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Sony’s 2021 TV lineup runs Google TV and fully embraces HDMI 2.1

Sony TVs are never cheap, but they'll definitely be less expensive than Samsung's Mini LED TVs.

Sony's TVs this year will live or die on how good the panels + new XR processor is and if it really improves the IQ. And they'll all have good build quality and HDMI 2.1.
This is true, Sony makes quality televisions, but it's disappointing that Sony doesn't have mini-LED tech this year. I've seen what's been leaked from TCL and it's far, far ahead of Sony.
 

kyliethicc

Member
I don't think the chipset for the 85 and 80 is correct here, most sites are reporting its the X1 (Prob 2020 one), not the X-Reality Pro.

Regardless, this worries me tbh, why haven't they pushed the X1 Extreme and X1 Ultimate down the lineup to make the low end models in 2021 look as good as top models from only a year or two ago? Not in terms HW factor like the backlight or panel ofc, but the software presentation.

I could see how its to make the new stuff look better, but it also makes me think the new XR chip might be a downgrade from the X1 Ultimate, the "2020 X1" and now this feels like some general downgrading going on possibly.

Otherwise its that the 80 and 85 series have the same processing as the 90 from last year but all models above that jump up to something better than X1U, so an X90J has the same software presentation as the flagship OLED? I guess they could also just be calling them all XR but they are actually (more) different across models now.
Well in the USA last year, Sony did not offer an X850H (X85J equivalent.) I think I can see what Sony is planning to do with their 2021 lineup.

They are not offering the X95J below 65". But they are offering more models below that and at smaller sizes. Look at the 2020 and 2021 lineup for 4K LCDs at 49-65" sizes. (Of course we don't have 2021 prices yet.)

It seems obvious Sony want to raise the price of X95J and X90J and slot the X85J in below, because it will have HDMI 2.1 and the same X1 chip as the X900H has. And likely similar IQ except no local dimming.

The X900H was $1000 for 55". I bet the X85J will be the same price and size, while Sony can then raise the price of the X90J 55" to $1200 and then only sell the X95J at 65" and larger for like $1600+.

It sucks but they are gonna either 1) charge a premium for their new TVs with the XR chip, OR 2) cut prices on models without it.
 
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Bo_Hazem

Banned
why a good news? because i said that sony tv are pricey? i don't care if i have to pay more for a better tv.

No, mate. Watch the Panasonic video coming with HDMI 2.1 and low input lag. You said you are more interested in Panasonic, right?
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
No, mate. Watch the Panasonic video coming with HDMI 2.1 and low input lag. You said you are more interested in Panasonic, right?
I'm more interested in the better tv overall.
and you said that sony beated panasonic in color accuracy out of the box (the reason why i chose panaonic in 2018) in the later years so i don't really have a reason to prefer panasonic over sony if not for the price.

i'm gonna watch reviews and feedbacks for both but like i said in the edit of my previous post, maybe i'm gonna wait another year to change tv.
 
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dolabla

Member
Whenever people couldn't afford the 90-series/FALD I'd always try to convince them to get the 85 series in 43" instead of 55" to get that sweet VA panel. The highlight brightness and black level didn't compare but the shadow detail on it was so much closer to the 90 (in any size) than the other sizes of the 85 series. So I pitched it as a good compromise.

Downside was worse viewing angles, but the viewing angle on Sony VAs smashes Samsung in the low/mid end as well for some reason (I thought Sony used Samsung VA panels so much be some other reason do to with the stack maybe), I would show people the 43" Samsungs from a 30 degree angle and they'd ask if I "changed the settings" (Since I was a Sony guy) or if it was broken lol. I had 5+ customers tell me they returned Samsung 7470s, they thought it was faulty because the picture was so shite off axis.
I know what you're talking about. The Q60 I tried out did have worse viewing angles than my Sony. The overall picture was just washed out looking. I was not impressed at all. I haven't tried all budget sets of course, but I seriously think the 43" X800D may be one of the best budget sets ever created.
 

kyliethicc

Member
This is true, Sony makes quality televisions, but it's disappointing that Sony doesn't have mini-LED tech this year. I've seen what's been leaked from TCL and it's far, far ahead of Sony.
I agree that Mini-LED is the future, very exciting. But Sony had catching up to do. If they had added Mini-LED and HDMI 2.1 and the XR chip, I bet the prices would have been too high for most buyers.

