The first of Sony's Z4500 series of televisions brings an update to its MotionFlow judder reduction system, which now runs at a blistering 200 Hz, compared to the previous record of MotionFlow 100 Hz found on the earlier W4500 model which we tested just last week.

We got our hands on the 40 inch version, but it's also available as a 46'' and a 52'' model.

Stylish Redesign

A matte Full HD LCD panel is encased in a frame which is a change in design from the earlier W series of TVs. 

Here, the frame seems to 'float' above the speakers and is only attached by a discreet piece of clear Plexiglas.

The whole thing is solidly placed on a rotating base.

Remote Control & Settings

Borrowing the best from several other models in Sony's range, the remote control has several excellent features, such as a subtle blue backlighting on the keys.

The Theater button which allows almost immediate access to Cinema mode, perfectly configured for a darkened room, makes a welcome return.

One irritating omission is the fact that switching to Cinema mode using the Theater key deactivates MotionFlow 200Hz, and it has to be manually switched back on again (even if you move to a different mode).

This problem is apparently caused by the fact that MotionFlow is controlled by the Function menu, and is not tied to one of the three modes available--Cinema, Standard or Intense.

Leaving the last of these three behind (it provokes too much distortion), the Option key allows you to change easily between Cinema and Standard modes, meaning you can leave the Theater key behind.

In common with Sony's other high-end TVs, the interface is controlled by the XrossMediaBar user interface first found on the Playstation 3.

Connectivity

The same inputs and outputs are available as on the W4500, with, amongst other things, three HDMI ports and the absence of a dedicated S-Video; to access this type of signal, you'll now need to go via the SCART connections.

Lab Tests

The results of our technical tests of the Z4500 were as excellent as we expected: it takes the already strong capabilities of the W4500 and ups the ante by increasing the power of MotionFlow to 200 Hz.

All of the scores speak for themselves: in Cinema mode, black fluctuates between 0.09 and 0.11 cd/m², giving a solid ANSI contrast score of 1570:1.

Colors are reproduced faithfully with an average deltaE reading of just 2.9 and a gamma curve of 2.18.

After taking it through its paces in our lab, we were keen to see how the Z4500 performed in practice

The Z4500: Just a shade better ...

And we weren't disappointed.

It's all there on the Z4500: contrast, good color handling …

One of the W4500's minor faults is also repeated--the jumpiness of scrolling subtitles--but it seems that this problem is unrelated to MotionFlow as it returned however the system was configured.

MotionFlow 200 Hz

So, is MotionFlow 200 Hz a big step forward?  Well, the difference is appreciable, if only slightly. 

There is no improvement in the fluidity in moving up 200 Hz because MotionFlow 100 Hz was already perfect, frankly.

Instead, the difference comes in the accuracy of moving objects, which are just a little sharper on the Z4500.

Having said that, the improvement in image quality from a TV with no MotionFlow to MotionFlow 100 Hz is far greater than that upgrading from MotionFlow 100 Hz to 200 Hz.

In practice, MotionFlow really comes into its own when watching fast-paced sports events.

It's also great for programs filmed in video mode--news reports, documentaries and so on.

Using it with movies is more a question of personal taste, with some people complain that it produces a 'video' effect, making movies look like TV.

Most people in the office felt that way, but to be fair to Sony, they have done their best to avoid this over-fluidity.

The MotionFlow algorithm considers the speed of moving objects to avoid the irritating problem of 'micro-acceleration' that is sometimes reported on competing systems.

Even if Sony thinks it should be turned off for Cinema mode, it's worth trying some DVDs with it on to see what you think.

One more thing ...

Fortunately, though, a 200 Hz MotionFlow, a backlit remote control and a new frame design aren't the only new things on the Z4500: Sony have also managed to improve the sound!

Audio quality on the W4500 was very weak due to the absence of a subwoofer.

This fault has been remedied on the Z4500, and even if the woofer included doesn't quite reach all of the frequencies that we'd expect from a top-of-the-range Home Cinema sound system, it's a lot closer to what we'd expect from this kind of TV.

Conclusion

All things considered, the Z4500 sails to a five-star rating.

Image handling, ergonomics, good default settings, pretty decent upscaling of SD sources and plenty of other little extras (MotionFlow 200 Hz, backlit remote control, better sound quality) trump the W4500.

All of this comes at a price, though, and the earlier model retains the crown of being the best value for money, even if its successor is ultimately a more impressive product.