TEST BENCH

With its Cinema preset selected, the KDL-52W5100 displayed an uneven grayscale that turned abruptly blue as the image got darker, reading +704 K at 30 IRE. After calibration, the set measured ±106 K from 40 to 100 IRE but ±327 K from 30 to 100 IRE - below average performance. Color primaries measured close to the SMPTE spec for red and blue, although green was slightly undersaturated. After adjustments, the color decoder measured -5% error for red and 0% for green and blue.

Overscan measured 3% in the Full mode. The Sony fully resolved 1080i/p and 720p HD signals via its HDMI or component-video inputs, though some mild noise was visible in test patterns via component video. Full-frame gray test patterns showed good picture uniformity across the screen. The semi-glossy screen surface was mostly effective at rejecting glare, and the Sony displayed a fairly wide viewing angle for an LCD. It passed the torture tests on the Silicon Optix HQV Blu-ray Disc but did a poor job with the jaggies and noise tests on the standard DVD version.