sony w5500 review date ?

[Anonymous]

yayE - ME ME ME MEEEEEEEEEE!!

I am in the process of selling my Infocus IN80 for the Sony 52-W5500. There in the same price category online, and my maximum screen size I can achieve in my room is 70". But i feel that the Sony (firstly it was Pioneer it must be noted) have advanced so well in tv technology these days that even a projector as good as the IN80 lacks behind the Sony TV with a screen size of 52" comparatively.

Obviously the projector isnt used for such an application but with my limitation of a maximum 70" screen, it does play as a factor. Any views....?

 

[Anonymous]

My KDL40W5500 has just been delivered today

. I was offered it at the beginning of the week at a good price and couldn't wait any longer (my old TV was broken).

I was about to buy the W4500 but decided to wait on the new model but expected it to take a bit longer. So will be sat watching DVDs tonight

If it's as good as the W4500 I will be more than happy.

Also have a new Sony 995 DVD recorder to go with it.

 

[cmf]

Well I got to see the new 40w5500 today at the new Edinburgh Sony Centre. Performance wise it seemed on a par with the 40w4720 that was adjacent to it, but the real let down is it's appearance. It just doesn't look like a tv that would cost £1000. In place of the clear plastic strip on the bottom of the w4500/w4720 sony have placed a tacky plastic facia that runs the lenght of the tv, the chrone strip that was at the bottom of the w4500 is gone (to be honest never really noticed this before, but it sure does make the w4500/w4720 look good next to the w5500. It really just looks like a black tv frame with a sony badge stuck to the front of it. It has even lost the luminanting sony logo. look forward to hear what you all think of it.

I eagerly await the whathifi review but so far my first impression has challenged my decision to buy this tv.

 

[Anonymous]

Have been keeping an eye in What Hi-Fi for a review on the W5500 series since the W4500 was announced as being replaced. But with my desire for a new TV outwaying my patience to wait for a review I took reciept of my 40W5500 last week. So thought I'd share my opinion for those weighing up whether to go for a W5500 or not.

It's important for me to say I am writing with experience of the 40W4500 as my father owns one.

Firstly the appearance; I'd say it is a simple, classic design without any frills. Would look equally at home wall mounted or on a stand. From a normal viewing distance the front speaker just looks like a speaker, nothing wrong with that!

Initial set up was easy thanks to auto function and picked up more digital channels than my previous set. The more detailed settings were easy to access and change through the menu system. I'd definately reccomend using THX optimiser as the factory setting are, as normal, ridiculously bright!

The standard definition picture through either the intergrated tuner or SD Sky is very impressive. Watching Super 14 Rugby this morning is a pleasure via SD Sky, no pixillation or blurring and the clarity is very impressive. One of the upgraded specs of this from the 4500 is the contrast ratio and in SD the blacks are certainly deep and full of detail.

Running HD via Blu-Ray is simply fantastic. Have run Wall-E, Mama-Mia and Casino Royale so far and the quality is without question on par with the 4500. I would in fact say it is a slight step up. So for those people (like me) who are worried Sony has taken a step backwards fear not. I am waiting for Sky HD to be installed and I cannot wait.

Sound quality is pretty good from the built in speaker, what you'd expect of sound from this source.

So in summary I'd say the 40W5500 performs slightly better than its predecessor, and the looks are a classical design. I look forward to discovering if my analytial skills match that of the What Hi Fi review team!

 

[Anonymous]

Excellent namo64. Thx - look forward to the April issue. Get purchasing guys!

 

[Anonymous]

cmf

Just had w5500 installed 1st impression spot on

having a Humax freesat installed later

What tv56

 

[Anonymous]

I too have to agree with cmf in terms of its looks. I recieved my 40W5500 on Wednesday and exterior wise it doesn't seem worth the £968 I paid for it! The W5500 replaced my Samsung LE40A686 which I personally feel is far more sleeker but hey as long as it performs then its looks are the least of my worries!

And on that note I feel it performs very well, in comparison to the Sammy. When watching a high def movie via Sky+HD, the W5500 looks that little bit sharper in comparison. Unfortunately I haven't got round to buying a surround sound system but the sound from the TV speakers alone are adequate enough. I'm probably being a bit harsh on the Sammy as I only got rid of that as I had flicker problems when playing the Xbox 360 in 1080p. I haven't hooked my 360 up yet so I just hope I don't end up eating my words!!

What the 40W5500 does suffer from however as what I understand most Bravia models do is backlight bleeding. I was watching the end credits of a film, closed the curtains and there was bleeding in all four corners. It wasn't major but nevertheless noticeable. Hopefully this will improve as the TV is worn in but all in all I'm pretty impressed. Whether it will be a worthy successor to the W4500 is a question I hope What Hi Fi answer YESTERDAY!!!

 

[cmf]

just seen the w5710 ( same as w5500) stocked in john lewis, this looks better than the w5500. check out the picture on their website. hope they will price match with robert whyte

 

[Anonymous]

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[ear]

So is it possible to select filme mode instead of video mode?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Our much-anticipated review of Sony's new KDL-40W5500 LCD TV is now online.

 

[cmf]

well so far comparisons between the the w4500 and the w5500 show the following:

w5500 input lag worse (w5500= 17-33ms vs w4500 =0-10ms)

standard definition viewing = w5500 is better than w4500

colour accuracy better on the the w4500 ( this was expected due to change in screen from 10bit to 8bit)

all other features on w5500 are an improvement when compared to the w4500.

so overall

the w5500 is a BETTER tv than the w4500 with great performing features.

it does take a slight hit with colour accuracy and gaming input lag (athought you would not notice this unless you had w4500 set up next to w5500)

 

[Anonymous]

Al Catraz:EDITED BY MODS - please do not discuss moderation.
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[Anonymous]

In this review they also mention that shadow detail is not optimal on W5500. It's from the 32W5500, though, and it seems that the 32+37" models are a little different than the 40"+ models.
FlatpanelsHD W5500 review