I'm just glad they're offering a wide lineup of HDMI 2.1 TVs that are great for PS5. And hopefully at reasonable prices.
 

Kuranghi

Member
Well in the USA last year, Sony did not offer an X850H (X85J equivalent.) I think I can see what Sony is planning to do with their 2021 lineup.

They are not offering the X95J below 65". But they are offering more models below that and at smaller sizes. Look at the 2020 and 2021 lineup for 4K LCDs at 49-65" sizes. (Of course we don't have 2021 prices yet.)

It seems obvious Sony want to raise the price of X95J and X90J and slot the X85J in below, because it will have HDMI 2.1 and the same X1 chip as the X900H has. And likely similar IQ except no local dimming.

The X900H was $1000 for 55". I bet the X85J will be the same price and size, while Sony can then raise the price of the X90J 55" to $1200 and then only sell the X95J at 65" and larger for like $1600+.

I just need to see that the XR in the X90J is at least good as the X1 Extreme was and I'll be happy with it, I don't like this all or nothing mindset with the new chips, subpar (X1, compared to the old X1 and X1 extreme) or the best (XR) it was a clearer difference in the sets when it was X1 > X1 Extreme > X1 Ultimate.
 

ethomaz

Banned
nOKoJuw.jpg
Are there a spec sheet for the OLED models?
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Sony failed me once again. Still no all-in-one solution to fight CX48 as a PC monitor/console gaming device.

If LG will not announce new 48" Flat screens I would flip my shit ☠☠☠

Overall, can't see Sony paying nVidia for G-Sync. Maybe the free version of Freesync, but not Freesync Premium. Could be in the future? And is VRR bad for PC gaming?
 

Kuranghi

Member
This is true, Sony makes quality televisions, but it's disappointing that Sony doesn't have mini-LED tech this year. I've seen what's been leaked from TCL and it's far, far ahead of Sony.

On paper yeah, but so was the X10 and that turned out to have worse blooming and overall image quality than the 480-zoned 65" Q90R, even though the X10 had "1000s" of miniLED zones. Sony have relegated their super-high end LCD to the 8K model now, they consider it pointless when 4K OLED is so cheap now, which is sad for me as a ZD9 owner.

Its understandable though since the 65" ZD9 was fucking 4 grand in 2016 and a year later the 65" A1 OLED came out at around 5 grand. There seems to be no market for super high end 4K LCDs anymore, in terms of dimming, this 2021 TCL set will be similar to 4K Samsungs from 2018/19 at best imo.
 

kyliethicc

Member
I just need to see that the XR in the X90J is at least good as the X1 Extreme was and I'll be happy with it, I don't like this all or nothing mindset with the new chips, subpar (X1, compared to the old X1 and X1 extreme) or the best (XR) it was a clearer difference in the sets when it was X1 > X1 Extreme > X1 Ultimate.
Makes sense. Hopefully all TVs with the XR chip have noticeably better image quality. If so, then the X90J will be a great buy.
 
I agree that Mini-LED is the future, very exciting. But Sony had catching up to do. If they had added Mini-LED and HDMI 2.1 and the XR chip, I bet the prices would have been too high for most buyers.

I'm just glad they're offering a wide lineup of HDMI 2.1 TVs that are great for PS5. And hopefully at reasonable prices.
Sony may just be holding out for QD-OLED or QNED tech in the future. In the meantime they will make as much profit as possible with their current LCD tech. I'm sure they'll have more dimming zones this year but I guess we'll have to wait for reviews to find out. Something tells me it won't be that much of an increase. I've also heard that VRR will be made available in a future update for their new sets. Really, Sony? Again? Keep an eye out for what TCL will bring to the table.
 

Nester99

Member
Great news. My 3 year old 75’ 4K Samsung is starting to go already. Major bar distortion. Super annoying.

