Cheryl K. Goodman, head of Sony Electronics U.S. public relations, receives HD Guru’s Best OLED TV of CES 2018 Award for the Sony A8F 4K OLED TV Series (model on bottom) from the HD Guru – Gary Merson.
UPDATE! After contacting Sony for confirmation, the company has pulled down its previously listed new OLED TV prices from its web site.
According to a company spokesman: “A8F OLED pricing has not yet been announced. If you saw any information posted to our website it was premature and not official.”
At least he didn’t say, “fake news.”
For those interested, we are leaving up the original story (see below). Given the change, keep in mind that the previously listed prices may be subject to change:
Sony revealed pricing this week on its Bravia A8F 4K Ultra HD OLED TVs, which recently earned HD Guru’s Best OLED TV of CES 2018 award.
The announcement came on the heels of the pricing announcements for Sony’s previously reported Bravia XBR X900F and X850F series 4K Ultra HD LED-LCD TVs.
The A8F models, which have most of the same picture quality enhancements and unique sound system of last year’s A1E, start with the 55-inch model, which rings in at a $2,999.99 suggested retail price. That’s $201 more than the current selling price for last year’s 55-inch A1E 4K OLED, which continues in the line.
The 65-inch XBR-65A8F carries a $3,999.99 suggested retail price, which is $501.99 more than the current selling price of $3,498 for the 65-inch Bravia XBR-65XA1E.
Sony does not make a 77-inch version in the new A8F series, but the 77-inch Bravia XBR-77A1E currently sells for $12,998.
The primary differences between the new A8F and A1E models of comparable size is that the older models have a built-in stand/wall mount. This stand tilts the panel backward like a framed picture when in table-top mode. The A1E stand coverts to a wall mount, but the design makes the screen stand out from the wall more than new OLED models and most of Sony’s 4K UHD LED-LCD TV models.
The new A8F OLEDs have a stand that presents the screen in a more traditional upright fashion, while the screen can be mounted flatter against a wall.
Read more about the pricing on Sony’s A8F OLED models after the jump:
Beyond the cosmetic changes, the new A8F 4K OLED sets include dual built-in subwoofers instead a single subwoofer in A1E series’ Acoustic Surface sound system. The on-board sound technology in both series effectively turns the ultra-thin OLED screen into stereo speakers that produce sounds that appear to follow objects around the screen.
Like the A1E, which won HD Guru’s Best OLED of CES 2017, the A8F models produce highly impressive deep black levels with good brightness highlights, highly accurate colors and some of the best video processing and upconversion available in a flat-panel television.
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Unlike LED-LCD TVs that represent the bulk of televisions available in the market today, OLED technology is self-emissive, meaning the panels generate their own light allowing highly accurate control of light levels ranging from total darkness to more than 570 nits of peak luminance.
Both Sony OLED series have built-in Android TV smart TV platforms with Chromecast capability, AI voice control that activates Google Assistant circuitry by pressing a mic button on the remote. The sets also connect with Google Home and Amazon Alexa smart speakers, for additional voice control options. For high dynamic range, the A8F OLEDS continue to support for HDR10, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) and Dolby Vision HDR profiles. Dolby Vision capability will follow this summer in a firmware update.
Availability is listed only as “soon.”
By Greg Tarr
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