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  • Introduction

  • Tour & Design

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • 3D

  • Viewing Effects

  • Calibration

  • Remote Control

  • Connectivity

  • Audio & Menus

  • Multimedia & Internet

  • Power Consumption

  • Vs Sony KDL 46HX800

  • Vs Samsung UN55C7000

  • Vs Panasonic TC P50VT20

  • Conclusion

  • Series Comparison

  • Introduction
  • Tour & Design
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • 3D
  • Viewing Effects
  • Calibration
  • Remote Control
  • Connectivity
  • Audio & Menus
  • Multimedia & Internet
  • Power Consumption
  • Vs Sony KDL 46HX800
  • Vs Samsung UN55C7000
  • Vs Panasonic TC P50VT20
  • Conclusion
  • Series Comparison

Introduction

Tour & Design

Front


The front of the Sony XBR-52LX900 is an attractive TV. It features the 'monolith' design, which means there's a single plate of glass that covers the entire facade of the TV, including the black bezel you see in the picture. Along the bottom, under the Sony logo, is a built-in camera. Yes, you read that right. And no, it doesn't do what you think it does. It doesn't record or output the video, in fact, there's no telecommunication features. Instead, it powers a few bland features, detailed in the video processing section.

Back


The back of the Sony XBR-52LX900 is shiny, an unusual choice for material. Because both the front and the back are highly reflective, it's impossible not to get fingerprints all over it. For information about the ports on the back of the Sony XBR-52LX900 see our Connectivity section.

Sides


The Sony XBR-52LX900 is quite thin. On one side, you'll see some of the ports. On the other side are the onboard controls. For information about the ports on the sides of the Sony XBR-52LX900 see our Connectivity section.

 

Stand/Mount


The base that attaches to the Sony XBR-52LX900 is quite heavy, so we can only assume it's sturdy. Most of the base is already assembled when you take it out of the box. You only need to affix it to the panel with four heavy gauge screws. It allows the TV panel to swivel widely, so you can service a wide room with the best view and access the rear ports.

 

Controls


The onboard controls on the Sony XBR-52LX900 are located on the right side. The buttons are small and discreet, meant to blend in with the rest of the TV. After a while, you'll be able to use these buttons without looking at them, but it will take some time. 

Remote Control


The Sony XBR-52LX900's remote control looks like the one that comes with other upper-end Sonys, but it's definitely an upgrade. The buttons feel better, made out of smoother material and have less travel when you push them. More details here

 

In The Box*(4.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 comes with the stand, a remote control, batteries, and some light documentation. It does not come with a print instruction manual, and you can't download one either. Instead, there's an 'i-Manual' stored electronically on the TV, as well as a version you can view (but not download) online.

Setting up the TV can be difficult only because the panel is so large and heavy. You'll definitely need two people to get it out of the box and onto whatever it's final resting place will be.

 

Aesthetics*(8.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 is an attractive TV, no doubt about that. The huge single plate of glass that covers the entire facade is sleek, though 'monolithic' is probably not the immediate term that comes to mind. The TV is thin, thanks to the LED edge lighting. It's not as revolutionary as the Samsung C7000 and C8000 series, but it will probably draw some appreciative comments. 

Blacks & Whites

Black Level*(7.6)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 showed a good, but not outstanding performance in the black level test, measuring 0.12 cd/m2. As you can see below, it did not perform as well as the Sony HX800 series, but it outperformed the Samsung UN55C7000. The Panasonic, a plasma display, easily took the lead in this test. (More on how we test Black Level.)

 

Peak Brightness*(9.51)*


Though it didn't perform at its best in the black level test, the peak brightness easily topped the competition. Granted, it's a less impressive achievement to be the brightest TV, but when matched with a decent black level, it should create a healthy contrast ratio. The only problem TV here was the Panasonic, which was conspicuously dim. It became a particular problem in 3D mode when you put the glasses on. (More on how we test Peak Brightness.)

 

Contrast*(8.36)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 produced a contrast ratio of 3530:1, a very good score. As you can see, the Sony KDL-46HX800 managed a slightly higher score, due to its lower black levels, but the two are more or less on equal footing. The Samsung C7000 model was not as good, and the Panasonic performed quite poorly, due to the bad peak brightness scores. (More on how we test Contrast.)

