Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-40V2500 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
by Sony
|
List Price: Category: Home Theater See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony Bravia V-Series KDL-40V2500 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Customer Review: Great TV For A Great Price
Summary: 5 Stars
After debating about a month between the Sharp Aquos LC42D62, the Sony KDL-40V2500, and the Samsung LNT4065F, I decided to purchase the Sony. I have had the TV now for about 4 months and have not had a single regret about choosing the Sony. Reading other people's reviews of the Sharp and the Samsung I noticed people kept saying that with the proper configuration these TV's picture were just as good as the Sony's. I figured, why not just buy the TV that everyone else was measuring their's by? I will admit that I was a little skeptical about the clouding issues the Sony seems to be suffering from, but from the reviews I've read this also seems to be an issue with the Samsungs. Also, the Sharps seem to be afflicted with stuck pixels or an entire line of dead pixels. There seems to be some sort of risk with any of these TVs, so I made sure to order directly from Amazon. At least this way I did not have to worry about dealing with a less reputable seller if there was a problem. While I have noticed some clouding on the Sony when there is no input signal, I would not have noticed it had I not read about it in the reviews. The remote has a cheap feel to it but I imagine that, like myself, most people find themselves using the remote for their HD cable/satellite box most of the time. Overall this is an incredible TV with an amazing picture. I can't wait to see how it looks with a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player. I'll just have to wait until this stupid format war gets a little closer to seeing a winner emerge. Dish HD will have to suffice until then.Customer Review: Over a 100 Yays! vs. a dozen Nays - We have a winner!
Summary: 5 Stars
Beware, a lot of what people on here say about purchasing this TV or other TV's is colored by their opinion of themselves. Price-point buyers will say it costs too much, and they will buy something else. To affirm their belief that they made the right choice they will adopt a negative opinion of the TV they really wanted but did not buy (this one).
Be fully aware that by buying a SONY you are also buying into the perception that SONY's are better. Whether they are better or not is up to you entirely and will not be determined by anything I say here. For me this TV is a beautiful example of what one should expect of a High Definition LCD TV. Is that because it is a SONY? I don't know - what I do know is that when I went to the store to look and compare, the SONY TV's consistently had better looking pictures.
You will hear a lot about "ghosting" or "black shadows". Do not let it alarm you or be a reason you don't buy this TV. Just make sure when your set is delivered that it is everything it has been promised to be - have them plug it in and turn it on. I don't have a clue what either of these "problems" would look like, but I have been watching HD programming on my new set for the last 3 weeks and cannot see that anything is wrong with it.
Also if you buy it direct through Amazon make sure you check back for the next 30 days to see if they lower the price - e-mail them and call them on it and they'll refund the difference. Thanks Amazon!
Customer Review: Great price-superb picture and wow that HD image!
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me say that if you prep your TV room before this baby arrives, you will be happier. HDMI cable boxes are available from Comcast and while the progressive works well, the picture quality on HDMI connections are the finest out there.
As for the TV image, its simply the best I have seen. No need to spend any more for an XBR 2 or XBR 3. They are only wider with the glass surround and heavier. This could be called the Sony minimalist set because its handsome but basic-just perfect.
On HD stations with great image quality such as Discovery HD, my friends would not leave. They kept ewwing and ahhing-and it was late!
On regular channels the quality is fine but there is zero comparison. I did find that some regular channels looked better than others.
My new Sony DVD player works wonderfully and imitates HD pretty well with my HDMI upscan unit. Again its all in the quality of the feed to the LCD screen. The better the input quality, the better the picture quality.
Easy to setup, no need to hang it on the wall, any basic stand will work and sofa eye level is my favorite. Just like your old TV but with ultimate quality!
Sony has done well with this product. Samsung, Panasonic cannot compare. And Plasma sets are going to die very soon. No burn in and much longer life on the LCD platform.
On this superb set, Sony has zero baloney!
Customer Review: Really Good TV -- Clouds were a problem on first one received.
Summary: 5 Stars
Not sure what the reviewer below had a problem with -- the XBR2/3 and the V2500 are basically the same TV when it comes to HDTV signals -- espeically if you go by the CNET and Consumer Reports suggestions to turn off all the extra image enhancing settings anyways.
The V2500 does have the same problem with clouding as the XBR series -- my first one was pretty bad...now on my 2nd and no real issues now even in a dark room. If I look at the TV at a far angle I notice some differences across the screen surface but only on a blank input and never when playing actual content.
The V2500 is perhaps the best buy for your money right now for LCD TVs -- Consumer Reports hasn't reviewed it yet but my bet is that if they do the 40" model would rate higher than the 42" Sharp since price was the only real benefit the Sharp had over the currently high rating XBR. Hopefully Sony really does have a low number of cloudy screens out there as they claim...I had to swap out my first one due to the clouds but even that one only showed the problem in the darkest of scenes and with the lights off in the room. Make sure you buy from a place that has a 30 day return policy so that you don't end up wasting your money on one that has severe clouds -- it appears from the reviews everywhere that a majority of the V2500 and XBRs sold don't have this problem just as Sony claims.
Customer Review: Great LCD!
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't echo all the other glowing statements from owners, but simply agree that the picture is stunning!
The cabinet of this TV is a lot more understated than most -- I am really turned off by the current design trend of surrounding matte surface LCD screens with high-gloss piano black bezels (as my tv is in a room with lots of windows that would cause glare on the glossy bezel), so the Sony's understated design is a definite plus for me.
The unit is easy to set up, and all the menus are intuitive. Did I mention the picture is stunning? Afriend of mine came over last night to watch and episode of "Planet Earth" on a Blu-Ray disc hooked up to this tv; I didn't tell her it was going to be in HD. When the episode started, her jaw dropped and she exclaimed "it is like looking out a window." Once you go HD, you won't want to go back!
Amazon's price on this unit is very competitive. I was able to beat it locally by a few hundred dollars by buying a package containing a Sony PS3, but if you are looking for the tv alone, it is hard to beat Amazon's price.
Be aware that Sony has released this model's successor (the 40v3000), so there should be some more price drops soon. The 40v3000 features improved 10-bit color and Sony's Xross Media Bar, both nice features, if you have a little more money to spend on your LCD.