Experience powerful performance and superior design with the Sony BRAVIA XBR9 HDTV, featuring Motionflow 240Hz technology for maximum motion detail and clarity, plus broadband internet
connectivity with built-in BRAVIA Internet Video1 capabilities that let you view select on-demand movies, TV shows,
music and more, and even lets you personalize your entertainment experience by selecting and positioning widgets containing the latest news, weather, sports and more directly on your TV screen.
BRAVIA Internet Video
With BRAVIA Internet Video you can enjoy one of the largest collections of premium and free on-demand entertainment directly to your HDTV. Use your in-home broadband connection and the BRAVIA HDTV remote control to access online video, music, and more content from over 20 providers including Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Sports Illustrated, Sony Pictures, Sony Music, Slacker, and Epicurious.com.
Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #488 in Consumer Electronics
- Color: Black
- Brand: Sony
- Model: KDL-52XBR9
- Dimensions: 29.37" h x 3.37" w x 49.00" l, 57.10 pounds
- Display size: 52
- 16:9 Full HD 1080p Resolution Panel (1920x1080)
- BRAVIA Engine 3 fully digital video processor
- Motionflow 240Hz
- Live Color Creation technology w/ WCG-CCFL backlight
- USB to view photo/music/video
This is a very impressive TV. It replaces a 34-inch Sony WEGA tube-based high-def television that I bought in 2003, and I have an XBR6 in another room.
Picture quality is very good. I'm not an expert and won't quibble about technical details. All I know is that I can see the makeup that doesn't completely cover the news anchor's face, and I can examine his dental work. That's probably more than I really need to see. :-) The picture seems to pop out into the room, and that effect is enhanced by the TV's narrow frame. There's a little bit of what I guess is called "mura" when there is no picture on the screen, but it's hardly noticeable and vanishes completely when a picture appears, even if the picture doesn't occupy the entire screen. Not an issue at all.
Sound quality is also very good. I use a separate speaker and amp system if I'm watching something where sound is especially important, but the built-in speakers here serve their purpose quite well and are amply adequate for routine use.
For me the most interesting thing is the ethernet connection, though this is not for browsing the 'net. Sony is still in the process of updating its internet presentation, but I have used the TV to download high-definition movies from Amazon, and it worked very well. Some competition in that space would be useful. Why no NetFlix access? (8/4/09: After an automatic software update last night there's a NetFlix logo and a message that NetFlix access will be available in the fall.)
With movies and TV programs available from Amazon and others, with the Bravia's expanding internet access, and with local broadcast stations offering multiple digital channels with different content, this TV could compete with cable and DirecTV. DirecTV's limited selection of pay per view movies just cannot compare to this. Also, the increasing capability for "a la carte" purchase of program episodes currently available only through DirecTV (or other cable or satellite providers) will reduce the value of my monthly subscription. Really has made me consider my DirecTV subscription.
The XBR9 can retrieve photographs (or music or movies) from my computer via my home ethernet network, or from a flash drive plugged into a USB port, so I'll be able to make lots of people view my photographs and slide shows! (Of course, seeing your photos on this screen in superb color and detail will necessitate another visit to Amazon to upgrade your collection of photography paraphernalia.)
One little quibble: there's a panel of switches located on the right side at exactly the position where I put my hand to move the TV on its mount (Amazon shows an image). Sure would have been thoughtful of Sony if they could have provided some kind of protective device to make it a little harder to accidentally flip one of those switches when I'm trying to adjust the position of the TV.
Finally, and this is important: I installed it using a Sanus wall mount Sanus Systems VMAA26B Universal Articulating Mount with Extended Reach for 30" to 50" Displays (Black). The TV has a lot of mass, and if the cables reach their limit while the TV is still moving, something has to give. So be careful to leave enough slack in the connecting cables to allow the TV to move freely throughout its range. That's especially important with the coaxial antenna cable that screws into its connection and can't merely be pulled out, but it seems possible that you could also damage other connectors, including the HDMI connections.
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