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Model: Sony Bravia KDL-46V2500 LCD TV
Description:46" diagonal LCD flat screen Television, Widescreen 16:9 Format
Resolution:1920 X 1080 (1080P)
Dimensions:44.13" x 29.75" x 4.75" without stand 44.13" x 32.75" x 13.25" with stand
Weight: 57 lbs
Reviewer: Robert Wiley
INTRODUCTION
The Sony V2500 replaced the Sony XBR1 models from a couple of years ago. They incorporate the same technology as those XBR1 units and although aesthetically very different, use many of the same internal chipsets and video processing technology.
This 1080p capable LCD TV has been an extremely successful seller for Sony, as it's second tier product behind the new XBR2 and XBR4 products but still far better than the S2000 and S3000 series products.
PICTURE: 90/100
The Sony V2500 series LCD was one of the first LCD televisions available to have a fully capable 1080p HDMI input. This model has a lasted test of time very well. It contains the Sony Bravia full HD video processor.
We tested the LCD with a Blu Ray DVD, after having put the LCD through an ISF calibration. Out of the box and into the picture menu the LCD has a setting of Vivid with the Backlight maxed out, the Sharpness setting is way up at 20, Color at 60, and Picture (contrast) maxed out. Obviously, this is a showroom floor scenario.
Follow these instructions for our calibration for the Sony KDL-46V2500 LCD via Sencore color generator for your low light living room environment: Change picture mode from Vivid to Standard or Custom.
| Backlight: | set to 3 |
| Sharpness: | Min 0 or Off |
| Color Temp: | Set to Warm 2 |
| Color: | Set to 65 |
| Brightness: | 51 |
| Picture (contrast): | 89 |
| Hue: | R4 |
The noise reduction feature should be turned or left on Off position.
Then in the impressive Advanced Settings Menu:
| Black Corrector: | Medium |
| Advanced CE: | Low |
| Gamma: | Low |
| Clear White: | Off |
| Live Color: | Medium |
| Color Space: | Wide |
| MPEG Noise Reduction: | Off |
These settings will put your 46V2500 very close to color temp D6500K and tracking accurately on grayscale. The Post calibration contrast ratio was measure higher than most LCD TVs at 272 to 1.
We reviewed the 1080p version of The Departed starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Matt Damon. Some of the images were crystal clear and I was generally very impressed with picture quality and clarity. I did notice some motion lag in a few scenes as this LCD likely has a 12 millisecond response rate - not the faster response rate times of some recent LCDs. Faces, especially lips appeared slightly purple, pink to me, but there was amazing detail in much of the reviewed content. This LCD TV does not exhibit over saturated colors as do many of the newer LCDs when displaying HD content. However, I did notice a good bit of glare from time to time - a hazy whitewashed glare which was affected by background lighting.
The viewing angle was very good for an LCD and didn't lose much contrast at 100 degrees off center. The unit really pops with a tested 720p signal but, when tested with a 480i DVD signal, the LCD television gets a little fuzzy - not able to up convert totally to it's native 1080p resolution. Our standard City of Angels disk showed a lot of dithering motion artifacts from a short 8 foot distance. Flesh tones appeared more washed out. At 12 feet viewing distance the artifacts are fairly non detectable.
The black levels displayed in this LCD TV were good but dark matter too easily runs to black when viewing HD content, not allowing enough dark matter detail.
Aspect ratio choices can be accessed via the "Wide" button on the remote control and include: Zoom, Full, Wide Zoom, Normal (4:3).
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: 93/100
The Sony Bravia 46V2500 operates very well and consistently performs with Sony's well thought out menu and operating system. The remote control is simple and non-backlit but gets the job done.
There was one annoying issue with cycling through inputs worth mentioning. To find your hot signal, the user must cycle through 8 input options to get to hot input. This is especially cumbersome if the viewer is trying to go back and forth between input devices. No discrete input selection? Doesn't sound like Sony. There was some slight sync problems as well with toggling back and forth between different DVD players.
A strength of this LCD is that it gives the viewer tremendous flexibility over adjustment settings. The user can even decrease the color setting until the picture turns to black and white.
Aesthetically, the LCD is nice and not dominant in a room, sharp but just a little understated with the matte charcoal black bezel. It comes already attached to it's accompanying table stand which swivels 30 degrees.
VALUE: 88/100
At around $2200 this 46" full 1080p HD LCD television is positioned squarely in the middle of Tier 1 competition such as Sharp and Samsung. It's not unjustifiably expensive for a 1080p display (not that the 1080p is going to get you much more than 720p would). The best values will be found in those 720p/1080i displays, but this is not a bad deal at all.
OVERALL RATING (WITH PICTURE DOUBLE-WEIGHTED): 90.5/100*
Rating scale from 70 (denoting poorest quality) to 100 (signifying the very best quality). A rating in the 60s for any particular category of a product review indicates a serious defect which causes the product not to operate properly. Picture quality is double-weighted in the Overall Rating Score calculation.
