Customer Reviews

Sony KDL40W600B 40-Inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED TV

I have had this TV for about a month now and would like to give my honest opinion of this Sony Smart TV! I actually purchased a very similar model through Walmart (model: KDL-48W580B). Only differences that I've seen are the Motionflow which is 120 instead of 240 as the 600B is, the color of the stand is black instead of the chrome/silver, and the price was $30-50 cheaper depending on time of purchase.

Addressing this TV as just that, a television, the picture is very pleasing! Took a little adjusting to get the picture just right for my viewing. I have connected my TV to my PS3 and my desktop. Both have bright, clear and crisp pictures. I also have a Sony STR-DE597 receiver (old school model that I plan to upgrade) with a pair of the SS-B3000 speakers. TV's speakers are clear and would suffice if you do not have any external sound. Settings are very easy to navigate and quite a few options to play with. If you plan on purchasing this TV intending to not use the smart features, this is still a great deal. Some complaints I've heard and seen are that the TV is cheaply made. While the TV is very light, it is sturdy and does not move. Setting it up was easy and done within minutes! Sony, in my opinion is the leader in video technologies due to the fact that they have such a huge influence on our media. From movies to video games, Sony has a hand in it all so they know how to make a great TV!

Now for the smart features. I have my TV connected to my wireless router which is 2 feet away. I am paying for 30mb/s download speed so connection is capable of all the smart features the TV has to offer. I have a Sony Xperia L smartphone and have tried the screen mirroring option. Again, this is quick and easy to do. Both Netflix and Amazon Instant Video run flawlessly, no lags or buffering or any kind of discrepancies that I've run into. I really like the fact that I can go to Netflix or Youtube on my phone and "push" the video to my TV with a simple click of a button. Quite a few apps to play around with. Web browser is quick and again, if you have a smartphone, I highly recommend the app TV Sideview by Sony. This app for mobile devices is worth the download! Not only do you get to use your phone/tablet as a TV remote, when in the web browser, you get even more functionality and can send text right to your TV! Compared to using just the TV remote, you get places a lot faster with less frustration!

One reason I waited until now to post my review is the fact that this TV has something different that no other brand has; the ability to stream full console games directly to the TV set without a console. I am referring to Playstation Now. I recently got an update that is giving me access to the Beta. As of right now, there's something like 30 games to stream. This service works similar to Netflix. While the prices may be a little ridiculous ($4.99 for 4 hour rental, $6.99 for 7 days, $14.99 for 30 days, $29.99 for 90 days; average price per game), I hope Sony hears all the complaints and that they go forward with making a reasonable price or subscription for this awesome and unique idea! There are a couple free games to play and those are the ones I have been able to test. When in the "HOME" screen, top left-hand corner has Movies, Album, Music, Apps, and then finally Playstation Now. On this screen, you get the option to Start the application, Resume the last game you played, and Controller Setup. Currently, PS3 controllers are connected to the TV using a USB cable and have to stay connected with a USB cable meaning no Bluetooth for the moment. I hope Sony finds a fix for this whether it be an adapter of some kind or something else. My work around is using my Pro Elite Wireless Controller for PS3 (http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Elite-Wireless-Controller-Playstation-3/dp/B003V4AK8E) which is wirelessly connected to it's counterpart USB receiver. You can connect multiple controllers at once for 2 or more people to play. Games load as fast if not faster than my PS3 and there is no sacrifice to video or sound quality! It's just like having a console but a little bit easier! This, I believe, is a pretty big feature that can stomp the other competition when it comes to smart TV's.

I would highly recommend this TV, whether you are looking for value in the picture quality, the value in price, or the value in smart features, this TV has it all and does not disappoint! If you have any specific questions, feel free to comment on my review and I will get back to you as soon as possible! I have done my best to answer any questions that were asked on the product page.

I've had my new Sony KDL-40W600B for months now (I actually have the COSTCO version/same specs almost). This TV is an amazing value when you factor in that a Sony 40-Inch can be found for just $500.

