Sony XBR8 Series | Compare KDL46XBR8 vs KDL55XBR8

Posted in (2008) Sony XBR8 Series, Sony LCD

Sony’s XBR8 Series LCD televisions consisting of the 46” KDL46XBR8 and 55 inch KDL55XBR8 are Sony’s top of the line and most expensive LCD HDTVs of 2008 and early 2009. They were released in the fall of 2008 and offer shoppers some of the most impressive and certainly breathtaking picture, sound and feature qualities for those that really want to experience the best of the best. Being the only current Sony televisions to offer LED-based LCD technologies, they are easily leaps and bounds above the rest of the Sony models in terms of picture clarity, depth and realism while also having every other feature of the other expensive Bravia series also intelligently included into a truly magnificent audio/visual entertainment centerpiece.

Jump down on this page to:

1. Comparing the Sony XBR8 vs other Bravia…
2. Reviews of Sony KDL55XBR8 and KDL46XBR8…

Features of the Sony Bravia XBR8 Series:

LED Backlighting: offering huge huge upgrades in picture quality, realism and detail with much deeper black levels and higher contrast ratios than conventional and more common LCD sets. Also has longer lifespan and lower power consumption because of the LED-LCD backlighting.

16:9 Full High Definition 1080p resolution: for the absolute true high definition effect out of your HDTV

MotionFlow 120Hz refresh rate: effectively doubles the frame rate of your HDTV resulting in much smoother and natural imaging by reducing judder and problematic action imaging defects.

10-Bit display panel with 10-Bit image processing: most current HDTVs you will see are in 8-bit, and the extra 2-bits actually adds dramatically more color possibilities, not just 30-40% like one might imagine…. an 8-bit panel has 16,777,216 colors possible, but a 10-bit panel has 1,073,741,824 colors possible or a 64 times more possibility.

24p TrueCinema Mode: Because of the 120Hz frame rate upgrade, the Sony XBR8 is capable to play films and bluray directly how it was supposed to be played, movies are filmed at 24 frames per second and because 120HZ is a direct multiple of that where the standard 60FPS is not, there is no need for guesswork or conversion like in other televisions… resulting in a more true, natural and better looking cinema experience.

More than enough inputs: With 4 HDMI1.4 ports, 2 components, composite and other connectors the Sony XBR8 series televisions can handle all your peripherals and hook-ups.

Many other features… Read full product feature list and description here…

Compare Sony XBR8 vs similar hdtvs:

Comparing the Sony XBR8 vs. XBR7

The main difference when you compare the Sony xbr7 vs. xbr8 series models is the LED based backlight found in the XBR 8 series… This change along with a few other things like”Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO”, and a ‘new BRAVIA Engine 2 PRO’ results in very substantial increases in contrast ratio and picture quality making images on the Sony XBR8 much better, natural and lifelike and all around better than the XBR7.

Stepping down from XBR8 to XBR7

• No more TRILUMINOS RGB LED backlight
• Picture quality reduced noticeably
• No more “Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO”
• Inferior image engine – no more ” BRAVIA Engine 2 PRO “
• wider selection of size – 40 to 70 inch variations available on XBR7

Bravia XBR7 Series consists of:

• 40 inch Sony KDL40XBR7
• 52 inch Sony KDL52XBR7
• 70 inch Sony KDL70XBR7

Comparing the Sony XBR7 vs. XBR6

Main differences when the Sony XBR7 is compared to the XBR6 series HDTV sets are a series of improved and better image processing engine (Bravia Engine 2 Pro on the KDL40XBR7 and & BE2 EX on the KDL70XBR7). Other changes such as the addition of an RS232 port and a few tweaks and additions make the Sony XBR7 a slightly superior set although the differences between the two aren’t too substantial like in when you compare it to the XBR8 with the LED backlight technology. Other notable differences are the 6 speakers over the 4 found on the cheaper KDLXBR6 models, and on the 52 inch KDL52XBR7 model which was added a little later, 240Hz Motionflow technology effectively doubling the refresh rate of the older models

Stepping down from XBR7 to XBR6

• Loss of RS-232 port
• Slight Downgrade on the image engine
• More size options available on the XBR6 while missing the big 70” option in the XBR7 series
• 6 total speakers on the XBR7 versus 4 on XBR6– for a fuller and better sound quality
• 240Hz available on KDL52XBR7 versus 120Hz on other XBR6/XBR7 models

Bravia XBR6 Series consists of:

• 32 inch Sony KDL32XBR6
• 37 inch Sony KDL37XBR6
• 40 inch Sony KDL40XBR6
• 46 inch Sony KDL46XBR6
• 52 inch Sony KDL52XBR6

