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  • Introduction

  • Tour & Design

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Calibration

  • Remote Control

  • Connectivity

  • Audio & Menus

  • Formats & Media

  • Power Consumption

  • Vs Sharp LC 40E67UN

  • Vs Sony KDL 40S5100

  • Vs Vizio SV471XVT

  • Conclusion

  • Series Comparison

  • Introduction
  • Tour & Design
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Calibration
  • Remote Control
  • Connectivity
  • Audio & Menus
  • Formats & Media
  • Power Consumption
  • Vs Sharp LC 40E67UN
  • Vs Sony KDL 40S5100
  • Vs Vizio SV471XVT
  • Conclusion
  • Series Comparison

Introduction

The TV backs up these features with some good picture quality overall, though it was prone to artifacting and its color gamut wandered outside industry standards.

The KDL-40W5100 currently retails for about $1500.

Tour & Design

Front


The front of the Sony KDL-40W5100 has a large LCD display, oddly enough. The bezel is glosy black plastic. The bottom right corner has a few indicator LEDs.

 

Back


The back of the TV consists of a bunch of unimportant features and a valuable cluster of ports towards the right side.

For information about the ports on the back of the Sony KDL-40W5100 see our Connectivity section.

 

Sides


The right side of the TV is where the on-set controls live. The left side of the TV is home to a strip of ports.

For information about the ports on the back of the Sony KDL-40W5100 see our Connectivity section.

Stand/Mount


The stand is glossy black plastic and features a beveled edge. It doesn't swivel, which makes reaching the TV's ports more difficult than it needs to be.

 

Controls


The controls consist of the basics and not much else.

 

Remote Control


The remote is standard Sony fare. It's long, slim, and has buttons whose size doesn't necessarily correspond to their importance.

 

In The Box*(6.0)*


The Sony KDL-40W5100 ships with a manual, remote and batteries. There isn't a cleaning cloth, HDMI cable, or other goodies. We thought the TV was easy enough to set up: just drop the TV on the stand at the appropriate angle, tighten screws in the designated areas, and you're all set up.

Aesthetics*(6.0)*


The Sony KDL-40W5100's looks aren't going knock anyone's socks off. We don't particularly like the very visible infrared port and indicator labels on the front. We also found the grey/blue color of the bezel a bit off-putting. It is a very simple design, however, and should fade into your decor easily.

Blacks & Whites

Black Level*(6.29)*


Deep blacks are a much sought-after quality. A deep black gives the potential for more detail in dark scenes. A TV without a low black level has a sort of 'bright' darkness that most find visually unappealing.

The KDL-40W5100 wasn't capable of a particularly impressive black level. When displaying an all-black screen, the TV still output about 0.22 candelas per square meter (cd/m2). To put this in context, 0.1cd/m2 is typically the threshold of a 'good' black level: below 0.1 cd/m2 is great, above is not so great. Although the KDL-40W5100 falls squarely into the category of 'not so great,' it wasn't that bad compared to other LCDs. As you can see in the chart below, some LCDs can get up to 0.4 cd/m2 or higher. Don't expect some crazy plasma-esque black level from the KDL-40W5100, but expect it to be decent for an LCD.

 

 

One of the KDL-40W5100's 'features' is dynamic backlighting, which can't be turned off. Dynamic backlighting is bad because it causes a loss in detail for the brighter parts of a dark scene. In the KDL-40W5100's case, the feature seems to have some intelligence behind it: if the center of the screen is bright, the screen won't dim. We noted that the backlight only dimmed when the middle 80% of the screen (or more) was dark. 

 

Peak Brightness*(9.38)*


The screen was capable of a healthy peak brightness. We measured an all-white screen at 407.82 cd/m2. This is much brighter than average. The bonuses of a bright screen include better detailing in bright scenes and less interference from outside light. With a low peak brightness, a nearby light source might wash out the content on the screen. The only thing that'll cause much of an issue with the KDL-40W5100 is if it's by a window and catches the sun.

