Sony has announced all the TVs coming in the course of 2020. The Japanese brand plans to bring a large number of TVs to the market, for all budgets, from expensive 8K to entry level 4K, for a very rich offer.
Several innovations, first of all the introduction of a 48-inch OLED, but there are also new technologies, such as theAmbient Optimization, to calibrate sound and images according to the viewing environment. In total there are nine televisions presented during the event, prices are still unknown but will be released in the coming weeks.
The new 8K TV and OLED models
The 8K standard is still far from mass diffusion but Sony does not want to fall behind on this front, that's why it created the new one ZH8, in the 75 and 85 inch variants. At the base of the offer we find the X1 Ultimate image processor and 8K X-Reality Pro technology, for optimizing and upscaling images from lower resolutions. On the audio front, the ZH8 is equipped with technology Frame Tweeter, which emits sounds directly from the panel through the vibrations of the frame. There is no shortage of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos standards, while the remote control is now backlit.
Another novelty is the Ambient Optimization technology, which calibrates the brightness according to the viewing environment, however, further details are missing to better understand its operation. Also present are the Netflix Calibrated Mode, already seen in last year's models, and Android TV.
Full compatibility is also guaranteed with Alexa and Google Home, as well as with AirPlay 2 and Apple's Home Kit. On the design front Sony has focused on absolute minimalism in its top models, to give priority to the images and almost hiding the TV support from the view, relegated to the sides of the panel.
Interesting is the presence, in the press release, of a not insignificant detail relating to the maximum resolution supported at 120 Hz. As we have explained, to reach 8K at 120 Hz you need a technology called Display Stream Compression. The new 8K from Sony does not seem to have it, as indicated in the release in fact 120 Hz can only be reached in 4K.
On the OLED front the most important novelty is certainly the introduction of the '48-inch A9 4K, a format highly anticipated by the public in search of a high image quality in a small space. The available technologies are the same as the 8K model, obviously excluding the optimizations for the 8K and the Frame Tweeter, the latter replaced by the Acoustic Sourface technology, already seen in previous generations of Sony OLED TVs. Also arriving on new A8 (55 and 65 inches), a name that can be a little confusing considering the two generations ago model was called AF8. In any case, it should be a new variant that incorporates the characteristics seen in the past, apart from the design it is difficult to innovate on the OLED front, since the changes in the panels are marginal from year to year.
The new LCD range
Sony has focused heavily on LCD technology this year, with many models coming in from top of the range XG95, which will be available in 85, 75, 65, 55 and 49 inch cuts. All based on the image processor X1 Ultimate, offer a Full LED backlight and X-Wide Angle technology (from 55 "up).
This serves to expand the viewing angle, which has always been the critical point of the VA panels used on high-end LCD televisions. As for the OLED models, Android TV is the operating system and full compatibility with Alexa and Google Home is offered, as well as with AirPlay 2 and Apple's Home Kit, in addition to Ambient Optimization technology, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
L'XH90 will come in 85, 75, 65 and 55 inch variants, with a 4K HDR X1 image processor and Full LED backlight. Although not specified in the press release, we believe that the number of local dimming zones is lower than the XG95, to limit the final cost. Ambient Optimization technology, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos remain available.
Going down again in the lineup we find theXH85, which loses the Full LED backlight and the Ambient Optimization, in the 49 and 43-inch cuts, and then theXH81, which will come in 65, 55, 49 and 43 inch cuts. At the base of the 4K TV range we find the variants XH80 (85, 75, 65, 55, 49 and 43 inches) e XH 70 (65, 55, 49 and 43 inches). On the first there are still not enough details to understand the differences compared to the higher models, the second is the only one a do not use Android TV as an operating system, replaced by a proprietary OS.
