Heron Fidelity

Updated March 19, 2016: pricing and specs

Sony has a mature and compelling 4K ecosystem. The company has developed and delivered everything from professional capture equipment with some of the best cameras and edit gear, consumer and commercial content distribution, and great TVs and projectors. For 2016, Sony's best TVs are ready to present today's best sources of ultra-high definition (UHD) entertainment with full fidelity while standing ready for the soon-to-be flood of high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut (WCG) content.

Sony's 2016 premium TV lineup shares some common tech traits including:

• Android TV operating system (OS)
• Google Cast support
• Voice Search/Voice Command
• HDR compatibly
• Home automation control via Harmony Hub

Owners regularly bemoaned the instability of Sony's implementation of Android TV on its 2015 televisions, but I do appreciate its look and feel compared to previous user interface (UI) designs. Google Cast makes it simple to share and display content from a mobile device, Mac/PC, or Chromebook on the big screen.

Best 2016 TVs + Tech

2016 XBR TVs
The Sony XBR-X930D Series and XBR-X940D TV feature ultra-thin bezel designs and clean cable management options - they want to make sure it looks good on its stand or hung on a wall. The X930D TVs include screen sizes of 55-inches and 65-inches while the X940D is only available in a 75-inch size. These TVs can accept and process HDR video signals with increased brightness, contrast, and color saturation compared to any previous Sony television. One differentiator between the X930D TVs and the X940D is in the implementation of the Slim Backlight Drive system - the X930Ds utilizes an edge-lit LED backlight with dual light guide plates to provide greater light output and granularity of its local dimming capabilities, and the X940D features full array local dimming. The X940D's full array backlight should provide improved contrast and brightness compared to the X930D TVs, and the 940's full array should also provide better off-axis contrast performance as well.

XBR-X850D Series
The Sony XBR-X850D features more screen size options (55-inches, 65-inches, 75-inches, and 85-inches), and it should prove to be a good balance of price and capabilities for an HDR-compatible UHD TV. The X850D TVs are edge-lit without local dimming capabilities, so I'm tempering my off-axis viewing expectations regarding brightness and picture contrast. However, with Android TV also powering the X850D, it may become a popular option for budget-minded videophiles shopping for a smart TV.

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Updated March 31, 2016: availability and 3D

Samsung introduced its premium SUHD line of televisions in 2015 that improved the image quality of previous designs with technology to enhance color, increase brightness, and to provide a better-optimized interface for a screen with more than 8-million pixels. Today, Samsung Electronics introduces a flagship TV and Blu-ray player that seek to deliver a best-in-class viewing experience for the maturing ultra-high definition (UHD) video format.

The Samsung KS9500 SUHD TV series is the successor to the simply stunning JS9500 that continues to wow our eyes. The design of the KS9500 (pictured above) retains the elegant Y-shaped matte-finished metal base stand, but the screen perched upon it now features a unique "bezel-less curved design" that keeps a viewer's attention firmly on those new pixels. While the top and sides of the KS9500's frame are indeed nearly imperceptible when viewed from the front, the bottom edge is just wide enough to center a Samsung badge.

Interesting specs for the KS9500 include:

• 10-bit VA-type LCD
• Sizes: 55-inches, 65-inches
• 1000-nit minimum (HDR playback)
• Quantum dot color
• Ultra Black anti-reflection tech
• 4200mm radius screen curve (55-inch+)
• HDMI 2.0a/HDCP 2.2

One item conspicuously missing from Samsung's 2016 premium TVs is support for viewing 3D content - the general lack of popularity of this feature and cost savings are the most likely reasons for its abandonment.

The KS9500's enhanced 10-bit panel is aiming for a "1000-nit minimum" of light output - a significant increase compared to Samsung's 2015 edge-lit TVs. This performance is achieved through improved efficiency of the blue LEDs in its backlight unit (BLU) as well as the ability for that light to more easily penetrate the color-enhancing quantum dot-impregnated film. For more information about quantum dot technology, please see this helpful article. These are impressive brightness claims that a Samsung representative said were obtained when displaying a 10% window - I was pressed to measure ~900-nits on the 2015 JS9500 when displaying a smaller, less challenging 2% window.

