Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46436 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: KDL46W4500U
• Released on: 2008-08-26
• Dimensions: 29.21" h x 4.53" w x 44.09" l, 68.34 pounds
• Display size: 46

Manufacturer's Description

BRAVIA W4500 Series LCD TV
Available in 40", 46" & 52" Screen Sizes

The BRAVIA W4500 Series Full HD 1080p LCD TVs come packed with technology and features to enhance your viewing experience. Enhanced picture processing from BRAVIA Engine 2, together with Motionflow +100Hz and a Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 50,000:1 combine to deliver stunning pictures whatever you are watching, while XrossMediaBar, BRAVIA Sync, USB Viewer and DLNA ensure the easy integration of BRAVIA into your overall home entertainment system.

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HD1080p (1920x1080)

HD 1080p offers you very high resolution to generate it’s picture. The ‘p’ stands for ‘progressive scan’, which scans all the lines at once to add stability & smoothness to fast-moving images. This makes 1080p TV’s excellent for sport broadcast & games.

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Integrated Digital Tuner / Freeview

Having an integrated Digital Freeview Tuner means that your TV has a built in receiver that will give you access to many more channels without the need to have any additional hardware, such as a Freeview box. In 2007, the government began switching UK broadcasting to digital, so if your TV doesn’t have an integrated digital tuner feature you won't be able to view any channel without buying the additional hardware.

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BRAVIA Engine 2

You can’t have too much of a good thing, so we designed BRAVIA ENGINE 2. By using our most innovative technologies like intelligent noise reduction and Advanced Contrast Enhancer, BRAVIA ENGINE 2 builds on the power of the acclaimed BRAVIA ENGINE and adds four new image processing stages. What’s more, BRAVIA ENGINE 2 incorporates full digital signal processing, which means that it can enhance many different signals.

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Dynamic Contrast

Contrast ratio is improved and all shades between the brightest white and the darkest blacks are maintained, so the picture has more depth and detail.

This is achieved as the backlight brightness adjusts according to the brightness of the scene. Sony’s unique dynamic contrast system features ACE (advanced contrast enhancer) which ensures all of the subtle shades of grey are maintained. The W4500 Series delivers a Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 50,000:1.

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24P True Cinema

Movies are usually filmed at 24 frames per second (fps), and with 24p True Cinema, Movies are output in 24-fps as they should be, in the same sequence as the original film source for the same film-like motion that you could only enjoy in theatres before.

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Motionflow +100Hz

Motionflow +100Hz improves the viewing experience for fast-moving action by intelligently adding frames between each of the 50 delivered through broadcast, Blu-ray or DVD content. Rather than simply duplicating existing frames, the W4500 will anticipate the movement from one frame to another and intelligently insert a frame in-between.

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Live Colour Creation

Live Colour Creation is a backlight system which produces a wider colour gamut, seen particularly with the red and green areas of the spectrum.

So your TV picture will have more lifelike and natural colours with no smudging or dulling of the image.

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X.V. Colour

X.V colour offers a colour palette of 100% of the colour spectrum giving more depth, detail and natural images and is closer to the colour spectrum seen by the human eye.

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HDMI Sockets

The W4500 Series has 3 X HDMI Sockets – 2 at the rear of the set & one at the side.

Your HDMI socket provides a connection point on your TV that is able to deliver a high definition picture. Quite simply, the more HDMI sockets that you have on your BRAVIA LCD TV, the more components you are able to link up to for HD picture quality, for instance, a Blu-ray player, your Handycam® and your gaming console. Having the socket located in the side of the TV means that you no longer have to get into awkward positions or move the unit in order to gain access to the connection point, great if you’re viewing your photos on your TV via your digital camera.

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BRAVIA Sync

BRAVIA Sync enables the control of your TV and peripheral devices with a single BRAVIA remote through menus displayed on your BRAVIA LCD TV.

It is supported by selected Sony Home Theatre Systems, Blu-ray Disc players, Audio/Video Receivers and Handycam®. Please check the specification of your other Sony products to ensure that it includes BRAVIA Sync.

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XrossMediaBar (XMB)

XMB (XrossMediaBar) is Sony’s original graphic user interface that allows for simple operation of various media and content, as seen on the PLAYSTATION®3. Users can navigate through the different types of media by zapping across icons that are aligned horizontally. After selecting the medium, a list of its content appears as thumbnails vertically.

The main benefit of the XMB is that it alleviates the need to look at the remote control while searching and selecting content. With an increasing number of media and content, simple navigation has become a challenge, especially with a remote control. The XMB gives access to a wide array of content with only a few buttons.

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USB Viewer

Enjoy digital photos on the big screen. With the USB Photo Viewer, the user can view photos instantaneously by connecting a digital still camera via USB and selecting "Photo" from the XMB menu. Thumbnails of the photos stored in the digital still camera will appear on the screen, from which the user can choose to view full screen or as a slideshow.

You can also select your favourite photo as a standby screen just pressing favourite button during thumbnails display, full-screen view and slideshow. Share your fun memories with family and friends on BRAVIA.

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DLNA Certified

DLNA Wireless Technology can transform your BRAVIA into a wireless hub allowing you to view photos and listen to music from another device such as your laptop or camera. Only compatible with DLNA devices.

