We Watched Nosferatu On This Sony Bravia 8 TV And Found True Darkness

Scouring the features of the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV for the first time, we suspected it might become a modern classic – but only if it could deliver on its promises. Many of us grew up in a world filled with now iconic Sony kit – like the Walkman, the world's first CD player, and Trinitron TVs that outshone the competition twice over. Gate-crashing a friend's house after their dad bought a better colour TV than ours, we'd sit glued to Knight Rider or The A-Team. Back then the electronics world was ruled by a handful of big names. But, no matter who's living room we invaded, the goggleboxes we watched B. A. Baracus and "Howling Mad" Murdock on were often Sony.

That was followed in the '90s with an array of digital video cameras, the very first PlayStation console, and MiniDisc. As keen early-adopters, we hastily bought into this wave of innovation – just a small handful of Sony's audiovisual milestones that were part of everyday life back then. Cut to today and most of us still like Sony tech – but that doesn't mean that we'll go easy while testing one of its latest sets: the K55XR80 Bravia 8 OLED 55-inch TV.

Many of us invest in newly-launched gadgetry when the bank balance allows. When Full-HD programming launched in the UK in the mid 2000s, people snapped up new 43-inch TVs to watch Wimbledon. It was a jaw-dropping leap in detail. Now we have 4K ultra high definition with four times as many pixels as HD. We enjoy the latest releases as much as the next Fallout and Star Wars fan, but there's nothing like seeing older favourites like James Cameron's Aliens make it into 4K. All of those extended colours and Atmos sound effects really bring those chestbursters to life. The 55-inch panel with Dolby Vision HDR would certainly seem to promise the rich black levels, shadow detail and colour finesse that darker content like Daredevil: Born Again really deserve. These genres arguably stand to benefit the most from OLED, but could Sony's raft of advanced features really do them justice? Only one way to find out.

First impressions of the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV

A modern TV is quite featureless at first glance – a flat screen with a thin bezel is the order of the day. But, before powering on and setting things up, what we can say is that the screen is coated to tone-down reflections and minimise glare. The reflection of the living room window was still there (no screen is going to eliminate that) but it does dull-down that reflection and give it a warmer tone.

The spec on the other hand is anything but dulled-down. We really wanted to see (and hear) what the Sony Bravia 8 is capable of. The OLED display with its latest XR Processor, XR Triluminos Pro and XR Contrast Booster combine with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support to deliver a massive range of true to life colours. We're expecting a beautifully presented image with loads of clarity and deep, inky black levels to really plunge viewers into the scene – amping-up that fear of the dark in Alien: Romulus or series like The Haunting of Hill House. Also, the fact that this TV has calibrations for both Netflix and Amazon Prime content (and can display IMAX enhanced content accurately) means that some of these movies and shows would, we're promised, look as the director intended. That feature alone has serious appeal.

Apps and other smart stuff aside, we also couldn't wait to see how its 120Hz refresh rate and 'Perfect for PlayStation 5 features' panned out. We'd be testing some fast-moving high frame rate games in the much-lauded tone-mapped HDR (more on that, later).

Lastly, the Acoustic Surface Pro sound promises directional audio that emanates from the right location on-screen – a feature we're familiar with (albeit under different names) from other TV brands. But we were especially excited to see how this would handle Dolby Atmos – the advanced spatial sound format that maps a wide range of sounds and effects into 3D space for maximum immersion.

Design and build: Refined yet robust

Standing back to take it all in, we realised this TV has a lot more presence in the room than expected. The Sony branding on the front is small and minimal too, which is welcome. There's nothing more annoying than a shiny logo on the front of a set taking you out of the blockbuster you're watching.

When unboxing this Sony Bravia we noticed that it has a lot more heft to it than many others. If we wanted to mount it on the wall it's definitely a two-person job – so, a typically robust build from Sony. Around the back there's a rear panel with a grid-like pattern designed to conceal removable panels that cover AV ports and stand-mount holes. It's a neat touch that will appeal to anyone who likes to keep things out of sight when viewed from the side, also allowing for better cable management.

Physical controls are nicely hidden away too, as a row of tactile buttons on the underside of the bezel. They're largely a backup option these days – especially considering this set comes with two remotes (one premium with backlit keys and integrated mic, and one standard). But we've all had moments when you can't find a remote and just need to turn a TV off, tweak the volume or switch inputs. Long live actual buttons.

Setting up the Sony Bravia 8

We're going for the trusty stand rather than wall-mount. Before we actually got our hands on this set, we found a handful of online reports that the mount points for the legs are too far apart and incompatible with narrower TV units – but this isn't true. Thankfully there are two options for positioning the legs: outer or inner. A couple of covers hide the innermost mount points, so this may explain the confusion. Either way, the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV fits perfectly on the Blok AV unit here and is extremely stable.

