BIOS: Technology Means Business

Sony’s Bravia X-Series is designed to deliver a definitive viewing experience - full HD resolution pictures and true-to-life colour.

Stand-out features include a full HD (1920x1080 pixels) LCD panel, Live Colour Creation, which uses a wide spectrum backlight (WCG-CCFL) and the newly developed Bravia Engine EX, Sony’s unique intelligent picture enhancement technology.

Capable of receiving 1080p signals, the Bravia X-Series twin HDMI inputs will ensure compatibility with the expanding HD environment in Europe as well as with high resolution, full HD signals in the future. Unlike most other TVs, the Bravia X-Series isn’t just HD-Ready - it’s full HD-capable.

Instead of scaled images which have been digitally reduced to fit lower-resolution panels, full HD reproduces HD 1080 picture exactly as it was transmitted. This is the key to a picture of the highest possible quality. This power is utilised to the full even when playing normal standard definition (SD) TV.

The Bravia Engine EX actually increases the resolution by a factor of up to four, doubling the number of vertical lines and horizontal pixels. The result is an unprecedented degree of detail and clarity which raises SDTV to a completely new level, claims Sony. That’s why Sony calls the process ‘Digital Reality Creation’.

The X-Series doesn’t just deliver more detail; it gives you more colours too. Using decades of Trinitron know-how, Sony redesigned the panel backlight using improved light-emitting phosphors to boost the range of red and green in the spectrum.

Precision-matched RGB filters in the screen make sure the increased colour range has the maximum impact on picture quality. The effect is, literally, to bring it to life, infusing the image with the complexity and depth of the real world. Live Colour Creation also relies in part on the Bravia Engine EX to enhance the signal before it actually appears on the screen.

The screen itself is equally special. Each one is produced by the very latest 7th generation manufacturing process and features S-PVA (Super Vertical Pattern Alignment) molecular control for a wider viewing angle and colour that doesn’t fade as you move to the side. S-PVA also delivers a huge contrast ratio of 1300:1 - from dead black to pure white and everything in between.

The X-Series also promises to sound as good as it looks. Integrated speakers and Dolby Pro Logic II Virtual Surround digital signal processing should fill the room with a convincing simulation of multi-channel audio.

What you hear is further enhanced by BBE Digital technology, which brings extra definition and clarity both to dialogue and the ambient soundtrack. All this is underpinned by all-digital amplification which keeps signal noise - and therefore hiss - to an absolute minimum.

All models in the range can receive free-to-air digital broadcasts via an integrated Digital TV (DVB) tuner. External HDTV and other AV sources can be input through a wide choice of connections. Unlike many TVs, the X-Series has not one but two HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) inputs, providing an input route for a 1080p signal, not to mention essential future-proofing and convenience.

In addition, there are three Scart and two Component interfaces, giving the X-Series unparalleled flexibility. Hooking up to a PC is a simple matter too, thanks to an HD15 PC graphics input. To round things off, every function is accessible using the ergonomically refined remote commander, which features enlarged frequent-use keys and relatively low key count for maximum ease of use.

[Best LCD TV Pricing UK]
[Best LCD TV Pricing US]

Got this product? Got a camcorder/mic? Let us post YOUR video/podcast review!