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Jun 19, 2024

Sony XBR

Sony's X800D line of 4K televisions is affordably priced, especially considering it features Android TV connectivity and supports high dynamic range (HDR) content. The 49-inch XBR-49X800D is a

Sony's X800D line of 4K televisions is affordably priced, especially considering it features Android TV connectivity and supports high dynamic range (HDR) content. The 49-inch XBR-49X800D is a reasonable $749.99, making it appealing on paper for anyone looking to upgrade to 4K HDR. Unfortunately, its very poor contrast and black levels prevent us from recommending it, especially when there are so many compelling alternatives in the same price range like the LeEco Super4 X55 ( at Amazon) and TCL 50UP130 ($624.99 at Tiger Direct) .

The X800D ($798.00 at Amazon) is framed by a flat black bezel just a third of an inch on the sides and top, and half an inch on the bottom, with a metallic Sony logo in the middle. A thin line of chrome runs along the sides, adding a small design flourish that won't catch the glare of lights in the room. The TV sits on a U-shaped silver plastic frame that holds it steady.

Three HDMI ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, an Ethernet port, an antenna/cable connector, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 3.5mm analog video input (for use with the included composite adapter), and a 2.5mm infrared blaster port sit on the back of the X800D, facing left. A fourth HDMI port, a set of RCA composite video inputs, an optical audio output, and an RS-232C remote connector (for use with the included adapter) can be found facing back. Three buttons rest on the lower left corner of the back of the TV, controlling power, input, channel, and volume.

The remote is a button-filled rectangular black slab, and not particularly well designed. A large circular area in the middle denotes the direction buttons, but the buttons themselves are very tiny. Worse yet, they are very flat, which makes identifying them under the thumb difficult. It's laid out conventionally, at least, with a number pad above the direction arrows and playback controls below, but the button size and design makes the remote feel awkward and unresponsive. On the bright side, it has dedicated Google Play and Netflix buttons for jumping directly into those services.

Like all of Sony's recent connected TVs, the X800D uses Android TV as its smart platform. It's a functional, feature-filled system that includes Google Cast support, so you can use it just like you had a Google Chromecast ($33.95 at Walmart) plugged into the back. It offers a wide selection of apps and services, including many big names like Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, and YouTube. And you can mirror your Android smartphone or tablet screen directly to the TV. You can also access Sony's PlayStation Vue streaming live TV service.

We test TVs using a DVDO AVLab 4K test pattern generator, a Klein K-10A colorimeter, and SpectraCal's CalMAN 5 software using methodology based on Imaging Science Foundation's calibration techniques. The X800D displayed a modest 238.08cd/m2 peak brightness undercut by a poor 0.19cd/m2 black level. That's the brightest black level we've tested in a TV in years, washing out all blacks to gray as long as anything else is on the screen (even a completely dark screen shows a mediocre 0.05cd/m2). It means the X800D, which supports HDR signal, displays an effective contrast ratio of only 1,235:1.

Despite the substandard contrast ratio, the X800D is fairly impressive with color range. The above chart shows Rec. 709 color values as boxes and measured color values as dots. The X800D can reach significantly beyond the standard color gamut for both green and red. Whites, cyans, and blues are all fairly accurate, but yellows and magentas lean heavily toward red.

The 50-inch Vizio M50-D1 ($430.00 at Amazon) reaches a much brighter 406.7cd/m2 and displays an 0.01cd/m2 black level for an excellent 40,670:1 contrast ratio, though its colors aren't as impressive. The 55-inch LeEco Super4 X55 splits the difference with a 0.07cd/m2 black level and a 4,938:1 contrast ratio and fantastic color range.

Deadpool on Ultra HD Blu-ray shows the X800D's wide color gamut effectively. The red of Deadpool's costume stands out vividly without looking cartoonish or oversaturated, and colors appear natural in most lighting conditions. While scenes with dark lighting have balanced colors, the poor contrast of the TV means patterns disappear in shadow. In one of the early scenes where Wade delivers a message to a client, out of costume, the plaid of his coat completely disappears into a muddy shade of brownish-gray.

The strength in color and weakness in contrast is also apparent when viewing Watchmen on Ultra HD Blu-ray. The bright yellow of the opening credits and the Comedian's pin both stand out, but the poor black levels mean any details that aren't directly lit simply disappear. Hair, fabric, even the contours of a bottle of whisky fade away in the movie's dark scenes.

Input lag is the amount of time between when a television receives a signal and the display updates. In Cinema Pro picture mode, the X800D shows an input lag of 47.9 milliseconds. Game picture mode cuts this down to 31.3 milliseconds. Both are solid numbers for a 4K television; if you want better input lag, the Vizio M55-D0 shows just 18.2 milliseconds in Game mode. But Game mode for both televisions notably skews color accuracy compared with their Cinema modes.

Under normal viewing conditions, the 49X800D consumes 89 watts. This is in line with most other 4K televisions in this size range. The 55-inch LeEco Super4 X55 consumes 115 watts in its normal viewing mode.

Sony's X800D series of 4K TVs sound promising on paper, but disappoint in real-world performance. While they're reasonably priced and offer excellent color and Android TV features, the extremely poor contrast and black levels can't be overlooked. Add to that an awkward-feeling, unresponsive remote, and you have a TV that simply doesn't provide a good viewing experience. For the price, the LeEco Super4 X55 and TCL 50UP130 are better choices.

Sony's X800D series of 4K televisions offers a wide color gamut and Android TV, but its black levels might as well be grays.

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