 

Tunnel Contrast*(8.03)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 did an excellent job maintaining a consistent black level, no matter how much or how little of the screen the black is occupying. We expect performances of this caliber from LCD screens. It's plasmas that usually have a problem. (More on how we test Tunnel Contrast.)

 

White Falloff*(9.98)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 showed a near perfect performance in keeping a consistent white level. Again, we expect good results like this from LCD TVs.  (More on how we test White Falloff.)

 

Uniformity*(5.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 does not have a great screen uniformity. We've found this to be a problem more than once with very large screens employing LED edge lighting. In this case, the center of the screen is noticeably brighter than the sides and corners.  (More on how we test Uniformity.)

 

Greyscale Gamma*(7.04)*


The greyscale gamma explores how well the Sony XBR-52LX900 transitions from black to white, through the greyscale. First, let's look at the slope of the curve. It's a little steep, measured at 2.69. The ideal slope is somewhere between 2.1 and 2.2. A steep cube means that you'll likely miss some of the finer gradations. There's also the shape of the curve. It's mostly smooth, which is good. The lower-left portion is the shadow detail. The point where it flattens out into that horizontal portion, that's where the TV can't make out any differentiated detail. Overall, it was a good performance. (More on how we test Greyscale Gamma.)

 

Color Accuracy

**
Color Temperature***(6.21)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 had some problems maintaining a consistent color temperature. If you look at the chart below, you'll see that as the signal intensity decreases (darkens), the whites get cooler. It dips into the range of human perceptibility pretty early, and becomes quite noticeable after a while. (More on how we test Color Temperature.)

 

RGB Curves*(8.10)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 did a reasonably good job with the RGB Color Curve test. The blue channel lingers in the shadows a little longer than the red and green channels. The red and blue channels also peak, meaning they top out in the highlights, unable to display detail after a certain brightness. The curves themselves are a little bumpy, but not too bad. Bumps indicate areas where you might see some color banding. (More on how we test RGB Curves.

The strips below are a digital recreation of the color performance of the Sony XBR-52LX900, alongside three competitors. 

 

 

 

Color Gamut*(5.54)*


The color gamut of the Sony XBR-52LX900 matched up fairly well with the rec. 709 color standard. The green point is nearly on the mark, as is the white point (the circles in the middle). The red and blue points were a bit farther off the mark. (More on how we test Color Gamut.)

The table below gives the nitty gritty details on the color gamut performance. 

 

Motion

Motion Smoothness*(8.38)*


In order to get the best performance out of the Sony XBR-52LX900 for our tests, we found the Motionflow processing feature quite beneficial. Without the feature, the fine details of moving objects can become choppy and flickering. When Motionflow is engaged, the flickering ceases almost entirely. There are various settings, however, and some of these settings cause artifacting. (More on how we test Motion.)

 

Motion Artifacting*(7.25)*


When the Motionflow feature is disabled, you'll notice some flickering and 'jaggies' in moving objects. If you set Motionflow to a low setting, the flickering will disappear, but you'll notice some color banding. If you turn Motionflow up, the color problems will escalate – more banding and some instances of color trails in high contrast patterns.

Using Motionflow clearly has trade-offs. In addition to the more obvious artifacts described above, the feature creates an odd look images, making film-based content look like cheap video.

 

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps*(8.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 can display native 24fps content with little problem. For best results, you may want to switch the CineMotion to Auto 1 or Auto 2 if you're watching 24fps movies (i.e., Blu-Ray and others). Otherwise, the motion can appear choppy. (More on how we test 3:2 Pulldown and 24fps.)

 

Resolution Scaling*(6.42)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has a native 1080p resolution, but most of the content you consume will probably be of a lower resolution. It's up to the LX900's processor to upscale that video to fit the screen. Overall, the XBR-52LX900 is not very good at this task. When it's not 1080p video, the images look noticeably less sharp. Other problems are created as well, described below. (More on how we test Resolution Scaling.)

480p

The 480p footage we tested lost a lot of the image due to overscan: 4% from the top and bottom, and 3% on each side. However, high frequency patterns looked alright.

