Picture Quality in Detail

The ultimate deciding factor for a flat-panel TV is, of course, the picture quality. In this chapter we'll describe, in detail, how well the Sony KDL-52 V 5500 really performs in terms of contrast, black level, sharpness, and signal processing. We'll also back up our results with measurements from our test laboratory.

Contrast and Black Representation:
Like many LCD TVs, the KDL-52 V 5500 can automatically adjustment its backlight in accordance with the picture content. You'll find this "Adv. Contrast Enhancer" option in the second menu page under "Advanced Settings" - there are three levels to choose from.

The TV dims the backlight in dark scenes, but at the same time it also over-exaggerates the video signal's contrast. The latter effect is particularly visible in the highest mode than in the middle or low modes. Both adjustment processes - of the lamps and the signal - can lead to obvious brightness fluctuations (pumping) during changes of scene.

The backlight modulation simulates a higher contrast ratio, especially if you measure the contrast using a white test picture followed immediately by a black one. In the specifications, this is often referred to as the "dynamic contrast".

According to our measurements, the Sony achieves a maximum On/Off contrast of 16,400:1 in this mode. Even with the "Adv. Contrast Enhancer" set to "Low", the TV dims its backlight to the maximum possible extent when displaying a black test picture. The residual illumination of the black picture drops to an almost-invisible 0.013 candelas per square meter (cd/m2); this corresponds to around a tenth of the residual illumination without dynamic lamp adjustment.

If you set the "Adv. Contrast Enhancer" to "Off", the backlight remains at the manually selected level (0 to 10) constantly, regardless of the video signal - so long as the light sensor isn't active. In the "Off" setting, the Sony produces an On/Off contrast of 1,945:1, without trickery, at constant lamp brightness, and at the correct color temperature.

The very respectable ANSI contrast of 380:1, measured using a black-and-white checkerboard pattern, also underlines this TV's excellent potential - for an LCD at least. The residual illumination for black, at 0.11 cd/m2, is an excellent value for LCD TVs, even without backlight dimming.

Comparison with two plasma TVs helps to put the value into perspective. The TV with the strongest contrast so far, the 50-inch KRP-500 plasma from Pioneer, produces a black that's 15 times darker, at 0.007 cd/m2.

On the other hand, the 50-inch 50 PG 7000 from LG, which is comparable in price with this Sony, is actually a touch brighter than this LCD, at 0.12 cd/m2. Furthermore, for a fully white picture, it also falls short of the necessary minimum brightness, producing just 50 cd/m2. In this respect, therefore, and even without active backlight dimming, Sony's LCD beats some plasmas.

Still, Pioneer's high-end plasmas are, of course, streets ahead. With the "Adv. Contrast Enhancer" activated, the KDL-52 V 5500'S residual illumination falls even lower, to less than a tenth of the original value, but this is only a dynamic measurement for fully black test pictures.

So long as there are no windows or other direct light sources reflecting off the screen's silk-matt surface, the Sony absorbs ambient light effectively and delivers a deep black, even during the day. In the evening, too, the letterbox bars are almost unnoticeable - side-on viewing makes them more visible, but they disappear almost completely when viewed straight-on. A slight residual illumination, especially in the corners of the screen, only becomes visible in completely dark viewing conditions.

Dark scenes have a pleasing impression of depth, for example, in the fairytale-like nature epic "The Fox and the Child": The scenes in the stalactite cave appear to have depth, and the fine blue-green shades from shimmering stones lack the gray haze seen on some other TVs.

In its neutral gamma preset, for which we measured a gamma value of 2.3, the Sony delivers a slightly darker gamma characteristic than many devices, which are typically adjusted to a value of 2.2. But the gamma curve is ideal for the Sony's high native picture contrast, and you can also adjust/fine-tune it in small steps.

Even a slightly darker gamma characteristic looks pleasing on this contrast-rich LCD, but be careful: If you activate the "Adv. Contrast Enhancer", the Sony switches dynamically to a picture with over-exaggerated contrast and a significantly brighter gamma characteristic: The colors visibly bleach out, and the pictures in the cave, for example, lose depth.

This actually means a bigger difference in vibrancy between this LCD and decent plasma TVs - the opposite of the desired effect. If you want to have a more authentic picture impression, therefore, you should turn the "Adv. Contrast Enhancer" off.

