TV Review: Sony Bravia 40 inch Full HD LED TV (India – KLV-40R482B)

After months of research on trying to figure which TV purchase, Mr T and I narrowed down to the LG 42LB5510 106 cm (42 inch) FULL HD LED TV (Black). It was 42 inches, full HD, not smart TV (we figured we’d buy a dongle for Rs 2-3k vs spending almost 8-10k on the next version) and we were sure we didn’t want a 3D TV (who does???). We dismissed most other brands as being to expensive or not the best quality. We did a lot of online research, read reviews, and visited a showroom in a nearby mall and analysed all the specs (viewable from 180 degrees etc). We were confused on the size — 40 in vs 42 in — and so Mr T decided to visit the showroom again just to have a final yes.

And by the time he returned, he had had an epitome: ‘Man, we have to get a Sony Bravia. The picture quality beats all other TVs hollow!!’

And so we bought the Sony Bravia KLV-40R482B 101 cm (40 inches) Full HD LED TV. (40 inches seemed big enough for our mid-sized apartment). The TV was delivered within a few days in a large cardboard box with the warranty card and some accompanying gadgets (wall brackets, table mount, wires, adaptors, remote control and batteries).

We called Sony and they sent a person to install the TV within a day. (We didn’t use the wall mount but instead used the table bracket). The Sony guy was prompt and courteous and gave us a demo of all the features of the TV. He then asked for some slips (apparently you get one free wall installation and one free table installation within a year of purchase — there’s a slip in the box which he has to tear and keep).

So here are things I like:

1. Picture Quality – It’s Sony so the picture quality is obviously awesome. No doubts about that.
2. Sound – Surprisingly, sound quality is quite decent. Even though everyone admits that all these flat screen, skinny TVs have much worse sound quality compared to the big, fat TVs we used to have 10 years ago. We don’t really feel the need for a surround sound system.
3. USB points – The USB reader is very fast. We attached a 1TB drive with lots of movies, loads very fast. (Downside is that the points are located awkwardly towards the centre back of the TV, making it hard to reach if you have a wall mount.
4. HDMI cable – Connects easily to laptop and works well.
5. Connects with Android devices with screen cast – It connects with Mr T’s Google Nexus phone and a Google Tab. Connects, but often drops signal within 15-20 minutes.
6. Has radio, photo sharing features – Haven’t really used.

Things that aren’t great:

1. No support for Mac/iPhone – Some incompatibility between Miracast technology (which Sony uses) and Airplay (or whatever technologyApple uses). Sucks.
2. Wifi Direct – Only works with Sony devices (Xperia). Sucks.
3. Screen mirroring – Like mentioned above, drops signal after 15-20 minutes. Getting signal back sometimes just doesn’t happen!
4. Awkward user experience – when you’re going from screen mirroring to another setting it’s not very intuitive and user friendly. White noise appears.
5. Table mount – Doens’t have the most secure feeling; like it may topple over at any moment.

I guess most TV’s suffer similar drawbacks (at least most TVs I’ve used – including Samsung TVs which we have at my father’s place.) Recommendation to TV companies: Instead of innovating with curved and 3D TVs (which are pretty stupid features in my opinion), we need to fix user experience and have features that work and work well!

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the Sony Bravia KLV-40R482B 101 cm (40 inches) Full HD LED TV (bought for around Rs 50k).

We are in the process of installing Airtel HD cable connection, so will let you know how that goes.