720p

The 720p footage lost 2% on every side due to overscan, and showed some noticeable – but not terrible – problems with high frequency patterns that resulted in Moires.

1080i

The 1080i footage was the worst. It also lost 2% all around, but had a very hard time with high frequency patterns – Moire patterns all over the place. Fine details like text were also harder to read, and there was a general fuzziness to the image compared to 1080p.

 

3D

 

 

3D Black & White


With 3D mode off, the Sony XBR-52LX900 had a deep black, incredibly high peak brightness, and a great overall contrast ratio. When 3D mode is enabled, you'll get a slightly deeper black, but the peak brightness will get absolutely throttled. We measured the 3D mode's peak brightness at 94.92 candelas per square meter (cd/m2), which is significantly lower than the 2D mode's 423.23 cd/m2. As a result, the contrast ratio is a fraction of what you'd get out of 2D playback. Even though this is a significant decrease, it isn't out of line with other manufacturer's 3D flagships. Check out the Panasonic and Samsung 3D TVs' performances. Also, to see how a lower-quality Sony chokes during 3D playback, check out our review of the KDL-46HX800

 

3D Color


The XBR-52LX900 had some minor issues with its color temperature during 3D playback. For the darker half of the spectrum, the TV had no perceptible color shifts. Towards the brighter half of the spectrum, the TV was noticeably warm; the most intense colors were noticeably cool.

 

The TV maintained decent color representation with 3D playback. As you can see in the graph below, the red, green, and blue curves all appear fairly smooth with only minor bumps along the way. Further, there was no peaking in the high end. Expect only minor amounts of lost detail here.

 

 

The TV also maintained a great deal of its color gamut accuracy. As you can see in the graph below, there were very minor changes to the TV's gamut between 2D and 3D playback.

 

 

3D Crosstalk


Since current 3D HDTVs are constantly flickering between images intended for your left eye and images intended for your right, chances are the screen refresh won't quite be able to turn over the colors as quickly as it's supposed to. Crosstalk refers to instances where the left and right channels end up affecting each other.

For most colors, the Sony XBR-52LX900 didn't have issues with crosstalk. However, the TV had significant problems with black and green. Black has a tendency to darken colors it's being interspersed with, and green has a tendency to brighten them and add a slight greenish tint. This can make darker areas look like they're subtly flickering. 

 

 

3D Effect


We thought the XBR-52LX900's 3D effect was about on par with Sony's lower-end 3D offering, the KDL-46HX800. That... is disappointing. We thought the HX800's problems stemmed from it being '3D Ready' instead of a fully 3D set, but it appears Sony still needs to work on their processing before things run smoothly. 

First of all, our caveat on 3D HDTVs: none of them are impressive. Movie theaters provide a better 3D effect because they used polarized screens and don't have to flicker at a rate that's faster than the display technology can handle. At the moment, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 was able to emulate the best 3D effect we've seen so far, and the image got ridiculously dim and sacrificed a great deal of contrast in order to do so.

The main problem with the XBR-52LX900's 3D was its crosstalk issues: dark areas and bright areas tended to brighten and darken the frame they were interspersed with, which gives the affected areas a weak strobe effect. This effect is somewhat distracting, can cause eye strain, and tends to ruin the 3D effect. Fast movement definitely looks like it has a lower frame rate than it should. When the 3D tries to 'pop out' of the screen, or otherwise gets too far into the foreground, the illusion typically breaks down. Fast movement can also destroy the 3D effect.

  • *

3D Glasses


We didn't think Sony's 3D glasses were remarkably uncomfortable, but you'll definitely be aware you're wearing them. The main problem is they're very tight where they wrap around the back of your head. Additionally, the glasses are a bit heavy, which you'll likely start to notice with a longer film. Of course, most of the current generation 3D glasses are a bit on the heavy side, so the weight issue isn't necessarily unique to Sony's design. We didn't have any issues fitting the glasses on over prescription lenses, however, so myopic movie buffs shouldn't run into any additional problems.

Of course, all 3D glasses we've tested, regardless of manufacturer, employ active shutters. This effect can be disorienting, strain your eyes, or just feel generally uncomfortable. If you're looking to invest in a 3D TV, be warned: the effect definitely takes some getting used to.