 

Contrast*(7.07)*


Contrast refers to the ratio of the brightest white to the darkest black. Contrast is an important aspect of picture quality, because our eyes are very sensitive to it. A viewer would have more difficulty seeing fine details on a screen with a poor contrast ratio than they would on a screen with a higher ratio.

The KDL-40W5100 had a weak black level and a high peak brightness. We measured the contrast ratio at about 1853:1, which is average for an LCD. This means you might lose some minor details, but the lost clarity won't be anything that would bug the average viewer.

 

Tunnel Contrast*(8.77)*


Our tunnel contrast test checks to make sure the TV's black levels maintain consistency, regardless of how much of the screen is actually black. Although the KDL-40W5100 has dynamic backlighting, it's unlikely to affect normal viewing too adversely. The only issue that might crop up is that the dynamic backlight could be a bit jarring. Once the TV recognizes it's displaying a dark scene, the backlight dims slowly and evenly. After a set time, however, there's an abrupt two-stage dim with no transition between the start, middle step, or end result. 

 

White Falloff*(9.80)*


This test is an inverse of the above test. Here, we're checking consistency in white levels. Ideally, a fully white screen should have the same brightness as a tiny block of white on an otherwise black screen. Typically plasmas do poorly on this test: they can display small blocks of white, but the block will dim as it gets larger. This 'white falloff' happens because otherwise the TV would run too hot.

The KDL-40W5100 performed well on this test, like most LCDs. We thought it was interesting that the dynamic backlighting didn't come into play here, even when only 5% of the screen's center was white. Again, it seems the dynamic backlighting feature looks at where the brightness is occurring; if the bright area is close to the center of the screen, the dynamic backlighting won't activate.

 

Uniformity*(7.88)*


Screen uniformity can often affect picture quality, but has nothing to do with the TV's actual performance. A non-uniform screen might have blotchy patches, darkened edges, or overly-bright corners.

While the KDL-40W5100 had a uniform screen overall, it did have some issues. When the screen was black, we noticed a darker circle on the left side of the screen. The left-most half of this circle was haloed by a brighter patch. This effect didn't seem to affect picture quality much, however. The only other issues we saw were dimming around the edges and flashlighting in the corners. 

 

 

Greyscale Gamma*(5.42)*


Greyscale gamma refers to the curve along which grays darken to black or brighten to white. We measured the Sony KDL-40S5100's gamma at 2.96, which is much higher than the ideal of 2.2. A gamma that's close to three leads to washed out details in certain areas.

The TV does have a gamma control, and we were able to get the gamma down to a more acceptible level using it. Unfortunately, altering the gamma in this way had adverse effects on the color temperature and RGB response. If you don't mind taking a hit to color accuracy, boost the Gamma up to +3 to boost detailing.

 

Resolution Scaling*(8.41)*


Just because a TV says '1080p' on the side doesn't mean it's always displaying 1080p content. In fact, unless you're exclusively watching Blu-ray discs, it probably spends more of its time displaying other formats. Standard definition broadcast TV runs at 480p, DVDs play at 720p, and broadcast HD content is 1080i. In order to play these other formats, it has to do a lot of internal processing to upscale these lower-resolution formats to fit on its 1080p display.

480p*(8.18)*

The KDL-40W5100 did a good job with standard definition content. We didn't see any major issues that aren't inherent with displaying lower resolution content. The only thing we can really complain about is the screen is somewhat off-center on its horizontal axis. There was a 3% overscan on the right side of the screen and a 4% overscan on the left side of the screen. The top and bottom had a 3% overscan.

720p*(7.80)*

The KDL-40W5100 didn't have many issues with 720p either. It had slightly less overscan and had slightly less artifacting than we saw in 480p. Text ran together a bit more than in standard definition, however. Also, we saw some color bleed in fine patterns: black and white lines looked more like black and light gray lines.

1080i*(9.25)*

Although it had some issues with the previous two formats, the KDL-40W5100 had barely any issues with 1080i. Text was legible, we didn't see fine patterns shifting into weird, artifacted versions of themselves, and we didn't see any issues with resolution. 

