Sony 2014 W7 / W8 (1080p Edge LED TV) Owner's Thread

Thanks for early reports. Really looking forward to getting the 50w829. Weirdly John Lewis list the 815 In silver but also the 829 in both silver and black. Blooming confusing if there is a silver 829. Anyway, the good news is after getting my price match at £899.95 they've reduced the price for everyone down from £950.
 
On Purewell they list the W955 as
  • Smooth Action With Motionflow XR 800Hz
  • Live and Breathe Eevery Moment with Active 3D


So who knows What When Why and How:laugh:
 
No it's a new feature on this years models
Ah ok so the w829 is basically a w905 2013 minus the triluminos it could be said and the results/usefulness of the triluminos are debatable.
 
Last edited:
On Purewell they list the W955 as
  • Smooth Action With Motionflow XR 800Hz
  • Live and Breathe Eevery Moment with Active 3D
So who knows What When Why and How:laugh:
Oh dear haha I guess phoning up JL e.t.c and asking specific specs of each tv is the best bet.
 
Thanks for early reports. Really looking forward to getting the 50w829. Weirdly John Lewis list the 815 In silver but also the 829 in both silver and black. Blooming confusing if there is a silver 829. Anyway, the good news is after getting my price match at £899.95 they've reduced the price for everyone down from £950.
And its quoted as having 600 hz motionflow elsewhere on the net the w815 Lol :D Just phone and ask i guess.
 
This W829 model is exclusive to the UK, I presume? And it definitely has Motionflow 800 Hz instead of just 400? I only ever saw W805B pop up for Germany. All those different numbers start to confuse me. There's still only one W7, the W705B, right?
 
I checked what type of panel was in a 50w685 today, and it appeared to be the same as the one in the photo of the w829 earlier on in the thread, which panelook.com also says (it also says it has been discontinued....)

So if it's the same panel, how can the tv be so much better? Can one be active 3d and the other passive if it's the same? Or can the same panel really be 'enhanced' by Sony to be much better?

The Trusted review test kept going on about it being a different and better panel. Can anyone here confirm what panel is in their 829? (If you don't know how, turn the tv off at the remote and then press, I+, 5, vol up, power. It's the code at the bottom of the screen. Apologies for teaching you to suck eggs if you already know, but I'd really like to know whether the panel is exactly the same)
 
Last edited:
Woah 685 so there was a w6 last year with 3D damn where my headache pills now thinking do i really want a new tv this year so many numbers an stuff :D But arent hdtv on about the ips panels sony used for the first time in some models last year thats what there saying or maybe not ?
 
The review mentions the passive 3d 8 series being bad, but the 685 is also passive 3d, though definitely an AU panel. So were the 2013 W8 series panels ips?

I've been researching tvs for months and I just keep going round in circles from one tv to another panel type to another tv etc etc. Every time I think I've found the right tv to buy someone comes along with serious DSE or other problems.

I'm thinking about a samsung UE50F6500, the sony kdl50w829 or the new samsung UE48H6500 (or 6400) when it comes.
 
The 47w805 was definitely ips there on about those i think. There talking about it just as general comment sony picked to use ips for the first time in 2013 in a tv.
 
so is it worth the extra from the w7 to w8?

thinking of getting the 42 inch version, mainly used for gaming and watching tv.

not interested in 3D but heard motion is better on w8?
 
so is it worth the extra from the w7 to w8?

thinking of getting the 42 inch version, mainly used for gaming and watching tv.

not interested in 3D but heard motion is better on w8?

From what I've read it doesn't have a true [Motionflow] option, but [LED Motion Mode] instead.
However those are one of those features I turn off for gaming.

It seems decent enough even without that though:
Despite the lack of any usable motion-enhancing technologies, we didn’t find motion clarity on the KDL42W705 to be wanting when we watched some live football broadcast. Yes, there’s the LCD blur, but motion was generally clean, without any sign of black trailing that can affect some VA LCD panels.

Also it seems to have one of the lowest input lags so far, at least among the TVs tested by hdtvtest. Not sure if the W8 would have the same values though, as I don't think they've tested it.
 
Sorry to see that mate. Are you going to return it? Ive heard more good reports than bad for this model so hopefully its just a dud.

