Sony KDL42W705B LED TV Review

Crampton & Moore


For all of Sony’s enthusiasm towards 4K Ultra HD throughout 2013, it’s the supreme gaming responsiveness on their 1080p HDTVs that generated the most interest among TV buyers who do their research. On our input lag ranking table, the top slots are dominated by last year’s Sony Bravias, namely the W6, W8 and W9 series. While Sony will continue to intensify its assault on 4K this year, the Japanese manufacturer will still have some full HD televisions in its 2014 lineup, one of which is the subject of today’s review.

Sony W7

The Sony KDL42W705B is the 42-inch model within the company’s new Bravia W7 range which also comes in 32in and 50in sizes. It features a FHD screen resolution of 1920×1080, edge LED backlighting, X-Reality PRO video processing engine, Motionflow XR 200Hz technology, dual Freeview HD and satellite tuners, inbuilt wireless connectivity, and Sony’s revamped Smart TV interface. Other listed specifications not directly related to picture quality include “Social Viewing” which adds Twitter or Skype interaction to your TV viewing experience, and a “Live Football Mode” that optimises the picture and sound for watching footie, tying in with Sony’s sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Design

The KDL-42W705B is almost an exact carbon copy of the KDL-42W653A we tested back in August 2013, sporting a suitably slim matte black bezel, and a silver low-profile fixed table-top stand in the mould of a wire rack. As can be expected from an edge-lit LED LCD display, the TV is largely thin when inspected from the sides, only bulging out in the middle and along the bottom to accommodate the connection ports and speakers respectively.

Slim bezel

The Sony KDL42W705 even uses an external power brick just like the W6. As far as we could tell, the only major cosmetic difference is the absence of the rectangular “Intelligent Core” unit on the bottom border of the screen, which has been replaced with thin, silver stripe of lip-shaped accessory that hangs from the beneath the W7. The stand can be repurposed as a basic bracket for wall-mounting – kudos to Sony for the ingenious practicality.

Stand and remote

All in all, it’s a very classy design, with the slenderness of the frame providing a quite convincing “picture floating in air” effect. For those of you looking for an alternative to the swarm of black TV bezels out there, Sony also offers a silver version with model number KDL42W706B at the same £649 recommended retail price (RRP).

Connections

One of the key complaints on last year’s Sony Bravia W653 range was that it only offered a miserly two HDMI and one USB inputs. Fortunately this has been addressed on the KDL42W705B which is equipped with two USB and 4 HDMI ports.

Rear connections
Rear: 3 x HDMI, component, RGB Scart, aerial, satellite, LAN & audio out
Side connections
Side: HDMI, 2 x USB, control buttons

Operation

For the most part, the picture-affecting controls available on the Sony 42W7 remain unchanged from the previous years, although finding them on the [Home] menu is not easy – they’re embedded within an inconspicuous small icon on the top right of the screen. However, like last year, you can access the picture (and sound) adjustment menus directly by pressing the [Option] key on the supplied remote control.

There are a variety of top-level presets which can be selected through the [Scene Select] menu, such as “General“, “Auto“, “Cinema“, “Sports“, “Music“, “Photo“, “Game“, etc. The two that should prove useful are “Cinema” for accurate video reproduction, and “Game” for improved gaming responsiveness.

Note: Every time our Sony 42W705B review sample was switched on from cold standby, it took more than 30 seconds before certain remote control actions (e.g. summoning the home menu, changing inputs) would get the desired result on the television. We put it down to initialisation and caching of the in-TV processor, but this sort of waiting around can prove frustrating for some users.

Calibration

Note: Our review unit was calibrated using CalMAN 5, the industry-leading video calibration software.

To take a pre-calibration measurement, we switched [Scene Select] to “Cinema“, which should deliver the most accurate out-of-the-box image based on our experience with Sony flat-screen TVs over the past few years.

Greyscale

The default [Colour Temperature] of “Warm 2” in “Cinema 1” [Picture Mode] yielded a greyscale that contained too much green component, becoming worse as the image got brighter.

Pre-calibration RGB Tracking
Pre-calibration Delta errors
Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

The characteristics of the KDL42W705’s onboard white balance controls remain unchanged from those seen on Sony Bravias over the last several years. It’s still only a 2-point system, when other major TV makers have been offering 10-point or even 20-point WB controls on their midrange models. The RGB bias controls are exceedingly coarse, while the gain controls can only be adjusted downwards, further limiting our calibration options.

