Customer Reviews

Sony BRAVIA KDL40HX800 40-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D-Ready LED HDTV, Black

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

From the moment I opened the box, it was obvious I had made the right choice. This TV oozes quality in every single way.

The display is wonderful. It's not a matte display, but it has a relatively low reflection, not obnoxiously glossy like recent Apple products. The picture looks gorgeous, even off angle, and the unit and base have a high gloss black finish.

The features are well covered in the specs above (Netflix HD streaming capability, YouTube, a built in TV Guide using online data, DLNA support to play media off your PC over the network, 3D)

Looking for downsides, the use of the large 300x300 VESA mount is unfortunate, the display is lightweight and really doesn't need such a large mount. The built-in stand uses a separate mount that is much smaller, and you could make your own plate or L bracket for the display to slide onto.

The TV menus are in the style of a PS3 (XMB), but some of the animations are unacceptably slow. Perhaps this can be improved in a later firmware upgrade. Also, not all menu options are available until about 30 seconds after you turn on the display.

My display says it is "Made in Mexico".

Audio:
The built-in audio is acceptable, but I suspect most will want to use external audio with this display. There's a non-obvious setting to turn on "S-Force Front Surround" mode for the internal speakers which improves the perception of sound, and by default it doesn't try to reproduce low frequency bass.

Settings:
The display works well out of the box, but if you're feeling adventurous, there are many settings for both the display and audio (scene select, four motionflow settings, mpeg noise reduction, dynamic LED, low light recovery and bright light reduction, steady sound, audio clarity settings to emphasize the human voice)

3D:
At the moment I am not impressed after using the 3D mode. Technically it works as expected with Blu-Ray or a PC with NVIDIA 3DTV Play, but the display is so bright and gorgeous on its own that I prefer 3D off. Note that you must buy an optional Sony 3D sync transmitter and Sony 3D active shutter glasses to use the 3D mode.

Don't forget to buy an HDMI cable or two!

I went with this to replace my old Samsung LCD. The picture quality is absolutely amazing. I tested it with 2 different movies, Avatar and Up. I was blown away. You know that feeling you get whenever you buy something new and it's better than you even imagined? That's what I feel about this TV. Even my wife who seems to be affected by the Amish gene (cares nothing about new technology) was awed by the quality. If you're buying a new TV and trying to decide between the Bravia or Samsung take my advice and get the Sony Bravia. You won't be disappointed.

This review is for geezers. I decided not to wait for my CRT-type Mitsubishi TV to totally fail, and looked around at the available modern models. I figured that since I don't watch that much off the air TV, I'd be plenty happy with a plasma model. However, I found this Sony LCD in my price range, and the specs made it sound pretty good. Anyway, how could I go wrong with a Sony? I read the reviews, and folks were talking about light bleed into the black areas and uneven edge LED lighting. They might be right, but you couldn't prove it by me. I had a pretty large TV before by the old standards, but turns out, 40 inches is really big! I've watched cable, satellite, and DVD pictures and they are all beautiful. The colors are true, the pictures are crisp (especially text), and I detect no motion blur (the 240 Hz refresh rate might have a lot to do with that). Physical setup was easy, but I've yet to figure out how to have all signals come in on the same input, so I have to switch inputs to watch a DVD. When I tried daisy-chaining everything, the picture quality appeared to suffer. I'll figure this out eventually, I'm sure. The logical setup is practically automatic, except I got a bunch of digital channels (i.e. 8.2, etc.) that my cable company swears they are not sending me, and I don't have an antenna of any type. Mystifying - maybe the cable is acting as an antenna? If this matters to you, the TV itself looks beautiful, but they all look pretty much alike, don't they? I run the sound output through an amp, but I tested using just the built-in speakers and it sounded acceptable. The various settings for the aspect ratio all stretch or chop the picture except for "normal", but even using that, sometimes the picture has a black band top and bottom (as well as at the sides), and sometimes it doesn't. Other times it's obvious that extreme right and left edges are being truncated on the satellite feed, but they appear normal using the cable. You would think by now that all of this would be figured out and fixed, but it apparently has yet to be. The instructions say that the remote is programmable for my DVD, amp and satellite receiver, but the remote I received is different from what's in those instructions, and doesn't have the same buttons. I use a Logitech Harmony anyway, so I use that. With more equipment, I can have Internet access and 3-D. We'll see. If you are a television expert or have "golden" eyes, you might be able to find some faults with this set. I am neither, and I am completely happy. Part of the honeymoon process is that I've been watching more stuff, just to enjoy the big, bright picture. That'll probably fade - at least I hope it does.

I've had nothing but praise for Sony TV's for decades and this TV is no different. Easy to setup and an excellent picture. Fits perfectly into the wall unit that was designed for the old style TV's and have limited width of 38 inches.

I've had the 40" Sony Bravia for 3 weeks and am very impressed with the 2D picture. After paying an additional $250 for the 3D glasses and emitter, I watched my first 3D movie since the 50's. The 3D effect is interesting, but it left me nauseous for 2 hours after removing the glasses. Subsequently, I have become more tolerant to the nausea-inducing dizziness. My friends have had a similar experience. The 2D picture quality is so good, that I doubt I will be watching much 3D in the future.

Last weekend I tried to get internet access so I could visit the various web sites the Sony can access. After an hour or so of roaming around various menus, I discovered that it didn't have the proper wireless adapter and needed a software upgrade as well. I called Sony and was told that they would have to mail me the software on a special Sony disc in order to upgrade. Also, the wireless adapter is proprietary to Sony and costs $80. I went to several web sites, including Amazon, before I found one (Best Buys) that had it in stock. Obviously, others have had the same issue. I have not received the adapter or software as yet.

