Beautiful design with clean lines and excellent aestheticsGood 2D image quality with excellent contrast ratioPretty good 3D performance and comfortable 3D glassesOutstanding multimedia and internet capabilitiesVery good motion smoothing for fast moving content and flawless display of 24fps content (blu-ray) without any judderIntegrated 3D IR transmitter and 2 pairs of 3D glasses bundled along with the TV3D content viewing exhibits some cross-talkIntegrated camera has no real usePretty expensive considering some cheaper 3D TVs can provide similar if not better 3D performance
Like the HX909 series, the XBR-52LX900 incorporates Sony’s elegant “Monolithic Design” philosophy that consists of a front panel design that makes the entire TV panel look like a single slab panel of glossy black glass. The glass panel extends all the way to the edges of the TV panel and covers the slim black bezel of the TV. You really need to see it to appreciate this Monolithic Design and Sony should certainly be commended for making such a sleek and elegant looking 3D TV that will be sure to turn heads in your living room.Since the 52LX900 uses edge-lit LED backlighting technology, it has a very slim profile and the panel is only approximately 2.5 inches thick. Both the front and back of the TV is glossy, which makes it a bit of a fingerprint magnet but at the same time makes for a very attractive HDTV. The base of the stand is both heavy and sturdy, making the entire TV feel very stable. The stand can also be swiveled horizontally by large angles, which could be useful to folks who have a wide living room.
Like all the other Sony 3D TVs, the XBR52LX900 is a 1080p display (1920-x1080 resolution) capable of displaying full HD content at 1080p, including new 3D Blu-ray in the Full HD 3D format (1080p Frame Packing). Of course, it can also handle all older formats such as 480p, 720p and 1080i.
When it comes to viewing angle, all LED and LCD based 3D TVs have an inherent disadvantage in comparison to Plasma 3D TVs due to the technological limitations of LED backlighting. The Sony XBR-52LX900 is certainly no exception to this rule and exhibits a modest viewing angle of approximately 40-50 degrees total (20-25 degrees from the center on each side) before the contrast ratio drops significantly and the colors and image appears washed out. These numbers are very similar to other edge-lit LED 3D TVs from Samsung, Sony and LG. In comparison, the Panasonic TC-P65VT25 Plasma 3D TV exhibits a viewing angle over 70 degrees on either side.
Like the HX909 series, the LX900 series features Sony’s latest Opticontrast Panel technology that consists of a surface treatment of the LCD glass panel in conjunction with a special resin sheet that is sandwiched between the LCD panel and the glass panel. The resin sheet and surface treatment work together to minimize back reflection and scattering of incident light on the TV screen thus allowing a significant reduction in glare and an improvement in black levels and image contrast. This Opticontrast panel technology works well and does a great job of reducing glare on this glossy screen
In the Black Levels department, the XBR52LX900 provides good black levels despite its edge-lit LED backlighting. Having said that, both the HX800 and the full array local dimming HX909 series feature slightly better black levels. If absolute black levels is the only criteria you care about, then you might not want to go for the LX900 series, however, keep in mind that absolute black levels are only a small part of the larger picture (no pun intended) when it comes to analyzing 3D TV image quality and performance.What the LX900 perhaps lacks in the black levels department, it easily makes up by providing the brightest display amongst all the LED 3D TVs released in 2010. This is important to take not of for 2 reasons:
a) The greater the maximum brightness, the better the 3D experience (especially in the day or in brightly lit rooms) since it helps compensate for the loss in brightness due to the active shutter glasses.
b) The contrast ratio is determined by both the maximum brightness and black levels of the display.
The high maximum brightness of the Sony XBR-52LX900 along with the its good black levels allows for a very high contrast ratio (Television info measured it to be over 3500:1). In 3D mode, the maximum brightness is lowered due to the display of frame sequential content as well as the active shutter 3D glasses, dropping the contrast ratio to around 1000:1 in 3D mode. This is still excellent in comparison to other 3D TVs in the market.
The XBR52LX900 features good color accuracy although it has some trouble tracking the correct color temperature. In general images look very good on this display once the display settings have been tweaked appropriately.
Backlight uniformity is always an issue on edge-lit LED TVs. This issue is further exacerbated in larger TVs. The full-array LED TVs such as the Sony HX909 series have a distinct advantage in this department over edge-lit LED 3D TVs. Unfortunately, all the manufacturers are moving towards edge-lit LED 3D TVs due to the thinner form factor, cheaper manufacturing costs and thus higher margins at the expense of image quality. The XBR-52LX900 does have some issues with backlight uniformity with the center of the panel appearing brighter than the edges (a common artifact in edge lit 3D TVs). Always make sure to carefully analyze your LED TV for such issues when you purchase them so that you can return it within the allowed time-frame for an exchange or refund if you are not happy with backlight uniformity issues.
