Author Topic: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)  (Read 7016 times)

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Offline Carlo777

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Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« on: Nov 27, 2017 at 07:20 AM »
After selling my LG55C7 because it was too big for my bedroom, it was replaced by the humble yet competent performing Samsung 406103. An OLED TV was still needed to prop the living room and 65 inches was the approriate size. Note : I was determined to get the 65 inch version of the familiar C7 but my GF stepped in and “ruined” my entire plan...with a gift that totally surprised me.

In her infinite “wisdom” , taking my word that these OLED panels are nearly identical across the board. She went out and choose the most gorgeous looking TV (Aesthetically). I won’t complain because this TV is one heck of a Christmas gift (An expensive one at that). Very thankful and extremely giddy i await for the delivery of this behemoth and on for the final review of the year😉.
« Last Edit: Nov 27, 2017 at 07:33 AM by Carlo777 »

Offline ricky

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #1 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 07:48 AM »
Congrats, xmas came early for you. You must have been a very good boy carlo. I giess pairing this with the OPPO UDP 203 would be the perfect combination wink

Offline bachwitz

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #2 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 12:25 PM »
Thanks sir Carlo.

And just like that, the display section is alive again!

Offline t-bone

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #3 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 12:43 PM »
Share naman pic ng SONY OLED mo :D
Samsung 65"
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Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #4 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 12:48 PM »
@batchwitz

Thanks. This is the last for the year.

@t-bone

Wala for delivery pa lang. After review pics:)
« Last Edit: Nov 27, 2017 at 02:40 PM by Carlo777 »

Offline Icermad

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #5 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 12:57 PM »
Wooow.. eto na pala! Congrats ganda nito 😍😍😍

Offline vgsison

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #6 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 04:27 PM »
Congrats sir Carlo. The merit of being a "yes" husband, a Sony OLED.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

GE Triton5, Aon3, SC X, SS3, Marantz 7010/XPA3 Gen3/Dual SVS Ultra/Panny PT-AR100 Oppo 103

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #7 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 04:46 PM »
Congrats sir Carlo. The merit of being a "yes" husband, a Sony OLED.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk



Hahaha hardly a “yes” man. She needs to be in a proper position/angle of negotiation for me to say “yes”.

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #8 on: Nov 27, 2017 at 04:47 PM »
Wooow.. eto na pala! Congrats ganda nito 😍😍😍

Thanks buddy! From how i saw the A1 there is not much difference from the LG (IQ wise) we’ll know soon enough

Offline bachwitz

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #9 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 11:51 AM »
I think you are the first PDVD member to own this unit.

Congrats!

The perks of having a partner who appreciates your hobby.  (and have the moolah!)  8)

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #10 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 06:33 PM »
I think you are the first PDVD member to own this unit.

Congrats!

The perks of having a partner who appreciates your hobby.  (and have the moolah!)  8)

Thats why she is my “boss”. I guess it’s a vain attempt to keep me home...nah good boy ako:)
Had lunch with Ricky...went to Cats after...went home...no Tv pa:) Thursday na🙃

Offline ricky

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #11 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 07:06 PM »
Grabe naman na pananabik yan carlo, tayo na mag pickup kamo bukas hahaha.  Good boy kaya may blessings!

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #12 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 07:31 PM »
Grabe naman na pananabik yan carlo, tayo na mag pickup kamo bukas hahaha.  Good boy kaya may blessings!


Medyo bawas ang panabik pag hindi ikaw ang nagbayad haha

Offline raptor

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #13 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 07:34 PM »
what i like about the new Sony TV's is that the smart features are very usable - built-in na Chrome cast and pwede mo na download usable apps like NBA League Pass (for some reasons, LG and Samsung would not support this app), and of course nandyan na rin Netflix and other streaming service ... congrats on your new toy sir Carlo
Marantz NR1200, MartinLogan Motion 20 digital audio setup, and Sony A80J

Offline frequenzy

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #14 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 07:37 PM »
just checked the srp of the 65a1, more than 200k pala to. cgurado maganda yan sir.

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #15 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 07:45 PM »
just checked the srp of the 65a1, more than 200k pala to. cgurado maganda yan sir.

To be honest, if it was not a gift there is NOOO way on earth I’d buy this TV:) The review will see if its truly worth the price tag!!!




