Sony XBR-55X900B LCD/LED Ultra HDTV Settings

Settings

Unit-to-unit sample variations, the viewing environment, and the source might render these recommendations less than optimum. They are only provided as a potentially useful starting place.

The settings here that are most likely to translate reliably from one sample to another are those involving specific features with only a few selections, such as Gamma and Noise Reduction. The ones most likely to be subject to sample variations are video controls offering a wide range of adjustment, such as white balance (grayscale) and color management (where available). Even relatively small differences in the common control settings, such as Contrast, Brightness, and Gamma, can shift the white balance, though the resulting visible change may be minor. Production tolerances can do the same.

We strongly recommend that you find the optimum basic video settings for your sample by using one of the many available display setup DVDs, such as Digital Video Essentials (DVD) or DVE HD Basics (Blu-ray). These will help you to set the basic controls, Brightness, Contrast (called “Picture” in Sony sets), Sharpness, and sometimes Color and Tint, correctly. Experimenting with the more complex color calibration and other controls in the user menus will do no harm; the changes may be easily reset. But adjusting these by eye is unlikely to produce an accurate result and is no substitute for a full calibration. The latter is best left to a trained and properly equipped technician such as those certified by the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) or THX.

The 3D settings shown here were adjusted from the factory defaults for everything except color, which was left in the uncalibrated, Warm 2 setting for this review.

2D3D
Scene Select CinemaCinema
Picture Mode Cinema 1Cinema 1
Backlight: 3Max (fixed)
Picture: 70Max
Brightness 5052
Color5050
Hue00
Color TemperatureWarm 2Warm 2
Sharpness5050
Noise ReductionOffOff
MPEG Noise Reduction OffOff
Dot Noise ReductionOffOff
Reality CreationOffOff
Smooth Gradation OffN/A
Motionflow OffOff
CineMotionAuto Auto
Advanced Settings
Black Corrector OffOff
Advanced Contrast Enhancer Off Off
Gamma-2-1
LED Dynamic ControlStandardStandard
Auto Light LimiterOffN/A
Clear White OffOff
Live ColorOffOff

White Balance:CalibratedFactory Default
Red Gain-10
Green Gain00
Blue Gain-10
Red Bias0 0
Green Bias+10
Blue Bias 00

Detail EnhancerOffOff
Edge EnhancerOffOff
Skin NaturalizerNANA
Screen
Wide ModeFullNA
Auto WideOn
4:3 DefaultOff
Auto Display AreaOnOn
3D Setting
3D DisplayOn
3D Depth Adjustment0
Simulated 3D Effect---
3D Glasses BrightnessAuto
Auto 3DAuto 1
3D Signal NotificationOn
Pro Picture Setup
Video Color Space (x.v.Color)Auto (HDMI) Auto (HDMI)
Normal (Video) (Normal (Video)
Color MatrixAuto (All)Auto (All)
Dynamic RangeAuto (HDMI) Auto (HDMI)
Limited (screen mirroring)
SBM (Super Bit Mapping) OnOn
Eco
All Off except Auto Shutoff: On

Sound
Sound ModeMusic
Surround Effect+6
Auto SurroundN/A
Sound BoosterOff
Equalizer
100Hz -2
200Hz -2
500Hz0
1khz 0
2kHz-2
5kHz-2
10kHz+1
Voice Zoom0
Live Football ModeOff
Advanced Auto Volume0
Volume Offset0
Balance0
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COMMENTS
mishuk3's picture

Glad to read this review and my hunch was correct on the contrast level.
A few months ago, I have seen this TV at my local Best Buy Magnolia Showroom. They were demoing the same 4K source material that wowed Edward Norton. And what immediately struck me was the black levels!!

Even without direct comparison to the Panasonic ZT Plasma TV, I knew that it had finally reached the same amount of contrast ratio! Thank you, Edward for making my assumptions into reality!

These TVs are a forced to be reckoned with. It still shows, Sony is not ready to thrown down it's gauntlet, yet!

HardBoiled's picture

Edward Norton the actor or Thomas J. Norton the reviewer?
BTW the Samsung UN55HU8550F got higher scores than this Sony TV.

mikem's picture

Is there any kind of audio-videophile charity one can access in order to buy these new TV's? At least Sony is not going the curved screen route. One must admit that the marketing on curved screens is pretty clever and the sets are set up such that it is pleasing to the eye. However, I would be hard-pressed to even accept one as a gift... but I'm sure I could rationalize accepting one. I have a 65" panny plasma currently and I give it another 3-4 years before I tire of it so I suspect the UHD prices will have dropped significantly by then.

Macahan's picture

Earlier this year I was going to buy the 900A because I loved how good blurays looked on it. Then I heard that the 900B would be along soon. I figured the picture on it should be at least as good as the 900A and so I waited and finally pulled the trigger on May 31 and I was not disappointed. I got the 65 incher and do not regret the 5K price tag. The black levels are just as good as the Sony LCOS set that I bought back in 2006.

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