Post-calibration RGB Tracking
Post-calibration Delta errors
Post-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

The good news is despite these handicaps, just a few clicks of the [G-Gain] and [B-Gain] controls were enough to align greyscale to an impressively accurate standard, with delta errors (dEs) reduced to below 2 (the widely accepted perceptible threshold is thought to be 3) across the entire luminance range.

Gamma

Sony was the only TV brand that targeted 2.4 gamma by default in its most accurate “Cinema” presets in 2013, and we’re pleased to see the company do the same again in 2014. For critical viewing on a capable display in a dimly-lit environment, there’s no reason why you should opt for a gamma of 2.2 over 2.4, since the latter has been decreed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as the recommended electro-optical transfer function (EOTF) for studio mastering on a flat-screen HDTV in a dark room.

Pre-calibrated Gamma tracking in [Cinema 1] mode Post-calibrated Gamma tracking in [Cinema 1] mode
Pre-calibration gamma tracking (2.37) Post-calibration gamma tracking (2.38)

The default [Gamma] setting of “-2” in [Cinema 1] picture mode already tracked very closely to 2.4 in a linear fashion, so we left it untouched.

Colour

The Sony KDL-42W705B doesn’t come with any advanced colour management system (CMS), but that’s not really an issue, since the colours are mostly spot-on after greyscale calibration, with the only slight blemish being an undersaturated red primary.

Post-calibration colour saturation tracking in [Cinema 1] mode
Post-calibration colour saturation tracking

This is reflected in the following chart, where 100% saturation red was the only measurement to creep over the visible delta error (dE) threshold of 3. That said, most viewers won’t be able to tell the difference outside of a side-by-side comparison with a reference display.

Post-calibration colour errors in [Cinema 1] mode
Post-calibration colour errors (<3 not appreciable to the eye)

Benchmark Test Results

Dead pixels None
Screen uniformity Very good for an edge LED TV
Overscanning on HDMI 0% if [Screen Format] “Full” & [Display Area] “Full Pixel
Blacker than black Passed
Calibrated black level (black screen) LEDs dim down to 0.011 cd/m2
Calibrated black level (ANSI checkerboard) 0.042 cd/m2
Black level retention Auto-dimming with full black screen
Primary chromaticity Undersaturated red primary
Scaling Very good
Video mode deinterlacing Decent
Film mode deinterlacing Passed 3:2 cadence over 480i
Viewing angle Good for VA LCD panel
Motion resolution 1080 (but double image) with [LED Motion Mode] on; 300, off
Digital noise reduction Optional; effective when engaged
Sharpness Defeatable edge enhancement
Luma/Chroma bandwidth (2D Blu-ray) Full luma; chroma horizontally blurred except in [Game] & [Graphics] modes
1080p/24 capability No judder
Input lag (high-speed camera) 6ms compared to lag-free CRT in [Game] mode
Leo Bodnar input lag tester 14ms in [Game] mode
Full 4:4:4 reproduction (PC) Yes, in [Game] and [Graphics] modes

Power Consumption

Default [Standard] mode 28 watts*
Calibrated [Cinema 1] mode 37 watts
Standby <1 watt

*Note: Out of the box, [Light Sensor] is engaged by default, which explains why energy usage was lower before calibration than after.

Picture Quality

Black Level

The AUO-sourced VA-type panel implemented on the Sony KDL-42W705 delivered deep blacks by LED LCD standards. Like most LED TVs these days, the Bravia W7 dims down its LEDs when asked to display full-screen video black. We measured a black level of 0.011 cd/m2 this way, though of course this is not truly representative of the native black level of the set (we rarely watch full screen black in normal viewing).

To determine the true black-level response of the television, you can either get the TV to display a small amount of lit pixels (for example a pause icon from a Blu-ray player) against a black background, which would defeat the auto-dimming; or use a 4×4 ANSI checkerboard pattern where black patches are interspersed with white ones. In both cases, our Klein K10-A meter returned a black level measurement of 0.042 cd/m2 once we calibrated the KDL42W705B, and pegged peak white luminance to 120 cd/m2.

