Sony 2020 TV range preview

Sony 2020 TV range

Sony has begun rolling out its Sony 2020 TV range, and it looks impressive.

The Sony 2020 TV range identifier is ‘H’ – 2019 was ‘G’. We won’t see these for a while, but it helps to know what is coming.

In some respects Sony is going its own way – not a Quantum Dot screen in sight, instead using full-array backlit VA-LED panels in premium models and of course LG sourced OLED Panels. But it rightly says that its what’s inside that counts.

Features (on most Sony 2020 TV models)

  • X1 Ultimate Chipset or X1
  • Pixel Contrast Booster
  • Dolby Atmos decoding
  • Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10, HLG
  • Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit
  • Android 9 TV OS (unsure of an update to Android 10 for AV1 decoding to be used by Netflix, YouTube and others
  • LCD – Side frame speaker
  • OLED – Acoustic surface speaker
  • OLED – Auto-calibration via the CalMAN software but you will need the right equipment.
  • Netflix Calibrated Mode
  • 4K/8K Upscaling
  • 120Hz Black Frame Insertion (for 120Hz models)
  • Ambient light optimisation (for premium models)
  • 8K HDMI eARC 2.1 for 8K@60fps or 4K@120fps
  • 4K – HDMI 2.0b
  • New stand feet on 75/85” to allow for flat or soundbar under
  • Wi-Fi AC and BT 4.2
  • ATSC 3.0 tuner/HDMI 2.1 on X900H only

You can find some basic information on each model at Sony Asia website here.

Australian Models

  • Z8H – 8K VA-LCD, X1 Ultimate, frame tweeter, 75/85
  • A9H – 4K, OLED, X1 Ultimate, (could be called A9G as it is a 48” version of the 2019 model)
  • A8H – 4K, OLED, X1 Ultimate, 55/65” (this is the main OLED for 2020)
  • A85H/87/89 4K – no info but appears to be regional variants of OLED
  • X950H Premium 4K Advanced Full Array (FALD) VA-LED, X1 Ultimate, wide-angle, 49/55/65/75/85
  • X900H mid-range 4K Standard FALD IPS LCD, X1 Processor 55/65/75/85
  • X800H – entry-level 4K IPS LCD 43/49/55/65, 4K edge-lit IPS, X1 processor, 43/49/55/65/75/85

There may also be regional variants within the series.

Sony 2020 TV range
Note flat mount can be raised for a soundbar

GadgetGuy’s take – Sony 2020 TV range – a lot of choices

The scant information above does not do the Sony 2020 TV range justice.

For example, the OLED and top of the range VA-LED support Netflix Calibrated mode may support Dolby Vision IQ, have Apple/Google and Alexa support etc.

I particularly like Android TV for its huge range of apps, and it is now a very stable OS.

Sony products consistently rate well on GadgetGuy.

So now you have preliminary information on Sony, Samsung’s 2020 TV range and LG’s 2020 TV range that all show some innovations for 2020.

In the end, it comes down to picture quality, and that is why we hope to review most models when released.