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

  • Tour & Design

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Calibration

  • Remote Control

  • Connectivity

  • Audio & Menus

  • Multimedia & Internet

  • Power Consumption

  • Vs Sony KDL 46EX700

  • Vs Toshiba 42ZV650U

  • Vs Samsung UN46B8500

  • Conclusion

  • Series Comparison

  • Introduction
  • Tour & Design
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Calibration
  • Remote Control
  • Connectivity
  • Audio & Menus
  • Multimedia & Internet
  • Power Consumption
  • Vs Sony KDL 46EX700
  • Vs Toshiba 42ZV650U
  • Vs Samsung UN46B8500
  • Conclusion
  • Series Comparison

Introduction

Tour & Design

Front


From the front, the Sony KDL-40NX700 is quite striking. In its press materials, Sony makes a lot of noise about this TV having edge-to-edge glass (oohs and ahhs ensue). That's technically true. There is a seamless piece of glass that covers nearly all the surface area on the front. However, that doesn't mean that the screen actually extends to the edge. No, no. There's still a bezel. It's just under glass. Still impressed? Yeah... we're not so sure either.

Along the bottom are a series of indicator lights. All the onboard controls are located out of sight on the right hand side. Though it may be hard to see in this photograph, the neck of the base is covered in a thin, plastic shell. You have to put this on yourself, and it's incredibly annoying during set-up, because if you don't piece everything together in the correct order, you have to disassemble and start all over.

Back


The back of the Sony KDL-40NX700 is big, flat, and plain. The ports are grouped together along a column on the side. In a small bit of inconvenience, the ports face away from this side of the TV. Presumably, this helps point the cords towards the center of the TV rather than jutting out the side, but it makes plugging cables in far more tricky. For information about the ports on the back of the Sony KDL-40NX700 see our Connectivity section.

Sides


The sides of the Sony KDL-40NX700 show off an attractive slenderness, though not as slim as other edge-lit LED TVs we've seen. On the right side, you'll find the onboard controls. On the left side is a selection of ports that should be easier to access than the ones on the back. For information about the ports on the sides of the Sony KDL-40NX700 see our Connectivity section.

Stand/Mount


The Sony KDL-40NX700's stand is quite attractive, though less than steady. Rectangular-shaped, the stand is fashioned from brushed metal and plastic. It's thin and elegant, and matches the overall aesthetic of the TV. But the display set upon it wobbles with the slightest touch. It's not that we fear the TV is going to tip over—far from it. But it's undeniably wobbly. 

 

Controls


The controls on the right side are well laid-out and easy to distinguish by hand for no-look operation. The usual buttons are here, with the addition of an Energy Saving Switch. When this switch is in the 'on' position, the TV is completely dead and draws no electricity to run its standby power. When the switch is off, the TV draws a trickle of power in standby mode. 

 

 

Remote Control


The remote control for the Sony KDL-40NX700 is quite long, which can make it hard to reach all the buttons you need to without re-adjusting your grip. However, most of the buttons are laid out in an intelligent and natural fashion. Despite having a similar construction to the remote for the cousin model, the Sony KDL-46EX700, this doesn't bend in your hand or feel as cheap. As a bonus, it can also be programmed for other devices. 

 

In The Box*(4.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 is a right pain to set up. Unlike nearly every TV we've assembled, the neck – the piece that attaches the display to the stand – is naked, ugly metal. In order to maintain the illusion of beauty, you have to snap together two separate pieces plastic to form a collar around the neck. But you also need to attach the neck to the stand and the neck to the display. Perform any of these steps out of order, and you have to unscrew the whole thing and start again. 

In the box, you'll find a brief instruction manual (the menu in its entirety is actually built into the TV), the stand, the neck piece, a remote control, and batteries.

 

Aesthetics*(9.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 is a very good looking television. The company has made a lot of noise about the edge-to-edge glass, which is all well and good, but there's still a bezel under the glass, so it's not as great as it sounds. Nevertheless, it has a sleek aesthetic overall, with its thin frame and low-profile stand.

 

Blacks & Whites

Black Level*(7.60)*


The black level on the Sony KDL-40NX700 is just so-so. LCD televisions can never hope to achieve the deep blacks of a plasma TV, but even among peers, the NX700 produced an average score: 0.12 cd/m2. As you can see from the chart below, the KDL-EX700 was more or less the same. The Samsung UN46B8500 could produce deeper blacks, and the Toshiba 42ZV650U was just terrible. (More on how we test Black Level.)

