Official Sony KDL-EX640 Owners Thread

Well, I guess I'm glad I didn't read your thread before I decided to purchase this model. I did do some research and saw that most of the reviews on Amazon.com and other website were generally favorable, so since our old behemoth TV (Sony 200-pound KD-34XS955) in the bedroom started developing problems, I went with the 40" version instead, KDL-40EX640. HHGregg in Indianapolis had it for a whole dollar less than the "Sony Store" price. I've ordered my last two Samsungs from Amazon, but since I got free delivery and they would also haul away the old monster, it made my decision of where to buy pretty easy this time.

Although HHGregg delivered it only about an hour ago and I haven't had much of a chance to play with it or test it out thoroughly yet, my initial impressions have been favorable. I closed the shades in the bedroom, turned off the lights and switched to an old John Wayne black & white movie complete with black bars on each side. I didn't noticed much, if any, clouding or flashlighting. However, since it is an edge-lit LED/LCD, I'm sure there is probably some.

The good thing is that it seems to be a good TV than will work well for what I will use it for. As I have more time to spend with it, I'll post additional impressions. I'm guessing edge lighting works better on a 40" than on a larger unit like a 55".

I too have purchased the 40" version. I like it just fine. I do however have a question. I want hook up the audio out to an older analog receiver. It has a digital out. But the analog out appears to only be one RCA plug. The analog input is left and right. What am I missing? thanks

I actually looked at the set. The analog output is a mini stereo phono plug. Like what is used for most headphones today. go figure

Now that I have had a bit more of a chance to play with my new 40EX640, I can confirm that last night in a dark room with the lights off, there is slight clouding on an all-black screen and some very minor flashlighting in 3 of the 4 corners. Although the slight imperfections are there, they do not bother me since I will be using the TV in the bedroom for a few hours per day/night at most. And, on full-screen programming as well as letterboxed 4:3 content (I checked out some old black & white movies on TCM), I didn't notice any undue problems. In fact, the colors on 16:9 content look damn good to me right out of the box. But, I've never said I'm a perfectionist; I just love to watch TV on a decent piece of equipment.

However, when comparing the Sony to my two existing Samsung 650's that exhibit no clouding or flashlighting at all, I can now see the difference in an edge-lit LED/LCD like the Sony EX640 compared with the CCFL/LCD panels the Samsungs have. The Sony displays good color, but I probably won't have a chance to tweak the settings until after Memorial Day.

So far, I will again say that I am extremely satisfied with the Sony picture and the features it has. With respect to screen uniformity, if I use my Samsungs as a guide and assign a 10 to them, then to be fair, I would probably give the Sony a 7. It's not as bad as some would have us believe, but it's also certainly not perfect. However, for $828 including free delivery and disposal of my old 200-pounder, it will more than satisfy my needs.

The bottom line for me is that I can certainly afford "near-perfection" (there is no perfect TV) if I want to, but my advice to others is also my advice to myself:

1. It's my money and my choice.

2. It's just a frickin' TV.

I had an experience similar to Chew13's. This set was a replacement for a Sony a3000 that was (thankfully) still under warranty. I had limited choices when I picked out a replacement and decided to go with the KDL-55ex640 since it looked pretty decent and fit the warranty replacement allocated amount.

Right out of the box it did look really nice. At night, I turned the lights out and popped in a blu ray. That's when I saw 3/4 of the corners glow and a really, really bad "flashlight" effect from the top right of the screen. It seriously extends about 10 inches into the screen. I could have dealt with the clouding, but the flashlight effect was terribly distracting when watching a comedian perform against a black background.

Because I don't have a big enough car to lug around this set for several returns, I had the store ring up a different TV. It should give me a much better nighttime viewing experience.

I don't want this to come off as a "OMG this is a terrible set STAY AWAY!" I just wanted to confirm that, at least with the 55ex640, there seems to be a particularly enhanced screen uniformity problem. If you're going to get this television for daytime viewing only or you just want a set for the kids to watch in a play room then go for it. That being said, I think that there are far less expensive TVs out there that would fit those requirements.

Pros:

• Nice looking bezel/stand. Looks very sleek in my living room.
• Screen is not too glossy. More reflection from my end table lamp than my old a3000 but it's not too distracting.
• Bright picture. Better viewing angle than my a3000 without too much of the picture being washed out.
• Good sound. I was actually surprised by how strong the sound was.
• Netflix button on remote is pretty neat. Beats booting up the PS3 but I find the interface is better on the PS3.

