Sony KDL-40Z4500 Review

40in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

An excellent LCD TV but not the technological leap forward we had hoped for.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1920 x 1080

Rating:

92%

Reviewed: 24 December 2008

Design

Take a close look at the 40Z4500 and you will notice a subtle sprinkling of deep blue specs embossed within the glossy black frame. Echoing Samsung's 'Touch of Colour' range, Sony's 'Midnight Sky' is just as subtle and equally as stylish.

A million miles away from the conservatively styled Sony's of old, a slim frame length speaker at the bottom of the frame embedded in clear perspex gives that suspended in air look for a uniquely stylish design.

Features

The most talked about feature of Sony's KDL-40Z4500 is the ground breaking 200Hz refresh rate. Doubling the fps (frames per second) found on 100Hz enabled screens from 100 to 200 fps, this Sony does not simply repeat the same frames but intelligently calculates the intermediate images (based on before and after frames) using complicated algorithms. Each of those frames should exhibit subtle differences to reflect the almost imperceptible change in any on screen motion.

Screen: 40in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 80,000:1

Other Features: MotionFlow 200Hz, Sony Bravia Engine 2, Image Blur Reduction.

Sockets: 3 HDMI (v1.3), 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, D-sub PC input, DLNA ethernet port, USB port.

We have become all to aware of some of the undesirable side effects that can occur through the implementation of electronically generated extra frames. 'Image Blur Reduction' works to prepare individual frames by enhancing their sharpness and preparing them for 200Hz processing.

The latest incarnation of Sony's 'Bravia' picture processing engine, Bravia Engine 2, has been designed to cope, amongst other things, with the processing power required to generate a 200Hz refresh rate.

Of course, there is much more to Sony's Bravia Engine 2. It has been optimized to work with the Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution panel while improving contrast and colour.

Being DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified the 40Z4500 can integrate seamlessly with your PC via its Ethernet port. Through the TV's remote control you can for example watch a slide show of your JPEG holiday snaps stored on your PC on the Z4500's big screen.

Performance

The much anticipated 200Hz feature on the 40Z4500 seems to work but it is certainly not the technological leap forward we had hoped for. Fast on screen action is fluid and precise but offers very little improvement on 100Hz systems we have reviewed. Where the Sony does improve on high refresh rate implementations is by minimizing the undesirable picture 'artefacts' that are so often generated by such systems.

In other areas the Sony KDL-40Z4500 proves to be an excellent performer. Black levels are on a par with the best LCD TV's we have seen and while not quite as good as the best plasmas, offers a level of graduated deep black detail that few TV's can match.

The accomplished black level performance provides an excellent back drop for colours which are some of the most vibrant we have seen on any flat panel TV. The KDL-40Z4500 manages to achieve this vibrancy while managing to avoid the trap of producing over garish colours and maintaining the subtlety that produces wholly believable detailing such as accurate skin tones.

The 40Z4500 was made for High Definition (HD) material with its Full HD panel producing some gloriously sharp and detailed images. The Sony joins that select group of flat panel TV's that compel you to reach out and touch on screen HD material as you become fully engrossed in the overall presentation and life like level of detail.

Testament to the fact that the KDL-40Z4500 has to take the 576 or so lines of terrestrial Freeview video source and scale it to a Full HD screen, the Standard Definition (SD) performance is remarkable. Benefiting from excellent black levels and colour performance, Freeview pictures are wholly watchable. With a very small element of on screen noise and softness, SD pictures are not perfect but if you maintain a sensible viewing distance the effects are hardly noticeable.

The KDL-40Z4500's acoustic ability is on a par with most flat panel TV's we have come across although it does deliver a level of bass which is above average. While there is no substitute for a dedicated set of speakers the Sony does as good a job as most TV's in terms of performance in this area. Concessions to style are made by virtually every manufacturer when it comes to sound but the Sony, unlike some, did not leave us craving for extra power in this respect.

Conclusion

Although the 200Hz does not entirely convince, the KDL-40Z4500 is actually an excellent LCD TV in all areas. Are only concern is the relatively high price.


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