A short preview of the newly announced Sony Bravia 7. This is the 65" model.
Location: 391 Orchard Rd Best Denki, #05-01/04, Singapore 238872, Takashimaya
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At the start of the video, the picture settings are configured to the following:
Mode: Standard
HDR Tone Mapping: Gradation Preferred
Brightness: Max
Peak Luminance: High
Local Dimming: Medium
1080p Test clips that were played in this video ranges from: Local Dimming Tests, Screen Uniformity Tests, Stress Sample Clips (Fireworks, OLED Clips), Gameplay Clips, & Movies.
Please note: Throughout the video, the exposure of the camera is increased and decreased manually multiple times via ISO and Shutter Speed to hunt for blooming while also trying to match what our eyes would see. (Tried my best to stick to 1/60 shutter speed as the video is captured at 30 FPS)
Was also moving from center, left and right positions to sample viewing angle and blooming.
[ First Impressions of the TV in a brightly lit store environment ]
Using the hockey dirty screen test clip, there doesn't seem to be the usual dark corners as commonly seen in previous Sony TVs such as the X90L and X90K. The screen of this display unit doesn't seem to exhibit extremely obvious uniformity issues.
During the Rocket League test clips (at 7:10) the 65" Bravia 7 seems to have a better local dimming system compared to the 65" X95L and X90L (more obvious on the X90), as the dimming zones doesn't behave crazily (brightening the entire car causing faint blooming) while attempting to illuminate the highlights of the car. This is an indication that there is likely an improvement due to the updated local dimming system.
Between the 65" Bravia 7 and 65" X95L (Both set to Vivid Mode), the Bravia 7 is noticeably brighter.
The colors on the Bravia 7 shifts earlier than the X95L while walking off angle.
More blooming was noticed on the Bravia 7 than the X95L, in scenes where it’s just a black background with text or objects e.g the Samsung Logo at the end of a demo video clip. However, in some test clips such as the Gameplay clip (Rocket League and Ark Survival Evolved), blooming seems to manifest around small highlights more on the X95L than on the Bravia 7. If these 2 TVs have the same amount of dimming zones, then I’m assuming it could be due to a different local dimming algorithm (how it reacts to fast moving objects and fast camera pans).
There seems to be differences in how the local dimming system behaves as explained above. At this moment, I’m leaning towards the Bravia 7 as the local dimming algorithm seems to behave better during the scenarios mentioned above and the fact that it is brighter than the X95L. (This might change as I continue to test both TVs in different stores)
Because of the stuff mentioned above, it is best I refrain from giving a definite answer on which is better between the Bravia 7 and X95L (blooming wise).
The Bravia 7 seems capable of intensely bright 10-40% window sized highlights with tolerable hazing/clouding, achieving dark scenes that look deep and contrasty (better than the X90L for sure). The overall image is more impactful on the Bravia 7 than on the X90L.
A semi-gloss coating is used on the Bravia 7 compared to the Bravia 9 and X95L's glossy coating. The semi-gloss coating is seen to be diffusing more reflected light, causing it to spread across a larger area of the screen than the glossy screen of the B9 and X95L.
To summarize this first impression, the Bravia 7 seems to be a good iteration (with trade-offs) to last year's Sony X95L. The Bravia 7 is noticeably brighter than the X95L. The Local Dimming behavior as explained above is different from the X95L. The X95L has better viewing angles, colors on the Bravia 7 begins to shift earlier than the x95L while walking off angle. It lacks the wide-angle filter, and it has a semi-gloss coating instead of a glossy coating on the X95L. Considering the lower price than the X95L and the fact that it looks better than the X90L, I'm tempted to get one!
Keep in mind these are first impressions (not a review) observed in a brightly lit store environment. Please wait for reviews from RTINGS, HDTVTest and DigitalTrends AND see it in person before making final judgement!
Additional Info related to Bravia 7 & 9:
It has been confirmed by the Sony Tech Department that the Bravia 7 will have the same Micro Circuit Backlight Drivers and Local Dimming algorithm as seen on the Bravia 9.
Source: Robert Zohn (Value Electronics) in my Bravia 9 Torture test video's comment section & Sony's official statements in their video at 57:39: kzfaq.infoHE0UNCfD...