Sony KDL40W4500 Review

Although we liked the Sony Bravia W4000 LCD series we tested back in May 2008, we bemoaned the lack of 100Hz technology, user menu white balance control, and proper film mode deinterlacing. The Sony KDL40W4500 LCD TV is blessed with 100Hz Motionflow technology, but does it address the other deficiencies? Let’s find out in today’s review.

Note: The specific model we tested was the Sony KDL40W4500U (which denotes the 3-pin-plug United Kingdom version), but the terms KDL40W4500 and KDL40W4500U will be used interchangeably throughout this review. Also, this model has been discontinued, and has been replaced by the new Sony Bravia EX503 series KDL40EX503U.

Design

Sony KDL40W4500

Just like the W4000, the Sony KDL40W4500 HDTV sports a transparent segment of perspex between the slightly glossy LCD screen and the finely perforated speaker grille. The bezel and (to a lesser extent) the speaker grille are finished in polished black; and the ensemble is underlined by a thin silver strip spanning the entire width of the frame. Whilst not as slim as some of the latest offerings from rival manufacturers, the KDL40W4500 manifests solid build quality and a touch of stylistic sophistication – check out the embedded LED indicators on the glass-like perspex, and the illuminated logo – that has Sony written all over it.

Connections

The Sony KDL40W4500 LCD television only has 3 rather than the now-commonplace 4 HDMI inputs, but compensates by offering these additional multimedia interfaces:

  • A USB 2.0 port that allows you to view JPEG photos or listen to MP3 music through a USB thumbdrive, digital camera or camcorder (with the appropriate USB cable).
  • A DLNA-certified ethernet port that you can use to view photos and listen to music from compatible networked devices.
  • A Digital Media Port which lets you view playlists, artists, albums and track information, and of course listen to music through connected portable devices such as Sony Walkman, MP3 Player, iPod, or Sony Ericsson phone. The connecting adaptor is not included with the television, and needs to be purchased separately.
Rear connections on Sony KDL40W4500
Rear: 2 x HDMI, VGA, component, 2 x Scarts, aerial, LAN port, DM port, audio outs
Side connections
CI slot, USB, HDMI, composite video, headphone

Operation

The XMB-driven user menu on the Sony KDL40W4500 is essentially unchanged from that on the W4000, except for the inclusion of [Motionflow] and [Game/Text Mode] options in the [Features] submenu:

Features Submenu

In addition to the decidedly bland but functional Sony EPG we’ve previously witnessed on the W3000 and W4000, the Sony KDL40W4500 also provides an alternative version powered by Guide Plus+ which takes about 30 minutes to set up for the first time.

Guide Plus

Even though the Guide Plus+ version looks more attractive due in no small part to a small window crisply displaying the current channel (shame about the separate advertisement column beneath it though), there is a slight delay between pressing the [Guide] button on the remote and the Guide Plus+ listings appearing on screen, so more often than not we found ourselves reverting to the standard Sony EPG for daily use.

Sleek and responsive, the Sony KDL40W4500’s remote control is the same as those bundled with the W4000 and V4000 LCD TVs we’ve reviewed recently. In terms of background noise, the Sony KDL40W4500 emitted a soft low-pitched hum from the rear of the panel especially when there’s content on screen. Viewers with sensitive hearing may find this distracting at night or during quiet scenes, but sitting 6 feet from the television with normal TV volume, we were never troubled by the hum.

Calibration

Greyscale

Disappointingly, there remains no white balance control (which would have helped tremendously in greyscale calibration to D65 standard) in the user menu of the Sony KDL40W4500 HDTV. As things stood, we had to make do with one of their [Colour Temperature] presets, of which “Warm 2” came closest to D65:

Warm2 CCT
[Colour Temp] “Warm 2” CCT
Warm2 RGB Tracking
[Colour Temp] “Warm 2” RGB Tracking

Even for someone who’s used to D65 images, the resultant picture may look too warm/ yellow/ red. There is certainly a case for setting [Colour Temp] to “Warm 1“: although “Warm 1” deviates even further from D65 than “Warm 2“, the picture may actually be more tolerable to the uninitiated because of its bluer (and hence brighter) cast.

Warm1 CCT
[Colour Temp] “Warm 1” CCT
Warm1 RGB Tracking
[Colour Temp] “Warm 1” RGB Tracking

Colour

Colour Like No Other“… we’ve always been impressed with the colour accuracy on Sony’s high-end Bravia LCD televisions (i.e. W and X series), and the Sony KDL40W4500 continues this fine tradition. With [Colour Space] set to “Standard“, the primary colour points were as close as they come – remember this is achieved out-of-the-box without any colour management system (CMS) available – to HD Rec. 709 specifications:

[Colour Space] Standard
[Colour Space] “Standard” CIE chart with reference to HD Rec. 709

Because the [Hue] control is greyed out unless the KDL40W4500 receives an NTSC video signal, we were not able to align the slightly-off yellow and magenta secondary colour points. Who knows… had Sony included white balance controls in the user menu, the secondary colours would probably fall nicely into place once we calibrate greyscale to D65.

[Colour Space] Wide [Live Colour] High
[Colour Space] “Wide” CIE [Live Colour] “High” CIE
[Colour Space] “Wide” led to an oversaturated colour gamut (green in particular); escalating the level of [Live Colour] would progressively exaggerate the colour inaccuracies.

Benchmark Test Results

Dead pixels None
Screen uniformity Clouding and backlight bleed reducible to negligible levels
Overscanning on HDMI 0% with [Display Area] set to “Full Pixel
Blacker than black Passed
Black level Excellent (0.05 cd/m2 calibrated)
Black level retention Stable
Primary chromaticity Excellent with [Colour Space] “Standard
Scaling Above average
Video mode deinterlacing Average; limited jaggies reduction
Film mode deinterlacing Poor; Failed 3:2/ 2:2 cadences in 480i/ 576i
Viewing angle Good for an LCD TV (90°)
Motion resolution 650 with [Motionflow] engaged; 300 otherwise
Digital noise reduction Acceptable at baseline
Sharpness Undefeatable edge enhancement on 1080i/1080p
1080p/24 capability (PS3) Accepts 1080p/24 video signal; no telecine judder
Input lag 0-10ms in [Game Mode] or over VGA; 30-50ms otherwise

Power Consumption

Default ([Picture Mode] “Standard“) 172 watts
Calibrated ([Picture Mode] “Cinema“) 90 watts
Standby 14 watts with [Quick Start] engaged; <1 watt otherwise

Screen/ Backlight Uniformity

Out-of-the-box, we witnessed an alarming amount of patchy unevenness (“clouding”), and backlight bleed on the top left and bottom right of the LCD screen when watching very dark scenes on the Sony KDL40W4500 in a dimly-lit viewing environment. However, proper calibration (hint: set [Backlight] to “Min“) attenuated these to negligible levels… only the harshest critics would still complain about the remaining trace of backlight bleed at the top left corner, and lightness at the sides of the screen.

Irrespective of whether the Sony KDL40W4500 was calibrated or not, off-axis viewing aggravated the screen/ backlight uniformity issues on top of the usual black level, contrast and colour washout typical of LCD screens. If you’re looking for a HDTV that delivers near-perfect screen uniformity with wide viewing angles, plasma is the way to go.

Video Processing

The video processing qualities of Sony’s Bravia Engine have always left us a bit underwhelmed, and unfortunately the KDL40W4500 fared no better in this regard. While standard-def upscaling was above average, video mode deinterlacing remained mediocre with almost no smoothening of jagged edges in the rotating wheel, bouncing bars and waving flag tests.

