Sony Bravia 55-inch KDL-55HX853 3D LCD TV Review

Features

rating: 4.5

The KDL-55HX853 really is a behemoth. Size wise alone it easily eclipses most of the TV€™s you€™ll see in standard living rooms the world over. Should you have this beast in your living room to greet your guests as they enter your abode, you€™ll likely find yourself at the centre of a web of envy. It might be a deadly sin, but those who find themselves lucky enough to own this mammoth piece of kit will inspire it in their friends anyway and in spades. This might lead you to believe that the new 55€ Bravia is too big. It€™s a valid concern. After all, owning a TV of such epic proportions can create its own set of problems, i.e €œwhere the hell do I put it?€ While these aren€™t problems I can solve in a review (it really is a huge TV; it€™s up to you to decide whether or not you can accommodate it) the good news is that this new Bravia boasts a rather spatially economic design; the unit itself is unbelievably slim and it€™ll slot onto a wall mounting as neatly an unobtrusively as a framed painting might. So there may be a size issue upon opening the box, but thanks to clever engineering on behalf of Sony, there€™s also an immediate solution. In the box you€™ll also find a rather handy base on which you can stand your new TV, should the wall mounting option be out of the question. It€™s brushed aluminium, which is aesthetically pleasing in stark contrast with the black TV. It€™s pretty to look at but it also serves a function; the stand doubles as the Bravia€™s primary speaker, provided you€™re not connecting an independent surround sound system. One thing that struck me with this TV, and the stand speaker reiterates this, is its versatility. The KDL-55HX853 also comes fully Sony Entertainment Network ready, allowing you to access movie trailers and apps like Netflix (no LOVEFILM unfortunately; Sony have an exclusive deal with Netflix).

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Contributor
Contributor

Stuart believes that the pen is mightier than the sword, but still he insists on using a keyboard.