So here we bought the Sony X900H.
It fills an interesting spot in Sony’s LCD
linup – as their second highest end 4k model,
below the X950H.
Despite appearing lower in the series, it
claims to have features that the 950 lacks
like HDMI 2.1 support for higher bandwidth
signals, and variable refresh rates.
This is a first from any 4k Sony TV, which
makes it one to consider if you’re interested
in a next gen gaming console within the next
few years.
In this video we’ll put the TV to the test
to see how it compares to the higher-end X950H.
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First we'll look at the design of the TV and
then move on to the picture quality.
We'll look at the motion handling, input lag,
and sound, and then see how it stacks up overall
against the higher-end X950H.
If you’d like to skip straight to our test
results, then check out the youTube chapters
on the video.
We bought the 55 inch X900H to test, but it
is also available in larger sizes up to eighty
five inches.
We expect these other sizes to have very similar
picture quality.
Note that in some regions including the UK
and Europe, the model number might be slightly
different, and it is often referred to as
the XH90.
We expect these TVs to also perform similarly
to the US model we bought.
So first up, the design.
No surprises here, as Sony TVs follow a very
similar design language.
They tend to look quite minimal, and this
TV is no exception.
There are thin bezels which look good.
The stand also supports the TV well and feels
stable, without any screws required.
It is a wide set stand which needs a large
table, but this is good for those who want
to place a soundbar between the legs.
Some variants of the TV in Europe may also
have multiple stand positions to fit on a
smaller table, but this isn’t the case for
US models.
A single button to control the TV is located
under the Sony logo on the front, and you
can do basic actions like toggle the power,
change inputs, or change volume but you'll
definitely want to keep the remote close by.
Now moving around to the side of the TV, it
looks almost identical to the X950H.
The thickness is about typical of most new
TVs, so it won’t stick out much if you decide
to put it on the wall using the VESA mount
of the TV.
The inputs are all directed out the side,
and there’s nothing surprising here with
four HDMI ports, two USBs and a tuner.
Now, some of these HDMI ports are supposed
to be HDMI 2.1, but we don’t know which
as we’ll talk more about that later on in
the review.
Like other Sony TVs but unlike other brands,
there is a composite video input for those
who want to connect older devices.
There are also clips provided in the box,
so you can route cables down the back of the
stand and it works fine to have a relatively
tidy setup, but definitely isn’t as impressive
as some older Sony TVs like the Z9F.
Now we'll move on to the picture quality.
We'll be comparing to currently available
TVs but competing models may change as new
TVs are released throughout the year.
For an updated comparison with new models
as we buy and test them, see the review page
on our website which is linked below.
The contrast ratio of a display is the relative
brightness of bright areas, compared to dark
ones.
It is one of the most important aspects of
picture quality in a dark room, as a high
contrast allows for details to be visible
in dark scenes, rather than getting lost in
the gray.
The contrast ratio of the X900H is relatively
high, and is actually better than the higher-end
X950H . This is expected though, as the X950H
has an extra layer to improve the viewing
angles but it comes at the expense of contrast.
The X900H without this layer results in a
good contrast for watching movies or playing
video games in the dark.
Now, there is also a feature called local
dimming to improve the perceived contrast.
Basically, this is where different areas or
zones of the backlight can be controlled independently
to further deepen dark areas of scenes or
boost brighter areas.
Overall this TV performs well and the result
is good, but it is limited by the number of
distinct zones.
The algorithm generally works well though,
and we found overall performance to be similar
to the X950H .
Now as mentioned earlier, this TV doesn’t
have the X-Wide viewing angle feature of the
higher-end X950H, which otherwise helps to
improve the accuracy of the image when viewed
at an angle.
The result is worse than the X950H and about
typical of most VA-type TVs.
Those who really care about viewing angles
may find it bad, but we do also get a lot
of feedback from people who don’t mind the
viewing angles of VA panels.
As a result, you should check out the video
here to see how you find it.
The full video is also linked in the description.
If it is a problem for you, have a look at
the X950H instead, but do note that only some
sizes have this feature.
So on to reflections.
Good reflection handling is important for
those with bright rooms.
This TV has a semi-gloss finish, which diffuses
reflections a bit across the screen.
The result is fine and about typical of most
TVs, but bright direct reflections such as
from windows or lamps facing the TV may result
in hard-to-see dark scenes.
This isn’t as good as the X950H, but the
higher end model does have some rainbow artifacts
and horizontal smearing from the viewing angle
layer so check out our video review for more
information .
If you do have some lights in your room, then
a high SDR peak brightness is also important
to overcome glare with brighter content.
The X900H can get very bright for SDR, as
the whole screen can reach about five hundred
nits.
It is a bit strange that the smaller two percent
window size doesn't get as bright, as we haven't
seen this behaviour in other Sony TVs.
Most people are unlikely to notice it though.
Now if you watch HDR content, then high peak
brightness is important for different reasons.
High brightness tends to be used in HDR content
to add bright specular details resulting in
a more impressive image.
In this respect the TV is decent, but at about
five hundred and fifty nits on our real scene
it is a step below the higher end X950H.
Also important in HDR content is ability to
display wider color spaces, to produce more
vivid details when the director intends for
it.
The X900H can display a wide color gamut with
coverage over most of the DCI P3 color space.
This is good for those who plan to use the
TV to watch HDR movies or play HDR games.
Now a quick note on the pixels.
