Sony KDL-40V2500 40" Bravia V-Series 1080p LCD HDTV

What a quality product Sony has offered ! Wow !

When I got into the market for HDTV, Sony + LCD was my obvious choice due to best quality experience I have noticed. I found KDL-40V2500 right for me on the aspect of size, price and technology.

With free shipping, the TV arrived in my town in just 3-4 days but it wasn't estimated to be delivered for next 6 days. I called EGL (www eaglegl com/) and they chose to deliver in just 2 days. TV came with antenna cable (you might not need it), VGA cable, remote control and batteries for remote.

Here are the list of devices I connected to give you idea what I used and what I could have used to get better quality images. FYI, I used quick-reference guide (came with the TV) to connect these devices.

DVD player: I have a very basic DVD player from cyber home. I have connected it at Video-3 using 'composite' cable. Used few DVDs and quality is AMAZING and couldn't ask for better. One can use better cable to connect. There are 5 ways to connect DVD player with your TV and here are those in the decreasing order of quality: 1) HDMI, 2) fiber optic cable, 3) Component cable, 4) S video cable, 5) composite cable.

I have used lowest quality 'composite' cable and I don't see any reason to upgrade. One can purchase 'HD upconvertible' DVD player which could give better picture even with low resolution DVDs. Blue ray player (hopefully more economical) are on the way which gives the best result.

VHS player: I have 6 years old Panasonic VHS player. I connect it to TV using 'composite' cable. As VHS player takes analog signal there is nothing much one can do. Picture quality is moderate but can't expect DVD quality here.

HOMETHEATER: I connected home theater at TV's Audio-out port using composite cable (just red and white pins) and it is using all of the 5 speakers and giving me sound sound.

LAPTOP: I have connected my laptop to TV using VGA cable I got with the TV. Set my laptop to have extended display of TV and all set to enjoy You Tube. I am thinking of getting 10ft SVGA as free cable is just 3-4 feet long.

ANTENNA: As I wasn't planning to take cable for a while, I bought Terk HDTV antenna (model: HDTVa) from amazon for 35$. Changed TV setting to search 'antenna' instead of 'cable' and it found 6 digital channels in my town (Austin, TX). You can find available digital channels in your area using www(dot)antennaweb(dot)org/aw/Address(dot)aspx. The HDTV digital channel quality was so amazing I found my money worth here. I felt like characters will come out of the TV. It was so awesome that no word can replace the experience.

Amazon offers best bang for the buck ---no-tax, free shipping and proven track record. I saved nearly 500-600$ by not purchasing from local store. Amazon provides 30 days post-sell price guarantee (which I used) and decent 7 days return policy. I got 1 years warranty from Sony and as I paid via Amex credit card so I am getting additional 1 year warranty, making it total 2 years.

I would strongly recommend this 'awesome' TV. Picture is so crisp that I fall in love with it in just 2 days. Best part is the free HDTV channels quality.