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  • Introduction

  • Design

  • Overall Design

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Stand/Mount

  • On-set Controls

  • Remote Control

  • In the Box

  • Connectivity

  • Performance

  • Contrast

  • Color & Greyscale Curves

  • Color Temperature

  • Color Gamut

  • Picture Dynamics

  • Resolution & Formats

  • Viewing Angle

  • Motion Performance

  • Screen Uniformity

  • Audio Quality

  • Power Consumption

  • Calibration

  • Video Modes

  • Software & Internet

  • Browser

  • Apps

  • Other Internet Features

  • Other Media

  • Menu Interface

  • Other Interface Features

  • Instruction Manual

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Screen Performance

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Screen Performance

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Screen Performance

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Conclusion

  • Model Series Comparison

  • Photo Gallery

  • Ratings & Specs

  • Introduction
  • Design
  • Overall Design
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Stand/Mount
  • On-set Controls
  • Remote Control
  • In the Box
  • Connectivity
  • Performance
  • Contrast
  • Color & Greyscale Curves
  • Color Temperature
  • Color Gamut
  • Picture Dynamics
  • Resolution & Formats
  • Viewing Angle
  • Motion Performance
  • Screen Uniformity
  • Audio Quality
  • Power Consumption
  • Calibration
  • Video Modes
  • Software & Internet
  • Browser
  • Apps
  • Other Internet Features
  • Other Media
  • Menu Interface
  • Other Interface Features
  • Instruction Manual
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Screen Performance
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Screen Performance
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Screen Performance
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Conclusion
  • Model Series Comparison
  • Photo Gallery
  • Ratings & Specs

Introduction

Now that the fiery honeymoon period has fizzled to a dull glow, we have the clarity to judge these systems as they are. Some Smart TVs are incredibly useful. They provide the content and control to supplant our urge to use the tablet or Smartphone sitting next to us. Others, are clunky, slow, and confusing. The Smart TV label on these second types is merely a marketing feature, more type to put on a box, not more to offer the consumer.

The Sony {{product.model}} ($899 MSRP), is a 2012, low-end, 1080p Smart TV. We like that Sony has put out a cheaper Smart TV to give online features to the masses, but we don't like their execution. Check out our Software and Internet section of the review to see how Sony has improved, but not quite perfected, their Smart TV interface.

Design

Sony has taken up with the design aesthetic of providing only what you need. Once you have included everything functional, and stripped away all that is unnecessary, a design will feel complete, simple, sleek, and luxurious. This simplicity makes for a comely television that will fit nicely anywhere in your home.

The connectivity is similarly straight to the point, providing what you need in an uncreative layout that we find just to our liking.

Overall Design

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The bezel is made of a stippled gray plastic material. This textured surface is not readily noticeable, so as to not be distracting, but when we tested the reflectivity we saw that it really cut down on the brightness of the bounce light. We feel this design foregrounds the display rather than attempts an overly modern style, or takes over a room with an industrial chunkiness.

Front

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Back

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Sides

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Stand/Mount

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The stand is unobtrusive, made of a thin sheet of black plastic, and connected to a heavy metal neck that swivels about 20º in either direction.

On-set Controls

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There are manual controls located out of sight on the right side of the display. There are grooves in the shape of a plus sign on both the volume and channel buttons that help you know where you are in the dark. The layout makes sense such that you will know exactly where the buttons are without having to look at them at all.

Remote Control

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We could not be anything but disappointed with this remote. There is no way to emphasize enough that if you add advanced features to a television, you need to add advanced controls to a remote. How can the old remote possibly be useful for a brand new generation of television?

Now that we have seen new generations of remotes, clever devices using a full keyboard, or RF connectivity for a computer mouse-like experience, we can't go back.

We could say things like, these buttons have excellent tactile feedback, and the weight of the remote is great, but who cares? This remote is responsible for much more than changing channels and it is just not up to the task. Lack of control hinders every feature of the Smart TV experience. When there are better remotes out there to help you cruise through the Smart TV world, why bother with something that doesn't quite work?

In the Box

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In the box we found a television, a remote, batteries, a USB dock adapter, a WiFi adapter dongle, a manual, warranty documents, and a quick setup guide.

