Customer reviews from sony.com
Sony - 49" Class (48-1/2" Diag.) - LED - 2160p - Smart - 3D - 4K Ultra HD TV
Average customer rating
4.5
(44 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 44 reviews
5 Stars
31
4 Stars
9
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
3
1 Star
1
90%of customers recommend this product.
(
37 out of
41)
Customer Reviews for Sony - 49" Class (48-1/2" Diag.) - LED - 2160p - Smart - 3D - 4K Ultra HD TV
Customer Rating
5
Outstanding
on December 27, 2014
Posted by: Gumby
Best TV I ever owned and one that will carry me well into the future. The image, sound, exterior design and quality are very impressive. The colors are real time, the 4K and 3D are out-standing. Whenever friends come over for a meal and a movie the word WOW!!! is the most frequent comment.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Posted by: HJKeller
Verified Purchase:Yes
I haven't had a chance to go deeply into all of the features of this set,, or view 4K media, but everything else about the set is excellent.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Posted by: Anonymous
Verified Purchase:Yes
I've been with Sony since the "Trinitron" (1980). Some of the NFL football games in blu-ray r unreal. 3-D works! I didn't think it would. Only drawback is the high costs of blu-ray 3-D DVD's.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Love - With Three Small Gripes
on July 9, 2014
Posted by: Anonymous
I just bought this TV a few days ago, and since receiving it and using it, I can honestly say I love it.
THE GOOD:
The Picture - The colors are bright, motion is smooth, blacks are deep, and I have yet to see an artifact that isn't the result of Internet streaming. The 4K is very impressive. There isn't a ton of 4K content out there, but from what I have been able to watch on this unit (a few Netflix shows), this TV handles 4K wonderfully. I don't know that the 4K picture is necessarily better than competing units from Samsung or LG (after all, they all are the same resolution), but the 4K on this unit is top of the line. Combine that with the beautiful color, even lighting (even though it's side lit), and great contrast, and you have what I think is one of the best 4K pictures on the market. The upscaling works pretty well, but it's still upscaling, so don't expect upscaled 4K pictures to look like native 4K pictures. For backgrounds and normal surfaces, it works very well, but for fine detail, you can't fill in what isn't there in the initial data stream - the TV can't put hairs on someone's head, for example. Still, everything is crisp and clean, and, at least to me, noticeably better than 1080p, even with upscaling. Absolutely no complaints about the picture - I love it.
The Industrial Design - This unit is very slim, especially given the technology packed in, and, as pictured, the bezel is pencil-thin. The TV is minimalist in design, elegant, slim, light, and all around one of the most beautiful and unobtrusive TVs I have ever encountered. It's just as sleek as pictured. It will look great in any room, and the design should never become dated. It's a great fit for any room.
The Menus - The menus on this unit are fairly intuitive and easy to use. It's even better than the menu on the PS3 (I'll be doing a PS4 next - even sooner if 3D BluRay support is added, hint, hint if anyone from Sony engineering is reading this). You'll be able to pick up the menu navigation on this unit quickly, and everything is well organized and relatively intuitive. It's actually quite like the AppleTV menu system, if not better. And I'm a HUGE Apple fan.
The Simulated 3D - Okay, so, I had no idea this feature even existed when I bought this TV, and only happened upon it while playing around with the menus (it's not hard to find - in fact, there's a 3D button on the regular remote, and accessible from the options menu on the touch remote). I was skeptical when I saw this feature, but was actually quite surprised when I turned it on. It REALLY works well. Is it as good as a native 3D picture? No, of course not. But all I can say is wow, does it work well. My girlfriend, who didn't really care about getting a 3D TV and is ambivalent about 3D movies, texted me the night we got it and wrote "simulated 3D is fun!" She's right, it really is. She and I have watched World Cup matches on the unit, and it works brilliantly. Still not as good as ESPN 3D was (hint, hint if anyone from ESPN is reading), but it works very well. We both thought it made the games much more engaging, and we're both big soccer fans. I've also watched (parts) of Lethal Weapon and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in simulated 3D, and was equally impressed. The technology adds depth to movies, and when things fly at you, they actually fly at you in 3D. The algorithms handling this do a great job. Simulated 3D is a great plus for 3D fans (like myself) since content providers seem to be pulling back on the pace of 3D production. This adds a lot of 3D functionality to the unit. One small gripe: you can't use simulated 3D from built-in apps (like Netflix on the TV). Not sure why, but I suspect the processors in the TV are busy with the streaming and there's not enough power to convert to 3D simultaneously. I assume it works from apps from streaming boxes or media players external to the TV since it works on stuff from cable, but have not tried it.
