Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850

Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850

Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 Picture

BRAVIA is a brand owned by Sony which produces projection TVs and front projectors, LCD televisions, and home cinemas. Sony’s HX850 HDTV series offer a lot of features, a crystal clear picture, and accurate colors all in an energy-efficient aesthetically pleasing frame. The Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 specifically might have the best picture quality of any edge-lit LED on the market, and rivals many plasmas. For people who are against purchasing plasma televisions but still want a premier picture quality, the Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 is the perfect purchase.

Key Information

Border to border durable Gorilla glass and silver trim around the edge gives the Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 a sleek and streamlined appearance. The Volume, Power, Home, and Channel Up/Down buttons are located on the lower right side of the rear of the cabinet. They are joined by two HDMI ports, an RGB (PC) video input, a pair of USB ports, and a 3.5mm PC audio in and out jacks. Two additional HDMI ports, a cable/antenna jack, an optical audio output, and an Ethernet port are the down-facing ports. The remote has a Scene button which can be used to change picture modes, an Options button to adjust settings, and buttons dedicated to Netflix and Internet Apps. It has both wired and wireless internet connectivity and comes with a large selection of Web services. The Sony Entertainment Network (which requires a subscription) offers Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited channels which allows users to order movies and music from an extensive catalogue. The Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 uses active 3D technology which requires active shutter glasses (battery-powered) to work. Unfortunately, the set does not provide the glasses. It is ready for video and voice calls with Skype, however. It can be purchased online from Amazon. Used ones can be purchased for around $2000. A new Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 can also be bought online from eBay, which is a bit cheaper than Amazon.

Tech Specs

The Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 has the following dimensions: width of 50.16 inches, height of 31.18 inches, and depth of 6.61 inches. It weighs 57.8 pounds. It comes with a tilting, removable stand. Its LED Backlight screen is 54.6 inches, a maximum resolution of 1080p, and a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz. It has 2 built-in 10 watt speakers on the right and left channel speakers to with 1 built-in 10 watt subwoofer. TV features include Sleep timer, Game mode, Channel labeling, LightSensor Technology, and an invisible speaker system. Widescreen modes include Wide Zoom, Auto Wide, Zoom, Full, and Convention 4:3.

Pros

  • The remote is light and comfortable to hold, and has buttons just for Netflix and Web Apps
  • Only uses 47 watts of power, which is excellent for a 54.6-inch LED backlit panel
  • The Gorilla glass adds a unique distinctive look
  • Sony Entertainment offers some of the best apps available
  • It has a thin and sleek display which looks terrific
  • Delivers top of the line image quality in both 3D and 2D, and looks great from all angles; while the contrast ratio leaves something to be desired, the sharp image detail and accurate colors make up for it

Cons

  • Down-facing ports can be hard to get to, especially if the television is hung on the wall
  • The remote has small buttons and while it offers buttons for apps and Netflix, it does not have a button dedicated to switching back and forth between 2D and 3D
  • It has 3D capability but the set does not come with the necessary 3D glasses, which cost $50 a pair from Sony
  • It is expensive; it’s hard to justify the $2000+ price tag, especially since there are bigger and better smart TVs on the market for half the price