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Sony X810C TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
Sony X810C Picture
7.5
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.2
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.2
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.5
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.7
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.0
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
5.7
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.9
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench

The Sony X810C 4k LED TV has excellent picture quality, but it lacks more advanced features. The only major downside of this TV is the degradation of the colors when you view it from the side.

Our Verdict

7.5 Mixed Usage

Good performance all-round. Good picture quality for movies, and handles motion well for sports. Video games are great too. Unfortunately the picture quality deteriorates quickly when viewed from the side, and the screen can't get very bright.

Pros
  • Excellent overall picture quality.
  • Good motion handling and low input lag, therefore a great gaming TV.
Cons
  • Very dark corners.
  • Loss of color saturation at an angle.
7.2 Movies

Average for watching movies. There is good picture quality but doesn't support some high end features like local dimming or 3D. Plays movies from any source smoothly.

7.2 TV Shows

Above average for watching TV in a bright room. Picture quality is good but doesn't handle reflections or glare very well due to low brightness. When viewed from the side the picture quality deteriorates. Good at upscaling lower quality content.

7.5 Sports

Good for watching sports. Good picture quality. Handles fast motion very well. Uniform screen results in good panning shots.

8.7 Video Games

Great for video games. Good picture quality. Input lag is quite good and should not be an issue. Handles fast motion very well. Supports a wide range of resolutions.

7.0 HDR Movies

Average HDR performance. Good picture quality but highlights cannot get bright to stand out. No wide color gamut.

7.9 PC Monitor

Great as a PC monitor. Supports a wide range of resolutions and displays clear text. Input lag is quite good so feels responsive. Handles fast movement well.

  • 7.5 Mixed Usage
  • 7.2 Movies
  • 7.2 TV Shows
  • 7.5 Sports
  • 8.7 Video Games
  • 7.0 HDR Movies
  • 5.7 HDR Gaming
  • 7.9 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated Oct 18, 2015: Our testers have started testing this product.

Test Results

Design
8.0
Design
Style
Curved No

The Sony X810C 4k LED TV feels cheaper than other Sony X* TVs. The build quality isn't as good, the borders are thicker, and the TV is bulkier.

Design
Stand

Dimensions of 55" TV stand: 25" x 9.5"

Design
Borders
Borders 0.67" (1.7 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 3.00" (7.6 cm)
Picture Quality
8.8
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
5,125 : 1

As with most Sony TVs, the native contrast is great. It doesn't get better than this for an LED TV. Note: This only applies to the 55". The 65" has an IPS panel, so worse blacks.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Direct
5.9
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Peak 2% Window
265 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
265 cd/m²
7.9
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
2.069%
50% DSE
0.164%

The corners are noticeably darker than the rest of the screen, but at least it has less dirty screen effect than most LED TVs.

4.2
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
VA (only 55")
Color Shift
20°
Brightness
30°
Black Level
16°

As with all VA LED TVs, it loses color saturation and contrast when you view it off-axis. Note: This only applies to the 55". The 65" has an IPS panel, so a better viewing 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.

8.3
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
1.357%

The uniformity of the blacks isn't the best. Our unit has a little bit of clouding/flashlighting in the corners, but nothing too distracting.

10
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
10 Bit
8.3
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
4
Color dE
2.4177
Gamma
2.24
9.7
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.24
Color dE
1.1599
Gamma
2.2
8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

Like other Sony TVs, the X810C is very good at upscaling lower resolution content. DVDs and SD channels looks good.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Cable TV also looks great once upscaled.

9.0
Picture Quality
1080p Input

1080p content like Blu-rays looks sharp on the X810C.

10
Picture Quality
4k Input

Native 4k content looks very sharp and crisp.

6.6
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
74.14%
DCI P3 uv
81.27%
Rec 2020 xy
51.98%
Rec 2020 uv
56.17%
8.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
1.8%
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss

It has a standard semi-gloss screen finish. You can see some rainbows around direct reflections, but nothing outrageous.
The maximum luminosity of this TV is average, so it isn't ideal if you have a lot of windows.

0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
No
3D Type
No
Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Motion
8.9
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 120 Hz
Response Time
12.1 ms
Overshoot
0 ms

The response time is great on nearly all transitions, so you won't notice a long trail following fast-moving objects. By default, this TV doesn't use PWM, so it is flicker-free. You can add one, if you prefer, by enabling 'Motionflow' - 'Clearness'. Check our Q&A section of our X930C review to see what all the values of that setting does.

10
Motion
Image Flicker
PWM Dimming Frequency
0 Hz
BFI
Yes
BFI Frequency
60 Hz
BFI In Game Mode
Yes
10
Motion
24p Playback
Judder-free 24p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60i
Yes

You can control the movement of the picture exactly how you want. You can have judder free 24p for movies even over 60p if you set 'Motionflow' to 'TrueCinema' and 'Film Mode' to 'High'. You can also use motion interpolation to enhance the frame rate.

10
Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes
Inputs
7.7
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
35.7 ms
1080p With Interpolation
68.3 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
72 ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
35.7 ms
4k @ 60Hz + HDR
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
N/A

While the 35 ms input lag isn't the best, very few gamers will notice it. Some people might even want to play with motion interpolation turned on (Motionflow) because the input lag when using this feature isn't that high.

10
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes

Just like with last year's Sony TVs, 1080p @ 120Hz produces little artifacts (lines), but this shouldn't be too bothersome while gaming.
To be able to display 4:4:4, simply set the mode to game or computer. For 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4, you will also need to turn on 'HDMI Enhance', under 'Home' - 'Settings' - 'External Inputs'.

Inputs
Side Inputs
Inputs
Rear Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 3
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 1 (shared)
Composite In 2 (shared)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 1
SD/SDHC 0
Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth Yes
ARC Yes (HDMI 4)
USB 3 Yes (1)
HDCP 2.2 Yes
CEC Yes
MHL Yes (HDMI 2)
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Sound Quality
6.5
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
4.83 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ 80
5.07 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
7.53 dB SPL
Max
93.6 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
106 Hz

Poor frequency response, especially at higher volumes where pumping and compression may be present. The TV doesn't produce a lot of bass either, but it does get loud.

4.7
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.019
Distortion @ 80
0.032
Distortion @ Max
2.73

Good distortion numbers at low volumes, however, like the other Sony TVs we've tested, distortion increases noticeably as the volume approaches the speakers' limit. There's also noticeable aliasing under heavy load.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

Major Apps Available

  • Netflix
  • YouTube
  • Hulu Plus
  • CinemaNow
  • Crackle
  • Pandora

7.5
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Android

This is a smart TV, and it features the Android OS. It is still a little bit rough around the edges, but it is improving quite fast.

The remote included is very basic, not something as fancy as some LG's or Samsung's remotes.

See our full review of Sony's smart features.

10
Smart Features
Ads
Ad-free
Yes
Opt-out
N/A
Smart Features
Remote
Remote Basic
Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 72 W
Power Consumption (Max) 147 W
Firmware PKG2.475.0010NAB