I was impressed with the build quality right out of the box. Sony has cut a few corners and yet enhanced so many others that this still exceeds anything Samsung or LG could offer.

PROS:

*Ease of set-up. My 85 year old mom could almost set this up...
*Picture depth and color as only Sony can accomplish/great angle viewing
*Great but simple remote.
*Fabulous SETTINGS in the set itself.
*Weight
*Speed to process ON/OFF and other functions including sparse APPS
*4 HDMI's and 2 USB slots
*Not Made In China (my set comes from Mexico)

CONS:

*Sony has used a 'BRICK' power cord which is far too short and heavy for its power source. Same type as found as on many laptops.
* USB is 2.0
* HDMI slots are positioned poorly
* Base STAND is really cheap and unattractive (VESAA is 300X200).

Sony has always been a leader for video and this set prevails. You'll see Samsung or LG building washers and dryers but you'll never see Sony doing the same. They build and focus mostly on video/audio entertainment only.

COSTCO sells this same set as the KDL-40W590B for a bit less. Like COSTCO, Amazon is an even better place to purchase this if you are a PRIME member and Amazon is offering PRIME.

Worth much more money than its MSRP.

Also made in a 48-Inch set for approx; $150 more. KDL-48W600B. Costco also carries that version as of this writing as the KDL-48W590B. I also own the 48" version.

I previously had a Samsung UN40ES6580 40 Inch TV with 240Hz refresh rate, with 3D and Skype camera. I like gadgets and features but I found myself paying for a smaller TV for features such a 3D and Skype Camera which I pretty much never used. (who cares about having a Skype camera on a TV when you have cameras in cell phones, tables and computers? What was I thinking when I got tempted by this feature?!). Don't get me wrong, the TV was really good. I even left a review giving it good rating. However I liked the image quality I never could fall in love with it. Specially blacks, I could see some little gray areas in a dark room in some dark scenes which drove me crazy.

Now, I switched TVs. Left the toys aside for a bigger screen size and better image quality which I thought Sony was able to provide. And I wasn't wrong and Sony delivers impressive image quality with this TV, even though the refresh rate is lower than the Samsung (so you cannot choose the "soap opera" effect on this TV) which I though I would care or notice but I don't

Summing up, the pros and cons and comparisons with previous TV:

Pros:
1. Impressive image quality. Specially blacks. Darkest blacks I have seen in any TV I have had.
2. It has buttons on the back. The Samsung didn't have any buttons at all (or at least I couldn't find them) (weird)
3. Design is truly minimalistic and the borders are really really thin making the TV look more expensive.
4. Price. Ridiculously cheap. A 48" Sony TV for $650? I still cannot believe the price. I keep looking to see what is the catch and I don't see any!
5. Smart TV. Less Smart and more basic than the Samsung but still good apps
6. Media Player / DLNA support. So far it has been able to reproduce every file I have given to it. I have a Linksys router with a dd-wrt firmware and a minidlna server running in it and I suck all the movies from the router. Works like a charm

Cons:
1. Sound quality. OK, but worse than the Samsung. I had to manually tweak the equalizer until I got a decent audio. Here my specs: Surround effect off (I have never seen a TV able to deliver good surround effect) and equalizer: +8, +8, -4, 0, +4, +7, +7
2. Wifi slow. When I am watching a movie streaming from mi DLNA Server it cuts off and buffers sometimes. It didnt happen to my Samsung before. (I may consider using wired cable)
3. No toys (I knew this already): no 3D, no Skype camera (Skype app yes, but no camera unless you want to add it as an accessory), no 240 Hz refresh rate.

This is a really good TV. It does what I wanted (impressive image quality and DLNA support with a good design at a good price) and you cannot get anything closer to this for this price. If you want a good TV for ~650 this is the TV you are looking for.