Color Accuracy

 

Color Temperature*(9.89)*


For our color temperature test, we run through the greyscale and check to make sure the TV's color temperature hasn't shifted. Since no actual colors are involved, color temperature should remain stable throughout. Typically the color temperature will shift by imperceptible amounts. Sometimes, however, the greys will acquire a perceptible color cast.

First of all, we were able to get the KDL-40W5100's color temperature very close to ideal. With our calibration, you'll get a temperature of 6511K, which is remarkably close to the ideal 6500K. The 6500K measure represents the sky on a cloudy day, and is generally used as a point of reference.

The KDL-40W5100 didn't have any issues on this test. Almost all the minor shifts in color temperature stayed under the limit of perceptibility.

 

RGB Curves*(7.83)*


Every color on your TV is made by combining red, green, and blue. On this test, we determine how well the TV emulates each of these three colors. 

In the above graph, the red, green, and blue lines illustrate each color's progression from dark to bright. The curves are smooth for the most part and uniformly concave. There are some imperfections towards the brighter end of the spectrum, but these blips are relatively minor in scale. Blue and red both peak slightly towards the very end, meaning you're losing a bit of detail in the most intense blues and reds. Chances are this will rarely crop up during normal viewing.

Below are the individual response curves, shown as a progression from brightest to darkest.

 

 

 

Color Gamut*(5.53)*


Every TV is required to display the same color gamut, according to an international standard. This standard, called rec. 709, dictates the coordinates of the maximum green, red, and blue. Very few TVs that we've tested follow it to the letter, though.

The KDL-40W5100 does an alright job adhering to the color gamut, but oversaturates its blues and greens slightly.

 

Below lists the coordinates of each of the three color points as well as the white point. The final column is how far off each point is from ideal.

 

Motion

 

Motion Smoothness*(6.75)*


The KDL-40W5100 features a 120Hz mode called MotionFlow. Without it on, movement is very blurry. Setting it to 'Standard' will reduce blur, but setting it to 'High' just made the image look cartoonish. Even with MotionFlow turned on, however, solid colors left trails behind them as they moved and the lines of patterns blurred together slightly. These issues only get worse if you're in 1080i mode.

Motion Artifacting*(5.75)*


Artifacts are anything displayed on the TV that shouldn't be. The KDL-40W5100 had some problems here. In 1080p mode, we saw some rolling shudder as a static picture panned around the screen. When solid colors move and create a blur, the edges of the blur are bright and a different color than they should be. When fine patterns marched around the screen, we again saw a rolling shudder effect and some lines trailed a thin rainbow behind them. In 1080i mode, we saw these same issues, only worse. This isn't surprising: interlacing requires a lot of processing, which typically results in artifacting. 

 

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps*(9.25)*


The KDL-40W5100 handled 3:2 pulldown well, providing you turn on the TV's CineMotion control. We found that, with CineMotion off, there were flashing artifacts. When it's turned to 'Auto 1,' we saw virtually no artifacting. The 'Auto 2' mode had very minor artifacting. Even with CineMotion, we saw a little bit of judder and a crawling effect on fine patterns. 

Viewing Effects

Viewing Angle*(4.54)*


The Sony KDL-40W5100's viewing angle is pretty shallow. Contrast ratio drops below 50% once you get more than 19º away from dead center. While this is very shallow compared to plasmas, compared to other LCDs the KDL-40W5100 isn't bad. 

 

Reflectance*(7.25)*


For this test, we shine an LED array at the screen to see how it reacts to the external light. The KDL-40W5100 diffuses incoming light to a certain extent, which creates a bit of a glow around them and softens the reflection a bit. When the screen is bright, we could still see the individual LEDs in the array. When the screen was dark, the light streaked across the screen horizontally and vertically, creating a faint cross pattern. Although the streaks caused the reflection are a bit eye-catching, they'll only appear if the light is shining directly at the TV. The KDL-40W5100 didn't have any issues with light shining onto the screen from an angle.

