Frankly, the massive front-facing speakers of the X900B don't give a damn. Requires HDR compatible content from supported streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Video or HDR compatible content device connected via HDMI input. 4 User must connect to a Google account to use, including voice to activate linked apps. I chose the best-looking Blu-ray I know, "Samsara," and stared hard at highly-detailed scenes to try to discern any difference in resolution, sharpness, perceived depth of field, and so on between the 4K Sony and the 1080p S64. Network services, content, and software of this product may be subject to separate terms and conditions and changed, interrupted or discontinued at any time and may require fees, registration and credit card information. Discover how real pictures can be when you bring out the fine details. The sides of the Sony comprise a big chunk of chrome, invisible from the front, that matches the flashy chrome legs of the stand. Sony's version, found under the "Key Pad," is worse than those of its rivals, with an endless horizontal scroll to find the "button" you need. Finally, yes, the X900B has a built-in camera and microphone which, at the moment, is used only for Skype. 3 This is the perceptible contrast level expanded by X-tended Dynamic Range PRO technology, which is a unique figure calculated for the contrast that users actually feel and experience (XDR Contrast). Previously David wrote reviews and features for Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com.

Beyond its picture, the X900B's main claim to fame is sound. Picture settings: Sony hasn't changed much from previous years, continuing to offer plenty of picture presets under its Scene Select menu. Yes, the matte Vizio scattered bright reflections better, but for most reflections, such as the white shirt of a viewer or a light wood coffee table, the X900B dimmed them better. Unlike many TVs at this level, the W900B lacks a 10-point grayscale and color-management system. www.netflix.com/termsofuse Unfortunately, despite the ability to link Social View to your Twitter account, there's no way to view your own feed.

All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Video processing: Sony has increased the number of smoothing/Soap Opera Effect modes this year, but unlike Samsung and some other TV makers, it still has yet to offer one that combines full motion resolution with proper 1080p/24 cadence. Download the Google Home app from the iPhone App Store or Google Play. But if you're looking for a statement TV, it doesn't get any louder than this. The main aim of the new layout seems to be placing the company's own services front and center. Even images filmed in Full HD are upscaled close to 4K resolution by 4K X-Reality PRO.1,2 Every single pixel is enhanced beautifully by Sonys Picture Processor X1 Ultimate. I looked at a couple of other pieces of footage I have in both resolutions (some courtesy of David Mackenzie and some purchased from Stockfootage.com), and the story was the same. As with those others, the Sony doesn't do as good a job as simply using your box's interface -- preferably with a good universal remote. Sony also touts the Triluminos color on this and its other 4K TVs. I compared the Sony at 4K to the other sets (including the S64) at Super HD from my PS3's Netflix app, and the slight increase in sharpness and detail was apparent in some areas, like faces and fine fabric textures. Sony's is OK for occasional, emergency use, and that's about it. Apple ID account required. I've broken my testing down into separate sections, first dealing with only 4K sources and using a smaller comparison lineup.

The 55- and 65-inch X900Bs are also equipped with 3D compatibility that uses active-shutter technology -- a contrast to the passive 3D of the 79-inch version and of some 2013 Sony 4K sets. Keeping with the theme of fun names, Sony also touts its "4K X-Reality Pro picture engine," which is said to improve the necessary scaling from standard-def and high-def sources to the TV's 4K resolution, as well as "X-tended Dynamic Range" which, translated from Sony-speak, just means the TV has local dimming. One problem is that frequent DVR users are left in the cold. They stemmed primarily from its superior contrast and black levels, as well as from other picture quality advantages that apply regardless of whether the source is 4K or otherwise. In any case, he stressed that the difference he saw was minuscule, likely impossible to pick out when not looking at a side-by-side comparison using select parts of extremely high-quality material, and much less important than some other aspects of picture-quality differences he noticed, like black level and color. Subscriptions may be required to access certain content. It also demands a serious chunk of change, and like all 4K sets we've tested doesn't offer a major jump in picture quality as a direct result of all those extra pixels. 5 Based on market research from June 2019. The idea is to replace your box's interface and remote control with one built into the TV.

