Sony Bravia KDL-46Z5100

Black Level (8.48)

The KDL-46Z5100 was capable of a deeper than average black level for an LCD HDTV. This achievement is offset, however, by a poor gamma curve, which we'll discuss later. Essentially, the TV's blacks don't have a lot of differentiation to them. Therefore, while you'll be enjoying a somewhat deep black, you won't be enjoying much additional detail. 

Black Level

Peak Brightness (8.74)

The TV also had a good brightness level, which isn't anything unusual for an LCD display. The TV was capable of outputting 339.2 cd/m2, which is above average compared to other HDTVs we've reviewed (including plasmas, which bring the total down a bit). While the TV isn't capable of bright whites that will necessarily wow you, it's more than sufficient for combating glare.

Peak Brightness

Contrast (8.77)

The TV also had a good contrast ratio, which we measured at 4240:1. This is very much above average. 

Contrast Ratio

Contrast is important, because the human eye can detect very fine differences between shades of grey or color. Large contrast ratios typically mean those differences will be easier to see clearly.

Tunnel Contrast (9.54)

The TV held up well on our tunnel contrast test, which is typical of LCD HDTVs. On this test we make sure the black level remains constant regardless of how much black is on the screen. Typically if the entire screen is dark, TVs will have an easier time displaying deeper blacks as opposed to when the screen is 10% black.

The KDL-46Z5100 did well on this test though: the black level won't fluctuate much during your viewing experience.

Tunnel Contrast

White Falloff (9.97)

White falloff tests the peak brightness when a decreasing percentage of the screen is white. Like the above test, this is to ensure stability regardless of the image on the screen. Like the above test, the KDL-46Z5100 performed almost unwaveringly. Your bright spots will remain bright.

White Falloff

Uniformity (7.0)

This wasn't the most uniform screen we've seen, especially from an off-center viewing angle. The worst uniformity issue was the flashlighting at the corners, which led to a blotchy, somewhat uneven screen. The flashlighting wasn't terrible from a straight-on perspective, but even something like 20º away from center will cause the flashlighting to look like giant, purple contusions.

Greyscale Gamma (5.62)

As alluded to in the blacks section, the TV doesn't have a great greyscale gamma. The main issue is that blacks drop out too early, leading to a loss of detail in dark scenes. The TV does have a gamma adjustment feature, but skewing it will have an adverse effect on color representation. While our testing said this calibration was the best one overall, if greyscale gamma is more important than color accuracy, we'd recommend testing the gamma setting. 

Greyscale Gamma

Resolution Scaling (8.23)

There are various different standard resolutions that today's content comes in. HDTVs need to be able to display them all well. Since the TV will have to upscale or downscale content that isn't the native resolution. Below we've outlined how the KDL-46Z5100 handles different formats.

480p (8.2)
This is the format that DVD content is displayed at. When displaying 480p content, the only real issue we saw was a 3% overscan.

720p (8.25)
This format is the lowest resolution that's recognized as high definition. Some broadcast HD is in 720p and it's the unofficial HD standard for internet video.

The KDL-46Z5100 did well with 720p content. With fine grey patterns, there was a slight color cast. Also, moving shapes were slightly blurry and we saw some issues with artifacting.

1080i (8.25)
This format is the current standard for broadcast HD television. The 'i' means interlaced, meaning the TV will display every other 540 lines.

The KDL-46Z5100 did a  good job with 1080i content. We didn't see any significant artifacting or legibility issues and no moire patterns. Again, the KDL-46Z5100 did a great job.

Compare the Sony Bravia KDL-46Z5100 to other HDTVs
Samsung LN40B650 40'	Sony Bravia KDL-52V5100 52'	Vizio SV470XVT 47'