Sony X850G Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the Sony 65" X850G (XBR-65X850G), and we expect them to be valid for the 55" model (XBR-55X850G), 75" model (XBR-75X850G), and the 85" model (XBR-85X850G).

These settings should apply to most types of content, except for gaming or use as a PC monitor, which require a few additional changes, listed below.

One of the first things we did was disable all of the Power Saving modes, as we don't want the TV to adjust the image during testing. From the Picture menu, we also disabled Auto picture mode, and Light Sensor, as we don't want the picture settings changing during calibration.

For SDR content, we recommend choosing the 'Custom' picture mode, as it is the most accurate one out of the box, and allows for the most customization. We recommend leaving the Contrast to '90', Gamma at '0', and the Black Level at '50'.

For our calibration, Black Adjust, and Adv. contrast enhancer were all disabled, but you should adjust these to your liking.

You should adjust the Brightness to your specific viewing conditions. Changing the brightness does not have any impact on the overall picture quality.

Under the 'Color' tab, we selected the 'Expert 1' Color Temperature, as it is closest to our calibration target of 6500 K. If you prefer a warmer or cooler image, you should adjust this setting to your preference.

In the Clarity tab, we left Sharpness to the default value of '50', which is the neutral setting. Reality Creation was left disabled, but you can enable it when watching lower resolution content, as it can help to improve the image quality. Random noise reduction, and Digital noise reduction were also left disabled, but they can help improve the image quality of low quality videos. We don't recommend leaving them enabled, as they can cause a loss of fine details in higher quality content.

HDR is automatically enabled for the native apps. When you start playing HDR content, a small HDR icon appears in the picture settings menu. Once you start playing HDR content, some of the settings change automatically, including the Brightness, which increases to 'Max'. We recommend choosing the 'Cinema Pro' Picture Mode, and leaving the other settings to their defaults in HDR.

For HDR to work from external devices, the Enhanced format option usually has to be enabled from the 'HDMI signal format' menu for the input you are using. Older devices may have compatibility issues if this option is left enabled, so it is recommended to only enable this setting for devices that require it.

If you find HDR content too dim, increase the Contrast and Gamma, and set Adv. contrast enhancer to 'High.'

Although we disable most motion enhancing functions for most of our tests, you should adjust these to whatever looks best for you. Some settings, like motion interpolation settings, may need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

Although we usually leave these settings disabled during testing, you should adjust the settings in the Motion tab to your liking, as different people prefer different levels of motion interpolation. If you want to enable motion interpolation, set Motionflow to 'Custom', and adjust the Smoothness slider. Most of these settings will need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

The Clearness slider adjusts the X850G's Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature.

The Sony X850G can remove judder from any source. For 24p sources, no settings changes are required; they are always played with the correct cadence. For sources that send a 60p or i signal, some settings changes are required. Motionflow must be set to 'Custom', with both sliders at 'Min', and CineMotion set to 'Auto'.

From the base SDR and HDR settings, very few changes are required for a great gaming experience. When you start gaming, it is best to switch to the 'Game' picture mode, in order to get the lowest input lag, and use the recommended settings for SDR or HDR. For HDR gaming, it is important to make sure that HDMI Enhanced Format is enabled for the input you are using.

Unlike TVs from most other brands, no special settings are required for PC use on the X850G. Just make sure you are using either the 'Game', or 'Graphics' Picture Mode, and that HDMI Enhanced Format is enabled for the input you are using. Both of these modes offer excellent low input lag, and display Chroma 4:4:4 properly, so that text is displayed properly.

Note that in the 'Graphics' Picture Mode, the X850G uses nearest neighbor upscaling when sent a 1080p signal. Although some people prefer this, if you don't like the image, switch to 'Game' instead.