Image Quality: good, but not for a group

Average DeltaE   2.5 Maximum DeltaE   7.0

The first measurements we took allowed us to find the same excellent results as we did on the previous generation.  To obtain them, we needed to activate either Custom or Expert mode and turn the backlighting down to 2, giving us the brightness of 200 cd/m² that we always use for testing.  It's possible to go beyond 400 cd/m² if you turn the backlighting up to maximum, which means you can use it in even the brightest of rooms

On the other hand, the black levels are a little disappointing.  Of course, our measurement of 0.08 cd/m² was good, but today we're seeing TVs that fall below 0.06 cd/m².  The contrast of 2580:1 that this produces is excellent, and puts the Z5500 amongst the leaders of the pack.

The colours are also excellent, thanks to a deltaE score below 2.6, a value that we'd expect from a good computer monitor used by a professional photographer or designer. 

At 200 Hz, this television doesn't suffer from any ghosting and allows you to watch any type of program without any trace behind fast-moving images.  The Motionflow system prevents jerkiness, but can be deactivated if you want to enjoy Blu-ray films at their native framerate of 24 fps.

When we tried it with films, we found all the excellent qualities that our measurements suggested we would: a natural image, with contrast and sharpness.

However, a shadow fell over the end of our tests.  The viewing angles are narrow and cause the image quality to rapidly fall as you move away from the central axis of the screen.  At 45°, the deltaE climbs to 6.6 and the brightness varies by almost 0.53 cd/m².

The viewing angles are very narorw.  Clear areas appear on the dark background as soon as you move away from the centre-line of the screen.

Even though the model that we were testing didn't suffer from any clouding, we certainly didn't think so at first.  We should start by saying that we're sure there's no clouding on the Z5500 we tested, because we measured the brightness across different parts of the screen while it was showing a solid black image and got an even result.  To the eye, though, things are different.  Two or three metres away, you make an angle of 0° with the center of the screen, but it's closer to 20° at the outside edges.  That's the angle that allows a little bit of light to escape from the sides, which gives the impression that you can see clouding.  The problem is so pronounced that it's cost the Z5500 a star.  You need to sit a long way away from this TV to see the best image.  And anybody that's watching from alongside could well be disappointed.  You'll need to watch from a long way away, and without too many people.

Audio Quality: where did it go?

What a disappointment!  What happened to the sound that came out of the Z4500?  There's no bass, with a confused sound, lacking in detail and resonance.  You don't need to look far to find the problem: the speakers which were at the front are now at the back and lost a lot of their quality.  As for the disappearance of the bass, a quick look at the specs shows that the subwoofer has been removed from the Z5500 and there are now only two 10 W speakers.



Energy Consumption: an efficient TV

It doesn't use much power in standby (0.1 W), and this television is just as efficient while it's working.  When we tested a 52'' model consumed 168 W using our standard test card, a good result.