Panasonic W70A vs Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5)

HDR on the Panasonic W70A unfortunately does not impress. Brightness at the level of 250–300 nits is simply too low to feel the true magic of cinematic effects in dynamic, bright scenes. Images that should "explode" with light appear rather flat, and fine details in bright areas often get lost in the average luminance of the panel. On the positive side, the HDR effect is at least stable. The TV does not suffer from excessive brightening nor does it lose details during sudden scene changes. Everything is predictable and calm, though unfortunately not very spectacular. Another issue is the color gamut coverage. The W70A is not equipped with an additional layer of quantum dots (often known as QLED), resulting in colors appearing rather mediocre. There is a lack of depth in reds, saturation in greens, and precision in rendering subtle shades.

Looking at similar results in terms of black levels and contrast, we expected the same stable performance as last year's model when it comes to HDR content. Unfortunately – and this must be said plainly – there has been a regression here that is hard to overlook. The paradox is that the peak brightness of the Bravia 5 can be impressive: in our synthetic tests, the television reached around 1000 nits in HDR. Sounds great, right? The problem is that this power does not always translate effectively to all movie scenes. When small, pinpoint elements appear on the screen, something that was usually refined with surgical precision in the case of Sony clearly falters this time. The algorithms try to maintain deep blacks around small objects, but the side effect is that details can be dimmed to the point of becoming barely visible. A case in point is the movie Sicario 2 – there, in some scenes, small light sources practically vanished as if someone had covered them with dark film.

Of course, not everything looks so dramatic. In simpler, brighter scenes, where the image is filled with a greater amount of light, the Bravia 5 shows that it can shine: literally and figuratively. At that point, the television achieves values in the range of 600–800 nits, which we observed in both synthetic tests and during movie screenings. The impression is truly positive; the brightness adds dynamism, and the colors appear vivid and fresh. However, there remains a certain dissonance. We feel a slight confusion because it is evident that something has gone the wrong way. Technological advancement – more zones, greater backlight power – has not been supported by the refined image management we usually associate with Sony. Fortunately, there are elements that have not been worsened and are instead at a very high level. We are talking about color reproduction. Thanks to the use of the PFS filter, the color gamut coverage is excellent – about 97% of DCI-P3 and 75% of BT.2020. These values allow for a truly wide color reproduction, giving films a natural and cinematic character.

The Panasonic W70A was tested in movie mode, which theoretically should guarantee the most natural image reproduction. Unfortunately, as is often the case with budget televisions, the reality proved far from ideal.

In HD (SDR) content, the white balance was severely disrupted by an excess of red and a noticeable drop in blue tones. The result? The image had a distinctly warm, even yellowish tint, which is clearly visible in the comparison photo. In the case of 4K HDR materials, the situation reversed. Here, the image became excessively cold and bluish, causing scenes to lose their naturalness and depth. The differences are visible even to the naked eye, especially in the bright parts of the image. The Colour Checker palette test confirmed our observations. Most color samples did not hit their intended points, "running away" towards warmer shades in SDR and cooler ones in HDR. As for brightness characteristics, both gamma and the EOTF curve showed significant problems. The image tended to excessively brighten certain areas, disrupting the balance and leading to a loss of details in darker and brighter regions.

In summary – the factory color reproduction settings in the Panasonic W70A leave much to be desired. The image is far from neutral, and the errors in white balance and gamma mean that a solid calibration is needed to extract the full potential from this television.

Sony Bravia 5 was of course tested in the best possible mode, which is the Cinema mode. Right out of the box, it offers the most natural colors, definitely better than anything provided by the "eco" or "dynamic" modes, which are more suitable for a store display than a living room. However, the Cinema mode itself does not guarantee that we can always expect cinematic image quality. In SDR content, we had practically no major complaints – the slightly warm white balance made the scenes take on a somewhat golden tone, but it was nothing that was glaringly obvious. However, the problem arose with HDR materials. Here, the color reproduction simply looked poor. The white balance was severely off – with an excess of blue and a noticeable lack of red. At times, it even resembled the store "super vivid image" mode, where everything is overexposed and artificially boosted.

This state of affairs made managing brightness seem too aggressive as well. The EOTF graph clearly showed that the television had issues with overexposing many scenes right out of the box. And while we know what Sony televisions are usually capable of, it was hard to remain indifferent here – which is why we quickly decided to go for calibration.

The Panasonic W70A, despite its limitations, gave us a lot of room to maneuver during calibration. Thanks to well-developed tools, we were able to achieve significantly better white balance in both HD (SDR) and 4K HDR content. The issues with excess red in SDR and overly cool images in HDR have disappeared. The gamma brightness characteristic has also improved, maintaining stability and avoiding excessive brightness or loss of detail in darker areas.

So where is the problem? Unfortunately, there are barriers that even professional calibration cannot overcome. Poor coverage of a wide color gamut means that the TV cannot fully reproduce colors in HDR materials. There is a lack of saturation, and subtle color transitions still appear somewhat "flattened." Another limitation is brightness management, which results from the use of an IPS panel. In the comparative photo featuring the actress's face in colorful clothing, it is clearly visible how some shades are noticeably muted, and colors lose their depth and brightness.

The calibration extracted everything it could from the W70A. The image is now much more natural, and the errors in the factory settings have been effectively corrected. Unfortunately, hardware limitations in the form of poor color gamut coverage and an average panel prevent us from achieving spectacular results, especially in HDR content.

