A year ago, Sony launched their mega 84-inch 4K television priced at $25,000, knowing that it was aimed at a small segment of the market. At CES 2013, Sony would follow up with 4K 55- and 65-inch models priced at $5,000 and $7,000 respectively in order to reach a wider audience. To help drive content media, Sony included their 4K media server (FMP-X1) with each 84-inch XBR unit while the standalone versions would eventually be sold separately.
You know what’s a platform that’s not gaining any traction? Google TV. Yet from the beginning, Sony has been a loyal soldier which had the company release a line of televisions around the platform and various setup boxes. Now Sony is following up with the NSZ-GS8, their next generation Google TV box. Like the previous model, the GS8 is meant to be a companion to your cable experience by taking in your cable signal and exporting it once again to your TV with more functionality like apps (Netflix, Hulu, Twitter etc.) and search, thanks to its Chrome browser. To help users better take control of this experience, Sony has added a microphone to their remote for voice search.
Much like the transition from SD to HD, things are beginning to fall in place. Sony, a big proponent of HD and HD films with Blu-ray is once again on the forefront and pushing 4K, the next evolution of the format. As the name suggest, 4K has four times the resolution of HD which results in televisions delivering video at 3,840 x 2,160. Yes, the statement that bigger is better is usually true. Bigger TV is better than smaller TV. 4K resolution is better than HD resolution. But with bigger, can also come headaches like four times the resolution means four times the size.
This in part is where the issues with 4K begin to surface. In order to show 4K content, cable and satellite providers need more bandwidth and capable pipes to push the media. The same holds true for your ISP and even the Blu-ray format. We live in a world, and maybe more the US that we’re just starting to discover what true high speed internet is and with our current infrastructure, there is no way that we can properly support 4K. That is, unless you’re eyeIO, the company whose video compression powers Sony’s 4K server.
It generally pays to be a high tech fan in the US which has us getting new products before other territories. Announced at CES 2013 and released last month, the Sony XBR 4K televisions have been no exception. In fact, what’s been most surprising about the 55- and 65-inch 4K XBR sets has been their affordability, which fell in line with the previous XBR HX929 models which lacked 4K technology, among other things. So how affordable are the new Sony 4K XBR sets? $5,000 will nab you a 55-inch (XBR-55X900A) 4K television while those in the mood for something bigger can get the 65-inch (XBR-65X900A) for $7,000. With the 4K XBR now released to retailers for well over a month, it’s time for Sony to turn its attention to the UK.
During CES 2013, Sony quietly introduced their 2nd generation 3D Digital Recording Binoculars. Not a lot was known about the units at the time but Sony has since opened the floodgates and there’s plenty to like this time around. The DEV-50V is a followup DEV-5 that was announced and released nearly two years ago. While keeping true to its core by offering a technology packed digital recording binoculars that can capture video 1080p 3D, the DEV-50V has improved upon its predecessor in every way. Those familiar with the previous model will note the sleeker and much smaller design which helps bring down the weight to 1.14 lb, a 30% reduction. The new housing is also water- and dust-proof, allowing the unit to be used in rain and other wet circumstances without fear of frying your expensive binoculars. However, the real magic of DEV-5V is all under the hood.
Not to say the two tech are similar, but much like 3D, 4K has to be experiences in person to be truly appreciated or disapproved of. Just like 3D where it’s quite hard to explain in words the benefits of the technology, so is the case with 4K televisions. No matter how clever the writing, or fantastic the advertisement, the richness of 4K and its clarity have to be seen in person so that you can make the proper call about the technologies worth to you. To battle this, Sony is demoing their 55- and 65-inch 4K XBR TVs to select Sony retail outlets. At Sony’s retail stores offering the 4K XBR experience, you can expect to see native 4K content to show you the technology’s true potential while Sony will also offer upscaled 4K content to show you what you can get from the technology today. After the jump, a list of stores that will allow you to experience Sony’s 4K XBR.
