Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900

Black Level (7.60)

The Sony XBR-52LX900 showed a good, but not outstanding performance in the black level test, measuring 0.12 cd/m^2^. As you can see below, it did not perform as well as the Sony HX800 series, but it outperformed the Samsung UN55C7000. The Panasonic, a plasma display, easily took the lead in this test. More on how we test black level.

Read Reviews of Comparison Products
Sony Bravia KDL-46HX800	Samsung UN55C7000	Panasonic Viera TC-P50VT20

Peak Brightness (9.51)

Though it didn’t perform at its best in the black level test, the peak brightness easily topped the competition. Granted, it’s a less impressive achievement to be the brightest TV, but when matched with a decent black level, it should create a healthy contrast ratio. The only problem TV here was the Panasonic, which was conspicuously dim. It became a particular problem in 3D mode when you put the glasses on. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast (8.36)

The Sony XBR-52LX900 produced a contrast ratio of 3530:1, a very good score. As you can see, the Sony KDL-46HX800 managed a slightly higher score, due to its lower black levels, but the two are more or less on equal footing. The Samsung C7000 model was not as good, and the Panasonic performed quite poorly, due to the bad peak brightness scores. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast (8.03)

The Sony XBR-52LX900 did an excellent job maintaining a consistent black level, no matter how much or how little of the screen the black is occupying. We expect performances of this caliber from LCD screens. It’s plasmas that usually have a problem. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff (9.98)

The Sony XBR-52LX900 showed a near perfect performance in keeping a consistent white level. Again, we expect good results like this from LCD TVs. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity (5.00)

The Sony XBR-52LX900 does not have a great screen uniformity. We’ve found this to be a problem more than once with very large screens employing LED edge lighting. In this case, the center of the screen is noticeably brighter than the sides and corners. More on how we test white falloff.

Greyscale Gamma (7.04)

The greyscale gamma explores how well the Sony XBR-52LX900 transitions from black to white, through the greyscale. First, let’s look at the slope of the curve. It’s a little steep, measured at 2.69. The ideal slope is somewhere between 2.1 and 2.2. A steep cube means that you’ll likely miss some of the finer gradations. There’s also the shape of the curve. It’s mostly smooth, which is good. The lower-left portion is the shadow detail. The point where it flattens out into that horizontal portion, that’s where the TV can’t make out any differentiated detail. Overall, it was a good performance. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

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.