Tweaky Posted March 13 Posted March 13 Sony will be releasing it's 2025 range of TV's on April 2nd, and I expect nothing much would have changed from the 2024 line up [except maybe the removal of the A95L from the line up ? BUT Sony has revealed what it has planned for 2026 range, and it BIG ! I had heard through the grapevine that Sony had been working on RGB LCD for a while, but I wasn't expecting it to be at this stage of development with it . Expect RGB LCD TV's to be not just expensive, but very expensive, reason for this is each TV will be INDIVIDUALLY calibrated at the factory ! The technology involved will result in a brighter [really needed ?] more colour depth [much more than the Sony QD-OLED which has been the class leader to date], and the removal of the problem all LCD TV's have suffered to date, narrow viewing angle, where the PQ drops off at the opposite side from the viwer who is not sitting dead center to the TV. Vincent from HDTVtest does a excellent breakdown of the RGB LCD technology, BUT it's not hard to spot the glaring absence of any mentioning of LCD TV's major failing, compared to OLED, and that is Black Level. This omission of this has lead me to suspect Black Level still hasn't gotten any better than what SONY's current top Mini LCD's can do. Although Caleb from Digital Trends seems to think RGB LCD is finally the OLED beating technology I guess only a personal audition in 2026 will be able to confirm this.
Kaynin Posted March 13 Posted March 13 29 minutes ago, Tweaky said: reason for this is each TV will be INDIVIDUALLY calibrated at the factory ! That's crazy. I wonder if store staff will still crank everything to 11 for their floor stock... Good marketing ploy right there, avoid April 1 at all costs. We'll sit and wait to see pricing. I already think $7k for a Sony 75" is high end, if they push past that I doubt I'd be prepared to spend that on a TV. A run out 2024 would do me just fine. This has happened with projectors, they've gone laser and JVC's, for example, are so damn expensive - yet they still seem to sell.
aussievintage Posted March 13 Posted March 13 1 hour ago, Tweaky said: BUT it's not hard to spot the glaring absence of any mentioning of LCD TV's major failing, compared to OLED, and that is Black Level. This omission of this has lead me to suspect Black Level still hasn't gotten any better than what SONY's current top Mini LCD's can do. I have to admit lack level is not as important to me. I have a big cheap TCL QLED/mini-LED and it's black enough for me. I imagine the Sony RGB would be nice, but I would shy at the price. 1 hour ago, Kaynin said: I wonder if store staff will still crank everything to 11 for their floor stock... yes, I just try to ignore TVs when I stroll through a store. Eye catching for about a minute then the overblown everything is just an artificial fireworks show. 2
Tweaky Posted March 14 Author Posted March 14 1 hour ago, Kaynin said: That's crazy. I wonder if store staff will still crank everything to 11 for their floor stock... Good marketing ploy right there, avoid April 1 at all costs. We'll sit and wait to see pricing. I already think $7k for a Sony 75" is high end, if they push past that I doubt I'd be prepared to spend that on a TV. A run out 2024 would do me just fine. This has happened with projectors, they've gone laser and JVC's, for example, are so damn expensive - yet they still seem to sell. All the manufacturers have a Store Display preset on their TV's, that's what you are seeing when viewing TV's in the big retailers. Pretty much all of them, including SONY's, are set to VIVID when in Display mode, that VIVID preset also can't be over ridden.
Tweaky Posted March 14 Author Posted March 14 3 hours ago, Kaynin said: That's crazy. I wonder if store staff will still crank everything to 11 for their floor stock... Good marketing ploy right there, avoid April 1 at all costs. We'll sit and wait to see pricing. I already think $7k for a Sony 75" is high end, if they push past that I doubt I'd be prepared to spend that on a TV. A run out 2024 would do me just fine. This has happened with projectors, they've gone laser and JVC's, for example, are so damn expensive - yet they still seem to sell. I can imagine that Sony will have a "Calibrated " or similar preset for this TV when released, but even then, you will inevitably get people who will end up not getting what they are paying for, by insisting that VIVID looks better, or they can improve on the " Calibrated" preset by boosting some controls setting [ very rarely do idiots cut a controls settings ]. The other thing is, Sony seems to be using a hell of a lot of different picture processing, even on the 2024 model TV's, the processing on these 2026 RGB LCD TV's seem to be taking that processing to a whole other level as well. I think that might be why they are calibrating the TV's at the factory, with all that processing going on [Which I suspect a lot won't be defeatable, and always running in the background] I imagine it could be a nightmare for even the most experienced calibrator to take correct, reliable and repeatable measurements, and then make the adjustments , as you are basically trying to measure a moving target. As for expected price, I suspect they will initially be in the same range as current lower rung Sony projectors . 1
Kaynin Posted March 14 Posted March 14 1 hour ago, Tweaky said: I can imagine that Sony will have a "Calibrated " or similar preset for this TV when released, but even then, you will inevitably get people who will end up not getting what they are paying for, by insisting that VIVID looks better, or they can improve on the " Calibrated" preset by boosting some controls setting [ very rarely do idiots cut a controls settings ]. That's my folks right there. I adjusted their TV because it was saturated like all get out, then all I got was "put it back to where it was, I prefer that". Arggh.
