Sony KD-55XE8596 4K LED TV Review & comments

It sounds very good value for money, Mr Withers! Let's hope that all this good stuff carries over to the 65" size.
 
It sounds very good value for money, Mr Withers! Let's hope that all this good stuff carries over to the 65" size.
Good review @Steve Withers thanks

@SonOfSJ , I have the 65" in the family room, very impress and Steve is spot on with his observations, a very good all rounder at not stupid money
I shall pick through the review in detail later, but pretty much spot on as I say
 
@fayeanddavid I'm very pleased to hear that the 65" size is also very good! :) But you need to put it into your signature!
 
@fayeanddavid I'm very pleased to hear that the 65" size is also very good! :) But you need to put it into your signature!
Thanks for the prod

Will do when the 65XE93 arrives (tomorrow) then I will update all
 
great review thanks. I had the 2015 model of this TV, fantastic Tv for the money but unfortunately I had 4 faulty units in a row so I gave up and got and OLED instead. If I was in the market for a mid range TV right now this would defo be my choice.
 
Hi Steve,

Thanks for the great review! May I ask:

1) Which do you feel offers the better Standard Definition performance - the XE8596, Samsung M7000 or Hisense N6800?

2) The review states that the HDR performance of the Samsung M7000 is better - is it a noticeable difference & enough to justify getting the Samsung over the Sony considering all the other strengths the Sony seems to have?

3) If you were buying, which would you get get taking into account performance against price - The Sony, Samsung or Hisense?

Many Thanks!
 
I have this tv in 65” and very happy with it. Where Can i find the recommended settings? Thanks for another great review.

Br
 
This looks like a great tv for gaming! The screen size is too big for me though. Is there a 43" model at all? I think it will be a while before I go 4k and hdr,all the great sets are just massive while the smaller ones all seem to have the horrid IPS panels.
 
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Are we now at the point where every new 4K HDR set (from known brands) is fully equipped with all the BBC/Netflix/Amazon/YouTube players in 4K HDR?
 
Hi Steve,

Thanks for the great review! May I ask:

1) Which do you feel offers the better Standard Definition performance - the XE8596, Samsung M7000 or Hisense N6800?

2) The review states that the HDR performance of the Samsung M7000 is better - is it a noticeable difference & enough to justify getting the Samsung over the Sony considering all the other strengths the Sony seems to have?

3) If you were buying, which would you get get taking into account performance against price - The Sony, Samsung or Hisense?

Many Thanks!
I'd have to say that I think Sony delivers the best image from standard definition content, their upscaling and video processing is excellent. The M7000 is brighter but I think the XE8596 still delivers a very nice HDR experience and because it isn't as bright, you don't get as many issues with haloing and bright edges. I think in terms of performance and price I'd go for the Sony (that's why I awarded it a Best Buy badge), although I'd probably get the XE90 with its direct LED backlight because that's better for HDR.
 
Are we now at the point where every new 4K HDR set (from known brands) is fully equipped with all the BBC/Netflix/Amazon/YouTube players in 4K HDR?
Yes we are, all the main brands offer Netflix, YouTube, Amazon and the UK TV catch-up services.
 
This looks like a great tv for gaming! The screen size is too big for me though. Is there a 43" model at all? I think it will be a while before I go 4k and hdr,all the great sets are just massive while the smaller ones all seem to have the horrid IPS panels.
The smallest screen size for the XE8596 is 55 inches I'm afraid.
 
I have this TV, can you please post your calibrated colour settings?
 
As I posted elsewhere,

TPS - The Perfect Signal Ltd

£929 - £300 cash back
+£55 delivery
= £683!!! I got a call from TPS as I tried to follow threw to see if their had been an error.
Said no place the order at £929 they will refund £300!

Be quick!
 
As I posted elsewhere,

TPS - The Perfect Signal Ltd

£929 - £300 cash back
+£55 delivery
= £683!!! I got a call from TPS as I tried to follow threw to see if their had been an error.
Said no place the order at £929 they will refund £300!

Be quick!


I purchased the 65". Very good deal.
 
£300 of any TV is great, however percentage wise its a far greater discount off the 55" than the 65".

Richersounds now have the samsung 55"MU7000 for £800 now. Think I might still go with the Sony.
 
Via HDMI, does the TV deliver multi-channel audio from inbuilt apps like Amazon Video and Netflix to feed an a/v system? Does it pass multi-channel audio via an HDMI input to the HDMI output? Most Sony TVs used to pass/route DD5.1 audio from a connected device via HDMI, but I have no idea about the inbuilt apps., and as good as the TV is, and I'm tempted, not having these features is a deal-breaker for me.

Clem
 
Via HDMI, does the TV deliver multi-channel audio from inbuilt apps like Amazon Video and Netflix to feed an a/v system? Does it pass multi-channel audio via an HDMI input to the HDMI output? Most Sony TVs used to pass/route DD5.1 audio from a connected device via HDMI, but I have no idea about the inbuilt apps., and as good as the TV is, and I'm tempted, not having these features is a deal-breaker for me.

Clem

Yes it passes through Dolby Digital plus from amazon and Netflix.
 
The smallest screen size for the XE8596 is 55 inches I'm afraid.

Thanks Steve,I really enjoy reading all your TV reviews. I'm waiting to take the plunge to 4K and HDR though. Once you give a good review to a 43" Sony with a VA panel and not the horrid (for my needs) IPS panels I'll make the jump. Shame 3Ds been ignored lately though.
 
I'm on the hunt for a new telly, and this hit my radar this morning. How well will this perform against my current TV which is direct lit LED with local dimming? Black levels are my biggest concern with edge lit. I was actually avoiding all edge lit tvs until I came across this review...

My current set is old school now as it was released in 2014 (2k euro on release), so it lacks HDR (which put me off buying a 4k player on release day). It's also an IPS panel being an LG. I sit center to the screen, so IPS isn't needed.

I'm still umming about waiting til March to see how this years OLEDs drop in price. A 55" B7 here is 2-2.2k right now...

There's a 65" under my current 1k budget, but it's a Phillips and I can't find much about it - TV LED Philips 65PUS6162 4K UHD (4315979) | Darty
 
I'm on the hunt for a new telly, and this hit my radar this morning. How well will this perform against my current TV which is direct lit LED with local dimming? Black levels are my biggest concern with edge lit. I was actually avoiding all edge lit tvs until I came across this review...

My current set is old school now as it was released in 2014 (2k euro on release), so it lacks HDR (which put me off buying a 4k player on release day). It's also an IPS panel being an LG. I sit center to the screen, so IPS isn't needed.

I'm still umming about waiting til March to see how this years OLEDs drop in price. A 55" B7 here is 2-2.2k right now...

There's a 65" under my current 1k budget, but it's a Phillips and I can't find much about it - TV LED Philips 65PUS6162 4K UHD (4315979) | Darty
If you've already got a direct LED TV with local dimming then you might be better off taking a look at the XE90, which is also excellent.
 
If you've already got a direct LED TV with local dimming then you might be better off taking a look at the XE90, which is also excellent.

Not sure I'm willing to part with 1600 euro for an LED set, Steve. I could ditch the 4k idea as I own no 4k media anyway, and can't stream any due to slow internet and get the LG A7 OLED for 1500 euro.
 

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