Sony BRAVIA KDL-40HX723 Pro Reviews

A super-smart TV thanks to a wealth of video content and Sony frills – and it’s only let down by a lacklustre colour palette

It's expensive, but this is a fantastic LCD all-rounder that has all the features we would expect and excellent image quality


Overall, this 40-in set is as impressive as it is expensive. There are a few niggling caveats, but the Sony Bravia KDL-40HX723 offers a terrific HD performance, bright engaging 3D and a barrel load of IPTV.

The Sony KDL-40HX723 is priced alongside rivals such as the Panasonic TX-P42VT30 Plasma and Samsung’s UE40D8000 LED TV, and ultimately it does a good job in fighting its own corner. Although it doesn’t have the overall contrast performance of the Panasonic Plasma, or the advanced picture setup controls of the Samsung, the KDL40HX723 is the only 3D TV out of these three which manages to both reproduce all 1080 lines of the HD 3D image (the Panasonic 42VT30 doesn’t), and deliver judder-free motion at all times (that rules the Samsung D8000 out). The Sony KDL-40HX723 shares many of the same strengths as the considerably more expensive HX923 step-up model (advanced local dimming notwithstanding), but does so at a considerably reduced price point – although it’s still a 4-figure TV. As such, we definitely recommend it on the basis of its good image accuracy and ability to show any type of content without motion judder errors (something that some HDTV displays still struggle with). Only some good (rather than great) black levels and slight screen uniformity issues prevent us from Highly Recommending it.

While we wish Sony would support MKV media playback, we can’t complain about the audiovisual quality of this screen. Offering an admirable HD performance, active shutter 3D that doesn’t fatigue and a galaxy of IPTV, it’s the star turn in Sony’s current TV fleet. Beam us up one, Scotty.

Sony's recent good form continues and the KDL-40HX723 holds its own in a competitive market place, even if it is a bit pricey. The out-of-the-box performance is excellent and the 3D performance is much improved and whilst no TV is perfect, any issues we had were minor. Overall the 40HX723 is a fantastic all-round performer and we have no reservation in awarding a 'Recommended' badge.

The KDL-40HX723 marks a considerable and welcome return to form for Sony, firmly putting to bed any thoughts that the brand might have forgotten how to do 3D well. It's a very polished and enjoyable 2D performer, too, and sets new standards when it comes to presenting low-quality sources such as compressed internet video feeds. Add in comprehensive multimedia and online source support, and the KDL-40HX723 amply justifies its slightly intimidating price tag.

Well would you believe it, Sony can produce a good 3D picture after all. In fact, the quality of the 40HX723’s 3D pictures make the problems with the EX723 range look even more like some kind of manufacturing flaw. The 40HX723 is also an excellent 2D performer, so by the time you’ve added in its BIV online features and multimedia support, you’ve got a very distinguished TV indeed that’s the perfect response to the woes of the EX723 series. Throwing in some 3D glasses and/or a wi-fi dongle might have made the 40HX723’s price a bit easier to swallow, but if you can afford it, the 40HX723 definitely won’t let you down.