Features

We expect TVs like the Sony KDL-52 V 5500 to justify their price with extensive connectivity and multimedia extras, as well as by doubling up as a PC monitor. In this section of the review you'll discover what this TV does well and where its shortcomings lie.

Connections:

Video and audio connections galore: The four HDMI connections, two of which are on the side of the TV, are particularly worthy of mention, as are the analog and digital audio outputs for connecting to a home-theater audio system. You can find a complete list of the Sony KDL-52 V 5500's connections in the full specifications.

Tuner:
Sony is really splashing out: The built-in hybrid tuner accepts digital terrestrial TV (DVB-T) as well as both analog and digital cable. Via digital cable, the Sony receives not only normal TV, but also hundreds of radio stations and even high-definition TV channels. The DVB-T tuner is also equipped to receive HDTV channels via an antenna.

The Common Interface (CI) slot - for pay-TV subscription cards - also boasts the latest technology. The KDL-52 V 5500 already supports encryption in the new CI Plus standard, so, with the corresponding slot-in modules, the TV will be able to unlock any special-interest channels that may appear in the future, also in high-definition. If CI Plus actually establishes itself as a standard, therefore, you won't need to buy an external set-top box for these channels. 

Photo, Video, and MP3 Playback:

The Sony has plenty of treats in store for multimedia fans. For example, the TV accesses digital photos, music, and videos via a PC network (see below) or using the side-mounted USB interface, which can also play back videos in MPEG-1 format.

High-definition photos display in neatly scaled HD quality with the full range of picture functions, as well as various slide-show effects. As well as preview thumbnails, the Sony can also display a photo's meta data, such as the date, time, shutter speed, etc. This works exactly the way we'd hoped, and means ambitious photographers will be in their element.

Network Functions:

So-called "widgets" are all the rage these days among Internet-fans, and you'll find plenty of them on this Sony. The small info-windows containing weather forecasts or finance tickers, for example, appear on top of the TV picture, using a function that Sony calls "AppliCast".

To run "AppliCast", the TV must be connected to a router with Internet access. It'll then access various widgets and display them on the screen - for example, a calendar, a clock with animated pointers, or RSS feeds of the latest news.

The multimedia extras continue: The TV can also play back multimedia files streamed from a PC. To operate as a DLNA-compatible media server, the PC must be running a media server program like Windows Media Connect or Twonky Media. This functionality is extremely versatile, allowing you to play back camcorder videos in HDV or AVCHD format as well as digital TV recordings in MPEG-2 format.

Usage as a PC monitor:

The KDL-52 V 5500 is also a great choice as a gigantic 52-inch PC monitor. On an LCD screen, the burn-in effect is much, much weaker than on a plasma TV, but you should still avoid leaving contrast-rich images displaying for long periods of time.

Via HDMI, the Sony displays PC pictures in its native display resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels with perfect pixel mapping and no cropping. Even very fine black-and-white patterns (the "Pixel Phase" test) and small, colored texts resolve accurately. As with HDTV video, there are three overscan settings to choose from, as well as the aspect ratios "Wide", "Zoom", and "Smart".

The analog VGA input also displays 1080p/60-format pictures with perfect pixel mapping and in impeccable quality - there's no option to change the picture format here, since you obviously don't need one.

The TV also automatically recognizes lower resolutions, such as WXGA and SXGA, and offers a choice of three picture formats: In the "Normal" mode pictures are scaled to the native resolution, "Full 1" delivers a picture with full height and sidebars, and "Full 2" scales the picture to 16:9-format to fill the whole screen. You can adjust the picture's width and position in the "Screen" menu.