Review of the Sony XR-65X90L (4K) & HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar in the UAE

Sony, as a brand, has built a strong reputation for TVs, Home Entertainment, Personal Audio, and much more. In 2005, Sony introduced the BRAVIA logo (Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture), replacing the LCD WEGA for high-definition flat-panel LCD televisions. Sony BRAVIA launched the Android TV series in 2016, consistently providing the latest technology and upgrades in their television range. In 2020, Sony launched a new range of UHD 4K and 8K televisions for the UAE market, featuring the 4K processor X1 chip and 4K X-Reality PRO picture processing, which upscales every pixel for remarkable clarity.

Sony sent the Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L – 4K (65 inches) Television and Sony HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar for review. This is one of the 2024 releases for the Middle East market and my first 65-inch Sony TV for review in 2024.

Design & Specifications

The Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L television has a 65” screen size, an average thickness panel, and a powerful audio system. You need to unbox the device vertically due to its sheer size and weight. The TV measures 1,445 x 901 x 345 mm with the stand and weighs 34 kg with the stand mount.

The device includes a sleek, stylish stand mounted at the bottom of the TV, creating space between the TV panel and the floor base. This design helps the built-in speakers work properly and produce a range of sounds. The stand’s width is 1,209 mm, making it suitable for a Soundbar.

You can also mount the Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L on the wall with an additional wall mount provided by Sony or the retail team. According to my conversation with the installation team, you need to inform the retail outlet salesperson when purchasing the TV and wall mount. They will provide installation free of charge.

Image Quality

The Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L has a 65-inch diagonal screen but is 64.5 inches. It comes equipped with an LCD panel with a full array LED backlight. It has a display resolution of 3840 x 2160. The screen features local dimming LED lights providing a 120Hz refresh rate. The TV comes with the Cognitive Processor XR, including XR TRILUMINOS PRO, XR Smoothing, Live Color Technology for colour enhancement, and BRAVIA Core calibrated mode.

It also includes XR Contrast Booster 10, XR HDR remaster, and Dynamic Contrast Enhancer. It supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision. The TV has XR 4K Upscaling, dual database processing, and XR Super Resolution. Additionally, it features XR Motion Clarity and Auto mode, with a built-in light sensor optimizing brightness according to the ambient light of the room. It supports BRAVIA CAM 3 via the BRAVIA app.

Features

The device offers several picture modes, including Standard, Cinema, Game, Graphics, Photo, Dolby Vision Bright, Dolby Vision Dark, Netflix calibrated, and custom, allowing you to set your own colour settings according to your preference.

Generally, the Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L comes ready with settings suitable for a general audience, but for tech-savvy consumers seeking specific colour and image quality perfection, the device offers many options to suit their needs.

There is an option to increase the black level, which comes set at 50% and can be adjusted according to your preference. This is handy while playing games, as reducing the black level can reveal gray areas in games, and increasing it enhances the contrast level. There is an additional level under the x-tended Dynamic Range that further optimizes contrast by assigning the surplus power of darkened areas to bright areas using local dimming. You can also further adjust the colour by controlling the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness.

User Experience

Another feature that caught my attention was the uniformity of the light. The screen has completely even light distribution across the entire panel, with no shadow effects or specks. The same can be said of the colour reproduction, which is extremely smooth. Bright scenes in movies or when watching National Geographic were a pleasing experience.

Even in high-speed chase or fight scenes, the screen had no apparent trouble keeping up with the lightning-fast car chases or fast camera movements. The motion equalization is very effective without becoming artificially smooth.

Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L for Gaming

The Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L TV supports the Sony PlayStation 5 as it has a 120Hz display refresh rate. The TV supports auto HDR Tone Mapping and auto genre picture mode

Connectivity & OS

The Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L includes Android Version 10, making it very easy for you to access the menu, programs, channels, and settings. You can switch the Google Voice Assistant on or off.

(Please note: When you switch on the Google Assistant, the TV keeps listening to your conversation and sometimes, without any reason or pressing the voice activation button on the remote, the TV tries to search for things.)

Once you connect, the Android OS checks for software updates and provides the latest apps and Google Apps store page for you to download. You can download various apps from the App Store and add them to your menu bar. When I received the TV, the Menu Bar already included YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more. You can download more local options on the TV. Since it is an Android TV, you can also download game apps from Android Games, use the internet browser to view any content and connect to Apple TV if desired. The TV offers 32GB of onboard storage for applications and software.

