Sony KDL-40W5100 LCD HDTV Review - Motion

Motion Summary
Editorial Note: This is a review of the Sony KDL-40W5100. Test results are for this model, but should indicate the general performance of other models in the W5100 series, which include the KDL-46W5100 (46"), the KDL-52W5100 (52"), and the KDL-65W5100 (65"). Read here for more details on series differences.
• Some issues with blur. • Some issues with artifacting. • Great at handling 3:2 pulldown and 24p modes. • Testing done using DisplayMate Software.
	Color Accuracy	Page 5 of 18	Viewing Effects

Motion Smoothness (6.75)

The KDL-40W5100 features a 120Hz mode called MotionFlow. Without it on, movement is very blurry. Setting it to "Standard" will reduce blur, but setting it to "High" just made the image look cartoonish. Even with MotionFlow turned on, however, solid colors left trails behind them as they moved and the lines of patterns blurred together slightly. These issues only get worse if you're in 1080i mode.

Motion Artifacting (5.75)

Artifacts are anything displayed on the TV that shouldn't be. The KDL-40W5100 had some problems here. In 1080p mode, we saw some rolling shudder as a static picture panned around the screen. When solid colors move and create a blur, the edges of the blur are bright and a different color than they should be. When fine patterns marched around the screen, we again saw a rolling shudder effect and some lines trailed a thin rainbow behind them. In 1080i mode, we saw these same issues, only worse. This isn't surprising: interlacing requires a lot of processing, which typically results in artifacting. 

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps (9.25)

The KDL-40W5100 handled 3:2 pulldown well, providing you turn on the TV's CineMotion control. We found that, with CineMotion off, there were flashing artifacts. When it's turned to "Auto 1," we saw virtually no artifacting. The "Auto 2" mode had very minor artifacting. Even with CineMotion, we saw a little bit of judder and a crawling effect on fine patterns. 

Other Models in the W5100 Series
This is a review of the Sony KDL-40W5100. The other sizes of HDTVs in this series should be similar in terms of performance and usability. For details about any differences, click on the image to jump to the Series Comparison page.
KDL-46W5100 46 inches	KDL-52W5100 52 inches	KDL-65W5100 65 inches