Topic: Choosing the Sony 65A80J OLED TV

[raptor]

I am hoping that these long posts can help other members in deciding to buy OLED technology tv, and in choosing which of the two local popular models to choose.

PROLOGUE

My last detailed tv review here was when I purchased my LG SJ8500 Nano Cell TV over four years ago.  One thing I’ve learned after that purchase was to never fully trust the so-called experts.  In the case of my LG TV purchase, I decided to purchase the item based on visual comparison with other tv’s at Anson’s Cash and Carry, and it really stood out compared to the other tv’s from LG and Samsung at that time and was really satisfied with the image quality albeit a bit pricey.  At that time, OLED price was still astronomical, hence was not an option.

A few weeks after posting the review here, there was a comment that expert reviews says that it has a very poor contrast.  It caught my attention hence I start reading expert reviews including review videos in YouTube.  To my surprise, a lot of so-called experts were trashing that tv model and highly discouraging people to buy – they show details of picture calibration metrics to prove what they were saying. I can honestly say that I am very satisfied with the picture quality of that tv up until now (4+ years later) that it will be inherited by one of my brothers.

Lesson learned, like audio equipment, best to audition and get what suits you best, not what so-called experts and telemetry says.  You can use their reviews to compare small details if you are choosing between products and seems that you cannot decide.  I find it more useful to read customer reviews and actual users.

[raptor]

DECIDING ON OLED TECHNOLOGY

Buyers who prefer to have detailed research before purchasing a product would find OLED a hard sell.  First, the price is a lot more expensive than other technologies.  Second is the possibility of burn-in, which is not a problem with other LED tv’s.  Third reason not to buy is that the experts say that it cannot go as bright as the other technologies, and ideally should be used on dark rooms (dedicated HT rooms perhaps).
The first reason (price) is still valid, it is still the most expensive technology, but the prices have significantly gone down and continues to go down as production ramps.  A few years ago, a 55-inch OLED with very limited features would sell for 300k – you can now buy an older generation 65-inch OLED for 70k+ (Sony A9G).  Price is not so much of an issue now as it is not that far off than other technologies, especially if you purchase when newer models are being released.

Second reason is less of a problem now as newer mitigation technology are made available.  This was a major concern for me two years back because I had a Samsung S9+ with OLED display that suffered bad burn in images after a few months of use.  But like Plasma technology, burn in issue was mitigated after several iterations. At this point I am convinced that it should no longer be a big issue.

Third reason not to buy OLED – low brightness levels, only suitable for darker rooms.  This is something that bothered me coz’ I did not want to buy a very expensive tv that would probably not be suitable for our living room.  At the same time, I have a lot of doubts on this common feedback from experts – I’ve been using OLED display on my mobile phone for so many and not have noticed brightness issues even on direct sunlight and take note that all major appliance showrooms here (Abenson, Anson, and SM) have very well-lit room and OLED tv’s picture quality still stood out from other technologies.  It just bothered me a bit that most OLED demos are dark scenes, hence prior to buying an OLED tv, I asked for the sales representative to show bright scene demos.  I was finally convinced that this is a non-issue after watching videos of actual owners (non-experts), showing how good their OLED tv’s on their well-lit rooms, some close to windows with bright sunlight. 

Now that I already purchased my Sony A80J OLED, I can accurately say that the brightness concern is just plain BS – my tv is on a well-lit living room with a window nearby, and its picture quality is way beyond my expectation.  While it’s true that other tv technology have higher brightness, do you really need to use their max brightness setting?

[raptor]

CHOOSING BETWEEN SONY A80J and LG C1
Firstly. I am not going to trash LG and say that that is the reason I chose Sony.  The LG C1 has excellent picture quality, and it is at par or probably even better than the Sony A80J in terms of picture quality – you won’t go wrong with either tv when it comes to picture quality.  The reason I chose Sony A80J boiled down to the features that would be very useful to me, not because it is superior in than the LG C1. 