The sun-drenched nature shots in the nature movie radiate pleasingly, with a striking distinction between the dark-green bushes in the shade and the gleaming summer sky. In scenes like this, the 52-incher makes similarly sized plasmas look outdated, since plasmas are barely able to compete in bright environments.

Screen Brightness and Daylight Suitability:
In bright living rooms, the huge Sony delivers pictures will well-differentiated details, at a brightness of up to 311 candelas per square meter (cd/m2). If you set the "Adv. Contrast Enhancer" to "Off", the backlight remains at the manually selected value (between 0 and 10) regardless of the video signal's content - this is the setting we recommend for a bright environment.

You can then combine a maximum (manual) backlight setting with the effect of the Sony's light sensor, which automatically turns the backlight down in low ambient light. The sensor's slow reactivity means you don't see sudden changes in brightness with this method. The screen brightness will then reach a maximum of 311 cd/m2 in daylight, dropping to a minimum of 130 cd/m2 in a fully darkened room.

In the strongest eco level, on the other hand, the Sony's pictures are too dark, at just 50 cd/m2. We recommend a brightness of around 200 cd/m2, so that snow and bright cloud formations, for example, actually look white. The Sony's backlight produces a suitable level of brightness when set to "6".

Viewing Angle Dependence:
Like all LCD TVs, this Sony's picture quality depends on viewing angle. If you move away from straight-on viewing, the pictures appear duller: Black areas take on a weak blue sheen, and white areas lose brightness. At an angle of 60 degrees from the center, only 22 percent of the original brightness remains. (For comparison: The LG plasma mentioned above retains 57 percent of its original brightness in the same situation.) You should take advantage of the Sony's swivel pedestal to angle the screen directly toward the viewers. The center of the picture should also be roughly at eye level with the audience.

Video Processing of Standard Signals:

Almost every flat-panel TV produces a great HD picture. A great PAL picture, on the other hand, is a fine art that few truly master. To experience both HDTV and analog PAL (from older sources) in decent quality and sharpness is the stuff of dreams, especially on a TV of this size. To make the dream possible, the TV needs to have top-notch video processing.

So, what about the Sony? Well, movie de-interlacing is perfect in the tricky beach scene in "Six Days Seven Nights", for example. De-interlacing errors appear only very rarely - for example, roof tiles flicker occasionally in a camera pan over some houses in the DVD version of "American Beauty".

Sports broadcasts or concerts hardly give cause for complaint, but the flicker on diagonal edges or on the white markings on a soccer pitch, for example, is more visible. The perfect anti-aliasing seen on the Sony KDL-46 Z 4500, for example, does a much better job here, but that model messes up the de-interlacing instead.

The Sony's picture is excellent for all inputs - from composite and S-Video to YUV and Scart-RGB. But there's one pesky proviso that affects all analog SDTV signals: The image cropping (overscan) is irritatingly large. Adding insult to injury, the three-level overscan setting offers no way out: Namely, two of the levels make the cropping worse, not better! This "Display Area" setting in the "Screen" menu works like a digital zoom, and cuts yet more content off the sides of the picture, at the same time making details coarser.

We would have liked to see finer adjustment settings for the picture cropping, as seen in current Panasonic TVs, for example. Digital TV programs in particular often provide a larger usable picture area - right up to the edge of the screen in some cases.

The overscan fiasco is a real shame, since the TV otherwise earns a lot of praise. For example, the Sony's best analog video input, the Scart-RGB connection, is extremely crisp. And, if you turn down the exaggerated sharpness from the factory setting of "3" to "1", the Sony renders a truly excellent TV picture from satellite receivers with an RGB output, as well as from analog DVD players.

Pictures show some faults via YUV, including a loss of the finest horizontal details from both 576i- and 576p-format signals; in fact, even S-Video pictures through the second Scart socket look a touch sharper, as do composite signals, but this problem is almost only visible on well mastered DVDs, and hardly at all in TV productions or older camcorder videos. Where the contrast-rich Sony really shines, with all older picture sources, is with its deep, vivid pictures and natural colors.

Incidentally: The Sony does offer a solution for the overscan problems. With digital, PAL-resolution pictures via HDMI, you have access to further overscan settings, including the "+1" mode, which eliminates all vertical cropping. The TV then only zooms in horizontally, cutting just 10 pixels away from the left and right sides of the picture. For DVDs via HDMI, fine detail reproduction and color resolution reach a maximum that the analog interfaces cannot even come close to.

