Review: Hisense XT900 UHD TV
By Mike Wheeler
Hisense has been trying to break into the mainstream television market for a while now, but competing with name brands like Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and LG is no mean feat. So what better way to make a splash than roll out an 84-inch Ultra High-Def (UHD) television?
By Mike Wheeler
Hisense has been trying to break into the mainstream television market for a while now, but competing with name brands like Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and LG is no mean feat. So what better way to make a splash than roll out an 84-inch Ultra High-Def (UHD) television?
Obviously the first thing you notice about this unit is its size. If you live in an apartment or bedsit, this monster is not designed for you. However, if you live in a three-bedroom house or bigger, and love television, DVDs and gaming, then you’d be hard pressed not to give this beast a go.
As far as looks go, it’s design square and industrial. This might not suit some, but we liked it. The bezel is reasonably thin, but you can become so immersed in the size and quality of the picture that a feature like its frame is almost redundant.
And speaking of picture, this is the main feature of an UHD TV. Sure, the size is noticeable, but what they have given the television is a massive 3840 x 2160 resolution. This means if you stand up close while it’s on there is little or no blur that you get with your average HD LED. And in this case when you switch on the television, the difference between it and my own 55-inch LED is noticeable.
Unlike the LG UHD TV which is 200Hz, this has a 100Hz refresh rate, so a super-keen trained eye might notice the difference – we didn’t. It does have all the other bells and whistles you would expect from such a device – upgrade pictures to 3D; the capcity to record programmes via USB (very simple to do); built in wifi; and the ability to surf the internet.
Overall, our take on this is that it will make the more mainstream players in the market sit up and take notice. They would argue that it might not have the R&D and features of their offerings – which is true. However, most people don’t make full use of their smart televisions as they should, so for those of us sitting on the fence, and not wanting to spend a packet on home entertainment, but love the idea of a big-screen experience, this might fill that gap. The big question will be pricing, which has yet to be released. We believe if it comes in under current models out there – and let’s face it, we do expect that to happen – then it will force others in this market to rethink their pricing, too. And that’s what consumers love – true competition.
Pros: Great picture, sleek looking, bound to bring prices down of similar televisions
Cons: Too big for some; no pricing available yet
4.2 Shacks Out of 5
