Sony XBR-HX950 Owners' Thread (XBR-55HX9​50 and XBR-65HX95​0) - Page 3

The 950 has same number of zones, same video processing engines(X-reality Pro and Motionflow 960) as the 929. Therefore, the design of the 950 appears to be the same as that of the 929(except for the stand). What do you think?
Edited by mike50 - 9/21/12 at 3:55pm

Jesus, can we make a special Sony HX950 dimming zones thread?

And yes, IF you had not been able to view the TV from a sitting position head on without the TV being tilted back, that WOULD be a MUCH bigger issue than the number of bloody zones! And if Sony can't give you a straight answer on the zones, how do you expect anyone else to? Dissect the damn thing?

Whether Sony made any improvements to 3D, where they were sorely lacking with the HX929, is a much bigger deal than number of zones.

Who cares if its improved over the HX929 in terms of zones, when you can't even buy the HX929 anymore, at least not in 65". This TV is not even near to being in the same price range as the Elite to begin with: $5500 for 65" vs $8000 for 70".

Speaking of 3D... does the HX950 come with 3D glasses? I take it the answer is no. So what does the manual say are the suggested 3D glasses for this set? Are any of the suggested models the wrap around type, or only the new clip-on looking type? Thanks...

Well said! Thanks bro!!

I've been waiting to hear how the 3d is and how this TV is compared to others, but all I'm reading is about the Zones which I could care less so long as its the same as the 929. Can we please get some more info on how this TV compares to other models like the Samsung's and Elite.. I read that this TV is supposed to be better than the Elite. Has anyone compared this to it yet?
Edited by Anthony5362 - 9/21/12 at 4:19pm

Flavius, take a chill pill, using Jesus name...
Funny that the tilt is such a big issue. Put a wedge under it or figure out something. That is an easy fix.
3d is a bigger issue? Take a poll on how many people buy the tv to watch 3d more than 2d, or even watch 3d at all.
Who cares if the HX929 is improved? What do you think this tread is about. Zones is just one of the topics.
Play nice Flavius.

You will probably have to wait for some professional reviews to really get an idea of how it fares against the elite or any other top tier tv. Unless someone has both in home to do a head to head. That would be awesome!

Hostility much? People want to know what they want to know. No need to be a b!tch about it...

Can't be better without more local dimming zones..that was one of the reasons the elite topped the 929. Less blooming.

I think the number of zones is signicant. I'm not going to pay a premium price for a tv with "new" local dimming tech that could be found in the 929. That would make it almost 2 years old. I am coming from a 65es8000 and with all the light bleed, clouding, and banding (it was really bad) all I want is some uniformity and as little light bleed and/or blooming as possible.

and your foolish if your paying 8k for an 70" Elite you can easily get for 6k.

The XBR4 and XBR5 had the same panel, right? I just moved my 52" XBR4 back into the bedroom after using it for a week or two in the living room, and the HX950 is much better than it. What the XBR4/5 is good at, the HX950 improves upon.
55" HX950, I see: 15 horizontal zones by 7 vertical zones == 105.
This is the same as koffas reports with his set, so the 2 of us are in agreement.
I'll try to test this sometime this weekend. With my HTPC hooked up to the TV, I can just directly play the mkv files instead of copying them to a USB drive and going that route.

I noticed that as well; that surpised me a bit. Actually, my first picture of the set turned off shows this rainbow in the upper right. The rainbow is what you see on the set when you have light sources behind you, and is not introduced as a lens flare from the camera:

so in essence we have a v2 929 so be it. i thought Sony was carrying over the 929 well into 2012 anyway. this is no surprise to me as far as what Sony has implemented (basically a rebadged 929).

-same panel

-same zones at least on the 55" wouldn't be surprised if the 65" is the same.

-same pro 960 processing chip

i think i see a pattern........

Gotta be the traffic in LA!

Yes, XBR4 and XBR5 use the same panel. The main difference is the exterior bezel between the two sets.

Thanks for the info, I guess this one will be on my list of new TV's to get.

