- 16:9 Full HD 1080p Resolution Panel (1920×1080)
- BRAVIA Engine 3 fully digital video processor
- Motionflow 240Hz
- Live Color Creation technology w/ WCG-CCFL backlight
- USB to view photo/music/video
Experience powerful performance and superior design with the Sony BRAVIA XBR9 HDTV, featuring Motionflow 240Hz technology for maximum motion detail and clarity, plus broadband internet connectivity with built-in BRAVIA Internet Video1 capabilities that let you view select on-demand movies, TV shows, music and more, and even lets you personalize your entertainment experience by selecting and positioning widgets containing the latest news, weather, sports and more dir… More >>
Tags: 1080p, 52Inch, Black, Bravia, HDTV, KDL52XBR9, Series, Sony
This is a very impressive TV. It replaces a 34-inch Sony WEGA tube-based high-def television that I bought in 2003, and I have an XBR6 in another room.
Picture quality is very good. I’m not an expert and won’t quibble about technical details. All I know is that I can see the makeup that doesn’t completely cover the news anchor’s face, and I can examine his dental work. That’s probably more than I really need to see.
The picture seems to pop out into the room, and that effect is enhanced by the TV’s narrow frame. There’s a little bit of what I guess is called “mura” when there is no picture on the screen, but it’s hardly noticeable and vanishes completely when a picture appears, even if the picture doesn’t occupy the entire screen. Not an issue at all.
Sound quality is also very good. I use a separate speaker and amp system if I’m watching something where sound is especially important, but the built-in speakers here serve their purpose quite well and are amply adequate for routine use.
For me the most interesting thing is the ethernet connection, though this is not for browsing the ‘net. Sony is still in the process of updating its internet presentation, but I have used the TV to download high-definition movies from Amazon, and it worked very well. Some competition in that space would be useful. Why no NetFlix access? (8/4/09: After an automatic software update last night there’s a NetFlix logo and a message that NetFlix access will be available in the fall.)
With movies and TV programs available from Amazon and others, with the Bravia’s expanding internet access, and with local broadcast stations offering multiple digital channels with different content, this TV could compete with cable and DirecTV. DirecTV’s limited selection of pay per view movies just cannot compare to this. Also, the increasing capability for “a la carte” purchase of program episodes currently available only through DirecTV (or other cable or satellite providers) will reduce the value of my monthly subscription. Really has made me consider my DirecTV subscription.
The XBR9 can retrieve photographs (or music or movies) from my computer via my home ethernet network, or from a flash drive plugged into a USB port, so I’ll be able to make lots of people view my photographs and slide shows! (Of course, seeing your photos on this screen in superb color and detail will necessitate another visit to Amazon to upgrade your collection of photography paraphernalia.)
One little quibble: there’s a panel of switches located on the right side at exactly the position where I put my hand to move the TV on its mount (Amazon shows an image). Sure would have been thoughtful of Sony if they could have provided some kind of protective device to make it a little harder to accidentally flip one of those switches when I’m trying to adjust the position of the TV.
Finally, and this is important: I installed it using a Sanus wall mount Sanus Systems VMAA26B Universal Articulating Mount with Extended Reach for 30″ to 50″ Displays (Black). The TV has a lot of mass, and if the cables reach their limit while the TV is still moving, something has to give. So be careful to leave enough slack in the connecting cables to allow the TV to move freely throughout its range. That’s especially important with the coaxial antenna cable that screws into its connection and can’t merely be pulled out, but it seems possible that you could also damage other connectors, including the HDMI connections.
Rating: 5 / 5
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/ROMDGJDTFBXNG I hope you enjoy the review.
I wish I could show the TV’s image quality better, it is amazing.
Please provide feedback, I’d love to hear from you if you liked
the video or wanted to see something I may have missed.
Rating: 5 / 5
I bought the 52″ XBR9 based on rave reviews (both consumer and professional) but I am sadly disappointed in it.
The picture quality is as good as you’d expect for an HDTV these days but the black level and backlighting are a let down. It gets pretty dark but not as black as I expected from a Sony XBR in this price range. The back lighting is this TV’s major flaw though. It is VERY noticeable. You can always see the backlights shining down from the top two corners in any dark scene of a Blu-Ray movie or in the letterbox bars. The backlight is also very non-uniform. In any dark scene or during a black transition you can see splotches of light scattered across the screen. It becomes quite noticeable when the camera pans across a dark room and you see the backlight splotches staying in place as the image on the screen moves around.
I don’t want to sound too negative because I haven’t compared this TV to anything else this size so I don’t know if there is a better TV in this price range. And the XBR9 has a lot of cool features such as the internet widgets and the Digital TV Guide (which is great for people with basic cable like me because it is essentially like having a digital cable box with a guide and program information built in) NOTE: everthing about the image quality mentioned in this review was based off of viewing Blu-Rays or Xbox360 through HDMI input, not basic cable. The 240HZ MotionFlow produces incredibly smooth, life-like images that truly look real, though I prefer to leave it turned off and preserve the “film” look of movies.
The Sony XBR9 is a fine HDTV with nice features and good picture quality but I can’t help feeling a little disappointed with the black level and backlight performance.
Rating: 3 / 5
I replaced my 42″ XBR Plasma Wega with this new model and believe me when I say that I LOVED my Plasma but it cannot hold a candle to the new XBR 9. The picture quality from any source just looks great. From cable shows to movies played on my PS3 the images just pop out of the screen. I did have my doubts about how well the XBR 9 would handle the fast action of sports or fast moving images but its just truly amazing how crisp the action looks with none of the ’smear’ that I expected from a LCD TV. I read a previous review about how the Black was not Black enough, which I don’t understand, with all the options on preset and custom settings I’m sure you can manipulate the picture to your hearts content. And I see none of the ’splotches’ of lights in dark scenes or any other strange visual anomaly on my screen. Also this set has many input options, you’ll be hard pressed to use all the inputs on the TV, 4 of them are HDMI. If you’re looking to upgrade or get your first HD TV look no further – this is it. Well worth the price.
Just a quick note on the delivery — I ordered the TV on a Sunday night and by early Wednesday morning I was watching it.
Edit— After having the XBR9 for a couple of weeks I have noticed that there are some ’splotches’ of light on the corners after a couple of hours of viewing, its very soft but it is there. It’s only noticeable when the screen goes dark. It can be distracting to some but Im satisfied with the overall performance of the TV.
Rating: 5 / 5
I bought a LN52A750 for 1260, enjoyed the TV for two weeks and loved it. Two weeks later I found KDL52XBR9 was on sale for 1600; couldn’t refuse the deal and got it PMed in local BB.
Put them side by side and watched Land of Lost Blu-ray for the night. I found myself liked Sony better for the shadow details in my dark home theater setup. Here is my 2 cents:
1. Samsung has better black which leads to more 3-D pop looking. This means it has to sacrifice some shadow details to gain it, at least for the A750 model.
2. The default for both of these TVs is meant to be brought up in a brighter room (like in the retail store, and yes Samsung would look stunning). The out of box default make Samsung un-watchable in my HT setup since it was to bright to begin with. Sony does the same but just a touch better. You’ll have to adjust the TV’ settings to fit your room’s viewing condition.
I used the settings people posted online for exact set for each TV as a starting point, and found myself like Sony much better for the eye constrain (Samsung is still too high of contrast and hard to get it adjust to show shadow detail w/o losing the 3-D pop). Don’t get this wrong, I loved my 2 weeks old Samsung but had to let it go for Sony (just my personal preference).
One thing I do notice is the Sony’s `Theater’ mode does exhibit very poor motion (mottle /blotchy) when it in dark scene, just simply too much enhancement. This match to what the negative commends I found online in regards to this TV. However, I don’t use the Theater mode. Instead I tweak and stay with the Custom mode and didn’t see the motion problem since.
Here are the settings I used for this Sony TV (credit to hometheatermag dot com:
Picture Adjust menu
Picture Mode Custom
Backlight 1
Picture 93
Brightness 51
Color 47
Hue 0
Color Temperature Warm 2
Sharpness Min
Noise Reduction Off
MPEG Noise Reduction Off
Motionflow Standard
CineMotion Auto 1
Advanced Settings
Black Corrector Off
Adv. Contrast Enhancer Off
Gamma 0
Auto Light Limiter Off
Clear White Off
Wide Color Standard
Live Color Off
White Balance
R-Gain -1
G-Gain -5
B-Gain -4
R-Bias -3
G-Bias -1
B-Bias -3
Hope this helps.
Rating: 5 / 5