Sony introduces high-end ZD9 TV series with HDR

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by dlbsyst

Yeah I have the 65" version and other than a little DSE it's pretty much perfect and an amazing TV. By far the best set I've ever owned. I have had it for a couple of months and I'm still blown away with how well the FALD in this set works. I rarely see blooming and the black level and near black detail is superb. The only bad thing about having a set this good is I'm now spoiled.

That's exactly how I feel and to replace the Z, it must be a set that's significantly better


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[DJR662]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

I have owned my 75" Z9D for two years. Had it pro broke-in and calibrated.

I am the type of guy that loves buying the next best TV for the family area which has to be an LED/LCD not an OLED.

This year, my thinking was: I'll be selling the Z9D for Samsung's 82" Q900R 8K BUT I am starting to read from owners and reviewers that it might not be able to beat the Z9D in PQ.

The Z9D has turned out to be heck of a TV. I am extremely glad that I am a "Z" owner.

Maybe next year a manufacturer and produce something better??????


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Originally Posted by dlbsyst

Yeah I have the 65" version and other than a little DSE it's pretty much perfect and an amazing TV. By far the best set I've ever owned. I have had it for a couple of months and I'm still blown away with how well the FALD in this set works. I rarely see blooming and the black level and near black detail is superb. The only bad thing about having a set this good is I'm now spoiled.

I am not afraid to big up the Z9D in such a way by saying it's still the best LCD LED ever made and the only TV of its kind that can give OLED a run for its money in overall picture quality. Not only that, but I think it will stay that way for a couple of more years. Over engineered with Backlight Master Drive, Sony's processing and 3D. This set has proven to be a classic, it's the Kuro of LCD. And with Sony insisting on keeping the X-wide view angle tech on the upcoming Z9G, I think not even that one can ultimateltly beat the Z9D in the local dimming/blooming control department...

I envy those who bought their Z9D at launch. 3 years in and still at the top and it will definitely continue to remain relevant for the upcoming years. How much more value for your money do you want?!

[Geoff D]

It's the best TV I've ever owned (and I've owned a few) and it still has the capacity to floor me two years down the line, that's a sign of great tech. I was watching Bohemian Rhapsody on 4K yesterday and there's a shot in it which dissolves from afternoon into evening using a beautiful rosy sky and I just thought to myself "holy shit that looks amazing". Not because it was burning my face off, it wasn't, it just looked so real.

The ZD9 was incredibly overengineered, yeah, which is why it still holds up and why Sony haven't been able to emulate it - never mind exceed it - since then. The problem with such incredibly overspec'd LCD is that the prices are just too high compared to OLED and it still comes off worse in any shootout one would care to mention, so the average buyer is going to steer towards the cheaper shootout approved OLEDs. This doesn't exactly give Sony a huge incentive to keep persevering with high-cost LCD so I don't expect that the ZD9 will be topped this year by any LCD in the Sony range.

It is NOT a perfect television, not by a long shot (I'm waiting patiently for summer so I don't have to let the TV warm up for an hour or two, the black smearing can be pretty bad on the 65" panel when starting from cold), but for my needs and likes and viewing habits it's a killer queen.

As for what happens in the future, I can see myself possibly switching to the higher end Panasonic OLEDs but damn I'm going to miss not having 3D. I have complained ad nauseum about how bad the 3D is on this TV so it might seem strange that I'd miss it, but I do still get some enjoyment out of 3D on the rare occasions that I fire it up (watched Jackass 3D just the other night) and as the song goes: you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

But I tell you what, if money was no object then I'd buy a 100" ZD9 with no hesitation. 1000 zones, almost 2500 nits peak brightness, no appreciable blooming that Vincent Teoh could see, oh it sounds like LCD heaven.

[DJR662]

It's not a perfect TV but that's okay really since there's no such thing. Although I think it comes pretty close to being near perfect as far as the tech goes. I do notice the smearing at times on the 65" but I haven't seen it on the 75" though. And while the 65" definitely is no slouch at local dimming/blooming control (with HDR content, let alone SDR), to me the 75" seems to be doing an even better job at that.

Oh yeah, that 100" Z9D would be my dream TV also! But even if I could afford it, there's no way I would be able to get that monster into my appartment. One thing I have always wondered, is what did they do with the actual 85" BMD prototype that was shown at CES 2016? Is that collecting dust somewhere in a storage room at Sony HQ in the US (or Japan) or perhaps it was disassembled after CES and doesn't excist anymore? I would genuinely be interested in buying that providing it's in good shape, works accordingly and has 3D.

I think I'll be holding on to my Z9Ds for some time to come. There doesn't seem to be anything worthwhile coming in the near future that would make it reasonable to replace it with. The 85" Z9G is off my wishlist, mainly because of the X-wide view angle tech but also because of the price. At this point I don't think it would justify it, there's also a bit too much crap on it that I don't need but still would have to pay for (like those integrated speakers). At some point I was also looking into the possibilty of perhaps considering the 65" A9G (for the bedroom) but I just can't accept the slightest possible risk of burn-in. Would love to have an OLED for the sake of "diversity" (hate that word lol) alone but my girlfriend's viewing habits is the main obstacle for that.

So unless Sony has something really special up their sleeves late this year or at CES next year (which I highly doubt), then my both my Z9Ds will continue to shine and remain my proud and joy for the next couple of years.

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by DJR662

At some point I was also looking into the possibilty of perhaps considering the 65" A9G (for the bedroom) but I just can't accept the slightest possible risk of burn-in. Would love to have an OLED for the sake of "diversity" (hate that word lol) alone but my girlfriend's viewing habits is the main obstacle for that.

Burning in would be my fear for the main TV BUT I did put an LG 55"E6 into the bedroom because I wanted diversity also with an OLED.

Like you with your girlfriend, I worried about my wife. She will watch HGTV with it's logo for an hour every night while getting ready for bed and for about 2 1/2 years so far, no burn in.


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[DJR662]

Originally Posted by JimShaw

Burning in would be my fear for the main TV BUT I did put an LG 55"E6 into the bedroom because I wanted diversity also with an OLED.

Like you with your girlfriend, I worried about my wife. She will watch HGTV with it's logo for an hour every night while getting ready for bed and for about 2 1/2 years so far, no burn in.


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I sometimes browse the OLED sections on various AV forums and there seem to be many people without issues, but at the same time there also seem to be a lot of people who do have burn-in problems. I think OLED is a beautiful yet vulnerable tech. I'm just not looking forward in babysitting the TV and having to worry all the time, which I know I will do.

Now if I had a spare room the decision would have been easy. I would have put an OLED there for occasional movie watching only and nothing else.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by DJR662

It's not a perfect TV but that's okay really since there's no such thing. Although I think it comes pretty close to being near perfect as far as the tech goes. I do notice the smearing at times on the 65" but I haven't seen it on the 75" though. And while the 65" definitely is no slouch at local dimming/blooming control (with HDR content, let alone SDR), to me the 75" seems to be doing an even better job at that.

75" has more zones and a different panel, people have long reported that it's far better than the 65" for smearing and that the blooming's more tightly controlled too. I envy you having its bigger brother.

[JimShaw]

Originally Posted by DJR662

I sometimes browse the OLED sections on various AV forums and there seem to be many people without issues, but at the same time there also seem to be a lot of people who do have burn-in problems. I think OLED is a beautiful yet vulnerable tech. I'm just not looking forward in babysitting the TV and having to worry all the time, which I know I will do.

Now if I had a spare room the decision would have been easy. I would have put an OLED there for occasional movie watching only and nothing else.

Another forum (with a large world wide membership) did a survey regarding OLED burn in and it was discovered about 15% of it's members that owned OLEDs had burn in or IR. For me that was too big of a percentage to even consider changing out the Z9D for an OLED.


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[RalphoR]

It will be a sad day when my Z9D gives up the ghost. I have absolutely no plans to upgrade it. Why get rid of the best TV I've ever owned unless a worthy successor shows up?

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

It's the best TV I've ever owned (and I've owned a few) and it still has the capacity to floor me two years down the line, that's a sign of great tech. I have complained ad nauseum about how bad the 3D is on this TV so it might seem strange that I'd miss it, but I do still get some enjoyment out of 3D on the rare occasions that I fire it up (watched Jackass 3D just the other night)

First off, where did you get ahold of Jackass 3D, as far as I knew it was never released in a 3d version in true blu-ray 3D..

I have read many issues with the 3D on the Z9D but here is something that works for me every time. You have to do a reboot by holding down the power button, then try the 3D movie, it should work perfectly. Unfortunately I have found I have to do this every time I want to watch a 3D film. This TV has gorgeous 3D. Not sure why Sony never did a firmware fix for this, but it works every time on my 75". Does this work for other owners?

[DVD Josh]

Originally Posted by Robert Siegel

First off, where did you get ahold of Jackass 3D, as far as I knew it was never released in a 3d version in true blu-ray 3D..

I have read many issues with the 3D on the Z9D but here is something that works for me every time. You have to do a reboot by holding down the power button, then try the 3D movie, it should work perfectly. Unfortunately I have found I have to do this every time I want to watch a 3D film. This TV has gorgeous 3D. Not sure why Sony never did a firmware fix for this, but it works every time on my 75". Does this work for other owners?

Can you clarify 1) what 3D issues you are having and 2) what you mean by reboot then try the movie? I'm not sure of the process you are doing here.

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by Robert Siegel

First off, where did you get ahold of Jackass 3D, as far as I knew it was never released in a 3d version in true blu-ray 3D..

He probably has that old SBS version, can't imagine it being anything else.

I remember the intro (with the slow mo) looking pretty good in 3D, the rest of the movie looked like a cheap and rushed 3D conversion like so many back then.

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by DVD Josh

Can you clarify 1) what 3D issues you are having and 2) what you mean by reboot then try the movie? I'm not sure of the process you are doing here.

