Sony KDL-40W5500 review now online

[Simon Lucas]

nam064: And as mentioned previously, would this set have recieved the whole 5 stars had the test set not experienced this issue?!?
I reckon so, yes. It's difficult to be certain, obviously, because our 5500 had the flaw it did, but the rest of the performance was impressive.

ÿ

 

[barenakedmarc]

im gutted...

I was holding out on the w5500 to see what the review from you guys would be. 4 stars...dam.

Are the issues you experienced common on the w5500 and the w4500?

or should i take a risk with the w5500 and hope i am lucky, or go for the w4500 which is a tried and tested LCD.

Also could anyone give me advice on which 40 inch LCD or plasma i should look into as im interested in both.

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:
If you've a good TV feed, like watching sports and don't have a separate sound system, the Z4500 is the better of those two (in short superior motion and sounds better, too). But with so many new sets coming out from a range of manufacturers, get yourself round the shops and start taking a good look at what's on offer in 2009.

Thanks very much Clare. I've never been disappointed by a What Hifi recommendation -- so when I'm making a purchase of this type, I usually just follow your recommendations in order to narrow things down to 2 or 3 items. So if What Hifi hasn't reviewed an item I prefer to wait until you have rather than being disappointed. A case in point is this set -- I was pretty certain the 40w4500 was the one for me, but that's all changed with this review... Your answer makes me think I should wait a bit longer and keep an eye on the reviews of the 2009 sets as they become availalbe or at least wait for the the super test to come out in the May issue!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Well that Supertest has eight, 40-42in 2009 models to pick from, ranging from budget to premium models and including sets from LG, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. We've also got new-season sets of other sizes in our First Tests section.

Not long to wait now - in shops in two weeks....

 

[Anonymous]

Hey - I've been waiting on Sonys new lineup to decide between the W4500 and W5500.

I'm primarily looking at this screen for SD Tv, gaming & DVDs with a view to expanding into HD content and home theatre setup...

Backlighting issues aside - (I really am hoping that these are faults not features...), am I better off with the W4500 at a good price? I've read about the W5500 going 10-bit to 8-bit screen and higher lag for games... Do the other improvements make up for that? Any major differences (on paper) between the 40" and 46".

Much appreciated.

Neil

 

[Anonymous]

nam064:

Just a quick post to say I've had my 40W5500 for almost a week now and have not noticed any backlight bleed at all. With all the issues with this problem on the 40W4500 it is something I have been paying close attention to

nam064 - can you tell me where your TV was made and the serial number (or just give me a broad range on the serial number), my W5500 has clouding so I'd be really keen to know if yours was a different batch/country of production.

 

[Anonymous]

"Uneven backlighting lets it down
We looked at
many W4500s last year and experienced no backlighting issues. This new
W5500, though, suffers from the most uneven backlighting of any LCD
we've recently tested.

When we first received it, the light bleeding into the top corners almost prompted us to deem it faulty.

A
week's running in calmed the problem, but didn't eradicate it - this is
one of the few screens where uneven backlighting can occasionally be
discerned even when the screen is displaying a picture.

That's
where the Sony's fifth star has gone. We don't think our KDL-40W5500 is
faulty, we just don't think the backlighting is good enough."

Absolutely spot on guys.

However, watch how many problem threads arise from this, my brother has this TV and I did tell him not to bother as my 40W4500 had EXACTLY the same problem. Hmmm I wonder why??

 

[matthewpiano]

Actually I think WHF are doing the same as they've always done and providing a thorough review based on their experience of the actual set they have tested. The W4500s they had didn't exhibit the issue so they didn't report it, but the W5500 they have had does and they have reported it. Just as it should be.

 

[Anonymous]

Well how can there be so much of a difference??

These are the official differences between the 2 sets...."On the flip side, only an 8-bit panel and CCFL backlight are
implemented on the Sony KDL40W5500 high definition television (the
W4500 series had 10-bit panel and WCG-CCFL backlight). Will these
downgrades lead to a drop in picture quality?"

The Panels are similar and my set has exactly the same probs, make you think eh

 

[Andrew Everard]

Martin Gman:make you think eh

No, it seems to make you insinuate.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:
Martin Gman:make you think eh

No, it seems to make you insinuate.

Andrew, I am not looking for an argument, I am stating fact. Can you tell me the difference between the 5500 and the 4500?

 

[Andrew Everard]

And you're not getting one, even if you are actually stating assumption when it comes to the commonality between the products, not fact.

I am not part of the review team, so I am afraid I don't know the detailed technical differences between the old and new models beyond the fact that they use different video processing engines, LCD panels and backlight technology, so I fear they have less in common than you are suggesting - beyond, obviously, their size.

 

[matthewpiano]

Major differences are panel, Bravia Engine 3 (instead of 2), and video abilities on the USB input. Quite a bit really. Its a different set to the W4500.

However, I have had a good look at our display sets in 40", 37" and 32" of the W5500 this morning with lights off and shutters down and can't see any backlight bleed on them so its obviously something that doesn't afflict all W5500 sets, just as it didn't afflict all W4500s. Will be interesting to see if WHF manage to get another sample of the 40" and, if so, what the results will be.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Indeed, matthewpiano. The erratic nature of this problem suggests more a problem in assembly and quality control, rather than anything inherent in the panel design. And I say this having visited the plants where at least some of Sony's panels are made - as part of the current Sony/Samsung joint venture - and seeing how thoroughly the panels themselves are inspected and tested.

Purely speculatively, I would suggest that those panels displaying corner bleed or clouding show signs of being/having been subjected to some kind of stress or twisting/flexing, though whether this is do to the way they are mounted, problems in assembly or some stresses in storage/transit I couldn't say.

And I'd just like to say once again, to be absolutely clear, that the last paragraph is speculation on my part, based on experience of displays of this kind, not the result of any inside knowledge or detailed investigation. It is an 'IMHO', not a formal magazine stance on this matter, and should be read as such.

 

[Anonymous]

i think the lesson to be learned here is that a review of one or two sets on its own is not enough to go on , the 4500 got 5 stars from whfi , and most other sites gave it a poor showing , should whfi have given it 4 stars cos of the other reviews being poor ? or should the other sites have given it better ratings cos of whfis review ? maybe it would be an idea to break a grade up , ie , rate the set or sets as reviewed for picture sound , etc .. then rate the general levels of reliability and faults etc , customer satisfaction , and said products makers response to possible problems , as an ongoing grade ?? so the 4500 would have got its 5 stars here , but maybe 3 stars for ( what would you call it ) reliability and customer satisfaction .... also , a question to andrew , how do you know that the 5500 whfi have reviewed is not faulty ??? as you have stated , if you received ten more of them and they were ok , how could the first one not be faulty ?? i find this rather strange , given that whifi seemed to take the position with the 4500s that there must have been a bad batch out there ...

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:Major differences are panel, Bravia Engine 3 (instead of 2), and video abilities on the USB input. Quite a bit really. Its a different set to the W4500.

However, I have had a good look at our display sets in 40", 37" and 32" of the W5500 this morning with lights off and shutters down and can't see any backlight bleed on them so its obviously something that doesn't afflict all W5500 sets, just as it didn't afflict all W4500s. Will be interesting to see if WHF manage to get another sample of the 40" and, if so, what the results will be.

Yes Matt but the Bravia Engine 3 wouldn't cause backlight bleed. I point the finger at the...WCG-CCFL
It
stands for Wide Color Gamut CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp)
backlight. It is a unique Sony technology found in BRAVIA televisions.
The new Wide Color Gamut CCFL guarantees an increase of approximately
30% from conventional CCFL backlight in colour quality. WCG-CCFL
incorporates a new type of luminescent material to produce deeper, more
accurate reds and greens.

WHY did sony drop the WCG-CCFL for the 30% less colour CCFL in the 5500????

I personally think it is also a mix of bad construction of the sets at various factories and the positioning of the CCFLs. Maybe they are too close to the panels??

 

[Andrew Everard]

maxflinn:also , a question to andrew , how do you know that the 5500 whfi have reviewed is not faulty ??? as you have stated , if you received ten more of them and they were ok , how could the first one not be faulty ?? i find this rather strange , given that whifi seemed to take the position with the 4500s that there must have been a bad batch out there ...

As I have repeatedly said, I am not part of the review team, but I respect their experience when they state in the review that

"When we first received it, the light bleeding into the top corners almost prompted us to deem it faulty.

"A week's running in calmed the problem, but didn't eradicate it - this is one of the few screens where uneven backlighting can occasionally be discerned even when the screen is displaying a picture.

"That's where the Sony's fifth star has gone. We don't think our KDL-40W5500 is faulty, we just don't think the backlighting is good enough."