Expert reviews have the following factors why you should choose one over the other –

LG C1
-   great for gaming due to more HDMI 2.1 ports (4 vs 2), lesser lag, VRR support and other acronyms that in summary equates to best for gaming – based on what they are saying, this is good if you are using it on Xbox and PC as you can utilize those features (the Sony A80J would cover these functions for PS5)
-   more user friendly WebOS as it is easier to navigate as the remote can function like an air mouse
-   picture quality is a tie, as per what experts are saying, some favor Sony and some LG
-   they are not mentioning price because the LG C1 and Sony A80J are priced the same in other countries, but here the Sony A80J is more expensive by around 15K for the 65-inch model

Sony A80J
-   better upscaling for SDR contents (e.g our regular tv broadcast)
-   Google TV OS
-   Better audio with the acoustic surface technology and built-in sub-woofer
-   Experts say that the Sony XR processor is the best, but I do not really buy this until I see it in a demo (honestly speaking, my naked eyes cannot discern the difference between a Sony and an LG OLED) … so I say that picture quality is a tie

[raptor]

WHY I FINALLY CHOSE THE SONY A80J OVER THE LG C1?

I’ve been using an LG Nano Cell tv for over 4 years, and it was top of the line LG LED tv at the time of purchase (next higher model then was an OLED tv).  The WebOS is easy to use, I love that air mouse function of the remote – even my 80-year-old mom who is not techie likes it for being user friendly.  I have issues however with the limited apps available with the WebOS – no support for NBA app and Discovery+, and the equivalent app for Chromecast intermittently works.  Hence, I use a Roku and a Chromecast device to compensate for those deficiencies.  Google TV OS was one of the main reasons for me to choose Sony as I’m now able to get rid of my Roku and Chromecast devices.

The better Sony A80J sound technology is the other big thing that swayed my decision.  If you would watch most reviews of OLED tv’s, most experts recommend to pair it with a soundbar as such picture quality deserves a better audio quality.  I was considering buying a soundbar even with my previous LG TV, but my concern is going back to that cluttered home theater setup – I used to have a 5.1 setup with FS fronts and a large subwoofer, but no longer practical when I moved to a condo unit with limited space. In a couple of reviews that I watched, the reviewer mentioned that you should first listen to the sound quality of the Sony A80J before deciding to invest on a soundbar as it is impressive – I took the recommendation, and after testing the sound quality of the Sony A80J, I don’t think I’ll be buying a soundbar.  My old LG tv has Harman Kardon speakers and sounds good for a tv, but it is nowhere near the sound of the A80J – one would have to hear the A80J on a decent volume to know this.  I have a 2.0 audio setup by the way to which my tv connects.

The gaming feature advantage of the LG did not really ring a bell to me as I only have a Sony PS5 to connect to the tv, hence nothing is compromised.  If gaming is the primary usage though, and I know that gamers usually have multiple consoles, I would also recommend the LG C1, but for my gaming needs, the A80J have me covered.

The better upscaling of SDR contents was also considered in my decision, but not a major factor.  Experts are saying that this is one of the key advantages of the Sony.  I could not compare it however to the C1 as we will not probably see an SDR content on the demo units, but I can see a better quality watching local tv channels over my old tv.

In summary, the main factors swaying my decision to the Sony A80J over the LG C1 is the Google OS and audio technology.  I consider the better SDR upscaling a bonus.

[raptor]

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS ON SONY 65A80J

Superb picture quality, the best tv I owned.  I’d like to mention again that concerns about OLED tv brightness is plain BS.  It really works well on well-lit rooms – just check out the appliance stores to prove this.

Sound quality is surprisingly good.  As mentioned above, I have a 2.0 audio setup (Marantz Network Receiver paired with Martinlogan FS speakers), and I usually listen to music loudly during weekends.  When I was testing the audio of the A80J on a YouTube music video, my nephew thought that I was using my 2.0 audio setup.  The tv has clear voice sound quality and produces a decent base.

I just love the Google OS – it has my NBA app and Discovery+ app, and I’m able to use a better IPTV app for my IPTV channels.  There’s very limited app with LG.

I’ll try to post more info as I explore this TV … very happy and satisfied with this purchase. 

