Sony KDL-46HX729 46″ LED HX729 Internet TV

WHY THIS MODEL:
I bought this TV through Amazon last week and it arrived a few days ago. I’ve had a good amount of time to play with all its capabilities. The out of the box settings are not that good, so the settings do need some adjustment. This TV is an unbelievable deal coming from SONY as it has the EXACT same specifications as the more expensive HX820. The only difference is that the HX820 has monolithic gorilla glass design. I’ve compared this TV with both the EX720 and the HX820 and this TV delivers a picture almost identical to the HX820 for a much cheaper price than the HX820. The original listing price for the 46HX820 is $2,600 while my 46HX729 was originally listed for $1,900. Trust me, $700 more just for just the monolithic gorilla glass on the HX729 is not worth it. Don’t by into the opti-contrast gimmick that Sony says monolithic gorilla glass provides, the HX729 creates black as black as the black frame. I was originally looking to buy the EX720, but after finding out that the panel frequency on that model is actually only 120hz, I settled on this model which is the cheapest SONY 3D TV with 240hz panel frequency. (The EX720 is motion-flow 240, however its actually frequency is only 120hz.) Specification wise, this TV is much better than the EX720 in multiple categories such that the Hz is twice as fast, it has X-reality PRO*(2 processing chips instead of 1), dynamic LED, local dimming, etc. It also the cheapest model to have wifi and the 3d transmitter built it. Surprisingly, it has a glossy display. I thought that this display was the same as the EX720 which is semi-matte but this TV definitely looks more glossy than semi-matte (That’s a plus to me because matte can distort the sharpness a little bit) As far as LCD TV’s I couldn’t find any other LCD with 240hz panel frequency for this price that looked this good. I would say that this is the best quality/price ratio you will find.

2D PICTURE:
The 2d non-HD picture is actually pretty good on this TV. The problem with buying decently sized HD televisions is that they seem to stretch out and distort an SD(standard definition) signal. Surprisingly, the X-Reality Pro engine does a nice job tuning up an SD input. Of course, it doesn’t make the picture look HD but makes it look better than many other HD TVs will make the SD picture look. As far as HD picture, my girlfriend and I cannot stop saying how incredible and real the picture looks. So far, I have tested BBC’s Life series on here in 1080p and he scenes look unbelievably crystal clear with the most vivid colors on a TV I have ever seen. It literally gives a 3D effect without 3D. It looks so clear that it seems like we are actually there watching something through our binoculars. There is absolutely no ghosting effect or distortion whatsoever. The only bad thing I can say is that the picture is so clear that you can sometimes tell when the filmer did not have the camera completely in focus. As far as the motion flow 480, I watched one of the NBA finals game last night and there is no jitter, it is completely smooth. The only downside to using 480 Motionflow is that the back-light is dimmed. I find using the 240hz panel frequency know as the “clear” setting as opposed to “clear pro” setting is the best. I also was able to test out streaming HD content through Netflix. Although the picture was not as good as it was through the blu-ray player it was still pretty clear. But trust me, content through the blu-ray player doesn’t even look like you’re looking at a TV. The last thing I really like about this TV is how many settings there are for the picture, there must be at least 50 different settings categorized into about 15 groups. As far as the things I don’t like(but don’t really care about), is that I notice a very tiny amount of light on the bottom corners of the screen when the screen is black. When I say tiny amount I mean about a cm^2 of noticeably brighter back-light. It’s no big deal though as when watching Life I only saw it every 2 hours or so for a split second. The other thing I didn’t don’t like is that the back light is a litter bit dim without adjustment. I turned up the white levels and turned on some setting when I got it and it looks fine now.

3D PICTURE:
After ordering a defective pair of glasses and replacing them, I finally got a chance to test out the 3d. Even the simulated 3d is amazing. The simulated (2d to 3d conversion) doesn’t pop out at you dramatically, but it adds so much depth to the picture. It looks as if you where looking into a window and watching what was going on inside. The real 3d content is identical to the experience you would have in a theater. The 480hz motion flow and the panel frequency of 240hz makes the 3d nearly flawless. Very rarely you will see a double image but that can be fixed by turning down the glasses brightness setting.

GAMING:
I used to play video games a lot when I was younger but slowly stopped playing as I got older. Nonetheless, when I got this TV i decided to whip out the xbox. Ever since, I’ve been playing a few hours a week. This TV is amazing for gaming. It has a game mode that you can put it on, by doing so you can select if you want quality or speed. The speed setting greatly reduces input lag to a point where it seems like there is none. The quality setting helps with motion blur.

Content:
This TV is loaded with content. Amazon and Netflix have content in HD. The only downside is that this TV does not have VUDU. However, you can always buy a blu-ray player that comes with Vudu.

Design:
I was having second thoughts after I had ordered this 46 inch TV. I was honestly thinking 46 inches would be too small. However, I found out that a 46 inch TV looks remarkably smaller in a store than it will in your home. While unpacking this TV I thought they had sent me the 55inch TV by accident. This 46inch TV in you’re home will look like a 55inch TV looks in a store. Unless you’re watching your TV from 20 feet away, you really don’t need a 55 inch TV. A 55 inch TV will look tacky and overpowering if you don’t have the room. I also really like the thinness and small frame size, it’s very compact. The screen finish is very nice as well. When I had ordered this TV I was having second thought about getting a semi-matte or matte screen since it can distort the sharpness of the picture. However, this TV didn’t turn out to be matte or semi-matte at all. Maybe I don’t know what semi-matte is, but I can definitely see clear undistorted reflections of my room and myself when the TV is off. This TV just looks expensive.

Sound:
The sound is not the best. It’s not bad but it’s just average. You can hear everything very clearly with no distortion, however, it won’t provide the sound dimensions that external speakers will.

Overall:
As I stated, this TV is the best quality/price LCD you will probably find. It is the cheapest Sony TV that provides the panel frequency of 240Hz and X-Reality Pro engine that the flagship HX929 provides. It is also the exact same spec-wise as the HX820 but for a price closer to the lower end models; NX, EX, etc. Disregarding the great specifications, this TV will bring an amazingly real picture to your living room.

I recently upgraded our living room TV and was throughly confused with all the choices available. We had always been impressed with the picture quaility of our neighbors TV, a SONY.
After much research, we bought the Sony KDL-46HX729.
We wanted to stream Netflix to our TV and this one also had built-in wireless internet. We have a netgear N600 router in our basement about 20′ from the upstairs TV and so far the signal strength has been good with no problems streaming video. You have to do a little setup and registering on Sonys website before streaming netflix but it wasn’t to bad. The TV itself has a great picture, looks great and gets a lot of compliments. My only complaint is the sound. It lacks bass and low end, I have a feeling this true on all thin style TV’s. My solution was to add a Zvox 325 single cabinet sound system. The self contained amplifer and speakers really add some depth to movies and television. I have it it plugged in thru the headphone minijack and it really makes a difference. Overall we are very pleased our new Sony TV but I think Sony has already replaced this model with the KDL-46HX820.

I’m a hardcore gamer and I love movies. The 3D effect is great. You can literally make anything 3D with it’s 2D to 3D conversion setting. I recommend only using the 3D for things that were intended for it like 3D Blu-ray movies or stereoscopic 3D games. You’ll get the best results that way I promise. And also the TV can use a little picture adjustment. Change the picture settings to Vivid for best results. And never make the 3D effect stronger in the settings. It was intended to be 3D with the default settings. Making it stronger will only cause ghosting. Now the audio is okay, but it doesn’t pack a punch. When I was playing a video games with alot of explosions and strong bass, the audio in my TV started making a static/cracking noise like it couldn’t handle it. RED FLAG. Buy a 5.1 Surround Sound System. End of story. For what it’s worth, this is an excellent TV. The graphics on Blu-ray movies are so sharp it looks 3D even though it isn’t. It’s so sharp that it almost looks like your watching it live. Like it almost loses that cinematic glare if you know what I mean. So I give this product a solid 4 stars.

