Sony today announced its all new HD TV lineup to be unveiled on the showroom floor this week at CES 2014. The Japanese titan’s barrel of new HDTV bounty includes a host of new series in the Bravia family, including the W950B, the W850B, the W800B, the W630B, and the W600B. All of the new series incorporate new features and technology that Sony hopes will propel it back to the top of the TV heap. Follow us below for a sneak peak at Sony’s shiny new HD toys for CES 2014.
The big news on Sony’s HD TV front is the company’s new flagship W950B series, which incorporates a bevy of HD goodies to help it stand out from the crowd. The TV offers Sony’s TRILUMINOS Display, which is claimed to work in tandem with the company’s X-reality Pro Engine for both a cleaner picture, and better color saturation and contrast. The screen also employs Sony’s brand new X-tended Dynamic Range feature, designed to dazzle the eye with brighter whites, deeper blacks, and impressive detail. And to spiff up the interface, the W950B series utilizes Sony’s One-Flick entertainment feature, which allows intuitive access to DVR and online content by flicking the remote pad up and down, as well as providing one-touch NFC connection to compatible smartphones for easy access to videos, pictures, music, and online media.
Both Sony’s W905B and its second-tier W850B series also attempt to combat the paltry sound common with flat screen TVs by incorporating a new wedge-shaped design, which allows them to offer larger speakers for richer audio, as well as a more stable center of gravity to provide better options for mounting the displays. The W950B will be offered in 65-inch and 55-inch models, while the W850B stretches to 70-inch and 60-inch sizes.
All of the new models, have also been upgraded with the company’s ClearAudio + sound processing. The feature sews up a host of Sony’s sound technologies into one package in an attempt to deliver clearer dialog, and a more immersive experience. In a move we’d like to see more often, the TVs will also have the added option to connect a separate wireless subwoofer, the SWF-BR100. No word was given in Sony’s press release whether the new sets will be compatible with powered subs outside of the brand.
Other new features for the new Bravia sets include a revamped user interface for online streaming, enhanced features for better video messaging, and even a new “Live Football Mode” — football of the European sort, that is — which will give viewers one touch access to soccer programming with an interface designed to simulate the live stadium experience.
Sony’s new Bravia series models will be coming to a store near you this spring. Until then, we’ll be getting a first-hand look at all the new sets soon on the grounds of CES, so we’ll let you know how Sony’s new lineup stacks up in the prodigious HD landscape.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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