Description
Introducing the new Sony Bravia KDL40W2000U 40″ LCD TV - Features Bravia V-Series styling in conjunction with a full HD resolution 1920×1080 LCD panel.
Featuring twin tuners - both analogue and Freeview digital - 1920 x 1080 resolution and two HDMI inputs, the Sony is as well specified as anything on test.
Then get it into action, and the real fun starts. The off-air picture from the analogue tuner is the first to make a good impression: more solid and clear than most rivals, it presents a fine balance of stability and vivid colours. And the digital TV picture is even better.
Got one of these today along with my PS3. After I’d over the shock of spending so much on a TV, I was quite giddy by the time it came. The set up is very easy and intuative. The stand doesn’t come attached. but provided you can find somewhere soft to put the TV face down it’s easily fitted by one person. Depsite what I’ve read elsewhere the stand DOES swivel. Not by a massive amount - probably 20 degrees each way.
After some fettling, the picture is excellent (the preset configurations are pretty rubbish). Output from the PS3 looks great and reallt couldn’t be clearer. DVD’s look excellent on it and colours are reproduced well. The was some motion bluring on fasts scenes in DVD’s although I’m not sure if that’s the TV, or the PS3 playback - I’l have to try with my existing DVD player. Freeview quality is good. My only gripe is the freeview program guide. On my previous Sony TV, you could highlight a programme at the botom of the guide, and in the top it’d show the details e.g. for films the actors, plot etc. On this TV you can’t, so you have to take a bit of a guess as to what the programs about. Also on my old Sony you could keep watching TV while in the programme guide, with the new Sony, you can only listen. Overall, and excellent product, but I still feel slightly appalled at myself for spending so much!
Had the TV for about a month now and very happy with it. In one review it was said the pc resolution was only 1366 x 768 but if you have a graphics card with a 1920 x 1080 res option(patches and driver updates on most cards now provide this)then the pictures for pc viewing are quality.
Xbox 360 games are superb and so are the upscaled DVD pics from a Philips HTS9800 Home Cinema system.
I love this TV and i think you will to.
I bought my bravia KDL40W2000 about 7 months ago. Everything was great until I went away for the christmas and new year weekend only to find out when back that the tv refused to project any picture when I switched it on. It took Sony almost 2 weeks to pick up the tv and another 4 weeks to repair it. No, there was no temporary tv during this time, and yes, they refused to replace the old tv with a new because the tv was “too expensive” as they put it. Instead they replaced the actual screen with a new one. Guess what, they gave me a 3 month guarantee for their job too, fantastic, that was shorter than the actual guarantee I had originally since my tv now is only 7 months old…well done Sony.
Another very annoying fact is that only within a few months after purchasing the tv, which back then was newly released, sony releases an upgraded version which has true 1080 rather than the inferior interlace solution. What is the point with doing so? I paid a fortune, twice the current market price on this tv to get it, and then they release only a few months later an upgraded version - at a price much lower than the one I paid for my tv.
Overall I am happy with my tv, but I have lost my confidence in Sony, for its product release management as well as their after sales service. I would not buy this tv if I were you.
I cannot tell you how fantastic this machine is - had it hooked up with Sky HD last weekend and the picture is breathtaking. It is so far superior to the ‘demo’ displays at the local shops, the HD football and movies are simply stunning.
One thing though, you MUST spend a bit of time setting the ‘box up properly. Straight out of the packet it puts the picture into ‘Vivid’ mode which exaggerates the colours far too much. Setting the picture mode to ‘Normal’ and increasing the backlight and contract slightly will give you an amazing picture. Not sure why Sony decided to ship it ‘Vivid’, Sky HD’s picture does not need super-sharpening nor brightening.
Really over-the-moon with this TV, cannot wait to get the PS3 hooked up for some Blu-Ray movies.
Like most people I found it impossible to compare TVs in the obvious high street outlets because they’re usually so poorly set up that you can’t judge them accurately.
So I went on the strength of magazine reviews and I am delighted with the TV. OK there will be better value as every day passes - but if you need to make a decision now, this is a great product from most sources - including Sky HD.
This TV is just simply amazing, I scoured the web for weeks and went to some in store demo’s before finally plunging my money on this thing, and I just cannot fault it at all.
It has a ton of connection options, including 2 HDMI (not 1 as someone says below), the picture quality is just simply to die for, especially the blacks, I have never seen an LCD with blacks this black and so far even normal Sky channels look brilliant on it.
Dont expect to get 1920×1080 resolution from a PC port easily tho, I have heard some work arounds but yet to try or get them to work (or a proper DVI digital cable, not sure tho), so im stuck at 1320×768, but even then stretched to full screen, it looks decent enough, especially if your just watching some Divx or something (games can look a little stretched tho if the dont run in widescreen, look amazing if they do :P).
The Xbox 360 is something else tho, picture quality is simply stunning, Gears of War running at 1080i is just something you have to see…. even that Viva Pinata looks just amazing with all its colourfull beasties
Its the best 1080 TV you can buy, and at this price you cannot go wrong!!