This makes HDMI an attractive alternative for those poor souls whose Blu-ray player's de-interlacing is weak when up-scaling DVD signals - simply output the original, 576i-format signal via HDMI, and the Sony will display the up-scaled picture accurately and almost without overscan. Digital TV receivers (for DVB-T or DVB-S) with an HDMI output might also benefit from the correct de-interlacing, almost overscan-free picture, and absolute sharpness that the Sony offers. Yet another strong argument for inputting SDTV signals via HDMI: The Sony then also offers the aspect ratio settings - "14:9", "Zoom", and "4:3" - needed for everyday TV viewing, and which are missing for signals arriving as HDTV.

Video Processing of HDTV Signals:

It's immediately clear with HDTV pictures why, still today, a 52-inch screen diagonal isn't too big. Even with these opulent dimensions, the eye can't make out the finest details from more than three meters away. If HDTV is to be adopted universally, large living rooms will need screens even bigger than this one. For now, of course, the Sony's 52-inch picture is fairly easy to make do with.

From a short viewing distance, of course, it'd be easy to make out every picture error on such a huge display. But don't worry - the KDL-52 V 5500 processes HDTV video signals almost perfectly. What's more, the Sony displays "blacker-than-black" (digital 1 to 15) and "whiter-than-white" (digital 236 to 254) areas of pictures correctly, with no clipping.

On the one hand, this is essential for optimal picture quality and is defined by the relevant video standards. On the other, it's also easier to adjust the brightness and contrast with professional test patterns if a TV displays these areas correctly. Even tricky test pictures with the finest horizontal and vertical patterns display with absolutely accuracy on this Sony - the total absence of color fringing or over-sharpening confirms the TV's prowess.

Accurate HDTV video processing is particularly important for converting interlaced HDTV (1080i) signals, since these are a common output format of many modern HD satellite-receivers. This TV flawlessly de-interlaces the input signal into progressive pictures, using motion-adaptive detection of film- and video-based material. When movies are broadcast on TV at 50 Hertz, the Sony renders the picture with no flicker and in 1080p quality.

The same result is seen with the James Bond adventure "Casino Royale", arriving from a Blu-ray player in 1080/60i format. The stripes on the boats and planes at the beginning of the fourth chapter, for example, show none of the stair-step effects seen on some other TVs. The Sony does not, however, convert HDTV movie pictures arriving at 60 Hertz back to the original movie frame rate; the lack of this "inverse telecine" process means the pictures suffer from a pronounced judder ("3:2-pulldown judder").

The Sony's advanced de-interlacer also converts interlaced signals into progressive signals better than some Blu-ray players can: In a sequence from a Blu-ray demo disc showing fast moving cars, even the contrast-rich digits on the license plates suffer no artifacts or comb effects. And, in a very slow, close-up camera pan past a girl's face, the girl's dark eyelashes move across the screen with no line-flicker. The Sony masters this extremely challenging scene better than many Blu-ray players - a TV's internal HDTV de-interlacing rarely earns higher praise than that. Fast-moving pictures, on the other hand, announce the problem only too clearly: The TV's conventional LCD technology results in blurring. In this respect Sony's KDL-46 Z 4500, for example, outclasses this 52-inch model as clearly as do modern plasma TVs.

Blu-ray playback of HDTV movies doesn't require de-interlacing: In order to minimize judder, of course, you simply set the Blu-ray player to progressive 24p playback. Remember to check that the "Display Area" setting in the screen menu is set to "Full Pixel"; then, the KDL-52 V 5500 uses no picture cropping (overscan) and displays each and every pixel of the Blu-ray movie precisely on the screen.

In the computer-animated intro of "Casino Royale", played back as 24p, the playing cards and spinning roulette wheels glide evenly across the screen, juddering only as they would in the original movie recording. If you look closely, in fact, the judder is slightly less pronounced, since the LCD screen's slight blur makes moving, contrast-rich edges appear a touch less hard, making the movie look smoother overall.