It arrived!!!!!!!
« Last Edit: Nov 29, 2017 at 01:25 AM by Carlo777 »

Offline espionage

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #16 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 08:14 PM »
Yun o, congrats Sir! ;) waiting for your reviews!
Samsung 65" NU7100 | Onkyo TXSR608 | Zidoo X9S | AMD HTPC | PS4 | A-Audio FS | WH3 CS | Daichi Surr

Offline ricky

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #17 on: Nov 28, 2017 at 08:49 PM »
100k more than the lg c7. Carlo baka may kakambal gf mo hahahah

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #18 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 01:05 AM »
100k more than the lg c7. Carlo baka may kakambal gf mo hahahah

Hanap tayo partner:)


On to the first part of the impression:

Build Quality:

Premium built as expected from Sony (i guess from anyone at this price range). Well structured, sturdy and looks great even when turned off. The fact that it doesn’t  have a visible stand makes the screen larger than it seems. Similar to the C7... It looks like a huge IPad that can attract a lot of finger prints. Be sure to stop touching it when it’s installed and also make sure you keep people away... if you don’t like smudges on your Tv like I do!  The stand is a thing of beauty that houses the subwoofer and well placed inputs. A fabric speaker cover hides the subs but I’m not sure why it’s needed... its in the rear...dust protection perhaps? Anyway it looks stylish so no complains here. Lastly a stand balancer sets this huge TV firmly in place.

Set up was fairly straight forward but the “firmware update” crawled to nearly 20mins (my connection maybe). 

Screen quality:

The A1 has a glossy screen that handles reflections very well. Light is effectively blocked off and the only reason why some minor reflections are seen is because of the sheer size of the unit. View angles are very good with blacks holding strong even at an extreme angle. Colours and brightness though... took a minor hit. 

The infinite contrast ratio of this OLED gave fantastic black levels with no elements of grey spots or cloudy areas. Perfect for a dark room environment!  This is literally bringing the cinema home from a display point of view! Now comes the first issue....Switching to a grey background...I noticed vertical bands on the left corner of the TV. We need to quantify this further. Vertical bands are a phenomenon with OLED technology but sadly the A1 exhibits this more than the C7. I’m not sure how much this impacts real time viewing but from a very cautious stand point, if this gets worst in the near future then we’d need to beef up our warranty benefits! Flaws on cheaper TVs  are somewhat negligible but for something of this price? We should be less forgiving. Anyway, it’s way too early to tell. 

Though the LGC7 practically shares the same panel with the A1. The A1 has a different processor — The X1 Extreme! And we’ll find out how much difference that makes.  On a surface level, the C7 appears to be just a little bit brighter than the A1 even in a well lit environment...The X-tended dynamic range option of the Sony OLED is supposed to make the TV brighter but i haven’t tested this function well enough to draw a conclusion. Motion handling is well done and movements with Sony’s motion flow is one of the smoothes I’ve seen so far. Sony is a master of motion interplation and that legacy carries on very strongly with the A1.

(This is a very early impression and may change in the coming days)

More later:) I need to thank my sponsor muna haha


« Last Edit: Nov 29, 2017 at 01:11 AM by Carlo777 »

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #19 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 07:53 AM »
Image quality:

HD broadcast

720p and 1080I upscales well on the A1. Image is clear and sharp. Just a little bit sharper than the C7.

Full HD (Blu Ray)

TVs of this range should be fed with (IMHO) nothing less than a full HD source.  Crisp, clear and sharp images with astounding detail.

4K/HDR (Netflix)

No question, no doubt...A splendid performance where image quality shines like no other TV can (except for the C7). Blacks are inky and spectacular. HDR is fully appreciated with the A1. Just make sure you keep the colour temp to expert 2 (expert 1 for SDR) and switch off all other enhancements to appreciate, in very accurate rendition, how the filmmakers intended their crafts to be seen.  This is for HDR 10 only and I will need to look at Dolby vision later (available via the recent update). However, I’m not a fan of Dolby Vision...I find the format much too garish for my taste.

(The TV has a lot of tweaking options and i’m still exploring how they impact the final picture. It may take days or even a full week for me to learn them all. As of this writing, most, if not all of these “enhancers” are kept off)
« Last Edit: Nov 29, 2017 at 08:42 PM by Carlo777 »

Offline bachwitz

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #20 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 10:37 AM »
nakaka excite!  O0

Largely cguro dahil di ko yan kaya bilihin. haha

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #21 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 11:50 AM »
Gaming performance:

Input response time is rated at 30ms though fast enough, its not as fast as the C7 (20ms). You could hardly tell the difference unless you’re into competitive gaming. Fighting and FPS games are better played on the LG OLED or the much much cheaper Samsung 6103.

Image Retention:

This is an OLED issue that affects both Sony and LG. After playing a round of games (2 hours: Injustice 2) static images remained on the screen. Be sure to enable the “Pixel Shifter” function to avoid permanent burn-in.

Sound:

I’m not an audio buff but the A1 has probably the best stock sound I’ve heard on any TV bar none. The screen... yes...the whole screen  houses the speakers. Sony calls it the “acoustic panel” and it’s so cleverly implemented that when you watch someone speaking from the TV, you’d have the impression that the sound is coming from the mouth of that individual. Cool! Just stay within 7 feet of the A1 to better appreciate this feature. The rear subs brings out a more than decent low register.
« Last Edit: Nov 29, 2017 at 09:29 PM by Carlo777 »

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #22 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 08:10 PM »
Tentative conclusion:

The Sony A1 is a premium TV with a luxury price tag that is definitely not for everybody. Though it offers a fantastic picture quality I’m hard pressed to recommend it because the A1 does not outperform its cheaper rival the LGC7 in major areas of functionality. On a quick and even critical look it does not offer performance spikes that are leaps and bounds over its closest rivals. In fact, it has a slower response time for gaming compared to the C7 and the later is even better than the A1 in a well lighted room environment. A full dark room view will equalise the OLED competition. Knowing that... why would anyone want this TV over the cheaper yet equally gorgeous alternative?

