Apologies for the delay, but the Sony KDL40X3500 review is now complete.
I haven’t received this much grief over a single review since I started this website. Some suggested that I was enjoying the TV so much that I forgot totally about writing the review. Some insinuated that I betrayed the trust of those who donated (my heartfelt thanks again) for the fundraising. A few challenged me to publish the settings to prove that what I write about the picture quality is true. Others emailed/ PMed me repeatedly urging me to release the review.
My reviews take a lot of time and effort, pure and simple. For each review I need to spend time on:
- Product photography, including cropping and resizing. Each review will typically contain between 15 to 30 photos… and unlike other websites/ magazines, stock photos are seldom used in my reviews.
- Calibration including screenshots of CCT and CIE charts. Depending on the difficulty on the HDTV in question, this can take a lot of time until the early hours of the morning. If it’s a plasma some time will be needed for run-in before calibration.
- Benchmark testing. I usually go through the checklist at least twice (sometimes more when the results are ambiguous) to make sure I don’t get it wrong.
- Write-up of review. This consumes the most time as I always strive to present a coherent flow rather than come across like a rambling madman (which is what I’m doing now haha). I still code all the reviews manually in HTML (don’t earn enough to pay a programmer to design a CMS).
- Upload of review to server and proofreading… it’s amazing how many times you need to read your own writings to pick up any mistake.
And this is excluding the time I need to post announcements like this, design and send out VIP polls, search for the cheapest deals (when I buy the TV to review), demo the TV when selling it as second-hand, etc.
Andrew Fee asked me recently what motivates me to continue to buy the HDTVs myself to review. I wish I knew, especially when my hard work is plagiarised without permission, when people copy and paste my content wholesale on public forums (snippets are fine) therefore tripping Google’s duplicate filter and getting my web page penalised, when other reviewers get away with 1 or 2-page reviews, when the honesty of my reviews (have you seen more negative points in each review anywhere else?) scares most manufacturers from ever sending me any review samples…
Till next time.
Dear Vincent,
sorry to hear that a few give you a hard time. I’m pretty sure though that there is a majority of people out there who are really enjoing your work!! I know I do!
They understand the effort involved and appreciate it.
Keep up the good work and try to ignore the moaners.
Best regards,
Matt
Hi Vincent,
I want to say thanks to you for your great job.
I bought this LCD 8 days ago, I found in your test part of my impression had in this time.
The noise of the fan is really but as you already said is only audible if you put your volume very low.
I want ask you a favor, IS possible to have your calibrated setting?
I want to try it against my own.
I’m not a technician, so I haven’t done a serious calibration, but I just correct the value with my eyes sensation without understand the interpolation of some functionality.
Best regards
Gianni
Your site has definitely the best reviews around. Plagiarisation etc. is always a shame, it’s not a perfect world. It’s best just to do what you enjoy (eg reviewing HDTVs!) and let the negative things be. Hopefully the readers will also help to raise awareness of this specific site and send notes whenever plagiarisation is noted.
Hopefully the readers will also e-mail the manufacturers to tell how valuable this site is.
Vincent.
thanks again for your efforts, sorry to hear some people where giving you a hard time.
i to had bought a sony,the 52X3100 2 weeks ago as i found it to be the best LCD i had seen and your thoughts have confirmed this for me and what had inpressed me the most apart from the oustanding HD picture quality was its more than exceptable on SD/HD free to air allthough i have used different settings to that on HD DVD/Blu-ray to achive a better picture than if i had used the same settings.
it would be nice to see your setting as a comparison.
thanks again we do appreciate your efforts.
Hi Vincent
Great review and don’t worry about the moaners, the fact they are moaning just shows how much credibility your reviews have with these people! I write DSLR reviews for a national photography magazine and I know that it is difficult to keep people happy all the time!
Are you planning on running a group test, with the leading TOP TV contenders from Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony and Samsung? That would be worth paying for?
Thanks again and keep up the excellent work.
Kind regards.
Mark
Vincent,
Thanks for the great review. I appreciate the effort you put into them.
I would still like to know what settings you ended up with though because I also have an X3500 and I can’t get the near-perfect colour calibration you’ve got. If I knew what settings you had for Power Saving, Backlight and Contrast it would help a lot.
Vincent,
Keep your chin up buddy. I waited for your 4280xd review and asked you for some advice and thanks to you i’m a extremely happy owner. Good things come to those to wait! Keep up the excellent work.
Macca
Great job Vincent.
I’m always delighted to read another of your reviews. I hope you still continue to write these reviews.
Best regards.
Dear Vincent,
Many thanks for this review and others you have done previously, much appreciated.
Best Regards
Johan
Keep up the great work. For the few who complain about it (and there always be some, good work upsets those who can’t do it!) there are thousands who appreciate it.
