AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › LCD Flat Panel Displays › Official Sony KDL 32EX400 40EX400 46EX400 EX401
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Official Sony KDL 32EX400 40EX400 46EX400 EX401

post #1 of 769
3/18/10 at 6:53am
Thread Starter 
Let's get started. The EX401 is the Costco model.

Sony info page; http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...:dg_tv_gglsrch

Owner's manual; http://www.sonystyle.com/wcsstore/So...set-183544.pdf
Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #2 of 769
3/18/10 at 2:28pm
First, thanks for starting this thread. I looked for it a few days ago and couldn't find it. Decided I didn't want to take the risk and start a parallel thread so didn't create one.

My main question is what are the key hardware differences in the EX400 and EX500. I am looking at the pricepoint of the 40EX500 and 46EX400. Panel type, build quality, and boot time are important to me. I've stared at both models in the Sony Style store and in Best Buy and can't see a difference in 60 vs 120 Hz try as I might. I am a numbers geek, so naturally I want the 120 in the EX500, but the larger size will probably win me over.

The girlfriend thinks that our 32" is large enough, but we sit 8' away and mostly watch HD Cable and now Blu Rays. We have the leaning media stand by Crate and Barrel and it's 44" wide so she is a bit worried the 46 will look crammed in. There are two flanking bookcases on either side and I'm not really too worried, because I have wanted a large tv for quite a while.

If anyone has a EX400 or EX500 could you post a short review of your baby? It would be mighty helpful to me and others.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 769
3/18/10 at 9:35pm
I picked up a 46EX400 as a replacement for my old 47" westy that died. I was going to get the EX500, but I didn't get as much store credit as I thought I would, and after staring at the 400 and 500 side by side, there wasn't enough difference for me to justify the extra money. I was fortunately able to get the EX400 for less than the amount of credit I got, so I could also replace (or at least help replace) my PS3.

Anyway, I'm really liking it. I haven't missed the 120hz at all so far, even while watching some March Madness today. The black levels are incredible compared to my old set, so no complaints there. No, they don't quite match some of the Samsungs I saw, but I couldn't tell the difference (side by side comparison at BB and Sony Style) between the 400 and 500.

I haven't quite found the color settings/white balance that I love yet, but the colors are by no means BAD, and again, they are far superior to what I had before with the westy.

It is a VA panel if that matters to you - the 500 probably is as well (though I didn't test it, didn't want to be pushing on the screen in store hehe). I'm not seeing any clouding, the backlight is very even. The only slight niggle here is that one corner appears to be a BIT darker than the rest - not much, but a bit. It isn't that noticeable most of the time.

Sound isn't fantastic, but it isn't horrible for in TV speakers either.

Works well for gaming. I'm not noticing any huge input lag or anything using Game Mode.

Overall, I'm very satisfied. Then again, I personally don't like 120hz/240hz for anything other than sports or animated films. I'm a big fan of the feel of film, and 120hz/240hz just takes that away IMO. If you're looking at the two sets side by side and don't notice a difference in store, I can't think of a reason to take the 500 over the 400. I think it will mainly come down to whether you feel like you need 120hz over 60hz.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 769
3/19/10 at 1:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by abonney View Post

First, thanks for starting this thread. I looked for it a few days ago and couldn't find it. Decided I didn't want to take the risk and start a parallel thread so didn't create one.

My main question is what are the key hardware differences in the EX400 and EX500. I am looking at the pricepoint of the 40EX500 and 46EX400. Panel type, build quality, and boot time are important to me. I've stared at both models in the Sony Style store and in Best Buy and can't see a difference in 60 vs 120 Hz try as I might. I am a numbers geek, so naturally I want the 120 in the EX500, but the larger size will probably win me over.

The girlfriend thinks that our 32" is large enough, but we sit 8' away and mostly watch HD Cable and now Blu Rays. We have the leaning media stand by Crate and Barrel and it's 44" wide so she is a bit worried the 46 will look crammed in. There are two flanking bookcases on either side and I'm not really too worried, because I have wanted a large tv for quite a while.

If anyone has a EX400 or EX500 could you post a short review of your baby? It would be mighty helpful to me and others.

I went from a 32" to a 45" and then 3.5 yrs ago to a 57" and soon 65" or 68" from 8.5' and believe me BIGGER IS BETTER - WAY BETTER! There's an immersion factor that = WoW Factor with size as long as your majority viewing is HD and the panel is 1:1. I understand that if you let a furniture item rule your THX WoW factor then your stuck but go as big as your budget can take you. When I went to the 57" all my Movies became a new experience and now better than the Theater experience and with HD I cannot see any pixel structure without sticking my face right up to the panel when it's doing dot mode 1:1 1080P. I can't wait to go larger and with the deeper blacks of todays panels.

