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Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5100 Review
The Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5100
In many ways, the Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5100 is similar to the the KDL-52XBR9, one of Sony’s best HDTV models to date. It is less expensive, though, making it an excellent alternative for buyers who want interactive features and breathtaking picture quality, but are more practical.
Design
There is no need for a lot of words when describing the design of the Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5100, which is a simple yet stylish piece. A thin, black bezel surrounds the screen, supported by a matching non-swivelling stand, though it is slightly thicker at the bottom, where a glimpse of its down-firing speakers can be seen.
The remote control, too, doesn’t make a statement, retaining the same size and basically the same buttons as those that come with the XBR8 and XBR9 series. It has a blue backlight, though, which is especially handy since many of its keys are small and difficult to tell apart. The on-screen menu is the same as other models, too - the Cross Media Bar seen on the Sony PlayStation and certain VAIO models that provides a uniform experience when navigating Sony devices.
Screen/Picture Clarity
The KDL-52Z5100 delivers breathtaking images, which burst to life with sharp details, impressively deep black levels and generally accurate colors. True, some similar models may have deeper blacks or higher color accuracy, particularly since this Bravia model sometimes displays bluish and yellow tinges, but these can only be discerned by a trained eye.
Unfortunately, the difference made by its 240Hz Motionflow technology is also difficult to distinguish. Still, you won’t see any blurry images on the screen of this Sony HDTV, even during fast-moving scenes, which means you won’t miss out on any of the action. The KDL-52Z5100 also deinterlaces both video-based and film-based sources properly as it should and displays every line of 1080i and 1080p sources.
Features
To help you customize or enhance the quality of images on your screen, he KDL-52Z5100 offers three preset picture modes, along with a PC Mode and a Theater Mode. There is also a dedicated Game Mode for a better gaming experience. There are four aspect ratio modes, including an option to enable the Full Pixel Display for 1080p content. Its interactivity suite includes Yahoo widgets and the built-in video streaming capacity of the Bravia Internet Video Link, so you won’t have to buy one, while its connectivity suite consists of four HDMI inputs - three at the side and one at the rear, a PC input, a USB slot and two component video connections, among others.
All in all, the Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5100 is an excellent choice. True, those who prioritize image quality above all else may look in other directions but those who want an HDTV with a lot to offer will find many reasons to take this Sony Bravia HDTV home.
<< Click HERE to Read The Latest Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5100 User Reviews >>
After weeks of deliberation on which TV to purchase, I finally decided on this TV. I did tons of research and read probably close to 100 reviews on this model; and I couldn’t be happier. Everything about it is completely awesome. I use a PS3 for Bluray movies and a DirecTV HD DVR for regular TV viewing, and both components deliver to their fullest with this set (obviously moreso with the PS3—1080p vs. 1080i and 720p#.
My previous TV could be more described as a tank than a television- a Mitsubishi 1080i rear projection with the giant speakers on the bottom. Anyway, even compared to new TVs, this one is a cut above. It has the same specs as the more expensive XBR9 for a few hundred dollars less. So this purchase was a no-brainer.
The colors are awesome, the black levels are incredible, blah, blah, blah. When you buy this TV #and you should if you want the right one), make sure you don’t cheap out on your HDMI cables… very important if you want the best picture. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And of course, if you want the best experience, buy a good surround system because the sound on the TV alone just doesn’t cut it.
So in case you didn’t get the gist of this review, I LOVE THIS TELEVISION. Buy it.
Just a beautiful picture on this TV!! Easy to set up, no professional help required.
Lots of menus to page through and adjustments to make if you so wish… I just put it on the “Auto” scene and everything looks great…(If it aint broke, dont fix it).
The sound isnt the greatest, but on the other hand, its fine for regular tv viewing.
I run movies through my stereo (a home theater system would be much better, but I really cant afford one right now)
Also bought a Sony blu-ray player (BDP-S360), and blu-ray movies are just drop dead gorgeous.
The blu-ray player also does a fine job of up-converting regular DVD’s…
Also, for the most part, standard def. TV channels look decent enough if you’re not right on top of the tv.. just sit back a little.
If you’re looking for a larger HDTV, this one is great, go for it!!!
Excellent picture and tuner and features. Good sound. Little or no glare in a bright room - the matte screen is MUCH better than any glossy screen in our viewing area.