Film mode deinterlacing was similarly poor on the Sony KDL40W4500 LCD HDTV. Even with [Film Mode] engaged, the Sony KDL40W4500 took quite a long time to detect (and, once detected, struggled to keep a lock on) 3:2 cadence over 480i. Perhaps more relevant for UK and European users, the Sony KDL40W4500 failed to detect and process 2:2 cadence over 576i. The only consolation was that the KDL40W4500 was able to deinterlace correctly film-based 1080i content with [Film Mode] engaged.

Picture Quality

High Definition (Blu-Ray)

Given the television’s ability to deliver excellent black-level performance and accurate colour palette, Iron Man on Blu-ray looked fantastic on the Sony KDL40W4500. To our surprise, the absence of D65 greyscale didn’t really detract from the eye-popping movie viewing experience all that much (even during the well-shot daylight scenes)… the vibrant yet natural colours and the penetrating sense of depth and dimensionality more than made up for the slightly warmer colour temperature.

Iron Man

With [Display Area] set to “Full Pixel” to achieve 1:1 pixel mapping with zero overscan, the Sony KDL40W4500 HDTV extracted and presented the fine details inside the movie – for example the grains of sand in the Afghanistan desert and the sophisticated intricacies of Iron Man’s armour – with exquisite clarity. Up-close, the film grain (which creates a grittier and more realistic atmosphere) during the opening desert scenes did appear a tad harsh on our eyes due to a small trace of undefeatable edge enhancement, but from a sensible viewing distance of 6 feet away this never posed any problems. Of course, we would have preferred it if Sony had allowed us to do away with even the slightest hint of excessive sharpening, especially when it comes to absolutely pristine 1080p signals that need no further enhancement.

Bleeding in desert

As we’ve come to expect from the latest Sony Bravia LCD TVs, the KDL40W4500 handled 1080p/24 video signal from the PS3 beautifully without exhibiting any sign of telecine judder, as evidenced by the smooth-as-butter pan when the camera pulled away from the ravishing reporter inside Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) living lounge to reveal his luxurious mansion perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at around the 00:09:20 mark.

Robert Downey Jr.

Engaging Sony’s [Motionflow] 100Hz technology did introduce a whiff of video-like flavour to the original 24p filmic quality of Iron Man, but it’s certainly the least offensive among all the motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) implementations we’ve seen on LCD televisions to date. To its credit, [Motionflow] indeed reduces motion blurring: as the camera tracked Tony Stark’s limousine at the beginning of Chapter 6, the “YF-22” label on the fighter jet model and the definition of the clapping crowd were simply clearer with [Motionflow] on than off.

Standard Definition (Freeview Digital TV)

The motion resolution benefit of [Motionflow] extended to standard-definition content as well, particularly fast-action sports like the Carling Cup football highlights on ITV1. And the good news is, interpolation artefacts (that used to plague older 100Hz technologies) were few and far between, limited to the odd shimmers around moving players which could easily be overshadowed by mosquitoe noise inherent in highly compressed video anyway.

Carling Cup football

Despite its subpar video and film mode deinterlacing, the Sony KDL40W4500 delivered quite an alluring SD image thanks to its above average scaling, deep blacks and realistic colours. Just make sure that both [Noise Reduction] and [MPEG Noise Reduction] are disabled, as they tend to blur the picture detail and introduce motion smearing.

HD Console Gaming (Sony PS3)

There’s a valid reason why Sony included a [Game/Text Mode] on the KDL40W4500 (there was none on the W4000): according to our measurements, engaging [Game/Text Mode] on the Sony KDL40W4500 reduced input lag from typically 30-50ms (whether [Motionflow] was engaged or not doesn’t make a difference) to 0-10ms.

Call Of Duty 5

So while we were enthralled by how the Sony KDL40W4500 portrayed the phenomenal detail, texture and lighting effects in Call Of Duty 5: World At War, it was the almost lagless gaming response that helped us rake in the points and climb up the ranks in online play.

Conclusion

The Sony KDL40W4500 is the logical next step up from the W4000 series, adding a functional 100Hz MCFI system to excellent blacks, accurate colour gamut and almost no input lag (with the appropriate configuration). Had Sony offered white balance controls in the user menu, implemented better video and film mode deinterlacing, and got rid of the undefeatable edge enhancement however slight, the KDL40W4500 could have been a potential world beater (though it’s not inconceivable that Sony are reserving the best features for their flagship X4500 range). Nevertheless, these relatively innocuous flaws do not stop the Sony KDL40W4500 from being one of the best LCD HDTV in its price class.

Highly Recommended

166 comments

  1. Thanks for the review, another excellent review. I particularly like that you test for noise of unit, 1:1 pixel mapping, and lag as standard.

    Speaking of lag, a silly question has popped into my head. Do you generally plug your sources directly into the TV or do you do it via an AV Receiver and/or HDMI switch box? I’m talking about getting 5.1 sound, and the tidiest way would to connect all the devices to the AV receiver, and then have a single HDMI connecting to the TV.

  2. thanks vincent great review. I am disappointed by the number of w4500 tvs that have suffered the backlight bleed. what you recommend as the best 40-42 lcd for under £1000

  3. Another excellent review. I am the owener of the previous model 52W4000 and i am really very satisfied with it. Vincent i can assure you that y are the best site on the net for reviewing those beautiful creatures. Keep the good work.
    George- Greece.

  4. thanks for the review. It seems fantastic for gaming but it;’s a pity that the scaling is such poor

  5. Excellent review bought this set for its great inputlag “game mode” and i dont need the onboard scaler as i scale from the source.
    But its a shame that Sony cant make a set with x4 HDMI as i am one short.
    But many thx for being out there with the best reviews.

  6. Excellent review. The white balance menu is available in the Sony Service Menu

    Select Analog mode.
    Switch off the TV using the Remote
    Press I+ > 5 > Vol+
    Switch on the TV using the Remote.

    Can anyone get calibrated settings for the White Balance settings?

  7. Hi!

    Thanks for the review! Can you guys post calibrated settings please?

  8. Hi Vincent,

    Thanks for another ecellent, NON -BIASED review. I am severely disabled. having to type this with one finger of my left hand. I am waiting for your review of Sony’s z4500, before i purchase it. like so many others, I rely so much on your reviews rather than take too much notice of the propoganda dished out by the various manufacturers

  9. Nice review!
    I purchased the KDL-46W4000 and I have noticed that red desturates slighly (well, probably a lot since I can see it easily) already at fairly small viewing angles. I use the Warm 2 setting. Perhaps the measured red push is a way to compensate for this falloff in red? Blacks also get slightly brighter, and the gamma curve seems to change a bit at off-angles. Still looks very, very good though, even off the middle position.
    BTW, I feel 46 inches works just fine from about 8 feet, even with good quality SD (I did upgrade my HTPC so it can do vector adaptive deinterlacing now, as the Sony was superior in that regard). I wouldn’t want a smaller screen with letterbox material!

  10. Excellent review, not Sony slave like some others we could mention.. Could you please always tell us if the HDMI sockets are V1.3 in your reviews as well? thanks

  11. Excellent review. Would like to see comparison reviews between middle and top of the ranges models.

  12. I should add that the undefeatable (minor) sharpening makes the screen less than perfect as a computer monitor, making some types of text very hard to read. Very stupid, Sony! (Firmware fix PLEASE!) (Or service menu fix, if someone can find it!)

    The “backlight jumps up (but slider stays low)” bug is present in my 46W4000.

    The crossbar menu system may be novel, but it’s very inefficient. 8 (eight!) remote clicks to get to the backlight control! Even more if you used the “Features” menu, for example, the last time! Given that a dedicated remote control button is available just for input selection, the default starting position (remote “HOME” button) for the menu system need not be the input selection “bar” -which is as far away from the picture settings as you can get! What is Sony on these days?

  13. Finally a review. I couldn’t wait so bought this LCD a month ago… but after reading this it’s good knowing that I bought the right LCD :) Is it possible to post your calibrated settings? Cuz you say in the review that the standard preset give the most accurate color, but in your calibrated results (in the table) you use cinema mode?

