34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
For the price? Buy this LCD!
I have to say, I really like this TV. My previous LCD was a Samsung 32" 720p - and this set blows it away in almost every aspect. I think I paid around $550 for the Samsung a little over a year ago, so I jumped at the chance to upgrade to the EX400.
Pros: The ambient light sensor works terrific.
- 4 HDMI inputs! Plug away my friends.
-...
13 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Good TV, annoying features
Hookup is easy, picture is fine, no blurs in movement, sound satisfacory for normal TV (although you'd need a home-theater system for movies).
That said, there are other features which are annoying as the devil. It takes almost a minute after pushing the "on" button before there is anything on the screen, and then a "Sony" logo appears which stays on-screen...
This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
I have to say, I really like this TV. My previous LCD was a Samsung 32" 720p - and this set blows it away in almost every aspect. I think I paid around $550 for the Samsung a little over a year ago, so I jumped at the chance to upgrade to the EX400.
Pros: The ambient light sensor works terrific.
- 4 HDMI inputs! Plug away my friends.
- Bravia Sync feature works great with my Sony home theater system.
- PS3 games have never looked better. I played Killzone 2 right after I setup the TV and my jaw was open for about 10 minutes straight.
- It only has a 60Hz refresh rate, but I've yet to see any blur while watching sports.
- DVD's look fairly crisp as well, considering I have a cheap DVD up-converter.
- It's a Sony! I'm sure some ppl have had bad experiences with Sony, but I've had nothing but luck. To each his own I guess.
Cons: The remote is junk. It looks cheap and it isn't very functional.
- The grey panel on the front. I had a bigger problem with the online picture of the set than I do in person. It doesn't look THAT bad - but it still throws off the continuity of the black perimeter. Strange call by Sony.
- Calibration is frustrating. There are so many different picture settings you'll probably struggle to find the perfect setup. I used the DVD THX Optimizer (found it on one of my Star Wars movies) and it helped a lot. (I posted them on [...])
- If you're using an antenna instead of cable/satellite you'll find that channel surfing is a bit slow. This is kind of a nitpick, but the channels take a little longer to load on this set.
- No swivel? I knew this set didn't have it before I bought it - but it would still be nice.
For around $600 you can have full 1080p AND a 40" screen. Great TV - great deal.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
Very happy. Sharp picture. Easy to use. Not an electronic-phile but I do my homework and was hesitant to buy a Sony. From what I read Sony was living on its laurels. But this TV seems to give great bang for the buck (and my wife wanted a Sony). I do not miss 120HZ or LED. The picture is not blurry when watching sports or action movies to my eye or anyone else in my family (of course all we watch is curling) (just kidding). Picture is bright, too. Easy set-up. It has a pre-set for home (rather than store), which has been fine by all of us. $599 for 40" 1080p. Pretty Sweet.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
After my Sony 32" KDL32M4000 developed an interior vertical crack on the LCD (suddenly and without warning ... while it was hanging on the wall) I started looking for a new LCD begrudgingly (since the old was only 1.5 years old).
Suffice to say I am THRILLED with the replacement I choose; this EX400 40". The picture clarity is breathtaking (I'm connected here in NYC to TimeWarner Cable's HD cable and I have an Xbox360, Playstation3 and Sony 5.1 surround Home Theatre kit all connected via HDMI - effortlessly).
From the box to my wall this TV took all of 15 minutes to set up. It was that easy. There isn't a lot of tweeking of the picture, which is just fine with me!
The best part was the price I got from BestBuy. $575 (sale price $630 less $55 in coupons via their Reward Zone program). At this price, the choice was basically made for me. And I get to continue my love affair with Sony!
BUY THIS TV!
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
It took me three months to pay for this, actually had it on layaway at my local Sears for that long. Originally I was going to go for two others TVs before this one until a gentleman who works there, went by the name of Peter, directed me towards this TV. As soon as I saw it, and saw the picture clarity in comparison to the Sharp Aquos as well as other TVs of similar size and specs, I knew this was the TV for me. Most of the other TVs looked washed out compared to this thing, so it was no contest.