I've contacted the store to see if they let try another set. It's the kind of flaw that any manufacturer would dismiss as being within specifications but to me it looks like something that would start appearing in an old CRT TV at the end of it's life. Annoying.
 
The review mentions the passive 3d 8 series being bad, but the 685 is also passive 3d, though definitely an AU panel. So were the 2013 W8 series panels ips?

I've been researching tvs for months and I just keep going round in circles from one tv to another panel type to another tv etc etc. Every time I think I've found the right tv to buy someone comes along with serious DSE or other problems.

I'm thinking about a samsung UE50F6500, the sony kdl50w829 or the new samsung UE48H6500 (or 6400) when it comes.
Samsung 50" = AUO panel
Samsung 48" = Samsung own brand panel (the best kind. This new 48" size is what Samsung make instead of 46" from 2014 onwards)
Sony 50" = AUO panel
None of these above are IPS. Samsung panels are no.1. A close second is Innolux, found on some Panasonic TVs (E6 etc) are possibly better than both Samsung and AUO panels for contrast but not THE best for responsiveness
 
From what I've read it doesn't have a true [Motionflow] option, but [LED Motion Mode] instead.
However those are one of those features I turn off for gaming.

It seems decent enough even without that though:


Also it seems to have one of the lowest input lags so far, at least among the TVs tested by hdtvtest. Not sure if the W8 would have the same values though, as I don't think they've tested it.
W7 = no Motionflow or Dynamic Backlight. W8 = a better spec TV and panel.
 
so is it worth the extra from the w7 to w8?

thinking of getting the 42 inch version, mainly used for gaming and watching tv.

not interested in 3D but heard motion is better on w8?

I don't think anyone has even seen the 42W8 yet, let alone had the chance to compare both of them. The W7 may not have a Motionflow option, but that doesn't matter for gaming, because in Game Mode, the only Motionflow mode available is the "Impulse" setting, which is exactly the same as the LED Motion Mode on the W7. Who said/wrote that the 42W8 has better motion compared to the W7 without the aid of Motionflow?

W7 = no Motionflow or Dynamic Backlight. W8 = a better spec TV and panel.

As of yet, no one even knows what kind of panel the 42W8 will have. How do you know it's better, apart from the 3D capability?

I've contacted the store to see if they let try another set. It's the kind of flaw that any manufacturer would dismiss as being within specifications but to me it looks like something that would start appearing in an old CRT TV at the end of it's life. Annoying.

You should've seen the banding/DSE on some of my 42W655s. The best one I had would look terrible next to your 50W829. I really regret not taking any pictures now.
 
Last edited:
Separate power supply. Think this applies to all Sony ranges except the very top 4K sets now.

That's a good move. I hate moving equipment with cables attached.
 
The LED Dynamic Control setting does not exist on the 2014 W8 (although it is mentioned in the online manual)
 
The LED Dynamic Control setting does not exist on the 2014 W8 (although it is mentioned in the online manual)

Really? Well, that's weird. Somehow this is getting really confusing. Different models with 400 , 600 and 800 Hz, no LED Dynamic Control although it's in the online manual.

I played around with a 50W805B (Motionflow 400 Hz) in a store here in Germany the other day and it had Motionflow settings available, sadly I didn't look if there's a LED Dynamic Control option, though. Also the stand was only matte on the sides, the top part was chrome-plated, like on the 42W655A.
 
So for the longest time I had settled on wanting the 42" W829 but a few new questions have arisen for me.

This TV will be for a second room where my consoles are so it really is only going to be used for games. At the risk of repeating myself the 3D that the W8 brings has no value to me, Only the Motionflow and the Dynamic Backlight.

This may sound ridiculous but I assume that the "Game" mode preset would be the best for games? If so then as has been stated the only Motionflow setting that preset has is "Impulse"
Also would having Motionflow enabled add any significant lag or would it be negligible?
Finally is Motionflow a good feature to have for games or is it better suited for movies etc?

With all this in mind I am overall trying to decide if I should stick to my plan for the W8 or should I be reconsidering the W7.

I guess that all depends on the answers to the above questions which I would be grateful if somebody could give me some insight on.

