Customer Reviews

Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-46W5100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After waiting for a few years for a great deal, I finally punched the 'Buy' button and am I glad...:)

This was my list of 'Must Have'
1. Less than $1000 (total cost inclusive of tax and shipping). Got a sweet deal for $1288 inclusive free shipping, no tax, blue ray player and a home theater ($450 promotion which I later sold..nice! ).
2. 46 inch
3. 120 Hz and high contrast ratio. Yes 120 Hz and 100,000 dynamic contrast ratio
4. High reviews
5. Matt finish. Yes it has a matt finish
6. Internet Connectivity, DLNA and USB plus HDMI in the front


Amazon is the BEST when it comes to price, delivery and customer service. The TV was delivered in less than a week although initially it showed delivery after a month.

The picture quality is exquisite, colors are unbelievable and the aesthetics of the product design excellent. Watching HD quality videos, channels was an amazing experience in itself. Having a red eye in the morning is a given side effect !

Ethernet connectivity and Streaming videos is the future and I really like the fact I don't need another device to watch videos. Amazon on Demand, Netflix and most importantly Youtube takes care of most of my need. Now only if it could have a browser built in and an ability to connect a blue tooth keyboard, it would make it a complete package.

Streaming thru a media server is easy, so is connecting thru the USB. Having access to HDMI makes it a breeze to connect and remove accessories.

This is a great product!

BTW, if someone is looking for measurements for this TV ...

Weights and Measurements
' Dimensions (Approx.) : 43 x 28 5/8 x 13 in (1091 x 725 x 330mm) with pedestal; 43 x 26 1/2 x 3 1/2 in (1091 x 672 x 86mm) without pedestal
' Packaging (Approx.) : 53 x 32 5/8 x 8 3/8 in (1346 x 827 x 211mm)
Weight (Approx.) : 52.5 lbs. (23.8kg) with pedestal; 45.2 lbs. (20.5kg) without pedestal

[...]


RECOMMENDED SETTINGS
Go right to the Custom picture mode and in an instant the Sony configures itself to deliver top notch picture performance. Do trim down the backlighting (the default is too bright) and also scale back the color saturation a few notches to tame some over-richness.
§ Color: 45
§ Tint: 0
§ Sharpness: Min
§ Picture Mode: Custom
§ HD size (pixel-to-pixel): Full Pixel
§ Color Temperature: Warm 2
§ NR: Off
§ Gamma: 0 (2.4 result)
§ MPEG NR: Off
§ Motionflow: Standard
§ Cinemotion: Auto 1
§ Black Corrector: Off
§ Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off
§ Auto Light Limiter: Off
§ Clear White: Off
§ Live Color: Off

Pros:


+ Solid picture Quality
+ Probably the best image processing available in the market
(Anti-aliasing, sharpness, noise reduction - performances are so good when compared to all its competitors. You can compare the quality to XBR9 and you wouldn't feel any difference. The Bravia 3 Engine has got its own algorithm - none can match)
+ Very Good black level
+ Very less reflection on the screen
+ Good off angle viewing
+ Simple/Easy remote. If the Bravia Sync is excluded it would have been even better
+ The scene select is a cool feature (Try the 'Cinema' setting while watching Blu-ray movies)
+ The menu is stylish and Easy to use - very similar to PS3's
+ Variety of internet video option
* Lots of HD trailers, music videos
* Slacker Radio
* You have to upgrade the firmware before enjoying these
+ If you are a great fan of Widgets, you'll love this too

Cons:

- Simple design
- No option to pan/tilt the screen
- Not the best of sounds, if you have a AV receiver, then you should be good
- Lil Expensive :(
- Not very impressed with SD rendering
- The USB is very slow (is that 2.0?)


Questions:

? I could not able to use Amazon On-demand. I tried registering, but it is rejecting the serial#. I don't know what I am doing wrong
? TV Guide is not giving any channel info. I don't know if there is a incompatibility with my cable provider
? Is there any way I can use the Bravia Sync feature to control my Onkyo AV receiver?
? When listening to music (say from slacker) how do you turn off the screen?

