rgathright's Full Review: Sony BRAVIA™ KDL-40XBR2 40 in. HDTV LCD TV
The most important feature of a TV to me is the picture quality. The XBR2 series of televisions stand out in any store that has them on display. The picture is easily 20% brighter than any other Sony model that is currently available to the public. While some televisions are bigger, the XBR2 series makes up for it in resolution. I use this TV in my bedroom. The TV is normally viewed from a distance of 7’, closer viewing can show the defects of non HD TV and DVD signals.
Installation
Quick and painless is how I describe my install process. I carried the box into my bedroom, ran the component video and audio cables to my Sony DVD player and watched my favorite movie Serenity. Total Installation time: 15 minutes.
Remote Control
The operating instructions provided clear directions to program additional accessories. The remote works with Sony DVP-N5575P a DVD player with component video out and a good progressive scan mode. All of the DVD player’s features were accessible from the TV’s remote.
Use
The menu is easy to use and see on the TV. The auto program feature found all the channels available and took 20 minutes.
Our local cable company in Lake Charles is not known for good quality service. The HD signal is very pixelated. My neighbors suffer the same problem with their HD service; we just watch the traditional signal to avoid the “high action scramble”. As a result, I cannot at this time rate the HD signal quality.
The TV runs very cool. A rear projection TV in my other bedroom, a JVC 720p, heats up quickly and puts off a lot of heat in the summer months. Consider this when buying any TV, not only will it consume power but the heat it produces can cause slightly higher air conditioner use.
I compared the DVD signal against two other large screen TV’s in my house. While not scientific, I could see a difference on the new TV. For example, the movie Serenity has several scenes set against the blackness of space. Both of my other TV’s would wash out the black while the XBR2 rendered a deep black. Because of this, you could easily see faint objects that were never before seen in previous viewings of this movie.
The sound quality on this TV is very good. I kept the TV at 1/3 of its maximum level and found no need for a surround sound system. DVD audio is just as good.
I really enjoyed the wide range of inputs on the back of the TV. I plugged in one of my computers and watched a few Green Day concerts. Controlling a PC so close to this display was hard though. The computer inputs would be better used as a dedicated image slideshow from your personal digital photo collection.
Television Technical Details
16:9 1080p HD Resolution Panel (1920 x 1080)
Response Time: 8ms, 7000:1 Contrast Ratio
BRAVIA Engine PRO Video Processor
Live Color Creation System featuring WCG-CCFL backlight
Tuners: ATSC Digital Tuner with QAM capability, NTSC, QAM
Closed captioning
Two Speakers, 11 watts per channel
Three HDMI (1080p) inputs
Power Usage: 227 watts
Headphone Jack
One Digital Audio Output
Parental Control
English, French, Spanish multilingual menus.
Vesa Wall Mount Compatible
**NO PIP (Picture In Picture)**
Notes
I purchased the TV February 2007. The KDL-46XBR2’s size did not justify the cost.
Viewing distance is important when purchasing HD televisions. Never purchase a TV of this size for a small bedroom; you will want to put this TV in a living room or at the end of a large bedroom. I also made a stand for this TV out of 2”x” pine then stained and glossed it. The total cost was $30. I could have bought the stand offered in the store for $250, but my custom stand has space for my DVD and Digital Recorder
Take television to the next level with one of the clearest pictures imaginable. The KDL-40XBR2 LCD flat panel HDTV features the BRAVIA Engine and a fu...More at Sony Style
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