I thought I would weigh in on this as I have done some research myself. The XBR 929 versus the new XBR 950 doesn't have many differences. What I am sure of is that the 3D is superior on the 950 versus the 929. There are several enhancements made to the 3D engine if you look at the specs side by side. Other than this, it has all of the same visual benefits of the xbr 929. However, the 929 has more sensors on it than the 950. The 950 no longer has the sensor for when your kid is coming up to it to warn you. The 950 also may not recognize you are no longer in the room to shut off your TV like the 929. There seems to be other benefits regarding the app list and features on the 950. In general, the cost between these two are the same. The stand on the new model is certainly different but looks more stable than the 929. To get the new 950 at $2999 with a superior stand and superior 3d was enough for me. Let's face it, the xbr 929 is a killer tv. I hope we'll found out there are more enhancements other than the 3d features. I get my TV this Tuesday and will share my feedback with all.

Just because its a new model does not mean that it will have better PQ than the model it replaced. It may have better apps or better 3d or crap like that but does not mean it will have better PQ. It seems like PQ is secondary to most manufactures right now.

clap clap! AVS! Bring me zone counts! And you WILL present this information to me in the format of my choosing, AND provide documentation that proves your legitimacy!

Now GO!

Ha, not from a reputable dealer with any kind of return policy you can't!

But here's the problem.... that logic only applies to the 55". The 65" HX929 is no longer available and not sold for any sort of discount, unlike the 55" HX929. There is no premium to be paid if the only 65"+ set with full array and local dimming in existence, that you can buy, is either the 65HX950 or the 70" Elite.

Why is everyone here getting the 55" anyway? I find that's rather small for my 8" viewing distance. I find my current 52" TV quite small. So that is why I've ordered the 65" HX950. I found the 64" E7000 Samsung plasma I tried out and returned for the typical plasma reasons (and terrible judder due to no AMP/Motionflow) to be barely big enough.

I love how this thread is already spicy! We're going to be sorting out all of this XBR 950 stuff in no time! <3

Oh seriously... It's on the 405S right now!!! It needs to get its how ever many zones up on my wall yesterday...

Can someone who has one PLEASE look in the manual and tell us what model numbers of 3D glasses are suggested for use?? I promise to never bother anyone discussing zones again if you do.

The same ones the 929 uses. Sony has been using the same standard for a long time now. Just get what Sony pair you think will work best for you.

Deal. These are the ones linked from the accessories tab at SonyStyle:

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666424868

I bought 2 pairs of the active titanium glasses from Amazon for $70 each:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007FXQQZS/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

We should still confirm from the manual, but I'm pretty sure these are correct.

Has the poor shadow detailing problem of the 92x series been solved i.e. no more black crush in 950?

I have not seen anywhere say about shadows in poor hx92x

Anymore pics or later reviews form the new owners.

If you read flatpanelshd review the minuses of the hx92x series are:
- Light halos from local dimming
- Poor shadow detailing
- Reflections in screen (this was erroneously listed in the plus side)
- Price

I have Philips 9705 backlight local dimming 46'' (also has black crush) and would love to have 65'' Sony if it is solved...

No, it does not come with 3D glasses; you have to buy those separately. I can confirm that the older style Sony TDG-BR250 3D glasses work fine with HX950. The IR transmitter is integrated into the TV and it auto-detected the 3D signal OK. I watched some of Transformers 3 in 3D last night. With the glasses, it flickers like crazy, especially compared to how there is no discernible flicker at all in 2D mode, but you have to expect that with shutter glasses. With the refresh rate at 60Hz, the 3D glasses flicker less than at 24Hz, but the 3:2 pulldown in 3D mode drove me crazy and I quickly went back to 24Hz. They did get a little heavy on my nose after an hour. I may get accustomed to it, or I may try the titanium framed glasses, but I think light bleed from the frameless design may be a negative for visual quality. Although it has been mentioned in this thread a few times, I should also mention that the HX950 has a much more reflective screen; it doesn't have the same anti-glare coating that XBR4/5 had. Other than that, I think that everything about the HX950 is a nice upgrade over my XBR4.