The Sony XBR-52LX900 features Sony’s proprietary Motionflow PRO 240Hz technology. Basically, what this technology does is it uses some algorithms to interpolate regular 24fps or 60fps content to create a large number of intermediate frames between each of the provided frames in the source content. The LED display then proceeds to display this interpolated content at 240Hz thus allowing for smoother motion and less stuttering when viewing videos. LED and LCD TV makers have had to use such technology to compensate for the slower refresh rate of LED/LCD based pixels in comparison to Plasma and other technologies. Read more about this in our Plasma vs LCD comparison guide.
The XBR52LX900 does a good job of motion processing and helps smooth content without producing too many artifacts or too much of the fake “soap-opera” look. The other advantage of a 240Hz display is that it can very easily handle 24 fps content from your Blu-ray player without any judder that is common with 3:2 Pulldown.
As mentioned previously, the 3D mode on all 3D TVs tends to lower the maximum brightness and hence the contrast ratio. However, the Sony LX900 still exhibits a very good contrast ratio and good image quality. Unfortunately, the restrictive viewing angle on this TV also restricts the angles across which you can actually experience the 3D effect. Additionally, the LX900 has some cross-talk issues with bright and dark areas in a scene which is a bit disappointing. Apart from these issues though, it does quite a good job delivering an immersive 3D experience.
The included Sony 3D glasses are a bit on the heavy side like most active shutter glasses, but they are fairly comfortable and more importantly also fit over prescription glasses, which is a big plus.
When it comes to Multimedia and Internet capabilities, Sony has done an outstanding job with all its 3D TVs in 2010-2011 and the LX900 is certainly no exception. The onscreen menu is perfect, and easy to navigate across quickly. It uses the same
Xross MediaBar menu system that is found on a number of Sony products, including the Playstation 3. It is quite intuitive and coupled with the responsiveness of the TV controls, makes for a pleasurable user experience.Of all the current manufacturers, Sony has the best Media/Internet suite available on their Bravia line of televisions. The XBR-52LX900 can be hooked up to the internet via the Ethernet port or via the integrated WiFi on this device. Depending on how good your WiFi connection is, you might need to connect your TV to the internet via Ethernet for streaming HD movies. This TV is DLNA certified, meaning that you can stream content seamlessly from your PC or DLNA certified devices. The BRAVIA Internet Video suite offers over 36 channels including Netflix, Pandora, You Tube, Amazon VOD and many others. In addition, Sony has launched the Qriocity channel, which is its own video store when you can pay a small fee to rent a digital download.
The 52LX900 also features a number of internet widgets which let you quickly access news headlines, weather information or play games while watching TV. It also includes widgets for Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.
When it comes to audio quality the XBR-52LX900 is a bit disappointing and has a tinny, low bass sound. You will definitely want to hook this 3D TV up to an external speaker system to get the best 3D home-theater experience possible.
In terms of connectivity the LX900 has fewer ports than some other 3D TVs currently available. Perhaps this is related to the slimmer form factor of this edge-lit LED 3D TV thus reducing the real-estate for electronics to accommodate a wide selection of ports.
Inputs: 4 HDMIs ports, 1 component AV port, a composite AVport, an ethernet LAN port, 1 USB, 1 VGA, 1 digital audio out, 1 analog audio out and integrated WiFi.
We should mention that the integrated camera in the LX900 series is pretty much useless, which is quite a shame as it could have been a great feature. You can’t put the camera to any use – No recording videos, no using it as a webcam or to take low quality pictures. It is only used for some power saving features, hardly anything to write home about.
The 52 inch XBR-52LX900 is one of the premium 3D TVs on offer from Sony and the only one that is currently sold with 3D capabilities included (2 pairs of 3D glasses along with a 3D IR emitter). While it certainly isn’t cheap, the larger price tag offers a 3D TV with jaw-dropping good looks, excellent image quality, good black levels, great contrast ratio and outstanding multimedia and internet capabilities. It is also a very capable at displaying immersive 3D content although it does suffer from some cross-talk issues and a smaller viewing angle range than some of the best Plasma 3D TVs. Other televisions to consider in this size and price range are the Panasonic TC-P54VT25, Sony KDL-55NX810, LG 55LX9500, Samsung UN55C9000 and Samsung UN55C8000 3D TVs. If you are more price conscious, be sure to check our list of budget 3D TVs.
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