The long-awaited update that enables Dolby Vision on the Sony A1 OLED as well as ZD9, XE94, and XE93 LCDs has started rolling out across Europe. It will work via HDMI after playback devices are updated, too.
For A1, ZD9, XE94 and XE93
At CES 2017, Sony announced that it would bring Dolby Vision to select 2016 and 2017 high-end TVs. The update started rolling out in the US in January 2018 and it is now also rolling out in the UK and throughout Europe.
- ”We are pleased to announce that a new firmware update (6.285) will be released directly to your TV on the 28th March 2018 and will roll out gradually throughout April,” Sony announced.
But there is a very big asterix here. Users in the US quickly realized that Dolby Vision playback did not work via HDMI – or as it turned out; playback devices such as Apple TV 4K or UHD Blu-ray players must also be updated before they become compatible with Sony TVs. Dolby has developed a special Dolby Vision profile that requires playback devices to do more of the processing.
That is exactly why the update was delayed in Europe in the first place so it is somewhat surprising that Sony has went ahead anyway. Oppo is already addressing the issue o its UHD Blu-ray players and Apple’s tvOS 11.3 (that fixes the problem) is expected to arrive very soon for Apple TV 4K.
- ”Selected Sony TVs (ZD9, XE94, XE93 and A1 Series) will support Dolby Vision with the software update to be rolled out in Europe within April, 2018. To enjoy Dolby Vision content, the video streaming app/service must support Dolby Vision,” the company said. ”In addition, after the Sony TV receives the software update, devices with Dolby Vision playback (such streaming media players and UHD Blu-ray players) that are connected to the Sony TV by HDMI will also require a software update to support Dolby Vision playback through the device. For more information on the timing of an update to a particular player, please contact the player’s manufacturer.”
Netflix and Apple iTunes offer Dolby Vision content in Europe.
The Dolby Vision update is not yet available for the 2018 A8F OLED and XF90 LCD models.
The firmware update (version 6.2858) will be made available for other 2016 and 2017 Android TVs, too, but it will add Dolby Vision support on ZD9, XE94, XE93 and A1 only.
The update is available to download manually now from Sony’s support page. It may also show up via the built-in download function but Sony Europe says that it will ”roll out gradually throughout April”.
Sony firmware update v6.2858
Applicable Sony TVs
2016 Android TVs: XD70, XD75, XD80, SD80, XD83 and ZD9 Series
2017 Android TVs: XE80, XE83, XE85, XE90, XE93, XE94 and A1 Series |
New features
- Dolby Vision content is supported for video streaming apps/services installed on the TV such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. (ZD9, XE94, XE93 and A1 only)*
- Voice search UI has changed
- Resolves an issue where the following message appears: "Samba Services Manager has stopped"
- Resolves an issue where audio on TV speaker echoes when connected to Bluetooth headphones
- Resolves Amazon Prime Video playback issue where the video freezes and lip sync error occurs
- Resolves an issue where home audio amplifier does not switch input automatically to TV input when using "BRAVIA Sync Control" function
- Resolves an issue where the TV input selector does not switch to HDMI connected player automatically when using the "One-Touch Play" feature
- Resolves an issue where videos from NPO’s HbbTV app cannot be played (The Netherlands only)
- Resolves an issue where sound continues to be heard from the Sound Bar after turning off the TV via the remote control
* Selected Sony TVs (ZD9, XE94, XE93 and A1 Series) will support Dolby Vision with the software update to be rolled out in Europe within April, 2018. To enjoy Dolby Vision content, the video streaming app/service must support Dolby Vision. For more information, please contact the app/service provider. In addition, after the Sony TV receives the software update, devices with Dolby Vision playback (such streaming media players and UHD Blu-ray players) that are connected to the Sony TV by HDMI will also require a software update to support Dolby Vision playback through the device. For more information on the timing of an update to a particular player, please contact the player’s manufacturer. |
