As anticipated at the start of the year, the Japanese manufacturer has formalized a subtle change in strategy by presenting its new catalog of televisions for the year. Mini-LED is partly taking over from OLED with the BRAVIA 9, Sony’s flagship which does not lack promise.
Always seeking to perfect the cinematic experience, both in terms of image and audio, Sony today presented its new ranges of televisions as well as new home audio products which we will return to in a dedicated article.
A catalog that continues to bring together all the current display technologies
Absent from CES with regard to its TV branch, Sony has filtered information sparsely until today regarding the renewal of its television catalog. As could be expected following the summoning of a handful of journalists to Tokyo at the end of 2023, Sony is taking a new turn this year by reorienting its strategy, slowly but surely, towards Mini-LED.
The Japanese manufacturer’s 2024 catalog, however, remains rich in display technology and leaves consumers spoiled for choice, since it also uses LCD/LED televisions, including certain Full Array LED references at entry and mid-range. , as well as W-OLED panels from LG Display, QD-OLED from Samsung Display and, of course, new generation Mini-LED technology at the high end.
To summarize briefly before giving more details, Mini-LED takes over from OLED as the manufacturer’s flagship with the BRAVIA 9 television. The OLED offer is divided into three series, with the new BRAVIA 8, which uses an OLED panel from LG Display. The other two series play the extensions, since they are the A95L (QD-OLED) and A90K (W-OLED) which complement each other with diagonals of 55 and 65 inches for the first, and 42 and 48 inches on the second.
BRAVIA 9: Mini-LED takes the place of OLED in Sony’s premium offering
The pinnacle of the range is none other than the BRAVIA 9, a Mini-LED television which will only be available on two diagonals of 75 and 85 inches. To deliver this series which succeeds the X95L television, Sony is highlighting the evolution of its XR Backlight Master Drive technology, the same one that powers the brand’s professional monitors used by filmmakers in studios or in post-production.
No need to question Sony about the number of zones of its Mini-LED televisions, according to the manufacturer, the important thing lies more in the management of the backlight and its level of precision.
It is obviously the XR Processor which is responsible for managing the backlighting, with a local dimming algorithm capable of precisely controlling thousands of LEDs. Coupled with smaller integrated circuits than before and finer control of the voltages applied to each diode, Sony announces promising results in terms of luminance, with higher peak brightness (50% higher than the X95L) , without loss of detail in the highlights, but also a wide dynamic range with deep blacks and preservation of details in the low lights.
The BRAVIA 9 includes other refinements that are sure to hit the mark, notably with the X-Anti-Reflection and X-Wide Angle technologies that are only found on this series, with the promise of enjoying an image qualitative regardless of light conditions or viewing angle.
Another exclusive for the BRAVIA 9: Acoustic Multi Audio+. BRAVIA 9 televisions would thus be the first in the world to offer a vertical tweeter and two frame tweeters on the sides in order to obtain enveloping sound, with realistic surround effects and localized diffusion of sound to match the action on the screen. ‘screen.
We find support for Dolby Atmos and DTS: qualitative.
Perfect for PS5, Voice Zoom 3, Calibration Studio modes
In terms of functionalities and connections, the entire XR range is in the same boat. We find support for HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision formats, panels with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and support for 4K at 120 Hz, ALLM, VRR and eARC thanks to the 4 ports HDMI 2.1 as well as the presence of Google TV and integrated Chromecast with hands-free voice commands across the entire range.
On the audio side, the three new series also benefit from the Voice Zoom 3 function, which optimizes the sound of dialogues thanks to an AI algorithm which recognizes human voices.
Among the new features, Sony is adding a new Prime Video Calibrated Mode, in addition to the Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode and Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode (formerly Bravia Core) already present on previous ranges. In particular, we learn that “ Amazon MGM Studios Originals, licensed movies and series, and live sports will benefit from this feature » on Prime Video.
On the gaming side, the entire range of course sports the “Perfect for PS5” logo. Sony is also introducing its “Game Menu 2”, which includes, among other things, the Remote Play function allowing you to take remote control of your PS4 and PS5 in order to resume a game in progress and enjoy a low latency gaming experience on BRAVIA televisions.
BRAVIA 7: a more accessible and equally recommendable Mini-LED TV?
Available in diagonals of 55, 65, 75 and 85 inches, the BRAVIA 7 series has a few fewer features than the Sony flagship, but promises to be a competitive Mini-LED model to face the competition. If it does not achieve the same performance as the BRAVIA 9 in terms of brightness, it nevertheless integrates the technologies linked to the XR processor, namely the XR Contrast Booster and the XR Triluminos Pro, which announce great richness and great color fidelity on these TVs with QLED technology.
The image processing of the XR processor, such as XR Clear Image, Super Resolution, HDR Remaster, or even XR Motion Clarity, are naturally included in the entire BRAVIA XR range.
On the other hand, the BRAVIA 7 does not integrate the developments mentioned for the BRAVIA 9, in terms of viewing angle and reflectance, also on the audio side, since it is content with an Acoustic Multi Audio system which , if the objective of producing precise and enveloping sound remains the same, cannot count on the new tweeters of the BRAVIA 9.
BRAVIA 8: a new entry in Sony’s OLED catalog
Sony is not forgetting fans of OLED screens with its BRAVIA 8 television. This features a W-OLED panel produced by LG Display. If Sony does not communicate on the origin of the panel, we nevertheless know that it is not the latest OLED Meta 2.0 panels with MLA technology. There is therefore a good chance that the BRAVIA 8 will be equipped with an OLED EX panel, as was the case with its predecessor.
The BRAVIA 8 therefore takes up all the characteristics of its predecessor, namely the Sony Bravia A80L, and integrates all the new features of the BRAVIA XR 2024 range. Difficult to find real technical differences between this new model and its predecessor on paper, if it is the increase in performance of the XR processor, the presence of the Eco Remote, a new eco-friendly remote control, or even the Voice Zoom 3 function.
At this time, Sony has not yet released prices for its new TV lines. We will probably have to wait a few more days before knowing more about the prices and availability of these products.
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