Sony TVs 2020 lineup compared
Although Sony’s lineup may not be the biggest in 2020, it ranges from mid-range 4K LCD UHD TVs to high-end OLEDs. For its OLEDs it uses the display technology developed by LG. The Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronics wants to score points in the television market above all with its so-called “Master Series“, which is intended to revolutionize home entertainment and is primarily designed for the home cinema experience. It is particularly noticeable that Sony has not specialized in gaming televisions, even though they will launch the Playstation 5 in 2020.
Sony 4K UHD LED 2020 lineup
Sony X750H (2020)
The X750H is the most affordable TV in Sony’s 2020 lineup and has not been equipped with too many features. The VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS. gives it a high contrast ratio of 5700:1 and deep blacks, which results in a good picture quality in dark surroundings. On the other hand, the picture is not quite as impressive in bright surroundings, which is due to the average reflection handling and the low brightness. The motion handlingDisplaying fast moving objects of the 60Hz panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS. is pretty decent with a response timeTime it takes for a pixel to change color of about 4ms, so there is only little motion blur.
If you are looking for a cheap gaming TV and don’t want to push next gen gaming to its limits, you’ll be very satisfied with the input lagTime it takes for the input signal to appear on the screen (delay) of about 11ms, because the TV feels very responsive while gaming. Additional features like ALLM, VRRVariable Refresh Rate – synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the output refresh rate of the graphics card and HDMI 2.1 are not available – which is quite common in this price segment.
Sony X750H pro/cons
- Contrast ratio 5700:1
- Input lag ~11ms
- Response time ~4ms
- No flickering backlight
- Narrow viewing angle
- No Full Array Local Dimming
- Dirty Screen Effect
- Peak brightness ~370 Nits
- No Twin Tuner
- HDMI 2.1
- No ALLM
- No VRR
- Judder
Sony X800H (2020)
The X800H Bravia has completely different characteristics than the cheaper X750H due to the built-in IPSIn-Plane Switching, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS.. It has a wide viewing angle and can be used particularly in bright environments. However, the picture quality is not as good in dark surroundings, which is due to the poor contrast ratio and the mediocre blacks – black looks more like gray in dark rooms. Furthermore, with about 530 NitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m2 – The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness , it becomes brighter than the X750H and has a wide color gamutThe complete subset of colors which can be displayed by the screen. However, this is not enough to display HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content well.
Sony also saves most of the additional features of the X800H, but has a lot more than the X750H. However, it has been equipped with an Auto Low Latency Mode, which automatically keeps the input lagTime it takes for the input signal to appear on the screen (delay) as low as possible during gaming. It also has Dolby VisionDynamic HDR-format with a color depth of up to 12 Bits and Mastering of up to 10,000 Nits implemented for dynamic optimization of HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content and an HDMI eARC which supports Dolby Atmos via Dolby True HD.
... compared to Sony X750H
- Wide viewing angle
- Peak brightness ~530 Nits
- ALLM
- Wide color gamut
- HDMI eARC
- Dolby Vision & Atmos
- Contrast ratio 1100:1
- Mediocre black
Sony Full Array LED 2020 lineup
Sony X900H (2020)
The X90H is the entry-level model in the Full Array LED series and is therefore equipped with considerably more features. The image quality of the VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS. is very different from the IPSIn-Plane Switching, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS. of the X800H and is superior in almost all ambient conditions. In bright rooms, the picture quality is better due to the higher peak brightness, and in dark rooms, the higher contrast ratio and deep black produce a beautiful picture, which is further enhanced by Full Array Local Dimming. However, this can lead to unsightly errors like bloomingAdding a brighter area around bright objects on a dark background. The IPSIn-Plane Switching, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS. also gives the X800H a much wider viewing angle than the one of the more expensive X900H.
In addition to the better picture quality, the equipment is much more sophisticated. It has an HDMI eARC and a 120Hz PanelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS.. The X900H is equipped with an HDMI 2.1 interface, which supports both VRRVariable Refresh Rate – synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the output refresh rate of the graphics card and Auto Low Latency Mode. With these extras, the X900H is perfectly suited for gaming and can take full advantage of the next-gen consoles with [email protected] that will be released in 2020. There is also a twin tuner, which enables the USB recording function – even when watching another program.