Connectivity

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Breadth and simplicity are what we like to see when checking out the connectivity on a TV. Sony has accomplished both of these by offering four HDMI ports, two USB ports, a component and composite each, several audio connections, and a cable connector.

Getting creative with the ports arrangement is never necessary, especially because it is covered up when looking at the TV from the front. Sony keeps this arrangement simple, using both a side cutout and a back panel. The labeling is all there, and the stand neck swivels for easy access. We like it.

The ports are all on the back or on a cutout on the left side of the display. The cutout on the side is for easy access. Sony gives you an HDMI port for quick hookup of game systems, a composite connection for AV devices and two USB ports for quick media demonstrations. These are just great placement decisions made by a veteran company in the television industry.

Performance

From this low-end Sony we got about what we expected: a very average performance. Nothing stood out to us as notably above average, while none of our picture quality tests returned really poor results either. We could mention the uniformity though, something that has plagued Sony LED models for over a year. Most LED backlit and edgelit televisions have trouble suppressing the lighting elements from shining through the display. We saw some pretty egregious flashlighting artifacts on this screen, something we could see when the picture was completely black, as well as with shadowy content.

Contrast

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The black level is driving all of the contrast ratios in our comparison chart below. The {{product.name}} does not have a great black level, and thus not the best contrast ratio of the bunch. A ratio of over 2000:1 is pretty strong however. It is certainly good enough to show a vivid picture. More on how we test contrast.

Color & Greyscale Curves

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These curves look smooth enough, but their slope is a little off. You can see at the left side of the chart that all of these lines, the primary colors and the grayscale line, coast along horizontally at 0 luminance for a while, before they start to curve towards the peak brightness. Starting to increase in luminance almost a quarter of the way into the input spectrum, these lines need to increase too quickly to reach peak brightness. The result of the shape of these curves is an overall loss of detail throughout the spectrum, but mostly in the darkest shadows where everything will be completely black. There is a lack of distinction between values to show differences between objects shown in low luminance. From middle gray to the brightest values, some detail is lost because the colors need to increase too quickly and thus miss out on some of the finer gradations. More on how we test color performance.

Color Temperature

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There are some slight cooling errors going on here for most of the spectrum, which switch into a warming error at the darkest end of the input spectrum. These errors are so slight as to be almost unnoticeable. When we look for them, we have a hard time seeing a difference, the casual consumer will probably see no tinting of their picture. More on how we test color temperature.

Color Gamut

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The measured colors on the {{product.model}} adhere to the international standard set of HDTV colors called the Rec. 709 reasonably well. That is, except for the blue values. You can see that blues are oversaturated and skewed towards the purple as well. The white point is the most accurate. You will see some brilliantly bright and unaffected white values on this Sony. More on how we test color temperature.

Picture Dynamics

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Like most LCD models, the {{product.model}} does not dim or brighten the picture depending on what is shown on the screen. We change the area of white and black rectangles, measuring the luminance in the middle of the screen, to see if we can record any differences in luminance. None were recorded here, a result that we like to see. More on how we test picture dynamics.

Resolution & Formats

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The {{product.name}} displays natively at 1080p and can handle all ATSC and NTSC formats.

Viewing Angle

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The angle at which the contrast ratio drops below 50% of the recorded value at the center of the screen is where we mark the extent of the viewing angle. The {{product.model}} showed us a very wide angle for an LCD model. You can see that only the VIZIO in the chart matches up to this Sony.

We shined some LED lights at this screen to see how well the {{product.model}} could handle electric lights in the same room. The bezel uses a stippled gray plastic that really cuts down on reflectivity. The screen itself was a little too much like glass, reflecting the lights brightly enough that we could see our reflection.

Motion Performance

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We tested the motion performance, as we always do, by moving a series of pictures back and forth across the screen while activating the motion processing features as much as possible. The {{product.model}} comes with Sony's MotionFlow 240Hz technology, a motion interpolation function that smooths motion by adding new frames between frames of originally recorded content. This function does work to make motion smoother, but it also destroys the quality of any film based content. It is best used when watching sports, best turned off when watching just about anything else.

