What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
27 AUG 2008
Sony KDL-46W4000
We've been quite gushing in our praise of
Sony’s W Series of LCD TVs. The 32in, 40in and 52 sets have both won their respective
Supertests in the past few months. But this is the first time we’ve been up close and personal with the 46in version. Can it extend Sony’s remarkable run?
The exterior mirrors the other models in the W range. Feast your eyes on the glittery ‘midnight sky’ finish and the illuminated Sony badge. Like its siblings, this set uses Sony’s user-friendly PS3-style menu system.
Unlike some of the TVs in this sector that take ages to set up, the Sony is ready to go in record time. You don’t have to keep flicking between numerous picture-enhancing technologies, because the Sony simply doesn’t have that many options. This means you can get stuck into the TV’s superb picture even quicker.
You might think that we’re starting to sound like a broken record, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the Sony is a fantastic performer. And Freeview performance manages to highlight the lucidity of this Sony set.
Unrivalled clarity for its sizeThe clarity of image and level of detail on display is unrivalled at this screen size. Fire across a 1080p/24fps image from a Blu-ray player and this LCD TV is in its element.
With
Die Hard 4.0, the Sony does a great job of displaying Bruce Willis’s stubble and wrinkles.
Colours are natural. Black levels have depth and richness remarkable for an LCD TV. Only the sonic performance is average, with a sound that is balanced but average overall when compared to rivals in this price class.
It could be argued that the Panasonic TH-46PZ81B and Samsung LE-46A656 sets have a firmer grip with motion, but then again, they can’t match the Sony’s insatiable appetite for detail.