Sony KDL40W5500 first impressions

[admin_exported]

Well I thought I'd stick my neck out and share my thoughts on this ahead of the What Hifi review as my KDL40W5500 was delivered Friday... I'm no techie and have never had an LCD or Plasma before but had spent a long term looking at Sony LCD and Panasonic plasma before coming down firmly on the Sony side after seeing a W4500 and comparing directly to a Pana PZ81B.

I have watched a couple of movies (Saving Private Ryan and Star Wars) with my new Sony RDRHX995 and watched some SD through a Virgin cable service.

Overall first thoughts are that this is a phenomenal TV out of the box and I have only played with a few settings - turning off the motionflow and reducing the backlight to 5 which seemed to give a better picture.

SD pictures are superb and much better than I had expected and motion is very smooth even on the football. DVD is even better but I'm afraid I have to report the TV does have clouding issues in the corners - worst at the top left and right and this became clearly visible in the night church scene in Saving Private Ryan and also on the end credits. It's noticeable at night in a darkened room when the TV is showing a dark scene but it's still very disappointing for an expensive TV and unacceptable.

I knew that clouding was a risk with the Sony and assumed that the problem must be on very few TV's as you only ever hear about people who have had problems rather than the thousands who are probably very happy and my local Sony Centre denied any knowledge of the problem.

What HiFi team - you are welcome to come and look at my TV as I don't think your offices are far from where I live. I'm really surprised you have never seen the problem and I'd love an experts view, so the offer is there.

I will give the TV a few days to see if it settles down, failing
that I will get onto my dealer to ask for a replacement. Would be
interested in anyone who does know of a fix?

My overall opinion - it is a fantastic TV but the clouding issue is still there and shouldn't be.

 

[ear]

Since it seems everybody prefers motionflow turned off, I think the only significant reason to go for the w5500 instead of the w4000(wich I can still find at a good price) is the bravia engine 3. Just hope it makes a big difference over the bravia engine 2.

 

[drummerman]

If they still use the same panel as the 4500 series then the back light issues have not been solved. You have to move up to either the Z or X range. Some reviews seem to suggest that the 4000 series did'nt 'suffer' from the problem to the same extend. Having said that, you should'nt really watch in a dark room without at least some room illumination. Better for your eyes and the picture quality.

I also feel that it is foolish to expect perfection with a telly costing a grand. If it was why bother having models twice as expensive from the same manufacturer. I also kind of agree with sony's explanation that if people want the brightest eye scorching picture then something has to give (at that price).

The 4500 was/is one of their best selling models (the best selling one?) and as such is a mass market set, probably not built for ultimate accuracy but to look (probably) up and foremost terrifically bright and contrasty in a show room and even when set up more eye friendly it exhibits nowhere the same subtlety and colour range of the more upmarket x series at considerably more expense. If the 5500 has addressed some of the shortcomings and closed the gap to the Z series without increasing the 4500's price substantially then I'd say you should be happy with the compromise.

As for Bravia 3 as opposed to 2 I can't comment but Bravia Pro does seem to make quite a pronounced difference to colour tones. They certainly look more natural.

Back to the OP, I have a Kuro and whilst a good tv it isn't perfect either. It's a question of which compromises you can live with ...

 

[Anonymous]

I had the option of a W4500 and decided to go for the W5500 as the prices were so similar and decided the newer model had to be as good if not better than the one it was replacing (technology must move on?). I will just have to wait for the WHF expert opinion in early April as it's radio silence at present - lots of magazines to be sold or read in WH Smiths..

I also couldn't justify the expense of the Z model

 

[ear]

Hum...just wonder if the v5500 uses the same panel as the w4000...if so, if it doesnt have the clouding isues i might go for one .

 

[drummerman]

ear:Hum...just wonder if the v5500 uses the same panel as the w4000...if so, if it doesnt have the clouding isues i might go for one .

Did you read the OP's first post ... ?

. Perhaps I misunderstood you. The brand loyalty some sony owners exhibit astounds me I have to admit. These are known issues and have been for some time yet some people ex-change their sets ... only to find the exact problems with the next one or buy into sony and then complain about these known issues (I deliberately don't call it a fault as I don't believe it is one). More money buys you one with no light bleed or even LED. If you like the picture, fair play but there are other brands out there worth considering at and around the price. They may not be perfect either but if light seepage is a potential bother to you or anyone sure you are not going to buy a mid-range sony as things stand at the moment!

 

[ear]

"Some reviews seem to suggest that the 4000 series did'nt 'suffer' from the problem to the same extend."

 

[simonlewis]

Nothing wrong with my panasonic plasma PZ81, no clouding or anything, still chuffed to bits with it.

 

[Anonymous]

So it seems that BE3 is improving things after all. In my SonyCenter I was told, that BE3 first of all should make better reproduction of StandardDefinition signals. From a personal experience with the 5500 model, set up beside the X1 and a 46 inch 4500, it presents a more natural, not over"boosted" colourscheme and deep black. I didnït notice any clouding...? Still waiting for the WE5 though.

 

[drummerman]

ear:"Some reviews seem to suggest that the 4000 series did'nt 'suffer' from the problem to the same extend."

