Sony is not announcing new TVs at CES 2024 but the company gave FlatpanelsHD a unique preview of its next-generation miniLED technology planned for an upcoming flagship LCD TV.Update: Article has been updated with two videos, shot by FlatpanelsHD, of Sony's new miniLED LCD technology.
With TCL moving to 5000 miniLED dimming zones in its latest LCD TVs, Sony is gearing up to counter with upgraded miniLED LCD technology aimed at improving picture quality and reducing power consumption. During an event last year in Tokyo, Japan, attended by FlatpanelsHD, Sony's display engineers showcased and discussed the technology for the first time. Unfortunately, we are not yet able to share information on the actual product or sizes. However, we can share some video of the new technology, information and thoughts ahead of the official announcement. While Sony did not specifically say that it is coming in 2024, there were enough indications that we fully expect it to happen this year.Sony's next-gen miniLED LCD tech
Sony's display engineers argued that effective local dimming, miniLED or otherwise, in an LCD TV is primarily determined by 3 components:Sony believes it masters these disciplines better than any other, even if its LCD TVs do not always have the highest number of dimming zones among TV makers. In 2024, Sony will transition to a new 22-bit miniLED driver (10-bit current + 12-bit PWM, while the LCD panel remains 10-bit). The company claims that this driver is the world's smallest, enabling the incorporation of more dimming zones. The 2024 miniLED LCD TV will feature more dimming zones and while Sony is not disclosing the exact number of zones, it did say that each TV size will have more zones than the equivalent Z9D/ZD9, which significantly raised the standard for local dimming back in 2016. Of course, there have been advancements in the field since then.
- The TV processor, responsible for dividing the input signal into LCD and LED backlight data (sometimes referred to as the "dimming algorithm").
- The driver, tasked with converting the LED backlight data into analog signals.
- The (mini)LED backlight, which transforms the electrical signal into visible light (then regulated for light/color levels by the LCD panel).
Sony's 2024 miniLED LCD technology revealed. Read on. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Sony compared its 2024 prototype to last year's X95L miniLED LCD model, saying that the 2024 model is 1.5x brighter as of the Tokyo demo but the final result will depend on tweaks. Despite this, overall power consumption is reduced by 10-15%, and in Eco mode there is a 30% reduction (2023's X95L is rated as G on EU's energy label, but Sony aims for a better energy class this year). This efficiency improvements are attributed to the new LED driver, which regulates the miniLED zones for every picture frame. As for the official name of the 2024 flagship TV, it is anyone's guess at this point (perhaps Z95M? Or X95M?).Two demonstrations
In Tokyo, Sony had two demonstrations of its 2024 miniLED LCD technology. The first demo had one half of the LCD panel removed, revealing the effect of the miniLED zone dimming backlight on the exposed section – something Sony had never publicly demonstrated before. We were not allowed to film this part of the demo. In this first demo, Sony's 2024 TV was compared to one of Samsung's flagship miniLED LCD models ("Neo QLED") – also with one half of the LCD panel removed – and a significant difference was observed in bright scenes. While the majority of Samsung's miniLED dimming zones were running at full steam in this very bright scene, Sony's miniLED zones carefully and gradually intensified and dimmed in sync with the picture content, which should translate to better light control in the picture you see at home.Sony X95K from 2022 (right). Bloom around bright objects is one of the downsides of the miniLED's area dimming. Flowering can be reduced by increasing the number of zones. Image: HD flat panels
In the second demo, the 2024 Sony TV is compared to the Sony X95L (2023 miniLED LCD) and Sony A80L (2023 WOLED). For part of the demo, the former two only showed the miniLED area dimming effects (without displaying an image from the LCD panel), while the OLED TV displayed the actual content for reference. In other words, we saw multiple miniLED zones in dimmed and enhanced isolation. Here, the higher resolution of the miniLED system in the 2024 model and for the first time in a raw zone dimming system allowed us to distinguish some luminance details from the actual image (displayed on an OLED TV for reference) due to the increased number of zones. For example, the Sony logo centered in bright white on a black background simply appeared as a white dot on the 2023 X95L, but was fairly legible when viewed with the 2024 model's initial miniLED area dimmed (the TV is centered in the video). Imagine an LCD TV with, for example, 3,000 dimming zones. In this example, the resolution of the miniLED backlight will be around 40x74 (= 2960 areas), which is much lower than the resolution of the 4K LCD panel (3840x2160 = 8294400) in front of it, but high enough to reproduce at least some luminance detail in its raw form and help reduce The blooming - or halos - in the actual image you see. Watch the two demonstration videos that FlatpanelsHD filmed during the demo in Tokyo:Left: The Sony X95L (2023) showing its miniLED area dimming. Center: 2024 miniLED LCD technology (prototype) shows off its miniLED area dimming. Right: Sony A80L OLED displays image content for reference. Video: HD flat panels
2024 Sony's MiniLED LCD technology (prototype) shows dimming of its miniLED area on half the screen. Video: HD flat panels
For another part of the demo, we looked at real picture content, particularly bright scenes or high-contrast HDR scenes, which are displayed on all three TVs. The 2024 prototype delivered a noticeably improved picture over the 2023 X95L, and outperformed the A80L OLED in very bright scenes. Read also: Exposed: How the 5000-zone miniLED backlight works (TCL X955)We also saw the impact on power consumption, demonstrated by the power meter attached to each of the three Sony TVs. This was done in part to reveal that the 2024 model's lower power consumption did not affect the effectiveness of the miniLED backlight. By the way, if Sony makes this cut, it will announce a very cool related feature in 2024.A big leap for Sony's small LCD screens
The demos focused on advances in miniLED area dimming, making it difficult to evaluate final image quality with mixed content. However, our feedback during the relatively short demo was promising, indicating a big leap forward for Sony's MiniLED LCD displays. However, we're not convinced that this technology will tip the balance of power or come close to the performance of the best OLED TVs on the market, like the Sony A95L QD-OLED. Read also: Review: Sony A95L (QD-OLED)FlatpanelsHD will later have the opportunity to see the final product and provide all the details about the new TV which we expect to be a flagship model for Sony's 2024 miniLED LCD, while last year's A95L QD-OLED will be carried over to 2024.
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