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Introduction
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01.Tour & Design
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02.Blacks & Whites
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03.Color Accuracy
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04.Motion
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05.Viewing Effects
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06.Calibration
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07.Connectivity
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08.Remote Control
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09.Audio & Menus
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10.Multimedia & Internet
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11.Power Consumption
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12.Sony KDL-46EX700 Comparison
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13.Toshiba 42ZV650U Comparison
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14.Samsung UN46B8500 Comparison
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15.Conclusion
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16.Series Comparison
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17.Photo Gallery
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18.Ratings & Specs
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19.Comments
Sony Bravia KDL-40NX700
Previous: Page 13
Toshiba 42ZV650U ComparisonNext: Page 15
ConclusionSamsung UN46B8500 Comparison
Value Comparison
The Samsung UN55B8500 in an excellent television, one of the high water marks of last year’s pool of reviews. However, as the year rolls over, technologies continue to advance. The Sony KDL-40NX700 is a smaller screen, but the performance is just as good, and extra goodies like built-in WiFi and an outstanding streaming content package. It’s also a good deal cheaper, making the Sony quite an attractive alternative.
| Core Attributes Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Sony Bravia KDL-40NX700 | Samsung UN46B8500 | |
| Size | 40 in. | 46 in. |
| General Type | LCD | LCD |
| Format | 1080p | 1080p |
Blacks & Whites
The Samsung UN46B8500 was one of 2009’s best performers, producing incredibly deep blacks for an non-plasma TV. The peak brightness was also good, making for an excellent contrast ratio of 4605:1, far better than any of the TVs in this comparison pool.
Color Accuracy
Both the Sony KDL-40NX700 and the Samsung UN46B8500 were good performers in our color tests. They were both able to maintain a consistent color temperature. The Sony showed a slight edge in the RGB color tests, but it’s a small lead. These are both very good televisions in this category.
| Color Temperature Comparison | |
|---|---|
| Sony Bravia KDL-40NX700 (Score: 9.89) |  |
| Samsung UN46B8500 (Score: 9.35) |  |
| RGB Comparison | |
|---|---|
| Sony Bravia KDL-40NX700 (Score: 8.22) |  |
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| Samsung UN46B8500 (Score: 8.07) |  |
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Motion
The spread between the scores here makes it a difficult call to say which is better. Overall, they’re both excellent performers (we find ourselves saying that again and again). Neither is perfect, though. They both created some motion artifacts in our lab testing.
| Motion Scores | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sony Bravia KDL-40NX700 | Samsung UN46B8500 | |
| Motion Score | ||
Viewing Effects
The Sony KDL-40NX700 and Samsung UN46B8500 both have a wide angle of approximately 40 degrees in total (about 20 degrees from center on either side). This is not great, but they’re LCD TVs. If you want a good wide angle, get a plasma display.
| Viewing Angle Comparison | |
|---|---|
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|
| Sony Bravia KDL-40NX700: 2.71 | Samsung UN46B8500: 2.48 |
Connectivity
The Samsung UN55B8500 and Sony KDL-40NX700 are both very slim televisions (the Samsung more so, we think) and therefore limit themselves from having too many bulky ports. As a result, they’re light on legacy ports, but both have four HDMIs, USB, and ethernet. Sony has the advantage of built-in WiFi, as well as three analog audio inputs.
| Connectivity Comparison | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony KDL-40NX700 | Sony KDL-46EX700 | Toshiba 42ZV650U | Samsung UN46B8500 | |
| HDMI | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Component | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Composite | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| S-Video | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| VGA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Analog Audio In | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Digital Audio Out | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Analog Audio Out | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ethernet | None | None | No | None |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes | No | Unknown |
| USB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory Card Types | None | None | SD/SDHC | None |
| DLNA | Yes | Unknown | No | Yes |
Shop for the Sony KDL-40NX700
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