Backlight Uniformity

Backlight uniformity was good on our KDL42W705 review sample – we noticed no clouding or backlight bleed even before calibration. Due to the way a limited number of LED bulbs mounted along the edges are required to illuminate the entire LCD screen, some dirty screen effect (DSE) was inevitable (as is always the case on edge LED televisions), but this rarely troubled us in real-world viewing.

Motion

The Sony 42in W7 doesn’t come with any [Motionflow] options in its user menu, so there’s no motion-compensated frame interpolation system at our disposal to boost the TV’s motion resolution from its baseline level of 300 (which is par for the course for a vanilla LCD panel). However, there exists an [LED Motion Mode] control which is Sony’s version of black frame insertion (BFI). Engaging this would bump up measured motion resolution (as judged using Chapter 31 of the FPD Benchmark Software disc) to the maximum (for this specific test sequence) of 1080, but it introduced a few side effects that made it pretty much unusable.

All black frame insertion techniques incur some brightness loss and introduce flicker: after all, new black frames are added in-between the original video frames to “reset” our retinal persistence and deliver clearer perceived motion. On the Bravia KDL-42W705B though, the algorithm was too aggressive: with [LED Motion Mode] enabled, we only managed to extract a highest luminance of 36 cd/m2 even with [Backlight] and [Contrast] cranked up to max; and the flicker was very noticeable on bright scenes.

Football

Despite the lack of any usable motion-enhancing technologies, we didn’t find motion clarity on the KDL42W705 to be wanting when we watched some live football broadcast. Yes, there’s the LCD blur, but motion was generally clean, without any sign of black trailing that can affect some VA LCD panels.

HD

The combination of deep blacks, neutral greyscale, relatively accurate colours and ruler-flat 2.4 gamma resulted in a superb high-definition picture that would give even flagship LED TVs a run for their money. The linear 2.4 gamma in particular injected plenty of “pop” and richness to every type of material displayed on screen, with a realistic rise out of black that did not muddy shadow detail. 1080p/24 content like Blu-ray discs were handled impeccably by the Sony W705, with nary a hint of telecine judder.

SD

The Sony KDL42W705B is a competent standard-def performer. Upscaling was crisp with full detail capture from the SMPTE RP-133 test card, albeit with a touch more ringing than competing Samsungs, as well as intermittent flickering if [Reality Creation] was engaged. With [Film Mode] set to “Auto“, the television correctly detected and processed 3:2 over 480i, but could not maintain lock on 2:2 over 576i in a consistent fashion. This means that interlaced PAL film-based material may display with some deinterlacing artefacts or resolution loss.

When it comes to video-mode deinterlacing, the KDL42W705’s performance was average rather than stellar, revealing more jaggies in the rotating wheel and bouncing bars patterns in the HQV Benchmark test disc than HDTVs from LG, Panasonic and Samsung. To be fair, this has always been the case on Sony Bravias for as long as we’ve started testing flat-screen televisions, yet we don’t hear many owners complaining, so the jagged edges are probably not as conspicuous in real-life content.

Console/ PC Gaming

Boasting the lowest input lag we’ve ever recorded, and also full 4:4:4 reproduction in [Game] mode, the Sony 42″ W7 is an ideal large-sized display for both console and PC gamers. Our Leo Bodnar input lag tester gave a reading of 13.5ms, eclipsing the previous best of 14.6ms set by another Sony HDTV, the KDL42W653.

Input lag

Furthermore, [Game] mode offers two presets, namely [Game-Standard] and [Game-Original], the latter of which can be configured to provide a less garish and more accurate colour palette for playing games on the Bravia KDL-42W705B.

Conclusion

From our tests, it seems that the Sony Bravia W7 is the new W6. Featuring deep blacks, mostly accurate colours, 2.4 gamma, and above all record-breaking gaming responsiveness, the KDL-42W705 should prove to be a hit among movie and game enthusiasts who don’t need 3D. It even improves upon the popular, outgoing KDL-42W653 by offering two extra HDMI ports.

It’s early days yet (since this is the first and only television we’ve reviewed in 2014), but we’re calling the Sony KDL42W705B the gaming TV to beat for the year ahead. If you’re looking for an ultra-responsive display to be paired up with your PS4 or Xbox One, that’s capable of delivering lush images yet is still affordable, then the 42-inch Sony W705 deserves a place on the top of your shopping list (and in your living room).

Note: If you’re interested in buying this TV, please support us by considering making your purchase from our advertising partner Crampton and Moore who will provide competitive prices and first-rate customer service. At the very least, go ahead and like their Facebook page, thanks!

Highly Recommended

Crampton & Moore

83 comments

  1. Do you guys know if Sony will be releasing a North american equivalent of this TV?

    Also: Is it possible you could also measure color,gamma accuracy and stuff for 0-255 RGB 4:4:4 PC/Game mode with TVs at all in the future?

  2. I realize though, that potentially doing that, would probably require you guys to purchase CalmanRGB.

  3. Thanks for the review.

    “Every time our Sony 42W705B review sample was switched on from cold standby, it took more than 30 seconds before certain remote control actions”

    –> This actually affected all of last year’s Sony models, even the top models W9 and X9, though to a lesser extent since those have a more powerful CPU, so the wait time was shorter. IIRC there was a FW update that brought improvement, but it still very noticable and annoying if you want to change HDMI inputs on your W905 but have to wait a few secs until the TV has “woken up”. They really could learn from Samsung and their Quad core cpus.

    Can’t say that I really like the placement of the menu options on the top right of the screen.

    Question: So what about the “Live Football Mode”? Sony claims that by enabling it it’s possible to turn off the commentator, but how would that be possible? I guess all it does is increase the volume of what is happening on the pitch?

    Looking forward to your review of the W955 to finally clear up whether it has an AUO panel or, as some ppl fear, an IPS panel.

  4. sorry for the error of the color (red saturation) can be adjusted with an update? because in w6 not happened? is it important?

  5. Is the picture quality of the W7 significantly better than last years W6? While the introductory price of the W7 is quite reasonable the W6 can still be found for around £150 less. Just wondering if the W7 is worth the extra money. Thanks.
    PS. Lightning quick reflexes to 2014 new arrivals!!! Well done!

  6. Have you tried turning off any ambient light sensors off? With last year’s models this helped with brightness with LED Motion on.

  7. @Nick: We don’t have any contacts within Sony USA, and so won’t be able to answer your first question. Re your second question, it’s unlikely, but we’ll see what we can do. I don’t think there’s any other site/publication testing 4:4:4?

    @Yappa: Now that you mentioned it, I’ll try out the “Live Football Mode” with some Champions League football tonight.

    @Manuel: It’s unlikely that the undersaturated red can be adjusted with an update without screwing up the other colours, it’s just how the LED LCD colour gamut is. To be honest, most people won’t notice it, so no, it’s not important.

    @Tom: Picture quality is on par. Basically you’re paying £150 more for the extra 2 HDMI and 1 USB ports on the W7.

    @Jeffrey: Yes, [Light Sensor] was off. For me, [LED Motion Mode] is unusable on the W7.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  8. First of all, thanks for the early and, as awlays, great review!

    You’re saying that the review sample has DSE but that it rarely troubled you during real-world viewing. When you say DSE, does that mean vertical/horizontal bands? Or just darker patches that give an “unclean” look?

    I had seven 42W655 in total, all had pretty severe problems with (mostly) vertical banding (dark and light bands) and also darker/brighter spots around the size of a thumb print in varying locations. Only clouding or backlight bleed was never really an issue.

    When I look at those sets in a store they always look immaculate. Doesn’t matter how long I look or what content is displayed, I can never notice any DSE or banding or whatever. But when I buy one and set it up at home, it’s just disappointing to no end. The W6 and also the new W7 are amazing TVs, especially for gaming. I know that you can’t expect perfect uniformity from an edge LED TV, but banding was just too much on all of mine.

  9. Hello, I and other people on the forum have noticed that the w7 has more more matt colors of w6, why? We have seen wrong?

    Thanks for food job.

  10. Thanks for the great and useful review.
    Have you guys also tried the 32″ model? The KDL-32W706. Is it really just a 32″ version of the KDL42W705B including the same low input lag or do you perhaps know if it has a higher input lag? Another interesting thing would be to know if Motionflow is possible to be disabled on the 32″ model or if it is “always on”.

  11. @Vincent

    Thanks for the reply, and yeah you guys really seem to be the ONLY website that tests for 4:4:4 compatibility. And believe me it’s very MUCH appreciated. I anticipate every review you guys do. Keep up the good work.

