Sony KD XG8396 Owners and Discussion Thread

psychopomp1

Prominent Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
2,296
Reaction score
885
Points
687
Since there was no thread dedicated to this beauty, thought I would open one.

I've now had my 43" XG8396 for a few months and its a brilliant tv - on a par with my 42" Pioneer Kuro Plasma 428XD for blacks, contrast, and for a very natural looking picture. I'm using 'Cinema Pro' mode and have hooked up the TV to the Sony HT-X8500 Dolby Atmos Soundbar for decent sound quality. Any questions, fire away!
(ps: bought my 43 "XG8396 from here for only £650 with a 2 year EU/UK warranty)



























 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Good idea, mate, I missed a thread to talk about this model and share image calibrations!

I spent a few days fiddling with the TV and agree that I am pleasantly surprised with the naturalness and depth of the colors, with a level of blacks that is not far behind. I come from a Sony 42W706B with VA panel, and although it took me a bit to get used to it, especially to the new angles of vision and to the IPS Glow that is visible in images when you are not placed in front of the panel. Only negative aspect that could be attributed to the television.

I leave here some changes that I have made starting from a standard scene mode for the daily viewing of TV programs.

Screen Area: Full pixel (variable depending on the source or channel)

Brightness: 25
Contrast: 90
Gamma: 0
Black level: 55
Black adjust: Medium
Adv. contrast enhancer: Medium

Color: 60 (can be somewhat saturated in the middle tones, anyway, in 50 I see the image somewhat off)
Color temperature: Neutral
Adv. color temperature: default
Live Color: Low

Sharpness: 60
Reality creation: Auto
Random noise reduction: No
Digital noise reduction: No
Smooth gradation: Medium (recommended by the Sony website itself to observe the different gradations of a blue sky, for example)

Motionflow: Custom
- Smoothness: 2
- Clearness: 1 (in order that the Soap effect does not occur, but neither appears too judder)
CineMotion: High

This is the result:

5nlbEMh


Try these adjustments and tell me what do you think, I hope you'll find some suggestions. Of course, to watch movies, I prefer the Cinema pro mode (or Cinema home), recommended by psychopomp1 :) Add that I have hooked up the TV to the Sony HT-XT1 sound base.
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I just bought two Philips Hue rear lamps and the truth is that they are a great improvement to watch TV in the dark and without any reflection in the panel.

Regards!

95Tx049


G7K3OLA
 
Can anyone confirm if the 43" XG8396 uses a IPS or VA panel?

In last year XF85 models it seems only IPS panel where used.
But this years XG85/XG83 seems to use different panel types in different sizes.
I have seeen that the 85" has a VA panel, and the 75" a IPS panel.

But for my usage only the 43" fits.

Maybe someone who ones the 43" can make a macro photo of the panel/pixel structure. This should help to identify the panel type.
 
@Exec

Hi,
the 43XG mounts an IPS panel. I have been able to see it watching Stranger Things in HDR, when the brightness is adjusted to the maximum the movement of the backlight is perceived from certain angles. It's the only fault I put on this TV!

R5PWXnG


An example with a Youtube video with brightness at 30.
 
@Exec
the movement of the backlight is perceived from certain angles.

Do you mean some kind of IPS glow? VA panels can also have glow, when viewed not from center axis.
The pixel structure could be a better proof of the panel type.

When blacks and contrast is similar to a Plasma i still hope it to be a VA panel.

Because what i have seen from IPS panels so far, and read from every review is, that a IPS panel couldn`t match a good VA panel or a Plasma in Contrast & black level.

e.g. you can see here a direct comparision of a plasma to a 2019 Panasonic GX800/GXW804:
 
Yes, I mean IPS Glow or "torchlight", which unlike backlight bleeding, varies according to the angle of vision. It is more visible in dark scenes and in poorly lit rooms. This translates into a worse contrast in darker areas, when an illuminated object appears. I have noticed that in Netflix the defect is accentuated in some series. I have also tried to disable the HDR in the settings of the TV, and some shows like Sabrina, win a lot, although the colors seem a little washed.

It really does not look like this, since the camera on my iPhone exaggerates the defect a lot, and with the light on or watching normal TV is almost imperceptible:

J0z1rFP.jpg

4C56Ztz


If you want a Sony with VA panel, the only option is to get an XF9005 (2018) or an XG9005. I have in another house the XF and it is amazing the way in which the blacks are shown, deep and solid, next to some vibrant colors, maybe it is something darker than the IPS panel of the XG83.
 
Last edited:
@Exec
Yes the 43" XG8396 uses an IPS panel but for blacks, its as good as my Pioneer 42" Kuro Plasma - see my first post in this thread. I even tried a 50" Panasonic GX800 (VA panel) but i still found the picture on on the XG8396 better despite being having an IPS panel. My advice would be to see the 43" XG8396 in the flesh at your nearest Currys and you might be pleasantly surprised by its picture :thumbsup:
 
I agree with you on how well the XG8396 reproduces the colors!
 