The Sony completely does without digital circuitry for increasing motion clarity; it displays 24 motion phases per second, just as in the original movie-theater playback. If you're happy to live without artificial motion enhancement of movies, or prefer not to use it because of the frequent artifact-formation, you'll be pleased with the Sony's natural-looking 24p movie pictures. It's irritating, on the other hand, that you can't change the aspect-ratio setting for some HD signals. With 4:3-format pictures arriving in HDTV format, or letterbox movies, for example, the TV stretches the image horizontally.

HDTV sports broadcasts, in particular, demonstrate that HDTV video can look better than on this 52-inch LCD - unlike movies, these broadcasts contain 50 or 60 motion phases per second. For motion depiction, the KDL-52 V 5500 still doesn't use the LCD technologies of the latest generation. Here, Sony itself has set the bar high with its "Motionflow" 240-Hertz technology (see our review of the Sony KDL-46 Z 4500). This image-enhancement technique combines a greater number of motion phases in the video signal with a higher backlight frequency to produce an image with a refresh rate of up to 240 Hertz. Unfortunately, however, this doesn't appear on the KDL-52 V 5500's can-do list.

This becomes abundantly clear when viewing critical demo sequences from a Sony promotional Blu-ray. In a scene by a canal, the stationary rocks in the background appear with razor-sharp resolution, but the boat gliding past shows a mixture of double edges and blurred details. With the backlight set to maximum, the blurring takes precedence; with the backlight set to minimum, the double edges become the main irritation. Both artifacts significantly reduce the motion clarity of fast-moving objects.

Tuner Picture:

Analog cable tuner:

When receiving pictures using its built-in tuner, the Sony not only offers all necessary picture-format settings, but also automatically switches to the correct format almost every time you change channel.

The TV pictures reach the top possible quality for analog cable signals: Programs in 4:3-format always look good, but the increasingly common 16:9-format productions appear visibly stair-stepped, since cable TV strongly reduces the vertical resolution. Occasionally, very weak shadows can be seen moving though the picture - this is a well-known analog signal-quality problem in some local cable networks.

The menu allows you to scroll at lightning speed through the full list of all cable channels. Alternatively, you can select a list of 16 favorites, which you can then call up using the "heart" button on the remote control.

DVB-C/DVB-T:

The "Guide" button provides a full list of digital channels, including a preview of the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for ten channels at once. Anamorphic 16:9 broadcasts get the most benefit out of the sharper digital reception; digital artifacts such as block noise or mosquito noise are, however, often present in the transmission itself. The only shame is that the overscan setting forces you to zoom in on DVB-T pictures. The TV cannot, therefore, display the whole larger picture area of digital broadcasts.

DVB-C HD:

For HDTV reception, there's a different number of overscan options: HD cable channels appear with no overscan at all in "Full Pixel" mode. With older TV series remastered in HD, the picture will sometimes not fill the screen right up to the edges; newly recorded HD programs, on the other hand, can be enjoyed with optimal scaling and no picture cropping. Where the cable network's signal quality is sufficient, the Sony displays movies in almost Blu-ray quality.

If you want to watch TV programs in the best quality currently possible, and with the most variety currently available, you should consider switching to satellite TV (DVB-S). As we described above, satellite receivers with an HDMI output deliver the best results with the Sony - for PAL-quality signals, too. We compared live broadcasts of the Biathlon World Cup from Trondheim via analog cable and DVB-S; the huge difference in quality put the two systems classes apart, even at a five-meter viewing distance. It's therefore worth investing in a good HDMI satellite-receiver, especially for a huge 52-inch screen, since this will minimize the visible difference between standard TV and genuine HDTV.

Picture Uniformity and Digital Picture Errors:
If we confine the discussion to static images such as test patterns, the Sony impresses across the board. The color-temperature uniformity across a stepped grayscale pattern and the fine blending of digital color gradients are both excellent. Even in tricky test patterns, such as an HDTV resolution sweep, or in the finer sections of a pixel phase test pattern, we saw no disturbances, color deviations, or digital artifacts. Very few HDTVs handle these tough test patterns as accurately as the Sony.

With moving pictures, there are still no huge artifacts, such as digital steps in shading (false contouring) on actors' faces, as was common with older plasma TVs. In documentaries or sports broadcasts recorded at 50 or 60 pictures per second, however, fast motion is too much for the Sony's conventional LCD technology. There are no digital picture-errors, but a mix of blurring and double-edge formation causes a loss of detail in moving pictures. The Sony's motion clarity is miles below that of a plasma TV or of modern 200-Hertz TVs.