103 of 104 people found the following review helpful:
One flaw away from perfection
So far I have been very happy with great performance of my new KDL-46V3000.
Pros:
- Great colors and black levels, no clouding
- Very good tuner and reception
- Nice upscaling and line doubling of lower resolution signals
- No noticeable motion blur even without the high end 120 Hz refresh rate
- Great, simple and sophisticated...
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Don't buy
I have this beautiful Sony Bravia sitting on my TV stand that does not work. I ordered from Amazon on Monday and received the TV by Friday, there was no signs of damage on the box everything looked great. That is where things went downhill I turned the TV on and it played for less that 5 minutes and shutdown. After talking to tech support in India I was told that I could...
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
So far I have been very happy with great performance of my new KDL-46V3000.
Pros:
- Great colors and black levels, no clouding
- Very good tuner and reception
- Nice upscaling and line doubling of lower resolution signals
- No noticeable motion blur even without the high end 120 Hz refresh rate
- Great, simple and sophisticated design without the useless cumbersome glass panel of the higher end XBR Sony models
- Low profile stand foot fits perfectly on the TV stand where my previous 42" TV's foot was sticking out.
Cons:
- Extremely limited combination of sources for Picture & Picture; No Picture-in-Picture
- Reflective black piano finish frame (not the screen) which can get annoying if you have a light source at a wrong place behind you
Initially I wanted to buy a 120 Hz system, but after a serious long research, I gave up on them for multiple reasons. First I dropped the new Sharp models because instead of the 120 Hz refresh rate they only have frame rate conversion, interpolating and inserting an artificial intermediate frame in between each two of the existing frames. Then after researching the promising Toshiba Regza 120 Hz LX177 models I dropped them from my list because of inaccurate colors. I had an opportunity to choose the top of the line 40" 120 Hz Sony XBR4 model at a comparable price, but I chose this 46" 60 Hz set instead, because I owned 37" and 42" 1080p models in the past and I had to be quite close to the smaller screen to enjoy the full benefit of the Blu-ray or comparable high resolution source. Then after reading some reviews I decided to drop the other remaining 120 Hz models because of the huge price difference and only a marginal, if any, improvement on motion blur. Instead, I decided to stick with the mature and proven 60 Hz technology and bought its latest generation with no regrets. This TV's "older brother", Sony KDL-46V2500, was standing on the next shelf and it was priced a couple hundred dollars less, but I didn't want to spend this kind of money buying a last year's model which has older technology and some known minor picture problems.
I love this set's picture quality, for it can compete not only with other LCDs but also with most plasmas (and this screen, IMHO beats most of them with its anti-glare surface). When I watch this TV in the store next to other higher Samsung and Sharp models, I can see many more subtle details in the shadow and near-black areas of the screen. Other models seem to willingly sacrifice these details in order to improve their blacks and after having noticed this I am sure I picked the best model in this price range.
Video processing is very nice, even on SD TV coming from a weak signal. The TV tuner seems to have better reception than my other tuners on same antenna. In spite of my very limited expectations due to my relatively bad experience with previous tuners, I am now receiving all available digital channels in Chicago using an indoor antenna with minimum interruptions.
Sound quality on the set is good, with a typical lack of lower bass spectrum, but most owners of TVs of this caliber will aim for the full experience and buy a home theater sound system.
Just when I thought this set was close enough to perfection for my current standards, I discovered a major Picture & Picture design flaw. This set's Picture & Picture feature limits the choice of the two pictures viewable next to each other to the left one coming from HDMI inputs, TV tuner, or Video-in, and the right picture coming only from one of the two component (that's right, component) inputs. What were Sony designers thinking?! I have only HDMI and PC sources at home, so this feature is absolutely useless to me, because in most cases I want to view TV tuner combined with HDMI, or PC, or the two HDMI inputs next to each other. I was in such a disbelief that I thought I was doing something wrong and I didn't trust the manual, so I called Sony's tech support and they confirmed this nonsense. Moreover, the PC input is not available for viewing in Picture & Picture mode.
Although some reviewers find the menu system cumbersome, I got very accustomed to it on my Playstation 3, however, this system is not always totally intuitive and it doesn't "remember" the last menu you accessed, which would make it much more convenient.
Summary: Bad "Picture & Picture" input combination is the only major flaw I can find and if the picture wasn't so great, I would have returned it the very next day, but I couldn't find a better 46" model at this price, so I kept it. Without this design flaw I'd give this set a perfect score.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I just took delivery of my Sony KDL-46V3000 two days ago and already I can't imagine going back.
The set has none of the flaws that trouble some flat panels: no stuck pixels that I can see, no clouding, banding or other visible defects. Just a nice picture. Glare is not a problem on this set, even off of the supposedly shiny bezel.