Thanks again
Craig
 
@Craig02

This may sound ridiculous but I assume that the "Game" mode preset would be the best for games?

Yes, you need to use Game Mode. Not only would you lose the 4:4:4 RGB reproduction but you would also have an input lag of around 80 to 100 milliseconds (maybe even higher) outside of Game Mode, which is unplayable.

the only Motionflow setting that preset has is "Impulse"

Yes, the only Motionflow setting available in Game Mode, as is the case on the 2013 models, is Impulse. It's still pretty much unusable because of the severe dimming and flicker it introduces.

Also would having Motionflow enabled add any significant lag or would it be negligible?

Impulse, or LED Motion Mode on the W7, adds a couple of milliseconds, but is negligible because the lag is so low to begin with.

Finally is Motionflow a good feature to have for games or is it better suited for movies etc?

It would be great for gaming, if you could access the useful Motionflow modes, i.e. the normal settings that make use of frame interpolation to reduce blur. Given the fact that everything but Impulse is not available in Game Mode, you're only option is to use them for movies, sports etc.

With all this in mind I am overall trying to decide if I should stick to my plan for the W8 or should I be reconsidering the W7.

I would reconsider the W7, yes. If you don't need or want the 3D and use the TV mostly for gaming, where you can't utilize the Motionflow settings, the W7 would be the better choice (imho). Lag will be lower on the W7 (although probably not noticeable) and everything else is also there. Also considering the fact, that the 42W8 has passive 3D, there is the possibility of noticing the horizontal lines of the polarization filter, which is not present on the W7 or active 3D sets.

I think John Lewis has the 42W705 in stock for £629,95 right now. I'm not from the UK, but I read good things about JL and if you're not happy with the TV you could return it or maybe swap for the W8.
 
Really? Well, that's weird. Somehow this is getting really confusing. Different models with 400 , 600 and 800 Hz, no LED Dynamic Control although it's in the online manual.

I played around with a 50W805B (Motionflow 400 Hz) in a store here in Germany the other day and it had Motionflow settings available, sadly I didn't look if there's a LED Dynamic Control option, though. Also the stand was only matte on the sides, the top part was chrome-plated, like on the 42W655A.
It makes sense because the W829 doesn't have the local dimming tech that last years W9 had. The blacks are still excellent though especially with the uniform panel.

The stand on the W829 is fully chrome plated.

With the Hz thing I doubt if anyone could notice much difference but its weird how they are quoting difference numbers. I do not see anywhere on the packaging or the manual for the 50W829 that states that the TV has 800Hz Motionflow.
 
So for the longest time I had settled on wanting the 42" W829 but a few new questions have arisen for me.

This TV will be for a second room where my consoles are so it really is only going to be used for games. At the risk of repeating myself the 3D that the W8 brings has no value to me, Only the Motionflow and the Dynamic Backlight.

This may sound ridiculous but I assume that the "Game" mode preset would be the best for games? If so then as has been stated the only Motionflow setting that preset has is "Impulse"
Also would having Motionflow enabled add any significant lag or would it be negligible?
Finally is Motionflow a good feature to have for games or is it better suited for movies etc?

With all this in mind I am overall trying to decide if I should stick to my plan for the W8 or should I be reconsidering the W7.

I guess that all depends on the answers to the above questions which I would be grateful if somebody could give me some insight on.

Thanks again
Craig

Hi,
The game mode is the preset to use and change the settings in for gaming as this will be the preset with lowest input lag, the others will be much worse.
The motionflow impulse mode should not add that much lag as it is not doing interpolation. It's sole purpose is to remove sample and hold lcd motion blur. The downsides being less bright image and a possible slight flicker even at 60hz gaming output. Also some slight after image ghosting can occur on movement even though the image is not blurry any more. The impulse mode is mainly most effective at games that run at 60fps though.
Passive 3d panels like on the 42" can be a problem on 2d viewing as you might be able to see a kind of scanline effect on the panel.
As the W7 has it's version of impulse mode motionflow and does not have the possible issue of a 3d passive panel for 2d viewing then for gaming in 2d the W7 makes sense and it's likely to have the lowest input lag of the range.
 
Whoops, did not realise you had already posted some answers while i was typing Vaolis.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is Home Theater DEAD in 2024?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom