Sony Bravia 5 Review: An Excellent Mid-Tier TV for Cinephiles

Speaking of 4K Blu-rays, this TV really showed off its excellent processing when in Movie mode and watching a recently acquired copy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. The gorgeous use of light and shadow was presented without aggressive blooming, and the colors looked deep and well-saturated. A scene where the two leads face the Golden Gate Bridge looks particularly like a painting on this screen, praise that belongs to the XR chip and Sony’s excellent use of multi-zone, mini-LED backlighting.

Photograph: Parker Hall

Streaming apps delivered still-great quality, and it also did well in darker scenes from Apple TV’s Pluribus, and in Sport mode when streaming F1. Colors were vivid, and the TV’s 120-Hz refresh rate was on full display, but not quite as heavily as when I plugged in Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro. Gran Turismo looks smooth and realistic in Gaming mode, with the variable refresh rate helping everything stay smooth, even when doing hard-to-process things like wet races in shiny cars.

This screen is available in a wide variety of sizes, from 55 inches all the way up to a gargantuan 98 inches (enjoy hanging that on the wall), and I imagine the higher sizes are likely where a lot of folks will shop for this model rather than a significantly pricier option in Bravias 7, 8, or 9.

Competitors include the TCL QM6K, Hisense U8QG, and Samsung QN80F. The TCL is cheaper, looks brighter, and has an equally usable interface. The Sony has better, more natural processing. The Hisense is a bit harsher-looking but does awesome in the brightest rooms, making it a great choice for anyone who doesn’t want or need Sony Pictures Core and watches more casually. Samsung has amazing mini-LED quantum dot panels, but an annoying interface and no Dolby Vision support.

Sony is clearly a premium choice in this category for processing, but given that it does cost a fair amount more than the competition and the screen isn’t as bright, it is worth asking yourself: How often do I plan on watching high-end content on this TV?

If you’ve been growing your digital media, Plex server, or 4K Blu-ray collection, the Sony might be the better buy. If not, more affordable brands with equally great streaming apps (and nearly identical displays) might work great, especially in brighter rooms.