Sony has always been a leading TV brand and have carried that leadership on into the LED TV market. In fact, I was slightly surprised to find out that the first ever LED TV on the market was a Sony…the Sony Qualia way back in 2004.
And, if you’ve watched LED TV you’ll understand why all the TV manufacturers were racing to get to market first. It’s generally accepted that a LED lit screen is “twice as good” as the standard Cathode Ray lighting in terms of brightness and color density. Don’t ask me how they measure that though!
Local Dimming has been sold as a marvel of LED TV, and to be fair it is very clever. This is a feature of RGB Dynamic versions. In simple terms this is where the black areas of the screen actually turn off to give you the blackest blacks possible and consequently amazing contrast. Most sets these days are RGB Dynamic. You can also get Edge-Lit and Full-Array sets. These offer a very slight lessening in picture quality (it’s hardly noticeable in all honesty) and are slightly better on power consumption.
Nowadays, Sony use the Bravia brand to front up their LED TV offerings and it is brand that has grown in stature and sales “clout” massively over the past couple of years. So, bearing this in mind I thought I would take a look at what makes the Sony Bravia LED TV so popular among HD TV enthusiasts. Most Bravias are Edge-Lit or RGB.
The 32 Inch KDL32EX600 is the starting point for the Bravia range. With a feature list that would be at home on a much larger model this amazing little Sony LED TV comes with full 1080p HD. This is unusual on such a small screen. The trade-off is a lower refresh speed (60 or 120 Hz, it’s not made clear), but with full HD and on the smaller screen it still leaves you with a brilliant and crisp picture. And with a price tag of around $700 for a Sony LED TV, this set is a real winner.
If you have a smaller viewing area or want a TV in the bedroom or kids room, this is a great set to buy.
The full Sony Bravia LED TV range goes from the 32 Inch screen through the following screen sizes 40, 42, 46, 50, 52, 55 and 60 inch screens. The jewel in the crown is the new Sony XBR60LX900 60″ 3D 240Hz LED HDTV. This is a stunning piece of television kit there is no doubt about that! The list of features is extensive and it comes with integrated wi-fi (Samsung please take note), but the price tag is a bit severe at $4,499. This is only marginally cheaper than Samsung’s top of the range 65 Inch 3D offering and LG come in cheaper with their top end offering. Having said all that, the reviews I’ve read rate this particular Sony LED TV very highly indeed.
In researching this article I found out that the most popular screen sizes in terms of Bravia sales are 46-52 inch. We went to see family in Vancouver recently and they’ve just gone up to a 55 Inch screen and to be honest, I thought it “over-powered” the viewing room. Our viewing area is similar in size and I think that 46 inches is the right screen size, but of course it is a very personal thing. In terms of the Sony Bravia LED TV range my “best-buy” has to be the Sony Bravia EX700 52 Inch. The price versus performance equation is superb now at circa $1,750.
And that is a great price, and you can pick up other really good deals if you’re prepared to dip into the Sony LED TV models that are pre 3D. I believe this is for two reasons, obviously the new 240Hz full 3D models are now in the shops and I also think the stores are still keen to sell as much as they can as the economic situation is still no good…so prices are keen.
In fact it’s probably the best possible time to get a new TV set. To be honest I wouldn’t even accept the tag price in the Store…I’d ask for a deal! Although I think it would be difficult to beat online prices such as those at Amazon.
When all is said and done, you will always do well if you buy a Sony LED TV. It’s a front runner brand that offers a solid track-record and their TVs always perform well in terms of both reliability and quality and of course picture quality.
So, if you decide to get one of the new Sony LED TVs or even push the boat out and go 3D, do expect to pay slightly more for a Sony Bravia. My research suggests Sony and Samsung are about level on pricing and obviously quality and features are pretty common. LG are catching up fast, but I just can’t see them retaining their lower prices when they get to the top level in performance and quality.
The bottom line is you can’t go far wrong in you get yourself a Sony LED TV. They are definitely one of the market leaders as far as quality, performance and reliability are concerned.