Anyway, I finally got this thing home, eventually set it up on a wall mount I got off of here for cheap, and it's been a fantastic TV. Much, MUCH improved over my old standard-def TV, which was given to a friend afterward BTW. The picture quality is superb, the colours are rich and vibrant, no motion blur, no slowdown, no lag, none of the problems that apparently seems to plague most TVs with the 60Hz specs. Even standard-def cable looks fantastic on this beast, and that's saying something right there. I don't think you'll be disappointed with this as a sports game TV at all if you want to primarily use it for that. However, the real star of the show is gaming. Especially with HDMI cables, which is a must, fortunately you can get them for crazy cheap nowadays.
As one other reviewer said, games have never looked better. Like him, I sat there for at least 5 - 10 minutes drooling after booting up Killzone 2 on my PS3. I was absolutely amazed at how good everything looked, and that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Being able to read the text on Star Ocean: The Last Hope International and not having everything blur on me or having my eyes hurt for that matter, when using the classic Anime look of that game was astounding to say the least. Super Street Fighter IV, which is fast and frantic, ran without missing a single beat. Then there was Forza Motorsport 3 on the 360? Jaw-dropping to say the least. Same with Mass Effect, was amazing to see the text on screen whereas before I simply could not do so only downer was the slowdown but I feel that was due to in-game programming as opposed to my TV as the slowdown has only happened with this game alone. While I am sure other HDTVs would do the same thing, could they do so with the same quality? I can answer with doubtful.
The only weak point is the sound, which is decent enough, it gets the job done but nothing more. There's nothing special about it, I'd say if you can, hook it up to a good surround sound speaker system. You'll most likely get better sound quality, and you'll be able to enjoy the fantastic picture quality this badboy has to offer. All in all, this is really a fantastic TV with so much bang for the buck that it's unreal. You won't be disappointed if you decide to get this badboy. I am so glad I did, I could not be happier as a gamer.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
I bought this TV from a big box store and have been loving every min of it. I used to have a 27" CRT that weighed 40lbs and needed 2 people to lift, this thing probably weighed half of that and I set it up by my self (from un-boxing to lifting onto the stand).I have it hooked up to an upscaling dvd player, a yamaha amp (surround sound) and then an xbox. Everything looks fantastic. The blacks are black and there is no light bleed from around the corners. Even though it isn't the fastest refresh rate (hertz) as some of the other tvs, the picture is fine, even on fast paced driving or shooting games I have no light trails/drag.
Use the picture settings that someone has posted here on a different review for best color and have all of your equipment go to into the tv with HDMI, then optical cable out of it to your surround sound and you'll never be happier.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
Sony has long been one of the better TV makers, going back to the Trinitron and later the WEGA. The Bravia series has remained high quality machines, boasting great pictures, not to mention some of the lowest repair rates in the industry. The 40EX400 lives up to that billing, sporting a terrific picture and some solid features at an astonishingly low price.
It's tough cutting through a lot of the mire -- LCD vs. LED vs. plasma, 60Hz vs. 120Hz -- but this TV will prove to be more than adequate for the vast majority of owners. The LCD image is eye-popping, with good contrast and vibrant images. (While there is no substitute for professional calibration, drawing from the calibration settings available from reviewers here and elsewhere will yield really rich color.) The screen diffuses glare very well, unlike the glass screens on some plasmas, so it is a good TV for those who deal with a lot of light.
Some people are liable to wonder if they should go for this 60Hz or "upgrade" to 120Hz, but for most functions this TV works just as well, and for a lot less cost. For one, virtually all TV (including sports) and video games both refresh at 30 or 60 frames per second, which is perfect for this TV, since 60Hz equates to 60 refreshes per second. Football and baseball alike look great on this TV, and video games run like silk. Gamers will also appreciate the brisk input response time, which makes playing first person shooters and other action games very satisfying; Sony clearly wanted to make sure their PS3 crowd would be at home in front of this TV. The one Achilles Heel of 60Hz TVs - 24fps Blu-ray movies - still run well on this set thanks to the Cinemotion "pulldown" technique, and only the most visually trained will notice any motion stutter.
The TV has a few other features worth noting. The system boasts a generous collection of inputs, including 4 HDMI inputs and a USB port for playing music and movies. The digital tuner works quite well, pulling in HD programming over the air with no trouble and even displaying the resolution of each channel. (It actually did better in this way than the vaunted Zenith DTT901 Digital TV Tuner Converter Box.) The calibration menus are very specific and allow for a lot of adjustments and customization, even allowing for different configurations across inputs.