The secret was to not mention anything until my wife noticed... now that she has pointed it out, I must agree with her that it’s annoying and an upgrade is warranted!
 

kyliethicc

Member
Sony may just be holding out for QD-OLED or QNED tech in the future. In the meantime they will make as much profit as possible with their current LCD tech. I'm sure they'll have more dimming zones this year but I guess we'll have to wait for reviews to find out. Something tells me it won't be that much of an increase. I've also heard that VRR will be made available in a future update for their new sets. Really, Sony? Again? Keep an eye out for what TCL will bring to the table.
I think they clearly want to sell lots of OLEDs, but for non-OLEDs they'll have to move over to Mini-LED eventually.
 
On paper yeah, but so was the X10 and that turned out to have worse blooming and overall image quality than the 480-zoned 65" Q90R, even though the X10 had "1000s" of miniLED zones. Sony have relegated their super-high end LCD to the 8K model now, they consider it pointless when 4K OLED is so cheap now, which is sad for me as a ZD9 owner.

Its understandable though since the 65" ZD9 was fucking 4 grand in 2016 and a year later the 65" A1 OLED came out at around 5 grand. There seems to be no market for super high end 4K LCDs anymore, in terms of dimming, this 2021 TCL set will be similar to 4K Samsungs from 2018/19 at best imo.
Like I said in a previous post, I think Sony is holding out for QD-OLED and QNED. They will milk their LCD lineup for as much profit as possible and at some point possibly even move on from that tech entirely. Sony wants to maintain a high-end electronics position in the market and that may mean dropping LCD.

TCL never ended up releasing their Vidrian tech last year. I expect thousands of dimming zones in their high-end sets this year. They may have not released their 8 series last year but they clearly continued development from what I've seen in some leaks. Looking forward to the 11th.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Whatever the reason is, no way in hell I’d buy a low dimming zone count set when everybody else has taken the leap. TCL already using it for a year - in a budget set.

Last time I checked the X900H with only 32 zones had better performance than Q90T which is way more expensive with way more dimming zones (480!!!):




The end result is what matters, and TCL miniLED is hot garbage at the moment with very bad processing and crushing details.

As an x900h owner, the picture quality is already amazing. If they are making it look even better then it should be an automatic buy. Go with a bigger size. Bigger than 65 inch. My 75 inch was incredible in my small gaming room.

Also bought an lg cx oled and i swear i can't tell the difference. I definitely notice the smaller 65 inch size though. It's no longer overwhelming.

My next tv is going to be either the 83 inch model or that 100 inch. Size does matter. Don't fall for the fancy in store oled demos. Most movies and games don't use those fancy blacks.

Biggest benefit of oled is that you won't notice black bars in movies anymore. The screen goes pitch black and in a dark room it looks like your tv is displaying a full screen image. It's crazy. The viewing angle is pretty nuts too. I can literally be standing right next to it and watching it from the size and the picture quality never degrades. I mean i would never really stand there and watch tv from that angle but the tech is insane.

But that 75 inch screen man. My god.i miss it so much. Put it in the living room after i bought the oled and its just not the same in a bigger room. You should be sitting like 5 feet away from the tv. 7 max. If the 100 inch is around $2k next black Friday I'm buying.

Yeah those 85" X900H got pretty popular. And with only 32 dimming zones Sony is really doing some Voodoo shit with how close to OLED it is!

I might settle to 65-75" unless I have enough cash to get the biggest one! And yes I would rather have the biggest if I can later this year. But for the US market it's only 85" for X95J (not X90J which is 75" max now). But for people wanting a smaller screen the X90J comes in 50" as well. Bigger sizes aren't shown in the official website yet, but I think they'll be added later as many report that X92J with 100" (HDTVtest).
 
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Nester99

Member
I already have an HDMI 2.1 TV now. Samsung Q80T. Is Sony that far behind?

120hz and HDR 10+ /w QLED.


Last years Sony x900h had a lot of the 2.1 features but had a few issues.(no vrr, said to be coming in a firmware firmware update.)

You may find this interesting

 
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Nester99

Member
Last time I checked the X900H with only 32 zones had better performance than Q90T which is way more expensive with way more dimming zones (480!!!):




The end result is what matters, and TCL miniLED is hot garbage at the moment with very bad processing and crushing details.