Video Processing*(3.5)*


Manufacturers love to pack HDTVs with video processing features, and Sony is no exception. Below we've listed the KDL-40W5100's array of options, what Sony says they do, and our impressions of what they actually do. Many of these features hinge on boosting a certain spectrum of light, which blows out some detailing in those areas.

 

Calibration

Calibration


[

](http://www.displaymate.com/)Very few TVs come out of the box precisely calibrated to offer the best possible picture. To make sure we're scoring based on a TV's best possible performance, our first step in the review process is to calibrate the set. To do so, we use a CS-200 ChromaMeter to take measurements and DisplayMate, which is a television calibration program.

Below are all the settings we used to achieve optimal picture quality. While these settings will be fine for most users, you can alternatively pay someone to come into your home to calibrate your TV for you. The bonus of purchasing this service is your TV will be specifically calibrated to fit your viewing environment.

 

 

 

Video Modes


The KDL-40W5100 offers the standard Sony video modes. Below we've listed them with a description of what Sony says they do.

 

Remote Control

Ergonomics & Durability*(6.9)*


The Sony KDL-40W5100 uses the standard Sony remote. It's comprised of shiny black plastic with colorful buttons and has a long, slim form factor. The underside of the remote is riged, which should help provide some grip. The remote is well-balanced and feels fairly light in hand. Shifting your to access different buttons can cause the balance to be thrown off a little. The remote also lacks a backlight, which is annoying for watching TV in the dark.

 

Button Layout & Use*(5.5)*


The remote has good button layout, with one confusing exception. The remote is balanced so the d-pad is where you thumb naturally falls, and the important buttons tend to fall around this area. The volume and channel controls, however, are located way at the bottom of the remote. The two most commonly used buttons should have fallen closer to the d-pad for easier access.

Aside from this issue, we didn't have many problems. Some of the buttons were too small, but the important ones were a good size. Labels were clear, if sometimes tiny. Overall, this isn't the greatest remote we've seen, but it's far from the worst.

 

Programming & Flexibility*(1.0)*


Like previous Sony remotes, the KDL-40W5100's can be used to control other Sony products. This is infinitely less useful than universal compatibility.

 

 

Connectivity

Input Ports*(8.0)*


Like most TVs, the KDL-40W5100 has ports on its side and back. The port cluster on the left side has a VGA input with corresponding 3.5mm audio jack, three HDMI ports, an S-Video port, a composite video in, and a set of analog audio inputs.

The back of the TV has two component video inputs, three analog audio inputs, a fourth HDMI, and an RF input.

 

 

Output Ports*(2.0)*


There are two output ports on the back of the TV: an analog audio out and a digital audio out. Most TVs offer these ports.

 

Other Connections*(3.0)*


The back of the TV has a LAN port, which allows the TV to access online content.

 

Media*(1.0)*


The USB port on the left side of the TV lets users connect a flash drive to play back media.

 

Placement*(7.0)*


The ports have good placement overall: both are clustered towards one corner of the TV. The only complaint we had was this cluster is indented a bit far from the edge of the set, which is mildly inconvenient. The stand doesn't swivel, which is another minor inconvenience. Compared to many of the TVs we've reviewed, however, the KDL-40W5100 has great port placement.

Audio & Menus

Audio Quality*(3.5)*


The Sony KDL-40W5100's speakers aren't very good. We thought they sounded tinny, muffled, and flat. The sound didn't have a lot of presence. There are two features you can use to improve things slightly: Sound Enhancer and Surround Sound mode. The former helps reduce the muted, muffled sound, while the latter improves presence slightly. We'd recommend buying external speakers for this TV.

 

Menu Interface*(6.0)*


If you like your Playstation 3, you'll love the The KDL-46W5100's menu system. Pressing the menu button will bring up a horizontal row of options that expand vertically. The menu is attractive, but its layout might be somewhat confusing to some. The menu also has a few annoying quirks.

The main thing that annoyed us about the menu is that it doesn't loop around. Typically you can skip from the first to the last item in a menu list. Sony doesn't believe in this, however, which makes navigation a pain. The menu also seems to lag slightly.