I would also like to reiterate that this is not a post to recommend Sony A80J over LG C1.  Based on my research and observations, there’s not much difference in the picture quality.  Your decision would likely boil down to which features you need, in my case it was the A80J features … and of course budget would also be a consideration, there’s a price difference between the two (almost 15k for the 65-incher).

[bachwitz]

Congrats on your new toy!!!

Where did you buy sir Raptor?
Thats a good deal considering it is almost the same as the caroussell sellers.

[raptor]

Congrats on your new toy!!!

Where did you buy sir Raptor?
Thats a good deal considering it is almost the same as the caroussell sellers.

sa Anson besides Landmark

[khl87]

How's your OLED panel's gray uniformity? Did you run the gray uniformity test? How's it at 5-15% gray?

Got mine last month. While I'm pretty much happy with the PQ, I'm a bit disappointed with the banding issue on my unit. Already asked Sony/Abenson to have it replaced.

[raptor]

How's your OLED panel's gray uniformity? Did you run the gray uniformity test? How's it at 5-15% gray?

Got mine last month. While I'm pretty much happy with the PQ, I'm a bit disappointed with the banding issue on my unit. Already asked Sony/Abenson to have it replaced.

panel is ok, sa white screen wala ring dirty image. consistent yung panel, I tested at Ansons (including dead pixels) before pickup ... di kaya sa motion setting lang yung issue, I've watched a lot of reviews about setting up before buying - meron akong napanood na review na pag sa games may banding daw sa clouds pag-off or low yung motion (something?), but no longer an issue at medium to high setting  ... but I'm not really a pixel peeper, I just watch from around 4m distance and very satisfied with the PQ - best tv I've owned

[khl87]

I ran this gray uniformity test and notice that my panel has a lot of banding on 5%-15%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIJxh9UGyak&list=WL&index=1

I first noticed it while I was watching a series with a lot of dark scenes. Hope I get a better panel when mine gets replaced.

[raptor]

@khl87 working ba yung built-in mic ng tv sa unit mo? hindi ko mapagana, not sure kung meron talagang built-in, nakalagay kasi sa manual na may mga region na walang built-in mic, pero meron namang mic switch sa likod ... yung mic lang sa remote ang working

[khl87]

@khl87 working ba yung built-in mic ng tv sa unit mo? hindi ko mapagana, not sure kung meron talagang built-in, nakalagay kasi sa manual na may mga region na walang built-in mic, pero meron namang mic switch sa likod ... yung mic lang sa remote ang working

Not sure if may built-in mic sa TV. I have an older Sony TV (X950G) on Android 9 where there's a setting to turn on/off "OK Google" under Google Assistant. Pero dito sa A80J, can't find that option. So baka wala?

[yapoy86]

@khl87 working ba yung built-in mic ng tv sa unit mo? hindi ko mapagana, not sure kung meron talagang built-in, nakalagay kasi sa manual na may mga region na walang built-in mic, pero meron namang mic switch sa likod ... yung mic lang sa remote ang working

baka nasa remote? sa LG may mic sa remote

[raptor]

baka nasa remote? sa LG may mic sa remote

it has a mic on the remote that is working, it is supposed to have another mic at the tv

[questforthegoodlife]

Hi @raptor. Thank  you for this review.

We have the same LG TV - 65SJ8500 bought it in March 2018 ( i got the LG SJ9 soundbar as well). I can agree with all your points and it's a very good tv especially for the bright living room in my condo. I also at the same time bought a sony 55x900e for the bedroom. Almost the same price as the larger LG tv, but the color accuracy of Sony is top notch. My wife told me that our next tv's should be Sony due to the ouststanding color accuracy and picture quality. I was hesitant back then to buy an OLED tv due to the price vs. risk of burn-in.

Will be moving to a bigger condo hopefully next year and will be definitely buying Sony Oleds as well. Soundbars for me are still needed especially when watching movies. I've resigned myself to soundbars and sold all my HT gears since space is a premium in a condo. Bass is essential in movies and nothing quite delivers with a dedicated subwoofer pa rin than just from the tv.

