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Sony KDL40W4000 Review |
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Reviewed: 28 May 2008
Design
While Sony have largely maintained their 'classy but conservative' approach to screen design, adventurous yet subtle changes indicate that along with most LCD TV manufacturers today, they have recognized the flat panel TV as a design statement, that the 'look' sells.
Even by the design standards of more innovative LCD TV manufacturers, the transparent Perspex strip between the narrow frame-length speakers at the bottom of the screen and the main frame of the TV represents quite a radical departure. So that the wires protruding from the back of the screen are hidden from view, Sony have provided a fastener which gathers any connections and directs them down behind the TV's stand, thus out of view from the front.
The look of the W4000 series may alienate some Sony traditionalists but we are sure (having lived with the 32W4000 for a few weeks now) that the design of this flat panel TV will grow on you.
Features
Along with a 'slide show' option which takes your photos from a USB stick and allows you to control their display through the remote, Sony have added 'photo frame' functionality to the KDL-40W4000. The panel can be set up to scroll through your favourite JPEG snaps (acting as a giant electronic picture frame) when the TV is not in use, or you can use some of the pre-installed artwork. These simple but effective features really do add another dimension to your flat panel TV.
Screen: 40in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound System: Nicam Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Contrast Ratio: 33,000:1 Other Features: Sony Bravia 2 picture processing. Sockets: 3 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, USB.
Sony have not applied any form of 100Hz processing to the W4000 series with one of the latest incarnations of their picture processing engine, Bravia 2, set to be the power house behind the screens performance. The thinking behind Bravia 2 is much the same as the 'Bravia EX' engine found on Sony's high end 'X' series of LCD TV's which has been optimized for a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution.
We didn't recognize any great benefits of a Full HD resolution on the 32in version of the W4000 and we were hoping that the 1920 x 1080 configuration on the larger 40in screen will realise the benefits of the extra pixels.
The KDL-40W4000 comes with 10-bit video processing and has the ability to display a 6.2 Mega Pixel resolution image. Of course, the on-screen picture is only ever as good as the original video source (given that various picture processing technologies can only do so much to enhance it).
With '24p True Cinema' the 40W4000 can display films at their intended 24fps (frames per second) rather than the standard (for TV) of 25fps.
Theatre Sync, which is Sony's name for CEC (Consumer Electronic Control), is a control standard that functions over HDMI 1.3. The technology facilitates one-touch control over compatible devices and in practice means that if you fire up your compatible DVD player, the all connected devices such as your LCD TV will also spring into life.
Performance
As with the KDL-32W4000, perhaps the most impressive aspect of the KDL-40W4000's performance is its ability to handle fast on-screen action. Even with the larger 40in screen there is virtually no motion induced distortion which really does call into question the effectiveness of 100Hz processing across the Sony LCD range. Even with the fastest sporting action the panel retains a composure which very few LCD or Plasma screens can rival.
Standard definition (SD) pictures delivered through the poorer quality Freeview service demonstrate the difficulties of translating a signal designed for your CRT TV (576 lines) onto a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, especially with a relatively large 40in screen. The SD picture is quite impressive given that the panel is displaying 1080 lines of information, but inconsistencies become apparent as you move towards the screen. Better quality Sky (1080i) or cable SD sources really do make a difference and could be an important factor with any buying decision.
Again, black level performance from Sony's 40W4000 demonstrates just how far Sony and LCD technology has progressed. Deep rich natural blacks have replaced any sign of the greyish tinge visible on previous Sony LCD's.
Benefiting from an excellent back drop (rich deep blacks) onto which they can present themselves to full effect, colours on the Sony KDL-40W4000 are some of the richest and most vibrant we have seen. Never becoming over saturated, the colour palette has the subtlety to present notoriously tricky areas such as facial tones as well as any flat screen.
Finally, the High Definition (HD) performance from the 40W4000 benefits hugely from the larger 40in panel which presents some of the sharpest and most detailed HD pictures we have seen. While not in our opinion quite a match for the latest raft of Full HD LCD and Plasma TV's from Panasonic, the difference is small.
While not detracting too much from the enjoyment of the 40W4000's fine all round performance, the very slim speaker system at the bottom of the screen were disappointing, producing at times an acoustic performance that can only be described as 'tinny'.
Conclusion
The Sony KDL-40W4000 feels like a slightly better proposition than its 32in stablemate largely due to a far better HD performance and an SD ability which is on par with the smaller screen and very impressive for a 40in panel.
Sony KDL-40W4000
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