Sony BRAVIA KDL46BX450 46-Inch 1080p HDTV, Black (2012 Model)

This 40-inch set replaces a 5-year old 42-inch Sanyo that was a cheap set when it was purchased and had gone downhill considerably since then, developing dark streaks and splotches on the screen. I've had mostly good luck with Sony over the years, but with a couple of notable exceptions. Nevertheless, the reviews on this set were quite good, and I figured it would be a substantial improvement over the old set. So far, I am not disappointed.Once I got it out of the box and into its permanent location, getting the set configured was pretty easy. The menu system is quite extensive, allowing the adjustment of just about everything under the sun. The first thing I did was to turn off all the automatic picture "improvement" stuff. A few minutes with a calibration disc got the black level and white level adjusted to my satisfaction. Incredibly, there is even a menu option to prevent the TV from expanding the picture beyond the borders of the LCD panel. This was called "overscanning" in the old days of CRT sets, and was more or less unavoidable. However there is no sensible reason to do this with a modern digital television. I am puzzled as to why virtually every manufacturer does this. In fact this is the first time I've seen an option to turn off this particular picture "enhancement". I am delighted to be able to see, for the first time, the entire picture and not just 95% of it.With the set dialed in properly, I put in a couple of test Blu-ray discs. I can honestly say that what I saw was so beautiful, and such a quantum leap over the old TV, that it actually brought tears to my eyes! After a few days of living with it, I'm still struck by the astonishingly black black levels and the brilliant whites. Now of course I've seen modern televisions with a greater range in contrast, but only just barely. Real program material from Blu-ray literally looks nearly three dimensional, at least on some scenes. This set rivals much more expensive televisions that I've seen at friends' houses, for a fraction of the price. We shall see how it performs over time, and whether or not it eventually develops those heinous dark splotches or streaks that I've seen so many times on LCD sets.The only slight criticism I can offer is that the set claims to be able to display the 24p output from BD players. It can in fact accept such an input, however being a 60 Hz set, and since 24 doesn't go into 60 evenly, there is a bit of a question as to exactly how it's displaying those 24 frames per second it's receiving from the player. I've looked at scenes with very slow camera pans that should reveal any jittering that would be a telltale sign that the set is repeating frames, and I can't see anything like that. As near as I can figure (and some quick research I did online seemed to confirm this), the set is interpolating frames rather than repeating them. In other words, it seems to be taking those original 24 frames per second and creating 6 extra frames. Those 30 frames are then, of course, each repeated one time to come up to the 60 Hertz rate that the set displays. So it is a true 24p display? Not exactly, but they appear to have done it the right way so that the viewing experience is as good as it can be.All in all, I would recommend this set to anyone looking for a reasonably priced television that can perform virtually as well as its much more expensive cousins. To say I'm not disappointed so far is actually a big understatement.

I was in the market for a 40" HDTV and was considering Sony or Samsung because they make good TVs. Overall, I think Samsung have better picture quality. I preferred Sony, because I have a PS3 that I use for gaming, video and anything else that it can handle. Picture quality is also based on the model of the TV as well. You can't expect BX series to have great picture quality as the HX series. And that is just within Sony's line.I bought this TV last month when it was listed second on the best sellers list for TVs. It is probably due to a temporary price deduction. I had it for around a week and test out most of what I could to decide if I'm going to keep this TV or not. While this is a good TV but it has some flaws that keep me from holding on to it. Before I bought this set, I'd searched for any useful information to help me determine if I should purchase it. There was barely anything. There were very little reviews here on Amazon that isn't useful at all during my purchase. So I give it a shot. The worse that could happen would be to return it. So here's my review and I hope it will help you.If you're planning on buying this set you should know that this is a 60Hz TV and no way will it act like a 120Hz or higher refresh rate set. Don't be fooled by the 24p. It STILL looks like a flipbook if you are viewing an up close scene panning around.Another thing to consider is the color. This BX model has a poor black color. You can still see light in the display which makes the black around 80% or so. It's very obvious. If you're not picky with black not being black, then this will fit you. It does have nice color and is better than cheap brand TVs.It seems this TV does a very poor job of up scaling when I watch a clip on my PS3. My monitor does a better job. If you dim or tone down the brightness on this set, it looks much better. Although this is a LCD panel, you can still view it on most angles nicely without the negative film effect.2 HDMI is a given, but I still think it should be 4 considering this is a 40" TV not a 32." Nobody likes to hook and unhook a device for every use. I'm sure that everyone buying or thinking of buying this TV would want 4 HDMI ports or 3 at least. More and more devices are having HDMI output.I often heard people complaining about sound quality on just about all TV sets that are out there. In my opinion, the sound is good but not impressive. It's rare to find a TV set that came with an impressive sound quality without having to hook up to a receiver and external speakers. This TV said its 5.1 audio. Don't be fooled. It's not surround sound. I would prefer stereo if it's coming from the TV.The 2 USB inputs are only good for 2 of 3 features. It is ideal for playing music, photos, and videos. Unfortunately, only music and photos work without issues. As for videos, it is very picky on format and probably resolution size as well. MKV, MP4, AVI are some of today popular video format on the web. None of these would work. I still don't know exactly what format(s) and maximum resolution size it would allowed. The USB features work like how you use a basic set top box except the music player and photo viewer look much nicer than a basic set top box.This TV isn't slim, but it isn't as bulky. It's also light weight, stable and solid built. The TV looks attractive and power on fairly fast.The remote is long and skinny, but bulky and round. It's not pretty as the thin flat remote, but it's easy to use and the numbers are big and easy to read. What's nice is you can control it with your other Sony device you hook it to like a PS3. If any HDMI or USB hook on to the TV, it will be selectable in white. If not plug in, it will be in grey and un-selectable. Nice feature to have without selecting something that cannot be in use to save time from scrolling up or down.Overall, I think it is a good 2012 TV for the retail price on the market today. This TV maybe for you if you can accept the 60Hz refresh rate and know that 24p is just a marketing strategy to make you think it will run smoothly but the fact it won't. On the plus side, it's a good quality TV than other off brand 40" that sales around 300. This TV isn't for you if want to enjoy the experience of watching fast pace action movies, sports, and games. 120Hz will give you a better experience. Anything above 120Hz, you probably only notice it slightly better. People who downgrade from 120Hz to 60Hz will be disappointed. People who never experience 120Hz will not notice the difference.Great features rich basic TV with lack of motion due to 60Hz handicap.I had a bad experience with the UPS shipping. There was no additional box to cover the original Sony package so the Sony TV packaging was exposed on my front door. Anyone could've come up and pick it up and ran off with it. What worst is the UPS guy never rang the door bell when he left it there and I was home too. A roommate ends up bring it in while coming home. What happen to schedule a time where the delivery guy deliver, bring in, and check your TV to make sure it's okay before leaving?