Sony KDL-50EX645

When choosing an HDTV, picture quality is the most important factor, and an excess of features can't make up for a screen that's not up to snuff. Sony's EX645 series of LED-lit LCD HDTVs offer up integrated Wi-Fi and plenty of online functions, but the 50-inch KDL-50EX645 ($999 direct)?we tested suffered from some color issues and subpar black levels. Better, less-expensive options with higher picture quality abound.?

Design
The bezel is slightly rounded and nubbly, a change from the typically flat and glossy frames on Sony HDTVs. A row of physical controls sit on the right side of the screen, behind the bezel. On the back of the HDTV, an HDMI port, two USB ports, and composite video inputs face left for easy access, while three additional HDMI ports, component video inputs, and an Ethernet port face the back where they're slightly more difficult to reach. At 2.5 inches deep and 43.2 pounds, it's slightly bulky, but the set is able to be mounted on a wall.

The 7.8-inch remote is long and slim, with a comfortable, easy-to-find central navigation pad surrounded by useful buttons. The remote isn't backlit, so the distinctive pad is useful when you want to navigate menus blindly. Dedicated Sony Entertainment Network and Home buttons load most features on the HDTV, and Netflix and Internet Apps buttons below them offer even more direct access to online services.

Online Services
The 50EX640 can access a wide variety of online services through its built-in Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet connection. The SEN (Sony Entertainment Network) button on the remote offers fast access to Sony's well-stocked movie and music libraries, and the Home menu includes services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video On Demand, and YouTube. You also get a Web browser, but like with most HDTVs, ?it's a mild inconvenience to navigate the Web with the bundled remote control.

Performance
We test HDTVs with DisplayMate test patterns, SpectraCal's CalMAN software, and a Konica-Minolta CS-200 Chroma Meter. After basic brightness and contrast calibrations, the 50EX645 displayed mediocre black levels and slightly skewed colors. I measured a peak brightness of 256.20 cd/m² (candelas per square meter)^?and a black level of 0.10 cd/m², for an underwhelming contrast ratio of 2,560:1. Mediocre black levels are typical for budget HDTVs, but the similarly priced 60-inch Vizio E601I-A3 offers a black level of 0.05 cd/m² with the same brightness for double the contrast ratio.

Color accuracy is a mixed bag, as seen in the CIE color comparison chart below. Blues and reds are fairly close to ideal, but green is slightly cold, while flat white is slightly warm, producing some inaccurate flesh tones. This is problematic, because the 50EX645 lacks the advanced color controls found in most Samsung and LG HDTVs, like the LG 42CS560, so you can't tweak the individual channels to fix the problems.

The middling contrast ratio and disappointing black levels hurt its picture when watching very bright scenes, which don't "pop," and very dark scenes, which tend to consume shadow detail. I watched Piranha on Blu-ray, and the murky underwater shots swallowed fine details. The skewed colors threw off the bright party scenes on the lake, with the cooler greens causing the already relatively cool, slightly overcast shots to look like they were shot under fluorescent lights. Flesh tones seemed pale, and only the slightly warm flat white kept the picture from appearing completely off.

This set is a bit of a power hog for an LED-backlit HDTV. With no energy saving features enabled, it consumes 106 watts under average viewing conditions. With Energy Saving set to Low, which slightly dims the picture, that number drops to 92 watts. The picture dims too much at the highest Energy Saving setting to be comfortably watchable. This is disappointing compared with the 42-inch LG 42CS560, which consumes 80 watts with energy saving set to a level that keeps the screen suitably bright.?Worth noting: If you want to listen to music or dialog on the 50EX645?without the picture you can switch the display off while keeping sound on. The screen is best viewed at Low energy saving setting or with no power saving features, though. It still consumes less power than the Editors' Choice Samsung PN51E490B4F plasma screen and the larger LED-backlit Vizio E601I-A3, which respectively eat 150 and 118 watts.

The Sony EX645 series of HDTVs offer plenty of online options and a relatively attractive design for a decent price, but disappointing picture quality keep it from earning our recommendation. For about $300 less, you can get the Editors' Choice 3D-capable Samsung PN51E490B4F, which offers bundled 3D glasses, superior color, and better picture quality despite its limited 720p resolution. Vizio's E601I-A3, while not 3D-enabled, offers a comprehensive feature set, more accurate colors, and a bigger screen for the same $1,000.?

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