While neither issue is deal-breaking for the average user, they are annoying little quirks. Overall, we still liked the menu system.

 

Manual*(6.0)*


The KDL-46W5100's manual is mildly helpful, but doesn't contain many navigation aids. There's a table of contents at the stard, tabs on the edges of each page, and a very sparse index. We thought the font and pictures were a bit on the small side, but should be readable for the average person. Diagrams are a bit more confusing than they need to be, with arrows radiating somewhat haphazardly.

Sony offers several online manuals, which can be viewed here.

 

Formats & Media

Formats*(10.0)*


The Sony KDL-46W5100 can display HD in full 1080p, which is the highest HD format currently avaialable. This means all your Blu-ray discs can be played at maximum resolution. The TV can also play back the other lower-resolution formats, but doesn't support an extended color gamut. 

 

Photo Playback*(2.5)*


The KDL-46W5100 has a very basic photo viewer. From the photo menu, you can select a USB drive, then navigate through its folder hierarchy. Photos are displayed in this view as thumbnails. Selecting a thumbnail will display the picture in fullscreen mode. There aren't any fancy playback features, like slideshow transitions or the option to play back music as you browse through your photos.

 

Music & Video Playback*(4.0)*


The TV supports both music and video playback. Selecting a track or clip will close out of the menu and jump to a playback application. Re-entering the menu will drop you back where you left off, which is a nice feature (typically the menu doesn't remember what you were highlighting last). The TV supports album art for music. 

 

Streaming Playback*(6.3)*


Like the KDL-46Z5100, the KDL-40W5100 has an impressive array of streaming content available. There's currently one streaming radio provider, Slacker, which allows you to play stations based on genre. The video side of things has over 20 content providers, including YouTube, Amazon Unboxed, Yahoo, and CBS. In addition, Sony allows you to access dozens of video podcasts. Virtually all of these venues provide free content.

The TV also has a small array of widgets, with the promise of more down the road. You can currently download widgets for weather, finances, and news, courtesy of Yahoo.

 

Other Media*(0.0)*


The TV has no other media playback features, such as an integrated DVD or Blu-ray player.

Power Consumption

Power Consumption*(8.86)*


When pricing out a TV, most shoppers neglect to factor in the yearly cost of a set. Most TVs aren't very expensive to run, but if you're looking to save your pennies, it's a good figure to keep in mind. Fortunately for those on a budget, the KDL-46W5100 has an inexpensive upkeep. For $22.87 per year, you can keep the KDL-40W5100 glowing at a reasonable brightness. 

Below is a chart with the KDL-40W5100 and a few of its peers. All of these sets are on the cheap side of things, but the KDL-40W5100 manages to out-cheap its competition.

 

Vs Sharp LC 40E67UN

Value Comparison Summary


The Sharp is a budget option in for a 40-inch LCD. The Sony represents the other end of the spectrum, with a slew of additional media features for its users' enjoyment. The most valuable of these features is online connectivity. Typically TVs with a LAN port offer a few widgets and are supported by a handful of content providers. Sony's online features are far more impressive than other TVs we've reviewed, boasting over 20 content providers plus an extensive list of video podcasts. This extensive portfolio of online content comes at a hefty price, however, as the Sony's price is twice that of the Sharp.

Blacks & Whites


The Sharp was capable of a much deeper black than the Sony was. Even though the Sony was brighter, the Sharp's black level gave it a better overall contrast ratio.

The Sony is capable of a comparable black level, but achieves it with an automatic backlight dimmer. Since this reduces the luster of the bright colors onscreen as well, this artificially deep black won't realistically result in a better contrast ratio.

 

Color Accuracy


Neither of the two TVs in question had an issue with their color temperatures. The Sharp will have a very slight reddish tint to its whites, while the Sony will run imperceptibly cool. Both TVs had above average RGB performance, though the Sharp edged out the Sony slightly. Both TVs also had some imperfections with their color gamuts.

