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List of Sony 4K HDR TVs Compatible With Netflix HDR App Revealed

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 12, 2016 | 1 comment
Sohrab Osati

Sony_4K_TV_Netflix_HDR

As we continue towards the transition of all 4K content, it’s becoming clear that where the format truly shines is with 4K HDR. While 4K itself certainly looks grand, it’s not something that can’t be achieved with even upscaled 1080p content. However, 4K HDR is one that cannot be mimicked. Not only do you first need to have an HDR compatible TV, but the content itself also needs to natively contain the brighter highlights and more vivid colors. All this translates to a more realistic image with more depth and pop.

One of the biggest proponents of 4K HDR has been Netflix. The streaming service already has a few shows on deck like Marco Polo, and eventually Daredevil that will be made available in HDR – and this list will likely continue to increase as new shows are filmed. But a 4K HDR set isn’t the only thing required to make the magic happen. Your TV will also need the updated Netflix app which supports it and not everybody is going to get that, again depending on the components inside your TV and the requirements from Netflix.

Aren’t you glad you haven’t bought a 4K TV yet? After the jump, the list of Sony 4K HDR TVs compatible with Netflix HDR.

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Sony Talks Internet Speed Requirements for Ultra 4K Streaming

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 8, 2016 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

With streaming services offering more and more, like PlayStation Now which allows you to stream PS3 games and Ultra, bringing 4K HDR content to your TV, the need for faster internet speeds is present now more than ever. Luckily, despite the much higher resolution and interactive content, Ultra won’t require a crazy download speed. Once again, VP of consumer services and advanced platforms for Sony Pictures, Jake Winett:

 Obviously other services like Netflix, Amazon and Vudu have all launched 4K streaming, and this is something consumers are starting to look for and expect. We‘re seeing a trend where consumers are upgrading their home bandwidth. Ten years ago, consumers had DSL and maybe 4-5 Mbps. Now it’s pretty common for consumers to have 15, 50, or even 100 Mbps in some cases. We think this fits in really well with that trend, with consumers who do have a decent connection into the home. With even a modest connection of say 20 Mbps, consumers are going to get a really great 4K streaming experience. We did our encoding in such a way where we think we’re going to hit that sweet spot, and make it accessible to a lot of consumers. 

More after the jump.

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Sony Wins 18 Red Dot Awards, Including Two ‘Best of the Best’

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 30, 2016 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

Red Dot AwardSony is no stranger to winning awards for their design and quality. Unfortunately for them, awards doesn’t usually translate to sales but it does mean that despite their much smaller scale compared to their competitors, Sony isn’t cutting any corners. At this year’s Red Dot Awards, Sony raked in 18 awards which includes two Best of the Best: the Sony Glass Speaker and RX1 RM2 camera.

After the jump, the list of Sony products that won a  Red Dot Award.

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Netflix Announces Sony & LG As Their 2016 Recommended TVs

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 30, 2016 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

Netflix Recommended TV

Each year, Netflix selects a handful of televisions as part of their recommendation to their users. Brady Gunderson (Director of Product Management) and David Holland (Director of Business Development) at Netflix talk about how the evaluation program:

 was created because our members told us they wanted smart TVs to be easier to use, provide simpler access to the things they do most, and perform better overall. The goal of the Netflix Recommended TV logo is to help people easily identify which devices meet those needs and deliver a superior smart TV experience. 

According to the duo:

 As smart TV functionality has evolved, so has the program. For 2016, we’ve introduced new criteria and established faster performance thresholds for existing criteria. 

A noteworthy part of all of this is that because of new criteria introduced, Netflix is really stepping up their game on what they deem is a TV worthy of recommendation. This is important because one of the biggest stumbling blocks of smart TVs has been their lackluster UI and apps. While they may be fine for the time when they launch, our perception of what is good UI and speed change because our mobile devices get better and better on a yearly cycle and in turn, we set the bar higher on what’s good.

 For reference, none of last year’s TV models would have met the new 2016 criteria. 

So what are the new criteria’s and which Sony TVs won? Those details after the jump.

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Netflix’s Marco Polo DP Talks HDR and Why It’s an Important Creative Tool

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 15, 2016 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

Vanja_Cernjul

From avforums:

In this interview Vanja Cernjul, the director of photography on the Netflix series Marco Polo, explains why HDR is important to him and how it is freeing him up creatively to do far more than he ever could in the past. He also talks about the HDR grading process, a short film that he directed for Panasonic that was designed to take full advantage of HDR and what benefits consumers can expect to see as HDR becomes more readily available.

