Sony KD-49XG9005 Review - Stuff

Performance: Dishing Out The Details

Starting with some standard-definition content always allows a TV to deliver its best performance as a finale, so we open up with some 1080p BBC iPlayer-derived programming: This Time with Alan Partridge. On the whole, the XG9005 does a fine job of upscaling the information to fit its resolution – detail levels are high, colours (particularly skin-tones) are convincingly balanced, and motion is dealt with confidently too. Edges are drawn reasonably crisply (although they’re not immune from a little shimmer if they’re especially complicated), and picture noise is minimal in all but the most testing circumstances.

There’s plenty of out-and-out depth to black tones, too, although the Sony could be more purposeful where contrasts are concerned. The XG9005’s backlighting can betray itself on occasion, particularly when the screen is describing bright whites alongside deep blacks. And, while we’re being picky, there’s a slight, but undeniable, hint of yellow about what should be stark, clean white shades.

Upping the quality standard somewhat with a 4K Blu-ray disc of Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk allows the Sony to demonstrate just how balanced its native images can be. The colour palette is judged impeccably, with tiny variations is the colour of the sand at the shore (which lesser screens describe in completely uniform terms) made obvious without having undue attention drawn to them. The XG9005 isn’t a show-off, but its mastery of colour balance and temperature is not to be understated.

Contrasts are punchy (although those white tones still have a tiny hint of sepia about them), black-tone detail is lavish, and edges are smooth and solid. There’s real three-dimensionality about the film’s many long-shots, and even slow and/or unpredictable on-screen movement is handled with authority.

The Dolby Vision-equipped When They See Us from Netflix offers the fullest description of the XG9005’s abilities. Every one of the positives outlined in its handling of Dunkirk holds true here too, and the endlessly watchable performance is enhanced yet further by whites of greater purity, contrasts of greater, well, contrast, and profoundly impressive black-tone detail and variation. The late-night gloom of Harlem streets is punctuated by brilliantly controlled neon glare, while early-morning sunrises enjoy endless nuance of colour.

It’s a pity, then – although hardly a shock – that the Sony’s audio performance can’t come close to matching its picture prowess. The lack of low-frequency presence is predictable, but what frequency information the Sony can manage is balanced and unstressed, even at volume. It almost goes without saying, though, that inviting gap between the Sony’s feet should definitely be filled by a soundbar.