Manufacturers are scared of sending you stuff because you are honest and thorough in your reviews? The reason people appreciate your views so much is they ARE honest, not some shill paid to gush lies about how wonderful their piece of rubbish is. They should see providing you with a unit to review as a mark of their pride in their own product.
I’d suggest getting Dreamweaver instead of coding HTMl by hand, it will make your job a lot easier (and it outputs decent HTML as well!)
And now, onto the review! Thank you again.
Just ignore the idiots…keep up the good work
This is the only site in history that I’ve ever donated something too, and I’m really a cheap bastard, so please know that your work is very much appreciated!
Vincent
Only echoing the vast majority of people here, you do a great job. I have been waiting for the review but some people have patience and others do not.
I wanted to compare the Sony LCD with the Panasonic & Pioneer Plasmas before making my final decision.
Thanks, keep up the great work
hi vince
I’m sorry about stressing :). just couldnt wait to read ur review….simply the best, all these high gloss magazins are crap (most), writting something that doesnt upset the manufacturers….
go 4 gold
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?
Hello Vincent, please ignore the rude and impatient people who PMed/emailed you and made your task even more difficult.
They are so ignorant and bad mannered that they don’t deserve to be privy to all the hard work that you do for us.
You probably know by now that 99% of us are ever so grateful for your reviews and knowledge in helping us make an informed decision in what is for most of us, an expensive and long term electronics purchase.
I’m about to read the review but first I’ll grab a beer and a smoke for while I’m reading it. :p
People usually start acting weird when money is involved in any matter. Don’t let that stress you out. Thank you for a great review as always. :)
Thank you for an honest review, I’m definitely buying this t.v now, don’t care how expensive!
Thanks for great review!
I am the one that challenged you to publish settings. I was in impression that you do not publish at all but VIP poll suggests they are available to people who donated. Am i right?
To be honest i feel bad asking more because we get so much from your reviews.
You should be granted support from EU for being one of very few reliable sources of TV reviews.
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?
Vincent,
Great review up to your usual extremely high standards. Please keep up the good work and ignore the idiots
Cheers
Rob
Vincent,
You do an awesome job, your reviews are BEYOND COMPARISON! Simply the best site to view when needing to know the good and the ugly about every major HDTV around.
Many thanks for your time and effort,
Tim
You doing a great job, keep it up:)
i would also find it great if you compare new released tvs with your own reference to date. im looking for a new tv myself and im not sure if i buy samsung f86, sony x3xxx or the new toshiba ZF355D.
Dear Vincent,
you always do an awesome job for all of us, ignore stupid people, they exist and will always do, unfortunately. We appreciate your efforts and professionality. Take your time in every review you are going to write in the future since your opinions are the best ever. Kindest regards
Thanks very much for all your very detailed reviews Vincent! Always enjoy reading your site, and just wanted to let you know I really appreciate your work!
Great review! Keep up the good work!
Just to say your reviews are great and hope you’ll continue a long long time ;)
Vincent
I will just reiterate what others have already said – your reviews are second to none and once again you’ve completed an exceptional review. I can now happily buy a Pioneer knowing that an expert has made the decision for me. Keep up the good work and don’t let a small minority spoil your exceptional efforts.
Thanks for the review Vincent. I placed an order for the 52X3500 this morning on the back of it. Are you going to publish your calibrated settings (for different sources eg. HD film/gaming, SD)? It would be much appreciated. Keep up the excellent work and don’t let the buggers get you down. Kind regards,
Beamma
Donation means you give freely without expecting what to come through. If someone donates and expect – don’t do it.
These reviews are peerless.
If the grief has any positive message it should be that the reviews are popular with those that care about the technology they want to buy, and that people recognise the fact that your efforts are open, honest and impartial.
You will always get the whining minority, ignore them. You will also have your work plagiarized, because after all, others would not want to put the same effort and care into their own work. Let’s face it, free is cheap and nasty, but it keeps the bills down.
As for the review, first class, and shows that Sony are right on the nail with their LCD’s – if only they would limit the somewhat confusing array of choice! Premium prices perhaps, but products that deliver do have a marketplace.
Keep up the excellent work, and try not to be too dismayed by the doubters, freeloaders and wanabees.
S.
Is it possible to have separate settings for SD and HD watching?
Your reviews are by far best in web and quite possibly one of the best even among the printed press. Do not let bullies to get you down, I bet they are not the one who are willing to give donations for you reviews. Keep up the good work, you know we love you!
p.s. Nowadays many TV companies are denying to give review samples even to the printed press (mostly the most expensive manufacturers), they are afraid because they know that you can get the same picture quality from 3000 TV which costs 10000 in their lineup.
Hello Vincent.
