Introduction and features
Just how smart do you want your television to be? That's the question I've kept asking myself as I've been testing the 49-inch Sony X83C.
In a rather unprecedented step for Sony, it chose not to pursue a proprietary operating system for its latest round of Smart TVs, instead opting to buddy up with Google and climb aboard the Android TV bandwagon with the likes of Philips, Sharp and Hisense.
So the Sony KD-49X8307C is my first experience of Android TV in the home, and it's been a rocky start to our relationship. But, like the tease I am, I'll come back to that later.
Aside from the Android-related fun, what else do you get in this rather well-priced package?
The Sony KD-49X8307C is a lovely-looking 4K Ultra HD TV with a pretty reasonable £799 price tag. And you get a fair bit of powerful Sony technology into the bargain, which means it's not just the svelte silvery chassis which looks good – the images do too.
Powering that 3840 x 2160 native resolution is Sony's 4K Processor X1 silicon. It's this image processor that's responsible for the Ultra HD visuals, but it's actually most impressive when it's showing off its upscaling chops on non-4K content with the 4K X-Reality Pro engine.
The 4K Processor X1 is also there to manage the dynamic contrast levels, constantly optimising the brightness and contrast of the image on a per-frame basis to give you the best image quality possible.
The 49-inch IPS panel on this Sony X83C is supported by an edge-lit LED backlight.
Well connected
And what of its connections? For a relatively mid-range TV it's pretty well connected if truth be told. There are a full four HDMI connections on the rear of the X83C, each of which supports the latest copy protection standard, HDCP 2.2, and one of which supports the MHL mobile connection protocol too.
The X83C also comes with a 3-port USB hub, and there are a host of other audio ins and outs, from standard analogue audio inputs to headphone and audio out as well as digital optical connections.
There are the requisite connections for a dedicated subwoofer too, which is handy, as the pair of 10W down-firing speakers are rather weak. And if you were to stick a soundbar in front of the TV you'd probably find it blocks the IR receiver – I know I did.
Because of the thin bezel design the speakers are well hidden in the base, but I'll have to forgive the X83C its audio failings because a) it's the current fashion, audio be damned, and b) it's actually a rather lovely-looking design.
The stand is surprisingly sturdy for such a sleek, simple setup. Initially I did think the shiny, metallic finish would be a little distracting when using the TV, but thankfully the imagery on-screen is generally captivating enough for that not to be an issue.
And the smarts?
That's the actual hardware then, so we're back to Android TV. I've had mixed reports from people I trust regarding Android TV, but most vociferous in his opposition has been our resident TV guru, John Archer.
I thought that maybe he was being overly harsh – but that was before I actually started using the OS. And it's not just the whole initial, inevitable teething problem-thing either – it just still doesn't feel particularly ready.
What wasn't to be expected was the fact that even once the X83C had completely finished its upgrade, and rebooted, the video inputs all lead to one place. No matter what was plugged in, or which of the four HDMI connections was used, or which input was selected via the TV, it would only display what was coming in through HDMI 1.
Resetting the TV itself didn't yield any solution to the problem, and only performing a total factory reset managed to get things back to normal. But at least that seemed to be a permanent fix – something I wasn't able to nail for the forgetful nature Android TV seemed to have with USB inputs or even the network.
Sometimes the TV would turn on with no indication there was anything connected to its USB ports, requiring a reboot to fix the issue, and sometimes it would decide there was no internet connection, despite the fact that Netflix was quite happy to stream in full Ultra HD mode.
Still, at least Android TV means you get a host of applications, including most of the major streaming services. YouTube in 4K is all ready to rock and so is Netflix, providing you have the necessary account level.
Even Netflix, however, was seemingly not impervious to the trials of this iteration of Android TV. Playback was lovely and smooth until you paused what you were watching to dip out of the app and into the home screen – sometimes going back into Netflix meant juddery 4K video that only a TV reset could fix.
Sadly, there are also still gaps in the TV version of the Play Store, such as no NOW TV or All4 to get your catch-up fix of Game of Thrones, Bear Grylls and his suffering islanders or endless episodes of Peep Show.
Image quality and performance
Images produced by the Sony panel and its impressive 4K X-Reality Pro processing are excellent. Obviously it's not quite up there with the high-price-tag likes of Sony's 75- inch marvel or Samsung's SUHD range, but in the sub-£1,000 market it will be tough to beat.
When displaying native 4K content the screen really comes alive. With our 4K demo discs, run from the USB connection, the video is beautifully sharp and detailed. Forget the fact that this reasonably-priced Sony has chosen to completely omit any 3D tech from its hardware; with a quality Ultra HD source the image clarity lends the picture incredible depth.
