The Sony NX720 LED TV can be considered of the best LED TVs in one of the most competitive TVs sectors. It is up against some tough competition from Samsung and LG, read this complete Sony Bravia KDL NX720 review to find out how it compares to its rivals.

Sony NX720 LED TV Series models

The NX720 is available in three screen sizes. The following Sony NX720 review can be applied to all the models in the series, they have the same technical specs and differ only by their display size.

Sony KDL-46NX720 – 46 inch LED TV
Sony KDL-55NX720 – 55 inch LED TV
Sony KDL-60NX720 – 60 inch LED TV

Sony KDL-NX720 Video Performance

The strengths of the Sony NX720 are its ability to produce deep blacks, very good overall uniformity of picture, vibrant colors and Sony’s solid video processing. The NX720 compares well with the other edge-lit LED TVs in this class – the Samsung UND6400 LED TV and the LG LW5600. They all have similar overall performance levels, each has some specific advantages, the most obvious being that the NX720 has better black and color performance, but the UND6400 has better 3D TV capabilities. For a more detailed breakdown of the KDL-NX720’s video performance continue to read the rest of this Sony NX720 LED TV review.

Sony NX720 Black Levels

As already mentioned the Sony KDL NX720 exhibits some of the most superior levels of blackness seen in this class of edge-lit LED TVs. This is the stand-out quality of this TV and comes close to the levels exhibited in some of the better plasmas. The NX720 is never going to out-perform the best full array local dimming LED TVs in this regard, but for an edge-lit LED TV it beats its direct competitors the Samsung UND6400 and the LG LW5600.

Sony NX720 Color Reproduction

With good levels of blackness come accurate and impressive colors. The uniform black levels are the canvas on which Sony paints its impressive pictures. The colors produced by the Sony NX720 are very natural and lifelike. It produces natural skin tones, fine details and doesn’t exhibit any unnatural hues that some other LED TVs in this class do. The good saturation of colors is largely thanks to the deep black levels it produces.

Sony NX720 Picture Uniformity

You may have read of the weakness of some edge-lit LED TVs to produce uniform levels brightness levels. The result is that the brightness of the backlight varies from the center to the edge of the display. However with the Sony NX 720 there is very little sign of this. If you were to deliberately try and find any signs of it you would struggle and you certainly won’t find it a problem under normal viewing conditions. Wider angle viewing quality is OK, it is certainly not amongst the worst TVs in this regard, and there are other TVs that exhibit a greater reduction in picture quality from wider viewing angles.

Sony NX720 3D TV Performance

The NX720’s 3D TV performance is good. This is an active 3D TV, typically this type of 3D TV can suffer from a dimming effect whist viewing 3D content because of the shutters built in to the active 3D TV glasses. However the NX720 favours very well because of its bright backlight, there is little noticeable reduction in brightness in comparison to equivalent active 3D plasma TVs which suffer more from this problem due to their inherent lower levels of brightness.

The NX720’s Motionflow feature is what makes the 3D TV work, without it the NX720 exhibits high levels of flicker. Like the more expensive HX929 there is still some 3D crosstalk present but only a little more than the rival Samsung UND6400.

Sony doesn’t include any 3D glasses with the NX720. Sony’s 2011 range of 3D specs were redesigned so that they were slimmer and lighter. They are now also rechargeable and so this is a big improvement over their predecessors.

Sony NX720 Energy Efficiency

There’s plenty to boast about when it comes to how efficient the Sony NX720 is. The only TV that outperforms it is the more expensive Sony HX929. Despite the high levels of performance and brightness produced by the NX720 you need not worry about it driving up your electricity bill.

Sony NX720 Design

The design of the Sony KDL-NX720 is everything you would expect of a Sony TV. It has a stylish design that is on a par with the more expensive Sony HX929 and if you consider that it actually slimmer (it measures only 1.1 inches thick), then you might consider it even more impressive.

I’ve said this before, but I like TVs that have a minimalistic design. I don’t mean plain or unsophisticated, I still like a TV to look stylish. I just think that the design and aesthetics shouldn’t take your attention away from the pictures on display. So with its single piece of blackened glass which constitutes its front surface, for me the NX720 ticks all the boxes in this regard.

The construction and build quality of the NX720 are of the highest standard. Quite simply it is one of the best looking TVs available, the only other TVs to rival its design are the super sleek Samsung UND8000 and UND6400.

Sony NX720 Usability and Features

Sony’s remote controls have always been well designed and things are no different here with the NX720. The remote is very functional and the buttons are well laid out and have a nice touch to their operation. With the introduction and increase in popularity of internet TV, Sony have included dedicated buttons for internet apps including Netflix (which is very handy and saves you from having to navigate the on-screen menus to find the required app).

The menu system of the NX720 received an update from last years Playstation style menus. The menus features icons along the bottom and the right hand side of the menu with the rest of the display being taken up by an on-screen preview. Once you get used to where everything is located, you will soon be whizzing around the responsive menus. If the menus prove a bit complicated for you then there are onscreen explanations and instructions to help.

A nifty new feature for the Sony is the addition of a motion sensor that is built in to the TV. It can sense the presence and location of anyone in the room. This allows the TV to automatically adjust the picture and sound accordingly depending on the viewer’s location. Also the sensor can detect when a child approaches the TV and can be configured to turn the display off and emit an alarm. If no motion is detected in the room at all the NX720 will switch itself off after a preconfigured period to save power.

Sony NX720 Connectivity Options

All the usually connections are present here, 4 HDMI, 1 composite and 1 component connection plus there’s a headphone socket which is not always included now-a-days.

The more notable connectivity options here are that the Sony HX720 includes both inbuilt ethernet and Wi-Fi connections. It also has 2 USB connectors and PC video connector (this works at full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution perfectly).

Sony NX720 Internet TV

As mentioned earlier the menu system for the Sony interface has been revamped for Sony Internet TV. The NX720 now has a standardised interface for most of its internet services which makes using them very easy to learn.

There no shortage of online services to choose from either, Sony has one of the best internet app suites out of all the major manufacturers. Other than Vudu all of the big name services are available through Sony’s internet TV. Netflix, Amazon Instant, Facebook, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Skype and Twitter are the main services that are available. There is also a big list of other specialist media services which may take your fancy also.

As Sony is now promoting their own Sony Entertainment Network you won’t find other music subscription services such as Napster or Rhapsody on the NX720. The NX720 also has an inbuilt web browser, but like me I suspect not many people will use this feature. As with all the other manufacturers, when it comes to surfing the net you’re better off sticking to your PC or laptop.

All-in-all the Sony NX720 internet TV is does a very slick job of integrating internet features, movies, music, photo sharing and social media – it does the lot.

Sony KDL NX720 LED TV Review – Summary

The bottom line is that the Sony NX720 does the business. On the exterior it has a stylish, slim design that surpasses its price. The 2D video quality that it produces is up there with the best edge-lit LED TVs. With the NX720’s superb internet TV capabilities thrown in to the mix, it is the complete package that can hold its own against the best LED TVs that are available.