  12. @ vincent , so quick question,

    42E6B or 42 w705b ? > my use mostly SD with seldom usage of DVD and HD content and virtually no gaming

    Thanks in advance

  13. Looks great, but wondering how identical the 32″ version is. With last years model the 32″ version was slightly worse (higher input lag etc).

  14. Like Mike, I would love to know more about the 32″ version. I guess it will have more input lag than the 42″, like last year’s models, but will it still be highly recommended?

  15. Thanks for the review Vincent,

    I want to buy this tv, i saw it today in a shop here and i noticed a little to much green.

    You wrote: The good news is despite these handicaps, just a few clicks of the [G-Gain] and [B-Gain] controls were enough to align greyscale to an impressively accurate standard.

    How do i do that and what does [G-Gain] and [B-Gain] mean, is that a setting in the menu?
    I hope you understand, i’m from Holland.

    Thank you vm,

    Ron

  16. Hi, great review. I am also considering this model and the KDL32W705B, I was also wondering your thoughts on the differences such as input lag and image quality as a whole?

  17. I am torn between buying a Panasonic Viera TXL-42E6B for £469 and new Sony KDL 42W705B for £599. After reading reviews for both I can’t decide if Sony is really worth the extra £130.
    Just wondering what others undertaking/reading the reviews think?
    Thanks

  18. Quick query – I got one on Saturday, excellent all round
    I appreciate this isn’t the most appropriate place to ask, but seeing as intelligent people seem to congregate here :)

    Sony entertainment won’t give me a straight answer – does anyone who has this TV know when Amazon Instant Video is being added? I believe its the case with all 2014 models. My account and the TV say “Coming Soon”

    Cheers

  19. @BenR: I’ll send a query to my contacts at Sony, and will let you know if they have an answer.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  20. This review is interesting but the 32′ model suits me better. I’ll join the chorus asking for a testing of the 32W706, specifically interested to know if it keeps the low input lag values of the larger model or if it’s inexplicably double than that like it happened in last years batch. Thanks for all the good work Vincent!

  21. @BenR: Update from Sony in response to my query: “we do not have a definitive date when the application will become available, but will let you know as soon as we do.”

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  22. @Vincent: Thanks for chasing that up Vincent, much appreciated.

  23. @Vincent

    Thanks very much for the review, up to the high standards I’ve come to expect from the HDTVTEST team. I’ve got the 50″ version of this TV on order, would it be fair to assume that functionally it will reach the same heights? Also, in terms of calibration, are you able to provide the exact settings used to produce the optimum picture? If not, would you be able to recommend a reasonably priced calibration tool for home use?

    Many thanks,
    Jon

  24. Shaun McCutcheon

    Nice review! Part of me was bummed out when I got my 42″ W653 and found out this was coming out about a month later, but it seems like I’d be paying more for only hardware upgrades, extra HDMI’s etc. Part of me thinks the price difference is the ‘Official TV of the World Cup’ branding I’ve seen and the Football mode…

  25. @ elaine
    30 March 2014 at 9:24 pm

    I am torn between buying a Panasonic Viera TXL-42E6B for £469 and new Sony KDL 42W705B for £599. After……..

    I was torn between these exact models also. I went for the Sony and have not regretted it for a single second. I mostly watch movies so have put the TV in cinema mode. The picture is beautiful. Read the above review a few times and go see the TV in a shop. You’ll be convinced like me. Also, bear in mind that the E6B is over a year old now.
    PS Complement the TV with a Panasonic BDT230 Bluray player if you watch movies. Even DVDs look gorgeous.

  26. I use a Sony 32ex500 and I foung the HD TDT aerial excellent. Is the 42W705 excellent in this pont?
    Thanks.

  27. I also tested the Sony 42W706 Smart Tv . As you se Led Motion is a total failure . One major improvement is for it’s smart capabilities compared to last years models like W650 . With detailed adjuments ( wich we have plenty on this model) and image set to Movie mode I got the best image on HD movies .

  28. Hi, thanks for the review.

    Can anybody tell me what, other than the additional HDMI ports and the slightly less input lag, makes this TV worth getting more than the cheaper 653? Thanks.

