Sony KDL-26S3000 Review

26in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Excellent budget buy from from Sony.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1366 x 768

Rating:

86%

Reviewed: 09 February 2008

Design

Finished largely in matte black, the KDL-26S300 doesn't quite have the impact of some of the higher end Bravia models, but nevertheless maintains Sony's tradition for producing quietly classy, supremely well built flat panel LCD TV's.

The looks may be too conservative for some, but Sony have yet to produce an LCD TV that doesn't add a discreet touch of style to your living room.

Features

As one of Sony's entry level series of LCD TV's, the 26S3000 loses some of the high end features of higher spec models. This should have less of an impact though when comparing it to other 26in TV's as features such as Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution are simply not found on screens of this size.

Screen: 26in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1366 x 768

Contrast Ratio: 800:1 (6,000 dynamic)

Brightness: 450cd/m2

Other Features: BRAVIA Image Processing Engine, Live Colour Creation, BRAVIA Theatre Sync.

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

With 2 HDMI inputs, the 26S3000 loses out to 32in+ models in the range which all share 3 HDMI inputs. 2 Scarts and the usual composite, component and s-video inputs are also present.

Entry level status on the 26S3000 is confirmed with the presence of Sony's standard Bravia image processing engine. The standard Bravia engine it must be remembered however, has an established reputation as a wholly competent and accomplished picture enhancing technology.

There is no 'x.v.Colour' on the KDL-26S3000 (x.v.Colour is based on xvYCC, a new international standard for video signals that defines a colour space nearly two times wider than the existing sRGB standard) but it does come equipped with LIVE COLOUR CREATION which is Sony's integrated solution for wider colour reproduction.

WCG-CCFL (backlight) technology allows the KDL-26S3000 to achieve approximately 95% of the NTSC (National Television System Committee) video signal colour gamut – representing a 140% improvement on LCD TVs that feature traditional fluorescent backlights. WCG-CCFL incorporates a different type of luminescent material to produce more accurate and deeper reds and greens

By combining the BRAVIA ENGINE and WCG-CCFL backlight technology, Sony claim to provide far truer and more accurate colour tones for enhanced picture depth and clarity.

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

With smaller LCD TV's benefiting from the fact that we perceive images on a smaller screen to be sharper (if the same resolution is maintained) the 26S3000 makes a fine Standard Definition (SD) performer. Of course, the 26S3000 is accentuating the S3000 series' abilities in this respect with a combination of excellent black levels working alongside the Bravia image processing engine. Although some noise is visible with a poorer quality Freeview source, pictures are generally stable with fine motion handling capabilities.

In fact, black level performance stands out as one of the 26S3000's major strengths. The abilities of the KDL-26S3000 in this respect are not going to trouble the best Plasma's or even LCD's, but what this screen achieves is a black level which belies its status as an entry level LCD TV. Crucially, there are no obvious signs of greyness across darker scenes. This screen actually tells us a lot more about the features it does not posses, namely 100Hz processing and Full HD resolution. The higher end features certainly work, but we were impressed with how little impact there absence had on the 26S3000.

Unfortunately, the colour reproducing abilities of the 26S3000 cannot live up to and take full advantage of the excellent black levels. The WCG-CCFL backlight is partly to blame with a slight lack of uniformity across the whole of the screen producing less than wholly consistent colours. This is certainly a minor flaw of the KDL-26S3000, but colours nevertheless maintain a vibrancy that few other LCD's can match.

As we expected, the KDL-26S3000 achieves an excellent level of detail and sharpness with High Definition (HD) material. Colours are absolutely stunning, with a vibrancy and sharpness that we have come to expect.

Conclusion

Apart from a few minor flaws, the KDL-26S3000 is a very competent all round performer. It makes you think twice about how much benefit is derived from high end features such as Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution and 100Hz picture processing. The 26S3000 cannot match the cheapest budget offerings on price, but its worth a little extra.