Ordered this Sony 46HX729 TV late Saturday afternoon and Vann’s shipped it immediately and got it Wednesday morning, even with the holiday. Easy to set up, picture was acceptable even with at the default settings. But I loathe the “soap opera effect” and thankfully you can turn that feature off. TV is working great so far and so happy with the purchase. Vann’s customer service was awesome and I didn’t even have to request for rush shipping. They were prompt and responsive.Sony KDL-46HX729 46″ LED HX729 Internet TV

This TV is amazing! I bought this TV through Vanns and the shipping was fast and secure. They even went the extra mile by packaging it in a larger box with lots of cushioning around it. I mounted the KDL46HX729 above my fireplace and after connecting to my cable box and blue ray the picture immediately blew me away. We had a big Super Bowl party last night and everyone was in awe. The only negative is the sound and I didn’t let that affect my review beacause after a lot of research I learned it’s next to impossible to have great speakers in such a thin display, no matter what the brand. Doing business with Amazon and Vanns was fast and easy. Did I mention the price was more than $300 less than anywhere else in town. I would definitely recommend this TV to others!

The Sony KDL-46HX729 46″ LED HX729 Internet TV has outstanding picture sharpness, brightness and color accuracy. I agree with the online TV reviewers that this is an expensive TV but it is clearly the benchmark for LED TV and justifies the extra cost with performance.

TV has an excellent picture. Flaws are so minor, the average viewer won’t notice. I saw no difference between this display and the gorilla glass models. I would only recommend gorilla glass to those with children. There is no difference in the amount of glare between screens and the glass displays are quite a bit more expensive. I did not test 3D. The standard 2D picture looks very good to me. Without question, the most disappointing feature is the sound. It was beyond bad. Even listening to the news was irritating. My solution was a Sony 32″ sound bar. Oilla! Now it sounds great. Unless you’re serious about audio, the 32″ bar works fine with sets up to 50″ and will be quite acceptable for most viewers. Despite my TV being a 46″, the 32″ bar made Indiana Jones sound steller, including the music when the credits rolled. In my opinion, they should sell these newer slimline models without speakers at all. To sum it up, a great picture with horrible audio.

I love this TV. Love built in WiFi so no extra equipment to buy. BUT when I do an internet search it states I don’t have flashplayer or current version to view contents. Of course I do…have no trouble on my computers so have no clue why the TV won’t allow certain sites to load?? This is aggravating. Other thing I hate is no blockbuster or vudu access. NetFlix stinks..all old movies. Same with the most of the pre-loaded sites on the TV.
Picture is great but you do have to go and make adjustments to color brightness etc. So don’t get nervous when you first turn on the TV and think you have a bad picture…it does need to be adjusted. Once you tweak the settings it’s a beautiful picture Sounds is OK … but as i learned all these TV’s the sound comes from the back so you do need to turn the volumn up more then you did with your old TV that had the speakers built in right in the front. So if you are planning on wall mounting or using in a larger room I agree you would want to buy a sound bar.

I have had this TV for a couple of weeks. It is by far the best TV I ever dreamed of owning. The sound is a little week, but I new that when I ordered it.
The best part of this purchase follows: I ordered this TV through Amazon, but it came from Circiut City. When it arrived on time, the top of the box had damage to it. It had been taped up and it appeared to not be an issue. When I went to set up the TV, the remote was nowhere to be found. Someone had removed it during the shipping process. I filled out a complaint form explaining what I thought might have happened. All I asked for was a remote so I could set up my TV. About 4 days later, I received an email informing me that the entire cost of the TV, plus the shipping was refunded to my account. Merry Christmas! They responded beyond my wildest dreams with customer service like that. Amazon and Circuit City have a customer for life. So, as you can imagine, I am extremely happy with my new Sony TV.