KD-65XG8505: Sony's most affordable 100 Hz Ultra HD TV

Presentation

The Sony KD-65XG8505 has a 10-bit (8-bit + FRC) 100 Hz 65-inch panel displaying an Ultra HD resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 px and an Edge-Led backlight system. Unlike most Sony televisions, this model is content with an IPS panel which benefits from open viewing angles at the expense of native contrast. The manufacturer announces a Motionflow XR 800 flow index, the presence of the Sony X1 4K HDR processor and the 20-watt Acoustic Multi-Audio audio system. It's still Android TV in its Oreo 8.0 version that drives it all, combined with a new remote control.

The Sony Bravia KD-65XG8505 is sold at a price of around € 1,800. It is also available in a 55-inch version under the reference KD-55XG8505 for around € 1,400. Sony also offers 43 and 49 inch versions, still IPS 100 Hz Ultra HD, under the references KD-43XG8305 and KD-49XG8305, devoid of the Acoustic Multi-Audio audio system (they are content with two 10 W speakers).

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Image quality

The Sony KD-65XG8505 operates an LCD panel using IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology. This technology improves viewing angles, but limits the contrast ratio. We measured an average loss of brightness of 57% on the sides at 45 ° (against 70 to 75% on the VA models), but the black does not vary greatly since it goes from 0.16 cd / m² from front to 0.09 cd / m² at 45 °. This small variation is almost invisible and allows to maintain a very good image quality even on the sides.

Not surprisingly, the contrast ratio is low for a TV. While the models fitted with VA panels display a contrast higher than 3000: 1, and even 5000: 1 for the best LCD televisions, the contrast ratio does not exceed 930: 1 on this model. In the picture, this results in grayish blacks. The KD-65XG8505 may be suitable for fans of sports and TV shows, but cinema fans will be penalized by this lack of contrast. In addition, it cannot compensate for this low contrast with high brightness (see the section dedicated to HDR).

In Expert mode, the average delta E falls just below the threshold of 3, a value below which the eye no longer perceives a difference between the colors requested and the colors displayed on the screen. In detail, only a few shades exceed the value of 3. It is mainly the gray levels that increase the average. Overall, the colors are just right.

The gamma curve is stable over the entire spectrum, but the average measures at 2.2 locks below the target value (2.4). This curve is obtained by disabling the improvement in contrasts which tends to completely distort the gray levels. Overall, gamma is properly managed.

The color temperature is very good, with a stable curve across the spectrum and an average of 6,870 K, fairly close to the 6,500 K reference.

The Sony X1 4K HDR processor manages the scaling of SD, HD and Full HD content on the Ultra HD panel as well as all the motion compensation part. Scaling in cinema mode remains very gentle by smoothing out certain parts and without adding too much detail. The motion compensation motor works very well, especially since the 100 Hz panel allows efficient scanning of the backlight.

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HDR

The Sony KD-65XG8505 TV is compatible with HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision. With a maximum HDR signal of 10,000 cd / m², the Display Tone Mapping used by Sony follows the reference curve relatively well (in yellow). The television picks up at 60% of the brightness and smoothes the curve a little, but it still displays a little clipping before 80% of the maximum brightness. The brightness peak is not extraordinary since we measured the maximum brightness at 511 cd / m². It is better than the 300 cd / m² recorded on entry-level Ultra HD televisions, but it is far from the 1,090 cd / m² of the Sony 65XF9005, the 1,600 cd / m² of the Samsung 65Q9F or even 2,280 cd / m² of the Samsung 75Q900R. Fortunately, Dolby Vision compatibility changes the game a little since the dynamic HDR metadata of this format allow you to take full advantage of all the nuances. The biggest handicap is the lack of contrast of the TV, which makes it very difficult to manage very dark content.

We also check the color fidelity in Expert HDR mode. We measured an average delta E at 3.2, slightly above the threshold of 3, but unlike SDR, many shades exceed a delta E of 3. Overall, the colors remain very good.

The coverage of the Rec. 2020 and DCI-P3 color spaces is rather disappointing. The Sony 65XG8505 is content with 59% coverage of Rec.2020, when an Oled model reaches 70%; and it is limited to 77% of DCI-P3, when Oled TVs and the best LCDs exceed 90%

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Video games

The Sony Bravia KD-65XG8505 has one of the lowest screen delays measured on a TV to date. Indeed, we measured it at only 14.5 ms, less than one frame per second of delay compared to the source. In terms of afterglow (13 ms), this TV is in the right average. It is not very far from the best LCD models which go down to 11 ms, like the Sony 65ZF9 or the Samsung 65Q9F. Oled models are always unbeatable with their remanence time less than 1 ms.