 

 

NOTE: our 3D HDTV testing is under development, which is why these sections have no scores. Please check back for our full tests, scores and more extensive testing in the near future. *

Viewing Effects

 

Formats*(10.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has a native 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution. It is fully capable, though, of playing all standard NTSC formats. 

 

Viewing Angle*(2.66)*


The viewing angle on the Sony XBR-52LX900 is not great, but not terrible for an LCD display. In total, it had a viewing angle of 40 degrees (20 degrees from center on either side), before losing a significant portion of its viewing angle. The Sony HX800 was much worse, but the Samsung UN55C7000 was a slightly better. The Panasonic TC0P50VT20, a plasma display, handily topped the competition. (More on how we test Viewing Angle.)

 

Reflectance*(6.0)*


The screen on the Sony XBR-52LX900 has some reflectivity issues, but no more so than most LCD screens. It has something to do with the materials used in the display panel, but LCD frequently act like dark mirrors. With any luck, the designers attempt to counteract some of the reflection. In this case, a light shining directly at the screen is reflected with a soft, diffuse halo that doesn't spread too far out across the rest of the screen. It's not nearly as bad as the Sony HX800. (More on how we test Reflectance.)

 

Video Processing*(6.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has several processing features, many of which benefit picture quality. We recommend you try them all out and observe the various effects.

 

There's also an entirely new set of features based on... are you ready for this... a hidden, built-in camera on the TV. Yes, Sony invokes one of the great paranoid delusions of the 20th century and includes a low resolution camera at the base of the facade. The sad irony is that Sony, the consumer electronics giant, makes little practical use out of the blending technologies. So far, there's no telecommunication platforms at all, not even Skype (albeit, there's no microphone). The video may not be stored or outputted, either. Instead, the TV has a series of novelty features that we can only hope will expand and improve in future versions.

 

Calibration

Calibration


[

](http://www.displaymate.com/)The Sony XBR-52LX900 should be put in the Cinema preset for the most accurate picture. From there, we made some more tweaks, detailed below. We were pleased to see that we didn't have to make too many changes, though. Sony did a good job of not oversaturating or oversharpening the picture in this mode.

 

Video Modes


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has several video modes, but they're not all located in the same place in the menu. Three – Standard, Vivid, and Custom – are in the Picture menu menu. The rest are located in the Custom > Scene Modes menu.

 

Remote Control

Ergonomics & Durability*(8.0)*


The remote control that ships with the Sony XBR-52LX900 (the RM-YD036, to be exact), looks like all the other Sony remotes this year, but it's definitely an upgrade. While the layout and button colors are nearly identical, the increase in quality is immediately apparent. The buttons are made of a more tactilely pleasing, smooth plastic. The key travel is much shorter when you push them, and there's a pleasant, quiet click. On similar, cheaper versions of this remote, the remote would bend and creak when you pushed down. That's definitely not a problem here. 

 

Button Layout & Use*(5.0)*


The buttons are grouped by function. Because it can be used with other Sony AV devices, there are a lot of non-TV buttons here, like fast forward and rewind, which are all located at the top. The menu navigation controls are in the center, which employs a d-pad. The buttons are nice and responsive, but we wish there was an 'Exit' button to leave the menu faster. Also, the volume and channel up/down controls at the bottom could have been  made larger.

 

Programming & Flexibility*(1.0)*


The remote control can be used to control other Sony devices bearing the Bravia logo. It cannot, however, be programmed for non-Sony devices.

Connectivity

Input Ports*(4.75)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 is rather limited on ports, a trait that may become common on very high-end televisions – the Samsung C7000 and C8000 are similar in this regard. The thinking must be that models like these are likely to be connected only to HDMI ports. As such, they don't need to jam in a bunch of legacy ports.

 

Notable inclusions on the Sony XBR-52LX900 are: 4 HDMIs, 1 component AV (doubles as a composite AV), 1 composite AV, ethernet LAN, 1 USB, and built-in WiFi.

The ports are spread out over the back and sides. The Sony XBR-52LX900 is unusual in that it includes a faceplate that snaps shut over the port cavity on the back, presumably to better hid the cords.

 

 

Output Ports*(2.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has two output ports, a digital audio out and an analog audio out. This is standard for most TVs. The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 lacks an analog audio out. 

 

Other Connections*(8.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has two other connections, an ethernet LAN port and built-in WiFi. Both of these allow you to connect to Sony's excellent selection of streaming content, as well as home entertainment databases using DLNA. Jump to Internet Features

 

Media*(1.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has one USB port, located on the side of the Sony XBR-52LX900. It can be used to display photos and videos and play music from USB thumb drives. It can also connect to Sony cameras and camcorders for playback. 

 

Placement*(8.0)*


The port placement on the Sony XBR-52LX900 is fine. There are enough ports on the side of the set that if you wall mount it, you'll still be able to plug a few things in. If you need access to the rear ports, and set is on its base, the panel can pivot widely to allow better access. 

Audio & Menus

Audio Quality*(5.0)*


The audio quality of the Sony XBR-52LX900 is decent, but a far cry from a dedicated home theater audio system. There are several options for tweaking the sound quality, though it lacks a fully fledged equalizer. You'll find several audio modes, but know that if you have one of the Scene Modes engaged, you may be locked out of certain audio options. No matter what mode you're in, the bass always seems a little absent. 

 

Menu Interface*(6.0)*


The menu interface on the Sony XBR-52LX900 is the same as all the other 2010 Sony TVs, and a similar design is shared among several other Sony devices. It's called the XrossMediaBar, you may have seen it on the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable. Apparently it's a big deal, design-wise, at least according to Wikipedia

Items are arranged along a horizontal access, with sub-items extending vertically off of it. The menu is a little sluggish for our taste – certainly slower than a Playstation 3. There's also no 'Exit' button on the remote, so it takes too long to exit the menu and get back to your TV show. Overall, though, it's a good menu system that's relatively easy to find your way around. The sheer number of features is the only thing that's likely to confuse you. Sadly, Sony neglected to include an actual instruction manual with the LX900. Instead, you have an 'i-Manual,' also located within the menu. Perfectly *in*convenient for explaining features located in the menu. 

 

Instruction Manual*(3.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 does not come with a paper instruction manual, which can be quite frustrating. Instead, there's an 'i-Manual' located electronically in the TV itself. There should be an online version of the i-Manual, too, but it's not ready yet. If it's anything like the HX800 series, the online version won't even be downloadable. Online reading only. Frustration station.

 

Multimedia & Internet

 

 

Internet Features*(11.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 has the same great internet features of all the 2010 Sonys that feature an ethernet or WiFi connection. Sony offers the widest selection of streaming video of any manufacturer, by far. There are now over 30 channels (or apps, or streams, or content partners), expanding every few months with new partners. In addition to video, there are also several music channels, photo services like Picasa, and more. The complete list of everything Sony offers, along with what everyone else offers, is here.

But we can't help but feel something missing in the LX900 series. It's hard to believe that Sony made a TV with a built-in camera and completely failed to capitalize on its potential. The camera, located right below the Sony logo on the facade, has absolutely no function as a telecommunication device. No video chat, no audio at all, and no photo capture – it doesn't even record the video. Instead, the low-resolution camera is used for some truly lame features like energy conservation and keeping your children from sitting too close to the TV. They even managed to include face recognition software and do virtually nothing interesting with it. We can only hope that this is a baby step towards something much cooler in the future.

 

Photo Playback*(3.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 can play back photos if they're stored on a USB drive. Just plug it into the USB port on the side and you're ready to roll. Unfortunately, the interface suffers from the same frustrations that most TVs do. Despite the fact that the LX900 can play back photos, videos, and music, when you plug a thumb drive in, you first have to select the media type, then drill down through the folder hierarchies to find the desired file. Only the file names that pertain to that media type are visible. It would be a lot easier if you could simply plug in, select the folder, and view all the playable files, regardless of media type.

When playing back photos, you have several options for controlling the look of a slideshow, including selecting audio files from the same storage device for background music.

You can also use the USB port for connecting Sony branded cameras and camcorders. Any other brand will have to use the composite, component, or HDMI ports, depending on what fits. The only benefit to this Sony-Sony relationship is that you can use the TV's slideshow interface. Other brands will have to use the camera's playback interface.

 

Music & Video Playback*(4.0)*


The music and video playback interface functions a lot like the photo interface, described above. With music files, you can create custom playlists. Videos must be played one at a time.

 

Other Media*(0.0)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 does not play back any other media type. 

Power Consumption

Power Consumption*(8.94)*


The Sony XBR-52LX900 draws approximately 109 watts of power when the backlight is on the lowest recommended setting, which costs around $21.20 per year to operate. That's about the same as the other LCD TVs we compared it to. The plasma Panasonic TC-P50VT20 costs significantly more. If you want to lower the bill on the Sony a little further, you can manually adjust the backlight lower. (More on how we test Power Consumption.)

Another of Sony's little tricks with the on-board camera is a Presence Sensor. When activated, it can use the camera to detect if a person is nearby, using motion detection and face recognition. If neither is detected for a set period of time, the TV shuts down.

There's also an Energy Saver kill switch on the side of the TV. When engaged, it completely shuts off the tap, rather than allowing the minimal draw that the TV would normally take when it's 'off.'

 

 

Vs Sony KDL 46HX800

Value Comparison Summary


The Sony KDL-46HX800, along with the rest of the HX800 series and the LX900 series, were released at the same time. Both are 3D-capable series released in mid-2010. There are key differences, however, that may not be readily apparent to consumers.

Most importantly, the HX800 is only 3d-*ready*, which means you need to make several additional purchases before you can view anything in 3D, including glasses and a transmitter bar. The LX900 series is 3D out of the box, complete with two pairs of glasses (the 3D transmitter is built into the TV, as it is on the Samsungs and Panasonics).

There are certainly other differences to try and justify that big price gap. Besides the increase in screen size between these two particular models, the entire LX900 series has built-in WiFi, while the HX800 needs  a separately purchased USB dongle for WiFi access. The LX900 is LED-edgelit, which makes the frame slightly thinner. The HX800 is LED-backlit, which allows for local dimming. We didn't see a huge qualitative difference between these two technologies.

Overall, we much prefer the all-included approach of the LX900. If you want 3D, you want 3D. There's no need to drag it out over several more purchases.

Blacks & Whites


The Sony XBR-52LX900 could not match the HX800's black levels, which were outstanding, for an LCD display. Though the LX900's whites were brighter, the HX800's contrast ratio was slightly larger. Both TVs, though, are great performers.

 

Color Accuracy


The Sony XBR-52LX900 had a harder time maintaining a consistent color temperature than the Sony KDL-46HX800. The RGB response curves are nearly identical, which indicates that the TVs have a lot of engineering similarities. The differences in other areas of performance, however, indicate that the parts and processes are not identical. 

 

 

Motion


The motion performance between the Sony XBR-52LX900 and KDL-46HX800 was nearly indistinguishable. They are clearly using similar processing for this function. Both have identical behaviors with the Motionflow feature off and on, including the artifacting problems. Both TVs are quite good. 

 

Viewing Effects


The viewing angle on the Sony XBR-52LX900 was much better than the HX800, by a factor of nearly two. The LX900 had a total viewing angle of 40 degrees, while the HX800 had just 22 degrees. 

 

Connectivity


Ironically, the higher-end Sony XBR-52LX900 has fewer ports than the Sony HX800. Presumably, Sony is assuming that such an expensive TV will only be accompanied by the latest devices – a safe bet. The biggest difference is that the LX900 has WiFi built-in, while the HX800 requires an additional USB dongle for WiFi. 

 

**
**

Vs Samsung UN55C7000

Value Comparison Summary


The Samsung UN55C7000 is a very attractive TV, there's no doubt about that. It's also cheaper than the Sony, with a larger screen to boot. But before you jump in, there's some caveats. The Sony XBR-52LX900 includes two pairs of 3D glasses. You'll have to buy those separately with the Samsung, at $150 per. The Sony also has built-in WiFi, while the Samsung requires yet another separate purchase of a USB dongle. The Sony also outperformed the Samsung in most tests.

The 3D performance is about the same, though tinted plastic of the Sony glasses cut down on a huge amount of brightness. Both TVs include a 2D-to-3D instant 'upconversion,' which is far less effective than watching native 3D content.

Blacks & Whites


The Samsung UN46C7000 could not match the black level of the Sony XBR-52LX900, nor could it hit the whites as bright. As a result, the Samsung's contrast ratio was significantly narrower. We did like the Samsung when we reviewed it, but in this regard, it's clear that the Sony was the better performer.

 

Color Accuracy


The Samsung UN55C7000 clearly had a harder time maintaining a consistent color temperature, judging by the charts below. However, both the Samsung and the Sony XBR-52LX900 performed well in the RGB color curve test. The Samsung's red, green, and blue channels moved in tandem more closely, but the Sony's were a little smoother. 

 

 

Motion


The Samsung UN55C7000 showed extremely smooth motion, but was prone to producing a lot of artifacting. Like the Sony XBR-52LX900, it has menu options to enhance smoothness, but the Sony was better able to find the balance between a smooth image and minimal artifacting. 

Viewing Effects


The viewing angle on the Samsung UN55C7000 and the Sony XBR-52LX900 was roughly the same, about 40 degrees in total for each of them. This is average for an LCD display. 

Connectivity


The Samsung UN55C7000 and the Sony XBR-52LX900 are both conservative in their connectivity options. However, Samsung's is even more difficult to work with because each port requires its own proprietary adapter, which could prove frustrating and expensive to replace. 

Vs Panasonic TC P50VT20

Value Comparison Summary


The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is a plasma display. As such, it can produce exceptionally deep shadow and offers a wider viewing angle than any of the LCDs. But the benefits start to trail off after that. Time was, plasmas were thought to offer a better picture quality than LCDs in most regards. Those days have passed. In our testing, we found that a good LCD to offers more benefits, and the Sony XBR-52LX900 is a very good LCD. Of course, it's also much more expensive. In addition to 2 extra inches of screen, the Sony offers built-in WiFi, a more attractive body, better performance, a more robust menu and feature set, and far better online content. It also comes with two pairs of 3D glasses, while you have to purchase the Panasonic glasses separately, at $150/pair. That may not be enough to cover the $1300 price gap, but it's something to consider.

In terms of 3D performance, we still think the Panasonic has the best 3D effect, but you can't ignore the brightness issue. The Panasonic's brightest white is quite dim, and when you add the barrier of tinted 3D glasses, it makes the screen hard to watch in anything but a pitch black room.

Blacks & Whites


The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 had an amazing black level score, but the peak brightness results were dismal. As a plasma, the Panasonic was expected to produce a dimmer screen than an LCD, but the margin or difference between the TC-P50VT20 and the three 3D LCD panels was simply too large to ignore. Compound this with the fact that 3D glasses cut brightness down even further, and it's clear to see that the Panasonic could be problematic.

 

Color Accuracy


Neither the Sony XBR-52LX900 or the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 were particularly great. The Sony trended cooler as the signal intensity decreased, and the Panasonic warmed. In the RGB Color Curve test, the Panasonic's curves appeared shakier, indicating increased levels of color banding. Overall, we'd have to give this one to Sony.

 

 

Motion


The Panasonic showed an excellent performance in our motion testing, better than all the LCD televisions we compared it to. There was very little artifacting that we could spot, and the Panasonic did not even need some fancy motion smoothing processing, like the kind you find on Sony and Samsungs.

 

Viewing Effects


The Panasonic TC-P50VT20, as a plasma display, had a much, much better viewing angle than the Sony XBR-52LX900 or any of the LCD TVs. It measured about 160 degrees in total, versus 40 degrees on the Sony. 

 

Connectivity


The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has several more ports than the Sony XBR-52LX900, though it lacks an analog audio output. The Sony LX900 includes built-in WiFi, while the Panasonic requires the additional purchase of a USB dongle. 

Conclusion

 

 

Series Comparison

LX900 Series


There are just two models in the LX900 series, Sony's top shelf, Cadillac class of televisions. With big screens, built-in WiFi, built-in 3D, and access to Sony's incredible line-up of streaming content.

Meet the tester

David Kender

David Kender

Editor in Chief

@davekender

David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.

See all of David Kender's reviews

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