Opening the largest rear panel gave easy access to all of the ports – including a grand total of four HDMI inputs, two USB ports (one high speed for recording to USB stick), an optical digital output and a 3.5mm output for a separate centre speaker if you have one. We connected a PS5 to the eARC HDMI port (eARC being the Audio Return Channel that supports higher bitrate audio) and a Blu-Ray player in another. It's good to see provision for digital optical audio as well, great for upgrading the sound using an external speaker system. As it turned out, we had no need to do that.

Powering up the Sony Bravia, we expected the usual splash screen logo. Instead we got something of a sudden introduction to the world of OLED, HDR colour and surround sound. This short first-boot animation is really a 4K video that makes an instant impact with swathes of colour and sound. If you somehow forgot what persuaded you to buy this TV, this will certainly jog your memory.

Network and app setup

This is one of the simpler units we've set up thanks to its use of on-screen QR codes to quickly log into things using your smartphone. Having downloaded the Google Home app and connected the Sony Bravia 8 to Wi-Fi (and then our Sony and Google accounts) getting it ready was fast and easy. The same goes for adding subscription apps like Amazon Prime and Spotify.

Eventually, up popped the 'tell us what apps you use' screen. We're used to doing this with new TVs but always feel a little anxious pinning our colours to the mast so early in the process. After all, we didn't want to have a homepage filled with animated kid's movies just because we said we subscribe to Disney+. Thankfully though, by telling the TV which apps we use, it helpfully collated favourite shows (and some suggestions) onto the homepage itself. Setup also asked whether we wanted to use Google Assistant for voice control.

The TV was tested alongside an Amazon Alexa-based smart home setup. So we were relieved to find that an Alexa Skill for Sony TVs made it possible to control the Bravia 8 via Amazon Echo devices. There's a reassuring physical button under the bezel that turns the TVs mic on or off. Switching it on, an amber LED lights up on the front (but it can be turned off to remove the distraction).

Smart features and controls: Google, Alexa and lots of menus

As expected given the RRP here, the Google-based operating system and various menus are snappy to use. The dreadfully slow live TV guide we frequently find in cheaper TVs from other brands was nowhere to be seen. It populated quickly and was simple to scroll through at speed. There's a Bravia Connect app too for anyone who likes to use their phone rather than a remote.

The number of different routes we found to adjust some basic settings on this TV are not for the faint-hearted. For instance, pressing the Quick Settings button on the remote, the Dashboard button, or the menu button will each take you to different ways of altering the picture, sound and other settings.

To be clear, we don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing – but those who like the simplicity of having one button to press to make all of their changes might find their head spinning. We generally prefer more control when it comes to gadgetry, so (after getting used to it) this makes navigating the TV's settings according to what we're watching easier.

Performance test: Movies

We've seen every version of Dracula knock-off Nosferatu – beginning with the 1922 original (F.W Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror) and ending of course with Robert Eggers' faithfully rendered Nosferatu. This latest version is an exercise in darkness in more ways than one. Several scenes in this movie are especially notable for pitch black levels and shadow details. It's a visually striking film and the use of light and dark as story elements made it our first port of call for testing the Sony Bravia 8 and that OLED panel's agility.

Not only were the darkest shadows absolutely black on this TV, the play of the light in scenes set in Orlock's castle really showcased the extended colour palette, with HDR subtleties in areas dimly lit by flickering firelight. Our standout moment in terms of the OLEDs ability to literally switch off every pixel was when Hutter arrives at the castle. The gates open from pitch black. A sliver of dim light cuts through it, revealing the gloomy interior. Hutter ventures inside – and total darkness swallows him up as the doorway closes behind him. This moment would be lost on a lesser TV. The absolute black level and the panel's ability to render subtle gradations in light and shade break the curse of washed-out blacks and poor shadow detail that plague so many TVs. Plus, as this is from Netflix, the TV's Netflix Calibration assures us that this is how it is truly meant to be seen.

Later, we also watched The Abyss which was an excellent test of both HDR colour range and contrast levels. As expected, it performed brilliantly. We'll cover audio performance in detail later, but suffice to say we were blown away by it. This TV was more than capable of adding another dimension to movies – particularly those with surround sound like Dolby Atmos.

Performance test: Streaming TV

Daredevil: Born Again is the show that many MCU fans wanted the second the original series ended in 2018. Again, it would offer another brilliant test of this TV. The Sony's brightness and contrast levels were more than able to bring the city to life with vibrancy as lawyer Matt Murdoch goes about his business by day. But by night, Daredevil's action sequences were a spectacle of colour and motion against a murky backdrop of steam and streetlights.

We really liked the 1970s colour grading used on Netflix's recent German hit, Cassandra. We'd already seen it on a QLED set, but this time the Sony TV added a warmth and realism to those tones – it was clear that the Netflix Calibrated Mode was at work.

Performance test: Live TV and guide

As with most broadcast sources, there are a variety of picture compression and other resolutions to deal with. The XR Processor really made the best of this, upscaling and smoothing things out after some picture adjustment settings.

We attached a USB stick to the rear port of the TV and used the DTV Guide to set some programmes to record. The ability to set a whole series to record is excellent and it could reliably capture each episode and present them in a user-friendly way for playback. We're also glad that the USB port is side-facing with plenty of room next to it – that means that larger drives won't stick out too far or cause problems with wall-mounting.

Performance test: Gaming and music

Perfect for the PlayStation 5 is a set of features that many owners of the console will be familiar with. You can of course hook up any games console to this TV via HDMI, but only the PS5 will benefit from these special elements.

We fired up God of War Ragnarök and then Star Wars Battlefront II – a game that supports 120fps as well as HDR. The Bravia 8 could automatically identify games from other PS5 content, like movies, and switch picture modes depending on what we were playing or watching. Game Mode had a FPS genre mode in the games we tested, plus low latency from ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). And then there's the super-accurate in-game colours from features like Auto HDR Tone Mapping. The net result? Better detail, range and accuracy from the brightest to the darkest areas of the screen which is ideal for maximising the whole experience.

Music with atmos

We particularly appreciate the ability to turn the TV's display off when you only want to listen to audio. With the vast majority of TVs that might seem like overkill – after all, who's really going to choose a TV for their music instead of a decent speaker or hi-fi? Well, this one is the exception. Its clarity and range, along with its support for Atmos audio, make this a brilliant device for enjoying high-quality music.

We downloaded the TV's Tidal app, as it's a platform that streams some lossless and Atmos-encoded audio. A new Atmos mix of The Doors with Riders on The Storm was a real thrill. Atmospheric tracks like this have a lot more range and separation thanks to a spatial sound mix. Yes, a fully-fledged Dolby Atmos amp and speakers will outperform the Sony Bravia 8, but it will still best most other TVs when it comes to sound capability, and by some margin.

Picture quality and adjustments: Quick or complex options

We found the picture to be well-balanced at either end of the contrast range, and colours were natural and nuanced – especially with Netflix and Amazon Prime Calibration at play. As expected from an OLED, it doesn't have the super-high brightness levels of some QLED and Micro LED models, but that didn't stop us from enjoying excellent visibility and contrast, day or night. In direct sunlight this lower brightness level is going to be an issue – but only marginally more than it would be for any TV. The Bravia 8 is more than up to the job and will beat most of the competition for sheer image quality and vibrancy.

The number of available adjustments are suitably deep. We love this level of control, although others may not – but using them is largely up to you. We did find Sony's Motionflow technology fine for improving rougher sources like broadcast TV and YouTube, but it just didn't sit well with us for movies. Thankfully we could disable or fine-tune those settings to avoid giving films shot at 24 frames-per-second that overly smooth daytime TV look.

Elsewhere, we found we could really improve some movies by dialling down excessive grain while not losing any of the detail (even boosting clarity, if needed). Although we love an OLED panel for those perfect black levels, at default settings they can sometimes crush shadow detail too much. However, the Sony Bravia 8 needed very little tweaking – although we did fine-tune the motion blur reduction and contrast settings to taste, the latter allowing for just that bit of extra shadow. And on the subject of changing things to suit…

Different picture settings for each source

We've owned and set up quite a number of screens over the years – from the best TVs under £1000 to some costing £5000 and above. So, the nerd in us was doing cartwheels when we discovered a rare wish list feature. What is this holy grail of system settings? The ability to adjust your picture per-app or source, as well as globally.

For instance, we always find the colour temperature and contrast settings of YouTube to be harsher than digital terrestrial channels. And then there's being able to control those Clarity and Motionflow enhancements for each source too, allowing us to fine-tune them all for content that streamed from a local Plex server – such as smoothing out older, lower-definition TV shows that were not shot on film. At long last we have a TV that can switch between various sources without having to go in and meddle with the settings each time.

Lastly, if you are environmentally-conscious (or just want to minimise your electricity bill) it's good to see that Sony has included an Eco Dashboard that lets you keep an eye on power usage and access settings that will limit it, if needed.

Audio quality: Can any TV achieve decent surround sound ?

We frequently read a lot of big claims about speaker systems, whether that's budget speakers, some of the best soundbars, or of course TVs. So, when a TV comes along boasting Dolby Atmos sound, we always take it with enough pinches of salt to fill a sizeable cellar. Decoding Atmos is one thing, delivering spatial sound with enough separation, volume and fidelity is another.

