Sunday, October 4, 2009

Sony KDL-52W5100 Great LCD TV, with a major design oversight

I just bought this TV last week. I've been in the market for a 52" LCD HDTV for about a month, and ultimately chose this model for several reasons: (1) Based on my research, Sony and Samsung are the top brands. I ruled out Samsung after realizing that none of their 2009 models (B line 5, 6, 7 series) come with S-video input for some unknown reason. The 2008 models (A line) had them, but not in 2009. I have older equipment that defaults to S-video output, so for me having an S-video input is very important. Also, 3 of the 4 HDMI ports are on the side, and since I'll be wall-mounting the TV, I think easy access to the ports is very important, too. (2) Between the Sony 52" models, there are 5 selections: S, V, W, Z, XBR. The W is neither too low-end (it has Bravia Engine 3, unlike the S or V which only has Bravia Engine 2) or too high-end (120Hz is good enough for me, Z and XBR are 240Hz). It is the smallest in dimension, with the thinnest bezel. It comes with DLNA and Internet support, although I don't see myself using the widgets that often (because I have it hooked up to a Mac mini anyway), having the capability to connect to network greatly increases the value and flexibility of it.

Overall, I'm happy with the TV. The picture looks sharp, the colors are gorgeous, and setup was easy. Once on the network, it found a firmware update to fix some known issues so that was very easy.

Then, yesterday, I discovered a major design flaw in it. I was hooking up an indoor digital antenna to the TV, and looking for a signal strength indicator so I can best position the antenna. To my disappointment, I couldn't find it in the owner's manual, so I called Sony support. I was told that it does not have a signal strength indicator. I find it absurd that a $2000 TV with built-in HD receiver does not include such a critical feature. Samsung T260 LCD HDTV (~$350) has it, and EyeTV 3 software even announces the signal quality every second while I'm up fine-tuning the antenna position.

I hope Sony recognizes this inexcusable oversight and corrects it in a future software update.

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