AngrySonyMan
Post-Delivery FeedbackAug 14, 2026
The initial sign-in process was extremely difficult. First you need a Google account. I have one I almost never use, and luckily I remembered my password. In addition, you should have everything you are going to hook up to the TV hooked up prior to starting the sign-in process. This includes antenna, VCR/DVD player, AppleTV 4K, etc. The easiest mechanism to hook up most older VCR/DVD player is to use the the composite audio/video RCA out to hook into the 3.5 mm port. However you need the correct adapter and the 3.5 mm plug has to be Sony compatible, which the one I just purchased was not. Even one the Crutchfield sales guys said "they should include it with the TV". Crutchfield used to sell one, no longer do. You would think when your paying $1300.00 they could throw in a $10.00 adapter.
If you are mount the TV to the wall, you need to have the cables connected prior to mounting since there are panels that cover the input ports that are installed as part of the initial setup. Once installed they hide the input ports. Heaven help you if you decide to add a new HDMI device at a later date.
The guidance during the sign in process was very confusing. It took over an hour to go through the entire process. At one I was so angry I almost decided to do a factory reset of the TV and start the process all over. Luckily I worked my through the process.
The documentation that comes with the TV is a joke. Hieroglyphics instead of real instructions. In addition, there's really no documentation that explains the many important functions of the remote control, which is key to navigating the setup process.
The remote control sucks with its symbolic keypad. About the only nice thing about it was that it is backlit. The old remote that I had with my KDL-40V4100, that this TV replacing, is much better and it works somewhat with XR42A90K. It's much clearer as to what buttons to press. Unfortunately, you need to use the remote that came with the TV to navigate the whole setup process.
The TV itself does have its problems. For example, watching over-the-air TV channels last night, I noticed that some the channels were stretched out, some were contracted, others were fine. You would think that the TV would have some way of determining the correct aspect ratio and automatically adjust the set to accommodate.
I've owned Sony products for almost 40 years, from Trinitron to Bravia, and I've always been happy with their products. This whole experience has left a extremely bitter taste. All I wanted was a good quality Television that could provide me the same enjoyment as my long lived (17 years) KDL-40V4100. And all I got was one that sold its soul to Google.
I'll be pleasantly surprised if this review ever appears on the Crutchfield site.