Nowadays, many TV buyers are getting wise to the fact that features aren’t everything, and that a top-quality screen might just be the most desirable feature of an expensive LED TV. This is the market Sony is targeting with the 55-inch screen KDL-55HX850 and its 46-inch sibling, the KDL-46HX850, which is identical in most other respects.
Pros:
- Sony’s KDL-HX850 unquestionably offers great image quality, at least for a TV based on LCD technology. Blacks are very deep, and there’s an abundance of shadow detail, which is sadly not the case with many competing products.
- Uniformity is always an issue with LCD TVs but the KDL-HX850 does better than most.
- Sony has wisely endowed the KDL-HX850 with a screen made of super-tough Gorilla Glass, which makes for great durability and style.
Cons:
- The KDL-HX850 costs a packet and will not suit anybody on a tight budget. Furthermore, the same, admittedly good screen quality can be obtained at a lower price point if buyers plump for a plasma.
- Color accuracy “out of the box” was a tad too blue.
In-details Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 Review
Design
Sony TVs were at one time marketed using the catchword “Monolithic”. This referred to the fact that the TVs were made from just one large chunk of glass. The buzzwords may be different these days but the HX850 follows its predecessors by employing Gorilla Glass in the manufacture of the set’s screen, so buyers can relax in the knowledge that the screen won’t shatter easily.
Running right around the edge of the screen is a narrow ring of aluminum, which serves no practical purpose but acts as an enhancement to the look of the product.
The KDL-55HX850 has a stand that resembles a crucible with a stem that’s curved in shape. As an alternative to the basic stand supplied, buyers, have the option of spending an additional $180 on a more luxurious desktop stand.
Product features
Some TV manufacturers these days try to grab sales by cramming more and more features into their products. However, Sony is resisting the urge to follow the trend. It seems Sony would prefer the public to buy its products on the basis of the quality of the screens rather than on the numbers of bells and whistles stuffed into the product.
In the case of the KDL-55HX850, buyers will notice the addition of SEN (Sony Entertainment Network). This interface is awarded a special button on the product’s remote control. SEN may be described as an aggregator that aims to combine multiple types of entertainment (music, movies, and apps) under one menu. Incidentally, the same content can be accessed using the Xross Media Bar.
Sony’s KDL-55HX850 is based around an LCD panel that features LED edge backlighting, also incorporating local dimming. This is a more basic version of the system employed on the top-end HX929 model.
To combat judder, Sony uses a proprietary system called MotionFlow. On the KDL-55HX850, the rate gets doubled from the 480 Hz rate found on previous models to 960 Hz. MotionFlow combines a fast screen refresh rate with backlight scanning in order to enhance the viewing experience.
Another so-called enhancement feature is Impulse mode. This is designed to make the viewing experience more like that in a movie theater, by introducing an artificial flicker that aims to replicate the effect of an old-fashioned cinema projector. This feature is not recommended.
Consumers should take note that the HX850 and its sibling do not offer support for full HD 3D. That means you cannot use the 3D glasses supplied by other manufacturers like Panasonic or Samsung. Instead, seeing content in 3D will require the purchase of a pair of Sony-made spectacles, which will necessitate a further fifty-dollar expense on top of the price of the TV.
As previously mentioned, SEN is the content hub at the heart of the KDL-55HX850. In essence, it’s like any store found online. Users can download content from a range of affiliated services such as Netflix and Hulu. This can lead to confusion because it is also possible to get Netflix content from the actual button labeled Netflix on the television remote control.
Users who want more apps than the selection supplied as standard with the KDL-55HX850 can get them using XMB. In actual fact, this TV supports the majority of today’s popular apps, although one omission is Vudu.
Picture settings
It is fair to say that Sony’s TVs enjoy a reputation for offering the highest accuracy of color “out of the box” of any manufacturer. Furthermore, the options for making adjustments are considerable on the KDL-55HX850. Many users will be happy to go with the default settings, or perhaps to enable the “Cinema” scene-setting; however, those who love to fiddle with settings can get their teeth into grayscale adjustment (two-point), altering gamma, plus choosing between two different settings for local dimming.
Connectivity
The KDL-55HX850 has two USB connectors and four HDMI. There’s also a component/composite analog input and a VGA input to enable the product to function as a PC monitor. The KDL-55HX850 also has Ethernet and wireless capability.
Picture quality
Although the technology utilized in the KDL-55HX850 will never match what plasma has to offer, this set does very well as regards picture quality. In all fairness, it has about the same quality as the HX929, even though the latter was a much more costly model. It was particularly pleasing how impressive the KDL-55HX850’s black levels proved to be. The same goes for color accuracy.
Furthermore, anybody who uses the KDL-55HX850 to view compressed content from the web will find the onboard X-Reality Pro setting goes a long way towards cleaning up the digitized look of such video footage.
Black levels
Blacks on the KDL-55HX850 were deep, and excellent shadow detail was evident. Furthermore, the provided local dimming works nicely. The bottom line, of course, is that this level of performance is easily bettered by plasma TVs, but nevertheless, it is excellent for an LCD TV.
Accuracy of color
Although the settings “out of the box” looked a trifle cold, the standard of color accuracy was impressive. Users can always employ the onboard adjustment settings to warm up colors and get the TV looking just the way they like it.
Video processing
Sony is undoubtedly a leader in this kind of tech, and the supplied X-Reality Pro does a pretty good job of reining in judder and other unwanted video artifacts. When the KDL-55HX850 was used to play full 24p content, the absence of judder and moiré lines was impressive.
Uniformity
The KDL-55HX850 features a sophisticated local-dimming algorithm, which means the TV can pinpoint dark/light areas and also so-called spotlighting. Generally speaking, issues with aberrant backlighting were pleasingly absent.
Furthermore, off-axis performance was good. It was noticeable that blacks did not turn to purple quite as readily as is the case with some competing LCD sets. Naturally, the best viewing experience will be obtained by sitting directly in front of the screen, but this is true for LCD TV across the board.
Bright lighting
Reflections can sometimes be seen in the screen of the KDL-55HX850 but this is not a disaster. The issue can be minimized if users make sure that the set is positioned somewhere where a window is not directly opposite.
3D
The KDL-55HX850 provides a better 3D performance than many competing models. Of course, the technology has not been perfected yet so users will no doubt see a few artifacts, but this is unavoidable. Nevertheless, the KDL-55HX850 does a lot better than most.
Related: Sony BRAVIA XBR46HX929 1080p 3D Local-Dimming LED HDTV with Built-In Wi-Fi
Conclusion
Although the price tag is enough to make most buyers’ eyes water, Sony’s KDL-HX850 has a lot going for it. The screen is one of the best you’ll find on an LCD TV, and while the product as a whole is a little light on features there’s enough there to keep most people happy, especially those who value the low “footprint” of flat-panel TVs as compared with bulky plasma sets.