Sony’s BRAVIA KDL-46Z5100 lets users download widgets that give weather reports, financial news, Yahoo! Video, and Flickr images. While the Z series has very similar features as the company’s XBR9 series, the XBR9’s have a bit wider of color gamut backlight overall. The KDL-46Z5100 lets users connect through Ethernet to access an Internet-powered TV Guide Onscreen.
Note: Sony’s KDL-46Z5100 shares the same features and performance as all models in the Sony Z5100 Series LCD HDTV series. This review here is slightly shorter than the Sony’s KDL-52Z5100 Review. If you want to find out a bit more about this model (especially about its features), feel free to consult that review as well.
Brief Specifications of KDL-46Z5100
- Resolution: 1080p (standard), 1920 x 1080 (exact)
- Contrast Ratio: 3800:1 (native) 100,000:1 Contrast Ratio (dynamic)
- 240Hz MotionFlow processing
- Ethernet: YES
- Picture-in-Picture: NO
- Anti-glare filter: YES
- 24p cinema mode: YES
- BRAVIA Internet Video
- TV Guide onscreen
- Yahoo Widgets
- Energy Star Rated
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Surpasses Energy Star requirements
- TV Guide onscreen is intuitive
- Four HDMI and PC input
- Yahoo! Widgets are a welcome addition
Cons:
- Has issue with upconverting standard-definition video to 1080p screen resolution
- Picture presets and Motionflow feature aren’t simultaneous
- White balance tinges to green at times
- S-Video input not included
Features
For their 2009 line of LCD TVs, Sony enhanced its BRAVIA Internet Video Link and DLNA capability. Each model can now stream video and music from networked PCs, much like sets from Samsung and Pioneer. The BRAVIA Internet Video allows users premium and free on-demand entertainment that streams right to their TV. All users need is a broadband connection and the BRAVIA remote control. Content is provided from over 20 providers including Sony Pictures, Amazon Video On Demand, Sports Illustrated, YouTube, Sony Music, Slacker, and Epicurious.com.
Black Levels
The KDL-46Z5100 has similar black levels as LG’s LH90 series. Both have good intensity to the black levels, but LH90 might outperform Sony out in shadow detail. The KDL-46Z5100 beats out LG in grayscale reproduction, however, which Sony’s XBR8 also attains.
Color Accuracy
The KDL-46Z5100’s cinema picture preset is best preset offered in the set. The KDL-46Z5100’s white balance leans a bit toward green at times, making fair skin tones look a bit sickly. The company’s XBR8 doesn’t have this issue with white balance. The proper adjustments could fix this but not all users will know their way around the picture controls menus.
Video Processing
One big downside with the KDL-46Z5100 is its film-detection feature, called CineMotion, switches off when its picture presets are use. This causes users to lose detail and artifacts can appear with video originally captured at 24 frames per second, like in most movies. The TV’s cinema preset also shuts off the Motionflow interpolation feature, which messes with picture detail during scenes with lots of motion. Activating Motionflow helps picture uniformity during certain scenes..
Standard definition
Sony’s KDL-46Z5100’s has inconsistent SD performance working with 2:3 pull-down just fine, but it upconverts standard-definition video to its native 1080p screen resolution at times. This issue can make jagged-edge artifacts appear in some images, something last year’s models didn’t do. LG’s LH90 provided less artifacts and a much smoother response when on Standard than Sony’s dejudder modes.
Glare and Reflections
The KDL-46Z5100’s dark matte screen works with reflections much better than Samsung’s glossy screens. It gives great picture contrast in a well-lit room and in a dark room the screen can reduce light output greatly black is shown, much like LG’s LH90 series.
Conclusion
Sony’s KDL-46Z5100 is the TV released in the first half of 2009 to give users a slim profile. The Z5100s, while identical in features to the XBR9 line, have a different form of backlighting. The Z5100s are the step-up to Sony’s VE5s and V5100 Series, but are comparable to the XBR8 in picture quality. Interactive features are abound on the KDL-46Z5100, like upgradeable firmware, Yahoo! Widgets that can give users weather reports, financial news, Yahoo! Video, Flickr images, stock ticker updates, and additional content like YouTube, the KDL-46Z5100 is very versatile. While this set has issues with some of its picture presets, has no S-Video input, and an upconverting issue with standard definition sources, the set is still very versatile.
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