Sony is streamlining its home theater offerings, including OLED and mini-LED TVs and some interesting speakers – all under the Bravia name.
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Sony fans, are you tired of the endless sequences of letters and numbers that distinguish products? Can't figure out if the 55X800Si is better than the 55X801S? Starting with the 2024 Bravia models revealed on Wednesday, including two mini-LED TVs with multiple local dimming zones, an OLED, and soundbars, Sony has simplified its model names and unified them all under the Bravia name.
The brand name, Bravia, has clearly been used before, but now the name takes on a more dominant role, making it easier to understand where a product is in Sony's overall product range – from Bravia 3 to 9. Sony follows a similar philosophy with its headphones.
Also, while we know the upcoming products and their prices, the availability of the entire 2024 Bravia TV lineup has not yet been announced. Some models are available for pre-order as of yesterday. The rest will likely be available later in the spring or early summer.
Sony Bravia 9
At the top of the Bravia list is the Bravia 9, a mini-LED LCD offered in 65-, 75-, and 85-inch varieties. This model features a brighter backlight with more zones compared to its predecessor, the X95L.
Sony claims it's the brightest 4K TV it's ever made. More information on the lighting is below.
Availability and therefore pricing are awaited in Greece , but the prices in the US for the Bravia 9 are:
85″ inch: $5,499
75″ inch: $3,999
65″ inch: $3,299
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Sony Bravia 8
The next step down, in Sony's mind, is its new OLEDs. The QD-OLED A95L remains as is, but the new Bravia 8 is simply called "OLED" and is not QD. The only significant differences compared to last year's A80 are the thinner bezels.
Availability and therefore pricing are awaited in Greece , but the prices in the US for the Bravia 8 OLED are:
75 inch: $3,899
65 inch: $2,799
55 inch: $1,999
Sony Bravia 7
The Bravia 7 is mini-LED but has lower brightness than the 9.
Availability and therefore pricing are awaited in Greece , but the prices in the US for the Bravia 7 mini-LED are:
85 inch: $3,499
75 inch: $2,799
65 inch: $2,299
55 inch: $1,899
Sony Bravia 3
From there the series moves straight to the Bravia 3, which are LED LCDs . Unlike the 9, 8 and 7, they don't have built-in Next Gen TV tuners, nor auto-calibration features (more on that below).
85 inch: $1,799
75 inch: $1,299
65 inch: $999
55 inch: $849
50 inch: $699
43 inch: $599
Mini LED
On the right are two of Sony's new Bravia 9s. On the left are two Samsung QN90Cs. They all receive the same video format. The top-of-the-line TVs had their liquid crystal layer removed, so you're looking directly at the LEDs that create the TV's light. Yes, they're all blue because that's how quantum dots work. The point of this demo was to show how Sony's XR Backlight MasterDrive can control more zones to improve contrast. We weren't able to check exactly how the Samsungs were set up, but the demo gives a good idea of how mini-LED backlights work.
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At a recent Sony event for its new Bravia products, we got a behind-the-scenes look at mini-LED backlight technology, or rather the LCD layer. Side-by-side with a Samsung QN90C, we saw how the combination of mini-LEDs and the Bravia 9's Backlight MasterDrive handled local dimming.
Note how both TVs can turn off their LEDs to create perfect black, very similar to OLED. Sony's Bravia 9, in this demonstration, seems to have better control, theoretically offering brighter smaller objects without bloat.
Autocalibration
The Bravia 7, 8 and 9 series have an auto calibration feature. When enabled and you're watching content from its own Netflix (Adaptive Calibrated Mode), Amazon (Prime Video Calibrated Mode) and Sony (Core Calibrated Mode) apps, the TV can change its picture settings to make the TV's picture as accurate as possible. These settings will override any settings you've adjusted, but you can turn this feature off at any time, and it will take into account the brightness in your room. You can't adjust the settings within the feature, though.
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This is generally a good thing. Most people don't bother adjusting their TV settings. These features are supposed to be specific to the TV model, so they will make your TV look pretty close to accurate. There will always be differences between units, as well as differences in viewing environment, but this is a no-cost alternative to a professional calibration.
Sound
Alongside the new TVs is a new line of soundbars, speakers, and a pair of “neckband headphones.” Like the TVs, these products will also be under the Bravia brand. They’ll be available later this spring. The top-of-the-line soundbar is the Bravia Theater: Bar 9 for $1,399. It has 13 drivers, including two top-firing and two side-firing. It has Dolby Atmos and HDMI eARC, of course, and has optional rear surrounds and two different subwoofers.
The slightly smaller Bravia Theater: Bar 8 ($999) loses the Bar 9's beam tweeters and passive radiators. The same optional surrounds and subwoofers work with the Bar 8 as well.
The Bravia Theater: Quad is something a little different. These square speakers are designed to hang on a wall, with each individual speaker featuring four drivers. The Bravia Theater: Quad is designed to bridge the gap between a traditional multispeaker solution and a soundbar, but not as extensive or large as separate systems. As the name Quad suggests, you get four speakers for a retail price of $2,499.
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Finally, there's the Bravia Theater: U.They're neckband headphones with drivers similar to the Bose Soundwear. The idea here is to give you personal sound without covering your ears. They produce surprisingly loud sound without being particularly audible to other people on the same couch. Because your ears aren't covered, you can still talk normally. The U will be available for $299.
Source: cnet