When we did so, we saw that some of the rectangular pictures distorted into parallelograms, a result of a slower processor unable to move all parts of the picture at the same time. In photographs, we saw some blur of finer details, like faces and tightly knit lines. There was also some color trailing of bright colors, remnants of previous frames still on the screen. In all of the images, especially high density patterns, the pictures picked up some jagged edges on the outside and some throughout the center of image. None of these errors was overly significant, but taken all together, the motion performance is considered sub par.

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Screen Uniformity

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We saw some big problems here. The corners of the screen were especially noticeable. On an all-black screen, the edgelights showed through like light towers at a movie premiere. These lights cast a long, uneven haze throughout the picture that reached the center of the screen, making everything really blotchy. When watching shadowy content, these lights were obvious. It's not what you want to see when watching a serious or spooky scene. Screen uniformity has been a problem for edgelit LED models, but especially for those produced by Sony. It seems they have not quite learned a lesson yet.

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Audio Quality

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Turning the volume all the way up to 100 would have been too loud for us. We were surprised by how much volume came out of standard 10W speakers. We played content with guns, screaming, aliens, and a hefty helping of explosive material to test these speakers and found them to be strong. In addition, we tested the surround sound feature. This function did not give us the impression of a surround sound system, but it did seem to improve the quality, as we could hear detail in the softest whispers all the way to the loudest destruction noises. We recommend watching just about any content with this feature turned on.

Power Consumption

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For an average year, the {{product.model}} does not consume that much electricity. We noticed that adjusting the backlight had no affect on the wattage required to power this TV. Adjusting from 10, the maximum backlight setting, down to five, the {{product.model}} still used 66W.

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Calibration

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This TV is easy to calibrate. In custom mode, the settings are almost exactly in line with our results. The major difference is that we jack up the backlight all the way for the brightest possible picture, an adjustment that does not affect any other performance of the TV. We did notice some pretty bad flashlighting of the backlights, and increasing or decreasing the backlight did not help the situation because the brightness shining through the display was linearly related to how bright the picture was itself.

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All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

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Video Modes

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If you look for video modes in the settings menu, there are only three, Vivid, Standard, and Custom. If you press the Scene button on the remote, there are eight preset visual and audio modes. Sure, whatever.

Software & Internet

Browser

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The browser is barely usable. All you have at your disposal is a directional pad and the number keys to navigate the largest collection of information mankind has ever assembled. Typing in URLs is a pain. You have to type each number key enough times to get the right letter. There are no present .com or .org buttons on the screen, making the process even more tedious than it needs be. Selecting links within a website is another chore. The only way to navigate a page is to press the directional buttons until your link is highlighted, which can take a while and requires repeated button mashing.

Two years ago, we may have been charmed by a web browser on our TV. Now, we know it can be better than this inept interface. Sony has had plenty of time to come up with a creative solution to poor interface design, yet they have settled for the lowest common denominator. We have seen some excellent innovations from companies like Samsung and LG; new ideas that are essential to the new functionality of Smart TVs. It does not make sense that the old way of operating a TV should work for all of the new functions contained therein. We consider this a huge drawback to buying this television. If you want to spend the extra money for a Smart TV, why would you pay to have one that is hard to use?

The magic remote makes the on-screen keyboard very easy to use.

Apps

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The SEN has a front page where your video feed becomes a box next to an Apps section, a Video section, a Music section, and a Favorites section where you can customize your SEN content for quick access. The Apps section contains all of the premium streaming partners, like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant watch, and strangely no Vudu, a streaming video partner available on the Sony PS3. The Video section is a Sony pay-per-view service called Unlimited Video that certainly does not have unlimited videos. In fact, the service is not even ready yet. The Music section is a monthly fee service that allows you to listen to new music or a nice list of genre oriented radio stations right on your TV.

This is all well and good, but Sony uses the word apps to describe two entirely different sets of online features. First, there are the premium streaming partners that we discussed above, under the header "apps" in the SEN section of the online content. Then, there is the Internet Apps button on the remote, which opens up Yahoo Internet Apps, silly little items that appear as a bar along the bottom of the screen and provide information like the weather, stock fluctuation, and images from the Daily Puppy.