Would I Recommend to a Friend? Yes
How long do I Own: 2 Weeks only
Other options I had: Samsung ln46a650 | UN46B6000, Sharp 46LE700UN, Sony kdl46v5100


I don't really want to brag about the product I have. It is been only 2 weeks, the product hasn't annoyed me yet. I will update this in a month if it does. I didn't try all its features - may be you can get more info from cnet. But this TV impressed me more than the other options I had.

Up until I purchased this LCD TV (SONY BRAVIA 46W5100), I have studied all the options for months before buying this 46 inch TV.
It came down to three manufacturers LCD TV's: SONY, SHARP or Samsung for best picture quality, design and sound.
Conclusion: SONY BRAVIA is the BEST and superior in quality!!! (Although SHARP should get all the credits for developing LCD TVs all together, but seemed to slow down in further developing the technology. On the other hand, Samsung keeps copying everything what SONY and SHARP have done to LCD TVs, Samsung is STILL few years behind in technologies to SONY and SHARP manufacturers.) While Samsung is only interested in thinning down the flat screen TVs, all other manufacturers are directing their technologies in advancing the picture quality and sound. I personally do not care about thinner LCD/LED TV, but better picture quality and sound. I think Samsung's R & R Division should better reconsider the direction they are going.

I found the Sony 46W5100 more attractive in design and had a slimmer bezel, plus was not shiny black or reflective like the one with Samsung. This model has all the most up to the minute Sony technical features and a superb picture. Sound quality is perfectly fine despite some reviews. I picked the W series because of the internet connectivity and TV Guide on screen, since I use an antenna for over the air channels. Really neat features like streaming video movies from Netflix and Amazon, YouTube and CBS.
Some are free, some you have to rent of course. Just plug in an ethernet cable from your router. You need at least 1.5M speed DSL. Got a great buy from Amazon, it was delivered in 7 days after I placed the order. Took about 10 minutes to unpack and set it up, and it worked just great right out of the box. Remote is uncomplicated and easy to use. I am very pleased with this TV and will highly recommend it to anyone. However if you are not interested in connecting it to the internet or using TV Guide On Screen, then consider the Sony V series for a few hundred dollars less, although it has the Bravia 2 processor (vs Bravia 3 in the W5100) and has slightly lower contrast ratio. Also the W has a more attractive bezel design.

I will preface my remark by saying that I've only had this set a short time as of this writing, so the reader can qualify accordingly. Coming off a plasma 42" from a different manufacturer that died unceremoniously after 3 years, the Bravia 46" is a wonderful blend of design, features, and functionality (and hopefully, reliability!). I especially liked the side panel connectivity ports, and the fact that there are ample HDMI imputs. Picture issues of earlier LCDs, such as blue tinted blacks, off center viewing clarity, appear to have been successfully addressed, and the picture is absolutely beautiful....stunning when watching a 'Blu-ray' DVD. Picture was easily fine tuned to preference, as are all other settings. One weak point, noted by others as well, is the sound quality, which is adequate, but lacks horsepower. I would imagine the manufacturers assume most people so concerned will use the set in conjunction with a stand alone sound system, but I feel the set's sound should be beefier. I am overall very impressed thusfar, and 'Amazon' was great to deal with, as usual.

I'm just amazed at the quality of the picture in HD.
The color and the picture is so rich and vibrant you don't even want to watch the regular channels.
Even the picture in SD is sharp. Better than I expected.
The sound is excellent from it's four speakers and 20 watts of power.
The border around the TV is slim and sleek, so when it's hanging on the wall it doesn't distract your eyes from the picture.
When you decide to buy this TV, make sure you purchase a Blu-ray player. The picture and sound will just blow you away.
Thanks Sony for making such a great product.
I'm very pleased with my purchase from Amazon.
I would recommend this TV to any one.
Thanks Amazon for a spectacular price.
Your competition couldn't even come close.

Once properly setup, this TV has the best picture quality I have seen on an LCD.

Pros:
- Picture quality with HD sources is fantastic. SD is adequate, but don't expect miracles.
- Black level is the best I have seen on an LCD so far. Pretty close to plasma quality.
- Colors are great once properly calibrated.
- 120Hz + MotionFlow makes a noticeable difference for video-based material (especially sports).