The difference is you WATCH a 32" (that size cannot deliver any immersive WOWs) whereas a larger panel 46" > is EXPERIENCED! I have a bedroom Armoire with a 40" Sony Z5100 that replaced a 32" and it also is much improved and the Armoire too expensive to not be used but who cares if it looks crammed when viewing the TV your not going to think that at all. There's a big difference between looking good at 32" and kick ass WoW factor of 46" > that gives one HT immersion so you experience the BluRay Movies and sports and concerts . . .

Also on choosing these understand these are the budget level Sony models that do look great though but recently I crossed compared the 60" versions of the EX500 next to a 700 series LED Sony and during two weeks I found the CCFL EX500 beating the much more expensive 700 LED and fouind that shocking and I'm not the only one that arrived at that conclusion - many others from around the country have posted the same results. If you watch alot of sports I'd go with the EX500 for it's 120Hz Motion feature (but turn it off/down for BluRays as it's not needed since BD passes 1080/24P naturally - unless you like Soap Opera look). Also, if you ever want to cross compare features of panels side by side go to ABT website and drill down to the Sony LCD's (or any you want) and click compare on those you want to compare and at the bottom of the page you click COMPARE and it will place them side by side for you. I watch a lot of sports so I'd be going with the EX500 or better --- Good Luck!
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 769
3/19/10 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by westa6969 View Post

I went from a 32" to a 45" and then 3.5 yrs ago to a 57" and soon 65" or 68" from 8.5' and believe me BIGGER IS BETTER - WAY BETTER! There's an immersion factor that = WoW Factor with size as long as your majority viewing is HD and the panel is 1:1. I understand that if you let a furniture item rule your THX WoW factor then your stuck but go as big as your budget can take you. When I went to the 57" all my Movies became a new experience and now better than the Theater experience and with HD I cannot see any pixel structure without sticking my face right up to the panel when it's doing dot mode 1:1 1080P. I can't wait to go larger and with the deeper blacks of todays panels.

The difference is you WATCH a 32" (that size cannot deliver any immersive WOWs) whereas a larger panel 46" > is EXPERIENCED! I have a bedroom Armoire with a 40" Sony Z5100 that replaced a 32" and it also is much improved and the Armoire too expensive to not be used but who cares if it looks crammed when viewing the TV your not going to think that at all. There's a big difference between looking good at 32" and kick ass WoW factor of 46" > that gives one HT immersion so you experience the BluRay Movies and sports and concerts . . .

Also on choosing these understand these are the budget level Sony models that do look great though but recently I crossed compared the 60" versions of the EX500 next to a 700 series LED Sony and during two weeks I found the CCFL EX500 beating the much more expensive 700 LED and fouind that shocking and I'm not the only one that arrived at that conclusion - many others from around the country have posted the same results. If you watch alot of sports I'd go with the EX500 for it's 120Hz Motion feature (but turn it off/down for BluRays as it's not needed since BD passes 1080/24P naturally - unless you like Soap Opera look). Also, if you ever want to cross compare features of panels side by side go to ABT website and drill down to the Sony LCD's (or any you want) and click compare on those you want to compare and at the bottom of the page you click COMPARE and it will place them side by side for you. I watch a lot of sports so I'd be going with the EX500 or better --- Good Luck!


Awesome review! Thanks for putting the time in for your response :-)

I totally agree that bigger is better and I think that the major thing I am looking for is the immersion "EXPERIENCE" as you call it. I feel the gf is chill with "watching" whereas I want to lose myself with the content. I bought a Sony soundbar (HT-CT100) last week and set it up this morning - and I "felt" the difference immediately. 24 is currently my favorite show and I caught a few minutes off of the DVR and the sound was sweet. All i could think of was, a 46" tv would close this experience for me and I would be set.

My sports half of the year starts soon. The Red Sox season starts in a few weeks and the 46 would be perfect for that as well. Then my sundays get blocked out for football

I am strongly leaning towards the 46 and will perhaps give up the 120 Hz for now. Down the road, Craigslist is my friend, and I could probably upgrade next year or something if I feel I need it.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 769
3/19/10 at 7:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtgamble View Post

I picked up a 46EX400 as a replacement for my old 47" westy that died. I was going to get the EX500, but I didn't get as much store credit as I thought I would, and after staring at the 400 and 500 side by side, there wasn't enough difference for me to justify the extra money. I was fortunately able to get the EX400 for less than the amount of credit I got, so I could also replace (or at least help replace) my PS3.

