The sub-pixels of the VA LCD panel barely visible under the optical filter.
The famous optical filter.
The Sony XR-75Z9J makes good use of a VA (Vertical Alignment) type LCD panel. The structure of the sub-pixels is quite difficult to observe because of the optical filter which improves viewing angles at the expense of native contrast, decreasing. Indeed, we measured an average loss of brightness of only 46% on the sides at 45 °, whereas it reaches around 70% on a classic VA LCD television like the TCL 65C825 or the Samsung QE65Q80A. To find better, you have to look to very high-end LCD models such as the Samsung QE75Q950TS (35% decrease) or Oled models (25%).
Since 2019, Expert mode is now the one that offers the best image quality. We measured an average delta E of 1.9 – less than 3, a threshold below which the eye no longer perceives drifts – which makes it possible to consider the colors as perfectly faithful to those of the source. The temperature curve is stable over the entire spectrum and the average color temperature measured at 7180 K is sufficiently close to the 6500 K of the video standard. The management of gray levels (gamma) is generally very good (average of 2.37 and good stability). In contrast, the contrast measured at 3145: 1 with dynamic backlighting on drops to just 1900: 1 natively. The fault with the optical filter which diffuses the light on the sides to increase the viewing angles. With the dynamic backlighting activated (as is the case by default), the contrast is sufficient, but we can then see blooming which is accentuated by the lack of responsiveness of the backlight system.
Sony’s Convert 8K XR scaling engine works great with Ultra HD content. These have enough detail to gain precision. The 8K image thus appears to be more detailed than the native version, as the engine tries to increase sharpness and micro-contrast. Scaling is performed in Standard image mode – since in Expert mode the XR Super Resolution engine is disabled. With Full HD 1080 content, you start to feel a blurring effect on the images. The overall rendering is still quite good, but we recommend feeding an 8K television with Ultra HD content to make the most of this abundance of pixels.
XR Motion Clarity technology works perfectly in automatic mode and helps improve the sharpness of moving objects. In Expert mode, it is not very efficient and you have to push the Motion Flow to find a sharper image, directly visible in standard mode for example.
Like other high-end Sony televisions, this Bravia XR-75Z9J is compatible with HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision. However, it does not support the HDR10 + promoted by Samsung and Panasonic. Small precision in size, the HDMI ports of televisions are configured by default in 8 bits. To unbridle them, go to Settings> Watching TV> External Inputs> HDMI signal format> Improved format.
HDR rendering is excellent. The Display Tone Mapping used by Sony perfectly follows the reference curve (in yellow) up to the maximum capacities of the television. However, the TV does not smooth the curve in order to retain detail in very bright scenes. We measured the average Delta E at 2.3. HDR colors can be considered faithful to those sent by the source. More impressive, the peak brightness is measured at 2260 cd / m², a figure much higher than that measured on Oled televisions (around 750 cd / m²) and even other LCD televisions on the market. This peak in brightness highlights HDR content with very good image dynamics, but you still have to deal with limited contrast.
In terms of color coverage, it is rather classic with the restitution of 90% of the DCI-P3 color space – mainly used by Ultra HD content – and 66% of the colors in the Rec. 2020 space, not yet exploited for lack of material covering this space sufficiently.
The afterglow time measured at 12ms is very good for an LCD TV and results in relatively little blurring behind moving objects. The best LCDs on the market, such as the Samsung QE65Q80A or Sony KD-65XH9096 go down to 11 ms, but no LCD TV can compete with Oled televisions whose afterglow time is almost zero (0.1 ms). On the display delay side, Sony is a little behind the competition since it cannot go below 16 ms (less than one image delay at 60 Hz). The delay measured at 21 ms remains very good for video games and there is almost no lag between the action performed on the controller and its repercussion on the screen.
HDR colorimetry – Game mode
As often with Sony, the Game mode is simply perfectly calibrated, whether in SDR or HDR.