As with the previous sets, we can only report our findings based on the sample we receive, and one would assume that - in the light of past threads on these forums, of which we know Sony is aware - the set supplied for this review is deemed by the company to be representative of production, and thus acceptable in its eyes for supply as a review sample.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Martin Gman:I point the finger at the...WCG-CCFL

Why? The 5500 doesn't have it.

 

[Anonymous]

well i cant argue with that andrew , you guys are obviously very competent , fair play .. makes me wonder whats going on with sony though , some people have perfectly good 5500s according to various posts on here , and id say they would know what to look for ( mathewpiano a case in point ) if that is the case , as it seems , sony must have quality control issues , and id say , common sense issues ...

 

[Andrew Everard]

I think I commented on what I suspect are QC/QA problems above.

As to your second point, I can only say "You may say that - I couldn't possibly comment..."

 

[matthewpiano]

Martin Gman:
matthewpiano:Major differences are panel, Bravia Engine 3 (instead of 2), and video abilities on the USB input. Quite a bit really. Its a different set to the W4500.

However, I have had a good look at our display sets in 40", 37" and 32" of the W5500 this morning with lights off and shutters down and can't see any backlight bleed on them so its obviously something that doesn't afflict all W5500 sets, just as it didn't afflict all W4500s. Will be interesting to see if WHF manage to get another sample of the 40" and, if so, what the results will be.

Yes Matt but the Bravia Engine 3 wouldn't cause backlight bleed. I point the finger at the...WCG-CCFL
It
stands for Wide Color Gamut CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp)
backlight. It is a unique Sony technology found in BRAVIA televisions.
The new Wide Color Gamut CCFL guarantees an increase of approximately
30% from conventional CCFL backlight in colour quality. WCG-CCFL
incorporates a new type of luminescent material to produce deeper, more
accurate reds and greens.

WHY did sony drop the WCG-CCFL for the 30% less colour CCFL in the 5500????

I personally think it is also a mix of bad construction of the sets at various factories and the positioning of the CCFLs. Maybe they are too close to the panels??

I'm well aware that the processor wouldn't cause backlight bleed and I don't need a lesson on Sony's technologies - I keep well up to date on them as a basic requirement of my job. You asked what the main differences were between the 4500 and 5500 generation W-series. The BE3 is an important difference, hence my reason for stating it as such.

If it were down to the positioning of the CCFLs all samples would be affected. They are not because I have seen W4500 and W5500 models which show no signs of backlight bleed (in fact every example I've seen). My own 32S2510 however does suffer from backlight bleed in the form of torches in the top corners of the screen, only visible on black screens and in a dark room, but there nevertheless and a 26" LG I have in my bedroom suffers from quite bad backlight bleed, so I am well aware of its existence as a possible issue with LCD technology. However, it would also be true to say that I am aware of possible issues with all TV technologies and the only sets I would describe as approaching perfection, that I've seen, are the Sony X4500 LCD and the Pioneer Kuro plasmas.

I suppose the real test, from my perspective is to ask 'Would I happily buy a W5500 or recommend it to family/friends?', and the answer is a definite yes. Its not a perfect set. If it was, the more expensive Z range (including the forthcoming Z5500s) and X range would be pointless exercises. It is however an excellent TV at its price point. The freeview performance in particular is quite significantly better than the previous model. I would advise anyone interested in it to look at it properly at a retailer/dealer who is focused on customer service. Compare it against any other sets in your shortlist and buy it in the confidence that you have chosen to give your business to a retailer/dealer who will look after you in the event of issues.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:
I think I commented on what I suspect are QC/QA problems above.

As to your second point, I can only say "You may say that - I couldn't possibly comment..."

fair enough , lol , being incognito has its advantages ....

 

[Andrew Everard]

Diplomatic, rather than incognito.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:Diplomatic, rather than incognito.
i meant me being incognito , as im just a punter , who can say what he wants , you have been very diplomatic , and i must say , consistent and professional in dealing with some of the recent sony questions , comments , conspiricy theorys and so on ...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

I'm a long time lurker first time poster! I'm interested in ordering a 40" Sony TV asap and like quite a few was awaiting the review of the W5500 before splashing the cash.

Given a choice of going for the W5500, W4500 or the W4000 which would you suggest i go for and why would be a great help. I've seen the older models and was impressed with picture even in a store setting but not seen the new model so can't comment.

Any help would be appreciated!