Sony XBR-X900B review: Speaker-first 4K TV pumps powerful pictures, too
[MUSIC]
Hello there David Kastzmaier from CNet and next to me is probably one of the widest TV's you'll ever see.
This is Sony's 55 inch, XBR 55 X900B.
This is Sony's second most expensive television for 2014.
Still extremely expensive, it's a 4k model, but really the thing that sets it apart are these gigantic speakers.
To either side, you'll see there's three speakers.
There's a three way system with a tweeter and a pair of woofers.
There's also built in sub in this TV so it takes advantage of this wedge shape seen to the side here to amplify the sound.
The real improvement on sound quality though is having the large speakers facing the viewer.
I'm not a gigantic fan of this look, but if you really appreciate audio quality, this TV will sound better than pretty much anything else on the market.
But the picture is really what I'd like to talk about, I'll get to that in a little bit.
Of course, the design on this TV being extremely high end is really great in finish.
The speed is actually blend beautifully into the screen here, it's all glossy black, there's nice rounded edges.
The sides are actually chrome but you can't actually really see that.
The little feet below are chrome as well and you can either mount them as you see here in the middle or you can spread those feet wide for a little more stability if you have the kind of credenza that can handle that, that width.
Course the 65" TV is very wide, but there's also a 55" and a 79" member of the series.
The X900B comes fully loaded with a built-in camera here on the upper right-hand side that works with Skype and maybe some future apps.
Aside from Skype you got all the standard apps on the Smart TV suite on this television.
Smart TV is designed to sort of put Sony's services and video front and center.
And if you buy Sony's special 4K video player with this television and you connect it, you'll get a special screen for 4K videos.
Of course Sony has more 4K content that anybody right now.
Their player's proprietary you can connect to this TV it's about 700 bucks.
Connectivity on the 20 exes.
There's four HDMI as well three USB and a component video input.
Two of the HDMI or HDMI two dots 0 compatible, meaning that they can accept a really high rate of 60 frame per second of 4k single.
It also has the new Netflix app that allows 4k streaming.
Another plus on this TV is the second remote.
You get a standard remote of the other remote.
There's also a simpler remote with a little touch pad and just a few buttons that enables you to actually use the browser and the web browser both in the TV a lot easier.
Of course it is not as easy to use as a web browser found on your tablet or phone so in general I would pretty much recommend skipping it.
Sony's picture adjustments are a little less extensive then most of the other TV's out there.
You do get a couple of cinema modes in addition to the control over the local dimming on this television.
And local dimming really is the reason why it's picture quality is so good.
The TV is among the best performing LCDs we've ever tested and to actually achieve that, it's using an edge lit not a full array led backlight.
So that's pretty remarkable.
In a dark room, the picture quality gets extremely good.
The blacks are nice and deep.
You also get excellent color out of this TV and of course, being an led TV, it can get extremely bright, so the resulting picture has a lot of pop and contrast.
Of course one of the downsides of 4K TV right now is that it has to be really big and you have to sit really close to really appreciate that detail, that said the picture quality here is really not about the 4K resolution, it's about that excellent contrast and this TV really does deliver.
Of course, it's extremely expensive.
That's a quick look at Sony's XBR-X900B, one of the most expensive and best performing LCD TV's we've tested this year, David Katzmaier.
For CNet.
[MUSIC]
Up Next
Super Bowl TV Shopping? Here Are Our Favorite Picks
Up Next
Super Bowl TV Shopping? Here Are Our Favorite Picks
Best TVs of CES 2024
Best TVs of CES 2024
The Hisense 110UX Could Be the Brightest TV Yet
The Hisense 110UX Could Be the Brightest TV Yet
I Saw C-Seed's $200,000 Folding TV
I Saw C-Seed's $200,000 Folding TV
This 115-Inch TCL TV Makes Your Screen Seem Tiny
This 115-Inch TCL TV Makes Your Screen Seem Tiny
LG's 2024 OLED TVs Cut Wires, Boost Brightness
LG's 2024 OLED TVs Cut Wires, Boost Brightness
LG Transparent OLED Turns From TV Into Animated Art
LG Transparent OLED Turns From TV Into Animated Art
Samsung Shows World's First Transparent MicroLED, 8K Wireless Projector
Samsung Shows World's First Transparent MicroLED, 8K Wireless Projector
Best TVs of 2023: From High-End to Budget, to the Price-to-Picture Sweet Spot
Best TVs of 2023: From High-End to Budget, to the Price-to-Picture Sweet Spot
Samsung's 98-inch 8K TV Is Big, Bright and Really Expensive
Samsung's 98-inch 8K TV Is Big, Bright and Really Expensive
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
Latest How To All how to videos
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro