Sony X95J Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the Sony 75" X95J (XR75X95J), and we expect them to be valid for the 65" model (XR65X95J), and 85" model (XR85X95J). 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 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, Adv. contrast enhancer, and Auto local dimming were all disabled, but you should adjust these to your liking. When watching content with subtitles, if you notice that the screen brightness fluctuates, you may want to disable local dimming. Most of our testing after calibration was done with Auto local dimming set to 'High'.

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

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, Digital noise reduction, and Smooth gradation 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 leaving these settings to their default settings in HDR.

For HDR to work from external devices, the HDMI signal format setting usually has to be set to 'Enhanced format'. Older devices may have compatibility issues if this option is left selected, so it is recommended to leave older devices set to 'Standard format' if you notice any issues.

If you find HDR content too dim, you can make it brighter by setting Advanced contrast enhancer to 'High', Peak luminance to 'High', Contrast and Brightness to Max, and HDR tone mapping to 'Brightness Preferred'.

When displaying HDR content from streaming sources with subtitles, the subtitles can sometimes cause the screen brightness to fluctuate considerably, and there can be blooming around the subtitles in dark scenes. If this bothers you, we recommend decreasing or even disabling the local dimming feature.

The Sony X95J supports Dolby Vision, from native apps and with most external devices. Some devices may require firmware upgrades to work with Sony's Dolby Vision firmware. As with normal HDR content, when you start playing Dolby Vision content, some settings change automatically. We recommend leaving these settings as-is, do not copy our SDR settings over. There are two additional Picture Modes for Dolby Vision: 'Dolby Vision Bright,' and 'Dolby Vision Dark.' We recommend 'Dolby Vision Dark,' but the 'Bright' setting might be better if you aren't watching in a completely dark room.

If your device doesn't recognize that the X95J supports Dolby Vision, you might need to switch the HDMI signal format to 'Enhanced format (Dolby Vision)'.

Sony TVs usually feature great, highly customizable motion features, and the Sony X95J is no exception. 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 CineMotion to 'High', 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 Sony X95J's backlight strobing feature (X-Motion Clarity). We recommend this setting if you want clear motion, but you lose a bit of brightness.

The Sony X95J is able to remove judder from all sources, but some additional settings are required for some content. For a native 24p signal, like from a Blu-ray player, no additional motion settings are required. To remove judder from external 60p/60i sources, like a cable box, or for the native apps, set CineMotion to 'High', Motionflow to 'Custom', Smoothness to 'Min' , and Clearness to 'Min'.

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, 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 signal format is set to 'Enhanced Format' for the input you are using. If you want to enable the VRR support, then set HDMI signal format to 'Enhanced Format (VRR)'.

Unlike TVs from most other brands, no special settings are required for PC use on the X95J. Just make sure you are using either the 'Game,' or 'Graphics' Picture Mode, and that the HDMI signal format is set to 'Enhanced Format' 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.