Here though, the Sony Bravia 8 is a genuine superstar. This is the first TV we've tested that doesn't necessarily need a high-end or budget soundbar right off the bat. The vast majority of smart TVs deliver adequate audio, with a few that excel here and there, but this set really did have it all in terms of sound. Respectable bass (just don't expect it to vibrate the floorboards), well-defined mids and a high-end that didn't scream 'tin can' at higher volumes – all with 60-watts of power behind it.

In fact, the spatial Atmos effect floored us at times. Footsteps, creaks and creatures in 2018's sudden-death-fest A Quiet Place seemed to come from behind or to the side, in line with its position in the scene. Sometimes 3D effects at the higher end of the frequency range had so much clarity and realism that our canine co-tester jumped up and ran to the door to see who knocked. We put some of that performance down to the acoustic auto-calibration that we were prompted to do as part of the setup. This used the mic in the remote to measure the acoustics of the room.

There's the option to twin the onboard sound with that of an optional Sony soundbar of course, which will take everything up a notch – especially if you want more bass. But again, although we'd normally say a Dolby Atmos soundbar was an essential upgrade, it's not a prerequisite here.

Comparing the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV to other TVs

There's certainly no shortage of other 55-inch OLEDs to choose from, but for us any alternative has to offer those more advanced features that propel a set into the right league for movie and TV fans. We respect the creative choices the director and editors make in all aspects of production – especially the final cut, complete with all of that colour grading and audio mixing they've done to bring their vision to life. So It makes sense that the screen you buy is capable of doing that justice.

Our favourite Sony Bravia 8 alternatives here are divided into two categories: a close like-for-like match from a different brand (the Samsung 55-inch S95D OLED) and a slightly more affordable yet still feature-packed alternative – the LG OLED55B46LA 55-Inch 4K UHD Smart TV.

Who should buy the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV?

We think that this TV should be at the top of the list for anyone who really values natural and accurate colours – the kind that only HDR can bring. Plus, those true black levels and shadow detail that OLED screens deliver. As smart TVs go it's as smart and snappy as many other models out there, but the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED earns its stripes with its combination of top-tier visuals and stunning audio performance. We found 55-inches to be an ideal size for the room, but for anyone with more space and deeper pockets we're glad to see that it also comes in 65 and 77-inch versions.

We recommend this set as a near-perfect choice for serious film and TV fans, particularly anyone who likes sci-fi, horror or any other genre that takes place in the black of night. If you really want to bring your greatest fears to life in the comfort of your living room, this TV provides the means.

Final verdict: Has it upstaged our 50-inch QLED TV?

Until now we were quite happy and content with a 50-inch QLED as a capable mid-sized set for gaming and more. Now we have to pack up this Bravia 8 and send all 55-inches of its OLED and Atmos goodness back to Sony. We were expecting a stunning picture with shadows dark enough to make even Count Orlock's skin crawl, and it delivered. We were less intrigued by the quality of the sound on offer – until we heard it. For us this TV is a Sony flagship model that's worth every penny. It combines the best in picture and sound technology with the sort of high-end smart functionality you need for all of your entertainment needs. Yes, it can be a complex beast if you delve deep into the menus, but if you want to keep out of those shadows and stay in the light you absolutely can.

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How we tested the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV

We tested the Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV for over two weeks. It was set up with its stand on a Blok AV unit in a living room measuring around 21 x 16 ft. The TV sat opposite a large north-facing panoramic window. It was connected to a network over Wi-Fi and controlled using Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice assistants. The TV was connected to a PlayStation 5 and a Blu-Ray player via HDMI; and a 32GB USB stick was used to test the TV's live broadcast recording function.

Various apps were downloaded to the TV, including Amazon Prime, Disney+, YouTube, and Netflix for TV series and movie content, and the Plex app was used for streaming content from a local media server. Tidal and Spotify apps were used for music content. We also used an iPhone to cast videos to the TV's YouTube app and also Airplay for supported mobile music apps.

The Sony Bravia 8 55-inch OLED TV was loaned to us by Sony for the purposes of this review. Sony did not have any oversight or editorial control over the content of this article.

Chris Duffill is a senior tech reviewer, writing for Empire, What's The Best, Yours, Closer, Heat and other brands. He specialises in home entertainment and audiovisual tech, including TVs, projectors, speakers, amplifiers, turntables and more.

Having worked in video production, photography and graphic design, he has decades of professional experience with various display technologies. He's owned TVs of various sizes and specs, several home cinema projectors and also set up his own surround sound systems, including Dolby Atmos. He's a lifelong TV and movie fanatic with a Masters in Screenwriting from the UEA.