 |
Sony KDL-52X3500
by Redmond
Price I paid 7.000Euro that's around £6.012 (please bare in mind that this was four years ago)
When I first got this Sony KDL 52 X 3500 it was a top of the range tv. It was one of the first FULL HD, 24P, LCD TVs on the Market. And the X in it's title told you the buyer, that this was the best TV Sony had to sell. They still ... use this method today, the further into the alphabet the letter in the TVs code goes the higher the spec of the tv will be, and with each letter the tv becomes more expensive.
At the time X was as high as it went.
I no longer use this as my main tv anymore it has been moved / downgraded to a bedroom tv.
But let me tell you about what makes this worth buying or not.
This model is the 132cm / 52 inch version. It feels bigger than this because of it's designer frame. This is one of it's nicest features. A lot of TVs today are trying to minimise the front of the tv to only have the screen visible in front and the speakers in the back (these look great, don't get me wrong, it's just this ones a little different) This one has a brushed gun metal bezel with the full length speakers in the front on each side. It's then incased within a clear "floating glass design" frame edged with a stainless steel trim.
Not many TVs have had so much effort put into making them look this good and when it's wall mounted like I have it this tv really comes into it's own.
The X 3500 was also avalible in a fantasticly big 70 inch version. I would have loved it but it would have been too big for the house I was in at the time.
The features of the 52 inch version where great for the time. But you will notice some stand out discrepancies when it comes to comparing it to todays large screen LCD, LED and Plasma TVs. Most notably the app like features, built in wifi compatibility, for video streaming and so forth.
These my well be missing, but if you can get this tv for a great price, don't let the lack of these features put you off. With the HDMI connections you can link up blue ray players and games consoles that have these "Internet on TV" features built in. So you're not loosing out on anything.
The picture on this four year old tv is better than my new 2011 TV. That says a lot when it comes to the quality of the picture and colour
Maybe it's something to do with Sony's BRAVIA Engine Pro. This promises greater picture definition and it delivers.
Its Live Colour Creation and x.v.Colour technology produce vibrant colours the way nature intended them to be viewed. No overly saturated or pale washed out colours on this TV.
The "Built-in S-Force Front Surround speaker setting" produces stunning full surround sound effects from only 2 front speakers.
The "Voice Zoom feature" is great for altering the volume of voices without changing background volume. This is really good when watching football and you don't want the commentary to be so loud, but still want to experience the atmosphere of a live match. This also works great when you are struggling to here voices, turn it up and the problem is solved.
The "BRAVIA Theatre Sync" enables you to operate your TV and entire home cinema system by pushing one button ( as long as everything is a Sony )
Motionflow +100Hz shows fast-moving sequencies with precision and smoothness. This is ideal for sports and can be turned on and off as needed. This setting compensates by adding extra pictures to the fast moving image, you don't see these extra images it just results in a strangely 3D effect. There is a depth to the picture when motion flow is set to max. I love this setting ( however if the tv signal isn't of the highest quality the picture can start to jitter )
The 24p True Cinema setting automatically switches on when viewing a high definition blue ray disc or game. This means it's being shown as the director intended, with twenty four frames per second right in your home cinema setting.
The "Photo TV HD technology" is great for viewing high-resolution digital still photographs in optimal quality.
Or you can always use the "USB Photo Viewer" to easily display your digital photos on a big TV screen.
It's full HD 1080p compatible to display High Definition signals in the highest quality, i.e. Playstation 3, Blu-ray Disc, etc. It also supports all signals up to that.
The supported video signals are
576i - This is the standard resolution (analogue tv, VHS)
480p
576p
1080i - this is HD. The "i" stands for interlaced. This is two steps down from Full HD. Sky HD uses this resolution.
720p - this is HD. The "p" stands for progressive. This is only one step down from Full HD. Sky HD also uses this resolution.
1080p - this is full HD. 1920 by 1080p. Sky HD does NOT support this resolution.
It comes with some accessories too.
*In the box*
1 AC Cable.
1 Coax Cable.
1 Operating Instructions.
1 matching gun metal Table-Top stand.
*Wall mounting details*
VESA mounting holes.
Wall-Mount Bracket SU-WL500 (optional)
*Connection inputs*
3 HDMI Inputs
1 PC Input (15pin D-Sub) + Audio In
2 Component Inputs
4 Pin (Y/C) In (S Video)
MiniJack (Head/Earphone) (3.5 mm)
1 PCMCIA Card Slot
1 RCA Audio Out
1 RCA AV Input
1 RF In
2 Scart Inputs (RGB)
*Dimensions*
With table top stand (W x H x D, cm) 141.5 x 89.0 x 38.4
Without Table Stand (W x H x D, cm) 141.5 x 82.7 x 12.5
*Weight Including Stand*
49 (kg)
*Weight Without Stand*
42 (Kg)
One of the nicest little touches found on this TV is that the Sony Logo Illuminates at the bottom centre of the screen, appearing from nowhere in electric blue. It magically appears on the clear glass frame when turned on, this function can be found in the "Tools menu" and vanishes when turned off.
The Dynamic Contrast ratio Is 18000:1 this is the rating from the blackest black to the whitest White. This makes all the difference, always look out for this when shopping for a new TV.
*Picture Modes *
Vivid, standard, and custom. Try and always use the custom setting for the best picture as all setting are then adjustable.
14:9 Mode
16:9 Mode (this is the wide screen setting)
4:3 Mode (this is best suited for viewing movies or programs that where made before wide screen,otherwise the picture will be starched. This puts wide black bars at the sides of the screen mimicking the old square screen shape and size)
Picture In Picture? (yes)
Picture & Picture? (yes)
*Tuners*
Analogue Terrestrial Tuner - watch all of your analogue tv channels (while they're still available)
Digital Terrestrial Tuner (MPEG-2) watch all of your favourite digital free view channels with it's built in free view box. Seven day EPG (electronic program guide)
Digital TV Cable Tuner (with supported operators)
One last thing to mention is the remote control.
It's a good size and feels comfortable in your hand.
It matches the TV perfectly with it's colouring and design.
It has a handy illumination button to illuminate the keypad for ten seconds. This is the same electric blue as the illuminated Sony Logo on the glass frame this is a nice touch.
I loved this TV when it was pride of place in my Home. And I still love it now.
As I said earlier, if you can get this TV for a good price (seeing it's an older model)
DO!
You won't regret it.
Read the complete review |
