New Sony Bravia HDTVs from October

SINGAPORE--Sony has just announced a wave of Bravia HDTVs slated for launch in selected Asia-Pacific countries from October. These include 10 models from the new X4500, Z450A and Z4500 series, as well as the X450A which replaces its 2007 X300 and X350 counterparts. They will complement the Japanese company's current full-HD lineup with screen sizes ranging from 40 inches to a whopping 70 inches.

The most significant upgrade for the Bravia X450A is LED backlighting technology that boosts dynamic contrast to over 1,000,000:1. That said, only the 46 and 55 inchers in the series are LED powered. The same applies for Motionflow PRO which is designed to eliminate image flickering. Another performance-oriented tweak introduced across the entire range is Sony's top-of-the-line Bravia Engine 2 PRO video processor.

For multimedia junkies, the X450A also features both USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity. These enable onboard MP3 and JPEG playback support from inexpensive thumbdrives as well as network streaming via DLNA-certified (Digital Living Network Alliance) devices. What felt lacking is its conservative spread of three HDMI inputs. Nonetheless, these support film-centric 1080p24 signals and Bravia Sync (HDMI-CEC).
On the other hand, the Bravia X4500 will have all the capabilities mentioned above, plus built-in DVB-T digital TV tuner, MPEG-4 HD decoder and an electronic program guide. These give the panel IDTV-like (integrated digital TV) capabilities to receive HD definition broadcasts out-of-the-box. Furthermore, Sony is bundling a radio frequency remote that operates without the usual line of sight constraint.

To up the ante in the motion reproduction of flat-panel TVs, Sony has lined up the Z450A and Z4500 which were first showcased in Berlin during IFA. What is of unique in both series is their Motionflow 200Hz processing, which interpolates three times more frames than current 100Hz implementations. The main differentiators between the two series are DLNA, XMB and possibly IDTV functionalities for the Z4500.

The Bravia X450A and X4500 will be available throughout Asia from October, while the Z450A and Z4500A are slated for mid-December launch. Pricings for the panels were not ready at press time.