BORACAY, Aklan — Competitors may harp about the Internet functions and 3D features of their TVs, but Japanese electronics brand Sony would rather go back to basics and improve the picture quality of their TV sets, starting with how close they mimic color in real life.
This was the message sent by Sony Philippines President and General Manager Yasushi Asaoka during the launch of their new Bravia TVs here, headlined by models that include a new color-production technology called “Triluminos,” which the company claims provides a wider spectrum of colors for TVs.
“Sony has constantly set the benchmark on delivering the best television experience; this time, we are bringing picture to life with a breathtaking palette of rich, natural colors never before seen on a television,” Asaoka said as he unveiled Sony’s new lineup of Bravia TVs.
The Triluminos technology, developed internally by Sony engineers, extends the available color palette viewable on TV screens so that it comes just a little bit closer to the color spectrum that can be seen by the human eye.
Executives said that through this development, images viewed on the Triluminos-powered screens give off bolder shades of red, darker hues of blue, and more natural colors of green. Models that carry this technology include the 4K-powered X9004A, as well as the W945A and the W904A. All will be available in the Philippines come June.
“We decided on investing on picture quality because we think that’s how we can stand out,” Asaoka said during an interview with reporters. “We didn’t want to just go with fringe features such as Internet functions and 3D technology.”
The Sony Philippines head honcho, himself an expert on Sony’s Bravia line of televisions, was referring to competitors such as South Korean firms Samsung and LG, which have both been overplaying the Internet connectivity and 3D functions of their TV products. More than being key differentiators, Asaoka said these specifications are mere “features” that do not add value to the product.
“In fact, all of our new TVs also have these features,” he stressed, pointing out that more than just these features, Sony’s Bravia line truly excels in picture quality.
Changing demographic
Larry Secreto, director of sales and marketing at Sony Philippines, added that this trend is merely aided by the change in consumer demographic, as households with younger members increasingly prefer to purchase TV sets that come with these new features.
But Asaoka stressed that they do not want to play in that game, even if it means that their products are priced a little bit higher than their competitors.
“We noticed that the Philippine economy is growing, so people have more spending power and are choosing TV sets with larger screens, even if they are more expensive,” he explained. Historically, according to Asaoka, the TV market is dominated by 32-inch screens and below, but consumer demand in recent years had indicated a move toward larger screens, such as those measuring 46 inches and above.
In this space, Sony has a formidable player in the form of the KD-84X9000, an 84-inch ultra-HD TV set that is built on top of 4K technology, or the video standard that contains four times the pixel count of traditional 1080p Full HD videos.
But to up the ante, the company announced here the upcoming availability of the Bravia X9004A, a 4K TV set that will be available in 55-inch and 65-inch models and will be priced significantly lower than the 84-inch model’s P1.2 million price tag.
“This is our way of bringing 4K technology to more mainstream users,” executives said.
On top of superior picture quality, Secreto said they had also tried to bring existing sound technology to their new 4K TV sets, particularly in the use of “magnetic fluid” speaker technology that reduces vibrations and therefore eliminating unwanted sound coming from the TV’s sound system.
“In CRT TVs, the entire TV box is part of how a TV produces sound,” Secreto explained. “But after changing from CRT TVs to LED TVs, the form factor has become very slim, and customers started complaining about the sound.”
With the magnetic fluid technology, Sony uses proprietary digital signal processing that can fit into slim LCD screens and produce similar — if not better — sounds as CRT TVs.
Sony hopes that these new models will propel the company and its TV line back to its luster about two decades ago, as it guns for double-digit growth in their TV business this year in the hopes of leaving its third spot in the local market in terms of market share.
source: interaksyon.com