Best 2016 TVs + Tech

The Ultra Black technology of the KS9500 is a "moth's eye" layer of film that features nano-scale patterns made of up structures smaller than the wavelength of visible light. This surface structure mimics the characteristics of a moth's eye and enables the screen surface to prevent strong sources of external light from creating harsh reflections. Sharp Electronics has made impressive demonstrations of moth's eye tech since at least 2012, and anything that can help an LCD minimize glare and reflection will improve perceived picture quality and display efficiency.

Curved screen TV designs are about as polarizing of a home theater topic as I've encountered in recent years. Samsung will continue to utilize curved LCDs for its premium offerings. However, it is slightly reducing the radius of the curve for screen sizes 55-inches and larger. The KS9500 Series is available in screen sizes of 55-inches and 65-inches.

2016 Vizio SmartCast P-Series TVs

Review: Samsung's Best 2015 TV

Under the hood, Samsung's TIZEN operating system (OS) has received some upgrades and a new look.

Paired with a new Samsung Smart Control remote that increases the robustness of its universal control features and offers a simplified setup through connected device detection, the 2016 Smart Hub requires less digging to get at frequently viewed content and apps. Other features of the refreshed interface include:

• PlayStation Now - quality gaming without the console
• EXTRA Service - additional content information
• Smart View - upgraded Android/iOS sharing app
• NeuLion-enabled - live UHD sports streaming
• IoT (Internet of Things) hub - connect/control 200+ devices

I appreciated seeing some 2014 and 2015 Samsung UHD TVs receive the PlayStation Now update as it finally delivers a quality gaming experience without the need for console hardware - just add a controller. And live UHD sports streaming via NeuLion?!? I'll take some of that!

Review: A Great Bluetooth Speaker

The era of the Ultra HD Blu-ray Player has arrived. The Samsung UBD-K8500 is an ideal match for a TV like the company's KS9500. The K8500 is HDR compatible and content will be encoded to take advantage of the gigantic Rec.2020 color space (that a TV will conform to its hardware capabilities.) A prototype unit I previewed featured dual HDMI ports - the additional port for audio-only output to a compatible AV receiver. Visually-speaking, the HDR demo video previewed was a scene from A Million Ways to Die in the West, and the combination of a staggeringly high bitrate, HDR visuals, and wide color gamut were pure eye candy. Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures, and Warner Brothers have all announced plans to release dozens of Ultra HD Blu-ray titles in 2016. The UBD-K8500 is available now.

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Updated August 9, 2016: images, specs, and availability

LG is in a unique position with its OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display technology - OLED produces epic picture contrast and color saturation in a design that can be a scant few millimeters thin. Critically, LG is the only company currently shipping OLED TVs to consumers - Panasonic will join the OLED ranks later in 2016 starting with European customers.

For 2016, LG brings a new generation of 4K OLED TVs under its Signature line of premium products. LG's 2016 4K OLED TVs and its new LG SUPER UHD LCDs support all current formats of high dynamic range (HDR) video including HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The 2016 4K OLEDs have also received "Ultra HD Premium" certification under the requirements of the UHD Alliance (UHDA) that specify minimum brightness and black levels, input capabilities, and HDR format support - this certification will be the label to look for when shopping for the most future-proof 2016 TVs. The only 1080p OLED model in LG's 2016 lineup will be the EG9100 carried over from 2015.

Best 2016 TVs + Tech

Best 2016 LCDs: LG Electronics

Additional features common to all 2016 LG 4K OLED TVs:

• 10-bit panel
• 10-bit processing
• RGBW sub-pixel structure
• BT.2020 gamut support
• 14% wider gamut than 2015 OLED
• Forward-firing speakers (G6/E6)
• Crystal back cover (G6/E6)
• 2.57mm thin
• webOS 3.0

The LG G6 OLED TV (pictured above) is the company's flagship TV for 2016. It's difficult to express in words how important black level is for impressive video reproduction, and the ability for LG's new OLEDs to achieve a nearly imperceptible measurement of 0.0008-nits is clearly appreciated when viewing in dimly lit environments where the eye is most sensitive to light. OLED's superb black level also has the added benefit of making colors appear more richly saturated - the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect.

