On March 19-20, Sony brought a group of journalists from around the world to visit Sony Pictures Entertainment Studios in Culver City, Calif. The event not only cemented Sony’s “from lens to living room” message of being involved in all aspects of TV and movie-making production from creation to delivery, the company also revealed and demonstrated its 2024 TV and soundbar lineup.
The visit to Sony Pictures was a perfect opportunity to enforce how deeply entrenched Sony is at every stage of the filmmaking process, as well as reiterate the company’s commitment to helping creators fulfill their visions, and demonstrate the final link in the chain, which is the consumers’ experience of enjoying the director’s intent in their own home.
The first day of the event included some presentations from Sony executives, as well as special guests and a walking tour of the Sony Pictures lot.
Neal Manowitz, president and COO of Sony North America, welcomed the journalists saying, “Creators are at the heart of Sony’s business,” and that Sony “develops technology to help creators fulfill their visions.”
Manowitz reminded the audience that the Sony Pictures Studio has been in use for over a century and that many beloved films such as The Wizard of Oz, Spider-Man, Men in Black, and many more have been shot here.
Tyler Ishida, president Sony Consumer Business Group, commented, “Movies bring people together,” and that watching is “a shared experience between consumer/viewer and content creators.”
Sony then brought out Joseph Kosinski and Claudio Miranda, director and cinematographer, respectively, for blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick, Oblivion, and Tron: Legacy.
Kosinski said when he is choosing to make a film he asks, “What is something that will draw people out of their homes to see these films on the big screen?”
He also commented that he loves “what HDR brings down to the living room, letting people see at home what we did when we were grading it. [Seeing the] effort, care, and detail that goes into every step, every frame. We’ll spend months going over trying to get everything exactly right” and they want you to experience that at home as accurately as possible.
Kosinski added, “Sound is just as important as picture, maybe even more so, in movies.”
Miranda added that they are “always looking for new ways to solve a puzzle.” Such as how the Sony Venice camera system allowed him to place six cameras inside the cockpit of an F/A-18 for Maverick.
Related: Sony CEO at CES 2024 – “Creators Are at the Heart of our Business”
Sony’s technology manager, Rob Brennan, commented, “It’s not about the idea of turning [people’s] living rooms into a dedicated home theater, but about delivering an amazing experience to customers in their living rooms how they want to experience it.”
Sony also brought out B.A. Winston, VP technology for Amazon Prime Video, who introduced the new Prime Video Calibrated Mode for movies, TV series, and live sports being introduced to this year’s TV lineup. The mode will automatically auto-adjust picture settings based on content, display type, and light conditions in the room to deliver the best experience.
Phil Sgriccia, producing director of The Boys, echoed Kosinski’s comments, saying they will spend upwards of 18 months working on an eight-episode season of The Boys. “We take such pains in the [creating the] look of the show,” he said, “we want people to see that effort.”
Larry Harrison, of Sony customer engagement, added, “If a TV can’t faithfully replicate the creator’s intent, [consumers] are being cheated in a way.”
Several highlights of the lot tour included a visit to Sony’s Foley studio, where we were able to watch award-winning Foley artist, Gary Hecker, add sounds to a variety of film clips, watching clips in Sony’s Dolby Atmos screening/mixing theater — including a detailed sound breakdown from the film Gran Turismo, where we watched the same clip but broke down each of the sound elements — and a walk-thru and demonstration of Pixomondo, Sony’s VFX and Virtual Production studio. If you’ve seen any of the making of The Mandalorian on Disney+, then you’re familiar with the large LED space called “The Volume,” and the Pixomondo space is very similar, featuring 1400 individual Crystal LED panels in Sony’s LED sound stage allows innovation in virtual production and VFX space. With a few keystrokes, the large space can be completely transformed into a different environment, allowing filmmakers a completely new production tool.
