Sony’s new range of Bravia XR television sets enables customers to watch and stream movies of the highest quality available in the consumer market, according to the new Bravia Core platform.
Bravia XR owners will be able to choose from a number of Sony Pictures titles and watch it with Sony’s “Pure Stream” technology, which according to Sony is an ‘almost lossless’ ultra-high definition Blu-ray disk quality achieved. Pure Stream also provides power up to 80 megabits per second. By comparison, most streaming services recommend maintaining an internet speed between 15 and 25 megabits per second to achieve true 4K Ultra HD streaming quality. If Sony’s numbers are accurate, it’s better than much of the competition.
The platform is preloaded on all new Bravia XR models (MASTER Series Z9J 8K LED, MASTER Series A90J and A80J OLED, and X95J and X90J 4K LED) and effectively uses a proof system. Depending on the model someone buys, they get a number of credits. These credits can be paid in for a number of new titles. It is unclear whether people can retain those titles after being purchased with the credits The edge contacted Sony for more information.
On the streaming front, Sony’s website states that customers can “stream a number of titles and as many times as you want, up to 4K HDR quality”, but there are limits to this as well. According to the website, the periods for availability of streaming depend on the purchased Bravia XR model.
Bravia Core is not going to replace Netflix, but it looks like it’s specifically designed to show customers the best capabilities of their new TV set. Similar to when you buy a TV with true 4K HDR features, and you play the best 4K YouTube channels to see the difference between your new set and the old clunker you just threw. According to Sony, Bravia XR TVs also have ‘the largest IMAX Enhanced movie collection’. However, it is unclear exactly how many films work out.