Key Takeaways

• Bravia Core offers lossless 4K streaming at 80Mbps, providing higher quality than other popular streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.
• It has one of the largest libraries of IMAX Enhanced films, delivering movies with IMAX's signature picture, sound, and scale parameters.
• Bravia Core is available on select Sony TVs and offers credits for movie purchases, as well as a video-on-demand subscription service for a limited time.

When Netflix first popularized the concept of streaming our TV shows and movies instead of watching them as part of a broadcast schedule, things were much simpler. There was only one major streaming service available.

As more services joined the party, including big names such as Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Max, and Disney+, things became complicated. With many shows and movies being exclusive to specific streaming platforms, it can be hard to keep track of which services you need in order to be able to watch the shows you want. Shows that were once on Netflix may now only be available on a different streaming platform or seemingly not available on any service.

Sony has also created its own streaming service called Bravia Core (for now, at least), but it's a little different from the other services. In fact, it can offer something that most other streaming services can't. Here's why all good videophiles might find that Bravia Core is the streaming service for them.

What is Bravia Core?

When Sony launched its 2021 range of premium 4K TVs, it announced the Bravia Core streaming platform alongside it. This is a 4K streaming video service that comes built into every TV in its premium XR TV range, including its most recent line up. If you're wondering about the name, CORE stands for Center of Real Entertainment -- obviously.

You can find Bravia Core in a wide range of Sony TVs, including products in its Mini LED range, like the X95K from 2022, and those from its OLED and QD-OLED ranges, including the stunning A95L and the excellent A95K.

Unsurprisingly, the streaming service has a focus on movie content and pulls from the Sony Pictures catalog, both old and new. It also offers additional bonus content via its Studio Access special features, which include exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew.

What makes Bravia Core different from other streaming services?

With so many streaming services out there, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, is there really any need or demand for another? Sony thinks so, and offers a unique selling point that other streaming services can't match.

The killer feature is that Bravia Core offers lossless 4K streaming at up to 80Mbps. This is a speed that Sony says is comparable with 4K Blu-ray. It represents a huge jump up in the speeds offered by some other popular streaming services.

For example, Netflix initially had a maximum bitrate of 16Mpbs, before introducing a new method of encoding that uses even lower bitrates. Apple TV+ has one of the highest bitrates of popular streaming services, with 4K content streaming at around 25Mbps on average. Disney+, Max, and Amazon Prime all have bitrates that fall somewhere in between.

In comparison, Bravia Core can stream 4K content at around four times the bitrate of its competitors. This is down to high-quality streaming technology developed by Sony Pictures called Pure Stream, which can stream HDR content at up to 80Mpbs. This is much closer to Blu-ray discs, which are capable of running at up to 128Mpbs. The upshot is that Bravia Core can stream 4K content at higher quality than other streaming services are able to.

Does Bravia Core support IMAX Enhanced movies?

Sony Bravia Core doesn't just support the format, it also claims to be one of the largest libraries of IMAX Enhanced films. This is a format that uses IMAX's signature picture, sound, and scale parameters to deliver films in the way the director intended, especially those made for IMAX cinemas.

IMAX Enhanced is a format that's also found on Disney+, as well as 4K Blu-ray discs. It utilizes IMAX's proprietary Digital Media Remastering technology to reduce noise and grain and create the best picture for brighter, better displays, while sound is handled by Atmos rival, DTS:X. Finally, films shot and formatted for IMAX cinemas use the IMAX Expanded ratio of 1.90:1, which means slimmer black bars when watched back on your telly.

Sony Bravia XR TVs are certified by IMAX to meet the standards required for streaming IMAX Enhanced movies. For titles that aren't IMAX Enhanced, there's something called Bravia Core Calibrated Mode. This automatically tweaks picture settings to bring them as close to the creator's intent as possible, and supports both DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, too.

What movies can I watch?

There are over 450 movies available to watch on Bravia Core. Some of the popular titles you can buy or rent include:

• A Man Called Otto
• I Wanna Dance with Somebody
• The Woman King
• The Invitation
• The Son
• Turn Every Page
• Hotel Transyvania: Transformia
• Harold and the Purple Crayon
• Morbius
• Uncharted
• Spider-Man: No Way Home
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife
• Cinderella
• Venom
• Bloodshot
• The Equaliser 2
• Smurfs: The Lost Village
• Jumanji: The Next Level
• Missing
• The Pope's Exorcist
• No Hard Feelings
• Gran Turismo 5
• Insidious Chapter 5
• The Equaliser 3
• Kraven The Hunter
• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-verse (2024)
• Garfield (2024)
• The Karate Kid (2024)

Popular movies available in IMAX Enhanced include:

• Gran Turismo
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• 65 (Million Years Ago)
• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
• Bullet Train
• Uncharted
• Blade Runner 2049
• Ghostbusters
• Dracula
• A Few Good Men

How much does it cost?

Only Bravia XR TV owners can access Bravia Core, so if you're being strict with the criteria, the entry point is quite high. However, we don't suspect people will buy a TV to get access to the service, and it's far more likely that it'll appear as an attractive additional service once they've settled in with their new TV.

What TV you buy will determine how generous Sony is with its freebies for loyal customers. Each TV comes with credits that you can exchange for any of the movies in the Bravia Core collection. The number of credits you get differs depending on the model that you purchase.

In addition, you'll also get access to Bravia Core's video-on-demand subscription service for either 12 or 24 months. This service allows you to stream shows without using or purchasing credits, although there's a limited catalog.

All purchases made with your credits will be watchable until at least February 23rd, 2028. Currently, Sony says that the unlimited streaming will finish once your allotted time comes to an end, with no current way of extending it. However, some users have found that by resetting their TV and creating a new account, they have been able to get a new set of credits.

How do I get Bravia Core?

Bravia Core is available now on TVs sold in the US, UK, and Europe, but the option to rent newer movies is currently only available in UK, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, and Sweden, with more to be confirmed later.

To get the picture quality associated with Pure Stream, you will need an internet speed of 43Mbps or higher, and to hit the fastest speed of 80Mbps, you will need to connect to a Wi-Fi router that supports a wireless internet line speed of 115Mbps or higher.

If you were hoping to do that via a wired connection, Sony TVs are currently limited to 100Mbps using this connection, so to enjoy 80mbps with Pure Stream functionality, you will need to do so over Wi-Fi.

Even if you can't get the very best picture from the service, Bravia Core still adds a nice sweetener to the deal of buying a Sony TV in 2024. Despite its limitations, you can't grumble at a freebie, right?

Bravia Core no more?

If you've never heard of Bravia Core before, you may not hear about it for much longer, either. The service is being re-branded and already has a new name on some platforms. There is an app for PlayStation consoles that allows you to stream content from the Bravia Core catalog, and in October 2023, it became the first Bravia Core product to feature the new name: Sony Pictures Core.

The name change will come to Sony Bravia TVs at some point in 2024.