before this year , Sony announced the Bravia 8 — anOLED TVsandwiched between twomini - LEDTVs , the Bravia 7 and Bravia 9 — and since then I ’ve been curious about it . This tv set ’s predecessors — most recently , the A80L and the A80 K before that — have always had one clear vantage over the competition : Sony ’s processing . However , competitors like LG have done a lot of catching up on the processing front . Now , the Bravia 8 ’s pegleg up on the LG C - series OLED TV is n’t quite as stark as it has been .
Still , Sony has cope to maintain on to a consecrate and enthusiastic bunch , and so far has maintained a major pull with premium buyers . My inquiry has been : Does the Bravia 8 turn in what those ethnic music need ? Who should buy this TV over theLG C4 ? What does it have and what ’s it doing better than the competition ? Let ’s get into it .
Sony Bravia 8 OLED specs
The right amount of bright
The Bravia 8 is an OLED television , so the right way off the bat , it has wondrous appeal thanks to its awesome contrast and colour . It ’s a Sony , so we can expect all the processing that tug its OLED panel to be top - tier and only among the best you could buy .
There are three types of OLED panels used in TV today : the relative newcomer , QD - OLED , uses quantum dots to achieve super impressive color volume andaccuracy . Then there ’s WRGB OLED , sometimes shout out W - OLED , which uses a whitened subpixel to boost cleverness . Finall , y there ’s a red-hot rod version of W - OLED telephone MLA OLED , which habituate tiny little lenses to boost brightness even more .
The Bravia 8 uses a received W - OLED gore , meaning it is not trying to be the most intensely bright OLED on the market . Sony leaves that bragging right for its accolade - winningA95LQD - OLED . That does n’t intend this television ca n’t get impressively bright . It just means that it ’s not a hot rod , and you do n’t have to pass live rod money to get it .
One thing you ’ll notice about this video is that it does n’t flaunt its ultrathin OLED panel like other brands do . It ’s still very thin , but Sony gives the boob tube a uniformly thin material body , rather than one that ’s ultrathin at the top with a expectant bump - out toward the bottom — like the LG C4 .
Impressive, clear sound
The television receiver make out with two foot that can be mount toward the centre , reducing the width of its footprint so it can jibe on small platforms or out toward the edges . You also have a choice of two different heights in either of those positions : one that sling the TV Sir David Alexander Cecil Low for a sleek look and one that bring up the TV , let for a wide array of soundbars to jibe just in front of it without stuff the concealment .
The Bravia 8 ’s remote is backlit and made of a recycled material Sony makes scream Sorplas , which has little flecks in the finish . It uses two triple - A batteries , and has a microphone for voice controller and calibrating the TV ’s sound .
There are a match of transducer go up to the back of the panel that countenance the projection screen to act as a speaker , which , when paired with a little bass gadget driver on the back of the tv set , adds up to really impressive and clear sound . On large manikin , it may seem like the voice are coming from the actor ’ mouths .
The TV comes with two HDMI 2.1 inputs ; one is an eARC connexion for feed a soundbar or A / V pass catcher . The tv set also include an ATSC 3.0 NextGen tv set tuner . equate that to the LG C4 , which has four HDMI 2.1 input , but no NextGen tuner on board .
The Bravia 8 run on Google TV ( my dearie ) with a built - in smart video interface that has been customized by Sony . The LG C4 runs LG ’s WebOS ( which is ok , but definitely not my preferred smart TV platform ) .
If you choose to augment the Bravia 8 with aSony soundbaror a Bravia Theater QuadDolby Atmossurround system , the TV ’s speakers can make for as a heart channel and otherwise expand the sound . Sony has a few other niggling bell shape and pennywhistle available , but that ’s the most notable one .
Numbers for Nit Nerds
Before digging into measurements , let ’s talk about some rummy thing you may have already pick up about .
On Vincent Teoh ’s HDTVTest canal , he noted that this TV was miss some deeper picture place setting and adaptation choice and wondered if the restricted bits were just for his region or if it was a global thing . He confirmed that the Bravia 8s in Japan were also missing some options , and I can confirm that this is also true for the North American translation .
The Bravia 8 does not have a Smooth Gradation slider , which lets you falsify the strength of the algorithm that aims to smooth out out jarring transitions in colour nuance . unruffled graduation is still at work in this boob tube — you just ca n’t make adjustment to it . This TV has a 10 - point white equaliser standardisation menu as fight back to the more farinaceous 20 - point white counterweight you ’ll find in goggle box like theBravia 9and A95L. There is also no colour management system at all .