Much more popular services like Amazon Instant, Netflix, and Hulu Plus are relegated to small icons along the bottom. The second section involves a wider comparison group, with which I performed the same suite of high-definition tests I put every TV through. Cable and satellite box control: [Editors' note: I originally tested cable box control for the X850B review. According to my DVDo 4K Test Pattern Generator, all of the HDMI inputs accepted 4K resolution at 24Hz and 30Hz, and HDMI 1, 2, and 3 all accepted it at 60 as well (HDMI 4 did not). Of course that's not a big deal in my book since TV browsers in general are much worse than tablet, phone, or PC browsers. User must link compatible devices in order to control operation. Colors showed all of the accuracy in program material I expected from its superb measurements, from the depths of its shadows to brighter, more colorful scenes like young Snape's reverie (Chapter 19). 4K TVs with 4K content: My first goal was to see if any of the TVs' rendition of the best 4K material I had on-hand looked substantially different. Its feature set is comprehensive, its connectivity forward-looking, and its optional subwoofer a cool, useful extra. iOS 12.2 or later or macOS 10.14.4 or later is required. The X900B also did a very good job maintaining the brightness of brighter objects against dark backgrounds, for example the face of Voldemort overlooking Hogwarts (46:20). With bright material it showed no particular advantage. The material from the monks' mandala to the destroyed buildings (Chapter 6) to the Baroque interiors (Chapter 7) looked equally detailed on all of the sets. Most people won't love 'em. Apps must be compatible with TV. In the interest of time I did not perform a full 4K calibration on any of the TVs I compared for the 4K portion of this test. On the X900B you can also make Skype calls from within Social View; the idea being to "watch TV with friends while being connected to them through Skype.". Pricing for movies is typically $7.99 to rent for 24 hours or $29.99 to buy. Shadow detail on the X900B was also superb, outdoing the HX950 and especially the Samsung, which suffered from some crushing. Differences in detail from one TV to the next were nonexistent to my eye.

12 Netflix streaming membership required. When I asked him why, he said he noticed the very subtle presence of pixel structure in some flat fields, for example blue skies, and that tipped him off. If you're a gamer, you may appreciate the addition of PlayStation Now, a feature that allows you to play streaming games on the TV itself by simply pairing it with a PS3 controller.

He didn't pick out actual pixels from that distance, but did describe a vague sense of the picture elements nonetheless. To make this arrangement work, one TV (the LG in this case) had to be the odd man out, with a distance of about 115 inches. As with the wedge-shaped X850B , you can choose to place the legs to either the extreme sides or the middle. The Sony XBR-65X900B is a different audio animal entirely, with better sound than any TV we've ever tested, and better even than one of Sony's own sound bar systems. 11 IMAX Enhanced content enables the full IMAX Enhanced experience. By widening the color spectrum, TRILUMINOS Display, powered by the Picture Processor X1 Ultimate, reproduces more colors than a conventional television. Sony's speakers increase the width of the TV substantially, don't detach, and don't even have detachable covers. And for some reason, hitting forward and reverse skip (available on my Fios DVR and very frequently used) only caused a "feature not available" message. TV and wall mount system sold separately. For comparison purposes, I arranged all four 4K sets so they were as close to the same seating distance as I could make them: between 77 and 87 inches (roughly 6.5 to 7.5 feet, which is quite close for 65-inch TVs). I tried Netflix 4K as well, streaming a couple of episodes of "Breaking Bad" and "House of Cards." 13 Actual look may differ depending on TV size and type pf cables used. Unsurprisingly, Cinema mode in its default settings was more convincing with "Mission Impossible 3" resulting in clear dialogue, wide stereo effects, and booming explosions. As with the Blu-ray, none of them looked any less-detailed either.

I started my tests with music and was very pleasantly surprised by the performance, even without the sub connected.

Seen from the side the X900B exemplifies the "wedge" design found on 2014 high-end Sony sets. For comparison purposes I swapped out the Samsung curved TV for a Panasonic TC-P65S64 to represent 1080p and kept the seating distances the same as described above. He is known to two people on Twitter as "The Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics.". 6 Chromecast built-in compatibility dependent on app.

For live programming, you get a grid-style guide that, again, was inferior to the one on my cable box, with inadequate navigation, pokey load times, and the annoying tendency to start at channel 001 (standard-def!) The Samsung and Vizio in particular washed out more quickly. Skin tones, the green grass, and the blue sky all appeared accurate. Switching to a lower-quality source, my Verizon Fios TV connection at 1080i, was the same story. On the plus side, no major video apps go missing (aside from HBO Go, which remains exclusive to Samsung among TVs), and you can customize the My Apps screens with your actual (i.e., non-Sony) favorites, once you manage to find them.

