Sony KDL-46W3000 Review

40in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Another highly capable large screen LCD TV from Sony, just a short step away from greatness.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1920 x 1080

Rating:

88%

Reviewed: 30 November 2007

Design

With every new addition to their LCD range Sony somehow manage to create a set which is just a little bit better built and more stylish than its predecessor. With brushed bezel finished in dark metallic grey and supreme build quality, the KDL-46W3000 maintains this tradition.

Features

Sitting between the top of the range 'X' series and mid-range 'V' series of Bravia LCD TV's, Sony's KDL-46W300 gains Live Colour Creation, x.v.Colour technology, and a 10-bit panel over the 'V' but sports the 'Bravia Engine EX' picture processing engine rather than the more advanced 'Bravia Engine Pro' of the 'X' series. It also loses Sony's Motionflow +100Hz and the USB photo viewer found on the higher spec machines.

Screen: 46in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 1800:1 (16,000 dynamic)

Brightness: 500cd/m2

Other Features: Full HD (1920 x 1080), BRAVIA Engine EX, Live Colour Creation, 10-bit panel, 24p True Cinema, BRAVIA Theatre Sync.

Sockets: 3 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input.

A new 10-bit panel on the KDL-46W3000 translates into a screen capable of displaying a 6.2 Mega Pixel resolution image. The technology holds the promise of greater viewing clarity with smoother transitions from colour to colour.

With x.v.Color technology, the KDL-46W3000 offers 80 percent more color than standard color space, although the only material with this expanded color gamut at present can only be created with x.v.Color-compatible camcorders.

The 'Full HD' (1,920 x 1,080) resolution of the Sony KDL-46W3000 can potentially give a marked improvement in the display of sources such as Sky Tv (1080i). The 1080 lines of resolution match the resolution of the screen negating the need for any picture scaling to fit.

Encapsulated by Sony's 'Live Colour Creation System' the KDL-46W3000 has one of the most sophisticated colour creation and processing systems of any LCD TV. The main component of this system, as with all of the more recent Sony flat panel screens is the 'Bravia' picture processing engine.

The Bravia EX Picture Processing Engine on the KDL-46W3000 is a step down from the 'Pro' version of the 'X' series but like the 'Pro' version, has been designed specifically for full 'HD' resolution. It has been around since its inclusion on the X2000 series of Bravia LCD TV's and has proven to be a capable performer over this period.

The Sony KDL-46W3000 is equipped with '24p True Cinema' which enables the panel to display films at their intended 24fps (frames per second) rather than the standard (for TV) of 25fps.

With 24p True Cinema technology on board the KDL-40W3000 does not need to speed up the film to reach 25fps. Alongside 24p True Cinema is Sony's 'Theatre Mode' technology which adjusts colour, contrast and brightness settings to makes movies look as authentic as the original.

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.

Sonically, the KDL-46W3000 comes equipped with Sony's S-Force Front Surround which is their latest virtual surround sound technology.

Performance

To get the negative out of the way quickly, the Sony KDL-46W3000 to a degree disappoints as an SD performer, with some 'jaggedness' to pictures. We noticed this on the 40in version of the same model, and disappointingly it is more pronounced on this screen. There were no significant problems with video noise/grain however, with the KDL-46W3000 performing well in this respect.

Overall, with Standard Definition (SD) material, the KDL-46W3000 is a very good rather than a spectacular performer. The excellent colour handling capabilities and black levels translate into a more than competent SD performance. If it wasn't for the great strides made in this area recently by plasma technology from the likes of Pioneer and Panasonic we would have considered the SD capabilities of the KDL-40W3000 to be amongst the best of any flat panel display.

The most impressive aspect of the KDL-46W300's performance is demonstrated by the screens ability to handle colour. This is one of the finest LCD panels to date for accurate colour reproduction and shows just how far Sony have progressed from some of their 'over-saturated' LCD's of the past.

Again, with its black level performance, benchmarks have been raised. While still not quite on par with the best Plasma's, the gap has been closed to the extent that it should not be a deciding factor when choosing between the two technologies. Shadow detailing is excellent and makes viewing 'Darker' films, for once on an LCD, a real pleasure.

High Definition (HD) material demonstrates what is possibly the KDL-46W3000's greatest strength. Achieving exceptional levels of detail and sharpness, along with the superb colour re-production, this screen is firmly in the leading pack of LCD TV's in this respect.

The lack of Motionflow +100Hz certainly makes a difference in our opinion, not a great difference, but just enough to make faster sporting and movie action a little more imprecise, and as a result a little less enjoyable to watch.

Conclusion

Like its younger brother the KDL-40W3000, Sony's KDL-46W3000 is a living breathing example of the strides Sony is making towards producing the perfect flat panel TV. Its not quite there yet, but one day ...