Of course, no TV is perfect, and this one has a few drawbacks. There is no online connectivity, unlike a lot of other TVs out there today. The digital antenna tuner pulls signals fine and will offer descriptions of current programming, but it has no functionality to display upcoming programming, something even cheap digital converter boxes do. The sound is adequate but not extraordinary, although I wager most buyers will attach the set to a stereo or surround system. Last but not least is the infamous grey bar along the bottom of the TV paneling; to be honest, I hardly notice it anymore and it's not as bad in person as it might seem, but some may still question Sony's tastes and prefer a more unified black look.
Those nitpicks aside, it's really hard not to like this TV: at the time of this review the set goes for a little over six hundred bucks, which is extraordinary considering what a TV of these specs would have gone for just a few years back. It's not a top-end TV but it's a darn good one and for the vast majority of viewers, especially if they care less about the particularities of Blu-ray and more about TV/cable/satellite and video gaming. Highly recommended.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
I had planned on getting a 32" tv for my bedroom, but when I did some research, it was just an $80 upgrade to a 40" tv. So I opted for the larger picture and am glad that I did. My last 40" tv was a bravia W series I got three years ago at twice the price! The picture appears the same to me on both televisions...beautiful. When I got it home and installed in the bedroom, however, I was disappointed by how hollow the sound was coming from the television. I tried the minimal settings to adjust it, but couldn't find one better. The problem may be that the speakers are on the bottom of the frame, so the sound is shooting down instead of forward. So I swapped it with the living room television which has better speakers that are facing forward. So now this television is hooked up to external speakers in the living room and I am very happy with it. It has a really nice power save feature which turns the television off after no activity from the remote for a set amount of time. 4 HDMI outputs are great. The PC interface is odd, however, for a mac computer. It has a VGA port in place of an HDMI port and only a female audio headphone jack input. A double male headphone jack cord is a hard cable to find. RCA inputs would have been nicer.
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
I've owned this TV for a week until now. It did a great job!! Great picture quality and nice sound(it's a little bit low than i expected). i'll definitely recommend it to anyone is looking for a good quality 1080p 60Hz LCD TV. Satisfied!!
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
I have a 52" Samsung Plasma TV that does NOT outperform the 40" Sony. The picture quality on the Sony is superb and at a price that is one of the selling points of this TV. I have owned this one for only a few weeks, but I have had NO PROBLEMS with it so far, and I really expect to have no problems in the future. I have purchased other Sony products and find them to be very dependable and problem free. My only criticism of this purchase is that the TV DID NOT come with an HDMI cable in the box! I would think that in this age of High Def all TV producers would include the proper cables for HDTV in the box! The fact that it comes decked out with no fewer than FOUR HDMI fittings indicates that Sony knows you want HDMI... so include at least ONE cable... okay guys! Performance wise, this TV is a home run!!
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This review is from: Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black (Electronics)
Hookup is easy, picture is fine, no blurs in movement, sound satisfacory for normal TV (although you'd need a home-theater system for movies).
That said, there are other features which are annoying as the devil. It takes almost a minute after pushing the "on" button before there is anything on the screen, and then a "Sony" logo appears which stays on-screen for almost another minute, during which time you cannot select a channel. Once there is finally a picture on the screen, three black bars appear, each about 2" wide, which stretch all the way across the top of the screen. The top bar contans information on the program name, the network and the cable channel; the second bar contains a program description (if there is one, or a note if there isn't); the final bar contains the NTSC channel. These three bars, which cut off the heads of anyone appearing on screen, stay on the screen for almost another minute. The same delay with the bars occurs every time you change the channel.
The remote is not good, but I've seen worse. The "jump" button doesn't always work; it often skips channels. And then, of course, even though you might have wanted to check the other channel for just a moment, there is that delay before the black bars go away and you can actually see a full picture on the screen. There is a circular selection knob (similar to cell-phones), and you must push on right-left-top-bottom to move the cursor, then push the center to make your selection. You must either have small fingers or a stylus to use it.
The on-screen menu is a disaster! You must step through several subordinate menus to make even minor changes. It is not at all intuitive or user-friendly.
The bottom line is that although the picture is OK once you actually get one on the screen, I would not have bought this set if I had known about these annoyances. I have other sets in the house which do not exhibit any of the Sony's faults. I'll never buy another Sony.
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