Customer Reviews

Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-40V5100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First things first, THEY FIXED THE AUTO-CONTRAST! I have nothing but good things to say about this TV. Do not be fooled by the 1 star ratings. All those 1 star ratings complain about the auto contrast/brightness feature which could not be turned off, but SONY FIXED IT ALREADY in the newer units or a software update via sony.com will add the controls to turn the function off.

With that biggest gripe fixed, this TV has outstanding visual clarity and the color saturation is beautiful. Black levels are excellent on this non glossy screen. You can't go wrong with a Sony and the software update shows they are listening to their customer base. No dead/stuck pixel, great viewing angles, 120hz refresh is great for sports, but in my opinion, not for movies. Excellent TV, I would buy another one of these without hesitation, superior when compared to the other brands that offer the same features. The Bravia V series lives up to the Sony name and quality standards you would expect. Deserves all 5 of the stars it's rated.

Update May 3, 2009:

My original review of the TV was negative due to a problem of dimming during dark scenes. But few days ago Sony released a software patch to correct the problem and it worked for me. Now, the auto dimming can be turned off by setting the "Adv. Contrast Enhancer" to Off. Also, even when it's turned On, it doesn't behave like it did pre- patch, it now dims gradually rather than abruptly and it doesn't dim as much as it did before. Thank you very much Sony, I'm updating my rating to 5-star.

I'm very happy with the TV now that the auto dim is fixed. If you own the TV and having problems with the dimming, go to the support section of Sony's site to download the patch and the instructions on how to apply it. You will need a USB thumb drive formatted in FAT32, but if you don't have it, Sony will mail you one if you call their customer support.

----------------

Original review:
Date: April 8, 2009
Rating: 2 stars

When I purchased this TV few days ago, there were no reviews here since it's just been recently released into the market. I, however, looked at the reviews of the previous model (KDL-40V4100) and didn't find any serious complaints so I went ahead and purchased this TV. I regret my purchase and will explain why.

This is my third LCD TV -- the others are early generations LCDs from Sharp and Sony and they are still working great, but they are no match for the picture quality of this new Sony. There are a lot of good things about this TV and I would have given it 5 stars if not for one serious flaw.

The TV dims during dark scenes. And sadly it doesn't do it gradually, it happens abruptly 6 seconds after the start of a dark scene and it returns to normal lighting abruptly about 0.35 seconds after end of a dark scene. It seems to happen regardless of the source of input (I tested it with composite, and HDMI) and it happens on broadcast channels and cable and regardless of the "picture mode" and other video settings. There is no way to disable it. If you're watching a movie with lots of dark scenes, it's going to be a very annoying experience.

Take this example, while watching a documentary on first gulf war, there was a lot of night vision camera scenes and the TV keeps dimming during the lengthy dark scenes and when it does that, you can barely make out any details even with Gamma set at max. The dimmer kicking in and out is annoying by itself, much less the picture quality when it dims.

I contacted Sony support and they seemed clueless and recommended I initiate a repair request. I did an internet search only to discover many Bravia models suffer this problem. I initially thought I had a defective unit, but now I think it was intentionally designed like this.

We bought the V5100 2 weeks ago. After getting it home we were a little disappointed with the picture as we didn't have HD yet, so we got the HD dish installed. Picture on HD was perfect, other channels good but not great. When watching DVD's we noticed the dimming issue, dark scenes getting darker and darker. After reading a few review sites I discovered there was a fix from Sony so I called the customer support and asked to be sent the software update. That took about a week, and the USB would not download, it went to a blue screen. So I called tech support and got a guy that was really clueless to the problem. He had me call a not so local authorized dealer which wouldn't come out, we would have to take the TV there, 40 miles away, drop it off then have to go back another day to pick up!! So, I decided to try to download the fix myself from the Sony website. After a few failures I discovered you had to format the disk to FAT32, so I did and it worked. But it hasn't fixed the dimming problem, it's still there just not quite as bad. The store we bought the TV from tried to work with us saying it might be that our DVD player is not the newest or best, but I'm not sure that's an issue. We have decided to take the Sony back and get a Samsung or Mitsubishi. It's disappointing that Sony would sell TV's knowing there is a problem, and then not tell their retailers that there is a known problem. Or at least the store is claiming they didn't know. They are willing to replace or exchange it. I'd be afraid of the same problem with another Sony. Very frustrating.

Update: Went and compared the 5100 to the Samsung and did not like the Samsung as much. So asked the store to send technician to adjust, haven't heard from them. In the meantime after much research on different websites I discovered after you do the software update you have to set the Advanced Contrast Enhancer to Low or Off, I set at low. And, I set the picture setting to Standard, not Vivid, altho Vivid was brighter but maybe not better. Now it seems perfect, no shadows or shading in the dark scenes. So for now we are happy campers, hope it stays that way!

