Sony’s latest BRAVIA HOME THEATRE Gear is bolder and brighter
Photo: Ryan Waniata
Bravia Projector 7 (VLP-XW5100ES)
With Sony’s topline Bravia projector 8 and projector 9 clocking at around $16,000 and $32K respectively, most of us can’t get close to grab one. While these models are intended for luxury or professional installations, the new Bravia 7 should be much more affordable and will be a more realistic candidate for installation. It claims 4K HDR resolution and 2,200 lumens of brightness from the laser source (Bravia Projector 8 has 2,700 and 9 claims 3,400), with seven packing impressive punches. It shares many technologies with its siblings, including XR dynamic tone mapping for optimal brightness with color gradients, controlling laser dimming in dark scenes, increasing gain in brighter ones, and the XR Triluminos Pro. It is also compatible with IMAX enhanced video and low latency games up to 4K/120Hz.
I leaned into a small room at the back of Sony’s demo hall and saw how the Projector 7 matched with Sony’s Top 2 projectors, its predecessors, and some JVC models. The 7 actually jumped out into the flashiest HDR demo with much less white clipping and better scenes than the previous Sony model, named the XW5000ES, which was the previous Sony model. It’s up like JVC’s competing DLA-NZ7, and again there’s less clipping in tough HDR scenes, but I have to see it work outside of Sony’s demo room to give a better idea of the skills. One drawback of the inexpensive model is that unlike projectors 8 and 9, it requires manual lens focus. Otherwise, it is an interesting new option for people building high-end home theaters.
Photo: Ryan Waniata
New BRAVIA Sound
BRAVIA THEATRE SYSTEM 6
Although we didn’t spend much time on Sony’s new audio system, the brand’s new 1,000-watt 5.1 surround system made the biggest impression. The system consists of a soundbar on the front, rear surround and a substantial subwoofer. It is sold like an old-fashioned HTB (home theater in the box), and uses an amplifier that connects wirelessly to the bar and supplies its own rear speakers on the speaker wire. It’s a rather strange setup, but in our short demo the sound was solid, with a warm, relatively detailed midrange, solid surround expansion and a tumpy sub. If it comes with a friendly pricing, it could be a great new mid-range surround sound option.
Photo: Ryan Waniata
BRAVIA THEATRE BAR 6
Theater System 6, Don’t confuse it with theatre bar The 6 is a 3.2.1 system consisting only of bars and subwoofers, but is compatible with Sony’s new Bravia Rear 8 speakers at an additional cost. Another major difference between the two systems is that Bar 6 offers priority drivers for Dolby Atmos and DTS: Sony’s vertical surround engine for virtual 3D audio with X video and traditional sources. Sony attacked the system on Samsung’s Q600C with several movie scenes Sony Pictures. Grand sightseeing And the Sony’d Model stretched the itself pretty well, especially for the midrange options. The sub was much bigger and worse than the Samsung model, and the dialogue sounded clear and detailed.
Photo: Ryan Waniata