  14. I bought my Sony 40W4500 a couple of months ago, having been very impressed with the W4000 model – the extra attraction being 100hz Motion Flow as I like to watch sport and films.Given this I deceided not to go Plasma, which I now regret.

    In the end I am very disappointed as there is no difference that I can see with the motion flow set at any available level. Watching sport – football players from a distance are a messy blur, while I can see 2-3 images of the golf ball in the flight and on then greens. Certainly not what I expected from a set of this reported quality.

    Also, if you watch faces in close up in “normal” programmes (not sport) I can detect some motion as if there are two images that move in front and behind each other. I can’t think how a Sony product can produce such distortion.

    Do you think the set if faulty or are there adjustments to the settings that might remove these unwanted images.

    GM

  15. Really good review and I have the set and am very pleased with it.

    It would be great if you could post the calibrated settings.

    Great Review.

  16. Is the input lag on the SONY-KLD40w4500 “0-10ms in [Game Mode] or over VGA; 30-50ms otherwise” better than on the Sony-KDL40W4000 “30ms faster than Samsung F96”

    The review of the Sony-KDL40W4000 said it did’nt need a game mode “Now we know why Sony didn’t bother including a [Game Mode] in the user menu… there’s simply no need.”

    So does this mean the Sony-KDL40W4000 is better or worse for playing games.

  17. @Alexander: For testing purposes, we plug our sources directly to the TV, unless a side-by-side comparison is required, in which case we’ll feed the signal through a HDMI distributor/ amplifier first.

    @Fabian: The most accurate colour gamut comes from [Colour Space] “Standard” in “Cinema” mode.

    @graeme mccallum: Plasma TVs generally offer higher motion resolution than even the latest LCD TVs equipped with 100Hz technology.

    If [Noise Reduction] and [MPEG Noise Reduction] are engaged on your KDL-40W4500, try switching them off as they can introduce motion smearing.

    @Andrew: Apologies for the confusion… the input lag on the KDL40W4500 in [Game Mode] is equivalent to that on the W4000 series.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  18. If you compare the W4000 with the W4500 purely for gaming, is the W4500 a step forward? I’m looking for the 40W400 or 40W4500 for my gaming room, so will be using the tv for gaming only. Is it worth it to spend the extra money on the newer model?

  19. Great review. Couple of questions:

    1. Can you share the calibrated settings used please.

    2. How does this TV compare to the Samsung A956 recently reviewed?

    Thanks in advance.

  20. Great review, as always, Thanks! Can what is said about the 40W4500 directly transfer to the 46W4500 and the 52W4500? Or would any of the observed parameters (like color, white balance, etc etc) be different in a different size?

  21. Hi,

    I got the TV last week-end, and I’m very happy.

    But could you share your calibrated settings?

    Thanks,

  22. WHY THERE’S NO A GRAPH OF GAMMA?
    DEFAULT?
    CALIBRATED?

  23. Hello! I want to buy LCD to PS3. Please help me KDL46W4500 OR KDL46X3500 ?

  24. Thanks for the review, as some have said I really wanted to wait for a review from this website but I already bought the TV back in September, it is still nice to see it up on this website as it helps to know you got a good TV reviewed by a respectable person.

    I too would like to request the calibrated settings used if possible please, I haven’t changed a thing on my TV as I have been waiting for some sort of settings from here.

  25. Is it possible to measure the exact input lag of the X3500 and which one would you prefer?

  26. Thanx Vincent for very good review!
    40W4500 is one of the best value for this money i think!
    I’m quite satisfied with this model of Sony
    But it would be very interesting to try Vincent –Calibrated Settings–

  27. Hello Vincent,

    Would you rate the 40w4500 (overall) as a better TV compared to 40×3500.

    Best Regards,

    George

  28. 0,05 nit calibrated? But, the rgb is in default.
    The gamma?

  29. Great review, but like everyone else we really like to see the best settings. I’ve found these settings for HD Content. What is your opinion about these settings?

    Source: http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-televisions/837866-sony-w4500-settings-thread-2.html

    For HD Source:

    Picture menu:
    Picture Mode: Cinema
    Backlight: 2
    Picture: 90
    Brightness: 51
    Color: 54
    Hue: 0
    Color Temperature: Warm2
    Sharpness: 5
    Noise Reduction: Off
    MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

    Advanced Settings menu:
    Black Corrector: Off
    Advanced C.E.: Off
    Gamma: Low
    Clear White: Off
    Color Space: Standard
    Live Color: Off (grayed out)

    White Balance menu:
    R-Gain: -3
    G-Gain: -4
    B-Gain: -1
    R-Bias: -2
    G-Bias: 0
    B-Bias: 0

    Motion Enhancer: Off
    CineMotion: Auto 1
    Game Mode: Off
    Video/Photo Optimizer: Video

    General Setup menu
    Power Saver: Off

  30. @Fabian: The most accurate colour gamut comes from [Colour Space] “Standard” in “Cinema” mode

    What do you mean by the above?..there is only three mode settings vivd, standard and cinema…so how can you set standard mode within cinema mode?

    Did you mean “Neutral” in Cinema mode?

  31. Cinema is found in picture mode. Color Space set to standard is found n the Advanced Settings menu.

    I would also love to see the calibrated recommendations.

  32. How are people accessing Gamma and Clear White???

    I see neither on my 46W4500, I would also like to know that with PS3 connected via HMDI should Film Mode be 1, 2 or Off???

  33. @MAURO
    0.05 for calibrated black. In my opinion everything is too dark. This value can’t be used for SD or SAT viewing (even HD) at all.

  34. @MAURO
    0.05 for calibrated black. In my opinion everything is too dark. This value can’t be used for SD or SAT viewing (even HD) at all.

    How did you calibrate it please?

  35. Let me start from the beginning, I got the TV recently and can say I was so surprised on how good the picture looked out of the box. Up to this point it had the best hd picture I have seen. I recently owned a Toshiba 40x3030db but due to an issue with movements I replaced it with a Samsung 40LE 656. After days of tweaking that I had to eventually replace it with the Sony due to awful clouding issues.

    This too has the clouding problems but after gently wiping over the effected areas I have managed to cut it down to a minimum.

    One thing I really need to know is how to calibrate the black levels and also how to access the service menu. I have tried the method from the settings thread but as far as I can see it seems to be for the U.S. counterpart and does not work with this model.

    I would be grateful if anyone could tell me how to and also what the best calibrated picture settings are including white balance and deep blacks. The warm2 settings kind of make the picture dull in a tinted way.

    Why is it important to have it on warm 2?..I know it is the closest to rec 709 D65 standard but the hd pictures look nothing like how the movie may have looked in the theatres. How can I replicate the hd dvd or blu ray to look more theatre like?

    Any help or guidance will be most appreciated.

  36. Vincent, thanks for this review. I am new to this site and wonder if you could explain what you mean by: “perhaps more relevant for UK and European users, the Sony KDL40W4500 failed to detect and process 2:2 cadence over 576i.” I do not know what you mean by this, and how significant it is when viewing material from different sources. A brief explanation would be much appreciated.

  37. @Manoj

    If it’s any help here are my settings for HDMI input for Blu Ray having used DVE HD Blu Ray. They were done in the evening with the room lit up enough to see the popcorn in a dish. Settings seem OK for Sky HD also. I would be interested to see how they compare with Vincent’s.