QT80 does a bit better than the x900h for gaming



QT90 is not worth the extra costs over the 80 imo
 

BlackM1st

Banned
Overall, can't see Sony paying nVidia for G-Sync. Maybe the free version of Freesync, but not Freesync Premium. Could be in the future? And is VRR bad for PC gaming?
It's not "bad".

But imagine buying a 2k Nvidia card and having no native gsync out of the box in your 2021 2k tv :(

I love Sony and I genuinely hate everything about LG(just look at their remotes lol), but even I can't justify buying Sony's TV as a PC monitor replacement.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
QT80 does a bit better than the x900h for gaming



QT90 is not worth the extra costs over the 80 imo

I respect rtings but from actual game mode displayed on Vincent's video and even other modes it's pretty visible. Q90T has extreme blooming even with those 480 local dimming vs only 32 on X900H which is pretty insane. Watch at around ~4:00.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
It's not "bad".

But imagine buying a 2k Nvidia card and having no native gsync out of the box in your 2021 2k tv :(

I love Sony and I genuinely hate everything about LG(just look at their remotes lol), but even I can't justify buying Sony's TV as a PC monitor replacement.

Indeed. I personally can't tell if someone would be missing out, but it's always better to have the native features. I think Sony really needs to invest not just in that but also to make PC monitors. It's a great business.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
The price of the OLEDs isn’t gonna be pretty. You’ll need deep pockets to afford one before 2022.

Also, only the A90J seems to be made to accommodate a soundbar. What’s the deal with that X95J’s feet, lol.

You can change the feet I think 2 ways or 3 in all of the lineup. Watch the longer videos of each tv on Sony Europe youtube account.
 

Nester99

Member
I respect rtings but from actual game mode displayed on Vincent's video and even other modes it's pretty visible. Q90T has extreme blooming even with those 480 local dimming vs only 32 on X900H which is pretty insane. Watch at around ~4:00.

Wow that is really noticeable.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Wow that is really noticeable.

Yeah it's always better to see actual, real life tests. Nothing better than HDTVtest as well, Vincent is killing it.

I nearly bought X900H but the slightly blurry 4K@120Hz is a deal breaker to me. Now aiming for the bigger brother X95J instead or might gamble with those cooled OLED's (A90J or A80J) they can push peak brightness high enough without crazy shit trying to push back like in most OLED's.

Panasonic OLED is something to watch as well, they've managed 1000-nits last year and now adding HDMI 2.1 (no mention of 4K@120Hz though). Passively cooled OLED's are the best way to go OLED with less worries.
 

Kuranghi

Member
I respect rtings but from actual game mode displayed on Vincent's video and even other modes it's pretty visible. Q90T has extreme blooming even with those 480 local dimming vs only 32 on X900H which is pretty insane. Watch at around ~4:00.

Just FYI Bo, the 2019 Q90R had 240 zones in 55" and 480 in 65", the 2020 Q90T has 104 96 in 55" and I don't know how many in above that. So its amazing that the Sony smashes it with only 32 zones, but its 32 vs 104 96, not 32 vs. 480. That would be mental if true.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
Like I said in a previous post, I think Sony is holding out for QD-OLED and QNED. They will milk their LCD lineup for as much profit as possible and at some point possibly even move on from that tech entirely. Sony wants to maintain a high-end electronics position in the market and that may mean dropping LCD.

TCL never ended up releasing their Vidrian tech last year. I expect thousands of dimming zones in their high-end sets this year. They may have not released their 8 series last year but they clearly continued development from what I've seen in some leaks. Looking forward to the 11th.

Definitely, didn't mean to sound so combative in my post btw, sorry about that. I'm looking forward to the 11th as well.

Bo_Hazem Bo_Hazem How about we do a CES watch party on http://cytu.be? I already have a channel set up we can use. It syncs a youtube or google drive video for everyone so we all see it at the same time and if we have to pause or go back it will sync that for everyone too.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
Wow that is really noticeable.

Rtings is a great guide for numbers but they are a bit shit on subjective stuff and their weighting is confusing sometimes imo, I'd always cross reference that with a tech enthusiast you trust who is actually looking at the sets side by side and telling you what they see.