So even though I paid a reasonable $1050 for the Sony, the additional costs total about $350 more to take full advantage of all the features. That doesn't count the subscription fee charged by a number of the web sites available on the Sony menu.

In retrospect, I should have been content with the superb 2D picture and not spent the extra money for internet and 3D.

I am so astounded by the quality of the picture on this TV that I started to think that Sony could not visibly improve upon this product. I had to buy a 40" set because of space limitations in the cabinetry on a new porch we are having built. The result of squeezing a 1080p picture and a 240 Hz refresh rate onto a screen of only 40 inches gives a sense of detail, contrast and almost 3 dimensional depth(of a 2 dimensional signal) that is beyond what I would have ever imagined. Because our new porch and wiring for internet and cable have not been completed, I have yet to try internet TV or actual 3D pictures. I have seen the 3D capabilities of this set in my son's house who has the same TV except that it is 46". The 3D picture is amazing, and while it displays more levels of depth than I would have expected, the depth levels do seem to be distinctive in number as opposed to a smooth transition from near to far. I believe that the 3D effects are greatly dependent on the quality of the original filming of the material in 3D and whether the photography was meant to be as realistic as possible or was shot for the sensationalism of 3D. I am not convinced that movie photographers, directors or producers have begun to master the new capabilities that 3D has made available. Also, there is not a lot of 3D material yet available. However, I am completely satisfied with the additional sense of depth by the combination of 1080P and the 240 Hz refresh rate. Also, do not expect the highest quality sound from this set. The sound is just OK and needs to be connected to a good 5.1 audio system or better to realize sounds that support the picture. However, the sound can be adjusted for clear dialog if you do not need the explosive low frequency, house shaking, audio that is almost necessary to get the full impact of the sound tracks of adventure and action movies. In summary, this TV is so good that any weaknesses are minor in comparison to the whole. While this unit may be priced on the high side of others on the market, the extra price is more than worth it in my opinion. I am reasonably sure that those who buy this set will agree. If you think differently, I would be curious as to why.

I have had this led tv now for three months...bought it based on the overall reviews of others..thank you social media. I am very pleased. The tv works flawlessly with the internet(need to purchase the USB wi fi for about $70) and cable. I added a CT150 sony sound system to it and it does enhance the experience and makes life easier since everything ie blue ray, cable box and tv hooked into it.

I can say that I am not a big fan of 3-D tv but inherent in this tv is the sophisticated integrated circuits that remove sound lag and movement distortion and so it is worth the extra fees for the better experience even in 2D....those big glasses are a pain and expensive.

The set up is really quite intuitive and easy. The stand with swivel is nicely manufactured. All the screws fit in the holes properly and there are a sufficient number of them. The internet setup takes a bit of fortitude since they do not tell you that the tv will automatically install appropriate up to date software to run netflix, pandora etc but only if you turn the tv off a while and let it stay in stand by mode. Thus if you get frustrated enough, that things aren't working, shut it off(it goes into standby automatically) and come back in ten minutes...everything is fixed.

Finally, the Sony help line really works. If you get stuck on the set up, call them and they will walk you through it...without putting you on hold for an hour...thank you dell electronics!!

Of note is that originally Sony had intended to let you make your own apps to put on the TV through the internet, but when google tv product came out they scrapped this convenience...bummer. I have attached an Apple mini computer to make up for this.

Enjoy the set...

I've owned several makes and models of Hi-def TV's, from 26" 720p lcd to 47" 1080p 120Hz LED. None even come close to this. The picture this set has is AMAZING!. I have a 360 and PS3 along with hi-def cable and all are extremely impressive. Blu-ray is unbelievable! I have not even used the 3D yet. I'm waiting for my glasses to arrive. It's hard to think that it could be any better, but I'm sure it will be awesome. If your thinking about buying this TV, don't hesitate. This is by far the best video I have ever seen. You won't regret it.

Wanted to add that the 3D tansmitter should not be plugged in after the tv is on for first time set up. Ran into that issue. According to Sony you should plug it in before you connect your power cable that way the tv can see it from the biginning. If you plug it in while tv is on tv will not see it.

Well.....first off i purchased this tv from sony because i got a good deal for being a credit card member but would have bought from amazon if they were the actual sellers, anyway....

This tv is freaking sweet, the cosmetics are simply amazing....slim,sleek,sexy....that should say it all =p

Cosmetics are not even close to the whole story, the picture quality is spectacular, with 240hz true motion turned on, standard dvd's and blue rays seem life like, they pop out of the screen to some extent, not in 3d but it just feels more real that on a standard 60hz or 120hz tv's....before this tv i owned a Samsung 32" 60hz hd tv that i bought in 2007 and that is a great tv...i love Samsung but for the price i had to go with Sony...I hooked my playtstation 3 up to it and played battlefield bad company 2 and killzone 3, it was like i never really played the games before i did that day, the visuals in 240hz are so much more crisp and fine tuned then on my old 60hz, just amazing.

Sony sales staff and customer service is great and very responsive, i called over twice with a few questions and they were very friendly and supportive, the tv is well packaged if you have it shipped and comes with a unique curved remote which actually fits your hand really good

I know this tv has a nice hefty price tag, but these days you pay for quality and this is top of the line in all aspects....splurge a little and pick up this tv and you won't be disapointed!!