My Z9D 75" is about 5 months old. When I got it, occasionally it would play the 3D movie perfectly, but most of the time I would get lines near the middle of the picture going all the way across, also crosstalk, most of the issues were near the center of the picture from the left to the right side including a darkened area and the image would flicker in that area. (hard to describe). It was bad enough that I wouldn't watch a movie that way. This is with the glasses on.

So I tried a ton of things, and then this:

1. Turn on the TV
2. Press and hold down the power button on the remote and it will reboot
3. Watch your 3D movie.

If it doesn't work the first time try again, but for me it has worked every time. You don't even have to change the HDMI settings as many people have recommended, it still works on HMDI enhanced. I didn't change any other settings, only do the reboot.

I have to do this every time I watch a 3D movie but it works every time and the 3D picture is gorgeous on this TV. This should have been fixed by Sony, but people have been begging them for 2-3 years to correct the 3D issues. I don't know why rebooting fixes this, but it does, for me anyway. If you go to watch another 3D movie say a few days later, you will have to reboot again.

I am interested to know how this works for others. I was so relieved to have found a way to watch perfect 3D.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Robert Siegel

First off, where did you get ahold of Jackass 3D, as far as I knew it was never released in a 3d version in true blu-ray 3D..

I have read many issues with the 3D on the Z9D but here is something that works for me every time. You have to do a reboot by holding down the power button, then try the 3D movie, it should work perfectly. Unfortunately I have found I have to do this every time I want to watch a 3D film. This TV has gorgeous 3D. Not sure why Sony never did a firmware fix for this, but it works every time on my 75". Does this work for other owners?

Every time I hear of a 'fix' for the 3D on this TV (set it to Photo mode! turn off enhanced HDMI!) it does absolutely bugger all on my set. I'll give this a try, but it's worth mentioning that I don't see any of those lines or other artefacts you mentioned, it's just that goddamned crosstalk which plagues mine (and every active 3D Sony I've ever seen, and I've seen several).

And yes, Jackass is the "old SBS version" as mentioned by DJR. Still enjoyed the hell out of it.

[Vangeli]

I was gonna get a 75" Z9D but apparently we'll have glasses-free Dolby 3D TVs this year so...

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Vangeli

I was gonna get a 75" Z9D but apparently we'll have glasses-free Dolby 3D TVs this year so...

You know that that video from Cameron is like 5 years old, right?

[DVD Josh]

Thanks for the explanation Robert. I do get some cross-talk on my display. One of the "fixes" I have found is to turn the glasses themselves on and off and let them re-connect to the TV. I have also played around with the depth control on the display itself. Then there are just the times where after 15-20 mins. everything corrects itself somehow and looks fine.

When using the remote re-boot sequence, do you lose your saved picture settings?

[Geoff D]

BTW I've found that crosstalk is 10x worse on my TV when I start it from cold, I've no idea why but once it's warmed up for an hour or two then the crosstalk is lessened. I mean, it's still very iffy (IMO) but not as horrendabad as it starts off being. Also, the Motionflow settings greatly exacerbate crosstalk as well.

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

BTW I've found that crosstalk is 10x worse on my TV when I start it from cold, I've no idea why but once it's warmed up for an hour or two then the crosstalk is lessened. I mean, it's still very iffy (IMO) but not as horrendabad as it starts off being. Also, the Motionflow settings greatly exacerbate crosstalk as well.

In my experience with Sony (active) 3D TVs, there has always been issues with crosstalk. I must say it has been improved upon since 2010 up until their last TVs that were 3D capable (X940D + Z9D). I wish the A1 would have come out in 2016, it probably would have had passive 3D like the LG OLEDs from that same year. Passive 3D + 4K OLED looks really great!

It seems 3D TVs (and projectors) generate less crosstalk when they have warmed up a bit, at least for active, that is my experience also. But I don't think it can be eliminated completely. I've also read about using the Photo mode, using standard HDMI instead of enhanced, rebooting the TV and a bunch of custom picture settings as well as playing with the depth settings in both the TV and player. I've tried them all and all I can say is there is no magic fix. At least not on my sets. Most of the time it would make crosstalk appear less of a problem in one particular scene, but then it would be even worse than it already was in another. And on top of that, those custom picture setting were truly horrendous. The only thing that did work on my previous set (X940D), was rebooting the TV in order to get rid of the lower half screen flickering while watching 3D.

I guess crosstalk is just more common with active 3D. It also depends on what is showing on screen. And even passive isn't completely free of it, for I have seen it plenty of times when watching a 3D movie at the cinema.

[DVD Josh]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

BTW I've found that crosstalk is 10x worse on my TV when I start it from cold, I've no idea why but once it's warmed up for an hour or two then the crosstalk is lessened. I mean, it's still very iffy (IMO) but not as horrendabad as it starts off being. Also, the Motionflow settings greatly exacerbate crosstalk as well.

It's funny you say this because I too have noticed that after about 30 minutes or so the crosstalk does fade considerably.