Definitely worth the investment, Best LCD Television around

Author's Rating:

Pros: Extremely sharp resolution during hi-definition TV programing. The clarity and color can be jaw-dropping.

Cons: Slow reaction to channel and input changes. No PIP. No Firewire connection.

The Bottom Line: 
Incredible Television. One that is worthy to have for next several years.

Author's Review
From Agoraquest:

Bought the Sony Bravia in January 2006 and have been very happy with my choice. People who have other brands of HD TV's and have seen this model at my home are also impressed by its picture and the set itself when it is turned off. It looks very nice on a sleek, low, black credenza.

I took about six months, on and off, to look at TV's in the stores and doing research. I decided to get the Sony Bravia 40" model over a Sharp 45" LCD. Apparently, the Sharp had too many problems with defects and that made my final decision. I also looked at plasma TV's from Panasonic and other vendors but decided that the significantly extra power this technology consumes and heat generated would probably somewhat increase the utility bill during our long, hot Texas summers.

I have the TV connected to a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). The UPS tells me that power consumption varies from about 90 watts to 175 watts depending on the backlight setting. The manual states this set uses 240 watts but does not mention that a lower backlight setting reduces power consumption. However, there is a power saving option called "reduced" in the setup menu but it has less effect on power consumption than by adjusting the backlight setting (according the UPS real-time function). So save power by reducing the backlight level to around 4 and increase picture brightness and contrast. Keep the power saving option on "standard."

I bought my TV at a local high-end, reputable electronics dealer rather than an Internet source or mall mega-store as personal service, if needed for this expensive equipment, was important to me. So far, I have had no problems with the Sony but there is one stuck (dark red), pixel in the upper right part of the screen. I didn't notice it for the first week I had the set. It is only noticeable during bright scenes and if you know where to look. It is invisible beyond 10 feet from the screen.

The TV's remote control is fine but I instead use a Theater Master MX-500 universal remote with which I programmed for all my electronics. It is illuminated and the Sony remote is not. The MX-500 eliminates the need for six remotes scattered about the coffee table.

Screen brightness auto adjusts to the room lighting conditions. The LCD screen does not show reflections and even sunlight in the room does not cause me problems. I borrowed a friend's DVD calibration program to help adjust color, sharpness and hue. This significantly helped improve the picture as it been set to a highly vivid configuration. The black level looks fine to me as well as skin color. Viewing from the left or right of the screen center or standing above or sitting on the floor at the bottom screen will cause some loss in picture quality. Bumping up the saturation improves off-center viewing. However, for most living room arrangements including mine, I would still highly recommend this TV.

I thought that when I got this TV I would have to subscribe, at additional fees, to the digital cable package and get a cable card or get an outdoor antenna to see any HD content. I had the standard analog service of about 78 channels from my cable company before I got the Sony. I connected the coax cable to the Sony and let it program the channels during the initial setup. This step took about 25 minutes. It found 78 analog 480 NTSC channels as I expected but also about another 100 480i channels of mostly repeats of the 78 analog channels. The 480i digital channels are not usually any clearer than the NTSC channels. To my amazement it also found the local network channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, Public) in true, crystal clear 1080i or 720p. I also get the full-time HD NBC Universal channel. I use a small antenna placed at the back of the TV to get some additional over-the-air HD channels such as FOX and WB. I was puzzled why I could get HD on standard (non-digital cable TV service). The Sony Bravia must have a tuner called "QAM" which apparently is not documented in my owner's manual that allows reception for HD channels that are not encrypted or the need for a cable card. Why some cable content is available in HD unencrypted is very much unexpected but appreciated. (For QAM info, See Consumer Reports magazine, page 13, March 2006). Surprise, surprise, I am saving some extra monthly cable fees for the so-called HD package that is less than stellar from my cable provider. Thanks Sony!

For more information on Sony products especially Bravia products vist http://www.agoraquest.com