What does Sony have in store for 2020? We got a good look at the year ahead in Sony TVs at the CES 2020 expo this week, with a range of 8K, 4K, OLED and LCD sets focusing on a full home cinema experience – including premium audio features and the latest Android 9.0 smart platform.
While not everyone will be buying a new Sony set with gaming in mind, it’s impossible to talk about Sony in 2020 without mentioning the PS5 – the next-gen console and rival to the incoming Xbox Series X.
It’s hard to tell how closely Sony’s TV and gaming arms have worked together, but we’re told that the new fleet of televisions have been made specifically with “upcoming next-generation gaming consoles” in mind, with sets offering HDR in 8K resolution, 4K resolution at 120fps high frame rate, and “fast response time via HDMI inputs” (using the latest HDMI 2.1 standard) to maximize the performance of the PS5 and its competitor.
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Playing nice
While these aren’t new features per se, they’re still not widespread – and it’s telling that only two of the new sets named (out of a total five) will support 4K play at 120Hz. The flagship 8K model, the Z8H, will be able to play in both 8K (at 60Hz) and 4K (at 120Hz), while the X900H 4K LED will be able to support the latter through a software update possible some time after launch.
The former set will feature Sony’s X1 Ultimate processor, with a Full Array LED, backlit remote, and audio drivers that coordinate sound with the location of images onscreen – available in 85-inch and 75-inch sizes. The X900H, meanwhile, is a more mid-range LCD model in four different sizes from 85 inches to just 55 inches.
The remaining sets will still feature high-end panels and 4K resolution, but aren’t quite so closely engineered to the needs of the next-gen PS5 console.
They include the A9S Master Series, an OLED set in the new 48-inch size (we imagine the ‘S’ is for ‘small’) with Dolby Vision and Atmos support, as well as the A8H OLED available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes.
- Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2020 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.
