0308WHC17 sony KE-42MR1

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Sony KE-42MR1 7,000

Red Dragon

A toothless performance
Unfortunately, all the fancy design and features in the world can't stop the KE-42MR1 from being an average performer. For instance, while it still fares much better than previous Sony plasmas in the contrast department, some of the very dark scenes in Red Dragon such as Ed Norton's night-time exploration of the Leeds family's home look a bit grey and short of depth and background detail. The worst offender, though, is picture noise present in a number of forms. When things move, they do so to the accompaniment of a trail of glowing pixels, while dark areas of the picture also tend to be afflicted by glowing grey or green pixels. There's also quite a bit of digitisation caused by the TV's digital processing, and some sources, especially analogue broadcasts, look very grainy. However, the picture can look lovely when the source material is seriously good. Feeding Red Dragon into the TV from a progressive scan DVD player via the component video feed elicited some damn good picture results, oozing fine detail and solidity. But fed anything less, from any of the scart inputs, the Sony suffers a severe attack of visual indigestion. Not all of Red Dragon's considerable audio thrills are delivered either. Sound is compressed and short of bass, becoming harsh when turned up even slightly. This lack of sonic breathing space stops you jumping as much at sudden shock moments like when Fiennes suddenly looms beside the movie's ill-fated reporter to deliver his special kiss. Ultimately then, the KE-42MR1 is a case of style over substance. Perhaps this wouldn't be so hard to live with if it didn't also happen to cost a good 3-4K more than many of its rivals, when sold at full manufacturer price. Further Info
Call or visit www.sony.co.uk

Visitor for Mr Lecter

As Will Graham visits Hannibal Lecter there is exceptional detail in the cell block's stone walls

The teeth have it

As Fiennes looms over the reporter the Sony fails to deliver a sudden burst of sound with any conviction

Good points

A sumptuous design, abundance of connections and lovely operating system

Bad points

The picture and sound performance doesn't live up to the front-end magic

Overall

Great design, but when it comes to performance Sony is still playing catch-up with its rivals. And its expensive!

Ratings

Style Ease of use Features Picture Sound Value Overall

5555555666

What Home Cinema August 2003

42in Plasma TVs/Screens

ow. Never before has a slice of home cinema elicited such slavering looks of tech-lust in the WHC office. Sony's KE-42MR1 is simply stunning. If the psycho in our test movie, Red Dragon, had something half as beautiful as this in his life he'd surely have felt no need to go round tattooing William Blake paintings on his back and killing folk! The trick is the stunningly thin, transparent glass frame that the KE-42MR1 uses to hold the screen. It creates the illusion that the screen is floating in mid air, and is just a couple of millimetres thick. Trust us when we say it's an illusion even David Copperfield would be proud of. Moreover, the awesome level of front-end presentation even extends to the slick remote control and wonderfully inviting, hi-res onscreen menu system. The KE-42MR1 isn't just a pretty face, however. This is very much a plasma television rather than simply a plasma monitor. It comes with built-in stereo speakers and a separate and stylish (though not matching) external Media Box, complete with a TV tuner and all the sockets that you will need. These include four Scarts two of which are RGB component video inputs, a MemoryStick slot for viewing digital photos and a PC jack. The Sony is pretty well-specified on the features front, too. For starters, there is Media Reality a Sony-developed signal processing system that makes plasma pictures look more realistically and vibrantly coloured. There are also multiple
levels of noise reduction, colour correction to conquer plasma's traditional favouring of green, gamma correction and a contrast booster.

Test Scenes

0307HCC23 Sony Plasma P

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PlasmaTV
SONY KE-42MR1 N 7,995 (APPROX) N www.sony.co.uk N 1999
The floating image is a winning design feature

Beauty is skin deep

ITS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT FOR SONYS KE-42MR1 AND OUR OWN ALI UPHAM. BUT WHEN THE FIRST FLUSH OF PASSION FADES.
This slim remote is made of contoured aluminium
ony has always been very serious about TV, from time-honoured Trinitrons to the
as the nifty design adds quite a few inches. Firstly, the screen is mounted within a black border, giving a dynamic frame for its images. Then theres the floating glass-frame illusion and, finally, speakers mounted either side of the screen. To say this TV has a commanding presence is something of an understatement. The screen itself is fed directly by the tuner box, which sports all the source inputs. Four Scarts (three of which are RGB-capable) take care of most standard sources. Two of the Scart connections are also smart-link capable. There is also a component connection for optimum video performance. If you factor in the PC link, an additional input at the front and the rather handy memory-stick slot through which you can enjoy digital snaps and movie clips, pretty much all bases have been covered. This box is smartly designed, with a silver finish that matches the designer screen. At this point the remote zapper also deserves a mention. This type of remote accompanies Sonys entire floating range and it too is very stylish. Perfectly designed to sit comfortably in the hand, it has enough weight to really feel like it controls an 8,000 TV.

