Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
by Sony
|
List Price: Our Price: $955.00 You Save: $1544.99 (62%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony BRAVIA W-Series KDL-52W4100 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
Customer Review: Sony w4100 is the TV you want
Summary: 5 Stars
I researched my new tv for 3-4 months. I went to Best Buy, Cuircuit City, and a few others to see for myself, several times. My wife was sick of it! Just pick one, she said. So one day we went in to Best Buy, we both saw the XBR6 and w4100 52 inch, and we actually preferred the picture and color of the w4100. I bought it for ~ 2300, if i could go back I would buy it thru Amazon for ~1900 and save the tax, live and learn. But here are a few of my impressions, hope they help:
1) The picture is great, I can't imagine it better. I read a review that said the XBR had more vivid color. When you get the w4100, under the picture menu, you can set it to vivid or cinema or standard or custom (make your own). I like mine on vivid, the colors are amazing. And you can really tell the diff between settings.
2) Glare really is important. My TV sits in our living room, a skylight and reflections from the front door ruled out Samsung and Pioneer. REALLY glad I went with Sony's matte like surface. Yes, when the screen is completely black, you can barely notice some areas not as dark as others. But no glare is fantastic.
3) I made my final decision irreguardless of price. I figure I am going to be living with this tv a long time. Narrowed it down to Pioneer plasma kuro- the picture is just not bright enough plus glare issue, and the Samsung models, all with too much glare, even with limited light. I really wanted to buy the latest Samsung 8 0r 9 model with the backlight for the 55 inches it has, but that glare was too, much.
4) 52 inches is plenty big. I had reservations going from a 10 year old 60 in bohemoth projection tv, but after you experience true 1080p HD, you dont even notice the diff. you just enjoy tv more.
5) GET A Sony PS3. Blue-ray is the best (TV prof reviewers use it as the gold standard), plus you can put your photos and videos on it with ease thru a usb cable. Friends come over and i show them the latest pictures of trips, etc, on my beautiful tv, they love it. More features on PS3 than I thought, plus my kid loves Little Big Planet, phenomenal vid game. (don't bother with 25$ remote, the vid game controller is much easier to use, mine just sits there)
6) Mount it on the wall, if you can, it just looks better than I thought, tried it both ways.
7) I have cable tv with a few hd channels, huge diff in picture quality.
8) Anywhere you buy it, it will be shipped to the store, no one has it on hand, might as well get it from amazon shipped to you and save a bundle, (Again, no tax)
9) HD TV is phenomenal, step up, you'll love it.
10) Sound from tv is good, good enough for my wife, definitly loud enough. I need surround sound.
7)
Customer Review: The best value in a great Sony set (but if you didn't get it at your price, you may be luckier than your realize)
Summary: 5 Stars
Sony was determined to dent into upstart Samsung's market lead even before the most recent price reductions. The V and W Series for 2007 (designated as 3000 models to distinguish them from the 2008 models, listed as 4100) replaced their 10-bit processors and color panels with a more common 8-bit configuration. The change represented a cost savings to Sony, which in turn was passed on to the consumer, who previously had practically been "conditioned" to expect to pay premium prices on all Sony models. But the consequence was also "aesthetic": the new processors are capable of representing 256 color hues compared to the 1024 gradations of the previous V and W models.
The difference is perhaps not as great as the statistics would make it seem. The Sony W Series presents a sharp, stable, vivid and dramatic picture (including the "deep blacks" that Samsung once made such an issue of) that's capable of not only holding its own but standing out from the crowd. It's only after studying a current V or W model for an extended period of time and alongside a current Z model that you become conscious of greater complexity, richness, and "lifelikeness" in the 10-bit color picture of the Z model (indeed the W picture may even seem a bit more dramatic and vivid than the Z picture, but there is undeniably some noticeable "banding" marking the edges of various color shades and hues).
Bottom line: unless you're a serious photographer planning on using your flat-screen TV with your hobby or a cinematic connoisseur determined to get the most from a blu-ray player (presently the only sure way to enjoy a full 1080p rather than 1080i picture), this Bravia W is currently the best all-around value in larger-sized HDTV sets on Amazon. But if you wish to experience state-of-the-art color reproduction, it will be necessary to look at a Z-series or the pricey XBR line of Sony sets. Or, you might check Amazon's Warehouse Deals store for a 2007 model in the V or W series (designated 3000), but sacrificing such niceties as a 120Hz refresh rate.
My old Sylvania 27" CRT set lasted me almost 30 years. Unless you plan to switch sets every other year, be willing to pay a couple hundred more for a set you'll have no 2nd thoughts about. (Personally, I'd go for the 46" Z set or, if money is tight, the 40"V3000 for around $800! The 120 Hz (and next year 240) refresh rates add even more artifice to the film-viewing experience, at times making you feel like you're watching an action event on quaaludes.)
Customer Review: OH MY GOD, 1000 STARS SO FAR
Summary: 5 Stars
Just got this TV but after all the TVs Ive had this picture quality is truly AWSOME. Just wrote a review for my Sharp I like to but this one has a digital picture of HD quality and even my DVDs Look SO much better it is truly UNREAL. I love Amazon but didnt purchase either thru here.
