Sony is one of the leading HDTV brands around, which is why Bravia models are highly sought after. They can be quite expensive, too, though – at least, most of them are. In the case of the Sony KDL-52V5100, it offers the excellent picture quality Sony is known for, but with an affordable price tag.
Design
Of course, as a relatively low-cost HDTV, there are some sacrifices made on the KDL-52V5100, and one of these is design. Don’t worry, it isn’t that bad. In fact, the frame is sleek enough, with a glossy black frame
Sony KDL-52V5100
void of any distracting accents, making it suitable for any living room. The main problem is the thick horizontal speaker bar along the bottom – a contrast to today’s invisible speakers. The stand matches but does not swivel.
Its clicker is smaller compared to that of previous models, and therefore, has fewer buttons, but this is actually a good thing since the buttons are all easy to reach and distinguish from each other. The on-screen menu is simpler, too. Indeed, gone is the cross-media bar similar to that found on the PlayStation3. Rather, you will find the most important functions in large text and neatly arranged to the far left, accompanied by explanatory text.
Screen/Picture Clarity
Picture quality is the strength of the KDL-52V5100, and it’s easy to why. Although it is a conventional LCD HDTV and not one with an LED display, its black levels are deep and solid enough. The rest of the colors, both primary and secondary, are very accurate, perhaps even more so than the ones shown on the more expensive XBR9, with only an barely perceptible bluish tinge in dark areas, and are also saturated enough to pop out of the screen in a lifelike manner and make the image details appear sharper.
This Bravia HDTV has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is good enough to prevent blurring and render fast-moving images smoothly. In order to enjoy its benefits, though, the MotionFlow dejudder processing has to be turned on, which takes away some of the stunning quality of film-based sources. Indeed, it would be better if Sony separated its dejudder processing and anti-blurring mechanism, like what Samsung and other brands have done. 1080p sources are rendered properly.
Features
Another sacrifice made on the Sony KDL-52V5100 is interactive capability. You will find none on this Bravia HDTV. It offers a number of picture controls, though, to make your viewing experience even more enjoyable, such as four picture modes, including a Cinema or Theater mode, three color temperature presets, four aspect ratio options and full gamma controls. There is also a game mode and an Energy Saver Mode, which combined with the backlight switch, allow it to reduce power consumption. As for connectivity, don’t be disappointed if you find just one HDMI input at the rear. The other three are at the side, for a total of four, which is very good. Other connections include two component-video, PC-input, S-video and a convenient USB port.
Not bad, is it? Indeed, the Sony KDL-52V5100 may not be as good-looking or as feature-packed as the models in the XBR series or even the W series but it certainly packs a punch for its price, which, thankfully, comes as low as $1300.
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