Shulou(Shulou.com)05/31 Report--

Sony XBR-X950G Android TV system is fast, comprehensive, easy to use, hands-free Google Assistant is excellent. Stylish and modern. It has bright images, accurate colors and a powerful HDR.

The overall picture quality lags behind Samsung, Vizio and TCL TVs at this price, resulting in lighter black layer and worse contrast.

The bottom line is that Sony XBR-X950G 's smart TV and Google Assistant work beautifully, but their competitors perform better and cost less.

CNET home entertainment TV Sony XBR-X950G series

Sony TV has more Google smart TVs than any other TV in 2019. This is Sony's original Google TV nine years ago. XBR-X950G has the latest version of the Android TV smart TV system, which works quickly and allows for mass customization. Sony is the only TV maker that can provide Google assistant voice control without touching the remote control. It's really sweet to say, "Hey Google, turn on the TV".

But since excellent streaming and application functions and even voice control are available from any number of cheap external devices, the real question remains: "Hey Google, how good is the picture quality at the price?" I may not have access to Google Assistant's algorithm and a lot of user data, but I can tell you the answer myself: not so good. XBR-X950G costs more than Samsung's Q70R, Vizio M8, TCL 6 series and other competitors, but in my side-by-side comparison, its performance is not as good as any of them. Sony has its advantages, including bright HDR photos and accurate colors, but the less impressive contrast and local darkening undermined the deal.

The X950G has become a typical representative of Sony with its stylish and modern appearance. It won't be too hard to stand out. The dark metal frame around the screen is beautiful and thin, with a slightly thick bottom edge and silver lines at the bottom, which match the legs of the bracket.

Those legs that are thick enough to make Samsung and Vizio look a little slim are standard. The back contains token cable management, although multiple HDMI cables can be too many.

When it comes to the back, Sony boasts that a pair of tweeters installed on the back of the TV are emitting outward, saying it adds a sense of sound immersion compared to the standard down-launch speakers (also found on televisions). I don't test the audio quality of CNET TV reviews, but don't expect a miracle here-any decent sound bar could far exceed the built-in audio of the X950G.

Sony's 2019 remote control has been refurbished and now has a metal silver finish on top. However, it is still an old-fashioned multi-button fly swatter. I prefer Samsung and Roku's more stylish and simpler transponders, as well as LG's action injection wand.

After years of buffering, slow loading time and crashing, Google's Android TV system on Sony TV has finally determined that its X950G improved system will load and run faster than its predecessor, XBR-X900F, or even close. I can use the app to easily compress thumbnails and navigation screens as fast as my competitors in Roku, Samsung and LG.

It's very fast now, and Android TV is one of the best. Only Roku has as many apps as Android TV and lacks the fun of Google Assistant. However, Roku's search is better. LG has assistants and Alexa, but there is not enough application selection. Android TV's new menu has also been improved. The home page is simple and clear, the favorite applications are grouped at the top, the access is convenient, the route is clear, and you can get more applications, search, etc. Yes, "more" includes advertising, but now it's the same as the course on the TV menu.

TV assistants have a good evolutionary interface: the transcription of on-screen commands, as well as suggestions for subsequent commands. The 2019 new feature, thanks to the far-field microphone on TV, can summon an assistant hands-free by saying "OK,Google" or "Hey, Google", just like on Google's home speakers without touching the remote control. Yes, for privacy issues, you can turn off this feature or talk into the microphone of the remote control as usual.) It performed well in my tests and was particularly useful for turning the TV on and off. You can also be hands-free with all the common voice functions-start the app, perform a search, mute / change the volume, "play cat video on YouTube", get the weather, set timers, etc. -but for other operations (such as browsing) menus, select settings and pause / fast forward, the remote control works best.

When my TV is louder, I have to shout "OK GOOGLE!" A hands-free failure occurred. Let it respond. As usual, the volume goes down, so the TV can "hear" my orders, but in some cases the time of decline is too short.

You can also associate Sony TV with Google's home page or Amazon Alexa speakers for more hands-free operations. TV allows you to use your phone to deliver applications through the built-in Google Cast feature, just like Chromecast. Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit compatibility will be released later this year. AirPlay 2 has basically the same function as the Apple TV box, using TV for the display of TV programs, movies, music, photos and web pages, and using iPhone, iPad or Mac as controllers. This is not what a complete Apple TV should look like.

Use to find Samsung but, 2019 Apple integrated-no screen function, all control is done through iOS devices or Mac.

Features

The best image enhancement on the X950G is full array local dimming (FALD). It illuminates different areas of the screen as needed, thus improving the black level and contrast. Unlike the Vizio or TCL, Sony did not disclose the number of dimming areas.

Other image-centric additions include native 120Hz refresh rates and significant improvements in fake 120Hz refresh rates found on Vizio M and TCL P series (which are actually 60Hz native). Sony says it has improved video processing again with its new launch in 2019, which is the same as the X1 Ultimate processor in its Master models. The X-Motion Clarity model, which made its debut in 2018, is also available. It improves motion resolution by applying black box insertion only where needed on the screen, and is said to eliminate flickering and dimming shown in similar modes in previous sets. For more information, see the picture quality section

Unlike Samsung and Vizio, Sony does not use quantum dots, so its HDR color gamut is not wide. In addition to the standard HDR10, X950G also supports Dolby Vision HDR format, which is different from Samsung.

The X950G has a healthy Jack choice. Unlike many Samsung products, Sony actually has an analog video input, although only composite materials, I also appreciate the headphone Jack.

All HDMI inputs can be used with 4K and HDR devices, but for best results, Sony recommends using "HDMI enhanced" mode in 4K Blu-ray players (setting > watching TV > external input > HDMI signal format). Unlike LG and Samsung TVs, the X950G cannot detect and automatically change this setting, which is a shame, but unlike last year, it can be used every time you enter it.

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