Sony ZH8 owners thread - table for one!

Slugsy01

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So, this is going to be eerie :laugh:

While I have the ZH8 (75”) I may as well give some views and if anyone is considering it, hopefully it will help.

I’ve had the set for about 2 weeks and it’s my first LCD.

Pros

It’s brightness and light control is simply amazing. It’s a light cannon.

Because of that, HDR/DV and 4K content is sublime, it really is fantastic.

It’s a great TV if you watch TV in a bright room.

I’m pretty sure it would be awesome for gaming.

Motion is very good as usual with Sony

After a bit of tweaking, horizontal viewing angles are reasonable, I think the weakness isn’t horizontal, it’s vertical, you need the TV at eye height.

Blooming is so few and far between, it has not been an issue for me.

Uniformity is excellent, no DSE or banding to note of, whites are excellent.

Operating system post update is brilliant, I genuinely think it’s better than LG

Cons

You need to tweak the settings a lot, well I did, to get happy.

Colours feel washed out v OLED but that could just be the brightness or my lack of experience with LCD settings

It’s not great with poorer content/satellite HD. It really exposes poor content and I now understand why reviewers go on about OLED being great with SDR. You can almost see it trying to sort the content on the fly but it’s just a bit too slow, quite distracting.

It’s also not really a 8k and there is no way it’s worth a premium for that.

All in all though, I think it’s a great set and I’m glad I’ve experienced it but I now realise how much I love OLED and as such it’s getting swapped out for an AG9.

I think though for people that like LCD, this is a sure fire winner, especially if you watch a lot of high quality content and you can try and get it at a bargain. I know Sony Centres are very willing to do deals on it.
 
Hi, thanks for a useful report. I’m interested in getting this tv when the price drops a little to replace z9F. I understand the contrast and bloomIng are significantly improved on the ZH8. One thing that concerns me is how the upscaling to 8k works with good quality 1080p HD sources such as blu ray or high(ish) bit rate streaming services. I don’t use cable or satellite. I’m loath to spend loads on a set that gives a worse HD image than the Z9F!
 
Hi, thanks for a useful report. I’m interested in getting this tv when the price drops a little to replace z9F. I understand the contrast and bloomIng are significantly improved on the ZH8. One thing that concerns me is how the upscaling to 8k works with good quality 1080p HD sources such as blu ray or high(ish) bit rate streaming services. I don’t use cable or satellite. I’m loath to spend loads on a set that gives a worse HD image than the Z9F!
If you don’t use it for Sky then I would highly recommend it. With good quality content, it really shines.

Uniformity is also really good and blooming is really a non issue.
 


So, this is going to be eerie :laugh:

While I have the ZH8 (75”) I may as well give some views and if anyone is considering it, hopefully it will help.

I’ve had the set for about 2 weeks and it’s my first LCD.

Pros

It’s brightness and light control is simply amazing. It’s a light cannon.

Because of that, HDR/DV and 4K content is sublime, it really is fantastic.

It’s a great TV if you watch TV in a bright room.

I’m pretty sure it would be awesome for gaming.

Motion is very good as usual with Sony

After a bit of tweaking, horizontal viewing angles are reasonable, I think the weakness isn’t horizontal, it’s vertical, you need the TV at eye height.

Blooming is so few and far between, it has not been an issue for me.

Uniformity is excellent, no DSE or banding to note of, whites are excellent.

Operating system post update is brilliant, I genuinely think it’s better than LG

Cons

You need to tweak the settings a lot, well I did, to get happy.

Colours feel washed out v OLED but that could just be the brightness or my lack of experience with LCD settings

It’s not great with poorer content/satellite HD. It really exposes poor content and I now understand why reviewers go on about OLED being great with SDR. You can almost see it trying to sort the content on the fly but it’s just a bit too slow, quite distracting.

It’s also not really a 8k and there is no way it’s worth a premium for that.

All in all though, I think it’s a great set and I’m glad I’ve experienced it but I now realise how much I love OLED and as such it’s getting swapped out for an AG9.

I think though for people that like LCD, this is a sure fire winner, especially if you watch a lot of high quality content and you can try and get it at a bargain. I know Sony Centres are very willing to do deals on it.
Tbh mate if I had known it didn’t have the wide angle filter I would have kept my mouth shut !!
 
Tbh mate if I had known it didn’t have the wide angle filter I would have kept my mouth shut !!
It’s not bad on an angle but as I don’t watch it head height, that is an issue!
 
If you don’t use it for Sky then I would highly recommend it. With good quality content, it really shines.

Uniformity is also really good and blooming is really a non issue.
That’s good news, so HD blu rays don’t look noticeably softer than on a 4k screen?
 
That’s good news, so HD blu rays don’t look noticeably softer than on a 4k screen?
If it’s good quality then it shines, I haven’t put any discs through it but good HD streamed is probably better than a 4K set. It just seems to struggle when the content is older or poorer bit rate for example.

We are watching Disney+ Cars with the kids right now and it’s simply gorgeous, the brightness is a real plus
 
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Hi . Zh8 does have x wide angle filter... it’s brilliant even if not directly facing it. Wherever I sit in room it looks superb....
As I said, the horizontal angles are fine, it’s vertical angle that is an issue. My set is above my fireplace which is about half a metre higher than my head!

