Sony introduces high-end ZD9 TV series with HDR

[SCEIPS]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q8EZnFr8nc

[JustThatPenguin]

Really hoping reviewers start doing head to head with Oleds.

[ray0414]

Originally Posted by Stacey Spears

Really? Yikes! If that is the case, then at least twice as bright at D65.

Uncalibrated in vivid it tops out around 900. Sony also lowered the zones from 128 on the 940c to 96 on the 940d. They dumbed it down knowing the Z series was coming later this year. Side by side, the Z9D kills the 940d in Black uniformity, color vibrancy,sharpness, hdr performance, brightness. Quite a few angry 940d owners that would have waited.

Another question too, did you have the Z9D in bt2020 mode when you measured the color gamut? Other members saying this can make a big difference in %

[ray0414]

Summary of German Review, found in the comment section, by the reviewers themselves:


review summary :


ZD9 > KS9590: Higher brightness, higher colour brightness, a little bit more efficient, a lot more dimming zones (less halo effects), very natural colour mapping out of the box, smooth gradation very effective against banding artifacts from weak source material, supports 3D (but not in a good way) etc.

KS9590>ZD9: Better gaming mode, almost no visible trailing artifacts, HDR+ mode produces excellent bright details even with reduced backlight setting, higher colour gamut, samsung optimizes the picture more aggressively, which can be a good and bad thing, depending on the content, overall picture quality very comparable to the ZD9 but much better sound

[Stacey Spears]

We signal 2020 for all HDR measurements. Some displays don't go into full HDR mode w/o it, such as LG.

[Samus Aran]

AVForums review.

The Sony ZD9 is certainly a contender for one of the best TVs of the year, with more local dimming zones and a higher peak brightness than any other model. It has a minimalist but elegant design, with some nice stylish touches and a clever series of removable panels at the rear for tidier cable management. The build quality is excellent and the overall feeling is of a well engineered flagship model. The ZD9 comes with Sony's latest remote control and a pair of 3D glasses, whilst around the back there is a fairly comprehensive set of connections, although only two of the four HDMI inputs are the full HDMI 2.0a variety. There's Android TV of course and although it's an improvement over last year it remains prone to the occasional crash and the whole platform still feels fragmented. The ZD9 is surprisingly energy efficient when you consider its size and brightness and although the 42ms input lag isn't bad, it might be a bit high for serious gamers.

The big selling point of the ZD9 is the Backlight Master Drive with its 646 zones and over 1,800 nits of peak brightness. It might not be quite what Sony were demonstrating at CES but it's still impressive and the results speak for themselves. The local dimming is excellent and the ZD9 can deliver superb images with both standard and high dynamic range content. The out-of-the-box performance was reasonably good and the calibrated measurements were near-reference, whilst the HDR measurements were generally excellent. Like most HDR TVs the ZD9 doesn't tone map content graded over 1,000 nits without clipping but in all other respects it was a superb performer. The only real weaknesses were the limited viewing angles, which is to be expected with a VA panel and some crosstalk with 3D. However overall the Sony KD-65ZD9 delivers a marvellous all-round performance that certainly justifies its price and sets a new bar for peak brightness.

[ray0414]

I got 2 see the 65Z9D next to 930d/940d today. Long story short the Z9d is in an HDR league of its own compared to the 940d. Seeing them side by side confirmed to me what I've said all summer, that the 940d was dumbed down from the 940c.

The z9d is sharper, has much better dimension, way more color vibrancy, and a much more dynamic looking picture.

I did not like the semi gloss finish. The 940d and oleds and samsungs have that wet look with its blacks. I have a hard time calling the 940d an hdr tv when it sits next to the Z9D.

[ray0414]

https://www.avforums.com/review/sony...v-review.12797


Steve counted 646 "zones".

[bokes]

Finally had a chance to see the Z9 in the local BB.
It sits right next to the Oled G6.
it did not take me long - the G6 is better.
(FWIW- my 8 year old felt the same)
The Z9 looked washed out and skin tones were red.
Motion looked exactly the same.

