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Midrange Sony LED LCD sips power, turns off automatically

Sony's midrange edge-lit LED-based LCD is nothing special from an image quality standpoint, but Internet video and eco fiends will find a lot to like.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
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David Katzmaier

The Sony KDL-EX700 series is one of the most energy efficient TVs we've ever tested. Sarah Tew/CNET

The Sony KDL-EX700 is the second edge-lit LED-based LCD we've tested from Sony this year, and readers of the review of the first, the KDL-NX800, will notice more similarities than differences. The price disparity--of $400 between the two series' 46-inch members--gets you improved styling, Wi-Fi networking, and a couple of other minor niceties on the NX800, but for some reason loses you the innovative "presence sensor." That feature turns the EX700's picture off automatically when you leave the room, and can really save power use if you're prone to leaving the TV on. Even ignoring the sensor, the EX700 sips as little power as any TV we've tested--although we expect other LED models to follow suit this year.

Careful comparison shoppers might be surprised to learn the two Sonys have nearly the same picture quality. The major performance-related difference is that the EX700 has a matte screen whereas the Monolithic exterior of the NX800 apparently calls for gloss--and in a bright room, we preferred the matte, as usual. The EX700's picture won't wow anybody looking for a home theater centerpiece, but this TV earns the practicality nod over its more-expensive brother for buyers who still want Internet video and superb energy efficiency.

Read the full review of the Sony KDL-EX700 series.

Sony KDL-EX700 series (photos)

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