A crowd pleaser during CES 2013, Sony unveiled a 56-inch OLED monitor that floored journalists and rivals. The extremely color rich television with deep blacks had something for everyone and had many walking away without being able to find a fault. Now, Sony has announced the fate of the next generation television. Unlike the 55- and 65-inch 4K XBR TVs which were just announced for an April 21st release at an extremely affordable price, the 4K OLED televisions will be taking a different route. Due to the high cost of OLED manufacturing and the longer production process, Sony is opting to release 30-inch (4,096 x 2,160) and 56-inch (3,840 x 2160) 4K OLED monitors for professionals.
Sony’s NAB 2013 announcements have been what videophiles and 4K fans have been hoping for. During the show, Sony finally revealed the price of the 55- and 65-inch 4K XBR sets, which are far more affordable than many had anticipated. As new technologies like HD, Blu-ray, 3D, and now 4K are revealed and released, they live and die by the content that’s designed for them. To ensure that 4K television owners are not sitting idle and only consuming 1080p material, Sony revealed the FMP-X1 4K media server at CES 2013. At the time, the unit was only made available to those who purchase the 84-inch 4K XBR, but now, would-be owners of Sony’s other 4K televisions can purchase one as well.
At NAB 2013, Sony finally unveiled the price of the 55-inch and 65-inch 4K XBR televisions that were announced at CES 2013. Unlike the 84-inch XBR model that is aimed at an exclusive crowd with its $25,000 price tag, the smaller two units are priced to move. Besides being native 4K ( 3,840 x 2,160) sets, both models feature:
Once an extremely lucrative part of any company’s portfolio, the television industry eventually followed in the path of the PC business in a race towards the bottom. Each company, eager to gain more market share than their competitor would do everything in its power to drive the cost of units down, which has now lead to razor-thin margins and even the selling of sets at a loss in hopes of making up the money in another avenue. While in theory good for consumers who get to enjoy larger television sets, the long term effects turn into a sector with low innovation as it becomes hard to justify major shifts with little profits on the balance sheet.
The PC industry famously experienced this in the last decade with cookie cutter desktops from HP, Dell, Compaq, and Gateway to name a few. Each manufacturer would create more or less the same box with some tweaked specs and out the door they went. In the early days of LCD televisions, the industry enjoyed beautiful units, mostly notably from Sony who pumped out units like the XBR 3 with a beautiful glass bezel design. But as profits slipped from the industry, so too have designs which now primarily consists of a black rectangle from factor. With stores like Walmart and Costco coming to the TV sector in a big way, most consumers concern themselves with two things: size and price, while picture quality and design follow in the distance.
While manufacturers continue to stuff televisions with internet-connected features like Netflix and web access, consumers have indicated that they care little for them, instead wanting the bare necessities as long as the two important factors (price and size) are met. In some ways, how can you blame them when an Apple TV or PS3 will always do Netflix or Hulu better? And no, I don’t need a weather app on my TV that gets updated once every 2 years where I have 1,ooo weather apps that get updated routinely on my iPhone. Sony has long struggled with this market, opting to give their televisions connected features and extra processing power like their Bravia engine processors which can even up convert YouTube videos for better clarity. While all fine features, with size and price king, consumers did little to reward them for the additional options and have opted to purchase a cheaper Samsung or Sharp. Now with the new Bravia 70-inch R550 LED TV, Sony is looking to change all of that and get back in the consumer television market in a big way.
Good news for those of you looking to purchase a new HDTV in the near future. After whetting our appetites at CES, the 2013 Sony Bravia HDTVs have officially been revealed and priced. Taking a cue from years before, Sony has for better or worse continued to offer a more simplified line of televisions. While this makes selecting one of their televisions easier, it does mean that there are certain sizes that Sony no longer offers like a 26-inch set. The new entry point for Sony is the 32-inch R series (KDL-32R400A) which is priced at $329 while the W series maxes out at 70-inches at the affordable price of $2,699.
