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Sony introduced TRILUMINOS displays in their high-end line of HDTVs and they have carried this quantum dot technology 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 demo material that I have playing on the 4K server, the TRILUMINOS display can definitely render a rich array of colors. And reds do positively pop.

Of course, if you are not feeding the XBR-65X900A content that incorporates the expanded color gamut, then you might not be able to perceive much of a difference from a regular TV, which leads us back to the value of native 4K mastered content and the FMP-X1 4K Media Player.

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 I don't know what cameras that ESPN was using for their Monday Night Football pre-game show, but the upscaled to 4K image was so clear and detailed, it looked as if I could step into the screen and right onto the field.

But when it comes to picture quality, after a lifetime of watching movies at the Cineplex, I prefer the subtlety of a rich, refined, saturated image. The XBR-65X900A can reproduce that film look. And with Ultra HD resolution and a 65-inch screen, if you turn down the lights and pull your chair up close, you can smell the popcorn.

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.

As previously mentioned, the XBR-65X900A employs the passive technology to view 3D movies. One of the knocks on this passive method is that it cuts the resolution of the left and right images in half. When watching 3D content on a 1080p HDTV, the loss of resolution was noticeable to some viewers.

A few years ago, the hope was that Ultra HD TVs, with four times the resolution, would solve this situation. From what I have experienced with the XBR-65X900A that is the case. The 3D images were crisp and detailed and seemed to float on the screen.

Of course, I never felt deprived with the HDTV passive system. Though what was evident to me on 1080p HDTVs were the tiny horizontal lines that were created by the 3D passive glasses polarizing filters. With the extra pixels packed into this Sony Ultra HD display, those telltale lines were not visible unless you went nose to nose with the screen.

As for audio performance, the integrated speakers in the Sony TVs that I have reviewed in the past have always been above average. With the XBR-65X900A, Sony has outdone themselves with a 2.2 channel kit (Two way speaker [Tweeter x 2, Woofer {Magnetic Fluid Speaker} x 2] + Sub Woofer x 2) with a total power of 65W (12.5W + 12.5W + 20W + 20W).

These four speakers do an admirable job, but alas, they can only go so far in filling the room with volume and vivid surround sound, no matter how much fiddling you do with the Sound Adjustments menu.

If ever there was a TV that deserved a dedicated 5.1 or 7.1 or 9.1 sound system, the 65-inch Ultra HD XBR-65X900A is at the top of the list. Of course, if you decide to augment the audio on this TV, you might consider the less expensive Sony XBR-65X850A.

The 4K Ultra HD Sony XBR-65X900A delivers top-notch picture quality with both HD and UHD content. The 65-inch TRILUMINOS quantum dot display can widen the color range and render rich, luscious colors. As a Smart TV, this Sony supplies over 200 streaming content partners.

We are just at the beginning of the Ultra HD TV era and who knows exactly what the future will bring. But if you have the budget and the desire to jump in early, the Sony XBR-65X900A, along with the Sony FMP-X1 4K Ultra HD Media Player, offer a great pairing to explore the brave new UHD world.