It’s a disgrace the 65XH9505 doesn’t present extra curiosity in next-gen consoles and it might need been good to see what Sony might have executed with a couple of extra dimming zones. Nonetheless it is a significantly good all-round TV. It sounds nice, and its aggressive strategy to brightness and color unlocks the potential of HDR like nothing else at this worth, one thing which additionally makes Sony’s set an particularly good possibility individuals with vivid rooms.
Professionals
- Fantastically vivid, vibrant HDR photos
- Wonderful sound high quality
- Robust upscaling and movement dealing with
Cons
- Some backlight blooming with high-contrast content material
- Minor clipping in probably the most excessive brightness areas
- No 4K/120Hz HDR gaming help
Key specification
- 65-inch 4K LCD TV
- Android TV sensible system
- HDR10, HLG and Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR help
- IMAX Enhanced and Netflix Calibrated help
- Large Viewing Angle expertise
The Sony XH95 (65XH9505) comes filled with a blistering array of options and a formidable HDR efficiency.
Until Sony has a shock in retailer for the autumn the KD-65XH9505 can be its flagship 65-inch 4K LCD TV for 2020.
A place it earns mainly due to a mixture of a FALD (full array with native dimming) panel design, excessive brightness, and Sony’s X1 Final video processor.
Value and availability
On the time of evaluation the KD-55XH9505 had an RRP of £1999/$1999/€1999/CAD$1999/AUD$2995. Within the UK, the value has dropped even additional to round £1399 forward of the incoming 2021 Sony TV vary.
Within the US and Canada, the XH95 is named the X950H, whereas in Australia the mannequin is named the X9500H.
Design
- Adaptable to your environment
- Adjustable ft
- Good distant
- Chunky rear panel
The Sony XH95 will be arrange in 3 ways: hanging on the wall; with its ft hooked up to its backside corners; or with its ft positioned in direction of its centre. Within the first two of those configurations it appears to be like sharp, crisp and complicated. With the legs positioned in direction of the centre, although, it might probably look clumsy and ungainly.
That mentioned, I respect Sony offering the choice to place the ft nearer collectively. In any case, not everyone has a TV stand broad sufficient for a 65-inch display screen.
Neither the body nor its rear really feel notably sturdy, and the rear stands proud additional than most. From head on and a typical viewing distance, although, neither the construct high quality nor chunkiness are particularly apparent.
AV followers will discover the TV’s depth straightforward to forgive, on condition that it gives the house for a direct LED lighting system, the place the LEDs sit proper behind the display screen somewhat than its edges. Direct LED lighting nearly all the time delivers superior image high quality.
Essentially the most disappointing factor in regards to the 65XH9505’s design is its lack of cable tidying options, one thing the previous couple of Sony TV generations have prided themselves on providing.
The Sony XH95’s distant management is – shock horror – excellent. Sony has lastly taken on board long-running criticisms of its previous remotes, ditching the earlier near-flush buttons and ‘concentric circle’ structure in favour of pronounced, responsive buttons and a extra snug structure. The distant’s end is crisp and metallic, too, and the buttons are even backlit. Heavens be praised.
Options
- A feature-packed TV, however no 4K/120Hz help
- Full-array native dimming panel
- Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced help
- Android TV sensible interface
The Sony KD-65XH9505’s core image options are its full-array native dimming LCD panel, high-end processing and excessive brightness ranges.
Taking a look at these in additional element, the native dimming aspect is maybe a bit disappointing in that it solely operates throughout round 60 zones. To place this into context, Samsung’s QE65Q95T makes use of 120, Samsung’s 75Q950TS 8K TVs use 480, and Sony’s personal Backlight Grasp Drive screens, such because the ZG9, use much more.
That mentioned, expertise means that how nicely a TV controls its dimming zones and the sunshine every zone produces will be extra essential than the precise variety of zones getting used. So it’s helpful that within the 65XH9505’s case that the backlight controls are dealt with by Sony’s X1 Final processor. That is Sony’s strongest processor to this point, and though it hasn’t apparently been tweaked considerably from 2019’s model, it stays a formidable operator.
