Sony XBR55X800B 4K UHD LED TV via Amazon
Sony XBR55X800B is the late 2014 release 55 inch 4K Ultra HD LED Edge-lit TV with 2160p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and Smart functionality. It seems to get very positive reviews online and stands out from the crowd mostly with its outstanding picture quality even though there is still not much 4K content yet on regular satellite, with prices of TV’s coming down this will change very soon and it is offered at quite a reasonable price making it great value for money, and of course it is a Sony! The 65 inch XBR65X800B has exactly the same features and you will see it on the same product page on Amazon.
Sony XBR55X800B has the dimensions of 48.6 x 3 x 11.3 Inches with stand so it is not really big for a 55 inch TV (corner to corner 54.6 inch exactly- measured diagonally) and will save you on space and looks even smaller with its slim profile and thin bezels. It has a classy, modern yet simplistic design with very thin bezels and pronged stand, will look great in any living room. It is rather easy to set up, even with smart functions and WiFi as the menu onscreen will guide you. For connectivity you have 4 HDMI ports for 1080p picture and digital surround sound via a single HDMI cable, 3 USB ports for connecting your USB devices including digital cameras, Ethernet connection, Digital Audio Output, 2 Analog Audio inputs, Headphone output, RF connection input, Composite video and Component video and doesn’t seem to lack anything for a regular user. In the box you will find the TV, table top stand, remote control, batteries, AC power cord, screws, IR blaster, warranty card and operating manual.
Smart enabled means you will get to enjoy great entertainment by connecting to the web and have access to lots of content- movies, shows, apps and songs through Amazon Instant Video, Netflix and other channels and view them upscaled in great clarity of Ultra HD 4K with 8 million individual pixels (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) which is roughly 4 times the resolution of already very clear Full HD. 4K content is simply breathtaking, immerses you into the picture, it just needs to be seen in action to be understood. There is still not much 4K content via normal satellite but lots already on Sony Home Entertainment Network, Amazon and Netflix and you do need at least 20Mbps internet connection speed to be able to view the 4K content properly. Sony’s Motionflow XR 240 is equal to a native 120Hz refresh rate and you will experience life-like motion clarity and hardly see any motion blur during sports, games and fast action movies. It doesn’t have the 3D functionality and you have the option to pay roughly 200 dollars more (on the day of this review) and get the Sony XBR55X850B with exactly the same features and same everything plus 3D. But just going through several customer reviews, it doesn’t look like anyone would regret their decision to purchase this TV set- 3D or not is of course up to you.
Sony XBR55X800B has the 4K X-Reality PRO picture engine and the picture quality is superior to anything we have seen before- things do look better with sharper, crisper and more accurate picture without being simulated and vibrant colours, it will upscale all the content including Youtube and smart phone videos and you have the option to switch off the enhancement features, it is often perfect straight out of the box- plug in and play but a couple of people needed to play with the picture settings to reach what they want. Like the other Sony TV’s it has the five easy options of Sports, Animation, Game, Cinema and Graphics plus the more detailed and specific picture settings to get things right. One of the customers had a problem connecting to wireless internet at first but the problem was solved with Sony’s customer support on the phone. It seems to be very simple to set-up for most people, even with the smart functions and they experience the best picture and sound quality from the down-firing 2 x 10W speakers straight out of the box. What you experience with sound will come down to each individual’s expectations and some people may not need it but naturally a sound bar or home theatre system will really enhance the sound quality. Overall we are thoroughly impressed with this new 4K Ultra HD TV- picture, sound, build quality, ease of use and more at a fair price- seems to definitely offer more than what it costs.
Click here for a closer look on Amazon