Sony now brings us the first production-model LCD HDTV that has 240Hz high frame rate technology. The Bravia model KDL-52XBR7 1080p LCD HDTV uses a proprietary Motionflow 240Hz algorithm that goes beyond traditional 120Hz technology by quadrupling the frame rate of conventional LCD TVs. It makes motion smoother and more natural, particularly in fast-moving programs like sports events. Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) helps deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 80,000:1. The BRAVIA Engine 2 fully digital video processor enhances all incoming signals to match the TV’s 1080p resolution. Sony’s new 3D Favorites Menu complements the Xross Media Bar graphical user interface, which has also been enhanced with integration of TV Guide’s program listing, providing easy access and navigation of content and menus through colorful thumbnails and logically placed icons. Rounding out the feature set is Digital Media Port (DMP) compatibility, which provides access to video and music from portable media devices like compatible Walkman and iPod players and other DMP accessories. The models also can display digital photos and play digital music using a creative multi-plane 3D graphics slideshows from USB devices, as well as access photos from your PC in another room using Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compliant devices via your home network. Inputs found on the KDL-52XBR7 include four 1080/60 24p HDMI connections (HDCP), two 1080/60p HD component inputs, a 1080/60p-capable PC input, and an Ethernet (RJ-45) port. And with the gorgeous piano gloss black finish with floating glass accents, it will be the sharpest wall in your home. The 52XVR7 is DMeX-enabled, so it is compatible with the BRAVIA Internet Video Link (BIVL). The BIVL module attaches to the back of the panel, and seamlessly streams on-demand entertainment including movies, TV programs, your favorite YouTube videos and a variety of other content not found on network or cable/satellite TV. The service connects to the Internet via your existing broadband Ethernet connection.
Key Features:
Motionflow 240Hz technology quadruples the number of existing frames by calculating in real time and inserts three new frames between the original source content frames. Then, it uses a special Sony-developed algorithm that detects specific objects, as well as the movement of the overall scene and intelligently applies the right amount of enhancement to each addef frame. Unlike some other high frame rate technologies, Motionflow also includes Sony’s unique Image Blur Reduction algorithm, which reduces blur from the original source image captured by a camera before applying motion enhancement technology. Judder is a visual artifact that shows up in video content that has been converted from film-based content. A visible jerking or stuttering effect can sometimes be seen during motion sequences on converted film-based content that may be noticeable on scenes that include panning. There are many forms of high frame rate technology in the market today, but only Motionflow 120Hz technology uses special Sony algorithms designed to intelligently detect and apply the right amount of enhancement to reduce judder and deliver a smoother, sharper picture with more natural motion of the original film.Go back to list of all features. With Motion Flow Full HD 1080p Full HD 1080p means our connections accept 1080p signals and the display will render that signal in Full HD 1080p. The flexibility of native 1920 x 1080 displays allows any high definition content to be viewed without the need to downconvert images to the native resolution of the display. Take full advantage of Blu-ray Disc players and PlayStation 3 systems that can deliver 1080p content. (Found in S, V, W, Z, and XBR Series HDTVs)Go back to list of all features. BRAVIA Engine Technology The latest version of Sony’s respected BRAVIA Engine fully digital video processor uses a collection of unique SONY algorithms to significantly reduce noise and produce sharp, vibrant, life-like images.Dynamic Noise Reduction: Intelligently identifies and dramatically reduces noise in the signal according to the motion and brightness of each scene for clearer, crisper images. Detail Enhancement: Improved image enhancement algorithms render greater overall detail. Contrast Enhancement: Works with the Advanced Contrast Enhancer circuit to optimize the contrast for every scene to create better depth and reality. BRAVIA Engine technology optimizes the color, contrast, detail and clarity of every scene for the exceptional performance that BRAVIA HDTVs are known for.Go back to list of all features Enhance the blacks Match the color Smooth the motion Filter the Image Clean the image Widen the tone range DRC-MFv1 (SD-HD Creation) Digital Texture Enhancer Enhance the blacks Match the color Smooth the motion Filter the Image Clean the image Widen the tone range DRC HD-HD (SD-HD Creation) Digital Texture Enhancer Enhance the blacks Match the color Smooth the motion Filter the Image Clean the image Widen the tone range Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) Part of the cinematic drama in film-making comes from details found in shadows and dark areas of the picture. Sony’s Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE)n uses real-time image processing to dynamically adjust backlight levels for improved contrast without masking details the filmmaker intended you to see. ACE delivers deep blacks in darker scenes, as well as fine details in shadows and other dark areas of the picture for a difference you can truly see.