You cannot get to these apps from the SEN, nor can you get to the internet browser from there. All things are again located in different areas, this year the differences are just different from last year, in case you got used to the previously mismanaged interface.

LG 3D world has more streaming 3D content by the day.

Other Internet Features

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One of the big marketing features is the ability to play games from your mobile media device up on your big screen. This includes your PSPs, which could be really cool played 40 inches big with no wires or other connections. Unfortunately, we did not have a Vita in our office, but we think you will enjoy this feature if you have portable Sony devices.

Other Media

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The USB media port works just fine. Plug in a USB compatible device and the {{product.model}} will recognize that there is playable content and bring you to a main menu. From here, you can select photos, video, or music from your device, with the ability to make a slideshow, using a mix of photos and music. You can control the transitions, the zoom, and the speed of the slides by clicking the options button on the remote. This Sony comes with a USB extender dock, making it easy to plug in devices like a Flip camera, or anything else with an attached USB connector.

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Rather than trying to keep the settings and the advanced features in the same convoluted menu system, the settings are now in a more standard interface. Pressing the Home button brings up a small menu on the bottom left side of the screen, where the bottommost option is settings. The settings menu opens up into a full screen transparency that works like every other settings menu we have seen.

This interface is a vast improvement over last year. Sony TVs from 2011 tried to borrow interface cues from the PS3, a device that won awards for menu design. The mechanical navigation of these menus was similar, however the menus themselves were a vast, winding maze of disorganization. Sony has scrapped this idea in favor of straight-forward text based menus.

Other Interface Features

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In previous years, Sony could not figure out what they wanted to do with all their Smart TV content called apps. There were small pockets of online content located in several different menus, the organization of which did not make any sense to us. This year, Sony has attempted to take after other successful brands by creating a single interface with all - or in this case most - of the online features. By pressing the Home button on the remote, a small menu opens up on the bottom left side of the screen which gives you a quick, non-flashy look at all of the features contained here. This is really an improvement over previous years advanced features menu, but it is not customizable, so only the premium apps are featured here. Furthermore, this is not the only way to get to the online features, there are several buttons on the remote that bring you to limited functionality, like the SEN button which shows you a list of apps, but does not allow access to the Yahoo apps or the web browser.

Instruction Manual

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The instruction manual has its plusses. There is a table of contents, an index, and helpful pictures along the way. With so much functionality in a Smart TV, Sony does a great job explaining it all and referencing it as well. You should be able to find what you need quickly and succinctly.

A manual for so many TV models, they have to be further categorized by type.

Value Comparison

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This comparison allows you to see the differences between last years EX620 model, and this year's EX640 version of the same level of Sony television. We are unimpressed with this new generation, showing regression in the most of the major performance categories. The biggest improvement is in the menu system, where the user interface has gained a bit of simplicity over last years mess of segregated features.

Blacks & Whites

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The EX620 from last year had a deeper black level and a very similar peak brightness, yielding a much better contrast ratio than the EX640 from this year.

Color Accuracy

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In both major color testing categories, the EX620 from last year had more accurate colors than this years EX640. So far, there's not too much going for the EX640.

Screen Performance

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The EX640 from 2012 has a wider viewing angle than its predecessor, but with the same MotionFlow 240Hz technology, motion processing should be exactly the same.

Connectivity

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There important connectivity difference between these two is that the EX640 from 2012 comes with a wireless adapter dongle, so you can set this Smart TV up anywhere in your home. It does not need to be near a hub or a wall connection to get online.

Other Comparisons

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We did notice a strong improvement in the byzantine menu system of last year. This year, the advanced features are coordinated in a simpler menu called Home, but there are also some grand improvements to be made here as well.

Value Comparison

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We think the Samsung UN46D6000 is a better deal if you are looking into the Smart TV market. The performance proved to be better in most categories, but the online features are just that much more usable. You will be happier with the Samsung UN46D6000 than the {{product.name}}.

Blacks & Whites

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With a much deeper black level, the Samsung UN46D6000 has a broader contrast ratio by far over the {{product.name}}.

