Sony KD-49XE9005 £1500
FOR Vivid colours; sharp detail; dynamic sound; good range of streaming services AGAINST Nothing of note
How long does it take your brain to process an image? Answer: around 13 milliseconds. In the time it took you to read that sentence, you can process 185 different images. Congratulations.
But since most people watch 4.3 hours of video per day (which equates to more than one million images) you don’t want to waste that processing power on a substandard television. The KD-49XE9005 is not a sub-standard television.
We set the black levels and contrast for our testing rooms using a THX disc, turn local dimming and dynamic contrast to ‘low’ so that we get a little more detail in darker scenes, and disable many of the processing modes, such as ‘Reality Creation’ (a joint upscaling and noisereduction mode for standard-definition sources) and ‘X-tended Dynamic Range’.
Although it might take a while to set up, once it’s ready the picture you get is well worth writing about. We start it off with Deadpool in 4K through our reference Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray player. Immediately the depth of the image strikes us. When the titular hero is sitting on the side of the overpass, the XE9005’S handling of subtle detailing and colours distinctly, but not jarringly, separates the foreground from the background to render a layered picture.
A seductive quality
Between the nuances this television lends to the clouds and city in the background in contrast to the precise, punchier colours of Deadpool’s suit, and the attention to detail in how the XE9005 portrays shadows, this television is going to draw you in. And when Deadpool jumps from the overpass into a car of villains, he moves without any judder in the motion.
Changing down a gear – in terms of image resolution – we feed the Sony a 1080p Blu-ray of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the XE9005 doesn’t let us down in its dark detailing. The level of black this television can achieve really helps capture the menace of Supreme Leader Snoke, while still keeping the stone-like markings in his throne.
These characteristics stay with it whether you’re playing DVDS or watching an upscaled standard-definition broadcast; it’s a surprisingly sophisticated image, especially when you remember the television is creating 95 per cent of it.
Sounds good
As well as a stunning picture, this TV also has crisp, clear sound that relays the hiss of moving sand and the crackle of lightsaber battles with a good deal of detail; when Rey and Kylo clash, each swipe and parry is precise and measured. A decent soundbar (see over the page) or speaker array will take things much further, but for casual listening you won’t be disappointed.
The XE9005’S Android operating system means you get a lot of content to play with. There’s the staple range of catch-up apps such as BBC iplayer, ITV, All 4, and Demand 5, as well as streaming services from Netflix and Amazon Video. Having the Google Play store means you can also get access to all the other Android apps available, including Spotify and Tidal. While the design of Android OS might not make for the most intuitive system, it’s still smooth and responsive.
On the physical side, there are four HDMI 2.2 ports to connect Blu-ray players and games consoles, and three USB ports – two TUSB 2.0, and one 3.0. Alongside those connections are satellite inputs, a 3.5mm jack and a digital optical output, as well as analogue video inputs for older devices.
Buttons on the remote are logically arranged, but the handset’s rubber texture might not be to everyone’s taste.
For those interested in the specs, this TV meets the UHD Premium standard. That means that, as well as having a 4K, HDR screen, it can also boast a 10-bit colour depth and BT.2020 colour space. However, those who want to watch broadcast HDR content will have to wait, as the XE9005 currently lacks support for Hybrid Log Gamma.
At this point in home cinema’s evolution, there’s little more the Sony XE9005 could offer us at its price. Its UHD Premium screen is worthy of the badge, there’s a range of streaming apps to keep us content, and it’s got good sound. We’ll have this TV round for our next Netflix binge anytime.