Customer Reviews

Sony BRAVIA KDL-46EX500 1080P 120Hz 46-Inch LCD HD TV

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I did an extensive research for my new TV. I compared consumer reviews, professional reviews and checked couple TV's picture my self.

My conclusions at the end of research:
1. 3D Samsung - I don't see this technology is ready for home use. 3D picture cause headache for lots of viewers, 3D effect diminishes a lot if you are watching TV more then 4 feet away from the screen, and who wants to wear this glasses all the time? Another factor is cost. It is high for what you really get. This technology will be much more interesting once it gets mature, but not yet.
2. LED technology - I looked at edge led calibrated display by Samsung and I think it's not bad, but I see hallow of light at the edge of tv which reduces perceptual contrast. Otherwise edge led looks very similar to regular LCD, such I can't justify 30% more on average price increase.
3. Samsung reliability vs Sony. Lots of people believe that Samsung is more reliable, but checking forums I discovered that Samsung has number of hardware issues with their tv's and reliability is not that great. Sony used to be great couple of years ago, then reliability went down and it appears that they are trying to recover their reputation back now. At the end, number of issues between Sony and Samsung is somewhere the same with Samsung having more hardware related issues and Sony has more software bugs. Software is easier to fix with new firmware release. This is based on their older models, since you need some time, year or longer of use to evaluate long term reliability.

I bought this Sony at BJ and calibrated using AVIA HD and Avia Standard definition DVD's. I use it to play PS3 and my Home Theater PC.
1. Contrast - very good. In dark room I notice a little light leaking in the upper comers of the TV. The picture itself has very deep blacks and excellent whites. So far it's one of the best results I've seen on any LCD.
2. Sharpness - perfect, but watch for setting in video mode. My TV went to overscan with HTPC connected over HDMI. It was easy to fix by changing settings to pixel mapping for HDMI port.
3. Brightness - it's LCD so it can be very bright. I liked Sony implementation of automatic brightness. It changes brightness based on available light in the room. The result is picture looks more natural to watch when you turn off the lights, and still bright enough picture during sunny day. Note: I calibrated the screen with low lights in the room, it's how I normally watch movies.
4. Colors - not too bad from manufacture, but definitely improved after calibration. Very lifelike at the end.

Conclusion:
I'm completely satisfied with picture quality of this display and I feel this TV gives you more per dollar then any other.

By now, you probably done loads of research on the different LCD TV's.. Samsung, Toshiba etc. I purchased this set a few days ago and have it hanging on a sturdy wall mount. What I can say is that the image quality is vivid and you will not be disappointed in the feature set. The motionflow100 is definitely something new and takes some getting used to. You may not want to have it ON all the time. Though when watching fast films for action scenes and sports, it will definitely make a difference.

The TV has a very rich set of options and features, including slide shows and the handy USB port. Which only accepts FAT32 formatted USB sticks. it also requires registration on [...] to unlock certain DivX functionality.

Overall, I believe that the 46' is the BEST LCD currently on the market - in this price range. With motionflow and the USB port being the deciding factor for me. It was well worth it. Remember, no wireless, no presence sensor, no internet connectivity. That wasn't a train smash for me. The image is crisp and vivid, HD films are an amazing experience on this TV. Now I'm off to get the right sound setup. If you done the research and have the money, GO FOR IT.. I doubt you'll ever look back.

ENJOY..

I got the Sony Bravio as a replacement for my Vizio of similar quality. It broke down, and the line was canceled so that the repair people could not get replacement parts. Therefore, I got a choice of three TV's selected for "similar" functionality, and after careful consideration, got the Sony Bravia.

Therefore, when I review this TV, I will be comparing it to the Vizio.

Video: The video is good, and the 1080p, which is as HD as you can get, looks just as good as I saw on my previous television. The standard definition could have looked better, but it is very hard to rate standard definition once you have been spoiled by the appearance of HD. One of the nice things about this television is how well it handles fast scenes. Movement if very clear on this television. I never thought my Vizio was bad with moving scenes, but you definitely notice a difference in fast action scenes.

Sound: Personally, I am not that concerned about sound. If I really cared that much about maximizing my sound quality, I would run out and purchase a theater system to handle that. I own one, but I don't use it because it isn't worth the extra power it takes. However, for the sony, sound needed to be set to 60/100 to get to a volume I am comfortable with. With my Vizio, I could get the same at 30/100. So the Sony has a much weaker sound. This bugs me, don't ask me why, but I like my Television to have a stronger sound, and the Sony doesn't provide, even if I would never go that high volumewise.

Design: I wanted to mention the design of the Sony as well. The back of the sony consists of two component, two HDMI, and a VGA+computer sound (also an optical and outsound). The side consists of 1 composite, 2 HDMI, and a usb, which I will get into in a bit. The back ports are facing back, rather than facing down(piano style). For those of you who want a tv flush with the wall, this will be inconvenient because you will need to leave space for the cables to plug in. Personally, I prefer this style, since it is a lot easier to plug in cables than with the difficult piano style, and my television is on a stand, not a wallmount. But I can see it being difficult for wall mount people. The side ports are not really on the side, more like on the backside. They are completely obscured by the television, and are only about an inch and a directional change away from the rest of the ports, placed in a kind of tv cubby hole. All of the ports are on the left side of the television (if that is important to you). All of the controls are on the right side. I am very happy with the controls, which include everything you need to control the television, without the need for a remote like some TV's make you do.

Inputs/Outputs: I already mentioned them, naturally the VGA + computer sound allow you to hook a computer up and use this as a massive monitor. I have not tested it, but I guess it works fine. The USB port is another cool function. Supposedly, you can plug flash media (usb flash drives or flash cards in USB converters) into the television, and it can read and play the media. It claims to be able to handle music, photos, and even video. My previous television lacked this ability, and I have yet to test it out. However, if it works like it claims, that would be a great feature if you have guests and want to show someone something, or you have downloaded video and want to show it on the TV without the work of converting and burning it.

Personally, I dislike how they are getting rid of composite. The TV doesn't even have an s-cable. The composite is on the side rather than the back, fortunately, as I mentioned before, it is in a cubby hole of sorts and you wont see any cable sticking out of the side. Still, if you have any composite device, this forces it to the side, and you can only have one without some kind of converter box. I can't blame them too much, HDMI is the future and soon even component will be out of style. However, for those of us with aging DVD players that still work fine, we will have to consider upgrading to HDMI. Although it is funny to me that composite is fazing out, but they still give you a composite cable standard with any dvd player, blue ray disk, or game system purchase and force you to buy the HDMI or component with your own money.

Menu: I like to mention the menu, because a lot of people don't. The menu gives you some options, although compared to my Vizio, the options menu seems a little limited. Either way, it should be enough for most people. If you are determined, you will have enough choices to tweak the video to your liking. I have a DVD Video Optimizer that allows me to set the TV to ideal conditions using images and tests, but the video has been nice enough out of the box that I have not felt the need to do anything with it.

Overall: I enjoy the TV, although it disappointed me a little in the sound department, the menu, and the input. This is why I gave it a 4 stars. It is a good television, but when comparing it directly with my Vizio, I didn't feel it was quite as good. Still, most people wouldn't notice, or care, about those small problems, so I do recommend this television.

I've owned this TV for about 2 months now, and have watched many different formats on it including DVD's and Blu-Ray, streaming NetFlix, over-the-air HD local channels, and SD/HD cable. I fall in love with the TV every time I watch something on it. My wife can attest to the constant stream of "wow's" coming from my mouth while watching HD nature and travel shows. Action flicks? Awesome!

As many of you have done, I researched many different brands and models prior to making this purchase, using the Internet and in-person at local brick-and-mortar shops. I've always been a Sony fan, and didn't hestitate long when I realized that I could have a 120 Hz Sony LDC TV of this size for less than $1000. This is one of the few major purchase that I've ever made where there hasn't been any sort of buyer's remorse.

The feature set is light compared to some of the newer models out there. It doesn't have Internet apps built in, it's 120 Hz versus 240 Hz, and it's not an LED-LCD. As far as I'm concerned, most of those bells and whistles are unnecessary. I picked up a $160 Sony Blu-Ray player that covers the Internet streaming. I really like the convenience of Bravia Sync integration between my different enabled components. Definitely a cool feature.

This review is for the picture right out of the box. I am intending to calibrate it, and can only imagine that the picture quality will be even better!

One final note...as far as sound goes, I exclusively use external sound through my home theater system, so in comparison, of course the built-in speakers sound really weak. You'll have to draw your own conclusion in that department.

Cheers!

I was looking for am LCD TV for my basement bonus room and found this to be one of the best 46" LCD's out there. I also purchased a Sony Receiver and Sony Blu-ray player with this TV. The Video quality is excellent even on standard definition TV. Unlike the 32" Samsung we have in our living room, this TV will actually auto adjust the screen to fit the signal (I get very tired of changing it manually on the other TV). The Bravia Sync feature between the three Sony components is one of the best I have seen. It sends all control thru HDMI and you can control any of the three components with any of the tree remotes.

Great TV for the price!

I spent a lot of time during Thanksgiving looking for a new TV and doing
research. Money isn't really a constraint for me, but I wanted to try to find
the sweet spot. I didn't want 3D or internet. I wanted a basic tv with good
quality that will last a long time.

After looking at Consumer Reports, reading reviews on Amazon, CNET and several
online forums, I narrowed my selection to the Samsung LN46C630 and the Sony
KDL-46EX500. I went to several stores to look at these tvs. Depending on how
well the tvs were adjusted, these two tvs looked about the same. The Samsung
is less expensive, but all the reviews I read were consistent in mentioning
"panel lottery". No where did I read about anyone complaining about poor
picture quality with Sony. Be aware that tvs in different sizes may use
different lcd panels, so be careful about reading a review for a 46" tv and
applying it to 32" tv. You can find AV forums where someone has published
what LCD panels are used in the various sizes.

The bottom line is that Sony has good picture quality (especially flesh tones
and deep black is also good). A number of people remarked about sub par sound
quality, but I have Audioengine A5 powered speakers connected to the tv.
There are plenty of connectors on this thing including 4 HDMI (I am connecting
satellite, blue ray and computer and still have a spare).

I didn't know if the lcd/led was worth the extra money. I went to the local
Sonystyle store where they had four 46" EX models on display side by side:
400, 500, 700, 800. I could see the benefits of 500 (120 Hz) over 400 (60
Hz), but honestly I couldn't see an advantage to the more expensive led model.
The color quality on 500 was just as good if not better than the higher end
models. I concluded that led did not really offer discernable improved
picture quality and I should NOT spend money on it. The led was thinner and
lighter, but 30 vs 38 lbs doesn't matter and power consumption on led isn't
that much lower.

This tv replaced a Costco special 720p Akai 27" lcd tv which had a vertical
row of pixels missing. I sit 8' from the tv and at first considered a 40" tv
as a replacement. After reading the recommendations for screen size vs
viewing distance I went with the 46". It seemed huge at first but after 3
weeks of owning this tv, it sems just right! The prices of 40, 46, 55 inch
tvs in this model class scale linearly with the number pixels.

I have never purchased an extended warranty, but with only a one year warranty
(standard for all lcd tvs) and reading CNET, I purchased the extended
warranty on Amazon.

Finally, I was nervous about buying an expensive electronics product and
having it shipped and handled by gorillas. But there were no Amazon
complaints about shipping and for 40" or larger tvs, they contract the freight
shippers. My guess is that this tv was probably assembled in Mexico, it was
aired from DFW, put on a truck and two guys showed up in a Penske truck and
delivered the tv in the time slot that I selected when I purchased the tv. I
am happy with my experience purchasing a tv throuh Amazon.

I am not an AV nut. I am extremely happy with the overall quality of this tv
and recomend it if you are looking for a decent TV without lots of features.
I expect to be using this tv for at least the next 6 years.

I really like this tv!

I'm very happy with the sharp clear picture. I did want to post additional info that may save someone going through unnecessary hassle. When I used my PC as input then selected PIP from tools the subwindow said No Signal and was black. I instant messaged with Sony Support who had me restart the TV a couple of times and when it didn't correct the problem they recommended contacting Sony Service. Sony Service called and talked to me about the issue and it turns out that the manual that comes with the TV (and apparently the manual used by Sony Support) skips a step. If you are in PC input, after you select PIP from Tools (on the remote) you must then select Tools a second time, select Subwindow from the list, then select Input for the subwindow.

I have been extremely happy with this TV. I have worked with professional video equipment for 30 years so good picture quality and overall product quality was very important. Sony has always had a very good reputation for their TVs and this one so far is no exception. The colors are very accurate, the blacks were noticeably better than several of the Samsung models. The menus are very easy to navigate and the setup was very easy and straightforward. There are enough picture and sound settings to satisfy just about anyone's viewing preferences. Some reviews have complained about the poor sound quality from the internal speakers. I found the sound to be what you would expect from small speakers, since I have a home theater system, it wasn't much of an issue. I found the picture to be very good without changing the default factory settings. The 120Hz refresh rate on this model is great for sports or other fast moving action. I was also impressed with the picture quality when playing standard DVDs connected to the TV's component video connection from my Pioneer DVD recorder. Also excellent picture quality when connected to HD digital cable so I'm not using the TV's tuner. It has more than enough inputs for most people's needs, not as many composite video inputs, but most people have less equipment that uses them anymore. My only complaint is that I find with the design of the remote, I tend to hit the wrong buttons sometimes, it could be organized slightly better. This is my first HDTV and so far I have been very pleased with it.

This amazon purchase of a refurbished Sony Bravia was an awesome deal. Delivery was without problem and the set looks brand new. We did have a minor problem with the remote, but Sony immediately shipped a new remote, and we think the problem might have occured because we didn't program the original remote correctly. The set is beautiful and seems to be performing as well as we had hoped and at the refurbished price this was truly an awesome deal!

For the price this flat screen TV is a winner. Picture quality is excellent, ease of use and ease of setup also excellent. The HD quality is excellent (I'm on cable) and standard TV is excellent.