Sony, alongside Netflix, is betting big on 4K HDR with their entire 2016 line of Android TVs offering native support. Interestingly though, Sony is not utilizing the industry agreed branding for the new format and instead has chosen their own marketing design. Marco Polo DP, Vanja Cernjul:

 A lot of times, you had to make a choice whether you let the highlights go and expose with the shadows or you’re going to try to save the highlights in the torches and flames and sacrifice the shadows. 

And to me, this is where HDR is going to truly shine. We can already get some pretty impressive footage in perfect daylight but it’s nighttime scenes that can miss the essence and nuances of what’s really happening.

 Once you know the image is going to be released in HDR, you know that you can save much more information in the highlights, so you can play with the existing light. 

Anybody who has ever picked up a camera knows the challenges of filming in the dark where the camera is seemingly picking up 1/10 the detail that’s in front of you. Now HDR can change that.

 You can light the whole scene with fire for example. We did one scene which was entirely lit by one torch an actor was carrying. 

That’s damn impressive. The full interview with Vanja Cernjul after the jump.

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Official 4K HDR Sony X930D & X850D Pricing and Release Date Revealed

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 16, 2016 | 15 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony_4K_HDR_X850D_1

Just last week, prices for the flagship Sony X930D and X850D series were leaked. Though not 100% official, they gave us an indication as to what we could expect once the pricing was official. Now, Sony has officially released pricing for their two 2016 TV lineups which scale all the way to a 75-inch with the X940D and 85-inch with the X850D. Previously I’d speculated that we should expect to see a decent price reduction in the flagship line, seeing as Sony has dropped their Magnetic Fluid Speakers in favor of offering an ultra-thin profile.

Sony X930D and X850D pricing and release date after the jump.

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Netflix Plans to “Ramp Up” 4K HDR Content

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 12, 2016 | 2 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony 4K HDR TV - Netflix Marco Polo

By now, it should be pretty clear that the future of 4K and 4K HDR lies with streaming services. Sure we’re finally getting 4K HDR movies on Blu-ray some time this year but the reality is that physical media is going to lag severely when it comes to releasing timely content as opposed to services like Netflix and Amazon which will be more or less producing most of their future content in the format. Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely with you that streaming as it stands will never look as good as Blu-ray due to the compression that takes place, but consumers have decided that streaming quality is good enough, especially those who have faster internet speeds. Neil Hunt, chief product officer at Netflix:

 I think HDR is more visibly different than 4K. Over the past 15 years, we have had plenty of increments of pixels on the screen, and from what we saw with digital cameras, pixel count eventually stopped being interesting. 

And he’s right. Is there really a difference in quality between a 20-megapixel and 25-megapixel camera? What if we jumped the count to 40-megapixels? If it’s going on print on a billboard, chances are that the megapixel increase at that point mean nearly nothing. Hunt goes on to say:

 In the real world, you have 14 bits of brightness difference, so imagine stepping outside to look at a reflection of water or shadow of a tree that’s between 12 and 14-bits of range. TV only represents 8 bits, so you lose one or the other; you can’t have the brights and the darks at the same time. 

Best of all, 4K HDR isn’t the end of what TV’s can do but perhaps the start of something far more dazzling.

 We’re nowhere near the limit with color range 

More from Neil Hunt after the jump.

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We Unbox the Sony 4K Upscaling Blu-ray Player (BDP-S6500)

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 11, 2016 | 6 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony_Blu_ray_Player_BDP_S6500_Unboxing

It might not be the 2016 Blu-ray player announced at CES but the Sony 4K Upscale Blu-ray Player (BDP-S6500) is the flagship model from 2015 with a whole host of features. Seeing how my parents were in need of a player, I decided to get them this for Christmas, fully knowing that new models would be around the bend. Since their needs are limited, I still wanted to get them the best that was available at the time and this player offers everything I wanted for them. That includes

  • Fast speeds – boots up in mere seconds
  • Small profile
  • Wireless so it’s one less cable to worry about
  • 4K Upscaling in case they eventually upgrade to a 4K TV. They currently have a 75-inch Sony

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Sony 4K Blu-ray Player Confirmed

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 10, 2016 | 8 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony_4K_Blu_ray_Player_Mockup

A lot of people were surprised that a Sony 4K Blu-ray player was not announced at CES 2016. Though an announcement would have been typical and almost expected from Sony, I’ve argued that it makes little sense for them to launch such a player with there are few 4K TVs on the market and even less 4K Blu-ray movies, if any. John Anderson, country head for Sony UK and Ireland:

Certainly back in October/November 2015 it wasn’t clear we were going to come out with one at all and it’s relatively new information that within FY2016 that we will see something. That’s new information. It’s being accelerated. Maybe that’s due to more information and confidence coming through from Sony Pictures?