The fifty five inch model we bought has a
blue, green, red pixel layout.
This isn’t a problem and likely isn’t
noticeable for most people, but might be a
consideration for someone who wants to use
this as a 4k monitor for their PC.
This layout is fairly common on TVs, but can
result in slightly less clear text from a
computer and only if cleartype tuning hasn't
been performed.
In other cases, the text should always appear
clear.
Another important picture quality aspect is
the uniformity of the TV.
We test the gray uniformity of each TV by
taking a photo of a mid-level gray and a dark-gray.
This shows uniformity issues which affect
all colours, including dirty screen effect
or vignetting which can be distracting when
watching sports or playing video games.
The X900H we bought has great uniformity,
so it won’t really be distracting for most
people.
Note that this does vary between units due
to tolerances in the manufacturing process,
but we expect our unit to be representative.
Let us know in the comments below if you buy
this TV and how yours compares!
So now on to the motion handling, and we’ll
start with the response time.
To learn more about motion on TVs, check out
our video series which should be linked up
he re.
The response time is an average of the time
it takes a display to transition from one
frame to the next.
A high response time results in blurry images
when watching sports or playing video games.
The X900H has a fast response time which is
great, resulting in clear images without much
motion blur.
Like the X950H though, those sensitive to
it may notice slight overshooting in dark
scenes causing some artefacts, but we don’t
expect this to be a problem for most people.
The photo of our moving logo also looks smooth
and clear.
Like the higher end X950H, there is backlight
flicker at seven hundred and twenty hertz
but it isn’t really noticeable, so while
the TV isn’t flicker free it shouldn’t
be a problem for most people.
Now if you really care about the clearest
image, then black frame insertion is a useful
feature as it introduces more flicker to the
backlight but as a result it reduces the amount
of persistence blur.
On this TV and most other Sony’s, it can
be enabled by increasing the Clearness slider
in the ‘MotionFlow’ menu.
It works fairly well as you can see in our
moving logo photo, however for 60 Hz content
the minimum backlight flicker is one hundred
and twenty hertz, which results in the duplication
visible.
A quick word on ‘X-Motion Clarity Plus’.
This is a term Sony uses when they combine
black frame insertion with motion interpolation.
On the X900H this is achieved by putting the
clearness setting to 1, and smoothness to
2.
We haven’t tested how this combination of
settings looks specifically, but if you’re
a fan of the soap opera effect then it may
be a good option for you as it combines a
120hz flicker frequency with 120hz interpolation.
Now, if you’re a gamer then low input lag
is very important to reduce the delay between
an action in-game and when you see it on the
screen.
At about fifteen milliseconds for sixty hertz
signals it is excellent and feels very responsive.
It is a bit lower for one hundred and twenty
hertz signals too, which is great for fast-paced
gaming.
Now, something unique about this TV is unlike
the higher end X950H, the X900H is advertised
to support HDMI 2.1 features of variable refresh
rates and higher bandwidth signals.
This is great to hear, as a lot of people
are anticipating the next gen game consoles,
or even just gaming on TVs with variable refresh
rate from their PC.
Unfortunately at the moment the X900H doesn’t
support variable refresh rates, but this is
expected to come in a future firmware update.
Check out the review on our website for an
update on this.
As always, we’ll keep the TV until it is
discontinued and in the meantime we’ll update
the review as soon as this firmware is publicly
available.
Now, in terms of higher bandwidth HDMI 2.1
signals we’re unfortunately not able to
test this on the X900H as there’s no HDMI
2.1 graphics card available.
We did buy a Club 3D adapter to send HDMI
2.1 signals via displayport but this is brand
new and we haven’t yet received it.
We will also update the review soon after
we receive the equipment to test this though.
Another consideration is there's no indication
for which of the X900H's ports support HDMI
2.1.
There's rumors that its only via HDMI 3 and
4, but we aren’t able to confirm this yet.
So now on to the smart features.
Like other Sony TVs, this one runs Android
TV which works well and feels very smooth.
This is great, because Sony TVs have a bit
of a reputation of a slow interface, but this
seems to be changing.
With access to the google play store there’s
a huge variety of apps, and the large remote
works well to browse through content or there’s
a dedicated button to quickly get to Netflix.
And lastly, for the sound.
This TV does have a different speaker configuration
to the higher-end X950H, and also lacks a
room correction feature.
Overall though the sound is still decent and
about typical of most TVs.
The frequency response is well-balanced and
dialog sounds clear, but as always for better
sound and more thump or rumble in the bass
you should look into an external sound system
or soundbar.
So overall the X900H is a very interesting
TV.
Some of the advertised features aren't ready
yet though, which is a bit disappointing.
We’d love to try out the first 4k Sony TV
with variable refresh rate support, but we’ll
have to wait for a future firmware update
instead.
It is still a very solid performer though,
with good picture quality, especially for
those with fairly dark rooms.
If you’re after a TV for gaming then it
is definitely a good choice, but it might
be best to verify the HDMI 2.1 firmware update
is available first – no one likes to pay
full price for a beta test while they wait
for advertised features!
For most other uses though, the X950H is a
better TV with better viewing angles, a brighter
screen and more impactful HDR, and better
reflection handling.
So that's it!
What do you think of the Sony X900H?
Are you interested in it for gaming or a future
console?
Let us know down below.
You can check out all of the measurements
on our website.
If you like this video, subscribe to our channel,
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Thank you for watching and see you next time.