 

Peak Brightness*(9.98)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 produced excellent peak brightness scores, outshining all the comparison models we selected. Practically speaking, this may not mean as much as black level performance, but it still contributes to a good looking picture. (More on how we test Peak Brightness.)

 

Contrast*(8.66)*


The contrast ratio we measured from the Sony KDL-40NX700 is impressive, approximately 4032:1. Granted, the Samsung UN46B8500 was superior, at 4605:1, but anything over 4000:1 is very good. Of course, these scores are a far cry from the inflated ratios that manufacturers frequently tout. You'll just need to readjust your expectations. (More on how we test Contrast.)

 

Tunnel Contrast*(9.85)*


The tunnel contrast test scores indicate that the Sony KDL-40NX700 is more than adequately capable of maintaining a consistent black level, no matter how much bright white is being displayed elsewhere on the screen. (More on how we test Tunnel Contrast.)

 

White Falloff*(9.98)*


The white falloff scores indicate that the Sony KDL-40NX700 has no problem maintaining a consistent peak brightness level, no matter how much black is being displayed in other parts of the screen. This is the expected performance of an LCD TV. Normally, we only see problems in plasma units. (More on how we test White Falloff.)

 

Uniformity*(4.5)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 showed some distinct issues with screen uniformity. When looking at an all-black screen, we saw brighter blotches in the middle. The corners showed obvious flashlighting. When we switched to an all-white screen, it was harder to see any problems in the center, but the corners were distinctly darker. Practically speaking, unless screen uniformity is abysmal, you won't notice it when watching most programs and movies. It comes to the forefront more when watching movies with lots of black shadows. (More on how we test Uniformity.)

 

Greyscale Gamma*(7.07)*


The greyscale gamma chart below tells us the story of how the Sony KDL-40NX700 makes transitions from black to white. The first thing we notice is that the curve is relatively smooth. Bumps in the line would indicate instances where we could expect color banding. There's a little bumpiness in the shadows (the lower-left side of the line). The slope of the curve is a bit steeper than ideal. The Sony produced a slope of 2.69, while the ideal is around 2.1 to 2.2. As a result, we can expect the Sony to produce a less fine gradation across the entire scale of greys.( More on how we test Greyscale Gamma.)

 

Color Accuracy

Color Temperature*(9.89)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 maintained a solid color temperature across the range of signal intensities. As you can see from the chart below, the whites turn a little blue, but these blues barely poke their head into the range of human perceptibility, so you probably won't notice. (More on how we test Color Temperature.)

 

RGB Curves*(8.22)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 showed a relatively strong performance in its RGB curve test. You can see in the chart below that the channels do not move in perfect unison. The red channel shows a little more detail in the shadows, but it peaks out early, losing detail in the highlights. The blue channel is the darkest, but also peaks out early. Only the green channel had a smooth curve from bottom to top. (More on how we test RGB Curves.)

The strips below are digital recreations of the color curves in the chart above. They're an approximation of what you'd see on the screen if there was a red or green or blue strip running the gradient range across the TV's screen.

 

 

 

Color Gamut*(4.18)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 matches up only decently to the rec. 709 color standard. You can see in the chart below that the green measurement point matched up quite well, but the red point was a little undersaturated, as was the blue point. The white point – those two circles in the center – were pretty closed matched. (More on how we test Color Gamut.)

This table is full of the exact data points visualized above.

 

Motion

Motion Smoothness*(7.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 did not quite match the great performance we saw recently on the Sony KDL-46EX700. The motion smoothness was roughly equivalent, though we did see more jagged edges. There were more issues with the artifacting, which we'll detail in the next section. (More on how we test Motion.)

The NX700 menu includes a few options for smoothing over motion performance issues. The Motionflow feature can remove some of the jaggies, but if turned up too high, additional artifacts become all too apparent. There's also CineMotion, another feature that's supposedly 'provides smoother picture motion than the original film-based content,' whatever that means. This was a little harder to see the the effects of, but you can always experiment.

 

Motion Artifacting*(5.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 definitely showed more motion artifacting than its cousin, the KDL-46EX700, which we reviewed a few weeks ago. It's hard to pin down what causes these differences. Even similar TVs can have widely different processing parts, glass, and more. Specific to the 40NX700, we saw strobing and false coloration in moving objects. And unlike on the EX700, the NX700's special motion processing features like Motionflow and CineMotion did not do much to alleviate the issues. 

 

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps*(2.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 supports native 24fps video just fine, though our testing indicated that the 3:2 pulldown could stutter on the frame rate a little. (More on how we test 3:2 Pulldown and 24fps.)

