Do the models with integrated tuner output Dolby 5.1 or just plain Dolby Digital (stereo)? I could be wrong here, but I am sure that I have read somewhere that the integrated digital tuner models will only output Dolby Digital stereo.
If the models with integrated tuner do NOT output Dolby 5.1 there could be an advantage with purchasing an earlier set and seperate Freeview HD decoder. At least you will then have the option of 5.1 surround sound if you wish to take advantage of that.
DaveB: Do the models with integrated tuner output Dolby 5.1 or just plain Dolby Digital (stereo)? I could be wrong here, but I am sure that I have read somewhere that the integrated digital tuner models will only output Dolby Digital stereo.
If the models with integrated tuner do NOT output Dolby 5.1 there could be an advantage with purchasing an earlier?set and seperate Freeview HD decoder. At least you will then have the option of 5.1 surround sound if you wish to take advantage of that.
Cheers Dave B
46W4000 (probably 46W4500 too) has no 5.1 analog output, your only option is to use the optical output and a receiver to decode it.
Thought I'd let you know that the optical output on the 40W4000 only outputs surround sound when Freeview is the source, it won't output surround sound from your HDMI sources. I learned this the hard way today (and then confirmed it with Sony), after trying to get surround sound from an Xbox 360 or PS3 with no luck! The TV will only pass through stereo. I guess the only solution to that scenario is to get an optical audio switch and run extra cables (which I'd been hoping to avoid). The Sony chap confirmed that it will output surround sound from Freeview.
The only other problem I've had with the TV is when it first arrived it wouldn't play any sound from Freeview. Sony sent someone round to update the firmware and now the sound works.
Visually the TV is excellent! (although the sparkly blue finish is slightly gay, but now I'm being pedantic). I do recommend this model as long as the above surround sound issue doesn't bother you.
Thanks Rhinosaur for the info - the surround sound issue seems like a strange decision from Sony - I wonder if the w4500 suffers the same problem.
With the W4000 how do you find it for gaming? Is there any motion blur at all (in games or tv)? I have been looking at the 4500 becuase of the 100Mhz as well as it having a dedicated game mode.
I've only used the Xbox 360 for games; the PS3 just exists at the moment, I'm hoping to utilize it as a PVR with PlayTV when it comes out. I'm very impressed by how the 360 games look! Keep in mind that this is the first decent TV I've had so I'm really not the best judge of picture quality. I haven't been able to detect any ghosting. I could definately see a big difference in quality between this and the more expensive TVs in the shop, but they were close to twice the price. There was nothing around the same price that looked better (to my eyes). I also considered the W4500 but couldn't justify the difference in price in the end. I hadn't heard of the dedicated game mode though?
Yep, the surround sound issue is a big issue for me that I wish I'd known about, but I'll be able to work around it. Something about not being powerful enough to process incoming 5.1 channels and spit it back out again. Perhaps someone that knows a bit more about the insides could comment on whether it's likely to be a firmware fix, or if it's a hardware limitation?
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