[Columbia]

Sir raptor, Do you prefer to wall mount it or just on its stand??

Sent from my Nokia 5210 using Tapatalk

[khl87]

it has a mic on the remote that is working, it is supposed to have another mic at the tv

I was able to make the built-in mic on the tv to work. I got my replacement unit today, then I used the Google Home app on my phone to setup the TV. During setup, you’ll find an option to activate Google Assistant, so I did.

Edit: After setting up, press google assistant on your remote. You’ll see an option to activate Hey Google hands-free.

Anyway, the A80J replacement I got is worse than my first unit. It doesn’t have a lot of banding or grid. Pero it has dirty screen and vignette. Panel lottery it is. The store agreed to have it replaced again. Ang hassle lang.

[xb24]

How's your OLED panel's gray uniformity? Did you run the gray uniformity test? How's it at 5-15% gray?

Got mine last month. While I'm pretty much happy with the PQ, I'm a bit disappointed with the banding issue on my unit. Already asked Sony/Abenson to have it replaced.

Hi sir, was the banding issue right out of the box?

[Verbl Kint]

I was able to make the built-in mic on the tv to work. I got my replacement unit today, then I used the Google Home app on my phone to setup the TV. During setup, you’ll find an option to activate Google Assistant, so I did.

Edit: After setting up, press google assistant on your remote. You’ll see an option to activate Hey Google hands-free.

Anyway, the A80J replacement I got is worse than my first unit. It doesn’t have a lot of banding or grid. Pero it has dirty screen and vignette. Panel lottery it is. The store agreed to have it replaced again. Ang hassle lang.

Color banding is a very very bad sign if you're on an OLED.  Vignetting is even worse.  I wonder what happened.  Were you able to check the number of hours on the panel?  Were the settings on factory default?

I had once seen some bad color banding (more prominent on shots with the sky in the background) on a CX I was calibrating but was able to fix it by turning off 4:2:2 on the XBox and sticking to 10-bit color.

[khl87]

Hi sir, was the banding issue right out of the box?

Yes.

Color banding is a very very bad sign if you're on an OLED.  Vignetting is even worse.  I wonder what happened.  Were you able to check the number of hours on the panel?  Were the settings on factory default?

I had once seen some bad color banding (more prominent on shots with the sky in the background) on a CX I was calibrating but was able to fix it by turning off 4:2:2 on the XBox and sticking to 10-bit color.

Wasn't able to check the number of hours on my first 2 units. But they were both sealed an brand new from the store. The 2nd unit had vignette that faded a bit after a day's use. But it also had a very faint 'burn-in' kind of horizontal line two-thirds from the top of screen.

Got my 3rd unit (2nd replacement) and it all looks good now.

[raptor]

Just an update on the issue that I encountered enabling the built-in mic and further impressions and my picture settings after over 3 weeks of use.  I could not make the internal mic work following the manual, so I decided to fully reset the TV to factory settings and delete all the data.  There were a lot of settings during the initial setup of the TV related to enabling the voice input, and it finally worked after following the setup wizard.  Reason I missed the initial setup was that we tested the TV at Anson and the sales rep did the initial setup - hence I would suggest that if you're doing the same thing, it is recommended to reset the TV to factory settings when you have it setup at home to be able to properly setup all the features.  We now enjoy using voice commands to control the TV.

For the picture settings, there are a lot of custom settings you can find in Youtube, but I did not follow the highly customized settings as panels may have differences.  What I'm using is having "standard" picture settings for regular TV, IPTV, and other apps, "game mode" for PS5 input, Dolby Vision Bright for Netflix.  I am fully satisfied with the picture quality just using those settings. 

[ride86]

Just an update on the issue that I encountered enabling the built-in mic and further impressions and my picture settings after over 3 weeks of use.  I could not make the internal mic work following the manual, so I decided to fully reset the TV to factory settings and delete all the data.  There were a lot of settings during the initial setup of the TV related to enabling the voice input, and it finally worked after following the setup wizard.  Reason I missed the initial setup was that we tested the TV at Anson and the sales rep did the initial setup - hence I would suggest that if you're doing the same thing, it is recommended to reset the TV to factory settings when you have it setup at home to be able to properly setup all the features.  We now enjoy using voice commands to control the TV.

