I’m still waiting for the 40X3500 to come in stock at the retailer where I placed my order on 12 October 2007 (thanks again to every one who contributed to the fundraising), so here’s a Sony KDL-40W3000 review to whet your appetite. No, Sony did not send this to me; a local retailer was kind enough to loan me a set for a few days.
The next television I’m planning to buy to review then sell at a loss as second-hand is the Panasonic TH42PZ70 1080p plasma TV which is available for around £1000 online. Unfortunately I got nowhere with Panasonic’s PR department despite requesting for a review sample since 2 months ago and calling them every week. To help me out, see http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/support.php.
Excellent stuff as always, but I had expected a bit more from this model, given that it is (or at least I thought it was) one down from the flagship X series.
I was considering this as a 46″ to buy in to LCD, but now await the X3500 review with considerable interest. Given that you will have given the Sony and the Samsung a going over, I wonder if the Sharp flagship – the Sharp XL2E (42″ or 46″) will feature soon, another of my LCD potential choices?
Keep up the excellent work….
Great review Vincent, sony do make some of the best LCD but i cant wait to see the review on the X3500.
Vincent with the W3000 is it possible to turn off this auto dimming mode that seems to cause a few problems.
Great review, thanks alot!
Great review, maybe this or the x3500 my new tv, i was waiting for your review, thx
thanks for the great review. had the sony on my list because it comes with a dvb-c tuner also. but since it doesn’t seem to deliver picture-wise I’ll stick around and wait for the tv review that screams “buy this one” at me…
Thanks for the review. 1 question, If you compare it to the d3000, wich wone do you find better?
I saw this model on display in a major retail store and was quite impressed with its SD picture quality in relation to those around it. Right next to it was a 40W2000 and News 24 looked most satisfactory and marginally less grainy on the 3000’s from a distance of about 9 feet. I also noticed that they have employed a slightly more reflective coating on the W3000 screen. The TV’s were high up on a raised shelf and there was slightly more detail in the fuzzy reflection of the shop lights above the pair of them. This of course wont be a problem in the home and was nowhere near approaching the mirror-like effects seen on plasma screens.
I see what Vince means about the ‘spatial filter’ employed in the noise reduction circuitry, the news readers face did have marginally less detail in it on the 3000, but this didnt seem to detract from the overall PQ.
Sony have been a bit crafty here by not giving the W3000 100Hz motion flow, instead making us wait and spend more for the X3500 or less for a lower specced D30000. I cant help thinking that 4 months down the line they’ll announce something like a ‘W3500’ with it on, or even what I happened to catch a glimpse of amongst all the hyrogliphics on Sony’s Japanese website, a ‘W5000’ which is actually already out over there. Annoying or what, come on Sony, dont keep all the best sweets for yourselves.
Knowing just when to take the plunge in this market is highly frustrating. You just know something better is going to come along just a few wage packets down the line, but the desire to buy is here and now. GRRRR!
For now it looks like the X3500 is going to be the daddy, with its 100Hz and BE Pro picture processing. Trouble is its nearly 12cm wider than the W3000 and it wont fit in my tv space, gutted. We’ll have to wait for the review to see if the motion flow really is that beneficial. From what I’ve seen in the shops with the D3000 its an improvement, but not a huge one.
Keep up the good work HDTVtest, we depend on you.
yes very good review
cant wait for the x3500 reviews compared to this model , and how it compares in gaming , sports , full hd with motion plus turned on … as im sure you will .. and the toshiba z …. then make my desicion like im sure lots of ppl are waiting for
Great review Vincent! It’s really an help for the hard choice of a new LCD TV. I’m waiting for your X3500 review to verify its performances and to make my final decision. Thank you very much!
Another great review, keep up the good work, thanks
Who is best – Pioneer 428XD or SONY KDL40w3000/x3000 ?
Can we have the post-calibration setting please??? Like for the d3000…
Excellent review !
It would be interesting another review comparing the top of quality LCD[this w3000 or the X3500] to the top of quality plasma Pioneer 4280XD [even if hd-ready].
thanks for the great work !
Thank`s to Andrea – idea is good to comparing the top of quality X3000 to the top Pioneer 428XD!