    Picture Mode: Cinema
    Backlight: 2
    Contrast: 88
    Brightness: 52
    Colour: 53
    Colour Temp: Warm1
    sharpness: 1
    Noise Reduction: Off
    MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

    Advanced Contrast Enhancer: Off
    Live Colour: NA
    colour Space: Off

    Power Savings:
    Light Sensor: Off
    Motionflow: Standard
    Film Mode: Auto
    Video/Photo: ??
    x.v.Colour: Normal

  38. Thank you Michael, these settings will be worth a try.

  39. I calibrated the TV using the Blu-Ray Disc of Ratatouille. Calibration was done in dark room with two small lights lit. One on the left of the TV, on in the back behind the viewing position. Here is the result:

    HDMI Settings
    Picture
    Picture Mode: Standard
    Backlight: 2
    Contrast: 88 (calibration suggested 90, but image looked better tuning down a little)
    Brightness: 54 (Calibration suggested 57)
    Colour: 54
    Colour Temperature: Warm 1
    Sharpness: 8
    Noise Reduction: Low
    MPEG Noise Reduction: Low

    Advanced Settings
    Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Low
    Live Colour: Low
    Colour Space: Wide

    Features
    Power Saving: Standard Power
    Light Sensor: Off
    Logo Illumination: Off
    Motion Flow: Standard
    Film Mode: Auto 1
    Game/text mode: Off
    x.v Colour: Auto

    Setup
    Screen Settings
    Screen Format: Wide
    Auto Format: On
    Display Area: Full Pixel

    Digital TV (as HDMI except)
    Contrast: 90
    Sharpness: 7

    Analog TV (same as HDMI except)
    Backlight: 3
    Contrast: 85
    Brightness: 50
    Sharpness: 6
    Noise Reduction: Off
    MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

    Advanced Settings
    Live Colour: Medium

  40. @ Lee Day …Re: “2. How does this TV compare to the Samsung A956 recently reviewed? ”

    If you look at the table of “Best HDTVs” on the home page you’ll see that this Sony is ranked very high and the Samsung A956 isn’t in the top six panels reviewed.

    That’s the way I’m reading it. Furthermore, the Samsung LE40A656 is the next ranked one down from the kdl40w4500 which is very interesting.

    I’m leaning towards the Sony though because I’ve read somewhere that the speakers on the Samsungs aren’t very good. The very low gaming lag is also important to me.

  41. Did Vincent notice black smearing whilst testing the W4500 ?

    All Sony lcd’s i’ve tried from the D3000 to the W4500 have had black smearing which I find annoying.

    Do Samsungs have black smearing ?

  42. Thanks for the great review, also especially for putting the last reviewed product (z4500) in comparison to this one.

    I have one question regarding this item:
    “Film mode deinterlacing Poor; Failed 3:2/ 2:2 cadences in 480i/ 576i ”

    How can I correct this weakness? Can I use an external device to do the job (e.g. a digital receiver that then feeds correctly deinterlaced signals to the TV)? If so, do you have a recommendation on such devices as well, or a source where I might find more information?

    Thanks and best regards,

    Mathias

  43. will the calibrated settings you guys used be posted here eventually? I’d really appreciate guidance with setup!

  44. I own a W4500 and have it hooked up to my PS3 but I’ve noticed a problem with it & motionflow which I find is necessary for my videos.

    For games I enable the game mode now this disables motionflow but that’s not a big deal.

    For videos and movies I just press the “theatre” button so it switches to the alternate video profile however it never turns on motionflow automatically even if you had it enabled the last time.

    Every time you turn on theatre mode motionflow is set to off, I find this very frustrating so does anyone know of a way around this or how to get the TV to save the motionflow setting set to standard

  45. Any chance of getting the calibrated settings for this as am useless at this sort of thing and in the past this site has provided some really good settings.

    So posting them on here would be greatly appreciated.

  46. @ Shodan..Every time you turn on theatre mode motionflow is set to off, I find this very frustrating so does anyone know of a way around this or how to get the TV to save the motionflow setting set to standard

    Use the Option key and switch between Cinema and Standard modes.

  47. @ Micky Bev I’ll try that out but I discovered that the theatre mode is hardwired to turn off motionflow, game mode and nothing will stop it.

    I thought switching between cinema and standard modes might do the trick but the motionflow controls are linked to the features menu not the picture menu so if you have game mode enabled you have to turn that off manually then enabled motionflow which is very messy.

    I can live with it off I guess.
    ——————————————————————————-
    Partial Glossy Screen ?

    Actually one other thing to anyone else who’s an owner have you noticed that the W4500 screen is a bit reflective, its not a full glossy screen which are very reflective but it definitely not the same matt screen that my Sony 40D3000 series had.

    I’m finding it a little distracting to be honest coupled with I don’t know lack of fluidity/ghosting on certain shows (even with game mode enabled) via my PS3 I would think twice to someone considering to buy this set blind go get a look at it if you can.

  48. On my last post there I mentioned a lack of fluidity/ghosting (I couldn’t describe it well enough) but looking at some owner threads of the W4500 I found a complaint from some of black smearing which is exactly what I was seeing.

    It seems to be perceivable by some and not by others, probably depends on the content I was watching “Grosse Point Blank” DVD and I was wondering what was going on as the main character dress in black with black hair was smearing in certain scenes.

    Like I said I’d get a good look at this set before buying.

  49. I have returned my second set to the supplier, the first arrived with a smashed panel and the second was riddled with faults.

    I didn’t notice any black smearing but the panel had an awful viewing angle, noticeable image blur even with Motionflow engaged, noticeable colour bands depending upon your position (for instance on the PS3 xmb, when I stood up, I noticed that it had very distinct horizontal black bands noticeable from top to bottom), the picture even on HD via PS3 / HD-E1 was riddled with noise and I also noticed flickering blocks of colour on the FBI warning screen for I Am Legend along with very visible noise in black areas of the screen (reminded me very much of the old green dot crawl on early / low quality plasmas).

    I swapped my “old” Samsung LE40M87BDX back into my setup and all these problems disappeared, the only thing it has ever suffered from is a strange motion issue, for instance in Iron Man, when Stark in the first suit leaves the cave and the camera shakes, the cave and the boulders in the foreground do not move as one, they seem to move slightly out of sync with each other but that’s about it.

    I have decided to go for the Samsung LE46A656 based on the review on this site as well as the presence of the calibrated settings, I will not go near a Sony LCD again, congratulations to those who have issue free sets though.

  50. “thanks for the review. It seems fantastic for gaming but it;’s a pity that the scaling is such poor” – I’d totally agree, we mainly use the one we recently purchased for xbox 360 gaming and it’s a massive improvement on the 32P3020 we were using before (not just because of the size either!)

  51. thanks for the review. i am asking about the w4000 set, recently iam living in the middle east and it seems that the set spec. is deffers from the one that you reviewed back at may, there is no USB port, no digtal tuner and no XMB menu(the menu looks like the older sony lcds),on the other hand there is 2 compnents, 1 s-video inputs. any why my qustion is that : what is the best setting for composit input in med bright room for a SD content? (scince the only tv source we have is the regular sattlete ricever with copmposit output). thanks

  52. I am on my second w4500 set due to clouding with the last and my second is even worse. I have also found the viewing angle terrible, you move to the left of the panel or even stand up and the whole image lightens and loses clarity. I found this issue on both, I am very dissapointed by a set which has had rave reviews. Yes, it looks great with a HD feed (bar the clouding on black scenes) but how can these issues have been overlooked?

    The second is going back and I’m back in the market.

  53. @Vincent: I bought this tv last week and this review helped me to make my choice. However, I just discovered that the tv has a very annoying dynamic contrast feature which can’t be turned off. When playing videogames on my Xbox 360, this results in way too dark or too bright scenes in a game like Far Cry 2, which has dynamic weather effects, day & night cycles etc. It’s extremely annoying because enemies can’t be seen in the dark from a distance. Only when you’re very close, the tv adjusts the contrast to normal levels and details can be seen again.