Ports & Formats

You can connect via Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz/5 GHz (for Wi-Fi Direct: 2.4 GHz only) and HDCP 2.3 (for HDMI 4 inputs). The HDMI input supports 4K120/eARC/VRR/ALLM. You have 2 USB ports, 1 Ethernet input, RF (Terrestrial/Cable), Bluetooth 4.2, which connects to a mouse/keyboard, AV remote, and stereo audio (which can be speakers or headphones). The TV also includes a built-in Chromecast, allowing you to project images and movies from your smartphones, computers, and tablets. It supports Apple AirPlay and HomeKit. You can use the RF input for cable connection, composite video input, 4 HDMI inputs (including eARC/ARC HDMI input), and 2 USB Type A inputs (FAT16/FAT32/exFAT/NTFS). The USB port supports MPEG1: MPEG1/MPEG2PS: MPEG2/MPEG2TS (HDV, AVCHD): MPEG2, AVC/MP4 (XAVC S): AVC, MPEG4, HEVC/AVI: Xvid, MotionJpeg/ASF(WMV): VC1/MOV: AVC, MPEG4, MotionJpeg/MKV: Xvid, AVC, MPEG4, VP8.HEVC/WEBM: VP8/3GPP: MPEG4, AVC/MP3/ASF (WMA)/LPCM/WAV/MP4AAC/FLAC/JPEG, WEBM: VP9/AC4/ogg/AAC/ARW (Screen nail only)

Audio

The Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L has sleek built-in speakers enclosed in the back panel of the television. It comes with a full-range speaker system, including 2 (10W +10W) Bass reflex speakers and 2 (5W +5W) tweeters. The speakers are designed for downward and outward firing for better sound quality.

Sony has proven that great image quality combined with an effective sound system makes a difference compared to their competitors. I was impressed with the trebles, mids, and rumbling bass of the speakers for their size and built-in hidden feature.

Sony HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar

Generally, people who invest in such a TV prefer to add a soundbar. I used the Sony HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar, which was provided with the TV for review. The Sony HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar was good, but I felt it should be accompanied by a subwoofer along with the soundbar. The 3.1 channel sound bar was good, and the mids and treble sound output was excellent. The sound bar comes with left, right, centre, and dual subwoofers. It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS

, S-Force PRO Front Surround, and has a Vertical Surround Engine. It has HDMI and Bluetooth for connectivity. The HDMI port supports eARC/ARC. It is compatible with Sony BRAVIA XR TVs and can be expanded with additional speakers, such as the SA-SW3, SA-SW5 subwoofers, and SA-RS3S rear speakers.

There were instances where the audio from the speakers created a surround sound effect, making it feel like the sound was travelling from left to right and sometimes even coming from a distance (DTS Digital Surround).

It comes with presets – Standard, Dialog, Cinema, Music, Sports, Dolby Audio, and Dolby Atmos.

(Please note: Different satellite channels have different audio volumes and settings, so you may have a different audio experience with each channel.)

Sony AV Remote

The Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L comes with the Sony AV Remote, which enhances the TV experience. The remote uses Bluetooth to connect and lets you control the Android OS and all the TV’s functions, including a dedicated voice activation button. The Google Voice Assistant’s speech recognition technology performed well, and as I continued to use the TV, its AI learned my voice style and responded instantly with a 95% correct interpretation of my voice requests. Initially, it had minor issues understanding Hindi movies and song titles, but it improved after I repeated certain words over time.

The remote also has dedicated Google Play and Netflix hotkeys for direct access to these apps from the menu. The buttons are raised and easy to access just by finger touch.

Price and Availability

The Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L is priced at AED 5,199. The Sony HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar is available for AED 1,499. Both products are available at most major retail outlets in the UAE and on popular e-commerce websites.

Conclusion

Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L

My experience with the Sony BRAVIA XR-65X90L was really enjoyable. The colours of the images and videos were vibrant and lively, and the contrast ratio was great. The blacks on the screen were black, creating a great contrast with the bright colours. Even when watching from as close as 1 foot, it didn’t feel uneasy or show banding effects or pixel dots. The internal speakers are very good.

Accessing content on the TV was very easy due to the Android OS and the Sony AV Remote. The OS allows you to add applications and comes with dedicated Google Play and Netflix apps, which are also present as preset buttons on the Bluetooth remote.

The Google Assistant voice recognition software was great and I kept learning over time. However, the issue of auto-listening and the AI software getting activated without pressing the button was a turn-off.

The TV is excellent for its features and quality, even for an LCD with a full array LED panel. For consumers wanting a 4K (65-inch size) TV with good built-in sound and great features, it can be a sound investment. The TV supports Apple devices and the Sony PlayStation 5 with its 120Hz refresh rate display. It has 32GB of internal storage for applications and software.

Sony HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar

The Sony HT-S2000 3.1 Channel Sound Bar is an excellent product, perfect for a 65-inch TV or larger, for DTS surround sound. It would be great to add a Sony subwoofer along with the sound bar, as it provides deeper bass and adds value to the overall sound system.

Let me know your feedback on the article, and if you have any questions, do write back to us.

Is the Sony BRAVIA XR X90L the right mid-range TV for you? See our review for its picture quality, gaming features, sound system, and smart TV platform to decide!

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