Official Sony XBR HX909 owners' thread (52HX909, 46HX909, HX9, HX900) - Page 86

Well I bit on the TigerDirect deal. Since I already own a 46" XBR2 and the 52B750, I originally wanted a larger set...in the 55-60" range. But for a set of this caliber, I couldn't resist the 46" 909 at that insanely low price. I'm putting together a small media room in one of my spare bedrooms, so this size will actually be perfect.

I've seen this model in action over the past few months in Best Buy, and it produces nothing short of an amazing picture. I have the XBR2 in my bedroom, and I'm still very much impressed with its picture quality 4 years into ownership. I'm sure the 909 will completely blow that set out of the water, and I can hardly wait to pop in my first blu-ray. I'm thinking the LOTR extended edition!!

A few questions for those who ordered the set from TigerDirect. The shipping company is AIT, and I have no experience with them whatsoever. Do they set the tv up for you, or do they essentially drop the set on your doorstep and hit the road? Obviously, I want to check the thing out for damage before I sign for it. And it sounds like the set is awfully heavy in the era of LED...95 pounds with the stand. There is no way I would attempt to lift it up on to the stand by myself. It's not the weight necessarily, but the sheer size of it that prevents gaining any leverage. Also, is the base already attached to the tv when you pull it out of the box? My XBR2 base was attached at the factory.

Thanks for any and all help, and I look forward to reporting back my enjoyment of the set!

Does anyone have a 52hx909 stand that they are willing to part with? Please pm me if so, thank you!

I ordered mine thru cc basically the same as td and ait delivered it. They came up the stairs and just inside my doorstep. He dropped it off and left. I didnt open it yet i hope everything is intact. I cleaned the room today so im close to making room for the baby. Though im hooking it up to an onkyo 606 i know im not doing it justice....but i have a Jamo 5 speaker system. Its a small room about 14 x 10. I shocked everybody by copping this tv, including myself!
Its hard to debate but i believe i have two of the better sonys tvs picture wise, xbr4 and hx909...

I received my replacement 46HX909 from TigerDirect last week as the first one arrived with a badly cracked screen. Only one person from AIT was sent and he was attempting to carry the TV by himself. Fortunately I was home and could help him carry the box which is quite heavy for one person. The first time he left before I had a chance to open the box and found the screen cracked. So I had to call TigerDirect and have AIT pick it up to ship back and wait a week before they shipped the replacement. Depending on whom you get on the phone, TigerDirect could be slow to respond and difficult to deal with. Don't make the same mistake and be sure to open the box in front of them before you sign to accept delivery. AIT does not do any setup and the base is separate from the TV which is rather heavy, but easily attached with 4 screws.

I looked at quite a few TV's and I'm very satisfied with the build and picture quality of the Sony. Hopefully, everything will go well for you and you'll be enjoying your new TV as much as I am.

I was looking at getting the 46" 909 and I noticed the weight of the set is almost 80 lbs according to the specs online. Is that right? Seems pretty heavy for a 46" set.

EDIT - just read a few posts above which seem to confirm it.

It's built like a Tank, the 929 is lighter w/Gorilla Glass. This 46 weighed as much as 1 of my 50" plasmas.

When the ait guy came i was wondering why he was struggling up my brownstone steps...i said to myself, "its looked light in the store", but then when i picked it up myself and saw the shipping weight, i was like whoa!! its not that far from my xbr4...looks are definitely deceiving...i bounced over and looked at the replies from the 929 and they have us beat by over a 1,000 replies...whats up with that?

Just to clarify...

TV Weight (Approximate) 66.58 lb

TV Weight With Stand (Approximate) 80 lb

Yeah, it is kinda heavy.

Just read the Cnet review on the 929 and they are essentially calling it the greatest LCD tv of all time while nearly having the deepest blacks ever. Sounds similar to their 909 review except that they saw less blooming and did not experience any of the colour shift that they saw in the 909. They also commented on the great shadow detail in the 929 which I would not be surprised if it betters the 909 as that was not one of its strengths imho. Oddly enough, they did not see much of an improvement in the viewing angles but I, along with others, noticed a significant difference. All in all, it appears that Sony has made two tvs (be it plasma or LCD) that will easily stand amongst the best available.

