Sony XBR55X810C 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2015 Model)

As with any purchase I did a lot of research before buying this TV in 2016. I tried just about every model at every major retailer and really took my time to adjust the settings in the store. It is still difficult to make an accurate assessment in a store with unrealistic angles and lighting situations. Best Buy had the best collection of quality sets. I was originally going to get an LG despite not having the best reputation for their LED TVs and I wasn't looking to spend the money on OLED. I thought they looked great for the price and their smart remote is supposed to be fantastic. I had/have an older Samsung 1080P TV that has served me well but I always feel like Samsung turns the contrast up too high to the point that they look over saturated. They look good, too good and not realistic. They do a great job of catching your eye when lined up next to other brands. Vizio has come a long way and they would still be in the running for consideration. I actually recommended a Vizio for my parents because of the features and value and because I knew that they would never notice the difference in quality compared to the top tier sets. That being said I am not comparing this to the P series as I don't believe that would be a fair comparison. The lower end Vizio didn't have the best contract and the blacks seemed a little washed out by comparison.As soon as I saw the Sony lineup I was sold. Best Buy was clearly marketing the Vizios and Samsungs but the Sony's just looked better. This is an entry level TV for Sony and I believe it to be one of the best values you could find. I love the interface and flexibility of the Android software. On occasion there is some lag depending on what I'm streaming. It seems to have gotten better over time. What sold me on this TV was the native 120Hz refresh rate. My wife and I hate the soap opera effect. I think it would make me sick if I watched it for too long and I don't have a sensitive stomach or problems with motion sickness typically. I turned off all of the motion anti-blur technology off and that's where this set really stands out. Most TVs, I think all others in this range, have a native refresh rate of 60Hz. In reality that should be fine and if you don't mind or like the smoothing effect then it really won't make much difference to you. For gaming, sports, r action movies the higher refresh rates make a substantial difference. I have a pair of Sony Playstation monitors for my computer. They have a native refresh rate of 240Hz. They are only 1080P but I would never consider replacing them unless someone made a 4K monitor at 240Hz that I could afford. I'm sure I'll eventually switch to OLED when they become the new standard.The remote on this set is standard issue. It has a Netflix hot button but that's about all the more bells and whistles you can expect. Sony does have a voice controlled smart remote that I have verified is compatible with this set but I returned it. I didn't feel like it could replace this remote and I didn't want to have to have two remotes. This TV does have an app but as of the time that I'm writing this review it is no longer supported. It has some basic functionality, that of the included remote. It used to over show times and recommendations. This set is also compatible with android TV remote apps.The sound on this set it pretty terrible but that is to be expected with modern sets. Most people buy external soundbars which I prefer. It adds some flexibility and will almost always outperform builtin speakers. I am able to use the optical out to my Sonos soundbar and use the 3.5mm aux out to a powered subwoofer.I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I regularly get compliments from guests. If I needed a TV today I would still buy the same TV or the newer version of it.

This review is for the 55" TV which has a VA panel. It's important to note that the 65" version has an IPS panel. The IPS has better viewing angles, the VA has better picture quality when looking straight on. If you want a 65" TV with a VA panel that most closely resembles this one in terms of capabilities then you should be looking at the Sony XBR65X850C).Price: This is without a doubt the best looking TV in its price range. I paid $998 for mine and I can't imagine getting a better bang for my buck. If you want to buy a noticeably better 55" TV you're looking at a $2000 price point which is where the OLEDs currently are.Design: Stand is wobbly, but nothing to worry about, if you're not constantly touching your TV it won't matter at all. You can always wall mount it if you're not convinced.Movies: One of the best contrast ratios for any LED TV, only OLED will comfortably beat this. Black uniformity is pretty good, there's a bit of clouding around the corners but only noticeable when the screen goes mostly black. This TV has perfect Judder-free playback regardless of content and without the soap opera effect. You can still turn on the soap opera effect if that's something you like. There's no 3D which is great if you're like me who doesn't care at all about 3D. There's no local dimming (may or may not be a good thing). Edit: HDR compatibility was recently patched in.Color and Calibration: I calibrated my TV using the settings from Rtings as a guide. I found that it gives a good baseline and then you should make your own adjustments/turn on or off the various picture enhancements based on your own personal preference. If you're having backlight uniformity issues (e.g. picture is brighter on the sides) then set Black Adjust to High and then lower the Black Level until the uniformity improves, (for my tv it was 44).Video Games: The input lag is about 35ms on Game mode which is great. Pixel response time is also really good at 12ms. However, there is another setting you should definitely turn off which is actually found in the Sound adjustments menu and that's "ClearAudio". Leaving this setting on will create a ton of audio lag, and the difference in audio quality does not justify its existence at all.PC Monitor: If you're looking for an HDTV to use as a monitor, this is as good as it gets. This will do 4k @ 60hz 4:4:4 and it's one of the few TV's that can actually accept a 1080p 120hz signal.Sound: Your expectations for an LED TV in terms of its speakers should be minimal. The sound on this TV is serviceable, best suited for casual TV watching. For movies or video games your best course of action is always to hook up your own speakers, or even headphones.Menu and remote: The Smart OS is Android, it comes with a number of Apps that I will never use because this TV is in the same room as my computer. The remote is okay except for the directional buttons, the placement is terrible (too close to the six buttons that surround it), and actually pressing them is not a good experience, sometimes I'll press a button and nothing will happen, and I'll think the OS froze, but actually it's because the button press didn't register. Other times the OS did in fact freeze, and it'll take a few seconds to respond again. One time the Action Menu stopped responding entirely and I had to turn off the tv AND unplug the power cord to get it working again. Overall both the remote and the OS are subpar. If I was the type of person who'd constantly use the remote for the various Apps then I might've given this tv a 4/5.Inputs: 4 HDMI 2.0 (one ARC and one MHL), 3 USB (two 2.0 and one 3.0), 1 Headphone out (3.5mm), 1 Optical Audio out, 1 Component in, 1 Composite in, 1 Ethernet, 1 RF in, 1 IR out. The power cable is about 3 feet long so you may want to get an extension cable. Also make sure you plug it into a quality surge protector so your TV doesn't get killed in a storm.Overall I am extremely satisfied with this TV, as far as I'm concerned this is the best 55" non-OLED TV worth buying as of right now.