Introduction and features
Much as we may have loved the recently-tested Sony 75X9405C TV, it's just not going to be an option for most households. Partly because of its £7,000+ price, and partly because of its sheer enormity. Its already colossal 75-inch screen is joined by rows of extremely large (by TV standards) speakers down each side.
Cue the Sony KD-65X8505C: a new TV that still delivers a native 4K UHD resolution, a really big screen, Sony's Triluminos colour technology and Sony's new X1 video processor but from within a much more svelte form and at a far less eye-watering price of £2400.
The frame around the 65X8505C's 65-inch screen really is startlingly slim.
The left, right and top edges are little more than one centimetre across, while the bottom edge only expands things to around two centimetres.
Where have all the speakers gone?
While this narrow frame will make the 65X8505C a much more practical solution than the 75X9405C for typical households, though, it does mean there's no room for a sound system to rival the incredibly powerful one inside the larger set.
Though I suspect that many people prepared to invest more than two grand in a 65-inch TV may well already have or be prepared to install a separate audio system anyway.
A more concerning shortcoming of the 65X8505C's design is the way it sits slightly unstably on its metal bar-style desktop stand. But then I guess most grown ups aren't in the habit of giving their TVs a hefty shove all that often, while naughty kids are unlikely to be strong enough to do any serious damage.
The set is well armed with connections. Its four HDMIs are all built to the latest v2.0 4K-friendly specification (supporting 4K up to 60 frames per second) and HDCP 2.2 handshaking support, with one also compatible with MHL mobile device protocols.
There are three USBs for multimedia playback and recording from the TV's tuners to USB HDDs, plus you get the now inevitable integrated Wi-Fi and RJ45 network connections.
Talking to tablets
The 65X8505C additionally supports direct media sharing with phones and tablets, especially Android-based phones and tablets.
In fact, this compatibility even stretches to integrated support for Google ChromeCast thanks to the 65X8505C's carriage of the new Android TV smart platform.
Built on the Android 5.0 Lollipop system, it's easy to see why Android TV would appeal to Sony - and plenty of other TV manufacturers, come to that.
After all, Android is a relatively open platform with an already vast array of apps and huge community of app developers, so you can see the appeal for a TV brand in being able to bolster their smart TV content via such huge 3rd party support.
However, in practice Android TV seems to me to be substantially flawed as a smart TV platform.
It's clunky and dictatorial with its presentation, it doesn't support any significant customisation, it seems to cause speed problems with TV's wider operating systems, it's buggy, it doesn't actually currently carry as many TV-friendly apps as you might expect, and actually even its ability to deliver huge volumes of apps doesn't really fit well with a television (versus a smartphone or tablet) user experience.
Smarter smarts
Fortunately the 65X8505C doesn't rely just on Android for all its smarts.
It also carries Sony's own, much slicker, Discover menu system (which includes an easily customisable 'shelf' where you can put just your favourite apps) and will soon add a YouView system delivering compatibility with all the UK's key broadcasting catch-up services. Which is handy given that not a single one of these catch-up services is currently supported in Android TV.
The 65X8505C carries a pretty serious array of picture quality features, headlined by its use of Sony's Triluminos technology for delivering a wider colour gamut, and Sony's new X1 video processor chip.
This is substantially more powerful than its X-Reality Pro predecessor, and includes such potentially important tricks as a much more sophisticated colour rendering system, improved noise reduction routines, supposedly improved upscaling of HD sources, and the inclusion of today's 4K UHD sources in its picture database.
The database solution
This database is used to quickly identify what sort of source content the TV is receiving and apply a series of pre-defined picture processing attributes to it, the idea being that this 'shortcuts' the video processing requirement to deliver more accurate, effective results in real time.
There is one area where the 65X8505C's picture specification falls significantly short of that of the 75X9405C, though: it uses an edge LED lighting system rather than the direct one (where the lights sit behind the image) used by the bigger model.
This means it won't be able to deliver light to its pictures on as local a basis as per the 75X9405C, and so likely won't be able to match it where contrast is concerned.
Certainly it's noticeable that the 65X8505C doesn't join the 75X9405C in offering X-Tended Dynamic Range Pro technology, where the TV can redistribute its power to those areas of the image that need it most - the brightest parts - to make dark scenes look more dynamic.
HDR no, 3D yes
The 65X8505C doesn't join the 75X9405C in offering support for high dynamic range (HDR) pictures, which underlines the fact that this step-down set can't match the larger model for brightness and contrast.
Still, the 65X8505C is the best part of five thousand pounds cheaper than the 75X9405C, so a bit of compromise beyond just its 10-inches smaller screen is only to be expected.
The 65X8505C is one of an increasingly rare brand of TV this year in that it supports 3D playback.