For instance, they say a TV with a faster response time is better because it causes less smearing/blur during high contrast movement, which is great for =>60hz gaming and any-hz sports but I also watch movies on my TV so I don't want something thats so fast it makes 24hz content look like stuttery shit without motion interpolation, because I am loathe to use that even on a Sony due to being really sensitive to motion artifacts.

Not some submental who has them side by side in a youtube video and says "look you can see how much better this one is!" Those people are fucking idiots. Vincent Teoh says 800x per video not to judge it based on the video but you'll still see 100 comments saying "He lies, the blooming is definitely worse on the left one".
 
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I'm more interested in the better tv overall.
and you said that sony beated panasonic in color accuracy out of the box (the reason why i chose panaonic in 2018) in the later years so i don't really have a reason to prefer panasonic over sony if not for the price.

i'm gonna watch reviews and feedbacks for both but like i said in the edit of my previous post, maybe i'm gonna wait another year to change tv.
Sony is very color accurate out of the box, but Panasonic is the king in that regard. If you can calibrate a Sony, it's even less of an issue.

Sony has better motion, and now that they are going to have the same brightness and Pan's custom heatsink on the high end oled this year I see no reason to go for Panasonic, unless out of the box color is the most important thing to someone. We'll have to see what the A9J oled costs.

Motion performance is extremely important, and not something you can fix yourself. Sony is in my opinion the overall best, comparing apples to apples i.e. oled vs. oled. If we're comparing the HZ2000 with its custom heatsink to the A8h, for a similar price, i'd have to choose the former ; it's just a higher end display. But it was way more expensive and I can't buy it in the US.
 
Definitely, didn't mean to sound so combative in my post btw, sorry about that. I'm looking forward to the 11th as well.

Bo_Hazem Bo_Hazem How about we do a CES watch party on http://cytu.be? I already have a channel set up we can use. It syncs a youtube or google drive video for everyone so we all see it at the same time and if we have to pause or go back it will sync that for everyone too.
It's all good. I didn't interpret it as that. Anyway, I guess Panasonic has announced their new lineup and says they aim to have the lowest input lag in town. I suppose that may mean something to our European Gafers out there.
 

farmerboy

Member
I know what you're talking about. The Q60 I tried out did have worse viewing angles than my Sony. The overall picture was just washed out looking. I was not impressed at all. I haven't tried all budget sets of course, but I seriously think the 43" X800D may be one of the best budget sets ever created.

You know, my brother has a x800d and I think you're right. He views from a fair distance but even free to air broadcast looks great.
 

Fake

Member
Sony is very color accurate out of the box, but Panasonic is the king in that regard. If you can calibrate a Sony, it's even less of an issue.

Sony has better motion, and now that they are going to have the same brightness and Pan's custom heatsink on the high end oled this year I see no reason to go for Panasonic, unless out of the box color is the most important thing to someone. We'll have to see what the A9J oled costs.

Motion performance is extremely important, and not something you can fix yourself. Sony is in my opinion the overall best, comparing apples to apples i.e. oled vs. oled. If we're comparing the HZ2000 with its custom heatsink to the A8h, for a similar price, i'd have to choose the former ; it's just a higher end display. But it was way more expensive and I can't buy it in the US.

I never used Panasonic TV, so I can't say much about, but the reason Sony are so color accurate on their TV are the team behind Sony Cameras that are the top of the industry, maybe some co-op between both Sony Bravia staff and Sony Camera staff.

I follow Sony Camera on youtube for testing 4k videos.
 

ethomaz

Banned
I never used Panasonic TV, so I can't say much about, but the reason Sony are so color accurate on their TV are the team behind Sony Cameras that are the top of the industry, maybe some co-op between both Sony Bravia staff and Sony Camera staff.

I follow Sony Camera on youtube for testing 4k videos.
I used in the past a Viera PLASMA... it was really suck amazing TV in terms of image quality... probably one of the best at time.

Sadly Panasonic is not what used to be.

I always wanted to use a Pionner Kuro... it was well talked too.
 
