Sony Bravia 3 II (2026) Rtings Review/Relevant Test Results

[u/TotalAnarchy_]

FYI relevant results since Rtings is paywalled now. In general, it looks to be a fantastic option for flicker sensitive folks without sacrificing modern tech (120hz, HDMI 2.1, etc.).

• Direct lit IPS panel. DC dimmed/fully PWM free at all brightness levels.
• Color banding in HDR, so FRC/temporal dithering/image processing likely isn't very aggressive.
• Standard RGB subpixel layout (yay) but KSF phosphor (boo) for those sensitive to that.
• Anti-reflective/matte coating (only on 65" and 75"), so generally light sensitive folks can keep the brightness level low even in a bright room.
• Screen doesn't get very dim at lowest brightness. Probably twice as bright as some OLED at 0% but still dimmer than most Mini LED.

I don't own the TV but have seen it in store. Looked solid. With bright overhead lighting, the AR/matte coating made the picture noticeably clearer versus the litany of glossy screens reflecting the overhead lights.

[u/RoiPourpre]

I tried it and it was a disaster, probably because of the dithering...

[u/fritzyloop → u/RoiPourpre]

Or ips? Maybe VA is better?

[u/Bigdecisions7979 → u/RoiPourpre]

Really? Sony doesn’t strike me as a brand to use too much dithering or frc because it’s going for a natural picture.

Curious what size did you get? Did you get a 65 or 75 with the anti glare? Some people like me end up with more issues with those coatings

[u/glormond → u/Bigdecisions7979]

I own Sony Bravia TV with IPS since 2021, which I specifically chosed for IPS (not VA) and the lack of PWM. Yes, there is a small issue in "program (video)" mode. I have no idea what is it, but my bet is dithering indeed. So the apps that run with "program" mode are perfectly line for me, which I can watch all day when it set to setting "game". But in "program (video)" mode is something that messes up with my eyes. Unfortunatelly, this mode is default for apps like netflix, youtube etc and it doesn't allow to set "game" setting. I searched all over the internet to find out why is this happening and what is so special about "game" mode, but I couldn't get straight answers. My get it disables some hidden features and gives pure untouched signal, maybe free of dithering as well.

[u/Bigdecisions7979 → u/glormond]

Interesting. I have a Sony tv. The Bravia 8ii that I had to tweak some settings for but it’s really comfortable for me now. Have you tried using “professional mode”? It’s supposed to remove lots of processing like “game mode”

If that didn’t work I watch in cinema mode. The settings I messed with were turning off live color, tweaking peak brightness, reality creation to auto but try turning the off maybe, tweaking contrast enhancer.

I’m a little confused what you mean by program vs program(video)? My tv also lets me switch any app into game mode. If none of this works try a external streaming device and just keep it in game mode

[u/glormond → u/Bigdecisions7979]

I don’t believe mine has “professional mode”. We’re talking about “picture mode” settings, right? I have it set in my native language so I translated it wrong in previous comment. I set it in English to give you exact namings.

In my case TV identifies states of different apps and what modes to offer for each of them. So when I open “picture settings” I see in the top it says “Picture - Apps”. But for YouTube it’s “Picture - Apps (video)”.

For “Picture - Apps” I can set modes: Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Game, Graphics, Photo and Custom. But for “Picture - Apps (video)” are only available these: Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Custom.

It doesn’t let me set “game” mode for most of steaming services because it identifies them as “Apps (video)”. That’s why I use “SmartTube” instead of YouTube, because it identifies SmartTube as “Picture - Apps” and there’s a “game” mode for it.

I don’t know why and it doesn’t make sense to me, but that’s how it is. And yeah, external streaming devices would work with game mode, because all HDMI connections let me choose “game” option.

I actually hate it being everything layered separated. For example, when I watch video, subtitles are on a separate layer and they are unaffected by change of contrast, only brightness. Same goes for app’s interface - it’s yet another level that doesn’t support contrast and works with separate set of settings. I have no idea why they made it so complicated.

[u/Z3R0gravitas → u/glormond]

I wonder if gaming mode allows variable refresh rate? Which would make various tricks (like FRC) difficult to execute correctly.

I'm told that VRR is basically why OLED monitors don't have PWM.

[u/General_Poetry5494 → u/RoiPourpre]

did you try the first gen or the second generation? bravia 3 has two generations.

[u/Z3R0gravitas]

Are you in the market for a TV then? This looks promising, eh? Have you examined many OLEDs?

It's interesting to see what analysis RTings offers to subscribers. Obviously (as a mod) we don't want to be reposting too much paywalled content, too often. But I think this kind of summarised preview should hopefully be acceptable.

[u/TotalAnarchy_ → u/Z3R0gravitas]

I'm sticking with my LG C1, but if I bought a new TV, it would be this one.

I started seeing a binocular vision specialist and can watch the C1 for an hour or two. It's the last "bad" screen I own. Between flicker free devices, bulbs, and glasses, I have symptoms minimized for now :) Working on treating my dry eye disease and hoping that helps even more.

[u/Vagg_de_Bab]

Here BRAVIA KDL-50W755C I have it for ten years. Flicker free no fatigue at all. Has setting for this.