Thanks for taking the time & effort to do this review.
You’ve ‘almost’ got me sold on this TV, though I’ll not make the purchase till Jan/Feb when I hope to get a better deal.
Mac.
Excelletn review, thansk a lot. Was really waiting for it.
Now just to order it.
I’m probably not the first to say it, but it would be very helpful if you could make a summary of used calibration settings of the tv you used for your review. It makes it all a bit easier then having to extract the data from seperate paragraphs.
Keep up the good work!!
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?
Luis: I also think X3500’s extra cost is a bit too much for the 100Hz. Also it seems 40″ X3500 has a fan and W3000 does not, and I simply hate fans in any device. I don’t want to hear humming if eg. I don’t have sound enabled.
Hi Vincent,
thank you for yet another excellent review. I read it and went straight to buy the TV. Don’t let the impatient people get to you.
thx.
Hi Vincent
I just found your website when trying to decide if I should get the W3000 or the X3500. I ended up getting a 40X3500 and love the picture quality and design of it. Very nice then to read your review – good objetive writing!
Could you share the settings with us? Of course I would like to try them out to get that ‘perfect’ picture, but I would also like to test if they have any effect on the speed of the fans. I don’t know if my set is worse than the one you tested, but the whirring/buzzing sound really gets on my nerves and it is audible in quiet scenes. I’ve tried to put the powersaving on high, but that alone didn’t seem to have any effect on the sound. So, please could we have your settings?
Thanks in advance!
hi Vincent, keep up the good work pls, we all appreciate your integrity and your effort to give your readers accurate and useful informations.
my only regret i would like to make some contribution, but cannot find paypal here in italy and scared to be exposed to any risk by uninformed and dangerous action. can you pls help me?
angelo
Wow, can I first say great site! Just found it today and have spent a load of time reading several reviews including this one and feel myself angling now towards a Sony just not sure about wether to go X or W. Hum’s and buzzes really annoy me too so bit concerned about the fan noise – then again if you say the PS3 is louder I guess I’ll be fine most of the time. Off to the Sony shop for a closer examination.
Thankyou Vincent.
Thanks for the review Vincent, your site is the only place to read HDTV reviews from. The fact that you do calibrate the screen first makes the reviews useful. I would never use any screen with default settings, so I have no use for information how good or bad the default settings are, but more so if the result is fine after done properly (manually or with a calibration device and software).
Osku
Btw, just an idea, you might sell you site to Amazon as Phil Askey (dpreview.com) did;-) (almost kidding but maybe then not). That way you would gain credibility and faster delivery for all free review sets and more visibility. Or maybe you could team up with them? (There is analogy in the precision you both use in your reviews, and HDTV is not too far from digital photography after all).
Vincent,
To open I would love to thank you, and any that donated in creating all reviews, and funding the PS3 etc., not just this review. It is very much appreciated.
Anyway, I purchased this television before seeing this review, knowing this TV was exquisite – thanks to an in-store preview. However, the crux of the matter is in the fact the settings. Having conviced my dad to actually buy the TV, he now doesn’t ‘believe’ in the Calibration process, spending over £50 on a Spyder doesn’t appeal to him. Thus, I am willing to spend money on your settings, to obtain such an excellent image. I guess this can’t be called donating, more ‘buying’ your settings off you. This would have to be done via paypal, am I correct? Is this OK?
Much thanks again, I very much enjoy this TV and the High Definition content, it is merely the SD I have quirks with – some have mentioned they managed to get it looking as good as CRTs, which I haven’t been able to obtain.
Thank you!
Jamie.
I think this fan noise issue needs resolving, and Vincent – you are the man for the job. I know you said it is quieter than a PS3 and couldnt be heard from a certain distance, but too many people are mentioning it for it not to be a problem. Because its volume is directly proportional to its speed, it would be nice to establish just what settings or conditions cause it to hit max cooling mode. Is it backlight temp, and if so why doesnt the W series have it? Does it keep the Bravia Pro board cool when the DRC V2.5 is working overtime? Is it just triggered by an internal sensor to keep the overall temp within certain limits? Is more heat generated when Motionflow 100Hz and BE Pro are grafting at the same time?
Listening to the set in the local retailer has its limits as you can never replicate the pure silence of your own living room and it would be good if more X series owners sent in their comments on this matter.
I’m sure there are many people out there like myself who need reasurance and would readily deploy their credit cards were it not for the niggling doubt that one night they may hear something akin to a taxiing light aircraft eminating from the back of there recent seventeen hundred pound masterpiece.
Great work Vincent. How about an addendum to this test?
Have you tried the X3500 with an upscaled DVD or regular DVD ?