Pros: TV has good sound and excellent picture quality. I have used Samsung 5300 series for more than 18 months and surely rate this Sony model higher than Samsung on audio and picture quality.

>Has very sharp and good depth of image. You dont need additional speakers or amplifiers ( unless you want to blow it out). It beats samsung on both picture and sound quality.

I would rate the TV 4.5 just for its picture and sound quality. I did compare this model with Samsung 5300 and 5500 series next to it and could see the marked difference in sound and picture.

Cons: >

When it comes to connectivity, this TV scores 2

Has poor internet capability, its takes at least 2 mins for the TV to get IP address and another 2 mins for apps to open. This is poor if you compare my experience with Samsung smart hub feature. I tried using wi-fi first and then changed to wired connectivity, still have the same challenge. Samsung is surely a much better internet ready TV as you dont see the difference between TV and Internet features when it comes to interface and user experience.

>Limited apps as Sony hasn't really focused on integrating Sony with all other platforms and apps. It does not have Amazon Prime, Daily Motion etc.

>Search feature is a big pain as you to use remote and its not compatible with keyboards ( unlike Samsung)

>Makes static reception noise when you change channels.

>Unlike Samsung Allshare, this one allows only Sony products to have near field connection for sharing screen.

Overall, this TV could beat Samsung on all counts if it just takes care of its internet capability features and adds some small features to make it competitive.

Well, I now own two of these and love them both.

First one was to replace an aging 46" Panasonic HD RPTV. Was immediately impressed with the Sony's video quality and the implementation of its smart tv features.

Were so happy with the smart tv features of the Sony we went and bought a slightly cheaper Samsung 46" 5300 series smart tv for the bedroom. The Samsung was slow to come up with it's "smart hub" and kept losing installed applications. Most annoyingly, the Samsung kept updating its software every time we went to the "hub." Picture and sound were about equal quality between the Sony and the Samsung, imo.

So back went the Samsung. We paid the extra hundred bucks for another Sony KDL48W600B (the Samsung was on sale when we got it). We are glad that we upgraded to the Sony, it is just quicker and slicker IMO.

Some other observations are:

The Sony external speaker/headphone jack is far more flexible than the one on the Samsung. The ability to connect an analog audio device to the tv is a feature we demanded in our purchase (they all have optical digital out but that was not important to us). The Samsung's analog audio output could be run simultaneously with the internal speakers but when doing so the remote would only control the TV's internal speakers, not the external output. On the Sony you can set it up so that the remote controls the volume of both the internal TV speakers and external output simultaneously. In our bedroom we like to run a set of speakers through a small desktop audio system unit placed near the bed. The Sony's external audio output flexibility worked better for us in this situation. Our living room Sony tv also uses its variable analog audio output to run a Sony Stereo receiver attached to a nice set of Klipsch bookshelf speakers and subwoofer. IMO, using the analog audio output with existing audio equipment is cheaper and gives far better sound (if you already have a good audio system) than any soundbar via the optical digital output. Believe me, I am a fanatic about sound and the soundbars, even the more expensive ones do not hold a candle to a good home audio system. My comment does not concern surround sound applications, but I think fewer people are opting to go that route anyway.

My preference is heavily for the Sony smart tv interface in terms of looks and speed. There seems to be quite a variety of applications which Sony makes available, though honestly we didn't have the Samsung long enough to explore all the apps it offers.

One notable smart TV difference we did immediately notice is that the Sony can find my Western Digital personal cloud HD on the home network, the Samsung could not. That slick little feature allows us to view video clips and music stored on our HD based personal cloud...that is NICE!!! If you don't have a network drive on your home system this is not an important feature for you.

The Sony has a weird mounting system on the back of the tv for attaching it to an aftermarket tv stand. The four screws on the Sony are somewhat close together and near the bottom of the tv back. We were able to jiggle things around and get it to mount on our seven year old tv stand with built in tv mounting arm, it seems an odd design to me though. In this regard the Samsung was far more conventional for mounting onto a stand, however the Samsung did not come with mounting screws for this application.