This would be a wonderful LCD television were it not for a design flaw that, for me, is unacceptable. Any device that is connected through an HDMI input experiences intermittent sound cutout. If the connection is made through the component video inputs instead of the HDMI inputs, there is no audio dropout, but this raises other audio sync issues.

This audio dropout is not a flaw in my particular set only, but rather is a characteristic that permeates the entire Bravia line, as a simple online search can verify. When I noticed the problem, I had Sony send me a replacement television of the same model and vintage. Even after updating the system software, the replacement set exhibited the exact same problem as the original one, thus confirming that this is a design issue. I recently replaced the Sony set with a Samsung, and since changing brands I have had absolutely no further problems with audio dropout.

If it were not for this problem, I would strongly recommend this set. The picture is great and it seems to fade less with increased viewing angle than my Samsung does. Overall, the set feels solid and performed well except for the above noted problem. If you are considering buying a Bravia television, I strongly recommend that you purchase it from a seller to whom you can easily return it, just in case you experience the same problem that I did.

For what it's worth, dealing with Sony customer service had its frustrating moments, but in the end the company stood behind its product and treated me more than fairly.

I chose this TV after spending about an hour in each of two different Best Buy stores, comparing the image quality on different TV sets with different in-store HDTV feed. It is my firm opinion that this TV is best-in-class among non-LED unit; I am particularly impressed with the contrast and color balance.

The only competitor is Samsung series-5 or series-6 HDTV. However, after comparing the Samsung and Sony for two hours, I found that both are very close in terms of contrast (and very impressive), but there is one important point where Sony was ahead: I found the skin tones to look much more natural on the Sony. If you watch a lot of movies like I do, this makes a big difference. Samsung series-6 had terribly over-saturated colors in store, worse than series-5. Now, of course this could be due to poor setting on the Samsung TVs, but I did go to two different stores, and results were the same. Also, the Samsung had severe motion artifacts on high-contrast material. To be fair though, some W-series Bravia had monstrous motion artifacts on low-res feed, but this V-series model seemed to be the best (better than the more expensive Sony models).

The contrast is so good the objects look almost 3D (same with the Samsung, which is excellent as well). The menu system on the Sony is great, easy to navigate. Can't compare other features, since I don't own a Samsung set.

There are a couple weaknesses, which may or may not be attributable to the set itself:

1) Switching between HD and non-HD TV channels sometimes takes a couple seconds; sometimes the switch does not occur, requiring to turn either the cable box or TV off and back on

2) If I route the sound from the DVD players into the TV via HDMI, and back from TV to the amp via RCA interconnect, audio disappears sometimes, I have to pause the movie off and back on. This could be the fault of the DVD player - I have no clue.

3) With completely black screen input to the TV, the lack of complete low-luminance uniformity across the screen becomes noticeable. Then again, why would I care?

Summary:

Pros: impeccable contrast, color balance and image quality. None of the more expensive units had better balanced color. Perfect on-screen menu navigation.

Cons: strange channel switching problems between HD and non-HD channels - could be the cable box problem. DVD audio occasionally disappears if piped through the TV set via HDMI (could be the DVD player issue, but it appeared with two different Panasonic DVD players).

This is an overall Amazing TV. Colors are among the best I have ever seen on any TV (LED backlit TVs can do better). Ultimately, we chose this model over a competing Samsung due to better color reproduction (the Samsung did better if you wanted a bright, crisp image over color reproduction). Video processing is great on this TV; I have never seen any blur, and even analog sources look respectable with the processing it does. When you get a full 1080i/p signal displayed, the picture is simply amazing. Make sure to use DVD upconversion for best results. For less than $1000, this TV is a great buy and you will not regret it; look no further for a 40" TV. The bargain brands cannot even compare.

Don't worry about the contrast issues in the dark scenes...if your TV doesn't have the latest software on it already (which hopefully they do by now), just download and install it yourself. If the Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) being on still is a problem, simply disable it under Menu, Picture. Note that this seems to be a per input setting, so you can set it differently for DVD, Blu-ray, VCR, broadcast TV, etc. In my experience, I found that it could prove problematic on prerecorded sources (like DVDs) where ACE is best low or off. For broadcast TV, I found it works great on the setting of High. Ultimately, if it causes trouble, just turn it to a lower setting. Definitely not a reason to avoid this fantastic TV.

Update: You can now download the firmware update for this TV at the link below. It will fix the auto-dimming problem. I would now give it 5 stars: [...]

With this fix being made, I would now say that the TV deserves five stars.

