Sony KD-65AG9 review: a real treat for moviegoers

Technical specifications

The test of the Sony KD-65A9 was carried out on a test copy sent by the manufacturer. The measurements were performed with Calman Business software from Portait Displays and an X-Rite i1 Display Pro probe.

A successful design, but no big surprise

We will not dwell on the design of this KD-65AG. Sony has not attempted any particular exploit here, as Samsung can do with its Q950TS and its ultra-thin edges, or even LG with its “Signature Wallpaper” products, these even more high-end products. However, this 65-inch TV from the Japanese manufacturer is successful. The central pedestal allows the television to be placed on a piece of furniture that is narrower than its 145 cm wide.

The central foot allows the television to be placed on a piece of furniture that is narrower than the tile itself.

The chassis still rests flush with the cabinet and without competing with the Q950TS, the bezels are limited to less than a centimeter wide. In short, the result is clean, it's pretty, it's efficient and very qualitative.

The edges of the screen are thin

Top reactivity

Last year, we tested the Sony KD-65AF9, the predecessor of this KD-65AG9, and we were frustrated with its ergonomics, far from doing justice to its stunning image quality. Since then, the Japanese manufacturer has worked to improve its Android TV interface and we had already seen this during the test of the high-end LCD model, the Sony KD-75XG95. Good news, the AG9 family also benefits from Android 9 and with the house improvements made by Sony.

The home page does not change, but the responsiveness of the system is really great! The TV turns on quickly and there is no slowness.

The manufacturer adds his touch by creating a multimedia shortcut bar that gives access to practical functions that should normally be sought in Android TV menus. There is thus access to image and sound settings, but also quick access to certain functions such as the activation of the ambient light sensor. Sony even offers us to customize the icon bar by checking the ones we want to display.

Apple AirPlay et Google Assistant on-board

This is the case with access to the Apple AirPlay function. Apple TV is not natively available on the TV, but an official client is now integrated. It is no longer necessary to download an unofficial application from the Android TV Play Store to stream content from your iPhone, iPad or other MacOS devices via this wireless link. The television is automatically recognized in the “screen mirroring” menu and it works very well.

 

 

Nothing surprising in the fact that this Android TV has Google Assistant on board. On the other hand, like other high-end models from Sony, the KD-65AG9 integrates its microphones directly into the bottom of the chassis.

Two microphones are integrated into the bottom of the chassis.

Thus, if you agree, it is possible to activate the microphones via the “OK Google detection” option so that you no longer need to press the microphone button on the remote control. Google Assistant becomes operational in "hands-free" mode, like a connected speaker.

Moreover, this not only allows you to control the television (adjust the volume, search for a program, pause or resume reading, etc.), perform searches (weather forecast, YouTube, internet search, etc.), but this also allows you to turn off the television by voice.

Conversely, when the television is off, it is possible to request the integrated assistant to turn it on and, why not, ask it to start on a Netflix series for example. Obviously, like a connected speaker, the integrated Google Assistant also allows you to control your other connected devices at home: light bulb, electrical outlets, vacuum cleaner, etc.

X1 Ultimate processor, the upscaling that will always make the difference

So much for the few interesting software functions brought by Sony. And if this software experience is also good, it is also because this television embeds the excellent Sony X1 Ultimate processor. This not only ensures the fluidity of the menus, but also the upscaling performance of the television. It's hard to show you through a few photos how well the rendering of a lower definition source is handled on this 65-inch diagonal panel, suddenly, but we assure you that it is.

Suddenly, watching an old movie like Terminator 2 remastered in 1080p and broadcast on Amazon Prime Video turns out to be quite a satisfying experience on this big screen. In cinema mode as in expert mode, scaling is controlled. The processor does not seek to produce a steeper than necessary, which would have the effect of producing the opposite effect to that sought by adding artifacts which literally spoil the image. Obviously, the result is only better with Ultra HD content with which the processor only has to focus, in a certain way, on motion compensation and other image enhancement methods. such as “Super Bit Mapping HDR”.

Regarding the "Motionflow" first, it is possible to adjust the settings of this processing, the rendering of which can quickly produce an image that is too artificial, but in the default configurations of expert and cinema modes, the effect applied is quite enough. soft. Sony's experience in the world of cinema is obviously very important here in the management of this technology which is not unanimous, like other technologies.

Image 4K issue de YouTube Image 4K issue de YouTube image from "Comme des bêtes" Image 4K issue de YouTube

We are also quite fans of the range of other Sony technologies. First, Pixel Contrast Booster which gives the impression that the UHD image is even more sharp by clearly detaching each object from the image. And then the Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR, precisely, which is responsible for improving the 8 and 10-bit signals to produce more color nuances to produce more precise color gradations. The staircase effect on a blue sky, for example, is no longer noticeable. This is certainly an excellent thing, it should also be remembered that the competition is also very strong on the subject ... at least on their high-end products.