Amongst its best options are excellent upscaling of sub-4K content material utilizing a twin database comparability system; Tremendous Bitmapping for eradicating striping artefacts from delicate color blends; Sony’s Reside Color and Triluminos color administration methods; Sony’s X-Dynamic Vary expertise for enhancing distinction through superior native energy administration; and object-based SDR to HDR conversion.
The Sony 65XH9505 has two individually powered tweeters on its rear.
The Sony XH95 additionally will get Sony’s glorious Motionflow processor. This helps among the most pure body interpolation processing within the TV world, in addition to Sony’s X-Movement Readability expertise. This makes use of the TV’s FALD lighting to ship the type of pure movement related to Black Body Insertion (BFI) expertise, however with out dimming the picture as a lot as BFI normally does.
In contrast to its 2019 predecessors, the KD-65XH9505 will get Sony’s X-Large Angle expertise. This tweaks the LCD panel construction as a way to watch it from a large angle with none discount in distinction or color.
The KD-65XH9505 continues Sony’s help for each Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced content material. With the previous, the TV robotically adjusts its image settings to resemble these Netflix makes use of when mastering its reveals and movies. The latter means the Sony XH95 has been authorised by IMAX as having the image high quality essential to unlock the complete potential of the IMAX Enhanced movies out there in through Rakuten.TV, FandangoNOW (within the US) and 4K Blu-rays.
Whereas the KD-65XH9505’s image arrange hasn’t modified a lot from final yr’s equal mannequin, the sound system has.
Significantly placing is the looks on the rear of two side-firing, independently powered tweeters. These are supposed to assist the TV place sounds extra precisely inside its soundstage. So, say, an explosion takes place within the high proper nook, you need to hear that sound emanating within the corresponding place within the soundstage.
The KD-65XH9505 additionally will get a brand new X-Balanced speaker design. This makes use of a brand new rounded-off form and inner construction to generate extra dynamic vary and energy from the type of small enclosure flat-screen TVs need to work with.
The 65XH9505’s sensible options are offered by Android TV and YouView. YouView is mainly there to get spherical the problems Android has with supporting the UK’s key video catch-up apps. It additionally, although, presents the UK’s terrestrial TV channel catch-up apps in a beautiful and simple to browse interface that exists individually to Android’s cluttered and heavy handed homescreen.
As you’ll be able to most likely guess, I’m not Android TV’s biggest fan. However give credit score the place it’s due, a minimum of the KD-65XH9505 runs Android slickly. The quantity of firmware updates and bugs it suffers with is much much less onerous than it was. Apart from the lacking apps lined by YouView, Android TV is a fairly content-rich platform.
There are a couple of function areas the place the Sony XH95 treads water once we might need hoped for a bit extra progress. None of its 4 HDMI connections help the 4K/120Hz HDR video anticipated for the next-gen consoles. Neither is there any help for automated sport mode switching or variable refresh charges (VRR).
Most different premium TVs from rival manufacturers from 2020 do help these game-related options. Actually, bizarrely Sony’s step-down 65XH9005 options a minimum of one HDMI that helps these gaming options!
The one HDMI 2.1 function the KD-65XH9505 helps is eARC, enabling pass-through of lossless object-based sound codecs (comparable to Dolby Atmos) to AVRs or suitable soundbars.
Whereas the KD-65XH9505 continues Sony’s help for the Dolby Imaginative and prescient, there’s no help for HDR10+.
Sony hasn’t opted to affix lots of its rival TV manufacturers this yr in supporting both the UHD Alliance’s Filmmaker Mode or Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ. The primary of those units TVs to impartial image settings reckoned to carefully resemble these utilized by skilled mastering displays. The latter adjusts Dolby Imaginative and prescient sources to compensate for ambient mild ranges.
Sony’s argument for not bothering with HDR10+/Filmmaker Mode/Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ is that it backs its personal processing to do a greater job.
Set-up
- Just a few changes and also you’re in your method
- Normal image mode really helpful for SDR
- Normal/Cinema for HDR content material
With customary dynamic vary sources, I’d suggest the Normal preset with the Reside Color function to Medium. You must also flip off each the Auto Image setting and light-weight sensor when you’re watching in a darkish room.