This television has four HDMI inputs, three of which are compatible with HDMI 2.1 4K 120 Hz, ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) which allows automatic switching to game mode and eARC (enhanced audio return). HDMI 4 is also compatible with 8K 60 Hz signals. Like other Sony televisions, this model is announced as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) compatible via a future update. For now, it is therefore not possible to enjoy VRR on Xbox One and Xbox Series (the PS5 does not yet use VRR).
The very large Sony Bravia XR-75Z9J
The design of the Sony Bravia XR-75Z9J television is quite classic and versatile. The finishes are impeccable, which is not much of a surprise on this top-of-the-range model.
The edges of the screen are not particularly thin, but the assembly is perfectly done. Note that the outer frame is used to broadcast the high frequencies of the audio system via 4 tweeters placed on the sides.
The TV from the front and in profile.
The Full Led backlighting system made up of 400 zones is quite bulky and the television itself is 8 cm thick. The size of the TV cabinet is for its part always linked to that of the feet, the depth of which here is 42.8 cm. This model can barely be placed on our benchmark TV cabinet which measures 160 x 40 cm (the feet protrude slightly behind).
The different positions of the feet. © Sony
The feet can be placed in the center – as we did – but also at the ends of the TV. In this last position, they can be positioned differently in order to raise the television a few centimeters in order to position a sound bar.
The back of the TV without the covers.
The same fully streamlined.
The rear of the TV is fully streamlined to hide the connection. The cables run at the rear via guides. It’s pretty basic, but effective. However, there is no clip system on the feet. The screw threads on the back are compatible with VESA 400 x 400 wall mounts.
The “center speaker” connection and the HDMI 4 port (8K 60 Hz).
The rest of the connection.
The connection consists of four HDMIs including three HDMI 2.1 (4K 120 Hz, ALLM, eARC, but not yet VRR), three USB ports including two on the side and a USB 3.0, an Ethernet port, an optical digital audio output, a headphone output, a composite input (in yellow), a PCMCIA (Common Interface CI +) port, a rake antenna connector and a satellite connector. It has a dual tuner DVB-T / T2 (TNT), DVB-S / S2 (satellite) and DVB-C (cable). It also embeds Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / Ac as well as Bluetooth 4.2 for connection with a wireless audio device (headphones or speaker).
This TV has Google TV – a revamped version of Android TV – which fortunately retains all the Android TV apps and emphasizes content. The system thus aggregates all those to which it has access and to which we are subscribed, whether free (YouTube, France TV, Arte, Molotov, etc.) or paid content (MyCanal, Netflix, OCS, Amazon Prime, Disney +, etc.) in order to offer choices according to tastes, whatever the platform. The Google system seems to finally come of age. It’s fluid and responsive, with crashes and other freezes seemingly a thing of the past.
Built-in microphones for hands-free control.
Like the ZF9, AG9 and A90J, the Sony Z9J integrates two microphones at the base of the television. They allow you to use the Google Assistant without a remote control. The “Ok Google” function can be used even when the television is switched off and it is therefore possible to switch it on without your hands, simply by saying the phrase “Ok Google, turn on the TV”. New this year, it is possible to deactivate the microphone thanks to the switch located at the level of the connectors.
As with all Android TVs, the first start takes longer. It takes 45 seconds here. This start-up begins as soon as it is connected to the mains. The TV will display the Sony logo for 20 to 25 seconds, then the Android logo will appear. It takes much longer to boot up than Samsung’s Tizen or LG WebOS systems, which boot in less than 5 seconds. Fortunately, the TV wakes up in just 3 seconds, while consuming less than a watt in standby (if the hands-free function is deactivated). As often, the standby is instantaneous.
The daytime remote control.
And at night thanks to its motion sensor, brightness and backlit keys.
Inaugurated last year, the high-end remote control with microphone and backlit keys is obviously part of the game. The automatic key backlighting system is activated by a light and motion sensor. This is probably one of the best integrations of this system on a consumer remote. The microphone supplements or replaces those which are integrated into the television set.
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