Sony BRAVIA Z Series KDL-46Z5100 46-Inch 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV Review
After much research and debate, we decided to purchase the Sony Bravia Z KDL-46Z5100 46" 240 HZ LCD TV through Amazon. We went with Vann's. The TV arrived several days ahead of schedule (Vann's did their part) but we ended up having to wait an additional day for delivery because the Fed Ex driver obviously did not want to deliver this big, bulky box on a wet, extremely windy, stormy day. I waited home all day the day the TV was to be delivered because of the signature requirement for the delivery, only to find at the very end of the day that the driver had arrived at 8:30 that morning, had failed to ring the front door bell and had instead gone to a garage side door (with no bell) and left an attempted delivery notice which proceeded to blow off the door and fortunately land on the porch and stick in the wet snowy slush. If you could see our house you would understand that this choice was an obvious choice to avoid delivery (down a steep driveway and off to the side of the garage when the driver easily could have walked from his truck staight to the front door). I called to reschedule delivery for the next day but was unable to do so because the postage they use with the "free shipping" does not allow you to schedule a delivery time. The following day thinking that they would deliver around the same time of day I was prepared for them in the early AM with a note on the side entrance instucting them to use the front door and to please ring the bell. I again waited the entire day, the TV finally arrived at the very end of the day. Upon arrival, the box was in bad shape, very dirty, torn and water damaged. My heart sank but upon opening the box I discovered that there was a box within a box and the original packing box was in perfect condition! Yeah!
I wasted two work days waiting for the "free shipment" so my advise would be to pay the shipping cost for an upgrade so that you can schedule your shipment delivery time unless you or someone else is home anyway. My lost time was worth much more than the added cost of shipping. Another thing they don't tell you is that Fed Ex and UPS are not supposed to allow you to open a package until you have signed for it. You are told to inspect the package BEFORE you sign, checking for obvious damage and to refuse the shipment if you feel that it is damaged. I got a good driver who bent the rules for me because the box was in such poor condition but you can't count on getting one of the "nice" guys. If I had refused delivery based on the exterior condition of the box, I would have sent back a perfectly good TV and I would have been without my new set for a much longer period of time.
That all having been said, we LOVE the TV! It was a great choice. We were planning to buy a sound system for it but feel that we do not need it. The sound is great. We've been watching the Winter Olympics this week and I have to say, this TV is the next best thing to being in Vancouver! And..we're much warmer!
We were worried that the 46" size would be too large for our very small cozy den but decided to go with it anyway because everyone told us "bigger is better." Absolutely correct! Because it is so thin, it actually takes up much less space in the room than our older model Sony 27" TV did. The room looks larger and roomier! And we have our own personal movie theater. The colors are vibrant and great, the blacks are good and there is no blurring.
We hooked it up ourselves (just us girls) using a Mediabridge Ultra Series HDMI cable that we also ordered from Amazon for .00. Much cheaper than the 0.00 Monster cable that we originally purchased and returned to Best Buy. The hookup was simple and the picture is great!
We definitely recommend this TV! A great set for the price.
Sony BRAVIA Z Series KDL-46Z5100 46-Inch 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV Feature
- 16:9 Full HD 1080p Resolution Panel (1920x1080)
- BRAVIA Engine 3 fully digital video processor
- Motionflow 240Hz
- BRAVIA Internet Video/Widgets
- XMB w/ enhanced 3D Favorites Menu
Sony BRAVIA Z Series KDL-46Z5100 46-Inch 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV Overview
Enjoy the latest in HDTV performance with the Sony BRAVIA Z-Series, featuring Motionflow 240Hz technology for maximum motion detail and clarity, plus broadband internet connectivity with built-in BRAVIA Internet Video capabilities, that let you view select on-demand movies and TV shows and listen to music and more, and even lets you personalize your entertainment experience by selecting and positioning widgets containing the latest news, weather, sports and more directly on your TV screen.
Related Products
Customer Reviews
Great Set ! - GLENN LEVY - Chicago
I have been eyeing this set for about a year, now was the right time to pull the trigger. The price is about as low as its going to get before this set disappears. I decided to buy it locally after studying all the options, I wanted it delivered without hassle and in home 4 year extended warranty just in case. I got the lowest price online matched at a great store here in IL. Worth paying tax for the peace of mind. I also got a free Blu Ray player with it. I think if you have the option of buying a set locally you should with item like a large TV no offense to anyone who bought online. I almost did. I love Amazom.
Now on to the TV itself, what a great set the picture quality is amazing, with so many options you can get dizzy playing with them all. I just can't say enough how good this set looks. This is my first LCD TV. I had a 34 inch XBR HDTV tube what a huge difference. This set has every option besides WiFi. The remote is easy to use and very responsive. It controls my DVR, AVR, Blu Ray player. It has codes for just about all the brands of equipment you might have in your home theater. It lights up a nice shade of blue if you are in the dark at a push of button. I found that it handles Standard def TV ok, not as bad as some have said, but certainly not wonderfully. I won't be watching too much standard def after viewing high def. It's just hard to go back, it was already that way the last few years on my 34 XBR as it is. I found the off angle viewing better than expected, but like any LCD once you hit the 45 degree or more angle the color starts to shift and fade. still not nearly as bad as it used to be. I found this set not as bad as the Sammies for off angle. I have a desk about 35 to 40 degrees off angle which I like to sit at and watch and it looks very good.
I have the TV hooked up to a Comcast HD DVR, Sony Blu Ray player, and Yamaha home theater receiver. Plus I have xbox 360, PS3, and Wii all hooked up. This set is great for gaming. Each input on each unit is set up and the tv remembers all the settings for each item. I have not had any problems with slow down or artifacing once I tweaked each input for the specific system. This TV handles everything I can throw at it. Even the Wii looks good with ED def with component cables. I am very happy with this TV so far, I have owned it a few days granted, So I will revisit this review in a few months with an update.
In closing I would say now is the time to buy this TV, great price at this point. I looked at many other TVs I did not like as much, Edgelit LED, not as uniform a picture with other problems. Plasma too heavy, not as long a life span, worries about burn in and image retention with so many video games that I own. I looked at other brands, Samsung so many complaints with reliablity, and poor customer service, inputs that just die after a few weeks. Sony just seemed to be the overall leader for less problems, reliability. LCD was the best choice for me. The whole clouding issue with LCD is not an issue for me, I just don't see it that much. If you have a chance to buy this set, at this price point IE sub 00. Grab it up now, I would say bigger is better in this case, so if you have the extra money to go for the 52 version go for it. 46' is still a nice size for an avg room. I just was at my limit for spending. Great set! Go grab one now before they are gone.
Sony KDL46Z5100 - Mike - NJ
I bought the Sony KDL46Z5100 after doing a fair amount of research and having already owned a Sony 46" XBR4 which has incredible picture quality at 120Hz. The unit comes packaged well from Sony and the pedestal is easily installed on the bottom of the unit. This TV is much lighter than the XBR4 and I was able to tackle assembly by myself. It was so easy to set this TV up and I hooked it up to an Onkyo Surround Sound system and Sony Blu-Ray BDP-N460 (this is the unit that lets you connect to the internet through your LAN) player. Within minutes I was up and running with NetFlix watching a movie. The color on this TV is fantastic. I watched a few games to see the difference that 240Hz makes - and it makes a huge difference and you can also change the settings on the TV. Everything is crystal clear and super sharp and there is no blurring that I could notice on fast moving images! There are plenty of jacks on this unit including the nice feature of a LAN Ethernet connection. This is nice if you don't have the capabilities of hooking up to the internet through a Blu-Ray player that has the network features. As part of the setup on the TV you are asked if you want to connect to the home network.
There is a firmware download available for this TV from the Sony website. You can download the 30MB file to your computer and copy it on a USB flashdrive. Although I didn't see any reason to do the firmware upgrade I decided to do it anyway. I downloaded the file from the Sony support site on the Internet and then copied the file to a Sony MicroVault USB flash drive and then popped it in the back of the TV. Almost immediately, the TV recognized the file and provided step by step instructions for the upgrade. It took a total of about 3 minutes to load the file and the TV went on and off about three times with warning screens not to be concerned about the turning on and off. After that, the TV stated the upgrade was done and I was back to watching a great picture. I was told that Sony will also send you the firmware upgrade on a USB device if you don't have a USB drive.
The remote was larger than I expected and has every button imaginable on it. It has a lighted feature which I thought was great so you could see the buttons in dim light. Because the TV is large, if you intend on using the pedestal with the TV, it is recommended that you secure the TV to the stand or wall. I put straps around the base to secure it to the stand that supports the weight of the TV so that children don't accidentally tip the TV over. I bought a set of straps (Velcro with Buckle) at Home Depot for about which I used on another LCD TV with great results. In fact, they worked great and better than some other products advertised over the Internet. They secured the TV firmly in place to avoid any tip overs.
The TV looks great in the gloss piano black and is slimmer than the older model Sony LCD TV's. I hope to have the TV for a long time.
Very Good value - Laura Moose - Seattle, WA USA
This is a great TV. The picture quality is great right out of the box and even better after some adjustments. The low profile design, while not quite as slim as the newest offerings from Samsung, is still very slim without paying a huge premium. This TV has a bigger screen than my previous 42" Panasonic plasma but actually feels smaller in the room. The TV works well with my other Bravia components.
CONS: This TV didn't get 5 stars mainly for nitpicky reasons. First, while the Amazon VOD feature is great, I don't really see the point of the sluggish widgets. I'm not really sure that the online features are worth the price premium. The TV's sound, while OK, is not great. There is only one HDMI jack on the back, the rest are on the side. While this is convenient, it can be ugly. Finally, this TV will not allow the Sony Soundbars to mount on the stand. Soundbars will mount to the W Series and XBR Series but not Z Series.
Overall though, despite these minor flaws, I highly recommend this TV.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 27, 2010 02:00:06