This is weird folks, but "it is what it is." Tv's require four screws to mount them to the bracket of a aftermarket tv stand, oddly the Sony comes with only three screws for that purpose. Mind you we own two of this model, so it is not a case of one TV simply being short a supplied screw, both Sony's had only three mounting screws included. They are a standard M6 screw so no problems and again the Samsung didn't come with any screws for a VESA type arm mount. Both TV's came with the proper base stand and hardware for sitting them on a table top.

While one of our Sony's is mounted on a stand as stated above, the other uses the Sony supplied base stand to set on a table top. That stand seems wobbly but in practice doesn't tip over. Would have liked something that seems more secure though.

The Sony remote seems more logically laid out and has a Netflix specific shortcut button which we like very much.

The Sony uses an external power supply like a laptop computer. The Samsung has a more conventional ac plug which goes directly into the back of the TV. Both systems work just fine.

The Sony has one more HDTV input although I liked the placement of the Samsung inputs better than on the Sony. Once installed this is of little consequence.

The Samsung's screen in the default factory setting would dim and get brighter again as we moved around the room. We were able to stop this by adjusting the eco setting but if you did not spend time to read about that setting in the manual this might be really bothersome to live with. Sony has a better manual btw and did not have that dimming problem anyway.

Finally, I am by no means a Sony fan boy, nor a Samsung hater. They are both very reputable manufacturers and nothing written by me is meant to put one above the other, these are simply my observations.

Ed in Sacramento

When I first turned it on the picture did not look right but after adjusting the settings it looks great. You gotta play around a lot with picture settings which shouldn't be the case. I shut off almost all settings by putting game mode on and tweaking from there. Input lag is also very low so this is a good tv for playing games on not the best but I had no problem dominating in titanfall with this tv (sony kdl50w800b is actually one of the best gaming 2014 led tvs)

I took one star off cause the build quality could have been better but its not that bad the screen is what matters the most and the tv looks nice when looking at it but just the feel of the frame is not great and the stand does not hold the tv solidly in place but this is minor as the tv is for watching not feeling. Also just wanted to mention that this tv has the best blacks I have seen on a led. Here are some of my settings for gaming. The settings I used for just watching tv were basically general just changed temp to warm 1 and lowered backlight.

(Bought mine from best buy and they price matched amazon I really don't like getting tvs shipped they see too much movement during the process its a lot safer going to the store and putting it in your car.)

Gaming settings below. For tv just use general setting and change the settings to match the ones I posted below and just leave everything else default.

scene select-game original
backlight - 4
picture- max
color-51
color temp-warm 1(professional calibrations like to use warm 2 but I don't like the yellowish tint it gives off warm1 to me is perfect)
brightness-47
every setting with an on or off selection choose off(most are off already cause of game mode)
leave every other setting default

I am still adjusting my settings and will update if I change them.

I'm just a regular media consumer...I'm not a picture quality enthusiast, but review websites seem to give this set high marks. I spent a considerable amount of time (too much time, honestly) researching a new TV to purchase. My previous TV was a 32inch Samsung but apparently that size is what people are putting in their bathrooms now. I wanted to get something thinner, lighter, a little bigger, and with a higher resolution. I also wanted to stick with a more reputable brand because of concerns about manufacturing quality and the availability of parts/repair labor if that becomes something I need in the future. The Smart features, particularly Netflix, I will likely use but I'm not particularly interested in them because I already have so many devices that have streaming capabilities (blu ray player, video game consoles, etc.) and those features were not really factored into my purchase decision.

This TV is incredibly lightweight (15lb) and was super quick to physically setup (the stand has just two screws if you are planning to use it) and the initial interface setup was also quick. After playing around with some picture tweaking, I am very happy with the picture quality while playing video games and watching TV. I would definitely suggest this TV to others that are looking for a quality TV this size and resolution.