 

Resolution Scaling*(8.27)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 is a native 1080p television, but unless you only plan on watching Blu-Ray or a select few broadcast channels, you'll be throwing lower resolution video at it. How well the TV can handle that kind of footage is up to the internal processing. Overall, it's pretty good. Let's look at it detail. (More on how we test Resolution Scaling.)

480p

Footage in the 480p format is pretty rare, but we test it anyway. When the Sony KDL-40NX700 displays it, the screen loses 3% on every side (top, bottom, left, and right). If it's a computer you've plugged in, this means you'll have a hard time seeing the icons and task bars. However, we didn't see any other problems. 

720p

The 720p footage resulted in a 2% overscan loss, and we saw some aggravating Moire issues in certain types of high frequency patterns.

1080i

The 1080i footage also lost 2% to overscan and had even more problems with Moire patterns.

 

Viewing Effects

 

Formats*(10.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 is capable of displaying all the standard video formats: 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, though not without some occasional overscan or Moire issues. 

 

Viewing Angle*(10.0)*


The viewing angle on the Sony KDL-40NX700 was not good, measuring a mere 20 degrees from center on either side (approximately 41 degrees in total). It's certainly not the worst score we've seen from an LCD television, but it's not the best.  By comparison, the cousin model, the Sony KDL-46EX700, was about 52 degrees. If you need a TV with a great viewing angle, you'll probably want to look at plasma TVs rather than LCD. ( More on how we test Viewing Angle.)

 

Reflectance*(6.0)*


An all-glass front may please the eye aesthetically, but it means that much more surface area to attract glare. Unless you're in a perfectly dark room, chances are the Sony KDL-40NX700 is going to reflect back something. When we shined lights are the screen, we were pleased to see that Sony has attempted to mitigate the issue by offering some anti-glare protection. Rather than creating a huge halo effect, a light's glare is minimized to a small burst pattern. If the light is coming in at an angle, so much the better, because the pattern diminishes quickly as the directness of the light decreases. Anything with a giant piece of glass in the front will never be perfectly glare-free, but this is pretty good. (More on how we test Reflectance.)

 

Video Processing*(4.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 has a number of special processing features. Some of them are harmless, some of them can help a little, and some can make your picture look worse. The details on each are listed below.

 

 

Calibration

Calibration


[

](http://www.displaymate.com/)To start the calibration process, we put the Sony KDL-40NX700 in the 'Custom' mode, which happily resulted a picture very close to our final calibration. We did, however, first have to turn off the special processing features and the Light Sensor setting in the Eco submenu. This last setting adjusts the backlight based on ambient light levels. It's good for the environment, but bad for lab testing. 

 

Video Modes


There are four video modes for those that don't want the hassle of making their own tweaks.

 

 

Remote Control

Ergonomics & Durability*(7.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 remote control has a similar, but not identical, design to the remote that came with the recently reviewed Sony KDL-46EX700. We complained strongly against the EX700's cheap feel, which creaked and groaned under our touch. Part of the problem, we thought, was that unusual slider-case design for loading the batteries. But the NX700 remote employs the same slider design and avoids the creaky case. Perhaps, like most other parts of the TV, the NX series is simply a better class of parts. 

 

Button Layout & Use*(6.0)*


The remote control for the Sony KDL-40NX700 is as long as an oil tanker, which can make for some awkward handling if you're trying to perform several functions in a row. For instance, the menu navigation controls are near the top, all grouped together in a neat bunch. However, the volume and channel buttons are all the way at the bottom. Say you're in the middle of mucking about in the menu, when a loud commercial yogurt commercial suddenly begins. Oh no, mom and dad might wake up! You reach down for the volume, but it's so far away your stubby fingers can't reach it. You drop the remote, dad wakes up and yells at you to go to bed already, it's 3 a.m.

 

Programming & Flexibility*(6.0)*


Of course, it's not all bad. Part of the reason the remote is such a lengthy member is that it doubles as a universal remote for other electronics components. A big chunk of real estate at the top is taken up by playback controls (play, stop, rewind, etc.). Then there's some special buttons just for Blu-Ray players and few more buttons for features specific to the Sony KDL-40NX700.

 

Connectivity

Input Ports*(5.5)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 has all the necessary ports, plus some extra niceties, but we wouldn't call it an abundant selection. Sure, there are four HDMIs, but there's only one set of component AV ports and one set of composite AVs. That will definitely put a crimp in your style if you have a lot of older systems you'd like to plug it. There's also the issue of the awkward port placement, hidden in a little ledge in the back and very difficult to see.

The key feature here is built-in WiFi, side-stepping the need to run an yet another wire across the room to the TV, or alternately, the additional purchase of a WiFi dongle for the USB port.

