Buying a new flat screen television is about as complicated as choosing a new car off the lot. There are so many choices, with subtle differences that make choosing without the help of a trained salesperson difficult. But for me, the Sony Bravia edges out the Samsung competition when it comes to overall features.
I like Samsung products. They are reliable and well-built. But, for flat screen televisions, I think the Sony Bravia beats the competition. It is a bit pricey, starting at $2,695, but the Bravia is worth it. The LED-LCD screen gives amazing visual display performance. It is 3-D compatible and honestly has a pretty good 3-G display for home use. But without the 3-D glasses (not currently offered by Sony), it can appear distorted at times. It looks fantastic if you are sitting directly across from the screen, but from either side it can appear noticeably distorted.
With complete internet accessibility, the Bravia can easily connect with Netflix, Facebook and other internet applications. Menu options were a bit confusing, but after a few minutes they all seem to make sense. The factory-installed WiFi makes for great connectivity to a home internet connection. Connections for DVR and BluRay are clearly marked and accessible.
The Bravia has an easy-to-maintain Gorilla glass exterior and is not overly heavy. The solid black trim surrounding the display screen shows fingerprints and dust fairly easy, so maintenance and cleaning are important considerations. It can be wall-mounted or sit on an adjustable stand, but the glass does reflect sunshine with a challenging eye burn. An anti-glare covering is available, although I could not find a custom-sized one for this screen.
I compared the Sony Bravia 55″ to Samsung televisions of similar dimension and, for the money, the Sony Bravia competed well. Samsung models offered a slightly better “wet” color display, but not significantly so. The Bravia is not available in larger sizes yet, so for jumbo displays Samsung and Panasonic models would prevail.
Personal preferences aside, it is an overall quality device at an affordable – yet slightly high – price.