Sony Bravia XBR-46HX929 LED LCD 3D HDTV Review

Conclusion

The XBR-46HX929 ($2,500 MSRP) is the high-end Sony smart television from 2011, displaying 1080p natively. With 3D and internet capabilities, this TV is top of its class. Consider the performance on our tests, and it's competing for one of the best of the year.

The contrast ratio was grand, stemming from one of the highest peak brightnesses we have seen on a TV this year. The color accuracy was near exact, matching up reasonably with any other top model from this year. The motion processing was strong as well, using two different processing modes to achieve refresh rates of 960Hz, according to Sony. The 3D didn't make us sick immediately and the online offerings were overwhelmingly vast.

Here is the part where we undercut all of the benefits, phrased as a message to Sony: If you are trying to make a great television, you should ensure that the simplest aspects are taken care of first. Then, you can put in the high end performance that will make it top-of-the-line. If you have a great contrast ratio and spectacular colors, it doesn't matter much if there are giant cloudy halos shining through all of the corners of the screen. Seriously, the flashlighting was egregious and inexcusable. Consumers will be upset about spending this much on a TV, only to come home to see large and obvious cloudy patches taking up much of the picture. Furthermore, if you want to provide all of the most advanced processing and online features, start with an intuitive menu system. Plenty of content that is hard to access is the same as a great picture you can't see. Lastly, the 3D was not as sickening, but neither was it as 3D. We appreciated that our eyes and brains were spared the ache, but consumers serious about experiencing 3D at home may be disappointed with the lack of 3D depth on this Sony.

We can see serious gamers enjoying this television for its motion, color, brightness, and black & white performances. But if these gamers ever wanted to watch a Clint Eastwood movie, or something similar with a lot of shadows, they will bemoan the day they spent a small fortune on this Sony.