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Sony Xperia XZ3 review: One flagship too many
This isn't a case of déjà vu -- Sony is indeed launching yet another high-end handset next month. The new Xperia XZ3 is the latest in Sony's rapid-fire approach to smartphones, first announced just a month after the XZ2 Premium went on sale. It's also been less than six months since the Xperia XZ2 hit retail, and in many ways, the XZ3 is a repackaged XZ2 with a bigger and better display. It's a unique device for Sony, though, being the company's first handset with an OLED screen. I'm just struggling to see why we, the consumer, should care.
Sony's Xperia XZ3 is basically the XZ2 with a pretty OLED screen
Sony has consistently failed to make money from smartphones for as long as we can remember, but it's not giving up. The immediate strategy is to focus on the heavyweight division, competing against other companies striving to make the very best phone around. But Sony's gotten into the habit of releasing new devices every few months, and it's getting tougher and tougher to tell them apart. Take the new Xperia XZ3 Sony announced today at IFA. The XZ2 and XZ2 Premium have both landed within the last six months, so it's no surprise the XZ3 doesn't have much we haven't seen already. Which begs the question: How many flagships is too many flagships?
Netflix's Calibrated Mode promises perfect images on Sony's new TVs
Tweaking your TV to get the perfect balance of color, contrast and clarity to make your favorite shows and movies really pop can be a pain. To help you out, Netflix aims to tune your TV to the ideal settings for its content catalog with its Calibrated Mode. The companies teamed up to create Calibrated Mode, which you'll only find on A9F OLED and Z9F LED TVs for the foreseeable future.
Amazon to spice up Lovefilm with BBC and original content, serve it to Bravias in HD
Amazon just announced a trio of Lovefilm deals, including new programming from BBC Worldwide, TV pilots from its own Amazon Studios and Lovefilm Instant HD on Sony Bravia Smart TVs. While the streaming service is already entangled with the Beeb, the deal announced today will include new shows like The Office (UK version), potboiler Jonathan Creek, sci-fi drama Primeval and others. Eleven comedy and kids pilot shows recently announced by Amazon Studios will also come to Instant Video, with execs even saying that viewer response on the platform will determine which shows stay. Finally, Lovefilm announced that it'll come to internet-connected Sony Bravia TVs in 720P (it's been in standard def on the platform since 2010), joining the likes of Xbox 360 and other Smart TVs in HD. You should see the extra pixels on your Bravia imminently, but there's no word on exact arrival dates for BBC or Amazon Studios programming. Check the PR below the fold for a full breakdown.
Sony's 84-inch 4K Bravia KD-84X9005 hits the IFA show floor, we go eyes-on
As ever, Sony's IFA press conference was a veritable storm of products, but CEO Kaz Hirai was clearly the most excited about the company's new 84-inch 4K TV, the Bravia KD-84X9005, and after beholding the thing for a bit alongside a scrum of fellow tech journalists in Sony's booth at IFA, it's pretty clear why. The thing is beautiful -- and yeah, we can confirm, as Kaz suggested, that you really do want to stick out your hand and touch the picture when you're standing in front of it, particularly, when the video cycles through images of the ocean, with water droplets hitting the screen. At 84 inches, this thing is a beast, with at least a dozen or so folks standing comfortably around it to catch a glimpse of the display. The Bravia is surprisingly thin for such a beast. There are speaker bars attached to either side of the display, with a control panel along the bottom. The stand consists of two metal bars holding up what's surely a weighty set. Check out our eyes-on video after the break. %Gallery-163642%
BBC Sport app brings Olympics and more to Sony Bravia TVs, PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray players
While Sony was busy launching its HX8 TVs over in the UK, it let slip another nugget of televisual goodness. That extra BBC Sport coverage that's planned for summer, and available as a TiVo app, will also be coming to UK owners of Bravia TVs (2011 and onwards,) PS3s, and even some Blu-ray players (at a later date). Those 24 channels of HD Olympic action will be translated into live streams, and there will be the usual array of catch-up options too. It's not just the Olympics, either, with most of the Beeb's sports coverage set to be available through the app, along with much of the additional content that was previously dealt with by the Red Button. Sony claims it has worked with the BBC to develop the app, and should be the first to launch it direct on TVs just in time for Wimbledon. It will likely find its way to other Smart TVs too, but no details on which at this time.
Netflix brought into the Sony Entertainment Network fold for British Bravia buffs
Britons and citizens of the ROI! Sony's bringing Netflix to all Sony Entertainment Network-connected devices. It looks like Kaz Hirai's plan to "unify" the company and its media offerings is beginning to gain a little momentum. If you have a SEN-connected 2012 Bravia TV or Blu-ray player, then the app should be available soon -- although no-one seems to know precisely when. If you're on PS3, or in the States, then Netflix is old news, so don't bother with the press release after the break
Sony's 3D Experience channel tops 10 million views, some people like the extra dimension
Since kicking off its free 3D Experience channel, Sony has managed to notch up 10 million viewers in just short of six months. The channel offers up samples of music, movies, sports and documentaries for free, in an effort to tempt viewers into ponying up cash for the full experience. The channel, available on its Bravia 3DTV range and Blu-ray players, has now expanded from its five initial launch countries to 60. It's currently offering tastes of forthcoming Sony titles like The Amazing Spiderman and content from last year's World Cup, with a total of around 100 free snippets to peruse on the Japanese iteration of the channel. You hear Sony well up with pride in the PR below. Well, it's had a pretty tough time recently.