Anyway, I'm really liking it. I haven't missed the 120hz at all so far, even while watching some March Madness today. The black levels are incredible compared to my old set, so no complaints there. No, they don't quite match some of the Samsungs I saw, but I couldn't tell the difference (side by side comparison at BB and Sony Style) between the 400 and 500.

I haven't quite found the color settings/white balance that I love yet, but the colors are by no means BAD, and again, they are far superior to what I had before with the westy.

It is a VA panel if that matters to you - the 500 probably is as well (though I didn't test it, didn't want to be pushing on the screen in store hehe). I'm not seeing any clouding, the backlight is very even. The only slight niggle here is that one corner appears to be a BIT darker than the rest - not much, but a bit. It isn't that noticeable most of the time.

Sound isn't fantastic, but it isn't horrible for in TV speakers either.

Works well for gaming. I'm not noticing any huge input lag or anything using Game Mode.

Overall, I'm very satisfied. Then again, I personally don't like 120hz/240hz for anything other than sports or animated films. I'm a big fan of the feel of film, and 120hz/240hz just takes that away IMO. If you're looking at the two sets side by side and don't notice a difference in store, I can't think of a reason to take the 500 over the 400. I think it will mainly come down to whether you feel like you need 120hz over 60hz.

That's awesome that you got a much better tv! I remember back when Westy's basically were the first 42" 1080P sets sub $2000. I agree with ya that I can't see a difference between the two, and I guess in the long run that's what matters most.

My current set, the 32", is KDL-32L4000 which is a super bargain set that I think Sony branded and didn't even make. I finally noticed the flashlighting a few months ago, and now i can't see anything but it. And, it is baaaad. Like 4-5" in each corner bad. I am looking to move on from that thing to something much better

I do know that when I stick the 46" on the media stand I will be grinning ear to ear.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 769
3/19/10 at 9:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by abonney View Post

My main question is what are the key hardware differences in the EX400 and EX500. I've stared at both models in the Sony Style store and in Best Buy and can't see a difference in 60 vs 120 Hz try as I might. I am a numbers geek, so naturally I want the 120 in the EX500, but the larger size will probably win me over.

The only difference between the 400 and 500 seems to be the 120 Hz and related MotionFlow feature. Both share the same owner's manual and all other aspects, as far as I know.

It could be that in store the 500 didn't have the MotionFlow feature enabled to any degree, or wasn't displaying a source that made the feature obvious.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 769
3/19/10 at 11:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtgamble View Post

It is a VA panel (46") if that matters to you

I was wondering which panels these use. Panel type may vary with screen size.
Isn't there more to the designation then just VA? What was your source for the panel type?
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 769
3/19/10 at 12:49pm
I pressed the panel with my finger gently and it went white, I haven't tried to look through vents or anything to get a more specific panel type/part number, but it IS a VA of some kind.

I think there is one other difference between the 400 and 500. The 400 has a dynamic contrast ratio of 140,000:1, where the 500 has 150,000:1 (according to the sony style website). Other than that and motionflow, I've been unable to find ANY other difference - and if you can tell the difference between 140,000:1 and 150,000:1, you've got better eyes than me
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 769
3/19/10 at 1:24pm
I had money back from a Costco extended warranty TV (46" Sharp Aquos). Got cash back in my pocket. I also had credit on sonyrewards from my sony credit card. So my replacement LCD choice was limited to either the 46" EX400 or EX500 (all they have on sonyrewards).

I have two 52" Sony LCD's with 120 Mhz. But frankly, couldn't tell the difference (other than a blu-ray running 1080p/24fps).

But this LCD is for a bedroom with only cable TV screwed in the back, not even cable box. Most all viewing is SD with some QAM HD over cable. So, the extra money for the 120 Mhz didn't seem to make much sense.

I went over to BestBuy. They had the 46" EX400 and EX500 sitting side-by-side with the same video source. I though "great... a side by side comparison..." I stood there for almost a half an hour, watching in great detail. Down to the pixels and all the motion. Over and over again. I could see absolutely no difference. So, I went home and order the EX400 model.

It just came in yesterday. I put it on the wall mount and fired it up. It looks fantastic. Blows away the old Aquos. I am really happy with the purchase.