I agonized over my choice of a set for many months, looking at several Sony models and several from competitors such as Samsung. I could never tell that choosing a higher-end Sony would really buy me anything, so I stuck with one of their more affordable models. It can be difficult to compare TVs, especially in big box stores. However, the few times I got a fair comparison between the Sony and a comparable Samsung set (4661F), the Sony seemed to have a slight edge.
Keep in mind that this set won't work miracles with standard-definition (SD) TV signals. I have it hooked to an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, which works quite well, pulling in HDTV from all of my local affiliates. But, when I switch back to my SD cable box, things look pretty shabby in comparison. In fact, let me echo the advice of many other HDTV users; SD television in some cases looks worse on a large HD set than it would have on your older CRT TV. This is in part due to the raised expectations of the new, fancy TV, but also has to do with seeing low resolution TV on a large set with 'wasted' display lines. The Sony has image processing which is supposed to enhance SD signals. I'm sure it helps some, but the truth is once you've seen HDTV on your new set, SD can look pretty grim. If you invest in any high-def TV be sure to get some sort of high-def inputs for it. I'm dumping cable in favor of OTA + Blu-ray, but I'm sure for most people HD cable is a great option, too.
To top it off, I found a great price on Amazon, and was quite pleased with the Eagle delivery. I don't regret doing my research, and I couldn't be happier with the 46V3000.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I studied and reviewed many HDTVs including the new 120Hz models. I came to the conclusion this model gave me the best bang for the buck. I won't bore you with all the technical details and jargon, but I just can't say enough good about this unit. The picture quality is awesome and have not experienced any of the clouding issues talked about in earlier Sony models.
The only issue I had was where to buy the unit from? Do I take a chance and buy it on the web or purchase it locally? I took a chance and purchased it on the web from Amazon. The Amazon White Glove Delivery was the deciding factor of why I purchased it on the web. The White Glove service is exactly what Amazon claims. The delivery service delivered the TV, performed basic setup and took the waste material away. When they were finished, we went through a checklist verifying the unit's functionality. After verifying the unit, I had to make the decision to accept the unit or not. What more could you ask for?
Conclusion, knowing what I know now, I would purchase the exact same TV from Amazon again. My experience was very good and I saved over $600 in comparison to purchasing the exact unit at a local Best Buy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
After more than a month of researching HD LCDs online and in stores, I chose the KDL46V3000 and 6 weeks later, I couldn't be happier! I narrowed it down to either the Sony or the Samsung LNT4665F. The Samsung had a great picture and a lower price, but two things led me to the Sony: the black, non-mirrored frame and the non-reflective glass. I have a living room with lots of windows and a lot of ambient light I can't control and didn't want to fuss with glare every time I turned on the TV. The Sony's picture is sharp, brilliant and rich in all colors, especially black. HD channels make it seem like you're looking through a window into the stadium/studio, and the regular channels look great too, although once you've seen HD, they admittedly look much worse.
The menu is easy to navigate (although I almost never go into it) and the build in speakers are great. Eventually I'll install surround sound, but until then I don't feel I'm missing a single thing. If you're shopping for TVs, you're going to be spending a lot of money anyway, so don't hesitate to spend a little more to get the best TV on the market! And if you're stressing between two or three TVs, keep in mind that when you get it home, you're not going to be looking at sets side-by-side and any minute differences won't matter anymore.
**Note - While I didn't buy my TV on Amazon, I uses the price as my bargaining chip at my local store. They beat the price and took into account that with Amazon, there's no sales tax or shipping!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
My husband and I recently purchased this Sony Bravia, and we are both very happy with it. This is our first LCD/HD TV, and we did a lot of product research before we settled on this model. I think this is an excellent TV for the price. The picture quality is superb, and even standard definition programming looks great on the screen. (However, there is definitely no going back to a standard TV after experiencing the brilliance that is HDTV!) Hooking up the television was a pretty painless experience overall, and the remote and various menus are all very easy to use. I was also impressed with the speaker system on this TV. A lot of the other TVs we looked at had very quiet speakers, but the Bravia's sound system is superior, and adding a surround sound system isn't necessary unless you really want it.
We haven't noticed any issues with cloudiness, black spots, etc., which is a relief because that's something we were worried about when we first started thinking about getting a LCD TV. The only minor issue we've had with the TV is that every time we turn it on, there's a strange clicking/popping noise that comes from the back of the TV and lasts for a minute or less. Then the noise goes away until we turn the TV off, and then the cracking noise comes back for about a minute or so. The manual says that this noise is normal, but I still think it's a bit annoying and weird. However, I did some research online, and it appears that a lot of LCD models make these sounds. Oh well.