Sony to recall 1.6 million Bravia TVs due to melting components (update: not a full recall)
A vast number of Bravia LCD TVs dating from 2007 and 2008 will be recalled after components in some Japanese sets went into meltdown and started smoking. So far only eleven incidents have been reported and it looks like no one has been hurt or experienced any wider damage, but Sony says it wants to take back 1.6 million TVs that were sold in the US, Europe, Japan and elsewhere. No word on exactly which models are affected, but we're expecting further details from Sony imminently. Update: Looks like this might not be a full recall after all. We can't access Sony's support site right now, but the BBC reports that UK owners of the following models can summon an engineer to inspect their set if they're worried: KDL-40D3400, KDL-40D3500, KDL-40D3550, KDL-40D3660, KDL-40V3000, KDL-40W3000, KDL-40X3000, KDL-40X3500. Update 2: Check after the break for US recall information.
Sony 3D Experience brings free on-demand movie trailers, sports clips to Bravia TVs
HDTV manufacturers have used a variety of tactics to attract customers to the 3D segment, bundling free glasses, discounting Blu-ray players, and nearly eliminating unsightly bezels, but with content selection still incredibly limited, there's been little incentive for consumers to shell out extra cash for a 3D set. Sony's new 3D Experience sets out to expand those content offerings, streaming on-demand sports highlights and select movie trailers to Bravia LCD TVs, and eventually Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The Experience launches with just 30 clips in the US, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK today, but will eventually grow to include more movie, music, sports, and documentary titles. There's no word on whether or not we can expect full-length films (or anything else we may actually be interested in watching) in the future, but with a commitment from Samsung to launch paid content later this year, we imagine Sony won't follow too far behind.
Sony rolling out Netflix, Yahoo updates; celebrates internet on TV with a new ad
If you access Netflix on your Sony TV (or Blu-ray player or Streaming Player) you'll probably notice it's been updated with the new HTML5 based UI that allows for search of the entire catalog, among other things. A press release issued recently also mentions Sony will be delivering the Yahoo Connected TV store when it launches "later this spring" selling paid apps through its widget powered TVs. Just to make sure people get the message, Sony's official blog just posted this new ad, embedded above, focusing on its TV products from 1960 on and how it can bring music, movies and apps over the internet in HD (and 3D) to the living room.Give it a peek and let us know if you agree with the vision, the press release about all the new features is after the break.
Skype gets official with apps for Sony Bravia, Vizio VIA TVs
Both Sony and Vizio have already quietly dropped word that Skype would be heading to their respective internet-connected TVs, but Skype itself has now made the move fully official, a full year after it offered the first demo of Skype on a Panasonic VieraCast TV at CES 2010. Unfortunately, it isn't offering many more details than Sony or Vizio, and it's using both "coming soon" and "later this year" to describe the rollout on TVs from the two companies, which leaves open a depressingly long and confusing possible launch window -- we do know that Sony's Skype-ready Bravias will begin rolling out in February, but Sony hasn't confirmed a release date for the required webcam. What's more, Skype has also confirmed that it's working with Panasonic and Sony to bring some added connectivity to your existing TV with the aid of a Skype-enabled Blu-ray player and webcam -- look for those "soon."
Sony boosts capacity of its mountable, high-def, BRX-series DVRs
Those used to recording dozens of hours worth of SD video on DVRs with just a few gigs of storage often have a bit of a surprise when they move into the HD realm; a couple episodes of Pushing Daisies and Lost leave no room for any other prime-time drama. While not matching TiVo's capacious 1TB HD XL, Sony is doing its part with a larger, 320GB version of its BRAVIA BRX-series DVR, the BRX-320. It can tackle about 90 hours of HD content yet is small and light enough to be mountable directly on the back of many Sony displays. No word on what price tag will be affixed when this releases in about a month, but the 250GB model is going for about $300, so you can make your own guesses. Oh, and since that earlier version hasn't made it to US shores yet, don't hold your breath on this one.[Via AV Watch]
Slacker radio added to Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link
If you've found yourself dumbfoundedly staring at your Bravia Internet Video Link-equipped HDTV thinking "when am I going to see some Slacker radio up in this piece?" -- you're in luck. Sony announced today that it would be bringing the streaming service to users of the company's $300 hardware add-on free of charge, allowing music hounds to grab "millions" of songs on over "100 individually programmed genre music stations" in CD-quality audio. The service joins other streaming content like YouTube and Amazon, and will be available immediately. So... why are you still reading this?[Via ZatzNotFunny]
The Ultimate Showdown: CryENGINE2 vs. Reality
Crytek recently whipped up a tech demonstration for their haughty, hardware punishing software, CryENGINE2, to show off at GDC. Mimicking an unforgettable ad for the Sony Bravia, the demo turned quite a few heads -- but how did the visuals of the ball-droppin' doppelganger compare to the original advertisement? Never one to miss an opportunity for a video comparison, Gametrailers whipped up the above video. What do you think -- are video games nearing photorealism? Or were your discerning, pixel-counting eyes not fooled?
Sony profits bounce back with Bravias
Maybe Sir Howard has a master plan after all. Sony reversed their 10 billion yen forecasted loss for the year with a new expectation of profits to the tune of 70 billion yen. The new forecasted profit of $605 million is due in large part by profitability in the Sony Bravia LCD line. According to Sony, the Bravia sets were the best-selling LCD line in America for the fourth quarter of 2005, taking a 30-percent share of all LCDs sold. In hindsight, those quarter of a million super-balls might have added a little bounce into the once-dominant TV maker.