Color Accuracy

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Though the color temperature score for the Samsung UN46D6000 is not as high as the {{product.name}}, we find that analyzing the graph shows that there is only one error, which occurs in the darkest part of the spectrum where images are too dark to be tinted anyway. The addition of much better (as in much smoother and more detail throughout) color curves means that the Samsung UN46D6000 outperforms the {{product.name}} significantly.

Screen Performance

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The Samsung UN46D6000 has a narrower viewing angle by about half, but we liked the motion processing on the Samsung system better than the Sony.

Connectivity

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The number and selection of ports is identical. The Samsung has all the ports arranged in an L-shape cutout on the side, whereas the Sony has some on a side cutout and the rest coming out the back.

Other Comparisons

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Comparing the Sony Smart TV interface to the Samsung Smart Hub will show you the difference between what we think is great, and a shoddy attempt at advanced features. Even with the improvement over last years interface, this Sony is no match for the Samsung Smart Hub .

Value Comparison

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These two are pretty even all things considered. We think the VIZIO might have a better value if you are looking for a low-end Smart TV. The VIZIO by now is significantly cheaper than this Sony and the performance is similarly average.

Blacks & Whites

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It's all about the black level. You can see that with a higher peak brightness, the VIZIO does not have a better contrast ratio than the {{product.name}}.

Color Accuracy

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Maybe it does not match up in contrast ratio, but this VIZIO has color accuracy to spare. Better color curves, a perfect color temperature, and a much more accurate color gamut show that this cheaper VIZIO outdoes the Sony here.

Screen Performance

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These two have almost identical viewing angles, both of them wide for an LCD screen. The motion performance is similarly comparable.

Connectivity

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The connectivity is similar, but there is no DLNA option for the VIZIO. This means that you cannot watch videos from mobile devices on your VIZIO screen, but you certainly can with this Sony.

Other Comparisons

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There may not be as much online content on this older VIZIO as there is with this Sony, but it is easier to handle. The VIZIO remote has a full keyboard to search through the options quickly, and a singular, straightforward interface.

Conclusion

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The {{product.model}} ($899 MSRP) is a low-end, 1080p Smart TV from Sony in 2012. We like that they are producing a cheaper Smart TV, hitting a niche audience that wants online features, no 3D, and a good television.

The menu system and the performance are definitely acceptable. We saw great improvements in the Smart TV interface compared to Sony's attempt at advanced features last year. The Home menu puts together everything you need in one easy-access list. In every one of the performance categories, we recorded reasonable numbers, making this TV of standard quality.

Within these brighter points, there are some drawbacks. Though the menu system has improved, it's still not close to being the best. Online features are still spread about into different pockets, which are hard to access laterally. Every option must be exited to get to the next one. Furthermore, the remote has no more functionality than older remotes, making navigation all the more difficult. We have seen so many innovations on the remote, features that pander to Smart TV usability, that to give consumers anything less is just cop-out. Another down note is the flashlighting of the edgelights. Sony continuously has trouble with flashlighting artifacts, even in their top-tier models, and the {{product.model}} is yet another example.

In the end, we have a very average Smart TV that is not as easy to use as the better performing competition. Take a look at other models, and you will probably find something that better suits your needs.

Model Series Comparison

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The KDL-xxEX640 series describes three large panels from Sony, each displaying at 1080p, lit along the edge of the bezel by powerful LED lights. Each of these models comes with MotionFlow 240Hz technology, a wireless adapter dongle, and access to the online Sony Entertainment Netowrk.

{{photo_gallery "Design Landing Page Photo", "Front Tour Image", "Back Tour Image", "Sides Tour Image", "Connectivity Tour Image 1", "Connectivity Tour Image 2", "Stand Photo", "Controls Photo", "Remote Control Photo", "3D Landing Page Photo", "3D Menu Photo", "3D Glasses Photo", "Connectivity Extra Photo", "Software and Internet Landing Page Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo", "Instruction Manual Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo", "Browser 1 Photo", "Browser 2 Photo", "Browser 3 Photo", "Apps 1 Photo", "Apps 2 Photo", "Apps 3 Photo"}}

Ratings & Specs

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Meet the tester

Christian Sherden

Christian Sherden

Staff Writer

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Christian Sherden is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

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