Heron Fidelity

Update for Sony W4100/Z4100 LCDs

I’m currently reviewing a new 240Hz Sony Z5100 series LCD television that features some terrific Internet-enabled capabilities including the ability to perform online firmware updates with the press of a button on the remote.

I know a number of people who own the 120Hz Sony W4100/Z4100 series televisions (I reviewed a Z4100), and Sony recently released an update for the these TVs that fixes a number of issues including one I uncovered (note the PC Mag reference below :

• When tuned to some digital channels you may experience a brief (about one second) interruption of the picture and sound when the scene changes, between programs and commercials, or between commercials. This may occur during either programs or commercials.
• White dots or sparkles intermittently appear on the TV screen when displaying the menu or playing a DVD.
• The television freezes momentarily, then powers off and then on. This can occur when the TV is tuned to a digital channel, or when auto-programming.
• Note: This issue only occurs with some broadcast channels due to incorrect formatting of service data on the channel.
• Problems selecting an HDMI input on a CEC device using the XMB™ Menu.
• Problems resolving the finest detail issue of some 1080i 60hz film-based content (mentioned in a recent PC Magazine article).
• Intermittent audio on HDMI Input 4.
• Photo Mode issue that may occur when performing slideshow Butterfly – The same picture sometimes continually displays, and the slideshow no longer transitions through the other pictures.
• XMB sometimes does not display.

To insure owners download the correct file, I suggest entering the specific TV model (ex. “kdl-46z4100″) into the search bar field at the top of the Sony eSupport page and then select “drivers and software” from the navigation links on the left.

Or, here are some direct links to the related Sony support pages:

• KDL-40W4100
• KDL-46W4100
  
• KDL-52W4100
• KDL-40Z4100
• KDL-46Z4100

Cheers to Sony for making this update publicly available.

Bargain Hunt: LCD HDTVs

There is an article on PCMag.com that highlights the good deals that can be found for some the the better LCD HDTVs I’ve reviewed recently – including a couple LED-lit models.  I often suggest people shopping for a new HDTV save up the cash first as waiting a little longer often results in a lower price for the particular model they were interested in, or the same amount of cash will afford a larger sized screen.

How to Buy an HDTV

I recently completed my latest HDTV buyers’ guide for PCMag.com and it’s chock full of information that will help guide shoppers toward finding an affordable TV that provides the best viewing experience for their particular room environment – how, where, and when you watch TV is often as much an influence on picture quality as is the performance and configuration of the TV.

You paid how much?!?

Every new generation of HDTVs offer evolutionary image quality improvements at increasingly attractive prices, and too many retailers continue to pad profits by offering overpriced A/V (audio/video) cables to unsuspecting consumers. I wrote this article to remind my readers to always use the A/V connections that provide the highest quality experience, and never pay more than is absolutely necessary.

Why Overscan is Evil

I posted an article that highlights one of my biggest HDTV pet peeves: video overscan. I titled the article “A Good HDTV Shows You Everything!” and it includes some real-world examples (pictures) that should give the reader an a good idea of what to look for in a new HDTV in order to avoid this detail destroying condition.

Welcome to Heron Fidelity!

Whew! I am glad the install went well, and I’ll be polishing things up over the next few hours/days.

Stay tuned!