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LOL, Sony's Bravia XR LCDs are trash compared to Neo QLED. The 65" doesn't have the anti-reflective coating that the bigger panels do... like wtf???
 

Shmunter

Member
I respect rtings but from actual game mode displayed on Vincent's video and even other modes it's pretty visible. Q90T has extreme blooming even with those 480 local dimming vs only 32 on X900H which is pretty insane. Watch at around ~4:00.
I can confirm firsthand. As owner of 75” 900e, I went to the 75” Q95T and returned it due to blooming, but primarily inverse ghosting. The TV is junk status in my mind.

The 3yo 900e is a superior set on balance, no 2 ways about it.

But imagine what Sony could achieve with hundreds of Zones. This is why 2021 is a write off for Sony when a generational leap is within grasp the following year.
 
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kyliethicc

Member
It's not "bad".

But imagine buying a 2k Nvidia card and having no native gsync out of the box in your 2021 2k tv :(

I love Sony and I genuinely hate everything about LG(just look at their remotes lol), but even I can't justify buying Sony's TV as a PC monitor replacement.
I don't blame you, makes sense. I don't think Sony really cares about those like you who want to use their TVs as monitors. They seem very focused on living room use like movies, shows, sports, and consoles.

Same with why Sony has not (and likely never will) added 1440p support to PS4 Pro and PS5.
 

Kuranghi

Member
LOL, Sony's Bravia XR LCDs are trash compared to Neo QLED. The 65" doesn't have the anti-reflective coating that the bigger panels do... like wtf???

chill calm down GIF


We literally haven't heard any IRL impressions of the new models yet from anyone, so maybe cool your jets *reads* BlitzerRadic, if that is your real name.
 

Kuranghi

Member
I can confirm firsthand. As owner of 75” 900e, I went to the 75” Q95T and returned it due to blooming, but primarily inverse ghosting. The TV is junk status in my mind.

The 3yo 900e is a superior set on balance, no 2 ways about it.

You should look for a 75X940E in your area, also from 2017, nice upgrade on what you have, better processor, also with a FALD but 256 zones instead of 32 so the contrast/blooming control upgrade would be insane.


edit - holy fuck I searched ebay uk for a laugh and found this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-KD-...648129?hash=item4dbaee19c1:g:8QoAAOSwndZf9Zvl - thats completely insane and worth it even with no warranty, this TV was freaking £4299 in June 2017 :messenger_grimmacing_

edit 2 - rtings rates it best motion (least "stutter" in this case) for 24hz movies of all LCDs made: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x940e
 
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Shmunter

Member
Yeah, I hear you, my guess is they’re trying to maximize margins this year until they release miniLED as a stop gap until microLED is ready.

I wish they had miniLED this year as I’m finally ready to buy a 4K tv since my current Panny is 10 years old. I real out need something for my PS5 and motion processing is critical for me.
I wouldn’t bother waiting for microled, that’s a far future tech for consumer products. I’d say a decade at least. It first needs to get much more dense to give at least 4k at reasonable sizes. It just doesn’t scale.
 
I wouldn’t bother waiting for microled, that’s a far future tech for consumer products. I’d say a decade at least. It first needs to get much more dense to give at least 4k at reasonable sizes. It just doesn’t scale.

I mean, I’ve been waiting for 10 years to buy a tv. Do I wait another in hopes of Sony releasing miniLED?
 
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SAMZ

Member
I've owned sony TV's all my life, very disappointed theres no mini led from Sony. Probably going to jump ship to LG. Going to feel strange using my PS5 with a non Sony TV.
 

FritzJ92

Member
The real purchase is do you prefer sony image processing or LG image processing... I prefer LG image processing, but I like Sonys motion handling... overall I'll stick with my C9 for the time being
 

iHaunter

Member
Last years Sony x900h had a lot of the 2.1 features but had a few issues.(no vrr, said to be coming in a firmware firmware update.)

You may find this interesting

Wow, so even the current-gen of Q80T still performs better overall. That's kinda sad. Sony used to be the king of TVs, I myself had a Bravia. But overall color/contrast is better on the Sony.

Oh well, still seems like a solid TV in any case.
 
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