Sony reveals its 2016 4K HDR TV line-up at CES

Sony has lifted the lid on its 2016 range of TVs, and it looks as though they could be some of Sony’s best yet, with nearly all of its 4K range coming with built-in HDR support. Topping the range is the XD93, which is the first TV to use Sony’s brand-new Slim Backlight Drive technology to deliver first class picture quality while still keeping dimensions down to almost OLED-sized proportions.

Available in 55in and 65in screen sizes, the XD93’s Slim Backlight Drive uses a grid-array backlighting system which can boost and dim the backlight to create brighter whites and deeper blacks when combined with Sony’s X-tended Dynamic Range Pro software, producing up to 3x the brightness range of your average LED TV. It can also manage the distribution of light more accurately in each of its specific zones while still maintaining its sleek bezels, something that was previously only possible with full-array backlighting systems, according to Sony. 

Of course, Sony still needs somewhere to house the bulk of its hardware, so the XD93 is a fraction fatter towards the lower half of the screen, but it’s still slim enough to lie almost completely flush against the wall if you don’t want to use the stand. Alternatively, for those that like keeping their TV on a table or stand, the XD93’s removable rear stand cover can neatly hide all your outgoing cables, helping to keep your home cinema setup nice and tidy.  

The XD93 also supports HDR, making it primed and ready for Netflix and Amazon Instant Video’s current and forthcoming batch of 4K HDR shows. Likewise, its 4K Processor X1 image processing engine should also help when it comes to boosting the amount of detail you see onscreen, as Sony says this will be capable of dynamically adjusting the resolution, clarity, richness and contrast of your image on the fly.

Much like Sony’s 2015 range of TV, the XD93 is powered by Android TV, so you’ll be able to access nearly all of your favourite Google Play apps straight from your TV. You can also use Google Cast to watch content from your smartphone on the XD93 if your intended app still hasn’t made the transition to Android TV yet. At least searching for apps should be relatively straightforward, though, as Sony has built Voice Search straight into the main remote, allowing you to search for films, programmes, change channels, switch inputs and more with the touch of a button. 

The XD93 doesn’t have an exact price or release date just yet, but Sony expects it to launch across Europe later this spring.