Sony Bravia KDL-46HX800

3D Effect & Experience

Although we really weren’t impressed with the KDL-46HX800’s 3D effect, there are a few things to consider here:

1. The TV is 3D-ready, not outright 3D.
2. The KDL-46HX800 isn’t a top-of-the-line flagship like the Samsung UN55C7000 or the Panasonic TC-P50VT20.
3. We haven’t been impressed by any TV’s 3D effect—including the aforementioned flagship models.

The main problem here is the 3D effect keeps dropping out. This isn’t 3D like in a movie theater: the screen is flickering constantly, working hard to maintain the effect, and the display technology just isn’t quick enough to keep up. The crosstalk issues either give dark shapes a constant, subtle strobe effect. Movement of any sort will look jittery and faster movement will only increase the effect. If the TV tries to showboat the 3D effect by having objects pop out at you, the effect will look downright terrible.

Again, these performance issues aren’t necessarily the fault of Sony or the KDL-46HX800 specifically: they’re issues with the current state of 3D. The TV itself just isn’t doing an already mediocre effect any favors.

3D Black & White

With 3D mode off, the Sony KDL-46HX800 had an impressive peak brightness. When 3D mode is engaged, however, the TV loses an incredible amount of luminance: the TV’s peak brightness dropped from a solid 309.26 candelas per square meter (cd/m2) to an absurdly low 10.71 cd/m^2^: a 96% drop. The black level dropped too, from 0.08 cd/m^2^ to 0.06 cd/m^2^, but the drop wasn’t enough to retain a decent contrast ratio. When 3D mode is enabled, you’ll get less than 1% of the contrast ratio you’d see with the feature switched off. A certain drop in luminance is to be expected from any TV’s 3D performance, but the KDL-46HX800’s performance suffers significantly more than other 3D HDTVs we’ve seen. Compare to the flagship models from Panasonic and Samsung.

3D Color

The TV’s color temperature was surprisingly consistent compared to what we typically see from 3D performance. The color temperature rarely shifted perceptibly, and when it did, it only did so by a small amount and for an incredibly small spectrum.

The TV performed decently on our 3D color representation tests. The blue curve didn’t have a lot of differentiation in the low end and was a bit too aggressive once the intensity started to pick up, but the red and green curves performed pretty well. There were a few bumps in all three curves, which indicate minor losses of detail.

3D Crosstalk

Since current 3D HDTVs are constantly flickering between images intended for your left eye and images intended for your right, chances are the screen refresh won’t quite be able to turn over the colors as quickly as it’s supposed to. Crosstalk refers to instances where the left and right channels end up affecting each other.

For the most part, the Sony KDL-46HX800 didn’t have issues with crosstalk. The only two problem colors we saw were black and green. Black has a tendency to darken colors it’s being interspersed with, and green has a tendency to brighten them and add a slight greenish tint.

3D Glasses

We didn’t have much of a problem with Sony’s 3D glasses. They were a bit heavy and somewhat tight around the back, but they had good padding on the nose. You shouldn’t have a problem watching a movie or two with them, but any longer and you’ll really start to feel them. Good news for those with prescription lenses: the Sony 3D glasses will fit over your corrective spectacles without feeling awkward or uncomfortable.

As with all 3D glasses we’ve tested, the active shutter effect can be somewhat disorienting, cause eye strain, or just flat-out make you feel uncomfortable. They take some getting used to.

NOTE: Our 3D HDTV testing is under development, which is why these sections have no scores. You caught us mid-rubric. We can collect data and share it with you, but the results in this section have no bearing on the overall score of the television. For more about how we score, read our How We Test article.

Other Models in the KDL-xxHX800 Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
Sony Bravia KDL-40HX800 40 in.	Sony Bravia KDL-55HX800 55 in.