Bravia EX-Series
We start with the EX650, which is available in 40″ and 46″ sizes, and is a replacement for the outgoing EX520. Motionflow XR100 processor, with 50Hz refresh rate and wireless LAN ready. As with the outgoing Bravia range, the entire range will feature Smart TV capability.
Last year’s popular EX720 model is ongoing and will not be replaced. The end of life for this range will be in June/July, and there are no replacement models announced or planned at this stage. The EX720 is a 100Hz Full HD Smart TV with 3D and wireless LAN ready. It also has a Motionflow XR200 processor. Available sizes are 32″, 40″, 46″, 55″ and 60″.
Bravia HX Series
Sony’s HX750 model has a 200Hz refresh rate, with a Motionflow XR400 processor. You get built-in Wi-Fi and a set of 3D glasses included. Sony’s Edge LED has a new specification called “Frame Dimming,” which adjusts overall LED backlight levels to suit what you’re viewing, while maintaining brightness and contrast. This reduces power consumption by some margin. The 3D experience has also been improved, through a new “4X High Speed 3D Panel”. Crosstalk is eliminated by displaying 200 total frames (100 in each eye) per second and using backlight flicker technology for a more comfortable 3D experience. Available sizes are 32″, 40″, 46″ and 55″.
The next step up in the range is the HX850, which is Sony’s replacement for the recently discontinued HX825. With a 200Hz refresh rate, motion clarity is further enhanced by a more powerful Motionflow XR800 processor. The main Picture Engine processor jumps from “X-Reality” in all lower series to an “X-Reality PRO”. The LED panel also benefits from ‘local dimming’, which is an LED control that alters the level of light output in darker scenes, providing wider contrast and better detail when viewing darker scenes. A higher level of 3D rendering is included, part of X-Reality PRO, compared to the HX750, which is called “Super Resolution 3D”. Another big difference is the Opti Contrast panel with Gorilla Glass. This improves the viewing experience by eliminating internal and external reflections, providing better contrast and more pleasing colors. The HX850 is available in 46″ and 55″ sizes.
The top-of-the-line Bravia LED display remains the HX925, the same model that currently sits at the top of Sony’s spec charts. This model will be available through at least August of this year and is available in 55″ and 65″ sizes. It has a very similar specification to the HX925, with the only technical, albeit important, difference being the “Intelligent Peak LED”, a system that varies the brightness of the backlight in real time via an array of LEDs directly behind it. the screen. This makes the HX925 the only fully LED backlit in the Bravia range.
Sony Bravia Technical Glossary
BRAVIA: Bravia stands for Higher Resolution Audio and Video Integrated Architecture. The name of all Sony televisions.
Super Resolution 3D: 3D movies that include separate layers of video information. 3D Super Resolution, an integral part of X-Reality PRO, can analyze and enhance resolution, contrast, and color when viewing 3D content.
4X High Speed 3D Panel: Sony uses an advanced 4X High Speed 3D panel to enhance 3D viewing comfort. It achieves this by displaying 200 frames per second in total, consisting of 100 frames per second for each left and right image, writing each image twice in rapid succession, turning off the backlight during this process using backlight flicker technology. This ensures a clearer and more comfortable 3D experience without interference.
Advanced Auto Volume – Prevents jarring jumps in TV volume when a TV show goes into a commercial break, when you change channels, or when you switch video inputs.
AVCHD – Widely supported by the industry, AVCHD is a movie file format used by most Full HD capable cameras. Bravia TVs will play AVCHD content, via USB, for stunning big screen home movies. AVCHD stands for Advanced Video Codec High Definition.
Corning Gorilla Glass – Ultra strong and scratch resistant, yet less than 1mm thick, this glass offers peace of mind while helping with image quality as part of OptiContrast.
Digital Noise Reduction: Broadcast television, DVD movies, web video, and other video sources often contain digital noise associated with compression and transmission. This often looks like random little color flecks, blocks, and other blemishes. DNR minimizes this, for a clearer, more realistic image.