  29. is the KDL-42W705B and the KDL-42W706BSU the same tv but just a different colour

  30. @sam: Yes. 705 is black; 706 silver.

  31. great review will you be doing a review of the other model in this range the KDL40R483 or does anyone know if the input lag will be similar times cheers .

  32. Can someone tell me how the game mode actually looks. Does it dim right down and look crappy or does it look the same as the standard mode

  33. @steveo: Thanks for your kind words. We have no plan to review the KDL40R483, but am testing the 40-inch W605 now.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  34. @Reece: There are two presets in [Game] mode: [Game-Standard] and [Game-Original]. The first one is similar to [Standard], and is the last thing from dim.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  35. Is the different game mode settings change the input lag or are they both the same

  36. Also what is the input lag on just the standard mode and not of the any game modes

  37. @steveo: Thanks for your kind words. We have no plan to review the KDL40R483, but am testing the 40-inch W605 now.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

    thanks for replying il keep my eye out for the review of the w605

  38. What is the lag difference between standard (default setting) and the lag between the two game modes

  39. Hi. great review. as already asked is there a difference between the 32 inch W7 and the 42 regarding the input lag?

  40. @sascha: Thanks for your kind words. We haven’t reviewed the 32″ W7, but if last year was anything to go by, input lag will be slightly higher than the 42″ (though still qualifies as very good).

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  41. bought this tv based on your recommendation and I must say, wow Im impressed. Just bought a PS4 and hooked it up to it last night. Picture quality is amazing and dark level is impressing. Can definitely recommend this one for gaming etc!

  42. Hi,i’m between this tv and sony kdl42w829.The difference in the price is only about 50£.Can’t find any reviews for 42w829.All the reviews are for 50w829 witch got different panel.

  43. @Vincent

    Thanks for another spot on review! I have a quick question regarding the image quality loss when switching to game mode or graphics mode (since video processing will be turned off). Is there a noticable difference in image quality when playing a ps4 on game /graphics mode compared to cinema? I am willing to have more input lag if it means I get a nicer picture! In that sense, would you be able to recommend a TV that doesn’t skimp too much on image quality in a gaming mode, or does this TV provide good image quality and low input lag in a best of both worlds scenario? Thanks for the help!

  44. NadSoori
    Good question.I would like to know same things.Please respond mr.Vincent
    Also what’t the different between kdl42w829 and kdl42w705?
    Thanks

  45. @NadSoori: Game mode will result in a loss of gradation. Most TVs will be the same: more picture processing = more lag. If you want less lag, you have to sacrifice a bit of picture quality.

    @Angelsx: KDL42W829 has [Motionflow] and 3D; KDL42W705 doesn’t.

    Warmest regards
    Vincent

  46. what is the picture quality actually like on game mode on this tv

  47. @Vincent

    Thank you for the very fast response! I just have one last question to clear up before I go ahead and buy an HDTV, and I was hoping you could please answer this for me! I have read in some forums that if you want to use a TV as a PC monitor for only watching movies, the PC should output RGB data that matches the TVs settings. Fortunately, my only criteria for the HDTV is that it can properly play movies on the VLC media player from my PC. I have heard that media players set the RGB data to 16-235 within the player window, so then is it true that I have to make sure my TV is set to that range, rather than 0-255? I am a bit confused as to what RGB data levels both my PC and HDTV have to be in to get the optimal video playback. Thanks a bunch again for the continued support!

  48. You able to post the settings you used to get the most accurate greyscale and colours most accurate?

    Thanks

  49. Thanks for this Review… Couleur You post all the settings the LED is calibrated with, please

  50. Hi There,
    Nice Review, Where can i find the data post calibration? how can i make my tv set to have the same colors after yours calibration?

    Thanks

  51. Does anyone know if the 50 inch version of the W705B also has the low input lag?

  52. i know this probably wont be seen but if you could share the greyscale changes made to fix the” too much green component”.. i would really appreciate it

    thanks

  53. I bought this model and wished I hadn’t, because it uses a power brick rather than the usual built in power supply and is under 24v it isn’t earthed, this causes static build up round the metal bezel at the edge of the tv and everytime i reach over to turn on a lamp i get a shock! Sony say since it’s small harmless shock they won’t be repairing it! My toddler reached under for his dummy and starting crying from getting a wee shock, it may be harmless but it shouldn’t be there in the first place, an extremely bad design fault in my opinion!