Cons:

• The screen uniformity (clouding, flashlighting) in low light was a dealbreaker for me. I can stand a little "glow" from the corners but this disrupted the viewing experience.
• I did notice some "banding" in high motion scenes (e.g. explosion in a cartoon) Most viewers probably wouldn't notice unless they were looking for it.
• Maybe a little too bright? I turned the backlight all the way down and still find it harsh on the eyes. Perhaps that's just a personal preference issue that I have with LED sets.
• Price. I chose this because I have been loyal to Sony since buying my first 27' Trinitron tube set in 2001. But, I think you could find a similarly performing set at a much lower price point.

I'm really hoping that if the flashlighting is a defect that Sony will tweak their sets. Additionally, I hope this is just limited to the 55 inch sets.

slinkyd, thanks for the informative post. I've been watching Hatfields & McCoys on my new 40" EX640 the past two nights. The mini-series has a lot of dark, nighttime scenes, and I've been pleasantly surprised with the minimal amount of flashlighting and clouding which is nearly non-existant on my TV.

Funny thing though... you mentioned a "flashlight" that ran from one corner toward the center of the screen. I, too, have noticed this but it's so slight that it doesn't bother me or my viewing experience. The only time I see it is when the screen goes totally dark such as when there is a bit of a delay when breaking for commercial (for example). However, the funny part comes in because it's not always in the same corner. The first time I saw it was when the light went from the lower right corner toward the center. Then, last night I saw it one time when it went from the upper left toward the center.

Maybe after a couple more nights, I will have experienced equal opportunity flashlighting. lol

However, my overall impression of this TV remains very favorable. I knew going in that there were problems with edge-lit TVs. I'm just happy that my "problems" are extremely minimal and that they don't bother me in the least. I'm also sure that when it's time to pony up the cash to replace my two Samsungs, I'll be fine with spending the amount necessary to achieve the perfection desired in a "main" TV, whether it's a Sony, Samsung or some other brand.

By the way, I have made only very slight picture adjustments, so if any of you other EX640 owners have settings that you'd be willing to share, please do.

Well, I've had this TV for a week now and feel that it was well worth the price. I watched "Magic City" on Starz last night which had some very dark scenes at the start of the show. There was no discernable flashlighting or clouding that I could see. We had no lights on in the bedroom except for the TV and when the screen went to black between scenes, its imperfections were nearly non-existant. I'm sure Joe Consumer wouldn't even notice them because when I mention flashlighting & clouding to my non-AVS friends, they say, "Huh?"

As mentioned above though, mine is only a 40" TV and not a 55" so I can't comment on the bigger sizes.

I sure wish someone else would post their impressions of this unit. I notice BB is featuring the Sony EX640 in tomorrow's ad (we get our Sunday ads on Saturday) so maybe more buyers will jump on the bandwagon.

Thought I'd also comment on the remote. I also found it hard to get used to at first, mainly because it's so much different than the one for my old Sony. However, even with my big, clumsy fingers I now have no problem using it. Although it works fine, I sometimes have to look at my hand to make sure I'm holding it since there is hardly any weight to it at all. lol

The TV continues to impress me with its picture quality. I must have gotten lucky based on some other comments from owners of larger versions of this set.

I received a Gift Card for warranty on the A2000 and was thinking of getting this TV as a replacement as it was the cheapest 55" from SONY. After reading this thread, you have put some doubts in me.

However, this TV will mostly be used by my parents for every day TV watching.. not really a bluray thing..

How is the opera browser on this? and Is there any way I can connect my iPhone to it to use it as a keyboard?

I found a free app, "Media Remote for iPhone" by Sony Corporation, but it doesn't have the EX640 as a compatible TV.

Anyone want to test it out?

I still like mine. It performed an automatic software update last night to add a couple of apps and tweak some other stuff. However, I use my TV to watch TV. I haven't messed with much internet content so far.

I got the 40" for the bedroom. It's fantastic. Picture is great, sound is good (though I've ordered a ZVox speaker unit through Amazon), online stuff is cool though I don't think I'll use it much. The non-screen edges are quite thin, making this tv the perfect size to fit in my IKEA dresser/wall unit.

The NetFlix button is cool - saves a step.

All in all I'm very happy with this TV.

i like to know more about the blacks on this TV - how bad are the black bars when watching a movie and does it shine alot of light ?


i just got a panasonic ET5 - 42 inch - i am debating if i should return it for an exchange for this Sony - reason is for the blacks - they are not great either on my ET5 - the screen on my TV is not perfect either - some corners are lighter - but not terriable that i cant watch it -

i was hoping to improve on the Blacks - does this TV have a shiny screen or matte ?

I downloaded it and tried because I could not find anything specifically saying it wasn't compatible but it doesn't work. I contacted Sony and they said that it's not compatible but they would forward it to the engineers and it's possible it could be included in a future firmware update although I doubt it. Seems pretty lame they wouldn't include a simple thing like that when it already has all the internet apps and everything else...