Other than the 120 Mhz difference, the EX500 has a swivel stand. But since mine is wall mounted the stand goes in the garage anyway. It also has a different remote. Front is identical, but the back is different. The EX400 has a standard battery door. The EX500 doesn't have a battery door, the whole thing slides open to insert batteries. The beauty of that is that years from now you can't break the little clicking tab that locks the door. You know... how you have some old remotes you have to tape shut because the door broke off. That won't happen with the EX500, because no door to break.

So, my opinion is... If you are going to be watching a lot of blu-ray with 1080p/24fps with fast action movies, or you are not wall mounting and want a swivel stand (which is very nice by the way) go with the EX500. Otherwise, the EX400 should be every bit as good.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 769
3/19/10 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beeper View Post

The only difference between the 400 and 500 seems to be the 120 Hz and related MotionFlow feature. Both share the same owner's manual and all other aspects, as far as I know.

Differences:

EX400: 60Mhz, fixed stand, standard battery door remote.

EX500: 120Mhz, swivel stand, batteries integrated into remote.

That's it. Everything else is identical. I felt in my case the EX400 was the better value. I have an articulating wall mount, and love to swivel the LCD as needed for viewing. I will say that if I didn't wall mount, and was going to put the LCD on a stand or table top, then that would have pushed me over to the EX500. The swivel stand is nice, and needs to be seen to be appreciated. BestBuy has everything wall mounted, so you can't see it. But Costco has everything on shelves, and you can see the swivel mount in action at Costco. Very nice, if you aren't wall mounting.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 769
3/21/10 at 8:13pm
Can anyone tell me if the EX400 has Sony's typical matte screen? looking for a panel for a very bright room.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 769
3/22/10 at 7:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sabes35 View Post

Can anyone tell me if the EX400 has Sony's typical matte screen? looking for a panel for a very bright room.

The EX400 does not have a typical matte screen.
It is not gloss, but closer to gloss than matte.
You will see reflections that are only slightly defused.

On the brands that have typical matte screens, when you turn them off,
the screen doesn't look black.
On the EX400, the screen looks black when turned off, so it does have more of a mirror effect.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 769
3/22/10 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sabes35 View Post

Can anyone tell me if the EX400 has Sony's typical matte screen? looking for a panel for a very bright room.

Mine is in a quite bright room, and I don't have any big problems with reflections when the set is on. But the semi-matte screen does seem to help the blacks
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 769
3/23/10 at 11:34am
I think another big difference is EX500 have Bravia Engine 3 and EX400 Bravia Engine 2 only.
Does it make difference in "real life", I don't know.
Anyone about that point ?
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 769
3/23/10 at 12:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by red71 View Post

I think another big difference is EX500 have Bravia Engine 3 and EX400 Bravia Engine 2 only.
Does it make difference in "real life", I don't know.
Anyone about that point ?

Just a point of clarification, the EX400 and EX500 have Bravia Engine (BE) 2. The EX700 and up have the Bravia Engine 3. On the 700 forum it looks as if there is very little difference between the BE2 vs BE3 with respect to most watching applications. However, it seems that BE3 is more advanced and enhances Blu-Ray content.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 769
3/23/10 at 12:55pm
Are you sure ?
EX500 should have Bravia Engine 3.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 769
3/23/10 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by red71 View Post

Are you sure ?
EX500 should have Bravia Engine 3.

The European version of the EX500 has BE3 - the US version doesn't

It is also very likely that EX400 and EX500 have different types of panels. The fact that EX400 doesn't have 100Hz motion interpolation is suggesting that the panel is a blast from the past. I wouldn't be surprised if the EX500 had a clearly better contrast ratio in real world viewing.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 769
3/23/10 at 2:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Collusion View Post

The European version of the EX500 has BE3 - the US version doesn't

It is also very likely that EX400 and EX500 have different types of panels.
The fact that EX400 doesn't have 100Hz motion interpolation is suggesting that the panel is a blast from the past.
I wouldn't be surprised if the EX500 had a clearly better contrast ratio in real world viewing.

Looking at the EX400 vs. EX500 side by side, the picture looks the same. Advertised CR is 10 higher on the EX500

In the 32" the EX400 panel is LTY320HM01 and the EX500 is LTY32OHF01, both Samsung S.