Finally, we are also quite fans of its “Netflix calibrated” mode which, like the HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision with which this television is compatible, allows Sony to guarantee its users that the picture settings will be at most. close to the wishes of the directors. This mode greatly reduces the brightness (from max it goes to 12) and cuts some image processing.

Acoustic Surface Audio +, techno that makes you happy

The AG9 uses Acoustic Surface technology which consists of producing sound by vibrating the glass panel on the front of the television set using “actuators”. This now well-established techno allows Sony to produce a sound that is rather well detailed and gives the impression of a certain precision in accordance with the scene. If a character speaks to the right of the image, you will have the impression that the sound is coming out of that place on the screen.

In this new version, the Acoustic Surface Audio +, Sony indicates that the total power is 60 watts distributed over a very specific audio system, like its original composition. There are two speakers at the back of the television set which act as a subwoofer while two "actuators" are responsible for producing the treble and midrange.

It is on the back of the television that we find the actuators that make the screen vibrate.

For a device integrated into a television, this is simply excellent! The sound is powerful and it will never disappoint us during our cinema sessions or even when we have listened to music. Yes, you read that correctly, the sound of this television is so good that it is not excluded to listen to music by taking care to cut the image of the panel - in three clicks on the remote control - in order to lower power consumption.

To obtain a better result, it will be necessary to invest in a multi-channel Hi-Fi system. Be careful, the fact that the slab is flush with the furniture prevents installing a sound bar in front of it without obstructing the image. Note, however, that in the case of an installation with satellites, the AG9 can then reserve its power to play the role of central channel. Not bad !

Perfect measurements

The cinematographic experience is therefore there with the KD-65AG9. The feeling is excellent, but we had to pass it under the impartial eye of our probe to see that the Japanese manufacturer delivers a very well calibrated device. If we had been surprised by the measurement results of the KD-55AG8, slightly below our expectations, this AG9 is a monster of perfection ... well not all modes.

Indeed, if the cinema mode is clearly an illusion for the human eye, which will see a superbly contrasted and bright image, our probe confirms that the expert mode is the one to be favored as the difference in color fidelity is important. . With decent fidelity in cinema mode (Delta E2000 average of 4,8) it becomes excellent in expert mode.

Excellent color fidelity right out of the box

In this case, we measured a Delta E 2000 of 2,69 on the REC.709 color space. Color space dedicated to SDR content which is also reproduced at 99,8% by this television. As much to consider that it is 100%, because, as we will see it later, the AG9 still has some under the foot.

On the other hand, we measured a gamma which is around 2,4 (the ideal being 2,2) and, as always with Sony, a slightly cold color temperature with an average measurement of 6698 K where the reference value is at 6500 K. Data which remains however excellent! The measurements in HDR mode, under the DCI-P3 colorimetric escape, are - strangely enough, moreover - even better.

REC.2021 coverage DCI-P3 Coverage Delta E2000 en DCI-P3 Brightness in HDR Max brightness

The measurement of Delta E2000 becomes incredible with a value of 1.66 which positions this Sony KD-65AG9 among the best. Our probe also indicates approximately 97% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space which is an excellent score. As is the coverage of around 70% of the REC.2021 space.

Other measurements remind us, however, that we are here in the presence of a panel from 2021. Each year, OLED technology shows interesting progress in terms of brightness and this should once again be verified during the tests of models equipped with 2021 vintage slabs.

Since the AG9 has a 2021 panel here, its performance in this area is a cut below future models. Moreover on the subject of brightness, some manufacturers have better optimized their panel than Sony, which displays here a maximum brightness of barely 587 cd / m² in intense mode and with the ambient light sensor deactivated. In expert mode, we measured an average brightness of 342 cd / m² in SDR and we noted a peak at 400 cd / m² in HDR mode.

Please note, these are values ​​measured on a white test pattern occupying 10% of the panel. On average, when the image occupies the entire screen, the brightness is around 150 cd / m².

Mesure input lag

Finally, it's important to note that gamers will benefit from a well-calibrated game mode and display lag that is thin enough that it won't be noticed even with the most demanding titles. In this case, we measured an input lag of 18,1 ms, which is not a record for the LG OLED55E9 with around 12,8 ms, but which places Sony in a very good position. For example, the excellent Samsung QLED QE65Q85R displays an input lag of 14 ms, but the Philips 55OLED804 and Philips 65OLED984 of the OLEDs therefore both have a display delay of 33 ms.