Sony BRAVIA V5100 Series

The BRAVIA V5100 Series is Sony's mid-range line of HDTVs that feature a native resolution of 1080p, with a 120Hz refresh rate introduced in 2009. This line is the successor to the 2008 V-Series, the V4100s, and feature an upgraded image processing engine - BRAVIA Engine 2 - and are the step-up from the 2009 S Series (S5100s) with the addition of the 120Hz refresh rate. Other minor improvements over the previous year's model includes better digital media support through the USB port, including video playback, and the addition of BRAVIA Link for Bravia modules. This line features many similarities performance-wise to the new 2009 VE5 "eco" line of HDTVs from Sony, where the VE5s consume 40% less power. The step-up line is the Z-Series and XBR9 Series of HDTVs which upgrade the 120Hz refresh rate to 240Hz.

Where to Buy

Sony BRAVIA V5100 Series
MSRP $1,500 - $2,300
Release date March, 2009
Brand Sony
love it
want it
have it
tag it
Pros & Cons4
Reviews2
Details
Buy It26
Competitors4
Comments1
twitter

Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
2 reviews
83
negative
mixed
positive
2 positive
0 mixed
0 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
1080p, 120Hz
+2agreedisagree

dynamic backlight
+2agreedisagree

improved digital media support (through USB)
+1agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
Xross media bar, DMex, Interactive Programming Guide all seem to be removed in the 2009 V model's.
+1agreedisagree


2 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!

Details

Specifications

  • 1080p native resolution
  • Motionflow 120Hz technology
  • dynamic backlight
  • BRAVIA Engine 2
  • BRAVIA Sync, BRAVIA Link
  • 24p True Cinema
  • Spring 2009 release date
  • Inputs: 4xHDMI, VGA, Component, USB

Common to V5100 and VE5

Motionflow 120Hz - this technology means the TV can refresh the display at a faster frame rate than the standard 60Hz of non-120Hz TVs. Sony claims that this technology allows for improved image quality in fast motion scenes such as video games, action movies or sports. The Motionflow technology refers to motion adaptian algorithms that analyze the scenes being displayed and automatically creates artificial frames between the ones that actually exist. Most TVs that have 120Hz refresh rates also have this kind of motion adaptation and results in what many people call "The Soap Opera Effect".

Common to S5100 and up

Light sensor with dynamic backlight - a sensor inside the TV is able to detect the amount of ambient light in the room and adjust the backlight accordingly. So when the room is bright the TV will become brighter, and vice versa in a darker room.

USB port - plug in a Universal Mass Storage Device into this port and the television can display the photos or music contained inside. The higher end sets can also play digital media files that are stored on the USB stick.

Common to all 2009 Sony's

BRAVIA Engine - This is Sony's image processing engine that handles the incoming video signals and processes them to modify and enhance the picture. This processing attempts to adjust colors, define lines, and in general improve the look of the TV. The 2008 entry-level televisions contained the first generation BRAVIA Engine, while the BE2 was limited to the high end sets. For 2009 the entry-level gets the BE2, while the high-end sets use BRAVIA Engine 3.

BRAVIA Link - This is Sony's proprietary interface port where people can attach specific BRAVIA accessories to enhance the capabilities of the television such as the Sony Internet Link Module, or Sony Wireless Module. Again, this BRAVIA link was limited to the mid and high-end range Sony lines in 2008, but is now available on the entry level 2009 line. The 2009 high-end sets retain the BRAVIA Link, but also have the specific Internet Module integrated into the television itself.

24p True Cinema - This is Sony's marketing name for technology that lets the TV accept 24Hz signals, which is the native framerate of film movies. You also need the source video to be sent at 24 frames per second which is a feature of most modern Blu-Ray players. It is unknown if this line of TVs does a conversion of the 24FPS content to the more standard 30Hz, or retains the content's original framerate.

Models

There aren't any external resources listed here yet.

Submit a link

This report was started January 14, 2009 at 3:23 pm by Omar
with the last edit occurring July 19, 2009 at 11:16 pm by ralli
This page has been viewed 8718 times, with 37 edits by 4 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Sony BRAVIA KDL-52V5100

• Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-52V5100 52-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black

UPC: 705105039312

EAN: 027242752948

MPN: KDL-52V5100

Sony BRAVIA KDL-40V5100

• Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-40V5100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

• BRAVIA KDL-40V5100 40" LCD TV

UPC: 027242752962

EAN: 027242752962

MPN: KDL-40V5100

Sony BRAVIA KDL-46V5100

• Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-46V5100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black

• BRAVIA KDL-46V5100 46" LCD TV

UPC: 027242752955

EAN: 027242752955

MPN: KDL-46V5100

Competitors

Sony BRAVIA V5100 Series is ranked 2nd among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Televisions »

Suggest a new competitor to add to the list of competing products.
If the product hasn't yet been added to ProductWiki, submitting it here will also start the product report.

Comments

1.  avatar Michael Laferriere said:

Love the quality, would prefer that salespeople and the literature on Sonystyle was more up to date and mentioned year to year changes. If they remove features to 'save production costs' or whatever they might want to mention this instead of allowing someone to spend two grand, mount a nice TV on the wall and then get 'surprised.' Still a great TV and a great deal!
May 31, 2009 9:26pm
Some HTML is allowed. Your comments remain editable after you post..

Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Michael Laferriere

avatar
May 31, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
2 pros
1 con

Pros

  • 1080p, 120Hz
  • dynamic backlight

Cons

  • Xross media bar, DMex, Interactive Programming Guide all seem to be removed in the 2009 V model's.

Comments

"Love the quality, would prefer that salespeople and the literature on Sonystyle was more up to date and mentioned year to year changes. If they remove features to 'save production costs' or whatever they might want to mention this instead of allowing someone to spend two grand, mount a nice TV on the wall and then get 'surprised.' Still a great TV and a great deal!"
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Yale

avatar
February 3, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • 1080p, 120Hz
  • dynamic backlight
  • improved digital media support (through USB)

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Twitter

- join or start the conversation

... Loading for latest tweets from search.twitter.com..

tweetie

Price comparison information by:

This product is also known as:

V, 5100, V5100