Many prime time TV programs are shot at 24 frames per second. This means that TVs operating at any refresh rate that is not an even multiple of 24 will have to do some interpolation to present the content. TVs operating at at 30Hz or 60Hz traditionally solved this via a method called “2:3 pulldown”. The television repeats the first film frame over the first two fields of video, and the second film frame over the next three fields of video (1, 1, 2, 2, 2), and continues to do this with the 3rd and 4th frames, the 5th and 6th framer (1,1,2,2,2 – 3,3,4,4,4 – 5,5,6,6,6), and so on until 24 frames are displayed over 60 refresh cycles. This discrepancy in the number of times frames are displayed can lead to a jerky motion in filmed material which some viewers notice, especially with scenes that pan.
120, on the other hand, is an even multiple of 24. Televisions with 24p capability, operating at 120Hz, can display an equal number of frames for every refresh cycle. The benefit—You can watch movies in natural, cinematic motion, the way they are seen at the cinema. Every single frame of the movie can now be seen without using additional video processing that converts film-based images to video reproduction. Additionally, 24p True Cinema input capability can be used along with Motionflow™ 120Hz technology for outstanding fluid motion beyond what you would typically see at the cinema. Once you experience 24p video it will be hard to view video without it. (Found in S, V, W, Z, and XBR Series HDTVs). Sony’s Blu-ray disc players wisely take advantage of this by including 24p output capability.
Xross Media Bar Xross (pronounced Cross) is Sony’s Technical-Emmy award-winning graphic user interface for Sony WEGA and BRAVIA televisions and PS3 and PSX game systems. The interface features category icons spread horizontally across the screen that organize the viewing options (TV, Music, Internet, Tools, etc…). When a category icon is selected on the horizontal bar, a vertical bar appears showing the viewing options within that category. Using the directional pad on your remote, you can easily maneuver horizontally from category to category, then scroll vertically through individual viewing options to easily navigate through the wide range of programming available on today’s televisions.Go back to list of all features. Rich Graphic On-Screen Control Interface Delivering a fun user experience is what the new rich graphics are designed to do. Accessing video content and sharing digital photos with your family and friends on an HDTV is now fast, easy and fun. Colorful thumbnails cascade before your eyes allowing you to visually choose what you want to see. Viewing digital images through Sony’s photo viewer is now more organized and can be quickly accessed.
Thanks to the adoption of a newly approved international color standard called xvYCC (an option in the HDMI v1.3 spec and which Sony participated in creating), the color space has been greatly expanded. All XBR HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or “x.v. color” for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation “xvYCC” color space actually offers an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. Next-generation “xvYCC” color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors Select products such as four Sony Handycam High Definition camcorders include x.v.Color to reproduce color that takes you beyond HD.
While it’s great to state that a TV is capable of creating billions of colors it’s a whole lot better when you have a true 10-bit display that can actually display them. Sony combines 10-bit processing with a 10-bit panel, allowing 64 times the levels of color expression. What that translates to is smoother transitions from color to color and subtle color changes faithfully reproduced without a paint-by-numbers look. So, where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color.Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors Enables increased contrast ratio Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white. (Found in all Z and XBR Series HDTVs)
The TV Guide On-screen IPG delivers continually updated program listings to users. The guide requires no subscription fees or phone connection and is available at no extra cost to the consumer. Sony is the first company to integrate the TV Guide On-Screen User Interface into a custom interface — Sony’s exclusive Xross Media Bar user interface. (Found in all V, W, Z, and XBR Series HDTVs)Go back to list of all features. Digital Media Extender (DMex) Sony’s Digital Media Extender (DMex) offers a digital connection path for optional modules like the BRAVIA Internet Video Link, as well as other modules you can add in the future. Innovative DMex expansion capabilities integrate into the award-winning XMB user interface making HDTVs a powerful entertainment platform that not only meets current needs, but expands to meet tomorrow’s needs as well.