For the picture settings, there are a lot of custom settings you can find in Youtube, but I did not follow the highly customized settings as panels may have differences.  What I'm using is having "standard" picture settings for regular TV, IPTV, and other apps, "game mode" for PS5 input, Dolby Vision Bright for Netflix.  I am fully satisfied with the picture quality just using those settings. 

Hello po, nice to know that you've fixed enabling built-in mic, it will serve as a reference for me.

BTW, did you encounter horizontal banding whenever you command either by built-in mic or remote, mine has horizontal lines while searching and its gone after all the searching. Normal viewing doesn't show this horizontal lines.

Thanks.

[edboy7]

itong dalawa na lang pinagpipilian ko..........LG LED owner here since 2016  at ok parin naman siya til now .. ...pero i really would like to get an Android TV... 55" lang kukunin ko kung sakali  at in AWE parin talaga ako sa OLED Display  e ..ipon mode muna thanks brader raprtor

[alvinbaronsia]

How is the service of Sony? How much is the labor charges for repairs?

[ride86]

Hello po, nice to know that you've fixed enabling built-in mic, it will serve as a reference for me.

BTW, did you encounter horizontal banding whenever you command either by built-in mic or remote, mine has horizontal lines while searching and its gone after all the searching. Normal viewing doesn't show this horizontal lines.

Thanks.

Any opinion on these horizontal lines, it appears whenever I commanded the TV thru built-in MIC or remote thru google assistance. Very obvious on youtube app.


Sony A80J_HorizontalLines_YT_MICActivated by , on Flickr]

[raptor]

I'm not having that issue on my tv ... could just be the picture settings if it is not showing during standard viewing

[ride86]

I'm not having that issue on my tv ... could just be the picture settings if it is not showing during standard viewing

Thanks Bro, may I know what specific picture setting you're referring that could result into this.
My picture setting is just default, I do picture reset and changed from Vivid to IMAX enhanced and result is still with horizontal lines.
And I've done 2 times Factory Reset and result is still with horizontal lines.

[raptor]

Thanks Bro, may I know what specific picture setting you're referring that could result into this.
My picture setting is just default, I do picture reset and changed from Vivid to IMAX enhanced and result is still with horizontal lines.
And I've done 2 times Factory Reset and result is still with horizontal lines.

I'm not too familiar with the settings as I have mostly "standard settings" across, except for Netflix and gaming; but I have watched a Youtube video mentioning about banding when motion settings are set to off or low, not sure if those are related with the issues you are experiencing

[ride86]

Thanks Bro, may I know what specific picture setting you're referring that could result into this.
My picture setting is just default, I do picture reset and changed from Vivid to IMAX enhanced and result is still with horizontal lines.
And I've done 2 times Factory Reset and result is still with horizontal lines.

Update on my issue of Horizontal Lines.... I challenge them to do the same testing on similar model/size, they haven't find any. They told me that they will replace the unit. I talked to the appliance store that I don't want Sony anymore, I insisted for LG G1, and they told me to add just 5K only, to my surprise the total price to 114K, it's a good deal already.

Thanks sir raptor for your time in checking your unit for horizontal lines, thats my basis of challenging them.

[raptor]

Update on my issue of Horizontal Lines.... I challenge them to do the same testing on similar model/size, they haven't find any. They told me that they will replace the unit. I talked to the appliance store that I don't want Sony anymore, I insisted for LG G1, and they told me to add just 5K only, to my surprise the total price to 114K, it's a good deal already.

Thanks sir raptor for your time in checking your unit for horizontal lines, thats my basis of challenging them.

sad that you have to let go of the Sony ... natapat siguro talaga na lemon yung nabigay sa yo, but the G1 is a good alternative for that price, I consider that a good upgrade ... I haven't seen a G1 personally, pero yung C1 pa nga lang ang ganda na, if not for the Google tv OS, I would have selected the C1 ... congrats on your upgrade sir