Sony Bravia KDL40EX1

Cnet has this to say about the new Sony Bravia KDL40EX1, Sony’s wireless picture frame TV:

Upside
Considering that this isn’t an LED-backlit model like Sony’s ZX1, we were quite surprised at the unit’s thinness — only 4.9cm for the 40- and 46-inch versions. It’s no wonder then that Sony calls this its “wireless picture frame”, and we have no doubt its white and silver looks would be quite attractive mounted on a lounge-room wall.

Like the ZX1, the EX1 uses “Bravia 1080 Wireless” technology to transmit content from the media box to your TV. The technology is based on the WirelessHD specification and uses a high frequency 60GHz signal to shoot your content from the media box to the TV. However, the TV isn’t completely wireless as it still needs a power socket to plug into.

Features include a full 1920×1080-pixel resolution, the 100Hz version of Motionflow, 24p support, Picture Frame mode (natch), and four HDMI ports including one on the television itself. Though it lacks the Ethernet port of some rivals, there is a USB port for viewing photos.

We saw one on display recently, and were impressed by the blacks the WCG-CCFL backlight could achieve — especially in comparison to the ZX1 by its side. We were surprised by this, as LED-backlighting — as on the ZX1 — is supposed to provide better blacks. Of course, the ZX1 uses edge lighting to achieve maximum thinness, and this appears to be to the detriment of the contrast levels it achieves.

Downside
The “Bravia 1080 Wireless” is only 1080i and not 1080p, and this may worry people who want the highest possible video quality. Though, on a screen of this size it’s difficult to tell the difference between upscaled 1080i and native 1080p, but it also depends on how good the Sony’s scaler is. Nevertheless, if you plug a device directly into the TV you’ll get 1080p.

Outlook
The EX1 series is an attractive-looking television set perfectly suited to mounting on the wall. While you could buy it for using it in the normal fashion, we really don’t see any point. It’s good to see a TV that thinks a bit differently and can attempt to capture the very popular digital photo frame market as well.

Home Entertainment News has a rather different opinion:

The Sony KDL-40EX1 is being projected as the flagship Sony model and the company’s fist ever wireless picture frame. The thinness of the Sony KDL-40EX1 is a paltry 4.9cm where as the size of the screen is a mammoth 40 inches. The looks are fantastic as the tinges of white and silver take the screen to a different level altogether. The attraction quotient will increase manifold when you mount the screen on the wall of your home. The wireless high definition feature is the hallmark of this Sony LCD TV and the frequency produced is somewhere around 60Hz. The resolution produced by the screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels and is enough to bright up a room with visuals. Sony’s MotionFlow technology is around 100Hz and the picture frame mode lets the viewer dig deep into the visual brilliance.

There are some ports that have been kept in the Sony KDL-40EX1 for enhancing connectivity like the four HDMI ports and the Ethernet port and of course the most important, the USB port. One look at the Sony KDL-40EX1 would assure you that this is the screen that you would prefer to see up there on the wall of your room. The sound quality is unusual for a thin screen like this one and the contrast ratio is also commendable. Buy the Sony KDL-40EX1 at a very affordable price for your house and watch television together with family. The experience will be highly rejuvenating every time and the moments you share with your loved ones in front of the Sony KDL-40EX1 will be always etched in your memory.

The Sony Bravia KDL40EX1 is just under $6,000.