Manage updates with the Download AppSony Bravia KDL-40EX500
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: KDL-40EX500/US
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Sony KDL-EX500 LCD TV incorporates respectable image quality with essential features at a wallet-friendly price.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memory4Less.com | Not yet rated | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 06/19/2013 Refurbished |
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | | as of 06/19/2013 |
CNET editors' review
Sony Bravia KDL-40EX500 price range: $430.99 - $1,445.12
- Reviewed by: David Katzmaier
- Reviewed on: 09/13/2010
- Released on: 04/05/2010
The good: Reproduced somewhat deep black levels; accurate color in bright areas; matte screen works well in bright lighting; solid picture adjustment options; streams video via USB.
The bad: Dark areas tinged somewhat blue; benefits of 120Hz difficult to discern; some smoothing evident in 1080p/24 processing; fewer picture controls than some competitors.
The bottom line: The Sony KDL-EX500 LCD TV incorporates respectable image quality with essential features at a wallet-friendly price.
User reviews
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Excellent value. Very happy with this TV.
by bandeeto1 on March 7, 2010
Pros: Very good picture. Deep blacks. Light/color sensor works without a hitch. Decent sound straight from the TV. Looks good. Base feels solid (important because I have small children). Easy setup. Not too heavy, but feels quality.
Cons: Slight bluish tinge to the absolute blackest of blacks. When watching low quality signals Sony's video processing (cleanup, smothing, etc) result in a "camcorder-like" effect. Not great, but after comparison it's a lot better than without it.
Summary: I bought the 40EX500 because I trust Sony quality. Having said that, if i needed to replace the one I've got I'd buy the same TV. Blue-rays look ...
Summary: I bought the 40EX500 because I trust Sony quality. Having said that, if i needed to replace the one I've got I'd buy the same TV. Blue-rays look phenominal! I bought sonys BD player at the same time which also streams Netflix (and other stuff). The BD player and 40EX500 work very well together and streaming video looks better than ever, by a long shot. Video games look great as well. Can't wait to watch the World Cup this summer!!!!!! I've only had this TV for a week, so I'll update my review in a few months.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent TV set for its price.
by SactoGuy018 on March 6, 2011
Pros: Superb sharpness and color quality at 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolution--looks especially good with video from Blu-ray player and TiVo HD XL DVR through HDMI connections.
Cons: Adjustments can be a tad hard to understand. Does take about 40 seconds for the CCFL backlighting to come up to full brightness at startup. Sound quality from built-in speakers not that great (I suggest good external speakers).
Summary: Despite the cons I mentioned, I still highly recommend this Sony model because its picture quality once the set "warms up" is flat-out superb--I especially like the excellent color clarity ...
Summary: Despite the cons I mentioned, I still highly recommend this Sony model because its picture quality once the set "warms up" is flat-out superb--I especially like the excellent color clarity and just flat-out amazing sharpness at 720p and 1080i resolution from ATSC TV broadcasts and of course 1080p resolution from a Blu-ray player. It should be noted that I was able to get the "high-def video" effect some people see from Blu-ray movies by turning on the "MotionFlow" adjustment on this set to maximum; fortunately, this can be avoided by running "MotionFlow" in low mode or just turning it off.
Sure, it doesn't have the "Internet widgets" that you get with some TV's, but then, most good Blu-ray players and a device like the TiVo Premiere DVR already have excellent Internet connectivity on their own, so this feature is not missed on the KDL-40EX500.
In short, if you want a set that does nothing but offer excellent picture quality, it's very hard to beat this model.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My first Sony flat screen
by oclady1208 on February 16, 2011
Pros: I love the Sony reliablity and I've owned other Sony TV's. I like the appearance. And I couldn't beat the price after Best Buy put it on sale for $764.99. It's certainly not the best HDTV, but it's good enough for the bedroom.
Cons: The thickness. I would have liked it to be thinner. And I prefer the speakers on the front instead of the back or underneath. I don't feel like I'm getting a good sound.
Summary: I've only had this HDTV for 4 days now and I have some settings to tweak before I can give a full review. Over all I'm happy with ...
