Sony 40 Inch Flat Screen TV Review (Bravia KDL-40V3000)
Written by Karon on Friday, August 14, 2009 15:20
Sony Bravia 40 Inch Flat Screen TV
By Karon
OK ladies, I have to preface this review by saying this was the TV my husband picked out 
However, he found a clever way of putting it back on me. It all started when I finally found an entertainment armoire I liked (after years of searching). I was very thankful to replace the 18-year-old entertainment center we’d been using, but I didn’t know it would lead to this.
As we made the switch, we pulled videos off of shelves and put them into the drawers of the new armoire. The DVD and VCR were disconnected and reassembled on their new shelves. Lastly, the TV. A five- or six-year-old 20″ Sanyo was set in the middle of this massive cavity that was obviously built to hold the newer-shaped flat-screen TVs. It looked awkward, to say the least.
Let’s get real… most people have computer monitors bigger than that these days. And that was exactly what my husband was thinking.
“It looks funny,” he said. I agreed. “We need a bigger one.” I agreed again. “I want a 40-inch,” he said. “Why 40?” I questioned. “It will fill up all the space.” Forty inches seemed OK. I tried to imagine the size. Twice the size of the old CRT set we had now, right? Uh… not quite.
They measure flat screens from side to side, not diagonally. When we got to the store I was in shock! That thing was huge! But, I quickly noticed that the Sony 40″ flat screen TV looked a LOT better than any other brand. It was easy to tell with them all sitting side-by-side.
Pros
There are lots of pros for this TV. I’ll split them up by category.
The Picture
The number of pixels makes the difference. The more pixels you have, the better quality picture you’ll see. What’s a pixel? A dot. The image on the screen is made up of tiny little dots. The more dots (pixels), the clearer the image. Right now 1080 pixels is the most being used. That’s what our Sony Bravia 40 inch TV has.
Another term you’ll want to be familiar with is “contrast ratio.” This is usually only accurate within the same brand as every manufacturer measures it differently. As with the pixels, you want as high a number as possible. You’ll find ratings like 150:1 or 900:1, etc. The Sony Bravia flat screen we have is 1,800:1.
We also have a smaller Toshiba set. There is no question that the Sony offers a much crisper picture than the Toshiba.
The Settings
This TV can be customized six ways from Sunday. Picture elements, colors, sound, clock, screen size, timers, closed caption, parental lockouts, HDMI settings, etc. You can interface with VCRs, DVDs, computers and a host of other electronics.
The menus on this 40 inch flat screen are easy to use because they are categorized logically. Just pick the general category (picture, for instance) and click through to the exact setting you want to control.
Set Up
The input jacks are located on the sides of the Sony Bravia so they are easy to get to. You use the included hardware to either mount the TV on the stand or hang it from the wall. Plug the cables in, run the set up program to scan for available channels and it’s show time!
WARNING
While we went to our local store to actually see the flat screen TV; we searched the Internet for weeks before deciding where to buy. All I have to say is be careful! Regardless of which brand or model of flat screen TV you purchase, you really need to buy from a reputable dealer.
I was shocked to find out that most of the deeply discounted sets were priced that way because of a scam that is common with smaller online resellers. The dealer removes all the items that should come standard with a Sony flat screen TV like the remote control and the power cable. Then, when you call to say your set arrived without those items, the scammer tells you those accessories are sold separately.
Ours is a Sony Bravia KDL-40V3000 40 inch flat screen. It came with the mount/stand, the support strap/belt, the remote, batteries and power cable. You will need to supply any connection cables that run between the TV and your DVD, etc.
Sometimes Amazon.com has these sets. They are a trustworthy company. But shop around to find the best deal. It’s fairly easy to buy them on sale for several hundred dollars off. Just watch for sites that sell used TVs and refurbished TVs. It’s perfectly fine if that’s what you want to buy. It just needs to be clearly stated on the site that the set is not new.
We ended up buying online and got a good deal. Have been enjoying the set for about 8 months or so.
Cons
Not any cons. It’s a great TV.
Recommended? Yes
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