Here are some probable reasons:

1. The aesthetics of this TV truly shines and the build quality is impeccable. It will fit well in a modern living room and it looks so good it could be a functional ornament....It’s definitely one!
2. You love the Sony brand and trust that it’s sooo well built that it would last for years. (Nothing bad about being hopeful...Now that’s a lot of dope for hope🤔)
3. You have a lot of cash to throw around and probably think that having a really expensive TV will make you claim that I posses the best TV made by the hands of man (oh...oh...ok can’t argue with that)

Hey, if you can afford it or really want it so bad to try to afford it. Then what you have is physically the most eye catching TV with incredible performance to boot. If it floats your boat then by all means row away...but for me...it’s one ride i would have passed. Fortunately, the ticket to ride was born by someone else...and someone very special at that❤️

Advance Merry Christmas and thank you for all the kind words! Now where is 8k???🐷🐷🐷

Time to dance:

https://youtu.be/FG1NrQYXjLU
« Last Edit: Nov 29, 2017 at 09:31 PM by Carlo777 »

Offline ricky

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #23 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 08:38 PM »
Carlo thank you for your honest reviews, iba ka sir! A spade is a spade kahit heart ang nag fiinance. Try mo na tv sa smut contents lol, baka kakaiba squirting sound dyan

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #24 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 08:45 PM »
Carlo thank you for your honest reviews, iba ka sir! A spade is a spade kahit heart ang nag fiinance. Try mo na tv sa smut contents lol, baka kakaiba squirting sound dyan

(Using a Romy Diaz tone) Yan ang gusto ko kaibigan! Malaswa! Nyahaha! Remember the film project I discussed with Johnny hahaha

Offline ricky

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #25 on: Nov 29, 2017 at 09:44 PM »
Tell johnny kahit taga score lang nya tayo basta kasama sa movie.

Offline bachwitz

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #26 on: Nov 30, 2017 at 10:15 AM »
Tentative conclusion:

The Sony A1 is a premium TV with a luxury price tag that is definitely not for everybody. Though it offers a fantastic picture quality I’m hard pressed to recommend it because the A1 does not outperform its cheaper rival the LGC7 in major areas of functionality. On a quick and even critical look it does not offer performance spikes that are leaps and bounds over its closest rivals. In fact, it has a slower response time for gaming compared to the C7 and the later is even better than the A1 in a well lighted room environment. A full dark room view will equalise the OLED competition. Knowing that... why would anyone want this TV over the cheaper yet equally gorgeous alternative?

Here are some probable reasons:

1. The aesthetics of this TV truly shines and the build quality is impeccable. It will fit well in a modern living room and it looks so good it could be a functional ornament....It’s definitely one!
2. You love the Sony brand and trust that it’s sooo well built that it would last for years. (Nothing bad about being hopeful...Now that’s a lot of dope for hope🤔)
3. You have a lot of cash to throw around and probably think that having a really expensive TV will make you claim that I posses the best TV made by the hands of man (oh...oh...ok can’t argue with that)

Hey, if you can afford it or really want it so bad to try to afford it. Then what you have is physically the most eye catching TV with incredible performance to boot. If it floats your boat then by all means row away...but for me...it’s one ride i would have passed. Fortunately, the ticket to ride was born by someone else...and someone very special at that❤️

Advance Merry Christmas and thank you for all the kind words! Now where is 8k???🐷🐷🐷

Time to dance:

https://youtu.be/FG1NrQYXjLU


How about the sound sir?

Is the "Acoustic  Panel" not part of the reasons?

Offline Icermad

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #27 on: Nov 30, 2017 at 12:44 PM »
No noticeable difference in PQ bro besides the brightness compared to the C7?

Offline Carlo777

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #28 on: Nov 30, 2017 at 01:24 PM »
Acustic panel is very good but not enough reason for me to buy the TV.

PQ between A1 and C7 looks very similar. No overly noticeable difference

Offline espionage

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Re: Sony 65A1 (Bank breaking TV review)
« Reply #29 on: Nov 30, 2017 at 01:52 PM »
Acustic panel is very good but not enough reason for me to buy the TV.

PQ between A1 and C7 looks very similar. No overly noticeable difference
with 100k less for C7 you can already buy midrange 4k ATMOS/DTX AVR + speakers + 4k media player!
Samsung 65" NU7100 | Onkyo TXSR608 | Zidoo X9S | AMD HTPC | PS4 | A-Audio FS | WH3 CS | Daichi Surr