Sony BRAVIA KDL-V40XBR1 40 in. HDTV LCD TV - Pricey, but worth it

Author's Rating:

Pros: Good picture, fine sound, lots of inputs...

Cons: But only one HDMI input, some red push

The Bottom Line: 
Sony products tend to be a bit pricier but as LCDs go, this is an excellent choice and probably worth the extra money.

Read on, Dear reader....

•• Hardware ••
The Sony BRAVIA KDL-V40XBR1 40 in. HDTV LCD Television is a flat panel LCD TV. It has a resolution of 1,366x768 which means it can display 720p high definition. Those resolutions higher or lower will re-size to fit that resolution. It's unfortunate that the TV doesn't display at 1080i, but for this small a TV it isn't a surprise.

The TV has a slim border of black plastic and silver trim. It's pretty basic and there are no visible dials or knobs. Like most TVs of this generation, it takes a minimalist approach to the case. The power, channel and volume buttons are on the right side out of the way and providing no visual distractions.

One of the nice things about this is the included silver stand. Many HDTVs force you to buy a stand separately. if you don't like TV stands, you can buy an optional wall mount. But as the TV stand goes, it is decent, if not a little flimsy. Luckily the TV weighs only around 75 pounds, so the stand works just fine.

The remote is a standard Sony remote with a curious lack of backlighting. not a huge deal, but certainly a feature I would expect in this high priced a model.

The inputs on this model are very generous in most regards, but a sore spot is the inclusion of only one HDMI input. Most TVs in this price range have 2. Not a big deal, but could prove problematic as devices down the road begin using this more often. That said, other inputs are rather generous and include 3 component, one s-video, 3 composite video, 2 RF inputs, an RGB input and strangely enough a USB port. Presumably this is to plug in digital cameras and the like.

As well, the unit has a built in NTSC tuner for standard television, ATSC for broadcast HD and a cablecard slot for HD cable programming. There is no need for a set-top box, unless you want extra functionality such as Digital Video Recording or video on demand.

•• Picture quality ••
One of the problems with LCD TVs that the plasma-lovers talk about is the inability of LCD to deliver true black. While this is generally true, this model does an excellent job. While not truly black, the black level is deep and clean with very little artifacting. The beginning of the Matrix always looks grey and muddy on many LCD TVs, but on this one, they look very good. Gradients from black to skintones shows some level of artifacting, but that could very well be the DVD encoding. Regardless, the black levels is excellent.

But on the flip side, the TV out of the box shows a fair amount of red push. LCD TVs tend to compensate for other color problems by adding extra red. This red push can distort and bleed and in this TV that holds true. Adjusting the menus help quite a bit, but doesn't truly fix the problem. Professional calibration will be required for those videophiles who will be driven crazy by the red. For those who aren't so picky, this will be a less noticeable flaw.

Aside from all that, the picture looks quite good. The TV offers several levels of warmth and color temperature, but I've never found them to be a one-sized fits all solution. I prefer to calibrate and adjust myself depending on the environment. That said, the TV does offer input memory so that it will remember your calibrations for each input.

DVDs look great on this TV, despite the above-mentioned red push. The details are sharp and the colors are vivid. SuperBit DVDs look even better as they take all extras and menus off the disc and dedicate the entire thing to the movie recorded at a higher bitrate. This means the DVD offers more detail and this difference is obvious on this TV. Cable broadcasting of HDTV is a crapshoot. Some channels are better than others. The few that i saw gave a bright, clear and detailed presentation of the program.

One of the things I always look for in a TV is how it works with my Xbox 360 console. Kameo: Elements of Power is a very colorful game, full of bright, vibrant characters, lots of detail and of course, high definition graphics. As expected, the world of Kameo is an amazing thing on this TV. Not only does the aspect ratio add to the sense of immersion, but also the beautiful colors and detail. The Red push found in more realistic media doesn't affect this much since the colors are already over-the-top. In short, video games look stunning

•• Sound quality ••
I don't like to spend a tremendous amount of time on speakers for an HDTV set, because I feel that most people who have an HDTV probably also have a home theater sound system. But the 4 speakers on this unit actually sound pretty good. The bass is not to the level of a subwoofer, but it does give clear bass that has a bit of thump to it. The midrange sounds are fine without being muddy and the highs come through clear without being shrill even at higher volumes. So if you don't have a home theater system, the sound on this TV is pretty good. not great, but somewhat above average.

•• Conclusion ••
Sony products tend to be a bit pricier and indeed this is true of this TV. But as LCDs go, this is an excellent choice and probably worth the extra money.