Sony xbr55x850c or Vizio m55-c2

[Maiyr]

So I am looking for a new TV and have wittled it down to two choices.

Sony xbr55x850c ---- http://www.sony.com/electronics/televisions/xbr-x850c-series

Vizio M55-c2 ---- http://www.vizio.com/tvs/mseries/m55c2.html

There are a lot of options that I am only familiar with due to my reading about them in the past two weeks. Prior to that they were not in my vocabulary. So I may say things here that are wholly inaccurate. Feel free to correct me where needed. As you can tell I am not looking at the cutting edge of TV's with these two as my choice.

There seems to be a lot that will be changing in the 4k space over the next couple of years so I am OK waiting for things to settle out and the prices to come down. OLED looks exciting.

Here are some pros/cons as interpretted by me from my limited reading.

The Sony is said to have the more accurate representation of colors, but it is also said it may not perform well in a well lit room. I think I might have a well lit room, but to be honest I am not sure exactly how lit a room must be in order to be well lit. I do have windows in the room, but there are blinds that block a good bit of the sun if they need to. Though the wife generally keeps these open during the day.

The Sony is Edge Lit while the Vizio is Full Array (though seems to not be as "Full Array" as a more expensive set). This appears to somehow affect the well lit room scenario, meaning the Vizio may perform better in a well lit room. I know the 65 inch Sony model is Direct Lit, but that creeps to far out of my budget zone. I need to save some for a new AVR that supports HDMI as well. My old Yamaha does not so I am looking at the Aventage line....but I digress.

As best I can tell they will both support HDCP 2.2 @ 60. Maybe relevant if I connect an HTPC though not really sure ? I do plan to do this.

The Sony supports HDR (via software I think) whereas the Vizio does not support HDR. As I understand this mostly will matter once the 4K discs become more prevalent and maybe some NetFlix streams. I am not sure if this really means much to me or not and/or if I am cool just waiting another couple years and then getting a TV that supports HDR.

My current TV that I am replacing is a (nobody laugh) Sony kp-65ws510. It is a rear projection 65 inch 1080i TV. This beast is about 3 feet deep. I am looking forward to getting all that living space back. 🙂 This TV has performed just fine in my possibly well lit room, but I don't know how to compare this TV to these newer sets as far as that is concerned when looking at the spec sheets.

I do plan to buy one of the calibration DVD's. I am assuming those work when ripped as well? I don't actually have a DVD/BD player; though I guess I could borrow one if needed.

Currently we watch the NBC Nightly News (GO Lester!) and our ripped collection of DVD and BD movies. The wife watches The Voice, etc.... All TV is currently over cable/FIOS.

Any and all comments are greatly appreciated regarding my understanding of the technologies and the sets in general.

Thanks,

Maiyr

 

[SithSolo1]

I don't know which one is better but I believe the Sony panel has a native 120hz refresh rate while the Vizio panel is 60hz. I think only the 60"+ Vizio M units have 120hz native panels. Just something else to think about.

 

[Maiyr]

Thank you Sith. I didn't even think of that, but definitely maybe something to consider for sports. Something we do watch occasionally.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I am not going to lie, I think that is a weird comparison as the Vizio should be significantly cheaper in most cases.

You should be comparing the Vizio M60-c3 to that Sony, in which case the Vizio is a clear winner for you given that you plan on watching video content more than say video gaming. Plus an extra five inches is really nice.

Full Array vs Edge Lit isn't a minor thing, it isn't like comparing an Intel i5 to an i7. It is like comparing an Intel i5 to a mobile CPU. I simply wouldn't own an edge lit TV that wasn't given to me.

 

[Maiyr]

Thanks poofy. Yeah, price wise there is a disparity. I can go either way. My main concern is picture quality and staying at 55 inch. So you feel the Full Array of the Vizio would over shadow any of the other possible dominant features of the Sony? Like the HDR support or the "Triluminous Display"?

 

[poofyhairguy]

My main concern is picture quality and staying at 55 inch.

What is your maximum budget? At 55inches the 1080p LG OLED will blow both of these sets off the map when it comes to picture quality.