  54. Hi,

    I just bought 2 of these TVs based on this review.
    (just like I bought all of my LED TVs based on hdtvtest reviews)

    I am struggling however to find what settings best to use for this TV.
    Could someone please help me out?

    I wonder why these are not available at lesser cost (let’s say £9.99). I don’t need the full calibration service, just some optimal settings that will improve on the factory settings.

    Many thanks in advance,
    Kind regards,

    Greg

  55. I bought one based on this review and I gotta say I disagree about the gaming use. There is a LOT of black trailing when playing games. I’ve tried both my pc with an hdmi input and an older gen Xbox 360 with a composite input and in most games when the scenes get darker, I can see a lot of dark objects trailing, ghosting and almost glowing when they move. It’s not as bad as some other screens I’ve used but it still is there and it somewhat bothers me. Now I’m wondering if it can be fixed with calibration? I’ve been playing around with the modes and some show less of it and some show more. If anyone has any ideas on how to improve this, I’d greatly appreciate it but for now I have to say I wouldn’t recommend this tv for gaming use if you are bothered by ghosting.

  56. @Urtsi

    I was thinking of getting this for gaming, did you try setting to game-mode?

  57. Any thoughts between this model and the Panasonic TX-40AS640E? Receive similar reviews, same price, reviews seem super close (3D on Panasonic is nice, but not a must).

  58. Anyone who can comment whether the 42″ 8 serie (w805b) has a different panel than the 42″ 7 (w705b) serie (which is from AUO)? http://www.s21.com/sony-kdl-42w829.htm argues that the w829 (which seems similar to the w805b) uses an IPS LG panel instead of the much better VA AUO panel.

  59. Hiya, I’m thinking of getting the 50 inch version in silver. Could anyone please tell me if it will have the same specifications? Only reason I’m getting it is because it’s the fastest TV for gaming. Cheers.

  60. Does this model have dual Freeview HD and satellite tuners? I bought it for my parents and they say they can only watch one channel and can’t record a 2nd.

    Sony released a firmware update to fix this, but then later added a note to say the twin tuner updates were for 4ks only.

    http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=73928746

    The review here on HDTVtest says it has ‘dual Freeview HD and satellite tuners’ which is what convinced me to buy in the 1st place!

    Thanks for any info.

  61. could you please release the settings you mention?

    ” just a few clicks of the [G-Gain] and [B-Gain] controls were enough to align greyscale”…

    Please!

  62. @ Vincent

    I’m buying a new tv for the living room and I’m looking at this model, the Samsung UE42F5500 or anything else round about the £600 mark. What do you suggest. Went to look at the Sony today and was concerned with some real blurring round the edges of faces in the shop. I understand that this will be to do with the input from the shops signal but still….

    Any help appreciated…

    S

  63. @Senna

    Yes I set it to game mode. The picture quality is superb and the input lag is very minimal, I use it now as both my primary pc screen and tv. I would wholeheartedly recommend it for gaming, but I will say that there is black trailing which annoys some people, I managed to eliminate almost all of it by cranking the brightness on the tv up and adjusting game brightness to a nice level. Overall I would definitely recommend it because it does look extremely nice and gaming is responsive.

  64. So W705b is same as w700b right?
    planning on buy W700b one for my ps3 and future ps4.

    i have few questions btw

    – What Frame rate does w700b support
    – is 42” good enough for 1080p gaming?, is 48” worth that extra money or should i just save it for my ps4.

    Thanks

  65. Hi,

    I am tossing up between this Sony and the Panasonic TX-42AS650. The TX-40AS640 (which is exclusive to Currys got a similarly excellent review on here) http://hdtvtest.co.uk/news/tx40as640b-201406183815.htm

    I am assuming that the TX-42AS650 and the TX-40AS640 are very similar.

    I am not fussed about 3D and it won’t be used for gaming. Only really concerned with picture quality and smart features/connectivity.

    Which one is best to get?

  66. Why can’t I find this tv in the US?? I want it!! Serious question

  67. while i play destiny on xbox one, the hud in the corner of the screen present some green pixels, only on the white write thing, strange thing is that it happen only with destiny, not with movie or other game.
    is it normal, or is my tv broken? someone can help me?

