Sony X77L 4K HDR TV Review

KD75X77L 60Hz Google Smart LED TV

Intro

Sony’s X77L series is part of their entry-level lineup of 4K TVs for 2023 and sits above the X75L and below the X80L. The X77L consists of a wide variety of screen sizes that include 43” ($399), 50” ($499), 55” ($549), 65” ($649), 75” ($929) and 85” ($1,399) models.

Design & Features

The X77L is a basic 4K TV which means it doesn’t have many of the features, performance characteristics and build quality/aesthetic appeal of mid-tier and high-end models.

That being said, the design of the X77L is very simplistic. The bezel (borders) is a bit thick when compared to the ultra-thin designs seen on many flat-panel TVs. The back of the TV is made of plastic, and it doesn’t have a premium look or feel which is expected on most entry-level model displays.

The TV’s feet (stand) are basic yet give the panel decent support and stability.

The TV’s semi-gloss screen is illuminated with direct LED backlighting but doesn’t contain local dimming.

Feature highlights:

• The 4K Processor X1 delivers picture quality full of rich colors and detailed contrast
• The 4K X-Reality Pro upscales content to near 4K quality for better detail and clarity
• Enhanced color and fine details allow you to see natural and precise picture quality with a wide array of colors
• Motionflow XR technology allows for blur-free picture quality in fast-moving sports and movies
• Optimized for PlayStation 5: Get detailed, responsive gameplay and feel the action all around you with Sony TV exclusive feature for the PlayStation 5 console. Auto HDR Tone Mapping automatically adjusts the HDR settings of the PS5 console to the TV for detailed, high-contrast scenes.
• Google TV with Google Voice Assistant organizes your content all in one place and get access to all your favorite streaming apps in one place, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, the Apple TV app, HBO Max, Peacock, and many more.
• Works with Apple AirPlay and Alexa

Connectivity

• 3 HDMI 2.0 inputs – all inputs are HDCP 2.2 compatible | HDMI 3 input supports enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
• 1 Composite video input (3.5mm A/V minijack – adapter required)
• 1 RF input for antenna, cable, satellite
• 1 Digital optical audio output
• 1 Ethernet input
• 2 USB inputs
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac
• Bluetooth wireless audio streaming to a compatible speaker or set of headphones

Performance

Since the X77L is an entry-level TV, potential buyers shouldn’t expect this TV to deliver great picture quality. However, during my evaluation of the X77L’s overall picture, this display delivered decent, or what I would consider good picture quality for an entry-level TV; this, however, was dependent on the type of content I was watching.

So generally speaking the HD content I viewed on this TV was fine. It’s not until you dig deeper into its performance characteristics and compare it to more capable displays is when you will notice its performance shortcomings.

The X77l had solid color reproduction delivering a well-saturated and accurate color palette. These observations were readily apparent straight out of the box with no calibration necessary. But on the downside, since this TV doesn’t have a wide color gamut it won’t be able to display a wide range of colors which is necessary for optimal viewing of HDR content.

And speaking of HDR content, the X77L doesn’t get bright enough to produce good HDR picture images. On the other hand, peak brightness on this display is decent for viewing most SDR content but may struggle to overcome glare in a brightly lit room due to a slightly lower minimal picture brightness output level.

*SDR peak brightness: 10% window 339 nits

*HDR peak brightness: 10% window 345 nits

The 75” model of the X77L uses an IPS panel which means its contrast range is mediocre and it can’t produce deep black levels. So this TV is not ideal for watching dark content in a dark room. In this scenario, the TV’s dark content will appear gray and washed out instead of a deep black. This will be less of an issue or hard to notice when viewing dark content in a well-lit room. The takeaway here is if you desire deep black levels when watching TV in a dark room environment, I recommend you avoid this TV and find a model that has a high contrast ratio and is capable of deep black levels.

While watching HD content on the X77L it produced crisp and detailed picture images with good clarity.

Black uniformity is not very good on this display due to its low contrast ratio and no local dimming feature. The screen was grayish-black in appearance.

Wide-angle viewing on the X77L is very good and doesn’t suffer from contrast and color saturation loss thanks to its IPS panel. This means that rooms with wide seating arrangements will still have good picture quality.

While watching regular content on this TV motion handling was decent and I didn’t detect any motion blur and fast-paced motion remained smooth throughout my viewing evaluation.

The sound quality was okay on this TV. Volume level output was adequate and dialogue remained clear and discernible at all levels. But as expected bass output was mostly nonexistent which is usually the case with flat panel TVs.

Conclusion

For an entry-level model, Sony’s X77L is a decent 4K TV. It’s color reproduction, along with crisp and clean picture images revealed plenty of detail and clarity thanks in part to Sony’s excellent video processing. Its major shortcomings are its insufficient contrast and black levels that will affect picture quality when viewing dark content in a dark room.

To sum things up, if you’re not overly concerned about picture quality that punches above entry-level status and having a TV that’s minus the bells and whistles of higher-end models, then check out the X77L, it will probably suit your needs.

You may also like these Sony TV reviews:

Sony X90L 4K TV Review
Sony X93L 4K TV Review

Check out HDTVs and More’ YouTube video review for the Sony X77L 4K TV here.

All image credit Sony

*Source: Rtings.com