While the XBR-X900B did a superb with 4K, none of its picture quality advantages had to do with resolution. Watching "Hugo," the ghostly double image of crosstalk was more evident than any of the other sets, including the ZT60, in difficult areas like the statue looming over Hugo in the graveyard (14:56), the pillars below the clock (1:52) and its numbers as the ghostly outlines converge, and the sleeve of Mlis right before Hugo approaches to swipe the mouse. The result was very even with no particular part of the spectrum poking out: relatively supple, deep bass, excellently nuanced vocals and plenty of sparkle where it's required. The built-in camera is well hidden in the upper-left corner (below), and unlike many other TV cameras, it doesn't pop out of the frame. Black level: The X900B was one of the best performers in the stellar lineup I assembled for this review, beating every TV in this area aside from the HX950 and the ZT60 -- both of which are no longer available for sale. 4K Ultra HD availability subject to your Netflix subscription plan, internet service, device capabilities, and content availability. The TV can also pair with compatible devices via NFC. The main "Apps" screen has a few "featured" apps, but beyond that you'll have to dive into "All apps," a firehose of 280 separate icons (give or take), from "Vimeo" to "Internet Browser," to "EarthCamTV," to "Captain Philips." A few extras of questionable usefulness include a Football button that's sure to confuse some red-blooded Americans, since it calls up videos and Sony's dedicated websitefor soccer.

Its picture is superb, its features well-thought-out, and its access to 4K content unrivaled compared to other brands. 9 This Sony TV is compatible with AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. Android, Android TV, Google Play, Google, YouTube and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission. Part of me wishes Sony offered the exact same TV without the speakers, or at least with the option to detach them, but the X900B offers no such compromise. I didn't bother with Sony's "Mastered in 4K" setting, mainly because it applies only to a handful of Blu-ray titles. They face the listener like good speakers should, and are unlike pretty much all TV speakers these days -- which are typically invisible and face down or to the rear. They're arranged in three rows that just scroll endlessly, with no categories, search, or apparent logic to organize them beyond sporadic alphabetization. Use of this TV requires consent to Google Terms of Service (http://www.google.com/policies/terms/) and Privacy Policy (http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/). Other tabs from the Home menu, with the exception of Channel (which leads to "TV selections," described below) also point toward Sony services, namely Album goes to the Play Memories photo service, and Music to the Music Unlimited and Vevo services. Hardware included with wall-mount bracket. Only if you're looking to spend well over $600 on an external system would you get better results than what the X900B/sub combination is capable of. Those speakers: you'll either love 'em or hate 'em. That's too bad, since passive 3D on a 4K TV is a killer combination. The X900B is also more expensive than most 65-inch 4K TVs. Using the highly-detailed mandala scenes from "Samsara" Chapter 4, I played around with the Reality creation settings.

