1080p HDTV Blog

Sony Bravia XBR KDL-40XBR7 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

This exceptional 40-inch of XBR 7-Series BRAVIA LCD TV set the performance standard for large screen HDTVs. Ample connectivity options and the latest in color and motion technology make it a must-have for any home theater enthusiast.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Simple Spectacular
I bought this TV on March 2nd and it was delivered on March 9. Ceva did a good job, but the guy told me that he wasn’t supposed to help me to mount the TV on my stand. Whatever the TV picture is spectacular; there are no words to describe exactly the picture quality, I live in a condominium where the TV signal from Comcast is free, the picture quality is great but note that you get 3 different kinds of signal when you have cable; analog, digital 480 and HD 1080i and the analog and digital makes a big difference, I repeat a big difference, now HD channels are awesome, completely breathtaking incredible….and Then I connect my indoor HD amplified Terk antenna and that’s almost another word the image is perfect , incredible perfect. But the day after I received my TV I found on the hallway one of the cable company techs and I asked him about the signal quality from his company and we started talking about their service, the guy was very nice telling me …never order cable service if you have a HD TV only use Satellite company , because the quality it’s so obvious , he told me that the cable signal lose quality thru the cable instead of satellite everything is thru the air and the signal is 100% digital and 100 % HD. That’s why I’m ordering direct TV. But I do recommend this TV to anyone looking for the best TV and the best quality TV, why I put it this way? Because I started doing my research to buy a TV like 6 months ago and I found that the best picture quality is with Samsung series 600,700 and 800. BUT there is so many complaining about quality, like features that doesn’t work as promised, the frame peeling off etc etc and Sony Bravia processors make the image looks so great in standard signal or HD. BECAUSE when you are shopping around for a HD TV in your local stores note that almost all TVs looks great, almost every single one have great picture , WHY? Because those are connect to a HD air antenna, Satellite or Blu ray (which those 3 are HD signals) but when you take it home, the history is 100 % different because in the real world we don’t have all the channels in HD the majority are standard digital signal. That’s why a good TV and a good TV processor are extremely important, the capacity of the TV to make those standard definition channels look like HD channels, most of the HD TVs now, the picture looks excellent in HD signal, but when you watch standard channels on a HD TV is the biggest test your TV will pass or not and believe me most of the TV out there look terrible in Standard definition, because the processor of the TV doesn’t have the capability to upscale the signal near to 1080i. Tell the salesman to connect the TV you are interest in to an standard definition signal and you will see that he will tell you that they don’t have standard definition signal in that store. And be realistic…. You can find out there a 40” TV for 649.00 but also there some TVs that’s cost $6,716.23 or like the Sony XBR7 40 that the price list is 2,100.00 but you can get it here in Amazon for 1,400.00, Why there is such price difference in TVs ? Because technology cost, you get what you pay , if you want quality you have to pay for it, if you don’t believe me , look right now for the cheapest TV here in Amazon . Recapping…you want the best picture? , well my best advised for you is to go for Sony but also get ready with your wallet because their best ones are expensive. Also I bought this TV because the price was the same that the XBR6 40. And the XBR7 have even a better processor and a woofer not a sub woofer. I hope this review help you to decide..Sony Bravia XBR KDL-40XBR7 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

1 Stars amazon-sony delivery is horrible
When the box was arrived, instruction manual and four screws for table stand

were missing. There were no registration material. There were no table of enclosures so what else was missing is unknown. Amazon gave me to a number for SONY which didn’t work. Finally I got someone to talk who tried to sell me the missing parts. I still don’t know how the TV works since I don’t have the manual to run it. After this experience I won’t buy anything from Amazon again.

5 Stars Really Nice Tv and Perfect delivery and setup from Amazon
This set has a first class picture for an LCD. This is a very high end 40″ set. It is made just the same way as Sony’s best sets. I am very pleased! The delivery could have not gone better. Amazon picked a very good company to deliver my set - CEVA. Once again the picture is just stunning!

5 Stars Sony Brava 40″ HDTV
Best 40′ picture PERIOD! Looks just as good as the Sony CRT picture tube TV’s from the past.

5 Stars Amazing Picture for a great price.
This is my third LCD set. The first being a 32″ Sharp Aquos 720p (touted to be the best at the time of that purchase). The second being a 40″ Sony V2500 1080p unit. This third being the 40″ XBR7. Oh my have things changed over the years.

In the comparison of apples to apples (V-series from 2 years back against the current XBR7), the difference in picture quality is amazing. The color contrast is better (without the need to be in ‘torch mode’), and the “blurring” is almost gone.

If I am comparing the unit to another, please assume it’s the Sony KDL-40V2500 unit unless otherwise specified.

Menus:

The XMB menu system is great. There is a bit of lag when switching from category to category though. It’s just in the animation. The function isn’t hindered. The adjustments (that make everyone’s heads spin) have some added comments to help you decide which setting is best. It’s a nice added feature, but I would still use the best tool to adjust the set: your eyes. Many home theater “elites” will criticize all of the added “picture enhancers” Sony has added. I would ignore their advice of “turn if all off” and simply adjust the set to what looks best to you. Of course, a simple calibration baseline does do wonders: Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics [Blu-ray]

Source: DirecTV HR21 HD-DVR - Connected via HDMI to Receiver, then to TV

The HD content has a more crisp and clear look to it. The “MotionFlow” should be either set to Off or “Standard”, as the “High” setting is a bit dizzying. It gives a smooth “flowing” visual effect which makes content look great OR horrible (depends on your eyes and personal preference). Many movies (HBO HD, 1080i broadcast, I think) look fantastic. It’s almost as clear as having the actual BluRay. The SD content PQ has slightly improved, but nothing amazing.

Source: Playstation 3 (60 gb Launch model) - Connected via HDMI to Denon Receiver “Pure Mode” (bypasses any receiver processing), then to TV

Stunning. That is the word that best describes the quality. The first thing I watched after setting up the TV was Batman: The Dark Knight. The detail in the dark scenes were quite impressive. Most LCDs will produce a very dark gray since it’s near impossible to reproduce black. This unit get’s VERY damn close in my opinion. Details can actually be seen in the dark scenes now (the V2500… couldn’t distinguish much). Film content (24p) is best viewed with MotionFlow OFF. With the feature on, it looks like the main subject(s) on the screen are slightly popping out from the rest of the scene. It’s an interesting look, but it’s not for me.

When gaming, there is no motion blur (1080p and 720p) that I noticed. The V2500 had some blur issues. The colors are crisp and vibrant. Details can be seen even in the darkest of rooms. This is definitely a noteworthy contender if gaming is the main function of this TV.

Source: Lenovo T500 Notebook via HD15 - Directly connected to TV

Intel on-board graphics test… will test ATI Graphics at a later date

Everything looked fine. I was running the native resolution for the notebook’s screen (1600 by 1050, or something in that ballpark). The text was easy to read. I haven’t been able to do full resolution (1920×1080), but will try the next time I connect it.

Overall, this is a great unit. There were very little gripes I had about the unit. It’s near flawless. Some say the XBR6 quality is the same. I unfortunately didn’t have the luxury of a XBR6 and XBR7 side by side for a true comparison. To save a few bucks, I’d recommend checking out the XBR6 also. The only difference that MIGHT exist is a 8bit (XBR6) versus 10bit (XBR7) panel… but Sony never indicates what the XBR6 actually has. Rumors have it that they both use 10bit panels and it’s just hidden in the XBR6 documentation so the XBR7 will have a larger arsenal to market with.

Buy/More Info