One word describes this TV. INCREDIBLE!!!!!

My wife and I recently decided to get rid of our old boob tube with the fuzzy picture and get a new television. We researched new plasma and lcd tv's for weeks before heading over to our local Sears store to check out their inventory. We started out with the cheapest tv's there and weren't impressed with the picture quality at all. However, the lcd's did have a better picture than plasmas. Then we came across the Sony Bravia KDL-40S3000 and were instantly hooked.

I could not believe how much detail I could see in the picture. I was able to see individual strands of hair on the head of an actor on the screen. After talking to the salesperson for 15 minutes we purchased the tv and went home with it that night.

One would think a tv this size would weigh a lot but, it doesn't. I think it only weighs 40 something pounds. I put both of my hands on top of the tv after it was out of the box and was able to pick it straight up to my chin and hold it for awhile. We installed it on a wall bracket which we also bought at Sears however, it looks just as good on the stand it comes with.

Installation didn't take very long at all. Maybe 15 minutes and that includes taking my time going through every page of the manual. Once we got everything set up and going we flipped through the channels and couldn't believe the difference between this tv and our old one. The picture is so crisp and clear it's almost like your on the set of your favorite show. And that wasn't even on an HD channel. I can't even begin to explain to you how good high definition is on the Sony Bravia so I won't try. You will just have to go to the store and see it for yourself. You just won't believe it. You don't need HD to appreciate the quality of the picture on this tv but, I can tell you now I will never go back to analog again if that tells you anything. The only negative thing I found with this tv is extremely black scenes in movies or commercials tend to cast shadows. That worried me at first but, it's not too often that scenes that black comes on tv so it's not a hindrance.

Ok, now for the technical stuff. The Sony Bravia has 1080i format and is capable of 16:9 aspect ration. It can be switched to 4:3 aspect ration but, the picture isn't nearly as good. The Bravia has more than enough inputs for the average person to utilize. Here are some of the inputs: Headphone jack, 4 video inputs, 2 HDMI inputs, PC input, component input, audio out, digital out, AC input and RF input.

The tv remote is simple and easier to use than any other I have ever had. To utilize any component you simply push one button and pick which one you want and that's it. Another cool button is the freeze frame which is self-explanatory. The picture button controls the colors and sets them to vivid, standard or cinema. I keep it on vivid all the time because it's the absolute best and brightest picture. The cinema is good for watching movies at night when all the lights are out because it's not so bright and won't hurt your eyes. The wide button controls the wide screen mode and scrolls through zoom, wide zoom and full. I have found that full gives the best picture in my opinion.

Some of the features of the Bravia include a clock/timer, picture adjustment, sound adjustment, screen adjustment, video options, audio options, closed captioning, parental lock and general support. Basically, a person could have a field day going through all the cool features and just play around with everything.

One piece of advice I can offer before installing the tv is to hook up all of your components before installing the tv on the bracket if you want to hang it on the wall. I say this because most of the inputs are on the back of the tv. Even on a bracket the inputs are inaccessible. It's not a big deal for me because I don't change my components that often. Otherwise, it's not a problem.