32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
Great Picture and Features, plus it's eco-friendly
This is an excellent TV.
Picture Quality:
The picture quality of this set is superb. In the setup menu, I set the picture to "vivid" mode and the HD quality is simply life-like. The color and contrast are excellent. It also uses something that Sony calls MotionFlow which helps to smooth out the image when you are watching fast-action pictures...
Watch out.......
Be warned. This TV has a problem with the motherboard. The USB patch they send you to correct the various issues, does not work. I purchased two of them and luckily was able to return them for a full refund. The sound drops out, the video signal drops out, the screen flashes and the patch made the picture blurry. I ended up purchasing two Samsung LED TV's which are...
This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
This is an excellent TV.
Picture Quality:
The picture quality of this set is superb. In the setup menu, I set the picture to "vivid" mode and the HD quality is simply life-like. The color and contrast are excellent. It also uses something that Sony calls MotionFlow which helps to smooth out the image when you are watching fast-action pictures.
Backlight Technology:
It is an LCD set, but uses a hot cathode fluorescent lamp for its backlighting. This technology allows it to be much more energy efficient and close to par with the energy usage of LED backlit LCD TVs. Most LCDs use cold cathode fluorescent lamps. The 40" model uses a maximum of 140 watts, the 46" uses a max of 160 watts, and the 52" uses a max of 180 watts.
Eco-Friendly:
It has a sensor called a presence sensor that does two things. First it senses the ambient (room) light and if the room gets darker, it will automatically dim the picture of the TV. This works well if you are watching TV in the bedroom at night and you want less light output. The second thing that the sensor does is senses the room for motion and body heat. If you leave the room for a preset amount of time (5 min, 30 min, ...) and the TV doesn't sense anyone around, it will turn off the picture. If you walk back in the room, it senses you and turns the screen back on. The sound stays on for another 30 minutes or so, then the whole set will go into stand-by mode if it does not sense you. Both of these features can be turned off via the setup menu and help to conserve energy.
Features (just a few of them):
The TV is loaded with features. It will automatically sense if you have something connected to an input (for example HDMI2). This is great when you want to hit the input button on the remote because it will not select items that aren't currently sending out a signal. This means you don't have to scroll through 10 items if you only have two components connected to the TV. In the setup menu, you can set each input for always on, always off, or auto. I used the always on setting for the PC input because the cable I used to connect the PC did not send a power signal so the TV did not sense it. By setting it to always on, the PC input will always be available when I scan through the inputs.
It also has a lot of inputs. There are 4 HDMI inputs. If you have a DVI port on your PC, then you can connect it through HDMI port 1 which also has an analog audio input. There is one dedicated composite (with S-video) and one dedicated component input, but there is another switchable composite/component input that you can use if you have two composites and one component, or vice versa. There is a PC input to connect via VGA connection. The audio outputs are one optical digital out and one analog out.
Dislikes:
1. All of the Inputs and Output are on the left side (when looking at the front of the TV) of the TV. This is unfortunate for me since my A/V cabinet is on the right side of the TV. It is a minor inconvenience, but something that I did not think about until I got the set home. I would say about half of the inputs are one the left side and the other half are on the back, next to the side inputs.
2. The presence sensor is right where I have my center audio speaker. I will have to raise up the TV to still have that speaker front and center.
Overall, this is not a cheap TV, but I think this is a case where you get what you pay for. It is a really great set.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I bought this television after doing some pretty extensive research. I had almost decided on a Samsung, but after going to the store and looking at some of them, I decided that the Samsungs were way too glossy for my taste. I saw the 40" version of this television on display at a store, and it looked fantastic. Very sharp picture, not glossy. The power saving features and having seen how good it looks in person got me very close to a decision, and the final piece of the puzzle was that it would fit on the stand I already have. That might sound silly, but it's another $200-$300 for a decent stand. My stand is 20" wide, and has about an 3/4" lip on the edge. The stand on the Sony is about 18" wide, and lifts the TV up over the lip, so it worked out quite nicely.
The service from Amazon was great on this. The free scheduled delivery worked out great. The company that delivered it (CEVA, I beleive) showed up early, and carried it up the stairs to the third floor for me. They offered to unpack it, which I declined, wanting to do it myself to make sure I could save the box for moving purposes.
It took me about 30 minutes to get the TV unpacked, the stand attached, and the TV up and running. Keep in mind, I was doing this by myself...it would have been quicker with a helper.
The picture on this TV is simply awesome! I watched The Descent on Blu-ray as my first movie, mainly because it's a very dark movie, and I wanted to see what the black levels were like. The Sony did not disappoint. Most of the movie is set in dark caves, and most of the time, I couldn't even see the edge between the dark movie and the edge of the letterbox.
The only bit of weirdness I've had, was at the very beginning of the movie, there's a white water rafting scene that looked very strange to me at first. It turns out it was because the director of the movie had been using camera movement for dramatic effect, and the MotionFlow technology was canceling it out! It was easily fixed just by turning off MotionFlow. I plan on leaving it off, as I have noticed no blurring issues even with it off.
The only thing a wee bit lacking on this TV is the sound, but it's not horrible, and honestly, if you're willing to shell out the cash for this TV, then you should be willing to shell out for a good sound system too. Overall, I highly recommend this TV.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I just received this TV from Amazon 2 days ago, so my opinions are based on first impressions...