In 2007 Sony included HDMI CEC capability in select HDTV and BRAVIA Theatre Home Audio products, which led to a one-touch function Sony feature called BRAVIA Theatre Sync. This feature allows the access and control multiple tasks and system operations with one button ease. BRAVIA Sync is now being introduced as the name for a new family of control features that not only includes BRAVIA Theatre Sync, but will now include BRAVIA Sync. This feature allows the user to control a CEC-enabled camcorder connected to a BRAVIA HDTV via an HDMI cable by using the HDTV’s remote control and an on-screen display that shows camcorder transport functions. All Connections 4 HDMI — High Definition Multimedia 2 component video inputs PC Input: Limited to resolutions supported by both the PC and the Sony TV. See Sony TV users manual and PC documentation for supported resolutions Digital Media Port connection allows the use of an optional Digital Media Port cradle to connect digital devices directly to your BRAVIA HDTV
All 2008 XBR and Z-Series BRAVIA HDTVs are DLNA-compliant. You already know something about digital living. There’s the TV and digital video recorder in your family room. (And another set in your bedroom.) You have a PC and digital printer in your office, along with a network attached storage device. And you’ve copied all your music onto your portable music player and haven’t had to open a CD case for years. But getting them to talk to each other can be pretty tough. Why is it still so difficult to send digital content from one device to another? Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is a collaboration of the world’s leading consumer electronics, PC and mobile companies that has created design guidelines for a new generation of products that can work together — no matter the brand. Think for a moment about all of the photos “locked away” on your home PC that you wish you could access while entertaining your friends and family. Now, thanks to DLNA enabled devices, a DLNA-enabled PC can be accessed from the comfort of your living room or family room via a DLNA-enabled HDTV, where you can enjoy your memories with friends and family, without having to deal with the hassle and non-intuitive “PCexperience”.Or, say you recently downloaded your daughter’s birthday party video from your digital camcorder to your PC. Now you want to share it with your parents who are visiting. Without DLNA, you probably have to burn a DVD of the video or hook up the camcorder to the TV. With DLNA, you can just use your TV’s remote to call up the video on your TV. That’s it.
Many colors in the real world such as deep reds, greens and clear blues cannot be expressed with conventional display technologies. Live Color Creation technology achieves wide color reproduction using advanced chroma signal processing algorithms. The primary benefits are clear blues, natural greens and an overall vibrant color for all scenes. (Found in XBR6 Series HDTVs)Go back to list of all features. Optimized Theater Mode Developed in consultation with the Sony Pictures Entertainment movie studio, most 2008 Sony BRAVIA LCD HDTVs feature our optimized Theater Mode. Selecting the THEATER mode on the BRAVIA HDTV remote automatically adjusts a number of key elements that have an important impact on reproducing movies better. Skin tones and lighting are seen as natural without over-enhancing color and contrast. The picture is fine-tuned for a dark viewing environment just like the cinema and optimized for LCD display technology. Even the right amount of film grain is included. All of this helps preserve the mood and detail so you enjoy the cinema experience that you go to the theater to see, right in the comfort of your home. Optimized Theater Mode is another great example of Sony HDNA in action. We not only create the exciting movies that you see at the cinema but also enhance the home viewing experience to recreate it as only Sony can. (Found on most Sony BRAVIA LCD HDTVs.) Note: Optimized “Theater Mode” was developed in consultation Columbia Pictures, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.Go back to list of all features.
Audio Features:
Built around a sophisticated set of Sony algorithms, the S-Force Front Surround enhancement function generates realistic surround sound from the two speakers in the TV. Unlike some other “virtual surround” technologies, S-Force Front Surround sound does not need to be bounced off of side walls or other surfaces to hear three-dimensional sound. No matter what the size or shape of the room it’s possible to hear sounds from behind you.SRS TruSurround XTTruSurround is a patented SRS technology that solves the problem of playing 5.1 multichannel content over two speakers. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through any two-speaker playback system, including internal television speakers and headphones. It is fully compatible with all multichannel formats up to 5.1 channels. High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the two hidden, downward-firing side-mounted 2.2-channel dome speakers built into the TV. SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass. TruSurround XT audio also adds three audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into Focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper. TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself. The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system. Stereo broadcast reception is offered for MTS and SAP with 181-channel capacity. A sound leveler keeps audio volume consistent during channel changing.Go back to list of all features.Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room? With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get. Minimum size= Viewing distance/3 Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5
Watch your favorite HD TV show, movie, or play your favorite videogame in extraordinary detail with the Sony¿ BRAVIA¿ KDL-52XBR7, the world’s first 240Hz LCD TV. Featuring Full HD 1080p resolution, the BRAVIA¿ KDL-52XBR7 also boasts innovative Motionflow¿ 240Hz technology that quadruples the frame rate of standard HDTVs, providing unprecedented motion detail for a superior viewing experience. Additionally, its BRAVIA Engine¿ fully digital video processor further reduces noise, sharpens image detail, and improves color accuracy. Even more, the BRAVIA¿ KDL-52XBR7 has an Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) dynamic backlight control that produces deep blacks in darker scenes without sacrificing shadow detail.
(more…)
