Sony NZ Promises Ultra HD This Year

The race is on to deliver 4K resolution TV to New Zealand, with Sony today announcing its first display would go on sale here before the end of the year.

LG also is planning to launch a 4K TV this year and while the NZ pricing of Sony’s 84-inch “ultra-definition” TV has still to be disclosed, expect it to be as eye-watering as the image is eye-popping.

Of course, the downside of a display that offers four times the resolution of Full HD is there isn’t any native content to screen on it.

Indeed, outside of Blu-ray discs, there’s scarcely any HD content to be upscaled on it, with only three free-to-air channels and seven Sky channels broadcasting in 1080i.

No matter, as Sony’s press release says, 4K TV represents the next evolution in TV technology.

“Just as the transition from standard definition to high definition improved the quality of our at-home entertainment experience, the move to 4K or UDTV will provide another leap in what we can expect to enjoy in our own lounge rooms,” Sony product manager Stephanie Thiebault says.

“The 4K TV marks our biggest TV launch to date. The combination of Sony’s 4K broadcast expertise and our extensive history in TV innovation has resulted in the creation of this 84-inch beauty.

“It’s a must-want for those who like to be at the very cutting edge of technology – who demand the very best.”

Equipped with 4K X-Reality PRO and a 4K LCD panel with more than eight million pixels, the TV can take a variety of content with different resolutions, such as HD footage from digital broadcasts or Blu-ray discs, and reproduce it in 4K resolution.

Sony says the impact of the size of the 4K TV is “incomprehensible” – although it’s huge, the phenomenally high resolution (3840 x 2160) allows you to sit as close to the screen as half the distance required when viewing Full HD (for which three times the screen height is recommended) without being concerned by the pixels.

According to Sony’s press release, “The new UDTV is packed with Sony’s independent technologies, from its signal processing through to its speakers, and its ‘signal to sound architecture’ delivers powerful sound quality.

“This three-way 10-speaker system (total output 50W) is arranged at the sides of the UDTV directly facing the viewing position, and is optimised for large-screen TVs.

“It achieves a powerful sound with position-orienting tones, from deep bass through to medium range and high notes.”

Surprisingly, with this display Sony has dumped its Active Shutter 3D technology for the Passive alternative.