Sony’s first 4K TV is an 84-incher
with a price tag only an Ecclestone could love, but it offers amazing image
quality
Features
·
Screen size: 84in
·
Resolution: 4K, 3840 x 2160
·
Contrast ratio: Officially claimed to be ‘Over 1
million’
·
Tuners: Freeview HD
·
Speakers: 50W (12.5W x 4)
·
EPG: Freeview HD 7-day
·
CI slot: Yes
·
Software update: OTA
·
SD out/in: 1 x Scart (via adaptor), 2 x USB,
·
HD in: 4 x HDMI v1.4 (two 4K compatible),
component video
·
Audio out: stereo phono, digital optical audio,
headphones jack
·
Audio in: 2 x stereo phono
·
Data: USB 2.0, Ethernet, integrated Wi-Fi
Sony
KD-84X9005
The opposition
Toshiba 55ZL2: $10,500
Toshiba beat out Sony to deliver the first
4K resolution TV (which the brand dubbed Quad HD) in the UK. In hindsight, the
price is extremely competitive, but hardware limitations mean you won’t be able
to take advantage of 4K broadcast services when they begin
Toshiba
55ZL2: $10,500
LG 84 UHDTV
LG’s incoming 4K TV will use the same panel
as the Sony reviewed here, but allied to completely different picture
processing circuitry. Early sample certainly look impressive. The set is
expected to sell for around $30,000 when it arrives later this year or early
2013
Hold onto your hats- the 4KTV bandwagon is finally
rolling. Not only is the 84in KD-84X9005 the first 4K consumer TV released by
Sony, it’s also the first 3840 x 2160 display equipped for the resolution
revolution about to engulf us all.
LG
84 UHDTV
Toshiba was the first to market with a 4K
telly, the 55ZL2, but that premature panel is locked down tight, with none of
its HDMI inputs able to accept an incoming 4K signal. The extra resolution was
mainly an enabler for auto-stereoscopic (glasses-free) 3D and to facilitate
internal upscalling. This Sony is a very different kettle of clarity. When Sony
president and CEO Kax H. unveiled the screen at IFA this year, he declared it
“a breakthrough television product”.
Unsurprisingly, there’s quite a price
premium attached. You’ll need to part with $37,500 if you want to take one home
from Harrods. Still, this is achingly fresh tech and Sony doesn’t expect
ordinary mortals to be first in line. The brand has to recoup its R&D
investment somewhere, so it’s only fair celebrities and Russian Oligarchs help
with the funding.
The screen itself looks every inch the
premium flagship. But beneath the hood it’s not unlike Sony’s current HX8/HX7
models. The XcrossMediaBar navigation is identical, as is Sony’s online portal.
The Sony Entertainment Network remains one of the best internet TV propositions
out there, with plenty of free and subscription content, including BBC iPlayer,
BBC News, Sky News, YouTube, Demand 5, LOVEFiLM and Netflix.
Connectivity is equally familiar. It has
four HDMIs, Scart, component and phono stereo inputs, PC VGA, two USB, Ethernet
and a CI slot. Wi-Fi is built-in, accompanied by Wi-Fi Direct. The twist is
that two of the HDMIs are labeled 4K ready. The tuner is Freeview HD, while the
remote is an off-the-shelf doofer.
‘The Sony KD-84X9005 quite literally
provides an ultra-HD window on the world’
The
screen itself looks every inch the premium flagship
Ultra images
Picture quality is extraordinary. To access
the screen with native 4K content we used a server pre-loaded with specially
prepared content (currently there is no commercial 4K video to call upon). This
comprised a variety of demo landscape footage, plus a sequence with the Berlin
Philharmonic shot on Sony’s new F65 CineAlta 4K digital cinema camera. The TV
literally provides an ultra-HD window on the world.
While the great unwashed can only dream of
such video acuity, digital still imagery is altogether more accessible. Being
able to look at your own snaps in 4K resolution on a monster screen like this
is a revelation. A 4K upgrade to the PS3’s PlayMemories Studio software, due
soon, will make viewing high resolution images even easier. The set itself
comes with some landscape demo JPEGs embedded.