DV on this set though is simply sublime. It really is so good.
 
As I said, the horizontal angles are fine, it’s vertical angle that is an issue. My set is above my fireplace which is about half a metre higher than my head!

DV on this set though is simply sublime. It really is so good.
Hi. Sorry I thought other guy was saying it didn’t have x wide angle . But regarding your sky - my sky looks great on it. Just in case - did you go into your sky box settings - setup- audio visual - and change your settings to 2160 10 bit? It should look good on your tv....
 
Hi. Sorry I thought other guy was saying it didn’t have x wide angle . But regarding your sky - my sky looks great on it. Just in case - did you go into your sky box settings - setup- audio visual - and change your settings to 2160 10 bit? It should look good on your tv....
Yes, I did, I do wonder about this, it looks very ropey, lots of artefacts and grain.
 
Yes, I did, I do wonder about this, it looks very ropey, lots of artefacts and grain.
Mmmm I def don’t think that’s your zh8 .... I am watching nfl right now on sky and it’s a smashing picture. No artefacts and v clear. Might be worth testing your sky box on another tv in the house or maybe trying diff hdmi cable? Maybe a reboot of sky box worth a try? Something def not right for you there.
 
Mmmm I def don’t think that’s your zh8 .... I am watching nfl right now on sky and it’s a smashing picture. No artefacts and v clear. Might be worth testing your sky box on another tv in the house or maybe trying diff hdmi cable? Maybe a reboot of sky box worth a try? Something def not right for you there.
So I’m having loads of issues with my Sky Box, it keeps freezing, sound drop outs and it keeps saying the TV won’t do UHD, even though it’s a bloody 8k TV and I’ve swapped cables twice! I think you might be right!
 
So I’m having loads of issues with my Sky Box, it keeps freezing, sound drop outs and it keeps saying the TV won’t do UHD, even though it’s a bloody 8k TV and I’ve swapped cables twice! I think you might be right!
Well hopefully it is your sky box cos that’s much preferable to it being a tv issue :) just to check - you did change that hdmi input on your tv to enhanced ok if it’s a uhd sky q box? Just checking - not being cheeky . Am sure you just want it sorted
 
Well hopefully it is your sky box cos that’s much preferable to it being a tv issue :) just to check - you did change that hdmi input on your tv to enhanced ok if it’s a uhd sky q box? Just checking - not being cheeky . Am sure you just want it sorted
No, appreciate the advice, I will check! Thanks
 
No, appreciate the advice, I will check! Thanks
It’s settings - then watching tv - then hdmi signal format - then change sky hdmi input to enhanced . They all have to be changed to enhanced manually when using uhd sources . Hope this helps :)
 
It’s settings - then watching tv - then hdmi signal format - then change sky hdmi input to enhanced . They all have to be changed to enhanced manually when using uhd sources . Hope this helps :)
Oops should have said watching tv - then external inputs - then hdmi signal format :)
 
Oops should have said watching tv - then external inputs - then hdmi signal format :)
Jesus, that’s done something! Much more vibrant!
 
It’s settings - then watching tv - then hdmi signal format - then change sky hdmi input to enhanced . They all have to be changed to enhanced manually when using uhd sources . Hope this helps :)
Just a slight correction here!

Standard Hdmi format on these Sony TVs allows 4K SDR at 60hz. It also allows 4K HDR at up to 30hz.

The requirement for activating Enhanced hdmi format is actually for for when you want 4K HDR above 30hz i.e. 50hz or 60hz.

For SkyQ, the only time you want to use 2160p10 bit is exclusively for when watching UHD HLG content via SkyQ.

If only watching sky sports UHD the best setting is 2160p 8bit with smooth Gradation on TV Low.

For all live hd channels as @zAndy1 has said a couple of time the best setting on the box is 1080i with smooth Gradation on TV Low.

If watching catch up/on demand box sets from sky via box in hd I think these are 1080p and so that would be best setting for box.

As has been said, Sky should really implement an auto switch resolution to native of the content.
 
Seriously contemplating a change from my 75ZD9 to the 85” versions of this (I know it’s crazy money right now but hoping for a drop in the near future 👍

Am just concerned about DSE and banding and not sure how much trust I have in Sony given how many bad ZD9s were out there

Hoping a few more early adopters might convince me
 
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Seriously contemplating a change from my 75ZD9 to the 85” versions of this (I know it’s crazy money right now but hoping for a drop in the near future 👍

Am just concerned about DSE and banding and not sure how much trust I have in Sony given how many bad ZD9s were out there

Hoping a few more early adopters might convince me
 
Seeing as nobody has posted anything I can just say that my 75 inch zh8 is fabulous . Picture is incredible and I have had no issues with dse or banding. It’s my dream tv and I can certainly highly recommend. It’s 4K images are best I have ever seen :)
 
Seeing as nobody has posted anything I can just say that my 75 inch zh8 is fabulous . Picture is incredible and I have had no issues with dse or banding. It’s my dream tv and I can certainly highly recommend. It’s 4K images are best I have ever seen :)

appreciate the response and good to hear you are happy with it, was looking at the 77” OLED too as an option but for 2” not sure it’s worth the upgrade but equally shelling out £7k for something not PERFECT does worry me
 

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