I tested it and it doesn't work. I also contacted Sony and they said they would forward it to the engineers and it's possible it could be in a future firmware update although I believe they were just telling me this to get rid of me. So we will see...I can't believe with all the internet apps etc that they wouldn't have included this feature. Seems really dumb on their part.

I don't think the media remote app will ever be supported, as the ex640 doesn't seem on paper to have wifi-direct. I don't own the tv thought!

Question: can someone definitively comment on whether the EX640 can stream network content, ie stream movies from a NAS? Info on the net is mixed, with an amazon reviewing saying that it won't, and other info saying DLNA for pictures only.

Sony is releasing a KDL-46EX645 to replace the 640. I contacted Sony and was told the only difference is the WiFi is built in, no need for the USB adapter. I was very suspicious of this new release and wondered if some other modifications were made, since I had purchased the 46EX640 just last week. There are some online merchants that are offering the 645 at the same price as the 640. It's too soon to give a full opinion on the 640 but the picture is the best I have ever experienced compared to previous Sony TV purchases.

That explains why they are no longer selling the EX640 on Sony's web store. It's listed as "in stock", but when you add it to your shopping cart it says "No Longer Available" and you can't proceed to checkout.

I'm a EX700 user looking to upgrade. Do the latest EX models still have the "presence sensor"? I can't find the data on their user-hostile web site. It's a feature I love and would really miss it.

No, it looks like they have done away with that feature.

Got a 46ex640 today to replace a defective ex521. The picture is nice but I don't know if I would have purchased it as the features are pretty substantially downgraded. However given that I'm stuck with this now, does anyone have some good calibration settings for this model? Would like to optimize for bluray playback. Thanks

I bought the KDL-55EX640 last week to replace my dying KDF-50E2000 and was immediately blown away by the picture. Of course, I was going from a 720p, rear projection model to a 1080p LED/LCD. However, I had terrible clouding issues. Almost the entire upper left quadrant of the screen was a cloudy mess. It was near impossible to watch anything with dark scenes without it becoming a major distraction. I tried some suggested fixes, including laying the TV on its face and loosening the back screws, but nothing made enough of a difference that I could tolerate it.

So, I exchanged it for another one. So far, the second one is just about perfect. There is a slight glow from the back lights in the corners, but it's only noticeable when the screen is completely black and I can live with it. Otherwise, no problems. No clouding whatsoever. The second one is the TV I was hoping it would be.

Sorry you had to get two of them, but your second one sounds like my first one. It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn close. I love my new EX640.

Looks like the 645 is only for 46" and up. So far, no sign of a KDL-40ex645...

The only difference I see between the EX640 and the EX645 is that the 645 has wi-fi built in which eliminates the need for the USB adapter included with the 640. However, that makes it a desirable upgrade since it leaves that USB port open for other equipment.

EDIT: I deleted some my previous posts and combined all of my info into post #41.
Edited by AsthmaticZero - 9/24/12 at 11:17pm

I just purchased the 50 inch version (KDL-50EX645) of the new EX645 which is replacing the 640. It won't arrive until next week, but one thing I'm curious about is the "soap opera effect" with these sets. Is it possible to turn this feature off? Also, has anyone had issues with motion blur? Thanks!

As far as I've been able to figure out, the "soap opera" effect if caused by either Motionflow or CineMotion, both of which can be disabled. I'm of the opinion that no options that alter the original, incoming signal should be turned on. I keep all of these set to "off."

EDIT: I deleted some my previous posts and combined all of my info into post #41. I left the settings in this post for anyone who wants to test them out.

THX
Picture Mode: Cinema
Backlight: Min
Picture: Max
Brightness: 32
Color: 55
Hue: 0
Sharpness: Min
Color Temp: Warm 2
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motionflow: Off
CineMotion: Off

Avia
Picture Mode: Cinema
Backlight: Min
Picture: Max
Brightness: 45
Color: 51
Hue: G1
Sharpness: Min
Color Temp: Warm 2
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motionflow: Off
CineMotion: Off

CNET (found here)
Picture Mode: Custom
Backlight: 9
Picture: 97
Brightness: 51
Color: 50
Hue: 0
Sharpness: Min
Color Temp: Warm 2
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motionflow: Off
CineMotion: Auto 1

Advanced Contrast Enhancer: Off
Black Corrector: Off
Gamma: 0
Clear White: Off
Live Color: Off
LED Motion Mode: Off
White Balance: R-Gain (-5), G-Gain (0), B-Gain (-5), R-Bias (-2), G-Bias (+2), B-Bias (+3)

AVS HD (obtained here)
Picture Mode: Cinema
Backlight: Min
Picture: Max
Brightness: 50
Color: 52
Hue: G2
Sharpness: Min
Color Temp: Warm 2
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motionflow: Off
CineMotion: Off
Edited by AsthmaticZero - 9/24/12 at 11:20pm