Overall, except for the weird clicking, this TV has been good to us so far. I recommend this product.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
Wow... always expected High Def signal to look great, but what makes this TV stand apart is what it does with regular non-HD signals... I am truly amazed by the DRC Circuitry; thought it was just a gimmick, but it is taking the same signal my previous TV had and making it much denser, much more appealing to look at.
No flaws (agree with previous user, shiny piano black can reflect light, but don't know if this is really a negative; just moved the light, really beautiful cabinet) except it is pricier than comparable models. I initially was shopping Toshiba as it was cheaper, then Sharp but this TV went on sale and boy am I glad I bought it...
Maybe wish it had two tuners with two coaxial inputs, but otherwise, sound is great, picture really amazing, and most importantly for those without a lot of HD programming or signals, the DRC Circuitry works as advertised. If you can get a good price, don't hesitate!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I purchased this TV about a month ago and as my review title suggests, I am very pleased.
Actually, I'm pleased for two reasons. First, the unit itself is as advertised and it went from the box to the TV cabinet with no hassle and once I hit the 'on' button, I knew I had a winner. Without going into boring technical jargon, the sound and picture are great.
The second reason I'm pleased has to do with the price and delivery. Now, this is my first purchase of what I consider a major electronic appliance. Let's face it; when you consider ordering a 100lb, $2500+ device from an online retailer, you tend to get a little apprehensive after you key in your credit card info on the 'Order' screen and your index finger is one millisecond from hitting the 'Place Your Order' button.
However, I had some help from Circuit City. Not only did they want about $500 more for this model, all my attempts at getting them to deliver it were fruitless. So, I came to Amazon, took advantage of their 'White Glove Delivery Service' and allowed my trembling index finger to place the order.
So, the price was right and delivery service inside my home was as promised. On the down side, I wonder if I should have asked the delivery people why they weren't actually wearing white gloves? Hmmmmmm. Maybe I have cause for a multi-billion dollar suit against Amazon for false advertising? On the other hand, if I had asked the delivery people the question on that hot August day, could they have justifiably beaten the crap out of me? Hmmmmmmmm . . . . . Probably.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I almost didn't buy this TV even though I have several friends that own Sony LCD HDTV's and really like them. The reason? I read a review from one of the computer mags that said that there was a "very narrow sweet spot" from which to view this tv and still get an acceptable picture and true colors. I felt this was a deal breaker and almost gave up on the purchase until I read consumer reports positive review and figured it was worth a gamble. I figured, if it is realy a problem I would return it. The shipping folks showed up with the TV, set it up, turned it on, and the most amazing picture come to life. I walked from side to side expecting this horible loss of picture quality and found out that the picture was wonderful from all angles up to about 60-65 degrees from center at which point it dulled a little, but even then it still looked great! Amazingly, non HDTV broadcasts look better if viewed way off center! That is one item I should mention, please keep your expectations of the picture quality during regular broadcasts realistic. This TV is no better or worse than any other big screen LCD I've seen, well maybe a little better.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
Well, I'm not the tech type of reviewer -- I'm the guy who just wanted the best possible HD picture for his money. The other reviews here were part of my research, and I did a *lot* of research before purchasing this TV. And, man, did it pay off.
The colors are rich and natural, and the quality of the picture is beyond compare. I'm very glad I decided to go with true 1080, because it *does* make a difference. Pair this with DirecTV HD and you start seeing TV in a whole new way. We keep running the HD broadcast of 'The Wizard of Oz' because we never realized how stunning the details were in this nearly 70 year old picture!
One thing: don't be afraid to experiment with the settings. I find them very easy to use, and you can instantly see how it affects the picture. I'd recommend freezing the TV (if you have a DVR) on a good image first, then working the settings to get the optimal look that fits your own subjective preferences. I like the color natural, with a little sharpening and nice, deep blacks.
Ahhhhhhh ...
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-46V3000 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I had another Sony with a Bravia Engine, forgot the model, but I purchased it about a week ago..the color was horrible!!! I had to adjust the color with every change of the channel..and that was very irritating. So,I sent it back to the store and ordered the Sony KDL46V3000. Wow!! I turned it on, went thru about 30 SD signal TV stations and the pic was just amazing and solid..no flickering..and the black was sharp..I did have to brighten it a bit because of the sharpness of the black but still..I could not believe how sharp and beautiful the pic was..I was stuck..and the HD CHANNELS..forget about it...just absolutely amazing!! I got it for 1625.00, and that was including tax!! Hand delivered and set up..just so beautiful..I do not know if I will ever get over the sharpness and sheer beauty of the pic...just blows me away...you can see the size of a person's pores...hair texture..everything..just wonderful. This is my second and last LCD,until of course, something even more mind blowing takes the market by storm. THIS IS THE TV TO GET!!!!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
(
Saving...
