Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsRegretting this purchase
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018
Final update - after dealing with apathy of which I never encountered before with Sony support, I am now dropping all recommendation for any Sony tv's. They refuse to fix the channel guide issues, their software is the worst of any tv manufacturer, and their support makes Xfinity and ATT look like customer focus driven goliaths. If you are unlucky like me and have a Sony Bravia tv, look into a complete external tuner and tv package via HDMI (assuming your HDMI plugs work), bypass all of their software and live as happy a life as you can with this overpriced, buggy tv.
Update: After 16 months of frustration I am dropping two more stars, see below for my original optimistic review. The tv picture is still great, however the software and complete lack of support from Sony makes me want to warn people not top buy Sony tv's until they get their act together. Most apps are still flakey, there is the pissing match between xfinity and android tv meaning HBOGO and Xfinity app won't work, I switched to Slingtv and half the time that does not work (have to unplug tv to reset). Worst, OTA channels do not have guide data anymore. We had several frequency migrations and more to come, each time I at least can rescan the new channels, but because Sony is too lazy to update their guide information the guide shows no channel information for all new frequencies. I have heard that it takes several months for this to be resolved, however every other tv (Vizio, Samsung, LG) had this corrected within a week. If you are looking for a decent monitor and plan to bypass everything software or tuner related, then this is a good tv, otherwise save yourself the aggravation.
So I was very irritated when my 5 year old Samsung 55" LED tv started shutting off randomly, especially since I have a 10 year old LCD version that still works fine. After much investigation it turned out to be a flawed (defective, should have been recalled) motherboard. I got a used replacement but I did not have much faith, so, time for a new present to myself.
I wanted a clear upgrade, but was not ready to shell $2-3,000 for the state of the art OLED's (specifically because there is limited 4k content as it is), so I targeted the high end 4k HDR level. I was not going to get another Samsung, so that left Sony, LG, maybe Vizio, I was not going to consider the Chinese specials so no Amazon special TCL, audio sucks on those anyway). Did my research and had some very helpful discussions (and a visual comparison at some retail stores). Vizio did not compete at the top quality level, and their color scheme seemed cartoonish. So we were at the LG 9000 series and this Sony (900F). In the end the Sony (most expensive) won out. LG worked best at the 8000 level for a much lower price point, but the dual database processing, superior contrast (look at this model side by side with the 800E model and you really see the difference), the Sony won the 900/9000 comparison. LG 9000 was almost the same price but the small specifics and the processing power won it for Sony. That said, there are some sacrifices I missed, but none that were a problem.
To start, there is no component input, which is a pain because one of my Directv tuners (goes through an HD PVR) used that output. There are issues with Directv if you have an HDMI cable connected and the tv is not on or tuned to that device when I make an HD PVR recording (which records on component). So, $20 for a component to HDMI adapter to connect that to the back of the tv. Fortunately there are 4 HDMI connectors, but I was counting on component to be the fifth input. There is a composite, but it needs an adapter which I think is the same as the old camcorder adapters, if you want an SD source like WII (see page 10 in the manual, I had a couple of these left over so no biggie there).
Setup was not painless, I tried to use the google app from my phone, but it didn't communicate well. Eventually I went in and manually set everything up, which was a chore because I didn't realize setup was hidden in the home screen (Thanks Tom'sHardware for your installation tweaks). Basically they want the tv to behave like a large android system.
At this point I have all my inputs setup, learned all my OTA tv channels, tested Netflix but have not installed Prime, Plex or Kodi yet. I had a Fire Tv cube that I was going to plug in here but it looks like that would be redundant (have not tested alexa commands to this tv yet, or ok google). I will update after I load software the way I want. I was pleased that there was an optical out for my SS receiver, although mostly I am using the tv speakers (sound quality was another big point for me).
Security, turned off Samba and any permissions I did not want to use (including its voice control). I'll see how it behaves over time. For now hard wired to my router so very good streaming. Prime does 4k at no extra charge (yeah Prime!), Netflix is another $3/mo (which I may not do, in fact might put them on hold for a while to try Hulu or something else).
Finally, video quality. My biggest complaint with my old LED was poor low light, high reflectance, and a ghosting image effect on black or dark images. (and it was 1080p). This tv seems to have all those covered. I have not been bothered with the soap opera effect on shows yet (default settings) so I will see how that works out over time, especially with more Bluray quality shows.
In summary, priciest of this class but also best of this class, and competes with the entry levels of the next class up. Plan for no component and an adapter (sold separately) for sd composite. Setup YMMV, but definitely go through all the privacy settings and only agree to what you want. It is app driven, and really built for streaming services and gaming. I probably won't bother upgrading Directv to 4k (satelite's days are numbered anyway if you have good broadband speed) but will explore all streaming and bluray has to offer.
Edit: So this is as much an android tv issue as it is a comcast/xfinity issue, and by that it means Sony should have thought first before getting involved. Xfinity refuses to let you register androidtv HBOGO, even though you have paid for it and it comes on your tv. This is incredibly stupid, and requires sideloads and usb or bluetooth mice, a real pain in the ass. Firetv had a similar issue (as did samsung) and those have both been resolved, seriously, get this resolves, you lost a star.