We assess the quality of color reproduction in game mode, or at least with an option that reduces the delay in display. Good surprise, this Sony TV displays the same image quality in game mode as in classic mode. With a delta E less than 3, the colors can be considered as faithful. The temperature is a bit high since it exceeds 7000 K, but it is possible to set the temperature on the "Expert 1" setting in order to find an average closer to the 6,500 K reference. In HDR, the colors are just as good since the Delta E is measured at 3.1.

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Clouding

The use of an Edge-Led backlight system results in a risk of clouding. The light distribution filter may be damaged during transport and the TV may suffer from a uniformity problem. On our test copy, we did not notice any clouding or banding problems. The homogeneity of the brightness is good and the average difference is measured at only 9% on this 65-inch panel.

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Ergonomics

In line with Bravia televisions, the Sony KD-65XG8505 displays a very classic design. The two eccentric feet raise the screen enough to place a soundbar in front of him. The feet are also very thin and free up space on the TV stand while giving an aerial side to this TV.

The filter used by Sony here is identical to that of the high-end model 75XG9505. It filters reflections fairly well and is almost at the level of those of Oled TVs, which are among the best on this point. With its high-end models, Samsung is always one step ahead of the competition.

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The Sony Bravia 65XG8505 is only 5.2 cm thick without the feet. It is not much thicker than an Oled model. In all cases, the size of the TV cabinet is determined by the depth of the feet. On this model, the feet occupy a depth of 31.6 cm. This TV is therefore just at ease on our 160 x 40 cm piece of furniture. Fortunately, its feet are very airy and free up space on the furniture.

All of the connectors are distributed over several locations at the rear. All cables pass inside the feet which have simple and efficient cable passages.

Connectivity ...

The connection of the Sony 65XG8505 consists of four HDMI 2.0b inputs, three USB ports including a USB 3.0, an Ethernet port, an optical digital audio output, a headphone output, a component / composite hybrid input (in green), a PCMCIA port . (CI + common interface), a rake antenna connector and a satellite connector. It has a dual DVB-T / T2 (TNT), DVB-S / S2 (satellite) and DVB-C (cable) tuner. It also has 802.11a / b / g / n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Android TV 8.0 Oreo interface.

This television embeds Android TV 8.0 with a completely revised interface compared to version 7. Applications launch quickly and remain in memory for rapid recovery. This interface is a little less intuitive at first, but more effective later. The second line now groups the selection. These are mostly programs currently playing, but you can also add content to see later from the home page. The following lines directly display the content of the most used applications: Netflix, YouTube, Molotov, myCanal, SFR Sport, etc. The Android TV system is one of the most complete on the market and, above all, the one with the most applications, but not all of them are optimized for use on a television. This year, Sony has particularly worked on the fluidity of the system. It is therefore much more responsive than that of last year's models. The new "Quick Settings" menu is very well designed and allows you to quickly change the settings without having to enter the submenus.

As with all Android TVs, the first boot takes longer. It takes about 35 seconds here, which is however one of the best times recorded on an Android TV (the majority of Android TVs spent in the lab turn on in 45 seconds). In any case, it is much longer than Tizen systems from Samsung or WebOS from LG, which start up in less than 5 seconds. Fortunately, the TV comes out of standby in less than 2 seconds, while consuming less than one watt in standby. As often, the standby is instantaneous.

The Sony 65XG8505 inaugurates a new remote control which benefits from a design with rounded edges. This infrared and Bluetooth remote control is always equipped with a microphone that is essential for performing voice searches and making the most of Android TV. For the rest, the rubber keys are pleasant to the touch and make no noise. The main buttons naturally fall under the thumb without risk of handling error. As is often the case in this price range, the buttons are not backlit.

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Audio

This television is equipped with two 10 W speakers supported by two additional tweeters placed at the rear on the upper part of the television. Called Acoustic Multi-Audio, this system does not really improve audio rendering, but allows you to adjust the position of the audio signal for the viewer. The sound seems to come out of the center of the TV and less of the bottom. The sound is far from exceptional, but it remains in the good average. The system does quite well between 80 and 20,000 Hz and especially lacks bass.

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Consumption

With a white calibrated at 150 cd / m², the Sony 65XG8505 consumes only 65 W on our test pattern, ie a relative consumption of 55.8 W / m². This model thus joins the Sony KD-65XE8505, record holder in the category with its 56 W / m². It is quite simply the least greedy television of our comparison.

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Conclusion

The Sony KD-65XG8505 is a good television handicapped by its low native contrast. It will not be suitable for fans of movies and TV series, but will be able to satisfy fans of sports and TV shows. Its main competitor remains the Sony 65XF9005 from last year. Currently sold at the same price, it offers much more interesting services.

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