This *CAN* be the best TV on the market - Sony BRAVIA 8 II
Quick Overview
The Sony BRAVIA 8 II is considered one of the best, most premium state-of-the-art TVs available, offering incredible performance, especially in terms of black levels and color accuracy when using the Professional mode, though the default Vivid mode is extremely bright and oversaturated.
Key Points: The Sony BRAVIA 8 II 65-inch model is priced at $3300, with the 55-inch version costing $2600, placing them among the most expensive TVs currently on the market. In the default 'Vivid' picture mode, the TV achieves a peak luminance of 2630 nits, but this mode is highly oversaturated, showing significant color deviation (Avg dE ITP: 42.12). The color-accurate 'Professional (HDR)' mode significantly reduces color error, achieving an excellent average dE2000 of 0.93, with a maximum of 3.08. The TV features Acoustic Surface Audio+, utilizing 2x 15W actuators and 2x 10W subwoofers, where the screen itself acts as the speaker, with an on-TV switch to optimize sound based on table-top or wall mounting. Input latency in 'Video/Images' mode is 136.3 ms at 120Hz and 224.4 ms at 60Hz, but this improves drastically in 'Game' mode to 8.5 ms at 120Hz and 17.2 ms at 60Hz, which is excellent for gaming. The remote control is made with approximately 80% recycled plastic and features a physical switch to toggle the built-in microphone on or off for Acoustic Auto Calibration. The TV supports HDMI 2.1 features, including 4K 120Hz on two ports, one of which supports eARC/ARC.
Context: The video features a hands-on unboxing and review of the Sony BRAVIA 8 II television, likely an OLED model given the discussion of perfect blacks. The host performs initial setup, examines hardware features like the stand and port layout, conducts crucial input lag and color accuracy testing across various picture modes (Vivid, Cinema, Professional), and demonstrates unique features like Acoustic Surface Audio+ calibration.
Detailed Analysis
The review begins with the unboxing of the large Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV. The host notes that in terms of hardware, the TV is premium, and highlights a design feature where a back panel is included to cover cables, which is different from older models. The remote control is noted to be made from recycled plastic, featuring a built-in microphone switch for Acoustic Auto Calibration. The ports include 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x HDMI 2.1 (supporting 4K 120Hz, one being eARC/ARC), 2x USB-A, LAN, RS-232C, IR in, and an RF input. The host demonstrates the Acoustic Auto Calibration feature, which uses the remote's microphone to optimize sound based on whether the TV is table-top mounted or wall-mounted. The TV's internal speakers feature 2x 15W Actuators and 2x 10W Subwoofers, making the screen itself a sound surface. Color testing reveals a huge difference between modes: the default 'Vivid' mode hits 2630 nits of peak brightness but has a very high average dE ITP of 42.12. Switching to 'Cinema (HDR)' improves accuracy slightly (Avg dE ITP: 32.53), but the 'Professional (HDR)' mode achieves near-perfect calibration with an average dE2000 of 0.93 and a max of 3.08. For gaming, input lag is excellent in Game mode, measuring 8.5 ms at 120Hz and 17.2 ms at 60Hz, while the standard Video/Images mode shows significantly higher latency (136.3 ms at 120Hz). The host strongly recommends using the Professional mode for critical viewing, despite the out-of-the-box Vivid mode being intensely bright. The TV also features PS5 integration, automatically switching to Game mode upon detecting a PS5 signal, and allows for separate Picture & Sound profile customization per input source.