Sony TVs will have brighter OLED, cognitive processing and streaming from Google TV in 2021

This story is part of CES, where our editors will present the latest news and the hottest gadgets from CES 2021 entirely virtual.

Sony is probably the most famous TV mark still standing and while is no longer one of the top 5 salespeople, remains a powerhouse among high-end models – also known as TVs that cost a lot of money. Its 2021 line of new sets, announced in advance of CES, includes a lot of impressive technology and will probably also cost a lot of money.

The new state-of-the-art Sony 8K resolution, but the most interesting of TV for nerds with video quality (like me) is the new Master Series A90J OLED TV with highest peak brightness – marking the first time in years that an OLED TV maker has announced brighter panels. Brightness is important for HDR and to make an image stand out in bright rooms, and it is the only main area where the OLED has traditionally been behind the LCD. Although I don’t expect the new Sony to overshadow the brightest LCD TVs, especially the new models powered by Mini-LED like the Samsung Neo QLED, any extra light is a good thing.

Sony is also the first company to officially announce a new OLED size: 83 inches, the largest 4K OLED to date. (If you’re following, LG has an 88-inch 8K OLED for, cough, $ 30,000.) And if that’s not big enough for you, my successor series Sony favorite (for the money) 2020 includes a 100-inch model. Hoo boy!

Less exciting (to me) than bigger, brighter TVs is something Sony calls “cognitive” processing, available on all of its 2,021 TVs. In a video demonstration, company representatives used histograms to demonstrate how the algorithm enhances different areas of the image that he believes you will focus on most (such as faces). It was difficult to get a sense of how it works without seeing it in person, and revealingly, Sony will not activate processing in its Custom image mode, which is designed to preserve the director’s intent. In short, I will have to wait and see how it works.

Most welcome was the news that all of the models detailed below include HDMI 2.1 game extras, namely 4K / 120fps input and variable refresh rate (the latter available through a firmware update), which were previously reserved for only a 2020 model, the X900H. Sony was also the first TV manufacturer to confirm streaming from Google TV on their smart TVs, an improvement on Android TV currently presented only in the new Chromecast streamer. The “Hey Google” speakerphone feature is built in (as it was in 2020) and Sony has a new streaming service called Bravia Core that offers Sony Pictures and some Imax movies in “UHD BD equivalent quality with streaming up to 80 Mbps. ” Finally, all the TVs below have NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) tuners.

See how the new TVs divide, starting with the latest generation.

Master Series Z9J, 8K LCD (85 and 75 inch): Sony’s best non-OLED TV differs from its smaller sisters in 8K resolution, enhanced processing and Sony’s best and brightest local browning of complete matrix, which is calling it “Contrast Booster 15”.

Master Series A90J 4K OLED (83, 65 and 55 inches): Sony says the “peak luminance of the A90J is significantly improved” compared to the 2020 A9G and other OLED TVs, but company representatives have not specified further. A new aluminum foil helps with heat radiation and all four WRGB OLED elements emit fully during maximum brightness – unlike only the W element in current designs.

OLED A80J 4K (77, 65 and 55 inches): Sony’s descending OLED is not brighter than current models, but has updated processing and HDMI 2.1, including 4K / 120fps, variable refresh rate, automatic low-latency mode (also known as automatic game mode) and e-ARC.

X95J 4K LCD (85, 75, 65 inches): The company’s best non-8K and non-OLED TV will probably still cost a little. Its local dimming, “Contrast Booster 10”, slides between the other two LCD models in terms of brightness and accuracy, although, as usual, Sony does not share the actual number of dimming zones or any light output specifications (representatives mentioned that the 15, 10 and 5 numbers are not proportional, however, so the brightness of the X95J is not necessarily twice that of the X90J, for example). Another difference is the design of a single glass panel with a “Seamless Edge frame”.

X90J 4K LCD (100-, 75-, 65-, 55- and 50 inches): The successor to the excellent 2020 X900H as Sony’s normal-priced TV, it skips the 85-inch size and goes straight to 100, a size I don’t expect to be conventionally priced. Includes Contrast Booster 5 full matrix local darkening, which is less accurate and clear than augmentation models, but even better than no local darkening.

The price and availability of Sony’s 2021 TVs will be announced in the spring.