It would be nice to include this info and compare W3000, X3500 and Samsung F86 on how they handle upscaled DVD from a player or from a HTPC, as this is what many people will be doing until HD DVD / blu-ray prices drop or one format wins.
Very interesting review this is one of my contenders for my first purchase into the HD world as I have all the kit bar the display the other review I am looking forward to is the Toshiba 47Z3030D as the specs are identical to this Sony & of course the contrast ratio is higher than the allways mentioned 42Z3030D.
Nice work.
I am also for donating / buying calibration settings.
I’m all for donating as well to get the calibration settings, will you be putting up a paypal link for this?
Thanks for the excellent review, AGAIN! you guys sure do some pretty awesome stuff.
The TV I hope you’d review soon would be the new Toshiba 46ZF355D. There’s already a rveiew from a German Hifi-website, but they’re not as trustworthy and detailed als yours. So if there’s a possibility, that would be great. :)
Has anybody played with DVB-C?
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5801722&postcount=3215
I was really sorry to hear that you got a lot of stick and that your work has been plagiarised. Personally I find your website the best thing to happen to AV reviews since I returned from living in Germany 3 years ago. UK AV mags are very superficial and subjective with very little attention to the technology, its implementation and effectiveness. It is your attention to these matters that make it such a good read. And I will continue to fund purchases of future kit for review.
As a new visitor to your site (and new forum member) I was more than impressed by all your professional reviews, and admire your dedication and skills in producing such excellent reports. Drove for 2 hours today to look at the Sony 40X3500 and I was not disappointed. Hope to place an order in the near future, however, like a few other correspondants your calibration settings would be a useful starter for me and I would also be glad to donate towards receiving such information.
Keep up the good and independant work.
Vincent,
Your reviews are so excellent that they are well worth any wait!
Thank you
I am looking to buy my first LCD tv and I have narrowed my choice down to the Sony KDL46x2000 or the newer Sony KDL46x3500. The difference in price is around £300.
Is the £300 price difference justifiable with the newer model?
Is there a hugh difference between the both sets in terms of picture quality?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi vincent,
You deliver PRO reviews in my eyes, it’s worth the waiting!!
Thank you!
Prevesh: after seeing them both side by side there is NO doubt in my mind that the £300 extra is more than worth it. No doubt.
Does someone here have actually experience with MotionFlow regarding ordinary DVDs? I prefer the design of the W3000 and don’t know if I will miss MotionFlow. My primary uses are DVD, Blu-ray and PS3. Thanks
Hi
Im looking at buyng the 52X3500. Hav eyou noticed any blurring / bleeding on when objects are moving? There are a lot of people on avforums saying it is a big problem!
Thanks
Michael
Hi vincent from spain,
This week I will receive the x3500, your website helped me to decide, I thank you for it.
Your Reviews are an excellent work. Here, all we appreciate your professionality.
Kind regards.
José A.
Is anybody here who doesn’t have problem with fan noise? I know, how to enter into service menu and it could be helpfull for us who have the problem to know good configuration. Be so kind and contact me by e-mail, I’ll send you step-by-step manual, how to enter into the service menu (if you will go exactly by the manual it’s secure)and which information I need to solve problem. dm7025slk@yahoo.com
Please, somebody tell me:
– MotionFlow in 720p and 1080p wiill work, like “HDDNM” by Philips?
Thank you.
yes motionflow works in 720p and 1080p over HDMI (don’t know about VGA or YUV) and on SD input (tuner) aswell.
best feature for gamers is the +1 setting (underscan) in 720p over HDMI – no mor overscan in PS3 games! finally!
to be honest I just unplugged the fans – no problem at all but I will see what happens in summer ;-)
this TV has just one big issue and I am kind of wondering why not a single review (and yours vincent neither) does mention the unbelievable ghosting this TV has! any dark object on dark background (like the shadows from the cars in GT5prologue demo or some crates in COD4) are leaving trails like hell! I am talking about an inch in some situations!!!
really horrible and I don’t know if I can get used to that or if the TV has to go again. besides this issue its the best TV I ever owned but this is one hell of a fault for such a pricey set.
I see small shadows on Philips 47PFL9732 and on monitor samsung. I think this problem from PS3(Cable Hdmi Qed).
Has anyone compared the w3000 and x3500? Is it worth paying extra for the 100hz motionflow? I like the w3000, but if the movement is way better with the x3500, then it will probably be the one I will end up with.
Hi Vincent,
Happy New Year!
Big thanks for your objective reviews – one of the best I managed to find on the web.
I used your site as the main source of information when I was researching what to buy. Finally I’ve got KDL40x3000.
And thanks for sharing the calibration settings!
? wanna buy 40′ inch lcd.IU couldnt have decided what label s been? please help me?I need.100 hz-full hd-low energy consuming-4-8 ms-reflection control and reasonable price…?