Last edited:
I don't know how are you guys getting deep blacks with IPS panels, it's not possible because of the limitation of the panel unless you guys use dynamic contrast which you do as I can see from the settings above but using dynamic contrast makes the picture unatural with crushed blacks and overblown highlights.

It's like trying to make a VA panel having the same viewing angle as IPS, it's not possible without a side effects as shown by Sony and Samsung. When they add their tech to wider the viewing angles of VA panels then they loose half of their contrast, it's the same with IPS when you add dynamic contrast, you lose shadow detail and highlights.

I have never in my life seen a IPS panel match a VA panel, even poor VA panels look better contrast wise with better blacks. With VA panels you don't need to enable all this fake dynamic contrast stuff. The dynamic contrast just ruins the image, but that's my opinion.

I like IPS panels for daylight, very natural picture but with all this dynamic contrast set as off of course. For the evenings or dark rooms, IPS is just too grey, even with ambient light behind the TV.
 
Last edited:
So i bought a Sony Bravia 43XG8396 today and i have not long set it up.

I have used the settings in this thread for the picture and i am fairly impressed so far just from TV viewing from my Virgin Cable box. I have yet to try my PS4 or Blu-Ray player yet.

I have checked the Android version of my TV and it is on 7 (Nougat). I have used the TV's "check for update" option and it says i am on the current version of Android. I thought this model would be using 8 (Oreo), do i have to manually update the Android version?
 
Nevermind. I have manually updated to the latest firmware.
 
Hello we have purchased this tv and we have a big problem,the tv shuts down by itself and tv doesn't respond to remote or on tv buttons,unplugging it from socket solves the problem for very short period... Here is the link to video that i've made,maybe someone can tell me what can be the problem?Bad motherboard maybe capacitors,maybe panel itself?Updating to the latest firmware did not help neither the factory reset.
 
These are the settings im using for the KD-43XG8305, Younger brother of the XG8396


Picture Mode - Standard
Brightness: 35
Contrast: 70
Gamma: 0
Black level: 55
Black adjust: Medium
Adv. contrast enhancer: Off

Color: 55
Color temperature: Neutral
Adv. color temperature: default
Live Colour: Low

Sharpness: 60
Reality creation: Auto
Random noise reduction: Auto
Digital noise reduction: Auto
Smooth gradation: Medium

Motionflow:
Smoothness - 2
Clearness - 1
Film Mode: High

Sound Settings
Clearaudio+ - Off
Surround - On
Sound mode - Standard
Voice Zoom - 1
Night - Off
Advanced settings
Advanced auto volume - Auto

Surround effect - 6
Equaliser -
125Hz 10
250Hz 8
500Hz 1
1KHz 3
2Khz 8
4KHz 10
8Kz 8

These were the best natural picture settings and the best Movie/Sports sound settings i found with the provided tv speakers, I tweaked the EQ for clear voices with the sound effects not always being overpowering for a proper movie/sports experience, Now you dont have to have the tv blasting to hear the dialogue and sounds effects, it took me hours to find the right settings, But im happy with the outcome, Now i can enjoy movies/sports again without having to turn the sound up and down all the time, I hope you like them!
 
Last edited:
These are the settings im using for the KD-43XG8305, Younger brother of the XG8396

Brightness: 30
Contrast: 65
Gamma: 0
Black level: 55
Black adjust: Medium
Adv. contrast enhancer: Medium

Color: 55
Color temperature: Neutral
Adv. color temperature: default
Live Color: Low

Sharpness: 60
Reality creation: Auto
Random noise reduction: Auto
Digital noise reduction: Auto
Smooth gradation: Medium

Motionflow: Standard
Film Mode: High

Sound Settings

125Hz Max
250Hz 1
500Hz 3
1KHz 3
2Khz -2
4KHz 6
8Kz 4

Hi @MysticMonkey

I've been offered an 43" xg8305 as a replacement for my 2nd faulty Samsung Q60r. I can find almost no reviews online though. Is it a decent set? I was attracted by the build quality (which was awful on Samsung) but believe the OS can be a bit slow, and noticed that it's not due for the Android Pie upgrade that other 2019 (and older) Bravias are getting. Any advice appreciated.
 
Hi @MysticMonkey

I've been offered an 43" xg8305 as a replacement for my 2nd faulty Samsung Q60r. I can find almost no reviews online though. Is it a decent set? I was attracted by the build quality (which was awful on Samsung) but believe the OS can be a bit slow, and noticed that it's not due for the Android Pie upgrade that other 2019 (and older) Bravias are getting. Any advice appreciated.

