Sony KDL-40W2000
Product Rating     
Sony KDL-40W2000 ReviewRating:      Date: 22/02/2007 The Sony KDL-40W2000 is a simply stunning TV. With a 40 inch screen and superb picture quality, this is an LCD screen that can compete with any plasma, and marks the coming of age of LCD display technology.
The W series of TV's is available only in sizes of 40 inches and upwards, and supports full HD 1080p signals with an ultra-high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Most other LCD TV's at this time don't support full HD signals in their native format and have to scale down to a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, for example the Sony KDL-40V2000. The KDL-40W2000 offers pretty much the ultimate in picture quality. It beats the previous V series not only in its higher resolution, but also with a higher contrast ratio of 1800:1 with an outstanding dynamic contrast ratio of 8000:1, putting it in the same league as a plasma screen with regard to making its blacks look black. Response times are very fast at 8 milliseconds, and the display is bright with superb colour saturation and a wide viewing angle. The KDL-40W2000 uses a special kind of backlight called WCG-CCFL, which significantly enhances colour quality compared with conventional backlights used in LCD displays. Sony's BRAVIA ENGINE renders all scenes smoothly and makes motion blur and digital artifacts a thing of the past. Even when viewing Freeview TV or a conventional DVD player, the picture quality is superb. Connect a Blu-Ray DVD player to this beast and you'll be truly amazed by the results! If you stand one of these TV's next to a mid-range LCD TV, such as an LG or an Hitachi, the difference is striking. Once you've seen and appreciated this quality, you'll find it hard to settle for less!
Audio quality is excellent too, with 20W of total power from twin speakers with a digital amplifier, running SRS Trusurround XT. BBE Digital and Dolby Virtual help to reduce sound distortion, improve the intelligibility of dialogue, and generally "widen" the sound to simulate a 5.1 speaker setup with just two speakers.
The TV has an integrated digital tuner with an Electronic Programme Guide and auto set-up, although it would be a shame not to feed this creature with the HD input that it deserves! To this end, there are two HDMI connection ports for connecting HD Ready devices. For such a pricey TV, it's a shame that Sony didn't include three HDMI ports - one for HD satellite, one for a Blu-Ray DVD player and one for a HD Ready games console. Still, if you're not into games consoles, then you'll probably be happy with the two HDMI ports. In addition there are component video, two SCART's, S-video, AV and PC inputs and an RCA audio output and a headphone jack. A PCMCIA card slot is also provided.
The W series televisions have digital teletext with a 700 page memory as standard. Various PIP (picture-in-picture) options enable you to view two picture inputs simultaneously (e.g. watching the football scores whilst viewing a film) and you can also use this to pause a scene whilst the sound continues. It's also worth pointing out that the TV frame has a non-reflective coating, which eliminates annoying distractions, and is something that certain other manufacturers (Samsung in particular!) ought to take note of. Also worth a mention is the fact that it carries the Energy Saving Trust's "Energy Saving" logo, which means that it meets strict criteria on energy efficiency.
The Sony KDL-40W2000 is a milestone in the development of flat screen TV's and is the best of the current generation of 40 - 42 inch TV's. It is only surpassed by the new Sony KDL-40X2000. The KDL-40W2000 costs significantly more than its competitors, but it delivers significantly better picture quality too. This is definitely a good investment, with pretty much the best of all current technology brought together in a beautiful design.
Features of the Sony KDL-40W2000 include:
- 40" W-series BRAVIA LCD TV
- Integrated Digital TV Tuner (also receives analogue)
- 1920x1080 resolution LCD panel
- High Performance LCD panel
- Screen Aspect Ratio 16:9
- Super Wide 178 degrees viewing angle
- Fast 8ms response time for smoother motion
- Contrast ratio 1800:1
- Dynamic Contrast Ratio 8000:1
- Live Colour Creation
- WCG-CCFL Backlight
- BRAVIA ("Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture ") ENGINE
- HD Ready HDMI sockets
- Supports 1080p signals (also supports 576i, 480p, 576p, 1080i, 720p video signals)
- Digital Audio Amplifier
- Power output 20W
- SRS Trusurround XT with BBE Digital
- NICAM
- Virtual Dolby / Dolby Pro Logic
- BBE technology for clear and easily audible sound
- PIP Freeze to Pause Important Scenes on the Spot
- High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) x 2
- PC Input for use as a PC monitor
- Parental Lock
- Non-Reflective coating on TV frames
- Size: 998 x 715 x 266 mm (with stand)
- Size: 998 x 665 x 105 mm (without stand)
- Weight: 23kg (without stand) / 27.5 kg (including stand)
Sony KDL-40W2000 Consumer Reviews
(2 reviews)
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Reviewed by adrian perrett on 21/12/2007 put it just one word , it would be simply "fantastic". as the review above states and the gumpth you read in all the press/mags , this tv is the best you can get for the price. cannot fault it. Rating:    
Reviewed by markb on 18/11/2007 I just bought this tv as an upgrade from my S series 32". With prices dropping I paid the same as I did 18 months ago for the 32".I thought my S series was good. This is brilliant. I couldn't afford an X series, but I don't know how it could improve on the picture/sound quality (which is basically what a tv is about). I've read all the forums about clouding/mura effect on the W, and tried hard to find it - but there's no trace on my tv. In a word, I've never seen a better tv. Rating:    
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