Internet connectivity is nice. I have initially set up my laptop to bridge a wireless connection to the TV, but will probably hard wire it later so the connection is always available. (The bridged connection works fine when the laptop is turned on, though.) It is very easy to upgrade firmware through the internet connection. This internet upgradeablity makes it easy for Sony to supply the user with bug fixes and additional features, kind of like they do for the PS/3. Today (11/15/2009) I was informed that another upgrade was available - #aa0143pn. It took a couple minutes to apply. Through various upgrades over the last month, the TV now supports all kinds of additional internet based services that it did not before. Many of these are free. Netflix streaming is even available if you have a Netflix account. Some of the free “internet widgets” are a little buggy/hard to configure at first. It would be nice if a full featured web browser was included along with a keyboard interface. I can always use my laptop for browsing, I guess, since my docking station video out is plugged into one of the HDMI inputs on the set.
I recommend this set, which I got for under $1700 delivered, particularly to those who are a little “tech savvy”. It was a great value compared to other choices at the time I bought it. It has all of the features I need and then some….
I did plenty of store visits and research before replacing my old 480p Plasma TV. I did no wrong on taking the plunge and working extra hours for the impressive LCD.
It ships on Huge Box, intimidating look and full of features that I won’t bore you to with.
The Image quality is absurdly out of this world. That is the true HD experience I was looking for.
The on boxing was a breeze, the setup was even better. You will need at least two people to lifting and position.
I have this beautify plugs into a Motorola HD Box, and a SONY BDV-E500W 5.1-Channel Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System delivering an enhanced quality of sound.
What impressed me most was XMB Operating system; it is a beauty of integration along peripherals.
I really enjoy the web like experience and even better now with the new XMB update featuring the Netflix Video Streaming and many Yahoo Widgets like Flickr, News, Weather and Twitter. I’m very impressed with the network capabilities of this tv, I think it was one of the most important selling points. I would expect building wireless capabilities for the price, but after considering, a direct Ethernet port ensures you a high-speed without possibilities of interference, it is a high demanding feature now new on tv’s to stream video from services. I currently have it plugged into a Linksys PLTE200 Powerline Network Adapter to reach out to my router on another room.
I will recommend planning your network beforehand, specially your bandwidth needs.
Sony has nailed with the network feature allowing the TV alert you when a new update is available.
I have definitely enjoyed this product so far and looking forward to many years more.
Cheers!
I looked at Samsung and Sony LCD’s, but decided to go with the Sony Z series b/c of the deal I got at Bestbuy. For $100 more, I got the 52″ Sony 240hz over a 52″ Samsung 120hz. I’m glad I did…man, got it home and hooked it and without changing any settings, the picture looked great. Now after a week, I’m still amazed at the picture quality and sharpness. Internet feature is nice too. Sound is very good. This is my 3rd Sony TV that I have owned and they do make great quality TV’s. This TV replaces my 2001 Sony 36″ Wega, which was still working great but just took too much floor space. I highly recommend this TV.
It’s a good TV. Thin, relatively light weight, mounted and hung relatively easily. I am not an LED vs LCD vs Plasma expert. I went cross eyed and got a headache trying to educate myself on all the related issues to this debate. In the end I was familiar with Sony, had owned them in the past and had read some good reviews of this particular model. So far I’m pleased. The picture looks good in a lit or dark room. It’s vibrant and crisp as well. The blacks seem deep and rich enough for me. Then again I’m a sixties child who grew up initially watching test patterns on a b/w console tube Saturday mornings before The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show came on, so maybe I’m too easily pleased? Bottom line, I like it and can still afford to send my child to school next year…
TV arrived as promised in great shape.Set up purchased disapointing but product is true to life feels like you are in scenes.Highly recommend product & price.
After the panel in my 3-year old Samsung plasma mysteriously burned out and was deemed un-repairable, I was more than a little upset, but then if that hadn’t happened, it would have been years until I upgraded and wow LCD has come a long way in 3 years.
I HATED the mirror-like reflections in my old plasma, and unless you have a windowless, light-less room in which you do your TV watching, you’ll also find it annoying, which is why one of the pleasures of this Sony is the matte, anti-reflective screen. We have 2 windows directly opposite the TV, yet even during the day the reflections are so minor compared to our old plasma.
The picture quality from both TV (through Cox cable HD), regular DVD, and Blu-ray through a PS3 are fantastic. And to my surprise, also stunning is the HD picture through Netflix movies streamed directly to the TV through its built-in Ethernet connection. Literally no setup, just buy an Ethernet switch (the Trendnet on Amazon at [...] will suffice) to split your broadband internet connection) and plug it into the back of the TV and you’ve got Netflix for a wide selction of HD movies on demand, Amazon for video-on-demand in HD of such TV shows as Mad Men and House, and Yahoo News and weather widgets–I love it all!