The 2 noise discount choices ought to be turned off for each SDR and HDR sources. And since Sony favours a barely delicate look to its photos out of the field, you would possibly wish to nudge up the decision aspect of the Actuality Creation processor to round its 75 setting for 4K HDR, or round 65 with HD SDR.
Word this strategy to enhancing sharpness yields far more healthful outcomes than simply rising the essential sharpness setting.
With HDR, the Normal and Cinema presets are each completely usable, and the principle adjustment I’d suggest is selecting the Customized Motionflow mode, and setting Smoothness to 2 and Clearness to 1. Although when you’re feeling lazy, the default Auto setting is definitely fairly efficient (in that it solely generates the occasional undesirable glitch) in comparison with the default movement modes of just about all different TV manufacturers.
Efficiency
- Impressively vivid HDR photographs
- Potent HDR highlights
- Noticeable blooming
- Dynamic sound
The very first thing that hits you in regards to the Sony 65XH9505’s spectacular photos is their brightness. HDR sources radiate off the display screen with severe efficiency. And unusually for an LCD display screen with native dimming, this efficiency is retained with just about all HDR content material.
Measured on a white HDR window protecting 10% of the display screen, the 65XH9505 achieves simply over 1000 nits in Normal image mode, and just below 1000 nits in Cinema image mode. These figures are fairly excessive, however they don’t actually do the TV’s brightness justice.
With actual world content material, the consistency of the 65XH9505’s brightness each with screen-filling vivid photographs and vivid components of principally darkish pictures creates what looks like a extra constantly vivid, punchy expertise than you get with rival screens that boast the identical type of measurable brightness ranges.
Even the Samsung 65Q95T, which produces considerably extra measurable brightness than the Sony on the ten% white HDR check window, doesn’t really really feel as constantly daring and vivid because the 65XH9505 does. Why? As a result of not like the 65Q95T, the Sony doesn’t dim down vivid highlights of darkish scenes as a lot because the Samsung does.
Couple the 65XH9505’s strikingly constant brightness with some exceptionally vivid, punchy, high-volume colors, and also you’ve acquired probably the most constantly aggressive HDR photos round for lower than £2000. And to somebody like myself who wants no convincing that brightness is vastly essential to a convincing HDR image, Sony’s strategy is significantly straightforward to like.
The way in which the 65XH9505 opts to not enormously dim small, vivid picture components once they seem in opposition to darkish backgrounds provides to the immersiveness of its photos, too. In any case, you’re not recurrently distracted by aggressive dimming changes, or vivid objects that look a lot duller than you’ll be able to inform they need to.
The consistency of the 65XH9505’s brightness means too, that colors don’t lose depth or quantity in darkish components of the image. And shadow detailing stays excessive and uniform always.
Sony’s color administration ensures that the image’s excessive vibrancy and brightness doesn’t stop the set from delivering some exquisitely delicate blends and particulars.
These are all refreshing issues to see on an LCD TV. It is a premium LCD TV that isn’t ashamed to profit from its pure strengths.
As famous within the Set-Up part, the Sony 65XH9505 doesn’t put fairly as a lot emphasis on sharpness with native 4K as some rivals do. However the refinement of Sony’s color dealing with and shadow detailing ensures 4K sources nonetheless look definitively 4K. And the Actuality Creation system’s decision aspect can bolster the sharpness if you would like with out the image beginning to look pressured.
Sony’s MotionFlow processing performs its half within the detailed however pure really feel of the 65XH9505’s photographs. On its comparatively low-powered settings it takes the sting off judder with out both producing undesirable digital unwanted effects or making films look too clean for consolation.
The Sony 65XH9505’s upscaling of sub-4K sources is as distinctive as regular. The stability the upscaling strikes between including sharpness and texture with out exaggerating supply noise or over-egging edges or highlights is completely judged.
The set even manages to transform SDR to HDR very successfully – one thing different manufacturers wrestle to do convincingly.
Regardless of its fondness for brightness, the 65XH9505 can nonetheless produce good black colors too. That is notably good to see on condition that the 65XH9505 carries Sony’s X-Large Angle expertise – a system that’s beforehand prompted distinction points. As you’d hope, X-Large Angle continues to ship a a lot wider efficient viewing angle than most LCD TVs.