Nice review, do you think this tv is better then the tosh 42Z3030D???
It would be interesting a review comparing the X3500, the Samsung F96 and Pioneer 428 or 508.
Thank you very much for the great review.
Does this LCD shows 24fps as 72 Hz or another multiple of 24. If it does not, there will be no advantage I think…
Can we please have the calibrated settings,pleaseeeee??
can we please have the post-calibration settings please,to get us owners started…
I think its a serious flaw in this review that the settings used to obtain the quoted calibrated results are not given. The final light output and contrast ratios are also not quoted. Without this information we have zero chance of reproducing the results at home even with proper calibration equipment.
If the W3000 is like the X3500 then the auto-dimming can be disabled by switching on Game/Text Mode but you do lose some video processing features. Its well worth doing this for calibration and to obtain a meaningful black level.
you are right,that’s why we need the post)calibration settings,so please give thme,this wasn’t a problem in the past,so why now??
Can we please have the calibrated settings please??? They were given for the d3000,so why not for this one??? This can help me set up my tv…
Hi,
Which is the best LCD (sony 40W3000 or Sami 40F86), on picture, detail, black, blacks, shadow, Video Processing and Freeview Digital TV?
After read all renews, I thing the Sony take same advantage.
In this 2 models the 100Hz is not make the difference….
Are the W3000 technology more advance in comparing to the 40F86?
The 40X3500 in my opinion don’t justify to pay more € or £.
What is your opinion?
What i don’t understand is…
How do you calibrate this screen if the auto dimming switches on?? You need the blacks from 0 to 100 to calibrate the greyscale… How can they be accurate then??
Can we please have the calibrated settings please??? They were given for the d3000,so why not for this one??? This can help me set up my tv…
Can we please have an answer from you this time,as else i don’t see the point in all these comments…
What i don’t understand is…
How do you calibrate this screen if the auto dimming switches on?? You need the blacks from 0 to 100 to calibrate the greyscale… How can they be accurate then??
Can we please have the calibrated settings please??? They were given for the d3000,so why not for this one??? This can help me set up my tv…
Can we please have an answer from you this time,as else i don’t see the point in all these comments…
What i don’t understand is…
How do you calibrate this screen if the auto dimming switches on?? You need the blacks from 0 to 100 to calibrate the greyscale… How can they be accurate then??
Can we please have the calibrated settings please??? They were given for the d3000,so why not for this one??? This can help me set up my tv…
Can we please have an answer from you this time,as else i don’t see the point in all these comments,you know?…
Why can’t anyone answer with the settings,please!!!!!!!!!
Jurgen See post 20
thx,chris,but i really want the calibrated settings,otherwise i don’t think i’m gonna get this tv… It’s a shame they aren’t given for this one,but for the 3500….
Like Jurgen, I am also eagerly waiting for the settings to calibrate my W3000. God knows when we will get a reply
Hi,
as a Dutchman I’m kinda amazed no one talks about Philips LCDs here. Here they are regarded as far superior to Sony LCDs. Not in the UK?
Greetz,
Bassshunter
Would really have like a LOT more information on the TV’s sound system, why no info on the sound? Please amend as I really am thinking of buying this TV and found the rest of the review very helpful. Pretty much decided on this model as the X series is far too expensive and I can not justify to myself in spending a lot more on the next model when I know this one will suit me, but like I said, would love to know more about the sound.
Re. the ‘Dutchman’ Bass(s)hunter’s post,
the last time I enquired regarding a Philips TV (they used to have a motion picture ‘improver’ on the analogue sets that appealed to me) I was told they just didn’t have the reliability. I don’t know whether that was true then, nor whether it is true now, but I do not find it unbelievable.
I would be somewhat surprised if a dealer were to tell me that the quality of a contemporary Philips set was even the equal of a (good quality – say ‘V’ or above) Bravia Sony LCD TV. I think to answer your question, probably “‘Yes’ – not in the UK”. My wife (the TV watcher of the household ) and I are very pleased with the quality of our Sony KDL 32V2500 TV. When we bought it, 2 years aog, dealers seemed to be of the opinion that Sony, whereas their TVs were previously ‘crap’, seem to have sweetened up with the Bravia LCD TV series.