Sony Once Again Talks HDR for Its 4K TVs (X930C and X940C)

Many had been skeptical of Sony’s HDR ambitions for their 2015 lineup of 4K TVs coming out of CES. This was in part due to a lack of information flow from Sony but since that time, more news has trickled out of the company. In short, HDR support is coming to the X930C and X940C. While the series will launch late next month, HDR support itself will come via a software update later in the summer. Neil King, Head of Home Entertainment, Sony UK and Ireland:

 Sony has always been the leader in 4K and our exclusive Sony technologies have been at the core of providing TV lovers with the best picture quality, no matter what content they are watching. Our decades of experience allow us to introduce emerging industry standard HDR to our 4K Ultra HD TV series and to reinforce contrast thanks to Sony’s unique technology X-tended Dynamic Range PRO. And now, by pairing our unrivalled picture quality with Android TV, we are setting out to provide our customers with the best user experience possible. 

More from Sony, after the jump.

When talking about HDR, Sony wants a few things to be known about it. They include

  • The new Sony BRAVIA X93C and X94C 4K Ultra HD TV series will be compatible with High Dynamic Range (HDR) content via a network update this summer.
  • HDR is an emerging video format that can display a wider range of brightness levels which will allow content creators, such as movie directors, to expand their range of creativity. HDR content will be available from major video service providers like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video this year.
  • With Sony’s unique technology, X-tended Dynamic Range PRO ( X94C 75″) and X-tended Dynamic Range (X93C 55 and 65), customers can enjoy the peak brightness of LED as well as deeper blacks, providing them with a superior viewing experience compared to that of normal HDR video and any other video source with greater contrast.

This seems to confirm that HDR support will also come to the 55X930C which will be exclusive to Europe. Previously it was unclear if the 55-inch variant would be HDR compliant. We’ll reach out to Sony for confirmation. It’s worth pointing out that in either case, the picture quality of the 75X940C will be superior to that of the 65- and 55-inch model, with our without HDR support, due to the difference in processors (X-tended Dynamic Range PRO vs. X-tended Dynamic Range).

Discuss:

Do you think HDR support is a must have?