A man of few words ...

I did misunderstand you. Apologies, my english language deficiencies show sometimes. Especially when hungover.

Just to add to my previous comments, I have nothing against sony and find some of their tv's very nice.

 

[ear]

Yep I don't speak much, since in portuguese lol sometimes I cannot express myself in the best way either.Alcool afects the mind...especially on the 3 days after

 

[biggus_1961]

ear:"Some reviews seem to suggest that the 4000 series did'nt 'suffer' from the problem to the same extend."

Agree as i have one..I also use the backlight setting at number 5 it is easier on the eyes, as in not so 'ping bright'..At 5 it is closer to a plasma screen picture..The samsung 600 series is a serious competiter to sony.Ihink close ups are marginally better on the samsung but background detail is clearly better on the sony..50hz works just fine..On the sony watch ABC (same as your BBC) and even 576i looks quite good

 

[Anonymous]

Guys,

I received this TV on Wednesday and have having serious issues with its infrared!

I have Sky+HD and since I've connected it to the TV, the Sky remote is having trouble syncing with the Sky+HD box. Basically I have to press a button 5,6,7 or even more times for the remote to sync with the box (in simple terms I am not always getting the red light on the Sky box flash to say my command has been actioned - the red light on the Sky remote is constant) . I know it's not Sky as I had a Sky engineer call out this morning who tried 3 seperate Sky+HD boxes (2 made by Samsung and one by Pace) and 3 seperate remotes and the problem still persisted! We then tried a normal Sky+ box (NOT HD) and it worked fine!

We then proceeded to turn the TV onto standby and retried the Sky+HD box and every single time we pressed a button on the remote, the Sky box recognised it (i.e. the red light on the box flashed every single time)! It therefore appears that the infrared on the TV is too strong and as such, is blocking the signal between the Sky remote and box.

I phoned Sony to see whether they had a solution but, being a brand new TV, they did not. They advised that I contact my retailer for an exchange. I have contacted my retailer and am currently awaiting a response. The person I spoke to appeared to suggest that previous Bravia models have been affected in a similar way (although he didn't seem sure).

Have any of you experienced this major problem by any chance? I did turn off the light sensor to see if it would make a difference but to no avail. Should a future firmware update correct this?

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

This sounds like the much reported problem of interference from the tv's backlight stopping the infrared signal from the remote control reaching the Sky box. To verify this, put a blanket over the tv while it's on to see if this restores correct remote control function. If it does, you might be able to fix the problem by adjusting the backlight settings in the tv or by moving the Sky box.

 

[Anonymous]

alsina:This sounds like the much reported problem of interference from the tv's backlight stopping the infrared signal from the remote control reaching the Sky box. To verify this, put a blanket over the tv while it's on to see if this restores correct remote control function. If it does, you might be able to fix the problem by adjusting the backlight settings in the tv or by moving the Sky box.

Hi and many thanks for the swift response.

Just tried a blanket over the TV and it doesn't appear to make any difference I'm afraid. On a seperate note, when I stand next to the TV and put my ear over the top and listen in, it sounds like you're standing in a field with crickets running around you!!! Basically there's like a rather loud, fast ticking noice?! Could be perfectly normal but can anybody clarify this?

Even with the TV volume on 30, if I stand over the TV and listen in, it's rather loud. Just wondered if this was normal (I'm getting paranoid now you see!).

 

[Anonymous]

I am recieving delievery of my new sony kdl40w5500 tomorrow after my 42 inch LG gave up the ghost after 2 years could some one please post what calibration settings they used would be most helpful

 

[ear]

Hum so nice to see that it lasted so long that LG just feels great to spend much money on something discartable

 

[drummerman]

martpu:
... Just tried a blanket over the TV and it doesn't appear to make any difference I'm afraid. On a seperate note, when I stand next to the TV and put my ear over the top and listen in, it sounds like you're standing in a field with crickets running around you!!! Basically there's like a rather loud, fast ticking noice?! Could be perfectly normal but can anybody clarify this? ...

The blanket should stop the backlight bleed. If there are crickets running around inside perhaps that explains the origin of the uneven backlight. Do the shadows move?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Really, really helpful, drummerman...

 

[drummerman]

Thanks AE

 

[Anonymous]

best to view in the winter when the crickets have died due to the cold wheather , although the gasses created by the decomposing crickets may , i feel , affect the sound in the spring ....

 

[drummerman]

maxflinn:best to view in the winter when the crickets have died due to the cold wheather , although the gasses created by the decomposing crickets may , i feel , affect the sound in the spring ....

You'll get us both barred by the nice Mr Everard.

Back on topic and to the OP, if you have any problems with your new set or are in any way unhappy about it, just return it. Problem solved.

 

[Anonymous]

if i said that in a pub id get a pint , not barred

....

 

[Anonymous]

Quick update - I contacted the shop I got my 40W5500 from and they have now changed it without any fuss. The replacement is significantly better and has negligible backlight bleed. Touch wood it stays that way..

So my advice, if you get one with significant bleed in the corners - it's faulty, they are certainly not all like that so don't accept it.