Also a benefit for those inserting their TV into a media niche, this is the only 52″ TV that is under 49″ in total width, that is, the bezal/cabinet is very thin–only about an inch on either side and the rest is all screen. This TV also puts out WAY less heat than our old plasma. I do recommend calibrating the TV using the blu-ray version of DVD Essentials, available here on Amazon at [...] , and I waited 2 weeks for this model to be available from Amazon directly as opposed to one of the 3rd party sellers that are probably OK but which I just don’t trust as much. Delivery was great–on time, they took it out of the box, set it on my shelf, and hooked it up (but be sure to have all your connections/cables ready to go BEFORE the delivery guys arrive, more as a courtesy to them).
Buy this TV!!
I bought this TV from Amazon due to the prices found here. I did my research and chose SONY for the quality, name, appearance, and features this TV offers. I came close to purchasing a SAMSUNG of equal quality, but the downside to the Samsung screens is the glare that occurs on their glossy screens in highly lit rooms. Knowing I would use my TV during the day and at night in a naturally and man-made lit room, I wanted a low-glare TV. My research showed that SONY scored well in this category.
Best Buy sales reps at the store here down-played Sony, and preferred Samsung. But I didn’t like their reasoning, and I couldn’t get THIS TV at Best Buy, with the Z-series features.
I also chose the Z-series verses the XBR because I’ve read that the only difference between the 2 is the speaker quality/sound. I have a stereo I play the sound through, so I was more concerned about the picture anyways. But actually the sound isn’t bad, and just fine for normal volumes for daily TV. Movies need a separate sound system.
Hope this helps.
This is our 6th large screen purchase in 3 years so we have some experience at this. We keep two very active surround sound in-home movie HDTV setups in our homes. This year we looked extensively at LED lit displays, including the much heralded Samsung 55″ LED 8000 series.
Frankly, looking at the Bravia X (Sony’s best) series, and the next best, the Bravia Z series, we could not tell the difference in the picture at all (same Bravia engine, same light matte screen, same 240 refresh rate). So we decided on the Z, as compared to the Sony X because of the considerable price difference.
The next question was LED (Samsung) or not? Well, here is what we found out in our investigations this year for whatever it is worth to you:
- The Sony Z picture was very close to the quality (black values) of the Samsung 8000 in real world watching. Color, and contrast too were very close to the Samsung 8000, although admittedly the Samsung was the best of the two in terms of picture quality and appearance when idle.
- The Sony Z picture was far better at eliminating reflections (light matte screen) because the Samsung had a glossy screen (which might explain the better color rendition) but also had an ANNOYING 4 corner “flashlight” glow image that appeared from time to time. Flashlight corners from time to time is a Major Flaw in the Samsung.
- The Sony Z (KDL52Z5100) was 1/2 the price of the Samsung 8000. (Amazon cuts dollar prices from these reviews, lets just say we bought this from Amazon at 400 less than a ton while the Samsung was a ton and a half)
- The next BIG THING in HDTV will be OLED displays, probably in 2011, wait for those to spend your big bucks, AMAZING CLARITY. We saw a small Sony 10″ OLED display and it is stunning. Much better than even the Samsung 8000 LED.
Hope this helps, BTW, Sony has just lately increased prices for whatever the reason, so the comparisons may need to be revisited. Glad we bought ours when we did in November.
That’s correct. I bought this set back on august 26 2009. I waited till now to tell you how good this Sony is. My old Zenith of 23 years died ( that was my 3rd Tv after 45 years of owning Tv’s). I always bought the top of the line Zenith’s years ago , and they lasted many years without repairs. Don’t forget every tv company makes good, better , best models. Today it is the same. I bought Sony because they in my opinion have been almost as long as Zenith been making Tv’s of good quality. Since now Zenith only exists in name (LG bought them out)their quality went straight to hell. Sony has quality through the years , as long as you by the top of the line model Sony .This model at this time is one step below the top model. (4 speakers instead of 2, and a few little other things you can live without). Always try for the best picture and this Z model delivers.So remember top of the line means to me less trips to the repair man. Good luck Retired Early.
So, I bought a Walkman a year ago, figuring that Sony would of course make accessories (clock radios, etc) for their own products. Wow! Imagine my surprise when I found out they only make iPOD accessories. Even though I love how the walkman works, WHY would you ever buy one, if you can’t get accessories! What an incredibility STUPID company. I wrote an email to them an got no response. So, I will never again buy another Sony product.
Stay away from Sony products, they’ll leave you in the cold!
