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When we last spoke, I said I was planning to get a Samsung LE40A656 television set. It seemed a viable alternative to a Sony Bravia.

Well, upon hitting the store, it quickly became apparent that Sony’s prices are still mostly justified. The Samsung looks and feels plasticky, and let’s face it, the red glow isn’t as stylish as it is tacky. So, new plan.

Sony KDL-40W4000 LCD TV

Sony’s KDL-40W4000—displayed above—was just the ticket. If the picture doesn’t convince you, let me tell you here and now: it’s a piece of art. I picked one up last Saturday and so far, I’ve been admiring my crisp 40″ panel whenever I had the chance.

Sure enough, with a decent Bravia, the amazing picture quality is a given. But the KDL-40W4000 is just what I’ve come to expect from Sony: a solid, easy-to-use, feature-rich, and beautiful piece of electronics. Moreover, with its successor the KDL-40W4500 already on the shelves, but adding little to the package, the 4000 is a bargain—especially if you do some haggling and get a 15% discount.

I could go on about how amazing the KDL-40W4000 is, but let me just point you to HDTVtest’s review instead. Both in-depth and fair, it should convince anyone looking into buying a decently-sized TV set.

As announced, I also got the Popcorn Hour A-110 networked media tank. In an upcoming blog post, I’ll tell you why it’s a great device.