Sony Bravia KDL-55NX720

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 12 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Vastly superior to the LG LW5600, and Samsung UND8000

  by vihdeeohphiuhl on September 12, 2011

  Pros: Superb deep black level, excellent color accuracy, zero blooming, outstanding motion resolution, very good 3D performance (David Katzmeier either received a bad revew sample, or purchased a defective set), did I mention endless inky blacks?

  Cons: Loss of color saturation from off angle, loss of black level from off angle, improper deinterlacing

  Summary: I want to start my review off by telling you that this television does not have the 3D problems that are discussed in Mr. Katzmeier's review. He either received ...

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  Summary: I want to start my review off by telling you that this television does not have the 3D problems that are discussed in Mr. Katzmeier's review. He either received a bad review sample, or purchased a defective unit.
  
  Next, I want to tell you that I find it amusing that this television received the same performance score as the LG LW5600 and the Samsung UND6400 series. I have a very personal objection to this, because I actually owned both the LW5600 and the D6400 this year, before purchasing this NX720. I can tell you, first hand, that the NX720 outperforms both of those sets by a wide margin. As a matter of fact, the performance difference is almost too great to quantify. Just look at the facts - The MLL measurement of the NX720 is extremely superior to that of either the LW5600 or the UND6400. It's a huge difference! The black level is so superb on the NX720, it's basically as good as the HX929. You'd have to see them side-by-side to know any difference. (I actually owned both the HX929 and the UND8000 series this year as well, before going with the NX720). This alone should bump the NX720 to a score of 8 in performance rating. However, there's much more - The LW5600 evinces an extreme amount of blooming. The NX720 exhibits zero blooming. The UND6400 is so plagued by light leaking through into the panel, bright spots all over, and terrible screen uniformity, that it's hard to view it in a darkened room. The NX720 has essentially perfect screen uniformity. I'm sorry, but with all of these extreme differences, there's simply no way that all three televisions can receive the same performance score. I don't know why David gave them the same performance score, but he was wrong for doing so. Just go and spend some time with all three in a darkened room, and the difference is unbelievable.
  
  I want to go back and talk about the 3D performance for a minute. I witnessed none of the issues that are discussed in the review. There is utterly no flickering whatsoever. 3D off angle performance is very similar to what I've witnessed with all 3D LED-LCD televisions. With good 3D material, there is minimal crosstalk. I've even directly compared the 3D performance of this television with the superb 3D performance of the UND8000 series, as well as a PND8000 plasma, crosstalk on the NX720 is similar to the PND8000 plasma, and just barely worse than the UND8000 (although that television is a catastrophically awful 2D performer). The 3D performance of the NX720 is VERY GOOD! This can't be stressed enough! Please don't trust David's review. I'm positive that he either received a bad review sample, or purchased a defective unit. I'm extremely sensitive to any and all video quality flaws, both in 2D and 3D. I've watched sets that exhibit flicker in 3D mode. The NX720 does not. I've watched sets that have a lot of 3D crosstalk. The NX720 does not. I don't know what might have happened when Mr. Katzmeier spent time viewing the NX720 in 3D, but he witnessed a lot of issues that simply aren't present on a properly functioning NX720. The 3D performance of the NX720 is just as good as the UND6400 series, and the PND8000 plasma. It's not quite as good as the UND8000 series or the Panasonic VT30 plasma, but it is very good, and equals the performance of most high-end LED-LCD televisions.
  
  I want to let you know that I normally agree with almost everything I read in Mr. Katzmeier's television reviews. He is accurate about 90% of the time. Many of the flaws or issues he talks about when reviewing any given set, are easily discernible as soon as you sit down and start viewing that particular set. He is wrong from time to time, but I don't think I've ever witnessed him being this wrong about any set I've ever read one of his reviews for. There's just absolutely no possible way that the NX720 scores the same performance rating as the LW5600 or the UND6400 series. The performance of the NX720 is vastly superior in every regard.
  
  With the NX720, you're getting KURO blacks with utterly no blooming. The black level of the NX720 is astonishing, and it's even more shocking when you consider the fact that it does not exhibit any blooming. It's basically like mixing the deep endless blacks of HX929 with the zero blooming and perfect uniformity of the KURO. You're simply never going to be able to say that about any other LED-LCD television this year.
  
  Updated on Sep 13, 2011

  Just want to add that the design of this television is the pinnacle of flat panel design. I've had the UND8000, and UND6400 in my home, and neither of them got the reaction that the NX720 gets. The design is breathtaking! A 10 out of 10! A frameless/narrow bezel design simply can't compete with this monolithic one. When a nearly frameless television is turned off, it just looks like a screen with a narrow frame. The reaction from most people is simply, "That's a cool frame." When this NX720 is turned off, it doesn't even look like a television! It looks like a work of art! The reaction from other people is decidedly enthusiastic! They can't believe it's a television! So, the design score is definitely a 10, the performance score is an 8 (Cnet really blew it when they rated it a 7, but the off angle performance of any LCD still brings them down a bit), and the features are a 9. That means that this television actually rates as EXCELLENT and probably an 8.4 out of 10.

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  15 out of 18 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  The NX720 Rocks!!!

  by sidewinder9m on September 12, 2011

  Pros: Nice awesome picture, yep the colors are accurate. Luv it...Sony is just the best TV out there!!!

  Cons: Glossy reflective glass, during daytime viewing a lot of reflection need some heavy curtains to cover windows.

  Summary: got a great deal, bought the TV which included a free sony google bluray player and 2 pairs of free 3D glasses....TV bought for $1999 after price match and ...

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  Summary: got a great deal, bought the TV which included a free sony google bluray player and 2 pairs of free 3D glasses....TV bought for $1999 after price match and promo during the Labor Day weekend sale.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  So far Awesome TV for the price ($1400.00)!!!!

  by ruckersoccer on March 26, 2012

  Pros: It was very easy to get it all set up and hooked up to a wireless network. The picture quality is Outstanding, even in SD.

  Cons: The cons for is getting connected to NetFlix. The instructions were not very clear. I know I will figure it out but it should be easy for non-tech to figure out.

  Summary: The initial review it was proced at $1,524.44 - $2,609.99. The price reviewed in Oct 2011 is way out of date. I bought mine for $1499....

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  Summary: The initial review it was proced at $1,524.44 - $2,609.99. The price reviewed in Oct 2011 is way out of date. I bought mine for $1499.00. Anywhere on Amazon you can get this TV for that. I am not tech-savy at all but view this TV as I see it. I still have not tried 3D viewing and taking everything a little at a time. But my review hihglights the major price shift, not on the tech side. I will add to this while accomplishing tasks... Don't pay too much.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Very nice picture & User Friendly!

  by cardawg29 on April 11, 2012

  Pros: The menu system is quite simple to learn and remember. The Tv has more inputs than you will need. love the auto shut off power saver mode. The picture quality is very nice and comparable to our Samsung 50" we have mounted in the same room.

  Cons: The brightness is not quite as bright as I would like it, but its still nice. I can't really think of many Con's. This is a great Television and if you shop right you can get a very low price on it.

  Summary: Good television for the price. You can count on Sony to last a number of years. I love how lightweight this TV is, and how little electricity it requires. We ...

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  Summary: Good television for the price. You can count on Sony to last a number of years. I love how lightweight this TV is, and how little electricity it requires. We use this Tv anywhere from 6-8 hours per day. We watch 90% sports on this television and the motion Flow technology really works. You simply cannot notice any problems with the full speed and real time Sporting events we watch on this tv. Oh yeah, the colors are simply amazing. We also use our Playstation 3 to watch Blu Ray movies, its absolutely incredible. We recently watch Toy Story 3 Blu Ray. We waited until dark, and we turned the lights out in our Family Room. The colors and detail were beyond incredible, and NOTHING like what we have seen in the past. This Television produces the most amazing Picture. We are very happy. Sony got it right on this television and we would not hesitate to buy another one if the opportunity presented itself.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  I like overall design...

  by man8mano on May 15, 2012

  Pros: Bright, clarity, very good motion ...not like other

  Cons: I want to see the sound like my old TV

  Summary: Thank goodness SONY still produce very quality TV.

  Summary: Thank goodness SONY still produce very quality TV.

• 9 stars

  great tv for price

  by rgtoys1974 on September 25, 2011

  Pros: great sound and picture

  Cons: none i know of

  Summary:
  
  Updated on Sep 25, 2011

  Great color and sound. Got good price. Lots and lots of bell and whiles. LOVE IT!! Hope it last.

  Summary:
  
  Updated on Sep 25, 2011

  Great color and sound. Got good price. Lots and lots of bell and whiles. LOVE IT!! Hope it last.

• 7 stars

  personal opinions about LG 3D system

  by NeilFiertel on September 12, 2011

  Pros: Though the amount and quality of 3D programing where I live is trivial the fact is..it works beautifully but the crappy tiny eyeglasses are a disaster and made for child sized heads and with the small lnses, they do not cover my standard glasses..a big ma

  Cons: 3D system too expensive and complex

  Summary: Sony 3D system is too complex, requires head alignment, pricey glasses. No advantage over the LG polarizing system.

  Summary: Sony 3D system is too complex, requires head alignment, pricey glasses. No advantage over the LG polarizing system.