Summary: I've only had this HDTV for 4 days now and I have some settings to tweak before I can give a full review. Over all I'm happy with it. Was easy to set up. I really like the swivel base since I have it in a corner on a stand. I have the HDMI cable from the HD box to HDMI1 and the Sony Blu-ray player hooked with an HDMI cable to HDMI 4 on the back and no problems. It also synced the Sony Blu-ray player seemlessly and was so easy to use to play a DVD. I prefer a thinner HDTV like my 37" Vizio. I didn't compromise picture quality on the Vizio, so I don't understand why Sony made this so thick.
9 days later after tweaking the settings, I now have them set at Picture Mode-Vivid; Backlight-9; Picture-9; Brightness-55; color-40; Hue-R2; Color Temp-cool; Sharpness-20; Noise Reduction-off; MPEG noise reduction-0ff; Motionflow-off; Cinemotion-Auto2; Ambient Sensor-on. Screen Menu -- Wide Mode-full; Auto wide-on; 4:3 default: off (grayed out); Display Area-full pixel; Horizontal center & Vertical center 0 (grayed out). Scene button on the remote - use either Auto or Sports depending on your viewing pleasure. And I'll will always have the Steady Sound set at on so when changing channels & commercials come on the noise doesn't jump.
Updated on Feb 21, 2011
Updated on Feb 21, 2011After having this TV for 9 days, I've finally found settings that are giving me the best picture quality. Settings--Picture-Vivid; Backlight-9; Picture-90; Brightness-55; Color-40; Hue-R1 or R2; Color Temp-cool; Sharpness-20 or 25; Noise Reduction, MPG Noise reduction, Motion flow-all Off; Cinemotion-Auto2; Ambient Sensor-on. Screen Menu--Wide Mode-full; Auto Wide-on; 4:3 Default-off; Display area-full pixel; Scene Button on remote-Auto or sports depending on your viewing pleasure.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Decent picture for price if you can live with the flaws
by mnemonic on December 15, 2010
Pros: Matte screen! (a must for LCDs in most rooms) Reasonably accurate picture once adjusted. Good blacks & shadow detail. Styling understated, (swivel is too loose), won't clash with your LR decor. ATSC tuner is fairly quick (faster than the TWC box).
Cons: Remote is horribly designed. Input & mode display overlay eats up too much screen, stays on too long. 120Hz is useless w/o ability to disable smoothing. Menu system is waaay too big and obtrusive, obscures the picture while making adjustments.
Summary: I bought this from a friend (used) along with a BDP-S360 BR player and some discs for cheap, couldn't pass it up.
In general I like the picture now ...Summary: I bought this from a friend (used) along with a BDP-S360 BR player and some discs for cheap, couldn't pass it up.
Oh, one more minor complaint: there are four HDMI inputs, but '1' and '4' are on the back while '2' and '3' are on the side, and Sony recommends using HDMI 1 for a PC if you use a DVI>HDMI adaptor because it's the only input that sends EDID info back to your PC. So until my new HTR arrives I have the Blu-Ray hooked up to HDMI 2 and the stupid cable sticks out where you can see it - so if you plan to use more than two inputs, buy some right-angle HDMI cables!
In general I like the picture now that I've got it adjusted (Note: I do not think this has the same make of panel or remote control as the 46" model that CNet reviewed - their settings were off what I ended up with via DisplayMate and my own eyes).
My real problems with this set are all in the interface and remote: both are very poorly designed, so much so as to make using the remote an exercise in frustration. The central control is a 'select' button & 4-way rocker pad surrounded by a ring of six direct function buttons, and I guarantee that you will mistakenly skip over the rocker and accidentally hit one of the function keys every other time you pick up the remote - the buttons are simply too similar and close together. Oh, and there's that 'hidden' power button on the bottom of the remote? *** Sony, seriously?! (OK, we all know I hate the remote now. :D)
The on-screen menu is way too obtrusive for a 1080 res. display. It could have been half the size and still perfectly legible, and it's just transparent enough to be annoying since you can't really see through it. Plus, the input display features a gradient that covers the entire top 15% of the screen just to show tiny input text that says things like "HDMI 1". And this display hangs around for nearly ten seconds after you turn on the set! Very annoying when you've tuned in late for something, until I discovered that hitting Display twice dismisses it.