After calibration, the situation changed drastically. We managed to tune the white balance so that entire scenes began to look more natural, and the image gained coherence and elegance. In HDR, we finally got rid of that unwanted blooming effect that had previously ruined some shots. Suddenly, it turned out that the Bravia 5 can extract much more from films than the first contact "straight out of the box" suggested. Yes, if we take a look at the graphs and compare them with the reference patterns, we can see that the start of the EOTF curve slightly deviates from the reference line. However, this is not so much a calibration error as a natural limitation of Mini-LED technology, which cannot be bypassed. Sony, instead of clinging to perfect black, prefers to prioritize the visibility of details – and in practice, it’s hard to disagree with that. We prefer to see the texture of the material on the screen rather than a pitch-black blob that obliterates all nuances.

The calibration itself made a significant difference. After about an hour spent on adjustments, we felt that the picture resembled that from the best cinema halls – of course on a home scale, but with the same sense of quality and refinement. And in such moments, we remember why we love Sony televisions: because once we fine-tune them, they can reward us with an image that captivates for long hours.

We checked how the Panasonic W70A performs in improving content of lower quality than 4K, and it must be admitted that the television does quite well in this regard. The "Zeroing Counter" function is responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. The optimal setting turned out to be the Average option, which effectively smooths out color gradation issues while not ruining the film grain. This is the setting we recommend for most users, as it provides a balance between improving the fluidity of transitions and maintaining the naturalness of the image.

As for image scaling, the Panasonic W70A performed really well. The test pattern with the model was positively evaluated – details on her clothing were well reproduced, and the contours of her face retained sharpness. In the background, we noticed slight "jaggies" on thin branches, but these are details that only a very observant eye will catch. However, it is worth noting a certain flaw of this model – the television has a tendency to overscan, which means slight cropping of the image edges. This is not a very intense phenomenon and for most users it will be practically unnoticeable, but if we care about perfect framing, it is worth keeping this in mind.

Bravia 5 carries within it the genes of Sony, which remain intact – and thank goodness for that, because we are talking about absolutely remarkable digital image processing. There is a reason that for years it has been believed that it is this brand of television that sets the standard for how a screen should handle lower-quality materials. If someone is still watching classic television, old movies, or YouTube in lower resolution, here they get equipment that can turn such content into a surprisingly pleasant experience. On board, we find several tools worth activating. The first of these is "digital noise reduction." Set to a medium level, it works almost flawlessly – smoothing tonal transitions that usually pose the biggest challenge with low-quality materials, while not introducing any artificial artifacts. Importantly, it also does not remove the filmic character, or the natural grain that is an intentional element in many productions. Another advantage of Bravia 5 is the upscaling capabilities of the XR processor. The image presented after scaling is soft yet sharp and clear. The contours of characters are well-defined, and backgrounds retain their structure without excessive artificial sharpening. It’s hard to find a better television for watching lower-quality content – Bravia 5 only confirms why Sony is regarded as the benchmark in this field.

The Panasonic W70A is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, which immediately suggests that the television will perform best when watching movies, series, or everyday TV content. In more dynamic scenes, such as sports broadcasts or games, the panel's limitations become more noticeable. On the positive side, it is worth noting the presence of a motion smoother called "Effect," which offers three levels of adjustment - low, medium, and high.

Each of the settings allows you to adjust motion fluidity to your own preferences, minimizing motion blur and improving clarity in dynamic shots. In practice, the Medium setting seems to be the most versatile - it offers better fluidity without excessive "soap opera effect," which can look artificial in feature films. The High setting may work well for sports broadcasts, but in films, it can disrupt the natural character of movement.

Bravia 5 has a 120 Hz panel, which in itself sounds like an invitation to watch sports, fast matches, or spectacular action movies. However, the real magic begins only when MotionFlow comes into play – Sony's proprietary smoothing technology. Thanks to it, we can adjust the character of the image to our own preferences. The “smoothness” slider allows us to transition from a cinematic vibe with a slight “jitter” of the film frame to an almost theatrical fluidity, where every ball in the game glides across the screen like on a string. The higher the value, the smoother and more fluid it is; the lower – the more cinematic and natural. In the options, we also find an additional setting that Sony has called “clearness.” This is nothing more than the BFI function (which stands for black frame insertion), which aims to improve motion clarity. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, you need to use it with great caution. Why? Because all higher settings cause brightness drops of up to half, and in some cases, there can also be contour doubling. Therefore, if we want to use it, we recommend the lowest possible level – “1” out of the available ten. This way, we gain a little better motion clarity without risking a loss of half the image brightness.

The Panasonic W70A is a television that will be more suitable for occasional gamers than for avid players. The 60 Hz panel does not allow for full utilization of the potential of new generation consoles, especially in dynamic titles. The lack of HDMI 2.1 somewhat limits its capabilities, but fortunately, we find features such as ALLM, which is automatic switching to game mode, and VRR, which helps minimize screen tearing. It's also worth noting the support for Dolby Vision in games and HGiG, which makes HDR more predictable and looks solid. It's just a pity that the Game Bar is missing. This feature is already standard in many televisions and provides quick access to the most important settings for gamers. The W70A holds up when it comes to gaming, but it has its limitations. It works well with calmer titles, while more demanding players may feel unsatisfied.

In the Bravia 5, there is significant progress compared to the X90L model from two years ago. The television offers literally everything that its predecessor had, but this time the issues that could irritate gamers have been fixed. The problems with setting up variable refresh rate (VRR) have disappeared, and there are no longer any issues with configuring HDR content in HGiG mode. In short: we get a device that simply works as it should without any fuss. The Bravia 5 thus has everything one could expect from a modern gaming television – and it could be advertised with the slogan "ready for PS5" without exaggeration. This is a statement we couldn't make about the X90L model. Hats off, Sony!

It's just a shame that in such a relatively high-priced model, a complete set of four HDMI 2.1 ports is missing. In everyday use, this won't be a problem for most people, but if someone has a console, soundbar, and additional equipment connected via HDMI, at some point there will be a need to either choose or juggle cables.