It opts for the active system rather than the passive one, but sadly Sony doesn't provide any free 3D glasses with the TV, leaving 3D fans needing to cough up extra cash for each pair of glasses they need.
One last element of the 65X8505C's feature configuration worth mentioning is its wealth of set up options. These include such welcome tricks as colour management (including, intriguingly, a setting for the new BT2020 colour standard as well as the older sRGB and Rec709 ones), Sony's LiveColour system for 'expanding' the colour range of today's content, many settings for Sony's Motionflow processing system, and even the ability to tweak the way the TV's 'Reality Creation' 4K upscaling engine works.
The latter is something precious few rivals let you get involved with.
Picture Performance
Sony is for my money the most consistently strong handler of LCD TV backlighting right now - at least where edge-based lighting is involved. And happily this talent is in most ways abundantly on show with the 65X8505C.
So long as you're careful how you set the TV up anyway.
Particularly impressive is the uniformity of the 65X8505C's black level performance. Even where a mostly black shot contains a bright object in its centre the 65X8505C manages to deliver the dark parts of the image with barely a trace of light clouding, even in the image's corners.
What's more, the backlight uniformity is delivered alongside some really impressive black level depth by LCD TV standards.
Tweak the backlight setting down to around its 30 level and make sure you've got the set's Adaptive Contrast feature engaged and there's only minimal sign of greyness to take the edge off the screen's black colour.
Good dynamics - by edge LCD standards
It has to be said that with the picture calibrated to maximise its black level performance, bright elements of dark pictures don't look as punchy and light as they do on the 75X9405C - which is to be expected given the shift to edge LED lighting from direct LED lighting.
But by edge LED standards the combination of darkness and light the 65X8505C achieves is actually pretty impressive - especially given the evenness of the darkness surrounding the bright bits.
The 65X8505C also delivers a premium colour performance.
Saturations look rich and bold, yet this eye-catching dynamism comes with zero compromise in terms of tonal subtlety and finesse. On the contrary, the 65X8505C combines its native 4K resolution with some of the most exquisitely nuanced colours I've seen at this price level, and in doing so really makes all those extra pixels sing.
What's more, the 65X8505C's sense of detail and colour continues to impress when you switch from native 4K content to upscaled HD, really highlighting the quality of the X1 engine that's behind the upscaling process.
Your flexible friend
Also very likeable about the 65X8505C's colour handling is its flexibility.
It's capable of adapting its colour approach to suit pretty much any taste, from Rec709 purists right through to the new ultra-wide BT2020 system proposed as a colour 'container' for new Ultra HD Blu-ray and HDR feeds.
The BT2020 option is perhaps a bit of an oddity given the set's lack of HDR compatibility, but I'd certainly recommend that you experiment with Sony's LiveColor feature, as this can increase the sense of colour saturation - and thus make use of more of the TV's colour potential - without leading to unnatural or unbalanced tones.
So long as you avoid LiveColor's highest setting of 'power', at any rate.
I noted earlier the 65X8505C is exceptionally good at unlocking the full sharpness and detail potential of 4K content, but it's worth coming back to this point. The impact 4K UHD has on a screen as large as 65-inches, when joined by processing as astute as that employed here, really does leave you in no doubt about 4K's advantages over HD.
As well as more detail and more colour subtlety, you also get a much enhanced sense of depth with large-scale images - so much so that some shots feel almost three dimensional without the need for any glasses.
Motion clarity
It's great to see, too, that the 65X8505C is able to retain most of its sense of exceptional sharpness even when it's asked to deal with a lot of motion in the frame.
There's a little judder to be seen over large objects during camera pans, but it's not excessive - especially if you're prepared to try one of the relatively low-powered Motionflow settings (the higher ones cause the picture to exhibit processing artefacts).
While the 65X8505C mostly continues Sony's run of form where 4K UHD picture quality is concerned, though, there are a few issues to cover.
First and worst, Sony's usual deft touch when it comes to always ensuring pictures look natural and engaging seems to have escaped it a little when it comes to the 65X8505C's upscaling.
For using the TV's out of the box sharpness and Reality Creation settings upscaled pictures tend to look a bit over sharp, resulting in a tendency to exaggerate grain or source noise to uncomfortable levels.
4K should increase immersion...
I understand the motivation to try and make sure that people always feel aware that they've bought a 4K UHD TV even when watching HD content (which most current users will spend the majority of their time doing, of course).
But this motivation shouldn't go so far that it actually makes the 4K effect feel distracting.
To be fair to Sony, the effect isn't too bad if you leave on the TV's noise reduction routines - perhaps because Sony's latest processing engine is designed to work as a 'total package', with all of its different elements working in tandem.
But the notion of applying noise reduction to good quality HD sources doesn't sit comfortably with me, as it can pretty much always play a part in such images not looking as natural was they should.