    I regret buying this tv for my game room. I already have a Panny 46PZ85 in the living room and games play perfect on this screen without any of those bullshit effects. Any solution to this? Can the dynamic contrast option be turned off? Which settings have you used for this review? Thanks in advance.

  54. Had this TV for a few days. I must say I’ve not experienced any of the negatives and the viewing angle is nearly 90 degrees!

    SD content looks average due to to size of the screen I think, but when feeding in 720p or 1080p (blu-ray discs) the display becomes glorious.

    This TV lives to be driven by HD feeds, the dynamic range between lights and darks in certain move scenes is fantastic. I’ve already watched a few of my favourite films and it’s like watching them for the first time again.

    I’m wondering where the telecine issue mentioned in the review come into play…My blu-ray player seems to be doing the deinterlacing into 572p on SD films (so preumably no tv de-interlacing needed).

    Did I mention the colours?

  55. Regarding the contrast issue mentioned when playing games..I fired up Halo 3 and tried some stuff out.

    Turn off the ‘Adv. Contrast Enhancer’ option….sorted it right out! However…you probably shouldn’t be able to see those enemies lurking in the dark :))))

  56. Does anyone know what (if any) effects ‘Game Mode’ has on the picture of the w4500?

    I have a PS3 running through an AV receiver that I use for games and movies. I tend to leave ‘Game Mode’ on, even for movies, because I use PS3 for gaming mainly. I don’t have Motionflow on for movies and I notice that ‘Game Mode’ deactivates it as an option. This is fine, but does ‘Game Mode’ have other detrimental effects on the picture for movies? I have checked, and couldn’t see any (so this isn’t a huge problem anyway!) but I would like to know the full effects on the picture of turning on Game Mode on the Sony w4500. Otherwise I might just get the w4000 as it has low input lag anyway. (On that note, does turning on game mode just give you the exact equivalent picture to the w4000?? Some advice would be great!)

    Thanks

  57. Can anyone tell me what the dimensions of the box that this Sony 4500 comes in? I want to know if I can fit it in my car rather than have it delivered!

  58. @Eric

    You have to reduce the color range in the HDMI Menu of your XBOX.

  59. hi Vincent, i’m trying to decide between the Sony and the Panasonic 42PZ85,I will be using Sky HD and probably the Sony BD35 blu ray player because when I can afford the extra I will get their IS100 surround sound stuff……..any advice welcome pls

  60. Hi Scott. Just measured the box mine came in 1230x765x235mm

  61. Hi, Vincent . I to am experiencing some clouding on the KDL40W4500. It is minimised when the backlight is set at min. I also would be interested in the calibrated settings you used. In addition there is a buzzing sound from the back which appears and disappears – not sure what triggers it. Any suggestions welcome.

    Apart from the above , even with Freeview the picture is excellent and can appear almost 3D with a good source.

    Look forward to hearing from you.

  62. Hellow Vincent and thanks for the review,

    I’m looking to buying a new TV for games and also for viewing movies and I thing 40w4500 and 46w4500 are a good choice.
    First i like to ask you, did they have so crucial problem with clouding?
    If yes, is there any way how to minimize this problem?
    Second what are the settings you use for best results?

    Thank you in advance!

  63. Thanks Brian. I’ll hire a van!

  64. Vincent, Please share your settings!
    Thanks / Johan

  65. Hey if you are from Greece don’t buy any W4000 they are defective!

  66. kolo yes I’m from Greece. Can you be more specific about the problem of W4000 series?

  67. Do you think this TV could be used by PC instead of normal lcd monitor.
    I ofen work in excel and word so would there be sharp and clear text when i work in native resolution ?

  68. Had 40W4500 for around a month now. Initial picture settings need adjusting to get best out of tv. Some clouding in top right of screen. Awesome for PS3, some bluray films are grainy? Turn off Noise and MPEG reduction and put Motionflow to high and film setting to Auto 1 for 3d effect even on SD picture! Very happy with TV, great picture with right source, sound average not much bass. Will fit in London black taxi no problems.

  69. Hi, I am new to this forum and i am planning to buy KDL40W4500 very soon. I just get confused with all the reviews…just need plain answer shall I but this TV or not if not what is my alternate— samsung or panasonic. Please guys help me fiding my first Full HD TV…

    Hope to hear from you guys soon.

  70. Hi
    Im ready to take the plunge on a tv in January (regardless of sale or not). I narrowed it doen to three, Sony KDL-40W4500, Panny th42pz80b and Samsung LE40A656

  71. Me again, computer crashed and posted before i had finished, sorry guys. As i was saying, going to take plunge on one of these sets. I watch a LOT of sport and dark, moody tv series type things. I’ll be watching at about 10 feet distance and through standard def sky plus (at the moment). In your opinion which is the best for me?

    Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

  72. Hay,

    Could someone explain the difference between LCD SONY KDL-40W4730 and Sony KDL40W4500?

    It would hell me a lot

    Kind regards,s

  73. I saw the KDL-40W4730 in John Lewis today and the salesman said it is a special version of the 40W4500 done just for them so that they don’t have to price match against the 40W4500 – cheeky. It also has different colouring to the lower speaker grill.

  74. Hay, me again!

    I was checking you comments on the web site and I come to a conclusion that Sony 40W4500 is not such good decision to buy. Could some one give me correct decision?

    Also yesterday I was asking about the difference between LCD Sony KDL-40W4730 and Sony 40W4500….I think that difference should be in the components that are integrated in the TV, because the price of series W4730 (1.190€) is lower than of the series W4500 (1.339 €). From the salesman I have heard that this two TV’s are the same. Could some one give me correct answer?

    Kind regards,

  75. Also important, the DLNA does not work with video. Is this a hardware or a software issue? For me this is very important since I am planning to stream a lot. A software issue can be overcome by later firmwares on the Sony, right?

    An alternative seems to be the Samsung 8 series, but there you need to have their own software to stream, e.g., Windows Media Player will not work. Also, it seems that the shiny frame reflects the light when you are looking from an angle, and this is very distracting.

    So, can anybody help me out. If the drawback of the Sony depends on firmware, then I will take that one. Otherwise, it is my guess that it is best to wait for the new generation. A plasma from panasonic with dlna and something to reduce reflections would be cool.

  76. @slavisha: I have read in other forums that there is no technical difference between the two Sony models.

  77. I would like to know if this tv supports RGB Full Range (RGB Dynamic Range) on the ps3?

  78. First off sorry for double posting, but I am slightly confused and would like some enlightment. I just bought the w4500 and am working my way through some calibration

    According to the W4000 review, it does not support full rgb range on the ps3. Now according to sony the difference between full and limited is

    Limited RGB output signal is output in the range from 16 to 235.

    Full RGB output signal is output in the range from 0 to 255.

    Now I might be wrong about this, but to my understanding that is the difference between 8bit and 24bit colors. Where limited only uses 8 bit for all the colors, full uses 8 bit for each primary color (red, green and blue).

    Now trying to play around with the settings a bit I can clearly see that putting my ps3’s range to full is creating crushing blacks. Where near black color detail is absolutely destroyed.

    This led me to believe that the w4500 does not support full range rgb. However looking a bit more around I found some conflicting statements. According to wikipedia x.v.color is exactly the same as full range rgb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XvYCC). And both the w4000 and the w4500 supports it.

    However activating x.v.color on the w4500 does very little if not nothing to remedy the crushed blacks. Which I assume is cause it needs to be recalibrated for full range rgb.

    Now I would like some clearification.
    First off am I wrong is x.v.color not the same as full range rgb?

    Second would calibrating after activating x.v.color and full range rgb remedy the crushing blacks?

    Third would it be possible to calibrate it to near 709 standards after activationg x.v.color and full rgb or is that highly optimistic (as to my understanding the 709 standard is created with only 8bit colors)?

