sony 40hx853 performance in low light

[admin_exported]

from the reviews its clear that the sony performs excellent in bright rooms but i would like to know how it performs in a dark room, does the back light push through the colours? i have been to various retailers and the smaller chains have not really stocked the sony although orders are now going in and the larger stores wont alter any lighting which i do understand. how is the pixar blu ray images?

the information will probably help me settle between the hx853 or the gt50

 

[Sizzers]

Yes, as will any TV regardless of the panel used.

The actual PQ is going to be determined by what calibration you do.

 

[Anonymous]

yep i agree with that. But the GT50 reviews state that the colours are washed out in brighter light but stunning in low light. The HX853 performs in bright conditions but there are no mentions of quality in low light so i am curious to find out about others experiences to the image quality as this has not been mentioned in any reviews and will be an important part of my decision.

 

[Sizzers]

My GT30 is by a South facing window with plenty of daylight coming through.

Thankfully (and luckily) there is a conifer tree outside which blocks any actual direct sunlight, and with the curtains open the screen becomes a mid-grey rather than the usual inky black with the TV switched off, and yes, there are reflections. However, I can honestly say this doesn’t spoil my daytime viewing experience whatsoever because I find the Infinite Black Pro filter does an exceptional job IMO and the colours are most definitely not washed out (although I’m sure this may well be different if the sun was shining directly on to the screen).

I have my TV calibrated for both daytime and dark room viewing, but regardless of which if I’m watching a movie during the daytime the curtains would be closed with extra lighting off in any case but for general TV viewing it’s absolutely fine.

This is my first plasma and also my first non-Sony, but I’m sure whichever way you go you won’t be disappointed.

 

[Anonymous]

yep i agree with that. But the GT50 reviews state that the colours are washed out in brighter light but stunning in low light. The HX853 performs in bright conditions but there are no mentions of quality in low light so i am curious to find out about others experiences to the image quality as this has not been mentioned in any reviews and will be an important part of my decision.

 

[AndrewFG]

I don't know about the hx853 but I am pretty sure my old Sony Z4500 has a light sensor so that it can adjust the back lighting for best appearance under all ambient light levels.

 

[Oldboy]

from the reviews its clear that the sony performs excellent in bright rooms but i would like to know how it performs in a dark room, does the back light push through the colours? i have been to various retailers and the smaller chains have not really stocked the sony although orders are now going in and the larger stores wont alter any lighting which i do understand. how is the pixar blu ray images?

the information will probably help me settle between the hx853 or the gt50

Simple one this.....stunning! I was worried when i first got my 46HX853 that low light would ruin the picture but that is certainly not the case as after careful calibration the tv performs admirably in low light. My room is lit by just 2 low wattage lamps in the evening and is quite dark and i prefer the picture in these lighting conditions as it's far less (for want of a better expression) in your face.

What i would say is that you need to calibrate the tv carefully and take care what picture options you use but my 853 once calibrated for my low light conditions is superb, to put it into context i came from a 42GT30 plasma tv and have been very surprised with how well the 853 compares in low light so you can rest assured there are no problems here.

What lighting conditions are you particulary concerned about?

 

[Sizzers]

Well I never really got the point of the original question in the first place.

What TV doesn't look/perform better in a darkened room rather than a brightly lit one? Or am I missing something?

 

[bigblue235]

Or am I missing something?

Maybe

The issue with LED backlit sets is that in low light the blacks look poorer than they do with some ambient light nearby. It's also easier to spot backlight inconsistencies in a dark room.

My TV looks best in a room with dimmed lights. But it looks better in a bright room than a completely dark one, as then it becomes obvious the blacks aren't really totally black.

 

[Sizzers]

Or am I missing something?

Maybe The issue with LED backlit sets is that in low light the blacks look poorer than they do with some ambient light nearby. It's also easier to spot backlight inconsistencies in a dark room. My TV looks best in a room with dimmed lights. But it looks better in a bright room than a completely dark one, as then it becomes obvious the blacks aren't really totally black.

Yes, I take the point and I realise that I didn’t put it over as well as I might have done.

I’m not splitting hairs, but I did say in a darkened room, not a totally dark one. I completely agree that you need some ambient light regardless of screen tech, if for no other reason than to reduce eye fatigue. I never had any noticeable problems with black levels on my previous two LCD TV’s in low-light conditions: my last TV was a Sony 32V5500 with a 25W lamp to the side and behind the screen, which viewed with no problems to my eyes.

The scary – and weird – part, though, is when I selected an unconnected HD port with the same viewing settings (there was a reason for my doing this) and to see just how “un-black” the panel actually was in operation. I could never work out why this didn’t noticeably effect the normal PQ, but it didn’t. The OP's proposed TV is certainly in another league to the one which I owned so I wouldn't have thought there would have been any problems in that regard.