Both U.S. models have Bravia Engine 2.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 769
3/23/10 at 2:49pm
I picked up the 40ex400 a couple of weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it(much better than the 32'' Vizio it replaced). I didn't go with Samsung, which is kind of ****ing with me, but I had a chance to compare the 400 to a B530 and the Sony just....spoke to me more. While I've tinkered with it and got a picture I like, I would definitely like to try some others. I like the cool picture temperature with some middle of the road picture settings, but if you all have any suggestions for my 360 and comcast hd-dvr component inputs, please send them along.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 769
3/23/10 at 2:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by McUndecided View Post

I picked up the 40ex400 a couple of weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it(much better than the 32'' Vizio it replaced). I didn't go with Samsung, which is kind of ****ing with me, but I had a chance to compare the 400 to a B530 and the Sony just....spoke to me more. While I've tinkered with it and got a picture I like, I would definitely like to try some others. I like the cool picture temperature with some middle of the road picture settings, but if you all have any suggestions for my 360 and comcast hd-dvr component inputs, please send them along.

The first thing every owner should do is change the default Advanced Contrast Enhancer setting to off. That mucks everything up.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 769
3/23/10 at 4:40pm
I'm from Europe, and i had the 37ex500 for a week, but the inputlag and the poor blacks was enough reason for me to send it back. I went than for the 37ex402 and the blacks are almost perfect. The inputlag is not present.

I would like to see a calibration settings of this tv.

Does anyone knows how to go to the service menu?
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 769
3/24/10 at 10:04am
Thread Starter 
According to Best Buy, they have already deleted the 32EX400 model from normal stock.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 769
3/25/10 at 9:51am
I'm considering the EX400. Does anyone know if the "Ambient Sensor, LightSensor" feature can be turned off?
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 769
3/25/10 at 10:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by etc860 View Post

I'm considering the EX400. Does anyone know if the "Ambient Sensor, LightSensor" feature can be turned off?

Yes, it can be turned off.

The sensor controls the backlight, but also negatively affects the color temperature setting.

It is way to sensitive when using the display as a PC monitor.
If you are sitting in front of the monitor and move back a forth a little,
the screen brightness continually changes back and forth.

Sony also made the mistake of making the Ambient Sensor "global".
In other words, it can't be set independently for each various picture mode. Otherwise, it would be useful for certain picture modes.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 769
3/30/10 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtgamble View Post

Works well for gaming. I'm not noticing any huge input lag or anything using Game Mode.

Are you noticing motion blur during gaming? How significant is it?
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 769
3/30/10 at 12:11pm
no motion blur on my ex402. The image is crisp en beatiful. The blacks are perfect. On game mode
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 769
3/30/10 at 12:14pm
Wlcome on AV Science Mootje.
sounds dutch.
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 769
3/30/10 at 2:46pm
I made a thread about this before I saw this thread but I figure you guys could help me. I am really trying to decide between the KDL32EX500 and the KDL-40EX400. Basically I am trying to decide between the 60hz 40" or the 120hz 32". I will be using this tv for PS3 gaming, blue-ray usage, and tv watching. I have been doing a lot of research on the advantages of 120hz over 60hz for gaming and blue ray but I have been seeing lots of contradicting information. I primarily want to know how much different the blue-rays will look in the 24fps modes. The tv will be in a fairly small apartment so 32" will basically be big enough, but moving to 40" could only help, unless 60hz is a noticeable disadvantage compared to 120hz. Are there any other differences in these sets? Any input would be helpful, this is a pretty large purchase purchase for me so I don't want to regret it.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 769
3/31/10 at 2:38pm
Does the EX401 (Costco) come with a 3-year warranty? Apparently the EX501 does. This has been discussed quite a bit in the EX500/EX501 thread. Combined with a 90-day return policy, that makes the Costco models a really great value.

Also, the costco models have a plain black bezel at the bottom whereas the non-costco models have the silver bottom bezel. IMHO the silver bezel looks really bad so all-in-all the costco models seem to be a no-brainer (at least to my brain).

It is a shame that Costco does not seem to offer the EX401 or EX501 in the 32" size. Or am I wrong?

The EX500 thread is long and it seems to be generally agreed that the black levels are among the best available on any LCD, or variably, the best ever for a Sony LCD. And thanks to a few inquiring members (like Beeper) we've established that the EX400 and EX500 use different panels. But we still haven't sussed out whether there is a significant difference in PQ between the 400 and 500. Can anyone put forth their argument to settle the matter?
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: LCD Flat Panel Displays

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Display Devices › LCD Flat Panel Displays › Official Sony KDL 32EX400 40EX400 46EX400 EX401