Noise filtering had no effect I could discern, which is a good thing because this Blu-ray is very low noise in the first place. And if that's not powerful enough, you can throw in Sony's optional wireless sub ($300). Easily search and watch your favorite movies, get answers on screen like sports scores or weather updates, control your TV and even your home - all with your voice. Notable TV series like "The Blacklist" and "Breaking Bad" are also on tap. I played with the Web browser, which seemed a step down from the offerings of Samsung and LG, with slower response times and difficult scrolling, even when I used the touchpad remote. In my favorite dark torture test from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" the X900B's letterbox bars remained darker than any of the others aside from the HX950's during the initial hilltop shot (46:00), providing inky contrast to the rest of the darkness. That said, this test did reveal a limitation of the X900B's edge-lit dimming compared to the full-array HX950 and Vizio -- in the latter two cases, the lower letterbox bar remained dark and blooming-free, while on the X900B and the other edge-lit sets, it also showed stray illumination. Compatible devices require internet connection. Diving deeper allows you to choose from six dejudder (smoothing) modes including an Impulse mode that engages black frame insertion, play with a two-point grayscale system, and pick from a few gamma settings. Here's where I reassure you the 4K demo content looked exceedingly good. I tried connecting a PC and those resolutions all worked as well, but 1080p and 720p at 120Hz did not at first blush. Adding the subwoofer again provided extra oomph, and if you watch a lot of movies, this combination is well recommended. Unfortunately, the box wasn't very reliable (see below). It analyzes and processes data in every image to make colors even more natural and precise so pictures are closer than ever to real life. The high resolution doesn't provide a major boost in image quality, especially with non-4K content.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. The bass of that system's subwoofer sounded bloated and boomy, and the vocals sounded very constrained, lacking the wide stereo imaging of the TV. Despite sounding a little thinner without the sub, the TV's sound blew the $499 Sony HT-CT770 soundbar away for music. In place of the old multipin RS-232 port for custom installations there is a "serial control" port that does the same thing. Actual prices may vary, contact a dealer for current prices and screen sizes. It was quite subtle, however, and I bet most viewers would have a tough time telling the difference, even at the theatrically close distance from which I was sitting. The highest-quality nonproprietary source I had on-hand in both 1080p and 4K was some demo material of a piece of duck and lobster being served to an eager female diner. Failure isn't a huge deal, but attentive watchers may notice some artifacts, for example moving lines or moire patterns, at times with film-based material delivered to the TV in 1080i, for example via a cable TV connection. Most of the set is glossy black, and I especially appreciated that the screen blends seamlessly into the edges where the speakers are mounted. Like all of the local dimming sets the Sony showed some blooming -- where the backlight illuminates dark areas adjacent to light ones -- but it was very well controlled. Crosstalk was rampant. If there was any, I didn't see it. What sells in TV land is the "all-picture" look, with as little bezel as possible, leaving no room for hefty, forward-facing woofers and tweeters. Finding apps Sony decided not to surface can be tedious. Once download is complete, the Google Home feature may be connected to the Sony device to access the voice control function 2022 CNET, a Red Ventures company. From the brilliant golden temples and lush jungles of Chapter 3, to the resplendent primaries of the Buddha in Chapter 4, colors on the X900B were superb. In case you're wondering, I did test the XBR-X900B with one of Sony's 4K video players, the FMP-X1 (below). Unlike last year's Triluminos Sonys, however, the 2014 version of this feature no longer uses the Quantum Dot technology supplied by QD Vision, Inc. Sony says it now has an in-house version that uses the same branding, but beyond the marketing line of "more colors to produce a more-vibrant picture," Sony wouldn't tell us how the "new" Triluminos technology differs from standard white LED display tech. For $700 today, you can grab an FMP-X1, the company's first-gen player, but due in part to its spotty reliability I'd definitely recommend waiting a few more weeks until its successor, the FMP-X10 , comes out ($700 list, $500 pre-order). Among the active sets the Samsung was second-best, followed closely by the Panasonic AX800U -- all of which far outclasses the Sony X900B. I also had access to more test content for this test than last year, including a 4K signal generator (the DVDO AVLab TPG), two hard drives full of 4K demo content supplied by Sony and another TV maker who asked to remain nameless (these drives are used by dealers and unavailable for sale to the public), and a wide variety of individual files from various sources that I played from a PC. The same went for the demo files I tried, including a particularly nice piece of demo material: "The Ultra Definition showcase" from Florian Friedrich, available at UHDcontent.eu.

In this era of sparse 4K content, of which Sony offers more than anybody, for now the company is keeping it proprietary. With Sony's optional 4K video player, it can access significantly more 4K content than other brands of TV. Differences in black level were similar to what I describe below in the 1080p section. Some viewers might like the effect, but I didn't. A 79-inch version, model XBR-79X900B , will ship in July. Sony provides a little magnetic cover for the panopticon-averse.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the speaker-dominated look, but I liked the X900B's other luxury touches. Like the W850B, the X900B failed our 1080i de-interlacing test, despite setting CineMotion to Auto. Contrast is further enhanced by X-tended Dynamic Range PRO 6x, which gives the screen 6 times the contrast range of a conventional edge-lit LED TV , creating higher peak brightness in highlights and detailed blacks in shadow. The effect was brighter and more noticeable on the HX950 and the Samsung in particular, as well as the LG (especially when its backlight flashed). The answer is yes, but only because of differences that had nothing to do with 4K resolution.

Explore a new level of contrast with the Picture Processor X1 Ultimate.

7 Google Home device (sold separately) compatible with Sony TVs powered by Android TV.