Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900

3D Effect & Experience

We thought the XBR-52LX900’s 3D effect was about on par with Sony’s lower-end 3D offering, the KDL-46HX800. That… is disappointing. We thought the HX800’s problems stemmed from it being ‘3D Ready’ instead of a fully 3D set, but it appears Sony still needs to work on their processing before things run smoothly.

First of all, our caveat on 3D HDTVs: none of them are impressive. Movie theaters provide a better 3D effect because they used polarized screens and don’t have to flicker at a rate that’s faster than the display technology can handle. At the moment, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 was able to emulate the best 3D effect we’ve seen so far, and the image got ridiculously dim and sacrificed a great deal of contrast in order to do so.

The main problem with the XBR-52LX900’s 3D was its crosstalk issues: dark areas and bright areas tended to brighten and darken the frame they were interspersed with, which gives the affected areas a weak strobe effect. This effect is somewhat distracting, can cause eye strain, and tends to ruin the 3D effect. Fast movement definitely looks like it has a lower frame rate than it should. When the 3D tries to ‘pop out’ of the screen, or otherwise gets too far into the foreground, the illusion typically breaks down. Fast movement can also destroy the 3D effect.

3D Black & White

With 3D mode off, the Sony XBR-52LX900 had a deep black, incredibly high peak brightness, and a great overall contrast ratio. When 3D mode is enabled, you’ll get a slightly deeper black, but the peak brightness will get absolutely throttled. We measured the 3D mode’s peak brightness at 94.92 candelas per square meter (cd/m^2^), which is significantly lower than the 2D mode’s 423.23 cd/m2. As a result, the contrast ratio is a fraction of what you’d get out of 2D playback. Even though this is a significant decrease, it isn’t out of line with other manufacturer’s 3D flagships. Check out the Panasonic and Samsung 3D TVs’ performances. Also, to see how a lower-quality Sony chokes during 3D playback, check out our review of the KDL-46HX800.

3D Color

The XBR-52LX900 had some minor issues with its color temperature during 3D playback. For the darker half of the spectrum, the TV had no perceptible color shifts. Towards the brighter half of the spectrum, the TV was noticeably warm; the most intense colors were noticeably cool.

The TV maintained decent color representation with 3D playback. As you can see in the graph below, the red, green, and blue curves all appear fairly smooth with only minor bumps along the way. Further, there was no peaking in the high end. Expect only minor amounts of lost detail here.

The TV also maintained a great deal of its color gamut accuracy. As you can see in the graph below, there were very minor changes to the TV’s gamut between 2D and 3D playback.

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 most colors, the Sony XBR-52LX900 didn’t have issues with crosstalk. However, the TV had significant problems with 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. This can make darker areas look like they’re subtly flickering.

3D Glasses

We didn’t think Sony’s 3D glasses were remarkably uncomfortable, but you’ll definitely be aware you’re wearing them. The main problem is they’re very tight where they wrap around the back of your head. Additionally, the glasses are a bit heavy, which you’ll likely start to notice with a longer film. Of course, most of the current generation 3D glasses are a bit on the heavy side, so the weight issue isn’t necessarily unique to Sony’s design. We didn’t have any issues fitting the glasses on over prescription lenses, however, so myopic movie buffs shouldn’t run into any additional problems.

Of course, all 3D glasses we’ve tested, regardless of manufacturer, employ active shutters. This effect can be disorienting, strain your eyes, or just feel generally uncomfortable. If you’re looking to invest in a 3D TV, be warned: the effect definitely takes 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 XBR-xxLX900 Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
Sony Bravia XBR-60LX900 60 in.