Sony BRAVIA XBR Series KDL-52XBR9 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV, Black

Review by R. W. Patton for Sony BRAVIA XBR Series KDL-52XBR9 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
This is a very impressive TV. It replaces a 34-inch Sony WEGA tube-based high-def television that I bought in 2003, and I have an XBR6 in another room.

Picture quality is very good. I’m not an expert and won’t quibble about technical details. All I know is that I can see the makeup that doesn’t completely cover the news anchor’s face, and I can examine his dental work. That’s probably more than I really need to see. 🙂 The picture seems to pop out into the room, and that effect is enhanced by the TV’s narrow frame. There’s a little bit of what I guess is called “mura” when there is no picture on the screen, but it’s hardly noticeable and vanishes completely when a picture appears, even if the picture doesn’t occupy the entire screen. Not an issue at all.

Sound quality is also very good. I use a separate speaker and amp system if I’m watching something where sound is especially important, but the built-in speakers here serve their purpose quite well and are amply adequate for routine use.

For me the most interesting thing is the ethernet connection, though this is not for browsing the ‘net. Sony is still in the process of updating its internet presentation, but I have used the TV to download high-definition movies from Amazon, and it worked very well. Some competition in that space would be useful. Why no NetFlix access? (8/4/09: After an automatic software update last night there’s a NetFlix logo and a message that NetFlix access will be available in the fall.)

With movies and TV programs available from Amazon and others, with the Bravia’s expanding internet access, and with local broadcast stations offering multiple digital channels with different content, this TV could compete with cable and DirecTV. DirecTV’s limited selection of pay per view movies just cannot compare to this. Also, the increasing capability for “a la carte” purchase of program episodes currently available only through DirecTV (or other cable or satellite providers) will reduce the value of my monthly subscription. Really has made me consider my DirecTV subscription.

The XBR9 can retrieve photographs (or music or movies) from my computer via my home ethernet network, or from a flash drive plugged into a USB port, so I’ll be able to make lots of people view my photographs and slide shows! (Of course, seeing your photos on this screen in superb color and detail will necessitate another visit to Amazon to upgrade your collection of photography paraphernalia.)

One little quibble: there’s a panel of switches located on the right side at exactly the position where I put my hand to move the TV on its mount (Amazon shows an image). Sure would have been thoughtful of Sony if they could have provided some kind of protective device to make it a little harder to accidentally flip one of those switches when I’m trying to adjust the position of the TV.

Finally, and this is important: I installed it using a Sanus wall mount Sanus Systems VMAA26B Universal Articulating Mount with Extended Reach for 30″ to 50″ Displays (Black). The TV has a lot of mass, and if the cables reach their limit while the TV is still moving, something has to give. So be careful to leave enough slack in the connecting cables to allow the TV to move freely throughout its range. That’s especially important with the coaxial antenna cable that screws into its connection and can’t merely be pulled out, but it seems possible that you could also damage other connectors, including the HDMI connections.

Review by D. Bowman for Sony BRAVIA XBR Series KDL-52XBR9 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
Watch Video Here: I hope you enjoy the review.

I wish I could show the TV’s image quality better, it is amazing.

Please provide feedback, I’d love to hear from you if you liked

the video or wanted to see something I may have missed.

Review by Luna for Sony BRAVIA XBR Series KDL-52XBR9 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV, Black
Rating:
I replaced my 42″ XBR Plasma Wega with this new model and believe me when I say that I LOVED my Plasma but it cannot hold a candle to the new XBR 9. The picture quality from any source just looks great. From cable shows to movies played on my PS3 the images just pop out of the screen. I did have my doubts about how well the XBR 9 would handle the fast action of sports or fast moving images but its just truly amazing how crisp the action looks with none of the ‘smear’ that I expected from a LCD TV. I read a previous review about how the Black was not Black enough, which I don’t understand, with all the options on preset and custom settings I’m sure you can manipulate the picture to your hearts content. And I see none of the ‘splotches’ of lights in dark scenes or any other strange visual anomaly on my screen. Also this set has many input options, you’ll be hard pressed to use all the inputs on the TV, 4 of them are HDMI. If you’re looking to upgrade or get your first HD TV look no further – this is it. Well worth the price.

Just a quick note on the delivery — I ordered the TV on a Sunday night and by early Wednesday morning I was watching it.

Edit— After having the XBR9 for a couple of weeks I have noticed that there are some ‘splotches’ of light on the corners after a couple of hours of viewing, its very soft but it is there. It’s only noticeable when the screen goes dark. It can be distracting to some but Im satisfied with the overall performance of the TV.

Review by M. E. DEMOND for Sony BRAVIA Z Series KDL-52Z5100 52-Inch 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
I got this model after some serious research on SonyStyle and reading some reviews here on Amazon. It is indeed true that this model is almost EXACTLY the same as the higher-priced XBR9. In fact I was looking at the XBR9 until I found out about this model.

I’ve had this TV for about 3 weeks and I am happy with my purchase. The quality is awesome, but admittedly I’m not a tech-freak so I don’t have gobs of HDTV experience to compare it to.

Also, the built-in speakers are rather dull, but when you invest in this sort of TV you are expected to buy a speaker system to compliment it, so this is really a moot point.

If you want to save $500 while getting an awesome model of a Sony TV, this is the model to get.

Review by E. for Sony BRAVIA Z Series KDL-52Z5100 52-Inch 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
I received the Sony Bravia KDL-52Z5100 a couple of weeks ago, and soon discovered a bad pixel in the center of the screen. I called Amazon and the customer service rep was excellent. She handled my problem expeditiously, ordered a new TV, and arranged for the old one to be picked up.

The TV is top of the line. Features are easy to use. Picture is crystal clear. Sound is very good. No glare from screen.

Watching Wimbleton tennis was great with 240hz. Can’t wait for the Baseball playoffs and football season.

I will continue to buy from Amazon because of low prices and high customer service.

Review by BoSoxBrent for Sony BRAVIA Z Series KDL-52Z5100 52-Inch 1080p 240Hz LCD HDTV
Rating:
My wife and I just moved into a new house and we a new television for my “Man Room”. I shopped around for months, checked out all brands and many different sizes. The Sony BRAVIA Z-Series 52inch 240hz LCD TV was the one that I chose. In the past I’ve had excellent luck with Sony products. They last forever!

When I took this one out of the box and hooked it up to my Verizon FiOS, I was absolutely floored at how awesome the picture quality was with the HD channels. I flipped through all the different sports channels and the picture quality is clean and crisp. I also hooked this TV up to a Sony Blue Ray player and the movies on here are amazing.

The one thing I got caught off guard with this product was the sound quality from the built in TV speakers. I have a home theater system which is on its way out, so I didn’t have it hooked up to the TV yet. In watching the Blue Ray discs or sports with this TV, I’m absolutely floored at how good the sound is from this product.

Bottom line is that you pay a little more for the Sony products, but in the long run they are workhorses and will last you a long time. I can’t wait for the upcoming NFL season on this TV. It is an awesome buy!