With its new TVs, Sony is talking a lot about its improved backlight this year. There is not so much improved backlight, but there is the addition of many more dimming zones. This is actually the first time that Sony has ever popped off the front of its TV and showed the world what the backlight array looks like.
In the demo that Sony showed us in Culver City last month, they were comparing the new Bravia 9, which has 325% more dimming zones and is also about 50% brighter. It’s being compared with the Samsung QN90C, which is the closest competitor in size and display technology.
In the two pictures below, you can see the difference in the backlighting on both TVs. The one on the left is Samsung, and the other on the right is Sony’s new Bravia 9. You’ll see the backlight is more granular. For instance, in the picture of the fruit, you can actually see the individual fruit in the backlight, whereas on Samsung’s TV, you really can’t see it. That makes the blacks deeper and allows for much less blooming in the picture.
The other picture here is of a chandelier. On the Samsung TV, it just looks like the pixelated shape of the chandelier. But on Sony’s, you can see it’s much more accurate in terms of the shape of the chandelier, and it also has different levels of brightness. This allows for the rest of the screen to be purely black as it should, and there’s very little blooming around the chandelier. Providing a much better image.
XR Backlight Master Drive makes a huge difference
The backlight system in Sony’s new TVs is called the “XR Backlight Master Drive,” and it does make a huge difference in watching your TV. No matter what you’re watching on the Bravia 9, it’s going to be brighter, more accurate colors and far less blooming. That is what you’d expect for a TV that starts at $3,299, however.
It also comes with Amazon Prime Calibrated Mode. With this mode, you will see Amazon Prime titles like The Boys the way the director intended. That might not sound like a big deal, but with different processors, display types, backlights, and much more, things can change and become a totally different color. That’s not the case with the Bravia 7, 8, and 9 with this new Amazon Prime Calibrated Mode.