Sony Bravia KDL-40W3000 Review

 

The Sony Bravia KDL-40W3000

A 2007 model of the Bravia line, the KDL-40W3000 is one of the first HDTVs from Sony to offer full 1080p HD resolution, cementing the company’s position as a leader in the LCD industry. Set between the top-of-the-line ‘X’ series and the mid-range ‘V’ series, the ‘W’ series are for the good part stripped down versions of the ‘X’ series, wherein some features were ditched to enable a much more affordable price tag.   

Design

HDTVs under the different series in the Bravia line sport different styles and features, with the prices increasing as you move up the tier. The KDL-40W3000 is just a notch below the top, and thus comes in a stylish design: solid-looking body and stand with a dark grey bezel in brushed metal finish. The bottom-mounted speakers are hidden by a perforated strip which serves as grille, and immediately above this is a matte band containing the logo that seems to reduce the screen area. On the top of the panel are the most common control buttons, arranged in a half-disk just behind the frame.

The remote that comes with the KDL-40W3000 is a long, ergonomically designed wand. The positions of the keys are logical, groups are mostly distinguished by shape, and these are sufficiently spaced apart. This remote is fully backlit in tasteful blue light, though users would have to switch-on the light button at the top of the wand to enjoy the treat – a tad annoying compared to some which automatically lights up when picked up – but this handheld allows you to control other devices attached to the TV.

Screen/picture clarity

Powered by the Bravia EX Picture Processing Engine, the KDL-40W3000 delivers accurate colour reproduction and excellent black levels, making images exceptionally sharp and detailed particularly for HD sources. This HDTV certainly outperforms almost all LCDs in its time, with its black level performance eclipsing the inky blackness of earlier plasmas.

The KDL-40W3000 resolves 1080p and 1080i materials superbly, and scales lesser resolution 720p and 480p sources quite well. Even with standard-def sources, this LCD performs well, with just some jaggedness observed in terrestrial Freeview. Also, as Sony’s Motionflow +100Hz technology is ditched in this set, fast motion is sometimes inaccurate, leaving some observable trails which may be distracting for finicky users.

Features

This LCD features Theatre Sync that enables control of compatible peripheral devices attached to the TV, the virtual S-Force Front Surround that produces three-dimensional sound without really trying, and 24p True Cinema mode, which makes movie viewing a rich experience. The connectivity suite that comes with this HDTV is ample: audio/video component inputs, three HDMI ports, PCMCIA card slot, VGA port and a slew of standard connectors, although there is no USB port.

The KDL-40W3000 is yet another Sony stride to give consumers the best LCD TV, with solid performance and excellent features. Obviously, it is no longer the latest both in technology and in capabilities, but it still is an excellent HDTV for home theatres.

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