Sony KDL-40EX724 review

Well specified and elegantly designed 40-inch TV, but a bit of a disaster

Sony KDL-40EX724
This HD TV is great with 2D material, but sadly it is shockingly bad with 3D

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Sony kdl-40ex724

As a feature-stacked mainstream TV, the 40-inch KDL-40EX724 delivers. Its internet connectivity is first rate and, thanks to a sensible integration of social media widgets for Facebook and Twitter, it edges ahead of its net connected competition.

There's also much to commend its picture performance – at least when viewed flat. Unfortunately, a worst-in-class 3D turn rather blots its copy book. Let's hope that this inability to deliver convincing 3D is restricted to Sony's EX range and doesn't extend further up the brand's TV hierarchy. Remember, should you want to use them, Sony's Active Shutter 3D glasses are an additional (and expensive) extra.

We liked

Sony's new look user interface is a pleasure to use, the Bravia Internet Video IPTV portal is impressive and the 2D picture performance is excellent. The built-in Freeview HD tuner is a boon, meanwhile, as are the high motion resolution and low power consumption.

We disliked

The 3D performance is surprisingly poor, uncommitted media streaming support grates and the audio is lacklustre.

Final verdict

It doesn't really matter how much we laud Sony's 2011 facelift, nor praise the wealth of content available to watch on the Bravia Internet Video portal.

The KDL-40X724 is defined by its 3D performance, which is inexplicably poor. This is a set which is genuinely painful to watch when you put on 3D spex. And that's enough to guarantee two thumbs down.

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Steve May
Home entertainment AV specialist

Steve has been writing about AV and home cinema since the dawn of time, or more accurately, since the glory days of VHS and Betamax. He has strong opinions on the latest TV technology, Hi-Fi and Blu-ray/media players, and likes nothing better than to crank up his ludicrously powerful home theatre system to binge-watch TV shows.