Full HD 3D: Full HD 3D which includes a signal resolution of 1920 X 1080 lines, but adds ‘left’ and ‘right’ frames that form a 3D image. On a Full HD screen, the left and right images alternate rapidly and sync with the battery-powered glasses. Full HD-3D ensures that each eye sees a full Full HD image.
Gaming mode – Many people connect game consoles to their televisions. BRAVIA now has four game modes that optimize display and sound settings. Modes include Portable, suitable for PSP games, and modes suited to older game consoles, including games with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
i-Manual: No need to search for a paper instruction manual, i-Manual is an easy to find illustrated user manual stored on your TV. The friendly, easy-to-navigate layout makes using i-manual simple. In addition, i-Manual offers shortcuts including ‘Basic Operations’ and ‘Troubleshooting’.
Edge LED – Multiple LEDs around the edge of the TV to illuminate the LCD panel. This approach enables very thin and light TV designs and contributes to low power consumption.
Dynamic Edge LED with local dimming: Dynamic Edge LED models can modify their light output to match what is seen, even if there are dark and light areas on the screen at the same time; this is known as “local dimming”. BRAVIA TVs using this technology offer very wide contrast, which means deeper blacks, better detail and more vibrant colours.
Dynamic Edge LED with Frame Dimming: Intelligently adjusts overall LED backlight levels to suit what you’re viewing, while maintaining image brightness and contrast. The result is a significant reduction in energy consumption.
Intelligent Peak LED- This system varies the brightness of the backlight in real time, according to what is displayed on the screen. An LED array directly behind the screen divides the image into numerous zones, each of which can be independently dimmed or boosted. The resulting image has a powerful combination of vivid highlights, brighter whites, and rich, deep blacks and shadow detail.
Motionflow: The term given to Sony’s innovative motion smoothing technologies. Depending on the model, LED backlight activity, LCD panel, and image processing techniques combine for a smoother, more realistic viewing experience.
Motionflow XR100: Unique Image Blur Reduction, eliminates common sources of “blur” found in many sports broadcasts in combination with a special LED backlight activity, for a more fluid and natural viewing experience.
Motionflow XR200: The Motionflow XR200 uses 100Hz frame doubling and image blur reduction techniques to smooth motion and is ideal for watching sports and action movies.
Digital Noise Reduction: Broadcast television, DVD movies, web video, and other video sources often contain digital noise associated with compression and transmission. This often looks like random little color flecks, blocks, and other blemishes. DNR minimizes this, for a clearer, more realistic image.
Motionflow XR400: Motionflow XR400 uses image blur reduction and 200Hz panels and flickering LED backlighting to achieve fluid yet detailed motion playback suitable for the fastest action and sports movies.
Motionflow XR800: Featuring the latest backlight scanning and LED backlight flicker techniques, Motionflow XR800 combines a 200Hz panel, image blur reduction, and the most advanced video processing to achieve the smoothest, most realistic motion of any BRAVIA TV .
Opera TV Store: Bravia TVs now have access to the Opera TV Store, where you can download games and social media apps for everyone in the family.
Opticontrast: Ambient light can degrade image quality due to reflection. Opticontrast improves image quality by using thin, strong Gorilla glass in combination with a special resin to bond the glass to the LCD panel. This prevents internal and external reflections from ruining the viewing experience.
Sony Entertainment Network (SEN): A suite of entertainment services that can be accessed from BRAVIA TVs. When you’re connected to the Internet, you can access Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited, and other entertainment channels, including Catch up TV.
vTuner: When connected to the Internet, BRAVIA TVs provide access to thousands of Internet radio stations. Navigate by genre, language, country, and city using the remote and screen.
Wi-Fi Direct: Compatible smartphones and tablets can now send photos, videos and music to a BRAVIA without the need for a wireless router access point. This means visiting friends and family can share files without connecting to your home network, saving time and setup.
X-Reality PRO: Sony’s latest video processor that lets you enjoy the best image quality from any 2D or 3D video source using pixel-by-pixel and frame-by-frame analysis.