Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-40V4100 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
by Sony
List Price:
Our Price: $779.00
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Buy Used: from $515.00 (click here)
Category: CE
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: SonyRelease Date: 2008-05-01
Model: KDL-40V4100
Color: Black
Product features:
- 16:9 Full HD 1080p Resolution (1920x1080p) LCD Panel
- DMex T compatible; allows seamless feature upgrades
- BRAVIA? SyncT (HDMI-CEC)
- Enhanced XMBT with 3D graphics incl. TV Guide
- HDMIT x4, HD Component x2, PC Input
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Digital camera reviews of Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-40V4100 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Digital camera Review: Fantastic picture once I got rid of the clouding effect!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this TV for about a week now, and though it was a rollercoaster of emotions at first, I've grown to really like it, and would recommend it-- my only reservation the possibility of backlight clouding.
First of all, the very first thing I noticed after setting it up was a large but dim purple splotch directly in the center of the screen. My heart immediately sank as this was the dreaded Bravia clouding, or mura, effect I'd read so much about. In other words the backlighting is not completely consistent at all places of the screen and it showed anywhere from black to very dark purple in dark scenes. This is a common problem that a large percentage of the Bravia and XBR Lcds have problems with. Do a google search on "Bravia clouding" for more information.
To be fair, it was barely noticeable while watching a normal "lit" TV of movie scene, and my girlfriend was completely oblivious to it... But in the black screen pause between channels, dark scenes, and movie credits this purple blob stood out to me like a 14" Lucky Charms marshmallow-- taunting me for throwing away my hard earned cash...
From what I found online, Sony won't officially recognize this as a defect, and exchanging it for another would have been expensive (for shipping). I decided to try and fix it, and it worked! And while it worked for me, it probably won't work for everyone and you could potentially ruin your TV. Be very careful! The thin plastic screens are fragile and you could scratch or permanently discolor it. I took a very clean and soft microfiber cloth, and with the TV on a dark paused screen began to *very lightly* massage the discolored area in circular motions--just enough to make a discolored spot where I touched it. Within 30 seconds I managed to move the spot near the bottom. Eventually I was able to keep moving it towards the lower edge until the spot disappeared entirely! And after two days it hasn't come back.
Even if it doesn't work, the picture settings you choose can help lessen this effect as well, especially if you lower your backlight and enable the power saver mode. The initial picture settings out of the box are just terrible with a harsh blue tint and far too much contrast and picture. I would recommend something closer to this for normal viewing: Mode=Std, Backlight=4, picture=75, bright=50, color=50, hue=R1, temp=warm2, sharpness=10, noise/mpeg=low, and turn off all advanced settings. Search google for more recommendations or just play around with it some until you find what works best for your use.
Once the picture was adjusted the picture was beautiful-- even better than my new 50" Panasonic Viera plasma. Blacks are deep black, whites are bright and clear, and HD content especially shines. Standard definition content looks ok, but the issues there are probably more the signal quality coming in than the TV. I personally do not notice much of a difference between 60 and 120hz. So I wouldn't let that scare you off. Also the sound is better than I was expecting. Certainly good enough for day-to-day TV watching.
I guess my only reservations, besides the fixed clouding, are the remote isn't my favorite. At this price I would have liked a better feel and light up buttons. Also the menu system is like a Sony PSP--not very user friendly to me. But those are nitpicking... This is a considered a "budget" model for Sony, but for the price you get quite high picture and sound quality, making this a very impressive value. And the bezel looks much nicer than any of the competing models I'd considered.
Summary of Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-40V4100 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Ready for HD done the Sony way? Sony's KDL-40V4100 brings 1080p picture quality home with amazing, Sony-exclusive features like the XMB (Xross Media Bar?) with 3D graphics, DMex capability so you can add functionality to your TV, and picture quality technologies like ACE (Advanced Contrast Enhancer) and BRAVIA Engine 2T. Add to that a sophisticated, piano black design, 24p capability so you can get the most out of the movies you watch on Blu-ray and DVD, 4 HDMIT inputs along with three other HD-capable connections, and what you have is a television that can bring dreams to life.Cameras and Photo
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