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Photo TV HD

Photo TV HD picture processing technology designed to faithfully reproduce the natural beauty of your still images when viewed on your HD Ready 1080p BRAVIA LCD TV. Whereas all other TVs have technology designed to optimise video images, the BRAVIA W4500 has BRAVIA Engine 2 for viewing videos and Photo TV HD for viewing still images.

In order to enjoy PhotoTV HD, the PhotoTV HD-compatible TV and device need to be connected either with component or HDMI. Connection through component requires the user to manually select the Photo picture mode. When connected via HDMI, the television will automatically switch to Photo mode.

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Picture Frame Mode

Picture Frame Mode offers you the opportunity to decorate your room with BRAVIA, like a painting or photo in a frame with superior colour reproduction from BRAVIA. By selecting the image to be displayed and the duration time on your menu screen your TV will show either a still image or slide show in it’s full glory at reduced power consumption, rather than simply having a black screen sitting in the corner or on the wall in your room.

You can display your favourite photos from in USB memory or preinstalled images on BRAVIA.

1. Push "Home" on the remote control
2. Select "XMB"
3. Choose "Picture Frame" Mode

The picture you selected as Picture Frame appears on the screen.

You can select either one of the 6 default pictures or your own pictures using the USB port.

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‘Sony’, ‘like.no.other’, ‘BRAVIA’ and their logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. ‘PlayStation’ and ‘PLAYSTATION®3’ are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Blu-ray Disc and the Blu-ray Disc logos are trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association.

Customer Reviews

Excellent TV - paranoid about clouding
Awesome TV - the HD picture is very vivid. PS3 games look really clear. I have yet to try a Blu ray, but Spiderman 3 via Sky HD was mind blowing - when that sand man is on the screen you can see the individual grains of sand. Ghost rider on Sky HD also looked awesome - it really showcases this TV. HD via this TV might be too clear- you can even see some actor's pores!! I was comparing it too my uncle's Bravia (his is about 2 years old) yesterday and the picture on this TV makes his look obsolete.

My only issue is minor clouding. After reading other forums I was aware of this potential issue, although I thought this only occurred on grey imports sold via other dodgy on-line sites. Mine was purchased directly from Amazon and I can confirm I have experienced it also. It is really evident on a black screen when there is no video source. I cant' really see it when I am watching a film, however now I'm looking for it instead of enjoying the film.

SD viewing is another story - once you have seen HD you can't go back. I wish every channel was HD now. I guess it SD looks OK, however it is a little blurry - I guess this set is really designed for HD.

I would have given this set 5 stars if it weren't for the clouding. I don't know if clouding is something that effects all LCD TVs...although I probably would not have noticed it if I had not read about it beforehand.

PS - It also ooks pretty sweet. Just need a stand to match it.

Best in class
I am very happy with this TV. Picture is great, showing none of the blocking or similar artefacts that I have noticed on friends' flat screen TVs. I'm now re-thinking my plan to get Sky+HD and an upscaling DVD upgrade as I'm not sure that I'll notice that big an improvement.

It has enough inputs and outputs of each type for me. The sound is good, although I have a home hi-fi setup to go with it so don't value that. It looks good and mounted easily with an Allcam PLB103M.

Took a while for Amazon to deliver, but then they told me that up front. They included a guarantee which I think needs some admin from me to be valid.

I'm pleased.

Confused? Yeah, I was too
I know that the majority of people reading this review are doing so because they can't decide whether this tv is the masterpiece that 'What Hi-Fi' say it is, or the cloud ridden mess that 'AV Forums' will suggest.

I know that's what you're thinking because I was in the exact same position. I spent hours agonising over whether to take the risk and buy this tv or compromise and buy a Panasonic. I took that risk and I do not regret my decision at all.

I was completely unaware of the problem of clouding before I started looking on the internet for ways to spend my well earned bonus and became terrified that if I bought this tv I would see huge patches of white where there should be black. That really is not the case. Can I see see some evidence of the backlight in the corners when I watch dark scenes? Marginally, perhaps. Does it spoil my watching of the tv? No. Would I have noticed it if I hadn't have been looking for it? No. Whilst my eyes automatically flick to the corners now everytime a dark scene appears, I believe my growing contentment will mean this will soon stop. I watched Lord of the Rings on normal DVD last night, which is a dark film on many occasions and had nothing but praise for the quality of the picture.

I had a cheap 32" Lcd before this tv and looking at it now I can see the backlight on the screen when its completely blank. However, I was not aware of it before I learnt what clouding was and it never spoilt my viewing of that tv before, or even now that I've moved it into my bedroom and watch it regularly at night.

'What Hi-Fi' consider this tv to be the best 46" tv made in 2008 and made the smaller screen version their product of the year. This tv is exceptional in the quality of picture it provides, particularly high definition, and even on standard definition freeview (although I am receiving this through a dish and not an aerial). Like everyone, I have stood in Currys and looked at some awful looking pictures on tvs of this size which scream picture noise at you (that's little pixels of colour dancing around on large areas of the screen, I think). It handles motion wonderfully and I can't wait to watch some Champions League football on ITV hd.

Maybe I have been lucky and other versions of this tv have the clouding problem as badly as some of the forums will suggest. All I can say is that I love this tv, have nothing but praise for the picture it provides and do not regret buying it at all.