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Godmachine
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2003
- Messages
- 10,472
*WALL OF TEXT*
So for a while I've been waiting to get a large display for my monitor setup and I've finally struck gold. Plasma are out of the question since Panasonic's last run of panels basically had absurd input latency. Samsung's as well. And they are hard to find at a reasonable price point. And they are being phased out.
So I began the herculean task of finding its replacement months ago. Needless to say I'm disappointed by how many manufacturers simply don't give a fuck about input latency. High input latency I personally think makes TV's largely impractical as PC displays. Only general viewing (movies and such) but for day to day usage and gaming? Sub par all around even in 2014. Its hard to believe Samsung , who created one of the best overall displays I've seen in years basically has nothing to offer with low input latency in 2014. LG? Forget it , even worse. Sharp? Nope. Panasonic? Nope. I realize this is a feature that only really matters for gamers and PC day to day users but I think its become only more relevant with how massive gaming is these days.
So I moved on and landed on Sony. Sony basically is the only manufacturer who sees this small/niche market and decided to cater to it. Of course I'm being sarcastic because really they are catering to their Playstation user base more than anything. And since Playstation is really their most successful product right now they've been making TV's that have had gamer features incorporated into them. The XMB menu system found in the Playstation 3 and 4 is the UI of Sony's TV's. Making them painless to use. They've managed to sneak in a decent processor in these TV's allowing them to have input latency figures around 23-33ms in game mode. The best part? Even when game mode is enabled you don't really lose any other features. Unlike other sets that are forced to turn off virtually ALL processing to accomplish this Sony stands above and beyond and gives you nearly full control over it in gaming mode. This is a HUGE plus for anyone that cares for the dip in PQ that comes with gaming mode functionality in most TV's.
One of the best features of the Sony W700 and on up is something called Impulse gaming mode. Basically? Its black frame insertion. It creates an image that appears smoother to your eyes , similar to how CRT's would "draw" the screen. Its a great feature however there is some flickering so anyone sensitive to that will probably opt to not use it. Even without it this set is fantastic. If you can tolerate it .. you'll love it.
Also this TV has a very thin bezel. Which adds to the immersion factor.
The contrast is actually incredible considering its an edge lit LED. There is no local dimming (gotta go for the W950 series for that) and it manages to hit around 5200:1 contrast ratio without breaking much of a sweat. I actually don't like local dimming. Only in the much higher end TV models does it function without bloom or haloing which can be very distracting. It can't reach those epic local dimming numbers but its more than enough. I've yet to fully calibrate it so I can't comment on the color quality other than to say with modest tweaking its fantastic. Colors are rich and "pop" very well. None of the colors feel like they are overly aggressive , no blue/red/green "push" to speak of. The only downside is the color tweaking is rather limited compared to say Vizio's menu options.
Sony obviously cherry picks their panels from AUO Optronics so you don't get saddled with a "lottery panel" that people so often hate to deal with like you do with an LG or Samsung. Now I know that Sony uses a different panel for the 850A (its 2013 though so not sure about the 2014 version) which is IPS (the W800A is VA) and its contrast is pretty unacceptable outside of that though they are very consistent. People in general seem very happy with what they are getting.
The actual TV itself is actually quite stylish. It has a curved stand that's surprisingly sturdy and easy to install. However its VESA mounting is a pain in the ass due to its fat bottom half. I would imagine that since a beefer CPU was required to keep latency low and the panel overall pretty speedy it would have been quite impossible at this price point to tuck it in closer to the panel itself. It also requires you to use a power brick. Its not a hassle just an observation. However if you get one and want to mount it make sure to do your research first.
This TV has quite an app selection but it presents it in kind of a disorganized manner. It literally has like 100 apps and they function largely fine but it needs a better way to organize it. I was able to stream from Netflix , Hulu and Amazon without trouble. Its built in 5Ghz wireless radio also is helpful a noisy neighborhood of 2.4Ghz radios. I don't really need "apps" in my TV so it'll go largely unused. Sony did a nice job dealing with the menu options concerning other usage. Somethings are buried but not impossible to find , much like the XMB UI on the PS3. It also has 3D if you care about that. Its a 120hz panel so you'll get 720p 60 to each eye in 3D mode. The 950 series has a 240hz panel so you'll get the full 1080p 60 to each eye if 3D is a big concern.
Overall its an excellent TV. It has a fantastic picture , lots of features , gaming focused and its affordable. Its really aimed at gamers though so if that's a secondary issue for you then you might want to go for a more traditional set that has local dimming and what not. For day to day PC usage its glorious.
I got mine for $750 on Amazon. If your looking for a TV that is a jack of all trades at a great price point this is it then. The Sony W700 series can be had for hundred less ($699 last I checked) on Amazon and its sans the 3D and I believe identical otherwise.