Its easy to get lost in all the numbers that get tossed around at shows like CES. Higher megapixels, CPU speeds, RAM, and screen sizes are just some of the many different numbers and statistics that we get bombarded with daily. What we tend to hear less from companies however is how and or why these numbers matters. Sure, it’s easy for us to tell you about NFC technology found in the Xperia Z and even showcase the tech for you in a video. What’s harder however is for us to covey the beautiful image offered from the 56-inch Sony 4K OLED TV or to truly tell you how gorgeous and enormous a television like the 84-inch Sony Bravia X900A is. This is especially true for televisions where the new trend is producing 84-inch televisions and above which quite a few companies unveiled during CES, including Sony. So how big is the Sony Bravia X900A 84-inch set? To help put things into perspective, our Managing Editor, Allegra Wilson gives you a comparison between that and the more traditional 65-inch TV that we’re all accustomed to seeing. After the jump, our video helps put this monster of TV in frame. And no, not that silly TV frame thing that Samsung is now doing.
While the Sony Bravia XBR-84X900, the 84-inch 4K flagship television will probably have to wait till its 2nd revision to feature NFC tech, the smaller siblings, the Bravia XBR-55X900A and XBR-65X900A will feature the bluetooth based tech from the very beginning. For those not familiar, NFC stands for near field communication and is based around bluetooth. What the technology offers is a simplified way of pairing two devices by taking profiles and pass codes out of the equation. Instead, when two devices are touched by one and other, the bluetooth profiles are automatically connected and paired. In fact, even if bluetooth is off on your device, the simple process of touching the devices will automatically turn on all the needed functionalities of your device like its bluetooth. (Hello security issues!) In fact, those of you looking for a demo of the technology need look no further than after the jump where we have further details and a video demo.
Not wanting to wait till CES 2013, Sony announced and released the Bravia XBR-84X900, their first consumer 4K television. A first of its kind for Sony, the 84-inch mammoth television is called an Ultra HD TV, boasting 4 times the resolution of traditional HD sets. Think iPhone and iPad Retina display, compared to other smartphones out there. As is the case with any new technology, let alone one that is 84-inches, the 84X900 comes with a hefty price tag of $24,999, targeted at those that money is not taken into consideration for their purchasing habits. This of course begs the question of adoption. How can Sony hope to drive the price of this product down and expand its market share if its too early for a price reduction? The answer seems to be a simple one and one that Sony did, which is to offer the television in a 55-inch and 65-inch model as well. Lets talk details, after the jump.
Nearly two years ago, Sony announced a pair of 3D Digital Recording Binoculars, the DEV-3 and DEV-5. Packed with 10x optical zoom, both units are capable of recording 1080p HD video while capturing stills with a 7.1 megapixel camera. It also wouldn’t be Sony without them incorporating their Exmor R CMOS sensors which are designed to provide noise free images, even in low light situations. But once again, this digital recording binocular has a trick up its sleeve—or maybe two tricks. Sony opted to include not one, but two Exmor R CMOS sensors in both the DEV-3 and DEV-5, allowing for native 3D 1080p video recording with dual f/1.8-3.4, 0.5-10x optical zoom lenses, and a pair of 1,227-dot viewfinders. Other features include manual focus, SteadyShot, and Image Stabilization. With no word from Sony since then, we always wondered if these were a one time product but alas we were wrong.
At CES 2013, the 2nd Generation Sony 3D Digital Recording Binoculars was unveiled to the press. No price point or spec difference were given and in fact, the only unit present was inside a glass case. Still, the striking and slimmed down redesign should be a positive sign for techie nature lovers. As our video after the jump shows, despite the unit being a prototype, the final production model shouldn’t differer too much. Our inside sources have also told us to expect a Q1 2013 ship date though that can always change. After the jump, our video preview.
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