Not satisfied with having to go to the sound bar, Sony just announced a television that will use the surface of the screen as speaker. Called “acoustic surface technology,” Sony’s BRAVIA OLED A1E Series TV might be the first home television that won’t require a sound system to fully enjoy.
The XBR-A1E BRAVIA OLED series offers a totally new entertainment experience with a combination of the superior picture quality of OLED powered by Sony’s 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme, the world’s first Acoustic Surface™ sound system, and its unique, cutting-edge stand-less form factor. Thanks to OLED’s over 8 million self-illuminating pixels, the A1E series brings a significantly enriched visual experience with unprecedented black levels, rich and lifelike color, dynamic contrast, blur-less image and a wide viewing angle. The 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme precisely controls the tremendous number of pixels and extends the capability of OLED to deliver an exquisite 4K HDR picture.
Guys, that’s wild. Sony says that the entire screen resonates with sound emanating directly from the screen itself. They claim that it produces sound wide enough to be enjoyed from the side, as well as any OLED television can be viewed from those angles (which is pretty good actually).
The Acoustic Surface technology lends to cutting-edge design of the A1E series by doing away with conventional speakers usually located around the TV. The result is a unique stand-less form factor with no distraction from the picture.
The acoustic surface is easily the run-away feature, but the television packs more than that:
A1E Series (77″, 65″, and 55″ Class model) 4K HDR OLED TV
- Features OLED display technology. 8 million self-illuminating pixels brings a significantly enriched visual experience with unprecedented black levels, authentic color, blur-less image and a wide viewing angle.
- Features Acoustic Surface technology: the entire screen resonates with great sound emanating directly from the screen itself. This allows a perfect unification of picture and sound that conventional TVs cannot deliver.
- 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme provides the ultimate 4K HDR viewing experience by incorporating three picture-enhancing technologies: object-based HDR remaster, Super Bit Mapping™ 4K HDR and dual database processing.
- Features vibrant, expanded color with TRILUMINOS™ Display, further enhanced for color accuracy.
- Uses 4K X-Reality™ PRO to produce stunning detail with Sony’s unique algorithm of reality creation database for any content, such as TV broadcasting, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Internet video and digital photos.
- The cutting-edge design: The Acoustic Surface technology lends to cutting-edge design of the A1E series by doing away with conventional speakers usually located around the TV. The result is a unique stand-less form factor with no distraction from the picture
- Android TV lets you explore a world of movies, music, photos, games, search, apps and more, including PlayStation™ Vue and Ultra services. Voice Search to find content, ask questions and control your TV. With Chrome Cast built-in, you can easily send content from your smartphone or tablet to the TV. With access to Google Play™, you can enjoy what they like to do on a smartphone or tablet, from their TV. With Google Home compatibility, voice-control the TV via the Google Home device for a smarter connected home.
- HDR compatible to receive and process the new video standard signal with higher brightness, higher contrast and more vibrant colors via Internet video services, HDMI and USB port. Supports Dolby Vision HDR format.
Don’t expect this to come cheap though, as Sony flagship televisions have never come at a particularly accessible price. Gizmodo reports that their previous flagships have started around $ 6000.
I always have hated how sound bars looked. Hell, mine doesn’t even properly fit on my media stand. This is a massive improvement and advancement in televisions, probably the most exciting since we all went flatscreen and ditched the tubes years ago.
