Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
69,066
40,104


Sony today announced the upcoming launch of several new 2020 4K and 8K sets TV, including the 8H 8K LED, A8H and MASTER Series A9S OLED, and X950H and X900H 4K LED televisions.

All of the new TVs offer support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. With AirPlay 2 support, the new TVs will be able to interact with other AirPlay 2 devices such as the HomePod or AirPlay 2-enabled speakers for multi-device whole home audio.

sony2020tvs-800x508.jpg

HomeKit support allows the Sony TVs to show up in the Home app and respond to Siri voice commands for doing things like changing volume and turning the TV on and off.

Sony started rolling out HomeKit and AirPlay 2 support to some of its existing 2018 and 2019 TVs in December, but the 2020 models will support it out of the box. While the 2020 TVs will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, there is no mention of Sony introducing the Apple TV app on Sony TVs.

According to Sony, the 2020 TV lineup will include features that have previously been limited to the MASTER series models, with the company aiming to deliver a more immersive viewing experience. Features will include Sony's Picture Processor X1, Triluminos Display, Sound-from-Picture Reality, Netflix Calibrated Mode, and IMAX Enhanced for an IMAX experience at home.

A new feature called Ambient Optimization is also included for optimizing picture and sound quality in any environment, and all of the new TVs will use Sony's new Immersive Edge design concept with a minimalist stand.

TV sizes will range from 48 inches to 85 inches, with full details on each TV available via Sony's press release. Sony plans to introduce these TVs in the spring of 2020, and pricing will be available at that time.

Article Link: CES 2020: Sony Unveils New 4K and 8K TVs with HomeKit and AirPlay 2 Support
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Marty_Ventura
It's great that Apple is licensing Airplay to TV manufacturers. Surprising move on Apple's part, as negates Apple TV, but Apple is interested in services revenue now...
 
  • Like
Reactions: profets and timme
We can't even get 1080P content consistently and there is 8K.

Most people watch a lot of 1080i and 720p content if they watch any cable/network TV.

Yeah, It’s going to be a while for here until we can watch every sports game in 4K. 8K content will eventually come to the masses but in my opinion will be limited to streaming services like NETLIX. Though I‘ve heard the 2020 Olympics will be in 8K and a broadcasting company in Japan has made the the permanent switch to 8k. Not sure what percentage of Japanese have an 8K set though. 8K for the viewer from what I’ve heard is only really good for TVs 75” or larger.
 
Yeah, It’s going to be a while for here until we can watch every sports game in 4K. 8K content will eventually come to the masses but in my opinion will be limited to streaming services like NETLIX. Though I‘ve heard the 2020 Olympics will be in 8K and a broadcasting company in Japan has made the the permanent switch to 8k. Not sure what percentage of Japanese have an 8K set though. 8K for the viewer from what I’ve heard is only really good for TVs 75” or larger.

Not much good have 8K and compressing it to 1080i quality, which is what we currently get with 1080p over the air. When we sampled cable a few years ago, it was just as bad. It will be 10 years before the internet will be capable of 8k without crippling compression.
 
Not much good have 8K and compressing it to 1080i quality, which is what we currently get with 1080p over the air. When we sampled cable a few years ago, it was just as bad. It will be 10 years before the internet will be capable of 8k without crippling compression.
4K content is becoming more prevalent with live TV. Particularly with live sports. Fox and NBC are leading that charge. ESPN doing a little. The games I've watched in 4K are beautiful. A definite step up.

4K on Netflix, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime is everywhere. It's rare I watch something that isn't in 4K these days.

That said, you're exactly right. The world isn't ready for 8K. The internet speeds aren't the problem though. It's the data caps and infrastructure. Everyone is gearing up to adopt 4K across the board though. I expect in ~5 years it will be the standard for HD.

I also imagine network TV will skip 8K just like they skipped 1080p.
 
I have zero interest in 8K for TV at this point. The only use I'd have for it is as a >30" computer monitor, which itself is overkill in most cases.
 
It's great that Apple is licensing Airplay to TV manufacturers. Surprising move on Apple's part, as negates Apple TV, but Apple is interested in services revenue now...

I wouldn't say it full negates the Apple TV. there are quite a few programs/apps/channels that are still on the Apple TV at this point. This is very similar to CarPlay integration.

I'm curious about the AirPlay video streaming/mirroring, this would be nice to have in a office/spare room
 
  • Like
Reactions: FriendlyMackle
We can't even get 1080P content consistently and there is 8K.

Most people watch a lot of 1080i and 720p content if they watch any cable/network TV.
So what you're saying is the egg shouldn't exist before the chicken? Or wait, maybe you're saying the chicken shouldn't exist before the egg? Or maybe you're just saying we shouldn't have 8K at all, ever?
 
Japan has made the the permanent switch to 8k.
And that may be why there seem to be so many 8k TVs hitting the market now. People who have the money in the U.S. might get one now for the bragging rights, but there really isn't anything to watch on them. And by the time there's a lot of content for them, the price will have steeply dropped.

8K is the now the new thing - soon to be replaced by 16K and then home IMAX. There's no end to it

I think the end is when a viewer can no longer tell the difference. The human eye can resolve only so much detail. After that there's no point to increasing resolution. Just as with phones, we might see home screens continue to increase in size. But even then, walls are only so big.
 
Yeah, It’s going to be a while for here until we can watch every sports game in 4K. 8K content will eventually come to the masses but in my opinion will be limited to streaming services like NETLIX. Though I‘ve heard the 2020 Olympics will be in 8K and a broadcasting company in Japan has made the the permanent switch to 8k. Not sure what percentage of Japanese have an 8K set though. 8K for the viewer from what I’ve heard is only really good for TVs 75” or larger.
Japan makes the US look like a third world country.
[automerge]1578358161[/automerge]
So what you're saying is the egg shouldn't exist before the chicken? Or wait, maybe you're saying the chicken shouldn't exist before the egg? Or maybe you're just saying we shouldn't have 8K at all, ever?
I don’t know. I’m honestly pissed the broadcasted TV sucks so much. Give me 32K...I just want all of it in the best quality. Sports bring in 1080i is a total joke, which is 75% of my viewing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FriendlyMackle
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.