to have been successfully addressed, and the picture is absolutely beautiful....stunning when watching a 'Blu-ray' DVD. Picture was easily fine tuned to preference, as are all other settings. One weak point, noted by others as well, is the sound quality, which is adequate, but lacks horsepower. I would imagine the manufacturers assume most people so concerned will use the set in conjunction with a stand alone sound system, but I feel the set's sound should be beefier. I am overall very impressed thusfar, and 'Amazon' was great to deal with, as usual.

Once properly setup, this TV has the best picture quality I have seen on an LCD.

Pros:
- Picture quality with HD sources is fantastic. SD is adequate, but don't expect miracles.
- Black level is the best I have seen on an LCD so far. Pretty close to plasma quality.
- Colors are great once properly calibrated.
- 120Hz + MotionFlow makes a noticeable difference for video-based material (especially sports).

Cons:
- The instruction manual is a waste of paper. It doesn't bother to explain any of the advanced options (CineMotion, MotionFlow, etc.)
- The colors are not calibrated out of the box: too saturated, too much green.
- 3 out of 4 HDMI inputs are on the side. Cables connected to those ports stick out.
- SD upscaling is good but not great.

I'm just amazed at the quality of the picture in HD.
The color and the picture is so rich and vibrant you don't even want to watch the regular channels.
Even the picture in SD is sharp. Better than I expected.
The sound is excellent from it's four speakers and 20 watts of power.
The border around the TV is slim and sleek, so when it's hanging on the wall it doesn't distract your eyes from the picture.
When you decide to buy this TV, make sure you purchase a Blu-ray player. The picture and sound will just blow you away.
Thanks Sony for making such a great product.
I'm very pleased with my purchase from Amazon.
I would recommend this TV to any one.
Thanks Amazon for a spectacular price.
Your competition couldn't even come close.