1st FOR
HI-DEF Plasma LCD dvd blu-ray
High-performance sound & Vision
CCFL-backlit lcd tv Review
Sony 46Z5500 Turn over for more‌
Want more? Visit the HCC website for daily news & reviews, or join in at our forums here...
58 Sony KDL-46Z5500 ➜ £2,000 Approx ➜ www.sony.co.uk ➜ Specifications
HD ready: yes up to 1080p24 HDMI: yes 4 x HDMI v1.3a Component: yes 1 x set with progressive scan PC input: yes 1 x VGA Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Brightness (claimed): N/A Contrast ratio (claimed): 100,000:1 (native); 2,000,000:1 (dynamic) Dimensions: 1,091(w) x 672(h) x 86(d)mm Weight: 21.9kg Features: LAN port; Motionflow 200Hz; BRAVIA Engine 3; Live Colour Creation; 10-Bit panel; DLNA connectivity; AppliCast net connectivity; USB media player; BRAVIA Sync (HDMI CEC); S Force Front Surround audio (10W + 10W); Picture Frame Mode
Sony’s Z-series 46in LCD uses traditional CCFL backlighting to great effect
Home Cinema Choice October 2009
Reviews 59
CCFL superhero Although LED backlighting seems to be the future for LCD TVs, Sony is eking out the very best from traditional technology. So says Rik Henderson…
I
t’s no secret that Sony hasn’t had an easy time in the highly competitive TV market of late. Despite its eminently recognisable logo and a brand status that’s comparable to the likes of Nike, Coca Cola and Lego, it’s struggled to compete with more affordable rivals. In truth, the brand’s TV vision seemed a little blurred for a while, but 2009 has signalled a renaissance. And the 46Z5500 keeps the forward momentum going. In fact, it’s exceptional. And brave. For starters, it doesn’t have an LED backlight, which, for a two-grand telly, strikes me as rather courageous. Instead, Sony has put its faith in CCFL. And while that is to the slight detriment of black levels (which are extremely good regardless, helped by a real world contrast ratio of over 60,000:1), it is a move that has seemingly allowed the boffins to concentrate on detail reproduction and colour saturation. Both of these picture elements are extraordinary. The colourfield is natural and, just, right. There’s also a solidity in static image representation (as evidenced while viewing HCC’s Test Card) that even Samsung’s LED panels can’t match. But it is with fine detail that the Z5500 really sings. Blu-ray should be a natural bedfellow to a Sony TV, and in this instance, it is. The US Director’s Cut edition of Watchmen is a dark experience (physically and tonally), but the screen picks out every minute speck of information from the shadows. If it didn’t look too weird to do so, I could’ve applauded its video prowess openly in the office. That’s not to say there aren’t caveats. I’m not overly enamoured by the design of the bezel. There’s a
silver strip that ranges along the bottom of the glass, which reflects ambient light – it’s distracting. Also, off-axis viewing relegates image-quality rapidly the further around, above or below you get. If your child is watching Thomas the Tank Engine while sat on the floor gazing up, he’d be hard-pushed to recognise the individual trains from the greyness of their livery. There’s also a minor issue with reds, which can look a little orangey. But I am being rather picky. None of these gripes are pronounced enough to spoil proceedings.
One-man show The 46Z5500 is a multi-talented performer with both hi-def and standard-def content and that’s all that matters. I’d actually go as far to say that it offers one of the best digital TV (Freeview) experiences I’ve actually seen on a TV above 37in this year. And, while not especially loud, the audio it creates is meaty enough. When it comes down to it, for generic television viewing it’s almost flawless. And, while I’m not really a fan of the weird artefacts that frame rate doubling (quadrupling, here) can often introduce to a movie, Sony’s
own proprietary, motionsmoothing 200Hz processor gives as natural an experience as can be.
Clearly, I’m a fan of this TV. It does the basics right. As with most screens these days, there are bells and whistles – such as AppliCast, Sony’s web access features, and DLNA certification – but they’re largely irrelevant. Instead, it’s good, oldfashioned performance that’s won me round. And it’s certainly worthy of the Sony legend
➜ Tech Labs
AV/CV Product: 46in LCD TV with 200Hz picture processing Position: The Z Series is near the top of Sony’s TV range; a 52in version is also available Peers: Samsung UE46B8000; LG 47LH5000
Power consumption: Watts 200
300
100
200 400
100
154 0
300 400
157 500
0
500
White screen: Though power consumption is fairly hefty, using the Eco mode and light sensor in a dim setting cuts it to 86W
Test footage: Only very slightly raised test footage power consumption hints at the relatively low power of the audio system
Contrast: ratio
Colour temp: Kelvin
Claimed 100,000:1 Actual 67,676:1 Picture: Contrast is excellent, with a decent luminance level of 58.15f. As long as the brightness isn’t hiked up too high, the backlight is pleasingly even
6,348
Presets: A wide range of colour temperature presets, with Warm the best option; manual adjustment of RGB gain and bias delivers perfect results Neutral: 8,599K Warm 1: 7,633K Warm 2: 6,348K Cool: 10,661K
Verdict Sony KDL-46Z5500 £1,900 Approx Price check: www.techradar.com/622541 Highs: Wonderfully detailed pictures; bright, crisp colours Lows: Black levels are a tad light; poor off-axis viewing Performance: Design: Features:
Overall: October 2009 Home Cinema Choice