Our Verdict
The main advantage of the Sony X830C is its viewing angle. The picture quality both in a bright and a dark environment is sub-par. It also has little blur, which is good.
- Great color accuracy at an angle.
- Reflects a lot of light
- Really poor contrast ratio
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We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests are done with specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Both the Sony XBR43X830C and the XBR49X830C have an IPS panel. The contrast ratio is really low, which means they're poor choices for a dark room.
While it doesn't have much dirty screen effect, the picture is darker around the edges of the screen.
The colors are great when you view them off-axis. You will perceive the same picture quality even when you're sitting at quite a wide angle.
Update 01/06/2017: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results from 2016 TVs.
There was no significant clouding or flashlighting issue with our set. However, due to the poor blacks, every small issue is aggravated.
This Sony reflects a lot of light. There is also glare around bright objects.
It's not able to get very bright. If your room gets lots of light and you plan on watching TV during the day, this isn't a good choice.
Its level of motion blur is good. The setting to control the backlight is a nice feature (see here for pictures), too.
The input lag of the Sony X830C is 36.8ms in Game mode. While this isn't particularly great, it is low enough for most people.
Just like with last year's Sony TVs, 1080p @ 120Hz produces little artifacts (lines), but this shouldn't be too bothersome while gaming.
Update: With the new firmware update PKG2.463.0010NAB, This TV now supports 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4. To enable this, go to Settings - External Inputs - HDMI Signal Format - Enhanced (new).
OK bass extension and frequency response under comfortable listening levels. However when the TV gets loud, and it does get loud, there is a significant decrease in the frequency response and pumping may be present.
Good distortion levels under light load, but the distortion jumps to unacceptable levels under heavy load.
Android TV has come a long way, and while it still isn't perfect, most of the main apps are present, making it a viable option for frequent users of smart features.
See our full review of the smart features.
