Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony Bravia KDL40W5500U 40-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Freeview and 100Hz Motionflow
Sony Bravia KDL40W5500U 40-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p LCD TV with Freeview and 100Hz Motionflow
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £687.49Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share119 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
A great choice
(5 out of 5) by cbrynr on Apr 23, 2009 (Wales)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.
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.
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
Faultless
(5 out of 5) by tallpete33 on Aug 1, 2009 (London, UK)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.
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.
75 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
Superb picture but........clouding is still there
(3 out of 5) by J. P. Moore on Apr 13, 2009 (Colchester, Essex UK)This unit was delivered on 7th April. Initial impressions are favourable...it looks good... the shiny piano black cabinet looks very good. It looks classy BUT....there are horendous clouding issues with this set. With any dark scenes there is very noticeable clouding on the four corners of this set. They look like search lights pointing into the picture. I have heard that other users have said that there's have settled down and have come down to acceptable levels. I have installed the TV into a unit into my living room together with a Sony BDP 550 and Sony Bravia Home Cinema system (DAV DZ 361) and am very pleased with the overall set up. I have also attached my XBox 360. The pictures on HD are absoulutely stunning. (Settings are Picture:Vivid) The picture on SD is really amazing. The XBox looks ultra realistic. The audio from the cinema system is impressive. It's a shame that Sony hasn't (yet?) addressed this problem. I'm a big Sony fan so I will persevere and keep the set and hope (fingers crossed!) that picture and clouding issues settle down. Perhaps this issue only affects a few sets and I may have been unlucky but just be aware that it could happen to you.
47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
Faultless Delivery.TV impresses so far!
(5 out of 5) by chewyteck on Mar 18, 2009 (UK)Just thought I'd pen an early review after an evening's play! This is my first flat screen which i ordered 2 weeks ago after much research on the older sony models W4500. Took the plunge with no official reviews.
Firstly, as the others have said, first class delivery, Amazon ! Free super saver del. arrived day after release! Glad I went with Amazon now instead of others as price was good as well.
Now the TV - Very impressed with all the connections available and multi-media capabilities (not yet tried out). Haven't noticed clouding issues yet as with other sony models. discovered "picture-in-picture" function - great for watching sky HD cricket and BBC news etc at the same time!
Digital freeview took twice to set up - missed it first time, but easy enough to navigate to set up again - now I can get many freeview channels even with my normal rooftop aerial.
Sky HD channels definitely more detailed than normal - sports like cricket looks v sharp and un-blurry.
Wii with component cable looks impressive!
Have to slowly try out the rest of the functions which i'm sure will be just as good...
Firstly, as the others have said, first class delivery, Amazon ! Free super saver del. arrived day after release! Glad I went with Amazon now instead of others as price was good as well.
Now the TV - Very impressed with all the connections available and multi-media capabilities (not yet tried out). Haven't noticed clouding issues yet as with other sony models. discovered "picture-in-picture" function - great for watching sky HD cricket and BBC news etc at the same time!
Digital freeview took twice to set up - missed it first time, but easy enough to navigate to set up again - now I can get many freeview channels even with my normal rooftop aerial.
Sky HD channels definitely more detailed than normal - sports like cricket looks v sharp and un-blurry.
Wii with component cable looks impressive!
Have to slowly try out the rest of the functions which i'm sure will be just as good...
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
Impressive
(5 out of 5) by N. Mclester on Mar 19, 2009 (Warwickshire, UK)Similar to most people, I was drawn to the 40W5500 because of the reputation(and lack of stock) of the 40W4500. A member of my family took delivery of a 4500 before christmas and the quality I saw there cemented my desire to own a Sony W series LCD Television.
Firstly the price offered for this set by Amazon is second to none. As a reliable and known web retailer it filled me with confidence to purchase, and I havn't been disappointed.
Firstly, the set-up was as easy as could possibly be. Plug everything in and let the auto set-up take control.
The pictures from Standard definition, from both the built in digital tuner and Sky, provides an excellent viewing experience. No pixillation, sharp lines and excellent detailing in dark scenes.
High Definition Blu-Ray pictures are quite simply in another world. Having Run Wall-E, Mama-Mia and Phantom of the Opera, the picture is at worse on par with the predecessor 40W4500, if anything of better quality....absolutely breathtaking!
I look forward to a glowing review from the likes of What Hi-Fi, and then the ability to gloat as the stock of this TV suffer under what I'm sure will be massive demand.
In Summary, great service from Amazon; Excellent Set from Sony
Firstly the price offered for this set by Amazon is second to none. As a reliable and known web retailer it filled me with confidence to purchase, and I havn't been disappointed.
Firstly, the set-up was as easy as could possibly be. Plug everything in and let the auto set-up take control.
The pictures from Standard definition, from both the built in digital tuner and Sky, provides an excellent viewing experience. No pixillation, sharp lines and excellent detailing in dark scenes.
High Definition Blu-Ray pictures are quite simply in another world. Having Run Wall-E, Mama-Mia and Phantom of the Opera, the picture is at worse on par with the predecessor 40W4500, if anything of better quality....absolutely breathtaking!
I look forward to a glowing review from the likes of What Hi-Fi, and then the ability to gloat as the stock of this TV suffer under what I'm sure will be massive demand.
In Summary, great service from Amazon; Excellent Set from Sony