Sony 4K TV due in the UK this December
One of the most impressive things we've seen at IFA so far is Sony's forthcoming 84in 4K LCD TV, the €25,000 Bravia KD-84X9005.
OK, so it's not cheap, but the picture quality is sublime. We've seen it in action upscaling the new The Amazing Spiderman film on Blu-ray to 4K resolution, and let's just say we liked what we saw.
The set sports a 3840 x 2160 resolution panel, edge LED backlighting, and incorporates Sony's 4K X-Reality Pro super-resolution engine. With four times the resolution of conventional high-definition and a screen comprising 8.29 megapixels, Sony claims this is "unlike anything offered by existing televisions".
Given the density of pixels on the screen, Sony says you can sit just 1.6 metres from the TV and, despite it being so large, you won't see any pixels.
The Sony 4k TV is also a passive 3D set, with Sony claiming Full HD (1080p) resolution for each eye at the same time. There's also a SimulView mode for gaming so each player can see a different full-screen (rather than the split-screen mode some rival sets employ).
And it's not just the image quality that's been enhanced. Sony has added a 10-speaker sound system with special signal processing technology to ensure the sound quality matches that of the picture.
On either side of the TV there's a slim, vertical aluminium speaker column containing an array of two midrange drivers, two bass drivers and a silk-dome tweeter, powered by built-in digital amplification. Sony has also implemented its 'S-Force front surround 3D mode' to create a more enveloping soundfield.
Although there isn't a huge amount of 4K content to watch right now, Sony has teamed up with the Berlin Philharmonic to record a performance of Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, in 4K and is using that here at IFA to demonstrate the capabilities of the Bravia KD-84X9005 TV and its VPL-VW1000ES 4K projector.
The company has also unveiled its new 9.2 channel STR-DA5800ES home cinema receiver (below) with built-in 4K upscaling, which is due for launch in the UK in November. Price to be confirmed.
The Sony Bravia KD84X9005 4K TV will be available for pre-order online from October, with the first deliveries to customers expected in December. Better start saving now.
Comments
@gamemaker, The 25k sony tv is rich mans folly,obviously,but im sure the likes of sony know the tv will handle anything thats displayed for the next 10yrs at least.Of course if you are rolling in it,why not,but its certainly not software that will be a problem for anyone buying one of these. Hello PS4 games...then 4k bluray will be there abouts too, & until then 4k upscaling bdp's for these 4k displays will show a hell of a picture anyway...EVERY new tech has a shaky start,par for the course. Remember how long the letters HDMI were printed on dvd players & tv's before we got to see any actual HD content? With the PS4 on the way,if you have the resources,i reckon it wont be long. Although a cheaper 65in OLED backlit 4k tv might have been more prudent as Judging by this release,sony are still firmly behind led backlit LCD...
i am throwing my sony projector in the bin!!!
Gamemaker, we saw yesterday several Blu-ray (1080p) film clips being upscaled to 4K and compared with native 4K material, and all I can say at this stage is that although the upscaled sequences did have slightly more digital noise in one or two places, they were generally close. And that was using a standard Sony BDP-S790 Blu-ray player feeding the 84in 4K TV, with the latter doing the upscaling.
As theTV hardware evolves the programme software is still lauguishing!
Does an upscaling from 1080p picture to 4 times the pixel count produce four times the details - that doesn't exist in the original source?? An overkill that adds nothing to the performance gradient....
What hi Fi says- "we like what we see".......I don't know what that means..does any one?
Wouldn't be better to aviod a first gen new prototype TV tv till we have 4k blu ray. Me thinks..duduud..Yes.
Who wouldn't like to have an 84in tv/cinema screen to watch LOTR,Starwars,POTC,Matrix etc.?..certainly not me Mmmmmmm..oh sorry,just a mind numbing daydream...
Which normal,everyday household,would be able to house such a system,when a £5-10,000 avr would be a must have(pref. something like Denons AIHD Pre/Power combo with €1300 hdmi 1.4v update instead of Sonys top ES model imo) with £10,000-15000 Speaker system,not to mention the £1500 bdp that will acompany the tv.Although i can smell a throng of new super/ultra hd codecs on the horizon,so maybe in this streaming network age it makes more sense to have a network specced avr over an audiophile leviatin that would power a proper speaker system in the huge room the KD84X9005 would need.The speakers on the tv will be good,but against even a good yamaha speakerbar,i doubt it...
So folks we "Better start saving now",which we would need to save at least €2000 per week just for the tv!! its outrageously funny...Seriously,though,it shows the very best available if you have the money,time & room.The state of the art dreamkit.
"Better start saving now" - for a bigger living room.... (84in !!!)