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Sony X930D  TV Review

Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31am
Tested using methodology v1.0 
Sony X930D
8.0
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.3
Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.8
TV Shows 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.9
Sports 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.1
Video Games 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.4
HDR Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.7
HDR Gaming 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.8
PC Monitor 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

 1
 TV Settings
Notice: This TVs was replaced by Sony X930E
The Sony X930D is a great 4k UHD TV that offers good all-around picture quality, especially for movies. Its HDR mode is impressive, with very high peak brightness. It doesn't have any major flaws apart from the limited viewing angle and the high input lag.

Our Verdict

8.0
Mixed Usage 

The Sony X930D is an excellent TV that will please almost everyone, especially those looking for good HDR picture. It has a very good picture quality for movies and it can get very bright. It also handles motion very well. Gamers might be turned off by the rather high input lag, though, and the picture quality isn't great when viewed at an angle.

Pros
  • Great picture quality for movies
  • Great motion handling
  • Very bright
Cons
  • Average-high input lag
  • Loss of saturation at an angle
8.4
HDR Movies 
7.7
HDR Gaming 
  • 8.0
    Mixed Usage
  • 8.3
    Movies
  • 7.8
    TV Shows
  • 7.9
    Sports
  • 8.1
    Video Games
  • 8.4
    HDR Movies
  • 7.7
    HDR Gaming
  • 7.8
    PC Monitor
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
    2.  Updated Mar 30, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
    3.  Updated Mar 30, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

    Check Price

    55"XBR55X930D
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com
    65"XBR65X930D
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We reviewed the 55" (XBR-55X930D).

    Update: We have received reports indicating a higher contrast ratio for the 65" (XBR-65X930D) at around 4000:1. It would also have worse 3D with more crosstalk. There are also reports of smearing present in dark scenes for the 65" model. If someone comes across a different type of panel used or differences between sizes, let us know and we will update our review.

    Size Model UK
    55" XBR-55X930D KD-55XD9305
    65" XBR-65X930D KD-65XD9305

    Popular TV Comparisons

    Comparison picture

    Top row, from left: Sony X930C (XBR65X930C), Sony X930D (XBR55X930D), Vizio P Series 2016 (P65-C1). Bottom: Sony X850D (XBR55X850D), Samsung KS8000 (UN55KS8000), LG UH8500 (55UH8500). Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

    The Sony X930D is hard to justify with that many TVs that offer near as good picture quality for a much less money. Its competition is fierce.

    Video

    Test Results

    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    8.5
    Style
    CurvedNo

    The Sony X930D has a decent look. Its frame and stand are made of plastic, but look metallic. Borders are relatively thin, and once it is in its stand, the TV feels sturdy. Its back and side inputs can be hidden behind removable plastic panels on the back of the TV. Cable routing is also possible behind those panels.

    Stand

    The stand is very sturdy and doesn't have a very big footprint for the size of the TV. It's plastic, but looks like metal.

    Footprint of the 55" TV stand: 16.2" x 9.8"

    Back
    Wall MountVESA 300x200

    A standard VESA wall mount can be used with the supplied VESA spacers. Most of the connections will still be usable when the TV is mounted flush on a wall. Plastic covers are provided to hide cables away.

    Borders
    Borders0.59" (1.5 cm)

    Borders are made of plastic.

    Thickness
    Max Thickness1.38" (3.5 cm)

    The upper third of the TV is thinner, while the bottom of the TV is thicker.

    Picture Quality
    7.8
    Contrast
    Native Contrast
    2,843 : 1

    Contrast is good, although not as good as that of many other TVs. The Sony X930D's blacks are not the deepest, but most people shouldn't notice this. We did expect better results from a high-end TV like this one, though.

    6.0
    Local Dimming
    Local Dimming
    Yes
    Backlight
    Edge

    For an edge-lit TV, the local dimming is impressive, though still not quite as good as what you can get from a full-array backlight. The blooming is even more obvious if you turn on 'X-tended Dynamic Range'.

    8.2
    SDR Peak Brightness
    SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    499 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 2% Window
    923 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 10% Window
    786 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 25% Window
    581 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 50% Window
    560 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 100% Window
    485 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 2% Window
    400 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 10% Window
    400 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 25% Window
    400 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 50% Window
    400 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 100% Window
    400 cd/m²

    The SDR peak brightness is above average for the Sony X930D. While it can get very bright (with 'Auto local dimming' and 'X-tended Dynamic Range' set to 'High'), the brightness is not stable and vary over time, from very bright to about 400 cd/m², which is our sustained value in our test results.

