“After purchasing my Apple TV 4K, I began searching for a 4K/HDR television, so I could truly enjoy the set top box’s ability to show movies and shows in 4K HDR quality,” Dennis Sellers writes for Apple World Today. “I don’t have the moolah for an OLED TV set, so after much research, I settled on Sony’s XBR-X900E-Series 55-inch—Class HDR UHD Smart LED TV.”
“It’s a top notch HDR TV that occupies the sweet spot between performance, price, and size. I wanted a 65-inch TV set, but my wife is insistent that anything bigger than 55 inches is too big for our living room. And, as the saying goes, ‘if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy,'” Sellers writes. “So 55 inches it was.”
“The X900E’s display is gorgeous. It’s not OLED quality, but comes close. UHD image clarity is excellent, the contrast ratio is very good, brightness is superb, and HDR allows for bright, vivid colors,” Sellers writes. “The Sony set boasts the 4K X-Reality Pro Image Processor, 4K HDR Processor X1, and TRILUMINOS Panel, and Full Array Local Dimming.”
Read more in the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: 55-inches is too small for most living rooms. 😉
But the Sony XBRX900E-Series sets, regardless of the size, are excellent. They’re not in the same class as Sony’s XBR55A1E 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart BRAVIA OLED TV models, of course, but they’re very nice just the same.
Cut out a couple planks of cardboard to show your spouse the actual size differences in your living room before buying.
Check out the Sony XBR65X900E 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV and the Sony XBR75X900E 75-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV before you make your final decision.
Sony = overpriced.
Sony = reliability and build quality and they’re not South Korean thieves who serially knockoff Apple innovations.
Reliability and build quality have a value.
if you’re okay with settling for inferior products, go ahead.
Only Sony TVs in my house because I don’t settle for South Korean Walmart junk.
You do know Apple sources displays from Samsung and LG, right?
Apple can afford incoming quality inspection to keep them honest. I prefer trustworthy suppliers for my purchases.
Totally agree with you Johnny B Goode. Same principle applies in my house. I also happen to have one of these “small” TVs for my living room. I have a dedicated projection theater room for my movie enjoyment.
And to DavGreg, just because Apple still sources parts from South Korea doesn’t me I ought to do the same if it can be avoided. Go Sony.
Sony was bar none the best TTV available. I would not buy any but Sony’s at one time. They lost so much ground but they are trying to come back. They don’t have the innovation that they once used to have. Now they buy panels from other makers. They used to be the Apple of video in the old days.
You are so right. Steve Jobs himself used to tout Sony video equipment at Mac conferences: http://www.lafcpug.org/features/feature_macworld_05.html
Just scroll down to see Jobs sporting an HDRFX1.
Says cheapskates or those who can’t afford the good stuff.
This is an Android TV. Is this really the “good stuff”? I think not but please, jump in there big spender.
You infer Apple gadgets all represent screaming deals?
At least they didn’t buy a Samdung model.
Wives have always been the traditional impediment to satisfactory technology choices. My wife took a look at the size of the box our 60” bedroom TV came in and was immediately upset as if there was an 85” set in there. Once up on the wall and enjoying the heck out of it not so much. Of course we’re not putting the damn huge box on the wall so don’t judge a TV by it’s box cover! (No predictable & juvenile “size” jokes here please.)
Your wife is upset because you’re always focusing all your attention on the wrong box.
I’m not ready to make the switch to 4k yet, so I can’t speak about the price/value of Sony’s 4k sets but I owned a 13” Sony for 29 years, a 27” for 22 years, and a 20” one for 16”- all we’re donated in perfect working order when I switched to HD.
I went with 2 LG’s and a Sharp when I switched on price alone. I’m happy with all 3. When I want the very best on 4k, I’ll give Sony a hard look price won’t matter.
Oddly, the 55 in the living room is the best that I have but it dominates the room and I feel like my eyes aren’t far enough apart to really enjoy it. I find myself watching the 40 for 90% of my TV watching.
I’m a sports fan and until college football and baseball are broadcast or streamed live, I’m holding off buying s 4K. I don’t stream/watch movies much.
MDN Take
Many of us do not let a TV dominate our Living Rooms. I converted an extra Bedroom and get along fine with a 40 inch TV.
The Living Room is for visiting, playing music, conversations and other activities- not TV.
The Mac-Vaio was never to be (http://macdailynews.com/2014/02/05/steve-jobs-reportedly-offered-to-let-sony-vaio-pcs-run-mac-os-x-but-sony-blew-it/) so it’s nice to see this Sony-Apple “pairing”, decades after Sony’s heyday but still in the middle of Apple’s great years. Maybe Steve Jobs himself would approve–he was fond of Sony video, like the HDR-FX1 he’s touting here: http://www.lafcpug.org/features/feature_macworld_05.html
FYI, I have a Sony TV, but I’m not sure they’re the best (or the best value) anymore.
I’m just wondering why you’d need an Apple TV when the Sony has Android tvOS and gets all the streaming channels.
Because Android is garbage.
It is good, but not as good as the 930e which has support for Dolby Vision (allowing it to take full advantage of the HDR capabilities of the 4K Apple TV), and boasts the X1 Extreme processor, which is the same as that used in Sony’s very top tier offering.
I ultimately went with the 65 inch 930e, replacing a 2-year old Samsung. It is hands down the finest TV I’ve ever owned, and worth every penny. Yeah it had Android, but I have 0 need for this TV to be connected to the internet – that’s what the Apple TV is for – so I turn that bit off and keep google’s prying eyes out of my living room.