Fully Loaded For 4K HDR

John Archer is happy to see this LCD TV pushing its HDR credentials, although there's a string attached

- John Archer

Sony’s XF9 TVs were real stars of 2018. Their direct LED lighting engines combined with strong local dimming controls and lots of brightness to deliver a compelling high dynamic range experience at an affordable price. Hopes are high for their successors, as represented here by the 65in KD-65XG9505. So confident is Sony in the XG9 series, in fact, that it takes over from 2018’s ZF9 as the brand’s flagship LCD range.

First impressions of the 65XG9505, however, inspire more giggles than awe. Its long, angled feet draw almost comical amounts of attention to themselves.

The TV's build quality seems only fair for a reasonably pricey high-end TV, although you'll only notice this during setup. From regular viewing distances a smart finish hides its inherent plastickiness well.

The set’s rear is deep by today’s TV standards. But this is easy to forgive when, as here, it’s a result of a direct backlight arrangement, where LEDs sit right behind the screen. This approach consistently results in improved picture quality when compared to placing the LEDs around a TV’s edges.

The 65XG9505’s connections include four HDMIs and three USBs. The HDMIs are ‘only’ built to the HDMI 2.0 specification, and so won’t support future high-frame-rate 4K gaming systems. They do, on the other hand, support the eARC feature typically associated with HDMI 2.1, enabling it to pass lossless Dolby Atmos from Blu-ray/4K Blu-ray players to soundbars and AV receivers.

Sony has thankfully developed a new remote control for its 2019 TVs that finally dispenses with its predecessor’s near-flush buttons and grim button layout. Phew.

Smartened up