When it comes to owning a decent TV there are a few options, an LCD, Plasma and an LED. However, there will be a new type of TV to add to that list very soon as information has leaked about Sony’s 2010 / 2011 Roadmap of their OLED and XBR Series LCD TVs.
Let us hope that you have some very deep pockets though, as these new range of TVs will not come cheap. According to Engadget, all of the sets that appear on the roadmap have been listed as prototypes, so some of the TVs on the list could be dropped before they get to retail.
Sony already has the 11-inch XEL-1 OLED TV, but this TV is now two years old and LG have bested this with their 15-inch OLED TV, along with a 20-inch version coming in 2010. Sony have the KDL-ZX marked down in their roadmap, but we are unsure what screen size this will be. According to oled-display.net, they believe that this could be the 21-inch version that was on show at the Japan Display Show 2009.
The most exciting news for those of us who cannot afford an OLED TV is the range of new XBR series; this is Sony’s flagship range. The two that stand out for us is the XBR11 LED W-backlit LCD and XBR12 Advanced LED RGB-backlit LCD, screen sizes will be from 32 to 60-inches.
Sony has released several new 3D TV's. The new TVs use shutter glasses to bring the 3D effect in to the living room. Sony has opted to use proprietary high frame rate screens which can provide full HD 3D images.
As with all things 3D at the moment, Sony isn't letting the 3D TV's go for cheap. On top of the high price tag you also need to purchase 3D glasses which cost $150 a pair and a 3D sync transmitter that costs $50. The $50 transmitter will be required on all but the high-end TV which has the feature built in.
The big screen of them all is the Sony Bravia XBR-LX900 series which comes with the mentioned transmitter along with two pairs of active shutter glasses. This particular series comes in two sizes starting with the 52 inch model costing $4000 and the 60 inch version costing $5000.
The models which do not have the built in transmitter include the XBR-HX909 which comes at 52 and 46 inches in size. These cost $4000 and $3500. The KDL-HX800 screens come in three sizes of 55, 46 and 40 inches selling for $3400, $2700 and $2100 although none of these particular screens come with glasses or a transmitter, so depending on how many people will be watching the screen, you might need to spend several hundred more to get 3D fully up and running.
As well as launching a bunch of 3D TV's, Sony also announced an application that can run on your iPhone and soon, Android based device and take control of various media players that Sony is also launching soon.
Sony expects that 3D televisions will make up between 30 percent and 50 percent of all sets it sells in the financial year that begins in April 2012, a senior executive said late last week. The goal further indicates Sony's confidence in 3D entertainment ahead of a roll-out of the technology next year.
Sony first announced its 3D ambitions in early September when President and CEO Howard Stringer said the company planned to launch 3D-capable Bravia TV sets and Blu-ray Disc players as well as adding 3D to the PlayStation 3. Sony's plans for the latter two products are already becoming clear: the Blu-ray Disc Association is working on a 3D disc standard while Sony plans to add 3D to all models of the PlayStation 3 via a firmware update.
On the TV side, perhaps the largest and most important part of the picture, Sony hadn't disclosed many details but now that picture is starting to come into focus.
The 3D-compatible sets will include a small piece of additional hardware that enables them to show 3D content but they'll also work as conventional television sets, said Hiroshi Yoshioka, executive deputy president of Sony and head of the unit that includes its TV business, in an interview. Yoshioka didn't elaborate on the additional hardware but said it would only add a little to the production cost of the TV set.
By far the biggest expense for 3D viewing will be the glasses that are required to produce the illusion of a three-dimensional image. Those could cost up to around US$200 and won't necessarily be bundled with a television. By selling the glasses separately Sony will be able to keep its 3D-compatible sets competitive with other sets while only requiring a higher outlay from customers who want to experience 3D content.
Yoshioka stressed that Sony has yet to determine the premium for 3D-compatible sets and whether it will bundle the glasses or sell them separately. But the TV business is perhaps the most price-sensitive of all of Sony's product areas, particularly in the U.S. market, so the company will likely want to keep additional costs down.
Sony's TV business has been losing money for six years but Stringer committed this month to turning a profit on televisions in the next financial year, which runs from April 2010 to March 2011. Success with 3D will be vital if Sony is to accomplish its goal of grabbing a 20 percent share of the LCD TV market within the next three years.
"It's all up to the contents," said Yoshioka.
Sony's 3D plans revolve around gaming, movies and sports. Sony is already working on gaming with the PlayStation 3 upgrade plans and its movies division, Sony Pictures, is already producing 3D movies. If history is any indicator, sports is an additional area where users are willing to pay a little more money for a better experience.
The company's existing relationship with broadcasters through its movie division and TV production house could serve well in promoting 3D but even if it doesn't there will be a secondary route to 3D-capable sets. Sony is expanding its PlayStation Network service to cover its televisions and will launch a new content delivery service next year that will pump movies, TV shows and other video content directly into Bravia TVs and Blu-ray Disc players from its own servers.
Smaller-scale experiments have already taken place in the U.S., where Sony recently offered its "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" movie to Internet-linked Bravia TVs ahead of the DVD release.
"So far there is a good response," said Yoshioka of the trial.
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