So you feel the Full Array of the Vizio would over shadow any of the other possible dominant features of the Sony? Like the HDR support or the "Triluminous Display"?

Yeah basically. That Sony is only HDR compatible, without a full array backlight it doesn't have the ability to properly show actual HDR content. It is like buying a "1080p compatible" TV that can only output in 720p but will take a 1080p feed. "Triluminous Display" is Sony marketing, their colors are often beaten by competitors without that technology.

What keeps me from outright recommending the Vizio isn't either of those two things. They are just distractions. What the real advantage of the Sony is a real 120hz panel which means it can handle 24p content properly. That is a bigger deal to me.

But yes overall edge it is bad technology compared to full array. It has worse black and and more uneven picture (and sometimes a ton of light bleed). TV makers use the technology because its cheaper and it allows for flatter panel (for people who care a lot about how TVs look when they are turned off).

 

[smitbret]

Thanks poofy. Yeah, price wise there is a disparity. I can go either way. My main concern is picture quality and staying at 55 inch. So you feel the Full Array of the Vizio would over shadow any of the other possible dominant features of the Sony? Like the HDR support or the "Triluminous Display"?

I would agree with Poofy. An edge-lit will never have uniformity across the entire panel the way a Full Array will. It's not THAT dramatic but it is definitely relevant.

Also, 120Hz vs. 60Hz is really not much more than marketing a higher number. I personally cannot stand the resampling that occurs for 120Hz and the resulting "shiny/smoothing" effect it looks unnatural to me and if I had a TV with it I would turn it off. I find the judder introduced on a 60Hz TV to be far less objectionable. If possible, I would try to find someplace where I could watch them both and ignore the contrast and color, instead focus on the smoothness of the picture. Most people will immediately see something just a little off with the 120Hz set but some will see something horribly objectionable with the 60Hz.

 

[Maiyr]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Poofy, yeah, the LG OLED is just a bit north of what I want to spend right now.

I am going to try and find both of them in a store this weekend to have a look.

Thanks,

Maiyr

 

[poofyhairguy]

I feel Ya. Good Luck, let us know.

 

[Maiyr]

OK, so I went slightly off my initial two choices and have decided to go for the Vizio M60-C3. That way I get the 120Hz panel and at least some implementation of FALD. I am hoping to be purchasing sometime next week. I'll report back here my impressions once I have it setup.

Question on those calibration DVD's.... When I have used them in the past I have ran them off my DVD player. I currently do not have a DVD/BD player. Initially I was thinking I would just buy and rip the calibration DVD, but now that I am thinking about it maybe that will not work since whatever I use to play the resulting rip (kodi, vlc, etc..) has it's own set of adjustments as well. Whereas a dvd player has no such adjustments. Is my thinking sound? I'll look to borrow one I guess.

Thanks,

Maiyr

 

[poofyhairguy]

OK, so I went slightly off my initial two choices and have decided to go for the Vizio M60-C3. That way I get the 120Hz panel and at least some implementation of FALD. I am hoping to be purchasing sometime next week. I'll report back here my impressions once I have it setup.

Awesome, let us know.

Question on those calibration DVD's.... When I have used them in the past I have ran them off my DVD player. I currently do not have a DVD/BD player. Initially I was thinking I would just buy and rip the calibration DVD, but now that I am thinking about it maybe that will not work since whatever I use to play the resulting rip (kodi, vlc, etc..) has it's own set of adjustments as well. Whereas a dvd player has no such adjustments. Is my thinking sound? I'll look to borrow one I guess.

Some DVD players do have some post-processing going on. So it isn't a sure bet.

What matters is the HDMI input you plan to use is calibrated how you plan to use it. If most of your content will be watched via Kodi then tune it up via Kodi.

If anything the software you use should enable some color correction which is a good thing for an accurate picture.

 

[Maiyr]

I ended up going the the Vizio M60-C3 so I could get the 120Hz panel. Once I get the calibration completed I'll post back on my thoughts.

Thanks for all the input all.

Maiyr