Customer Reviews

Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-46W4100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This TV is awesome. I've been using it for a few weeks now, and everything works just like expected. I'm not going to give a technical review of the TV, as you can find those on the web. I do want to say that you can't go wrong with it. I spent a long (very long!) time debating between this one and the Samsung A650. They are very similar TVs. While the specs of the A650 are better, I looked at the two in the store and found it very difficult to tell a difference. However, there were multiple areas where the Sony was better for my personal taste. First, I am not a fan of glossy screens. While the W4100 is more glossy than its predecessor, it is significantly less glossy than the A650. This is a big plus if you have any lights or windows in the same room as the TV. Second, the speakers on the Sony are quite good for TV speakers. It won't match a separate sound system, but it is good enough to use. In contrast, the speakers on the A650 are useless. Also, while the menu driven system takes some getting used to, at least the remote control is a pleasure to use - again in contrast to the A650. Of course, the TV comes with all the delights of a Sony Bravia TV, but I leave that to a more in depth review.

In summary:

I love this TV. I would buy it again.

In comparison to the A650 - take a look at the two TVs side by side in a store. Pick the one you think is better. That is what it comes down to in the end - personal opinion. What matters to you in a TV? They are both excellent TVs.

Well it's been nearly one week since having this TV in-home and here are my first impressions:

1) Do not expect that Amazon customer service will be a quick way to resolve issues with your order. I spent the better part of 8 hours on the phone in relation to this order because of a bunch of weird circumstances. I finally got everything straightened out, but there were quite a few MAJOR frustrations. D
2) Amazon ordering issues aside, CEVA did a fantastic job with the delivery. They were on time, the delivery person carried the huge box into my house, unboxed it, set it up and tested that everything was working properly. He even took off his shoes when he got in the front door! A+
3) Set-up was a breeze. Before it arrived, I had already acquired all the external hook-ups (HD cable box, Blu-Ray player) and HDMI cables needed, so all CEVA had to do was plug in the power and a couple HDMI cables and we were set. Note on HDMI cables- do NOT overpay for Monster or some other brand. I got three 6 foot HDMI 1.3 Cables from monoprice.com for $15, including shipping. A-
4) The TV itself is gorgeous. Picture quality from the HD cable and from the Blu-ray player look almost three dimensional. Some of the features of the TV are gimmicky in my opinion, such as the TV Guide feature, and I do NOT like the look of the MotionFlow... it seems like everyone is gliding around, at least on High. Standard is tolerable, but at this point, I prefer it Off. A-
5) There's obviously a learning curve associated with all new electronics, but I found the set-up options to be quite intuitive. After playing around for a few hours, I was confident in making adjustments and changing inputs, etc. B+

Now for a note that is intended for anyone who's considering this TV as their first HDTV, as I was:

Expect to have to get some new peripheral gear. You probably know you'll at least need an HD Cable box or antenna, perhaps a Blu-ray player, and HDMI cables to get the best picture this TV is capable of, but what you might not realize is the potential dilemma in audio quality. For years I've had good quality red/white audio cables running out of both my cable box and DVD player and into an old stereo receiver with just two floor-standing speakers hooked up and never once had an issue with the sound. However, when trying to use this configuration with the new HDTV and HD Cable Box/Blu-ray player, I immediately noticed a problem with the synchronization of the video and audio. There was a delay between what I saw and heard that was entirely unacceptable. I feared the TV had problems, but after researching up on it, I found that the issue was caused by the fact that I had a digital video output to the TV (HDMI) and an analog audio output to the receiver (Red/White) that were not matching each other. I went to BB and talked to one of the Home Theater experts there and he confirmed this problem. So in addition to getting the new TV, Blu-Ray player and HD Cable box, I had to buy a new receiver capable of handling a digital audio signal, be it HDMI or Optical Digital Audio (I went with the later, since I wanted to maintain my video inputs directly into the TV). Obviously, if you have newer equipment or just use the TV for audio, you won't have this issue, but it was very frustrating for me.

Overall, I'm EXTREMELY happy with the TV now that everything is properly set-up and I can't wait to enjoy it for years to come!

I researched LCD's till my mind felt like scrambled eggs. I assume, like most other people, the decision came down to Sony or Samsung. I wanted to spend around $1500 for a 46 inch. After much deliberation and physically checking out the TV's at Best Buy, i went with the Sony for the following reasons:

Picture: The Sony screen is less reflective than the Samsung, providing a picture that i feel is easier on the eyes. The Sony also has very deep blacks, which makes the image look fantastic. I have to say that i also think the Samsung has a great picture, i just prefer Sony's.

Sound: The Samsung down firing speakers sound terrible and muffled, and although many people will hook their TV's up to a sound system, this bugged me. The Sony built in speakers sound great.

Design: To me, Samsung TV's look cheap and plastic. And i don't like "The Touch of Red." I think it looks cheesy and eighties. Although there is plastic border around the Sony, its industrial design is clean and elegant, and doesn't stand out.

Remote: The Samsung remote is an eyesore, and not easy to use. The Sony remote on the other hand looks slick, is simple to use, and fits properly in my hand.

Both companies make great products, it's really just a matter of personal taste. Mine happened to lean toward Sony.

Hope this helps you :)

We find the picture quality on our new Bravia simply splendid. Since we enjoy fast paced sports, the 120hz refresh rate adds to the picture quality. We received our unit through Amazon from J&R, and had absolutely no problems with shipping/arrival. Control menus/commands were at first not a intuitive as we had hoped for, but with a little experience that is no longer an issue. Initial set-up was non-problematic.

Like most customers i had been doing research on various 46 inch LCD TVs for a couple of months. For various reasons it eventually came down to Sony W Series vs Samsung 650 Series. I went to Best Buy showroom and saw them both side by side. Right till the time i made my purchase Samsung had a slight edge in my mind. I went for Sony when i saw this great deal at Circuit City($1299+Tax). With 8% AAA Members Discount to top it, this was a Steal! I locked in the price. I have the TV for a week now and "no regrets".
My advice-- Go for the best price! They are both good TVs. Infact if you are over 30yrs like me then your eyesight might become the limiting factor...:). Four things to look out for in LCD TV- 120Hz,1080p,at least 20,000:1 contrast ratio and atleast two HDMI inputs(3 or more if you are into Gaming).

Great picture on this Bravia TV, colors are very natural and pop. Black and white levels are very good as well. I never liked the cartoonish colors and gloss on the Samsungs (although I have not seen this years models). In recent years, Ive bought and helped others buy a few Samsung LCDs ranging from 20" to 40" and none of them looks as good as the W4100. The built in speakers are also much better than the Samsungs, very usable for dialog and movies with less action scenes. Something to consider if you do not have an audio setup. I also compared this to a 42" LG70 bought a month before the Sony and again, the Sony had the slightly better, more natural picture. Of course the XBR is better but you pay a high premium for it. Unless you are a videophile or have a nice chunk of change in your pocket I think the W series is more realistic and a good compromise.

I owned a plasma for 4 years (zenith 42" edtv) and I loved it... looked great, sounded great, etc. I tried for the past couple of years to upgrade to full hd to no avail. I tried a 50" samsung (terrible color, horrific sound) and a 50" philips (decent, but not "great"). This sony BLEW MY MIND. Great picture, great sound, great build quality. You can't go wrong. JUST BUY IT

We researched the HDTV's & went several times to different stores to see the picture quality. This set is as near to perfection that we could find. The size is perfect for our room(12x11). The quality of color, vividness & definition allows you to see every crease & wrinkle on the face. Color is life like & sharp so that your experiencing almost a 3D quality. We purchased the set from Amazon getting the best price around. Shipping took longer than expected but the wait was worth it. I highly recommend this set over a Samsung (which was our 2nd. choice). The glass screen on Samsung reflected everything. Amazon's white glove service set everything up for us so that we only had to sit & enjoy.

Had this set for about a week now. It took about 1 week to be delivered with the "white glove" service, which consisted of 2 delivery guys bringing it into the room of my choice, unboxing, installing the footplate, lifting it onto the tv stand and plugging it in to be sure there was some sort of video and the remote worked. That's it - no problem for me hooking in the cable box and other acccesories, but don't expect them to do that for you.

If you are going to cover with a warranty, you should be able to buy it directly from Sony if purchasing from Amazon.com. Here is my understanding: You can cover the set for 4 years from the original purchase date (in home service for this set) for 299.99 (as of the date of this review).

The picture is stunning. I have the set in a room with lots of windows and two sets of French doors full of windows to the exterior. I have had no problem with glare (which was my main concern with and LCD or Plasma going into this room). The curtains close things off nicely, but even when I open everything up in the middle of the day, it still has no glare issues.

I am not really a technophile, but I love the picture quality (which deteriorates when sitting too close, but you are buying a 46 so you don't have to right?) - built in speakers seem more than adequate for my slightly larger than average den with high vaulted ceilings.

No complaints.

[...]

So far, I have to say I am extremely happy with the picture quality of the W series. I thought the Sony LCD TVs looked the best in the store and I have always been partial to Sony, so after 2 yrs of waiting and shopping around, I finally pulled the trigger on the KDL-W4100 and it was delivered last week.

First--my experience with the "white glove" delivery service. Two guys literally ran in my front door--they already had the box partially unpacked. They pulled out the TV, set it on the stand (and then handed me the screws to actually attach it), plugged in the cable, turned it on, handed me a checklist, and ran out the door. They were not in the house more than 5 min. Technically, they did everything on that Amazon describes--but either they were in a big hurry or they get paid by the number of deliveries. Given that unpacking and setting up a TV is not a big deal and I could have easily done it myself, I just laughed at the Keystone Kops performance going on in my living room (and they didn't speak any english, so there was nothing I could have said to them anyway). All in all, it was no big deal, but I just wanted others to not have any misconceptions about what "white glove" service means, so you won't be disappointed.

I am still having some issues with Comcast in getting my HD signal straightened out, but the picture quality of the channels I do receive is excellent. I have a 22" Vizio HD (720p) in my office and the difference is quite noticeable. We find ourselves tuning to progams not because of the content, but the pictures are so spectacular.

DVDs are impressive as well. I have a Sony DVP-NS77H upconverting DVD player--I paid $75 for it a year ago. I was considering upgrading to Blu-Ray but, given the picture quality with this TV, I can't justify the extra cost of either the player or replacing my library with Blu Ray DVDs. Maybe I'll have to borrow someone's Blu Ray to see the difference, but I see them in the store and it's hard to see how the picture could be much better than what I have now.

The menu interface seems to be a little more complicated than it should be, which doesn't bother me too much because I am not imtimidated by technology, but my wife would never even bother to try. I am a little disappointed in the available "wide" settings, but that may be more due to the nature of the signal, rather than a limitation of the TV itself. To get a non-distorted image on some channnels, it cuts off so much of the screen that the picture is actually smaller than on my previous 32 inch tube TV. I would like to have had a little more detail in the manual as well.

All in all, it is a superb TV--my only regret now is that I didn't spend the extra $$ for the 52 inch version.