My old tube Sony Wega was breaking down so I decided to go all the way & get a smart tv, not just HD. I went to BB & compared pictures and then read. I got so scared reading about Samsung's screen that I went back and really looked at the pictures and talked to a salesman about the 70 refresh rate. I was told that Sony's back lighting took care of the refresh rate; I was thinking, I'm getting a smart tv w/a very old refresh rate if I go with Sony. But Sony has always had better color in my opinion. In the old days, when choosing a tv in the summer, we could look at a bank of baseball games and choose the tv that captured the uniforms the best and it was always Sony. Sony's red was always a true red and it still is. I went in planning to get a 40" and was seduced by the 48. I was never going to get a really big tv. I was so ignorant, I didn't know about the HDMI cable and no one at BB mentioned it, so when the tv came home and everything was sort of blurry, I was shocked and ready to take the set back. But I was loaned a cable and immediately the Sony turned into a Sony. I set the colors by switching back and forth between American Hustle and Outlander--get the red of the Red Coats; get Amy Adams to look right. I don't play games; I watch movies. I don't expect theater quality sound from a tv so I wasn't disappointed. ( I go to the movies to see the real thing.) The picture is so beautiful and clear; the colors are so deep. One person in my house has terrible eyesight. This tv is so big, she can't see the whole picture if she sits as close as she needs to. So we turned around and got another Sony, 32", not smart, but so clear and bright and vibrant. We got that one from Amazon. I'll get a chromecast or roku for that one but before that, the Directv wireless bridge. The big tv is so light, it really can be picked up and moved anywhere. With Amazon Prime and Netflix working, this tv is so much fun, I just wish I could find a website that explains what all the apps are. I don't want to have to look each one up. An important point, my tv is so new a lot of the online registration instructions for logging on to apps are out of date. It is not necessary to register with Sony Entertainment. You don't need to enter a registration number at Amazon Prime. If you have an account with a streaming service, you log on, on the tv. I spent Sunday learning this: 2 phone calls about registration numbers that I didn't need. Also, if you're looking for the enhanced applications log on--it's an APP. I spent hours looking for it because absolutely nowhere does anything say the logon is an app; you're just told to log on to it.--that took one phone call and it turned out I didn't need it. (Pandora requires that you register online; not amazon or netflix.) It is really a beautiful tv.

This tv is amazing.I compared it to the samsung un40h6350 and I have to tell you that the sony is way better .the image is crisper , it has more details due to the new sony engine X-reality pro.When it comes to image and sound I am really picky .I like perfection .If you want to buy a 120hz tv for less than 600 $ go with Samsung but if you want better picture quality sony is the best choice .

I am very happy with this purchase. I researched extensively online before selecting this model. Since 3D and advanced SMART apps are really in their infancy, and since I was unwilling to pay $1000 extra for 4K resolution (considering I only have HD output/ signals to display), I looked for a TV with the blackest blacks, ~48-50" in size, and no shadowing or tracking of fast action. I am incredibly thrilled with this Sony.

Our previous TV is a 42" Toshiba 720 LCD set that has served us well, but is going on 8 years old, and I wanted something a little bigger. So, my search began.

This SONY has impressive blacks, super bright and clear picture, and nothing can match Sony color saturation. The only negative (that is not for us since we are using a more traditional TV console) is that it is SUPER light. I could almost lift it with one hand where our old Toshiba set took two people to move. As a super light TV, it is easily knocked over. The stand is sturdy, but it also tips the TV back just a bit, probably to add stability. I would rather it were more upright. We may wall mount this, and if we do, I expect it will be easy. Mounting hardware is included.

Even thought I bought this uncaring about the SMART apps, I am very pleased with those as well. The remote is very easy to use and the apps initialize a bit more quickly than our Bluray player. Additionally, the wireless radio seems to have a stronger receiver than our dvd player as well.

All in all, I recommend this without hesitation. If I could afford it, I would buy one of these for my dad too.