(NEW) Comparing the Sony XBR7 vs. XBR8 vs. XBR9

Recently announced, Sony’s XBR9 series is substantially different from the XBR8s… They will not use a LED backlight system like the 8s, and as such are more of the successor to the XBR7. Dramatic differences are visible when you compare the Sony Bravia XBR9 and XBR7 series units, with new internet connectivity being a major difference with tons of internet features available through yahoo widgets, a doubling of the framerate to 240Hz motion flow versus 120Hz found on the KDL-XBR8 and KDL-XBR7 and a brand new and improved image processing engine (BRAVIA engine 3)

Differences between XBR6 , XBR7, XBR8 and the XBR9

• Doesn’t have the LED backlight of the XBR8 = reduced image quality
• XBR9 has 240Hz motionflow where all the other have 120HZ (with exception of KDL52XBR7)
• XBR9 is only one to include incredibly cool yahoo widgets internet connectivity, for displaying all sort of info from the net and hooking up to tons of new and ever expanding internet-driven applications and media
• New Bravia Engine 3 is unique to the XBR9 and is sure to offer up some imaging improvements
• Quite a few differences not as special in the newest XBR9 sets.. More info as it as released

Bravia XBR9 Series consists of:

• 32 inch Sony KDL32XBR9
• 40 inch Sony KDL40XBR9
• 46 inch Sony KDL46XBR9
• 52 inch Sony KDL52XBR9

Comparing the Sony XBR8 vs. Z4100 Series

More on par with the XBR6, the Sony Z4100 series shares a few features such as 120Hz motionflow, 24p True cinema, and many of the networking and multimedia features as the XBR8… However the XBR8 is a far superior television again with its LED based backlighting, new bravia engine 2 Pro (compared to just BE2), Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO, and other features such as x.v. Color and DLNA compliance… In terms of image quality and features the XBR8 series is easily distinguishable as the superior set compared to Sony’s Z4100 models.

Stepping down from XBR8 to Z4100

• Lose the LED backlighting (1,000,000:1 to 50,000:1 contrast ratio difference)
• Noticeable picture quality advantage for XBR8
• Z4100 series not available in larger than 46 inch version as XBR8 is
• Lose x.v. color support
• Lose DLNA
• Bravia Engine 2 Pro improvement over Z4100’s BE2
• New and tweaked Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO on XBR8 is superior to Z4100 series’ ACE

Bravia Z4100 Series consists of:

• 40 inch Sony KDL40Z4100
• 46 inch Sony KDL46Z4100

Comparing the Sony XBR8 vs. W4100 Series

The Sony W4100 series is quite closely related to the Z4100 models above and as such the comparison isn’t that far removed from the description above. The main things to consider when comparing the Bravia XBR8 vs the w4100 and z4100, is that the W4100 also lacks DLNA compliance, x.v. color support and only has an 8-bit versus 10-bit panels that the Z4100 had in common with the XBR8. The other major difference being the WCG-CCFL backlight on the Z4100 series is capable of wider color gamut then the W-series backlight.

Stepping down from Z4100 to W4100

• Z4100’s WCG-CCFL backlighting produces a wider color gamut than W4100 non-WCG backlight
• W4100 only has 8-bit panel and processing compared to Z series and XBR series 10-bit panels… results in exponential amounts of color possibilities lost
• Bravia W series has more size options than Z series with the addition of the 52” variation
• Loss of X.V. color support on the w4100

Bravia W4100 Series consists of:

• 40 inch Sony KDL40W4100
• 46 inch Sony KDL46ZW100
• 52 inch Sony KDL52W4100

Comparing the Sony XBR8 vs. V4100 Series

At a much lower price tag then the W4100 & Z4100, comparing the XBR8 vs. V4100 series is quite substantial. It missed out on all things mentioned above stepping down to the xbr6, z4100, and w4100 and also misses out on a few things that the W4100 has such 120Hz dejudder processing (Motionflow) , 24p True cinema mode, and takes a 15-20% hit to contrast ratio to make the picture noticeably not as true or vivid as the slightly more expensive W-series.

Stepping down from W4100 to V4100

• V4100 series looses the enhanced refresh rate (120Hz motionflow) and as such images are more prone to judder and artefacts, especially in fast moving action
• Loss of 24p TrueCinema mode results in need to convert movie frames resulting in less natural movie experience
• Reduced contrast ratio of 25,000:1 noticeable in picture quality compared in 30,000:1 W 4100 series.

Bravia V5100 Series consists of:

• 40 inch Sony KDL40V4100
• 46 inch Sony KDL46ZV100
• 52 inch Sony KDL52V4100