High recommend this TV.
So for a while I've been waiting to get a large display for my monitor setup and I've finally struck gold. Plasma are out of the question since Panasonic's last run of panels basically had absurd input latency. Samsung's as well. And they are hard to find at a reasonable price point. And they are being phased out.
So I began the herculean task of finding its replacement months ago. Needless to say I'm disappointed by how many manufacturers simply don't give a fuck about input latency. High input latency I personally think makes TV's largely impractical as PC displays. Only general viewing (movies and such) but for day to day usage and gaming? Sub par all around even in 2014. Its hard to believe Samsung , who created one of the best overall displays I've seen in years basically has nothing to offer with low input latency in 2014. LG? Forget it , even worse. Sharp? Nope. Panasonic? Nope. I realize this is a feature that only really matters for gamers and PC day to day users but I think its become only more relevant with how massive gaming is these days.
So I moved on and landed on Sony. Sony basically is the only manufacturer who sees this small/niche market and decided to cater to it. Of course I'm being sarcastic because really they are catering to their Playstation user base more than anything. And since Playstation is really their most successful product right now they've been making TV's that have had gamer features incorporated into them. The XMB menu system found in the Playstation 3 and 4 is the UI of Sony's TV's. Making them painless to use. They've managed to sneak in a decent processor in these TV's allowing them to have input latency figures around 23-33ms in game mode. The best part? Even when game mode is enabled you don't really lose any other features. Unlike other sets that are forced to turn off virtually ALL processing to accomplish this Sony stands above and beyond and gives you nearly full control over it in gaming mode. This is a HUGE plus for anyone that cares for the dip in PQ that comes with gaming mode functionality in most TV's.
One of the best features of the Sony W700 and on up is something called Impulse gaming mode. Basically? Its black frame insertion. It creates an image that appears smoother to your eyes , similar to how CRT's would "draw" the screen. Its a great feature however there is some flickering so anyone sensitive to that will probably opt to not use it. Even without it this set is fantastic. If you can tolerate it .. you'll love it.
Also this TV has a very thin bezel. Which adds to the immersion factor.
The contrast is actually incredible considering its an edge lit LED. There is no local dimming (gotta go for the W950 series for that) and it manages to hit around 5200:1 contrast ratio without breaking much of a sweat. I actually don't like local dimming. Only in the much higher end TV models does it function without bloom or haloing which can be very distracting. It can't reach those epic local dimming numbers but its more than enough. I've yet to fully calibrate it so I can't comment on the color quality other than to say with modest tweaking its fantastic. Colors are rich and "pop" very well. None of the colors feel like they are overly aggressive , no blue/red/green "push" to speak of. The only downside is the color tweaking is rather limited compared to say Vizio's menu options.
Sony obviously cherry picks their panels from AUO Optronics so you don't get saddled with a "lottery panel" that people so often hate to deal with like you do with an LG or Samsung. Now I know that Sony uses a different panel for the 850A (its 2013 though so not sure about the 2014 version) which is IPS (the W800A is VA) and its contrast is pretty unacceptable outside of that though they are very consistent. People in general seem very happy with what they are getting.
The actual TV itself is actually quite stylish. It has a curved stand that's surprisingly sturdy and easy to install. However its VESA mounting is a pain in the ass due to its fat bottom half. I would imagine that since a beefer CPU was required to keep latency low and the panel overall pretty speedy it would have been quite impossible at this price point to tuck it in closer to the panel itself. It also requires you to use a power brick. Its not a hassle just an observation. However if you get one and want to mount it make sure to do your research first.
This TV has quite an app selection but it presents it in kind of a disorganized manner. It literally has like 100 apps and they function largely fine but it needs a better way to organize it. I was able to stream from Netflix , Hulu and Amazon without trouble. Its built in 5Ghz wireless radio also is helpful a noisy neighborhood of 2.4Ghz radios. I don't really need "apps" in my TV so it'll go largely unused. Sony did a nice job dealing with the menu options concerning other usage. Somethings are buried but not impossible to find , much like the XMB UI on the PS3. It also has 3D if you care about that. Its a 120hz panel so you'll get 720p 60 to each eye in 3D mode. The 950 series has a 240hz panel so you'll get the full 1080p 60 to each eye if 3D is a big concern.
Overall its an excellent TV. It has a fantastic picture , lots of features , gaming focused and its affordable. Its really aimed at gamers though so if that's a secondary issue for you then you might want to go for a more traditional set that has local dimming and what not. For day to day PC usage its glorious.
I got mine for $750 on Amazon. If your looking for a TV that is a jack of all trades at a great price point this is it then. The Sony W700 series can be had for hundred less ($699 last I checked) on Amazon and its sans the 3D and I believe identical otherwise.
High recommend this TV.
