Sony invited us to its headquarters in Japan to take a look at some prototype technology the company is working on to make some of the best TVs, like the Sony A95L OLED TV, even better. In addition to close-up looks at a sound-mapping robot and the professional-grade Sony BVM-HX3110 master monitor, Sony showed us a prototype technology that could give the company’s Mini-LED TVs in particular a serious edge over the competition.
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TechTranscript
00:00 Have you ever wondered what goes into making award-winning TVs?
00:03 I'm here at Sony offices in Tokyo to see just how the magic happens.
00:07 Let's go take a closer look.
00:08 Now, what we weren't expecting to get access to was an exclusive look at some TV tech that
00:14 totally blew us away and gave us an insight into what the future of TVs might be.
00:19 More about that coming up in the video.
00:21 For now, let's talk about why Sony really stood out among this year's TV manufacturers.
00:28 Every year, Value Electronics holds a TV Shootout event, for which a panel of professionals,
00:33 think video colorists, film editors, TV reviewers, and video scientists,
00:37 evaluate a handful of top-rated 4K TVs to pick a winner based on some key parameters.
00:43 This distinction is considered by many to be the ultimate badge of approval for a TV,
00:48 calling it the best TV of the year, definitively.
00:51 This year, the winner was the Sony Bravia XR-A95L QD OLED TV.
00:56 Now, we at Tom's Guide use our own set of guidelines for reviewing a TV,
01:00 and take into account use cases and budgets when making our recommendations.
01:04 Part of our testing process includes in-house benchmarking that you've
01:08 seen me refer to many times in my TV reviews.
01:11 When we conducted our tests on a 65-inch review unit of the Sony A95L,
01:17 it scored some of the highest marks we've benchmarked across the board.
01:20 With HDR material, the A95L's brightness reached about 1,215 nits on 10% of the screen,
01:27 which is what we typically measure.
01:29 Even if it's a lower score than we got for the LG G3 OLED TV and the Samsung S95C QD OLED TV,
01:35 it's still exceptional for a non-LED TV.
01:38 But it's the color gamut coverage that really impressed us.
01:42 The Sony A95L had more than complete coverage of not just the Rec.709 color gamut,
01:47 and it also thoroughly nailed the UHD-AP3 color gamut.
01:51 It also has the highest sub-100% value we've seen.
01:54 Then, the A95L's coverage of the wider Rec.2020 color gamut gave us a result
02:00 that's its own kind of spectacular - 89.41%, which is over 15% more than
02:05 the coverage from both the LG G3 OLED and the Samsung S95C OLED.
02:10 But why do Sony TVs have a big advantage specifically in these scores?
02:16 Like most manufacturers, Sony won't disclose all of its secrets.
02:20 But when we were in Tokyo, we got up close with the Sony BVM-HX3110,
02:25 the company's newest professional reference monitor that maxes out at 4,000 nits
02:30 and costs well over $30,000.
02:32 This reference monitor will roll out to film studios in the next few years,
02:36 acting as the authority for producers, editors, and colorists as they work on motion pictures.
02:41 I could go into detail about the monitor's specs and technology that power some of the
02:46 most precise 4K HDR imagery I've ever seen with my own two eyes on a screen.
02:51 But more important than that is, you have to imagine that Sony takes what it learns
02:55 from developing a professional-grade master monitor and finds ways for it to trickle down
03:00 to the picture performance of its consumer TVs.
03:02 Of course, picture isn't the only thing that matters about a TV.
03:07 Sound, though sometimes an afterthought, is a critical element of TV watching that Sony
03:12 treats with as much consideration based on what we see at their offices.
03:16 Their engineers developed a sound mapping machine that visualizes sound in 3D
03:21 to analyze the virtual listening volume of a given set.
03:24 It takes the form of a three-arm robot that moves on XYZ axes to measure frequency across
03:30 16,500 points in front of a TV, and the process takes between 30 to 40 minutes.
03:35 Sony knows that the sound experience doesn't stop at the TV, though.
03:40 The company's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping feature makes achieving surround sound in
03:45 your home rather approachable.
03:47 Essentially, 360 SSM offers flexibility in speaker installation, since it's not always
03:52 possible to have an ideal layout, by introducing virtual speaker positions that can correct
03:57 and expand the sound stage surrounding your ears.
04:00 This means that wherever you're able to place your actual speakers,
04:03 the sound will adjust to be excellent for your space.
04:08 We've been talking about what makes an existing TV like the Sony A95L special, but
04:14 while at the company's headquarters, we got an exclusive look at some prototype technology
04:18 that Sony may use to raise the bar of their future TVs.
04:22 Something I've truly never seen before, Sony peeled back TV screens to show us the
04:26 mini-LED drivers the company is working on.
04:29 Mini-LEDs work like gradients to offer precise output of light, and the accuracy of those
04:34 gradations is super important.
04:36 If you look at the backlight of most TVs, you might see gradients that look somewhat
04:40 pixelated, making these blobs of light output that don't totally ruin a TV, but with
04:45 smaller LEDs with precise control from an advanced TV processor, that basically means
04:51 more definition from the backlight.
04:53 This lets a TV portray better levels of black and dark shades, which in turn, makes for
04:58 better image contrast.
05:00 Contrast helps an image look more nuanced and realistic, offering a larger range from
05:04 the brightest part of the screen to the darkest.
05:07 From what we saw, mini-LED will be the type of TV technology to watch for the next year.
05:12 Of course, we're still expecting Sony to come out with OLED TVs, and there are other
05:17 exciting technologies to keep an eye on.
05:19 But as we learned at the company's headquarters, a lot more than you think goes into making
05:24 the best TVs as great as they are.
05:26 It's not every day we get to see how the TVs that end up in our living room get tested
05:30 and made.
05:31 I know I thought it was super cool, but I want to know what you think.
05:34 Be sure to let me know in the comments.
05:35 You can catch more of our TV content on social, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok
05:40 at Tom's Guide.
05:41 And as always, I'm @KateKozich.
05:43 Thanks for watching.
05:43 I'll catch you next time.