Sony KDL-52XBR9 LCD TV

Sony has always been proud of their XBR sets. These sets are usually the ones leading the pack – top of the line, top quality televisions. The Sony KDL-52XBR9 is no exception. The KDL-52XBR9 includes a lot of built-in addons, respectable performance and features streaming capabilities and its Yahoo Widgets. But of course, the main downside is that this piece of equipment costs extra. But if you don’t mind the hole in your pocket, then this is a good choice for a TV.

For its design, Sony is taking another direction on the KDL-52XBR9. Before, Sony XBR sets placed too much nonscreen real estate at the front of the TV. This time though, Sony opted to maximize the screen size of the KDL-52XBR9. Also, the KDL-52XBR9, do away with visible speakers and edge the screen with a thinner frame that’s the same size on all four sides. A subtly protruding lip of see-through plastic around the edge covers a dark silver border, which contrasts nicely with the glossy black of the main frame. The only accents are a Sony logo, whose white glow can be disabled, and a pair of indicators, one for power and one that lights up when the display receives an HD signal.

Sony television, of course as with other high-end Sony sets, use its trademark Cross Media Bar (XMB) menu arrangement. The KDL-52XBR9 has several choices including Photo, Music, Video and Networking. Sony also made a few improvements not just on this part but also in the settings menu.

As mentioned, the Sony KDL-52XBR9 features a slew of functionality. It is rich in features and would surprise anybody. One thing it lacks, however, is LED backlighting.

The KDL-52XBR9 features a 240Hz refresh rate, which is twice as fast as the 120Hz refresh rate found on many other high-end sets. Sony’s processing interpolates three extra frames for every original frame instead of one. Naturally Sony includes its MotionFlow dejudder processing, which is available in two strengths of smoothness.

It also offers extensive interactive capability. As mentioned, this TV is equipped with Yahoo Widgets – Internet-powered content and information modules that can be downloaded and activated right on the TV screen.

In addition to widgets, the KDL-52XBR9 basically offers all of the functionality of the Bravia Internet Video Link built-in. The most compelling such functionality so far is access to Amazon Video On Demand, including high-definition videos. Videophiles will appreciate that picture settings can be modified for the Sony’s online video content, just like for other inputs.

The free, non-Amazon content includes YouTube, Sports Illustrated, and a bunch of less-compelling online video sources, including the minisode network, blip.tv, style.com, howcast.com, and numerous video podcasts. In most cases, the video quality is generally bad, especially on the big screen–it was designed for the Web, after all. On the plus side it’s free, and in many cases it’s still better than what’s actually on TV.

The final piece of the interactive puzzle is the Sony’s capability to stream photos, music, and video from networked PCs that are running compatible DLNA-compliant software, such as Windows Media Player 11. All of these interactive features require running an Ethernet connection to your TV or installing a third-party wireless bridge.

The KDL-52XBR9′s connectivity is complete enough, but the company arranged the ports in an unusual way. Instead of mounting the majority of its HDMI inputs on the back panel, Sony stuck three of the four on the side-facing panel, leaving just one to the rear. The side panel also gets the VGA-style analog input for PCs, a USB port for music, photos, and video, and an AV input with composite and S-Video. The rear panel, meanwhile, merits that single HDMI port, two component-video inputs, an RF input for antenna or cable connections, the Ethernet port, and some analog audio connections.

Overall, the Sony KDL-XBR9′s picture can compete well against the best conventional LCDs out in the market, but its black level performance still couldn’t match that of the best LED-based LCDs and plasmas. The 240Hz refresh rate did improve motion resolution, but its pretty hard to tell the difference with normal program material.

For standard definition content, this TV turned in average results. It can resolve every detail of a source but does show a bit of jagged lines. The XBR9′s noise reduction performed very well, cleaning up the snowy, noisy shots of skies and sunsets with aplomb.

Sources:
http://www.technologygear.net
http://www.testfreaks.com
http://www.lcdtvreviews.org.uk