Sony launches 3 new Bravia LCD HD ready TV ranges

Sony has sneaked out three new Bravia television ranges before CeBIT kicks off this week

6 March 2006 9:10 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Sony has sneaked out three new Bravia television ranges before CeBIT kicks off this week.

The new models, branded S, V and X are all HD ready and offer a host of features including built-in digital TV tuners and surround sound.

The S-Series, looks to be the entry level (if you can call it that) model and is HD-Ready with support for both 1080i and 720p HD signals.

All models in the range also feature an integrated Digital TV tuner for receiving free-to-air digital TV channels as well as a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) input for accepting uncompressed digital AV signals from an external source such as an HDTV set-top box. An additional HD15 input provides full PC compatibility. The range will include 26-inch, 32-inch, 40-inch and 46-inch screen versions.

The BRAVIA V-Series is very similar to the S range and includes just three models; a 32-inch, 40-inch and 46-inch sized screen.

The flagship seems to be the Bravia X range. Stand-out features include a Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCD panel, Live Colour Creation, which uses a wide spectrum backlight (WCG-CCFL) and the what Sony is calling the BRAVIA ENGINE EX, Sony's unique intelligent picture enhancement technology.

Capable of receiving 1080p signals, the BRAVIA X-Series twin HDMI inputs should ensure compatibility with the expanding HD environment.

All models in the range can receive free-to-air digital broadcasts via an integrated Digital TV (DVB) tuner. External HDTV and other AV sources can be input through a wide choice of connections.

In addition to the two HDMI connectors, there are three Scart and two Component interfaces, and a HD15 PC graphics input.

Prices and availability have yet to be set by Sony in the UK.