Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900

Value Comparison

The Sony KDL-46HX800, along with the rest of the HX800 series and the LX900 series, were released at the same time. Both are 3D-capable series released in mid-2010. There are key differences, however, that may not be readily apparent to consumers.

Most importantly, the HX800 is only 3d-ready, which means you need to make several additional purchases before you can view anything in 3D, including glasses and a transmitter bar. The LX900 series is 3D out of the box, complete with two pairs of glasses (the 3D transmitter is built into the TV, as it is on the Samsungs and Panasonics).

There are certainly other differences to try and justify that big price gap. Besides the increase in screen size between these two particular models, the entire LX900 series has built-in WiFi, while the HX800 needs a separately purchased USB dongle for WiFi access. The LX900 is LED edge-lit, which makes the frame slightly thinner. The HX800 is LED-backlit, which allows for local dimming. We didn’t see a huge qualitative difference between these two technologies.

Overall, we much prefer the all-included approach of the LX900. If you want 3D, you want 3D. There’s no need to drag it out over several more purchases.

Core Attributes Comparison
	Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900	Sony Bravia KDL-46HX800
Size	52 in.	46 in.
General Type	LED	LED
Format	1080p	1080p

Blacks & Whites

The Sony XBR-52LX900 could not match the HX800’s black levels, which were outstanding, for an LCD display. Though the LX900’s whites were brighter, the HX800’s contrast ratio was slightly larger. Both TVs, though, are great performers.

Color Accuracy

The Sony XBR-52LX900 had a harder time maintaining a consistent color temperature than the Sony KDL-46HX800. The RGB response curves are nearly identical, which indicates that the TVs have a lot of engineering similarities. The differences in other areas of performance, however, indicate that the parts and processes are not identical.

Color Temperature Comparison
Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900 (Score: 6.21)
Sony Bravia KDL-46HX800 (Score: 8.47)

RGB Comparison
Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900 (Score: 8.10)
Sony Bravia KDL-46HX800 (Score: 8.06)

Motion

The motion performance between the Sony XBR-52LX900 and KDL-46HX800 was nearly indistinguishable. They are clearly using similar processing for this function. Both have identical behaviors with the Motionflow feature off and on, including the artifacting problems. Both TVs are quite good.

Motion Scores
	Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900	Sony Bravia KDL-46HX800
Motion Score

Viewing Effects

The viewing angle on the Sony XBR-52LX900 was much better than the HX800, by a factor of nearly two. The LX900 had a total viewing angle of 40 degrees, while the HX800 had just 22 degrees.

Viewing Angle Comparison
Sony Bravia XBR-52LX900: 2.66	Sony Bravia KDL-46HX800: 11.15

Connectivity

Ironically, the higher-end Sony XBR-52LX900 has fewer ports than the Sony HX800. Presumably, Sony is assuming that such an expensive TV will only be accompanied by the latest devices – a safe bet. The biggest difference is that the LX900 has WiFi built-in, while the HX800 requires an additional USB dongle for WiFi.

Connectivity Comparison
	Sony XBR-52LX900	Sony KDL-46HX800	Samsung UN55C7000	Panasonic TC-P50VT20
HDMI	4	4	4	4
Component	1	2	1	2
Composite	1	1	1	2
S-Video	0	0	0	0
VGA	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio In	3	1	2	4
Digital Audio Out	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio Out	0	1	1	0
Ethernet	Yes	None	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
USB	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Memory Card Types	None	None	None	SD/SDHC/SDXC/SDXC
DLNA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes