Sony KD-49XE9005 1000 Hz TV

I originally had the entry level 4K HDR Sony model (the XE80) and specifically the superior 2016 version of the 43" size that used a VA panel as opposed to the 2017 version which managed to have worse image quality due its poor use of an IPS panel. Don't believe the twaddle about VA having issues with viewing angles. It is nothing like a PC TN panel. In a typical living room scenario there is no issue with viewing angles.I had seen reviews of this XE90 TV on sites like RTINGS (under its alternative name the X900E) and was considering buying it but then Digital Foundry recommended it as their pick of the current mid-range 4K HDR TV's and that tipped me over the edge. The other fact is that Sony have a great stand design that allows the TV to sit on a small table. Other models of TV have legs at each end of the TV so you would need a crazy-wide table to put it on! The base on the XE90 is 52cm wide x by 23.5 cm deep where as with other brands you would need a 110cm wide table!There is no point me talking specifics here as one can easily visit the aforementioned website and YT channel and read/watch a more comprehensive break down from people who are better qualified than I.From my perspective my experience with this TV is pretty much identical to that which I wrote in my review of the 2016 XE80 model. All the menus and operations are identical, so the good stuff and the minor niggles remain the same. E.g. it is still a pain switching between "standard" and "game" modes as they are at opposite ends of a list that is too slow to scroll down. As I said on my previous review, a Sony TV of all things should either have a "game" button for quick switching or a quick switch within the action menu (e.g. like the "Live Football" toggle option).Also as with my previous TV, the "Enhanced" HDMI option that enables HDR on HDMI ports 2 & 3 is OFF by default! So Joe Public will connect everything up and then wonder why HDR doesn't work! For the life of me I have absolutely no idea why this isn't ON by default. I can see no downside to it being on. So note to buyers - HDR only works on ports 2 and 3 and has to be enabled in the menu.Game mode looks a bit off to me initially but playing with the colour temp (I like neutral) gets rid of the "urine filter" yellow effect and it looks great after that. I'm sure the anoraks with their calibration tools will say that the default temp setting is more "accurate" but I'd rather have an inaccurate but eye popping picture thanks very much! Latency in game mode is excellent. Not up there with a PC gaming monitor obviously but very respectable for a HDR TV and generally you have to shell out a lot more to get a TV with this level of HDR effect and better latency. As I said in my review of the previous model, it passes my "mouse test" where I connect my PC and can tell just by moving the mouse pointer around if there is noticeable lag.When it comes to image quality there is definitely a noticeable step up in the HDR effect on this mid-range model. Absolutely no doubt about it. It also seems to look better on regular TV too. Whether it is Netflix, Prime or Gaming, the HDR is ridiculously bright and it can do this and blind you with the bright stuff whilst still retaining deep detailed blacks on other parts of the screen. It can actually be uncomfortable and tiring at times such is the brightness. It often makes me squint.I do turn off the light sensor in the picture settings as these I find are useless and results in too dark a picture most of the time. I think it's just there to keep the environmentalists at the EU happy with a low energy rating, so every time I get a new TV the first thing I do is turn it off!The built in speakers are pretty good. I used to use them all the time on my old model if just watching regular TV. I'd turn on my home cinema if I was watching a movie or gaming but otherwise the built in speakers are really good for your soaps, dramas and documentaries.Whether this is worth paying double the price over the entry level model is the big question as most people would be well impressed with the XE80 I had, even if the HDR performance wasn't on a par with this mid range model. I don't regret upgrading so take from that what you will.So highly recommend from me, just beware of the niggling issues in the UI that even after 2 years ain't been improved. With 10 minutes work setting it up it is easily sorted though. Otherwise I suggest trusting the opinions of professionals who all highly recommend this model if you are looking at the mid-range rather than the top end of the market and OLEDs.

Bought this since I upgraded recently to the PS Pro and Xbox One X. I'm very satisfied with the purchase. Easy to setup and quick to update. Great picture quality! The only thing I'm not too happy about is the OS, it's not the fastest for sure.Delivery was on time.

Bought this TV from Currys. It's a lovely TV, has direct LED so colour is super rich. Cannot fault the picture quality, you'd have to go to a much more expensive OLED set - which I think this rivals tbh.My main fault with this TV is that the picture size format/ratio options are 'unavailable' when using Netflix/Amazon apps. When watching movie, I have to suffer black lines top and bottom - no way to zoom the screen to fit. In reality, what this means is that I actually have a smaller picture than I had with my old 37" set that I upgraded from. I've trawled the internet and there seems to be no way to fix this. So if you watch a lot of 16:9 broadcasts then you might want to think about a bigger screen than you would otherwise have got.Apart from that, it's a lovely TV, 4K gaming on my PS4 Pro is a treat.