How well do Sony Android TVs perform?

by atheoncrutch

Hey everyone, hoping to get some opinions on Sony Android TVs, specifically the XBR65X750D.

I currently have 2 1080p TV's, one with a Nexus Player and the other using an Nvidia Shield, so I'm all in when it comes to Android TV. I recently picked up a Vizio 4k D-series on sale, but am wondering if paying approx $500 more for the Sony X750D would be worth it. The advantages are HDR10, IPS panel and, of course, the Android TV UI.

The UI on the Vizio is atrocious, so if I stick with it I'll need to use the shield, but if I go with the Sony the shield can stay with one of the 1080p TV's. I find my Nexus player runs sluggish these days, especially compared to the shield, so my concern with the Sony is that it won't be very powerful and will have a difficult time with certain apps (like buffering large streaming files in Kodi).

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

to;dr: Sony Android TV/HDR worth an extra $500 or stick with Shield?

Spontaneousamnesia

I have the 850D and it works great. The picture and sound quality are amazing. I haven't been able to adjust the settings to work well with the PS4 HDR compatible games, but 4K HDR streaming movies look beautiful (don't have a UHD Blu Ray player yet). Games like Uncharted 4 look better without HDR on IMO (too bright and colors washed out with HDR), but again, that could be because I haven't customized the settings correctly.

However, I'm not a fan of the Android TV UI. It's not customizable and the apps shift around too much in their categories. I'll be watching Netflix one night and it will be at the beginning of Installed Apps, but if I use YT or Vue or any other app, suddenly Netflix gets pushed to the end of the Apps list. The recommended videos feature isn't the best either.

Also, the TV comes with chrome cast built in, so a ton of apps can be casted to the TV, like YT, Twitch, Netflix, CW TV, etc. Doesn't work all the time, tho, and it times out trying to connect sometimes. You can try casting your phone if it's an Android, but the picture quality significantly drops from that which is casted directly from the app.

So, excellent sound and picture, but Android TV needs work. Still, highly recommended. Hope this helps. :)

Edit: Just realized you said 750, not 850. Whoops. Still, hope this helps somewhat. 😩

Elrond_the_Ent

I have the XBR55X850 and I am very happy with it, this is coming from someone who bought a Google TV RIGHT before they abandoned the platform.

edgan

I have a Sony 4k 930C(2015) AndroidTV. I like the interface, but don't use it much. I use a dedicated desktop running Kodi most of the time. My main complaint is that the UI is noticeably laggy compared to other devices.

I also have a Nvidia Shield on a older Sony 1080p TV. I find the Shield to be more usable than the Sony TV version of AndroidTV. It is also light years ahead of using a Chromecast or the UI in the old Sony TV.

One upside to the new Sony TV over the Shield is that it has the Amazon Video app. The Shield does not have one. The old Sony TV also has an Amazon Video app. This is Amazon's fault. They have actively blocked people using the Android app on devices they don't official support.

FoferJ

The XBR65X750D is one of the few Sony Bravias that shipped with Android TV 6.0.1 (Marshmallow.) Earlier ones are still stuck on 5.0x (Lollipop.) It's working fine for me, and I appreciate that it has native (4K/HDR) support for Amazon Prime. Also the remote is far more functional than what you get with the Shield.

I say use the UI that's built into the XBR65X750D for as long as it's enjoyable. When/if it falls further behind, or doesn't offer some function/app in the future, you can add a set top box, like the Shield or Mi and use that instead. But until that day comes, just use the TV's own UI and the TV's own remote and enjoy the integrated elegance.

superlarz

The TVs are ok, but the smart tech in the TV will most likely be outdated in a year or 2. I wouldnt pay extra for "smart" tech built in, but if its included its not a bad idea. Itll buy you a year or 2 without having to get another shield short term

TSwizzlesNipples

Personally I would stay away from any sort of Smart TV if you can help it and rely on something like Roku/MiBox/Shield. That's something that's replaceable as technology changes - not so much with a TV.