Color Chart Of Hot Steel

Sony KDL-40HX723 3D LED LCD TV Review

Sony recently delivered a sample of its 40-inch HX723 BRAVIA LED LCD TV for review, hot on the heels of the top-end HX923. A quick glance over the specs suggests that the HX723 features many of the favourable attributes of that flagship television, but at around half the price. Not surprisingly, this KDL-40HX723 lacks the LED local dimming function which made the 923 so unique (which should result in contrast performance that we more commonly associate with standard LED LCD TVs), and features the lower-specced Motionflow XR 400 rather than the top-end XR 800 (we’ll see how big the difference is during the review). Also, unlike the HX923 the Sony KDL40HX723 doesn’t ship with any Skype webcam/microphone unit nor 3D glasses in the box.

Jump To: Operation • Calibration • Picture Performance • Conclusion

Design is a very subjective thing, as is evidenced by the fact that we personally found the design of the Sony HX723 more appealing than the HX923. The reason? This cheaper LED TV includes a greyish, brushed steel finish below the LCD panel, which contrasts nicely with the black plastic that surround the other three edges (and surrounded the entire screen on the aforementioned higher-up model). It’s also worth mentioning that the LCD panel is “bare” on the KDL40HX723, rather than being covered in the sheet of “Gorilla Glass”, as on the 923.

The KDL-40HX723 fits easily to the supplied tabletop stand assembly, which is styled in black, with a brushed steel appearance.

Not surprisingly for a modern HDTV, the Sony KDL40HX723′s notable inputs include 4 HDMIs, the mandatory analogue Component input, an input to which SCART devices can be connected to with a break-out adapter cable, a feed for its Freeview HD tuner (which also accepts cable feeds, if you live in a country where your operator supports it), and a LAN input, which you’ll need to use in order to hook the TV up to the internet (unless you have a compatible USB Wireless accessory already).

Of mice and men

Three Cups of Tea

Elements of Style

The Grapes of Wrath

Guns, germs, and steel, the fates of human societies