Sony BRAVIA XD93 Binds 4K, HDR, Android TV Together
Move over 4K TVs, there's a new kid on the block. Well, half a kid really. While the rest of the entertainment and consumer electronics industry is still catching up with 4K resolutions, Sony and pals are already pushing for the next step forward: 4K HDR. Combining high resolution and high dynamic range promises to deliver not just pixel perfect images but color perfect ones too. And Sony's new batch of Android TV powered BRAVIA TVs, led by the XD93, are more than ready to start that revolution.
TV makers like Sony and Samsung have long been waving the 4K flag and finally the industry, particularly content creators, are taking note. In the meantime, however, OEMs are again trying to push the trend into a slightly different direction. While 4K deals with the number pixels crammed inside a screen, HDR addresses the issue of colors. With a higher range of brightness available (hence the name), HDR can offer better color accuracy, brighter whites and darker blacks.
Sony's new BRAVIA generation is more than equipped for both technologies. Or at least those that will bear its "4K HDR" sticker. 4K handling is taken care of by the 4K Processor X1 that Sony has been singing about in its previous 4K TVs. To boost HDR support, Sony is now also singing about its Slim Backlight Drive and X-tended Dynamic Range PRO, both of which work together to more precisely control the backlight of BRAVIA TVs.
As for the user experience, these 4K HDR sets run Android TV in addition to Sony's own Content Bar. Users will never run out of things to do aside from watching TV, with many of Android's apps and games available to them right then and there. And if that weren't enough, the TVs support Google Cast for streaming media from smartphones and tablets and other compatible devices. The BRAVIA's remote control also supports Voice Search at the push of a button.
In terms of design, the Sony BRAVIA XD93 exemplifies the company's "Slice of Living" design concept, which aims to seamlessly blend technology with the rest of the room. In this case, the BRAVIA's extra slim physique and virtually bezel free façade makes it "disappear" on your wall. On the other hand, the BRAVIA SD85, also a 4K HRD Android TV unit, employ a gentle curve to immerse you in the moment. It is also the thinnest curved TV in the BRAVIA family.
Sony intends to launch these new 4K Ultra HD BRAVIA TVs, both the Android TV HDR kind and the regular non-HDR Smart TV models, in Europe starting Spring this year.