The Sony KD65XD8599 comes in as a mid-end Ultra HD, HDR ready 65″ Smart television. With plenty of bang for your buck, including an impressive Android operating system and incredible motion ability, is this the TV for you?
Sony really impressed us last year with their 4K sets and have started this year in fantastic fashion. If you spend long enough trawling through the internet, you’ll find the same comments with issues regarding the Android Smart features. Let me put this to bed once and for all – these creases have been ironed out! Thankfully, October 2015 saw a huge update to the Android-based Sony TV’s, so all is well again. So well that the new 2016 sets have the same Android-based operating system because if it’s not broke, why fix it?
With this Android system you have access to the full array of Smart features, including built-in Youview and Google Chromecast, so there’s no need to faff about with all of the Smart apps. A fully stocked collection of catch-up services is included too, with BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5 easily accessible. There’s also PlayStation Now, so you can stream PS3 games to your TV without the need for a console, plus hundreds of other great apps.
Get the unit built up with minimal fuss, then take a step back and appreciate a good, solid central stand – good move Sony. We have all the usual suspects, as far as connectivity is concerned, 4 HDMI inputs, all HDCP 2.2 compatible, 3 USB slots, plus a digital to optical output.
Getting the Sony up and running with the Motionflow XR 1000Hz, Triluminos, 4K X-Reality PRO really does its job. I jump right in at the deep end and pop on our 4K Blu-ray player with a copy of Mad Max, as the TV is HDR compatible it automatically switches to HDR mode. After this, I popped on some Netflix streaming and while it’s hardly a fair comparison, I was really impressed with the level of detail, and the depth that 4K streaming offers. Sony’s Heritage with gaming really shows through, some of the fast paced scenes in Mad Max could cause some judder on other sets but the Sony stays solid, and I’m happy to say that’s a trait that seems to trickle down Sony’s entire range.
The Sony’s fantastic ability to deal with movement really puts the XD8599 in a firm place at the top of the mid to high-end leader board, running closely along the Panasonic DX750. While both sets are incredible, I think that the hardcore cinema buff is going to be left wanting more and the Samsung KS7000 with as near as similar specifications but offers a 10bit panel, this may be an avenue to explore. Either way, this Sony is a beautiful set well worth some serious consideration.
So if you want to find out more about this Sony and the rest of our TVs and home cinema, pop down to anyone of our stores or contact our Telesales team today!
To find out more about the Sony KD65XD8599, click here.
Author – Garrett, Plymouth store
