Sony’s new line of Bravia XR television sets will allow customers to watch and stream movies at some of the highest quality available in the consumer market through its new Bravia Core platform, according to the company.
Bravia XR owners will be able to choose from a number of Sony Pictures titles and watch them using Sony’s “Pure Stream” technology, which achieves “near lossless” ultra high-definition, Blu-ray disc quality, according to Sony. Pure Stream also allows for streaming of up to 80 megabytes per second. To compare, most streaming services recommend maintaining an internet speed between 15 and 25 megabytes per second to achieve proper 4K Ultra HD streaming quality. If Sony’s numbers are accurate, that’s better than a lot of the competition.
The platform comes preloaded on all new Bravia XR models (MASTER Series Z9J 8K LED, MASTER Series A90J and A80J OLED, and X95J and X90J 4K LED) and effectively uses a voucher system. Depending on the model that someone purchases, they’re given a number of credits. Those credits can be cashed in for a number of new titles. It’s unclear if people can keep those titles after they’re purchased with the credits, but The Verge has reached out to Sony for more information.
On the streaming front, Sony’s website states that customers can stream a number of titles “anytime and as many times as you like, in up to 4K HDR quality,” but there are limits to this, too. Time periods for streaming availability are depending on the Bravia XR model purchased, according to the site.
Bravia Core isn’t going to replace Netflix, but it seems like it was specifically designed to show customers the ultimate capabilities of their new TV set. Kind of like when you buy a TV with true 4K HDR capabilities, and you play the best 4K YouTube channels to try to see the difference between your new set and that old clunker you just tossed. Bravia XR TVs also have “the largest IMAX Enhanced movie collection,” according to Sony. It’s unclear exactly how many movies that works out to, though.