-------------------

I have owned this TV for about two weeks now and think it is great. The picture is very sharp. The colors are great. The blacks and whites look fabulous. The stand it comes with is very sturdy and there are more than enough inputs for my needs. The TV itself also looks very elegant.

I was going to buy this 2009 TV or the 2008 Sony KDL-40Z4100 (a higher end model from the previous year), whichever came down in price first. The two TVs are very comparable in features. The main difference for me was price but also important were the contrast ratios. This TV has a contrast ratio of 50:000 to 1 while the KDL-40Z4100 has a contrast ratio of 30:000 to 1. As a further comparison, the 2008 version of this TV, the KDL-40V4100, has a 25:000 to 1 contrast ratio. That big jump in contrast ratio pushed me towards this TV over last year's Z series.

I have read the reviews describing the auto-dimming but honestly I don't think it is that big of a deal. We watch mostly TV (Lost, 24, The Office, sports, etc.) as opposed to movies and after two weeks of use, today was the very first day I noticed the auto-dimming. It happened for about 2 seconds and was a strange dimming. My wife still has not noticed it even though we have both been on the lookout for it to see how bad it is.

While I agree that I cannot see how this is a feature Sony would want to include without being able to turn off, to me, it was pretty minor and I would still happily buy the same TV again. I suppose that there are shows or movies where this happens more frequently but after two weeks, I still don't see it often. I took off a half star for this.

The other half star taken off comes from what seems like a long time for the TV to start. Once you turn it on it seems like it takes around 20 seconds to get started and display a picture. It isn't a huge deal and once the TV is on it doesn't affect anything. However, compared to my old CRT which turned on in a couple of seconds it seems long.

My hope is that Sony comes out with some sort of firmware update that allows you to turn this auto-dimming "feature" off as many customers are unhappy with it. That is pure speculation though as I haven't heard any hints of this happening.

What a great TV. Ours arrived with the updated programming that turns off the contrast change, so we had no problems from the start with brightness. It has a great picture and the only brand, other than Sharp, to have a non-glare screen. Unlike others we looked at, this one is viewable from all angles, maintaining depth and color. Basically, after a month of use, we are extremely happy with our choice and definitely recommend it.

I purchased this TV from Amazon on May 28, 2009. I've been looking at Sony Bravia for a while, comparing between Sony, Sharp, and Toshiba. I was originally considering The W4100 series. Then the V5100 came out with better specs. The prices on Amazon fluctuates often, I clicked the button when it went below $1,000.

The screen quality is impressive, sharp and bright. The TV speaker is not comparable to home theater system, but fine for daily use. The firmware upgrade is essential if you want to minimize the sudden Contrast change. Before the firmware upgrade, Contrast would jump even with ACE (auto contrast enhancement) is Off. After the firmware upgrade, the ACE seems to be more subtle. I ended up with ACE on Medium. Also, Google on the Internet for calibration settings.

However, the Ceva delivery service is horrible. They received the shipment from Amazon, but never bothered to update the tracking site. When I contacted Ceva twice for delivery timing (they give you a 8-hour window), their attitude was impatient and rude, almost like telling me to hang up the phone and wait. When the delivery finally came, the delivery people brought the TV into the apartment, they didn't want to open the box and take out the TV. I had to ask them to do so. When asked if they can put the TV in another room, one of the delivery people said "it's not included in the service". But the other delivery person started moving the TV with me.

In summary, Amazon price and Sony quality are perfect! Ceva delivery needs to be reviewed.

[...]

I am really happy with this TV. It has a great menu interface, specially the favorite button that allows you to switch inputs in a matter of seconds. The picture quality is just awesome. Very good contrast and deep blacks. The auto-brightness sensor is also useful, as it adjusts to room lighting automatically.

One of the good things about the TV is the low energy it consumes - 180W. I have a pretty sophisticated power monitoring setup in my home. If you watch the TV in dark, this consumption automatically goes down, as the light sensor lowers the brightness.

I have my Mac connected to the TV, and I use Plex/Boxee as my primary Cable-movies-video-audio source, and trust me it looks wonderful on this TV.

For the price and features, I couldnt find a better TV. I spent around 10 days researching every TV (~1000) and I must say I am glad I chose Sony V series.

A very very confusing thing is to visit the store and compare TVs. It is crazy. You wont have 5 different LCDs in your living room, so stop comparing them on 5% difference in brightness.

Another thing that might help buyers like me is that, more brightness (which is what impressed me at stores) is not necessarily great. I just finished calibrating my TV and had to turn the brightness, contrast and backlight way way down than the factory default, to get the right experience from Movies and my Mac. So trust me, do some research and you will learn, why more super bright isn't necessarily great and to make it worse, it consumes much more energy.