The Sony processing also produces a lovely, smooth video experience. The sweeping vistas of Ultra HD Netflix's Marco Polo are transfixing, and the bleached streets of Narcos' Bogota become a canvas painted in blood.
Well, when Android TV plays ball anyway...
Almost of greater import, in these times still lacking a huge amount of 4K UHD content, is the X83C's upscaling chops – and here again the Sony processing really impresses.
Standard HD content still looks great on this panel, even blown up to four times its original resolution. There is a little noise introduced to the flesh tones in close-up, but otherwise the detail is excellent – the Sony was even able to keep my Virgin TiVo box's HD playback sharp and vivid.
My only real issue with the screen itself is that it tends to be a little too dark; with its lower levels of brightness l found it losing a small amount of detail in the darkest scenes of House of Cards or Daredevil.
Boosting the TV's brightness settings, however, introduces visible bleed from the edge-lit LED backlight, which is barely noticeable when using the X83C's standard picture modes.
Overall, though, the Sony IPS screen performs really well. Despite the relatively low brightness the contrast levels are pretty impressive for such a well-priced TV, and even though it's using lPS panel tech the black levels are decent too.
Because of that IPS screen it does have very good white saturation distinction, and typically excellent viewing angles too.
Verdict
When it comes to affordable, decent-sized 4K TVs, 49 and 50-inchers are becoming the new standard. And with the likes of the Sony KD-49X8307C coming in at a shade under £800, an Ultra HD 4K Smart TV is becoming a realistic option for many more of us telly addicts.
But with the recently released 4K media streamers – the Amazon Fire TV and Nvidia SHIELD – offering to make your dumb TV a much smarter beast, do we need built-in smart options?
And so we're back to trying to figure out just how smart we want our actual displays to be. Having to reboot your media streamer is something we can understand – it's kind of like a computer box after all – but having to do the same for our television? That's something we really have no frame of reference for.
We liked
The actual panel Sony has kitted out this affordable 4K TV with is quite lovely. It's not going to worry any of the OLED faithful or the direct-lit LED brigade with their superior contrast and blacks, but for a TV of this price to be able to offer a picture this good is impressive.
It's especially good with native Ultra HD content. When compared with similarly-priced panels from other manufacturers, however, the 4K X-Reality processing in the Sony really makes standard Full HD content stand out.
I've seen other 4K panels really struggle with the lower-quality streams, especially in darker scenes, but the Sony manages to boost HD sources to 4K without any weird artifacting or undue visual noise.
I'm also impressed by the connectivity. With a full four HDMI ports and myriad USB connections the KD-49X8307C is well represented when it comes to getting content onto the screen.
Even when the TV isn't on it looks great. That slim, aluminium chassis belies its relatively reasonable price tag – from the stand to the bezel it has a quality look and feel to it.
We disliked
Oh Android TV, why do you frustrate me so?
It's such a shame, when the actual picture quality is as good as the Sony KD-49X8307C is capable of producing, that it's the OS – something Sony has very little control over – that lets the side down.
A lack of popular apps we can forgive – that will improve over time – but it's the bugginess which you simply don't associate with Sony products that really grates.
Having to do a factory reset on your TV because it can't figure out the inputs, or having to reboot because it's forgotten how to recognise USB connections, or because Netflix has slowed to a juddery crawl, are not the things you ever expect to have to do.
One thing that is Sony's fault, though, is not putting the voice-control remote in the package. You only get the standard Sony TV remote, not the one enabling you to chat to Google.
During a break in testing, finding my wife standing a foot from the screen screaming "All4!" at the top of her lungs because the search function defaults to voice-control was a sight to behold.
Final verdict
The Sony KD-49X8307C is a good-looking TV whether it's on or off. The design is striking, and the panel is rather impressive for such a well-priced Ultra HD telly.
It's 4K performance is excellent, showing great detail and tangible depth, but it's the HD performance which really stands out against the crowd – which is good considering you'll likely be watching mostly HD content for a good while at least.
However, we're not talking about a particularly future-proof TV here for your £800 – there's no HDR now or in the future for TVs of this ilk.
Whether you're happy to cope with the vagaries of Android TV though is another question. I couldn't recommend the Sony to my gran – she'd throw the remote through that UHD panel in a matter of hours.
But if you're techie enough to deal with its foibles – which should hopefully diminish as Android TV matures – then the Sony KD-49X8307C is a well-priced contender for the affordable 4K crown.
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1j8oXXv
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