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RTINGS Reviews the Sony Z9D

12K views 32 replies 16 participants last post by  Neonder 
#1 ·
Late, since this is a 2016 TV, but probably still relevant, as this is arguably the best LCD TV ever:

http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/z9d?uxtv=5935

Some choice quotes:

The Sony Z9D has an excellent local dimming feature. In fact it is one of the best that we have tested yet, as it easily outperformed the Vizio P Series 2016 in a side by side comparison, which was the LED TV with the highest local dimming score in 2016. The large number of dimming zones really sets the Z9D apart from other local dimming TVs, as blooming is very limited, even when a very bright highlight is displayed on the screen. The reaction time is also very fast, as the zone transitions are smooth when following the moving highlight in our test video.
The big difference happens when you turn on the local dimming on the Z9D. Comparing the native black uniformity test picture with the one with local dimming, the difference is outstanding. The excellent local dimming feature of the Z9D removes almost all blooming.
The motion handling of the Z9D is sub-par. It has a few slow transitions which limit the motion performance, producing some blur which may be an issue for fast-paced content.
 
#2 ·
interesting review thanks for posting great tv but not perfect like some here like to suggest. I think the contrast ratio with local dimming on is about what a plasma like the f8500 achieved but it's a great technology achievement for an LCD.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#3 · (Edited)
Great review with tons of data as per usual from rtings. Most of it lines up with the measurements I took of my own set, except for the gamut coverage, which was surprising to me.

The motion blur measurements are interesting as well, there is minor trailing on the z9 on hard edges (you can see a real life pic of this i posted in the z9 calibrations thread), but nothing that I ever noticed in movies or sports (which they call out specifically). If you go into their 930E review you can see the pixel response time is around half that of the z9, and the "rtings" blur pic has reduced trailing compared to the z9. I wonder if this is an area sony will be looking at with the Z9E or whatever it's called.

:edit: The biggest surprise was seeing that the z9 also supports 1080p 120hz, which is awesome. No idea why Sony does not advertise this at all...
 
#6 ·
From the ZD9 threads i got the impression that motion was great. In fact owners stated motion looked good even with all motion enhancements turned off. So indeed, ''sub-par'' is a surprise. Not shure if other reviewers agree on that though.. Several reviewers meantioned that viewing angles were not good, 5.1 score not really a surprise.
 
#15 ·
Many threads get stated here that should be in the LCD section....like the numerous threads that are obviously PRO LCD and not so pro OLED. I actually wondered the same thing.

As for this review, it is what it is. RTINGS is just as legit as anywhere else and they see what they see. I always thought the Z9 was a solid TV but I agree with RTINGS that for its cost it becomes a poor value since as someone else here mentioned you are paying $1,000 plus dollars for slightly better blacks. Or, you are paying close to $2,000 more than an OLED that most feel equals or beats it in overall PQ.

The Z9 is a great LCD, no doubt. But it kind of proves that to make an LCD be a true major player for a serious home theater setup, the price has to be astronomical. That's a problem.
 
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#18 ·
If your 2016 LG OLED is the most wonderful thing since sliced bread, and has even better shadow detail than your ZT60 (even though you initially said the opposite), and, according to Rtings, has a high 9.3 rating for motion, I am still trying to figure out why you are spending so much time over in the Sony OLED threads. The Sony OLED does not have 3D like your 2016 LG. So what about it intrigues you? Looking for greener pastures? Something about your 2016 LG OLED must be unsatisfying, since you are so interested in the Sony OLED, which does not do 3D. So what is it? What do you find lacking on your 2016 LG? Certainly you do not want the Sony for its lovely remote (yeah right!) or its super smooth and bug-free Android experience! Must be something about the PQ on the Sony that is lacking on your 2016, eh?
 
#22 ·
I spotted the motion problems with the Z9 last year, and I was very close to buying one but the trailing/smearing ruined it for me. Also, it was a German website last year that was first to notice the crappy motion handling on the Z9. However, I was called an OLED fanboy troll and I actually got banned from the Z9 thread after an owner took a random post I made from a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THREAD and said I posted it in the Z9 thread to get me banned.
 
#23 ·
As a gamer, it's a real shame because black frame insertion should work really well on the Z9D with the high brightness and ability to strobe the backlight at a high frequency. But when you put such slow pixel response times on top of that, it becomes difficult to recommend because motion will look very "messy" on this panel.

Looks like the A1E will be king of motion for gamers for some time since it combines BFI with lightning-fast pixel response, or maybe a 2017 LG at 1080p120 (or an older plasma or CRT, obviously).
 
#26 ·
Z9 plus BFI


I think that's on full, which has uncomfortable flicker, but with it on 3/5 at full brightness you can still get over 100nits and the picture is quite clear. I emailed rtings and asked them what they thought about that combo of settings.

I could try and take a picture of their test but I don't think it would be comparable using my iPhone ;)
 
#28 ·
What you can see from the pictures is that OLEDs are completely free from ghosting/trailing effects, yet still almost as blurry (when the eye is tracking a fast moving object) as an LCD. In both cases you need motion interpolation and/or strobing to significantly reduce blur.
 
#31 ·
Rtings is pretty great at what it does and what they measure - in this case the speed of the pixel transitions. Panel-wise, it is interesting to see that at least the 55-inch X900E and the 55-inch X930E have much faster LCD pixel transition speeds than the 65-inch Z9D does. Differences between panel sizes, or are the newer E-series panels faster overall?

OLEDs are great at this measurement, of course. Then again, as Rtings mentions in their C7 review:
"The C7P has a 120Hz panel which is able to interpolate lower frame rate content. There are some bugs in the interpolation which causes more stuttering than usual, especially with our full-screen pattern."
 
#33 ·
Not sure why they used a slow LCD panel.. Maybe Sony used slightly different panels in different batches..
without it it would be as good as an LCD would do almost.. but it is "let down" a bit by its slow panel response.. kinda like the Panasonic DX900 that had a slow Innolux panel in it. I doubt its as obvious as in the DX900 though and maybe most people wouldn't even notice it.
 
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