CES was very different this year. The show floors of Vegas hotels were changed to a fully virtual event and zoomed-in presentations. This can make demonstrating the technology that powers new OLED or 8K TVs a bit difficult. But so do we did to see the release of this year’s CES, there are many things to get excited about.
Sony launched CES 2021 announcing new OLED, 4K and 8K TVs Bravia XR family of screens, which will feature its new XR cognitive processor. The most important thing to know about this powerful new chip is how it enhances audio and video to try to create a more immersive global experience. The main way to do this with the chip is to zero the natural focal point of an image and improve the quality of the object or person to make it more realistic. The chip is also supposed to improve scaling in formats like 4K to 8K by reducing noise and blur. This should cheer the ears of anyone who is entertained by buying an 8K set this year, as there is still very little 8K content to talk about.
In addition to the sleek new chip, some of this year’s Sony TVs will feature ambient light sensors to adjust the brightness of the screen in order to better adapt to the light of a given viewing environment. Sure, it seems like an orderly feature, but we’re looking forward to trying it out in person and with several different entertainment configurations, including Hue lighting. Beyond that, this year’s Sony TVs will be powered by Google TV, an exciting Android TV update. And all its Bravia XR screens will have HDMI 2.1 support for 4K at 120 fps, variable refresh rate, low automatic latency mode and e-ARC, a very important leap since its low inclusion in TVs of the year past.
The Bravia XR TV range will include 4K X95J and X90J LED TVs, Z9J 8K Master Series LEDs and A90J and A80J Master Series OLEDs, as well as a slightly different 100-inch version of the X90J called the X92. Prices will be announced later.
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Samsung announced new microLED TVs in screen sizes of 99 inches, 88 inches, and 110 inches; all of which will lend their technology to Samsung’s existing modular super display The wall, a fairly neat product but not especially suitable for consumers who just want to decompress a TV in the normal way instead of having to install it a professional. These new TVs will tick this box.
In addition, Samsung introduces more customization options for the screen The Frame, the company’s most popular TV for its ability to camouflage itself in the decoration of a room, more like a framed work of art than to an imposing black mirror in the center of your space. Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs, meanwhile, use smaller and smaller LED lights to deliver improved, more controlled brightness while minimizing flowering. Finally, Samsung is launching a new remote control for all its QLED 4K and 8K 2021 TVs, and it is charged with solar power. Samsung says this remote can be charged with both indoor and outdoor light, as well as via a USB-C port. This is exciting! But we’d love to see this remote in action before we get over it. In the meantime, we are cautiously optimistic.
We talked for a while about TCL because this company really surprised me this year with the promise of massive screens at an affordable price and the introduction of 8K on its popular 6 Series display (we are big fans of here to Gizmodo). This year will feature at least three screens in 85-inch variations, including a 4K QLED with Roku, an 8K QLED TV and a 4 series that will go on sale for $ 1,600. This is a robbery! While the other two will still be quite expensive, TCL will likely reduce the weight on many TV manufacturers in the space for 85-inch screens with a similar specification. Also an 8K 6 series? I’m looking forward to seeing this bigger action, but TCL has a lot of competition on this front. And to be clear: just because you tin buying an 8K TV does not necessarily mean you have to.
Panasonic takes a decidedly more modest approach (at least in terms of size) of its OLED canopy for 2021. The JZ2000 will be available in sizes of 55 and 65 inches, which in my opinion is definitely enough TV for most people . Panasonic claims that this OLED will be brighter and have better sound in the unit, and that the TV will get support for features such as eARC, automatic low latency mode (ALLM) and variable refresh rate (VRR). This may make it a pretty attractive option for players, but we’ll have to see its performance first. Your home screen will also receive an update, although it may be less important for people who already cut the cable and use a transmission device.
And last but not least, LG, which is finally making miniLED. The OLED king will introduce both 4K and 8K miniLED screens this year, as well as the new C1 OLEDs from 48-inch screens and the G1 OLEDs from 55-inch screens and up. Like Panasonic, LG is also redesigning its native WebOS operating system. I’m a little on the fence for this one. Nothing from LG’s previous operating system was necessarily bad, and this one looks a lot like the rest. But we expect a hands-on demonstration with this new version of the operating system later this year.
We are live from our sofas covering CES 2021. Click here to read our full coverage.