... compared to Sony X800H
- Deep black
- Contrast ratio ~4800:1
- Full Array Local Dimming
- Peak brightness ~740 Nits
- Free from Judder
- HDMI 2.1
- HDMI eARC
- FreeSync VRR / HDMI Forum VRR
- Twin Tuner
- Narrow viewing angle
Sony X950H (2020)
In most categories, the X950H is superior to the X900H. Like the less expensive model, it uses a VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS., but the viewing angle has been greatly extended by an additional display layer. In addition, this layer also has a positive effect on the reflection handling, which in combination with the higher peak brightness makes the TV much better suited for the use in bright rooms than the X900H. In dark surroundings, its picture quality is quite similar, because the additional layer reduces the contrast ratio. With the higher peak brightness of 1180 NitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m2 – The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness , HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content can be displayed brilliantly and the image processing of the X1 Ultimate image processor ensures an extremely natural image.
However, the more expensive X950H does not perform quite as well in the gaming category. It lacks almost all the features to ensure a good gaming experience. It has no HDMI 2.1, no VRRVariable Refresh Rate – synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the output refresh rate of the graphics card, no ALLM and a not very good input delay. In short, the X950H was not designed for gaming, unlike the XH90.
Sony X950H pro/cons
- Viewing angle
- Reflection behavior
- Peak brightness ~1180 Nits
- No HDMI 2.1
- No ALL
- No VRR
Sony OLED 2020 lineup
Sony A8H OLED (2020)
The high-end OLED A8 immediately stands out as a TV designed for the best possible home cinema atmosphere. Due to the OLED construction, it has a breathtaking picture quality in dark surroundings that is unmatched by other technologies. The motion handlingDisplaying fast moving objects is also excellent due to the almost instantaneous response timeTime it takes for a pixel to change color – so even fast movements cause almost no motion blur. Eventual motion blur can be further minimized by the X-Motion-Clarity feature, which is also possible at a frame rate of 120Hz. In addition, the sound system of the A8 has the innovative Acoustic Surface Audio function, which makes the sound seem to come directly from the center of the picture, creating an immersive cinema experience.
In bright surroundings, however, the OLED performs, as expected, worse than the X950H. The peak brightness is simply not high enough, because otherwise the organic LEDs would suffer from the higher thermal output. As a protection mechanism against overheating, the Automatic Brightness Limiter is used to dim the brightness in large bright scenes to prevent burn-in.
Like the XH95, the A8 is not really suitable for gambling. It also lacks the HDMI 2.1 interface and the associated advantages.
... compared to Sony X950H
- Contrast ratio ∞:1
- Viewing angle
- Motion Handling
- X-Motion Clarity (120Hz)
- Acoustic Surface Audio
- Pixel Contrast Booster
- Peak brightness ~780 Nits
- Automatic Brightness Limiter
More about TV manufacturer Sony
Sony is relying on a Black Frame Insertion feature called “X-Motion Clarity“, which is also available on the new OLEDs this year. With the “X-Wide Angle” layer, the manufacturer is addressing the common problem of VA panels and, similar to its competitors, is trying to improve the image from an oblique viewing angle. Further features are the “Pixel Contrast Booster” for OLEDs, which is intended to enhance color and contrast ratio, and in the area of sound, “Acoustic Surface Audio+“, where the sound is to come directly from the center of the TV set by means of forward facing speakers.
For orientation: Sony model names have a letter at the end of the model name that indicates the year of publication and ranges from E = 2017 to H = 2020. The number before it stands for the value within the group. The higher the number, the more expensive the television.
X-Motion-Clarity is a Sony brand name for the Black Frame Insertion feature. When this feature is activated, the motion blur is minimized, which should be done by black frames in between. These are placed between the normal images at a high frequencyHertz is the derived SI-unit of frequency with 1Hz=1/s – When talking about TVs this means how many different pictures a TV can display in one second., so that the black images are not recognized by the human eye and thus blur is prevented. However, the black intermediate images make the image appear darker, which can be particularly annoying in the low brightness of OLEDs.
This is a term for an additional display layer that is intended to extend the viewing angle of VA-LCD panels. Compared to Samsung’s Ultra Viewing Angle layer, the X-Wide Angle layer is not competitive, but it expands the otherwise quite narrow viewing angle immensely.
In order to provide a cinema-like sound backdrop, the impression should be created that the sound comes directly from the movie – i.e. from the center of the picture. With this feature, the display of the TV itself becomes the center speaker of the sound system, giving the viewer the feeling of being right in the middle of the action.
This is a feature Sony uses in OLEDs to increase the contrast ratio and achieve a higher level of visible detail, especially in very bright areas. This is also intended to increase the color range so that the TV can display colors more vividly.
