New Products

Yesterday’s announcement of a new ES line of AV receivers was big news for fans of Sony audio products but the company also recently revealed plans to start shipping two new series of modular MicroLED displays in March under its high-end Crystal LED banner.

Unlike the excellent MiniLED backlight technology finding its way into more and more LCD-based consumer TVs at increasingly affordable prices, MicroLED is a direct-view technology that represents a huge step forward in big-screen picture quality, which is why it is so expensive. (Samsung showed a 110-inch 4K MicroLED TV last September that costs around $150,000). MicroLED takes realism to new levels with custom-built video walls that are free of glare and super bright with OLED-like contrast. The beauty of the modular approach is the ability to assemble a screen that matches a specific space or application in size and resolution.

The new BH-series modules are optimized for high brightness with a wide color gamut, while the CH-series emphasizes contrast with “unmatched black levels.” Both series use “super fine LEDs and a unique coating to achieve a wide viewing angle without unnatural color shift,” according to Sony. Image processing is handled by the proprietary “X1 for Crystal LED” processor, featuring Sony’s 22-bit Super Bit Mapping, Reality Creation, and Motionflow technologies.

While Sony’s announcement targets high-end custom-installed applications that mostly go beyond the home, MicroLED is slowly making its way toward the living room. One of Sony’s key messages is that the new generation of Crystal LED displays is less expensive than the previous generation, though pricing was not announced.

Sony’s new displays are also about 10% lighter and 10% thinner than current Crystal LED models, making them easier to assemble and install, according to the company, which notes that installation time has also been reduced by about 20% compared with previous models. And thanks to high-efficiency LED chips, power consumption is reduced by around 25%.

To learn more about Sony’s MicroLED technology, visit pro.sony.

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