I have had this TV for 3 weeks now. I waited for a while to write this review. I upgraded from a 23″ CRT to a 52″ HDTV. This TV has lot of cool features with Internet accessibility. Lot of folks have written on the features of the TV. I would like to focus on the Internet part.
After connecting the patch (Ethernet) cable to the router you can connect to the Internet, as I live in an apartment and have the router next to it, this has been easy. There is a USB port, I did not use it to check if a wireless USB drive will take care of not using the cable to connect to the Internet.
Now once you try to use the internet features to watch videos on this TV, the remote has to be used to surf the web. This is a pain. If I had to type a video name on Youtube search box, I have to type each alphabet using the remote and this is painful. You get an idea if you try to surf the net using your keypad of your cell phone. Sony should come up with a wireless keyboard facility in future software releases for this.
Secondly, one should be able to go add new Internet content on their own. For example, if I wanted to add Hulu as this is currently not available on this TV or other Internet content, I should be able to add it on the Sonystyle website after I register my product and this should be available to me on the TV for viewing.
The non-availability to add wireless keyboard feature and add Internet content content has forced me to give it a 3. Else, it would have been a 5. I hope Sony is reading this and fixing these features as these are only software upgrades.
I bought the KDL-52v5100 first and i do like it… Till I bought a new KDL-52Z5100. Wow what a difference… The colors are much deeper and rich looking. The V series does not provide such warm and bright colors as the Z…
If you can spend a little more money it’s worth it!!! Very happy with the Sony Z Series.
This tv looks amazing.
But after i TURN OFF the tv it will make a popping sound every time after like 20 seconds.
Anyone else have this?
This is the third TV I have purchased from Amazon, and the third time I’m completely satisfied with my purchase. This TV in particular is the best to date though because of the speed in which the TV reacts to the feeds coming in. The picture moves so fast, it looks like a soap opera the way the camera moves to keep up with the motion. I cant really describe the picture clarity but it will freak you out when you see it, just make sure to adjust the motionflow to highest from the home menu.
First, I will say that I gave this product 4 stars instead of 5 because of the fact that the picture quality is honestly not as good as the best LED local dimming TV on the market (not naming names). That said, for the price this is the best thing on the market in my opinion. Here’s why I chose this TV instead of the seemingly endless others - you can definitely go into choice overload when trying to buy one of these.
1) I considered the ambient light in my room and how far from the TV my couch and other chairs are. My room has a lot of light from windows, so that eliminates the Samsung products, which have too much glare. With guests, viewers would be at the side so a good side angle was important. Also, I didn’t want to go any bigger than 55″ because of the size of the room and where the TV would be. Make sure to measure that but don’t be too shy with the size because you will get used to a larger TV after a day or so.
2) I considered refresh rates and the type (plasma vs LCD). We have only owned LCD TVs, so I must say that I don’t have any real reason to prefer LCDs now that plasma TVs handle burn-in better than they used to. But we have owned LCDs and the depth of the blacks has improved over the years, so we stuck with the LCD. The last TV I bought had a serious jerking problem when 1080p content had a quick pan to the side, which annoyed me. With that in mind, I wanted to go for the 240 Hz refresh rate in the hopes of avoiding that problem. If you can look at standard definition content on the TV in the store, do so. But, keep in mind that you are buying it for the high def performance.
3) Next was price. More expensive TVs have diminishing returns in my opinion because the price of these things are just dropping so dramatically. My target price was around $1500 to $1800. The local dimming LED LCD TVs that have decent processors are just way too expensive for me at this point (in the $4000 range). They do look the best, but you can get something that is really good for much less.
4) Features. I really wanted internet connectivity. I use Netflix and I wanted a TV that I could stream Netflix directly without using any intermediate equipment. This is a feature that is becoming popular, so more TVs have this.
After considering these, my search was narrowed to 3 choices - the Sony Bravia XBR, the Bravia Z-series, and the Bravia W-series. They also have an eco-friendly series that is useful if you have a habit of leaving the TV on when you aren’t in the room, but I don’t do that so I didn’t really take a hard look at them. Sony has a very helpful website that lets you compare the different types to see exactly what the differences are. Armed with the knowledge of what the technical differences were, I went to a local store to take a look at them. I didn’t find the W-series, so I can’t comment on that one. I found one store that had the Z-series and the XBR right next to each other. The technical difference from the Sony website is that the XBR is capable of showing a larger percentage of the color spectrum. The price difference was $300. I honestly could not tell the difference when looking at them side-by-side. So, we happily purchased the Z-series and kept that $300.
