Good From Any Angle

IN MID-2016, Sony launched a new flagship LCD design, the XBR-Z9D.

- Thomas J. Norton

The series incorporated Backlight Master Drive, a local dimming technology that was a big step forward in realizing the peak brightness potential of high dynamic range (HDR). The Z9D series has remained at the top of Sony’s TV lineup for two years—an eternity for UHDTV technology. But it now shares space with the new XBR-Z9F Master Series LCD models, which are available in 65- and 75-inch sizes, along with the company’s new A9F Master Series OLED TVs.

DESIGN AND FEATURES

The XBR-65Z9F is reasonably thin as LCD designs go, though it’s less svelte than some OLEDs.

Its thin black bezel is unobtrusive, and removable covers are included to help hide cable clutter. The feet are widely spaced to make room for an optional Sony soundbar.

The Z9F series uses a Precise Full Array local-dimming backlight, as opposed to an edge-lit backlight. The number of “zones” is not specified, but I measured just under 100. That isn’t particularly impressive when compared with the top competition, but Sony would doubtless argue that its new X1 Ultimate processor, which provides twice the power of the previous X1 Extreme processor, makes up for it with tighter zone control.

Though Sony doesn’t specify panel bit-depth, as with other high-end TVs the panel itself is limited to 10-bit display. Current consumer video sources are limited to 12 bits for Dolby Vision and 10 bits for other forms of 4K/HDR. According to Sony, the Z9F’s X1 Ultimate processor upconverts all source material to a higher bit-depth to perform scaling and other video processing chores. This reduces the possibility of color banding (which was never visible in my tests), although those added bits must eventually be downconverted to match the panel’s capability.