Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

BUY NOW
  • Introduction

  • Design

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Stand/Mount

  • On-set Controls

  • Remote Control

  • In the Box

  • Connectivity

  • Performance

  • Contrast

  • Color & Greyscale Curves

  • Color Temperature

  • Color Gamut

  • Picture Dynamics

  • Resolution & Formats

  • Viewing Angle

  • Motion Performance

  • Screen Uniformity

  • Audio Quality

  • Power Consumption

  • Calibration

  • Video Modes

  • Software & Internet

  • Menu Interface

  • Other Interface Features

  • Instruction Manual

  • Conclusion

  • Photo Gallery

  • Ratings & Specs

  • Introduction
  • Design
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Stand/Mount
  • On-set Controls
  • Remote Control
  • In the Box
  • Connectivity
  • Performance
  • Contrast
  • Color & Greyscale Curves
  • Color Temperature
  • Color Gamut
  • Picture Dynamics
  • Resolution & Formats
  • Viewing Angle
  • Motion Performance
  • Screen Uniformity
  • Audio Quality
  • Power Consumption
  • Calibration
  • Video Modes
  • Software & Internet
  • Menu Interface
  • Other Interface Features
  • Instruction Manual
  • Conclusion
  • Photo Gallery
  • Ratings & Specs

Introduction

Many consumers wouldn’t have a problem with any of this as long as the TV performs well. Sadly, we can’t say that the Sony Bravia KDL-46BX450 is one of the better performers we’ve seen. The color consistency is off, the viewing angle is poor, and the motion performance is not great. The audio wasn't too bad on this TV and the menu interface was easy to use, but the real question is if those two features warrant your hard-earned $699.

Design

Sony brings us a thick and average looking LCD TV with the BX450 series. There is not much to say about the design: it is a rectangle with an LCD screen. The bezels are thick and do not help the BX450 blend in with your living room. With an MSRP of $699, though, the design is adequate.

Front

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Back

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Sides

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Stand/Mount

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

On-set Controls

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The on-set controls are located on the right-side of the 46BX450. There are buttons for powering the TV on/off, changing the channels, adjusting the volume, selecting the input, and accessing the home menu.

Remote Control

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Sony packages a basic remote with the BX450 series TVs. Since there are no 3D or internet features, the remote doesn't need too many buttons. We found it comfortable to hold and responsive when adjusting settings.

In the Box

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Sony Bravia KDL-46BX450 comes with a remote, batteries, a user manual, a quick setup guide, safety information, and warranty information.

Connectivity

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Sony Bravia 46HX450 has all of the basic connections: two HDMI ports, a USB port, a digital audio output, and a component input that can also be used as a composite input. There is a VGA input if you would like to connect your TV to a computer in standard definition. The placement of everything is good – we had no trouble accessing any of the ports during our testing.

Performance

This low-end Sony Bravia TV did not have the best performance results, although they are passable. The viewing angle is subpar, even for an LCD TV, while the motion performance is just mediocre. Our contrast test showed that the Sony Bravia 46BX450 got pretty deep black levels and could get modestly bright. Unfortunately, the color tests were not as favorable.

Contrast

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

This Sony was able to get a good black level of 0.07 cd/m2 and a modest peak white level of 203.33 cd/m2 . Interestingly, this TV's contrast was nearly identical to that of the Sony Bravia 46HX750, which is a high-end LED television. More on how we test contrast.

Color & Greyscale Curves

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

These color curves look decent. None of the colors peak early, which means that each color's maximum input signal of 255 will be visible. The jumpiness in the curves means that the transition to each different shade will not be as smooth as it could it. More on how we test color performance.

Color Temperature

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

This color temperature is actually pretty bad. The first three-quarters of the chart show that there are no noticeable color temperature fluctuations. The last quarter shows a large spike upwards, which means that dark greys will look bluer. We did indeed encounter this during our calibration: images that were supposed to be dark grey instead had bluish and greenish tones. More on how we test color temperature.

Color Gamut

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Every part of this color gamut is oversaturated. The greens and reds are slightly oversaturated, while the blues are very oversaturated, meaning that the colors on the Sony Bravia 46BX450 are more vivid than they should be. More on how we test color temperature.

Picture Dynamics

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The picture dynamics were great on the 50L2200U. This TV kept a consistent black level with an increasingly white screen and a consistent white level with an increasingly black screen. More on how we test picture dynamics.

Resolution & Formats

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Sony Bravia KDL-46BX450 has a native resolution of 1080p and displays all standard NTSC formats.

