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The XBR-55X850A boasts a TRILUMINOS display that was originally introduced in Sony's high-end line of HDTVs and this quantum dot technology has carried over to all of their 4K Ultra HD TVs. (I will not delve into the science of nanocrystals and their color emissive qualities. You can read more about quantum dots and Color IQ here.)

Basically this quantum dot technology renders a wider range of colors than a traditional LED TV.

The disparity might not be as dramatic as the image that Sony has posted on their website, but based on the 4K content that I have played back on the FMP-X1 4K Ultra HD Media Player, the TRILUMINOS display can definitely render a rich array of colors. And reds do positively pop.

Of course, almost no 1080p programs incorporate that expanded color gamut. But when this Sony Ultra HD TV is in Standard Picture Mode, the feature called Live Color is set to "On" by default. When on, the video processing technology will extrapolate from the limited color gamut content and render a fuller color image.

In Cinema mode, Live Color defaults to "Off" and you will need to flip it on to expand the color range of HD material. Once again, native 4K mastered movies are often rendered with the full color range and the TV will automatically realize it.

But the reality of the current state of affairs is that most of the content available is 1080p resolution - or less, gulp. Reports are indicating that more Ultra HD (2160p) programs might be on the horizon. For the time being, an Ultra HD TV must be able to successfully upscale lower resolution content.

This Sony's new 4K X-Reality PRO chip delivers wonderful picture quality from HD sources. As you would expect, Blu-rays look great upscaled. And with Live Color turned on, the colors are noticeably livelier.

A word of warning, don't set your expectations too high when playing standard definition DVDs on this Ultra HD TV. Upscaling from SD resolution (720 x 480) to UHD (3840 x 2160) requires a huge amount of extrapolation of pixels to fill the UHD display. No matter who do the upscaling voodoo (Blu-ray player or Ultra HD TV), sometimes the magic falls short and the final picture quality of SD DVDs is not as good as with Blu-ray content.

In 2013, more and more components like Blu-ray players and AV receivers are offering a 4K upscaling feature, which you can turn on or off. If paired with one of these Sony Ultra HD TVs, I would suggest that you turn off the 4K upscaler on the Blu-ray player or receiver and let the TV's Reality chip do the heavy lifting.

As previously mentioned, the XBR-55X850A employs the active shutter technology to view 3D movies. I'm still not a big fan of these glasses, which for me induce eye fatigue. But I cannot deny that the 3D effect is palpable, though to me, the 3D picture quality was not notably better than that produced by the passive system employed by the XBR-65X900A.

If I have one qualm about the picture quality, it slightly deteriorates if your viewing angle is too far off the center axis, anything beyond 60 degrees.

As for audio fidelity, the 30W down firing 2.1 speaker system integrated into the XBR-55X850A is quite commendable and could suffice for a small viewing room. Just don't expect big or surround sound performance.

The speakers simply do not have the power to pump up the volume. Indeed, when I tried to push its limits during a particularly taxing musical passage, those tiny plucky speakers began to rattle.

Come on. You splurged on a TRILUMINOS Ultra HD display, complete the package with a dedicated 5.1 or 7.1 or 9.1 sound system. And while you are at it, feed this beautiful beast 4K mastered movies from the FMP-X1 4K Ultra HD Media Player. (A review of it is in the works.)

The Sony XBR-55X850A, with its rich, colorful TRILUMINOS 4K Ultra HD display, is a precursor to the next generation of TVs.

For many of us, the cost of participating in that Ultra HD dream is still out of our reach. But if the promotional pricing of this high end BRAVIA TV, ($4500 MSRP slashed to $3000), is any indication of the Ultra HD TV market in 2014, then an affordable 4K future might be closer than we had imagined.

Sony XBR-55X850A with a FMP-X1

If you are antsy to begin building an Ultra HD home theater ecosystem now, the XBR-55X850A , along with the Sony FMP-X1 4K Ultra HD Media Player, would be a good start. Of course, if you can afford it, go for the 65-inch XBR-65X850A.