• 2 stars

  Broken Right Out of the Box

  by bhwestport on December 14, 2011

  Pros: Nice design; online options are good

  Cons: Off center viewing not great; Many hardware issues with Sony that professional reviewers like CNET do not take into account when they review TVs

  Summary: I want to love this TV. Maybe at some point I will. Right now, I'm without a TV, waiting for my replacement to arrive. After reading CNET's review ...

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  Summary: I want to love this TV. Maybe at some point I will. Right now, I'm without a TV, waiting for my replacement to arrive. After reading CNET's review of the Sony XBR KDL line, I went out and bought one. Heck, it received an Editor's Choice Award AND was awarded TV of the Year (runner up)! I was impressed. Usually, I avoid Sony like the plague. I have always found it to be a an overpriced "Best Buy/Costco" brand that typically did not equal better performance.
  
  But the CNET review convinced me to reconsider, and I was looking for a great 2D panel that had access to Netflix AND Amazon Instant, and Sony has a great online setup and variety of offerings. I have used LG products, and do not like their interface, and I have a Samsung TV that looks great in a 30 inch, but I've seen it in larger sizes and do not like how the picture quality degrades. So I went with the Sony.
  
  It's beautifully designed TV, with no bezel and no border, so it looks like a flat piece of black glass on your wall. Really nice.
  
  I had the unit professionally installed and it worked ok during the set up. We connected it to my home network and I was logged on to Netflix and Amazon quickly, and the quality of the streaming video at 60 Inches (I got the larger version of this TV), was excellent. I disappeared for a couple of hours while the rest of connections were made, and when I came back, the installers were getting ready to leave. I tested it out before they left, and the TV cycled on, then automatically shut down. I turned it on again. Same thing. And again. Finally, the green power light turned red and blinked 8 times. This is Sony's way of telling you something is screwed up with the TV. The manual does not tell you what 8x means, and each blink is a code for a different problem. The installer called Sony tech and was on the phone for about an hour. They went through a series of reboots. No fix though. Finally, the tech support said that this was a bad unit and needed to be repaired. Luckily I purchased this on Amazon (paid $250 more than if I bought from another online distributor) and I'm so glad that I did. I called Amazon and they are sending a new unit.
  
  It may look like the installers made a mistake connecting the unit, but they didn't. We disconnected all inputs and we still could not get the TV to turn on. When this happens, it is usually one of two or three things (burnt lamp - unlikely after two hours of use; burnt circuit board - common problem with Sony XBRs). Sony would not say what the code meant, but from online forums, it sounded like my circuit board was faulty.
  
  After my call with Amazon, I did a little sleuthing to see whether anyone else had this spontaneous reboot problem. What I found was that it was very common, going all the back to 2006 on different models. Luckily, mine presented with this issue Day 1. Others were not as lucky, and found that it happened sporadically after they had owned the TV for a few months (which they ignored), and then after the warranty was up, the TVs would eventually "brick". Out of warranty, and out of luck, and the postings all indicate tremendous frustration with Sony tech and willingness to admit any issues with these sets. Just check out one link: http://nerdboys.com/2010/12/23/does-your-sony-bravia-kdl-46w5100-tv-spontaneously-reboot/. There are lots of others too. The problem is a hardware issue, requires a quick service call, and if under warranty, this is free; others reported that the replaced circuit board cost them a little more than $100. Others could not get the issue resolved and were given a "discount" to buy a new TV. Some very frustrated Sony owners out there. Buyer beware.
  
  This is the first time I have ever purchased a TV that broke - at any time, let alone the first day I owned it. On the one hand, I understand that TVs are not the same as they were 20 years ago. This TV contains complex circuitry, including advanced digital decoders and networking capabilities. On the other hand, it's a $3000 item -- it needs to work. And not just through the warranty period, or the period when reviewers like CNET test the picture -- it needs to work for a decade... or longer. That's what consumers expect from TVs. They do not expect to have a computer that has bugs, or must be replaced every 3-6 years. TVs are permanent fixtures in households and we expect them to be workhorses.
  
  So my real frustration is that TVs are not tested the way, say an automobile is tested by reviewers. If you go on Edmunds or read Motor Trend, they have the initial review, plus they have the long term review after miles have been put on the car. I feel like for a $3000 TV purchase (plus $1000 to install a screen this large on a wall including all connections and new cables, etc), the TVs should be tested for initial impressions and then again, maybe a year later after the warranty has expired. Because I don't just want a TV that looks good for the one day that I review it. I want a TV that is going to last many years.
  