aussievintage Posted March 14 Posted March 14 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Kaynin said: That's my folks right there. I adjusted their TV because it was saturated like all get out, then all I got was "put it back to where it was, I prefer that". Arggh. I got the same thing with surrounds sound. They had it on the setting to simulate surround from stereo, all the time. I put it on real surround, and they complained the rear speakers can't be heard enough, and please change it back. They didn't want directional sound to suit the movie action, just sound from all four corners all the time. Edited March 14 by aussievintage 1
Kaynin Posted March 14 Posted March 14 1 hour ago, Tweaky said: The other thing is, Sony seems to be using a hell of a lot of different picture processing, even on the 2024 model TV's, the processing on these 2026 RGB LCD TV's seem to be taking that processing to a whole other level as well. I don't mind that, so long at the end image is appealing. Unfortunately historically image processing has been atrocious, I just end up turning it all off. I guess we'll have to wait on the reviews.
Chigurh Posted March 15 Posted March 15 23 hours ago, aussievintage said: I got the same thing with surrounds sound. They had it on the setting to simulate surround from stereo, all the time. I put it on real surround, and they complained the rear speakers can't be heard enough, and please change it back. They didn't want directional sound to suit the movie action, just sound from all four corners all the time. I gave up on rear speakers many years ago. Any time that sound came out of the rears my wife complained that it drowned out the dialogue. I have a 3.1 setup these days any everyone is happy.
aussievintage Posted March 15 Posted March 15 33 minutes ago, Chigurh said: I gave up on rear speakers many years ago. Any time that sound came out of the rears my wife complained that it drowned out the dialogue. I have a 3.1 setup these days any everyone is happy. I use an Atmos capable soundbar. Rear and overhead by reflection only . More subtle but good enough. Still have to turn up the centre channel for dialogue. Bad mixing in many movies.
LoveKnight Posted March 15 Posted March 15 Sony should focus more on quality control. Their products usually are sold with high prices but the quality is not great. I do not want to pay a lot of money to buy stuff that could be broken in just one or two years. 2
betty boop Posted March 16 Posted March 16 moved to point now .. our 65" oled is good enough for as a Tv.. our projector is large enough picture for larger screen... this race for bigger and bigger and more expensive TVs is getting ridiculous... and yep brighter ? really ? more expensive ? and yet yeah all the failings of LCD as you call out Tweaky.. lets just ignore those.
Perth.hifi Posted March 16 Posted March 16 Hi all. Just sent tv shopping, checked out the XL90, Bravia 7, 8 9 I have to say that the were all great looking tvs at different budgets. I roughly XL90 was beautiful for 23 model. The 7, 8, 9 also nice. Decided on the bravia 7. Off angle tests were acceptable for me. I was mainly concerned with the poor reflection issues reported. Seemed similar to half the others I compared in store. My room is bright but I have blinds I can pull shut. Main issue is my entry door, but going to tint it dark, so should fix that issue...
Kaynin Posted March 27 Posted March 27 So a 2024 Sony Bravia 9 75" K75XR90 is currently $5,784. I've seen it drop to around this price a couple of times the past few months. Is it reasonable to expect a bigger discount than this once the 2025 ranges are announced?
Addicted to music Posted March 27 Posted March 27 9 hours ago, Kaynin said: So a 2024 Sony Bravia 9 75" K75XR90 is currently $5,784. I've seen it drop to around this price a couple of times the past few months. Is it reasonable to expect a bigger discount than this once the 2025 ranges are announced? The panel market space cycles product range every 6-9mths. If I were to buy now which i have no intention too even though my Samsung series 6 from 2008 is still going, i do not see the benefits going 4/8K until it fails. And even if it it does fail I wont be paying top dollar for something thats going to have a price reduction in 2,4, 6mths and then become obsolete 1
aussievintage Posted March 27 Posted March 27 10 hours ago, Addicted to music said: The panel market space cycles product range every 6-9mths. If I were to buy now which i have no intention too even though my Samsung series 6 from 2008 is still going, i do not see the benefits going 4/8K until it fails. Yes, it changes fast. My last swap was unusual as I moved and needed a bigger TV in the new house to suit the viewing situation. Therefore I purchased twice within 12 months. Both 4K screens. It also meant I got to survey the market twice as well. But mostly, like you, I keep it until it fails or really is completely outdated. 10 hours ago, Addicted to music said: And even if it it does fail I wont be paying top dollar for something thats going to have a price reduction in 2,4, 6mths and then become obsolete and that's why I always wait until the early adopter penalty rate is lowered as well. Price drops within 12 months or so are guaranteed.