  68. Hi, thanks for this review.
    I’ve just bought this TV and I’d like to know the best video settings for TV and GAME mode viewer.
    Thanks in advance.

  69. Has the KDL-50W805, the same Input Lag time like the 42 Inch Size?

  70. Can someone tell us the calibrated white balance settings. Would make my day. Thanks!

  71. Hi there,

    Any way to use .srt subtitles over DLNA? Since I have a NAS and media server in it, I would like watch my movies with the .srt file. Is it even possible?

    Best regards, and many thanks for your reviews, they helped me a lot in the last 2 TVs!

  72. Hi Vincent,

    first of all thanks for the great review!
    Please let us know your calibrated settings. That would be great!

  73. PizzaForBreakfast

    It’d be nice if you guys provided the calibration settings.

  74. I bought this tv for gaming and I’m not happy, the dirty screen effect is disgusting.

  75. Merry Xmas!

    Recently bought this TV, mainly gaming in mind, your review ultimately helped me decide. So far pretty satisfied, a bit of backlight bleeding but I can live with that. What I’m having trouble with is getting the grey scale to the same level you guys had in this review and figuring out what exactly does your “just a few clicks of the [G-Gain] and [B-Gain]” mean. As a poor student I honestly don’t even have an extra 50e for getting a pro to come over and calibrate my TV (saved money for almost two years for a new TV) and it feels kinda stupid to pay for someone to figure out just what that aforementioned “few clicks” means. So, might it be possible for you to post a translation for those “few clicks” maybe as a Xmas present for a foreigner, pretty please? Sorry beforehand for any mistakes in my English, I’m not a native so bear with me..

  76. very much appreciate calibrated white scale settings.How many clicks of [G-Gain]and[B-Gain]?

  77. Calibration settings pleaseee???

  78. These settings should produce a stunning picture on your tv:
    Applicable to Sony kdl-42w705b/706b

    picture mode – standard
    backlight 6
    contrast 90
    brightness 50
    colour 42
    hue G1 (v.important)
    color temperature – cool
    sharpness 57
    noise reduction – low
    mpeg noise reduction – low
    dot noise reduction – auto
    reality creation – auto
    smooth gradation – low
    film mode – auto

    ADVANCED SETTINGS:
    black corrector – low
    adv. contrast enhancer – low
    gamma – 0
    auto light limiter – low
    clear white – low
    live color – low

    WHITE BALANCE (V.IMPORTANT):
    all settings in white balance should be zero
    detail enhancer – low
    edge enhance – low
    skin naturaliser – on
    LED motion mode – off

    sound mode – cinema

  79. Here are some alternative setting for punchy and clearer whites, reds and yellows:
    Applicable to Sony kdl-42w705b/706b

    picture mode – standard
    backlight 6
    contrast 90
    brightness 50
    colour 42
    hue 0
    color temperature – cool
    sharpness 57
    noise reduction – low
    mpeg noise reduction – low
    dot noise reduction – auto
    reality creation – auto
    smooth gradation – low
    film mode – auto

    ADVANCED SETTINGS:
    black corrector – low
    adv. contrast enhancer – low
    gamma – 0
    auto light limiter – low
    clear white – low
    live color – low

    WHITE BALANCE (V.IMPORTANT):
    R Gain 0, G Gain – minus 1, B Gain – minus 1
    R Bias 0, G Bias 0, B Bias – minus 1

    detail enhancer – low
    edge enhance – low
    skin naturaliser – on
    LED motion mode – off
    SOUND:
    sound mode – cinema

    Now you can enjoy the best of your tv.

  80. Thank you George, these settings look great on my t.v. Are these the actual optimal settings or just a personal preference you’ve settled with?

  81. This is my personal preference. I think these settings make the picture look life-like: The colours are both vibrant and natural, and the colour palette never looks overcooked. You can also try the same settings, which I published on 13 FEB with everithing in White Balance set to 0 (zero). I will be happy to have your opinion about which of the 3 options you like most.

  82. I got this tv allready few months and still playing with the settings in game mode.Can’t find the best spot.The only problem for me is the sharpnes.50 is perfect on patern but when gaming looks dull and washed.If i set the sharpnes up or turn Reality creation on the picture is oversharped.Low input lag but bad PQ in game mode.

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