 

 

 

 

Output Ports*(2.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 has two output ports, an analog audio output and a digital audio output. This is about what we'd expect. 

 

Other Connections*(6.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 has an ethernet port and built-in WiFi for connecting to your local network for streaming content features. The addition of built-in WiFi (as opposed to a separately purchased dongle for the USB port) is one of the premiums that makes the Sony NX series a step up from the EX series. 

 

Media*(1.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 includes a USB port that allows you to play back photos, music, and video clips from a thumb drive. 

 

Placement*(5.0)*


The port placement is frustrating. Several are conveniently located on the left side, but the majority are on the back, towards the left side. But the ports themselves are concealed in a ledge, facing away from the left. So if you're craning your neck around the side like most people would, you can't actually see the ports. You can only see the labels. A better view is from the opposite side of the TV, but then they're too far to reach. Why the ports couldn't just face out from the back, like on the EX700, is a mystery.

 

 

Audio & Menus

Audio Quality*(4.0)*


The audio quality of the built-in speakers on the Sony KDL-40NX700 is pretty bad. There's no feeling of depth to the sound. Of course you'll find an emulated surround sound effect in the menu, but it doesn't seem to do much but boost the tremble. Of the preset modes available – Standard, Dynamic, Custom, and Clear Voice – we liked Dynamic the best for giving it a little 'oomph.' Better yet, plug this TV into a separate speaker system. 

 

Menu Interface*(6.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 employs the same XrossMediaBar menu system that you find on a number of Sony products across its product line, including cameras and the PlayStation 3. It's quite popular, and it's easy to see why. After just a few minutes interacting with the menu, you have a clear sense of where everything is located, and where features unseen probably live. The only potential hang-up is getting accustomed to the remote control, which (like all remotes) has a learning curve.

 

 

Instruction Manual*(3.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 comes boxed with only a thin booklet to get you started. The full manual is located, digitally, within the TV itself. To access it, hit the 'i-Manual' button on the remote. That's all well and good, unless: a) the TV  won't turn on

b) the TV turns on, but the screen is blank

c) the remote is broken or the batteries are dead

d) you can't figure out how to access or navigate the onscreen manual

Well... when we put it that way, it doesn't sound like such a good idea, does it?

You can also find the Sony KDL-40NX700's manual online here, should you encounter any of the problems above.

 

 

Multimedia & Internet

 

 

Internet Features*(11.0)*


For the second year in a row, Sony cannot be beat when it comes to streaming content. The interface may be a bit rudimentary compared to what Samsung and Panasonic are offering, but the breadth of choices is indisputably the best. See the table below for the full list of channels or apps. In short, we can just say that it beats the pants off of everyone else.

 

 

 

Photo Playback*(3.0)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 photo, music, and video playback is confusing. The only means of loading these types of media is a USB drive, but when you plug one in, the device is not listed anywhere in the menu as an input. Instead, you have to first choose the function (i.e. do you want to view photos? or music? or video?), go to that menu, then find the USB device. It would be so much simpler if you could see all the contents of a drive at the same time.

That said, the TV can display photos just fine. You can create slideshows, and add music on the thumb drive as a soundtrack to the slideshows.

 

Music & Video Playback*(4.0)*


Our complaints about the interface are detailed in the section above. However, the TV can play MP3s and video clips perfectly well.

 

Other Media*(0.0)*


There are no other media features.

 

 

Power Consumption

Power Consumption*(9.40)*


The Sony KDL-40NX700 is an eco-friendly champ when it comes to power consumption, drawing less electricity than any of the TVs in this pool of comparisons. This kind of performance is also friendly on the wallet, costing a mere $11.93 per year, on average. In truth, part of this test's success is that the NX700's screen remains relatively bright, even with the backlight setting all the way down to zero. (More on how we test Power Consumption.)

 

 

Vs Sony KDL 46EX700

Value Comparison Summary


The Sony KDL-40NX700 and the Sony KDL-46EX700 are the same price, despite the EX700 being six inches larger. The 'bonus features' on the NX700 are a mix of useful and, well... questionable value. The NX700 series has built-in WiFi, while the EX700 requires the additional purchase of a WiFi dongle for the USB drive. The NX700 also has edge-to-edge glass (questionable value) and Light Sensor technology (questionable value). Finally, the NX700 is a prettier television. But if you're looking to save a few bucks, you still get a good performer with all the same streaming content in the EX700 series. 

Blacks & Whites


The Sony KDL-46EX700 and the KDL-40NX700 are very similar. The EX700 could get marginally darker and the NX700 got marginally brighter. Overall, the contrast ratios are quite similar, and both very good. 

