Sony BRAVIA KD55XG81 55-inch LED 4K HDR Ultra HD Smart Android TV with voice remote – Black + Sony HT-X8500 Bluetooth Single Sound Bar with Dolby Atmos and Vertical Surround Engine

This is a great product from Sony. I\'d say it sits in the low to middle end of the range. There are cheaper options from competition but you pay a premium for the Sony brand and it shows so was definitely worth spending the extra for this TV.The 65\" inch looks great and feels very well made. The packaging was pretty good, there was no damage when I received it and setting it up was straight forward. The bezel finish looks really good, it definitely has become the center-piece of our living room!In terms of the picture quality, this TV is well worth the money, 4K UHD looks brilliant, I tried Blade Runner 2049 and it looks amazing. The sharpness and the blacks were all satisfactory. Watching sports was pretty good as well, no lag or sluggishness when there are fast moving pictures.The only gripe I have is against the remote and the android software. The remote is pretty functional but very basic. The voice assist works quite well, although I haven\'t used it much. The software is sluggish, not the point of being frustrating but it is noticeable. Having said that I believe this is common for most android based TV. This was massively improved though by using the 4K fire stick, i just used that instead now and it has been a much better experience.Overall, I think this is a great TV and worth the money.

This is one of Sony\'s new range of TV\'s and one that sits toward the lower end of the mid-range but it still has some great features. It is a 4K TV offering a resolution of 3840x2160 lit by edge LEDs although the larger 55inch version has direct LED illumination It has a full implementation of Android TV with access to the Google Play Store, (although this is a subset, no Now TV for example,) built in YouView and direct links to Google TV and Netflix via a dedicated button on the remote control. It is supplied in a branded box which contains; the television, remote control, AAA batteries for the remote control, AC Power Adaptor, AC Power Cord, IR Blaster, operating instructions, a quick setup guide, and a two-piece stand.The television has a good range of inputs which covers most requirements including 4 x HDMI, 3 x USB, 1 x wired Ethernet, 1 x 3.5mm audio out / headphone (nice to see!), Optical audio, and composite video inputs. There is also a wired IR Blaster that allows you to operate a satellite or cable unit from the TV Remote control by putting an IR transmitter in front of the box. I have not tried this but anything to reduce the number of remote controls has to be a step forward. It supports Bluetooth version 4.1 and Wi-Fi Certified 802.11a/b/g/n/ac including both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands. The Android operating system has a generous 16gb of storage built in although over half is used by preconfigured apps, additional storage can be provided via a USB memory card or hard drive.It is simple to set up especially if you have a Google Account as it links to this and drags across information such as WiFi setup and Netflix login. After tuning in the channels and adding the specific Sony setup as well as registering for YouView and you are ready to go. The interface takes a bit of getting used to but is much better than some of Sony\'s previous ones. It isn\'t quite as fast and responsive as my Samsung TV though with a bit of a lag at times but then it does have more features.I have had some problems with some of the apps and I am not sure if it is the TV or my setup although they do work on other devices. I was unable to register BBC IPlayer and had to go in as a guest as it would just hang after you put in the registration code. I have not managed to pair it with Amazon Alexa despite being able to link the Google and Amazon account, the TV is not recognised by the Alexa app. I will continue working on this and update the review accordingly. Also, the voice search function on Google Play did not work and you have to search via the keyboard by pressing the right-hand part of the rocker switch on the remote control which is not obvious.The picture quality is excellent offering real detail, along with natural tones and colours. It upscales 1K HD content particularly well which is noticeable on some of the streamed content and holds the definition without it dropping off when a scene changes. Sport is handled well with smooth movement without blurring or ghosting and overall the screen is well lit with no bright or dark patches. The sound is not so good which seems to be fairly typical of flat screen TVs these days. While it supports Clearaudio+, Dolby and Digital Surround Sound the two bass reflex speakers are not sufficient to do it justice. While the sound is clear and detailed and probably fine for the spoken word it lacks warmth and depth and I would still budget for a soundbar or additional speakers, however, this is the same for pretty much every large screen TV I have tried.The built-in YouView works well and offers a great program guide as well as being able to stop and start programs. The addition of a USB Hard Drive (Up to 2Gig supported) allows you to record programs as well. The remote control is quite intuitive to use although the voice function is a bit hit and miss this may improve with familiarity. All the major streaming apps seem to be supported with the exception of Now TV although you can use the Sky app and I can access Netflix, Amazon in particular which reduces the requirement for additional boxes to support these services.Overall this is an impressive TV which offers a superb picture and good connectivity. The sound is OK but slightly disappointing when you read the specs but as stated this is an issue for most competitors as well as televisions become thinner and lighter and this is easily resolved with a soundbar. Android TV does take some getting used to and is a bit laggy but is also very powerful. While this does look expensive compared to some others in the class the picture quality helps to justify this.

First impressions, are of a beautifully stylish, unfussy TV.The stand is an easy fit, the TV is discreet, keeping your eyes on the Tv rather than the standHow TV’s have changed! I have worked in the TV and Audio retail business for most of my working life, which is near to 30 years, I’ve had little to do with TV for the last 15, I’m now only audio, how TV’s have moved on, I have a Panasonic Plasma which I’ve had around 3 years, but even in that time things have changed.Set up is a bit like setting up your Tablet or Phone. You are best registering all that you are asked to get the best from the TV, Google account etc. The TV has Google assist, you can now talk to the remote control, same as you would Siri, Alexa, Google Home, ask for Netflix and it will be on the screen etc.The most important thing about a TV is picture, I’ve seen the quality in the large out of town stores, drooled over the quality many times, I knew it would be good, this is stunning in Full HD, bright, clear, vivid colours, It is stunning using a 4K DVD, or using HD on Netflix or Prime, sharp, detailed, loved watching a live sports game, its like looking out of a window watching it live from your front room, such natural vivid colours.You’ll notice the difference when you switch back to standard non HD, about time all the TV channels were in HD.Sound is good, not amazing, I use a Sony Sound-bar, sound from any TV is limited, If you want good sound, get a sound-bar or AV system.Remote is okay, its easy enough to navigate, you can get the TV and remote to operate your Sky, BT box etc, I use EE Tv which wasn’t compatible with the remote switching feature.This is a stunningly good TV as far as picture goes, do you need all the other features, hell yea.... who doesn’t like lots of features and gadgets.

Won\'t work with my echo plus although Amazon say they pair they dont. Will sometimes only sometimes switch on and off when I ask alexa. But nothing else no channel change, vo!ume etc. Been stitched up by Sony and Amazon.