All of LG's 2016 OLED TVs continue to feature a RGBW (RGB+white) subpixel structure comprised of white OLED material topped with a color filter. The use of a white-only OLED material simplifies manufacturing (compared to discrete RGB OLED pixels) while enabling increased brightness. The G6 will be available in screen sizes of 65-inches and 77-inches. LG failed to deliver a 77-inch OLED in 2015, so the G6 will likely be the first to break the 65-inch retail barrier.

One clever design touch with the G6's harman/kardon-enhanced AV base is the ability to fold back and out of the way for a wall mount installation. With the base in its standard position for table top use, the speakers are front-firing for improved audio performance. The back cover of the G6 and E6 TVs is a glass sheet that the ultra thin OLED panels are attached to. This durable "crystal" back can be further enhanced with static artwork as was demonstrated (below), however, LG provided no time frame for when or if this adornment would be made available to potential owners.

Review: LG Portable LED Projector

Signature E6
LG's new E6 OLED TV (pictured below) brings similar harman/kardon audio enhancements and translucent glass back cover as the G6. Screen size options with the E6 series include 55-inches and 65-inches. Like the G6 series, the E6 is also a flat screen design.

Sources of HDR UHD content continue to grow, and LG highlighted content from YouTube, Amazon, and over-the-air via ATSC 3.0 technology. Below is a short clip of the new E6 series 4K OLED TV in action - pardon the funky background music, but I felt it sounded better than the loud mess of a crowded show floor.

Curved OLED
Of course, there has to be a curved 4K OLED option in LG's 2016 lineup, and the LG C6 OLED TV series is it. Also available in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, the C6's "blade slim" curved design will appeal to fans of the curved shape, and I find curved TVs are better at minimizing distracting room light reflections.

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If you are looking for the best flat screen OLED deal in LG's 2016 lineup, then the LG B6 OLED TV is for you. Available in 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes, this "blade slim" flat design isn't scheduled to appear until later this year, and it should prove to be a very popular option going into the Summer season. Given the minor grumbling about the above-average video lag with LG's 2015 OLED TVs (~50ms), it will be interesting to see if the new designs can cut that in half or more.

OLED Signage
LG's display division also demonstrated a variety of advanced OLED designs including prototypes with plastic substrates that enabled flexible display designs that could be (gently) rolled up. Dual-sided (and very slim) OLED displays were also demonstrated, and convex/concave signage demonstrations using several OLED panels tiled together proved very eye-pleasing (below).

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Highlights: 2016 Sharp LCDs feature curved screens, local dimming, and quantum color

Sharp's TV business in the Americas has been acquired by Chinese TV manufacturer Hisense, and Sharp's 2016 TV lineup may represent the last "pure" offering from the company before the brand takes new direction. That said, Sharp's best 2016 televisions will offer the latest in picture quality enhancements and advanced multimedia capabilities.

A new UI
Sharp's 2016 HD and ultra-high definition (UHD) televisions have received a user interface (UI) make over that makes better use of higher screen resolutions. The result appears to provide a cleaner look that finally does away with the clunky retro-looking menus of past designs.

Ideally, the clean interface presented above extends to all sub-menus for a consistent presentation.

Best 2016 TVs + Tech

The Flagship - AQUOS N9000 Series
The Sharp N9000 series UHD TVs feature the company's SPECTROS quantum dot technology for producing chromatically-rich white light that enables improved brightness efficiency and color saturation. The N9000 series also marks the first time the company has offered HDR compatibility in both flat and curved screen design options.