I personally got the best overall impact from the upscaling engine if I reduced the sharpness setting to around its mid 40s level and the Resolution element of the Reality Creation system to around 30 from its 60 default.
The flasher
Another issue is with Sony's usually dependable backlight controls.
As I would have expected I got the best results by activating the set's adaptive backlight control system, which adjusts the TV's settings in response to the image content being shown. Without this feature turned on dark scenes tend to be affected by a little more greyness than I wanted to see.
However, it was also noticeable that the adaptive backlight feature could cause some fairly distracting jumps in the image's lighting levels whenever there was a fade to black or a jump from an almost black shot to a bright one.
The backlight appears to shut off for the darkest images before reactivating with a pronounced pulse when light comes back into the picture.
A couple of other relatively minor 2D issues are a reduction in the image's brightness in its corners, which can become noticeable while watching very bright material; a fairly limited viewing angle which finds colours starting to wane once you find yourself no more than around 25-30 degrees down the TV's sides; and a little loss of shadow detail in the image's very darkest areas.
3D issues
I mentioned 2D specifically in the previous paragraph because 3D on the 65X8505C has separate issues of its own.
First, HD 3D Blu-rays don't look as crisp or detailed as might have been expected given the 65X8505C's supremely sharp upscaling of HD 2D content.
Second, 3D images feel much less bright than 2D ones, even if you set the TV's 'glasses brightness' setting to its highest level. This lack of brightness can lead to some dark shots looking a bit hollow and flat.
The biggest problem by far, though, is crosstalk.
This double ghosting noise commonly seen with active 3D technology is both regular and pronounced on the 65X8505C, making it hard to enjoy the sort of immersive sensation 3D is supposed to deliver.
Usability, Sound and Value
The 65X8505C isn't done any favours in this section by its use of the new Android TV platform.
For even if you actually like having access to hundreds of apps - many of them games right now - there are considerable issues with the Android TV menus. The recommendations system doesn't work very well, the ordering of the 'shelves' of content links seems poorly thought through, and the level of customisation on offer is laughable.
Worse, Android TV is prone to crashing and can sometimes run sluggishly - as well as appearing to cause response speed issues with the 65X8505C's general operating menus.
This means that even if you opt to ignore Android TV as much as possible, Android still affects your user experience to some degree.
One good point about the 65X8505C's operating system, though, is the unusual but elegant and clear way it divides up its picture calibration options.
Sound
Having been well and truly spoilt by the stunning sound from Sony's 75X9405C, it's hard not to feel disappointed by the much more mainstream sound delivered by the 65X8505C.
Trying to stay objective about it in the context of the newer set's skinnier design, it's good to hear voices sounding quite natural and rounded for the most part; audio details appearing with reasonable clarity; and the soundstage achieving a fraction more bass than might have been expected from the physical space on offer to the 65X8505C's speakers.
However, while the mid-range doesn't appear too crowded at reasonably low volumes, things start to sound strained and even outright distorted and 'buzzy' if you push the volume to the sort of levels you might want to when watching an action movie (assuming you don't have any close neighbours to worry about).
Value
The 65X8505C doesn't feel expensive at £2,400 for a 65-inch 4K UHD TV equipped with the high level of picture specification it carries.
In an ideal world it might have been nice to find HDR support or maybe even direct LED backlighting at the near £2,500 level of the market, but so long as you're careful with how you set its pictures up it's hard to imagine anyone who buys a 65X8505C feeling shortchanged.
Unless, perhaps, they end up falling on the 'hate' side of Android TV's apparent love it or hate it status.
Verdict
With its 65-inch screen, Triluminos colour technology and new uber-powerful X1 video processing engine, the 65X8505C seems on paper to be exceptionally well qualified for the job of unlocking 4K UHD's full potential.
It backs its picture quality chops up, moreover, with a content-heavy Android TV smart experience and a slinky, space saving design that doesn't distract you from its pictures.
You do have to be careful how you set those pictures up if you want to get the best from them, though, and the Android TV system is at best divisive.
We Liked
Anyone struggling for space will be pleased to find the 65X8505C fitting its screen into a very trim frame compared with all the extra inches bolted on to the 75X9405C's screen.
Picture quality is very strong overall too once you've sorted a few initial problems out, and the screen also scores strongly on its connectivity.
We disliked
The backlight can jump around a bit if you're using the actually fairly necessary Adaptive Contrast functionality, and Sony's upscaling engine can tend to over cook the sharpness with its default settings.
The sound can distort at high volumes, and personally I don't get on with the Android TV smart system.
Verdict
The 65X8505C is far from perfect.
A couple of surprising - given the Sony branding - backlight and excessive sharpness issues together with merely average audio performance, uninspiring 3D and a currently cumbersome Android TV smart system take some of the gloss off things.
But this well-priced 65-inch UHD screen is still good value enough to be worth a look.
from www.techradar.com