Otherwise the set produces a pretty good picture when 'calibrated' (I don't have an Eye One sensor yet, so DisplayMate and my eyes are it for now). Off-angle is better than many sets I've looked at, and vertical angles are decent (it goes a tiny bit green when I lie on the sofa, but not too bad).
Unfortunately, the SD upscaling is really pretty lousy, with lots of artifacts and noise - but who watches SD any more? :)
You really want to turn off every picture 'enhancement' the TV offers to get the best picture - I found the picture artificially 'soft' when any of the noise reduction, Motionflow or even the CineMotion options are turned on.
Here are the current settings on my 40EX500, in a somewhat light-controlled room with two floor lamps (30w GE Reveal bulbs) flanking the set for 'movie time':
--Picture menu--
Picture Mode: Custom
Backlight: 1
Picture: 98
Brightness: 49
Color: 50
Hue: 0
Color Temperature: Warm 2
Sharpness: Min
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motionflow: Off
CineMotion: Off
Ambient Sensor: Off
--Advanced Settings menu--
Adv. Contrast Enhancer: Off
Black Corrector: Off
Gamma: +1
Clear White: Off
Live Color: Off
--White Balance menu--
R-Gain: -1
G-Gain: -1
B-Gain: -3
R-Bias: -1
G-Bias: -1
B-Bias: -3
--Screen menu--
Wide Mode: Full
Auto Wide: Off
4:3 Default: Off [grayed out]
Display Area: Full Pixel
Horizontal Center: 0 [grayed out]
Vertical Center: 0 [grayed out]
--Scene button (no Home menu or button on this set's remote)--
General
Anyway, I do like the picture, and the graphic EQ in the audio section is a nice feature if you use the TV speakers. And once I get around to programming my learning remote for the TV's controls I won't have to deal with the Sony one any more. :D
The TL:DR - Good eye-pleasing picture for the cash (remote sucks hard). :D
Updated on Dec 15, 20102 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best TV Ever!
by saxguyck on December 8, 2010
Pros: Awesome picture, darkest blacks, vivid colors and the price can't be beat. Best value of any tv.
Cons: None at all.
Summary: This has to be the best tv I have ever watched tv on. I bought this tv about 9 months ago and I still get excited to watch tv on ...
Summary: This has to be the best tv I have ever watched tv on. I bought this tv about 9 months ago and I still get excited to watch tv on it. I live with a few guys and their tv's don't compare (Sharp and Samsung). This tv is so much better. It is great for playing video games on, great for watching sports or a movie. I could not have been happier
Also, to the reviewer who couldn't find out how to hook the audio up - You can either connect the audio to a home theater system via the Optical output OR through an HDMI cable. With the HDMI cable, you can use the Bravia Sync feature with other Sony products.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great TV for the avg user, looks amazing, no problems
by umphrey on February 14, 2011
Pros: All the picture features you would expect, motion blur and 120Hz makes almost anything look good, swivel stand looks and works so great I didn't even have to wall mount it, great for video games-no lag, excellent simulated surround sound for the type
Cons: USB port is virtually useless, remote can be confusing, menu options offer no description so you have to have the manual at hand to make any tweaks, not Internet connectible, somewhat thick
Summary: If you want a TV that looks great and performs well at almost anything you want a TV to do, this is a great choice for the price. The downside ...
Summary: If you want a TV that looks great and performs well at almost anything you want a TV to do, this is a great choice for the price. The downside is that it isn't Internet connectible and offers very little in extra features. The features it does have are subtle and make the viewing experience more pleasurable but there are very few extra bells and whistles. I run and external hard drive through my XBOX360 with music, movies, and TV shows and was planning to connect it directly to the TV but the USB port is completely useless for this, and just about any application in general. The biggest problem is it only decodes MPEG1 and MPEG2 video streams, so you will probably have to convert videos or do all of your recording in this outdated format. The music player works OK at playing MP3s. However, the navigation menu is absolutely awful for any collection of anything. Just finding a single song on a CD is harder than it should be. There are very, very limited options when it comes to menu presentation and it can't read ID3 tags so the only way to find music on removable media is navigating folders. Even this is very difficult because it only displays large folder icons and cuts off the name at about 10 characters.