The second day focused on seeing and experiencing Sony’s new 2024 TV and soundbar lineup, and there were two big takeaways from this introduction. First, Sony is redefining BRAVIA in 2024, combining TV and home audio for the first time under the BRAVIA name. Second, the company’s new tagline is, “Cinema is coming home,” reinforcing the idea the Sony most accurately delivers what the content creator intended you to see.
Televison Lineup
Regarding TVs, there will be four new Series for 2024: BRAVIA 3, 7, 8, 9.
- BRAVIA 3 will be the entry-level, featuring direct-view LED and available in sizes from 43-85 inches.
- BRAVIA 7 steps up to Mini LED and will be offered in sizes from 55 to 85 inches. Compared to Sony’s X90L models, BRAVIA 7 displays feature a 790% dimming zone increase with 15% less power consumption.
- BRAVIA 8 features OLED technology, and will be available in sizes from 55-77 inches. Compared to A80L models, BRAVIA 8 displays are 31% thinner and have a 29% slimmer bezel.
- The new flagship BRAVIA 9 is Mini LED in sizes from 65-85 inches. Sony claims BRAVIA 9 is the brightest 4K TV they have ever produced, and that these displays use similar technology to that found in Sony’s reference BVM-HX3110 studio monitor. Compared to the X95L series, BRAVIA 9 is a whopping 50% brighter and features 325% more dimming zones, while consuming 20% less power.
Powered by XR Processing and utilizing a newly developed IC (LED Driver), BRAVIA 9 can achieve these higher peak outputs while retaining far tighter control over backlighting. This allows for much brighter local highlights, while limiting the “halo effect” around objects. Sony also reminded us that brightness adds color volume while retaining accuracy. The 22-bit processing allows better, more granular control of backlight, and allows the display to dynamically move power to drive more light to parts of the screen that need it.
BRAVIA 7/8/9 will all feature the new Prime Video Calibrated Mode and have Acoustic Center Sync for use with Sony soundbars, and utilize a new Voice Zoom 3 feature that uses AI to extract and raise the volume of voices for clearer dialog intelligibility.
Sony stressed its TVs are designed to deliver the creative intent intended by the content creator, and that their displays are tuned to match their studio mastering monitors. In line with this, a Sony HX3110 reference studio monitor was on hand to compare picture quality between a variety of the new BRAVIA models as well as displays by Samsung and LG.
Sony also claimed that the HX3110 now allows grading at up to 4000 nits, and they expect more films to be graded in this manner now that the monitor is in the workflow. To demonstrate this, they showed clips from the movie Alpha that were mastered at 4000 nits, and the images revealed far more details in the brightest highlights such as sunlight, a sunrise, or sun shining through clouds. Because enlarging color volume enlarges creativity, Sony expects more movies to be mastered beyond 1000 nits.
From Sony’s existing full-array LED lineup, the X90L series will stay in the lineup, positioned between the BRAVIA 3 and 7, and the Z9K 8K Mini LED will also remain. Sony’s A90K, 42- and 48-inch OLED, 83-inch A80L OLED, and the flagship Master Series A95L QD-OLED will also remain in the line.
Speaker Lineup
On the audio side, Sony is releasing two new soundbars, the BRAVIA Theater: Bar 8 and Bar 9, along with the BRAVIA Theater: Quad. All will support Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, 360RA, and Hi-Res audio playback, and feature Acoustic Center Sync with compatible Sony displays. There will also be the new BRAVIA Theater: U, a “personal home theater” that will feature a 12-hour battery.
The Bar 8 will feature 11 speakers, and have 30% smaller volume compared to the HT-A5000. The Bar 9 will feature 13 newly designed drivers, including newly added side channel speakers. The new driver design results in a 36% smaller cabinet compared to the HT-A7000.
The four-speaker Quad system replaces the HT-A9 and features 16 total drivers (four per speaker including tweeter, mid, woofer, and upfiring), the Quad uses Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping to create 16 phantom channels, virtually placing speakers around the room. Compared to the HT-A9, the Quad has a much thinner design, which is more optimal for wall mounting.
