The Bravia 9 also offers new “Calibration” modes for Amazon Prime and Netflix. Amazon’s version makes some interesting changes for different shows, though Netflix’s version seemed to mostly reflect Dolby Vision Dark’s darker picture mode in the HDR content I watched.
Mostly solid excavations
The TV is fairly well equipped in terms of features, starting with audio that stands out from the crowd. This is one of the few TVs where I don’t mind cutting out the audio system (the A95L is another excellent example). The sound is, overall, full and clear without being too tinny. There’s noticeable movement in the soundstage and even effects like explosions sound good.
I thought Sony’s new Voice Zoom 3 dialogue amplifier was mostly marketing hype, but it works pretty well. At one point, I passively listened to the entire story of a Sylvester Stallone anecdote in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 which I had missed in about 7,000 previous viewings, even with sound bars and speakers. Dialogue remained mostly clear and prominent over several days, even when things got chaotic.
As you’d expect, you get the latest gaming features, including support for ALLM (auto low latency mode) and VRR (variable refresh rate) up to 120Hz over HDMI 2.1. There’s a dedicated Game Mode for quick adjustments, and PS5 optimization features like Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode. I’m not a competitive gamer, and some have noted that the TV’s input response is relatively high for its price, but I did love playing my favorite RPGs. The shading, colors, and overall brightness brought out the best in games like God of War Ragnarok.
It’s frustrating that Sony still offers HDMI 2.1 support on just two of the TV’s four inputs, unlike most TVs at this level (and below), especially since one of them is for eARC, which is where you’ll likely connect a soundbar or receiver. The TV’s excellent sound means some might not want to add an audio device, but the potential need to swap cables for multiple consoles is silly at this price point.
The Bravia 9 also skips one of the two main dynamic HDR formats, HDR10+, and offers only Dolby Vision. If you can only choose one, I’d go with the more common DV all the time, but it would be nice to have both, as you’ll find on midrange models from TCL and Hisense. That’s surprisingly common right now; LG and Panasonic TVs don’t support HDR10+, while Samsung isn’t paying for Dolby Vision.
Sony is more inclusive when it comes to audio, offering DTS:X and Dolby Atmos support. Other notable features of the Bravia 9 include AirPlay 2 and Chromecast streaming, and Google voice search via the remote’s built-in microphone.
Sensitively surreal
The Bravia 9 is a true powerhouse when it comes to brightness. But thanks to Sony’s measured hand, it distributes its power judiciously, offering subtlety when needed and dazzle when it’s needed. Using a new patented system that dims the backlight with stunning precision, this TV is more of a miniature LED laser beam than a blunt-force weapon that hits with white-hot accuracy. The result is fabulous contrast combined with cutting-edge brightness for intense thrills.
Training the Bravia 9 fire with one of my favorite test films, MoanaIt seemed like a proof of concept for a backlight system that some have hit a peak brightness of nearly 3,000 nits (or around double that of many OLED TVs). I’ve pointed out before how realistic the film’s Polynesian sun and surf can look on the best TVs, but things got surreal here. The sun shone at almost squinty-making levels, which, when combined with the TV’s quantum dot colors and the absolute clarity of Sony’s processing, gave me an almost hallucinatory feeling of actually being on the beach with Moana and Maui. Other scenes, like the glowing golden crab or the molten lava monster, reached exciting new heights as the light seemed to almost shine through the panel.