    8.9
    HDR Peak Brightness
    HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    888 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 2% Window
    1,054 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 10% Window
    1,038 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 25% Window
    659 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 50% Window
    602 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 100% Window
    554 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 2% Window
    465 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 10% Window
    515 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 25% Window
    549 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 50% Window
    600 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 100% Window
    554 cd/m²

    The Sony X930D can get very bright. For really bright highlights, both 'Auto local dimming' and 'X-tended Dynamic Range' have to be set to 'High'. Unfortunately, the TV brightness is also very unstable, and varies a lot when there is only a small highlight on the screen (as in our 2% or 10% window tests). For those two tests, the TV slowly cycles between 465 cd/m² and its peak value of around 1054 cd/m². See the additional review notes for more details.
    Update: Updated with sustained brightness.

    6.5
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    6.366%
    50% DSE
    0.198%
    5% Std. Dev.
    1.302%
    5% DSE
    0.119%

    There isn't much dirty screen effect. However, the edges and the corners are noticeably darker than the center of the screen.

    4.9
    Viewing Angle
    LCD Type
    VA
    Color Shift
    20°
    Brightness
    44°
    Black Level
    19°

    Very narrow viewing angle. As with most LED TVs, the X930D's color becomes desaturated at wide angles.

    8.6
    Black Uniformity
    Native Std. Dev.
    1.209%

    There are a few clouding spots, but nothing that ruins the experience.

    10
    Gradient
    Color Depth
    10 Bit

    Our gradient test is free of any obvious problems and shows smooth color transitions across the board. The Sony X930D displayed one of the best gradients we have seen so far on a 10-bit panel.

    8.6
    Pre Calibration
    White Balance dE
    2.9
    Color dE
    2.387
    Gamma
    2.25

    Good results for color out of the box. Blue was lacking a little, which resulted in a slightly warmer picture. This was subtle, though, and most would be very satisfied with the default settings.

    9.6
    Post Calibration
    White Balance dE
    0.27
    Color dE
    1.1749
    Gamma
    2.19

    After calibration, white balance results are great. Although there are no specific color settings for the Sony TVs, adjusting white balance did improve color accuracy. You can see our recommended settings here.

    8.0
    480p Input

    The X930D does an amazing job at upscaling lower resolution content like DVDs. The final image looks very good.

    8.0
    720p Input

    Like the majority of Sony TVs, 720p content when upscaled looks very good.

    9.0
    1080p Input

    1080p content like Blu-rays look sharp and no detail are lost. Picture is crisp and fine details are well preserved.

    10
    4k Input

    Native 4k content looks amazing on this TV.

    7.9
    Color Gamut
    Wide Color Gamut
    Yes
    DCI P3 xy
    88.08%
    DCI P3 uv
    93.16%
    Rec 2020 xy
    64.21%
    Rec 2020 uv
    70.4%

    The Sony X930D has a wide color gamut option, although its range of coverage isn't among the best we've seen. The wider color gamut makes a good visible difference for HDR content.

    6.4
    Color Volume
    Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
    71.711%
    10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
    54.386%
    Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
    55.909%
    10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
    42.067%
    10
    Image Retention
    IR after 0 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 2 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 4 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 6 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 8 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 10 min recovery
    0%
    9.0
    Reflections
    Reflection
    0.7%
    Screen Finish
    Glossy

    Reflections aren't a big nuisance on the Sony X930D's glossy screen. Some rainbows might appear around bright objects, though. For anyone that has a bright room, this TV will work well.

    9.0
    3D
    3D
    Yes
    3D Type
    Active
    2D to 3D
    No

    As with most 3D TVs, the screen got darker once 3D was engaged. You might want to increase 'Brightness' when watching 3D content. There was no apparent cross-talk, which is good. The active 3D technology also ensures full-resolution 3D, although it is not as comfortable to watch as is passive 3D. No 3D glasses were included in the box.

    Update 11/21/2016: The 65" size has been reported to have more crosstalk than the 55" we tested.

    Pixels
    TypeLED
    Motion
    9.2
    Motion Blur
    Refresh Rate120 Hz
    Response Time
    10.6 ms
    Overshoot
    0.4 ms

    The response time of the pixels is pretty quick, which means motion blur is not a problem. This TV isn't flicker-free, unfortunately (all other Sony TVs we reviewed in the last few years were), and this is more noticeable at a lower backlight level. The frequency of the flickering is high, though, so it isn't as noticeable as PWM on Samsung TVs.

    7.5
    Image Flicker
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    720 Hz
    BFI
    Yes
    BFI Frequency
    120 Hz
    BFI In Game Mode
    Yes
    10
    24p Playback
    Judder-free 24p
    Yes
    Judder-free 24p via 60p
    Yes
    Judder-free 24p via 60i
    Yes

    With 'Motionflow' set to 'True Cinema' and 'CineMotion' set to 'High', you won't need to worry about 24p judder from any source, whether it's cable TV, streaming, DVDs, or Blu-rays.

    10
    Motion Interpolation
    Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
    Yes
    Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
    Yes

    With the Sony X930D's Motionflow settings, you can make video smoother by increasing the frame rate up to 120 fps. This applies even to cable TV and streaming. Note that this adds what some people call the 'soap opera effect' (SOE). For those who don't like the look of SOE, low 'Motionflow' custom values can be used to smooth out motion with only minimal SOE.