  And I think I'm being overly generous to Hollywood and consumer electronics companies who have made the world of home entertainment even more confusing and expensive than the world of Windows (or Mac). If you buy a 3D TV like this KDL line, please do not believe for a second that you will actually be able to view 3DTV with it. To view 3D, you need to have the following additional business in order: First, you will almost definitely need to upgrade all of your HDMI cables to a 3D rated version. They can be as little at $12 or more than $150. And if they're behind your walls, you will have to remove your old ones and snake new ones through. Second, you'll need a 3D blu ray player. Obviously a DVD player won't do, but neither will that new blu ray player you bought only a year ago. Now you need to go and spend at least another $200 on a new blu ray player. What to do with the old one? I don't know. Oh, and you don't just watch blu rays all day? You watch regular TV too? Well, don't count on using that fancy home entertainment 7.1 Dolby receiver that you bought last year for $800. No, the HDMI technology in that old piece of junk wasn't approved for the copy protection codes they placed on 3D blu rays. And don't think you can bypass your receiver and just connect directly to the TV. Do that, and you'll have 3D video and tinny 2 channel stereo sound. If you want surround sound, you'll need to buy a brand new receiver. There are no receivers that can be "upgraded" to pass a 3D signal via HDMI. Finally, and this one is for Sony only -- you need glasses to watch 3D, and this TV doesn't come with them. Cost? About $70-90/pair. So if the family wants to watch, it's another $300. Grand total to "upgrade" to actually see a movie in 3D? About $1400 additional! I knew this going in, and didn't buy this TV for the 3D, but come on!!! Honestly, this isn't even Sony's fault, it's a consumer electronics industry that does not know how to negotiate with Hollywood. This could be so much easier!
  
  So in summary, shame on me for not researching the blogs to see what real consumers are saying about the KDL and the Bravia line generally after several months or a year of use. If I had read those reviews, I would have stuck with a brand I was more comfortable with -- and I may have even gone with a plasma, which is what this TV was replacing. Instead, I followed the expert reviews, and I bought a lemon.
  
  Amazon gave me the choice of getting a refund, choosing another brand or getting a replacement. I chose the replacement because as I stated at the open, I would want to like this TV -- it's beautiful and has all the features that I want. Since it's Amazon, I know that if it doesn't work, I can send it right back. And believe me, I will set reminders on my calendar for warranty expiration dates, and this may be a TV where I buy the extended warranty or service contract. So my advice is to beware of Sony and be careful relying too much on the online reviewers, even from reputable sources like CNET. Truth is, CNET doesn't live with the TVs -- they just spend a few hours with them.
  
  It would be great if CNET scraped some of the blogs when they reviewed these sets (and other equipment) to at least make note when an unusually large number of consumers are facing an issue that they did not find on their review.
  
  I will post a follow up once I get the replacement set.

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  1 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Best Quality, Price cheap that

  by PhaiLyly on January 11, 2012

  Pros: Need fix prices ,be carefull when you open ,moving it

  Cons: 3D, Real time player, True color if you see shadow on 3 D please check your glass DVD ..etc

  Summary: We buy it from Sears 11/11 real great price ,highquality picture and sound,network search movies fast open 1 touch 1 movement unbeat any other Band

  Summary: We buy it from Sears 11/11 real great price ,highquality picture and sound,network search movies fast open 1 touch 1 movement unbeat any other Band

  0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 1 stars

  Terrible 3D and poor picture quality.

  by cfgeek on December 21, 2011

  Pros: TV looks nice when turned off.

  Cons: Poor picture quality.
  Grainy picture.
  Color is off.
  Tons of custom settings, but can't get the picture to look good.
  Flashlight effect from corners of screen

  Summary: This TV is terrible and not worth the money. Don't buy into the fan-boy reviews on the internet. I did and I returned the TV to Best Buy after ...

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  Summary: This TV is terrible and not worth the money. Don't buy into the fan-boy reviews on the internet. I did and I returned the TV to Best Buy after two weeks of screwing with configuration settings.
  
  The TV description at Best Buy originally said this was a 240 Hz TV...it's not. The 3D has a lot of cross talk and due to the set only being 120Hz, fast moving scenes in 3D are impossible to see.
  
  Also, right out of the box, the picture is terrible. It took me 2 weeks to perfect the picture by constantly editing the settings. I could never get rid of the flashlight effect in the corners and partially on some other parts of the screen edge. Google tells me that this is a common problem with this model.
  
  With the best configuration I was able to get, I still had to adjust the picture during the day and then change it again at night. We have a normal living room with average outside light. Further, the viewing angle is very limited with this TV.
  
  Given that the Samsung LED 3D TVs are at a comparable price, I went with them. The set was perfect right out of the box and the 3D doesn't flicker or stutter like the Sony did.
  
  I don't know if other 3D Sony TVs are this bad, but I would rather have no 3D than this TV. I do have a LCD Sony TV that has a great picture and seems very durable....so I'm not a Sony hater; but they really dropped the ball with this model.

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  0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

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