Professionals need all the control to graduate a display as confining to ne plus ultra as possible . However , for most people , this is n’t an issue — not in pragmatic terminal figure .
When I asked Sony why the Bravia 8 is missing controls we have come to expect in its boob tube , a spokesperson steer out that with the controls useable , this TV can be adjusted to have white balance and color errors with a Delta E of less than 3 , which is considered to be below the threshold of human perception . They are right : I get Delta errors of less than 3 for white balance and most color .
In my vox populi , Sony plausibly thinks that its super - enthusiast interview or those in professional rope are n’t looking to get a Bravia 8 — instead they are more likely to get a Bravia 9 or an A95L. I do n’t remember anything meaningful has been lost by not including those controls , so I experience well-to-do acknowledging this is not a disadvantage to Sony customers .
When I asked Sony about what advantage is gained by not including these restraint , they courteously decline to answer . Left to speculate , I call up it may perhaps reduce the cost of production . Otherwise , if it does n’t salve them money , why not just leave those things in ? ( Teoh speculates it is potential that a coprocessor chip was omit . However , it appears that Sony ’s processing is as effective here as it is in other Sony tv . )
Along those air , Sony fundamentally says that its picture processing engine — the XR processor — evolves year by twelvemonth , and the user port and specifications are optimized for each model and panel type as far as client usability and gismo are touch . Therefore , sure features dissent between years and in between models .
That sounds like processing demand are humble for the Bravia 8 than for the Bravia 9 — which has a new backlight system that Sony has probably tweaked the XR processor for — and for the A95L , which has a QD - OLED panel that behaves differently and needs its own limited treatment .
I conjecture that if the Bravia 8 had an MLA OLED panel , it might demand its own particular treatment as well . I do n’t sense anything nefarious here , however , the fully vaporous answer would likely get extremely abstruse in the weeds and likely misconstrued by less savvy media , so it ’s probably not deserving risking the PR nightmare of a mistaken discourse on forums . I could be all in wrong , but I ’ve been in this business a while , and that ’s what it feels like to me .
In the end , does it really matter ? I ’m going to say no , it does n’t weigh to 99.99 % of humans on this planet . What does weigh is how the TV perform .
Test results
To conduct my measuring , I placed the Bravia 8 in Professional mode for both SDR and HDR . When I subjectively evaluated the television set with Dolby Vision contentedness , I used Dolby Vision Dark .
In Professional SDR mode with the default option options — which has the brightness set to 40 , and more importantly , the peak luminance set set to off — here ’s what I start :
Peak luminance was 100 nits — very rigid adherence to SDR — which is what I would bear for Professional mood . The two - point blank balance was a trivial odd . Sony does n’t always target accurate D65 , but the blue channel at just 100 nit seemed really off . That is easily fine-tune out using the white residuum controls .
With a 20 - point grayscale measurement , the profane canal was hot all the way up the chemical chain . The color Libra was OK , but not what I anticipate from Sony .
In Cinema modal value default option , the smartness was maxed out and the peak brightness was sic to “ medium . ” It was better in some ways , and worse in others . I saw a lower error at the very bright whitened , but it was more off through the top half of the grayscale , which was weird .
Next , I examine in Professional mode with everything maxed out , which is how I had the goggle box set most of the time I was watching SDR content . In some ways , it was better ; in other ways , it was more of the same . The factory tuning tend cooler , which I have to presume was designed . It was a marginal difference .
When mess up with color temperature , in just 10 minute I was able to make modification to the ashen counterbalance to get everything below a Delta E of 2 .
The Bravia 8 is an fantabulous OLED TV .
Credit go to Teoh for make this next part much easier for me : Electro - Optical Transfer Function ( EOTF ) trailing with the peak luminosity setting at “ high ” was the nonremittal for the HDR Professional mood , and the tracking was off in a couple of property . It was n’t bright enough in some expanse and too undimmed in others , which is very un - Sony - like . When the point smartness setting was knock down to “ intermediate ” the EOTF tracking was spot - on . However , peak HDR luminosity went down importantly .
I ’m o.k. if a boob tube brand desire to offer an too brightened HDR place setting — most people find that approach path comfortable to ascertain . However , that ’s not what I cerebrate most sept are expect out of Sony ’s Professional modality , and I do n’t think that folks should have to settle between exact HDR tracking and full HDR brightness capability . It ’s not a via media Sony has asked anyone to make in the past tense , and I do n’t understand why we would be asked to take it now .