LAB REPORT

Colour separation: Very crisp edges around bright reds Convergence: Excellent Geometry: Perfect shape Frequency response: Excellent, with detail up to 5.8MHz
grandest Wegas, it always strives to add something special in terms of style and panache. Its approach to plasma is no different. Sonys new Media Reality range is a series of flat screens that use a rather intriguing clear glass mount, giving the impression that the TV is floating in mid-air. And it really does work. The first TV of its kind to do this was the 30in KLV-30MR1 LCD display, which recently picked up a Best of Year award nomination. So thats something to go on.

COUP DE FOUDRE

The outboard TV tuner even has a memory-stick slot
Here, we see a larger screen employing different technology. But fundamentally, the KE-42MR1 sports exactly the same design. And, my word, what a design! Personally, I dislike the use of the word sexy when describing technology, but those that do can expect a turn-on when they turn on. This wonderful screen leaps into action and you suddenly feel that you have been transported into the future. The Sony insignia at the bottom of the screen lights up and has an almost three-dimensional feel, while the LED indicators seem to float in the middle of the glass border, adding another touch of tantalising tech.

HCC Practical Tip

Theres no doubt that the KE-42MR1 is one of the most stunning plasma TVs money can buy. But because of its unique floating design and built-in speakers this PDP is wider than most of its 42in rivals, measuring 1,352mm in width. And, if looking to purchase this svelte supermodel, its worth measuring the amount of space you have available to ensure theres enough room to accommodate this work of art.

HONEYMOON PERIOD

Although Sony itself doesnt make plasma panels, a good deal of Sony input
All your AV components can be channelled through the MRI box
Although this plasma measures up as a 42in screen, the size is very deceptive,
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J U LY

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Tried&Tested
This is unquestionably one of the most beautiful television you will ever see
has gone into the screen driver and electronics. This effort brings with it a variety of picture tweaks. And this XGA panel yields some excellent results. However, it isnt all good news. The KE-42MR1 was tested with a variety of sources to explore its real capabilities. Its relatively happy with digital TV sources like Sky and Freeview, although from the outset colour noise is an issue. Analogue tuner pictures are also prone to fizz. The KE-42MR1 fails to turn in a convincing performance, as it appears to struggle to find definition and detail. Another peculiarity of the set is memory effect. Its not unusual for plasmas to leave traces of logos or graphics onscreen for a short time. Although this isnt screenburn (the damage isnt permanent), when using digital electronic programme guides you will find yourself with an echo of what was once onscreen. On this model, it doesnt take long at all for this to develop. And it takes a bit too long to clear itself up for my liking. Its by no means a disaster, but it certainly became an irritation during the review period. Of course, plasmas come into their own with higher-quality source material, so I turned my attentions to DVD. Immediately, the Sony seemed more at home. One case in point was the gloriously extravagant Moulin Rouge. DVD playback impressed straight away. The rich tapestry of colour and black-andwhite footage is presented well. Blacks, too, are deep. There was a bit of colour smudging and that always-evident hint of noise, but DVD looked fine. To really stretch the screen though, you need to see how it reacts to highdefinition TV. Of course we dont have high-def in the UK at present, but that doesnt stop us running 1080I highdefinition test material into the set, courtesy of WV Tech Labs. Its here the screen looked its best. Colour reproduction and breadth was simply spectacular and there was massive depth and scale to the image. Skin tones and textures looked more than realistic but there was still noise to be seen.

Obviously a top-quality video source really brings out this TVs best performance by far. But is it worth the lions share of 8,000? Probably not. Given that Sony is positioning this set at the high end of the market it really should be able to stand up to serious scrutiny. The level of digital noise on this TV, even using our high-definition video source, borders on unacceptable. We also noted pixelation and colour banding, which although only slight, is still irksome.

RATINGS

Highs: Awesome design, and some satisfying pictures when using high quality source material Lows: Noise is present at every turn
Picture Sound Features Overall #### ###12 ##### ####

BREAKING UP

Sonically, the set is functional. (Obviously, in a home cinema setup, youd expect the screen to be partnered by other kit.) That said, the virtual surround mode is surprisingly good. This is unquestionably one of the most beautiful televisions you will ever see. Its styling surpasses everything else in the marketplace. However, the exuberant price tag can not be justified by physical beauty alone; there are too many shortcomings for it to be considered exceptional Sony will be introducing a 50in model in the Autumn, with the same floating screen styling. Lets hope that the the company can sort out some of the niggles that have prevented this pretty-boy from entering the plasma first division I

FEATURES

1024 x 768 resolution; 160 viewing angle; Dolby Virtual; BBE Dynamic sound; contrast boost; gamma adjust; colour tone adjust; colour correction; gamma correction; auto volume; multiple aspect ratios; smartlink; autotuning; teletext; Media Reality; PAL, SECAM, NTSC playback; HDTV compatible; progressive compatible Connections: 4 Scarts (3 RGB); component input; composite video input; S-Video input; DVI output; Centre channel spring clip input; RF input; control jack; subwoofer output; two sets of stereo audio input; stereo audio output; AV mouse jack; MemoryStick slot; headphone jack; PC audio input
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