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Introduction
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01.Tour & Design
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02.Blacks & Whites
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03.Color Accuracy
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04.Motion
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05.Viewing Effects
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06.Calibration
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07.Remote Control
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08.Connectivity
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09.Audio & Menus
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10.Formats & Media
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11.Power Consumption
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12.Vs Sony KDL52V5100
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13.Vs Samsung UN46B6000
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14.Vs Vizio VF550XVT
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15.Conclusion
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16.Series Comparison
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17.Ratings & Specs
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18.Comments
Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9
Previous: Page 12
Vs Sony KDL52V5100Next: Page 14
Vs Vizio VF550XVT
Samsung UN46B6000 Summary
• The Samsung is much thinner than the Sony; important if you want to wall mount it.
• The Sony is more expensive, but is also larger
• Both have very decent performance, but the Sony has the edge, with darker blacks and brighter whites
Value Comparison Summary
The Samsung is the cheapest display, but when you consider the larger size of the Sony, the price difference is not that significant. One advantage that the Samsung has is the use of an LED backlight, which means that the display is significantly thinner: less than an inch thick, while the Sony is a comparatively chunky 3 inches, plus space for the cables.
| Comparison Specifications | ||
 |
 |
|
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 | Samsung UN46B6000 | |
| Size | 52 inches | 46 inches |
| Price | $2500 | $2000 |
| Type | LCD | LCD (LED backlight) |
| Format | 1080p | 1080p |
| Other | Widgets, Internet Video | Widgets |
Blacks & Whites
The Sony has a slight edge on performance here; it has deeper blacks and brighter whites. But the Samsung is no slouch; it has very decent performance in all of our tests.
| Blacks & Whites Comparison Chart | |
 |
|
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 Score: Black Level: 9.51 Peak Brightness: 9.65 Contrast: 10.61 |
Samsung UN46B6000 Score: Black Level: 8 Peak Brightness: 8.84 Contrast: 8.34 |
Color Accuracy
Both displays also scored well here: we saw consistent whites and smooth RGB responses from both. The Sony was a little more accurate on the color gamut test, though; the Samsung was inaccurate on all three corners of the gamut, while the Sony was only off on two.
| Color Temperature Comparison | |
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|
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 Score: 9.86 | |
 |
|
| Samsung UN46B6000 Score: 8.96 | |
| RGB Curves Comparison | |
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|
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 Score: 8.19 | |
   |
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| Samsung UN46B6000 Score: 8.55 | |
| Color Gamut Comparison | |
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|
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 Score: 4.66 | |
 |
|
| Samsung UN46B6000 Score: 4.32 | |
Motion
The Sony was the better display at showing motion; we saw none of the occasional glitches that bedevilled the Samsung, and it was much better at processing a 3:2 pulldown signal.
| Motion Scores | ||
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 | Samsung UN46B6000 | |
| Motion Smoothness | 7.75 | 7.5 |
| Motion Artifacting | 7 | 4.75 |
Viewing Effects
Neither display blew our socks off when it came to viewing angle; on both, the contrast ratio fell off quickly as you move away from straight in front of the display.
| Viewing Angle Comparison | |
 |
|
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 Score: 4.71 | Samsung UN46B6000 Score: 4.55 |
Connectivity
The two displays have a pretty equal number of ports and sockets for connecting to other devices, but the Sony's ports are more convenient; the Samsung ports face sideways which makes routing cables difficult.
| Connectivity Comparison | ||
| Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR9 | Samsung UN46B6000 | |
| HDMI | 4 | 4 |
| Component | 2 | 1 |
| Composite | 1 | 1 |
| S-Video | 1 | 0 |
| VGA/DVI | 1 | 1 |
| Analog Audio In | 1 | 1 |
| Digital Audio Out | 1 | 1 |
| Analog Audio Out | 1 | 1 |
| LAN | 1 | 1 |
| USB | 2 | 2 |
| Memory Card | None | None |
| Other | Ethernet | Ethernet |
Shop for the Sony KDL-52XBR9
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