However , Sony could be study its audience and know this is not depart to bother the huge majority of family line who purchase this television . What reward does Sony profit by going this room ? Cost nest egg ? That will just have to remain a mystery .
Here ’s my takeout food : This is not really an partizan ’s idiot box . Not only is it missing those distinctive coarse-grained calibration control , but the bloodless equaliser and grayscale is further afield than I ’d have a bun in the oven . It can be castigate well , but if you ’re looking for Sony ’s historically excellent out - of - box seat truth , the unit of measurement I test did n’t have it . Also , seeing it track so gloomy on the EOTF with the peak brightness level go down to gamey was just unmatched .
Your eyes will thank you
TheBravia 8is reasonably precise in its Professional and Cinema picture modes right out of the boxwood , and you may fine-tune it to be even more exact if you need to . With the top luminance typeset at eminent , you will get a very enjoyable , if not technically dead - on - balls ( that ’s an industriousness term ) precise picture . If you want exceedingly exact HDR tracking , the trade - off is a fairish amount of luminance . Most of you , though , are going to be exhilarate with this tv HDR carrying into action , as it can get very punchy in bright highlights and it generally makes all content look amazing .
The Bravia 8 is an excellent OLED TV . It has slap-up upscaling and image cleansing capabilities , lay down it an idealistic choice for folk who see a fate of cable’s length or live TV streaming inspection and repair like YouTube TV , Sling TV , or Fubo TV . It has a passing clean picture 95 % of the clock time . The color is n’t just accurate , it ’s gorgeous . It ’s an OLED tv set that starts at a baseline of awesome , and also encounter to be an splendid example of an OLED TV , thanks to Sony ’s outstanding processing .
The Bravia 8 is absolutely deserving turn over .
The Bravia 8 is a mind - bollocks up dainty for the center . There are brighter hot rod OLED TVs , and mini - pass TVs can get a pot brighter . But when you start from perfect inkiness and there are no backlight anomalies ? You will be dazzled .
I enjoyed watching the Bravia 8 a lot — and I have access to the earthly concern ’s best TVs . I never feel the need to take the Bravia 8 down and put up the Z95A because the Bravia 8 is endearing . If you are looking at getting your first organic light-emitting diode , or even supersede an organic light-emitting diode that ’s four years sure-enough or older , the Bravia 8 is absolutely deserving think .
Worth the extra money?
The question is not a matter of whether this TV is worth bribe — it absolutely is . The question is whether you should spend more to buy this goggle box as opposed to an LG C4 OLED . At the 65 - inch size , the Sony Bravia 8 is about $ 200 more than the LG C4 . Does the Bravia 8 earn that special $ 200 ?
The LG C4 has four HDMI 2.1 inputs while the Bravia 8 has just two — and one of them is submit up with the eARC functionality . If you have both the Xbox Series X and a PlayStation 5 or a gaming personal computer and you want to employ eARC to get audio to your soundbar or A / V receiver , I suppose the LG C4 ’s extra HDMI 2.1 ports are an advantage . However , for most folk , they are n’t .
The Sony has an ATSC 3.0 radio set whereas the LG C4 does not . I distrust it is n’t go to rock many folk . However , the Sony Bravia 8 has better sound calibre than the LG C4 . If you need the best negotiation clarity , the Bravia 8 is a good choice .
The Bravia 8 has a received remote control as opposed to LG ’s magic move remote . I know which one I prefer — what about you ?
The Sony runs Google TV as opposed to LG ’s WebOS . Again , I know which one I choose — what about you ?
I ’m a fan of the LG C4 and I ’d be quite thrilled to own one . But , if I ’m spend my own money , would I husk out an extra $ 200 on a 65 - column inch Bravia 8 ? Yes , because of the good sound , Google TV , and a remote control that does n’t motor me crazy .
I imagine that extra $ 200 is gon na break away down to maybe an supernumerary $ 4 per month over the course of study of four years , which is as long as I can keep a telecasting before upgrade - itus readiness in .
Transparently , I ’m a top - grade organic light-emitting diode kind of person when it comes to my animation room . If I ’m buy an OLED TV , I ’m credibly going to save up a lilliputian longer to get the Sony A95L , the LG G4 , theSamsung S95D , or the Panasonic Z95A , which has really fascinate my heart ( even though I hate Amazon Fire TV ) . If I ’m going bad , it ’s going to be a huge mini - LED goggle box .
The Bravia 8 is a whole and lovely OLED TV . It mystify a full good word from me . The question is : Is it the ripe telecasting for you ? Hopefully , I ’ve helped you go far at that decision .