 It was a question of priority and investment in all the things we have got to do, therefore they’re speeding it up.

More comments from Sony after the jump.

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2016 4K HDR Sony X850D Price Also Leaks

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 9, 2016 | 10 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony_4K_HDR_X850D_2

Just a few days ago, I received leaked pricing for the flagship Sony 4K HDR TV X930D. The little birdies who I’ve spoken with tell me that the pricing has not yet been finalized internally so things can always shift by the time Sony officially announces them. Even if there is to be a fluctuation in price, it likely won’t be by much. The same rule now applies for the 4K HDR Sony X850D which comes in 55-, 65-, 75-, and mega 85-inch variants. You can read all about the mid-tier 2016 Sony 4K TVs here.

The Sony X850D price after the jump.

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Flagship Sony 4K HDR TV X930D Price Leaks

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 5, 2016 | 2 comments
Sohrab Osati

CES_2016_Sony_X930D_Line

For its 2016 lineup, Sony decided to simplify and offer a TV that was both ultra-thin and worthy of the flagship title – think of it as a mixture of the 2015 X900C and X930C. Of course, in doing so, Sony had to drop their Magnetic Fluid Speakers which is a shame, but I also understand. For those interested, you can check out our preview of the X930D from CES 2016.

Now, we’ve got our hands on some leaked pricing for the 2016 flagship series. Word of caution as these prices are not yet final and subject to change. Still, they should give you an idea as what you can expect to pay. The Sony X930D price after the jump.

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14 Sony & PlayStation Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 4, 2016 | 2 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony_Valentines_Day_Love

When you’re a techie, you tend to find an excuse to give tech gifts whenever you can. This includes Valentine’s Day where you might normally be tempted to give your significant other a box of chocolate and red roses. While I can’t argue with the chocolate part, especially if its dark German chocolate, you can do a lot better than just roses. Tech gifts can not only last longer than those roses that were jacked up in price for the week, but can also be far more personable.

Lucky for you, with the big day just 10 days away, we have 14 Sony & PlayStation Valentine’s Day gift ideas for you that are sure to win you some extra xoxo. Meet us after the jump.

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Sony SRS-X99 Wireless Hi-Res Audio Speaker Launches in India

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 4, 2016 | 2 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony SRS-X99

The Sony SRS-X99 wireless Hi-Res speaker has just launched in India. Having been available for many months in most other countries, the X99 provides 154 Watts of power which consist of seven speakers – two super tweeters, two front tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a built in woofer. All this is a simple way of saying that the X99 can drive a lot of power and sound pretty impressive. Music playback is a breeze with file compatibility including

  • MP3
  • WMA
  • AAC
  • WAV
  • FLAC
  • AIFF
  • ALAC
  • DSD

On the technical side, the X99 is no slouch either. Those details and price are after the jump.

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Putting the Sony Q3 FY15 Earnings Results in Context

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 1, 2016 | 1 comment
Sohrab Osati

To better get a sense of the Sony Q3 FY15 earnings results, I’ve put together a few charts alongside official information to give you a better sense of how the company is doing. In short, things are much better compared to a few years ago and even last year when the company posted their first profit in nearly a decade. Sony Mobile, despite pumping out the fantastic Xperia Z5 family, continues to struggle. You can read more in depth about Sony Mobile and their results here.

A quick heads up. All charts can be clicked on to viewed in much more detail.

So, let’s start from the beginning again. For its Q3 2015 financial results, Sony posted a net income of 120.1 billion JPY ($1 billion) on total revenue of 2,580.8 billion JPY ($21.5 billion). That’s up 33.5% and 0.5% year-on-year. Operating income came in at 202.1 billion JPY ($1.7 billion), an 11% rise on the previous year. In short, Sony achieved $1 billion of net profits for the three months to end in December.

As you can see from the chart above, Game & Network Services (read: PlayStation), Sony Pictures, Sony Music, and the company’s Financial Services have been on the rise. Mobile is obviously hurting and in doing so, dragging down their ever-so-profitable Devices division where image sensor sales are accounted for. Here’s how the different divisions within Sony add up.

More info and charts pertaining to the Sony Q3 FY15 earnings results after the jump.

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