Sum ‘n’ substance:

Thumbs up: Black level reproduction is accurate; overall colour is natural; vast feature set includes Yahoo Widgets and in built video-streaming options including Amazon Video on Demand and Netflix; a good sleek design; loads of connectivity with four HDMI, two component-video, and one PC input.

Thumbs down: Makes the pocket lighter; difficult to detect the 120Hz; suffers from screen uniformity issues; the darker areas are slightly blue; nothing fascinating about the video streaming options.

Inside the trunk: Diagonal Size 52 inch Widescreen; TFT active matrix technology; Resolution:1920 x 1080;  Display Format:1080p (in Full HD); Image Aspect Ratio:16:9; 120Hz; Wide Color Gamut-CCFL LCD Backlight Technology; Dynamic Contrast Ratio 100000:1; Progressive scanning; Widescreen Modes: Full ,  Normal, Zoom , Stretch , Wide Zoom ,  Conventional 4:3; Viewing Angle: 178 degrees and Vertical Viewing Angle: 178 degrees; Display Menu Language available in English, French and Spanish; 3D digital Comb Filter; V-Chip Control provided; NTSC Analog TV Tuner; QAM , ATSC Digital TV Tuner; HDTV; Input Video Formats 480/60i , 480/60p , 720/60p , 1080/24p , 1080/60i , 1080/60p Electronic Program Guide; Parental Channel Lock; Closed Caption Capability; Infrared Remote control; Stereo and Surround Sound Output Mode; Total Output Power:20 Watt; Digital audio, video and photo playback.; Wired Connectivity; USB; Connector Types 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 ) – Rear , 1 x Composite video input ( RCA phono ) – Side , 1 x Digital audio output (optical) ( TOSLINK ) – Rear , 3 x HDMI input ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) – Rear , 1 x HDMI input ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) – Side , 1 x VGA input ( 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ) – Rear , 1 x Audio line-in ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ) – Rear , 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) – Side , 1 x USB 2.0 ( 4 pin USB Type A ) – Side , 1 x Network ( RJ-45 ) – Rear , 1 x USB – Rear ; Stand Included; Power AC 120/230 V; Price range: $1,805.40 – $2,599.99.

The whiz-kid speaks: KDL-W5100 series is Sony’s commendable attempt at interactive TV, although it is priced at a few hundreds more than the entry-level Internet-ready sets. Sony doe s provides a lot of features though.

Razzle-dazzle: The KDL-w1500 has a sleek and delicate design. The thin angular frame measures in at an inch and a half from the picture-edge to the end of the panel along the top and the sides, it is a bit thicker at the bottom, and come in a blackish gray covered by a sleek transparent layer. The speakers are completely masked and a sturdy non-swiveling stand supports the panel.

The infra-red clicker was nice and compact. The prominent central cursor is surrounded by four buttons that are difficult to mix-up. An array of keys at the top control other gear that’s compatible with the HDMI-CEC control-over-HDMI scheme, but the clicker cannot control the other devices via infrared. Few buttons to the middle of the wand are meant for interactive functions, one is the ‘widgets’ button and the other one is ‘video’. The ‘widgets’ button takes you straight to Yahoo widgets, while ‘video’ summons the Video bar of Sony’s XMB menu interface. Shortcuts are possible, but there is a secondary menu option, called “Favorites,” which offers direct input access.

Inside dope:
This is Sony’s least expensive model to feature the  brand new interactivity package, called the Bravia Internet Video. The feature set is differentiated because of what comes with its Ethernet cable. The company does include a 120Hz processing which enables improved motion resolution that means less blurring, activated when you use Motion-Flow de-judder processing. Some other features in it basket include the Yahoo Widgets that is internet powered content and information modules which can be downloaded and activated on the TV screen; video-streaming; Netflix-on-demand; free non-Amazon content which includes YouTube; able to stream music, photos and video from networked PCs that are running compatible DLNA-compatible software, like the Windows Media Player 11.

The performance of the KDL 52W5100 was pretty decent too. The colours appeared vivid and natural which was well defined by deep black. The de-judder processing was simply fantastic. The only issue that the W5100 suffers was uniformity and the dark area displayed a slight blue tinge. Setup was easy but needed some amount of custom adjustments. one piece of advice; turn the MotionFlow dejudder mode on and  you will get the benefits of anti-blurring of the W5100’s 120Hz refresh rate. Regarding power consumption, it was one of the most efficient non- led based displays to be released this year.

Nitty-gritty: Despite the steep price, (Sony did try to make it more affordable) the Bravia KDL-52W5100 packs a lot of features and all have outstanding performances. The picture quality is way above the average mark and that gives it an added edge. And with all the interactive features it has , the price tag starts to feel reasonable. It makes a very good all round package.

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