The picture quality is great and I love the motion blur and ambient light sensor technology. I have a lot of video that is 30 FPS so I assumed it would be choppy on a 120Hz TV. Wrong. The motion blur literally takes that 30 FPS video and makes it look like 60Hz minimum, probably closer to 120. I am extremely sensitive to Hz (60 vs. 120, I don't think anyone can tell the difference between 120 and 240) and this TV looks smooth as butter.
I use this TV for gaming more than anything probably and I couldn't praise it enough in that respect. Of course running at 1080p the picture quality is excellent, but most impressive is the crisp motion, well defined lines (no blooming), and best of all: no lag and amazing responsiveness.
The screen looks great in any lighting and the ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the backlight brightness to compensate. It is easy to manually change it though. I was very impressed with the no-glare image quality in a bright room with open sunlit windows. It will mirror the sunlight if it's directly positioned to do so, but any TV would. The view is impressive from any angle, especially for a TV.
This is a backlit TV instead of an edge lit, which was a no brainer decision for me. You trade maybe an inch or two of thickness for a much crisper image. I would much rather have a slightly thicker TV with an excellent view than a super thin one that isn't half as crisp as this one is. I highly recommend the backlit LCDs.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome TV, i took it to India, its working fine.
by pramadha on July 28, 2010
Pros: Its very good experience with this TV, working without any voltage convertors, picture convertors..one can take this to India if they need
Cons: i asked sony customer people, they told me it will not work in india...
Summary: Awesome TV, i took it to India, its working fine without any Voltage convertor, format convertor. Simply superb
Summary: Awesome TV, i took it to India, its working fine without any Voltage convertor, format convertor. Simply superb
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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After a long search, we went with Sony.
by chilliwachad on February 14, 2012
Pros: The picture is crisp. Colors are good. We like the menu layouts and the options offered. When I switch from "General" picture mode to "Sports", or "Games", or "Cinema", the difference is noticeable. The blacks are surprisingly good.
Cons: The sound levels need some adjusting for watching an HD television signal. We had some trouble hearing dialogue, but were able to make the necessary adjustment. The deepest blacks do tend to vacillate between black and dark blue.
Summary: We really like this TV. After weeks of comparison shopping and reading reviews and tracking sales in the area, I walked into a London Drugs and found this for $100 ...
Summary: We really like this TV. After weeks of comparison shopping and reading reviews and tracking sales in the area, I walked into a London Drugs and found this for $100 less than I had previously seen it advertised. When I brought it home, it was super easy to set up, (we have it up on a mantle, so I couldn't comment on the ease of mounting it on a wall, except to say that it sounds quite painful), and the manual was very easy to follow. TV in 720p looks great and movies in 1080p are really great. We are contemplating expanding our home audio options, but the TV speakers themselves work nicely after some adjusting to your preferred levels. The "Cinema" setting for movies looks and sounds amazing, and the other options for "Sports", "Games", etc... are cool, too. Great TV for the price.
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got this tv with ps3 budle for $709.99!!!
by nasamp on December 18, 2010
Pros: great tv package
Cons: yeah not led/ and or top of the line but it never is....right??
Summary: Bought this exact TV, PS3 bundle( includes ps3 w controller, one game, one bluray, one 6 ft hdmi cable, ALL NEW.....for $709.99!!! To any looking for a deal ...
Summary: Bought this exact TV, PS3 bundle( includes ps3 w controller, one game, one bluray, one 6 ft hdmi cable, ALL NEW.....for $709.99!!! To any looking for a deal this is it as far as I've seen. I have never felt the need to post anything in my life until this purchase. If you live close enough go get the package before christmas!!! Bought at official sony store in Riverhead, NY at the Tanger Outlets. If you are close enough get m while you can!!!
