Sony announced the new MASTER Series ZG9 8K HDR Full Array LED television. Sony’s MASTER Series TVs represent the pinnacle of picture quality available to home viewers, capable of displaying images that faithfully convey the creators’ intent. The MASTER Series is the name given to only the very best Sony TVs and provides premium picture quality, colour, contrast, and clarity approaching that of a professional-grade monitor. The MASTER Series TVs also feature Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced to further ensure that content is delivered as intended.
This new model features the latest generation Picture Processor X1™ Ultimate for accurate detail and contrast. Introduced last autumn with the inaugural AF9 and ZF9 MASTER Series models, this processor plays a vital role in delivering the high-quality picture in the MASTER Series. The Picture Processor X1 Ultimate has a unique algorithm specially developed for 8K that can intelligently detect and analyse each object in the picture resulting in exceptional detail and contrast for a more realistic picture that more accurately represents the creators’ intent.
Premium quality sound is a key part of the viewing experience as well, and the ZG9 model features the new Sound-from-Picture Reality which faithfully reproduces the position of the sound on the screen so when actors are speaking, the sound appears to be coming directly from their mouths and not from a speaker off to the bottom of the TV.
Sony ZG9 Super-Large Sized TVs
Larger TVs are becoming more popular and Sony’s goal with delivering new ZG9 98” and 85” TVs is to maximise the super-large screen experience in the living room. In order to deliver premium picture quality in such extra-large screens, Sony is introducing extra resolution with its first consumer 8K HDR television. With twice the number of horizontal lines and vertical lines, 8K provides four times the pixels of 4K (or 16 times the resolution of Full HD). This higher resolution results in a more immersive viewing experience as 8K means the larger-sized TVs look great up close with virtually no pixel differentiation.
But it is not just resolution that matters. As screen sizes get larger the processor plays an even greater role in delivering premium picture quality. Utilising a proprietary algorithm, the powerful Picture Processor X1 Ultimate has been optimised to handle the 33 million pixels of 8K. And the same processor enables the newly developed 8K X-Reality PRO to up-scale any content closer to true 8K picture quality using a new, dedicated 8K database to refer to for even more precise, detailed upscaling. With a long history and expertise in developing professional cameras and monitors, Sony recognises that precision in constructing fine components of signal processing results in an immediately visible difference to the whole image.
In addition, completely new dedicated 8K technologies have been developed for the ZG9 series, including Backlight Master Drive with full-array local dimming and 8K X-tended Dynamic Range PRO. The Backlight Master Drive on the ZG9 has ultra-dense LED modules which are independently controlled, delivering unprecedented contrast with punchy brightness and pitch blacks. To leverage the most out of this backlight system, 8K X-tended Dynamic Range PRO uses the saved energy to intelligently boost the brightness in the areas where it needs to be boosted.
Accurate sound position is another key factor as TVs get larger. Taking the experience gained from its OLED’s Acoustic Surface Audio, Sony has expanded the concept to the ZG9 Full Array LED TV with Acoustic Multi-Audio. To deliver the Sound-from-Picture Reality experience, the new Acoustic Multi-Audio on the ZG9 utilises four front-facing speakers; two on the bottom and two on the top – to deliver a faithful sound position. Viewers will hear the sound coming from the screen, and not where the speaker is located. In addition, the ZG9 has a TV Centre Speaker Mode for those who have a home cinema setup – the TV becomes the centre speaker. Also enhancing the sound experience is Dolby Atmos™1, which adds a wide, rich sound field. (1 available via a future software update.)
The ZG9 also features X-Wide Angle to ensure the picture retains its quality and true colours regardless of the viewing angle by reducing colour shifts when viewing the screen off-axis. Also, X-Motion Clarity minimises motion blur without sacrificing screen brightness.