 

Color Accuracy


Once again (no surprises here), the Sony KDL-40NX700 and Sony KDL-46EX700 performed similarly in the color tests. Both did well with maintaining a consistent color temperature, and both showed good scores in the RGB color curve test. 

 

 

Motion


The motion tests were the the only areas where we saw a real performance difference. The EX700, surprisingly, showed less artifacting and smoother motion. Granted, our test patterns are difficult for any TV  to do well, but the EX700 had special processing features that could, if engaged, overcome them. The NX700 just never managed to shake some of the artifacting issues.

 

Viewing Effects


The viewing angles on the Sony KDL-40NX700 and Sony KDL-46EX700 were identical: 40 degrees in total (about 20 degrees from center on both sides). This is not great, but it's not the worst we've seen. 

 

Connectivity


The EX700 has one additional set of component AV ports, but the NX700 has built-in WiFi to access the streaming content. This feature on the NX700 is one of the reasons the series is priced higher than the EX700 series.

 

**
**

Vs Toshiba 42ZV650U

Value Comparison Summary


The Toshiba ZV650U is a much less expensive TV than the Sony KDL-40NX700. If you choose the Sony, you get the best available streaming content package with built-in WiFi, all bundled inside an attractive package. The Toshiba is bulkier and lacks the internet features. The Sony is a better performer, on the whole, but it may not be in everybody's price bracket.

Blacks & Whites


The Sony KDL-40NX700 was a far better performer in our black & white tests than the Toshiba 42ZV650U. The Toshiba's blacks were weak, which contributed to a poor overall contrast ratio. 

 

Color Accuracy


The Toshiba was a good color performer, despite its weaknesses in the black & white tests. Both it and the Sony KDL-40NX700 showed an ability to maintain color temperature and create smooth color curves. 

 

 

Motion


Neither of these TVs were particularly amazing when it came to motion performance, but they weren't terrible either. The Sony KDL-40NX700 showed a smoother motion, but the amount of artifacting that the processors created were roughly the same. 

Viewing Effects


The viewing angle of both the Sony KDL-40NX700 and the Toshiba 42ZV650U was about 40 degrees in total (20 degrees from center in either direction). This is certainly nothing to be impressed with, but it's average to slightly below-average for an LCD television. 

Connectivity


The Toshiba offers more connections for older devices, because it has twice as many composite and component ports, as well as an SD/SDHC card slot. However, it has no internet connectivity, while the Sony has the best ethernet and WiFi and the best streaming content package of any manufacturer.

**
**

Vs Samsung UN46B8500

Value Comparison Summary


The Samsung UN55B8500 in an excellent television, one of the high water marks of last year's pool of reviews. However, as the year rolls over, technologies continue to advance. The Sony KDL-40NX700 is a smaller screen, but the performance is just as good, and extra goodies like built-in WiFi and an outstanding streaming content package. It's also a good deal cheaper, making the Sony quite an attractive alternative. 

Blacks & Whites


The Samsung UN46B8500 was one of 2009's best performers, producing incredibly deep blacks for an non-plasma TV. The peak brightness was also good, making for an excellent contrast ratio of 4605:1, far better than any of the TVs in this comparison pool.

 

Color Accuracy


Both the Sony KDL-40NX700 and the Samsung UN46B8500 were good performers in our color tests. They were both able to maintain a consistent color temperature. The Sony showed a slight edge in the RGB color tests, but it's a small lead. These are both very good televisions in this category. 

 

 

Motion


The spread between the scores here makes it a difficult call to say which is better. Overall, they're both excellent performers (we find ourselves saying that again and again). Neither is perfect, though. They both created some motion artifacts in our lab testing.

 

Viewing Effects


The Sony KDL-40NX700 and Samsung UN46B8500 both have a wide angle of approximately 40 degrees in total (about 20 degrees from center on either side). This is not great, but they're LCD TVs. If you want a good wide angle, get a plasma display. 

 

Connectivity


The Samsung UN55B8500 and Sony KDL-40NX700 are both very slim televisions (the Samsung more so, we think) and therefore limit themselves from having too many bulky ports. As a result, they're light on legacy ports, but both have four HDMIs, USB, and ethernet. Sony has the advantage of built-in WiFi, as well as three analog audio inputs. 

**
**

Conclusion

 

 

 

 

Series Comparison

NX700 Series


The Sony KDL-xxNX700 has just two models in it, a 40-inch and a 46-inch. They are identical in all other regards.

Meet the tester

David Kender

David Kender

Editor in Chief

@davekender

David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.

See all of David Kender'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