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Sony W800C TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
Sony W800C Picture
6.8
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.4
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.0
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.0
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.5
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
5.5
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
4.7
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.0
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench

The Sony W800C LED TV features Google's Android TV. It has good picture quality in a dark room, and it doesn't reflect a lot of light. However, it can't get very bright, and the colors are different off-axis.

Our Verdict

6.8 Mixed Usage

The Sony W800C has a good contrast ratio and limited motion blur, but it doesn't really stand out from the competition, especially given that the input lag is higher than last year.

Pros
  • Great motion handling.
  • Good picture quality in a dark room.
Cons
  • Not very bright.
  • Limited viewing angle.
  • 6.8 Mixed Usage
  • 6.4 Movies
  • 7.0 TV Shows
  • 7.0 Sports
  • 7.5 Video Games
  • 5.5 HDR Movies
  • 4.7 HDR Gaming
  • 6.0 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated May 16, 2015: Our testers have started testing this product.

Test Results

Design
8.5
Design
Style
Curved No

The Sony W800C has the thinnest frame that we have measured so far. The pixels start at 0.39" (1 cm). The top half of the TV is also slimmer than the bottom half.

The stand is a curved metal rod. The TV moves back and forth when you push it, but it isn't something to worry about.

Design
Stand

Dimensions of 50" stand: 21.25" x 7.5".

Design
Borders
Borders 0.39" (1 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 1.93" (4.9 cm)
Picture Quality
8.5
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
4,233 : 1

The contrast ratio of this TV is great.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Edge
5.5
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Peak 2% Window
185 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
185 cd/m²
7.0
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.237%
50% DSE
0.199%

The left and right edges of the screen are darker than the center, as is the top half.

4.3
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
VA
Color Shift
20°
Brightness
30°
Black Level
20°

The colors change when you sit at an angle. This won't be a deal breaker for most people, but it isn't ideal if you have a wide living room.

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.

8.1
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
1.45%

Our unit had a few brighter clouding spots all around the screen on a black background.

9.0
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
10 Bit
8.4
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
3.06
Color dE
2.6829
Gamma
2.21
9.5
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.3
Color dE
1.4418
Gamma
2.2
8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

480p looks good without any over-sharpening of the final image.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Cable TV also look great.

10
Picture Quality
1080p Input

1080p content like Blu-rays looks good and sharp.

0
Picture Quality
4k Input
6.8
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
76.13%
DCI P3 uv
82.26%
Rec 2020 xy
54.17%
Rec 2020 uv
59.11%
8.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
1.8%
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss

The W800C's semi-gloss finish doesn't reflect a lot of light.
It can't get bright, so do not buy this TV if you have a lot of windows in your room.

9.0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
Yes
3D Type
Active

The 3D picture has less crosstalk than last year's W800B. It doesn't come with 3D glasses though, so you will need to buy them separately.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Motion
7.9
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 120 Hz
Response Time
17.2 ms
Overshoot
0 ms

The amount of motion blur on this TV is average-good. You also have full control over the flickering of the backlight using the Motionflow feature (more details here).

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

The input lag of the Sony W800C is 37.4ms under game mode. This isn't bad, and most gamers won't notice it, but it is an unfortunate step down from last year's version, which had 24.3ms of lag.

2.0
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 1080p
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 60Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
No

The Game and Graphic modes support chroma 4:4:4, but have an issue with certain alternating pixel patterns (see here). The TV accepted a 120 fps input, but it didn't pass the frame skipping test.

Inputs
Side Inputs
Inputs
Rear Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 2
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 1 (shared)
Composite In 1 (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 No
ARC Yes (HDMI 4)
USB 3 No
HDCP 2.2 No
CEC Yes
MHL Yes (HDMI 1)
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Sound Quality
6.5
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
4.01 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ 80
4.78 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
7.86 dB SPL
Max
94.5 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
106 Hz

The frequency response is poor at higher levels, most likely due to pumping. But it is good at lower volumes. This TV does get very loud and the bass extension is decent for a TV.

5.0
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.015
Distortion @ 80
0.04
Distortion @ Max
1.32

Minimal distortion at comfortable listening levels, but the distortion jumps dramatically as the TV is pushed to its limits.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

Major Apps Available

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

    See our full review of Sony's smart features.

  • 7.5
    Smart Features
    Interface
    Smart OS Android

    This Sony has Google's Android OS. It started out a bit weak in comparison to the competition, but now offers most of the most popular apps, with more coming all the time.

    The TV only comes with a basic remote.

    10
    Smart Features
    Ads
    Ad-free
    Yes
    Opt-out
    N/A
    Smart Features
    Remote
    Remote Basic
    Smart Features
    Misc
    Power Consumption 48 W
    Power Consumption (Max) 78 W
    Firmware PKG2.173.0010NAB