    Last is there any point to obtaining near 709 standard with x.v.color/full rgb (I am under the impression that full rgb would allow more color fidelity)?

    Sorry if this is a lot, but I am having a hard time finding anything concrete on this, and I think some clearing up on this issue might be helpful for other people as well.

  79. my local comet has the 52″ W4500 next to samsun A656 52/0 (?). had a look at it yesterday, not sure if the samsung wasnt tuned properly or what. but the w4500 is quite alot ahead in terms of imagine quality. but on the casino royale demo the frame rate wasnt up to it. whenever you have a slower motion/still picture, it looks stunning but as soon as it moves, the picture just gone blurred. (mind you, im stadning 2 feet away fromt he screen at most)
    the samsung feels like there is always an extra layer (of glass/dirt) in front of you stopping you to view it at its best (or may be thast if im assuming the samsung is as good as the sony.)
    im no TV expert, so if someone can confirm my findings that will be great, i saw it at warrington central’s Comet.

  80. *image quality (sorry, cant find the edit button)

    oh, while what my findings seems favour the sony, apart from the motion blur i talked about, i would like to add, the image quality from w4500 is very….smooth out. in photography terms, it looks plasticy. all the human facial details are smoothed out as if they put lots of make up on. weather you like that kind of thing is down to personal taste

  81. Hi,
    I have read the very in depth review on the TV and it would be rude of me to ask for more information after the trouble you have already been though, I have also read all the comments above. The only problem I have is that almost everyone that uses this TV for gaming uses either an XBOX or a Play Station, I also want to use a TV like this for 1080p gaming but PC games/standard PC usage, using an HDMI connection with the occasional movie from other sources but there not as important. What I want to know is, is there a difference using a PC to using a XBOX or a Play Station as far as the TV is concerned? I did, until I found this site have my heart set on a Samsung 6 series but after I read about the possible LAG issues I’m now totally stuck 50/50 between the Samsung 6 series and this Sony 4500.

    It seams the Samsung 6 Series has a slightly better picture quality but by how much? And is it worth losing a little picture quality for the lower Screen LAG? I see a lot of comments also on this clouding issue, I’m not 100% on what that is exactly and if it will affect the performance of playing games from a PC. If anyone at all can help me come to a decision about this I would immensely appreciate it as I’m just stuck in the middle at the mo.

    I have also posted on the forums under which HDTV as djdave748 if anyone wants to leave comments there again I very much appreciate any advice and help.

    Thank you very much.

  82. I support dave question. Make a test that show how good is this tv in standard PC(not only PS3 and xbox) using by hdmi (web browsing, working with excell , gaming etc…).

  83. Is there a solution for the dynamic contrast problems that appear when playing games?
    And is the difference between the 40w4500 and the 40w4000 worth the money?
    Thanx in advance.

  84. Just bought one of these in Australia. Interestingly mine has a different port configuration on the back. 2 x component ins instead of 1, and standard composite ports where the scart ports should be (2 in and 1 out).

    Everything else seems the same although I haven’t had time to have a really good look yet. Got the same clouding/bleeding problem people have been talking about but haven’t bothered adjusting/calibrating it yet. Honestly its hardly noticible!

    Nobody seems to have commented on audio quality in any reviews I’ve read. I guess people assume you will have a speaker system. I don’t want one because i’m not that hard core and I can do without all the extra spaghetti.

    The audio sounds very good/crisp/clear to me (not tinny), although it lacks a bit of bass. Certainly good enough for me :)

    I’ve caught a little bit of sport and I have to say it looks sensational. No sign of relics around players heads/the ball or anything annoying like that.

    For any non-hard-core video head who just wants a good TV, this set seems to be exceptionally good value.

  85. Sony KDL 40W4500 Review

    In my opinion still possibly the best LCD model Sony have shown us to date, well worth a look after christmas when the january sales begin. Callibration wasnt the easiest thing of all but it was well worth taking the time over it for the picture is simply outstanding.

  86. Thanx for a very useful review :-)

  87. Again, for anybody experiencing the advanced contrast enhancer ‘problem’ while gaming, turn it off, it’s in the menus somewhere.

    Had this TV for a month now, still very happy with it. As I’ve said before, it’s awesome for sports, keeps up with those zipping high speed pans (that you get in American football!).

    Again again again, the clarity and the colour is what still impresses me (and also the dynamic range in outdoor scenes). Blu-Ray disks are out of this world, it’s like being there!

  88. Christopher Gomes

    hi ive bought a sony 40w4500 and was wondering if anyone has any good settings or have calibrated their screen too a decent level.

    please let me know guys thank

    gomez

  89. Great review! Can you post calibrated settings please?

  90. I viewed several LCD TV’s in several high street stores and read the What Hi-Fi reviews, I plumped for what was IMHO the best picture by far in my price range(Sony KDL-40W4500) to replace my 4 year old Sony Wega 100HZ 32inch CRT. I expected the LCD technology to be similar/enhancement on their Vaio X-Black PC/Laptop displays that I have been using for over three years.

    The first one out of the box on XMAS Eve (Thanks Santa) had the clouding down the right and within two days it had started on the top left. the top right corner was the worst of all and obvious during the night time scenes on the Rambo and Casino Royale Blu-Ray DVD’s. Colours and everything else for normal viewing were amazing, except for the clouds in low light/dark viewing

    I received the replacement this morning and it is 95% plus cloud free – although it still remains in the top right (three inch by three inch) corner on this second set. This second set was manufactured in December 2008 (from the rear sticker) but I am unsure on the initial sets build date.

    I have made many tweaks to the settings to no avail (Backlight=min, contrast Up, etc). I have no issues with the set except for this clouding problem. So after many hours contemplation, I am swapping/upgrading to the 40Z4500. I am doing this in the hope that this new model, albeit A LOT more expensive, has the undocumented clouding characteristic corrected. Having owned and prefered Sony’s products for over 10 years, I feel that they either do not have a fix for this characteristic (manufacturing process, quality control, software upgrade or web/paper literature) or are poor at communicating it to the consumer.

  91. are these settings correct vincent:

    For HD Source:

    Picture menu:
    Picture Mode: Cinema
    Backlight: 2
    Picture: 90
    Brightness: 51
    Color: 54
    Hue: 0
    Color Temperature: Warm2
    Sharpness: 5
    Noise Reduction: Off
    MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

    Advanced Settings menu:
    Black Corrector: Off
    Advanced C.E.: Off
    Gamma: Low
    Clear White: Off
    Color Space: Standard
    Live Color: Off (grayed out)

    White Balance menu:
    R-Gain: -3
    G-Gain: -4
    B-Gain: -1
    R-Bias: -2
    G-Bias: 0
    B-Bias: 0

    Motion Enhancer: Off
    CineMotion: Auto 1
    Game Mode: Off
    Video/Photo Optimizer: Video

    General Setup menu
    Power Saver: Off

    really apreciate the help

  92. @RabbitFly: All video uses limited levels (16-235), dvd, blu-ray etc, tv etc. xvYCC does use 0-255 levels. But if the source is 16-235, like a blu-ray or dvd, selecting 0-255 full range on the PS3 expands the 16-235 to 0-255 levels. The tv is only displaying the 16-235 levels, so you see the crushed blacks (and whites).

    Why the tv in xvYCC mode is not displaying the 0-15 and 236-255 levels I don’t know, but xvYCC and full levels (0-255) is pretty useless in video land.

  93. I just purchased the sony kdl40w4500 tv which I just purchased recently and I think the picture even in standard definition is brilliant.
    The only thing that bothers me is a slight ticking noise for a few seconds when the set is put on standby.Is the noise a fan coming to a halt.Sony were unable to help with an answer.

  94. WHY DONT YOU POST YOUR SETTINGS !

  95. Using HDMI2 Interface with the associated Analogue Input, how do I set it so that the picture comes via HDMI and the sound comes from the Analogue Input?