Viewing Angle

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

All of these TVs had poor viewing angles, with the Sony Bravia 46BX450 having a slightly more subpar score than the Insignia NS-L240A13. The 46BX450 had a slightly better score than the Haier L55B2181 and the Sony Bravia 46HX750, which both had the same miserable viewing angle.

Motion Performance

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

This Sony had mediocre motion performance. Moving images were blurry and straight lines became a bit jagged when moving. We noticed some color trailing in our testing, specifically with red colors.

{{product.manufacturer_specs['Motion Performance Image']}}

Screen Uniformity

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The 46BX450 had a good screen uniformity. There was some slight shadowing along the edges, but nothing that would detract from everyday viewing. An all-white image on the screen appeared bright and crisp, while an all-black image was mostly uniform, with some areas slightly brighter than others.

{{product.manufacturer_specs['Screen Uniformity Image']}}

Audio Quality

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Sony 46BX450 produced decent audio, although we would still prefer to hear sounds coming from an external speaker setup than this TV. The mid-range sounds were crisp and clear, but this Sony ran into problems with the low-end frequencies: sounds with a lot of bass, like explosions, sounded muddy.

Some of the sound options that are included on the BX450 series are an equalizer, surround mode, and bass boost. The equalizer was fun to play around with, but did not produce any substantial results. The surround mode was more subtle than most; there was a slight spreading out of the audio, but it was not enough to make much of a difference. The bass booster, which was turned on by default in cinema mode, helped make the bass not so terrible, although it was subpar to begin with.

Power Consumption

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Compared to other CCFL LCD televisions, the Sony Bravia 46BX450 did very well. Its estimated annual cost of $29.29 was much better than both the Insignia NS-50L240A13 and the Haier L55B2181. We added in Sony's higher-end 46HX750 to this comparison and its power consumption ran circles around the competition.

{{comparison_bars title="Average Cost Per Year", attribute="Minimum Recommended Cost per Year Measured", xLabel="Dollars"}}

Calibration

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

We only had to adjust the backlight setting and the brightness setting to achieve an ideal calibration in cinema mode.

All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

](http://www.displaymate.com/)

Video Modes

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Sony offers plenty of video modes to choose from on the BX450 series.

Software & Internet

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The menu interface on the Sony Bravia 46BX450 clean and simple. Pressing the home menu gives you five options: favorites, photo, music, video, and setting. Favorites allows you to add your most used inputs while the photo, music, and video options allow access to your USB media. Settings lets you tweak your picture and sound.

Tweaking picture and sound settings is simple enough, but changing the video mode isn't. Sony calls their video modes "scenes," which can be accessed by pressing the scenes button on the remote.

Other Interface Features

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Sony Bravia 46BX450 claims it can view photos and play music and videos via a USB drive. This is partially true: we were only able to view a couple of pictures, even though most were basic .jpg files. We were able to play back .mp3 files, but movies would not work at all.

Instruction Manual

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The user manual packaged with the 46BX450 has everything you'll need to find all the useful tidbits offered inside: a table of contents, tabs, and an index.

A manual for so many TV models, they have to be further categorized by type.

Conclusion

{{product.vanity}}

While the Sony Bravia KDL-46BX450 (MSRP $699) is not the worst TV we have ever seen, it did not manage to impress us at all. This TV's performance results were below average in many categories: color consistency, motion, and viewing angle. To add insult to injury, accessing USB media files did not work properly on this Sony.

Some of the highlights of this TV include its simple menu interface, its stellar user manual, and the decent audio. The contrast was also not terribly bad on the 46BX450. These few features cannot save this Sony from its ultimate fate: TV mediocrity.

{{photo_gallery "Design Landing Page Photo", "Front Tour Image", "Back Tour Image", "Sides Tour Image", "Connectivity Tour Image 1", "Connectivity Tour Image 2", "Stand Photo", "Controls Photo", "Remote Control Photo", "3D Landing Page Photo", "3D Menu Photo", "3D Glasses Photo", "Connectivity Extra Photo", "Software and Internet Landing Page Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo", "Instruction Manual Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo", "Browser 1 Photo", "Browser 2 Photo", "Browser 3 Photo", "Apps 1 Photo", "Apps 2 Photo", "Apps 3 Photo"}}

Ratings & Specs

{{manufacturer_specs_table}}

Meet the tester

Josh Fields

Josh Fields

Staff Writer

@reviewedtech

An enthusiast of all things tech, Josh is one of Reviewed.com's resident television experts. When he's not looking at bright TV screens in a dark room, he's probably reviewing a laptop or finding a new snack at 7-11.

See all of Josh Fields's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next