Other N9000 series features include:

• Full array local dimming backlight
• High-dynamic range (Open HDR spec)
• Quantum dot color (91% Rec.2020)
• 2x2 dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac
• dbx-tv sound
• 8-core processor
• VP9 and HEVC decoding
• 4K media support
• App store + web browser

The 65-inch Sharp AQUOS N9000U (LC-65N9000U - pictured above) is the company's first curved screen TV offering, and the addition of full array local dimming (FALD) should enable brightness and contrast on par with similarly spec'd premium LCD televisions like the Samsung JS9500 (read review). Good FALD isn't cheap or easy to do, but the resulting improvement in picture contrast makes it my favorite LCD feature. The 65-inch N9000U is expected to ship early-to-mid 2016 with a price of $3000 (MSRP).

If you are not a fan of curved TV screens, then the 70-inch Sharp AQUOS N9100 (LC-70N9100U - pictured above) gives you all of the same picture performance and features of the curved N9000 in a flat screen design. The 70-inch N9100U is expected to ship early-to-mid 2016 with price of $3300 (MSRP).

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Sharp AQUOS N8000 Series
Bringing more value to increasingly popular large UHD screen sizes, the Sharp AQUOS N8000 series televisions will feature fewer zones of local dimming compared to the company's flagship N9000 series while providing similar core specs and compatibility with HDR video sources. The N8000 (pictured below) achieves its wide color gamut (WCG) support through the use of optimized color filters and polarizers, and I'll be curious to see how the TV's color gamut coverage compares to other LCDs using quantum dot or phosphor-enhanced LED backlight systems. The 70-inch Sharp AQUOS N8100U (LC-70N8100U) has an MSRP of $2300 and is styled similarly to the N9100 pictured above.

The N8100 features a full array local dimming backlight system while its larger sibling, the 75-inch Sharp AQUOS N8000U (LC-75N8000U - pictured above) is edge-lit with local dimming capabilities. The Sharp LC-75N8000U has an MSRP of $3000.

Review: LG LED Projector

Sharp AQUOS N7000 Series
Sharp's N7000 series of UHD TVs is also HDR-ready but sacrifices wide color gamut support to be an even better value. The N7000 series features similar wireless networking, CPU power, sound, and multimedia support as Sharp's premium models. However, only the larger 70-inch Sharp AQUOS N7100U (LC-70N7100U) will feature full array local dimming while the smaller sized Sharp AQUOS N7000U series (pictured below) lack hardware local dimming altogether.

MSRP pricing for the Sharp AQUOS N7000 series TVs is as follows:

• 70-inch LC-70N7100U: $1,999.99
• 65-inch LC-65N7000U: $1,499.99
• 60-inch LC-60N7000U: $1,199.99
• 55-inch LC-55N7000U: $799.99
• 50-inch LC-50N7000U: $699.99
• 43-inch LC-43N7000U: $499.99

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Sharp N6000 Series
Rounding out Sharp's 2016 UHD TV offerings is the N6000 series. This series delivers many of the same base features of Sharp's premium 2016 TVs including an 8-core CPU, wireless networking, and apps. The N6000 TVs are also compatible with HDR-encoded content albeit without the wide color gamut or local dimming capabilities of more expensive models. The big deal here is attractive pricing for mid-sized UHD resolution LCDs.

• 55-inch LC-55N6000U: $749.99
• 50-inch LC-50N6000U: $599.99
• 43-inch LC-43N6100U: $449.99

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Updated March 19, 2016: 8K and HDR update

LG Electronics has introduced its premium 2016 lineup of ultra-high definition (UHD) LCDs branded under the moniker "LG SUPER UHD". LG's latest UHD TVs include four distinct series for North American markets with three of them highlighted for preview today. The fourth series is a "production-ready" 98-inch 8K TV - 4x the resolution of a regular UHD TV.

All of LG's 2016 Super UHD TVs will feature the company's latest LCD/LED picture technologies including:

• High-dynamic range (HDR10/PQ Curve compatible)
• Wide color gamut (WCG)
• Updated IPS panel
• 120Hz refresh rate
• HDMI 2.0a/HDCP 2.2
• Flat slim designs
• Edge-lit LED backlight
• SDR-to-HDR conversion engine
• webOS 3.0

One item of note above is HDR10 support: an LG representative stated that all of LG's 2016 OLED 4K TVs and SUPER UHD LCDs will support all current HDR formats including the Dolby Vision format supported by VUDU and soon Netflix. Amazon and YouTube HDR playback compatibility are also arriving in 2016.

