Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

BUY NOW
  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Stand/Mount

  • Aesthetics

  • Display Size & Technology

  • Formats & Resolution

  • Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio

  • Color

  • Motion & Refresh Rate

  • Viewing Angle

  • 3D Glasses

  • 3D Effect

  • 3D Motion

  • Audio & Video Ports

  • Internet & Other Media

  • Placement

  • Remote

  • Controls

  • Menu

  • Conclusion

  • Specs

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Stand/Mount
  • Aesthetics
  • Display Size & Technology
  • Formats & Resolution
  • Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio
  • Color
  • Motion & Refresh Rate
  • Viewing Angle
  • 3D Glasses
  • 3D Effect
  • 3D Motion
  • Audio & Video Ports
  • Internet & Other Media
  • Placement
  • Remote
  • Controls
  • Menu
  • Conclusion
  • Specs

Introduction

Front

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The front of the Sony XBR-55HX929 features a solid pane of glass, in keeping with Sony's 2010 aesthetics. It's a sleek design with a narrow bezel, though you'll probably want to keep external light sources out of the room: they'll totally break down the 3D effect.

Back

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

We didn't get to see the back of the device, since it was wall-mounted.

Sides

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

From what we could see, the TV has a few side-facing ports on its left side and on-set controls on the right side.

Stand/Mount

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

We saw TVs with both a stand and a wall mount at Sony's booth, along with the assurance that both options would be available for the entire 2011 line-up. The other option is the speaker bar stand, which allows the TV to be tilted backwards and forwards easily.

Aesthetics

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

From looks alone, this TV doesn't offer anything new compared to older Sonys. Despite not totally redefining HDTV design as we know it, the XBR-55HX929 is still a great-looking TV.

Display Size & Technology

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Sony XBR-55HX929 is a 55-inch LED LCD HDTV.

The TVs use a backlight that employs local dimming, but there's no information available on how many zones there are. We didn't notice any of the uneven lighting that sometimes crops up with local dimming, but we'll reserve our final judgment for a TV we get into the office.

Formats & Resolution

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The XBR-55HX929 is a 1080p HDTV with a 1920x1080 resolution. No fancy 4000x2000 panel here.

Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

It's hard to make quality judgments about a TV based on a show floor model at CES—especially since we're using our dumb human eyes and not our CS-200 ChromaMeter—but we had no qualms with the XBR-55HX929's performance. It looked like there was a great deal of processing going on, but we also saw a deep black and fairly bright white.

Color

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Color was harder to judge than the blacks and whites, because all of the demo videos were insanely oversaturated. It can certainly do oversaturation, but we're mainly concerned with how accurate the color performance will be once those vivid settings are switched off.

Motion & Refresh Rate

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

We only saw some minor blur on these TVs: very, very minor. If the XBR-55HX929 holds up to what we saw at CES, these HDTVs represent a new era in not needing to worry about a TV's motion performance. Even moving images looked crisp, with very little lag.

Viewing Angle

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The TV's viewing angle looked to be a bit better than the average LCD, but it wasn't perfect. We'd say we got out to about 50° before we noticed the contrast had taken a noticeable hit. Of course, this is just based on us eyeballing the TV, so take it with a grain of salt.

3D Glasses

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

Sony really hasn't redesigned their active shutter 3D glasses from what we could see on the show floor. They're still front-heavy and bulky.

There's no getting around the fact that 3D glasses make you look ridiculous (and possibly feel ridiculous too).

The power button makes the glasses usable for viewing 3D by turning on the active shutter feature.

3D Effect

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The 3D effect looked decent, but wasn't really a step up from Sony's top-end 3D units of 2010. Of course, a rep was quick to point out that everything was a prototype and nothing was finalized. We're really looking forward to getting this unit in our lab so we can see exactly what it's doing that's new.

3D Motion

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

We didn't see much motion blur with 3D, but fast motion did lead to a bit of a breakdown in the 3D effect. This wasn't too dissimilar from what we've seen on other Sony 3D HDTVs.

Audio & Video Ports

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The Sony XBR-55HX929's ports aren't finalized, but if they're anything like the model on the show floor they'll have both side-facing and rear-facing ports. The side-facing ports feature, from top to bottom, two USB ports, two HDMI ports, a 3.5mm audio intput, an optical audio output, a VGA input, and a 3.5mm audio output.

We couldn't get a shot of the other ports, but they appeared to be downward-facing as opposed to rear-facing.

Internet & Other Media

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The TV features integrated Wifi, which you can use to connect to Sony's amazing line-up of content. Sony also boasted their new branding for online content, Qriocity, which will offer paid content as well as free content.

Placement

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The ports appear to be side-facing and down-facing. While this is ideal for wall-mounting your TV, it's less than idea for anything else: down-facing ports are hard to access.

Remote

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The TV's remote was not available on the show floor, but since Sony wasn't marketing some amazing new 3D touchscreen WiFi-enabled remote with a built-in hologram projector, we're guessing you can expect more of the same.

Controls

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

The on-set controls are located on the right-side of the TV and cover the basic functionality.

{{section_header}}{{section.name}}{{/section_header}}

We weren't able to see the full menu system on the show floor, but, like the remote, we're expecting more of the same.

Conclusion

{{product.vanity}}

We're a bit confused about the Sony XBR-HX929. Sony's press conference was full of pageantry, such as a 2-minute Seth Rogan appearance and Cirque de Soleil Elvis dancers, but their TV line is suspiciously devoid of any. There were no ticker-tape parades for a new 0.0001" bezel, a hologram remote, or 3D that gets beamed into your head. We're really not sure what the XBR-HX929 has going for it above and beyond past Sony models—and we're certainly not sure how it competes with the innovations from other manufacturers at the show. Regardless, the TV looked good for what it was. If they can compete on the price point and offer affordable 3D, then really, there's no need for any bells and whistles.

The TV is coming out in April, so we should have one in house a bit before that. We'll keep you up to date on how this innocuous TV blossoms into something worthy of purchase.

Specs

{{manufacturer_specs_table}}

Meet the tester

Mark Brezinski

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

@markbrezinski

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

See all of Mark Brezinski's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next