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To hit a lower price point for the KDL-40R450, Sony opted to employ a Direct LED backlight technology instead of LED edge lighting, which is becoming more common.

One advantage of placing the LEDs along the edge of the screen is that TVs can be thinner than when LEDs are located behind the panel. Though the difference in depth is often less than an inch.

More importantly, the difference in picture quality between edge-lit (non-local dimming) and direct lit TVs is often negligible, which is the case with this Sony.

When a program faded to black I did notice a bit of blooming on the upper left corner of the screen, which was never obvious during normal viewing.

Overall, the picture quality was good and often it was damn good. It did have a tendency to creep towards a reddish tinge, but rarely.

The Sony KDL-40R450 cannot compete with local dimming LED backlit TVs or plasmas, but it really is not trying to.

The heavyweight volume output from the pair of 8W speakers built into this featherweight Sony KDL-40R450 was impressive. Though not surprisingly, the sound was brassy without bass support from a subwoofer. A more robust sound bar with subwoofer would be a great addition to this TV.

The Direct LED backlit Sony KDL-40R450 has no pretensions about being the centerpiece of a home theater, but this simple to use, non-Smart TV provides good picture quality and would be an excellent addition to your bedroom. Actually, at about 16 pounds, this 40-inch TV is light enough to tote from room to room.