Sony Bravia KDL-V40XBR1

When flat-panel LCDs started appearing in the form of computer monitors, few doubted that the regular television set will be next to receive a huge (or thin?) revamp. One nice advancement afforded by LCD technology is that LCD displays offer more pixels per given screen size than any other consumer display technology, such as the age-old cathode ray tube or CRT. They also produce less heat, take up less space, and possibly require less energy.

The new Sony Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 (that's certainly a mouthful... or is it screenful?) is one of Sony's newest large-screen LCD  high-definition televisions. Take note, dear reader: the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 is primarily an HDTV, designed for optimal performance with an HD input source. That said, let's take a closer look at this HDTV bad boy from Sony.

Features

The Sony Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 features a 40-inch LCD flat-panel display. One of the greatest advantages LCD displays have over standard displays such as CRTs is that LCDs do not burn in and have a much longer lifespan. They also are lighter and thinner, requiring less space and they can be hung up on walls and used to accent one's personal style. As a bonus, the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 can be hooked up to a standard PC to be used as a monitor. Maximum PC resolution is 1360x768 pixels.

For broadcast formats, the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 supports HDTV 1080i, HDTV 720p, EDTV 480p, and SDTV 480i. It can display HDTV 720p, EDTV 480p, and SDTV 480i.

Connectors and interfaces on the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 include analog VGA, RCA, and composite, and digital HDMI and S-Video, and USB. The built-in TV tuner supports NTSC, ATSC, and CableCard standards. The USB port allows external flash-based storage devices to be hooked up to and viewed on the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1.

Audio on the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 is played through 2 x 13 watt RMS speakers mounted internally along the bottom of the LCD. The unit incorporates virtual surround sound technology.

The Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 sports a sleek matte-finished black exterior designed to cut down on light reflections. The compact 40 x 4.88 x 27 inch package weighs 62 pounds.

Other features include some pretty standard ones, such as parental control, on-screen display in English, French, and Spanish, Energy Star compliance, remote control, a sleep feature, and a 1/8” stereo headphone jack.

Pros and Cons

The Sony Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 represents Sony's latest and best-of-class HD LCD flat-panel television sets. We certainly found very little to not like about the unit. We especially liked the matte black exterior of the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1; it reduced ambient light reflections very well. And the fact that it's an LCD flat panel meant we could mount the unit on a wall (which we did to good effect; suddenly our television stand became less useful. We also took the unit down to test its interface with a PC; the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 showed great visual quality with our Linux graphical desktop, which took on a new dimension in a 16:9 environment.

Picture quality with HD content is nothing less than excellent; the high resolution and accurate color reproduction resulted in lifelike clarity and detail. Skin tones are extremely natural-looking. Blacks are extremely deep and rich, and shadows, sometimes poorly reproduced on LCDs, are detailed. In certain situations, though, reds can become a bit exaggerated, but that is a very small issue considering the top-notch overall quality of the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1. As for standard definition content, the Bravia performs some “upward conversion” on the signals to present a smoother, more natural look.

A major minus to the otherwise stellar Bravia KDL-V40XBR1 is the single HDMI interface. For those with multiple HDMI devices who want to hook them all up to the unit and use the television to switch devices, you're out of luck. At any rate, it's still possible to use external switchers with the Bravia KDL-V40XBR1, but for a set costing as much as the Bravia does, it's certainly a major disappointment. The external connectors are very conveniently positioned in the front and rear of the unit. The USB connector for external flash devices is very useful; we were able to hook up our digital camera gear and view the stored images in a vivid slideshow on the Bravia.

The Bravia's menu system is fairly standard, allowing tweaking of various things such as color and audio. We found that some tweaking of the color settings is necessary when watching non-HD broadcasts. The remote control is also fairly standard, but does not have a backlight.

Summary and Recommendations