Cons:
- The instruction manual is a waste of paper. It doesn't bother to explain any of the advanced options (CineMotion, MotionFlow, etc.)
- The colors are not calibrated out of the box: too saturated, too much green.
- 3 out of 4 HDMI inputs are on the side. Cables connected to those ports stick out.
- SD upscaling is good but not great.

I've had this TV for three weeks now. Setup was easy, no issues. Picture quality is great, was able to download the software update and all applications worked very well, including the one I really wanted, Netflix.

Today, however, all network activity came to a halt. Network status indicated that the local connection was good, but that it couldn't reach the Internet. Spent an hour debugging it, figuring it was probably an issue with the wireless bridge. Went online to Sony tv support as well to see if they had anything to recommend.

Finally called customer service - Cheap Sony, by 8:30 pm on a Friday night had suspended their 800 number and redirected it to 239 768 7602. Called that line and after 10 minutes on my own dime, they finally came back indicating that their internet host is down. Looks like the Sony TVs go through some kind of host at Sony which is down. This is pretty poor design ofcourse as it's a single point of failure, as is the case right now.

Also, no visual indication of this anywhere, not on the TV, not on the Sony site, no where. I sincerely hope they address this in a future patch.

The TV is 14 months old ( warranty ends in 12 of course ) and it developed horizontal lines from top to bottom on the left hand side of the screen and fading as they cross midline.
It is definitely the tv and not a component as it appears all the time.
In the process of contacting customer service, but as I understand they are notoriously unsympathetic to end of warranty issue.
I would expect a $1200 plus tv to last longer than 14 months.
Will keep posted on customer service saga.

Initially got the 40 inch but returned for the 46 inch (wife's idea even). Both were very nice, but of course we love the 46 inch size and picture quality. got a great deal that included a PS3 player. Blue-ray videos pop.

Hooked up the internet via cat5 cable and signed up for Netflix. We have not had one issue with streaming the video from Netflix - very smooth and already have 47 movies in our streaming queue!

Not too excited about the widgets at this time. Selection and usefulness is limited.

I have this TV for a month already. I ordered on sale just before Black Friday 2009, combo deal with Blu-Ray player BRP-S508. The W model is the minimum to get the Bravia 3 processor, and honestly, this processor makes huge difference compared to older or lower models

Pros:

1.Bravia 3 processor - it gives LAN and Internet capabilities, excellent picture quality and excellent video up-scaling. Standard definition video looks almost like HDTV
2.Elegant design - thin glossy frame
3.Mat screen - doesn't reflect much
4.Intuitive Playstation style menu
5.Internet streaming of Netflix, Youtube, radios, etc.
6.Sony keeps on updating the firmware
7.HDMI connectors on the side - easy to connect new devices, don't interfere with back mounting plate of the stand. Some people don't like it, but this is huge functionality advantage. I have mine mounted on a stand with back plate, and the plate covers partially the back panel. I imagine how this can be an issue, if all the ports were mounted on the back
8.120 Hz screen refresh - smoothing action. Once adjusted, the picture looks very cinematic. With external video player /I have WD TV/ or BluRay, the movie look like in cinema theater.
9.Pretty decent sound - loud enough with good bass and high frequencies, clear sound
10.Swing pedestal - turns left/right
11.A lot of picture controls available to user

Cons:

1.Uneven back light - I see back light in the corners and especially the lower right corner
2.No DivX, mkv, etc video decoding - Samsung 6 series and above is updated and plays DivX directly through the Usb. Sony should update this, the processor is definitely capable of decoding video.
3.Assigning dynamic IP addresses is somehow an issue - it messes the network, the router disconnects. I know there should be a workaround, so this is a minor issue; I have to learn how to fix it

In general, this is very nice TV. I compared with Samsung B630/650 and decided on Sony. This particular model has good clean design, many capabilities. The only lack is video decoding through USB of DivX, mkv, which would've made this the perfect TV. Also, the back lighting in the lower right corner is annoying. It is visible only at extreme angles, not an issue if you watch upfront. Large LCD panels all have lighting issue anyway, but I didn't want glossy screen to offset this. Glossy surface would have even worse negative of reflecting everything.

Will update, if something comes up