BUY THE EXTENDED WARANTY!!!
Let me give you a little background on my TVs Ive had 5 brands of TV, in the last 4 years all HD. First was a off brand big tube very heavy TV I think the brand was Dish. It blew up in 3 months. Then I got a 52" JVC rear projection that was ok but had to replace the bulb in a little over a year, then a loose connection cousing 3 service calls and finally a replacement, it lasted 3 years. Was a good TV but the picture was fading cant say I wasnt a little happy it got replaced. While we had the JVC we got a 52" Panasonic Plasma again picture was ok, but it ran very very HOT,it was like having the oven on in the bedroom, It went out in about 6 months and after the service tech couldnt repair it We got the 46" LCD Sharp, even this one developed a line in the picture after about 3 months, contacted Sharp and after Emailing a Picture of the line in the picture they immediately sent out another TV and picked up the old one they were very nice and very easy to deal with, and the replacement has worked great for almost 2 years now. For a less $$$ amount I would recommend the Sharp Aquos LCD, It was the best till I got my Sony. But my best recommendation is always buy the extended warrantys there worth it.
I dont do gaming or hook up my computer ect to my TV just my satelite and DVD, however it has 4 HD connections, monitor connection, in and out you know the rest, pretty much everything if your in to that you know what to look for.
All I can say again and again the picture quality is far beyond any TV Ive owned, it runs nice and cool, very light for its size and HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
One more thing I will never buy Rear projection or Plasma again. LCD ROCKS!!!
Update: Dec2009 Still LOVE this TV Totally Awsome ONLY WISH MINE WAS PRICED THIS CHEAP!!! LOL Also us as computer monitor a lot now, stream netflix Works Great!!!
Customer Review: So far, so very good
Summary: 5 Stars
I was apprehensive about ordering such a large ticket item from Amazon (or any online company)but this has proven to be a very smooth and money-saving transaction. I ordered this tv (along with a blu ray player in a promotional deal) on Christmas night from Amazon. The shipping date I received was to be December 30 with an expected delivery of January 6. I received the Blu Ray on the 28th and the tv today about 4:00 PM, much sooner than expected.
The Amazon site when I placed the order didn't show White Glove delivery but the shipper's site did. The one delivery guy and I moved the TV off the truck, carried it across my yard and brought it into my living room; together we hooked it up - one HDMI cable from the cable box so that part was not too tough! It would have been, however, very difficult for one person (either the delivery guy or me) to have moved this tv into my house alone.
It would be handy if Amazon's site had showed a rear view of the set. I didn't think about this issue until almost the last minute; the tv's input and output panel are on the left side of the tv as you look at it from the front - the "s" side if you're looking at "Sony". If your cable box, etc are on the right side of the TV, as mine are, you may need a longer HDMI cable than you originally thought. (The inexpensive 6 footer I ordered through Amazon, which works great by the way, barely reaches.) I have ordered two of the ten footers to eliminate worries when I hook up the Blu Ray and other components.
The tv looks good in my living room (and will be much nicer when I get it mounted next week) and has been a pleasure to watch this afternoon and evening. The matte screen is great. Virtually no reflections and I have a bright living room. I have read other reviewers who have commented that this tv's screen is not as bright as the Samsung's - I found this to be true when comparing them side by side in Best Buy; however in my living room this tv is plenty bright without the reflection issue. The instruction booklet is thorough to say the least.
Customer Review: Amazon Customer service absolutely first rate 100% tops!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered the Sony 2 weeks ago, after doing some research, in part because of Amazon's great price, and the reviews I read here. I admit, I was a tad nervous about ordering a big-ticket item from an online retailer, having never done it before. The set arrived exactly when scheduled, the afternoon of the 11th. The guy from my cable company came the next morning, the 12th, to hook it up. We take it out of the box, put it on the stand. He connects it, turns it on..we have sound, but NO picture. So we call Sony..they say try a few things..( thank God the cable guy is here) no luck..NO pic..nada..zilch...so Sony gives me an Event #..( sounds like a FEMA event) and the number for one of their authorized repair outfits..I call, and the guy arrives the NEXT day, the 13th, on time, exactly when scheduled.a miracle..We lay the set face down on a blanket, he takes it apart..tests a bunch of stuff..he thought there might have been a loose connection..no joy..he calls Sony, on his tech support line..they go through more options..finally decide that the whole panel, AND possibly one or two boards, are kaput, and have to be replaced. It will take a week or so to get them, and then they have to turn my living room into a TV repair shop. At this point I say to myself..NO WAY..not gonna happen..so I call Amazon..just start to tell my story to the lady who gets my call...after one minute, she says "SIR, STOP!!! I'm so sorry that happened to you.. We'll send you out a new set today, and the people who deliver it weill pick up the old one at the same time.." I am stunned. NO WAY it can be this easy. Truly a great way to do business. BTW...talking tot he repair guy and the Sony tech, it seems like it's unheard of for a set to be bad right out of the box...neither of them new of it ever happening before. All I can say, if I had boufght it from Best Buy or Circuit City, no way would they have been as eager to send me a new one..so, for me..I'm 100% sold on Amazon...however..I'm gonna miss all the footballgames theis coming weekend on my big new set...