I’ve never really understood the fascination with really big, fancy, LCD-HD-Plasma-whatever TVs.
Sure, they look really nice when you’re walking through the TV section of Currys or Target, but I never really understood why people would spend the money on a 42” LCD TV, when surely you could just buy a smaller, cheaper flatscreen TV and be just as satisfied.
I truly thought that those flashy TVs I’d see on adverts and in many an electronic shop were just indulgent. Surely they don’t make that much of a difference. (Surely they're just another over-the-top gadget that men like to have in their homes to show off... I mean nothing.)
However, my opinion soon changed after spending three months with the 40" Z5500 Sony Bravia LCD TV - I’m now unsure I could imagine life without it.
Seriously.
Having such a fantastic television in your home makes watching films, TV, and even playing video games that much more exciting. This is very much a case of “you don’t know what you’re been missing until you try it”.
I love watching films, I love playing video games, and I adore watching TV . And as I’ve gone through most of my life watching films and gaming on small, boxy, um, low-definition televisions. – I know how greatly enhanced all of these things have been by using the Z5500 .
So what makes this TV so special and stand out from the flatscreen crowd? Well, for a start, It has something called MotionFlow which is the first quadruple speed frame rate for TV.This means that there are three more images per second added to the action on screen. Plus, films and even cartoons that are shot at 24 frames per second are enhanced and given seven new images – which helps get rid or any “judder” or blur.
There are plenty of other techy specs that make this TV so original, but the features that I really care about in addition to the MotionFlow are its multitude of different connections, which include four different HDMI connections and a PC input. This means you can hook up all of your HD devices at once. Personally, I think this is really important as it’s a royal pain to have to unplug your gaming console every time you want to watch a DVD, or vice-versa.
The Z5500 also has a USB Media Player feature which is particularly handy as it enables you to plug in any USB enabled device, such as USB flash drives or digital cameras into the TV. This is particularly perfect for showing your friends and family your recent holiday photos and so much better than everyone huddled around a tiny digicam screen.
Watching Television
Aside from techy features, when you’re watching television, whether it be Jonathan Ross in HD or Criminal Minds on LivingHD – you will be so impressed. The picture is crisp, clear and the colors incredibly vivid. News anchors’ makeup will look over-the-top – because it most certainly is in real life - and the sweat on your favorite football team will be more apparent than ever. Everything looks sharp and moves as quickly as it does in real life. Every show we’ve watched on our Virgin Media V+ HD box has looked incredible.
The only thing I have noticed is that some shows that are older and not in HD look a little fuzzy and rather unglamorous, but I believe this has everything to do with the upscaling process to high definition, and are, well, older. Plus, once you get used to watching shows in HD, it makes it very, very difficult to adjust to “normal” shows.
Gaming
I do love playing video games, but I had always been used to playing them on my DS or playing the Wii on a small, much older and smaller TV. So, when we hooked up the Wii to the Z5500 with a Wii HD Component Video Cable for the first time, I was blown away. It’s like this TV was created specifically for Wii fans.
I’ve been testing out the new Super Mario Bros game, and going from playing the older game on the DS, to the brand new version of the game on the Wii and the BRAVIA – it was a completely different but brilliant experience.
But it’s not just the Wii that the BRAVIA is perfect match for, as playing Red Alert and Lips: Number One Hits on the Xbox 360 is amazing, as well.
Of course, having a bigger screen verses a smaller screen for gaming is always more ideal, but with the picture on the BRAVIA Z5500 being so clear and colourful, and the action being so quick, it really brings gaming to a fantastic new level.
Overall, if anyone were thinking of making the switch from an old boxy television to a new HD one, I would highly recommend the Z5500. Televisions become a piece of furniture in your home, and aside from the technical aspects of it, it just looks nice. Its frame is thin with a sleek finish so that it doesn’t have that cheap, plastic look, and it can of course be put on a TV stand, or mounted on the wall.
This TV will make the perfect addition to your home entertainment center, and will make watching TV, films, and gaming an even more enhanced and exciting experience.
You can use Sony's helpful Price Center to discover retailers near you that sell the Sony BRAVIA Z5500.