Tweaky Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 On 27/03/2025 at 12:48 PM, Kaynin said: So a 2024 Sony Bravia 9 75" K75XR90 is currently $5,784. I've seen it drop to around this price a couple of times the past few months. Is it reasonable to expect a bigger discount than this once the 2025 ranges are announced? If it ends up being deleted from the SONY lineup for 2026, and replaced with the RGB LCD models, you would have to think, Have I bought a Orphan TBH, although Sony , or any other manufacturer, are loathed to carry more models of TV than the market might bare, the great unknown is going to be the price tiering of the current Bravia 9/7 etc. I suspect there will be a price drop of the current top model 9 [By quite a bit] to make space for the new RGB LCD models, which Will be priced higher than most expect, going by the spec's. Put it this way, I wouldn't be contemplating buying a current model Bravia 9 or any lower rung LCD model. Seems like False economy to me, when you know what is to come. This is one time where it is definitively worth sitting on your wallet until the new RGB LCD TV's are released [On the caveat that they are actually affordable].....They are going to be pricey, that's a fact 1 1
Kaynin Posted March 28 Posted March 28 5 hours ago, Tweaky said: If it ends up being deleted from the SONY lineup for 2026, and replaced with the RGB LCD models, you would have to think, Have I bought a Orphan TBH, although Sony , or any other manufacturer, are loathed to carry more models of TV than the market might bare, the great unknown is going to be the price tiering of the current Bravia 9/7 etc. I suspect there will be a price drop of the current top model 9 [By quite a bit] to make space for the new RGB LCD models, which Will be priced higher than most expect, going by the spec's. Put it this way, I wouldn't be contemplating buying a current model Bravia 9 or any lower rung LCD model. Seems like False economy to me, when you know what is to come. This is one time where it is definitively worth sitting on your wallet until the new RGB LCD TV's are released [On the caveat that they are actually affordable].....They are going to be pricey, that's a fact Great advice, thanks for that. I'm happy to wait, see what pricing brings. Even dropping down a rung or two from a Bravia 9 to 7 or whatever is not an issue for me, if that makes it affordable. TV's aren't a massive deal in my house, projectors are, so coming in on budget is a higher priority.
Kaynin Posted March 28 Posted March 28 5 hours ago, Tweaky said: If it ends up being deleted from the SONY lineup for 2026, and replaced with the RGB LCD models, you would have to think, Have I bought a Orphan Why do you view this as a problem? Is it re-sale value, or the new versions will be so much better? I'm coming from a crappy 6 year old Samsung with dark streaks I put on there from day one by cleaning it with Windex - so anything is going to be better. Also, I tend to hang on to my TV's and not move them on until they break, no re-sale value isn't something I'm ever concerned about.
Tweaky Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 5 minutes ago, Kaynin said: Why do you view this as a problem? Is it re-sale value, or the new versions will be so much better? I'm coming from a crappy 6 year old Samsung with dark streaks I put on there from day one by cleaning it with Windex - so anything is going to be better. Also, I tend to hang on to my TV's and not move them on until they break, no re-sale value isn't something I'm ever concerned about. If a TV model has been introduced that brings new tech, and then only stays in the manufacturers lineup for a year or two, a problem arises when it comes to spare parts and repairs if anything were to go amiss, this is especially true with high end models. There will only be a limited supply a spare parts, worldwide, and Australia being such a small market compared to the USA, would only have a fraction of those available. This problem is not so bad if a TV has been on sale for several years, with maybe only minor updates with newer models over subsequent years. Also the fact that the Bravia 9 and the rest of the series has only been available for a short while, nobody knows if some problem with them might suddenly happen. Like the bad TCON boards the appeared with the recent 2023/24 Sony A95L QD-OLED; That model, unlike it's predecessor the A95K [Only available for 1 year, then the panel was changed for the A95L, so it's a orphan ], was never available to be bought at the main stores, only a very few high end specialist stores could get you one. Sony had it listed on it's Australian website as Unavailable, pretty much from day one, and it's not listed at all now. It has been a mystery on why the A95L was never made easily available in Australia, it seems apparent that Sony's switch to LCD and now to RGB LCD is the reason why. By not selling them in Australia, and knowing that they we removing it from the lineup around the world in the next year anyway, it solved the problem of having to stock spare parts for it. 1
Kaynin Posted March 28 Posted March 28 9 minutes ago, Tweaky said: If a TV model has been introduced that brings new tech, and then only stays in the manufacturers lineup for a year or two, a problem arises when it comes to spare parts and repairs if anything were to go amiss, this is especially true with high end models. Yep, makes sense. I do believe that consumer law requires manufacturers to hold parts for products for a period of time, something like 7 years??? (but I could be wrong on the time frame), but in the real world what are you going to do if there just aren't any parts available? Not worth the hassle. Of course my next concern is whether or not a new RGB LCD panel will become an orphan, I guess only time would tell. That's the thing with new tech, there's always a risk involved. I guess the best bet is to go with the new tech, rather than something that's looking doomed.
