Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 LCD HDTV Review - Remote Control

Remote Control Summary
• Long, thin remote fits well into the hand • Channel and volume controls are poorly placed
	Calibration	Page 8 of 18	Connectivity

Ergonomics & Durability (7.75)

The Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9's remote is identical to the one we saw on the Sony KDL-46Z5100. The remote is long and has some heft to it. The back is grooved, with an indentation where your forefinger sits when held at neutral. The buttons are made of soft plastic, with the exception of the directional pad. They are easy to press, with good key travel, but could use more tactile feedback. Balance at neutral is good, but it does feel a bit bottom heavy if you move your hand any higher up the remote, as you will need to when pressing the power button. There is a backlight, with a pleasant blue light that illuminates the buttons in dark situations.

Button Layout & Use (5.5)

The Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 has both good and bad in the button layout department. On the one hand we were very happy to have almost all of the important menu navigation buttons in a circle right around the directional pad. On the other hand we have no idea what Sony was thinking about when they put the volume and channel buttons at the bottom of the remote, separated from the directional pad by the whole number pad. This means if you want to change the channel or volume you'll need to shift your hand. On the plus side we were able to control the KDL-52XBR9 at very oblique angles with the remote.

Programming & Flexibility (1.0)

The Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9's remote can be used to control other Sony home theatre devices connected via HDMI using Sony's Bravia Sync feature. We're not big fans of this kind of proprietary technology, so we're only awarding a single point for it.