TV set-up was a breeze. Controls are very intuitive. Happily streaming Netflix with no issues and using other cool internet features like radio streaming. We are really happy with this TV. The only problem was that it’s so big that standard definition DVDs look pretty bad. So, we upgraded to a blu-ray player and were back to happy viewing once again.
I very much think the PQ on Blu-Ray discs is the best I’ve owned. I am disappointed to report, however, the PQ depends greatly on which specific Movie you are watching. For example, I put in ST:TMP (BD) and the quality is great… yet, The (BD) Wrath of Khan is great in many sections of the film, but not all. - Further, when I tried to watch my Babylon 5 (regular)DVD movie “In the Beginning”, the quality was very poor! Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace regular dvd was tolerable, but no where near as great looking as it was on my Sampo 42in. plasma regular def tv. — So, I am very happy with the Blu-Ray PQ, but I am dreading having to now re-purchase all my favorite movies on Blu-Ray format… ouch, we are talking some real money here! And my fav Babylon 5 isn’t even available on Blu-Ray and who knows if it ever will be. - So, bottom line… after an initial high due to the PQ on Blu-Ray discs, I am now all depressed and well and truly pissed at all the sales people who say upscaling is as good as Blu-Ray… Boy, are they full of it!
Pros: Superb picture quality, non-reflective screen, easy menu system.
Cons: None of any consequence. If using more than one HDMI connection there’s only one on the back and the rest are on the side so the wires are visible unless using a port saver.
Summary: After comparing about a dozen high def televisions the Sony Bravia series stood out. We needed a non-reflective screen, which eliminated all plasma’s and most Samsungs. But even compared to the Samsungs, this television was as good or better.
In the stores we couldn’t tell any difference between the lower priced Bravia V and the XBR, which has the same “engine” as the Z. Through Amazon, we couldn’t pass up a deal on the Z and it exceeds our expectations.
On its own, the sound is passable, but using 5.1 surround it’s outstanding, although no credit to the television. Never having owned a flat screen before, we’re pleased friends and family who do praise the picture quality.
Navigating the bells and whistles can be a bit confusing but it’s pretty user friendly, and the manual is helpful.
Please refer to CNET’s review of the XBR for a more technical description of this set (they’re essentially the same in many respects) and other user reviews do a better job than me in this area.
Bottom line is that after two months it’s still a pleasure, sometimes exciting to watch this set. HDTV pops, especially sports, and movies are sometimes breathtaking in their clarity and color representation.
We bought this TV from Amazon in October of 2009 and just four months later the color drained from the picture, faded to black and shut it self off. We turned it off, unplugged and plugged it back in, nothing worked. Amazon refused to replace the defective product. Amazon told us they have a 30 day policy and just couldn’t or wouldn’t help. We called Sony the technician who ran us through a bunch of steps and then decided to send us to a service center. Although it is still under warranty, the service center estimated a 2 month turn around. On top of that, the service center needs a Sony case number, something the technician failed to give us. Now we have to call again and get one. When you spend this much on a product you expect a little better service. Don’t buy this TV and don’t expect any customer service from Amazon or Sony if you have problems.
I bought this TV from Electronics-expo and TV was defective. VGA would not detect my computer. I tried 6 different computers and 5 different cable which worked on every other monitor I have. There are stuck pixels on my TV and Electronics-expo refused to even listen to my problem. Overall I would rate this transaction as worst. I feel I was cheated by Electronics-expo and to some extent by Amazon. I made this transaction trusting Amazon…
Well I’ve owned several TV’s before this one but I always wanted the “gilded” Sony Brand TV so I decided to take the plunge and buy a Z-Series. The Z-Series was supposed to be their highest end model outside of the XBR series and it had all the latest bells and whistles. The new features are GREAT. I love Amazon and Netflix being right there native to my television but many of the other channels offer very little content and Netflix still has problems, often dropping connection or telling me that I do not have the rights to view the content even though it’s playing fine on all my other devices.
Now to the most important part, While the Bravia Engine 3 offers a beautiful picture this set had very uneven backlighting and from what I’ve read from other customers this seems to be a common problem. The corner of the screen has a significant backlight bleed and it’s especially noticeable during dark scenes. There is also some cloudiness of backlight bleed in other parts of the picture. I was very dissappointed about this considering this is a Sony flagship TV. If I had bought a Sanyo or an Insignia for a discount price it would be one thing but this is supposed to be the big cheese. It’s a good TV and I am not returning it but it’s still a little dissapointing that I paid a 5 star price and got a 4 star product. If Sony would fix the backlight issue this would be a 5 star review, but alas I am giving it a 4 for this reason alone considering the Netflix feature was added after I made the purchase, so I can’t really complain about a complimentary feature.