The 3D: Not much to say beyond what was said above other than the 3D is great. Works beautifully. I love the fact that it's passive (though apparently active on the 70"+ models). Passive means cheap glasses (Sony's are like $10, and I think you could take home glasses from theaters and they would work) that don't need charging and are light and silent. And the Sony passive 3D glasses look nice and are easy to store.
The Remotes - The remotes are good. The regular remote is fine, and for a regular remote, is good. Logically laid out, light, etc. The cool thing is the touch remote. It works very well and is very intuitive to those of us nowadays who are used to touch interfaces like phones and tablets. Combined with the great menus, it's a great way to interface with the TV. Much simpler and more fluid than traditional remotes. Both remotes take AAA batteries, so nothing proprietary there. One small gripe: the iPhone app remote is only okay. It would be great if it could pull up a keyboard to type in letters when you're typing in a field. Like when you sign in to Netflix or something (like on AppleTV with the Remote app, hint, hint).
The Internet Connectivity and Apps - Very easy to set up. There are tons of Apps. Netflix is awesome, and I love that there's 4K support in the app. Also, I LOVE that there is Amazon Prime functionality. This obviates the need for purchasing a Fire TV or other box. I've been wanting to get this on my TV for some time.
The Setup - Setup is super easy. Installation of the TV is a breeze. The instructions call for two people out of an abundance of caution, but you can do it with one, at least if you're putting on the legs. I laid the TV over our coffee table, screen up, and laid on the ground to screw in the legs (like working on a car). Took no time. The TV is light enough to be carried by one person. One delivery person carried it up six flights for us (sorry, if you're reading this, man), and I set it up myself. You may need two for VESA mounting. Initial software setup is easy and intuitive, too. Took no time to do.
The Cost - Okay, so $2000 for a TV nowadays may seem like quite a bit (which is why my girlfriend objected to a 4K and 3D TV). That said, this TV is actually a GREAT value for something with this kind of technology that is so future-proof. First of all, my girlfriend didn't really object to the $2000 price tag; she objected to the cost of other 4K+3D TVs, and maybe for good reason, but vis-a-vis other 4K+3D sets on the market, this is a bargain. And not only is it a bargain, I think it's one of the best sets out there. Keep in mind this is a very well designed TV with the resolution and features that will keep it future-proof for years. And honestly, $2000 for a top-of-the-line TV has never been that bad, and Sony makes better 4K TVs than this (though not in this size). For a reasonable price, I got exactly what I wanted feature-wise, size-wise, and usability-wise. And, if it holds up as well as my other Sony stuff, this TV will be with me for a long time (we still have a launch day PS3 in the family that works great). If you want a TV that is future-proof, good looking, has a lot of great content and features available, and affordable, you cannot beat this TV. I was ready to spend the $2300 it was initially listed for, so when it was priced at just $2000 when released, I was more than happy to buy (especially because at the time Sony had 36 month no interest financing). Great value.
THE COMPLAINTS:
The Height (or lack thereof) - The industrial design of the unit is great but for ONE thing: the height. The bottom of the screen (not the bottom of the bezel, but the actual screen) is about 3" from whatever surface you set it on if you're using the legs that come with it. I have no idea how this happened, and Sony should offer longer legs (hint, hint if someone from Sony engineering is reading this). Why? Because you can't put a sound bar in front of it! Even Sony's own sound bars! I was going to drop $1300 Sony's HT-ST7 7.1 surround sound sound bar, but won't now because it would block the bottom part of my screen. I guess I'll either have to track down a sound bar that fits or get a 5.1 or 7.1 with wireless speakers. This is a dumb oversight; make your stuff compatible and functional with your other stuff, Sony.
Video Unlimited - From what I can tell, Sony's video rental/purchase service does not sell 4K content if done via the TV. You can apparently do this from the sold-seperatly 4K box, but not the TV itself. This is stupid. I like 4K, but I'm not willing to drop an extra $500 on a box to pay Sony to watch 4K content when they could do it in-app. How do I know they can do it from the TV itself without the box? The built in Netflix app streams 4K. If a third party can do it, so can Sony.
Cable Box Interface - The least of all my gripes. First, you can't apparently control the power of your cable box from the Sony remotes. Second, and more importantly, the guide feature is lacking. It is slow, and for some reason always starts at the bottom of the guide rather than the channel you're on. I know the data for TV listings comes over the Internet and not directly from the box, but it's still a bit slow. And it takes forever to scroll through channels if you don't know which channels have which number since it takes a few seconds for the TV station names to populate. And the remote won't natively control the cable box menu, apparently; rather, it "blasts" your commands to the TV via a separate IR blaster to the box. Stick to changing channels via your cable remote. However, the TV does learn your most watched channels if you turn on the feature (which it will apparently ask you about automatically), which could make the Sony remotes useful for frequented channels.