    I’ve got an Nvidia GFX Card that doesn’t output Sound through the DVI Socket so this has to come from the Soundcard ….

  96. I think im going to buy the 40w4500, for just under £850 seems to be the best value for money, for the quality i’ll recieve. I have a PS3 and watch alot of football, is this a good move???

  97. Were can i find the 40w4500, for just under £850

  98. Thanks for the great review. I bought a 40W4500 before Xmas 08 and thoroughly agree with the backlighting issue – out of the box it was shocking worsening after a few hours of viewing and no amount of adjustment could rectify. Sony exchanged the set and the new one is heaps better but still occasionally noticable so be wary. Overall its a really great TV and its handling of SD DVDs (eg Lord of the Rings) is so amasingly impressive it makes me wonder about the real need for Blue Ray at the current prices of the disks.

  99. Can what is said about the 40W4500 directly transfer to the 46W4500 and the 52W4500? Or would any of the observed parameters (like color, white balance, etc etc) be different in a different size?

    And if you were me, witch tv would u pick? : sony kdl46w4500, samsung le46a676, or samsung le46a866. Dont compare prices, just tell me which is the best plz :) cant find any tests anywhere of the 866 and 676:(

    If you are tired you can just answer the 1st question:) hehe.

  100. COME ON VINCENT PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE TELL US THE BEST SETTINGS FOR THIS TV

  101. could you give the settings ?

  102. How come the U.S. version of this panel (Sony KDL-46W4100) has White Balance controls in the user menu but the UK model doesn’t?

  103. After such a great (unbiased) review from your website, I have taken the plunge and bought the 46″ version of this TV….
    Now I’m stuck – need the BEST settings for this model PLEASE PLEASE
    There is a lot of picture smudging, and I need help.

    Please give us all – your best settings for this TV.

    Kindest regards,
    Ahmed

  104. Vincent can you post the best settings?

  105. Vincent, could you please post or send me e-mail with the best optimal settings for this tv???
    Thanks in advance for your time.

  106. Please help, I’ve recently bought this TV the KDL-40w4500 european model (made in spain) and somehow managed to change the white balance setting in the service menu (fortunately just level 0) without writing them down first. So i’m begging somebody who owns this TV to post his level 0 white balance values from the service menu. thank you in advance

  107. Settings PPPLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEE VIncent !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  108. Greetings,

    I’ve got only one simple question to the reviewer – purely for PS3 gaming w4500 or w4000?? I don’t care about movies, sports, sd/hd tv signals etc. Console/pc games only.

    Input lag, clouding other effects, price etc…

  109. where iz da settings for dis tv? is it cos I is black vincent?

  110. As I have just purchased a Sony KDL 40W450 would it be possible to email me the calibttion settings for the TV to the above email address? Thanking you in advance.

    Tony Byrne

  111. you’re all nutters
    how can anyone spout so much crap about bloody televisions?

  112. Christopher Johns

    I see a lot of requests for settings. Does Sony not offer anything in this regard? If not, er, why not? Are Sony TVs unsupported TVs?
    OK, I’ve read a bit deeper and it seems people are asking someone else what settings he prefers. How odd. Is this where consumerism has taken us? Perhaps not until Sony provide a button labelled ‘Best Settings’ (or perhaps ‘Smooth Classics Settings’!).

  113. its cos sonys black innit!

  114. I just bought a 40w4500, initially I was gutted, slight backlight bleed from top right corner and on freeview the picture was hideous, really really blurred, gave me eyestrain. I wanted to send it back. Using the settings above all is well again, the blurriness was due to the noise and MPEG reduction being on. Turning it off made all the difference, sure the picture is not as smooth but it is now so sharp. Backlight bleed is no longer noticable. Thanks everyone and TURN OFF THAT NOISE REDUCTION.
    P.S. bought it from Sony in Terminal 5, £1011 with 5 year warranty and a PS3 with little big planet, makes the TV about £750 if you were going to get a PS3 anyway. (Free delivery).

  115. Simon, what settings did you use above?

  116. Pretty much what Pedro posted further up, I prefered standard to cinema and I haven’t changed white balance via service menu or anything. My main point was that I even went back to sony to ask why my freeview was so blurred, their shop tv was the same It was only after reading this thread that I tried noise reduction off, sure it got rid of all the noise and digital artifacts but it blurred the picture to the point where I hated the tv. No one tells you about these things, how many people out there are watching blurred tv with the noise reduction cranked up?

  117. How do I access service menu ? ? ?

  118. i suffered with the prominent ‘backlight bleed’ problem in both top corners of my KDL40W4500 and after diong a little research realised it’s related to the way the screen is mounted. i layed my tv on it’s front (with stand removed), slackened all the screws on the rear panel then re-tightened them and viola! no bleed whatsoever, even with backlight at max. seems to me the screens may become a little ‘strained’ in transit and just need relaxing. worked for me but of course i don’t accept any responsibility if you decide to try it!

  119. Good one Pete!

    I wonder if your technique will work with back light bleed on other brands?

  120. Hi ! Sorry for my English.I’M from Poland. I have a BIG PROBLEM ! I have SONY KDL-40W4500 prod. SPAIN 11.2008 I was going to the SERVICE MENU and click INITIALIZE in WHITE BALANCE and then START NIGHTMARE FOR ME ! COLORS ARE unregulated !!! VIOLET end PINK are DOMINATED COLORS !!! Before this COLORS were BEAUTIFUL now TRAGEDY !!! I’m LOOKING UPGRADE FIRMWARE FOR FIX THIS PROBLEM and return BEFORE THIS NIGHTMARE !!! Please PLEASE !!! Help Me How can I REPAIR THIS PROBLEM ! What should I do ??? I begin You Help me !!!

    This is my RGB Settings in SERVICE MENU system config. WHITE BALANCE:

    Level 0
    R-157
    G-151
    B-156

    Level 1
    R-289
    G-282
    B-292

    Level 2
    R-486
    G-472
    B-486

    Level 3
    R-678
    G-661
    B-677

    Level 4
    R-949
    G-910
    B-934

    Please HELP ME !! My email dziara76@gmail.com

    THANK’S VERY THANK’S

  121. Hi!

    Many thanks for your superb reviews and all posts by the users.
    They really do help when choosing a LCD these days!!!!

    Just a question with regards to KDL40W4500 vs KDL46w4500. As I cannot find a good review about it I just wondered if it would be just as good as the KDL40W4500, given the fact that it is the bigger “brother”.
    I intend to use it mainly for watching telly through DVB-S, playing the XBOX360 on it and watch DVD’s.
    Will it be just as good as the “smaller” version or is it slower (input lag) and blurry because it is so big?

    Many thanks for your comments and answers.
    Dom

  122. Hey, where’s the settings? This is first time in hdtvtest reviews without any settings given to owners.

  123. could you please give or mail the settings ?

  124. The main problem people are having with this and other Sony TVs is the problem of clouding. There seems to be no solution and it seems to be fairly widespread and not limited to Sony. A study and technical article on the problem would be much appreciated. I’ve read lots of reviews on HDTVs, in French as well as in English, but the reviewers never tackle this problem. Apparently plasma does not present this problem, but plasma has several other disadvantages (weight, power cosumption, burn-in etc). What are the technical reasons for the problem and what is the percentage of sets with it?

  125. I bought this TV in a 52” and have to say I love it!

    The best HD picture I have ever seen.

    SD looks fine, but never ever going to compare to HD.

    Bought this over the Samsung series 8 and am pleased with my decision.

  126. We all need your settings Vince ;) Pls tell us.

    Are there any special football settings available?

  127. Guys it does look like Vince isn’t going to post the settings as people have been asking for months, would have been nice if he would just posted on here that he isn’t going to give the settings rather than just stay quiet.

  128. You guys always crying, Where’s the settings? Where’s the settings?

    Do you all realize that people like Vincent and David derive some of their income from calibrating hdtv panels?

    This site was to me a place to get detailed information on hdtv performance before buying, not one where I could get free expert settings for my new big screen TV.

  129. I’ve had this tv for 6 months and well happy with it £935 inc 5 years Richer Sounds.
    Not too deep into the picture side of cals as you guys.
    I have a old laptop plugged into the network for music and pictures etc works great throught the sony 660 surround sound.
    We have sound lag from sky+ of a second sometimes and it’s linked via optical.
    Any help with this?
    Also the clock in the bottom right keeps swapping times by a hour or even more.
    Cheers

  130. sony kdl 40w4500 Hi can any body tell me how to arrange guide plus in the correct order eg . chanel numbers .mine shows bbc to be chanel 14 and itv1 to be chanel 1. i have left it on standby overnight to see if it downloade any corrections but frustratingley it is till the same… the tv is great…

  131. Hi,
    I have this TV and PS3 connected via HDMI. Unfortunatelly, I see a bad effect called ‘color banding’.
    I tried to connect several such TVs (as well as Z series) and on each I saw this effect. So, if you do not accept color banding effect please do not buy this TV.

  132. hi there, i have recently purchased this model(my first foray into “new”technology tv’s)and being somewhat of a technophobe could you please send me best settings.I have not yet got sky hd but am considering getting it(wife permitting!)as i watch all sport going.Many thanks Ian

  133. Very Good review! Can the calibrated settings be posted please?

  134. Excellent TV – had mine over six months now. I get excellent results on freeview, blu-ray and the motionflow works a treat with sports. Had to change some settings though to get the best results for me, very poor results with noise reduction switched on. Here are my main settings:-
    PIcture Mode -Standard
    Backlight -2
    Noise Reduction -Off
    Contract -84
    Brightness -59
    Colour -59
    Colour Temperature -Neutral
    Mpeg Noise Reduction -Off
    Live Colour -Medium
    Colour Space -Wide
    Sharpness -18

  135. Bought my w4500 on saturday (july 18) and i was very pleased with initial setup. My post is in regards to backlight bleeding which all/most lcd’s have as standard. I had 3 spots of bleeding top left top right and bottom right (pretty much whole right side).

    I decided to try pete regans method to fix backlight bleeding (for google’s hehe) and so i lay my lcd on the soft plastic cover it came in and carefully unscrewed a couple of screws around where the backlight bleed was. At first when i switched back on to a black screen there was no difference. So i decided to then unscrew all the screws which look like they were in the places where the backlight bleed was (no need to unscrew ones in the middle of casing and near the speaker) and then began to re-tighten them. Ensure if you try this you retighten all the way.

    Upon re-testing the bleed in the top left was completely gone, top right was pretty much unperceivable and the bottom right and middle were noticably reduced. Although i will give the bottom right another go sometime for now im happy with the results.

    If you try this just be very careful though and if you lack the confidence or dont ‘do diy’ then dont bother.

    Nice one Pete

  136. Please advice to buy KDL40W4500 Sony or KDL40W5500. thank

  137. Excellent TV – picture and sound

    UNTIL the panel fail on month 13!!!!!!!!

  138. Great tv, but since im a detail freak i have trouble getting the ” perfect ” settings for PS3 gaming, could anyone help me on this quest?? Thanks a lot

  139. Amazing TV, good for HD TV and Bluray. Ps3 and Xbox 360 gaming is perfect, hardly noticed any input lag with game mode on.

    looking forward to test God of War 3 on this panel.

    Calibration is an absolute must for this panel, you’ll get the best image quality available.

  140. Amin can you post your calibrated settings please?

    I have panny blu-ray, Sky HD and PS3 all in different HMDI slots – so can all be individually calaibrated. However mine are not disimmlar to the previous posters

    Sky HD= normal

    Backlight 2
    Contrast 86
    Colour 52
    Brightness 52
    sharpness 2
    warm 2

    Bluray = cinema

    Back 2
    Contrast 91
    Colour 54
    Brightness 58
    sharpness 5
    warm 2

    EVERYTHING else switched off

  141. Hello all,
    does anyone know about a firmawere that could help to play video from usb slot?
    thanks.

  142. I couldn’t find any option to disable auto-dimming on my SONY KDL46W4500. A solution for me for disable auto-dimming for PS3 gaming I have setup the following settings on my HDMI 1 interface:

    Settings -> Picture :
    Picture Mode: Standard
    Backlight: 4
    Contrast: 72
    Brightness: 52
    Colour: 57
    Colour Temperature: Neutral
    Sharpness: Max
    Noise Reduction: Off
    MPEG Noise Reduction: Off

    Advanced Settings ->
    Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off
    Colour Space: Standard

    That works for my, specially with playing GTA or Read Dead Redemption I had lots of issue with it. now this is solved! good luck!

  1. Pingback: Sony W4500 Series 100Hz,50.000:1 Dynamic contrast,DLNA - Page 202 - AVForums.com

  2. Pingback: Sony KDL40W4500, KDL40X4500, KDL46X4500 Announced

  3. Pingback: Sony W4500 Series 100Hz,50.000:1 Dynamic contrast,DLNA - Page 203 - AVForums.com

  4. Pingback: Official Sony 32/40/46/52 W4000 Full HD(Bravia Engine 2,33.000:1 Contrast) Thread - Page 296 - AVForums.com

  5. Pingback: AVforum.no - Offisiell tr?d for Sony for W4500

  6. Pingback: Please help me decide - AVForums.com

  7. Pingback: Totally stumped between 2 sets - AVForums.com

  8. Pingback: Achizitie plasma - lcd! Sfaturi, preturi! - Page 448 - Computer Games Forum

  9. Pingback: That impressed the shop! - Civinfo

  10. Pingback: Sony Bravia Full HD 100Hz TV van 40" - Pagina 2 - 9lives

  11. Pingback: Sony W4500 Series 100Hz,50.000:1 Dynamic contrast,DLNA *Part 2* - Page 7 - AVForums.com

  12. Pingback: Sony W4500 Series 100Hz,50.000:1 Dynamic contrast,DLNA *Part 2* - Page 8 - AVForums.com

  13. Pingback: Sony W4500 Series 100Hz,50.000:1 Dynamic contrast,DLNA *Part 2* - Page 10 - AVForums.com

  14. Pingback: Sony W4500 Series 100Hz,50.000:1 Dynamic contrast,DLNA *Part 2* - Page 11 - AVForums.com

  15. Pingback: Sony W4500 Series 100Hz,50.000:1 Dynamic contrast,DLNA *Part 2* - Page 23 - AVForums.com

  16. Pingback: The 'WANT' Thread - Page 6 - Wiffy.ie - Nintendo Wii & DS in Ireland

  17. Pingback: Sony KDL-40W4500 o Samsung LE-40A786 - Forum di Tom's Hardware Italia

  18. Pingback: Achizitie plasma - lcd! Sfaturi, preturi! - Page 492 - Computer Games Forum

  19. Pingback: 40W4000 vs 40L4000 - AVForums.com

  20. Pingback: Official LG 32/37/42/47/52 LG7000 Thread - Page 25 - AVForums.com

  21. Pingback: Official LG 32/37/42/47/52 LG7000 Thread - Page 25 - AVForums.com

  22. Pingback: W4500 vs W5500 - AVForums.com

  23. Pingback: Sony KDL-40V5500 - any thoughts? - AVForums.com

  24. Pingback: » Nuevo Home Thetater PC DiSiEi.net: Página personal de David Caparrós

calibration

Professional TV Calibration Service

Own this (or any other) TV? Want to get the best picture quality? Book us in to calibrate your set. Affordable price... get a quote now.

Close