 

 

 

Motion


The Sony had less blurring and artifacting than the Sharp. The Sony had a 120Hz mode to help with blurring and a few modes to help reduce artifacting while displaying certain content.

 

Viewing Effects


Neither of the two TVs in question have impressive viewing angles. Although the Sony technically has a wider viewing angle than the Sharp, it's not by a significant amount.

 

Connectivity


Both TVs have roughly the same number of ports. The Sony has more media playback options, however, thanks to its USB and Lan port.

 

Other Comparisons


As mentioned in the connectivity section above, the Sony has access to additional media playback features, thanks to its USB and LAN ports. Typically these features aren't significant, but the Sony has an enormous array of online video content available.

Additionally, both TVs have relatively poor audio quality. Either way you decide to go, pick up some speakers.

Vs Sony KDL 40S5100

Value Comparison Summary


Both of these TVs are offered by Sony, both are 40 inches and both have 1080p displays. The TVs also have similar picture quality overall. The main differences between the two are in price and online capabilities. The KDL-40W5100 has the higher price and the ability to access a significant amount of online content. If an extensive library of streaming video is up your alley, the KDL-40W5100 is for you. If you're looking for a 40-inch TV without the bells and whistles of a LAN port, the KDL-40S5100 is probably a better option.

Blacks & Whites


The KDL-40S5100 had a much deeper black level than the KDL-40W5100, but has a much lower peak white. Regardless, the KDL-40S5100 came out with a better overall contrast ratio. 

 

Color Accuracy


Through a mildly interesting mathmatical coincidence, both TVs had exactly the same color temperature score. Although they both had different foibles, neither one had any real issues. Both also had similar RGB results and color gamuts. This isn't surprising considering both are Sony Bravia TVs.

 

 

 

Motion


The KDL-40W5100 out-performed the KDL-40S5100 on our motion tests. The KDL-40S5100 tended to suffer from more blur and artifacting. 

Viewing Effects


While neither TV had a particularly impressive viewing angle, the KDL-40W5100's was slightly wider than the KDL-40S5100's. 

Connectivity


Herein lies the major difference between these two series: the KDL-40W5100 has a USB and LAN port while the KDL-40S5100 does not. On a more minor note, the KDL-40W5100 also has an extra HDMI port. 

Other Comparisons


The KDL-40W5100 has a generous offering of online content available. It can also play back pictures, video, and music off a flash drive. The KDL-40S5100 doesn't have any online features and no USB port for media playback. 

Vs Vizio SV471XVT

Value Comparison Summary


This match-up comes down to the feature set that most appeals to you. The Sony has a LAN port that provides access to an impressive array of streaming video content. The Vizio lacks this but has a larger screen. The Sony does have a better contrast ratio, but it also features more blurring and artifacting than the Vizio.

Blacks & Whites


The Sony's black level was much deeper than the Vizio's and both TVs had roughly the same peak brightness. The Sony had a much higher contrast ratio overall.

 

Color Accuracy


Both TVs had very similar results on our color accuracy tests. They both had solid color temperatures, above average color representation, and color gamuts that were a bit out of whack.

 

 

 

Motion


The Vizio had less blurring and artifacting than the Sony.

 

Viewing Effects


While neither TV wowed us with their 80º+ viewing angle, the Vizio did have a slightly wider viewing angle overall. Colors faded quickly as viewing angle increased, however, which gave it a lower overall score than the Sony.

 

Connectivity


The Sony's LAN port is the one major difference between the two. If you're in desperate need of a second composite video input, however, the Vizio will welcome you with open ports (this joke is hilarious).

 

**

Other Comparisons**


The Sony's LAN port opens up a wealth of streaming video options. The Vizio lacks this functionality.

Conclusion

 

 

Series Comparison

W Series


The W series has two aces up its sleeves: a 120Hz mode and online connectivity. The 120Hz mode helps reduce motion blurs and the online connectivity provides access to a wealth of streaming video content.

Meet the tester

Mark Brezinski

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

@markbrezinski

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

See all of Mark Brezinski's reviews

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