Sony Corp. has announced a total of nine new "J3000 Series" and "J5000 Series" products from its "BRAVIA" brand. The company has developed the AppliCast capability, with which the user can obtain information from websites in conjunction with TV programs and other video streamings being watched, and loaded it onto every model. "We designed the products for 'watching while doing something else,' which makes up about 1/3 of total TV watching time," said a company spokesperson. All of these new products also feature DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) client capability, with the focus placed on "proposing a new way of enjoying TV in the networking era," according to Sony.
The AppliCast is based on a mechanism similar to that which runs small-scale application software called "widget" or "gadget," which can be stationed on the PC desktop display. The capability can run software to acquire information from websites and other sources. Sony's partner companies develop such software using markup and script languages and distribute them through Sony's official website.
If a user chooses AppliCast from the "XMB (Cross Media Bar)" common GUI featured with Sony's AV products, the area displaying TV broadcast will become smaller and AppliCast list registered by the user will show up on the right side of the screen. Sony developed this execution environment by its own.
As applications provided through AppliCast, product search services on "Amazon.co.jp" and "Rakuten Ichiba," news, weather forecast and photo sharing services by So-net Entertainment Corp. and auction information and topics provision services on "Yahoo! Japan," among others, have already been selected.
The J3000 and J5000 Series have DLNA client capability (compatibility with "Digital Media Player" equipment class defined by the DLNA). The products therefore can stream video, still images and audio files stored in equipment supporting DLNA server capability (compatibility with 'Digital Media Server') through a home network. The TV products also feature website browser in compliance with "Networked TV Terminal Specification" formulated by the Networked Digital Television. This specification allows browsing of contents on "acTVila" TV portal site run by TV Portal Service Corp. Sony has released no more than two models that support the specification from "X1000 Series" before.
The J5000 Series features capability to reduce afterimage as well. By interpolating images between frames, the J5000 Series produces 120 fps video from 60 fps video. The series products also support another capability to convert Blu-ray Disc contents recorded at 24 fps, which is the common frame rate of motion pictures, to 120 fps by inserting 4 frames of interpolated images between frames. This technology prevents 24 fps movies from showing like being frame advanced.
Sony said the LCD panel employed this time is the first 10-bit panel that is manufactured by S-LCD Corp. of Korea, an LCD panel manufacturing JV formed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. of Korea and Sony. Compared to the previous 8-bit panels, gradation tones of each color have been boosted four times more.
Although processing has already taken place at 12-bit or higher gradation levels on image processing circuits, image outputting LCD panels could not cope with 10-bit driver ICs thus far. This panel has realized performance to meet 10-bit gradation image rendering. Sony said it expects to increase use of 10-bit panels from now.
As for basic performance, luminance is 450 cd/m2 and viewing angle extends to 178 degrees both horizontally and vertically, while contrast ratios are 1600:1 with 40- and 32-inch models from the J5000 and J3000 Series, 1300:1 with a 26-inch model and 1100:1 with a 20-inch model from J3000 Series. All these models boost contrast ratio by dynamically controlling luminance of the backlight in line with images on the screen.
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