Sony Z9F review

rpf65

First review I’ve seen on this set.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/z9f

These guys are pretty good, but as with all reviewers, it is still somewhat subjective.

I was intrigued by the wider viewing angle that was mentioned at the announcement a while back. Seems Sony may be on to something, but needs some work.

Just thought I would post the link for anybody that will be in the market for a new TV.

mantis

I'm interested in this model. I have the Z9D. The motion is improved which is really the only thing I would like to upgrade my Z9D.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one.

rpf65

Haven’t personally seen this set.

I was personally a little disappointed at what the reviewer had to say about the contrast ratio, but test results aren’t necessarily what an individuals eye may preceive. May be a non-issue, but if I were to consider this set, it would be something I would pay a little closer attention to.

mantis

I didn't like what I read about the Z9F. They say basically the Z9D is a better TV for a few reasons. I have to see this for myself and form my own opinion. The only thing the Z9D has against it for me is Motion Blur. It has some like all LED panels do but with the correct settings in Motion you can get most of it out. The new 900F which has been out for a while impressed the hell out of me with Motion. It is equipped with the new Motion chip set and much better then the Z9D for only Motion. After that it fails to compare in every other way. Well maybe price, it's a much higher value then the Z9D as it performs amazingly well. I would take it over just about every other set.
I gotta see the Z9F as this review actually disturbed me. One thing I did learn is the Master Series OLED Sony won the Cedia show for the best overall set today. I've always loved the OLED Tv's just was nervous about going for one for a few good reasons.
Maybe I shift gears and go for the OLED next.

rpf65

I’ve looked at all 3 of the Sony OLED’s, they even had a LG E-series situated that I could do a very good comparison. I don’t know if it was a calibration issue, or personal bias, but those Sony’s seem a step above.

I guess a step is a little exaggerated. It’s more of a subtle thing. Sony seems to be able to handle darker scenes a bit better. For instance when Dwayne Johnson falls through the trees in Jumanji, the leaves look more 3 dimensional. At least it appeared that way to me standing centered on a 65 inch screen about 8 feet away.

I noticed a few other things that I think Sony is doing better, but as I said it is subtle, and least individually. Of course I’m not a gamer, sound and apps are fairly low on my list, so my priority’s may be different. Of course the motion issue with the set you have just isn’t there on OLED’s, but that is one costly fix.

BlueFox

I love my Z9D, and haven’t seen any motion issues. Then again, I only use it to watch Blue Rays, so that might be the reason.

mantis

BlueFox wrote: »

I love my Z9D, and haven’t seen any motion issues. Then again, I only use it to watch Blue Rays, so that might be the reason.

TV shows show off the Motion blur a lot. Some 4k Blu ray's you will also see it. I mess around with the settings quite a bit as it's the only thing about the Z9D I don't care for. It's not all the time or a deal breaker but if the Z9F is as stable for motion as the 900f is then I'm probably going to grab one UNLESS the new A9F grabs me. I've been wanting a OLED since they came out but with all the talk of the issues they have and the lack of brightness I shy away. Maybe not this time.

tonyb

I want to believe if your having trouble with motion blur, it's a settings issue. My lower end 850c has zero blur, can't imagine these newer processors can't do better.

Was in BestBuy the other day, stopped to look at the Sony oled/led TV's. Fricking phenomenal picture on them, and noticed no motion problems. Only thing I noticed, was that they weren't as bright as their LED counterparts.

rpf65

I’ll agree that OLED’s aren’t as bright as LED’s, but I don’t think they really have to be. Since LED’s can’t produce total blackness, or no light emission if you prefer, they have to be brighter to compensate somehow.

When I viewed the Z9D and A1E side by side, a few months back, the displays looked very similar. The scenes that showed a night sky, for instance, looked equally as good on both sets, unless I took an unusual amount of time looking for a difference. This was at a Magnolia area, and the ambient light is usually similar to what I experience in my living room in the afternoon.

On brighter scenes, that time lapsed scene with the balloons inflating, the LED did in fact appear brighter. Of course both sets were playing the same scene at the same time, where one set had it running a couple seconds sooner than the other.

Point being that the measured brightness is much different than the perceived brightness.

DarqueKnight

I'm sold on 4K technology...but not 4K televisions. I currently have 24 4K movies and 12 2K Blu-rays that were mastered in 4K. I get more visual pleasure from watching a down-sampled 4K movie on my 2K plasma (Kuro!) than I do watching the 2K Blu-ray version of the same movie.

Whats even more disturbing is that I get more visual pleasure out of watching a down-sampled 4K movie on my 2K plasma (Kuro!) than I do watching the same 4K movie on a 4K television.

I haven't seen the Z9F/A9F LED/OLED sets yet. I'm looking forward to the day when I can retire the ol' Kuro...but it looks like my long-suffering wallet is safe for a while longer.

F1nut

You can't beat a plasma TV.

DarqueKnight

Kuro plasmas are the "SDAs" of televisions.

ken brydson

DarqueKnight wrote: »

Kuro plasmas are the "SDAs" of televisions.

Pannys are no slouches either. Love mine...

mlistens03

I saw a Pioneer Elite plasma a while back. That looked great!
I also like our LG, but it is no match for the Pioneer.

sgmsmg

I regret that I had to replace my Panasonic 65 ZT60 Plasma witht the Z9F. Unfortunately the plasma screen was accidentally damaged. It's too bad because it had extremely low hours/usage and worked flawlessly. The Z9F is no slouch and I enjoy not having to worry about burn in. It turns out I jumped the gun and should have got the Z9D instead of the Z9F. It seemed like a no brainer that the updated model would be better. If only the reviews were out before I placed my order.

mantis

sgmsmg wrote: »

I regret that I had to replace my Panasonic 65 ZT60 Plasma witht the Z9F. Unfortunately the plasma screen was accidentally damaged. It's too bad because it had extremely low hours/usage and worked flawlessly. The Z9F is no slouch and I enjoy not having to worry about burn in. It turns out I jumped the gun and should have got the Z9D instead of the Z9F. It seemed like a no brainer that the updated model would be better. If only the reviews were out before I placed my order.

It does have the new Ultimate chip and the new motion Chip so it does have its benefits. I still have not seen it in person yet and I own a Z9D which is fantastic except Motion Blur at times.

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

I want to believe if your having trouble with motion blur, it's a settings issue. My lower end 850c has zero blur, can't imagine these newer processors can't do better.

Was in BestBuy the other day, stopped to look at the Sony oled/led TV's. Fricking phenomenal picture on them, and noticed no motion problems. Only thing I noticed, was that they weren't as bright as their LED counterparts.

I worked with Son engineers and different video properties effect the way the display handles motion. Coming from a 60 inch Kuro LED tv's have a strange way of displaying video. They are not the same thing. The Euro is as smooth as glass and the Z9D has some ruff edges.
I do agree with DK on the Kuro being the best ever. I have thought a few times of taking it our of retirement as I kept it.

DarqueKnight

Lately my eyes have been gravitating toward OLED TVs, and, in particular, the 2018 LG OLEDs with the A9 processor. I might be on to something.