Designed for the topmost spot in Sony’s 2011 HDTV lineup, the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 surely exudes state-of-the-art sophistication and quiet Monolithic elegance. However, this high-end television is certainly not just about looks, as it also gives solid video performance as well as great picture quality, albeit at a hefty price.
Design
Sporting the brand’s Monolithic styling that consists of a single-pane black glass with medium-sized but barely noticeable bezels that are unadorned except for the Sony decal and metallic edges, the solid-looking
Sony BRAVIA XBR55HX929
yet slim panel is easily one of the best designed HDTVs for this year. Perched on top of a low-rise swivel stalk with a thin metallic base, the XBR-55HX929 truly exudes class all over without even trying. Sony has so far not taken the road of smartphone-type remote controllers, opting instead to redesign and enhance its reliable clicker. Button are now more logically sized and arranged in the concave-shaped wand, with the keys set flushed on the remote and emitting a soft click each time a key is pressed. The infrared remote’s redesign coincides with the ditching of the Playstation XMB-inspired menu system – now replaced with a webpage-like interface featuring a main selection bar at the bottom, a TV inset on top and additional display on the right-hand side for sub-options and menu explanations.
Screen/Picture Clarity
Exhibiting the darkest blacks and sharpest contrast seen in both plasma and LCD HDTVs this year, the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 delivers unparalleled realism and images with a pop, thanks mainly to the full array local dimming mechanism that allows the LED backlighting to be dimmed or brightened as needed onscreen. This mechanism results in deep blacks without compromising shadow details and near black areas, renders fairly accurate colors with good saturation, and minimizes blooming effects. The TV also has excellent off-angle fidelity and screen uniformity, but filters out reflections poorly even with the darkened screen. Equipped with 240 Hz. refresh rate and dejudder controls, the XBR-55HX929 handled full 1080p/24 materials quite well, with the motion smoothened out just a bit to retain the characteristic judder and correct cadence of films. The TV also resolved every line of 1,920×1,080-pixel-resolution PC output, but it failed to correctly deinterlace 1080i film sources, often resulting in artifacts. On 3D, the Bravia XBR-55HX929 delivered punchy images with depth and texture, but Sony surprisingly does not include free glasses even with its priciest 3DTV.
Features
Sony may not have a streamlined apps portal unlike its competitors, but the brand nonetheless promises endless entertainment from its vast online resources – from streaming content standards like Netflix, Youtube and Hulu, to exclusives like Qriocity and FrameChannel. It also has a browser for updating Facebook and Twitter, and a unique sensor that automatically controls the TV according to various scenarios. Getting online is never a problem with the XBR-55HX929 as it has built-in WiFi and an Ethernet port. Other connectivity options include two USB ports, four HDMI slots, one each composite/component video inputs and a VGA-style port. With its unflinchingly expensive asking price, it may be difficult for the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 to attract buyers except for those loyal to the brand. Still, wealthy consumers intent on having plasma-quality HDTVs may do well to check out and consider buying this Bravia. It definitely is worth its price.
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