End of an era for globally-renowned TV brand which operated in South Africa for decades
Sony unveiled two high-end televisions, which are likely to be the Japanese company’s last premium sets before its storied home theatre business merges with TCL Electronics next year.
The Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II start at $3,600 and $1,600, respectively, and are being offered in a wide range of sizes, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Sony also introduced the Bravia Theatre Trio, a $2,200 surround-sound speaker system that competes with Sonos, Samsung, and other premium soundbar makers. All of Sony’s new products are available for preorder and will ship in June.
TCL agreed earlier this year to pay 75.4 billion yen ($473 million) for a 51% stake in a new joint venture that will absorb Sony’s home entertainment unit, including Bravia televisions.
The entity will formally launch in April 2027, making TVs under the Sony and Bravia brands while integrating TCL’s display technology.
Sony televisions have long been renowned for their proprietary image processing, which often does a better job than competing sets at matching a filmmaker’s original creative intent, down to the smallest technical details.
But it’s unclear whether this signature ingredient will carry forward, and some home theatre enthusiasts could be tempted to buy what they may perceive as the last true Sony TVs to come to market.
“Sony’s high-quality picture and sound technologies, and design philosophies, are intended to remain an important foundation” to future TVs from the joint company, said a spokesperson in an emailed statement.
“The new company intends to integrate the respective strengths of both parties in the most effective manner.”
This is the end of an era for Sony, which launched its first television, the portable TV8-301, in May 1960.
The company launched its legendary Trinitron colour televisions into the local market in time for the first official SABC broadcasts in 1976.
After a period where Sony Electronics temporarily pulled out of direct TV distribution in South Africa, the company officially returned in September 2020.
Sony re-entered the local market with a new premium lineup of 4K LED and OLED Android TVs, sold exclusively through retailers like Incredible Connection and HiFi Corp.
Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II
Though the Bravia 9 II starts at $3,600 for a 65-inch set, the price climbs as high as $31,000 for a massive 115-inch model.
It has an LCD panel featuring what Sony calls “True RGB” technology, which uses tiny, individually controlled red, green and blue light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, to produce better colour purity and brightness than the company’s past TVs.
Viewing angles are also more consistent, letting people seated off to the side still enjoy a vivid image.
RGB TVs are this year’s hot trend, with similar products available from TCL, Samsung, LG Electronics, and other brands such as Hisense.
As their high prices make clear, these models are aimed at home theatre aficionados who demand the very best picture.
Most consumers would be better off spending considerably less on cheaper LCD sets, like those with more conventional Mini LED backlighting, or an OLED model, short for organic light-emitting diode, which can still produce deeper blacks.
The advantages of True RGB are most evident in side-by-side tests, where colours have added pop and richer vibrance.
Sony’s latest system can also keep the Bravia 9 II easily visible in harsh lighting environments and sunny living rooms. In addition, the higher-end model features an anti-glare panel to further reduce reflections.
As an added design flourish, the Bravia 9 II features a “Mirage Stand” with a transparent section that’s meant to give the TV a floating-in-air appearance.
Like other recent Bravia models, the 9 II runs Alphabet’s Google TV operating system and lets users interact with the search giant’s Gemini artificial intelligence assistant using their voice.
The less expensive Bravia 7 II line starts at 50 inches, and tops out at $9,000 for a 98-inch screen. It shares the same underlying True RGB tech as the top-tier model, but lacks the anti-glare panel treatment and Mirage Stand.
Sony’s comprehensive new surround system pairs a soundbar as the centre channel with dedicated front-left and front-right speakers.
This type of configuration is rare: most soundbar systems support only rear surround speakers and a subwoofer.
But Sony’s approach should provide a wider soundstage than Sonos and other competitors, with less reliance on virtualisation that fools your ears into thinking sound is coming from all sides. It should also make voices and dialogue easier to understand.
Loading ...