This actually the first Sony HDTV I've owned. I have a 32" Sharp LCD from 2005 (which is still a great TV) and I owned a 40" Samsung LCD from 2006 which recently died. This is my first 1080p television. As with most of these sets, you will need to make adjustments for a while to get things just the way you like. I spent a couple of hours fine tuning the picture settings on this set and wow! As far as television viewing, SD picture quality is so-so which i have come to expect. Combine that with my cable company's poor signal compression level and there are just certain channels that make you turn your head away. HD channels are another story. This is where this TV shines. Channels like Discovery and HD Theater pop off the screem, almost Blu Ray quality. Audio quality is not the best, but as i believe someone else mentioned, if you're investing in a set like this, chances are you're going to have a 5.1 or 7.1 setup to go with it, which i do, so the onboard speakers arent an issue...
As far as Blu Ray viewing, I have only thrown in a couple of discs to see how this set handles them. I fed my PS3 "Baraka" and what i had intended to be a 5 minute PQ test ended up lasting about 40 minutes. It's that amazing. Watching a particular scene in "Quantum of Solace" i was completely floored (The airplane chase sequence) With the motionflow and cinema settings fine tuned, the landscape in particular during this sequence almost looked 3-D!
One of the major marketing points for this set are it's "Eco-friendly" tools, many of which i've disabled. The motion sensor that sits in the middle of the speaker grille is useless to me because my center channel speaker blocks it. I do like that fact that there's a "kill switch" on the side of the set that cuts all power consumption. When my wife and I travel we usually unplug our appliances so having this should keep me from having to get behind the TV stand and unplug the set amongst other things.
Additionally as others have mentioned, I would have preferred that Sony placed more of the HDMI outputs on the back of the set as opposed to the side. This is a minor inconvenience that can be solved with right-angle HDMI cables or adapters...
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
Be warned. This TV has a problem with the motherboard. The USB patch they send you to correct the various issues, does not work. I purchased two of them and luckily was able to return them for a full refund. The sound drops out, the video signal drops out, the screen flashes and the patch made the picture blurry. I ended up purchasing two Samsung LED TV's which are just great for the same price I paid for the two Sony's. You don't need these problems after spending a couple of grand thinking you are getting a quality product. I cannot stress to you more, stay away from these TV's no matter the price.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
We received this set from Sony as a replacement for a previous Sony 46" LCD that failed after 18 months. We were pleased to get a good deal as a replacement. I was really impressed with the picture quality of this set, however, we have found a serious flaw in the sound. There is a constant static sound in the background and at low levels the sound is distorted with lots of static (really bad if you are watching TV at night). I even went to Sony's website to see if there is a software patch.
I have been a loyal Sony fan for my life, however, I don't know what is going on with their quality. I am not sure what we will do now, but I can't recommend their LCD sets due to these quality issues.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
Turning the set on is a little slow, but if the energy savings pan out to be what they claim it is worth the wait. You need to purchase the High Definition signal from your service provider to take advantage of the picture quality of this set. Otherwise, save your money and purchase a less expensive set.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
I have had this tv for about a month and i would have to say that i am pleased with my purchase.
The presence sensor is a nice feature to the tv however, the angles the sensor uses are not very good at times especially when you are watching the tv from the sides and not directly in front of the set. At times while watching HD the sound will sputter by cutting off and on, for this i change the channel and come back to the sound restored. I don't know if there is any updates using a USB for this particular set to fix any problems, other than that a good set, with the 120hz making a nice difference to watching movies however, it does make CGI movies look very computer animated.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
This is the forth Sony TV I have purchased in the past 20 years and all four have been exceptional for both picture and sound quality. I have had this one for a little over a week now and the picture is amazing. I can't wait until DirecTV gets to the house this week to hook up the High Def. I may not leave the couch, EVER!
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
This baby worked perfectly right out of the box. I didn't have to make any color adjustments at all. I was also impressed with the delivery arranged by Amazon. The delivery man stayed with me as we removed the set from the box, inspected it for damages, and made sure the set powered up. He even helped me move the set to the bedroom. This was a gift to my wife, and she loves the picture quality, as do I. I'm seriously considering buying another, to replace a large screen projection set that has nothing wrong with it. I connected the Sony to a stereo system, but we rarely use it. The internal speakers work just fine. You can't go wrong with this Sony.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA VE5-Series KDL-46VE5 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Eco-friendly LCD HDTV (Electronics)
This is a great TV.
I bought this as a bundle deal with PS3 slim a month ago and I am loving it so far. This is my first HDTV.
Picture Quality is good.I got some calibration settings from CNET, after adjusting to those settings my TV got the best color,contrast. Now it is simply life like.You have a setting called 'theatre' where it smooths the picture.
According to specifications Sony LCD 46 inches uses a max of 160 watts.
This TV got some eco-friendly features which I think might be a Sony's publicity factors.
This TV got 4 HDMI outputs.One of the cool feature is you can use TV remote to control PS3 but please note you need to use HDMI cable.And another cool feature is TV will automatically detect if you have something connected to input and all other will not be highlighted.so when you want select you don't have to scroll all of them.
Another impressive feature is sound, I thought the sound will be very poor but it is not bad as I thought.It can easily manage a large room.You can live with it if you are tight on budget for buying home theater system.
What I don't like:
None
Overall, this is a great tv and I defnitely recommend it.
UPDATE - 3/3/2010
I am thoroughly enjoying it. It is one of my best buy :)
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