Key Takeaways
- Sony’s new Bravia lineup features high-end models with Mini LED technology for superior picture quality.
- Dolby Vision HDR is supported across all models in the lineup, enhancing the viewing experience.
- The flagship model, the Bravia 9, offers advanced speaker technology for improved sound quality, mimicking a cinematic experience.
Sony’s latest crop of Bravia TVs have officially arrived. In a recent press release, the company triumphantly boasts that ‘cinema is coming home.’ Four new TV models, the Bravia 9, Bravia 8, Bravia 7, and Bravia 3, are available now for pre-order in the US.
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“Four new TV models feature improved picture quality with high brightness, expanded color volume, enhanced dynamic contrast, and multi-directional sound to revitalize every scene, just as the filmmakers intended,” the company says.
Of course, bringing the cinema experience into your home doesn’t come cheap — with the entry price of the flagship Bravia 9 Mini LED coming in at a whopping $3,299.00 USD for a 65-inch display.
It’s tempting to want to splurge on the latest and greatest, and Sony has a great track record when it comes to visually pleasing TV panels. That being said, here are 5 things to know about the new lineup before you make any purchasing decision.
1 The flagship model uses Mini LED rather than OLED
OLED and regular LED displays are also included in the lineup
Sony
The flagship model of the new lineup, the Bravia 9, uses Mini LED display technology. This means that the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) backlight has thousands of tiny Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for a brighter and more punchy viewing experience.
Sony says this new display is the brightest yet of all its 4K TVs, highlighting that it offers 325% more dimming zones and 50% more brightness than the outgoing generation.
Sony says this new display is the brightest yet of all its 4K TVs, highlighting that it offers 325% more dimming zones and 50% more brightness than the outgoing generation.
OLED, which stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, is a competing high-end display technology. It achieves its vivid and punchy picture without the need for a backlight or LCD layer, and it’s being used in Sony’s new Bravia 8 models.
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The Bravia 7 uses Mini LEDs much like the BRAVIA 9, while the entry-level Bravia 3 uses standard (and far less expensive) LED panels. Even when outfitted with standard LEDs, Sony’s image processing prowess makes for a high quality on-screen image, albeit without the enhancements courtesy of mini LED and OLED tech.
Much debate has been made as to which display technology is the superior one, and the technology is in a constant state of evolution at the moment. Sony differentiates its most expensive Bravia 9 units with additional features, including its ‘X-Wide Angle’ tech that promises better viewing angles, and its ‘X-Anti Reflection’ tech to reduce glare on the screen.
2 Dolby Vision HDR is supported across the lineup
Even the more affordable Bravia 3 models benefit from high-quality HDR
Whether you spring for the more modestly priced Bravia 3 43-inch set at $599.99 USD, or go all-in with a Bravia 9 model, Sony has managed to incorporate the Dolby Vision HDR standard across the board.
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and it’s a set of technologies that work to enhance picture quality by improving contrast and outputting a more realistic image. The effect is easy enough to pull off when using an advanced Mini LED or OLED panel, but Sony has put in the work to make the regular LED Bravia 3 compatible as well.
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HDR 10 is the most basic and universal implementation of HDR, but all the company’s new TVs also offer the more advanced Dolby Vision standard. This tech samples the on-screen image on a scene-by-scene basis, for a more precise and accurate HDR offering.
3 The flagship model has an impressive array of speakers
As far as built-in TV speakers go, the ones in the Bravia 9 look promising
Sony
If you spring for Sony’s highest-end offering, the Bravia 9, you’ll be getting what the company promises to be a high quality sound experience out of the box. ‘X-Balanced Speaker’ and ‘Acoustic Multi-Audio+’ technologies are both on board, and Dolby Audio software tuning.
Sony claims that the TV is the first in the world to include upward firing Beam Tweeters in addition to side Frame Tweeters. The result should be a more immersive audio experience, though this will have to be tested in the real world before we can come to any conclusions regarding quality.
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Hopefully, the company’s implementation proves successful in emulating a cinematic audio experience. It should be noted that the bar isn’t exactly set high when it comes to the speaker systems built into modern TVs. The quest for thinner and thinner TVs has left less physical room for decent audio equipment. Naturally, of course, TV manufacturers would prefer you dish out extra for external speakers to go along with your brand-new flat panel.
4 Sony has a brand-new external speaker system
Sony is refreshing its lineup of wireless speakers and soundbars
To coincide with its latest refresh of Bravia TV’s, Sony is introducing new external speakers to double down on its mantra that ‘cinema is coming home.’ A new flagship Theater Quad wireless speaker system starts at $2,499.99 USD, and that’s not including the optional subwoofer upsell. The company also sells Bravia soundbars at a variety of price points on its website.
If you pair your new Bravia TV and new Bravia Theater sound systems together, Sony’s ‘Acoustic Center Sync’ kicks in. The company describes the feature as one “that mimics the cinema experience by fusing the sound of the TV’s speakers and the soundbar seamlessly, elevating the audio and dialogue to precisely match the action on screen.”
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In other words, the speakers of both your Bravia TV and your Theater Quad will match up together, and provide a deeper and more spatially aware audio effect for when you’re watching shows and movies.
5 The lineup runs on the Google TV operating system
The OS is filled to the brim with its support for streaming service apps
No matter which of the new Sony TV models you end up going with, they all run the same operating system. As soon as you turn on the display, you’ll be greeted by the popular Google TV platform. You may have heard of Android TV before, but Google TV is the more advanced and modernized version of the OS.
Google TV is becoming a fairly popular OS among smart TVs, as it leverages Google’s software prowess and large Play Store ecosystem for app downloads. All the major streaming players and content providers are easily accessible here, including Netflix, Disney +, Prime Video, and many others.
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Built-in Chromecast and AirPlay 2 support make it easy to mirror or cast content directly from your iPhone or Android phone to the big screen, which is another welcome addition. Google Assistant is also built-in, which lets you interact with your TV’s interface using basic voice commands.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from plugging an Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, cable box, or Blu-ray player into the TV as well. Doing so will let you use each particular device’s distinct OS and user interface, if you find that you prefer it over the one offered by Google.
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