HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was Excellent. Reproduction of fine HD image detail was Excellent. Color accuracy was Excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, look very natural and lifelike. Excellent contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—gave images great depth and dimension. Black levels were Very Good, and delivered fairly deep blacks that helped the contrast in darker scenes. Sony's full array "Auto local dimming" feature helped. The quality appeared worse as we viewed from the sides—see our Viewing Angle results, below. This was among the brightest models we've tested (with the Brightness backlight control turned up), so the picture was well suited for a very sunny room—a lower setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. There was a strong display non-uniformity in our test sample—it appeared as brighter cloudy areas that were very distracting in dark scenes—the severity can vary from model to model. Its reproduction of smooth edges on image content for "up-converted" HD-to-UHD images fell short with some visible "jaggies" (jagged edges); deinterlacing of 1080i video was Very Good (minimal "jaggies"); and film mode detection from 1080i content was Excellent.
4K UHD PICTURE QUALITY. Overall 4K UHD picture quality was Excellent. In our UHD testing, we played native-4K movies and test videos (non HDR) thru the TV's HDMI input, and found their image detail was all there. For color, contrast and black level, the TV performed similarly to its HD picture quality.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance was generally effective. In our tests, the display showed Good peak brightness capability (by HDR standards) and did a fine job displaying the benefits of our HDR 4K content. It revealed very well the contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights, while the brightness levels in the mid-to-lower tones, like those in an indoor scene, were slightly low. In HDR mode this TV only allowed us to optimize the Brightness, Gamma, and X-tended Dynamic Range picture settings. All other settings were as they were for the standard-dynamic range (SDR) HD picture. It did a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail, from black to white, with no obvious banding within the gradually shaded areas. There was no visible loss of detail within the highlights of the brightest areas. Brightly colored objects remained nicely saturated.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Sony model has a moderate viewing angle overall, decent, but not quite as good as the better-performing TVs we've tested. The optimal seating position for best picture quality is directly in front of this model. We examined the picture at various viewing angles, and saw the image quality was not consistent. When we viewed the TV from the sides, image quality got worse. The picture showed a slight loss of color. Black levels visibly brightened, and reduced the contrast especially on dark scenes. Halo effects around objects in darker scenes (a side effect of the local dimming feature) also become more prominent at off angles. We viewed the image from above and below center screen, and saw Very Good vertical viewing angle performance, with minimal changes in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. In our motion tests, this Sony TV had Good motion performance, with some blurring. Though this model includes Sony's "Motionflow," a feature designed to reduce motion blur, we found it also activated the so-called "soap opera" effect that removes film judder (the slightly jerky motion visible during camera pans on film-based content). Since this "soap-opera" mode removes the authentic look of filmed movies, we turned the "Motionflow" feature off. Although this TV also includes a "Clearness" setting that we found was effective at further reducing motion blur, it limited the brightness of the image and so we left the feature off.
SOUND QUALITY. We got Excellent sound quality, among the best we've tested. Whether you're watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it can deliver a top quality listening experience. In our listening evaluations, we found the bass (low frequencies) was moderately deep and provided some sense of fullness but lacked some definition. Treble (high frequencies) was satisfactory. The overall sound was a bit closed in. This TV should be OK in rooms large or small, noisy or quiet—we found the speakers could play at a fairly loud volume level and without obvious distortion. Also, at higher volume, its dynamic-compression feature prevented gross distortion, but it slightly reduced the clarity and naturalness of loud peaks. You can get better quality from a high performing soundbar or separate home theater system but you should give this model a good listen before making that choice.
EASE OF USE. The TV rests on four legs which can be centrally mounted or placed at the far ends of the display, so you have some flexibility on the width of your table top. Consider the TV's stand is 42 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on. On first power up, an on-screen guide appeared—which you could choose to follow when setting up the TV. The remote controls the TV via an RF signal and doesn't need to be pointed at the TV. It has a full number keypad for entering channel numbers. It includes all the buttons we typically expect: power, channel up/down, volume control, mute, source input, menu, and exit. The remote has a microphone for accessing a built-in voice assistant feature. The TV also has a microphone for accessing a built-in voice assistant feature. It also has dedicated buttons for streaming Google Play Movies and TV, and Netflix.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides internet functionality via its "Android TV" portal, with access to a library of applications from the Google Play Store. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney and HBO Max. More so, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Disney can be streamed in 4K UHD. Includes built-in Google Assistant, a virtual assistant, which allows you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming by talking to the remote or to the TV. Claimed support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Homekit.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs (one supports eARC, enhanced audio return channel). It also has two 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; and AirPlay, for sharing videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to the TV.
WHAT'S INCLUDED. You get with this TV: a printed user manual, a quick start guide, an electronic user guide via the TV's menu, a remote control with batteries, and a detachable power cord.
ABOUT UHD TESTING: Ultra-high definition "UHD" can refer to both the TV and program content. While the UHD industry standard includes 4K and 8K, most UHD TVs and UHD content at this time are 4K. A 4K UHD image is presented as 3840 x 2160 pixels—four times the pixel-count of HD. We test UHD TV picture quality using 4K UHD movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We examine the TV's ability to reproduce 4K UHD image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR)—for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a UHD movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, and from files stored on USB flash drive. We also check how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