Yes, if you read the 909 Cnet review, they really keep knocking it for the price, which was a decent amount more then the 929 debuted at. I will contend that overall, for 2d picture quality straight on the two are more similar then different.

I would have got the 929 but the 909 had better uniformity then the 929, so I went with the 909. Cant go wrong with either though

I apologize in advance for the long-winded post, but I could really used some advice:

After having gone through at least half a dozen edge-lit Samsung UN40C6400s - each of which had horribly blotchy, non-uniform panels, headlamp effects in the corners, pinched screens where the screws were too tight, etc., as well as a few more expensive edge-lit Samsung and Sony models, I decided that perhaps I would be better off with a higher-quality, back-lit, local-dimming set. After discovering that my options were limited, given the size constraints of both my apartment and my budget, I wound up at Fry's, where they had one XBR 46HX909, and it was the display model. I am extremely OCD about things like TVs - I always want mine perfect, new, and in-the-box. However, while the tag had the TV listed at over $1,500, after a bunch of back-and-forth haggling, I was able to get the TV for $1,118 ($948.99 plus $159 for a two-year warrantee). Normally I don't opt for extended warrantees, but since it was a display, I thought it might be a good idea. (Also, the salesman didn't break it down for me; he made it sound like they would sell me the TV for $1,118 and throw in the 2-year warrantee. It wasn't until I went to pay for it that I discovered that I could opt in or out of the warrantee, and I have 30 days to change my mind, either way). In the end, it turns out the receipt shows the price of the TV as $948.99 ($1,199, minus $250.01 for it being a display model) and then $159.99 for the 2-year warrantee.

Like I said, I'm really OCD about things like TVs, but this one was in perfect cosmetic condition, came with the remote, and not only was it the only back-lit, local-dimming LED available, it was significantly cheaper than the edge-lit 40-inch, non-XBR Sony model.

My main concerns are the following:

First and foremost, is it stupid to spend $1,000 + on a TV that has been on for 12 hours a day for the past 6 months? That's a little over 4,000 hours...

Second, does the price I paid for the TV itself ($949) justify buying the display model, assuming it's in otherwise like-new condition?

Third, is it a good idea to buy the 2-year warrantee (Fry's in-home service vs. Sony's 1-year send-it-in plan), given that it's a display model? Is it a total scam??

Lastly, CNET seemed to really knock this model - especially when compared to the seemingly superior HX929. Is the 909 really that inferior to the 929? I don't care about 3D, I can buy a Wi-Fi Dongle, and the only picture quality issues that bug me so far are the blooming (especially when it bleeds into the letterbox bars) and poor display of standard definition material. Even with these issues, it's vastly superior to the Samsung edge-lit models I was so determined to keep. And considering the fact that I can't afford a 929 - or any of the other back-lit LED's out there, is this a deal too good to pass up?

I would GREATLY appreciate any and all feedback and advice I can get.

Many thanks!

John

Wide Screen Review, Oct 2010. 'Extensive' review of XBR-52HX909. Pg 46, "The HX909 strikes me as being at or near the pinnacle of LCD video display performance as we know it in 2010." Doug Blackburn's review. Worth reading entire review.

If you read though this thread and the 929 thread you will see that each of the Sony displays has its strengths and weaknesses, however I do not think anyone can say that either display is significantly superiour to the other.

Guys

Does the HX909 have a web browser? Does it play flash?

If it's no to either question, what are the chances that Sony would release firmware in the future that will add a web browser?

Thanks

Another question - has someone measured the power consumption on this TV? Sony.com shows it as 184W max which is more like a plasma HDTV consumption

Thanks to those who have responded to my post, above. Unfortunately, my main questions remain unanswered, so perhaps I can re-post them in a more condensed version:

1. Is it stupid to buy a display model HX929 from Fry's? Is it stupid to spend $1,000 + on an LED TV that has been on for approximately 12 hours a day for the past 6 months? That's a little over 4,000 hours. I don't know if it's a deal too good to pass up or a tempting but foolish move...

2. I got this cosmetically perfect display set for $949 plus $159 for a two year Fry's service plan. Does the price I paid for the TV itself ($949) justify buying the display model, assuming it's in otherwise like-new condition? I'd love a new one in the box, but the cheapest I've seen it was the Tiger Direct offer (now out of stock) and that was something like $1,100 or $1,200 before tax and shipping, with no service plan...

3. Is it a good idea to buy the 2-year warrantee (Fry's in-home service vs. Sony's 1-year send-it-in plan), given that it's a display model? Is it a total scam??

I would GREATLY appreciate any and all feedback and advice I can get.

Many thanks!

I tried to find this online, but they require a subscription ($$). Do you have a copy of the article you could email to me?

Many thanks :-)

1. I would rather not buy display model since not knowing how well it has been handled and on for long time ... also considering you get this TV new around same price elsewhere.
2. I would spend little 100 bucks more to buy new TV with default 1 year warranty.
3. i don't know much about Fry's warranty ...

I don't think Sony will add browser to hx909 or 929 considering they have separate model for internet tv and it will be too cumbersome to browse on 909/929

there is a difference back lighting used between 909 and 929 ... 929 has actual array of led to backlight whereas 909 uses a way to direct light at zones from lighting at edges effectively simulating same back light

Thx for the response on browser
Has someone measured the power consumption on this TV? Sony.com shows it as 184W which is similar to what a plasma would consume. Do you guys think this TV also runs about as hot as a plasma?

Hi people

Im a happy new owner of the 52HX903, It is the best TV ive owned and Ive had about 15 top end TV's in the last 2 years.

The Blacks are stunning,
PQ is Excellent
Motion is Amazing for an LCD/LED TV
3D is pretty good
Input Lag is low enough not to notice any (and im very sensitive to it)
Excellent design
Excellent build

They is some Blooming/Halo'ing when white on black but its too be expected as they isnt enough dimming zones.

The only thing that I think is awfull on this set is the Internet Widgets. Ive just got rid on the sammy d7000 LED Smart TV dues to clouding, bleed, banding and the Sammy widgets were amazing, Especially the MUZU Music APP.
The Sony APPS are rubbish and slow, eg The iPlayer is Slow, Bad design, blocky with poor signal quality.

IS they a way of getting APPs like MUZU on the Sony?

The 909 and 929 are both full array LED. You must be thinking of the NX series. It is edge lit with zone dimming.

Not sure about the power consumption, but I normally have the tv on 10 plus hours and it stays cool. I've always owned plasmas for my small media room(extra bedroom) and with one it required a window unit in the summer to keep the room cool. The plasma would produce so much heat the central ac couldn't keep up in this room.

for some reason my screen seems to self adjust when viewing bright scenes to dark scenes..... my auto backlight is set to off...what would cause this? and all of my eco is set to off

and i have some minor uniformity does anyone know of a fix? does loosening the screws in the back help?

I've looked around - can't find this unit for less than $1,199. I paid $949 for the display...

Does anyone have any experience and/or advice regarding Fry's 2-year service plan? How about the standard Sony 12-month warranty? The folks at Fry's say you have to send the unit in to Sony for repair - at your expense - and while parts and labor are covered, the diagnostics are not. Is this true? Regarding the Fry's plan, they say the service is in-home, and after three repairs - for the same or different issues - they will replace the unit for a comparable model based on the specs of the TVs, regardless of what you originally paid. So if you bought the 46HX909, they would replace it with the 46HX929, even if you paid $2,000 less for the original set...

Any thoughts?

wrong

budman you beat me to the punch

Folks

I'm assuming I'm not going to get a complete bias-free response on this forum but I'm comparing this TV to the Samsung 46D8000 and have gone about 5 times back and forth over the past 2 days

What scares me most is the numerous issues that owners are complaining about on the forums - dead pixels, bad bezels and many of them are returning them or changing the panels. I don't know if the mfr replaces with new or refurbished panels

Having said that, can someone tell me if most HX909's sold there are comparatively issue-free vs the D8000? I'm most drawn to the D8000 because of the Smart TV features but may just make the decision to go with the HX909 and supplement with Google TV

Also, does the overall 2D PQ better on the HX909 since it's local array dimming vs Samsung's compromise of micro local dimming?

hi,

I'm in the market for a new tv and am considering the 909. my question is this:

would you buy a 909 over a 2011 edge lit model? are you happy with your 909?

I would really appreciate your input.

thanks,