Despite the popularity and sales numbers of LCD televisions, they have, for the most part, always failed to match the picture quality of plasmas. The main reason being that due to their backlights, they are unable to produce the high contrast and deep black levels that plasmas are known for. Over the past few years, LED lighting has replaced florescent backlighting in high end LCD sets. However, most of these models feature only edge-lit configurations. While these sets are extremely thin, picture quality isn’t actually improved. LED backlighting really shines when full-array, local dimming technology is used. This is when the LED lights are place behind the screen and are able to be dimmed in small clusters. These kinds of sets are very rare and quite a bit more expensive than edge-lit models.

Sony, Samsung, Vizio and LG have all released local dimming sets in the last few years. Sony has implemented the technology in their top of the line models over the last couple of years and while they come at a high price, they do provide some of the best picture quality of any LCD TVs. Their 2011 follow up to last year’s HX909 series is the Sony Bravia XBR-HX929 series. It is available in 46-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch sizes as follows:
Sony XBR-46HX929 – 46 inches model
Sony XBR-55HX929 – 55 inches model
Sony XBR-65HX929 – 65 inches model (currently available at Amazon with an introductory price of $5,999.99)

The Sony XBR-HX929 has been found to be one of the best-performing LED-based LCDs up to date, as it contends satisfactorily against the leading plasmas in the market. It symbolizes the zenith of LCD picture quality.

Design

The Sony XBR-HX929 features Sony’s monolithic design that they introduced last year.
This series possesses a sleek “monolithic” OptiContrast front panel with extremely tough and lightweight Corning Gorilla Glass and Glossy Screen Finish. This is one of the most attractive sets on the market and when turned off it appears as an elegant black slab. It comes with a low profile rectangular stand that is not only capable of swiveling, but can also tilt the screen back at a slight angle for lower viewing. Thus, it gives HX929 an impression of added compactness.
The panel depth is around an inch and a half but its bezel width of 1.75 inches doesn’t match Samsung’s ultra thin edge-lit sets with a dimension of nearly 1.18 inches. Nevertheless, in general, the Sony has a much classier look.

Features

The highlight of this set is obviously the Intelligent Peak LED backlighting with full-array local dimming which is designed to achieve a near perfect level of contrast.
But it also includes some other high-end features such as the following:

• 240Hz Enhanced Refresh Rate with Motionflow™ Technology XR-960 for smooth and clear-cut movement detail all through fast-action video.
• HX820 series’ built-in Wi-Fi for wireless connection along with built-in Ethernet port for wired network.
• X-Reality PRO Engine for analyzing every view then providing sharpened pictures along with remarkable contrast element.
• DLNA for accessing and sharing photos, videos and music from PC, Playstation 3 system, network storage and more
• Improved and Solid Dejudder processing in Standard mode to enable antiblur.
• Brilliant Full HD (1080p) picture quality for 2D & 3D (glasses sold separately).
• Wireless BRAVIA Internet TV and Widgets to access Facebook and Twitter as well as premium contents (streaming and applications) like movies, TV shows, videos and music from providers like Qriocity, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Amazon, Gracenote TrackID, CinemaNow, 100 total Yahoo Widgets (as of the moment), Picasa, Photobucket, Shutterfly.
• XBR-55HX929’s Skype Ready feature can provide High Definition Skype-to-Skype video calls while at home.
• Position Control for adjusting the picture and sound settings in accordance to the position of the viewer.
• Distance Alert for detecting the presence of a kid watching the television very near to the screen then producing an audible alert.
• Presence Sensor for automatic TV turn off when it doesn’t detect a viewer in the area.

Performance

The XBR-HX929 is the best performing LCD set of recent times. The local dimming creates extremely deep blacks and high contrast. Dark scenes show great detail although there are some blooming effects. This occurs when the screen is showing a bright object against a dark background. However, this appears to be one of the drawbacks of full-array backlighting. When viewed from front and center, the overall picture quality exceeds all but the high end plasmas. On the other hand, the picture suffers some degradation in quality when viewed from an off-angle. Both color accuracy and video processing definitely obtain high marks while this series properly handles 1080p/24 content. Picture uniformity is far superior as compared to that of the many edge-lit sets. Conversely, its glossy glass screen does produce quite a bit of reflections under bright lights.

Conclusion

Sony’s 2011 flagship TV represents the pinnacle of LCD picture quality. Thanks to its local dimming technology, it also rivals high end plasma sets with its inky blacks and superb color and contrast. It has a beautiful design, rich feature set and active shutter 3D. It is also one of the most expensive sets on the market but if price is not a factor, it is a great choice for even the most discerning videophiles.

Click here to get it today.

Promotion valid till August 31, 2011 * Enter Promo Code AMEXTV10 at checkout. ** Multiple promotions allowed.

Videos

Sony’s 3D expert talking about the XBR-HX929:


Another nice video review:

Read more Sony XBR-46/55/65HX929 reviews …

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