One of the most disappointing aspects of CES 2024, was that Sony did not demonstrate any new TVs on the show floor. Not a single unit. That led to all kinds of rumors and speculation about their 2024 TV lineup — which proved to be completely wrong.
Sony had something in the works. At CES they had an off-site TV technology exhibit, followed by a 2024 TV and Soundbar invitation-only preview event in March, and a virtual briefing on April 1st for the media.
Now that the embargo has been lifted, we can report on what Sony has unveiled in the TV and soundbar categories under the new banner of Cinema is Coming Home.
TVs are covered in this article, and new BRAVIA Soundbars are covered in a companion article.
Mini LED Breakthrough
The big TV technology news from Sony is the breakthrough they have made in Mini LED backlighting.
Building on the foundation of the Sony BVM-HX3110 professional reference monitor used by many Hollywood studios and other professional applications as a reference for color and related image accuracy, Sony has upped their game, This year’s sets utilize a more precise Mini-LED local dimming backlight system that comes closer than ever in producing deep blacks, halo elimination, and color characteristics you might see in an OLED or QD-OLED TV.
Sony has accomplished this with a combination of more dimming zones and more precise control of those zones. This means that more light gradations are possible, in more areas of the screen.
Of course, because we are still talking about an LCD-based TV platform, the elevated Mini LED backlight can’t display an absolute black level that an OLED-based TV can, but the performance gap has been narrowed to the point that most consumers will struggle to notice any significant differences with most streaming content that they might find on Netflix or cable TV.
Reviewers and videophiles using better quality sources and reference test material might be able to tell the two apart — but our experience was very favorable in seeing the new sets.
Tip: Sony’s improved Mini LED backlight system also brings with it better display of whites, higher peak light output and improved color volume in addition to the improvements in black level and shadow detail.
BRAVIA 9 – Sony’s New Flagship TV
As a result of Sony’s behind-the-scenes development of this improvement in Mini-LED backlight, they are offering it in their 2024 BRAVIA 9 flagship TV as XR Backlight Master Drive with High-Peak Luminance, placing the TV in the same marketing category as their QD-OLED model (flagship).
Tech Note: Sony’s immediate Mini LED TV step down from the BRAVIA 9 — the BRAVIA 7 — incorporates Backlight Master Drive, but with fewer dimming zones and no extra high peak luminous boost but still delivers very good blacks and white gradations for a Mini LED TV that most consumers will find meets their needs if the BRAVIA 9 is out of their price range (pricing is included below).
OLED & LED/LCD
While BRAVIA 9 and BRAVIA 7 Mini LED TVs are the major TV reveals by Sony, they haven’t deserted the OLED TV category. Sony is keeping last year’s A95L QD-OLED model in the TV line-up (for now), which won the “King of TVs” in the 2023 Value Electronics TV Shootout. Company reps have told us that a new flagship QD-OLED set should be available later this year. At this time Sony is replacing last year’s A80L OLED TV with the BRAVIA 8 OLED TV that’s 31% thinner overall, has a 29% thinner bezel.
The BRAVIA 8 also gets an improvement to its sound quality courtesy of the Acoustic Surface Audio+ feature. This technology uses actuators to make the entire screen a speaker (actually multiple speakers, since there are multiple resonators). The BRAVIA 8 is also capable of decoding and passing through DTS:X which its predecessor could not do. This should come in handy when Disney+ starts offering its IMAX Enhanced content with DTS:X immersive surround sound. All of Sony’s new sets, from the BRAVIA 3 to the BRAVIA 9, will include DTS:X decoding.
Rounding out Sony’s 2024 BRAVIA TV line is the entry-level BRAVIA 3 LED/LCD TV with direct LED backlighting which is intended to be the replacement of last year’s X77L, with a slimmer profile.
While the BRAVIA 3 does get its siblings’ 4K X-Reality PRO upscaling processor, it lacks the more advanced XR Processor and XR Backlight Master Drive found in the BRAVIA 7 and BRAVIA 9. The BRAVIA 3 also does not include a built-in NextGEN/ATSC 3.0 tuner, nor does it offer some advanced features such as Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode, Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode, Prime Video Calibrated Mode (more details in the model comparison chart in this article).
2024 Sony BRAVIA TV Line-up
Sony’s New 2024 TVs are:
- BRAVIA 9 (K-XR90) Mini LED/LCD
- BRAVIA 8 (K-XR80) OLED
- BRAVIA 7 (K-XR70) Mini LED/LCD
- BRAVIA 3 (K-S30) LED/LCD
These new TVs join several previously released (2022, 2023) carryover models within the following categories:
- Flagship: BRAVIA 9 Mini LED/LCD (new), A95L (QD-OLED), and Z9K (8K Mini LED)
- Premium: BRAVIA 7 Mini LED/LCD (new), Bravia 8 OLED (new), and A90K OLED
- Core (not be confused with Sony Pictures Core): X90L (Full Array LED)
- Standard: BRAVIA 3 (LED)
2024 Sony BRAVIA TV Comparison
| TV Model Series | BRAVIA 3 (K-S30) | BRAVIA 7 (K-XR70) | BRAVIA 8 (K-XR80) | BRAVIA 9 (K-XR90) |
| TV Type | LED | Mini LED | OLED | Mini LED |
| Screen Sizes | 43 / 50 / 55 / 65 / 75 / 85 | 55 / 65 / 75 / 85 | 55 / 65 / 77 | 65 / 75 / 85 |
| Processor | 4K HDR X1 | XR Processor | XR Processor | XR Processor |
| Backlight | Direct LED | XR Backlight MasterDrive | No Backlight (OLED) | XR Backlight MasterDrive with High-Peak Luminance |
| Upscaling | 4K X-Reality PRO | 4K X-Reality PRO, XR Clear Image | 4K X-Reality PRO, XRClear Image | 4K X-Reality PRO, XRClear Image |
| Color Processing | Triluminos Pro | XR Triluminos Pro | XR Triluminos Pro | XR Triluminos Pro |
| Motion Processing | Motionflow XR 240 (60Hz) | XR Motion Clarity (120Hz) | XR OLED Motion (120Hz) | XR Motion Clarity (120Hz) |
| Off Angle Viewing | – | Not Provided | Yes, OLED | X-Wide Angle |
| Reflection Reduction | – | – | – | X-Anti Reflection |
| HDR Support | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision |
| IMAX Enhanced | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Surround Sound Formats | Dolby Atmos DTS:X DTS Digital Surround | Dolby Atmos DTS:X DTS Digital Surround | Dolby Atmos DTS:X DTS Digital Surround | Dolby Atmos DTS:X DTS Digital Surround |
| Calibrated Video Formats | – | Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode Prime Video Calibrated Mode | Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode Prime Video Calibrated Mode | Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode Prime Video Calibrated Mode |
| Sony Pictures Core (aka Bravia Core) | Yes | Yes –With 5 free movie credits | Yes –With 5 free movie credits | Yes –With 10 free movie credits |
| Gaming | Auto Genre Picture Mode. Auto HDR ToneMapping. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). | Auto Genre Picture Mode. Auto HDR ToneMapping. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). Game Picture Presents (STD, FPS, RTS). | Auto Genre Picture Mode. Auto HDR ToneMapping. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). Game Picture Presents (STD, FPS, RTS). | Auto Genre Picture Mode. Auto HDR ToneMapping. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). Game Picture Presents (STD, FPS, RTS). |
| Game Menu | Motion Blur Reduction. Screen Resizing. Black Equalizer. Crosshair Overlay. | VRR ToggleMotion Blur Reduction. Screen Resizing Black Equalizer. Crosshair Overlay. Multi-View | VRR ToggleMotion Blur Reduction. Screen Resizing Black Equalizer. Crosshair Overlay. Multi-View | VRR ToggleMotion Blur Reduction. Screen Resizing Black Equalizer. Crosshair Overlay. Multi-View |
| Eco Dashboard 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) Support | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio Features | X-Balanced Speakers | Acoustic Multi Audio. Voice Zoom 3. Acoustic Center Sync. 3D Surround Upscaling. | Acoustic Surface Audio+. Voice Zoom 3. Acoustic Center Sync. 3D Surround Upscaling | Acoustic Multi Audio. Voice Zoom 3. Acoustic Center Sync. 3D Surround Upscaling |
| Operating System | Google TV | Google TV | Google TV | Google TV |
| Stand | Single Position | 4-Way Stand | 4-Way Stand | 4-Way Stand |
| Wireless Connectivity | Google Assistant, Chromecast Built-in, Apple AirPlay 2, Apple Home Kit | Google Assistant, Chromecast Built-in, Apple AirPlay 2, Apple Home Kit | Google Assistant, Chromecast Built-in, Apple AirPlay 2, Apple Home Kit | Google Assistant, Chromecast Built-in, Apple AirPlay 2, Apple Home Kit |
Availability and Pricing
The 2024 BRAVIA TVs are or will soon be available at authorized online and brick and mortar retailers at the following suggested retail prices.
For more information: electronics.sony.com
BRAVIA 9 Mini-LED Flagship TV
- 85″ $5,499.99 US/ $6.499.99 CA / Crutchfield | Value Electronics
- 75″ $3,999.99 US/ $4,799.99 CA / Crutchfield
- 65″ $3,299.99 US/ $3,999.99 CA / Crutchfield
BRAVIA 8 OLED TV
- 77″ $3,899.99 US/ $4,899.99 CA / Crutchfield
- 65″ $2,799.99 US/ $3,399.99 CA / Crutchfield
- 55″ $1,999.99 US/ $2,499.99 CA / Crutchfield
BRAVIA 7 Mini LED TV – Available April 29, 2024
- 85″ $3,499.99 US/ $4,699.99 CA / Amazon | Value Electronics
- 75″ $2,799.99 US/ $3,599.99 CA / Amazon
- 65″ $2,299.99 US/ $2,699.99 CA / Amazon
- 55″ $1,899.99 US/ $2,299.99 CA / Amazon
BRAVIA 3 LED/LCD TV
- 85″ $1,799.99 US/ $2,499.99 CA
- 75″ $1,299.99 US/ $1,699.99 CA
- 65″ $999.99 US/ $1,299.99 CA
- 55″ $849.99 US/ $999.99 CA
- 50″ $699.99 US/ $849.99 CA
- 43″ $599.99 US/ $749.99 CA
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