Upside
The S series of Bravia LCD televisions comes in a range of sizes to suit a variety of budgets. Leading the pack is the 40-inch KLV-S40A10 (AU$5299), followed by the 32-inch KLV-S32A10 (AU$2999), the 26-inch KLV-S26A10 (AU$2199) and the 23-inch KLV-S23A10 (AU$1899). All of the sets share similar specifications, including a high 1366x768 pixel screen resolution and speedy 8ms response time. This puts it on par with the higher V series models, but the S series has lower numbers when it comes to brightness and contrast ratio. Bravia S series sets feature 480cd/m2 brightness and 1000:1 contrast ratio. The only exception is the smallest set in the S series, the 23-inch KLV-S23A10, which features 800:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m2 brightness and a 10ms response time.
The S series certainly looks appealing, with its 16:9 widescreen framed by a black border. The front of the sets are fairly clutter free, and are decked out in the stock standard silver of other home entertainment gear. The connectors at the back include S-video, Composite video, Component video and a PC input. S series sets also feature Sony's built-in Light Sensor which automatically changes the television's picture settings depending on the light conditions in a room.
Downside
The inputs on the Bravia S series aren't anything outstanding, with the all digital HDMI connector reserved for the upgrade V series. And while the S series sets do feature twin tuners, they're only analog, so you'll probably need to budget for a digital set top box as well.
Outlook
Sony's S series of Bravia LCD televisions may make up the Japanese giant's mid-tier offerings, but they pack some impressive specs none the less.
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mls1110
12/06/2007, 01:09 AM
rating
6/10
Great picture with regular TV; however whenever we play a standard DVD, it's far too dark to see anything. We have to watch our movies on another TV to see the details. Does anyone have a solution for this? Do we need to get an HD box from our satellite provider? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
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23/08/2006, 10:55 PM
rating
9/10
Brilliant for the price.
It takes about 15 mins for TV to reach optimum pic quality. eg. reduced ghosting and brighter image. But i'm being pretty fussy.
Pros: Great, strong colour.
HD 720p looks AMAZING!!
Overall terrific product.
Cons: Dark scenes in movies are slightly too dark.
No HDMI.
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thomas
20/12/2005, 02:39 PM
cooool
its de best ever
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Rumpletomskin
01/11/2005, 03:24 AM
Not great
I was fortunate to be able to test drive the set before laying out some R17 000 (South African rand)Firstly I found a lot of green noise in the black parts of all the pictures and this was when I connected it with Component (RGB) cables from a high-end Sony DVD recorder/player (RX 900) and secondly, the set struggled to choose the correct aspect ratio of a DVD and kept switching from one to another. This funnily only happened with the RGB connection and not the S-Video. Ah Yes !! I also encountered a black+white picture when running S-Video from my Yamaha RXV 550 Amplifier's monitor out selection.I'm raising all of these as problems because I tried out a Samsung 32inch LCD TV the day before and the results running with the same components were 10 times better and none of the problems afore mentioned problems occurred.I must commend Sony on the design of the set....it's very cool.
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rfinck
31/10/2005, 11:42 PM
Television at a new level
After having purchased this LCD television, our television viewing has reach a new level. Even whilst viewing analogue broadcasts, the picture is crystal clear, true to life colour and excellent contrast. Digital and HD are just unbelievable.
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