Heron Fidelity

Recently an HD Nation viewer asked for HDTV recommendations in the USD $800 range that would be suitable for console gaming - this person's nephew was apparently hogging the household's primary TV with their extended gaming sessions and it was time for a second set.

After researching the 2010 lineup, I ended up with a list of three TVs in the 40- to 42-inch range that shared some common features.

• 1080p screen resolution
• 120Hz LCD display tech
• HDMI, component, and VGA video inputs
• USB music/photo file support
• Excellent energy efficiency

Modern 1080p televisions include picture size controls that eliminate detail-destroying overscan when displaying HD video sources, and 120Hz LCD display tech helps minimize blurring with fast-action video (including games).  Also, LCD televisions that operate at 120Hz (and 240Hz) can more accurately display cinema content that was originally captured at 24 frames per second (most movies).

My recommendations in no particular order:

Toshiba G300 (40G300U)

LG LD520 (42LD520)

I'm currently reviewing a new 240Hz Sony Z5100 series LCD television that features some terrific Internet-enabled capabilities including the ability to perform online firmware updates with the press of a button on the remote.

I know a number of people who own the 120Hz Sony W4100/Z4100 series televisions (I reviewed a Z4100), and Sony recently released an update for the these TVs that fixes a number of issues including one I uncovered (note the PC Mag reference below ;):

• When tuned to some digital channels you may experience a brief (about one second) interruption of the picture and sound when the scene changes, between programs and commercials, or between commercials. This may occur during either programs or commercials.
• White dots or sparkles intermittently appear on the TV screen when displaying the menu or playing a DVD.
• The television freezes momentarily, then powers off and then on. This can occur when the TV is tuned to a digital channel, or when auto-programming.
  • Note: This issue only occurs with some broadcast channels due to incorrect formatting of service data on the channel.
• Problems selecting an HDMI input on a CEC device using the XMB™ Menu.
• Problems resolving the finest detail issue of some 1080i 60hz film-based content (mentioned in a recent PC Magazine article).
• Intermittent audio on HDMI Input 4.
• Photo Mode issue that may occur when performing slideshow Butterfly - The same picture sometimes continually displays, and the slideshow no longer transitions through the other pictures.
• XMB sometimes does not display.

To insure owners download the correct file, I suggest entering the specific TV model (ex. "kdl-46z4100") into the search bar field at the top of the Sony eSupport page and then select "drivers and software" from the navigation links on the left.

Or, here are some direct links to the related Sony support pages:

• KDL-40W4100
• KDL-46W4100
• KDL-52W4100
• KDL-40Z4100
• KDL-46Z4100

Cheers to Sony for making this update publicly available.