The 65XH9505’s fascination with brightness does include a few repercussions, although. First, the image can endure with blooms of backlight clouding round stand-out vivid HDR objects. Whereas this blooming is kind of faint, it might probably stretch for a ways past the perimeters of the brilliant object.
Most of the time the 65XH9505’s depth stops your eye from dwelling on the faint blooming. The problem will also be largely neutered when you retain a bit lighting in your room, somewhat than going full black out. The blooming is, although, extra distinguished than it’s on LCD TVs which deploy extra aggressive anti-blooming counter-measures. These embody Samsung’s 65Q95T, which opts to scale back the brightness of spotlight areas of darkish photos fairly closely to maintain backlight blooming at bay.
The 65XH9505’s blooming is at its most noticeable when it seeps into the black bars you get above and beneath broad side ratio movies. Particularly if a vivid image object close to the black bars strikes throughout the display screen, taking the blooming within the black bars with it.
Conditions that throw up the black bar blooming downside are comparatively uncommon. In consequence, I believe many AV followers will nonetheless be keen to miss the problem in return for the 65XH9505’s constant brightness and dynamism. It could be nice, although, if future Sony FALD TVs discovered a method of protecting the black bars black.
One different smaller difficulty with the 65XH9505’s photos is they will lose a bit delicate firming and element within the very brightest components of HDR photographs. I actually am, although, solely speaking about probably the most excessive stuff right here; direct pictures of the solar and so forth. The Sony XH95 really outperforms most rivals with the bulk vivid HDR content material. As an example, you’ll be able to really see extra mild vary and subtlety in clouds that seem round sunsets, even when the solar itself appears to be like a bit bleached out.
The 65XH9505’s punchy, dynamic photos are joined by equally punchy, dynamic sound. The brand new separated tweeters assist the TV ship an impressively massive soundstage that casts a wholesome distance to the left and proper of the display screen. Even higher, the standard of the tweeters ensures there are many tightly managed spot impact particulars within the TV’s wall of sound, bringing even the densest mixes to wash, clear life.
The brand new X-Balanced principal audio system, in the meantime, reside as much as their billing by producing significantly spectacular quantity and bass with out sounding muddy or collapsing into distortion.
If I needed to discover a fault with the 65XH9505’s sound, it’s that it initiatives extra sideways than forwards within the room. It is a small criticism within the context of what’s a superb audio efficiency.
You should purchase if…
-
You wish to unleash HDR’s potential
In order for you a sub-£2,000 TV that actually unlocks the color and brightness advantages of HDR, the Sony XH95 is tough to beat.
-
You watch TV in vivid rooms
Its brightness is particularly helpful in rooms the place there’s usually some stage of ambient mild.
-
You don’t watch TV head-on
Its broad viewing angle help can even make it a winner for rooms with awkward seating positions.
You shouldn’t purchase if…
-
Blooming distracts you
Samsung’s QE65Q95T delivers greater ranges of peak brightness and extra constant, blooming-free black ranges.
-
You need a set with the newest gaming options
The XH95 doesn’t have any of the brand new gaming options comparable to VRR and 4K@120Hz, for the PS5 or Xbox Collection X.
Specification
‹
UK RRP
USA RRP
EU RRP
CA RRP
AUD RRP
Producer
Display Dimension
Dimension (Dimensions)
Weight
Working System
Launch Date
First Reviewed Date
Mannequin Quantity
Mannequin Variants
Decision
HDR
Kinds of HDR
Refresh Charge TVs
Ports
HDMI (2.1)
Audio (Energy output)
Connectivity
Colors
Show Expertise
Sony KD-65XH9505
£1999
$1999
€1999
CA$1999
AU$2995
Sony
64.5 inches
1449 x 353 x 906 MM
23.7 G
Android 9 Pie
2020
08/06/2020
KD-65XH9505
KD65XH9505BAEP, KD65XH95059R2, X950H
3840 x 2160
Sure
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Imaginative and prescient
– 120 Hz
4x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet, Optical out, CI+ 1.4 slot, Composite in, 2x Satellite tv for pc, Aerial, 3.5mm out
eARC
30 W
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, DLNA
Darkish Silver
LED
›
