Sony Bravia KDL-46NX723 review

Sony’s monolith design series TVs are easily some of the best looking we’ve seen all year, but the NX723 can be made even more attractive thanks to its matching sound bar that doubles as a stand (part code SU-46NX1, £200). If you’re after a different size, Sony also make 40in (KDL-40NX723) and 55in (KDL-55NX723) models, both of which are compatible with the speaker stand and are £800 and £2,100 respectively.

The TV’s lack of a speaker bezel makes it seem even larger than its 46in. When turned off, the edge-to-edge glass looks absolutely stunning. Switch it on, and there’s still only a minimal border, for the smallest possible distraction from the action on-screen.

Despite its incredibly thin profile, there are still plenty of ports on the back of the set – as well as four HDMI ports, there are also VGA, component, composite and SCART for video, and analogue RCA, digital optical and 3.5mm inputs for audio. A Common Interface slot will let you watch subscription TV services and the two USB ports can be used for rudimentary PVR services or multimedia playback from a flash drive or external hard disk. We could play most of our test files, but DivX and XviD videos both refused to load. The NX723 also has you covered if you prefer to stream your multimedia files from a DLNA media server or PC – you can use the Ethernet port to run a cable from your router to the TV, or the inbuilt Wi-Fi adaptor for a wireless connection.

The Wi-Fi adaptor also lets you access Sony’s connected TV services. We’ve come to expect a comprehensive internet TV system from Sony, but the NX723 doesn’t disappoint. There’s catch-up TV from BBC iPlayer and Demand Five, movie rentals from LoveFilm and Sony’s own Video Unlimited service, social networking widgets and even a functional web browser – it doesn’t support Flash so you can’t use websites such as 4OD, but it’s still a useful way to check your email if a PC isn’t to hand.

If you prefer live television, you’ll be pleased to hear the NX723 handles both standard definition and HD footage very well. Noise and compression artefacts were kept to a minimum and we could still spot facial detail on low-bandwidth channels such as BBC News. In high definition, images looked incredibly sharp and colours were vibrant at the default settings. Black levels were also very good, with minimal bleed from the edge-lit LEDs, although very dark images still looked grey in places.

For 3D, Sony’s TVs all use active shutter glasses and the NX723 is no exception, but because none are included, you’ll have to buy them separately for around £50 each from www.amazon.co.uk. Depth effects were very convincing in our tests, but we still experienced some screen dimming, a side effect of the 3D glasses technology. We prefer passive 3D for its more vibrant colours, even if passive sets have a lower resolution when viewing 3D due to interlacing.

As we expected, the external speaker stand was on a whole other level compared to the integrated speakers found on most TVs. Four internal speakers produce a clear mid-range and crisp, precise highs, while the tiny subwoofer at the back can create surprisingly powerful bass. If space is limited, there are few compact speaker systems that can compete with the SU-46NX1 speaker bar. However, if you’re spending over £1,000 on a TV, we would expect you’ll also want to connect it to a surround sound system.

If you’re after a living-room centrepiece, there are very few TVs that can compete with the NX723 – it looks even better when combined with its speaker stand, and the non-existent screen bezel and vibrant LED picture quality will certainly make it stand out in any room. However, the speaker can’t match the sound quality of a 5.1 system, particularly in films, so you could save yourself several hundred pounds by opting for a plasma TV such as the Panasonic Viera TX-P46GT30B and a separate set of speakers; Panasonic’s TV may not look as sleek but has the edge for image quality.