Hi dude, ive had the Q60r 43inch and the ghosting and motion was terrible, it ruined sports for me and normal tv viewing, i bought this tv as i went to currys and checked the XG8396 out and liked the motion for sports it was miles better then the q60r i returned, but due to the place i bought it from i had to choose the XG8305 as that was the only model they stocked plus i got £100 off, i prefer the sony over the samsung, its just overall a better tv, between the XG8305 and the XG8396 i cant tell a difference, other then 1000hz motionflow over the 800hz which isnt noticeable, Also i have noticed on my XG8305 that says it will recieve the Oreo android 8 update, but havent recieved it yet, After the Q60r i wont be buying a samsung tv again, sure the picture quality was good, but if the motion is terrible i dont see the point in QLED, the Q60r was the first samsung tv i have tried and will be the last due to it just being overall terrible, even my old panasonic viera from 2015 was better, the only issue i have with the the XG8305 is on my pc when set to 1440p it only does it at 30hz instead of 60hz but that is very minor issue, 2160p and 1080p are at 60z, Hope this is helpful
 
Hi dude, ive had the Q60r 43inch and the ghosting and motion was terrible, it ruined sports for me and normal tv viewing, i bought this tv as i went to currys and checked the XG8396 out and liked the motion for sports it was miles better then the q60r i returned, but due to the place i bought it from i had to choose the XG8305 as that was the only model they stocked plus i got £100 off, i prefer the sony over the samsung, its just overall a better tv, between the XG8305 and the XG8396 i cant tell a difference, other then 1000hz motionflow over the 800hz which isnt noticeable, Also i have noticed on my XG8305 that says it will recieve the Oreo android 8 update, but havent recieved it yet, After the Q60r i wont be buying a samsung tv again, sure the picture quality was good, but if the motion is terrible i dont see the point in QLED, the Q60r was the first samsung tv i have tried and will be the last due to it just being overall terrible, even my old panasonic viera from 2015 was better, the only issue i have with the the XG8305 is on my pc when set to 1440p it only does it at 30hz instead of 60hz but that is very minor issue, 2160p and 1080p are at 60z, Hope this is helpful

Hey

Thanks so much, that's really helpful. Yeah, the Q60R has shocking build quality. Noticible gaps between the screen and plastic bezel meant light bleed was awful. Overall I think I'll be happy with the xg8305, but it will be pretty annoying if a 2019 product doesn't receive the Android Pie update at some point. Thanks again for your help.
 
Hey

Thanks so much, that's really helpful. Yeah, the Q60R has shocking build quality. Noticible gaps between the screen and plastic bezel meant light bleed was awful. Overall I think I'll be happy with the xg8305, but it will be pretty annoying if a 2019 product doesn't receive the Android Pie update at some point. Thanks again for your help.

I thought you was getting the XG8305?
 
Yes, I mean IPS Glow or "torchlight", which unlike backlight bleeding, varies according to the angle of vision. It is more visible in dark scenes and in poorly lit rooms. This translates into a worse contrast in darker areas, when an illuminated object appears. I have noticed that in Netflix the defect is accentuated in some series. I have also tried to disable the HDR in the settings of the TV, and some shows like Sabrina, win a lot, although the colors seem a little washed.

It really does not look like this, since the camera on my iPhone exaggerates the defect a lot, and with the light on or watching normal TV is almost imperceptible:

J0z1rFP.jpg

4C56Ztz


If you want a Sony with VA panel, the only option is to get an XF9005 (2018) or an XG9005. I have in another house the XF and it is amazing the way in which the blacks are shown, deep and solid, next to some vibrant colors, maybe it is something darker than the IPS panel of the XG83.

These sort of screens aren't using the televisions technology so aren't representative of its abilities, image quality. I do however agree about the XF and XG and the benefits of a VA panel.
 
Hello all... Trying to set up the 49 inch version of this TV replacing an old Toshiba one. But I'm struggling...

I have gone through the set up, Ethernet cable connected etc.

HDMI ARC is connected to the HDMI Out in my Yamaha RX-V381 amp. I have a fire tv box connected to the amp, and will soon have a youview box connected too.

When I'm using the TV, I get no sound... It's saying it's using the amp sound system. But when I use the fire box the sound is fine.

What settings do I need to fix? Do I need to connect an optical audio from the TV to the amp for when I'm not using the HDMI ARC? If I'm just using an app on the TV? (Yet to get an aerial installed)

Thanks in advance.
 
Did you get the tv?

Arriving on Wednesday; boxing up the q60r tomorrow. Be interesting to see whether it's android 7 or 8 out of the box. Hopefully there will be an Android Pie/ Apple Play update at some point, contrary to some reports.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom