HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality is excellent. Reproduction of fine HD image detail is excellent. Color accuracy is excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, look very natural and lifelike. Excellent contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--gives images great depth and dimension. Black levels are very good, but uneven, with help from Sony's full array "Auto local dimming" feature, delivering fairly deep blacks that help contrast in darker scenes (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). However, on some dark scenes there are visible halos around objects, a side effect of the local dimming feature, which can be distracting. This is among the brightest models we've tested (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture is well suited for a very sunny room. A lower backlight setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model does an excellent job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There is slight display non-uniformity that creates brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). We routinely see this issue with LCDs and severity can vary from model to model. The deinterlacing and film mode operations are excellent on HD content; there is little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
UHD PICTURE QUALITY. 4K UHD picture quality is excellent but HD-to-UHD upconversion falls short. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, is presented in full 4K detail with excellent fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. Via the USB port, high-resolution photos are displayed in full 4K detail. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing falls short, revealing some visible jaggies along the edges of diagonals when playing HD content.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance is effective. The display's very high peak brightness capability helps better reproduce the realism of 4K content mastered with HDR. There is limited contrast revealed between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene, while the brightness levels in the mid-to-lower tones, like those in an indoor scene, tend to be a bit brighter than expected. In HDR mode this TV only allows the optimization of the Brightness (Backlight), Gamma, X-tended Dynamic Range, picture settings. All other settings are carried over from the HD picture settings. It does a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail from black to white, with no obvious banding on areas of the image that have subtle shade variations. Brighter colored objects remain nicely saturated.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Sony has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we view the TV from the sides image quality degrades significantly. The picture shows a moderate loss of color, so flesh tones look a bit washed out. Black levels visibly brighten, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle is good. The picture shows some change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This Sony TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes Sony's "Motionflow," a feature designed to reduce motion blur, it also activates the so-called "soap opera" effect that removes film judder (the slightly jerky motion visible during camera pans on film-based content). This gives movies a less film-like appearance that some may not prefer. We turned the "Motionflow" feature off. Although this TV includes a "Clearness" setting that is effective at further reducing motion blur, it limited the brightness of the image, so we left the feature off.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has very good sound quality, better than most models we've tested. Whether you're watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it is able to deliver a satisfying listening experience. Bass is adequate, which adds some fullness to the sound but is lacking in definition a bit, and treble is nicely detailed, while the overall sound is on the bright side and a bit closed in. The speakers produce a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments, but quality does degrade at the highest settings. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression keeps the sound from distorting but also limits the clarity of peaks in loudness, which can be distracting on some audio content. Unlike most of our tested models its sound should satisfy the more discerning listeners, so give this a listen before opting for an external sound bar.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote has a traditional design with a full number key pad. It includes a built-in microphone to access the voice assistant feature. It also provides convenient direct button access to streaming services including Google Play Movies & TV, and Netflix. Consider the TV's stand is 40 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides Internet functionality with a selection of applications via its "Android TV" portal with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and HBO Now. Includes built-in Google Assistant, a virtual assistant, which allows you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming via the remote's built-in microphone. Support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs-- one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one composite input, and no component input. It also has three USB ports, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking; DLNA, to access files within your home network; Casting, which allows you to send streaming content from your mobile device to the TV via your home network; Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. An electronic user guide via the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries
