Pushed out from the top spots in the TV market Sony, now has a TV product that could give them traction up against arch rivals Samsung and LG with the announcement overnight that they will shortly launch a new top end Bravia OLED TV.
Up till now LG has been the only vendor flogging OLED TV’s in Australia, this allowed them to charge a premium price, now with the entry of both Sony and Panasonic prices could fall as the major TV companies battle it out for a share of the large screen premium TV market.
Last night Sony claimed that their new OLED TV was “Different”, this is the same Company who 8 years ago at CES said that they were set to dominate in the OLED TV market. they also said at the time that they had the world’s first OLED TV, it was never launched.
The new XBR-A1E TV has the ability to deliver perfect black levels and excellent contrast due to the Sony 4K HDR X1 Extreme processor.
While Sony is using an LG OLED panel, so it’s the company’s processing that helps make this OLED TV different.
“Sony delivers incredible innovation and excitement to customers with all of our premium 4K HDR TVs through a powerful mix of technology and our exclusive image processing,” said Mike Fasulo, President and Chief Operating Officer of Sony Electronics.
In addition to Sony’s latest processing technology, the TV delivers 4K resolution with HDR for increased contrast and colour expansion, as well as what Sony is calling “first of its kind audio technology.”
As OLED panels allow for impressively thin TVs, Sony has taken advantage of that extra space with its new Acoustic Surface sound technology, designed to allow for a wider soundstage and better image synchronization with sound that seems to emanate from the screen itself.
Sony hopes the new acoustic design coupled with the OLED panel will give the XBR-A1E a leg up on the competition, offering a wider angle for both sights and sounds to create an “unmatched visual and aural experience regardless of viewing position.” In addition, the design allows for the TV’s new “stand-less” form factor.
TV Writer for SmartHouse John Archer said that Sony has gone to great lengths to ensure that the new A1E OLED series will arrive to market fully ‘Sonyfied’. For starters, all three sets (77-inch, 65-inch and 55-inch models will be available) will feature Sony’s Z1 Extreme 4K HDR processing – a system that’s consistently delivered outstanding results on other high-end Sony TVs.
Also present and correct will be Sony’s Triluminos color technology to deliver supposedly enhanced color accuracy, and Sony’s 4K X-Reality Pro engine for boosting detail response and enhanced upscaling of non-4K sources.
One of the most startling features of the A1Es, though, is their Acoustic Surface Technology. This seeks to solve the age-old problem of how to get good sound quality out of ultra-skinny OLED TVs by making the entire screen resonate so that the sound emanates from the screen itself!
