freesat HD, and audio
Ostensibly based on the W5500 that's been around for at least six months, the W5810's claim to fame, insofar as Sony is concerned, lies with freesat HD - the free-to-air digital satellite service. Panasonic was the first company to integrate a freesat receiver, followed by LG and Sony.
Freesat HD tuning
The 40W5810's freesat HD, provided by a built-in DVB-S2 tuner, is a doddle to setup. Choose 'satellite', enter your postcode, and away it goes. The scanning found the complete gamut of 147 free-to-air audio and video channels, including BBC HD.
Freesat HD channels
Picture quality on BBC HD isn't quite as crisp as via the Sky HD box, sure, but is more than acceptable when sitting back on the sofa. The only other high-definition channel ITV HD is a red-button service. Clearly Sky dominates freesat HD as provider of high-definition content, but remember, the latter is completely free. What's more, freesat means you'll be able to watch next year's World Cup in HD for no extra outlay.
There's no built-in storage to pause or record programs, as found on a dedicated box, and the 40W5810's £799 etail price is around £100 higher than the freesat HD-less 40W5500. Interestingly enough, that's a little more than how much a standalone freesat HD box costs.
Audio
With little to complain about in terms of visual performance, the set's audio comes under the spotlight. The front-mounted speakers, rated to a combined 20W RMS, manage to hit a decent volume but are limited with respect to bass and, at the top end of the scale, clarity. Described as average at best, Sony should have done a better job in this department, especially as last year's model sounds a little better.
The 40W5810 does have an optical output to ferry sound out to a proper amplifier, as well as a couple of ports for pushing out pre-amplified sound. Any serious movie/cinema buff probably will have invested in dedicated audio hardware, though.