Of course, until 4K kicks off, much hangs
on what the KD-84X9005 does will Full HD pictures. The short answer is
everything…and nothing.
Taking care of 4K proprietary XCA8-4K chip;
it’s partnered here with the same X-Reality PRO silicon found lower down the
BRAVIA tree, which handles image clean-up and Full HD image up scaling.
Rather brilliantly, this high-powered
processor is able to isolate and exploit any residual high frequency
information that’s inherent in HD satellite transmissions and Blu-ray encodes.
If there is signal information available, the TV puts it on the screen. The
result is uncannily similar to native 4K content. Material originally shot on
4K cameras will contain this high-frequency jam to a greater or lesser degree.
The Tourist is one such movie, here delivering scintillating levels of detail
to the screen. Marvel Avengers Assemble similarly looks mesmerizing in
reconstituted 4K.
However if content lacks this extra info,
perhaps because it was shot on a 2K camera or mastered from a 2K film scan, the
TV doesn’t actually do anything beyond scale the image to the panel. Consequently,
there’s no significant difference in image quality, bar pixel density, between
what you’ll see here and on a large Full HD TV.
A
4K upgrade to the PS3’s PlayMemories Studio software
Inevitably, image distance and picture
resolution are closely related. One benefit of having a 4K 84in display is that
you can get close (very close!) without seeing any pixel grid structure. As 4K
has four times the pixel density, there’s no overt grid.
It’s a very photographic viewing
experience. This display can be watched comfortably from 1.5m, giving a truly
cinematic experience.
This is also the first Sony TV we’ve seen
to embrace Passive, rather than Active Shutter, 3D. Sony actually launched
Passive HD TVs into the Chinese market a year ago, following a panel deal with
LG Display, but it’s been biding its time in other territories. The good news
is the 3D performance here is breathtaking; while Passive, the set can deliver
a Full HD 3D image without any overt crosstalk issues.
And it’s not just the vision which has had
an upgrade. The TV’s sound system has been revamped. Two front-facing stereo
speakers stand apart from the bodywork, and can be toed-in as required. They’re
powered by a 50W digital amp and sound spectacular.
Verdict
As a taste of things to come, the Sony
KD-84X9005 is undeniably delicious. With native 4K images, the set looks better
than any consumer TV released before it. But it’ll be some time before the new
MPEG HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) codec enters the broadcast mainstream,
which in turn will enable Astra to launch a 4K satellite service and Blu-ray
disc to evolve into a 4K carrier. The good news is that while we wait for this
tantalizing technology to trickle down the ranks the set is still capable of an
extraordinary eye-popping performance.
Specifications
§ Screen:
84in LCD, LED edge-lit, 16:9 aspect ratio
§ Resolution:
4K: 3840 x 2160
§ Rated
contrast ratio: over 1,000,000: 1
§ Tuner:
Freeview HD DVB-T2, DVB-S2, DVB-C, analogue
§ Speakers:
50W total: 4 x 12.5W
§ Video
interfacing: 4 x HDMI, PC, Composite, Component and Scart
§ Other
interfacing: 2 x USB, Ethernet, PC, CI, Slot, integrated Wi-Fi
§ 3D
Viewing: passive, 2 x BKM-30G specs supplied
§ Rated
power consumption: 360W active, 0.3W standby
§ Dimensions:
2137 x 1136 x 90 mm (without stand), 80kg
Ratings
Plus
§ Groundbreaking
ultra-high definition image quality
§ Excellent
2K picture processing
§ Full
HD Passive 3D
Minus
§ No
Native 4K commercial content available yet
§ Prohibitive
statement price
§ Still
can’t handle MKVs
§ Build:
10/10
§ Setup:
8/10
§ Searching:
7/10
§ Navigation:
8/10
§ Picture:
10/10
§ Sound:
9/10
§ Features:
10/10
§ Value:
7/10
§ Overall: 9/10
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