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one of the best in this range of price
by amddfdt on June 8, 2010
Pros: Good Black level considering its an lcd, awesome colors,lots of connection option,easy setup
Cons: no audio out except for headphone...dunno how to connect it to home theater
not so great sound qualitySummary: I wanted a relatively cheap HDTV and i think i got the best in this range
with right setting ,I got an awesome picture quality from an hd media player ...Summary: I wanted a relatively cheap HDTV and i think i got the best in this range
with right setting ,I got an awesome picture quality from an hd media player with no fuzziness or blurriness
colors are really really live and bright and dark level may not be as good as plasma or led tv's but its very good
very happy with my choice
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: KDL-40EX500/US
- Description: You can experience Full HD 1080p, incredible contrast and sharp, vibrant images with the Sony BRAVIA EX500 series HDTV. Features incredible motion performance so you enjoy crisp, fluid motion during fast-action scenes, plus LightSensor technology that automatically adjusts brightness based on a room's lighting.
General
- TV type LCD TV
- Screen size 40 in
- Viewing angle 178 degrees
- Viewing angle (vertical) 178 degrees
- Color Piano black
Features
- TV features Invisible Speaker System,
Clear Voice technology Video
- Technology TFT active matrix
- Backlight technology Wide Color Gamut-CCFL
- Native resolution 1920 x 1080
- Resolution 1080p
- Dynamic contrast ratio 150000:1
- Refresh rate 120Hz
- Motion Enhancement Technology 120Hz
- Aspect ratio 16:9
- 24p technology 24p True Cinema
- Progressive Scan Progressive scanning (line doubling)
- Widescreen Widescreen
- Widescreen modes Wide Zoom,
Full,
Normal,
Conventional 4:3,
Zoom,
Auto Wide - Comb filter 3D digital
- HDCP compatible Yes
- Supported DTV resolutions 480/60i,
1080/60p,
720/60p,
1080/60i,
480/60p,
1080/24p TV Tuner
- TV tuner presence Yes
- HDTV Tuner Yes
- Tuner qty 1x analog/digital combo
- Digital TV tuner ATSC,
QAM - Analog TV tuner NTSC
- TV tuner reception system NTSC-M
- Secondary audio program (SAP) Yes
Audio
- Speaker(s) 2 x Right/left channel speaker - Built-in - 10 Watt
- Surround mode Yes
- Total output power 20 Watt
- Audio controls Sound mode
Connectivity
- HDMI ports qty 4
- PC interface VGA (HD-15)
- Input/Output connections 3 x Audio line-in (RCA phono x 2) - Rear,
1 x Audio line-in (RCA phono x 2) - Side,
1 x Audio line-out (RCA phono x 2) - Rear,
2 x Component video input (RCA phono x 3) - Rear,
1 x Composite video input (RCA phono) - Side,
1 x Digital audio output (optical) (TOSLINK) - Rear,
1 x VGA input (15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)) - Rear,
1 x Audio line-in (Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm) - Rear,
2 x HDMI (19 pin HDMI Type A) - Rear,
2 x HDMI (19 pin HDMI Type A) - Side,
1 x USB 2.0 (4 pin USB Type A) - Side,
1 x Composite video input (RCA phono) - Rear - Video interface HDMI,
Component,
Composite Convenience
- Closed captioning Yes
- Parental channel lock Yes
- Menu language French,
English,
Spanish
Remote Control
- Type Standard remote control
- Second remote control type None
Built-in components
- Component type None
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & support 1 year warranty
- Service & support details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year
Stands & Mounts
- Stand included Included
- Stand design Tabletop
- Stand features Swivel
- Flat panel mount interface 300 x 300 mm
Power
- Power device Power supply
- Power device nominal voltage AC 120 V
- Power consumption operational 180 Watt
- Power consumption stand by / sleep 0.23 Watt
Dimensions & Weight
- Dimensions (WxDxH) 39.1 in x 3.9 in x 23.6 in - Without stand
- Weight 31.3 lbs
Sustainability
- ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
- Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2011) 3.6
- Greenpeace policy rating (Nov 2012) 4.1
Product series
-
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: LCD TV,
60 in,
1080p,
120Hz,
EPA Energy Star -
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: LCD TV,
40 in,
1080p,
120Hz,
EPA Energy Star -
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: LCD TV,
46 in,
120Hz,
EPA Energy Star -
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: LCD TV,
55 in,
120Hz -
Manufacturer: Sony
Specs: LCD TV,
32 in,
1080p,
120Hz,
EPA Energy Star
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