These can pair with Sony’s existing SA-SW3 or SW5 subwoofers to increase bass response, and the Bar 8 and 9 can work with either the SA-RS5 or SA-RS3S wireless surround speakers.
Along with the TVs, the Bars and Quad will also feature Sony’s new Voice Zoom 3, which uses AI to extract just voices to raise (or lower) for clearer dialog intelligibility. Powered by Sony’s sound separation AI technology, Voice Zoom 3 identifies and isolates dialog that can then be adjusted, making it easier to hear voices without affecting other sounds.
Related: Review – Sony STR-AZ3000ES 9.2-Channel, 8K AV Receiver
Also exciting is that the Bars and Quad will utilize a new Sound Field Optimization, which will use a Sony app and phone microphone to measure and calibrate performance at the listening position.
The existing HT-A3000, HT-S2000, and HT-S4000 will remain as entry-level offerings through 2024.
The BRAVIA Theater: U is designed to deliver a personalized home theater or gaming experience, and is ideal for watching without disturbing others, or in conjunction with a TV/soundbar but listening at different volumes. Two sets of the Theater: U can be paired to a TV with customized performance for two people simultaneously. Gamers can connect BRAVIA Theater: U to a PS5 controller for engaging gameplay without isolating themselves from others.
Pricing
- BRAVIA 9 Mini LED (85”, 75”, 65”)
- 85″ Class (84.6″ diag): $5499.99 USD MSRP/ $6499.99 CA MSRP
- 75″ Class (74.5″ diag): $3999.99 USD MSRP/ $4799.99 CA MSRP
- 65″ Class (64.5″ diag): $3299.99 USD MSRP/ $3999.99 CA MSRP
- BRAVIA 8 OLED (77”, 65”, 55”)
- 77″ Class (76.7″ diag): $3899.99 USD MSRP/ $4899.99 CA MSRP
- 65″ Class (64.5″ diag): $2799.99 USD MSRP/ $3399.99 CA MSRP
- 55″ Class (54.6″ diag): $1999.99 USD MSRP/ $2499.99 CA MSRP
- BRAVIA 7 Mini LED (85”, 75”, 65”, 55”)
- 85″ Class (84.6″ diag): $3499.99 USD MSRP/ $4699.99 CA MSRP
- 75″ Class (74.5″ diag): $2799.99 USD MSRP/ $3599.99 CA MSRP
- 65″ Class (64.5″ diag): $2299.99 USD MSRP/ $2699.99 CA MSRP
- 55″ Class (54.6″ diag): $1899.99 USD MSRP/ $2299.99 CA MSRP
- BRAVIA 3 LED (85”, 75”, 65”, 55”, 50”, 43”)
- 85″ Class (84.6″ diag): $1799.99 USD MSRP/ $2499.99 CA MSRP
- 75″ Class (74.5″ diag): $1299.99 USD MSRP/ $1699.99 CA MSRP
- 65″ Class (64.5″ diag): $999.99 USD MSRP/ $1299.99 CA MSRP
- 55″ Class (54.6″ diag): $849.99 USD MSRP/ $999.99 CA MSRP
- 50″ Class (49.5″ diag): $699.99 USD MSRP/ $849.99 CA MSRP
- 43″ Class (42.5″ diag): $599.99 USD MSRP/ $749.99 CA MSRP
- BRAVIA Theater Quad has a suggested retail price of $2499.99 USD/ $2999.99 CA
- BRAVIA Theater Bar 9 has a suggested retail price of $1399.99 USD/ $1899.99 CA
- BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 has a suggested retail price of $999.99 USD/ $1499.99 CA
- BRAVIA Theater U has a suggested retail price of $299.99 USD/ $399.99 CA
For more information, visit sony.com.