Addicted to music Posted March 28 Posted March 28 17 minutes ago, Kaynin said: Yep, makes sense. I do believe that consumer law requires manufacturers to hold parts for products for a period of time, something like 7 years??? (but I could be wrong on the time frame), but in the real world what are you going to do if there just aren't any parts available? Not worth the hassle. Of course my next concern is whether or not a new RGB LCD panel will become an orphan, I guess only time would tell. That's the thing with new tech, there's always a risk involved. I guess the best bet is to go with the new tech, rather than something that's looking doomed. in consumer grade electronics, spare parts sitting on shelves is a very expensive undertaking. The longer that part remains on the shelf the more it costs and the more likely it heads to the bin. So is having a service dept. Notice that many years ago Sony/Yamaha etc use to have there own service dept where you would take the item to be fixed. Today a lot or most are outsourced. Unless it’s a panel failure most components are sourced through companies like E14 or RS components for passive and solid state components. Any dedicated part like LSI that’s proprietary programmed you can considered it to the bin. It’s easier and quicker to say to the consumer to replace it with current offering or give them a credit to decide what they want to replace it with, than having them wait weeks for parts and having nothing to use in the meantime 2
Kaynin Posted April 6 Posted April 6 Sony has released it's 2025 line-up, and as mentioned in this thread, it's keeping most of the 2024 range but adding a couple of new models. For me it looks like it's worth waiting until early 2026 to see what transpires. "Its three new TVs – the Bravia 3, Bravia 5 and Bravia 8 II – will complement its existing TVs...Sony's existing models will stay on sale for another year. That means you will still be able to buy the Bravia 9, Bravia 8, A90K, Bravia 7, X85L and W800. The new models complement these. The Bravia 3 launched in the US and Australia last year, but comes to the UK in 2025. It's an LED model that will sit above the W800. The Bravia 5 Mini LED TV will sit below the Bravia 7 but above the X85L. It replaces the X90L, which was a standard LED TV. The final new model is the Bravia 8 II QD-OLED TV, which sits above the Bravia 8." https://www.whathifi.com/tv-home-cinema/televisions/sony-2025-tv-lineup-everything-you-need-to-know 1
Tweaky Posted April 6 Author Posted April 6 19 hours ago, Kaynin said: Sony has released it's 2025 line-up, and as mentioned in this thread, it's keeping most of the 2024 range but adding a couple of new models. For me it looks like it's worth waiting until early 2026 to see what transpires. "Its three new TVs – the Bravia 3, Bravia 5 and Bravia 8 II – will complement its existing TVs...Sony's existing models will stay on sale for another year. That means you will still be able to buy the Bravia 9, Bravia 8, A90K, Bravia 7, X85L and W800. The new models complement these. The Bravia 3 launched in the US and Australia last year, but comes to the UK in 2025. It's an LED model that will sit above the W800. The Bravia 5 Mini LED TV will sit below the Bravia 7 but above the X85L. It replaces the X90L, which was a standard LED TV. The final new model is the Bravia 8 II QD-OLED TV, which sits above the Bravia 8." https://www.whathifi.com/tv-home-cinema/televisions/sony-2025-tv-lineup-everything-you-need-to-know The Bravia 8 II is basically a A95M if we were still going by the old Sony model numbering I'm kind of surprised Sony kept it in the lineup TBH, and I'm not sure if it is still a Master Series TV [meaning it has a heatsink fitted to the panel if it is] The other thing is that it will only come in 55" and 65" sizes, Sony will still be carrying the 77" A95L to fill that gap. Given the problems that the A95L has had, opting for a LG G5 at similar larger screen size might be a better move, or wait until 2026 to see what's offered with the RGB LCD TV's. 1
LoveKnight Posted April 7 Posted April 7 I think the 2025 Sony Flagship TV models can not beat the LG G5 then we consumers should wait for the next Sony top of the line TV in 2026.
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