[BLMN]

Originally Posted by bokes

Finally had a chance to see the Z9 in the local BB.
It sits right next to the Oled G6.
it did not take me long - the G6 is better.
(FWIW- my 8 year old felt the same)
The Z9 looked washed out and skin tones were red.
Motion looked exactly the same.

To me the deal breaker is that G6 is passive 1080p 3D, and the ZD9 is active (comes to my benefit, already have 4 active glasses). I am still not fully convinced passive 3D is up to par with active. Btw, I found the picture as good as in both models.

[ray0414]

Originally Posted by bokes

Finally had a chance to see the Z9 in the local BB.
It sits right next to the Oled G6.
it did not take me long - the G6 is better.
(FWIW- my 8 year old felt the same)
The Z9 looked washed out and skin tones were red.
Motion looked exactly the same.

Definitely didn't look washed out to me. Musta been the settings or something. Very vibrant when I seen it.

[PaulGo]

Originally Posted by bokes

Finally had a chance to see the Z9 in the local BB.
It sits right next to the Oled G6.
it did not take me long - the G6 is better.
(FWIW- my 8 year old felt the same)
The Z9 looked washed out and skin tones were red.
Motion looked exactly the same.

I found the Z9 considerably brighter and the skin tones looked great (and not washed out). Perhaps the Z9 was not set up correctly.

[JustThatPenguin]

Originally Posted by BLMN

To me the deal breaker is that G6 is passive 1080p 3D, and the ZD9 is active (comes to my benefit, already have 4 active glasses). I am still not fully convinced passive 3D is up to par with active. Btw, I found the picture as good as in both models.

Having owned 3 active 3D TVs before, I had this notion that active way better. But after watching 3D on my oled. It's fantastic. Best 3D experience yet. Although, because it's a passive you must sit right at level and at the right distance to the TV.

[PaulGo]

I know on 1080p passive sets the 3D resolution was cut in half and I I looked fairly close to the set I could see what appeared to be scanning lines. How does passive appear on a 4K set?

[bokes]

Originally Posted by PaulGo

I found the Z9 considerably brighter and the skin tones looked great (and not washed out). Perhaps the Z9 was not set up correctly.

I went back today.
They must have dialed it in. The red skin tone was gone.
And yes it's bright. There was a scene with candles and the candles seemed overly bright to me, while the Oled the same scene (candles) were just more pleasing to look at.
The Z9 did not look as washed out as before, but again it seemed dull next the Oled which had just a bit more pop.
The overall Image appeared sharper on the Oled as well.
I realize folks are fawning over the Z9 and I get- it is nice.
But my $$ is going to the Oled.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Stacey Spears

I use one of the HDR blacksmith clips, which was shot using a pair of Arri Alexa's in a 3D mirror rig. I don't have a link to the clip on me.

If it's the one I think you're referring to, I like that clip too…..
https://hdr-2014.hdm-stuttgart.de/#sFTPdownload

Originally Posted by Stacey Spears

The sparks....

Simply a rough pic from the welding clip for those not following...

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Stacey Spears

The Z9D does not appear to use the HDR metadata to adjust its tone / gamut mapping. Some displays do and some do not....

Stacey, for the sake of our newbie readers, after your return from the trade show in Dallas you might want to explain the meaning of that in layman’s terms.

[DJR662]

I'm slowly getting the feeling my Sony 75X940D will do just fine for the time being. The Z9D might be better but really not that much better to warrant the price and upgrading again.

[Gillietalls]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

If it's the one I think you're referring to, I like that clip too…..
https://hdr-2014.hdm-stuttgart.de/#sFTPdownload

Simply a rough pic from the welding clip for those not following...

I've submitted my information to register to the website. They sent me a username and password, but I'm not seeing where to login to the site to download the clips. What gives?

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by Gillietalls

I've submitted my information to register to the website. They sent me a username and password, but I'm not seeing where to login to the site to download the clips. What gives?

Same with me. I could not find where the code went. I gave up thinking they just did not like me



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