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Great 4K UHD TV Ever!!
on November 20, 2014
Posted by: GottaLove4K
When it comes to 4k uhd videos, photos & other 1080p videos upscaled to 4k uhd, the picture is out of this world!! Sony gives you 30% more true color then any other tv company. Sony also gives you the true natural color that other tv companies dont do. Has great apps & more. Great thing about tv is all hdmi inputs are hdmi 2.0, other companies make you pay hundreds to upgrade to hdmi 2.0 in future. Love how the tv stand legs can go in 2 different places. And Sony is the only tv company that gives you that 1:1 picture like you should see it, all other tv companies give you 4:1, cutting down hd graphics and picture. I suggest buying the ps4 & bdp-s7200 with the tv. Sony.Make.Believe. Tv is easy to use & set up.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
2
I love this tv ........but
on November 22, 2014
Posted by: longtimesonyfan
I recently purchased this tv. I loved the design slim body the adjustable feet
I set it up and was surprised at the picture quality on HD antenna , dvd looked really good. even steaming 480 or higher video from my computer
was more than acceptable.
Here comes the but.....I have a large blu ray collection and most of the movies are in 2.35 aspect ratio which means black bars athe top and bottom ,thats good , it draws your eye to the image your watching.
On this set the black bars are not black, as in my present xbr.
on this xbr 850b are grey. .in some movies the lighter shade blends with the scene.
example 2001 , space scenes at times look like its filling the whole screen. then there is light emitting from the corners. This is XBR it should be better. I am very disappointed and really wanted this tv, , but because a lot of my viewing is blu ray , I could not accept this .
and have since returned it. pehaps local dimming would eliminate this problem, for normal viewing it is excellent.
I set it up and was surprised at the picture quality on HD antenna , dvd looked really good. even steaming 480 or higher video from my computer
was more than acceptable.
Here comes the but.....I have a large blu ray collection and most of the movies are in 2.35 aspect ratio which means black bars athe top and bottom ,thats good , it draws your eye to the image your watching.
On this set the black bars are not black, as in my present xbr.
on this xbr 850b are grey. .in some movies the lighter shade blends with the scene.
example 2001 , space scenes at times look like its filling the whole screen. then there is light emitting from the corners. This is XBR it should be better. I am very disappointed and really wanted this tv, , but because a lot of my viewing is blu ray , I could not accept this .
and have since returned it. pehaps local dimming would eliminate this problem, for normal viewing it is excellent.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from sony.comBy Sony Support, November 24, 2014
Hi Longtimesonyfan,
This is not the one that we would like to hear but appreciate the feedback. Will let our engineers know about this. Thanks. -Vincent
This is not the one that we would like to hear but appreciate the feedback. Will let our engineers know about this. Thanks. -Vincent
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
Easy to use and what a GREAT picture
on September 26, 2014
Posted by: Anonymous
It was very easy to set up and believe me --- I am not a TECH type person. Taking out the old system took 2x longer than setting the new one up.
Once it was up = WOW!! You will not believe how great it is.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com
Customer Rating
5
I finally got this TV after waiting a bit.
on August 9, 2014
Posted by: JustAConsumer
The only reason I got this instead of the Samsung (cheaper) was because of the HDMI 2.0 support that allows for 4K 60p. HDMI 1.4 only supports max 4K 24p (or 30p?). I almost got the bigger 55" size (A Series) on an earlier date, but didn't like the concept of a firmware upgrade (to allow for 4K 60p) that may not be better than newer native hardware and software support out of the box.
Note that this TV only supports 8-bit 4K HDMI® 2.0 compatibility. Specifically, it supports 4K 60p (3840X2160p (59.94/60Hz) YCbCr 4:2:0 8bit, 4096X2160p (59.94/60Hz) YCbCr 4:2:0 8bit). (Substitute for 50 if in 50Hz countries). Better TV tech in the future should support HDMI 2.0 4K 10-bit, 12-bit, and higher bit support. Now if Sony will make a 4K game on PS4, I would buy the PS4 immediately (I don't care if it is simple casual 2-color monochrome game, just make it a 4K game). Currently PS4 only supports HDMI 1.4 (so a 4K 24p or 30p game). Unfortunately 4K game support on PS4 is currently not supported. PS4 does support pics and video output in 4K though (I think in MP4 format, or streamed in whatever format Netflix uses). They would be limited to HDMI 1.4's 24p or 30p, and cannot go to a higher 60p. There is currently no Blu-ray 4K disc format!, so most of the 4K videos you get will have to be streamed from internet or hard drive/ USB drive.
The model numbers of this TV in different countries varies, but the TV is basically the same. Here is the unboxing and setting up video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px2xPkW6n8w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px2xPkW6n8w
Written by a customer while visiting sony.com