Sony announced two new television series, both offering high picture quality by virtue of employing multiple proprietary technologies and solutions including the new Picture Processor X1 Ultimate.
The new AF9 OLED and ZF9 LCD TVs arrive as the MASTER Series - a name Sony reserves exclusively for its highest picture quality TV models. Sony's goal is to create a television capable of displaying images that faithfully convey the content creators' full intent and as such the MASTER Series provides picture quality approaching that of a professional-grade monitor in a motion picture production studio.
Both the AF9 and ZF9 MASTER Series models come equipped with a new Picture Processor X1 Ultimate. The Picture Processor X1 Ultimate can detect and analyse each object in the picture through Sony's new Object-based Super Resolution for greater accuracy and detail. Also, the Object-based HDR remaster has been updated and now allows each object to be remastered individually for better depth, accurate texture and all-in-all more realistic picture.
For MASTER Series, in conjunction with Netflix, Sony is now introducing "Netflix Calibrated Mode." This feature was developed to mirror the same picture quality as a studio evaluation master for television in order to preserve the artists' creative intent.
Also, the MASTER Series is ready for CalMAN, the display calibration software from Portrait Displays. CalMAN is widely used by professionals as a tool to ensure quality control of the strict requirements demanded by content creators in broadcast, production, and post-production.
The flagship AF9 TV comes equipped with the Pixel Contrast Booster, which is Sony's original panel controller for OLED. It maximises the dynamic range by widening the area of colour reproduction at high brightness.
The AF9 OLED TV has top-of-the-line sound quality thanks to its new Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology. Acoustic Surface was first introduced last year with the A1 series followed by the AF8 this year. The improved Acoustic Surface Audio+ gets an additional actuator in the centre of the screen and an extra subwoofer channel, totalling to a 3.2 channel sound system. The additional centre actuator acts just like centre speakers hidden behind an AT (acoustically transparent) screen which are found in cinemas. Also, the AF9 has a centre speaker mode that allows the Acoustic Surface Audio+ to be used as the centre speaker of a home theatre system.
The ZF9 LCD TV's new X-Wide Angle ensures the picture retains its quality regardless of the angle from which it is being watched. It enables a wider viewing angle that reduces colour shifts when viewing the screen off-axis. Together with X-Motion Clarity, which minimises motion blur without sacrificing screen brightness, it helps the ZF9 overcome the usual challenges LCD panels face.
Both the AF9 and ZF9 series are based on Android TV, they support the Voice Search function, have Chromecast built-in and offer access to Google Play.
Both models have built-in microphones that will free the hands; now you talk to the TV to find what you want, or to ask the Google Assistant to play TV shows, movies, and more.
MASTER Series AF9 (55" and 65" models) 4K HDR OLED TV
- Features OLED as display device with Pixel Contrast Booster. 8 million self-illuminating pixels and Sony-original panel controller.
- Features Picture Processor X1 Ultimate providing a 4K HDR viewing experience with the following technologies: Object-based Super Resolution, Object-based HDR remaster, Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR and Dual database processing.
- Acoustic Surface Audio+ .
- Features Netflix Calibrated Mode
- Supports CalMAN's professional-grade calibration.
- TRILUMINOS Display
- Android TV with hands-free help from the Google Assistant
- HDR formats supported: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG.
MASTER Series ZF9 (65" and 75" models) 4K HDR LCD TV
- Features Picture Processor X1 Ultimate providing a 4K HDR viewing experience with the following technologies: Object-based Super Resolution, Object-based HDR remaster, Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR and Dual database processing.
- Features X-Wide Angle which minimises the colour change when seen from the side.
- Features full-array LED Backlight for ultra-high contrast.
- X-Motion Clarity keeps fast action clear and smooth.
- Features Netflix Calibrated Mode
- Supports CalMAN's professional-grade calibration.
- Includes X-tended Dynamic Range PRO to produce better contrast by balancing the light output across the screen, dimming some areas and boosting others.
- It reveals a brightness range three times that of a conventional LED-backlight TV.
- TRILUMINOS Display
- Android TV.
- HDR formats supported: HDR10, Dolby Vision HLG.