During a demo reel test, the color quality and contrast weren\u2019t great. Mist over a white mountain didn\u2019t look distinct; grass behind a fence should have looked greener; brown buffalo roaming a field didn\u2019t look varied enough in color. To test contrast, I viewed a scene with dark trees in the foreground, but they blended too much into the background.<\/p>\n
Another component of color contrast is that dark colors should look deep and rich, but dark scenes in The Creator<\/em> and Awake<\/em> on Netflix both just looked too dull. None of the picture modes helped, including the XR Contrast Booster. In Awake,<\/em> the main character rides a bike at night, and you can see her face but not the background or a guy in a blue shirt.<\/p>\n The movie Hoppers<\/em> on Disney+ did sell me a bit more on True RGB. (Though, to be fair, the animated movie with vibrant colors looked great on my iPhone 17 Pro.) The Bravia 7 Mark II\u2019s understated backlighting and average contrast gave Hoppers<\/em> a more artistic look. Project Hail Mary<\/em> on the Fandango at Home app looked similarly pulled back, reminding me of the matte display on an art television.<\/p>\n To test the Bravia 7 Mark II\u2019s ability to cast, I streamed Dune II<\/em> using the HBO Max app. It worked perfectly, unlike the Hisense UR9 Mini RGB, which was a bit glitchy. On YouTube TV, I tested multiple news broadcasts (which appeared flat and slightly washed out) and a few World Cup 2026 games (which had smooth and fluid motion, with mostly vivid colors). A screensaver mode that shows static images and artwork looked too dark with poor contrast, especially when I flipped through some oil paintings of shipwrecks.<\/p>\n To test surround sound, I watched the movie Unbroken<\/em> because it\u2019s my ultimate benchmark for Dolby Atmos. After I connected Klipsch the Nines II speakers to the television, sounds of planes, explosions, and voices emanated throughout the room. The same battle scene using the same speakers was not as immersive in terms of surround sound using the Hisense UR9 television. However, the built-in speakers on the Hisense UR9 are much better for surround sound than the Bravia 7 Mark II\u2019s built-in speakers.<\/p>\nLet the Games Begin<\/h2>\n
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