Review: LG Portable LED Projector

webOS 3.0
Aiming for an interface that provides the user with "simple connection, simple switching, and simple discovery", LG's webOS 3.0 is paired with an upgraded Magic Remote that adds DVR controls and improved universal control. The webOS 3.0 platform introduces the following new updates and features:

• Magic Zoom - screen magnification without quality degradation
• Magic Mobile Connection - Android/iOS compatible streaming
• My Channels/Live Menu - check favorite channels easily
• Channel Plus - free over-the-top (OTT) content
• Channel Advisor - displays frequently viewed TV shows
• Multi-view - view two sources simultaneously
• Music Player - use TV speakers when display is off
• IoTV app (Internet of Things) - control compatible devices via TV

Among the many new features of webOS 3.0 that are listed above, I'll be looking to see if Multi-view allows for the use of two HDMI-connected source devices - something that most TVs are unable to utilize for picture-in-picture (PiP) or side-by-side simultaneous viewing.

Review: RIVA Turbo X

The lineup
LG's 2016 SUPER UHD TVs have transitioned away from the use of quantum dot technology to improve brightness efficiency and color saturation. Instead, these TVs will feature an upgraded phosphor-coated LED backlight system paired with a tighter, thicker color filter layer to expand color coverage for supporting 4K UHD video sources. LG claims this technology dubbed Color Prime Plus achieves 91% coverage of the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) color space that is used in commercial cinema. DCI's enhanced color (compared to HD) has become available via streaming 4K UHD video services as well.

UH9800
There aren't many details available about LG's production-ready 98-inch 8K Super UHD TV (model UH9800). Last year, LG demonstrated a very similar 98-inch 8K LCD that boasted an HDR-benefiting "ultra" luminance algorithm and a wide color palette. However, LG has announced that this TV will feature a superMHL port to wrangle an 8K video signal into this massively detailed screen.

Review: Vizio 5.1 Sound Bar System

UH9500
The flagship UH9500 series TVs feature LG's latest display improvements and design concepts. The 9500's bezel is a sliver-thin strip of trim with slightly rounded corners leaving the eyes to focus on its triple-filtered 10-bit screen that reduces glare and reflections by a claimed 50% better than last year's tech. Compared to LCD panels that operate at 8-bits per color channel or less, a 10-bit LCD should better reduce the appearance of banding and posterization artifacts.

Other noteworthy features of the UH9500 include:

• 10-bit panel/10-bit processing
• Color Prime Plus
• Ultra-thin chassis (6.6mm/0.22in)
• harman/kardon-enhanced audio
• "Magic Sound Tuning" room audio analyzer
• "Near invisible bezels"
• Screen sizes: 55- to 86-inches
• Triple layer anti-glare/low-reflection film

The "sound tuning" room audio analyzer has my attention - I'm hoping it uses the microphone on the remote to listen for setup tones (stay tuned!)

Review: Channel Master DVR+

The LG UH8500 also features the company's Color Prime Plus technology for a greater range of color saturation. However, instead of the UH9500's triple layer of anti-glare/low-reflection film, the UH8500 gets a double layer that LG claims provides a 40% improvement over 2015 TVs. Like the flagship UH9500, the UH8500 also features a 10-bit panel. Screen sizes for the UH8500 series are 55-inches and 60-inches. Note: the UH8500 was originally described as an 8-bit LCD - LG has since clarified that it is in-fact a 10-bit LCD.

Review: Samsung's Best 2015 TV

UH7700
Rounding out LG's Super UHD TV lineup is the UH7700 series that features the company's Color Prime technology (not Plus) that will presumably be slightly less colorful compared to the UH9500/UH8500 TVs. The UH7700 also features an 8-bit IPS panel with improved dithering to minimize artifacts like banding in fine gradients. Screen sizes for the UH7700 series are 49- to 65-inches.

Robert's Favorite Home Theater Gear

Updated: Great TV Deals

     This article will be updated as new information becomes available