If you're in the market for an LED-backlit LCD TV, you won’t need to look beyond this review. The Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 is the best LED-LCD combo television on the market today, without a doubt. With its screen size, local dimming and 3D capabilities in addition to its infinite contrast ratio and incredible refresh rate, it is simply a flat-panel LED TV that can't be beat. The 55-inch Sony Bravia brings an incredible feature set to the table with enough output and input connections to make an amateur filmmaker salivate. With all of these features, the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 wins our TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award for the best LED TV.
Sony is well known for its proficiency in the electronics industry, but this LED-backlit TV goes well beyond the standards. Currently, media is only published to support a 120Hz refresh rate, but this TV is capable of rendering media up to a 960Hz refresh rate, which is well beyond current standards. Sony's advertised contrast ratio for this TV is listed as "infinite," and it's easy to see why the company is confident in making such a claim. This TV produces brilliant whites and deep blacks that are noticeably higher in quality than competing LED TVs. Add the healthy selection of connectors – four HDMI, two composite, two PC inputs, two USB ports and an Ethernet port – to this TV's already stunning list of features, and you can see why this TV ranks at the top. If you want the best LED-backlit LCD TV, the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 will bring you everything you're looking for and so much more.
The Sony Bravia line of LED TVs uses LED-backlighting technology combined with an LCD panel that forms the visible portion of the TV. By placing an array of LEDs behind the LCD screen, the TV can combine the colored backlighting from the light-emitting diodes and the LCD screen to narrow the frequency bands of the colors significantly so that it can pinpoint individual colors with extreme accuracy. Sony has perfected this technology, scaling the contrast ratio to near-infinite levels.
By arranging the LEDs in a flat array behind the LCD screen, LED-backlit LCD TVs can be surprisingly thin; the Sony Bravia comes in at a slim 1.5 inches, which is roughly the thickness of a picture frame. With an optional wall mount, you can even set the TV into the wall. The range of options and the amazing features of the Sony Bravia line of LED TVs truly astounded us, easily landing this product in the top spot in our comparison of the best LED TVs.
The Sony Bravia model that we reviewed has an impressive screen size of 55 inches, though other televisions available in the Bravia line range from 32- to 65-inch displays. The 55-inch screen is the perfect combination of value and viewing size, and the impressive list of other features that this Sony Bravia TV offers make it a fantastic addition to any home theater setup.
The Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 is exceptionally slim, boasting a demure 1.5-inch thick display while maintaining exceptional image quality and additional features. The base is 12.25 inches thick, if you choose to rest the TV on a stand rather than hang it on your wall with a TV wall mount.
The local dimming capabilities that the Bravia line offers means you will receive deep blacks and brilliant whites due to the TV's ability to dim or brighten individual pixels on the LCD screen by changing the brightness of the underlying LED panel. This functionality contributes to this set's extremely high contrast ratio (advertised as infinite); by allowing individual pixels to be brightened or dimmed, the contrast between adjacent pixels can be massive. Add the TV's amazing 960Hz refresh rate to the huge contrast ratio, and you end up with an incredible television with more features and a higher-quality picture than any other set on the market.
The other features that the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 offers aren't quite as impressive, though they are competitive with the other LED-backlit LCD TVs on the market. Two built-in speakers that produce 10 watts of sound each are present if you don't have a larger sound system in place; while these are convenient, they are not as impressive as some of the other built-in speaker sets that other LED TVs offer.
This Energy Star-rated flat-panel TV will consume almost no power when it's in standby mode, and only 178 watts while in operation, which is just below the average for a TV with a 55-inch screen. If you're concerned about power consumption, the Sony Bravia will deliver maximum picture quality without draining the power from your entire house.
The aspect ratio is 16:9, the standard for widescreen viewing, meaning the resolution is also the standard 1920x1080, or 1080p. This is the ideal size for widescreen viewing, which is
quickly becoming the dominant format for modern movies and television. Also, due to the screen's large size, the viewing angle is slightly wider than that of smaller televisions, at 178 degrees – which is almost a completely straight line! Almost anywhere you sit while watching this Sony Bravia TV will offer you clear, unblemished viewing.
The Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 boasts an impressive array of connectivity options, including four separate HDMI inputs, two composite inputs, two PC inputs, two USB connectors, an Ethernet port and a component input port. With this many connectivity options, it's not likely you'll find a need for an HDMI splitter.
A slightly above-average warranty of 1.5 years is offered with the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 that includes parts and labor. This is the most robust warranty of any of the LED-backlit TVs that we reviewed. Combined with the TV's amazing specifications, it's clear that this is the safest, most-complete home-theater investment you can make.
If you have questions about setting up or using your TV, you can consult Sony's online FAQs section and user manual. If you aren't able to find an answer to your question through these avenues, you can contact the company's customer support via phone or email. If you prefer chatting from the comfort of your desk chair, you can also use the online chat feature on Sony's website to contact a customer-service representative.
If you're looking for the absolute best LED-backlit LCD TV, the Sony Bravia XBR-55HX929 is, without question, the most complete LED TV on the market today. With an amazing contrast ratio, unheard-of refresh rates and local dimming capabilities, you can't go wrong with the Sony Bravia LED TV.