    Inputs
    5.9
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    52.5 ms
    1080p With Interpolation
    80 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    88.3 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    52.5 ms
    4k @ 60Hz
    76 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    76 ms
    4k @ 60Hz + HDR
    75.4 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
    75.4 ms

    Update 04/20/2017: Under the latest firmware update that brought Android 6.0.1 (PKG3.865.0136NAB), the input lag is now higher than what it was under the previous firmware. In fact, we measured almost the same numbers that we had measured 2 firmware ago.

    Update 11/02/2016: After the last firmware update (PKG3.531.0108NAB), the input lag is reduced for both 1080p and 4k resolution, which is a big improvement over the last results. The table above has been updated with these new values. Input lag under game mode with a resolution of 1080p is now good enough for casual gamers (it was over 50ms before the last firmware update).

    Under a 4k resolution, it is better than what we had before (SDR was 75ms and HDR was 110ms), but it is still a bit too high even for casual games.

    10
    Supported Resolutions
    Resolution4k
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    1080p @ 120Hz
    Yes
    4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes

    Most common PC inputs are accepted. As with other Sony TVs, little artifacts (flashing lines) are seen when a 1080p @ 120Hz signal is being displayed. 'Game' or 'Graphics' picture mode as to be selected at that refresh rate to get a sharp picture. To get chroma 4:4:4 (for sharper text) at 1080p @ 60Hz, use the 'Graphics' picture mode. For 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4, turn on 'Enhanced HDMI' for the input in use.

    Side Inputs
    Rear Inputs
    Total Inputs
    HDMI4
    USB3
    Digital Optical Audio Out1
    Analog Audio Out 3.5mm1
    Analog Audio Out RCA0
    Component In1
    Composite In1
    Tuner (Cable/Ant)1
    Ethernet1
    DisplayPort0
    IR In1
    SD/SDHC0
    Inputs Specifications
    HDR10
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Vision
    No
    5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
    Yes
    HDMI 2.0 Full BandwidthYes
    ARCYes (HDMI 4)
    USB 3Yes (1)
    HDCP 2.2Yes
    CECYes
    MHLNo
    Variable Analog Audio OutYes
    Sound Quality
    5.6
    Frequency Response
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    5.48 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    5.73 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    6.28 dB SPL
    Max
    87.9 dB SPL
    Low-end Cutoff
    160 Hz

    Poor overall performance. Low-end cutoff and maximum loudness are below average, even for a TV. There may also be some compression and pumping at higher volumes.

    5.4
    Total Harmonic Distortion
    Distortion @ 70
    0.06
    Distortion @ 80
    0.055
    Distortion @ Max
    0.247

    Poor overall performance. Although there is not a dramatic rise in harmonic distortion at max volume (unlike other Sony TVs we have tested), the general level of distortion at all levels is rather high.

    Smart Features
    Apps

    Lots of apps available on the Android smart platform. A web browser is available, as are the typical popular apps, like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video, and HBO Go.

    7.5
    Interface
    Smart OSAndroid

    Sony's Android smart platform provides plenty of apps spread out across many different interfaces. Overall, it's a little confusing to navigate. If you look deep enough, though, you should find what you are looking for. As for inputs, there are plenty available, and all needs should be met. Something to note is that the TV come with a huge power brick that may be a problem to hide.

    10
    Ads
    Ad-free
    Yes
    Opt-out
    N/A
    TV Controls

    Some basic TV controls are located on the back-left of the TV and can be accessed even if the TV is mounted on a wall.

    Remote
    RemoteBasic

    Sony uses a basic remote. Navigation of the different TV menus is straightforward, but could be made better. The inclusion of a pointer would be nice.

    In The Box

    - Remote
    - Batteries
    - VESA spacers
    - Huge power brick with cable
    - IR blaster
    - Manuals

    Misc
    Power Consumption70 W
    Power Consumption (Max)158 W
    FirmwarePKG3.531.0108NAB

    Comments

    1. Product

    Sony X930D: Main Discussion

    Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.

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      Fire stick and built in tv apps vs cable box (tivo)

      I have a Sony x940d, still love it. Have a question about why my cable box picture never gives me a problem with picture from Netflix or prime or plex or the TV channels from cable but when I watch the same content on prime or nextflix or plex with either the TV smart apps or my fire stick, I find the picture gives me a headache and looks off a bit. I’ve tried all the settings on the sony picture preference and tru motion etc but nothing seems to make it the same as non headache feeling as when I’m watching my tivo box cable. Is it the fps/hz? Is there a way to fix this issue as I’m not sure why built in apps would be different and give me weird feeling when watching (it’s not the soap opera effect) it’s just off a bit and I can’t watch it. Any thoughts or ideas in how to fix this. Thank you